A/N: Sorry for the long delay. My mom went away to house sit for my aunt for a whole week. Being the responsible and dorky teen I am, I played mom the whole time. I didn't know that cleaning and taking care to two little sisters for a few days could keep you so busy. But at least I did something I had never done in my entire life…I did laundry! Ha, ha! So maybe my driving sessions will be another time. Anywho, enjoy the chapter. I made it longer just because of the wait you had to suffer through.

Disclaimer: Refer to any chapter before this to see who owns what.

Chapter 9 Playing Games

Ears flat, Theo stepped aside as another screaming lunatic ran past him and Danny, almost taking the ghost kid out in the process. The theater was hysterical. It was very obvious to the Humans that they had been punished by Dionysus with the vision and disliked by the god for no apparent reason at all. So they had to work themselves up into a frenzy. The Greeks could be very smart at times back in the ancient days, but they were too superstitious for their own good.

"This is taking forever," Danny exploded, having to duck to dodge another screaming human and making the guy trip right over him. They were trying to make their ways out of the hill side theater, but it was hard to keep going forward with so many people running around like wild men. There were a few women in the crowd and children, but mostly were men.

"Move!" Theo yelled at someone, pushing the unfortunate man aside with a small shove. "Humans are as bad here as they are in Egypt. Get over yourselves."

"Just let me turn ghost," Danny pleaded with Theo. "I can fly us out of here in less than five seconds."

Theo spun around to look Danny in the eye. "No way, kid," he said, annoyed that he had to repeat himself. "You want these guys to freak out even more? I don't think so! The second you turn into your snowflake haired alter ego, these humans are either going to faint or get worse. Panic times two equals trouble for us."

"But what about Dionysus?" Danny argued. "The god is going to wake up soon. I'm sorry, but I don't want to be devoured by a lion. How 'bout you?"

"Right now, I just want to get out of here peacefully," Theo said. He spun back around, grabbed a man's shoulder that was in front of him, and threw him aside in one fluid motion.

"Yeah, real hippy pacifist right there," Danny muttered as he saw the guy fall down a few steps and then sit there in a daze, never knowing what hit him.

"Shut it," Theo said over his shoulder with a wane smile.

The two climbed the hill for another ten minutes, dodging and pushing the whole time. They weren't in very good moods by the time they were at the top; looking down at all the stone carved seats and the center stage holding the passed out Dionysus. Putting their hands on their knees, the boys gasped to regain their breath from the strenuous hike up the hundreds of stairs.

"Uh…we have a problem," Danny said as he looked down to the stage once more. He wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, squinting to make sure what he was seeing was real.

"Now what?" Theo snapped. The sting of the scar on his cheek was beginning to become unbearable. The pain was making him more agitated than normal…if that was possible.

"Is this a bad time to say I told you so?" Danny asked, pointing to the stage below them. Theo directed his hard gaze toward there. The spite was taken out of him when he saw that Dionysus was waking up. The god suddenly sat up and looked right up at the two, making eye contact with Theo. The interaction was as cold as a gusty winter in Antarctica.

Danny watched as Theo's fire was restored by his fear and hate for the god. Theo tore his gaze away from Dionysus to look at Danny. He smiled before asking, "Ready for a run?"

"Where to?" Danny said, managing a weak smile, glad that Theo was back into a good, motivated humor. He hated to admit that his human form wasn't near in condition as his ghost form. He was getting there, but Danny still had trouble doing any activity for too long. He just decided that he would have to deal with a run anyways. It wasn't like he had options to choose from.

"There," Theo answered the question while pointing to a large hill that stood in the center of the city. "The Acropolis of Athens," Theo explained before Danny could inquire. "There we will find the Temple of Athena, our next goddess on the to-do list."

"Wait, doesn't that still stand today…I mean in my time?" Danny asked, still mixed up with his own time and the one he had been forced into. "Sweet! Could I get a tour and a postcard while I'm there?"

"Sure, we'll even give some offerings to the gods while we are at it," Theo said with a grin. He spotted Dionysus jump off the stage way below, giving him the hint to get moving. "Time to go," he said in a rush while taking off in a sprint into the busy street. Danny was right behind him.

The streets were even harder to negotiate than the theater. Even though the people weren't running around aimlessly, there was still too many of them for both teens to avoid. The two were constantly running, skidding to a stop to prevent a collision, and then taking off in another direction. They couldn't help but bump into a few humans while they were on their mad dash. The screams and yells of anger were like red flags to Dionysus, indicating exactly where they were in the crowd.

Daring to look back, Danny saw Dionysus shoving people aside to get to them faster. "He's right behind us!" he called over to Theo. "Why doesn't he put us under one of his spells?"

"His power has a limit," Theo gasped to explain. "He wasted it all on his last illusion. He'll be fine in a few hours, though. Just move faster!"

Adrenaline high, Danny pushed his body harder to keep up with Theo. The demigod was in a condition that could run a marathon, but not so much for Danny. As if to make things worse, the two broke out of the crowd at the foot of the hill where hundreds of stairs led upward toward their destination.

"You got to be kidding me!" Danny gasped as he came to a stop at the first step. He looked up the marble stairs as if it went into infinity. "Why can't I just fly?" he asked Theo helplessly.

"Not now, ghost boy!" Theo yelled at him as he grabbed Danny's arm and started to drag his friend up the stairs. "We don't have time to complain. Move, move, move!" Danny felt like he was literally being pushed up the steps and Theo was the sergeant making him do it. Ignoring the pain, Danny glared at Theo in annoyance.

The boys were halfway up that flight of stairs when Dionysus started at the bottom. Frantic now, Theo and Danny tried to speed up the pace to evade the god, taking two steps at a time. They constantly stole glances behind their shoulders, making sure the god was at least twenty steps below them. They were going to make it a close one.

A few hundred steps later, they arrived at the very top of the hill. Practically wheezing for air now, the boys made a bee line for the Temple of Athena. Danny couldn't make it across the court yard, though. Half way there he had to stop to catch some of his breath.

"No, no, no!" Theo yelled in between gasps as he ran back to where Danny had stopped. The humans there were all giving the two strange looks…until they noticed Theo being a demigod. For some reason that concept set all their minds at ease.

"Just a second," Danny choked out.

"I don't think so! We came too far to have you stop now!" Theo said harshly. He roughly pushed Danny on the back, forcing him to keep going. "If you pass out again, I'm gonna murder you in your sleep!" Theo grumbled.

"Very reassuring," Danny muttered back, starting to jog again.

Danny didn't take the time to sight see. At any other time he would have paused to take in the giant marble temples and statues that decorated the hill. It was like his history text book had come to life before his eyes. For as far as his eye could see there was the city of Athens below, bustling with life. All around him was a breathtaking view that he couldn't stop to enjoy.

Soon both were at the Temple of Athena. It was the biggest building that stood on the Acropolis. The Temple of Athena was before the now legendary Parthenon. It would only be a few years later that the Persians would invade and destroy the Temple of Athena, making the Greeks built the Parthenon in its absence. But of course Danny could never remember that small fact.

The boys rushed up the small stair case to the temple, both silently despising stairs for the rest of their lives. Large pillars towered above them as they walked into the open temple. Danny was surprised that he didn't see many people there praying or giving offerings. A small bowl filled with oil sat on a stand in the middle of the temple which produced a small flame, as it was close to sun set. But besides the fire, nothing else was there. Danny decided to keep the questions to himself and focus on his breathing instead.

Theo stopped at the fire bowl, greedily taking in gulps of air as well as Danny. Sweat was now dripping off their foreheads. Danny looked around, confused about what to do next and not wanting to trust Theo with the task. Theo, on the other hand, was purely waiting for Dionysus to catch up.

"Where is he?" Theo questioned out loud.

"What are we doing?" Danny asked.

"Just trust me," Theo said with the wave of his hand. "I know what I'm doing."

"It sure doesn't look it," Danny pointed out the second he saw Dionysus jog over to the temple.

"The second he steps into the temple, Athena will have to show up," Theo said quickly to Danny. "Gods are pretty touchy when it comes down to other gods walking into their temples. She'll come."

Dionysus saw that the two had stopped inside the temple and smiled wickedly at them. Danny tensed as he took a tentative step back, getting ready to run if Theo's plan didn't work. He glanced over to see that Theo looked as anxious as before. It was hard to believe in someone who didn't even believe in himself.

"You think Athena will come to your help, Theo?" Dionysus taunted as he slowly walked up the steps of the temple, taking his time to prolong the suspense. He narrowed his eyes with a grin, prodding into Theo's mind to somehow twist it any way he could.

For a brief moment Theo just stared stupidly into Dionysus's eyes, mesmerized. He then squeezed his eyes shut with a grunt, fighting whatever illusion Dionysus had given him. "I know Athena will come," he yelled back at the god. Danny hoped the statement wasn't one of faith.

"Then lets give it a try," Dionysus said. He then stepped fully into the temple.

In only the matter of seconds the world outside darkened till it was completely black. The city and its bright lights vanished as the sun was cut entirely out of the picture. Danny watched in wonder as this happened. He noticed that the background noise of people and the wind was gone too. It was like time had completely stopped for the world outside of the temple. It was a freaky yet incredible experience at the same time.

A tall form suddenly appeared in between Dionysus and the teens. Danny watched, stunned, as Athena came into full view. Even though women were considered unstable and animals in the ancient Greek days, her presence demanded respect. Her narrowed gaze that hit Theo and Danny literally seized the breath of the ghost boy. There was something very powerful in Athena that Danny could somehow feel in the air around him. She was one god he didn't ever want to mess with.

Athena had her long dirty blonde hair in a in a pony tail with a metal helmet on her head. She wore a white robe that was twisted around her body and pinned how most woman did it those days. Golden sandals adorned her feet. Her brown eyes were hard as they seemed to pierce through every person there. Like her eyes, her chin and other features were sharp. She reminded Danny of a hawk.

"I demand to know what is going on in my sacred temple," Athena commanded. As she said this, the only light there, the fire, sparked and snapped to the tone of her voice. It cast a dim light upon the ground and the faces of the ones there. Shadows danced at the corners of the temple as the fire's light constantly moved.

"This is none of your business, Athena," Dionysus spoke up first, apparently not afraid of his dominating relative. He stepped deeper into the temple as he explained. "Theo and his friend had my symbol and I was only trying to gain it back. They just used your temple to make you intervene."

"Yeah, right!" Danny shouted back. He pointed at Dionysus as he said to Athena, "He put us under a spell and was going to kill me! And then we came up here to give your symbol back to you. I'll give it to you now." He shoved a hand into his sack and produced an olive tree branch.

Athena only stared at the object for a moment, thinking it all over in her head. She directed her eyes toward Theo then. Danny just then noticed that the demigod hadn't said anything yet. The goddess and Theo made short eye contact, but no words were shared between the two.

"Who am I to say who is correct and who is lying?" Athena finally said after a long moment of silence. She walked over to where Danny was standing and took the olive branch out of his hand. She then returned to her spot between them, hands clasped behind her back and standing tall.

"That is why I am letting all three of you play a game of mine to determine who is truthful and who isn't," Athena went on. "Whoever wins my game by my rules will either be the god or demigods who are telling me the truth. Let the game begin."

Danny glanced over to Theo to see him stiffen some more. That was never a good sign. What bothered Danny was the fact that it was Theo's fault for them being in this situation in the first place. If he had let Danny turn ghost and fly to the temple, they could have avoided Dionysus and this game.

Athena raised her arms above her head and closed her eyes, releasing a greater power bestowed upon her. Suddenly the stone floor under them extended at least a quarter of a mile in every direction with all four of them being in the middle. The demigods watched in awe as the floor under them turned into a giant red square. Other squares started to show on the ground. They were only the colors black and red.

"Did they play checkers back in the ancient Greek days?" Danny asked Theo, the colors instantly reminding him of the game he used to play back home.

"They still play checkers in your century?" Theo asked, surprised by this news.

Danny's memory served true as huge, five foot radius round pieces appeared on different colored squares. It was like they were on a giant checker board, having to play pieces that were their own size. Danny suddenly remembered when he had been shrunk down in size with Dash by one of his dad's crazy inventions. He looked over to Theo and decided that the situation didn't change much from the last time he was this size.

"The demigods are granted the right to play the first move of the game," Athena's voiced boomed over them. The boys looked up to see that Athena wasn't standing by them anymore. Instead, she towered over them and Dionysus. She was actually normal size compared to the small people on the board.

"Why them?" Dionysus demanded. He stomped his foot to the ground, looking more like a kid on a tantrum than a worshiped and powerful god.

Athena frowned down at the other immortal with a hint of annoyance. Danny grinned despite himself. He turned to Theo and frowned when not seeing him there. Spinning around, Danny looked for his lost companion. Theo had only walked off to one of the giant checker pieces to make the first move. Danny ran to catch up.

"I think we should move that one over there," Danny said, pointing to another piece.

Theo stopped at the piece he wanted to move, frowning. He crossed his arms and asked, "Why? Have you ever played checkers in your life time? Have you ever won?"

"I've played many times," Danny said, defending himself. "I haven't won too many times, but I know what I'm doing."

"That would be a first," Theo said while lifting an eyebrow. Rolling his eyes at Danny's spiteful glare, Theo put both palms against the giant piece and tried to push it to the spot he wanted it to go. "Just trust me, Danny," he said to the ghost boy. "I've played this game probably more than you have. I know what I'm doing too. Now…help me move this."

Danny let Theo struggle a few more seconds, letting the demigod's callous words bounce around in his head. It took a stern glare from Theo to make Danny turn into ghost form and help him. With two people there to push, the piece moved smoothly into place.

Dionysus was there right away. He briskly walked to a piece he wanted to move and pushed it into place. He then looked up and down the giant board and nodded, satisfied with his form of action. He caught Theo's eyes and evilly grinned, giving the demigod a confident wink.

Danny caught the interaction and saw what it did to Theo. Apparently Dionysus and Theo had a score to settle from a few years back. Theo was in a rage now. His ears were flat and his tail whisked around his body. Danny wouldn't have been surprised if the guy hissed at him.

"How about we move that one next," Danny said after observing the playing field. His mind was reverting back to when he used to play the game with Sam and Tucker when he was a kid. Summer afternoons could get boring as a child, so sometimes a game or two would be played. Of course Sam beat him on most occasions, but he was confident that he was a pretty good player. And at least his brain wasn't being clouded by anger, which he was sure Theo had.

"I have a plan," Theo snapped back. "Can't you just sit back and let me do this? Have I ever let you down? No. So chill down for a moment and help me move the next piece." He started to walk over to the piece he wanted to move but stopped when he saw that Danny wasn't coming. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"No more," Danny said, throwing up his hands in defeat. "I am done with your attitude problem. Are you hearing yourself, dude? You're sounding real ugly right now."

"Ugly? Attitude? Oh no, no, no," Theo said with a sharp laugh. He shook his head in disbelief. "Danny, this is just a simple game. Dionysus isn't the smartest thing. I can beat him easily. I just need you to help me move a…a freaking checkered piece!"

"Yeah, 'cause that's all I am to you right now, dead weight," Danny shouted back. "I've been nothing but something to drag along this whole time."

"Because you are dead weight!" Theo yelled. Something in him had finally snapped. All his pent up emotions and feelings didn't feel so needed to be protected anymore. "Don't you get it, Danny, you aren't needed here! You're always confused and asking annoying questions. Sometimes you can be so stupid I wonder why I'm dragging you around. This mission would go by so much faster without you!"

Danny wasn't going to back down now. "I ask questions because I want to know what is going on," he said. "If I didn't ask anything I'd be too confused to walk. You would do the same if you were in my time period. But no, because you were here all your life you must know everything about the gods and goddesses. You act like I should bow down and worship your knowledge of them."

"What? All I said was that I was better at finding the gods than your sack…because I can," Theo stated. "You're blowing this way out of proportion! All I want to do is win this game and go on. We are wasting time!"

"No!" Danny shouted. "I'm sick of your moodiness! You're selfish, prideful, and temperamental. To quote you, 'get over yourself'! Just because you suck at being a demigod doesn't mean you have to take it out on me."

Danny's words were like a blow to Theo's gut. The ghost boy smirked when seeing the surprise and fury on Theo's face after he said this. It was about time the guy got what he deserved. He had insulted and pushed Danny around too many times. Danny liked seeing the tables turn.

Then Theo did something Danny didn't see coming.

A/N: I'll just leave you readers off with that cliffhanger. I'm smiling evilly right now. But I need to ask one thing. Someone asked for more suffering for Danny and Theo. I can write with more intensity, but I just want to know if you readers don't mind something very close to something you watch on a PG-13 movie. I'm asking because I know there are some young watchers of Danny Phantom and I didn't want to over do it because I tend to write with more blood and peril. So…yah or nay? Thanks for reading! More is to come soon.