[UNDER HEAVY REVISION] After receiving an unexpected package from an unexpected sender, seventeen-year-old Amelia Kingston is thrown into the prestigious Olympian High. For someone whose life revolved around constant transferring to schools due to h...
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"Mt. Vesuvius, one of Italy's famous volcanoes, erupted early Thursday morning. A 20-mile tower of ash and smoke burst out of the crater and was shortly followed by a flow of lava. This series of events triggered a mass evacuation of 3 million people, forcing authorities to declare a state of calamity.
"The vicinity of Naples is engulfed in dense layers of ash and pumice. Buildings and infrastructure were destroyed by rushing lava. 5,000 people were killed, most of whom were residing near the volcano's danger zone, and the damages caused by the eruption were estimated to reach up to $25 million.
"The volcano's unexpected eruption has baffled local and international volcanologists alike. The local seismologists detected no signs of major seismic or volcanic activities before the eruption, which added up to the mystery of why—"
Zeus pointed his finger at the wide TV and a shot of lightning came out his fingertip. The electricity flew to the flat screen, emanating a weird buzz. The video playing on the screen glitched for a few moments before turning pitch black.
"What the hell, Zeus!" I stared at the fried TV. "I had the remote with me the whole time. If you didn't want to watch the news, you could've just said so!"
Zeus blew his finger as if it was a gun. "Don't sweat it, Amelia. Mother can easily pay for the damage."
"That's not—" I sighed. "I. . . I still can't believe we were just there several hours ago."
The minute Vesuvius erupted in front of us, the next thing I knew, Zeus was dragging me along to a cab that Poseidon personally contacted. He ordered the oblivious but frightened driver to step on the gas to the airport. As soon as we got there, we rushed to the terminal where our plane was waiting and took flight before the whole Italian sky was covered with thick ash.
"He was out of his mind," Athena muttered.
"Who?"
"I meant Vulcan," she said, rubbing her temples. "That. . . bastard really lacked wisdom just like he said. He didn't think of the consequences, and now look at the horrible damage that he created."
Zeus whistled. "This is the first time we're hearing you say a bad word, sis. Did Vulcan suddenly catch your cold heart?"
"Wha—Are you kidding me?" Athena glared at him. "I would never fall for anyone, especially one of our enemies. Who do you think I am? Some naive high schooler who got a puppy crush on a guy I barely know?"
Zeus and I glanced at each other before shrugging halfheartedly.
"Maybe," we said at the same time.
"It's love at first sight," Zeus snickered.
Athena huffed. "But seriously, look at what he did. Are you not getting this inside your heads?"
"Athena's right," Poseidon said. "There's no more time for jokes. No more room for mistakes. We can't let them steal another Artifact right in front of our noses. We must anticipate all of their surprises the next time we cross paths with them."
