The S.S. Olympus -under refurbishment

Chapter VIII: Hortulanus

A wooden sword slammed down onto her shaky attempt to block. Cornelia did her best to brace against the blow. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she felt her stance slip on the cold metal floor. Artemis pulled the blade back and swung again. Cornelia felt her legs collapsed beneath her as her knees struck the bulkhead. She winced at the pain spread throughout her leg but launched herself up onto her shaky feet. She charged Artemis with a flurry of failed blows. Artemis swept her legs under hers, slamming into her knees, and knocking her to the floor.

"Again!" Artemis commanded. Cornelia tried to catch her breath. "The Chimera would not wait for the attack, why should you? Cornelia wiped the sweat off of her brow and groaned. Artemis gave no quarter, "Get up." Her voice was unforgiving and stern. "Pain is weakness leaving the body."

Cornelia steeled herself and pushed up off the floor; she had no breath yet, not even to respond.

As she got up, she felt Artemis strike her knuckles with a wooden blade. "Too slow," She allowed a brief moment for Cornelia to refocus, "Again."

Cornelia felt her arms shake under her as she tried to heave herself up off the floor for the second time, but exhaustion had drained all of her strength she collapsed. Artemis watched her with an attentive eye. Her lips were tight, but concern dipped her eyebrow. Cornelia tried one more time and was able to right herself, but not stand.

"Enough lessons for today." Artemis rested a gentle hand on Cornelia's shoulder, "You did well."

"No, I can keep going." Cornelia fought off the weak shaking of her legs and voice as she tried to stand. She held her sword ready and beckoned to Artemis, "again."

Artemis casually whacked the sword out of Cornelia's hands, "there will be time, a battered fighter is a dead fighter. Your body needs time to recuperate. It is in those times that you will find your body makes the most progress." Cornelia felt her legs buckle again and nodded in agreement.

Who am I to argue? She almost said goddess, and it was hard not to. For in her short time with these beings, it was the only intelligible word she had for them.

"Computer," Artemis called out, "Two glasses of ice water," the computer gave her its confirmation sound, and two tall cold glasses of refreshing liquid appeared in the basin of the replicator. Cornelia gratefully accepted the drink, thanked Artemis, and left the training room. Her clothes stuck to her in a sticky mass of sweat and salt, and she eagerly sought out her quarters for a shower.

Over the past few days, Cornelia had become increasingly comfortable with the technology part of her new life. Showering, asking for clothes, even talking to an invisible person they referred to as 'Hebe' had become second nature to her. She had always been a fast learner, and these new advancements were a vast improvement over her previous lifestyle.

Her release from training was a blissful insult. A part of her just wanted to curl up and sleep off the muscle aches in her legs. The other part of her wanted to be better. She thought highly of herself before she got in the ring with Artemis.

She rubbed a new welt on her arm with a smirk. That was proof that a wooden sword could very much be a real weapon if she knew how to use it properly. 'Never underestimate your enemy or their weapon. A sword can be useless in one man's hand and a pin deadly in another's.'  She had given her a knowing smile as she reached a hand down to pull Cornelia off of the floor. "Like when you tried to yield a rock." Artemis smirked, "given the right motivation anything and anyone can be a weapon."

"Yes sir," Cornelia said aloud to no one. 

"How did training go?"

Cornelia spun around to see a familiar golden-haired man standing behind her. He leaned casually against a wall, a gentle smile on his sculpted face.