Chapter 4

Maka and Soul walked to class, slightly behind their friends. "Soul, something's up with Annabeth. I can feel it."

"Hm? Oh yeah?" Soul asked, feigning interest.

"Yeah. The last time I saw her in person, she was six. We used to hang out every summer, but the summer when she was seven, her dad suddenly cancelled on us. It's just… after all these years, she seems to be holding something back. Something is different. I glanced at her soul, and… I guess I don't know. Something was weird about it."

Suddenly, Soul actually was a bit interested. "What was weird?"

"Well… you know how most souls are blue? With the exception of those weird souls Professor David's been teaching us about, uh…"

"Grimaldi souls?" Soul offered.

"Grigori souls. Anyway, souls are either shaped strange and colored oddly, or blue and normal. Annabeth's wasn't exactly blue, though. It was more of a grayish color."

"Gray?"

"Yeah. And Percy's was sea-green, and I swear I could hear the ocean when I saw it."

"But they aren't shaped oddly?"

"That's the thing! They are perfectly normal otherwise!"

"And maybe you can talk to Lord Death about it later. But we're gonna be late to class if we don't hurry up." Maka looked at the time and groaned.

"Okay, let's run." Maka took off running with Soul not far behind.

LINE BREAK

Percy and Annabeth stared in awe at the room around them. As they walked under the guillotine-shaped gates, David pushed them further.

"Hurry up."

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, the two demigods reached a circular platform where a black piece of cloth stood upright in the middle.

"Um… what's that cloth?" asked Percy. The "cloth" turned around and cocked its head.

"Who are you calling a cloth?"

"Gah! It talks!"

"It is a shinigami, Percy. Show some respect. I apologize, Lord Death." David bowed.

"Death? Thanatos?" asked Annabeth.

"You could say that, I suppose, Annabeth. But here, I am Shinigami-sama, or more often referred to as Lord Death. So, how did you two get here? The Olympians told me they wouldn't allow demigods to cross the border!"

The two glanced at each other. "What?"

David stood up. "Allow me to explain." He walked up to the stand-alone mirror at the edge of the platform and scribbled something on it. It fogged up and suddenly showed a diagram.

"This is where you are, Percy, Annabeth. This is where you came from." The map shifted. "Camp Half-Blood, New York. For the longest time, Death City was separated and kept away from demigods because they are far too powerful to come here. The gods promised Lord Death that their children would stay away from Death City. However, here you two are, in the middle of Death City."

"You got that?" asked Death.

Annabeth nodded. Percy shook his head. David sighed, bowed his head, and caught a glance of his watch. "Oh no. I have a class to teach right now. If you will, shinigami-sama."

"Go ahead. Teach those youngins to be the best they can be! You can do it, David!" Spirit jumped from behind a pillar.

"Tell my dearest Maka that her papa said hi!"

REAPER CHOP!

Spirit was in the corner with a rectangular dent in his head, blood leaking onto the ground, and a concerned Annabeth asking about the well-being of her "dear Uncle Spirit."

Percy looked at Lord Death and grinned. "So how's life been after I freed you, Thanatos?"

"Here, Perseus Jackson, I am Lord Death. I have reasons to be in every universe, as Death is universal, but I will not respond to my universe 3 name."

"My apologies, Lord Death," Percy said sarcastically.

REAPER CHOP!

Percy was sitting next to Spirit with an identical dent in his head and Annabeth making sure they were both okay.

Lord Death sighed. Teaching them about weapons and meisters may take a while.

LINE BREAK

David stepped into the classroom where his students sat. "Good morning, class."

"Good morning Professor David," the class moaned in reply.

"So, has anyone achieved seeing their own soul yet?" He looked around expectantly. "No. Okay then. Has anyone determined who the owner of the grigori soul is? No one? I see. I'll be offering extra credit to anyone who can tell me. Very well then. Let us move on to today's lesson." David began writing something on the board behind him while Soul leaned over to Maka.

"How about you take a look at his soul, Maka. Tell us about that one." Maka nodded and leaned in, focusing her Soul Perception on the professor. Suddenly, the shape of his soul appeared around him. His soul, a pure white color, did not look like an average soul. Instead, it took the form of a ball, like most souls, with two wings, one on each side.

"Soul, he has a grigori soul," Maka mumbled.

David turned around. "Did someone say something?"

Maka raised her hand. "When you asked about the grigori soul, did you mean yours, Professor?" David looked at the girl and grinned.

"No Maka. I didn't. Keep trying. You are the closest thus far." David turned back to the board. "So, today, I will be teaching you how to manipulate the world around you using your soul wavelength."

"What does that mean?" asked Soul.

"I'm gonna teach you magic, Soul. Now pay attention." David turned around and began writing yet another thing on the blackboard when the door burst open.

"YAHOO! I am the great assassin, Black*Sta-"

Before the "great assassin" could make his grand entrance, David was at the door and Black*Star was facedown, bleeding, four hallways over.

"Come to class on time, Black*Star. Now, as I was saying, I am going to need two volunteers for this activity." David glanced at his class roster. "Ah! Maka Albarn and Soul 'Eater' Evans. Please come down." The two named students stood and walked to the front of the class. "I will need both of you to assume weapon form."

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Maka.

"You heard me, Albarn."

"Um… Professor," Tsubaki began, before the class erupted into shouts.

"What a wackjob!"

"Maka's a meister, weirdo!"

"Ha, Maka's not a weapon. Choose someone else!"

"Silence!" David shouted. Wind swept through the room and not a sound was heard. "Thank you. Now, Maka, weapon form." Maka shook her head.

"I can't. I'm not a weapon." David frowned. He made a strange gesture with his hands and pushed them toward the girl and her partner. Suddenly, Maka was imploding.