A number of guns had been acquired, from the MAC-10 to a Glock pistol to LaRue Tactical OBR. Naturally, they had not been acquired from legal sources as neither of them were idiots. With his mob connections, they had been passed into their hands for a reasonable sum.
Then he'd driven his little Persian out of the city to special area that would not provide them with distraction or interruption. Once more, mob connections came into play. It was good to have such people at your side (even if the boys in blue on the community would be less than pleased).
While the Maserati sat parked some distance away, cooling down from the long drive, Minos had in his hand a suppressed Beretta M9. Targets, like ones used in archery, were set not too far off.
"You get fifteen rounds with this one. We'll see how many you use getting the perfect shot."
Leukothoe had not been lying when she spoke to Hades; of course he was the ruler of the Underworld, but her loyalty was directly to Minos, indirectly to Hades. It was just how the cards were currently dealt; should Minos want to change that he only had to say the word but Leukothoe was not going to speak of Hades. No one had asked her, so she didn't see the need to bring him up.
The gun was a little alien for her taste, her fingers drumming along the trigger just to get a feel of how much pressure; how much recoil and she cracked her shoulders before taking her position. (Admittedly, it was easier to stab someone). Guns were always made to look so simple in television (they were not).
Swiping her tongue along her lower lip, she lifted the gun evenly, holding it with both hands and narrowing her eyes at the target. The first round caused startled birds to scatter away, her shoots ringing out precise and even. Not a rush, all evenly timed to give her a chance to assess the damage to the target. Five rounds, all close but none perfect. Ten rounds, circling but not yet. Final five were all neatly lined up into the center.
With the boy just a vague curiosity, Minos had no reason to ask about him. He was simply there and he had no knowledge of the two knowing one another. Hades' secret was secure for the time being, it seemed.
From where he stood behind her, cigarette dangling from between his fingers, he judged and delivered the verdict. "Too much waste. You need to get the perfect shot within two to five rounds by the end of this session. Anything more and you will not be suited for this form of removing the target.
"Keep your mind clear and control your breathing. That may be why you're not getting it right immediately. Fire at the end of an exhale."
Leukothoe didn't look put off by the criticism at all, she took it all in- accepted it and gave a nod. Every suggestion categorized and she took several breathes while holding up the gun as practice. The gun was not comfortable, but what use would she be if she could only handle one type of gun? Not much.
Grabbing another clip, she reloaded the gun with ease. This time she took a little longer, getting comfortable. The silence was broken by the shoots, the first three were on the outside, but the following three were on the inside.
Leukothoe paused, lowering the gun - then lifted it again. A new single shot. Straight through the middle. A longer pause and she looked at Minos for guidance.
That was the lovely thing about the girl. She wanted to learn and obeyed so neatly. And he watched again, her posture, her breathing and attention. While the first three weren't exemplary the next three were closer and he swallowed a sigh. The last was good but it wasn't good enough.
Stepping up behind her, he slid his hands over hers. "Does it feel wrong in your hands? Redo your stance, feet and hips shoulder-width apart. Are you aligning the sights? Make sure the top of the front one is level with the one at the rear."
"The weight of the gun is what throws me." Leukothoe answered soft but firmly,allowing Minos to guide her posture - she spread her feet a little, tilting her head to the side and narrowing her eyes at the target. "The recoil is not hard to handle, it's just measuring the weight with the right pressure of the trigger." In order not to fall out of balance at the last moment, which was what she'd been doing wrong. The weight threw her off so when pressing the trigger she jerked slightly before taking the recoil in.
Leukothoe redid her stance, her fingers shifted slightly, changing the way she spread the weight of the gun in her hands and waited for his instructions to fire again. When they were given she would again, much closer, much deadlier hit the target. After all, she was a fast learner and Minos a hard man to please; the learning curb had to be steep.
"It's a lighter than a few others which you will learn to use for sake of handling everything you might come across. Do you squeeze the trigger or pull? You should be squeezing it to the point where you feel it resisting. Don't anticipate the firing, that will make you more tense." Studying her a moment, he stepped back, cigarette back between his lips.
"Take a moment and then fire. Just once. If that's a good shot, fire again until it's empty. Reload afterward."
Leukothoe turned her head - tilting it again in Minos' direction in a way that clearly showed she was listening intently to his instructions. She was going to do this, she could do this. Eventually. And by eventually she meant soon, within the next two minutes. She took a deep breath, rolled her shoulders back and turned to the targets. She waited.
The gun was levelled again, slightly below her line of sight. One. Two. She pressed the trigger once. It landed straight on, but she took a moment to make sure it had before emptying the rest of the rounds straight on. The harsh, exploding bang was unwelcome but she wouldn't deny feeling more than a little bit of satisfaction when she finished the exercise and put the gun down.
Leukothoe didn't even pause to look for approval, she reloaded the gun once more, clicking off the safety and only then did she wait for Minos' opinion before turning to practice once more.
He'd make a dead shot of her. Make her someone enviable and desired among their kind. And when Hades would arrive, he would show her off like a possession he took from the god's collection and molded into something perfect. And though he did not crave his darling uncle's approval like he did his father's, he would have respect and acknowledgement from the being who once gave him such a lofty position in his world. Leukothoe wouldn't be enough to get him back but she would be a start, a very healthy start.
Everything would come back to what it once had been. There was no other way. There could be no other way.
"Better. Do it again, reload and repeat for a third time. Then tell me if it's weight is still foreign to you."
Leukothoe went with what Minos wanted because she knew nothing else or at least knew nothing else would be as satisfying as this. Perhaps it was wrong and she ought to try and live a normal life, but she could never be normal (not since Helios stepped into her life). Yet her resentment was small, or even just reserved for someone unnamed and it didn't matter to her as long as he didn't show up.
As told she did it again and then a third time. After which she clicked the safety back on and shuffled the gun on her hands testing the weight again. When she had an answer for Minos it was negative. No, it was no longer different, her fingers memorizing the shape of the gun and the weight for next time she handled it. They were all slightly different, they all required different things.
Never matter, she would learn to use them all. No one would ever drown her again without there being a fight.