Hello! It's September finally. This means falls right around the corner. I absolutely love fall. Anyways, sorry for the delay. My father didn't pay the internet bill so we had to go a couple weeks without internet. I wanted to update this before school started but ya know, father didn't pay the bill. College is going alright except for the fact that I'm still anxious around these people. So anxious to the point that I feel sick. That's always fun. But besides that, it's great.
This chapter's a little slow. It's also the longest one yet. I spent all afternoon working on this when I should have been studying. Ah... shows where my priorities are. I meant to only spend thirty minutes on this but I just got a roll and didn't want to stop. Also, half of this, is an interaction between Lydia and a certain god. I'm not saying which one so you have to read to find out. I hope I didn't portray him too much out of character. If so, I apologize in advance. It's been a long day. A very long day. So, again, I apologize in advance for OOC-ness. I also apologize for cheesiness. Like, extra cheese at the end. I apologize.
Also, I've noticed a few people have suggested Loki as a possible pairing for Lydia. To be honest, Loki was actually an option when I started to plan this. While he can be selfish and childish, Loki's actually a really good person when it comes to helping people out. I've always thought he was good suit for Lydia, since Lydia has panic attacks, something that will be shown in this chapter actually. He use to calming someone down and keeping their emotions in check. Just look at Balder. But Balder is the main reason why I don't have Loki as an option. Loki already has to deal with Balder and the fact that his inner god of destruction is trying to surface. I wouldn't want to add to Loki's stress while making him have to worry about Lydia as well. I do see Loki and Lydia becoming good friends later on, but possible lovers, no. Though I have put up a poll to see how many people would like Loki to be an option for Lydia. I'll leave that up for a couple weeks, three at the most. Though for now, enjoy them hating each other.
LilweenGalatrass: Yes, Balder can be quite possessive. It's not really his fault, though. He has his other side that he doesn't quite know how to control. And I put my explanation of why I don't want to put Lydia with Loki at the top.
1loveluffy: I've seen a couple stories on here with Takeru. I haven't read them because I haven't had the time. I haven't seen one with Balder though. Maybe I just haven't looked close enough though? And I love you too :D
ChocolateKittey: Thanks for the advice! I've always struggled with my sentences when it comes to showing things in the story. I think it's because in person, I also struggle with telling people things. I've always been kind of awkward so I think it also reflects in my writing. Though I'm glad you're enjoying the way Lydia's interacting with everyone. Even though to me, she's kind of annoying.
rinpup14: Yess. Saying the wrong thing can have an impact on your whole day.
Nkaura-Ruta-La: Yes, she was being truthful. Though she said in a rude, offending manner. I'm glad you're enjoying this story though (:
Myrrine: I'm glad you love it c: And I agree. There's not any Balder fics. At least the last time I checked. Though let's watch Lydia's actions with the two first before deciding.
Loki: What? xD Though I agree, Loki. I agree.
Momochan77: I'm glad you like her(: Though in this chapter she's pretty annoying. And look. A week after you requested the update xD
The Dark One Rising: First off, you blew up my e-mail on my phone xD Like every thirty minutes or so was a new review. I'm glad you like the idea of Lydia's personality. I'll make sure to watch out for any self-insertation (I know that's not a word). I'm sorry for the terrible nickname. I'm actually horrible at coming up with nicknames. I usually just call my friends by their actual names or shorten it if it can be shorten. So I apologize. And I like how observant you are. I'm not saying who it is yet. I'm saving that until she actually tells the god of her choice before I come out with who the guy is. Though I like how you remembered that detail from chapter one. Not anyone else has pointed that out. And yes. There will be serious problems. I'm still thinking over that scenerio though. Anyway, I hope you continue to read this.
Splashing water in her face, Lydia recites a line of profanity in her head. A week had passed since the Seaside School and, surprisingly, Yui had managed to get every god to come to class. Lydia never apologized to Loki. She had planned to, rehearsing what she was going to say to him when she saw him the next day after the Seaside School. This was short lived, however, when Lydia opened her door to go to class to be greeted with a bucket of water. No; blue dye to be exact. Lydia managed to wash the color out of her hair before it set. Her uniform was a lost cause which led to her having to get another one. She didn't mind not having to wear the uniform since that meant she was able to wear jeans and a hoodie over a plain t-shirt. After she had changed into non-dyed clothes, she put the blue and white uniform into a plastic bag and took it with her to class. Once she entered the classroom, the bag that held her dyed uniform slammed into Loki's face, catching the fire god by surprise and him falling out of his seat. Before Loki had time to process what had happened, Lydia was towering over him, yelling profanity and insults at the god. After catching on, Loki shot back his own profanity and insults, feeding to the scene that had caught everyone's attention in the room. Apollon and Balder tried to calm down both redheads, their efforts futile considering the two redheads had built up anger toward the other. The only thing that shut the two up was Thoth's booming voice, silencing them by a jolt of fear. On that morning, Lydia and Loki were assigned clean up duty for a month.
Lydia didn't see how this was a good idea. It only led to more verbal fighting between the two every afternoon. Needless to say, Loki was Lydia's least favorite god. To top off her bad week, her nightmares wouldn't go away. Every morning at two in the morning, she would wake up in a state of panic. Her fear was so strong that falling back asleep was out of the question. Lydia was extremely sleep deprived, irritated by Loki and lack of sleep, and now cramping every few minutes from the lovely Mother Nature. Lydia was on a short fuse, one that could spark at any minute.
Lydia frowns at the dark bags underneath her eyes. She was a total mess with her hair pulled back into a messy bun. It took too much effort for her actually try to look presentable. She was wearing the schools jogging pants and a hoodie, not wanting to wear a skirt with the monthly gift she had at the moment. "I look like I got hit by a train," Lydia mutters to herself as she walks out of the restroom in the hall.
Yui was currently going over the different clubs to the group of boys when Lydia enters the classroom. Lydia catches a glimpse of the drawings on the board, a laugh escaping her mouth. "Your drawing skills are horrid," Lydia smirks at her friend, letting her know she was joking with her.
Yui puffs out her cheeks. "Well, you took forever in the restroom," she says in a whiny voice.
"You should have waited though," Lydia lets out a breathy laugh before walking up the board. "What is this?" She points at the creature on the board.
"Melissa!" Yui whines, embarrassment etching across her face as her friend mocks her in front of everyone.
Lydia blinks. "Really?"
Yui slaps Lydia on the arm with a notebook. "Go sit down and quit making fun of my drawings." Lydia laughs before walking away from the board and sitting at a desk by the window. Yui lets out a sigh before speaking. "As I was saying, these are the primary types of clubs," Yui directs her attention the boys.
"So, through club activities, humans interact and learn to establish strong ties with others?" Apollon asks Yui.
"Yes!" Yui looks up at Apollon. "I thought club activities would help in learning to understand the human heart."
Apollon beams down at Yui. "Great idea, Fairy! You have the student councils president's support." Lydia smirks. You'd probably support even her stupid ideas.
"Thank you," Yui says before looking back at the group. "Everyone, are there any clubs you'd like to try?"
"I'm interested in the tennis club," Balder speaks up. "I'm especially interested in soft ball tennis." Lame. Hard ball's the way to go.
"I'd like to join the tennis club as well," Apollon adds.
Yui smiles brightly, obviously glad her plan was working. "Then you can play with Balder."
Apollon shakes his head. "No, I want to play hard ball tennis." Now, this kid knows what he's talking about.
"That's important to you, isn't it." Yui smiles awkwardly.
Lydia chuckles. "Of course. Hard ball tennis is obviously better than soft ball tennis," she chimes in like it was obvious.
Yui lets out an awkward laugh. "You too, huh?"
Balder begins to talk about soft ball tennis, exaggerating on it being a sport of youth. Apollon adds that he will experience his youth, as well, telling Balder that they will have a friendly rivalry. Lydia just rolls her eyes at the two boys as Yui comments on how they should play together. "So, Apollon, Balder, and Lydia are going to be in the tennis club," Yui begins.
Lydia making a tsking noise. "I didn't say was going to join the tennis club," she remarks with an eye roll.
Yui's eyebrows shoot up. "Eh? But you're a regular on the tennis club back home. I thought for sure you'd play here, as well."
That fact was true. Lydia had been playing tennis ever since she was a kid. She played on her middle school tennis team in America and became a regular in the tennis club at her current school just the year before. The sport was very enjoyable for her and the television in her room at home was often set on the tennis channel.
"That's exactly why I don't want to be in tennis club," Lydia shrugs like the fact was obvious.
Yui gives a disappointed sigh before turning her attention back to the boys. Dionysus was interested in the gardening club. That was no big surprise to Lydia, given the fact he was the god of wine. Loki thought it would be a clever idea to start a 'going home' club. If Lydia wasn't still angry at the redhead she would've been amused by the idea. Though at the moment she found the idea to just be an excuse to be lazy.
With another awkward sigh, Yui averts her attention to the gloomy man in the back, Hades. Cheerfully, she asks Hades if he was interested in any clubs. The man averts his eyes to meet Yui's and tells her he's interested in the astrology club. Taking this as a sign he would join a club, Yui becomes delighted. Of course, Hades has to ruin Yui's good mood by telling her he wouldn't join the club since he has no interest in group activities. After saying that, the man leaves much to Yui's disappointment.
The rest of the club topic went by quickly. Lydia starts to leave with everyone else when Loki brings it to her attention that they still had to clean. Lydia makes a comment on how he had left her two days in a row with cleaning the room. Luckily Yui saves Lydia from a mouthful of insults when she brings up that they have to visit Thoth. While Lydia wasn't too keen on the fact she had to visit Thoth, she was glad to be out of the same room as Loki.
As soon as they're a few minutes away from the library, Lydia stops Yui with a tug on her arm. "Alright, why did you stop me from cleaning. You're usually all for people doing their jobs. Why are you letting me slack?" Lydia crosses her arms over her chest, giving the purplette a sharp look.
Letting out a light laugh, Yui smiles guiltily. "In all honesty, you look like you've been hit by truck."
Lydia laughs loudly, her voice echoing down the hall. "That bad, huh?"
"Yes!" Yui nods. "What's wrong with you?"
"Do you really want to know? I know you hate it when I complain," Lydia comments.
"The fact that you're not complaining is what's scares me," Yui inclines.
Lydia takes a deep breath. It was true that she always complained to Yui even when Yui didn't want to hear it. Though if Yui was going to willingly let her complain, Lydia was going to take the opportunity. "Ever since the morning of the Seaside School I've been waking up to nightmares. I can't go back to sleep afterwards so now I'm sleep deprived. Loki's being the god of bitches right now. Like, seriously, the boy pisses me off. Oh, and to top it off, mother nature has visit which is why I'm not in my uniform." Lydia takes a breath after saying that. Once it came out of her mouth, she realized how much of a brat she sounded like.
Yui furrows her brows. "Nightmares?"
Lydia nods. "Yes. Nightmares. Awful ones that feel so real," Lydia confirms now rubbing her arms.
"How are you even standing? It's not good for your body to go without sleep," Yui begins to lecture.
Lydia holds her hand up. "I've tried. These nightmares are just too awful."
"What happens in them?" Yui questions, concern etched across her face.
Lydia shakes her head. "Nothing important. Let's go see Thoth." Lydia continues to walk down the hallway, leaving Yui behind with a concern expression. Lydia couldn't bring herself to tell Yui what was happening to her at home. Yui would worry more than what was necessary. Well, it was understandable why she would. The touching could turn into something serious and dangerous one night. It would be Lydia's fault for not telling anyone. Though she was never the one to tell anyone about her pain. After all, no one truly cared anyways.
Walking around the library, Lydia waits for Yui to talk to Thoth. The library was nice, quiet place. The first time she looked around it, she was surprised to see it actually had the mainstream books back at home. Lydia was currently reading the Hunger Games series. While the series had been out for quite some time, she had never got around the reading them. She was not disappointed by them. Actually, the series made her angry. The Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series was also in the library. Lydia had picked up the first book and brought it over to Thoth when she saw it. Jokingly, she suggested that he assign the series to be read by the class. This led to a smirk across his face but he turned down her suggestion. He told her that three Greek gods wouldn't like the way they were portrayed in the series.
Coming back to where Yui and Thoth were, Thoth had Yui trapped against one of the bookshelf's. "Isn't it your job to think of a solution?" Thoth questions, his voice intimidating
"Actually, it's your job. You're the teacher, smart ass," Lydia comments, not please at the scene in front of her. It reminded her of those situations.
Thoth steps away from Yui, walking toward Lydia. He continues walking toward her causing her to back up until she felt the hardness of the bookshelf. A wave of panic shoots trough her as he places a hand on the bookshelf beside her head. He leans down close to her. "It's not my job." His breath hits her face, causing her fist to clench tighter. She hadn't realized she was doing this until her nails started to break the skin of her palm.
Her breath catches in her throat as she opens her mouth to say something. Thoth furrows his brows at her sudden change of attitude and look of panic that drenched her face. Body shaking, Lydia becomes aware of the tears building in her eyes. She pushes Thoth back and darts for the door. Once outside, she covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes darting around her surroundings.
You're in a magical garden, Lydia. You attend an academy with the gods. They're trying to learn and understand human emotions. Their names are Balder, Loki, Apollon, Takeru, Tsukito, Dionysus, Hades, and Thor. Balder's pretty adorable. Loki gets on your last nerve. Apollon's overly excitable. Takeru's grumpy. Tsukito's pretty clueless. Dionysus doesn't care. Hades is all gloomy. And Thor's kind of here. Nobody's going to hurt you here. At least not intentionally. They're not like him.
Lydia continues to tell herself simple things until the sense of panic stops. She becomes aware of her head between her knees as she sits against the building. Pulling her head up, she looks around the area. The forest that surrounded the school was sitting directly in front of her. Blinking a few times, she wonders when she managed to get here. Wishing she had actually went inside the forest, she becomes of aware of another figure staring at her.
Pulling the edges sleeves of her hoodie over her hands, Lydia wipes what was left of tears off her face. "What do you want?" She sneers at the figure.
"You were upset," Takeru states like it was obvious, his ember eyes staring down at her.
Lydia shrugs. "And you were watching me because?"
An annoyed sigh leaves Takeru as he walks over to her, sitting down beside her. "It would look bad on me if I didn't at least ask why you were upset." He pulls a knee up and rests an arm on it.
Lydia looks at him, confusion washing over her face. It didn't last long before she shoots him an accusing glare. "I thought you didn't care about what the rest of us felt like?"
A growl of annoyance erupts from Takeru. "I'm trying to be a good person. Don't make me regret it." He pinches the bridge of his nose.
Rolling her eyes, Lydia leans her head back onto the wall. Her hands play with the other before she takes one of her hair bands off her right wrest, twirling it around her index fingers. "Panic attack," Lydia says in low voice.
Takeru's eyes widen and he glances at her to make sure he heard her right. Seeing that she wasn't in the sarcastic mood, he decided she was telling the truth. "That must have been a pain in the ass," he comments.
Lydia pauses her hands and glances at the bluenette with uncertainty. "You're not going to ask why?"
Takeru shakes his head. "No." He chuckles at her shock expression. "If you want to tell me, you will. But that's a personal topic and we don't know each other."
Shrugging, he moves to stand only to be stopped by Lydia grabbing his arm. Casting her a look of bewilderment, Takeru leans back against the wall. "I don't like depending on people, but right now, the presence of a stranger would help calm my nerves," Lydia explains as she wraps her arms around his. Takeru jerks a little at her movements causing Lydia to laugh. "Relax. It's not like I'm trying to get in your pants."
Takeru's body vibrates. "You're pretty bold with your words."
Laying her head against his shoulder, she nods her head. "Yeah. I'm not cautious like Yui."
"You're both annoying," he comments.
A chuckle erupts from Lydia. "We get that a lot." She adjusts her weight onto Takeru to sit more comfortably on the concrete.
Takeru's eyes glance up and down her body, taking her image in. Her clothing told him that she didn't care about the opinion of others. Her light red hair was pulled into a messy bun, a light blanket of oil covering it. She hadn't showered that day. Light turquoise eyes stared into the forest with a light film of dullness covering them. Dark bags under them signal tiredness. Freckles danced lightly across her nose and her cheeks. Her lips slightly cracked from lack of moisturizer and obvious picking of nails. A couple small pimples decorated her chin. She looked absolutely pathetic today. So pathetic that he wondered what had made her care so little of her appearance.
Taking in the fact that sleep was capturing her, Takeru unwraps his arm from hers and gets up, stretching from stiffness. He stands there for moment, wondering if he should just leave her on the ground or stay with her. Knowing it would give him a bad image if he did otherwise, he bends down to pick up the redhead. Her body was light, comparing next to nothing to other things he had to hull around at his home. As he walked to the dorms with this redhead in his arms, he wondered when he became so soft. Usually he would just leave a girl alone if she was upset. Women who are obviously upset usually become needy. Neediness led to annoyance. At least in Takeru's experience it did. And there was nothing special about Lydia. The girl had an awful personality, always moody and sarcastic.
Coming to the door marked with the name Murphy, Lydia, Takeru adjusts Lydia in his arms. He turns the doorknob and pushes his way in. The lights come on automatically when they enter. As he walks farther in the strange room he almost laughs at the appearance. Pink and girly did not come to his mind when he thought of Lydia. Doing a three-sixty around the room, Takeru's brows furrow in annoyance at no sight of a bed.
"Does she sleep on the couch?" He asks himself.
"No," a voice calls out and Takeru almost drops Lydia in surprise. His eyes dart around the room before landing on a small pink and purple panda standing on the table. "She sleeps in a room pass that curtain," the creature points pass Takeru's right.
Takeru turns to the right, rolling his eye when he takes in the pink curtain. Walking through it, a small lamp comes on. The room was small. A bed was located to his right along with a dresser. On his left was a desk with a lamp on it. He lays Lydia on the bed, not taking the time to make sure she was covered before he walked around the room. He was about the turn the corner out when his eyes catch onto something on the wall. On a piece of paper was a drawing of someone unknown to him. It was a man with short hair, his tongue stuck out, and tattoos running along his neck and arms. He looks over the other pieces of paper, each on of a different person he didn't recognize.
"These are amazing," he breathes, impressed by the skill.
"She spends all her time on them." Takeru spins around, staring down at the panda. "I'm Amy. I look over Lydia," the panda explains.
Takeru casts her a questioning look before nodding his head slowly. "Uh huh. Well, she kind of passed out and I'm not that big of a jerk to just leave her so I brought her back." Takeru stuffs his hands into his pockets.
Amy shakes her head. "It was only a matter of time. She only gets a couple hours of sleep every night."
Raising a brow, Takeru asks, "Why?"
"Nightmares. Every night she wakes up screaming." Amy's voice was laced with worry.
Takeru looks back at the curtain, wondering how the girl was doing. "Sounds like a problem for the weed." With a shrug of his shoulders, Takeru begins to walk to the exit again.
"You're not going to do anything?" Amy questions with shock.
Glancing over his shoudler, Takeru glares at the panda. "Should I? It's not my problem."
Amy stomps her tiny foot. "Well, since you've come this far, yes!" She places her tiny paws on her hips.
Holding back a laugh at the scene the panda was making, Takeru turns back around. Ruffling his hair, he walks back into the room Lydia was sleeping in. Her face was smooth, showing peace. He didn't know if Amy was messing with him about the nightmares but he wouldn't feel right if he didn't try to help her. He wonders if he should take the hoodie off of her, knowing she would be burning up half way through the night. On a second thought, that didn't seem like a bright idea. Being known as creeper didn't feel right right to him. He leans over and gently pulls her hair out of the bun it was in, sure that was an uncomfortable feeling. His fingers then run over her face, pushing the stray strands of hair out of her face. His thumb presses against the center of her forehead.
"Sleep well," Takeru whispers as a small blue light forms from his thumb. As he leaves the dorm room for good this time, he hopes the presence of the sea is enough to keep the girl from nightmares.
Lydia wakes up for the second time that night. The first time was from being overheated by the hoodie she was wearing which she ripped off her body before going back to sleep. This time was from her alarm. With a yawn, Lydia wonders why she didn't wake with a nightmare. Not that she was complaining, she welcomed the peaceful sleep. Standing up, Lydia furrows her brows as she runs her fingers through her hair. When did she take out her bun? More importantly, when did she get back to her room? The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on Takeru.
Takeru!
That explains it. He must've brought her back to her room. "He's not that big of jerk after all," Lydia says to herself as she walks out of her room. She walks over to the table to grab a bag of chips sitting on it. Taking notice of a half sheet of paper, she tilts her head to the side. "What is..." she begins as she looks over the paper.
You're an annoying piece of shrimp.
And what have you been eating? You're not exactly the lightest person to carry.
Oh yeah, your drawings are pretty neat.
-Takeru
A laugh erupts from Lydia as she balls up the piece of paper and tosses it into the trashcan.