The God of Gravity part 1: Demigod District

The Written Exam

So let's skip the boring details of the things that happened in the whole three months of my training and studying for the written exam. The three months were just me, Sander, and Philip studying and training. All the while, Icarus constantly bullies us whenever we top the quizzes. I guess he just wanted to show us that he is superior even when he's dumber than us. I am gonna beat the crap out of him when we meet in the ring.

Right now, I am here in the classroom with my two friends, reviewing every subject. History has been my weakest subject because I hate memorizing dates and names! The rest is just fine, and I can say that I am above the average performance of the whole class. I always loved Math and Science, so it's no wonder I always top at it. It is easy because I don't have to memorize a lot of things except the formula or the order of things. I forgot to mention that I hate Literature too. There are too many people and deep words!

"So are you guys ready?" asked Sander.

"Yeah," said Philip and I.

"Okay," he said and went to his seat that's far from us.

The seating arrangement is different than before. We are arranged in alphabetical order according to our last names. It is left to right, and Philip is at my right because his last name is Ruiz and mine's Padine. Sander sat far at the front because his last name is Baker. Mr. Howry entered the room with the usual getup. My classmates quickly returned to their seats in a hurry. Then there was a deafening silence.

"The first subject is History," he said as he handed the questionnaires to each of the columns. I eagerly waited for my questionnaire, but at last, it is handed over to me. I was the last man on the column, so I received the last paper. I am confused about my questionnaire because it is full of random scribbling across the whole paper. It is clear, that someone purposely ruined it. I leaned to see the people who are in front of me, and I am surprised to see Icarus in the same column as me. He is third in the arrangement. He looked at me, and smiled, then turned to his own questionnaire to answer.

"Mr. Howry!" I called.

"Don't shout," he said. "just come closer and talk to me."

I stood up and went to him with the questionnaire in my hand. My classmates didn't bother to know what's my deal, but they focused on answering.

I talked to him at the teacher's desk as he sat on it. "Someone ruined my questionnaire," I whispered.

"Who?"

"I don't know, sir."

He leaned to look at the column I belong to. He sighed and said, "The number of these questionnaires is exactly the same as your class population, so there's nothing I could do to replace it. Just bear with this paper, and I will ensure that I will give you your next questionnaire for the next test, untouched by others."

"Thank you, Mr. Howry," I said and turned to walk towards my seat. I tripped and fell down the floor. My classmates were startled and laughed at me. I am certain that it was Icarus' foot because I tripped beside him. I looked at his face, looking so proud in making me look like a fool.

"Silence!" shouted Mr. Howry then they all fell quiet.

I sat on my seat, feeling angry.

"What happened, Leo?" whispered Philip.

"Nothing, just don't mind me, focus on the test."

He nodded and answered his own questionnaire. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Being angry about that will affect my performance in answering this test. I have to focus, so I adjusted my glasses as a habit whenever I get serious with mind-stuff.

I first looked at the test paper. I went to look at the last number of multiple-choice questions, and I found out that there are fifty in total. The second test is a word pool of ten items. The last one is an essay of a total of thirty points. We are given one and a half hours to answer this, so it will take me fifty minutes to answer test one. Test two is a total of twenty points. Breaking it down, there are two points per item, and I can say that it is a tricky test. There are twenty choices in the pool, so I can't possibly pick randomly. The essay is about "What does it mean to be a demigod?" It is quite broad, and I think I have to find some basis for my answer here.

Now that I know what I am dealing with, it is time to decide which of the following test I am gonna answer first. I should start with the hardest one with a significant amount of points, and that is the test three. I feel like the test two is harder than one, so other order will be, three, two, one.

I started to answer the essay. I checked the instructions and it says that I have to explain in not more than five sentences. What? How can I explain this thoroughly with five sentences? Oh, I just have to use a comma and connective words to make my sentences, compound sentences. That could work...

Later, I finished just as time ran out. I feel like I got seventy-five percent of the items correct, as well as my score in the essay. The next test is coming, I don't need to think about the outcome of that History test.

Literature is next. It is challenging for me, because dates, names, and places really take all of my effort in recalling them. Advanced mathematics is hard of course, but I am enjoying it as I solve the problems. I love puzzles, and it has been my hobby since I was little. Chess is one of those hobbies. General Science is very easy. I didn't even need to study hard in this subject. Physiology is like Physical Education, but more with the anatomy and abilities of a demigod body that I cannot relate with, so I find it a little hard.

We were finished with the exams, and it is already 4 pm. I came out of the room pretty tired, before Sander and Philip. I just waited for them to finish, while I went looking through the balcony beside the long corridor. I watched the school field from afar and felt the fresh wind blowing in my face. The exam is over, at last, I don't have to worry about a thing, because there's nothing I can do about the final results. Meanwhile, I saw my other classmates so worked up about their answers and started to ask about the questions they might have answered wrong. To me, there's no point in worrying about it now.

Sander went out of the room and walked towards me. "How did you do?" he asked.

"Just fine," I said.

"That's good."

Philip also went out of the room, looking cool and composed. I guess he doesn't worry about it too much.

"You look calm," said Sander.

"I studied and prepared for it, didn't I?" said Philip. "I think I can pass this."

"Wow, you're so sure about it."

We went to our dorms and we rested. That exam tired the hell out of me. I lied down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I am feeling a little nervous about the results. I tried to think about other things, and that's when Hera crossed my mind. I miss her, and the aura she gives. How is she doing in her own school? I really want to see her right now, as well as mom and dad.

"Man!" I said out loud. "I miss home!" The two didn't mind me, but they continued to play chess on the ground. I watched them from above, and as I expected, Philip is about to lose. Tomorrow is when the results will be posted. I just have to relax and wait for it.