Persephone's Point of View
♕︎ ♕︎ ♕︎
It's a lot to process.
The tension in the room was suffocating, thick enough to cut through with a knife. The atmosphere was electric with anticipation, but it wasn't the kind of anticipation you'd expect from something exciting. No, this was different. There was something heavy in the air, an undercurrent of unease that no one could escape. Everyone was still, quiet, as if waiting for something that no one really wanted to happen.
All eyes were trained on the Headmaster, waiting for her next words. This was supposed to be a time of celebration, a moment for us to feel pride in how far we had come and all that we had achieved, but the news she was about to deliver shattered any hope of that. It was the farthest thing from cause for celebration, and I wasn't ready for it. In fact, none of us were.
"Now," Headmaster Diana said, her voice cutting through the silence with a sharp clap of her hands. The sound echoed off the high walls of the cavernous room, magnifying her presence as she made her announcement. "I have an important announcement for the sophomores. As you are now at the very top of the student body of the entire academy, we have decided to implement a special set of advanced classes that will be taken together by all of you." Her voice held an almost eerie calmness to it, but her words felt like a heavy weight falling on my chest.
A special set of advanced classes? My mind went into overdrive trying to process what she was saying, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make sense of it. What the hell was she talking about? We weren't supposed to be subjected to something like this. The thought of being forced into something so rigid and restrictive made my blood run cold.
I couldn't stop myself from speaking out. "What the fuck?" The words slipped out before I even realized what I was saying. It wasn't the most diplomatic response, but it was the truth. It was the only way I could express my shock. "I'm sorry if that sounds disrespectful, but, what in the actual fuck? We won't be able to choose our classes?"
The audacity of it. The sheer arrogance. I couldn't believe it.
Before anyone had a chance to speak, I already knew the answer I was going to get. Headmaster Samuel was always eager to chime in with his too-enthusiastic comments, and sure enough, he didn't disappoint. "No, isn't it wonderful?" His voice was too high-pitched, far too excited for my liking. He smiled widely, a smile so wide it looked almost like it had been forced onto his face. The kind of smile that made my skin crawl, like he was enjoying something he shouldn't be. "You won't be able to run away from the others now, sweetheart." His words struck me like a slap across the face.
The way he said it, so loudly, as if he expected me to be grateful for his "kindness," made my stomach churn. I could almost feel the reverberation of his words echoing in my skull.
The heat rushed to my face, and I felt my pulse quicken. "Could you explain the reasoning behind this bullshit... I mean, behind this amazing idea?" My sarcasm was sharp, dripping from every word, as obvious as the scowl that I couldn't hide. This was beyond ridiculous. How could they think this was a good idea?
Samuel and Diana exchanged a glance, clearly finding my reaction amusing in a way that made my blood boil. They were clearly enjoying this more than they should have. Diana was the first to speak, her voice smooth and teasing. "You're all advanced students in all your subjects," she said, her tone almost patronizing as she tried to explain. "So why not give you the opportunity to study together in special classes? It's only fair." Her smile was the kind of smile that suggested she thought she was being clever.
Fair? *Fair?*
I couldn't believe it. I was almost certain they were messing with me, playing some twisted game I wasn't invited to. This had to be a joke, right? A nightmare I couldn't wake up from. "Fair?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes in disbelief. "How kind of you. But that doesn't really prepare us for the outside world, does it? Nothing is fair out there." My words were muttered under my breath, but I didn't care. I was beyond trying to be diplomatic at this point. This was absurd. "This is completely ridiculous," I added quietly, though I was sure enough people heard it.
"Unfair, indeed," Headmaster Samuel added, his voice dripping with a smugness that made my teeth grind together. "But it's different here, isn't it?" He almost sounded like he was trying to sound wise, as though he was imparting some grand piece of philosophical advice.
Is it different? I thought to myself. No, it wasn't different. It was the same. All of it. This school, this institution, it was just another layer of the same old system. A system that was designed to make us conform, to force us to follow rules that didn't make sense. A system where everything was about control.
Diana leaned in closer now, clearly savoring the moment. Her expression was one of clear satisfaction, as if she was about to drop some kind of bombshell that would leave us all in awe. "Out of the top 50 students, 53 of them are sophomores," she began, her voice low and teasing, clearly relishing the reaction she was about to get. "Persephone and Pride are tied for number one, Apollo and Loki for number two, and Vain and Atlas for number three, with all the others following closely behind." She paused for a moment, letting the words sink in, watching us closely. "You will all be studying together now, all of you."
I couldn't stop the scoff that escaped from deep within me. "That's a horrible idea," I muttered under my breath. The bitterness in my voice was unmistakable. But none of them seemed bothered. Diana and Samuel were too wrapped up in their own world, in their own little power trip, to care about what I thought. I clenched my fists, trying to hold back my frustration, but it was no use. "But I guess it means my entire house will be part of this..." I added, forcing out a strained laugh. "That's satisfying enough."
I was lying, of course. The idea of being stuck in class with all of them—every single one of them—was the last thing I wanted. But what choice did I have? They had already decided. They'd made their decision, and I was powerless to change it. I was just another pawn in their game.
Headmaster Diana gave me a sly wink, as though she had just pulled off the greatest trick in the world. "Quite the feat indeed," she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "The classes will begin tomorrow morning. You are free to go now." Her words made my skin crawl, as if she were dismissing us like we were nothing more than a nuisance.
Finally, I thought, finally, I could escape. The last thing I wanted was to stay in this suffocating room for another second. I turned to leave, to make my exit, but just as I thought I had managed to slip away, I felt a hand grip my forearm. Diana's grip was firm, unyielding. She wasn't letting me go that easily.
"One more rule," she said, her voice suddenly cold and serious, taking on an ominous edge that sent a shiver down my spine. "You and Pride-Niklaus are prohibited from using your time magic to slow or stop the class, to do all of your exercises first, and leave ahead of the others. You are also prohibited from using your spatial magic in class unless it's specifically requested."
My blood ran cold. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, she dropped that bombshell on me. The anger that had been simmering below the surface boiled over, and I couldn't hold it in anymore.
Both me and Pride gasped in unison, the shock evident on our faces. "What? Why?" I demanded, my voice sharp, laced with frustration. I didn't care who heard it. "You can't be serious."
"Because," Headmaster Samuel began, his tone taking on that fake, wise air, "you two are the most powerful but also the most problematic students we have." He leaned back in his chair, a self-satisfied look on his face, as if he thought he had just delivered some great wisdom. "Plus, there's an ongoing conflict between you two that's hard to ignore."
I couldn't believe it. They were blaming me and Pride for something that was beyond our control. "So, for the sake of everyone's learning experience," Samuel continued, his voice dripping with smug superiority, "you'll play fair for now." He leaned back even further in his chair, as if he had just made some great sacrifice on our behalf. "At least in your classrooms," he added, almost as an afterthought.
I couldn't take it anymore. "Fuck," I muttered, clenching my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms. "I hate this place more with each passing day."
Without another word, I opened a portal, the shimmering blue gateway appearing before me like a breath of fresh air, beckoning me toward the comfort of my own space. I stepped through the portal eagerly, leaving the tension-filled room behind. I didn't even care that I was probably leaving a room full of students staring at me, mouths agape. Let them look.
"I wish I could just destroy everyone else right now to make things easier," I muttered under my breath, the words slipping out before I could stop them. As I walked through the entrance of my house, I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief. My own space, away from the chaos. "Adios, lowly peasants," I called back, my voice sharp and filled with frustration. The words were harsher than I intended, but at this point, I didn't care. They could deal with it.
I needed a break. And this—this place, this situation—wasn't helping.