Drex pulled his shoulders back, sword pointed at the entrance.
The gate lifted.
Two exotic-looking beasts stepped out onto the sand: Chimeras.
The crowd “oohed.”
Chimeras were three-headed beasts—they had the body of a lion, the head of a goat protruding from the middle of their backs, and a tail that ended in a snake’s head. Rare creatures—and they lived in the wilds of North Africa.
Drex visibly trembled as they prowled toward him.
The Olympians were going easy on him.
This should be quick for him.
Chimeras were twice as small as Nemean lions, and while dangerous, they were only a class five beast because of their shorter stature. They breathed out fire, but only in tiny amounts.
He’d be fine.
Both beasts sprinted across the sand toward Drex. They opened their mouths—flames burst from their maws.
Drex turned and sprinted away from them.
What is he doing?I looked at Kharon with confusion.
Alexis screamed as she covered her mouth, shaking from fear.
Kharon rolled his eyes and lazily stood up. “Just … stab them!” he yelled in a bored tone like it was obvious (it was).
Unfortunately, Drex was not the brightest.
Thirty minutes later, the gate opened. “End of the round,” Zeus announced with exasperation.
Two veryunstabbedChimeras were panting with exhaustion as they chased Drex around the sand. I had to give it to the kid, he had stamina.
For the last half hour, he’d managed to run around and avoid both beasts. However, he had zero killing prowess and was a disappointment in every other way that mattered.
Drex zigged left quickly—and one of the beasts tumbled to the right as they tried to follow.
There was a smattering of laughter in the crowd.
Technically, a round ended after thirty minutes and you could leave the arena, but you’d lose.
No uninjured Chthonic had ever chosen that route.
Because we had pride.
And weren’t pathetic.
“RUN—you got this!” Alexis shouted as Drex hauled it toward the open gate.
He definitely does not.
Drex dove out of the stadium, and there was another smatter of applause and laughter. Olympian guards ran out withguns.Pop. Pop.Both Chimeras dropped dead, bullets through their eyes.
The crowd clapped as the bodies were dragged away.
Zeus shook his head and jumped from the platform through the force field, landing in the sand.
