Deviant or Divine | Hades and Persephone

VI - 🌹

Now she twirled around, her feet half out of her loafers and her brown plaid slacks billowing with the movement. Her tight crop top showed off a twinkle of a belly button piercing.

If Bianca was like a head cheerleader, Minnie wasn't even at the game.

For lack of anything else to do Leila took another gulp of her drink, the burn not as bad as the first time. In fact, it felt almost warm. She took another small sip.

"Do you think you'll come to New Olympus Prep when school starts next week?" Bianca asked.

Leila took another sip as she thought about it. She grimaced at the taste again.

"I don't even know what I'm doing tomorrow, so I guess we'll see?" She heard Min-Seo chuckle.

"I haven't heard of anyone coming to New Olympus older than ten, let alone seventeen!" Bianca exclaimed. "No offense, but its highly unusual."

"Really?" Min-Seo interjected. "One of the other Athena's said she remembered hearing someone being Inducted at twenty-two, which I doubt, but—"

"Yeah, ok so you heard someone say maybe they knew someone? I was Inducted when I was four."

"I was an early bird: two."

"So...you've lived here ever since?" Leila asked, taken aback. Looking around the dorm room, she couldn't quite imagine a four-year-old could live here alone and was even more confused by the laws of this city than before.

"No, we didn't move in until ninth grade! You kind of have to live with your other Vessels when you're younger. But it's just more fun to live in Prep Housing now."

"Yeah and Bianca doesn't have a stick up her ass, unlike all the Athena's I'd have to live with," Min-Seo said. "So much more fun."

Right, Min-Seo is a Vessel for Athena, and Bianca is a Vessel for Iris. She remembered they said that on the doorstep of Camille's house.

"Athena...wisdom, right?" Leila said.

"Yeah, and a whole handful of other stuff."

Leila turned to Bianca.

"And Iris is...sight?" She guessed.

Bianca gave a chuckle.

"Not quite."

She tipped her head back and raised her hands. The large bulbs that hung from the ceiling like clusters of grapes flared, gold light turning white and brightening every corner of the room. The light got brighter and brighter, causing Leila to squint, but suddenly the white light was gone, replaced by arcs of rainbows, drenching the room in a kaleidoscope of color. Leila gasped.

"Wow," she breathed.

Bianca opened her eyes and as soon as she did the lights dimmed back down to it's foggy yellow. She could still see the rainbows, like a dying echo.

"This is crazy. I'm still not really used to..." she wanted to say the word magic but she felt silly. The two girls looked at her expectantly. "This is all so much to process."

She frowned down at her near empty mug. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked at Bianca.

"I get it– we get it." Her smile was softer, like the comforting glow of the bulbs ahead. "This is weird and hard to get your head around. Believe me, I'm still surprised by the gift, the Myth. But as much as it is weird, it is also wonderful."

She felt the bed sink slightly on her other side and Min-Seo looked at her with her unnaturally bright green eyes.

"And besides, doesn't a part of you feel so right in the middle of all of this?"