A Personal Weapon

Jamie scratched her head. After a few days painting on her drawing books, she got bored. For the first time ever.

All this time, painting has been her life. No matter where she stroke her brush, it always calms her. That's why Jamie spend so much time indoors, because she was so comfortable with the smell of oil paint surrounding her. But then she got plopped to this place: Camp Half-Blood. Seeing other kids running around, playing volleyball, chilling beside the Sound, and carrying those things Jamie would never thought was possible: swords and arrows. Some even carry guns. What if that thing blew accidentally?

But one thing Jamie knows for sure: she needs it. Weapons. Swords. Whatever the name is, she has to have one. Otherwise, she would be vulnerable. From the monsters that they said lurking in the Woods, or from the campers themselves. With a small drawing book and a couple of brush in her overalls, she started walking towards the Hermes cabin's door, where she's staying right now. It was crowded, and sometimes there's a small explosion on the nook of the cabin, but Jamie doesn't mind. At least those kids leave her alone, not forcing her to do anything she doesn't like. Unlike some of her teacher. Jamie put on her shoes today. The feeling of grass rubbing her feet still peculiar to her.

She wants to ask one of the kids how to get those weapons, but starting conversation wasn't really Jamie's forte. Instead, she looks around for possible building that looks like an armory storage. I mean, this camp has to have one, right? Otherwise, there won't be this much blades lying around just for the kids to take. After a few seconds, Jamie spotted a huge one just a few meters from the cabins. She trotted over there, and open the door.

The view was overwhelming. Lines of glinting swords, pointy knifes, and firm bows makes Jamie stumbled back. She wasn't scared, but she never saw so much weapons in one place. Jamie doesn't believe in violence. The thought of maiming someone was too much for her. But she know she has to have one of these things, otherwise she won't live long enough. It's not an obligation, but more like a feeling.

Just as her feet was backing out, she felt someone was standing behind her. Whoever that is, he/she probably watch Jamie since she peeked through the armory door. Her face burned red. "S-sorry." she stuttered. "I thought I just looked around. I saw every kid has their weapon except me, so... I think I should find one."

She encourage herself to look up, and stare straight to the person's eye. Something she never done before. "I... I think I need help. Could you help me? To pick my first weapon, I mean?"

Sophie had been helping kids find weapons for a while now. She had the natural gift of matching people to a weapon, because she was an Athena kid, and over time, had gotten super quick at finding them, and the matches were usually a success. She was kinda like a matchmaker, except for weapons, and she had a near 100% success rate. Of course, there was the kid who liked trying different weapons, and sometimes people had to change them, because it was broken, or they were tired of it, but overall, people stuck with the weapons Sophie found for them. Because of this, people would come to her with requests, either for helping them find something, or looking for something new. Some people would get annoyed that someone would interrupt their reading to ask, or talk to them while eating, but not Sophie. She loved that people singled her out, because it meant they thought she was the best, or at least someone who could help them.

Since nobody was really in charge of the armory, Sophie had taken it upon the Athena cabin to organize it. Taking inventory, sorting weapons into rows, keeping everything neat, anything the armory needed to be clean and efficient. Nobody really noticed, or cared, but Sophie always made sure the armory was in tip-top shape, at least, until she got the Athena cabin’s armory into order. After that happened, she’d spend more time there. Sophie had grabbed her clipboard with the weapons listed on it, and was headed to the armory to make sure that everything was there. If something was missing, Sophie would have to track it down, but most cases, it was just that somebody had taken it, and nobody had recorded it somewhere. Sophie walked through the door, and froze.

Someone else was already there, apparently examining the rows of weapons. Sophie could tell it was a girl, and had messy brown hair. Her back was to Sophie, so she couldn’t see her face. The girl turned around, and Sophie saw blue eyes, and a face that was slowly turning red. Sophie gave a small laugh when the girl asked if she could help find a weapon for the girl. “You’ve come to the right place,” Sophie said, sticking her clipboard under her arm. “I’m Sophie, cabin leader for Athena,” she said, holding her hand out for a handshake. She changed her mind halfway through, and just gave a small wave. No time to waste.

“So, you’ve come for a weapon,” Sophie repeated, looking the girl over. It wasn’t in a mean way, but Sophie needed to examine the girl. The smaller kids couldn’t handle axes, while bigger people wouldn’t fight as well with a dagger. After she finished scanning the girl, Sophie turned to the weapons. They were in the axes section, which might not be a good idea. “I don’t suppose you have any preferences, or something you already know how to fight with?” Sophie asked, her back to the girl. She ran her hand over the polished edge of an axe, careful not to cut herself. They were good weapons, axes, but not her favorite. She favored daggers, and the lighter weapons, but she wasn’t sure about the girl. Maybe she already knew how to use a bow, or liked swords better. Until she knew, Sophie couldn’t do anything more than wait.

((having a muse withdrawal))

"I'm Sophie, cabin leader for Athena,"

Jamie nodded. The blond girl's eyes seems sparkling to her. Jamie rarely paints human, but every time she portrayed someone who's smart (like George Washington or her art teacher), she would put sparks in their eyes. It makes them look gorgeous in their own way.

“So, you’ve come for a weapon. I don’t suppose you have any preferences, or something you already know how to fight with?” Jamie frowned when hearing this question. She never even pick a knife for cooking. And she spent most of her time indoor, so bullies were tired of teasing her after a while. And when they do teased her, they will tear her canvas or her drawing book. But Jamie only shrugged and said, "My muse is often changed. Tear it apart or burned it away, I don't care. I just make another one."

So, in conclusion, she never fight and of course, she doesn't has any weapon. Unless if the tub of paint oil and several brushes can be considered a weapon. Can someone paint a monster to oblivion? Jamie mused on the idea.

But she snapped back to reality once she saw Sophie's eyes, obviously waiting for an answer. "Um, no. I never fight anyone before. And yes, I don't have a weapon or any type of it that I use to wear. Sorry for leaving you with limited options." Jamie smiled apologetically. "But I still can pick something from here, right? No restriction?"

((SHORT. >.<))

Sophie gave a nod, listening to Jamie speak. She liked what she had said, about her muse. That was a smart statement, without getting overrated. You didn't get many of those from the kids in camp. They weren't exactly the smartest around, except for the Athena kids, and the odd one here and there. There were the Apollo kids, the Hermes kids, the Ares kids, anybody. They all had their own talents, but being smart, or wise, wasn't one of them. Sophie gave a small laugh when she heard Jamie say something about limited options.

"Limited options? There's never a limit to how to kill someone. You don't need to be an Ares kid to know that. Limited options...we'll find something for you. Let's start with swords," Sophie said, turning her back on the axes. The three most popular weapons were swords, bows, and daggers, so Sophie generally started there, and worked up to the spears, axes, and guns. Sophie walked past the guns, then stopped. Someone had turned the safety off on one of the pistols. Sophie sighed, then picked up the gun. One of these days, someone was going to shoot themselves in the foot. She didn't really like them, nor did she know how to use them. She left that for the Ares kids. But Sophie did know her weapons, being the daughter of a war goddess. She made it her buisness to know what the weapon was, it's history, how to use it, and how to clean it. She could probably give you a history on any weapon in the room. Using them was different.

Sophie put the gun back after she made sure everything was alright. She kept walking, sometimes stopping to check her clipboard, and make sure the allocated weapon was there. She wanted to take measurements, but now wasn't the time, with a newbie. Sophie finally made it to the swords section, and gestured for Jamie to get closer. "I'm going to start you off with two different swords, and we'll move on from there," Sophie told Jamie, scanning the weapons. She selected two of the swords, and held them aloft, so Jamie could see them. "The one I'm holding in my left hand is a rapier," Sophie said, holding it up. "This is a lighter sword, but still strong. It's the one you usually see in those duels in movies. You know, Princess Bride, Count of Monte Cristo," Sophie stated. She knew those were older movies, but all the new ones used flashy guns and tinfoil swords. "The other one is a broadsword. Good for offensive fighting, can be used with two hands," Sophie said, motioning with the other one, which was heavier than the first. She handed both swords to Jamie. "Try them out," she commanded, stepping back.

"Limited options? There's never a limit to how to kill someone. You don't need to be an Ares kid to know that. Limited options...we'll find something for you. Let's start with swords," So I could kill someone just with my paint and brush? Jamie almost blurted those words, but she hold her tongue. No, that would be weird. Enough that people consider her as a freak even in this place, Jamie doesn't need anymore people to snickered at her behind her back. Especially this Sophie. She seems real smart and nice.

After that, both Jamie and Sophie walk inside the armory. For one moment, Sophie suddenly picked something from the floor. Jamie glanced from the girl's back, curious about the item. And her eyes widen when she realized it was a gun. Whoever let those things laying around, it must be very reckless. Who know that people would stepped on it, and then causing a fatal accident? Jamie shakes her head while Sophie fiddled with the gun, the put it back on the rack.

When they walked deeper to the armory, Sophie sometimes checked her clipboard for a second, then walks again. Jamie wonders if its Athena's children's job to list the weapons. But she doesn't have the courage to ask Sophie that yet. She keep her silent, until Sophie stopped in front of... oh dear. Lines of swords. Jamie gulped when seeing those glinting bronze blade. When Sophie explained to her about the difference between rapier and broadsword, her heart pounded so hard she thought it would explode. She was never a fan of pointy picks such as these. And when Sophie said, "Try them out,", Jamie legs felt like jelly. Soft and vulnerable.

"O-okay." She answered with unsure tone. Rubbing the excessive sweats on her palm, Riley tries to steadily bring one of the broadsword down. Ouch. Heavy much? After a few struggling seconds, Jamie gripped the sword with both hand, just as she instructed to. "Well, here goes nothing."

She swung it, and unfortunately, her body goes with it. The weight of the broadsword was too much, even Jamie's limbs decided to follow, making her torso jumped forward without her will. "Holy-" She quickly dropped that weapon. Clearly, it's too heavy for her. She breathes heavily, trying to control her composure. After Jamie feels relaxed enough, she grabbed for the rapier. She swung it several times, but something is wrong. This one feels fine, but it's just not... her style, maybe? She doesn't like sword in the first place, so that make sense.

"I don't know. The second one feels fine, but... I don't like swords." Jamie admitted when putting the sword back into position."Are there anymore options? Something small and light, perhaps?"

Sophie jumped back when Jamie swung the sword, using her whole body. She backed up a few steps, because she wanted to stay in one piece. Sophie winced when the sword clattered against the floor, as Jamie picked up the other sword. While Jamie was swinging that one, Sophie bent down, and quickly picked up the broadsword, checking the blade for scratches and dents. The floor of the armory was stone, and while the bronze could handle that, Sophie wanted the swords to be in top condition, for their future owners. Not finding anything wrong, Sophie put the sword back on the rack, and stepped back again.

Apparently, the rapier wasn’t right for Jamie either, as she had placed it on the rack again. Sophie listened quietly as Jamie told her that swords weren’t her style. Sophie nodded, thinking about other weapons, when Jamie asked about something small and light. Sophie smiled, nodding her head. “I had some thoughts, but we can skip those. Let’s try the daggers and knives,” Sophie said, turning towards the daggers and knives, which were near the axes, which were in the other direction. Sophie started walking back the way they came, deciding they’d try knives first. It seemed to be a stereotype that every girl used a dagger, which Sophie didn’t like at all. Whenever a girl came to her for a weapon, Sophie always tried swords first, then bows, then knives, then daggers. Knives and daggers were similar, but not the same, and that was good enough for Sophie.

“So, we’re gonna try the knives first,” Sophie told Jamie, not explaining why. “People think that daggers and knives are the same, but that’s not true. The main difference is the blade, and of course, the purpose. Daggers are usually two sided blades, and are good for slashing and hacking. Knives usually have a one sided blade, and are good for stabbing. Stabbing is good for monsters,” Sophie said, thinking back to the giant scorpion, with its nearly impenetrable armor. Slashing hadn’t been good for that, since you needed to stab it to kill it.

Sophie stopped in front of the array of knives, debating which would be best for Jamie. She pulled a pair of knives, and held them out for Jamie to see. “A good pair of hunting knives, cause two are better than one, right?” Sophie didn’t wait for an answer as she continued. “Since knives are generally for the kitchen only, these are hunting knives, which, like their name says, are for hunting. Try them out,” Sophie said, slowly handing Jamie the knives hilt first, so she didn’t drop it. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need to tell her to be careful.

“I had some thoughts, but we can skip those. Let’s try the daggers and knives,” said Sophie as she walks to the opposite direction. That made Jamie feel better. At least those things are smaller and easier to handle. Maybe it'll be the same like she use her brushes. But wait. Jamie tilted her head when she was thinking, aren't daggers and knives are the same?

Apparently not. “People think that daggers and knives are the same, but that’s not true. The main difference is the blade, and of course, the purpose. Daggers are usually two sided blades, and are good for slashing and hacking. Knives usually have a one sided blade, and are good for stabbing. Stabbing is good for monsters,” said Sophie as she explained the difference between daggers and knives. Jamie nodded thoughtfully. Even though she never use any kind of knives throughout her life, she kind of like Sophie's description about it. Daggers seems so... useless.

Sophie carefully pull out a pair of knife from so many of it, making Jamie impressed on how she could do such a thing. She tried to do the same when her art class once (taking out a small paint bottle from the rack), but Jamie only make a mess there. Breaking paint bottles and ruining good canvas. Not a pretty eyesight. “A good pair of hunting knives, cause two are better than one, right? Since knives are generally for the kitchen only, these are hunting knives, which, like their name says, are for hunting. Try them out,” Sophie gesture the knive's hilt towards Jamie's hand.

With a deep breath, Jamie took those weapons. Her fingers traced both the jagged and the smooth sides of the hunting knives. She tried to swung it, twirl it, jab it, moving it to her opposite palms... It feels firm and steady, unlike when she swung those swords. To sums it up, she likes this knives.

"I... I feel comfortable using this. "Jamie pointed those knives while smiling. But then she gazed on other weapons: lines of axes, bows and arrows... A feeling was nagging in her mind. "If I like this particular piece, should I just go with it? Or is it customary to try everything first?"

Sophie watched as Jamie took the knives, and started trying out different moves with them. It seemed to work for her, so Sophie stored the information in her head, that Jamie likes knives. She might not remember it, but she tried to know as much as possible, especially if the information helped her later. Since Jamie was doing fine with the knives, Sophie assumed she’d take it, so she scanned the clipboard, looking for the particular pair Jamie had. When she found them, Sophie carefully wrote Jamie’s name on there. She didn’t need to ask for the last name, Sophie had recognized her in the armory. It might be kinda weird, but Sophie wanted to know everyone she could, even if they didn’t know her.

Sophie listened to Jamie, then tucked the clipboard under her arm again. “If you think you can fight with it, and stick with it for a while, I’d take it. Of course, you can choose more than one. For example, if you use a bow, it’s a good weapon for long range. But what happens if someone attacks short range? That’s why they usually carry an alternate weapon. Or if you use a gun, and you run out of ammo or something, people usually have a sword, or something else, as back up. If you just have a sword, that’s ok, or just an axe. It’s recommended to have both a short range weapon, and a long range, so that you have the advantage, but you don’t need one. I just have a dagger,” Sophie explained, tugging on her charm, and watching as it elongated into a dagger. “You can just be fine with one,” Sophie said, showing Jean her dagger, before putting it back. “Or you can have another one,” she finished.

“So, I assume you’ll take the knives, regardless of getting a second weapon,” Sophie said, motioning to the clipboard. “But we can take a look at bows, if it makes you feel better,” she continued. The bows were right next to the daggers, so it wasn’t a long trip. Sophie headed towards the bows, then stopped in front of them. “So, I know you’ve never used a bow before, but there are different types,” Sophie said. “I wonder if she can use oak, or if she needs something more flexible,” Sophie mused to herself, running her hand over a bow, feeling it’s hard texture. “Might as well try both,” she said under her breath, picking up a light brown bow, and a black one.

“Ok, so this one,” Sophie started, lifting her hand with the light brown bow, “Is a pretty sturdy bow. Kinda hard to shoot, but the arrows do go long distances,” Sophie said, setting the bow gently on the ground. She lifted the black one up. “This is a bit more flexible, and more for beginners,” she said. She put both bows down, and took two arrows out of separate quivers. “Try them out, but try and not shoot me or any of the weapons, please,” Sophie said, notching an arrow for Jamie in the brown one, and handing it to her.

((still short, but she does talk a lot))

“If you think you can fight with it, and stick with it for a while, I’d take it. Of course, you can choose more than one." Really? Jamie's mind was gleeful hearing those words. More than one? Cool! But then Sophie explained about what would happen in battle if a person only had one weapon: more possibilities to be killed. She nodded in agreement, even though her mood was faltering a bit. After that, both of them went to the long-range weapon section: the wide assortments of bows. Jamie wasn't so sure about those kind of weapons. It seems so... weak. She wasn't very good on aiming either. She failed on almost every sport that requires that particular skill: Basketball, soccer... Jamie can't even throw a rock towards a specific target. She sigh remembering those sad times.

Jamie pocketed those knives inside her overall, while Sophie was explaining about the bow she has on her hands. The explanation was very thorough, but Jamie's mind went blank. She was examining that weapon while thinking about how to shoot the arrows. She was afraid that she might hit something dangerous, or worse... Sophie.

“Try them out, but try and not shoot me or any of the weapons, please.”

Oh dear. Sweats started to form on Jamie's palm. Ignoring her fear, she took the bow, and try to examine it herself to buy time. Where should I point this shot? The ceiling? Outside? But then her eyes went wide. Outside! That's it!

Jamie pull out an arrow from one of the quivers available, and notched it carefully on that bow. She aimed her shot towards the front door of the armory, to avoid any accidents inside that room. But when she ready to let go... someone was passing by outside.

It was too late. "No!" Jamie screamed, but her arrow was already flying, splitting the air. A second later, the arrow was vibrating dangerously... on the armory's door. The kid outside realized he was almost got pierced, and then runs from the armory with curses on his mouth. "Sorry!" yell Jamie, hopefully loud enough for him to hear. She quickly dropped the weapon. "Not for me." She shuddered, imagining the damage she could do with it. "Anymore options? Anything except arrows. Or... or something that I could threw." She stared at the floor. "I'm bad at aiming."

Jamie had taken the bow, and aimed it for the door of the armory. Sophie was about to mention that she shouldn’t, when the arrow flew, and nearly shot a kid. Sophie jumped, and said a few choice words in Ancient Greek, something that would have made her caretaker wash her mouth out with soup. Jamie yelled sorry, then quickly dropped the bow. Ok, no bows for her. Sophie picked up the weapon, and placed it back on the rack, along with the other one. She walked over to the armory door, and yanked the arrow out, careful not to snap it’s point off. She then deposited it back in the appropriate quiver. Hopefully, the next thing Sophie had Jamie try out wouldn’t be as dangerous. Jamie then asked if there were more options, something that she could throw, since she was bad at aiming.

“Throwing requires aiming,” Sophie pointed out, before shutting her mouth. She hadn’t meant it to sound bad, she just was getting stumped, something that never happened. She ran a list through her head of weapons that could be thrown. “Ok, throwing weapons. We have the bow, the gun, the slingshot, then of course, the sword, axe, spear, knives…” Sophie trailed off. Jamie liked knives. See, this information was already coming in handy! “Knives! Throwing knives!” Sophie exclaimed, quickly walking back to the knives. There was a whole section dedicated to the throwing knives, there were so many. Clove must spend a lot of her day here. The name made Sophie give a small shiver. Clove and her were friends, but she had killed Karen, another one of Sophie’s friends. Sophie didn’t know details, so she couldn’t judge, but from what she had heard, it wasn’t pretty. Sophie decided to reserve judgment, until she spoke to Clove. Although, she hadn’t seen her around camp lately, although, that wasn’t saying much. Sophie spent more time in her cabin, and the armory, then anywhere else. Clove was probably in the arena a lot, or something.

Sophie shook her head to clear her thoughts, then picked out 6 knives, all part of a set, and all for throwing. She walked back over to Jamie, holding one up, and the others in her hand. “These are throwing knives,” Sophie began, feeling like she was speaking the obvious. “You can use them to throw, that’s their specialty. But they can also be used to fight with.” Sophie handed her a knife. “Aim for the door, but let me close it first,” Sophie suggested. She hurried to the door, and closed it. There was still light, but not as much. But that was fine. Jamie wouldn’t hit her, right? “If this doesn’t work, then I’ll have to congratulate you. I’ve never gotten stumped before. But you’re an interesting case,” Sophie said with a smile. She stepped back, then demonstrated how Jamie should hold it. “Alright, let her rip,” Sophie said, preparing to duck, but trying to be discreet, so Jamie didn’t notice.

Sophie jumped when Jamie nearly shot someone. With a deep breath, she listens to Jamie's explanation about how she was not good in aiming while she grabbed the bow and plucked the arrow from the armory door, the put it safely where they belong. The guilt on Jamie's heart grow even more. This girl has been so good to her. It wasn't right for Jamie just to take her goodness for granted. She keeps staring on the floor until Sophie says something.

“Throwing requires aiming,” Somehow, Jamie assumed those words were blurted out of Sophie's mouth. Hey, she couldn't blame her. If you have someone shooting arrow with a bad aim near you, what would you say? Jamie followed Sophie as the girl listed out other possible weapons that Jamie could use, when suddenly she gasp. "Knives! Throwing knives!" Jamie's eyes lit up. More knives? But wait. If she has to throw it, doesn't it requires... aim? But she quickly shakes her head. She should see this weapon first, then decided what she should do with it. Either use it, or just left them in the armory.

Sophie was rummaging at the messy weapons, then pull out 6 knives in one strap. Jamie was guessing that those were a set. Sophie hold one in front of Jamie's eyes, and then started to explain about them. “You can use them to throw, that’s their specialty. But they can also be used to fight with.” Then Sophie walks to the front door, and close it. “Aim for the door, but let me close it first." After that, she looked at Jamie with desperation in her eyes. “If this doesn’t work, then I’ll have to congratulate you. I’ve never gotten stumped before. But you’re an interesting case,”

Jamie took a deep breath. When Sophie tell them to throw, she could see that the girl was preparing to duck, in case Jamie's aim was bad again. But Jamie was determined. If she wants to succeed, she has to do this right. She needs two weapon. Bad enough that she wasn't able to do hand to hand combat properly, if she was left in a battle with only two hand-knives, her would be over. She knows it. Another deep breath... Take it easy...

And Jamie throws. She managed to throw all 6 knives, forming a V-shape on the door. Even Jamie couldn't believe her own aim and eyes. Wow, a miracle. "Apparently I'm good at throwing knives."She scratched her head, unable to say anything else. But a smile slowly spread on her face. Finally, something that she could throw without causing any damage to someone else (except her enemy later, of course). "May I keep this too? I believe it'll come in handy."

Jamie seemed very nervous, but she threw the knives. Sophie tensed, but then nearly dropped her clipboard. Jamie had thrown the 6 knives at once, and they had formed a V on the door. Sophie silently agreed with Jamie. She had never been good at throwing knives, so she couldn’t measure her skill, but it seemed very good to her. “Can you keep it? Of course!” Sophie said brightly. She was feeling a lot happier, she hadn’t failed! Her success rate was still an untarnished 100%. She patted Jamie on the back, but then gave her a small hug. Nothing big, but she was feeling a lot better, and it seemed Jamie was surprised she had done so well.

Sophie picked up her clipboard, and wrote down Jamie’s name for the knife set as well. “Ok, so for now, I’d stick with those. It’ll do you good to practice. I know a couple people who throw knives, so you can get help from them,” Sophie said, tucking the clipboard under her arm again. “If you ever need help with your regular knife, or a dagger, or hand to hand, just find me,” Sophie offered. All Athena kids were naturally good at H2H, and she had been training, although she’d never trained anyone. She reserved that if someone needed it, or if someone asked. Sophie turned to face the mess that was the knife section.

“So, do you have everything you need? I do need to organize these knifes, unless you want a short lesson now,” Sophie asked, picking out a knife at random from the rack, then running through the list, until she found it. She put it back, and turned to face Jamie again. “So, what do you say?”

((it is so short, but I’m low on muse right now))

"Can you keep it? Of course!" Apparently Jean wasn't the only one who's excited and surprised that she succeeded at using the throwing knives, since Sophie suddenly smile widely and gave Jamie a small hug. Even though it feels a little awkward, Jamie hug back and let out a nervous laugh. After that, Sophie seems to be lost in her thoughts again, as she write something in her clipboard. She says that Jamie would be having those two weapons for now, and that she knows some people who could use throwing knives pretty good. Jamie nodded. She spun the knives in her overall pocket without thinking. Maybe this could be her next hobby: throwing knives. Though this is something that she never thought she could do, Jamie was all for it.

But then her fingers met the brushes and paint bottles. Suddenly Jamie felt an urge to paint her feelings. Practicing could wait, she thought of it while smirking to herself. But when she wants to say what she wants to do next, Sophie said that she needs to organize these knives in the weaponry. A surge of guilt slowly formed on Jamie's chest. She cleared her throat, then fixated her eyes on those glinting blades. "I could help, if you want." Jamie run her fingers on those weapons. "It's the least I could do after your help for me. Practicing can wait. " My mood has gone anyway, she thought bitterly.

((short >.<))

Sophie smiled when Jamie offered to help organize the weapons. “Trust me, you don’t want to help, it’s long work, and only fun for Athena kids,” Sophie told her, showing Jean the clipboard. It was full of lists of weapons, measurements, descriptions, and owner names. It was kinda messy, but it was organized by weapon, then by type, then by size. Still, it was cramped, and this wasn’t even the complete list, just what Sophie had been jotting down the last couple of weeks. She had started with the more commonly used weapons, mainly the bows, the swords, and the knives and daggers. She had most of those written down, but not all. She hadn’t even started on the guns, spears, or axes.

“I think practicing is a bit more important than organizing these weapons. I don’t even know if they’ll be here tomorrow,” Sophie told Jamie, with a shrug. “Here, come with me.” Sophie pushed the door to the armory open, and squinted a little at the sudden light. When her eyes had adjusted, she walked out to the arena, motioning for Jamie to follow her. She headed towards one of the straw dummies that were set all over the arena. “Now, I don’t know much about knives, regardless of the similarity between them and daggers,” Sophie began. “And I definitely don’t know anything about throwing knives. But I do know targets. In the movies, they always show a heroic duel in war, where neither side dies. But in real life, you want to finish the duel as quickly as possible, especially if there’s more than one enemy. With monsters, it depends on what you’re fighting, and what you’re fighting with. But with humans, or demigods, there are always targets for you, whether you’re using a sword, a knife, or your hands,” Sophie told Jamie.

“I’m just going to show you where to aim right now. In dummies, they always show you to aim for the head and chest. Those are good targets. But there are other places too, pressure points, and places less guarded,” Sophie said. She pulled on her charm again, and took out her dagger. “The first one, is right here,” Sophie said. She used the tip of her dagger to point to a spot on Jamie’s chest, just underneath the sternum, and between the ribs. “There’s a bone here, where if pushed correctly, digs the bone right into the heart, and which promises almost instant death,” Sophie said, removing her dagger. She turned to the dummy, and placed the dagger on the same spot. Then, moving her arm upward, and thrusting her hips, Sophie stabbed the dummy in an upward arc, and watched as the dagger tip emerged through the straw head. She removed the dagger, then motioned for Jean to try. “Use one of your knives, and do the same thing,” Sophie instructed, putting her dagger on the ground for a second. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, like she always did when she trained. She picked up the dagger again, and while she waited for Jamie to try, brushed the straw off it.

Much to Jamie's surprise, Sophie was smiling when she offers her help on organizing the weapons. She said that it'll be a long work, and could only categorized as fun for Athena's kids. Jamie raised her brows. She actually hates organizing. She was just offering her help to be polite, and to do something else since her last good mood was shattered to pieces. Does this means that she was not the strategy goddess' kid? She let out a sigh of relief.

But suddenly Sophie decided that training was more important. Without having the chance to argue, she dragged Jamie out of the armory, towards the arena. Jamie stammered, but Sophie obviously didn't hear her. She didn't stop walking, until they were in front of a straw dummy that was scattered in that open space. Sophie started the lesson by saying that she wasn't that experienced with knives. Jamie winced. If she wasn't that good with it, why would she be teaching her right now? But her question was answered even before she asked it. Sophie started her lecture about how she knows what a target is, what were the differences between movie duel and real-life monster battle, and what the fight results depends on. Since Jamie never has any battle experience, she listens to it carefully.

After the explanation ended, Sophie tugged on of her charm of her necklace. It quickly turns into a dagger. Jamie blinks with disbelief. She has got to ask Sophie where she bought that necklace. It will definitely save her overall's pocket space, so she could stuff more painting equipment there instead of knives. She then showed Jamie where the soft spot of a target is, which is on their chest. Jamie traced her fingers to her own chest automatically. Her hands stops where Sophie's dagger pointed at. She nodded when Sophie explains more about that particular spot. She quickly jabbed her dagger towards the dummy, making Jamie flinched. She never likes violence. But if she wants to live in this camp, she feels that she should do this... fighting thing, even though her heart wasn't in it.

After that, Sophie puts her hair in a ponytail. She instructed Jamie to do the same thing towards the dummy. Jamie gulped. There's a protest on her throat, but she can't let it out. Her mind was telling him to do this. So she swallowed once again, tying her hair with a tattered scrunchy she has on her pocket, and... pull out one of her knife. She took a deep breath, and rammed the weapon onto that very same spot.

Sadly, it didn't turned out the way she hoped. The knife was wobbly and could easily be pull out from the dummy, unlike Sophie's dagger that was punctured firmly. Jamie scratched her head. "Eh... What did I do wrong?" She's definitely not made for fighting. She needs more guidance in this lesson, and Jamie hoped Sophie could accompany her. Until she learned what she has done wrong.

Jamie didn’t really seem that motivated to stab the dummy, and Sophie wondered it she’d have to start yelling or something. Jamie had also tied her hair back, although Sophie hadn’t seen with what. Jamie pulled out a knife, probably after some very serious internal debate, and stabbed the dummy like Sophie had, although something wasn’t right. Either Jamie hadn’t moved her arm right, or she hadn’t used enough force. Both of those things could add up to what Jamie’s knife had done. Jamie seemed confused, and asked what she had done wrong. She seemed, sad, maybe, but it was good, for a first try.

“No, that was fine, for a first try,” Sophie assured Jamie, patting her on the shoulder. The dummy had, between the two of them, fallen to pieces, and was now just straw on a stick. Well, it always had been, but even more so now. Sophie walked over to the next dummy, which was a few paces away. She motioned for Jamie to come over. “Alright, so, you don’t seem very confident in your abilities,” Sophie started, hoping she would be saying the right thing. “In general, if you want the knife to stay in the dummy, you have to use force. It’s the same with anything. You have to use force to make it stay in the dummy. With this particular spot, you need to push the bone into the heart, which means you have to push in and up,” Sophie told Jamie. She showed with her dagger in midair. “In and up,” Sophie repeated, just to make sure Jamie got it.

“Ok, I’ll leave this dummy to you, so we can actually use the dummy more than once,” Sophie told her, letting the hand with her dagger drop to her side. “Try again, and don’t be afraid,” Sophie suggested, backing up a little bit. She was sure Jamie could stab it hard enough, if she had enough self esteem. Sophie knew she wasn’t the best teacher, but if she could teach Jamie this one thing, she’d be happy. After all, if the student can’t do something, it’s not their fault, it’s the teachers, right?

((still short…))

Sophie said it was fine for the first try, but Jamie wasn’t sure. She seems a little bit disappointed. If Jamie could, she’ll say sorry for being such a weak student, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She doesn’t want to get things worse for both of them. To make her teacher feel more awful is the least Jamie would do.

When Sophie realized that the dummy has been reduced to almost nothing, she moved to the next one. Her hands motioned Jamie to follow her. She eventually walks toward Sophie, even though she felt embarrassed and a little bit… hurt. Maybe Jamie only good with brush and paintings. Maybe she was not cut out to be a demigod, or… or a hero. Maybe all of this was a mistake. Maybe…

Shut up. A little voice in her head scolded her, making Jamie tilted her head. Now you’re here. Not out there anymore. Now you know the truth. You know that you’re not just a mortal and that you’re something even more special then that. Deal with it.

And with that, she gripped her knife tightly. Her eyes were fiery, and she was listening to everything that Sophie was telling her afterwards. About how the weapon was supposed to be stabbed properly. Jamie even mimicked her movement: pointing her knife, and thrust it up. When Sophie told her to try once again with a full dummy, Jamie has no hesitation on her mind. “Don’t be afraid.” Said the Daughter of Athena. I won’t, Jamie thought.

She walked slowly to the dummy. Jamie took a deep breath, and then release it loudly. She thought about what she done wrong before, and Sophie’s note. Putting her hip into place, she stabbed the dummy at the point they were talking about, releasing all her determination on it. The knife punctured deeply. When she’s done, Jamie could almost see the tip behind the dummy. She glanced at Sophie with hopeful looks. “Is that okay? I think I’m getting better. But that… that’s just what I think.” She played with her fingers, anxious to hear what Sophie would say about it.

((Ok, I am super sorry, but I'm just out of muse, and I won't be able to reply for a while anyway. Can we just end the thread?))

(*nod*, definitely. Jamie already has her weapon anyway. Thankies Jennifer. ^^)