This chapter is longer than the previous ones...

Starfleet Academy, Second Year

Thalia

An alarm sounded at 0600, six in the morning.

Nico, in the bed on the other side of the room, grumbled loudly.

"Thalia Grace, if your refrain from silencing your alarm, I shall take it to Kirk for disassembly," the Vulcan threatened.

"Gods, Nico, I'll turn it off." Thalia reached over and pulled out the alarm's tiny solar battery. She had built it herself, choosing to pursue a specialty in Engineering and Navigation. And when she was older, maybe she could push for her own ship to captain.

Nico, on the other hand, worked in the science department, along with communications. He had perfected his Italian, and over the few years they were at Starfleet managed to learn several alien dialects, such as Vulcan, Klingon, Orion, and Rigellian, just to name a few.

"Nico, we have that leadership test today, remember?" Thalia threw off her covers and walked toward her cousin. At his bed, she started poking him repeatedly until he groaned and rolled off his pillow.

"What, the Kobayashi Maru? Most Starfleet cadets are recommended for the test during their third year," Nico rolled his eyes. "Did you ask to take it early?"

This earned him a jab on the arm. "No, death boy. I'm talking about Professor Jackson's scavenger hunt."

"Hunt? What hunt?" Thalia thrust a PADD toward him. Taking the small tablet, Nico swiped his fingers across the screen. Ignoring the unread messages for later, Nico opened the day's schedule. "Medical Alien Allergies… Computer Science… Navigational Maneuvers… Here! Command Leadership test, Second Year. Hey, I presume this is a mandatory test, seeing that I never applied for a position in Command."

"Quite a logical deduction, Mister Ears."

"Hey!" Nico complained in protest.

Thalia had already brushed her teeth, hair, and washed her face. She was stepping into her uniform as she spoke. "Nico, don't you think it's logical to start getting ready for the day, so that you don't have to rush yourself later?"

"Ah, yes." Nico stepped out of his bed, then realized he was wearing black skull-shirt pajamas. "Don't you dare tell Kirk or Leonard about this," he threatened.

"Ha, just shut up at get ready, or we'll miss breakfast. I swear, if we miss the cranberry muffins, I'll hide an electric buzzer in your bed." Thalia found that those tiny things worked just as well as her regular powers, if she just wants to tease her friends. "Don't forget the necklaces," she shouted at Nico, who was fumbling with the soap.

Thalia grabbed her purple pendant and slung it around her neck, making sure the cord was tight. Most of the time, the two ex-demigods hid them under their shirts, to hid them from sight. Their closer friends, such as Kirk and Bones knew they had necklaces. Of course nobody, except Spock, knew about the small powers the Gems held.

Together the human and half-Vulcan, now both fully clothed, made their way out of the room. They saw McCoy emerging from the adjacent quarters, but Kirk was not in sight. "There did that imp go now?" Thalia demanded.

Bones shrugged, but he looked like he was ready to burst a vein. "Kirk made a mess of the room, brought a gal back after midnight. Disgusting, they woke me up from a good dream where I was throttling every cadet who doesn't take care of himself well enough." The ever-caring doctor stormed on ahead through the hall.

Thalia, now eighteen, glanced at Nico, who raised his eye. "You think we should go find Kirk?" she asked.

"Nah, the statistical odds show there is a 64% likelihood of him showing up at breakfast. That's good enough for me, so I'm not going to run around the campus calling his name." Out they stepped from the Student's Quarters building, and into the campus. They took the shortest path toward the Cafeteria.

Thalia wrapped a violet scarf around her neck and watched tiny sprigs of lilac wildflowers bloom around the grass. She felt nostalgic for her times as a Hunter and hoped Reyna excelled as a lieutenant just as she did as Praetor of New Rome.

Kirk

What was Jim Kirk doing while he was away?

Well, the first thing he did was obvious. He had a new girlfriend.

The second thing he did was to visit Professor Jackson, who not only was Captain Pike's cousin but also directed and planned the Second Year's Command Test.

And yeah, Jim wanted top marks.

At five in the morning, when the professor was sure to be awake, Kirk stood in front of the teacher's dorm carrying a nice warm mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows. He raised his fist and knocked politely on the door.

It swung open to show Professor Jackson, a tall man in his early forties. His hair was blond, and he wore it messy. Jackson had the most brilliant pair of green eyes. They were tinged blue and grey at the side, but definitely green.

"Cadet Kirk!" the professor exclaimed in surprise. "What brings you here this morning?" Jackson's eyes drifted toward the cup of chocolate Kirk held, and a small smirk emerged on his face.

"James Tiberius, you shouldn't walk around bribing teachers to help you on tests!" Professor Jackson waggled his finger, but there was a humorous gleam in his eyes.

Kirk shrugged. "Maybe sir, maybe. But I also wanted to know the secret to being a good captain. Like, if I ever do get my own ship in six years from now, I want to know how to be the perfect captain, the one the crew looks up to in a disaster."

"Come in then, come in," and Jackson pulled Kirk into his office.

Everybody at Starfleet Academy knew about Professor Jackson's obsession with twentieth-century flying contraptions. Small models of Zeppelins, hot air balloons, and air force fighter jets with shark teeth adorned the room. In one corner was an umbrella stand, with about six yellow umbrellas, all brightly coloured.

The rest of the room's bare walls were behind bookshelves, which housed books of all types. Kirk spotted a carbon copy of the books Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, The Mysterious Island, and From Earth to the Moon. He made a mental note to plead Professor Jackson for some of those tales.

Jackson motioned for Kirk to sit down on a bright yellow chair. Several objects on Jackson's table caught Kirk's eye. There was a glass apple that caught the light and sent it tumbling around in prisms. There were also several sheets of paperwork on the desk, which were held down by a white pebble with a crayon drawing on it. But what really stood out was a photo frame.

Not many people nowadays kept their pictures in physical form, when they could have digital images whenever they wanted. But Jackson had a beautiful frame of pine, which all surrounded an image of a pretty lady. She was about thirty five years old, and her princess blond locks spooled around her face, where two stormy-grey eyes peered out at the camera.

In short, one of the most beautiful women Kirk ever saw, excepting maybe Thalia, with all of her dark, untouchable beauty.

Jim cleared his throat. "Sir, you have a beautiful wife," he complimented.

Jackson stared at him, confused, and then saw what Kirk was drooling over. He chuckled and gave a sad smile.

"She's not my wife, Cadet; she's my great-great-great-grandmother." Jackson picked up the frame and polished the glass with the hem of his shirt, then set it carefully back down on the desk.

"What was her name?" Kirk asked, sort of embarrassed at crushing on a memory, but still filled with curiosity.

"Annabeth Chase," Jackson murmured, "and she was the best architect New York had seen since it was first settled. She died at the age of seventy two, at almost exactly the same time her husband left her. It's an amazing coincidence, and that couple was one of the few that actually lived 'happily ever after'."

Kirk didn't know what to say. Forget all of his ex-girlfriends, the one wish he truly had was to have one love, one partner, who would stay with him during trouble on earth or in space. That's why he was attracted to Thalia. Professor Jackson cleared his throat. "So you want to be captain one day, eh?"

"Yeah, like my dad. I'm told he was one of the best acting captains Starfleet had."

Jackson nodded knowingly. "They got that right. It's a horrible thing he died; he would have been promoted and gotten his own ship if he didn't."

"What was it like to be the captain?"

Jackson reached over for the cup of hot chocolate. "Well, sunny, a captain is responsible for every single life on his ship."

Kirk fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Not only must a captain be ethically correct, he must also have the right amount of strength and logic to make the best decision, even if everyone else goes against it. Finally, a captain must always remember that the crew looks up to him. In an emergency situation, a calm captain makes a calm crew. That's very important to remember."

Kirk raised his hand. "Professor, were you ever captain of your own starship?"

Jackson chuckled and shook his head humorously. "Nah, I could've, but I preferred to stay at the Academy and teach promising young cadets. But you know my cousin Chris Pike, and Starfleet just assigned him to the new flagship USS Enterprise, as her Captain."

A question darted quickly into Kirk's mind, and he wondered if he dared aske it. Why the hell not, he thought, and spoke, "Sir, how do you make a relationship with a woman?"

"Why, Kirk, I'm surprised! You're the one with the most girlfriends in your year." Jackson raised his eyes in surprise.

Kirk cursed under his breath. Damn, this conversation might get pretty awkward quickly.

"Sir, I meant in the long term. Like, how do I have a relationship that lasts a long time, is virtually perfect? Like a never-ending, romantic friendship?"

Jackson raised his eyes. "Ah, so you're inspired by me predecessors, Annabeth and Percy?"

Kirk's mouth twitched. "Yes, sir."

A loud, throaty laugh escaped from the professor, startling the young cadet. "Sorry Jim, I'm just surprised to hear that from you. You know, a captain is always loyal to his crew, and always seeks to solve conflicts. The same goes for relationships, though that might sound like I heard that from a romance novel." Jackson rubbed his chin. "I think in relationships, you don't run around looking for the prettiest girl. I think, you just go along with life. And then one day, you'll meet a girl, and you'll become good friends. And then it might develop into something more. And if you fall apart, you fall apart. But half the time, you'll stay good friends, and that's the best you can hope for."

Professor Jackson looked back at Kirk. "And absolutely no pushing. You got that?"

Kirk made a tiny mock salute. "Absolutely, Professor!"

"Get out of my office, you kid," Jackson laughed.

Jim got up and made for the door, but Jackson suddenly had something to ask him. "Jim, who is she?"

Kirk deadpanned. "I don't know what you mean."

"Come on, kid, who's that lady you have a real crush on? The one you want a long-lasting relationship with?"

Jim didn't answer, but Jackson guessed it already. "It's Cadet Grace, isn't it? The eighteen-year old who's also in Command Class?"

Kirk didn't answer, but rather high-tailed out of the room.

Nico

The scavenger hunt was basically teams of cadets, with two leaders per team, leading the other cadets to find three objects before two hours runs out.

There were five teams.

Turns out, Nico was lucky. Since he didn't specifically apply for Command, he didn't have the roll of being one of the two leaders. Instead, he was a team – crew member.

Professor Jackson assigned the teams. Unfortunately, Nico wasn't in Thalia's team – Team 1. He and Bones, along with a green Orion female and two other human cadets were grouped in Team 3, under the leadership of Hikaru Sulu. Nico recognized as one of Thalia's classmates in Navigation. Sulu's 'First Officer' was a Romulan girl named Meikera.

"Oh, great," Nico heard McCoy moan. "We have a gardener and a Romulan as our leaders."

Nico raised his eyes. "Doctor, you're statement is illogical. Botany is merely one of Sulu's many interests, and," Nico smirked, "I feel a Romulan would be more productive for our team than a medical doctor. The chances of someone being maimed during the Hunt are virtually less than twelve point zero three –"

"Alright, shut up!" McCoy roared. Nico stuck his tongue out in response.

Thalia

Thalia was not pleased with the grouping arrangements.

Professor Jackson paired her with Kirk, and told them to agree which of them should be the captain, and which gets the position of first officer. "Both of you, I trust you'll handle Team 1 well together!" he said. She swore she saw Jackson wink.

"Don't worry, Grace, I'll be captain and make all the hard decisions. That way, you can just sit back and relax, as our team finds all the objects first!" Kirk proposed.

Thalia growled. "Tiberius, you don't know me if you think I'll just sit back and watch. I was a lieutenant before I enlisted in Starfleet."

"Lieutenant of what, a group of ballerinas?"

"A group of extremely agile females who hunt boars with arrows, and shoot any annoying, ridiculous males who come to their camp."

"Sure, and I'm Captain of a Starship." Kirk faced the group, where Thalia could see a nervous, curly-haired cadet of about Nico's age whispering to his purple-haired human friend. "Ok, crew, listen up! I am James T. Kirk, your captain for the hunt, and this is my First Officer Thalia Grace. Don't worry, we'll easily find all three objects before the time's up, and then we'll be able to watch the other teams from the winner's platform."

The team members looked doubtful. The kid who was about Nico's age of 16 raised his hand. "Sair, what will we do first?" Probably Russian.

Kirk gave a big grin. "Excellent question, Mr..?"

"Chekov," the boy volunteered eagerly.

"Yes, Chekov. Good question." Kirk turned to Thalia. "Well, First Officer? What should we do first?"

Thalia silently seethed. With a mock-sweet tone, she replied, "Obviously, I assume we should wait for Professor Jackson to finish setting up the teams, and then we shall wait for his further instructions."

Kirk, ever annoying and insufferable, grinned. "Yep, we'll just wait for now."

So they waited. After Professor Jackson had the other four teams sorted out, with no more loud, sarcastic complaints from McCoy in Team 3.

Professor Jackson had two bright yellow flags in each hand, which he clenched tightly and waved in the air. "Alright teams, listen up! Each of you has a Captain and First Officer, who will guide you to find three objects, all hidden around campus. Remember that where ever the objects are located, there are five of each object. One object per team! Do not take more than one object, or the offending team will be disqualified, 'cause this is a fair game. Understand?"

There were many choruses of 'Yes sir!', two 'Affirmative's from Nico and a fully-Vulcan recruit, and a 'Yes, yes!' from Chekov.

Jackson clapped his hands together excitedly, and gestured toward five trees about a two hundred meters behind him. "Each team has a tree!"

There were many confused murmurs at this statement, but Jackson wasn't finished. "In every team is one clue! The first clue will help you find your first object, and you will find your second clue tied to that object! Teams, your 'crew members' must work together under the direction of your Captains to get the clue! Use any method you wish, just know that you must have all 3 objects by the end of two hours!"

Thalia glanced at Team 1's tree. It was quite tall, which would make it difficult for most people to climb. There were also many leaves, which would be good for hiding a clue. If only she had her bow and a couple of arrows, she would be able to knock the clue out of the tree.

Unfortunately, though Hecate gave her a slender, sturdy bow that morphs into a silver bracelet, she didn't think Professor Jackson would approve of her using such a weapon.

She did know that Hecate transformed Nico's ring to turn into a black-iron sword (but not out of Stygian Iron. Too dangerous), but Thalia was certain Nico wouldn't take it out in a group filled with cadets.

"All ready, teams! Go!" Professor Jackson took his two flags in his hands again and did jumping jacks. Thalia resisted the urge to snort.

Kirk started sprinting toward the tree. Thalia caught up with him. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "We're supposed to be a team, not a group of six people with one crazy captain who sprints to get everything done by himself!"

"Glad you think so highly of me," he retorted. Thalia bit her lip and glanced back. The other members of her team, including the Russian kid were not far behind, maybe ten meters.

Almost at the tree, Thalia slowed down and faced the other members, who were panting from the run. "Alright, guys, I need you to stay on the ground and look for the clue. Walk around the tree and peer at the leaves, anything. If you spot something, call me."

While Thalia was giving orders, Kirk was *unsuccessfully* trying to climb the tree, which Thalia noticed was a red oak. Good wood for making arrows and bows, but that wasn't the point.

"Up there!" shouted Chekov's purple-haired friend. Thalia glanced at his name tag and caught the word 'Derricks'.

"Good job, Derricks!" Thalia acknowledged, before bounding toward the tree. She took a few leaps forward and jumped onto the tree. Catching hold of the sturdy bark, she used her fingers to scale the wall of wood, eventually reaching an outcropping branch. Thalia maneuverer herself upward and grabbed the branch, using it to propel herself toward a piece of rolled paper she saw tied to a yellow leaf. "Gotcha!" she grinned. With her training as a Hunter, this was hardly a challenge.

Thalia, with the clue in her right hand jumped onto a projecting tree arm just below her, intending to grab hold and use her momentum to swing safely to the ground.

But she missed her footing, and was sent tumbling toward the ground. The drop was about fifteen meters high; if she had landed head-first, she might have broken her neck. But Thalia rolled herself so that her feet were pointing toward the ground, and bent her knees to absorb the impact.

She saw Kirk, his eyes widening, running forward. Probably trying to catch her. The idiot.

She landed safely on the ground, and then felt a heavy jolt of pain course through her leg. She felt her left foot slip sideways, and it snapped. She twisted her ankle.

She tried to keep the pain from showing on her face. It was no good for the team to worry about her, she can seek medical attention later. Still, she felt cold tears drip down her nose.

Professor Jackson didn't come over, he was hundreds of meters away and supervising Team 5 and 4, who were having trouble getting up their tree. Thalia noticed Nico and Bones making footholds so that Sulu can climb up.

"Thalia," a voice brought her back to her own team. "Thalia," it repeated. "You twisted your ankle, do you feel fine?" There was imminent concern in Kirk's voice, it soothed her.

"Yeah, Kirk, I'm fine." Thalia wiped her eyes, ashamed to make such a scene. She was not much better than Kirk, trying to get the clue by herself from the tree. Three years with the Hunters of Artemis, and she still tried to shoulder all responsibility. She resolved not to forget her teammate's abilities, too.

Thalia pointed to a branch that fell on the ground nearby her. Derricks made a dash for it, and brought it back to her.

She held out the clue for Chekov to read. He took it carefully in his hands and spoke in a clear voice, "You've climbed zat tree and found zis clue to retrieve from the roses a little vite shoo."

Thalia, with Kirk's help, was carefully binding her leg with the lilac scarf she wore earlier. She looked up confused. "What's a vite shoo?" she asked.

Kirk cleared his throat. "He means a 'white shoe'."

Chekov glanced back at the paper and pronounced out loud, slowly and carefully, "White shoe."

The entire team laughed at this, and Chekov beamed at his successful pronounciation. "I assume this means we should search ze flover gardens for a… white shoe."

Kirk nodded his head. "Excellent work, Chekov. Take the rest of the team to search the flowers. I'll come soon with Thalia."

The young Russian and the other cadets nodded earnestly before dashing off. Kirk turned the Thalia. "What the hell where you thinking?" he cried angrily.

When she didn't answer and avoided his eyes, he slowly reached out to pick her up. She winced, but let him get her on her feet. "You want to go see Bones?" he asked her.

She shook her head fervently. "Taking me to him will lose a lot of time for our team," she started. "Besides, I don't want to hear the long, dreadful speech he'll give me about taking better care of myself."

Jim laughed lightly and put her arm around his neck for support. For once, she didn't push him off.

At the flower beds, they heard their team yelling triumphantly as Chekov lifted a white sneaker above his head.

Nico

What was Di Angelo doing while Thalia jumped from the tree? He was using his hands to make footholds for Sulu. He winced as the young Japanese slipped off the bark, with his foot landing back on Nico and McCoy's hands.

"I'll get up this time!" Sulu said, his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.

Meikera, the Romulan first officer, clicked her tongue distastefully. "On Romulus, we don't have these trees. They are impractical, when we live in sturdy, not flammable houses of stone. And our flowers are much more beautiful and vibrant than the ones on earth. And too many people break their necks falling off trees."

Nico saw Bones grit his teeth together to keep from retorting. Sulu spoke up. "McCoy, I need to step on your back to reach this branch, it'll be quick!"

"Dammit, Sulu, I'm a doctor. Not a damn ladder!" But he let Sulu step on him quickly. The Japanese pulled himself up a branch, grabbed the clue, and brought it down for the team to see.

"Looks like a bunch of poetry to me," McCoy grumbled. Nico, who had much experience interpreting the wily meanings of Delphic prophecies, raised his eyebrows.

"Captain," he spoke up suddenly. "Are there any flowerbeds on the campus? I think the poem's quite literal."

Sulu nodded his head. "I arrived at the same conclusion," he said. "Yep, there are some flower beds near the entrance of the Organic Science building, not too far from here." The team marched off.

Shortly later, McCoy had found the shoe. He had insisted on wearing plastic medical gloves while handling the shoe, insisting that it might carry some unknown bacteria. Meikera rolled her eyes and grabbed the clue.

Scanning it quickly, she gave it to Sulu. "For your next clue/give the answer to/this question here:/At the end of the year/this shining star/spreads light afar/and lets all travellers/bathe in the glow." He raised his eyes up. "This riddle's more complicated."

Nico decided the logical way to find the answer was to first strip out the unnecessary wording from the riddle. "Basically, there is a bright star that gives light only at the end of the year."

"And it's a welcome sight to travellers," added Kira Trace, another member of Team 3.

McCoy nodded thoughtfully.

Meikera grumbled. "That makes no sense," she complained. "No star only shines on only certain parts of the year!" Two twin cadets, Era and Rue Stone suddenly shrieked in excitement.

"What, you know the answer?" Sulu demanded. The twins, both about nineteen grinned.

Together, they pointed toward a tall pine tree, near the billowing flagpole.

"Ah, of course!" Bones laughed.

Era explained. "On Christmas, our family always hangs a large, yellow star over our tree, and in the Christian story of the first Christmas –"

"– after the birth of the son of God, the three kings, or travellers, made their way across land to give gifts to the baby! And the star guided them!" Rue finished.

"Wow," McCoy said. "I didn't hear that story since I was six or something."

"March, to the pine tree!" Meikera shouted. The twins decided to humour her, and walked behind the Romulan, swinging their fists and bringing their knees up high.

Nico rolled his eyes. Those two were like the twins Connor and Travis Stoll, back at the Hermes cabin in Camp Half-Blood.

Kirk

Yes! They found the final clue.

Derricks, Chekov, and a French cadet named Louise worked together to dig a hole.

Why a hole? Under the pine tree were five X-marks, all yellow. Seriously, Professor Jackson advertised his favourite colour a lot.

Seeing the hole, Jim directed the team to dig a large hole in the ground. Eventually, they unearthed a metal star.

Chekov accidentally dropped it on the ground, and a hollow bong sounded out. "Sorry, Keptin, sorry!" he apologized vigorously, and Jim had to calm him down, saying that he wasn't in the slightest upset.

Thalia, who leaned on Jim for support, held out her hand. "Chekov, may I see it please?"

The young cadet gave Thalia the star, and she carefully inspected its sides. There was a small hinge on the silver metal. Taking a stick, Thalia slowly pried the flap open, and saw the third clue. "Louise, can you read out the third clue?"

"Sure thing, Grace," the blond Frenchwoman said with a smile. "Here goes; The penultimate object lies in your grip, now rack your brains for the final tip. 'Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow.' - HP

"What the hell does that mean?" Jim asked, his brain whirring at high speeds.

Louise chewed her lip, her eyes fixed on the pine tree. "The part about turning a rat yellow reminds me of something I heard years ago… I just forgot!" She stamped her feet in exasperation.

Meanwhile, Chekov and Derricks were re-reading the note to each other. "Keptin, these two letters – HP – are probably important, maybe they're initials for someone?"

Jim thought hard, then turned to Thalia. Lunchtime was coming up soon, and they probably didn't have much time left. "Hey, First Officer," he spoke gently, "d'you know of any famous poets, writers, or singers who spoke of yellow mice? Because that's the sort of thing Professor Jackson would pull on us – a book test."

Thalia shook her head, wincing slightly as she moved her leg. "Nope, sorry Kirk. I don't really place my interests in singers or famous authors."

Kirk racked his brains. What would Professor Jackson throw at them for a final test? Kirk could see the members of his 'crew', including First Officer Grace looking to him for the answers. This must be what Professor Jackson told him the Captaincy was like. Kirk didn't exactly know what he was talking about in that office early morning…

The answer came to Kirk like a whip. Well, not as sharp, but it surprised him. He wondered if he was correct.

"Harry Potter," he told the crew. "We need to find a 20th century book written about a wizard boy named Harry Potter." Louise's eyes widened in recognition. "Team, this is where we split up. I want all of you to scout the campus for any cadets, or teachers, for that matter, who are reading a carbon or digital copy of Harry Potter. Also talk to anybody who seems to be waving a stick around like a magic wand, or who is wearing a large pointy witch hat."

There as a chorus of 'Aye's as the team dispersed, leaving Jim and Thalia at the tree.

"Impressive," Thalia spoke. Jim glanced at her. She didn't seem to be making fun of him. "I didn't know you read stories like that."

Kirk grinned. "I didn't for ten years. When I was eight, before my brother Sam left, he used to borrow carbon copies of Harry Potter. He seemed to find the concept of wizards fascinating. Sometimes, if he was in a good mood, he would read out aloud to me. And when he was busy, I read the books myself. Then one day, a girl came by, maybe when I was thirteen or something. They…" Kirk hesitated. "They were a good, happy pair together. Both fans of the Wizarding World. More company for Sam than he would ever have gotten from me. And then they left. I heard he joined up in Starfleet and went to colonize a planet."

Thalia considered this. "But if your brother never left, Captain Pike wouldn't have found you."

"True, true." A gleeful yell pierced the campus, making the 'captain' and his 'first officer' look up.

Thalia said it first. "Chekov found it."

Kirk grinned. "Didn't I tell you our team would get all the objects within the time limit?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, now let's see what the final object actually is."

Chekov ran toward them, wielding an elaborately carved stick. The rest of the team ran not too far behind him.

"Keptin, Keptin! Zis stick, a red-haired lady gave it to me after I asked about her Harry Potter and ze Order of ze Phoenix book!"

Kirk grinned excitedly. "Well done, Chekov, all of you!"

"Yes!" Louise punched the air with her fist, and Chekov did a high-five with Derricks.

Kirk then noticed Thalia grimacing, her face pale. "Okay, Grace, I'm taking you to McCoy no matter what. Chekov, Derricks, Louise? Report to Professor Jackson with all three items. I'm taking my First Officer here to see Bones."

Derricks and Louise nodded their heads, but Chekov refused to leave. He took Thalia's other arm and put it around his own neck. He helped Kirk half-walk, half-carry her over to Team 3, who were just running toward the large pine tree. For some reason, their Romulan first officer was marching, with a pair of twins in tow.

Leonard spotted Thalia nearly immediately, and left the rest of his team to finish the test. "Dammit, Grace, what the hell did you do to twist your ankle, jump off a cliff!?"

Thalia groaned. "Bones, just set my foot correctly, please?"

"Of course I will, darling! With James Kirk here doing all of his ridiculous stunts, and you doing… whatever you were doing, I won't get a moment's peace!" Leonard ranted.

"She jumped off the tree from fifteen meters high," Kirk added helpfully.

Bones cursed under his breath.