A chorus of bells echoed over the spanning campus grounds of the University of Thermopylae as the clock struck three o'clock in the afternoon, signaling the end of any final afternoon classes. Students eager to get back to their dorm rooms rushed out of exits of the buildings, chattering with one another over what their plans were for the weekend. Professors passing by could only shake their heads whenever they overheard these conversations, pretending that they hadn't heard about the upcoming house parties and other shenanigans. After all, they understood all too well that many of these students needed the break from the challenging curriculum the university provided.
Such carefree sentiments were not felt, however, in the office of the current president of the university. Sitting in a wheelchair with its top section covered with a large blanket, a man appearing to be in his late fifties slowly stroked at the thick grey beard that stretched well past his chin as he read through a large packet of paperwork before him. His tan skin held a mazework of wrinkles that showed a history of frequent scowling, an expression he was currently wearing as he flipped towards the final section of the thick sheet of paper.
"You know, people would probably be less keen on avoiding you outside of your training sessions if you smiled a little more, Chiron."
Staring over the rim of his thick glasses, the president looked across his table at the source of the voice, a relatively young man who sat with his thick muscular arms crossed in front of his chest. A teasing grin sat on his face, which only seemed to aggravate the president as a annoyed sigh escaped his mouth.
"It's Dr. Allen, when we're on campus here, Professor Iraklidis," Chiron replied in an irritated tone, clearly having not found the joking nature of the man in front of him amusing. "Who would have thought, the man who was capable of slaying the Nemean Lion with his bare hands was not capable of performing even the simplest manners," he continued, shaking his head in disappointment. His comment garnered a roll of the eyes from the former disciple before his playful expression slowly faded away as his eyes wandered towards the report.
"So, how bad is it?" he asked, his voice low and filled with worried anticipation. Chiron hesitated to answer, biting at his lower lip briefly before tossing the stack of paperwork in front of him.
"Attacks are continuing to increase at a rate that is abnormal, even for this time of the year. In the past month alone, three demigods have been found dead, the cause of death being from attacks by monsters. We're losing so many satyrs that it's getting hard to convince those remaining to go out and do their jobs, forcing us to choose between retrieving demigod children or dealing with the attacks the monsters have been carrying out against the mortals. Just last week a fishing boat was sunk off of the coast of Florida by none other than Skolopendra with no survivors."
A frown appeared on the face of Heracles, his eyebrows scrunched downwards as he flipped briefly through the reports, seeing the various pieces of news articles, sightings, statistics, and other pieces of information in front of him. After a few moments of silence, he pushed away the stack of papers and brought his gaze back up to Chiron.
"Any signs from Olympus?" he asked.
"None," Chiron replied as he shook his head. "Iris has refused any requests to allow anyone passageway into the city as well, including myself. I tried asking what the reasoning behind this was, and I was only told that it was not my concern."
Heracles raised an eyebrow at this, but did not press any further on the subject. While he still held property within the city, he had not bothered to return ever since his former instructor had asked him to return to the mortal realm years ago in order to help train the newest generations of demigods. He never bothered staying in touch with his godly father, partially due to the fact that Hera still regarded him with upmost disgust even after thousands of years.
"Has the Oracle been given any visions yet?" he reluctantly asked, concern filling his expression as he waited for an answer.
"Surprisingly, no. However..." Chiron paused, glancing out of the window next to him to look at the crowd of students passing by, many of which held smiles on their faces as they walked across the sprawling campus. For them, their most pressing concerns were things as trivial as an upcoming chemistry test. Yet the president of the university knew that for those who possessed the blood of the Gods, their lives could soon be turned upside down. And when that moment arrived, he would only be able to pray that their countless hours of training would keep them alive.
"...I fear that we may not have long until she does."
