Somewhere in the haze || a mythos academy fanfic

Chapter Two

The plane ride to North Carolina wasn't as long as I'd thought it'd take. The next thing I knew, the five of us were piled into a black SUV and were currently on our way to the academy, where Linus had to go speak with someone before we made an arrest. I was currently reading through the files of the girl that was accused of freeing Loki and many other awful crimes, her name was Gwendolyn Frost and she was also accused of being Loki's champion.

I began to chew on my fingernails– a habit that I always did whenever I was anxious or stressed, in this case, I was stressed and anxious about what this situation would entail. I had this feeling deep down, that everything was about to change. The SUV took a turn into the entrance to one of the parking lots and screeched to a halt. Linus put the car into park and took the keys out of the ignition.

"Wait here," Linus ordered, as he unbuckled his seat belt. "I need to go talk to someone before we make the arrest."

I nodded and pulled my phone out of my jacket pocket and looked at the time. It was almost afternoon. I peered out of the window, the sky was a dusty greyish-white color as flakes of snow fluttered to the ground. It was a pretty sight that helped ease a little bit of my anxiety. Out of my peripheral, I saw Alexei reach into his bag that rested on his feet. He pulled out a plastic grocery bag and dug something out of it.

"I managed to get us some drinks," Alexei muttered and handed each of us an energy drink.

"Did I ever tell you that you are a lifesaver?" I giggled and opened the monster can the young bogatyr had handed me.

"Practically every day," Alexei replied and took a sip of his energy drink.

I snorted and rolled my eyes, "It's true."

"I know it is." Alexei retorted and I stuck my tongue out at him.

Sergei sighed and rubbed his forehead as though it was aching, "I question my very sanity after I have to deal with the antics you and my son get into."

I let out a soft laugh and leaned back in my seat. It felt like an eternity passed before Linus finally made his way back to the car. I pressed my lips together as I slid out of the car. Alexei was the last one to leave the car. Linus opened the trunk of the SUV and we all picked out our swords. I slid mine into the scabbard that was already belted to my waist.

"This girl is extremely dangerous," Linus began, looking at all of us. "There is an extremely likely chance that she won't go down without a fight. If that happens, our job is to subdue– not kill."

With that, Linus motioned for us to follow him. Inari and Sergei followed after him, as did Alexei and I. The grey robes of the elder protectorate guards fluttered in the icy wind. I shivered slightly as the cold breeze hit my face in full force. It felt like icy shards were stabbing into my exposed skin. I had always despised the cold, I preferred warmer places if I had to be honest.

It was pretty clear to me that Cypress Mountain was a tourist town, especially with all the shops lining each side of the road. After a few minutes of walking, Linus opened the door to a coffee shop, I looked around and took in the sight of the coffee place. The kids who had come here before the assembly paused what they were doing and stared at us, fear evident in their eyes and faces.

"The Protectorate." I heard a girl whisper.

Linus, Sergei, and Inari set their sights on the individual who they were supposed to arrest. The girl looked much prettier in person than she did in the picture I had seen. She tensed and sat up in her seat. Linus stepped forward and stared down at the girl, although I couldn't see his face I could tell that he was glaring at her.

After several moments Linus finally spoke, "So you're her? Nike's newest champion. Not quite what I expected."

The girl tightened her grip on the napkin holder she was holding, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"And you don't even have the good sense to know when you're in trouble," Linus murmured.

The violet-eyed girl snorted as soon as those words left his mouth. I cocked my head to the side, It was clear that if she wasn't a reaper we would've become the best of friends. We were alike in quite a few ways. I crossed my arms and looked down at my feet, I wanted to get this over with. Patience wasn't exactly one of my strengths– in fact, it was a weakness of mine.

"I wonder what he sees in you," I heard Linus say as he tilted his head, "No matter. It won't change anything."

The girl's brows furrowed in confusion, "Change what? Who are you? What are you doing here? What do you want with me? And why are you wearing those ridiculous robes?"

I clenched my jaw to try and keep myself from making a retort that would most likely end up with me getting a lecture from Linus. This girl clearly didn't know much. Linus took another step forward towards the girl, "Gwendolyn Cassanda Frost," Linus began in the loudest tone I've ever heard him use. "You're under arrest."

Gwendolyn's face filled with more confusion, "Me? Under arrest? For what?"

I began to tap my foot against the floor as the three adults and the teenage girl exchanged commentary. I heard the sound of door shutting and my head immediately snapped to see my childhood friend, Logan Quinn waltzing over to us.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Logan asked, confusion filling his voice. "Sergei? Inari? What's going on?"

Logan and his dad, Linus talked to each for a few seconds before Sergei motioned for Alexei and I to keep an eye on the reaper girl. Logan's face paled when he set his gaze on me. He looked shocked to see me.

"Ellie?" Logan asked, his voice taking on a more confused tone. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you again." I said, showing no emotion. "I will explain everything to you later. But in the meantime can we please speed this up?"