Everyone regrouped at the base of the mountain in front of the three snow vehicles. They were all covered in their large coats as the wind hit their faces. Papo had a very disappointed look on his face as he stared at the large truck.

"Lighten up, Papo," said Alex, who was petting his midsize dog. "It's an adventure. Lean into the fun and don't think about the money."

"Is that what you're doing?" asked Papo. "Not thinking about the money?"

"Hell no. I can't stop thinking about the money. I'm making a fortune protecting Delvis. But I'm also thinking about the adventure. It's going to be fun."

"Sure it is."

Celi walked up behind Alex and Papo. "And who is this?" she said as she leaned down to pet the dog. The dog enjoyed the attention as he leaned into her.

"This is Mutt Daimon."

"Are you serious?"

"Yup," said Alex, a big grin on his face. "My partner in crime, Mutt Daimon." The dog jumped and ran excitedly around Alex. "Good boy."

Celi walked to the middle of the group. "Okay, I need everyone's attention. We're going to split into three groups. Me and my sons will be the drivers. I'll be in the truck. I'll let you guys decide who you'll ride with."

Everyone looked towards Papo for his decision. It took him a second to realise they were staring at him. "I only make the decisions when it comes to the money," he said. "I don't assign your seats. You're all adults." He went towards Celi. "I'll ride with you."

"Whatever vehicle Delvis goes, me and Mutt Daimon tag along," said Alex.

"That's enough people for one vehicle," said Lu to Delvis. "The three of you should ride with me," he said. "We'll be leading the way."

"Sounds good to me," said Delvis.

"I guess that means us two will be riding with you," said Tirado to Junior as he slapped Joe in the back.

"Actually, I would rather ride in the truck," said Joe. "It looks safer."

"Stop," said Tirado. "This is an adventure. Look at that vehicle," he said, referring to the one Junior would be driving. "That thing screams adventure."

"I don't care," said Joe.

"Neither do I," said Tirado as he pushed Joe along. "You're riding with me."

"I guess it's decided," said Celi as she watched Joe reluctantly get taken into Junior's vehicle. "Let's start this adventure."

Everyone got in their vehicles, Celi and Papo in the truck, Junior, Tirado and Joe in one of the midsize vehicles and Lu, Delvis, Alex and Mutt Daimon in the vehicle leading the way. The truck stayed in the back while Junior's vehicle was in the middle. It was a slow start at first, but the vehicles got into a steady speed as they made their way up the mountain. There were trees everywhere. They took a path that was clearly used by vehicles before.

Celi kept a close watch of the area while Papo dazed out the window. Papo was clearly not impressed by the adventure, but saw something move between the trees.

"Hmpt, I don't know why I thought it was too cold for animals out here," he said. "Some animals are built for this type of environment."

"Did you see something?" asked Celi.

"Yeah, but I couldn't make out what it was."

"Where did you see it?"

"It was moving around in the trees. Probably an owl or something."

"Probably," said Celi as she looked towards the trees. She grabbed the radio. "Boys, keep an eye on your surroundings. We don't want anything surprising us."

"We know," said Lu through the radio.

In Junior's vehicle, he struggles to find his radio. Tirado and Joe were trying to find it as well.

"Did you hear me, Junior?" asked Celi through the radio.

"It's under the seat," said Joe as he reached under and grabbed it. He passed it to Junior, who kept his sights out towards the trees.

Junior took the radio. "Roger," he said into the radio. He set the radio on the cup holder as he continued to drive.

"Keep an eye out for what?" asked Joe.

"The locals of course," answered Junior.

"There's locals out here," said Tirado as he looked around at his surroundings.

"I was joking," said Junior, a smile on his face.

"Funny," said Tirado, not being able to hide his embarrassment.

"What are we keeping an eye out for?" asked Joe again.

"A moose, or something like that," said Junior. "We don't want to damage one of our vehicles by hitting one."

"Right. That's probably why we should have brought all five vehicles."

"Correct."

In Lu's vehicle, everyone watched their surroundings. Delvis and Alex were clearly intrigued by the area while Lu did his job. Mutt Daimon was also excited as he ran back and forth in the back seat.

"Okay guys," said Lu. "This is the part when things get hard."

"How so?" asked Alex.

"Look ahead. The snow is picking up."

"Is that normal?"

"Yes, it's normal."

"So we shouldn't turn around?"

"Not necessary."

"Part of the adventure," said Delvis.

"Correct," said Lu as he turned his high beams on. He grabbed the radio. "Entering the storm."

In Celi's vehicle, Papo noticed the snowstorm picking up.

"Is the truck going to be okay in the storm?" asked Papo.

"As long as we keep this pace, we should be good," said Celi. "Are you a naturally nervous person, Mr. Papo?"

"Don't call me mister, and no. I don't consider myself a nervous person. I'm just a little bit out of my element here."

"Yet you dictated what we could bring along. Maybe you should have let me bring everything I said was necessary."

"My job is to make sure Delvis doesn't waste his money unnecessarily. I was just doing my job. I still think you should have left this truck. Wouldn't it have been easier to maneuver those other vehicles through the snow?"

"This truck is the most essential thing to this trip we have. I won't do the trip without it," said Celi as she followed the lights of the vehicle in front of her.

Papo was nervous. The storm was getting thick and the only thing he could see was the tail lights of the vehicle in front of him. "What is the purpose of this truck anyways?"

"For souvenirs."

Papo had a look of shock on his face as he turned to look at Celi. She kept her sights forward. "You're kidding me."

"I'm not. We're going to a lost city, don't you want to bring along some sort of souvenir with you?"

"I thought this city didn't have treasures."

"Well, not the traditional type of treasures, but there are things of worth in this city."

"You're not kidding at all? There are things in that city you want."

"Yeah, and I have every intention of getting my souvenir."

In Junior's vehicle, Joe was getting really anxious with the snowstorm. They could barely make out Lu's vehicle. Tirado had fallen asleep and gave out a loud snore that startled Joe.

"The hell, Tirado!" said Joe, making Tirado jump out of his sleep. "Did you fall asleep?"

"No," answered Tirado.

"He did," said Junior.

"Yeah, I did. What can I say, I find the snow boring."

"Are we safe driving in this? Should we be turning around?"

"We're fine," said Junior. "Plus, the snow will disappear once we reach the city."

"If that city actually exists, it'll be buried in this snow."

"The snow doesn't touch the city."

"Yeah right. That's not possible."

"You'll see."

In Lu's vehicle, Alex noticed his dog seemed to be on high alert. "Are you alright, Mutt Daimon?" he asked, petting him on his side.

"Everything good back there?" asked Lu, looking at Alex and the dog through the mirror.

"We're good. I think the snowstorm is making him nervous. Are you sure we should continue by the way? We can barely see forward. Delvis, I'm sure you can call it and we can turn around."

"That's not necessary," said Lu. "We're almost there."

"How can you tell?"

"Brace yourselves."

"What?" said Delvis as the vehicle suddenly got out of the snowstorm and the front bumper hit solid dirt. Delvis had to put his hands out to stop himself from hitting the dashboard. "Wow."

Lu kept driving forward as Junior's vehicle fell out of the snowstorm. Lu parked his vehicle to the right while Junior parked his car to the left, leaving space for the truck in the middle. The truck hit the ground hard as it came out of the storm. Papo wasn't as lucky as the others as he hit the dashboard. The truck drove right in between the two vehicles.

"Ouch," said Papo as he rubbed his nose. "Damn it, I'm bleeding." Papo looked around for something to clean his nose while he pinched it. "Do you have any napkins?" When she didn't answer, Papo looked over to see what was going on. He found her glaring outside the window. "What are you...." Papo couldn't believe his eyes. He opened the door and walked outside where the rest of the group were, staring at their surroundings.

"How is this possible?" asked Joe as he gawked at the stone city in front of them. "We were just in a snowstorm."

Tirado looked back. "Guys, look at this."

"Look at what?" asked Alex as he and most of the group turned around to see the snowstorms blowing outside the small stone barrier of the city. "How could this be possible?" Alex got close to the storm and put his finger in it. He quickly pulled it back. "It's cold."

"No shit," said Tirado. "It's called snow."

"Yes," said Alex. "The snow is cold, but where we're standing is not." Alex began to take his jacket off. "Actually, it's kind of warm out here."

"You're right," said Tirado, as he and the rest of the crew took off their jackets.

"Again," said Joe. "How is this possible?"

"Magic," answered Delvis. "I told you this adventure was going to be worth it."

"Right. This is pretty cool."

"How about you, Papo?" asked Delvis. "What do you think?"

"Amazing," answered Papo. "Where are our escorts by the way?"

They all turned around to find Celi, Lu and Junior staring into the city. They were very concentrated on what they were doing, as if they were trying to find something.

"Hey guys," said Tirado. "What are you looking for?"

"Gargoyles," answered Lu. "Let us know if you find one. They're white."

"Funny," said Tirado, sarcastically.

Junior walked past him and towards the back of the truck. "He's not kidding."

"Excuse me?"

"We're actually looking for gargoyles," said Lu as he joined Junior at the back of the truck. Lu and Junior opened the back of the truck and pulled out a ramp. They carried the ramp up to the snow and set it down.

"What's that for?" asked Joe.

"A ramp out of this city and into the storm," answered Lu.

"Why are we looking for gargoyles?" asked Papo.

"Souvenirs," answered Celi as she continued to look for one.

"There's one," said Delvis.

"Really?" said Lu as he and the other went to Delvis. "Where?" Everyone stood behind Delvis.

"Over there?"

Everyone saw the gargoyle in the far distance. It was standing on what looked like a church. It seemed tall, even in the distance. It was a distinct white color which contrasted with the black church.

"Yeah," said Celi. "That's a gargoyle. Don't any of you take your eyes off it. Boys, come with me." She walked off to the back of the truck with her sons.

"It's kind of cool looking," said Delvis. "Gargoyles aren't usually white, right?"

"I don't know," said Joe. "It's not something I pay attention to."

Delvis looked at Tirado for his answer. It took Tirado a second to realise he was looking at him. "Don't look at me. I don't think I've ever seen a gargoyle before. I don't know what their usual colors are supposed to be."

"I think they can be whatever color they're designer chose them to be," said Papo.

"How about you, Alex?" asked Delvis as he turned to find him missing. "Alex, where did you go?"

"Over here at the car," Alex called out.

Delvis joined him. "What are you doing?"

Alex was in the back seat with his dog on his lap. "Mutt Daimon seems to be scared. I can't get him out of the car."

Delvis gave Mutt Daimon a pat on the head. "What could he be scared of?"

"I'm not sure. He's not usually like this."

Celi turned the truck around so it faced the ramp. The back of the truck was open and everyone was able to see inside. Lu and Junior were inside, with a bunch of other equipment. There were straps, spotlights and cameras all over the back of the truck. They all got out of the vehicle.

"What happened to the gargoyle?" asked Lu, causing everyone to look towards the church.

"It's missing," said Delvis, shocked.

"It must have fallen off," said Papo. "This city could be falling apart. We should be careful when we enter."

"Damn it," said Celi under her breath.

"Shit," said Lu. "We told you guys not to take your eyes off of it."

"What?" said Tirado. "How were we supposed to know it was going to fall?"

Lu and Junior looked at Celi. "What now?"

"Doesn't change anything," she said. "We're going in and finding another one if we have to."

"You really want a gargoyle," said Papo.

"I really do. Boys, grab the straps." She turned her attention to Delvis' group. "Okay guys, we're going inside the city soon. We're taking the two vehicles and leaving the truck here. Half of us will go in one and the other half in the other. Our mission is to find one of those gargoyles and bring it back with us."

"Hey, wait a second," said Delvis. "This is my adventure, shouldn't I get to say what the mission is? I wanted to explore the lost city."

Celi smiled at Delvis. "Yes, this is your adventure. I'm just giving you an objective as we explore the city. The adventure is not fun if you don't have some sort of objective."

"Is it me or does it look like she's talking down to Delvis?" whispered Joe to Tirado.

"That did come off a little condescending, didn't it?" said Tirado.

"Delvis," said Lu. "Ride with me. We'll ride ahead. You can direct us."

"That sounds good to me," said Delvis.

"Mutt Daimon and I will ride with you two," said Alex.

"I'll ride with them as well," said Tirado.

"All right," said Celi as she looked at Junior, Joe and Papo. "That means you three will ride with me."

"I'll drive," said Junior.

"Let's get going then," said Celi.

Everyone got in their vehicles. Alex and Tirado got in the back seat with Mutt Daimon while Delvis was in the passenger's seat. Lu turned the vehicle on and looked in the mirror, watching as the other group got in their vehicle.

"Seems like we're all ready," said Lu as he turned his attention to Delvis. "On your order."

"Onward," said Delvis.

Lu drove and they officially entered the city's borders. The city buildings were tall and somehow still standing. They were covered in green moss and vines. It was like something out of a dystopian movie.

Mutt Daimon whined in the back as Alex held him.

"What's wrong?" asked Tirado.

"I have absolutely no idea," said Alex. "He never acts like this."

Delvis turned back on his seat to look at Mutt Daimon. "Do you think he's sick?"

"Guys," said Lu. "Try to keep your eyes on our surroundings. If you see a gargoyle, point it out right away and don't take your eyes off it."

"That's a strange request," said Alex. "Why so much interest in these gargoyles? Are they worth something?"

"Yeah, they're worth something? Can't exactly put a value on it, but they're worth something."

"We should probably head towards the church where we saw the first one," said Delvis.

"Yeah, but didn't that gargoyle fall off the building?" said Tirado. "That thing is shattered."

"That's true, but if there was one there, there's probably more around it."

"Smart," said Tirado as he leaned forward next to Lu. "You got your orders. To the church. Step on it."

"On it," said Lu.

Lu pressed on the gas and they made good distance into the city. There was debris in some areas of the street, but he maneuvered around. Junior kept pace and they were never too far apart.

"Stop," said Delvis and Lu did exactly that.

"What is it?" asked Lu.

Delvis got out of the vehicle and the rest of the group followed. He pointed up at the building where there was a small figure standing on top. "Is that one of the gargoyles?"

Junior stopped his vehicle behind Lu's. They also got out of their vehicle and looked at the top of the building.

"Is that one of them?" Lu asked Celi. "It's kind of small for a gargoyle?"

"I think it might be," answered Celi. "Gargoyles can come in all shapes and sizes. You guys are going to have to go up there and retrieve it. Get your equipment. I'll stay down here and keep watch."

"Yes, mom," said Junior as he and Lu went to the back of their vehicles.

"What now?" asked Joe.

Celi wasn't taking her sights off of the small gargoyle. "You guys are going to go up there and bring it back down."

"That sounds like a lot of work," said Tirado.

"And we're going to do it," said Delvis.

"You guys can have fun," said Papo as he leaned back on one of the vehicles. "I'll wait down here." He turned his attention to Alex, who was trying to get his dog outside. "Make sure Delvis doesn't fall through the floorboards in there."

"Come on, boy," said Alex. "Get out." The dog refused to be pulled out of the vehicle.

"Don't worry about the dog," said Papo. "I'll watch him."

Junior and Lu brought out a two wheeler and a bunch of straps. "We're ready," said Lu. "How about you guys?"

"Let's do it," said Delvis as he stood with Tirado and Joe.

"Don't let him run off," Alex said to Papo.

"I got him," said Papo as he pulled out a cigarette.

Delvis, Alex, Tirado, Joe, Junior and Lu entered the building, leaving Celi, Papo and Mutt Daimon outside.

Papo lit his cigarette and took a puff. He went over to the vehicle with Mutt Daimon and found him hiding in the bottom corner. "What a useless dog," said Papo.

"No," said Celi, her eyes on the gargoyle. "That dog just knows something the rest of your group doesn't."

"And what's that?"

"That this place is dangerous."

"Excuse me?"

Celi didn't say anything as she continued to stare at the gargoyle.

"Hey," said Papo, snapping his finger. "What did you mean by that?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"But the dog does?"

"Not really."

"You're not making any sense," said Papo as he got in Celi's face, cutting her sight off of the gargoyle. "And look at me when we're talking."

"Don't do that," said Celi as she pushed Papo out of the way to look back up. The gargoyle was no longer there. "Damn it. It's gone."

Papo looked up. "Where did it go?"