One of the many little knots of worry inside my chest unravelled, and I released a small sigh of relief.

I hadn't let myself think too hard about what might have happened to Nigel and Artemis since our abduction. But even as I forced myself to focus on the tasks at hand, the unease of not knowing had been nagging at the back of my mind.

Of course, they were still in great danger, but now, instead of imagining all the horrible things that could be happening to them, I got to watch.

"First, I present to you two of our more promising students from the academy." Dr Floid announced, her voice flittering with excitement.

"Our long-absent protégé, Artemis Mc'Valium." She flung a hand out to the man on her left, who bent to set the tiny boy on the floor.

Apollo stiffened beneath me, leaning forward so quickly I had to grip his jacket for balance. He didn't make a sound, but his hands gripped the railing so hard his knuckles turned white.

Dr Floid then waved a dismissive hand to the right, where Nigel was also being set vulnerably on the ground.

"And here we have Nigel Flemming, our exotic freak of nature."

Hey...only I'm allowed to talk about Nigel like that...

"These two boys are some of the most talented children we have come across in years." Dr Floid continued. "It is only their characteristic faults that have prevented them from rising to the ranks of our organisation before now. Tonight, we will give them one last chance to prove themselves worthy of our attention."

Surely she doesn't mean...

Dr Floid grinned manically up at us.

"Through combat."

The crowd cheered.

I felt the colour drain from my face.

Artemis vs Nigel

Nigel, who followed me like an over-excited puppy, so open and honest that he terrified me with his uncontrolled affection.

Artemis, who nearly cried when I killed his ice cream cone, who had been embarrassed at sharing a room with a girl. The only person who could call me Love and live to tell the tail.

I sagged forward, resting my head in my hands.

Already exhausted.

And it hadn't even started yet.

"It's going to be like watching two baby turtles fight," I muttered despairingly into my hands. "And not just because they are the size of baby turtles. I can't believe they-"

"Nonsense."

I looked up, finding Alan leaning forward with a knowing smile.

"Good-natured or not." His tone, though pleasant, held no cheerful inflection. "No one makes it onto the Hill without reason."

The redhead's gaze drifted to the people below.

"And no one keeps their place without the will to fight for it."

Biting my lip, I followed his gaze down to the boys. Even before he had said it, I had known.

Nigel and Artemis are going to tear each other apart.

"Patience everyone! Before the main event can start, some obvious adjustments need to be made." Dr Floid stretched a hand out before her. "After all, it is an insult to fight such an important duel in anything but full scale."

Wait...

Even from here, I saw the moment her system blue eyes grew bright, glowing almost. The hand she held before her begun to melt, shifting to clear liquid and splashing to the floor.

"Show off," Alex muttered beside us.

She can't...

The puddle that had once been a hand leapt to life, heading straight for the tiny form of Nigel.

I heard the tiny yelp of surprise from Nigel, just before he was engulfed in the clear liquid.

The water began to spin and expand, becoming something like a tornado of water high enough to level with our railing, only to suddenly disperse in an explosive spray of water.

Leaving one startled Nigel Fleming, all lanky six foot plus of him, standing where mini Nigel had once stood.

No way...

Now that he was back to full size, the gold and white joker outfit Nigel was wearing was easy to make out. Complete with a jingling bell hat, Nigel looked just like the Joker that had been on his card.

The mask he wore was black, shaped to cover the left side of his face, with a grinning expression etched in gold.

This...

This is... Not...

Fair.

"Are you freaking kidding me!" I screamed into the awed silence of the room. "He was shrunk for like, ten minutes, and he gets changed back, just like that?! What about me!?"

Apollo jumped at the outburst, probably because it was so close to his ear, scowling beneath his mask as Alan snickered into his hand.

Hearing my outraged scream Nigel's gaze jerked up, locking onto me with a smile of relief.

"Maddison!? You're okay!"

"Okay?! How dare you say I'm okay?! I'm five fricking inches tall god damn it!"

Dr Floid laughed, in a way that could only be described as evil, and got back to her speech, drawing attention away from me as I wildly pointed at Alan. "Make her change me back too! Or so help me, I will...."

"No can do Maddison." He waved me off cheerfully. "Its already been decided that your best value to the Underground is as a hostage."

Hostage?

Maddison Trampth, the girl who self-taught herself to fight with nothing but practice and enthusiasm, the girl so intuitive she can make incredible leaps in logic from the dumbest of details...

Is only here to be used as leverage?

"Seriously...You people...Can just go screw yourselves...." I hissed, trembling with so much fury I had to force the words out through clenched teeth.

"Now" Cassandra clapped her hands together. "I'm sure you've all heard the sad story behind our little Artemis here."

Ah..no actually...

"How he rebelled against our ways and was justly punished. How what started out as harmless discipline ended in unforeseeable tragedy."

"Punished?" I whispered, and Apollo's jaw clenched in fury.

I knew that Artemis had become the previous Ace of the hill nearly four years ago and that he had been sent to the Shrink Program not long after...And that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge...

"They buried him."

Blink.

Slowly, I turned my gaze, to stare at Alex, unsure if he had truly spoken at all.

"Pardon?"

For the first time since I had learnt what and who he really was, Alex Floid looked me directly in the eye.

"Artemis rebelled, so the Underground gave him a small taste of what his fate would be if he continued to refuse them." Voice flat, deceptively neutral, Alex watched me carefully, wary of my reaction.

I stared back blankly, Artemis' reaction to the lights going out at the shrink playing back in my at a terrifying new angle.

What the hell could have happened to him to make him so afraid of being alone in the dark?

Now I knew.

"His fate...?" I questioned, too terrified to finish the thought.

"A grave Maddison." Apollo hissed, his voiced strained with hatred.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

There was nothing I could say.

"My Father loves Artemis, more than anything." Apollo snarled, hunching in on himself as he stared down at his brother.

"If there is anything in this world that could change my father's mind, it's him. So as a warning to them both, they buried my brother alive."