Olympus College

Exams

Despite the large crowd of students gathered around the testing center, the atmosphere is eerily silent. Daphne and Circe stand beside me, them whispering among themselves as to not disrupt the anxious air that is currently so apparent this morning.

The first portion of the exams correlated with Olympian scholarship take place today, in the form of a written test. Due to the sheer number of students taking the test I'd assume this portion is more about eliminating and weeding out the ineligible students rather than noticing the exceptionally eligible ones. It makes perfect sense considering that this yearly shot at sponsorship is why most of us choose to go to this school in the first place. As much as I want it, I know hundreds of others also do, perhaps even more than me.

However, the majority of students here lack the honed skill and talent to make it to the next portion. Determination won't win this round for you, although dedication played a part on my end. Despite keeping on a calm and confident facade, I feel slight anxiety overridden in my stomach. I place my hand on Circe's shoulder.

"Hey, haven't you taken this test before?"

She shrugs. "Both of us have, actually. Daphne's taken it twice."

"Failed the first time, passed the second." She smiles. "Hopefully I'll do even better this time around."

"I'm sure you will," I encourage. "But would you mind telling me what this written form of the test entails? It's sort of nerve- racking to have no clue."

Daphne looks at me empathetically. "Of course, I get it. I'm sorry, but I can't really tell you. Not because I don't want to, but because this portion of the test changes so drastically every year. That's why it's so hard to study for."

I tilt my head. "Oh, alright."

"But," Daphne continues. "The questions are typically a mix of analytical and social capabilities rather than academic. That's what trips up most people, I think."

I nod. "Alright, thanks."

Circe bumps my shoulder. "Hey, keep your head screwed on, H. You've been bragging about your capabilities ever since we met. You've got this, yeah?"

I smile lightly and shove her playfully in response. "Of course, everyone knows I'm the most brilliant one here."

"Only unmatched by my intelligence," a deeper voice from behind me smugly states.

Circe, Daphne and I all turn around to face a familiar golden god, a sly smile alighting his well-placed features.

"Oh hey, Apollo," Circe greets.

"Excuse me?" I huff, not about to ignore Apollo's earlier snarky comment. "I have a significantly higher IQ than your average ass."

He raises a single eyebrow. "And you failed almost half of your semester finals, even after I so generously offered my help."

"Generous? You were downright condescending." I sigh at his ignorance. "My test scores only reflect my lack of motivation rather than my raw genius intellect."

Apollo laughs, covering his mouth with the back of his hand to stifle the chuckles as curious eyes are drawn to us due to the noise. He quiets and just stares at me knowingly. "Aright, I'm not going to protest your blatant narcissism this time around. Let's just focus on the exam, yeah?"

"Exams," I correct. "There are several rounds to this process, you know."

Apollo slings his arm around my shoulders protectively with a faint smile on his intimidating features. The both of us turn to Circe and Daphne, the duo staring at us stoically with their arms crossed.