the only two arrows from his quiver and loosed it with his bow. The arrow pierced the creature in the shoulder, and he fell back, bellowing. The group rushed forward, Zoey drawing her axe, her heart racing. Andy unsheathed his sword, Kali brandished her dagger, and Prometheus readied his chains.
The monster advanced for Darko. The satyr loosed his second and last arrow. It pierced the Minotaur in his thigh. The creature roared, spit flying from his lips, but the attack wasn’t enough to stop him. He came headfirst at Darko as if to skewer the satyr with his horns. Darko galloped frantically to the side, avoiding the monster by inches. The Minotaur slammed into a wall. Upon impact, the cavern shook. He ripped his head back to face the group and crystals went flying.
Andy ran in front of everyone and waved his sword. “Hey, you ugly freak, come and get me!” The Minotaur huffed and charged. At the last minute, Andy swung his sword, but the creature seemed to have anticipated this. He darted backward before the weapon could slice him, then kicked Andy’s blade to the side.
The Minotaur advanced on Andy, ready to impale the boy, but before he could, Prometheus lassoed his chains around the monster’s neck, then tugged the creature backward. The Minotaur roared, grappling with the links, and to Zoey’s surprise, their metal snapped, the monster free. The Minotaur snarled, bounding for Andy.
“Andy!” Zoey screamed, rushing toward them. As mad as she was, if any harm came to him . . .
Andy somersaulted out of the way and seized his blade. The Minotaur rammed into another wall, cramming his horns between crystals and shaking the cavern so much Zoey stumbled to the side.
Kali dashed ahead of Zoey, and in the few moments the Minotaur struggled to free himself from the wall, she jumped onto his back and plunged her dagger into his neck. She twisted the blade and he roared, throwing his head back. Crystals went flying across the cavern, and so did Kali, who smashed into the sandy floor. Darko rushed to her aid.
Zoey bolted toward the creature, axe held high. She focused every bit of strength she had, and when she reached the Minotaur, she swung the weapon at his chest. The blade cut deep. The monster roared. She tried to wrench the axe from his body, but he backhanded her cheek. Pain racked her body as she hit the ground, her head spinning.
Before she could stand, something climbed onto her and pressed her down, the weight of it so heavy she couldn’t breathe. It’s the Minotaur, she thought, panic flooding her senses. He’s going to crush me.
“Get off her!” Andy shouted.
The sound of a blade gashing through flesh and bone filled Zoey’s ears, and the Minotaur bellowed and released her. She caught her breath and rolled over to see Andy as he ripped his sword from the monster’s back. Blood seeped from the creature’s wounds, but still he stood. For a moment he wavered as though he might collapse, but instead he turned around and slapped Andy’s weapon aside. The Minotaur grabbed Andy by the throat and lifted him up off the ground.
Prometheus came running, slamming his body into the Minotaur’s side. The collision knocked Andy from the creature’s grasp, and Andy tumbled to the ground. Prometheus and the monster hurtled into the sand. Zoey scrambled backward, trying to stay out of their way as they wrestled. Within seconds Prometheus gained the upper hand. He straddled the Minotaur and wrapped what remained of his chains around the creature’s neck.
The Minotaur roared, throwing his head back and then thrusting it upward, piercing his horns through Prometheus’s chest. Prometheus cried out, his muscles bulging, veins popping out of his arms, but even with the creature’s horns stuck straight through him, he didn’t give up. With his massive hands, he tightened the chains around the Minotaur’s neck and tugged hard. With his legs, he kept the monster bound against the floor.
Soon the Minotaur began gasping for air. He writhed under Prometheus, but Prometheus wouldn’t let go. Moments passed, and finally the monster fell limp.
Prometheus pulled himself up and off the horns and collapsed next to the creature. His breaths were shallow, his skin paling. Fluid like molten gold oozed from his injuries and from the corners of his mouth. Zoey rushed to his side, the rest of the group close behind her.
“I’m about . . . to die,” Prometheus said, coughing. “Obviously, I’ll regenerate—so don’t worry about it. But I can’t go into Poseidon’s palace with you. There isn’t enough time.”
“Will you find us later on?” Zoey asked.
Prometheus gave her a slow nod. “I’ll—try.”
“Do you still have enough strength to transform us?” Andy asked. “So we can go through the portal?”
Prometheus reached out. “Take my hands. Zoey and Andy first—then Darko and Kali. I can—get you in. Use the—the submarine to get out.”
Zoey nodded and placed her hand in the Titan’s. Andy did the same. Prometheus closed his eyes, and soon Zoey felt as if she were heating up from the inside. She felt her skin stretch, heard her bones crack, and when she glanced at Andy next, his wings had disappeared, and he didn’t look like himself anymore.
Instead, he was a seven-foot-tall bodybuilder of a man clothed in white robes, with a silver hair and beard, his skin the same blue-green color as the crystals in the Labyrinth. From the shocked expression he gave her, her appearance must have changed too.
Prometheus let them go. “The disguise is complete. Now go—before it fades off. I’ll send the—the other two after you.”
“Thank you for everything, Prometheus,” Andy said.
“Don’t let—my g-granddaughter—down,” Prometheus croaked. “Don’t let—me down.”
A lump formed in Zoey’s throat. “We’ll do our best.”
Andy offered Zoey his hand, and this time she took it. Angry with him or not, she had no idea what awaited them next, and without a guide like they’d had in Hades, they’d be even more vulnerable to the threats coming their way. Right now he needed her, and she needed him.
Together, they stepped toward the orb, and Zoey braced herself. Would the disguise work, or would they die the moment they touched the portal? There was only one way to find out.
She jumped into the portal, pulling Andy with her.
Immediately she felt as if they’d been transported to the bottom of the ocean. They were engulfed by freezing blue-black water, the salty liquid flooding her mouth and nostrils and stinging her eyes. They began whirling around and around and around. She screamed but there was no noise, only bubbles flittering from her lips, her lungs losing oxygen with every passing second. She held tight to Andy’s hand, and he squeezed hers, as if trying to reassure her he was still there.
Suddenly she slammed face-first into something hard. She rolled over and groaned, stars dancing in her vision, her head spinning. Oddly enough, the air was dry, and she was dry—other than her hand, which still clung to Andy’s and was slippery with sweat. When her vision finally cleared, she let go of Andy, sat up, and looked over at him. He sat up as well. His disguise had already faded away, and she assumed hers had too. Good thing we left when we did, she thought. Or else the portal would have probably killed us.
She glanced around to find they were in a large empty dome-shaped room, its walls and floor made of pure gold. Behind them, a watery blue orb spun and glowed, acting as the room’s only light source. The other side of the portal, Zoey thought. That must be where we came through.
The orb stopped spinning and made a noise like a sigh. Darko and Kali, complete with Prometheus’s disguises, shot from the portal and crashed into the floor. They groaned, glancing up at Zoey and Andy, their appearances already morphing back to normal.
“Are we there yet?” Darko asked, every word spoken echoing off the walls.
Andy climbed to his feet. “Seems like it. Now we just have to steal the Trident and get outta here.”
Kali rubbed the back of her head. “Any ideas for where it could be?”
“It’s most definitely with Poseidon,” Zoey replied. “I don’t think he’d just leave it lying somewhere random.”
“Probably not,” Darko said.
The group gathered their composure and made their way to the room’s only door. Kali opened it, and the group walked into a hallway devoid of anyone else. It sprawled longer than a football field on either side of them and was dimly lit with clusters of glowing crystals similar to the ones in the Labyrinth hanging from the ceiling, its floor made of golden tiles, cold and smooth to the touch. The walls were lined with marble pillars, statues of gods, and dozens more doors—one bigger than all the rest residing on the far-right side of the hall.
“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that could be a good place to start searching,” Andy whispered, pointing at the largest door. “Maybe it’s Poseidon’s room?”
Zoey began tiptoeing toward it. “Let’s find out.” The group crept down the hall as quietly as they could. Darko’s hooves clapping against the tiles made the most noise, but Zoey didn’t think it was enough to alert anyone of their arrival. Once they reached the door, they opened it and slipped inside.
This room was the size of a gym, the tall seafoam-colored walls decorated with tree-sized coral structures and glowing clusters of crystals. From the ceiling hung a chandelier adorned with dangling pearls and seashells. Like the hall outside, the floor’s tiles were golden, which matched the canopied bed at the far end of the room.
From behind the bed’s canopy, someone was snoring so loudly and obnoxiously it reminded Zoey of an elephant trumpeting. Something glittered in the corner of her vision, next to the bed, and Zoey peered closer.
Beside the bed and held by a golden stand there stood a bronze three-pronged trident, shiny jewels and pearls encrusted on the handle. Much like the Helm, it emanated ancient power as though it were a god itself. Zoey grinned. It had to be Poseidon’s Trident!
Zoey gestured at her companions to catch their attention, then pointed at the Trident. When they spotted it, their eyes grew wide.
“Kali and Darko,” Zoey whispered. “You watch the door while Andy and I grab the Trident.” They nodded to her plan.
Zoey held her breath as she and Andy tiptoed toward the Trident. If they were in Poseidon’s bedroom—and if the Sea God was the person snoring behind the canopy—they needed to be as quiet as possible.
Once they’d crept to the Trident’s side, Andy wrapped his hands around the object of power, and Zoey prepared to help him in case he couldn’t pick it up by himself. However, to Zoey’s surprise, he pulled it from its stand easily despite the fact it was as tall as him.
When they turned around to leave, Zoey caught a glimpse through a slit in the canopy of a silver-haired man with blue skin. He looked identical to the disguises Prometheus had concocted for the group. He was snoring, golden blankets pulled up to his chin.
That’s definitely Poseidon, Zoey thought. Beside Poseidon slept a pretty woman with sea-green skin and pin-straight black locks fanned out around her head.
Zoey and Andy snuck back to Darko and Kali. Together, the group slipped out of the room and into the hallway, then gently closed the door behind them.
Darko gestured toward the door at the opposite end of the hall. “Most of these rooms are probably just more bedchambers,” he whispered. “The one at the end of the hall—that’s our best bet for escape.”
They hurried down the hall, toward the door Darko suggested. Suddenly, its knob turned. Zoey and Andy bolted behind a pillar, while Darko and Kali dashed behind a statue.
“Andy, the Helm,” Zoey whispered in panic. “Put it on so they can’t see you.” He nodded and shoved the Trident into Zoey’s hand. Thankfully, the object was lighter than she expected, and she didn’t drop it. She thought it would weigh a ton, but it weighed no more than the axe at her belt.
Andy hurriedly pulled the Helm from his pack and tugged it over his head. Immediately he disappeared. He grabbed the Trident from Zoey. It vanished with him, and relief flooded her.
The door creaked open. The sound of shoes clacking against tiles echoed through the air. The sounds grew closer, then abruptly stopped.
Zoey’s heart pounded. She slowly turned her head. A beautiful woman standing over six feet tall stared sideways at Zoey with a puzzled look on her face. She wore a cream dress that reached the floor, her skin a sea-green, her irises the color of amethysts. A crown made of pearls and seashells sat atop her head, matching jewelry circling her throat and wrists. Her curly white hair was pinned in an extravagant updo.
Zoey gulped and gave the woman a little wave. “Uh, hi.”
The woman crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes into slits. “Who are you, and what do you think you’re doing scampering about my palace?” She talked dramatically, putting emphasis on tons of her words.
“Your palace?” Zoey squeaked, shrinking back.
“Yes, my palace. Haven’t you any idea who I am? Amphitrite, Goddess of the Sea and Wife of Poseidon?”
An idea crossed Zoey’s mind. She focused on what she could say to get Amphitrite to leave them alone. Her throat began to tingle. She put her hand to her heart, feigning shock. “Wait, you’re Amphitrite? I apologize, I’m just a lowly maid. Pretty new, only worked here a century or so.”
Amphitrite’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh, I see now. For a moment you almost looked like a mortal. But no, you couldn’t be. Your divine essence is unmistakable.”
“Oh, uh— Yeah, of course,” Zoey said, confused and unsure of what the goddess meant. “Anyway, I just finished cleaning Poseidon’s bedchamber—and I could’ve sworn the lady sleeping next to him right now was his wife.”
Amphitrite’s jaw dropped. She shot the door to Poseidon’s room a glare, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white.
“I’ve thought she was his wife the whole time I’ve worked here, actually,” Zoey continued, throat still tingling. “Since every time I go in there, I see her. They seem to spend a lot of time together.”
Amphitrite didn’t say another word to Zoey. Instead, she stomped down the hall toward Poseidon’s room, snarling under her breath about “that floozy of a Nereid.”
Amphitrite threw open the door and stalked in, immediately screaming in her exaggerated way at Poseidon and the woman, but the group didn’t waste any time to wait and see what happened next. They sprinted down the hall, then burst through the door and into the next section of the palace. Andy kept the Helm on so he stayed invisible, but Zoey could hear his feet pounding against the floor beside her as they ran.
The chamber they hurried through now had to be a dining hall, because it was even bigger and more open than Poseidon and Amphitrite’s bedchamber, with rows of tables and chairs perfect for a feast. Pillars, crystals, and coral structures lined the walls, a chandelier much like the one in Poseidon’s room hanging from the ceiling.
They rushed out the other end of the dining room, then careened down more halls that twisted every which way, looking for any sign of water and an exit so they could activate the Pocket-Sized Submarine and escape. As the group flew past several more chambers, Zoey thought she caught a glimpse of some other women lounging about, some working, but the group moved too fast for anyone to notice them.
Finally, the group reached what had to be the throne room, its wide walls lined with crystals, coral, and marble statues. The room’s high, arched ceiling stretched to fifty feet tall. A long rug woven from seaweed led down the center of the room to a dais, where two pure-gold thrones adorned with jewels and pearls in swirling patterns sat. At the other side of the room, a massive set of golden doors beckoned the group.
“Is that the entrance?” Kali asked as she pointed at the doors, panting.
Zoey held her side, which ached from all the running. “Has to be,” she replied, and the group hastened toward them. Together, they shoved open one of the doors and stumbled outside, then stopped dead at what they saw next.
A flight of marble steps led down into a dark courtyard bigger than a stadium and lit only by clusters of the same glowing crystals they’d seen throughout the palace and in the Labyrinth. There were paths winding in multiple directions, fountains trickling into ponds, and gardens full of flowers. Women with different shades of blue and green skin who were dressed like Amphitrite—Zoey assumed they were goddesses or maybe ocean nymphs of some kind—walked along the paths and congregated around the ponds, laughing and talking without a care in the world.
However, the courtyard itself didn’t shock Zoey. It wasn’t surprising; it belonged outside a palace. What shocked her was what sprawled for miles beyond.
A dome which looked as if it was made of glass encased the palace and courtyard, as though preserving it inside a giant pocket of air. Outside the dome there was blue-black ocean, with valleys and canyons of rock extending for miles. Inside the mountainous structures, millions more crystals glowed, illuminating houses which looked as if they’d been carved into the rocks. Creatures with the heads and torsos of men, but who had fish tails instead of legs, swam in between the buildings alongside large toothy sharks.
Beside Zoey, Andy asked, “Are those . . . mermaids? Er, mermen?”
“I think they might be the sons of Triton by the Nereids,” Darko said. “Amphitrite is technically a Nereid, and I think all these other ladies are too.” He gestured at the women in the courtyard. “If I remember correctly, Triton is a child of Poseidon and Amphitrite. The astynomia don’t learn a lot about him because he’s a minor god compared to his father, but instead of legs he has the tail of a fish, and so do all his sons.”
“Well, I’m calling them mermen,” Andy said.
“What do we do next?” Kali asked. “How are we supposed to get through that?” She pointed at the dome.
“The Trident is one of the most powerful magical items in existence,” Zoey began. “And it can cause earthquakes and control the oceans and all that. It’s gotta be strong enough to break the glass of the dome. What if we used the Trident to crack it? Water would start filling this place like a bathtub, and we could let the Pocket-Sized Submarine grow and climb into it before the whole place floods.”
“I don’t think they’re going to let us just waltz in and break their dome,” Darko said, gesturing at the Nereids in the courtyard.
“Do you have a better plan?” Zoey asked.
The satyr shook his head. “Not really.”
“Sounds like that’s what we’re doing, then,” Andy said, still invisible. “Let’s go.” They started down the marble stairs.
Rumbles like cracks of thunder sounded in the air, and the ground began to tremble. The Nereids in the courtyard shrieked. Zoey yelped, stumbling, trying not to lose her footing. Ahead there was a thud, and Andy reappeared. He tumbled down the stairs, the Helm flying off his head.
“Andy!” Zoey cried.
He landed at the bottom of the flight, the Trident still in hand, then turned and gave Zoey a quick thumbs-up. “I’m okay,” he said.
The Helm stopped rolling ten feet ahead of him, bouncing up and down as the ground shook. A collective gasp sounded through the courtyard. The Nereids had stopped walking and talking and laughing, now staring at Andy and the rest of the group in shock.
From somewhere inside the palace, a man bellowed. It was a sound so loud and angry and ancient it sounded as though it could swallow entire continents.
“Where is my Trident?”