And Then There Were Four by Lilith Carrie

Cassie.

Class after class, I was introduced to so many people. I found my mind swirling with the amount of names I was supposed to remember, and I was happy to see the end of the day come quickly. The entire day I hadn't seen my brother, and wondered whether he had actually come to class at all.

Following a few other students I didn't know, I headed out to what they said were the training grounds, prepared to see if that was where Pollux had gone. Leaving the large vast buildings of the school, I followed down the cobbled paths and covered breezeways until the path led me through grassy fields with the site of a massive golden arena in the distance.

The voices of the warriors grunting, groaning, and yelling commands to one another coil be heard before even stepping foot into the arena, and I had no doubt this was where my brother had gone.

I hoped Trixie would have been able to go with me, but I found it unfortunate she was preoccupied by some task she had to do with her parents, so instead, I ventured out here alone.

As the building grew closer, I noted how the high walls of the area stood taller than the school itself, reminding me of the colosseum in Rome. A place where gladiators used to fight for the entertainment of their people. The same people who were ruthless and desired to see the blood and gore that made a lot of men lose their lives.

It didn't surprise me once I stepped in and took notice of the men sparing that they would have something set up like this. Odin may not have been what people called a "Greek" god, but according to legend, the gods all were the same in the eyes of their believers, no matter the culture they came from. And here in these walls, it was obvious to see fighting was a sport all took seriously.

Stepping forth down the stone steps of the arena, the littered sounds of students sitting and watching as they yelled for their favorite people took me by shock. I didn't find this kind of thing entertaining. I knew training was important, but the way they were acting was barbaric in a way, at least to me.

"Hey, your name's Cassie, right?" A voice called from my left. Glancing over my shoulder, I took in the brown hair and golden eyes of a dark-skinned girl who was in my second period advanced magic class. "Yeah it is. You're Sansa, the witch."

Small laughter escaped her as she nodded her head, "Yeah I am. Well, I'm a hybrid like everyone else here. Celestial blood and all of that. Come sit with me. There's no point in watching alone." Hesitating for a moment, I gave a tight-lipped smile and nodded as I watched her slide over so I could sit down. "Thanks, I'm not really here to watch. Just see if my brother actually showed up today."

Her eyes lit up when I spoke of my brother and, with an eager smile, she nodded. "Oh girl, he did."

"Why did you say it like that..." I

mumbled with a sigh. A million and one thoughts ran through my head at her comment, and as she pointed in the direction of the field, I followed her finger and caught sight of my brother heaving up and down with golden eyes and protruding fangs as he stared down at his opponent, who laid upon the ground.

"He has been killing them out there... metaphorically, of course. Bronn was our strongest fighter, and as you can tell, he dominated Bronn in no time. Which I'm not sure if that's going to be a good thing or a bad

thing." bad

Glancing at her quickly, I raised my brow in question. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, Bronn is my half-brother, unfortunately. Only by our father, of course, celestial blood. His mother was a werewolf, and friends with my mother a witch. From what my mother said... Our dad enjoyed poly relationships."

Sansa spoke about the situation as if it wasn't a big deal, and whereas I was only Odin's granddaughter, they were direct children of a god. How was it my brother was stronger than a direct child? It made little sense. "That's crazy... who was your dad?" The question made her laugh and looking to me she shook her head.

"Who knows... there were speculations on who he was, but no one dares to claim their heritage. Odin, Freya, and Frigg just try to clean up their mess."