Soul panted as he ran in the dark, the scythe growing heavy in his hands. He could feel the sweat dripping down from the sides of his face, his calves begging for a break.

But the loud hissing behind him, which was growing closer all the time, spurred him on.

From what he could see of the tunnel that was illuminated by the glowing spiders, it led straight ahead with no diverging pathways.

He huffed under his breath impatiently, once again cursing himself for thinking of listening to a Gorgon sister. Everything Arachne had said had been made to manipulate him into entering this tunnel and he'd overlooked his reservations over his panic of what Medusa had created. The only question was what Arachne and her sister had planned. In all his years, the Gorgon sisters had always had pulled their antics on Earth.

Frankly, it had baffled Soul how Spirit hadn't locked them away with all the dangerous stunts they pulled. However, the Underworld was decidedly not their style and they had stayed away from him so it hadn't been his concern, really.

Until now.

He risked looking over his shoulder, barely making out the massive outline of the snake. The walls of the tunnel shook with its every move. He gripped the scythe harder. Perhaps it couldn't see as well in the dark either. If he launched a surprise attack now, he could gain the upper hand…

"Don't even think about it."

"Melinoe?" Soul squinted in the dark to his right, almost tripping over a rock. He felt a hand steady him.

"Who else would it be?" she giggled. "Having fun?"

"Oh, loads," he wheezed, lungs aching for oxygen. "I'm having the time of my life right now. I thought you disappeared a while ago."

Melinoe's voice turned slightly sullen. "He wanted to come back."

A sudden thought struck Soul. He tried to maintain his pace while speaking. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

He couldn't see Melinoe's face but he heard her affronted tone. "I would do no such thing but I can't speak for him. The things that he tells me are the only things I know."

"Well, we'll definitely be having a talk when this is over," Soul said between shallow breaths.

Her sing-song voice came back. "If you can find us, that is! He's saying the real party is about to begin." With that, her light footsteps beside him faded into nothing.

Soul's eyes widened. "Wait, what do you mean par-"

The bright light of the tunnel's exit before him silenced him, answering his question. Behind him, he heard an exceptionally loud hiss coming from Apophis.

He pumped his legs harder, determined to get his bearings before facing him. With a final burst of speed, he burst out of the tunnel.

Soul veered to one side, skidding to a halt. He whipped his head back and forth, looking around.

It appeared that he had just come out of the side of a hill. Around him was mostly flatland, interspersed with forest and rolling hills. And directly in front of him was a large mountain, one that stretched up all the way to the heavens.

He did a double take, making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him, and swallowed hard. He'd never been outside of the Underworld much but the mountain's profile was instantly recognizable.

Mount Olympus.

Soul swore under his breath. That the tunnel ended at the home of the gods was no accident.

There was an ear-splitting crack as Apophis burst out of the tunnel. Instead of easing his way out, like he had done before, he widened the opening with one snap of his deadly fangs, slithering out into the sunlight.

Apophis hesitated just outside the mouth of the tunnel, keeping unusually still. He pricked up his head as if he was listening hard for something.

Soul's mouth went dry as he took in the sheer size of Apophis, even more impressive here in the sunlight than back in the Underworld. If he attacked Apophis head on, he was likely to be injured but there seemed to be no other option.

Apophis' black eyes locked with his.

Soul snapped back to his senses, tensing as he waited to see what he would do.

For a moment, the snake merely considered him, his pink tongue flicking in and out of his mouth.

Then, with a speed Soul hadn't known Apophis was capable of, he darted into the woods, away from Soul.

Soul felt his mouth drop in confusion. Then, he was running after him, trying to catch up to Apophis.

"What are you doing, you stupid animal? I'm over here!" he yelled as he ran in the makeshift trail the snake created with his huge body.

Even though he was already out of his reach, he swiped at Apophis with his scythe, attempting to grab his attention. But Apophis, who already was a comfortable distance away from Soul, ignored him, continuing to head deeper into the forest.

"Fifty!"

Maka removed her hands from her eyes and scanned the meadow, looking for any sign of movement. Nothing.

She smiled at the challenge, heading for the southernmost part of the meadow. She'd heard a lot of running around while she'd been counting.

Prodding at a couple suspicious looking bushes at the edge of the meadow, she sighed as they gave no sign of intelligence and remained plants. She glanced into the forest that bordered the meadow thoughtfully. Then, she gazed at the mountain behind her.

Don't leave the meadow! A voice that sounded too much like her mother's rang in her ears.

Maka scowled at the mountain, which stood imposingly as Demeter.

Maka adjusted her crown with a little jerk and set her face determinedly, ignoring the pang of guilt as she marched into the forest.

She knew her mother loved her and only did what she did to protect her, Maka thought as she roamed aimlessly in the forest. Sometimes it did wear on her though. She wasn't a child any more.

Maka searched in silence for a long time, growing more tired and frustrated as she found no one.

Her head perked up when she heard a noise in the distance ahead. Lifting her skirt so it wouldn't trip her, she walked quickly toward the sound. She strained her ears, trying to trace the noise.

It sounded almost like a faint hissing but that couldn't be right. Her brow furrowed as she tried to place what would make that noise. Maybe one of the nymphs could turn into an animal?

"Kim?" she called. "Jackie? Is that you?"

She didn't receive an answer. Instead the hissing began to intensify, echoing in the forest. Maka's breaths quickened. The hissing didn't sound normal. It sounded evil, somehow.

She turned around, intending to go back to the meadow but as she looked around, she realized she had no idea where she was.

Trying not to panic, she began heading back in the direction she thought the meadow was in, praying that she was right.

She ignored the panicked voice in the back of her head when she had been walking for what felt like forever and there was still no sign of the meadow. Maka bit her lip worriedly. Wouldn't the nymphs had gone to look for her by now?

Her heartbeat sped up as she replayed the unsettling hissing she had heard. Fear made her throat close and her strides longer. Maka looked edgily around her, every shadow and unfamiliar shape a potential monster lying in wait.

She nearly jumped in the air when a stray root got caught on her skirt, making her fall to her knees. Frustrated, Maka pushed herself to her feet, hurrying forward.

It's going to be okay, she told herself. Someone will find you.

As if the forest heard her thoughts, it opened in front of her, the familiar view of the meadow greeting Maka's eyes. Relieved, Maka ran out of the forest and eager to regain her bearings.

She entered it cautiously, eyeing the forest surrounding her carefully. The hissing had long disappeared by now but she was still tense.

Maka began to walk across the meadow and then stopped. She had no idea what she should do now. Staying here was hardly any better than being lost but at least the nymphs would be able to find her when they figured out she wasn't coming for them.

She sat on the ground with a plop. This meadow was full of vibrantly colored flowers, including, she noticed happily, the purple crocuses in her crown. Maka rose and began picking a few around her. Once she had gathered an armful of flowers, she began playing with the flowers' stems, singing softly to herself.

Soul growled angrily as Apophis dodged his attack yet again. He rolled to one side as the snake lithely turned around, attempting to escape him.

"Oh no, you don't!" He scrambled to his feet, cutting of the Apophis' path. He bared his fangs at him and struck at Soul. He backed up quickly, narrowly dodging his fangs.

Soul gritted his teeth. There was no way he was letting the snake get back in that forest.

In order to engage the snake, Soul had used the handle of his scythe to take a flying leap straight into the air.

Apophis had heard Soul and moved his head but that wasn't what Soul had been after. He landed successfully on the snake's back with a light thud and that's when the real fight began.

Apophis had reacted by promptly bucking like one of the wild horses of Poseidon, nearly crushing Soul in the process.

But Soul had been able to drive him out of the forest and into nearby flatland, where Apophis had fewer places to hide. Although, Soul now had one very angry snake to deal with. It was the kind of stunt that, as Asura put it, "made those stupid mortals drop like flies."

Luckily, Soul was not a mortal.

Soul charged at Apophis, aiming for his neck. Apophis contorted himself so that Soul's blade swiped at air instead. His attack brought him much too close for comfort to the snake's fangs, forcing Soul to dive out of the snake's way.

He landed heavily on the ground, swearing as Apophis pressed his advantage and made a beeline for the forest. "Would you just stay still and die already?" Soul yelled in frustration, staggering to his feet. In desperation, he tried jumping onto the snake's back again but Apophis wasn't fooled like last time.

Apophis flattened his body to the ground, speedily whipping out his tail to connect with Soul's airborne body.

Soul raised his scythe just in time so the scythe received the full brunt of the attack. He let out a surprised gasp as he felt the scythe snap in his hands.

Then he was flat on his back, on the ground somehow. He felt something wet drip down the sides of his forehead. He tried to lift his hand but his arm refused to obey him. The world above him seemed to have doubled and was moving in circles.

Beyond his line of vision, he heard a low hissing. That was bad, he thought, but for some reason he couldn't place why. The two suns that circled above him disappeared as the source of the hissing blocked them out.

Soul squinted, trying to get a better look at it but his vision kept whatever was looking at him out of focus. After a long moment, the thing moved away.

Soul tried to sit up but the world was spinning too fast for him to maintain his balance. He felt something metal fall off his body with a clink. He craned his head, trying to see what had fallen. It looked like a piece of a blade.

Out of nowhere, he let out a burst of laughter. "It broke," he said, laughing as darkness crept over his vision.

"It broke."

Apophis hummed as he wended his way through the forest. The person it was looking for was near. He could taste her scent in the air as he slithered over the tree roots and fallen leaves. Anticipation made his blood tingle. He could not rest until his job was done.

The wind blew in Apophis' direction, blowing the girl's scent all over the snake. She was so close that he could hear her heartbeat.

With a triumphant hiss, Apophis burst into a meadow, finally finding his target.

The girl stood in the middle of the meadow, staring wide-eyed at the snake. Apophis could smell the fear on her, so pungent and delicious.

Apophis moved forward, only one thought in his mind.

Kill.