Disclaimer: I do not own either Winx Club or Rick Riordan's work - I only dabble with their worlds and characters.


Sapphire paused just before the entrance to her new dormitory, her left hand twisted behind her back so her fingers could ghost over the scar. It had been seven years since the day her eyes were opened, seven long years full of pushing her body beyond its physical limits. And now she was just shy of sixteen years and ready to push herself all over again, this time with a focus on magic. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard, one of her books had stated that the physical state often impacted and strengthened the magical. The book was right, for two weeks in she had been decreed too advanced for the first year of study and was bumped up, with the condition of extra lessons on the weekend to brush up on theoretical knowledge.

Her hand fell away from the scar, a shake of her head sending the painful memory back where it belonged. Now was not the time, she had new dorm mates to meet and new classes to prepare for. The only reason she was even attending Alfea was to better help her realm in its war. That was the end goal, something she had been steadily working on with training. So far she had made an impact, or at least she believed she had. The captain often parroted that one extra sword made a difference. Going off that, one extra sword and a good deal more magical power should have a greater impact. A double threat, that's what she would be.

Again she shook her head, throwing open the doors before she slipped back into darker thoughts. The noise that had been bubbling away on the other side fell silent, six girls eyeing her from their scattered positions around the common area. She didn't know these girls, but she did recognise them. Upon looking again, Sapphire did know two of the girls. The blonde was Stella of Solaria, and the dark skinned girl with wild tresses was Aisha from Andros, heirs to their respective kingdoms. More than that, they were her old childhood friends.

"You must be our new roomie," the girl with pigtails spoke up, headphones slung around her neck carelessly as she leaned back into her beanbag. "Welcome. I'm Musa."

"Sapphire," she answered in kind, stepping further into the common area. "Which room am I in?"

"I'm Aisha and you're with me," Aisha answered, gesturing towards the far door. Sapphire nodded in thanks, not at all minding that her old friend didn't recognise her. It had been seven years, almost eight, since she spent time with either girl. Still, understanding didn't stop the momentary twinge of disappointment as she placed her belongings in her new room.

Upon return she was introduced to the remaining girls she didn't recognise, as well as Stella. There was Bloom with her red hair, Tecna was the one engrossed in her computer with pink hair, and Flora was the brunette watering some plants. They were the Winx Club, a group of fairies slowly gaining fame across the magic dimension after saving Magix the previous year. Sapphire had heard about it from Elise one night, her younger sister enamoured with the fairies before her and what they had down. At the time she didn't show any sign of interest, but in all honesty these girls impressed her. They had achieved what she was aiming to do for Istea, admittedly they had been in a battle caused primarily fought by magic.

Instead of lingering on the nuances between their battle and her own, Sapphire found herself seated among the other girls. That evening was spent getting acquainted with them all, and withholding the desire to roll her eyes as both Stella and Aisha remembered. While her face remained rather emotionless as hours passed, it's not to say she didn't have fun that first day with her new dorm mates. Her training had simply kicked in, the need to keep them guessing and anything that could be a weakness secret.

[[I don't want a line break here. I want a brief time skip. Silly website.]]

Time seemed to pass quickly around Alfea, or more accurately, around the Winx Club. The group of girls had become her friends, even if she didn't ever admit it aloud. They looked out for her, and she in turn watched out for them. It wouldn't do for the information to get back to the Greek Gods and their demigod offspring. Sapphire would be devastated if any of the girls were used against her, just as she would if they ever got her little sister. For that reason alone she was so very careful to keep some distance between herself and the Winx. The same distance that now lay between her and little Elise.

Right then, a month and a half into term, the now sixteen year old was walking across the grounds with her friends. They had just left potionology class, one that Flora and Tecna both seemed to excel in. Oh the other hand, Sapphire seemed to provide the in class entertainment. How she had managed to create fireworks out of a simple health potion was a mystery to the girls and Professor Palladium, and the reason for early dismissal.

"So was that planned, Sapphire?" Bloom question, the blue eyes on the red head were clearer than her own, more cyan. Five more pairs also turned her way, each awaiting an answer. Sapphire swallowed, the fingers of her right hand brushing against the charm bracelet on her left wrist.

"No," Sapphire paused mid step, her brows furrowing as she hugged the textbooks a bit closer to her chest. When they wanted to be, the Winx Club was mighty intimidating. "I don't know what happened. I just put in a little burst of magic like the instructions said!"

"Oh sweetie, you misread them," Flora piped up, falling back alongside her and Bloom as the others continued towards their next class. "You were meant to infuse your magic with the driftia petal to increase its healing attributes. I'll show you later, okay?"

"Oh, thanks Flora," Sapphire mumbled, unable to hide the blush colouring her cheeks. The two girls on either side laughed, Bloom slinging an arm across her shoulder. The youngest in the group looked up at the other two, seeing they weren't at all upset at her error, again. It happened almost every potionology class and everyone had grown used to it. For someone like her who had received training and knew how important coordination and focus was, it was embarrassing to constantly fail in one class where they were so important.

"C'mon, Fye, we've got Professor DuFour next. You know what she's like about punctuality," Bloom stated, dragging her along with Flora a step behind. Sapphire squirmed in the red head's grip, trying to loosen the hold without actually injuring her friend.

It took a few moments for the dark haired girl to slip free, and even then it was only possible due to screams and roars echoing across the grounds. The three girls all froze for a second, turning as one to face the direction they had just come from. Girls were running from the building, a few older years standing watch over the exit and covering the escape. Sapphire glanced towards both Bloom and Flora, all sharing a nod before sprinting back into the building.

It was Bloom who saw the beast first, if only because her longer legs allowed her to skid around the corner before the other two could. Her gasp said enough, their own accompanying it seconds later. The creature filled the entire corridor, its shaggy behind on full view to their disgust. Unfortunately the sight didn't get much better when it turned around. The fur covering it was coarse and matted, two curved horns protruding from its massive head. The beast stood as if human, though its cloven hooves spoke otherwise. Its face almost reminded her of a bull, but no bull she knew of had human arms.

"So, think we'll get out of detention 'cause of this?" Bloom asked weakly, her hair seeming to move of its own accord.

"I don't care, I just want to know what it is" Sapphire replied, already reaching for her charm bracelet as she took a steadying breath.

"A minotaur," Flora answered, green flecks of magic already coming to her fingertips. "It first came into existence in the time of the Greek Gods and has since spread across the magic dimension."

The blood rushed out of Sapphire's face at the information, her body turning as her back come in contact with the wall. She waved a hand, dismissing the worried calls of Bloom and Flora. The minotaur was likely only here because of her presence. Istea was the only known realm currently in conflict with the Greek Gods, and therefore the only explanation to the beast being so far from its natural home. Somehow her enemies had discovered she had left the protection of her kingdom and its warriors. The new target was Alfea, her school. That was not okay in her books.

"Move, Fye!"

She tilted her head towards the beast, her eyes widening at the fist coming towards her. She threw her body towards the carpeted ground, tucking into a roll to come up on the other side of the corridor. Sapphire turned around once more, noticing her two friends had transformed and were flying around the minotaur and throwing magical attacks in an attempt to distract it, or better yet, subdue it. Her fingers once again found the charm bracelet on her left wrist, more specifically a single charm hidden among the rest.

A sword sprung up in her hands, its two tone metal glinting in the light of spell fire. Sapphire had no memory of when she received that charm on her bracelet, or the sword it transformed into. It had just appeared in her hand a few years back when she had been playing with the bracelet. No one had really seen it except the demigods she fought on The Weeping Expanse. It had been her secret, the metal shining a pure silver at the edges, while a darker metal she associated with iron swirled through the middle of the blade. One of a kind, she had never seen the likes of it in the hands of Istea's warriors or the demigods. She alone held such a blade, and she loved it so very dearly.

Her right hand found purchase in the worn leather grip, her muscles tensing for a moment before her training kicked in. Relax the muscles, open the senses, find the rhythm of the battle and control (or worst case, follow) it, and always get back up. Yet the most important aspect to any battle was to expect the unexpected. It didn't matter that she was now on Alfea's grounds, this was still a battle, a branch of the main war really. Now eight years ago to the day she had been caught unawares, blind to what was really going on. That would never happen again, not if she had her way.

All of this lasted only a few seconds. Sapphire had again focused on the minotaur, it's enraged bellow clear to all as it swatted at the only two fairies brave enough to get close. Bloom and Flora, the fiery red hair and the green magic of the other a dead giveaway. Her tongue darted out, licking at dry lips, before she joined the fray. She let loose a cry, a challenge to the beast. The sword swung in a sparkling arc, an extension of her arm as she danced among the creature's legs. A small part of her mind noticed the other Winx Club members joining in, their voices a cacophony yelling for her to transform. The same small part of her mind ignored them in favour of rolling between the overly large legs to stare at its back.

Sapphire had only annoyed it further, the magic of her friends increasing its ire. The beast managed to turn around, beady eyes focussing on her with the sword. She was the real threat, the spell fire didn't seem to be causing much damage no matter how they all tried. So the teen took the most expected route, sword slashing across its knees before darting further down the corridor and out of reach. As long as the minotaur remained within the school corridors she held the advantage, able to dart about while it's much larger frame struggled. All she had to do was not get caught while preventing it from reaching the main doors outside. And as soon as it was tired enough she could swoop in for the kill. Easy.

Sapphire was not at all surprised when reality laughed in her face again, nothing ever came easy.


I'm back with chapter two. Hope it isn't too disappointing. I'm not exactly happy with my own writing, but I never really am these days. I am, however, happier with how it reads compared to the original. Not perfect, but better. I have a few notes again, apologies for that.

_ First on the agenda: A HUGE shout out to ChimaTigon who must have liked it enough to both favourite and follow! I love you! Not going to lie, opening my email to see this made my day. Thank you.

_ Again, don't expect regular updates. If I have chapters sitting there ready I will post them a week after the previous - just as I have with this one and will likely do the next. Of course, being on holidays helps with that right now.

_ Please do get in touch. I like constructive feedback. I appreciate mistakes being pointed out. Only my eyes see the writing until it is released on here. Please help me improve.

And that's it for today, or rather tonight as midnight has recently passed. Again, enjoy your stay.

Published :: 18 Jan, 2018

Word Count :: 2130

RaaJen.