The Prince of Ice

Day One

The hall in which he had spoken to the Gods was a huge building instead, meant probably for just those occasions. The terrain around him was a lush valley, building were far spread out. Just by counting there were about 5 main buildings.

One was the one he had just come out of, with its massive door and frame it was meant for huge outcomes and meetings. The next one he saw had a huge red cross on it, so no doubt idly it was the infirmary. He got a full explanation form Dotty as she guided him to the “dorm” as she so bluntly put it.

“The building on the right of the infirmary is the mess hall.” It was a large flat one with a small outdoor loft with some tables. All and all things looked normal enough for everything else.

“Then everything else is what you’d regularly expect from a normal school.” Dotty smiled weakly

“We have a study Hall, recreation center, already told you about the infirmary and the building you came from is called the Wools Warf. But people just call it the meeting hall.”

Dimitri couldn’t help but stop himself from snorting out loud, “Wools Warf? What kind of name is that?”

Dotty smiled at him truly this time, “It was the name of the first students ever to come here, Andre Wools Warf. But I’m sure your gonna like it here.”

Dimitri rolled his eyes; this was gonna be one hell of a week.

“And here are the dorms!” Dotty said as she walked up to a huge building. Just by looking at it, it almost seemed bigger than the Meeting hall. About a good 7 levels high and as wide as 3 infirmary buildings put together.

Dotty opened the huge doors and lead him in, at first glance it looked like any normal college dorm rooms. The hall was a tan color as Dotty lead him threw the order in which they were in.

“Every floor has 2 Gods in which they are homed by. Except for the 1 and 5th floor. The first floor is all Lord Hermes children, but there are a truck load of them so, they need a whole floor.” She said as she motioned around the first floor.

As they approached the stairs to the next floor a voice called out threw the silence.

“Hey Dotty wait up!” it yelled as a small boy walked up to them both.

He was scrawny with raven black hair and glasses. He had a baggy shirt on with faded letters that Dimitri couldn’t make out and a pair of 2 sizes to big sweats on. He looked so small as he looked up at Dotty and smiled a brilliant grin of teeth.

“Hello Artemis, what’s up?” she smiled as she kneeled down and patted the boy on the head.

Artemis looked at her and then his eyes fell on Dimitri, his mouth went slacked for a moment.

“WOW YOU’RE THE DUDE THAT DISSED ESMERELDA TODAY AREN’T YA!?” He said in complete aw.

“I didn’t mean too though. But she makes it so easy I couldn’t help it!” Dimitri grumbled.

Artemis laughed, though he didn’t pick up on the fact that Dimitri wasn’t trying to be funny.

“Well it was really cool. Hope you like it around here!” he said as he disappeared down a hall way in the opposite direction.

“He’s a really nice kid, a bit of a dreamer though.” Dotty laughed as she walked up the stairs.

The next floor was completely different as Dimitri got his first look of things. The halls were…red! He could only guess whose floor was this.

“This as you have already guessed is Lord Ares’ floor, along with Lady Athena’s as well. Being them so close of siblings!”

The emphasis on “close” was ironic as she motioned down another hallway. Now Dimitri was starting to understand what this all meant. The halls were divided into 2 separate wings for each god, housing there children in them. The other side in which Lord Ares wing ended was a hard wood sort of library-ish look to it. It didn’t surprise him at all as they passed and walked up another flight of stairs.

The next went on without a hitch, Dotty explained each of the floors with the highest of knowledge on them. Obviously she had been here a long time.

The third floor belonged to Aphrodite and Hephaestus, the 4th Apollo and his sister Artemis, 5th Hera and Dionysius. When they finally got the 6th floor not only was it the most bland but it almost seemed a bit sad.

“This is the unidentified wing, this whole wing is for those who don’t know who there parent is.” She said as a group of kids no older than 9 speed past them. Dimitri felt a tug at his heart as he watched them pass, he knew what it was like to not be certain or not to know who you were at all. But at such a young age they didn’t care, and how he wished he had that kind of outlook when he was young. Maybe if he had he wouldn’t be so reluctant to trust others.

“Hello? Dimitri you with me?” Dotty asked after a moment of silence. Dimitri tried to shake off his thoughts, “Sorry I was just gone for a minute.”

“Anyplace good?” she asked playfully as she lead him to the last floor.

“And finally this is the 7th floor, ultimately known as the penthouse.” Instantly Dimitri knew what she meant by the penthouse. Unlike the other floors that had simple windows and frames, the entire hall was made of glass windows. They were huge and as far as the eye could see. You could also see a clear divider in which it was Lord Hades or Zeus or Poseidon’s wing. The doors had certain colors in which to signify that.

“What in the world is he doing here?!?” a shriek greeted him as Dotty and Dimitri spun around. There they both saw Esmeralda looking none to happy to see either one of them.

“I was just giving Dimitri here a grand tour of the Dorms and everywhere else. There isn’t a rule against that!” Dotty snapped as she stepped forward menacingly. Something forced him to see that Dotty and Esmeralda didn’t get along at all, maybe something in there past together.

“No my dear Dotty there isn’t a rule against new students getting a tour, but he is a prisoner and will be treated as such!” she said casting her stormy eyes at him.

“As proof be shone he isn’t a prisoner but a well accompanied guest for know, as you were when you nearly blew up the penthouse on your first night here!” Dotty hissed.

Esmeralda turned a bright red and tossed another look at Dimitri, “You know your days here are numbered!”

All Dimitri could do besides not try and pummel her was to smile, “And as you no doubted know I don’t plan on staying, so put your mind at ease princess I won’t bug you!”

Silence, nothing but pure tension radiated threw the atmosphere. Esmeralda sniffed and disappeared into one of the gold lined rooms, obviously ruled by Zeus.

“She’s not always this bad.” Dotty said as they began to walk down the stairs to the unidentified floor.

Dimitri found that hard to believe, “So what’s her problem then?”

Dotty seemed to shy away from answering right away, so he let the subject drop as she opened a door at the right of the stairs.

It was a plain room, with 2 windows as Dimitri walked in. It was a plain white wall type of place and with a bed and a dresser standing right in the corner of the room. A closet and another door that probably lead to the bathroom. Dimitri looked out the window, the sun was setting as he looked out onto the open water. He hadn’t even bothered to ask where they were but being in New York and that bus ride didn’t seem more than 40 minutes so by the looks of it he was most likely in Long Island somewhere. He sighed, and turned back to Dotty.

“I know this must have been a long day for you but I’m sure you’ll learn to like it here.” She said almost remorsefully.

“How long have you been here?”

At first Dotty just looked across the room to him from the doorway, “More than 3 years I guess. Why?”

Dimitri cast another look out the window again, his eyes misted over with thoughts that he could never say to another living being.

How could he tell her that he was scared? Or ask her anything remotely about this place, this was all so new to him.

“No reason” he muttered. His eyes didn’t shift from the window as Dotty bid him a goodnight, and telling him that dinner would be served in the Mess hall in 25 minutes.

For the for those 20 minutes Dimitri tried to figure out how in a days time he had traveled from his own apartment to this strange and new place. The math didn’t add up for a while, until he added his stupidity for bringing the girl back with him. He sighed and looked at the clock at the head of the room. It had been nearly 23 minutes so he decided to make his way to the mess hall.

The mess hall was a odd assortment of screaming and yelling kids, all of them trying to get there fair share of food for there stomachs. It was a huge hall with 12 long tables all of which must have represented the gods again and there children. But he noticed how a lot of them didn’t belong with the table they sat with. Call it a 6th sense but Dimitri could tell who was what, everyone had a certain signature to their aura. Athenians had a certain sheen to their aura than others of a different lineage.

He soon spotted Dotty at a far off table of Athenians, she motioned for him to come over and sit with her. Giving her a grateful smile he made his way over to them but was stopped by two huge looking kids.

“So you’re the little brat that nearly killed out half brothers!” One snarled. On a closer look Dimitri saw that the one that was talking was actually a girl!!!!

“I didn’t kill them now did I!” he retorted as he tried to side step her, but she blocked him in again. The other one made sure that he was unable to move back or go around him (I think) either. The entire hall had gone quite as this was going on, over a hundred eyes were now staring at the whole act as if it were a play coming into form.

“Oh a wise guy huh?!? Well then fresh meat I’d like to be the first to give you the initiation punch of your stay here!” but as she wound up to hit him Dimitri was ready for it. He backed up little so that she would come forward and then ducked as she let loose. Hitting her companion right in the chest, Dimitri walked around them both and toward Dotty.

“That was pretty smooth!” one of the students at the table said as he took a seat. Dimitri looked at the two who he had just fooled and they were still looking for him. He snorted a laugh, “Its not that hard once you do it the first time.”

The noise began to rise again as talk regained itself. Dimitri lost himself in the uproar and tried to keep up. He was sitting with Dotty at the Athenian group, they all had so much to say to one another it was almost stifling.

Then suddenly all the noise stopped again, Dimitri looked around and ta the head of the room stood a man. He had a special blue and silver uniform on and was….half horse. Dimitri blinked again to clear his eyes, he must have been dreaming. There stood a man but the lower half of his body was a horse half horse, his hair was a silver white and his skin was almost a creamy peach something of an arch angel. He’d thought that centaurs (that’s what there called) were all wild and untamed running around in the forest. But this one looked the exact opposite, he looked out onto them all, he blue eyes scanning the area. Until he meet with Dimitri did he stop and smile.

“Welcome one and all to another year here at Heavens school for the wayward and extremely gifted.” He said his voice booming to every corner of the great hall.

“For some new faces I am Chiron, trainer of heroes and also the dean here. If any problems please come see me if necessary. But please take your seats and let us begin.”

Dimitri cast Dotty an uncertain look, “Don’t worry just for a few minutes, these first day introductions.” She smiled as she pointed to where he should sit.

Taking his seat at last next to a few other kids, Dimitri instantly noticed that most of the unidentified kids were very young. He could see that the oldest was about maybe 12, so this was as embarrassing as sitting at the kids table.

“Now let us feast.” At that empty dishes appeared right before everyone in an instant and food began to pile up on them as if out of this air.

Dimitri felt his mouth water as he saw steak, chicken and all sorts of tasty food appear on his plate. His stomach gave an uncomfortable grumble at realizing he hadn’t eaten for almost 2 days.

“And if all of you would please make your offering.”

Okay, now he was lost. Dimitri looked around him to see that most of the kids were taking up certain food from there trays and heading outside.

“When in Rome do as the Romans do.” He muttered to himself as he took a few things on a separate plate and headed outside along with the rest of them.

A fire had been lit just outside the hall as they all lined up, now it started to piece together, these were offerings to the Gods.

Stepping into the line he made his way to the fire, the thought of who he should praise. Once there he looked into the lapping flame and finally made up his mind.

“To Athena, to help me be wise in what I must do to help me on my path.” He made the first one as cryptic as possible as not to give himself away.

Looking at his plate, he poured the rest of the food in, “And to you father: so is that I can make you proud.” Dimitri said under his breath as the festivities continued deep into the night.

~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~