LENORA POV:

Sitting in my Divination class while my professor drones on about her next prediction of death for this year, is the last thing I want to be doing.

After waking up with the mother of all migraines and everyone seeming to want to push my buttons, I was having a horrible day to say the least.

To add to the hatefully awful events of the morning, some random ravenclaw boy keeps staring at me.

I don't know who he is, nor do I want to, but I did want to know what the hell he thought he was staring holes into my head for.

"What in the name of Helga Hufflepuff are you staring at?"

The sound of my voice seemed to have startled the boy out of whatever thoughts he was lost in, because he apparently felt the need to jump spastically in his seat.

"I'm trying to figure out whether or not you've bought into the maze's trick." He responded simply, brown eyes seemingly assessing me.

"The fucking what?" I asked, voicing my confusion about whatever the hell this kid was going on about.

"Guess that answers that question." The boy muttered to himself, a frown growing on his face.

"Do you need to go see Madam Pomfrey?" I asked the obviously disturbed ravenclaw that stood before me.

"Nora, you need to snap out of it. We've been in the maze too long and if we don't hurry, then you'll be dead faster than you can say Quidditch!"

"Look, I don't know you or how you know me, but you need to back off and get your head checked out." I told the boy, before trying to walk away.

However, the boy stopped me by saying. "This isn't real, Nora! If it is, then where's your brother and father's creatures?"

I was stopped in my tracks as those words hit me. Where was Michael? And my father's case?

Suddenly, it all started flooding back. The maze, Medusa, Seradoria, and Dolos.

"Bloody hell, this is really bad."

"No shit, Nora!" My friend exclaimed, both of our eyes wide.  "Now, how are we going to get out of this?"

"I have an idea, but you're definitely not going to like it."

••••••••••••••••••
[Twenty Minutes Later]

"You're right, Nora." Harry chuckled bitterly, a sarcastic smile on his lips. "I really fucking hate this plan."

"Well, do you have any better ideas, Mister Ravenclaw?" I scoffed back, as I sat on the ground with my eyes closed.

We currently were by the Black Lake trying to summon the bastard that brought us here. Well, I was trying to summon Dolos; Harold was leaning against a tree making snarky comments.

"I would rather face an angry McGonagall, than willingly summon this prick!" Harry told me sounding hilariously earnest.

"Mister Bennet, I'm hurt."

Harry and I snapped around to face the egocentric deity. His posture and aura screamed 'highly amused and too important to be bothered"

"I thought we all were getting along quite swimmingly, but I suppose the feeling isn't mutual."

"Not even a little bit, you knock-off Loki." I scoffed, and Dolos looked genuinely offended by my statement.

"Me? Like that weak little Norse?" He spat in irritation. "Unlike that one-show pony, I'm the brain and the brawn, sweetheart."

"Is that so?" I chuckled, throwing a 'trust me' wink towards Harold.

"Obviously!" Dolos laughed confidently, seemingly unaware of the changes we'd made to his dreamworld.

"But can't you tell? Something's off. Things have been shifted, changed so much that someone more important than you has noticed what's going on." I told the god, a smirk on my lips as the ground began to shake, a lightning storm raged in the sky, and the shadows started to grow along the grass covered ground. "And let me tell you, they are not happy."

Suddenly, lightning flashed and five figures appeared from the bolt of lightning. Three men and two women.

"Dolos! What in the name of Olympus have you done now?!" The older looking of  the two women  asked sharply.

"You summoned my wife and mother-in-law!" Dolos accused, glaring pointedly at Harry and I.

"We're here too, but whatever." Hades piped in, motioning between him and his brothers.

"Yes, why are you three here?" Dolos asked them irritatedly, before turning to me with a questioning look.

"I thought they'd make a hilarious contribution to this whole shebang with their prime comedic dialogue." I admitted with a shrug, earning a high-five from Poseidon.

"Oh, I like her."  Apate, Dolos' wife chuckled as she pointed at me. "She's a funny one."

"Right! She and that Sirius Black boy are my favorite of  this era's mortals." Hades said with a nod. "Such strong homicidal urges, but still manage to keep their heads about them! For now, at least."

We all looked over at the god of death with confused expressions.

"Oh! You'll find out soon enough!" Hades huffed, seemingly annoyed that we didn't understand his vague comment.

"So, back to the matter at hand." Nyx spoke bringing our attention onto her. "Why are you harassing these children, Dolos? Why do you torture them so harshly? They're not demigods or particularly godblessed."

"This girl is apart of something big, her path will set in motion something so marvelous that the world will worship her creation for decades to come! She is just the first piece that will send a great prophecy bursting into motion!"

His words confused me and scared me all at once. He trapped my friend and I in his little game for who knows how long, because of a damn prophecy.

"That is your excuse for fucking with our heads? For trapping us in your twisted little dreamworld? A motherfucking prophecy?! That's all you've got?!" I seethed, my blood beginning to boil.

"Oh, shit. She's pissed." Poseidon muttered to Zeus and Hades, the former silencing him with a warning glare.

"She's about to drag his ass all the way to Tartarus and leave him there in mangled little Dolos pieces." Hades chuckled, seemingly impressed with my anger. "Hell, I might just help her."

"Not the time for your comments, brothers. Lenora is obviously no longer in a joking mood." Zeus warned, before sending me a nod of approval, as if  to say he would fully support me doing as his brothers had suggested.

Honestly, I very much would have done it without his approval, but I had a better idea than sending him to Tartarus.

"As appealing as that idea is, gentlemen, I have other plans for Dolos." I admitted to the brothers, before sharing a look with Apate and Nyx.

They both gave me a look of approval and perhaps, pride. As if they had read my mind and saw what I was about to do.

"A little wager, so to speak. I win, you set us free. You win, you can keep my soul and mind to toy with as you please, until I whither away and die, which apparently won't be much longer."

"You've named the prize, but you've failed to mention the task, little mortal. It isn't polite to tease, after all." Dolos stated, eyeing me suspiciously. "What's the catch?"

"A dual. You and I, no magic, no illusions, no tricks and no help. We fight until, either one of us yields or time runs out." I replied, before turning to Apate and saying. "If you'd be so kind as to produce our timepiece?"

She nodded and with a wave of her hand, a large hourglass appeared before her. It's height reaching just above my waist.

"Thank you." I addressed her, before continuing. "If no one yields before the time runs out, then whoever is on the brought to the ground looses. If both are standing after the hourglass runs out, then we will keep going, until one of us can no longer stand at all."

"One weapon or pair of weapons per opponent, no extra weapons or hidden blades." I explained, finishing the last of my terms. "So, do you accept?"

"You're a foolish little thing, challenging a god to battle." Dolos chuckled, raising a brow in amusement.

"Do you accept or are you too scared that this 'foolish little thing' might actually beat you in combat?" I challenged, my expression kept icy and menacing.

"I hope you're ready, little mortal. I have so much in mind for your soul and that enigmatic little head of yours." The god, who had been tormenting my friend and I, sneered maliciously with an evil grin.

Let's hope that all goes to plan.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

A/N:

I AM SO SORRY THAT IT HAS TAKEN SO LONG FOR ME TO UPDATE WORK HAS BEEN SO HECTIC THAT MY BRAIN COULD BARELY FUNCTION AND I DIDNT WANT TO GIVE YOU GUYS SOME HALF-ASSED FILLER CHAPTER THAT WOULD MORE THAN LIKELY SUCK WORSE THAN MY HIGH SCHOOL MATH GRADES BECAUSE YOU GUYS DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT AND IM AGAIN SO SO SOOOO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE THANKFULLY THE BUSY SEASON AT MY JOB IS STARTING TO (hopefully) EASE BACK TO NORMAL SO I SHOULD (hopefully) HAVE MORE TIME AND MENTAL DRIVE TO ACTUALLY UPDATE MORE ON MY STORIES

SO SO SORRY AGAIN

–ALLY❤️