“Probably when he started feeding kids to Phillip.” I slammed the book shut with a scowl. “I mean, my dad was so freaked out when he found out Ambermourn was there… there’s no way something serious hadn’t happened between them. Seraphine probably called it a fight to keep me satisfied, but I bet that only scratches the surface.”
“I wonder if digging like this is a good idea after all…?” Claude groaned as he scratched the back of his neck.
“What exactly do you plan to do with any information you gather about him, Nick? What’s the point in investigating who he is?” Stark questioned as he stuffed some of the archives into a bag for us to take home.
I sighed through my nose. “I’m trying to stay one step ahead of the game. With Pandora at bay, who’s to say someone isn’t trying to break her out, or worse… take advantage of our timeof supposed ‘quiet’ to strike. Chandler professors don’t just roll up to Odrikius uninvited, especially ones who are looking for me. Why does the world have to send creepy people my way all the time!” I whined into my arms as I slammed my head on the table.
Alice laughed and ruffled my hair. “Because you’re the biggest, most kick ass God in the universe, that’s why. It comes with the territory, kiddo.”
“Can I get a refund on my powers?” I moped.
Monday morning came faster than I expected. Dad sent me a text that he would meet me at the Death Elemental arena at nine sharp, which really meant, get your ass out of bed and be here on time, dork. I didn’t want to look like a total ass on my first day as a trainer, so I was up at six and in the shower and dressed by seven.
Odysseus slept until eight surprisingly, so when he woke to see me prim and perfect as I combed my hair in the mirror, he was a bit taken back that I was being the responsible one today. “Man, did I sleep in or what? On the worst day, too…” he grumbled as he shuffled across the room to kiss my temple sweetly.
“I was going to wake you, but you’re usually good at following your alarm,” I pointed out.
He left his lips on my skin as he spoke, and the sensation tickled in the best way. “Think I have time for a shower and some coffee?”
“If you hop to it.” I stood to kiss him sweetly, letting the gesture linger for a long moment before I broke it hesitantly. “I’m going to head out early. Let’s meet at lunch, so I can hear about how your morning goes.”
“I’ll be there.” He waved tiredly as I dissipated as a cloud of smoke, my stomach doing somersaults as I whisked through the air towards the training arena.
Dad was already there, dressed in a simple pair of slacks, dress shoes, and a button up, with his hair formally slicked back behind his ears. He kept checking his phone and clipboard rapidly, as if he were waiting for something important, but he perked up when he heard me rematerialize. “Good morning, buddy. You ready to do this?” he asked, standing to come over and fix a strand of my hair.
I brushed him away with a smirk. “Come on, Bag of Bones, have some confidence in me.”
“I never said I didn’t!” he laughed, turning to the entrance of the arena. He waved casually to Endymion, who I was surprised to see joining us.
Endymion sported an outfit similar to Dads’ though he had tied his long white hair into a bun to keep it out of the way. His bangs fell in tendrils around his cheeks, and his onyx eyes were full of cheer despite the bags underneath them.
“I didn’t expect you to join us. Is this a just today thing, or a permanent addition?” I asked, somewhat warily.
Endymion clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I’m here for as much as you’d like me to be. The Original Gods are trying to disperse ourselves amongst our Successors as much as possible, so you have an extra guiding hand. I’ll be moving between you and Griffin, since I once controlled Electricity, and obviously Pandora is not in the picture.”
“I see. Well, I hope to exceed your expectations,” I blandly said before slipping out from under his arm so I could move to the middle of the arena. Dad could tell I was still tense around Endymion, so he took over entertaining him, and offered to go over the scoring system we fell under over at the bleachers. Inodded to him for that as the sound of boots crossing wet grass erupted around me.
Elite Death Elementals began to fill the arena around me, perfuming the air with their excited, yet petrified, energy. Their Shadows buzzed around them, providing gentle reassurance and words of encouragement that I knew I would soon need to relay as well.
My own Shadows popped up behind me, doing the same for me as the others, though the sight of all seven made gasps echo through the crowd. Excited chatter echoed after, making me chuckle softly. “Sometimes it’s fun to be the cool kid for once,” I whispered to my Shadows.
“Nah, you’re still a nerd,” Jackson laughed as he hugged my neck.
I rolled my eyes before pushing him off me so I could center myself. “Good morning, everyone!” I called over the loud talking. The moment I spoke the field grewdeadquiet. Not a single sound beyond breathing and the occasional shuffle of someone’s foot on the sand echoed, and that overwhelming silence made me shiver a little under the weight of it. “H-How are we this morning?” I stammered out. May punched my back to knock the stuttering out of me.
“Good…!” echoed from all angles, soft responses, but still respectful.
I summoned my fakest but brightest smile that I could. “I’m glad to hear it. We have a big day ahead of us, so I say we start with attendance…” I ran through each name on my clipboard steadily, and each Elite let me know they were present in monotone drawls. I recognized a few names as classmates from my time at Valyce, like Calvin and Alexandra, and was happy I’d have some familiar faces. Elektra, Xenobia’s friend, was also in this bunch, though she was near statuesque in the corner. I was surprised she didn’t have more confidence since she wastop of her class, but I never did myself, so I couldn’t blame her. “Alright, now that that’s taken care of, I think I’d like to do a little exercise today. I plan to assign you as either a Reaper or a Hunter tomorrow, but for now, let’s try an icebreaker.” I cracked my knuckles and summoned a large portal, that shimmered and crackled as it waited for us to file in. “Come along, everyone!”
“This is so cool…!” Mariah whispered to Calvin, who rolled his eyes at her.
I hadn’t told my father any of my plans for my Elites, so he was curious to see where this was going and followed the line of students with a side smile. My Elementals were surprised when we stepped into a large field, encircled by trees so thick that they made a wall-like barrier around the meadow.
I threw my arms open and inhaled sharply. “Welcome, to one of my personal paradises. This is a Realm I created during my time on Earth, where I could come and top up on Elemental energy when necessary.”
“Youcreatedthis Realm?” Marquis questioned.
“One of my many talents,” I teased him before moving to stand in the middle of the field. “Now, everyone, please summon your scythes,” I instructed, curious to see how this would go. One by one, metallic scythes began to pop up in the hands of each Elemental. Some were silver, gold, white, black: others red, blue, a combination of materials and hues. Some had flames that glowed along the back of the blade, some plumed black smoke. Many had skeletons or eyes that would open wide and match the color of their demon familiars. I nodded in approval before bringing my index fingers together. “We’re going to do something a bit fun to loosen everyone up.”
