A/N: So, better late than never! I had a lot of trouble getting this chapter out. I have periods of time where I just don't feel like writing, especially around the end of a fic because I just don't want it to be over. But I got the face the facts. This fic has to have an ending. Getting over my depressed mood, I have a special surprise for you guys in the ending author's note. Enjoy my slightly rushed chapter!

Disclaimer: Danny, Vlad, Sam, and Tucker are not mine. They are Butch's.

Chapter 24 Easy Golden Entry

Closing his emerald eyes, Danny let himself take some time to think. A strong gust of wind blasted against his face, rippling through his ghostly white hair. Danny opened his eyes with the release of a smile. The view from his precarious perch was breathtaking.

For the past few hours he and the others had been climbing Mount Olympus. Theo didn't want Danny to be out of energy by flying everyone to the top, so they were all climbing by hand. It was a dangerous trek. Huge boulders were piled up on each other, making it difficult to climb. One wrong move could send someone falling, which they had a few of. But Danny had always been there to save or help fly over impossible sheer vertical cliffs.

Now Danny was ahead of the others, giving himself a little break. They were more than halfway up the mountain and it was nearing sun set. Danny watched the horizon as it got ready for the disappearance of the sun. A hint of pink and orange was blending into the seemingly eternal blue where the sun was shinning brightly.

Taking his eyes off the painted colors in the sky, Danny took in the mountain scene all around him. Everywhere he looked he could see mountains striking boldly into the sea of blue above. Danny knew he was likely to never get the chance of this view ever again, so he tried to experience it all at once.

"Hey, Danny, could you lend a hand?" Rhodes asked from where she was below him a few feet.

Danny jumped at the sudden sound of her voice. He leaned forward to look down at her, giving the Kitsune a grin. "Slow poke," he said teasingly. She only returned his smile with a stern frown. She was worn out from so much climbing, but she was doing better than anyone else, she being used to strenuous labor everyday.

Jumping off his rock perch, Danny flew down to her side. She grabbed onto his wrists before he flew her up a few yards, avoiding a precarious outcrop of large boulders. He placed her down where the path was once again easy.

"You might want to check on the others," Rhodes told him, stopping to catch her breath. She smiled slyly before saying, "They are playing some question game with Theo, and the cat boy is getting a bit upset. Save the lot before he throws your friends off the mountain itself."

"Good tip," Danny said, grinning again.

When Danny got to the others below, things were a mess between Theo and the two mortals ganging up on him with their pestering questions. He stayed out of sight but in ear shot as Sam and Tucker continued with their game with the half sphinx.

"So do you purr?" Tucker asked randomly.

"What?" Theo asked, clearly peeved by his flattened ears.

"You're half cat," Tucker explained his question. "So does that mean you purr when you're happy?"

"Or when someone scratches you behind the ears?" Sam butted in. Trying to keep in a giggle, she used an index finger to scratch the demigod behind his ears.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Theo snapped at her, grabbing her wrist. But the two didn't care about his anger or seriousness. They were a jumble of giggles and laughs at Theo's frustrated tone and expression.

"Dude, answer our question," Tucker said, spurring Theo on.

Theo hesitated before muttering, "Yeah, I can purr."

He immediately regretted sharing the information as Sam and Tucker had to sit down to laugh and hold their aching stomachs. Groaning in irritation and confusion, Theo let go of Sam's wrist and waited for them to get over themselves. The sooner they got up the mountain, the sooner these two would be away from him…if Danny's plan went right.

"You can purr?" Danny asked Theo from behind. The half sphinx gave an alarmed gasp while spinning around. He frowned when seeing the ghost boy there. Danny bit his lip to keep in a laugh while asking, "When was the last time you did so, a few hundred years ago?" He then lost it, joining the others laughing at Theo's expense.

Theo rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of him. He waited a few good seconds before asking, "You guys finished?"

"One second," Danny said, holding up an index finger. He and the others were silent for a moment before exploding with laughter again. Counting his loses, Theo sat down with them, a deadpan expression on his face as he waited some more.

When the friends finally got over the funny, Sam said, "You know we don't mean to make fun of you, Theo."

"I do," Tucker said with a bold grin.

"Why do you have to be that way, Tuck?" Danny asked, becoming serious.

"No, let him go," Theo said, looking slightly interested. "You got a problem with me?" he asked Tucker.

"Yeah," Tucker said, "I don't like the fact that we have to be taking orders from you. We don't even know who you are. Well, we know you're a jerk, but that's all."

"A jerk?" Theo said, amused. A mocking grin crossed his features. "I've been called worse."

Off to the side, Danny whispered to Sam, "I hope this doesn't end up like last time."

"What happened last time?" Sam asked nervously. She hated tension in the group.

Danny pointed to a bruise on his shoulder. "That and many more," Danny said with a grim smile. "Let's just say that you don't want to get Theo wound up." Sam bit her lower lip. The last thing they needed was a boxing fight between these two.

"You just show up with Danny, instantly become his best friend, act like a jerk to Sam and I, and expect us to follow faithfully after you," Tucker was saying, venting all his pent up thoughts.

Theo's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Best friend?" he asked, "Since when was I Danny's best friend? Trust me; I'm no where near best friend potential with the ghost boy. I mean, after we settle this god and mortal war thing, we probably wont ever…see each other." Theo kept in his feelings of sadness as he stumbled on the last few words.

For a moment Tucker looked confused by Theo's words and slightly reassured in some way before saying, "That's not the point. You can't act this way towards me and expect me to do whatever you say."

"I expect you to do what I say because I'm the only one who really knows what he's doing here," Theo explained. "I've lived in this time period for more than your lifetime. I'm the expert. If you don't want to follow me, then go get yourself killed."

"I understand that you're the 'expert'," Tucker spat back, "But that doesn't mean you can push me around."

"Okay, I get it," Theo said with a flabbergasted sigh. He threw his hands up into the air while saying, "I'm a terrible person! The world's full of bad people. Now you can check me off the checklist of the ones you've met."

"Hey!" Danny butted in with a yell. "You both are giving me a headache." He turned to Tucker and said, "Theo is the expert, so trust him. You don't have to like him, but fighting about that feeling will get us nowhere right now." He then looked over to the scowling Theo and snapped, "You admitting your meanness is a great breakthrough, dude, but don't expect it to be rewarding."

"Let's keep going," Sam said with a relieved sigh. She let Theo lead the way and Tucker trail behind, sulking. She and Danny walked side by side. After a pause she looked over to him and whispered, "Thanks for that save back there. I don't know how you ever got along with that cat boy. I guess he grows on you."

Danny chuckled. "Actually, he doesn't," he said matter-of-factly, "Theo just becomes bearable."

-Half an Hour Later-

"Wow," was all the teens could muster to say as soon as they stood at the front of Mount Olympus' front gates. It was like looking down into the black pit to the Underworld, just this time was less creepy and foreboding.

The gates were as big as five story buildings and made entirely out of gold. The metal was crafted to perfection, beautifully curving, swirling, and interlocking between different pieces to form different sections. The gold glittered off the reclusive sun that was ready to disappear at any moment on the horizon. The teens stood, mesmerized by this sight.

Theo, already accustomed to seeing the gate, smirked at the others and waited for their awestruck faces to come back to reality before motioning them to follow. He walked up to the very edge of the gate, bent down, and easily passed through to the other side by going under. The others quickly followed.

"As you can see, the gods love to make things look big but miss the big picture along the way," Theo said, referring to the effortless accessible entrance gate. The other teens smiled at the stupidity of having a large gate that didn't function too well at keeping anyone out.

Danny suddenly stopped before they went too far. Theo saw the pause and turned around to see what the matter was. The others followed suit, waiting for the boy to say something. He had a sly look in his green eyes as they scanned over his friends.

"Okay, change of plans, guys," he said. "Rhodes, you hold Theo like this." He showed the fox spirit where to keep Theo's arms pinned. The girl looked confused, but complied.

"What is going on, Danny?" Theo asked. "Are you crazy?" He struggled in Rhodes' surprisingly strong grip.

"Now," Danny announced, "We're going to split up."

"What?" Theo said, almost incredulously.

Danny opened his magical sack and rummaged around in it before pulling out a long white ribbon tied in a knot at one end. He paused, observing the odd symbol, and then handed it over to Sam. "You and Tuck are going to go find Hera," he instructed them. "If I remember correctly, she isn't the fighting type, so you guys should be safe while Theo, Rhodes, and I go find Zeus."

"Wait, when I said distraction, I didn't mean for them to go gallivanting off into Olympus alone to go find Hera!" Theo yelled at Danny. "I thought you were going to knock them out or something! Let go, Rhodes!"

"I'm not sure if that would be a wise move at this point, Theo," she said with a guilty smile. Theo gawked at her, surprised at her audacity. But soon he was fighting against her hold on him, ready to swear at the ghost boy who had deceived him so well.

Danny was quick to give Sam and Tucker the plan for them he had cooked up the whole time they had ascended the mountain. Sam would be in charge; they would touch nothing along the way to Hera's chambers, and would return to the gate when they were done. If something went wrong, Danny made it clear he couldn't be there to play superhero and fly them out of trouble. If there was an oops, they would have to bail themselves out on their own.

"Ready?" he asked them once he was sure they knew the plan.

"As ever, dude," Tucker said, grinning. He was glad he wouldn't have to deal with Theo. Also, he was relieved to be out of the fray. Most of the time he loved being a ghost fighter with Danny, but after seeing Hades, he wasn't so sure if he wanted to confront Zeus. It would just be too dangerous. Danny didn't need the ordeal of trying to keep an eye on him and Sam while fighting. It would just be a burden.

Sam was the opposite of Tucker. She wanted to be by Danny's side when it came down to the wire. She didn't want to leave him when there was a chance he wouldn't come back. But she sucked it up, taking it upon herself to do this mission, this favor for him. He wanted both her and Tucker to be safe, and she would uphold his wishes.

"One second!" Theo quickly shouted to intervene. All eyes turned to him. He stopped struggling and told them gravely, "Just be careful. Don't let your guard down. If something looks too risky, don't try to play hero. This whole thing is to keep you guys safe."

"Aw, he has a heart somewhere deep down inside," Sam teased, smirking at the half sphinx who only frowned back.

"Yeah, somewhere deep, deep down in there," Tucker added, which earned him a death glare.

"Just go, you two," Danny ordered with a sigh.

"Right!" the mortals said in union before taking off into a run deeper into Mount Olympus' grounds. It was only when they were out of sight that Rhodes let Theo go. He looked ticked off, but he kept cool and collected as he directed them towards Zeus' chambers.

They moved quickly down the bright pathways of Olympus, using time wisely. Theo knew exactly where they were heading, and moved the group of three at a swift pace. The whole time his ears and eyes were open, watching for the danger which was expected to come.

Danny and Rhodes had only a few seconds here and there to catch glimpses of the wonder of the place. Along the torch and fire-lit pathways were complicated and stunning water fountains. The sparkling clear water trickling out was a tranquil sound to Danny's ears. The magical place was filled with blossoming fruit trees growing a variety of multicolored gourds, golden apples, and other types of fruit that Danny couldn't name.

The whole place looked and felt alive. The grass, the trees, even the water sent sparks of different hints of power that Danny wasn't accustomed to feeling. It felt like he was in the ghost zone, where everything had a level of power, of being somewhat alive. Once he compared the two feelings, he saw how similar they really were. Olympus here was like to the ghost zone a few centuries in the future. It made sense in a way.

At one point Danny stopped at one of the overhanging lusciously green branches. He reached out a hand to pick one of the purple berries dangling in front of him. For a moment it sounded like the plant was calling out to him.

Theo quickly grabbed Danny's wrist and yanked him away from the growing temptation while saying, "Food of the gods. Don't eat it unless you want to live on Olympus for forever."

Danny smiled sheepishly. He had almost thrown his life away for the sake of a bite of fruit. It was enough to get embarrassed about. Sometimes he couldn't believe how foolish he was.

They soon made it to Zeus' domain. It was the largest building of the handful there. The three felt like tiny ants as they walked up the thousands of marble steps to the entrance of the building. Gigantic columns jutted out of the stairs, soaring impossibly high over them. The top of the building was shrouded in dense clouds. These gray vapors boiled with thunder, as if foreshadowing the mood of the god would be in when they got to him.

The door was solid gold, like the gate, and was just as tall as the columns. For a moment the three stood there, staring dumbly at the massive wonder, nervous but ready.

"How are we going to open this thing?" Rhodes asked, still staring numbly at the door.

"I'm guessing he doesn't have a doorbell," Danny said, getting strange looks from the others because of his futuristic joke. "Never mind," he finally muttered.

"Danny's going to phase us through," Theo stated, answering Rhodes' question.

Thankful to be of a help finally, Danny rubbed his palms together in anticipation of what was to come. "One intangible trick, coming right up!" he said, grabbing Theo's and Rhodes' arms. Rhodes looked frightened as Danny jumped right at the gold doors.

They burst through on the other side a second later. Danny let go of the two, letting them get over the weird sensation of going through a solid object. He had been that way the first few times he used that power too.

"Ah, Daniel, so nice of you to finally show up," a familiar voice echoed ominously down to them from above.

Danny went stiff as blue mist floated from his gaping mouth. He looked up with dread, saying the name that had plagued him from the very beginning.

"Vlad."

A/N: Dun, dun, DUN! Vlad finally returns! I know some of you were wondering when he would show up. I've missed the fruit loop too. He's so fun to write about. The finale will be the next chapter! I'm excited for the fight scene I've planned out in my head. But I'm sure you readers are more focused on the surprise I promised from the beginning author's note. So here it is…a little preview of my soon-to-be released fan fic, Soul Searching. It is an excerpt from Chapter 2.

..."What is this, an interrogation?" I snapped at him after a moment of silence between us. "Was it a crime for me to come here or something? What is it that you want from me?"

"I ask the questions," Vlad said coolly. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look him in the eyes. "What do you know about this camp?" he asked.

"Why do you want to know?" I shot back. Suddenly I was enlightened. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" I said. My confidence was beginning to rise now. "It has to be something pretty big for you to go and trap me in a bathroom stall for an interrogation. You want to make sure I don't know anything, that's why you're asking me all these dumb questions."

"Well, aren't you the bright one," Vlad sighed in irritation. "Now tell me what you know so we can get on with our lives. As you can see, you aren't going anywhere till I get the answers I want."

"Well," I said, pretending to think hard, "I know that you suck." I shrugged. "That's it. I'm a C student. I don't have to know much."

"If this wasn't so serious, I'd love to hear your witty banter," Vlad said. Grabbing my left leg, he began to slowly turn my bare foot. "You won't wear that annoying cocky grin if you ended up with a broken ankle on your second day at Happy Hills," he said, still twisting. "We can say it was an accident. The morning dew on the grass was wet. You slipped, landed on your ankle, and…crack." …

So, what do you guys think? I have time to revise because I've only completed two chapters. If readers strongly suggest something, it's better for me to get feedback before I continue. So…love, hate, shrug material? Tell me what you think.

See you readers in two weeks!