Chapter 3

With a boom, what appeared to be a Cyclopes, stepped closer. It was Steven, one of Hades’ helpers. His face was covered in old battle scars, his body encased in thick, black armour , bones and skulls hung from his belt. In his giant hand, he clasped a spiky blood-covered bat. A nearby Mountain Troll yelled a warning and soon the tunnels filled with the angry creatures.

Once the battle had finished, there were many dead corpses lying on the ground. Carefully, Lyra picked her way back to her brothers, terrified from what she had just seen. An odd chill crept up her spine. She was sure that Steven had come for them!

By dawn, the three siblings had left Snowdrift Mountains far behind them and were nearing Gloopmarsh swamp. The journey took nearly all day; it was around dusk when they came across a cabin. The moon glowed bright in the inky black sky. Malcom was concerned that they were to near the caves, but Lyra showed him that there was a whole mountain range was between them!

Outside the cabin, fog thickened and loomed closer- it became impossible to see. Lyra decided to wash some swamp berries- they were ripe and edible. She sighed and reached into her bag for blankets but she found something else instead: a sword. It was jagged around the edges and had a strong handle wrapped in leather.  It was perfect for fighting and they coils protect themselves with it. The weather worsened and the room suddenly darkened. Hades was near.

The wooden walls of the cabin creaked and seemed unstable. All too quickly, a griffon charged through the door and cornered them. Lyra gripped the sword and held it out before her. Malcom and Fred shrank back,afraid. At least they had a weapon to protect them.

Too soon! A shadow stretched across the room and the griffin backed down.  Hades stared them in the eye.”Fighting me?” he sneered,”fighting no-one,” he added, smiling evilly. Hades bundles them up onto the griffon and led them further through the swamp. It was here that Hades had been hiding,hing from the world, hatching a plan to attack the one place they thought they would be safe-Zeus’ kingdom!