2.16 – Busted!


Thomas’s PoV

It’s fine, I tried to convince myself. I stood watching Chloe jog down the dirt road towards the bazaar. She packed three canteens of water and an extra sandwich. She’ll be okay.

“She’ll be okay, right?”

The timid voice broke through my thoughts. I jerked around, then remembered to look down.

Medea. She was worried, but unwilling to show the world anything but grumpy, hormonal teenager. Somehow, seeing her made me feel better about the whole thing.

“Yeah!” I chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Yeah, she’ll be fine!” And I believed it.


“Wanna see if we can get Shaye drunk?”

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Chloe’s PoV

This has to be this one. I gazed up at the ancient structure, the same color as the burning sands behind it. I was tired and over-heated. I took a swig of water from my canteen.


The past few weeks of research and excavation had lead me here, to the Great Pyramid. Everything I could learn about the Relics of Life and Death pointed to the pyramids as the final resting places. And everything I could dig up (literally) had lead me to the Great Pyramid. I’d already spent the better part of a day examining every inch of the pyramid’s base. The sun was sinking behind me and I was no closer to entering the over-glorified triangle than I had been that morning!

“Damn!” I stamped my foot childishly, feeling tears prick my eyes. So close!

As the sun finally slipped behind the sand dunes, I heard the soft, but unmistakable, sound of stone grinding against stone. I watched in awe as a huge sandstone block slowly slid into the earth, revealing the pyramid’s opening…


…and Donovan and Lucy!

“Chloe!”

“…we’re so busted.”

“What the hell?!”

“I can explain!” Donovan cried out, waving his arms frantically.

I opened and closed my mouth, gargling bits and pieces of words. It was all I could do to try to parse the scene in front of me!


Donovan, babbling about tombs and mummies while Lucy moaned behind him about being grounded for life.

“Grounded?” I managed. They stared at me.

“Are you mad?” Donovan asked, tense.

But my mind had managed to catch up with the latest sensory input. “Were you just in there?!”

“Yes,” Lucy squeaked.

“Did you find a relic?! Smallish statue of Anubis, odd rust coloration, possibly flecks of silver?!”

“Um…I-I…don’t know,” Donovan stuttered. “I found a statue of Anubis, but—”

“Analyze! Must!”

“But it’s solid gold!”

Sure enough, the small relic Donovan produced from his backpack was gold plated. Though not solid gold throughout, it certainly did not have an Agragorium core.

“Indeed,” I muttered, passing the relic back to my brother and thinking hard. I squinted at the pyramid, muttering calculations under my breath. Turn your face to the newborn gods…sunrise…east.

“Tell Thomas I’ll be home late,” I muttered to Donovan and Lucy, then started counting steps eastward.

“But—” Donovan and Lucy shared a look. “Wait!”

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Thanks for reading! ^_^