Children of Olympus

Training Day

" So, what do you know about hiding in dark places?" Clint asked curiously.
They were in a special training room designed for Clint to practice silent movement, sneak attacks, and how to pick off enemies from above. Nico was following Clint around the room, being introduced to everything in it.
" What don't I know?" Nico answered mischievously.
Clint raised an eyebrow at him curiously.
" Okay, you think you're the expert, I'm going to turn the lights off for five seconds and when I turn them on again I'm going to try and see where you are," Clint planned smugly, figuring the kid was only boasting.
Nico just smiled sweetly at him as Clint turned off the lights. Instantly Nico moved to a corner of the room that he'd noticed had been enveloped in shadow before. And he just calmly stood there, knowing he'd blend in easily with his dark clothes and hair.
Clint turned the lights back on and his gaze travelled the room, trying to pinpoint Nico's whereabouts. He couldn't see the kid anywhere! A cold hand touched his hand and he jumped in to the air in fright, letting out a startled cry.
" What the heck kid?! You weren't joking!" Clint yelled incredulously as he calmed down.
Nico just smiled at him sweetly again.
" I never joke," Nico murmured casually.

Leo stared in awe at the room around him. There was so much metal and machinery! He felt like a kid in a candy store! His little eyes were the size of saucers as he gazed around.
" You like it?" Tony asked smugly.
" YES!" Leo cried breathlessly.
He raced around the room touching this and that, tweaking this robotic arm and that one, giggling like a maniac.
" Woah, slow down there kid, lots of potentially dangerous things in here," Tony laughed.
Leo slowed down but fidgeted in annoyance at having to be still.
" Can we build, please?" Leo asked in an angelic voice.
Tony smiled affectionately.
" Of course, come see what I've been working on lately, maybe you can help me?" He suggested.
Leo nodded enthusiastically and raced after Tony, jumping up on a stool to see what was on the workbench. There was a red metal hand with wire hanging out of it in strange places.
" At the moment I'm upgrading the repulstors in my suit. Especially the ones connected to the hands," Tony explained.
" The workmanship is amazing! But may I change one tiny little thing?" Leo commented hopefully.
Tony nodded and gestured for him to go ahead. Leo grinned and out of his tool belt, took a screwdriver that to Tony, would appear to have already been in the toolbelt's pockets. He tweaked a few wires here and there and tinkered with the aiming mechanism. Finally he poked the wires back to where the belonged and presented the hand to Tony.
" Here, give it a go!" Leo urged happily.
Tony shrugged and fitted his own hand in to the new and improved suit hand. Aiming it at target imprinted on the wall he took aim and fired. The force of the beam hit the target straight in the bullseye but was so powerful that it punched through the wall as well.
Smoke curled form the robotic hand as Tony stared at the wall in surprise. Leo winced at the ruined wall. On the other side, as the dust cleared, the old plaster covered faces of Bruce and Annabeth peeked through the hole eyes wide in surprise.
" Sorry about the wall," Leo said awkwardly, wringing his hands.
Tony turned to face Leo, a huge grin on his face.
" Are you kidding me?! That was awesome!" Tony yelled, picking Leo up and swinging him around.
" Not quite the word I'd use for it," Bruce muttered as he and Annabeth resumed looking closely at blueprints on a laptop.

" So Thor, do you ever feel that your strength makes you clumsy? Do you feel out of place?" Frank asked his mentor curiously as they both lifted weights together.
" No, Son of Zhang, I do not feel clumsy or out of place, merely proud of my asgardian strength," Thor boomed proudly.
Frank ducked his head in embarrassment as his cheeks flared red.
" But, what if that's all people see in you, just your strength, not anything else?" Frank asked in embarrassment at having to ask these questions.
" Frank, strength is a strength, not a weakness. I will train you to use strength like asgardians do! Now, what weapon be your weapon of choice?" Thor inquired gently.
" I'm not sure, I'm okay at the bow and arrow that I tried out once, but I guess, on the streets I used a long stick sometimes," Frank mumbled, remembering the spear Mars had given him with the dragon tooth spear head. He kind of missed Grey sometimes.
" The stick? A fine weapon! But have you ever tried the javelin?" Thor boomed.
" No, I can't say I have since it's a bit too big for me to handle, isn't it?" Frank replied, knowing to keep up the pretence of bring a six year old boy.
" You will be fine," Thor assured.
He took a javelin off of the racks in the corner and placed in in Franks small hands. Frank pretended to strain under the weight of it, but really it felt as light as a feather.
" Throw it!" Thor commanded, Ponting to a target a way away.
Frank hefted the javelin over his shoulder and threw, the weapon slicing rough the air and lading only just off centre on the target.
Thor blinked in surprise before clapping Frank on the back heartily.
" A good throw indeed! Now to perfect that aim!" Thor boomed excitedly.
Frank grimaced at his loud tone but smiled after.