The Nature of a Demigod

Winter Training

[Y/N's POV]

A right hook caught me right across the face. A great way to start the thanksgiving break. I didn't waste any time in returning it, as my fist connected with Charles Beckendorf's massive head.

Unfortunately, he rolled right with it and hit me in the stomach with his fist. I could have sworn my breakfast almost shot back up through my throat. Beckendorf winced at me. The afternoon wind brushed through camp as I fought for air on my hands and knees.

"Jeez dude, you alright? Did I hit you too hard?" he chuckled, then grimaced, massaging his knuckles. "I might have. What are you made of, iron?" he asked. After coughing my lungs out onto the snowy floor of the arena, I looked up at him and chuckled, trying to catch my breath.

"You're a metal worker, Charlie. You should know how to shape iron."  He simply laughed at that and pulled me to my feet. "I think that's enough sparring for the day, Y/N. I don't want to kill you."

"You couldn't kill me, Charlie. Trust me, I've tried." his face took on a confused expression, before I waved my hand and said, "Don't worry about it."

"So what do you want to do next?" the son of Hephaestus asked. I wracked my brain for a moment, trying to figure out what we hadn't done yet today. "This is going to sound crazy."

He smirked. "Crazy? I wouldn't expect anything less." he shook his head. "I've been trying to work on holding my breath and since it's pretty dang cold out here, I think it'll be good for me. I'm going to jump in the water and stay under as long as I can manage. And I want you time me."

The way Beckendorf was looking at me, you'd think I'd asked him to stab me in the throat. Eventually though, he just slapped himself on the forehead with his massive hand, and went to grab a watch. We met back at the pier by Long Island's waters. He grabbed me by the shoulder again. "Are you sure you want to do this? That water's probably below freezing at this point."

As I shed my shirt and jacket, I ran my hands over my tingling torso, trying to make sure I didn't actually freeze. "Yeah, I'm sure, Charlie. Now get that watch ready, alright?" he nodded, reluctantly. Beckendorf was shivering already, and he was fully clothed. I dropped my shirt on the snow covered dock and mentally prepared myself.

If the air was this cold, it was hard to imagine just how cold the water was. I was starting to second guess myself. "Are you jumping or not, you pansy?"

I flipped Beckendorf the middle finger and took a deep breath. I am many things, but I am not a pansy. I don't even know what that is.

Without giving myself another chance to think, I leapt off the dock, submerging in the freezing cold water. Every cell in my body was screaming at me to get out. It felt like a million little knives poking me all at once. I jammed my eyes shut, so as not to focus on the fact that I was dying a bit at the moment.

Eventually, the pain stopped, and all felt normal. I guess that enough time has passed for my body ti accommodate the the cold.

After what felt like a few minutes, I felt something tickling my feet. I looked down and saw a school of flounder, 'floundering about', investigating this earthly body in the middle of their domain. A small smile grew on my face. Not too big though, because I was still trying to keep the air in my lungs.

My training regime had changed a lot in the last few months, mostly because I discovered that I could enter a different plane of existence. The 'shadow world' as I liked to call it.

It helped with travel big time, because I figured out that I could run a mile in 5 seconds of real time. In regular time though, it took more like a minute and a half or so. The problem?