Olympus Has Fallen (Archived)

From the moment of your birth, the stars aligned in a pattern unseen for centuries, marking you as a demigod-- part mortal, part divine. Raised with the knowledge of your extraordinary heritage, you have always felt the weight of your lineage, the promise of greatness, and the looming shadow of an uncertain destiny. Now, the time has come for you to embrace your fate and step into the role you were destined to play.

In the modern world, the gods of Olympus have lived among mortals, their powers diminished and their influence decreasing. Once mighty deities, they now reside in shadows, struggling to hold onto their divine essence. The source of their decline remains a closely guarded secret, a mystery that has puzzled both gods and mortals alike.



But you, along with others like you, have been summoned. A cryptic message arrived one fateful night, delivered by a spectral owl. The message was brief, yet powerful:




Guided by an irresistible pull, you made your way to a hidden sanctuary, nestled deep within an ancient forest where the veil between worlds is thin. There, in the presence of flickering torches and ancient symbols, you encountered Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.

Athena revealed the truth:

"Zeus, in a desperate bid to maintain his supremacy, bound the powers of the gods to his own life force, gradually draining them over centuries. The gods have become powerless, and their enemies are closing in. The only hope lies with the you, who must embark on a perilous quest to restore the gods' powers and save Olympus."

The journey ahead is fraught with danger and uncertainty. You will face trials that will test your strength, wisdom, and resolve. Ancient relics, long lost to time, must be found and harnessed to restore the gods' powers. Allies must be sought, and enemies confronted. The very fate of the world hangs in the balance, and it is up to you to tip the scales in favor of light and order.

With the weight of this task upon your shoulders, you take your first step into a world where myth and reality intertwine, where the past and present converge, and where the deeds of heroes can alter the course of history.

The Sanctuary's ancient doors creak open, revealing a path shrouded in mist. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and yours begins now.

Welcome to the quest. Welcome to the fight for Olympus.

Character Profiles:

Spoiler

*Limit to 2 Powers per Character, and make them realistic. They're Demi-Gods, not Gods, and they should relate to their Godly Parent :D

Code: Select all

[b]Name[/b]:

[b]Age (19-25)[/b]:

[b]Sexuality/Gender[/b]:

[b]Godly Parent[/b]:

[b]Personality[/b]

[b]Powers[/b]:

[b]Appearance[/b]:

[b]Short History[/b]:

[b]Strengths/Weaknesses[/b]:

[b]Up For Love?[/b]:

[b]Other[/b]:


Melina took a deep breath as she stepped through the portal, the shimmering light fading behind her. She found herself in the heart of the 'Sanctuary', a place that obviously seemed like it was steeped in divine power and ancient history. The setting was a breathtaking sight: marble columns soared into the sky, adorned with intricate carvings of the gods' triumphs. Lush gardens filled with vibrant flowers and sacred herbs spread out in every direction, their scents mingling in the warm air. Fountains of crystal clear water bubbled gently.

Mel's peircing green eyes surveyed the sight of the gathered demigods, each one bearing the distinct aura of their heritage. She smirked. Not only did some of them look confused, but many others also looked excited-- just like her. She'd spent years training with her mother, Peitho, for a time like this. She knew it would come in handy, and when she got the letter, she was absolutely ecstatic. The other demi-gods stood in small groups, some alone, some appearing awestruck; not knowing where to place themselves. Melina felt a mixture of heightened excitement; this was a gathering unlike any other, and the stakes seemed to be incredibly high based on the look on Athena's face.

Adjusting the strap of her lyre case on her shoulder, Melina made her way through the crowd, her presence turning heads as she walked. She wore a form fitting dress that accentuated her curves, its dark fabric shimmering with hints of gold in the sunlight. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back, and the confident, almost regal way she carried herself made her stand out even more.

Ancient trees with sprawling branches provided shade, and the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze added to the ambiance. Statues of the gods and goddesses, weathered by time but still exuding an air of majesty, lines the pathways. The air buzzed with a subtle energy, a reminder of the divine power that must've previously lived within this place.

As she approached the center of the sanctuary, she spotted Athena standing by one of the grand marble fountains. The goddess' armor gleamed, and her expression as as composed yet stern as ever. Her helmet, resting under her arm, gleamed and was pristinely cleaned and polished. Her long, black hair was intricately braided, falling over her shoulders with a few loose strands framing her chiseled features. Melina's heart quickened. Speaking with the goddess of wisdom and war was no small task-- for anyone. But, she'd been preparing for this moment since she received the letter.

Melina decided to be the first to approach the goddess.

"Athena," Melina called out softly, her voice carrying a melodic quality that demanded attention. She could feel all eyes on her, once again. The goddess turned, her intense gaze locking onto Melina.

"Melina Whitmore," Athena acknowledges, her tone neutral, "Daughter of Peitho. Welcome."

Melina nodded her head respectfully, "Thank you, Athena. I came as soon as I received the letter. I could feel the weakening of my mother... our bond. My mother's distress is palpable."

Athena nodded, her expression not changing one bit, "We are in dire times. I will explain more shortly."

"I understand," Melina said, "I will try and contribute as much as I can."

The goddess studied her for a moment, and then nodded approvingly, "Your confidence and skills will be essential, Melina. We need people who can inspire and unite. But remember, it won't be as easy as you think. Nothing here is. Be mindful of your weaknesses."

"I will," Melina smiled shyly, "Thank you."

Another demigod approached her, a slight frown on her face as she looked around. Her hair was a sleek black, tied up into a high ponytail. She had a simple skull necklace and a pair of faded overalls on. "Athena..." Her frown only grew deeper. "Why are we in the Underworld?"

Melina's head turned to meet the demi-god that moved beside her, "What? Have you seen where we are? This place is too exquisite to be in the Underworld."

The demigod cocked her head to the side. "We're in Persephone's Gardens."

"I don't think so. And who is Persephone?" Melina thought long and hard. She'd never heard such a name. Not that her mother had mentioned it, anyways.

The girl looked like her life flashed before her eyes. "The... Queen of the Underworld. Goddess of Spring. Originally betrothed to Hades, but he was like really creepy about it so she married Hecate."

"Adaliah Abernathy, Daughter of Thanatos. Welcome. And you are correct. Indeed, we are in the Underworld. But, Persephone's Grove is a sanctuary even here, a place of both beauty and sorrow. It is here that you will begin." Athena mused, nodding in Adaliah's direction.

"Huh?" Melina rubbed her temple, "you're telling me that Hades has a wife? And We have to start our journey.... here?"

"No, I'm saying that he doesn't because he's weird." Adaliah rubbed her skull pendant. "Persephone is the one with the wife."

"Oh," Melina shrugged, "So we're in the Underworld. Great. Not my jurisdiction."

"Well, it's mine. If that makes you feel better."

Melina sighed, taking in the surroundings again with a new perspective. The lush beauty of Persephone's Grove seemed tinged with an underlying eeriness, the vibrancy of the flowers and greenery contrasting against the knowledge of where they truly were, "This is all so surreal," she muttered.

Athena stepped forward, "Persephone's Grove is not just a sanctuary but a place of power and reflection. It is here that the barriers between life and death are the thinnest, and where you will begin to understand the urgency of the task I present to you."

Adaliah smiled. "It's a good place to start a journey. I feel strong here." She fingered one of the nearby flowers, inhaling deeply.

A rustle in the bushes drew their attention, and a figure stepped into the clearing. Melina took a wild guess that it was indeed, Persephone, based on her demeanor. She exuded both grace and power. Her eyes, a deep, knowing green, met Melina's, and a small, enigmatic smile played on her red lips. She had wavy, long chestnut brown hair, adorned with delicate flowers that seemed to bloom and wither in a continuous cycle.

"Welcome, children of the gods," Persephone said, her voice a harmonious blend of warmth and authority, "You have been chosen for a great purpose. But first, you must prove yourselves worthy."

"Tell them what you need them to do," Athena rolled her eyes. Clearly, they didn't get along very well.

"We can do both." Adaliah smiled. She leaned in to whisper to Melina. "Just as cryptic as nursing school." She pulled away without elaborating.

Melina glanced at Adaliah but didn't respond. Nursing school? In a dire time like this, they're speaking of nursing school? Are these the people she's supposed to trust?

Persephone smiled wide, and she gestured a darkened amulet that laid hung over the nearest break in the path. It glowed a bright yellow, and it swung back and forth with the upmost of gravity, "Step into the shadows and find the light within."

What the hell does that mean? Melina was getting tired of the goddesses' cryptic messages. She decided to wait for someone else to go first.

Adaliah sighed. "I'm guessing you would rather sleep in the rosebush than go first?"

"Precisely," Melina clarified, and crossed her arms as if she was slightly embarrassed.

"I got this." She adjusted her ponytail even though it looked fine and stretched. Something on her back seemed to tremble until.

Melina had to blink as large feathery wings emerged from her overalls. She shook them out before stepping under the amulet. She closed her eyes, her face perfectly calm.

The amulet flashed grey, and then black, and then white.

Persephone repeated, "Find the light within, child."

Butterflies formed from the light of the amulet, surrounding Adaliah's face. They were a vast array of types, sizes, and colors. Adaliah stood perfectly still in the eyes, watching all of hem. She opened her eyes and pointed to one that was wandering from the swarm, a small pale blue one. "That one is going to die."

"What does that mea--" Melina started, but Persephone finished, "Indeed, it is."

Melina decided to stop talking. How would this girl know if a butterfly was about to die?

Suddenly, a dove swooped from the sky and snatched the butterfly out of the air. It perched on Persephone's shoulder, lifting it's head to swallow it.

Melina's eyes widen, "What was the point of that?"

Athena sighed, "This amulet exposes all gifts to the human eye... or shall I say, divine eye."

"So we have to demonstrate our gifts? Why?"

Persephone continued, "We want to make sure all who got the letter is with us today. No outsiders."

Melina looked to Adailah, "Did you kill that butterfly, or...?"

Adaliah frowned. "You think I controlled a dove to eat a butterfly and then land on the Goddess of Spring's shoulder?" She shook her head. "No."

"I-I don't know," Melina shrugged, "Would I be crazy if I said yes? Some people have mind control. I don't know."

"I'm the daughter of death. Not the wild." She turned back to the goddesses. "I have another power, but it requires a human to die, and I'm not sure how it reveal itself to you."

"You have already proven yourself, Daughter of Thanatos. Thank you for volunteering. Your will and determination is much appreciated," Athena bowed her head.

Adaliah bowed her head in return. "I am honored to have been called here."

Athena nodded in approval and looked to Melina, "Since you, daughter of Peithos, have so much to say about others gifts, why not demonstrate yours next?"

Melina burned a light shade of red and nodded, "Y-Yes, Athena. Sure."

"'Sure' will not get you anywhere in this dimension. The answer is always yes, or no. No in between. Understood?" Athena's eyes hardened.

"Yes, Athena," Melina corrected herself and strode to the amulet. As soon as she stepped under, it flashed pink, then white, then a dark shade of purple. She hesitated before speaking again, "I uh... I need a volunteer."

Melina scanned the crowd and spotted curly haired girl that seemed to be watching with an apprehensive look on her face. Melina smiled, "Curly black hair. In the back. The one wearing the black rocker jacket."

The girl practically jumped out of her skin. "Huh?"

"Can you come to the front to help this demi-god demonstrate her gifts?" Athena asked.

"Uhh... sure." The girl nervously laughed as she walked up, crossing her arms. "We're doing a gift show and tell? What's going on?"

"As I said about thirty seconds ago, my dear, this is to make sure we do not have any outsiders in our presence." Persephone eyed the girl, a sense of curiosity twinkling in her eye.

"Well I was not a member of that conversation." She grinned. "Because I was... minding my own business. Because I might be said... outsider?"

Another girls voice peeped from the crowd, "Hibi! Be nice!"

The girl, presumably "Hibi" crossed her arms, looking down. "So. Crash dummy. Where do you want me?"

"You're good right there," Mel smiled even wider and took a deep breath. The amulet flashed pink again as a foggy, purple aura exuded itself from Melina's body. The smoke traveled to Hibi, wrapping and coiling itself around her in a light cloud of smoke. Hibi made a small, startled squeak as she watched it.

Melina's voice turned into merely a whisper, but it seemed to echo throughout the whole sanctuary, "You look wonderful today, Hibi."

Hibi practically doubled over, spluttering. "Oh. Uh. I guess. I mean, thanks. I mean, you look today nice too. I mean-"

Melina snapped her finger, and the cloud released Hibi and traveled back to Melina, sinking deep into her pores, "Is that enough of a demonstration?" She looked to Athena and Persephone. Persephone seemed to be holding in a laugh, whereas Athena kept the same stern look.

"Seduction. A true daughter of Peithos," Athena sighed, and looked to Hibi, "Are you okay, child?"

Meanwhile, Hibi was feeling her face and neck. "What just happened? That was... so weird, guys. I promise I'm not like that."

Meanwhile, the same girl who called Hibi's name earlier was on the floor laughing in the crowd. Melina burned a shade of deeper red, and looked down at her feet, "S-Sorry."

"That's okay," Persephone said, and stepped forward, placing her delicate hand on Hibi's shoulder. She paused for a moment, as if contemplating something, and then pulled away quickly, "You're okay, then, I assume. Would you like to go next, since you're here already?"

"Oh. I guess to rule me out. I don't have like... a godly parent."

Athena raised an eyebrow, "Explain what you mean, child."

"I'm an orphan." She did jazz hands.

"And how do you know you don't have a godly parent? Why are you here, if you do not have a gift?" Athena responded.

"I mean, I'm sure there's other ways to get gifts." She shrugged. "I'm mostly here because of my sister. She can shift and cast spells."

"So she's a... witch," Athena smirked, "And you? And 'sister', step forward."

There was a rustling noise, and then a girl that looked almost exactly like Hibi pushed through the crowd, "Here! Here! I am sister!"

Persephone's eyes widened slightly, but she soon looked to Athena, "Witch is not the correct term, Goddess. Some people would take offense to that. We call them visionaries."

"You are around Hecate too long, cousin," Athena sighed, and looked to Hibi, "Can you demonstrate anything?"

Hibi sighed. "It's not that impressive..." She took a deep breath and kicked at the ground, making a small pile of dirt. She held out her hands over it. It slowly started to rise from the ground, keeping its shape. She then tossed it, the clump of dirt going straight for her sister's face before it stopped about two inches away before it fell to the ground.

Persephone seemed frozen, as if a million thoughts were running through her mind. She studied Hibi, and then looked to Athena, "Earth manipulation. Could come in handy."

"Indeed," Athena glanced back at Persephone suspiciously, as if she knew exactly what the Goddess was thinking. She smirked, and then turned to Hibi's sister, "What is your name, child?"

Hibi's sister straightened herself and twirled a finger in her hair, Melina guessed-- out of nervousness, "Ophelia."

"Ophelia, step under the amulet and demonstrate your gift for us, please."

Ophelia closed her eyes. Suddenly, her face morphed into Melina's, and her body slowly changed with it. Once curly hair, it was now wavy and long, and it looked as if Melina was looking in the mirror. She shuddered, "What the hell?"

"A shifter," Athena looked to Persephone again, this time with an eyebrow raised, "That's enough, Ophelia. Thank you."

Ophelia's limbs morphed back to her original form, and she nodded lightly, as if out of breath, "Thank you, goddess. I-I can also cast curses. But I'm not very good at that."

Athena nodded and glanced at the rest of the group, "We have... a Daughter of Death, a Daughter of Earth, and a Daughter of... Witchcraft, it seems. What a delight. Who's next?"

Melina frowned. She didn't even mention her. She sunk back into the crowd and looked down at her feet, again. Not only was she embarrassed, but she didn't even get recognition. Hibi walked back with her, frowning. "Hey, don't feel bad. That one seems... like she hates me too." She sighed. "I'm Hibiscus."

"Atleast she mentioned you," Melina shrugged, and sighed loudly, "I'm assuming my power isn't as cool as yours. Which is understandable, I mean... Earth manipulation is pretty cool. And I wish I could shapeshift. And I'm Melina. Sorry for that stunt, by the way. You looked... like you needed to step forward anyways. Like you were questioning yourself. Sorry if it put you in a weird position."

"It's not that cool..." Hibi sighed. "And she probably only mentioned me so Ophelia didn't get mad. Don't want to upset the class favorite." She shrugged. "And just wait. They won't like your power until we need some information."

Melina flashed a quick smile, "Yeah... that's what my mother said, too," she paused, and cursed internally at herself, "Oh shi--, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't bring up my mother, right? Does it bother you when people speak of their parents infront of you?"

"Nah. She doesn't exist to me." Hibiscus shrugged again. "Ophelia is a lot more sentimental about that sort of thing, but to me... she never knew us. We were left on the doorstep. Doesn't exactly say 'tragic death that kept a good family apart.' It's more 'ew, gotta get rid of my two mistakes.'"

"I'm sure that isn't the case," Melina studied her, "If you're here, and the amulet reacted for you, you have a godly parent. Some of them are assholes, though. I wonder which one it is."

"Is there a god of dirt? Sorry. I know nothing about this stuff. It was always Ophelia's thing. Too much reading."

"There has to be. There's a god for almost everything. That's how the world was created," Melina smiled sympathetically, "You'll find your place here. I know it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Melina nodded and glanced around them, just as another demi-god stepped up to the amulet.

Per usual, the ghosts in Farono's head would not shut up.

They'd been chattering nonstop from the moment she'd opened the letter, and on every leg of the journey she'd taken to get here, they'd gotten nothing but louder. Many of the ghosts were speaking dead languages, which didn't help, given the fact that Farono was monolingual-- she didn't count the ancient Greek, because it still just sounded like English to her--and all the jumbled nonsense being spewed in her head was just giving her more of a headache than usual.

"Rufus?" A child called, his tiny voice echoing inside her head. "Come here, boy, come here!"

"The gods have forsaken thy mother, thy origin-place, thy star!" A woman cried. "And yet, thou choosest this? Thou choosest to help thy slighters, thine enemies?" This woman in particular had been especially annoying because she'd decided to pop up the moment Farono opened the letter, and she had literally not shut up since. Farono had started dreaming in Shakespearean English. Her worst had involved her having to perform in one of the plays, only every time she'd opened her mouth, the woman had spouted more and more about how she was betraying her mother by siding with the Olympians.

"Are you safe?" A voice asked in broken English, and Farono glanced over to see Alita, in her white, blood-stained dress, long dark hair shadowing deep dark eyes. She'd been one who showed up when Farono was thirteen; she couldn't prove it, but there was a part of her that believed her mother had sent her to look after her instead of doing it herself. Out of the permanent residents in Farono's head, she was certainly the kindest.

Farono nodded. "I'm fine," she muttered, and watched as Alita wavered and disappeared. One of the other demi-gods near her gave her an odd look, but didn't say anything. Farono knew they hadn't seen Alita, not unless Farono had accidentally channeled energy into a physical form.

"Rufus!" The boy began to whimper. "Rufus, where are you? It's getting cold, I wanna go inside." He screamed and then cut out like radio static. Farono grit her teeth, shaking her head like that would free his spirit from her skull, but she knew it was pointless. How many times had she heard him reliving his death? She'd lost count at this point.

"Grab the knife," an ancient Greek soldier whispered, and Farono rolled her shoulders, annoyed by the ghost sensation of fingers. "Slay them all, kill them all. Do it on your own, earn the glory for yourself."

"Traitor!" the woman wailed. "Murderer! Thou shalt help the enemies of thy mother? Thou fiend, thou beast! Fulfill thy role as Gods-killer! Avenge the slights against thy star!"

Farono froze as Athena's eyes shot towards her, almost as if she had heard the voice. The gaze was unwavering, and Farono nearly flinched under the intensity. Nobody else had ever heard the voices before, not unless she'd put them into a body. Athena tilted her head, eyes narrowed. Farono knew in the back of her mind that it wasn't possible, that it didn't make any sense for Athena to have heard them--and yet. She was a God. There were crazier things to happen.

And still the eye contact did not break. She could feel Athena assessing her, like looking through her skin, holding her bones, flipping them over and deciding whether to crunch them underfoot. And it was then that Persephone's gaze slid to Farono too, and her smile dampened. She, too, tilted her head.

"Are you safe?" Alita asked again. This time, both Athena and Persephone looked at Alita, wavering in the air.

"Well?" Athena asked, and all the chatter that had started abruptly hushed. "Are you?"

Farono held her gaze. "I'm fine," she repeated, more sharply this time. She could feel eyes on her and she didn't like it. She knew it couldn't be avoided though, so she walked forward, careful to keep her shoulders back, her posture straight. Poised. Perfect.

Persephone held her arm out, as if she was summoning Farono's presence at the amulet. "She's okay. Or at least, I think she is. Show us what you can do."

Farono clenched her jaw. There really wasn't much to do. Occasionally, if she thought about it hard enough, one of the ghosts could manifest in a physical body, even take up a weapon and fight. Unfortunately, half the time it happened, it was on accident, and the other half where she managed to do it on purpose, several of the ghosts had no interest in helping her. A couple had actually tried to kill her, which had really freaked out eight-year-old Farono at two in the morning.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Assuming that you were fighting a battle in your head," Athena started. "Come show us why. I'm guessing you have a gift?"

"That's not how I'd describe it," Farono said dryly.

"A power, then?" Persephone rephrased. "You have an ability. I can feel it, deep in my soul. One you--" she faltered slightly. "One that you don't like."

"You both already know what it is," Farono said, aggravation beginning to creep up into her chest. "Why do you need me to do something?" She gestured vaguely with her hands.

"Yes," Athena's voice was stern, and somewhat commanding. "But, as does everyone here, you must demonstrate. It would be... what do mortals say, Sephone?"

"Unfair." Persephone finished Athena's sentence. "Even if we do know, it needs to be equal among all of you. Now, come on under the amulet. It will be over soon."

"Yes," Farono muttered, "so that then you can send me somewhere where it happens even more." Still, she balled her fists up, reluctant but wary of not letting this be the day her anger got her killed by a Goddess. "You wanna see how my eyes can glow with the souls of ghosts?" she couldn't stop herself from snapping. "It's a lot more fun."

Athena took a deep breath, and stepped forward. It was obvious she rarely had to deal with mortals, nonetheless demi-gods. She sighed loudly. "Farono. Step forward, please."

"Wow, a please," Farono said sarcastically. "That's convincing." She took a step forward anyway though, and held her arms out in a 'what're-you-gonna-do' gesture. "Ta-da."

Athena's eyes burned with anger, but Persephone held an arm out in attempt to diffuse the situation. "I can handle this, Athena. Let me handle it." She looked back to Farono. "Do you have something against us, child?"

"Not at all. Just wondering which of the fifty permanent residents in my head you wanna become acquainted with. Do you want one who died in one of your wars, or would you rather one who prayed to you while she was being murdered and got no response?" Farono asked, head tilted and eyes narrowed.

"How dare you, mortal." Athena stood tall, her eyes now burning with intense hatred. "How dare you speak of such things. You are a child, half mortal. Learn some respect. If you do not wish to comply, why even come?"

"Well it's not like the invite was really a question, was it," Farono drawled. "More like a polite, 'Come now and I won't ignore your prayers while you're being murdered' statement."

Athena cocked her head and smiled menacingly. "You do not like yourself. You are insecure. You are the definition of a mortal. You are... weak. Troubled. I can smell it. And you take these frustrations out on us, because one of us gave this power to you. But even then, child, you are of us. And whether you like it or not, you are here, now."

Persephone looked at Athena, eyebrow raised. "I said I'd handle it. Yet, of course, your 'wise' brain cannot stop you from talking, right? Leave the poor girl alone. She's already gone through plenty and you'll make it worse."

"Unless you'd like to leave," Athena continued, ignoring Persephone entirely, "step forward under the amulet. If not, be gone."

"Grab the knife." The soldier was frantic. "Grab your knife and be finished with it, be finished with them all!"

"Avenge thy mother's slights!" The woman cried hysterically. "Avenge thy mother, you forsaken child, avenge thy mother!"

"Will you shut up?" Farono snapped. The boy screamed again, frantic for his dog before the bear tore into his throat. She shook her head again and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind--not like it was possible, but it was nice to imagine. Finally, she looked up again and sighed.

"You didn't answer my question. Which one do you wanna see?" She said tiredly.

"Pick one. I don't have the patience, or the time, to dig in your head and find my favorite." Athena gestured to the amulet.

Farono tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, furious. "Of course," she said, and walked forward under the amulet. Without hesitation, she slammed her foot into the ground, and the soldier wavered into the air, his armor rusted and stained with his own blood. Farono handed him a knife. "Go to town," she seethed.

She could feel his spirit on the edge of her own, vicious and hungry. He'd died in the medic tent instead of on the battlefield. That was the only reason he hadn't made it into Elysium. She might've felt more sorry for him if he hadn't been bombarding her with thoughts about murdering people since she was fifteen. Immediately, he charged at a demi-god, which Farono probably should've felt bad about, but she didn't. Despite all the other voices in her head, it felt just a tiny bit emptier and quieter, and for now, all she was really feeling was an exhausted relief.

The other demi-god, however, was not so fortunate. Farono thought they might have been one of the people who had already gone, someone with curly hair, but two of the voices had been arguing about where the country border for Greece was, so she hadn't really been able to listen.

"It is Hibi," Alita said distressedly. Well that was nice. At least one of them was able to pay attention, even though Farono would've prefered it were the person who actually had the body.

Hibi didn't seem to notice someone was charging at her until she was tackled to the floor. She let out a shrill scream as a knife went for her chest. She tried to push him off, but her hands went right through him.

Before Farono could react, there was the sound of metal against metal and suddenly the solider froze.

Another demigod stood over him, a large scythe in her hands. Her face was grave, but not necessarily unkind. Her hair swayed even though there was no breeze to move it. The scythe pressed against the soldier's form, and he wavered on his feet.

"Be finished with it," he whispered, mouth hanging open like a fish on a hook. He sighed, and his eyelids fluttered closed. "Finished with it," he murmured.

"Rest well, Soldier. You earned it."

His form started to lose detail, turning a bright white as though there was a flame inside of him slowly growing until it grew so intense it dispersed. The knife clattered to the floor.

Farono could feel it--the moment he disconnected completely from her skull, disappeared and faded away. The other ghosts had gone silent temporarily, except the woman, who was weeping. Pure. Silence. It was ecstasy. She closed her eyes for several seconds, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. Hearing the sound of her heartbeat, and no voices at all.

"Agathanos," one of the voices whispered. "Agathanos is gone."

And then the buzzing started again. "Gone?" "How can he be gone?" "Gone where?"

Farono sighed and rubbed her temple as the headache formed again. So much for quiet.

The girl's scythe fizzled out of existence and she bowed her head for a second. "A shame." She bent down to help Hibi up.

Hibi gasped for breath. "Why... why is it always me?"

The girl patted her on the shoulder. "Sorry. I'm sure it will get better."

Farono turned back to Athena and extended her arms again. "Ta-da," she repeated in the least annoyed voice she could manage.

Athena clapped slowly. "I needed some entertainment. Thank you for that demonstration, Farono. But for future reference, please don't try to... kill your fellow demigods."

Farono looked over at Athena, like an exhausted parent who hadn't had a full night's sleep in at least three years, and said, "I cannot be held responsible for what ghosts do in their free time."

"I'm sure that's true." Persephone flashed her a sympathetic grin, and Athena just simply rolled her eyes.

"Great," Farono said blandly. "So am I done now? Do you need another one just to verify?"

"Only If you'd like," Persephone responded, but Athena raised her hand.

"Nope. That'll do. Now try not to kill another demigod while you wait or we'll have Hades throw you to Tartarus himself."

Persephone frowned. "That's not how it works. And stop being mean to her. You need to be the bigger person, here!"

Athena hushed her.

"Awesome," Farono muttered. "Thanks so much, you've both been so helpful. Can't wait to share a tent with you ladies, you're so fun and interesting."

Persephone beamed. "Oh. Thank you!"

"That was sarcasm, flower brain," Athena grumbled. "How are you even a goddess?"

"Oh, simple! My mother is Demeter, and my father is--"

"I know that." Athena waved her away with her hand.

Farono turned around and walked to the back of the group, her eyes lingering on the girl with the scythe for a beat before she caught herself and looked away, thinking. Or trying to think, anyway, over the noise of everything. They were still all in a panic about where Agathanos had gone, and how he could just disappear.

The girl approached her as she walked away. "Hey, are you doing alright?"

Farono gave her an odd look. "I'm fine," she said slowly, trying to figure out why the girl was approaching her. "What do you want?"

"You gave that spirit a physical form, right?" She frowned slightly.

Farono stared at her for a second. "Yes."

"How... did you feel about that?" Her voice was soft, like she was unsure exactly how she was supposed to approach this. "You didn't seem upset. Was it a relief? Was he bothering you?"

Farono frowned, taken aback by the questions and not trusting why the girl would even care to know. "I'm fine," she said, giving her another weird look. "Why do you care?"

The girl seemed a little taken aback by that. "Oh, sorry. I don't mean to impose. I just wanted to make... an offer."

Farono looked at the girl for several more seconds, then said, "Whatever it is, no thanks. I'm not here to owe anybody."

"I'm not here to give you debt." The girl sighed. "Look, I'll leave you alone if you want. I'm just saying I can get rid of any other ghosts you want me to."

Farono imagined her mother's face hearing that. "RID of my ghosts? You RID yourself of them, like garbage? Like I mean nothing to you? You dare disrespect my power, my GENEROSITY I have bestowed upon you?" Her mother was difficult to avoid angering on the most pleasant of days, and even then, there was no guarantee she wouldn't stick another annoying one in her brain just for fun.

"How kind of you," Farono said dryly, "But she'd just put more in. My brain's a hotel to my mother, when guests check out, new ones check in."

"Mon amour! Je te désire, où es-tu? As-tu fui dans la nuit?" A voice Farono didn't recognize, deep and sultry, called out. "Mon amour! Mon amour!" Great. She hadn't wasted a second, had she?

"Ooh, French," Farono drawled. "Lovely. This won't haunt my nightmares tonight at all."

The girl frowned. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you. If you think of something I can do, I'd be happy to lend a hand."

Farono sighed, bending down to retrieve her knife and stashing it away before turning back to watch the rest of the demonstrations. "It's fine, really. I'm used to it."

2,722 words

Elio glanced around the Sanctuary, one hand clutching the letter from Athena (the Athena). The goddess of wisdom and warfare stood tall in the front near one of the statues. The diety's gaze was hard, and her aura exuded power and confidence. But despite how stern Athena looked, Elio felt excited. Eager. A big adventure was in front of him, and Elio wanted it.

Another demigod stepped toward the goddess. and Elio would be lying if she hadn't caught his attention for more than a second. After a quick talk with Athena, Persephone, and more demigods, she was still the only one who caught his eye the most. Even next to the actual goddesses.

His other hand was around Luna's wrist to keep her from bolting. His cousin did not seem to share the same excitement he had. She looked around hesitantly, her long, black hair covering part of her face. She was trembling with nervous energy, and if Elio wasn't keeping his hand on her, she would probably escape who knows where.

"We should totally say hi to her," he told her. Luna glanced at the goddesses and shook her head.

"Or maybe we should stay here, where it's safer," she said.

Elio laughed. "Come on, Luna! Look at her. She wouldn't hurt a fly." He sighed, a dopey grin on his face.

Luna stared at him. "One: you don't know her. And two: why should we get closer to the super powerful goddesses who could smite us in one milisecond?" She squeaked in fear.

"Only one way to find out," he said, and he pulled Luna toward the small goddess, and the (future) love of his life.

Luna whimpered and protested as they passed the other demigods, trying to pull away, but he wouldn't let her.

When they finally got to the goddesses, Elio stopped and cleared his throat. Luna froze and immmediately ducked behind him.

"Hello," Athena's voice was stern, and she peeked behind Elio's shoulder, "What do we have here?"

Luna just stared at her, mouth open. When Elio elbowed her, she started.

"I-I'm Luna." Her voice was barely audible. Elio smacked his hand over his face.

Persephone flashed a quick smile as she surveyed the interaction. Athena smirked, "Hello, Luna. Daughter of Selene. And you are... Elio, Son of Helios, am I correct?"

Elio puffed out his chest in admiration, even as Luna fell to the ground in shock. "Yes, ma'am! My cousin and I are honored to be here." He glanced down at Luna. "Er, me more so than her, hehe."

"Understandable," Persephone stepped to stand beside Athena, "This can be quite overwhelming for mortals. Have you had a chance to speak with the other demi-gods?"

"That's a great idea," Elio said, grinning. He immediately turned toward the girl who had caught his eye and flashed her a dazzling smile. "Hi, I'm Elio."

The girl seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with someone else, but her head cocked slightly when she made eye contact with Elio. Her face turned a deep shade of red, and she looked around herself as if she didn't know who he was talking to, "Are you talking to me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elio said. "I didn't know that you weren't a goddess as well." He winked at her.

The girl smiled shyly and looked down at her feet, "Well, thank you! I-I'm Melina. Daughter of Peithos. Who is your godly parent, Elio?"

"Helios, god of the sun," he said. "This is my cousin, Luna. Her mother is Selene, goddess of the moon. She's a bit overwhelmed at the moment."

Melina nodded in acknowledgement at Luna, and finally brought her eyes back to meet Elio's, "Nice to meet you both. My mother is the goddess of... not very proud of it, to be honest. But she's the goddess of seduction and persuasion. Doesn't look very good to me,or... I mean, for me. Sorry."

"Well, I saw how you used that toward one of the other demigods," Elio said kindly. "Seems pretty cool to me."

"Thanks," Melina blushed even more, and awkwardly played with her hair, "Have you demonstrated your gift, yet?"

Before Elio could respond, Luna gasped, quickly standing up. "Demonstrated...our gift? We have to show our powers in front of everyone?" Her already pale face seemed to get paler.

Melina frowned, "Why yes. It's required so that we don't have any stragglers among us. Athena's rules. Are you ashamed of your gift as well? I can only imagine that a daughter of Selene would have a magnificent gift-- you shouldn't be afraid."

Luna quickly shook her head. "Oh no, no, I-I'm not ashamed of my gift. I-I greatly love them. I just- I just--" She gestured at Elio.

"She's very shy," Elio told Melina. "You have a great gift, Luna! And besides, it's only in front of two of the most powerful goddesses. No pressure!"

Melina glared at Elio, "Poor thing, that won't help her! Hey, Luna," Melina looked to Elio's cousin, and flashed a reassuring smile, "I was nervous too. But it wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm sure there are too many people here for you to be nitpicked, and Athena has good intentions. Persephone will cheer you on, from what I've observed so far. You will be fine. I promise. Plus, it'll help you realize just how powerful you are."

Luna smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Melina. You're right. It won't be that bad." She took a deep breath and looked at Athena.

"I-I'm....I...." Luna seemed to struggle with her words. "I'm ready to demonstrate my gift." The sentence came out in a rush, but she looked slightly less likely to pass out again.

"Do you want to walk up there together?" Melina asked, holding out her arm.

"I would like that very much," Luna said, taking her arm.

Melina looked to Elio, "You coming, too?"

Elio blushed a little. "Of course!" He quickly joined Luna's other side and interlocked their arms.

Melina led them back to Athena and Persephone, "I think they're ready to demonstrate."

Athena studied them as they approached, and then gestured to the amulet, which was now glowing a neutral green, "One after the other, please."

"Want to go first, Elio?" Melina looked to him, and stood closer to Luna, "I'll stay with her."

He smiled at her. "Sure. And Luna, it'll be fine, you'll see."

Luna gave him a nervous smile back, clutching Melina's arm like a lifeline. Elio nodded to himself, steeling for the demonstration. He looked up at the goddess of wisdom.

"I'm ready," he said.

"Stand underneath the amulet and--" Athena started, but Persephone finished, "Find the light within."

He nodded again and did as told. Underneath the amulet, he looked up at it as it glowed. Find the light within, he thought. Okay, he could do that, right?

Elio closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and Elio opened his eyes. The amulet was glowing a fiery orange. He beamed at Luna, and she clapped her hands happily.

"Can I step out now?" he asked the goddesses. "Or is there something else?"

Melina smiled wide in admiration at Elio's gift, and Athena smiled as well, "That is perfect, Elio. Thank you. Luna, you're up next."

Melina rubbed Luna's back in a supportive manner and whispered something in her ear.

Luna's smile got wider and she nodded at her. When Elio came down, he gave her a high five. "See, no pressure," he said.

She goodnaturedly rolled her eyes and stepped forward. The amulet had once again returned to a neutral green glow. She whispered a prayer from her faith and stepped under it. The amulet flashed again, blinding Luna. When she regained her sight after a few seconds, she noticed that the amulet was glowing a silvery gray.

She grinned at Elio and Melina, the relief palpable, and shakily stepped out from under it. Elio whooped.

"Amazing job, Luna!" Melina clapped excitedly. Athena just nodded in approval.

"You were amazing, cuz!" Elio said. Luna blushed.

"Thanks," she whispered, ducking her face under her hair again.

Melina rubbed her back again, "Wasn't so bad, was it?"

Luna shook her head. "It wasn't," she said, giggling a little. "I'm glad it's over though."

"Now we just have to wait for everyone else, and we can get out of here. Did you know we're actually in the Underworld in Persephone's Grove?" Melina shuddered.

Elio and Luna stared at her.

"That's so cool!" Elio said.

"Less cool," Luna said, "but I guess that's why we only have normal sight. The Underworld doesn't fall under either the Sun or the Moon's spheres."

"Wow, you're very smart! Yes, that is true," Melina smiled.

Luna smoothed her hair nervously. "I'm not that smart," she said shyly. "I just inferred it."

"Don't sell yourself short," Elio said. "She was top of her class in high school," he told Melina, proudly. Luna rolled her eyes.

Vivian Nyght was still in awe.

He struggled to comprehend the gorgeous place around them -Persephone's sanctuary- as anything real.

Greek gods? Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, and Athena herself? Of course he was well-educated on Greek mythology, especially the Roman counterparts due to his hometown in Italy. His mother always had relics, books, and stories about the many types of gods, and due to her working with museums are archeology, there were always notes of her findings in the ancient Greek sites lying about. Heck, even He imparted some knowledge on that before disappearing.

Yet still, the thought of linking it to everything was wild. His dreams, the ghost of his father, the strange phenomena he experienced so many times. It took him a long time to settle on the idea that everything odd in his life was the ghost of his father, now calling it all a sort of divine intervention was incomprehensible.

That...If my father was actually a god, as they're implying, that would mean...I'm half god. I would be...

Vivian murmured with shock, "A demigod?"

He looked around, surveying the crowd. Some of the -presumably- fellow demigods seemed nervous. Some had a breath of utmost confidence, whether it was genuine or a mask. He couldn't find anyone quite as confused and shocked as he was, though. They all waited patiently to be called upon by the two goddesses.

Likewise, after seeing Melina, Adaliah, Ophelia, and Hibi all display their talents, he felt completely out of place.

"Father, what were you?" He muttered. "I'm not like this, this has to be a mistake..."

"If you're here, I don't think there's been a mistake. Lady Athena doesn't make mistakes." A woman quietly offered from next to him. She'd been sitting quietly, but now she stood to her full height.

Vivian flinched, blushing with embarrassment. How humiliating to have been caught talking to himself, or so he thought.

"U-Um..." Vivian hesitantly asked, "Sorry, I didn't mean for anyone to hear that. Who are you? I mean, if you're here, you're probably..." He pointed from the goddesses to the crowd. "Y-You know..."

"Oh that's okay. It was just rather quiet for a moment, so I overhead you." She smiled gently. "A demigod you mean?"

"Yeah..." Vivian started fidgeting with one of the buttons on his flannel. "Yeah, o-one of those."

"I'm fairly sure I am. And you are too."

Vivian managed a small laugh -a feeble attempt to satiate the uneasiness. "Sure...Right...."

She nodded thoughtfully. "You've had no indication before this day of such a fact?"

"N-No, not really," Vivian explained. "I mean, I knew my dad was..." He hesitated. "I thought he at least used to be a human -things were weird growing up, but I always thought it was something paranormal. Not godly. I don't even know what kind of god he would be, or if he even was a god -well, he'd have to be if I'm here I guess, but still. This is..." He gestured about the garden. "This is all as good as foreign to me."

She nodded again. "I see. My father did tell me it can be this way sometimes. Not all gods will present themselves. I've heard of some others who didn't ever hear from their parent at all. Some gods are like that. It seems your father at least cared enough that you knew he existed."

"That's insane..." Vivian murmured, "But, if there's trouble like Athena's letter said...that may explain why I haven't seen him in so long..." He quickly cleared his throat. "Um, anyway, I didn't catch your name?"

She offered a hand. "Taylor. Sarakiel Taylor. And you'd be right in that assumption. I haven't seen my father in a couple of years either. Last I saw him, he looked quite... troubled."

Vivian politely shook her hand. "Vivian Nyght. And I'm sorry to hear that. If you don't mind me asking, your father, I assume, was a god. Which one?"

Her smile softened. "I'm sorry about your father too. I'm sure he'd have wanted to see you if he could. As for mine. You may know him as Hephaestus."

Vivian flinched. "The God of the Forge? Woah. So, you have abilities, like those girls did too? And they sorta reflect your father's?"

"Uhh...well. I suppose. I can do a thing or two. I doubt I'd go so far as to call them powers but I think they reflect my father's. He was quite proud of them at any rate when he taught me to hone them."

"Interesting..." Vivian paused to think, then murmured, "If it turns out I have abilities of my own, maybe that'd serve as a hint as to which god my father was...If I can even get anything to manifest..."

"Oh I'm quite sure that amulet will be able to do both. It appears to be a pretty strong magical artifact. I'd be fairly confident in saying it could unearth just about any power should you have been blessed with one. Perhaps you've even used it without really realizing it?" She shrugged. "I was lucky. My father guided me, but if yours didn't, it could be easy for you to dismiss, especially if it were of the more subtle variety."

"'Subtle' describes me well, that's for sure," Vivian muttered.

He glanced toward the goddesses again, and flinched when realizing the Goddess of Wisdom's powerful gaze landed on them. Persephone wasn't far behind.

He flinched. "Guess we'll find out soon. So, uh..." He gestured forward. "Would you like to go first?"

She shrugged. "Up to you. I have no preference really. I've not much to show off."

Vivian took a deep breath, eying the amulet. Looking past it, he felt uneasy as the goddess seemed to be growing increasingly unamused with their indecision, ready to call out one of them. Deciding to mitigate any divine wrath, he stepped forward.

Sarakiel touched her shoulder. "Good Luck."

Vivian nodded to her. Standing under the amulet, he saw it glow with a silvery-purple light before gaining wisps of blue in the mix. It was quite the ethereal shade.

"Well?" Athena spoke.

"I..." Vivian hesitated. "I'm sorry, y-your grace? I don't know if I have an ability. I don't even know who my father was."

"I see..." Athena's voice remained calm yet stern. "But the goal remains unchanged. Find the light within."

Vivian didn't know what this was supposed to mean, but he closed his eyes and started to concentrate. He quickly began exploring his memories in the past, of the strange phenomena that manifested in the real world. What was consistent? What was the pattern? How could he replicate it now?

Slowly, it came to him. He concentrated on blocking out everything, even the goddess's terrifying aura. His mind emptied of thought as he slowly started to lose the feeling within his own body, save for a spark behind his eyes. A sixth sense? A repressed memory? Or perhaps, a hidden power.

Vivian focused on that spark until it was all he could feel.

And suddenly, he was aware of everyone. Not the room itself, not the environment, but the aura -the life essence of each individual soul. Their scattered footprints, their calm breaths, the divine power that drifted between them -all of it illuminated, exposed to him in mystical blue light.

'Snap!'

That sound immediately dropped him back into real time, making him gasp with shock.

"I can see..." Vivian hesitated. "I don't know, I was suddenly aware of everyone, like I was seeing their...their spirits, maybe."

Athena's eyes narrowed. "Dowsing. He will be a good tracker. As far as your godly father, considering what we just witnessed, it would be someone very well-attuned to the unconscious mind."

Vivian nodded. "I spoke with my father, even though I never learned his name. He came to me in dreams. While I slept, I talked to him, and he would teach me things."

Athena paused to think. "I believe you are a child of Hypnos. The God of Sleep."

"Hypnos..." The name immediately struck a cord of familiarity within him. Very deep familiarity.

Rather than take up any more time though, Vivian nodded and stepped back. "Thank you, Athena."

Athena did not respond, her eyes drifting to Sarakiel. "As for you? Step up, child."

Sarakiel seemed to shake ever so slightly at her haze, but stepped up steadily enough to where Vivian had been standing before, just under the amulet. Its color began to change again, glowing red hot, the shade of molten metal, before it shifted again, going a more intense orange, like one would see in a burning forge.

Athena spoke calmly, "Display your gift, demigod."

She nodded, taking a deep breath. She looked around carefully in a circle, as if she was focusing on each individual person present. She stopped at Athena having done an entire circle.

"You're the hottest person present."

Athena looked shocked for a moment, but her face slowly turned neutral, "Elaborate."

"Body temperature," Sofiel supplied immediately. "I sense heat. Most decent sources of it. Your temperature appears to be highest."

"Divine blood is indeed hotter than most mortals," Athena smirked, "Is that all you can do, or do you have something else to demonstrate...." she paused for a second, "Daughter of Hephaestus?"

Sarakiel nodded. "Hephaestus was my father. Well is. Is my father. I. I do believe I have one more gift from him although I am little unsure how I would go about demonstrating it."

"Can you describe it?" Persephone stepped in, a twinkle of curiously in her eyes.

"I possess more strength than most mortals. It is quite handy in my trade." She had a wry smile on her face.

"That will come in handy!" Persephone exclaimed. Athena just simply nodded, studying Sarakiel. She took a moment before she actually spoke again.

"Very well. You will indeed be of use-- especially when it comes to tracking, and offense. Thank you for coming," she said, the expression on her face never-changing. Sofiel bowed, a little awkwardly, bending her large frame.

"It was an honor to be here. I simply had to. I was getting quite worried for my father. It is rarely this long between his visits."

Athena pondered, once again, for a moment before responding, "I can ensure you that your father is okay, and he's just working closely with our father to get these things figured out. He's very... honorable. I do like your father, much so. I hope that all he's said about you is true."

Sarakiel appeared to go ever so slightly red. "I can't attest to what he has said about me but I do hope I can live up to them and to his own standards." She bowed again. "I am eager to repay him for all his guidance and help out the other side of the family so to speak."

Athena smiled lightly, and this seemed to be about the only time so far that she has, "Yes. I can also guarantee that he is proud of you-- and is not looking for repayment. The most important thing to us gods is loyalty. And so far, you have been exceptional. Wonderful job. I will be watching you closely, Sarakiel."

Sarakiel seemed to shiver slightly again at that. "Thank you Lady Athena. I will do my best to honor your words. Thank you for the reassurance about my father as well. I..if. If it would not be too much trouble. C..could y..you tell him I love him?"

Athena's smile vanished, as if she hadn't heard those words in centuries. She shifted her footing and her eyes left Sarakiel's face, just for a moment, before uncomfortably responding, "Of course. Maybe you will even see him along the way to tell him yourself. I'm sure he would... love that."

Sarakiel looked like she had a question in that moment but thought better of it. "Thank you Lady Athena."

"I sense unease in you, child," Athena stopped her from moving from the amulet, "Ask me what you were pondering just now. I believe I am good for it."

Sarakiel swallowed a little heavily. "Y..you. You looked like y..you wished those words were meant for you." She almost took a step back.

Suddenly, someone stepped from the crowd. All eyes were on this one girl, who was then followed by two more. They looked... alike, as if they were... sisters. The one in the middle seemed happy, the one on the left looked excited, almost bouncing on her heels, and the one on the right looked like she had been dragged her kicking and screaming.

Sarakiel took a cautious step back, towards Vivian again. It looked like Athena's attention had been diverted to them almost instantly as they stepped up.

Vivian lightly nudged Sofiel. "Are you alright? Sorry, it's just that you seemed a little flustered while Athena was talking to you."

She nodded. "I'm okay now but.. I was. Maybe. A little. Teeny. Bit. Flustered."

Vivian laughed awkwardly, "Understandable. At least it sounds like your father is okay, from what she said."

Sarakiel smiled a little. "Yeah. He is a good father, I'd like to think. I think yours will reach out too once all of this is better, or maybe you'll meet him soon."

Vivian nodded. "I hope so. By the way..." His purplish-blue eyes landed on the three girls. "Do you know who they are?"

She shook her head, shrugging. "Haven't a clue. Never seen them before, although looks like Athena does judging by her attention to them."

"Huh..." Vivian murmured, "I wonder what they can do."

Percy tried her best not to make eye contact with Athena. She was not going to give Athena any attention. Dr. Wellington said that the only way to escape her mother's hold was to cut her out completely. And this was not cutting her out. But Cesca thought they could make up. Cesca didn't have Athena's voice in her head telling her how stupid she was.

But, unfortunately, Cesca was persistent. And Percy was weak. And now Percy was here.

Cesca finally spoke once they stepped up to Athena, "Hello, Mother."

Athena held her gaze on the three, as if proud but... something was off. And Percy had a feeling that she was the thing that did it, "Cesca. Sophia..." She mused, and her eyes looked to Percy, a spark of disappointment in her eyes, "Minerva. I am glad to see you two."

Percy finally looked up to her, putting on a clearly forced smile. "It's Percy now and I don't want to be here either."

"Oh, here we go with the dramatics," Athena whispered under her breath and ignored Percy's statement about the name change, "Come, children. Step under the amulet."

Cesca had a worried look on her face as if she didn't expect Mother to react that way.

Percy rolled her eyes. She never realized just how bad Athena was.

Sophia as usual didn't seem to have fully registered all the tension and waltzed her way under the amulet, grinning widely. "It's good to see you. Love your outfit. I have got to adapt that into a cosplay soon."

Athena smiled lightly and nodded in approval, "Thank you, Daughter. You also remind me of myself, when I was young. I already know what you are capable of, but for fairness, we must do this the right way. Can you demonstrate?"

Oh gods, Percy already knew Athena was getting all moony-eyed over her sisters. Maybe she could sneak out before Cesca noticed. She took a small step back.

Cesca didn't even look in Percy's direction, but grabbed her arm lightly, whispering, "Oh, no, no, no. You haven't even tried[. Come on, give her a chance."

"I gave her a chance with my name and she looked at me like my head was full of maggots."

"She's old, and--" Cesca whispered back, and Athena's eyes darted back to them. Cesca abruptly stopped talking and looked down at the floor.

Athena's eyes moved to Percy, "Do you have something you want to say to me, child?"

Percy smirked. "No, Athena. Not particularly."

Sophia was glancing back and forth between them, looking a little bit worried now.

"You haven't changed, you know," Athena pursed her lips, "It's unfortunate. For me, not for you. Why are you here?"

"Actually, I have changed a lot. I've stopped giving a single fuck about what you think. The only reason why I'm here is because Cesca is very persistent. Please banish me to the surface so I can not be here."

Athena snickered, "Always defiant. You are a disappointment, Minerva. A shadow of what you could've been. Learn to grow up."

Cesca stepped in after that comment, and stepped in front of Percy, "Mother... Why--"

"Stand down, Francesca," Athena's voice boomed, almost shaking the whole garden, "You are not in your place. Step. Down. Now."

Cesca furrowed her brows and looked conflicted before she hesitated and stepped out of the way. She put a reassuring hand on Percy's back. Percy didn't even have the energy to be mad anymore. Cesca always tried, but at the end of the day, she respected and feared Athena more than she wanted to protect her.

"Number one, my name is Percy. Number two, I have found the best version of myself by removing you from my life. And if you're mad about that, it just shows I made the correct choice." Percy crossed her arms. "So either stop acting like I'm gum on your shoe or quick me out."

Athena's expression darkened further, "You have no idea what you're doing, Minerva. Do not tempt fate. And since leaving is what you want, I will put my foot down and give you a simple answer: No. You will stay. Because maybe then, you'd learn to be like your sisters."

"My name is Percy. One would think the goddess of wisdom could remember something I said thirty seconds ago."

"Your insolence is tiresome. No wonder--"

Cesca stepped up again, this time with determination in her eyes, "Mother, please. This isn't helping. Please."

Athena's eyes burned with rage.

"Are you just as idiotic as your sister?" She looked to Cesca, "I said, step. Down."

Cesca shook her head slowly, "No. I will not. I'm the one that brought her here because I wanted to show her how much you've changed."

"Goddesses do not change, you stupid child," Athena growled, "Step. Down."

Cesca sighed heavily and stepped back once more.

Percy let out a dry chuckle. "I don't know why we try with you."

Sophia coughed violently in the background. "Mom?"

"Unfortunately for you, I was only expecting two children to come out of that shithole of a relationship," Athena looked away, "You are not the only one that has regret," She looked to Sophia, "Yes, Angel?"

Percy wiped her eyes and stepped away. No. She was not going to give Athena the pleasure of crying. Cesca was so smart. Why wasn't she smart enough to see that Athena would always hate her?

Sophia beamed. "Umm. All good over there? Also uhh. Not sure how to demonstrate my power. Do I just like reciting the periodic table while swinging an axe?"

"That sounds lovely, Dear." Athena seemed a bit lost, and had to lean on a nearby tree, "Just exquisite."

Cesca focused on Percy and took a napkin from her bag, wiping Percy's watery eyes, "Shh. It's okay. Well, it's not, but. Don't let her see you like this. You are strong. You are resilient. It's okay," She whispered.

"I know better than to let her see this." She shook her head. "Why did you think she changed, Cesca?"

"To be fair, I only have brief recollections of Mother," Cesca glanced at the Goddess, "I thought... maybe if she just, saw us again... Things would be different."

Percy shook her head. "You're just going to make her drag you down to my level. Just stop standing up for me before she hates you too." The majority of her heart threw a fit from her words. Even after all the work she's done, seeing Athena and hearing the venom made her wish someone would just shield her from every insult. But the still functioning adult parts of her brain knew no one could do that and come away intact. Percy was an already sunk ship. No point in Cesca damaging her integrity for a lost cause.

Cesca pulled her closer, and hugged her tight, "You come before my integrity. Always. And I will never stop standing up for you. But arguing with Mother won't make this go away. She said you're staying-- so let's try to make the best of it. Okay?"

Percy scoffed. "Sure."

Cesca added, "For me, Percy. Can you try for me? Even if she acts like this? All I ask is that... you have some patience. For me, not for her."

"Anything for you, Cesca."

"Thanks," Cecelia pulled away and looked at her Mother, "I can go next."

Athena looked to Sophia, "Have you decided on how you will demonstrate, Sophia?"

Sophia looked the tiniest bit worried but managed to wipe it off almost immediately. "Yess! Well, I'm pretty sure! Anyhoo." She took a long breath, before pulling out what appeared to be a plastic replica of a hammer from that one game she was always playing and swinging it a tad too fast but with clear practice.

"Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium Beryllium...Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Neon, Sodium, Magnesium..." She proceeded to rattle it all off right down to Einsteinium and Califorinium.

Athena looked proud, her face full of confidence, "Excellent job, Sophia. You are indeed going to be helpful." She half-bowed.

Sophia grinned. "Thank youu!" She bowed. "Learnt a lot of it from you of course!"

Athena winked. Persephone clapped wildly, "Ooh! Science! I've never been good at that, unfortunately. Which is weird, because--"

Athena spoke again, "Great job, Daughter. Next?" She looked to the crowd.

Percy nudged Cesca. "Mother calls. Win her affection again."

Cesca sighed and looked longingly at Percy before placing herself under the Amulet. It glowed blue, then dark blue, and then a bright white. Athena summoned a puzzle of sorts, and poured the pieces all over the floor, "Go ahead, Cesca."

Cesca stuided the pieces for a moment and then knelt on the floor. Within a minute or less, the picture was put together, and Cesca leaned back to observe her creation. It was an image of an owl, standing proud with its wings glimmering in the sunlight above it. She smiled, "An owl. Nice."

Athena nodded and smiled, "Knowledge. Much like your mother. Ability to solve problems so quickly that it becomes inhumanly possible. Wonderful job."

Cesca nodded and stood, "Thank you, Mother," she nodded and backed away slowly, eventually taking her spot back next to Percy. She nudged her and whispered, "Just get it over with. It's quick."

"Maybe she'll forget I'm here if someone impressive goes up next." Percy tried to make herself smaller.

"Percy, come on," Cesca said, "If you go last, that's even more attention. Just get it done so that she forgets about it and leaves us alone."

Percy took a deep breath. "Fine."

Sophia jogged over to her and hugged her from behind. "You're sooo coooll! You got thiss!" She rocked her back and forth. "Come onn!"

As Percy walked up to the amulet, Athena sighed heavily and looked away. Persephone glared at her and skipped over to Percy, "Hey Honeybun! Let's see what ya got."

Percy's heart did a weird seizure kind of thing. That was odd. She stood under the amulet.

Sophia whooped from the back. "I can feel the memes flowing. You got this sis!"

Percy sat down criss-cross applesauce. "Alright, then." She held up a thumb to get an idea of how long Peresphone's dress was before pulling out a ball of yarn and a crotchet hook. She felt her focus ability took over as she flew through the stitches, soon having a scale model of Peresphone's dress, in fluffy yarn. "Voila. I can also do embroidery, sewing, and painting. Anything with my hands."

Persephone gleamed with excitement and reached her arms out to feel it, "Oh my gosh! That is absolutely amazing! You should work for me one day."

Percy flushed. Was she experiencing a rapid heart rate? Maybe she should call her therapist. "Oh. Thanks."

Athena just simply scoffed. Persephone's head spun to meet the goddesses, "Really? Was that necessary? I could never--"

"Enough, Persephone," Athena smirked, and waved her hand at Percy, "Go on now. Join your protectors. We have business to handle."

"I'm--" Percy didn't have to see the look from Cesca to know she was going to get a stern talking-to if she kept going. "Sure, Athena."

Sophia patted her back. "That was amazing! And you were so fast and like ahhh. I know you helped me with that merch drop in August and I spent like a week telling you I couldn't believe what you were doing and I still can't. You're like soo fast and soo precise and you get it exactly right and.." Her talking dissolved into excited gesturing.

Percy smiled. "Your merch drop was fun. And helped Dad and I afford rent."

Sophia pouted. "I would pay it if Dad would let mee."

"He wants you to afford your mansion. The plebs will be okay."

"Girl I can buy a second mansion at this point, or y'all can move in with me as I suggested! And you're not a pleb.” Sophia huffed and hugged her. "You're my cool sis!"

"Say that to Athena. She'll disown you."

"I have said it!" Sophia shrugged. "She goes all quiet. Maybe she's embarrassed to admit how cool you are?"

"More like disappointed that you think I am."

Sophia huffs. "You think so? It is hard to read Mom when the topic of you comes up!"

"Sure. 'You should be more like your sisters' is so hard to decipher."

"I mean that's not what she tells me."

"Were you not here just five minutes ago when she said exactly that to my face?" Percy crossed her arms.

Sophia shrugged. "Sorry. Wasn't paying a lot of attention. There was screaming and I try to tune out the screaming."

"Yeah." You have the privilege to do that when it isn't about you. "She's all peaches and cream about you." Percy sighed. "I'm going to sit near the flowers and make something."

"Sorryy, I don't know why she has such a hard time telling you how cool you are! Can I join youu?"

"It's because I'm not cool to her. But sure. You can join me."

Sophia huffed. "I'm sure she's just not ready to admit it yett!"

Percy nodded. "I'm sure you are." She went back into the crowd, finding a nice rock away from Athena. She sat down.

Sophia ran with her, sitting down beside her. "I'll talk to her sometimes can I still sit and watch you do cool things?"

"Go ahead." She pulled out another ball of yarn. It was a soft cream color. She went through the motions, her mind going quiet as she made stitch after stitch. It just felt nice. No Athena. No sisters that acted like you were crazy. Nothing. Just yarn and patterns. She could live in this world forever.

A collab with @Katehardy and @Ley

Killian held the letter in his hands, folding and unfolding the corner as he glanced around the room, marveling at the beauty and mystery of it all. Everything seemed magical, from the sparkle of the water in the fountains to the atmosphere around him and the misty appearance of the air.

It would have been incredibly serene and calming had Killian not felt the excitement of the moment flowing through him. He was here, before not one but two goddesses. This was the first time he ever had the chance to behold the awesome sight, never before having seen any of the gods or goddesses, not even his own father.

The anxious and excited chatter all around the room didn't help Killian's growing excitement. He looked around at the dozens of other people who appeared to be just like him, the children of gods. He tried to see if he knew anyone in the crowd. Surely he had met someone, either from a sports match or otherwise.

However, even with his hope of seeing someone he already knew, he kept his hood up, wanting to be the one to greet any friend of his he saw first. Who knows, maybe it would make their day. But that would only happen if he actually found someone.

Killian walked away from the pillar he had been leaning against near the back of the room and made his way through the throng of demigods. There were several instances where he almost ran into someone. His shoulders didn't exactly agree with how packed the room was.

Then one of them did run into him.

Killian blinked and looked at who he had run into or vise versa. "I'm sorry, are you alright?"

The woman was almost a foot shorter than him, looking up at him, somehow sporting a big smile after that and bouncing on her feet, which drew plenty of attention to the fact her hair was dyed rainbow.

"Helloo! No worries! That was my bad." She giggled. "I'm the one who's sorry!"

Killian smiled, glad she wasn't upset and took his hood off so he seemed a little less intimidating. "No, no, you're fine!"

She beamed in return, already offering a hand. "A little forward are we." She winked. "I'm joking of course, nice to meet you. I'm Silver! Or Bell...or Belle?" She winked again.

He chuckled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Bell. I'm Killian, or Kil... well that second part might come off the wrong way to some but you know what I mean, call me what you like." He said with a laugh.

Bell giggled again. "Oh my. Next thing you're gonna tell me you're Ares' kid."

Killian blinked in surprise, a little taken aback by how easily she had guessed. "How did you..."

"Hmm? What you mean?"

"I mean you're right," Killian replied, "I am Ares' kid."

"OMGG. I was just jokingg about your name shortening to kill." She giggled. "Well that was a lucky guess. I thought I was safe in it being wrong. No offense but your dad tends to generally be a bit more... aggressive."

Killian laughed. "Yeah, I didn't quite get that side of him."

She grinned, voice dropping to a whisper. "Between you and me, I don't mind that."

He chuckled. "Well that's good."

"I'm glad," she bounced a little more on her toes. "Well great to meet you once again. Excited for what's to come?"

"Of course!" He grinned and glanced momentarily at Athena and Persephone. "I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to prove to be who I say I am though."

"Ohh? Why's that? Can't pull out the old menacing stare and then offer to duel a twelve year old?"

"I don't think a twelve year old is much of a challenge..." He hummed. "And as for a menacing stare I don't really strike fear in anyone's hearts once they talk to me. As you can probably tell."

Bell giggled. "That's fair. Hmm...you got some boyish charm lying about? Inspiring speeches of war? Maybe a battleaxe?"

"Boyish charm? I don't think so?" He blinked before continuing. "I mean a speech could work? I don't really know. What am I going to say? 'It's time to save the gods, who's with me?' And as for a battleaxe, I'm sorry but I don't have one with me."

"Fair," Silver pondered that over a little. "What powers [i]do you have?"

"Uhhhhh- I'm really good at sports?" He gave a slightly sheepish smile. "Boxing, wrestling, track, soccer, doesn't really matter."

"Hmm are you like unnaturally good at them almost without practice?" Bell narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Yeah, actually." He nodded, thinking about all the times he had shown up to a competition for the very first time and won first place, proven by the boxes upon boxes of trophies his mother had stored away anywhere with available space. "It only usually takes me learning the rules, I usually don't practice at all."

"Methinks that's a power," she grinned. "Super athleticism. Honestly probably some super combat thing maybe and sports is just what you do, unless somehow you fight in wars in your spare time?"

He chuckled again. "Can't say that I do."

She giggled in response. "I think you know what to do then. Maybe you could even describe, I remember someone who went earlier discussing about super strength without having a way to really show it!"

He grinned. "That could work then. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it."

"Of course!" She grinned. "Glad to help out! I'm going to have a doozy demonstrating my powers too. Everyone's just going to laugh so hard at me."

"Now I doubt that. I'm sure whatever you display will be just as amazing as everyone else."

She shrugged. "Maybeee. We're going to find out soon I thinkk!"

He happily nodded, grinning. "Hopefully!" He then paused and hummed. "Kind of an awkward question but if they ask me to actually demonstrate, would you care if I called you up to just demonstrate by lifting you up? Feels a bit better asking you since we've properly met then someone else in the crowd."

She nodded. "Oh of course, that'd be fun!"

He grinned again, looking a little relieved."Thank you!"

She patted his shoulder, having to get up on her tippy toes to reach. "You're welcomee! You did call me fine after all." She winked.

He blinked and his cheeks went a little pink. "Wha- oh... I guess I did."

She giggled. "Aww well that's adorable. Just teasingg."

His cheeks turned a shade of pink darker at being called adorable. "Not sure if adorable would be quite right for describing me but alright."

"Sure big guy," she patted his shoulder again.

He made no move to stop her and simply smiled. "Um- thanks again by the way."

"Oh no worries at all! Happy to help out!"

He grinned. "If you need me for anything while you're presenting just give me a shout and I'll be there."

"Oooh thank youu! I'll keep that in mind." Her smile softened. "Very kind of you!"

"Anytime!" He smiled and tucked his hands into his pockets. "It's my pleasure."

"Aww my pleasure too Kill.y? Kill just does sound off."

He chuckled "Killy works, might take me a little to actually respond though. No ones tried calling me that yet."

"Oooh what do they usually call you?"

He shrugged. "Just Killian."

"Ahhh fairr. I just think Killy's cute." She giggled again. "But Killian works too!"

He laughed. "Whatever you like, doesn't matter too much to me. Either works."

"Alright then Killy!"

"Alright then Bell." He grinned playfully. "That's got a nice ring to it."

She grinned right back. "I think it does!"

Killian happily nodded. "Yep!"

"Well we wait for our turns then. Its been a little random how they picked people."

"It has been, It's kind of odd. I would have expected Athena to have a plan at an order."

"True." She shrugged. "Maybe she was unsure of who would actually show up and so just is going with the flow for once?"

"Maybe." He shrugged slightly as well. "Seems a little unlike her though."

"Yeah," Bell shrugged. "Gods work in their mysterious ways. Never can predict them. Although I have noticed everyone's a little off these days with...well that letter was pretty clear on that."

Killian nodded. "Good point. I've certainly noticed it around the room so far. A lot of people seem sort of anxious."

"Yeah, things are probably worse than even what's been communicated."

"I could image." Killian replied with a knowing nod. "Things seemed bad enough from the letter and what Athena told us. Any more and it could send people into a panic."

"Yup that it could."

He nodded then chuckled a bit. "Honestly I'm a little surprised you're able to keep such a cool head about it all."

Silver shrugged. "I think I've done my freaking out honestly. I had a small inkling of what was going down when it all began back in the day."

"I see, gotcha." He nodded a bit.

"But yeah. We're all figuring it out huh?"

"Yep! And it'll be easier now that we're not trying to stumble through and figure it out on our own. I don't know about you but just getting the letter sent me for a loop when I got it."

She nodded. "Yeah that was some letter!"

He chuckled. "It really was."

"Do you think we can make a difference?"

Killian gave her a confident grin, one that felt almost like it was contagious. "Of course I do."

"Wow you going to go out there and make all us believe in ourselves for real now."

He laughed. "Maybe, not sure if it'll work on everyone."

"Ehh you won't know till you try it."

"I suppose you're right." He gave her another grin. "Couldn't hurt to try!"

"Exactly!" She gave him a thumbs up.

He beamed. "I guess in that case I better start thinking about what I'm going to say."

"Indeed."

He hummed a little as he thought as he began thinking about what he would say.

"You got this!" She patted his shoulder again.

He smiled happily. "Thanks!"

"Of course. And not a moment too soon, I think the little drama that was playing out earlier with the three girls is about to finish. Maybe time to step up?"

"I think you're right." He smiled "Are you ready? They'll probably call you up right after me if they ask for that demonstration."

"True that. I'll be ready!"

"Alright! We got this!" He grinned. "Want to start making our way to the front?"

"Let's go!" She pretended to stretch her legs.

He chuckled and began leading the way. "Alright!"

She followed suit, giggling. "This'll be fun maybe."

"It will!" He replied with a grin. "Hopefully anyway."

"Yup!" She giggled.

He paused as they soon reached the front. "Hm, now we just wait I guess?"

"I think so!"

"Alright!" He smiled and hummed. "So... I'm curious. What's your favorite color?"

"Hmm. That's a tough one."

Killian chuckled. "I had a feeling it might be."

"Whatt?"

"I mean, you're so colorful I could imagine it would be hard to just pick one."

"Y..yeah ex..actly."

"Sorry, did I bring up a not so nice subject for you?"

"Nuuu. Just guessed far too well about how bad I am at picking one color." She huffed.

"I see." He chuckled. "You don't have to pick just one."

"Well then the rainboww. All the colors are just so goodd!"

He laughed. "Alright!"

She crossed her arms and pouted. "It is a perfectly acceptable favorite color to have!"

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I never said it wasn't!"

Athena's eyes connected with Killian's for split second and a smile formed across her tan face, "Killian Andros. A son of my brother. My... nephew, is it? Come forth, show us what you're capable of."

Killian blinked when he heard Athena say his name and he quickly looked over at her before grinning a bit. "Alright, I'm coming." He started walking over but not before he sent one last smile to Bell.

Bell offered a quick thumbs up of encouragement, smiling back at him, mouthing. You got this

Persephone spoke next, "Step under the amulet, find the power within, child. It'll glow the color of your aura."

Killian nodded and confidently stepped up under the amulet. Only a moment passed before the amulet flashed a bright orange red, not like fire like one would have expected from a child of Ares. Instead it flashed a color much alike to watching the perfect sunset, when all felt right in the world and you felt as though you could do just about anything you set your mind to.

A grin crossed Killian's face as it flashed, everything going the way he had hoped it would so far. "Well then, as to what I am capable of, I excel at just about any sport without practice so strength and atheticism I guess."

Athena glanced at a large boulder that stayed propped up against one of the large oak trees. She nodded her head towards it, "Just how strong are you, son of Ares?"

He shrugged, walking towards the boulder. "I know I have my limits but I don't know what those limits are yet. All I know is I can lift the heaviest weight at the gym with little to no strain. But let's see."

Persephone nodded along with Athena.

Killian walked around the boulder, looking for the best way to go about lifting it. It only took him a minute to find a few nice hand holds before he tilted it on its side and lifted it up with ease. Only the slightest amount of strain could be told on his face until he managed to get it up onto his shoulder and carried it over to the two goddesses with his usual grin. "Where would you like me to put this?"

Persephone stepped to the side, "What a gentleman! A seat for a goddess, what a lovely young man! Amazing job, Killian!"

Athena smiled softly, as if she was proud, "Your father will be glad to hear about your participation. I will be sure to put in a good word for you."

Killian practically beamed and slowly set the boulder down for Persephone before standing up again. "Thank you both, I appreciate it! Especially you letting my dad know-" he paused and grinned before adding, "Aunt Athena."

Athena actually blushed. She smiled wider, "Of course. It's the least we can do. I hope when this is all finished, you have a chance to talk to him yourself and tell him what accomplishments you've claimed on the way. I'm sure he'll be watching, even if he's not here to see you in physical form. We're always watching."

Killian smiled appreciatively. "I would love nothing more. And that's good to know, thank you."

Athena bowed in approval. Persephone pouted, "What about me?"

Athena sighed heavily and looked to Persephone, "He said thank you both, Sephone."

"Yeah but I want special recognition," Persephone played with the flowers in her hair.

"For doing nothing?" Athena flashed her a playful grin, "You've had your praise." she looked back to Killian, "Thank you again, Killian. You may return to the group now. Try not to flex your gifts while we wait, can't be wasting such admirable powers on something as small as this."

Killian chuckled. "You don't have to worry about it. And thank you too, Persephone. You might be might my aunt too or something but I won't think about it too hard and make things confusing." He flashed her one of his so far signature grins before happily returning to the group with a slight spring in his step.

Bell clapped as he made it back. "Awesome job!"

He beamed. "Thanks! Just realized I forgot about the speech though..." He shrugged. "Oh well."

Bell patted his shoulder. "Hey you still impressed both of them. Sounded like they were fighting for your attention by the end."

Killian laughed. "Yeah, just a little. I tried to make things even though."

"You did your best," she giggled.

He happily nodded "Mhm!"

"Now to await my turn," she grinned. "Don't worry I won't need you as a prop for my demonstration. I'm pretty sure anyway."

He chuckled. "If you do, just let me know."

"I will keep that in mind. Thank you."

He grinned and happily nodded. "Anytime!"

"Of course!" Bell grinned.

He grinned back. "You're going to do great. I'm sure they'll love you, especially now that they're in a bit better of moods then before."

"Thank you! We'll know soon enough!"

"Yep!" He grinned and nodded.

She offered a fist bump. "Here's to not getting eviscerated by Athena."

He laughed and happily accepted it. "Yeah, let's hope that doesn't happen to anyone throughout today."

Silver let out a small sight. "Why do I feel like I'm about to be the next one noticed?"

Killian smiled. "Because you could be the center of anyone's attention! Also probably because you're hanging out with me." He chuckled.

Silver giggled. "I'm leaning towards the second one. The goddesses were drooling." She winked.

Killian laughed. "Can't really imagine why. My power's aren't that special or unusual."

She shrugged. "Honestly from what I saw so far, it isn't so much powers but attitude that Lady Athena seems to value more. And I'd say you've been quite a delight to talk to so far!"

He chuckled. "In that case, I'm sure they'll absolutely love you as well. You've been really nice to talk to as well!"

Silver clutched her heart. "Aww, thank you!" And she meant it. It wasn't often people handed out genuine complements that didn't have to do with them trying to win her favor.

Killian beamed. "Of course!"

She beamed right back. "You know I think we're going to get along. Historically we ought to I suppose given our parents but regardless." She giggled.

He grinned. "Hey, lineage isn't everything but I agree!"

"Indeed Indeed."

He happily nodded. Silver grinned and glanced back to the goddesses only to lock eyes with Athena for a split second. She froze. Her gaze was a little overwhelming but she recovered quickly, smile never leaving her face.

A bit of Athena's smile from before still lingered on her lips as she spoke. "Silver Bell Snapdragon, daughter of Aphrodite. Come forward and demonstrate your gifts for us." She motioned to the spot underneath the amulet in which Persephone held.

She nodded, bowing to both of them as she stepped up. "Thank you." She quickly stepped under the amulet. It began to glow almost immediately, turning a shade of beautiful red, exactly like the petal of a rose.

Athena nodded in acknowledgement as the amulet's color changed. "Very good. Now show us what you are capable of, child."

She nodded. "Of course, Lady Athena."

She concentrated, trying to think about the best way of going about this. She smirked slightly as a little idea popped into her head. Gesturing toward the ground, she concentrated, focusing on the soil in the garden. A single rose began to slowly sprout out of the ground, growing larger and larger until a single beautiful flower grew up to meet her hand. Gently plucking it, she held it up and concentrated once again, closing her eyes.

There was the call of a dove and she opend her eyes to a beautiful pure white dove swooping out of the air and picking up the rose. The dove flew it towards Persephone, offering it to her. The goddess accepted it with a happy smile.

"That is a delightful gift," Persephone grinned, admiring the rose in her hand. The bird promptly sat on her shoulder.

Athena hummed and nodded. "Certainly impressive. You appear to have skill with it already."

She bowed. "Thank you Lady Athena. I have had some training prior to this."

Athena smiled a bit. "Excellent."

She bowed again, smiling widely in return. "Anything else I need to do Lady Athena?"

Athena shook her head. "No, you have proved yourself. Thank you. You may return to the group."

"Thank you Lady Athena for your time. I hope to prove yourself to the cause."

"I can tell you will." Athena replied.

She bowed and made her way slowly back to the group, resisting the urge to skip and hop her way back.

Killian was at the edge of the group waiting for her with a bright grin on his face. "I didn't know you were a disney princess!"

Silver huffed, swatting at his shoulder. "Shushhhh."

He was still grinning despite that and chuckled. "You should have told me!"

Silver blushed slightly. Maybe she liked the comparison but Killian absolutely did not need to know. "We..well y..you never asked."

Killian chuckled. "I guess that's fair."

She proceeded to pout. "That your strategy Killy. Flatter a girl then proceed to laugh at her."

"I was agreeing with you though." Killian replied as he blinked. "I didn't mean for you to think I was laughing at you."

Silver sobered up quickly, patting his shoulder gently. "Bro, I'm teasing you. You're good!"

Killian blinked once more before he smiled once more. "Oh okay! Thanks!" Poor guy probably wasn't too used to being teased like that.

She pulled him into a little hug. "Don't you worry!"

He smiled and leaned down a bit to gently hug her back. "Alright!"

"I'm glad." Silver nestled into the comfort of it for a moment before pulling away and smirking once again. "Well now that our teest is over, perhaps we can get to know a few people huh?"

Killian grinned. "Sure! Unless you want a snack first." He tempted. "I was going to pull them out a minute ago but decided to wait for you in case you wanted some."

"Oooh I would absolutely love a snack. Especially after that mildly terrifying experiece. Lady Athena was quite nice to me but its still terrifying on some level."

"Yeah, I mean she doesn't scare me much, maybe it has to do with who my dad is, but I can understand that." he nodded and rummaged around in what looked like a black leather cross between a messenger bag and backpack that could be worn either way. "What would you like?"

Bell nodded. "Yeah maybee. I don't know know. She didn't speak to me too much about her opinion of my mom." She shrugged. "Moving on though..what do you have in there?"

He shrugged as well. "Mainly travel foods, jerky, granola bars, some dried fruit, candy, that sort of thing."

"Ooooh I like the sound of candyy. What kind of candy do you have there Killy?"

He grinned and pulled out a selection. "Chocolate, gummies, hard candy, you name it. There might still be some saltwater taffy in here too."

"Chocolatee! Yess! My fatal flaw but don't tell anyone that."

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul." He grinned and happily handed her the chocolate.

She accepted the chocolate with a grin. "You're a lifesaver."

He grinned back. "Glad I can be one!"

She beamed. "I sense this is going to be a good day."

Collabed with @eulogy, @JazzicusMaximus, and @Obscura

As usual, Julio had woken up with the dawn. Being a child of Electryone, goddess of the sunrise and waking up, it wasn't exactly a choice for him. On the bright side, it'd given him plenty of time to telepathically turn off his alarm clock and digest the alarming letter he'd received the previous night.

He'd mulled over it for a while, but it had been clear from the start that he would go. He had to do the maximum good he could, and Julio felt that that could best be done by following this call. That decision calmed the constant maelstrom of guilt within him enough for him to almost be able to enjoy the scenery now.

The Sanctuary was an objectively beautiful place. Julio closed his dark eyes for a moment, breathing in the scent of flowers and herbs practically thrumming with life.

He opened them in time to see a demigod lifting a boulder without even breaking a sweat. That... that was impressive. Much more than what Julio could do, for sure.

Julio glanced around himself, noting some nervous faces and tense demigods. It'd help some of them feel better to have someone to talk to, wouldn't it? Maybe it could calm his nerves, too.

He nudged the person next to him. "What are you planning to do when you're called up to the amulet? I'm planning to telepathically communicate with my alarm clock."

The guy next to him turned around. "I'm planning on making a photocopy of the amulet. Won't have the powers, but it'll look pretty darn close."

Julio's eyes widened. "That's cool. I feel like it could be used in heists like in those movies..."

"Ha! I would never steal. Well..." He paused. "Maybe Robin Hood style if you get what I mean."

"Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor." Julio nodded approvingly. "I could get behind that. Maybe talk to some alarm clocks and cause a distraction. We'd need a crew, though."

"Well, if you need a distraction, I'm your guy!" A tall guy wrapped his arm around Julio's shoulder as he joined in on their conversation. "What are we needing a distraction for?"

"Moral thievery," Julio said. He grinned and put his arm around the guy's shoulder as well. Who knew all it took to make new friends was to answer a mysterious summons and go to a magical Sanctuary in the Underworld?

"That sounds so cool," the man said. "I'm Cloud, by the way."

"Oh. Right. Introductions. I'm Ajax, son of Até! Nice to meet you both!" Ajax grinned.

"I'm Julio, son of Electryone. Or the annoying roommate, as a few people have called me. Not my fault I wake up at dawn every day... In any case, I'm glad to have met you two as well!"

"Oh, oh. I'm the son of Apollo! So... I feel you on the dawn thing. Which sucks, because I function better at night." Cloud said.

"I function best after caffeine. Preferably in the form of a matcha latte with whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top." Julio was usually pretty frugal, but during his time at university, there had been a few luxuries he now was reluctant to live without. It added to his guilt.

"So, Electryone. Is that... are we cousins? Are you my uncle? I'm still a little new on the whole... family tree, thing."

Julio grimaced. "Yeah, I prefer not to think about it. I don't think Electryone and Apollo are directly related, but I imagine she'd be the cool second cousin... or maybe the irritating one, as unwelcome as the dawn is for people wanting to sleep in."

"I've heard that Apollo is like the cool uncle. I wouldn't know, though. You know, never meeting him and stuff." Cloud chuckled lightly. "Not to like... awkwardly change the subject after that downer, but, what are you two gonna do to prove yourself?"

"I was thinking I'd politely ask an alarm clock to ring, but after watching performances like that--" Julio gestured to where a girl was making a pure white dove fly a rose she'd just grown over to Persephone-- "I feel like anything I do will be distinctly underwhelming."

"Don't undersell yourself! Then again, I am making a 1:1 replica of the amulet... but I'm curious as to how you converse with clocks!"

"Thanks." Julio laughed.

"That's so cool! I'm just gonna summon some light," Cloud said and held out his hand in front of Julio's face and a small orb of light appeared in his palm before it sputtered out. "It's not very practical in most cases."

"Hey. I can think of tons of things it'd be useful for! Entertaining little children, performing at birthday parties, working as a distraction as you mentioned, playing with cats, reading at night, annoying people..." Julio thought for a second. "I can come up with more."

Something tickled Julio's neck and he used his free arm to brush at it absently. It was a beetle-like bug, which stuck to his hand. Julio stared at it. It looked rather pretty, its carapace having a faintly iridescent sheen. "Look, a cool bug!" He waved it around to show the others.

"Yes, that would be mine." A voice replied from behind him.

"Oh! Your pet... beetle? Does it have a name?" Julio asked, offering the newcomer the bug.

The woman, who wore a nice dress with shoes that couldn't be easy to walk in, scooped the beetle up. "Of course. It's Rofht."

"Nice to meet you, Rofht. I'm Julio, this is Cloud, and this is Ajax." Julio pointed at each of them in turn. He imagined the beetle was smiling at him. It probably wasn't. Still, he liked to imagine it was.

"What's up!" Cloud said. "I would love to stay and chat with you all, but I'm gonna get up a little closer. Maybe I'll be next! Get rid of the nerves." And with that, Cloud detached himself from Julio and disappeared into the small crowd that formed around Athena and Persephone.

"Good luck!" Julio called after him. He looked at the other two. "I might as well try to go before I'm upstaged by any other uber-impressive talents, huh?"

"Uber-impressive talents?" The woman asked.

"Yeah. Like the boulder guy. Or the ghost summoner."

"Ooooh, wow. What do you do?"

"I, uh, am basically a human alarm clock. What about you?"

"That seems useful. I can give arthropods directions. Sometimes."

"Now that is neat!" Julio exclaimed. "Can you use them to spy on people?"

"Not exactly- I've never tried actually."

"I probably shouldn't have said that. Looks like I'm on a roll with encouraging questionable activities today, first with the heist and now with this..." Julio laughed.

"Cloud Vincetti, son of Apollo," Athena's calm voice boomed over the audience, ushering in silence from the thinning crowd of teenagers, and Julio's attention broke.

Cloud strode forward, flashing a wide smile as he waved to his fellow demigods.

Julio caught himself somewhere between a happy scoff and rolling his eyes. He couldn't imagine being that forward in front of someone like Athena and Persephone! He still didn't know how he was going to present himself in front of Gods like that. Perhaps he should take some notes from Cloud?

"A son of Apollo, then?" Persephone said with a soft smile.

"What gave it away?" Cloud retorted. He was about to continue when Athena raised her hand slightly.

"Please, if you will."

"Yes, share with us an example of your powers," Persephone said. Oh, to be corrected by Athena... if Julio were in that position he probably would have melted away.

Cloud shrugged and chuckled. "Well, I guess my main thing, or, kinda my only thing, is that I can maniuplate light into something solid." Oh? Cloud hadn't mentioned that... that sounded quite impressive, actually. Useful for picking locks, too, Julio would bet. Wait, no, he was thinking of more questionable activity... Anyways.

Cloud cupped his hands and it was if the sunlight had darkened to setting, only around him. He gingerly revealed an open palm, and there it was: a little ball of light. Julio found himself staring at it, only for a moment before his eyes started to hurt and he lowered his gaze, blinking away the impression of that ball of light.

The light settled and dissipated, spreading back out to the way it was. To describe what had just happened... it was so odd that his mind had trouble even remembering it.

Cloud cleared his throat, and Julio's eyes were back on him. "I can't do much with it, not like... y'know, my dad, or Helios... But I've been able to create a bow and arrows for a long time. I guess that's also thans to my dad."

Julio couldn't make out anything else from Cloud's presentation, as the people in front of him began to move and cause commotion. He wanted to find Cloud, ask him how it felt being up there, but the man was no longer in front of Athena and Persephone, and he was nowhere to be found.

The crowd shifted and somehow Julio was pushed towards the front. He lost track of the people he'd met as he first struggled against the crowd, then gave up and went with the flow.

Athena's gaze landed on Julio. Julio smiled, though he was certain he looked equal parts terrified and awkward. Well, time to embarrass himself in front of an entire crowd of demigods! How fun.

"Julio, son of Electryone," she called.

"Hi," Julio said. He remembered how Cloud had acted, but Julio couldn't even make himself look at the crowd.

Persephone smiled somewhat comfortingly and gestured towards the amulet. Julio narrowed his eyes at it as if approaching a tornado, then strode forwards. The amulet flashed orange as he stepped underneath it.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled out an alarm clock from his pocket. It was a small alarm clock in the older style with two bells on top and a circular face. He said he kept it in case he ever needed it for self-defense, but really, it was a calming presence and something he could vent to whenever he needed. Turned out talking to alarm clocks could be pretty therapeutic.

Alright, Sullivan. You ready for this?

Julio imagined the clock looked a little perkier. Should he be concerned about seeing emotions in bugs and inanimation objects? Maybe. Still, he mentally asked the clock to ring.

It rang with a mildly annoying brrrrrrrrring.

Julio looked up nervously. As expected, Athena looked unimpressed.

"It's also a very good being to rant to," Julio offered. "Or, uh, if I was really in danger, I could cause temporary hearing loss with it."

He urged the alarm to ring louder. Julio's hand practically vibrated as the noise increased to a level of annoyingness comparable to one's upstairs neighbours partying into the wee hours of the morning for three days straight.

Persephone winced. "That's... that's enough."

The alarm shut off promptly.

Athena analyzed him for a moment longer. "At least you are clearly not an outsider. Next."

Julio melted back into the crowd with a mental sigh of relief. His grip on the alarm clock tightened. That stern look in her eyes... he didn't think it was disapproval, exactly, but it was close enough that he wanted to find a peaceful rooftop somewhere where the sun was rising and vent to Sullivan the alarm clock.

Surely there was something more he could be doing with his abilities. He just... he just had to work harder, be more creative, research the workings of alarm clocks and figure out how to make the most of his limited powers. Or... or he could be back at his college, studying, gaining skills so he could do something that way instead...

No. He'd made the decision to be here. He had to believe he'd made the right choice. He'd be able to do good here. Julio breathed deeply and shoved the maelstrom far into the back of his mind.