Lesson Number 1 (Bella Donna Boudreaux & Ethan Marsters)

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Training, getting better every day, working towards goals and seeing them through, This was the Life Bella Donna had chosen for herself. Even in her early days as a camper she had excelled at combat, using her abilities to manipulate shadow and darkness and her inborn desire to fight for what she believed in all to become the best at what she was. This had put her in the perfect position to become a trainer of heroes. She had always wanted this and now she could follow that path. Several days had passed since she had returned to Camp Half-Blood to assume the job of Camp Councilor and Head Combat Trainer. Her best friend Anna, the previous Combat Trainer had died in a tragic accident and had wanted Bella to take her place. This along with her desire to be a great trainer of heroes like Chiron had brought her home. It was however a bit hard for some of the campers. She had met a few and not only was it hard for some to trust a daughter of Nyx but also it was hard for most to accept someone other than a child of Ares or Athena to be their combat instructor. Bella Donna could understand that. Ares and Athena were the gods of war and thus their children were often the best at all facets of battle, from physical to mental and everywhere in between. It was hard to imagine someone other than a child of the war gods as a trainer but it was now up to Bella to prove these young campers wrong.



The day before she had set up the Arena for a class and had put out on the bulletin board a sign-up sheet for individual tutoring. She had plans to start full combat sessions for all campers soon enough but she first wanted to meet with some of the campers individually and she figured the best way to ascertain those who took such training the most serious was to put an offer out there for individualized sessions to start with. So far only one name had been written down. That was a start, not a good start, but a start. She had in turn written on the paper for the camper to meet her at the arena around 2PM Now she sat along one of the side benches waiting for Ethan Marsters to arrive. She was rather anxious to see what this obviously open minded and brave soul had to offer. Being the first to volunteer for one on one combat lessons spoke for the boys desire to learn at the very least. He would find that she was easy to get along with but a very tough teacher. Bella wanted her students to be the best… they needed to be the best… they needed to prove they could survive in a world pretty much out to kill them at every turn just because they were Demigods.



Bella’s eyes stayed on the entrance to the arena while her hands worked rather automatically running a wet stone across the blade of her Stygian Iron katana. The arena lights were dim both because she had set them to be so and due to her very presence which always had an effect on weaker lights. In the four corners of the room large basin like bronze braziers flicked with flames casting strange and rather ethereal shadows all around the room. Bella had set up the area floor in sand pit mode much like a gladiatorial ring, she loved the fact that the arena itself had been designed to simulate most any battle or exercise venue she needed with but a flick of a few switches. All she needed now was her student to arrive.

(Sorry for the lateness of this post. I had no internet for the last few days.)

[Ethan Marsters]

Ethan was never late for anything. Being so incredibly OCD made that near impossible. Still, if he got stuck in one situation that he had to repeat over and over until he got it right made it hard to be on time to the next thing. Luckily, he only had to tie his boots seven times this afternoon before his condition was finally satisfied and he was free to approach the arena.

He had signed up for one on one lessons without even an ounce of fear behind it. He knew that he needed to learn more about fighting, even though he was already fairly well trained. However, he normally used his Stygian iron bow and arrows. He found it was easier to work with them than any other weapon. Due to his OCD, he has learned to master them with almost unimaginable precision. Still, the idea of learning with a sword where anything could happen was different. Shooting a moving target some afar was easy to calculate, at least for him. But one on one, face to face? That was harder to predict.

He arrived three minutes early, approaching his teacher and holding out a hand to her. "Ethan Marsters, at your service."

(sorry this took me sooooo long!)

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Bella Donna had been setting the arena up for the special classes she was putting on to start her tenure as Camp Half-Bloods new combat instructor. She knew that in time she would have to train full classes of students at one time but to start in these early days of her return she wanted to get to know some of the campers on a one by one basis. Her plan was to assess the more campers who were most serious about polishing their combat skills first so that she would know who she could rely on to take leading positions when full classes began. She had not been surprised the night before when she had checked the posting she had put up to find so few names had been signed up. It was disappointing but she knew she had to start somewhere. To this end around Noon when she had gotten up she had already started to put together the arena how she wanted it. Today the configuration was a simple. A wide circle was drawn with a sand floor and around it were dim torches that gave off enough light to clearly see but also left enough darkness around the circle to make it appear to be sitting in the middle of a void. She, a child of Nyx, could see perfectly in the dark but not many others outside her line had such a gift. It would allow her to stand on the outside unseen while she tested the first of her sign-ups.



3 minutes to 2 the young man walked in and offered his hand to her. She smiled and shook firmly. Her grasp was strong, something that most people did not expect from a girl that looked as she did. On the outside she did not look like a warrior. Bella was of course athletic and in shape but she was not overly muscled or tough nor did she look wiry and overly lean as faster fighters might. She just looked… well normal… Today she was wearing a black metal breast plate that molded to her body perfectly and sported shoulder and leg guards but was primarily black leather. This was one of the lighter sets of armor she had, one used more in fast paced combat situations where she might need speed and flexibility over a stronger, weightier defence. She wore this generally when she was hunting vampires (Empusa and Lamia), something she was sure that some of the campers would think was a cool hobby but in truth was always a challenge but a fanatical one for Bella.



“Bon jour Monsieur Marsters…” She spoke happily and absently in her native French as she shook his hand. She had to constantly remind herself that very few of the campers could speak French, that most were Westerners, Northern or Southern Americans. That problem had always been something she struggled with even as a young camper herself. She spent a great deal of her time in her native France and when she was in the states it had either been at the camp or in Washington DC where she lived with her father. “I’m sorry, I often fall to my native French, especially when I’m alone with my own thoughts and need to take a moment to think in English. It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Marsters. You were one of the first to sign up for my classes, you are interested in combat?” She smiled softly and then motioned to the arena. “Please, tell me a bit about yourself before we begin.”


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Translation:

Bon jour Monsieur Marsters– Good Day Mister Marsters