Page 21 of Meduso
You released it too soon.
You released it too late.
Try positioning yourself this way when you throw it.
Make sure you’re angling it like this.
Follow through with your arm even after you let it go.
Perseus was extremely coachable and adapted to all of my critiques. Yes, there were still times when he completely messed up and the discus went off course, but overall, he was immensely improving at throwing it. I was surprised at how quickly he picked up on the skill.
After a few hundred throws, we decided to call it quits.
“What next?” I asked.
“Let’s practice swordsmanship and sparring.”
“Do you have swords?”
“Yes. I have two wooden ones at my place I used to play around with when I was a child. We can use those,” he replied.
“I’ll race you there!” I stated, running ahead of him back into town.
“Really?” Perseus laughed as I suggested this.
It was fairly foolish of me to even think I stood a chance at racing against a demi-god, especially one who was the son of Zeus, but I decided to have fun with him. It wasn’t a complete shock when Perseus zoomed right by me. He moved so fast that I felt a gust of wind hit me in the face, blowing my hair back.
When I arrived at his house, he was leaning against the stone wall, holding two wooden sticks in his hand. The way he rested against the wall so confidently was very seductive. I felt my blood rush at the sight of this alluring pose of his.
He tossed me one of the wooden swords, and I caught it mid-air.
“Have you ever used one of these before?” he inquired.
I shook my head. “No. Can’t say I have,” I fibbed.
“Alright. I will make sure to go easy on you, since it is your first time.”
Little did Perseus know that I had stellar swordsmanship skills. Never have I used a wooden sword before, though. I’ve only ever used real ones, made of the finest iron and copper. So, technically, I was telling him the truth. I just wasn’t so forthcoming with the details around it.
Our form of entertainment was very limited in living in an oceanic palace. Stheno, Euryale, and I pleaded with our father and mother to allow us to have swords and take up the trade. It was our father who favored the idea and was the one who took us on as apprentices, teaching us the art. After many years, my sisters and I would practice on one another. There were multiple occasions where we struck through our bodies, inflicting several bloody wounds. During these occurrences, my mother rushed to our sides, pouring sea water over the torn flesh. The lacerations closed and healed in just a matter of seconds. Our inflicted pain was therefore very fleeting whenever we did go too far.
Perseus led us into an open clearing in the forest. We stood across from each other, on opposite sides.
“Are you ready?” Perseus raised his wooden sword high in the air as he asked this.
“I was born ready!” I winked at him.
“Confident! I love it!” He chortled at what he thought was an over-expectation of my skills.
Perseus ran at me, lunging forward with his sword. I pivoted to the side to dodge the strike. He continued to relentlessly come at me from all different angles, but it was all in vain. I managed to avoid every single attack he attempted.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go so easy on you, then.” Perseus swung high and I raised my sword to block him. I swiped upward, causing him to retreat. As I did this, he aimed low at my legs with a sweep. I jumped in the air, causing him to stumble to the side.
“And I thought you were a demi-god?” I teased.
This time, I decided to go more on the offense. I pressed my sword forward at his side. He too blocked all of my attempts, until I had one final surprise in store for him. With my quick reflexes, I saw he poked his sword, aiming for my torso. I spun to the side, lifting my wooden sword in the air and slammed it on top of his, which was aimed horizontally. The force was enough to disarm him. His weapon fell to the ground. Perseus bent over to retrieve it, but before his hand could even touch the hilt, I pressed my sword forward, so that the pointed end was directly on his throat.
He had nowhere to go. No more moves to make to counteract me. My focus and seriousness on the spar diminished. I sent a bright smile his way. “It’s over!” I announced.
