"You want me to do what?"
Lyra stared at me, her golden eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Just sneak out the back," I whispered, adjusting my stance as Lucas, Felix, and Damien stalked closer. "I'll keep them busy."
She didn't move.
"Kael."
"Yes, Sunshine?"
"I hate this plan."
"Trust me, it's a great plan."
"No. It's your plan, which means it's an awful plan."
I placed a hand over my heart, mock-wounded. "You wound me, truly."
She exhaled sharply, looking over her shoulder at the ruined temple's exit.
Felix's voice snapped through the air like lightning. "Done whispering, rat?"
Lucas smirked. "Not that it matters. We'll deal with both of you soon enough."
Lyra glanced between me and them, then sighed heavily. "You better not die, idiot."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
She hesitated a second longer, then, in one smooth motion, melted into the shadows, slipping out the back.
Felix didn't seem to notice. Lucas frowned slightly but didn't move. Damien, however, narrowed his eyes at me.
"She's gone," he muttered.
Felix glanced around. "Coward."
I shrugged. "Nope, just smart."
Lucas cracked his knuckles. "Doesn't matter. You're the one we wanted anyway."
And then I stepped out.
Dramatically.
"Ahhh, so this is love," I sighed, throwing my arms out. "I knew you guys cared about me, but bringing a whole crowd just for me? I mean, look at this! Thirty of you? All for little old me?"
The crowd of students surrounding me tensed.
Felix rolled his eyes. "No one cares, Kael."
Damien scoffed. "We're eliminating you first. Then we'll deal with the rest."
"Oh, no, no, no." I grinned. "You don't get to act like this isn't personal. Look at you! All of you! If this isn't an expression of love, I don't know what is."
Lucas crossed his arms. "You don't shut up, do you?"
"Not when I have an audience," I said with a flourish.
Before I could continue my dramatic monologue, something blurred past me.
Two students dropped instantly, arrows buried in their chests.
I turned to see Lyra standing on a nearby ledge, her bow already drawn for another shot.
"Oh my gods, Sunshine," I gasped, clutching my chest. "You do care about me."
She scowled. "I'm rethinking that."
"You shouldn't," I said cheerfully. "Now come give me a smooch—"
She smacked me on the back of the head.
Felix and the others surrounded us.
Outnumbered.
Outmatched.
Perfect.
"Alright, Sunshine," I said, cracking my knuckles. "Wanna see something cool?"
Her mouth opened—
And then the earth split open.
The temperature dropped. The air turned heavy, dense with something ancient. The shadows stretched unnaturally, rippling like something beneath them had begun to stir.
Then, the ground erupted.
Thirty warriors rose from the abyss.
Not flesh and blood. Not living. Dead.
My dead.
Skeletal soldiers, clad in cracked armor, their eye sockets filled with flickering blue flames. Some still had remnants of their old bodies—tattered cloaks, rusted weapons, broken shields carved with symbols of forgotten battles.
They stood silent, their presence pressing down on the battlefield like a heavy weight. Waiting. Watching.
Lucas's smirk faltered.
Felix's fingers stopped crackling.
Damien tightened his grip on his spear.
I stepped forward, letting the moment sink in.
"Well," I said lazily, flashing a grin. "Now it's fair."
Chaos Unleashed
The battlefield exploded.
The moment I gave the order, my undead rushed forward, crashing into Lucas's forces like an unstoppable tide.
The sound of metal clashing filled the air as the skeletal warriors fought without hesitation, without fear.
One of Lucas's allies raised his hands, summoning a tidal wave to drown my army.
I snapped my fingers.
Chains of darkness shot from the ground, latching onto him before an undead knight cut him down.
Another demigod swung a massive war hammer at one of my skeletons—only for the warrior to vanish into mist, reappearing behind him and driving a rusted blade straight into his back.
Screams. Shouting. Chaos.
I stood in the middle of it all, completely at ease.
Lucas, Damien, and Felix weren't fighting yet.
They were watching. Thinking.
They knew if they rushed in too soon, they'd be caught in the chaos.
Which meant I had an opening.
Lyra was still at my side, moving like a blur, arrows flying, taking down enemies one by one.
I turned to her, grinning.
"You know," I said, casually dodging a sword swing, "I don't know why, but I feel like you'd look even cooler if you were standing in front of a dramatic fire."
Lyra didn't miss a shot. "Shut up and fight."
"Oh, but I am fighting," I said, swinging my dagger in a lazy arc, catching a passing demigod across the ribs. "I just happen to multitask."
She scoffed but didn't argue.
We moved together, our movements almost synchronized.
One of Lucas's top fighters—a massive brute wielding twin axes—charged straight at us.
Lyra's arrows couldn't pierce his armor.
I smirked. "Wanna see something cool?"
Before she could answer, I slipped into the shadows.
A second later—
I popped up behind the brute.
And slammed the blunt end of my dagger into the back of his head.
THUD.
He dropped instantly.
Lyra blinked. "Did you just—"
"Honk."
Silence.
Then—
The colosseum erupted into laughter.
Even some of Lucas's own soldiers hesitated, staring in disbelief.
Felix pinched the bridge of his nose.
Lucas looked like he was seconds away from drowning me out of pure spite.
Damien just burst out laughing.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Lyra muttered, shoving my shoulder.
I grinned. "What? It's called efficient strategy."
Lucas finally lost patience. His entire body surged with power, the air growing thick with the smell of salt and storm.
Felix exhaled, golden lightning snapping at his fingertips.
Damien spun his spear, eyes gleaming. "You had your fun, Kael."
He smirked. "Now let's see how long you can last."
I exhaled, shaking out my arms, my undead warriors still holding strong.
I flashed them a lazy smile.
"Well," I muttered, rolling my shoulders.
"Let's dance."