A/N: Yes, this chapter is terribly late. I know. That is because at the beginning of the week I came down with a really bad sickness that rendered me useless for four days. Horrible, but I won't bore you with my scares. Bottom line, I managed to squeeze this out in the limited time I had. Hope it goes over well. I enjoyed it anyways. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own everything! -insert evil laugh here- Ahem. Kidding, obviously.

Chapter 36 Battles In the Bamboo

"Comfortable?"

"No."

"Well, I can't fix that," Takashi muttered with a weary sigh. Sam glanced up at him from her new spot on the floor. The Guardian had moved her binds from the wall to the floor to give her a small amount of variety. Now she was forced to sit rather than stand. After a full day of standing, she was almost ready for the change.

Takashi sat down in front of the prisoner and picked up a white paper cup with a straw in it from where he had placed it while coming into the cramped cell. He held it up to the human and said, "This is your meal for today."

"Oh," Sam said in surprise and slight disgust. "You shouldn't have."

The Guardian grinned at the sheer sarcastic resolve in the captive. He held the cup up for her as she took some tentative sips from it. The evil grin widened when the girl choked on her breakfast and gagged before swallowing the nasty stuff down her throat.

"Oh, gross!" Sam rasped. "It's worse than baby food or those horrible health shakes my mom makes when she goes on diets."

"Were you expecting a feast?" Takashi asked.

Sam glared at him. "No," was her curt answer before sipping more of her breakfast-in-a-cup. They were silent for a minute until Sam let her taste buds take a well needed break. She looked up at the Guardian before saying, "You told me you'd tell me her name today."

"I did," Takashi stated after a short sigh of contemplation. He paused before saying quietly, "She was born thousands of years ago. She's the smartest Guardian I've ever known. Wise beyond her years, and someone who really enjoys a little fun. I hear she had no interest in humans or being a well known Guardian until she was summoned by the kings of the Incas. They all treated her well, and the people even saw her as a their corn goddess. It was only then when she bestowed herself a name. Zaramama."

"Wait," Sam said in confusion. "Isn't that the Guardian you had to talk to in the future when back in my time? She's taking care of Danny and the others, right?"

"Oh, would you look at that. You're finished with breakfast," Takashi said with a lazy smile. Sam opened her mouth to protest, but Takashi put his hand up with a stern look of seriousness on his face. "Tomorrow," he said.

"Why?" she demanded with a scowl.

The Guardian got gracefully to his feet and took a few steps backwards to walk out of the cell. He gave Sam a curious look before saying playfully, "Didn't you know? Humans last longer when they have something to look forward to." That said, he pressed the button for the door to close it and watched emotionlessly as his view of a distressed Sam be replaced with the thick door of metal.

Takashi's smile left his face almost immediately. His usual thoughtful frown tried to make its way to his calm features, but a hard scowl refused to go away. He briskly left the prison and headed for the elevator. He didn't have anything to do that day besides check up every now and then on Sam. He was thinking of spending a few hours with Mac. Although annoying, the Guardian was a faithful conversationalist. And right now Takashi needed someone to talk his ear off.

He stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of a hallway.

"Show yourself, intruder," Takashi said with a light smile. He shifted into a casual stance with his hands in his pockets. "No use hiding, ghost."

"Guess not," a familiar voice said from a few yards ahead in the hallway. The figure of Cloak Guy bubbled into clarity as he became visible. He wore an apathetic stance as well. Under his cloak he had a hand resting on his hip, and his hood hid a sly grin.

"Why are you here?" Takashi asked Cloak Guy, sounding indifferent to the subject.

"To help you," Cloak Guy answered simply. "You want to be free from Vlad Plasmius. I know how you can achieve that goal."

"Plasmius is a fair master," Takashi said slowly, raising an eyebrow in interest. "Why would I want to betray him?"

"There are many reasons," Cloak Guy said. He shrugged. "That doesn't matter. All that matters is that you do exactly what I tell you right now."

"What you are discussing with me right now is blasphemy," Takashi pointed out. He kept his voice calm and even. His essence was knotting in his stomach region, though. He was curious as to what Cloak Guy was presenting him, but he knew better than to be trusting. He didn't even trust Zara...and he was fully in love with her.

"Right now all you have to do is use my form as much as possible in front of Plasmius and in the rest of the Tower," Cloak Guy explained. "Don't ask why. It will all be explained later on."

"I don't have to do anything you tell me to," Takashi said with a bored sigh.

"I know," Cloak Guy said, sneaky smile widening in its secretive shadows. "I'll be back soon with more instructions."

Takashi's eyes narrowed as Cloak Guy vanished before his eyes. The Guardian didn't feel the need to chase after him. If the ghost wanted to do damage to the Tower or Plasmius, he'd have already done so. Besides, Vlad hadn't given him instructions of any kind to track the mysterious ghost.

The elevator ride was uneventful except for the intense thought process the Guardian went through. He rode the glass contraption to Level 55 with a serious frown on his face. There was a lot to take into consideration, but he had so very few options left.

By the time the elevator door opened wide and he was standing in front of Mac, Takashi was in the form of Cloak Guy.

"That one's new," Mac pointed out with an impressive grin spreading across his muzzle face. "Where you pick it up?"

"Just from a sky pirate captain Ember killed," Takashi lied flawlessly. "Thought it looked fun."

"You got my dog biscuit?" Mac asked with the roll of his eyes. Takashi could sometimes be such a prideful showoff. Mac hated it, but Takashi was the only Guardian in the Tower that paid any ounce of attention to him. Mac decided he couldn't complain. He needed the company.

"How could I forget," Takashi said sarcastically, pulling out the treat with a sigh. He raised it slightly and said with a thin smirk, "Wanna play fetch?"

"Don't patronize me," Mac grumbled through frowning dog lips.

Takashi was glad he had the comforting shadows of the hood to hide his evil grin.

-The Rebellion Main Base-

As each day passed, the bamboo safe house was filled with a little more people. Danny would see at least three sky ships come into the small port and drop off a handful of humans and other interesting people. The pathways were sometimes clogged with blue and orange dressed members. The tense, upbeat spirits of the place was shared by Theo and his rag-tag crew that stayed there.

Danny was intrigued when he noticed more orange clad warriors running around the base after living there for a week. Although most of the Rebellion members were humans, it wasn't uncommon to see a tail here, strange ears and eyes there, or someone speedily flying to the eating hall for dinner. Demigods and half ghosts weren't as sparse as Danny thought they would be. Even a few ghosts inhabited the area. They had ran from the ghost zone, tired of Vlad's tyrannical rule. It seemed like Plasmius's cruel hand had reached even as far into the chaos filled world such as the ghost zone.

Theo had kept up the strict regiment of Danny's training. They both got up early each morning and would practically train all day in different areas. The two were not alone. Other warriors accompanied them to these places scattered through out the Rebellion base which were designed for the practice of fighting.

Soon Danny found himself being trained for group fighting and battle. Of course he was used to this kind of thing by having Sam and Tucker at his side when ghost fighting, but he was soon learning new things by having to trust the strangers around him. Many were much older than him, (his parents' age) and gave him pointers on different areas in battle. He found himself grateful for their use of wisdom and enjoyable to have by his side all day.

The feeling of community was strong at the base. Everyone was there for one reason but all with a different purpose. Some of the members were held up in meetings all day, strategizing plans of attack for the war ahead. Humans were elected from or for each Terra for a governmental system for the future. When the main power of Plasmius would be taken away, people needed leaders to step in and provide for their Terras. But each Terra had to be treated a different or certain way. The Poseidon Terra would have to have completely different ruling than the Hephaestus Terra for example. One was covered with water, with no humans on it at all. The other Terra, on the other hand, was one big dessert and already had a god with command over a large group of people.

This was all talked and debated about in discussion meetings where a voting system was created. Mandrake went to all these meetings, as he was elected substitute leader for the duration of the war. He had created the Rebellion, so everyone had no problem giving him this high position. Rhodes attended these meetings as well, being part of Mandrake's team and all. She played the part of a politician, and she liked her job as long as she was able to spend a few hours out of the day to be with her husband and new baby. That demand was hardly argued upon. She was well liked by many.

Meanwhile, a different set of humans and demigods were training to fight. Since many of the gods and goddesses had been taken care of by Danny and Theo on each Terra, the war wouldn't need a lot battles. The main strikes would have to be on Vlad's Terra, and the worst battle would be their first.

During a slow day of training, Danny found himself alone with Theo and Bob. They were seated on the slim bamboo railings of a crane operated elevator. The box could hardly fit three personas and swayed lazily in the strong, warm breeze. Below was a misty unknown. Usually under that mist was a training ground. Danny had been on these kinds of elevators and misty areas many of times during training, but he hadn't been in this area ever before and didn't know what he'd find once they started to descend.

"Who are we waiting for again?" Danny asked for the third time that afternoon. He was picking at the metal bracelet on his wrist. It was filled with a mass of complicated buttons. It was preventing him from going ghost and was somehow related to the training session he was waiting for.

"You'll see," Theo said with a tired sigh. He had his feet dangling out over the edge of the small elevator. He smiled slightly when he heard Bob whack Danny on the hand for messing with the bracelet.

They waited another minute before they heard brisk footfalls on the platform connected to the elevator. Danny glanced up from his stare into the unfolding mist and was surprised to see Mr. Mandrake coming toward them. He was dressed in his usual clean and crisp suit and tie. His hands were placed placidly behind his back, and his sharp eyes took them in with a small twinkle of amusement and patient excitement.

"Excuse me if I'm running late, boys," Mandrake said as he walked right onto the elevator and pulled the lever to go down. The elevator gave a sudden jerk before descending into the thick fog. Straightening his orange tie, Mandrake said, "The meetings went later than usual. Thankfully your wife, Theo, can fill in for another hour for me. Have the rules been explained?"

"Only the part where he has to be in human form," Theo answered. "After he finds Bob and his powers on the bracelet are activated, he doesn't know what to do."

"Alright," Mandrake said. He turned to Danny and instructed, "Somewhere down where we will be training, there will be this." He pulled out a golden coin the size of a quarter from his front pocket and held it up between his forefinger and thumb for Danny to see clearly. It seemed to sparkle even without the light of the sun. "After you are allowed ghost powers by Bob, here, the next part of the session will be to find this coin and get it and yourself into this elevator to complete the training session. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Danny said with a wavering smile.

"Are you uncertain about something, Mr. Fenton?" Mandrake asked. A smile flittered across his lips.

"I know I'll probably totally underestimate you and get hurt," Danny said with a nearly defeated sigh. "That's all I got to say about it." Training had already taught him not to over or under estimate the opponent, but he seriously didn't see a single threat Mandrake could make unless he was a secret Kung-Fu master. But even there Danny wouldn't have too many problems.

"Expect the unexpected, kid!" Theo yelled good naturally at his pupil. "How many times have I told you this?" Danny rolled his eyes, but he answered, "Sixty seven now."

"You make him remember that?" Mandrake asked in confusion.

"Memorizing things helps in battle," Theo explained. "If I have to repeat something to Danny, I've decided to make him remember each time I've said it. It helps."

"Do you think it helps?" Mandrake asked Danny. He raised an interested eyebrow.

"We'll see," Danny said, grinning at the sight of Theo's flattened cat ears.

"Well," the leader of the Rebellion chuckled, "Keep your wits about you, Mr. Fenton, and remember to have an open mind. Good luck." That said, Mandrake took a leap forward and plummeted into the white fog. Danny gave a small yelp and was about to jump after him, but he had to remind himself that he was stuck as a human until Bob got the bracelet off.

"Here's where we both get off," Theo said, getting to his feet in the elevator. He pulled the lever to stop the box. It lurched to a jolting halt. "I'm right behind you, ghost freak."

"Wait, Theo," Danny laughed nervously. "You don't expect me to jump off this thing, do you?"

"Just jump, Danny," Theo said. When Danny shook his head no with concern, Theo struck with a swipe of his foot. Danny nimbly jumped as Theo's heel was swept under him. Just as Danny's feet were coming back down, Theo elbowed the teen in the chest. Danny was knocked backwards and out of the elevator with a sharp gasp of fear. Luckily, he was prepared enough to grab ahold of the narrow ledge of the box before falling to his death below. The entire box swung precariously, and Danny was nearly thrown off. He managed just enough to keep a tight hold on the edge, though.

"Are you crazy?" Danny grunted up at Theo. His fingers dug into the groves of the bamboo as if his life depended on it. When Theo didn't lift a finger to help him up, Danny barked up at him, "A fall like this could kill me!"

"Let go," Theo ordered. His voice was flat and had no amount of humor in it.

Danny refused to obey. Instead, he kicked his feet and muscled up some extra strength to get himself back into the safety of the elevator. He glanced up at a staring Theo and asked feebly, "What?"

"Do you trust me?" Theo asked. A tiny smirk had appeared on his face.

"Maybe," Danny answered with a weak smile.

"Then let go," Theo said sternly. Danny stared ahead, sighing in worry. "Let go," Theo repeated. His face welcomed a proud smile when Danny finally let his hands slip off the edge and gave an anxiety-ridden scream as the mist engulfed his body. Theo watched the boy go before winking to Bob.

"Go," he told his blob friend. Bob gave a mock salute before zipping off in a quick flight. It was only when everyone was gone that Theo took the liberty to throw himself out of the elevator with a daring, fearless leap. He gave a wild whoop while falling through the moist wisps of fog. He was ready for some action.

Danny found himself plunging into a forest of bamboo as soon as the clouds of mist parted and let him see where he was heading. Heart slamming hard against his chest, the teen positioned himself in the air so he wouldn't collide painfully with a bamboo shoot. He gave a panicked gasp when the first few heads of shoots whizzed by his head. Nearly killed indeed.

To stop his quick descent, Danny grabbed with both hands onto near bamboo shoots. He was slowing down too slowly he realized after a second. He wrapped his leg around another shoot and dug a heel into a fourth. The speed gradually decelerated. Danny thought the burning friction in his palms was getting unbearable just as he came to a halt two feet away from the dirt ground.

The boy hung there with wide eyes of subtle terror before letting out a slow sigh of relief. "I'm gonna get Theo back for that one," Danny muttered while throwing his head over a shoulder to look down. He saw how close land was and grunted in disgust. What if he hadn't been quick enough to hang onto a bamboo shoot? He didn't even want to think of the results.

Danny eased himself into a standing position, but he didn't move right away. Instead, he stood and listened closely to his surroundings. He was surrounded by millions of tall bamboo shoots that mixed and crisscrossed each other before jutting into the fogging sky above. Each plant was so close to the next that it was impossible to see anywhere past a few feet ahead. The only sound to be heard was the wind as it flittered through the thick tangle of hollow vegetation.

It was nearly impossible to maneuver through the bamboo jungle. Danny was furiously frustrated when it took him five minutes to get through ten yards of plants. Finally, he stopped and looked up for some kind of miraculous solution to his problem.

"There has to be an easier way," he muttered to himself quietly. He'd been trained to look at situations from different angles. Maybe he was looking at this forest in the wrong way. Getting around on the ground was slow and wearing. Things were too tightly packed. It just wasn't an option.

"Guess I have no other choice," Danny grumbled before latching onto a thick bamboo shoot and beginning to shimmy upward. He found it difficult halfway up it to get a good balance because his weight was making the shoot bent to and fro. Soon, he was rocking back and forth uncontrollably.

"Oh, I've had enough to this!" Danny hissed in aggravation. It was ten minutes into his training session, and he'd only accomplished the prevention of his own death. Fed up, Danny whipped out his sword. In a flash of metal, the tops of all the bamboo shoots in a foot radius were cut off. He heaved himself up and stood on the chopped tops of the shoots.

This action gave Danny a new approach to the bamboo forest. He once again wielded his sword and sliced through a new set of bamboo. As the tops fell unceremoniously to the ground, Danny leapt to the higher perches to repeat the process until he was finally at the zenith level of wooden grass. From there, he sheathed his sword and had no problem balancing on the tops as he ran in a random direction in search for Bob.

The fireball seemed to come out of nowhere. Danny saw it speeding toward him in the corner of his eye. He dove forward with a yelp. The ball of flames hardly missed the boy by inches. The bamboo shoot he landed on bent precariously under the sudden weight. The teen's face scrunched up in alarm when he realized he was about to be propelled in the other direction.

Theo leapt to the top of the forest just as the makeshift catapult Danny had created threw him over the demigod's head. The half sphinx looked up and watched the boy soar over him and land in the most ungraceful matter on his other side. He let Danny regain his balance before attacking with a fiery punch.

Danny smoothly ducked the punch and rounded on one foot for a roundhouse kick to the demigod's open side. Theo turned just in time and caught the unlucky foot. He swung Danny harshly to the side to throw him off balance. Danny had predicted this from him and was ready when he landed solely on the top of a shoot. It waned backwards before flinging Danny back into the air. He came back down on Theo in a flying kick and a loud battle yell.

Grinning with the excitement of battle, Theo watched Danny come at him. At the last second, he jumped backwards to avoid getting kicked by Danny. His heel seemed to create a line of fire as it whirled into a roundhouse kick on the unsuspecting ghost boy.

A cunning smile was allowed on Danny's face as he easily dodged the kick by using the momentum of the bamboo shoot to flip deftly over Theo's head. In a way, he was proud of himself for accommodating to his odd surroundings so quickly. His head was amazingly clear.

Landing in a crouch, Danny sprinted over the tops of bamboo away from Theo. The demigod spun around with a look of brief surprise before beginning his chase.

"Good! You remembered the main goal and aren't distracted," Theo praised the boy from behind. "But how are you going to find Bob? Do you have a plan?"

Danny didn't answer. Theo was only trying to deter him. The boy had already went through millions of different ways to try and find Bob, and came to one conclusion. Him finding Bob would only be by chance until he was presented with more information.

Too late, Danny saw the break in the bamboo ahead. He didn't know there were pathways inside the tangle of bamboo. He didn't have the time to contemplate why as he found himself coming up short in a jump over the ravine and heading straight into a wall of bamboo.

Grimacing, he latched onto the top of a stalk and let his body weight gently pull him downward until it placed him on solid ground. As soon as his toes came into contact with floor, Danny let go of the shoot and let it snap back into place. Theo almost got whacked by the thing and was delayed for a moment before jumping down after Danny.

The dirt trail turned into a maze all too soon for Danny. The boy sprinted down the main pathway, glancing down the small branches from the footpath in search for Bob. He could hear Theo catching up behind him.

Danny knew he wasn't fast enough to ever outrun Theo. He'd have to find some other way to get the demigod out of his hair. Confronting him in a fight would take too long and would wear Danny out.

Out of pure impulse, Danny latched onto a smaller, flexible shoot near him and rounded a corner of the maze. The thin stalk curved distinctly as it was forced to follow Danny around the bend. Danny let his fingers slip off the end when he had out run the shoot. He kept sprinting as the stalk whipped back into place, but not before whacking right into Theo.

The demigod was just quick enough to pull out his Bo Staff and throw it up vertically in front of himself before the shoot slammed hard into it. The force threw Theo right off his feet. The half sphinx grunted in surprise and effort as he skidded to a stop on his knees.

"Excellent," Theo called ahead while springing back to his feet. "You're using the elements to work for you." He finally got around the corner but paused in momentary hesitation. Danny was no where in sight. He had to be hiding.

Smiling like a predator in the heat of the hunt, Theo slunk forward and scanned the bamboo and pathway with keen eyes. Even the faintest of sounds registered in the demigod's alert ears. It was the distant snap of a twig that compelled him to venture down a lone branch off from the main pathway.

He walked right into a trap.

In a rise of snaps, a large number of bamboo stalks that had been strained into horizontal bent positions were all released from their forced postures. Theo's smile warped into a strained grimace as he threw himself forward to dive over one stalk. He had to roll tightly across the ground. A stalk whizzed narrowly over his head. Looking up in alarm, Theo saw a tricky stalk flinging at him that was going to take his feet right off. A daring leap forward, and he dodged it. Gasping he bent over backwards just as the last shoot whipped over him.

Panting, Theo stood back up and looked upon the scene in sweet surprise. Danny had set that entire thing up in seconds. It had given Theo a run for his money. The demigod was certainly proud of his pupil. The boy was getting it.

The pause was only the briefest of a second. With a bounce in his step, Theo ran around another bend in the maze. His eyes widened in pure alarm at the sight. Apparently, Danny had one last trick to pull.

Wham!

Danny grinned triumphantly from where he had just slashed his sword. While Theo had been occupied with the small stalks, Danny had put his back into bending a large shoot to his will. Because the stalk was too long to snap back on its own, Danny had assisted it by cutting off the end with his sword the second he saw Theo come around the corner.

The shoot had slammed so hard into Theo's chest, the half sphinx had been forced into a wall of bamboo. He slumped back down to feet with a hand on his aching head. Moaning in pain, the demigod took a shaky step forward before collapsing to the ground with a groan. He didn't get back up.

Knowing his friend would be okay, Danny left Theo and took off with gusto. He easily ran through the maze with the freedom to backtrack and explore now that Theo was off his tail. The liberty must have worked, because it took the teen just about five minutes to barrel down a lone pathway and spot a flying green blob round the corner ahead.

A ball of angry fire just then hit the trail not even a foot away from Danny. Repressing a scream of surprised fear, the boy threw himself around the flames and continued in a desperate sprint toward Bob. He threw a glance over his shoulder and was prepared when Theo jumped down from where he was running on the top of the bamboo with another ball of hot, blue flames building in his hands.

The heat of the swirl of flames consumed Danny's senses as Theo landed in front of him. With a twinge of horror, Danny realized he had made Theo quite mad. The explosive punch aimed at Danny's head was a clear indicator of this emotion.

"What's the matter, Theo?" Danny asked with a cocky grin, and he spun out of the way of fire. He unsheathed his sword and asked as it collided with Theo's staff, "You didn't like the payback?"

"You just gave me the worse chest ache of my life," Theo snapped at the boy. "Don't think I'll go easy on you." It was a promise. Theo unleashed a flurry of blows with his staff with a speed Danny could hardly comprehend. The teen gritted his teeth as he focused hard on the compile of moves as he expertly blocked each attack with his sword or dodge.

Finally, Theo got a good hit in. The blow whacked Danny across the head, and he stumbled away with a wince of pain. It was all Theo needed. The next blow stabbed Danny in the chest. Wind knocked right out of him, the teen doubled over. Theo struck again without mercy as he delivered a hit between Danny's shoulder blades. A cry of pain escaping him, Danny crumbled to his knees.

Coughing for each ragged breath, Danny pulled himself together at the last moment. Theo was giving a knockout blow just as Danny grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into Theo's face. He rolled to the side as Theo's staff limply hit the ground where his head used to be.

Danny hastily got to his feet and let out a sharp battle cry as he roundhouse kicked Theo in the side of the head while the demigod was furiously wiping the blinding dirt out of his face. It wasn't enough to slow the half sphinx down, Danny knew, so he flung the hilt of his sword above him and brought it down viciously upon Theo's head.

That did it. The demigod fell to his stomach with a hiss of headache agony. Before Theo could get to his feet, Danny jumped over the body of his fallen friend and ran deeper into the maze where he had seen Bob.

The blob was flitting about the pathway, humming an obnoxious tune as he waited to be found. Danny rushed toward him, didn't wait to find out if he had to catch the specter or not, and pounced on the unsuspecting victim with a cry of glory.

"Gotcha!" Danny said as he slightly opened his hands up to peek inside his temporary made prison for the blob. Bob came busting out of the hands that had captured him in a flurry of angry words that Danny didn't understand. The boy stood back with a look of contriteness as he said quietly, "Sorry. I didn't know! I got caught up in the moment. Sorry, Bob."

Bob folded his stubs across his green, jello-like chest and threw his nose into the air. He was refusing to help the teen out now. He was so upset.

"I thought I had to catch you," Danny pleaded with the specter. "I'm really, really sorry! I practically had to knock Theo out to get to you. Can you please take the bracelet off now?"

A look of interest crossed Bob's face at the mention of Theo being taken out. Danny caught this and built upon it by saying, "Yeah, I hit him across the head with the end of my sword! If you get this thing off me, I might be able to show you it again! How 'bout it?"

It was a deal. A chirp of content came from Bob as he nested himself upon Danny's bracelet and began to work the buttons. Quick foot falls around the bend forced the smile off Danny's face. He spun around in time to see Theo skidding around the corner before barreling down the pathway toward the occupied teen.

"Quicker, please!" Danny yelled while backing fearfully away from Theo. The bracelet was on Danny's right wrist, so he wouldn't be able to use that hand while Bob was working on it. Meaning he'd have to use his left hand in the coming sword fight.

A scorching heat hung in the air as Theo approached. The flames licking up his hands and arms were the an eerie, powerful blue and white color as before. With the snap of his wrist, Theo had created a long string of flame like a whip. Theo expertly kept it moving gracefully in the air as if he was a well worn snake charmer.

"That's new," Danny fanned the flames as the best he could, still backing up to avoid getting burned. "You been practicing on your off hours, dude? It shows."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, kid," Theo laughed. "I liked you better when you taunted."

"Alight then. You just sounded like Zara, there," Danny switched tactics with a wicked grin. He could tell he'd struck something of a nerve when Theo's ears twitched backwards. A second and a crack later, Danny was gasping from the sight of the end of his coal colored hair beginning to burn. Wincing, the boy wetted his fingertips with his tongue and put the small flame out.

"Aw, did I singe your hair a little?" Theo asked with mock concern. "Don't give me that stupid, angry frown, kid. Instead, show me what you got."

Prodded by this suggestion, Danny lashed out testily with a weak stab of his sword. Theo jumped backwards with another whip of his line of heated flames. Danny knew something like that would happen and flattened himself against a wall of bamboo as a flash of heat came inches away from burning his exposed skin.

A shrill cry from Bob told Danny that the bracelet was ready to be taken off. The boy glanced down at the blob before throwing himself into a fleeting dive. A crack of fire whipped the spot where his head used to be, giving a thin line of scorch marks on the bamboo wall.

"Keep it open, Bob!" Danny ordered his friend as he came out of the roll in a tight crouch. Bob pulled the bracelet off and gave it quickly to Danny as the teen whirled sideways to face Theo just as the demigod did the same. "Thanks!"

"Come here, kitty cat!" Danny successfully goaded the feline. Theo lashed out with his fire whip. Danny had thrown himself forward and toward Theo at that moment. He brought up an arm to block the flames, flinching in agony as the whip twisted painfully around his raised forearm. He fell to his knees, skidding across the dirt as he flung up the open bracelet and latched it onto Theo's wrist in the blink of an eye.

"What the-?" Theo gasped as his fire powers were instantly cut off. The whip disappeared, and Theo stood there in confusion as he tried fruitlessly to bring his powers back to the surface. A second passed of realization. The demigod urgently whirled around to bring Danny back into view despite the fact he knew he was badly beat.

"Chill, dude," Danny told the half sphinx from where he was crouching behind him. His eyes turned an uncanny whitish blue as a winning grin flashed across the ghost boy's lips. His palms that were placed on the ground created walls of frozen surfaces that surrounded Theo in a swirl of cool mist and the tingling of ice.

Bob congratulated Danny on his job well done with a high five. Danny got to his feet with a small laugh. He could hear Theo pounding on the walls of his new ice prison from inside. Threats could be heard too. Danny gave a tiny wince as one of them included something about his head being chopped off and punt kicked off one of the Island Terras.

"He's not very happy, huh?" Danny asked Bob. The blob giggled a bit with the rare amusement of seeing Theo get his butt kicked. "You better go get that thing off him," Danny told the specter. "What he is yelling does not sound pretty."

The familiar white lights flashed across Danny's body as he turned himself ghost. He pushed off the ground with his feet and was flying at top speed in seconds. He followed the maze from above. From there, he saw that all pathways eventually converged to the center of the maze.

From above, the center of the maze was a huge, bamboo-less arena in the shape of a hippodrome. Powdery, rocky earth surrounded a small, raised platform in the center. A tall wall of bamboo surrounded the deserted arena. The sky was a churning and constant cloud of gray, foreboding smog. On the round platform in the center sat a glittering object. The coin.

The warrior sat himself in a tangle to bamboo on the edge of the arena and peered out over the bare and empty land experimentally. There was not a single sign of human life. Where was Mandrake? Danny had gotten the impression that he would be guarding the coin. It couldn't be that easy.

"Oh, screw it!" Danny growled at himself. "I'll just go get my butt kicked." He could keep an open mind for only so long. He blasted out of his hiding place and ripped across the arena, making a bee line for the coin.

Halfway there, a shadow engulfed him. It was huge. Very huge. Monstrous huge.

A/N: Well, I managed to pull off a cliffhanger finally. I feel like this fan fic hasn't had as many lately. Well, after this week I'll be back on track with updating I suppose, so expect the next update to be on time in two weeks. You guys have been awesome! Thanks for reading and reviewing!