Oromis and Glaedr led us through Ellesméra's glowing paths, the city humming with magic. Percy groaned when Oromis outlined our training—spells, combat, dragon-riding drills.
"I was looking forward to no school when I came here," he muttered, slightly joking, kicking a pebble. I smirked, squeezing his hand, our rings glinting. Shorai, now my height and long—her tail a good 40% of her body—chattered nonstop. Hello, elf! she called to a passing silver-haired woman, then switched to Glaedr: Your scales are shiny! To me: Annabeth, can we fly soon? Even Furnöst got an earful of her teasing: Your fire's weak, sea-dragon boy. Her voice, once just images, was sharp and bubbly, a total shock from her usual quiet. I was proud, watching her confidence bloom.
The house we arrived at was a Rider's haven, looking like the tree had just suddenly morphed into a house: a low, open structure grown from pines, their trunks forming walls, branches weaving a vaulted roof. Vines curled like curtains, and a stream trickled through the floor, glowing with faint runes. Polished wood gleamed in the kitchen-like area, and a table and chairs of polished white stone made up the living room/dining room. We headed upstairs to explore what it had to offer, presumably the bathroom and bedroom.
Furnöst tried squeezing through the narrow stairway on the way upstairs and got stuck, his long tail thrashing. "Help!" he yelped mentally. Percy laughed, pushing him free as Furnöst tried to quickly restore his dignity.
We hunted deer at dusk—elves don't eat meat, so we hunted it, skinned it, and roasted it far away from the city as to "not taint the forest". Shorai and Furnöst devoured their shares, tails thumping. We headed back to our new house at a quick jog, the forest lighting up with bioluminescent mushrooms and other glowing fungi. Night fell when Percy and I were in our bed, stars peeking through the open roof. Upstairs, the dragons curled on a plush mat, purring like oversized cats. Percy pulled me into bed, his arms warm, and for once, no nightmares—just peaceful dreams of blue skies with Percy and me flying with our dragons.
I woke to the sound of a voice in my head:
For the first part of your training, you will be heading to the arena. Oromis's voice commanded, adopting the professor's voice. He'd explained it yesterday—we had to earn the elves' respect, and we would do some fighting to earn it and because it also kept us fit. We left, eager for the first practice since we got here, and marched to the sandy arena we'd passed, ringed by glowing trees. Elves trained in the arena, murmuring at our appearance. A cocky elven girl, Lirael, their "best" female warrior, stepped forward, twin blades flashing, smirk sharp. "Mortals," she sneered. "Try your best not to cry. I don't understand why Oromoris or your dragons chose you, but I will show them who is actually worthy of being a Rider." I laughed aloud at her petty speech, knowing full well that she was wrong.
Smiling, I drew my drakon-bone dagger, Shorai's encouragement buzzing: Show her whose boss, Annabeth! Crush her like an ant and burn her to a crisp! Lirael lunged, blades a silver blur. I sidestepped, reading her footwork—too predictable, noticing all the weak spots in her guard. She spun, aiming for my ribs; I parried, dagger locking one blade, then twisted, kicking her knee. She stumbled, and I swept her legs, pinning her with my blade at her throat in seconds. The crowd gasped. Lirael's eyes widened, then she nodded, grudging respect. "Well fought," she muttered.
Percy faced their top male, Kael, a towering elf with a longsword. This Kael figure seemed more respectful, with both of them bowing to each other at the start. Kael charged, sword arcing like a comet. Percy uncapped Riptide, causing a murmur of surprise and awe at the wonderfully forged blade, bronze meeting steel with a clang. Kael was fast, but Percy was water—flowing, dodging, then striking. He feinted left, ducked a slash, and hooked Kael's ankle, sending him sprawling. Riptide's tip hovered at Kael's chest. "Nice try," Percy grinned. Kael laughed and bowed deeply, yielding, while Percy stood, Kael's sword in one hand and Riptide in the other. He looked a bit confused at what to do, but gave Kael his sword and parted on good terms. The elves were all in shock at the two fights. I smiled to myself, respect earned. Shorai growled and congratulated me, blowing her first flame, a delightful surprise.
Back at the Rider's house, I showered off the sweat clinging to my body, the warm water a luxury compared to the "shower" in the hunter's tent. After showering Percy, grinning like a kid, vanished us both in a swirl of mist—his new vapor travel, and we reappeared at Oromis's house, Percy wobbling just a little bit.
We walked up to the door, Shorai and Furnöst bounding after us, their now horse—sized bodies barely fitting the paths, with their wings creating large swathes of shade. Oromis's home was a masterpiece: living trees arched into domes, crystal windows refracting rainbows, every angle perfect.
"Flawless," I breathed, tracing a seamless beam, a perfect combination of tree and polished stone. Oromis's eyes sparkled as he opened the door. "An architect's heart sees true."
Training started with the Rimgar—elven dance-combat, all grace and precision. Percy fumbled a spin, falling into Furnöst, looking a bit like the Sphinx in Egypt, who snorted and pushed him, Clumsy sea-boy. We all laughed and continued on with the Rigmar.
"Remind me why I wanted to do this again?" Percy asked sarcastically, as he almost fell again.
Shorai, mimicking me, tried a Rimgar stance, wobbling on her long tail and toppling into the wall.
Oops she muttered, shaking her great head, which was now bigger than mine. I laughed so hard I snorted, Percy doubled over, and even Oromis chuckled. "Adorable," I said, as she lay down next to Furnöst and Glaedr. We finished not long after, exhausted but eager for the next part of training.
Glaedr scooped the dragons in his massive claws, winking and flying off, bringing them elsewhere for their training. My mind was still connected to Shorai, and I could feel her elation that came from Glaedr flying with her in his claw. Oromis led us to a gently trickling stream, with stones scattered like marbles.
"Lift them," he said, "with the ancient language."
Percy groaned. "Rocks? Really?" I elbowed him.
"You have to wait, Seaweed Brain. Anything good comes with time." He muttered but focused, muttering stenr risa/rise stone—one stone wobbled, then shot up, cracking a branch.
"Oops," he grinned. I tried the same spell—my stone rose smoothly, hovering like a drone. Oromis nodded, impressed.
We cycled through the elemental spells: water, fire, earth, and air. Percy's water spells were perfect(I wonder why), but the other elements, not so much. My flames burned steadily, and as part of the earth spell, I was able to grow a tree rapidly, reminding me of Demeter's children.
"It's probably because we have ichor," I theorized, "plus since we speak English, that's probably why we are so good."
Percy's light spell created an image of New York using the sun and sent a pang of homesickness through me. I shrugged off these thoughts, knowing I would be home eventually, and tried to focus on the positive.
"Show-off," I teased. He splashed me with water, and I smirked, levitating three stones in a perfect triangle threateningly.
Oromis's praise was quiet but warm: "You both have great proficiency in this, far greater than any I have ever met." By dusk, we'd mastered every task, sweat-soaked but buzzing with excitement. Percy vapor-traveled us home, Shorai chattering about Glaedr's "flying lessons" I leaned into Percy, excited for what tomorrow would bring.
"Day one, and we're already breaking elven records," I commented, slightly surprised by how well we were doing.
He kissed my forehead. "Whenever we're together, Wise Girl."
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