The Legend of Zelda series do not belong to me, they belong to Shigeru Miyamoto. And the gods in the story, the Sanchez, and Chakal belong to Jorge Gutierrez. What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla, Joseph, and the kids in the prologue.


Chapter 8

To the father: If you wish to see your son again you will come to the Temple of the Giants in the Ikana Canyon. Come by sundown or forfeit him forever in the grave. Ghirahim, loyal servant to Ganondorf.

Cleo stared at the note, feeling numb. She sunk to her knees hating herself. How could she let this happen? Link Jr. was nearby and she didn't do anything to prevent it.

Xibalba appeared in the barn followed by Manolo. "You said a second! It's been more than a minute!... Are you even listening?"

"What is wrong, Cleo?" Manolo asked soothingly. Cleo silently handed him the paper. His eye sockets widened as he read it. "Oh no..."

"Let me see." Xibalba grabbed it from him and read it himself. "Oh, is that what happened?"

"Xibalba, I'm going to the Temple of the Giants," Cleo said urgently, standing up.

"Not this sentimental distraction again! Haven't you wasted enough time running someone else's errand?"

Cleo glared at him. "The kid is going to die!"

"That's not my problem."

"How could you think that?!"

"I'm the god of death! What do you expect? Mortals die all the time, even children. You can't save everyone, Cleo."

"I know that! But it doesn't mean it's too late for one child. You're just being cruel!"

"I'm being realistic!" Cleo turned away. "You may not like it, but right now you can't do anything for the kid when something far more crucial is at stake." She shut her eyes tight. "We need to get that page and stop Ganondorf." Her bones were shaking, faster and faster with each word. "And we are doing it right now!"

Finally, Cleo couldn't take it anymore. Her anger had reached boiling point and it was about to explode. "NO!" She screamed so loud in his face that Xibalba actually jumped back in shock. "I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE! I AM NOT DOING ANYTHING YOU SAY ANYMORE! I'M SAVING THAT CHILD AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STOP ME!" Xibalba stood gaping at her. She snapped the cord with the red skull off her neck. "You can take this back!" She threw it at him and it stuck on his forehead as he continued to stare at her, completely speechless. Then she picked up the slingshot and stormed out.

Xibalba pulled his eye off him and finally looked at Manolo, who looked back with great disapproval. "What?!"

"Sometimes I wonder what La Muerte sees in you at all," he said, shaking his head. He turned to follow suit.

"... ...La Muerte is under a curse, Manolo." He turned back at Xibalba's words. "You think the Medal of Everlasting Life is the only thing that matters? It's not Cleo's only objective, that's why I'm putting her through this. La Muerte is everything to me. I will stop at nothing until she is restored."

"Did you tell Cleo that?"

"...I was planning to later... when it's convenient..." Manolo turned to go again when Xibalba said "Wait... give this to Cleo." He conjured a vial of purple liquid and gave it to him. "It'll wake her up."

After taking it, Manolo caught up with Cleo. "Here, you'll need this."

"Thanks."

"Listen, if you're not too busy later, I need a favor."

"What is it, Manolo?"

"Just recently, a few of my ancestors have disappeared. I haven't seen them in days, even my father is gone. I was hoping you could help me find them."

"Huh, that's so odd... I wonder if it's part of the whole mysterious conspiracy that's been going on, with the kidnapping and all that?"

"I don't know. It's not very likely, but I am worried."

"Well, I'll try to find them. I'll look them up on ancestry dot com, that is if I can get that tar pit to cough up my cellphone."

"Well, just focus on saving the child."

"Adiós." Cleo took her antidote and found herself on the floor of her room.


Before Link or Ilia could wake up, Cleo had left her own message on the back of the note to tell them that she had gone to rescue their child and not to worry. Then she hurried to the Ikana Canyon to find the Temple of the Giants. Her dowsing for Link Jr.'s aura lead her down the same path as before, ending in the same spot underneath the archway. "So that's the temple... Well Xibalba, I hope you're happy."

Cleo brought out the guitar and played the first three notes of the Oath to Order, but stopped at a cord that was off-key. She adjusted one of the nobs and started again. The music she played seemed to travel far across the canyons. It was like the walls and pathways were designed to carry the song far enough for anyone miles away to hear it. As she strummed the cords, she heard a booming roar call out as though in answer. The roar was in sync with her strumming. Cleo stopped and looked toward the sound and saw something rising out of the rocky cliff.

A giant was breaking free of the wall with a loud earth shattering CRACK! and a deafening tumble of rocks and boulders. Once disentangled from the rubble, it marched toward the square where Cleo was. She quickly backed away before it reached the archway. Cleo watched as the giant reached down and grasped the archway with both hands, then started pulling with all its might. The ground shook as the square rose out of the earth and something big was being pulled with it. A stone building with an opening was revealed. (Zelda chime)

"Well, that was impressive."

Cleo jumped and turned around. "Xibalba, please don't do that!"

"Do what?" he asked with a smirk.

She groaned and looked back up at the Giant. "Thank you!"

It slowly blinked at her and then marched away. Cleo ran inside the building and gave a sharp gasp when she saw little Link Jr. lying on a wide stone pedestal, pale and eyes closed. She bolted to him and picked him up. "Oh, God! He's cold as ice..." Cleo pressed her ear to his chest. For a sick moment she could hear nothing, but then... a faint thump. Xibalba entered and looked over her shoulder in curiosity. "His heart rate is very low... He's not waking up." Cleo looked at his face. He was still alive, but he might not be for long.

"We may already be too late," Xibalba said bluntly.

"I need your snake again," she requested.

"Cleo-"

"Look at him!" Cleo was close to tears. "I don't want him to die. Let me use the snake again so I can save him. If you let me, then I won't disobey you again... Please, Xibalba..."

The god of death let out a long sigh. "...Very well..." He tapped his staff and it once again came to life. Cleo put the child down and laid herself on the pedestal next to him. "One more thing." Xibalba handed her his eye. "You still need this." Cleo tied it around her neck as the snake slithered up and bit her.

She opened her eyes and found herself in total darkness. She took out her lantern and realized the exit was gone, she was sealed inside. She got off the pedestal and poked around in the darkness until she found torches to light. Once the room was bright enough, Cleo could now see a new opening, one that wasn't there before she was bitten.

"Yeah, I'm noticing it too," said Xibalba's voice. "Strange place... It seems you can only go deeper in this temple in the Land of the Dead. I don't see a little stalchild though. Obvious where you got to go."

She walked down the stairs into the main chamber where huge statues of the four giants stood in a row. In between them was a door with a combination lock. In the center of the chamber was a stone slab with writing on it. Cleo stepped up to it and read.

We the four guardians can open the way

If you bring the light that is scattered astray

Give us each light in an order we choose

Unless your soul you are willing to lose

The green light must be brought between mountain and sea

On canyon's right bring red to me

Swamp and ocean go hand in hand

You must discover where blue must stand

The canyon is always at the edge

Yellow is what will rest on the ledge

Once all light is delivered to us

You may proceed forward without a fuss

After reading this riddle a few times, Cleo began exploring the rest of the temple. As she delved deeper, the place got darker. Being a stalfos did not give her night vision and she had staltulas, staldras, and other not-so-friendly stalfi to deal with. She lit a few torches to conserve her oil. There were crystal switches that opened doors, some of them out of reach requiring the slingshot. Also boulders blocking the path could only be cleared with bomb flowers that would detonate shortly after being picked. Then she encountered a new obstacle in her way, a black smog in some of the rooms that prohibited the use of her lantern, which she discovered after she almost blew up the room. The smog was also capable of causing her bones to slowly corrode, causing damage. She used the Gravedigger to get past it. After encountering and defeating a stalmaster, she got a new item: the deku fan. She could now use it to blow away the smog, clearing the path for the colored flames she found. She carried each flame individually in her lantern up to the second floor where she could reach the giant statues' hands. Cleo had to hurry to them along a winding path before the fire went out, or she'd have to start over. Then she had to light the torches in the riddle's order.

Once the flames were properly placed the slab slid aside and a colorful chest rose up. From the chest Cleo obtained a smaller rock slab with a row of ancient symbols on it and she hurried to the locked door to use the code and open the door.

The room was wide and spacious. There didn't seemed to be anything there until she heard a roar. Cleo knew that wasn't the roar of a giant, but something much different. New smog billowed into the room and surrounded her. She saw a pair of glowing eyes and a large, dark feline beast emerged from the smoke, baring fangs. It let out another fearsome roar.

The Jaguar King:
Tezcatlipoca


Author's note: I think it's stupid that names of websites would be rejected. Apparently, it didn't occur to them that characters in fiction can talk about websites.