The reason I haven't gotten this up is because I've gotten lazy because I know where this is supposed to go, but putting the words on the page takes effort. :/

I am a sloth. I'm sorry.

I own everyone...except for Rick's characters.

Chapter 18: In which we find out that appearances really can be deceiving.

I immediately knew I was in another dream. It wasn't hard really—suddenly you're in bed, and then you're in your Auntie's attic. Kazaam! And it was the same as I last saw it: dark, creepy, and smelling of old cats and cabbage.

Someone had turned on a flashlight or something, because there were shadows on the walls. I tried not to breathe too loudly and inched around the corner, following the murmuring voices. Three figures were huddled around the light source—I assumed them to be Creepers 1 through 3, all bulky and one extremely idiotic, apparently.

When we finally got to Auntie's house, he would be the first to receive a major smack-down.

"We only need one more," Creeper 1 laughed in excitement. "But the Olympians have caught on to us—"

"You think after the first disappearance they were just going to lax security?" sneered Creeper 3.

"No one asked you," Creeper 1 hissed in reply. "What matters is there's still one Hour left. Thallo is being quite resistant…with her sisters gone, suspicion is everywhere on Mount Olympus. The distrust, the chaos, the paranoia…it's beautiful. Well, that's what we came to do here, right?"

There was a banging in one of the suitcases, along with some muffled yelling.

Creeper 1 chuckled. "Ah, the Hours are getting restless. Well, I wouldn't blame them—restricted by a cage, stuck in a place on the other side of the ocean from their home, not to mention; able to know our plan, but powerless to stop it. Guilt is such a lovely feeling."

"I know boss," laughed Creeper 2. "We'll finally get to take over the mortal world! Those humans won't stand a chance when their food source is cut off!"

Creeper 1 sighed. "Please shut up. Your voice is making my head ache. Shoo."

I mentally cursed. Why hadn't I dreamt up the Skeleton Key with me? Then I could just, you know, rush in and rescue the 2 goddesses, and everything would be okay. I obviously had my work cut out for me. The worst thing was: no one even knew who these three people were. Were they really hiding in my Auntie's attic? Or were they like me—manifestations of simply a dream somewhere else?

My head hurt.

And then it became more than a normal hurt; a burning, rushing, dizzying feeling that had me clutching my skull and biting my lip.

I had to find out more without being discovered. If what the Creepers had said was true, and Olympus was gearing up for more security, that was good—but something told me that these guys would stop at nothing to get Thallo where Carpo and Auxo were. They had obviously upped the attic security too. Even then, I could still feel my consciousness trying hard against the rush that was trying to separate me from the space.

I was being dragged harder.

Hold on, I told myself. And then; doofuses over there, keep talking so I can eavesdrop.

Creeper 3 shifted in his spot. "We need that Hour fast."

Creeper 1 hit the wall angrily. "You think I don't know that? After what Zeus did to our parents, I'm just happy to pay the debt in full. The power of the seasons, when put together…" he laughed. "What monstrous power it is indeed…nature's reversal at its finest. And then we can finally leave this accursed—"

Then he stopped and paused. His two followers leaned closer. "What—"

"Shhh," he hissed. "Shut up! We're being watched by that demigod again. She…"

He sniffed the air.

Oh.

I was done for.

The Creepers got up from their spots and began prowling the area.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up," I muttered under my breath. "Hurry, hurry, hurry…"

I closed my eyes tight and opened them.

Nope. Still in the attic.

The shadows were coming closer.

I scooted into a corner and hid behind a box as best as I could. It was uncomfortable and I barely fit; but it was the only choice I had for the moment. I crossed my fingers and mentally promised to treat Wisteria and Nico better if I ever left the attic with my consciousness still intact.

A dark figure loomed, casting a shadow over my hiding spot. It was the figure of a tall, bulky man.

But wait, was it?

Yes, it was—

No, it was something else…

I didn't know if it was the light that was flickering mysteriously that caused me to question my sight, but it kept happening—it looked like a human, but then the shadow would change for the slightest moment into something more slender, sleek, and…

…Immortal.

"I found you," he hissed. From his voice, I could tell it was Creeper 1, the ringleader of the group.

This was not good.

I pinched myself in a hurry. "Wake up wake up wake up…"

"You think," he roared, "That you can just barge in here and make fools out of us? Leaking even a hint in this place will leave me no choice but to rip off your limbs and eat them for a snack." He paused, and then let out a low hiss. "Well, to ensure that that never happens…I'll take the extreme pleasure of just devouring your mind here."

Get out get out get out—I had never wanted to wake up more badly. This was more than a nightmare or the typical demigod dream—I was sure that when I woke up, I would be drenched in sweat and breathing a mile a minute.

If I ever woke up.

A hand was reaching down to grab me. I dodged it and I pushed it away with all my might, fingers feeling scales instead of skin, clenching my eyes tight and feverishly wishing that all of this was over.

And then it was.

I woke up, breathing hard like I knew I would, looking around, suddenly very grateful to see Wisteria's sleeping figure. The amulet we gave her was still tied snugly around her neck, and she was mumbling nonsense about a new invention she would like to try, which was totally Athena. And then about how much more famous she would be after it was accepted by the demigod public. I let out a small laugh. That was totally Wisteria.

I glanced at the clock. It was near three in the morning. I knew I would need my sleep for the journey ahead, so I buried my face in my pillow and tried to fall into dreamland again. But I couldn't help thinking about the three figures I had seen, wondering who they were and why I felt an ancient chill when I was near them.

"May. Get up. Argh, you lazy potato, wake up, wake up! We're supposed to go swimming!" I rubbed my eyes and yawned, sitting up and letting the blood rush to my head.

Nico was watching me intently, face too close for comfort.

I groaned, grabbing the nearest pillow and hid my face from view. "Don't look," I muttered, still not fully awake. "My morning face isn't great. Who let you in?"

"Wisteria."

I glanced out of the corner of my eye. She was sitting on a chair, sipping out of a tea cup. "Why did you do that?" I asked. "Our privacy? Hello? Being trampled on by Nico?"

"Please May. It's 9:30 already. And nothing wrong for two commoners to see each other on their basest of levels, when their faces are covered with impurities and are just fully awakened."

"At least I don't talk in my sleep," I retorted, shoving the pillow in Nico's face.

"Why did you throw it at me?" he whined.

"Because if I threw it at Wisteria she'd throw her tea at me. Now get out."

"I do not talk in my sleep!" Wisteria yelled indignantly. "That's unladylike."

I crawled out of bed, ignoring her retorts and picking out my clothes for the day.

"But I wanna swim," Nico grumbled.

"Take Arty," I scowled. I was not a morning person. "Now leave. I have to change."

He pursed his lips. "Fine. Eat breakfast, wait half an hour, then meet us at the pool. I'm outta here—Ardy's way cooler than you'll ever be."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say. I'll just have you know that the only reason I'm late in waking up was because I had another dream—"

And suddenly the mood was not so cheerful anymore.

Wisteria set her tea down. "Dream of what? Dreams aren't so important, they're just manifestations of the day's events in an attempt for your mind to recollect and store the moments for memories."

Nico sat down on the bed. "That's the human understanding of it. We've got it harder."

Nico explained to her the importance of demigod dreams, and Wisteria's eyes kept growing wider and wider with each passing word until she was practically leaning out of her seat. "What did you dream of May?" she whispered, now in full anticipation.

"Whatever it is," said Nico, "I doubt its good news."

How was it that Nico was always right about this kind of stuff? He was more than right, he was on the dot—it was worse than it had seemed when I was actually in the attic. Somehow it sounded much more scary and dangerous. I repeated the dream sequence, about their plans for Thallo and the constraints of Auxo and Carpo in the attic trunks. "And the worst thing is: they're planning to get Thallo real soon. We have to hurry to Auntie's house—they're trying to use the Hours' combined power for something real nasty. To escape from something or other. And I don't even know who or what they are—they look like guys but when I touched one of them by accident, the skin was all scaly and gross," I finished. "Any ideas on their identities?"

"Well," muttered Nico. "It could be Geryon. The giant, 3 bodied brothers. Well, or just an ugly giant with 3 bodies. He got slaughtered by Hercules though…I don't know why he would want to escape something. He's not stuck anywhere."

"Maybe," I mused. "I'm not real good with Greek monster's names and such. We should probably ask Wisteria for this. Got anything?"

"Not at the moment," she mumbled, apparently in deep thought. "Go get breakfast May. I'll be thinking about this for a while."

Breakfast was simple. A lot of the other tourists had apparently gotten up late so the dining place was crowded. I piled some fruit and bread on my plate, grabbed a glass of OJ and went to sit down. I chewed on my food thoughtfully—mentally sacrificing some for the gods and goddesses, mostly wondering what in the world we were going to do next. Because honestly, I had no idea—I was just going with the flow at the moment, which was probably not a very choice on my part.

We were supposed to head out to the airport next for those that needed to leave early. It wasn't much sightseeing; but we would have to deal with it for the time being. I was going to follow Nico's advice for once and not go swimming right after I ate. Dying because I drowned would be a horrible way to end my life.

I finished my breakfast and went outside, and saw my friends having all sorts of water fun in the pool. "Hey," I said brightly.

Nico waved a hand over. "Sit down and talk with us!"

I made the mistake of sitting near the edge and was immediately splashed, then dragged in with all my clothes on.

I punched Nico and Ardy several times, and then pulled myself out of the water like a wet, soggy, and disgruntled cat. Which I was.

"Not cool," I grumbled.

Everyone laughed, except Wisteria who held her perpetually calm and arrogant face that I had long gotten used to.

Ardy pretended to choke Nico, and he replied by over exaggerating his choking noises, eyes rolling in the back of his head, thrashing around like a fish.

"You'd better watch out, Nico," I joked. "Ardy's taking revenge for me."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Puh-lease. Me and Ardy are besties, and I doubt this kid could hurt any of us."

I let out a loud guffaw. That was so true—Ardy's face was too innocent to take seriously.

And then suddenly, it wasn't funny anymore.

Ardy's hands tightened around Nico's throat, who laughed worriedly—"Man, loosen your grip! I don't wanna die—"

Any further words were cut off as he choked for breath. Ardy's fingers were really wrapped around Nico's throat, digging hard into his windpipe.

Wisteria, in a moment of pure heroism, tried to push the Asian boy off. She failr=ed the first time but quickly learned from her mistake. She slugged him in the face in retaliation, fist held the way real fighters do it. The thwak was loud and satisfying, and the boy let go, purple blossoming on his cheek. His eyes weren't warm anymore.

Without a care in the world, he spit in the pool. It was red.

Wisteria shook out her hand, wincing slightly before yelling hysterically. "What is wrong with you?"

People were looking now.

I glared too. "Seriously Ardy! What was that? Playing like that is going too far!"

The boy shrugged. "I was only trying to kill him."

Now I wanted to give him a matching purple bruise on the other side of his face.

The Mist must have been quite strong for even us not to notice something that prominent. It cleared, and I could see him for what he really was.

Ardy's family appeared out of nowhere, drifting like lost ghosts onto the deck, absentmindedly wading into the pool where he was. Their bodies turned scaly and they elongated, wrapping around one another. They grew taller and taller, casting a dark shadow and blocking the sun from sight. I could only stand there stupidly like a deer in the headlights, somehow unable to comprehend what I was really seeing—a transformation of huge proportions. Who we once knew as Ardy kept changing until a many-headed dragon was splashing in the hotel pool in all its purple glory.

Fish fins were on his head, eyes the dark brown of Ardy's eyes. The rest of the civilians were screaming and running out of the pool, obviously intimidated by whatever they saw; which was a good thing, considering if they stayed they were fish food.

We, unfortunately, didn't have an option whether to leave or stay. It was kind of a demigod thing: you're obligated to save the civilians and put your young life on the line, without any chances of future recognition.

"Hello," Ardy hissed, getting my attention as he began dragging a claw through the air. "Nice to eat you—I mean, meet you, in my true form."

Wisteria backed up against the pool wall, and Nico looked up at the monster, face scrunched in fury and hurt.

And then it really hit me.

Ardy…wasn't a human. This was him, a deceitful, information gathering, hiding-under-your-nose monster. The worst kind.

I couldn't believe it. We had trusted Ardy, spent an entire day of fun together—and despite that first bad feeling I had gotten from him, I wasn't expecting anything like that.

We had been betrayed.

Ardy thrashed his spiked tail, destroying the cement pool like it was made of Styrofoam. The moment he let out a breath, the plants nearby wilted and dripped to the floor as if they had been hit by acid, the air now a cloudy green. He cracked his limbs, his many heads darting around in eye-confusing formations, and let out a low, dragon-like snarl. "Pleased to meet your acquaintance, demigods. I've been informed that I have to eliminate you—in other words, erase your presence from this world, as you all are becoming bothers. You don't know how much self-restraint it took not to chew you up on the spot. Staying with you was like having snacks in front of my face but unable to eat them—you should understand quite well what that feels like."

He breathed once more and we scrambled to get out of the way, me scraping my knee on the pool deck in the process. I felt a little pain, but that was nothing. I had more important things to consider.

Nico was ready to go, his obsidian knife drawn and ready, hands ready to move the earth at will. I patted my pockets for Jingo and uncapped the Chap Stick, bringing the blowdart to my lips, reaching for seeds. From the corner of my eye, Wisteria looked helpless but I knew she was far from it. There was no need to worry about her taking care of herself.

The beast roared with laughter, obviously not taking any of us seriously.

"I see you are ready to 'slay me,' but I warn you; only one has done it before. And I am not too keen on letting it happen again." Now-monstrous Ardy let out a dark smile, showing all his fangs, venom dripping from the incisors.

"I'm the Hydra. Come at me, demigods—and we'll see how long you last."

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