"Couldn't you have gotten something like this last time instead of the helicopter?" Alec asked irritably. He was sitting beside Hartley at the front of the engine, once again staring out at the boundless expanse of sea unfolding before them like a heavenly blue carpet.

Hartley chuckled. "Pull up to the school in this and then have all the other students haggle me for rides too? No thanks. Besides, I didn't have the option then. I have a few favours out there owed to me, can't be too careless with them. This was an exception."

Alec let out an irritated hum in response. "So how close are we?"

"Few hours. May as well get comfortable."

Alec sighed and pulled up the metallic bars keeping him strapped to the chair, then joined the others at the back, where they were keeping mostly silent. There was some distance between them all that was clearly deliberate. As much as they were united in the quest to uncover the mystery of the ghosts and the stolen artifact, nobody here was really very close to anyone else.

Hopefully this trip would change that. Alec took the seat beside Anthony and said, in a feeble attempt to break the awkward silence, "So, what else exactly did you find about this Temple?"

Maddison replied, "It was built quite recently—just a few centuries ago, in fact. I couldn't find that much information about what was inside, though, apart from the fact that it's apparently Greek."

"Seems like a recurring theme, don't you think?" Javon said.

"How do you mean?" Charlie asked.

"Just an observation." Javon shrugged. "Helix was inspired by Greek myths, so were modern-day Superheroes in general—supposedly. Alec was reading a book on Greek myth just a few days ago, and now we're headed to a Greek temple."

"Where are you going with this?" Maddison asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes. Javon looked up and seemed to remember at once how touchy she had gotten on the subject of the existence of Greek Heroes before.

"Nothing, nothing. Like I said, just an observation..."

"But what if it isn't, though?" Anthony said.

"Meaning?" asked Charlie.

"Okay, let's agree with Angry Girl's viewpoint and say, just for the sake of argument, that Half-blood Heroes didn't really exist, but were instead regular underdeveloped superhumans who were said to be godlings because they didn't know better. What if that's what happened here too? What if whatever was in the Temple is an item with supernatural abilities which was fabled to be magical, but is actually something else? Are there any kinds of objects that can summon ghosts in Greek Myth?"

"Actually, yes," Maddison said, frowning, though not in anger. "The Helm of Darkness—Hades's symbol of power. It's a mystical bronze helmet—our Dorm's Prefect badges are actually modeled after it—that has the power to turn the wearer invisible and intangible, and to blend in with shadows.

"It could also control the dead. The same way Poseidon used his Trident to control the seas is the way Hades used his Helmet to control the spirits in the Underworld."

"This could actually be it," Katrina said excitedly. "If it can be used to control entire legions of undead forces, it's certainly powerful enough for the League to fear that it was stolen, and it fits with what happened with the ghosts."

"But that's if it's even real," Maddison interjected.

"Can't you just let people enjoy things?" Anthony said exasperatedly.

"It certainly is real," Reya said, while Maddison glared at Tony. "I've seen the texts referencing it. I did some more reading when I got home," she added, at their looks of incomprehension. "It definitely would be a viable candidate for the stolen item, but it was lost to time ages ago, along with all the other gods' symbols of power."

"So we're back to square one," Charlie said bitterly, slumping back in his seat.

"Well, that's just till we get there," Alec said, with forced heartiness, trying to lift their spirits. "Hartley says we've just got another few hours, so..."

"Speaking of him, are you absolutely sure you can trust him?" Maddison asked in a low voice. "He works for the League. He could report everything."

"I don't think he will," Alec said earnestly.

"You don't know that," she insisted. "His mission is to protect you, first and foremost, and if anything we're planning to do now gets in the way of that, it's his duty to inform the League. I just hope you're right. Otherwise we might have another situation like with Aaron's friends on our hands."

"You mean when you had Ethan mind-wipe those two supes in Bluebell that night?" asked Charlie, with a disapproving look. "I don't like it, and I don't think it's something we should make a habit of doing."

"Is this because Ethan looked into your mind when we met?" Javon asked.

"That's not—that's got nothing to do with it, it's just wrong!" Charlie said defensively. He had turned bright red.

"Okay, okay." Javon held up his hands. Charlie relaxed, though he still looked a bit unsettled, his eyes on the floor. Reya gave him a suspicious sidelong glance. Something was going on there. And clearly realizing this too, Anthony rubbed his hands together and said, "Ooh, I smell a story."

"Drop it." Charlie's words were a growl.

Anthony gave a huge fake sigh. "Fine. You're no fun."

Another long, awkward pause followed. Alec sighed. It was going to be a long trip.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was surprised to find that he had fallen asleep. Given how excited he had been, he was sure that he would be awake for when they finally arrived. Instead, he had dozed off in his chair next to Anthony, who, it transpired, had taken the liberty of drawing a silly moustache on his face.

"Ha ha," Alec said dispassionately, observing the evidence in the mirror. "Huh." He paused, surveying it more closely. It was actually quite good. "Nice work," he said, grinning.

"Thank you," Tony said smugly.

Maddison rolled her eyes and tossed him a damp cloth. "Hope you enjoyed your nap. We're here."

Alec got up and moved to the window, absently wiping the ink off his face as he gazed, wide-eyed, out at the scenery flashing by them. A magnificent mountain range rose on their left, the flattish peaks wearing crowns of puffy white clouds. Below them, a sparkling river snaked its way through the body of the mountain, like a glittering ribbon, stretching all the way to the other side. On their right, he could see herds of animals frolicking around, splashing in the river or basking in the brilliant sunshine, while others disappeared into the dense woods beyond.

"Wow," he breathed.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Katrina said, smiling.

They gazed down at the sight for a few more seconds—then a sudden crash rocked the ship. Alec lurched forward and smashed his head into the side of the jet. He groaned, sprawled on the floor, and sat up, clutching his forehead.

"What was that?" Maddison demanded, eyes on Hartley. Javon held a hand out to Alec and helped him up. He passed his hand over Alec's face and within seconds the pain passed.

"Thanks," he said. He turned back to the front and hurried forward. "What happened?" he asked Hartley.

Hartley was rigid in his seat, wrestling with the controls. "I don't know," he said through clenched teeth. "The ship—isn't—responding—" There was another crash and a sputter, then the ship began to fall.

The hull was filled with their terrified screams as the ship plummeted earthwards, clutching anything sturdy enough to hold their balance.

"Hold on!" yelled Hartley, still struggling with the controls while the ground sped steadily up towards them.

Katrina let go of her support and stood upright with her hands outstretched, as if she was going to do something, but she lost her balance and tumbled away; Charlie caught her just before she hit the ground.

They were seconds from impact—Hartley gave a tremendous tug on the levers, and the engine restarted. The ship reversed sharply as if something had hooked it from behind, and after a few seconds, the shaking stopped. Silence fell as the jet hovered easily in midair, some twenty feet from the ground.

"What—what is going on?" Ethan panted.

"I don't know," Hartley said. He took another breath and edged the ship slowly, experimentally, forward. The moment he did, a faint tremor ran through the ship again. He pulled back sharply, and it stopped.

"Well, I'll be damned," Hartley said.

"What?" Javon asked.

"Looks like...some kind of invisible boundary line."

"What, like an EMP?" asked Maddison.

Hartley shook his head. "No. An EMP would have taken out our engines completely. This is something different..."

"Could it be, you know, magic?" Charlie asked.

Maddison stared at him.

"What?" He shrugged defensively. "It was just a suggestion."

"Whatever it is, we're not gonna be able to go any further with the ship," Hartley told them.

"So you mean, we'll have to turn back?" Reya said, her tone one of hope. Everyone stared at her.

"We'll have to, unless—" Hartley began.

"Oh, don't say it—"

"Gotta take it on foot," said the twins cheerfully.

"Are you serious?" Reya looked exasperated. "This was a bad idea from the start, and now the universe itself is practically giving us the biggest warning sign it can—and you want to ignore it?"

"Yep," the twins said brightly.

Reya groaned.

"I didn't give up my vacation just to come here and turn back," Maddison said, her voice harsh. "If you want to stay, fine, but I'm going ahead."

"Us too," the twins chorused.

"Count me in," said Charlie, and he flashed Reya an apologetic smile.

"I've got nothing better to do," Ethan said in a bored voice.

Alec looked at Javon. Both shrugged. "I mean, we're already here," Alec reasoned.

"All right, fine!" Reya shouted.

"You guys go on ahead, then. I'll keep the ship here for when you're ready to come back."

"Thanks, Hartley." Alec picked up his bag. "Shall we?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

They quickly realized that walking was not the ideal solution. An hour had passed before they breached the woods and entered the canyon-like terrain Maddison had described, tired, hot, and irritated.

"This sucks," Anthony said, kicking a stone.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," Javon said. He alone didn't look exhausted. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the walk, positively gliding over the rocks. Alec had noticed a few times before that he seemed to have a much harder time getting tired than anyone else he knew. Was this related to how he had stayed so long in the pool without resurfacing for air? he wondered.

He remembered too how Javon had melted Professor Elliott's drone, and how he had never really got an answer when he asked what had happened. He was debating whether or not to ask again now, when Maddison let out an excited cry: "There it is!"

They looked up, and there it was indeed. A magnificent stone edifice, gleaming in the soft evening light. It rose to a height of at least sixty feet, delicately crafted from pale stone, so out of place in the middle of this unremarkable terrain that it looked as if it had been dropped here by mistake.

"It's incredible," Reya said, so impressed she forgot to look annoyed. Their awed expressions changed almost at once into disgust as a torrent of foul-smelling wind rolled over them.

"Oh, God!" Charlie gagged, pinching his nose. "What is that?"

"Urgh, is it too late to turn back now?" Katrina asked.

"Yes!" Maddison said, though she too was shielding her nostrils. "Just—just breathe through your mouths, okay?"

Anthony tried it—then gagged again. "Oh damn, don't try it! It tastes even worse!"

"Can we just go, please!" Alec said, fighting the urge to laugh. Grumbling and gagging, they proceeded forward, making their way gingerly over the sharp yet oddly slippery rocks. At last they arrived at the mouth of the Temple. It was decorated with some odd patterns that looked as if they had once been beautiful, but which were now worn down to indistinctness by time.

"Anybody got a key?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah." Alec stepped forward, brushed his fingers over the wall, and absorbed the stone. White marble suffused his body and he clenched his fist, striking the wall with as much strength as he could muster. The entire wall shattered apart under the blow.

"Not bad," Anthony said, shrugging.

"Ladies first." Alec gestured Katrina forward.

"What a gentleman," she said, pretending to blush. They filed in after her. They barely had time to register that the smell was ten times worse inside when the shards of debris suddenly rose into the air and flew past them, settling back into the wall. A moment later, it stood completely erect and unblemished, as if it had never been hit.

"Right," Javon said. "Absolutely nothing strange going on here."

"Which way?" said Maddison.

"Left," Tony said confidently.

Alec cast him a curious look. "How are you so sure?"

"I just have a good feeling about left," he said jauntily, and he strode off towards the door. Skeptical looks were exchanged behind his back, but they followed anyway.

The corridors were long and high-ceilinged, with odd, green-flamed torches posted in brackets along the walls, all of which were still burning.

"Do you think whoever stole the weapon lit these?" Javon asked.

"How else, it's not like they could still be burning since the moment the Temple was built," Maddison said. Behind her back, Reya shot her a nasty glare, but didn't say anything.

Anthony took turns of his own volition, as casually as if he had been through here many times before and knew the paths by heart. But Alec knew that he couldn't. After some time, however, he rounded another corner and gave an excited cry. "Guys, check this out!"

They broke into a run, many pairs of feet thundering across the dust-lined floor, and rounded the corner, expecting to see something amazing. Instead, they found—

"A portrait?" Ethan said, plainly unimpressed.

"A tapestry," Anthony corrected. It was a superb silk weaving, portraying six people at different angles all kneeling around two glowing orbs. One of them, curiously, was entirely dull. The other was spotted with colour, like a spherical rainbow. Each of the people had a word woven beside them, like little annotations, but they were in a different language.

"What is this?" Javon asked.

"I don't know," Anthony said slowly, reaching into his pocket. "But who knows, could be important." He stepped back, angling his phone, and snapped a picture. "All right. Moving on."

He ushered them onwards. Slightly exasperated, they followed.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Reya said, four turns later.

"Nope," Tony said brightly. "But neither does anyone else here. So let's just—"

"Wait!" Reya grabbed his arm. She froze, looking more serious than they had ever seen her.

"Rey, you okay?" Charlie asked in concern.

"Do any of you feel that?" Reya whispered.

"I can't feel much besides you crushing my arm," Tony said. Reya seemed to come to herself; she ripped her arm off as if she had not realized what she was doing.

"Sorry."

"What do you feel?" Alec asked.

Reya hesitated. Then she said, "Power."

"Wow. Can you maybe try to be a little less vague, please?" Ethan said dryly.

"I don't know how to describe it, it's just..." But what it was, they never heard. Reya simply started forward, edging through the corridors.

"Oh, that's not a good sign," Javon said, but they followed her anyway. She strode along through the corridor after corridor, but Alec could tell that, unlike Tony, she was moving with purpose.

"Here."

Reya had come to a sudden halt, outside of another closed room. There was a mosaic on the wall, of three women stoking a blazing fire. Or were they stoking it...? Alec tilted his head to observe it at a better angle. It looked as if they were somehow shaping the fire.

"Am I the only one really creeped out right now?" Javon whispered.

Everyone shook their heads as one.

Charlie gulped and stepped forward. "Well, we're not gonna learn anything by staring at the picture." He held his fist poised in front of the wall and the orange gauntlet of energy encompassed it once more. Then he thrust his hand forward. The wall crumbled beneath the blow, and when the dust had cleared, they peered into the room.

It was empty except for a single white marble tomb, studded with brilliant jewels. Wordlessly they climbed into the room, spreading out to examine it.

"It's empty," Maddison said wonderingly, peering into the broken crate. "But...there's clothes." She reached in and held up a sleek white dress gilded with gold, like a Greek toga.

"Look at this," Ethan said. He twiddled his finger at the ground and a small porcelain vial bounced into the air. He kept it suspended in front of him, turning it over and over. Something dripped out. It was a glowing orange liquid, like lava. The moment it touched the ground, it sizzled, leaving a black scorch mark at Ethan's feet.

"Woah!" Charlie said, taking a step backwards. "Could you maybe stop spinning that, please?"

"What is it? Acid?" Katrina suggested.

"Not like any I've ever seen," Maddison said.

"Oh my God," Reya breathed. Her expression was one of mingled horror and disbelief. "Maddison, I need a knife. Please."

"For what—"

"Hurry!" Reya insisted. Looking a little shocked, Maddison pulled one from her wrist and handed it to her. Reya held it over her hand, took a deep breath, and pricked at the skin. Blood welled up, but she wiped it impatiently on her other sleeve. "Give me that," she ordered Ethan. With a curious look, he sent the vial floating over to her. She snatched it out of the air and turned it upsidedown, directly over her exposed hand.

"Reya, what are you doing?" Charlie said loudly, stepping forward. But he was too late. Another droplet stretched from the vial and spattered onto her hand. Alec winced, but the drop did not sizzle. It snaked across her skin as if it were alive, until it came up to the wound she had made with Maddison's knife. It glowed more brightly for a mere second, then faded completely. Reya held up her hand. The wound was entirely healed.

"What the..." Javon whispered, eyes wide.

"I think this is water from the River Phlegethon," Reya said excitedly into the stunned silence.

"From Greek myth?" Maddison sounded incredulous. Reya nodded.

"Okay, for those of us who aren't so familiar with Greek mythology?" Anthony said, waving his hands impatiently.

"Right," Reya said, shaking her head. "There were several rivers in the Greek Underworld, each of which had its own special properties. The River Lethe was the river of Forgetfulness. The River Styx, of Hate. The River Cocytus, of Lament, the River Acheron, of Misery, and the River Phlegethon, of Fire."

"They sound pleasant," Katrina said sarcastically.

Reya shook her head vehemently. "The River Phlegethon is different. Its water is what was used to restore flayed spirits in the Underworld so that they could suffer fresh torments in the Fields of Punishment—it's used for healing!"

"Okay, you sound way too excited for this," Alec said.

"The point," Reya said impatiently, "is that we have a vial of that water here, and an empty tomb there."

"You think someone was resurrected?" Katrina asked, looking bewildered.

Reya made a "yeah" face.

"I think we're getting ahead of ourselves," Maddison interjected, clearly not believing a word of this. "There's no way to know if anyone was 'resurrected,' or even if this tomb hadn't been empty for all this time."

"Actually, there is!" Tony chimed in excitedly. He turned to his sister. "Go on, do it!"

"No, you know I can't—"

"Do what?" Alec asked as Tony groaned.

"Trina can look backwards in time," he said eagerly. "She could show us what happened by recreating those scenes right here!"

"Yes, but I haven't totally figured it out yet!" she protested as they all looked at her. "I don't even know if I can go back that far either, I've only ever done recent things—seconds, minutes!"

"Try, please," Alec pleaded.

She looked at him, then exhaled. "Fine. But I can't make any promises."

"Fair enough."

She shooed them away to the corners of the room and raised her hands towards the center. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Yellow light sparked from her palms and shone into the center of the room like the glares of headlights. And to their amazement, images began to form from the light, like a 3D projector. The scene that arose displayed the very tomb that was in front of them, but it was in the same condition.

"Further back," Tony said. Trina breathed again, and the image began to ripple, blurring like a rewinding video. "More...more...more...there!"

Katrina released the image, and the rippling scene settled like stilled water, proceeding like a real-time video.

There were three people there, two women and a man, and Alec exhaled grimly. He recognized two of them. The unfamiliar woman, however, was the one who dominated the scene.

She was standing completely naked, with two long, dark blades held in each hand. Her hair was black and curly, tied up in a messy bun, with ropes of hair braided around the nape. Her eyes, however, were her most prominent feature: large and pitch-black, with no visible sclera or iris. They were both alluring and terrifying.

"Isn't there like a PG-13 censor anywhere?" Reya asked, shielding her eyes with one hand.

"Water from the River Phlegethon," said the woman with the swords in an emotionless voice. The sounds were distorted, as if they were playing through damaged speakers. "It was you who restored me?"

"Yes," the man, whom Alec recognized as the lesser Villain Iron Titan, responded.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Atropos, eldest of the Fates...the Thread-cutter."

Alec quickly looked up, and his eyes caught Maddison's face. She looked taken aback.

Atropos nodded. "For your aid, I will grant you three minutes to speak why you have come here, or to flee. Then I will kill you and your companion," she said, her tone as coldly indifferent as before.

Reya's hand flew to her mouth.

"I have come to make you an offer," Iron Titan said quickly.

"There is nothing you can offer me that I cannot provide for myself. Two minutes, fifty three seconds."

Behind her back, the other woman, Mesmira, turned to Iron Titan, desperation shrouding her face.

"Oh yes, yes there is!" Iron Titan said, and he stood up and reached into his back pocket. While Atropos watched him, he held out his hand. An odd, heart-shaped stone rested in his palm, as large as a ball, and iridescent, like the sphere that had been woven into the tapestry from earlier.

"What is this?" Atropos asked.

"It is a compass. Or at least, it should be. Right now it is incomplete. But, when finished, it will lead the way to a treasure I am sure you will like. Midèn kai ápeiro."

The words meant nothing to Alec, but he could tell that for the first time, he had caught Atropos's interest. "How do you know about that?"

"Because I too am searching for them."

"We are," Mesmira added, standing up for the first time. "Us and the rest of the Black Covenant."

"The what?" Charlie asked. The image suddenly began to sputter, like a scratching CD. Katrina's chest was labouring, her face beaded with sweat.

"Trina," Tony gasped, and he hurried to her side. "Are you all right?"

"I—I don't think I can hold it," she choked.

"She was just about to explain," Reya said, her tone one of great disappointment.

"Hang on." Javon hurried to Trina's side and held his hand over her back. Warm orange light poured from his palm, washing over her. After a few seconds, her breathing eased, and the image came back into focus.

"The Black Covenant?" asked Atropos, looking at Mesmira. "I have never heard of such a thing."

"Well, no, you wouldn't have. It's a fairly recent movement. And you've—well—been here for quite some time."

"Unlikely alliances, huh?" Alec said, clenching his jaw.

"But it doesn't matter. What matters is that we too are looking for them, and we may have some intel on how we might find them."

"Elaborate," Atropos ordered.

"Ah ah." Iron Titan wagged a finger at her, smirking, as Mesmira moved to his side. "Not quite yet. We have a few terms."

"Terms?" Atropos repeated, sounding very slightly disbelieving.

"Yes," Mesmira said. "We will help you find it, if you help us."

"With what?"

"Oh, you know, day to day minutia that comes with the job," Iron Titan said with a shrug. "We may have some bigger purposes too." He was smirking again. "You join the Black Covenant, help us, and we will give you access to our resources. And when we succeed, you will be granted our prize, but we will have our uses for it as well."

Atropos remained silent, swords still poised. What felt like hours later, she dropped her arms and her swords disappeared. "The bargain is acceptable. But make no mistake—should you, or any of your associates, seek to subvert any of your promises for selfish claims, it will be your last act."

Mesmira and Iron Titan looked at each other. "Deal," they said in unison.

"Where shall we begin our quest, then?"

"Follow us. We have a few more members we want to pick up along the way. First off, a little bird named Shadow Shifter."

Alec's heart seemed to leap into his throat. He watched, stunned, as Mesmira and Iron Titan strode out of the room with Atropos in tow, a suit of gleaming black armour appearing over her skin as she walked, smirking.

The scene faded. The room suddenly seemed much darker. A deafening silence fell over them, broken what felt like an eternity later.

"Atropos," Reya said. "A Fate...A god...."

"But that's...it can't be..." Maddison was unable to find the words.

"They let him out," Alec breathed. "Shadow Shifter—it was them, and...and her..."

"What did it mean?" Charlie asked. "When the guy, whoever he was—"

"Iron Titan," Alec said numbly.

"When he said he knew a treasure she would like, he said something, a different language. What did it mean?"

"No idea," Javon said.

Charlie turned to Katrina. "Can you play it again?"

She sighed, but raised her hands again. Yellow light filled the room, indistinct as she rewinded to that moment. At last, she found it: "...But, when finished, it will lead the way to a treasure I am sure you will like. Midèn kai ápeiro."

"'Midèn kai àpeiro,'" Charlie repeated.

"What about that thing?" Ethan pointed at the stone in Iron Titan's hand. "Can you like, get us a picture?"

"You can't screenshot time!" Katrina said. Ethan held up his hands in surrender. Anthony pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.

"Not very clear," he said, admiring his work. "But it'll do. Come on, we need to—"

"No, wait," Maddison said. "Can you go back, to just before they started talking?"

"What's it matter, we heard all the important stuff?" Anthony said.

"Please."

Katrina closed her eyes again, pushing further backwards. The scenes were only somewhat discernible, but they could make out countless more shapes, as if more people had been present.

"There!" Maddison cried.

The scene began to play at regular speed. It was Iron Titan, trying to stave off an army of glowing green men and women who were sprouting from the very walls.

"Ghosts," Alec said.

"Look familiar?" Maddison said grimly.

"But, Iron Titan can't create ghosts—"

"No, but I'm betting she can."

As they watched, Iron Titan managed to fight through the army and pour the contents of the porcelain vial onto what was undoubtedly Atropos's wasted form. It glowed brightly, then a brilliant surge of white light engulfed the room. Mesmira and Iron Titan covered their eyes, but Alec and the others could see, through the veil of white, the bare figure that was Atropos, weaving through the army of ghosts, hacking and slicing with her strange swords. But unlike the ghosts that they had fought, they did not disappear into wisps of smoke, but seemed to be pulled into the blades themselves.

"She's absorbing them," Anthony said.

"We were wrong," Alec said. "They actually did leave with something that could put us all in danger. But it wasn't some random artifact... It was a god."

Silence again.

"Okay," Maddison said, taking a deep breath. "This is...unexpected. But I guess...the proof is there..." She seemed to be forcing the words out, as if they were physically resisting her efforts to speak.

"We can figure this out later," Javon said. "For now, I think we're done here. Let's go."

Ethan suddenly let out a moan of pain, clutching his head as he doubled over.

"Are you okay?" Alec asked. "What, overtaxing again?"

Ethan shook his head. "No, this is...someone's coming. Two of them."

"They wouldn't happen to be random civvis who just ill-advisedly stumbled across this Temple, would they?" Charlie asked hopefully.

"No...they're supes."

Alec sighed. He knew that was coming. "We have to get out of here. If they see us, they'll turn us over to the League."

"How are we going to get past them?" Katrina asked.

"The same way we did last time. Cloaking." He looked at Reya.

She closed her eyes and began to chant. Nothing happened.

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

"My powers aren't working," she said, horrified.

"Who could have seen that coming?" Anthony said, throwing up his arms.

"We don't have a choice," said Maddison. "We'll have to sneak out the old-fashioned way."

"And if it doesn't work?" Charlie asked.

"Pray the League carts us off to jail before our parents kill us?" Alec said.