The next day, the moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.
Tet, perched casually on the edge of a table with his usual mischievous smile, stood and announced,
"Alright, campers—today's activity is called… The Four Doors of Mystery!"
With a lazy flick of his wrist, four majestic doors shimmered into existence, each one humming faintly with magical energy.
The first was a solid copper door, its surface engraved with swirling game-like runes.
The second was bronze, gleaming warmly in the sunlight.
The third was silver, shining like moonlight.
And the final one was gold, so radiant it almost hurt to look at.
Tet strolled in front of them, hands clasped behind his back. And said.
"Behind each door is a challenge. Complete the challenge, and you'll be rewarded. What reward you get? Well… that depends on which door you choose."
He gave a sly grin, his eyes glinting with amusement.
"Think of each door like a difficulty setting in a video game. The copper door is easy. The bronze door is normal. The silver door is hard. And the gold door…" he leaned forward with mock menace, "…is very hard."
His tone grew sharper.
"Before any of you pick which door to go through, I strongly urge you to think first. Don't let your pride and arrogance guide you. Because I assure you—just because I'm the God of Games doesn't mean my challenges will be simple. Even the copper door will take effort."
He paused for effect, a sly smile tugging at his lips.
"Now, with that ominous warning out of the way… who wants to go first?"
Clarisse stepped forward immediately, her chin high and eyes full of challenge.
"I will."
Tet tilted his head. "Alright, pick your door—but my advice is to start with the first door and work your way up."
"I appreciate your warning, sir," Clarisse said with a smirk, "but I'll be fine."
Without hesitation, she marched straight to the gold door and stepped inside.
Tet sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "I warned her…"
A minute later, the golden door burst open, and Clarisse stumbled out—flat on her face in front of everyone. She pushed herself up, cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and frustration, and stomped back toward her cabinmates.
"What was it like?" one of them asked eagerly.
"I don't want to talk about it," Clarisse muttered darkly.
Tet clapped his hands. "Who's next?"
Annabeth stood, her gray eyes sharp and calculating. "I'll give it a try."
She walked up to the doors, pausing to study them. Her mind was already working, dissecting Tet's words.
He stressed very hard that we shouldn't jump right into the final door. That must mean… completing them in order will make each door easier.
Without hesitation, she reached for the copper door and crossed the threshold.
Tet gave a slow, approving nod.
Hestia stepped up beside him, her presence calm. "What's on the other side?" she asked, glancing at him with mild curiosity.
Tet leaned slightly toward her, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Not sure."
Hestia's brows lifted slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
"Each demigod will face a different challenge—tailor-made for them," Tet replied with a smirk. "I have no idea what they'll face. Annabeth could be fighting off a horde of zombies… or trying to parkour across a canyon. The possibilities are endless. But…" he folded his arms confidently, "the next door will be a similar challenge to the first one—only a level harder. And I think she'll be fine."
Annabeth's POV
Annabeth didn't know what she was going to face as she stepped forward, the golden light around her fading into an unfamiliar space. Her hand rested instinctively on her side, as if half expecting her dagger to be there. The moment her eyes adjusted, she noticed someone standing a short distance ahead.
The person in question was a young woman with shoulder-length blue hair, the bangs neatly pinned back by a yellow hairband. Her hazel eyes were warm but sharp, and she wore an orange, shoulderless mini dress held up by white straps. Oddly, she also had matching orange sleeves that were separate from the dress, the whole outfit tied together with an oversized white ribbon across her chest.
Annabeth approached cautiously, scanning every detail—clothes, posture, even the way the woman carried herself—before asking in a level tone, "Are you supposed to give me my challenge?"
The woman's expression brightened, and she spoke with a friendly, melodic voice. "That's right. My name is Levy McGarden, and I'm a mage from Fairy Tail."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "You're a mage? Like… you use magic?"
Levy gave a small, confident smile, her tone almost playful. "Yes, I can—but that's not why we're here. Let's get to your challenge, shall we?"
She snapped her fingers, and the once empty void transformed in an instant. Annabeth found herself standing in a sunlit, cozy-looking room. A small round table sat in the center, complete with neatly arranged snacks and steaming tea. Across the room stood a large door, strange writing covering its surface.
Levy walked towards the table and as she did annabeth noticed a strange symbol on her back. Levy sat gracefully at the table, gesturing toward the door. "Your challenge is simple. You have thirty minutes to solve the riddle on that door. Do so, and you win."
Annabeth folded her arms, considering. "That seems really easy."
Levy giggled softly, her eyes glinting with amusement. "This is the easy challenge… isn't it?"
Annabeth gave a small smirk. "Fair point." She turned and strode toward the door, her gray eyes already scanning the writing with focused determination as she began to read the riddle.
I dwell in the shadows that poison your mind,
A whisper, a terror you'll never unwind.
Many are claimed, though few dare to fight,
Our war is as eternal as day and night.
What am I.
Annabeth sat down at the table, her elbows resting on the smooth wood, and began running the riddle through her mind over and over again. Her gray eyes narrowed with concentration, scanning each phrase in her memory.
After about fifteen minutes, frustration began to gnaw at her. She tapped her fingers impatiently against the table, thinking, I need to get this. I need the reward from this challenge if I want to have any chance at the final one. Her mind flashed briefly to Clarisse's reaction after coming out of the gold door—ashen-faced, refusing to speak of it. If that was any indication… it's going to be horrifying.
Then it clicked. Her eyes widened slightly. Wait—horrifying… horror… fear. She straightened in her chair, confidence returning. "The answer to the riddle is fear," she declared firmly.
The door across the room gave a sharp click and swung open. To Annabeth's surprise, so did the one she had entered through. She frowned and glanced at Levy. "Why did the one I came in through open?"
Levy took a calm sip of her tea before replying with a small, knowing smile. "That's to give you the option to quit. You see, if you decide you're done, you go out that door. But if you want to keep going to the next challenge… either way, you've won this challenge and earned a reward."
Reaching beside her chair, Levy produced a small wooden box and slid it across the table. Annabeth opened it carefully—and her breath caught. Inside was a beautiful blue fountain pen with a gleaming gold tip.
"It's lovely," Annabeth said, turning it in her fingers, "but… how's it gonna help?"
Levy's smile grew warmer. "That pen is yours from now on. You'll be able to use it anywhere—in the challenges and in the real world. It's bound to you, and can be summoned to your hand from anywhere. As for what it does… it gives you the ability to use my Solid Script magic."
Annabeth's eyes lit up at the word magic. She leaned forward slightly. "I can use magic with this? How does it work?"
Levy giggled softly, a spark of playfulness in her hazel eyes. "It's set up to give you the knowledge when you pick it up."
Annabeth gave her a small, genuine smile. "Thank you, Levy. Will I see you again?"
For the first time, Levy's expression turned bittersweet. She shook her head with a sad smile. "I'm not real, kiddo… but the real me is out there. Maybe one day you'll meet her. Just ask Tet—he might make it happen for you. Now, off you go."
Annabeth stood, clutching the pen tightly, a matching sad smile tugging at her lips. "Bye, Levy." She turned toward the now-open bronze door, determination replacing the ache in her chest, and advanced to the next trial.