Author's note: Aw, yeah. I'm back with the next chapter ALREADY. *Dons a pair of sunglasses* I was planning on waiting 'till the weekend before I even started writing this, but, hey-I've been inspired, so really, I couldn't take a break from this if I wanted to...

But, anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter; as I wrote it from 9:47pm to 2:24am during some of the worst Menstrual cramps I've had in a long time. WHAT?You didn't want to hear that last part? Oh, well, too bad, 'cause I've already said it!

Anyways, before I go, I just wanted to say that the next chapter might not be as long; I mean, this is 7730 words, after all... But, that's just a might, as I really don't know. (Especially, since I haven't started on it yet.) Though, truthfully, I feel like cutting down the length of these chapters; as I've been told by a little birdie that some people will glance over my story, because of the considerable word-count and the least the considerable chapter-count. *Shrugs* I don't really know what to do now. Cookie for your thoughts?

(Disclaimer: again, I don't own much. Get off my back.)


Unfortunately, they missed the checkout time, and the roach motel ended up charging them an extra twenty bucks; so, ultimately, they decided to stay one more night. Even if it meant getting crawled on by one of the many palmetto bugs, or bothered by the over-intrusive maids.

Though, it wasn't like Jessup was complaining about the hold-up. Not only did it spell a break in the action; so that he could get into detail about the up-coming perils; but, also since it meant that he could let the sizeable, not to mention ghastly-looking, laceration on his side to continue the long and painful healing process.

Despite Stephanie's best efforts to heal the gash that was left by the creature that was wonderfully dubbed 'bird-woman', it appeared to want to heal at its own pace. "I really am okay, Steph..." The blonde had assured her for the umpteenth time, as the daughter of Apollo prepared to sing another Hymn.

"No, it's not! It's been four days; and you're still bleeding yourself dry." The brunette protested, as she pressed the boy further into the tacky floral-printed bedspread.

Matthew scoffed at the little argument that broke out between the two, ('I'm fine' 'No, you're not') and threw himself to the door. "I'm taking a walk." He said over his shoulder, to no one in particular, before disappearing from the cramp suite.

Atlanta watched him go with worried green eyes, before sinking further into the old, overstuffed armchair that rested by the window; which was covered by a thick, dust-laden curtain. It goes without saying that most of the others were eager to get out, and tackle the rest of the temples to complete the rest of the trials; but, she unlike the rest was rather content with a slower pace.

Though, don't get her wrong; it was not that she wanted to hole up in this hole-in-the-wall for any longer, (she already felt obligated to punch a crater into the flimsy tile that lined the dirty shower walls; and if she had to stay another night, she probably would have) it was just that, well, soon enough, they would be visiting Artemis' domain and she wasn't exactly sure that she wanted to go in.

Letting her gaze wander to the celestial arrow that hung out of Jessup's bag, she let her shoulders sag with a sigh—no, she couldn't not go. They would need her. From what Jessup had informed her, and from what she had witnessed, first-hand, during the retrieval of the arrow; she was the only one who could use it.

Wondering if the rest of the items were like that, her eyes locked onto Aphrodite's mirror. It had worked, and pretty well too—it lighted up like nothing she had ever seen before; Katie had compared it to a house that was fully decorated for Christmas in the suburbs, but even that wasn't anywhere near as bright—when Jessup had wielded it; so, perhaps, the arrow was different—enchanted, maybe?

Her fingertips tingled; almost as if they were going numb, as she watched how the intricate engravings in arrowhead seemed to let off an ethereal glow, under the moonlight that poured in from the slit in the curtains.

And Atlanta Hunter can tell you with a firm voice that she had never, ever wanted something more than she wanted to take the arrow for her own. It felt like it was a part of her; more or less, the part of her that she had been missing for all these years. Would it fill the void in her heart that was created due to the lack of love she received from her mother? Nope. But, it would make her feel hella good for having it.

Sinking lower into her chair, as she resisted the strong urge to run the pads of her digits along the sturdy wooden shaft, the redhead sighed. "Damn it..."

"Damn, what?" Zoe asked in a scathing tone, as she eyed the older woman from her place on the tiny, twin-sized bed. She was lying flat on her stomach, with her head rested daintily in the cradle of her hands. There was unreadable look in her onyx eyes; and that made them look all the more abysmal.

Her posture gave off a causal vibe, but something about her general aura was dangerous. Almost like being in the company of a scorpion. You never quite knew when it was going to strike, but, your instincts kept on flashing bright red; like a warning light. Telling you time and time again that you were in grave danger.

It was moments like these, when those surrounding had wished that the daughter of Hades was in a bad mood. That way, they would know whether to avoid her or not.

"You've been sitting there, brooding, all damn night." Zoe stated, twisting her neon-orange curl around her finger. Finally, her countenance was showing some of the twisted emotions that she buried deep within her sub-conscious. "And quite frankly, you're giving me the creeps." Rolling off the bed in one swift movement, the ravenette started towards the archer. "So, look—you haven't been given me any problems, so, being the kind of person I am; I might listen to the crap you're dying to unload."

Atlanta regarded the ravenette with a wary look; unsure if this was a trap, and the teen was waiting eagerly for her to let her guard down, so that she could show her what Stygian Iron felt like twisting in her gut. "Uh... thanks, Zoe," She started to say, as the girl stared down at her with an expectant look on her face. "But... I've just got alot on my mind. Sorry, I bothered you."

Zoe rolled her eyes, not at all believing Atlanta's words. "Bullshit." She said, tapping her foot agitatedly. It was clear that she wasn't going to give up until the redhead caved. "I'm not good with these life-time moments," She offered, crossing her arms. "But, I sure as hell don't want you getting your ass killed; because, you've got your head stuck up there."

"What?" Atlanta deadpanned. "... You're worried about me?"

Zoe gagged, (like, literally, gagged) before punching Atlanta's shoulder harder than was strictly allowed during (somewhat) casual conversations. "Get that worthless thought out of your head." She commanded in a booming voice, as her eyes narrowed menacingly. "I'm not worried, not one bit. I just don't want this to be a freakin' waste of my time."

"So, wait-" Atlanta started to say, but was interrupted by the sound of Katie exiting the now-steamed up bathroom with a contented sigh.

"It might look like a war went on in there," The tiny girl commented amusedly, as she scrubbed her sopping wet hair with a dingy towel. "But, the water is nice and warm." Wiping the run off droplets of water out of her eyes, Katie took in the room.

Stephanie was wrestling Jessup out of his shirt, in a wild attempt to hogtie him to the bedpost. The daughter of Nike trembled, as she forced the kinky thoughts out of her head. She was just trying to subdue him long enough to sing another Hymn; that's all... right.

Sky had fallen fast asleep, in a curl of covers on the floor by the air conditioner. It was amazing how the auburnette could even take a catnap, what with the ruckus and all. Katie was absolutely envious.

Matthew was gone... but, that was obvious—or atleast, not a surprise to Katie. Her lack of shock was partially due to the fact that the oppressive tension that was usually associated with the son of Apollo's presence was completely gone. And, also, because he had been complaining that he wanted to stop wasting time, and head out before the sun had arisen over the horizon.

And, since, they obviously were in no rush to leave; he probably stepped out to let out some frustration. Hopefully, he didn't go off to do something stupid.

Her pretty almond orbs found Atlanta lounging awkwardly in a living chair; she looked like she had seen a naked Hephaestus dancing the hula. Grunting to hold back the puke that threatened to come up at the thought, Katie noted that Zoe had disappeared to the tiny, unstable-looking veranda.

Kyle, (who had been standing out on the deck since sunset) for whatever reason, had insisted that they stay on the second floor. And now that it was stark-black outside, his line of reasoning was finally, fully-explained.

Up on the second story; the view of L.A was breath-taking. There were virtually no trees (not even those tall, imported palm trees) to hinder the view of the hustle-and-bustle.

Though, obviously, he hadn't one care about the landscape; he just wanted a better lookout point to gaze at the darkness. For unlike the others, he strived for the darkness. But, that shouldn't have come as too much as a surprise, seeing as his mother was the female personification of night, and all.

Watching quietly as Zoe slid the glass door behind her so that she could converse with Kyle in private, Katie felt a trickle in the back of her mind—almost like nagging feeling, only... it was much easier to ignore.

"Katie," Atlanta hissed silently, motioning towards the brunette. When she had toddled over, the redhead caught her by her hand, and pulled her out of the way of the porch door. "Do you think I'm... brooding?" Her question came as a complete surprise to Katie.

"What…? Uh—of course not… Why do you ask?" The tiny girl stumbled over her words, as she started into the worried-filled, avocado orbs that seemed transfixed on her own chocolate-colored ones.

Atlanta—realizing with moderate embarrassment and slight mortification, the tight, unrelenting grip that she had on Katie's hand—let out an awkward noise, before releasing her grip. "Um, never mind." She said, before quickly apologizing and darting to the other side of the room.

Katie knitted her brows together with mild bewilderment, before straightening out her clothes and heading towards her bag to locate her hairbrush.


Meanwhile, on the veranda, Kyle had been staring longingly at the night sky. It looked lovely; like a perfect home—an ultimate resting place, of sorts—well, atleast to him it did.

Zoe, however, found no solace staring up at the stars that danced their celestial dance; nor did she care for the dark, storm clouds that were rolling in. So, she ultimately stopped looking.

Instead, she turned on her heel, and leant back coolly against the rusty rail. It may have looked shoddy, and it may have wobbled quite a bit when the ravenette had initially put her weight against it; but, amazingly, after Zoe had maneuvered herself a little bit, it ceased all of its noise and she was free to rock against it, as if it was as sturdy as a tree trunk.

Neither one of them had exchanged words, just long, lingering glances. And that was odd, because Zoe usually wouldn't shut up.

One time, when their gazes locked, Kyle felt his heart give an unfamiliar flutter. There was no doubt in his mind that, at this very moment, the girl would jump up from her spot and just start yelling at him; as retribution for the days of him talking to the especially friendly Katie Knapp, and, more importantly, for him avoiding her almost every chance he got.

She never did yell; but she did get that murderous look in her eye, as she acknowledged the tension between them.

Anyone else would have recoiled in fear, but the demi-god didn't. 'Cause, really, he wasn't too intimidated by her; and that he thought she never looked better when she seemed on the verge of ripping someone's throat out.

"What the hell is your problem, Kyle?" She growled, clenching her hands around the bars to hold back the flood of fury that threatened to overtake her sense of reasoning.

Kyle shrugged; because that was really the best he could offer. He really wasn't in the mood to fight with her. He just kinda wanted to look into her eyes and pick apart the emotions that boiled fiercely behind them.

The fire seemed to burn ten—no, one hundred times hotter. Zoe let her weak resolve crumble to pieces; and next thing the both of them knew, her hands were flying from the railing and latching onto the collar of Kyle's shirt. "Don't give me that, asshole!" She snarled, as her grip on the fabric tightened, tightened—rrrrrrrrriiiiiip! The shirt tore right down the center, like a piece of paper, under her impressive grasp.

Anyone else would be praying to the gods for mercy; but, again, Kyle behaved opposite to the usual, normal reaction, by just staring blankly down at Zoe's fury twisted face. It was amazing, his ability to stay cool under fire; but, what could he say? He had years of training with the—erm—turbulent life he had lived, before arriving at Camp Half-blood.

Zoe's teeth gritted together painfully, as she tried to keep herself from yelling again. Kyle didn't respond well to shouting, and if she wanted information from him, she was going to have to walk on some serious eggshells. She let out a hot breath, before letting her eyes flutter closed. Taking a few more breaths, she started counting backwards from ten—unfortunately, she only made it to seven, before Kyle said something that infuriated her even more.


Inside the room, Katie, Stephanie and a now-awake Sky had glued themselves to the fight on the other side of the glass. Zoe was going ballistic; attacking Kyle as if he had committed one of the most atrocious acts she had ever seen.

"—and, you said that they liked each other." Sky grimaced, as she watched as the daughter of Hades swung her athletic legs in Kyle's direction. Luckily, the poor guy didn't just stand there and take the beating; but, on the other hand, he didn't fight her back, either.

Stephanie sighed, before disappearing to collect two pristine ten dollar bills from her backpack. Grumbling to herself, the brunette dropped the money into Sky's and Katie's hands, before taking her place around the door, once more. "I could have sworn... they were so partial to each other back at camp?"

"Oh and when was that?" Katie interrupted coolly, as she brushed her hair as straight as it would go. Whether it was a blessing or not, she didn't know; but, if there was one thing she knew for sure was that she had inherited her mother's coarse, curly hair. "Every time I see them, she's trying to send him to the Underworld." She sighed, half because her statement was true, (if not somewhat exaggerated) and half because her hair had taken on a mind of its own, and curled back to its natural state.

Stephanie glared half-heartedly at Katie, (who had dropped her brush onto the floor, so that she could gather her hair into her hands and pull it back, into a high-pony tail) before she pursed her lips. "I'm getting my twenty dollars back." She grumbled, as she observed how, even when it was pulled up, the daughter of Nike's damp tresses still fell gracefully down her back.

How she could put up with hair so long was a mystery.

"Wishful thinking is always good." Sky smirked at the daughter of Apollo smugly, as she offered her casual shrug of her shoulders. "But, does that—" She gestured at the battling pair with a motion of her thumb. "—look like a happy couple to you?"

Katie and Sky laughed until they snorted, Stephanie grimaced as her ego took a hit, Jessup called out from his place on the bed, "Come on, Steph! Untie me!" and Matthew had re-entered the suite, only to be quickly enveloped into the madness.

Whatever Kyle had said to incur Zoe's wrath, must have been down-right offensive, because he was forced to sleep on the veranda that night.


At Four-twenty-ante meridiem, (Or, AM in layman's terms) everyone waited their turn to shower and get ready for the rough day ahead.

Zoe had put on a loose black, jumper-dress with sleeves up to her elbows, the same leggings and silver waistcoat she had on yesterday. Evidently, aside from the jumper-dress and pair of dark jeans; the only items she had bothered to pack were her knife and an ungodly amount of snack-cakes.

"What the—why... never mind." Stephanie groaned, rubbing her temples, as she watched all the travel-flattened little Debbie's roll onto the floor. The daughter of Apollo was wearing the same leather jacket from yesterday, a plain teal tee-shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

Amusingly, Matthew had the exact same thing on. But, neither of them went to change out of their identical outfits.

Katie had giggled modestly with a hand over her mouth, when she had caught sight of them as she exited the bathroom in her change of clothes; her orange, Camp Half-blood shirt and a pair of khaki, cargo capris. It was no doubt that she had gotten fussed at for putting the shirt on, "The mortals will flip out, if they see you in that!", but ultimately, she didn't change out of it.

Atlanta wore a flirty, cotton smock with a houndstooth-print on it. The shirt seemed to be a little too big at the neckline, as it hung off her shoulders haphazardly; but, judging by the lack of bra-straps, she had intended for the shirt to fit that way. On her lower half was a fitting pair of jeans.

Admittedly, the top was a little too—well—dressy for adventuring; but, that thought didn't cross her mind, when she was picking outfits to wear the other day. She had been digging around her dresser for all-but three seconds when, her green eyes zeroed in on the frilly blouse. Almost instantly, she remembered how much Luke had liked it when she wore it. Filled with the memories and the compliments that went along with the smock, she snatched it out of the drawer and stuffed it into her bag.

Now, standing in it, she was filled with a familiar warmth, coupled with just a bit of mourning. Letting out a sigh, she crossed the room and knocked on the bathroom door. "Jessup, you're going to use up all the hot water!" She called, her knocks taking on a more urgent tone.

Matthew shot her approving looks, as he watched the way the fabric hugged against her figure; but, she promptly ignored it.

Sky sat on the bed with yesterday's clothes on, and her change of clothes wrapped in her arms, as she waited for the blind adolescent to exit the bathroom. "You'd think he went and died under the spray." She joked to Kyle, (who was standing as far away from Zoe as the tiny suite allowed) as she tapped her foot impatiently on the floor.

Kyle shrugged, but said nothing. If Jessup had so easily survived being thrown from atleast ten feet in the air into a sturdy stone statute, and then cut from rib to rib; it would have been one hell of a waste for him to drown in the shower.

As if on cue, the pitter-patter of the shower water hitting the floor ceased, and moments passed. Evenutally, the bathroom door slid hesitantly open to reveal Jessup, glasses and all.

The blonde stepped out in a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt bearing a skateboard on it. "S-sorry," He apologized, stepping out of the way so Sky could get dressed.

If anyone had been paying attention, they would have noted that his cheeks—as well as the rest of his skin—were flushed a dark shade of crimson. Though, when Stephanie pulled him off to the side to ask about the next trial, he waved her off with an embarrassed croak; immediately her mind raced to a rather licentious explanation for sudden his timidity.

Soon enough, Sky was exiting the bathroom squeaky-clean. She was wearing a cute pair of black, knee-high jogging pants, two orange and yellow tank tops that were layered over one another, and a dark, mahogany sweater to pull it all together. She was the embodiment of autumn fashion.

Now that everyone was ready to go, Jessup took in a deep breath, and got ready to fill them in. "Because we lost a good chunk of time waiting for my injuries to heal; we might as well split up and tackle these trials at the same time." Pausing when he noticed the heated stares he got, the blonde sniffed indignantly—as if saying screw off! "Sadly, I can't be at both places at once; so, I'm going to have to trust that you guys follow my advice to the 'T',"

Everyone stood on edge, as Jessup stumbled over to his bag to produce Aphrodite's mirror.

"In Dionysus' temple, there is a large, expansive table. It will be decorated with the finest dishes, and on those, the greatest assortments of food and wine, you'll ever see. Whatever you do, no matter how hungry or thirsty you may feel, you mustn't eat or drink anything," He explained sternly, as his lips thinned into a firm, straight line.

"Why not," Katie asked lamely, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"It's poisoned." He said matter-of-factly. "And you'll need all your strength when the guardian makes themself known. Unlike 'bird-woman', this creature is fast, strong and extremely hungry; and I couldn't stress that anymore."

It was Stephanie's turn to ask questions. "What does it look like?"

Jessup shrugged. "Pssh… like I know. HELLO, I'm blind." He said sarcastically, as he tapped the lens of his sunglasses for effect. "But, from what I've heard... It comes in two forms; one is a Leopard, and it's a nasty creature—if you've ever watched (Or listened to) the discovery channel, you'd know. Though, luckily in this form; he's vulnerable to attack, make sure to cut his jugular, or else, you'll be fighting him for quite some time; or atleast till he shape shifts."

"Ahh—and that brings me to his second form. He will be a handsome man; blonde hair, brown eyes, built like a roman soldier—"

Zoe scoffed, effectively interrupting Jessup's tangent. "No offense, but; mind keeping your raging hard-on for this guy under wraps?"

The blonde blushed, taken aback. "Uh—sorry..." Clearing his throat, he continued. "In his human form, he's completely invincible; no weapon, celestial or not, can kill him, as he's under the gods' curse. You are better off evading him, until he transforms—or else, he'll kill you with a strike of his hand."

"Now, the reason this mirror is such an important item for this temple, is that the man—Acanthus—for whatever reason, is unable to gaze upon his own reflection. It acts kind of like with Medusa's gaze,"

Atlanta claimed a seat nearby, and crossed her legs. "So, he'll turn into stone after seeing himself?"

Jessup nodded firmly. "In a sense... he won't physically turn into stone; it's just that his visage will completely stun him,"

Zoe snorted. "Talk about self-image issues."

The blonde pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, before continuing. "At that time, even his immortal human-form is susceptible to attack. But, no one knows how long the mirror's hold will have him. So, I wouldn't make it my top priority to kill him when he's like that. "

"But, in all seriousness; if you can avoid a fight with him, you must. He, unlike the other guardian, doesn't come looking for a fight and—if you don't disturb him—will stay on the far side of the room. What he does over there... Dionysus didn't say, but, I'm assuming that he's very much enjoying his dinner."

"At any rate, you'll need to leave the dining hall; you'll do this by using Aphrodite's mirror, as only its light can illuminate your path out. Point it at chairs, tables, the paintings; anything and everything could be the way out. Just make sure not to point it at the sufferers."

Matthew rolled his eyes. This was taking a lot longer than it needed to. "And what are the sufferers?"

"WHO," Jessup corrected with a dramatic wave of his arms. "They were the travelers preceding you guys. What, did you think we are the only ones attempting this? Please, there were thousands of individuals before us taking these trials on for riches, fame, or immortality—whatever floated their boats. Unfortunately, they were either killed by Acanthus, or they surrendered to the hysteria induced from drinking the wrong chalice of wine. You'll find them in heaps in the chairs, strewn across the table, even on the floor."

"AND, the reason why you shouldn't point that mirror at them, is because they may re-awaken. The sufferers are relentless, cannibalistic, and attack in large groups. I'm sure it can go without saying, that they will rip you to pieces faster than you could even scream for help."

Katie shivered at Jessup's grim tone-of voice. "S-So, as long as we don't flash the mirror at them; we'll be fine?" She asked hopefully.

"Yup..." Jessup nodded, before pausing and tilting his head in thought. "Oh, right! Don't forget—no loud sounds, unless you want to attract both the sufferers and Acanthus."

Kyle finally spoke up to ask the one question that no one had asked. yet. "What are they guarding?"

The blind son of Hermes' broke out in a smile. Finally, someone wants to know. "They're collectively guarding Dionysus' Bushel of Golden Grapes, of course." When the room grew deathly quiet, as if they others were wondering why anyone would go through the trouble to get some damn grapes, the blonde sighed. "The Golden Grapes are more useful than you guys think. For one; we need to plant them in Demeter's temple's garden's celestial soil, and two; if eaten, the consumer will temporarily become invincible."

His words did help alot to plot out ones' reasoning for taking on Dionysus' challenge. "So, when are we leaving?" Sky asked anxiously, as she slid off the bed and moved to collect Aphrodite's mirror.

Jessup shrugged lamely. "You guys are to go before sunrise; after all, Dionysus' temple is a ways away from here. Matthew and Stephanie, you two have free reign to drive the Sun Chariot..." At his words, the half-siblings immediately began to bicker over who was going to drive. "Katie, I want you to go with them."

The tiny brunette almost jumped out her skin, when Jessup said her name. "What, why me," She squirmed nervously in her place on the filthy, carpeted-floor. While Katie usually wasn't one for shooting down challenges; even a seasoned hero would quaver in their pretty, bronze sandals at the thought of facing Acanthus.

"Because… I feel that you're the only one that will take my advice, word for word." Jessup confessed, a gentle smile forming on his face. "Please?" He quickly added, with a cute pout. "I bet it would get done alot faster if you were there."

Katie let her shoulders sag, as she let his words sink in. He was challenging her, and she knew it. But, despite knowing that he was baiting her, (stringing her along like a helpless fish) she couldn't outright decline. It was as if her very blood was violently crying out for victory. Damn you, Nike. "Ugh… fine." She conceded, with a bow of her head.

"Good. Then you should be heading out."

True to their word, the four collected their bags and Aphrodite's mirror before heading out; and just in time too, because the sunrise would have been late if they had dawdled any longer.

The remaining demi-gods decided to catch the remaining hours of sleep, before checking out and making a bee-line for the closest bus-stop; they would have to get to the Sacramento airport to catch the next, affordable, flight to Miami, Florida.


Meanwhile, Matthew and the others had made better time getting to their location. From California to Colorado and it was barely light out. To top it off, the temple's entrance was actually extremely easy to find. Instead of being some cushy salon that blended in with the surrounding buildings, Dionysus' sanctuary was lamely disguised as the town's only bar.

Stephanie had stared slack jawed, for what seemed like hours, as she stared up at the neon signage that hung over the door, (a bushel of gold grapes) from the passenger's seat of the Sun Chariot. "If he was any more obvious, I'd eat my own hat."

Sky laughed in agreement, as she pulled herself out of sleek sports car. "Would you prefer it to be hard to find?" She chuckled a little harder, when the daughter of Apollo shook her head dramatically in response. "Alright, then…"

As they started towards the bar from the tiny parking lot, Matthew was half expecting it to be closed like 'La Beauté' had been; to his surprise, it was not. But, eerily enough, there just was not one soul inside—though, that could have been easily contributed to the fact that it was early in the morning, and that even the worst of Alcoholics waited to atleast high-noon.

Once they had all stepped inside the scantly lit pub, the door slid closed behind them with a sharp ring of the overhead bell. Unfortunately, for the group, the barkeep had decided to lock the door when he stepped out; so as soon as it had closed, they were effectively trapped inside until he returned.

No matter how many times he threw his sturdy frame into the door, Matthew wasn't able to knock it down. In fact, it didn't even budge! "Shit." The older teen hissed, as he gripped his throbbing shoulder.

"Forget it, Matt." Stephanie said with a hint of worry in her voice, as she caught him by his injured arm. "We have to keep going."

Her half-brother fixed her with a burning gaze, before nodding firmly. She was right. They had to pick up the pace if they were going to get anything done. They flipped over chairs, raided the counter—they searched practically every inch of the tavern, and yet—they didn't find anything that looked remotely like an entrance.

Sky was about to curse Jessup for all he was worth, when she noticed how the radiant beam from Aphrodite's mirror shone through the thin material of Katie's tacky, messenger-tote. Slapping her forehead for her lack of thought, the redhead crossed the room and claimed the looking glass with both her hands.

"Only its light can illuminate our path," She blurted out, when Katie eyed her suspiciously. Holding the ornate mirror at arms-length, the demi-goddess of the Southern winds directed its beam onto random objects in the room. "Point it at chairs, tables, the paintings; anything and everything could be the way out." She murmured, continuing to reference Jessup's earlier statement.

Everyone else had long since ceased their search, as they waited for Sky to point the beam at the hidden entrance. Luckily, they didn't have to wait much longer, because, soon as the stream of light had hit a portrait of a beautiful woman posing provocatively in a buttoned-down, white oxford shirt. And, what would they know; it collasped away to reveal the door.

Stephanie scoffed at Dionysus' bad taste in wall-hangings; but, decided to leave any or all scathing comments to herself until they had finished his trial.

The air inside the temple's entrance was stale and hot, (definitely not Sky's cup of tea, but if she wasn't complaining, no one else was) not to mention, there was hint of danger lingering around like a bad odor that you just couldn't get rid of.

Untangling himself from the anxious energy the hung heavy in the atmosphere surrounding them, Matthew signaled for Katie to follow him into the next room.

Another thing that this temple didn't have in common with the first; aside from its humid air and lack of frilly adornments, was that there were two hallways instead of one.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Stephanie whispered, sounding breathless (but, mostly exasperated) as she watched the two creep off into the dark corridor to the right. Scowling when both Matthew and Katie failed to acknowledge her, the brunette turned back to lock gazes with Sky. "You still got that mirror?"

Sky nodded dumbly, unsure what to say in a moment like this, as she held the hand mirror in Stephanie's line of sight. "I guess we're going down the other hallway, huh?"

"Yup," The younger girl nodded, before kneeling to the ground and producing her quiver from her backpack. She did not want to be caught without her weapon this time around. Pulling her bow back into its true state, she motioned towards the dark hall. "Ladies first..." She grinned.

Sky rolled her turquoise eyes, as she pulled a feather from her hair. Apparently, she, like Atlanta, had disguised her weapon as a hair accessory. Her sword 'swift' was a beautiful creation. On one side of the blade was flat and sharp; just like any other knife, but on the otherside—it was jagged and layered; much like the feather of a magnificent bird.

9 out of 10 times, Stephanie was just fine with being an archer; in fact, she couldn't see herself using anything other weapon, but when she gazed upon Sky's sword for the first time; she found herself wondering what it would be like to wield something that powerful. The daughter of Notus' sword wasn't made of Celestial Bronze or Stygian Iron.

It was literally the physical manifestation of the energy that flitted through the air.

Unfortunately, though; due to the stale air in the room, Swift could not reveal its true form, and Sky had ended up cursing her luck and putting it back amongst the assortment of feathers in her hair. Gripping Aphrodite's mirror like a lifeline, Sky (followed closely by Stephanie) had ventured down the dark hall. The dimly lit nature of the large corridor wouldn't have been too bad for either one of the girls, if they were in any other situation; but, with the thought that Acanthus could jump out at any moment and punch a hole straight through their chest, they hurried to the light at the end of the tunnel as quickly as they could.

Once they had entered the next room, Sky gasped. When Jessup had told them that the dining hall was expansive; he must have been out of his ever-loving mind! Expansive was the understatement of the millennium, as the table was so long, that it twisted and winded so far out of sight, that you probably needed a good-sized pair of binoculars to see anywhere near the end.

Though, that flub up aside, he was pretty darn accurate in describing the banquet-hall. Beautiful tapestry, which ranged in colors from spiceberry to rubicund, hung down from ceiling like a waterfall of the finest wines. The hundreds of opulent chairs that accompanied the HUGE table were sturdy and nicely crafted. It looked fit for a king.

Also as Jessup had said; the table was decorated with expensive dishes and mouthwatering delicacies. Luckily, they had stopped at MacDonald's before they came here, elsewise, she would be tempted to steal a bite of the succulent turkey leg that was sitting all alone on a golden dish. Walking cautiously alongside Stephanie, Sky had noticed how the cutlery seemed to have lost some of its gloss, the closer to it she got.

Wondering if it was a trick of the light, or not, the redhead almost let out a scream when she stumbled over something. Sky mentally shouted every swearword in the book, as she worked diligently to keep from making any undue noise. Luckily, for the both of them, given the older girl's feather-lightness, she was able to stay absolutely quiet.

The demi-goddess was silently heaving for breath, when she looked down to see what she had stumbled over. Her face turned completely green from the tip of her hair line to the point of her chin, as she stared down at the severed arm below her. It was still twitching!

Backing away as fast as she could, Sky bumped into Stephanie and almost let out a startled cry. The daughter of Apollo gave her a sympathetic look, (as if to mentally project, 'yeah, I'm terrified too') before continuing the trek from the one end of the table to the other.

The redhead evened out her breathing, before aiming Aphrodite's mirror at different fixtures in the room. Either out of extreme bad luck, or the sudden wrath of the gods, the beam hit and bounced off one of the gold chalices and next thing they knew, a monstrous howl echoed throughout the feasting chamber. Sky gasped silently, before pressing the glass against her chest. "Crap, sorry." She hissed quietly, when Stephanie gave her a look that could only read as—'WTF!'

As they continued onwards, Stephanie found herself on full-alert. Apparently, Sky had gone and woke Acanthus up without even trying, and now she had to be ready to pump him full of arrows. Looking over her shoulder, she bit her tongue to keep from freezing with fear. Behind them, lounging drowsily in one of the many chairs was a tall, muscular man with a bronze tan and sun kissed, honey blonde hair. Damn, she wished the others were here right now.

Sky seemed to have noticed the way the brunette had bristled, and found herself glancing quickly over her shoulder. It was no surprise to anyone when her head had snapped back faster than a speeding bullet. There was a grim, fearful look on Sky's face, and Stephanie found herself jogging to keep up with the pace the redhead had set. Obviously, she was trying to put as much distance between herself and the creature.

He had disappeared from sight after they had gotten a good handful of chairs away, and Stephanie's mind was racing for an idea. Aha! She remembered what Jessup had said about Acanthus seeing his own reflection. Catching Sky by the hook of her arm, Stephanie forced her to kneel on the floor beside her. "Hey, I have a plan." She whispered, before quickly reminding the other demi-goddess of what the blonde had told them earlier. When the redhead was nodding in understanding, the daughter of Apollo quickly filled her in on her plan to slay Acanthus.

After running the plan by Sky a few more times, the brunette quickly peaked her head out to get a good few of the chair the creature had been in, and to her dismay, he wasn't in it. "Ugh, crap… He gone." She groaned, as she pulled the both of them to their feet.

"How are we supposed to find the guy in a place like this?" Sky complained, anxiously, while holding Aphrodite's mirror out in front; just in case the guardian had decided to spring out of nowhere. Hmm… maybe he was hidden somewhere underneath the many bodies of the thoroughly debauched; just waiting for either of them to get too close, so that he could pull in? Surely, they wouldn't be rescued in time.

Stephanie shrugged, before readying her weapon. "He's the only naked person in here; that shouldn't be too bad of a clue." Just then, as they clumsily stumbled around, looking for any signs of Acanthus; the pair had bumped into Matthew and Katie. The tiny girl didn't take their unexpected meeting too well. Before she could stop herself, she shrieked loudly.

"Eep!" She squeaked, moments later, as she covered her mouth with the hand that hadn't been holding her sword. Unfortunately, it was too late. Because, her shrill cry was already echoing throughout the hall, and incidentally—it had woke everyone up.

Watching as the husks that had formerly belonged to kings and scholars aplenty rose from their seats, heaps, and tangles, the group backed up. "Damn it…" Matthew growled, as he noticed that Acanthus was amongst the horde of the living dead; and was racing towards them at neck-break speeds. His harden green eyes darted from corner to corner; he found that there was no way out. Having no time to think—just to react, react, react!—he turned his head slightly towards the girls. "Don't just stand there! Run!"

They wasted no time turning on their heels and darting towards the door. Unfortunately, there was a large assembly of the sufferers standing there, so ultimately, they found themselves skidding to a halt.

They were done for. Or atleast, that's what any other person would think. Sky had remembered at that time that their only way out of a bind like this, was by using the mirror. She had all but forgotten the thing was in her hand, because she had been gripping it so tight that her knuckles went white. Holding the Aphrodite's looking glass up for all to see, the redhead marveled at the scene that played out in front of her.

All the creatures froze, as if someone had hit the universal pause button. And it would have been cool to look at, if she wasn't still in grave danger.

"Come on! Let's go!" Matthew barked, as he caught Katie by the hand and took off.

Sky was about to ask why they were about to run through the crowd of creatures, when she noticed the exit door had been revealed when she had shone the light at the horde, and that it was just to their left, by a bust of Zeus. Drawing in sharp breaths, the redhead began fighting through the crowd of immobilized immortals to get to the exit.

Well enough, the door drew nearer and nearer, and soon Katie was beating it open with the sole of her shoe. The tiny trapdoor eventually gave way to the abuse, and the daughter of Nike was able to crawl in. From there, Stephanie was (forced) to go next; leaving just Matthew and Sky. The son of Apollo yelled for the redhead to catch up, but unfortunately, even with all the adrenaline pumping through her blood stream, she couldn't pick up her pace if she tried.

"SKY," The brunette yelled, just as Acanthus sprung back to life and rammed through the crowd of statute-still sufferers. The powerful man was charging at her as fast as his legs could carry him; and at some point, he shifted into his Leopard form.

The girl knew she wasn't going to make it, and was surely going to be killed if she kept on running. So, with cat-like reflexes, she spun gracelessly on her heel and aimed Aphrodite's mirror at the immortal man just in time for him to reach out and slice a good chunk of her hair clean off—with his fingertips no less!

The hall lit up completely with the incandescent beam emitting from the looking glass, and Matthew had to shield his face to keep his eyes from melting out of his head. Grunting as the bright light assaulted his eyes; even with the cover of his eyelids, the brunette angled his head away from the shine.

Soon, the light had faded and the room had grown silent. Matthew let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, before opening his eyes. The sight before him was less gruesome than he had expected.

Sky was frozen (from shock, he guessed) in a valiant pose; half kneeling, half standing with one hand on the leopard's thick head and the other holding the handle of Aphrodite's now-broken mirror firmly in its place inside of Acanthus' neck. And judging by the way the blood gushed out onto her hands, before trailing down and dripping onto the floor, she had served the jugular vein; just like Jessup said to do.

It took a few moments, but eventually sound and movement returned to the room, as Acanthus had begun to disintegrate like the other creature had done. Though, instead of rose petals, he bursts into a splash of wine, before completely disappearing.

Sky hit the floor with a gasp, (as all the wind was knocked out of her) but she didn't stay there for long, as Matthew was quickly tugging her to her feet and gesturing for her to climb into the escape hatch.

The redhead obeyed, despite the pain that was coursing throughout her fatigued body. Getting down, she crawled into the tiny space until she entered the next room. It was eerily similar to the one she had just left, except, it felt safe in here.

Stephanie and Katie rushed to her side when they saw that she was bleeding from the uncountable number of tiny, razor-sized cuts that were littered across the visible expanse of her skin. "Are you okay?" The daughter of Nike worried. "What happened?"

Sky let out a tired sigh, as exhaustion took a hold of her body. "Aphrodite's mirror exploded." She yawned straightforwardly, before her eyes fluttered closed.

Stephanie stared flabbergasted, until Matthew scuttled into the room. When she asked, he parroted what Sky had said, and the daughter of Apollo found herself worrying about the quality of the gods' special objects.

"Did you get it?" Matthew asked, waving off his half-sister's worry.

Stephanie put a hand on her hip, before bringing Dionysus' Bushel of Golden Grapes into view. "What would be the point of coming here, if I forgot to snag it off the table?"


The group eventually made their way out of Dionysus' temple, (and out of the bar for that matter) and visited a nearby convenience store for water—soda—few food items, and some iodine to clean up Sky's wounds.

They were sitting in the parking lot, when Katie leant back on the hood, and looked up at the partially cloudy blue sky. "How do you think the others' did?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I don't know, but I feel like I've been cheated. How did I—the daughter of Apollo—miss out on going to his sanctuary?"

"It's because you're an idiot." Matthew slipped in, as he walked passed them.

The brunette couldn't resist the urge to stick her tongue out at him. "LOSER," She called out from across the parking lot. Crossing her arms when he ignored her, the girl raked her hands through her hair; catching some of the golden strands as she went. "Next time, I'm driving the friggin' car."


Next Chapter: Illuminating the Path to the Next Challenge.

Preview:

Atlanta quavered violently as she tried to get the door open. No matter how many times she fiddled with the lock, no matter how many times she completed the stupid riddle that was inscribed on the door; the room just kept on filling with the that fine, golden sand that had suffocated that last adventurer that was in here.

"Um, not to rush you or anything princess, but—WILL YOU HURRY THE HELL UP?" Zoe bellowed venomously, as she sunk further and further into the ocean of gleaming, gold powder. She was submerged from the waist down, and if not for Kyle swooping in and wiggling her out of the almost water-like sand, she would have been taken under.

The both of them were panting after Zoe was pulled onto a more solid platform, but neither of them said anything to one another. Perhaps, what had happened between them earlier had their strained relationship alot worse than a stupid altercation ever would.

Jessup was still hanging upside down from the ceiling, when he heard (and felt) something hiss menacingly. "Aw, crap." He deadpanned, before wiggling fruitlessly against his fastenings.

First Apollo had to put that cool-looking lyre out, just to trick him, so that he could get hogtied yet again. (Though, this time, he was suspended in mid-air. Woohoo!) And now, he's going to torture him with snakes for his absolutely stupidity and lack of self-preservation? Ugh! Sometimes Jessup had to wonder what kind of temple Apollo had in mind, before he had this one built.