It is said that the end is just a new beginning. And a new beginning of mythology that was.
"Bye mom!" Athena said, running out the door.
Metis watched as her daughter ran off down the sidewalk at a half-sprint and just barely managed to catch the departing school bus. Somehow she would do this every morning, and every morning Athena would just barely catch that bus as it left.
Metis went back inside the house.
She was a former marine biologist, but now worked at an aquarium. She always loved the ocean and the creatures that lived within those beautiful, blue waters. She felt that the ocean animals welcomed her. They spoke to her in ways no human ever would. To her, the animals were her friends, since she didn't have many in real life.
Life was hard, living as a single mom, but Metis managed to make ends meet. Athena's father, a jerk who left Metis pregnant and alone after a one-night stand, was never seen again. And not that Metis wanted to, either. She was content to just life a peaceful life with her daughter.
That never happens, now, does it?
But Metis hoped it would. Maybe if she wished hard enough, it would come true.
Meanwhile, Athena skidded to a stop right in front of the school bus just as the driver was about to close the doors. With a sigh, he opened the doors and let Athena on. Somehow it was like this every morning. Whenever Athena left the house was exactly when the bus would just happen to be there. Athena hopped on the bus.
The bus was more packed then usual. All the seats were taken.
Except...
That one.
She wasn't allowed to stand on the moving bus, but she really didn't want to sit next to the kid who peed his pants in third grade. Now that was the epidemy of embarrassing. Sure, he was popular now, but isn't popularity just a phase? And oh no. All those sassy girls are going to pick her eyes out. Nonononono. Athena was not going to end up blind, thank you very much.
But then...
Her nemesis seemed to be obsessed with this boy. Maybe Athena would sit next to him just to poke Aphrodite off the deep end. Now that was a good idea.
Athena shamelessly plopped down next to the boy.
A collective gasp echoed through the bus.
Aphrodite fumed.
Then she decided that she should not be wasting her time being angry at some random nerd loser. So, Aphrodite leaned her head over the seat, pouted her lips, and unbuttoned her shirt down a few buttons. Athena mimicked throwing up.
This boy, Poseidon, was enjoying this face off between the two girls quite a bit. He had hoped that the stare down would have dragged on much longer, but Athena pulled out a book and started to read.
Why isn't there any action at all here?
Poseidon peeked over at the book Athena was reading. That was when he realized that he had forgotten to do his history reading. And he had forgotten his textbook at school. But it just so happened that Athena was reading the textbook right now.
So Poseidon leaned his head as far towards Athena as he could without initiating any human contact, and attempted to read the words on the page.
It was only after a few minutes that Athena realized that someone or something was breathing down her neck. She turned to see that Poseidon was very intently reading her history textbook over her shoulder.
She just stared at him.
Poseidon finished the page he was reading.
Athena coughed.
Poseidon jumped backwards, into the bus window.
"What are you doing?"
What may have just been a very innocent and curious question was contorted into something much, much worse in Poseidon's brain. He imagined his old elementary school teacher tapping her pointer on the chalkboard, glaring down at him like a tiger watching its prey. Poseidon shuddered at the memory.
Athena coughed again.
"I'm talking, are you even listening?"
Poseidon was snapped back into the present.
"Oh, uh, I was just..." he stammered, looking for an excuse.
Athena raised an eyebrow.
"Just admit it. You didn't do your homework."
Poseidon was going to stuff a decent retort back up Athena's mouth, but before he could say anything, she shoved her textbook into his hands.
"Here, the pages are 44-48. Make sure you return my book before class."
But who could have guessed that this interaction would be the start of another round of history. A tale even the fates themselves cannot control anymore.