"Peachy," Dallas drawled, turning around to face the party at large. His kitchen counter had served as a pretty good open bar throughout the night, so the son of the sun reached down reflexively to grab two beers - Christ, alright, he needed one too - and place them on the countertop. "You'd swear I was Atlas junior tonight, though. Hard to stay upright under the weight of all my altruism." His eyes found Jonas on the couch and he spared a quick upward head tilt and a grin.

Now, back to the question of these beers. With a sigh, Dallas unzipped his jacket and fished his silver medallion out from underneath the neckline of a black shirt. Slouching down over the bar to slip the edge of his pendant under a beer cap, he managed to pop it with a flourish. To emphasize the motion, he clicked his tongue loudly off the back of his front teeth, and then mimicked the motion with the other beer. He was halfway through sliding one over to the girl who'd walked up to him when he spared a glance at her himself. Slowly, one dark gold eyebrow lifted up.

...

"Okay. Soothe my weary conscience here. Lie to me and say you're at least seventeen."

Debasing Catholic saints to serve beer to little kids. The struggle between Mount Olympus and Dante's Inferno for his soul was gonna be R E A L.

His eyebrow lowered, and he slid the beer over the countertop to the girl anyway. He held back briefly on taking a sip of his own, spinning the St. Christopher medal on the end of the chain around his index fingertip. After it had made about three or four orbits, he reached over and grabbed the cold bottle by the neck, taking a drink. He felt his throat bobbing under the cold brew.

Aaaaand there were the familiar needles. Right through his eyes.

GOES

DOWN

SMOOTH.

---

---

Clarissa couldn't help but laugh softly at Zeke's reaction after she nudged him. The Daughter of Aphrodite rose an eyebrow at him playfully but just as she went to respond; his friends interrupted with a loud chant practically dragging him away. Noting the look on his face; she gave Zeke a gentle smile as she nodded. She understood what he meant; his friends obviously wanted to spend some time with him and she wasn't going to stop them. But at the same time, she wasn't thinking about leaving the Party and Ditching Zeke...or Jay behind...if he showed up that is. As her mind dwelled on Jay for a few moments, just then she realized she never gave him the location. But then again, not everyone knew the location of the party and they still showed up with success.

---

---

Clarissa was about to go to the drink's table when a voice caught her off guard. Shifting slightly; Clarissa smiled as she saw Jay was standing near the entrance of the Apartment. Noting his hair-style; she couldn't help but think it suited him rather nicely. He cleaned up rather nicely, it was simple yet effective. His green eyes seemed to stand out, more so than previously that day. She wasn't sure what it was; maybe it was his hair behind tied back that made her notice the green hues more. "Hey, Jay. Glad to see you made it. Seems like you found it after all...most people follow the crowds" She breathed out gently. explaining slightly in almost an apologetic way. In all honesty, she was glad he did come. For a moment, she thought she was going to be here alone...her brother still didn't reply to her message, nor had she seen him since the incident near his apartment. Zeke was a-wall for the moment, somewhere with his football friends. Somewhere deep inside of her, Clarissa was glad for Jay's presence for other reasons than she would care to admit to herself.

As she heard his comment about arriving at the same time; Nodding Clarissa spoke softly "Seems like it, a lot of people arrived in groups I suppose." she glanced around the room as if to emphasize her point before her brown eyes landed back on Jay. "Did you want something to drink?" Clarissa asked as she gestured to the drinks table that was a few meters away from where they stood.

Walking towards the drink's table, Clarissa glanced over at Jay with a gentle smile on her face "So...where did you grow up?" She asked out of curiosity, wanting to keep their conversation going and get to know him a little bit more.

---

---

“Yeah, I just followed some people.” Jay commenting, chuckling as he did so. He found it funny for some odd reason.
Then, as Clarissa would gesture Jay to follow her a few meters over to the drinks table, he followed with a nod. The table had all sorts of alcohol beverages. Jay couldn’t had been surprised at that since this was indeed a party with many underage teenagers and young adults. In fact, Jay half-expected that there would be nothing but alcohol. It wasn’t that he had any problem with them. It wasn’t the drinks that mattered to him; it was the company. As it stood now, the company he had was nigh-perfect.

“Yes, I would. Thank you,” Jay said with a smile, taking a cup of what smelt like some kind of beer.

Over the course of the next half-minute, Jay took little sips of the beer, swallowing it bitterly. Apparently he didn’t enjoy the not-so-sweet aftertaste it had. Still, he kept on taking little sips as not to seems rude. Besides, the drink didn’t matter to him. It was being in Clarissa’s company.

It was silent for probably a few seconds and Jay found himself looking at the outfit that Clarissa was wearing. It wad definitely a cute one -- one that suited her perfectly. For some reason, the simple skirt and top was a good match for her natural beauty. The way her brown locks fell rightly in place made Jay smile yet again. Even more so, he found himself moving slightly closer to her.

When she would ask him where he grew up at, Jay’s face went blank out of surprise. He didn’t expect that. “Oh, well,” Jay said, half-nervously pausing his words for a moment and scratching his head, “I grew up in Las Vegas,” Jay said, answering her question.

Jay felt off about revealing that. It wasn’t because he had trouble revealing where he was from; that was never the problem. The problem laid in what happened during his years living in Las Vegas. The only people that really knew what went on during his time there were his dad, step mom, and of course his goddess mother, Demeter. Inside, Jay felt that he might seem like a weirdo if anyone were to know anymore than the bare basic of things.

“How about you?” Jay asked Clarissa, trying to move along the conversation as much as he possibly could.

Clarissa heard his soft chuckle and couldn't help but smile lightly "Well, you followed the right crowd." she let out a soft giggle, laughing with him at the fact he followed some people. "I should have told you, where the party was in the first place, It slipped my mind for some reason."

“It’s fine,” Jay said, assuring Clarissa that there was no problem “I made it and that’s all that matters, right?” Jay said, smiling.

"You're right, you made it here." Clarissa acknowledged with a smile.

Once they were near the table, Clarissa noticed him reaching for a glass of bear, whilst she reached for a glass of punch. "You're welcome." she noticed the look on his face as he took a first few sips and she tried not to giggle. "You don't drink huh?" she noted that he was new to this kind of scene. He didn't seem like the type of guy who would go out and drink heavily anyways. As she sipped on the fruity-yet alcoholic beverage; she noticed Jay taking in her outfit. Clarissa bit her lower lip as she saw him move bit closer but she smiled gently.

A blushing red appeared on Jay’s face, as if embarrassed that he wasn’t the type to drink. Jay didn’t say anything, as he was still embarrassed at the fact that he was half-choking on just a few sips of the beer he had in his hand.

Seeing him start chocking, she gently patted his back "Easy there, don't need you chocking on your first few sips." she teased him playfully but smiled gently "Are you okay?" she asked him with a soft smile.She seemed surprised when he said Las Vegas "That seems cool, You don't seem like the L.A type, more like Spanish maybe if I had to guess. Maybe it's the tan." she complimented Jay with a soft smile.

A slight chuckle came from Jay. It wasn’t that what she said was something that he hadn’t heard before. It was the complete opposite actually. Every time he would tell someone that was from Las Vegas that he grew up there, they would say something like that. At times, he found it funny. Like, did he really give off that impression of someone who wasn’t the fancy, Las Vegas, LA type? Perhaps it was the way he gave himself away(or a lack thereof); perhaps it was, as Clarissa pointed out, his dark skin.

Hearing his question;Clarissa leaned against the table slightly as she looked at Jay "Well, my father works for the Navy, so we moved around a lot. But I was born in New York, we actually moved back last summer again. I think I prefer it than most places, feels like home." she explained her situation a bit to Jay with a soft smile. "Although, this is home for me too, in a way." Clarissa added after a few seconds.

A genuine look of intrigue appeared on Jay’s face as he took more sips of his beer. He hadn’t thought of her of being the daughter of a Navy Operative. It was definitely a surprise to Jay finding that out as seen by the expression on his face. “Sounds like you have seen more of the world then most people our age,” Jay said, smiling and chuckling, “what I wouldn’t give to had to lived outside of Vegas for at least one month,” he said, a strong hint of disappointment within his voice.
As she saw his surprised expression, she smiled gently and she nodded "That sounds about right, it's not like we had a choice. He always got deported to different stations with the Navy. Sometimes I hated it, to be honest. It's hard not to get attached to one place for too long." she admited with a soft smile. "I guess, I can see where that's coming from. Living in one place for too long, must be bit boring I suppose." she spoke softly before she sipped on her punch some more.

“Oh how selfish of me to say, I‘m sorry,” Jay instantly apologized, somewhat looking away taking quick, rapid sips of his drink. He must have sounded like an insensitive jerk. He didn’t even think about what he was saying. Jay didn’t even think that Clarissa might had wanted to be in his situation and stay in one location her entire, pre-demigod life. Great, you probably just ruined any chance of further conversation with her. Great going, Jay. His smile then went to a half-frown, eyes looking down at his drink.

Clarissa gently shook her head; even though her smile faded away slightly "That's fine....I suppose, you're not the only one who would think that.I don't blame you for thinking I'd prefer to stay in one place....being the daughter of a Navy Operative, isn't always the best. It has it's perks...but it can get on your nerves too." she breathed out. She noticed the change of his expression and she pursed her lips in thought and sipped on her drink; as if that would ease out the slight tension in the air.

Just as he thought that he messed things up permanently, there was something that Clarissa said that caused Jay to raise an eyebrow, So, she too knew that feeling -- the feeling of having stressful annoyances from her father?Maybe there‘s still some hope for me after all..

As Jay rose a slight eyebrow at her; Clarissa bit her lower lip but gave him a sympathetic smile; maybe too sympathetic for her true persona. But it seemed like they understood how hard it was being the son or daughter to their fathers. Not everything was perfect...not for people like them anyway.

“You should try being the son of a renowned chef who always tried to push his career path on you,” Jay said, suddenly speaking. Jay leaned back against the table, his eyes looking to the sky. If only for a moment, there could be a tear coming out of Jay’s right eye, “I always thought he was so annoying -- my dad that is. He pushed me towards being a chef so much that it got on every one of my nerves. I always felt that he didn’t see me as a son and more like someone who could carry on the Tomers name. It’s probably a bit stupid for me to say,” Jay laughed. As he was spoke about how his father made him feel, he found it funny, especially considering where he was now.

She rose a slight eyebrow, he was the son of a Chef? Now that was interesting...she didn't see that coming. "Seems like you know what it's like to have a father that annoys you then. My father wasn't the one to push me into things...just when it came to moving. I can't even count how many times we argued about moving from one country to another...from one state to another and so forth. It was always the same with him." she sighed with a slight shrug off her shoulders. "But I suppose, your father being a chef would cause different misunderstandings and pressures. Seems like you came far then...." she breathed out softly, her brown eyes focused on taking in his expressions as they talked.

They seemed to have common ground -- well, at least about how their father’s annoy the crap out of them. So, perhaps that’s at least something. There was something about the way she said that made jay think there was already some kind of bond between them. Be it shared experiences of having that kind of father or just sharing stories about said fathers. Whatever it was, Jay found himself laughing. It was a cheerful laugh — a happy one that gave off the emotion of relief.

When Jay let out his cheerful and happy laugh; Clarissa couldn't help but smile. There was something about his laugh that made her feel at ease and warm inside. There was just something sweet about him and something genuine. Trying to compare him to other guys, he was different yet they had an understanding. Similar case was with Zeke, but their ego's were far to same for her to call him 'different.'

When she commented about how far he came, Jay looked at her once more, “yeah, I guess the academy is pretty far from Las Vegas; definitely way away from all of the glitz and glamour,” He laughed, unconsciously moving his body closer almost the point of his body and Clarissa’s touching.

Seeing his body move closer to hers; Clarissa felt her breath catch in the back of her throat; her brown eyes gazing into his green eyes for a few moments in silence. It was like she was lost for words for a few moments; him being close to her was bit distracting but also felt nice. "Yeah...definitely far....away..." she breathed out,almost like she didn't even hear what he just said.

For an obvious reason, Jay’s stomach was all in a flutter. He felt the sweat from his hands increase as the closeness between his body and hers did. He felt his heartbeat rise and rise as if it were housing infinite amounts of yeast, yet he didn’t feel like he could back away. No, that’s not entirely correct. It’s not that Jay couldn’t, but he wouldn’t. There was something that spoke to him about this moment — about how something foreign to him was in his grasp. It was about how there was something that was about to happen that he couldn’t explain. Even more so, it was something that, whether he wanted to or not, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

And then it happened.

Jay felt something on his chest. It was hard, yet at the same time, soft as a silk mattress. That wasn’t the only place he felt something on. He felt his legs being lightly pressed up against something. He felt some kind of fabric press softly against his blue jeans. When it consciously came to him, Jay saw darkness and he felt something against his lip. Another pair of lips? That’s when Jay slowly opened up his eyes and he realized he had done the one thing that he never thought he would do. Well, at least not without some kind of warning first. He had went in for a soft, lips-to-lips kiss to Clarissa.

Clarissa was just looking into his eyes; and before she knew it her body was leaning against his gently and his lips soon found hers in a soft kiss. She felt the butterflies in her stomach arise; she looked surprised as she hadn't expected Jay to move in for a kiss, but at the same time she liked it. She had to admit that his lips felt soft and that he was actually a good kisser; despite the fact that the kiss didn't last long enough for her to respond fully.

As he then realized what he just did, Jay instantly pulled away, his face as red as a beet. He didn’t know what came over him. He was one-hundred percent and completely embarrassed. He took a few steps back and bumped into the table, almost knocking it over. He just was so out of it, completely surprised at what he had just done. Jay’s next move was to start walking away, but his legs wouldn’t respond. The fact of the matter was that his entire body was frozen still out of pure anxiety of the situation, more so if Clarissa would do something horrible to him. Oh Gods, the worst thoughts definitely entered his mind.

She couldn't help but blink in surprise for a few moments, biting her lower lip. The taste of his lips on hers made her own tingle for a few moments.When he stepped back, bumping into the table her hand reached out gently catching his wrist to help keep his balance "Are you okay?" she couldn't help but question him slightly. She could make out the confusion and embarrassment on his face but she smiled at him gently. For some reason, the kiss felt right and natural. "You don't have to be nervous...I'll admit you caught me off guard, but it felt....kind of....nice....good." she breathed out, as her cheeks turned rouge as she basically said she liked the kiss.

“I’m fine,” Jay said, taking her hand as to adjust his balance thanks in full part to Clarissa’s giving hand, “thanks,” Jay said.

Clarissa smiled at him gently when he said he was fine. "You're welcome." she said softly, keeping her hand in his. Her hand was soft and tender in his own; it seemed to fit in his hand like a missing piece of puzzle. She squeezed his hand gently for reassurance.

As he gathered himself, Jay heard what she said about him not having to be nervous, but he couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry,” Jay apologized; though he’s not even sure what he was doing it for. “I’m not the kind of guy who does this kind of thing. I don’t make the first move, yet I did. “ Jay said, not really nervous or anxious or anything of the sort. It was more him saying that he wasn’t that kind of guy who made the first move.

As he spoke, Jay was still unsure why he was even saying them. Even though they were true, he had to, at least on some level, knew what he was doing. Be it some strings of some type of emotions pulling him towards her or an unaware desire that he had deep within of wanting to kiss her. As he was within his own thoughts, Jay definitely overlooked the part of her saying that she liked it.

Clarissa listened to him speak; her brown eyes were soft as she was reading his expression, watching those soft lips move with each word he spoke. Her past desires to mess with him and lure him like all those others before him, were gone. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't do that to him...for some reason. He was apologizing....clearly he seemed to over-look the fact that she liked the kiss. She didn't blame him for being lost in his own thoughts and over-looking that fact. For a moment she wondered if there was something she could do to emphasize that point.

Taking a soft breath, her free hand reached out touching his cheek as she leaned in and pressed her lips against his, in another soft kiss; she wasn't sure if he would push her away, freeze up or do something else. But it was worth a shot...maybe her kissing him, would tell him that she liked the fact that he made the first move.

As her other hand came up to his cheek, Jay couldn’t leave the gaze of her brown eyes. It was like there was a magnetic pull holding him there. Then, when she leaned in, Jay thought about backing away, but what would that prove? That he was pathetic. No, he wouldn’t do that. He simply let her come in for a locking of the lips. Unlike the first time, Jay did not cut it off after a few seconds. He stayed with it, moving his free hand along that respective side of her hip as to pull their bodies slightly more together. It wasn’t a rough tug, but something of the light nature.

A bottle flew across the room, smashing into the wall behind Dallas' head.

"RELO!" An angry voice followed it. "The next one won't miss. I knew you were weak, but daaaaaang. I thought you were above giving alcohol to twelve year olds."

Notice me, Tara-chan!

...Oh, god damn it, Jonas. Should've never let him plant that foreign Toonami shit in his head in the first place. Now it was spreading. Dallas nimbly brushed broken glass into his sink and cleaned the beer off the side of his hand as thought it were an open cut. The taste was hoppy in his mouth. Dammit, Tara, why'd you have to throw one of the good ones?

Undeterred, Relo leaned back over the counter and flipped the leather collar of his jacket.

"Is that what this is about?" Dallas asked, grinning at the sound of the ferocious female voice that had rang out from near his door. "Did you steal my church key, too? You know, Tara, that's a family heirloom. If you want some jewelry, babe, all you gotta do is stop lying about your birthday."

The next one didn't miss.

Dallas picked up the can - thank Christ it was a can this time - and took a deep breath. No doubt that'll be a bruised sternum in the morning, he thought gingerly, breathing deeply. He wasn't letting himself get pissed off; it would mean another lecture from his sister, a party story for the ages, and - more importantly - it might mean a loss in his column. Lord knew he'd been drinking.

Dallas, however, was still a dirty boxer at heart, and after setting the can on the counter he dug his fingernails into his palms and felt his knuckles crack.

"The kiss of life," he deadpanned. "What is it, Tara? Can I take your orders?"

"Awful hard to do without this." Tara was twirling the missing church key around her fingers, clockwise, then counterclockwise. "Seriously, Relo. For the gods sake. A twelve year old?"

"Right? I think my bouncer must have been dreaming about me on the job." Dallas eyed the bottle opener, tracing its rotations with his eyes, and half his mouth quirked upwards in a dry smile. "Can I please have it back?"

"...one more line like that out of you and I'm using it to unlock your spine."

"Can I have a moment alone with my spine? We had some good times together."

"Your choice, Relo. The spine or the key."

Tara hopped down off of the counter she'd been sitting on, shaking her head. "I know what I'd pick, but I know you have different... Priorities."

"Orrrrr you could just tell me what you took it for, before I stop feeling so smiley," Dallas finished, looking over his latest patron's head to Tara Niklos. "Jonas'll just steal that back for me eventually, but I'd rather get this sorted out now. All the arguing's really not good for our relationship."

The smile dropped on his face, and he leaned against the counter - with his back - to look at Tara down the room.

"What do you want, Tara?"

"Numerous things. One of them being the cessation of any implication that you and I are together."

"Jonas says I should just ask you out and be done with it."

Jonas had said no such thing.

"...Well, I can guarantee your face a date with my fist."

Her furious brown eyes flickered to Jonas. He'd pay later.

"I'm probably your best option in this apartment, honestly." Dallas was having so much fun that a punch in the face might have been worth it. It was hard to keep his expression stony and his smile cool. "Handsome, quick-witted, been boxing since I was old enough to make fists. I like Lays, you like Fritos. I smile all the time and you look like someone's hung a shit-scented air freshener from the tip of your nose. We couldn't go wrong."

i'll miss you face

The date between face and fist went about as well as could be expected. Tara seemed to have pulled her punch-while it hurt like the dickens, she wasn't trying to break his nose or even really bloody it. She just wanted the pain factor.

With the counter behind him, Dallas wasn't in any danger of getting himself blown the fuck out; the blonde demigod took a step back and leaned on his elbows, slouching slightly, against his countertop. With a groan that Dallas, in his own humble opinion, thought disguised a laugh pretty well, he reached up with a thumb and held it to the side of each nostril at a time, testing his sinuses. When he took a breath with the left, a small stream of blood bubbled and trickled down to his upper lip.

Worth it.

"Thanks for coming out," Relo deadpanned.

Tara's fists fell back to her sides and she let out a long breath, tension fading out of her body. "Don't act like you enjoy me being here, Relo."

"You'd be face down in my sink with blood pouring out of your ear if I didn't enjoy you being here." Dallas gingerly wiped the blood away with a thumb and wrapped the digit in a napkin. With a twist, he got as much of the blood as he could off the nail and sucked the rest off. "Granted, of all the queens here tonight, I think you get the crown for shittiest bouncer, but it's not a Dallas Relo party without you to complete the team. I mean, shit, I haven't even needed light fixtures since you got old enough to glower at us."

"It's night, Relo. You can take me in the day, but not now. And since evidently your security staff is crappy... Plus that the team is only me... Means there's really nothing to back up idle threats."

A slight expression of disdain, then a smirk. "I'll take that as a compliment on my winning smile."

"No, no, I said you had a great glower. Your smile's fucking gruesome."

"...The last time left you with your teeth, Relo. The repeat might change that."

"Orrrrrrr it might not. I've taken worse gambles when it comes to you, and sometimes I don't even bruise." Dallas grinned and, still propped on his elbows, hopped onto the counter. He planted his right foot on the lip of the sink, a few inches to Tara's left, and crossed his left over his ankle.

The heady brew of testosterone at a boil drew Dallas' attention over the counter to Zeke - and then farther, to where Clarissa was making out with some beatnik Dal hadn't caught before.

"Sides. Silver lining."

He cocked his head at the liplock, and the son of Zeus not far away.

"We're not as gross as that accident waiting to happen."

"Well, Relo," Tara said, her eyes narrowing as she followed the cocked head.

"You're no longer the nexus of hate. Congratu-#######-lations."

...?

...

...!

"Aww. Thanks."

---

---

Huh!

He folded his arms after perfectly swishing his red plastic cup into a nearby trash can, a neutrally, mutedly surprised look upon his face. That one had actually ended much less explosively than he'd thought! Tara'd only decked him once, and Dallas had even managed to talk her into laying off. Progress! Of course, for some reason his sister had sent a look bearing daggers his way (moreso than usual), which in his experience, meant that Dal had expertly deflected some heat his way...

H u h .

Well, if anyone here could deal with Tara, it really was him at the top of the list. The demigods hailing from the so-called "A-Listers": Zeus, Poseidon, perhaps Hades, they were powerful in their own right, true, but few would be ready for the sheer skill and ferocity that the sons and daughters of Ares brought to the table. He wasn't mindlessly shilling his family, either.

Think about it.

You have children of the God of War, people who, all their lives, are drawn to competition, and oftentimes, combat. Whether they knew their heritage or not, too. Exhibit A himself could tell you during this narration alone. These were people who had surrounded themselves, in some way, shape, or form, in their element: a contest of power. Be it through traditional athletics, combat sports, or plain and simple fighting, those of Ares's blood almost unanimously had dedicated their lives to athleticism, to being their physical, and mental best. Not only were they naturally talented through birth and very skilled and powerful through putting their noses to the grindstone, the sheer tenacity and will to win was another key characteristic amongst those of his family.

Even though he outpowered her (a rare feat even for a guy), and had a more rounded skillset than her (delving into the matter of who was "more skilled" was foolhardy; she was almost purely a boxer and damn good at it, he was much more a mixed martial artist and good in more areas but likely not as much in any one like she was in her only one), he was also likely one of the few who could match her in sheer grit and ability to keep coming forward.

In that vein, it was only natural that he absorb some of her anger where others could not.

He shot Dallas a look.

Didn't mean he particularly cared for it.

---

---

Before Roze could even get a sarcastic retort to Dallas' (admittedly, expected) remark about her age, he was immediately barraged by some chick who immediately brought the 'little-kid' joke over the top.

Rather than intervene, Roze simply rolled her eyes and leant against the counter, calmly supping from her beer, while hiding smiles from the jokes Dallas kept cracking. Damn. He was more snarky than her, which was saying something.

It also wasn't doing anything to aid his predicament with the angry girl. Roze had seen her before while talking to the jock kid - she had walked; or rather, stormed - over to them, a scowl on her face.

Deciding that that guy had seemed way too nice to have such an openly violent girlfriend, that left her with the conclusion that they were brother and sister. Jock brother, smashing sister? They had to be children of Ares.
Which would explain Dallas' bloody nose.

Once the punches seemed to have stopped being thrown, Roze stepped forward, smiling at the Ares girl.
"So, now that you two have stopped hitting each other with your handbags, maybe we can introduce ourselves! I'm Rozalia - 17 years old." She said dryly. Well... Technically speaking she was 16, but with her birthday very soon, she didn't particularly want to give anyone any more ammo.

"I expected people to think I was younger than what I actually am - it'd be kinda exhausting getting mad at each person who does it. But you really took the cake with this one!" Roze continued with a fairly mischievous grin on her face, as she leant back on the counter. "12-Year-Old. That's definitely a new one: now, I can understand how you could get confused; being a child of Ares must mean muscles everywhere, including where brains would be in normal people - but come on! What kind of twelve year old has boobs this developed?" She said with a laugh, glancing down for some comedic effect. I mean, they weren't massive, but shit, they weren't pre-teen flat either.

Okay, normally she could take jokes. But ones about her age just grated on her, simply because they'd been done so damn often.: hence her probably not-wise decision to goad bull-girl (is it right to call her that? I mean, I've talked to bulls friendlier than she is.).

Ah well.

There was water in the pipes if she needed it. No-one knew who her father is, after all.

---

---

Uh oh.

He knew that look all too well, on the (ironically, though he wasn't aware of it) thirsty young demigoddess's face. The rolling of the eyes, the cocky curl upwards of the lips, even the word "muscles" and "brains" in the same sentence out of her mouth (as the son of Ares, you get very acclimated to lipreading those two in some form of derogatory combination during your first year or so.). Standard fare for trying to bully the sons and daughters of war, really, but that wasn't what he was worried about.

Not at all, compared to Tara, who would be all too happy to send her head through that bar if she felt annoyed enough. The girl was a demigod, true-- and thusly was likely able to defend herself to a point. But even so, even joking around with Tara--as Dallas had shown amply-- was akin to prodding an annoyed lion with a stick. Outright talking shit? Somewhere between "armwrestling an enraged silverback on shark testosterone" and "playing hot potato with a live grenade". He couldn't stand idly by while anyone tried to do any of those things!

And so, he didn't.

Springing off the wall, he deftly hid his desperate sprint within sidesteps and weaves as he tore through the crowd between him, his best friend, his underclassman, and his beloved yet oh so volatile little sister. He needed to defuse the situation for everyone's sake--he knew Dallas hated fights at parties--and he needed to do it quick. He still hadn't sparred Tara like he'd promised tonight yet, she undoubtedly had steam to blow off. So, what he elected as his course of action, funnily enough, could be described as akin to one of the jab's myriad purposes in boxing.

Interrupting a train of thought.

"Ayy, Dal! Some party you got, brother!" he called, raising an arm in greeting even as his six-three frame nimbly busied itself with weaving past the last globule of people between him and the trio. After nodding his greeting to his sister (and tossing her a brief "be cool" glance), he pointedly caught the girl from earlier's eye and threw her a smile, despite his rushing blood and pumping heart.

"Looks like you made it!"

"Tch."

Muscles for brains. If that was a new one, Tara might have almost been impressed. As it was, being a child of Ares... Yeah, whoever this chick was, she needed to up her insult game. Calling a child of Ares "muscles for brains" was like calling a child of Zeus "needlessly stuck up" or a child of Poseidon "fish girl." At that point, you're just stereotyping, punching in the same spot thousands have before. It doesn't really hurt anymore. Her eyebrows went up as Jonas charged across the room, her hands sliding into her jean pockets. "Don't worry Jonas," she said, smirking slightly. "I don't hit children."

Her attention shifted to the girl, giving her a once over with her eyes and shaking her head. "Come back to bat in 5 or 6 years, honey. Then I'll fight you, I promise. Until then... You're not worth it. As Relo here has KINDLY pointed out-" The venom level in her voice went up a notch. "-I'm not being a terribly good bouncer right now. Last thing I need him to think is that I bully little kids instead of actual enforcement of the rules." She shrugged, looking back toward the three in the corner that Dallas had pointed out. "Besides, if the level of anger waiting to happen there is any indication, I'm about to be busy."

She flicked her eyes back to pint size piranha. "Honey, don't start the boobs thing. Please. That might wow Fred and Jimbo back at home but you're still a kid. Heck, I'm still young. Have your parents had the talk with you yet? The talk of avian and apiarian? You know, you're in an interesting stage of life, your body is changing in new ways... And I'm not really that comfortable explaining it to you."

She started humming something under her breath, but unless Roze was a rabid fan of ABBA she wouldn't know what it was.

Zaheen wasn't big on parties. After all why should he be, the typical college party was an assortment of booze, sex and fights. When you mix all those problems with Demigods you end up with the proverbial up to eleven. Especially when it came to the fighting. As one can probably imagine, Zaheen wasn't a big fan of any of those vices. He didn't even drink for that matter, in part a result of his Islamic heritage and in part just the idea of the alcohol wasn't something he found particularly delightful. What use was there in slowing his mental facilities after all, it's hard to learn when one is drunk.

Which begs the simple question of why Zaheen was even here and simply put the answer was rather straightforward. He was here courtesy of one Jonas Highwind and one Dallas Relo.

My death will be there fault.

That said, while he may have physically been at Dallas' party, he took the opportunity to simply barricade himself in Dallas' room and turn his attention to more important matters. Namely his current Diablo speedrun. If Dallas' parties had one boon, it was the efficiency with which Zaheen found himself able to set new personal records in Diablo. Perhaps it was a result of the frustrations and annoyance with all the noise fueling his adrenaline, or perhaps it was borne out of a desire to finish the game before the end of the party so that he could start up a new campaign the moment Dallas and Jonas found themselves free.

Either way, Dallas' bedroom became Zaheen's personal sanctuary at times like these.

That sounded really weird.

Moving on.

And crap, I'm out of soda.

Again.

Forced to pause his game, Zaheen bravely unlocked the door and entered the purgatory that is Demigod parties. That sight that awaited was a familiar yet equally horrifying one.

Tara.

Pissed off.

To repeat.

Tara, daughter of Ares, pissed off and more so than the usual.

A L E R T

A L E R T

Alarms went off in Zaheen's head as he struggled to find a way to resolve the situation.

Maybe if I- yeah, that might- let's try it.

Raising a hand in greeting, Zaheen waved to the group. "Hey Tara, long time no see, Jonas and Dallas still giving you trouble?" Zaheen quipped with a laugh, "Mind giving me a hand a real quick? You're one of the few people to have beaten me in PvP, and I'm curious to see how you'd matchup against this new Diablo build I've been trying."

Looks like I won't be getting that soda.

---

---

The children of the gods sure knew how to party. All around, Vivian could feel the energy being emitted from every single one of them. From the yells and screams of excitement to the body-pulsing and high-bass vibrato from the pounding music entered every single one of them as they each delved into their own party-like activity. There were some that were playing beer pong, some were dancing to their heart’s content, and some were fighting. While the latter wasn’t necessarily a positive vibes, Vivian could see the smiles on their faces. Obviously those were the children of Ares and Athena.

“Lilah, can’t you feel it? The rhythm of the music adding to everyone’s excitement; the dancing and the playing. Everything is so infectious,” Vivian said, sounding almost intoxicated by whatever took over her.

Her body spun around several times, taking in the positive feelings. When she did, Vivian’s body faintly showed a golden glow. Vivian truly was taking in all of the excitement from everyone and adding to her already upbeat mood.

As she took Delilah’s hand, Vivian brought her brunette friend to a spinning motion, smiling nigh-infinitely. Each spin was met with a laugh from the daughter of Apollo. Whether it was just her or if Delilah felt the vibes too, Vivian was having the time of her life, being with her best girlfriend and enjoying the party to the best that she possible could.

As they roamed around the free space of the party grounds, Vivian came to a complete halt, no doubt causing Delilah going face first into her friend’s back, “no way!” Vivian said, turning her head, and looking at Delilah with an open-mouth, surprised look, “look over there, Lilah!” Vivian said, half-forcing Delilah to look towards where the beer and alcohol assortments were at, “Clarissa Price already making out with some guy. “ Suddenly, Vivian’s persona turned into that of some gossiping teenager.

When Vivian turned her attention to the guy that Clarissa was macking on, she tried to figure out who he was. Vivian was a social butterfly, so she knew just about everyone at Olympus Academy. Even if they didn't like her(and vice-versa), she would know them at least on some level. As such looked at the currently locked with Clarissa's lips, she couldn't tell who it was. Granted, it was hard to determine who a person was by the side of their face, but even still; Vivian had no clue. The dark skin and the long, brown hair was as empty as Clarissa's kindness streak. SEriously, for as long as Vivian has had the displeasure of knowing Clarissa, she hasn't known the Daughter of Aphrodite to ever do anything nice for those who weren't her brother, The Platinum Prettyboy, Skye. So, to see her exchanging saliva with some skinny-looking, nigh-emo, caramel-skinned boy was an absolute shock for Vivian.

“I wonder who that is?” She asked Delilah in a hushed, almost-whispering tone, “doesn’t look like anyone that I know.” Vivian said, disappointed almost, “how about you?”

---

---

After receiving directions, James headed off towards the party, contemplating the tricks he was planning to play. Would it be better to insert himself into the party quietly, or make a dramatic entrance? One look at the moon convinced him. "Heh. The Moonlit Magician is coming." A smirk settled onto his face as he thought out his entrance, and a tiny bit of him wondered if his father would approve. He squashed that thought, however. What did he care what Hermes thought?

When he reached the apartment that the party was happening outside of, he wrote a note on a blank card and sent it flying through the air. His aim, perfected by years of practice, was spot on; the card flew between a couple of girls before hitting the wall by another demigod's face. The speed of the card ensured that it got stuck in the wall, and didn't fall to the floor. The note was rather simple, a single sentence along with KID's usual signature. I will be entering this party in exactly ten minutes. Kaitou KID~

After ten minutes had passed, he created an explosion of KID's usual pink smoke. As heads turned to look, he appeared when the smoke disappated, his back to the party, looking up at the moon. Then, he turned. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" He greeted them with a smirk and a bow. Just look at their faces! James loved the looks of surprise he gained from his getup, grinning on the inside, although his Poker Face remained unchanged.

---

---

A tall willowy figure headed towards the loudness of the party, her cousins were the brightest and bubbliest bunch you could imagine but what could you expect from the children of Apollo. Her uncle's children were what one would picture when you thought of rich, plush children. She had not lived such a kind life though, it was part of the reason that as she moved there was primarily silence. Even her heels sounded hushed, they only made a soft click as they hit the ground rather than the loud clack most women made in heels. Her upper lip was already partially curled as she drew closer to the boisterous group of people.

Apparently Dallas had not bothered to put any of his shit in his house. Absolutely none of it. She could only assume that her mother had insisted upon this visit because they were family. She had met them on other occasions, mainly after being forced to do so in school. Elize's specialty was not people. The little birds in the trees surrounding the little party were calling and chattering, hoping for food to be left outside. She sent out a small pulse of reassurance there would probably be plenty for them to snack on in the waking hours of the party. She was glad for her cousin's laziness just this once, outside was clearly where she belonged.

Elize settled her face before she entered into the lit area of the party looking for who around. It was very clear that directly inside Tara was screaming about something or another while Vivian was chattering eagerly about someone or something. Nothing of interest to Elize surely.

She maneuvered fluidly through the crowd of people, not touching anyone. That was an added benefit of her latest gift from her mother. People tended to move away from her without having to be asked. Her blue eyes cut across the inside of the house to find what Tara had been screaming at, Dallas. Of course, he had managed to make her angry. That was nothing unusual though. What was unusual was the smaller girl attempting to make light of things and really only making things worse than they had been to start with.

She moved silently, her loose blouse billowing on her willowy frame while her jeans clung to toned legs. Though she was not particularly fond of other upright readily sentient beings she did have somewhat of a sense of fashion. She was quickly moving through the people to make her way behind the bar.

"Dallas what have you started now?" She murmured as she reached the bloodied young man.

---

---

Peter didn't have to wait long for Corinthe, he was pleased to see. He'd had plenty of girlfriends in the past that had taken hours to get ready. Not necessarily fair to stereotype all girls with that, but good god, it didn't take an hour to pick an outfit.
"Hey - it's no trouble. Cute dress by the way." He said in response to her first statement and an added compliment, and answered her second as they walked along the corridor towards the party.
"My room's pretty good actually. It was much bigger than I expected - and my Mother was kind enough to leave me a house-warming present. Another unexpected, but pleasant, surprise." Peter said with a slight smile, fingers already itching to play a song on the beautiful piano. Well - they were also fairly itchy due to the bandages. The cuts from the spear had been deeper than he'd first thought, forcing him to put paper stitches on and then some gauze to stop the bleeding. That spear was going to leave him looking like Freddy Krueger with the amount of scars he was getting from it. He scratched the bandages absent-mindedly, lightly humming Bach under his breath.

Corinthe was glad she didn't embarrass herself by taking too long, and even more that Peter liked her dress."It's my only one." She said triumphantly. That was probably weird, but she really was happy that peter liked her only dress option. Walking down the hallway, the lack of backpack and boots, gave her a light feeling. And the twilight that was visible through the windows calmed her and energized her at the same time. Your mother? Peter apparently had a good relationship with his godly mother. Or would that be a mortal mother that had left him something after all?
"That sounds nice." Corinthe said with a smile. "What did she give you?"
Once again Cori felt like she might be asking things she wasn't sure she could ask. But now the atmosphere was intimate. Like with friends. Peter and her were sort of friends. They only just met that afternoon.
As the door of her apartment building closed behind them, Corinthe looked and pointed to another, not to distant building. "Zaheen told us that was the place right?"

"Yeah, that looks like the place." Peter replied as he noticed one set of windows that were brighter and emitting far more noise than the others in the building. As they crossed the courtyard between the two buildings, Peter rolled up his shirt-sleeves to the elbow as he usually preferred, and looked at Cori as he answered her question with a dry chuckle.
"She put a grand piano in my apartment. A pretty thoughtful gift - but then again, she is a Goddess. She probably just willed it into existence because she knew it would make me slightly less pissed off at her." He replied, and then paused, thinking about it. "Her tactic has actually paid off, somewhat. I do enjoy playing the piano. I had to leave a beautiful one behind in Baghdad when I left - I couldn't exactly bring it with me." He said in a reminiscent tone. He hadn't been in Iraq for very long, but he knew a guy who rented out high-flying rooms in the city; ones which often including the finer things in life, like grand pianos.

"A grand piano!" Cori exclaimed thrilled. "You play the piano?” She asked rhetorically. "Will you play me something sometime?" She took a deep breath to calm down a bit. Cori She reprimanded herself. Stop acting like a fangirl.
"Absolutely. I know plenty of classics, and some newer stuff." Peter replied, smiling at Cori's excitement. Usually when someone found out he played the piano they brushed it aside, not quite comprehending just how damn difficult it was to learn, and the true beauty of the music that could come from it.

It was nothing like her to act like this. But after travelling alone for so long, with the new life ahead of her and her new friends and the party and her new room and the twilight and Peter playing the piano, she was just getting a bit lightheaded. In a good way.
"So Baghdad... That sounds interesting. Why were you there?" Now that their conversation had started to roll, Cori felt no longer halted by any form of supposedly necessary correctness.

At Cori's next question, Peter hesitated slightly. "Well, it certainly was interesting. And... I don't know exactly why I went there. It was a new place, I knew some people there. I've been travelling the world since I left High School, and the Middle-East just happened to be my last stop before coming here." He said, smiling almost reminiscently. It had been a god few years. Lonely, at times, and dangerous some other times, but it made him feel alive. More alive than wasting away at some high-end University, to just end up doing immoral work for the military and then teaching classes like his Dad.
"My Mother is Athena, by the way. So, if I get overly obsessive or even touchy about differential equations, or pseudoscience and theoretical physics, I'll apologize in advance." He said in an almost teasing manner. "I've also inherited her love for crafts, so if you ever need a skirt hemming, I'm your man." He added in an afterthought with a laugh.

"Oh, thanks" She replied as Peter said he'd help her with skirt hemming if necessary. "You truly are a man of many talents."
A joke, but nevertheless it was kinda impressive. Though guys often had a tendency to tell their own stories more than they were when...
Is he flirting with me?
Am I flirting with him?
She winked at Peter.
Well this certainly could become an interesting night. She wasn't sure yet what she thought about this matter.

Chuckling, he returned her wink. "Oh, you've got that right. There's plenty you don't know about me."

The music from the party slowly got louder as they approached.
"I was actually wondering what lineage you are from. Does it really work like that? You like thinking because your mother is sort of the personification of that? Well... I'm not really sure what that would make me..."
She paused for a while, looking at Peter a bit more unsure now.
"I'm Hades' daughter. Nice to meet you."

Swiftly realizing from Cori's expression and suddenly halting tone that the information she had just given up had been tough, Peter simply gave her what was clearly an unexpected reaction; a triumphant chuckle.
"I knew it! I knew that jewellery you're wearing was far too unique to be store-bought. That left me with the conclusion that you'd made it yourself, which either meant a daughter of Hephaestus, or one of Hades, what with his whole God of precious metals and gems thing he's got going on." Peter said, then paused. "Also, you're way too pretty to be a daughter of Hephaestus. Apparently the guy has some facial issues." He added jokingly.
"Ah... as for me...I hope that my passions haven't stemmed from Athena. She isn't winning any Mother of the Year Awards any time soon, so I'd hate for a good half of my personality to just be biological. Thinking about it, I guess my Dad's held more influence over what I love." He said, then began laughing. "I remember when I was 12, I wanted to learn how to play the drums; I had it stuck in my mind that I was going to join a rock band. He said no, persuaded me to learn the piano instead. I hated the first couple of lessons, but I fell in love eventually."
His laughter was quickly drowned out by the thumping music coming from the apartment. It certainly was an epic party, by the sounds of things.
“Do you want a drink?” Peter asked as they entered, voice raised slightly so she could hear him over the music.

ignore

---

---

After chugging some beer, Zeke finally managed to break free from his awfully drunk teammates. He began to look around the house for Clarissa so they could hang out some more. He was in an incredibly good mood, and it wasn't just the beer. He was making progress with Clarissa and he thinks that things could go well between them now. She didn't absolutely hate his guts just because he was Zeus' kid anymore and they had a nice conversation.

He walked through the dancing mob of students, searching everywhere for the beautiful brunette. Then he saw her, talking to that guy that she was with at the assembly. Before he could even say anything, the pair suddenly kissed. After they broke away, they went in for another kiss. He didn't waste another moment and ran through the crowd. His blood was boiling and he could not control his temper. He grabbed the stranger by the shoulders and threw him at the punch table, causing the table to collapse. The crowd gasped, and his deed managed to calm him down slightly. He then turned towards Clarissa while everyone else seemed to be stunned by the situation. "I just told you that I really liked you and the second I leave, you are kissing another guy?" he asked, his voice cold and hurt. "Do whatever you want. I'm sorry for messing up your boy toy."

Without giving her time to reply, he stormed off. He continued on with the party and his friends, trying to do his best to forget about everything. He drank more and more beer, though he could not get the awful taste out of his mouth. He just felt angry, hurt, sad, and didn't know what to do with it. He hasn't felt like this in a long time, if ever. Eventually, he just sat down on the couch while everyone else seemed to be having a great time. It was hard for him to be in the mood, he just felt too awful. How could he been treated like that? He was freaking Zeus' son. He never got rejected nor did he ever get played by a girl. He really was stupid, so stupid. And it was even more stupid that he still liked her, after all of that and that's what hurt the most. For once he wanted to be invisible, so he slipped out of the party and hung around outside. He left his jacket at Dallas' apartment, but he'll get it back the next morning, hopefully.

He took a deep breath of the cold, fresh air and sat down on one of the school provided benches. Placing both his hands on the back of his head, he sighed. "I really should have seen this coming," he moaned. "Just...FUCK!"

---

---

Delilah walked hand in hand with Vi inside the party. It was loud, a bit chaotic already, and she was already slightly regretting coming here. Everyone had beers and other drinks in their hands and they were dancing inappropriately. But Vi really was enjoying herself, so Delilah decided to dance as well, allowing the girl to spin her around. Okay, this was actually kind of fun. She eventually forgot about her hesitation and began to dance and enjoy herself as well. Then they went to explore the place but Vi suddenly stopped, causing Delilah to ram into her. "Sorry," she mumbled politely, rubbing her forehead that had collided with Vi's back.

She focused over at Clarissa Price and the boy that she was... well... kissing very passionately. Delilah's face reddened slightly simply from watching. "Oh... so it is. Uh... I don't think I really know who that is but maybe it's not any of our business anyways," she answered uncomfortably. Delilah did her best to like Clarissa, but she had a tendency of calling Delilah and Vi names and overall was not very nice to them. The fact that she was already sucking face with a guy did not surprise Delilah at all. It was always like this; the girl could get any guy that she wanted with a flick of her wrist.

She dragged Vi over back to the dance floor and went back to dancing the night away. "Come on, let's not focus on Clarissa and whoever that guy is, let's have fun instead!" she chirped, jumping up and down to the beat of the song that was playing.

But she stopped dancing as soon as she heard a loud crash. Zeke Carter has thrown the stranger down and was not happy to see Clarissa making out with another guy. "OH MY GOD!" Delilah couldn't help but shriek at the turn of events. Without taking a second thought, she rushed over to the guy and checked to see if he was okay. For some reason, she was really concerned though she did care about everyone so maybe it was just her being her.

Crouching down beside him, she asked, "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

---

---

“Oh, come on, Lilah! This is Clarissa Price we’re talking about. Her relations are almost as juicy as her mother’s was. You can’t seriously tell me that you’re not the least bit curious as to who got her attention?” Vivian said, wanting to just stare at them until she could figure out the mystery man.

Pretty much ignoring all that she said, Lilah tugged at Vi’s left arm playfully, smiling wide. The laughs coming from her and her body movements made Vi forget about Clarissa and the caramel-colored male for now. She was more interested in having fun with her bestest gal pal. Whatever was going on with everyone wasn’t a top priority for her. She was focusing solely on her best friend and the music that fueled the dancing desires in her and Vi.

Just as the fun for the two of them had started, it suddenly ended. The party went silent. The music stopped abruptly; everyone gasping, some outing words such as “what happened?” and “Daamn!” For Delilah, however, she shrieked louder than a Siren, her loud voice piercing through Vivian’s ears. The source of everyone’s varied, yet similar, reaction was at the beverage table - the same table that Vi and Lilah had seen Clarissa and the mystery guy kissing. The table had collapsed, all of the drinks spilled over. Liquid from various alcohol spilling onto the ground. Most of the bottles and cups, however, were piled on someone.

Before Vi could even take in what happened, Lilah suddenly rushed over. “Uh, Lilah, wa--” before Vivian could finish her sentence, a large blonde mass of human flesh rushed passed her, disorienting her equilibrium. Was that Zeke Carter? Vivian wasn’t sure, but he was the only blonde with that much strength and blonde of hair - well, aside from Vi of course and a few others. “So much for minding our own business, huh?“ Sighing, Vivian followed Lilah.

The party just got a lot more interesting.

---

---

Everything seemed just like an afterthought. The music blaring at the party seemed to not enter his or her ears. The volume might be high, but Jay heard nothing but her and his heartbeat. It was as if there was a symphony playing and they were co-maestros. The orchestra of the moment playing romantic melodies to the beat of Jay’s heart.

The moment was perfect, until it wasn’t.

Suddenly, Jay felt his lips free of Clarissa’s, the saliva stretching from her lips and his. His two lips were still puckered up, as he still was kissing. Only, instead of kissing Clarissa’s soft, lips, he was kissing the air. Then, as fast as he had been pulled away, Jay was forcibly shoved into the beverage table hard. The impact with his lips against the table not only caused them to bust open, but the entire table collapsed, cups and bottles piling on top of him. He felt all of the liquid pour on and around him.

As he lay there on the hardwood floor, covered in an assortment of plastic cups and glass bottles, Jay heard what Zeke was saying to Clarissa. He stated that not minutes after saying he liked her a lot, that’s when she had moved on to Jay. How, that after he apparently told Clarissa about his feelings for her, she went to Jay. Now, imagine being Jay right now. He didn’t know all of this. Surely, if Jay had known, he wouldn’t have Clarissa. Hell, just approaching her was hard enough.

I feel like a fool.

Jay started to get up, trying to move the glass bottles off of him. Some of them were whole, so that was good, but a few smashed on his arms and legs. Jay saw that it ripped through his clothing and left a mild cut along his arms and legs. The rest, however, seemed to just roll off. The plastic cups, specifically, rolled a half of a foot away from him just as Jay had gotten to an upright, sitting position. His right knee was raised up and he made a wincing facial expression.

Just as his view went up, Jay suddenly heard a sweet and gentle voice from beside him. “I‘m fine, just a busted lip and a few scrapes and cuts. It's nothing I haven‘t experienced before.” Jay said, his view coming to the source of that voice. It was a woman with long brown hair. As he came to the view of her, he smiled. For some reason, there was something about her that brought a certain calmness to his heart. It was most likely her gentle smile.

---

Vivian looked at Clarissa. Her first thought was what could she be thinking at this very moment? One minute she’s macking on the caramel cutie and the next Zeke blows up in her face and rushes off to god-knows where. It couldn’t be fun inside her mind right now and Vivian felt bad for her. It was in Vivian’s nature to try to help out any way that she could. To see anybody frown was not a sight that she wanted to see, even if it was Clarissa Price.

“Hey,” Vi said, as she approached Clarissa with a sympathetic smile, “you doing alright?” She asked, her voice full of genuine concern for Clarissa, “that couldn’t have been easy.”

Even though her and Clarissa didn’t see eye to eye, Vivian still was willing to lend a helping hand or an ear to listen. She wanted to make everyone feel good, even if it was someone that didn’t particularly care for her.

---

---

The moment just seemed perfect; feeling Jay's arm holding her closer made her feel warm inside. She could feel her heart beating loudly inside of her chest from the excitement of the wonderful kiss. Her lips savoring his with each passing moment; but soon enough they were parted. Her brown eyes snapped open as she gasped seeing Zeke hurl Jay into the drink's table. She flinched the moment the table collapsed below Jay. Clarissa felt her heart sink; Jay got hurt because of Zeke's temper and his feelings for her. But maybe she was too blame more than anyone else. She didn't know what had been going on through Zeke's mind when she was being nice to him-did he think it meant she had feelings for him too?

Hearing Zeke speak; Clarissa opened her mouth to speak but words had failed her. Looking at him; she could see and hear the anger, sadness in his voice. She w didn't have the opportunity to even say anything to him as he walked off; leaving her to stare after him with a some-what guilty look on her face. She didn't know where Zeke went off to; she knew he probably didn't want to speak to her after this. Letting out a big sigh, she rubbed her temple for a few moments closing her eyes. The situation felt messed up; biting her lower lip she wasn't sure what she was feeling at that moment. Her thoughts seemed to be a big blur. As she wondered if she should go after Zeke and speak to him; a new thought seemed to dawn on her. Did she feel something for him too? The truth of the matter was that she didn't know how she felt about Zeke; maybe she did feel something for him, but it was over-powered by what she was starting to feel for Jay.

Kneeling down beside Jay she saw he was being addressed by Delilah and she helped brush some of the glass shards from his back and shoulders. "Are you sure, you're okay?.....the cuts look bad." Clarissa breathed out softly in concern. She felt a lump form in her throat; she wondered what was going through his mind. Would he hate her too, enough not to let her explain? Looking at him with an apologetic and very sincere look she sighed "I am sorry." Her voice was low, as she apologized. Clarissa Price was not known to apologize for situations like these; ever. So this was new for her too. For a moment it seemed like her feelings for Jay; gave her enough sense to apologize and want to do what was 'right'. Helping Jay up from the floor, Clarissa knew that he didn't deserve what just happened. He probably deserved better than her too. Biting her lower lip; she was bracing her self for Jay to yell at her, or tell her he didn't want to see her again.

She didn't know what would come from him; but surely she would probably deserve it. Even if part of her Ego would want to be furious about it; she couldn't bring her self to be angry at Jay for whatever he was feeling right now.

---

Clarissa fell silent when she saw Vivian approaching her; for a moment or two she seemed surprised that Vivian seemed worried about her. Clarissa didn't particularly care for her, so it surprised her that Vivian was nice enough to check up on her in this situation. It just seemed to show that Vivian was the 'better' and 'bigger' person here and probably would do something that Clarissa wouldn't think about doing often...if at all.

"Umm...Hey." she spoke after a few seconds of debating with herself if she should engage with Vivian. It would seem rude not to, despite their dislike of each other. "I am fine....It's Jay I am more worried about." Clarissa told Vivian softly. And for the first time she managed to give the blonde caring hippy a little smile. Something about Clarissa in that situation just seemed genuine, her voice...the expression on her voice. There was no mask to hide behind; not even someone she cared for got hurt. She almost seemed like a different person for a few moments.

But the distant sadness in her eyes; said that she wasn't totally fine either. Clarissa felt some-what conflicted. She was trying to figure out how she felt about both Zeke and Jay. Just when things seemed to improve between her and the son of Zeus; she messed it up because she liked Jay. Brushing her curls out of her brown eyes, she felt somewhat glad that her brother was not here. She knew Skye would probably want to rip her head off, as well as Jay's...or Zeke's. Either way, she wasn't sure what she was dreading the most....her brother finding about 'everything' or having to deal with Zeke's older sister. He probably told her already. The thought made her swallow feeling uneasy.

---

---

Vivian saw it - the genuineness of Clarissa’s smile - it was like the person in front of the daughter of Apollo was not the same person she had remembered to be. That person was cruel, mean, liked to manipulate with others and laugh about it afterwards. That person that Vivian remembered wasn’t her. In front of her was a person who truly felt something for the cut up boy over by the collapsed table. She was a person who, despite all preconceptions from everyone in the entire school, seemed as honest and almost pure. Well, probably not pure - this is the daughter of Aphrodite, after all - any kid of that specific goddess would never be pure wholly and completely.

“I don’t know much about him - well, actually, I don’t know anything about him. Hell, I never seen him around until tonight,” Vivian said, losing herself in her thoughts.

Her eyes raised to the sky as she mumbled various words. Inside her mind, she was trying to place his face with any of the known children of the gods and goddesses that make up the academy. It was then that she realized that there were too many to count. You had the children of the Big Three(as the teachers called it). There was Zeus -- the self-proclaimed leader of the Gods and Goddesses. Vivian never agreed with that. If Zeke and Stella were any example to follow it was that the Zeus children had something wrong with them, but Vivian tried not to judge them since she doesn’t know them all that well.

Then, Vivian went to the children of Hades and Poseidon. Truth be told, they were pretty mellow most of the time. Some of them were indeed a bit arrogant and self-centered, but that didn’t mean that they were bad people. Take Luka for example. He’s one of the nicest people that Vivian has had the pleasure to know, even if it was on a small level. He’s the only homosexual son of Poseidon that she knew about. So, perhaps he’s the shining end of the Poseidon children. The Hades Children were unknown to Vivian. Her knowledge of who they are and what they’re all about was, sadly, limited to their names: Corinthe Malakos and Thomas Sephtis. Both of them Vivian hasn’t had interactions with, thus she doesn’t know anything about them.

Oh get a hold of yourself, Vi. You’re getting off topic in your own thoughts. You’re trying to place Jay.”

Right, Jay. Who was he? Where did he come from? Vi didn’t know anything about him. “I can’t think of who he might be, but for him to be at this academy, he must be the son of SOME god or goddess, right?” Vivian rhetorically asked, “do you know? I mean, of all people he would disclose that to, he would tell you right?” Vivian inquired of Clarissa, "he doesn’t seem like the type to speak his life story to just anyone."

Stella sighed softly to herself while walking along the outside, loving the nightly weather that surrounded the academy tonight. She did indeed want to go to the party but decided against it as she might've had to beat someone's ass, boy or girl. A soft giggle came from her at the thought as she continued walking with her heels clicking softly against the ground below her feet. Her eyes wandered around the campus as it seems that she wasn't the only person that didn't go to the party as someone of the lesser kids, at least they were to her, stood around outside and were chatting among themselves.

Stella, of course had cat calls and whistles being thrown her way but she kept on walking then squinted her eyes as she saw her brother, Zeke, sitting down on a bench nearby, by himself. She walked over there towards him and stood beside the bench. "Is this seat taken?" She asked with a chuckle then sat down anyway, looking towards him. "So, how was the party? I'm assuming you went." She eyed him again as it seemed that something was troubling him.

"Zeke? What's wrong? Did you get into a fight at the party? If so, did you at least win?" Stella rambled those questions through her lips while looking towards him as she sighed. "Or did you lose? Zeke, talk to me." She shook her brother softly as she was waiting an immediate response. She hated seeing her brother in this state of mind and honestly hoped that he tell her what was really wrong with him.

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Clarissa knew very well what most people here thought about her; she knew she was manipulative and cruel to some level. Or at least that's the way she had intended to be until she met Jay. He was the first guy that actually made her try and be different, her kindness and genuine actions weren't just fake. He wasn't just like any other guy she had met before. Just because she was Aphrodite's daughter; didn't mean that she was cold and didn't have the ability to feel and expression other emotions. Clarissa was capable of caring for others; not just her darling brother Skye. Somewhere deep inside of her; she did have a heart. And just like any other person she was capable of change for the better, if she would set her mind and heart to it.

As Vivian spoke; it seemed like she was speaking to herself thinking out loud. "He's new to the Academy. That's why you haven't seen him around before." She explained to Vivian in a rather soft voice. It was probably the first time that she and Vivian spoke in a calmer manor, without Clarissa hissing insults at her and giving her strange looks. Maybe Vivian wasn't so bad; she cared enough to check up on her and Jay despite the fact that they never got along. There was a few moments of silence as Vivian seemed to be lost in her thoughts and Clarissa was glancing over at Jay every few seconds wondering if he was okay. The cuts were pretty deep from what she could see.

Listening to Vivian speak; Clarissa nodded gently at her words "Yes.He must be son, to one of the Gods or Goddesses." Just like Vivian she was rather curious about who his real Godly parent was. Gently shaking her head she spoke "We actually haven't spoken about it, to be honest. He might have his reasons for not bringing it up yet." Clarissa told her as she bit her lower lip slightly. She wondered if Vivian was right. If Jay would tell that information to anybody...would he tell her? It did seem like a possibility.