Dominance.

Chapter 1: Introducing Zara

  Zara

I woke up to an alarm clock beeping. A bit normal, considering my position. I slowly sat up, and glanced at my clock. It died instantly, the sound fading into nothing. I looked at my new mirror across the room, dominating the black walls that my room consisted of. It showed a girl that looked about sixteen, long, curly black hair, and skin paler than you would've thought possible. Black eyes stared back, boring into mine. I stood on the dark cave floorsand pulled on jeans and a gray sweatshirt. I looked at the mirror again. The room was a classic cave, but with high ceilings. Liquid dripped from the walls, avoiding the books that lay across the room. A snarl made me whirl around, catching sight of a black figure standing in the corner of my room.

Concentrating, I focused my eyes onto the thing, and just before it faded, I threw it into my mirror. It shattered, but the figure was gone. I walked into the hallway, darker than even my room. I stepped carefully, letting the spirits run their fingers through my curls and touch my brown, old fashioned shoes. I caught sight of an ornate painting with a thick gold frame. I laughed at it, for my father looked nothing like that. My father, Hades. I spotted another one with him and his wife, Persephone. My mother. She looked so happy, so carefree. Obviously that picture was painted more than a thousand years ago. I walked into a different, smaller hallway. It had a large black staircase, going up in circles. I stepped up it easily, and into a large black dining room. I tried to blend into the walls to avoid the god sitting at the head, but he saw me anyway.

"Zara, daughter, sit with us and dine. School can wait." Hades said in a deep voice, motioning for me to sit next to him. I sighed and grabbed an apple from the bowl and turned to leave, patting his 3 headed dog Cerberus on the middle head. He wagged his tail madly.

"Sorry dad, I've got archery in fifteen minutes. Gotta go learn how to kill people." Ignoring his shouting after me, I stepped into a small blue circle, and let the familiar cold rush over me.

I opened my eyes, looking up at a small castle. I grabbed my black bag from under a bush, and ran through the front doors. I sidestepped the other students, children of Athena, Hermes, and any other god. I passed the theater where Mira was holding court, and dashed through the game room, where Zelda was just showing up, laughing with a friend. I stepped past the gardens, where Demeter children were speaking quietly, and the courtyard, where the Apollo children were goofing off and playing games. I made it without socializing into the library, where the children of Athena quietly avoided me and I sat in a chair near the middle of the library.

Of course I didn't have archery class. I mean, I did, but I can kill people with a glance. I don't go to any class but ones where we learned about mortals. I knew everything else. I know a lot.

Like how to kill people.

My cat, Deyanira, stepped quietly among the dusty shelves, and landed in my lap. I stroked her while reading passages on some Greek history, then I patted her and she jumped away, pausing a moment to examine me with her bright yellow eyes that creeped everybody else out. I smiled at her.

"Oh, Dey, just can't resist me." I laughed quietly as she quickly ran out. I shut the book and walked down the hallways. The bell rang, scattering the students to their classes. I sighed and decided to go to class for once. I walked straight down the hallway, the other students making a path for me. They were simultaneously terrified and in awe when they saw me. I could kill them, but I didn't. It took too much energy. I would have to eat for like a thousand years before I could even get up from the table.

The only person who didn't move out of my way was Zelda, talking animatedly with her friend Mel, the one she was talking to earlier. Zelda paused as Mel smoothed a strand of Zelda's snow white hair. Mel was probably the only Aphrodite child that was decent, her brown hair perfect without loads of product and beautiful brown eyes less full of contempt. . Zelda's golden eyes glanced at me as I walked by, and I nodded at her. She was the only person I wouldn't kill.

Zelda and I spent our childhoods together, playing and laughing until we were about to go here, to the School for Gifted Godlings. Then our fathers separated us, and trained us to be ready to go. She was the daughter of Zeus and Hera, so she was trained in different things than I was. I was the daughter of Hades and Persophone, so I was trained in the art of killing and stealing. But I was smarter than his best servants, and he knew it. So while Zelda had the perfect training, I was sent to different corners of the earth to kill and settle my father's debts.

But I didn't hate her. We still had some history, not to mention we're related.

She was the queen of the school, and I was the bottom. Speaking of queens, Kali was standing around the next corner I walked around, flipping her long hair. She looked at me and muttered something as her minions tittered and giggled. She was beautiful, with light brown hair and blonde highlights. Her eyes fairly glowed blue, and she looked perfect. Every guy in this school agreed.

I smiled and ran my fingers through my own hair, hating her and Aphrodite for creating such a creature. It was hard to believe Mel and Kali came from the same goddess. But I kept walking, and sat in the corner of the front row of my Greek history class. Being the only child of Hades, I was given a wide berth. Zelda walked in, and sat next to me. There was only one seat left now, the very middle. I was expecting Mel to take it, but she never showed up. Our teacher, some old guy, stood and started a lecture on something that happened in Greece a few thousand years ago.

The door opened suddenly, and the King walked in late. The King is my nickname for the son of Poseidon and Aphrodite, Ryder. He was the perfect combination of looks and powers. He flashed his teeth at the teacher, and winked at Zelda as he sat down. He's been flirting with her for years, and the whole school whispered about how they should date. I always laughed, but I liked the idea of them two dating. They would be cute together.

The hour passed, and I walked out the door first. I stopped quickly when I heard a siren blaring. I groaned loudly, as everybody else screamed and ran past me to the huge space behind the school where they held challenges. I walked with the crowd, and we stood in a clump as the headmaster Mr. Frey held a microphone and told us that we were going to be playing Capture the Flag.  He split us up into teams based on godly parents, and I was paired with Apollo, Aphrodite, Zeus, and Athena. So basically, we couldn't lose. We got into our places directed by the Athenian children and the other team grew louder as they complained. One look from Mr. Frey, and they shut up.