The kingdom of Ephyra was a grand place. It brought in many guests and travelers from around the world. They felt welcomed because as soon as they arrived, residents greeted them warmly. They would be recommended to meet the king. He was the type of leader who enjoyed meeting everyone who entered his kingdom. This would excite visitors. A group of four eagerly followed the residents back to the palace. They went further, finding a throne room and a tall man with short, white hair sitting.

"It's a great honor to meet you, King Sisyphus," one of the guests stated, bowing his head. "We've heard many things about your kingdom."

"What have you heard?" the king inquired.

The guests paused, not necessarily expecting a question on the matter. In actuality, none of them had heard much.

"You have a lot of gold," a different guest said, hoping to cover for her companion. "It's said to cover the streets."

This seemed to please the king and he sat back on the throne. "It's true. We do have a lot of gold. Is that all you've heard?"

The friends glanced at one another, silently asking if any of them had heard something else.

"Because it should be," the king added.

At this, the four people glanced up at him in confusion. Seeing their bewilderment, he continued.

"You see, news doesn't leave Ephyra," he stated, crossing one leg over the other. "Neither do travelers."

Before the friends could move, guards approached, stabbing them through the cores. Sisyphus stood up and went to inspect the people as they bled out. He found several gold and copper coins, taking them for himself.

"Demaratus," he called.

Immediately, a man with dark hair and a bushy mustache approached. "Yes, Sir?"

"Make sure the servants dispose of the bodies with our special guest. We don't want blood to frighten off any new visitors."

Demaratus nodded his head. "Of course, Your Majesty."

He gathered the servants who started cleaning up the scene. Sisyphus stayed nearby, smiling sinisterly.

"It's going to be a good day, Savage. I can feel it. Can't you?"

Savage nodded his head even though he felt like nothing was different. "A great day for sure."

Fearfully, the servants kept cleaning the blood while in Athens, the cousins were about to leave for their trip. They had nearly left when Snotlout stopped.

"We'll have to tell my dad," he said, making Dagur frown.

"But he's going to complain. Let's just ditch him. He might not even notice you're gone."

Hiccup glanced at the mostly empty and very small hut. "I think he'll notice."

The immortal sighed dramatically. "Fine, but make it quick. Who knows how many new guests Hades has now because of Sisyphus while we wait?"

Snotlout went to the door first and hurried to find his father. The man was still standing guard. When he saw the boy, his brows furrowed.

"Why are you over here? I said to go to the other side of the city."

"I know, but Hiccup and I are going to be heading out."

"What? Where?"

"Ephyra."

"Why?"

Snotlout hesitated, unsure how to answer. He was certain that his father would just berate him if he said it was a quest given by Ares.

"It's really important. It'll help us be known as heroes," is what he decided on instead.

Spitelout's harsh frown softened and he scratched his short beard. "Hmm, heroes, eh? Not sure how you plan on doing that without me telling you what to do, but go for it. While you're gone, we'll see if I hear anyone talking about you or not."

That was as much support as Snotlout expected to hear from Spitelout, but at least it was better than the man trying to keep him in Berk. Not wanting to test his luck, Snotlout ran back to where the others were.

"Okay, we're all set then," Hiccup said, hauling a small bag over his shoulder.

"I guess the only thing left is walking the whole way," Snotlout commented. He turned to his cousin. "Think your new leg is up for that?"

Dagur made a face. "If you walked, it would take forever. We're not traveling there like that."

"Then what are we going to do?"

The god started laughing in excitement. "How about this instead?"

Gradually, the cousins watched him transform into a large red vulture. He lowered one wing to them.

"Hop on."

Snotlout's jaw was almost on the grass, then he grinned. "So cool!"

The two mortals speedily climbed onto the immortal bird's back. They grabbed some feathers and Dagur took off. Hiccup loved the feel of the wind in his hair like this. Whether he was using his own wings or riding, he could fly forever. Snotlout had to adjust to this more, but it did not take long before he also began enjoying it.

"We still won't get there immediately," Dagur explained, "so we should use this time to come up with some strategies."

"Sounds good to me," Hiccup said, seeing his cousin nod.

"Good because I've already thought of one for us."

The vulture's eyes twinkled brightly as he continued to fly. While the team traveled, their actions were being noticed by someone on Mount Olympus. An immortal with blond hair was in the middle of reading when he suddenly stopped, eyes glowing.

"Woah, another prophecy, Fishlegs?" a god with long hair asked him.

Fishlegs nodded, setting down the book. "It was weird. I saw Ares."

"Gobber just told me he saw him the other day too. Maybe he's planning a war!"

The long-haired god was hit by another blonde who resembled him.

"Of course he's planning a war! He's Ares. That's what he does," she said.

"Well, maybe he was going to become the god of high-fives instead."

This earned the god a high-five to his face.

"Ruff, Tuff, can you two stop for a moment?" Fishlegs asked, bringing a hand to his head.

The immortals did not listen, only continuing to squabble.

"He was with some mortals."

This got their attention and they turned to him.

"Who?" Tuffnut asked.

"They looked like Heracles and Daedalus."

Fishlegs frowned when he saw Ruffnut shaking her head disapprovingly.

"What's that for?" he asked.

"Isn't Daedalus that same one you said Ares asked you for help with because he was bleeding out?"

Fishlegs picked up the book again, hiding his face behind it. "Yeah, but…you know I get nervous around Ares. He's dangerous."

"Poor Daedalus," Tuffnut commented, shaking his head. "Called on the wrong immortal. He should have asked for me."

Fishlegs pushed the book down slightly to squint at him. "Oh yeah, because 'Help me, Dionysus, I'm bleeding out' is a prayer that every mortal makes."

Tuffnut raised his hand, making a cup appear. "I bring the party, Fishlegs! I could've at least made his last seconds really fun. There'd be singing and dancing—or hopping for him. We'd come up with a hop dance."

The blond proved his point by starting to hop on one foot. He fell over when Ruffnut shoved him. She laughed, proud of herself and Fishlegs sighed.

"I do feel kind of bad for not helping. I'm glad Daedalus didn't die at least. Maybe this'll give him a chance to make a name for himself."

"Yeah, now he'll get to die a hero's death!"' Ruffnut cheered, headbutting Tuffnut in delight.

Fishlegs cringed at the thought, then saw Astrid. She was walking briskly like there was something on her mind which, knowing her, there definitely was.

"Can you check the prophecies for some champions of mine?" she asked.

Fishlegs nodded, but before he could say anything, the other gods came over, draping themselves over each shoulder of the goddess.

"Hey, Astrid, guess what we found out?"

"What, Atê?"

Ruffnut chuckled. "That your boys, Daedalus and Heracles, are hanging out with Ares now."

Astrid glanced away dismissively. "I don't care. They can do whatever they'd like as long as they stay out of my way. It'll probably be easier now if Ares is making them his champions. They'll never stand a chance against my heroes."

"Maybe," Tuffnut said, shrugging, "but they could surprise you. Everyone knows surprise parties are the best kind."

"I don't like surprises."

"One of these days, I'll surprise you and you'll see how fun they are!"

Astrid looked at the blonds skeptically, then back at Fishlegs. "About that prophecy…"

"I bet you'll be pretty upset if Ares of all immortals finds some real heroes," Ruffnut remarked, smirking mischievously.

Fishlegs sighed, already knowing what was about to happen. Astrid spun with a frown on her face.

"He's not going to find heroes better than mine. Even if they had potential, he'd ruin them. He's deranged."

"Maybe they'll somehow be just as good as your champions," Tuffnut offered.

"No, they'll be worse. Everything Ares touches gets destroyed, so there's no point in thinking he won't screw this up too. Besides, I always have the best champions."

"He really hasn't had any champions, so does he count as competition yet?" Ruffnut asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Astrid could not tell if the duo were trying to annoy her or not, but they still were. "Nevermind," she huffed, turning away. "I don't need the prophecy, Fishlegs. I already know what the future holds. My heroes are going to win."

She left the realm while the duo kept discussing what would count as a competition. Seeing that there would be no stopping them, Fishlegs went back to reading. As he did, the trio was arriving in Ephyra. Hiccup glanced down, spotting some other travelers. Instead of joining them, they went around the trees, remaining hidden there. They entered the kingdom quietly and stealthily. Once they were past the supposedly welcoming residents, they landed. Dagur shifted back to his humanoid form, peeking from behind one of the trees.

"Okay, they didn't see us. Let's try to get closer to the palace without drawing too much attention."

Snotlout tucked his lion's hide in his bag and Hiccup made sure that no feathers of his wings were poking out of his own baggage. They heard people talking, but the voices sounded strange—insincere. It was simple to see that the people talking were visitors and more of the widely smiling residents. No one outside of these groups would speak. Their heads were low. Hiccup mimicked them and it came naturally enough. He blended in well, looking as small and helpless as they felt. Snotlout and Dagur struggled more in this regard. They tried to slouch a little to see if this would help, but it did not really matter either way. No one was looking at them. People were facing the ground and some appeared to have gone blind from various illnesses or attacks. The area beyond where the guests and travelers were brought looked like a completely different kingdom. Strangers saw gold, lush olive and grape vines, and attractive people dressed in fine robes. Outside of this strip designed to draw them in, the kingdom was like an abandoned village and the people looked weak. Their ribs poked through, their hair was falling out, and their steps were slow. That is, if they were walking at all.

There was no sign of food anywhere. Hiccup's heart ached when he saw a child trying to dig in the ground for something to eat. It explained why everyone was so emaciated, but it did not explain how things had gotten so bad. This was a kingdom and one with wealth. How was it that it could not afford food or tend to farmland? There was something else as well. The trio noticed an odd stench. Ephyra smelled like sickness, filth, and waste. It was almost suffocating, wrapping around the cousins so much that they worried the smell was clinging to their skin. Snotlout yelped when someone regurgitated in front of him. He leapt over the mess and looked ready to become ill himself.

"What's with this place?" he asked. "I thought that even bad kingdoms still were fancy. Where's the gold and everything?"

"It's probably all in the castle," Hiccup surmised, looking up.

A large shadow was cast by the palace. It towered over the kingdom like an imposing figure, daring anyone to approach. Despite its threatening appearance, it could not deter Dagur. The redhead grinned deviously.

"Let's sneak inside."

"Hold on," Hiccup said quickly. "Shouldn't we look around here first?"

Dagur lifted an eyebrow. "That wasn't the plan."

"No, but it might help. We could see what the people here are like. I didn't expect them to be so…"

He made a face when he heard someone sound like she was coughing up a lung.

"Close to being in the Underworld?" Snotlout finished for him.

"Basically." Hiccup gestured around. "This place looks and smells terrible. The people are practically dying, but nothing's happening. It's like they don't have any fight in them. Even without you being here, Dagur, they should have wanted to rebel on their own."

Dagur tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Good point. Maybe I can see what'll get them ready to fight. Couldn't hurt to have a few extra soldiers. Be right back."

The immortal vanished and Snotlout's eyes widened.

"Did he just leave or…"

"He's doing his war whispers," Hiccup asked.

"Ah, okay." Snotlout paused, scratching his head. "And those would be…"

While Hiccup explained, Dagur went towards the people he saw. He did sense anger, but he did not sense a great desire to fight. The immortal hoped he could change that.

"Look around," he said, using his war whisper. "This kingdom is practically in ruins. All the wealth is in the palace while the rest of you are forced to starve and deal with illnesses. King Sisyphus doesn't care about you. He'd learn from his mistake if you rebelled."

Gradually, the mortal scowled and Dagur grinned when he saw a fire light up in his eyes. Then it was extinguished. The man just slumped back down. His body was far too weak to house the spirit of battle. It disappointed the immortal who went to look for more people. He saw a family with potential. Those with others they cared about often had the best reasons to fight.

"Think of your kids," Dagur whispered to the mother. "At this rate, they'll be dead before winter. That'll change if you force the king from his throne. It's the only way to take him down. He doesn't care about any of you."

Like before, she started to look ready to fight, but she just did not have the strength. Mouth curving down, Dagur returned to his team.

"No luck?" Hiccup asked.

The immortal shook his head. "They want to fight, but they can't. It's sort of depressing. I'm not used to being around soldiers who can barely even keep their eyes open."

"So, we're on our own with this," Snotlout realized, glancing around.

It could be a large task. The group did not know how many royal soldiers there were. Still, they were confident in themselves. If they had to take down the castle alone, it was a quest that they were willing to take on. Suddenly, Dagur's eyes sparkled and he looked behind the cousins.

"Someone's got courage," he stated, starting to walk that way.

They followed Dagur as he went through the crowd, stopping in front of a small group. His eyes moved over each of them before landing on the apparent leader.

"You," he said, pointing, "you're planning something, aren't you?"

The subject appeared nervous at first, then Dagur started to grin.

"Because we are too. Want to kill the king with us?"

Hiccup's eyes widened when he heard this. "Kill? Do we actually have to kill him? Maybe there's a way to just stop him instead."

"Yeah, we'll get him to stop doing a lot of stuff when he's dead."

Snotlout nodded approvingly. "Good point."

"Not helping," Hiccup said, frowning.

"I'm just thinking about our reputation," the bigger boy stated. "We're not going to be revered as heroes if we just go around talking our problems out. Who wants to tell stories about that? It would be boring."

"It's not just about being famous, it's about doing what's best for this kingdom."

"Why not do both?"

"Because if there's a war here, more of the people could die."

"If there isn't, they could too," Dagur mentioned.

"I still think there's a chance."

Dagur frowned and Snotlout let out a sigh.

"He's stubborn," he informed the god. "If Hiccup sets his mind to do something, he's going to at least try, so it'll be faster if we go along with him for now."

"You'll be wasting your time," one of the rebels said. "Sisyphus won't listen to what any of you have to say. He only responds to violence, so I say we give him some."

Dagur liked the sound of that, eyes beginning to glow again. Then he glanced at the cousins. Hiccup had a determined look on his face. The immortal had chosen him for a reason. Simply ignoring what he wanted to do would be similar to getting someone else to join on the journey, so he decided that it was worth it to give his plan a try. If it failed, they would just go back to his idea.

"Shouldn't be too hard to sneak into the palace and get him away from his guards," he commented. "It's what we were going to do anyway. It'll just end differently now."

The rebels did not appear to be satisfied with this.

"Do what you want," one of them said, "but we're still planning our rebellion. We've been living in filth and starvation for too long. It's time for that to end. He can't kill us anymore like livestock!"

Others in the group rallied behind the cheer, raising their hands. They were louder than anything else in that part of the village, but that did not mean that Dagur and Snotlout were oblivious to certain sounds they heard. The ground was starting to tremble. Dagur glanced down.

"Looks like we found out another reason why there's so much death," he commented.

Snotlout nodded, drawing his ax. "Can't escape these monsters anywhere."

Peering up, the teammates saw several giants who were beginning to enter the kingdom. A strong sense of duty hit Snotlout. Although the rebels wanted to fight, they lacked the strength. If the team did not protect them, the villagers' frail grasp on life could all be lost. It was a fine test. They were about to prove if they had what it took to even continue their journey of becoming heroes.

Apollo is the god of many things, including music, prophecy, poetry, and healing. I thought he would fit for Fishlegs since I remembered Fishlegs playing the panpipes and I could see him enjoying poetry as well as studying about diseases and healing. As for the vulture scene, Dagur turned into one because this is actually one of Ares's sacred animals. Lastly, Ruffnut is Atê, the goddess of mischief. I didn't know about her until I did some research, but as soon as I learned there was a goddess of mischief, I just knew she had to be Ruffnut.