Body, Mind and God

Chapter 1: Athelia

Chapter 1: Athelia

Athelia walked quickly down the windy street, shivering against the cold autumn wind. It was late September, but winter was already well on its way, making her usually blonde hair a darker, almost grey shade, and her grey-blue eyes flash in the light of the interrupted clouds. She pulled her coat tighter around her small 5"6 frame and picked up her pace. 'What a miserable Monday.' She thought to herself.

Walking through the prison-like gates of Olympian Academy just depressed her more. Today, she knew, would be like any other. She would sit in her sterile classrooms, pretending to be interested in her sophomore classes, reading her college level text books whenever the teacher was distracted, and studiously ignoring the other students who struggled with the easy work they were set. At lunch, she would sit with Diana, Cecily, Katerina, and Thalia, and they would compare notes on boys, and she'd get a chapter of her textbook read. And then it would be back to the tedium of the classroom. She sighed, and trudged through the main doors, heading immediately for her locker.

As she sifted quickly through her alphabetized pile of books for her math, english, classics and history books, she became aware of a large crowd gathered around a locker just down the hall. It was Isibel's. Isibel - or Izzy as her friends called her - was the Academy's popular sophomore, the one who everyone invited to the parties seniors held, the one dating Ray, the football team's up and coming quarterback, and the one who everyone wanted to be or date. Athelia scrutinized the crowd closer and saw that everyone was holding flowers, cards, balloons, or in her boyfriend Ray's case, a giant teddy bear, which Isibel was reaching for with a huge smile on her face. What was going on? 

Athelia's question was answered a moment later when the crowd started singing 'Happy Birthday'. She shut her locker and moped off to maths. It was her birthday tomorrow, and there was no way there would be that much fanfare. Athelia dreaded having to sit next to Isibel in classics, and was glad that two whole hours separated them. She sighed again as she entered the dull classroom and dutifully took out her books. The bell rang, and the teacher started a lecture on solving quadratics. Athelia rolled her eyes and took out her latest textbook, one for an advanced classics paper. Her eyes were drawn to the text as if by a magnet and she was sucked into the myths and legends of Greek Mythology. She was just finishing the legend of Athena and Arachne when the bell rang, causing her to jump. She had been so immersed in the myths that she'd managed to forget she was in class. Athelia rushed to take down that nights homework, and practically ran out the door to english.

She got to her seat just as the teacher started the roll. Jason, the clichè tall dark and hansom boy who sat next to her, leaned over and peered at the mythology book she'd dumped on her desk. She caught him staring and whispered "What?"

"You read classical mythology?"

"Yeah. It's for the paper I'm doing at the moment." Jason looked suitably impressed.

"I didn't think anyone cared anymore. I think it's awesome you're even reading it." He offered her a grin, which she returned with one of her own. Athelia's usually pale skin darkened to a deep red.

"Thanks." She whispered back.

"Who's your favourite Olympian?" He asked her curiously.

"Athena. I love how she was the personification of knowledge in a time when people didn't believe in educating females."

"She's pretty cool." He admitted. "Personally my favourite would be Ares. He's brave, sure, talented in battle, can use any weapon and..." Jason was cut off abruptly as Mrs Mainsfield, a greying, hawk-like woman in her late forties, smacked her hand on the desk, filling the room with a loud bang.