➵ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴘʜᴇᴄʏ

tags; everyone location; institute lawn, cabin remnants word count; 1,065

Rain drenched the earth as the sky opened above them, increasing in intensity each time a new bolt of lightning struck the ground. The daughter of Zeus didn’t exactly look as if she were totally in control of these strikes, the bolts of electricity striking the earth at random, but thanks to a dark haired daughter of Nemesis holding her hand and pushing some luck her way, at least a few of those wild bolts struck down some of the remaining manticores.

Ezara and Desarae weren’t the only lucky ones, though. Ashton himself could feel his flora soldiers buzzing with life as the rain moistened the earth, making them stronger. Coraline, basking in the newfound moisture while striding across the lawn no longer looked the meek little girl getting her ass kicked, she looked like a force to be reckoned with. Even Jesper and Lyra with their shadows seemed to be thriving in the chaos.

Honestly, they were all pretty damn lucky that they hadn’t been totally wiped out by the beasts by now. They could all thank Nemesis for that.

Ashton was ripped back to reality at the sound of his old friend’s greeting, green eyes briefly darting over to the familiar son of Dionysus as he ran by, bringing manticores and chaos with him. “Keep that trouble to yourself, mate!” He called back, a cheeky smile on his face as he sent yet another vine off to strangle another manticore.

The son of Demeter followed his planted warriors with his eyes, watching as they trapped manticores to the ground, waiting to be slain by one of his peers. Some slithered through the grass like snakes, slinking up and around the necks of the beasts before tightening like an anaconda, strangling the life from them. Then there were his trees, the strongest of his soldiers, whipping at their assailants and falling to crush the feline like terrorists Silently, he thanked them for their noble deaths, their willing sacrifice to save himself and his friends.

Before he’d even realized it, the remaining students and professors had gathered around him in a small group. Again, the boy noted that he had really ought to start trying to be a little more observant - he’d been so focused on commanding the flora all around the clearing that he’d hardly even noticed what was going on within six feet of him. Thankfully they had his back, and he felt protected surrounded by his fellow demigods.

Ash nodded his silent agreement to Jesper and Ezara’s frustrated statements. “You and me both, brother.” Ashton replied with a huff as the dark haired boy expressed his disdain for nearly dying every thirty seconds. “Agreed.” He followed, glancing towards the Nemesis girl.

A quick sweep of the grounds revealed that for maybe the first time this whole evening, the Institute had the upper hand. Only a few manticores remained, and they were definitely outnumbered by the demigods they slowly closed in on them. A small smirk appeared on Ashton’s lips as Malcom and Jesper bid him to join the fray, and he did so willingly. Raising his hands, small green sprout sprung to life at his feel. As he turned his palms upwards, the tiny saplings responded my springing forward, racing towards the two remaining manticores. One thick root coiled around the ankles of one of the beats, pinning it to the ground, and another circled the neck of the last remaining feline, much like a collar and leash on a pet. The manticore struggled in place, thrashing against it’s restraint, but mercifully was put to death quickly. Jesper managed one, while Lyra and Coraline each handled the remaining two.

Ashton surveyed his classmates as they returned to the small group, eyes scanning to see that everyone who still stood was, for the most part, relatively unharmed. A sigh of relief escaped him at the sight, although the feeling of calm was short lived as an elderly man, a senior instructor of the institute and one of the few who ran the school, rose his voice.

“You all have been chosen.”

Everyone fell silent, an eerie feeling washing over the small group as the man’s eyes blurred over as if he’d suddenly come down with an awful case of cataracts. Whatever he was seeing, his lips mumbling at a rapid speed though no words came out, was blinding him. “The time has come. They have mounted their attack, the God’s are angry and you will be the ones to save us all... may they have mercy.”

Ashton shared a very confused look with his friends, eyeing the man curiously and with a little caution as he continued. “My sight is gone.” Said the professor. “But I see more clearly now than I ever have. You all will need courage, you will need guidance and strength and trust.” He paused. “Rest now, children, for tomorrow we will begin the biggest journey of each of our lives.”

The old man was gone within a blink of an eye, leaving all of them confused, exhausted, and full of questions. The rain had began to dwindle, and wordlessly the group of young adults migrated towards the remnants of what used to be one of the larger cabins. The walls were caving in, the roof leaked, windows were busted and the furniture had been destroyed - yet still, it was better than being out there exposed to the elements, unsure of when the next attack would strike.

After a short bout of awkward silence and curious looks, Ashton finally stood from his seat amongst the rubble. “Well, if we’re all about to go on some life altering mission, then we should probably at least get to know each other a little bit.” He began, green eyes scanning the rest of the group. Sure, some of these kids he had grown up with, but others only visited for short stints or were new altogether. If they were going to survive whatever it was that they were about to embark on, then he figured there had to be at least a small level of trust established between them. “And eat, I’d assume… Ax, if you would be so kind?” He prompted, motioning towards what loosely resembled a fireplace that had been crushed. It would have to do in a pinch.

With that, the son of Demeter left their not-so-cozy cabin to go raid the remnants of the kitchen.