Page 9 of Poseidon's Trident
“I can’t hold my arms up,” I groan.
“Your training has been lax up until now. It will get easier the more you do it.” Chiron crosses his arms.
“The trainers here haven’t actually seen many battles.” I grimace.
“And it shows. You’ve been here for months and a basic sparring session has worn you out. This is unacceptable.” Chiron stamps his hoof.
Thad and Raven aren’t faring much better than I am. They are both gross and out of breath.
“I want you to show me how you fight with your magic,” Chiron says.
“That is a bad idea.” I shuffle my feet.
“You don’t even know how to channel your magic into your weapon?”
“Yes, I taught myself, but it’s raining and my magic is electricity.” I widen my eyes.
Chiron frowns down at me in confusion.
“She will electrocute herself,” Raven says, exasperated.
“What is electrocute?” Chiron asks.
“It’s like getting struck by lightning.”
His face flashes with horror and he nods. “We will find somewhere inside to practice magic next time. You are all dismissed. Rest because we will be doing this again tomorrow.”
I nod and slam a fist over my heart and bow my head to Chiron before me and Raven stomp off.
“How am I supposed to do that all again tomorrow when my arms are fucking jelly?” I ask Raven.
“I have a cream in my room for muscle aches. It works like a charm.” Raven bumps her shoulder into mine and I wince.
“Where do I get this magic cream?” I ask.
“I have a few jars in my dorm. You can have one,” Raven says.
“Thanks, because otherwise I may not survive more of Chiron’s training.” My shoulders slump in defeat.
How have I been able to defeat monsters all this time without proper training? Has it just been luck? How long will it be before that luck runs out?
3
“Beth?” Thad calls after us.
He jogs to catch up and I scowl at him. What is his deal? He’s always kind of hanging around.
“What do you want?” I ask, spinning on him.
I’m tired and cold, wet, and muddy. I have lost all patience for this rain and the constant storms and the son of the storm god just wants to have a chat in the middle of it? It’s bullshit and I should just walk away, but something in his posture stops me.
“Sorry, I know you can’t adapt to rain the way I can. I would offer to dry you and clean the mud but with the rain pouring on us, I fear it would just be a waste of time and energy.” Thad hangs his head.
“I’m cold and hangry, Thad. Can we get to the point?” Raven pipes in.
“I owe Beth an apology. We got off on the wrong foot when Ares brought you all back from the last mission. I’d only been here a couple days and kept hearing everyone talking about how you were all out saving the world and I got overly cocky and confident when I saw you.”
“That’s not an excuse,” I say, rolling my eyes.
