VI

Artemis had never felt so annoyed. Seriously, this is plain stupid! She's taken archery and karate classes and none of the training or warm-ups were this stupid!

Why? Because somebody just told her that the first thing they'll be doing is walking on a treadmill. Artemis is thoroughly offended.

After they had entered the last room, their kidnappers told them to sit around the wrestling ring. Then, they leapt into the air, impossibly high, did a somersault and landed in perfect unison in the center of the ring, standing side by side. Suddenly, they realized how close they were standing (about one meter apart) and yelped, then scrambled less gracefully to opposite sides of the ring. And then they gave each other the stink eye. Wow, they must really hate each other.

Artemis rolled her eyes. So this is the infamous Firestorm? Are all the people so immature? Because if so, Artemis would be able to trick her way out.

"Anyways," the girl with short, curly black hair started, "this is Firestorm, and we are going to train you!"

The girl with wavy, reddish, blondish brown hair sneered at the other girl. "Wow, Nemesis, that was so lame. Watch me."

She walked up to the children outside the wrestling ring with a welcoming, sweet smile that didn't fit the surroundings at all. "Hello, young recruits; welcome to Firestorm! I am your trainer Tyche, codenamed Luck, and that is Nemesis," she spat out the name as if it's the worst insult in the world. Which, to her, probably is. "She's also your trainer, but don't mind her. She's a git."

Nemesis growled. Tyche ignored her and continued, "Since it's already late, I will show you your resting areas. The training would begin tomorrow."

Now, Nemesis stepped forward, shoving Tyche out of the way. "Listen up, kiddoes. You guys are expected at the Mess Hall at 5:15 for breakfast. Training till 12, Lunch, Indoor Classes till 4, training again till 6, Dinner, and there's a night session when you return to your dorms. However, there are also chores, which will be posted on a bulletin board."

"There are also activities," Tyche piped up. "Very fun activities! Very competitive too; and don't forget that there'll be consequences for the losing team. Now chop-chop! I'll show you your dorms. Anymore questions before you all go get a good night's sleep?"

"Umm… What about our families?" a young girl asked in a small voice. She was only eight and seemed so scared that Artemis couldn't help feeling a pang of pity for her.

Nemesis smirked at the question and leaned forward as if about to tell a secret. "Well, kiddoes, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, when Firestorm had just began, there was a young assassin of Firestorm. Oh, she was a fine fighter; the best in the academy since the age of 7! No one knows her real name, but she was codenamed Phantom."

"Now, little Phantom's family had died long before she came to Firestorm, so she thought Firestorm as her family and was loyal to it. However, one day, she found out that her Grandpa was still alive. Her real blood-and-flesh family! So, very stupidly, she betrayed Firestorm, the family that brought her up, and left for her Grandpa, who didn't even know she exists."

The room was silent as Nemesis continued dramatically, "And you know what happened? They put a bullet in her Grandpa's head, and killed her as well. The End!"

Tyche sighed. "What she was trying to say was, stay loyal to Firestorm, your family stays safe."

"Now, little Lucky," the shorter girl interrupted, "I've told them the classic Firestorm bedtime story. You go show the weaklings their dorms."

Tyche snarled at Nemesis before leaping out the wrestling ring, beckoning for the recruits to follow.

The dorms were plain, and unpleasantly public. A single room and everybody was squeezed inside. At least the boys and girls were separated.

Artemis slumped down on her small, creaky bed. Seems like she and Apollo had just joined the Olympian list of missing children…

στριμμένα

Apollo woke when he heard people around him start bustling around. Well, to be more exact, he became more awake. He didn't sleep for the whole night. Yes, that wasn't a good idea and would probably come back to bite him in the butt later but he's in an unknown place, with his family probably panicking somewhere in the world. Wow, he doesn't even know the country he's currently in. And the mattress was stiff, unlike his soft one at home, making it rather hard to fall asleep.

One by one, they took turns for the bathroom, each having less than one and a half minutes. You literally just step into the shower, step out, then brush your teeth, and dress.

They arrived at the Mess Hall at 5:14, meeting up with the girls. For breakfast, they had very unappetizing stew; basically just rice soaked in water and boiled. It was mushy and tasteless and left Apollo hungrier than before, though that could just be his imagination.

And now, training, the thing Apollo had been dreading. According to some people that were already there, the training was very harsh and tiring, though also very effective. Yup, and today… they are walking on treadmills!

Apollo and Artemis walked side by side, wondering what the heck Firestorm was thinking. They had spent time discussing what their training would be like, but it certainly wasn't this. Gymnastics? Maybe, considering Nemesis and Tyche's gracefulness. But treadmills? Yeah… no.

"This is thoroughly and utterly stupid," Apollo's twin grumbled.

However, a girl next to them grimaced. "Oh, you have no idea," she said while shaking her head, her long black ponytail flying around her head. She was pale, and looked coldly at the twins with reddish brown orbs before jogging away.

"Does she mean that we have no idea how stupid and boring this is or what?" Artemis asked, obviously irritated at the rude girl.

"She meant you have no idea how harsh this place could be. Well, not yet, anyways," a girl around the age of ten with brown hair and eyes skipped up to the twins. "Don't mind her. She could be a real sourpuss sometimes."

"How harsh is it?" Apollo asked the girl. She just shook her head.

"I'm Ariadne, by the way. Came here 'bout a week before you guys. That was Eris," Ariadne shook their hands cheerfully.

Suddenly, the treadmill lurched and started to turn faster, causing everyone to start jogging.

"Do you have any family?" Ariadne asked.

Artemis looked at her strangely. "Of course we do! Why wouldn't we?"

The younger girl looked away sadly. "I used to live with my parents and my older sister in a small village in Mexico. I'm not Mexican but Daddy moved us there for his work. Then, one day, Firestorm took Phaedra and me away when we were going to the supermarket. Phaedra tried to fight them and managed to knock one of them out since she learns Karate before they…" her voice cracked and she didn't continue; But she didn't need to. Artemis and Apollo know what she was trying to say.

'Phaedra was killed.'

Ariadne rubbed her eyes before saying, "Eris came here around the same time as I did. She may seem bitter, maybe a bit mean, but she's actually pretty nice."

"Does she have any family?" it still feels weird to ask that question.

Ariadne nodded. "Three older brothers, I think. Charon and Thanatos, they're twins, and Hypnos."

Eris suddenly appeared next to them, looking gloomy as ever. "I heard my name. Are you guys talking about me behind my back?"

"N-" Artemis was about to deny when Ariadne piped up, "Of course! I was just telling them about your brothers!"

Artemis gave the younger girl another strange look.

Eris sighed. "Charon, Thanatos and Hypnos… I kinda miss them, however annoying they may be."

"Wait a second," Apollo interrupted. "Charon and Thanatos? Like those people who works for Uncle Hades?"

Artemis looked surprised. "So that's why they sounded familiar."

"Hades Olympia?" Eris asked. When the twins nodded, she said, "Yup, them, I believe. You guys are Olympians?"

The twins nodded again and Apollo started singing 'It's a Small World After All'.

"So many Olympians," sighed Eris.

"What do you mean?" Artemis was slightly offended.

Eris just shook her head and jogged away again.

"She meant, 'You'll see'," Ariadne translated.

Suddenly, the treadmill lurched again and spun faster and faster and soon, everyone was running for their lives. Maybe not literally but no one wants to fall. You never know what the consequence might be.

Then, Ariadne, being younger and shorter, suddenly slipped and fell to the ground with a loud, painful thud. Artemis winced, knowing that the young girl would soon be covered in bruises.

Tyche and Nemesis had been sent on a mission (different ones, to their relief) and the substitute trainers were a woman with blondish brown hair and hazel eyes named Tethys and another, younger looking pale, slim woman with curly, reddish brown hair braided down her back, cold blue eyes. Her name was Phoebe.

Strangely, the name doesn't sound intimidating at all, unlike how she looks at you. Being watched by her was like being dunked into a tub filled ice-cold water. Several times.

Phoebe walked up to the fallen girl, staring her down. Ariadne looks like she's on the verge of tears, which confused Artemis and Apollo. Falling couldn't be that bad, could it?

"Name?" the intimidating trainer asked.

"Ariadne," the young girl said in a small voice.

"I believe this isn't your first time falling?"

Ariadne shook her head fearfully.

Phoebe nodded and gestured with a flick of her wrist. "Come with me."

Shakily, the fallen girl got to her feet and followed the trainer to a room across the room.

"Don't be too hard on her!" Tethys called after Phoebe, who ignored her.

For a moment, there was silence.

And then suddenly, there was a loud crack and a scream pierced through the air, causing many people to flinch and almost fall down. Another crack, and another scream.

Apollo felt sick in the stomach and glancing at his sister, he knows that she's feeling horrified as well; her face was slightly green.

Eris, gloomier than ever, sprinted up to them and said sadly, "Welcome to Firestorm."

That sentence is now officially Apollo's least favorite phrase.

στριμμένα

They had ran until about half an hour after Ariadne was dragged out, bloody and limp, to the Infirmary. For a moment, Apollo had been scared that she had died, but then Phoebe pulled her to her feet and they began slowly making their way to the Infirmary. Apollo felt even worse.

When the treadmill finally jerked to a stop, Apollo's legs felt like it's made of jelly and he had to hold onto Artemis, who was only a little better than him, to walk. Everyone collapsed in front of the wrestling ring, where Tethys stood, waiting for Phoebe to return. A few minutes later, Phoebe walked in briskly, blood smeared on her clothes, followed by second years, third years, and fourth years. Everyone settled around the wrestling ring.

Apollo eyed the fourth years warily. They were all graceful and powerful looking, also very intimidating. It makes sense, since they're in the last year and would graduate very soon. One girl caught his eye. She was pretty, with pale skin and perfect curves. Her pure black hair was braided down her back, and her brown eyes were drained of warmth. Her pretty features were twisted into a sneer as she looked down at the lower years. Somehow, she still managed to look pretty.

For a moment, their eyes locked. Then the younger twin looked away, unable to meet the cold gaze.

"Okay," Tethys started cheerfully and awkwardly, clapping her hands together. "Erm… So, First Years, watch! I need two volunteers, best if you're from the Fourth Year…"

Phoebe randomly pointed at two Fourth Year kids and they made their way up to the wrestling ring. With a jolt, Apollo realized that the girl he had seen before was one of the two kids. The other was a boy with curly brown hair and small black eyes. He was muscular and would've seemed confident if he hadn't been wobbling on his feet like he's drunk.

The two Fourth Years stood about 2 meters apart, both sinking down into fighting stances.

Phoebe stood between them. "One…" she said, the tension filling the air.

"Two…"

"Three… Start!"

Phoebe leapt back and jumped out the ring with a graceful back flip. The two Fourth Years circled each other for a while, wary of each other, until the boy got impatient and charged the girl. He was surprisingly fast and graceful for someone so bulky.

However, the girl was even faster and far more graceful.

She dodged a flying fist, ducked under another, then sent her own punch towards him. However, it was blocked by a knee, which suddenly unfolded and kicked her in the stomach. The girl gasped but rolled away, out of the boys reach as she managed to catch her breath again as quickly as she could. The girl's expression had turned from impassive and bored, to furious and murderous. For a moment, no one moved. Then, with a flying leap, the girl charged.

Instead of slamming right into the boy, however, she soared past him and landed behind him gracefully, then aimed a kick at his head. The boy spun around and just barely managed to block it.

However, he didn't manage to block the next attack. The girl jumped up, and slammed her elbow into his skull. Though his arm had taken some of the impact, the boy was still bleeding pretty heavily. Blood covered his face and one of his arm was twisted in a strange angle.

Apollo started to feel sick all over again.

'Damn,' the small part of his mind that wasn't frozen in shock, horror, and fright muttered. 'Just when I was starting to feel better too!'

"Good," Phoebe praised the girl who raised her arms above her head in triumph while other Fourth Years carried the beaten boy to the Infirmary.

Wow. One day here and not even 3 hours into training and already two people are in the Infirmary.

"That was great, Khione," Tethys applauded. "Though next time please don't be so harsh on the poor boy. We don't want a assassin with concussion now, don't we?"

A few people chuckled but most stayed silent.

Khione rolled her eyes. "It's not like it'd make a difference."

"So true!" somebody called out.

The girl smirked.

"Now," Phoebe continued as if nothing had happened, "First Years now know what this is about, is it? So let's do a small experiment."

Around him, Apollo could feel people stiffen, though he himself was still confused. What's happening?

"You," Phoebe beckoned with a hand. "Come up. Let's see how you currently are. Without any training, that is."

To Apollo's horror, she was pointing at Artemis.

στριμμένα

Artemis nervously climbed into the wrestling ring, where Khione stood in all her ass-faced glory, smirking as if her life depends on it.

"So," Phoebe asked Artemis, "what do you know?"

"About fighting?" Artemis replied sarcastically. "Nothing, no thanks to you."

Tethys chuckled, mumbling, "This one's got guts."

Phoebe, however, decided to ignore the sarcasm. "Fine. Three…"

Khione dropped down into battle stance. Artemis studied her for half a second, then dropped into fighting stance as well, mirroring Khione's poise perfectly.

Phoebe raised an eyebrow.

"Two… One… Start."

Almost immediately, Khione attacked, though not as viciously and violently as she had when she was fighting the fellow Fourth Year. Artemis had managed to dodge many of the blows, thanks to her training of Tae Kwon Dou. She doesn't dare try to deflect the attacks or block it, since it's highly possible that Khione would hit hard enough to break her arm or something.

Suddenly, however, Khione kneed her in the stomach. When Artemis bent over, gasping for breath, the Fourth Year upper-cutted her. Her head snapped back and she stumbled back a few times, almost toppling out of balance. But she managed to catch herself.

Artemis crouched down, pretending to be in pain. Well, not really pretending; she really was in pain, but you get the idea. She's in pain, but she's also tense, ready to dodge or attack.

From her peripheral vision, she saw Khione kicking towards her and she suddenly stood up, punching Khione across the face. The force of the punch was also increased because Khione had swept her feet off the ground and she was punching the direction she was falling. Exactly as planned.

Khione growled, no longer smirking, instead, her features were twisted into a snarl and aimed another punch at the older twin. The fist came so quickly Artemis couldn't have possible dodged but suddenly, Phoebe called out, "Stop."

Khione stopped, her fist frozen in mid-punch, inches from Artemis's face.

"Not bad for a First Year," the strict trainer praised Artemis. "No one usually last that long."

"Artemis!" Apollo shouted from the crowds and from the corner of her eye, she could see her brother trying to reach the wrestling ring. When he finally climbed in, he began checking her for injuries.

"There's a bruise on your jaw."

"Of course there is, dummy. She upper-cutted me."

Apollo glared at Khione before turning back to his sister.

"Apollo, I'm fine! As much as I appreciate your healing genes, I doubt doctors are all that overprotective!"

"You're my sister!"

"As I said before, I'm fine!"

Tethys came up to the bickering twins and asked, "What are your names?"

Apollo and Artemis stopped arguing to look up at the trainer. "Artemis and Apollo Olympia," the older twin answered.

A hushed silence suddenly fell across the room. There were murmurs here and there amongst the crowd.

"Another Olympian?"

"Holy, they must be good…"

"What do you mean, another Olympian?" Artemis demanded.

Phoebe had seemed a little shocked, but she recovered quickly. "Somebody go find the others," she instructed. A few Fourth Years stood up and left.

"What's happening?" Apollo was confused.

"Somebody, explain!" Artemis shouted. But they were both ignored.

Then, the door opened and the Fourth Years who had left came back with 3 girls behind them.

The twin's mouths dropped open at the sight of them.

There was a skinny girl about the age of 15 with black hair and pale gray eyes who was twirling a knife in her hand.

"Kymopoleia?" Apollo choked out. The girl's mouth twitched into a small smile. "Twins."

"It's been 5 years since we've seen you!" Artemis exclaimed. The daughter of Poseidon Olympia just shrugged.

Another girl came up, also around 15. She was also extremely skinny, but much paler than Kymopoleia and instead of gray eyes, her eyes were pure black, just like her Father's.

"Melinoe!" Apollo sounded almost overjoyed.

"Long time no see," the daughter of Hades was as impassive and cold as ever.

Then, another person came up. A person Artemis and Apollo don't recognize. She was pale, though not deathly pale like Melinoe but pale enough. She has brown hair and familiar, electric blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Artemis asked cautiously. "I don't recognize you."

The girl sighed. "Of course you don't. I was gone before you guys were even born. My name is Eileithyia. Eileithyia Olympia.

chocolatebackground: Does this sound like Firestorm? I wasn't so sure. Oh, and if you were wondering, I kind of... um... don't be mad at me, but I hacked into your email to see if you have any other useful information. Found that email from basiliskvenom or somebody about the Assistants. So... yeah, that explains Nemesis's 'bed-time story'.