The Questers: Paper Planes

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.

Set in the winter of 2013. (In early January)

Blurb: When a strange portal is found in Alaska, the Questers are sent to investigate it. As usual, the group is faced with more than they bargained for, and for once the encounters are more than frightening.

Chapter One
Two of the five Questers were in the HQ; the others were participating in camp-related activities.

Natalie was someone who would stick to the schedule, but since few campers were here there wasn't much of a schedule to follow. She was currently reading the sixth Harry Potter book and was oblivious to everything else—except the tarantula in the corner.

Ava was listening to music and drawing something in her sketchbook. She also had a laptop in front of her and was looking up trailer music on it.

They both looked up when the door opened and Kyra hurried inside. “Gods, it's freezing outside!” she complained and collapsed on the couch next to Natalie.

“Hey, Kyra.” Ava greeted and paused the music. “Why were you out there if it's so cold anyway?” Kyra didn't answer her and instead took her coat, gloves, and shoes off. “I wish Apollo was the god of warmth so I could be warm all the time.” she grumbled and Ava rolled her eyes. Natalie ignored them; she was too engrossed in her book.

Ava went back to drawing in her sketchbook and Kyra remembered why she had came in in the first place. “Oh, Natalie, Chiron wanted to talk to us about something.”

“Chiron? Does he have another quest for us?” Natalie asked, her interest finally piqued.

“I think so.” The daughter of Apollo looked confused for a moment. “He said something about a portal.”

Natalie's eyes widened like she knew what Kyra was talking about. “Oh no...this is bad.” she muttered and stood up. Any calmness she had been she had been reading vanished, and now her eyes were filled with dread. “This is really bad. I'm going to see Michael. I'll come back to you guys soon.”

Michael was in the Athena cabin looking at a pile of scrolls when Natalie opened the cabin door. She squinted at the open scrolls and raised her eyebrows. “Does that say, 'Fear the cheese!'?” she asked. Michael shrugged and looked at it again. “That would make sense; there is a cartoon piece of cheese massacring an army here... I think the Hermes cabin took these.”

“That wouldn't be too far off.”

Michael put the scrolls aside and faced her. “Anyway, what's up?”

“Chiron apparently wants to talk to all of us. Kyra said something about a portal.” At the mention of the word Natalie winced. Her half-brother; however, hardly looked concerned.

“So? Sure, portals are terrible and bring ruin, but aren't they a little interesting? I mean going from one world to the next if you give someone a quarter is pretty awesome.”

“Except the part where the people who go into the portal rarely come back.” Natalie reminded him. “Come on, let's go find Zack.” * * *

“Pfft, so what? Nico and I can freaking raise the dead. What can he do? Make pretty shapes with the water.” Ava and Kyra were having a somewhat friendly argument about what child of the Big Three had the best powers. “Then again, Percy can cause total destruction with his powers. That is pretty awesome.”

“Thalia can bring lightning from the sky, and she's also a Hunter. I'd say she's the best. Besides, you never show off your powers and Nico's never here. I still think Percy's powers are really cool, though...”

“Alright, Percy has the best powers out of the Big Three. What about the minor kids though? They need some glory. Who has the best powers: children of Persephone, children of Morpheus, or children of Nyx?”

“Morpheus kids. There's no point in arguing because Persephone's kids can't do anything and Nyx's son can only control the shadows.”

“He's more powerful in the night, too. Remember that one year? Plus he can blend in with the shadows.”

“So? He can't see people's dreams or make people sleep.”

The girls looked up when Natalie entered the cabin. “Chiron's waiting at the Big House.” She looked worried and somewhat annoyed but she left before Kyra or Ava could say anything. The girls both put on coats and walked out of the cabin together towards the Big House.

When they went inside Zack, Michael, and Natalie were already there sitting around a table. Kyra and Ava both took a seat next to each other and Chiron started talking.

“Now, as you all should have been told by Kyra here, there is a strange portal in Alaska. For those who do not know, a portal is an opening to another world. It can be a parallel universe with another version of someone on this Earth, or it can have completely different people in another world. A portal can only be created by a god, and this particular god wanted to add something to the portal so strange things begin to happen to people around the portal, and everything is related to what that person is most afraid of.

“As both Natalie and Michael know, portals are not to be underestimated. You must investigate it but I urge you to take caution. Portals are very dangerous and it is foolish of any god to create one.” “Chiron, what would happen if you by accident did go into the portal? What would happen?” Ava asked. He looked at her gravely.

“If you go into a portal, child, you can never come out.”

The Questers went back at the HQ to further discuss the problem. They agreed that they would leave in the morning and they would shadow travel there so they wouldn't waste time. They had already decided what they all would take and now were just talking about the portal.

“So...how can we avoid going into the portal if we don't even know where it is in Alaska?” Ava asked.

“By not being careless.” Natalie replied. “Just stick with the group and you should be fine.”

Ava opened her mouth to ask something else but Kyra shot her a look. Natalie was obviously annoyed and worried about this whole thing, so they all needed to be careful about what they said. Natalie sighed and stood up. “I'm going, I'll see you guys in the morning.” she told them and walked out of the cabin.

Michael didn't go after her and instead picked up a book that was lying around. The cover was too worn too read so he assumed it was Ava's. He tossed it to her and she caught it but she was confused. “What's this?” she asked and Michael shrugged. “I found it here so I thought it was yours.”

Ava paged through the book and noticed something odd about it. “It's all in Ancient Greek.”

“Really?” Kyra asked and Ava handed it to her. Sure enough Ava was right. “Can you read it, Michael?”

“Yeah, I guess, but since it's in Ancient Greek it will might take me awhile.”

“What about-” Kyra was cut off by Zack. “I think talking to Natalie is out of the question right now.” he told her and she sighed. “What is she so upset about anyway?” she asked Michael.

“She's worried about this quest even though she won't admit it. I think she's worried that something greater is going on with this portal.”

“But you can talk to her, right?” Ava asked but he shook his head. “If she doesn't want to talk she won't talk. I think I know what she's worried about anyway.”

He sat up and looked at all three of them. “See, there's more to a portal than what Chiron said. They're kind of like horizontal holes in the universe that warp someone or something to the next one. Gods can only make them, but they can't create them without there being side effects. Say that Poseidon created a portal somewhere in a desert. Around the portal it would rain off and on until the portal was closed.”

“So the portal would have side effects related to the god's power that created it.” Zack realized. Michael nodded. “But Chiron also said that this particular portal made people see what they most feared.” He looked at the tarantula in the corner warily. Kyra noticed this and her face fell. “Oh...” Ava closed her eyes and nodded to herself. Zack was the only one that wasn't affected. “What if you aren't afraid of anything?”

“Then the portal will make you fear something.” Michael replied.

Chapter Two
The group met by Thalia's Pine the next morning, and as usual Natalie and Michael were there first. They had been discussing the quest when Ava came, then Zack, then finally Kyra.

A heavy snow started to fall so they had worn heavier coats. Kyra looked like a marshmallow because she was wearing so much. Ava looked like death her skin was so pale and her black clothing helped to contrast. They all stood in a circle.

“Some important things before I take us there. First, don't let go of the other person's hand.” Ava looked at them all almost hauntingly and the wind drowned out her words. Natalie, Zack, and Ava exchanged a look; they all knew too well what would happen. “Second, don't scream and third, I am not responsible if you puke.” She nodded and they all took the other person's hand. Ava closed her eyes and the group disappeared into the shadows.

They appeared next to the roaring and crashing sea against the ice. The wind was brisk and hit them all like a slap to the face. Kyra muttered something that couldn't be heard over the wind and Ava stumbled back slightly but caught herself before she fell. Zack looked around. “Now what?” he asked Michael. There was snow and ice all around them and there were masses of trees scattered on the horizon.

As far as they could tell no one was here.

Michael looked at the glaciers in the see then at the trees. “We don't know where the portal is, but I'm positive it can't be near the sea. I think we should move toward the glaciers.” Ava winced at the statement slightly but within seconds the expression faded.

The group trekked through the ice and snow towards the towering glaciers. Kyra kept grumbling about the cold and Zack kept thinking that this was pointless, that there wouldn't be anything here.

The wind picked up and they braced themselves against the cold. Natalie and Michael both squinted in case something unnatural was occurring so they could identify it as a portal, but neither saw anything.

There was a sudden howl that sounded wolf-like and they all turned around and saw four hell hounds barreling towards them.

The Questers started to run as none of them wanted to be killed so early in the quest. Zack would have rather stayed and fought but he couldn't risk being separated from the group.

The hell hounds were right behind them, all howling and mouths foaming. The Questers had no choice but to stand and fight.

Kyra notched an arrow and fired it at one hell hound while Ava threw multiple throwing knives at another. Michael and Natalie worked together to take out one and Zack took out the last hound. They stood there momentarily, watching the golden dust blow away in the wind.

“Let's continue towards the glaciers.” Natalie suggested and Michael nodded. The group started their trek once again and Kyra noticed Ava had a fearful expression on her face. She stood back so she could catch up with her.

“Ava are you okay? You look like you're going to faint.” she asked, concerned. Ava turned to her.

“I'm fine, really.” she replied but Kyra wasn't convinced. She still backed out of it anyway.

They reached the highest point in the area and they all looked down. The sea crashed against the glaciers and the shore. All of them seemed hesitant to actually go down to the glaciers.

Suddenly Natalie stopped and opened her mouth. “Guys, look at that!” She pointed towards the glaciers but nothing was there. “There's Medusa—we can't go any farther. We have to get away!”

The group looked to where she was pointing, all of them readying their weapons, but to their confusion nothing was there. There were only snow-covered glaciers. Michael looked at her worriedly. “Nat, there's nothing there.”

“No, Michael, I know what I saw! She's--” Natalie stopped and looked confused. “She isn't there...”

Michael looked at the glaciers and then at the group. “Something is up. Nat, do you think it's the portal?"

Natalie looked again at the glaciers and sighed. "I...I don't know."

Chapter Three
“Guys, why don't we just move on...away from the glaciers.” Ava suggested, “I mean, clearly something is wrong with them.”

Michael nodded and he and the others backed away, but Natalie still seemed glued to the spot. “No. We have to go further.” she told them. Michael stepped towards her and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Natalie, we can't. Chiron told us not to go towards it, and if that is the portal there is a possibility we could be sucked into another dimension.”

Natalie whirled around to face him, her eyes taking on a strange dark hue. She looked as if something was messing with her. “Michael, Chiron told us to investigate it! How else are we going to stop the god that created the portal in the first place?”

Michael jumped back, clearly startled by his sister's actions. “Natalie...you aren't okay. We have to leave, this place is dangerous.” Michael pleaded. Natalie truly looked off, like something had taken control of her. The others looked at Natalie worriedly, and Kyra looked at the glaciers and noticed something move. She jumped, startled, and stepped back. “Guys, there's something over there.” she whispered but Zack shook his head. “I'm sure it's nothing. Natalie saw something and none of us could see it.” he reminded her but Kyra shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the glaciers. “No, I'm positive this is real.”

Zack looked to where she was looking and indeed there was something there. It was a small bird—wait no, there was a cloud of birds in the air that were screeching and coming towards them.

Michael looked to where Kyra and Zack were looking and momentarily his worry about Natalie was forgotten when the cloud of birds started to grow closer and closer. The only thing he could think of was, ''Birds? In a place as cold as this?'' They had to be monsters.

“Run!” Michael shouted and the group started to run in the opposite direction but Natalie still remained in the same spot. “Natalie, come on! You're going to be killed!” he begged, tugging on her arm. “Natalie, please!”

The birds started attacking the duo and the mist started to fade from Natalie's eyes. Michael breathed a sigh of relief but then yelped when a bird jabbed at his face. “Ow—let's go!” He and Natalie both ran towards the others but their vision was constantly being clouded by the demon birds that kept moving and flapping around, ready to avoid any weapons that came at them. Michael held up an arm in an attempt to stop the birds from attacking his face which worked—until they started jabbing his arm instead. He didn't want to be a demon bird's breakfast but he couldn't think of how to stop them as he was still thinking about what they were...

Wait a minute, giant birds that attacked the flesh? These were Stymphalian birds. They had to get out of their reach, and fast.

“Ava, give us some time!” he shouted over the screeching. She seemed to have heard him because she paused for barely a second and five skeletal soldiers sprang from the ground. Luckily, the giant birds started to attack them instead, but unfortunately the skeletal warriors couldn't attack the birds effectively because they were flying out of their reach. Michael had to do something—and quickly otherwise this quest would be over fast.

They reached a clump of trees and the group started to weave between branches, bushes, and other trees. They managed to stop the birds but too late Michael realized they would be waiting for them on the other side. He sighed and called everyone to stop which they all gladly did. Ava leaned against a tree for support since she was still slightly weak after using her powers. Natalie seemed startled by everything, which led Michael to believe she was definitely not in her right mind when they were by the glaciers. Zack and Kyra both held ranged weapons which would be helpful in defeating the birds if they could make them stay still for one minute...

Suddenly it hit him. Heracles had defeated the birds by using noise. “What were those things?” Zack asked and Natalie answered him. “Stymphalian birds, and we have no way to defeat them!” She crossed her arm in frustration. Michael noticed their confused looks so continued for her. “We have to defeat them by using noise,” he explained, “but we have no way to create noise.”

There was a rustling and the sound of branches breaking off and Ava looked up. “Uh oh! Guys, we have to move!” she warned just when Kyra pulled something out of her back pack. It was an iPod.

“Who brings their iPod on a deadly quest?” Zack asked, and Ava raised her hand. “I would. Just forgot it.” She said this in an obvious attempt to annoy him. Michael noticed it and the thought hit him. “Kyra, you're brilliant! Now we just need to play music that the birds would hate!”

“There isn't a docking station for it.” Natalie pointed out.

Michael's triumphant grin slowly faded but Kyra answered her. “It doesn't need a docking station, this is a newer, well technically it is an older version, version that can play music without having the ear buds in.”

“There's still one problem,” Ava said, “Will the music be loud enough?”

“I don't know.” Kyra admitted and suddenly the once great idea didn't seem to be of much use. “What would we use instead? I don't think we have any instruments handy.”

Bronze feathers began to sprout in the ground and the group was brought to a sudden attention. Natalie looked up and noticed that since the birds couldn't peck at them they were firing at them. She had to admit that was pretty clever.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Ava and Kyra started to run ahead, closely followed by Zack and Michael. Natalie started to follow them and was given a strange clarity of thought. While running, she was able to think about what had happened to her. She had remembered Chiron's words about how the portal made you fear, so maybe she was unconsciously still worried of Medusa and that was what caused her to appear. Yes, that sounded correct, but that didn't help her with the strange sensation that something was controlling her. Maybe it was just another side effect from the portal, but if that were true then how would they ever find the god who did this if they couldn't investigate the portal while staying sane? Whoever created the portal had to was clever to think that up.

Zack was frustrated inside. It was just great; they had to defeat monsters they had no idea how to stop. They couldn't use Kyra's iPod since it wouldn't be loud enough and they hadn't brought anything else with them that could create a terrible noise. They would have brought some sort of musical instrument if they were anywhere else...heck, even a kitchen had instruments! It seemed like pots and pans could be used for anything...

A sudden idea struck him. Pots and pans...both vibrated to create noise, right? And metals made noise...so wouldn't celestial bronze work?

He stopped and the others stopped with him. “Zack, what it is?” Ava asked and Zack told them his idea.

“That might work.” Natalie murmured and Michael activated his shield. The surface was completely smooth. Perfect. They let the birds grow closer until they were within range and Michael hit his shield as hard as he could with his sword. The shield vibrated and created a painful noise so loud that the birds cringed in mid air. They used this opportunity to attack the birds until they had turned them all to dust.

“There might still be more.” Natalie reminded them and they all started to sprint in the opposite direction to escape the trees. When they finally got away from the trees they all looked relieved to find no other demon birds following them.

“That was easy.” Kyra commented and Ava looked at her. “Don't say that, now the quest will be worse later on.”

Natalie looked at the horizon and saw the sun sinking into the sky. “Let's rest for now and hope go back to the glaciers tomorrow.” Even as she said that she felt a sinking sensation and part of her didn't want to go back at all.

Chapter Four
The group woke up the next morning and they started to pack up again so they could move towards the glaciers. No one wanted to go back, but Natalie was feeling the most nauseous when they finally started to move. She had made a list of the possible gods that would create a portal so dangerous and unsurprisingly, the Olympians were not on it. Yes, they might have been ignorant towards mortals and demigods most of the time but they wouldn't do this. She had pondered Hades for awhile, because he definitely seemed like the type of god to do this, but she doubted he would have the time. He did have to run the whole Underworld after all.

The most likely candidates were minor gods who were still angry about having no recognition even after the war and the ones whose powers were more frightening. She immediately thought of Phobos and Deimos since the portal made you fear things and they were the gods of terror and fear, but she figured that a different god had created the portal with those effects so any god or demigod that was investigating would assume wrongly about the creator of the portal. Again, this was extremely clever.

Whoever this god or goddess was they were very smart.

When they reached the glaciers, Ava thought they were worse than before even though they hadn't changed in appearance. Just the fact that they were hiding a portal somewhere that could make you see what you most feared was enough to make her wish she was back at camp. Suddenly, her cabin didn't seem so gloomy and depressing anymore when she was running for her life from the demon birds.

She looked at the mountains of ice and was struck with the realization that they would actually be on the glaciers...and trying not to fall to their deaths. That definitely improved the situation.

She must have been shaking because Kyra put a hand on her shoulder. “Ava, are you sure you're alright?” she asked and Ava looked at her and nodded. “Yep. I'm perfectly fine.” she replied unconvincingly but Kyra didn't look away. “You know, you could probably...um...wait here if you wanted to.”

“No, I'm fine. Seriously.”

Just don't look down, she thought to herself, Don't think about falling and dying and what your funeral will look like...

Michael looked at the sea then the nearest glacier. It was about a foot away and pretty high but still smaller than where they stood. He guessed they could jump and land but he hadn't factored in the possible injures they could get from that. There was also a possibility the section of ice was weak and when they landed it would crack and they would fall into the ocean. Well, that would be another reason to scramble to the middle of the glacier.

There were probably a thousand reasons not to do this, but for once he didn't pay attention to the risks. They had to finish this quest and close this portal, otherwise things could get a lot worse.

He turned around to face the group and explain what they were about to do. He noticed that Ava looked paler than usual but assumed it must have been from the cold. He looked at Natalie and she nodded for him to speak. Heh. Great minds think alike.

“Okay, so the only way to get to the portal is to get to the glaciers, and to get to the glaciers we'll have to jump down from here. Since there is a possibility the glacier could break once you land you should get to the middle. There will be more support there since it is surrounded by ice, not open space. And I think that's it. Natalie?”

“If you see something that you fear, don't believe it to be true. Think of what would be reasonable to be in this place. Don't let the fear take control of you.” Natalie warned them and one by one they all nodded in understanding. Natalie nodded towards Michael as if to reassure him, and he turned around and jumped onto the ice. He winced when his feet hit the ice and the glacier started to shake as if it was on the verge of tipping. He quickly scrambled towards the middle and waved the others down. One by one, they dropped to the ice and stood with Michael in the middle of it. Ava was the last one and she looked as if she didn't want to do this. She kept staring at the water as if it would rise up and bring her down. “Ava, come on!” Michael shouted and he noticed her eyes went wide with fear every time she looked down. He looked at her is disbelief. The daughter of Hades who talked to the dead on a regular basis and wasn't afraid of a few monsters charging at her was afraid of heights. It was logical, though, because after all, Hades didn't particularly like Zeus. He probably envied both his brothers for having better domains.

She finally jumped down and quickly reached the middle of the glacier. Michael looked towards the other glaciers and noticed they were fairly close by so they shouldn't have any trouble reaching them. He scanned the other glaciers and noticed that one stood out. It looked like any glacier but he could have sworn the air around it seemed distorted. He decided they would go over there and check it out.

“Michael, we have to be careful.” Natalie reminded him and he was unaware that she was watching him. He turned to her and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and we will be cautious.” he promised but Natalie still didn't look convinced, and he realized she must have been thinking about what had happened yesterday and that had been alarming. It still was. It clearly meant that whatever god created this portal wanted people to be trapped in another world so they would never return. That was what worried him the most.

Michael started to walk towards the edge of the glacier so the others began to follow him. He looked at the gap, then deeming it safe, he jumped onto the next mountain of ice. He gestured the others to follow which they did.

When they reached the glacier furthest from the shore, things started to become a little strange. First off, Kyra noticed that everything seemed to grow darker like the sun was going down, but it really wasn't, and she felt like something was watching her. She guessed it was the portal, and she remembered Natalie's words about telling yourself what was happening isn't real, but it felt like it was. Every step she made, everything just got a little worse...

She didn't know what everyone was was thinking, but Ava wasn't enjoying this one bit. Despite it being unwise, she kept replaying in image in her head of that bridge she and her (mortal) family walked across once. It was extremely high but she hadn't known the exact measurements, nor would she guess. She had just been a little child and she kept looking down when she was close to the handrail, trying to scare herself. There was a beat up car at the bottom and she had jumped back when her smaller self saw it.

This situation was like the bridge but there was no handrail, the ice was slippery, and there was a portal that could make her fall to her death. Down, down, down into the icy sea. She would probably freeze before she drowned, and she decided that maybe freezing to death was better.

Natalie liked rational situations. They made sense. They could be figured out easily. This was not a rational situation. Anything could happen and you would simply believe it and it wouldn't be reasonable. A pig could come flying out of the sky and you would believe it because you were so terrified. An alien might appear and you would believe it because you believe in your fears. It just didn't make sense, but at the same time it did.

She wanted to do something, to make this quest more believable, but she couldn't. She wanted to believe what the portal created wasn't real but she couldn't because she each time she turned around she saw a spider. A fat, hairy spider with eight eyes, eight limbs, and two fangs that were dripping with some kind of disgusting liquid that was probably the rest of a giant bug. Or worse.

The spider was always larger than her and she was so, so, so terrified. Terrified even though the reasonable part of her brain kept shouting that it wasn't real and can't be real.

Zack knew he didn't fear anything expect for the strange tendencies of some teenage girls, and the Aphrodite cabin displayed all of them, and it wasn't like he was terrified of them. No, they just made him think that something was clearly wrong with them.

Despite this, every time he looked around heard a scrapping sound, like a terrified animal was trying to get away from a predator. The sound would also echo within in mind and he couldn't seem to get it out. Then there was a strange, hoarse voice. It never spoke coherently but he could always tell it was angry.

So, so angry.

Michael and Natalie silently agreed that he would be the leader of this quest for once since Natalie seemed to still be extremely wary about this place, and more than anyone else. He respected her decision, but a part of it freaked him out, and more than the giant spiders he saw every time he turned his head.

If Natalie was almost frightened about something, and she didn't believe that they were dealing with what they were told, he wondered how long they would last.

Chapter Five
When they reached the glacier they were aiming for, Michael started to walk more slowly and hoped the others would follow his lead. Since they didn't know where the portal was and it wasn't visible to the naked eye, they would need to walk slowly and watch for the slightest change in the air.

Admittedly, he didn't exactly know what to look for if they were near it, and he was just guessing. He just imagined there would be some sort of difference in the atmosphere.

He looked around and noticed that there was no change in the air and for the briefest moment he wondered if he had been wrong, but then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was a raven. It screeched and kept turning it head as if it wanted him to follow it.

The bird was quite beautiful actually and it looked almost otherworldly. When he looked closer he noticed its eyes were golden like the color of the blood of the gods.

When he took a step closer it hissed and its body began to change shape. It stretched its wings and they began to shrink into its body until they were smaller than normal. The feathers changed the scales and grew a greenish color. It grew larger until it was more than half the size of him and its head changed into the head of a rooster. It hissed again flew up into his face and instinctively he raised an arm to protect his face but there was no impact. He lower his arm and realized that it was all in his head.

Kyra noticed the change right away because the darkness had completely faded. It was a relief, but at the same time she wondered if it was even worse. Michael clearly thought that the portal would be nearby so she wondered if it was tricking them into thinking they were safe...

She also saw an animal that was out of place, and it was a goat. She looked confused for a moment and she finally decided that it wasn't real at all until it started to move closer. She stepped back and the goat started to change into something. Next to the goat's head the head of a lion appeared and the tail was replaced with a snake. It started to grow larger and larger and its skin turned to a clash of soft fur and rough scales. The pig's feet were turned into the paws of a lion.

She stepped back when it began to scrap the ice away. When it jumped at her she let out a scream and and closed her eyes but nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw nothing there, only the other four questers looking at her worriedly.

While Natalie was walking with the others on the last glacier, she took more caution than the others. She knew that Michael was being plenty wary of everything but she felt that something else was going on around here. When Kyra had screamed at something they couldn't see and Michael flinched at an attack that would never come, she came to the conclusion that the portal was messing with them.

They started to walk slowly to the center of the glacier when they stopped completely. Michael looked around like he was searching for something then turned around to face everyone when he looked satisfied. “Okay, the portal shouldn't be too far from here, maybe even a few inches from where I stand.”--Natalie shuddered when she thought of Michael stepping back and being sucked away into another world--”I think the air will be effected by the portal and we will be able to see the change. The way that it is effected should give us a clue to the god that created the portal. The only lead we have are fears and that isn't very specific. We need something to work with."

The others nodded and they started squinting their eyes and looking around as if they could find clues easily. Natalie noticed Kyra step forward and she realized what she needed to say.

“Don't step forward.” she warned everyone, her voice almost a shout. “Retrace your steps if you have to move but don't go where we haven't gone before. It is too risky.”

Kyra looked at her feet and jumped back like she was afraid something would grab her and drag her away. “Thanks, Natalie.”

Natalie began to look around and noticed something shimmering in the distance and a fox stepped forward and faced her. Its pelt was a gorgeous reddish orange and its eyes a pure golden color. It opened its mouth and began to speak to her which startled her greatly. "Daughter of Athena, why are you here? You could do so many great things if you were by yourself. If you were in another world you could recreate everything from this world. You could do whatever her heart desired. You could be free from the burdens of your pitiful friends."

She stared at it, enraged at what it was saying but at the same time entranced. What if she could do what this fox was saying? What if it only spoke truths and not the lies she quickly assumed?

It seemed to smirk as it stepped closer and she saw its face started to change into that of a human's. She stepped back, thankfully she wasn't walking to the unknown, and it continued to morph as it walked closer. When it had finally finished she realized a manticore stood before her, a smirk on playing on its lips and tail waving back and forth hypnotically.

"Just think of the possibilities." it murmured and faded like steam.

The only thing Zack could concentrate on was the deafening inhuman scream that echoed in his ears. He couldn't focus on anything, much less look at anything. The scream reminded him of the demon he was fused to in a way, but it wasn't quite that. It sounded like a mix of every monster they had faced and every tortured soul in the Fields of Punishment. It was agony. Pure agony.

It had stopped for a second and he breathed a sigh of relief but opened his eyes only to see a hydra staring at him. Its numerous heads looked at him in amusement and all of its mouths seemed to form a smirk.

When the scream started again he cringed but managed to keep his eyes open long enough to see the hydra morphing into Medusa. She stepped back and laughed once. "You should memorize those screams. You might be hearing them one day."

Some things weren't meant to be journeyed to. They weren't meant to be investigated by anyone: not curious teenagers, not gods, not adults, and certainly not demigods on quest. They had realized that much too late because when Natalie finally realized what was happening, the portal had already chosen its victim.

Chapter Six
Fears were things that kept you up in the night. They could be explained easily or they might not make any sense at all. They made your heart beat faster and often times they make you want to run away and hide. Fears could be living things like spiders, birds, or frogs. They could be forces of nature such as hurricanes or tornadoes. They could just be something simple, like the fear of heights or the fear of water.

They can be faced easily and they can be concurred, but that would not be the case today.

The questers remained standing, facing various directions and all had painful expressions on their faces. They looked like they had no idea of what to make of this situation they were currently in. There was no way to make anything of it. They were stuck with going backwards because they couldn't move forwards anymore. It was impossible, but it was an amazing trap. The god or goddess had taken great care with creating this portal and they could have been admired had they not done something utterly despicable.

Ava was the last to see a strange creature, since the portal seemed to want to play with her mind and twist the gears so she had a habit of looking over her shoulder every second and always strangely close to the edge. When she was preoccupied with staring at the air in case of the slightest change, a pit bull had appeared directly in front of her, but like everyone else's visions, it was visible only to her. She thought she had heard a growl from behind her so she turned her head and her eyes grew wide when she saw the pit bull, and of course her mind replayed every single deadly incident involving one. However, instead of reacting, she remembered Natalie's words about thinking what was rational unlike the others. She closed her eyes and began to mutter to herself that it wasn't real, that a dog couldn't just have appeared. She opened her eyes, fully expecting nothing would greet her, but she was shocked to find the dog still sitting there patiently. It took all her willpower to stay standing in place. Slowly, it began to grow two heads and she recognized it as Cerberus.

Then, he spoke.

“I thought you would be here.”

Michael had stepped backwards so he was in the middle of the group and next to Natalie when a spider the size of a hen started crawling towards him. He saw the red spot on its black body and realized it was a female black widow spider. Just his luck.

She stood on her back legs and she started to grow until she was twice the size of him. He took another step back and bumped into Natalie. “Oh gods...” she whispered and Michael was at least glad to have some help.

The spider stepped over Kyra and Ava, and Michael was surprised they hadn't noticed it until he realized they couldn't have because it wasn't what they were terrified of. They had fears different to him and Natalie so they wouldn't see the giant spider. They had their own problems to deal with.

At first, Natalie figured that the spider was like the manticore so it would disappear quickly. She told Michael this and he relaxed, but only slightly. He and Natalie both looked at the giant spider and they noticed it was leaving tracks unlike the previous monsters they had seen. Natalie shrugged it off, assuming it was just the portal. When the spider grew closer she held up her sword and watched Michael do the same. “One clean strike through a leg and that should make it disappear.” Natalie told him and he nodded in understanding. They both waited for the giant spider to come closer, its fangs dripping with blood and legs covered with it. Natalie blinked once, and then again in hope that the spider would change in some way but it didn't. She felt slightly light-headed and noticed Michael stepped back again. The spider was finally close enough and they each sliced through a leg, both expecting the swords to run clean through and the spider to disappear into thin air once it had been touched.

What they didn't expect was the legs to slice off, leaving two stumps and a very much alive spider.

No, they didn't expect that at all.

Zack stood face-to-face with the demon he was fused to, a look of disbelief on his face. This couldn't have been real. No, it definitely wasn't, he decided, but he started to have his doubts when he noticed the footprints it left in the snow. Surely a product of your mind couldn't have been that precise.

He muttered that he didn't fear the demon he was fused to, but more the destruction it could cause and the thought that he wouldn't mind all the chaos one day... That did nothing to change what stood before him.

Kyra's vision was unlike the others because it was not a living thing. It was simply the darkness of the nighttime. She had closed her eyes for one second and the next it was pitch black. She could see nothing, and she held out her hands as if to feel her way around. At first she had been slightly frightened, but when she made contact with a the fur of a dog and her hand felt downwards and she felt razor sharp teeth, she screamed. She tried to back away from the dog but she heard it grow closer and knew she wouldn't be able to get away from it in time.

She whipped her head around wildly as if the darkness was just mist and she could easily see through it. She heard a hiss from behind her and whirled around, expecting to see huge monster but there was only the darkness. She stepped back and notched her bow, ready to shoot at anything that might jump out.

Natalie and Michael both start to attack the spider when they realized it was real. The spider was already losing its balance since they had already gotten rid of two of its legs. Its eight eyes blinked rapidly and they both took a step back. One of its legs moved away just as Michael was about to slice it off and Michael fell into the ice. He groaned and opened his eyes to see Natalie raise a shield up to defend herself against a leg that reached out as if to grab her. She strained against the spider's strength and Michael took this opportunity and with his sword he sliced two other legs. The spider fell down and its footing was lost on the ice, causing it to slip and remove its leg from Natalie's shield. While it flailed around wildly, she and Michael cut off the remaining legs. They both looked at the spider and Michael was just about to stab it in the head when it turned to ice and blew away in the wind.

Ava looked the three headed dog, uncertain of what it meant. “How--”

“You really are a foolish girl.” it replied, its voice tripled since it all three of its heads were talking. “My own daughter cannot even recognize me?”

The dog started to changed, its fur forming black robes and the heads on the sides shrinking into its body. It started to grow until it resembled a man with a ring of flames circling around his head. She immediately knelt before him as a sign of respect. The god simply laughed and she looked up at him nervously. He ordered her to rise so she did, and in doing so she noticed his eyes were filled with hatred. “You call herself my daughter but you are just as helpless as your idiot brother.” he scorned, but instead of anger she felt confusion.

“What? Father...what are you talking about?” she asked but he simply laughed.

“Bianca was a fine child. She should have lived but Thanatos kept reminding me it was her time. Shame, to lose someone so strong and to have them be replaced with someone so weak.”

“Father, I don't know what you're talking about...” she whispered, confused but at the same time filled with a feeling of despair. He ignored her and a ball of fire erupted in his hands. “You'll kill him, you know. He will fall by your hand.”

“No! No I would never do anything to hurt my brother!” she shouted, her eyes filled with confusion and anger. “Who are you? You are not my father!”

“Oh, yes, I am your father, you little brat. I am ashamed to admit it but, alas, it is correct.” Hades transformed into the three headed dog yet again and took a step closer. “You really don't belong here. You are not worthy of being my child. Maybe you could be someone else's in that world of yours. Yes, that sounds nice.” he growled, taking another step closer. Ava stepped back, unaware of where she stood. “Good bye.” he growled and the three headed dog leaped towards her and knocked her into what felt like a vacuum. She extended an arm as if to grab something, anything, but she was too late. The creature posing to be Hades had already vanished, its job complete.

Now they just had to get rid of the others.

Chapter Seven
It was midnight and the air shimmered as a woman appeared out of thin air. She wore a white chiton and the moon reflected on her midnight black hair. Her skin was paler than white and her eyes were a charcoal color. A dog stood along side her with a live snake for a collar. She held a ball of green and purple flames in her hand to light the path ahead of her.

The forest was completely silent with the exception of the crickets chirping their night song. Unlike the other immortals, she liked to listen to the small creatures that roamed the land. They all had potential in this world and she wanted to see how their lives would play out.

The trees seemed to bend at her will, creating a pathway for her. Wherever she stepped, deadly and medicinal plants grew intermingled with each other. She bent her knees slightly and noticed a small frog the lightest shade of green hopping on its way. She smiled slightly and with her free hand she set her hand down and the frog hopped into her palm. It croaked twice but she ignored the creature and instead continued down the path. Lights floated around the forest like lightning bugs even though it was much too cold for them. They seemed playful and the woman smiled at them. “Ah, my children, you must be patient.” she murmured and the lights seemed to dim and the atmosphere turned saddening, like the lights were children who had just been put in time out. “Follow me.” She beckoned the lights to follow her with her arm that held the flame and they gladly did, becoming brighter. She extinguished the multicolored flame in her hand and let the lights go before her. She continued to walk down the path and the forest seemed slightly more eerie and frightening. She turned her head to look back at the dog that followed her. She slightly nodded her head towards it and the dog started to run ahead of her. She slowly followed it, moving her free arm to spread the lights in the trees.

Suddenly, the whole forest lit up and ahead a large break in the trees appeared. There was a circle in the middle of the forest with a stone altar in the middle. Stepping stones were lying all around it.

The dog was already there, its head bowed like it had done wrong. The woman seemed glide towards the dog and her fingers ran through its fur. “Thank you.“ she murmured and the dog barked once in what seemed like relief, even though it was an animal.

She walked up to the stone altar which was exactly her height. She set the small frog down and behind to chant in Ancient Greek. When she was finished, she brushed her lips against the frog's head and its eyes turned a horrible blackish-red color. She performed a motion with her hand and a plant sprouted straight through the stone. It produced multiple white berries with black dots on the end. The berries fell off and the plant disappeared in the stone, the crack it created sealing up.

The frog hopped towards the berries and ate them with a sort of hunger. The frog quickly perished on the spot.

“I am sorry, but it must have been done. May you live again in another life.” the woman murmured and waved her hand again and a bowl shape appeared in the stone. She set the frog in and reached up with her left hand and two lights zoomed into the shallow bowl shape. She murmured a few more words in Ancient Greek and black water appeared in the basin, dissolving the frog and absorbing the lights. Just when she started to move the substance with her left hand, two pairs of footsteps sounded behind her. She turned her head slightly and sighed. “Phobos, Deimos.” she greeted sternly.

“Hecate.” they chanted back. The goddess turned around to face them. “Why have you come here?” she asked, “I have no time for you.”

“Lady Hecate, we ask a favor of you.” Deimos told the older goddess. He grimaced at how that sounded. “You are the goddess of entrance-ways, correct?” he asked and Hecate merely nodded.

“Yes. Why do you ask such a question? Because of the portal you both created?”

Phobos looked outraged. “We created no such thing. Whoever created it is framing us!” He sounded similar to a bratty child, causing the goddess to smile slightly. “Yes, yes. I understand. Quite clever of them to have done that. But why are you telling me this?”

“Lady Hecate, we want you to close it.” Deimos explained but Hecate narrowed her eyes.

“Why would you ask me to do this?” she asked skeptically. Phobos opened his mouth to answer the goddess but she interrupted him. “No matter the answer, I will not close it.”

“I thought you liked preserving a mortal's life.” Deimos remarked. Hecate frowned and waved her hand, causing a vine of yew to wrap around the god's leg.

“I cannot close it, fool,” she informed him. “because something is weakening my powers against it.” She narrowed her eyes at them, Phobos in particular. “You know who created it, don't you?” she asked accusingly. “You've kept this to yourselves all this time.”

Deimos's nostril's flared. “You dare accuse us of--”

“Quiet, fool! She's trying to provoke you!” Phobos warned his brother. He turned to Hecate. “We do not know of them personally, but we know the name at least.”

Hecate looked at him. “Tell me.” she ordered but Phobos shook his head. A evil grin spread across his face and both gods disappeared. She turned to the dog that was watching everything. “I apologize, but this must wait. We must find those despicable men.” she told it and the dog stood up. She took it by the collar and they both vanished into the night, the mysterious lights and the altar disappearing as well.

Chapter Eight
Natalie was the first to realize something was wrong. She and Michael were the only ones who attempted to remain calm when the others noticed they were clearly lacking one of the original number. The others, especially Zack, instantly started freaking out the second they noticed Ava was missing.

Natalie had noticed the strange spell had been lifted once Ava had gone into the portal, like all it wanted was a distraction so it could lure in the victim. No one would have noticed that Ava had disappeared before it was to late, and it was possible it had been effecting her in some way as well so she had no idea what she was doing.

She shuddered when she realized something else. What if it was trying to drag everyone into the portal to rid of them, and not just her? Gods had wanted to get rid of them before, this wasn't the first time.

Natalie sighed and thought back to the days where they hadn't yet formed the Questers. They had been looking for Michael because he had jumped into a hole that was said to lead straight to Tartarus.

It seemed as if they would always lose a quest member every few quests.

They had found him in the end, obviously, so Natalie clung to the hope that they would somehow be able to get Ava back from this parallel universe, even if Chiron had mentioned it seemed impossible. Maybe it was impossible to do it alone, but they just needed the help of a god...

Kyra had already had a headache from the darkness that seemed to only surround her, and it only worsened when she realized their only way out of here and her closest friend was now missing. She, and probably along with everyone else, hoped that Ava had only shadow traveled to some place, but that would have been unlikely since there were no shadows around here.

“What just happened?” Kyra asked to no one in particular. She looked at Michael who looked as confused at her, but she noticed his expression instantly faded like he had already figured it out. “What just happened?” she repeated more forcefully then turned to Zack. He looked like he was about ready to murder someone. He could wait until they found the god that created this portal in the first place.

She stepped back as an afterthought. Just in case.

She looked back at Michael, a hopeful expression on her face like everything she currently thought was wrong. “She didn't, right? She couldn't have!”

Natalie and Michael both looked at each other, torn between finishing the quest and finding their friend. But it was pretty difficult to find your friend if they were in a parallel universe; even worse when there was practically no way to get them back. Maybe they could do both, somehow, in some strange way. It wouldn't end up like last time. Natalie was the one who spoke up. “She's gone—for now.” she added, noticing their expressions. “We'll find her, but right now we have to focus more on the--”

Zack interrupted her. “Shouldn't our priority be finding her? When Michael disappeared our priority was finding him!”

Natalie let out an annoyed breath. “Zack, we're going to find her, but we have to finish this quest in order to find her. We need the god who created this portal so they can bring her back!”

Zack opened his mouth to say something else but Michael quickly intervened.

“Guys, we can't be fighting each other! How are we supposed to move forward if we just stay in one spot? Natalie has a point, in order to get Ava back to this world we'll need to find the god who created the portal.” He looked nervously at both of them. Natalie and Zack continued to glare at her each, but they each reluctantly nodded.

“Stupid parallel universe.” Kyra muttered and looked to the spot where Ava had disappeared. That could have easily been her...

Parallel universe. Funny word to her. Chiron had said there was no escaping and she felt a sickening feeling when she recalled him saying that. She hoped Chiron was wrong about that.

The thing was; however, he was rarely wrong about anything.

Natalie cleared her throat and looked at everyone one-by-one. “Okay, I propose we get away from this place as quickly as we can and find the god who created this portal. That way, we'll be able to get Ava back. All in favor?” Michael, and Kyra raised their hands immediately, while Zack reluctantly raised his hand after a few seconds.

“Good. We will have to walk everywhere from now so I suggest we go back to the patch of trees where the birds attacked us and rest there the night.” She looked and Michael and nodded at him to lead the group back. While they walked, Michael fell back with Natalie and the two began to talk. Before speaking, Michael looked around to make sure the others weren't listening. “Nat, I know we all want Ava back, but what if this idea of yours doesn't work?” He didn't seem like his usual cheery self who always reassured the others everything would work out.

“I know, I'm worried too,” Natalie admitted as she jumped across the gap between the glaciers. Michael quickly followed her. “but we have to believe it will work. Chiron could just be wrong about not being able to come back.”

“Natalie, what if he isn't? Then what do we do?” Natalie sighed and stopped in her tracks. “I can't believe that we let this happen. I thought we were all being cautious about this!” She sighed and looked at the sunset. It was beautiful, but it was exactly the wrong moment for something to be so stunning. “I wish we would stop losing quest members.”

Michael nodded, “Maybe it's just a way for everyone to work together. Think about it like that.”

“Or maybe it's all our faults."

Chapter Nine
The next morning, after the group had slept and eaten, they began to map out where they would go next. They all sat in the snow and most of them talked about where they would go next while Natalie drew a diagram in the snow using a broken twig. Zack remained silent throughout the whole thing. Michael looked at the diagram Natalie was drawing and it was pretty simple, but there was one problem.

“Natalie, the diagram's great, but there's one problem. We don't know where we are in Alaska. We could be just walking deeper into Alaska the next time we start walking again.”

It seemed that Natalie had already figured it out, however. “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, right? When the sun rose this morning, it rose to the right of us so the glaciers are in the east and behind us is the south. That's where we'll go.”

“Well, at least that's solved.” Michael murmured. “What about in terms of gods? How will we know who to look for?”

“How about minor gods?” Kyra suggested. “I don't think one of the major gods would have done it.”

“But we can't just ask every single minor gods out there,” Natalie explained. “so we need to look next at their powers. Phobos and Deimos seem pretty obvious to me, but they aren't very smart.”

Kyra and Michael both looked at each other, their minds racing. Well, there were always spirits that could have created the portal with the help of a god, Kyra thought, and there might be some spirits of the Underworld who might have created it.

Suddenly, an imaginary light bulb appeared over her head. “Hecate!” she shouted just a little bit too loud. Natalie looked at her, confused for a moment. “She not exactly a minor goddess though.”

“Yeah, I know, but isn't she the goddess of witchcraft? It sounds like something she could easily use to create a portal.”

Natalie slowly wrapped her mind around the idea. “It does make sense. How will we find her though?”

Kyra shrugged, as if she hadn't thought about that. “We could always ask Chiron--”

“No.” Zack interrupted. No one realized that he had been listening all along. “We aren't going back now. All this is giving us a bad reputation.” They all knew what he really meant. Going back to camp meant accepting the fact that she was gone and wasn't coming back.

There was an awkward silence until Kyra spoke up. “We could try somewhere in the states but not New York. Where would a goddess of witchcraft go?” she asked both Michael and Natalie. Truthfully, they were both stumped on the question. Witchcraft didn't ring any bells for them, so they had to look at the other things she had power over. Ghosts.

“She also has some control over spirits and ghosts.” Michael replied, “So maybe we could look for the most haunted places in the U.S.”

“Asylums.” Natalie said almost instantly. The others looked at her warily, even Zack. “Those places are terrible.” Kyra muttered and Zack nodded. “They are probably filled with all kinds of diseases.”

“Not to mention, we'll also have to go at night.” Natalie added. Now even Michael looked hesitant. “Nat, this is not you.” he murmured.

“It's also probably a great place to practice witchcraft. Guys, I know those aren't the safest places in the world, but how else are be going to find Hecate and bring her back? This could be our only chance.” Natalie looked at each of them and one by one they nodded reluctantly.

“This better work.” Zack muttered and Natalie was struck by how broken he sounded. This must have been worse than if Ava had died. Not knowing if the one you loved was in danger or not and having no way to help them would be utter torture. At least if they were dead you knew where they were.

“I'm sorry, Zack.” she told him, and she really was, but he seemed to have not heard her.

Kyra had only one question for the group. “How will we know where the asylums are?”

“Well, that's easy,” Michael answered. “books.”

“Books?” Kyra repeated, her eyebrows raising.

“We just have to find the nearest library. Or we could use a computer somewhere and look up haunted asylums.” He suddenly realized that would be much easier and it wouldn't take as long. “And that also calls looking for a library.”

“Alright then. Next stop, the library.” Natalie informed everyone and they all nodded. “Well, we better start walking if we're going to find one soon.”

After three hours of unstop variations of walking and running, the group came across a small lodge nearly hidden by the trees that surrounded it. They were all tired but none of them were going into a stranger's lodge. Kyra stopped and looked at the group. “They could always have a computer.” she reminded them but Michael shook his head. “I doubt it, and if they did it would probably be painfully slow. Let's just move on.” Kyra sighed and the group started to move again, but they stopped when they heard the door open.

“Ah, demigods. I rarely see them here.” a sweet voice told them. “Please, come in.”

Michael looked at Natalie. “Please tell me that isn't a monster.” he muttered and Natalie looked at the woman. She was short with hair that was frizzy and white, but she didn't look a day over twenty. Her eyes were an extremely pale blue and she wore simple clothes for such a cold place.

“No, I actually think it's a goddess.”

Chapter Ten
The Questers looked at each other and they silently agreed they would go inside but if there was any sign of danger they would leave immediately. Natalie led them into the lodge and she gasped when she saw the interior. It looked like the usual lodge, but there were shelves stocked with countless items ranging from canned foods to swords and armor. There was a glass chandelier that hung from the ceiling, and speaking of the ceiling, it was so high up you could have been able to fit a fifteen-foot giant in the room and his head still wouldn't touch the ceiling. The shelves were as high as the ceiling and it seemed like that was the whole place: countless amounts of shelves. There was a ladder attached to each shelf for retrieving items that were too high to reach.

The floor was hardwood, but it strangely wasn't cold at all, and in the middle of the room there was a spiral staircase that led to the upstairs. The room was exactly the right temperature, not too cold yet not too warm. The placed seemed too good to be true.

The goddess, Natalie decided that only a goddess could possibly run this place, smiled at their amazement. “Yes, it took an amount of persuasion on my part to have Lord Zeus allow me to run this place.” Her voice was like a songbird's, light and innocent. “Please, go where your heart desires. It isn't often that I have demigods stop by.” The Questers gladly took up this offer.

Zack and Michael both looked at the wide array of weapons that lay on the very top shelves. Each weapon was labeled with the type, when it was created, how many drachmas it cost, and the previous owner. Some hadn't been used at all such as a large double-sided axe and a spear like looked like it was made of diamonds.

Natalie looked at a shelf that held many scrolls in Ancient Greek and each had to be over a thousand years old. Most of the scrolls were dusty and looked as if no one had bothered to read them. Under the shelf with scrolls there were various books on Heracles, Theseus, and many other heroes that have long since passed. She began to read everything she saw and couldn't seem to get enough.

Kyra was at the back, looking at shelves that were chock full of many items. They looked ordinary close up, but she soon realized that all of them were some sort of weapon when she picked up a paper clip and it transformed into a bow. She admitted that it was pretty handy and quickly checked her stock of drachmas just in case these items were for sale. She had ten drachmas which she thought was hardly enough for something like this. “Dear, none of these are for sale. I'm deeply sorry.”

Kyra jumped back, startled. “I-I didn't notice you there.” she mumbled and looked at the goddess. “Who are you, anyway?” she asked.

“I am Aura, the goddess of the cool breeze in the morning. And these are not for sale because they are not finished. The lord of the forge has not had time to stop by to finish the projects.” The goddess sighed sadly, as if no one had stopped by in many, many years.

Kyra looked at the goddess sadly. Life must be lonely here, all by yourself for so many years without even the gods to acknowledge you. “I'm sorry.” she murmured but Aura just smiled. “Child, there is no need to feel sorry for me. It is my own fault that I hold this shop in an area so unknown. Just looking at what I have to offer is enough to make this old goddess happier.”

Kyra nodded and slowly began to walk away to another shelf. Maybe she would check what was on the top shelves next.

While Natalie continued to look at the scrolls, she noticed what looked like a bathroom mirror underneath the books and scrolls. She picked it up and wiped the dust off in an attempt to clean it. I wonder what this does, she thought and looked to where the others were. Kyra had moved shelves but was still in the back and Zack and Michael were working their way towards her.

She gave the mirror a small shake and the image of someone very familiar came into view. Before she could decide who it was, a voice from behind startled her.

“This mirror shows you the ones who are lost to you.” Aura explained and Natalie instantly set the mirror down. Even if she would give anything to see Michael Yew again, she was too afraid that it would reopen the wound in her heart.

Zack, since he had heard what the goddess said, walked over to where Natalie stood and picked up the mirror from the mound of ancient scrolls. He exhaled once and he briefly thought that this could be a way of knowing if she was dead or alive. He began to repeat her name over and over in his head as if that would make her face appear more quickly, but even after two minutes of waiting nothing happened.

“You cannot see her, son of Ares.” the goddess told him, “because she is no longer of this world anymore.”

“That makes sense.” he growled and brought the mirror down so hard that it cracked directly down the middle.

The goddess immediately snatched the broken mirror from the table. “You should be glad this didn't break all the way! It took me hundreds of years to find this valuable item!” she scolded but Zack just shrugged indifferently. The goddess then stalked away to the back shelves where Kyra was.

While Michael was looking at scrolls with Natalie, he also found an item buried among them, but this didn't look like anything useful they could use. It was a glass ball that had a look to it that made it seem like pure gold. When his fingertips touched it, it started to glow and a recorded voice echoed through the room. “Please state your destination.” Michael immediately set it down because he didn't want to take any unplanned vacations.

But, as he thought about it, this could be what they needed. Since they couldn't shadow travel anymore for obvious reasons they needed a way to travel from place to place quickly, and this was the solution. The thing was, it looked too small for more than two people to touch it at once. Maybe it worked another way.

He picked the glass ball up again and started walking to where Aura was. She turned around and smiled at him. “Ah yes, one of the most valuable item in this shop. It will be one hundred drachmas.”

“One hundred drachmas!” Michael repeated, amazed. He sighed in defeat. “Well, there goes that idea.”

Aura looked at him thoughtfully. “I suppose you could pay with the drachmas you have if you throw some others things in.” she told him and his face brightened. “Like what?”

“Such as that weapon the son of Ares holds. Yes, that is worth even more than the glass orb.”

Zack shook his head, slightly offended that the goddess would ask for it. “It's not for sale.”

The goddess frowned slightly. “Such a shame; nothing else will do. Unless...”

“Unless what?” Natalie asked. She already had a feeling that the goddess's idea wouldn't be any help.

“Stygian iron. I have always wanted to have that in my shop.”

The one thing they could give away but would probably be murdered for doing that. “No.” Natalie stated. “Can you just make an exception for us? We need some sort of transportation device.”

“I am afraid that I cannot, young demigod.” Aura smiled sadly. “I am sorry.”

Natalie sighed and looked at the others. “I guess we should go now.” The others nodded and they walked out of the shop. When they stepped outside they noticed the sun had already set and the moon was slowly rising into the sky. They were all startled by how cold the temperature had become until they remembered the lodge had been heated and they must have been in it for some time.

Natalie looked at the moon then at the others. “I guess we should rest for tonight and continue to travel in the morning.” she told them and the others nodded except Zack. “Why not just travel now?” he suggested, holding up the glass orb.

“You didn't!” Natalie exclaimed, shocked.

“Clearly I did.” he replied. “Now, how does this thing work?”

Natalie and Michael looked at each other and both shrugged. “I don't know,” Natalie answered truthfully. “but we have to state the destination to the orb so it can take us somewhere.”

“And it's too small for all of us to hang onto it.” Michael added. “Maybe it takes everyone within a three-feet radius to the destination.”

“Let's try it.” Kyra suggested and she took the orb from Zack's hand. She took off her glove and held it in her bare palm. “Please state your destination.”

“Um, guys, any thoughts?” Kyra asked. They all looked at each other. None of them really knew any haunted asylums. That was more of Ava's hobby. Right now they needed to get away from the goddess before she noticed what was missing.

“Portland, Oregon.” Natalie said clearly and the group disappeared.

Chapter Eleven
The group appeared in a dark alley and they all grabbed the building's wall for support. “Why Oregon?” Zack asked Natalie.

“It's far away from where we were and it was the only place that popped into my mind at the time.” she replied.

Kyra looked at the orb in her hand; it had started to shudder. “Please wait three hours before use. Recharging is taking place.” the recorded voice told them. Natalie smiled at that. “Good, we can use this time to rest for the night. Everybody, follow me.”

The temperature in Portland, Oregon was significantly warmer than Alaska so the Questers began to take off their heavy winter coats since they wouldn't be needing them. They followed Natalie to a small hotel where they checked in for two hotel rooms. Natalie had used the Mist to convince the hotel employees they were all over eighteen even though none of them looked eighteen.

The rooms were right next to each other in case something went wrong and they had to leave quickly. The girls took the room on the right while the guys took the room on the left. Kyra took the glass orb with her and set it on the table next to the two beds.

The next morning, the group met up downstairs in the lobby. All of them carried their back packs with various items and Kyra had the glass orb safe inside her winter coat which was folded neatly at the bottom of the back pack. Natalie faced the group once everyone was settled. “First, we're going to find something to eat and then we need to go to this place that I found out about this morning. It is a hotel located in Maribel, Wisconsin and legend says that there were evil witches there who created a portal to hell. I figure that would be one place that Hecate would love to visit on a daily basis, even more so than an abandoned asylum. The thing is, I think it would still be best to go there at night because there will be a greater chance she will be there.” She looked at the others and waiting for a response.

“That sounds better...I guess.” Kyra told her. “Let's just find some food first.”

After the group had eaten they began their long wait for nighttime. They sat on the benches by a park, all of them bored out of their minds. Natalie and Michael both talked about what they would do next once they found Hecate and they both agreed that if she didn't create the portal they would keep looking for other gods. They both knew that Hecate would be a key point in getting Ava out of the portal so they needed to find her either way, and the sooner they found her the better.

Kyra was manipulating the light to form small spheres that she played around with to create more than one shadow on some objects. She constantly checked her bag to make sure that the glass orb wasn't harmed in any way.

Zack looked at Natalie. “Can't we just use the glass orb to take us to where Hecate is instead of waiting here until nighttime? That would save us a lot of time.” Although it sounded like he had a point, Natalie still shook her head.

“It doesn't work like that. You could say to the orb, 'Take me to where Hecate is,' but nothing would happen. Gods are constantly moving around by instantaneously going from one place to another. Plus, that isn't a location. You have to be specific for the orb: down to the state and the city at least.”

“How did you know that?” Michael asked, amazed. Natalie shrugged. “Most of it was an educated guess.”

After a few minutes, an older woman told them to move because they were taking the benches away from the people who actually needed them. The group reluctantly got up, expecting the older woman to sit down in their place, but she just went on her merry way.

The group became so bored they just decided to walk around the city and pop into random shops and look at what was being sold. While the group explore a small shop selling trinkets and other useless items only used for decoration, Kyra noticed a small gold colored bell that created a soft ringing sound when shook. None of the others seemed interested in any of the items they found.

When the sun finally set, the Questers were finally glad to be rid of Portland once and for all. It wasn't that they hadn't liked the city, but more that they had more important things to do at this time. Maybe they would come back some day when they weren't trying to find a god to close the entrance to a parallel universe. They probably would need a vacation soon because one can only do a certain amount of quests at a time before becoming exhausted.

Natalie had mixed feelings about this. She wanted to go so they could close the portal and somehow bring Ava back, but she didn't want to go in case in was a complete failure. What if she was wrong about this and Hecate wouldn't be there at all? She couldn't think like that. She had to believe this would work.

She turned and faced the group. “Let's find Hecate.” she told them and they stepped closer together while Kyra pulled out the glass orb. “Please state your destination.” The recorded voice was becoming more annoying every time it repeated something. “Maribel, Wisconsin.” Natalie stated clearly and the group vanished, leaving quite a few people dumbfounded at what had just happened.