Legacy of the Titans [IC] [CLOSED]

[Zarkenis Ultima]

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While waiting for his best friend to provide any sort of response to his offer to hang out later, Raven could not avoid noticing as Lyra and Danica engaged in conversation some paces away, seemingly talking about Danica's intention to join them in the literature club for today's session. He also caught something about a competition, which only made him worry about the club. He knew better than most people there how bothersome the daughter of Nike could be when she got it into her head that she was in a competition, and he could only hope that it wouldn't prove disruptive to the club's activities.

Either way, without missing a beat Lyra quickly moved to his side and began dragging him away by the arm, in the direction of the class buildings where club activities took place. At this, the young man couldn't avoid feeling a little bummed. What is it with girls and trying to drag me everywhere? I can walk by myself and make my own decisions too, for Hecate's sake... He thought, although he was of course wise enough not to speak those words out loud in the presence of the stern, ever-serious Lyra, whose smile he had only seen on very few occasions. He wasn't particularly worried about what she could do to him, but even then her demeanor made him feel compelled to try and avoid upsetting her.

Some distance behind, he could hear Danica now speaking to Olympia, saying something to her that he couldn't quite make out, though he did recognize his own name as it left the blonde girl's lips. He briefly wondered what she might be saying, but another tug from Lyra took his attention elsewhere.

"You don't need to drag me you know, I'll walk." He told the blue-haired girl, stepping up and matching his pace to demonstrate his point. They were not quite out of earshot yet, however, and Troy promptly took advantage of this by calling out to them, announcing that they wouldn't be tagging along, and then inviting all those present - including him, much to his surprise and eventual suspicion - to a house party later that night. After issuing the invitation, Troy and his friend Ashton did not stay for long, though before taking their leave the former made sure to poke fun at him and mock his and Lyra's pastimes, which earned a scowl from the normally serene young man. He waited until Troy and Ashton were well out of earshot.

"Look at me, I'm Troy. All I care about is girls and partying. Books are lame." He said in a purposefully poor imitation of the other man's voice, before letting out a sigh. "I'll show him. I'll show up at his party and be cool, and he'll eat his own words." He continued as he ran a hand through his hair, mostly speaking to reassure himself, though he was clearly aware that the girls around him could hear his words.

Looking down, Raven glanced at the watch on his wrist and noticed that it was quite a few minutes later than he had anticipated - if they didn't hurry to the clubroom, they would be late to the session. President and vice-president, arriving late to their own club. Now that's an unacceptable outcome, isn't it? The son of Hecate thought, reaching for Lyra's arm and grabbing it before taking off in a light trot.

"Come on, we're going to be late if we don't hurry up!" He said, heading for the building in front of them.

[Finland SSR]

Troy

Lyra

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

Turns out not everyone in their group was enthused with reading literature. Ashton noped out instantly and even began throwing mud at it, Troy soon backed out as well, and the two teens brought up something else instead - as it turns out, one of their friends was holding a party tonight. Lots of girls, hanging out with a bunch of people she's likely never met and... How come everyone here loves wasting their time so much? Lyra began dragging Raven by his arm even harder than before, to a point where he started to complain how he is able to walk and does not need to get dragged by everyone.

As the two bookworms slowed down in their pace, Raven started to grumble under his breath, making fun of Ashton and swearing to himself that he's going to show the duo of Apollo and Dionysus spawns by... showing up at the party anyway.

"You're going to show him by doing exactly what his friend offered you to do?" Lyra pointed out, tilting her head somewhat in confusion. "He's a child of Dionysus, he's just going to take that as a victory..."

As for her? There were few things in life she wanted to do less than accept that invitation and show up for that party. If all of her friends were going to be heading there, though... Who knows, maybe she can pop her head in for a few minutes, if at least to complain about the music.

Raven decided to check the time, and immediately noticed that they were even more late than they thought. It was his turn to drag his peer by the arm, hastily running across the campus, heading for the main building on the University.

"H-hey, you don't need to drag me either, you're not exactly the slowest man in Thermopylae," Lyra blurted out. She could have very easily twisted Raven's arm to the side and broken free and the thought did briefly cross her mind, but ultimately, she just decided to hasten her pace in order to catch up with her vice-president.

Among the numerous clubs, extracurricular activities and other campus based outings which the University was able to provide for, the Literature Club was a quaint and rather small community - it did not gather a lot of attention when compared to some other clubs available for students, especially not the sporting ones, but it still had a reasonable following. Located on the second floor of the main building, a short stroll away from the campus library, the club was just large enough to fit all of its members at once. The tables were surrounded by shelves of books, all meticulously ordered by topic and then by name. Throughout years, the club collected a fairly sizable library thanks to a strict policy - for every book you wish to read, you have to bring one of your own to replace it, and this went both for club members and for outsiders visiting. This, alongside donations from club members, helped ensure that they always had a variety of books to choose from.

Many of the seats were already taken - most of the club was already here, making use of the time spent waiting by chatting amongst themselves.

"Hey everyone." Lyra stated, immediately heading towards the teapot to start boiling more. "We should be ready to start in a minute."

[Galnius]

Dani

Following the pair of bookworms that was Lyra and Raven, Dani happily thought about the night. Bugging Lyra and Raven, catching up on her book, and then a fun party. It would be her fourth party at Mark's place, and she might get to turn down Ashton again. Life was good, and unless something major happened it would continue to be.

Once she got to the club room, she found herself forced to sit close to the president and vice president, since the back seats were all taken by long-standing members who were...lacking socially. One was a child of Thanatos that Dani recognized, reading what looked to be cheesy poetry. Seemed pretty standard.

"So, um, new here. Why do you have hot tea and a fire hazard place to cook it in a room for books?"

[Absolon-7]

Rebecca

Jack

Anders Thomson

---

Anders was seeing Cherubs fly over his head as his brain pounded against his forehead and the entire left side of his face just felt sore all over. Maybe trying to take the easy route to the cafe wasn't the best option considering the danger the sports fields presented. This almost hurt as much as that time his mom was photographing tree climbing goats in Morocco and one jumped down to headbutt him when he was twelve. He brought his hands to his face and breathed slightly to push the cold breath to his face to sooth himself. Suddenly he heard a girl's voice calling out to apologize to him and soon after that it was his friend's Jack's voice.

"Oh thank you both," said Anders taking both hands to get himself up to his feet. He rolled his eyes and chuckled at Jack's joke before playfully decking his upper arm, "Oh I'm just dandy, eh. Really thanks to ya Jack. Real considerate to think of how ta ball's feel towards me."

He the turned to the girl who had apparently been behind the unfortunate accident and he couldn't quite look away from her fiery red hair, "Oh sorry for bumpin into your ball like that, eh. And don't worry bout me being hurt. Nothing a little ice pack can't fix, eh. Name's Anders by the way. This here is Jack."

[Finland SSR]

Dani

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

"It's... it's an electric teapot. It's not a fire hazard. I mean, unless you rip the cord in twain, but I assume you're aware that you shouldn't do that," Lyra answered, after staring blankly at Danica for a few seconds, confused at the question. The water inside the pot, already somewhat warm after having been used recently, swiftly heated up the water and released steam like a sharp whistle. Less than a minute later, Lyra was already sitting down with three cups of tea and a small bowl of cookies. One cup went to Raven, one to Dani, and the final one to her.

"The tea's not an issue either, if you're careful. And this is a pretty calm club, nothing crazy happens here, so it should be fine, you know?"

---

"Shut up, I'm telling you, Letus did the right thing all along!"

The discussion in the club was getting heated. Lyra had risen up from her seat, staring face to face to a son of Melpomene who dared to have an interpretation of a story so... so wrong. Several of the other students who were sitting by the reading table were keeping attention on the verbal clash as well, and would sometimes butt in to offer thoughts of their own.

The book currently in discussion was a relatively short story - published right here in Thermopylae, in fact - titled "Follow the Howl of the Wolves". It is set in medieval Italy and follows the story of Letus, a demigod son of Apollo born to a single peasant mother in a village. Because of this immaculate conception, his mother is declared a witch and burned, and Letus himself is thrown to the woods to die - he lives and is raised by a pack of wolves marauding the forests, where he learns to grasp the abilities he inherited from his parent. In Act 2 of the story, an adult Letus returns to the village, dressed in an adventurer's cloak (which he, as later revealed, took from the corpse of a villager who wandered into his forest), and is treated without any suspicion. For much of the remaining book, he slowly puts a plan of revenge into motion, using the psionic powers inherited from his father to terrorize those who had a hand at the death of his mother - like the village snooper who accused her of being a witch, the local guard who came to arrest her, her childhood friend who refused to confess in her favor... - twisting their perception of reality, breaking them and leaving them dead. That is, until his actions are finally uncovered, and Letus responds by torching the entire village. At the very last pages of the book, he confronts the village priest, who had condemned his mother of having been a witch and thus sent her to die, and the priest sees a twisted, psychically mutated version of the demigod, his appearance no longer human, turning more canine and monstrous by each passing second.

"Only if you think a bloodthirsty revenge fantasy is the right thing to do," Lyra shot back at her fellow reader, who only narrowed his eyes at the comment and retaliated:

"I don't get it, you gotta agree that it was totally warranted. They did really screwed up shit to Letus and his mother, and the village got away with it with no repercussions - so, now that he's got power, he's gonna be the repercussions."

"But that's not what he should have done. With this eye for an eye mentality, he's just becoming the same monsters he is supposedly retaliating against - you know, like how he started to transform into that creature at the end of the book. He couldn't comprehend that if you receive a gift of the divine, you're not supposed to use it for something as petty as revenge."

"Or he is using his psychic powers willingly to show Father Augusto what he's become after being neglected by society - just like how he manifested an illusion of his mother's corpse to show Lilica what ended up of her childhood friend. People can talk all they want about how demigods gotta be like this, or like that, but this book's trying to say that they need a society accepting of them or else they go rogue, you know?"

Lyra stared for a few seconds, then sat down with a frustrated sigh and turned towards Raven and Dani, speaking:

"What do you think, guys? I'm making sense here, right?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

"Hmm?"

Raven, for the most part, had been leaning back on his seat and half-listening to the heated conversation taking place between Lyra and her peer, while bouncing ideas around in his head - after all, the works of another author can be quite inspiring - and waiting for the discussion to end so he could give his thoughts on the book in a calmer environment. Being a quick, avid reader, he had finished the book quite a bit ago, so when the argument reached out to him in the form of Lyra asking for support, the young man was in the process of shoving a cookie into his mouth, which he quickly swallowed.

"Um, well..." He mumbled, looking around. All eyes were on him (and Danica) at the moment, so he resolved to respond with something worthwhile.

"Truth be told, I'm not sure arguing about the morality of Letus' actions makes a lot of sense here, judging by some things I noticed throughout the story. First of all it's interesting to note that the author takes a very factual approach to storytelling - the narrator expresses the thoughts and feelings of the characters through their words and actions, but there's little to no internal dialogue for any of them, especially Letus himself." The young man spoke, beginning to gesticulate as he gradually grew more comfortable. "In fact, even though revenge is clearly one of the central themes of the story, the intricacies of Letus' motivations are largely left up to the reader. My take on it is that rather than being motivated by something as human as revenge for his mother's fate, he was serving as an instrument of divine vengeance."

At that moment, Raven leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table. "Think about it. With what little internal dialogue Letus has, it's not difficult to imagine that perhaps he's carrying out another's will instead of having a motivation of his own. Adding to that, the Greek gods are known for their vengeful nature towards those who have wronged them, and a deity as romantically inclined as Apollo would undoubtedly take offense to the fate that the townspeople visited upon his lover and her offspring. In addition, wolves are one of Apollo's sacred animals, and Letus learned to grasp the true extent of his power in the care of a pack of wolves. I'd say there's plenty of evidence pointing towards a divine act of vengeance, in which case questioning his motives seems like a moot point. In a sense, Letus did do the right thing, as he was carrying out the will of the gods. At the same time, mythology tells us that this is far from the only thing they've done that seems heinous to mortal bystanders like us."

At this point, the son of Hecate realized he had been rambling, and suddenly grew self-conscious, sitting upright and looking around. People were still keenly looking at him, and he cleared his throat before continuing. "But um, you know, if we judge purely from the perspective of a contemporary reader then of course what Letus did was a horrible case of disproportionate retribution." He said, quickly taking a sip of tea. "At the same time though, Fred's point has a lot of weight as well. Even if the townspeople didn't deserve a punishment as severe as they got, they were still ultimately the direct cause of what happened to them." He paused for a moment to take another sip of tea.

"In many ways, society creates its own monsters."

[Tomia]

Rebecca
Rececca chuckled at Anders' joking apology. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure the ball forgives you." She was glad to hear that he was okay and then turned to Jack as Anders introduced both himself and his friend. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rebecca." She said, offering her hand to shake to both of them. "Can't say its great to meet people by kicking them in the face, but I guess this is the best you could hope for." She said with a smile. "Well... I should probably get back to practice, coach would kill me otherwise." She said before turning to Anders. "Maybe I'll see you around? I should probably try to find a way to make up for hitting you in the face after all." With that she gave one last smile and waved as she headed back to practice.

[Galnius]

Danica

Unsure at first if she would enjoy this visit, Dani had focused purely on the snacks presented. That was, at least, until a debate broke out between Lyra and one of the other members. It seemed both had incredibly opposing viewpoints, so she listened intently to each. Skimming through highlighted portions of a neighboring members books, she tried keeping up to the best of her ability. However, even she could not read that fast, and it was skill she absorbed, not knowledge. Thus, a different tactic should be taken.

Upon Raven's statement, Danica felt she had figured it the basic arguments presented and comprised a small list of questions. For one, the book seemed interesting enough, like a cross between an ancient epic and a Shakespearean tragedy. For two, she was still in competition with Lyra, and one way to gain Raven's attention was to gain the attention of everyone. And piggy backing off of the aforementioned demigod was the perfect way to do it.

"It sounds like there's a pretty grey line in this story, and while I admittedly have not read it there is some things I would like to ask. First: whether or not you consider this Letus character a hero or a villain, how would you in particular respond? It seems like it may be a story with no hero or villain, and be more a self vs society story than that of person vs person. Secondly, with what little I've gathered he was placed in a position against his will. Do you believe Letus would respond differently if he had joined willingly? Thirdly, and finally, would you recommend the book, and why?"

Dani ended the monologue with a kind smile to Raven, which morphed on it's way to Lyra to become a confident grin as she rested her head on her palms while her elbows propped up her arms.

[Absolon-7]

Rebecca

"That'd be great but don't feel much obliged over an accident, eh. Sorry bout it again," said Anders waving Rebecca off.

He gulped slightly as she saw her off as he rubbed the side of his face more. Yeah, the Moroccan goat had hurt him much worse then this but anything is small if you compare a gunshot to getting stabbed with a pen and it was still sore like a bitch. Although, he didn't exactly regret going this route anymore since he got to see that redhead. Although he knew better then to push his luck so the usual route it would have to be from now on. And who knows, maybe something would come up and theyd meet again. For the moment, however, he had to get himself and jack away from the lines of fire.

"Come on Jack. Let's get outa here before the balls calls its boodies for revenge. They get real nasty dontcha know?" said Anders patting Jack on the back so they could hurry down the path, "Come on, eh! That cafe won't be loitered by itself."

[Finland SSR]

Raven

Danica

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

Having gotten all eyes suddenly turned towards him, Raven stumbled at first, but eventually managed to put forth an alternate, third reading of the short story. Rather than being a wronged demigod taking rightful revenge or someone twisted by that thirst of revenge into a villainous monster, Letus was in fact punishment sent down from the gods. Because of that, there wasn't much of a point to discuss whether what he did was right or wrong, when it was not his decision. Frederick sat down and folded his arms, Lyra tapped her chin with the butt end of her pencil, the rest of the reading circle settled down as well.

"...I mean, yeah, that sort of reading checks out, but you're basically taking away the main character's agency in favor of someone who barely showed up." Fred was the first to comment.

"Doesn't explain the lengths Letus went for his goal in act 2, either," Lyra added. "If Letus was a sign of the wrath of Apollo, then he would not have meticulously terrorized the people of the village in person one after the other - he would have just torched the village from the beginning. Neither Apollo nor the other Olympian gods are malevolent to such a level - human-like with human flaws, sure, but not that."

"Well, to be fair, they do get down to some really screwed up shit then and now," an another student, named Travis, suddenly spoke up to respond. Lyra frowned and replied:

"Maybe, but they're a lot more efficient at it than this."

Danica was the next to speak - she clearly hadn't been keeping up when the club was reading the story and wasn't trying to hide it, so instead, she just decided to piggyback off others and start asking questions. The first question was enough to silence the reading table - if they were in Letus's role and had to respond, how would they act?

"That's a loaded question you're asking. Really... if most of us had to experience what Letus experienced, we'd probably see everything a lot differently than when we're sitting by a table discussing. And probably wouldn't act that different." Fred was the first to explain his opinion after a few seconds of silence. Lyra soon added after him:

"Yeah, I mean, Letus definitely has reason to be angry... I just hope that, if I was in his position - and still had agency instead of being someone else's tool to enact revenge - I'd at least retain some sense of self-control. Try to enact justice instead of just rampaging my way through those who wronged me, you know? Maybe try to find a nearby village and ask for their help, or a king, if there is any..."

Danica's next question was more simple - do you think that Leto could have acted differently if he was given a choice? Or... something like that. Lyra leaned back and folded her arms behind the back of her head. "But he already did everything willingly. Even if society wronged him, the decision to return and take revenge was completely his."

"Not if you believe Raven's reading of it," Travis pointed out and rejoined the conversation.

Danica's last question was perhaps the easiest to deal with. Would they recommend the story? This is where the whole club started to chime in one after the ther:

"Oh, yeah, it's pretty good."
"Definitely."
"It's not for everyone, but its high points hit really high."
"What are you doing with your life, not reading it now?"

"I heard the Theatre club is planning to turn it into a play this semester-" Lyra was about to add her own thoughts, when her focus got suddenly disrupted by a stare. Danica, playfully huddled in her corner and smiling at Raven, turned towards her all of a sudden and struck the most smug and confident grin she possibly could. And yet, Lyra was... puzzled. What just happened?

She tilted her head in confusion somewhat, staring back at Danica. "What? Is there something behind my back?"

[New Finnish Republic]

"Troy, he's around the corner."

"I know."

"Troy, he's coming."

"I told you, I know."

"TROY!"

"I KNOW!"

After a brief exchange of gunfire, both Troy and Ashton let out a collective groan as TV screen displayed an animated character doing a dance, celebrating its victory as the title of "SECOND PLACE" rested in bold letters. Tossing the controller onto the space on the couch between them, Troy buried his face in his hands as he endured the verbal lashings of his friend who had effectively been a backseat driver during the entire match. After allowing Ashton to speak his mind and then some, Troy glanced over towards his phone, his eyes widening as he looked at the time.

"Oh shit, I forgot to text Dani the address!" he exclaimed, quickly opening up his contacts and finding her name within. As he typed away at his phone, he heard a small sigh come out of Ashton, prompting him to look over to see what his friend's issue was. "Something you want to say?" he asked, eyeing him warily.

"You're still planning on inviting them over to Mark's place?" he questioned, a suspicious eyebrow raised as his eyes briefly wandered over the string of past text messages displayed on Troy's phone. Quick to notice, Troy quickly locked his phone screen before placing his arms across his chest.

"Yes, unless you've got a valid reason for me not to other than the fact that you're afraid you're going to be reminded of your previous encounter with Lyra in the library," Troy responded, a small amount of teasing in his voice.

"I mean, Dani's cool and all," Ashton said with a shrug before continuing. "But the others? I mean, it might make me sound like an ass, but they really don't seem like 'Party Material', if you catch my drift."

"Sorry we can't all be raging partygoers with the alcohol tolerance of a great elephant, Mr. Son of Dionysus," Troy replied sarcastically, shaking his hands in the air for dramatic effect. Ashton scoffed at the comment, likewise rolling his eyes as he shifted positions on the couch so that he faced Troy.

"Look, I'm just trying to watch out for you here, bud. Once you head off to med school, you aren't going to have time for all the dumb stupid shit that makes your twenties a blast." Reaching out to punch Troy on the shoulder, a small smirk appeared on Ashton's face. "Which means we can't afford to risk ruining the few parties we have left together, since after next year my stupid ass is probably going to stay in this town forever while you'll be out scoring with all those hot nurses."

While Troy wanted to laugh at the light-hearted comment, he couldn't help but feel his stomach drop a little as Ashton's word's rang in his ears. "You decided to take the job your step-dad offered?" he asked, surprise and concern in his voice as his friend nodded.

"Yup. I had a few offers from a few firms out in L.A and San Diego, but the old man gave me an offer I really couldn't refuse," Ashton said, his voice sounding far less enthusiastic than they should have been based on what he had said. The smirk on his face seemed to fade for a brief moment before he seemed to get ahold of himself. "But hey, that just means I'll be able to still kick it around at the Hot Gates and meet college chicks when I'm graduated, so it's not all that bad, eh?"

As Ashton's elbow poked into his ribs, Troy gave his friend a weak smile in response, still reeling from the news. He was caught off guard as his friend suddenly got up from the couch, stretching his arms out and letting out a small yawn in the process before turning to face Troy once more.

"Alright, send the text message and let's get going. We still have to run by the convenience store and pick up some goodies before we get to Mark's place. Thank God it's within walking distance of the dorms, because I have absolutely zero intentions of being able to hardly stand by the end of the night."

Troy sat frozen for a few moments, before a genuine smile replaced his feigned one as he typed in the remaining parts of the message to Dani and hit the send button.

"Pfft, you better still be good enough to carry my ass back home as well."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

Initially eager to see what the rest of the club thought about his alternative reading of the story, Raven quickly found his enthusiasm curbed as the others opted to begin raising objections first of all and appeared to focus almost exclusively on the issue of whether or not the picture of divine retribution painted in the story was feasible, leading to a far more superficial discussion of his ideas than he had hoped for. Disappointed, the young man simply leaned back on his seat, opting not to bother bringing up various other passages and pieces of evidence in support of his reading that could be found throughout the book. Instead, he listened, raising a skeptical eyebrow at those who claimed that the deities of Olympus were incapable of doing something like that.

These people have a very naive perspective of the Olympians.

He kept such a thought to himself however, knowing that some of the people around him were very defensive of the Twelve - and by the same token, dismissive of the others and their children. Rather than voice it, he picked up his cup of tea and took another sip while turning to listen to Danica's participation. She hadn't read the story, so instead of offering feedback to the previous discussion, the daughter of Nike changed the topic by asking those present a series of questions. This was unexpected, and a surprised Raven found himself thinking carefully about the questions posed, though his train of thought was briefly interrupted as he noticed the blonde's radiant smile and sheepishly smiled back.

In the meantime, the others were quick to offer their input on the questions, though most seemed to skip the second. When his turn came, Raven turned to look at Danica yet again.

"I'm not sure I can offer any meaningful answer on the first question. Being in Letus' shoes means that I would've suffered the same hardships and would have received an upbringing radically different from my own, so at that point I would be Letus and likely act the same way." He stated in response to the first question. Obviously, he was adhering to the others' reading of the book here, since the question seemed to presume some sort of agency. "As for the second, well, the guy was raised by wolves. If he wasn't an instrument of divine vengeance, I think he would be more concerned with the safety of his pack and the forest as a whole than with something like petty revenge." He said with a shrug.

"And yeah, you should read it sometime, it's a good book. I mean, if it wasn't, it wouldn't have sparked this much conversation, would it?" The young man concluded, briefly smiling at the blonde before reaching out to take another cookie.

[New Finnish Republic]

Sometime later in the evening...

As both Troy and Ashton approached the house, they were met with the booming sounds of bass and rap lyrics that were audible from the front lawn. Assembled loosely around them were members of the party who had chosen to avoid the much more cramped quarters of inside the house, instead choosing to mingle with one another or play drinking games outside. Given that there was at least two dozen or more of these individuals just outside, the two boys braced themselves for the chaotic scene that they would arrive in once inside.

After being given a small nod from what appeared to be the doorman of the party, the two entered the house, and were immediately assaulted with the loud volume of the music that was nearly deafening in the main area of the house. Filling nearly ever square inch of the living room area, people danced along to the music, some clearly being more under the influence than others as they struggled to remain standing in the process. Troy wanted no part in the entire ordeal, but his friend seemed to think otherwise as he felt a small smack on his shoulder, followed by the sight of Ashton disappearing into the crowd. Troy could only shake his head, but he should've known better than to underestimate the party loving nature of a child of Dionysus.

Making his way away from the busier portions of the house party, Troy passed by a handful of people he recognized as fellow demigods, even a few of his half-siblings who gave him a mixed reaction. It was always an awkward affair to meet others who shared the same godly parent as yourself, with some embracing their half brothers and sisters while others seeing them as little more than competition. With his rather notable successes both in the academic and in the realm of training, Troy often received the latter reaction from his half-siblings, but never allowed it to bother him much as he made his way through the crowd.

After a few moments of searching, he finally spotted the person he was looking for. A curly haired Latino man stood surrounded by a group of fellow partygoers, in the midst of telling what must have been some humorous story as a chorus of laughter broke out amongst the group as the man stood there with a wide smile on his face. Glancing over in Troy's direction, his eyes went wide as they saw one another, and after giving a farewells he made his way over to where he was.

"Troy, my man! What's good?!"

Reaching out, the two slapped the backsides of their open hands before giving one another a small fist bump, a trademark gesture the two had done with one another for as long as they had known one another. A small posse of girls interrupted Troy before he could speak, butting past the two boys and giving them small flirtatious waves, momentarily distracting the two before they eventually disappeared back into the main area of the party.

"Not much, Mark," Troy finally replied, nearly having to scream as he did. Glancing back towards the main area where the music was originated from, Troy raised an eyebrow as he looked back over to Mark. "Music's a bit loud though, don't you think?"

Poking his around Troy's head, Mark's gaze narrowed as he seemingly had somehow not realized this. "Shit, I guess I didn't notice. I'll have them turn that down a bit," he answered, motioning over to another person nearby and doing a gesture of lowering his hand. The guy seemed to get to memo, as he disappeared into the crowd. A few moments later, the volume became significantly more bearable, albeit still loud enough to cause an occasional vibration to fill Troy's body every time the bass boomed.

"Thanks. I think you may have saved me a few dozen future tinnitus diagnoses," Troy said, no longer having to yell to make himself heard. Glancing back towards the crowd, Troy scanned through the mass of people in search of certain group of people. Not finding them, he turned back to give Mark a small apologetic smile. "So, I should probably give you a heads up. I may have taken it upon myself to add a few names to the invite list."

Mark raised a suspicious eyebrow at Troy upon hearing this. "And who would that be?"

After Troy finished explaining, Mark's eyes went wide as he seemed to try to unpack what he had just been told. "You invited them?! I mean, Dani is cool and all, but..." Mark's train of thought paused as he started to think. After a few moments, his expression and tone of voice changed, as he let out a small sigh. "Fine, it's whatever. But if they cause anything, that's on you, man," he continued, poking at Troy's chest as he emphasized his words.

In response, Troy rolled his eyes as he pushed away Mark's prodding finger. "Alright, I got you. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go enjoy the disaster taking place in your living room. Try not to have too much fun, bud," he said, giving Mark a small pat on his chest before slipping away into the crowd of people.

[Galnius]

Danica listened intensely as the club members sounded off one by one in response to her questions. It appeared that she had at the very least caused some thought, and with the answers she learned more about the story and the character. It seemed like something she would enjoy, though she found herself mildly apprehensive.

Her reluctance to read it was mostly do to the character coming off as a bit broody and angsty from their explanations. It was something that a lot of demigod heroes seemed to have both fictional and real, and it had become almost stale in Dani's mind. Still, she supposed, much like the romantic drama of the other demigods, it could also be endearing. Besides, she was being given stellar recommendations from everyone, and it did seem interesting. It would supply a new conversation topic as well.

"Alright, you've convinced me. I'll take a look at the story after I finish my current one. And no, Lyra, there's burning behind you, don't worry about it."

Dani found her thoughts interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. She had originally meant to say something to Raven, but simply greeted his smile by returning a sweet one of her own. The boy may follow others around like a lost puppy, but she had to give him credit. It was primarily his review that sold her on the book, and he always was quite persausive.

"Well then, I gotta go. Lyra, Raven, I'll text you. First I need to get ready, then I'll meet with you two later. Oh, and if you'll have me, I'd love to return for the next meet. Baseball is off the schedule anyway." With that, Danica turned to leave and sent Lyra, Talia, Olympia, and Raven the address and time for the party.

---

The party

If there was one thing Dani had always been good at, it was putting on a show. That's why she showed up moderately late, pulling up in a custom ride in a slow cruising speed. The wheels were lit up like glow sticks and the bottom of the car illuminated the pavement she covered. Stepping out of the rising doors, she made sure to adjust her outfit, making sure that everything was in top form. Stepping inside she waved down and approached Troy.

"Hey loser, where's the others? Lyra never messaged back."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Several hours had passed since the literature club meeting ended. Since then, Raven had headed back home to, among other things, take a much needed shower, dress up for the occasion and raid his alcohol cabinet, all to prepare for the party he still didn't fully believe he was attending. At first, he hadn't been quite sure of what to wear for the evening, as much of his wardrobe took after the family's traditions and was tailored towards events of a more refined nature, and thus would feel ill fitting in what was essentially a frat party - not to mention the fact that it was very likely to get messy in there, and he didn't want to get some of his favorite clothes dirty with whatever fluids. In the end, he decided to go with a combination of a white dress shirt, jeans, and a black sports coat.

Dressed in this way, he was currently on the driver's seat of a pristine, sleek black sedan, cruising through the streets of Thermopylae in search of the address that Danica had texted him earlier in the day. As the sound of people conversing and the loud blare of a deafening bass became clearer and clearer against the blanket of background noises present in the city, the young man was reassured that he was headed in the right direction. It was a good sign, but he didn't seem to relax, knowing that he'd be in an environment that was fairly alien to him soon enough.

You'll be fine. The whole point was to show that guy that you can like books and have fun too.

His attempt at reassuring himself was feeble, and as he approached the house where the party was taking place, he could only shake his head and scoff.

That is such a terrible reason to do this. I'll just focus on enjoying myself.

After driving for a bit longer, Raven eventually pulled up in front of Mark's house and looked to the side, glancing at the unexpected passenger that was currently riding shotgun. While he had been fairly surprised about it, he had never been one to refuse a favor to a friend.

"We're here." He stated. Walking out of the car, he made his way to the passenger side door and opened it, offering a hand to the person sitting there.

"Let's get going."

[Finland SSR]

Troy

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

To this moment, Lyra still wasn't sure why she was coming here. Sure, the blue-haired girl, much like the rest of their ensemble, had gotten invited to the party by Troy and Ashton, but it was only an offer and she never wanted to have any business with these sorts of social gatherings, ever. There were a million other things she could do instead - be it reading, training, or anything else. And yet, ultimately, her bitterness bent. Right after she departed from the Literature Club and returned back to her dorm, she shifted the appearance of her Armor to that of a casual light blue dress and promptly departed again. Maybe she can give it a shot, just this once. If she doesn't like it, that's fine, she just won't have to worry about missing out on something fun anymore.

The fact that she didn't know where this party was supposed to be, nor where to get there, didn't end up stopping Lyra, either. Dani messaged her the location, and Raven, who surprisingly was also going to the party, agreed to pick her up from her dorm with his sedan. And so, she sat in the passenger's seat, her cheek resting on her arm as she stared at the passing trees and buildings with an uninterested glare. That is, until they finally arrived, which Raven was quick to announce.

Gods, protect me.

Offered a hand, Lyra gave a faint nod, accepted it and stepped out of the car.

"...Of course." she said, although, with the ambient noise around them, she wasn't even sure if Raven heard her. Even from this distance, the music blaring through the windows was overwhelming. Though hesitant, Lyra followed after her peer to the front door of the...

...party house.

[Absolon-7]

Anders Thomson

---

It had taken seemingly insurmountable hesitation but at the end of the whole process Anders had decided to come to this house party. Jack, as popular as always, had been given an invitation and in turn he had invited. He wasn't too keen on going but Jack said they might set up some casual video game tournament for anyone who interested. Granted Anders had a feeling Jack was just making it up so he could go but it wouldn't hurt to go see and if it wasn't any fun he could just take his leave. Its not like he'd really know anyone to care enough to stay if things didn't turn out as he'd like. Currently he was awkwardly leaning on a wall in the living room waiting for Jack and thinking of praying to every single god so he could show up or someone he knew.

"If he doesn't show up I'm so not gonna be sorry if I get mad at him, eh," muttered Anders.

[The Templar High Council]

Rebecca

Jack

Anders Thomson

---

Anders was seeing Cherubs fly over his head as his brain pounded against his forehead and the entire left side of his face just felt sore all over. Maybe trying to take the easy route to the cafe wasn't the best option considering the danger the sports fields presented. This almost hurt as much as that time his mom was photographing tree climbing goats in Morocco and one jumped down to headbutt him when he was twelve. He brought his hands to his face and breathed slightly to push the cold breath to his face to sooth himself. Suddenly he heard a girl's voice calling out to apologize to him and soon after that it was his friend's Jack's voice.

"Oh thank you both," said Anders taking both hands to get himself up to his feet. He rolled his eyes and chuckled at Jack's joke before playfully decking his upper arm, "Oh I'm just dandy, eh. Really thanks to ya Jack. Real considerate to think of how ta ball's feel towards me."

He the turned to the girl who had apparently been behind the unfortunate accident and he couldn't quite look away from her fiery red hair, "Oh sorry for bumpin into your ball like that, eh. And don't worry bout me being hurt. Nothing a little ice pack can't fix, eh. Name's Anders by the way. This here is Jack."

Rebecca
Rececca chuckled at Anders' joking apology. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure the ball forgives you." She was glad to hear that he was okay and then turned to Jack as Anders introduced both himself and his friend. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rebecca." She said, offering her hand to shake to both of them. "Can't say its great to meet people by kicking them in the face, but I guess this is the best you could hope for." She said with a smile. "Well... I should probably get back to practice, coach would kill me otherwise." She said before turning to Anders. "Maybe I'll see you around? I should probably try to find a way to make up for hitting you in the face after all." With that she gave one last smile and waved as she headed back to practice.

Rebecca

"That'd be great but don't feel much obliged over an accident, eh. Sorry bout it again," said Anders waving Rebecca off.

He gulped slightly as she saw her off as he rubbed the side of his face more. Yeah, the Moroccan goat had hurt him much worse then this but anything is small if you compare a gunshot to getting stabbed with a pen and it was still sore like a bitch. Although, he didn't exactly regret going this route anymore since he got to see that redhead. Although he knew better then to push his luck so the usual route it would have to be from now on. And who knows, maybe something would come up and theyd meet again. For the moment, however, he had to get himself and jack away from the lines of fire.

"Come on Jack. Let's get outa here before the balls calls its boodies for revenge. They get real nasty dontcha know?" said Anders patting Jack on the back so they could hurry down the path, "Come on, eh! That cafe won't be loitered by itself."

Jack Mercier
Therm U Athletic Field

Jack watched Anders recover and the redhead introduce herself, before she quickly retreated to the field she came from. As she mentioned making it up to Anders somehow for hitting him in the face, and noticing that his friend's face was a bit red (and not just from the smack of the soccer ball), Jack snuck something in as the two parties began to separate:

"You could join us for a party tonight! It'll be starting later, the address is..!" He called out to Rebecca, hoping she got the info as she was departing. Jack ignored Anders' ribbing until they got in his car and he explained the rest to him, supposed video game hookups and all.

---

Anders Thomson

---

It had taken seemingly insurmountable hesitation but at the end of the whole process Anders had decided to come to this house party. Jack, as popular as always, had been given an invitation and in turn he had invited. He wasn't too keen on going but Jack said they might set up some casual video game tournament for anyone who interested. Granted Anders had a feeling Jack was just making it up so he could go but it wouldn't hurt to go see and if it wasn't any fun he could just take his leave. Its not like he'd really know anyone to care enough to stay if things didn't turn out as he'd like. Currently he was awkwardly leaning on a wall in the living room waiting for Jack and thinking of praying to every single god so he could show up or someone he knew.

"If he doesn't show up I'm so not gonna be sorry if I get mad at him, eh," muttered Anders.

Jack Mercier
Party at Mark's House!

The son of Hermes appeared over his friend's shoulder with a mischievous grin. "Sorry Anders, I was a bit mistaken. The games are going to be at the afterparty, but since you're already here why not stay awhile?"

Jack steered Anders towards the kitchen, where all manner of drinks and snacks were provided. Some a bit more illicit than others. "In all seriousness, we can go back to your dorm to play later. Or my place, either way. But do you want to miss a chance to see Rebecca again, and get her to make it up to you somehow?" Jack reached into a cooler and dug around for a moment, before pulling out a fruit flavored soda that had been buried under ice and beer and holding it out to his friend.

"Just an hour or two, eh? What's the worst that could happen?"

[New Finnish Republic]

"...and finally, I find your entire personality repulsive. I would rather play a game of twenty-one questions with the sphinx than sit around and hear you babble on about how 'Great' you are."

A small moment of silence fell upon the trio of adults assembled around the living room, before finally a loud defeated sigh was rang out from one of them.

"Yeesh, a simple 'No' would have sufficed there, Clare," Hercules replied, glancing down at the empty glass of wine in his hands with a forlorn look on his face. Next to him, the sound of chuckling could be heard as Chiron shook his head.

"Oh, how the mighty Hercules has fallen," he said, seeming to find much more humor in the events as his tail flicked happily behind him. Given his position, he often was forced to move about in a wheelchair device that hid the lower portion of his body via mystical means. On the few occasions like tonight where he was free of those obligations, he was more than eager to stretch his legs out in his normal form, of which took some getting used to for those who before had only encountered him in his concealed form.

"Still, I can't believe even someone like you would be stupid enough to ask none other than the Oracle of Delphi herself out for dinner. Part of me wants to chalk it up to bravery, but the fact that I am very well aware of your still ongoing relationship with Hebe makes me think that all of that immortal blood of yours is pumping to everywhere in your body but your brain," the final member of the group said to Hercules.

While compared to the two others gathered around her, nothing at first glance seemed exceptional about her. She was a woman in her mid thirties with auburn hair that hung loosely down her shoulders and wearing thin rectangular glasses that rested on the bridge of her nose. She was devoid of makeup and wearing nothing more than a casual jacket and pants, but even still her looks were rather stunning for mortal standards. It was because of this reason that she had not had to deny the advances of not only the infamous demigod but many other men before, something that bothered her tremendously given that anyone who knew her actual position should know better than to ask.

The mention of his godly wife caused the aforementioned demigod to give the oracle an apologetic smile, as he held his hands up in a mock surrendering gesture. "I meant nothing by it, of course. Simply two fellow co-workers enjoying time together in a completely appropriate and absolutely platonic manner," Hercules responded, his words coming out lightning fast out of his mouth as he attempted to defend himself.

"Oh really?" Clare answered with a raised eyebrow as she took another sip from the glass of wine in her hands, her voice making it clear that she wasn't fooled in the slightest by the excuse. However, as much as the jock-like personality Hercules had, she couldn't help but admit to herself that the offer was tempting, albeit completely impractical. Perhaps in a different life, she mused to herself internally as she placed her glass of wine on the coffee table between where they were sitting.

In an attempt not to laugh at the shortcomings of his former student, Chiron directed his attention elsewhere in the room, his gaze finally settling on the clock that was hung up on a nearby wall. His eyes widened slightly as he saw what time was displayed, having not realized how long the three had been chatting with one another throughout the night. Taking care as to note knock into anything with his legs, he gave the muscular man a small pat on the back, pointing towards the clock as he garnered his attention.

"We should probably get going, Hercules. There's no need to bother Ms. Ardeni any further," he said, giving the oracle a polite nod as she got up from where she was sitting. Across from her, Hercules let out a small sigh as he too reluctantly got up from his seat, placing the empty glass of wine on the coffee table in front of him as he reached for his jacket laying on the couch next to him. Under his breath he let out a serious of muttered curses in Ancient Greek, causing Chiron to roll his eyes as he saw this as nothing less than a spoiled child not getting his way. It was a nice change of pace in his opinion, given the rambunctious lifestyle he could recall the man living back in his youth.

"Thank you for coming over, gentlemen," Clare said as she escorted the pair towards her front door. "Although one of you may be more hassle than its worth sometimes, it's always nice to spend my weekends doing something besides paperwork for once." She gave Chiron a small mischievous wink as she said this, her words not so subtle as it was clear who she was mentioning. This caused Chiron to let out a small chuckle as he turned around to reach for the door handle.

However, just as the two had began to exit, the sound of a large crash behind them caused them both to look back in a startle, only to see Clare laying on the ground face downwards. The two looked at one another with panicked looks as they rushed back inside as the woman's body convulsed on the ground below them. Hercules, not knowing what else to do, turned the girl around so that she was facing upwards. As he did, he was taken by surprise as the girl's eyes shone like bright green spotlights to the ceiling above. Smoke suddenly began to pour out from her agape mouth, as suddenly the oracle's head snapped towards the direction of the two next to her. A second later, she began to speak, her voice sounding not of her's but of something more ancient and more menacing.

"In the lands of our forefathers grows an ancient threat,
Their chains no longer binding them to to resting place,
Rusted down by eons of their ancient blood and sweat,
Broken by their children who finally will show their face.

No realm shall remain untouched by their rage,
As the Old Ones seek to return to their rightful thrones.
In their triumph they shall usher in a new age,
Olympus crushed and replaced with a fortress of bones.

Travelled by those who share the blood of the god and man,
Only one path shall send the Old Ones back to their slumber.
Stopping the awakening that already began,
Eight shall be their number.

One who holds the torch of life and death,
Who will travel down both paths

One who is the master of all,
Who will understand the price of victory

One whose sword and shield shall never leave them,
Who will be forced to choose between New and Old

One whose breath chills man and monster to the bone,
Who will learn from the sins of their father

One who is unbounded by the present and the past,
Who will be trapped by their future

One who finds treasure amongst the rubble,
Who will discover what is valuable

One who can predict what will come,
Who will be trapped by the spider's web

One who was born with a heart of darkness,
Whose blood will reveal the grim path forward

These heroes must return the stolen Goddess,
Whose ancient blood acts as the key.
To provide Olympus its solace,
They must confront the Old One’s legacy."

As the final words were spoken, a small burst of blinding light erupted, filling the room and causing both Chiron and Hercules to look away as they shield their eyes with their hands. As the light faded, the two looked back down to see that the glow had disappeared from Clare's eyes, which now were flickering open almost as if the woman was waking up from a dream.

"What just..."

Her words came out slurred as she looked up at the others in confusion, seeming to not recognize just where she was at the moment. As for the Chiron and Hercules, they exchanged nervous glances with one another, both understanding what had just occurred. Hercules gave his former teacher a small nod, which prompted Chiron to reluctantly speak up, his words coming out soft as he answered Clare's question.

"You just delivered a prophecy, Ms. Aderni. The first one to be spoken in over four decades."

Looking up at the others with, Clare's eyes suddenly went wide as the news was delivered to her. While it felt as if it had been a dream, the memory of what she, or rather Apollo, had said began to come to her, causing her to raise a hand to her mouth as she wore a shocked expression on her face. Glancing over to Hercules, she saw the demigod look down at her with a grim look on his face, no doubt in the midst of pondering the words that had been spoken.

"Who...who could the prophecy even be talking about?" she asked, which caused her to receive a puzzled look from Chiron.

"I'm not certain. Apollo's prophecies have always been vague, to say the least. However, what's more concerning at the moment is what else was entailed in the message," he replied, looking over nervously towards Hercules, who's face had turned pale as he seemed to be finished thinking over the words.

"The Old Ones...Broken chains...A stolen goddess..."

Muttering these phrases to himself, Hercules shook his head in an effort to calm himself down, but he couldn't rid himself of the sense of dread that filled him. Vague as the identities may have been, the remainder of the prophecy had painted out a clear enough image for him to understand just what these phrases meant. Looking back up to Chiron, he gave him a small nod of his head.

"I have a few ideas of who this prophecy could be talking about. How soon could we track them down once I give you their names?"

Chiron rested his chin on his hands as he began to think over the question, before finally letting out a small hmph as he answered the question.

"I could have them assembled by tonight if you can give me their names soon enough," he replied, causing Hercules to give him a nod in response.

"Alright. Give me time to go back to my office where I can retrieve my notes," he responded before looking down to Clare. "Are you feeling well enough to get me files on all of the demigods? I need as much information on their pasts as I can get if I'm going to be able to make the right decision here."

Clare hesitated to answer, unsure of how to respond. She felt considerably lightheaded after the entire ordeal, with her mind still seeming cloudy due to the effects of delivering the prophecy. However, she also knew just how important it was that she do everything she could, so after a moment of waiting she finally replied.

"Well enough, as long as Chiron drives me there," she answered, causing a look of relief to flash across Hercules's face as he helped her to her feet.

"Alright, let's get on it then. We've got a world to save, after all."

---

Standing on the outskirts of the crowd of people, Troy couldn't help but feel bored as he watched the underclassmen around him enjoy themselves in the chaos of the party. While he had done a fair share of interaction with others, he couldn't help but feel a sense of repetitiveness to the whole ordeal. While things were being ran well enough to keep it from being a flop, there was far from anything going on that Troy saw that made this party any different from the dozens he had gone to before. He didn't feel like drinking anything more than a few sips of the initial beverage he had attained at the beginning, the liquid already having gotten stale and lukewarm as it sloshed away inside the red solo cup in his hands.

He had seen Ashton disappear into the crowd some time ago, no doubt in pursuit of the nearest drinking game he could find as a way to show off his skills and hopefully impress some unwitting girl into talking to him. While Troy already knew the latter half of his friend's plans would end in failure, he couldn't help but wish him luck, abstaining from attempting to wingman for him when asked. His friend had taken the rejection a bit harshly, but seemed to quickly overcome his objections as the sight of a pair of attractive twins walked past him.

Just as he was beginning to contemplate leaving the party, however, the music that had previously been blaring suddenly ceased as the lights were turned on. This sudden change caused a collection of confused chatter to break out amongst the crowd as they halted whatever they were doing, only to have their attention redirected as the sound of a microphone being tapped on caught their ears.

"Sorry to break up the party, everyone, but I'm here on some urgent matters. I'm going to need the following students to leave immediately with me."

The sound of a familiar voice caused Troy's head to snap over towards the direction of the makeshift DJ booth that had been set up on a platform on the far end of the house. His eyes widened as he saw none other than one of the campus's favorite professors and top demigod instructors standing awkwardly on the stage with a microphone in one hand and what looked to be a notecard in the other. After the chatter had died down, Professor Iraklidis cleared his throat before he began to read of a list of names, of which Troy's was included in. This caused several people standing around Troy to snap their heads in his direction, as he looked on with confusion.

"Please, don't try to run, as you're not in trouble. But if you do, well, let's just say we know where to find you," Professor Iraklidis continued, his gaze wandering around the crowd, occasionally stopping as he seemed to spot some of those he was looking for. After nodding to himself, he held the microphone back up to his mouth. "As for the rest of you, carry on." An awkward pause filled the air as the partygoers looked towards each other, unsure of what to do. Meanwhile the professor handed the microphone back to the DJ and began to make his way towards the exit, the crowd of people giving him plenty of space as he did.

Standing in place for some time, Troy was completely dumbfounded on what had just happened. There would be no reason on why the professor would come to a place like this for any reason except for something major, and the fact that his name had been called brought a sense of unease. He briefly considered ignoring the summons, but based on the tone the professor had used it was clear to him that he likely had no choice in the matter.

So with a great deal of uncertainty, Troy placed down the cup in his hands on a nearby table and began to follow the man out, glancing around in surprise as he saw others following suit. After exiting the house, Troy was surprised to see the previously filled front lawn had been vacated, leaving only the professor and those he had called assembled. Glancing around, the son of Apollo was shocked to see that he knew many of those present, with some having been ones he had actually invited to the party. A shared sense of confusion and unease filled them as they waited for the professor to speak. After seeing everyone assembled, he finally spoke up, a grim expression on his face as his gaze wandered from person to person.

"I understand you're all likely confused as to why I've collected you here. Given the environment I just pulled you out of, I'll try to make this as simple as I can. You're all to meet at the football field at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. You're not in trouble, at least in the traditional sense, but I cannot stress enough the importance that you come. Anyone not present will be tracked down by campus security and brought there." He paused for a moment, crossing his arms across his chest before continuing. "Am I clear?"

Troy raised his hand.

"Um, excuse me for asking, but why? I mean, if we're not in trouble-"

Troy's questions were cut short as the professor's gaze settled on him, his expression making it clear that the wise decision would be to remain silent. However, the man seemed to relent somewhat, as bit at the corner of his lip before answering.

"You're being called upon for a quest. I can't say anything more at the moment, but believe me when I say this: It's big."

The answer caused Troy's heart to skip a beat as he looked at the professor with a look of disbelief on his face. Before he or anyone could follow up, however, the professor turned away and began to head towards a nearby parked vehicle. As he opened the door, Troy's eyes widened as he saw none other than the Ms. Ardeni sitting in the passenger seat. Given her position as not only the principal of the high school, but as the Oracle of Delphi, Troy understood immediately the implications of what was awaiting him and the others.

As the vehicle drove off, Troy looked towards the others with a look of uncertainty. Whatever this quest meant, he knew that it likely spelled danger. These people would likely become his fellow comrades as long as they accepted whatever it was that awaited them. That also would mean he too would have to accept, a decision Troy had no idea how he would make until he found out just what it entailed.

"Well...that just happened."

[Finland SSR]

Troy

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

Lyra and Raven's party visit did not last very long. Almost immediately when they arrived, the music stopped, the chatter died down, and a single voice spoke up in all of their place. The blue-haired woman instantly recognized it as Professor Iraklidis, several of whose classes she had been attending herself. Well, that's about as much as you can expect to happen to a party. The grown-ups showing up and putting an end to it all. As she listened to what the professor had to say from the outside, it became clear that the situation was far less clear cut than that. He was not here to break up a party, he was here to call up several of the students to come with him, and then began listing them.

It was nothing to be concerned with at first. When Iraklidis moved on to students she was personally acquainted with, it turned a lot more worrisome. And when, as the last name in his list, he muttered Lyra Kriophora, then it became clear to her that this had nothing to do with the party in the first place.

And, apparently, something to do with her.

The professor stepped outside with several students in tow and gathered them all outside the front porch, Lyra included - she did not allow herself to show unease, instead striking a confused frown, but she couldn't deny that the feeling was... crushing.

They had to gather in the campus football field tomorrow at eight, the reason for this was a quest they were all tasked for, and even before Iraklidis asserted that it was something big, Lyra could tell as much from seeing the Oracle herself in the professor's car. Which, if she were to guess, meant that a prophecy was involved. And the campus authorities decided that this group was the one who had to fulfill it.

The bluehead turned towards the gang, rolling her eyes at Troy's pointless comment, and asked:

"...does this mean we can go home now?"

[Tomia]

Rebecca
Jack had invited to her to some party later that night and Rebecca decided maybe it made sense to attend. After all it was better than just sitting in her room contemplating her weird dreams. After practice she headed home and showered. After wondering for a bit whether or not she should actually go to the party she finally decided to make her way there. She arrived a little while later, dressed in jeans and a red blouse. She wasn't one to dress up too much, as a daughter of Ares she didn't care about fashion in the way that a lot of the Aphrodite or Apollo kids did. When she arrived she was a bit uncomfortable at first. She had no idea if she'd know anyone at this party and so for a little while she simply clung to the wall near the entrance. Soon however she discovered that some of her friends from the team where there and a wave of relief came over her. She spent most of the night talking to them, mingling a little with strangers but not too much. Many of her friends were of her same parentage, Ares kids were often athletes after all.

Soon it seemed like there was some kind disturbance at the party and all of the sudden Rebecca was being called forward. She was obviously worried, get in any kind of trouble and her scholarship would go away. Then all of the sudden the professor told her that she had been chosen for a quest. A quest, seriously? What could they possibly want with her. Her dreams were suddenly on the forefront of her mind, could this somehow be related?

[New Finnish Republic]

Lyra

Troy glanced back towards the direction of the house, the sound of music being turned on signaling that the party had apparently started up once more now that it had been made clear that it wasn't getting shut down. For a small moment, Troy debated on ignoring the summons he had been given, as the concept of him going out on something that could very well get him killed caused more than a slight amount of hesitation for him. However, he also knew better than to think he really had a choice in the matter, especially since he had been specifically called upon. This meant for all intents and purposes, he really only had one choice in the matter.

"I guess so," he finally responded, placing his hands in his pockets as he took in a deep breath of air. Glancing at the others who had been assembled, he eyed many of them warily. He understood that they were all in the same boat as him now, with really no options of backing out even if they wanted to. What their own thoughts and feelings on it were he hadn't a single clue, but he could only guess that they too shared the same sense of nervousness that he held.

With nothing left to do, he let out a small shrug and began to walk down the streets towards the dorms. Whatever was awaiting them would have to wait until tomorrow, and in the meantime he planned on getting some rest. After all, this might just well be the last time he would get to lay in his own bed and he planned on not throwing away the opportunity, even as he knew he probably wouldn't be getting much for sleep.

---

Sitting in his wheelchair, Chiron took a long look at the demigods that had been assembled in front of him. The morning sun provided just enough visibility that the lights above hadn't needed to be turned on, allowing their meeting to not draw the eyes of curious onlookers at the moment. Standing next to him with Heracles, the infamous Greek demigod of legend, and Clare, the current Oracle of Delphi. The two held grim looks on their faces as they waited anxiously for him to speak, neither of them seeming eager to inform the others of why they had been assembled. Chiron couldn't blame them, as the task was far from appealing to him as well, but given his role he knew he needed to be the one to speak up. So with great reluctance, he finally cleared his throat before speaking up in a voice loud enough that the others could hear.

"I understand many of you are likely wondering just why we have assembled you here this morning. As much as I would like to say it to commend all of your for your tremendous abilities as students, that is unfortunately far from the case. I've been informed that professor Iraklidis has already told you to some degree that a quest has been called, and that you have been chosen as the candidates. How we reached this decision was a combination of assessments on your abilities and the criteria set forth by the prophecy." Chiron's voice trailed for a few moments, as he prepared for the most vital part of his speech. "Speaking of which, it would be prudent for you to all hear this prophecy prior to you deciding on whether or not you choose to accept your summons. If you would, Ms. Ardeni."

Glancing over towards Clare, he gave the woman a small nod. The oracle hesitated for a brief moment, but reluctantly stepped forwards, closing her eyes as she began to recite the words of the prophecy that had been delivered to her the day prior. Given its length, Chiron had plenty of time to observe the reactions of those assembled, a sense of curiosity and dread building within him the whole time. The initial aspects of the descriptions of the participants were mostly easy enough to figure out the identities of whom they belonged to, but the latter half of the lines likely did little to qualm the nerves of those mentioned. Especially in the cases of several of those present, as whatever it was they were to have to overcome seemed quite severe.

As the oracle concluded reciting the passages, a small moment of silence broke out as Chiron gave the demigods some time to absorb what they had just heard. After enough time had passed, he cleared his throat once more as he resumed speaking.

"As you can tell, the situation is dire. Given the nature of prophecies, there's nothing specific enough for us to give you exact details on what you must do and what you may face during this quest. However, we know enough that we can summarize it to the point that you may make your decisions with at least some knowledge of what you will be agreeing to. Professor, if you may."

This time Heracles stepped forwards, eyeing the demigods assembled before him for a few moments before speaking up.

"Your objective of this quest is to travel to the lands of Greece, where you will both find and free whoever this 'Stolen Goddess' is. As to what the identities of who will be attempting to stop you..." The man took a small pause, the thought weighing on his mind heavily as he forced them out of his mouth. "...are none other than the Titans, the previous generation of deities that your parents overthrew millenniums ago."

After letting this settle in, Heracles glanced over towards where Chiron was. The centaur gave him a small nod, prompting him to return his attention back to the demigods.

"Many of you likely do not know that we have lost contact with the various groups of demigod populations that are still located in Europe some time ago. We have also not received any word from Olympus in some time as well, making the warnings of that prophecy seem to hold a lot of weight. I don't think any of you need me to illustrate just how bad of a situation we're talking about should the Titans actually be set free. Just one of them is enough to send the entire world into a cataclysm, and if all of them were freed...well, let's just say not even the Aegis will be able to save us."

Crossing his arms across his chest, a grim expression filled Heracles's face as he let his words sink in. Next to him, Chiron took a deep breath before speaking up once more.

"And there you have it. So now that you are all aware of the current situation, it's now your turn to speak. We cannot force any of you to accept the task at hand, and nor will any of us blame you should you choose to refrain from accepting your roles. Before you make a decision, however, I want to make one thing clear for all of you. Should you choose to accept your summoning, there can be no going back, no matter what befalls either you or your fellow demigods on your journey. It's not often that these words have been spoken with such accuracy but the fate of the world rests in yours hands. I hope you all do not take these words lightly."

His gaze wandered across every individual demigod, the old centaur of legend who had trained countless other young men and women over the centuries still not having gotten used to the sensation of essentially sending young men and women to their potential deaths. After a slight pause, he finally finished with one final question.

"So, what are your thoughts, demigods? If you have questions you'd like answered before making up your minds, feel free to ask them now. However, time is of the essence, so I would ask that you ask only what matters."

[United Kingdom of Poland]

One who can predict what will come,
Who will be trapped by the spider's web

Talia felt an involuntary shiver run down her body as that verse was read, knowing that it meant her. While not true divinity like what the oracle, her gift let her run scenarios based on what was likely to happen. The Spiders Web though, she was well aware of who that implied. Arachne was one of her mom's many arch enemies, and the realization Talia was going to have to fight, and possibly fated to die too, Arachne filled her with a little dread. Talia quickly pushed those feelings down though. This was the reason why Athena had saved her all those years ago, it had to be. She couldn't let her mother down and run away from this challenge just because of a measly thing like the risk of death, and she knew Athena would never let her die.

"So what's the plan for getting to Olympus Chiron?" Talia asked. "Flying straight to Athens is obviously too risky, but as you said times important."

[Finland SSR]

Hey you need to save the world from the Titans, one of them is enough to wipe you, oh, and those Titans are already being freed so good luck

Lyra Kriophora, sword of the Hellenes!

---

So there really was a prophecy involved, just like Lyra predicted earlier. And now that she and the rest of the prospective heroes assembled in the field, Heracles and Chiron allowed them to have a listen to its passages. The beginning of the Oracle's prophecy was not difficult to figure out the meaning of. Lyra quickly figured out that these 'Old Ones', binded by ancient chains and seeking to return to the throne, were the Titans. If that's the case, then the children of those Titans would be the ones to free them... According to the prophecy, it fell to the shoulders of nine demigods to stop this awakening, and so, they all stood before Heracles and Chiron as the most likely candidates.

When the Oracle began describing each of the nine destined heroes and the challenges they were going to have to face during the journey, however...

With a somber expression on her face, Lyra turned away from the fate-laying woman. Her mind repeated the prophecy in her thoughts a few more times and yet came off blank. Once the Oracle finished, Heracles and Chiron continued speaking. They explained that the demigods living in Europe have been vanishing one after the other and that their first task will be to make their way to Greece, the land of their forefathers. To hear that something has overtaken the demigods in her own country, that Olympus was no longer responding, that their professors believe that they were the only way to stop a cataclysm overtaking the entire world... it was taking a toll on her as well.

"H-how much time do we have?" Lyra spoke up, her generally calm and stern voice cracking and turning fragile. "I... need to give this thought."

[New Finnish Republic]

Talia

Lyra

"Unfortunately, there's no way in order for us to determine just how much time we truly have in this matter. For all we know, it could be anywhere from a matter of days or a matter of weeks. However, with the fact that the loss of contact with both the Old World and Olympus have coincided only within the last few weeks, it's safe to assume that there is still enough time. Given the nature of prophecies, it would not have been given to us only now if it were not so."

Glancing in the direction of Talia, Chiron turned his attention to directly answering her question.

"As for how you shall all reach Greece, you are not incorrect in your assumption that it will not be a matter of simply buying you all first-class seats on the soonest flight available. Without any means of defending yourself and the lack of communication with Olympus to ensure safe travel, you would effectively be at the mercy of those seeking to stop you. There is simply too much risk involved, not only for yourselves but for any mortals who would be accompanying you in the process. Thus, we'll be resorting to...other means of transportation."

Looking back towards Heracles, he gave him a small nod of his head, prompting the man to reach for the phone in his pocket. Dialing a number, he spoke in a hushed voice to whomever was on the other end of the phone conversation before promptly hanging up. For a few moments, nothing happened as the area remained quiet. However, a soft rumbling began to fill the air around them, increasing in volume before suddenly the source of the sound finally revealed itself from the clouds above.

Nearly spanning the length of half of the football field, a massive wooden ship swooped down from the air towards where the group was assembled. Decorated with a pair of large, menacing eyes on the very forward section of the ship and possessing two separate pieces of cloth sails that filled a large space above the upper deck, it took little guessing or remembrance of history classes to recognize that the ship was none other than a trireme, albeit one that apparently possessed the ability of flight. A gust of wind similar to that of a landing helicopter spread out from the ground below as the ship slowly lowered itself to ground behind where Chiron and the two others were assembled, a pair of dual landing platforms emerging from the lower portion of the ship in the process. As the large ship settled into place, the rumbling noises slowly began to die down until eventually halting, allowing for Chiron to finally speak up once more.

"I'm sure all of you are familiar with the story of Jason and the Argonauts, as well as the famous ship they sailed the ancient seas with. Well, believe it or not, but this here is that same ship, albeit with some...minor alterations," Chiron spoke, his wording causing Heracles standing next to him to roll his eyes at. Chiron ignored this reaction, instead continuing on with his explanation.

"The legends would tell you that the ship merely rotted away and only lives on in the stars above. While to some degree this is true, it is not the whole truth. Over a century ago, a group of demigods managed to stumble across what little remained of the vessel in a private collection after hearing rumors of its supposed discovery in Greece. After 'recollecting' these pieces from the owner, these demigods managed to rebuild the vessel with the help of none other than Athena herself. Why she choose to do this is beyond my knowledge, but I suppose even the Gods can feel sentimental about the past," Chiron said, his gaze momentarily lingering over to where Talia was.

"Her existence has been kept secret since its discovery, only with a very few select demigods ever having the privilege of maintaining and refitting the vessel over the years. I trust that you all understand what you being made aware of its existence implies," Chiron said with a narrow gaze before continuing. "I won't go into the specifics, but I assure you when I say that she can both provide enough protection and speed of travel to satisfy our needs at the moment."

Turning his attention towards Lyra, Chiron stared at the girl for a few moments as he pondered how to directly answer her question.

"And to answer your final question, daughter of Hermes, I unfortunately cannot allow you to wait to decide. While we are as confident as is possible that there is still enough time, we cannot wait around and waste what little we likely have. I must ask that you and the others make your decisions here and now," he answered, his expression beginning to soften. "I'm sorry for asking for so much with such little time to ponder, but time is of the essence."