Krystal sighed as she opened the book again to Apollo, seeing that the muscular dragon was brown, gold, and beige—some of the many colors of the desert.

∴¦⅂⍑ ⍑¦ᓭ ⅰ!ǁ∷੭ꖌ¦⧶ᒷ⅂¦ᶖ ⅰ!੭∴ᒷ∷ᓭ, ɾⅰ!੭ꖎꖎ੭ ¦ᓭ ɾ⦣ꖎᒷ ⅂੭ ⦣∷ᒷɾ⅂⍑ ⎓¦∷ᒷ ∴⍑ᒷ⧶ ⍑ᒷ ¦ᓭ ⍑੭⅂ ᒷ⧶੭⚍˧⍑.₋. ɾꖎ੭⧶˧ ∴¦⅂⍑ ⍑¦ᓭ ⅰ!੭∴ᒷ∷ᓭ, ∴⍑ᒷ⧶ ɾⅰ!੭ꖎꖎ੭ ∷੭ɾ∷ᓭ, ⍑ᒷ ᶖɾ⧶ ∷ɾ¦ᓭᒷ ⅂⍑ᒷ ⅂ᒷᒲⅰ!ᒷ∷ɾ⅂⚍∷ᒷ ⅂੭ ⅂⍑ᒷ ⅰ!੭¦⧶⅂ ∴⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ ⍑ᒷ ᶖɾ⧶ ᶖɾ⚍ᓭᒷ ⍑ɾꖎꖎ⚍ᶖ¦⧶ɾ⅂¦੭⧶ᓭ, ⍑ᒷɾ⅂ ᒷ˙⧸⍑ɾ⚍ᓭ⅂¦੭⧶, ੭∷ ⍑ᒷɾ⅂ ᓭ⅂∷੭ꖌᒷ ⅂੭ ⅂⍑੭ᓭᒷ ¦⧶ ⅂⍑ᒷ ɾ∷ᒷɾ, ᒲɾꖌ¦⧶˧ ⍑¦ᒲ ⅂⍑ᒷ ᒲ੭ᓭ⅂ ⟍̅ɾ⧶˧ᒷ∷੭⚍ᓭ ⟍̅∷ɾ˧੭⧶ ੭⚍⅂ ੭⎓ ⍑¦ᓭ ⦣∷੭⅂⍑ᒷ∷ᓭ ɾ⧶⟍̅ ᓭ¦ᓭ⅂ᒷ∷ᓭ.₋.

"What's it say about Apollo?" Julia asked, glancing over at the book.

"With his pyrokinetic powers, Apollo is able to breathe fire when he is hot enough," Krystal asked, "Along with his powers, when Apollo roars, he can raise the temperature to the point where he can cause hallucinations, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke to those in the area, making him the most dangerous dragon out of his brothers and sisters."

"Wait, so that means..." Shane said, ''When we were walking through the desert, and Neptune tried to offer Toronado and Ash water, they were probably hallucinating."

"Meaning that Apollo was probably using whatever power he had left to show that he's still alive!" Blake exclaimed.

The others smiled and nodded. Then, Javier came back with a map in hand.

"Here you go," he said, giving the map to Shane, "The temples circled in red are the ones that are buried."

The older teen unrolled the map and skimmed his eyes over it.

"This is perfect, thank you."

"Of course," Javier said, "Now, let's get you kids saddled up. The nearest temple is to the west of town."

Javier then led the kids to the camel pens and led out two camels. The large animals groaned as they reluctantly walked out of the pen and followed the villager. The teens hopped on their backs and received their saddlebags as they knelt.

"I'll look after your horses," Javier said, "Be careful, kids, and good luck!"

The teens thanked the man as the camels stood up. The camels groaned before walking out of town and into the desert. Once they were a few meters away from the town, the dragons came down from the sky and flew alongside them.

"Alright, where do we start looking?" Tundra asked.

"Nowhere, really," Shane said, "The only way to find the temple that harbors Apollo is to wait until sundown."

Krystal nodded before glancing at the sun, still a bit high in the sky.

"We can set up camp here and wait for the sun to set." Blake said.

When the others agreed, they stopped the camels, hopped off, and started to set up camp. While the teens pitched the tents, Shane to the camels' reins and tied them to a spare post. The dragons landed on the soft sand and shaded themselves under their wings.

"How long until sunset?" Meadow asked.

Blake hummed as he reached into his bag, pulling out a small clock.

"About a few hours, maybe," he said, "But don't worry; it gets cooler at night, so we won't have to endure this heat for very long."

Cryo let out a low groan before laying in the sand.

"I don't do heat," Cryo said, "So unless you kids can build us a dragon-sized tarp, that'd be wonderful."

"I agree with Cryo," Tundra said, "Cryo and I are practically melting in this heat. Meadow is fine, for now, and Neptune is okay before she starts to boil."

The teens glanced at each other and nodded.

"That's an idea." Julia said.

"Alright, let's get that tarp built." Krystal said.

As the teens rummaged through their bags, they pulled out wood, wool, and sticks and started building. After a few minutes, they built a large enough tarp for the dragons, themselves, and the camels. The dragons breathed content sighs as they sat in the shade. The teens took down the tents as they huddled under the tarp with the dragons.

"That's a lot better," Blake sighed, leaning against Neptune, "We can just chill here until sunset."

"Shane, do we have any cookies or pumpkin pie?" Julia asked with glittering eyes.

The black-haired teen chuckled before sifting through his bag and pulling out some cookies wrapped in a cloth. Julia eagerly took a cookie before stuffing it in her mouth. She then took two more and gave them to Blake and Krystal, who happily accepted. Julia glanced over at the dragons and noticed them staring at the cookies.

"Do you wanna try some cookies, too?" she asked.

All the dragons did was nod. The young girl smiled before handing out a cookie to each dragon. Their pupils dilated, and their tails wagged as they asked for another cookie. The teens couldn't help but laugh at their behavior change.

"Never thought I'd see the day where dragons acted like dogs!" Blake laughed.

For the remaining time, the teens asked the dragons what it was like to live in the End before the Ender Dragon sent them to the Overworld.

"Tundra would always pull some kind of prank on us when Apollo, Cryo, and I were in the middle of something." Meadow said.

"Hey, you three were always fighting, and I thought a humorous and harmless prank would take your mind off your bickering," Tundra replied.

"You would freeze our mouths shut!" Cryo sneered.

"Yeah, because your arguing was scaring Neptune, and your roars only made it worse, and then you would scold me afterward before I had the chance to explain why I did it. And it was always you two, Cryo and Meadow."

The older dragons pulled back in shock and glanced at the youngest dragon to see her fiddling with her claws.

"Cryo was the instigator, getting under Meadow's scales, and since she has a short temper, the situation always escalated quickly, and Apollo would always have to step in to stop you guys," Tundra said, "I always had to be the one comforting Neptune while you two idiots and brother argued."

"Neptune, is this true?" Meadow asked in a calm voice.

The Ocean Dragon glanced at the sand and nodded. A wave of guilt hit the two older dragons as they sighed.

"We... we didn't know it affected you that much..." Cryo said.

"How old are we? Hundreds of years old? Plus another possible hundred?" Tundra questioned, "To think we could've been fossils by now, and you never would've known. You had centuries to reflect."

The teens listened as the dragons had this talk, choosing not to interrupt.

"We... I am sorry, Neptune," Meadow said, "I had no idea this was bothering you this much."

"I am sorry, too," Cryo said, "Why didn't you tell either of us this?"

Neptune glanced at her older siblings and sighed.

"You guys are scary when you are upset, and I do not want to be caught in the line of fire if I try to calm you down." Neptune said.

The Cold and Luch Dragons' hearts broke. The older dragons wrapped their wings around their younger sister and pulled her close.

"I will try my best to grasp my temper better." Meadow said.

"And I will try my hardest not to pick a fight with your sister," Cryo said, "Despite how fun it is..."

Tundra narrowed his eyes and smacked his brother's head with his tail. Neptune smiled at her brother and sister and leaned into their embrace. The teens smiled as they watched the dragons. When Krystal looked at the sky, the pale blue sky turned yellowish-orange.

"Sun is starting to set, everyone," she said, stepping away from the tarp, "Let's start moving out to find that temple."

"And Apollo." Shane said.