Author's Note: The story gets more interesting at this point :)

Thanks for reading y'all and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 10: Into El Dorado:

Jack, Subodai, and I stepped through the door to El Dorado. Stepping through the other side, we entered El Dorado. The city was huge. The sun was rising in the east, and the early rays caused the golden buildings to sparkle. The city appeared similar to those in pictures I've seen of Azteca, except everything was golden. The city was dead quiet and empty. However, my parents walked before us.

"Mom! Dad!" I ran up to the tall people. "You're ALIVE?"

"Hello, Toby, and hello Jack. We simply came here to El Dorado, to keep it safe. I see you followed my instructions to come here. And you brought a friend," Jenny, my mother, said.

"That's Subodai. He's been traveling with us," I replied. "He's from Mooshu."

"Hello. Nice to meet you," Subodai bowed.

"Jenny! Adam! Long time no see," Jack smiled upon seeing his former shipmates.

"Nice to see you too, Jack," my father said.

"Why? Why did you come here without me?!" I asked.

"El Dorado is far too dangerous for a young child! I wasn't going to bring you here. But now that you're a teenager, you will be somewhat safe," my mother said, hugging me again. "We came here to protect El Dorado from the Armada. They are looking for this place."

"The Armada? They had Subodai and I captive," I explained.

"The Armada captured you? They know more than I thought," my mother said. "They must've learned of our original crew's voyage here."

"They must be looking for the map," Jack said.

"Yes, we created that map. It is the very... very... long route we had to take originally before finding the shortcut from Xol Akmul. The good news is that the Armada will have a very difficult time finding all the map pieces. They are hidden so well, and it's broken into seven pieces."

"So, how have you been living here?" Toby asked his parents, who looked pretty rough around the edges.

"It's certainly been hard but we've done it for years. Food is plentiful, but you have to kill or search for it. It's also important that you avoid waking the mechanical giants," my dad said.

"Indeed, husband," my mom said. "Those darn things are quite tough. Made of solid gold."

"Mechanical Giants? I read about them in your journal," I remarked.

"Ah, that old journal... I remember it like it was yesterday," my mom softly smiled. "I wrote some very harsh things about El Dorado, and not a single thing..." my dad gave my mom a glare. "Most of it is unexaggerated truth, so I understand if you'd want to return to Port Regal and live a..."

I hugged my mom. "Don't be crazy, mom. I'd rather live and adventurous life here than that stuffy old town!"

My dad laughed. "He did inherit your adventurous attitude, Jen."

"We went through a wringer just to find you old chaps," Jack put his hands on his hips.

"Subodai, will you stay? Jack?" I asked my friends.

"Of course," Jack said, "It would be an honor."

"Indeed. This world may be much more hideous than Mooshu, but I cannot abandon the call to battle!" Subodai shouted.

"Come with me, guys," mom led us to the building my parents were using as a house. The golden building had a stone block interior. The walls had vines growing on them despite being in relative darkness. There were pools of water fed by fountains coming out of the wall. The water was remarkably clean. We each got a room on account of the fact that there was plenty of space in the quiet, desolate city. I unpacked my things and mom helped me set up a hammock in the corner for sleeping.

After being awake all night, I was pretty exhausted. I went to sleep in my new hammock for a few hours.

I awoke in the early afternoon. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. It was a hot tropical afternoon. I stepped outside and was immediately greeted with a blinding light and heat unlike what existed in Skull Island. The golden exterior of El Dorado's buildings glowed under the afternoon sun, not to mention the yellow metal absorbed a lot of the sun's heat.

"Hello, son," my mom greeted me. The dark-haired woman took a long sip of water. Jack and Subodai were also there as well. "Are you three ready for the tour?"

"You bet," I said. My companions nodded in agreement.

"The first stop is the Central Plaza," mom said after we walked a quarter mile to the center of the city. We arrived in a very large plaza of golden stones. On the sides, the streets went out in all directions. I could see how easy it would be to get lost here. At the northern, or left, end of the plaza was a large temple pyramid. "That temple is the main religious center of the city." A channel carrying water flowed through the center of the plaza from twin waterfalls coming out of the temple. "This water is perfectly pure and clean. Come taste some." I walked over and filled my hands with the cool, clear liquid. I gulped it down. It was the most refreshing water I had ever drank.

"Refreshing," I responded. "And El Dorado is amazing, mom. I can't believe this place exists."

"Honestly, neither can I... and I've been here 8 years, plus that week I was here with Marco Pollo!" mom laughed.

"Can we go into the temple?" Jack asked. "I would like to pillag- I mean- explore the inside of it."

"Actually, that's not a good idea. I went in there with Pollo's crew and, well, the ancient people that built this place guarded it well! As soon as we entered the temple, the giant mechanical titans the El Doradoese people built to guard the city came to life."

"Oh wow. Tell us more," Jack said.

"I wish I could, but Marco Pollo had us swear an oath, so yeah, I can't say more about the giant mechanical sentinels."

"Oh, bummer," I sighed.

"Let's move on with the tour, shall we?" mom started walking.