As they approach the others, Tim continues talking to the giant. Ducky frowns as he tries to remember just what the ninth and final level of Hell was all about. He clears his throat to speak, when Gibbs gently shoves him onto the giant's hand.

"Really Jethro, show a little decorum. I could have tripped!" His mild scolding falls on deaf ears as Gibbs extends his hand to Tandel. She frowns at him and he pats her on the head.

"We need to get going," he whispers in her ear, "something tells me we might be at the end of the trail but we're not done yet."

Tandel nods in silent agreement. She too can sense something not quite right at the end of their journey and she's afraid she might know what it is. The fact that Ari had disappeared the exact same time that they found Caitlyn Todd is almost too great of a coincidence and she's already heard what Gibbs thinks about coincidences.

"No such thing," Gibbs says softly as if in reply to her thoughts.

"Boss?" Tony is staring at him as they begin their descent to the lowest level of Hell. Gibbs just shakes his head, wondering what is lying in wait ahead of them. His gut is whipping up one hellacious burn and he just knows that something bad is going to happen.

Kate is watching the others with interest and can see that during the few years she's been gone, the bond between the men has gotten even stronger than it had been prior to her death. Ziva steps close to her and puts a hand on her arm.

"They have become a true family over time. Tony and Tim squabble like brothers and Gibbs is the father that keeps them in line. I am almost jealous of that, but they try to include me, when they can."

Kate nods in agreement; the one thing that she has missed the most is the familial contact with others. She stares into Ziva's deep brown eyes and can tell that the Israeli has dealt with personal loss at least once in her lifetime. She can also see that she's harboring a secret, one that she hasn't shared with most of the men on the team.

"So what is your opinion regarding Tandel?" Kate asks curiously.

"I am still forming one," Ziva replies honestly. "She has only been here a few weeks and it does seem strange to me that Gibbs trusts her so implicitly, but so far she has done nothing to make me not trust her."

Kate thinks about what Ziva's said then asks, "Is that why you don't trust her? Because she's done nothing so far?"

Before Ziva can reply they are placed on the floor and they all tumble off of the giant's hand as he gently brushes them off his palm. Tandel scans them all for injuries, but no one was hurt, just startled by the sudden movement. As they look around, the main thing any of them can see is ice and lots of it.

"This looks more like Stygia or Cania, it's so cold and devoid of warmth." Tandel's observation was met with a nod by Tim as he starts to explain.

"We're in the ninth circle, called Cocytus. It was speculated that the voyage down here was actually the Devil's fall from Heaven. Each level leading further away from the warmth and light that God provides through His Sun. The more vile and treacherous the sins against others, the more ice and cold encapsulated them."

Tandem looks at him as she says, "We called the ninth level Nessus. It was supposedly a land of extremes from frozen wastelands like Cania and Stygia, to volcanic mountains similar to Phlegethos. It housed a flaming forest, icy lakes; the landscape was tattered and torn up and in the middle of it all rose the Citadel of Hell: Malsheem. It was a gigantic hollowed out stalagmite that imprisoned the souls that Asmodeus had locked away for safekeeping. It extended far and wide both above the skyline and below the earth. Rumor had it that Asmodeus, who was considered the Archduke of Nessus, put up such a steep price for releasing a prisoner that whole kingdoms disappeared."

Kate walks up to her, "So if your Hell is so different from this one, why are you even here?"

Tandel looks Kate directly in the eye and stands her ground. "I'm here to make sure that they all get back home. I will try to get you back where you are supposed to be, but as I am not sure where that is, I cannot guarantee it will work."

There's a slight noise off to their right. As they turn to see what it is, Ari comes sauntering across the ice with his hands in his pockets.

"Ari?" Kate whispers the name aloud and the man smiles.

"Hello Caitlyn. I see our mutual friends found you, as I knew they would." His broad smile only widens as he sees the hatred cross four male faces. Curiosity is on Tandel's face while confusion is evident on both Kate and Ziva's faces.

"Well Gibbs, I am glad to see that you did not let me down. Admittedly, I was a bit surprised that you allowed the ladies to come with you, as well as the good doctor, but I suppose you couldn't have stopped Timothy and Tony from accompanying you. They will continue to work well for you in the future."

"What do you want Ari? Why are you here and why did you insist on bringing us down here?" Gibbs' questions are met with a smirk.

"Moi? No, no, no...I am not the one who wanted you down here. I believe in you and your good team. If I did not, I would not have let Ziva stay with you for all of these years."

The entire team is confused now. Admittedly there were plenty of villains from the past several years that had cursed Gibbs and the MCRT to Hell, but the majority of them were either dead or imprisoned.

"Come Caitlyn, it is time for us to depart." Ari reaches for Kate's hand, but she avoids him.

"You deliberately led Gibbs and the others here so that someone else could kill them? Why would you think that I would allow you to do this?" Kate stares at him, wondering why she'd ever fallen for him.

Ari's smile is cold and mocking, "Because you love me, Caitlyn."