Total Drama: Clash of the Titans – Episode 8: Brat Outta Hell

"Last time on Total Drama: Clash of the Titans, Gwen the moody goth hit a new peak of moodiness after Cody and Courtney betrayed her to send Duncan to the Underworld, leaving the new Zombie Slayers down a player heading an epic fortress face off. Lightning formed bonds with Jasmine and surprisingly Sugar while Scott and Courtney opened their hearts to flirtation. Despite their numbers advantage, Team Pantheon was no match against a sneak attack from Gwen, who returned to her team after a dope and surprisingly not pathetic pep talk from Cody and set her sights on ending this season on a high note for a change. After a total loss, Sugar and Jasmine set their sights on each other, vowing to settle scores from the first vote of the season. But in the end, Beth's words of wisdom convinced them to put their differences aside and blindside Heather, who spent the entire episode making alliances only for them to compare notes and realize they got played like chumps. Now, just eight players remain, but one will return from the Underworld and officially kick off our merge of the best of the best. Will it be Sky, Duncan, or Heather? Find out the answer to that and more, here, on... Total… Drama… Clash of the Titans!"

It was another sunny morning in the Aegean… Oh wait, no it wasn't. It was overcast and ominous raining in the distance. Towers of misty rain marked the pink-ish horizon as the final eight made their way up the steps to the temple. Waiting for them at the top was Chris, looking chill as ever.

"Happy merge day, everyone," he said with a wave. "Sorry about the lack of breakfast this morning, but we have a lot to get to today and every second counts. So take your seats in the amphitheater and enjoy the show."

First up the steps was Lightning, who briefly stopped to flex for the camera. "Sha-merge!"

Jasmine, Courtney, Scott, Gwen, and Cody followed quietly, with Beth and finally Sugar trudging up the steps in the rear. Once the pageant queen cleared the last step, she hit the dirt and groaned.

"Not servin' breakfast is just cruel," she whined as Beth helped her back to her feet.

As everyone found their seats, eyes drifted across the remaining players, most noticeably at the lack of Heather among the Pantheon crew. Courtney in particular was almost beaming with joy while Gwen and Cody looked satisfied. Scott didn't really care, as he was too busy snacking on a clod of dirt he snagged for the road. Jasmine gave the farmer a strange look while Lightning did some arm stretches. Sugar and Beth sat together on the end, fanning themselves.

Chris surveyed the final eight and smirked. "It's been a long time coming, but it's official: the teams are no more and it's now every legend for themselves. Not that we didn't spoil it yesterday, but hey, that soundbyte was too good not to use."

Confessional

"The road here was hard," Courtney said with a pleasant smile. "But I persevered and now I can see the money at the end of the tunnel. I still have to worry about whoever comes back, especially if Duncan or Heather manage to beat Sky, but I have a plan and I'm sticking to it. This is my season..."

(static)

"So… the merge," Cody said timidly. "Yeah. Not sure how I survived this far, and honestly… I still don't know if I deserve to be here after how I played the last couple days, but I'm here, so I might as well try to make final two with Gwen and see how far I can get. And maybe people will learn to respect me for playing a clean game from now on. Or... not." He ended with a classic Cody sigh.

(static)

"Of course I made the merge," Sugar snorted confidently. "Now way in hell was I losin' this pageant in the preliminary rounds! Now I just gotta get me and Beth to the end and win it. I ain't gettin' third again and second ain't part of my vocabulary… Just like a lotta words, but still, second ain't in it!"

(static)

"To think I was the first bloody person voted out on day two," Jasmine said with a tired huff. "And now I'm in the part of the competition I'm best at, the solo survival game. I wish Shawn was here with me, but he gave up his place so I could get a chance to rewrite history and I'm not letting the guy down. This is no time to go easy on the others. I'm gonna win or die trying."

(static)

Gwen sighed. "Okay, so winning isn't really on my mind right now. Sure, it'd be great, but at this point, walking away feeling good would be a victory for me. So while I really want to see Duncan come back for the sake of giving me an ally, I want Sky to win just so we can bury the hatchet up front and move on."

(static)

"Am I shocked I merged a third time in a row?" Scott asked. "Nah. As if I'd go home early. Pappy didn't raise a loser. And now that Courtney's falling for me again, I have a trustworthy ally for the long-term unless she gets all backstabby, which I don't see happening this time. She's a changed woman. These other chumps have no idea what's coming!"

(static)

"This was a shorter pre-merge than my last season, but it was super tough," Beth said. "Thankfully I had Sugar as a friend to teach me the ropes and help me get here. And I actually got Heather voted out! Me! I didn't think I had it in me, but with the new strategy skills Sugar taught me, I might actually win this season instead of getting second again!"

(static)

Lightning smooched that big hunk of bicep. That's it. That's the confessional.

End Confessional

"As you know," Chris continued, "this is the day of the final Underworld Challenge, where one lucky soul will return to the mortal realm and rejoin the battle for the big bucks. One of Sky, Duncan, and Heather will earn a spot in the merge while the others will be eliminated for good and shipped off to Loser-ville to party with those who fell before them. So kick back, pick your fave, and cheer them on!"

Chef rolled a trio of monitors across the arena, letting them sit front and center across the extinguished fire pit. With a click of his remote, the screens flashed to life as Sky, Duncan, and Heather were seen standing on the beach, one on each screen, next to three small sailing ships not unlike smaller versions of the ships from the Golden Fleece challenge. Only these were built so one person could operate them.

Chris whipped out a small radio, tuned the frequency, cleared his throat, and... "MIC CHECK!"

Off in the distance, the faint screech of an intercom rattled the air as the three competitors winced in pain on screen.

"Ugh, my ears!" Heather whined. "Did you have to blow my ear drums out?!"

Sky looked like her head was about to explode. "That! Hurt!"

Duncan growled and rolled his eyes. "Just get to the challenge, man. I don't have time for this."

Chris snickered and turned to the final eight. "Yeah, I kinda rigged the speakers on the Underworld to really, really loud. Just for funsies." He returned to the radio. "Roger that. Mic check complete. The challenge is a go. Sky, Duncan, Heather, this is the moment you've been waiting for. It's time for one of you to complete the Odyssey and return home to Temple Island. In the story, Odysseus had a few more adventures before he was allowed to return, but none more deadly than his encounters with some of the sea's deadliest monsters. And for your final Underworld challenge, you'll be navigating a dangerous course while shooting targets with arrows and avoiding said creatures. Now, since the creatures in the story are mythical and we lost access to our mutant horde on Boney Island, we had to sub in some natural explanations. First, you'll sail straight out towards the lair of the sucking sea monster Charybdis who was said to drag ships to the bottom of the sea. In this case? A giant whirlpool with a target above the center. Hit it with an arrow and avoid being sucked, and you're golden. Next, you'll face off against the six-headed Scylla, a monster who would pluck dudes off the ship for dinner back in the day. Only this time it's a series of rocky pillars you'll need to dodge in order to reach the target on the other side. And finally, it's a showdown against the Sirens, a race of musical monsters who lured men to their deaths with temptation. But instead of actual monsters, you'll have to endure something special which I'd rather keep a surprise. Once you hit the target in their territory, it's back to Temple Island where the first person to reach the top of the steps here is back in. We clear?"

Confessional

"This is it," Sky said, appearing focused and determined to an… unsettling degree. "I have to win this. If I lost, I'd never live it down. And I can't let Gwen have the last laugh. Even with two winners standing in my way, I'm giving it all I have."

(static)

"I don't know about my odds against Sky the Olympian here, but I can manage," Duncan said with an annoyed sigh. "I just want to get back in there and deliver a little payback to Courts and Cody for voting me off. And if I win the cash? Eh. Bonus."

(static)

"I am not going home pre-merge again," Heather said, her eyes blazing with determination and anger. "Not like this. If those losers think they can ditch me that easy, they're going to regret every vote they cast against me!"

End Confessional

"Almost feels like a finale, huh?" Cody asked with a nervous chuckle. "Like they're going for the million and we're all the peanut gallery."

Gwen gulped, keeping an eye on Duncan's screen. "Yeah. Kinda."

Beth nervously watched Heather's screen, chewing her nails as Sugar eyed Scott's clod snack with wide eyes.

Jasmine kept her eyes locked on Sky's screen as she whispered. "You got this. Crush it."

Lightning stood up and let a cheer fly. "Go Duncan! Crush those girls for the sha-win! Team Dude!"

Every pair of eyes in the stands glared his way, forcing him to sit his ass back down in shame.

"And… GO!"

That was all Sky needed to hear. With Chris' blessing to begin, she rocketed past the others, kicking up a whirlwind of sand in her wake that sent Duncan and Heather into a coughing spree.

"Ugh!" Heather screamed. "I am not eating your dust today!"

Duncan joined her in running to the boats, keeping an even pace with the fellow winner. "I know we don't see eye to eye on everything, but at least neither of us like her attitude."

Speaking of said attitude, Sky was hyped to compete and she slowly pushed her beached ship into the water, groaning in pain as her stamina was drained. "Come on, ship. Budge!"

Heather and Duncan pushed their ships as well, with Heather smirking at Sky's struggle.

"What's the matter? Missed arm day at the gym?"

Sky didn't let the taunting get her down. She let it fuel her. With one last shove, the ship entered the surf and rolled gently with the waves.

"Yes!" Sky cheered, hopping on, grabbing the sail's rope with one hand and the rudder control with the other. Once the sail opened, the ship rolled off leaving Duncan and Heather struggling.

"And Sky takes the early lead!" Chris announced. "But will she keep it?"

"You bet I will!" she said, keeping the provided bow and a quiver with several red-feathered arrows by her side. "I'll be done before they even set sail!"

Duncan, thanks to his upper body strength, got his boat floating second. "Aww yeah, let's go! Ha ha!"

Heather, seeing herself as the last one left on the beach, strained and pushed and shoved until her veins popped, but ultimately got her ship afloat. Even if she was a minute behind the others, she was ready to play catch up. "The one time I would have liked to ride in Gwen's face, since it's so empty and hollow."

Gwen caught that remark and rolled her eyes. "Not sure why that comment was necessary, but okay..."

Off in the distance, Sky noticed a large wooden target hovering over the sea, carried by a pair of drones. "Target sighted," she said with a hint of smugness as she readied her first shot. Only this wasn't going to be easy, because below the target was a giant whirlpool, violently spinning and sucking down anything that came near. Fish, sharks, even a small whale were no match for its power.

"Okay, stay at a safe distance," she told herself. "You can do this..."

Sky turned her rudder to veer slightly off course, angling her ship to skim a few meters away from the whirlpool's edge. To give herself time to load and fire as many shots as she needed, she let the sail go limp.

"My chance to catch up," said Duncan. "If she wants to get pissy over some food, let's see how pissy she gets over losing first place."

Sky took a deep breath, notched her arrow, aimed at the floating target… And realized she was veering too close to the roaring funnel. "Crap. Gotta adjust real quick..."

As the gymnast moved her rudder, Duncan approached on a straight shot, giving him a view of the full target. "Here goes nothing." Notching a blue-feathered arrow, he aimed and fired, only to miss by several inches. "Crap. Gonna make us get close, huh?"

Sky finally found a comfortable spot and readied her arrow again, letting it fly… just inches from the target. "Crap!" She fired and missed again. "Little better… Come on… Please..." Another arrow soared and missed by just a hair. "Oh my god, this is bull."

Duncan fired a second shot and missed. Then another. And finally it was too late. He had to change his course to avoid getting sucked down, sending him towards Sky.

Sky kept on firing and missing. Between the wind and the swells screwing with her aim, it seemed almost impossible.

Then, finally, an arrow hit its mark near the edge of the target. Too bad for Sky though. Because it was green-feathered.

"YES! First shot!" Heather cheered. "Eat my wake, losers!"

Sky growled as Heather swiftly changed course, having no need to come close to the whirlpool at all. "Lucky shot. That's all." She raised one more arrow, focused, and boom! It hit with a solid thwack! "Finally!"

Duncan facepalmed as the girls advanced to part two, leaving him slowly inching toward the edge of the big watery succ to get a better shot. "Come on, come on," he strained, waiting for the perfect timing with no wind and no swell to fire. Once he saw his window, the bad boy metaphorically crashed through it and fired a successful hit.

"Hah! Let's go!" Then he looked down. "Oh shiiiiii-"

The whirlpool drew Duncan into its outer rim and he panicked, trying to force the rudder to turn the ship around to no avail.

"Oooh looks like the D-man's a dead man!" boomed Chris' voice. "Can he escape the deadly Charybdis and catch up?"

"Damn it! No no no no!" As the swirl spun him around, Duncan tried to remember how you get out of one of those things. He wasn't some science dork like Harold, that's for sure. But he did have an idea. There was a realization that as he fought the force of the water, it only made things worse. So… maybe he shouldn't fight it. Maybe he should wait for the right moment to let the current slingshot him out of the vortex! So with a focused stare, he watched the churning sea as he neared the downstream side, holding his rope ready to yank at any moment.

"Come on," Lightning said, pounding his fists on his knees. "Fight the power! Fight the power! Fight the power!"

Chris blinked. "Uh, we gotta pay royalties on that?" he asked Chef, who just kinda shrugged in a 'the hell if I know' way.

"He's doing something right," Jasmine said.

Scott snickered. "Yeah, getting the best suck of his life."

Courtney turned to her ally with an annoyed glance. "Did you really have to go there?"

"What?" he whined playfully. "Everyone's thinkin' it."

Duncan made his move. As he neared the downstream side, he pulled the sail open, catching a massive gust of wind that sent him careening out of the sucking funnel's grasp with a loud "Whooooooooa!"

Sky heard something behind her and gazed over her shoulder. Huh. Must've been the-

"What the heck?!"

Duncan rocketed up alongside her and fell forward in the boat. Quickly returning to his seat, he winked Sky's way. "Hey."

Sky's eye twitched. "How did… I… But..."

"See ya at the temple," he said, offering a mocking salute before taking second place.

Something deep inside Sky, some kind of primal instinct, snapped. With grit teeth, a cold glare, and tense muscles, she grabbed the rope and nearly yanked it off the sail.

Up ahead, not comfortably so but ahead enough, Heather found herself face to face with the pillars of Scylla, several massive rocky beams jutting out of the sea with small gaps between them, effectively creating a gauntlet of dodging and weaving. And if she expected to just go around them, too bad. Because at both sides of the field of pillars were…

"Oh yeah, I forgot about the sea mines," Chris said over the speakers atop the first pillar. "Just a little incentive to stop you from taking the easy way out. Get your dodge on, Heather!"

Heather rolled her eyes and slowed her approach. "Go figure. Screw you, Chris."

The first pillars were easy to wave through, as lining the ship with the narrow gap was simply a matter of aiming. But the inside of the rocky domain was far more difficult. It required quick thinking, quicker turning, and precise rudder control. Heather had the first down pat. The other two? Yeah, she wasn't exactly a boating queen.

The first time she turned, she grazed a pillar, barely avoiding a disaster. She was sweating bullets, her pupils small like pinpoints as she panicked her way through the maze of pathways. The next turn wasn't half bad. Not great, but she didn't damage the ship. The fourth turn though? Oh, that was a bad one. In her panicked state, she turned the rudder the wrong way and smacked bow first into the rock, stopping her in her tracks and causing a small crack in her hull.

"Oh crap! Do not leak on me right now! Don't you dare!"

Duncan and Sky reached the pillars at the same time, caught in a tight race for second place. First Sky took the lead back, then Duncan veered towards her and reclaimed it himself. Only when it was time to enter the rocky maze did they separate. But their determined, bitter glares sure didn't! Eyes locked in a competitive stare, they dodged and weaved, swerved and slid, clipped against rocks and crashed through waves. And poor Heather was still stuck there, trying to get her boat moving straight again as it spun around the pillars like a top, crashing and bashing into every one as if it was a giant a game of Plinko.

"You've gotta be kiddiiiiiing," she groaned, her face turning green.

Duncan and Sky quickly passed her, emerging on the other side of the course where the second target waited under another drone.

"Back off, Duncan! This is mine!" Sky dropped her sail, whipped out her bow, and fired. A miss. "Grrrrr..."

Duncan fired his shot… and hit!

"Awww yeah!" he cheered. "See ya at the temple, Princess Pouty!" And he was off.

Sky's eye twitched and she erupted in a fit of petty rage, stomping the deck of her boat so hard it cracked the plank. "No! No! No!" Notching another arrow, she aimed at the target… then had an idea. She lowered her weapon slightly and eyed another target…

Duncan was enjoying his lead. For the first time in the challenge he had the upper hand, and he was going to extend that lead if he could. He couldn't. A loud THWACK erupted overhead and his rope snapped, the sail going limp and his boat slowing to a crawl. In horror, he gazed up to find a red-feathered arrow lodged at the top of his mast

"What the heck?!"

Sky, having hit her real target, sailed past the bad boy with a confident if totally vicious grin.

Duncan blinked, his jaw nearly on the ground. "W-what?! Come on, that's so unfair! I thought you were about sportsmanship!"

Sky glared back menacingly, her sadistic grin growing wider. "I'm about revenge right now, and I can't have you getting in the way!"

Duncan kicked the mast pole and roared. "Are you freakin' serious?!"

After hitting the target herself, Heather sailed past him, still green around the gills. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she loses."

Left with no choice, Duncan leaned over the side and started paddling like a madman.

Back in the amphitheater, Gwen couldn't bare to watch. Jasmine was getting pumped, nodding along as Sky maintained her lead. Sugar frowned, her arms crossed so tight they started losing circulation.

"Come on," Jasmine said. "You got this."

Chris, watching Duncan's monitor, simply shrugged. "Can't see a way Duncan catches up, but I've seen crazier comebacks. Looks like Sky's got a dope lead heading into the Sirens' domain though. Can she keep it?"

"No!" Sugar huffed.

Speaking of the gymnast, she was in fact nearing the domain of the mythical Sirens, comprised of a few sharp rocks jutting out of the raging sea. Far in the distance, the target hovered over the waves.

"Easy peasy," she said, maintaining her course. Then it happened. The torture.

"Time for that special surprise I mentioned!" came Chris' voice, emitting from two massive, house-sized speakers that emerged from the ocean like leviathans guarding the domain. "Sky, I think you'll recognize this one..." With a crackle, his voice cut out… and was replaced by the loudest, shrillest, most bass boosted version of a certain song.

It started as a loud twinkling melody. Kinda annoying, but not unbearable. And then the turntables started.

"No..." Sky gasped. "No! NO!"

SUGAR SILO! I'M WICKED SWEET, I TAP IT WHEN I RAP IT WITH A TASTY BEAT!

Sky fell to the deck, her hands shrouding her ears. "NOOOOOO!"

Nearing the domain, Heather felt her entire body rattle as the shockwave hit. "What. The hell. Is that?"

I DON'T LIKE MILK FROM A JERSEY COW! I'M THE QUEEN OF CRAPTRY, Y'ALL SHOULD BOW!

"Wait a sec," Sugar hummed, rubbing her chin. "This is mighty familiar..."

Jasmine winced, as the sound coming from the monitors was still pretty damn loud. "More like mighty terrible," she whispered. "I thought I got lucky missin' out on this last time..."

Sky was nearly in tears. The blasts of music were too strong and she didn't dare remove her hands from her ears. She was a gymnast and runner so her hearing wasn't a requirement, but she sure as hell didn't want to lose it.

Then the hook hit.

SUGAR HOLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

The waves were shattered and the sea rippled. Sky and Heather screamed, but were totally muffled by the power of Craptry.

Cody cringed, blocking his ears. "Oh man, that's brutal."

"I think it's beautiful," Beth said.

"Yeah, maybe if you're deaf!" Scott groaned. "Who the heck thought this was a good idea?!"

Sugar bobbed her head to the beat. "Now this is true art!"

"Yeah, I'll take new age dolphin music anyday," Gwen said, glaring at the pleased pageant queen.

Sky expected the song to go into its next verse.

But no. It didn't. It just sat there basking in the awful hook until the end of time, blaring that glass-shattering, heart-stopping, robot bear-destroying note.

Off in the distance, Duncan finally felt the shockwave hit as the song echoed in the distance. Ceasing his paddling, he stared off into the horizon, blinked, and sighed. "Well that sucks. Thanks, McLean!"

The target was right there, right in front of Sky as she drifted along in serious pain. All she had to do was grab the bow, notch an arrow, land a shot, and go. But the second she would take her hands off her ears, her hearing would be toast. And even if she did take a shot, could she even aim straight through her tears?

And then the music faded. Not totally, but the volume decreased to a point where Sky could recover. She reached for her bow, wincing in pain as her ears beat with pain. Just as she took aim, the music surged and she collapsed again, her bow clattering against the deck.

A few seconds later, the volume decreased for another ten seconds… and then blared for about the same amount of time. It was a cycle.

Her gaze locked on the nearest speaker, Sky waited for the exact second the music faded, notched an arrow, and fired directly at the speaker's core, landing her shot dead center. The music attempted to return to peak volume, which it did from the other speaker, but Sky's aim was true and caused the song to warp and distort with an electric frizz before it died. Having been slayed, the "siren" retreated back into the ocean.

With only one speaker left, the power of the music was weaker, giving Sky an easier shot at speaker number two. Two arrows flew. One destroyed the speaker. The other landed on the target.

"What?!" Sky gasped, looking over to see Heather, sail past her with a smug if pained smirk.

"Thanks for clearing the way!" Heather shouted.

Sky blinked. Was Heather just mouthing something? No. Wait… She couldn't hear a damn thing. "I don't know what you just said, but I don't care!" she yelled back, firing her own arrow into the target and whipping her sail starboard side to catch the latest gust.

As the girls set off for the home stretch to Temple Island, Duncan finally paddled his way to the domain… and realized it was hopeless with Sky's sabotage holding him back. "This stinks." Sighing in anger, he slammed his bow into the deck, shattering it to pieces. "I'm done, McLean!"

"Seems like Duncan's dropped out!" Chris announced. "It's a two woman race between Sky and Heather for the win!"

All Gwen could do was grimace at the sight of Heather in the lead. Not by a mile, but far enough ahead that it would be a tall order to catch her.

"Come on," Jasmine grunted. "Get that lead back, girl."

"Heather better win this," Sugar groaned through grit teeth. "I ain't dealin' with that snobby Miss Olympic again. I already got her out once this season."

"You did what?" Jasmine asked, shooting her a stern glare.

Sugar chuckled nervously. "Uh, just pretend ya didn't hear that bit..."

Beth bit her lip and started sweating.

But not as much as Heather who just landed on the Temple Island and began the long jog up to the temple.

"I'm... almost there," she said between deep gasps, beginning her trek up the seemingly infinite stairs.

A minute behind her opponent, Sky finally hit the beach and wasted no time in attempting to break the sound barrier with the fastest sprint of her life. This was her moment. Her time. Her victory for the taking.

Halfway up, Heather nearly collapsed, catching herself with a single sturdy hand. Gazing over her shoulder, she saw her impending nightmare gaining ground. Sky leaped and bounded up those steps two at a time. At this rate, she'd pass Heather at the last second. Well, Heather was not about to let that happen. Kicking off her wedges was her last resort. Not only did it give her a faster running speed, it gave her a weapon.

Sky barely had to time to react as two wedge shoes flew down the mountainside, barely missing her head by inches.

"Hey! Play fair!"

Heather ignored Sky's complaining and ran for it, having to get on all fours once her legs couldn't carry her alone. "No. Not like this. No..."

Sky's legs kept pumping. "C'mon… C'mon..."

The top was in sight. Just a few more steps to go…

Chris cut the feeds on the cams when it got close, leaving the eight players to lean forward in anticipation as they watched the temple's entrance like hawks.

And then from the morning haze, a figure breached the entrance.

Heather collapsed to her knees at the top of the stairs, her fists held up victoriously… with Sky just inches ahead of her.

"Sky's back in!" Chris cheered.

The victory stomped the ground and fist-pumped with a furious hype. "YES!"

Heather's face dropped. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Across the ocean, Mike, Zoey, Owen, Alejandro, and Shawn sat around the pool at the Playa and gazed up in horror at the screech in the distance.

"Well, that sounded ugly," Mike said, wincing as Zoey offered him a secure hug.

"Yeah," Owen said. "I haven't heard anything that awful since Heather lost TDI!"

Alejandro sighed, pulling himself out of the water. "I'll go prepare a room then."

Shawn, chowing down on a hot dog, offered a laugh, spewing chunks of bread and meat. "Sweetest sound I've heard all season!"

Back across the ocean, Heather stared at the sky in horror. Oh, sorry, not the sky. The actual Sky. Aka the person who beat her by a second.

Sky whipped around and stuck a finger in Heather's stunned face. "Eat that! Woooo!"

Heather smacked her hand away and stumbled over to Chris, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him close. "This! Is! Unfair! I made it to the island first! I hit the targets first! I was at the steps first! I will not be passed by her at the last second!"

Chris didn't even flinch. "Yeaaaah, well the challenge was to get to the temple first, which you didn't. So… sucks to be you. Chef!"

Out of nowhere, Chef arrived to grab Heather by the arm and escort her to a safe distance from the others.

The original final had mixed reactions. Gwen was nervous as hell. Cody was even more so. Sugar looked pissed. Jasmine was practically beaming with joy. Beth was a mix of everything. Courtney was smug, as was Scott. Lightning looked bored and had been since Duncan dropped out.

"This is robbery!" Heather continued. "You take my million! You take my dignity! You take my boyfriend! But you will never take my-"

Chris completely ignored her rant to address Sky. "Sky, congrats. You're back in the game and officially in the merge. You won't be given any kind of immunity for this win though, so you could totally be voted out tonight if you don't win the next challenge. Which would be hilariously brutal."

Sky, still catching her breath and wiping off sweat, shook her head. "I'm just glad I'm back. I have unfinished business to take care of." She looked up at Gwen and the two locked eyes for a brief moment. Gwen attempted to smile, but Sky looked back at the ground before she saw it.

Confessional

"I did it," Sky said, looking dirty as ever as she sat in the library once again. And for the first time in days, a genuine happy smile crept across her face. "I did it! I'm back! And I'm not letting this second chance go to waste. No matter what Chris or the others throw at me, I'm fighting as hard as I can to make the finale and get my money. And get some sweet karma dished out..."

(static)

"Good on Sky," Jasmine said. "I thought we were doomed when we stood there in the arena that day, but now we're both back in the game and here to win this thing. Now we just need to make sure we aren't the big targets right off the bat..."

(static)

"This is… good," Gwen said, forcing a smile. "Sky's back in, I have a chance to make things right, and maybe we'll find some understanding between us. Like… how mad could she still be?"

End Confessional

Down at the beach, Sky stood with the other eight as Heather and a soggy, annoyed Duncan shared a seat in the Ferry of Shame.

"Bon voyage," Chris told them. "You both put up one heck of a fight, but in the end, a second win just wasn't in the cards."

"Just ship us off," Duncan groaned. "I want a burger already."

Heather growled. "Well you haven't seen the last of me! Not by a long shot! I'll be back for my money again! And again! And again!"

"At least you were the last winner standing and overcame a lot," Cody said, peeking out from behind Gwen. "Maybe that counts for something."

She wanted to scream her lungs out at that comment… but he was kinda right. So she just passive-aggressively rolled her eyes and scoffed in disgust. "Whatever, Nerd Face. Tenth place is BS. Cut the zero off and then we'll talk."

"Charon, take them away," Chris told the spooky cloaked figure. "Since the Underworld is out of business, you'll be running trips to the Playa full-time."

The thing let out a long, creepy sigh and pushed off the dock with his pole.

As Heather and Duncan scowled off into the distance, Chris smacked his forehead. "Oh crap! I almost forgot the double demolition. How silly of me." He pushed a button on his remote and an explosion boomed at the top of the temple, then another. "There. That's more like it."

As he walked away from the dock, two massive rocky shadows passed over as Duncan and Heather screamed in the distance, their cries drowned out by cataclysmic splashes. Oh well.

"Anywhoooooo… Welcome to the merge! Officially this time! Beth, Sugar, Cody, Gwen, Lightning, Jasmine, Courtney, Sky, and Scott… one of you will walk away with the biggest cash prize in TD history at the end of this epic journey, but first, we have more challenges, more pain, and more heartbreaking betrayals to get through. So strap on your big person panties and prepare for your first challenge as individuals… but not for another half hour. Sky, feel free to shower. You stink. Bad. Everyone else, feel free to chow down on the meal we've provided you in the courtyard. We meet here in 30, so don't be late!"

As everyone went their separate ways, Jasmine immediately followed Sky towards the showers. "Welcome back," she whispered, giddy as could be.

Sky smirked. "Pleasure to be back. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Underworld final two?"

"Yep."

The girls fist-bumped and that was all that needed to be said.

Confessional

"I don't like making alliances," Sky said, now looking pretty clean if a little tired. "But that's the old Sky. The Sky who got stabbed in the back by the girl she trusted. Not this time. This time, I need to play hard, change my game, and dominate like nobody ever has. And with Jasmine on my side, I only need three more people to have an easy majority. I don't know who yet, but definitely not Gwen."

End Confessional

As Sky left the shower, relaxed and at peace, her zen mode vibes were shattered by a single voice.

"Hey. Can we talk?"

She turned to find Gwen waiting for her. Oh boy.

"I don't want to talk to you right now," Sky said, crossing her arms defensively. "Not after what you did to me. You had a chance and you blew it."

Gwen raised a brow. "Uh, okay? I just wanted to apologize. I made a mistake not voting Scott out, and I want you to know that. I felt..." She sighed. "I felt bad. Real bad. That wasn't me back there. I didn't even consider your feelings and-"

Sky cut through her heartfelt apology with a mean scowl. "Don't lecture me about considering feelings! You want me to just accept your apology after I shared my trauma with you and got shanked? Not a chance. I didn't come back to make up or deal with drama… I came back to make you pay and get my head back in the game. That hasn't changed."

Gwen took a step back. "Okay, you're acting a little-"

"A little what? Like Dave? Is that what you were gonna say?!"

"No, but-"

"I don't want to hear the but!" Sky brushed past Gwen for the beach. "I'm done here. Deal with it."

Gwen gave the camera a confused look. "Uh, okay..."

Confessional

"What the hell was that?" the goth groaned, throwing her hands out in shock. "Like, I knew she wasn't going to be happy with me, but to blow up like that and directly quote Dave right after swearing she wasn't anything like him? The Underworld had some kind of weird anger-inducing fruit on it, right? Because this Sky isn't anything like the one I got to know. She used to be so chill and down to Earth. Now she's out for blood and it's… kinda scary. Yeah… maybe Heather coming back wouldn't have been that bad. Huh, never thought I'd say that."

(static)

"She's going home first," Sky huffed. "I'm not letting my feelings get in my way this season, so the only way to make sure it doesn't happen is to crush the source of those feelings myself. This is not going to be another Pahkitew Island."

End Confessional

"So," Courtney said, sitting with Scott near the forest's edge as she checked around for eavesdroppers. "We made it."

"Heck yeah we did," Scott said. "You and me really are one heck of a team. When we get back home, you should come out to the farm and run the Three Leg Mud-athlon with me sometime. We'd get gold for sure. And free snacks any time you want."

Courtney blinked. "Uh, okay. Anyways, we have to focus on the game now. This is a new phase with new dangers. We can't just avoid elimination ceremonies anymore and I doubt they're letting two people get immunity every episode, plus we're both big threats, which means it's finally time to put Team New School into action. Just like we planned."

"Yeah, and with Salty Sky back in the game, we just got ourselves an easy addition to the team. No way she's not desperate enough to work with us."

"Precisely." Courtney saw the coast was clear and casually led the way back to the beach. "We need to talk to her during the challenge so she has more time to think about it."

"Anyone else in mind?"

"Jasmine, obviously. She probably still trusts me enough from the first vote we had and she's obviously going to team up with Sky. If we get the four of us, we'd only need one more for total control. I'd want Sugar or Lightning since the whole new school alliance thing is an easy pitch. But it's a fool proof plan as long as that other idol doesn't come into play. That… could throw a wrench into things. But hey, it's not like anyone else is smart enough to assemble a dominant alliance right off the bat. We have the utmost advantage."

"An alliance?" Beth asked. "With who?"

Sugar, walking towards the beach with her friend, tapped her chin. "I dunno. But we gotta get them numbers rounded up like jack rabbits quick or else we're gettin' hosed like a flea-ridden dog in July. I ain't gonna work with Jasmine and Sky though, that's for sure."

"I know Scott's kinda mean, but he's from a farm too. Maybe we could ask him?"

Sugar shot Beth a finger gun. "I like the way you think, farmie. Every alliance needs that bumblin' fool nobody takes seriously anyways."

"And maybe Lightning? You two seem to be getting along better recently."

Sugar stopped, blinked, and awkwardly shrugged. "Uh, not really. We ain't close. Just 'cause a guy chugs gruel with all his face holes at once and owns it don't mean he's alliance material. Buuuut I'd rather him be with us than Jasmine, so I'm down with that."

Beth swore she caught a glimpse of red on Sugar's cheeks for a minute there, but she didn't push it.

Confessional

"I know Sugar's been in hunk-hunting mode," Beth said. "But I never thought she'd be like, into Lightning. Is she? Maybe she's just really hot today, and the blush was from the heat. I think they'd be a good couple though! They both love eating and winning stuff. That's more than most people have in common, right?"

End Confessional

"Welcome," Chris said as the final nine stood before him on the beach, "to your first challenge as individuals." Behind him were the three sailing ships from the morning's Underworld challenge. Duncan's ship had seen some quick repairs as the sliced rope was replaced.

"More sailing?" Sky groaned. "You've got to be kidding."

"Nope," Chris taunted, running up and booping Sky on the snoot. She angrily rubbed the lingering tingle off and rolled her eyes.

"So what?" Cody asked. "Are we just doing the same thing they did? With the monsters and the targets?"

"Also nope," Chris said. "Today's challenge is an homage to the classic Greek tale of Orpheus, a man of music, love, and epic journeys in the name of the latter. Dude was the son of a Muse and married a cool chick named Eurydice, but she tragically died on her wedding day to a snake bite."

"Oh noooo! That's horrible!" Sugar bawled, triggering a period of awkward silence.

Chris scowled. "As I was saying… Eurydice's soul was sent to the Underworld, so Orpheus, being the kick-ass hero he was, decided to take a little road trip and get her back. In the Underworld, he saw a ton of wicked stuff and made his way to Hades. Dude was like 'Nah, bruh. No take backsies' but Orpheus wasn't having it. So, he charmed the god of the Underworld with a song and earned Eurydice's soul back. But there was one little condition: until he returned to the mortal realm, he couldn't look back or her soul would be gone for good. Well, he didn't listen, so life kinda sucked from then on."

"That's so sad," Beth said, wiping a tear from her cheek. "They were such a beautiful couple."

"That they were, Beth. That they were. And for today's challenge, you'll all be taking the same trip Orpheus did in an attempt to save a fair maiden's soul from the depths of the Underworld. You'll start by hopping on one of the three boats from today's first challenge and sailing across to Underworld Island. But the catch is each boat must have three people on it before it sets sail. No more, no less. So, three teams of three."

"We have to go back there?" Sky asked, one eye twitching. "Seriously?"

Jasmine shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I honestly know that island better than this one. It'll be a cinch, I reckon."

Chris snickered. "You'd think so, but to make things more fun, the island has been stocked with booby traps reminiscent of the tortures souls faced in the Underworld of old. So the island you knew is now waaaay deadlier."

Jasmine gulped, sharing a nervous look with Sky.

"Once you reach the island, it's every person for themselves as you ascend to the peak where Hades, aka Chef, will be waiting with a fair maiden you have to rescue..." He clicked a button and out popped a screen showing Chef, donned in sleek black robes with devil horns and a trident, sitting in a rocky, spiked throne with a cage by his side. Inside was a familiar face.

"Hey!" Amy yelled at the camera. "You can't lock me in here! This is what Spareamy deserves, not me! I'm above this stinky, rotten cage you disgusting mother-" The screen went silent as her lips kept flapping with venom.

"Aaaand muted," Chris said, pocketing his remote.

"Uh, I thought you said the maiden would be fair," Gwen said "She's anything but. And I didn't even play with her."

"Agreed," Jasmine said. "Why should we be rewarded for rescuing an abusive jerk like her?"

"Because," said Chris, "not only is immunity up for grabs, so is a special sponsored reward in the form of a phone call to a loved one. Think of it as some added incentive rather than a cheeky product placement."

Jasmine gasped. "I can call Shawn..."

Beth squealed. "I can call Big Bertha..."

Sky put a hand over her chest and smiled. "I can call my sister..."

"My Pops!" Lightning cheered. "He'll be so proud of me!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Chris continued. "Thaaaat's hype. But be warned. True to the story, Hades can only be charmed by music, so to win the challenge, you'll need to give him your best performance and hope it's to his liking. Bomb miserably, and to the back of the line you go to wait for a second chance."

Confessional

"Really?" Cody whined. "A singing challenge? I know the fans liked my pipes in that Condor song, but that was a fluke. Plus Courtney sounds like a professional singer! How can I possibly beat that!"

(static)

"This is the perfect challenge for me," Courtney boasted, sitting confidently. "A physical section followed by a vocal performance? You might as well just get to the ceremony now and hand me the skewer."

(static)

"Time for some redemption," Sugar said, cracking some knuckles. "Last time, my singin' got me sent home because Chris, some intern, and that bear thing had no taste and robbed me. This time it's my ticket to winnin' this whole thing!"

End Confessional

Chris blew his air horn and the race was on! With only three boats and nine people needing to win this one, it was… a bit chaotic.

Jasmine and Sky had the early lead as expected. The Aussie leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Ready to crush this one together?"

"Yep. Let's make the others regret sending us home..."

The girls jumped on the first ship and readied the sail, but before they could move out, Courtney heaved herself on board and found herself face to face with the two returnees.

Sky glared at the CIT. "Uh, find another boat, please."

Jasmine touched Sky's shoulder. "Hey, no need to get snappy with her. She's trustworthy enough for now."

Courtney smiled. "Thanks. I just wanted to talk with you."

Sky and Jasmine shared a curious look and smiled. This could only be good news.

On the second ship, Lightning somersaulted mid-air to jump onboard and untied the rope. "Sha-sailing time! Time for Lightning to get that win! Way to go me!"

Gwen and Cody raced with Sugar and Beth for the second ship, but the former pair were simply too fast for the farmies.

"Let's ride," Cody said. "Er, sail!"

Lightning nodded along and pulled the rope, joining Jasmine, Sky, and Courtney's ship in the race as Beth and Sugar panted on the beach.

"Guess we got last pick, huh?" Beth groaned.

"Crud!" Sugar huffed. "I hate havin' to run everywhere!"

Scott hopped on the last ship and growled at the girls. "What are you doing?! Get on already!"

The farmer trio united as Sugar and Beth struggled onto the boat, collapsing to the deck in a tired glob of redneck. Scott pulled the sail open and they were off.

Confessional

"I'd love to run this challenge with Courtney," Scott explained, whittling a piece of wood with a sharp flint rock. It had a vaguely Chris-like shape. "But it's smarter to split up and cover more ground with these chumps. She can get Jasmine and Sky on board and I can see if Sugar's down for an alliance again. Sucks that goody-goody Beth has to be here since she ain't part of the plan, but whatever. She's probably too naive to even think about alliances."

(static)

"Scott's perfect for our alliance," Beth said. "If we can convince him to work with us, we could have an all farmer final three! Not that I think Scott deserves to be in the final three since he's kind of a jerk, but like… We need someone, right? And besides, Sugar and I would totally cut him at the end."

End Confessional

"So a New School alliance for real this time?" Jasmine asked Courtney, pondering the idea with a finger to her chin. "Well, it didn't work last time we tried, so maybe second time's the charm."

Sky, busy steering the ship, nodded. "Exactly. Working with someone is better than working with no one. And if we're taking Gwen and Sugar down, we'll need all the help we can get."

"Great!" Courtney said with slightly forced glee. "I'll get Scott in on the deal and then we just need one more person. Lightning perhaps?"

"Good idea. I just wish Lightning wasn't stuck with the enemy right now," Jasmine said, glancing at the second boat sailing about fifty meters away.

"Yeah," Sky grumbled. "Gwen's probably filling his head with all sorts of lies as she plans to rip his heart out and devour it..."

Courtney blinked. "Uh… Yeah, totally something she'd do."

Confessional

"Wow," Courtney winced. "Five minutes around Sky and I'm already getting the vibe that going to the Underworld was not fun. I want to play with people who respect the game for what it is and don't get all personal and emotional about it, but I need Sky's vote for the alliance so I'll tell her whatever she wants to hear about how awful Gwen is. Besides, it's not like I hate Gwen anymore. She didn't want to work with me, so she's merely expendable." Her confidence waned for a brief moment. A twinge of guilt perhaps? "I mean… gamewise at least... Don't air this, please."

End Confessional

"So wassup, Spooky Girl?" Lightning asked as he steered towards the looming island in the distance. "Heard you were feelin' sha-blue yesterday. Blue as the Lightning's jersey."

Gwen almost chuckled. "Hehe, yeah, that's… pretty blue. I'm better now though. I just needed time to realize what's important in this game."

"Sha-winning!"

"Uh, not anymore."

Lightning raised a brow. "What? Talk some sense, girl. You ain't here to win? Why?"

Gwen just kinda shrugged. "I mean, winning would be nice, but my odds aren't great and I'd rather leave with my head held high without any extra baggage to take home."

The jock blinked. "Like the case of cash?"

"No, like emotional baggage. I don't want to leave a bunch of people upset with me. I already made things right with Courtney as much as I could, and now I'm trying to apologize to Sky. Buuut she didn't want to hear it. At all."

"Dang," Lightning mumbled. "She really hates you after all, huh?"

"She doesn't hate you," Cody said sheepishly, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She just, uh, needs time..."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "I'll still keep trying, but no, she definitely has it out for me. Big time. Ironic how she turned into the new Dave though. Humorous even."

"Girl's got a competitive spirit like all athletes do," Lightning said with a casual shrug. "She ain't a fan of gettin' played, just like the Lightning ain't. Add in some sha-motional trauma and sha-boom! We go off like volcanoes."

"That's… basically what happened," Gwen droned on. "I just hope we get a chance to talk it out. I don't want to vote her out again, but if she isn't going to budge, it's something I'll have to consider."

Lightning shrugged. "Well, ain't none of Lightning's business. He's in this to win it! He needs to call Pops and let him know his son's been sha-killin' it!"

The tranquility of the ride was shattered by a massive explosion to the port side. A cloud of mist and smoke erupted around the first ship, sending Courtney, Jasmine, and Sky tumbling all over the deck.

"Ahhhh!" yelped the CIT. "Mines!"

Cody pointed ahead and gasped, his eyes wide like headlights. "Oh no! Look out!"

Lightning screamed in terror and weaved through the field of grey, spiked balls, barely dodging them to the point where each one exploded, soaking the trio and throwing the ship into the air before it slammed back down on the sea.

On the third ship, Sugar stood at the bow with Beth, both girls peering out ahead for floating balls of death.

"Port!" Beth called. "Port!"

Scott, steering with the rudder, let out another annoyed growl. "Hey! English please!"

"Oh, sorry," Beth whimpered. "I mean left! And now right! Left again! Right!"

Sugar struggled to balance as the ship tossed and turned in the waves, and her face slowly turned a shade of green. "Ugh, that gruel ain't sittin' right..." she wheezed.

"Oh no!" Beth gasped. "I don't have any dramamine!"

Sugar slapped a hand over her mouth. "Uh… Gruel wants out..."

Scott gazed back at the field of sea mines and snickered. "Nice try, Chris. It'll take more than mines to stop me." Then he made the crucial mistake of looking forward, receiving a blast of gruelly vomit to the face. Horrified beyond belief, he let out a disgusted roar as Sugar hit the deck with hands to her stomach.

"Ugh. I need to get a pair of them sea legs..." she groaned.

Confessional

"Sorry, Courtney," Scott growled, wiping the last bit of vomit off his cheek. "Sugar ain't qualifying for the alliance. Not after she just barfs in my face."

End Confessional

"There's the Underworld!" Sky called out, nearing the familiar beach. "Get ready to run."

Jasmine adjusted her hat. "Roger that. I know the fastest way up to the summit, booby traps or not. We'll get there in no time."

Lightning's boat pulled up just behind them and the jock did a quick flex.

"Team Lightning Squad caught up! Sha-yeah!"

Catching a glimpse of Gwen on the boat, Sky growled and pulled the rope harder to catch more wind and speed ahead, nearly knocking Courtney off the side from the sudden jolt.

"Whoa! Hey, warning next time?"

"I can't let her beat me," Sky huffed. "Not again."

It wasn't long before Sky drove their boat ashore and prepared to jump, but Jasmine grabbed her arm the second before she took the leap off the bow.

"Hold on there," the survivalist said, eyeing the sand with a keen eye. "Something's off about the beach..."

Sky was about to snag her arm back and jump anyways, but Lightning's arrival with Gwen and Cody distracted her.

"Sha-beach!" Lightning cheered, dropping the rope the second the boat hit the sand and launching himself, somersault style, onto the beach. "I got a call to make! Sha-bye-bye!"

The second he took a step beyond the soggy sand that the ground gave out and Lightning fell down, a massive poof of dust rocketing up from the hole.

"Sha-AHHH!"

"Told ya," Jasmine said to Sky. "Pit traps, everywhere. Classic Chris move."

Courtney rolled her eyes and ran past both Underworld experts, dropping off the boat. "Well I'm not sticking around to wait for the last place in line. Feel free to play it safe, but I'm here to win."

Win she did not though, because the second her foot hit the dry sand it swallowed her up.

Gwen and Cody also stepped down and began traversing the beach. The mere sight caused Sky to growl, but Jasmine calmed her down with a shoulder rub. "Eaaaasy now. Just give 'em a few seconds to clear out the traps for us. Slow and steady. It's a marathon, not a sprint."

"Yeah, well I run sprints," Sky grumbled.

Lightning crawled out of the pit with a few crabs pinching all over his face and arms. "Man, Chris stocked these things with crabs! Not cool!" He took a few wobbly steps forward and boom, another pit revealed itself by swallowing him whole. Like ravenous piranhas, the crabs attacked in a swarm. "Ahhh! Ow! Ow! Owowowow!"

"Easy does it," Cody said, a look of grim paranoia stretched across his face as he and Gwen moved as a unit. "One wrong step and were crab food."

One wrong step it was, and suddenly both of them vanished into the ground with a couple yelps.

Scott finally arrived on dry land and dove into the water screaming, intent on washing off every drop of gruel puke possible.

Sugar collapsed face first into the wet sand and Beth dropped by her side. "Come on," she said, tugging at the pageant queen's shirt. "We have to move."

Sugar flipped over with a groan. "I'm too tired for that. I can't even stand straight anymore."

"I thought you were a natural born winner," Beth said quite sternly. "You can't just quit."

Sugar conceded, attempting to stand and falling right back down on her ass. "Sorry. Paddlin' on Granny's bass pond ain't nothin' like the ocean."

By then, Sky and Jasmine had scoped out the average distance between the sand pits between Lightning falling into every single one possible in hilarious fashion and Gwen and Cody struggling to avoid them on their trek to the forest ahead.

Jasmine wasn't done just yet though. Snapping the rope off the mast, she quickly fashioned a large, bulbous knot at the end about the size of a basketball. "This should do the trick."

Sky raised an eyebrow. "Uh, how exactly?"

"Just watch," she replied with a wink, hopping down and running to the nearest open pit. Swinging it overhead, she tossed the knot a few feet ahead and the ground erupted with a dusty belch when the knot hit the sand. "See! Can't go wrong with a monkey's fist!"

Sky smirked and hopped down by her side. "Smart move!"

Lightning crawled out of another pit just in time to see the girls pass by, having revealed hole after hole. "Aww man! Lightning ain't about to lose this to a couple girls!"

Aaaand into the next hole he fell. That's rough, buddy.

Confessional

"That was sha-brutal," Lightning said, his face and arms coated in small pinch marks and welts. "Kinda makes Lightning want some crab legs though. Sha-licious..."

End Confessional

Cody helped Gwen out of another pit as Scott finally emerged from the sea, covered in seaweed and a starfish that refused to leave his cheek. There was only one person he could blame for this mess. "Way to go, barf monster!" he growled at the dizzy, downed Sugar. "See ya never!"

Sugar scowled and finally got on all fours, shaking her head like an annoyed dog. "Oh, that Scott's one mean critter. We gotta beat him." She tried standing, and lo and behold, she managed to attain composure, albeit a wobbly one.

Beth, wasting zero time, took her by the hand and ran off behind the rest through the maze of pits. "Let's hurry! The others aren't too far ahead!"

Speaking of the others, Sky and Jasmine had the early lead as they bolted side by side through the forest.

"There should be a quick trail to the peak back around the other side," Jasmine said. "Place has some nice fig trees too, but no time for snackin' today. One of us has to-"

"Beat Gwen, right!"

"Uh… I was gonna say win, but… uh yeah, that's included in the package I guess. But don't get tunnel vision. I need you to have your head in the game."

"Don't worry, I won't. Once Gwen's out of here, you'll never hear me say her name again."

Jasmine couldn't help but wince at Sky's bitterness that seeped from every word like blood from an open wound. "Look, Sky. I know you're mad, and Gwen's a bloody traitor, but I'm serious. Don't push people away with your pushy campaigning. It's a poor look."

"I won't..."

Confessional

"Okay, Sky's definitely a little… on edge," Jasmine said, sheepishly rubbing her arm. "I just hope I can do most of the talking with alliances and stuff because I can't imagine someone who wasn't Sky's friend before is going to be all fine and dandy about workin' with her like she is now."

End Confessional

The voice of Chris surged through the jungle, stopping the girls in their tracks. "Oh campers! It's time for a little surprise. Since Jasmine and Sky are the first to reach the next obstacle, they'll be our guinea pigs. As you'd know if you read up on the tale of Orpheus, the dude met some seriously troubled peeps in the Underworld, each punished with an epic torture for the rest of time in the pits of Tartarus. First, you conquered the pits themselves, but the tortures still await. First up, heads up!"

The echo of crashing brush and rocks erupted overhead and Jasmine ducked just in time to avoid the massive boulder rolling down the mountain from wiping her out.

"What the heck?!" Sky shrieked, barely dodging the boulder herself.

"There was once a man named Sisyphus," Chris explained as Gwen, Cody, Courtney, and Scott arrived at the scene. "The dude really wanted to avoid death, so he captured Death itself and tried to hold it hostage so it couldn't take his soul. Too bad the Gods weren't happy about it, because his punishment was to roll a massive boulder up a hill, which would inevitably fall back down at the last second and force him to undergo the process again. And again. And again. And again. For the rest of time! And guess what? Those boulders are rolling straight for you! Toodles!"

The audio cut out as more crashing echoed up the mountain.

"Oh crap!" Gwen gasped. "Run for it!"

Everyone screamed as dozens of rocks pummeled through the brush, wiping out trees and nearly taking the mergers with them. It was a long run to the summit trail, and not everyone was lucky enough to avoid the rocks.

"Wait up!" Lightning said, jogging along after the pack. "Lightning got lost! Don't leave a man behind, guys!"

A boulder erupted from the bushes, smacking into the jock and sending him careening off into the woods like a rocket.

"AHHHH! Sha-pain!"

Sugar and Beth ran past the scene of the crime, the former now able to stand. Running however wasn't her strong suit, so the pageant queen was dripping with sweat even more than before.

"I ain't gonna make it," Sugar groaned. "My legs are for pantyhose leggin's and pushing people outta lines, not this!"

Beth helped her remain standing. "I told you not to give up! You can do this! I believe in you!"

The sound of another crashing rock caught Sugar's ear and she shoved Beth forward just as the boulder crashed out of the woods, taking Sugar downhill with it. "Win this, farmieeeeeee!"

Beth gasped in horror. "Sugar! Nooooo!"

Confessional

"She sacrificed herself for me," Beth said. "I have to pull through for her now! No way am I letting a bestie down! Ever!"

End Confessional

As the remaining seven pressed onward through falling boulders, Sugar found herself falling and falling and falling downhill, tumbling over herself over and over until she finally hit a soft patch.

"Ow!" Lightning groaned. "Watch where you're falling girl!"

Sugar rolled off Lightning's body and groaned even louder. "Ugh! I got cheated! This challenge was so unfair to me!"

Lightning attempted to climb back up the slope. "Girl, ain't nobody got time for whining. Lightning's got an epic comeback to make! He's gotta let his Pops know about his redemption arc!"

Sugar stood, rubbing her sore back. "Redemption? At least you made the finale. You can't say you were robbed if ya lose to a string bean like that... Whatever his name was! Now, if I was in the finale, I would've stomped a mudhole in both them freaks!" Her frustration turned to a melancholy. "At least that's what I think would've happened..."

Lightning noticed Sugar's sudden mood shift and looked down at the girl in pity.

Confessional

"Lightning knows how it feels to come so close and lose it all," he said. "So I guess she and I got that in common too..." He briefly pondered something, but snapped back into competitive mode. "But Lightning ain't here to feel sorry for anyone! Not even himself! He's gotta win the whole sha-bam!"

End Confessional

Sky and Jasmine maintained their lead, jumping and ducking under falling rocks as if they'd done it a million times before. A little ways behind them, Scott and Courtney ran along with less success, stumbling around the boulders and diving out of the way to avoid getting squashed off the mountainside. Even further back, Cody and Gwen ran alongside Beth, quickly falling behind as they took their time waiting for each boulder to pass due to Cody's quick analysis that revealed the boulders were only dropping from certain spots, granting safety to specific zones. Wait it out, run to the next zone, wait it out, run, wait, run, and so on. Slow but steady.

After clearing the jungle, Sky and Jasmine emerged higher above sea level overlooking the water and forest and beach from a rocky outcrop that led in a winding path up to the peak.

"And our Underworld experts clear Boulder Alley first," Chris said over the intercom. "But more trials await up the mountain, so it's anyone's game."

"And we'll crush every single one of 'em," Jasmine said, about to run ahead until a call from behind stopped her.

"Wait!" Courtney gasped, nearly collapsing at Jasmine's feet with Scott heaving and huffing right behind her. "We need to lock this down."

"Lock what down?" Sky asked. "Don't even think about taking my immunity!"

Jasmine stood in front of Sky, cringing. "Uh, I think she means the alliance."

"Y-yeah," Courtney wheezed. "Us four… and one more… to the end."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, Courtney told me all about the plan earlier today. I'm totally down if it means a free trip to final five. And besides, the others are totally lame players who shouldn't even be here. Like who wants to watch Cody, Beth, and Sugar all season?"

Courtney glared at Scott. "Hey, no need to make the pitch so negatively tinged. But… yeah, that's the deal. We vote out the other five before we fight it out as the real best of the best. And then the best player wins. Deal?"

She offered a hand to Jasmine who made room for Sky to grab it.

Sky glared at the CIT. "Only if we can vote out Gwen first."

Courtney nodded. "Oh, deal. No complaints here. She's awful, isn't she?"

"Totally."

Their hands met. It was locked in.

"We just need one more person for a majority tonight," Scott said. "Anyone wanna have a little chat with Lightning?"

"I thought you were going to talk with Sugar since she's new school," Courtney grumbled. "You had like twenty minutes on the boat. Did she turn you down?"

"No, she puked on my face. And it was chunky!"

Jasmine winced. "Yeah, I'm out. Not from the alliance though, just this... situation." And so she and Sky cringed up the trail.

Courtney smacked her forehead. "Okay, just… Don't mess up with Lightning. He could be a swing vote tonight since he doesn't have any obvious loyalties. If you get a chance, pull him aside and ask him to join."

Confessional

"I've played with Lightning twice," Scott said. "Both times he was a huge idiot who didn't know which way was up. But now he's suddenly the MVP we need? Pffft, talk about stressful. But hey, if we need to talk him into the team, so be it. It's not like we're letting him make final two or anything. He's just there as a number until we cut his throat."

End Confessional

Soon enough, Sky and Jasmine reached the next obstacle: three massive wooden wheels in a diagonal line leading up to a nearby ledge. Each wheel had rungs around the edges to make grabbing on easy. Or, easy-ish. Below the wheels was a pit of water.

"Oh, what's this?" Jasmine hummed. "Looks tough."

"Ixion was his name," Chris narrated from the intercom. "Sleeping with Zeus's wife Hera was his game. And so for the rest of time, he spun on a wheel of flame. What a shame. Now, you'll have to overcome his torture by climbing these three wheels. Fail, and you'll have to climb up the ladder at the bottom of the pit to start again. Have fuuuun."

Sky rolled her eyes and ran for it. "As if this is going to stop me," she growled. "This is just advanced gymnastics."

Jasmine almost stopped her, but hey, Sky had a point. Running fast? Balancing? Jumping? All skills in her friend's wheelhouse. Heh, wheelhouse.

Her first steps went well. She cleared the initial jump and the wheel starting spinning as she ran, timing her steps between rungs as not to trip and face plant on the thing. But when it came time to jump to the second wheel, she made a crucial mistake and tried grabbing a rung for balance's sake. The wheel quickly spun down, sending her crashing into the water a few feet below the course with a yelp.

"Don't worry about it," Jasmine said. "You'll get the hang of it!" Looking at the wheels herself, she sighed. "And so will I."

Courtney and Scott arrived just in time catch Jasmine clearing the first wheel and plummeting in the same style as Sky. So much for that.

"We can take the lead," Courtney said. "Just don't get greedy, time it right, and-"

"Yeah, yeah," Scott scoffed. "I used to do hay bale runs on the farm all the time. This should be a piece of Mama's soot cake. Watch and learn, pretty lady."

Scott hopped on the first wheel and… did well enough at first. Running at the very top as if it was a spinning log at the county fair.

"See, easy!"

"Then jump to the next one," she said as Jasmine and Sky, soaking wet, climbed up to try again.

Scott spit on his hands, rubbed them together and jumped, successfully grabbing a rung and holding on tight as the wheel spun sharply downward, leaving Scott hanging at the bottom. Gotta love some classic gravity.

"Oh come on!" he groaned. "Courtney, get up here and spin me around."

"That's… actually a good strat," Jasmine said, tapping her chin. "If one of us hangs on, the other can spin them around to grab the next wheel and so on."

"Then I'll try," Courtney said, noticing Gwen, Cody, and Beth hurrying up the trail a ways back. "We have to hurry or Gwen might win."

Sky's nostrils flared. "Not a chance."

The CIT hopped on the first wheel and balanced herself until it finally stopped spinning and merely wobbled. With the second wheel in grabbing distance, she reached out, snagged one rung with a hand, and spun the wheel down, sending Scott up the opposite side little by little until he could grab the third wheel.

"Got it!" he shouted. "Now spin the last one!"

"Uh, how do I get on the next wheel though? As if anyone can climb fast enough to reach the-"

A monkey's fist soared overhead, hooking around one of the rungs and holding the second wheel in place. Courtney peered back to find Jasmine tugging it tight.

"Get across," she told the other two girls. "I'll hold it steady."

Confessional

"Look," Jasmine sighed. "I'd love to beast this challenge myself, but even if it's the merge, I might have to give if I wanna take. Ya know? Besides, helping Courtney and Scott only solidifies our alliance right off the bat. And trust me, I ain't gonna throw it down the dunny."

End Confessional

With the rope stopping the second wheel from spinning, Courtney was easily able to climb on top with Sky and spin the third wheel, giving Scott a free ride to the ledge.

"Thanks!" he wheezed, shaking the soreness out of his arms. "Good thing I can hold a clothesline over a pit of ants for hours. I can't wait to see Sugar try that."

"Okay, so this is weird," Gwen said, walking up alongside Jasmine. "So like, do we just go or-"

"No!" Sky bellowed from above. "You will not pass me!"

Gwen blinked. "Uh, I probably won't since you're already-"

"Just clam it," the gymnast growled, leaping up to the third wheel, doing a flip, and landing safely by Scott's side. Looking down at Gwen, her eyes were filled with fire. "You're going down and there's nothing you can do. So just stop trying to make things right. It's not happening." She grabbed the third wheel from her end. "Courtney, Jasmine, move it!"

"Hey, can we at least talk?!" asked Gwen. "You never gave me a cha-"

"No buts!" Sky yelled.

Gwen blinked again, then got super serious. "Okay, she's lost it."

Confessional

"You know what?" Gwen said. "If Sky wants to play like that, let's play. Maybe a few days at the Playa can help her screw her head back on so we can have a mature conversation." She cast a dejected, sorry look at the camera. "I just… Don't know what else to do."

End Confessional

"Tell me about it," Cody shuddered, hiding behind the goth. "And uh… why are they working together? I thought this was a solo challenge."

Jasmine didn't stick around to answer that. Jumping on the first wheel, quickly tossed Sky the free end of her rope which held the second wheel in place from the opposite end, allowing her to ascend to the ledge with hop, jump and skip.

"Oh no!" Beth gasped, nearly passing out from exhaustion upon finally arriving. "How do we get across now?"

"I don't know," Gwen groaned. "But we can't just give up. We have to work together if any of us want a chance at winning this with how far behind we are."

"Oooh, like an alliance?" Beth asked. "Me and Sugar were looking for one!"

Gwen sighed. "You know what, not that I'm really fond of Sugar at the moment, but if Sky's campaigning against me I'm down for whatever. So, sure."

"Oh yay!" Beth squealed. "Sugar's gonna be so happy! But… how do we get across though?"

"Well, maybe we could get at least two of us across fast," Cody said, eyeing the wheels. "If one of us rides across the bottom side while the other two spin them around, that should let the first two people cross. I'll stay behind though, if only because Gwen's gotta beat Sky to the top and sing her way to victory."

"But you have the singing voice of an angel," Beth gasped. "You can totally win this one."

"Maybe I still could if Lightning and Sugar show up and help out," he said. "But climbing mountains isn't really my thing. You go ahead. It's okay."

Gwen gave Cody a brief hug, leaving the geek smiling like a Cody in a candy store. "Thanks. I'll do my best. Now let's get to work."

Confessional

"This is great!" Beth said. "Now Sugar and I have a couple allies we didn't even expect to have! We just need one more and we'll have enough people to make sure none of us go home any time soon. And it's all because of me! See, I told you I had some game, and I didn't even have to play dirty this time. Sugar's gonna be so proud of me by the end of this season. I just know it!"

End Confessional

The peak of Underworld Island was the final destination for the final nine. Chef, dressed as Hades, sat in a spiked, rocky throne with the caged Amy by his side. Any chance to get some shut-eye before the campers arrived was ruined…

"Uh, hello?!" Amy whined. "The sun terrible at this angle! Move me to the other side right now!"

Chef grumbled. "Come on, kids. Get your butts up here… Please."

"Hey, don't ignore me! I'm not going to sit here and suffer the whole day! I was promised a cameo, not a can't-meo! So move this stupid cage into the shade, Gramps! I'm starting to burn!"

The urge to shank the cheerleader with his trident was boiling under Chef's otherwise calm if twitchy-eyed composure.

Confessional

"Chris ain't givin' me good work, man," Chef explained, still dressed in his Hades outfit. "It's like I'm just some big gruel cookin' costume jockey out here. I remember when I was important to the show. Now I gotta suffer with some abusive brat on a mountain all day? That ain't right."

End Confessional

Chef's hopelessness faded the second he saw someone finally reach the peak. Four of them in fact.

"Yes!" Sky cheered. "Finally! Let's goooo!"

Jasmine, Courtney, and Scott followed behind in that order.

"Thank god," Jasmine huffed. "That was a brutal climb. No way the others can make that in time to catch up."

Amy saw Jasmine and mimed a gag.

"I can't wait to sing," Courtney said with a light squeal. "I'm going to crush it."

"And don't underestimate hog-calling pipes," Scott said. "Back on the farm-"

"Nobody cares, Scott!" Chris said, dropping in via jet pack. "Welcome to the lair of Hades, home of your ticket to immunity. You've all come a long ways to get here and overcome deadly trials, so now it's time to show the man himself whatchu got."

"And what I've got will blow him away," Courtney said. "I've already written my song in my head complete with a dance routine on the way up here."

Chris snickered. "Oh really? Well, too bad you're not going to be singing that."

Courtney blinked. "What?"

"Yeah, I thought we had to sing our own songs?" Sky asked. "Not that I actually bothered to think of one, but you can't just change the challenge!"

"Relax," Chris said. "I'm not changing anything. All I said on the beach was that Hades needed to be charmed with a musical performance. I never said anything about writing your own music. Instead, you'll be performing a personalized remix of a World Tour classic to celebrate the season's availability on a ton of streaming services later this year!"

"So we're just doing product placement?" Scott groaned. "Lame."

"Yeah, I was gonna charm him with my aboriginal didgeridoo a cappella style," said Jasmine. "But… I guess if immunity's on the line..."

"And it is," Chris said. "So get your vocal chords juiced up, because it's show time! Since Sky arrived first, she gets first dibs. Then Jasmine, then Courtney, then Scott. And if anyone else shows up, they'll be at the back of the line. But know that Hades is a music snob, and it'll take a really great performance to convince him to hand over Eurydice, or Euryd-Amy I should say."

Speaking of the damsel in distress, she was now glaring at Chris. "Hey! Can you tell your cook to get me some shade? I'm parfait! I will not get sunburn out here!"

Chris glared back. "Hey, I let you have this cameo over Samey even with the fans demanding to see her instead. Consider yourself lucky and zip it, third boot."

"I was never voted out!" she argued. "Spareamy cheated!"

"Don't care. Anywaaaays, since we're in Greece, there's only one World Tour song we can remix, so… Have fun!" Chris jettisoned away in a puff of flame and smoke, leaving the contestants coughing up a storm.

Chef pulled a boombox out from behind the throne and pressed play. A familiar string tune started, echoing down the mountain.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding," Gwen groaned, running alongside a tired Beth towards the peak.

"Isn't that your song?" she asked. "About how you and Duncan cheated on Courtney and betrayed her trust?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "It is."

Even further down the mountain, Lightning and Sugar raced up to the Wheels of Ixion where Cody was sitting on the cliff side.

"What's that music?" Lightning asked. "Sounds sha-weird..."

"Yeah," Sugar gasped. "How can Chris crap on Craptry and then play that junk?!"

Cody looked over his shoulder. "Oh hey! You made it! Wanna help a guy out here? If we work together, at least two of us can make it across and have a chance at winning this."

Lightning shrugged. "If it helps Lightning call Pops, he'll sha-do it."

Sugar, barely able to stand after such a brutal walk, fell to her knees. "I'm too tired. But if it means puttin' Sky and Jasmine in their places… Count me in!" She forced herself back up and cracked some knuckles.

Sky took her place in front of Hades and did a quick breathing exercise. This was it. Her chance to win. To destroy the competition. To show Gwen who was boss around here. This was her time.

Chef restarted the track. It was game on!

Gwen's a backstabbing traitor,

you're thinking it too!

She crushed my heart to pieces,

it's a hundred percent trueeee!

When I win this challenge,

she'll see what I'm about!

I said no to an alliance!

But she wasn't about noncompliance!

I thought we were meant to be,

But her cold heart sent me broken, across the sea-ea-ea-ea!

Chef cut the music and Sky glared him down.

"Hey! I wasn't done venting!"

"Yeah, well you're off-key and I'm on a low sodium diet, so take your salty butt to the back of the line!"

Sky grumbled and pouted her way behind Scott just as Gwen and Beth arrived.

"Uh… I heard everything," Gwen said with a wince. "Are you sure we can't-"

"No!"

"No to talking or no to being sure?"

"What do you think?"

"Well I think you're being crazy," Gwen said, a little more standoffish than before. "If you'd give me a chance to explain and stop being so competitive, maybe we could patch things up."

"Don't. Talk to me."

Gwen sighed. "Fine. Enjoy going home tonight then."

Now that wiped the anger off Sky's face. Now she looked plain afraid, but she didn't show Gwen that.

Confessional

"She's gunning for me?!" Sky gasped. "I thought she wanted to make up! I guess I was right about her all along, huh?"

(static)

"At this point, Sky's a delusional lost cause," Gwen said. "I still want to be friends with her because our conversations were real and meant a lot to both of us, but she needs time to simmer down and ditch the salt. Then we'll talk."

End Confessional

The music started again and Jasmine cleared her throat.

I came back for the million,

now it's a little more!

I came back for redemption,

on this gnarly Greek shooooore!

Chef couldn't even stomach ten seconds of Jasmine's awful, off-key, wobbly-voiced singing before he cut the music and jabbed her away with his trident.

"Good call," Amy said with a mean sneer. "Jasmine's gross giantess vocal chords bombed big time."

Jasmine went back, but not before glaring at Amy. "You're lucky there's a cage between us. Just keep that in mind."

Courtney was up next, looking smug as ever.

"I hope you're ready to end this challenge early," she said.

Chef rolled his eyes and played the tape.

It's Total Drama Season Seven,

here in the Greek Isles!

On my way to million dollar heaven,

overcoming these trials!

"Boooring!" Chef groaned, jabbing the CIT away as her face flushed with red.

"What?! How can you call it boring? I didn't even get to the chorus!"

"Back of the line."

"But-"

"Get your butt to the back of the line, girl! Before this trident goes right up it!"

Courtney growled and kicked her way behind Jasmine. "Stupid little… Grrrr..."

Scott cleared his throat, waited for the song to start, and let out one of the most heinous noises ever. It was some mix of oinks and pig screeches to the tune of Greek Mix.

Chef didn't even need to hear more than a second. Dude was suffering enough and jabbed Scott away.

"Talk human next time, dirty boy!"

"Ow!" Scott stumbled back in line. "Okay, okay! No need to stab a guy for showcasing his talent!"

Gwen was next up, looking anxious but confident enough... Except for the part of her that hated the hell out of singing and would rather do literally anything else. She had to hide the grimace though, if only for the sake of boosting her performance.

Confessional

"Part of me wants to see Gwen win this one," Courtney said. "I know we're not working together and the whole friendship repair thing is on hiatus, but… the way Sky's been acting today is just plain rude. And I've been there in her shoes, during this exact song too, so I know how she feels. But that was a mistake that cost me the game, and Sky's making the exact same one right now."

End Confessional

Chef pressed play, yadda yadda.

Gwen cast one last look at Sky. She wasn't looking back.

I guess I really screwed up,

I didn't think things through!

I really wanna make up,

and so should yooooou!

Even if you hate me,

I want to make things right!

If it's just between us,

I guess you have a right to make a fuss!

Oh I stabbed you in the back,

And the fallout, left me an insomnia-a-a-a-ac!

Let's just do this!

Let's clear the air!

I don't hate you!

So let's play this fair!

My pain, your pain!

Too much to explain!

So stop being salty!

It comes across insaaaaane!

You fought your way back in,

And that's seriously brave!

So let's make things right,

Before you end up like Daaaaaave!

Gwen didn't even look at Chef for approval. Her eyes were locked on Sky the entire time. And mid-way through the song, Sky perked up. Her scowl melted into a small pout, but she remained silent. And as the song ended, she turned away with her arms crossed.

"Pretty good stuff," Chef said. "Heart was in it, but a couple lines were just stolen from the original, so back of the line!"

Gwen did as she was told, looking exhausted, annoyed, and dejected.

Confessional

"Welp. That was my hail Mary," Gwen groaned, slumping forward. "Hopefully it cooled her jets a little, because I am not putting that much effort into a song ever again. Chris, eat your heart out."

(static)

Sky wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm not like Dave. I'm… I'm not. Am I? Gwen's just trying to get into my head, right? Or… Did she mean all of that? I…" She clutched her head and groaned. "I don't know what to think anymore! I just have to put my head down and win this challenge! I can't get distracted by emotions again. No matter what..." If only she knew.

End Confessional

"That was really sweet," Beth said, passing the goth on her way up.

"Whatever," Gwen sighed, trying not to cringe from the shame of singing on camera after swearing the stuff off ages ago. "Good luck though."

Beth's first go started like everyone else's, with Chef pressing play and the strings leading up to the big vocals. However, once it was time to start singing, Beth immediately started doing a dance, curling her fists and pumping them up and down as her hips swayed side to side. Her vocals? Screechy.

My new friend's name is Sugar,

she's really super cool!

I know people kinda hate her,

but she likes to... eat gruel!

I mean, that's cruel! Um, nooooo, wait a minute-

"You're done!" Chef barked, covering his ears as Amy did the same.

"Yeah, that performance was barf in musical form!" she retched.

Beth groaned and returned to the line, leaving Sky to return for her second go.

The gymnast gave Gwen a brief glance, but kept her focus on Chef. "Alright. Play it."

As the music began again, Sky cleared her throat, taking into account the criticisms of her first performance, and sang with… a more somber tone.

Gwen's a backstabbing traitor,

I thought that was true...

She crushed my heart to pieces,

and I didn't know what to do...

and I don't know what to do…

and… I don't know... what to do…

and… I… Uhh… Dunno… Whaddadooo...

At that point, Sky was totally choked up and couldn't even form a coherent line. She wasn't crying yet, but damn it, she was close.

Chef raised a brow and stared right into the nearest camera. "Dang. Girl's a mess." Anyways, he had a verdict. "Back of the line. I appreciate the heart, but I can't give a song the win if I can't even understand half of it."

But Sky didn't go to the back of the line. She went to the opposite end of the peak, choosing to squat on the edge of the mountain and bury her head in her knees.

"I blew it," she huffed under her breath. "I freakin' blew it…"

Jasmine wanted to rush to Sky's side and make sure she was okay, but before she could do so, Chef called her up.

"Hey, you're up."

She shook her head. "Oh… right. Um… Got it."

Confessional

Jasmine sighed. "Every part of me wanted to be there for Sky… except the part of me that has to win this challenge. I'm a big threat, literally and figuratively, and not winning means I could easily get blindsided again. This could be my only chance, so I'll have to pull out something epic. Guess the ol' opera house lessons are comin' out after all..."

End Confessional

Chef pressed play. Jasmine readied herself. Everyone but Sky watched with a blend anticipation and dread. And when those lips finally parted, what came out was… not what anyone expected at all. Instead of a safe, bland, half-hearted singing voice, Jasmine was full on belting opera.

I'm here for a reason,

and you all know why!

My boyfriend's the reason!

His sacrifice made me cryyyyy!

"Where did she learn to do that?" Beth asked. "That's… beautiful."

"Guess she's a jack of all trades," Scott snorted. "Go figure the piss drinker is an opera singer."

Courtney jabbed Scott in the side. "Stop insulting our ally," she hissed.

The powers of Zeus consumed him,

but brought my soul to life!

Oh, I'm doin' this for him!

Even though this game's been mighty grim!

Top two we're meant to be,

but this cruel game, burned down our fantasy-y-y-y-y!

Still stuck on the Wheels of Ixion, Sugar, Lightning, and Cody glanced up to the clouds in the middle of stretching, climbing, and dripping with water from several failed attempts.

"Sha-dang! That's one hell of a performance!"

Sugar rolled her eyes. "Opera? Puh-lease! As if that's gonna net someone the win. Optry's where it's at!"

"Hey!" Cody whined. "If we don't hurry, we're losing this for sure. And I can't stretch like this forever! Hurry!"

I've only got one goal!

I'm winnin' this game!

If I'm not the champion,

that would be a shame!

This game, this game!

A million and tabloid fame!

I ain't givin' up now!

Because Shawn would do the same!

I've got this win I reckon!

And that's bloody for sure!

And yeah, I won it,

with a beat from World Toooooooour!

As Jasmine let out a last gasp, the only accompanying sound was that of the wind blowing through the atmosphere."D-did I do it? Was that good?"

Chef dropped his trident in shock and started sniffling. "That was… the most beautiful opera I've heard since I was a wee baby boy at Grandma's… She would play those records all day… The little record player… The home cooked meal… I… I…"

"Ugh!" Amy groaned. "Just give her the win, old man! And stop crying! It makes you look like a bitch."

Chef wiped his nose with his cloak and handed Jasmine the key to Amy's cage. "Whatever. I ain't soft. But yeah, Jasmine's the winner."

Jasmine snatched the key and pumped her fist so hard she nearly dislocated her arm. "YES! I did it! Shawn, this was for you!"

Courtney, despite her bitterness over losing a singing challenge, clapped for her ally. "Congrats, Jasmine." Of course, deep down she questioned where Jasmine had even learned to do that and would continue questioning it. It's not like she expected her to win that challenge, so for her to destroy it? Yeah, Jasmine had some skills she was hiding. And to Courtney, well, that was just terrifying. But better to have her working with her rather than against her.

"Yeah, that was amazing!" Beth cheered.

"Great work," Chris said, hovering back down. "Despite it being sappy and outdated stylistically, Jasmine's operatic tribute to her weird romance scored the W today, meaning she's safe at tonight's elimination ceremony and wins a phone call to a loved one."

"Shawn!" Jasmine squealed. "I'm calling Shawn!"

"Easy there, eager beaver. The reward won't come until after tonight's elimination ceremony, but there's a little twist I'd like to introduce."

"Don't tell me it's a double boot," Scott complained.

"Or that all this was just a reward challenge," Courtney said, eyeing Chris with a suspicious look.

"Nope. Only one person is going home tonight," Chris said. "And for good. No more second chances. But the twist… is that Jasmine won't be the only one enjoying a phone call home tonight."

Everyone gasped, even Cody, Lightning, and Sugar who just arrived in time to hear the news."

"You mean Lightning can still call his Pops?!" the jock gasped. "Sha-sweet!"

"Whatever," Sugar scoffed, her face dripping with mascara like some waterlogged zombie. "If I ain't winnin' it, I don't want it."

Jasmine immediately raised a brow. "Wait a second… Do I have to-"

Chris flashed a cruel smirk. "Choose one other person to share the reward with while hurting the feelings of seven others? Yes. Yes you do. You'll have the rest of the day to think about your choice, but once the ceremony is over, you'll have to choose on the spot. And it's a half hour show, so don't do all that stalling stuff. The editors already create enough suspense in post."

Jasmine looked over at Sky, who was still sulking on the edge. She turned to walk over there, but was beaten to the punch by someone else.

"Hey," Gwen said, standing over Sky's slumping figure. "I know you're voting for me tonight, but I just hope you understand what I tried to say in that song… as cheesy and forced and cringey as it was. I really hate singing, so-"

"Just go away," Sky sighed, her voice no longer dripping venom.

Gwen nodded. "Yeah. Got it."

As awkward silence set in, Amy was quick to shatter it with her shrill voice.

"Hey! Open this stupid cage already! I'm sweating like a pig in here! And by pig I mean Samey!"

Jasmine looked down at the skeleton key in her hand, looked to Amy, looked down at the key again, and just kinda yeeted that thing off the side of the mountain. "Whoops."

"No!" Amy shrieked. "Are you kidding me?! How dare you!"

"Nice one," Chef chuckled, fist bumping with the Aussie.

Confessional

"I did it," Jasmine sighed happily. "Final eight for real this time. Just a few more episodes to go and I'll be in the finale with a shot at the money, hopefully with Sky at my side as my underdog in crime. I don't know if I needed to win this one since I got my deal with Sugar and Beth to fall back on, but I'm glad I did. But who I share the phone call with is another question. My gut says give it to Sky since she's in a dark place, but… Maybe I should think strategically if she's okay with it."

End Confessional

"So this is the alliance," Beth said to Sugar, Gwen, and Cody as they stood behind the bath house. "We just need one more and we can vote Sky off."

Sugar nodded along. "Yeah! And once Sky's gone, Jasmine's gone next."

"I like this final four," Cody said. "But we need five tonight aaaand I'm guessing Lightning is the swing vote since the other four were pretty tight during the challenge."

"Yeah," Gwen sighed. "It's definitely Lightning. Which sucks because he's a total wildcard without a strategic cell in his brain. He could vote for himself tonight and I wouldn't be shocked."

"Someone needs to get in his ear," Beth said. "Someone he trusts. Someone who really likes him maybe? If only there was someone like that around here..." She looked directly at Sugar, who blinked cluelessly.

"Uh… I guess I can do it," she replied. "From one protein suck-downer to another."

Gwen blinked. "Okay, first of all, never say that again. Second of all… thanks for supporting me. I never expected to be counting on you of all people. Though I'm not sure you're doing this to help me as much as you are to beat Sky..."

Sugar shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. Your style's trash, but an enemy of Sky's a pal of mine."

"Figured as much. But still, thanks."

Confessional

"The plan is simple," Gwen said. "Sky gets five votes and goes home, we go to the final five with Lightning, and then Cody and I get to the finale… I guess. I'm not really into strategy and stuff, but I think that about sums it up. We need Lightning though, or the plan's a bust. And leaving it up to Sugar? Yeah, not the most comforting idea."

(static)

"I just hope this works," Cody sighed. "Sky is gunning for Gwen super hard. And I just got Gwen back on her feet too. But Lightning seems like a cool dude apart from the douchey jock energy, soooo maybe we're in luck?"

End Confessional

Inside Sky's room, now inhabited again after a few days of vacancy, she and Jasmine sat together on the bed as Jasmine brushed all the dirt and twigs out of her hair that hadn't come out during her shower earlier that day.

"So how do we get him on our side?" Jasmine asked. "Lightning and I have a bond, but he's got a weird bond with Sugar I think, and he spent a while with Cody and Gwen today. He might be too far gone."

Sky sighed. "I guess promise him final three? I don't really do strategy, but if he wants to win as much as we do, play into that a little bit. Tell him to be the best, he has to beat the best."

Jasmine snorted out a chuckle. "Mate would totally bite I reckon. But then again, he didn't take Zoey to the end in his first season because she was the tougher opponent. So maybe telling him he's going against tough competition is a bad idea. Because let's be honest here: he relies on his muscles to win, and against us, we got the brains and the brawn. He's a little naive, but he's not stupid."

"That's… also true. And thanks for coming up here. I really needed someone to keep me company after the last few days. Believe it or not, Duncan and Heather aren't exactly easy to live with."

"Of course I'd keep ya company," Jasmine said, offering Sky a hug. "You're the best friend I have left out here. Even if it's a game, it doesn't mean I have to leave friendships at the door. Anyways, have you decided who you're gonna call?"

Sky looked away. "Uh… Well… My sister."

"Nice. What's her name?"

"Well, my parents wanted to name us after the Earth, so I was Sky and she was Sea."

Jasmine smirked. "I thought you were gonna say her name was Ground or Land… or Sand. That'd be cruel."

Sky smiled back, albeit faintly. "Yeah, that was… a joke in our house. But uh… I don't want you to give me the call."

Jasmine's smile dropped. "Why?"

"I have an idea..."

As Lightning returned from his bathroom trip, Sugar popped out of the bushes. "Psst. Big Boy. We gotta talk..."

Lightning jumped back. "Uh, about what?"

Sugar smirked. "Tonight's vote..."

As the sun finally crept behind the horizon and darkness settled in, the nine merged players walked up the steps to the temple, knowing the most crucial vote of the season was mere minutes from taking place.

Jasmine, happily immune, led the line, followed by Courtney, Sky, and Scott. At the back of the pack, Sugar and Beth struggled together with Gwen and Cody just ahead of them. And dead in the middle, ironically enough, was Lightning, looking confused, lost, and utterly conflicted.

Chris waited for the nine to take their seats in the amphitheater, holding his platter of steamy kabobs as usual. "Welcome, merge-ees. Who's hungry?"

Sugar waved a hand. "Oh! Oh! Me! I am!"

Chris rolled his eyes. "It was a rhetorical question. Anyways, welcome to the first ceremony of the individual game. In just a few days, only one of you will be left standing with the biggest cash prize in TD history in hand. More than a million! But until the case is opened, the true amount remains a secret. But you know what won't remain a secret? Who's going home tonight. It's time to cast your votes!"

Voting Confessional

Sky dropped Gwen's coin in the urn. "That felt... good."

(static)

Gwen dropped Sky's coin in the urn. "I tried. But you didn't want to hear the 'but' no matter how hard I tried. Sorry. But hey, if we end up at the Playa together, maybe we can bury the hatchet."

(static)

Lightning held the Sky coin in one hand and the Gwen coin in the other. "Awwww man, this is tough. Lightning ain't sure what to do!" Then he noticed the other coins lying on the table. "Hmm…"

End Voting Confessional

"Alright, you've all cast your votes," Chris said. "And I've tabulated the results. Fresh off the grill kabobs go to… Jasmine, for having immunity!"

The Aussie snatched her kabob mid-air and enjoyed the mildly pleasant meal, stress chewing as the rest of the safety symbols found their owners.

"Scott and Beth..."

The former caught his prize all chill-like while Beth nearly fell out of her seat trying to catch it.

"Hmmm… Sugar, eat up."

Sugar ejected her tongue like a frog and slurped that kabob out of the air. Oh wait, she just caught it and ate from the skewer because this was real life, not a cartoon.

"Courtney..."

"Yes," she huffed, snagging her kabob with both hands.

"Cody..."

The geek expected to be safe, but hearing his name didn't relieve any butterflies from his stomach. It wasn't himself he was worried about.

"Aaaand Lightning."

The jock caught his kabob, but was a little too nervous to chow down on that protein. Weird.

Gwen and Sky locked determined gazes.

"And predictably, we have our bottom two," Chris said. "Sky, you were already voted out and spent the entire episode having an overly competitive breakdown that annoyed people, only to not win immunity. And Gwen, you pissed off Sky, also failed to win immunity, and put a lot of work into repairing a relationship that's still broken instead of playing the game. Both of you have pretty epic downfall potential, but only one female runner up with a history of boyfriend drama will survive..."

Beth raised a hand. "But what about me?"

"Nobody cares," Chris said. "And the final kabob goes toooooo..."

Sky glared at Gwen. Gwen stared at Sky. Chris gazed between them both.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Sky."

Everyone in the amphitheater had a reaction.

"Yes!" Sky gasped. "Thank you!"

Gwen sighed and slumped back. "Yeah, I figured that was coming."

Cody buried his head in his hands. "Oh no..."

Courtney and Scott shared a brief look of satisfaction.

Jasmine smiled and nodded Lightning's way, giving the jock a wink.

Lightning smiled back. It appeared somewhat forced, but definitely genuine.

Sugar glared at Lightning, her lip quivering.

Beth gnawed at her bottom lip as the scary realization set in.

"Gwen, I'm sure you're no stranger to losing, but it's time to go," Chris said. "The Ferry of Shame awaits."

The goth stood and gave the mopey Cody a brief hug. "It's okay. I'm just glad I was able to find some peace before I left. And I couldn't have done it without you."

"B-but we were supposed to-"

"I know. And you can still make it there on your own. I know you can."

Courtney approached her, looking far less satisfied than she had a few seconds earlier. "Uh… Good game."

Gwen looked back at Courtney and sighed. "You know what? Yeah. Good game. I still hope you can see this as more than a game someday, but consider the hatchet buried. To a degree."

Lastly, Gwen walked past the rest to see Sky. The athlete had her arms crossed defiantly.

"I'm not going to hold it against you," Gwen said. "I meant what I said up there on the mountain, and that's all I had to say. If you want to stay mad after that, that's your choice. And if that is your choice, I seriously hope you win."

Sky raised a brow and her facade of salt fell like a curtain for a brief moment. "Wait… You're rooting for me?"

Gwen looked Sky right in the eye. "Because I know that if you win out of bitterness, you won't be satisfied. So take my advice: aim for a satisfying victory. See you at the Playa." She turned to Chris. "Alright. I'm done. Let's get this over with."

"And what's an elimination without a little added fireworks," Chris said, pressing his remote to detonate Gwen's massive stone bust, sending the place up in a smoky haze that caused a mass coughing fit.

One editing wipe later and Gwen was sitting next to Charon in the Ferry of Shame as it departed across the sea. "I hope you win this, Cody! Go get 'em for me."

"I will!" he called back. "I hope," he whispered, noticing the obvious five person alliance hanging out to his right.

Gwen soon sailed out of earshot, leaving eight players left on the beach.

"So," Chris said. "Jasmine, it's time to make your choice. Who else will be receiving a sponsored phone call home, courtesy of TD sponsor Mega Cell Supreme?"

Jasmine nodded. "Well, I made a bargain, and since he held up his end I'm holding up mine. Lightning, call your dad. You earned it, mate."

Lightning fist pumped. "Sha-yeah! Thanks, tall girl! Lightning ain't gonna waste it."

"Bargain?" Sugar huffed under her breath. "The heck?"

Lightning winced. "Uh… Yeah. Lightning kinda cut a deal. If Gwen went home like Jasmine wanted, he'd get to call his Pops. And Lightning's a man of his word."

"Not your word to me!" Sugar barked, shutting down every side conversation going in the area. "You said you was votin' with us tonight!"

Lightning blinked. "Uh… Lightning thinks he said Lightning would think about it… Sha-sorry?"

Sugar was about to let him have it, but Chris popped up between the two with arms wide. "And that's another episode in the books! Eight remain in the battle of the best! Find out who's taking a ferry ride to loserdom next time, on Total Drama: Clash of the Titans!"

"Hey, I wasn't finished chewin' him out!" Sugar protested.

"Girl, chill out," Lightning snorted. "Lightning ain't no gum!"

Exclusive Final Words: Gwen

"Well, that sucked," she mumbled, gently rocking as the Ferry of Shame floated along the sea. "I'm just glad I was able to clear the air with Courtney and Sky before I left. And now I can go to the Playa, grab some actual food, hang out with Mike and Zoey, and scan that contract for any mention of future seasons just in case Chris has me roped into more torture. Consider me retired otherwise, because no way am I ever coming back on this show again by choice. I tied up loose ends, and that's honestly a bigger victory than I expected."

"Hey! Over here!" came a shrill voice.

Gwen nearly jumped out of her seat as Amy, still in her cage, floated by. "Oh crap!"

"Uh, wanna help me out of here?" she whined. "I literally rolled all the way down the mountain after you jerks just left me there. I wanna gag just thinking about the abuse I've been through!"

Gwen blinked. "Uh, I don't have the key. Sorry..."

"Excuse me?! I'm a parfait, which is French for AHHH!"

A massive wave surged over Amy's cage and Charon pushed onward with Gwen awkwardly looking at the camera. "Yeah. Definitely retired."

Voting Confessionals

Sky dropped Gwen's coin in the urn. "That felt... good."

Jasmine cast her super easy vote for Gwen. "If my read is right, Lightning will be voting with us if he knows what he wants: that phone call. I just hope he doesn't get cold feet, but if he does, hopefully he has the respect to just force a tie by voting someone random."

Scott whistled a tune as he voted for Gwen. "You should've taken the shot at me when you had the chance. Sucks to suck, don't it?"

Courtney sighed as she dropped Gwen's coin in the urn. "Sorry you think I'm overplaying, but I'm here to win. You aren't. Maybe if you were a better player, we'd be working together right now and someone else would be going home."

Gwen dropped Sky's coin in the urn. "I tried. But you didn't want to hear the 'but' no matter how hard I tried to get through to you. Sorry. But hey, if we end up at the Playa together, maybe we can bury the hatchet."

Sugar voted for Sky with a giddy smirk. "Man, I've been waitin' to take Miss Olympic down for good. Too bad Jasmine was immune because gosh darn it, I would have loved to see her face when ol' Sugar pulled a fast one on her the day after she made that deal. Oh, well. At least there's the next episode."

Beth reluctantly dropped Sky's coin in the urn. "I feel bad voting for people now that it's all super personal and stuff, but Sky's been kinda mean all day and Gwen's been super nice all day. So… Yeah."

Cody wasted no time in casting his vote for Sky. "Please come through, Lightning. Please!"

Lightning held the Sky coin in one hand and the Gwen coin in the other. "Awwww man, this is tough. Lightning ain't sure what to do!" Then he noticed the other coins lying on the table. "Hmm…. Nah, he has to vote for Gwen if he wants that call to Pops. Sorry, goth girl. But hey, at least you made the merge. That's cool, right?

Eliminated: Mike, Zoey, Owen, Alejandro, Shawn, Duncan, Heather, Gwen

Remaining: Beth, Cody, Courtney, Jasmine, Lightning, Scott, Sky, Sugar

Reasoning for Elimination: So that's three people gone for good in one episode. Lots to break down here obviously. Duncan was never someone I expected to go far seeing as he's already merged four times in canon. So a pre-merge stay was the right choice I believe. With Heather, I wanted her to make the merge, but I ultimately had her cut just short because there were other characters I wanted to spend more time with. I honestly don't know who I'd cut and replace in this final nine though, so if she did merge it would just mean the merge happens an episode earlier. And then we have Gwen, someone who really came in trying to leave the past behind her and start a new game, only for past and present to come crashing down. But in the end, she found peace and went out with her head held high, something she's rarely been able to do in canon. She went out on a high note, and for my first time writing Gwen ever, I'm happy with the story I gave her.

A/N: And that's the merge episode down. A big chapter but one that needed the words I think. With no more Underworld Duels, the episodes should be somewhat shorter, faster paced, and give more room for character interactions as we head into the season's endgame with the final eight. As of now I'm writing Episode 12 out of 13, so my backlog is still solid, buuut if I find myself getting behind, I might push back updates a couple days or so if need be since I don't want to publish something without another chapter in the files ready to be edited for release.

Until next time, take care, everyone!

And I posted a poll on my barren AF profile so go vote for who you're rooting for to win. Even if you don't review, it's a good metric to see just who the favorites are and who's getting shut out. :)