Momo attends the basics of combat classes and gets a taste of the demigod life 

/ 

Momo found herself on the shore of a beach. It was sunny and the waves were calm. She could feel the sand beneath her bare feet, the water slowly lapping her toes when the tide came in.

She felt at peace as she watched the waves. There was a familiar chatter in the background, like multiple people speaking, but she couldn’t make out who it belonged to.

A big, blue wave rose in the horizon. It immediately caught her attention.

As it came closer, a tugging started to pull in her gut. The tidal wave got bigger as it approached and she could faintly make out something riding a wave.

A white horse.

/

Momo’s eyelids slowly fluttered open. The windows were wide open, letting in bright sunlight and a small breeze that shifted the white curtains. She groaned in response, squeezing her eyes shut. She was left in peace until she felt a hand shaking her shoulder.

“Wakey, wakey sleepyhead.”

Momo peeked at the hand shaking her—it was Jeongyeon.

“C’mon, let’s go get breakfast. You’ll need it for the sword fighting class later.”

She hummed in response. Slowly sitting up, she waved Jeongyeon’s hand away.

That’s strange… I’ve never had that kind of dream before.

A few minutes later found Momo groggily stepping out of the Hermes cabin. Jeongyeon was waiting for her outside on the cabin’s marble steps.

“Finally! Let’s go eat.”

The two walked up the path leading to the Dining Pavilion. Momo saw a large area to her right. It was in between the Arts & Crafts building and the volleyball court. Somehow, she missed it last night.

Jeongyeon noticed her staring and looked in the direction of it.

“That’s the Amphitheater. We hold camp sing-alongs or any sort of theatre event there. Oh, and any important announcements are held there too.”

Momo hummed and nodded. She still felt a little sleepy. They reached the courtyard and began piling their plates. They scrapped a portion into the fire before sitting down and digging in.

Jeongyeon spoke after they had devoured half their plates. “We’ll be visiting the Forge and the Armory after this. Gotta get you suited up! It’s a dangerous world out there for us demigods.”

After breakfast, Jeongyeon led her towards the Forge and the Armory. It was close by the Cabins and the Amphitheater she saw earlier. They went to the Forge first.

The Forge was a typical Greek style building. White marble columns lined the walls but they were stained with soot marks. The chimney above was pumping out smoke. Even from outside, Momo could hear machinery working, the crackling of fires, and the metal clanging of hammers.

It was hot. Like really HOT! The heat inside was a bit oppressive. Momo started sweating a few seconds after stepping inside.

“Yo Chaeng! We’re here like you asked!” Jeongyeon shouted, trying to talk over the sound of clanging metal and steaming hisses and the occasional roar of fires.

“Over here!”

She heard Chaeyoung’s voice coming from deeper in the Forge. They walked a few paces, trying to avoid all the tables full of weapons and projects-in-the-works around them.

“Hey! You made it!”

Chaeyoung grinned as the two approached her station. Her blonde hair was up in a small ponytail, to not get in the way as she worked the hot furnaces. She had soot and grease on her clothes again. A little on her cheek too.

“Wait one second!” The Daughter of Hephaestus turned slightly as she rooted around her workshop table, like she was looking for something specific. She flinched from a sudden loud roar of a nearby open furnace. Chaeyoung whirled around after finding whatever it was that she was looking for.

“Momo, I made this for you. Try it out!”

She handed Momo a ring. Momo was surprised but put it on anyways. The metal of the ring was still warm.

“Um… what does it do?”

Chaeyoung excitedly grinned. “Twist it!”

Momo twisted it and gasped when the ring transformed into a celestial bronze sword, right in her hand! What remained of the ring was only half of its original form. The sword was an average size blade and the grip was comfortable. Even though she’s never touched a sword in her life, she felt like she’s been using this weapon for years.

Momo knew better though; the shine and gleam of the sword was too shiny. She’d say it was brand new.

“Wow. Thanks Chaeyoung!” Momo said in fascination as she stared at her reflection in the sword.

“Don’t worry about it. Consider it a welcome gift! I made the other girls similar rings, except their weapons are different.” Chaeyoung smiled bashfully. “Chiron said I had a knack for guessing people’s weapon of choice.”

“Now twist it for the second time!”

Momo did as told and twisted the sword’s grip again. The sword glowed for a quick second before shifting into a spear. She was surprised by the unexpected change of the weapon’s form; She had to hold it with two hands as it was heavier and longer than the sword.

“Whoa!” Momo stood still and admired the spear in her hands. She took in every little detail of the spear, appreciating the craftsmanship and the craftsman behind it even more. “This is amazing…”

Chaeyoung giggled at her expression. “It’s enchanted! I was up all night finishing it up. Oh, twist your half-ring or the weapon’s grip in the opposite direction and it’ll return to its normal ring form. It even works if the weapon is at a distance.”

Momo twisted the spear’s grip and it shifted back into a normal ring. She excitedly hugged Chaeyoung in thanks. A big, giddy smile was present on both of their faces.

Jeongyeon returned with some light leather armor. Momo hadn’t even noticed that she was gone. Guess she left while Momo was fawning over her new magic ring.

“Here! Got you some armor—standard demigod equipment.” Jeongyeon bobbed her head while helping Momo put it on.

She adjusted the leather straps, tightening it until it felt right. “How do I look?” Momo looked up.

Jeongyeon smirked. “Like you’re ready to take on a Colchis Bull!”

Momo laughed and lightly punched Jeongyeon’s shoulder in response.

“Let’s get over to the arena. The sword fighting class should be starting soon.” Jeongyeon turned to Chaeyoung. “You coming?”

Chaeyoung shook her head, picking up a hammer and twirled it in her hand. “Nah, I gotta finish crafting some more equipment for the armory.”

They waved goodbye to Chaeyoung as they left the Forge.

Jeongyeon and Momo walked west of the Forge and Armory. They passed by campers on the way. Some were milling about. Others were on their respective camp shifts; moving equipment or cleaning the buildings, etc.

The sound of weapons clanging caught Momo’s attention. She looked up to see a big building that resembled a coliseum. It was probably half the size of the actual Coliseum—but still pretty big!

“And here’s the Combat Arena. We hold all the weapons and combat training classes here. Sparring sessions too. An open Archery Range is next door; I’ll take you there after this.”

The two entered the Combat Arena’s open stone archways. Momo was feeling pumped up. She couldn’t wait to test out the ring Chaeyoung made for her. Her enthusiasm showed through her jittery steps.

“Oh, there’s Nayeon. Typical Ares kid, always in the arena.” Jeongyeon quipped at her friend with no malice in her tone.

They spotted Nayeon inside the arena grounds, twirling her spear swiftly and steadily. She spun gracefully before diving and rolling with her spear. It appeared that she was practicing some defensive and evasive maneuvers. Momo thought she looked like she was dodging in time to her imaginary opponent’s attacks.

The two approached her. Nayeon saw them coming and ended her warm-up with a graceful flair.

“Hey guys! Here for the sword fighting class?”

“Yup!”

“Great! You’re just in time.” She pointed to the entrance.

One of the senior campers had just walked into the arena grounds. Looks like he was the instructor for today’s class. The three joined the other campers gathering around.

“Ok campers! This is a beginner’s weapons course. It might also be a refresher for returning campers. Don’t worry if you’re not good at it yet. We’ll be going over the basics first and then we’ll split into groups so you guys can practice!”

Momo felt a little better about her lack of weapons proficiency. The senior camper’s words were reassuring and friendly. After the first night at camp, she remembered her encounter with the Colchis Bull. It was kinda pathetic how she just stood there. She felt helpless and vulnerable—especially when Nayeon was the one risking her life fighting against the bull.

Of course she felt grateful for Nayeon and Jihyo appearing when they did. She just felt like there was more she could do.

Momo shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts.

No time to feel pathetic. I’ll need to learn how to fend for myself.

Needless to say, she was looking forward to the class. 

/

“C’mon! Is that all you got!”

Momo collapsed on her , gasping for breath. Her muscles ached with exertion—Nayeon was just too fast to keep up with. Jeongyeon was sprawled next to her, also looking haggard and breathing heavy.

Nayeon stood in front of them, spear in hand and battle form near perfect. The three of them had sweat pouring from their faces. When the two didn’t make any move to get up, Nayeon lowered her guard and her spear.

“Not bad Momo! You’ve pretty much got the hang of it. And it’s only your second day.”

Nayeon pretended to wipe away a tear. Momo and Jeongyeon laughed. Well, they tried to... it came out more like a wheeze.  

Momo looked around for her sword. It had flown away after Nayeon disarmed her with a fancy trick with her spear. (She had to ask her to teach her that move.)

She spotted her sword, embedded into one of the straw practice dummies. She twisted her half-ring and watched as her sword disappeared before reappearing as her whole ring. Jeongyeon and Nayeon did the same to sheath their own weapons.

“How about some archery?”

Jeongyeon suggested when she regained her breath. She offered her hand and helped Momo to her feet.

“Sounds good. But I don’t know if I’m good at it or not…”

“Let’s find out!” Nayeon clapped them on the shoulders before leading them to the Archery Range.

/

The arrow whizzed by and struck the target board. Dead center.

Momo was amazed as they reached the open Archery Range. She studied the archer and realized that it was Tzuyu.

Her shooting form was flawless. Momo could understand why Tzuyu was a Child of Apollo. It wasn’t just her beauty but her raw power behind a bow that really shined.

The three of them approached Tzuyu, who slung her bow onto her back as they got closer.

“Here for some shooting?”

Tzuyu greeted them with a warm smile. Her eyes darted around their bodies, probably drawing the conclusion that they got their asses handed to them by Nayeon.

“I hope you aren’t too sore from the arena to shoot.” Mirth resonated from Tzuyu’s voice. Yup, Momo was right.

“I’ll try my best but no promises.”

Momo grinned as Tzuyu handed her a practice bow and some arrows.

“Go ahead and stand in the shooting position.”

Tzuyu directed her into the correct posture and position, demonstrating with her own body.

“Now, nock the arrow, aim, and release. Try breathing out as you let go.”

Momo followed her words. She breathed in and aimed. She could hear Nayeon and Jeongyeon behind her, cheering her on. She pulled back slowly and then let go.

Momo winced at the result—the arrow had sailed through the air and hit the very edge of the target board. She could hear Nayeon and Jeongyeon’s howling laughter even with her back turned.

“Well... at least you made it to the target.” Tzuyu smiled lightly.

Momo appreciated the fact that Tzuyu tried taking the encouraging approach. She couldn’t say the same for Nayeon and Jeongyeon. Nonetheless, she knew it was all in jest.

“Hey so when can I take the live target course?”

Momo jokingly asked as she aimed her empty bow at Nayeon and Jeongyeon. The two panicked and starting running which only prompted Momo to run after them, pretending to shoot. Tzuyu burst into laughter as she watched the three goof around.

/

The sun was beginning to set. After fooling around for a bit, Momo returned to Tzuyu. The two practiced shooting a bit more before Momo decided to call it quits. She guessed she just wasn’t cut out for archery.

That’s alright , Momo deemed. She was better with her sword and spear anyways.

Her accuracy with her spear was tested earlier at the Arena. Nayeon had her stand opposite from the practice dummies and throw her spear at them, then moving a few feet back before repeating the action. She had landed nearly every one of the dummies as the distance got farther away.

Tzuyu suggested they all wash up so that they could make it to dinner on time. Momo thanked her for her patience and promised to see her at the Dining Pavilion later.

The three of them split up from Tzuyu, who still had to finish up her archery session. Nayeon and Jeongyeon walked with Momo back to the Cabins.

“I’ll meet you guys at the Dining Pavilion. Gotta get all this dirt off me first. No thanks to you Nayeon!” Jeongyeon stuck out her tongue as she ran away.

Nayeon laughed and called out, “Maybe spend some more time training instead of pranking and things will be different!”

“No thanks!”

The two heard her response from a distance and giggled. Nayeon turned to her next and said, “I’ll see you at dinner then.”

Momo nodded and waved at the Daughter of Ares who was jogging towards her own cabin. She trudged towards the bathhouse, her posture slumping a bit from the fatigue of the two training sessions.

She let out a small groan as she entered the pristine marble bathhouse. After all that training, just thinking about a shower sounds absolutely amazing.