Drowning in the Stars of Your Eyes

Chapter 1

The feeling of drowning. Lungs on fire, ringing in your ears and if you listen closely, you can hear screaming....

I woke up panting and sweating, vague memories of my nightmare replaying in my head, causing a shiver to run down my back. These nightmares were common, every time I tried to sleep, which was maybe once or twice a week, I would wake up drenched in sweat.

The dreams are usually the same, I was drowning.  I can't feel anything, the water was cold, yet it burnt my skin. I had held my breath for too long and it escpaed me. Water replaced the air, filling my lungs. I was choking. Panic rose in me and I tried to scream. My ears were ringing but towards the end of the dream, there was screaming, it was a girl, and it just keeps getting louder and louder until I wake up. At first, when the dreams started, I would wake up screaming, but my father, Hades, beat it out of me. Shaking my head, I stretched and got out of bed, heading towards the bathroom.

I turned the silver knobs and let the hot steamy water wash over my body, my sweat running down the drains. A sigh escaped me. The day ahead I was not looking forward to. My father had enrolled me into some boarding school for troubled kids. I stared up at the shower head above me, the crisp white tiles almost shone. I was startled by a muffled yelling through the door. Rolling my eyes I switched off the taps. I proceeded to get dressed in the clothes I had set out the night previous, black jeans, black v-neck t-shirt, and my big aviator jacket.

Looking in the mirror I shuddered. To be honest? I looked terrible. The lack of sleep really showed under my eyes. My cheek bones and collar bones stood out from lack of food. My shaggy black/brown hair hung over my eyes and down my nose. The pale skin didn't help with the bags under my eyes either, making them look darker than they should have. When I was younger I had tanner skin, but after the incident, my skin slowly grew paler and into the now sickly pale I had now.

"Let's get this over with..." I mumbled to myself and made my way down stairs, grabbing the bag I had already packed.

"Have you packed?" Hades questioned the minuted a walked into the kitchen. What? Saying good morning not a custom anymore? "I'm taking you to that stupid college, what was it? Olympus College?"

I nodded, shifting my weight from foot to foot. The bag hanging round my neck was light, I didn't have much stuff, only clothes and a couple of books. My father raised an eyebrow at my bag.

"That's all you're taking?" His smirk was menacing, he knew I didn't have much stuff.

"It's all I have..." I glared at the floor. Prick... 

"Come on, let's go." He dropped the newspaper he had previously been reading and picked up his keys from the bench. They hoped into the car and drove off.

"There's a dorm room with two other boys you'll be staying with, Mr. Grace and Mr. Valdez. Don't fuck up you hear me? Their fathers are work colleagues of mine, very important people." His voice was harsh. I nodded even though I didn't give a flying fuck. When arrived at the college and it was pretty amazing. It had massive pillars lining the front of the main building, 'kinda reminds me of a bank'

"Get out." I rolled my eyes and stepped out the car, slamming the door behind me. Hades sped away, his tires screeching in the process. I shrugged my messenger bag over my shoulder and trudged over to the building. 'The architecture in this place is amazing!' I thought as I took in the marble flooring and pillars.

After taking in the whole room I managed to find the office.

"U-um excuse me?" I stuttered out to the short woman at the front desk.

"Hm? Oh hello, how can I help you?" She said cheerfully.

"Um I'm Nico Di Angelo... new student..." I tried to speak loudly for the lady... tried...

"Oh Nico! Hi my name is Millie, welcome, all the stuff you're going to need is in your dorm room, come on I'll show you around." she hopped down from her chair, she was... tiny! And I was 99.99999% sure she was pregnant.

"How long... Until the umm..-"

"Oh the baby! A couple of weeks I think"

"Congratulations.."

"Thank you dear, you're rather shy aren't you?" I looked away shyly making her laugh.

We walked down into the hall which led to the class rooms. It expanded into a giant circle, in the centre was a patch of thick green grass, with pillars spaced out surrounding it, and through the pillars where large archways which He suspected are the class rooms. Students where laying around on the grass and where everywhere.

"This is amazing..." I breathed.

"Yeah, I had the same reaction when I got the job." Millie chuckled and gestured for me to follow her. She explained the rules and odd little facts about the school. There's another hallway across from the one they came from which leads to the cafeteria thing. It's basically a circle of pillars with a giant slab of concrete on top, stone benches were littered around a bonfire, which lay in the centre.

We followed a path to a circular building with pillars (they really seem to like pillars huh?) it was pretty much the same as where the classrooms were but there where two stories and instead of grass there was a pool.

"There's a pool?" I asked, slightly surprised.

"Cool huh?" Millie asked and I nodded.

"This way Nico" Millie teased seeing as I was daydreaming.

"Here room 68, I'll see you round" she smiled and walked away. I took a breath and knocked. There was a scream from inside the room.

"I'll get it-FUCK! Ouch!" There was a groan and a hysterical laugh before the door was pulled open by the guy who was laughing.

"Hi, sorry you must be Nico, I'm Jason and that dumbass," he opened the door wider to reveal another guy, obviously Latino, with curly brown hair lying face down on the floor groaning. "is-"

"Leo Valdez, supreme Mr. Mcshizzel how're you doing?" He was up and in front of me with his hand out before you could say hot damn.

"C'mon give the guy a break," Jason pushed him out the way, noticing my shyness. "Well anyway, come in."

The room was pretty big with three beds, three bed-side tables, and three desks. On the end of each bed was a chest which he guessed is where you put your clothes.

"Your bed is the one on the end." I dropped my bags onto the white sheet.

"Okay just a warning, do not touch anything that belongs to Leo, it will most likely explode."

"W-wait, explode!?" I asked, more than slightly alarmed, I mean who wouldn't be I mean explode!?

"Yeah, our last room mate was hospitalised!" The Latino boy said, jumping up and down on his bed. What is he? Five?

"H-hospitalised!?" My eyes widened to the size of dinner plate. Oh no...

"Leo shut up, no they weren't don't worry, Leo's an idiot."

"Well, this idiot can hear you!" Nico rolled his eyes as Jason and Leo started bickering.

This is going to be a loooonnngggg year..