The giants walked closer to Ephyra. Snotlout got into a fighting stance, drawing his ax. Hiccup reached into his bag, taking the wings out and attaching them. Instantly, he began flapping his arms, bringing himself up into the sky. It was simple to see three of the giants, but at this vantage point, he could tell how many foes they had to face.

"There are two more at the base of the mountain!" he called.

"Two more who'll realize they're messing with the wrong team," Snotlout said, starting to smile in anticipation.

Dagur's eyes moved to Hiccup and he began chuckling. He made a shiny helmet appear on the boy's head. Hiccup glanced up at it in confusion.

"It'll help you blind the giants," the immortal informed him.

Realization twinkling in Hiccup's eyes. He could see where the sun was reflecting off the helmet and turned accordingly so that the ray would go into the giants' eyes. He focused on the duo who were further down. This caused them to try to cover their faces, but it was more than a simple case of having the sun in their eyes. With the immortal's blessing, it actually burned whenever it hit them. Hiccup's actions allowed the last giants to stay away longer while Snotlout and Dagur fought the others. The mortal was fast, charging for one giant's ankles first. If he could not walk, he could not attack properly. Dagur observed Snotlout's technique, impressed. One of the giants mistook him for a mortal as well and tried to smash the god with his hand. He cried out when a hole was burned in his hand as a result. Dagur started laughing again.

"Bad call, big boy," he said, eyes glowing brightly.

The immortal drew a blade, slicing the giant in half. When he did, he watched the monster fall to the ground. Snolout's eyes widened, having seen the attack with his peripheral vision.

"Woah!" he exclaimed happily. "I can take care of this one!"

Excitedly, the boy dodged a swat from a fallen giant and went for his throat. Dagur killed the third giant near the kingdom, jumping up to punch him in the head. The blow was too powerful for the creature, breaking his skull.

"These two are almost up there now," Hiccup called down.

"Works for me!" Snotlout told him. "We're ready for them."

Blindly, the first giant went over. His attacks were sloppy, focused more on destruction than efficiency. Snotlout decided that he would try a different method. He speedily climbed up the giant until he reached his head. With his ax, he dug it into the creature's face. It fell to the ground and Snotlout rolled so that he was back to his feet. When he saw the final giant, he turned to Dagur. The immortal looked at the dead creatures, then the warrior.

"Might as well keep it even," he said. "Want to take out that one together?"

Snotlout's face lit up eagerly. "Yeah!"

He and Dagur both moved in front of the monster. Each took a half, then ran, digging their axes into the giant. When it fell, they both grinned. Snotlout's grin faded slightly as he tilted his head.

"You probably didn't really need Hiccup and me to help with this, did you?"

Dagur shrugged. "Technically…no, but it's pretty boring to just go and take out everything. It's way better to join mortals with battles. That's why I have my Spartans."

Snotlout's jaw dropped in glee. "Does this mean that I'm an honorary Spartan?!"

The immortal gestured to the bodies. "Keep fighting like this and you can be."

Barely, the Berkian managed to keep in another delighted squeal. Hiccup flew back down to the ground, landing. The cousins exchanged grins.

"That actually went pretty well," Hiccup said.

"Obviously!" Snotlout declared. "Because the best team in Greece was on the mission."

The smaller Berkian started to feel some of the same confidence his cousin had. He looked at the corpses.

"What do we do with these? We can't just leave them here. They'll attract even more disease to this place."

Dagur nodded. "I'll take care of this, then we can think of what we want to tell Sisyphus."

"Need any help?" Snotlout asked.

The immortal gave a crooked grin. "Cleanup duty's never interesting, so I don't mind making it go faster with a bit of divine power."

Easily, the god of war summoned vultures until there was a wake of them feeding on the carcasses. Within moments, the bones were picked dry. The mortals' eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, that works," Hiccup commented.

"With that done," Dagur said, rubbing his palms together, "let's get planning."

While the trio thought about what they wanted to do, the subject of their discussion was still in his palace. Sisyphus was walking through the halls, listening for any odd noises. He hated to hear the servants speak. They could have been talking badly about him. It would just tempt him to cut out their tongues and the last person he did that to had bled out. What a terrible waste of a good cook. The king stopped walking when he heard a voice.

"Grimmel," the voice said.

The ruler froze, looking behind him and seeing no one. He almost wished he had. This meant that it was a special message. Speedily, Grimmel went to his chambers. As soon as he closed the door, he saw a glowing orb. It was the source of the speech.

"Yes, Eurymedon?" the king asked, trying to sound confident.

"I sent giants to Ephyra to take care of a rebel problem for you, but I learned that they were killed."

"What?"

Grimmel's eyes widened and he rushed to his balcony to look out. There had to be a mistake. The monsters never were killed. He lifted a spyglass to his face, looking around for blood and ruins. All he saw were abnormally large skeletons. The king's hand trembled when he lowered the spyglass.

"I had nothing to do with that," he insisted.

"I know, but that doesn't change what happened. This is your kingdom, so any problems are your responsibilities." Krogan's voice became more threatening. "You now owe a debt of death."

"Of course! Just tell me how many you want and I'll give them to you. I've got plenty of subjects."

"I don't want your feeble, sickly mortals. My subjects deserve better than that."

Grimmel paused anxiously. "What are you saying?"

Krogan paused, thinking this over. "I want something fresher."

"One of the noble families then? I can bring them to you instead."

"That's not what I said. It's my understanding that you have new guests."

Grimmel did not say anything, worried about misinterpreting again and being punished for this. Still, he felt worried. What guests had entered without him noticing? He always knew when people were coming into the kingdom. The king could not understand how he had missed some.

"Two new mortals are in your kingdom. Take care of that. If you can, your blood debt will be paid."

Grimmel bowed his head. "Of course, Your Majesty. Consider it done. I'll have them for you before the end of the night."

"Good. Don't disappoint me. I don't like to be kept waiting."

The orb vanished, but Grimmel still did not dare to breathe out a sigh of relief in case the giant king heard him. He returned to his balcony. His chambers were at the highest part of the palace. There, he could see beyond the welcoming trap of Ephyra's entrance and into the real kingdom. It was designed to let him see everything. He saw the two strangers. He could see that the youths were not ill. They were not dying, but they would be soon.

With the giants gone, the trio was still working on plans for how they could help the people. They were oblivious to the wide eyes of the subjects of Ephyra. The group had never seen such feats before in their lives. Despite that, the team was too focused on solving the entire issue to worry about small battles like this.

"Not much is going to make Sisyphus listen," Snotlout said. "If he's fine with his kingdom basically being in ruins, it'll be hard to convince him to change."

"Maybe we just need to talk to him at his level," Hiccup suggested. "He's obviously selfish. If we make it seem like it'll benefit him more to change, that could work."

"I could say that I'll kill him otherwise," Dagur offered.

Hiccup cringed slightly. "Maybe that can be a last resort kind of thing. It might have longer-lasting effects if he really wants to change."

The immortal appeared thoughtful. "How about the ports?"

"What do you mean?"

"If he makes the kingdom better, he'll be able to trade items with more lands. It'll bring more supplies to Ephyra and wealth too whenever someone buys something."

"Yeah!" Snotlout said. "Who wouldn't want a little extra gold?"

Hiccup nodded happily. "He loses a bit here and there to fix things up around the kingdom and makes more when merchants come by."

"Sounds like a good deal to me," his cousin commented.

"Then let's go tell him," Dagur stated.

The group began leaving, but before they could, the rebel leader stopped them.

"Th-that was amazing what you three did. Thank you so much."

The cousins blushed slightly at the praise. It was unique hearing it directed at them. If they did not know that no one else was healthy enough to fight, they might have looked around in search of the true target of the rebel's admiration.

"Don't thank us yet," Dagur said, snapping the two mortals out of their amazement. "We've still got more to do."

"Right," Snotlout agreed. "There could be other monsters, so we should work fast. Don't want them to be here while we're in the palace."

One of the rebels pointed up ahead. "The guards always make their rounds on the west side of the palace. They don't focus on the south side very often."

"Any idea why?" Hiccup asked.

The subject shrugged unsurely. "No clue, but I hope it can help."

"It'll be really helpful. Thanks."

"Good luck!" the people wished.

Feeling a swell of excitement in their support, the group started going closer to the castle. They saw the guards going by. There were a lot of them, but they were not staying near the south side. The closer the group got, the more they noticed a strange sound.

"What's that?" Snotlout asked quietly.

Dagur looked around, frowning. "It sounds like a creature, but I don't know what kind."

Hiccup's eyes moved over the area, landing on a stone wall with a door nearby. Underneath it was a small area which did not lay evenly against the ground.

"It's coming from over there."

"Think it has something to do with what's going on here?" Snotlout inquired, dropping down to try to peek in.

"Maybe," Dagur said. "Let's not rule anything out."

The young warrior started standing back up, swiping dirt off his tunic. "It's too dark in there to see anything. We'll have to figure it out later." He held his nose. "I can tell that whatever that thing is, it smells as bad as the rest of this kingdom."

Dagur's brows furrowed as he thought of what could be hidden there. He did not have much time to consider this as he heard people approaching.

"Hide," he instructed.

Quickly, the cousins ran behind the other part of the wall while Dagur made himself invisible. That way, he could stay where he was to see who was leaving. Two guards exited the door, looking pale. One nearly emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground.

"I wish he'd stop having us do that," he complained.

Dagur noticed red on their hands and the front of their armor.

"You might as well give up on that," the other one said. "He'll never stop."

The more ill of the two sucked in a few breaths, bending over. Finally, he stood up and faced the castle again.

"You're probably right. Let's just go back in and hope no more visitors come in for a while."

Both of the guards reentered the palace and Dagur frowned after them.

"You can come back over here now," he said.

The boys did and Hiccup noticed the smug look on Snotlout's face.

"'He'll never stop,' Hiccup. Doesn't that just fill you with confidence?"

"He might stop. We'll just have to give him a chance."

"We'll see what happens," Dagur stated. "If he doesn't listen to us, we won't waste our time trying to keep convincing him. Fair?"

After a moment, Hiccup nodded. "Fair. I don't want everyone here to suffer."

The boys followed as Dagur went towards the door. When he opened it, the smell Snotlout had noticed was stronger and the sounds were louder. They were in a hallway, but behind another door, it sounded like bones were breaking. This made Hiccup feel a little woozy. When he swayed, Snotlout put an arm around his shoulders.

"You okay?" he asked.

Hiccup quickly nodded. "Yeah, just…remembering the last time I heard bones breaking."

A sympathetic expression appeared on Snotlout's face. "Let's get out of this part of the palace."

In agreement, Dagur kept going ahead of them, staying invisible to everyone but the cousins.

"Make a right up here. There aren't any guards."

The duo hurried up and followed him. They were in a large area adored with beautiful drapes and the floor was made of gold.

"Oh, come on," Snotlout whispered. "How's this necessary? He needs to walk on gold too?"

"He's used to walking over people, so maybe this is a change of pace for him," Hiccup joked.

His companions chuckled then stopped when Dagur no longer went forward. He was frowning at a wall.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"I sense something weird. I haven't been around one in a long time. I'm not even sure if I'm sensing it right."

"What is it?" Snotlout asked.

"If it's what I'm thinking it is, it's a tool to let mortals communicate with immortals and other more powerful beings."

"Sounds cool."

"It is. It's also dangerous in the wrong hands. You get bad mortals and immortals talking and worse stuff happens…obviously."

"Should we take it?" Snotlout asked.

"We can't. It's not a physical thing. I can just tell it was here recently. For now, let's focus on getting to Sisyphus." Dagur paused, looking to the left. "He's over there."

The group hurried up and came into an area which they saw was the throne room. Sisyphus was seated on his throne. Briefly, surprise showed on his face.

"Heracles and Daedalus," he greeted. "I expected our meeting to be soon, but I thought my soldiers would be the ones finding you."

"We like being surprising," Hiccup snarked.

"So do I."

Sisyphus drew a blade, pointing it at the boys. Snotlout drew his own as well, but Hiccup held up his hands.

"We didn't come here to fight." When Snotlout raised an eyebrow at him, he added, "If we don't have to."

"Then what did you come here to do?"

"We want to propose that you use some of your wealth to strengthen the kingdom."

The king let out a scornful laugh. "Why would I do that?"

"It'll help you more than anything," Snotlout stated. "How much longer do you think people will be coming here if nobody ever returns? People talk. Word will get around."

Sisyphus's amused expression faded to one of annoyance. "I won't be told how to run my own land."

"Well, you apparently need to be because you're doing a pretty terrible job of it."

Speedily, Hiccup chimed in. "We're just trying to think of a way for everyone in the kingdom, including you, to be alright. This seems like the easiest solution. Do you know how many people are sick and starving out there?"

"No, and I don't plan to learn. They aren't my concern."

This made the small Berkian frown. "Of course they are."

"You're wrong. My concern is this castle and I run it very well. So, what happens outside is up to them. I don't make them into slaves. They're free to do as they like."

"There's a lot more you can do for them besides just not forcing them into slavery."

"Absolutely. I could also force them to fight as gladiators or my soldiers, but I'm not that harsh. They get to live simple, easy lives. They should thank me."

Sisyphus tensed when Dagur removed his invisibility. The king stepped back as the immortal angrily walked over to him.

"Plan B," the redhead said.

"What's plan B?"

Dagur's face broke into a wide grin, terrifying the mortal. "I am."

He did not stop walking until Sisyphus was pressed against a wall with nowhere further to go.

"I might be willing to consider something," Grimmel said quickly, clearing his throat to maintain an air of control.

"What?"

The king pointed at Hiccup. "If he can defeat a special guest of mine, then I'll disperse my wealth in the kingdom."

"Or I could just disembowel you right now and all of your wealth would go to them."

Sisyphus's breathing quickened, then his gaze became more analytical. "You must be Ares, least favored on Mount Olympus."

"That's not a good way to get me to spare your life."

"No, but I'm sure this is. Zeus might not be pleased with you just taking matters like these in our own hands. Your domain is war and this isn't one. I definitely won't mind sharing how I got to the Underworld until Hades has heard enough to carry out my wish and tell the king. So, unless he gave you permission to start killing important mortals like me, you might want to reconsider."

Dagur was not dissuaded. "He's been angry before. I'll risk it."

The cousins glanced at one another in concern.

"I can fight the guest," Snotlout volunteered. "This way, no one has to make Zeus mad."

"Sorry, I made my decision on who the fight will be with," the ruler stated.

Hiccup frowned at him. "If this will get resolved by me fighting your guest, I'll do it."

Snotlout and Dagur turned to him, worried.

"We have no idea who this guest is," the immortal reminded him. "He could be a great warrior unlike you."

"Yeah, you haven't even been in a fight at all," Snotlout added.

"Although I appreciate your words of encouragement," Hiccup said sarcastically, "this is the best option. We don't have many others."

"Well…" Dagur trailed off.

"That won't end in someone being smote."

"Fair enough."

Hiccup looked back at the king with determination in his eyes. "Who's your guest?"

Smiling, Sisyphus began walking out of the throne room. "I'll introduce you."

The group kept going through the halls of the palace until they reached the south side. They were met by that foul odor again. Sisyphus opened a small hatch on the door and gestured inside. When he did, the trio's eyes widened.

"Young Daedalus, meet the Minotaur."

Back to the earlier note I made about Daedalus at the end of chapter 1, he really was involved in the Minotaur story. In myth, he was the one who built a labyrinth designed to keep the creature trapped. The Minotaur itself was created because of a particularly disturbing tale. Poseidon gave King Minos a bull to sacrifice, but the ruler chose another one to kill. Furious over this, Poseidon made Queen Pasiphae bear a child with a bull. Since that's horrific, it is not canon for this story. Also, Daedalus never had to fight the monster, but now, we'll see how that might have gone. Wish Hiccup luck! He'll need it.