Chapter Two

The doors groaned before Layla could even place her hand against the wood to open it. Warm light spilled into the corridor, brushing against her skin like static. For a heartbeat, she wondered if she’d imagined it, but Perse was already tugging her forward, grinning as if she owned the place.

Inside, the dining hall was alive. Long tables of dark oak stretched under floating candelabras that burned with blue-white flame. Banners hung from the rafters—each one marked with a different crest: a thunderbolt, a trident, a laurel crown, a flame, a serpent. So many symbols and banners hung high above tables full of chattering initiates. The colors shimmered as if the fabric itself breathed.

“Welcome to the Feast of the Houses,” Perse announced, spreading her arms. “Try not to stare too hard. They can smell nerves,” she joked.

She nodded swiftly as Peres pulled her alongside her, weaving through all of the students in the hall.

Layla tried not to, but it was impossible. Students glowed—literally glowed—with energy. Sparks fizzed from a boy’s fingers as he laughed; a girl’s hair shifted like water around her shoulders. Layla tucked her curls behind her ears and wished she could vanish into her hoodie.

What was she doing here? She suddenly began to feel very human.

A ripple of sound rolled through the hall. When she looked up, a boy with sun-touched hair and a lazy, lightning-bright smile was walking between the tables, people turning toward him as if pulled by gravity.

“That's Theo,” Perse told her. As if she knew what Layla would ask her. Even his name felt golden.

Across the room, in the shadows near the far wall, another figure watched: dark-clad, motionless, eyes a strange silver-gray. “Damon.” she pointed when she took notice of where Layla's eyes drifted.

For a moment, both of them looked at her. Theo’s smile faltered; Damon tilted his head, curiosity—or recognition—flashing across his face. Heat curled low in her stomach, sharp and unfamiliar. She blinked, and the chandelier above her flickered, one flame flaring high enough to make someone gasp.

“Whoa,” Perse whispered. “Did you just—?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Layla said quickly, but her pulse drummed a different truth.

Layla looked all around her as she took in the sights and tried to calm her nerves. She wasn't sure what had just happened. There's no way it could have been her right?

She arrived at a table with Perse as she took a step behind a jacked-looking guy, dropping Layla's hand to wrap arms around him before he could notice

“Javier!!” she yelled excitedly.

The boy's brows shot to his hairline and he placed a hand on her arms while looking back.

“Perse! Omg! How are you!” he replied, jumping out of his seat to swiftly turn and hug her. Layla watched curious about how long they'd known each other. She looked at the other students sitting at the table watching her. Some seemed to flinch af the sight of her. Others smiled wickedly in her direction. Making her unsure of what to do.

“I have someone I want you and Kinley to meet. This is my cousin Layla. She's new here this year. Please try not to scare her” she winked as she rounded the other side of the table to sit across from Javier.

Layla stuck out her hand to Javier, “It's nice to meet you,” she said softly.

“Likewise!” Javier said with a wide toothy grin. He had a boyish look to him but he was tall and robust. The guy clearly worked out a lot. She didn't think there was an ounce of fat on his body.

Layla took notice of a small girl sitting next to him. She had this aura around her that seemed to enthrall Layla for some reason. It was hard to look away from her face. It was beautiful.

Her skin was pale and smooth and her lips pink and full. Her hair was red and curly, unbound and wild. Her eyes are a sparkling blue. Like the sea but clearer. There was something turbulent about them.

She smiled politely and searched Layla's eyes with her own as she stood to shake Layla's now outstretched hand.

“Kinley. Don't stare too hard. I'll have you trapped,” she said with a chuckle.

Layla didn't know what that meant exactly but she assumed it probably had something to do with the girls' power.

Her handshake was warm and firm.

Layla shook her thoughts from her head and smiled back at Kinley.

“I've just never seen someone so pretty. I'm sorry.”

Kinley laughed and turned around to sit back in her seat. Perse pat the one next to her for me to come sit on.

As I made my way around, I noticed the other side of the hall. Theo was sitting at a table with other kids who looked similar to him. Dark raven black hair and eyes that were so blue that they were the sky. He noticed her watching and caught her eye, giving her a grim nod.

She quickly looked down at the table in front of her. She thought of the other guy she'd seen when entering.

Looking in the opposite direction she found Damon. But he had found her already it seemed. He was watching HER. Grinning stupidly as he rocked back and forth on the back legs of his chair. He lifted his fingers and wiggled them in a wave. Layla shivered and looked away.

“Did he just wave at you?” Perse asked.

Layla shrugged, pretending she didn't know. But she did. He had.

“That's odd I'm not going to lie. Don't get involved with him. He tends to complicate things and enjoys getting off on other people's struggles”

“Damon? Yeah, he's an oddball for sure. But cute,” Javier smirked.

Layla's eyes widened with understanding and she laughed alongside them.

Kinley looked over to Theo and said, “But the other ones hotter right,” she teased.

Layla just looked at her and shook her head. What was up with this girl?

Just then Perses' phone pinged along with the rest of the student body. Layla grabbed her phone from her pocket, checking the screen.

A message appeared that read:

Welcome, Initiate.

You now stand among the chosen descendants and the blessed of Olympus. Elysium Academy exists beyond mortal reach, hidden in the cradle of the gods’ last sanctuary. Here, divine bloodlines are trained to master their inherited gifts and to uphold the Balance between the mortal and immortal realms.

The Six Great Houses of Elysium

• House of Zeus – The Stormborn: Commanders of sky and lightning. Natural leaders; their power fuels both creation and destruction.

• House of Poseidon – The Tidesworn: Healers and navigators. Their strength lies in empathy and control over water and emotion alike.

• House of Hades – The Umbrals: Keepers of death, secrets, and rebirth. Masters of shadow and memory.

• House of Athena – The Wise: Strategists, inventors, and scholars. Their insight shapes both battlefields and minds.

• House of Ares – The Bloodforged: Warriors whose passion defines them. They channel chaos into strength.

• House of Aphrodite – The Enchanteds: Artists and diplomats. They weave beauty and persuasion as power.

These are your main six buildings.

Every student is aligned by ancestry or calling. Few remain Unclaimed. Fewer still are Chosen.

A chill ran down her spine as she read the last line. “Fewer still are Chosen.” What did that mean for her then?

Suddenly a woman appeared from the small balcony above the dining hall's doors. She was tall and fit with a long neck. Her hair was cut into a blunt jet black bob. Streaks of grey framing her face. Her eyes were different. Layla had learned about this in school once.

Heterochromia. One eye was a deep blue, almost violet and another was stark grey. Matching the streaks of her hair and an intense thunderstorm.

“Welcome Initiates!” she shouted with her arms lifted to her sides. She looked at everyone below her.

“Welcome to Elysium Academy. We look forward to seeing old friends….”

Her gaze shifted and found Laylas.

“…and meeting new ones.”

There was a loud thunderous applause from the initiates and hooting. Everyone was shouting.

Perse, Javier, and Kinley had joined in as well with smiles on their faces. Layla joined in too.

“Let us feast!!” she yelled at last.

Food appeared before everyone. Small feelings of wind and light water surrounded and swirled around Layla.

She looked at Kinley who replied, “Wind and water sprites. They always help set up the tables and place food.”

Layla marveled at the plate before her and allowed herself to dig in.