Earth

Modern Earth, the age of science has replaced the age of Gods and Magic. They all have disproven everything about them. People have gone to the so called home of the Greek Gods and found… nothing… No grand palaces or anything else. The Gods places of worship have all but crumbled away. Some have been stolen from and some broken into and vandalized.

The mortals have forgotten about them and explained away everything about them.

But they have not thought of one simple possibility…Maybe the Gods have moved… or have their own dimension. The Gods have never met the other gods of a different culture, aside from the Roman and Greek, but that is because they are one and the same…Each realm feels like one would expect from each culture.

Asgard is surrounded by an impregnable wall and is one of the Nine worlds, inhabited by the Aesir, the race of Warrior Gods. It is located at the highest point of their universe and has the Rainbow Bridge connecting their world to Earth. They also have Valhalla the place were slain warriors wait for the final battle, Ragnarok. The realm of their Elves Alfheim and Svartalfheim is also there as well as Vanaheim the home of Vanir, it is a glorious if a bit cold. Also there is the realm of frost giants they are constantly battling. As well as Helheim, their underworld which Hel, Lokis’ daughter resides and is protected by Garm, Hel's enormous dog-guard, lives in the cave Gnipahellir. He is an eight-foot-tall black hound with glowing eyes. It is important not to underestimate Garm. While he may act like a big dog - vicious and dangerous or friendly depending on who you are - it's an act. There is as much intelligence in Garm as in any other of Helheim's guards. He is a Jotun who is always in dog-form, but he is no dumb beast. Garm seems to be on a general patrol around the borders of Helheim, meaning that he could be anywhere at any point.

Mount Olympus is the abode of the chief god Zeus. Also, the foremost gods of the Greek pantheon have their palaces at the summit. It is here that the gods assemble to consume nectar and ambrosia, the substances which reinforces their immortality. The top of the Olympus, which is covered in snow and hidden in the clouds, reaches all the way into the aether. It is the highest mountain of Greece and lies on the border of Macedonia and Thessaly, yet though mortals have been to the top they have never seen the realm. And why would they? The Gods have hidden it from their mortal eyes. Also of course is the Domain of Hades, which is surrounded nine times by the River Styx, where Hades resides.

Each God in each realm have seen the flow of time on Earth and seen it change, but never seeing the other realms of the other gods.

Until now.

Ten Gods, including a few Goddesses, have been cast out of their realm by someone, though they do not know who. Some of the Gods and Goddesses are the righteous; some are the outcasts among the gods… They each have their weapons on them and have been assigned lodges at a college. They do not know how they have come to Earth or who these others are, though a few they recognize from their own realm. For the first time in history The Asgardians will meet the Olympians, and many other types of Gods.

Thrown into this mix are four mortals, two men and two women, who are going to the school as well. They know not who these ones are or the powers they possess, but they soon will…

The Gods have a common goal, though some are more reluctant about it than others, get back to their own realm, but to do that they need help… from the mortals. But will the mortals help? Or will they try to kill the gods, for on Earth there may be a weapon that can kill them. Though only Mortals may wield it.

Loki Laufeyjarson, god of fire, chaos, mischief, and to some, lying, thievery, magic and deceit… was in his usual spot at the very edge of Asgard and the world of Giants, a fitting place for him, tied up in his son’s entrails as a snake dripped venom on his head making him cringe in pain, only a few times has he not been here… He wished it would stop! Even a brief reprise would be welcomed… but no this was his punishment. His punishment for tricking Hod into killing his twin brother Baldur, the god of light and truth, with a mistletoe at the festival to calm Baldurs nerves, to prove that all the beings on the Earth had promised not to hurt him. All except the Mistletoe, “It is not my fault Frigga forgot to ask the mistletoe… she should have known that even if it is small that it would be insulted that she did not ask…” he thought to himself as the venom dripped on him making him hiss in pain. He almost called out to his Blood brother… and who he once long ago thought of as a father, for help. He bit his tongue before he did. He didn’t want nor need his help! After all this has been his fate since he became a God. Who would have thought? A frost giants’ son becoming a god? It was almost laughable… but here he was, Loki son of the giantess Laufey managed to trick the Gods into becoming one. It was one of his crowning moments.

His others though… well they were always overshadowed by Thor Odinson, Odins’ true son… the thought of Thor brought rage to his face. Every time Loki did some good or grand, there he would be stealing his thunder, his glory, by doing something to one up him! He was the one who made Loki remember what he really was… not an Aesir like the rest, but a frost giant, one will always be over shadowed by them… when Loki remembered this he grew cold and distant from the rest of the Gods, seething in his anger. When the event that led to his imprisonment happened, it was the only thing that kept him sane.

Was his rage against Thor justified? Probably not all of it was, but it was the one thing that he used to keep him sane, and yes, even if he was the god of chaos he was and is quite sane.

The venom dripped on him snapping him back into reality. He tried once more to conjure fire so he could break free of his bindings. Yet as expected he could not. “Curse them!” he screamed out. “Curse them all! When Ragnarok comes and I am freed from here I will exact my revenge on them!” he roared out, knowing no one would hear him. He didn’t even try to break free, feeling to weak. “How many years has it been since I was last fed? Not since I insulted everyone at that feast I believe. No Mead has touched my tongue no fruit has passed my lips.” he thought as he counted the seconds as his skin started to heal, yet as usual just as it did heal another drop of venom fell on his head making him close his eyes. “Even having my mouth sewn shut for months was not this horrible.” he muttered with a sigh.

He felt it rather than saw it.

A shift in the power where he was, the ground shook and a flash of light blinded him, for a moment he thought Thor was coming, but no this was different.

When he opened his eyes he tried to sit up, not expecting to be able to do so he was surprised when he accomplished the feat. “What in Asgard?” he muttered as he looked around him. He blinked, “I am not in Asgard am I?” he muttered seeing tall buildings made out of glass in the distance. He frowned, “Ragnarok has not begun yet, so why have I been freed from my prison?” he asked himself as he started walking. He kicked something and frowned as he picked it up a grin appeared on his face. It was a short scepter like instrument, that was gold and had two blades jutting out of the end, one longer than the other, and nestled in between the blades was a blue crystal. “My weapon… oh it has been ages since I last laid eyes on you.” He commented almost cooing as he held it, making it grow into his staff and then he made it shrink as he made it seem to disappear. He turned around as he thought he heard something and gasped in surprise at what he saw reflected back at him.

In an abandoned building window was a pale man with slicked back black hair and green blue eyes. He wore a long green jacket with gold décor and a black outfit underneath. He walked closer to it and touched the glass. “Is that me? Do I really look so… mortal?” he muttered. It had been ages since he had last looked at himself. He frowned as he moved away from it. He saw something glitter beneath his feet and picked it up reading the Norse runes on the thin gold scroll. It read, Loki Laufeyjarson, your presence is required at the building in the center of town. Do not try not to go Trickster God or the consequences will be worse than you could ever imagine. Loki sneered at the note and crumpled it as he tried to summon his flame. To his great surprise he could as he watched his flame burn the scroll and he crushed the flame out as he started walking to the city.

When he reached the building he sneered as he read the words, “I am sent to a place of learning? What mockery is this?” he thought to himself as he found another scroll for him and picked it up as he read the directions on it and again burned the scroll and put it out as the smell of smoke lingered, though considering the room he was in is a stone circular room alit of candles he knew it would be masked.

He walked out of the room and down a hidden path and reached the wall. He took out his scepter and made it grow into a staff as he held it straight out and concentrated as he sent some of his power through it as he made the rune of his name appear on the wall that glowed briefly before vanished as he walked straight through the wall and into what was a familiar sight, or to him it was.

The room was made out of stone and was round, the floor was sawdust and as he looked up he sighed at the seats. “An arena… how quaint…” he muttered to himself as he rested his staff on the ground. He saw a chair made out of Onyx and walked over to it as he sat in it resting his elbow on the arm of the chair and his head in his palm. His legs were spread a bit arrogantly and his mischievous smile was on his face, though that quickly vanished as he noticed that there were nine more chairs, most were elaborate and each seemed to be made out of a different type of stone. “Is this a trial? If so the judges are late…” he commented. “I would pray to Odin that Thor does not come, but since Odin and I are not on good terms I will opt out of that.” He muttered as held onto his staff.

Aphrodite had been sitting at the edge of a waterfall on Olympus, gazing down through the misty clouds to the mortal realm below. Her son, Aeneas was off fighting another battle, as usual, and she often watched over him, guarding his safety. Another victory. She smiled and stood, turning to head back up the mountain toward her home. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind whipped at her, and she reached out just in time to wrap her small hands around a few of the vines that hung from the floating mount.

"Zeus!" she cried out. But the wind tore at her, sending her swinging back and forth until her hands slipped and she began to fall. The goddess watched as the mortal realm drew nearer, her eyes widening in terror. But the realm shimmered and seemed to change before her eyes. Aeneas was no longer there, walking through the streets in his victory march. It was some cold place, with strange buildings.

As she fell through the clouds, she felt another, softer gust of wind upon her face. The touch of soft, smooth feathers slid beneath her, and a beautiful smile came to her lips as she slid her arms around the goose that had caught her. She leaned her head against the silky feathers and cooed at the bird. "Take me home, my love," she called out to it. But the bird didn't listen. In slow, lazy circles, it continued her descent toward the earth, until suddenly, it flew through a gigantic window into some strange circular building. The creature landed at the top of a staircase that led down to the floor of the arena, but Aphrodite refused to move. "No! Take me home!" she screamed at the goose.

The bird gave a great shake of its body, sending her sprawling to the floor next to it. Letting out a huff, she jumped up and turned to berate the creature, only to watch as it flew back out the way it had come. The woman let out a strangled scream and spun to look around at her surroundings. Her eyes fell on a man down on the bottom floor, seated in one of nine Onyx chairs. Throwing the long waves of her hair back over her shoulder, Aphrodite slowly began to descend toward this man, though her face was still twisted in fury. When she reached the bottom floor, she eyed the man a moment, unsure. How strangely he was dressed. She let out a soft snort and began to make her way toward him, hips swaying with each step she took.

"Who are you then?" she called out as she neared him. "Why have you brought me here?!" she demanded.

Adrasteia Nicolaou bid farewell to her temporary home in Athens, only looking over her shoulder once with her hazel before picking up her three pieces of luggage, a battered old suitcase, a messenger bag, and a small cat crate. She wished she had time to go see her families grave but she just hadn't had the time. She wish she had. Her hands went to a simple pebble mosaic necklace, she fiddled witht the pendent before muttering underneath her breath “Goodbye mom, goodbye dad, and goodbye little Abraxas. I am not sure when I will be able to visit you next, but I will be thinking of you.” And with those last words she hailed a taxi. A few minutes later she was at the airport, a ticket for America in her hands.

It was a long and exhausting flight that took most of the night. When she finally got off of the aircraft all she could think about was falling asleep. She was lucky she didn't have any bags that were checked, hers were big enough for carry on. She decided that the best course of action would be to head to her destination.

Adrasteia Nicolaou's destination was a college that she had applied to, it was small, and looked nice. Plus it was away from her past...

She asked around the city where the building was, speaking to a few people in Greek, her native tongue, and the rest in an accented english. She was fluent in english for the most part, but some things were hard for her.

The twenty two year old finally found out the location and as she approached the building she couldn't help but marvel at the structure. It was simply amazing, it seemed to blend different cultural styles and still blend perfectly together.

And then it happened.

The sky took on a grey tone, and the clouds rolled in, it had been a bit cloudy on the way over sure, but nothing to indicate the drastic change of weather that was happening.

There was a large crack of lightening so close that she could see the arching and the branching out of the veins. Andrasteia let out a scream before bolting inside, her feet carrying her swiftly.

The poor animal in the crate was bounced around from the sudden movement and the young woman apologized to the creature before pulling it out of the crate.

It was a small fennec fox that had a collar on it that simply read “Butterball.”

“I am so sorry about the Butterball...but at least the building blocks out the noise...”

Andrasteia looked around the building but the halls were empty...and she really didn't like that. Colleges shouldn't be empty...”Hello? Is anyone here?”

Once again, Thor has to remind the giants why they don't live in Asgard.

"Must you challenge me so haphazardly?"

"We are many, and you are but one."

"My strength alone negates your argument."

He had them there, as that's how it's always been. Thor could've killed them—all of them—on a whim, really, but he never committed genocide. Regardless, the giants still charged him once in a while as a test of their ability.

"Taste my hammer!" With that and one swing of his mighty Mjöllnir, the god of thunder had already blown back a battalion of frost giants, sending them toppling over one another. Then came a white light, engulfing the battlefield before anything could really break out.

"What is this?!"

And as the light was gone, so was Thor, leaving hundreds of giants dumbfounded and arguing. Many believed they could take Asgard for themselves now, but a sense of logic prevailed.

"If the powerful Thor was taken by the light, then we stand no chance should it come back," one proposed. This came to be the general consensus, and the Jötunn retreated to their realm.



Down on Earth, Thor could feel himself being pulled somewhere. He noticed his eyes were closed when he didn't get the feeling anymore, though that was because of the light. Since it'd faded, he decided to open them to a blue sky above.

Midgard? Why am I here? What is the meaning of this? He was in a public place, too, surrounded by people that looked worried. Thor sat up, rather numb. It was extremely rare for him to be numb. He couldn't even speak, his jaw wouldn't listen to his commands. Mjöllnir seemed to be missing, too. For once, Thor felt rather powerless. A young lady approached Thor, helping him up.

"Are you alright?" He still couldn't speak; unable to vocally answer, Thor simply nodded and mustered up the fight to walk off, trying to get rid of his numbness. He didn't really understand where he was going, or why he felt so weak even without his weapon, but something told him he'd find the answers to his growing number of questions there.

As Thor walked closer to what he believed to be the source of his issues, he was worried more about Mjöllnir... at least until he found an eyeglass store containing mirrors large enough to see yourself from the outside. He found a girl staring at him in the mirror, and not recognizing her he wondered why. She looked fairly fetching. Five and a half feet, long blonde hair with a red tint. and a long white dress that hung right off her shoulders. The dress was joined by fur sandals and... painted nails? Thor started to wonder why he paid so much attention to the figure in front of him.

"Hello?" he asked, seeing the reflection's mouth move as he spoke in a soft, light tone. It was the girl's voice—no, his. The feeling was finally returning to his skin. "My face... my voice... my attire..." he didn't overreact. Not yet. For now, he simply hurried toward the supposed source faster, clouds gathering above Thor's head as he guessed what the cause was.



Thor could tell who he was approaching, and wanted to beat the answers and a cure out of them as he reached a college's rear entrance. The storm following him had reached a full swing, too, lightning flashing about. In the thunderous blasts, Thor began carrying a large battle-hammer betwixt his hands with an axe-blade in the back. It actually didn't take him long to make a realization this time: Mjöllnir had changed its state, just as he did, and it answered his vindictive call.

"An educational facility?" Why would the conspirator be in a place of learning? On second thought, it didn't matter. The door was locked anyways, and Thor was in no mood. "Nothing will stop me from maiming the villain behind these walls and attaining my answers." (Not necessarily in that order.) With his second mighty swing of the day, Thor broke through the walls to the interior of a colosseum, shouting in his new voice. (Strangely, it sounded much more frightening than normal.)

"LOKI!" In the dissipating smoke from the crash, unaware of the chairs (and the fact that the facility somehow inconspicuously held an arena) as his eyes were fixed on Odin's brother, the lady Thor demanded, "EXPLAIN YOUR TRICKERY THIS INSTANT!"

Anthony had been exploring the quiet building, reveling in the odd silence. The only sound he heard was the soft click of his soles on the cold tile floor. He weaved his way in and out of the different rooms, checking out the offices. He found the engineering wing and gleefully- if it were possible for Anthony to be gleeful- explored the labs. He played with the little robots, examining them, figuring out how they were put together. He caressed the different tools that the engineering students used, longing to pick them up immediately and get to work. But he knew that if he got caught using the tools without an instructor in the room, things could go badly for him. He didn't want to get into trouble on his first day.

The man grabbed a sheet of paper and headed up to the highest row of seats in the room, seating himself right next to the door. He pulled a pencil out of his pocket and began to sketch. Anthony tended to lose himself in sketching. He had a whole book full of ideas. Weapons. Robots. The gods of the past impaled with various types of spears and swords.

He had been furiously drawing when the storm picked up outside. The crashes of thunder pulled him from his work and he looked around. Where was everyone, anyway? Surely, he wasn't that early. Down the hall he heard the door open and close just as a huge crack of lightning seemed to strike nearby. Then, he heard a strange accent in a woman's voice.

Sighing, Anthony grabbed the paper and slid the pencil behind his ear before standing. He stretched, his muscles protesting after being bent over for so long. He moved toward the door and stepped into the hallway, eyes gazing toward the woman who was bent over some sort of pet carrier. Pets? Were they even allowed to bring pets to this place? Probably some obnoxious cat that would his and bite him. He hated cats.

But then the woman stood, and he could see that she held not a cat at all but some… ugly sort of dog thing. Igh. Just as bad as a cat. Anthony shoved a hand into his pocket, the other still holding his drawing, and made his way down the hall toward her. "Looks like it's just you and me," he called out, glancing around the halls himself. "Not sure where everyone else is…" He stopped when he was just a few feet away from her, tilting his head a little as he eyed the creature in arms. Finally, his eyes slid up to meet hers. "I'm Anthony."

Loki looked up at the sudden noise as he saw a bird fly off through a window, he paid no heed to the woman on the ground at the moment, noticing that the window seemed to have… vanished. “odd… then again I can do such a thing with ease… may haps a wizard is here?” he thought to himself as he finally paid heed to the woman who walked over to him as he rested his head on the back of his hand, the way he sat was arrogant. Not one of a ‘proper’ ruler. “Who am I? I should ask you the same question, no Aesir… or Jötunn.” He remarked as his eyes glanced at her, studying her… not from lust, but from curiosity, “what can I gain if I play my cards right?” he thought to himself slyly, his mind always plotting something. “You are also no judge, for I have heard no judge scream like a strangled cat before.” He chided her as he planted his scepter firmly on the ground in front of him.

He heard the storm as he looked… well uncomfortable, he was not overly fond of what storm brought… He slowly stood up ignoring the woman as he braced himself for his brother to come. He covered his face as he saw the wall of the arena crumble, the dust swarming over him as he coughed a bit. He heard his name being called by a female’s voice, as the female came closer to him though he had to say he did not recognize her. “Well it appears I am at a disadvantage. For you see, you know who I am… but I do not know who you are, worm.” He remarked coldly with an arrogant tilt of his head. “Trickery ooo I am known for that, but of which are you speaking of?” he asked her as he held his hands out from his side only briefly as he took a few steps forward, again noticing that the wall mended itself. He took one last step closer, unafraid as he planted his staff firmly on the ground as he stared this woman down, his eyes icy cold.

Aphrodite blinked, shocked at the gall of this man. To ask who she was before he offered her his own name! And how rude and arrogant he sat there, like he was sitting upon a throne overlooking a peasant in his kingdom. Her cheeks burned red with rage. "Who are Aesir and Joten? I known not of these people!" She put her hands on her hips, watching him study her. She lifted her chin haughtily.

But when the man said that she had screamed like a strangled cat, she took a step forward. "You dare speak to me that way? I will have you know-" She was cut off by the sound and sight of a woman wielding some giant hammer crashing through the wall.

Annoyed by the interruption, Aphrodite stomped forward and stood next to the man, watching the strange interaction between the two. Something was very out of place here. This entire situation was just… off. And she wanted to know why, exactly. Why had she been brought to this horrible place, and simply left behind? She looked up toward the ceiling, silently growling at Zeus, for surely it was his fault.

That bastard had the effrontery to claim he did not perform a heinous act only he could have been capable of, and the audacity to call the God of Thunder a worm?!

"Do not dare to play games with me, God of Fools!" Thor's voice thundered, the end of Mjöllnir's handle against the ground released sparks along the dirt and disappearing rubble, and his eyes blazed in a fury Loki should have been all too familiar with. "Do you not witness the pathetic joke you have played on me, or have you become senile during your imprisonment?! You have but moments to declare to me your reasoning behind my state, and the escape from your prison, or so help me I shall bind you once again!

"The earth below our feet will tremble and quake in a magnitude of which it has never experienced before, as the snake's venom will be boundlessly more potent sinking through your impudent lips! All amongst the nine realms will fear for you, capable of but imagining the snake's fangs resting against your insolent skin!"

Thor understood that this was uncharacteristic of him; to be so descriptive of a punishment to come; to be so readily eager to dish out the punishment... yet he didn't care. He didn't care that there was possibly some power that had released Loki willingly, or that someone else was behind all of this. He didn't care that there was a potential culprit no more than two feet away from him now, quietly snarling at the sky. A sense of tunnel vision had taken over Thor, leaving him concentrating only on the beast that was now annoyingly taller than him. This was undeniably Loki's work, and he was going to pay.

Nyx was enjoying her nightly routine with her sons Hypnos and Thanatos, together they would fly through the night sky on her two-horsed chariat and paint the night sky. It was during this time Nyx felt completely at ease, the moonlit and star-filled sky gave her such a joy that there were simply no words to describe the feeling. This was also the only time her two sons could give her quality time with her, for it is during the night when mortals sleep and when death can take them by surprise. There was also the matter of tending to her other children at home in Tartarus during the day, but the night was hers to do as she wished.

Nyx looked on lovingly at the night's sky, when suddenly the chariot angled sharply, throwing Nyx against it's edge. Nyx picked up the fallen reins as Thanatos and Hypnos flew up beside her chariot.

"I am alright my dear sons." She said smiling, gently stroking the side of their faces with her hands. "Shall we--"

Her horses reared up and raced forward through the sky, leaving her sons behind them. Nyx pulled harshly on the reins. "Stop! Stop now I say!" She screamed at the horses.

The horses whined and veered sharply to the side, the chariot tipped dangerously and Nyx put all her strength into holding on the reins while trying to maintain her balance. But it was futile, the chariot rolled to its side, dumping Nyx out of it. She let out a scream as she felt the reins cutting into her hands, she felt something warm and wet start to slide along her arms.

"What is this? Blood?" She felt her hands slipping from the reins and raised a brow, eyeing her horses. "So now you stop, what made you act in such an appalling way?"

It was then Nyx felt a change in the breeze, and in the distance she could see her runs racing towards her and her chairiot, calling out to her. "My dear sons! Something is not right! Stay back!"

"Mother!"

She heard her sons shouting for her as if she were in danger, what danger could she possibly be in? She was immortal, daughter to Chaos. The reins slid from her grip and the strange breeze whipped around her as she plummeted towards the ground, she closed her eyes.

And opened them to find herself infront of a lavish mirror, looking up some mortal woman. "What is this trickery?" She shouted at the mirror.

She pulled at the long dark brown hair, that seemed to now be hers, and frowned at the frilly white nightgown she was wearing. "What drab and child-like clothing is this for a goddess like myself to wear?"

Looking around the room she spotted the partially open door to a closet, and storming over to it she threw it's door open, causing it to thud loudly against the wall. She pulled out the clothes by the hangers and gave a displeased face, all of them were either too plain or over-sized for her frame, then tossed them on the floor. Leaning into the closet Nyx spotted a black garment bag tucked away on the end of the closet. She grabbed it and walked over to the wall by the mirror and hung the garment bag on a wall-hook. Carefully she pulled the zipper down, and pushed the garment bag open, inside was a thin strapped, black dress with a low neck line, that shimmered like stars in the light.

"Now this, is meant for the goddess of the night." She grinned playfully as she pulled off the nightgown.

She slipped into the dress, it was mid-thigh in length and hugged her every curve and showed her bare back from the shoulders to her waist. Now that she was dressed and after she had admired herself in the mirror, she went through the rest of the room. In one of the dresser drawers she found her set of daggers, which she thought was odd, they were even in their sheath leg straps. With a shrug she tied them around calfs, and in noticing her bare feet, decided she should find a pair of boots to wear. And by the door leading out of the room is where she found a beautiful pair of designer, knee-high, leather boots. Pulling them on carefully over the sheathed daggers, she stood up and took a few steps back.

"A perfect fit. This is some interesting trickery magic at work." She turned around to face the door, there was a white square sticking to it.

Examining it closer it had writing on it. Pick up class schedule, buy books for classes, buy prettier clothes. At the bottom it had more. Purse with wallet, credit cards and keys are hanging on the wall to your left. Pull this post-it note off door and take with you. Address of the collage you are attending is on the back, as well as address of this building, your new home.

"My new home? Collage?" Nyx shrieked, pulling the post-it note off the door. "What about my children? My husband! I demand to know what is going on!"

There was nothing but silence. "Do you not know who I am? I am the great Nyx! Now answer me!"

Still just silence, Nyx was very annoyed, hey eyes giving an eerie glow in the dimly lit room. "Fine, I shall find the answer myself."

Grabbing the purse from the wall, she shoved the post-it note inside, and tried to push the door open and fell against it. Realizing her error, she could only imagine what the other immortals would say, 'the great Nyx does not even know how to open a simple door!'.

Her face flushed and this time she pulled the door open and walked out into an empty hallway. Muttering to herself she pulled the door closed behind her, and stormed down the hallway hoping she was going in the direction of an exit to this building.

Dionysus was, as usual, drinking wine from his goblet his wreath of grapes and ivy on his brown hair as he looked at the human realm. “Heheh that guy ran into a door…” he remarked a grin on his face. “Obviously he is a light weight, what did he have? Ten shots of tequila? Pathetic.” He remarked with a hearty laugh as he got up and walked around his home, ivy crawling around the pillars as a water fall of wine flowed out the door and into a pond below. He was happy here, though he did miss the wilderness. He looked once more at the human realm with his wine maroon eyes.

“Oh Hades that girl is plastered!” he remarked with a laugh as he continued to drink, his goblet should have been empty by now, yet it was not. It seemed to be magically refilled… which it was. His cats came in as he sat down in a pile of pillows leaning against them. The cats flopped next to him, and these were not tame cats, but cats of prey. Lions and tigers, leopards and lynxes. Yet he seemed content by company, not afraid as he pat the leopard next to him. “Have you been a good boy Leopold?” he teasingly asked the leopard as it gave out a deep throat purr making him laugh, “I will take that as a yes. How about you Lyall?” he asked the Lynx who just let out a yowling yawn, “Tamara and Mufasa?” he asked the others Mufasa the lion nudged him playfully making the wine dribble down his arm as Tamara the tiger licked it off him, “hey, hey who said you could have some wine?” he teased Tamara bopping her on the nose.


Oh yes Dionysus was content in his house, and why not? He had all the wine he could want, all the food as well, his cats were here and the Satyrs’ played him the pan flute when he wanted music. He did long for the wilderness though. And the humans were destroying it… which he hated. He had taught a few of them a lesson, but they kept coming back in swarms… things were not as easy as the old days. The mortals did not listen to Zeus, well he didn’t always either so he did not fault them for that… he and his dad did not always get along after all, but when they didn’t listen to him the God who gave them the wine and the means to cultivate the grapes to make the wine that they so enjoyed, and allowed them to get drunk and party… well that made him mad. He sighed as he saw one of the forest wilds he so loved. “…don’t take that…” he muttered softly as he took a gulp from his goblet.

His house then started to shake and he bolted to his feet, his cats growling. “Zeus? Is that you?!” he called out, he was afraid his father may be in a bad mood.

A bright light cracked in front of his eyes as he felt the floor of his house crack and break, and then… then he was falling and falling. He closed his eyes and when he opened them next he was... well he wasn’t on Olympus that was for sure. He recognized it right away, “I am on Earth? Gaia what am I doing here?” he whispered as he saw a college near him, carved in tiny letters was his name and instructions to get to the Arena. “…well I would if I knew where that was…” he muttered as looked around, he saw his reflection.

“Oh dude! Is that me?!” he called out in shock. He looked almost the same, but his clothing was way different, instead of his purple toga he was wearing an unzipped light purple hoodie a long and too large on him wine maroon t-shirt, baggy black pants and worn black sneakers. “Dude I look like a mortal! Wait where is my wreath?” he muttered as he felt the top of his head. “nope… no wreath, damn I liked that wreath too. Ah well whatever.” He could still feel the gold band he wore near his elbow, so he wasn’t worried about that.

He heard four cats mewling as he blinked and turned to them. “Leopold, Lyell, Tamara, and Mufasa zat you?” he asked them. All four nodded their head. “You guys shrunk! Daaammmn that is not cool. Way not cool, I mean who does that to my friends? If I see them I will turn them into dolphins… on land this time.” He remarked, he didn’t care about how weird it would be to find dolphins in a place that didn’t have a sea around it for miles. He just didn’t like people messing with his friends. He shrugged, “Well come on lets’ see what this is all about.” He commented as he headed into the college.

He wandered the halls a bit lost as he heard voices up ahead. “Seems like some others are here as here that is a good sign.” He remarked, his accent was of course Greek. His voice as smooth as fine wine, his cats followed him as he came into view of the two; one was a girl with a weird dog thing in her hands. The other was a man with slick back dark brown hair. “he is kinda cute actually.” he thought to himself with a shrug. “Sup dudes? Can someone tell me where exactly I am? I am lost as all Hades here.” He remarked with a carefree laugh. His four cats standing semi circle around him

Adrasteia Nicolaou glanced up at the sound of the clicking of heels, her hazel eyes looking over the man before nodding her head slowly, her brown her hanging over one of her eyes before she pushed it aside, revealing the roman numeral nine tattooed above her eyebrow...there was another one tattooed on her middle figure. “Looks that way...names Adrasteia.” She said, putting Butterball down and pointing at the ground. The fennec fox automatically sat down. “That is Butterball...he is a therapy pet.” The woman added as an after thought, Butterball was also one of her only friends.

And then another voice came, one that carried the same accent as her. A fellow Greek it seemed. “You are in America...how high are you?” A frown was on her face and she took a small step back, she didn't seem to trust this man.

Loki glared at her, his eyes a fire of hatred at being called a God of Fools, “Know your place as I know mine.” He threatened them as he saw the sparks coming from the hammer. “no…it cannot be… is that Mjöllnir? What is that doing in the hands of…” he saw the look in the womans’ eyes, one exactly like Thors’, he had been on the end of that glare many of times before, it could not be Thor though could it?

His face twisted into a sneer at the mention of his imprisonment, and the threat placed on him. He remembered the pain and darkness all too well. “you know not what you are threatening, when Ragnarok comes it will be me who shall claim what is rightfully mine.” He remarked he knew now it was Thor, who else but his dear brother would say such things without thinking of the other options? “As for your state, dear Odinson, I know naught of what you speak. If you remember I was tied up in my sons’ entrails unable to cast even the simplest of spells, while you frolicked in the nine realms.” He spoke with a shake of his head.

It would not be uncommon for him to lie about his tricks and deceit, after all that was his nature. It would also not be too surprising if he had managed somehow to slip out of his bindings. “How is the Old fool Odin?” he asked him, mocking Odin to his sons face. He felt the fire rise in him, one of anger and hatred… he despised Thor with all his being.

Loki glanced again at the unknown woman who was staring at the sky, “and Odinson, have you not thought that may haps I had nothing to do with it? That another did?” he asked in an attempt to deflect the suspicions off of him as he looked around the Arena, information… he needed more information. “You there, wench. Where do you hail from and who are you?” he snippily asked her. He was…annoyed, that much was for certain, but he was also thinking. Of what? No one but he knew.

Anthony

Anthony raised an eyebrow, his quick eyes taking in the two matching tattoos. He idly wondered what the number meant exactly, but he didn't care enough to ask at the moment. His eyes followed where she pointed and he raised an eyebrow. "A therapy pet? What is he, exac-" His words were interrupted by the arrival of another man. He turned to eye the newcomer, his gaze noticing the cats standing around him. He had to hold back the urge to kick one and send it screeching down the hall.

Anthony looked back up at the other guy's face, quickly folding up the sheet of paper he'd been drawing on and sliding it into his back pocket. He waited for Andrasteia's answer, a soft chuckle escaping his lips at her words. "Found the parties early, have you?" he asked, figuring the guy was already so trashed that he had no idea where he was. "You, my friend, are at the finest place of learning in the good ole' US. Don't worry, sometimes I try to forget too."

He ran a hand through his hair, readjusting the pencil behind his ear. "I'm Anthony, and this is And-Adrasteia, I believe." He glanced back to the woman, smiling sheepishly, unsure if he had said her name right or not.

---

Aphrodite

Aphrodite finally finished the string of curses she had been sending to Zeus and brought her eyes back to the odd pair in front of her. She had never been so confused in her life. They were speaking some sort of gibberish; talking about Ragnarok and Odin.. She blinked and shook her head. This goddess did not like being out of the loop.

But when the arrogant man turned to her and called her a wench… She lost it. "You DARE speak to me so? I am Aphrodite, dog! I am a goddess of Mount Olympus, and I will not suffer your insolence!" She stepped up and reached out to touch the staff that he held so lovingly in his hand, watching as it began to turn into a simple walking stick. A smug look crossed her face as she watched him observe her powers. Just as it seemed the staff had been completely changed, a giant, white rose bloomed out of the top.

Aphrodite stepped back and crossed her arms, satisfied with her work. Her gaze popped over to the strange woman and her giant hammer, but the woman hadn't seemed to turn her own anger on Aphrodite, so she looked back to the man. "Hmph, no, I suppose you wouldn't have had anything with bringing me here. You clearly are an idiot." Her anger had abated somewhat and switched her weight to her other foot, reaching up to flick her long hair back over her shoulder before putting her hands on her hips and waiting for the man's response.

Dionysus grinned, “High? Nah I am just lost. America? Huh okay.” He remarked with a shrug, it seemed he was the type not to sweat the small stuff. “Parties? Life’s a party! So why not live it up!” he remarked with a laugh, “In all seriousness though nah I haven’t been partying, damn which I had been!” he remarked with another laugh as he rubbed the back of his head, he seemed unfazed by the four cats in fact he picked up one that was clawing at his leg. “Mufasa no.” he whispered to it. Surprisingly when he put it down the cat stopped his misbehaving.

“Anthony and Adrasteia. Hey Adrasteia means Who does not flee. Nice!” he remarked with a wide grin. “Oh right guess that means I gotta introduce myself to huh? All righty. I am Dionysus. Nice ta meetcha two.” He introduced himself, “oh and this Is Tamara, Leopold, Lyell, and ya already saw Mufasa, but I will introduce him anyway.” He remarked with a soft chuckle as he put his hands in his hoodies pocket. “I am starving, I feel like I haven’t eaten in ages! Any of you know where the mess hall, or cafeteria is? Or a bar is there a bar on campus? Cause that would be sweet!” he remarked with another grin. “I guess first thing is first though, I need to find out which dorm I am staying at! Just came here and all that.” He commented with a laugh as he brushed some of his shaggy brown hair out of the way, “Don’t really know why I was sent here, but hey whatever.” He added, he was a carefree god and wasn’t too worried about well… anything, he knew it would all work out in the end. Might as well party it up while he had the chance, he wondered if he could get drunk in this form? It would be awesome if he could! Well Awesome if he had a high tolerance and no hangovers. Man he wanted to beat everyone at a drinking contest! Or ya know, just drink. Could he still make unlimited wine and conjure wine from midair? He may be one of the more relaxed Gods, but he wasn’t going to do it in front of these too. Maybe in private.

"Know your place as I know mine," he demanded. Of course, after a glimpse of the beastly hammer and a look at Thor's eyes, Loki was able to recognize even such a drastically different appearance. Nevertheless, Loki refused to call Thor by name, and still pleaded innocence. Realistically, he could never have gone to such insane measures for a practical jo—ah, screw it, he'd definitely do it for the shits and giggles, and with any chance to speak he'd have manipulated someone into helping him escape from his hell with that snake... or at least take the snake away.

"How is the old fool, Odin?" he asked mockingly. Odin had the wisdom of the ancients to his name, so challenging him was a death wish to your mental health should he have given a damn. Thor himself couldn't have formed any harder of a scowl than he'd had already, so his anger over this was drowned out easily. It was only when Loki attended to the lady nearby that Thor's face had returned to a more stoic appearance as he tried to recompose himself. Loki quickly snapped out a question that, at least in these days to the humans, sounded sexist. With both of the gods almost reduced to the same status as a Midgardian, there must have been some risk to this.

Thor was almost pleasantly surprised, though, when the "wench" transformed Loki's magical scepter into nothing more than a cane. While the trickster could just turn it back without a problem, this was something Thor nearly... giggled, over. He managed to stifle it before it began once he realized that Mount Olympus is a location he'd never heard of.

"Miss... Aphrodite," he started, rather annoyed by his own voice, "we do not know of the land you mention, though it is clear you are no natural resident of Midgard. We hail from the realm of Asgard, home of the gods and honorable warriors slain through warfare as they prepare for their final battle in Ragnarök." The woman seemed confused by many of his words, but this didn't deter him from trying to reach an understanding, and hopefully a solution to their situation.



While a few of the gods had already reached their destination and taken to quarreling, one had taken time to enjoy himself and entertain, playing a trumpet and a sax around the city. Frequently, though, as soon as he'd finished his song, ladies (and some men) chased him out to other locations. Finally, when he thought he'd caught a break after four incidents to play again in safety (fifth time's the charm, right?)... (Right?)

"There he is!"

"Oh dear." And so, our hero is running from his adoring fans once more. "I am not interested in getting mauled today!"

Loki listened to the woman ramble about being a Goddess of Love, preposterous he knew that was Freya, but… perhaps. Ah the gears in his head were turning. When his staff was turned however the fire in his eyes brighten as he slammed the walking stick down changing it back into his weapon, the rose shattering as the blades came back out. “I am no Dog, and like you I will not suffer insults or insolence, I am Loki Laufeyjarson the God of Magic, Fire, Chaos and cunning I would not cross me. I live in Asgard, though the Aesirs would rather I not be there. As for bringing you here, as you said I would have nothing to do with it, I wouldn’t waste my time.” He hissed out, she possessed magic yes but so did he.

He knew not to waste it, well for now, on one upping this wench. He needed to think. “clues… I need clues.” he thought to himself as he closed his eyes thinking, “whomever sent us here must have had a reason to do so, they would not want us here just for a whim… but a reason, unless that reason is entertainment… but what reason? No that is not what is needed right now, I shall think about that after I found out the first step. Think… it is a puzzle and we need the first piece.” he thought, “Observe your surroundings… there may be something here.” he thought to himself as he opened his eyes.

He listed to Thor give an explanation about Ragnarök, a battle he intended to win. He spotted something in the corner of his eyes and walked over to it, ignoring the two for now. He reached the wall that had caught his eye as he placed a pale hand on it, he whispered something softly as he saw the rune for his name blaze up as the brick vanished. He pulled out a box that was engraved with the image of a snake, one he recognized to be his son Jormungand.

He shook his head at that as he opened it, pulling out key on a metal chain unknown to him… it was not from Asgrard nor was it from Earth. Odd. He looked back to the two as he made the box vanish, again the arena seemed to repair itself. “I suggest you find yours.” He remarked as he held the other item from the box, a letter written in Norse Runes, “Loki Laufeyjarson, you are to be sharing the dorm building with Anthony, Dionysus, and Amor. Behave yourself, you will also be taking classes with everyone so do not try anything foolish.” the note read. Loki only scoffed at that as he set the note ablaze in green fire, only ashes remained when he put it out. He was not going to leave the arena yet though, something told him he should wait, besides there may be more clues around here.

Aphrodite watched her little work of magic become undone by the arrogant man, who then went off on a rant about just who he was and where he came from. She didn't understand a word of it, other than the fact that he thought he was the God of Magic, Fire, Chaos, and Cunning. She let out a snort. He was just so proud of himself.

The little woman ignored this… Loki Lofjerson, or whatever his name was, and turned now to the woman who stood nearby. She seemed to explain things much better- and more politely- than the man. "Midgard? What is Midgard?" she asked, the word rolling awkwardly off her tongue. Her eyes slid down the woman and back up, evaluating whether or not she would be a threat. She seemed friendly enough. Then, a thought came to her mind, as she remembered the other one- Loki- calling him… ah, Oderson or something of the sort. "How is it you know one another? And... you are… a man?" Aphrodite asked, her Grecian accent tilting her words as she spoke. "You make a truly lovely woman."

She flicked her hair over her shoulder and, in true Aphrodite fashion, stepped up to the other, slightly taller woman, and leaned close to peer at her. "Whoever made this form was very kind to you." She slowly made a small circle around the… man-woman, her arm brushing up against… -her as she walked. She reached up to play with the strawberry blonde hair, then continued back around to stand in front of her once more. "I wonder what you look like as a man," she thought aloud, her lips tugging into a grin.

Aphrodite finally turned to see what Loki was up to. Apparently he had found something of interest and assumed that they all had some such box like he had held in his hand. She let out a huff and spun away, though a flash of light on the wall a few feet away from him caught her eye. She hurried over to see her own name engraved in the wall, and she reached up to brush her fingers over it. The brick disappeared as Loki's had, and she pulled out a box with a dove inlaid with silver on the lid. She opened the box to pull out her own key and note. "Behave yourself, Aphrodite. Go to class, learn, and spend time with the others. Your dormitory building will be shared with Elysia, Nyx, Adrasteia, and Freya."

"Nyx! And Adrasteia!? No… not my dear Adrestia." Aphrodite gasped. Those were the only names she'd thought she had recognized on the list. "Zeus! You think this amusing?!" she called out to the sky. "As if I don't have better things to do than go to classes!" She let out a dramatic sigh, tucking the box away and turning back to the other woman, swinging key around her hand. "Well, if we are stuck here… Would you like to be my roommate? I'm not sure whether you are Elysia, Adrasteia, or Freya… But I can help you with…" And she waved her hand around, indicating all of the awkward woman standing in front of her. "…Being a woman."

Oh no, Loki's bragging about himself again. Unlike Loki, Thor had no intention of revealing his actual identity when it was highly unlikely none would recognize him. Just as well, he wouldn't have wanted anyone to recognize him as his cheeks started to turn red. Aphrodite had complimented and begun examining him from head to toe, getting dangerously close in the meantime, and while he had wanted to say, "Please refrain from making contact with me," he couldn't get the words out of his mouth as the woman teased his hair. It was almost unbearable, had Aphrodite not been quite a beauty herself.

Thor was able to take a breath when Aphrodite was interested in Loki's actions again, this time with them involving the latter finding a small box. Of course, while Aphrodite received her own, Thor was given no special box; rather, it was a note strung against Mjöllnir's shaft that had managed to get there while he was occupied.

Hello, Thor—or should I say, "Elysia", as that will be your name during your stay here as a semi-human. As much as it may displease you, you shall also take up residence in the women's dormitories, instead of the men's with your father's brother. I am expecting you to behave yourself in their company, as you will find a familiar face; she, however, will not recognize you, just as with Loki. For the sake of your dignity and the respect you have from others—knowing Loki already has none whatsoever—I recommend that you learn how to be a woman so you can keep it that way.

There was a signature near the bottom of the paper, yet it was too scribbled to read.

Why, he asked himself, do I feel as though I should have Freya's head for this foolishness?

He was snapped out of a near-trance for the second time today by Aphrodite, watching her awkwardly gesture to his anti-feminine posture and the oddity of a woman holding a battlehammer almost as tall as her.

Dejected, defeated and disheartened knowing it would be some time before finding a cure to this madness, Thor sighed out, "I... I suppose I have no alternative."



Having lost his wings, the handsome young man had to rely on his stamina, and it was wearing thin until he found solace in a building with only a few vehicles around it. He thought it must have had few people to match. Once the coast was clear, he slipped inside through a door that was left propped open, finding himself facing a small group of people and various pocket-sized animals in no time flat. One of the group was noticeably familiar, but that was because he was stone-cold drunk. It wasn't uncommon to see people like Dionysus on this planet.

Out of breath for the most part, he simply asked in an almost relieved tone, "The hell's goin' on here?"

Nyx grumbled as she walked down the hallway feeling horribly lost and confused, not that she would be one to ever admit that verbally. Turning around a corner she spotted a tall, and very handsome brown haired man, facing a white haired man, and a very 'average' mortal looking man. Oh and there is a long-haired woman, with a marking above her eyebrow... Always interesting...

"Well, well what have we here? Better to see a few stars in the night sky than none at all." She said with a frown and sigh.

"Excuse me boys!" She called to them waving her hand in the air. "May I join your group, as I have no idea what is going on, nor will anyone answer my calls."

Walking up to them, she pulled out her now crumpled list and looked at it again. "Can anyone tell me where I can retrieve a 'class schedule' and purchase the so called books I will need for these classes?" She asked them in an alluring voice while resting her hand on her hip.

Anthony blinked at the two newcomers. This little end of the hall was quickly becoming crowded- which was not something he overly enjoyed. And not only was it getting crowded, but half the people around him seemed confused. He'd thought he had been going to a pretty nice school, but from the looks of it, they were starting to let any old riffraff into the place. The other two guys had a strange air about them; and the one that had arrived most recently had the most annoyingly beautiful baby face. He looked like he should have been in a boy band or something. The woman that had arrived last seemed to not know what she was talking about. While positively gorgeous, she seemed a bit ditsy- the way she accented the words 'class schedule' as if she didn't even know what one was.

Anthony peered at all the new faces, a little smirk on his lips. "So… I take it none of you are from around here? And I, apparently have been assigned to show you around or something. Right awesome." He sighed as he pulled the pencil out from behind his ear and began to flip it through his fingers. "Well, kids," he said with a bit of a grin. "I'm Anthony. Welcome to school." He tilted his head a little, considering taking them outside so they could take a quicker route to the office building where everyone could get their schedules, but the thunder that cracked in the air and the sound of rain hitting the roof changed his mind. "C'mon, I'll show you around, if you want, and take you guys to get your schedules."

He turned and began to stride down the hallway, not bothering to look back to see if anyone was following him. They could all stand around with those dopey looks on their faces for the rest of the day if they wanted. But he had better things to do. Like get back to the dorm and see who he'd been roomed with. He prayed it wasn't baby face or the drunk guy. He'd probably kill them both if he was stuck around them for too long. As he walked, Anthony pointed out the different teaching sections for anyone who cared. He wasn't sure what classes they were taking or what their majors were, but he figured it couldn't help for them to have an idea of what was where. If anyone was even listening to him, that is.

The sky shifted in a dazzling display of color and light, much like it always did when ever Ra held a festival. It was a common enough occurrence in the land of Duat, the Egyptian afterlife. There he would be, sitting upon his throne of sunlight, surrounded by Pharaohs from dynasty to dynasty. There would be dancing and music and reveling for days, one could even hear the reedy piping of egyptian flutes from far outside Ra's palace. It was there that Anubis stood.

He was not to take part in the festivities, not that he couldn't. After all, what would Ra do? Ask Him, the God of Death to leave? No Anubis was too prestigious a figure to dishonor so, but Ra had long since made his feelings about the Jackal God known. And so Anubis would not join the party, though secretly he would have liked to. Besides, he had work to do. True, not so much as in the old days when they had been worshiped far and wide, but the underworld required constant attention. After all Set had never stopped his attempts to destroy them all. Left to his devises the serpent god would swallow them whole. Anubis could not allow this.

Turning on his heel Anubis walked somewhat slowly toward the river that ran down the middle of Duat. The dead always arrived by way of the river, it was the only way in or out of the afterlife. He paced silently, spear in hand to a lonely dock that extended out into the midst of the waters. Anubis stood there for a time gazing into the river before looking up to his own palace which stood over looking the river. He was not surprised to see Anput, his wife standing on a balcony watching him. His muzzle split open into a very doggy grin as he saw her. Anput looked like a woman with the head of a lioness, her feline features beautiful to Anubis. She tilted her head as if to ask him what he was up to, and he shrugged. No one was coming into the dock, no one had in ages, perhaps he was there to remember the time he had as a busy guardian of a bustling underworld.

He glanced back to a dais that stood just off of the dock and then to the large set of golden scales upon them. The Scales of Judgment, they had decided many fates as the hearts of men were sifted out before them. The good and honest to live in peace for eternity with the Gods, the unjust and the evil, well.... Anubis's eyes shifted to the large mountain of scales and and fur that occupied the space next to the scales. Ammit. Almost as if the beast had sensed his gaze it lifted its head to look at Anubis. The head of a monstrous crocodile with the mane and fore body of a lion all brought together with the hind quarters of a hippopotamus. Three of the most fearsome creatures the egyptians had known where brought together in the thing they feared most. The Devourer. To Anubis though Ammit was just his hound and he cared for her.

Anubis smiled again and Ammit yawned before settling back down into her nap. He looked back up to Anput, but she wasn't looking back. Her gaze had shifted to a point farther up the river. Anubis turned to see the object of her attention and was shocked by what he saw.

It was a ship, one sailing up the river as though it had just entered the underworld. It looked old, made from wood that was beginning to wear out. The sails were tattered and hung limp with the lack of breeze. A fog followed close behind the vessel as it neared the dock. What was the most odd was that no one seemed to be aboard. Slowly the ship came to a stop at the dock and the gain plank thudded down, yet no one emerged. Anubis looked back to his wife and saw the worried look on her face. He motioned for her to stay where she was and gripped his spear before walking up the gain plank with long, purposeful strides.

The deck was like the rest of the ship, old, worn and apparently manned by no one. Anubis moved to look in the cabin but stopped as he herd something breath to his left. he glanced quickly down to see Ammit at his side and looking curiously about the ship. He patted Ammit on the snout and went to the cabin. He had to bend over to fit in the place, being as he was almost 8 feet tall, but the cabin held no occupant. This was... strange, to say the least. Anubis straightened as he came out of the cabin and shook his head.

"What could possibly be going on here?" He whispered to himself before looking to Ammit. The beast merely scratched its ear and looked obliviously about. Anubis made to leave the ship, but just before he could reach the exit a cry sounded from above him. He looked up to see his wife pointing to the river behind the ship. Anubis whirled about just in time to let his mouth drop open as a flood of water came thundering down the river toward him. He barely managed to grab Ammit and throw her into the cabin before the wave smashed into the ship with incredible force. Anubis was almost thrown clear of it but managed to grab a mast and cling to it. The boat was washed down the river and Anubis could but stand helplessly with his arms about the mast, watching as his home and wife grew further and further away. Soon though the end of the river came into view. He heard rather than saw the maelstrom that marked the border of the underworld. With a shuddering groan the ship was swept into the rushing water of the whirlpool and then darkness took them.
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Anubis would awake with a gasp, his arms thrashed about as he tried to swim his legs kicking wildly against the deadly currents until.... he realized there was no water. There was no current, there was no river, no maelstrom, no ship. There was just him and some kind of big, ugly, black dog asleep beside him. Anubis sat up and found that he was on a lawn of freshly cut, green grass. He looked around to see a fountain to his right which trickled water peacefully into its basin. Further more there were people, several of them all looking at him as though he were mad. But then again after his incident he probably looked that way. He stood wobbly to his feet and went to sit by the fountain so he could collect himself. That was when he caught sight of his reflection in the water. He took the standard double take one does when they see something odd and surprising and looked closer. The image in the water was a human one. His skin was slightly tan and he had dark curly hair. He also had a little beard and a mustache. Anubis reached up to touch his face and the man in the reflection did the same.

"Oh, by the pyramids. What is going on?" He murmured to himself.

"No, that is not enough, mortal!" roared the mighty dragon Dewi as he swung a fearsome claw at a cart full of cows, scattering the beasts and causing a frightened chorus of "moo"s. "Thou attempted to pillage my home, and expect four cows to be equal compensation for thine trickery?!" The god roared with fury and smoke billowed through his nostrils as his anger grew. Rarely was he this angry, but the mortal had made an attempt at the Dragon God's quarry after all he did to protect the countryside and towns of Wales. "Thine attempt hast angered me, and thine pitiful compensation furthers thine peril. Return what thou hast stolen from me!!" he roared at the terrified human. Quickly, the pale creature withdrew a diamond the size of his head from a sack at his back, not willing to try his luck any further. "Good. Thou shalt bring more food and then return to thine home." He snorted out smoke at the human, forcing the mortal to stumble backwards from the gale. He bowed solemly and sprinted out of the mountainside cave.

Finally, peace and quiet. The dragon carefully retrieved the gemstone from the cave floor and weighed it in his claws for a moment. The cows were cowering in the corner, silent and shaking. "I shalt return for thou..." promised the dragon as he retreated back into the recesses of the cave. He was a mighty beast, fiery red and massive, the size of two normal houses or an exceedingly large pub. Spiraling horns twisted out from the back of his head and the end of his sizeable snout, and he had plenty of gleaming teeth at his service. His claws were four fingered with a thumb and sharp talons at the end of each phalange, but his rear claws had no thumb. Smoke drifted idly from his nostrils now that his mood had lightened, and his muscular tail swished back and forth as he traversed the twisting maze of his home. Though he was much more magnificent than them, he did appreciate the humans. They were pitiful, so he swore to protect them for he was impressed with their cunning and creativity. They were unlike any other creature in Wales, and that was to be admired. They idolized Dewi, and he defended them in return for their praise. He sighed with pleasure and shifted his massive folded wings a bit.

Soon, he was in his treasure chamber. A single ray of dying sunlight reflected down into the chamber, causing the piles of hoarded treasure to glisten and glimmer. His heart pounded at the sight of the beauty of it all. Glittery projections were cast on the walls from the ammassed gold, jewels, and gems piled against the walls and in hillocks in the center of the cavernous space. He returned the diamond to it's special place upon a pedestal under the ray of sun, and instantly the room was filled with pink light. He sighed in awe and satisfaction. This was his favorite room, by far, but now he had to return to his dinner.

An hour later, the dragon was fed and content, cow bones littered the floor and the human had been dispatched back to his family. The moon shone into the mouth of the cave serenely, and the intense blue eyes of the dragon glistened in the light. Dewi decided that the night was too beautiful to shun right off. He shoved himself to his feet and climbed out onto the precipice, bathing in the moon's rays. He relished the moment, and spread his mighty wings to either side. "Tonight, mistress moon, we shalt see who is the faster," he challenged, and with a mighty pump of his bat-like wings, he shot off of the ledge and into the brisk night air. He beat his wings faster and faster, headed straight up for the white disk in the sky. Every night as beautiful as this constituted a race between celestial body and god of the Earth. He flapped harder, and shot up at a breathtaking speed.

Something off happened then. As the disk greeted him, she became brighter than ever, light flooding over him. Blinding him. His flight faltered, and he lost some altitude in alarm. "What is this trickery!?" he roared. "Cease this at once!" The light ignored his orders and grew brighter until he could no longer see. He bellowed in fury, and fire was cast from his mouth, huge gales of flame flying all about him. He felt no heat, but anything in range would have been toasted to a crisp. Nothing happened. The fire was drowned out in the light, and a moment later he was forced to shut his intense eyes.

Just as soon, it was all over. He opened one eye cautiously, and was surprised to see a blue sky with fluffy clouds drifting lazily across it. A tree stood over him, and he lay on his back... but something felt off. "Tree, why art thou above me?" he asked in confusion, and his heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. Gone was the deep, echoing rumble of the dragon... replaced by the tenor of a young human man. His eyes snapped open and he flew to his feet. Just as swiftly, he toppled over. What had happened to his feet?! He held one to his face...

"No..."

Before his face was the pink hand of a human. He looked down. Biped, clothing, a red shirt unlike he had ever seen, and blue rough breeches of a design unseen to him before. at the end of his scrawny legs were pink feet with tiny toes, five of them, clawless and too pitiful to belong to Dewi, the Welsh Dragon God. He stood more carefully and roared with fury, attempting to cast fire upon anything near him... It sounded more like a frustrated yell, and nothing but air issued. This only served to increase his anger, and he yelled a declaration to the countryside: "Whosoever hast cast this trickery shalt have hell to pay from Dewi!" His piteous voice echoed down the hill he stood on, and it was then he noticed other humans down at the bottom of the hillock staring at him with confusion. "Thine mortals!" he yelled down at them, anger creasing his human face, "Whom hast cast this?! I demand to know under pain of death!" The crowd only continued nervously on their way. "Mortals!! Answer mpph!"

A scrap of paper hit the feral god in the face, simply adding insult to injury. Upon it were draconic runes and a map instructing him to go to the place specified. "College? What is this vile place?" He roared up at the sky again, only getting more looks from the mortals below him. He huffed in fury, and then caught sight of the village. It was the most beautiful, stunning sight he had ever seen. Every house glistened from the sunlight, huge houses, reaching into his sky. They glittered like his hoarde back at the cave, lavish, luxurious, and bright. All anger forgotten, he checked the map. Sure enough, the "college" was through the treasure village. "Whomsoever thou art, wizard, thou art powerful indeed..."

He trod through the sea of people, only tearing his glittering, greedy eyes away from the gemstone buildings to look at the map or the mortals around him. Whenever he looked at a human, they seemed to panic and run from him. He didn't know why, but continued on. Walking was a challenge, not only did he have half the legs he used to, he no longer had a tail or wings to counterbalance his motion... His wings were gone... He forced his face not to show any sadness or vulnerability and plodded on. Eventually, he came to a corner of a reflective building, and saw what must have been himself. He wore a red doublet fashioned oddly, and the rough blue breeches. He already knew this, what surprised him was his face. He looked so pale and squashed, no snout, replaced with a tiny nose and a mouth set underneath in a scowl. He had hair... that was new. It was red and messy, like most of the humans in Scotland and Ireland. What was most striking was his eyes, though. He had the same eyes, bright, gleaming blue and slitted. He now understood what afrighted the mortals so. He must seem quite the sight to them. He looked about and saw a female with dark things on her face that obscured her eyes. With a swift motion, he reached out and snatched them from her face to place on his own and walked on clumsily.

Minutes later, he arrived at the "college." "Wizard, thou art cruel... what is this vile place?" He trod along the lawn to the final destination on the map, an odd, round building covered in more flat gemstone. He entered the place to see more humans in the round room. Fury bubbled within him once more. "Art thou the wizards responsible for this trickery? I demand my former body to be returned to me!" He roared at the only male in the room, a mortal man with black, midlength hair and a spear of some sort, and was once again dismayed at the sound that issued, puny and weak. He sighed, and fought to keep from lashing out. "I am Dewi, Dragon God of the Welsh Isles and I demand answers to thine divination." He began to stalk closer to the man, and made an attempt to push a strawberry blonde wench out of the way. He placed a finger on her arm and extended it, expecting her to be pushed violently out of the way. Instead, he was thrown off of his path. He stumbled, all fury replaced with confusion as he stared at his 'hand'. He sighed and the rage rose again. "Thou wench shalt stay from my path," he rumbled, continuing his stalk to the male human.

A new guest had apparently managed to enter the enclosure through a door, unlike Thor's enraged method. More like Thor, however, this visitor had assumed the room's inhabitants were responsible for the problem that led them to this place.

"Art thou the wizards responsible for this trickery? I demand my former body to be returned to me!" The order he laid out, along with his almost-klutzy walk made it apparent that he was trapped in a new body as well. That's where the similarities ended, as Dewi introduced himself as a serpent diety of the country of Wales; another god Asgardians were unfamiliar with. It seemed his original form was not even humanoi—he just laid a hand on Thor's arm. Making use of his retained strength even as a human woman, Thor didn't even budge, causing the pushing force to redirect itself back into Dewi. The dragon god looked confused, as he should be; even more confused when Thor lifted Mjöllnir into his walking path, keeping him from reaching Loki.

"I have two things for you to remember... Dewi. The first is to never refer to me as a wench again. The second is that we are not your quarry, and it seems that you are not ours." Thor went on to more calmly explain himself.

"I sympathize with the loss of your real body. The three of us have just experienced humanity as well, finding ourselves in this room. Whatever has led you here likely left a message here for you as it has us; I suggest you seek it."



Fourteen high school-age students dragged their legs swiftly along the mat below them, an audible scrape coming off the floor.

"Figure fouetté." All of his students quickly stood up and swept their feet about five feet above the ground in near-unison, the taller ones reaching almost six feet or even higher. Chuck Norris would've been proud.

"Good work; that's all for today. Your spars will begin tomorrow, so get plenty of rest." Felice Rosenthal was working with a group of high school sophomores. He'd noticed one of the male students had started becoming closer to him recently, but—believing it was just sucking up to the instructor like the student was known for—he paid it no mind. It seemed odd that there were at least three students in every class that had taken extra attention to impress Felice, since it was rare for even only one high schooler to be so diligent, yet he only thought they were trying to be a teacher's pet or they had a great interest in a martial art.

"Ah, Rosenthal?" He wasn't on a full first name basis with them, but he never enjoyed the use of titles like Mr. and Ms. Instead, he simply has them call him by surname.

"Alexis? You wanted to get better prepared for your spar with Dennis, right?" Agreeing to help his student, he mimicked her future opponent's typical techniques, showing her how to avoid or block them and retaliate effectively.

"Remember, he uses his left leg most often, and his favorite is a piston kick to the right side of the abdomen." Felice spent the next fifteen minutes or so showing Alexis how to work with Dennis' "offense is the strongest defense" beliefs, spinning her against the aforementioned favorite move so she could deliver a strike that would otherwise bring Dennis to the ground. When they finished, the student gave Felice a hug and thanked him, elated over her reinforced confidence. Afterwards, Felice decided to have a little fun before the local college's gymnastics team came in for practice. Since the community center's gym was more than big enough to accommodate everything the team needed, he was able to go straight from teaching his Savate class to goofing off on the equipment until it was time to head back to the dorms.

Well, "goofing off" may not be the right phrase. While he was doing it for the kicks, Felice had taken years of actual gymnastic training before it turned into the equivalent to a playground for him, and he uses it to get rid of stress now. So, why isn't he on his college's team? The answer is simple!

He hates leotards.

Oh, and the team has no clue he can actually do all this... or much physical activity at all, since he tries not to deal with his classmates' opinions. He gets enough of those on a daily basis without putting his athleticism into question.

Felice only managed ten minutes of fun on the bars and pommel horse before he heard the cars pulling up. He recovered quickly and grabbed his bag, escaping out the back as the co-ed team (yes, there are even men who'll tolerate the skin-tight suit) entered from the other side. Back to the dorms it is.

Dewi glared with his intense, slitted serpentine eyes at the wench. What human woman would reject the title "wench", it was only proper. He was Dewi, albeit trapped in the wrong body. He willed the female to fear him with all his might, to understand that she should be afraid. His gaze increased in intensity, and an invisible fog, unable to be seen, but tangible emotionally, rolled off of him, headed straight for her. He saw the edges of it surround the woman, wrap around her body and engulf her in pure fear, three steps down from terror. Enough for her to understand not to cross him again. Once he was satisfied with the assault he had placed to surround her, Dewi turned back to face the male, eyes threatening. "I shalt return to thee," he warned before heeding the scrap of advice that made sense from the woman.

Dewi turned his gaze to the walls. None of the writing made any sense but one line scripted in Draconic runes. His pupils narrowed with suspicion as he approached, not daring to touch it yet. He didn't trust anything yet, nor was he likely to any time soon. As he approached, he tripped on his own feet and crashed violently to the ground, unsure as to how to catch himself. He splayed on the floor, too dazed for any other emotion. His head had hit pretty hard, and he lay slightly twisted, breathing shallow and rapid. Pain? He had never experienced physical pain before, nor had he ever had this light feeling in his head that made everything spin. He was unaware that he was whimpering pitifully, unsure as to what was happening or what he should do.