Pantheo High: Enrollment

Revelations through Conflict

Meanwhile, at the clearing, Loki and Psyche were just about done carving the last symbol into the soil.

Loki: So, enjoying your first day so far?

Psyche smiles and shrugs as she toils the soil to carve out the Shinto gate into the ground.

Psyche: Well, it's exciting. I never had to play this much hide-and-seek ever since my brothers were in preschool.

Loki nods as he concentrated on his carving.

Loki: Siblings, eh?

Psyche: Yeah.

She looks to the side.

Psyche: Loki,-

Suddenly, Rose and Bragi burst out of the clearing's entrance, panting and wheezing as they walk towards Psyche and Loki. The two of them jumped up and ran towards them.

Psyche: Woah, are you guy's okay?

Bragi wheezes and hunches over, holding his knees as he spat on the ground beside him.

Bragi: Peachy. 

He said hoarsely. Loki gripped Rose's arm and helped him up as his knees buckled.

Loki: Rose, the Foo Dog?

Rose chuckled and coughed at the same time. 

Rose: We softened it up for you.

Then, loud banging and crashing rung through the pathway going to the clearing, like a heavy object going down a crooked metal pipe. The sound resonated as it grew louder and more violent, accompanied by the rapid stomping of its paws. Bragi hefted his ax with a slight grunt, Psyche brandishes her throwing knife in an ice pick grip, and Rose assumes a crouched boxing fighting stance, with his hands wrapped in thorny rose vines. Loki puts up his hands as his palms started to glow like hot coals. While the stomping and metal banging became even louder, the four started to slightly shuffle backward on their feet. As the Foo Dog pounced out of the clearing's entrance, Bragi charged in, holding his ax over his head and shouting.

Bragi: FOR ASGARD!!!

As Bragi charged blindly at the Foo Dog, Loki summoned fire from his hands, his hair glowing like hot coals as he threw fireballs at the beast. Meanwhile, Rose grabs Psyche's arm.

Rose: They'll keep it distracted. We need to activate the circle.

Psyche nods as both of them run to the circle and get on their knees beside the summoning circle, facing away from the Foo Dog. Rose places his hands on the dirt, and so does Psyche.

Psyche: Banishing incantation, right?

Rose: Correct. 3, 2, 1-

They start reciting a Greek incantation:

Ο Ουρανός, που καλύπτει τη Μητέρα Γαέα, μας δανείζει τις αλυσίδες σας για να φυλακίσουμε τους εχθρούς μας

And... Nothing happens, except for a few sparks coming out of the circle's edges. Rose starts to chuckle nervously. 

Rose: Uh oh.

Meanwhile, Loki and Bragi were going toe-to-toe with the Foo Dog, with Bragi going for the frontal offensive, slashing at the Foo Dog with his ax like a berserker, and Loki going to the sides and dousing the Foo Dog in yellow flames from his palms, melting its metal fur. Every time the beast would swipe with his claws or bite with its teeth, Bragi would parry with the head of his ax while Loki would point his palms downwards and fly up Iron Man style, before performing a mid-air cartwheel and land on his two feet to the other side. As the battle raged on, Psyche and Rose kept chanting the incantation, but nothing came out. Rose looked confused as he bit the nail of his thumb.

Rose: Something's not right. It only takes two participants to use a summoning circle, with the exception of Bragi. What are we missing?

Psyche sighed.

Psyche: It's me. I don't have any magic.

Rose backed away a bit, startled. Psyche continued as she held on to the grass.

Psyche: I was never able to use magic as a child. I wasn't born with any powers. I was just... Normal. I really thought I was doing the right thing, and now we're stuck in this mess and-

Rose scoots a little closer, amidst the chaos and the battle behind them.

Rose: Psyche, I know you wanted to help. But it just looks like you can pick from walking away from this whole ordeal, and we will see you no different than before. It's okay. But if you plan on following through, you will have to put your mind before your feelings. I know it's harsh, but, that's what we need right now. So, what will it be?

She takes a moment to breathe in the air, albeit tinged with smoke and the smell of burning copper. Psyche then exhales and nods. 

Psyche: Let's do this.

Rose gives her an approving half-smile.

Rose: Let's try this again!

The two of them start chanting the incantation over and over again, but to no avail. In the meantime, the Foo Dog started to learn the strategy of Bragi and Loki. Just as Bragi was about to deal a swing to the face, the Foo Dog quickly turned and smacked him away with its tail, sending Bragi flying over Rose's and Psyche's heads and into a nearby birch tree, slamming with so much force, the dent snaped the trunk in half and the tree came crashing down. Loki then tried to retreat and gain some distance by flying off, but the beast turned around, jumped into the air, and grabbed a bite of Loki's ankle. He screams as he starts spraying the Foo Dog with even hotter flames, causing its mane to melt faster. However, the beast was unfazed by it and shook him around before tossing him quite literally aside. Rose looks back as the Foo Dog slowly prowls right behind them, steam coming out of its nostrils. Psyche gulps as cold sweat start dripping from her forehead.

Psyche: I don't hear any fighting.

Just as she was about to turn around, Rose stopped her with a squeeze on the shoulder.

Rose: It's okay. Just concentrate. 

Rose cracks his knuckles as he ran towards the beast and as it runs towards him, he slides under and yanks its tail, hard. The Foo Dog yelps in pain and turns abruptly, only to get leashed by Rose's vine lasso. As the Foo Dog tries to yank him around with its neck, underneath Rose's pantlegs were roots that started to snake and drill into the soil, gripping onto Rose and giving him a center of balance. As the tug-of-war went on, Psyche stopped chanting, walked to the other side of the circle, facing the Foo dog, and closed her eyes. She started to chant a different incantation:

Καθαρότητα, βροχή πάνω σου

As she did, the summoning circle started to glow white and her hair started to float as if she was underwater. Meanwhile, Rose showed a little bit of confusion, which breaks his focus and softens his grip on the lasso. The Foo Dog successfully yanked the grip of Rose, but all that built-up momentum caused the beast to trip over itself and land on the summoning circle, causing an explosion of pure light.

....

After three seconds, Psyche wakes up sleeping on the grass of the clearing, with a small puppy sleeping on top of her tummy. She looks to the puppy, sound asleep and laying on her like a little bed. She gives off a dry laugh in disbelief, as she looks at the clear blue sky with dirt smeared on her hands.