thief | ᵃⁿⁿᵃᵇᵉᵗʰ ᶜʰᵃˢᵉ

02; a beautiful hole

"Come on Kass, tell us what we are going to do."

She shook her head, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Now you'll see, James." Quintus, dressed in black leather and bronze, looked even more enigmatic in the torchlight, his gray hair giving him an eerie appearance. Mrs. O'Leary, the massive hellhound, bounded happily around him, hoping for some dinner scraps. "Wanna bet on who's gonna win?"

"That's not fair, you know what we are going to do," James complained, slightly exasperated.

She shrugged, her eyes dancing with amusement. "And what do you think, Rory?"

Aurora chimed in, her voice laced with a playful tone. "Five drachmas that you lose, Kass." Kassandra groaned in disbelief. "Well, thank you for so much trust."

"You're welcome," Rory replied with a grin.

Their banter was interrupted when Quintus announced, "You will be in teams of two." Rory and James exchanged quick glances, and Kass knew they were silently deciding who would stay together. However, they didn't need to worry about it, as Quintus had already chosen the teams. "The teams have already been chosen!"

There was a collective groan from the demigods.

"Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And, of course... you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive," Quintus explained. 

James practically vibrated with excitement.

"I will now announce your partners," Quintus said, his tone firm. "There will be no trading. No switching. No complaining."

He began reading off the names, and the teams were revealed. Beckendorf would be with Silena Beauregard, which Beckendorf looked quite content about. The mischievous Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, would be working together, no surprise there. Aurora was paired with Andy, another unclaimed demigod, and James, surprisingly, found himself partnered with Percy. His gaze flickered toward Percy, but he didn't say a word.

Quintus continued announcing the pairs until he said. "Kassandra Jane with Annabeth Chase."

The two girls exchanged glances, both relieved to be teamed up with a familiar face rather than a random demigod they barely knew.

As they walked over to where Chase and Jackson were waiting, Kassandra couldn't resist teasing her friend. "Hey there, owl face."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile touching her lips. "You better be telling me what monsters Quintus has in store so we can come up with a plan."

Kassandra nodded, her expression turning serious but her mischievous look stayed there. "Of course, Wise Girl. Let's strategize and make sure we come out of this with the laurels."

"Grover Underwood," Quintus said, "with Tyson."

Grover just about jumped out of his goat fur. "What? B-but—" 

"No, no," Tyson whimpered. "Must be a mistake. Goat boy—"

"I have the feeling that they don't wanna be together." James murmured to Kass.

"No complaining!" Quintus ordered. "Get with your partner. You havetwo minutes to prepare!" Tyson and Grover both looked at Percy pleadingly. He tried to give them anencouraging nod, and gestured that they should move together. Tysonsneezed. Grover started chewing nervously on his wooden club.

"They'll be fine," Annabeth reassured. "Come on, trickster. Let's worry about how we'regoing to stay alive."

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