Shadows and Sunlight

Lyra and I made our way through the battlefield, moving from cover to cover as the chaos of the tournament raged on around us.

The tension? Thick.

The stakes? High.

My flirting? Relentless.

"You know, Sunshine," I said casually, dodging a stray fireball that exploded nearby, "I think this partnership is working out beautifully."

Lyra, who had just shot down two opponents with flawless precision, exhaled through her nose. "It's not a partnership."

I gasped. "You wound me."

She pulled back her bowstring, golden energy crackling around the arrow's tip. "You're the one who keeps following me."

"Because we're meant to be, obviously." I hopped over a fallen log, grinning. "I mean, think about it. I was born in the dark, you were born in the light. We're opposites. That's why you and I—" I gestured between us. "Perfect balance."

Lyra loosed an arrow, striking a charging demigod in the shoulder. He yelped and promptly disappeared—eliminated from the tournament. She turned to me, unimpressed.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

I placed a hand over my heart, mock-offended. "You're telling me you don't feel it? The deep, cosmic pull? The undeniable chemistry?"

She deadpanned. "The only thing I feel is secondhand embarrassment for you."

I smirked. "So you do feel something."

Lyra rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might fall out of her skull.

Despite her complete refusal to acknowledge our obvious destined connection, we worked surprisingly well together.

She provided cover fire, shooting down opponents from a distance with terrifying accuracy. I handled the sneaky business—sabotaging traps, distracting enemies, and occasionally bonking people on the head with the blunt end of my dagger whenever they got too close.

At one point, I dropped out of the shadows behind an unsuspecting fighter, tapped him on the shoulder, and, when he turned around, yeeted him off a ledge.

(He screamed all the way down. Very dramatic.)

Lyra caught the whole thing and sighed. "Do you ever fight with dignity?"

"Absolutely not."

We moved deeper into the battlefield, coming across a ruined temple half-buried in the ground. The architecture was ancient, overgrown with vines, and filled with crumbling pillars that made excellent cover.

As we entered, Lyra crouched behind a broken column, scanning the area for threats. I, meanwhile, did the responsible thing and leaned casually against a wall.

"You know, Sunshine," I mused, "if you wanted some alone time with me, you could've just said so."

She didn't even look at me. "I swear to the gods, Kael—"

"No, really! You dragged me into a romantic, abandoned temple with moody lighting and just the two of us? I mean, if you wanted to confess your undying love, you could've picked a less obvious setting."

Lyra inhaled slowly, like she was debating if the tournament rules allowed her to murder me.

"This isn't alone time," she muttered.

I grinned. "It could be."

She shot an arrow at my head.

I ducked, laughing. "Careful! You might accidentally kill the love of your life!"

Her eye twitched. "I—"

BOOM.

A massive explosion rocked the temple, cutting her off.

We both turned, eyes narrowing.

Somewhere outside, something big was happening.

The tournament had just gotten even more dangerous.

I stretched my arms. "Well, Sunshine, looks like our date is getting interrupted."

Lyra sighed heavily. "I hate you."

I smirked. "You say that now, but by the end of this tournament, you'll be madly in love with me."

She notched another arrow. "Wanna bet?"

Oh, this was going to be fun.

The ground trembled again, but this time, it wasn't a random explosion. It was rhythmic. A deliberate pulse of power.

And then we heard it.

Not the roar of a beast.

Not the clash of warriors.

But voices.

Three of them.

Low, mocking, and way too familiar.

I felt my stomach drop.

Lucas Marlowe. Felix Regas. Damien Alaris.

The heirs of Poseidon, Zeus, and Ares.

The last people I wanted to run into right now.

Lyra must have realized it too because she sighed. "Great. The arrogant trio has arrived."

I groaned. "And here I was, enjoying our romantic getaway."

Lyra shot me a glare. "Focus, idiot."

We peeked over the broken column, watching as the three of them stepped into view.

Lucas cracked his knuckles, his stormy blue eyes locking onto us. "Well, well. If it isn't the rat and the archer."

Felix smirked, electricity crackling between his fingers. "Looks like we don't have to go looking for you after all."

Damien rolled his shoulders. "This is going to be fun."

Lyra tensed beside me, readying her bow.

I let out a slow breath.