Rain poured down relentlessly on the city of Columbus, Ohio, drenching the streets, houses, and all those brave enough to venture outdoors. The sound of the rain created a symphony of drum beats on pavement, echoing through the empty streets and casting a melancholic mood over the usually bustling city. Umbrellas dotted the landscape, a sea of colorful shields against the unrelenting downpour. People hurried along, huddled under their umbrellas, their footsteps muffled by the steady rhythm of the rain. The gloomy weather seemed to dampen everyone's spirits, except for one person.

A nineteen year old girl walked through the crowd of people, her hands stuffed into her pockets. She wore a blue hoodie and even that was barely enough to shield her from the rain.

The girl paid little attention to the people around her as she continued walking.

She walked to a large building and she walked through the doors. It was an old mall.

The inside of the mall was old and dirty. It had been a few years since the mall had shut down. People rarely ever came here.

Well... all except for her.

Cassandra Andretsi wasn't one for adventure but walking around did her some good. She enjoyed the peace and quiet it gave her.

She was thankful for it.

She walked up the stairs and made it to the top floor.

She looked around before she climbed up a ladder and up onto the rooftop. She sighed softly as she pulled her hood down and smiled as the rain lightly hit her face.

It felt comforting to feel the rain.

Cassandra took out her phone and looked at the time.

It was 8:34.

If she took the bus, she could make it to work.

She slid down the banister and hurried out of the old building. She ran over to the bus and climbed in.

Once she paid the tab, she sat down in the front and leaned back against the seat with a heavy sigh.

Cassandra looked out the window for a moment. She hadn't heard from her friends in a while and it always seemed like they were all busy.

She clenched her fist a little. She tried not to let her worries cloud her mind as she knew her friends were safe. And she hoped that they would remain safe.

She didn't really know where they were and she didn't know how long it had been since they last talked or saw each other.

She sighed as she held a locket in her hands. It was silver with a blue trident in the middle.

She shook her head and frowned. 'I left that life behind,' she thought firmly, 'all of us did.'

Once the bus stopped at Elmcrest Avenue, Cassandra stepped off the bus and walked up to the doubled doors of a restaurant.

It was a Chinese restaurant. But Cassandra didn't exactly work there, per se.

She walked into the back and she heard cheering behind a door. Pushing it open, she stepped into the large room, greeted by the cheering and the sight of two people wrestling on a huge stage.

Cassandra crossed her arms and she walked over to the far side of the room before she took off her hoodie. She was wearing a tank top.

She tied her hair into a ponytail and exhaled. She may have been born skinny but she let that thought go, for once.

She wasn't about to let a little flaw keep her from earning her credits.

Once she climbed on top of the stage, she got a good look at her opponent.

He had brown skin and deep gray eyes. He almost looked familiar but Cassandra couldn't tell.

Maybe it was her senses playing the casual trick on her but she felt her shoulders tense and she clenched her jaw as she watched the boy.

He got into a fighting position, his gaze meeting hers.

She narrowed her eyes before she charged at him with a growl.

He put up his left arm and Cassandra punched it hard but he barely flinched. He quickly slammed his knee into her gut and she grunted.

She took a step back before she went down and kicked his legs out from underneath him.

He grunted as he hit the floor, sending dust flying up into the air.

Cassandra stared at him with a frown. A part of her thought this was going to be easy.

He got up and charged at her. She quickly dodged to the left when he threw a punch at her and she punched him in the side.

She jumped behind him and kicked him in the back. He stumbled backwards and he spun around to face her.

Their eyes met and Cassandra froze.

Now she knew why he looked so familiar.

He was the Successor of Ares, the God of war.

Cassandra took a slight step back, her eyes narrowing. She growled softly, "Silas."

The boy smirked, "glad to see you remember now."

He charged at her again and he swung at her. She quickly dodged again and she headbutted him in the gut, surprising and knocking the wind from him.

He stumbled backwards, coughing.

Taking a chance, she quickly ran forward and gave him an uppercut.

The force of the blow sent Silas to the floor. The cheering got louder and Cassandra took a deep breath to steady herself and her beating heart.

She stared at Silas and she quickly stepped back before she turned and jumped from the stage. She grabbed her bag and looked around before she hurried out of the room.

She ran up the stairs and into the restaurant. Some patrons looked at her in surprise but she ignored them as she hurried out of the building.

She looked around frantically before she took off running.

If Silas was here, then it was likely that he wasn't alone.

Cassandra gritted her teeth as she ran over to an apartment complex. She ran up the stairs and over to the door.

She fumbled with her key before she put it into the lock and turned it. Once the door opened, Cassandra hurried inside and slammed the door closed behind her.

She breathed heavily, gripping at the door. She stared at the floor, perturbed.

She clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth. This wasn't supposed to happen.

She was supposed to just win a match, get her credits and leave. But Silas Maragilis had shown up and changed that.

'Just... ignore it,' she thought as she slid down, holding her head in her hands as the anger simmered down, 'breathe.'

She exhaled and rubbed her face before she pushed herself to her feet and walked to the bathroom. She closed the door and turned on the shower.

'I just want to forget today,' she thought as she washed up. The phone buzzed but she didn't notice.

She closed her eyes.

Once she got out of the shower, she put on her comfortable clothes and sat on the couch, letting out a deep sigh.

She looked at her phone and picked it up. She went to her photos and looked at a peculiar photo that stood out to her.

It was a picture of her and six other kids.

She smiled a little before she turned her phone off and laid down, hugging a pillow.

The comforting silence of her apartment lulled her into a dreamless sleep.