The mischievous gamer God

Tet teleported directly inside Artemis's tent, appearing in a quiet shimmer of violet light in a spot right across from her. The interior was simple yet elegant—made from silvery fabric that shimmered faintly under moonlight, adorned with celestial motifs, and filled with the cool, crisp scent of the night forest. Artemis was seated on a woven cushion, calm and unalarmed, clearly expecting his arrival.

Artemis said, "Welcome, Lord. Your business is concluded, I trust? Did it go well?"

Tet nodded with a satisfied smile and replied, "Yes, it went very well. Thank you for asking."

Artemis gave a short sigh of relief and leaned back slightly, her silver eyes softening. "Glad to hear it. Maybe Hermes will finally relax. Most people can't tell because he hides his negative emotions well… but if you pay close attention, you can always see an underlying tension in him. Maybe now he'll return to his usual self. But… this is not what you came here for." She straightened. "Let us discuss the particulars of this challenge."

Tet held up the glowing key to the Until Dawn world, the golden light of it casting faint reflections along the tent walls, and said, "This is a key to a game where the player must survive for an entire night. I will not reveal to you what they must survive against—as that would take all the fun out of it, so to speak. This can be played in one of two ways."

He paused, then gestured with two fingers. "The first option: You send in one Huntress, and she replaces one of the protagonists. Her goal will be to keep herself—and all the other characters—alive until the break of dawn.."

He let the second finger fall. "The other option: Your Huntresses replace all playable characters, while you are given a special headset that allows you to speak to them and give advice. I only offer that handicap because I can guarantee you—the Huntresses will not have any experience with what they're up against. So having guidance from an expert such as yourself would be invaluable."

Artemis placed her hand on her chin and furrowed her brow thoughtfully, her silver gaze narrowing as she pondered his words. Then she asked, "Is there any risk to their lives?"

Tet shook his head confidently and said, "No. I do not relish the thought of my players dying. So death in the game does not mean death in reality. If they die there, they'll simply be spat back out into this world."

After thinking about it for another moment, Artemis finally nodded and said, "I will go with the first option. I will send only one Huntress inside But I request that I still be given the headset."

Tet tilted his head slightly, considering her request. After mulling it over, he gave a nod of approval and said, "That sounds all right. It'll be like two-player co-op. Nothing wrong with swapping information."

He smiled playfully, his eyes flicking up under the brim of his cap. "So… who's your pick?"

Artemis answered without hesitation. "I choose Zoë."

Tet raised an eyebrow and tilted his head with mock concern. "You mean your Huntress that despises men with a passion?"

Artemis blinked, obviously confused. "Yes. Why, is that a problem?"

Tet let out a soft chuckle and said, "You know she's going to have to be purposely trying to save multiple men, right?"

Artemis waved her hand dismissively and said, "Don't worry about it. She knows how to not let her hatred of men influence her decisions."

Tet quickly thought back to the third book of the Percy Jackson series and smirked. Right. I'm sure.

Then he added, "Ordinarily, players who complete one of my games would get to keep anything they earned inside the game—or even obtain bonus rewards for their victory. But for the life of me, I can't really think of anything of value to give to you or Zoë... other than the key itself, for your Huntresses to play around with to their heart's content. That will be Zoë's prize."

He turned toward Artemis. "Your prize will be an additional key. I believe you had requested a world where your Huntresses could train and sharpen their skills?"

Artemis nodded again, her voice quiet but resolute. "Yes. That would be appreciated."

Tet adjusted his cap and asked casually, "I assume you forewarned your Huntresses about me?"

Artemis's tone remained steady. "Of course. I couldn't take a chance on one of them shooting you... and getting erased."

Tet laughed lightly and replied, "Oh, I wouldn't have done that. Instead, I would've dropped her into a karaoke game—where she would've had to spend several years singing duets with Apollo."

Artemis looked at Tet wide-eyed and muttered under her breath, "Truly… I have saved my Huntresses from a fate worse than death."

They stepped out of her tent into the quiet moonlit glade, where the Huntress camp was nestled among the trees. Sleek silver tents formed a half-circle around a central firepit. The air was crisp with pine, and the faint sounds of owls and distant wolves echoed through the forest. The Huntresses stood in formation, their bows slung across their backs, alert and disciplined under the stars.

Artemis raised her voice and addressed them clearly. "My Huntresses. The one next to me is Tet, God of Games and ruler of this universe. You will treat him with the respect you give me—and you will not inform anyone else that he was ever here in the first place. For now, only a handful of gods know him… but all know of him. And we intend to keep it that way."

For a while, the Huntresses stared in awe and curiosity, then nodded in unison and said, "Yes, my Lady."

She continued. "Good. Now—Zoë, step forward."

Zoë Nightshade stepped forward with graceful precision, her expression stoic as ever. "What is thy bidding, my Lady?"

Artemis said, "Zoë, I have selected you to take on the challenge the God of Games is going to present us with. You will be replacing one of the characters in the game, I will be able to speak to you, but other than that—you will be on your own. The goal is to make sure all of the characters in the game survive until sunup. Do you understand?"

Zoë nodded firmly. "Yes, my Lady."

Tet chimed in, his voice casual but clear. "Though all of the characters won't be living beings they will act as if they are , that will make them unpredictable as they will no longer be following a script ."

Tet went on, raising a hand for emphasis. "In the game, Zoë you will have freedom to act as you see fit, remember their survival and yours is the only thing that is necessary for your victory once the sun rises you win."

He smiled at Zoë, eyes sparkling with excitement. "But most importantly this is a game have fun ."

With that said, Tet floated the glowing key over to Zoë. It hovered in the air before her, pulsing softly with light.

"Whenever you're ready," he said, his grin widening.

Zoë held out the key, her expression calm but focused, and started the game. She disappeared in a flash of blinding golden light, leaving behind only a shimmer in the air where she had stood.

Then, just as Tet had promised, he conjured a sleek headset with a built-in microphone and handed it to Artemis, who accepted it with a nod of readiness.

With a wave of his hand, Tet created a large, hovering projection of the game world in front of them. The image shimmered briefly before stabilizing, revealing a snowy, isolated mountain lodge under a star-streaked sky.

Tet decided to skip the opening cinematic and jumped straight into the prologue.

Inside the cabin—Washington Lodge, an expansive but cozy winter retreat nestled in the snowy wilderness—the atmosphere was warm but tense. Dim lighting flickered over the dark wood walls and rustic furnishings. Animal trophies decorated the lodge like silent sentinels, and the crackle of a fireplace echoed faintly through the hall. Beth, walked around the living room and through the corridors until she found the note from Mike. It was a handwritten message, asking Beth's sister, Hannah, to meet him alone in a room upstairs.

Meanwhile, Zoë had taken the place of Sam. Tet, learning from his past mistakes with the Killer Frequency game, had directly given her all the relevant knowledge she needed to replace the character without hesitation or confusion. Clarity filled her amber eyes as she collected her thoughts and began to move.

Determination marked her expression as she raced upstairs to try and stop the cruel prank that was being played on Hannah—but she was too late.

Hannah, her face stricken with humiliation and heartbreak, had already barreled down the stairs, brushing past Zoë in a blur of emotion, and charged out the front door into the cold, snowy night. Her sobs echoed behind her like ghosts in the cabin's dark silence.

Beth, sprang into action, chasing after her sister with urgent strides.

Outside, the mountain loomed in eerie majesty. Blackwood Mountain was blanketed in heavy snow, its towering pine trees swaying under the weight of frost. The wind howled through the rocky cliffs, carrying with it an unnatural chill that cut straight through to the bone.

As she ran through the forest, she called out Hannah's name. She pulled out her phone and switched on the light, moving through the underbrush, passing an abandoned shack and a rundown fence. She heard a noise that briefly distracted her—just in time for a deer to jump across her field of view, startling her.

At the end of the path, she found an abandoned cabin with its door swinging in the wind. She carefully walked forward and eased the door open, peering inside the eerie shack. As she peered in closer, a box fell off the shelf. Immediately after, a jet of flames burst from the back of the cabin toward her.

She spun on her heels and ran through the forest as quickly as she could, her breath catching with panic and adrenaline. She reached the top of a disrepaired staircase. Two options lay before her: a safe path or a risky path. She chose the safe path and carefully worked her way down, heart pounding with every creak beneath her feet.

Once she hit the bottom of the stairs, she increased her pace. She hit a fork in the road. To her right, she heard a noise. To the left—human-shaped footprints. She followed the footprints. As she ran down the path, she ran into three large bucks, startling them.

"Jesus, f***!" she said, stumbling back. "Damn it, Hannah! Where are you?"

After a few more moments of frantic searching, she came upon a clearing illuminated by the moonlight, only to find her sister kneeling in the snow, crying.

"Hannah!" she called out, running forward. Removing her jacket, she draped it over Hannah, who said, "I'm such an idiot. Why am I so dumb?"

Before Beth could respond, they heard a noise behind them and saw something that spooked them. Without hesitation, they took off running straight ahead. Hannah tripped on a wooden bridge, falling over. Beth ran back to help her. They began running anew, the sound of their panicked breaths and crunching snow beneath them the only thing louder than their fear.

Before long, they reached the edge of a cliff—nowhere to run. They stared in terror as the unseen horror approached them slowly. Whatever it was peered at them through red-tinted eyes, approaching menacingly. Hannah lost her footing and fell over the cliff, dragging Beth along with her.

Beth managed to catch a root on the side of the cliff, saving them both from falling—but she couldn't hold on for long.

"Hold on!" Beth said to Hannah, her arms trembling with strain.

Suddenly, a masked man reached over the side of the cliff, trying to help them up. But Beth couldn't reach him while supporting Hannah. She could either drop Hannah and save herself—or let go, and maybe they would survive.

Before she could make a decision, however, the root snapped—and the two of them plummeted to their death.

Outside of the game, Tet, Artemis, and the Huntresses sat and stared at the screen.

One of the Huntresses broke the silence, saying, "We're supposed to save these people? I feel bad saying this because I want us to win… but I kind of hope Zoe lets them all die."

Several Huntresses voiced their agreement.

Tet scratched his cheek and said, "Yeah, they're not the most likable people. I'll give you that. But the game is the game. Just consider Zoe patiently not killing them herself part of the challenge."

When Tet put it like that, they begrudgingly agreed and turned their attention back to the screen.