The sun was already up as the con men were rowing down the sea. Madison was leaning beside Altivo, feeling bored and staring at the sea. She felt like she wanted to sleep but couldn't with the sun out.
"Maddie." Miguel's voice spoke.
She lifted her head to see him and Tulio as they kept rowing but staring at her.
"I take it you have questions from last night." she said to them.
"Pretty much. Since your necklace just glowed and popped a tail." said Tulio.
Madison slowly sat up straight and sigh.
"I'm... not really good of explaining things, but what you saw last night... I'm not really a mermaid. It's the necklace. It made me transform for me to swim faster to reach you guys. But it also has other powers as well."
"Powers? What kind of powers?" Miguel asked as he looked at her crystal.
"Well... besides the transformation, there's protection, healing, flying, go invisible, but also showed me memories of the places I've gone to."
"And how exactly did you get that?" Tulio asked as he kept rowing.
"Let's just say I somehow... unexpectedly killed a witch." she answered.
Altivo nickered on hearing that word as he turned his to look at her.
"A witch? A real witch?" Miguel asked and Madison nod her head.
"Yes, and somehow the necklace chose me as a new owner."
"So, witches are real."
"Depends on their behavior. If they are good or wicked." said Madison.
"Well... since we saw what happen last night, I have to believe." said Miguel.
"I as well. Even though it did show us just one power." said Tulio.
Madison smirked to hear Tulio's answered until she felt a nudge. She turned to face Altivo as he was looking at something. Madison looked straight and saw dark clouds that were coming close.
"Guys. We have a storm coming!" she spoke.
The men looked at the direction and saw the clouds coming close.
"Crap. Keep rowing."
"Maddie, hold onto something."
Madison held on to both the seat and the side of the boat.
While the boys try rowing faster, Altivo neighed loudly as the clouds got closer. Madison could feel a strong wind blowing and the thunder roared.
"Brace yourselves!" Tulio shouted.
Madison closed her eyes as held onto her dear life. The waves starting to get rough, and the men kept on rowing to avoid the large waves.
Moments later, the storm was over but the trio along with the horse looked exhausted and hungry. The food Madison carried in her satchel were enough. Not even a single protein they actually needed. Suddenly, they saw a gull coming by and landed on the oar. It coughed hard and then laid down like it was knocked down. The group looked at each other as they were really hungry. Madison wasn't so sure about eating it but there was no other choice. As the guys start reaching to the bird, a shark came out of nowhere and ate the bird, leaving the group groaning and sobbing. Later on, the guys kept on rowing while Madison leaned beside Altivo. She felt bored and tired as she watched them sitting in different positions and rowing the opposite direction as the boat was spinning around until they were all tired out.
"Tulio, did you ever imagine it would end like this?" Miguel asked as he and Tulio were leaning together on their backs.
"The horse and girl are a surprise."
Madison and Altivo looked at him as they were offended but kept listening to their conversation.
"Any... regrets?" Miguel asked.
"Besides dying? Yeah. I never had enough... gold."
"My regret, besides dying, is... our greatest adventure is over before it began, and no one will even remember us."
"Well, if it's any consolation, Miguel, you... made my life... an adventure." Tulio sobbed.
"And if it's any consolation, Tulio, you made my life... rich." said Miguel.
Madison and Altivo looked at the two and rolled their eyes as the two were sulking. The girl placed her in the sea, feeling the coolness and waving it around until she felt some squishy, wet, and grainy. She lifted her hand and saw what she just felt. Wet sand. Madison brushed it off with her hands but then something made realize. She looked around to see sand everywhere and even saw trees.
"It's land!" Tulio exclaimed as he, Miguel, and Altivo jumped out of the boat.
Madison got out of the boat and laid down on the sand. Her legs ached from sitting but felt her feet being wet from the waves.
Suddenly, she heard screams and quickly got up. She walked towards the guys and saw they were looking at the skeletons with swords that were stabbed on head and chest.
"All in favor of getting back in the boat, say "aye."" said Tulio.
"Aye!" said Miguel.
"Aye! Go!"
Madison groaned about getting on the boat but as she looked at Miguel, he was looking at something.
"Miguel..." she spoke as she got closer to him but then saw the map in his hands. The same map that he and Tulio won from gambling.
"Hey, Miguel! Maddie! I could use a little help!" Tulio hollered but the two didn't answered and walked straight towards him, "Miguel! Maddie! Hello!"
"Tulio! We've done it!" Miguel spoke with excitement and looked back at the map.
"What's that? The map?"
"It's all right here!"
"You still have the map?"
"The whistling rock! The stream!"
"You kept the map, but you couldn't grab a little more food?" Tulio kept asking but Miguel didn't listen while Madison stepped back a little to not get involved with a small argument.
"Even those mountains. You said so yourself: It could be possible. And it is! It really is... the map to El Dorado!"
Tulio looked at his partner with a paused look.
"You drank seawater, didn't you?"
"Oh, come on!"
"I'm not coming on! I wouldn't set foot in that jungle for a million pesetas!" said Tulio as he was walking back to the boat.
"How about a hundred million?"
"What?"
Tulio stopped for a moment which got his attention from hearing what his partner said. Madison smirked as she knew what Miguel was doing.
"I just thought that, after all, since El Dorado is the city of gold." said Miguel as he walked past him.
"What's your point?"
"You know, dust, nuggets, bricks, a temple of gold where you can pluck gold from the very walls." said Miguel as he got to the side of the boat, "But you don't want to go, so let's get back into the boat and row back to Spain. After all, it worked so well last time. Maddie, would me with this?"
"Certainly." she answered as she started to help Miguel to push the boat.
"Wait!" Tulio stopped them for a moment, "Wait a minute."
Madison stepped back from the boat and looked at him as he thought of something.
"New plan." said Tulio as he explains to them, "We find the city of gold. We take the gold, and then we go back to Spain."
"And buy Spain!" said Miguel.
"Yeah! That's a spirit!"
"Come on, guys. We'll follow that trail!" said Miguel as he grabbed a sword out from the skeleton.
Tulio and Madison looked at each other and looked back at him in confusion.
"Trail?"
"What trail?"
"The trail that we blaze!" Miguel used the sword and start cutting and slashing the vines to find the entrance only it reveals to be a boulder.
Madison covered her mouth trying not to laugh.
"That trail that we blaze!" he pointed to another direction.
Madison smiled and started following him, but Altivo starts walking away until Tulio grabbed the reins.
"Oh, no, you don't." said Tulio until Altivo bit him, "Yeow! Your horse bit me in the butt!" he yelled, and Madison giggled.
And so, the four began their adventure. Madison was on Altivo as they were behind Tulio and Miguel was cutting the vines and small branches to make a path, but they cross a familiar armadillo which Madison remembered that little critter was following them.
Once they stopped for a moment, Miguel was on Altivo with Madison as he was looking at the map while Tulio was putting his shoes on.
"Charge!" Miguel shouted.
Madison exclaimed and held onto Miguel as Altivo starts galloping, leaving Tulio behind. With a few turns left and right, the stopped at the spot where Tulio was like going in circles. Miguel was still looking at the map in confusion until his partner turned the map the other way. Once Miguel made the horse go forward and Madison hang onto him, she tapped his shoulder.
"Uh, Miguel. What about Tulio?" she asked.
Miguel went for a few turns but as they reached to where Tulio was, the horse picked him up and now he was on the horse only backwards. Luckily, Madison and Miguel helped him out and all three rode off.
The next stop at night, they came to a cavern as they saw the cliffs were in shaped of a bird. Miguel, Madison, and Altivo smiled that they're getting on the right track, but Tulio rolled his eyes and walked away. Later in the morning, they came to a stream. Miguel was cutting more vines and leaves to find a path while Madison waited patiently with Altivo. But when the three saw Tulio jumped in the water and walked across to the other side, all three cringed at what they were seeing. Leeches. Madison looked away and felt disgusted by those bloodsucking things as Miguel was taking them off of Tulio's back.
After that, as the four kept on walking, Tulio was stepping on rocks to go across while the three were on the smooth track. Suddenly, a piranha came jumping and bite Tulio's butt. Madison heard him yelp and saw him running, causing her laugh but covered her mouth. A moment went by, Madison was helping him with the pain while Miguel came with a cooked piranha on a leaf.
"Dinner is served." he said as he handed to Tulio until an armadillo took it and was about to eat it.
"Hello." Tulio frowned as he looked at the mammal.
Later, Madison was sitting behind the tree, her face was blushing as the guys were in a hot spring with Altivo, naked. Her face was red and tried to think a different subject until she heard chittering sounds. She looked up and saw monkeys swinging by and one of them has Miguel's shirt. Madison quickly hid her necklace as she knew that monkeys can be grabby on things but when she saw one taking Tulio's pants, Tulio was already out chasing it while Miguel chased the one with his shirt. Madison giggled and laughed at that scene.
Moments later, since the guys were fully clothed but scratching from the monkeys' fleas, the four tried to find paths to go on, crossed the tree bridge past the waterfall, take shelter on a rainy day, and jumping through a rocky path. They found a boulder which form like a head weeping. Tulio grabbed the map from Miguel and smiled to see that they were getting close and continued going. They even saw another boulder that was shaped of a creature and a swarm of butterflies came out like fire.
But as they came to foggy path, Altivo was taking a lead while Tulio was holding onto his tail and Miguel was holding onto his vest as Madison was grabbing his shirt. While the four kept on going, they felt something wobbly by the feet. They tried to stay still as they were on a branch, but as it breaks, the four fell down including the armadillo. The group kept on falling until they rolled and landed on the ground, unconscious. Tulio and Madison are the only ones awake, even they felt the pain from falling and rolling, but as they looked up, they a familiar large boulder with carvings. The map landed on Tulio's face and saw the last place, which says... El Dorado.
To Be Continued...