"There." Theo said. "That's our way in." His cousins and Danielle stopped either side of him.

"It's a rock." Charlie said.

"No, you idiot." Sage sighed, looking amused all the same. "That's the entrance Orpheus used. The musician who wanted his wife back."

"Oh."

"Are you sure you're a legacy?" Danielle smiled.

"Well, I've got this," Charlie's hand burst into flame, "but that's pretty much it." He shrugged and smiled. "Now what?"

"Music." Theo motioned to Danielle and she turned round, feeling him rummage through her pack. Charlie had lost his in the attack from Kampe; Theo had managed to recover Sage's and Danielle's.

Theo found what he was looking for, yanking the headphones from Danielle's iPod.

"That's not going to work." Sage declared. Theo ignored her, flicking through various songs until he reached a classical piece. He held the speaker to the rock and watched Sage mutely. The rocks shivered and then descended, sliding out of sight and revealing a staircase. Sage glowered. Theo gave Danielle her device back and went first. Charlie hurried after him, lighting his hands. Sage gestured to Danielle and entered last. The rocks smacked shut behind her. "What's the plan then, genius?"

"Find Callum and Lilly."

"Gee, you don't say." Sage retorted. Theo stopped and Charlie collided with him.

"If you've got a better idea, Sage, let's hear it."

"Well, you could start by telling us everything you know."

"I already have."

"You're lying."

"Then we're going to have a problem, aren't we? Are we going to stand here and argue or would you rather lead?"

"I'm not turning my back on you." Theo's eyes cut briefly to the knife in her hand and then back to hers. "Keep moving." Sage ordered hotly. Theo bowed his head and faced the front, starting the descent again. Charlie looked back quizzically, fire sputtering in his palm. He frantically waved his other hand at it and the flames danced bright and warm again.

"So, here's a question for you all."

"Is this another one of your existential crisis questions?" Danielle quizzed. "I don't feel comfortable debating those ones with you while walking into literal hell."

"Oh, don't worry, you'll like this one." Charlie flashed a reassuring smile her way. "Somewhere, somebody out there is thinking what a tremendous impact you made on their life."

"Not me." Theo said. "I think you're a twat." Charlie gaped at the back of his head. "Anything else you'd like to say?" Theo asked over his shoulder.

"I think you're rude."

"Of course I am. It keeps the idiots away."

"He's not being rude," Danielle chipped in, "he's being defensive. If we start asking personal questions, will your system crash and need an urgent reboot?"

"Will you stop theorizing I'm a robot for five minutes and focus here?" Charlie winced at the sharp edge Theo's voice held. "Callum and Lilly are in trouble and I don't have time to put up with any of your nonsense." Here, he looked at Charlie. The elfin boy hunched his shoulders and stayed quiet. Theo looked forward. Danielle put a hand on Charlie's shoulder, moving to one side when his fire flickered, barely even an ember, and Sage caught up with her cousin. Theo kept walking.

"You OK?" Sage whispered. Charlie nodded and smiled.

"I'm OK. You know me, Sage, can't stay down for long." He pulled his phone from his pocket and flicked on the flashlight. Sage frowned. "What? It's tiring keeping fire going for so long. Come on, before we lose him." Charlie hurried after Theo. Sage fumed. Danielle wanted to ask, but the look on the blonde's face kept her quiet. She fell in behind Charlie and listened to Sage mutter curses. The bobbing of Charlie's light enticed them forward, but without his fire, it was bitterly cold and getting colder. Danielle wasn't sure how long they walked, but it felt so much longer than it should have done. Normally she had a debate to win, but Charlie was mute. Theo kept walking. Charlie stumbled behind him, dutifully holding the light up and looking smaller than usual. Danielle behind him and Sage behind her.

They kept walking. And walking. And walking some more. Danielle's legs felt ready to fall off, her back ached from the weight of her pack, the cold was setting into her bones and she wanted to lie down for a good long sleep. A hand touched her shoulder and she startled violently, but it was only Sage offering a fleecy jacket.

"Not exactly a fashion statement, but it's practical."

"T-th-thank you." Danielle said around chattering teeth. Sage held her pack while Danielle slipped the article on, quickly doing up the zip and relishing in the sudden warmth. "Thank you." She said again, taking her pack back and smiling. "Why's it so cold? I thought hell was supposed to be warm?"

"Depends whereabouts in hell you are." Sage told her. "We must be quite far from the Fields of Punishment- that's where all the fire and lava and, well, punishments are. It can be quite warm down here."

"This is the Underworld." Theo interrupted sharply. "Not a vacation."

"In that case, it's not getting five stars on Yell." Sage remarked. Her eyes fell onto her cousin. He hadn't even noticed her quip, head down. She saw a glimmer of white- he had put his headphones in. Theo ignored her. Danielle ducked as Sage's grip tightened on the hilt of her knife, remembered it was celestial bronze and that it wouldn't hurt her.

"Sage?" She asked. "Why won't that hurt me?" She nodded at the knife.

"It's enchanted metal, it will only hurt an immortal. Or someone with immortal heritage. Demigods and legacies can easily fall victim to these weapons as they can mortal ones. That's what makes our lives so dangerous, but also why we are depended upon to keep the mortal world safe." Danielle raised a brow. "We can go between the two worlds," Sage explained patiently, "we help keep the balance, but it isn't without its costs." Sage looked over Danielle's head, giving Danielle a wobbly feeling. She looked back at Charlie, realising she had to look at least a few inches more down. Sage was a few inches up.

"Light." She said, spotting what Sage had. "Are we there?" Theo stopped and the last of the steps disappeared from under their feet. Sage put herself between her brother and the other two. Charlie stopped his music and the light vanished a second later, spots dancing across their vision. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust, the light of the Underworld softer on the eyes, but harsher. Danielle wasn't quite sure how to explain it- it was colder and meaner than anything she had ever seen before and that scared her. If the light of the place could strike fear, what would the rest of it be like?

"Whenever you're ready, Theo," Sage fired, "we'd like to hear your plan, I'm sure it'll be brilliant."

"I'm getting a strange sense of déjà vu. We find Callum and Lilly and get them home."

"And you're not worried that you being anywhere close to Callum will-?"

"Sage." Theo cut across. "You may not trust me and, quite frankly, I don't care. Our brother and sister need us and if you want to actually prove yourself to be useless and stay here, be my guest. But I'm getting them back, with or without you." His glare flipped to the other two, trapping them in the 'you'. Danielle set her jaw stubbornly. Charlie was examining the Velcro straps on his sneakers.

"Fine." Sage glowered. Her hand shot out and cracked Theo across the face. He stayed looking left. "You know what that was for." She snarled. "Now get moving."