After feeding the little kids back at the Big House, Zavid, Bree, Adira, Fraya, and Asher continued on their way to the ocean.

Zavid groaned, miserable and exhausted, as Fraya and Asher jumped up and down on him, their little legs kicking his back. "Fraya? Asher?"

"Yeah?" Asher squeaked.

"Why don't you two play a game of 'Who can walk on the ground the longest?'"

Fraya and Asher immediately dropped from his back. "I'm gonna win!" They hissed at each other.

Zavid sighed in relief. He smelled the saltwater again. "Come on, guys! Come on!"

They broke into sprinting until they came across the beach. "Is that Josephine?" Bree asked, pointing at a tiny head bobbing in the distance.

Zavid narrowed his eyes, nodding. The little group went after the child. "Josephine!" Zavid shouted. Josephine immediately broke into a sprint. They chased after her.

Josephine suddenly disappeared into...the ground? Zavid and friends finally stumbled upon an opening in the sand.

"I don't trust that," Bree grumbled, eyeing the hole.

Zavid gently nudged Fraya into the hole. She squealed, a sound which was immediately followed by a soft thump. "Don't do that!" She squealed up.

"Sorry!" Zavid called down, before nudging Asher in. Asher tried to jump up, but failed, falling in.

"He nearly fell on me!" Fraya cried out angrily. Zavid nudged Bree and Adira in quickly, ignoring their protests.

"Are you of the way?" He asked. They all said yes, so he gently fell in, landing on his feet. "Okay, come on."

They started walking. Zavid raised an eyebrow, thoroughly surprised that there was a hallway filled with torches. Wow. What were the Gods even doing? Were their senses of logic completely gone? Apparently so.

They were finally stopped by a dead end. Zavid inwardly cursed. Adira found a stone "button" on the weird...solid sand wall. Above it read:

ACTIVATE THE ENTRY MAZE

FRIENDS, BE WARNED. YOU WILL BE SEPERATED.

Adira grinned. A maze! Zavid noticed only when Adira was already using the strength in her little body to slide the stone into the wall to "activate the entry maze".

"Adira, NO!" He cried.

"ADIRA YES!" She shouted, the stone clicking in place as maze walls abruptly surrounded them, cutting them off from each other.

-o-

Adira was absolutely giddy with excitement. She loved mazes. She instantly began navigating her way around, eyes bright.

Left, left, right, left, right, right, right, dead end, back up, left, abrupt right, left, left, dead end, right, right, left, right, door.

Adira stopped at the door, a puzzled look on her face. Next to it was a quill dipped in gold ink. On the door was a maze, like the ones in the kid menus at restaurants. She picked up the quill, carefully guiding the tip around the little maze. When she reached the end, a slot below the maze opened. Before taking out what was inside, she scribbled on the door: 'ADIRA WAS HERE'. She reached into the slot, plucking out a key. The door parted and opened, and she stepped through. The door closed behind her. There were more twisting pathways in front of her. Before she moved on, she grinned and yelled to herself in excitement:

"IT'S ADIRA'S TIME TO SHINE!"

-o-

Right, right, upwards staircase, left, left, left, abrupt right, abrupt left, right, right, downwards staircase, right, wall.

On the wall was some sort of puzzle. The puzzle pieces were basically the different body parts of a winged goddess. It was completely mismatched. Below the puzzle, there was a keyhole. Adira tried to use the key she held, but it didn't work. Pursing her lips, she reached up and grabbed the stone puzzle pieces as she began to rearrange them. It took about six minutes. She finally placed down the puzzle piece of the left wing. It clicked and the completed puzzle sealed in place.

Adira tried the key again. This time, there was a click. The key stuck in the keyhole, and the wall parted. Behind it, little Bree sat there. They exchanged little hugs, then Adira grabbed her hand and pulled her into the maze. Adira loudly sang a song about mazes that Bree attempted to sing, too, but Adira never repeated any one lyric. So, Bree simply listened.

-o-

Upwards staircase, upwards staircase, upwards staircase, upwards staircase, HOW MANY STAIRCASES COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE? Left, left, right, right, upwards staircase, right, downwards staircase, door.

Bree watched as Adira used the quill on the maze on the door. Adira scribbled 'ADIRA WAS HERE' before reaching into a slot to pull out a key. While she did that, Bree quickly added 'AND BREE' to what Adira wrote, before the door opened.

They slipped into the maze once more.

This time, Bree wasn't even paying attention to where they were going, or every single turn they made, because she was pretty bored.

Before she slammed face-first into a door. She pulled her face away, grabbing it and groaning in pain. Adira rearranged the puzzle on the door, which ended up being one of those weird masks that looks like it's laughing. The puzzle sealed in place and Adira slipped the key into the keyhole, turning it. It clicked and the door opened, revealing Asher.

Asher and Adira burst into what seemed like a complete musical, and Bree groaned as they plunged back into the maze.

-o-

Adira and Asher decided to take their sweet time scribbling doodles on the door with the quill. After a few minutes, Adira did the little maze on the door and it parted.

Left, left, downwards staircase, downwards staircase, secret entrance behind statue of Eris, ri-wait, statue of Eris? Left, right, right, right, right, upwards staircase, puzzle.

When Adira finished the puzzle, it ended up being a ghost. She used the key, and this time, it was Fraya.

Adira twirled on her heel, pointing back to the maze. "Onward, my companions!"

Asher and Fraya saluted her, following after her. Bree sighed, then went after them.

Now, time to find Zavid.