Truth or Dare; Fierrochase.

All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own nothing but the plot.

Constructive criticism welcomed, but no flames, please. All flames will be used to roast S'mores. I apologise beforehand for any mistakes in my writing which you may pick up on. And if you didn't get it from the title, is will be Fierrochase. Read and review, please!

"Truth or dare!" Half-born bellowed, marching in through the entrance to floor nineteen. In his arms he carried a plastic bottle, his eyes glinting maliciously.

"Yeah, no thanks," At the lounge, Magnus stood, brushing off his pants. "I've learned recently that truth or dare is dangerous."

"For once, I'm going to agree with Magnus," His Valkyrie, Samirah Al-Abbas, agreed, looking at them like 'Yeah, you're nuts if you think I'm going to play truth or dare with a group of einherjar. Especially floor nineteen.'

"Aww, come on, it'll be fun! I remember this one time at this party where I was dared to seduce this lady spear. And, man, she was hot." Jack, otherwise known as Summerbrander, whined.

Half-born's girlfriend, Mallory Keen, glared at them. "You're not scared, are you, bean Town? You're going to stay, and play, otherwise I'll cut your head off!" Mallory drew her daggers to emphasise her point, her tone angry.

Another voice joined the conversation. "Duck! DUCK!" Alex Fierro, daughter - and sometimes son - of Loki's voice echoed off the walls.

Magnus was confused. Duck? Was there a duck somewhere? He looked around, frowning.

"DUCK!" Alex tugged on his sleeve, pulling him to the ground as a sharpened spear sailed over their heads and smashed into the walls. A volley of arrows followed it, hitting the lounge and impaling it, going through to the other side. "Gods, you're dense, Magnus. Shouldn't you know by now that when someone says 'duck', to duck, and not just stand there like an idiot?"

"Sorry 'bout that!" A voice called from the corridors. "Well, no, not really." They snickered.

"Right! Now you're playing truth or dare!" TJ was actually supporting this maniacal idea?

Sam and Magnus groaned, falling onto the newly repaired lounge - don't ask how, Valhalla's magic was incredible.

"I'm going first, and if anyone has a problem with that, I'll kill you, and then it'll no longer be a problem!" Half-born announced. The enherjar snatched the plastic bottle from half-born and placed on the table, flicking it.

"Wait, first, just let me ask something." Magnus turned to Alex. "Uh, you're a she today, right?"

Alex laughed, which, in Magnus' opinion, brightened the room considerably. "Yes, Magnus. 'She', 'her', and 'girl' today."

Magnus nodded. Mallory leant against half-born's chest and snapped "Well, TJ? Spin!"

TJ spun the bottle, watching as it slowed to a stop in front of Sam. "Truth or dare?" He enquired.

"Truth. Dares with you guys would probably get me killed. Or at least publicly humiliated." She chose wisely.

TJ could've pouted, but, being the warrior he was, didn't. "You're no fun." He said, irritated. He looked thoughtful for a minute before saying, "Okay. Who do you like?"

"Amir Fadlan." She answered easily.

TJ raised an eyebrow curiously. "That guy on the photos that Lord Odin showed us, that was making you blush really hard at that Falafel place?"

"Yes . . ." Sam confirmed suspiciously.

"Alright. Sam, your turn."

The daughter of Loki reached in and flicked the bottle, leaning back into the lounge, watching Mallory and Half-born. Half-born leaned in and kissed her, and she responded with equal vigour. Mallory's hands entwined themselves in his hair, and it probably would've turned into a full make-out had Alex not yelled "PDA alert! Get a room, you two!"

They broke apart, blushing. Only then did Samirah realise that the bottle and come to a stop in front of Magnus. "Truth or dare, Magnus?" She questioned.

"Truth." He replied, feeling that nothing dangerous could come out of it.

"Aww, come on! Brighten up a bit! Take a risk!" TJ yelled.

Magnus rolled his eyes and Samirah asked "Do you like anyone in Valhalla?"

Cautiously, Magnus answered "Yes . . ."

"Who?" Half-born asked eagerly.

Holy Frigg. Magnus searched for a way out of this mess he'd gotten himself into, and it came to him quickly, so he reminded him, "I've already answered my question. You'll have to wait until it's your go."

From across the table, he heard TJ mutter, " Dammit!", and he smiled.

Magnus leaned in and knocked the bottle to the right, watching it spin. It fell to Mallory, and he cursed. That girl was deadly. She'd probably decapitate him if he made her do anything even slightly embarrassing. Still, he'd take the risk. It would be worth it. Probably. Hopefully. "Truth or dare, Keen?" He stared her straight in the eye, hoping that he wasn't signing his death warrant by doing this.

She scoffed. "Dare, Chase. Unlike you, I'm not scared of a little risk." She glared, fingering her sword and dagger that swung from her belt.

Magnus swallowed. "I dare you to . . ." He began, trailing off as he realised that he hadn't actually thought of anything. His roommates smirked at him, and Alex rolled her eyes. After a while if thought, he continued, "I dare you to run around floor 18, swinging your sword, singing 'Let it go' from 'Frozen'. And then, I want you to knock on each door, kiss the hand of every person, and speak Shakespeare to each of them, declaring your undying love for them that you couldn't possibly hold in or go any longer without them knowing." He declared, smirking at her.

The rest of his roommates gaped at him, and Mallory was giving him her deluxe 'I am going to kill you when I get back in the most painful way possible.' Glare, which made him want to go cower and cry in a corner.

Mallory stood up from Half-born's lap and announced "I shall do it. After all, Keens do not back away from dares. I do have some pride, you know." Then, under her breath, she added, "But I will have no dignity after this." On her way to the door, she turned, and staring Magnus straight in the eye, she spat threateningly, "You are so dead."

A couple of minutes later, they could hear her yells and Shakespearean declarations. Distinctly, they could hear the enherjar in floor 18 freaking out from this so out-of-character, Mallory Keen. Magnus and his roommates cracked up, laughing, practically ROFL. Through her laughter, Samirah managed to gasp out,

"What . . . The . . . Helheim . . . Magnus?!" She managed to gain her composure again.

"She is so going to kill you."

"Yeah," Jack agreed optimistically, "And it sounds like she's coming back, so . . . You might want or prepare to run."

As if on cue, there was loud roar of "MAGNUS BLOODY CHASE!" And the said person paled and cursed. TJ clapped him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll hold her back. Well, for a bit. And actually, do worry."

Magnus turned on his heel, picked Jack up from the table - he was going to need it if he wanted to escape Mallory and her sword - and went to sprint through the entrance - and found it blocked. By Mallory. Helheim.

"Magnus. Chase." She growled. "I'm going to give you three seconds. One"

She didn't move. So, practically, she was letting him get away without actually letting him getting away.

From behind him, he heard Half-born murmur "She's cute when she's angry and going all deadly on others. Not when it's on me, though."

'Easy for you to say' Magnus thought 'You're not the one she wants to kill.' He searched desperately for another exit and heard her voice, louder than before.

"Two."

Shit. Holy Frigg. Helheim. He prayed to every God and goddess, even the ones he didn't know to let him escape. He could practically hear Thor, Loki, Frey, and all the others laughing at his escape as the woman raised her sword, eyes ablaze with anger.

"Three."

Magnus shut his eyes and hoped it would be quick. He'd died enough already in the combat practices. He was used to it, but not when it was Mallory and someone who'd promised to kill him in the most painful way possible. He'd had his arms chopped off, blown up, erupted into smoke, been eaten by a dragon, been stabbed in the chest, and so, so many others. But he still felt like Mallory's would be the most painful. He opened his eyes to see her swing the sword with a satisfied look in her eyes. He felt the side of his neck erupt in agony.

Fire.

Pain.

Agony.

Eruption.

Fire.

Pain.

Agony.

Eruption.

He staggered, clutching the side of his neck. He felt the blood seep through his fingers, wet, and sticky. Black spots danced in front of his eyes. He leant on the couch for support, and felt yet another impact of a blade and collapsed, his thigh and neck searing with pain. He stifled a scream, and heard someone, to faint to be recognisable, say "Well, he knew it coming for him. Unlucky, really, but it bound to happen eventually. No one can escape Keen in death mode."

He struggled to open his eyes, and when he did, it was to see Mallory, a smirk upon her features, swinging the blade one final time. He gave another stifled cry before blacking out, his body aching.

When he came to, it was morning. His body ached, and he was lying on the grass in his room, his clothes clean from blood. He sat up and reached for Jack, who, thankfully, had returned to pendant form around his neck. He decided quickly that decapitation was definitely not his favourite way to be killed. Standing up, he changed his clothes, hoping he'd missed the daily morning combat - after all, he had just come back. He swung the door open and stalked outside to the lounge, falling down upon it. He checked his watch - 9:52. Good. He'd missed daily combat. That would also explain the rare silence in floor 19.

When the others got back from their death, it was 2:38. They greeted him warmly - well, not Mallory. It seemed she held a grudge for him now. It was all going well - sitting around in the lounge, talking, laughing - until Half-born brought out a plastic bottle and pronounced that since they hadn't been able to finish their game of truth or dare yesterday due to some 'unfortunate accidents', they were going to finish it now. Some agreed heartily. Others, however, were not so intrigued. Namely, Mallory, Magnus, and Sam. They argued, put up reasonably good fights, but the others persisted. They eventually gave in when Jack, TJ and Alex threatened to impale and kill them. To which Magnus glared down at Jack and thought, bitterly, Traitor. But Jack, immersed in singing Justin Bieber off-key, didn't seem to notice. This time, Alex began, spinning the bottle with no regret. When it landed on Magnus, he cackled maliciously.

"Truth or dare, Magnus?" Alex called, wanting an answer quickly.

"Tru-" He broke off, realising that he'd probably want to know who he liked and swapped. "Dare." He decided.

However, when Alex started grinning even more, he started to regret his choice.

Alex's eyes glinted and he smirked. "I dare you . . ." He started, "To confess your feelings to the girl you like."

Magnus froze. His stomach fluttered and his mouth dried. "Uh . . . Pass?" He said, but it came out more like a question.

"Not an option, Magnus." TJ laughed.

"We just want you to be happy, Bean town." Mallory interjected. Clearly, she just wanted to see Magnus get rejected.

"I am happy." He insisted, no avail. To the raised eyebrows from most of them, he continued. "I'm happy being alive and not dead. She'd kill me if she knew. Well, probably." He averted his eyes from Alex, his stomach somersaulting.

Alex rolled his eyes. "You're doing it." He said.

Magnus grumbled a quick "Okay, okay." And stood, brushing the dust off his pants. Samirah cheered - she'd always liked seeing him rejected or killed. He turned and scanned the room, locking eyes with Alex. Then, he spoke clearly. "It's you, Alex."

He turned on his heel abruptly, and left. The room was dead silent. You could nearly hear the shock, had you been passing.

Samirah spoke up. "Well, I did not see that one coming."

"I did." Mallory grumbled. "It's been there for ages."

"Well, that came as a shock, but really, looking back on it, we should've seen it from the start." TJ interjected.

"I couldn't see it." Half-born announced.

"Yeah, well, that's because you're as dense as ever, idiot." Mallory smirked.

Even Jack had fallen silent from singing Justin Bieber. "Well, Magnus has been crushing for ages!" He announced, and if he had eyes, he'd probably be watching Alex. Maybe he was. But he didn't have eyes, so they didn't know.

They all turned to look at Alex. She looked distracted, fiddling with her wire. Upon noticing the stares directed at her, she rose from her seat. "I-uh-I'm gonna go." She told them distractedly. She turned sharply and left as well.

Magnus veered to the left and took the Midgard exit. He broke out into a sprint upon entering Boston. He could not believe they'd made him do that. Then again, they hadn't known. Behind him, he could hear Alex's yells. He'd actually followed him? Why the helheim had he done that? He could feel Alex gaining on him, step by step. A stitch started in his side, and he gasped. Alex's yells were louder, a sure sign that he was close.

"No, Alex!" He yelled. "Just-"

He felt his fingers close in around his wrist and spin him around. His eyes met grey.

"Alex," He tried. "I'm sorry. I just-" he realised that this day would be different to any other because,

Oh,

Alex was kissing him.

His lips pressed against his, and his hands instinctually wrapped around her waist. Alex slid his tongue experimentally across his lips and he moaned into her mouth. He felt Alex's hands intertwine in his hair. One part of him thought, Alex is a boy right now. You're being kissed by a guy. But the other part thought, Shut up. You're being kissed by Alex Fierro. They broke apart; both flushed and breathing heavily. Alex rested his head against his and whispered,

"I like you, too, Magnus."

Magnus froze. "Actually?"

Alex pulled back and snapped "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it!"

"Woah. Sorry, sorry. I just . . . Didn't believe it for a second there."

Alex sighed and kissed him again. Just as slow, passionate, and nice as the first one. If possible, better. They turned in synchronisation and headed back to Valhalla, hands laced together.

They halted to a stop in front of the doorway to floor 19.

"Ready?" Magnus asked nervously.

"Ready." Alex said confidently, the complete opposite of what Magnus was feeling. When they entered, it was to stares, and, once their hands were seen, wolf whistles from TJ and Half-born.

"So you're together now, are you?" Mallory asked gruffly.

The couple exchanged a glance. "Uh . . . Yes?" Magnus said, but came out more like a question. Alex rolled his eyes. "Yes, we are." He confirmed.

"About time." Jack probably would've smirked, had he a mouth. "It's been there for months."

Alex Fierro and Magnus Chase sunk to the couch, Alex laying his head on his chest and speaking up. "Well, I didn't see it."

"And that's because everyone who has crushes just can't see that the other person likes them, but they can see other people's crushes, but not their own. It's called being oblivious." Samirah rolled her eyes, as if to say, Duh.

Later that night, the horn blew, blaring and loud, signalling dinner.

"I'm on duty tonight, so I'll see you guys later." Samirah stood, heading out the door.

The six enherjar stalked their way to the dinner tables. When they reached the doors, Magnus told them, "You guys go ahead. We'll catch up." He reached out and took Alex's hand. The others smirked.

"Alright. Don't make your entrance too dramatic."

"We won't." Alex promised.

The four other roommates entered through the door. The couple turned to each other.

"Ready?" Alex inquired.

"Ready." Magnus told her.

Magnus leaned in and pressed his lips to Alex's. His lips were soft and tasted like cinnamon. He snaked his arm around the other boy's waist and his hands got tangled in his hair. Their tongues fought for dominance, pressing against each other. They savoured the sweet taste of each other. They moaned into each other's mouths and broke apart, pulling back.

Alex released his hands from Magnus's hair. "We have to go."

"I know." Magnus sighed.

They faced the entrance door and gripped hands tightly. Then they stepped through and headed over to their friends. Someone from one of the tables yelled,

"When did Fierro and Chase get together?!"

Practically all at once, all heads swivelled towards them.

Someone else, a big and burly guy with a spear and sword hanging from a his belt and shield slung over his shoulder, a son of Thor from the looks of him, stood and shouted,

"How the Helheim do you date someone that doesn't even have a gender?!"

From beside Magnus, Alex stiffened and glared. Mallory jumped from her seat and pulled out her spear. She threw it with perfect accuracy, and it impaled the guy who had shouted at them. Blood splattered his clothes - black leather jacket and black jeans as well as a shirt that said "Yeah Mate!" - the scarlet blood fading and sinking into the fabric, no longer visible. He collapsed as a scream ripped itself from his throat and his eyes turned vacant. Immediately, the wolves bounded out and grabbed a leg, dragging him out of the hall. Blood trailed down the floor.

"If anyone else has a problem with it, or judges them, you will meet my spear too!" Mallory yelled, eyes ablaze. "Got it?!" She looked down at them all, as if to say, 'speak up, and I'll kill you. Literally.'

Odin stood from his seat and reminded them, "There is to be no killing at dinner, Mallory Keen."

But she didn't even look ashamed. She just kept glaring, but after some convincing from the rest of floor 19, she walked over to where she'd thrown her thin knives, picked them up, tucked them into her jacket pocket, then sat down and kept eating.

Magnus and Alex had made their way over to the table during the chaos that wasn't really chaos, and Alex murmured,

"Thanks."

The next morning, Magnus made his way over to Alex in the lounge and questioned,

"Girl? Or boy today?"

"Girl." She replied easily, and then added,"That doesn't bother you, does it? The whole genderfluid thing?"

"No. No, it doesn't." Magnus told her.

But to her raised eyebrows, that clearly said, 'I don't believe you.', he pulled Alex towards him and kissed her. Lips against lips, tongues pressing against tongues, gliding together in one piece, Alex's hands in his hair, his hands around her waist, it was like blissful oblivion.

He pulled back. "Not at all." Magnus told her.

Fin.

Review, please! It'll only take a moment, whether you leave a paragraph or only one or two words. No flames, please, though constructive criticism is to be welcomed. Thanks for reading, hope you liked it! I won't be continuing this, hence the name Oneshot. Also, I know that killing is allowed at dinner times, but this is a fanfic, so . . . Let's just say that the fights for good seats only happen every once every second day.

~Aegis12