DoW chapter 14
I sleep for most of the day, Nika wakes me up for a late lunch. George and
Jewel(which was the ladies name) had graciously provided lunch for us. It was
some sandwiches and warm croissants with some hot chocolate. We all enjoyed
the meal and chatted with the two. Jewel was in her late forties and had
worked at the hotel for years. George was relatively new to the hotel but knew
Jewel from a summer program she had taught. The two were the only ones in
the hotel which was interesting. I remembered seeing three cars outside. Maybe
it was an abandoned car that was already there. I think but the familiar
hesitation in the back of my head creeps in. I had learned to trust this sense
but I tried to reassure myself. Astraea would warn us if things got bad. I tell
myself and try to concentrate. We chat for a bit and then thank them for the
meal and shelter. They were happy to help us. I walked back up to my room and
crashed in my bed again. Mistake. I was thrown into a dark room. It was like
real life but I knew it was a dream. I hear a ruffle and click. Hello? I say. Silver
blinds my vision and I’m blinded. When I regain my vision I find myself in a work
room of some sort. Millions of maps, papers, and books are scattered. I hear a
frustrated groan ahead and find desk where a woman sat scribbling on a piece
of paper. Hello? I ask her. She turns around. MOM?! I say in shock. Sure enough,
it was Athena. She wasn’t in armor anymore but wore a simple sliver sweatshirt
and sweatpants. About time you got here. We have work to do. She says and
waves her hand. Everything disappears and we stand in a field. The wind blows
across my face pushing the hair out of my face. Where am I? And why? I ask
Athena as she holds a spear. You have a great destiny ahead of you, a difficult
one but great. It will bring honor to the Athena house. But you need more
training to be ready. She says and twirls her spear. Arm yourself. She says. Wait,
you want ME to fight YOU?! I ask her. She shrugs like it wasn’t that big of a
deal. Yes, how else will you learn to fight? She says. Valid point. And you wont
fight me, not yet. You will fight these. She says and snaps her fingers. A silver
gladiator appears. It stands at attention, waiting for instructions. I fumble but
grab my glasses and they shift into my sword. Remember what Annabeth taught
you. I tell myself and shift into my fighting stance. Good, at least Annabeth
taught you something. She says without a smile. The gladiator rushes me and I
throw up my sword in defense. The opponent was strong and fast, catching me
way off guard. I tried to use a more advanced parry but the thing anticipated it
And used the counter attack. I stumble and fall down. Athena gives
me a disappointed look. My cheeks flush with shame and I stand back
up. Again. She says and the cycle repeats. Strike, defend, thrust,
stumble. Athena didnt let me stop to catch my breath, the next attack
coming. I used every move I knew but couldnt catch the thing off
guard. After the millionth time I fell, I stayed down. Get up. Athena
says. I was so mad and tired that I didnt care. No. I say through
gritted teeth. No?! Get up! She says. No! I will not. I wont learn how
to fight if you keep making me go into fights I have no idea how to
win. I tell her and stand up. She was taller than me by a few inches
but I walked right up to her. I looked right in the eyes. I had never
done something like this before but I was too mad to care. No, I wont
learn like this. There is no way I can unless I have some sort of
instruction. I tell her. You don’t want me to win so I survive. You want
the honor. I tell her. I hit something because a slight emotion flicked
in her eyes. It was gone in the blink of an eye but I had seen it. We
stood there in silence, staring at each other waiting for the other to
break. Fine, have it your way. Athena says, voice dripping with venom.
When someone rushes you with a sword, always use the third man
parry to unbalance the opponent. She says and shows me how. The
rest of the time, she shows me different combinations of blows and
parries to use in almost every situation. I was finally learning
something. And I was actually enjoying myself. Not a lot but the
motions and having something to do was a positive. I don’t know how
long we trained but time must have gone by differently in this reality
than the real one. I was exhausted when Athena called for it to stop.
I was proud of myself. I had finally beaten the thing. That’s it for now,
your friends need you. She says and I nod. And need me they did