Chapter Fifty-Four: By Thor's Hammer

  The morning slid in gently, like a cat sneaking through a cracked door. Jace blinked awake, the unfamiliar weight on his shoulder making him freeze for a second. It took him a moment to piece it together—the table he’d dozed off on, the warmth beside him, and the silken strands brushing his cheek. His eyes met Alice’s, mere inches away, wide and startled, mirroring his own.

  For a beat, they just stared, caught in the strange stillness of dawn, where the world outside their cocoon of blankets—borrowed from Jace’s dorm—felt distant and unreal. Jace’s lips curved into a crooked smile, and Alice’s expression softened, the surprise giving way to something unspoken, yet unmistakably clear between them. The chaos of the night before had forged a connection, one that, in the hush of the morning, hinted at the beginning of something neither of them could quite define.

  “Morning,” Alice whispered, her cheeks blooming with a pink that had nothing to do with the cold of morning.

  “Uh, yeah, morning,” Jace replied, suddenly all thumbs as he scrambled upright, brushing his clothes like they’d been colonized by invisible dust mites. “Think we might’ve gone a bit overboard.”

  Alice’s laugh was a soft, tinkling thing, the kind that made Jace’s chest feel a little too tight, in a good way. “Maybe just a tad,” she teased, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze darting to his and then away, like a skittish bird. “We should probably, um, head to breakfast.”

  “Right,” Jace said, clearing his throat like it might erase the awkwardness that still lingered.

  The mess hall greeted them with a clatter of dishes and the chatter of early risers. Golden light streamed through the windows, casting long shadows over the bustling tables.

  Jace and Alice entered, hair tousled, clothes wrinkled, but eyes alight with the gleam of barely contained excitement. They looked less like students and more like a duo who’d cracked the secret of the universe and were now holding it on a humble plate.

  Dex and Ell, already at their usual table, paused mid-banter as Jace and Alice approached, their concoction held with the care of a sacred relic. The dish, at first glance, seemed innocuous—just another plate of pastries in the chaos of breakfast.

  They settled into their usual seats, the weariness of the night still clinging to their clothes like stubborn shadows. Dex was the first to notice, eyebrows shooting up as he took in their rumpled appearance. “Well, well, well. Look who decided to join us,” he teased, a smirk playing at his lips.

  Ell tossed a wink that could melt steel. “Must’ve been some experiment. You two look like you were trying to bring the dead back to life.”

  Jace, caught somewhere between pride and a shrug, managed a casual reply. “You could say that. But it’s more like… culinary necromancy.”

  Alice, cheeks still betraying a hint of pink, gave him a playful shove. “Reanimating breakfast croissants isn’t exactly in the course catalog.”

  Jace set the plate down at the center of the table, the food shimmering faintly, as if touched by some arcane glow. Dex and Ell eyed it like he’d just served up a freshly exhumed corpse.

  Ell leaned in, eying the plate with mock suspicion. “And this… resurrection—should we be worried? You know, in case it sprouts legs and starts marauding through the hall?” She prodded a muffin with her fork, half-expecting it to bite back.

  “Only one way to find out,” Jace retorted, placing the dish in the center of the table with all the solemnity of an offering to the gods.

  Dex and Ell exchanged a glance, the wariness clear in their eyes, but curiosity soon won out. They each took a forkful, their expressions shifting the moment the flavor hit—what started as casual interest morphed into wide-eyed disbelief.

  “What in the name of all that is holy… this is amazing!” Dex blurted out, barely swallowing before he reached for another bite.

  Ell’s voice joined his, tinged with something close to reverence. “Seriously, what kind of sorcery is this? I’ve never tasted anything like it. At least, not here.”

  Jace’s grin spread, the exhaustion of the night’s work forgotten in the glow of their reactions. “It’s a little bit of cooking, a little bit of alchemy,” he explained, savoring the moment. “We were at it all night, but it looks like it paid off.”

  Ell’s eyes narrowed with playful intent as she turned to Alice. “All night, huh?” The words were light, but the glance she shot Alice was anything but innocent. Alice’s face flared red, and she responded with a swift kick under the table, making Ell yelp and grin wider.

  Dex nodded vigorously, practically bouncing in his seat. “Jace, this could be huge. I’d pay good money for this.”

  Alice, her excitement barely held in check, leaned forward. “Someone’s probably done something like this somewhere, but it’s certainly new to Olympus. Professor Blackwood mentioned how a lot of resources are tied up with the war effort; the kitchens don’t have the time or the staff they need.”

  “Which we got to witness firsthand,” Jace added.

  Dex’s eyes suddenly lit up as if struck by divine inspiration. “Oh my ancient lords of yore, I just had an idea!”

  Jace blinked, confusion clear on his face. “Lords of what now?”

  Dex leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Come on, man, we’re in Terra Mythica. You’ve got to commit. Embrace the world we’re in.”

  Ell rolled her eyes, a bemused smile tugging at her lips. “Pretty sure that’s not a thing here.”

  “By Thor’s hammer, then!” Dex tried again.

  “Wrong pantheon,” Jace said.

  Dex shot him a mock glare. “For Hades’ sake, will you let me finish? I’ve got an idea!”

  “Proceed,” Alice said with mock seriousness, folding her arms like a judge passing a verdict. The group nodded in exaggerated approval.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Dex straightened, speeding up as if racing the clock. “So, you all know about the Star Ceremony at the end of the year, right? The one where everyone who’s learned their first Word gets their Bronze Star?”

  Jace had no idea, but he nodded along with the others, wearing his best “I totally get this” face.

  “Well, there’s always a massive party afterward. A celebration so big it practically pulls the stars down from the sky.”

  Alice pulled a hefty tome from her inventory, its cover worn and battle-scarred. “It’s called the Midnight Festival,” she explained, flipping through pages like a pro. “It happens the day after the Star Awards, right around Halloween. I dug up a whole section on it in the library.”

  “They have Halloween here?” Jace asked, one eyebrow arching in surprise.

  “It’s not exactly Halloween,” Alice explained, her voice tinged with that bookish enthusiasm she always had when she was about to drop some knowledge. “More like a fall festival that’s picked up some of our traditions over the centuries. But yeah, the past few hundred years, it’s been influenced by our culture.”

  Dex, never one to linger too long on details that weren’t his own, jumped back into his idea. “Anyway, it’s a big deal. The students run the party, but some of the faculty like to crash it and pretend they’re still in their prime. Whoever hosts it becomes a living legend. Last year, they had a lake party with the Poseidon crew. Apparently, it was incredible.”

  Jace leaned in, genuinely curious. “Where do you get all this intel, Dex?”

  Dex flashed a grin that suggested he had his fingers in many pies—some more savory than others. “I have my sources.”

  “By ‘sources,’ you mean the girls over in Aphrodite,” Jace pressed, eyebrow arching.

  “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell,” Dex said, his grin slipping into a sly wink. “And he definitely doesn’t do a bunch of other stuff and tell, if you catch my drift.”

  He barely got the words out before Ell and Alice’s synchronized kicks connected under the table, forcing a yelp from him.

  “What if this year, we convince them to hold the party in Hades’ Fields Below?” Ell suggested, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

  “That’s exactly what I was getting to!” Dex shot back, his scowl quickly morphing into wide-eyed excitement as he turned to Jace. “Just think about it! The Fields Below as the venue. It would be legendary.”

  “Do you really think it’s appropriate? Or that they’ll even have a party with everything going on?” Jace asked, his voice laced with doubt.

  “I think it’s even more important because of everything going on,” Alice countered, her tone soft but unwavering. “People need a sense of normalcy—a bit of light in the darkness.”

  Jace hesitated, his thoughts drifting to Shadow, worry clawing at him. He hadn’t seen her this morning, though he hadn’t honestly expected to. He just hoped she was alright.

  Dex leaned in, not letting up. “Come on, Jace. Everyone’s been itching to see that place since it showed up on the map. Even I’m curious—and Alice is the only one who’s been there? Doesn’t seem right, does it?”

  Ell shot him a sidelong glance, one eyebrow arched high in silent judgment.

  “What?” he asked, puzzled.

  Jace sighed. A party in Hades’ domain—it was tempting, no doubt, but the idea was tangled with too many complications. “Wait… what did you just say? About the map?”

  “The campus map,” Dex explained. “You didn’t notice? The moment you activated the place, it triggered a system-wide update on all our maps.”

  Jace pulled up his map, his eyes widening as he spotted the section drenched in ominous shades of grey and black, buried deep underground—Hades’ Fields Below.

  “Wait, everyone can see this?” Jace asked, still struggling to process it. “I’d hoped it was just me.”

  “Yup, and people are dying to know what’s down there. I’m thinking ‘Tales from the Crypt’ meets Greek mythology,” Dex said, grinning like a fox who’d just raided the henhouse.

  “What’s ‘Tales from the Crypt’?” Ell asked, her brow furrowed.

  “It’s a holo disc from Pre-Purge,” Alice chimed in, a note of excitement in her voice. “A collection of stories about death, evil, and things that go bump in the night.” She paused, realizing everyone was staring at her. “My dad used to make us watch all the Pre-Purge stuff. Said it was educational. Plus, the holodiscs were free at the library.”

  Dex leaned back, nodding appreciatively. “You know, Alice, there’s a delightfully dark side to you. I like it.”

  Alice blushed, a small smile tugging at her lips despite herself.

  Dex turned back to Jace, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. “So, got any undead wandering around down there looking for brains?”

  “Not that I’ve seen,” Jace replied, suppressing a grin. “Hades isn’t really into the undead. They’re like students who never showed up for class but keep hanging around anyway.”

  Dex chuckled. “Well, we can fix that. A few decorations, a touch of mold, and bam—instant haunted house.”

  Jace hesitated, the darker secrets of the Fields Below whispering at the edges of his thoughts. “I don’t know… there’s stuff down there that shouldn’t be part of a campus party.”

  “It might be smart,” Alice said, surprising Jace. She wasn’t usually the party-going type. “You mentioned needing money for next year’s tuition. We could turn it into a real event—sell tickets, food, drinks. We might even make enough to cover some expenses.”

  Jace had confided in her the night before, a rare note of uncertainty in his voice, about his fears of not securing another scholarship. This party might not solve everything, but it could make a real difference. Even if it didn’t cover everything, it could chip away at the tuition, buying him time to level up and prepare for what lay beyond the campus.

  Alice pressed on, her confidence growing. “Besides, it’s already creepy enough. A little extra atmosphere could make it perfect.”

  Ell jumped in, eyes sparkling. “We could go for that abandoned chic vibe. I’d love to help with the decorations.”

  All eyes turned to Jace, their excitement practically vibrating in the air.

  He sighed, feeling their energy pulling him in. “Alright, let’s do it,” he agreed, unable to resist.

  A collective whoop echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls like the first cheers of a victorious team. The decision was made—they’d spread the word, knowing that once the wild bunch from Dionysus got wind of it, the news would spread faster than wildfire.

  Jace felt a flicker of hope, a sensation both foreign and oddly comforting. Maybe, just maybe, this was the answer. He doubted he could land another full-ride scholarship like Alex had, and the clock was ticking on finding the money. But this… this might just work.

  Suddenly, a blinking notification flared in Jace’s vision, urgent and impossible to ignore.

  Urgent Quest Update

  “I Ain’t ‘Fraid of No Ghosts…”

  Penalties increasing. Rewards decreasing… again. Recalibrating.

  The words pulsed ominously, like the system itself was losing patience. Jace felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine.

  “What do you make of this?” he asked, sharing the quest details with the group.

  “You still haven’t completed your deity quest?” Dex’s eyes widened, disbelief wiping away his smirk. “Go on, shoo! Git!” He waved Jace off.

  Jace’s gaze remained locked on the relentless, blinking prompt. “It is getting pretty insistent,” he muttered.

  “Should we go with him?” Alice asked, concern creasing her brow.

  “I’ve got classes,” Ell said, though her tone wavered, weighing her options against the threat Jace was facing.

  “He’ll be fine… probably,” Dex murmured, his voice tinged with the kind of optimism you find in gamblers on a losing streak. “First deity quest, no big deal, right? How hard could it be?” His eyes flicked around, looking for comfort, before settling back on Jace with a glimmer of doubt. “But, you know… if things get a bit… strange, just send us a Magic Missive. We’ll be there. Promise.”

  Jace grimaced, realizing with a sinking feeling that his cleric rod was still in shambles. “Uh, anyone got a cleric rod or weapon I could borrow?”

  “I’ve got this,” Dex said, pulling out a wickedly curved dagger, its blade gleaming with a dark, unsettling sheen. “Don’t need it anymore—got an upgrade. Was going to sell it, but you can have it.”

  Jace accepted the dagger, feeling its weight, unfamiliar but oddly reassuring. He’d never used a dagger before, but it was better than nothing. “Thanks,” he murmured, though the word felt inadequate.

  With a nod to his friends, Jace turned on his heel, heading toward the quest marker. Skipping his morning classes was an easy decision, the urgent tug of the quest pulling him forward like a hook in his chest. Whatever awaited him in Zone Three, it wasn’t something he could ignore any longer. The quest was calling, and this time, he had no choice but to answer.