Klaus opened his eyes.

He turned his eyes around and tried to assess the situation. He then remembered everything that had occurred and the battle he had taken part in.

Klaus also realized that he was laying in some sort of containment and his movements were limited, but he was able to see through the small glassy opening of the pod he was in so he managed to scan the room before it finally opened up after a few seconds.

As the containment opened, Klaus immediately got out deciding to return to the arena as fast as possible to reduce any delay. He also looked around before realizing that he had been in the same room before, which was when he rushed there to meet Mia a few minutes prior.

Klaus gradually proceeded out of the room as he walked past a few other pods. But as he continued forward, he suddenly noticed something that caused him to stop in place out of confusion.

Klaus walked back after the realization that somebody else was in one of the pods he had walked past. He then returned his attention as he stared into the glass, realizing that his vision had not failed him. He then stared into the pod as he saw a strange beautiful girl, with short wavy auburn hair reaching around her shoulders, lying down.

The girl appeared to be unconscious, considering that her eyes were closed, and her breathing was barely noticeable. The pod still seemed to be functioning, meaning that the strange girl was being kept alive by it.

Klaus moved his head closer to the girl's face to get a closer look at her. He had never seen her before since he started coming to Higher World. All Klaus tried to do was make sense of how that strange girl was there and why. As he continued to stare at the girl, the noise from the pod suddenly stopped before the girl inside gradually proceeded to open her eyes.

The girl gradually managed to open her deep blue eyes and seemed confused as to what had happened. She then looked up from the glass of the pod as she noticed Klaus who was staring down at her.

Upon seeing Klaus, the girl then smiled as she had a mesmerized look on her face. Klaus returned his stare in confusion as to why she looked that way. The girl then realized that Klaus was able to see her expression so she wondered what was happening before she noticed a reflection of herself on the glass.

The pod opened after realizing this, which allowed the girl to stretch her hands to her face as she tapped it a few times, almost like she was surprised about something not being there. Klaus wondered what was going on with her as the girl's face turned red before she let out a soft scream. But something suddenly happened after that made Klaus even more confused.

After the girl let out the soft scream, she instantly closed her eyes and held onto her head, almost like she was in agony. This caused Klaus to panic as he moved closer to her in worry.

"Are you okay?" Klaus asked.

But before Klaus could even finish his statement, the girl squinted her eyes even more upon hearing his voice. This made Klaus realize that the pain she was feeling was from the sudden sounds. The room was very quiet, despite having a laboratory-like interior, so it made Klaus' assumption more plausible.

Klaus decided not to talk as he moved closer to the girl and attempted to help her out of the pod. The girl still seemed to be in pain and Klaus wondered how he could help her. but that was when everything hit him all at once.

"Wait, this girl is Siren," Klaus thought to himself.

The fact that she was in the pod meant that she had just been transported to receive medical treatment, similar to Klaus. But what gave it away was the fact that Klaus had remembered what Siren had told him the first time they met about how he, or now she, was sensitive to sound, which was what caused her to be burdened with the suit.

Klaus continued to look around, with hopes of finding the helmet part of the suit since she was still wearing the rest. he then noticed the helmet in a small chamber below the pod so he rushed for it and handed it to the girl.

The girl immediately picked the helmet from Klaus and placed it on her head, fitting her perfectly alongside the rest of the suit and confirming Klaus' suspicion that it was Siren.

"Are you good," Klaus asked after the girl's pain subsided visually.

"Yeah, I'm fine," The girl, revealed as Siren responded.

It took a few more seconds, after the pain completely subsided, for Siren to finally process that Klaus had just seen her unmasked. She then gradually turned her head to him, noticing his stare at her with multiple questions in his mind.

"Please tell me I'm dreaming right now," Siren said to Klaus.

Klaus' silence made it clear to her that she wasn't. Siren then walked over to the table beside her and sat on it after realizing that her secret was finally revealed to someone.

"I can't believe it," Siren then said to herself.

A few more seconds went by before Klaus walked towards Siren. He then walked and sat beside her in silence, before finally breaking it a few seconds later.

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CONVERSATION

Klaus: Why?

Siren: *sighs* I dunno. I guess I just assumed that people would take me more seriously if they thought I was a guy.

Klaus: I don't think people would take a guy in a mask that much more seriously than a girl in a mask.

Siren: Well I panicked, okay.

A few seconds went by before Siren continued.

Siren: When I first arrived here, it was Ace who showed up to get me. And he kept saying "dude" all the time, so when he asked for my name, I panicked and gave him my last name instead.

Klaus: So I'm guessing Mason is your real last name then?

Siren: Yeah.

A few more seconds of silence continued before Siren finally said something.

"C-Can I... Can I ask you for a favor?" Siren asked Klaus.

"You don't have to," Klaus responded before continuing. "I won't tell anyone."

Klaus knew that Siren did not feel like revealing this information to other people so he decided to respect her demands and keep it to himself. After realizing that Klaus already knew what she wanted to request, Siren stared at him with a smile underneath the helmet as she tilted her head a bit sideways.

After Klaus turned to her, she instantly shook her head and coughed a bit before continuing.

"S-Sorry, I'm staring too much," she said.

"It's fine," Klaus replied. "I guess."

Siren and Klaus, after a few more seconds, decided to finally head back to the arena after what had just happened. But before they could leave the medical facility, Siren stopped Klaus to tell him something.

"Piper," Siren said,

"Huh?" Klaus asked.

"Oh, sorry..." Siren continued. "That's my real name. Piper Mason."

It felt like she found it a bit difficult to say this to Klaus, so he decided to acknowledge it.

"I'm glad you told me," Klaus responded to her before they continued out of the medical facility.

As they continued to the arena, Klaus noticed Siren's figure and wondered to himself how he couldn't realize that she was a girl.

Klaus and Siren finally arrived at the arena and most of the other demigods instantly rushed to them. A lot of them were heavily concerned for Siren after the attack she had used and wondered if she was okay.

"Are you okay, Mason?" Quinn asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Siren responded after turning her focus on Klaus and back.

She felt guilty for not telling the others her secret, but she knew that if she had to, it would be best to do so after the tournament. Klaus didn't seem too bothered at all since it had nothing to do with him, so he was okay with anything Siren decided.

"That explosion was something else, dude," Ace then said to Siren.

"Thanks, dude," Siren then said after taking a second before responding.

Shade and Rose then took Klaus' attention before proceeding to ask if he was okay. Klaus responded that he was fine, as expected, so their worries were minimized.

And after a brief conversation, XVII walked ahead of the demigods to announce what would happen next.

"Congratulations, demigods, for completing the first round of the Divine Tournament. It seems that the Gods are delighted by what they have witnessed and eagerly anticipate the start of the next round. Additionally, I extend my congratulations to everyone who advanced to the next round, and to those who didn't, your performances were exceptional, surpassing all expectations and I, alongside the Gods, am pleased by the effort you all put into your training."

Hearing some words of encouragement was truly welcoming for the demigods. The idea of moving on to the next round, or not being able to, had a lot of weight attached to each individual, so hearing that the Gods were happy with their performance eased a few of their minds.

"The second round will commence in fifteen minutes so you are all free to do as you like before then. However, keep in mind that this will be your only break in the tournament as the next rounds after will commence immediately all participants are present."

And after this announcement, XVII returned to his location, awaiting the commencement of the next round.

Fifteen minutes seemed to be a short time for the demigods so most of them decided not to go anywhere and just wait, but a few others decided to go for a snack break, as well as some others like Arthur and Lance who decided to head to the training facility to utilize the minutes given to them for extra training. But Klaus, Rose, and Shade remained in the arena as their ideas on the break aligned.

Shade decided to catch up with his brother and friend using this given time.

CONVERSATION

Shade: So how were things when I was gone?

Klaus: It was fine, I guess.

Shade: How about you, Rose? Any progress?

Rose: Progress?

Shade smiled at Rose before she finally realized what he was talking about.

Rose: O-Oh, well... haha.

Shade: I'm guessing that's a no then?

Rose: I'm trying, okay. You know it's not easy.

Shade: Yeah, that I know.

Klaus: I'm guessing you're talking about me?

Rose's eyes widened after finding out that Klaus was aware of what they were talking about. Shade found it extremely funny and could not control his laughter.

Rose: A-Anyways... How about you, Shade? You really got a massive glow-up.

Shade: I can't tell if that's a compliment or not, to be honest.

Rose: Well, it is. I mean look at you. You're so... attractive now.

Shade: Keyword, now.

Rose: *giggling* Don't be like that.

Shade: *laughing* Yeah, I'm just joshing you.

Rose: I know. But the emo style really suits you.

While still on the topic, Klaus decided to see if he could get any information on what Shade went through during the month of training.

Klaus: By the way, do you think you can tell us what happened to you now?

Shade: I would, but Quinn kinda made me promise that I wouldn't until a certain time.

Klaus: Of course she did.

Shade: How about you? How did your training go? You seem to have an insane level of control over your ability now.

Klaus: I guess. Just focused on my energy control and mastery.

Shade: Yeah, I noticed during your battle with Siren. He was really formidable, though.

Klaus: Yeah... He was.

Shade: And how about things at Main World?

Klaus: Earth?

Shade: Yeah, sorry. The name grew on me. But how's mom?

Klaus: She's fine. I made sure to visit every weekend.

Shade: Nice. I'll make sure to see her immediately after the tourney.

A few minutes went by as Shade and Rose continued to talk alongside Klaus before the time for the next round finally arrived. The other demigods also returned from their departure before XVII continued to announce once again. All the demigods paid attention as he commenced.

"Welcome back, demigods. The second phase of the Divine Tournament is now underway, and I will now announce the participants for the first round."

The demigods patiently awaited XVII's announcement as they continued to focus.

"The first battle is... Riley Greene vs Klaus Walker."