WE FOUND WONDERLAND

I thought the hotel nearby was just a Lucky Hermes hotel. However, A sign read LOTUS HOTEL AND ENTERTAINMENT. The building was just as big as DGH, with its top cloaked by clouds. When we got inside, I was wondering whether we somehow teleported to another country.

The first floor resembled a mix between the Mall of America, IKEA, and a giant amusement park. The cost of staying a single night had to be astronomical. There was no way in hell we could afford it.

A bald man in a black suit approached us. "Rooms for three?" I nodded with a nervous smile. "How much does it cost?"

"Sorry? I didn't get that."

"I asked how much money I need to pay to stay here." The man chuckled. "Don't worry about it." He handed me three black cards, each with a different number on them. "The numbers are the rooms you'll be staying in. Have a good one."

"Ok, I'm confused. Do we pay or not?"

"I'm just as lost as you," Vittoria said. She took one of the cards and swiped it at some game machine. The screen read, "you have infinite dollars left. Infinite tries, remaining." Vittoria dropped the card. "Um, we're beyond rich now?"

"We sure are," I grinned. "We have four hours to kill and a ton of things to do here. Know what I think?"

"I think I do," Vittoria smiled. "Fun time?"

"Fun time."

The three of us decided to stay on the first floor, fearing that we would get lost here, although the first floor was a maze by itself. Somehow, there was an indoor roller coaster here, and it was a blast. I played some arcade games and strolled around the building. Vittoria played some nerdy trivia games, and Helen munched down on pounds of candy she won from a game. I rolled down a water slide. All in all, it was a good time and one that the three of us needed. The quest was just too stressful at times.

I hit up a cafeteria. The menu items looked like they came straight down from heaven; they just looked so delicious. I ordered lobster, salmon, and steak. This hotel was incredible; DGH needs to take a couple of notes on this. I'm not in another country; I'm in another world altogether.

I was staring at the black card the man gave me, lost in thought. An endless amount of money. Were the owners top people in government or something? Hackers? Money- laundering billionaires? Jeffrey Epstein made his own, um, "luxury" island. A mickey mouse clubhouse. It was fun inside, but nobody ever came back to the outside. Was this something similar? The guys didn't even touch me. They literally left me alone to enjoy myself here and give me more money than everyone else on the planet combined. It's likely the same for everyone else here. The hotel itself had to have cost trillions at the very least, but with an infinite amount of money, that's nothing. Then I remembered something: the quest. There were less than two days left before Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades engage in a three-way war. I checked my phone, but there was no time. My home screen only showed the date. I walked around, asking people who looked my age what time it was. Some of them ignored me, while others claimed they didn't know. One of them said it was 1950, right after the second world war. There was something wrong, all right.

I scoured around the place, running to and from various facilities in search of Vittoria. Thank God she was still playing that trivia game. I pulled on her sleeve. "Hey, fun time's over. We need to leave. NOW."

"I can't leave. I just got a bonus streak from guessing the capital of Bulgaria!"

"Yeah, sorry. We got a war to stop, remember?"

"What war? The world's been at peace since the Cold War!"

"The war between the gods." I made a sword out of my shadow. "Remember what's going on now?"

"Yes. Oh, God, what time is it? Please don't tell me two days have passed since we got here."

"I don't know. There are no clocks here. I checked my phone, but it didn't tell me the time. Almost like it couldn't. Anyway, we need to leave. Help me locate Helen." The two of us found her riding the waterslide. I grabbed my little sister's arm. "Helen, let's get out of here!"

"No! I want to ride on the roller coaster!" I didn't want to argue. My time-stopping powers still worked. I yanked Helen with me as I headed for the exits. The same man in the black suit stopped me. "Hey, don't leave. You've only been on the first floor. Tell you what, I'll give you a premium membership on the spot."

"I refuse. I do want to get back to my life, though." The man looked sad, but he let me go.

"Hurry," Vittoria said. "Check the date!" I almost dropped my phone. I felt like smashing it on the ground in frustration. "June 20th, 2015. Two exact weeks have passed." Vittoria gnashed her teeth. "Dammit! Now, what are we supposed to do? By the end of today, the gods will start a war, and we'll all die."

"There's still hope. It's nighttime. We need to find Charon and get to the Underworld now. I need to speak with Hades." There were no disagreements or arguing. The three of us bolted towards the Mississipi River.

We waited for an hour, but finally, a ship made itself visible to us as it cruised along. It was a yacht the size of my apartment. Green things were going about. Only when the ship came closer, I saw that those "green things" were people, and they looked faceless. The whole experience was eerie. My instincts told me this yacht was Charon's ferry, and he was about to bring some souls back to life.

A large, hooded man appeared. His thick white beard reached his feet. He raised his wand into the air, and the souls flew into the air. Each of them was struck by a bolt of lightning, and what happened next was astonishing. The souls somehow became people again. I'm assuming Zeus can bring people back to life by zapping them. But back to the ship. I wasn't sure how to get to it without splashing into the water below.

Since it was night, darkness surrounded us. My powers were a lot stronger, too. I made a shadow bridge connecting the yacht to the platform we were on. Then the three of us dashed our way to the ship.

It was unthinkable that Charon wouldn't notice us. Three people had just hopped aboard his yacht by running from a magical bridge hundreds of feet in length. Hiding would be foolish, and besides, I was the son of Hades. I convinced myself I have some influence over him. Charon waited until all the souls had been brought back to life. Once the ship started moving, he smacked me on the head with his wand.

"You're Yiannis Cirillo, eh?" The old geezer turned to Helen. "You must be Lady Helen. You two have come with the evidence to acquit your father, correct?"

"Yes, we certainly have," I nodded. Charon was old, but the dude was intimidating. His biceps had biceps. "I need to speak with Lord Hades immediately." Charon shrugged. "Very well. Enjoy your stay on this here yacht. I'll notify you once we reach the Underworld. However..." He pointed at Vittoria. "This one is not allowed. She's still alive, and she isn't a child of Hades." Vittoria tried to protest, but I waved my hand at her. I took out all the drachmas I had on me. "Let her accompany us, and I'll give you all of this. Deal?"

Charon laughed. "I cannot be bribed... just out of curiosity, how much do you have in that bag?"

"A hundred drachmas, at least. Good chance there's over a thousand." Charon's face was telling. He was clearly conflicted about accepting my deal. He wanted the money, but he didn't want to anger Hades all the same. I needed his desire to overpower his fear.

"I bet Hades pays you poorly, Charon."

"You have no idea, boy. He hasn't increased my wage for millennia, and I don't get any of the worker benefits you mortals do. It's unfair!"

"I agree. Accept my deal, and I'll work out something with my father. How's that sound?" Charon was even more conflicted now. He tried to grab the bag but stopped himself with his other hand. "Alright," he sighed. "I'll let the other girl stay on this ship. If she dies, it's not my responsibility." I handed him all the drachmas I had. "Glad you took my offer, Charon. Now take us to the Underworld. We're trying to save the world here, and we're in a bind. There's not much time left to sort the matter out, I'm afraid."