Previously:

"And what's Percy going to do?" Selina challenged.

"Kill him?" Ethan said hopefully. "He is not fit to lead so maybe at least a demotion?"

"Only Nasuada can do that," Roran grunted. "Percy is technically not a part of the Varden."

"Either way," Selina said. "No matter what, we are going to make sure he takes the fall for this because it's more than just ridiculous. 'Honest blade work,'" she spat. "The soldiers of this 'Empire' don't care about that, do they?"

"Can I be the one to tell Percy?"

"Yes, Ethan," Selina sighed.

"You wanted to see me, Lady Nasuada?" Edric entered the tent and bowed. He froze upon seeing who else was in the leader of the Varden's quarters. As he took in the information, his brain seemed to think this was an already lost battle and it filled him with an overwhelming sense of dread. Especially as he took note of the absolutely condemning smirk on a one eyed warrior. "Lord Perseus, it is a pleasure to meet you face to face."

"The pleasure is all yours, Edric, son of Eric," Perseus said smoothly. His hand rested too casually on the hilt of his sword and the winged dog that followed him and Lady Thalia around was lounging at his feet.

At his words, Lady Thalia snorted and whispered something under her breath. This caused the other two dark haired girls to laugh and Stronghammer to cover his mouth with his hand to hide a smile. If seeing the foreign war leader and his team didn't worry him before, seeing Stronghammer acting like buddies with them definitely did now.

The tent flap opened again to allow Ulthric in right behind him

"Ah, good. You are both here," Nasuada rearranged the folds of her skirt and straightened her back. "Please, come here."

The two men hesitantly moved forward. Edric knew the moment Ulthric saw Perseus because he tripped on his own feet and gulped. This only seemed to make Ethan smile wider.

"Some things have been brought to my attention concerning your actions and leadership in the Varden," the young leader of the Varden said. "Perseus and his warriors have informed me of some...unfortunate decisions that were made nearly to the downfall of two entire companies."

"My lady-"

"Do not speak," Nasuada leveled her chilling glare on the man next to Edric. She'd already been glaring at the both of them, but it seemed to intensify as she put her entire focus on Ulthric. Whatever he did must have been a little more personal. "Your disrespect for our allies is not the only case I've had to deal with in the past week and I am sick of it."

The two of them fell silent, preferring to avoid looking their commanding officer in the eyes.

"Edric, I strip you of your status as captain," she continued. "I put you under command of Lord Perseus. Let's see you learn some things about teamwork there."

Edric felt the blood rush from his face as he looked at the malicious grin of the rather large, intimidating man to Nasuada's left. He knew things would not be going his way for the foreseeable future.

"Ulthric, you are also being put under Lord Perseus' command," Nasuada turned to the man who was looking a little green himself. "You report to him immediately following this meeting. If I am to hear of either of you disrespecting our allies again, I'll have you inquire after the fate of the man who murdered three Urgals while you were both gone."

"He was hung," Ethan grinned almost gleefully. He fingered the dagger Edric recognized as the one he threatened him with on their raid.

One of the women that was a part of Perseus' 'army' whacked him over the back of his head. "Ethan, they were supposed to figure that out themselves."

"Not going to apologize, Bianca."

"Hmph."

"As of right now, I am having Roran take over what is left of your company, Edric," Nasuada continued as if nothing had been said. The only thing betraying her thoughts was an amused glance and the two bickering off to the side. "I hope that eventually, you both will come to see the consequences your decisions could have brought on the Varden. You are dismissed."

Perseus adopted an expressionless mask, throwing an, "I'll be right back," as he and about half of his warriors led the way out. Though Edric noted that Ethan stayed behind, it did nothing to quench the uneasy feeling he had as he followed Lord Perseus and Lady Thalia. He was rather intimidated by the other girl that followed them. Her young appearance did nothing to dispel the frightening stare and confident aura she held around her. Not to mention the man that was more than twice his size whom she seemed to be courting. Lady Selina and Charles Beckendorf. He'd done his best to avoid them when they were on their most recent raid.

The walk wasn't too long but it felt like an eternity to Edric. Both he and Ulthric avoided everyone's gazes though they could do nothing about the whispers that followed them.

"Did you hear? They almost killed an entire company each."

"Really? Where are they going now? Why are they with Lord Perseus?"

"Maybe he's in charge of punishments. He was there for one of them."

"What do you think he'll do to them?"

"I don't know and I almost don't want to find out."

"In here." Finally the whispers cut off as they arrived at a tent that was about the same size as Nasuada's. It was pitched in the large space that used to be where Blackjack slept. Perseus was holding open the flap to the entrance and waiting stoically for them all to enter.

"Now," the dragon-less Dragon Rider started once the flap was closed. "Here is what is going to happen. Thalia, Charlie and Selina will be in charge of you while I'm with Roran on his next mission. You are going to train as if you were one of my recruits with the exception of meal times with your family and what not. You will answer to Thalia since she's been here the longest and since the other two hate being in charge. If you have a problem, try holding your tongue until you are sure any deprecating comments won't come out. When I get back, I will see where your fighting skills are and go from there. Any questions?"

"What is your mission with Roran?" Ulthric questioned boldly.

Perseus regarded him for a minute or two before answering. "A company of 20 Urgals, 20 men and four of my warriors-including me-will raid supply trains enroute to Feinster." He answered with such lack of energy, Edric could have mistaken it as a task as simple as drawing water. "It is an effort to show how two races can cooperate. Anything else?"

"Can I pummel them if they get on my nerves?" Thalia was raising her hand as she spoke.

"No."

"Styx."

"I'm leaving now before you look for another lame excuse to beat them up." Perseus stopped at the entrance to the tent to level a glare on Edric, Ulthric and even Thalia. "Behave."

"Fine," Thalia groaned as he left, slumping her shoulders. She waited for a few minutes before looking at the two of them. Her face lit up in a grin not too different from Ethan's. "This is still going to be fun."

The next few days under the tutelage of Thalia, Beckendorf and Selina were pure torture. Thalia discovered a loophole in being able to beat them up during training. They taught them the skills of stealth and martial arts. Neither of them were entirely competent in Thalia's opinion but Selina saw potential.

"C'mon! Put your back into it!" The daughter of Zeus yelled at the two men struggling to put up the large tent by themselves. The Varden just got to their new camp site and the huntress was perched on a barrel next to Beckendorf who hasn't said a word to either of them since Percy left. At most he would grunt. Selina was standing but leaning against him, not even hiding her smile as she watched them.

"Is this part of the training?" Edric asked as the canvas fell on top of the both of them for the 12th time.

"What made you think it wasn't?" Thalia asked innocently. Her eyes wide and smile only a little too wide.

"Maybe that you aren't teaching us how to put up this rather interesting tent of yours," the former captain said, muffled from the heavy fabric.

"You never asked," Thalia countered.

"What's the point?" Ulthric said forcefully. He threw down the pole he held and folded his arms across his chest. Edric could barely see him from under the canvas but he could tell the younger man had had enough.

"The point, Master Ulthric, is that you ask for help," Selina answered, seeing as Thalia was fully intending on making this hard on them. "That you see the value and wisdom in seeking guidance from places besides your own mind. Why do you think great leaders always have advisors? It is not because they are weak, but because they are stronger with more than one mind working on the same problem. This will be the essence of your training because you lack the humility to do this for the simplest of tasks."

There was silence for a long period of time. Edric strained to hear anything from under the canvas and Ulthric's expression grew dark. The three demigods looked on expectantly. No one moved.

After almost five minutes of their standoff, Beckendorf sighed and got up from the barrel. "I'm going to see if I can help Horst. Fetch me when they're done being prideful."

- - -

"I hope they aren't planning on making us do that," Ethan said, watching as the Urgal and Roran wrestled in the dust with naught but their loin cloths about them.

The Urgal had been testing Roran's patience the entire time they'd been on this trip. Finally, Roran had put up with it for long enough and challenged him to a fight. According to Urgal customs. This meant no weapons and to the death. Roran was barely half his size and therefore out matched but that wasn't stopping Percy and Ethan from betting that he would win.

"Yeah," Bianca agreed. "We didn't bring Beckendorf with us."

"I don't think they'll challenge us," Percy said. "They think we're like the rest of the humans here. They don't realize we're also a different race."

"Nobody realizes we're a different race," Zöe corrected. "We haven't exactly been telling everyone."

The match was suddenly over and the company was moving on. Roran won of course (did you expect otherwise?) and had done the noble thing in rejecting to kill his Urgal opponent. They were heading back to the Varden's base camp. It had grown much closer to their target city since they had left so their trip was rather short.

"Shall we find out if there is anything left of Edric and Ulthric?" Bianca asked cheerfully. The group of four were trailing into the rebellion's camp after their company with their supplies over their shoulders.

"Who?" Percy asked, momentarily confused. He eyed Bianca with concern.

"The two blockheads we left with Thalia?" Ethan said, looking at Percy like he was daft.

"Right." Percy's eyes widened. "I forgot about them. What was I thinking, leaving her with them? There's not going to be anything left!"

"I tried to tell you," Zöe sighed. Percy took off, running now with urgency. She reluctantly followed.

"Percy!" Thalia greeted them excitedly from within the circle she'd made with poles and rope and an audience.

"Thalia, what are you doing?" Percy asked warily.

"I was teaching Ulthric here the finer points of knife throwing," she replied, holding up her knives in both hands with a bright smile. She looked at said man trapped in the circle with her. "Isn't that right?"

The poor man was pale as a corpse, holding a dagger in front of him with both of his hands. Sweat dripped down his forehead and into his eyes which never left the girl in front of him. He was shaking.

"Lord Perseus, is there anyway we can do the training differently?" He asked desperately.

"I would have to ask that as well," Edric said from outside the ring. Selina and Beckendorf stood next to him, presumably to keep him from running if he ever got that idea. It didn't look like he'd gone yet.

"Thalia, I do not think this is what I meant when I said to train them," Percy said as he lifted one leg over the ropes.

"But Percy," she said childishly, slouching her shoulders. She may have stomped her foot but don't let her hear you repeat that.