Golden Mountain

[Raynboa]

The soft colors of the changing leaves hanging above on the ends of the trees ignited against the glow of the campfire below. Reflecting the light of fire, the sacred lake of Golden Mountain never seemed as alive as it had that night under the moon. Melodies and laughter echoed throughout the lake and bounced against the trees surrounding as the dancing and music played on and on. As the lyres sounded, the nine muses continued with their celebration, splashing through the lake water, singing their songs of joy.

A clap sounded through the night and all attention focused on the taller muse of epic poetry, Calliope. “Well now,” She began, a smile still gracing her lips as all the women gathered together to sit around the fire, still pushing each other with giggles and laughter. “We’ve all had our fun, but dawn soon comes, dear sisters.” She said, her smile transforming into a forced one. The rest of the muses’ expressions turned sorrowful as the women all looked to the youngest of them all. The petite girl’s smile soon vanished as she realized the seriousness of the situation. Her maroon eyes looked away from Calliope to look at each of her fellow “sisters”. Some faces carried a forced smile, while others hid away tears. The girl looked into the heart of the fire, not wanting to admit the realization that the new day was already coming to. With a disheartened expression, Calliope kneeled before her, placing a hand on her knee. “Senritsu…” She began to say, but stopped herself from going any further.

After a few moments of silence, Senritsu put her hand over Calliope’s and stood up, walking past the fire and to the edge of the lake, her eyes never leaving the sky. The sky soon matched the color of her eyes, as dawn began to break the night. As her eyes threatened to spill tears, Senritsu inhaled deeply before her lips parted to let out a quiet whisper. “I don’t want to leave you all…” Each of the muses stood up slowly and made their way to the small and frail girl, each placing a hand on her in a warm embrace. They all shed tears, but only one fell into the lake creating ripples that stretched toward the gates of Golden Mountain.

As each of the muses stepped back to give her some room, Senritsu turned around to face all the women who had raised her. Calliope took the floor again, standing in the center of the nine muses. “We must leave you now, my dear…” She began to say softly, with a heavy heart. “We shall return to this very spot whenever you play the lyre’s song,” Calliope placed a soft hand on Senritsu’s cheek to comfort her, wiping away a rogue tear with her thumb. “So you won’t ever be alone, understand?” With a delayed nod, Senritsu took the hands of each muse, embracing them with a last silent goodbye, each disappearing into the shadows of the forest behind the lake after. Calliope was the last muse to leave, leaving a warming kiss on the forehead for the young girl before dancing away into the shadows.

Left in the quiet of dawn, the sun began to rise into vision, and Senritsu kneeled down by the edge of the lake, picking up as much water as she could within her small hands and drowning the fire in it. A small sigh escaped her lips, as Senritsu slowly looked over to the sky once more. Morning had finally broke through the night.

 

[Spider Monkey]

Pink light shined through the glass window, the light dancing across the walls and meeting Amaya’s eyelids as she slept. Blue hues blinked open a few times as she stretched, waking up slowly. None of her dreams would be remembered as the young woman pushed her covers off and slid her legs over the side of her bed. Stretching her arms above her head again Amaya stood up slowly and walked across her room to her window to caress the flowers sitting in their small pots along the windowsill. Turning around Amaya straightened her blanket and sheet out on her bed, making it so that when she came back that evening it would be nice and warm. Walking around her room Amaya grabbed a towel and walked out of her room down the hall to the bathrooms. Opening one of the doors she stepped inside and turned on the shower. Getting undressed and stepping inside Amaya scrubbed her skin clean until it was pink and the room was filled with steam before getting out and wrapping her towel around her body. Knowing that no one else was awake yet she walked quickly back to her room and closed the door tightly behind her. Pulling on a long white skirt that had pockets on the front and a black blouse Amaya put her waist length hair in a braid before slipping some ballet flats on her feet and walking out of her room humming softly to herself.

All throughout the school teachers were getting their classrooms ready for the first day of classes. Students running around the school to get to class on time as Hera walked slowly up to the altar area for her first meditation class of the day. She had much planned for her first day of classes and had taken the privilege of teaching this class herself. She felt that it was good for her to take a hands on approach with the students. She felt it helped her get to know the students better and would help the students trust and respect her more if she was around them more. Hera likes to know what type of gods and goddesses will be around in the future. She enjoys knowing what to expect. Walking around the circular structure she admired the columns around the area and the high glass roof. There were no walls for the circular structure; some would call it a pergola. Hera walked around the area lighting incense that smelled of lavender, a natural scent that would relax the students and help them get into meditation. There were pillows for the students to sit on in a circle with one sitting in the center. Walking to the center of the structure Hera sat down quietly on the pillow in the center and waited for her first students of the day to arrive.

Amaya walked up the path leading to the altar type class room. She had always chosen to take meditation as her first class of the day. She found that it helped relaxed her and helped her get through the day without getting angry at anyone. She also found that it helped her control her powers at time if she cleared her mind and sat silently for a while. Reaching the end of the path Amaya breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of the lavender incense and smiled softly to herself as she noticed Hera sitting in the center of the outdoor classroom. Personally, Amaya liked Hera. She thought the older woman was nice and kind to everyone, though she had learned to stay out of her path when the goddess was angry with someone. “Good Morning Lady Hera. Tis a pleasure to see you.” Amaya said softly before walking towards one of the pillows in the northern area of the circle. She found that she felt comfortable in the northern area and sat down quietly, crossing her legs to sit Indian style on the pillow and pushing her skirt around to make sure she wouldn’t show too much skin. Amaya’s curves looked good when she wore a long skirt and tight blouse that hugged her torso gently though she was completely unaware of the attention she gained from the opposite sex for her body. As she sat silently she wondered if Rayce would be coming to meditation that morning.

 

[TheFoxMaiden]

Lilieth rolled out of bed almost shocked that she had over slept. Running over to her dresser, she reached in grabbing clean clothes. A pair of jeans, a clean black sweater, and wrist guards. "I still have to shower...." She said while scooping up her shoes. Slamming her dorm door closed, she raced down the hall. She made sure to shower quickly, and throw her clothes on as fast as possible. Before racing to her morning class, meditation would be her first for the day. Clearly it would make a horrible impression if she were to be late.


The sounds of her foot steps echoed through the halls, almost every student was in class by now. Hissing softly, her paced quickened. Once at her classroom door, she came to a sudden halt. Pulling at the strands of damp hair, trying to make them look less wild. A deep sigh escaped her lips, if you would of got up on time you would of had time to get dressed. Lilieth said to herself, before walking into the class room. To her surprise it was nearly empty, looking over at the sun dial. Realization set in, she was actually early. She had nearly acted life a fool to get her, and to only be early!

Grumbling under her breath she walked over to the closet pillow, three sat between her and Amaya. Taking a seat, she finally looked over to her. "Good morning Amaya...." Lilieth said softly, before going back to her incisive grumbling. Crossing her legs, and laying her hands into her lap. She picked at the fabric of her aqua cushion.

 

[redblood]

Symfora had woken up early and weren't in a good mood, she got in an even worse mood when she realised that she would start with meditation as the first class. She didn't want to have it at all but that was the only lesson you needed to go to so she had just put herself up on a random time. She walked to her lesson while murmuring on different curses, she hoped that she would fall asleep under the lesson so it would be over fast.

She were just in time when she walked in to the classroom. She just took a fast look at the people in the classroom without really seeing them, then she sat down with crossed legs.
'Lets get this over with' she thought and sighted irritated. The funny lessons wouldn't start before after this lesson so if she could just survive this then it would be fine. Next time she would be sure to oversleep the meditation class.

 

[Church]

Pale, snowy white eyelids flickered open, slowly, drowsily. They revealed two beautiful droplets of green, surrounded by the white of her skin, and hair. It moved as she sat up and rose out of the soft bed, turning back to it only to replace the silky sheets in a prim and proper manner. Once her bed was made, she turned towards her wardrobe, slipping off the silk robe she had worn as pyjamas. Quickly taking out a knee-length white shirt, and some stretchy but tight jeans, she tied a bandanna around her head, and added a minimal amount of makeup. Nodding to herself, she headed towards her first class.

It had been a large debate within herself, having meditation as her first or last class of the day. If she had it last, it would allow her to sleep in peace, but if she had it first it would allow her to keep her temper in check, along with her powers. Not wanting a whole courtyard full of flowers to die out again like they once had when she had missed meditation, she had chosen it to be her first class.

As she entered, she bowed her head to her aunt, “Lady Hera,” She mumbled in acknowledgement. /she cast a glance at all who sat down already, but, with no wish to disturb their meditation, she sat down silently, readying herself for the meditation.

 

[Tenebrae]

Rayce's grumbled into conscious, the usual wake up routine for him. The dreams he had that night were vivid and strange, but he knew if he found himself thinking about them when he woke up, he'd be thinking about them all day. Instead of pushing himself into that torture, he latched his mind onto another thought, almost as dreaded as the first: meditation was his first class Rayce's mood was already in ruins before he could even hoist himself from his bed. A heavy sigh of frustration flew from his mouth and he shoved his hand in his white hair, feeling the silk glide through his fingers. He grabbed the already folded clothes that lay motionlessness on the night stand next to him and dragged his heavy feet to the showers. He was going to make the shower last as long as he possibly could. Meditation could wait; right then, he needed to relax. Rayce's eyes slid over to the clock on the wall and his eyes instantly fell into a glare. He had 10 minutes.

He sighed again, turned the water on faster than he wanted to, and began to make the necessary precautions of the shower. When he stepped inside, the first place he went was directly under the nozzle, so the water could cascade over his white hair, pulling it into large strands. He opened his eyes and stared at his feet, watching the pellets of water fall around them. He found himself lost in the repeated pattern of pit-pat-pat-pit-pat-pat until he snapped himself out of his reverie. He cleaned himself, still moving too quick for comfort, and stepped out, dressing as quickly as his sanity would let him. He took a glance at the clock to find that he only had 3 minutes. Even when he was rushing, he still moved slow.

It didn't take long for him to enter into the meditation room, walking around with his white blouse and black vest with khaki pants to follow. He refused to make eye contact with anyone, and for good reason. Meditation was his worse class. It was a class that tapped into the mind, Racye's most prized power source. Not only that, but it tapped into the mind's of everyone else in the room. The purpose was to silence the mind, relaxing it and keeping it stable. That was even a feat for he himself to accomplish. Besides, most of the students of Golden Mountain couldn't contain themselves. If their mind's utter one word through the deafening silence, Rayce immediately made note of it, and his powers would react to the sudden outburst, causing some form of destruction. Whether it be the falling of a painting, shattering of a class, or overturn of a desk, Rayce's powers would be tampered with.

He took a seat in the middle of the class room, not making note of who his fellow neighbors was. He could hardly attempt to ignore the gaze of Lady Hera, but her sheer aura brought his blue eyes to meet hers momentarily, against his will. After he was sure the lady was satisfied with the eye contact, Rayce chose a spot on the blank wall to stare at before the class would begin.

 

[Spider Monkey]

Amaya felt someone settle in beside her, turning her head to the side blue hues stared at Lilieth as she sat down and said good morning to her. Smiling softly Amaya whispered back to the girl. “Good Morning Lilieth.” Turning she stared quietly and watched as many other people began to enter the outside class room. A few them look irritated to be there; Amaya could never understand why so many people were so grumpy all of the time. It made her irritated when she saw other people coming to meditation in a bad mood. She thought it was best for people to come to that class in a calm collected mood, so as not to ruin the beauty of meditation. Sighing softly she watched as the last person came into the class and settled in, Rayce. Putting up a shield around her mind Amaya blocked out his mind so that he could not hear her thoughts. She understood the basics of his power, he could hear other people’s thoughts and he couldn’t control it. She also understood that he could make things move; she found that part of his power fascinating and scary at the same time. Sitting there quietly Amaya didn’t notice the dark clouds gathering above in the sky, she didn’t notice the shadows forming around her body as she sat silently, pondering on what the day would be like.

Hera watched as each student entered the room and sat down quietly, a few saying good morning to another student before settling in. She could tell that a few of the students weren’t very happy about being there and her dark brown hues turned dark and stormy at the thought of the students not understanding the need for them to practice meditation. Standing up slowly and gracefully Hera moved around the room quietly taking a moment to look at each student closely. Lilieth seemed to have some type of irritation towards the class, finding it useless and a waste of her time or maybe it was just the girl didn’t like mornings in general. Coming to stand in front of Symfora, Hera realized that this was the girl that thought the class was useless and a waste of precious time. She could tell that the girl found the class boring and simply wanted to go to her fun classes after this one. She could also tell that the child wanted to sleep through the lesson. Narrowing her eyes for a moment Hera continued to walk around the room. She found that some of the students actually found the class to be useful and helped them control their powers, which it should. Stopping in front of Rayce again, she found the boy interesting and she thought he needed extra help with controlling his powers, she would ask to speak with him after class. Stopping she felt a presence enter the area and surround the young woman Amaya. Turning she glanced at her, noticing the dark shadows around her. Oh goodness, that was not good. Hecate would not be happy to find out that Amaya’s father had finally found her. Sending a mental message to the fellow goddess Hera acted quickly. ‘Hecate, he’s found her. He’s trying to get his clutches on her and awaken her hidden powers. Come quickly.’ Glancing down at the Rayce boy Hera knew he would have heard her mental message be sent to Hecate. She really would need to speak with him now. Taking a deep breath she blocked the rest of her thoughts from the boy and began speaking to the class. “I’m glad to see that everyone could make it today. I hope you all slept well last night and that this class can be useful to you. I’m going to explain why you all need to take this class, since I’m gathering that a few of you don’t quite understand why this class is mandatory.” Pausing for a moment she moved back to the center of the room and began speaking again. “Meditation helps you control your powers. It helps you harness them and keep calm in moments that you would usually lose control of your emotions and in effect lose control of your powers. If some of you did that it could have catastrophic results, not including the lives some of you could put in danger from doing so.” Pacing back and forth for a moment Hera stopped and sat down quietly on her purple cushion. Settling in she spoke softly. “Now, I want everyone to close their eyes and make all thoughts leave your minds. Close off the usual everyday thoughts and allow yourself to listen to the sounds of nature around you. Listen to the way the breeze blows through the trees, the way the animals move through the forest around us. Listen to the music of nature and ground yourself, center yourself.” Closing her own eyes Hera sat quietly, allowing all thoughts to leave her mind as she breathed in and out evenly listening to the breathing of the students around her.

Amaya had listened to Hera’s small speech quietly, taking in each word that the older woman said. She found Hera to be wise and she wanted to be like her someday, so in control and understanding of everything going on around her. Amaya smiled softly before shivering glancing around, not being to see the dark wisps of shadows surrounding her body. She could feel a prickle at the edge of her mind but she figured it was Rayce trying to read her thoughts. Ignoring it Amaya allowed herself to relax and closed her eyes, sending all thoughts of the day out of her mind she allowed it to go blank as she listened to the sounds surrounding her. Breathing deeply she allowed herself to be lost in the sound of nature around her, unknowingly allowing her mind to be open to the dark wisps of energy surrounding her. The dark energy entered her mind, poking and prodding in her conscious until they found what they were searching for. The power buried deeply inside of her and covered with layer and layer of spells by Hecate to leave them dormant. Peeling away the layers of spells the dark energy’s controller chuckled softly at the goddesses attempts to hide his daughter from him. The stronger power within the girl would over-ride her other powers, but until then he would sit back and watch as her new powers came into light and showed themselves to her, showing her what she was truly capable of.

 

[TheFoxMaiden]

Lilieth looked up at Hera through big green eyes, she tried to smile brightly. Though the action fell short, hanging her head. She did not notice the other students in the room. The sight of aqua fabric filled her gaze, before her eyelids drifted down. Fanned lashes caressed her rose petal cheeks. Deep inside her mind it was silent at first, the sounds of waves smashing against rock. It seemed a chaotic storm was brewing inside her head, deep down Lilieth tried to calm the large waves. Hoping to make the sea ripple like water in glasses.

Though she couldn't get a grip, the waves grew larger. The pounding of them slamming into the coast echoed into her mind. The screams of drowning sailors pleading for their lives bounced around against her skull. Lilieth flung her eyes open, the feeling that she could not do this filled her to the core. Her emotions were turbulent, and they refused to yield. Those big green eyes started to gloss over, taking a deep breath she tried once more.

Closing her eyes, she dove back inside her thoughts. Trying to find what brought so much turmoil. A small tear trickled down her cheek, there it was. The answer to all her problems, it was simply her. She refused to stand up for herself. Lilieth had allowed her father all this years to push her into something that she did not belong to. the threat of punishment if she refused. Lilieth knew she could change what he thought of her, but was always to afraid to do it. Her inner strength started to grow that morning, the feeling was accelerating. The chaotic sea of her mind started to calm, turning into a small rippling of the wind. The sound was beautiful, a symphony inside her head. Lilieth rocked on her pillow with the beat.

 

[Tenebrae]

Rayce sat patiently in his cushion after moments of chanting inside his head 'Don't fight. Don't squirm. Remain calm.' Hera glided around the room, taking time to inspect nearly each and every one of the students. That wasn't a good sign. By that point, everyone knew about him and his powers. It was only a matter of time before everyone knew why he despised meditation.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by Hera's voice soaring around the room. She was diving into the explanation of mediation and why it was needed, not that he had never heard that speech before. This was his second time taking the class. When Rayce made it clear that he hated something, he truly...hated that class.

Hecate, he's found her. He's trying to get his clutches on her and awaken her hidden powers. Come quickly.

Rayce was surprised that he heard the message being sent. For the wife of Zeus and Lady of Olympus, she could easily block out all thought she had from him. However, that tiny sliver of words flew out of her mind with no restraint and straight into Rayce's ears. His curiosity was piqued, but he only chose to continue to stare at the wall. He knew that Hera was aware that he heard her, but he didn't want to be bother with whatever that message was meant to say. His only current goal was to leave the class as quick as possible before something bad happened. The woman had ordered them to clear their minds. That was like telling Rayce to forge fire underwater.

 

[redblood]

Symfora noticed the look Hera gave her when she looked at her. She didn't try to hide her hate for the class at all so she just starred back at Hera with a expression that showed that this was the most meaningless course that had ever been created. Hera narrowed her eyes and Symfora got to hold back the laughter.
Hera started to talk and told them why this class whas necessary, Symfora stoped listening to her after the first word.
'This is so boring, I don't need meditation, I need disaster and chaos, that's how I get calm' She thought to herself, why would a goddess of chaos need to know this shit? Her existence depended on people that hadn't any peace in mind, and the only way for her to make peoples mind fucked up whas if she had a fucked up mind herself. Peace didn't belong in her existence, at least that whas how she saw it.

She started to meditate and hoped she would fall asleep halfway so she would wake up when it ended.

 

[Spider Monkey]

Pale lids fluttered as she sat completely still. Her breathing was slightly heavy and her forehead was covered in perspiration like she had run for a long time. She body shuttered for a moment before she released a heavy breath and all of her muscles relaxed. She had felt as if she had been fighting off an army of men twice her size. Opening her eyes for a moment pale blue hues stared across the room at nothing in particular. She wasn’t sure why but she wanted to leave suddenly, she felt like she needed a shower; like she had been violated but she couldn’t figure out why she felt that way. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly trying to calm her nerves; she had never had anything like that happen before during meditation but then she suddenly felt an incontrollable rage towards no one in particular. That had never happened before either and it scared her immensely. Looking around the area again Amaya noticed Symfora and how the girl looked smug in a way; oh how that bothered Amaya. She had a problem with people like that, that thought they were better than everyone else because they were on the dark side. Shaking her head for a moment Amaya told herself she would avoid the girl throughout the year and try to not attack her. Taking another deep breath Amaya closed her eyes again to calm herself; though she couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working. Breathing in and out through her nose for a few moments Amaya finally opened her pale blue hues to look around the area once again and noticed Hera opening her eyes as well. Class must be over then.

Hera opened her eyes slowly before looking around at all of her students. She knew a few still hadn’t changed their minds about the usefulness of the class but she figured they would eventually or they just wouldn’t pass. Standing up gracefully she allowed the skirts of her dress to fall down around her legs curtaining them away from everyone’s view now. Swallowing she spoke in a clear crisp voice. “Class is over now, you may all go along and get to your next class before you’re late.” She watched as the students readied themselves to leave and reached out to Rayce to stop him before he was able to leave. “Rayce, may I speak with you for a moment?” She asked in a soft voice figuring the boy probably had another one of his migraines from the others thoughts. She hoped that in the long run meditation would help the boy block out everyone else’s thoughts like she could block him from hearing hers. She would spend extra time with him if needed to help him, she hated seeing others in pain especially her students and ones that she found to be bright and talented young adults. Hera would wait patiently for the others to leave before she would begin to speak with him about her plan.

Amaya would begin to gather herself as she began to stand up after Hera spoke. She could hear as the goddess asked Rayce to stay behind. It angered her suddenly to have the older woman paying extra attention to another student when she had always praised Amaya for her hard work and ability to meditate successfully. She scowled as she began trudging away from the others, her shoulders hunched forwards her eyes dark and cloudy like a storm as she walked down the path away from the meditation area. Her feet hit the ground heavily as she walked almost stalked away from the other students hoping that no one would try to talk to her about what was wrong when truthfully she didn’t know herself what was wrong. Staring at the ground Amaya began to take the route to her gardening class, hopefully that would calm her down.

 

[Tenchi-Roku]

The first period classes were over with and dragged them up to the next classes. Alazar's first class was meditation, it sounded easy but was a bit more difficult than it appeared. Through the whole class he was trying to see if anyone could read his thoughts, but no responses came, almost as if they couldn't be read by others with the ability. It puzzled him in his clothing to wonder if that would effect how he'd fit in with the other gods. Not expecting a better feeling from the next class he sighed, hoping that if the next class was going to be worse, then it'd atleast be quick about it.

The electric spawn looked at his schedule with an emotionless glare as he scanned his classes. Meditation, then gardening, archery, potions, combat training, and fencing. "This is gonna be such a drag." he sighed, as he put away the paper and made his way to the coming classes. Walking down the student filled halls made him feel almost out of touch with the others, due to the fact that he knew none of these people. As far as he knew, they'd all propably would rather ignore him than greet.

His heart was shading itself, drowing in a pool of stress and worry. Hoping that he wouldn't be cast out for his difference in origin or personality, wondering if what he was is acceptable. Alazar could only wonder what the pain of ridicule is like. Before he could think about it any further, he quickly remembered what was said to him yesterday. The cooling sweet sound of Athena's voice whistled through his mind saying, "You're a special boy, Alazar. Never forget that." And just like that, he was at peace with his worries. Unscaved by the horrid thoughts, he made a small smirk and continued on to his next class.

 

[Exvind]

Punctuality was something of a problem in this instance. For instance, while most potential Gods or Goddesses had help from their varied parents, bloodlines, or other mortal help, Troy did not. In fact, he had a sinking suspicion that he was the only one among them that had to actively FIGHT his way to the Mountain. Furthermore, he was convinced that he was the First Ares-spawn to even reach the 'school.' The God of War made his blood fight for their birthright. His was a position not easily obtained. But, as Troy had cursed many times before, "My Father is an asshole and a monster..." So it was that Troy was late in arriving. While other demigods arrived days, perhaps even more than a week before classes begun, Troy was arriving...now. Already after one class. Perfect.

In the past month alone, just after being told he was "expected" at this "school" he'd only just been made aware of by his "Father", Troy had fought, among other things, a Minotaur, three Harpies, a number of mortal conscripts, and for some odd reason that probably only a God would understand, a giant marble statue of Ares himself that broke its way out of an ordinary wall of graffiti. Had he fought some of those things before? Of course he had. He was Ares-Spawn. The bastard would ALWAYS send something for his children to fight, even one another. But usually it was once a year as a sort of macabre birthday present (along with either a book of tactics or weapon of some sort) but NEVER so much in one Gods-Damned month.

So it was that when Troy finally ascended the mountain, he was messy (shoes falling apart, clothes frayed at the edges and covered in dirt and blood), exhausted (he'd clearly walked the lion's share of his journey), and generally looking far from divine. His hair was tangled and matted, looking a twinge more grey than black at present. It was obvious he hadn't bathed properly (diving into streams can only do so much) and if his nervous glances were anything to judge by, he was still ready for one final monster or homicidal creature or person to appear. Even when it did not come, that edge never vanished.

That said, when he spotted people coming down the mountain from the entire meditation session, he would have been quite the sight.

 

[Tenebrae]

Rayce had completed the class successfully without destroying any items (though the drapes at the side waved irritably at the response to Amaya's thoughts in his ears), and yet, he still wasn't allowed a break.

“Rayce, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Rayce's cold blue eyes moved over to Hera's and he cared not if she caught the glare or not. He was not going to hide his annoyance towards the woman just because she was of higher authority. He hated meditations and everything about it, from the silence to the structure of the class room. Hera must have known that and wanted to torture him. Either that, or she was going to explain that little message she had sent. Rayce continued to sit silently on his pillow, watching the students exit one by one out of the room: Amaya, Symphora, Llieth, Ava...Rayce eyed Lileth and Amaya strangely. Amaya, usually bright and graceful practically stormed out of the class room, mind tainted from her annoyance towards Hera's attention to him and not her. Jealousy didn't suit the girl well and Rayce found it amusing, smirk planting on his lips. Secondly, Lileth had entered and exit the room silently. Silently. The girl's mind was usually screeching through his ears. That morning, however, she didn't send him the slightest glance.

Guess she doesn't like roses.

His attention returned when the last student left and Lady Hera looked at him. He returned her gaze with the same irritated glare he wore earlier.

"Care to explain?"he said coldly.

 

[TheFoxMaiden]

Lilieth jumped up from her pillow, a bright smile on her face. The long red locks of hair swayed with her body as she headed for the door. Though not realizing who was in class with her peaked her curiosity. Amaya and Symphora were in front of her, Lilieth's gaze shifted over her shoulder. Ava was right behind her, then more white hair caught her attention. Stopping dead in her tracks she glanced behind Ava, Rayce was in class to. A deep blush covered her cheeks. Lilieth couldn't believe she hadn't noticed him, "Lil you stupid girl." She said under her breath, before making her way outside the class. Walking a few feet down the hall, she stopped at the opposite wall from the class room door. Making sure out of ear shot range, clearly Hera wanted to speak to him in private.

Leaning her back against the rough stone, the sharp points caught pieces of her sweater. Lilieth folded her arms across her chest, and waited. Looking down at her top, she picked at a loose black string. It didn't take Lilieth long to fall into deep thought, for some strange reason she wanted to talk to him. Maybe it was a want to be around his company, or she simply wanted to make sure his head wasn't going to explode.

 

[Spider Monkey]

Amaya was still trying to calm herself down from the unexplainable anger that had gripped her as she reached the bottom of the mountain. Noticing a boy standing there looking rather ragged and like he had just come out of battle made her stop in her tracks. Oh my, she thought to herself as she stared at him for a moment with wide blue hues. Amaya realized she was standing there looking like a complete idiot and gaping at the male. Swallowing she closed her mouth and forced her eyes not to be so wide as she took a few steps closer to him. Walking until she was close enough to reach her hand out to shake his she introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Amaya. I take it you’re a little late? Do you need help finding anything?” She asked politely after telling him her name. Amaya was usually shy around new people but she figured it was good for her to be nice to someone that looked like they had been through hell and back. Smiling kindly towards the male Amaya glanced over her shoulder up the mountain at the outdoor classroom. She felt kind of bad for being so anger at everyone for no reason. Glancing back towards the boy she hoped she wouldn’t randomly get angry with him as well. She couldn’t understand what was going on with her emotions all of sudden but she felt like a little girl that had just gotten her favorite toy away.

---

Hera waited until everyone else had left the area. She knew that the one girl Lilieth was waiting on Rayce so she didn’t want to take too long while speaking with the boy and asking for his help. Glancing towards him she heard his voice as he asked in a rather rude tone if she cared to explain. She raised her eyebrows for a moment while placing her hands on her hips staring at the young man. She had seemed to have forgotten how rude the child could be at times. Clearing her throat for a moment Hera moved her pillow closer to the boy and sat down on it quietly before speaking while adjusting her dress to cover her legs. “I wanted to first give you a little help with controlling your powers. I know you can’t quite control whose thoughts you hear yet and I thought it would be a nice thing for me to tell you how to block them off from your mind. It might help your attitude as well. First you must imagine a large brick wall forming around you. You may see through it but no one’s thoughts may get through it unless they are directed towards you. The only thoughts that will come through are those you wish to hear and those that know how to send you messages mentally.” She glanced up at the sky for a moment hoping she was making the right decision by asking this student for help in the upcoming days. She knew Amaya’s father had to of done something to the girl but she couldn’t know for sure unless she knew what was going on in the girls mind and that wasn’t her area of specialty. Glancing back at Rayce Hera said the next words softly, almost as if she was afraid to say them. “I also needed to ask you for your help with something. Amaya doesn’t know who her father is, and that is for a very good reason that I shall not explain at the moment. That is for Hecate to explain. But, I cannot read others minds; that is your power. I need you to read Amaya’s thoughts in the upcoming days and send me messages about them. You’ve heard her thoughts last night and today so you’ll be able to tell if they’re any different from usual. Send the messages however you see fit as long as I get them every night. It is very important that you do this for me and Hecate Rayce, we will appreciate it greatly and work with you more to help you control your powers. I will also excuse you from actual meditation class for the next week or so, so that you may actually spy on Amaya’s thoughts. It’ll be too noticeable for you to be here while doing so.” Hera finally stopped talking and looked over her shoulder realizing that she had kept Rayce for farther longer than she had actually wanted to. She didn’t want the boy to be late for his next class. Standing up she glanced down at him again and smiled weakly. “So, will you do that for me Rayce?” She asked, she couldn’t really force the student to do it, it would just make things much easier without having to call in another mind reader to do so. Chewing on her lip she realized that perhaps calling in the help of an empath would be the best thing to do as well. She would look into if there were any students in the school that could read other people’s emotions.

 

[Ai]

Descending from the skies, a large, muscular black Pegasus landed gracefully onto the soft earth. Her gigantic wings stretched out like those of a black angel then folding back in against her body. Her mane flowing in the wind and her deep black coat shined from the reflecting sunlight. Catherine felt relieved to rest her wings after carrying her heavy load of clothing. It'd be trotting from here on. After recovering from her landing, Catherine observed her surroundings. Looking around she noticed that she was at the bottom of the mountain. Also as she turned her head to the left, she two figures standing in front of her. The Pegasus's deep black gaze settled on the two figures. According to her natural instincts as a horse, Catherine could tell that the both felt a strange form of maternal anger, which she dare not trifle with. "Interesting..." she snorted. Her eyes shifted between the two, the boy was ragged. He looked like he had just come back from a battlefield, his clothes torn, hair mattered and blood stains all over his clothes which wasn't in the slightest bit attractive. As for the girl, she was the complete opposite. With long blonde hair, her irises that of a beautiful blue was starring at the boy with worried intent. With a growing curiosity, Catherine waited to see what would happen next.

 

[Tenebrae]

There was no need to hold eye contact with Hera while she gave her speech and what an interesting speech it was. She explained about her need for his assistance and the rewards that were to come to him if he agreed. The rewards weren't fabulous, but they would help. With one of them being excused from meditation he was beginning to like where the conversation was headed. That was until she explained the tasks. Rayce snorted when she said the word "spy." The reason he was attending the school was to learn not to sniff around people like a puppy. He ran his fingers through his white fleeced hair then returned his fist to his chin so that it may rest on it.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to spy on the girl and relay to you her thoughts. All of her thoughts. That seems sketchy to me, Hera. I don't even know who she is or what powers she posses, not even mentioning that she is a Light and i am a Dark."he said aloud. The idea didn't seem so hot even with the rewards. He had enough respect for Amaya to not eavesdrop on her and she probably already knew of his ability. Hera was really getting into something that could become chaotic. His blue eyes shifted from hers to the wall.

"What danger is she in."he demanded more than asked.

 

[Exvind]

The Fates, it seemed, had decided to either grant Troy some reprieve, or maybe his Father's influence did not extend to the Mountain, but for the first time since he left, Troy felt no immediate sense of impending doom....just a quiet, distant doom that would take its sweet time approaching. Pessimistic, yes, but that was life. So it was that as the girl approached and extended her hand, his eyes narrowed, just now beginning to let go of the paranoia that had kept him alive these past few months. It was simple instinct that led him to analyze her, more strategically than anything else a man of his age might focus on. Methods of attack, where to strike, how to counter and eliminate her as a threat before a word could be spoken...

But then he took a breath. Drew in all that agitation in the air around him like a sponge. Brick-red eyes shut, and his shoulders slumped, the stress melting from his features before he smiled. A slight, tired motion that signalled his taking her hand. To hers, his touch must have felt akin to stone given the sheer amount of callouses and strength built up in the digits. It was obvious he was attempting not to crush her hand (as he had the last time he had shaken hands to prove a VERY specific point) while maintaining a steady, calm demeanor entirely opposed to how he had shambled in.

"A little late? Yes...I suppose so....well, I'd rather have a grand tour considering I've only a vague notion as to what this place is...other than a 'school.' Troy. My name is Troy..."

Then, in a different variation of dramatics, came the Pegasus, to whom he nodded with a brisk professionalism that, as just before, was a stark contrast to his previous behavior. In under a minute, he had shifted from twitching-tired-and-irate, to calm-and-overtly-gentle, to strictly-formal-and-on-guard. Such was the fickle, unstable nature of the children of Ares...

 

[Spider Monkey]

Hera felt silly asking the student Rayce to spy on Amaya but it was needed. Hearing his sudden outburst of ‘getting it straight’, she had never heard that saying before she would need to remember that; she turned to look at him once more and listened quietly as he practically summed it up in a few sentences. Nodding slowly she understood his worries and how he might be a little confused as to why a goddess would need a student to be spied on. Taking a deep breath she licked her lips before she spoke in a soft, calm and serene voice that she used when she herself was trying to figure out what needed to be done. “True, I am asking you to spy on her but it is of the utmost importance. I can tell you what she’s like. She’s a nice girl, never mean or rude to others unless provoked continuously. When she loses her temper it’s not always a pretty sight due to her powers. She is the daughter of Hecate, though her powers are nothing like her mothers. She can summon animals to do her bidding and hear their thoughts. She can also control plants, though she usually does so to help the plants grow or be replanted to another area. She can also read them, as in; she can tell if their sick or are having a hard time growing where they are located at and feel if they are in pain. Yes, plants can feel pain; such as if a rose bush has a rose cut off, it hurts the plant and Amaya can feel it.” Pausing for a moment she pondered on if she should tell the boy of whom Amaya’s father was. Amaya herself didn’t even know and for good reason; it would keep her safe but it seemed as if he had found her.

Hearing Rayce demand that he know what type of danger Amaya was in startled Hera; not being used to anyone truly demanding anything from her was something she would need to get used to in the near future. Looking down at the ground for a moment she tried to figure out the best way to describe the danger of Amaya’s situation to him. It was all very complicated sometimes even she didn’t understand it completely. Taking another deep breath she began to speak softly. “As you know Hecate is her mother, well Amaya doesn’t know who her father is because Hecate has not wanted her to know in fear that she would seek him out and demand he help her with her other set of powers. Due to many spells done by Hecate and myself we have kept one of Amaya’s powers dormant since she was a small child when there were first signs of them.” Glancing away from the boy Hera forced herself to tell him the truth. “Her father is Hades, though Hecate has kept it a secret for many years in fear that he would awaken her powers. But, he has found her. I guess he finally found out there was another offspring of his to manipulate but the reason doesn’t matter. What matters is that we believe he has awakened the darkness within Amaya. Her other power is that when someone dies, she may take their soul and control it. Make them do her bidding, control their body and soul. If she loses control of her emotions she can do this on accident without meaning to. The darkness within her will make her irritable, violent, and unforgiving to someone that crosses her path. She could lash out at them and cause great devastation at the same time.” Glancing back at the boy Hera looked truly concerned that perhaps the boy couldn’t understand the danger of the situation, true there were other students there with much more catastrophic powers but none that could truly control all of that on land and the dead at the same time if angered enough. If her powers truly had been awakened they would need to separate her from the others and train her privately to control this power or make it dormant again.

---

A soft smile appeared on Amaya’s lips as she stared at the boy in front of him. As he took her hand she grinned again and shook his hand gently before releasing it. He looked exhausted and as if he was on guard; she could only imagine what he had been through on his way to the school. Hearing him say that he would prefer a grand tour made her chuckled softly for a moment before she replied to him. “Well, a grand tour is out of the question as the moment since second class is about to start. Why don’t you just come along with me? I’m sure we have something in the green house that we could clean you up with and you could relax while I do my work. I’m sure the teacher wouldn’t have a problem she’s usually off tending the garden anyways.” Her voice was light and carefree as she spoke sounding sweet and musical at the same time. Glancing over his shoulder Amaya noticed a shadow on the ground before a Pegasus appeared before them. Well, isn’t that interesting? Blonde locks swayed as she tilted to the side to get a better look at the animal. Understanding her snort made Amaya smile gently at her. She could tell the girl was curious as to what would happen next. Glancing over at the boy, what was his name again? She thought for a moment before remembering he had said his name was Troy, interesting name. She smiled gently before nodding towards the Pegasus. “I can read animals thoughts and understand them. She’s curious as to what we’re going to do next.”

Blue hues traveled over the boy again before returning to the Pegasus; she figured the girl was a student as well. She had heard of some of the gods children being able to transform but she had never personally met any of them before. Smiling brightly Amaya lifted her right pale hand slowly to wave at the girl before speaking aloud. “Welcome to Golden Mountain!” Turning on her heel she reached out to touch the boy again but thought better of it since he seemed to be bothered by it beforehand. She truly didn’t want to offend anyone on their first day there so she spoke in a calm voice. “Come on, if you want I’ll show you to the green house. So, what are your powers if you don’t mind me asking?” She asked calmly. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain go through her chest. A delicate hand reached up to grasp her chest as she gasped and closed her eyes for a moment. Breathing raggedly for a few moments the pain subsided before it disappeared and her breathing went back to normal. That was odd; she had never felt anything like that before except when a plant or animal were in pain but she hadn’t felt it coming from an outside source. Shaking her head gently she glanced up at the boy with a forced smile for a moment before beginning to walk and lead him to the green house.