Fantasy тнє ιиѕтιтυтє σf σℓумρυѕ

[Cephalop0ds_]

Aulos followed the group, wiping off dried blood from his forehead, he sighed. "Man... I just want to crash in my bed. I feel like this is all going to get worse" he mumbled, staring at the ceiling. "I just hope no one died..." he added, his voice lowering with concern. He turned towards Artemis, his eyes widening seeing blood drip from her arm "Oh, oh... You got hit too?! You know, I'm amazed at your bravery, but it was kind of reckless."

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Hermes nodded. "Things are just gonna go downhill from here, I'm sure of it. We haven't even gotten sorted into our brackets yet..." he sighed.

Artemis smiled wearily, still putting pressure on her arm to slow the bleeding down. You could tell Hestia was on the brink of panicking, seeing her friends in such a state. "I'm...okay. I'll be fine...and thank you. It was the least I could do, but you're right, I should have been more careful. You were also very courageous. Taking it upon yourself to help Asclepius like that, without any hesitation...I admire your bravery. Truly, I do."

Hermes muttered something about helping as well, and Artemis chuckled quietly. "Yes, you too, Hermes."

 

[Cephalop0ds_]

Aulos looked to the side, slightly flustered. He blurted out "Well... I ah... He was doing most of the job. I just moved everyone away.", while fiddling with his hands. "I'm impressed all of you helped... even Atë." he squinted his eyes "Though I don't know if we can still trust her."

Meanwhile, Atë had stopped sinking in her thoughts. She stood up, brushing dust off herself, then approached the headmistress. "Ma'am..." she said, lowering her head "I'm... here if you wish to talk after this mess. Well, more precisely about my parentage, correct? I understand my family isn't exactly... welcome."

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Smiling, Artemis replied, "That may be so, but nevertheless, the strength and perseverance you demonstrated was nothing short of commendable." Hermes looked a little sulky about Aulos receiving most of the praise from Artemis.

Hestia, in her sweet naiveness, mumbled, "Maybe she isn't that bad...she did help us, after all..."


Zeus and Poseidon had left to go meet the students, Asclepius, and Hades. Simply Athena and Ate remained in the mess hall. "We may talk now." Athena insisted. She lowered herself from her towering height to Ate's level. Her eyes held a glint of empathy. "I do not wish to discuss your origins. I know them well enough. It's a bit difficult, isn't it, to be shunned for who you happen to be." her tone, as well as her gaze, then hardened slightly. "But, I do know that you do not do anything to change your circumstances. You instead choose to feed the murmurs and mistrust. Ate, I know you were the one who broke the chandelier. Did you really think I wouldn't figure out who did it?"

 

[Cephalop0ds_]

Atë froze, turning even paler than before "But... how? And even then... what else is there to change? Even if I oh-so-heroically stepped in and tried to save the day, deep down we both know it wasn't for the 'greater good' ". She sighed, then looked up at her "I'm nothing else but an evil spirit." Her gaze seemed to soften, her feathers settling down, visibly ashamed.

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Athena shook her head. "You can be so much more. You might not think so, but I have faith in you. I believe that people really can change if they try their best. But oftentimes, even when given another chance, people never change their ways. I don't want you to be another name on that list. And besides, here, we do not tolerate any misdeeds. Ate, I am trying to show you empathy. But be warned, I am wizened enough to know when I am being played." she gazed at Ate, her golden eyes holding the strangest perception- it was like Athena was looking right through her. "I know more than you might think. Heed my warning, because troublemakers will be punished accordingly. Am I getting through to you? Try to change, not just for the sake of keeping a clean record in discipline, but for yourself."

 

[Jaw Breakcore]

The dining hall door thrust open, slamming into the wall with a rumbling thud from its size. But what made Σταφύλι cower behind the injured cyclops was not the noise but the person who entered in afterwards.

There she stood to her full height, her body framed in over exaggerated ginger curls and a deep, punctuated red dress that trailed out the door and her model face twisted in scorn yet still so beautiful. Her lips puff in anger as her stone eyes' sear holes into the three Gods.

"ZEUS!"
How she knew was a mystery, not to Σταφύλι though, he was used to her hearing gossip of wildfire. A little cupid peeks out from behind her and it makes the nymph sight through his nose. She scans the crowd before catching his face and quickly bunches a mass of her fabric in a fist and sprints over to him, her bare feet slapping against the soot covered tiles. The red trailing behind her.

"Σταφύλι! My little wine!" Aphrodite is quick to slide to her knees and cup his sharp face, turning it in multiple directions in her palms.
Now that the two were side by side the appearance and relation was unmatched, he truly did gain her distinctly otherworldly beauty. It was Light's turn for his jaw to drop open, his stare more potent than the sun.

"Ma'-!" He could barely protest, the childhood nickname splashed colors on his nape, and he grumbles low in his chest.
She grasps his arm, making him hiss between his teeth as she looks it over. The moment her smooth palm was painted in red almost as vibrant as her makeshift dress, she stood to fully face the Gods.

"ZEUS!!" The goddess voice was like a heart stopping harmony, but her rage was like a bear, a mother bear who's best known amongst the god parents for how overprotective she is. And how very, very far she will go if someone dares disrupt her children.

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Zeus sighed, as he had been about to go with Poseidon to meet up with Asclepius and Hades. Poseidon raised a brow.
"Aphrodite. What a pleasure." Zeus muttered, folding his arms across his broad chest. Without even looking at him, Zeus added, "Close your mouth, Light, you look like a fool."

"Perhaps I should go on ahead while you talk with her?" Poseidon suggested, already halfway out the door.

 

[Jaw Breakcore]

Light shuts his mouth with a soft click.

"Pleasure? Pleasure?!" Her voice soars across the room. "Ya' whole hall is dismantled! My-"
She quickly picks up the nymph beneath his uninjured arm, he stumbles to his feet and stares at the God with a handful of blinks. Then she thrust her hand forward, the blood dipping between the curves of her palm and down her wrist.
"I devote my second son to your school, and you allow him to get injured!"

The cupid mumbles about how he is in fact not her 'second son' but a curtain number that was so quiet she could only hear.
"Could you not face simple mortals?!"

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Zeus huffed, looking agitated. "I didn't allow him to get injured. You say it like I sat back and let destruction happen. Unlike YOU, Aphrodite, I actually decide to take action instead of sitting back and looking pretty." he ran his hand through his cloud-like beard. "Where were you when the school was getting attacked? I didn't see you when my lightning was absorbed. Or when a portal appeared. Or when a hand snatched up the perpetrator. It was not a simple mortal!"

He was working himself up into a storm now, standing up at his full, towering height, his eyes sparking. "Now why don't you settle yourself down and stop talking about things you don't know! Oh, and by the way...." Zeus leaned in a little closer. "Nobody made you enroll your son here."

 

[Jaw Breakcore]

"Well, if you can not take care of him or the other students as a God, then perhaps you need better reinforcements!"
She places her hands on her hips, Light slowly stands as his hand outstretches about to try and calm the situation. Σταφύλι quickly shakes his head, his hand making darting slicing motions towards his neck. The cyclops sits back down and stares at the wall.
"And I did not enroll him, Himeros did!"
The nymph slowly nods in agreement.

"And I was with the mortals!"
Possibly causing chaos, but Σταφύλι did not speak his mind.

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Zeus was thunderous, a temper Poseidon would be proud of. "Ah, yes, of course, it's not as if we are allowed to make mistakes, Aphrodite, no, especially when your pathetic excuse of a son is involved. You act like you are the only person who is a parent here. My boy Hermes was injured, and might I add, your son's injury is NOTHING compared to the condition I saw my son in before he left for the infirmary. And do you see ME acting as if he was good as dead, with glass in his wings and bruises everywhere? NO! I saw the way he ran into the fray, VALIANTLY! I've never been prouder! And just so you know, Aphrodite, I don't care who enrolled your son. You still seemed to permit him to come, anyway, as Athena had sent out the letters MONTHS ago. Or were you too busy running amok and causing havoc among the mortals to pay attention to your children?!"

Zeus looked over at Athena and snapped his fingers twice. Athena hurried over. "Well? Now's your chance. You can unenroll your son. Athena, that wouldn't be a problem, would it?" Zeus asked her brightly. Athena nodded.

 

[Jaw Breakcore]

'Pathetic excuse for a son.' Σταφύλι felt as if his ribs caved into his chest, felt his heart bend and crack beneath their weight.

Aphrodite looked smoldering, if she had the ability, she may even catch fire. But what she lacked in power she gained in gravity; Light has only ever been frightened by a handful of things, but her rage bled into air and threatened to choke him. He pushes himself to his feet, ignoring the sharp burns coating his arm and the way the lightning had split his shirt to his shoulder and back.

"Pathetic- havoc "

She may even attempt to fight the God and Light had already seen enough blood shed. But what caught him mid step was the expression on the nymph's face, the way emotion flooded him and engulfed him down to the size of a child. It felt as if he was staring into his reflection starring at his younger self being scolded by one of his past adopted parents.

"You-" She hisses low, her pupils swelling like a shark, her own vibrant scales rippling over her arms. Her nails digging into her palm.
She truly looked like a beautiful bomb, and she was very close to igniting and destroying everything in her wake.

"Ma..."
The goddess snaps her face towards him and takes in a deep breath from his expression. Σταφύλι hated this, hated how the truth sunk so deep into his skin. His mother never even knew the letter existed, she was too busy with the mortals, she had only known about the school since yesterday. Perhaps he was pathetic, he cowered behind everything, can barely hold a conversation with anyone.

"This could be a wonderful chance for you to get out from her wings. See the world! Ya' never know till you try it, Σταφύλι."
He wishes Himeros was here, he'd smooth everyone's feathers and make everything better.

His lips press, his eyes dim in a violent emotion of anguish. He wasn't his half-brothers, he wasn't his stepfathers, his only special trait was being Aphrodite's son and his looks. He wants to dive into the sea and lay in the coral until he became one with it.

The goddess stares at him for a long moment then turns back to the God, she takes another deep breath through her nose. Then another just in case and exhales slowly.

"It is not my choice... it seems." Her voice was thick with anger, but she doesn't raise her voice. "But since we are here."
She waves her palm in gesture, the Cupid hovering over to her and pulls out a feathered pen and paper.

"I declare to enroll another student. One that will protect my son from your- filth. Since you seem so confident in being able to take care of everyone, why don't I give you a big bite."

She clears her throat, brushing back a curl from her face. "Cupid, I want you to visit the labyrinth and bring me... the minotaur."

Light and Σταφύλι eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Zeus stared back steadily, his eyes crackling with intensity. He was sick of Aphrodite, the way she seemed to frolic through life without any real pressure on her. And he grew weary of these arguments, he really did. He didn't want to be like this, but that's just the way it was. He needed Aphrodite to wake up and realize that their lives were not all about harps and wine.

Sometimes you just have to be cruel.

Zeus did not seem remotely surprised. Instead, he and Athena shared a look, having a conversation with their eyes that nobody else was a part of.

"It seems like I do not have the pleasure to veto this decision, as Athena is the headmistress." Zeus said finally.

Athena nodded solemnly. It was her say, as the goddess of wisdom and the headmistress of the institute, that counted at the end. "...As headmistress, and as the deity of wisdom...I strongly agree with Zeus. We have duties, paired with these luxuries mortals only dream of...and one of said duties is to be able to deal with the real world. And if your son can not cope with the harsh realities of this world...then I am afraid it is you that is in the wrong, Aphrodite. For your mollycoddling will pay a price when your son does not know how to fight battles and win wars. Enroll another student if you wish, it is my belief that we should never turn away a student, but heed my warning, Aphrodite." her golden eyes were calm, yet serious. "Your son will remain as weak as Zeus has told you unless you let him be."

 

[Jaw Breakcore]

The goddess waves her palm, the cupid flying out the dining hall then she folds her arms. Σταφύλι fidgets with the cuff of his blazer, the pain numbed from the harsh words. Light places his large hand on the nymph's shoulder, causing him to tilt his jaw and face him.
The cyclops presses his lips, his pupil dragging across the floor in thought then he carefully looks up at Zeus and Athena.
"Is war all we think of?"

Aphrodite turns to him, he slowly blinks.
"Can we not settle for peace? Must we wait for war when all it has done is take...?"

He pulls at the skin of his lips, looking down at the floor as he pieces together his scattered thought. "Could we- can we..."
He was told never to speak his mind, never to talk back to others, that his worth was weighed as much as his father's sins and against a feather. But he's witnessed firsthand his father's destruction, the lives his took with his bare hands and teeth. And Light almost just witnessed a fight between gods.

"Perhaps war is not... a matter of fighting between others..." He looks back up. "Perhaps it is war amongst ourselves that we... should worry about."
His voice was loud despite his attempts at mumbling and shaky despite his attempts at not sounding nervous.

"Can we... find other ways to express are frustrations... instead of..." He swallows. "Using words like- like... like 'pathetic'..."

His voice almost breaks as he spoke the word, a word that has been hot knifed into his heart since his father roared it as he was defeated in the Titan war.
"I do not want... anyone to get hurt." His voice does break this time, squeaky and high as his hand leaving the nymph's shoulder and cups the bicep of his burned arm. Lightning scars forming against his skin.

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Athena looked at the two younger persons in the room, quite sad. "You think we enjoy fighting? We hate it, because we're all a family deep down. But sometimes, it must be done. Justice has to be served. What if Hades got away with every misdeed he's ever done? Do you think Zeus likes to bicker with his own brother? No! But sometimes, it just has to be done. Listen to me, closely." Athena took a second to collect her thoughts. "I am not trying to teach all of you how to fight to the death. I am trying to teach you that the world isn't simply black-and-white. People aren't just 'good' or 'bad'. Sometimes you have to step up against people you care about. Because unfortunately, that's just how it tends to be."

Poseidon and Hades re-entered the room. "Ah, Aphrodite, I thought I could hear you complaining from the other side of the campus." Hades remarked snidely.

"Asclepius and the students are awaiting your approval to continue on, Athena." Poseidon informed.

 

[Jaw Breakcore]

The cyclops opens his mouth but decides against it. She was right, whether he wanted to hold that truth or not and now with a new generation of gods and goddess, the fighting may continue.
Aphrodite sneers at Hades. "It seems you were let out of the underworld, what a shame. I quite liked you there."
Light's nerves spark like electricity, he prays to Eirene for Aphrodite to not be the flame that ignites another war between gods but from what he has seen he would not put it past her to do so.

Σταφύλι opens his mouth to stop her from saying anything else, she holds no power here and her arrogance was going to lend him into more trouble than it is worth, but the hall door opens. This time a lot more respectfully.

"As requested by the Goddess of Love." The cupid spoke high. "I present to you the Minotaur and his father... the White Bull..."

Simultaneously, the two students lean back to see the beast for the very first time. Σταφύλι had only heard rumors, he honestly thought it had been slain by Theseus but perhaps that was tale spun by his mother to keep things in check. Out of all her negative traits Aphrodite was still the Goddess of Love and she loved when her creations flourish, no matter how... de-human they are.

The bull was almost as white as the marble of the mess hall, high and proud, horns casting a deep shadow across its face. But all the students drifted to the Minotaur itself, stood there with shaggy platinum hair covering its mother's eyes and adorned in a patterned chiton. It was not nearly as tall as most of the decedents here, but what it lacked in height it made up for in pure physical strength. Its arms were carved in muscle. The nearly broken chandelier's light catches the golden tag hanging from one of its long bull ears and every time it huffed from its snout it brushed the bangs to reveal the intense look held within its eyes.

Light felt like he was being strangled. The air felt sickly, he was staring at one of the most taboo and unholy creatures to ever walk Mount Olympus.

Aphrodite smiles calmly up at the gods.

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Poseidon and Hades looked bewildered. Asclepius let out a little squeak before darting away back to the infirmary. Zeus looked on, his face not one of confusion, like his brothers, but he folded his arms once more and said nothing.

"Welcome." Athena said cordially, attempting a smile. "Do...do you have a name, per chance? Or, any way you'd like us to address you in general?" she didn't know if they understood what she was saying, but she figured to start off normally to make sure she didn't accidentally offend them.

 

[Jaw Breakcore]

It takes in a couple of heavy breaths, before exhaling slowly. "I understand you..."
Its voice was heavy and scratchy, one that did quite settle in Σταφύλι ears correctly. Light's breath catches in his throat and his pupil engulfs his hazel irises.
Aphrodite smile softens at the ends as she bunches a fistful of her vibrant makeshift dress and walks towards the beast. She strokes her palm over the bull's back, its tail flicking as it huffs.

The minotaur steps forward, its massive hooves echoing within the completely silent hall. It licks its lips, parting them to speak but closes them. It brushes away the bangs, curling them behind the long ear and tilts is jaw to face them. "I... am... Ακαθαρσια."
Its voice rumbled in the student's chest, the name alone making Σταφύλι swallow thickly. It was one thing to be named after a fruit that creates wine, it was another to be called a word that meant tarnish, wicked and tainted.

 

[Doctor Voidsman]

-Barren saw the minotaur and became interested in it. Much like doctor V he summoned a note book and began taking not eon it's height, build, muscle, possible weaknesses it would have. he smirks a bit and made a small tear into the void and spoke into it-

Barren/Godfrey: "Brother Primordial I see now why you sent the doctor here~ this place is filled to the brim with strange and powerful creatures~ tell me...will they be converted and made to serve us?~"

Primordial; "The time will come my brother...stay hidden and only speak with me when you are alone entirely...this shall only happen for now. as for the Doctor i'll be sending him back soon...be ready for him' -the small tear closes as Godfrey made his way out of the lightning dome. he didn't even seemed to be affected by it as he passed through and walked towards the forest humming softly-

 

[Forevermore]

Two new students had entered the hall through the main doors, both of them very confused, having probably encountered the aftermath of the battle, as the school was still repairing itself. They looked like opposites to each other, and yet it seemed like they had not arrived together on purpose.

One of them, the boy, immediately backed out of the mess hall again, his indigo eyes widening behind his gold-rimmed glasses, in shock upon seeing what was going on, but the other, the girl, walked in. The air seemed to disappear from the hall as she walked in. She had a beauty that only Aphrodite's rivaled. She had curly brown hair that framed her rosy-cheeked face in wisps, her honey-colored eyes scanning to room, her pink lips pressed together in concern. She radiated a glow similar to that of a sunrise. She was, and there was no other word to describe it, gorgeous.

She looked behind her, realizing the boy was no longer with her, she left and then returned with him, dragging him in by the back of his collar. He was struggling against her. He was also good looking, although he was a bit short. A halo of twinkling stars wrapped around his head, his midnight-black hair shining with bluish highlights. "P-please let me go..!" he pleaded quietly.

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Athena turned to see who had interrupted...whatever had been going on. She smiled upon seeing the scene unfolding in front of her. "Welcome. A bit tardy, I see." she said, inclining her head. "Don't worry, though, we haven't even gotten to the sorting yet. There are a few more students we're waiting on before we can commence, so we will be waiting a few more minutes until they arrive. But please, goddess of dawn, release him at once." she chuckled.

 

[Jaw Breakcore]

The minotaur jerks his head to the side, catching the quick movements between its strands of hair and out of the corner of its sunken eyes. Σταφύλι body jolting from it, only used to the slow body language of the beast. 'Ακαθαρσια' breaths heavy, his muscular shoulders tensing and its hooves clip on the marble flooring when it takes a step back. Its stare sears into the two new students, eyes outlining the features and expressions of their faces. Then it takes in a deep breath through its snout and tilts its jaw to look back up at the Gods.

Light uncurls his fist, hoping the bass within his ears would settle for a moment.

 

[Forevermore]

The girl nodded. "Yes ma'am. But please, call me Eos." she said, relinquishing the boy at once, who stumbled upright, straightening his glasses, looking angry.

"That is no way to treat someone, and...a-and..." the boy stammered, having finally looked at Eos. His face flushed, bright red, and his voice trailed away into nothing. The girl raised an eyebrow, grinning. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shuffled away, feeling everyone looking at them. The girl simply smiled, looking back at the minotaur. As far as anyone could tell, she was not afraid in the least.

 

[A Hazy Sort of Clarity]

Athena simply smiled. "I prefer calling my students by their main titles, Goddess of Dawn." she looked over at the bashful boy Eos had embarrassed. "And you, God of Stars? Care to introduce yourself?"