Salle | Afternoon | Tuesday | May 10

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

It felt like it'd been awhile since Percy had been the salle. He'd come down maybe once or twice during the break weeks but other than that, he'd taken those weeks to just relax and enjoy not having any responsibilities. Now, with classes back in session, he'd forced himself to get back into the habit of training. He really didn't need Luke poking at his stomach and telling him he was getting soft. That'd just result in Luke's unfortunate death via drowning.

So, he was working himself up to a sweat today. The poor practice dummy was the unfortunate victim and Percy felt about as good as ever with Riptide in his hands. In his mind, he let his thoughts wander. He saw the labyrinth and Luke's ship. He saw Pan dying and Grover's grief. He remembered Bianca sacrificing herself and the anger Nico directed at him after that. He could see Annabeth and Rachel Elizabeth Dare sniping at each other and he could remember the utter devastation when his mother had been snatched by Hades. It seemed like so long ago but it wasn't.

And Percy knew it wasn't over. He drove the sword viciously into the dummy and left it there with only the hilt exposed. He wiped his brow and stretched tense muscles. Well. He'd be feeling this tomorrow.

[Open salle, open post]

Comments

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Unlike Percy, Luke had made a point to show up to the salle almost every day during vacation. Which would explain why he showed up today, sword in hand and wearing his practice armor.

He didn't greet Percy right away when he saw him, instead staying to the side and watching a bit.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

It took Percy a second to realize Luke was there because he was still shaking his hands out but he wasn't slow enough that he didn't notice at all.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked, flexing his fingers a bit and giving Riptide's hilt a look. It had wedged in that practice dummy pretty far.

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Of course," Luke said, smiling a little. "Looks like you've been going at it pretty hard."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

Percy honestly couldn't tell if Luke was being sincere or making an innuendo. He decided to hope for sincere because Percy didn't need to trip and fall into his sword because Luke was trying to make him blush.

"I got off my training so I thought I'd try and make up for it," he explained before moving to pull his sword out of the dummy. "Don't wanna get a spare tire going on like you, man."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Hey, I'm the one that's been keeping up on my training," Luke said, moving further into the room. "I'm in way better shape than you."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"You also eat a lot more than I do and play video games in your spare time," Percy said, smirking at him. "At least I go swimming when I'm not down in the salle. You think you're in better shape than me."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Hey, I'd go swimming if we weren't in viking world where it's freaking freezing," Luke protested. "And how do you know I eat more than you?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"There's an indoor pool," Percy reminded him but he didn't push the issue because he knew how Luke felt about water. "And I know you eat more than me because I've seen it. You eat all the time. It's how you combat restlessness."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Bullshit. You don't know a damn thing about my eating habits," Luke said with a grin. "You're the one that stole all my food during the picnic Saturday."

[withasword.livejournal.com]

A whole class on how not to die under her belt this morning, and Kate still brought herself to train first thing after lunch. Perhaps because she wasn't sure weaving bracelets was training her in anything that would save her life.

Or just because she missed it if she didn't get to hit something at least every day.

"What did that thing ever do to you?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Huh?" Oh, very good Percy, show off your intelligence. "Oh, nothing. I was just..."

He reached to pull the blade out of the practice dummy. "...thinking. Kinda let it get away from me but at least it was just a dummy, right?"

[withasword.livejournal.com]

"Less messy," Kate agreed. Poking holes in actual people tended to result in a need to wash everything you happened to be wearing several times over and buy new shoes. It became a very expensive habit.

"On the other hand. Smacking it up when it can't fight back... Harsh."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

Percy raised an eyebrow at her for that one and gave Riptide a twirl before letting the blade rest against his shoulder.

"And what were you planning on doing in here?" he asked, glancing around. "I'm the only one here. Planning on poking holes in me so no one labels you harsh?"

[withasword.livejournal.com]

"You haven't been nearly that irritating yet," she assured him, tugging Slayer out of it's sheath and carefully checking the blade.

"Besides, I think the school administration would have something to say." It had to go against you to stab someone in your first week, and she'd rather not get tossed out and sent back to The Order.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"You're assuming you'd touch me," Percy pointed out, giving her sword a cursory glance. He wasn't going to think anything was as good as Riptide but hers didn't look too bad at all.

"This isn't the first time I've held a sword, you know," he said cockily. People challenging him, even indirectly, seemed to bring that out. "I'm not an amateur and I doubt you'd even get close."

[withasword.livejournal.com]

Every kid with a named sword thought theirs was the best. It was the way things went. Kate had very much the same thought while eying up his.

"I didn't think it was your first time... Maybe your second or third." Kate was not the sort to leave that there, come on. She smiled, and fed a little of her magic into Slayer's blade, lighting it with a glow. It did nothing, but did look fucking impressive.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Show off," Percy quipped but couldn't leave that unmatched. Sure, his sword couldn't glow but it could morph from a sword to a ballpoint pen to a sword in under ten seconds.

"If this were my second or third time," Percy said, keeping Riptide's blade on his shoulder, "I would have cut the heck out of my hand when I did that. Guess you were wrong. Oops."

[godofxbox]

Alex was distracted from his original intention of tracking down a practice sword (Grasscutter for everyday training was overkill) by the carnage.

"Did the dummy do something bad?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Nah," Percy said, wiping his brow with his forearm again and glancing at the poor abused dummy. "It just happened to be here, I guess. Wrong place, wrong time sort of thing."

Percy gave the dummy a pat on the shoulder. "Sure he'll recover."

[godofxbox]

"I don't know, I think it might need surgery," Alex joked. Poor dummy. Its life was so hard.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"You wanna give him some TLC?" Percy asked, pulling his sword out of the dummy and smirking over at Alex. "He might appreciate it."

[godofxbox]

"It's a dummy," Alex pointed out. "So not really."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Too bad, I would have liked to see that," Percy joked, resting the sword against his shoulder. "You a swordsman? Or just here to protect the dummies?"

[godofxbox]

"Yeah, but my sword's a little...risky for practice. Especially with other people around," Alex said, rubbing at the back of his head. "So I'm looking for something in the bamboo range? Or at least blunted."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

The description of his sword piqued Percy's curiosity but he gestured towards the practice swords.

"This one I'm using is mine but I've seen people use those over there," he said, shrugging. "I don't know how good they are. Is your sword like huge or something?"