AN: Afternoon all, here is a surprise update for you. I've decided to narrow down my future updating schedule to just a few stories, and have put a poll on my profile to help narrow it down. Feel free to vote if you fancy. OTher than that, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or RWBY.

( - )

(Last Time)

Ruby's face twisted in horror at the thought of her precious weapon being destroyed. "I'm sorry."

Jay smiled warmly. "What for? It wasn't your fault, besides as far as I'm concerned a weapon can be replaced, a person's life not so much."

She felt her brow furrowed.

It definitely felt like there was a story behind his comment.

Despite her curiosity though, she couldn't muster the confidence to push him to tell her more.

Hopefully in the future though, once she got to know him better, she'd be able to learn more about him.

Her face flushed a bit pink at that thought, even as she followed him up the steps and through the large doors that led to Beacon Academy's packed-out atrium.

( - )

Chapter 3

( - )

"Ruby! Ruby! Over here!" She could hear Yang shouting and waving at her from across the large hall.

"Sorry Jay, that's my sister, I've got to go. I'll err, see you after the ceremony I guess," Ruby said as she glanced over and saw her sister waving over to her from across the hall. After taking a few steps, she suddenly paused and instead looked back at Jay slightly shyly. "Unless, unless you want to come with me?"

She smiled nervously as she saw the blonde tilting his head curiously to the side. She didn't really know him well, but he still seemed quite nice. He was easy to talk to at least, even if he did seem a bit scatterbrained at times.

"Sure," Jay replied with a shrug.

A smile lit up her face at his easy acceptance. Was it possible that she had made her first friend at Beacon? And so soon! Grabbing the sleeve of his hoody she tugged the unresisting blonde through the milling crowd of thirty or so students and over to where her grinning sister was standing and waving at her.

"Hey, Rubes!" Yang grinned, her bright violet eyes looking her up and down as if checking to make sure she was still in one piece, before trailing Jay. "And hello handsome, I'm Yang! How're you doing?"

"Hey, and yeah, I'm all good thanks," Jay nodded, his blue eyes looking Yang up and down.

At his side, Ruby couldn't help but grimace. She loved her sister. She really did. But she tended to naturally overshadow those around her due to both her striking appearance and her loud personality.

By contrast, she felt like a wallflower when her sister was around. She just seemed to fade into the background as people flocked to Yang and hung on her every word. Even her own friends had occasionally dismissed her in favour of cosying up to Yang and her clique. Suffice it to say Yang had swiftly discouraged that kind of behaviour. But even so, it made things difficult at times.

Her gaze trailed over her sister, taking in her waist-length mane of golden blonde hair, her pale, flawless skin, gleaming violet eyes and most noticeably, her large bust which even now strained at the tight orange T-shirt and brown leather half-coat she was wearing.

She honestly couldn't attract more attention if she tried, and the worst thing was she didn't even seem to notice she was doing it half the time. Instead, she just lived her best life, had fun and ignored the hangers-on.

"I see you've been making friends, Ruby!?" Yang smirked, meeting Jay's gaze and cocking her hip to one side.

That said, despite not always deliberately drawing attention to herself, she did still enjoy being the centre of attention when it suited her. With an internal sigh, Ruby readied herself for what would no doubt follow. Jay would rapidly lose interest in her and instead fawn over her sister, which would, in turn, annoy her sister and lead to him being shot down, getting upset by her rejection and ditching both sisters in a huff. By this point in her life, it had become a common scenario. One that had happened half a dozen times before, and really it was her own fault, she should have known better before dragging her new friend over to meet Yang.

"Yeah, pretty much," Jay hummed, his attention already shifting away from Yang and returning to her. "Or at least I'd like to think so anyway."

"What!" Ruby burst out, her eyes widening as she looked between Jay and a now bemused Yang. "I-I mean yeah, we're friends. Or at least I'd like to be. You really helped me out when that mean girl yelled at me!"

"Someone yelled at you?" Yang cut in, her expression hardening.

Oh no, Ruby once again internally cringed. It looked like her overprotective sister was on the verge of going full 'mama bear' mode.

She needed to defuse the situation quickly before Yang went full Yang.

"Uh well sort of, but it wasn't too bad! I mean there was this crabby girl, who said I got in her way and then got all angry at me! And I don't even know why. I just wanted her to stop yelling at me! And then she started shaking dust at me, and then I sneezed... and well… kind of exploded." Ruby trailed off awkwardly, looking over at Jay sheepishly, before she glanced back at Yang who it seemed had calmed down a little and instead looked slightly amused. =

"Yikes, meltdown already?" Yang said wincing.

"No, I literally exploded a crater in front of the school..." Ruby cringed. "There was fire and I think some ice?" She brought her hand to her chin as she recalled the moment. "And then the girl yelled again until this other girl with a bow came over and tried to help me, but then she ditched me too, and then after that Jay found me and told the crabby girl off, and then we came here and well…!"

"It was a whole thing," Jay nodded by her side, earning him another amused look from Yang.

"It certainly sounds exciting," Yang nodded, her eyes shining with amusement now, which was preferable, and less costly in terms of collateral damage, than anger. "And look at the Ruby, you've made a friend and a rival in your first hour at Beacon, that's got to be a record!"

"Yannnggg!" She whined, burrowing her face in her sister's side.

Her sister just laughed in response and slung an arm around her shoulders pulling her in for a short, but still nice, hug.

It was a nice moment, or at least it was until a strident angry voice interrupted it.

"You!" Weiss Schnee shouted out from behind Ruby, startling her so much that she jumped back from Yang and into Jay's arms, who on impulse seemed to catch her in his arms, before awkwardly lowering her back to the ground.

"Oh god, it's happening again!" Ruby squeaked as she tried to make herself as small as possible, as she saw the irritable white-haired girl again.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss snapped, her finger angrily waving up and down as she gesticulated at Ruby.

"Oh my god," Yang said as she looked her over for a moment with an expression of disbelief on her face. "You really exploded…."

"Oh, it's you again" Jay piped up, making himself known as he gave the white-haired girl a flat, unimpressed look. "Are you really that attention-seeking that you have to have another public tantrum over something that has already been resolved."

Weiss's face flushed red with either embarrassment or rage. It was difficult to work out which, as she swelled up, her blue eyes flashing as she prepared to go on another rant.

"You were just as at fault as Ruby, and Ruby has already apologised for her part in the incident. None of your dust was destabilised in the initial collision, and the explosion only happened because you were shaking dust in her face like an idiot and made her sneeze." Jay pressed on relentlessly.

His expression was bored, but there was a sharpness in his blue eyes that was unnerving, and she wasn't even the recipient of his hard stare.

Weiss flushed and took a step back. "That, well I-"

"Or are you here to apologise for your part?" Jay cut her off ruthlessly, a smile forming on his face. It wasn't as nice as his normal smile. Instead, this one was sharper and looked far too fake. It was the kind of smile a teacher wore, just before they gave the class a ridiculous amount of homework. Pure evil!

"I have nothing to apologise for, and I won't allow myself to be bullied or intimidated by an uncultured brute like you!" Weiss snapped back at him.

"Woah, woah, woah, I can't believe I'm the one saying this, but let's de-escalate things. It's the start of the school year, and it just sounds like you all got off on the wrong foot" Yang said as she forced her way into the conversation between Weiss, Jay and herself. Her hands were up and a forced smile was on her face. "Why don't you all take a deep breath, let go of what happened before and start over and try to be friends, okay?"

"Yeah! Great idea sis!" Ruby grinned, taking the cue from her sister and turned to Weiss. It was time for her to be the bigger person, which considering she and Weiss were pretty much the same height, might actually be possible. Smiling, she extended her hand for a handshake "Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby wanna hang out sometime?"

She felt a lot more confident now Yang was with her.

Weiss instantly reacted "Yeah!" She exclaimed sarcastically. "And then we can paint our nails, and try on clothes then talk about boys, like the unsalvageable brute over there" she finished gesturing at an unimpressed-looking Jay.

"Unsalvable brute…" he mouthed disbelievingly, though whether that was at the description itself or her audacity, she wasn't sure.

"Oh wow, really?" Ruby asked hopefully. If she could make peace with Weiss, then she might be able to make a truce between Jay and the white-haired girl too, and then they could all be friends.

"No, you dolt…" Weiss said bluntly, looking at Ruby like she was an idiot.

Jay and Yang winced.

"Oh…" Ruby replied, trailing off disappointedly.

Thankfully, before any more could be said, the Headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin, finally arrived, with the Deputy Headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch, following closely behind him as he took centre stage on the platform at the far end of the hall.

The hall rapidly descended into silence, as they all turned to listen in to the headmaster's welcoming speech.

"I'll keep this brief" Ozpin started, as he looked out over the crowd of students in the hall. "You have all travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills."

Several students in the hall started grinning at his words, herself included.

"And when you finish, you are going to dedicate your lives to the protection of the people."

This received a few cheers from some of the students including Yang.

Weiss meanwhile seemed to swell with pride.

"But when I look among you, I just see wasted energy. A need for purpose... for direction. You assume that knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will show you that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." And with that said, Ozpin then walked away from the microphone, leaving only silence in his wake.

Ruby's expression dropped at his words, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Looking around, she could see that most of those around her looked equally as befuddled. Though oddly, Jay was frowning contemplatively.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins, be ready!" Professor Goodwitch added, her tone stern as she walked over to the microphone and finished Ozpin's speech for him.

As the speech ended the crowd quickly began to disperse, Yang looked over at her, a confused expression on both their faces.

"He seemed a little... off."

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, it's almost like he wasn't even there?"

Jay hummed his agreement, his gaze still resting on Ozpin as the old man left the stage and headed back the way he had come.

By this point, Weiss and their previous altercation were forgotten, with even the Schnee heiress herself having dispersed along with the rest of the crowd, no doubt in a huff at having been so easily dismissed again by Jay.

( - )

(With Jay)

It was later that evening after Ozpin's less than enthusiastic welcome speech that Jay and the rest of the first years were preparing to sleep for the night on the Beacon's ballroom floor.

Kneeling down on the marble, he frowned as he looked around. The academy hadn't exactly provided them with luxurious accommodations. They'd been given a thin ground mat, a sleeping bag, and a poor-quality pillow. Though admittedly several other students had come more prepared, as they dug about in their bags and started taking out extra bedding and pyjamas.

Focusing on his own rucksack, he unbuckled the top of his bag and pulled it open. With all that was going on in his head, he couldn't quite remember what he had packe- he lurched backwards in horror.

His face flushed bright red as he quickly pulled the bag shut and nervously looked around the room.

He could see a bunch of topless guys flexing and play fighting in an attempt to impress some nearby girls. Ruby and her sister were chatting together about something half a dozen metres away as they laid out their own sleeping mats. Out of the corner of his eye, he could spot a flash of white as Weiss loudly huffed and puffed at the idea of sleeping on the ground while surrounded by lots of strange men.

Thankfully, however, none of them were looking over in his direction. Which hopefully meant that none of them had spotted the travesty of what lay within his rucksack.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling he opened his rucksack a silver. Closing his eyes, he fought back a wince at the sight of the baby blue, fluffy bunny-themed onesie within.

Closing his eyes, he sighed.

Now that he had seen it, he could remember its origins. It had been a gift from one of his younger sisters, Jasmine. One given out of love, and not out of mockery. Though it had certainly engendered a lot of tittering and giggling from his older sisters when he had paraded around the living room in it. Even his perpetually grim father had cracked a rare smile at the sight.

A heady mix of warm nostalgia and icy cold embarrassment swirled about within him.

A part of him wanted to wear it for old time's sake, and to soothe some of his inner homesickness. But a larger part of him, the part inhabited by Jason, the Praetor of New Rome, wanted to never think about it again. He could already imagine what the Fifth Cohort would have said had they seen him wearing it. Not even his position as Legionnaire would have protected him from their mockery.

Taking a moment to gather himself, he buckled his bag and put it to one side. For now, he would make do with Beacon's paltry offering and a pair of boxers.

Setting out the rest of his bedding for the night. He started to go through the process of unbuckling his armour and quickly removing his… sigh, bunny-branded hoodie, and the thankfully plain white shirt he wore underneath, he quickly slipped into his sleeping bag without further issue.

Shifting around on the uncomfortable ground mat, he idly noticed that Ruby and Yang had migrated over from their spot for the night, to the position taken up by the same bow-wearing girl he had noticed earlier in the day. The three of them were talking about something. Or at least Ruby and Yang were talking. The dark-haired girl, meanwhile, looked like she was more interested in her reading book than in engaging with the two sisters.

Smiling, he was tempted to use a bit of aerokinesis to listen in. But quickly stopped himself from going down that rabbit hole. Not only would it have been rude and disrespectful, but he also didn't want to know what three teenage girls might talk about when they thought no one was looking. The look on Yang's face as she looked around the hall and spotted several of the shirtless lads wrestling, cemented that decision in his mind. Some things were best left undiscovered.

Twisting around he also noticed Weiss, lying on her own sleeping bag and alternating between sending withering looks at the group of three girls and at him. The white-haired girl looked for all the world like she was about to throw a fit.

When her icy blue eyes met his own, he quickly looked away and pretended he hadn't noticed her.

He was in no mood to deal with any more of her shit. Both Ruby and Yang could deal with the shrew's melodrama, as his social battery was completely drained at this point.

Exhaling softly, he lay back and tried to get a bit of shuteye. He had a busy day with all that had happened, and likely had an even busier one tomorrow. The initiation test would take place in the morning. Which in turn meant that they would all soon be getting grouped into four-person teams. Teams that they would remain in until the end of their time at Beacon, in three years.

A pit of dread formed in the bottom of his stomach.

The idea of being in a team again didn't appeal all that much to him, not after all he had experienced as Jason. After all, his last one hadn't worked out all that well. If you could even call the Seven Heroes of Olympus a team, as opposed to a chaotic collection of clashing personalities and differing ideals.

How they had managed to save the world he had no idea.

His heart sank.

No, he did know how they saved the world. It had been at the cost of several of his friend's lives.

Wetting his lips and forcing his eyes closed, he tried to clear his mind. His head was still a complete mess. He was still struggling to figure out who he was supposed to be. And with a potentially dangerous initiation on the horizon he needed to get his shit together.

First off by sleeping, and secondly by getting up early so he could get armoured up and prepared for whatever lay ahead.

Life as a huntsman would not be all that dissimilar to life as a demigod. It would be dangerous, and full of trials and tribulations, and considering all he had lived through as Jason, he had a good idea of what might lay in store for him now that he was Jay.

He would be ready and would hit the ground running in the morning.

( - )

It was shaping up to be a glorious day. The sun was blazing brightly overhead, bathing the land in its warm radiance. The sky was a clear cerulean blue, with nary a cloud in sight to spoil the beautiful vista. And, as he stood on the top of the cliff overlooking the aptly named Emerald Forest, he could already feel a cool, gentle breeze swirling around his form.

The conditions were all but perfect for Beacon Academy's Annual First Year Initiation event.

Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, brought his cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip of the ambrosia within. A shiver ran down his spine, as he felt the caffeine coursing through his body.

Glynda often complained that his brew was too strong, aggressively strong she called it, but for him, it was just right. It provided just enough of a kick to get him going in the morning.

Smiling, Ozpin looked away from the vast forest below and turned to inspect the Hunter candidates that he would soon be sending into their depths.

It was an eclectic group this year, but one with a lot of potential.

He took another sip of his coffee as his lazy gaze drifted over the teens as they took their positions on the metal platforms Glynda had started directing them to.

Pyrrha Nikos, the redhead was a famed championship fighter with a powerful Semblance and strong familial connections to the great families of Mistral. As prospects went, she might be the crowning jewel of her year.

Weiss Schnee. The white-haired girl was a well-known prodigy with a versatile Semblance, and vast resources courtesy of her highly influential family. The Schnee Family was one of the wealthiest families in the world and she was the heiress. He could only thank his fortunes that she had decided to attend Beacon and not Atlas. Her presence could somewhat address the balance of power between the kingdoms, especially if she did later inherit the Schnee Dust Company.

Yang Xiao Long lacked the influence the other two had. But she was still a powerful brawler, with a strong Semblance, and a good pedigree. The fiery blonde was the daughter of two of the strongest Hunters of the last generation, Tai Xiao Long and Raven Branwen. He was hopeful that she would follow in their footsteps. Though preferably more in Tai's footsteps than in her flighty mothers.

Ruby Rose, the youngest of the applicants, but still full of potential, perhaps more so than any of the others in her generation. Like her half-sister, she had a strong pedigree as the daughter of Tai and Summer Rose. But unlike Yang, she also had silver eyes, and the ancestral magical abilities that came with those special, silver eyes.

He smiled faintly.

It was quite fortuitous that he had managed to get her enrolled into Beacons so early. It gave him far more time to mould her into being a true champion for humanity, like her parents before her had been prior to Summer's untimely death, and Tai's unfortunate retirement from active duty.

His gaze drifted to the rest of the assembled group.

The rest of the group was more of a mix.

Blake Belladonna was somewhat of a wildcard. Her inclusion was risky considering her background. But also, potentially very beneficial. She had the skills and experience required to make it as a Hunter. She'd passed the practical and theory tests that all candidates without references – the accepted references included those from accredited training schools, certified gyms, or qualified independent Huntsman – had to do with ease. Additionally, as the daughter of the High Chief of Menagerie, she also wielded a moderate amount of influence. Though considering Menagerie's military and economic power, and its distance from Vale, the influence she wielded was admittedly of limited value.

He observed the dark-haired girl for a moment longer, before shifting his attention to the pair of teens at her side. The boisterous, orange-haired, Nora Valkyrie and her quiet, introverted companion, Lie Ren. Those two, like Belladonna, had passed the tests to gain entry to Beacon with flying colours. Though notably the girl had scored higher on the practical tests than the boy and vice versa when it came to theory.

Shifting his gaze away, he observed Cardin Winchester, a scion of the well-connected Valean Winchester family whose matriarch currently had a seat on the Kingdom of Vale's High Council. The boy was an average student but could still be moulded into being a highly capable Hunter with time and patience. The same could be said of Sky Lark, Ruseel Thrush and Dove Bronzwing. All of whom graduated from the same prestigious training school, Guiding Light Academy. They didn't have the same raw potential as Weiss Schnee or Pyrrha Nikos, but with a firm hand, Beacon could forge them into true warriors.

Frowning as he looked away from the known quantities, his gaze came to rest on an armoured blonde that had just joined the line-up.

Jaune Arc.

The boy was another wildcard. Only one that was far riskier than Blake Belladonna, with far less payoff.

At first sight, the boy didn't look like much. He was tall and gangly with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was certainly not a bad-looking lad on the surface. But he was quite clearly lacking the build and musculature the other Huntsmen around him had. Instead, he had the soft build of a civilian. Of someone who had never faced a Grimm down in combat, and barely even wielded a weapon.

Ozpin's gaze sharpened as he saw the boy rolling his shoulders, and going through a series of stretches to warm up his arms and legs in preparation for what was to come. His movements looked quite practised. More so than he had expected.

When he had first seen the boy's name on the applicant list and his recommendation papers he'd been mildly interested. His father and his elder sister had both been splendid Huntsmen. Admittedly neither of them had been trailblazers. Nor had they possessed the sheer skill and raw talent of other Huntsmen like Qrow Branwen and Tai Xiao Long. That said, they were still both Beacon Alumni and had graduated as above-average students, which at least spoke well of his pedigree. Especially with the Arc Family having produced a dozen other very capable Huntsmen over the last two centuries.

His references had been enough to get him added to the list of candidates who would be invited to initiation for the final test. Or at least they had, up until he had undertaken some further examination, and realised that his reference papers were actually quite suspect. As for one, they had been signed by his father, Rudeus Arc. A man that he knew for a fact had retired as a Huntsman five years prior following the death of his eldest daughter, Carmine.

After retiring, Rudeus hadn't renewed his license. Which meant he was no longer a registered Huntsman. Instead, he had started a new career as a security consultant. A successful one too, as he had apparently a long-term contract in the port city of Argus. But that wasn't what had attracted his attention. Instead, it had been the fact that Rudeus' licence had lapsed, which meant that, despite his past accomplishments, his references didn't officially hold weight. Nor did the circumstances behind the references make sense as he knew for a fact that following the death of Carmine, Rudeus had put his foot down and refused to allow any of his children to follow in his footsteps. He remembered trying to gently talk the man out of it at the time and being shot down.

His lips thinned at the memory; it was one of many others he had just like it.

In the end, it had taken a few inquiries to make sure. But after following up on his initial concerns, it had quickly become clear that the transcripts and references that Jaune Arc had provided with his application, were all forgeries, as was his father's signature.

Unfortunately, by the time the error had been flagged, and he had followed up on his further concerns, the letters had already been sent out and an invitation to attend the initiation had been sent.

It was an oversight that he regretted.

But at the same time with the boy having arrived at initiation with his antique sword and ill-fitting armour, it was one he was willing to see play out. After all, it was possible that he had inherited some of his father's talent. And if he hadn't, well with Glynda monitoring the test, and several third years waiting in the wings looking to earn extra credits, he wasn't all that concerned about him being in any danger.

Should the worst happen, he would end up a little bruised and maybe slightly traumatised, but still very much alive. After which, he would be sent back home with a slap of his wrist and a black mark forever against his name. A more than fitting punishment, should it turn out that he had lied his way into Beacon, without having the skill to back up his lies.

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee at that thought and eyed the wildcard as he finished stretching. He didn't have high hopes for the boy. But should he prove him wrong, then he was willing to have a little faith in him if he showed even a modicum of potential.

( - )

Patting his hip to make sure his sword was still safely sheathed at his side, Jay idly looked around at the current gathering of students. It was a motley assembly of two dozen or so teens. Some of them were in armour, while others were dressed up in far more flamboyant outfits. A few were even wearing high heels and dresses. Not exactly the most sensible of choices, but to each their own.

Additionally, the surrounding teens were also using a multitude of different weapons, such as guns, maces, grenade launchers, swords, scythes, spears and axes. None of their equipment looked conventional, as most of them seemed to be made in the same 'mecha-shift' style that Ruby had spent ten minutes lecturing him about.

It was a bit surreal.

His lips twisted into a wry smile.

But he had seen odder things back when he had been just Jason. Compared to the divine world, the world of Remnant even with the Creatures of Grimm and its shattered moon, was practically mundane.

Tearing his gaze away from his fellow students, he looked over to where Ozpin, and his deputy, Glynda, stood at the edge of the cliff below which stretched miles upon miles of wild untamed forest.

His heart began to thunder a little faster in his chest, at the sight of the vast sea of trees, and the dangers that no doubt lurked beneath its canopy.

The Jaune of the past would have probably thought himself mad for being excited about being sent into a forest full of monsters. But as Jay, he was an almost completely different person. He saw the dangers that lay ahead, and very much agreed with Jason's outlook. It looked like an adventure waiting to happen.

Grinning to himself, he idly tuned into Ozpin, as he took a sip from his coffee cup and began speaking. "For years you have trained to be warriors and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Taking a step forward Glynda raised her tablet and continued Ozpin's explanation, "Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams. Well, allow me to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today, and then after that you and your partner will be assigned to your four-person teams."

The assembled students all began muttering as they heard that, some of them looked excited, while others were clearly nervous.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," Ozpin took over the explanation again, after of course taking another sip of coffee. His placid gaze once again roved over the assembled students. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing in the forest will be your partner for the next three years…"

The row of waiting students practically exploded with complaints and exclamations of shock and surprise.

He could understand their consternation. He was very much in agreement with the general consensus and really didn't like how the teams were being left in the hands of fate. The Fates were petty, vindictive arseholes.

Looking up and down the line, he caught sight of the fearful look on Ruby's face as she glanced over at her sister. And the irritated expression on Weiss's face as she frowned at a red-haired girl further down the line. It was pretty easy to see that some of those present already had a partner and/or team in mind.

Ignoring the multitude of negative responses, Ozpin carried on with his speech, his expression calm and placid. "After you've partnered up. You're to head to the north end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. I warn you all now, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path. That is unless you want to die?"

The assembled students rapidly quietened down.

"During this initiation, you will be monitored on how you act under pressure, on the decision you make, and on how you conduct yourself both during a fight and while pursuing your objective." Ozpin continued his tone becoming a little harder now as he watched their reactions, "In the northern end of the forest you will find a ruined temple that will contain a number of relics. Each pair must choose one of these relics and then return to the top of the cliff. Does anyone have any questions?"

The group shook their heads in the negative. The instructions they had just been given were simple and straightforward. They needed to find a partner. Fight through the horrifically deadly Grimm-infested forest. Find some abandoned ruins. Grab whatever the relic was. After which, they had to go back through the forest and fight their way to the top of the cliff they were currently standing on, with the relic and a partner in tow.

Simple.

Taking a deep breath, he centred himself as he pushed the aspects of Jaune aside and used Jason's hard-won experience to process his instructions. There was not a huge amount he could plan out for what lay ahead. But for the little he could plan out ahead of time, his mind was already moving a mile a minute, as he plotted out what he would do. Strategies and tactics were already beginning to take shape in his head as he thought about the task ahead.

Flexing his hands, and bending his legs, he took a deep breath and drew on the bundle of barely constrained energy he could feel bubbling about within the recesses of his soul.

The wind picked up and the air swirled around him ruffling his hair.

"Good. Now, take your positions." Ozpin said once more, his gaze moving up and down the line of ready and waiting students. It lingered for a moment on him. The look on his face was hard to read. But from what he could tell, he looked partly curious and partly pitying. "And remember your landing strategies."

Jay blinked at that last comment.

He wasn't sure what Ozpin meant by landing strategy.

Or at least he didn't, until the first student in the line, the vivacious blonde that was Yang, was launched off her platform and into the air. Her form disappeared as she was sent hurtling off the cliff in a blur of blonde hair and barely restrained excitement.

The rest of the students all followed closely after that as Glynda activated their platforms one by one, propelling them high into the air and far above the vast Emerald Forest till every single one of the assembled students had been sent hurtling into the forest.

Bracing himself when it came to his turn, he took a single breath and fully embraced his father's domain as he was sent hurtling off into the open sky.

( - )

AN: Not covered as much as I wanted to, but got it to a decent enough endpoint.

I will be escalating the pace soon though, as I don't want to get mired too much in early RWBY, plus I want to start making a mess of canon.

Speaking of which, I am open to suggestions when it comes to partners, teams and pairings. Feel free to share you thoughts.

Catch you later.

Greed720.