As the last course was cleared and the plates vanished with a snap of divine fingers, Luxor stood. His golden robes shimmered in the torchlight, and his voice rang clear across the courtyard.
"It is time," he announced, eyes glinting, "for the Trial of Light. A scavenger hunt through my realm's sacred night garden. The winner will receive a gift of divine favor. And a kiss. From me."
Several of the gods groaned. Maximus cheered. Malvor groaned louder.
"Oh no," he muttered to Annie, "not this again. The golden boy thinks riddles and obstacle courses are foreplay."
"Isn't it for you?" she teased.
"Only if the scavenger hunt ends in bed."
The gathered guests were divided into pairs, some gods with mortals, some gods with one another. Annie and Malvor were, of course, together. Luxor gave them a smug look as he handed over their first clue.
"You'll need this," he said sweetly, offering a scroll sealed in wax. "Try not to fall into any pits this time, Malvor."
Annie raised a brow. "Pits?"
"Last year was lava," Malvor said casually. "Luxor's parties are an experience."
They were led to the edge of the garden, a sprawling, shimmering maze of hedges and glowing obelisks. The only light was cast by Luxor's enchanted fireflies, which danced in slow, deliberate patterns. The whole place felt alive… and definitely full of traps.
Malvor snapped his fingers, producing two glowing ankhs that acted as their torches. "Let the ridiculousness begin."
They plunged into the darkness, following the riddles and dodging spring-loaded vines, darting arrows made of hard light, and one very aggressive animated statue of a cat goddess with a grudge. At one point, Malvor grabbed Annie and spun them out of the way of a trapdoor. They landed in a heap, breathless and laughing.
He kissed her, grinning. "We make an excellent disaster duo."
She smacked his arm. "Focus. I want that divine favor."
"Oh, you can have it. After all, you already have me."
She glared. He winked.
Onward they went, through mirrored corridors, cursed mosaics, and glowing puzzle gates. Each clue brought them closer. Each touch, each glance in the flickering light, reminded them they were still tangled in something neither of them could quite define.
Somewhere, deeper in the maze, Maximus screamed and was immediately shushed by his own wife.
Annie just grinned. "I love this party."
They entered a tall, dark, looming pyramid.
"You said you wanted it to end in bed," Annie murmured, her voice echoing slightly as they moved deeper into the pyramid's stone halls, lit only by the soft golden glow of Malvor's conjured ankhs.
He glanced sideways at her, one brow raised.
"Whose bed?" she asked, entirely too casual.
Malvor nearly tripped over a slab of pressure-sensitive stone. He recovered with a dramatic flourish, flipping his hair back. "Annie, my little scarab," he said, voice dripping with faux innocence, "what are you implying?"
She didn't answer. She didn't have to. They shared thoughts now. Emotions. And she had felt them clearly the moment they entered the temple. The heat. The curiosity. The inappropriate intrigue. Malvor's unspoken appreciation for Luxor's golden everything had not gone unnoticed.
She didn't feel angry. Not jealous. Not even surprised. Just… curious.
Malvor sighed heavily, waving a hand to disarm a particularly vicious dart trap. "Fine. If I, or we, just so happened to bed Luxor," he muttered, "I would not be opposed. Or complain."
She snorted. "That was the least subtle confession I've ever heard."
He shrugged. "I am not exactly known for subtlety."
"No, but you're known for being ridiculous," she said, stepping lightly over a suspicious-looking tile.
Malvor leaned in, smirking. "So… is that a maybe?"
Annie rolled her eyes. "Let's survive the murder pyramid first, then we can talk about your taste in sun gods."
He grinned like a man plotting his own chaos, and possibly someone else's divine inappropriate entertainment.
They moved on, deeper into the pyramid, hearts racing for very different reasons.
Annie grumbled as they maneuvered through a narrow stone corridor, barely wide enough for the two of them to pass shoulder to shoulder. The torchlight flickered across the carved walls, casting shifting shadows as they ducked under a low-hanging beam.
Malvor, naturally, made the most of the cramped quarters.
"Mal," she hissed, slapping his hand away from her hip for the third time. "We will lose if you can't keep your hands to yourself."
He gave her an exaggerated look of innocence, even as his fingers boldly found their way to the small of her back. "Annie, I am merely ensuring your safety. This place is full of treacherous turns. You need… guidance."
"You're groping me."
"I'm stabilizing you."
"You grabbed my ass."
"Very unstable area."
She growled under her breath and stomped ahead, ignoring the amused chuckle behind her.
But even as she moved, she could feel his emotions brushing up against hers, playful, thrilled, and entirely too pleased with himself. And beneath it all, that heat simmering steadily between them, undeniable and growing with every step through Luxor's labyrinth.
Gods help them if this scavenger hunt lasted much longer.
They reached the final chamber, breathless and flushed from laughter and bickering, and there it was, perched on a golden pedestal, bathed in light from above like it was the crown jewel of the realm: a foot-tall, smirking statue of Luxor himself.
Annie stared at it flatly. "All of you gods are so self-centered."
Malvor only shrugged. "Guilty."
He grabbed the statue without hesitation.
The moment his fingers curled around it, the entire pyramid shuddered. The pedestal sank into the floor with a loud clunk. A low rumble echoed through the stone walls as dust rained from the ceiling.
"…Mal," Annie said slowly.
The rumble grew louder.
Malvor's eyes widened. "Oh, come on! What in the Indiana Jones crap is this?!"
The floor tilted. Blocks shifted. The walls began to close in. Behind them, part of the ceiling collapsed, sending a cloud of dust surging forward like a wave.
"Luxor! You ass!" Malvor barked. "He blocked teleporting! Of course he did. Freaking sun god show-off with a hero complex!"