All of them were on guard. Every step they took was laced with tension, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

And all Aru was doing was hoping that what she thought lay close to the center of Kalivana wasn't what she imagined.

"Are- are you sure we're going the right way?" Rudy asked, clutching his little knife tightly.

"Of course I'm sure," Brynne responded.

"I'd take all this nothing over some big baddie," Aru murmured.

"Same," Aiden said.

"Don't jinx it," Mini muttered.

So far, they'd been walking on flat ground. It started to incline, leading upwards.

Brynne groaned. "Not another hill."

"Hills aren't so bad," said Aru, trying to sound cheerful. If they were going to make it through this place, a little optimism couldn't hurt. "We're probably almost there."

"Rein in the optimism Shah, its too much," Aiden mumbled.

Aru glared at him. "Okay, then last one up the hill is a rotten Potato!"

That roused everyone's spirits. They all sprinted up the hill. Brynne came in first, with Aru right on her tail, after which came Aiden and Rudy. Mini was last, as she'd started to raise a point that if there was something hostile on the other side, they'd need their energy to fight it, but since no one had listened, she'd shrugged and ran after them.

But nothing seemed hostile here. The hill leveled out. The soft soil grew harder beneath their feet, then the dirt gave way to solid sheets of rock. A faint bubbling noise sounded in the distance. The thin mist fell at their ankles.

"Guys," Rudy said. "I think we've found it."

In front of them, maybe a hundred feet or so, was a large circular pool. It wasn't filled with water though. Instead, the pool was filled with a bubbling green liquid. And in the center was a small island made of yellow rock, on top of which was a short pillar holding what they'd been looking for all along: the Trishubed.

Even from that far away, there was no doubt that this was the rock of evil. The pool of green acid gave off a foul-smelling odor.

Mini scrunched up her nose. "That thing smells worse than the dragon poison."

At the mention of dragon poison, Aiden shuddered slightly.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Aru asked, striding towards the pool. "We've just gotta grab it and get outta-"

The familiar strange whistling noise sounded again. The air in front of Aru shimmered, and she raised Vajra, scrambling back.

A figure appeared in front of the group: a tall four-armed blue-skinned woman with long wavy black hair that fell down to her hips. On top of head head was a golden crown with a crescent. Skull-shaped earrings the size of Aru's fist dangled from her ears, and she wore nothing else but a red and gold brassiere and a tiger-striped loincloth. She also wore several necklaces, bracelets, armbands, and anklets. In each hand she wielded a weapon- a sword, a noose, a knife, and a trident.

Scary summed her up pretty well.

And she was exactly what Aru had imagined was waiting for them.

The Potatoes backed up pretty far, to the edge of the stone floor. Rudy whimpered and hid behind Mini.

"WHO DARES GO NEAR THE TRISHUBED?!" The woman boomed.

Mini covered her ears. Aru gripped Vajra, trying to draw some strength from the lightning bolt, but her weapon seemed just as scared as she was.

"I AM THE GODDESS KALI!" She shouted. "NONE MAY CROSS ME AND LIVE!"

Thankfully, the goddess seemed to not have very good eyesight, as she hadn't yet spotted the five Potatoes.

"Oh gods," Brynne murmured. "She's gone insane again."

Boo had told them all the story. Once upon a time (a phrase he still refused to say), the war goddess Durga was fighting these two demons named Chanda and Munda, and had gotten so pissed off at them that her face had turned dark and the goddess Kali had appeared out of her forehead. She immediately killed the two demons before another one named Raktabija showed up to fight her (Aru had nicknamed Raktabija Rakki, which Boo did not appreciate). Anyhow, Rakki had this super annoying power, in which whenever a drop of his blood touched the ground, a clone Rakki sprung up. Kali responded in a super sane manner, by which she ate all of Rakki's clones and then sucked out all his blood like a vampire before it could hit the ground and make some more clones (Gross. Mini had turned green when Boo said that). After the battle was over, Kali went on a bloodlust-filled rampage, killing everything she crossed paths with and dancing on their dead bodies. Nothing that anyone did could stop her, and it got so bad that the devas had to beg Shiva- the god of destruction and in some forms, Kali's husband- to put a stop to her murder spree. Shiva threw himself under Kali's foot as she was dancing, and somehow that put an end to her trying to murder everyone. Aru never really understood how stepping on a god could stop any goddess from murdering more people, but hey, if it works, it works.

But now, Kali looked like she was back in quite the murder-happy mood.

"Hit her, Aru," Brynne hissed.

Aru raised Vajra, her arm slightly trembling, when Kali finally spotted them. She grinned maniacally, then stomped her foot. A powerful force flung them all back and sent them rolling to the bottom of the hill.

Aru groaned in pain as she rolled over and got to her feet. "Everyone okay?"

Miraculously, her friends were all still in one piece, though Rudy was fretting over his clothes. Brynne smacked the back of his head, which shut him up pretty effectively.

"So, game plan?" Aiden asked, glancing at Aru.

Aru wanted to throw her hands up. Why did she always have to come up with the game plans?

But she couldn't complain, not now, when they were so close to the end.

"Storm up the hill, get rid of the big bad crazy lady," Aru said. "Ya'll follow?"

Everyone stared.

"Aru, that's a terrible plan," Brynne said.

Aru glared. "You got a better one?"

Right then, Mini snapped her fingers. "I figured it out!"

"Figured... what out?" Rudy asked.

"Kali inspires feelings of violence and anger," Mini said. "That whistling sound when she appeared-"

"It was the same sound I heard the first night we were here," Brynne said.

"Me too," Aiden said.

"Three," said Aru.

"Four," Rudy said.

"And again, when we were facing Sanemi," Aiden said. "I heard it and... I couldn't control myself. I had to draw my swords."

"Right," said Mini. "We just have to be on the lookout and not attack each other."

"That would be good," Rudy agreed. "Not killing me would be excellent."

"Shut up," Aiden grumbled.

"So, spread out?" Brynne suggested. "That way we won't be tempted to decapitate each other?"

"Nothing good ever happens when we split up," Mini protested.

"But then Kali would be surrounded. She can't fight all five of us at once." Aiden pointed out.

Rudy sighed, then straightened himself up. "How about we go in pairs?"

"But there are five of us," Aru pointed out.

A gleam caught Brynne's eye. "I'll go ahead of you four and distract her. Then Aiden and Aru can sneak up and attack her from one side, and Mini and Rudy from the other."

They agreed that plan had a slightly lower chance of killing them all. Aru patted her pocket to make sure the magical cure was still there in case anyone needed it, and sure enough, she felt the smooth bottle underneath the fabric.

Brynne transformed into an eagle, squawked loudly, and flew off. The remaining four split, with Aru and Aiden running up the other side of the hill.  

We're at the top, Mini said over the Pandava sisters' mind link. You're gonna want to see this, Aru.

Aru and Aiden reached the top a few seconds later, to see Eagle Brynne repeatedly dive-bombing the goddess.

"HOLD STILL!" Kali bellowed as her sword missed again.

Brynne swooped in close, her talons extended, but Kali moved at the last second, and Brynne flew off with only one of the goddess's necklaces in her claws.

"STUPID BIRD BRAIN!" Kali roared.

Oh, she did not just say that, Brynne said in annoyance over the mind link.

She flew in for another attack, and when she was right over top of Kali, she transformed into a massive elephant, knocking the goddess flat on her back and sending her four weapons scattering. Aru ducked as Kali's sword flew over her head.

Brynne trumpeted triumphantly (try saying that ten times fast).

Just then, the ground shook. Brynne was hurled to the side as Kali rose from the ground. Her four arms had multiplied into ten, with five on each side. She raised her hands, and new weapons shimmered into existence- ten wickedly sharp gleaming tridents. Her legs also multiplied to ten. Her black hair was now down to her knees. A necklace of strung human heads appeared around her neck, and dozens of human arms covered her loincloth. Her long blood-red tongue lolled out of her mouth, and a vertically-inclined third eye appeared smack-dab in the center of her forehead.

This Kali didn't just inspire violence. She was pure terror itself. Aru quaked where she stood, and and she could tell Aiden right beside her wasn't doing much better in the bravery department when it came to facing the goddess. And she could only imagine how Rudy was doing, him and Mini obscured by the rampaging goddess.

A couple yards away, Brynne groaned and shifted back to human. She tried to get up but fell back down.

Kali cackled and moved towards the fallen Pandava, one of her tridents raised.

Aru panicked. "HEY! OVER HERE!" She screamed, waving Vajra in the air.

What? She wasn't very good at making smart decisions when one of her friends was down. 

Kali glanced away from Brynne for a moment, and while she was distracted, Mini ran and put herself between her sister and the goddess. A violet force field sprang up, and Kali snarled in annoyance.

Good news, Brynne was safe. Bad news, Aru and Aiden were her next targets of choice. She lumbered towards them, every step from her ten feet shaking the ground and almost making Aru lose her balance as she scrambled out of the way.

She transformed Vajra into a huge spear and hurled it straight at Kali, but the goddess simply swatted the divine lightning bolt away like it was a fly. Vajra flew back to Aru's hand without harming a single hair on Kali's head.

Meanwhile, Aiden went in with his twin scimitars flashing in his hands. He managed to get the goddess to back up a few steps, but then the butt of one of Kali's tridents hit him and he went staggering back.

Rudy attacked, in his baṛā sāmpa form, swinging his tail at Kali. He managed to knock one of her tridents out of her hand, but another one appeared to take its place. He threw his knife at her, but it was knocked aside by one of her tridents.

Brynne had gotten up, and Mini's force field deactivated. They ran in, Mini whacking Kali with Dee Dee while avoiding being speared to death, and Brynne turned into a blue lioness and sprang on top of the goddess. Aru aimed Vajra, careful not to hit her friends, and let the bolt loose. Vajra hit Kali straight on the head, but it did little more than stun her for a few seconds.

Aru! Brynne scolded over the mind link. You could've electrocuted me!

But I didn't, Aru replied smugly.

We can't keep her down! Mini said frantically as Lioness Brynne was thrown off yet again, though this time landing safely on her feet.

Rudy made an unlucky move and got sideswiped with Kali's trident.

"Rudy!" Mini cried. She tried to get to him, but Kali blocked her way. The two started fighting one-on-one, with Mini barely able to dodge Kali's ten weapons. Brynne soon joined in the fight.

Meanwhile, Aru had gotten over to Aiden. "You okay?"

He nodded, rubbing his stomach where Kali had hit him. "I'm good."

We need a new plan, Aru said telepathically.

Who would've thought, Brynne said drily. Your storm-up-the-hill-get-rid-of-the-big-bad-crazy-lady plan needed some modifying.

Shut up and concentrate on getting outta there, Aru said.

Mini trapped Kali in a force field bubble, and while the goddess was furiously hacking away at the enchanted walls, Aiden made his way to Rudy and helped him up. Brynne, back in human, form, ran over, accompanied by Mini and Aru.

"The force field won't last long," Mini warned. "What's the new plan?"

Aru was somewhat distracted by the insane goddess screaming and beating on a force field right behind her, but she managed to say, "Shiva managed to stop Kali by throwing himself under her foot-"

"Nu-uh," Brynne said. "Unless one of y'all wanna do that. It's not gonna work. We're mortals."

Vajra tugged on Aru's arm. She glared at her lightning bolt, before noticing that her two sisters were having the same problem with their divine weapons. Mini was clutching Dee Dee tightly as it shook like it wanted to get away from her, and Gogo was positively going insane as Brynne swore under her breath.

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"Our weapons," Aru said, ignoring the fact that she looked like she was playing tug-of-war with her lightning bolt.

"It's like they're trying to tell us something," Brynne finished.

Mini knit her eyebrows before snapping her fingers. "What if we combined them?"

Everyone stared at her in confusion.

"Combine what?" Aru asked.

"Combine our weapons, y'know, Dee Dee, Gogo, and Vajra?"

"Heck no," Brynne said. "Gogo's fine on its own."

Aru expected Vajra to be repulsed by this suggestion, but the lightning bolt had gone still in her hands. It wasn't trying to get away anymore.

And it was just then that she noticed it had been pulling itself towards the other divine weapons.

Brynne scowled at her mace. "I'm not that good at interpreting signs or whatever, but I think this is one."

Mini nodded.

"So, how do we..." Aru trailed off.

"Drop them?" Mini suggested, letting Dee Dee fall to the floor.

Brynne and Aru followed suit, dropping Gogo and Vajra, but the three weapons just lay there, still.

Aru opened her hand, and Vajra flew back to it, buzzing indignantly.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Aru asked her lightning bolt, which, of course, did not respond.

"I don't get it," Mini muttered. "I was so sure that was it..."

Brynne had picked up Gogo. "Maybe we have to be face-to-face with the enemy."

"Face-to-face with an insane goddess," Aru said. "Sounds fun."

"Hey, we've done it already," Brynne retorted.

"Yeah, without much luck," Aiden said.

Mini sighed. "We try face-to-face. And if that doesn't work, then we try something else."

"I don't kno-" Rudy started, but the sound of an explosion behind them cut him off.

Kali had finally broken through Mini's force field, though it had lasted much longer than Aru had anticipated.

"GET OVER HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU ALL!" She roared.

"Tempting, but no," Aiden muttered. He glanced at Aru, Mini, and Brynne. "We'll distract her while you do your demigod-thing."

"Wait wha-" Rudy was once more cut off, this time by Aiden grabbing his wrist and dragging him towards the rampaging goddess (you know, like all good family members do).

Aru shook Vajra. "C'mon, do something!"

If Vajra has a face, Aru imagined the lightning bolt would be staring at her pretty insultingly at this point. Maybe even rolling its eyes.

"Come on!" Brynne said, running towards Kali. Mini and Aru followed.

"On the count of three," Mini said once the goddess was thoroughly distracted fighting off Aiden and Rudy. "We throw the weapons at her. One-"

Rudy was thrown backwards into a tree.

"Two-"

One of Aiden's scimitars was knocked out of his hand.

"Three!"

Simultaneously, Brynne, Mini, and Aru chucked their celestial weapons at Kali. Gogo, Dee Dee, and Vajra met in midair, right in front of the goddess's face, in an explosion of light. Aru had to shield her eyes, but when she looked again, a shiny sword was laying on the ground in front of her. Brynne and Mini looked at the glowing blade in awe.

Kali snarled. "DO NOT DARE TOUCH THE SWORD HĀRAKA!"

From Aru's slight grasp on the Hindi language, she knew hāra ka meant of defeat. Sword of defeat sounded pretty cool.

But Brynne dared to touch it. She grabbed the hilt and lifted the sword, which pulsed with the purple energy of Dee Dee, the blue of Gogo, and the yellow of Vajra.

"Fight me!" She challenged the goddess.

"Aru!" Mini called. "Get Rudy!"

Aru nodded, hurrying over towards the naga prince. Aiden was already there, retrieving his lost scimitar and helping his cousin to his feet (though not simultaneously).

"I'm fine," Rudy said, rubbing his head.

Aru could only imagine what Mini would say, probably something about concussions and brain aneurysms that ended with her signature phrase and then you could die!

Aiden looked from Rudy to Aru to Brynne, still fighting the rampaging twenty-limbed goddess.

"I'll... help Mini," Rudy said, hurrying off.

Aru turned to follow him, just in time for Kali to land another lucky blow and send Brynne sprawling, the Sword Haraka flying out of her grasp. Aiden grabbed her wrist.

"Shah."

She turned to face him. "We have to help-"

"I know," he said, rather hurriedly. "But if we don't make it out of here, there is one thing I wanted to say- well, do."

Aru looked at him in confusion.

Then he pulled her close and kissed her. Briefly, on the lips.

Aiden pulled away, slightly red, while Aru's face was flaming. He managed a smirk.

"I wasn't going to die without doing that."

Then he let go of her hand and ran towards the battle.

Aru shook her head to clear it. She'd deal with him later. But for now, there was a goddess to defeat.

-𓃰𓃰𓃰-

Hey, I apologize for taking a long time to update, but A) this chapter is the longest in the book (over 3000 words, yeesh) and B) I've been busy with school and all.