"You want me to do what?!"

Nari's voice echoed off the walls of the empty hall, reverberating back and ringing in her own ears. But she didn't falter. She was far too aggravated to care. After her disastrous run-in with Loki, Nari had taken the time to go on about her usual activities, biding her time before questioning their Greek overlord. Unfortunately, her plans had gone horribly awry when the god in question hijacked her meeting, instead taking her arrival as an opportunity to burden her with another new task.

Zeus gazed down at her from his throne, tapping his staff impatiently against the floor. "As the remaining students have chosen not to participate in student council, then they must instead conduct club activities."

"And this is my problem how?"

"You will see to it that it happens."

"That's ridiculous, I can't do that!"

"You will bring the truants to heel."

"You can't be serious." Nari growled.

"I could not be more serious."

Patience wearing thin, she crossed her arms in frustration. "And what exactly do you want me to do then? I can't force them to join a club!"

"You wish to defy me?"

"I have no choice but to defy you. You're asking the impossible."

"You will do as I say, Nari Kusanagi."

"I'm taking this from a child?!" Nari was exasperated. The Greek god was demanding far too much of her. And this was on top of the tasks he had already assigned to her. To make matters worse, he had apparently decided that being a middle-aged man wasn't to his liking and was now parading around as a prepubescent kid. To be taking orders from a small blonde boy of middle school age wandering around with a godly staff was as confusing as it was bizarre.

"You will show respect." Zeus's eyes narrowed, his tapping staff stilling at his feet.

Nari eyed his sparking staff uncertainly, wondering for a moment if he would actually use it on her. Would he really electrocute a human? It didn't seem like the wisest thing to do considering her job there, but Yui was always capable of teaching the gods without her. Chances were, she was better at it anyway. Regardless, she wasn't keen on the idea of leaving her sister alone with these hooligans nor being fried into a charred crisp. Begrudgingly, she finally relented.

"Fine. I'll see what I can do, your majesty." She spat, storming from the throne room and leaving the chuckling god behind.

. . .

Nari leaned against the wall, eyes looking out through the large openings in the wall. That hadn't gone as she planned. Not only did she not receive any answers to her questions, but now, Zeus was asking her for a miracle. Which, considering the circumstances, was incredibly ironic. He had ordered her to not only collect the gods, but somehow convince them to clubs. Such a job was much easier said than done. She didn't know the first thing about convincing a god to do anything, especially one as temperamental as Susanoo. Thor would likely just look down at her with the same blank stare she had seen every time they interacted, and she got the feeling Dionysus wouldn't do much better. Hades… she would be lucky to even get within thirty feet of him.

Then, there was Loki.

Nari didn't have the slightest clue what the god of fire would do, considering her previous interactions with him. And her most recent one had left her feeling, admittedly, a bit unsettled around him. It was true that he had never displayed any such aggression up until that moment, but she didn't like the idea of possibly provoking him. He was adamant about remaining absent from school, and if she approached him incorrectly, there was a chance that she might set him off again. All of that aside, she still didn't know where to begin.

A tired groan escaped her as she wandered forward. She pushed herself from the wall and gazed out over the school grounds. Birds soared through the air singing the songs of morning. Butterflies traveled from flower to flower working in harmony with honeybees to spread their pollen. The water was clear, and skies were blue, a picture-perfect paradise floating in the sky. Nari took a deep breath and appreciated the world around her, trying to calm herself down. With a clearer head, she returned to her original task.

Maybe she was looking all this the wrong way. She was working backwards, trying to figure out how to persuade the gods to Zeus's will. What she needed to be doing was learning their patterns, and more importantly, figuring out where they were in the first place. Thor and Dionysus were a mystery to her, so they wouldn't be good to start with. Wherever Takeru was would probably be somewhere spacious. He was a kinetic god with an inability to sit still, so any cramped space was a no-go. Hades would probably be somewhere isolated, away from the hustle and bustle of the other students. And Loki… well, he could be just about anywhere.

In fact… he could even be hiding in plain sight.

A trail of red from the courtyard drew her attention, its owner standing somewhere near the edge. That settled it. The god of fire would be her first target. Her success wasn't likely, but at the very least, she had to try. Against her better judgment, Nari rushed out into the school grounds, locked on to her target. He was walking from the campus wandering towards the forest. Letting him reach it wasn't an option. If he got in there, she would lose him.

Her feet pushed her forward, her blood pumping wildly in her sprint. Somehow, despite moving at a full clip, he didn't seem to be getting any closer to her. It was like she was running on a treadmill, legs striding forward but not crossing any distance. This wasn't working. Time to try a different tactic.

"Loki! Hold on!" she called, keeping her pace as she followed him.

He paused for just a moment. Then, he did the unthinkable. The god looked behind him at the sound of his name, turned around… and kept walking. He was ignoring her. Blatantly. The nerve!

"You son of a… Loki!" She shouted, increasing her pace as he strolled his way into the forest.

Nari followed him into the woods, darting in between the trees with surprising precision. She credited her maneuverability to her training, although she had never thought she would use it for something like this. Unfortunately, it didn't matter. Loki was gone. She slowed to a stop, resting her hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath. After a few moments, she stood straight and looked around. He was nowhere to be found.

It didn't make any sense. There was no way he could have possibly gotten that far through such thick trees. Sure, he was a god, but at the moment he was as human as she was. "Damn it, Loki! Come out here!" she shouted, knowing full well that he could probably hear her. Of course, if he could, he wasn't answering. Shocking.

"Look, if you don't graduate, you're not gonna leave this place." She continued. Her eyes swept through the trees, searching for any sign of his fiery red hair. Again, there was no answer. This was getting her nowhere. Maybe she needed to change her way of thinking. If getting him to consider his own interests wouldn't work, perhaps she could pull on his heartstrings instead.

"Loki, please. Everyone is worried about you… Balder is worried. Can you at try to cooperate?" The sound of shaking leaves drew her attention. She turned, looking in the direction of the motion. No one was visible in the brush… but she knew he was there. "Look, all you need to do is join a club, okay? You don't even have to go to class."

No answer.

Nari closed her eyes, fighting the urge to sigh. What did she have to say to get through that thick head of his?

Crack!

"What the…" She jumped, startled by the sudden boom of thunder. A storm….? But there wasn't a cloud in the clear blue sky. That could only mean…

You gods who have rejected this school. I will give you a warning. Participate in our plans. I you do not, you will receive punishment.

"Wait, punishment? What the hell does that mean?!" Nari shouted into the air. If she could hear Zeus from her location, then it stood to reason that he could hear her as well. At least, she hoped that to be the case.

Her only answer was the rumble of thunder, its sound so loud she could feel the vibration in her eardrums. Like a violent summer storm. Only she was caught right in the center of it. That thought crossed her mind, a little blonde child calling forth a tempest in a petulant rage. Come to think of it, that was exactly the sort of thing that Zeus might do.

"W-Wait, you're not going to drop lightning, are you?!" The sound of reverberating thunder was her only response. This was going a bit far. It was true that they were gods, much like himself, but it was the principle of the matter. He couldn't just go around zapping people every time he didn't get his way. It was asinine. And dangerous. "Please don't — look, I'll persuade them, okay? Just… give me a minute to think."

Nari turned around, looking through the bushes and trees. Loki was there, she knew it. She just wasn't sure where. And chances were, she didn't have time to find him. "Loki, this guy is serious. Please, come out here! I'm not trying to get electrocuted!"

The rumbles grew, and Loki was nowhere to be found. "Loki, this isn't funny! Get out here!" He offered no response. And Nari was out of time. The sky filled with light, a divine call from the heavens. "…Oh, fuck."

The deafening sound of thunder was the last thing she heard.

. . .

Nari didn't know how long she had drifted in the darkness. She knew only that when she emerged from it, she wasn't where she started. Lying on her back in the infirmary, she slowly awakened from her slumber. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her entire body felt like…

That's right. She was struck by lightning.

"Motherf…" Nari couldn't even finish her expletive, too tired to formulate the entire word.

"D-Damn it… Why did I have to…?" Takeru's voice slowly reached her ears, grumbling from a nearby hospital bed. What was he doing there?

"If you die, it is judgment. If you live, it is divine punishment. His intentions are the latter. He wants us to attend school." Hades was there too. But when had he gotten there, and why? "He isn't so foolish that he'd kill us."

"Huh…?" Then, she heard it. The voice she had been looking for in the first place. The one that had started all of this. "Well, that was exciting. Is this what they call… pleasure?"

What the hell was wrong with him?

Mustering her strength, she forced her head to turn. In the infirmary, the other gods were resting and sitting around, presumably all struck by Zeus's lightning. It seemed that Loki wasn't the only one who had gotten a beating. From what she could tell, all of the truant gods had landed themselves here. All who refused Zeus' plan had been subject to his divine retribution. A head of maroon hair immediately drew her attention, resting in the bed beside her. "Damn… even you, Dionysus?"

Nari twitched slightly at his seductive smile. She didn't appreciate the way he looked at her. It was too familiar. "I gotta say… taking on my old man with such a beautiful face. You've got guts."

"I kind of need them in my line of work." She muttered, slowly forcing herself into a sitting position.

"Hehe… I might have changed my mind about you. You're incredible. I'm kind of interested…"

"Seriously?" Nari raised an eyebrow, uncertain of whether he was being sarcastic or not.

"Mm-hmm. Good job. I like girls like that," he said with a wink.

"I'll bet you do…" She muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. Uh… thanks, I guess."

"I agree. You seem reliable." Another, much softer voice joined the conversation, drawing her attention.

"Wow, even Thor's praising you. You should be proud." Dionysus smirked, leaning over and rubbing the top of her dark blue head.

"This is stupid. I'm going already," Takeru snarled, leaping from his resting place, and storming his way toward the door. Surprise, surprise. He was in a foul mood.

"Hmm? What's this? Getting all excited about school life?" Loki taunted.

"Shut up! Like hell I'd do that. I'm just leaving 'cause I feel fine already."

"Well, aren't you just full of energy? Even though we were juuust told we couldn't leave without graduating…"

Nari looked between the two of them, at this point, utterly confused. "…Huh?"

"Hmm? Oh, it was while you were going night-night. It's because we're bad kids who just can't listen. And you got caught up in the middle because you just haaad to follow. Haha, adorable. You're like a little lost puppy."

"Puppy?! Who the hell are you calling a puppy?"

"You, puppy. It seems like the puppy doesn't listen very well either."

"You jackass!" Nari glowered at him, feeling her patience starting to wane. He was infuriating.

"Mr. Death has it all figured out, right? You're the oldest, after all…"

Hades gave him a tired look before shaking his head. "I hate to go along with his plans, but it's less trouble this way."

"Mr. Death is along for the ride. Now, what about Ta-tan?"

"Don't just call people whatever you want, you careless prick! Guys like you piss me off!" Takeru shouted. His fuse had been lit again.

"I second that." Nari nodded, surprised to find herself on the same wavelength as the sea god… for the moment.

"Shut up, Human. I don't need your opinion!"

"The hell is your problem?!"

Loki waved his arms, smirking at the rising argument. "Calm down, calm down. It was a name I spent so much time thinking of, you know? Mr. Death because he's Lord of the Underworld. And Ta-tan because —"

"The Underworld? Is that the land of the dead? Sounds like it…" Takeru muttered, shifting his attention Hades.

"It is the land of the dead." Nari confirmed, before shooting Loki a venomous glare. "Keep it up and I'm gonna send you there."

"Oooh scary! I believe you. You seem pretty good at it, from what I recall."

Nari's mouth snapped shut. Loki had seen her on the day of her arrival, as well as her bloody mess of a shirt. She wasn't sure if he had any plans to reveal his findings to anyone… but it would be unwise to provoke him.

Takeru continued his conversation with Hades, at this point tuning out the other two bickering students. "By Lord, does that mean you rule the land of the dead? Doesn't that make you, like, some kind of bigshot?"

"I don't know if it's that impressive. I didn't choose my role. I am simply ruling over the domain I was given."

"The land of the dead, huh? You've got me interested. Tell me about it."

"You're a curious one, aren't you? Do whatever you want. I doubt I will live up to your expectations though." Hades turned away from him. He tired of this conversation and the god conducting it. Instead, he turned his eyes to the infirmary bed where Nari was staring at him… very intently.

"Fine, I will do whatever I want. I'm going to school!"

"Wait, what?!" Nari whipped her head around, Hades entirely forgotten.

"It's been decided. Loki. You come too." Thor commanded. It seemed he had made the decision for him.

"Hmm… Well, I don't really want to, but I guess I could join you. I could never get tired of Ta-tan. Hehehe."

"It's decided. Nari." Thor turned towards the only woman in the room, now looking back and forth between every one of them. "Let us begin. Before he changes his mind."

She gaped at him, mouth falling open in disbelief. Somehow, in the span of fifteen minutes, they had gone from being struck by lightning, to praising her bravery, getting into a heated argument about nicknames, then unanimously deciding to go to school.

What the hell was going on?

"I look forward to learning from you… puppy."

Nari's temper ignited, her eyes snapping back towards the mischievous god. She was about three seconds from throttling him… but thought better of it. She couldn't risk Loki getting upset with her or opening his mouth. The chances of him doing so were already pretty high. Provoking him would increase those odds exponentially. Instead, she swallowed her pride and glared daggers at his smirking face. He won this round.

But this wasn't over.

. . .

Nari retired to her room following her fascinating afternoon. Doing so had resulted in Yui nearly tackling her to the floor. Word had reached her that she was struck by lightning, and she was far from pleased. It wasn't surprising considering that she had been nearly gored not too long ago by an angry unicorn. Her luck had been nothing short of terrible since her arrival.

After assuring her a multitude of times that she was perfectly fine, Yui finally relented and left her to rest. Now, Nari sat quietly at her table, twirling a pencil around between her fingers. Nothing was going according to plan. She wasn't sure how the situation had ended up the way that it had, but she wasn't going to complain. One way or the other, the truants would finally be coming to school, and that was a victory in itself. Of course, that was only one part of the equation. There was still the pressing matter of school clubs. In that regard, Nari was no closer to accomplishing her goal than she was before.

"My, my, my. Someone's been busy." The pencil stopped twirling, standing vertically between the middle and index finger. Taking her halt as a cue, Fuyu hopped onto the table.

"…You heard about the lightning, didn't you?"

"I heard about the lightning, yes."

Nari sighed and rested her chin against her palm. Despite the obvious differences, for the most part, the Academy of the Gods functioned much like a human high school. Information spread just as quickly, and the rumor mill never slowed down. It was yet another detail of high school life she entirely didn't miss. "Does that mean you heard about the unicorn too?"

"Unicorn? Oh, do tell."

"I don't wanna talk about it."

Fuyu's devilish smile faded slightly her master's tone. The look of hurt in her eyes was unmistakable and her flickering eyelids only served to confirm it. She had entered dangerous territory. If Nari didn't want to discuss it, then for now, she would leave it alone. "So, the gods will be coming to class, then?"

"Yeah, for now at least. And they still have to join extracurricular activities too."

"Any ideas on how you'll convince them?"

"None." Nari replied with a huff. Her pencil clattered against the table as it slipped from her fingers, rolling slowly across the surface.

"Tsk, tsk. That's no good." Fuyu shook her head, stretching out her front paws. Easing back into a sitting position, she stopped the rolling writing utensil with a claw. "You wouldn't want to earn Zeus's ire again, would you?"

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about it."

"But you need to think about it. It will be more difficult to wrangle them the longer you wait."

"Don't remind me…" Nari let her chin slip from its perch and let her head flop on the table. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with this. She was too tired.

"Alright, I won't force you. But if I might, I'd like to offer you a bit of advice." The student lifted her head, eyes peering over her arm to let Fuyu know she was listening. "Try to learn more about the gods. Get inside their heads. That may help you in your mission."

Nari blinked, eyes widening slightly at the surprisingly sagely advice. Get inside their heads… it wasn't a bad suggestion. Learning more about the gods and their individual interests would certainly make her job a bit easier. It wouldn't help her force them to join any clubs, but it would give her the tools she needed to steer them in the right direction. "…Thanks, Fuyu. That's very insightful."

"Of course. Get some rest, Nari. You're going to need it."

The woman laughed, smiling at her familiar as she leapt off the table. She watched her stroll across the room and climb into her cat tower, disappearing in the hammock dangling at the top. Thoughts reeled through Nari's mind. The idea that a feline was somehow giving such accurate problem-solving solutions was strange to say the least. It was also a bit upsetting considering she had so much trouble finding her own.

With a sigh, she slowly rose to her feet, her next course of action decided. Leaving Fuyu to her sleep, she retired to her bedroom, changing into a nightgown, and flopping onto the bed. Her eyes gazed unblinkingly at the ceiling, her mind running one hundred miles a minute. Anxiety was radiating from every pore in her body and a familiar nervous shaking was slowly creeping up her arms.

"Rngh…" Teeth clenched together, goosebumps rising along pale white skin. Her body rolled to the side, her eyes glaring at the wall, trying failingly to stop the tremors. Another chill ran up her spine, cracking the walls of indifference she hid behind. She thought she was over this… but clearly, she wasn't. Her late-night trip to the school store was proof of that. Her mind was racing, thinking of all the possibilities in the coming days. Tomorrow was going to be the hardest, being the very first class with everyone together. The thought should have brought relief, but instead it only made her feel worse. How was she supposed to pull this off? She couldn't properly finish her own education. How was supposed to aid theirs?

Her chest heaved with unsteady breaths. She lay in a large, open bed, but the walls were closing in around her. It was too much. It was all too much. She was spiraling, falling, down, down, down into a familiar pit of anxiety and despair. Her vision was blurring. The room was turning upside down. The clock on the wall was ticking, ticking, the staccato driving her insane. It was too much for her to bear.

Nari wasn't sure when the orange bottle had appeared in her shaking hands… but she didn't care. She didn't have the strength to care. Her trembling fingers fumbled with the cap, nearly popping off the lid and spilling the contents all over the bed. A sigh of relief escaped her, the struggle finally over. Just two. No more. She tipped the bottle sideways, sliding two white circular pellets into her palm. She didn't get any water. Just threw them back, tilting her head and forcing them down her dry throat.

It took a few minutes for the noise to quiet, for the room to still. For the cacophony of sounds to die down. Then, the room was silent. All was silent.

With a relieved sigh, Nari screwed the cap back onto the bottle and slid it back under her pillow. Finally, she was calm. A part of her wanted to be upset with herself, but she couldn't. She was too relaxed. It was only two pills… not the end of the world.

Slowly, Nari closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep with a blissful smile.