---

---

Listening to Dallas talk was amusing - he didn't talk like most guys his age. Roze was still working out if it was pretentiously comical, or just annoying. He did talk a good case though; as did his 'wingman'.

"I guess I'll take your word for it. But the only lifting I do is climbing. I'm quite happy being able to lift just over my own body weight - anything else, I'll probably tear myself a new one or something." She said with a chuckle to Jonas. "I know they make us take this so that we don't turn into a slow, fat buffet on legs for the monsters out there - but I'm in pretty okay shape. If I were in a fight, I know for damn sure that punching them wouldn't do anything. We're not all children of the War Machine himself, y'know."
She added, giving Jonas a once over. He was pretty much the physical walking stereotype for a child of Ares. However, his lovely sister Tara covered all of the bases in body and mind.
From what Roze had witnessed anyway.

Sitting up with a sigh and crossing her legs on the bench, she began tapping out a beat absent-mindedly on her converse. If one had a good ear to music, you'd recognise Rock and Roll all Nite, by KISS.
"Nope. I'll stick to my swimming and climbing. My powers should take care of the rest." She said with a smile, then paused. "Well... hopefully."

---

---

---

---

Peter couldn't help but wince with sympathy as Charlie came rollicking through the cafe, dragging poor Ever along behind him. Before Peter could even stand up in an attempt to help, Ever had both fallen down and picked herself back up again, leaning on his table, while Charlie wagged his tail hopefully.
"Yikes. Uh, It's Peter. And... jeez, did someone give Charlie caffeine or something?" Peter asked with a chuckle, pulling out a chair so Ever could sit down. She looked alright, if a little flustered. Scratching Charlie behind the ears, Peter glanced towards the bar.
"You know what, you guys just chill here for a sec, I'll get you your order. I think Charlie needs to calm down somewhat." He added, mentally re-checking what it was Ever got practically every time she came. Coffee and a scone? Yeah - hopefully the waitress would be nice enough to spare a bowl and some water for Charlie.
Walking towards the bar, Peter saw Corinthe sat alone - once swiftly updating his order, he walked over to her, somewhat sheepish grin on his face. After the (unknowingly mutual) abandonment at the party, Peter hadn't seen Cori since. Kinda his fault, what with his paranoia and whatnot.
"Hey Cori. You waiting on somebody? He asked - she could always sit with him and Ever, after all.

Hopefully she wasn't allergic to dogs.

---

---

---

---

Sam breathed a silent sigh of relief at Serafina's reply. Of course she would understand - she always did. As she took his hand, he hesitated a moment, wondering where to start. With the vision? Or with the death?

"Ser-" He hesitated again, wondering if she'd be okay with him still using her rare nickname. From the look on her face, she just seemed happy that he was here and alive. So it was worth the chance.

"Lils.. it wasn't a good time for me. I saw some pretty horrific things, things I just wanted to forget. And coming back here, just the mere thought was dredging them back up. Pretty selfish of me... but that's why I stayed away." He said, then scoffed, shaking his head slightly at himself. "Running away from my problems, as usual."

Head ducking down in shame, he looked at the hand holding hers. Upon his ring finger sat his most treasured possession - his Grandfather's ring.
Serafina knew how much he had meant to Sam. Whenever the students got to talking about their mortal family, stories about his Grandfather were some favourites. How he had fought in the Vietnam war until he realized just how damn stupid it was, and spent the rest of his days in a 'POW camp' - which was actually just a nice-ass hotel in Saigon surrounded by gorgeous ladies. That time he got kicked out of the Navy for building a still in the boiler room and selling his banana moonshine to everyone on the ship; it was all stuff like that. The old guy had even put up a fight in the end.

"My uh... my Grandpops..." What was he going to say? Passed away? Was brutally murdered by a bunch of dead jackasses with guns?
"I had this vision of him and my Dad dying."" Sam finally managed to say, running his free hand through his hair. "Naturally, I wasn't going to be sitting 'round to let it happen, but by the time I got there... I could only save my Dad." He eventually finished, absent-mindedly swatting out a flicker of a flame that had just ignited on his bag. Gods, that shit was still happening? If he was setting fires everytime he got emotional, he was going to have to avoid the chick-flicks. And the depressing talks.
Hopefully when he told Ever about it he wouldn't set her dog's tail on fire or something.

---

---

---

---

"Oh, Sam..." Now Serafina definitely understood. She had heard his stories about his grandfather, and she knew that their bond was even closer than hers with her father. Losing a bond like that, a person like that... she was a bit surprised he had come back so soon. Surprised, but glad.

After telling her of his grandfather's death, Serafina was sure that Sam needed comfort. So she did her best to give it to him, in the form of another hug. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, near tears. It was at times like this that she wished her powers were more useful. What good would summoning peacocks do at a time like this? Truly, she felt that her particular power set was the most useless of them all.

Forcefully, Serafina pushed those thoughts away. She didn't need to think about herself right now. Sam needed her, and that would always take preference over her own silly needs and wants. When someone needed her, that's where she was, regardless of her own feelings. She was almost unable to help someone in need. It was just part of her nature.

---

---

As soon as the class she was in filled up, before the teachers had a chance to say anything, she got up from her seat and scurried up to the front of the class with a smile and the wave her hand. She introduced herself to her fellow classmates and to the professors, who raised their brows at her then eyed the class. She held up her basket of cookies like a display then sat them on the desk up front. "If you want one, please have one or two, rather." She lastly muttered before turning the class back over to the professors and walking back to her desk.

She eyed Jay on the way back to her desk as the professors thanked her for her somewhat long introduction but thanked the heavens above that it was over. Of course, the class snickered and she blushed from embarrassment. Stella paid very much close attention as they weren't going to be battling each other so soon - In fact, not for awhile as they need to learn the safety procedures and so much more first.

Stella rolled her eyes at that comment then leaned back in her seat and folded her arms over her chest. Soon, class was over and Stella stood up before anyone else did. "Thank the heavens above that this class is over." She winked over towards the professors then grabbed her basket of cookies, handing a pair to each one of the professors. "Toodles." She wiggled her fingers at them while walking out of class.

"Jay! Jay!" She shouted, stopping him. "Look, about last week..." She stood right there, looking at him straight in the eye. "You know what, I've already apologized to Clarissa so I guess there is no need to apologize to you." She said while walking past him now, brushing her shoulder against his. Her ears twitched as she heard a scream roar across the campus as she couldn't run in her heels but was going to be damn sure to get the scoop on that scream later.

Stella had made it back to her apartment, exhausted as she took off her heels and flopped down on the couch. The headmaster came over on the intercom and reported that a student had went missing. Her eyes widened as she immediately took out her phone and texted her brother, Zeke.



She hit the send button then started shaking a bit as she hoped that is wasn't her brother that was missing. If that Cori had anything to do with it, she'd feel her wrath and from others experiences, it was not pretty.

---

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---

Skye listened to Jay ramble on about how much he cared for Clarissa and what not. 'Such a softy.' Skye thought to himself while watching his sister come over and question him. His eyes widened as he placed his hand on his chest. "Me? Why does it always have to be me?" He asked rhetorically then throw his hand out towards Jay before placing it back by his side. "This guy was the one that had bumped into me." Skye eyed Clarissa then eyed Jay as her smirked. "I'll play nicey, nicey for now. But you have got to share him." He looked towards Jay and winked then looked at Clarissa, chuckling. "Kidding, of course." As Jay left their side, Skye linked his arm with Clarissa's.

"Do you really feel like going to class today? We should go somewhere and cause trouble, no?" Skye questioned with a chuckle as he walked her to the class. "Better behave, sis." He removed his arm from around hers, finding his seat and eyed the professors before him. They introduced themselves and talked about what was going to happen in the class. Skye raised his hand and was called on.

"Can't we just end the class now since Aphrodite is the greatest in Greek Mythology." The class raised a brow and most looked like they were ready to pounce on Skye. Of course, he could feel their intense, anger emotions and got a little bit sick and exited to classroom, breathing a bit heavily. While sitting on a bench outside, with his head towards the ground, he saw that classes had already ended for the day and waited to see his sister.

A scream rocked the campus as Skye went towards the direction of the scream then stopped in his tracks as the intercom blared and the headmaster spoke about a student missing. 'Damn, news travel fast around here.' He turned back around, hoping to see his somewhat darling sister exit the building and be by his side again.

---

---

After his classes were finished, James wandered around aimlessly. His ever-moving hands were playing with cards, performing simple flourishes. Eventually, he found a nice place to sit, underneath an oak tree. An Oake under an oak. Darcy would be amused. Darcy Oake, James's completely human cousin, was also a magician; they had often practiced together before James had gone to Olympus Academy.

Then, a scream split the air. With a deft motion, the deck of cards disappeared into a hidden pocket, and James scrambled upright. It came from... that way! He ran towards the scream, hoping to find out what was going on. Unfortunately, before he reached the screamer, the sound stopped. It took a bit longer for James, himself, to stop, but he managed it.

"Hey, do you know what the screaming was about?" James asked a random girl. She was blonde, and pretty, and seemed familiar somehow. Shrugging mentally, he dismissed that thought. He could figure out how he knew this girl after he got to the bottom of the mysterious screaming.

---

---

Clarissa looked at her brother and she rose a slight eyebrow at his reaction, rolling her eyes into the back of her head slightly. She then spoke "Because you're Skye, I know how you think brother. If you try and hurt Jay...then you'll face my wrath." she warned her brother, giving him a warning look before she flashed Skye a soft smile, as if nothing had happened but her eyes were still warning her brother. Jay was the first guy, she actually cared for and truly liked and she didn't want anything to ruin that.
The Daughter of Aphrodite glanced over at Jay, giving him a warm smile as he spoke to her. "I'll see you later, good luck with your class." she told him with a soft smile as she waved to him as he hurried off to his first class. Looking after him, Clarissa hoped he would be okay with his first class of the year.

Hearing her brother speak; Clarissa titled her head at Skye slightly and she gave him an annoyed look "He's not a toy Skye....if you want someone...to care for and to be happy with, then go find someone on your own and don't go after Jay." Skye was welcome to be Jay's friend, but there was no way that she would share Jay with her brother. Even if her brother was joking about the matter. She just sighed, as they headed to their first class of the school year. She sighed, not really bothering with their usual banter about causing trouble. As soon as they walked in through the door, Clarissa stopped in her tracks when she saw Zeke at the back of the classroom.

She turned a little pale, as she saw him sitting there. Swallowing, she let her brown locks fall over her face, shielding her self from his view as best as she could. Clarissa sat down, as far away from him as humanly possible in the classroom. So much for trying to avoid him. It seemed like she didn't have much luck on her side; she kept bumping into the people she was trying to avoid. She sighed and she glanced at her brother, seeing him rush out of the classroom with sickness and a head-ache from feeling people's emotions. Shaking her head, she barely listened to what the teachers spoke about. She wasn't exactly interested on getting a history lesson on Ares and Hades and Aphrodite's relationship with Hephaestus.

Standing up, Clarissa set her bag over her shoulder. She was about to head out to find her brother and see if he was alright when she heard the announcement about the missing students. She swallowed, starting to feel a little uneasy about the school year ahead with everything that's been going on so far. She needed to check up on Skye and know that Jay was alright. In her rush out of the classroom, her phone slipped out of her pocket landing on the floor. Finding her brother on the bench, she sat down beside him with a sigh. "Are you okay? I suppose you heard it too....didn't you?" she spoke, looking at her brother. She couldn't help but wonder who was missing.

---

---

The class hadn't been exactly very fun. In fact, Raven had found it quite boring, as no one said hello or even talked to her. She didn't really care, but she would have appreciated it if someone would have said hi. Walking out of the classroom with the chain of her locket hanging from her mouth (in her boredom, she had proceeded to chew on the chain), she made her way out into the grounds, walking around. She passed by a few animals and with a flick of her wrist, many of them fell asleep on her command. She smirked and ran a hand through her hair, letting out a large, loud yawn. Maybe she made a mistake coming here. Her previous life was much more exciting.

She made her way toward some grassy area when the scream was suddenly heard over the whole campus. She whipped around, the chain falling from her mouth like a ball falling from a surprised dog's mouth, and peered around. It hadn't come from nearby, but it did sound like one of the students. She looked around when the announcement came on and she swallowed hard. Huh. Maybe this place wasn't as boring as she had thought it to be. She stayed frozen for a few moments, really unsure of what to do, whether she should go back to her apartment or not, when a brunette fellow ran up to her. She cocked an eyebrow at him, registering his question before shrugging her shoulders.

She did recognize him as the magician from a few nights ago, but she still didn't know his name. "I have no idea. I just showed up a week ago, so I really don't know how you guys run things here." She smirked and lifted a shaking hand to run her fingers through her hair. "I'm Raven. Raven Daemon. I'm a daughter of Hermes, I guess... So I was told in a letter." She figured she ought to be polite at least to one person, so why not the random dude who had been running?

---

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Ever gently sat down in the chair gratefully, thankful that it was Peter and not some random stranger that she had knocked over the table of. Or nearly knocked over. She was happy to oblige when Peter told her to wait and sit while he got her coffee and scone and let Charlie chill out for a little bit. Peter just had a weird effect on the poor fellow. Ever reached down and gently petted the top of Charlie's head. Charlie was not a normal service dog. No normal service dog would have ever sprinted to someone they knew in a coffee shop. They are supposed to go where their master directs them.

But Ever would not trade Charlie in for any other dog in the world. She smiled as she stroked his silky fur. That was the only part that Ever wanted out of sight was to be able to see Charlie. She felt like she knew him well enough, with his fur and the placement of his eyes, ears, nose, and all that, but she always wanted to know what a golden retriever looked like. Were they actually gold? She had someone describe him to her, but she felt it just wasn't the same.

That scream suddenly pierced the air and it sent chills down Ever's spine. She suddenly felt that familiar paralyzing feeling that had happened to her many times before. A vision suddenly flashed across her mind as a pretty brunette was shoved into a car of some sort, but Ever could not clearly see the car. The girl fought with all of her strength, but she was overtaken by the people who had captured her. The captors jumped in the car and drove off and suddenly Ever was free of the vision. Ever shook with fear. Had that girl been a demi-god like the rest of them? She only knew people by voice, not by face, and she hadn't spoken.

The announcement came on about the missing students and Ever whimpered, reaching down to curl her arms around Charlie. "Peter!" she called, extremely frightened now. She stood up on shaking legs and grabbed Charlie's halter lead. "Peter, where are you?" She was so worried, though the scream had not come inside the cafe. It was so easy to steal a blind girl that Ever was starting to become paranoid. "Peter!"

---

---

James blinked, surprised. Of course, in an Academy this large, he expected there to be other kids of Hermes. He just wasn't expecting to meet one so soon. With a bit of sleight of hand, he produced a chrysanthemum and offered it to Raven. Not his usual choice, but he wasn't about to flirt with his half-sister. "I'm James Oake, son of Hermes. Nice to meet you, sis."

He wondered how she would react to having a magician for a half-brother, and hoped she didn't mind. Little as he liked Hermes, it would be nice to have someone to call family again. That was one of the reasons he had come to Olympus Academy. James waited, his nervousness concealed perfectly by his poker face. Would she accept the flower, and thus, symbolically accept his friendship? Or would she reject both?

He took the time to look Raven over more thoroughly. She was very pretty, and James wondered if he would play the overprotective big brother at some point. Assuming that he was the elder of the two, of course. Never assume, James. Remember, assuming makes an ass out of you and me. He reminded himself. He would have to find out, later.

---

---

Delilah was done with class for today and decided to at last check her phone for any news from Vi. It turned out that she was right and there was even another student missing today. Delilah had a bad feeling as soon as she saw that she had a missed call from her friend. Vi had called her during her class, which had to mean that it was something important. She immediately called her back, waiting. First ring.... second ring... third ring... fourth ring... fifth ring... voicemail. She had hit her voicemail. Delilah began to freak out and tried calling her again. Maybe she was taking a nap or busy doing something. She prayed that she was worried for nothing. First ring... second ring... third ring... Suddenly someone picked up.

"Oh my goodness! You're okay! You-"

"Sorry, I know I'm not the person you're looking for," a voice interrupted her. "I just happened to hear this phone ringing on my way back to my apartment and decided to pick up. I guess your friend dropped it or something? I can meet up with you to give it to you if you like."

Delilah's eyes began to water. It was definitely not like Vi to lose her phone and she could only imagine the worse. "T-thank you," she managed to say before breaking down into a sob. Her friend was probably missing and she had no idea what to do. She instantly felt regret for rushing over to class and leaving her. She regretted taking the rumors too lightly instead of taking more precautions.

"Are you okay...? the voice on the other end asked, confused at what was going on.

"I-I...I'll be fine... I'll make my way to the apartment complex now..." she answered back.

She did manage to meet up with the guy and got Vi's phone. She did not really have much to say but expressed her gratitude. Then she walked into her room and put it carefully on her desk, determined that she would find her friend soon so she can give it back. But for now, she was heartbroken and needed some rest. She laid in her bed, hugging her pillow tightly until she drifted off into reluctant yet much needed sleep.

---

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---

---

Zeke watched as the classroom began to fill up and yawned. Classes hasn't even started yet and he was already dying of boredom. He was about to pull out his phone and text Cori when he saw a face that he had been avoiding for the past week. It was Clarissa. Of course, she did not want to talk to him either, so it was fair enough. Though as soon as she walked in, he could not help but stare at her. Why did she have to be so pretty? He ended up spending half of the class staring at Clarissa, and the other half trying to focus on anything else that wasn't her, even if it was the stupid, boring lecture.

Finally the hell as over and all the students began to leave the classroom. He waited for Clarissa to leave first, as extra precaution before he left as well. He checked his phone and saw that he had gotten a text from Cori and Stella, the latter being extremely worried so he decided to text her back first.



He understood why she was worried about him, with all the disappearances. But he could take care of himself. If anything, he should be the one concerned over her. While his sister was definitely not a pushover, she would still be in danger if the person or thing tried to get her. And speaking of concern, he should probably check if Cori was okay too.



While he sounded playful in his text, he was genuinely concerned about her. He wasted no time in going to the cafe and got there as fast as he could. He may have even gotten there before she checked her phone. When he arrives, he saw that she was talking to Peter, who was a good guy in his books. He wondered how well the two of them knew each other. Maybe if he could set the two of them up.

"Hope you didn't miss me too much," he joked once he was in speaking range of them. "Hey Peter, what's up?"

He took a seat at the bar next to Cori, not bothering to order yet. He wasn't really much of a cafe person. "Are you just getting coffee for lunch?" he asked her. "Let's go grab those tacos we talked about earlier. You can join us if you want, Peter.

---

---

As Ezekiel and Chelsea explained what was going to happen in the class, Jay tried to pay attention to the best of his abilities. He didn’t understand why he was forced to join Physical Training and why it was the very first class. It didn’t suit him. Jay wasn’t the type to focus on the physical aspects of his body. That was more the jocks like Zeke. If anything, Jay belonged in the Greek Mythology classes, but for some reason, every single Demigod and Demigoddess needed to be in physical training. Jay didn’t fight it, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Even though time flew by rather slowly due to the large amount of introductions and orientation-styled format that both Ezekiel and Chelsea chose to do the first class in, the class eventually came to an end. And it was with the sound of dismissal that everyone started to gather their things and move on their marry way, except for two people that is.

When Jay’s name was called twice, he would turn around and saw that Stella was calling out to him. I sure hope she doesn’t yell at me for last week.. Jay’s anxiety was already pushing its way into his thoughts. Jay listened intently as Stella began to start what he thought was an apology, but turned out to be nothing important. All she said that she already apologized to Clarissa and that there was no need to echo it to Jay.

Sighing, Jay watched as she went on her business.

As he would gather his things, Jay proceeded to walk out of the classroom as well. It was, that is, until he heard what everyone else heard on the intercoms: A student had gone missing. Jay, right there, had stopped in his tracks. Assuming the worst, his thoughts were going straight to Clarissa and if she was the one who had went missing. He didn’t know what else to think. It could have been anyone, sure, but Jay wasn’t thinking of just anyone; he was thinking of Clarissa.

Going quickly as he could, Jay was running all over campus, looking for her. He problem spent a little over ten minutes searching the grounds. First he went to the other Physical Training areas; she wasn‘t there. Then he went to the Power Usage and Control building and Clarissa wasn’t there either. Jay then went to Battle Strategy and Clarissa wasn’t there either. Lastly, he had went to the Greek Mythology buildings. Just about when he was about to assume the absolute worst, Jay happened to turn his head and saw Clarissa with her brother, Skye.

He rushed over there in a sprint, passing by people that were in his way, knocking some of them down by accident. In his sprint, Jay stopped about three feet away from the bench, out of breath and panting as he leaned over to catching his breath. However, he only stopped for a brief moment before hugging Clarissa. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I was afraid that you were —" Jay stopped himself, " never mind, I‘m just glad you‘re safe.”

---

---

Clarissa tried to think about about something else; rather than the disturbing events happening around the school ground. A part of her was curious...another part was worried that someone she loved, cared about or was friends with could be next. As she glanced around, she caught a glimpse of Jay looking for her. She was about to open her mouth to call him over, but he already spotted her and was rushing over. The Daughter of Aphrodite sighed in relief. "Are you okay?" Clarissa asked softly seeing him out of breath, she reached out touching his arm softly. Feeling him wrap his arms around her, Clarissa embraced Jay in a tight hug giving him a gentle squeeze. Leaning against him, she closed her eyes briefly, taking in his scent.

As he spoke; she looked up at him and she could see the worry in his eyes. She sighed softly, knowing what he was going to say. "You thought...I was the missing Student?" she asked gently, finishing off his sentence. She smiled at him gently "I am okay....I promise..." she said with a gentle nod, but it was visible that the news made Clarissa slightly on edge. She wondered who would want to kidnap Demi-Gods and endanger the entire academy like that. Something was off about this whole situation, was the kidnapper/thing that was taking the students inside of the Campus's grounds? That thought send a shiver down her spine. The possibility it was someone...anyone including herself might know...or that it was hiding somewhere around on Campus was a scary thought.

Hugging Jay again, Clarissa leaned her head against his shoulder and she closed her eyes for a few moments. She was just holding onto him, like she was scared to let him go. "I was going to go look for you...I was just checking up on Skye. How did your first class go?" she spoke, changing the subject as she looked up at Jay looking into his light green eyes. Her brown hues getting lost in his gentle and loving eyes. She had no idea, that he scared a class with Stella and had an awkward encounter with her....she just hoped that things were alright for him. Seeing him with hair down, made her smile softly and she reached out brushing a few of his locks away from his eyes. As much as she wanted to be closer to him, Skye was watching so it was probably best that their closeness remained in their embrace. Clarissa knew it was better if they would stick together...just in case something would happen. It wasn't safe for people to wonder on their own.

---

---

Amelia had spent the morning in Battle Strategy Lesson. Over her years at the Academy, she had been to that class more times than she could count. It wasn't her favorite lesson, as she wasn't really much of a fighter in the first place but she did appreciate the tips and tactics that would help her with self defense if she ever needed to resort to such measures. She was just about to leave her class when she heard the announcement about the missing students. The daughter of Dionysus swallowed, turning a little pale at the news. "Who would do, such a thing?" she muttered to herself, in disbelief as she shook her head. Amelia knew a lot of people at the Academy and she was nice to everyone, even those that had their reputations of being mean, not social...even those related to Aphrodite. Amelia didn't dislike anyone to a strong degree; she managed to get along with anyone and everyone. She would never wish this on anyone...it made her worry and wonder who was in trouble.

Brushing a hand through her blonde hair; Amelia finally exited the building making her way through the Campus. Shifting her bag over her shoulder she spotted Serafina talking to someone; from far away she didn't exactly spot who her friend was talking to. Amelia had always gotten on with Serafina, she was always motherly and there when you needed her. She was a good friend. "Hey Ser...who you's your new friend...?" Amelia asked with a soft smile as she joined them, but trailed off as her eyes slightly widened at seeing the dark, handsome and tall young male that Serafina was talking to. The dark and handsome features were screaming at her...Amelia opened her mouth but no words managed to come out...just a puff of breath.

The Demi-Goddess turned her head slightly; as she blinked in shock and surprise. "Sa...Sammy?" she finally managed to choke out as she was looking at one of her oldest, closest and most dear friends. Amelia still remembered the day when she found out that Sam had left...it broke her. She just stood there on the spot...almost paralyzed from the shock and surprise of seeing him there all of a sudden. Even though he was older, she could still recognize him anywhere. He was Sam...the same guy she knew since the first day she began going here. Only he looked even more handsome than when she last saw him.

---

---

Jup, that was definitely Peter. And he seemed to have made a new friend. With a golden retriever. with a golden retriever! They were among the loveliest of dogs. Very friendly and communicative mostly. Though in her mind she was already petting the dog and running her fingers through it's fur, physically she stayed completely still. Cup of coffee in both her hands, just observing. Withouth moving, she smelled the coffee. Nobody would suspect her being weird that way. It was nice. A cheap blend, but the smell of coffee in general was something she liked. Not always, but this one she did.

She was glad Peter was busy with the other girl and with the dog, because she wouldn't know how to act when she wou- oh shit. Peter had spotted her and was coming her way. She had left him alone that night and she felt terrible about it. Now what was she going to say? Would he be mad? probably. But then again, they only knew each other for one day that day. But on the other hand, it was sort of like they were going to be fr.. oke he's here.

"Hey Peter." Cori had the same sheepishness in her grin as him. "I'm eh, hey. yeah I'm waiting for Zeke. You might know him, big blonde guy." She took a deep breath.
"I'm really sorry that I left you at the party. I didn't plan it like that." Her shoulders were slightly up, her head slightly tucked, and her eyes looked up at him with guilt.
wait.. He hadn't texted her or anything either. This was clearly a mutual thing right?
She recovered a bit.
"So, how has your week been?"

Then many things happened at the same time.
First there was a scream coming from outside. Then Peter's friend seemed to be panicking. Cori got a text.
"Maybe we should check.. She said standing up, pointing at the door.
"I think your friend.." Cori pointed at Ever.
She took out her phone and read the message from Zeke. please yes. That was good, Zeke was good. He would know what to do. She wanted to text him back, but she also wanted to go outside to help the person in need. And she also needed to finish her conversation with Peter but first he needed to get to his friend with the dog but... and..

And there he was. And her tension eased a bit. Zeke was there.
The situation was under control again.

"Hi" she smiled at him. It's good to see you
She laughed a clear laugh of relief. Her little panic attack seemed really stupid now.

"Oh how can I live without you." She answered him dramatically, while rolling her eyes.
"oh you guys know each other?" It surprised her that the two had met before.

"Yeah, let's go for those taco's! But first, please Peter, go help your friend. She might need some taco's as well."

---

---

Delilah slowly stirs and wakes up from her nap. She does not know how long she has been asleep, but her eyes feel gross and swollen. She began to remember what had happened earlier today and it made her head and chest hurt. Her best friend was gone and she did not know what to do. She forced herself out of bed; moping wasn't going to do her any good. She went over to the bathroom to wash her face, especially her eyes.

Once she was starting to feel more awake, she realized that there was someone who has the rights to know about what happened to Vivian; her brother, Dallas.

Maybe he already knows, but just in case, she should tell him, right? Was she the right person to tell him? Would it be okay if he found out through her? But that didn't matter right now. So she made up her mind to go find him.

She pulled out her phone and began to write him a text.


After she sent her text, she put on a jacket and made her way outside and waited for him at the previously stated meeting spot.

"Que pasa!?" the cheerful voice rang out a few minutes later. Dallas had thrown on a white t-shirt after Physical Education and ruffled his hair a little, and he toed the line between slightly, deliberately bedraggled and casually glamorous as he cut through the courtyard in the direction of the apartment buildings. No doubt some of that was the sun soaking up into his lightly bronzed skin, giving him a little bit of juice to keep his day going strong, but he walked so energetically and had such a wide smile on his face that you'd be hard-pressed to believe he was as lazy as his sister liked to complain while he needled her.

He aimed that smile Delilah's way and straightened out his hair - a rarity - by running his fingers through it, clamping them down, and pulling dark gold bangs over his forehead and dark eyebrows. He tossed the pullover slung over his shoulder over the back of his neck, wearing it much the way someone would wear a scarf. It was scarf weather. He'd need to talk to Vivian about who could wear what on what days. And about his sunglasses back. Every good devil wore Prada, and he couldn't let Vivian throw a kink in his accessory game no matter how much he loved teasing her.

He looked about to mention it to Delilah until he drew close enough to get a good look at the face of his little sister's hippie friend; deciding she was probably in a bad mood, he walked right over to the lampost she stood beside and stood with his spine to the ornament, arms wrapped around the back and one foot propped up behind him.

"What's up, Lilah?" he repeated in English, though from the way he sounded like he was testing the name on his tongue you might have thought Spanish was his first language after all. Nicknaming one of Viv's friends felt weird. Like a little bit of a betrayal. He'd have to nickname his sister twice as hard to get back at her. "You look glum. Is it opposite day?"

No fear on that count! Dal was a natural upper. A svelte, smiling anti-depressant so effective you'd swear he was sent from heaven! Which...he was, a little. But that little marketing spiel could wait.

Delilah was doing her best to stay strong, but when she saw Dallas coming towards her so cheerfully, she knew that he hadn't heard the news yet. He was quick to realize that she was not her usual happy self but she was not as quick to respond back to his question. She ducked her head, staring at the ground and her hands tucked into her jacket pockets.

"V-v...." she choked out. She could not even say her best friend's name without tears streaming down her face. "V-v...V-v...V-v..." She kept repeating the same phoneme over and over again, trying to get it to come out from her mouth. She was starting to sound like a flailing bumblebee trying to fly. She began to lose her balance and leaned onto Dallas for support. She let her head rest on his chest as she finally managed to say, "Vi is gone!

Dallas had started out grinning impishly at her stuttering, but as Delilah's tears started to roll and the same consonant sound kept squeaking out of her mouth, the message came through, and by the time she'd exclaimed what she'd clearly brought out here for, his face had grown cool and still as marble. Clearly, the poor kid was freaked the hell out, but Dallas couldn't tell what for. Vivian had been in Power Management - Dallas had seen her, riled her up, dropped off his shades and then made his way to PE with Jonas. Come to think of it, he didn't remember seeing Delilah around there. This was probably just a case of fucked up timing.

So why was she sobbing?

"O-kay." Dallas, taking a deep breath and damning his recent propensity for being level-headed in a pinch, finally wrapped one arm around Delilah, tucking her neck into the crook of his elbow and letting her catch her breath. "Let's rewind a second here, alright? Take it easy, I'm not going anywhere, catch your damn breath. Let's define gone, alright, Lilah? 'Cause I bumped into her just this morning, and there's only so far you can go in ninety minutes. What exactly happened?"

Delilah did as she was told and tried to calm down. She took slow, deep breaths and eventually regained her composure. Wiping the last of her tears, she stepped back and began to tell him everything.

"Well, I saw her before I went to class and she was telling me about the instances of missing students. She was really freaked out and worried, but I told her that it was just rumors. Still, she was worried anyways so I told her to text or call me if anything came up and that we'll let each other know if anything was going on. And then after class, I noticed that she had called me, which is strange, because she knew I was in class and usually would wait until afterwards. So I tried to call her back, fearing the worst, and well... She never picked up but another guy happened to find her phone ringing on the ground near here."

She hoped she wasn't talking too fast and that he got all of it. She then asked quickly, "What do you think that means?"

That you kids probably should have watched more horror movies while you had the chance. Not that it would have done any good. Delilah seemed like the kind of kid who spent so much of the movie hiding behind her pillow with her bowl of popcorn that she wouldn't be able to see the dangers of splitting the party.

Dallas was fighting to keep his heartbeat level, but he could feel himself simmering with frustration - at his sister, at these apparent rumors that he'd had no idea existed (thanks for the heads up, sis!) and at whatever was snatching kids in the first place. Could be some neckbearded demigod creep who was mad that he hadn't snagged an invite to a beer bash that, really, wasn't even that great as far as Dal's beer bashes went anyway. Could be something more sinster. Dal wasn't a detective, but Delilah probably hadn't texted him wanting one anyway.

"I don't know what it means," he admitted, voice rock steady with a small sigh at the end. "I'll ask around. See if I can charm some kind of answers outta somebody on faculty." He smiled widely at the daughter of Demeter, just to prove that he could probably use the expression for something besides mischievous gains if he had to. "If this is a thing that's been happening to a lot of kids, they have to be looking into it. I won't let go of this, alright, Lilah? She's my sister. And she has my fucking sunglasses. They're Prada. Gift from Dad when I started at Olympus. If I gotta go to hell to get 'em back, I gotta go to hell to get 'em back."

Dallas sighed again after a second and wiped the few wet spots on the demigod's cheeks off with the sleeves of his pullover-scarf-hybrid-thing.

"Hey, look at me. This is gonna blow over, alright? They'll get the kids back. Or, someone will. Even if it's gotta be some of us. As for me...if anything wants to snatch my ass, it had better have packed for a street fight." Hey, no one had ever said he was a peaceful kind of guardian angel. "I'm not going anywhere any time soon, kid. Not without a good scrap. So if you ever feel paranoid, or scared, or want to talk about anything in the world until you get her back, just buzz me."

Delilah nodded her head, managing to smile back at the son of Apollo. She did not regret talking to him. As it turned out, he really did have a way of cheering people up in what seemed to be the darkest of times. Even if she didn't understand him half the time.

"Thanks Dallas," she said, starting to sound like her old self again. "Sor-... I'm grateful that you took the time to talk to me. I thought that you would be the one who would need comforting, but it turns out I needed it more than you did. Even though Vi may complain about you to me all the time, you really are her older brother."

She chuckled softly and tilted her head up towards the sky. "I'll do my best too," she added thoughtfully. "Anyone who messes with my best friend does not get away with it without any consequences." She then put her two fist up jokingly as if she was a boxer, jabbing the air.

Dallas Relo, who had been dirty boxing in public schools since the age of ten, snorted at the display and gripped Delilah's forearms. It only took a second of readjusting her arms to get her into a proper stance; left after right, right after left, he gently pulled her arms forward to punch him in the chest lightly, twice with each hand.

"Attagirl. Consequences is my second middle name." He grinned and wrapped one arm around the lampost, looking up towards the morning sun. Casually, Dallas blew hair out of his eye and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Now, your boxing could use more than a little work. But you've got the right hustle."

"Wow, teach me your ways, master," Delilah said, smiling and admittedly impressed. While she was not a fighter, she could feel that the motion was a lot smoother as Dallas was guiding her. Perhaps she should take combat practice more seriously, just for self defense.

It was hard to believe that she was just crying a few minutes ago. Granted, she was still worried about Vi, but she felt more confident that things will be okay. And she was going to find her best friend if it was the last thing she did.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, realizing for the first time since they have started talking that she probably looked like a mess. Her hair was messy from just waking up, her eyes and nose were red from crying, and her jacket didn't even match what she was wearing as she just took out whatever was the first thing she could reach from her closet. Especially when standing in front of a guy who naturally looks good no matter how little effort he puts into it.

"T-thanks again for everything. I better go... do... something...yeah," she said, suddenly feeling shy.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I should, too. Kidnappers don't usually kick their own asses." Dallas tapped the bottom of Delilah's chin with index and middle finger, clicking his tongue to emphasize the motion. "Keep your head up, kid. We'll get her back so fast that she won't even have had time to stop being pissed at me."

"Ah...okay," she stammered nervously as he tapped her chin. She felt so conscious of him all of a sudden, and it felt weird. She hoped that he didn't notice her acting strange or anything. "I-i'll let you know if I hear anything so uh talk to you later?"

"Yeah, for sure. I'll do the same. You got the Batphone's number--" Dallas tapped his iPhone through the pocket of his jeans "--so getting a hold of me shouldn't be a problem. I'll start schmoozing some teachers. Shiiiiit. Most of them will probably be so surprised I'm awake and sitting up in class that I could probably schmooze 'em for their firstborn sons."

Dallas bit the back of his lip and thought that over for a second, finger combing his hair.

"There's a thought...might see if I can do that when Viv gets back. That'll really get under her skin." The son of the sun laughed mischievously and gave Delilah a two finger salute as he released his embrace of the lampost and landed on the soft grass of the courtyard. "Take care of yourself, ki-Delilah. See ya 'round."

Delilah couldn't help but smile at her best friend's older brother. "Yeah... see ya," she sighed quietly as he walked away. As she made her way back to her apartment, she felt her face was getting warm. "...I think...No, I must just be imagining things."

---

---

Roze had decided to ditch the lesson.
Despite Jonas and Dallas' persuasion tactics, she just wasn't feeling it today - instead deciding to take yet another stroll around the campus. Thankfully the campus was quite large - way too large to accommodate less then 500 students, and even less Professors.

"Maybe this place used to be more popular." Roze thought to herself, kicking a few fallen leaves as she walked at a lazy pace. Maybe the Gods had seriously declined in their fucked-up relationships with humans... or,. maybe more and more were dying before even getting to go here.

As if it were mirroring her thoughts, the announcement about a missing student sounded from the distance, and a chill went down Roze's back.
"Jesus H. Christ. Missing student?" She muttered to herself, coming to a stop in her wanderings.
Surely, it must be someone who just skipped class... right? But... no. For them to make an announcement, it would have to be serious.
And judging by the fact that students were pretty much free to leave whenever they wanted, the fact that they announced it left with one conclusion; foul play.

Immediately, Roze felt as though mean, dark eyes were on her. She was a kid again, seeing monsters out of the corner of her eye in Washington.
She'd been told repeatedly that nothing bad could cross the border of the Academy. But if a Demi-God had gone missing, then that meant none of them were really safe.

The easy-going, mischievous smile that had seemingly permanently been latched on Roze's face since her arrival vanished, instead being replaced with a look of fear, and anticipation, until she clsoed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright Roze... don't lose it. You finally got better." She thought firmly to herself, re-opening her eyes.
"You killed the monsters. They're gone. They're not coming back. You killed them. You killed them. _{You killed them."}

Roze continued this silent mantra until her panic had finally ebbed away. However, out in the open like this by herself was nothing close to comfort - screw the walk. She was going back to where people were.

"At least I'll be less paranoid among people. Even if it is pissed off, anti-skiving teachers. She muttered to herself, turning on her heel and heading back towards the main area of the campus. She certainly wasn't in the mood to head back to the apartments, and she had no lesson until late afternoon.

"The café should probably have people in it. And also food. Both. Both is good.

At that decision, Roze made a beeline for the café.

---

---

---

---

"Well, my week has been mostly terrible sleep schedules, paranoia, and an awful concoction of alcohol and caffeine." Peter began with a chuckle, taking off his sunglasses and rubbing his eyes.
Although he had caught up slightly on his sleep, he still felt drained after a morning of lectures.
"As for Zeke - yeah, I remember him from the party. As for the party - I think when we split up, we both went back home. Obviously we both weren't in the mood that night." He finished with a somewhat apologetic smile, taking a sip of his drink as it finally arrived. The espresso was bitter, but not as bitter as he was used to. However, that's what one should expect when you go to a cheap café.
However, Peter's smile disappeared as a scream reverberated through the air - and it wasn't a scream of laughter or joy. It was one of fear. As an announcement sounded just moments after the scream notifying the students of a missing person, Peter felt as though a cold hand had clamped over his heart. Not so much the fact that he may have known the person, but more the fact that a threat like that was there. How could someone - or something - get onto the campus to actually take someone away?

At the same time of Zeke's arrival, Ever began calling for him, fear rather prevalent in her voice.

"Uh... hey Zeke." He began, eyes darting between the two of them and Ever. "I'll take a rain-check on those tacos." He added before hurrying over to Ever, automatically putting his arms around her as she stood up in her panic.

"I'm right here Ev - you're safe." He said to her quietly, holding her close.

Normally, this kind of behaviour wasn't usual for Peter. Seriously, if he was hugging a girl after knowing her for less than a week, it was for far more seductive reasons than soothing the lady.
Not that he was particularly focusing on this too much at the moment - frightened friend and mysterious missing person were kinda taking the priority on his mind right now.

---

---

---

---

Sam had to say - he appreciated the sympathy, but it didn't really do anything. All it did was make Serafina sadder than she had been before.
"Thanks Lils; but don't be sorry." He said, rubbing her back with a slight smile. "He lived a good life. And I did him proud, even if my Dad never did. As for the reasons he's dead..." Sam's voice trailed off and his gaze hardened, his eyes suddenly becoming like ice.

"Well, they aren't going to be enjoying their afterlife anymore than their own deaths; let's just leave it at that." He muttered in a dark tone, his smile gone for the moment. His revenge on the bastards had definitely been bittersweet.

A scream, closely followed by an announcement, broke his vengeful reverie for a moment, and the pair broke apart, glancing around them.

Another disappearance? Okay, the vanishing of some of my old friends was weird... but a missing person now? In broad daylight during lessons? Sam thought to himself, frowning ever so slightly. Something about this smelled bad. Maybe this was what his Mom was talking about when she brought up his visions? Was he going to start spewing up blood and collapsing again?

"Oh man... I hope that wasn't someone I knew..." He said out loud, immediately thinking of Ever. Shit, she was blind. She'd be pretty easy to abduct, as long as she didn't see you coming in a vision first.

His second thought of a missing person that would still his heart gravitated towards him just before he heard her voice; Amelia.
Turning to look at her, yet another wave of guilt washed over him upon seeing her face. Her hair had changed since last he saw her - her brunette locks were now a shade of blonde - but her face had remained as beautiful as he had remembered.

They had grown up together for a good few years, knowing each other as they went through the awkward teenage years and becoming the closest of friends. Although he was on close terms with Serafina, with Amelia, it was different, somehow.

"Lia..." Was all he managed to say, unsure of what to do. With Serafina, it had been easy enough to hug her, because it had been easy to gauge her reaction to it. However, it would be harder to say with Amelia. Would a hug result in a return hug, a rejection, or a punch in the face?

He didn't want to risk finding out - not without giving her an explanation first, anyway.
"How... how've you been?" He finally managed to stutter out, ducking his head slightly.

Jeez, Sammy. Smooth.

---

---

When she heard the scream, Serafina's mind cycled through all her children, hoping that they were safe. All that did was make her more worried, sadly. Taking out her phone, she sent off rapid-fire texts to every demigod in her contact list, asking for conformation of their safety. That done, she put the phone away and turned her attention to Amelia. She managed a slight smile for the younger woman, but said nothing; words were unnecessary. For her, at least.

The scream and subsequent announcement had unnerved Serafina to the point where her text alert sound surprised her. People who didn't know her well would be surprised to learn that her text alert was the "item get" noise from Legend of Zelda. People who knew her well, however, knew that her ringtone was Epona's Song and her homepage wallpaper was Princess Zelda in front of the Triforce. Checking her phone, she sighed in relief and crossed one name off the list of potential abductees. Hopefully that list would continue to dwindle.

Serafina fiddled with one of her earrings, a sure sign that she was nervous. She wouldn't be able to stop worrying about her family until she knew they were all safe. Of course, she also wouldn't be able to stop worrying about the missing student until she knew they were safe, whoever they were. So really, she would be worried until everything was worked out and the kidnapper found. Hopefully everything would turn out all right. If the kidnapper harmed their victim, however... Hera's daughter would go into full "mama bear" mode and make that kidnapper rue the day they came to Olympus Academy.

---

---

Amelia gave Serafina a gentle smile; just nodding towards the daughter of Hera in silence. She knew that She preferred actions over words at times and Amelia respected that. This wasn't about words, at the moment...at least not between her and the daughter of Hera. Even though she could feel her phone buzzing inside of her bag; she didn't answer the text. Serafine could see that she was alive and safe for her own two eyes. Amelia could sense the discomfort in the air, due to the situation. But she tore her eyes away from Serafine for a few moments to concentrate on Sam.
For a few moments, there seemed to be awkward silence in the air between the two close friends...Amelia could feel her heart beating faster and louder in side of her chest; in anticipation, waiting for Samael to do or say something.

Hearing him use her old nickname, caused a soft smile to form on her lips. It had been so long since she had someone call her Lia; it felt good but at the same time her heart quivered from the pain and loss of him being gone for the last two years. Amelia had tried to reach out to Sam; calling him, writing...but she never got a single message back. It was like he had dissapeared to the ends of the earth....fearing for his life. But here he was, in one peace as if nothing had ever happened...as if he never left, leaving her broken and grieving for him. But her expression soon changed, as she heard his question.

"That's what you have to say, to me?" Amelia sounded hurt, by his question. The hurt and confusion seemed to flash through her eyes and features as she was looking at Sam, in silence for a few seconds after she asked her question. She had expected something more...a greeting...a hug...or I missed you...instead she just got that stupid question. "Maybe, you should try and figure that out yourself! How would you feel if I left for two years...without a word...not answering any messages or calls...huh? Once you figure that out...then you'll know how I felt!" She spoke with a frown on her face, Amelia felt tears building up in her eyes but she glanced away from Sam, blinking back the tears. A part of her felt hurt by his departure, his return and his lack of a greeting. But a part of her didn't know what he had been through...she wasn't sure if she should be angry with him...or listen to him. "I don't get a hug..or I missed you speech...or any of the above?!" her voice was cracking, as she looked upset. She had expected more from Sam, than that.

She could feel a tear slide down her cheek; brushing her tears away with the back of her hand she closed her eyes. She had expected more from Sam...some kind of explanation.....greeting....anything. But instead, she just got a reaction she didn't count on. A reaction that didn't seem like him. Amelia couldn't help but feel, that she thought she knew him better than that. Amelia had felt more for Sam, than she had ever felt for another person...he wasn't just her best friend....she thought more than that, when it came to him and their relationship. That's why his leaving hurt more....and this moment hurt worse than getting kicked in the stomach. Amelia sighed deeply, she knew that her hurt emotions towards his question wouldn't solve anything...it would make the matters worse. All she could do was hear him out, if he had an explanation for anything, including his behavior towards her.

---

---

Zeke watched as Peter went to attend his friend before turning back to Cori. "I guess it's just you and me again, chiquita." he chuckled lightly. "The Dynamic Duo. Children of Heaven and Hell. The Dream Team. And the list goes on and on." He smiled, already thinking about that mouth-watering chicken taco he has been craving since he brought it up earlier this morning.

"Allright team, let's move out.
Just let me check on Peter and his friend real quick."

Cori hurried to Peter. "Hey Pete, so we're leaving for taco's now. See you guys later."
She petted the dog real quick, before returning to Zeke. "Bye!"
She waved at the duo, while realising that the girl was probably blind. Well, Peter saw it. She turned to Zeke.
"So mister lightning bolt, where is this taco place I've been hearing so much about?"


"Do you ever run out of nicknames?" Zeke groaned, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, just follow me."

The two left the cafe and began to walk across the campus until they reached the entrance of the school. "It's off-campus, but it's only about a ten minute walk if you don't mind." Normally it would take him about half a minute when he goes for a quick taco run, but that didn't seem to be possible since Cori did not have super speed.

"Never!" she chuckled. "Allright let's walk." She was still pondering on the super speed thing from Zeke, he had to carry her super speed one of these days. Just when she meant to ask him about it, he came with another question.

They continued on for a while when Zeke decided to ask about Peter. "Hey Cori, are you into him? he asked, not very subtle about it.

"ehm" She cleared her throat. "what?
you mean eh? Peter? no. Nooo. Well. No. We had a.. the first night with the party. When I met you, we actually went to the party together but then eh, I kinda forgot about him. I know I know. That sounds super bad! I was just talking to him about it. But luckily he had left as well. I mean, we mutually abandoned each other, so that was good."
None of the words seemed to come out right. Why was Zeke asking her about this? He caught her offguard. Was he checking if she was available? But he had that thing for Clarissa. Evil Clarissa, who had dared to break his heart. But he knew Peter. Had they talked about her? Was he trying to set her up with Peter? Great Cori, you got your crush to hook you up with somebody else....
wait, crush?
That was the first time she fully admitted that to herself. She tried to undo it.
nah, not crush. I mean just... just forget about that for now.
But to no avail.
She cleared her throat again. "I mean, yeah sure. He's a nice guy. But I'm not into him. So ehm, why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

Zeke raised his eyebrows curiously as she began to ramble on and on about how she did not have a thing for Peter. Unfortunately, he mistaken her flustered outburst as confirmation for the fact that she probably did have a thing for Peter but did not want to admit it. That's what girls do right? When they get all embarrassed and deny that they like a guy, they actually mean they like him? At least that's what he had learned from past experiences.

"Calm down, Juliet," he said, patting her on the head. "I won't tell Peter anything about your little crush. I just wanted to know." He shrugged casually, revealing he had no other motives for asking.

"No I'm.." Cori felt defeated. ...into you.
But Zeke was not on the same level about this. She kept her face straight. Or at least as much as she could, so he wouldn't see that she was sad. She groaned internally. But some sound might have escaped her mouth. Allright. Great friends it is. The thoughts were not aligned with the feeling that came with it. She hated the fact that she would even help this guy get with Clarissa if the situation would arise. Asshole.

They arrived at the taco place. "yay taco's" she said softly with a powerless fist in the air. It just came to shoulder level.

For some reason Zeke did not understand, Cori was no longer seeming like her normal self. She didn't even seem to be excited about the tacos anymore. "Come on, Cori. These tacos are beast, you gotta show more enthusiasm, it's disrespectful to the tacos otherwise," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Maybe it was a bad idea to bring up Peter. Maybe she was worried about that other chick that Peter was with earlier. Zeke tried to do his best to think of a way to cheer up his friend, while getting his tacos of course.

---

---

After those delicious tacos, Cori's mood still hasn't improved. They had already made it back to campus but not a lot of words were being said.

"You shouldn't be so down Cori. You are like one of the most amazing people I know. Whatever guy you like or end up with would definitely be the luckiest guy in the world. You're pretty, smart, and funny. Plus, you're able to put up with an idiot like me which is an amazing feat. So cheer up," Zeke said, sounding cliche as a rom-com on a friday night. He was not really used to cheering people up. "Peter would have to be stupid not to like you back."

Zeke was funny and tried to cheer her up. The taco's were good too. But it couldn't get to her. She felt stupid. When they arrived back at campus and Cori was pretty sure she had been taking all of the fun out of the trip for Zeke and now she would go to her apartment and he would not be as enthousiastic to talk to her anymore, he stopped to say the most beautiful things.
She half cried half laughed, but ofcourse she hid the crying part. So it was sort of a weird laugh of relief coming from her.

"You're very sweet Zeke. And a great friend. Thanks."
And then there was the part about Peter.
"It's not Peter. Man.. it ís a great feat to put up with you." She joked and she punched him in the chest. Ofcourse she wouldn't have done that unless she knew for certain that it would be absolutely harmless to him.
"I'm going to my apartment. See you later Z."



Zeke didn't quite get the last part nor did he quite feel the "punch" Cori dealted. But he did understand that she was feeling better. "Alright, see you later Cori."

As she left, he fiddled with the necklace that she had given him. It gleamed nicely in the sunlight and felt comfortable in his hands. Once she was out of sight, he made his way to the courtyard, not really with anything to do or anywhere to go.

---

---

So. She'd skipped her first class at a new school. Check plus plus Tali, really proving you're an excellent student there, she thought, walking slowly across the Academy courtyard. Really, though... She didn't feel too bad. Put the lung-crippled, power-disabled girl in either PE or power-training. FANTASTIC idea. She was kicking a stone in front of her as she walked along the path, barely conscious of those around, just focusing on not knocking the rock into the grass.

Words started to filter into her perception. Something about a missing student... Vivian, or some such? She thought she'd seen her before, maybe at the opening ceremony. Oh yeah, insanely happy one. Tali moved her hand to her chin, rubbing it as she continued to move the stone farther down the path and closer to that blonde boy and flower girl. The rock skittered off the pavement, and she sighed, bending down to pick the rock back up. When she stood again, the girl was gone, the blonde boy was just lying on the grass and staring at the sky. She sighed, put the rock in her pocket, and walked toward him.

She coughed twice before she could speak, evidently that quick of a rise was a little too much for her lungs. Eventually one of the staff was going to ask her, she might as well preempt it... Didn't want to seem like a selfish jerk to a bunch of people she didn't know. "I can find your sister, maybe... If you want..." Tali looked down, smiling slightly. "Oh, suppose I should say. Natalia Lowe. Pleased to meet you."

---

---

It warmed Jay’s heart to hear and get an acknowledgement that Clarissa was not the student who had gone missing. Just her reassuring him that she wasn’t going anywhere made him smile happily. He didn’t want to think of any scenario where she was going to be taken by anyone, or go missing all-of-a-sudden.

When their embrace ended, the subject was changed to a completely different one. Jay sighed slightly. “It was alright. I had Physical Training, but it was more just an introduction to the course than actual physical training.” Jay said with a slight disinterest in the class. “Stella was in my class, though.” Jay said, mentioning that he shared it with the Daughter of Zeus. “She was going to apologize, or so I thought. It turned out that she felt she didn't need to towards me since she did so to you.” Jay said, looking at Clarissa.

Jay could still feel the superiority-complex that Stella had as if she was standing right in front of him. The way that she justified her not apologizing to him by saying she had already done so to Clarissa got under Jay’s skin just slightly. It wasn’t cause he felt like he was deserving of an apology, but rather, after how Stella treated him, it would be the humane thing to do. As Jay soon figured out, however, Stella wasn’t exactly what one would call humane - especially to people like Jay.

Sighing as he looked at Skye and Clarissa, Jay decided to take a seat on the bench. That sprint that he did robbed him of his stamina and he needed to rest up. “How about you guys - any better than mine?” Jay asked Clarissa and Skye, rotating his gaze between the two of them equally.

---

---

Seeing the smile on his lips and knowing that he felt a bit calmer; seemed to calm Clarissa. She returned the warm and soft smile towards Jay. Clarissa felt Jay's relief, knowing he worried about her made her blush at the tender thought. He really was sweet, caring and protective towards her. She was lucky to be with a guy like Jay. He made her want to be a better person and she was still trying to get to that goal, one day at a time.

Listening to him speak about his class, her smile faded away slightly when he mentioned he shared a class with Stella. "If it makes you feel better, I had to share my Mythology class with her brother, Zeke." The Daughter of Aphrodite breathed out with a slight sigh. Before Jay could even comment on that, Clarissa carried on "Don't worry...nothing happened. We were both avoiding each other." she reassured Jay as he joined them on the benches. It seemed like Zeke was avoiding her also; Clarissa did not want a confrontation with the son of Zeus; dealing with his sister was enough.

As Clarissa learned more about what Stella had said to Jay...or more specifically...her lack of apology made Clarissa frown with disapproval. Anger and annoyance seemed to flash across her features; her brown eyes seemed more darker from the emotions running through her. Her jaw clenched slightly, to keep herself from yelling. She just shook her head as a deep sigh rolled from her lips. "She might have apologized...but she didn't bring you up in the Apology what-so-ever." Clarissa told Jay as she sighed. Jay deserved the apology, as Stella treated with his dis-respected and threatened him. But Luckily, he didn't get bribed with her cookies and Clarissa hoped that if Stella would see the sense to apologize she would not bribe her way through the apology.

'I think, I know what she's doing.' Clarissa thought to herself with a deep sigh. It felt like Stella was playing some sort of game, waiting for Clarissa to apologize to her brother, before she would even think about acting kind or apologetic towards Jay. That thought didn't make her happy...she didn't attack Zeke's friends. If anyone should apologize, it would be Zeke for throwing Jay into the table.


As Jay asked her and Skye about their lesson; Clarissa seemed to feel a little better and the anger and annoyance about Stella's conversation with Jay was dissapearing slowly. "Class was a bit boring, It was just a history lesson on Ares, Hades and mine and Skye's mother's relationship/marriage to Hephaestus." she breathed out with a slight shrug. The class didn't really interest her that much, And Skye didn't really miss anything important. Clarissa smiled at Jay slightly, but couldn't help but sigh-clearly still bothered by the fact that Stella didn't have the nerve...or courage to apologize to him.

---

---

"Well, if it isn't the dropdead ditz, the crumpled cook, and the lipstick legend," Tara said, shaking her head as she walked up to the OH SO LOVEY DOVEY PAIR, her brown eyes flashing and a wide smirk on her face. "Umpires don't apologize, kids, they just throw players out of the ballpark. Literally, in some cases." Baseball metaphor aside, she had to admit she was proud of that line. Alliteration, smackdown potential... Mmmm. And... Back to the topic at hand.

She didn't really know Jay so well, so insults and arguments were limited on that front. All she'd seen was Zeke hand his arse to him on a silver platter back in Dallas' apartment over the weekend like a meal Tomers would cook, and to be honest... Didn't give her such a good impression of him. To be honest, though, his choice in women was worse... Clarissa Price? The second worst person on campus? Please. And she'd been remarkably unusual lately--Tara had at least seen how Clarissa hung on Jay's every word, acting like a couple that had been together for eons after a very few days. Maybe the resident manipulative bitch had finally met her match, but it still seemed odd.

Clarissa and Skye, on the other hand, she had experience with.

"What's the matter, children of love? Have you finally found a situation that you can't weasel your way through? Out of favors? Or has Clarissa finding someone she's halfway interested in robbed you both of leverage over the other students on campus?"