"In a bag or you can carry it?" The cashier woman asked.

"I'll take a bag, please." I replied. She handed me the receipt and stuffed it in a bag.

"All of that mortal money on new clothes?" Payton said.

"We haven't taken a shower or had new clothes since the beginning of this trip." Hallie said as we exited the gift shop.

"I'll only be a moment." I promised. I took the bag to a dressing room and changed. I came out with jean shorts and a grey shirt that said "The hoodoos are too cool!". Soon enough, we were all dressed in different clothing than our first day and it felt great. 4 days of grimy travel, time goes by faster in the underworld, and we finally felt clean.

But just as we were leaving, 7 security guards stopped us.

"Excuse me, kids. Do you have an adult supervisor to watch you?" One said.

"Um, no, sir." Darrien stammered.

"Come with us." The security guards said. They walked us towards a department that read "Underworld Monsters Against DemiGods".

Before I could even comprehend what I just read, they opened a door and we filed in. We all sat down on leathery chairs that smelled like cigars, coffee, and beer.

"Listen, kids. Stealing something like Artemis's bow is a serious offence. Hand it over and we will make sure that your eternal torment gets cut in half." One guard said.

"Wait, what?" Darrien said

"Hand it over." They repeated.

"Hand what over?" Hallie said.

"Fine. You gave us no choice." They said in unison.

The seven guards stood together until they started melting, melting together to form a body.

In seconds, it transformed into a seven- headed dragon about 60 feet tall with cold, black eyes, and breath worse than Mr. Ladon's. It was a well known fact that dragons often ate Eucalyptus leaves to kick the bad breath down a notch. But it often didn't work, causing it to smell like rotten roadkill and a hint of cough drops.

"It's a hydra!" Hallie said.

"Gee, I didn't know that! I though it was an overgrown koala!" I said sarcastically.

We all scrambled out of the building. The Hydra breathed a flame full of fire and spit something green at me. It missed and hit a chair where I once sat. A hole burned in the chair as it started to melt like wax.

"Acid." I realized.

We drew our weapons and ran back into the Hoodoos viewing area. Regular security guards chased us and a seven headed skink erupted from the UMAD Department. It slid across the street and hit a Buick. It started scrambling towards the hoodoos. It hissed as it spotted us near the gift shop. It bursted through the gift shop, shattering glass at my feet as I desperately looked for a hiding spot. Hallie ducked behind a rack of clothing as I hid behind a mannequin. Darrien and Abigail were huddled in a changing room while Payton sat behind a table of mugs. The hydra hissed then sniffed the air for our presence. I slapped my hand over my mouth to muffle my rasping breaths as I looked at my glass covered foot. Just as the Hydra started backing away, Payton stood back up and rested his hand on the table. He knocked over a row of snow globes. The Hydra looked back and saw Payton. Payton slashed his sword on the necks of the heads and the body collapsed.

"You idiot!" I said. "You just made it worse!"

"Erre es korakas, Payton! We are so dead!" Hallie said.

"I just killed it! How about some appreciation?" He said annoyed.

"You'll get some soon! Cutting off one head makes two sprout from where you killed it!" Darrien hissed.

"Oh." Payton said. "We're screwed."

"Massively!" Abigail chimed in.

The body reformed as the necks Payton had chopped off split into two heads. It hissed louder and swung it's tail at the change room. Abigail and Darrien jumped out as the tail swooped in and broke down the wall, causing the rod and curtain over the change room to crash.

The hydra hissed at them both. Abigail rolled on the floor and knocked in an arrow. "Stay back!" She warned and hit it in an eye.

It howled in pain and shot an acid at Darrien. Hallie stepped in front of Darrien. and got the acid in her chest.

She laid down on the floor, panting.

"Why would you do that?" Darrien said as tears rolled down his cheeks. To be honest, I was getting annoyed. I know Hallie got acid in the chest, but if Darrien didn't help us, the rest of us were also going to get acid!

"It's what friends would do. But maybe I was hoping that if I lived longer, we would be more than that." Hallie said in a raspy voice.

Darrien leaned forwards as Hallie kissed him with a small peck. Hallie's skin turned pale as she coughed out.

"Hallie, no! This is not how the prophecy goes! Remember what you said? Write your own destiny! Forget about the prophecy! Please, Hallie! Don't leave!" Darrien said.

"At least I'll be with the heroes in Elysium. I'll see my father and my brothers and sisters like Luke or Amelia Earhart or Houdini-" She said.

Darrien touched her cheek. "Don't leave." He said in a voice almost as hoarse as Hallie.

"I'll be in Elysium." She whispered as she closed her eyes for the last time.

"Hallie, no!" I said, then covered my mouth. The hydra shot a flame at me but I ducked.

"For Hallie!" I said. I charged and the hydra spit seven more acids. I held up my shield and got closer.

"Hallie won't die without our victory!" I said. Payton concentrated and the water in bottles in the gift shop formed together to create a water shield.

The hydra opened it's mouth as a flame hit Payton's shield, steam flying above it. Darrien made roots grow out of the ground, choking the creature. Abigail shot arrows at the Hydra as it was desperately clawing at the vines at it's neck. It's eyes closed and the creature hit the floor. As soon as it made contact with the ground, it showered in golden dust as we all ducked. Payton held his shield in the air and it formed into an umbrella.

"You!" Darrien said to Payton, "You cost Hallie her life! You made the Prophecy come true! You killed her! If you hadn't hit that snow globe, she would still be alive!" He blamed.

"Darrien, the prophecy was bound to come true. It's not Payton's fault." I defended.

"Yeah, but- but what if I was in front of her? She wouldn't have died. It Should have been me, not her. Why did it have to be Hallie?" He said. "Maybe if I noticed her more. Maybe if I hadn't always taken seeing her for granted all these years at Olympus."

Abigail touched Darrien's arm. "Darrien, she-"

Darrien tugged his arm back. "She risked her life for me. She was brave and she risked it all for me. Just leave me alone."