Chapter 38

"Jay, dude," Odie said with his arms crossed over his chest, foot tapping on the linoleum of the school floor, "What are we waiting for?"

Jay stood in front of the pendant key for the closet door, glancing down the hallway. He didn't have to answer, because the answer came around the corner.

"Jay," Herry hissed a low whisper in his ear, "What is she doing here?"

"I'm sorry buddy," Jay turned up a pitting smile to his friend, clasping him on the shoulder, "But she could help us, Hera agrees."

"I don't like this," he stated, but didn't push the issue further. Opal walked over on slow footsteps, already dressed in a t-shirt and pants to work out in, her hair tied back into fuzzy puff at the back of her head. She didn't offer any welcome other than a nod to Jay and a stolen glance at Herry.

"Glad you decided to come," Jay said, placing his key into the dial. He led his group through the halls to the training arena, everyone quiet, none of their usual jokes being passed around.

When training started Opal just stood flabbergasted as she watched the seven run and jump and dodge through the training arena. They were all so capable, so fit. And the god Ares, he yelled and ordered with such a harsh and demanding voice. Her stomach nearly fell out of her ass when he pointed to her and called her over. Hesitantly she started to heed his request. He screamed at her to hurry so she broke into a run.

"Let's see what you can do pip squeak," he said and pointed to an obstacle course. She sent him a horrified look and slowly padded over to the first task. A rope tied up on a support beam, she thought she had left all this behind in the only gym class she ever took in grade nine, because it was mandatory. She reached her hands up as far as she could and jumped. She held to the rope wrapping it around her leg and stayed like that.

"No, no, no," Ares screamed and she flinched, "you have to climb it, climb it." She struggled to reach one hand up higher and pull herself up, but she just slid down to land on her bottom. Ares groaned and smacked the heel of his hand into his forehead. He waved her onto the next task. There was a slack line tied between two posts, with a deep gulp Opal climbed up the step stool and gently put her first foot down on the elastic line. The second she lifted her other foot she went flailing to the ground with a harsh crack.

"Next," Ares called to her. She hung her head and went to the one after, rows after rows of posts spinning around with various poles stinking out vertically. She watched wide eyed for a moment and finally stepped in when Ares prompted her. She slowly tried to tip toe through them, but the wooden poles were always there to smack her this way or that, at an agonizingly slow pace she made her way through, after many knocks to the stomach, legs, and even head. She fell to her knees on the other side and rubbed at the various welts all over her body.

"Ugh," the god of war stepped over to her and placed his hand on his hips, she looked up to him sheepishly and he said, "Well you're persistent, I'll give you that." He turned back to the rest of the group and dismissed them. Opal slowly got her feet with a hiss, everything was throbbing, even her hair.

She started to limp over to the change room when one of the double doors of the arena slammed open. Her feet froze to the ground and her jaw dropped. Percival stood in the doorway with one hand splayed over the marble of the door and the other clenched in a fist at his side.

"What is she doing here?" he demanded from the God of War.

"I honestly have no idea," he crossed his thick arms over his chest and shot over a disappointed glare. Opal shrank back into herself under the god's disapproval.

"Percival," Jay swept over to him, "I thought she could help our team."

"I made a promise," he said and looked to the blonde still standing in shock, "I'm taking you home."

"Wait," Jay jumped in front of his path and held out his hands, "Wasn't her grandmother a help to your team?"

He glared down at the boy through sharp eyes.

"My grandmother," Opal spoke up on a quiet voice, trying to picture what kind of woman she really was.

Percival sighed and put his head in his hand, looking up he said, "Yes, her, I and another fought like your friends do."

"She did this?" she asked unbelieving.

"Yes," he smiled to himself and laughed lightly, "She didn't do this kind of thing well, but she could make a dragon dance with a simple song."

"She did this," she stated and straightened, maybe she could contribute after all. She was just being too narrow minded with the possibilities.

"Percival," Jay said, "You're a hero too, you know what it feels like when someone's in danger and you have the opportunity to help. Let her make her own decision on if she wants to fight or not."

"She's like her grandmother," Percival said, narrowing his gaze on Jay, "Sooner or later she's going to realize she can help you and she will join your team."

"Why is that a bad thing?"

"Because I promised to keep her family safe."

"But she has a chance to make sure the whole planet stays safe, help us keep everyone safe."

"Jay," Percival shook his head and huffed. He looked over to Opal, her eyes glazed as she daydreamed. She was already seeing her potential. With a sigh he gave Jay a solid nod and turned to Opal, walking to her on slow steps. The teen smiled and turned to his team, waving them off to the change rooms.

"Opal," Percival said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "let me give you a ride home. I'm sure you have questions about your grandmother."

She nodded, sparing a quick glance over her shoulder. Her eyes caught with Herry's, looking back over his shoulder as he walked with his friends to the change room. He gave her a wave and she smiled in return before she turned back to Percival.

"Let's go," he said, turning to lead her out and into the parking lot of the school. Riding on a motorcycle was still something Opal had to get used to. She gripped Percival's leather jacket tight in her fists, blazing down the road without anything around you would never seem like a good idea to her. She was too busy worrying about holding on to pay any attention to where they were going. Percival pulled into a parking lot of a downtown shop and shut down his vehicle. He climbed off and turned to offer his hand to her, she took it sending him a confused look in the process.

"You need a new violin," he said in answer to her unspoken question.

She nodded, looking to the sign of the building; it was clearly a music shop. Percival led her inside, a bell chiming over their heads as he pushed the door open, and that was where his leading stopped. He let Opal wonder down the aisles, cluelessly waiting as she tested violin after violin. She never seemed more like her grandmother at this instant, focused on the sounds the instruments were making. Analyzing something he would never be able to, hearing differences he could not distinguish.

"You know I really do think you can help them," he said.

She looked over as she set a violin down, "Was my grandmother a help for your team?"

"Couldn't have done it without her," he gave her a smile full of nostalgia. She nodded, turning her attention back to the violin. She raked the bow across the strings, performing a scale.

When she was finished playing she said, "She did amazing things no one will ever know about." Opal frowned, the image of her grandmother from the stories she had heard were of a spacey girl that spent more time playing music then she did with other people, no one extraordinary.

"She insisted on that, she didn't want your mother to know, I think that's why she married your grandfather, to run from all this insanity," he gestured up to the ceiling, "Ophelia was three when she passed, and I kept an eye on her till she met John. Oh John, your father is an amazing man."

Opal nodded with a proud smile, 'is' not 'was,' she liked that.

After a hesitation Percival told her, "Don't let this change you when everything is all over, but you can't forget it either."

She sent him a curious look.

"I loved your grandmother more than anything, but I couldn't let this go, I still can't and Oriole wanted to hide it, place it deep away. It caused our love to crumble," he said looking away, he cleared his throat and turned his eyes back to hers, "but that doesn't have to happen to yours."

Her face flared red. She looked away and distracted herself with the violin.

He pat her on the back and asked, "Is that the violin than?"

"Umm," she pulled it away from her shoulder to inspect the dark stained wood, "Yes."

"Good," he smiled and took it from her to carry to the cash.

"Thank you Percival," she said as she walked beside him.

"You're welcome," he said, "You're going to need it."