Seth McAlister's Story

Monday
Ten dorm rooms, a huge theater, a courtyard, a pool, a gym, an outdoor battle arena, a café, a dance club, a dance hall, a school store, and several different classrooms were what could be found in the University. Now, in the large theater, all of the students were gathered. They sat in front of a large stage where the twelve Olympians were gathered. Athena, who had the idea for the school and was therefore headmaster, was at the podium and was speaking.

Or trying to speak. The students, though, wouldn’t be quiet. Athena looked quiet timid in front of all of them. She would have hated for her plan to fall through.
“May I have your attention? Your attention, please?” she said, but was not heard over the chatting children.

“Everybody shut up right now!” Ares yelled powerfully. All the students went silent.

Athena took a deep breath and continued. “Thank you. Now, as you all know this is the Demigod Academy. You all have gifts. A gift of us gods. You possess spectacular powers to control a certain element. Obviously, none of you are quite certain how to control it. And that’s why you’re here. Here, we will not only teach you how to use your powers, but also about what it means to be a Demigod. You must use your powers for good. And to do that, you must learn about our history and train each day. I hope you will all enjoy yourselves…” Her speech went on for about ten minutes and most of the students lost interest after a while. Finally, she said, “Have a great year! Please hurry onto your first class which I believe is ancient Greek history. And—“

“Not so fast!” a voice from out of nowhere came. From the deep tone and rage within it, everyone could tell it was Hades. “You think this is a grand idea, Athena? You believe that all these little…rodents have the ability to be gods? And what about my children? Where are they? I’ll tell you now, Athena and the rest of you Olympians, this school will fail. Shut it down now or there will be hell to pay. I guarantee it!”
After a moment, all the students began to talk about what that meant.

“Children! Please! Please! Don’t panic!” Athena tried.

Then Zeus stepped up. “Silence! All students should immediately report to the common room at once! You are to stay there until further notice. Any student caught outside of the common room shall be expelled…dismissed!” And he left. All the students filed out and were escorted by minor gods to the common room. They sat around in silence waiting for what was going to happen next.
----
SAPPHIRA:
Sapphire looked around at everyone. She didn’t know what to do. Her hair a light shade of pink, she was feeling alright, but a little worried. She looked around at the other students, but was still a bit confused as of what to do. It was frightening. Especially for her. She knew Hades and knew that he would make good on his promise to end the school.

But there was nothing she could do, was there?

Doug let out a light yawn as he found his way to a seat in the common room, folding his larger-than-average frame down onto it. He certainly didn't look worried. In fact, he was grinning faintly, if a little sleepily; this was all happening a little early in the day for his tastes. He was used to sleeping most of the sunlight away and partying long into the night, so it would probably be a little while before his sleep patterns adjusted to this new schedule of classes and trainings.

They'd forced him to wear a shirt, very much against his will, for the opening ceremony, but he'd undone every single button to leave it hanging open to expose his chiseled torso. He idly brushed some blond hair from his half-lidded green eyes, letting them wander around to appraise his fellow students. "He's just one guy. Er. God," he drawled, noting the panic in some of his peers' expressions. "Our moms and dads'll kick his ass, then we'll get to dive right into the boring school stuff." He lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug, then folded his arms across his chest, grinning. "Anyone wanna play a game while we wait?"

"A game?" Cali asked, "What do you mean?"

Siren rolled her eyes at her sister. "Depends," she said twisting her crimson hair.

"Pearl, don't be rude!" Cali scolded her sister. They were twins, but Cali always felt like the older sister. She was worried about the situation. Hades was a pretty scary dude. But Siren thought of it as an adventure. It was exciting. And anything to get out of class for a while.

Archer
Good God! Er... Gods, he supposed. Good Gods! How terrifying that had been! Archer laughed and grinned all the way to the common room. He was in a damn good mood, a damn good mood indeed. He wasn’t going to let some hellion fuck that up for him. Not Archer Scott Kennedy. No siree. He wasn’t even sure why he was so happy. Maybe it was the thrill of being near kids like him, demigods. In a way, it was like a whole big adventure. Arch loved a good thrill. Damn, he was in a good mood.

So, when some guy said, "Anyone wanna play a game while we wait?" , Archer casually chucked his hand into the air and replied, grinning, “Sure. I’m up for it. Have anything in mind?” It was one of the rare times his words didn’t contain vile swears. Road to recovery.

Seth
Oh. How lovely. A threat?

Seth was rather bored. Bored and infuriated. Too many people. They were all so... happy. Well, compared to him, anyway. A lot of people were happy when compared to Seth. Too many. He trudged after the other kids to the common room, where he promptly took a seat in the corner, cross-legged on the chair. He never liked having his feet touch the floor while he was sitting in a chair. Pet peeve of his. Seth wasn’t sure why. It was just uncomfortable.

Not as uncomfortable as being in a room full of people.

Roy was terrified, at first it was uncomfortable with the whispers, but the cry of God of War which ended the whisper almost makes him stop the heart and to complete the lord of the underworld in person comes causing an uproar, luckily before passed out they were sent to a common room which, although not was satisfactory, was better than being in the presence of the Gods, he breathed a few times to calm down and looked around, for some reason a blond giant decided that was appropriate to take off his shirt and propose a game and what is more, there were people willing to do it, insane undoubtedly, a God threaten them and they want to play ..."I don't want share my room with any of them" he mumbled.

Sator’s Perspective

Watching the other “kids” sit down and settle in, talking and speaking of a game, Sator was bit irritated. One was off in what seemed to be a little fit of anger, a small one at that. Another seemed to shyly watch everyone else with utter apprehension and anxiety.

Sator thought nothing of all of this. Truly so. Perhaps he was even skeptical it was happening before his eyes, especially the whole gods-thing. Hermes came to him one night, just as he was laying in a particularly comfortable patch of corn, to tell him that Demeter, Lady of Agriculture, was his mother. Of course, Sator shrugged off this raving, naked lunatic with, “Hmm… that’s nice. Would you like to have sex?” Hermes was probably most obliged, though out of fear of Demeter he rightly rejected.

So was Sator the child of Demeter? Eh, maybe. Sator was a Christian, however. He didn’t believe in gods, let alone Greek ones, and he wasn’t sure what to think of all this. He wasn’t sure if a farmer finally hit him on the head with a rock and he got knocked out what. But it would make sense, all of this, Sator supposed. It would explain why Sator suffered and enjoyed such a dichromatic life, and would put to rest the question of who exactly his mother was. But he didn’t need a mother, and he didn’t need a father. He was an independent man. A virginal man, yes, but a man just the same. “A manly man, indeed,” he thought to himself. His only mother in life was the Virgin Mary, and he no pagan usurper could ever convince him otherwise.

He eyed a most becoming young woman sitting at the foot of a column in the commons. She was a bit near the large group of the kids. “Mmm… she is most delicious,” Sator thought. The others were not ugly, and some were certainly gorgeous, but had yet to capture his attention. What better way to catch their attention and prove his manliness than to catch her eye.

She seemed to be a rancher girl of some sort, a lil’ pistol packin’ mama it seemed, dressed in a cute little blue dress and a leather vest. Her hair was pulled pack in a pony-tail, and her eyes seemed generally enthusiastic. Sator strode gently towards her, his boots clacking against the marble floor, each calculated step purposed toward gathering attention.

“Excuse me, mi’lady,” Sator spoke, his accent leaking out a bit, attempting to catch her attention. Her smiling eyes caught up to his and he glared deeply into them. He grabbed her hand, catching her unawares. “Ah, you are indeed very beautiful,” he began to inch her hand closer to his mouth, “I am Sator Cereris Terensis, but you may call me Saturday.” He kissed her hand and looked back up to her eyes.
 

Victoria’s Perspective

“Get up off me, or I’ll be fixin’ to open a can’a whop ass!” she roared at Sator. “Ain’t no man touches this lil’ girl!” Sator jumped back up, surprised and embarrassed. His lips were sputtering for some type of salvation.

“Listen up men!” Victoria called out attention to the whole group, specifically those with the dreaded snake-organ, “Ain’t none of ya’ll ever touching this! Neve’ eve’, and ya’ll can just keep your hands down each others’ pants, ‘cause I like ladies and ladies alone.”

Bowing her head in a last grace of Southern ladylike behavior, “Thank ya’ll.”

Ain’t no man ever touchin’ without her consent. It made certain sense that Ares was her father, she was as tough or tougher than him, and she was prepared to get into the nitty gritty of things. But Victoria knew that at the heart of things, women were stronger than men, and her mortal mother was a helluva lot tougher than any man, God of War or not.

Archer
Arch laughed at the guy's flirtatious joke. He hadn't been flirted with by a guy before, except at parties his friends dragged him to. After listening to Doug talk (wow... Dionysus. Neat-O), he said, "I'll go!"

He crossed his arms and introduced himself. "Archer Scott Kennedy, ladies and gents. My old man is the big guy, Zeus. And one time," he grinned a mischievous grin here. "I almost robbed a bank. Next?" He sat back in his chair, hooking one leg over the other. 

Seth 
Seth was pretty sure he was surrounded by idiots. Idiots and freaks. 

There was this one guy who wanted to play a game, of all things, and some chick who had a mighty big ego exclaimed that she was a lesbian, basically. He had to refrain from thinking that although she was bigger than him, he could most likely kick her country bumpkin ass. 

Oh God the game started. He tried not to sigh as he stared out the window, wondering why he'd shown in the first place. 

Sator’s Perspective

"A game, I see?" Sator's attention was caught by all the "fun". The blond muscle-man started it all. "An icebreaker?"

The muscle-man, Doug, his father was Dionysus, and the pompous fool's father was Zeus(surprise surprise).

"I do not know if you have already heard," Sator's deep, rumbling voice was ragged from his embarrassment, almost cut weak, "but if you didn't, I am Sator Cereris Terensis." He rolled his "R"s, and anyone could tell he was Mediterranean.

"You may call me Saturday, if you find my name, a... tad too odd," he smiled, watching the chemistry between Doug and the pompous fool named Archer. "My mother, eh, she was Demeter, if you believe all of this."

He started laughing, "I have nothing really interesting about me... I suppose you can see, both my eyes and hair are heterochromatic. Something I've had my entire life."

He looked at the little one off in a grumbling corner.

"And you, little one, would you mind sharing yourself with us?" Sator smiled a bit, winking at the little one, "I am sure I would like to know you."

Sator’s Perspective

"Ah Persephone's daughter," Sator was impressed.

"If this is all true," Sator smiled, "then surely you are my half-niece, as my mother is your grandmother." He admired Sapphira. She was amazingly gorgeous, but not in the same way that other girls or boys made him feel. This gorgeousness was completely platonic to him. Perhaps it was true, this whole demigod thing.

"Perhaps we carry similar traits, if we come from the same divine gene-pool, so to speak?"

Decidedly unsatisfied by this Seth's answer, he inched his way closer to the little one. Something about the air of this boy was interesting, truly intriguing. Sator was determined to know this boy more. Not to suggest a possible relationship, but Sator NEEEDED to know for certain who this Seth was. He needed to know whether or not he was a possible candidate. The desire to figure out this mysterious figure was way too strong.

But then he realized how deep he was getting into all of these people, and remembered the scares from just a few years ago. He remembered... the village.

Seth
He saw a crow fly by the window, off on its business and such. Seth often payed attention to the weirdest things when he was bored. He heard a noise next to him, and, on instinct, his head turned in that direction. Lo and behold, it was none other than the big young man Sator inching his way closer. Seth's eyebrows raised and he folded his hands together. What did this guy want? He was starting to get a little creeped out. 

"Yes?" he inquired, tilting his head to the side and looking at the young man who approached him. 

Sapphira, now in her Autumn persona, could see a potential conflict starting between Seth and Sator. She decided, although probably a bad idea (she didn't care), to try to step in. She walked over to the two. One was her kin and the other her roommate. What to do? What to do?

"Are you trying to seduce my roommate, uncle dearest?" she teased in a friendly way. "Not sure if he likes that." Yeah, this was getting boring. She flipped her hair and it became black. Her bitchier, straight forward, crueller persona.

"Now which of you are gonna take me to the dance? Or do I have to go by myself?" Honestly, she believed that she was setting herself up for disaster. Winter doubted that she would ever get anyone to like her. But, being in this persona, she assumed that she deserved to be completely rejected and embarrassed.

Sator’s Perspective

"Oh nothing, you just remind me of someone I once new," Sator replied to Seth.

"You are very enigmatic. I like things I do not understand." Sator sat down on a table near the window close to Seth.

"I can tell you don't like me, but you have nothing to fear, lil' one," his deep voice eased into a comforting lullaby-like tempo, "I've no intention to hurt you or anything. I simple intend to know you."

Turning to Sapphira, "I don't intend to seduce anyone. If they like me, they like me on their own will. And I don't do dances, if he wishes to take you to the dance, he may."

Seth
Remaining cross-legged on the seat, he hid his hands under the table and wrung them together. Seth may seem all though and stuff, but he got nervous as well as everyone else, perhaps even easier than normal. He always got like this on the inside whenever a stranger began talking directly to him. He didn't like it. 

His pale face turning the slightest shade of pink once more, he lifted his green eyed gaze from the table to Sator. He replied, as calmly as he could, "What do you want to know? You've already heard everything I have to say." 

"And," he continued. "I am most certainly not accompanying this... creature to the dance." It had come out har her than he'd meant it, but he was in a bad mood and more people crowding him wasn't making it any better.

Sator’s Perspective

"Now, now, little one. No need to insult the young lady," Sator said, face slightly shocked, but as cool and calm as before.

"If it pleases you, Sapphira, I will accompany you, but perhaps the young shy fellow in the back might interest you as well, you should ask him," Sator said, trying to clean up. He also knew that he could solve various issues at once. It would allow Seth the ability to only concentrate on one person at a time, thereby deflating the situation as much as Sator liked it, and provided Sapphira and the other shy young man a chance to socialize.

"You don't have to be nervous, Seth," Sator said, smiling at him and attempting to assure his friendliness, "I've no interest to harm you, I'm your friend."

Sapphira glared at Seth. She wasn't really asking him anyways. But her Winter persona seemed to be sticking for the time. She walked over to Seth, "You know what's great?" she said, "I'm your roommate and I know where you're sleeping tonight. So you better hope you don't fall asleep." He was pretty lucky she didn't slap him across the face. Especially in Winter.
She turned to Sator, "You're a nice dude, but I'd rather you go with someone you actually want to. Later, bitches!" She turned her back and walked away from them. She seemed to be absolutely fine with this rejection, but she hit the two sparkling tears from everone by going to stare out the window furthest from everyone else.

Seth
The boy bit back a sharp retort. It wasn't worth it.

He turned his attention back to Sator. "I'm not nervous..." he grumbled. Today was not his day. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel relieved that Sator had tried to defer Sapphira. Seth was also a bit confused. He almost did a double take. Had Sator said... friend? Really? They'd just barely met. Of course, it could also have just been a figure of speech meaning that Sator wasn't an idiotic asshole like the majority of people Seth had met. Now that he thought about it, it was most likely the latter. Seth clasped his hands together, trying to still them under the table. At last, he sighed. Might as well humor the guy. 

"All right, Sator. What do you wish to know about me?"

Sator’s Perspective

"Well, I don't really know, kid," Sator said, getting up off the table and sitting himself in the wooden chair next to Seth. He ran his hand through the brown side of his hair and smiled out at the window to see the stormy clouds of the great Mount Olympus. What an odd site, seeing this big, dichromatic giant and this near-white haired boy sitting together. The truth is, Sator could understand Seth's apprehension. To be honest, Sator would have reacted the same at Seth's age. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure he was being so brave; he hated people, he felt that they were nothing but a detriment to Earth and it's plant life. But, between the jolt of Hades' interruption, the arousing news of being a demigod, and the alarming mystery that Seth's presence posed, he felt his barriers seem to fade and die away beneath his sudden enthusiasm.

"To be honest, I don't even know," Sator looked over at Seth, his eyes serious and a faint watery, "When I first saw you, I thought 'Wow, he's cute.'" Sator laughed a bit, "But now I'm not so concerned about you being cute, you just seem like someone I can trust, somebody I can share my grumblings with."

He got up, "I'm willing to fight until you realize I can be your best friend, but," he stopped. Sator hoped Seth couldn't see the slight tear at the corner of his green eye, "I do consider myself a gentleman, and I will certainly leave you if I bother you that much."

He rested his hand on Seth's shoulder, fully aware that the consequences may be terrible. But he was willing to upset Seth if it meant taking a chance that perhaps he could reach out and speak to Seth in a language more intimate. "It's all up to you," Sator said, voice slightly fading, "but I will always be your friend."

Victoria’s Perspective

Victoria didn't need to hear anymore before she yelled back at Siren, being only a foot away, "YEAH!!! Let's hear some singing! C'mon ya'll, let's hear some music!

Archer
Archer smiled and leaned forward, eyeing Doug. "Well that sure does sound damn skippy, Douggie. I'd be happy to go with you." His smile morphed into his signature charistmatic grin. He was in a damn good mood today. He was about as giddy as a five-year-old in a freaking candy shop. Screw Hades. He was having fun. Heck, he even wanted to hear that Cali girl sing, for crying out loud.

Seth
Seth blinked a few times, taken by surprise at Sator's words. He was even more surprised when Sator's large hand was laid on his relatively puny soulder. Despite his experiences during his childhood, Seth had never felt so small. Seth, shockingly, was speechless for a few moments. He didn't know what to say. An almost total stranger had come up to him and professed possible friendship? Today wasn't going at all as expected. But perhaps... that was a good thing, for once. For the first time in his life, Seth gave a friendly smile. He had to admit, it felt good to be liked. It felt good to know that someone wanted to be his friend despite his attitude. And that... well, that had never happened before.

So, staring wide-eyed at the not-so-strange-anymore stranger, Seth blinked one more time and replied, still in a state of relative surprise words he'd never dreamed would come out of his mouth. "I'd... I'd like that, Sator."

Sator’s Perspective

Sator smiled at Seth, and sat back down. He took his hand, cautiously and gently patting Seth's shoulder, "Do you feel safe with me, little one?"

Sator gazed back out on over the land beneath Mount Olympus, through cloud and bird and mist and fog. He could feel Seth's smile, the novelty of which was deathly invigorating. "I hope you don't mind being seduced?" Sator laughed, loudly but softly. "If you don't mind, would you like to come to the dance with me? We don't have to dance, we could find a room and talk about how stupid people are."

Sator felt like a little kid again. Felt like he was in laying in the corn fields back home, beneath the Sun and happy again. "What do you think?" he looked over at Seth, heart pounding and nervous.