Coming Out of Exile: The Strength of A Father's Love
By Moon Mistress

Chapter Seventeen

Standing at what once was a rear entrance to the grand Black Palace Daniel, Duncan and Nicholas looked at one another completely stumped.  “There has to be a way in.” Daniel said to them. “Even Hades has to breathe…doesn’t he?”  He didn’t know but he felt quite certain that if the Black Palace was meant to seal itself up so tightly as some sort of defense then there had to some type of ventilation system.  If it wasn’t meant to do so and someone had put some type of spell on the place then perhaps the spell caster not only wanted Hades sealed inside but they’d like him to eventually suffocate as well. Granted that would take a few decades or more but it would happen.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?” Daniel responded absently as he pondered the question of how to get inside the Black Palace.

“What’s that?”

It took Daniel a few moments but he eventually ripped his eyes away from the grand columned Palace and looked off to where Nick was pointing some hundred yards off to the right.  He saw the wrought iron fence with the fancy ironwork and beyond it there were headstones. “It’s a graveyard…duh.” Daniel responded as though it was the stupidest question he’d ever heard.

“Yeah, I know…” Nick said in a leading voice and waited for his Father to catch up but Duncan MacLeod beat him to the punch.

“What Hades need with a graveyard?”

“Bingo.” Nick responded. “Who gets buried down here?”

“God of Death and all, he probably…” Daniel’s voice trailed off. He probably what? “I don’t know…it fits with his image?” He quipped but in a serious voice. Boy did it ever! The graveyard was something right out of Creepiest Graveyards & Tombs. The graveyard was eerily visible through a fine layer of fog. It was small, just about the right size for a family plot and was neatly lined with what looked like very old stones in white and gray marble. A single leafless tree dominated the plot its trunk twisted and knotted as its branches reached upward and sideward in long arthritic fingers.

Still… What did Hades need with a graveyard?  God of Death or not, Greeks were usually cremated and their ashes scattered…no graveyard needed. Daniel looked at the Black Palace again and thought about that needed ventilation. Glancing back to the graveyard he noticed two rather large mausoleums in the middle of it.  Maybe the ventilation system didn’t go up, not right away, but down and over. Maybe it came up in one of tombs.  In any event this was a dead end. “Let’s check it out.”

Creeping along the rear wall of the Black Palace until they reached the far corner they made their way quickly down to the graveyard. A stark chill went through each of them as they crossed through the arched gates which read simply; No Return.  Sticking close together so as not to lose each other in the thickening fog they made their way to the crypts beneath the tortured tree.  Each was sealed by a heavy wrought iron door and an accompanying lock. Not knowing if the flashlight in his pocket would work here or not Daniel fished it and to his surprise the light came on. He shone it above the doorway to read the owner’s name; MESA and the other; EKTOS.

“In and out?” Nick asked as he looked up at the Greek lettering and had the flashlight shone in his face. “What? You and Mom aren’t the only ones who can speak and read Greek.” He protested. “Cole and I are pretty good at it and so is my Colleen.” He added proudly.

“Your Mother would be very happy.” He said easily and then shined the light back upon the entrances to the crypts. In and Out.  Daniel unsheathed Excalibur and pushed the blade of the broadsword through the loop on the lock.  It took all the strength he had but the lock finally gave and Daniel and Excalibur came away victorious as the door marked MESA opened with a mournful creak.  He poked his nose in and took a breath.  It smelled old and musty but not as though it had been locked up for hundreds—maybe even thousands—of years.  The air was fairly fresh.  Shining the light inside he noticed there was a long set of narrow steps which lead to a marble floor. “Who wants to go first?”

“Oh, what and steal your glory?” Duncan said and shook his head. “I don’t think so. After you, my friend.”

Daniel let out a grumble and led the way down the flight of 13 steps deep under the graveyard.  Here there were torches on the wall and Daniel was afraid that if he lit them they’d simply blaze up and turn to ash in his hand but it was best to try and conserve the battery on the flashlight.  He handed a torch to Nick who lit it with his Zippo and it did flare at first and it let off a lot of smoke but it did its job and so Nick lit another and then another until each of them had one and they could get a good look at their surroundings.

They were in a round chamber surrounded on all sides by the exposed skeletons of those who’d been interred here.  The bones were covered in cob webs and dust. Judging from their height and the accoutrements with them Daniel guessed them all to be male and either of high military rank or high diplomatic rank.  Why Hades would put them here he had no idea. The cob webs caught his eye. They were moving. Those off to the left were swaying quite nicely in a place that should have no breeze at all.  Torch in one hand, Daniel put the sword back in its sheath and very unceremoniously dumped the resting skeleton to the ground where the bones shattered to join the dust at their feet.  Holding out the torch he watched the flame dance in the moving air. Above him there was a gaping hole in the marble ceiling.  “Guess we’re going up.” Daniel climbed onto the marble bed where the long dead general or whoever had lain so long. “Stay here a minute, there might not be room enough for all of us to go at once or for the torches. I’ll be back.”  With that he hoisted himself up through the hole and disappeared.

The ventilation system was quite refined.  The entire passage seemed to be lined with dusty marble and was wide enough for two men to crawl through side by side.  It was going to be a long journey back up to the Black Palace but they’d made it.  He crawled backward and poked his head through the hole. “Come on. Leave the torches behind, we’ll use mine for as long as it’ll burn and then if it doesn’t make it we’ll use the flashlights.”  He didn’t want any open flames burning behind him. 

Nick extinguished the torch in his hand but slid it into his quiver and then took Duncan’s and did the same. “Incase we need them.” He said to his Father who was looking at him rather quizzically.  “I got experience too, Dad.”

Nick’s idea was better than his. “I see that.” Daniel disappeared through the hole again and began crawling away so the others could join him.  Inch by inch the three of them crawled through the ventilation tunnel which did not branch off but rather went upwards at a long slow steady angle until it leveled off and Daniel figured they were in the courtyard somewhere.  All the while a constant breeze blew over them as air was continually sucked into the Black Palace.  It was a chilly journey, one that made the blazing torch flicker and dance threatening to go out several times and leave them in complete darkness.

“You know,” Duncan said to Daniel, “something is drawing the air up. What do we do when we get to it?”  Up ahead somewhere there just had to a rather large fan of some type bringing the air around them upward to where it was needed.

“We’ll deal with it when we get there.” Daniel said not having any other plan.  He always ended up flying by the seat of his pants when it came to dealing with his in-laws or ghosts from the beyond.

Duncan let out a grumble but said nothing further.  A short ways later and the torch began to burn out but it didn’t do so slowly it sputtered out rather quickly.

“Hold on,” Nick called out as he took one of the other torches from his quiver and then handed it forward along with the Zippo to his Father. “Here ya go.”

“Thanks, Nick.” Daniel lit the second torch and they began crawling forward again.  Soon the marble around them began to grow thick with cob webs and Daniel found that odd for a place that always had a steady supply of air circulating through it.  Along the sides of the marble walls the cob webs began to take on shapes. “Oh great.” Daniel moaned.

“What is it?” Duncan inquired.

“Spiders,” Daniel mumbled. “I hate spiders.” He shook his head and looked at the carefully made and overly large webs clinging to the arcs of the walls.  A good many of them held wrapped up goodies for later snacking and just as many held egg sacks.  There were momma spiders around here somewhere. “Keep an eye out for them.”  Daniel advised and pushed forward again while a shiver went through him.  There was a bend up ahead and Daniel thought that by now they must be nearing whatever entrance there was to the Black Palace from here.  It certainly felt as though he’d crawled 100 yards on his belly.

It wasn’t long before the first of the Momma Spiders made her presence known and Daniel was face to face with a hairy eight legged creature staring at him through eight black and unblinking eyes. “Aw crap.” He moaned.  The thing was no Daddy Long-Legs by any means. She was just about the size of his hand and she didn’t look very happy to see her new uninvited company as her set of salivating fangs opened and gnashed together.  She brought a whole group of friends with her they were gathered at the opening to the bend just waiting for something big and juicy to snack upon. “Back up,” Daniel muttered.

“What?” Nick asked.

“Back up.” He said in a stronger voice.  No sooner were the words out of his mouth when the Momma Spiders began their charge. “Shit! Move it! Back up!” Daniel shouted.  Nick crawled backward as fast as it could and was followed by Duncan and then Daniel.  It was a hell of a long way back to the entrance and there was no way this band of big burly masculine men was going to be put into retreat by a bunch of pissed off spiders!

The Momma Spiders seemed to talk to each other through a very annoying and very loud series of clicks made by their snapping fangs and the tips of their feet tapping on the cold marble.  Daniel brandished the torch at them as they started breaking off into groups wanting to surround the men on three sides they climbed up the curved walls of the tunnel and charged at them from straight ahead.   The flames licked those closest and soon little fires sprouted up as the scruffy fur on their backs caught.  Those on fire let out high pitched scream-like sounds of pain as they hurried around trying to put themselves out only to succeed in setting more of their sisters ablaze. The spiders not on fire soon learned to avoid those that they were as they continued their mad dash toward the fresh meat invading the sanctity of their den.  Palm sized hairy Momma Spiders scrambled toward the retreating men and doing their best to skirt the torch until they found their prey.  First one and then as many as a dozen landed on Daniel’s back, they crawled through his hair, and found their way down his pant legs each one sinking its sharp fangs into tender flesh as it went.  The three of them thrashed about as they tried to squash the angry Momma Spiders with anything they could. Finally Daniel got sick of it all and refused to back up any further especially not when forward was the direction they needed to go in.

“Throw me the lighter fluid!” Daniel called out to Nicholas who rummaged around in his pockets until he came up with the small bottle of the flammable stuff and passed it to Duncan who passed it to Daniel while the three of them continued crawling backward away from the enraged spiders.

“Take this!” Daniel shouted as he opened the bottle and began squirting the fluid in all directions forward and on as many of the Momma Spiders as he could dowse.  With just a small bit remaining in the little yellow plastic bottle he stopped squirming and crawling to rise to his knees in place and make a home made flame thrower. Daniel squeezed the bottle through the flame of the torch setting the entire tunnel on fire.  The Momma Spiders screeched in pain as they went up in a ball of fire.  Those lucky enough to escape the inferno quickly made their way to safer ground.

“Nice work.” Duncan complimented as he squashed a few remaining spiders with the palms of his hands.

“Thanks,” Daniel returned and started crawling forward once more past burning spiders with their spiny hairy legs kicking in the air as they breathed their last breaths.  He, along with Nick and Duncan, had been bitten several times for the angry little menaces and now Daniel really did wonder if the bites were poisonous or not.  It wasn’t like there was anyone around to ask and he was fairly certain that 911 wouldn’t answer a call down here in the Underworld.  With no choice left to them they just kept plodding along hoping not to encounter any further spiders or other crawly creatures. “Let’s keep moving we gotta be close by now.” That was true, not only had the ground leveled off some time ago but now it seemed as though they might be starting to crawl along a slight grade.  The wind was certainly getting stronger as it sucked air up and over them while they made their way past the still smoldering spiders and toward the bend.

Getting past that bend wasn’t as easy as Daniel had anticipated as the tunnel narrowed at the turn to a space no wider than his shoulders.  In the confined space the intake mechanism up ahead created a strong wind that made his eyes water as he twisted and contorted his body in rather unnatural ways.  Once past the bend the tunnel opened up a bit wider but not as wide as it had been at the beginning.   Daniel crawled up a ways and then looked back to see Duncan making his way around the rather sharp corner. “Nick?” He called out. “Are you going to fit through there?”  Daniel flipped onto his back and held the torch up and out to light the way in front of him—which was actually the way behind him. 

First Nick’s head popped around the corner. Then it disappeared and Nick shoved his quiver, canteens and small pack through. Duncan picked them up and tossed them forward out of the way.  Nick’s head poked through again and Daniel watched him squirm and flip from his belly to his side when the way became too small for Nick to squeeze through any further.  One big arm emerged from the bend and it was followed by the other. “Gimmie a hand…a foot.” Nick corrected and grabbed hold of Duncan’s ankle. “Pull.”

Duncan crawled forward with Nick struggling behind him. “You’re heavy!” Duncan called back.

“All muscle.” Nick returned.  He tried to squeeze down and through the space as he did back in Zeus’ Dungeon but this place wouldn’t let him.  While he got his arms and shoulders through without too much trouble that big broad chest of his was another story.  “Keep pulling.”

“Are you stuck?” Daniel called out.

“No,” Nick grumbled. “Just gimmie a minute, ok?”

Daniel reached down with his free hand to grab a hold of Duncan’s hand and the two of them tried to pull Nick through the restricted space while Nick struggled and pushed his way around the bend.  The cold dusty marble walls caught his body in its grip and did not want to let go as it pushed down on his chest making it difficult to catch any breath in his lungs as his rib cage compressed against them and his heart.  Sure this little excursion was going to cause him at least a few busted ribs he called out; “Stop.”  Laying there for a second he tried to catch some air. “When I say three you pull hard, ok?”

“Maybe you should go back,” Duncan suggested. “Meet up at the Black Palace and we’ll let you in.”

Nick let out a chuckle though it hurt to do so he just couldn’t help it. “Man, I’m too fuckin’ stuck to do anything but go forward.  On three, got it?” Nick released his grip on Duncan’s ankles only to grab hold of them again while his big feet searched for good purchase below him. “Ready. One, two,…three.”

Daniel pulled on Duncan.

Duncan pulled on Nick.

Nick pulled on both of them as he planted those big dawgs against the walls and used the strength in his legs to propel his gigantic frame through the tiny space.   Once his chest emerged and Nick drew a harsh dusty breath into his lungs the rest was easy. “Thanks,” he muttered and looked back at the bend. “Wouldn’t have wanted to spend eternity there.”  Nick scrambled through the rest of the bend to join them where the tunnel straightened out once more.

“You all right?”

“Yeah, Dad, I’m fine. Let’s get going.” Nick pointed up ahead of them as he caught his breath and strapped on his quiver.

Daniel turned over onto his stomach again and the decanter in his breast pocket shifted. When he laid his weight down it stuck him in the chest. “Ow,” he groaned and readjusted it glad that the glass hadn’t broken at any time during their little excursion.  “You got that other torch? I think we’re going to need it soon.”

“Still got it.” Nick agreed. “Got everything.” He said after patting himself down and checking to be sure everything made it through with him.

“Lead on.” Duncan said.

After the bend they were indeed on a slow but steady upward grade and now there was a distinct whirring sound in the air. Wherever they were they were closer to the fan or whatever it was that drew air into the Palace.  As they crawled onward the sound grew louder and wind stronger it chilled their sweaty skin as it swept over them.  It blew out the torch before its time but rather than re lighting it knowing it only had another five or ten minutes left in it, Daniel called for the third one and lit it.  The flamed flickered and sputtered as it threatened to go out several times. If the wind got any stronger it would blow out the new torch and no matter how many times he relit it, it would keep going out. They would have to rely on the flashlights.  He’d rather have the fire.

Crawling another hundred yards or so up the steady grade the tunnel suddenly ended. Well, it didn’t end exactly but rather it turned upward. Daniel looked up to see a gigantic fan some fifty feet over his head.  The torch would never burn in there in fact it was fighting just to hang on to the smallest flame.  “This looks like fun.” He said trying to be cheerful.

“What is it?” Duncan asked prepared to hear the worst.

“Oh, not much. How are your climbing skills?”

Duncan hung his head.

“Good news is we’re almost there.”  Daniel gauged the opening and then the climb and looked back at Nick.  He’d fit but just barely.  “Give me your pack.” Daniel called to him. “You’ll never get through with it.”  Nicholas wiggled out of the pack and quiver and handed them forward. Duncan held onto the quiver but passed the pack to Daniel who strapped it on in a forward direction so that it bulged over his mid-section rather than his back and he cast the useless torch to the floor. They wouldn’t need it anyway because there was light up there.  Rising to his knees he slowly made it to his feet finding his legs happy to be in an upright position.  Pressing his back to one wall, his feet to the wall in front of him and his hands on either side he began to inch his way up the pipe.  Duncan waited until Daniel was a good ways up before he began the ascent taking a cue from Daniel he put the quiver and his sword in front of his body so they wouldn’t press into his back as he climbed.

Nearing the top the wind from the fan was so strong Daniel could hardly keep his eyes open as they dried out and watered over all in one action. He wiped his hand across his brow as he wondered how they were going to get through without being sliced and diced.  The fan wasn’t moving at a particularly swift rate—being the size that it was it didn’t have to— but it was steady and it was strong.  Daniel fished the Swiss Army knife out of his front pocket as he held his body rigid against the walls.  The fan had a grate they had to get through and Daniel pushed the small blade of the knife through the space where the lip met the marble, the grate gave easily and dropped into his lap.  “Take this,” he called as he handed it down to Duncan.  Not long after he heard it hit the marble floor below them as Nick dropped it.   “Any ideas?”

“Yeah,” Duncan replied, “try sticking your sword in there.”

“Aw, I knew you were going to say that.” Daniel grumbled and went through another round of contortionist maneuvers to unsheathe and draw the heavy broad sword.  Holding it up with both hands he tried to get the rhythm of the blades as they whirred just over his head when he thought he had it Daniel plunged the blade upward. At first it jarred in his hand and Daniel almost lost his very precarious balance which would have sent all three of them crashing down to the cold marble. The tip of the sword bounced off the edge of one of the blades but soon caught between them.  The engine or whatever force running the blades fought back against the intruding metal as it tried to keep up its continual motion by cutting through Excalibur. The blades of the fan were no match for that of Arthur’s most cherished sword and soon the engine began to feedback on itself and a sputtering and then a choking sound was heard before tufts of smoke arose and the blades ceased their struggle.  “Get up here.”

Duncan crawled up the tunnel walls a little further to take hold of the hilt while Daniel once again worked his magick with the Swiss Army knife on the grate on the other side.  Soon it popped open and the three of them, dusty, dirty and a little worse for wear, emerged into the Black Palace.

“Where are we?” Nick asked as he brushed himself off and retrieved his items from the men with him.

“Beats me.” Daniel said as he looked around. They appeared to be in some type of strange boiler room.  “Take a break.”  He flung his pack to the floor and then sat down stretching out his legs in front of him.  Duncan and Nick did the same only Nick lay down on the floor and twisted this way and that to stretch out his aching back.  They stopped long enough to have a drink to quench their thirst and down a power bar or two to replenish their lost energy.  If this was a boiler room then they were in the basement and there had to be a set of steps around here somewhere that would take them into the living areas of Hades’ grand Palace.  After ten minutes of rest they got up again and soon found the door they were looking for.  A few moments after that they were emerging into the kitchen with total silence greeting their ears.  There were pots on the stove and they looked like they’d boiled over and then boiled out. They certainly smelled that way with their burned bottoms.  Nick shut off the heat as they crept through the kitchen past food rotting on the counters and half empty cups sitting on the table.

“It’s like they all just left.” Nick said with wonder as he turned on his heels to look around. “You don’t think they’re all up there, do you?”

The thought that they’d all escaped had crossed Daniel’s mind and while he didn’t doubt some of them had done just that he couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched.  No most of them were still here but they were hiding. They were waiting and they were watching in the shadows. “No. Let’s just find Hades.”

“How? This place is huge.”

Now they were coming out of the kitchen and into a very large dining hall.  They wondered just who Hades had to dinner that he needed a dining table enough to seat a few dozen people. Wilted flowers were spaced at even intervals in vases while the table sat ready for company at any moment.  It seemed to them that Hades had been expecting to entertain at least three for dinner at some point.  Over the hearth hung a large and very lifelike portrait of Persephone the love of Hades’ life.  It was in this room that they noticed the strangest thing so far; on this side the windows were not sealed.  Bright but fading light streamed in through them to light the dining room and the rest of the Palace. Daniel walked over and put his hand against the glass. It felt like glass. He tried to open it but it wouldn’t give. He tried to break it but it wouldn’t smash.  Leaving the futile project behind them they walked out into the sitting room.

Someone had been here and not too long ago.  There were cups of what looked like coffee on the black marble table.  Daniel wanted to call out Hades name but he was afraid of attracting the wrong attention.  If he wanted to imprison Hades what would he do?  How would he kill the God of Death or just keep him out of the way for a while?

“You’ve got something,” Duncan said as he took in the look on Daniel’s face. “What is it?”

“I think I know where Hades is. Follow me.”

They wound their way through the empty Palace until they came to a rather ordinary looking door where Daniel stopped. “Well go on open it.” Nick said from behind him. “If you think he’s in there.”

The last time Daniel had been in this room was not a good experience at all.  With a shaking hand he reached out for the knob and it turned easily as it swung open to reveal a rather large room in the middle of which stood a very narrow catwalk which was littered with shards of broken glass and surrounded by angrily burning flames. At the end of the catwalk was a very ordinary looking wooden chair.  In the chair was Hades. He was naked and slumped to the side.

“You found him, let’s go get him.” Nick said and tried to push past his Father.

“Wait.” Daniel warned. “That’s no ordinary chair, it’s the Chair of Oblivion and it’s sucking the life out of him.”

“Personal experience?” Duncan asked.

“When you came and got Mom.” Nick said.

“Yeah.” Daniel agreed.  “Any of us can walk across that thing but not just anyone can get him out of the chair.  It has to be someone who loves him.” It wasn’t that Daniel hated Hades or anything like that, for that matter neither did Nick or Duncan but, well, he was Hades after all.

Duncan and Nick stared at each other and then at Daniel in disbelief. If that was the case Hades was never getting out of that chair.  “Who loves Death?” Nick said in a snotty tone.

“War.” Daniel replied.

“Umpa?”

“He’s here somewhere.” Daniel said uneasily. “When we find them…”

“Do you think he can talk?” Duncan asked. “If one of us went over there do you think he could tell us anything?”

Daniel didn’t know but he remembered that anything other than screaming, which Hades wasn’t doing and that meant he’d been in that chair a long time, had been beyond Daniel’s capability when he was forced to sit there so many years ago.  Someone should go over and see if Hades was even still drawing breath.  “Stay here.”  Daniel dumped everything including the vest to the floor not wanting to carry anything unnecessary with him.  Glad for his boots as he walked over the glass and heard the shards crunch beneath them he tried not to stare directly at the flames on either side of him burning so closely to his exposed skin but instead keep his eyes fixed on Hades.  “Hey,” he called out, “Hades? Can you hear me?”  Daniel inched forward until he reached the platform on the other side of the catwalk.  The God of Death looked dead to him. Hades fine raven hair was snow white and his eyes were open as his head fell backward over the top of the chair.  Daniel covered his hand with the bottom of his shirt as he got closer and then reached out to nudge Hades without touching his exposed skin. “Hey!” He shoved Hades a little harder being very careful not to touch the chair. Hades’ dark eyes lolled in their sockets until Daniel thought he was looking at him. “You in there?”

Hades grunted.

He was alive but Daniel didn’t know for how much longer.  “I’m going to try to get you out of there…”

“A-a-ar…”

“Ares? Yeah, I know. He’s here somewhere I’ll get him and bring him back here.  Calla’s here too.” Now Hades’ tired eyes widened. “Kanan’s got Annie and my friends Jack and Sam.  We have to find them.  Do you know where they are?”

It took a great deal of effort but Hades managed a slight nod. “Prison.” He muttered.

“Prison?” Daniel asked not knowing what that meant.

“Si-si-sixth level.”

There was a prison in the sixth level of Hades?  That was news to him.  “Calla? Have you seen her? Do you know where she is?”

No, Hades hadn’t seen her but he’d sensed her presence along with Ares earlier.  They had been unable to find their way into the Black Palace or they had been caught trying to do so. “No.”

“Hang on. We’ll be back.”  Although he hated to do it he had no other choice but to leave Hades suffering in the Chair of Oblivion and make his way back across the catwalk where he relayed what little information he’d gathered to Duncan and Nick.

“Great, now how do we get out of here?” Duncan asked Daniel.

“Yeah, I’m not real keen on going back through that tunnel.” Nick added.

Daniel wasn’t real keen on the idea either.  There had to be a better, an easier, way out of here.  Ares was never going to fit through that tunnel!  The three of them wound their way back to the dining room.  Daniel stood and stared at the windows that faced the courtyard.  “You feeling strong?” He asked Nick.

“Right as rain.” Nick agreed. “What’cha got in mind?”

If that really was marble on the other side and this wasn’t all just some grand illusion then they’d need something pretty tough to break through it. Something like, well, like marble.  Daniel pointed to a statue of Demeter which graced the far right corner of the dining room.  It was close to four feet tall and must weigh a couple hundred pounds.

Nick smiled and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Battering ram.”  With some effort he picked up the statue and shouldered it while he trotted to the farthest corner of the room so he could build up a head of steam before crashing into the window.  The first blow took Demeter’s head off but it also appeared to crack the marble or something as her head could be seen in the courtyard from the other window.  “One more time.” Nick said with something that sounded like delight as he made a full lap around the dining room with the statue on his shoulder and then charged at the window for the final time.  The statue nearly imploded but the spell on the window was broken as it left a hole wide enough for them to fit through.  Stepping out into the courtyard Daniel noticed the other windows and doors hadn’t been effected and so long as no one wandered around to the back of the Black Palace their little secret entry and exit ways would be safe.

Glad to be in good company the three of them began the long journey to Tartarus and then the descent into the Sixth Level.

End of Chapter Seventeen
Coming Out of Exile: The Strength of a Father's Love
by Moon Mistress
a/k/a Lisa Beth Darling
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Chapter Eighteen