The bell was ringing. It was never rung except when there was war. Danny took Lummy’s hand and gated to the gathering place.

“You!” shouted Great-uncle Zog, looking furious.

Danny gated him to the kitchen of the big house. “I don’t have time for any shit,” he said. “I was betrayed and the Greeks are going to Westil and back right now.”

All the adults knew what that meant, and they kept the children silent.

“I’m gating you to a place where I can make a Great Gate. But I’m telling you right now. I’m letting everybody use it. Not just the North Family. Anybody has a problem with that, then that’s a person who isn’t going through. Is that clear?”

“What do you mean by ‘everybody’?” asked Auntie Uck. “I’m not disagreeing, I just want to know.”

“Everybody who isn’t Greek,” said Danny. “Families and Orphans. And there’s a truce at the new Great Gate. Do you understand me? A total truce. As soon as I make the gate, Hermia will know where it is and they’ll head for it.”

“Then as soon as we get through it, we’ll head for them,” said Grandpa Gyish. He actually looked happy. Thrilled, even. Also evil. Definitely he looked evil. Danny remembered why he hated some of these people.

“You’ve never been through a Great Gate,” said Danny. “It takes time to figure out what you can do. So no, I’m not sending you off to war. I’m going to gate off anyone who approaches. I can do it. When they see that everybody else has gone through a Great Gate, too, and they have no advantage, then I think we can work out a truce.”

“Don’t be absurd,” said Uncle Poot. “You weren’t here for the last war. There’ll be no truce.”

“I don’t expect it to hold,” said Danny. “Where’s my father?”

Thor answered. “In town. Your mother and your brother and sister, too.”

“A family outing,” said Danny. “How sweet. I’ll come back for them. The place we’re going to belongs to a good friend of mine. My friend, do you understand me? Everyone there is my friend, but it’s Stone’s house and in that place he rules.”

At that moment Zog rejoined the group, even angrier than before. “You filthy little drekka, I’m not going to—”

This time Danny gated him to the parking lot of the Lexington Walmart.

“He’s horrible, Danny,” said Aunt Lummy, “but you can’t leave him out. They’ll kill him. They hate him most of all.”