Olympia Academy (Stray Kids)

Chapter Eight (Selene)

The mid-morning sun burned Selene's eyes as she opened them. She was exhausted from the long weekend. After the stressful competition on Friday night and the social activities on Saturday and Sunday, she was hardly feeling rested for Monday.

Selene pulled her covers back over her face in an attempt to hide Helios' sun. She was beginning to get used to her new sleeping schedule, but waking up was still a struggle. Just as she was falling asleep once more, Iris opened the door to the room and slipped off her shoes, throwing them on the floor with a bang.

"Come on sleepyhead! It's time for lunch!"

"Already?" Selene groaned, stirring under her covers.

"Time to go," Iris laughed, prying the blanket off of her. 

Selene rubbed her eyes, not bothering to fight her roommate. "Ugh, fine," she agreed.

She threw on her uniform haphazardly and brushed her hair, not bothering to put on any makeup. The goddesses set off toward the cafeteria once Selene had finished getting ready. It was lively and animated, much more so than it had been the first day of school. They made their way through the line of students, piling their trays with food.

Selene noticed Nyx, who was surrounded by a group of gods, in the middle of the dining hall. She flipped her hair behind her shoulder, catching Selene's gaze. Selene quickly turned in the other direction and followed Iris to their usual table. As always, Calliope and Artemis were waiting for them. The girls sat down in their usual spots and were greeted warmly. Iris and Selene eyed the unexpected guest who was joining them for lunch.

"Hi!" Apollo chirped when they sat down. 

Still groggy, Selene gave him a polite smile and started eating her food. 

"Can you believe we already have an exam in arithmetic this week? It's only the second week of classes!"

Selene nodded, remembering the memo the professor had given the last time they had class. "I guess so," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Selene, I hear you're good at arithmetic," Artemis cooed. "Maybe you could help Apollo and I study this week?"

"Oh. I could, but I'm not that great," she replied, taking a bite of her fresh fruit. The flavors exploded on her tastebuds as she chewed.

"Yes you are, I see your notes every day during class!" Apollo interjected.

"Please? We could really use it," Artemis said, pleading with her eyes. 

Iris nudged Selene with her foot under the table. She figured that was her friend's way of telling her to not refuse their offer.

"Sure, I guess I could try," Selene replied, shrugging her shoulders awkwardly. 

The twins beamed at her with identical smiles. She wasn't excited to take more time in her busy schedule for tutoring, but she was always ready to help her friends. And Apollo, I guess, she thought.

"Phew! Great," Apollo said, taking a bite of his meat.

Throughout the lunch hour, the group chatted and laughed like they had been friends forever. All except Selene, who was the quietest of the group. She spoke mostly when she was spoken to, spending time deep in her thoughts. Unfortunately for her, she was frequently brought into the conversation with Apollo's constant questions.

"When we study together, we could meet in the second-year lounge," Artemis suggested as they were cleaning their trays.

"I don't think I can go in there," Selene retaliated, remembering what Hypnos told her that first night at Olympia Academy.

"Sure you can! You just need a second-year to escort you. Apollo or I can come pick you up at your room and bring you there."

"Okay. As long as you think it's okay," she replied, blushing. 

Artemis nodded and set her tray on a counter near the exit. "See you later! I'll practice the equations beforehand," she called to her. 

Selene laughed and waved to the twins and her friends as they left. She scurried down the long hallways to her seminar class. She was the first person to arrive and took a seat at her usual desk. 

Not long after she sat down, Hypnos walked in, looking as sleep-deprived as Selene thought she did. His black hair was messy and his eyes were puffy.

"Sleep well?" Selene said, attempting to make a joke. 

Hypnos sighed as he sat down. "Honestly, not great. Is it obvious?" he replied. 

Selene nodded, laughing a little bit. 

"Oh well," Hypnos said, setting his notebook on the left side of his desk. The rest of the students filed into the room, finding their desks. Agathe walked in just before class began.

"I wanted to announce this before we get started today," she said in her sharp tone, "that the Night team has been chosen as one of the competitors this Friday."

Selene's heart dropped. She hardly felt prepared to compete. She had witnessed how much stress it put on Iris. She didn't want to go through the same thing. Hypnos rubbed his temples beside her.

"Do you know what other teams are competing?" Astraeus asked, not waiting for Agathe to finish.

"Yes," she said, giving him a disapproving look. "They are War, again, Air, and Day." 

Selene noticed Hypnos' eyes widen at the mention of the Day team.

"War again?" Astraeus said. "Not surprising."

Agathe nodded in agreement. "I cannot tell you what the competition is, but I will tell you to prepare your rituals and their speed."

Selene frowned. She had not yet received training from the Elder Selene on how to do her routines.

"And Selene," Agathe said as if she was reading her thoughts, "you may assist Nyx if she needs it."

Selene nodded her head, bowing it in embarrassment at being called out in front of the class. Nyx gave no reply to Agathes' suggestion, which Selene took as a good sign. At least she didn't refuse. 

"You may discuss now," Agathe said, turning the class over to the students. She sat in her chair and watched the discussion unfold, not interrupting once.

The students spent the hour theorizing what the competition could be. Selene noted the fact that it seemed to be a time-based activity. She stayed quiet, feeling unworthy to contribute her opinion as a brand-new goddess. Time passed quickly and the class was dismissed promptly. 

Selene rushed out of the room, forgetting to say goodbye to Hypnos. She was eager to get to arithmetic class, a place where she was confident in the subject matter.

...

Thank you so much for reading! Next time we will be hearing from Iris (and maybe someone else??) 😁