"We have to do something! Poseidon is buried in there, and who knows who else-" 

"I know, Hestia, but first we need to rest. Tomorrow, we'll start the journey to the palace ruins." Demeter said.

Hestia sighed. "I know. I'm worried, though. We need to work together as a group or we won't manage to help them," Hestia said, glancing at Athena, who was sitting separately from the two sisters. Hestia wondered what had happened to Zeus and Hera, if they were buried as well or if they'd landed on top of the wreckage. Her head still throbbed from being hit with a piece of the ceiling. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes. 

"Who's there?" Athena called warily. Hestia looked over and saw something shiny and gold. And reptilian green...

"Hermes, get out here," she called. The messenger god stepped out of the bushes.

"Hi," he said.

"Why were you hiding?" Athena asked.

"Um, well, I bring news. Zeus and Hera are okay, I think, I heard them arguing. Poseidon stopped screaming a few minutes after the palace collapsed, I think he's probably unconscious. Aphrodite and Hephaestus didn't make it out, Artemis and Apollo got trapped under wreckage, the archery range was covered. I think Persephone was inside, but Hades and Ares are okay. I don't know what happened to anyone else." Hermes reported.

Demeter let out a strangled gasp. "We have to help them!"

Hestia smiled sadly. "Thought you'd never say that! We should go. Now." She stood. Athena and Demeter both struggled to their feet.

"Okay, Hermes, come with us. We're going to the palace." Athena demanded.

Hermes saluted. "Lead the way!" He happily skipped after us as we started the long walk to the ruins.

They were still a good mile or two away when Hestia saw the black lightning.

It wasn't exactly lightning, as it came up from the ground. But it looked like lightning, besides the fact it was black. It tore across the meadow, killing any plants it touched, leaving only barren earth. Demeter looked angry at the sight of the killed plants.

"Whoa! What's that?" Hermes said.

Athena rolled her eyes. "It's so obvious. That's Hades." Hermes had a look of sudden understanding on his face. 

Demeter kept trying to make the barren spaces regrow, Athena was talking on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about something extremely boring. Another blast of black lightning shook the meadow, cracks spread across the surface.

"Umm, what's that? Where do those cracks lead?" Hestia asked nervously.

Athena peered down one of the cracks. "Leads straight to the underworld. Don't fall in."

"Okay," Hestia responded. "I can do that." Another crack opened in front of them. Hestia and Athena stopped walking in time, but Hermes and Demeter both lost their footing and tumbled in. 

Hestia managed to grab Demeter, but Hermes fell about fifteen feet before grabbing a ledge.

"Let go! Keep going!" Demeter yelled.

"No! I can't do that!" Hestia replied.

"Umm, I'm slipping!" Hermes screeched.

"Hermes! Do your winged shoes still work?" Athena yelled.

"I don't know! Maia, Maia!" At first Hestia wondered why he was screaming 'Maia', then she realized it must be the shoe's activation word.

"You use your mother's name as the activation word for your shoes?" Hestia said incredulously.

"That's not important right now," Athena snapped. "Are they working?"

"Kind of!" Hermes yelled.

"Enough to get you up here?" Athena asked.

"Maybe!" Hermes replied.

"Then try! I'll help Hestia with Demeter."

Hermes let go of his ledge.

Hermes started to fall, but the shoe's let his float, barely. He shot up a few feet, wobbling. He grabbed another ledge. Then be let go, shot up a few feet, and grabbed another ledge. Athena grabbed onto Demeter's other hand and pulled with all her might. Hestia refused to let go and pulled as well as she could. Finally, they managed to pull Demeter up and the three goddesses collapsed on the ground.

"Let's just... take a few minutes?" Demeter gasped, catching her breath.

"Okay." Athena replied, glancing back down towards the crack as Hermes emerged.

"Glad you were all so worried about me," he grumbled, flopping to the ground as well.

Hestia looked towards the ruined palace. She didn't want to wait, but the others needed to rest for a moment. So she sat down beside Demeter and waited.

A/N: Rewritten 4/7/20.