Previously:
"You can't do that Taylor, no offense but based off the damage to your room, you still need some time adjusting-"
Taylor rolled her eyes, "Time is the one thing I don't have."
I ignored her and kept talking, "Not to mention the whole option we haven't even considered."
Mallory raised her eyebrows "What's that?"
I didn't need to say the answer, Taylor did that for me. She ran her fingers through her hair, biting her bottom lip. She looked up at the mounted wolf head, slightly crooked when she put it back. She turned back around, her eyes sweeping over all of us.
"That me being brought here wasn't a mistake."
Taylor's POV (Yay I'm back!)
A lump that felt like the size of a baseball formed in my throat as soon as I said it. My heart plopping into my stomach. I hadn't even considered yet what it could mean. Apparently Jack did, because he didn't hold back.
"If that's the case. Then, Swifty... you're screwed." We all turned to look at Jack. Who I now decided that after a few minutes of knowing him, he was a very blunt... sword? No that doesn't make sense. All I mean is that he had no filter.
" all I'm sayin is that if you're right, and this wasn't a mistake, then some god, maybe even someone more powerful than that, is trying to play your life like it's their own personal puppet show. They are purposefully trying to screw you over. If they wanted a Greek in Valhalla to cause a panic, and screw up a balance, then they have succeeded."
I pressed my lips together, then looked at Magnus. He looked grim. I could tell by his smile lines that he usually didn't look that way . "How do we know that that is what this person/persons wanted?" He asked his hall mates, my hall mates. (Cringe)
"Um Magnus," Mallory started slowly, "It makes the most sense, unless you really think this was all just a coincidental screw up, which I would just like to point out, has anything ever in our lives been a coincidence?"
"Good point." Alex agreed heartily. Flicking some dirt off her rose high tops. I'm not sure if I liked her that much. Who knows, maybe I was just crabby because I was most likely going to be killed, again.
"Just out of curiosity." I began with a shake in my voice. "This doesn't help my chance of survival does it?"
"Nope not really." Mallory admitted.
"Yeah I'd give you a 30/70 chance of surviving through this next week. But tonight, yikes I don't know." The oh so optimistic Jack added nonchalantly.
"I'll take those odds!" Mallory grinned, shaking Jack's hilt. I smacked my head.
"Deal! A date with both of your knives if she doesn't make it through her first week here!"
"Both?" A corner of my mouth twitched.
"Yeah hot twins!"
Magnus slapped his face and groaned.
TJ snickered "Wow Jack, just wow."
They all sat in silence for the next few minutes, I could see the gears turning in their heads. Jack had deemed that his purpose was served, told us to yell if we needed him, and floated away humming a new Taylor swift song. That was going to get old very fast. Everyone else remained silent. Well, except for Alex, who had an attention span even shorter than mine.
Me and her were playing rock paper sizzors through the air when the Magnus finally spoke next.
"I just went through every possible scenario, but there is so much that we don't know. Taylor, I think the best we can do is just help you stick it out, and back you up at dinner. We are considered the saviors of the worlds around here, so maybe we'll have some pull. Who knows? you could get lucky and the council will love the way you died."
"I agree with Magnus, now, let's eat!" Halfborn exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. He stood up, hopefully to find a waitress, or just some food.
I raised my eyebrows in shock at his reaction. They dismissed the problem very fast. The again, it wasn't there problem, why should they care?
I shook my head slightly. It didn't matter, I had always been good at taking care of myself. Getting myself out of situations. I always used to look out for my little brother first? But I was dead, it was time I looked out for me.
I kept my thoughts to myself though, instead I asked, "Is foods good here?", clutching my rumbling stomach. Too hungry to argue with all of the what if's in Magnus's proposal.
"The best." Alex replied.
TJ looked up from polishing his bayonet,"So, Taylor, what's your story?"
I was surprised at his question but answered all the same. "My life is pretty normal." I paused and took back my words. "Was, was pretty normal. I had a cool family, I was co-captain of the varsity soccer team, took fencing in the winter, cross country in the fall. I'm a pranker, people said I was great at giving them a laugh, even the way I died, it, wasn't anything Supernatural. Like I said, I was normal, I thought I was normal."
"Nothing wrong with that, Swifty." Alex said, taking her feet off the coffee table and sitting up. "Better than having your mom/dad, whatever- come and try continuously to ruin your life up until the day you died." She pointed to herself and smiled cheekily.
I didn't say anything to her, I turned back and stared at TJ, his uniform, his language. "When did you die TJ?"
"American Civil war, what you think that this is just a weird costume?" He asked, gesturing to his clothes.
I didn't answer, because that is what I honestly thought. It didn't seem crazy that residents dressed weird here. I mean come on, they threw spears at each other for fun.
"That's a pretty old gun, ever think about upgrading?" I asked as a change of subject.
All I got was his short reply, "nope."
The look from Magnus told me I shouldn't ask TJ why. So I didn't elaborate.
I crossed my arms and glanced down the hall to see if a waitress or food was near," you've been here for almost 200 years."
"That's right!" He declared proudly.
"Yeah me and Alex just got here a few months ago. We were the newbies."
I looked at Magnus. "We really just, stay here until the end of the world?"
"Worlds." Mallory corrected. " There are 9 worlds, the final battle will be everywhere."
"Then after that there will be literally nothing left. Zero chance of survival, for anyone." I clarified. I got 4 nods. Great
"All we can do is postpone it. Actually that's what we did last summer." Magnus explained.
"So what, you've been just chilling here?"
"Not really, me and Alex started a homeless shelter for kids at the family mansion I inherited. There's also the task of being able to navigate all of Valhalla, no one has done it yet."
I raised my eyebrow, "mansion aye? Why don't you just smuggle me in there?"
Magnus shrugged, "if worse comes to worse we actually might. I'll try and get in touch with my friends Hearth and Blitz later, they might be able to help you."
I was about to respond (what kind of names are Hearth and Blizt how could someone not ask?) but the smell of food cut me off. I saw Halfborn walking toward us, helping the waitress carry a plate of steaming breakfast. "I didn't know what you like Swifty..." he started as he placed the food down on the coffee table. Great that nickname has officially stuck. I blame Jack.
He continued, "There's just egg, toast, waffles and a whole bunch load of fruit. Right after I died I was so hungry I ordered a whole boar and ate it, all of it."
My appetite dropped slightly. "Thanks Gunderson." I grabbed a plate and served myself quickly, inhaling the plate in a few seconds.
"Well, she sure eats like a Greek Demigod." Magnus said, laughing.
Alex was taking a swig if OJ and almost snorted it out. "Oh my gods I totally forgot, the way Percy ate, jeez man, he acted like it was the last falafel on earth or something."
I added another piece of toast and ate more slowly, "in my house if you didn't eat fast you didn't eat." I looked up at Halfborn's plate and swallowed, the food he had for breakfast looked very weird, but I decided not to say anything.
"Soooo." I began once again. " What else do you do around here?" Because I knew that attempting to find your way around this place wasn't the only thing people did, other wise, more people would be randomly murdered in lounges due to boredom. I have intuition like that.
TJ wiped his mouth, there was a trickle of gravy from his tin with biscuits in it. " A lot of activities are offered here, languages, pottery, art, you name it. There is a required group combat session every afternoon, it depends on the day, but everyone in the hotel does is. Most people don't survive for very long because it ends up being every man for himself-" he paused, Alex was sending a glare at him. TJ quickly corrected himself, " Man or Woman for himself or herself. Anyways, no need to worry, floor 19 has got your back!"
I glanced around the room, a guy with a talking sword, that could apparently heal, Alex, who held her clay cutting tool like a weapon, (it reminded me of my 6th grade art teacher just a little bit, not gonna lie.) Mallory with her knives, Gunderson, his shirtless self and his axe, TJ who held his rifle like a precious baby. They all seemed so different, a rag tag group that you underestimated. It was like if someone got one puzzle piece from a bunch of different boxes, making them all miraculously fit together into an amazing picture.
i found myself wondering, where do I fit in? Before I hastily reminded myself that I didn't. I don't belong. I clearly didn't hide my emotions as well as I thought because they noticed when my face fell.
"Cheer up lass!" Halfborn encouraged, patting my back. "You'll get the hang of life here, and you will have a life here. These people just don't like to their hopes up. A bunch a pessimist they are."
I mumbled under my breath, "I don't like to get my hopes up either." I said this with remorse, remembering, him.
"Oh my gods! What happened to you?" Alex exclaimed, throwing her hands up. " A boyfriend screw you over?"
I shuddered and glared at her, " Something like that."
"Hey I get it, don't want to talk? that's fine, I'm the same way. Sorry if I came off as a bitch." Alex apologized.
I gave her my famous half smile, " No hard feelings Fierro."
"Thanks for your guys's 'help'." I put that word in finger quotes because they still didn't help me figure out how not to caught. "I'm going to head to my room, chill there for a bit. Come knocking when I have to do that combat stuff you were telling me about."
I stood to leave. I took out my hair and sighed, letting it fall down my back. I gave them a slight wave without looking back, walking to my room. I stood outside for a few seconds, wanting to be anywhere else but there, but I had no where else to go.
I opened the door and walked in quickly, closing the door behind me. I turned around, startled at the living room, everything was back in place and all cleaned up. No couch stuck in a wall or coffee table in splinters. I sighed, walking to my art room, which somehow was spotless. I sat down on a stool next to a blank eisel, taking the paint brush out of my pocket.
There was at least one PRO to living here. I thought to myself as I dipped the brush into paint; The Room service was very efficient!
AN: Sry guys! That was just a filler chapter, Taylor getting to know her room mates and how Valhalla works. The next one will be her first day in group combat so that should be more interesting. Please Vote and Comment! Oh Also thank you so much for 100 reads! I'm glad you guys like it :)