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[color=gray][indent]Ariana’s temper tantrum about the obstacle course didn’t stop after she’d concluded her initial participation. She had been so tired and aggravated by it all that she didn’t even pay attention to the last groups running the course, thus depriving herself of the chance to cheer up with new eye candy. To make matters worse, River informed them that anyone who had exceeded the 15-minute deadline was expected to run the course once again.

A shriek of outrage escaped the brunette’s glittery lips as she heard the news. [i]Had River not seen her first performance?[/i] That she had managed to finish in 17:14 and not a half hour should’ve been a feat in and of itself. And that she had managed to finish the entire course in the first place, even after she’d fallen on her ass twice? An occurrence to be [i]ce-le-bra-ted[/i]. To punish her for not being as athletic in certain areas as half of her peers was simply a cruel, heartless injustice.

Fortunately for her, there was [i]another[/i] option. She overheard River telling a devilishly handsome man that 30 push-ups would be an appropriate replacement for running the course again, and Ari ran with it. Without further ado, the young woman dropped on the ground, shifted into position and began the mandatory exercise.

The first few push-ups were pretty good, with Ariana feeling confident that she’d finish sooner than later. By the 7th push-up, the girl’s breath began to get labored. By the 13th push-up, her momentum had gone down considerably. By the 18th push-up, her muscles began to cramp up in protest. By the 24th push-up, she could barely hoist herself upward. And by the time she finished her 30th push-up, the majority of the other failing demigods were wrapping up their second round at the obstacle course.

[i]Well, shit.[/i]

As soon as she concluded her [s]penance[/s] workout, the daughter of Aphrodite allowed herself to collapse against the ground momentarily before turning around to lay facing up. Her cheeks were tinted dark pink after the morning’s activities, and chest rose and fell swiftly in exhaustion as she collected herself. A few people walked past her during their departure from the arena, most of them caught up in their own thoughts or conversations to pay her much attention.

All except one.

A tall man with handsome features, sun-kissed skin and beautiful, tight coils had been making his way out of the arena when he’d seemingly spotted her laying on the floor. Two pairs of eyes locked in momentarily… And the young woman caught a glimpse of something truly out of this world remarkable.

[color=cf328d]“Oh my God, you have the most beautiful pair of eyes I’ve ever seen in my entire life,”[/color] the young woman couldn’t stop herself from blurting out, hazel eyes locked onto the glimmering pools of gold above her. Normally, it was the daughter of Aphrodite who had this sort of effect on people; not the other way around. In her presence, boys and girls alike seemed to act and speak before they could think, mesmerized by her charm and beauty. Right now, it was Ariana who was completely captivated by those sun-colored eyes, firing off compliments as quickly as her mind came up with them. But judging by the deer-in-the-headlights look from the man a few steps away from her, her sudden, unexpected barrage of praise had not had the intended positive results.

[color=cf328d]“[i]Oops![/i]”[/color] Ariana exclaimed with a giggle, shifting up into a seating position and looking back up at the young man. [color=cf328d]“Sorry! Guess I should’ve at least introduced myself before I went off on you like that,”[/color] she simpered, mindlessly flipping her silky mane over her shoulder. [color=cf328d]“My name’s Ariana. Would you mind helping me up, please?”[/color] she asked the man, extending her arms in his direction and casually batting her eyelashes.[/indent][/color][hr]
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