Welcome to Valhalla

Rainbows and Butterflies

The lounge's decor matched the rest of the hotel. Sofas and chairs that looked fit for a king lay scattered around the room, along with matching mahogany coffee tables.

Charlotte scanned the room for Jason, but the only person that caught her eyes was Frode Nyberg's snow white hair and Mackenzie Hexum's bright red curls.

As soon as Frode noticed her, his eyes lit up. He waved frantically, motioning her to sit with them.

Along with the two of them, four more kids, all her own age, sat, drinking refreshments.

Charlotte walked over to them, putting on a smile.

"Hey!" Frode exclaimed.

"Ah, look who's back!" Mack grinned, laying in her chair sideways, playing with a small dagger.

"Hey," she replied, slitting down next to Frode on the sofa. He was practically the only person she knew, other than Mack and Amabella, both who she had mixed feelings about.

"Meet the other floormates!" Frode extended his hands to show the other four strangers. "Well, at least the only social ones."

A boy with red, curly hair, looking like Mack's, met Charlotte's eyes. "Stefan Hexum, son of Thor."

"Hexum?" she looked at Mack.

She nodded in response. "Yes. We are siblings. Twins actually. Both children of Thor."

Charlotte had heard that blood siblings related to the same god were rare. She had only heard of one set of siblings: Jason and Thalia Grace.

Another boy with onyx black hair and dark green eyes reclined in his seat. "Arik Carter, son of Loki."

Charlotte had heard of legends about Loki. The god of tricksters and shapeshifters.

A pang of guilt sat in her stomach. He reminded her too much of Liam, who was the son of Mercury.

"And that's Emma Hall and Elijah Coalbek," Frode said, finishing a drink which looked like hot chocolate, but she couldn't be too sure in Valhalla.

"Nice to meet you," Charlotte nodded to them.

"Likewise," Elijah replied, flicking back his golden hair.

Mack rolled her eyes.

"She wants me," Elijah whispered, intending for everyone to hear.

"You wish you overgrown guinea pig," the daughter of Thor snapped back.

The golden haired boy threw his head back and posed. "A handsome, overgrown guinea pig."

Mack growled and stabbed her dagger into the table.

"He's the son of Freya," Frode muttered to Charlotte before more chaos broke out.

"She's obviously trying to hide it," Emma declared, starting to grin from under her black hair.

"You stay out of this you pompous, spoiled rat!" Mack snarled at her.

"Aaaand she's the daughter of Hel, and if you couldn't guess, she and Mack are mortal enemies," Frode said to her quietly.

And here I thought the beginning of Reyna and I's friendship was bad, she thought.

Emma's grin became wider as she started to slowly reach for her own, sheathed dagger.

"Enough you two," Stefan sighed. "Save the fighting for later."

"We're on the same stupid team, remember?" Mack reminded him, pulling her blade off the table.

Surprisingly, the stab mark in the table sealed itself as soon as the dagger was removed.

"And that 'stupid' team always loses," Arik commented, not looking up.

"Well, maybe the new girl can prove herself," Emma suggested, eyeing Charlotte from top to bottom. Her face became sour. "Although she doesn't look too...skilled."

Charlotte's eyes narrowed, remembering that Liam had told her the exact same thing when she first arrived at Camp Jupiter. (Liam made up for it though.)

Charlotte used every skrit of control she had to stay in her seat. "Just you wait, you hellfire," she spat. "I don't think you could ever count high enough to reach the number of victories that I've won."

Arik looked up, raising his eyebrows.

Frode blinked.

Elijah and Stefan froze.

Mack grew a grin.

Emma paused. Before she could say a word, the sound of a giant horn blasted through the hotel. Fellow members of the hotel started filing out of the lounge.

Mack spun her dagger, biting her lip in excitement. "Time for battle."

"Battle?" Charlotte asked, confused.

Emma stood, glaring in her direction.

Frode picked up a bow that was lying on the floor, decorated with white fur. "Just wait. If you're as good as you say, you'll have no problem."

Arik stood as well, sheathing a silver longsword.

The Hexum twins rubbed their hands together, looking like hungry horror clowns. (They even had the red hair)

Elijah sighed helplessly. "Do I have to?" he pouted.

"C'mon you lifeless slug," Mack said, though this time, she didn't have much negativity in her tone. She was obviously too excited to care about her insults.

Her floormates started walking out of the lounge, chattering and laughing like rabid hyenas.

Charlotte followed them, not knowing Emma was still behind her.

"I can't wait to watch you get disemboweled," she hissed into her ear, then walking up to join the others.

She grit her teeth.

Whatever was about to happen, it was not going to be rainbows and butterflies.