Thalia's POV

Fawn had given me a change of clothes and provided me with ambrosia and nectar. I immediately felt the effects and within fifteen minutes time I was significantly better than before. Being far more comfortable, I found it easier to rest as the sun slowly made its way lower and lower in the sky.
Laying in bed, I thought about what Fawn had said when healing me. Apparently this place was underground buried beneath a forest floor but if you left out the back entrance it connected to a pleasant view of a lake. With a sigh I stood venturing outside through the back door eager to see the lake for myself.
Once there I watched small eddies flow through the water as my thoughts wandered away from me. Where exactly was I? Were my friends okay? What was Lycaon up to? Were the amazons with them? Was Reyna okay? Sighing, I reached into my pocket pulling out the stone and setting it on the balcony railing. It glinted in the sun as beams of light danced across its surface.
As I observed the crystal waters below and the gray stone cliff covered in emerald trees I couldn't help but feel guilty for enjoying something so beautiful without my friends. Closing my eyes I grilled the stone in my palm as hard as a I could as if that would bring them back.

"It's time." A familiar voice said from behind me. I turned to see Sila dressed in full armor, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked elegant in the dimming light. I nodded picking up the stone and tucking safely away in my pocket. Following Sila out and down the steps of the balcony I was lead into a cliff side before being spit out into a large clearing on the side of a smaller cliff. I immediately shrunk away from the edge.

"Your training is to begin today," Sila informed.

"What do we do first?" I asked. Sila smiled, moving to stand in front of me.

"You have begun to understand the power of the winds. But you must learn there is much more to it," He explained, a superior and relaxed air about him as if he knew more about the world than he let on. I supposed in a way he did know more than anyone. Maybe even more than Athena. Knowing the heart was much more powerful than knowing the mind. "Do what I do."

Sila began to move in an elegant way and I assumed it was a type of martial arts form. It took a while for me to understand the rhythm but I began to follow his movements anyway. He walked swiftly causing his steps to barely skim the ground. His feet were light and his movements flowed like the eddies of the lake down below. He spun in circles, constantly moving in that elegant way of his. I watched as he moved his hand swiftly outwards before retracting it and changing directions. Albeit a little confused, I copied his movements.

We wove and spun, punched, kicked, struck, slashed, and leapt, for a long time. It soon became  a rhythm and I lost track of how long we'd been performing the steps. Sweat coated my skin in a thin layer. I noticed Sila stop in front of me and I came to a stand still. "You are a quick learner."

"Combat comes easy to me," I reasoned, recalling what Reyna had said when we spared. Admittedly, if was fun to learn something new like this.

"Now that you have the technique down imagine air flowing through your body. Imagine the currents moving around you not as a separate entity but as an extension of your body." I frowned unsure of what he meant but I nodded. Taking a deep breath I began to move on my own copying the movements I'd repeated earlier . I did my best to create air currents but nothing but small bursts of wind came. Growing frustrated my movements became angrier.

"It's not working," I grumbled.

"You have to breathe. Concentrate on what you are doing not what you can't do," Sila instructed.

Still, there were no results. A slight breeze ruffled my hair sending a chill down my spine. A familiar scent eased my frustration. Closing my eyes I took another deep breath and continued on. A sense of relaxation and peace I couldn't quite explain came over me. I could hear the breeze almost like it was whispering to me and I began to move more efficiently than before. My steps were lighter than usual as my feet hardly touched the ground. The sounds of the world seemed duller and yet more vibrant. I felt a coldness spread through my veins as I readied for an open palm strike. My arm lashed out at an invisible opponent and the roar of wind blasted from my palm. I opened my eyes to see a torrent of air blasting from my open hand.

The trees nearby were bending from the force as dirt and twigs were swirled around in the sky. I laughed ecstatically. "This is insane!"

"No. The ability has always been inside of you. You've never received training for it. However, your powers come as much from internal training as they do external training," Sila explained, a smirk on his face.

"I don't understand. How am I doing this?" I asked kicking sideways and watching as a funnel of air followed the trajectory of my foot.

"You tapped into your connection with nature. Many demigods forget where their origins come from. The Gods were created as an explanation for the wild. It's why your cousin responds so well by large bodies of water. It's why his power is stronger. He can tap into his roots on command," Sila couldn't help but smile at my amazement. I focused on my palm creating a mini tornado that moved up my arm, behind my head, and down my other arm as if it were a ball.  "Now your power is as useful as you make it. Get creative."

"I have free reign?" I asked hesitantly. Sila nodded.

"Don't worry. You will be in control. Besides, it would take a lot to hurt me," He reassured.  Filled with excitement I was eager to see what exactly I could do. Focusing on the little tornado I encouraged it to grow. It expanded getting bigger until a full blown whirlwind was causing my hair to whip in my face. It was amazing. I let the winds subside and tried to think of something new. I blasted a thin slice of air causing a gash to appear in the ground. I did that four times and then blasted air into the slits. A large chunk of ground exploded upward. Concentrating I caught it using the winds to form a sphere around the object before launching it into the lake where a large satisfying splash followed.

"This I could get used to." I grinned, bouncing on the balls of my feet. I felt freer than I had in a long time. The ability to use my powers without hesitation was something I'd always dreamed of. Shaking out my arms, I planted my feet firmly on the ground as an idea occurred to me. With a roll of the shoulders I took off at a run sprinting as fast as I could. I willed the wind to part for me removing any form of air resistance. Next I felt a coolness spread through my legs launching me forward at an uncanny speed. I'd always been fast but this was insane. I tore through the woods as trees flew by in a swarm of green. I had no idea how fast I was going other than the fact that it was fast. My hair whipped around behind me and my clothes were pressed against my body. I couldn't help but smile. This was incredible and completely indescribable. Turning sharply my feet dug into the ground as I skidded into a turn and sped in the direction I'd come from. I dodged trees and hopped over logs and stones unti l I arrived back by Sila with electricity sparking at my shoes.

When I stopped I felt hardly tired at all. He was watching me with a wise gleam to his eyes. "Good job. While you've only begun to understand your capabilities you have much to learn on your own. Tomorrow you will tap into your lightning abilities. Those small bolts you can summon will do nothing against Lycaon."

I nodded feeling the rush of adrenaline still lingering in my veins. Sila turned on his heel excusing himself and leaving me alone on the grassy expanse. I was exploding with excitement so much so little sparks were rolling off of my skin. I ran my fingers through my hair in disbelief. I'd never done anything like that before. Could Jason even do this?

"You were incredible." A soft voice said in amazement. I turned to see Fawn standing there. The sun had disappeared and the stars were beginning to dot the sky. Her big round brown eyes were wide with joy.

"You think so?" I asked.

"Yeah!" She replied earnestly. For the first time I realized how young she was. I knew nymphs aged differently than demigods did but I wasn't exactly sure how it worked. It depended on her nature form. If she was a slow growing tree she could have been alive for fifty years but look like a six year old. She appeared to be about twelve. " I wish I had powers like you."

"You have powers. What kind of nature magic can you do?" I asked. She frowned.

"Actually I can't. I'm only half nymph." She said awkwardly. Then it dawned on me. Her eyes weren't a strange shade like other nymphs. They were pure deep brown, the kind you would see from a human. It also explained her ability to move so freely since she want tethered to a tree.

"Come on, you have to be good at something," I reasoned. She just shook her head disappointedly.

"I don't do magic, or fighting," She explained, her eyes watching me curiously.

"How come?"

"Sila doesn't want me to learn how to fight. He says it's dangerous and that living a life of peace is better." Fawn informed me as she played with the ends of her chin length wavy brown hair.

"That's dumb. Girls should learn to protect themselves," I said, pulling my collapsible spear from my pocket. I expanded it until the weapon glowed in the light. "There may come a time when you'll have to defend yourself. I'll teach you some of the stuff I know but only if you want to."

Her eyes dilated to the size of plates. She stared at my spear as a childish excitement claimed her features. "Please! I would really like to!"

"Okay then. Before we touch the weapon. You're gonna need to learn basic self defense." And so we stayed out late that night under the stars. She was a little timid at first but the more I egged her on the fiercer she got. She had a buried fire in her. I liked it. By the end of our third hour her sparring skills were sufficient enough that most people would find her hard to beat. She was small and agile which played to her benefit. "You're good kid. Really good."

She had her hands on her knees panting but there was a smile so large on her face I thought she might split her cheeks. "That was fun."

"Yeah it was." I smiled patting her on the back as she straightened up and walked tenderly back towards the house. She slunk  in through the back and I left her to her own devices.

After a moment or too I followed her inside. Sila waved me over before I could slip by. He informed me that I'd be sharing a room with Fawn and that he would be gone in the morning. He was most specific in stating that I was not to leave.

"I'm not just going to disappear," I scoffed.

"We both know that under the right circumstances you would,",Sila laughed lightly as he moved about the underground hut collecting his things and placing them into a satchel. It was strange when he wasn't in battle armor he looked like such a normal person.

"You're leaving?" Fawn asked softly from where she stood in the doorway. Sila's gaze softened looking at the twelve year old.

"Yes. Only for a little while. Our friend will take care of you," He said, gesturing at me. Fawn seemed nervous. She was playing with the ends of her hair again. I got the idea she didn't like it when Sila left. Sila moved to place a reassuring hand on the young girl's shoulder and the two of them shared a look. It was almost like when Chiron and Annabeth shared looks. I wondered if this was how Percy felt all the time, just wondering what the heck was going on. "Now off to bed. I must start on my travels."

Fawn nodded and grabbed me by the hand tugging me towards the room. Once inside she eased the door shut. On my bed was a pile of clothes that hadn't been there before. They were simple linen. A white top and grey bottoms. "Sila made those for you. He didn't want you to be uncomfortable sleeping in the clothes you trained in."

"Did he? Well remind me to thank him," I smiled lightly at Fawn who was dressed in a similar outfit and laid on her wooden bed that was pushed against the other wall. I changed in the corner out of sight before flicking off the string of white Christmas lights that lined the roof . The room was bathed in darkness and I fumbled my way to the bed.

It was actually quite comfy. The sheets were soft and the mattress moved to compensate for the way you slept making sure you were always in a comfortable position.

"So I've been meaning to ask you...you never said who the Reyna girl was," Fawn noted, breaking the silence.

"Oh." Fawn's inquiry caught me off guard. "She's a friend of mine."

"You seemed pretty worried about her. You kept saying her name in your sleep after we found you," Fawn whispered in the dark as if she were telling me a secret.

"Yeah, well the last time I saw her she was bleeding to death. My other friends are gone too. Unconscious from what I know and probably tucked away in some hole," I mumbled bitterly. "I just hope that I can learn what I need to in order to defeat Lycaon. I want to save them not show up late and find out they didn't make it."

"I'm sure your friends will be fine. If they're anything like you they'll be okay. They have to be." Fawn reassured but I wasn't so sure.

"I hope you're right," I agreed. There was a small space of silence before Fawn spoke again.

"I hate it when he leaves. The last time that happened nothing good came out of it," Fawn spoke, her voice quivering slightly in fear.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously staring up into the dark where the ceiling was.

"He came home with a lot of scars and he looked...sad," Fawn explained before whimpering softly.

"Fawn...if you want you don't have to sleep alone," I smiled lightly.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah." In a moment's notice Fawn's small body was under the covers and her brown eyes glinted in thanks. Jason used to do this whenever he was scared-or to be honest-whenever I was scared. "Thanks."

"No problem," I smiled lightly. Fawn burrowed deeper under the blankets her spindly fingers clamping onto my hand as she slept. I smiled lightly. I guess I wasn't so bad with kids. People always teased me that I would be. "He'll be fine Fawn. Besides what's the worst that could happen?"