Chapter 99: Dragon's Nest

                                    

                                          
"Now this might be exciting." Phil said,  feeling more exited than nervous at thought of what Mal have to faced...
For some reason....
When she pushed through the door, Mal wasn't in the House of Horrors. 
"I would hoped not." Persephone said, feeling nervous for her daughter safety. 
Knowing exactly what Maleficent was capable of doing. 
She wasn't even in a city anymore. Instead, a dark, foreboding mountain loomed in the distance. Lightning crackled in the sky and vultures circled above. 
Persephone closed her eyes for a minute. "That in no way calm my nerves for my daughter and her friends safety."
"Maleficent Mountain," she said, when the rest of the team arrived. 
Zagrues and Nico stands up and began to place, muttering. "Maleficent Mountain! Of course that's her Mountain! Underwood forbids that is somewhere nice and sunshine and safe ! I mean, it's Maleficent for gods sake!" 
Will sighs. "They'll be like this for a way, especially my boyfriend, they'll be like this for a while, just give them a minute or ten." 
"Over there." According to the map, Doom Crag lay at the very top of the mountain, where a dragon had made its nest. 
"Dragon's make nest?" 
"Oh yeah. They mostly have caves where they lay their eggs." 
"Ouch, that looks like a climb," said Jay. 
"You guys know the drill. Only I have to go," said Mal. "Don't worry." 
"Oh tartarus no." Persephone said. "Don't even think about it Malinda." 
"No," said Carlos. "We'll all go. Remember what the professor said? You don't have to do this alone." 
"I knew I liked him." Persephone said with a smirk that similars Mal's and her husband. 
"But this is my talisman," said Mal. "And all of you had to get yours alone." 
"So, it doesn't mean you have to." said Persephone. 
"We're going with you," said Evie. "At least until the talisman stops us. No arguments." 
"Exactly it's usually the talismans that stops them." Emir said with a nod. 
"You're not getting rid of us," said Jay. 
"No matter how hard she tries to do anything by herself." 
"That's how this whole 'having friends' thing works, remember?" 
"Yep really true." Emir said as both he and Akiho nodded. 
"Fine," said Mal. "Let's go, then." 
"Come on Mal, you can be a little more excited than that." Emir said with a chuckle. 
They trudged through the dead land, air thick with smoke. 
Sizzling green slime bubbled through cracks in the dirt, and they helped each other over the acrid puddles. Mal soldiered on as Evie groaned and complained that her head still hurt from the poison,
"Still?" Henry said, worried for his older cousin. 
and Jay was subdued, probably thinking of the riches he'd rejected. 
"Yeah, I'm still a little subdued about that too." Emir said, crossing his arms. 
Carlos was definitely still shell-shocked from seeing his mother; real or not, that woman was terrifying. 
"Yes she is." Anita said, before she shook her head. "But she will be terrified if she ever comes near my son again." 
They were united in their silence. The Dragon's Egg was the greatest of all the talismans and its mistress would have the forces of hell at her command. 
"You know, the Dragon's Eye in the scepter isn't an actual eye. It just looks like one. It's really a dragon's egg," said Mal. 
"Why isn't it called the Dragon's Egg scepter, then?" asked Carlos. 
"That's a good question actually."
"Duh, because Dragon's Eye sounds way cooler," said Jay. 
"Somehow I get the feeling that's not it." Aziz said, making a mental note to do some research about the talismans.
"Yeah, I guess so," said Carlos. 
"So is there a dragon here?" asked Evie, looking around fearfully. 
"Oh gods, let hope not." Zagrues said, clearly worried. 
"Let's hope not," Carlos said. 
"For real though, let's hope not." 
"You guys can wait here," said Mal. "The mountain won't let you any closer than this." 
"We don't know that even it stops them like the others." Emir said as he shook his head as if to disagree with that. 
She began to climb, reaching for a foothold and pulling herself up. 
But when Jay put a hand on the mountainside, it didn't push him away, and it didn't reject Carlos or Evie either. 
"Exactly we don't know until it does that." 
When Mal looked down, she was slightly disappointed to find they were climbing right behind her. 
Is it because the talisman thinks I'm weak? she wondered. 
Damn you  Maleficent, Persephone thought, eyes flashing. 
Brenden shook his head and scoffed. "No, it doesn't think your weak, your one of the strongest women I know Mal, the first one is obviously my girlfriend, guys remember, the rest of them got pretty close until they couldn't!" 
They all nodded, he then finished his statement. "Exactly!" 
With that disconcerting thought, she kept climbing, her friends right behind her. 
"All right let's get this party started." Emir said.