Collab Post between
@Kidd and myself.
Ashton Caverly and Naya Tonnerre
It was raining when the pitch black sports car took a left turn off a roadway and into a set of gates. A sign next to the gates, which opened as if they knew who to look for, stated that they had in fact arrived at Olympus Academy. Hypnos, the God of Sleep and Dreams was driving, while with ruffled hair and curious eyes Ashton Caverly sat in the passenger seat trying to get a glance at another student or faculty member. Unfortunately the rain seemed to stop such from occurring and the 14 year old slumped down in his seat, taking a deep breath. He had been told that the entire roadway that they drove in on was protected by some sort of ward, which kept mortals from seeing or entering the campus. That small bit of information was the only communication the duo had from the docks, some day or so ago where Ashton had landed from Crete. The boy missed the island deeply and while he knew that he couldn't hide there forever, it was a safe place for him. As he stared at the various statues and buildings of his new home, Ashton couldn't help but feel completely alone and small. He sighed once more, this time a bit more heavily and his father the God stopped the car before entering the overhang which provided cover from the downpour.
"Curse this rain. Demeter must be in a fit about something." He shrugged and then focused on the black haired boy beside him.
"Ashton... Look, I know that you're not exactly happy with me for forcing you to be here but I truly feel like this is a school that you'll learn to love and even call home. I would wager that after a few years you'll never want to leave!" Ashton gave him a cold glare and rolled his eyes, causing Hypnos to sigh himself and put the vehicle back into drive. As he entered the overhang he sent a quick message, to whom Ashton wasn't aware of but is was probably the lucky 'family member' elected to babysit him. He briefly wondered if the person was upset as Ashton was about the arrangement and made a deal with himself not to be broody when talking to them, it wasn't their fault after all that he was here.
Naya had just finished settling in: heavy curtains covered the windows, and she looked about the dark room contently. Whomever she'd dorm with this year would ideally be like her, at least a little bit. She preferred the room black, even during the times when she'd be awake, though not everyone was a daughter of literal darkness. She looked over to the plain, empty bed, a contrast to hers, covered with black sheets and pillow cases. Shrugging, she turned to continue unpacking since she had clothes and school supplies to unload. However, she had barely opened the second suitcase when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She didn't recognize the number, but the message made it clear: her babysitting career began.
"Ugh," she muttered, slipping her phone away. Deciding her handiwork could wait, she closed the dorm's door behind her and continued into the hall. She would cross to the main building, where she assumed the new kid would be arriving at. The school year hadn't officially began yet, and campus was relatively quiet. She was thankful for the small, if growing, number of students and even more thankful for the dark, dreary day. The rain seemed to boost her mood and she somehow managed a smile when she approached the small, miserable looking kid.
"Hello," she greeted, the French countryside lacing her words.
"I'm Naya."The first thing Ashton thought of when he saw his babysitter was that she was quite attractive. Even if the boy had only recently really cared about such things it was true nonetheless. The second was the French accent and he smiled a bit at it, which if one knew Ashton knew that getting him to smile was a hard task. Hypnos exited the vehicle from the drivers seat and sent Naya a look before speaking.
"Sister, this is my son Ashton Caverly. Ashton, this is your Aunt." Ashton furrowed his brows and glanced from Naya to Hypnos and scrunched up his face even as a headache threatened to begin from this revelation.
"My aunt?" He asked even as he realized that he had considered his Aunt attractive. It was an awkward moment and Ashton had to take a moment to recover before he slung his backpack over his skinny shoulders and nodded a few times to himself. He ended up grabbing the two suitcases from the trunk which contained everything he owned and took a deep breath. His father seemed a bit awkward himself and rubbed the back of his neck before stepping forward and opening his mouth as if to speak. Ashton just shook his head and stepped right beside the man and grabbed his hand.
"Thank you for saving me only to abandon me again." He hoped the words stung as much as he meant them to and he twisted away from the mans grip and headed into the school proper hoping he didn't have to get wet getting to wherever he was going to be sleeping. Or in his case, having nightmares.
The girl's smile faded as Hypnos approached the two. She regarded him seriously, brows furrowing together slightly. She hadn't met a member of her immediate family, even since arriving at Olympus, and she seemed tense and still in his presence. She watched the two interact and felt a twinge of jealousy. Here was her...nephew, getting attention from his godly parent that she had never received from her own. And even she thought he was being a brat about it. However, she was empathetic to the bitter attitude.
"He'll fit in," she snarked at Hypnos. Even as a misfit among other demigods, she was aware of the mixed feelings they all had toward their godly parents. Her bright eyes turned to Ashton, still unsmiling.
"You can just call me Naya--none of that 'aunt' stuff. You'll be everyone's something here, cousin, brother, nephew..." She shrugged as her voice trailed off.
Ashton seemed relieved to know that he didn't have to call her Aunt, not only would he probably blush over and over again when he did so it would just feel to weird to make a habit. Besides he liked her name, it was a short simple name that was easily spoken. He readjusted the strap of his backpack on his shoulders and began looking around at the interior of the building and had to admit, wherever he was it was impressive. Not usually the talking sort he decided to at least try with Naya.
"Where exactly is here anyway? I know what it's called but like is it a school or a prison?" He tilted his head to the side as he asked his question and while he was being a bit sarcastic in his question he did seem to be truthfully curious. His blue eyes seemed to glitter and he would appear to pass into a trance as his mind began wandering to various scenarios of the school. It was over quickly but Naya would have seen one of the hundred of daydreams Ashton seemed to get a day.
"Mm, it's a school, I guess. You'll learn plenty. Not everyone here is by choice, though," Naya explained simply. She certainly felt trapped at the academy, but she wouldn't unload those thoughts onto a freshman. Besides, a freshman meant a fresh first impression.
"You'll be in the first year dorms, but do you know your room number?" she asked him, nodding in the direction before starting to walk. She expected him to follow, but she hesitated to look at him again. She squinted at him as he seemed to zone out, and she nudged his shoulder.
"Hey, are you paying attention?" Ashton heard her talking through a fog and wanted to respond but wasn't able to in time. He attempted to jerk away before she touched him but it was to late and the second he got control of his body again he began shuddering and screamed loudly before trying to push her away as hard as possible while his powers began activating. He just barely stopped himself from trying to put the girl to sleep and slumped to the ground. His backpack had fallen off and the suitcases had spilled thanks to how hard Ashton dropped them and the boy was breathing deeply and loudly, sweat forming quickly.
"D-d-don't touch me!" His voice was heavy with fear and his entire body seemed poised as if to sprint away at the slightest inkling. Ever so slowly he calmed down, until he seemed to be back to normal, though he flinched every so often. Mentally he was kicking himself over and over, he had gotten so good with being touched on Crete, even allowing one of the elderly woman to hug him goodbye, but he hadn't expected that and he was still in a trance so his defenses activated unconsciously. He began putting his stuff back in the suitcase and reluctantly met Naya's eyes.
"I'm sorry. I just don't like being touched is all."Naya flinched away from the boy as he cried out, making it easier for him to shove her away out of his arms length. For a moment, drowsiness overcame her and she wasn't entirely aware of Ashton's fear.
"What..." she slipped into her native French as she blinked away the sleepiness. It was perhaps for the better, and she only yawned through the ordeal, which was fraught with panic for her nephew. Just as quickly it had come, though, it had faded and she shook her head as she stretched her long arms above her head. Maybe it was the tiredness, but she didn't feel particularly angry at the other for using his powers. It seemed unintentional, anyhow--younger students didn't have a full grasp on their abilities quite yet. She watched him kneel, scrambling to pick his belongings back up. He mumbled something she understood to be an apology, so she crouched to hand him a few things.
"No problem. Now I know. Just try to reel it in--you might get touched if you dose off often," she said with a shrug, hesitating as her eyes lingered on a sketchbook.
"You draw?" she questioned, handing it to him before she stood to her full height again.
With wariness etched in his eyes Ashton accepted the girls help as he shoved things back into his trunk. When Naya held up his sketchbook he took in a deep breath and realized his writing was right below her as well.
"Uh, yea I like to create different things. It makes me feel relaxed which coupled with my writing almost makes me feel normal." He still felt bad for using his powers against her and even if it was a touch he decided she was entitled to a little information about him. He also had to admit to himself that she was somehow different, like she understood him and what he was going through, which if it was true was a blessing in disguise. He thought about what she said and realized she was right. If he daydreamed like that in class would the teacher nudge him? The idea was frightening and he wondered once again why his father brought him to this place. He picked up his notebooks filled with stories and held them to his chest before placing them carefully on top of the jumbled mess in his trunk and slamming the front shut to keep everything in place.
"Thank you for the help by the way. I don't think I did that yet.""What's family for?" Naya responded, though the words dripped with sarcasm. Everyone at the school was family in some way, but the love wasn't always there. She decided to let him discover that for himself. With an utterance that could have been native mumbling, she gestured for him to follow her: they would leave the main building, step into the light rain where her posture would straighten and rise with her mood ever so slightly. Despite this, she was still untalkative and her gaze wandered about the campus. It was a short walk before she was frowning again as they entered another bright, lit building. There weren't many, but the building had younger students scrambling and looking about for their rooms. She almost laughed, recalling the early days for herself and others. Almost.
"This is where you will stay. If you don't know your room number, I can take you to the office, but you should, right?" she said.
"And if you need anything else, come and find me." Ashton caught the sarcasm that wasn't all to well hidden and rolled his eyes as he lugged the book bag and suitcases. He shivered in the rain for a brief moment and was glad to reach the protection of the next building. He did notice that Naya seemed much happier out in the rain however, or at least she appeared happier. The thing that made Ashton, well not happy but unafraid was seeing other kids his age and younger also struggling to find their way around the Freshman building. He glanced back at Naya and nodded.
"I got my number right here, so I should be good. Uh, thanks again for you know, all that and stuff. I didn't mean to be a bother to you." He gave her a little half smile and shrug and then began turning to head up the stairs.
1x Laugh
