Alexander Cadwell's Story

Alex is late for class. His own class. He hasn't been late for class since he was eighteen! He'd spent the night off-campus, with a woman from the nearby town who he'd been on a couple of dates with. It had been going well, until the early hours of the morning, anyway; he'd royally screwed it up by visibly cringing when she'd mentioned celebrating their one-week anniversary. He'd spent the rest of the night on her sofa, and then left before she woke up.

There's no time for him to change his date clothes before class, so he'll just have to show up in a shirt and suit jacket - tell the kids he was at an early meeting, or something. It'll make a change from his usual grass-stained jeans and t-shirt, at least. And he'll have to put on armour for the lesson, anyway.

Lukas and Clover are still hanging about the courtyard, engaged in a bit of first-base. It's their anniversary, isn't it? Clover had mentioned it the other day, while she'd been helping him clear everything away after class. Bah! The very last thing he'd wanted to be reminded of right now is an anniversary! "Lukas! Clover! You know Mr. Keating will have you for breakfast if you're not in his classroom five minutes ago!" But he turns to them again, when he's a little ways away, "And Happy Anniversary! Many more!"

Jules, Danielle and Peter are already waiting for him when e arrives in the Battle Strategy area, and he claps his hands together to gain their attention. "Good morning, kids. How are we feeling, today?"

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Tristan's running late for Battle Strategy class, and unfortunately the quickest route from his bedroom to the Strategy Area takes him straight past the little group huddled together on the grass. He can hear William putting the moves on Nina. Gods, that's cheesy, he thinks, he sounds like a teen romance novel. Nina isn't exactly his best friend - she's kind of a snore, really - but he kinda hopes that she's smart enough to tell him where to get off...she'd have to be brain-dead not to notice William's less-than-subtle appraisal of Portia's ass, and even more so to ignore his relationship with Portia; everyone knows about them...they're an open secret. Portia is the closest thing which William has has had to a girlfriend since starting at the Academy, and it would serve him right if she got fed up of him. That would put William in his place, for a little while at least.

Ava and Arissa are with them, though, so he can't really walk past without acknowledging them. "Hi." he gives them a quick wave, then thinks of an excuse to hurry off, "I gotta get to class, see you there."

Arissa Adia

After Ava left them in a hurry, Arissa soon left not a second later. Seeing that the two where absorbed in their conversation, she finally decided to go to Mr. Cadwell's class. She knew she won't be late that much, seeing as the bell had only rung but she decided to speed up walking. Her initial plan was to skip class, for the very first time actually. She rather had a bad start this day and she don't think she can keep her I'm a good child aura for today. But since Mr. Cadwell is her favorite teacher, she might as well try her hardest not to blemish her perfect attendance on his class.

"Good morning, kids. How are we feeling, today?" She heard him say and Arissa immediately hastened her steps. She opened the door and quickly entered. "I'm sorry Mr. Cadwell, I was temporarily detained," she mustered in a sweet voice looking apologetically at the teacher.

She saw Danielle, Peter and Juliette and almost let out an audible groan. Just her luck, the Academy's well-known liar in her morning class. She paused at the door for a few moments before deciding that she looked an idiot longer than she would like, went inside and took a seat near the window. She then stared at Mr. Cadwell's handsome face expectantly and eagerly waited for his lesson.
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Nissa Claire Summers

One thing you can always be sure with Nissa Claire Summers is that she is a spontaneous person. She always have new activities planned for every single day. It wasn't like she hated monotony but she figured if you can do something different, something new, why not try it? Such is the case for this early morning. As a child of Athena, one thing she prided of is her ability to shift into an owl. Not only did she like the feeling of flying, soaring into the vast sky, Nissa also deeply appreciates being able to see the world in another perspective. This one is from a bird's eye view, literally.

She flew around the perimeters of the Academy for an hour before she finally tested herself if she can go farther. She never tried it before. Not really seeing a reason to but since she had a shitty weekend she thought it may help with her current bad mood. And she was thankful that she did, flying far away and seeing the world beyond the Academy was the most wonderful and exhilarating thing she experienced. She was able to see the large expanse of water which deeply hides Olympus from the normal human beings and even the dense forest that lies beyond it.

She flew across the ocean and into the forest before finally settling on a very tall tree. Before she knew it, time has gone by rather swiftly and she noticed that it was already time for the morning classes. Only then did she decided to leave and fly back to the Academy, though her class wasn't later this day.

Portia's smirk falls as soon as she's out of view of Ava and the rest, and she raised a hand to her temple; her head is throbbing. She brightens, however, when she spots Chloe and Everlie. She gives them a smile - her first genuine one of the morning. "You two been skinny dipping?" she asks, pointing to their damp clothes. She stops when she reaches them, "I'll never understand how you two can be bothered to get up so early." she's vaguely impressed by the two early-birds; she can't do anything but blink before 8.30 am.

She suddenly realises that the three of them are late for class...that's hardly unusual for Portia, but for Everlie it's unheard of, "Ev? You know that you're late for class? And on an assessment day! Chloe and I must be a really terrible influence on you, yeah Chloe?" she gives Everlie a grin that shows she's only teasing. "I'm in the mood for a drinks tonight...but, when am I not in the mood for a few drinks?" she chuckles, "What do you think? Want to join me?" she asks.

"Anyway, I should go. I've got Cadwell's class." she gives them a final wave and then continues on her way to Battle Strategy. Jules, Peter and Danni are already there, and Keating is looking around, obviously waiting for the others. "Sorry, sir. Got held up." She stands by the other three, "Hey, guys." she greets, "You three are looking awfully bloody bright for this time in the morning." she observes.

Portia nudges Jules's arm, "Do you have a water bottle? I'm so hungover - I feel like the living dead." After her drink - a long one after which she feels marginally better - she turns back to the others, "Anyway, speaking of hangovers, I thought maybe we could have a few drinks tonight? What d'you think?" she thinks for a moment before adding, "Obviously we wouldn't invite Ava or Arissa or Nina - or any of that lot. Just the fun people."[/b] Portia plans on [i]spending some time[i] with Will, tonight - and having Nina and the rest of the prohibition group around would be counter productive.

Tristan holds up a hand in apology when he walks into Battle Strategy late, but by the looks of things he's not the only one. Portia, Juliette, Danni and Peter are standing at one end, and Arissa - who had come in a few moments after he had - is at the other, but apart from that the place is deserted. He goes by Arissa - he and Peter aren't exactly best buddies - "Sorry I ran off, earlier...I just didn't want to catch whatever Will has."





Alex returns Danni's smile with a tired one of his own, when she says that she feels great, "Glad to hear it, Danni. I wish I could say the same for myself." He watches as Tristan, and then Arissa, make their entrances and excuses, and gives them a nod to show that their lateness is excused. He gives the kids a 'settle down' gesture when they start asking about his night, "I can't have a night off, every once in a while? he jokes, "Gods know that you all do...some more frequently than others, Portia." he casts an eye over Portia's dishevelled appearance; she looks how he [/i]feels.

"Today, we're going to be practising with non-contact battle. That is, fighting using your powers, not weapons. So throw on some armour - " he points over to the lockers containing the armour in the corner, "-and break off into two groups of five..." he glances round, realising that there's not enough students to actually make up two teams of five. He frowns, creating a line in his forehead, "Has anyone seen Nina? How about Will? Emilee? Malcolm?"

After Nissa retired to her room, she checked her lecture notes for the class later that day. She already completed it last night but flying around early this morning gave her a new idea. She looked over her notes and decided to do some changes. Once she was done preparing her lesson, she walked out of her room and went outside.

When she was walking to the classrooms, she was just mildly surprised to see William Hawk out of class. She certainly knew how little he valued his education but what shocked her was his companion. It was Nina Collins, the shy child of Demeter. "Nina?" She called out, stopping near them. She looked at both of them disapprovingly but she was more focused on the blond haired girl. "I thought you have class with Mr. Alexander this morning?" She stated checking her wristwatch to make sure that she wasn't mistaken. She recently heard the last warning bell so she was sure that classes had already begun.

"What are you doing here outside with Mr. Hawk?" She added turning to the other student for a moment, arching an eyebrow. She looked at her and waited for her response.

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"Yes, I know. If it weren't for Ava...", Arissa said smirking at Tristan, trailing off at the end of her statement. She liked Tristan, he was the type of guy you'd enjoy talking with. Unlike the other son of Aphrodite, he doesn't act like a total slut. She wanted to add more having found someone who shared her dislike but decided to leave it at that.

Now that she was in Mr. Cadwell's class she's certainly in her element. Mr. Alexander Cadwell is the only teacher worth listening to and she always made sure to pay extra attention to everything he says. "I can't have a night off, every once in a while?" She smiled hearing his joke, it was just like him to make things fun. But her smile faded when she saw Portia, the wild and reckless child of Dionysius enter the class as if she owned it. Groaning inwardly she looked at her disgustedly. I thought I got rid of her before! She thought thinking back where she unfortunately saw her earlier at the garden.

It was just her luck that everyone she don't like seem to be in her morning class, aside from Tristan and to some extent, Danni, that is. Good thing Mr. Cadwell is in front of her or else.
"Doesn't she know the existence of a hairbrush?" She murmured to Tristan, still staring at the girl distastefully. "Or taking a bath?" She added raising her chin haughtily, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Today, we're going to be practising with non-contact battle. That is, fighting using your powers, not weapons. So throw on some armour - " Mr. Cadwell had already started talking about their activity for the day. He then started to look for the other students. She rolled her eyes as she was walking towards the lockers when she heard him state Nina's name. Not surprisingly she's still with William. Honestly. It will do her good if she don't associate herself with the guy.

Malcolm hung there, still basking in the warmth of Emilee's dads glow. Everything was peaceful and calm. Malcolm just felt content right now, knowing that he helped Emilee through what was bothering her. He simply was waiting for her to join him and then they can go back to their normal day to day routine. Soon enough, Emilee was hanging there right next to him. She looked at him and spoke. "I don't want to go to class." She said softly. "You know, I don't exactly know what I plan on doing in the near future, this is my home and you're here..I don't want to leave. What are you doing after your schooling is up here?" She asked looking over at him. "And thanks." She said in a soft tone. "You really did cheer me up." She said with a small smile and then punched his arm lightly, like she almost always did, it was a routine. Malcolm feigned being injured. "Ah! Easy with the guns, slugger." he said with a smile. "So, how much game did you get today?" Emilee asked him casually. Malcolm just gave a cocky smile. "The spoils of my catch are right down.....GREGIS!" Malcolm looked down to see the last of his rabbit's sliding down Gregis' enormous gullet. Upon hearing his name, Gregis' ears perked up and he turned his gaze skyward. He gave Malcolm a look of guilt, along with a puppy pout.

"Oh no, your not getting out of this that easy." Malcolm said sternly. He unhooked his legs from the branch and free fell to the ground, landing on his feet. He walked over to Gregis, and Gregis immediately fell to the ground and rolled onto his back, a sign of submission. "That's right, I'm Alpha. Now, those were not all for you. I said you could have half of what I caught, not all of it." Gregis then made a whimpering sound and a weak bark. "Well Emilee is more important than your breakfast, alright." Malcolm explained. Gregis then barked a few times. "Don't use that tone with me! This requires punishment. Nothing but kibble for the next 3 days." Gregis immediately got up and started to bark at Malcolm. At the second bark, Malcolm just gave him a look, which made Gregis submit again. Malcolm then smiled and began to rub Gregis' stomach. "Alright, good boy." Malcolm then stood up and looked back over to Emilee. "Well....I did have 3 rabbits and a pheasant. Now, I guess Ive got nothing. Oh! And I'm not sure what I'm going to do." Malcolm said sort of evasively. That was the last thing he wanted to talk to Emilee about....his future. He looked towards his spear. Gregis had sort of taken the hunting spirit out of him for now. "Well....we're already late for class. I might as well send Gregis with a message to Mr. Cadwell saying we will be late....or not coming. I'll leave it vague. Malcolm reached into his sling pack and got out some paper and a pen. He wrote the following on the paper.



Malcolm placed the finished letter in Gregis' spiked collar. He then looked him directly in the eyes. "Gregis, take that message to Mr. Cadwell as fast as you can. Got it?" Gregis gave a dog nod. "Good, now go." With that, Gregis raced off into the woods. Malcolm hen turned back to Emilee. "Hey, what are going to do about that dance thing comin' up...soon I guess. You going to ask someone, or not go, or what?" Malcolm asked casually.

Gregis raced through the woods, wind blowing through his shiny coat. His tongue lolling in the wind, leaving a trail of spittle behind him. In a matter of moments he was out of the forest an onto the campus of the school. He raced past people walking, nearly bulldozing over a few students. He ran down a few hallways and stopped in the middle of a four way intersection. He spun around a few times looking from place to place, panting with a dumb grin on his face. He then sniffed the air, and ran down one of the hallways. He ran directly pass Ezekiel, Nina and Will, before sliding to a stop and turning back. He ran directly up to Ezekiel and barked a few happy barks at him while jumping around like a playful puppy. He then put his forelegs on Ezekiel's chest and licked him in the face like he had done a million times before. HE then jumped back, chased his tail for a second, then kept running.

He bolted right into Battle-Strategy class and barreled through the students and desks. He slid to a stop and placed his front paws onto Mr. Cadwell's desk. He then grasped at the note for a little bit before pulling it out of his collar and putting it on his desk. He then looked at Mr. Cadwell with a nice big Dog grin, panting and drooling on his desk. Gregis then sniffed the air and turned around and saw Dani. He ran up to her and barked happily, then jumped up and licked her on the face. He then, walked back over to Mr. Cadwell and sat down in front of him, as if expecting something.

As Arissa was getting an armor on the nearby locker she was silently contemplating of who to add on her team. Mr. Cadwell specifically stated that they will have a non-contact battle and she can confidently say that she'd do well. Being a Child of Zeus, Arissa is naturally proud of her abilities. Not only can she produce lightning bolts as she wished and control the static electricity on contact but she is also more powerful than the other demigods. Well that is aside from those Children of Hades and Poseidon but Arissa doesn't really care about them. For her, Zeus is the greatest god of the three and because of that, he is undoubtedly undeniably the strongest. Period.

Having absolute confidence of her ability, she then decided that she might as consider teaming up with Tristan. He's the most bearable person here in this class, and while she knew he can't be that much of help with regards to non-contact battle, she'd rather have him than Juliette any other day. She also really can't imagine herself teaming up with Portia-- 'Honestly what can she do? Hit them with strawberries?' or worse Peter, who is only good for his lying skills. She can't help but cringe imagining them as her team mates.

She had been so absorbed in her musings that when she heard a new voice pipe up next to her, she instinctively let out a surprised shriek and took a few steps backwards. She almost dropped her armor but fortunately caught herself in time. "Good morning, 'Rissa. Nothing like a little bit of general humiliation and physical exertion in the morning, huh?" "How're you?" It was Nova Tricon, who obviously just came in class.

She raised an eyebrow when he noticed his appearance, "Is that grass stains on your pants Nova?" She stared at Mr. Cadwell again and turned back to the boy in front of her. "And yes, I think it'll good for you... the exercise that is," she added not really insulting him but coming of as such.
"I think I'm just peachy. How about you?" She asked in return, trying to be polite.

For Arissa, Nova Tricon is one of the greatest mystery in Olympus. She knew that he is a son of Hephaestus and because of that is a skilled craftsman. She's also aware that he is nice and an optimistic person but that was all the general things she knew about him.

His friendliness with her is another thing, it greatly astounds her. Ever since her childhood, she discovered that most people tend to get far away from her or are just acting friendly with her. It has something to do with her bossiness or endless pursuit for control --or her usual rude and haughty attitude to them, but always without fail she easily gets into the bad side of other people. Not that she minded that. For Arissa, if they don't like her, then she don't like them more. That's it. She won't ever change herself for something the society wants her to.

Not Nova, she can see that he's genuinely amiable and accommodating. For a person who's so clumsy and very optimistic, he's someone you can't hate... he's just so... adorable. Not that Arissa will ever try to tell him about that though.

Danielle River
"Glad to hear it, Danni. I wish I could say the same for myself." Danni gave a slight chuckle. She wished she could stop being so...cheery. She was going to make a fool out of herself. Just then, Portia entered the room. She walks over to the three of them, Danni, Jules and Peter. "You three are looking awfully bloody bright for this time of day," Portia commented, making Danni laugh. Of course Portia would think that. She would use any excuse to sleep in as long as she could. Then again, Danni didn't particularily like mornings, either. She was acting annoyingly chirpy today, unlike herself. She gave a slight shrug. Maybe she was sick.

"Do you have a water bottle? I'm so hungover - I feel like the living dead," Portia said, taking a sip of the drink. "Anyway, speaking of hangovers, I thought maybe we could have a few drinks tonight? What d'you think?" Danni smiled at the mention of a night out. "Definitely," she agreed. "I can't even remember the last time I had a drink.Which you obviously can," she added, looking at the purple lines under Portias eyes from lack of sleep, and of course the fact that she had mentioned she was hungover. She rolled her eyes, grin froming on her face at the thought of tonight. She really needed a night away from the shitload of work they have at Olympus Academy, anyway.

"Today, we're going to be practising with non-contact battle. That is, fighting using your powers, not weapons. So throw on some armour," Mr.Cadwell ordered, pointing to the lockers containing the armour."And break off into two groups of five," he continues, before noticing that there's not even people to make teams of five. "Has anyone seen Nina? How about Will? Emilee? Malcolm?" Danni just shakes her head, not really listening. She grabs some armour from the locker and fastens it over her clothes. I probably look like a retard in this, she thought to herself, but ignored the thought. Besdies, everyone else had to wear them too. And less than an hour of looking ugly was better than less than an hour of being beaten to a pulp. She was mad at herself for even thinking that. Who was she, an Aphrodite kid?

Just then, Gregis burst into the room, a note in his collar. He handed it to Mr.Cadwell, before turning to Danni. She laughed as he licked her face, and petted his head. He gave a happy bark and trotted back over to Mr.Cadwell, sitting at his feet. "Is the dance tonight?" she asked, in a slightly humourous tone. "Of course, this is my second year in a row not being invited. Typical." She gave a small laugh. "So, who you guys going with?" she asked.

(So sorry I haven't posted in a while!)

Chance Rundell

Chance had woken up late but really who cared? He needed all the beauty sleep, even though he was already ten times prettier than half the girls in the academy. He smirked as he got out of bed and he threw on some jeans a plain shirt and a black vest. He was keeping it fresh and stunning so all the ladies would just drop dead as he looked at him, of course these were the thoughts that came from his mind, his joking mind. Chance stood in front of the mirror and he gave himself a sexy nod with the flashing smirk to go with it. That was when he spent five minutes looking at him self in the mirror. Soon enough he slipped on a pair of vans and headed out of his dorm. He was off to Cadwell's class. This should be interesting today as today was assement day and well Chance only had the will to bestow good luck on him self and take it away from others which might give him a little something.

Walking over to the class he walked in and gave Cadwell a nod. "'Sup Cadwell! Needed that beauty rest to become as handsome as you." He said with a wink. Chance was the kind to joke around with everyone, even the teachers. When he went to get armour on he noticed Peter and he had to go up to him. Chance came up with a smirk on his face and stood behind Peter and put his hands over the guys eyes. "Guess who." He said chuckling a bit. Then he noticed Aria and gave her a smile. "I see you got enough beauty rest there, Aria. Lets hope you aren't a cranky bitch in the mornings." He said flashing her a grin. Of course he was mostly joking though.

"Who wants some luck! The sweet wonderful luck I have!" He shouted with a big grin of course is people asked for it..He'd take away their luck instead of giving it to them just for a trick. It was rather hilarious when he did something like that.

Nina Collins

"Wait...Why aren't the two of you in class...?" Gabe's voice had been heard through many of Nina's thoughts and she couldn't help but give off a small smile. Her brother brought her out of the awkwardness and she was glad he had happened to walk by at that moment. Gabe was always a life saver and Nina appreciated him for that. Nina loved her brother to pieces, in a brotherly way of course. She went to him for just about anything that she could. In a few moments Gabe had place a hand on her shoulder and soon enough Gabe had been walking Nina and Will to class. Okay so maybe she never could skip class because Gabe would probably always find her and make her go back, at least she didn't get some sort of lecture from him like she had been expecting.

Before Gabe let them go he turned to Nina and gave her a smile and said "Have a nice day, Nina. Try your best; I'll see you later." Beofre Nina could even get a word in to say thanks to her brother he had left off to probably get things prepared for his class and such, he always liked to have everything ready, which she had seen from her experience of being in his class and knowing him. Nina sighed, her plan to ask Will to the dance failed and now she had no idea of who to go with or anything. She was truly heart broken but she wouldn't show it right now. Noticing everyone else was getting their armour on she went to collect hers and she was very silent about it.

Finding something that fit her petite frame was a little difficult but she surely found something. Looking around in the class she didn't really see anyone she knew well. There was Portia, Jules, Peter, Chance, Arissa, and that seemed to be it. Emilee and Macolm weren't there but that wasn't much of her concern. The other people here were Will, who she didn't really want to be around as of the current moment and then there was Aria. Aria! One of her friends someone to talk to but she was engaged in conversation with Peter and Chance so Nina quietly left the scene and sat down somewhere with a sigh.

Right now class was difficult for Nina and she really wanted this to end..She was better off skipping the class and talking to Gabe but that wasn't an option. She was here now and Cadwell most likely saw her come in so there was no returning and she just at to sit there and be alone by her self. If someone made fun of her she'd be likely to hear and if Will tried to sit with her or talk to her she'd ignore him. It seemed this might have been the alone her brain wanted and just enough of it to cry but she wouldn't and refused it. Sitting there staring off into space was all she could do to keep herself from crying and slight thoughts about the dance.

Peter

Peter rolled his eyes at Jules and poked her, "You're worse then I am, babe." He looked at Aria, "We're doing something that's annoying as hell, some sort of non-" And then Mr. Cadwell explained, Peter shrugged, nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, that." Then he shook his head and added, "Did you sleep well...Because I was just thinking that-" And then Chance covered his eyes, Peter had a look on his face that easily mixed annoyance, surprise, and even had a smidgen of an amused air to it before he said, "Erm, I dunno. You're not here to collect taxes, are you? Because I swear I paid them!" He wriggled away from Chance, turned around, and winked at the boy before he looked back at Aria, "Like I was saying, you're looking lovely today, honey." And he meant it, hopefully that would show, but sometimes it was hard to tell with the boy.

Cadwell's speech didn't do much to inspire confidence in Peter...After all: to confuse someone that much, he had to be close enough to talk to them. He wasn't sure he'd want to be close enough to talk to the other team. He looked around the room, neither team would really want him...Would they? That was always his problem with these types of things, nobody wanted him. As he glance around, his eyes fell on Nina. He didn't particularly like her, but she looked upset, and seeing a girl look sad like that just tugged on the boy's heartstrings (and the fact that it was probably Will that made her upset, too. Peter hated Will a thousand times more than he hated Nina). He didn't think she'd want to talk to him, but that really didn't matter much, in his mind. He walked over and sat down next to her, clearing his throat and saying a simple, "Hey...You alright? You just look a little...Down. I know you don't wanna talk to me or anything...But, uh..." He gestured around the room, "We kinda have to do this stupid team stuff, and, well, since you're not talking to Will I guess you don't wanna be on a team with him, right?"

He sighed, shook his head, and added, "I understand, I really do. Sometimes us guys are total assholes, right? Well, why don't you come over with the group...? I'm sure we're gonna end up as a team; most of us hate either Arissa, Tristan, or Will...So you're pretty safe from having to deal with them, with us." He stood up and held out a hand to Nina, a diplomatic move he hoped the girl would accept; because sometimes Peter Mahony felt like being nice to people. It was rare, but when it happened, he always hoped people would accept it without asking too many questions.

Danielle River

Danni looked up as Nina entered the room. "Good of you all to join us," Mr.Cadwell said witha smile. "Like I said, we're practising non-contact battle, today. So you'll get a chance to excerscise your powers. Try to make Mr. Keating proud. Split into two teams; one team will be attackers, the other the defenders." Danni grinned and stood up. She supposed she would just go on whichever teamneeds an extra player at the end. Mr.Cadwell grabbed two pieces of cloth from his desk, on red, the other blue. "Tie these up at opposite sides of the field - you know the rules of Capture The Flag by now."

Danni rolled her eyes as she realized she doesn't have a power. Unless you count ignorance as a power. "You all have powers." Mr.Cadwell tells them. "Portia, you can make people descend into madness. Jules, you have foresight - you know what attack they're going to make before they do; you can make a pre-emptitive counter-attack. Aria, Tristan, Will, your clarity is phenomenal, you see everything, and, y'know, all is fair in love and war. Chance, you have the Midas Touch. Arissa, you have the ability to lead your entire team. Ethy can make it pitch-black. Nova, one word; fire. Peter can leave people so confused they forget what they were supposed to be doing. Nina, you can use plants...haven't you ever thought of poison ivy? Danni, you're not afraid of anything. Do you get it?" Danni let out a small laugh. She may be pretty brave, but she wasn't the only one. And it was hardly going to help her beat someone like Nova, who could burn her ass off. She glanced around at the rest of them, noticing none of them looked too impressed either. "So, who's team will I be on?" she said to no one in particular.

Chloe Huntington

Chloe kinda' zoned out for a while, looking at the cage that Boone had produced. She wondered what was inside, and she inclined her head to the left, furrowed her brow and squinted her eyes - in short, her concentration face. There was something oddly menacing with the cage, and with it being Mr Keating's class as well, menacing was expected. Her concentration was broken however by Sinclair's reply to her drowning comment. Ah, at least someone knew who she was directing that statement at. "Oh, all right Sinclair. Just for you. I'll only maim for now." She joked, smiling mischievously. Chloe didn't know why she hated Ava. Nothing had happened between the two, but for some reason, she really disliked the blonde haired girl. Then, Zeke appeared, and she didn't have to stay in that awkward situation any more, with Ava's eyes burning into the back of her head. Now that was a horrible feeling. He made an entrance, that was true, but honestly, she didn't really care. They were friendly to each other, but they weren't "friends." She couldn't help but giggle a little at his comment though. "But I like feisty. Feisty is good." Everlie's little comment about "dousing enough people for now," brought her back to their side of the classroom, and she smiled at the girl. "But please? Just one more wouldn't hurt!"

"The moment with Caspray?" Chloe turned around to Clover and nodded her hair. "Yeah, he was looking all sweet-eyed at her. Almost tripped over his own words too! It was a sight to behold." She laughed, looking back at the guy she treated as a brother, poking her tongue out at him playfully. Soon, he had began the lesson, and her attention was taken by him; this class was her favourite out of them all; it wasn't just the teacher, it was the whole concept of the class. When he revealed the bunny, she laughed slightly with confusion. "Erm... right. A bunny?" However, then, when the teacher when into detail about this creature, her smile dropped. "Oh. Not a bunny. Gotcha'." She turned to face her group of friends, plus Ava, and conferred with them. "Kill it? Ev, have you thought that he might be lying? Keating is that sort of person you know? He'd get us to kill an innocent rabbit to fail us, trust me. It seems too... passive, to be aggressive. I mean, it's barely moving." Her expression was puzzled. Now what?

---

[font=georgia][center]William Hawk

Soon, dear William was being escorted to class by Mr Vincent, the woman-trapped-in-a-man's-body in his eyes. He took a step to the left, away from the two others that he was with as the teacher slung his arm around Nina's shoulders. He still felt terrible about the whole letting her down idea. Maybe it would have been better if he had asked her along to the dance. He dragged his hand through his hair and sighed gently, the hair thing being his little tell that he was upset. Sure, he had decided only to do it for an act, but underneath, it was more than that. Why had he been so stupid? She'd never agree to go with him now! William Hawk, you fucking idiot. He gave himself a mental slap, and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about the other girls that he could ask.

Chloe? Nah, she's too interested in someone else. Danni? Nope, too masculine. Portia? That could ruin everything. Jackie? Ooh... Jackie... She's my best fri--

Thud!

His train of thought was cut off by something hitting him square in the face, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the open door of a locker. "Fuck... that hurt..." he spoke to himself, clenching his nose as they arrived at Cadwell's class. His hand stayed pressed against his already bruising nose as he stood there, not interacting with anyone. He now felt shit, was in pain, and was embarrassed. Brilliant day. He didn't join a specific group when told to by the teacher, or react to the compliment that he gave to every one of his students. He just stood there. No-one would want him in their group now.

---

[font=georgia][center]Lukas Tricon

Lukas' eyes snapped over to Mr Keating as he mocked Clover's answer, and he glared at him. It would probably be bad to set his hair on fire too; two people in the space of fifteen minutes really wasn't the best idea. The thought did cross his mind though, but he just shrugged it off when the teacher apologized, letting Clover have her romantic reply. However, again the mood was ruined by Sinclair opening his annoying mouth, and spilling out words that threw his mood deeper into the deep end. "Well Sin, I could go with Mr Keating, but then I'd be leaving Clover all alone, seeing as you're going with Ava now, and all. But I think Clover will be better company, don't you?" He grinned, the maliciousness of his words lacing the air with cruelness. Okay, so, Lukas Tricon wasn't someone that you should put in the same sentence as the word "malicious" or "cruel," but in this case, where Clover was involved, he was incredibly protective. He knew that Sinclair liked his girlfriend, and that annoyed him. And being the man that he was, he would let this annoyance be known to everyone. He kissed Clover gently on the lips, letting his love flow through him to her, thought their touch. "Thank you." He whispered softly, pecking her nose before he pulled back. "You'll definitely be a better date that Keating, honey, believe me."

He then looked at the cage that was produced by Keating, and looked shocked as he revealed the white creature inside. He listen to the story that came along with the rabbit, something about a "cerberbunny", something he had never heard of before, and he looked at it in fascination. Anything new to him was awe-striking, and he wanted to figure out everything he could about it; and this creature wasn't any different. He looked around to Clover and leant in to her ear - "Bed probably would have been safer. Don't want you being mauled by the vicious bunny." He spoke quietly, a small laugh accompanying his voice. The bunny didn't look scary at all, but you could never be sure. One moment, you could be watching a television, and the next, it could burst into flames. Maybe the rabbit wasn't going to spontaneously combust, but in theory, it could grow and turn into some sort of vicious monster. He took into consideration to what Chloe said, shaking his head though as he did. "Yes Clo, he could. However, it could also be a vicious killing machine. I agree with Evie. We should kill the infernal thing before it goes all postal on us."

Lukas wasn't one for killing innocent things, but if Clover was in danger from being bitten by a rabbid rabbit, then he was certainly going to protect her. Even if it meant causing the rabbit to spontaneously combust himself.

Arissa stared at Nova, perplexed. It really seems like it takes a lot of effort to make him angry. Instead of getting insulted the boy just shrugged it off like he was used to being clumsy and being told about it. "Bet you're gonna kill this lesson today, huh?" Hearing that she can't help but smirk smugly, she looked at him in the eyes and said: "I won't just kill this lesson-"

She was about to say more but a hurrying Aria barelled on to Nova, surprising both of them. She raised an eyebrow at her and stared mutely when Ava's half-sister quickly moved away from them. "I...uh...sorry. I was late, and I wasnt paying attention, and.....sorry." Arissa heard her mumbling and she didn't know if she should feel annoyed or amused by being cut off. The poor girl was blushing madly and she can bet that it wasn't because of her embarrassing entrance.

"'S'not like you to be late, Nova.So d'you guys" She then heard Tristan speak beside them. Gesturing at the three of them, he said, "Want to team up?" Team up? When she processed his words, she was suddenly reminded of their task for today. Non-contact battle. She quickly gazed at Mr. Cadwell and saw him preparing his armor. Smiling, obviously besotted with the older guy, she turned back to Tristan and happily replied, "Sure, I'm fine with it. How about you Nova?"

A while after Nina entered and Tristan nudged her. "What's the matter with her? I mean, I imagine that it's William-related...obviously," he informed pointing at Nina's quiet form. She stared at Nina and noticed that she really looked sad. It seems like things didn't go well with William. Arissa was about to answer him, figuring that if Ava wasn't here maybe she and Tristan can go comfort her or something. They're not really that close but still, they do get along and because of Ava they're together most of the time. But suddenly Mr. Cadwell spoke and got her whole attention. She just shrugged at her friend and faced Mr. Cadwell.

When he was done with his inspiring speech, Arissa can't help but beam happily. Arissa, you have the ability to lead your entire team.

Arissa, you have the ability to lead your entire team.

Arissa, you have the ability to lead your entire team.

His words were resounding in her head and she just continued to smile at nothing in particular. Her whole face lighting up, the earlier issue about Nina totally forgotten, she just stared dreamily at the Battle Strategy teacher. Her trip to Lala Land was only broken off by Gregis' entrance. Malcolm's dog. She thought irritated. He seemed to have something to give to the teacher, something about Malcolm and Emilee's absence, she figured.

"Well? Get into teams, quick." And when Mr. Cadwell uttered moments later, Arissa immediately went into leader-mode looking at her classmates.

"Danni you want to be on our team?" She asked the other girl when she heard her question. "After all it will be Peter, Juliette, Portia, Chance and Nina", she added seeing the liar approach Nina. "It won't be fair if there's only three of us." She then gestured to herself, Tristan and Nova, assuming that Nova's fine with the teams.

"Ethy?" She turned to the Child of Hades, a little reluctantly. As much as she could Arissa would rather not want her for the team, but seeing as they were outnumbered she figured she'd have to do with it. She was planning on asking Nina when she came in class but apparently Peter got to her first. "Do you have a team in particular?"

"Sure, I'll be in the team" Hearing Danni's reply Arissa let out a genuine smile, not that she's desperate to have the said girl in the team but she figured if she's going to be in the team, there will be another tolerable person around. Danni is somewhat a great girl after all. Nova, well if Nova's okay with their team up, is a nice addition. He's interesting to say the least, but Arissa usually gets mixed feelings about him that just scares her off. Having Danni in her team makes her much more enthusiastic and optimistic than before. She knew about Danni's dislike with Tristan but she just hope that the other girl can live with it. After all wherever Tristan goes in this class, he will surely have Arissa's support.

Arissa then turned to Ethy and listened to her reply with mixed feelings. She didn't let her apprehension show though. No matter how scary the girl acts, she knew she will need her too. Having the ability to control earth will be advantageous for not only defending or but also even for attacking the other team. "Doesn't look like it", she answered and Arissa smiled hesitantly at her, somewhat grateful but still annoyed with her answer. The girl made it seem like they was the last resort and Arissa didn't like it. "Perfect," she replied sarcastically in a false happy voice.

"Ah, Aria, sure you can be with us," She added still in that sweet voice when she heard Aria's inquiry, turning to the girl. She knew she won't be an advantage in the team but since she chose theirs instead of the other, made her efforts a little endearing. Though Arissa also clearly knew that she's with them because of Nova, still she'd have to make up with what she have and maybe like Tristan they can use her clarity, who knows?.

Looking over her teammates and making a mental head count, she groaned inwardly.They're still outnumbered! "Tristan, Danni, Nova, Ethy, Aria and I, I think we should get more," she stated, staring at them one by one. "I'm seeing Chance approach Malcolm and Emilee," the brunette gestured and pointed to Chance who was approaching the two she mentioned. Not that she had a problem with that, she was just calculating the disadvantage they will have.

"What's are strategy? 'Cause we seriously need something to work with, or, lets face it, they'll probably beat the shit out of us. They have some pretty good powers."

"I agree with you about the strategy Danni," she uttered staring at the slumped form of one of the many child of Ares in the Academy. "But really they're not that great and we have interesting abilities too. I have some ideas but I need to make sure of our team first." She then turned to Mr. Cadwell, hopefully, he heard Danni's statement and approve of it. She knew it would be just wishful thinking though, he did specifically told them it will be a non-contact battle. "Don't worry, I have a plan for you it will just depend on what Mr. Cadwell assigns us, will we be the defending or the attacking team?"

"Seems I've no choice but to be on the other team." When she heard this from Lloyd Scarlet a while after, she stared at him a little confused. Whose team, she wanted to ask. She knew nothing much about him aside from the fact that he's a child of Hecate. But noting his arrogant form, she knew he had something up. She shrugged at him to show she heard him but other than that she did nothing.

Instead she stared at Danni and replied nonchalantly with a tinge of smugness, "I'm looking over the dresses my mom sent not long ago. Do you want to see them later?" Everyone else seemed to be hyped up for this dance. Arissa normally attends these events-she also likes organizing these things! But unlike them she doesn't bother herself that much. Of course she always make it a point to become perfect and beautiful, but she's much more interested in seeing Mr. Cadwell in another of those formal tuxes or other form of clothes more than anything. "However let's first focus on this activity, we need to win this one." She concluded smiling expectantly at her.

When she saw their reactions, she tried to think of the words to say. "I'm certain we will think up of something..." she trailed trying to sound cheerful or something of the like. She's not really good with this encouragement thing. She usually demands others to execute their tasks accurately but now that she figured how useless some of them may feel because of this way of fighting, she thought they might need it. She needed them to be in their best condition after all. They won't win if most of them are hesitant and nervous. "Everyone of us is gifted after all..." Flushing lightly as she saw their looks, she then stopped speaking and tried to regain her composure and stated, "I'm expecting each one of you to follow their tasks. I'm going to tell Mr. Cadwell we're going to be the attacker, if that's fine with everyone?"

She approached the other child of Zeus when she finished fastening the armor on. Setting a brilliant smile on her face, she stared at him from under her lashes and asked,"Mr. Cadwell, do we get to choose who will be the attacker or the defender? Because if we could, can we be the attacker?"

(I edited some things, :D)

Arissa had begun to go on a confident spiel about how she would excell in today's mission (he himself was doing more nervous gulping that boasting) but before she could spit out the words, Aria came flying in and crash landed into his chest with a distinctive "thud". She sputtered out the quickest apology he'd ever heard and skittered away red as a tomato. "It's- it's fi-" he was saying, yet he was still teetering around off balance, trying to regain his footing but finding it exceedingly hard with this bulky armor making him lopsided. "Ah! Ah!" he he cried, swaying to the side before ultimately plopping onto the ground. "Mmm, looks like more grass stains for me. The more the merrier, really." he joked, scrambling to his feet. He wondered why he'd even tried to regain his balance. If he would've just let himself fallen down he probably would have saved himself some embarrassment. Oh, well. He brushed off his pants to get any flecks of grass from him and gave a little side glance back at Aria who was now chatting with Peter. A smile crept onto his lips.

Then Cadwell was explaining their assignment today and he found himself getting increasingly more anxious. Oh no. Not capture the flag. The last time they played this, Nova'd left with two black eyes. The worst part? Both had been accidentally self-inflicted. "Nova, one word; fire" he had said, which only made him all the more nervous. See, sure Nova could spark a light or two, but his command over fire was about as good as his command over urination. If he was particularly antsy - and especially if there were people watching - he had a seriously hard time performing. He was no awesome, walking blow torch. More like malfunctioning microwave flicking out embers here and there. Still, he appreciated that Cadwell went out of his way to be nice to he and the rest of the class. He really meant well but, ah, it woudln't stop the sense of impending doom from pounding in his ears.

"...late, Nova." Tristan had said. Nova had sheepishly not heard the start of his sentence, too wrapped up in the tangle of thoughts his brain was spinning like a spindly spider. He just grinned bright at him and nodded, a vague answer to whatever his statement had been. He was fan of Tristian so his friendly face was a nice temporary distraction from the challenge. Then he'd proposed that Arissa, himelf, and Nova would team up. "Yeah, totally. We're like a match made in heaven." he joked, eyes trailing over to the dejected Nina in the back of the class. "Oh..." he said, and he'd just begun to make his way over to her when Peter'd beat him to it. She followed him back to their team and he frowned. He didn't want to have to go up against Nina, a good friend of his, when she was feeling so down. Well, it looked like he didn't have much of a choice.

Nova wasn't able to greet most of the new additions, the rest of that portion a bit of a blur because he'd volunteered to go up and tie their flag to the pole at the end of the field like Cadwell had asked. It was clear that Nova was stressing out. Anyone who knew him would see the strains in his feigned smile, the shutters flexing behind his eyes as he calculated the many ways he could humilate himself during today's class. When he'd gotten back, Danni and Ethy were both on his team. Each of them offered him a small smile - relatively uncharacteristic of the two of them - and he grinned right on back, this one more easy going than before. "Wooo! We got the bamf girls!" he cried, throwing his arms in the air with enthusiasm that was only partially done for comedic purposes. Really, they were spectacular additions to the team.

Then Aria had shuffled on over, mewing out a shy "Need an extra?" perhaps he'd been stepping some lines onto Arissa's team leader position, but he wooted out a "YEAH!" followed by, "Only if you promise not to shove me to the floor again, that is." It was clear there was no ill intent in his little jab. Then they were talking about strategy and Nova'd found that words had escaped him once more, any of that easy going brightness quickly being replaced with uneasiness once more. If anyone'd paid attention, they'd hear a nervous little twitter at the word "attacker". Nova was not an attacker - not offensive on any level of the word. Still, objecting would mean putting their whole team at a disadvantage if what Arissa said was true, and voicing complaints about his own inefficiencies seemed hardly the route to go to foster team spirit. "Yeah...!" he'd weakly crowed to his group, the lamest input yet. He looked over his team and kind of chuckled. They were not really a cohesive unit of friends, but more class mates who'd been wrapped together for a common goal. He looked over at the other, larger team to see that all of them could probably be seen hanging around each other after class very happily. His eye trailed to Will who was just kind of standing there in the center of the field and a frown tugged on his lips.

Before he knew what he was doing, his feet had begun to trail over to where he was standing. He and Will were not really friends. Not friends at all, actually. He hadn't recalled speaking to him once in his life, but he was sure they knew of each other and he couldn't simply stand by as he was literally ostracized from every single class mate. Sure, he'd done some mean things and sure a whole lot of people disliked him for said mean things, but no one deserved to be so... alone. He'd gotten all the way over to him, standing a couple feet away, before he realized he had no idea what he'd planned on saying. He'd merely acted on impulse. "Ah, eh, hey Will." he peeped. "Are you feeling alright, man...? Do you want to be on our team?" he asked, not even taking into consideration how little some of his other team mates liked Will.

---

Boone sat in his desk, chuckling here and there when the time called for it, but indeed, remained silent throughout their debate. The children were only just now stating their initial opinions on the fluffy white thing on the stool. The real fun would come when they seriously had to pick a resolve and go with it - something that could be harder than you'd imagine, especially with such a large group.

When Ruby and Ducky came slinking in, giving him the shittiest excuse he'd ever heard, he let out some annoyed grumbles but other than that rolled his eyes and made a motion directing them to take a seat. While he would love to chew them out for being late, he really couldn't talk for the rest of the assessment. If he explained the assignment again, he could bias their opinions or say something misleading. Besides, how the students framed the evaluation in explaining to Ducky and Ruby would alter how they perceived it, which would be interesting to watch nonetheless. He remained the silent observer for now.

Chloe Huntington

Chloe's head swivelled from the delightful conversation about how they were, or if they were going to kill a defenceless bunny rabbit, when Ducky walked in, and she couldn't stop the laugh from escaping her mouth as he rambled his elaborate excuse for being late. "I take it that you took the Hobbits to Isengard too in the process? That would explain the length of time." She spoke to him, ignoring the fact that he had spoken to the blonde bitch. Then, she turned back to their group and frowned. The conversations flew around her; half of the group saying that they should kill the bunny, repeat bunny, and the others saying that it was a poor animal who should be spared. "I still stand on the ground that Keating over there is playing us, and I don't want to stand around and watch you kill a little rabbit." She stood up from her chair, grabbed her back and walked over to Boone's desk, a smile on her face. "Mr Keating, sir, I'm not feeling too well, so I'm going to head back to my dorm and sleep a little. My answer is 'don't kill the rabbit, it's a rabbit for fuck sake.' That okay? Thank you, I'll catch up with you later! Bye!"

And with that, she whirled out of the classroom door.

Okay, so Chloe didn't really feel unwell. However, she didn't want to see the guts of a rabbit all over the classroom, and her ears filled with the screams of vanity coming from Ava, so she had decided to escape. An idea popped into her head about what she could do in her spare time, but before she went in the direction of Cadwell's class, she turned around to look behind her. Boone wouldn't follow her out; he knew her well enough to know by now that when she was gone, she was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, he had her answer; she had done his test. It was just up to her classmates now to finish it. There was a skip in her step and she swung her bag as she made her way towards the Training Area. She watched the class from behind the trees for a moment, and when she magically caught her best friend's eye, she signalled for him to run away with her, only for a little bit.

She winked at him cheekily, before turning away once more, hiding behind the trees. Come on Chance. Come hang with me.

---

William Hawk

Will almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a weight on his back, and he flung his arms backwards, to catch the mysterious woman who was clinging on to him, like a koala onto a eucalyptus tree. "Well, hello Jackie. Yes, I was thinking, something which I don't do too fucking often. I actually think I've broken my bloody nose. Can you look? What do you think?" He paused for a moment as he showed her his bleeding nose, knowing that it wouldn't affect her like it would affect other girls. She wasn't scared of a little blood. Also, she was the only person that he would actually trust, with something like this, other than Nina of course - but she wasn't speaking to him. To every other girl in this place, he had to be the "macho man" that his reputation showed him to be, and he couldn't let that facade down. But Jackie knew him better than that, and he couldn't hide anything from her any more. He had tried, as hard as anyone had tried to do anything before, but she always found him out; but that was Jacqueline Christie for you.

"Yeah, 'lots of girls' are going to be swooning over me with a purple and bruised face, aren't they?" He sighed as she pulled back from inspecting him, and they made their way to class, slowly but surely. He felt slightly dizzy from his accident, and really wasn't in the mood to fight any more. His power was pretty crappy anyway - he was able to see every move that someone could make, his eyes being extremely sharp, but that was it. On a pirate ship, he would have been the one with the wooden leg, up in the crows nest on look out. That was all he was good for. "What about you, eh? All those guys after you? Anyone in particular yet, honey?" He nudged her playfully, but then winced almost instantly, the movement sending shocks up to his face.

Soon, they were in the lesson, and everyone was getting ready, except him. He was standing in the middle like a lemon, not knowing what to do. It was strange to see William Hawk just standing around not socializing with anyone, or flirting with girls, so it was a surprise to him that Nova cautiously made his way towards him. He didn't like Nova, purely because of his sissy-like attitude, but it was pretty ballsy of the guy to come up to him, and ask him to join his team. He reached his hand up and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as they stood there in a strange atmosphere, trying his best to muster up words from the bottom of his stomach. "Erm... Thanks, Nova. But, I've kinda' injured myself. So, I might s-sit this first one out. But... y'know... thanks, man, for offering. Maybe when I'm feeling a little better?" He said, nodding to the guy, making the first friendly gesture he had ever made to him. When Nova returned to his group, Will turned around to Cadwell, looking sheepish. "Yeah, I've destroyed my nose. Is it okay to sit out for a little bit? I feel a bit... woozy."

---

Lukas Tricon

Luke didn't pay much attention to the two new people entering the classroom. He was kind of in his own little world today, too busy thinking about other things to focus on the comings and goings of other people. Then suddenly, he felt a sharp pain running through his ear, and he whipped his head around, glaring playfully at Clover. "Excuse me, missy?" He asked her, raising his eyebrow at her actions. However, his playful anger soon fell away as she mimed being Cerebus, the guard of the underworld. He laughed at her as she did so, and slowly put his hands on top of hers, bringing them down onto her lap. "Now now, Clover. What have we said about imitating mythical creatures? Yes, honey, it makes you look like a lunatic." He smiled to her, before placing another soft kiss onto her cheek, just to reiterate to her that he was only joking around. The bracelet on her arm glinted in the sunlight for a moment, drawing his eye to it, making him smile. He thought back to the expression on her face when she first saw it around her wrist, and in that moment, he realised how lucky he actually was to have such an amazing girl. Ironically, with her being the daughter of Tyche.

"You know how I feel about animals, Clover. I love them to pieces. But... I don't really want to take any risks." Lukas almost had to stop himself from spinning around and incinerating Sinclair then and there at his next comment. Lukas had always been a kind soul, but ever since he had started dating Clover, and Sinclair had turned more sarcastic and cynical towards him, Luke felt like he was slowly loosing that kindness, his patience, and his caring nature towards all living things. "All living things" now did not include Sinclair in his eyes. It was like the male was slowly trying to torment him, to turn him insane in his own mind, to make him feel unworthy of being with Clover by upsetting her with his actions. Sinclair knew all of the ways to push Lukas' buttons; that was what happened when friends became enemies.

"I still think we should kill it, even though I want no part in it. We could always use Sinclair as bait, to see if it really is a monster. If anyone's going to bring out the monster in someone, it's him." He smiled sardonically. His arm came around the back of Clover's chair, wrapping his arm around her shoulder like a normal boyfriend would do. He felt himself calm down more and more as he relaxed, and when he took her other hand into his, he felt completely at ease.

Still smiling expectantly, Arissa patiently waited for the battle strategy teacher's answer. She knew that Mr. Cadwell is not the one to favor a group to another, being a man with a strong sense of justice and fairness, and because of that he may resort to have them draw lots or anything of the like just to decide who will be the attacker or defender for this game. Seeing that her team can't afford to lose the chance to be the attacker, she opted to speak out several of the reasons why they should be allowed to strike first.

"Mr. Cadwell, I think the best choice for everyone of us is to be the attacking team, I don't think the other group has a problem with it. Besides you can clearly see how outnumbered we are. If we are to be the defending team, we will surely lose without batting an eyelash."

She gestured nonchalantly to her teammates, making Mr. Cadwell see how few they are compared to the other group. As she expected, Emilee and Malcolm did join the other team together with Lloyd Scarlet and because of that she strengthened her enthusiasm to show her favorite teacher that though they are receiving the short stick for this game, her team will still be the one winning this battle.

She became silent for a moment before gracing Mr. Cadwell one her indulging smiles, "Thank you Mr. Cadwell, we will certainly do our best for this task!" Arissa beamed at the black-haired teacher, assuming that he will not argue with her logic and started walking back to where Tristan and the others are.

Now that she's walking to where they are currently situated, the brunette can see how truly disheartened her team members looked. She knew perfectly well that they are thinking how are they going to pull off as the attackers but she paid much concern. Once they agreed to have her in the team; she decided that if they wanted to win this, they would have to at least tolerate her being the leader, along with that her decisions and strategies for the group. She may not be a great battle strategist like the children of Athena or Ares, but still she have common sense and enough wit to think of the most plausible scenario to succeed in this one.

Impishly smiling at them, she stopped in front and called their attention. If these people were her own mandatory group-mates for a certain class activity or assignment, she'd surely do all she could to make them snap into focus and out of that depressed bubble they coated themselves in, unattached and without one care for their emotional being. But they are not, and studying this scene in another perspective, she knew that of this would be the most critical one where she can't afford to lose team members.

She really needed their help if she wanted to show Mr. Cadwell how dedicated and devoted she is to his classes.

Looking at Aria and Nova, both of those who looked more flustered out of the five, she tried nodding to them encouragingly. She knew that she will have to try being a little 'compassionate' for these groups else she'd face utter embarrassment in front of Mr. Alexander Cadwell, the only teacher who's most worthy listening to in this Academy.

Squaring her shoulders and gathering all of the patience she can muster, she pasted an innocent smile in her face. "OK, now that we have confirmed the standings for the set-up of each team, I would like to explain the plans now. If any of you has problems with it, I would hear about them after I speak."

She spoke to them in an authoritative manner, her voice loud enough to be heard but still softer than normal to avoid eavesdropping from the other team. She stared at them individually, looking at each one of them before addressing the group as a whole once again.

"I know we're not close and because of that I don't think we'd have enough team dynamics to win this battle if we are on the defense. If we are to defend for this round, we will be pulverized in a matter of seconds into the game. I know this because in order to successfully defend a base you must have general awareness and trust with each other. Which a thing we lack, obviously. My only condition for you guys is this, do your task well. Perform your best and I'm dead certain that we will win." She stopped talking and watched their different reactions.

Moments later when she thought she'd given them enough time, she continued still maintaining the same stance from before. "I'm going to give your tasks and parts for this team." Arissa approached the Child of Hephaestus and the one who can control fire in their group. She knew how clumsy and accident-prone he is and she considered not having him with the attacking group. She looked at him and pointed to the pole with their flag nearby.

"Nova, I want you to create a ring of fire around the pole that would make a barrier for our flag from the other team. I saw how arrogant Lloyd looked before and I'm sure he's got some annoying plans. Do not let them take our flag at all cost."

She then turned to the others, her eyes casting calculatingly towards Danni and Tristan first before going over to the remaining team members, "You two will be the ones who will approach the other team and attack them. Tristan don't fail to use your ability, like what Mr. Cadwell told us. Aria, I want you to sneak behind the other team if you can, be discreet about it as much as possible. But if you cannot continue with this task, also use your clarity to ensure that none of us gets mad with Portia's ability. Ethy, you and I will support Danni and Tristan. I want you to create earthquakes or anything that would disrupt their formations and defenses. I would do the same. We should make sure to attack Portia, for obvious reasons and then Juliette and Emilee since that foresight things of theirs would be a hindrance to our team. Do you have any objections?"

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Once she entered her room, the first thing that Nissa did after setting her things on a nearly table, is to open the curtains wide open to allow the morning sunlight to enter the darkened room. She aired the little dust that accumulated out of the room deciding against opening the air conditioner so early during the day. Tucking some of the stray hairs away of her face, she started her morning routine of partially cleaning things, this time every bit of dirt she can find.

After finishing this, she went over her table and neatly arranged her things on top of it. She's not normally this orderly daily but there are certain times that Nissa spontaneously cleans every dust and dirt that her eyes comes across.

Remembering her class schedule and having an inkling to what the planned lessons of Mr. Keating and Mr. Cadwell are- adding to the fact the ball which will be held later that night, the brown-haired girl can simply deduce that her students will not be focused on the class this afternoon. She'll have to change that though. Some of the students easily take Greek Mythology for granted because they thought they knew everything they had to know about it.

As a lover of the Greek Mythology itself, Nissa can clearly (and adamantly) attest that there's more to be learned about the subject. She will make it certain to have her students see that too.

Opening her lesson plan, she compared her notes from previous activities for the day. She never lets herself get into a monotonous way of teaching that would surely add fuel for the excuse of seeing Greek Myth as something boring. Recalling the plan she conjured during the crack of dawn, she was glad to see that she never tried this kind of approach before. No doubt, her students will be surprised with what she have for them later on.

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Lance shut his phone off forcibly, irritation playing in his features. Running his right palm over his face, he lied back down on his bed with a soft plop. He stared at the ceiling of his room, lost in his thoughts. The latest conversation with his girlfriend is still running through his mind.

"I can't talk to you right now, Lance."

He can still hear her voice, weary and full of exhaustion. It was as if this thing had been making a great toll on her, which the Child of Poseidon knew quite well. He himself is getting tired of the fighting over and over again. Judging things from before, their relationship months ago had been much more tolerable than it was right now. He didn't know what went wrong, but every time, without fail, they will always find something to argue about. Be it her disappearing acts or his suffocating ways, anything seemed to easily ruffle both their patience into oblivion.

He let out a tired sigh and unconsciously stared at the alarm clock near his bed. He never bothered to use the damned thing, he preferred to wake up by himself during the time he usually wanted to. The annoying penguin shaped clock had been a gift from his father, back when he thought it would be a great idea to prank his 16 year-old son.

Grabbing the clock, feeling his irritation ebbing away, he noted that he should have been at Boone's class an hour ago. Figuring that he was too late to attend, he might as well pass class for today. He took off his crumpled shirt, the one that he slept with since last night and went into the bathroom. Taking off his other clothes, he entered the shower and turned it on, clearing his head away from the negative thoughts.

And it did help a lot. There is something in the water that soothes him,. It may be of the fact that he is a Child of Poseidon, the god over the waters and oceans but also because there is some sense of tranquility that water never fails to provide. He can never explain it, but the water calls to him in ways he can't give words into.

He didn't know how long he had stayed in there. But after he turned off the knob of the shower close; he had felt more relaxed than before. He decided he'll just give Jessica some time. It was what both of them needed anyway. Approaching their situation with hot heads will not make it better. A day. He concluded. He'd give her a day, one full day to cool off and after that, he will allow her to explain her latest disappearance.

Chloe Huntington

Chloe was never one of those girls that usually got all excited for a stupid occasion such as this; she would much rather stand at the back of the room, laughing over the stupidity of the giggling girls with Rhea or Niamh. However, this year, she was going against everything that she knew, and was actually looking forward to going out tonight, and getting all dolled up for it was just another part of the excitement. There was one major difference this year however, than to any other year. This year, she wasn't just going with Chance, her best friend. No, she had actually been asked to go with someone. She had been asked to go with the boy that she had been crushing on since he had arrived, Malcolm Murdock. Chloe had no idea if he had only asked her to go with him because Emilee had decided not to go with him, or just because he wanted to go with her as a friend; and she really didn't care. She was going to be able to spend time with him tonight, because he had asked her.

Phoebe's infectious smile only made the one on the brunette's face grow bigger, and as she swept the red-headed beauty into her room, she almost felt giddy with excitement. It was better to let it out now, than to let it out later, and scare Malcolm away. Tonight, she was going to be her cool and collected self. However, right now, she was a giggling mess. "Yes! Yes, it's Malcolm! He asked me. I was like... ahhhhhh in my head, but I kept my cool on the outside." She told her "little sister," and then inquired about her date. "What about you? Did Chance ask you to go with him?" She hoped that he had, purely because well, one, she felt bad for not going with him, and two, because the two of them were her favourite people in the world, minus Boone and Malcolm, and she wanted them together - it'd be too cute.

The smile on her face didn't falter when Phoebe started babbling about too much green, and silver, and various other things that were worrying her about her outfit. Chloe just laughed and sat the girl down on the bed, taking the pale green nail polish into her hands. "Come on, hands up. The green isn't too much, honey. It'll look lovely." She smiled, before she began to paint the colourful liquid onto her friend's fingernails. "Am I doing your toes too?" The brunette girl wasn't usually one for getting all beautified and helping out other people at the same time, but with Phoebe, she just couldn't refuse. The two usually had so much fun together, and this was just going to be another fun time to add onto the list.

---

Lukas Tricon

Lukas was beginning to get nervous now. So much so that he had decided to put down his little toy before he broke it, or dropped something because his hands were getting sweaty. He didn't know why in the hell he was beginning to feel like this - his heart beating a little bit faster, his hands beginning to sweat slightly, and his collar beginning to feel awfully tight around his neck. There wasn't any reason for him to be feeling like this, to be getting worried and nervous; he was going to the ball with Ava. Ava Sawyer, his best female friend in the whole world. The one who had been there for him when Clover had left, and vice versa. The one who knew him more than anyone else (minus Nova) and the girl that he would protect to the ends of the earth and back. So, why was he getting nervous? She was just his best friend, right?

There were confusing feelings running through the blonde male as he made his way towards Ava's dorm room, the cream rose corage sitting in it's little box. He had bought one for her months ago, when he was with Clover, and they had decided to go. Ava had always been one of his best friends, so when he had been shopping with his brother for the blue corsage to go with his girlfriend's dress, he had also picked up a cream one for Ava - Nova had told him that if you didn't know the colour of the girl's dress, go with cream or white. It would go with everything. And so, he had.

He curtly knocked on the door of Ava's room, however, with the lights being off, he knew that it was a futile effort. He then made his way over to Jules' room, but he decided not to knock in the end, seeing the girl dash out of the room like a cheetah on crack. That meant that there was only one other place she could be - Ness' room. Luke could literally hear his heart beat in his ears when he heard Ava's beautiful laugh through the door of the Latina's woman's room, and he knocked three times, before calling out her name, hoping his voice wouldn't crack. It did. "A-Ava?"

---

Ness Tate

Vanessa watched as Ava's mothering instincts came out, getting Jules to drink water in between her alcoholic ones. That night had not been on of her favourites at the Academy, the one where Jules had been so drunk that the two girls had actually had to carry her back to her room, as there was no way that she was even standing up, let alone walking. "Yes, please, no repeat of that night. I actually like this dress, and don't want it ruined by grass stains and vomit." They had obviously forgiven Juliette for her behaviour that night, but being the good best friends that they were, they had never let her forget it. A smile appeared on the Latina girl's face as both girls said that her hair was perfect the way it was. "Really? I mean... it's just... hanging..." She said, pulling at one of the brunette girls. "Hang on..." Within a few moments, Ness had moved from her bed and dashed into the bathroom, and come out with her hair pulled up into a messy bun. She didn't like her hair down at the best of times, and for a formal ball, decided that it being up made it look so much nicer. It also showed off the back of her dress.

"No restrictions? Jules honey, we restrict alcohol because we have to, not because we want to." She laughed playfully to her friend. There was something up with her best friend, she could see it through her eyes, but she didn't want to say anything - Jules was one of those girls that you let tell you things that were playing on her mind, you didn't ask. Ness realized however that she was feeling the same way, and didn't want any restrictions on the night either - just fun. Her mind was a mess; thinking about how stupid she had been this afternoon, letting herself be swept off of her feet by her history teacher, but also how much she had enjoyed it, and how special he had made her feel. She knew that there was much more to their relationship than just something physical, but it was all too complicated. She didn't want to think about it tonight however, and she would sort it all out another done. "Okay, just fun." She nodded, before heading into the bathroom.

Ness had just come out of the bathroom with her small, secret bottle of vodka when she saw Jules' jumping up in shock. She vaguely registered what the girl was saying in her fast and high pitch pace, something about loving her and music, and then she was gone. The brunette girl just shrugged, and put the third shot glass down on the side. She filled up the other two that she had brought out, and handed onto Ava. "To having fun." She grinned, clinking her glass with her blonde best friend, and then knocking it back. The liquid burned her throat as it tricked down to her stomach, but it was a nice feeling, a warm feeling that she had grown to like over the years. However, before she could take another, there was a knock at the door, and the shaky voice of Lukas Tricon was projecting itself.

"Right, I'm off mi amiga to find my date. I have no idea where she is, but I'll find here - there's no way I'm walking into that room on my own." Ness took the bottle of vodka and slipped it into her clutch bag - there was no room for anything else in there, minus a stick of lipgloss, but that was all that she needed. With Jules' flask in her hand, the girl kissed her friend softly in the cheek, and pushed one stray lock of blonde waves back from her face. "There, perfect. He's going to pass out when he sees you, honey. Be sure to shut the door when you go." She grinned, before heading out, passing Luke as she went.

The silver heels that sat on her feel clicked softly against the pavement as she headed over to the auditorium, spotting her date sitting on the floor, slipping her own heels on. "Well well well, there you are. Thinking you can get rid of me that easily." She smiled mischievously, holding out the flask of some form of alcohol to Jules. She pulled out the vodka from her bag, this time being less graceful and taking a sip out of the bottle. In that room was the man of her dreams, and she couldn't do a thing about it - the alcohol was going to be necessary. Ness took a moment to compose herself, moved that one little strand of hair back into place and reapplied her lipgloss, before turning to her brunette buddy once more, holding out her hand to help her up. "Shall we?"

---

Robbie Devaux

Robbie took a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes, looking up at his best friend through a blur. There was something fantastic about their relationship, and something so unique about it too. Robbie knew that he would never be able to feel this way about another person without having some sort of confusing-homosexual feelings for them. But with Alex, it was just friendship. Brotherly friendship. A friendship that could never be replaced by anyone else, or could never be broken. The two of them were a duo, and it had been that way for as long as Robbie could remember. Sure, there were additions to their group, like Emilee, and Blitz, but it would always be the two of them. His mind was ripped out of his little reverie as Alex's voice hit his ears, and he looked up at him, his eyes filled with confusion for a moment; he had always been quite a slow boy, and when someone took him out of a daydream, he had to take a moment or two to get his bearings.

"Oh Alex, you know you're not going to get anything out of me. I'm a closed book, and I've swallowed the key, my friend. It's not my fault Blitz loves me more." The brunette male grinned to his best friend, and then laughed at his expression. He knew that it had been a match made in heaven, the relationship between Blitz and Alex, and he felt amazing that he had been the one to introduce them - Robbie had been friends with Blitz from their first days here, and then he had brought Alex into the equation. He felt like a love genius when they clicked. "God, I should have been a child of Aphrodite, with my mad love skills." Sometimes, Robbie had a habit of blurting stuff out that he had been thinking, confusing those around him to no end. But it didn't stop him from doing it - it only made it more fun to see their reactions to his words.

"If you even think about taking those pants off, I'm going to staple them to that chiseled butt of yours." He pointed threateningly at Alex, his eyes squinting in a glare for a moment. "Those pants were made specifically for you, I guarantee it. The Gods took me in their direction. We can't ignore our parents signs, my friend." His lips changed into the bright smile that was known all around the Academy, and another laugh escaped his mouth at the curse word he was called. "Why, your vulgar language upsets me, Alex." He feigned wiping a tear away from his cheek, putting on the sad act. However, this facade only lasted for a moment though, as soon, the iPod began to play his playlist.

"Excuse me? Why would I change the track? Did you not see the "Robbie is Awesome" playlist that I put on there last week? My god, Alex. You don't change Britney Spears. Britney changes you." The playful smile never left the child of Iris' lips as he began to sing along to the song, dancing around the room.

Oh yes, tonight was going to be good.