I guess you could say I was in over my head. We weren't even in love in the first place- we must have gotten carried away during that festival for Dionysus. The next thing I know, she's pregnant, and we get married. After all, there was no way I'd disgrace her by revealing what we did. Best to keep it under wraps and pretend it happened after marriage. Even so, I felt my life just slip away; what was I even doing? I wasn't old enough for a family yet... there must be some other way. She says she thinks it will be a boy, but I think it's gonna be a girl, if it matters.

...

She finally gave birth to the thing. I thought it'd never happen soon enough; the past eight months were unbearable. As it happened, I swore I was gonna puke. How on earth could two normal human beings create that... slime-ball? I swear, it was scarier than Hera's wrath on her time of month. And I thought babies were supposed to be cute! Then we cleaned it off... I mean, him off... Turns out he was a boy after all. I wiped my slippery hand on a cloth, swearing I would never eat with that hand again.

And then something amazing happened. After he was bundled up and breathing evenly, he gripped my finger. I couldn't help but give a small gasp... Why was his hand so tiny? Forget centaurs and sirens; I had finally found out the most intriguing creature of all. And he was all mine.

...

It's no surprise that she left. We tried to make it work out, but there was nothing for her here. It is for the best. At least, it is for us, but what about him? Won't he need a mother?

...

He's definitely taller than my knees now. I just love it when he calls me "dad". It makes me feel warm, like I'm not alone in this anymore. Really, all my life everyone has been judging me. Criticizing me. But he just totters along happily and doesn't have a single complaint.

Should he? Have I been doing a good enough job? I feel like I see the answer when I see his toothy smile.

...

I was walking back from the acropolis after making some good bargains on food. I could only pick up odd jobs here and there, so we really had to stretch our budget. Still, I was really pleased with myself. I had managed to walk away with plenty of meat, which was starting to be his favorite. We would have a feast for dinner. I can remember walking around the corner and nearly getting run down by a cart. Maybe I yelled something at him, like "This isn't a chariot race!" or something similar. At least I didn't drop the meat, I thought. I quickened my pace; I, too, really wanted to try the meat. I imagined the juices dribbling out as it sizzled over a flame, and I could even smell the smoke.

...Smoke...

There really was smoke. As I rounded another corner to find my house, my world came crashing down.

I'm not sure what started the fire, but it had burned across the row of houses as if they were made of oil. I dropped all of the meat- kind of ironic, actually- and rushed into our home without a second thought. I don't even remember how I had gotten so many burns as I ran past our now bright-red furniture, but I do remember how terrible it felt. The fear. The hope. Please, please be okay...

It was so hard to find him, though. Everything was a blur from the heat, and the tears that began clouding my stinging eyes. I shouted his name, practically crawling on the floor so I wouldn't get lost in the flames. Hadn't I searched there already? Damn, damn! My stupid body wouldn't even listen to me anymore.

It took forever for me to realize it, since my brain had been slowed as well, but my body was getting sluggish. I couldn't breathe. The smoke was proving to be lethal. And then the room started spinning...

How did I even end up on the floor? Just then, I heard the weakest cry that had managed to make itself heard over the roaring fire. It was him, finally. I could barely make out the shape of his body; the fire was burning even brighter now. I felt more tears spring up in my eyes, but this time it wasn't from the smoke.

I should have never left. He needed me, and I wasn't there. Inching myself closer along the floor, I could finally see his face. It was tear-streaked, but now he was too feeble to even cry. Oh, cruel irony... I had found him before it was too late, but now I couldn't do anything to protect him. I struggled to even grasp his still-tiny hand as darkness obscured everything. The last thing I could feel was the flames spreading, licking ever closer... but we wouldn't even feel it. We would die from the smoke before they consumed our bodies.

...

It must have been our souls. We were getting sucked down, down, into the Underworld, and there was Charon, our ferryman. Our hands were clenched tight, but we didn't speak a word. It's almost as if we couldn't. With dread, I realized that no one had given us the proper libation in the land of the living; how were we to pay him to take us across the river Styx if we weren't given any coins? I was planning to strike some bargain with him, but he just glanced at me before I could speak and said, "I cannot take you across."

I was indignant. Surely there must be some other way. Again, before I could argue, he spoke up again. "The boy will stay. But you do not belong here."

What did that mean? But surely enough, a force that felt as if a giant hand had closed around my soul began dragging me up. I tried to maintain my grip on his hand, but the same force severed our connection. What would happen to his soul? I couldn't leave him all alone!

"No! I won't let you go again!" I stretched out my arm, but he didn't return the gesture. He just smiled sadly, as if accepting the fate he was too young to comprehend.

"I'll miss you..."

There was a rush of air, and he was lost forever.

...

When I reawakened, I immediately wanted to go back. He still needed me. I tried grasping at whatever I could- a sword, even a plate- anything that could take me back to him. The people who had taken me away from him restrained my arms, but I still managed to make a small cut right by my neck. It bled gold.

I started sobbing. Why did they do this? Why didn't they save him, and not me? Even the goddess, as kind as she was, couldn't make things any better. My son was lost to me, and it was their fault.

At least now I had wings, because all I wanted to do was to fly away from everything.

...

The kid apparently couldn't remember much. Palutena thinks it's because his soul had been in the Underworld for a while before she brought it back. He probably would've gone to Elysium, which is pretty much the best afterlife available, if not for his little goof-up when he was living. It's kinda scary, really; he had barely spent any time in the Asphodel Fields, but he had already forgotten everything. That's just what the place does to you, though. Those who go there lose every sense of being.

He's definitely recuperating, at least. General Miles is giving me all sorts of crap about him after hearing the prophecy. Actually, he's more than justified. General Miles had just been a mere cherub when the bloody clash had happened between Palutena and Medusa, and he's entirely uptight and suspicious now in his old age. Plus, I'm uneasy about the kid, too.

It's hard to believe he could do any harm now, when I look at him. He's bone-thin. I couldn't help but disapprove... hasn't his mortal father been feeding him right? I was planning on feeding him lots of meat. I wouldn't have any myself, though; After the incident that happened so long ago, I don't think I'll ever stomach meat again.

...

Of all the stupid things that kid had to do, he just had to go beat someone up. On his first day at the Academy, too!

I had gripped his arm furiously. What if the prophecy was right? What if he would hurt more people?

"Why did you do it?," I snapped as I dragged him home. "Violence doesn't solve anything, you know! I swear, Brutus must have lost at least four of his teeth."

His eyes were wide with horror. "I-I'm sorry Alex! It's just that he was teas-sing me and stuff-f! And t-they were already loose!" At that, I frowned and loosened my grip slightly. He really did look sorry... maybe I had overreacted.

Then I realized that he was cradling his other arm against himself, and golden blood was dripping from his hand. Without a word, I grasped his arm and stretched it out to examine it. Being yellow, an angel's bruises are hard to pick out against their skin, but this one was bright and blotchy. Brutus must have hit him in the arm. I relaxed a little when I noticed that the blood was only dripping from his knuckles, from punching Brutus in the mouth. Maybe it was wrong of me, but I felt a twinge of pride. The kid dealt a mean left hook.

He glanced at my serious expression with worry. "Is something wrong? Are you mad at me?" I let go of his arm and straightened up.

"No. I'm just going to have a long talk with Brutus's Guardian." I paused. "Why was he... 'teasing' you, anyways?"

The kid hung his head shamefully. "I-I tried flying in the fields today, but... it was really bad." He flushed as if he had just divulged some horrible secret. I tried talking to him about how flying works for some angels, but not for larger ones like us, but he didn't seem to feel any better. Really, he should feel proud... not that he had stooped down to Brutus's level, but that he had managed to beat him.

Because Brutus had just graduated from the Academy today, and he was already part of Palutena's army.

...

"Pit? What are you doing?" He was panting and lying on his belly on the floor. There must have been a puddle of sweat larger than Oceanus.

"...Just... doing... some wing... exercises...," he wheezed.

I sighed. "Not again. Your love of flying will be the death of you." Having somewhat caught his breath, he sat up. He had failed his flying exam several times now, but the kid was so determined.

"I just feel like... I've soared before. And if I could just fly high enough, I could reach everything I've ever dreamed of on my own strength." Uh-oh. We were getting into a dangerous topic.

"I don't mean that you shouldn't dream big, but this much foolishness could incite the gods' wrath. You know how touchy they are."

He sighed wistfully. "Yeah..."

I had to admire his work ethic. Meaning, his ethic in working on his flying, not so much on other stuff. In school, he was lazy in everything but sparring and archery, and he still managed to stay on top of things. He was really growing so fast...

...

I ask myself what I'm doing. Because I look at him, and it's not the same. My son was polite and kind and sensitive. My son was smart and everything wonderful. My son did not deserve his fate.

He is nothing like my son. This is different. But I think of the flames and of terrible things, and then I can't help but hope that it really isn't the same.

Maybe this time really will be different.

Pit clutched at his forehead in an effort to suppress his throbbing headache as he stumbled down the creaking stairs. It had been a mistake to try that wine, but apparently it was imported from the very gardens of Dionysus himself! So of course he had to take just a little taste... though he couldn't really remember what had transpired afterwards. He was pretty sure that he had dreamt about something weird, but even that had managed to slip his mind.

"Look who slept in today." Pit merely grunted at Alex with eyes still squinted nearly shut. Standing by a wooden table, he pulled out a chair that was taller than he was, wincing at the scuffing sound it made against the floor.

"Whuzz for breakfust?"

The Guardian shrugged, plopping bread and cheese on the table. "The usual... oh, and we got another shipment of fruit, too!"

Pit groaned; that could only mean one thing...

"Now I know how much you hate it, but you really do have to eat your eggplant this time. Do you know how expensive they are?," Alex lectured, his hand passing over a drool-inducing bunch of grapes, their skins just about ready to burst with their succulent juice, to instead grasp an ugly, purple lump of eggplant. "They're imported from very far away, after all. And they're good for you!"

Why did Alex have to be such a devout vegetarian? Pit wrinkled his nose, though he seemed to be perking up. "Um... I'll pass, thank you."

"You are not leaving this table until you eat your eggplant."

He sighed exasperatedly. Alex didn't understand; they were so weird! They were fruit, they tasted so bitter, their texture was meaty, and they tasted nothing like eggs. Plus they were purple, which was a girly color. Pit plopped it disgustedly on his plate as if it were something he'd picked off of the ground. Prolonging the inevitable, he started on the bread. Alex gave a satisfied nod and seated himself as well, taking a look at the local news that was passed around daily, squinting at the inky scrawl on papyrus.

"Hoy, doeth it shay anyding aboud Heracles?," Pit piped up excitedly, his mouth still full of bread.

Alex shrugged and replied, "I dunno. Who's Heracles, anyways?" He blinked as Pit gaped at him, which was rather disgusting since he hadn't finished swallowing his mouthful.

"He's only the coolest person ever! I bet everyone knows about Heracles but you, Alex!" Pit winced at his own voice, not having fully recovered from his headache. The Guardian sighed. What was it with kids and their idols? So he fought off a buncha birds... big deal. Now Perseus- he was cool. At least, back in the day, he was.

"Isn't he a bad example for kids like you? Didn't he kill his family or something?"

Pit started tearing into his cheese. "But that wasn't really his fault! Hera's just got it out for him!"

"Right." Alex raised his eyebrows as he continued reading. "Ooh, here's coverage on that scandal with Aphrodite and Ares..."

The boy craned his head. "Really? I wanna see!" Alex hurriedly folded the paper and flushed.

"Er, no, I don't think you're quite old enough to read about that yet," he coughed.

"Aw..." By then, Pit had managed to practically inhale everything from the table. "Anyways, I wanna be like Heracles when I'm older... you know, fight some monsters and stuff like that. Maybe even a sea serpent like the Hydra!"

Alex just sighed heavily. He can remember when he was an idealistic kid, too. With a stick as an imaginary sword, he often pretended that he had been the one to cut off Medusa's head rather than the hero Perseus. Though, actually, she managed to even survive her decapitation. After all, she was immortal. Alexander just never imagined that he actually would be involved in a clash against Medusa. And this wasn't for fun or for an adventure or fame. It was to protect all that he came to know and love in Angel Land.

Pit eyed his distracted Guardian cautiously and back at the uneaten eggplant in front of him. "Well, I don't wanna be late for school, so I'll-just-leave-now-bye!" He stood up and mounted off his tall chair, only to be grabbed by the scruff of his tunic.

"Not so fast. You didn't finish your meal." Alex was experienced enough to know his tricks. The boy rolled his eyes. He grabbed the unseemly fruit and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth and glanced back at his Guardian, who nodded approvingly. He sprinted out the door and down a cloudy pathway. When he was sure he was out of sight, he spat it out as he continued to run past different statues.

One of his favorites showed a man wrestling a giant snake, which was right next to a sculpture depicting an angel fighting off several Shemums at once. It was so cool!

Somewhere in his heart, Pit knew that he'd have an amazing adventure, too. But he didn't know just how soon it would begin.

At the Academy, everyone was buzzing about the news. Major Collin, also the Academy's best flying teacher, had gone missing as of last night.

He had apparently decided to stay at the Academy after hours to tend to its cloudy flying field, where the target hoops were beginning to rust. No one had heard of him since. The adult Centurions had tried to suppress the leak of any information about the incident, but the Academy cadets were sneaky enough to glean one fascinating fact: when investigated by military personnel, they had reported signs of a struggle. Not only that, but some of the top brass, General Miles included, have theorized that whoever was responsible for the Major's disappearance was someone from their side… or at least, pretending to be. In other words, someone who had access to the Academy betrayed the Centurions.

As with all rumors, this piece of news spread like wildfire amongst the gossiping students. It struck chills of doubt into their young minds; after all, the Academy was agreed to be one of the most secure places, save Palutena's Sky Temple, since it was heavily populated with teachers who were also members of the army. Plus Collin was repeatedly refuted as the best flier in Angel Land, and a skilled fighter. If his swift flying didn't lend him enough evasiveness and strength in a fight, surely it would at least allow him to fly away? But evidently even the Major was overwhelmed by… whomever. As for himself, Pit was distraught; he had been one of the last people to see the Major yesterday, and now he was—…

He fidgeted in a seat that was specially designed to fit his abnormally tall body, relatively. Lieutenant Hypatia was halfheartedly explaining the anatomy of a Hydra to the class, but no one was paying her any attention. Even the teacher seemed to be distracted by Collin's alleged kidnapping, though it was really no surprise; every student with social ties knew for years that the Lieutenant and the Major had been having some sort of affair… whatever that meant. But everyone was strictly instructed to go about their daily schedule as if nothing was wrong, to retain as much normalcy as was possible.

Pit scoffed at the idea. There was nothing normal about a teacher just… vanishing! And the adults just wanted everyone else to sit by and do nothing? He was itching to take action—he wanted to know who was behind all this! Besides, there were other whispers going around… the students were worried that the incident wasn't just one isolated occurrence. What if the perpetrator struck again? And why kidnap Major Collin, anyways? He had never made any enemies, and was always extremely patient with others. After all, he hadn't given up on Pit as he struggled to pass even the simplest of flying exams. There were so many questions burning in the young angel's mind! He sighed and squirmed restlessly.

"…but cutting off the heads will only result in more sprouting out in its place, due to the Hydra's regenerative abilities, which in this diagram is demonstrated…" Someone poked Pit in the back. Rotating his torso ever so stealthily, he stretched his arms behind his back in an elaborate yawn. He felt the plunk of a wad of papyrus in his hand. Pit straightened back up and unwound the note that Julius had passed him. He squinted, trying to decode his friend's terrible penmanship, which made his epsilons look like his omicrons.

I wonder why Major Collin was kidnapped? It's kinda scary, don't you think? Maybe we should try investigating on our own—what say we ditch old man Faustus during next period?

Pit's pulse quickened. It's as if Julius had read his mind! He hastily scrawled his affirmation and reached to scratch his back, dropping the note on the desk behind him. Astro, who was sitting near the two, noticed their note-passing and sniffed disapprovingly. The blue-haired angel was always so serious about these kinds of things. But it wasn't fair of the adults to keep all the information away from the students, anyways!

...But the more he thought about it, the less the military's actions made sense… Why keep the students at school and act like nothing was wrong? Obviously, the Academy was no longer safe. It should have been cordoned off and properly scoured for clues, as was protocol. Instead, the top Centurions made the decision to act as if nothing was wrong at all. The only mention they had given the case was an assembly that morning. But why? After all, safety is more important than one day of education. As the gears continued to turn in his head, Pit realized that there was something seriously weird going on...

Pit's thoughts were interrupted, however, when a massive, burly god stepped into the classroom, clothed with the hide of the Erymenian boar, which matched his curled, brown beard. Due to his immensity, he barely squeezed his broad shoulders through the enormous threshold. The students finally showed interest and cheered; it was Uranos, the god of the sky! He was the coolest—he always showed the kids tricks, like this one where he breathed fire like the sun! Plus he wasn't as uptight as most other gods. He was also one of the first gods to team up with Palutena, along with Athena, after Angel Land's schism. When he wasn't busy reigning over the sky, he often came by Skyworld to visit and discuss current issues with the Centurion council.

The god stepped short of the Lieutenant, who dully ignored him to robotically read through the class lesson; she was still too preoccupied with her missing lover to focus properly on any one task, it seemed. He coughed politely to gain her attention. When she glanced at him, her eyes were glazed over with melancholy.

"…What are you doing here, Uranos?," she sighed, her usual friendly demeanor having been rubbed raw and abrasive from stress.

"Sorry, I didn't think you'd be teaching a class right now. I thought you usually dismissed the kids now for lunch…?"

Pit blinked. Uranos was carrying his weapon, a menacing hammer, which was so immense that only one of his proportions could hope to lift it. Some said that his hammer could create devastating tornadoes or clear all the clouds in the sky with one blow. But it was odd... with the exceptions of sparring classes and archery, no one was allowed to carry weapons around the school. It made sense, though, that some of the adults would feel threatened with all that has happened. Still, he was surprised that a god himself needed such precautions to feel secure...

She shrugged. "We had an assembly this morning, remember? About the… Major…" Her apathy faltered for a moment as her true distress flashed across her face, but she managed to reign in her emotions.

The sky god frowned. "I apologize again. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. I just wanted to catch you to talk about some things… you know, when the students were not, ah, present." At this, Pit perked up. It must be some confidential stuff about the case! Hypatia must have realized the same thing, too; with a gasp, she snapped her book shut.

"Class dismissed!," she breathed hurriedly, shooing the confused cadets out of the classroom. Pit walked out too, but he grabbed Astro and Julius by the arms and dragged them into a crouch behind an ionic column that supported the entryway.

"What are you doing?," Astro hissed.

"Be quiet," Pit warned. "We can't find anything out if we get caught!"

Astro groaned. "Oh no, you guys are gonna get me in trouble again!" Astro's Guardian was always extremely strict; who knows what punishment she would cook up if they got caught eavesdropping on confidential information?

"Don't worry, Astro!" Julius smiled good-naturedly, bobbing his head up and down in excitement. "If they tell our Guardians, we can just run away from home!" Astro sighed at his friend's simple-mindedness.

"Will you guys shut up!," Pit whispered as menacingly as he could. "I think they're saying something!"

It was the Lieutenant's voice. "Did they find anything new? Is the Major-" her voice broke off pitifully, the pain having finally surfaced in her voice. Suddenly, the boys felt as if they should not have been listening... but Pit was even more determined to figure out all that was going on. Everyone wanted Collin to be found. Some even needed him to be found.

"Well, we've figured out some new facts..."

"Go on!," the Lieutenant urged, sounding truly desperate. The boys, too, sucked in their breath, waiting for the information.

Uranos's low voice, like the rumblings of thunder, continued. "The investigative team has concluded that, beyond a doubt, the perpetrator has come from and is still in Skyworld. And they also know that he will strike again today." Agitated, Julius hopped up and down. This was big!

"...And Collin? What about him?"

Pit could hear his heart reverberating through his whole body. Finally, some answers! The tension in the air was thicker than a cyclops's bulky body. Now even Astro looked eager to hear the rest, and Julius jittered like he was actually about to explode.

"Well, I can't tell even you everything right now... but," Uranos's voice warmed, "I will be able to let you meet him..." Hypatia gasped, along with the boys. That meant that he was found!

"NO WAY!" Julius was unable to contain himself. His two friends jumped in horror as his painfully loud voice rang through the otherwise silent corridor. Grimacing, Pit knew that there was no way that the adults hadn't heard. He silently cursed his friend's foolishness.

"Poseidon's beard, who on Overworld is that?," Uranos swore as his voice boomed terrifyingly. "Show yourselves now!"

Astro went paler than Hades himself. "W-what do we do? Oh, I knew this was a bad idea!"

"Make a run for it?," Julius chipped in as helpfully as he could. Astro just glared at him. He could at least act remorseful! Sighing, Pit stood up and motioned for his friends to follow. No good would come out of getting a god riled up at them...

Bracing themselves for Uranos's wrath, they stepped sheepishly into the classroom. Pit realized they had really messed up; Uranos was so startled, he had even drawn out his hammer! It was clenched offensively in his enormous fist, though he could have easily flattened the boys without a weapon.

The god looked appalled to see them. "Wha-what are you boys doing here? How much have you heard?," he spluttered indignantly. The Lieutenant glowered at them disapprovingly and put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, what are you doing here?," she remarked testily. With everything that had happened today, Hypatia looked like she was on her last nerve. With a start, Pit realized Astro was actually sweating. Gross.

Julius just had to pipe up again. "S-sorry! We just wanted to find out what happened to the Major!," he honestly replied. At that, Lieutenant Hypatia's expression softened with understanding.

"I'm not saying that it's okay to listen in on military secrets, but... I guess it's not fair to punish you. It's not like you boys would have done any harm." Astro looked as if he would faint with relief.

Even Pit let out a huge breath. Frankly, the last thing he wanted was a bad mark on his military record; spying on top-secret information could be regarded as treason, which would have meant that the loss of his captain status would have been the least of his worries. Julius just took off and zipped around the room.

"Yippee! Now we don't have to run away from home!" His revelry was cut short, however, when he realized that Uranos had gone from the classroom. "Hey! Where'd Uranos go?"

The others glanced about confusedly. Gods had the most disorienting tendency to leave without a single trace on their whims.

"He can't have gone! He was just about to take me to Collin..." The Lieutenant's expression looked pained with disappointment. "...Well, I suppose I can wait, now that I know he's okay..."

Pit grimaced. By eavesdropping, the boys had interrupted Hypatia's opportunity to be reunited with the Major. "We're really sorry, Lieutenant..." Unsure of what else to do, Pit straightened up and gave her a salute. She smiled and returned the gesture.

"Just get to your next class before you're counted tardy, Captain. You too, Cadets."

Faustus was an old veteran, even older than the General; he had been fully grown and fought courageously when Medusa and Palutena had raged their battle. His forte was in archery, which was the class he taught. An eyepatch covered his right eye, and his head was completely bald. Needless to say, his vision and hearing had greatly declined in his ripened age, but his aim was still impeccable. The veteran squinted his eye at the scroll of attendance, calling out names.

"Put? Pat, where are you?"

"It's 'Pit', sir," the angel panted as he sprinted out on the open archery field, barely on time. He and his friends had run late, of course, due to their little... delay. Astro and Julius had no trouble getting to the class ahead of him, however, because of their flying abilities. Pit would have flown too, but there was too much risk of him slamming into a column if he tried it indoors.

"I know your name, Poot!," the old man retorted, "I've had you in my class since you were this little." He lowered his hand towards the ground to indicate the height. Somehow, Faustus had the amazing ability to call anyone by anything but their actual name. He must have been going senile.

Corydon, who didn't know of his friends' recent adventure, snickered obnoxiously. It was almost as funny as when Faustus mistakenly called Uranos "Uranus". The word, though it described the most ancient and powerful immortal being to have ever existed, never ceased to amuse the young cadets.

The old man continued by mis-calling out the name of Polydeukes, who was a real jerk. "Polydouche? Are you present?" The class couldn't help but laugh at that. Faustus frowned.

"I don't see what's to laugh about. Taking attendance is very serious." The veteran was unable to regain control over his mirthful students, and unfortunately for them the elderly man's patience was brittler than his bones. With a scowl, he replied, "Fine. If you all want to disrupt my schedule, then we'll go ahead and start the lesson. If someone wants to demonstrate for the class...?"

Everyone turned their heads to look at Pit in a silent nomination. He grinned cockily and stood up. "Sure thing. What is it this time?"

Faustus shrugged innocently. "Just get a bulls-eye. Shouldn't be too hard for you." He pointed a bony finger towards a target that was situated so far away that it looked hardly larger than a thumbnail. Without a falter, Pit grabbed an arrow and nocked it.

"No prob!" The arrow glowed in harmony with his confidence. He had managed to graduate to using magic arrows that fed on his energy for a portion of their strength. The more advanced an archer was, the more he could power his arrows with feelings of focus and self-assurance. By doing so, the archer would be able to have more and more control over its trajectory, being able to hit even moving targets. Of course, if one didn't have the inner power that the more advanced arrows required, they would hardly fly at all.

Pit had no such worries, though; this was his element. He was even planning on moving on to bronze arrows, and so on until maybe he was granted permission to use the Light Arrows, one of three sacred weapons that lay in the armory. They were the most powerful and precise, but they required the most power to use. But it was said that if one was able to master them, they could have complete control over their trajectory and would be able to hit anything!

Before Pit could let his arrow loose, Faustus held up a finger. "Just a moment," he rasped in his gravelly voice. "There is one other thing. Since you all decided to be so rude, if he can't beat me in this shot, then you all get an F for today's grade.

The class groaned. Cory stood and yelled, "Don't mess this up!" Astro looked like he was about to barf; he had just managed to escape punishment for eavesdropping, and now he was about to get his first F ever!

The young archer made sure to keep his breathing even. "Don't get discouraged." His sharp eyes pinpointed the center of the target, and he let go of the arrow. Everyone watched it fly apprehensively, but Pit knew that the destination of an arrow was never truly determined after it was released; it was all about the journey there. He had to keep focusing. Though it wavered in the afternoon breeze, he managed to keep it on track, and it thudded dead-center into the wooden target.

"Bulls-eye!" Pit jumped up in joy, and the cadets relaxed. Julius even whooped and gave a standing ovation! There was no way the old veteran could beat that.

But to their awe, Faustus did not seem at all concerned. "It's my turn," he said with a grin. Grabbing a golden arrow, which was only less advanced than the Light Arrows, he drew his bow. His leathery hand shook in his old age, which made Pit smile sympathetically. Faustus was just too old.

"Oops, almost forgot." Their teacher lifted up his eyepatch to expose his left eye, and promptly fired. No one expected the arrow to even hit the target with Faustus's abysmal eyesight, which was almost as bad as his hearing, but to everyone's surprise, it hit it. Not only that, but it shredded through the center of Pit's arrow, splintering the wood and landing perfectly in the center of the target as well.

Pit gaped at him. "How did you do that?"

The veteran chuckled at his students' shocked expressions. "My bad eye is still good, you know," he wheezed, pointing to his left eye. "Now, I believe that you all get F's for today..."

"W-wait, but that's not fair! We tied!," Pit spluttered, still taken aback by his teacher's competence.

Faustus nodded knowingly. "Exactly. I said specifically that the class wouldn't fail if you beat me. But you didn't; we tied, just like you said."

Again, Pit gawked at his teacher. "You've gotta be kidding!"

"Nope. That was a nice demonstration, though."

The class grumbled as Pit sat back down. He blinked when Julius tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

"Whattaya want?," he whispered while Faustus lectured to the class. He didn't have to keep his voice very quiet, though, due to the veteran's damaged sense of hearing.

"Weren't we gonna sneak out during class to find out more stuff? We're gonna get an F today anyways, so we may as well."

"But you heard Uranos. The Major's okay."

"Yeah but... he didn't say how or why. And why did Uranos decide to disappear all of a sudden? Don't you think that's a little weird?"

Pit had to admit it was. He also felt strangely uneasy about the whole thing. Why couldn't Uranos have just taken Collin to the Lieutenant directly? That would have made a lot more sense. Not only that, but everything in general about today felt... off, somehow.

He glanced at Julius seriously. "Alright. Let's go."

Author's Note: Sorry about the semi-awkward ending on this chapter; it was originally going to be the first half of one huge chapter, but then I realized that that would be too darn long. Plus, now I can upload the new chapter sooner! Yippee! This one seems to be chock-full of references to Greek Mythology. Really, the mythology in the Kid Icarus games are supposed to be based loosely on the actual mythology, but I thought it'd be pretty cool to try and combine 'em. Anyhoo...

Man, do I feel bad for Alex now. His backstory is insanely sad! Though I hope no one's bothered by the excessive OCs, yet again. And the somewhat crude humor that goes on in there. Etc., etc. And I'm sleepy.

So... don't count on a very coherent author's note right now. Also, I skimped out on the editing a bit for this chapter, so the quality might not be as good. Hope it was still worth the wait, though! And yeah.

Waffles.