Chapter 2 Friday, war day

My first day of class went by fairly quickly. I was introduced to a few other students, including Alaric and Angela who turned out to be cousins, which honestly only made their in class argument even more hilarious.

The next day I would be taking classes with the War Deities which had me feeling less than thrilled by the thought of that. I had never been in a fight, not really anyway, not unless you counted basic self defense. The other girls in the group home could be pretty brutal but generally I tried my best to avoid fighting. Yet now I was expected to study it, and to pick up a weapon and fight against a War deity, a person literally born to fight.

I laid in my bed and looked over my schedule again. Hoping it would have magically changed if the headmistress caught wind of me growing the tree. I sighed and dropped my tablet back on my bed beside me when I saw that my schedule remained the same.

First, general combat class. Then, Combat Strategy Studies. After that, Weaponry training.

I sat up and walked over to the desk next to my dorm room door and sat down to write in my journal. One of the only personal items I brought with me. It was one of many. I had journaled my life everyday since the day I learned to write in hopes that maybe I could remember something to lead me to my family.

I documented my day and my fears for the next day. I wrote the feeling of using my fertility gifts and how it felt to finally have friends. Chloe as it turned out is nineteen and in her third year at the school. Fertility deities tend to stay at the school for four years, the school eager to get them out to the world to encourage baby making and growing food to feed the babies. Candy and Tamera were both eighteen and in their second year of school while Ally was my age and in her first year. Ally's sister Lily was the oldest at twenty one and on her fourth year, but given her death goddess side she would remain at the school for the additional two years before graduating.

I didn't know yet how long they would keep me here before graduating. Malachi had called me to his office after classes and told me he would be my advisor. He told me that if my gifts still show as being a bit of everything that I may have to take the full eight years to graduate and possibly some graduate courses to be safe.

I don't mind it. The idea of calling this place my home for as long as possible is actually pretty tempting. It already felt like more of a home than the group home or most of the foster homes I had as a kid. I let out content sigh as I put my journal away and head into the ensuite to brush my teeth before crawling back into my bed and drifting off quickly.

Morning came quickly, but this time I didn't groan as I rolled out of bed and into the shower. Although I dreaded my war classes, I was looking forward to having breakfast with my new friends.

I got dressed into my uniform and collected my books and tablet into my bag before heading out. Before I could go to breakfast I needed to swing by the garden where my tree was planted and slip it a little more life as Professor Zohra had instructed me to.

I concentrated on only giving it a small amount, slipping a little less than I had yesterday out to feed the tree. When I opened my eyes I gasped as I saw it was now taller than myself and was beginning to grow little pink buds. I touched the growing trunk and wondered exactly what fruit my tree would give and decided that next class if the tree didn't start fruiting, I would ask Zohra.

I picked my bag up from the ground where I had set it and left the garden, admiring the flowers and the different vegetables and fruits that were already nearly ripe for picking. The air smelled earthy in the garden, what you smell just before a light shower. I breathed it in deep relishing the cleansing scent. The whole campus had a freshness to it.

Once I reached the cafeteria, the earthy smell was promptly replaced with the smell of gourmet breakfast foods and coffee. The smell immediately causing my stomach to growl with the promise of hot food.

Last night I hadn't had dinner in the cafeteria. Chloe and Tamera insisted we celebrate my first day of school by going to a restaurant in town that they swore had the best pizza in the country. I had to admit, it was pretty good though I wasn't sure about the best in the country.

Spotting Chloe and Candy waving me over to the same table they had sat at yesterday for breakfast. Chloe's black hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head and her green eyes were lined with dark liner. She didn't look like the perfect prefect she had yesterday when she gave me the tour of the school. Now she looked like the perfect goth right along with a spiked collar around her neck.

Chloe chuckled when she saw me looking her over. "Sorry to surprise you. When I have official prefect duties I dress the part. This is the real me. Just because we're fertility goddesses doesn't mean we can't have a dark side right."

I laughed, "I'm just surprised is all. Why can't you dress like this for prefect duties?" I asked, taking the seat she pulled out for me.

"Nyctea says that it is a matter of looking professional. I think she just thinks I will scare newly awakened fertility goddesses though. Or they would mistake me as a death goddess."

Candy laughed, "Yeah right. Everyone always thinks fertility deities are so innocent. Yet we are the one encouraging sex and procreating." I couldn't help myself from laughing with Candy at that.

Although I was personally a virgin, it did seem silly to assume any deity was completely innocent. Even the Deities of youth and innocence were often not reported as being so sweet and innocent. I still remember when a Goddess of Innocence was spotted by paparazzi giving a lap dance to a human in the VIP section, topless.

"Well I love the look." I tell her, as the waiter came to the table. I looked up at him as he held up a pad and pen to take my order. "Oh, lets see, I should probably eat a good protein breakfast since I'm joining the War Deities today. What would you recommend?"

"Well, here, you will see we have what we call our Ares Platter. It is what the war gods tend to order. Or you can help yourself to the buffet. We also have an Athena Platter that isn't as big as the Ares Platter but it also has more brain power foods."

I read the descriptions of both platters and glanced over at the buffet line as I wondered what to do.

"Hmm, I think I will go with the Athena Platter and a cup of breakfast tea, three sugar and milk."

"Same as yesterday on the tea and the Athena Platter. Got it." The waiter said with a smile as he wrote my order down. "I will be back with your tea."

"Thank you." I reply with a smile of my own. Did I just become a regular? I look back to Candy and Chloe who had continued their conversation from before I arrived at the table. They were discussing their classes of the day. Being both Harvest Fertility goddesses, they had more horticulture classes and would be leaving campus to help farmers with their crops this afternoon and were discussing what crops should be ready to harvest today.

"Peaches. I really think the peaches will be ripe today. I could feel it in them last time we were out in the orchard." Candy said firmly.

"Finally, they are rather late this year. I think the pears could be ready too."

"I saw some apples on campus that looked ready to eat." I pipped in as my tea was brought out.

"That's just on the campus. Out in the human world apples won't be ready for harvest for a few more weeks."

"Yeah, with all the different gods on campus, it's filled with enough magical life force that everything grows all year round no matter the season or month it is in the human calendar. This is an Eden. The only place on campus you won't see growth is around the Death Deities house." Chloe explained.

"Oh," I said, tilting my head. "I was planning to ask Professor Zohra but maybe one of you two know. What kind of fruit will grow from my tree?"

Chloe and Candy exchanged a look. "Its leaves and blossoms look like an apple tree to me." Candy said looking at me. "Do you not feel the fruit when you grow it?"

Chloe frowned. "Apple tree? The leaves looked more like a lemon tree to me."

Candy narrowed her eyes at Chloe. "Really? A lemon tree? No way. Its apple leaves for sure."

Tamera arrived and sat down. "What are you talking about?"

"My tree." I answer quickly. "I asked what kind I am growing, I don't know how to tell until the fruit comes."

"Oh, it looked like a pomegranate to me." She said looking between Chloe and Candy.

They both looked at her like she grew a third head then looked at me. "Maybe you should just ask Zohra what seed she planted."

I sighed but forgot the mystery as soon as my food was set in front of me. It was piled with sausage, poached eggs, dark chocolate covered nuts, blue berries with cream, whole grain toast and hot cereal. My stomach growled as the smell of the sausage hit me and I began to dig in as Tamera told the waiter she was doing buffet but wanted some orange juice.

The juice was set down and the waiter gone before she returned with her plate. All the girls digging in while I was nearly half done. The poached eggs were perfect. I cut into my first one and watched the beautiful yoke run before grabbing a piece of my toast and dipped it in the running yoke. I took the chocolate covered nuts and sprinkled them into the hot cereal along with my blue berries and some butter that sat at the table.

I had five pieces of sausage, all my eggs and half the hot cereal by the time I was full leaning back and sipping my tea to help digest my meal before it was time to go to my combat class. As I relaxed and watched my friends finish their own meals, the waiter returned to pick up plates and I could smell the strong scent of his cologne. He gives me a smile and asked if I enjoyed my meal. Smiling I told him it was fantastic raising my cup in cheers at his suggestion of it.

Chloe and Candy stood up first and beginning to gather their items. I glanced at my tablet and saw the time was still pretty early, looking back between the two with a raised brow.

Chloe saw me looking confused and smiled. "Since we leave campus we start earlier than the rest of the classes. Tamera said she would help show you to your combat class with Ally and Lily." Tamera gave a nod, confirming she would help me find my class as she chugged down her orange juice. "We will catch you later. Try not to die in combat training. We've already become pretty attached you." She teased as Candy chuckled and winked at me before they both left to begin their day.

"What classes do you have Tamera?" I asked, putting my empty cup down.

"Well I'm not only a fertility goddess. I'm also a goddess of love and beauty, so I will be in classes with the other love and beauty goddesses. We have a photoshoot later this afternoon. I was actually going to talk to you, since you will also be taking classes with us, would you want to come to the photoshoot with me?"

"Oh, I don't know about that. I'm betting the beauty and love deity powers will be dropped from my courses after I have the ceremony again."

"Why do you think that?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Well, looking at you and the other beauty goddesses, I'm not nearly as pretty." I tell her, looking down and fiddling with my skirt hem.

Tamera scoffed. "Girl, you need a confidence boost. You are definitely coming with me to the photoshoot, no arguments."

Tamera and Ally showed me to the combat arena behind the cafeteria while Lily followed behind us, glaring daggers into my back, leaving little shivers along my spine. After they showed me to the girls locker rooms they headed to their own classes. Tamera told me not to let anyone hit my face since I was going to the photoshoot no matter what. I sighed, as if I wanted anyone to hit me anywhere.

Walking into the locker room I was met with five other goddesses who all looked curiously at me.

"You must be Hadria. Our prefect said that you would be joining us today. I'm Athena, no relation." A tall girl with a pink pixie cut greeted me. "Your locker is right here, change into this uniform then meet us out on the mat. Since you give us an even number we will be able to pair off evenly among the girls for warm ups." She gave me a sweet smile before following the others out the other doors into the arena.

When I got out to the arena I noticed there are more gods than goddesses of war, about a five to one ratio. I also notice that Alaric is amongst the war gods. I had only briefly been introduced to him yesterday yet he waved and smiled at me before whispering to the guy beside him and pointing towards me. His friend turned to look at me and smiled. He was incredibly handsome. Strong jaw with a devilish grin. His eyes looked almost aqua from where I stood and his skin was mocha. Tall dark and handsome, just like every romance book I had read in the public library. I watched as a strand of his hair blew across his face and I had an itching need to brush it back.

Shaking off the feeling I walked to the girl with the pixie cut, Athena and began the warm up exercises with her and the other goddess. I surprised myself when I was able to take down one of the girls in a one on one warm up match, my body moving on its own as if I had been doing this all my life. My confidence was up and with the professor blowing a whistle to call everyone to him I was no longer worried about fitting in with the war deities.

"Alright, so we all know that we have a new goddess here. Hadria, good to have you. You were looking good there in warm ups. I am Professor Cathan. Now then, I'll pair everyone up for some basic take down training."

I stood and waited to see who I was to be paired with, watching as Athena was paired with Alaric, and the girl I was sparing with during warm up was paired up with one of the other girls.

"Hadria, I want you to pair up with Evander." Professor Cathan instructed, pointing to Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome himself.

Evander smiled at me and walked over to stand beside me. "Come on, I'll go easy on ya." He teased, nodding his head to an open space for us to practice. "So you wanna try and take me down first? Or do I get the honor of knocking you on your ass?"

The way he automatically believed he could knock me on my ass lit a fire under it and I glared up at him, attempting to make my 5 foot 3 self appear bigger. "Who says you can knock me on my ass?" I asked defiantly.

Evander chuckled. "Alright Little Warrior. Let's see how you hold up to the big boys."

I took a defensive stance and watched Evander as he walked around me, looking for an opening to take me down. I don't know where all my confidence came from now as I watch him circle me. Studying his every move, noting every inch of his muscle toned body. He was tall, I would estimate around 6 foot 3 maybe more. He was every bit the look and power of a war god. I gulped as the realization that he could crush me came over me. What was I thinking, of course he could knock me on my ass. I weighed all of 115 pounds! He probably benched triple that.

Suddenly I felt the air shift, instinct kicked in like it had in warm ups and I dodged Evander's tackle, feeling his arm brush against mine as I narrowly got out of the way. I twisted my body around as he caught his footing and turned to look at me with a shit eating grin on his face. "Alright Little Warrior, I guess you won't be as easy as I thought."

"There is nothing easy about me." I snapped back without thinking.

Evander's smile widened. "Good, I enjoy a challenge." Then he charged at me again. This time I didn't dodge in time and my ass hit the ground hard. I groaned as Evander hovered his body above me, his arms caging me in beneath him. "Looks like I still managed to knock you on your ass though. Thats a good omen for me."

I glared at him as I shoved at his chest, feeling just how hard the muscles were there under his shirt. "Alright get off me now." I tell him as I begin to wiggle myself out from under him.

Evander pushed himself up before offering me a hand to help me back to my feet. As I took his hand an idea popped in my head and I grinned at him mischievously before pulling him forward and sweeping his feet with my leg and twisting myself so that I was above him. His back hit the ground and I fell right onto his chest cheering at my victory.

"Good job Hadria!" Cathan called out. "Evander, never let your guard down, you know better."

I laughed and looked down at Evander who had a shocked look on his face. I stopped laughing as I met his eyes and he grinned. "Well, looks like we both got knocked on our asses today. Though, got to say, I don't mind it as much with you." He gave me a wink. "Now then, I think its your turn to get off me this time."

Blushing as I realized I was still laying on his chest, I quickly got to my feet and began dusting myself off. Evander stood up next to me patting his clothes down, puffs of dust coming off with each hit.

We continued taking turns, by the end we both were covered in red dust from the arena ground.

"I'm glad you aren't a sore loser. I've heard of guys being insulted when they are beat by a girl."

Evander let out a loud laugh and shook his head. "First off, you didn't beat me. We are tied. Secondly, the only guys getting mad about being beat by a girl aren't confident in their own masculinity. I am perfectly confident in myself and don't need to prove my manhood by beating a girl. I'm a god, enough said."

I laughed with him, "Well you definitely have the confidence thing down. I'll give you that."

Evander smiled and Professor Cathan blew his whistle again, calling the dismal of class. "Well, looks like we better get to strategies class. Want to walk with me? I'll meet you outside the locker room."

I nod. "Sure, I could use a guide today to show me where I need to be." I ran into the locker room to change with the other goddesses, moving quick so as not to be late to the next class.

As I came out of the locker room I found not only Evander waiting but Alaric as well. Alaric smirked at me, nudging Evander in the ribs and pointing over at me. Evander turned to and smiled walking over to meet me as I walked towards them.

"Hey Little Warrior, ready to go to the next class?" He asked.

"Sure, what exactly is Combat Strategies Studies?" I replied, reaching them.

"Its basically a history of wars." Alaric replied. "Got to know what worked and didn't work, ya know. Like how Boudica was able to fight off the romans for as long as she did, and what went wrong when she inevitably fell to them. Or my personal favorite, the Trojan horse."

I give Alaric a surprised look. He didn't seem that interested in history yesterday during our World History class. "I didn't peg you for a history guy."

"I'd rather not be pegged at all thank you." He responded with a crooked grin and a wink.

It took me a few seconds to catch his joke before I broke into a bright blush that brought both war gods to fits of laughter. I chuckled with them, knowing my expression was probably funnier than the joke at been.

"Pretty innocent for someone from the fertility house don't ya think?" Alaric poked my ribs, causing me let out an involuntary squeak before glaring at him.

"That glare is every bit a war goddess though." Evander stated, still laughing as he threw an arm over my shoulders pulling me slightly away from Alaric who raised a brow at him.

I look at his arm then up at his face as he smiles down at me, wondering what exactly he was expecting from me for a moment before Alaric announced we have reached the class and they both lead me to the back row with them sitting on either side of me, just as the professor came into the classroom.

He was burley man with a thick, full, auburn beard. He didn't bother addressing the class and immediately went into his lecture as he pulled up pictures and painting renditions of battles over the centuries. I pulled my tablet out with my stylus to take notes as he ran through his lecture at such a fast pace, I wondered how anyone could pass the class.

As I frantically wrote my notes I caught the sounds of Alaric and Evander snickering on either side of me. I ignored them, not wanting to miss a single bit of information with how fast the professor is speaking and running through the lesson, working through as my hand began to cramp.

Finally, the professor ended his lecture and dismissed us early from the days class. Thats when I looked at the two gods on either side of me, finding them with amused smiles as they leaned back in their seats.

"Did you get good notes Little Warrior?" Evander asked with a chuckle.

Alaric reaches over and snatches my tablet from my hands, I tried to grab it back but he extended his other hand, keeping me at arms length away.

"She sure did." He answered with his own chuckle. "Damn, you really kept up pretty well. Too bad it was a waste of your time."

I stopped trying to get my tablet back and looked up at his amused grin as he reads over my notes. "Huh?"

"Professor Thackery doesn't test us on any of his lectures. He believes that if we listen, we listen and if we don't we don't. It's good to listen sure, it could help you win a war someday, if you find yourself in one. But War Gods haven't seen a good war in a long time. Not since drones and EMPs have become a thing. Really, it's become pretty boring." Evander explains.

I frowned as Alaric handed me my tablet back. "So, I cramped my hand up for nothing?" I ask.

"No, not for nothing. I sent myself a copy of the notes." Alaric grinned. "I took a nap somewhere in the middle of the lecture so I didn't hear it."

Both gods laughed as they rose from their seats and gestured for me to get up. "You know, you're kind of a jerk Alaric." I grumble, earning more laughter from both of them.

"What do you expect? He's not just a War God, he's also a Creation God. His name literally means 'everyone's ruler.' He lives up to it."

I narrowed my eyes at the back of Alaric's head as it rose higher at the mention of his name sake. "He's not my ruler." I mumble annoyed.

Alaric looked over his shoulder at me and winked. "Sure I am. I'm from a long line of Creation Gods. I'm pretty sure my line can be linked to the original creator." He faced forward again, waving to some girls who squealed at the sight of him, drawing a deep frown to my face.

Just as we approached our last class for the day I spot orange hair in the corner of my eye. Lily appearing next to Alaric, casting a glare to the girls who had been fan-girling over him as she slipped her hand into his.

"Hey babe." She purred, leaning her head on his arm. "I'm done early for the day, want to skip your last class with me?"

Alaric looks down at her with a smug grin. "Nah, you know that this is my favorite class. Besides, Hadie gets to discover her war weapon. I don't wanna miss that."

At the mention of my name Lily visibly stiffened and looked back at me, just realizing I was there. Her blue eyes locking coldly with my grey eyes making me clear my throat uncomfortably and look anywhere but at her. 'Why does she hate me so much?'

"Oh." She said with annoyance. "I didn't see her there." With that she let go of Alaric and stormed off down towards the front hall.

Evander looked at Alaric and me with a confused look and Alaric shrugged before entering the classroom.

The room was like a medieval armory. The walls were lined with swords, daggers, bows, crossbows, staffs, spears, even scythes. On the other end of the room was another door and opened up into an indoor field with targets, training dummies and a few desks along the sidelines that looked very out of place.

We follow the line of other students as they filed into the field house and took seats in the desks, waiting for the professor. I spotted her jogging around along the track, stopping and checking a dummy or a target as she made her way around towards the desks.

Reaching us I heard the class refer to her as "Coach" and I looked towards Evander with a questioning look. He leaned in and whispered into my ear. "She is Coach Mars, she teaches the weaponry class, and we compete against some of the other academies in other countries on archery, swordsmanship and other combat. We use our combat training in this class with our weapons added."

"Lets get to it then. New goddess, come up here so we can get your weapon." Coach called out with a bored expression. She gave me a once over and sighed, "I wager you'll be chosen by either the bow staff or a bow and arrow. Who else has a wager?" She called out.

"Daggers!" Alaric yells out.

"Spear!" Athena from this morning calls out excitedly.

"Sword!" Evander joined with a booming laugh as response from the rest of the class.

"Yeah, sure. The last girl to get chosen by a sword was six years ago. Daggers would be more likely." Alaric insisted.

I look around, my brows pulled so tight I could feel my hairline pulling down with them. Turning to Coach Mars tilting my head. "What is happening now?" I asked.

Coach Mars gestured towards the doorway to the armory. "Head back in there and listen for your weapon to call for you. Its rare, but if you hear more than one weapon then you collect every one that speaks to you."

"Speaks to me?"

Coach nodded, "You'll understand. Just go. Make it quick so we can get to training. We have a meet coming in three weeks that we need to be prepared for."