Shoshone National Forest
2 years later, November 2nd
Percy's POV (3rd)
Percy was getting bored. Don't get him wrong, he loved being out here, but he wanted a change of scenery; he could tell Zoë did too. Percy started to reflect on the past events of these last two years, which alone had probably put him in the greatest physical condition humanly possible.
Percy changed his training regime immensely, deciding to forget the obstacle courses, the monsters attacking him provided more than enough targets. Now all of his time and effort went into his physical strength, endurance, agility, and speed.
Percy wasn't going to give himself any breaks, he set up a day by day schedule, each day focusing on a different muscle group. If Percy was going to be honest with himself, at the time, he had no idea what day of the week it was, hell he didn't even know what month it was; he knew was that it was Autumn, the falling leaves gave that away.
His first day of training left his arms feeling like lead. The whole day was a mixture of push-ups, pull-ups, chin ups, anything that could improve his upper body strength. At one point he tied a bunch of boulders together, loopped the rope over a branch of a tree and started pulling, he didn't get them more than a foot off the ground but he became determined. He would not stop until he could do it with ease, whether it came the next week, the next month, the next year, or the next decade, he would continue until he could pull them to the top. And he did. Anytime throughout the day where his body felt like giving up on him, he would just drench himself in water, giving himself an energy boost.
The next day he decided so work on his speed and endurance. Tying his old bag of rocks to himself, he set off into the forest in a sprint. Anytime he was slowing down or near collapsing, Zoë would come and start biting his ankles. He loved his wolf to death, but could she not be so good at her job? Perseus only stopped his sprint at noon for a quick lunch break. The second he finished eating it was right back to training, much to the ire of his aching muscles. He wouldn't finish until the sun had completely set, rejuvenating himself with water summoned from the air anytime he was slowing down. He promised himself that he wouldn't stop until he could sprint the whole length of Yellowstone Park without breaking a sweat. He has yet to make a promise he couldn't keep.
The next day, he focused on his core muscles. Doing so many sit-ups, crunches, planks, leg lifts, and some more extravagant ideas. He'd swing his legs over the branches of a tree and start doing sit ups upside down. He added many more exercises knowing that they'll hurt now, but will be worth it in the future. Percy knew that his core was probably one of the most important muscle groups, so he vowed that he wouldn't stop his training until he could go through his routine without needing a break. And he did exactly that.
The following morning, he would do yoga, stretching out his sore muscles. Zoë thought it looked fun and tried to join in; she always failed miserably and fell onto her back. Apparently she likes that position better, choosing to roll around in the grass instead of stretch. He repeated this process the next day as well.
It wasn't until nearly a year and a half later that he met his goals. It was probably the most satisfying thing Percy had ever accomplished. Percy didn't think he was hulking with muscles, but thought of himself as pretty well built.
The monsters stopped attacking him about a month ago, probably too scared to do so, leaving him alone with Zoë. In that month Perseus had seen everything there was to see. He knew every inch of the Shoshone Forest and Yellowstone National Park like the back of his hand. It was time for a change in scenery. So he walked back to camp and started packing, making sure to grab some extra tennis balls for Zoë, he swears she's more dog than wolf.
Percy finished packing and started walking, he didn't know where he was going, but he knew that with Zoë at his side, it was going to be a good time.