by Melody Rose
“No kidding,” I agreed, my own voice low as if we’d stepped into a church rather than a cafeteria. “We better get in line.”
Benji and I joined the slow-moving queue for food. My eyes scoured the tables as we waited, trying to find Darren and see if he already snagged seats for us or if we would have to venture out and fend for ourselves. As I looked, I noticed the influx of first years. I didn’t know what the gods were doing this time eighteen or so years ago, but there seemed to be quite a few first years. Definitely more than in our year.
That wasn’t the only reason for the influx of people. There were also many more soldiers. I saw aquamarine, green, orange, and white sashes all over the place. Most of them contained the engraved insignia at the top, near their shoulder, that indicated they were graduates of the Academy, soldiers in the Olympic Military.
“What’s with all the soldiers?” I asked Benji, though I wasn’t sure he would know any more than I did.
“Couldn’t tell you,” Benji replied with a short shake of his head. “But I definitely noticed it too.”
“It’s weird,” I commented, knowing that both of us were thinking the same thing. “I don’t remember this many hanging around campus last year.”
“Maybe the General will explain it in his speech,” Benji reasoned as we took another step closer to the buffet.
“His speech?” I asked. “How exactly does this opening ceremony thing go?”
“It’s a huge formality,” Benji said with a roll of his eyes. “Last year it took ages. Basically, the General walks in and introduces all the staff. Then he explains the way of the Academy and the purpose of the Military of Olympus. Then all the poor first years have to introduce themselves.”
“In front of everyone?” I gaped. “That sucks.”
“It’s a lot better to do it in a group than the singling out you had to endure when you came late,” Benji said skeptically.
“Point taken,” I said, remembering back to my first night at the Academy when the General called me out in front of literally the whole school.
“Anyway,” Benji continued, taking another step forward. “Then the drafts happen if there are any this early.”
“Are you nervous about the draft?” I wondered if my friend felt the same jolt of nerves that I did.
“Oh hell yeah,” Benji agreed with conviction. “I don’t think there’s a single second year that isn’t nervous.”
I had been so concerned about my own fate in the Academy that I hadn’t considered my friends before now. There was a distinct possibility that one of them wouldn’t get drafted. Then the same terrible fate would happen to them. They would be removed from the Academy, and I wouldn’t even see them again. My mouth went dry at the thought.
Benji sensed my discomfort and reached out with a hand on my upper arm. “We’re going to be fine, Cheyenne. We’ll get drafted, though I don’t know how likely it will be that we’ll all be in the same branch.”
“Probably not,” I reasoned. “Where do you think we’ll all go?”
“You’re pretty much a shoo-in for Fotia,” Benji commented. He crossed his arms over his chest and put one hand up to his chin, thinking.
“Don’t say that like it’s a guarantee,” I begged him, my doubt showing openly.
“Oh, come on, Cheyenne.” Benji rolled his eyes. “Where else are they going to put you? Gi? You helped burn down an entire section of campus last year.”
“That was mainly the harpies!” I said defensively. “I actually controlled the fire and kept it from spreading.”
“Whatever,” Benji blew off my excuse. “Nero is the exact opposite of your abilities and Aeras, well, I just think that would suck for you considering how afraid you are of heights.”
There was no arguing with his line of logic. While I wanted to point out that there was still the possibility that they wouldn’t draft me at all, I didn’t want to perpetuate that negative thought. So I turned back to speculating where my friends would end up.
“You’ve got to be Gi,” I pointed out.
“As much as I hate it, it is the most obvious choice,” Benji said as he blew out a puff of air.
“Why would you hate it?” I wondered.
“Cheyenne,” Benji looked at me with an exasperated look. “In Gi, there are members that can yank up whole trees with a flick of the wrist. Or make an entire garden grow with a single touch. I can pluck weeds. That’s it.”
Admittedly, Benji did have a very limited magical ability. Considering his mother was the goddess of the harvest, one would think he could do something way cooler. Unfortunately, the most his gift could be used for was getting a landscaping job on campus to keep everything cosmetically beautiful.
“Where would you prefer to be?” I asked. “I mean, if you could choose, that is.”
Benji paused and considered my question as if he’d never thought of it before. He licked his lips and looked up into the corner of his vision.
“I think I’d like to be in Aeras,” Benji confessed as if the thought were occurring to him as he said the words. That answer surprised me.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Benji answered, nodding with conviction. “It would be cool to travel as much as they do. And I don’t have to be a fighter up in the sky. I could be at the control deck or calculate the flight patterns. Not everyone has to be an active fighter.”
“You do if you’re in Fotia,” I grumbled, thinking of all my training sessions with Ansel. All the Fotia soldiers were impressive when they wielded weapons. It was considered a quintessential part of Fotia training because we were the warriors of the Military.
“Which is exactly why Darren won’t be drafted to Fotia,” Benji pointed out as he raised a confident finger.
“Oh no,” I agreed wholeheartedly. “He’s too good of a healer. They need him in the med bays for sure.”
“So I’m thinking Nero,” Benji guessed. “With all of their peace talk, a healer would be good for them.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” We were closer to the buffet now, so I lowered my voice. “What about Violet?”
Benji sucked in his teeth. “It’s hard to say.”
“I know, right?” I agreed, feeling vindicated. “I mean, Gi makes sense with all of her knowledge of fruits and vegetables.”
“True, true,” Benji considered. “Or maybe Fotia with all of the cooking and heat aspect of what she does.”
“That seems like a stretch,” I reasoned.
Benji sighed and rubbed his upper arms up and down as if he were cold. “I know, but she’s got to go somewhere.”
We fell into silence as we reached the first part of the buffet. Dozens of thoughts buzzed through my head. I analyzed possibilities and outcomes for all of my friends, and unfortunately, it saddened me to think that there was a good chance I would be drafted into Fotia all by myself. That would result in separating our classes and having very different schedules. Would we still have time to hang out? Or would the distance pull at our friendship until it ceased to exist?
“Hey, guys!” Violet cried enthusiastically as she spotted us from her side of the buffet. She worked in the kitchen with the other chefs. Her apron was coated in splotches of different food from their day of prep and work. Despite the disarray of her clothing, Violet’s eyes were bright with excitement and joy.
Like the forge was my home away from home, Violet’s happy place was in the kitchen. It showed in every part of her. The way her hands moved excitedly when she spoke about new recipes. Or how fast she talked when explaining how to best plate a meal.
“Benji,” Violet said, elongating his name out into more syllables than the normal two. “Looking good, sir.”
“Thanks,” Benji replied sheepishly. A light blush flooded his cheeks as he accepted the compliment.
“You’ve outdone yourself, Vi,” I complimented, taking the attention off Benji and his new style. “This looks delicious.”
“For sure,” Benji agreed, grateful f
or the change in subject.
“Aw, thanks, guys!” Violet beamed. “You’ve got to try one of everything. Seriously, it’s that good, and you don’t want to miss it.” She kissed the tips of her fingers and made an exaggerated noise when she pulled them away, like a stereotypical Italian chef.
“There is not enough room in my stomach,” I said as I looked down the buffet.
“Well, at least make sure you save room for dessert,” Violet said with a tempting smile. “I made it all on my own.”
“Wow, Vi, that’s awesome,” Benji complimented. “That’s a big deal.”
“It was a lot, but I went with something everyone loves. Pie!” Violet said. “Except Cheyenne, I made you something special.”
“Why me?” I wondered, sliding my tray further down the row, picking up two bread rolls as I went.
Violet followed along the line but stayed on her side in the kitchen. “Because it has crushed apple seeds mixed into the seasoning. I don’t want to kill you.”
“That’s good to know,” I said with a tight laugh.
“So, I just made you a personalized one without the seasoning on top,” Violet said with a proud smile. “I’ll bring it out to you.”
“Thanks, girl,” I said, putting all my gratitude into my words. Knowing how much work this feast must have been, I was honored that she took the time to make something specialized for me.
Violet waved the two of us off as we finished piling our trays. Benji and I managed to find an empty section of one of the long wooden tables since we couldn’t find Darren anywhere. We settled in when Benji asked the obvious question.
“Do you think they have him working in the med bay already?” Benji wondered.
“That would suck,” I commented. “The school year hasn’t even really started, and he’s already started his shifts.”
“That’s what he gets for being the best healer on campus,” Benji said without regret as he scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes.
We devoured Violet’s delicious meal, and it was every bit as tasty as it looked. We each took a minute of silence, simply chewing and enjoying the food. The meatloaf was fluffy and hearty. The tang of the gravy on the potatoes tasted like home. When my friend took a bite of the buttered corn, he moaned. While I thought there was no way I could finish it all, I ended up even picking the leftovers off Benji’s plate. He claimed the pie Violet made was his favorite, scraping his fork along the plate with an annoying clinking sound.
I’d just inhaled the final bite of yellow corn when Darren sat down next to me.
“Hey, friends,” he greeted us with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Hey!” Benji and I chorused together.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“Let me guess,” Benji said as he held up a hand to stop Darren from answering. “Med bay.”
“Unfortunately,” Darren sighed. His tray wasn’t nearly as full as mine or Benji’s had been. “A couple of second years got sick on the Argo on the journey over. They just wouldn’t stop vomiting, and it took me forever to rid their stomachs of the food poisoning.”
“Suddenly, I’m really glad I didn’t ride on the Argo to get here,” I muttered mainly to myself.
“So yeah, I’m not really hungry,” Darren admitted as he lifted his elbow on the table. He rested his head in his hand and stirred the limited food on his plate around with his fork.
“Can’t imagine why,” Benji commented. “We’re glad to see you.”
“Same,” Darren said, managing a smaller but brighter smile this time.
Just then, a long and low note rang throughout the cafeteria. It came from a brass instrument and signaled to all of the students to be quiet.
The opening ceremony was about to begin.
7
The doors to the cafeteria burst open with a trumpeted fan fair. Four soldiers entered first, each carrying a tall rod that held a flag. The flags matched the colors of the branches, and each held a symbol. It was the same symbol stitched on to the graduated soldiers' sashes. There was a triangular flame for Fotia, a spiraling circle for Aeras, a teardrop for Nero, and a single mountain top for Gi. They paraded into the cafeteria while the students sat in silence.
If the first years weren’t already obvious from their red sashes, I could instantly pick them out of the crowd by their surprised faces. It was rather cute actually that they displayed such open wonder at the unfolding events.
After the flags, all the professors entered in a single file line. I recognized Mac instantly, though it was unusual to see him wearing his Gi sash, which he hardly ever did. Glaux, the Mythology professor and an owl polymorph, walked in proudly with his Aeras sash. Finally, my favorite teacher and blacksmith mentor Ruby walked in.
My heart swelled at the sight of her. In a wicked fire last year, Ruby had hurt her leg and spent the whole second semester recovering. It was wonderful to see her upright and walking. She adjusted her orange Fotia sash and sent a wink my way when our eyes connected.
I returned her wink with a big smile and a small wave. She continued in line with the rest of the officers. Also in the mix were the leaders of each branch, Ansel among them.
My throat went tight when I spotted him. His chiseled jaw was lifted, and his emerald eyes stared straight ahead, portraying his soldier side with efficiency and grace. I fought back all of my thoughts about him, appropriate or not. I wanted to keep everything professional and distant, just like we had agreed. That choice had to start with me and my inner thoughts.
I recognized the other two graduates who had been stationed to lead the new recruits of each branch. For Nero, Kiley was a petite blonde-haired woman with a scar along her cheek, wearing a light blue sash. I also knew Samson, who was a burly bald guy with hard black eyes and an imposing figure that headed up Aeras. However, the Gi leader was someone new, which should have been obvious to me because they needed to replace Esme. Gi had spent the whole second semester with a rotating cast of leaders, but it looked as though they found a permanent replacement for this year.
He had sharp cheekbones and an angular face which was clean-shaven, free of any blemishes or scarring. The new leader was tall and lanky with a regular hipster vibe to him. He had graceful movements, even as he marched with the group, like that of a dancer. The uniform accentuated a well-toned body that was obviously strong while still keeping its leanness. Finally, unlike the rest of the officers who mostly kept their faces stoic and devoid of emotion, this man smiled. It was award winning, that smile. Something that reached all the way up to his eyes and made me feel like his whole attention was on me for the brief moment he caught my gaze.
He reached out to as many of the students as he could with that smile and a welcoming gaze. There was a clatter next to me, and I turned to see Benji reaching for napkins. My friend spilled his water and rushed to clean it up. But what I noticed more than the clumsiness was the rising blush that crept up to Benji’s cheeks, prominent as ever despite his new tan.
When my friend finished cleaning, he looked up and caught me staring at him. I shot him a questioning look, which caused him to narrow his eyes at me, warding me off. A smile played at my lips, which I only released when I turned back to the raised platform and away from Benji.
Lastly, the Olympic Officials entered the cafeteria. These were the sons and daughters of the twelve Olympians, who rose to the ranks of the Academy. They were the ultimate authority on campus and ruled the school with an iron fist. The only reason there were twelve of them was that they included Hades in the group, while they were missing a child of Hephaestus. I was the only one to come through the ranks of the Academy in years.
On the one hand, it was an honor to know that my dad wasn’t like the other gods who seemed to sleep around without consequence. But on the other, there was already tremendous pressure for me to join the ranks of the Olympic Officials eventually and complete the set of them. Which, if anyone asked me outright, was the literal last thing I wanted
to do. If I had it my way, I would just keep to my forge and make weapons. However, something told me that I wouldn’t ever be given that luxury in the way I hoped.
The twelve of them sauntered in. They seemed to enter in order of importance, starting with Egan, the son of Hestia, who was balding and wore a monocle as if this were the early 1900s.
Fiona was the daughter of Hermes and had a mess of blonde curls that were pulled back into a tight braid, as strong as a rope, though small strands still popped out from her head, like she was perpetually windswept.
Demeter’s other son and technically Benji’s half brother, Garth, was the youngest of the officers. He and Benji looked nothing alike, considering the officer was as pale as moonlight with a bright crop of red hair, like a carrot.
The daughter of Aphrodite, Tené, was an elegant woman who had taunting brown eyes and skin as smooth as chocolate.
Officer Buck was a burly son of Ares who led all of the first years in their morning run. I was anxious to see if I would be forced to participate in that again but then realized that it was enough of a habit by now that I would probably still get up and do it even if I wasn’t forced like I did over the summer.
DeAnne entered next. She was my archery teacher last year, along with being the daughter of Artemis.
Annika was Apollo’s daughter. While Benji and Garth might have been opposites, Ansel and his half-sister definitely looked like siblings. They had the same light-colored hair and same deep green eyes, though her skin was speckled with freckles, especially across the bridge of her nose.
A spritely man with beefy forearms, who I knew to be Min, son of Athena, followed after Annika with a stiff walk. His arms swung violently as he moved, nearly knocking into a couple of students on his way to the platform.
The son of Hades, Maurice, was an extremely thin man who stood out mainly because he was the only official not standing straight with that rigid soldier posture. He let his shaggy black hair hang in front of his face, obscuring him from everyone.
Third to last was Ruby’s half brother, Jarred, who looked like he walked straight out of the ocean. He embodied the surfer bro look with his blond locks and muscular body. His uniform was the only one defaced, with no sleeves so he could show off his bulging muscles. Even though he looked like a typical douchebag, I had gotten to know another side of the son of Poseidon when Ruby had gotten hurt. He genuinely cared for his older sister, and beneath that seemingly arrogant exterior, there was a caring heart.