Conquer

~5~

Photo by Julie Marsh on Unsplash 

The air is cold. And misty, foggy, the clouds blocking out the sun. I like the feeling of today, and I concentrate on that feeling while training that morning in the woods with Thalia. Her breaths are seen slightly in the crispy morning, the dew sliding down fresh leaves, and trees standing strong around us in the swaying gusts of wind. 

"You'll be expected to meet the physical standards before being allowed to travel with the army to the battle," she says, starting our first conversation of the day.

I blow out a long breath. "I know."

"And our armies are being decimated, which means you'll be going in a week or two."

"I know."

"Stop saying that, I don't like it," she snaps.

"I know." I then catch myself and run a hand through my hair, sighing, "What if I don't pass? They barely even let me into the camp, laughed at me, how am I going to go with them when I am the weakest here?"

"The weakest here?"

"Well, yeah, I'm not as strong as a man," I say, repeating what I've always been taught and told.

Thalia stands back a little, completely flabbergasted. "Annabeth, you are incredibly strong. And every and any woman can be just as strong as a man, if not stronger."

I watch her twirl the sword a little, and strike, our conversation transitioning into combat. I say between hits, "I didn't exactly have the muscle coming here."

"I'm not just talking about muscle, strength comes from within. Real strength." Her fierce eyes meet mine, "And you've got to stop putting yourself down, it'll hurt you more than help."

"And muscle strengthening?" I ask.

"Only way to achieve that is to continue working at it, which you need strength from within."

"So..."

"So, attack me girl! Come on, we're training for a war here!"

~~~

"DIG DEEPER!" Percy yells. "GENTLEMEN, YOU HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT HARDER THAN THAT!"

Mud flies up, splattering across my face. I army-crawl under wires, my limbs straining from exhaustion. Their obstacle course really kicks butts. It's a butt-kicker.

I fumble to stand, and slide more. The rest of the guys are on my heels and I quicken my pace. The rope against the wooden wall slides smoothly between my hands and I almost curse outright.

"ANDREW STOP STARING AT THE ROPE LIKE IT'S GOING TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU! CLIMB!" Percy bellows from where he stands at me.

I jump into action, gripping the rope really hard. My boots scramble on the now slippery wall. I almost fall multiple times, my hands sliding down the rope every time I haul myself up. I feel my hair tickling my face, and refrain from tying it back tighter. I am very aware of how the other men view my 'man bun' as something they want to cut off. And I am very aware that while traveling to war, I can't just hide on the outskirts of the tents. And I am also aware of them wanting to see it down one day.

"LEO WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?"

I roll over the top of the wall, my lungs pleading for me to just stop a second. I face the sky and breathe.

"JEFFERSON, MOVE!"

The clouds look really pretty today.

"LUKE, FASTER!"

Percy's screams at my fellow soldiers reminds me to keep going or else I'll be screamed at again. I slide down the wall, and luckily I do so as the second half are catching up. I'm in the middle of the big group completing this. The men in front of me were too fast, so I ended up in the awkward middle.

"ANDREW, GRAB THE BAR, GUYS COME ON!"

A muddy metal bar rests above me, supported by two skinny poles. I am too short, so my only option is to jump. Great. Lovely. Fantastic. Without giving much more thought to it, I bend my knees and spring into the air. The tips of my fingers brush the cold metal.

Percy yells, but this time it's not a critic, "REMEMBER, TEAMWORK IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE OR DEATH IN BATTLE! HELP ONE ANOTHER OUT!"

Every nerve in me is singing and I jump right back up again, not looking back to see how everyone else is doing. I hear someone clear their throat behind me and see Luke. My face heats and I am about to allow him to go first when he gestures up to the bar. Great, so now he wants to watch me jump up and down to somehow reach the bar.

I turn back to it and bend my knees. Lifting off the balls of my feet, my arches activating, I feel two hands grip my hips. They, along with my own legs, launch me onto the bar. My hands grasp the bar, fully enclosing around it.

I cry out when the rest of my body falls, my arms being pulled taut. Shock fills me and I look beneath my armpit at Luke. "What'd you help me for?"

His eyes meet mine, "Do I have to have a reason?"

"Yes."

"Swing."

"Pardon?" He looks at me weirdly and I correct myself, "I mean, what? Huh?"

"Use your legs for momentum," he advises.

Realizing he probably won't ever give me an answer to my previous question, I focus back on the task at hand - Percy's yelling fading into the background. My hands rub against the metal while I swing my legs slowly at first, my entire body catching on quickly and going faster with more power. I use the momentum I built up to launch to the next bar above, my hands flailing in the air for a scary heartbeat. 

I somehow am able to roll over the bar, landing swiftly on the ground with Luke making sure I don't fall on my face. I try to shake off our interaction the rest of the course, instead, focusing on the sweat rolling down my temples. 

Have a great day/night wherever you are! - The Fangirl