Pandora returns to the radio room, and this time she is prepared - or so she thinks.

[[Theme music "Medusa" plays]]

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Pandora: Hey! It’s, uh... it’s me again. Pandora. Good news! I found the radio room again....It was sort of not on purpose but, not entirely an accident either! ...I’m getting better at directions, I swear.

That little green light was on again when I came in and I’m not sure it ever turned off? It seems really bad for this equipment to just leave it on. I feel like someone should look into that. I tried to figure it out myself, but my experimentation came up empty. I flipped every switch I saw, and the microphone lives on. So here’s an impromptu second feed, I guess. Welcome back, non-existent audience.  

I’ve spent the last week doing a ton of research on this radio. It was surprisingly difficult to find anything about it. Actually, it’s surprisingly difficult to find anything about this school’s past. They claim to have been here for eons, but apparently the record keeping here is incredibly lax. Which isn’t terribly surprising, looking at my situation. Still, old yearbooks and archives are hard to find, and I was combing the library for days trying to find anything about this station. But it paid off! ...sort of. I mean, I guess I could have used that time studying for Professor Merlin’s first exam but...I was just really curious, ok?    

Important details: first, I’ve figured out what station this is. We are playing on 73.9! I mean...I am playing. I’m not super in the position to be using the royal ‘we’ right now. As far as I know, I’m the only person who has kicked up dust in here in an age...and the only person listening, for that matter.

So the radio station was a club originally run by Eut...Euterp...Euterpe. God, who named the people at this school? What happened to the days where “Pandora” was the weirdest name in the class? I used to share rooms with ten “Caitlin”s and a smattering of “Andrew”s, but now I sit two seats over from a guy named Poseidon. My name is suddenly looking very average.

...but that’s not the point, I guess, so back to Euterpe. She was the one who founded the club and she’s the only person I could find who served as president. Or even hosted, from what I can see. It was a very small club. Apparently when she graduated, the radio just sort of...stopped happening. It’s a little sad-- it seems like it had really thrived in its time. Though we might have a sort of “Video Killed the Radio Star” situation on our hands. I had a really difficult time ascertaining when all this actually happened in the timeline of this school’s existence.

There’s no way this equipment has been on this whole time, right? If that were true, it should be completely fried. Unless it’s an enchanted radio. I really wish I was being facetious right now, but that is a very real possibility in this new life that I have found myself in.

For what it’s worth, I’m almost getting used to it. I mean, it’s not like this is exclusively a magic school, because apparently that’s a concept worth being scoffed at even here. As I learned from experience, thank you, Carlos the Minotaur who wanders the halls. It’s just sort of accepted here that everyone has an ability or five that sets them apart. It’s not all wand-waving magic, though that happens too, occasionally. It’s simpler...or maybe more complicated. I'm just saying, instead of direct spells it’s more like, “oh, yeah, there goes Demeter. She’s not so great in her speech class, but there’s a bunch of wildflowers sprouted from where she was standing a second ago.” That sort of thing. I don’t know-- I’m still trying to figure it out. It is a lot of self-imposed homework to do. Especially since I can’t really ask outright without someone figuring out that I don’t have any of these special powers myself.  

I’d probably know a bit more about it if the people here were easier to talk to. Everyone here is incredibly cagey, and this is coming from someone who was never accused of being warm and fuzzy in her time. The only person who hasn’t been cold to me is Aphrodite and, if anything, she errs of the side of over-enthusiasm. It is...admittedly charming, though maybe that’s just because it’s painted on a dour backdrop. Everyone else here has been pretty high and mighty thus far. I mean, Zeus pays attention to me, but trust me when I say that is not welcome, and probably more for his benefit than mine. He is honestly the worst. I asked Aphrodite what his deal was, but she didn’t seem eager to talk about it. And if something is an uncomfortable subject for Aphrodite, it’s not worth touching. I know more about her than I have ever known about anyone before, and I met her two weeks ago. She is a share-er. And I am just...not.

I’m sure no one would believe me if they could hear this, since I’ve been blathering about my life for a few minutes now. Not to mention the brain dump last week. But the only reason I’m doing it is because...I’m not really sure where else to go. Talking to a space where someone might be listening feels better than talking to no one at all. Even though I hope no one is listening. That would be very embarrassing….As you can tell, this is a very complicated relationship I’m building with this microphone.

...this is just reminding me that this is probably a bad idea. I should--

[[SFX: Door opening]]

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[[SFX: Footsteps]]

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[gasps] What, who’s--

[[SFX: Papers being shaken]]

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Oh my god-- oh my god! What--

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[[SFX: Grabbing papers]]

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[[SFX:Footsteps]]

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[[SFX: Door closing]]

[yelling after the person] Um, excuse me, who the hell are you? What is this? [reading] "Try-outs for the Mount Olympus University Olympics will be held this Friday. If you wish to participate, come sign up…” What the…? [yelling after person again] Is this some kind of announcement? Who sent this over? Who are you? I know that you walked away a long time ago and there’s no way you can still hear me but I am very confused and alarmed right now!

[She takes an unsteady breath]

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OK, I have never seen that person before, and I have no clue how they knew I was here, or why they gave this to me, or…

...did I just become a radio station?

OK, this is too weird. Too weird for this school equals extra-too-weird for me. Listen, if you’re listening, or you heard this, can you just tell me? I just want to know on a scale from one to mortification how embarrassed I should be. I won’t even be awkward about it! That’s a lie. I will be. I’m always awkward. Oh my god.

I just...do not understand what just happened and it’s sort of freaking me out, so...help a girl out here and let me know, alright? Ok, non-existent listeners who might be more corporeal than I originally hoped?

...And I guess...sign up for the MOU Olympics this Friday. If you want. Who the hell knows anymore?

I’m leaving now. And I’m not saying my name this time, so if you just tuned in, maybe you’ll never know who I was, and we’ll just pretend this didn’t happen. Cool? Cool. I’m out.

[[SFX: Footsteps]]

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[[SFX: Door opening]]

Dammit, Carlos, find another hallway to lurk in, PLEASE.

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[[SFX: Door closing]]

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[[Theme song "Medusa" plays]]

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Raeanna Nicole Larson: Mount Olympus University is an original story conceived and written by Raeanna Nicole Larson. Sound editing done by Luuk Van Hoomissen. Music by Teddy McKrell. Our icon was designed by Jess Reed.

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The role of Pandora is played by Raeanna Nicole Larson.

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You can send us an email at mtolympusuniversity@gmail.com, or find us on Twitter @MtOlympusU. Please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a comment to help more students find us. 

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[["Medusa" fades out]]