Demigods in High School? ~This'll be a flop, won't it?~

Amore Rosemary (Leo)

This takes place during ToA, before COVID-19

Hey there, my name's Amore Rosemary. A fun little detail about myself: I am, for some unexplainable reason, friends with a popular kid at my school.
I know what you're thinking—shocking, right?
We first met outside of school. I'd been walking in as per usual when suddenly, I was pushed from behind. I fell to the ground like a bowling pin, my head striking the pavement. Massaging my scalp, I looked up at the culprit.
In front of me was a boy the color of dark chocolate, his skin tone complimented by eyes and curly hair of a darker brown. He was wearing an orange shirt underneath a white V-neck that had seen better days, along with overalls and a tool belt. All in all, the guy looked like he worked part-time at a carwash.
He'd helped me up and offered to take me to the nurse's office since I was bleeding.
"Thanks for the offer," I'd said, "but I'm good." That's why I'd ended up hobbling there on my own.
I had thought at the time that that would be our first and last encounter, but no. Of course not.
Turns out, he'd just transferred over from another school, and we had most of our classes together. I didn't think much of it at the time. Not until he sat next to me.
When new students came in, I'd usually tell them I was saving the seat next to me for someone late. But unfortunately, I'd zoned out, and couldn't make that excuse this time. I try to pay attention, I swear! And I have a reason for not listening, too. At the time, I'd recently gotten diagnosed with ADHD, which stands for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Anyway, he'd plopped down in the seat next to me, bringing me back to reality. For a few seconds, I hadn't known what to say. It may sound weird, but I'd never actually held a conversation with someone my age for a while before this, so I couldn't figure out how to politely ask him to leave me alone.
However, I soon realized that even if I had asked him, he wouldn't have listened, as the moment he caught my eye, the guy's face broke into a grin.
"Hey," he'd said, startling me by the volume of his voice, "you're that girl I knocked over earlier! Sorry again, by the way."
"It's fine," I'd replied curtly, massaging my head where it had hit the ground. I'd hoped that he'd get the message and leave me alone, but he seemed completely oblivious to my not-so-subtle nudges toward the fact that I didn't want to talk to him.
"What's your name?" he'd cheerfully asked.
"Amore Rosemary."
"That's such a cool name! I'm Leo--"
That's when the bell had rung, drowning out his voice. During that period, the guy, Leo, had talked endlessly, and I got to know quite a bit about him before the bell rang again, ending the class. Not his last name, though. At the time, I'd assumed he'd simply thought I'd heard him speak over the bell, and I hadn't wanted to confront him about it. Anyway, after class, he stuck to me like glue while also winning the favor of almost everybody in our grade with the things he did and said.
After a while, I'd grown comfortable around him, letting him into my circle of trust. Surprisingly, I found that he was a great listener as well as a speaker. We've been close ever since, neither of us hiding anything from the other.
The end.
       . . .
At least, that's what I thought.
       It all seemed to change one day during a surprise school assembly. For a few minutes after the teachers had herded us into the gym, nothing had happened. Us students thought it must've been some kind of malfunction with the projector the staff used to give PowerPoint presentations for all the other assemblies. Leo had been in the middle of telling all the popular kids a story about how he'd found a broken, run-down AI dog in the woods near his summer camp, me sitting next to him while pretending not to listen, when something happened.
All I remember about what happened was a great flash of light, and eleven giant men and women seemingly appearing in the center of the gym, causing a multitude of people to fall off the bleachers, myself included. I also recall seeing Leo stiffen at the sight of them.
I had turned to him while every other student started screaming hysterically. The only reason I hadn't been screaming too was because I was in shock. Still, that didn't stop me from speaking.
"What is it?" I'd asked him numbly.
His eyes widened in surprise as he'd registered my voice, and he turned toward me slowly, his features morphing from shock mixed with something else to shock only.
In response to my question, he'd mouthed the words, "This is crazy." I'd nodded in response as I saw a few teachers carry an unconscious student out of the gym.
Amidst the screaming throughout the room, one of the eleven giants opened his mouth. At least, they appeared to be a "he," what with the beard they had and all.
"Hello, mortals," he said in a deep, booming voice. It was indeed a "he."
The giant continued after a few moments. "You may have heard about Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Norse gods. You may have learned about them, yet didn't pay attention to the concept. This may come as a surprise, but we're all real. And until recently, we never paid much attention to you, either. However, recent events have shifted our focus.
"We've realized that if we continue to not intervene, you mortals will eventually cause yourselves to go extinct. We have come to you with a simple message.
"The Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse gods exist. Unfortunately for all Christians present, there is no "God". Only gods. Plural.
"Now, in case you think we're done, we are not. I'm sure you all know about how reproduction works at your age. Gods, too, are capable of reproduction. The result of this is a being called a half-blood, otherwise known as a demigod. They are neither god nor mortal. Some even have supernatural powers. Some people in this very building may be demigods.
"We hope that this encourages your generation to stop putting one religion or other trivial matter above others, as they're all wrong. Unless you already worshipped us. In that case, continue to do so.
"And one last thing; if any of you ever come across a Lester Papadopoulos, slap him. No questions asked, just slap him."
With that, they left in another flash of light, leaving a stunned silence in their wake.
The staff let us out of school early that day. I felt like a husk of a person as I walked home, Leo at my side. As a person of Jewish faith, it was as if my whole world had been shattered.
Leo was dead-quiet as we made our way through town. At first, I'd thought it was because he was shell-shocked like me, but I gradually became aware of how his mannerisms hadn't changed; he was walking the same way, eyes darting around the same way, hands fidgeting with a random object the same way. That meant he was avoiding conversation on purpose.
I tried to catch his eye; he quickly looked away. We continued the walk in silence for a while longer before I couldn't take it anymore.
I turned to him, throwing my arm in his path to stop him. Instead of looking me in the face, he stared at my arm as I slowly lowered it.
"What's with you?" I asked him. "Ever since those. . . gods. . . came to us, you've been acting strange. You don't seem surprised in the slightest, yet you're keeping to yourself."
Leo responded to my question with another question. "Have you ever had anything strange happen to you?"
"What do you mean?" I said, crossing my arms. What he was asking me could've been very personal for some.
"Breathing underwater, flying, controlling the weather, making plants grow unnaturally,  summoning shadows or the dead, being able to persuade easily, healing injuries supposedly unfixable, catching on fire."
"What are you saying?" I asked him, taking an involuntary step back. He was acting very strangely, even a bit creepily. Had I judged Leo wrong? Had he gone off the deep end after what had happened?
Leo suddenly whipped his head around to look at me. The look on his face was something I'd never seen before; one look of pure pleading and hope. Yet that expression wasn't fitting of the situation, making his face seem somewhat contorted.
He stepped toward me; I stepped back again. "Have you ever felt as if you were different? As if you were special? How many schools have you ever been expelled from?"
"Stop," I said. "What's gotten into you? Are you feeling alright?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" There was a sudden fire in his eyes, burning as though it were an actual thing. "Amore Rosemary, are you a demigod?"
When I just stood rooted the ground, he continued. "A demigod. A half-blood. Half-god, half-mortal. Any of this ring a bell?"
"What are you talking about?" I said quietly. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"
"It's like Zeus said," Leo said. How did he know it was Zeus talking in the gym? "Anyone could be one."
Suddenly, Leo burst into flame, the fire licking at him, yet not harming him. I couldn't see where it was coming from, only that it was everywhere, surrounding him. It was as if his very soul were alight.
Turning away from Leo—one of my only friends, one of the only people I'd felt I could trust—I ran away screaming, hoping to never see him again.