I let go of his hand and walked closer to admire them. The crest representing the Christoulakis family included a sky filled with clouds and Zeus’s lightning bolt in the middle.

The door in the middle displayed the Ambrosia crest. Kris, Adrian, and Vlad’s family. This one for Poseidon had a beautiful engraving of ocean waves with his trident in the middle.

Finally, I reached the last door: Hades. The god who reigned over the world of the dead. In the middle of what looked like havoc was the Helm of Darkness, a weapon so powerful that it made even Zeus and Poseidon pale with fear. It reminded me of a skull, which was enough to terrify anyone, even me. I might cry if I looked at it any longer.

Feeling that all this was too much to bear, I moved back toward the red door, but Adrian’s hand stopped me. “Don’t be afraid.” He held a cloth in his hand and offered it to me. “You have to clean it.”

“I can’t,” I whispered.

Adrian dragged me back to the last door. “Clean it. You have to.”

The crest was covered in dust and spiderwebs. While the other crests were gleaming and well-cared for, the door of the Stavros family had been forgotten. A wave of sympathy washed over me as I raised the cloth and gently wiped the crest clean.

Underneath the thick layer of dust, it was coated with gold. It still looked like it belonged in the Underworld, but overall, I was satisfied. I turned to face him.

“Open it.”

I didn’t want to, but I knew I had to. I reached for the door handle, which was shaped like a dog with three heads. Why did they have to put all the creepy stuff in one place? Careful not to touch any of the heads, I grabbed the handle. A sudden jolt shot straight to my hand and pulsed through my body. The door clicked and opened wide. “Did Zeus lend you his lightning bolt?” I hissed under my breath, trying to regain my balance.

Pitch blackness laid inside. Filled with dread of what might lay in that darkness, I reached to steady myself against the door frame.

“I don’t think I should be here.”

Adrian’s expression was blank, as if he were a puppet and someone was pulling the strings. Adrian pushed me inside and slammed the door before I had the chance to get back on my feet.

The last thing I heard was, “It has to be done,” before the darkness engulfed me in its waiting arms.

I was in my own bed when I regained consciousness. Using both of my hands to push myself up, sweat running in rivulets down my forehead and dripping off my nose, I pushed the covers off. It had been a dream. But it felt so real. The last thing I remembered was staring into Vlad’s worried eyes.