As Tet sat, lounging comfortably in a reclining chair he had summoned for himself, he lazily watched the campers of Camp Half-Blood go about their activities. Some were training hard, others sparring , and the children of Aphrodite—unsurprisingly—were busy admiring themselves in any reflective surface they could find. Tet smirked at the sight, leaning his chin on his hand.
Then, in the distance, the sound of shouting and metal clashing caught his attention. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing in mild curiosity.
Something fun, maybe?
He got up in a flash and strolled toward the noise, hands in his pockets, humming to himself. When he arrived, he found his Hunter construct locked in combat with mechanical bronze bulls, while two familiar half-bloods—Annabeth and Percy—plus one large, slightly awkward Cyclops were making a desperate dash for the safety of camp.
Tet raised a finger and said casually, "Hunter, prioritize the kids. The bulls are secondary."
At once, the Hunter disengaged from the fight, sprinted toward Annabeth, Percy, and Tyson, scooped them up like they weighed nothing, and zipped back to the camp. It deposited the three at Tet's feet, then, without missing a beat, dashed back into battle.
Tet gave the newcomers a knowing grin. "Well, well, well. Welcome back to Camp Half-Blood, children. How was your trip?"
Percy groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was terrible. Who are you?"
"I'm Tet," Tet said with a flourish, "your temporary activities director while Chiron's on a forced vacation… courtesy of Zeus."
Annabeth's stormy-gray eyes narrowed. "But that's not fair!"
Percy quickly added, "Yeah, why is he being dismissed?"
Tet gave them a deadpan look. "Wow. Way to make me feel welcome, kids."
Percy frowned. "Aren't you a kid too?"
Tet's grin widened. "Nope. I'm a god."
Both Percy and Annabeth's eyes widened at that. Annabeth leaned forward, her voice cautious. "Um… which god?"
"I'm Tet," he said, straightening with theatrical pride. "God of Games—and a good friend of Hestia."
Recognition dawned on Annabeth's face. "Wait… are you the one who made those action figures last year?"
Tet chuckled. "Yes, I did. Did you like them?"
Percy's expression lit up with genuine enthusiasm. "Oh, I loved them. But seriously—about Chiron—"
"Oh, right," Tet said, waving a hand dismissively. "He's in his room. You can get the details from him directly."
"Thanks!" Percy said, and the trio hurried off toward the Big House.
Tet watched them go and muttered, "Wow… that's the first time someone's been underwhelmed by my introduction. Oh well." He clapped his hands together. "Let's go prepare for tonight's campfire."
As Tet strolled through camp, enjoying the breeze, one of the Apollo kids came running toward him, clearly out of breath. "Hey, uh—Tet, sir! You're the God of Games, right?"
"Yes, I am, young man," Tet replied with a playful smile.
"Awesome! I'm Will Solace, son of Apollo."
Tet smirked knowingly. "I know who you are, kid. Your dad talks about you often."
Will blinked, surprised. "He… does?"
"Yeah. He talks about all his kids. He loves you all a lot."
Will's face softened with relief. "That's… great to hear. I wasn't sure he cared."
"Trust me," Tet said, his voice unusually gentle for a moment, "he cares a lot. Now—what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh! Right." Will perked up again. "I wanted to ask if you were gonna give us some new stuff to do."
Tet's grin turned mischievous. "Dude. I'm literally the activities director."
Will laughed awkwardly. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. Uh… can I know what's going on ahead of time?"
Tet waggled a finger at him. "Nope. I don't give spoilers, kiddo. Something me and the Doctor have in common."
Will tilted his head in confusion. "Who?"
Tet froze, giving him a slow, disappointed look. "I'm having a talk with your father about your education. You definitely should have known that. In fact—" He suddenly grinned, eyes sparkling. "We're having a mandatory Doctor Who viewing tonight."
Will stepped back in alarm and prayed upward. "Dad, help."
Apollo's voice rang down from the sky almost instantly, sounding utterly scandalized. "No! How dare you not know who the Doctor is! For shame, son!"
Will stared up at the sun in shock, clearly not expecting his father to actually answer.
Tet waved him off. "Off with you. Go somewhere and think about your life choices."
Will, still looking dazed, wandered off.
Tet shook his head dramatically. "Kids today… not watching television. What has the world come to? Oh well…" His eyes gleamed as he tapped his chin. "I'll just use this summer to properly educate them. Mandatory movie nights on Wednesdays… video game tournaments on Thursdays… and my own special brand of death matches on Fridays." He grinned, almost wickedly. "Oh, it's gonna be a blast."
That night at dinner, Tet stood up from the head table, brushing off a few crumbs off his clothes,and said with a cheerful grin,
"If I can have your attention, please."
Every camper turned to look at him—some curious, some skeptical, a few clearly still chewing mid-bite.
"Hello!" Tet announced with a dramatic sweep of his arm. "My name is Tet, and I am the God of Games—" his mismatched eyes glittered mischievously, "—which, in my opinion, makes me the perfect person to be your activities director… at least for now. Don't worry, I'm sure Chiron will be back in no time."
He leaned forward, voice dropping into a mock whisper.
"Now… I'm sure you've noticed that Mr. D is also not present." He straightened, speaking with faux solemnity. "Well… he's currently indisposed. So, filling in will be… this lovely lady!"
With a burst of warm golden flame, Hestia appeared beside Tet, her calm presence instantly filling the room with a sense of comfort. She smiled warmly at the campers, her warm aura wrapping around them like a cozy blanket.
"Thank you for that introduction, Tet," she said kindly. Then, addressing the hall, "For those of you who don't know me, I am Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth. And until further notice, I will be replacing Dionysus. I hope we all have a wonderful time together."
The reaction was immediate—every camper stood, giving a loud, enthusiastic standing ovation, followed by cheers that practically shook the pavilion.
Hestia's serene smile twitched ever so slightly into something more forced as she turned to Tet and, in a lowered voice, asked,
"Do they not like Dionysus that much?"
Tet shrugged with a smirk. "Apparently."
Hestia clapped her hands once—sharp, commanding, yet still gentle—and with maternal authority said,
"Children, settle down."
The noise cut off instantly.
"Good," she nodded. "Now, we have some announcements. First of all, neither Tet nor I know much about combat, so we'll be bringing in instructors to help you until Chiron returns."
Tet stepped forward, bouncing slightly on his heels. "Second—movie nights, Wednesdays. Video game tournaments, Thursdays. And finally, we will still occasionally have Capture the Flag… but I'll be mixing things up with something different each week. The first one will be tomorrow and—" he raised a finger, his tone turning playfully strict— "no, don't ask what it is. I don't give spoilers… unless it's to mess with people. And even then, I'd have to be upset with you."
A few chuckles rippled through the room.
"Now," Tet continued, clapping his hands, "for tonight's sing-along—here's one I expect all good kids to know."
The opening instrumental of the Pokémon theme began to play.
Several campers' eyes went wide with recognition, and soon the whole pavilion was grinning as they launched into the opening line:
"I wanna be the very best… like no one ever was!"
Hestia raised one eyebrow at Tet, her voice mildly amused and said.
"Really?"
Tet didn't even look at her, just kept nodding along to the beat. "I'd like them to remember that before warriors… they are, in fact, children. And if I can give them back even a little bit of their childhood… my time here will be worth it."
Hestia's expression softened, touched despite herself. "That's sweet and everything… but you know that's not what I was asking."
Tet grinned sheepishly. "I like this song. Leave me alone."
Hestia chuckled warmly and said. "You sometimes act like the child you appear to be."
Tet shot her a cheeky grin. "Your one to talk—"
He didn't get to finish. Hestia reached over and pinched his cheek with surprising strength that somehow made him wince.
"What was that?" she asked, her tone that dangerous mix of amusement and warning.
Tet quickly backpedaled, voice strained through the pinch. "You're a mature and beautiful lady."
She released him with a satisfied nod. "Why, thank you."
Tet rubbed his cheek, muttering under his breath, "How is it even possible for her to cause me pain when I'm much stronger than her…?"