---

---

Ignoring Ray for now, Harvey kept his eyes on "Oh these?" Harvey was purposely flexing his muscles, "these are baby cuts. I've experienced a lot worse." He laughed. When Mari revealed her name, he spoke. "Hecate huh?" Harvey said with a smile, "you're nothing like that brooding vampire, Sammy. You're the real deal decedent of that Witch Goddess." Harvey commented,speaking of her half-brother, Samael Krios.

Harvey has had a couple run-ins with that brooding, muscle car-driving, Son of Hecate. Before he left Olympus Academy a few years ago, Harvey could recall knowing him. They never really got along, but there's enough history there for the Son of Artemis to confidently say that he knew him. He hasn't spoken to Sam since he got back. Hell, Harvey didn't really speak to him even then. He really didn't like that one. Maybe it was Harvey's natural confrontational self or perhaps there was something more at work. Who knew? Perhaps it had to do with their mothers. Harvey never really paid attention to which Gods and Goddesses his cunt of a mother liked and didn't like.

Harvey saw Marilee take her hand back. He raised an eyebrow. Mari would apologize to everyone, specifically that Peter, Son of Athena. Harvey didn't have any like or dislike towards him. So he didn't give Peter any form of smile or antagonistic smirk.

Leaning against the countertop, Harvey's eyes fell on Ray briefly. He saw the Son of Aphrodite give him that same look that he always gave him. Harvey shook his head and laughed. "Marilee, was it?" Harvey asked. "You want to get out of here? I know a much better cafè than this one. It's without the stench of a certain beverage-drugging smoker." His eyes fell back on Ray, chuckling somewhat mockingly.

---

---

Watching Jay and Clarissa, Amelia couldn't help but smile softly. At least the two seemed to be on good terms again. Hearing Sam, she shook her head smiling. "Well, come on then. Let's eat." she breathed out, as she walked over to the dining table. Sitting down on one of the chairs, Amelia took a few sips of the berry juice...the sweet flavors quenching her thirst. She waved Clarissa and Jay over. "Come on...before it all gets cold." Seeing the delicious food, made her realize just how hungry she had been feeling that morning. Her stomach rumbled yet again.

Still in their embrace, Clarissa squeezed Jay gently listening to his words but it seemed like Sam cut in. She shot Sam a playful glare. "You were saying?" she asked, smiling over at Jay softly as she stood up carefully and made her way over to the table...playfully slapping Sam on the back of his head...giving him an innocent smile. She stopped glancing around, her brown eyes narrowed slightly. "Has anyone seen my phone?" she asked, remembering she heard her phone ringing earlier...when her head was still spinning.

Amelia laughed, hearing Clarissa's words. She shook her head...so this is what happened. Clarissa forgot where she had tossed her phone, when drunk. "You threw it, onto one of the couches last night." she informed her, with a slight playfull smirk on her lips.
Clarissa just nodded, making her way over to the couches...looking under pillows; she finally found her phone. Taking it..she stopped as she saw a missed text-message from her brother Ray and a missed call from her older sister Ashley. Clarissa swallowed slightly, as she made her way over to the table. Ashley calling her, could only mean one thing. The older daughter of Aphrodite must be back....not seeing Ashley at the start of the year, must have been Clarissa's highlight. Thinking she was in the clear...that her 'darling' sister would not return. But she was oh so wrong.
Seeing the bitter look on Clarissa's face...Amelia rose a slight eyebrow. "Who is it?" she asked, nodding over to her phone.

Swallowing her pride, Clarissa did her best to plaster a smile on her face. "My dear...dear...sister...has returned." she ended up frowning, her voice sounding bitter and annoyed. The two daughters of Aphrodite, did not have the best of relationships...Clarissa did not feel like a sister, most of the time. She felt like some toy, of Ashley's...a puppet if you will. Her relationship was no better than her with Skye's or any worse than her with Ray's....it was so and so. One day, the two could get on and pretend to be nice and civil. The next moment, it was cat claws out and bitchiness all around. Her hand clenched her phone a bit tighter, before she slumped down against her seat...taking a few more sips off her already drunk from glass of berry juice.

"Oh yay..." Amelia feigned enthusiasm and she then sighed, frowning along with Clarissa. Amelia didn't particularly like Clarissa's older sister. "This should be fun....." she breathed out with a slight sigh. She knew how tattered and complicated Clarissa and Ashley's relationship seemed to be. What was more...she knew that Skye was Ashley's favorite...no surprises there. The two were like the same pea in a pod.

Clarissa just nodded, with a slight pout. "Yeah...almost had my hopes up she wouldn't turn up this year. But every year...the same dreaded phone call...means her arrival. I am surprised, she's not even more late, than last year." Clarissa muttered...mostly to herself as she was thinking out loud. Oh well...she would have to face the music...sooner or later. Her lips pursed in annoyance...it took Clarissa a few moments, to calm down before she tucked into the hearty and still warm breakfast. The cooked breakfast seemed to help with the nerves and hung-over to a degree. It made her feel full....not to mention how delicious it was.

Amelia could tell how nervous Clarissa became about Ashley. She glanced over at Jay. "Be warned...stay away from Ashley...just be happy, you haven't met her...yet." she gave him a friendly warning. After what had happened with Skye, she could imagine that he wouldn't like to see and meet Ashley. Ashley was a perfect mash-up of the older Clarissa and Skye put together...therefore a disaster waiting to happen. But she would keep an eye out on the two love birds, and make sure Ashley would not conjure up her wrath...or charms to sway Jay to the other side. The daughter of Dionysus became silent for a few moments, just spaced out and taking time alone with her thoughts. But enjoying the warm breakfast...it was tasty. The different ingredients and tastes, were different than she was used to. Well...at least Jay was a rather good cook.
"This is delicious by the way." the two girls commented, on Jay's cooking after a few moments of silence and enjoying the different flavors.

---

---

Roze awoke from a surprisingly nice and deep sleep - so deep, in fact, that it left her groggy and confused as she awoke. The room was still pretty quiet, just Cori's quiet breathing making itself known in the dark. Slipping quietly from her hammock and walking around the bed, Roze opened her bedroom door and peeked out - Zeke was passed out on the couch, snoring quietly. Roze laughed quietly at the sight of him sprawled out in front of the TV, which was still displaying the menu screen for the first Hobbit movie.

After Cori had sorted Roze out, the three of them had settled in for the night by eating junk food and watching movies - or rather, just the one, as it was a long ass movie that Roze had picked out. Whether the pair had been bored by it or not, Roze didn't know - but if it were the case, they had been nice enough to not mention anything. The hours had eased her worried mind, and the attack was soon forgotten by the time the three of them collapsed into their different beds.

Entering the kitchen, Roze glanced into a mirror she'd placed on the fridge, surrounded by various fandom-related magnets and those alphabet magnets that you could make funny phrases with. Despite her decent sleep, she looked pretty bad. Her skin was pale, barring a light bruise surrounding the bandage on her face - most likely from the cuts that lay underneath - and shadows under her eyes. Sighing lightly, she ignored her reflection, instead deciding to focus on breakfast.
Which comprised of pepsi max - naturally.

Cori yawned with her entire body as she woke up. It took her a few seconds to realise where she was when she opened her eyes. But quickly she remembered everything that had happened the other day. And despite all the bad things that were going on, she was delighted. She jumped out of the bed and put on only her long T-shirt. It was like they were a little family now. Zeke was her boyfriend. Roze was her best friend, and for today they practically lived together. Sure there were enemies, but they were demigods, and they were going to stick together and she would make sure nothing bad happened to Roze or Zeke ever! As she walked into the room she found Zeke on the couch. She kissed him on the cheek. "Morning sunshine."
From the kitchen she heard some noise that probably indicated Roze was in there. The familiar sound of a soda can that was being opened made her sure about that fact. It put a smile on her face to know her friend that well. When she saw her friend she hugged her from the back. "Goooodmorning Roze. I'm glad to see that you're still your old self."
Cori looked around to find the equipment she needed. "How are you feeling today? I'm gonna make some coffee. You want some?"

Zeke began to stir as he felt a kiss on his cheek. He slowly opened his eyes to see that Cori had already gone into the kitchen. He yawned while stretching, though still a bit reluctant to wake up. He ran his hand through his messy bed-head in attempt to fix it. The couch was fine and all, but it wasn't long enough to fit his entire body so he was stiff in random places. He sat up and began to stretch some more.

After stretching, he got up and headed towards the kitchen as well. He leaned in the door way and yawned. "Good morning," he said tiredly. "What's going on? Breakfast? He yawned again. Maybe he should go back and sleep an extra hour. He decided against it. He'll wake up after drinking some coffee or something.

Although smiling as Cori hugged her, she put her tongue out at the mention of coffee.
"Euch. No thanks. I only stock it for guests, ya know." She said with a grin; Cori was a right coffee fiend, so naturally Roze made sure there would be some of the awful beverage in her apartment should Cori ever visit.

"Mornin' Z. I can make some breakfast... I got bacon, eggs, some other stuff." She offered, then paused. "I make a mean omelette, if you both want one?" She suggested with a smile. Although Roze didn't cook all that often when at the academy - there wasn't really much point with the various cafes and restaraunts dotted around the place - but when she did cook, she went all out.

"Me! I want one!" Cori said as she pointed her finger in the air above her. "Z, you want some coffee?" She asked while filling the kettle with water.

"Pretty impressive, Roze. I'll take one too," Zeke said as well. "And I'd like some coffee, Cori. Thanks"

He was lucky to have these two girls serving him breakfast. Life was good despite everything that was going on.

As Cori sorted out the coffee - Roze was quite happy sticking to the pepsi for now - she took out various ingredients from her fridge - eggs, milk, cheese, diced onions and mushrooms, and some bacon. It didn't take her long to have the first one frying in a pan; it was an easy recipe, and one she'd done plenty of times. The kitchen filled with the pleasant aroma of eggs, the various herbs she'd put in, and the coffee brewed by Cori.

"So... do you guys have any idea what we do today? I mean... I think it was pretty obvious to everyone who caused that earthquake last night... or at the very least, it was obvious to Celina." She asked, flipping the first omelette onto a plate and handing it to Zeke before starting on the next one.

"Yeah, it makes no sense to continue going to classes while this place is getting more and more dangerous. Either we go for confrontation or we leave this place. Either way, I'm not leaving your side." Cori only realised the gravity of the situation when she so lightly spoke these words. "Damn, life is gonna change." She sighed and took a sip of her coffee. It only seemed so short ago that she arrived here. She had changed a lot since then. From alone, wandering and unsure about herself, her powers and her future, she now sat here with her best friend and her boyfriend, ready to protect them if it would be necessary. And hopefully strong enough by now, to do so succesfully.

Roze offered up a grateful smile to Cori, even slightly amused to hear the intensity in her words. She felt flattered as well - after her Mother had died, she couldn't list many people who risk their lives just to help her out. She doubted even her Dad would - he hadn't been bothered to smite a few teeny kidnappers, so there's no way in Hell that he'd put his own butt on the line for her.

"Hopefully this'll be over soon. I mean, thanks to Dallas, everyone knows what a two-faced bitch Celina is. Once the Professor's find out she'll be forced to leave, and then things will be safer here. I assume she's the only reason these people were able to get into the Academy in the first place." Roze pondered out loud, finally finishing the second omelette and giving it to Cori, then moving on to make a final one for herself.

Zeke was busy stuffing his face with Roze's delicious omelette, only taking a break to rinse it down with coffee. He was listening though. Once he had quickly finished his meal, he felt his body relax. He should get some exercise and work out. But that would come later, after he is certain that Cori and Roze and the others were safe. Speaking of Dallas, Zeke was worried about him, but only a little bit. He could protect himself. And he has Jonas to watch his back.

"Well until then, we'll be here to make sure you're safe. We're not going to leave your side," he assured Roze

As her mouth was full with delicious omelette, Cori just made some agreeing sounds and pointed her fork in the direction of Zeke to show that she agreed with him.

---

---

If anyone peeked inside a certain dark blue car as it sped down the highway, they would see a suitcase and two bags in the back, a dark leather messenger bag in the front passenger seat, and one Lysander Halloran in front of the wheel. A slight smile adorned his face as he sang along with the playlist he had running. At the moment, with his good mood and lack of watchers, he had decided to be cliche and listen to some surf rock. "You don't know what I got!" Of course, once he got close to his destination, he would switch playlists. He didn't want to be branded as a walking cliche on his first day.

Although his thoughts kept turning towards the Academy, Lysander refused to allow himself to dwell on it. He was having a good day, so far, and he didn't want to worry about his academic future for a while yet. When he got there, then he could think about. Until then, however, the sun was shining, the Beach Boys were playing, and he had a bag of lemon drops close at hand. Life was good. "She's got a competition clutch with the four on the floor, and she purrs like a kitten till the lake pipes roar."

All too soon, however, he turned off the highway and towards the Academy. Lysander took a moment at a red light to change his music from the Beach Boys to something a little more modern; Maroon 5. It was quite a switch, but he liked both bands anyway. It didn't hurt that the first song to start playing was one of his favorites. "This love has taken its toll on me! She said goodbye too many times before." Two songs later, he was pulling into the Olympus Academy parking lot. Grabbing his messenger bag, he exited the car and locked it behind him, leaving his luggage in the back seat and his sword hidden away in the trunk. Here goes. He took a deep breath and started walking.

For his first day, Lysander decided it would probably be better to make a good first impression; thus, he wore black pants, a light blue shirt, and a black jacket, because why not? It was comfortable and looked nice. His ever present horse head pendant hung around his neck, and nothing could part him from his Converse, so the effect wasn't perfect. Nonetheless, he liked it, and that was all that really mattered to him.

He had a bit of time before he had to pick up his schedule and dorm assignment, so he decided to stroll around campus and see what there was to see. After all, Lysander had lived less than an hour's drive from the ocean for his entire life. This state was entirely foreign to him. So engrossed was he in his surroundings that he failed to note the young woman in front of him until it was almost too late. It took a bit of tricky footwork to keep himself from colliding with the lady.

"Pardon me, miss!" A slight blush darkened Lysander's cheeks. Mother would have my head for this. "Are you alright? I wasn't looking where I was going."

---

---

Peter smiled at the picture on his mocha - from what he'd seen from Ray, the guy enjoyed putting weird things on his drinks. And, from the outburst of this newcomer, he enjoyed putting weird things in the drinks as well.
From therein, Peter didn't get a word in edgeways. Naturally, once this Harvey kid started spouting totally out-of-order profanities, Peter's temper spiked. Additionally, he was hardly amused to find out about Ray's habits - although from what Peter could tell, he'd never put anything in his drinks. Thank the Gods for that - he took enough medication as it was.
As the situation de-escalated slightly, Peter offered up a smile to Marilee as she apologised.
"Well, honestly, I think you acted quite calmly for someone who got drugged." He said, then paused, glancing at Ray. He wasn't personally pissed at him, but he shrugged as he stood up, gathering up his books. "Sorry Ray - you have to admit, it was a dick move." He said, dusting some of the broken glass from before from the book covers, then nicking his fingers on one of the shards.
"Ah, perfect. More cuts - Jesus, I'll need to get a subscription to Band-Aid monthly or something at this rate." He thought to himself with a sigh. Upon looking back at Marilee, he mulled some thoughts over in his mind quickly.
Daughter of Hecate... would she be able to help me out? Shit, it is Athena's own magic she'd have to contend against - would it be rude to ask in the first place?
"Hey, before you go... that was some interesting magic you used back there." He began, then paused, wondering how to word it. Hell, maybe if she didn't want to help him out, he could at least ask for information and attempt a spell himself. It couldn't hurt, right?
"You wouldn't happen to know a spell that could sever a bond, between an item and a human? I've been kinda... cursed, I suppose would be the correct term for it." He asked, running a hand through his hair out of habit, hoping she saw his smile as one of friendliness and not the bare-faced flirtation the other guy was doing.

---

---

---

---

Naturally, Sammy's mood heightened considerably as the four of them tucked into breakfast. The bacon was heavenly, and he'd never tasted scrambled eggs quite like these before.
By the time Clarissa has looked at her phone, Sam's mouth was stuffed to burst, chewing away happily. However, upon hearing the news, he swallowed suddenly, looking at Clarissa in surprise.
"Wait, you have a sister?!" He exclaimed, looking at Clarissa. Obviously this chick had shown up when he had left the Academy - he would have assumed that Clarissa would have mentioned her at some point. "What's this chick like? Gods, I hope she's not like Skye, I have enough people on my "To Die" list as it is." He said with a roll of his eyes. He also hoped that Skye wasn't too close with her - he didn't need some bigger version of Clarissa hunting him down for harming her baby brother.
"Hey, if she's hotter than you, give her my number, yeah?" He added jokingly with a laugh, sending a cheeky wink to both of the girls.

---

---

The youngest daughter of Hecate, stiffed a yawn. It had been another restless night for Marianna-the young Demi-goddess spent most of the night wondering the forest in her wolf form. The allure and power of the moon calling out to her, just like any other night. Nothing really had changed in the last two years, it had became a habit of hers. There was nothing like gazing at the full moon, through a wolf's eyes...or feeling the freedom that came with shifting. Marianna couldn't help but feel suppressed, captured and stuck when she was in her normal form. Maybe it was what she had to endure in Italy, that made her feel like that...she really didn't debate about it that much more.
This school year was not what she was expecting; it was filled with more danger and loss. People were going missing...and the headmaster was dead...the school felt unsafe. If anything, she wished the kidnapped students were alive...and would somehow get out of this mess. She also longed for her mother's helping hands.

Luckily, non of her friends so far had been hurt or taken away, as Marianna was acquainted the daughter of Poseidon Roze, The Son of Athena Peter whom she had met in Italy on one of his travels. More of her closer friends including Amelia Johnston and Tali Lowe. Marianna had came across the children of Aphrodite a few times; especially the divas Clarissa and Ashley....whilst Marianna wasn't particularly fond of Ashley, Clarissa she could tolerate. She saw a new side to the former heart-breaker. Maybe she wasn't so bad...people were capable of change. Whilst Maria was a pretty friendly person, there were a few people she couldn't stand, which included the ass hole Harvey. The guy was a jerk...and even Marianna could not stand him. She tried being nice...but obviously it had failed...so she didn't bother trying anymore.

Running a hand through her dark locks, she breathed in the fresh air. Luckily, she didn't have any lessons so she had the day to herself. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't really notice the new arrival until they almost collided. Her breath was slightly stolen from the surprise, her cheeks turned a pink bit. "It's okay, no harm done...I was a bit lost in my thoughts....so I wasn't really looking where I was going either." she breathed out, her Italian accent soft. Marianna looked over at Lysander with an apologetic look. As her eyes finally landed on the handsome stranger, she couldn't help but smile at him softly. He was tall...dark and extremely handsome.
"You must be new here...I don't think, I've seen you around before." she breathed out, holding out her hand towards Lysander. "I am Marianna....daughter of Hecate." she introduced herself with a soft smile. There had been a few new arrivals this year...and Marianna was not surprised to see another...even if he arrived a little bit later, than some.

---

---

---

As Clarissa was enjoying a piece of bacon, she heard Sam's exclamation about her older sister. She pursed her lips slightly...there were a few reasons why she did not mention Ashley...nor why she spoke much about Ray. "Yeah..I have a sister..and other brother." she rolled her eyes into the back of her head. "I am not close to either of them...or particularly like my older sister....so didn't see a reason to mention her." she admitted.
When Sam questioned her sister and her being, Clarissa sighed softly. Looking at her best friend, she knew that Sam would not like what she was about to tell him. "How is she?...Think the old me...plus Skye Combined...therefore, she's a disaster...and most likely to be added on your 'to die' list." she informed Sam with a sigh, before taking a few more sips of her juice. Clarissa tried to enjoy the rest of her breakfast, grabbing a piece of bread.

Amelia heard his comment and she shot him a playful glare, whilst pouting. "Aren't you hilarious?" she mocked teasingly. "Keep this talk up...and no skinny dipping for you." she warned him, before she smiled at him. Clearly just teasing him.

Shaking her head, at his comment about the phone number. Clarissa didn't respond until Amelia made a threat about no skinny dipping. "What am I? Cupid? I am not handing out numbers Sammy-yo! And plus...no one is hotter than me...well maybe, Amelia...but that's besides the point." she breathed out. Looking cheeky and playful. Of course, Clarissa just like the other children of Aphrodite thought they were more fairer than the others...that was no change.

---

---

Ray watched as most people left the café. Though he really wanted to leave this place, he found it disrespectful to shoo away customers that hadn't finished their drinks yet. But now everyone had, so he was getting out of here. Harvey and Marilee didn't seem to care much about his statement that they were closing. For all he cared they stayed here and made love on the tables. He had acces to the recordings of the security camera's, so that would make for excellent blackmail material if that was ever needed. He discarded the thought. He didn't want to be that way. He was tired of this whole ordeal.
Peter put in his two cents. Though Ray respected the guy, he wasn't up for conversing more about the matter.
"You're a good guy Peter, and intelligent at that. But you're slightly uninformed on this matter."
Which was true. Drugging people was a dick move if you were going to take advantage of somebody. But he probably gave the girl the best night sleep she had had in a while. Well, something inside him knew that it was better to have consent on drugging as well as on other things. But that was hidden under a thick layer of apathy that had grown on him over the years. It had sedated him. That was hís drug. Even more than smoking.

The smoke from his cigarette was curling op to the ceiling where it lingered.
"One more time guys.. He stated to the last people inside, while gesturing with his hands towards the exit. "We're closing."
He gave the small crowd a chance to move out, but he didn't expect Harvey or Marilee to care for his words.
Looking at the ceiling once more, he found that it was really time to go.
_{"Well I'm outa here."}
And with that he blew out the last smoke that was in his lungs. He walked towards the door and could hear the annoying sound of the smoke detector set in. It would be a matter of seconds before the alarm would set the sprinkler system in motion.

But Ray couldn't care. He had closed the door behind him and was walking away. From all his problems.

Conversation was going along smoothly. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the breakfast that Jay had made for them. Smiles were going left and right, and compliments to the chef a constant. Jay was smiling the entire time. The only time that his smile broke was when he was stuffing his face with the food he had prepared. He gobbled up the bacon first. The eggs were like a delicacy in his mouth. They were so fluffy in his mouth and so airy that he got them down quicker than they entered. The potatoes were last. The way they were crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside told Jay that he cooked them perfectly. The sounds of delight emitted from Jay as he had washed it all down with a glass of milk accented with a hint of nutmeg.

Unleashing a light burp, Jay pushed his plate forward in front of him. “I think I outdid myself with that one,” Jay mused aloud. He had to admit it was one tasty breakfast.

Jay did notice that no one responded to him. They seemed to be looking for Clarissa’s phone. Just as Jay was about to get up to help them, he noticed that she found it. He was relieved, but he saw the look on Clarissa’s face. It didn’t seem that she was all that thrilled on who messaged her. Jay heard her mention something about another older brother and an older sister. Cocking his head to the side, Jay listened further and heard Clarissa mention how her older sister was like how she used to be with how bad Skye was. Instantly, Jay’s overall happy mood sunk into a fearful state.

“So, uh, this Ashley —she’s really as bad as Skye?” Jay asked, wary of the answer. “I mean, she won’t try what Skye had tried to do, will she?” Jay was definitely worried. If she was as bad — or even worse — than Skye, Jay definitely had reason to worry.

---

---

“So, you ever thought about moving back to New York?” Was the next question that was presented to the demigod, one Gabriel was hesitant to answer. Initially, he would've quickly answered with a simple ”of course” as he originally saw this new home as nothing but another temporary change in his status quo. But then he actually thought about the question. He remembered why he was here. “Well yeah. But...I just wanna be safe.” He admitted. “Like, I would wait for a call from Willow, telling me that I can come home.” It was a futilely optimistic thought, something both he and the nymph knew.

“Do you even have a cellphone?” Mala was quick to change the subject, before Gabe could dwell on the thought any longer. She didn't want to be responsible for putting him in any deeper of a hole that he seemed to (perpetually) be in now. “No. What's a cellphone?” Gabe asked, feigning innocence. Mala’s expression flattened.

“You're joking.” She sputtered. Gabe smirked. “Duh.” He really didn't have a cellphone, though. “Just how detached were you from typical human life, anyway? Like computers and the Internet and stuff.” Mala asked. “I lived in Central Park, not the Amazon rainforests.” Gabe replied, matter-of-factly. “I know all about the trends and the social medias and stuff.” He added, sounding way older than he actually was. “Mmhm.” Mala didn't sound convinced. Gabe didn't really care.

“Well I mean, y’come here playin’ up the whole “Forest Prince” angle, and I was thinking you couldn't tell the difference between a computer monitor and a television set.” The particular name caught Gabriel’s attention. “They called me that in New York too...the forest prince.” He admitted. “Being the sole male raised by a family of females, that doesn't surprise me.” Mala interjected with a scoff. “And they also called me...Harvestchild.” He wasn't too fond of that particular name. All it did was remind him of his mother. “Huh. I don't blame ‘em. Sounds like something I'd call you, too.” She goaded with a chuckle.

“Don't get any ideas.” Gabe shot back, flatly. He had finished his breakfast in the span of that conversation, balling up the foil that once housed his burrito, and placing it in the inner pocket of his jacket. ”I'm going.” Gabe rose to his feet. ”You workin’ today, right?” He brought up, still planning on surveying the scene. Mala stood up after him, handing him the sapling. “Yeah, was going in right after this. I mean, I'll be a half hour early at this rate, but eh, I guess I can be early every once and awhile.” She smiled, giving him a playful nudge before dropping from the branch.

A 30-something-foot drop would be considered disastrous for a human, but the inhuman durability of a wood nymph made the plunge trivial. “It always easier going down than coming up!” She called out. ”Heh.” There was a dirty joke somewhere in there, but Gabe was willing to let it slide for now. Instead, he conjured up another vine after placing Marcy in his backpack. He quickly followed after the nymph, rappelling down the trunk.

Upon touching down, the two began back into town, and back under the protective guise of the barrier.

---

---

Ashley was sent to voice mail much to her annoyance. "That worthless girl! She's probably spent the night with one of her stupid boy toys." she thought to herself.

She placed her phone back into her purse and decided to go out for some coffee. There was no use being cooped up in her room. It wouldn't do her or the rest of her peers any good.

She retouched her hair and make up one last time in the bathroom before heading out. She had to look perfect. It was her first day back on campus after all.

As she left her apartment, she saw a guy who was definitely tall and dark, maybe handsome even, and a much smaller, cute girl walking towards her. Mala had to nudge at Gabriel's side to get him to notice Ashley, who was quickly rushing into the personal space of the two. The boy, so lost in his thoughts, had to look up and sidestep to avoid running down the girl. "'Suse me." He replied in that signature flat tone of his. He didn't take much of her features into regard, but the wood nymph couldn't help but notice the excess of makeup the girl was wearing. As the duo danced and dodged their way past her, Mala took her chance to comment.

"What's with human girls and the face paint? It can't be healthy." She mumbled. Gabe shrugged, naturally. "I'm not a female. I wouldn't know." He mumbled back.

Ashley winced, not quite comprehending the fact that they just walked right by her without paying much attention to her. She was not used to being ignored ever and that did not feel very good. Did they just not realize who she was? She was Ashley Hart, the most beautiful of Aphrodite's children and because Aphrodite's children were more beautiful than all the other demigods, the most beautiful person in the academy. That has to be a serious offense and Ashley would just have to educate them.

She caught up to them in no time and stood right in front of the two ignorant strangers. "Hello. I don't believe we have met. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ashley. Daughter of Aphrodite," she said, concealing her annoyance with a warm smile.

Gabe was hesitant to answer. If anything, he got a better look at Ashley as she went out of her way to stop the two. "She's kinda cute, at least." She didn't get much of a rise out of him otherwise. Mala, on the other hand, enjoyed the assertiveness the Aphrodite child was displaying and felt the need to act on it. For Gabe's sake, at the least. "Annnnnd this~!" She presented her companion. "Is Gabriel Emile Aeckard!" She was a half step away from doing a little jig and fluttering jazz hands to introduce him. Gabe might've looked as if she just kicked his puppy.

Call me Gabe." He stated, having no choice but to give Ashley his attention, now that the wood nymph eagerly put him on the spot. Least he could do, is return the favor for his nymph friend. "This is Fraxinus Anomala, the Dwarf Ash-" He was interrupted by a elbow to the ribs, courtesy the aformentioned dryad. "Just call me Mala~" She greeted on her own, her bubbly tone easily contrasting Gabriel's.

"Gabe and Mala. Nice to meet you both. Are you two new? I've been going here for a while so I don't see too many unfamiliar faces," said Ashley. If she actually had a heart she might have thought that the bond between Gabe and Mala was cute. It was a kind of friendship that even she could not fake nor understand. She could tell that Gabe was more on the quiet side while Mala was more outgoing. She did not seem like a demigoddess though, but Ashley paid no mind to that.

"An interesting pair."

"Yeah, Gabe's only been here a couple'a weeks. He's been trying his best to keep himself out of the gossip of Lovechilds." Mala replied. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the claim. "But, I think he should be getting involved in those things, right?" She continued, leaning in towards Ashley. "He could use a little spice to his life, something other than constantly fighting. It would really get 'im out of his shell." She obviously whispered. Gabriel sighed, beginning to divert his gaze elsewhere. "You're embarrassing." He was more flustered than he let on.

Ashley was amused and soon forgot that she was upset with them in the first place. "You two are so funny," she could not help but chuckle. "I wouldn't mind helping out with that," she added in a more seductive tone. She smiled more innocently, dispelling the mood before she could scare him off. Mala picked up on the flirt a bit more postively than Gabriel did. "Eh, ehh?" She nudged him again, a bit more playful this time. Gabe exchanged flat expressions between the two girls. "...You take care, Ashley." He replied simply, resuming off towards their destination before his face could flush red. Mala could only chuckle. "Hey, that wasn't a no, was it? Guess we'll be seeing you around, Ms. Hart~!" She added, before beginning after Gabriel.

Ashley waved goodbye as the two continued on their journey to who knows where. "Well, that was one way to spend a couple minutes. Oh, I almost forgot about my coffee." She then went in another direction where the cafe was located.

---

---

Flipping her phone shut, Clarissa set it down and then glanced over at Jay who looked worried...disturbed at the thought of her older sister Ashley. Clarissa bit her lower lip, looking at him with gentle eyes but she was silent for a few moments. She wasn't sure, just what her older sister could be capable off. Their relationship, was strained...and Clarissa didn't exactly like Ashley, nor was looking forward to surviving another year of torment, under Ashley's reign. But her older sister, had never really been interested in the guys that Clarissa went after...would this time be different?...the thought made her turn bit pale. Biting her lower lip, she sighed as she looked at Jay. Her brown eyes gentle, but filled with slight sadness. "I...I don't know....mine and her relationship is complicated enough. But she's never been interested in...well who I like. But I am not sure, if I know the full extent of what she's capable of. We'll have to be careful." she told him honestly. Her hand reached out, giving his hand a soft squeeze.

Clarissa then glanced over at Amelia, as if for some kind of support and help.

Amelia looked at them two with gentle eyes, she sighed softly when Clarissa looked over at her for support. She gave her a sympathetic smile, before she glanced over at Jay. "Ashley and Skye might be...bad as each other, both in their different ways. From what I know of Ashley...I'd be careful. But you two need to stick together Jay....I wouldn't make the same mistakes, again..not when it comes to Ashley. We can protect you from Skye...but Ashley's a different story." Her voice gentle, filled with concern. she offered her advice, as she gave them both a gentle smile. Amelia was worried for them both...hopefully Ashley wouldn't try and come in-between them. If she did, she just hoped Jay was wise enough and had learned from previous experience, with Skye that he needed to stick with Clarissa...hopefully things would work out...and no one would get hurt. One could only hope.

---

---

Ray walked on without thinking where he was going. When he was far enough from the café to be alone, he stopped. He had arrived at the parking lot, where he sat down in the grass. Leaning with his back, against a small brick building of unknown purpose. From there he could oversee the concrete square, that was soothingly silent. He reached inside his jacket for another cigarette. With trembling hands, he put it in his mouth, and lit it with his lighter.
Today was just the status quo as it ever was. Everybody hated him.
When in need for any kind of drug, be it nicotine, alcohol, caffeine or oxytocin, they knew where to find him. And Ray would provide.
Sedation, ecstasy, love.

What was good about being able to manipulate people, when you tried to be a good person? With all the negativity and stupidity that he was confronted with, he was often tempted. But he didn't want to be like many of his siblings. Which were probably the only ones that would understand him on these matters.
So he just smoked. It helped distract him from everything. It helped sedate him.

...

A cab pulled up on the parking lot.
A familiar figure stepped out of the car. speaking of family...
Though initially planning on ignoring Skye, Ray found that was going to be difficult as Skye was storming his way. As his half-brother came closer, he noticed the blood stains on his shirt.
Ray stood up and looked worried. Fair enough, he wasn't particulary fond of this guy, but he was bleeding and.. his nose..

"Skye.. your nose. What happened?"

"Fuck nou ray.." Skye said, clearly being upset.

Though tempted to let the boy pass and leave him to his misery, Ray couldn't. He sighed.

"Skye. This doesn't look good. I know you don't like me, but at least let me get you to the infirmary."
"Fine.."

And so they walked on together.

“You’re right, I do look good in a wet T-shirt.” Harvey arrogant professed, following Mari and Pete.

Due to a large part of the pussy little bitch, Ray, Harvey and his new friends, Marilee, who may or may not be a bit crazy(the jury’s still out on that one), and the least-annoying sibling of Athena, Petey-Peter, had to find, at the very least, some place to kick it. Harvey might not take much to his company, but he was definitely a lot better than that son of Aphrodite. Shit, neither of the sons of Aphrodite were held in high opinion with Harvey. Oh well, not like it matters. Harvey has himself, at the very least, a shot with Ms. Hottie next to him.

When they got to the foyer of Olympus Academy, Harvey gestured to a table nearby. It was at least better than just walking around aimlessly, and it seemed to be without the stench of Aphrodite blood, something that Harvey couldn’t dislike.

Harvey kicked it next to Mari, sitting on top of the table, his feet on the seat portion. His arms were casually placed over his thighs, just a few inches away from the knees. “So, Petey,” he said, looking to Peter, “what’s the need for Mari here to do some kind of spell? You lookin’ to hex someone too? Or maybe you want to follow Ray’s example and drug some unsuspecting girl?” Harvey asked, looking at Peter. “Or perhaps you want to off someone? I mean, isn’t that what Athena herself would do?” Harvey half-joked.

---

[center]



Jay took in what both Clarissa and Amelia both said. Both of them said around the same things. Though Amelia was more detailed, Clarissa offered up her own insights on this Ashley and neither of them quelled Jay’s worry. He knew that Amelia was right, though. He knew that he couldn’t be like he was. If she was anything like Skye, even half as bad, then Jay knew he had to keep an eye out and keep his guard up.

Jay looked at Clarissa briefly, smiling and a hand on hers. “Amelia is right; we need to stay together. I’m not going to let anything come between us ever again.” Jay promised Clarissa.

Rebekah Cross

Location: Diner, Academy Campus
Interacting With:

Diner food was, perhaps, not the most healthy option for one's breakfast. Even if that diner was indeed serving traditional breakfast foods, their health value was dubious at best. But having the wisdom to recognize this is not the same as having the desire to do something about it. The liberal use (though she was sure some would say 'abuse') of her rather fleet-footed nature for movement, however, was sufficient exercise to give her at least a modicum of an excuse. After all, the calories consumed by her speed were significant. Not nearly as high as they should be, by her calculations, so she suspected a suspension of certain laws of physics to allow the rate of movement at a lower energy consumption; nevertheless, running in such a manner made her very hungry. And she was only too happy to take advantage of the excuse to fuel herself with less than healthy, albeit delicious, foods.

She slowed down smoothly as she approached the diner entrance, after sidestepping nimbly around some passerby, and coasted through the doors before they swung closed. Her remaining momentum was perfectly sufficient to slide into her favorite booth, already depositing her bag on the bench next to her. A single flick of her head brought her ponytail back around to its proper position, finishing the transition from high-speed mobility to composed sedentary seating. Not that anyone paid her entrance much mind. Such things, on a campus for partially godly individuals, were a curiosity at best. It was hardly the most controversial ability present, or used, within Olympus Academy's bounds. Or outside them, for that matter. But such thoughts were irrelevant to her current morning. She had deposited her order and its parameters, in the hands of a waitress she passed on her way to her seat. Table number, as well. She always took the same seat, in large part due to the presence of an electrical outlet in the wall just underneath the table. Its use was rarely necessary, as her laptop was usually charged when she visited this establishment, but having and not needing was better than needing and not having.

Her laptop was out and woken from its slumber in a matter of moments, just long enough for the Daughter of Athena to stretch her fingers. She knew her coffee would arrive in three to five minutes, per her usual experience, and her food would arrive in nine to sixteen depending on the diner's level of activity that morning. On this particular morning, she only spotted a few other patrons, therefore, her order would likely be on the low end of that time scale.

Excellent.

In the end, she paid for her own thrice-damned shake.

The casual restaurants were quite expensive here - or perhaps it just seemed so when you were shelling out a wallet full of crisp new exchanged currency. Perhaps she would save the splurges like this for sojourns out for dinner with her brother. Or perhaps his blonde friend, the flighty one who bathed in the sunlight. He probably appreciated a good pout on a girl. Perhaps Jonas would even appreciate him having his chain yanked a little. Then again, such a thing would be dishonorable to one who her brother considered a brother in his own right. Dana blew bubbles in her shake dejectedly, unsure how she would continue paying for the thick, chocolatey treats without going broke. She couldn't beg for money from home every couple weeks to eat, could she?

Could she?

Dana flicked the straw away from her mouth briefly to scan the diner. Though it appeared to be breakfast time for the majority of patrons, she was allowed to order a burger here (complete with a pretzel bun, which for some reason she had assumed would be both crunchier and saltier than it really was) just as early in the morning as though eating waffles and scrambled eggs. She didn't see anyone else who had broken the laws of the American food continuum (praise be to glorious kaiseki dinner) and though it had made her feel self-conscious at first, she quickly decided that ordering whatever the hell kind of food you wanted appeared to be quintessentially American in of itself. Though she'd spent most of her dinner reading a coffee table book on one Jim Morrison (another bizarre, beautiful American invention she was finding herself enthralled by) she had devoted a fair bit of time people watching. Trying to guess the parents of demigods and divert her eyes again before her staring was noticed.

Such activity had continued until she caught sight of Rebekah Cross, the demigoddess who had advised her of her initial food stops yesterday, plugging away into her laptop in a corner booth. She had looked between her book and the booth several times until they happened to be looking in a similar direction, then gave a brief, but friendly wave of acknowledgement to the other girl. Social obligation handled, she flipped her page and decided it was safe to take another sip of her shake.

Mmmmm.

It's so creamy.

How many shakes is too many shakes?

...

Jonaaaaas heeeeelp!

Rebekah Cross

Location: Diner, Academy Campus
Interacting With: Dana Harada @Plank Sinatra

The Daughter of Athena was sipping casually on the largest container of coffee the diner offered (after much persuasion on her part upon her first visit to the diner, she had convinced the waitress [and over time the rest of the wait staff] to serve her coffee in a larger container usually reserved for novelty drinks), sixty three percent through the wait for her food, when she noticed the new arrival from the previous day at another of the booths. Evidently she had been there before her own arrival, judging by the presence of plates and empty cups, but she sat with her back to the door. Thus explaining, to Rebekah's satisfaction, why she hadn't noted her presence when she entered the establishment. It was a few more moments before they made eye contact, and she returned the Japanese demigoddess' wave. Out of idle curiosity she attempted to ascertain what the other girl was reading, but her efforts were stymied by two factors. Firstly, the book was flat on the table (pages turned using what appeared to be a fork, likely due to grease on her hands) thus obscuring most of the identifying details that would be present on its cover. Secondly, though she did get a glimpse at the back cover when she was turning the page, she discovered a much more insurmountable issue; it was written in Japanese.

Offhandedly, while continuing to tweak a few details of the work currently in progress on her laptop, she concluded that she would need to learn Japanese. There seemed to be a high enough influx of Japanese-speaking students or Japanese nationals for it to be worth the few days of effort it would require. To understand and adequately speak the language, at least. Learning the written characters would be a matter of hours. It would take longer, perhaps a couple of weeks, to be able to converse fluently in the language. Her memory, likely a gift from her mother, made learning new languages as simple as it could be. Short of instantaneous acquisition of the knowledge and skills, at least. An ability of that tier, she suspected, was more in her mother's purview than her own. Nevertheless, she digressed. It did not evade Rebekah's notice that the other student ate alone as well, though she could not be sure if it was by choice or necessity. Given her consumption of the written word at the table, she suspected there was a good chance of the former. Nevertheless, they had both noted the other's presence, and it was true that the Ms. Harada might not wish to be alone.

So Athena's daughter waited until she looked up again, raising her hand slightly to catch the Daughter of Ares' eye, and then gesture to the side of the booth opposite her. Perhaps she would decline. Indeed it was likely. Such a declination would not be particularly offensive, but failure to give her the option would be rather callous. She didn't bother with speaking; the offer was quite implicit, and Dana could decide for herself whether to accept or not. Rebekah, in the meantime, could continue her work with the hand not used to make the offer.

Multitasking was important.

---

---

The minutes following Gabe and Mala’s awkward little encounter was spent in a long, equally awkward silence. I mean, Gabe usually kept quiet during a walk, but he was rendered even quieter after that particular display. As the two took pause at a crosswalk, Mala took a chance to speak first, as she was wont to do.

“...That went well, yeah?” Her delivery was pretty cheeky, as usual. Gabriel could only groan at her playful words. He stared ahead, waiting for the signals to change. “You're off wingman duty.” He finally spoke up. “Indefinitely, if possible.” The wood nymph’s expression dropped in an exaggerated fashion. “Whaaaaaaat?!” She loudly replied, following behind the young man as he proceeded across the street. “What'd I do??” She tried defending her actions. Gabe wasn't planning on giving her the pleasure of hearing him answer. She knew what she did. Even so, she sped up to be beside him.

“Was it really that bad, though? I mean, I've been saying that you should be making more friends.” She had a point, at the very least. While he was just fine with being a lone wolf, having only one friend to talk to every so often didn't make him any less...paranoid. Either way, Gabriel couldn't say he was content with some of Mala’s more…eccentric friend-making methods. ”Yeah, but ya don't hafta be such a…mom about it.” His flat tone went even flatter as he mentioned it. She couldn't help but chortle at that. “Consider it payback for picking through my hair earlier…dad.” She ribbed. Gabriel “smirked” back, as she always had a way of getting one out of him.

“Couldn't you introduce me to another nymph instead?” He asked, the two rounding a corner. “Well I would, if they weren't so few and far between.” Mala quickly replied. “You said it yourself Gabe, this place isn't like New York. Besides, what's wrong with the demikids? They're cool...right?” She rationalized. Gabriel scoffed.

“Maybe, if most of them weren't so...full of themselves.” He replied. It was a personal opinion based off of first impressions and assumptions. “Well, can ya blame ‘em?” Mala shrugged. “I mean, when you're young, rich, attractive, and housing the power of a…” She paused, her and Gabe exchanging brief looks. “Careless, neglectful, good-for-nothing-” “God, then it might just make you a self-centered asshole!” The two scoffed in unison. “It happens.”

Proceeding down the avenue, the nursery was clearly on the horizon. At the end of the block, as a matter of fact, and on the other side of the street. After a pause, the meddling wood nymph piped back up. “You sure you're not just talking about Ashley? I would figure casual narcissism and attention seeking was just a standard byproduct of being a Lovechild.” She rationalized. ”Nope. You lived here long enough. It’s all of them.” Gabe sounded pretty sure of himself. The wood nymph begged to differ. “Yeah, that’s what i’m saying! I mean, some of 'em are spoiled brats, but not all of them! Ya just gotta look in the right places, and be a bit more open to interaction!” She encouraged.

”There ya go, being a mom again…” Gabe sighed, in jest. “Hey, i’m just sayin’.” Mala shrugged. Soon, the two stood directly across the street from the open air nursery. “So, you gonna follow me in this time?” Mala asked. On a typical day, Gabe would just walk her to work, and go on about his business. But today he figured he’d do something different. That, and he wanted the job. ”Yeah. You can introduce me to your manager.” He “smirked” again. With a cheesy grin and a grab of the boy’s hand, Mala rushed towards her occupation with the Harvestchild in tow.

When Dana caught Rebekah's eye and expression, she returned the wave cheerfully; however, she took a couple seconds to grasp the meaning of her wrist flick and the invitation implicit. When she realized she was being asked over, her face brightened up with a smile, and she nodded her agreement vigorously. You wouldn't have been able to tell from her movements. Lazily, she laid a napkin down along her coffee table book and closed it so that the paper served as a thin, but workable bookmark. Then she arranged a loose, blocky triangle of napkins atop the book's front cover and fished out her wallet, dividing up the money for all food purchased, past and present. When that was tucked under her chin, along with the check, she lifted up her dishes in both hands and brought them up to the counter. Meeting the cashier's face as best as she could, she set the dishes to her left and then took the money from in front of her neck, sliding it forward.

"Enclosed is the money for my meal, in addition to two more of the Oreo milkshakes. Domo arigato."

The cashier was staring at her - her, and from the corner of her eye, the dishes she had brought up with her. Dana smiled politely and bowed her head at the woman.

"Ah yes. Gochisosama deshita. Thank you for the feast," she said dutifully, inclining her head further briefly and then lifting it. There was a sudden teasing edge to her smile. "Truly delicious for what it was. I understand more than most the difficulty of acquiring true high-caliber marbled beef in this most tasteless of wastelands, and do not fault you for making due."

The cashier was still staring. Wondering what she had done, she pushed the dishes forward, close enough to almost nudge the woman's wrist.

"Shakes?"

When she walked back to her table, she was carrying two more of the creamy beverages, and her smile had faded to one of complacent satisfaction. When she approached Rebekah's, however, all three of her current shakes - one half-consumed, two fresh in frosted mugs, topped with cherries and whipped cream - were balanced on the napkins atop her book. Harada nudged one forward to Rebekah and bowed her head politely in greeting.

"Hello, Rebekah. Thank you for the invitation."

Smiling, she rescinded her bow and opened up her book to the page it had been at before, detailing Morrrison's erratic public appearances and appeal during concerts. Rock stars were the coolest.

...

sluuuuuuuuurp

Ah.

Excuse me."