Violets eyes snap open as she sits up suddenly. A cold sweat runs down her spine as she puts her palms on her cheeks as she stares down at the white sheet.
Her friends were here.
They were statues!
Zeus had obviously made them help gods but they refused and got turned to stone.
This was all her fault-oh god she was--

"Afternoon." A sultry voice came from beside her bed. She looks over to see Thoth sat back in a chair with a book in his lap.

"Thoth, good afternoon." She croaks.

"Try not to speak. You cried so much that your throats saw and your eyes are puffy. Take this." He hold out a glass pot with a cork stuck into the lid, small pink balls inside.

"What are they?" She asks, gently taking them.

"They will fix you." He said bluntly as went back to reading. Violet looks from him to the tablets, then pops it open. Tipping the bottle one fell into her palm. Placing it on her tongue, she rolls it around in her mouth. It was slightly tangy with the flavour of peaches. She then looks back to Thoth.

"Did I really--"

"What did I say about speaking!" Thoth cuts her off. Violet states down at her lap in shame. Thoth peers at her from over the edge of his book. He realises a long sigh and puts down the books he was reading. "They were." Violet stares up at him, her eyes wide. "All four of them. Zeus used them for other gods, but they either refused or failed. There's no way of getting them back. They're stone for the rest of eternity."

"What?! No!" Violet shrieks, leaning up from the bed. "There's got to be a way! Something in one of the magic books! Something, anything!" She hyperventilated.

"I'm leaving." He stands up swiftly and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him. Violet scrunched up her face and clenches her fists, digging her nails into her palms. She glares at the door before getting out of the bed and strutting down the hall. Apparently no one had changed her, she was sure her hair was a mess and her stomach rumbled loudly. But she didn't care. She was going to begin her search.

"Do you think she's okay?" Balder asks, staring at Violet through the library door.

"Of course shes not, you idiot. Does it looks like she's okay?" Lewis seethes.

"No need to shout lover boy." Loki teases, rolling his eyes. "All we've got to do is distract her."

"Well that's been your plan for two days but she's still reading those magic books. Any other bright ideas flame head?" Takers scowls.

"Maybe Violet Blanks is on her period." Tsukito offers.

"Her what?" Apollo repeats in horror.

"Once a month females--"

"Yes we know! We were all there when Thoth forced us to listen in sex education!" Lewis cuts him off.

"I have caused another argument." Hades wallows.

"Why don't we help her?" Thor asks. Lewis blinks at him in astonishment.

"Wow Hammer man, that's the most I've ever heard you fucking say." Lewis gapes. Thor stares at him blankly before brushing past them all and towards Violet who had surrounded herself in walls of books. The others followed after leaving Lewis to scatter behind.

"Do you want to come sit with us for dinner?" Balder ask, placing a hand on Violets shoulder.

"I'm doing research." Violet answers blankly as she turns the page.

"Can you help me with my homework?" Loki asks, putting it down on the table as he sat down. Violets eyes look up from the page before darting back to her book. 

"The answers are in my bag."

"Neat." Lewis chirps as he picks up her bag and pulls out her homework, only to revive incredulous looks from the others. "What?"

"Violet loves to help others, not help them cheat." Loki said before snatching the homework from Lewis's fingertips. The others try to convince Violet to at least the library, but she wasn't having it. She just turned a page and continues to read. Finally Thor spoke.

"Do you want help?" Violet looks up through her lashes to him, then gives a timid nod.

"Yes please." Then she passes him a book and he looks through the pages.

"How did he..." Apollo wonders off, pointing a finger to them.

"I don't know." Balder answers as everyone stares at the duo who were reading.

"I guess I'll help too." Dionysus grins as he plops down on the table and picks up a book. Then he faults as he reads over the first line. "What are we looking for?" He chuckles, scary hing his neck.

"For anything that can turn stone statues back to people." Violet answers. The room fell silent.

"Violet, honey..." Dionysus shakes his head, his face overcome with grief. Apollo stares down at the floor sadly.

"There is no way to turn them back." Apollo mutters. He then jumps back as Violet slams the book on the table. "I-I'm sorry!"

"How can you tell me there's no way when you have met even looked?!" She yells, standing up. "I've been in here for far too long to give up! My only friends that I thought didn't exist are in this garden! They're the only people that I had back home!" Her eyes begins to turn red. "How can you expect me to give up so easily for someone I love?!" She shouts, tears now running down her face. Balder engulfs her in a hug from behind as everyone stares.

"It'll be okay." He comforts, burying his face in her hair as his arms wrap around her neck. "They'll be fine."

"They might as well be dead." Violet whispers, her head hanging in shame. "I did this to them. I don't know how, but it's my fault. They suffered back then because of me, now they're going to spend the rest of eternity doing so." She whimpers, her shoulders shaking.

"Have you visited them?" Hades asks.

"What can I do for them there? How does mourning them not being here helping any of them?" She said hoarsely, not looking up from the table.

"Because mourning the loss of a loved one helps them pass on to the afterlife. If you tell my their names, I can help." Hades offers. Violet sniffs then looks up to the green hairs man.

"Really?" She asks.

"Really." He nods. Violet swallows as her hand shakily brushes trough her black hair.

"Th-they're called Alyssa Smith, Harley Blackwell, Katie Burton and Lola Farley." Violet stutters, her voice breaking. Hades eyes narrow before he swiftly walks out the room.

"Lets go visit your friends now, Violet Blanks." Tsukito said. Violet nods obediently and gets up, slowly waking to the door in silence. Tsukito walks beside her as she holding her hands together, intertwining her fingers.

"It is okay to be sad." Tsukito attempts to comfort. Violet doesn't look up from the floor. "We will find a way."

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up." Violet whispers. Tsukito stares at her figure and thinks. What was the last thing he did to make her happy?

"What are you doing?" Violet asks timidly, her cheeks burning red. Tsukito was holding her hand.

"You liked this last time. The magazine said it makes girls happy. You are a girl?" He asks emotionlessly. Violet stares at him in bewilderment before letting out a sigh, along with a small smile. "I also read up on jokes."

"I can see that." She smiles.

"I hope to meet your friends."

"You've already met them. They're set in stone." Violet immediately scowls.

"I hope to speak to your friends." Tsukito reframes. Violet looks at him, squeezing his hand.

"I do too." They both walked out to the court yard, hand in hand. They turned the corner and approached the place where the maze stood. Tsukito stops, and Violet sends him a look of confusion. "What's wrong--" she cuts herself off immediately once her eyes fall upon the maze. Or what once was. The tall lush hedges were now burnt to a crisp, black scolding the floor and killing all life surrounding it.
And stood in front of the statues was Zeus. Thoth stood nearby shouting illegible words at him and Violet began to approach them. Her walk turned into a run, which turned into a sprint.

"This will not solve your problems!" Thoth shouts, glaring at Zeus.

"It has distracted the students, therefore it must go." Zeus said calmly. Violet stopped behind him, staring at Zeus' figure. 'Therefore it must go? Does that mean..?' Violet quietly walked past both of them and stopped at the foot of the statues, her eyes trained on the floor.

"Violet, get away from there." Thoth orders. Violet didn't even look up to him, nor did she flinch. Her eyes stayed trained on the floor. Her lips squished into a firm line and brows furrowed. She could feel both their stares on her, and she almost shrivelled away.

"I'm not standing down to a bully!" Violet yells, glaring at the ground. Zeus raises his staff and point it at her and she trembles.

"Move now!" He yells. She knew this want an empty threat. he didn't hesitate to send lightning towards his students before, what would stop him now. She raises her head, her fringe mopping over her eyes. She stares out to see the rest of the student watching her, running towards her and yelling.
Yet it was silent.
It felt so surreal for it to be silent, a staff to be pointed at her and gods to be running to her rescue. Her arms drop to her sides and finally her blue eyes lick with Zeus's brown ones. Within seconds he lowers his staff and scowls.
"Violet!" He warns. Her brow furrowed and her eyes squinted. She was sending her most menacing glare. Her lips pushed into a firm line and drops her arms to her side.
"Shoot me if you want, I'm not letting you damage my friends!" She stuffs her hand inside her blazer pocket and pulls something out. "This is all had, and you took it away from me!" It was her picture. "I lived everyday after they disappeared thinking I was crazy! That's I had lost my mind! But it was you who took it away!"

"I had my reasons!" He retorts, stabbing the end of his staff to the ground.

"Then tell me?' What made you turn them to stone?!" She grits her teeth, trying to stop her bottom lip from jittering.

"They were disobedient." He glares. Violet stops, her expression falling. Because they were disobedient? That's like all the times Takeru or Loki messed around he threatens them? But on what grounds? He threatened Takeru for small mistakes, but what had they done? She scrunches up her fave a lets out a jagged breath, her eyes finally pooling with tears.
"Violet, get down please." Thoth whispers, holding his hand out to her.
"Why should I listen to you?" Violet glares, tears tracking down her cheek.
"Because he's your father." Zeus said, a smirk on his face. Violet blinks, her head slowly tilting.
What?
It didn't seem really, he said it so casually. And it felt like casual wording, as if he just told her that the sky is blue, or that fishes need water.
Zeus stared up at Violet. She stood on the podium in front of her statued friends. He put up a forcefield around them and he could feel the other gods banging on the outside. Thoth as currently glare at him, and the air around them flowed light blue. Thoth storms towards his daughter and grabs out to grab her, but Violet latches onto the statue. She pulls herself towards them and wraps her arms around one of the figures.
"Let go!" Thoth orders.
"No!"
"Let go now Violet!"
"You are not my dad!" She yells, looking over shoulders to him. Her eyes were bright red and her teeth bared. "A dad is there for their daughter! They teach them how to walk, how to speak! When they get bullied, a dad goes to the school to complain! They teach there daughter to ride a bike, but my dad were never there! My dad died when I was six! He died in front of my own eyes!" Tears began to run down her face and the first tear drop fell onto the statue.
Then everything changed.
In that single moment, a light blue light flashed over the garden,
Through the gods,
Through the humans,
Through the hearts of stone,

And released the God of Humanity ... Grief

And Hope