"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"Jesus, Dash, shut up!" Sam moaned, "We've heard you bitching for two hours already! Give it a rest."

"You are supposed to be an athlete," Tucker raised an eyebrow. Even he wasn't that tired yet, what did he have to complain about?

"Would you look at that," Danny suddenly appeared between the two, putting hands on their shoulders, "Looks like we still agree on Dash being a little brat," he whispered nostalgically and turned to Tucker. "Brings back memories. Remember that one time you were called Bad-luck Tuck? To think it was Johnny 13 all along. Although, you did end up here on your own volition, so...you kinda are."

"One more word from you..."

"Or what Sam? You gonna slap me, spew at me? Either way you are going to miss, so to speak."

A punch came his way, but, as expected, it just hit thin air.

"Yo, Phantom, why are you constantly hanging with these losers?" Kwan of the football teem asked.

"These are not losers, pal, these are professional hunters and killers. One of which can break a couple of your bones."

Despite hating them with passion, he still had it in himself to note their abilities.

"We didn't kill anyone."

"Oh, are you sure, Sammy? After all," Danny leaned into Sam's ear, "I am yet to show that I am still part-human."

The feeling of dread washed over her, leaving Phantom with a satisfied expression.

"To answer your question, a jock unknown to me, we go way back with these two. After all, I taught them all they know. And let's just say...the knowledge was used not necessarily to my advantage. Hence our strained relationship with this little amorous couple. Jeez, this ship is as disgusting as it sounds," Danny coughed and floated away from the two.

So far he was only partially entertained. He didn't know any precise ways of slowly tormenting the people, lack of experience and all. Phantom knew perfectly well that to them the scolding looks from the A-listers were insignificant at best. But his own knowledge about his lifetime friends was perfect for such task. It did concern the ghost that the endgame of his was not entirely thought through. But maybe he could make the hunters talk and make some use of it. Phantom grinned evilly.

"Tell me, my good people. What urged y'all to come here?"

"It seemed cool."

And that seemed like a general tendency judging from the answers of the rest. Phantom was beginning to lose his faith in humanity. Or, at least, what had remained of it. And the people he wanted to respond kept quiet for obvious reasons, so the question only made everything worse. Rubbing his temples, Danny sighed.

"Well, I cannot deny that this is a very...enlightening experience, despite the situation we find ourselves in. So...yeah. The 'cool' criterium is met," Danny mumbled mostly to himself. "Oh, would you look at that, a signpost, those are rare."

He pointed at a floating stone poll with multiple pointy signs. It presented a phantasmagoric mess with arrows in all directions. And the words on it were but a chicken scratch for humans. However Danny seemed to understand it.

"This thing is ridiculous," Maddie mumbled, "How is anyone supposed to make out what this thing shows."

"As I said, those are rare. This world has a strange sense of direction. Rendering signposts pretty much useless."

"What is this language?" Lancer asked curiously, having approached the sign himself.

"Well, despite the ghosts being able to speak any language known to man, we have our own speech. There are ghosts who are too weak to even comprehend human tongues, much less speak them. So, the signs are made so everyone understands it."

"Where does this knowledge come from?" The English teacher kept asking.

"Nobody ever pondered on this too much. My theory is that since technically ghosts are the thoughts and emotions of mortals made manifest in ectoplasm, we have some level of connection with thoughts and emotions of others. Including intuitive understanding of what people around say. So here is that."

"Can we skip the lectures?" Dash moaned.

Danny turned around and raised an eyebrow. "It is a field trip, my good man. It is bound to be enlightening."

"As much as the zoo trip goes," Maddie mumbled.

"Well, someone here was stupid enough to push their head inside a cage," Danny grinned and clasped his hands.

"It is pointless, Mrs. Fenton," Tucker whispered to the woman as their walk continued, "You won't outwit him in that. He expects the degrading quips and has a hundred of responses. Better not even try."

"So what, we are supposed to stay quiet while he fills the ears of the children with nonsense and lies?"

"You being so blunt is not helping either," Sam added grimly, "He shines brighter each time. Literally. You are the scientists here, try beating him with something you are proficient in."

The road, previously desolate and barren, was now beginning to show a semblance of life. And if an occasional biologist happened to pass nearby, they would have noticed that the trees found here resemble those native to the Mediterranean area. But, since nobody there had that kind of diploma in their portfolio, the question never arose. Although, one Jack Fenton pulled some of the leaves to examine. A very intuitive approach on his part, since the conditions for the trees found here resembled those native to the Mediterranean area. But, since nobody there had that kind of diploma in their portfolio, the question never arose. Although, one Jack Fenton pulled some of the leaves to examine later. A very intuitive approach on his part, surprisingly so. Normal trees should not be able to grow in this dead land. The epithet actually implied that there were no minerals or salts in the local soil, and it was correct. Had Jack been less prejudiced, he would have asked this question to their guide. Despite the hatred, Phantom seemed eager to tell a lot about the nature of the world.

Finally, from behind the rows of trees appeared what few people expected. The towering structures of greenish marble were reaching high above, and as was the case with many ancient looking structures, there were a lot of stairs and greenery. The culture of the Greco-Roman world was prevalent, with the rows of temples to the old gods, the two-story houses that could give an idea on how the ancient people used to live. But the city was far ahead, and the group was yet to enter it. But now, beneath their feet was a clear road of stone, it was a nice change from the wasteland.

Danny grinned and spun around, all he lacked for showman aura was a cane. All the while not stopping to go forward.

"Ladies, gentlemen, hunters. Before you rests the Acropolis. One of the biggest cities around, but it doesn't say much. Ghosts aren't the most sociable creatures."

"Then why flock to the cities in the first place?" Asked Lancer.

"Well, we are all different," Danny shrugged, "Some humans live in the wilds, like my aunt, some live in the cities. You know how it is. Same with us."

"Oh, Ghost Boy, certainly you won't prefer that dirt pile over a house," Paulina got awfully close to him.

Phantom smirked, "Well, I live in a city. Now that I am unwelcomed in Amity."

"You never were," Valerie crossed her hands.

"Maybe. Nonetheless, I live in what is effectively the capital. But I have some warm words to say about this place."

"Like?"

As usual, the A-listers' questions were quite laconic.

"I am close to the one in charge of this city. You know, I could begin to tell a teary story about how my parents did not stand up to the word, but I won't. The point is, she is like a mother to me. Thus, don't try anything funny while you are here. Nobody is going to attack us, but we will have some personal issues."

"Are you sure?"

"Have confidence. Even the criminals won't dare to do anything with me around. Besides, the guards are on watch, vigilant as always. And you don't mess with them."

They were passing the minor latifundia, the farming areas the purpose of which was not exactly clear to humans. While the students whipped out the cameras and the phones that hadn't yet died, Phantom entered the lecturer mode once again. For ghosts food was an incessant pleasure while they remained in the Zone, sometimes even a pricey one. The hunters weren't listening as much as watching the surroundings for any threats. To be honest, the occasional bystanders ogled the guests as well. After their eyes fell on Phantom, curiosity turned into surprise and marvel. Something that the elder hunters didn't miss, the younger hunters didn't pay attention to and Valerie couldn't understand why it was like that. Certainly the one who beats everyone stepping into his city should not wield the reputation such as this. There must have been something else, and it wasn't just a pretty face.

Phantom gave a rare reaction, mostly a nod in their direction with a minor smile. The king outside of his daily life was to act accordingly. The capital was aware of his "nightly" life, but there was a fine line between an outgoing hobby and the behaviour endangering all around. And the armed humans sure seemed like said danger. There had to be some times when the childish king needed to raise his chin and act with dignity and responsibility. His own confidence put the ghosts around at ease.

As the group approached the gates of the city walls, several men dressed in greek armour approached them, the one in charged bowed his head lightly.

"Greetings, Noble Archon. We are humbled by your visit."

"Thank you, Paris. I hope everything is in order?" Danny raised an eyebrow and smirked, sparing a glance at the audience. He noticed Jazz rolling her eyes at his theatrics.

The ghost with surprisingly soft features for a warrior got the message.

"Yes. The tyrannos is awaiting your arrival. Everything has also been prepared in case of you bringing visitors. I wasn't told they would be humans, however."

"What is life without surprises?" Danny laughed, patting him on the shoulder as the teen passed.

"I hope that these guests behave better than the last ones."

It gave some visitors rather eerie ideas.

"Come on, it was the best bar fight in millennia. You had that bottle coming."

Paris chuckled, "I'll take my revenge one day, sire. The weapons, though..."

"You think we will let you take them?"

"Well, you could always stay here," Danny grinned innocently, "The rules are the rules, and the Archon does not change them. I'll return them to ya later, if you so desire."

"Like hell!"

"Alright. We'll do it the other way. You stay here until the next morning. Sit on that rock, someone will bring you dinner. It shouldn't rain. But hey, your toys are here. How does that sound?"

That's the most useful tool in his disposal — their pride. As expected, the hunters preferred to stay outside.

"Open the gates already!"

At this command of the captain the giant wooden doors swung open, as if they didn't weight more than a ton. The group was about to enter, following the stark haired teen, but yet another argument was inbound, something Phantom had anticipated and thus smirked invisibly when he heard it.

"You are not following that ghost, Jasmine!" Maddie raised her voice.

Jazz turned around, giving a scolding look herself, "Let's be real, Mom. Even with all those guns you stand no chance. There is an entire city of ghosts out there. Off as many as you can, you won't come out alive. So, I would prefer to 'die' in a warm bed."

"Wait, bed?" Dash asked, "What time is it?"

"I didn't mean it literally, Dash," Jazz grumbled, before Danny butted in, floating nearby.

"Actually, it is around six pm right now. So, I guess, resting is necessary, even if there is not a proper day and night cycle."

The entrance was right before the touring group. As they went forward, deeper into the inner city, it indeed felt like a time travel, only for said feeling to dissipate immediately after upon seeing modern tools the likes of smartphones. Of course, the group did attract a ton of attention, it wasn't a daily occurrence when the living walked around, accompanied by the King of Ghosts of all people. The humans could see how the locals gazed at the teen with white hair, some even cheered to their Basileus and Archon, wondering how exactly was the one who fought these beings commanded so much respect.

The tour through the city ended soon, before a palace of marble. It burst with the feeling of antiquity, with hedge mazes and fountains all around. The guards let them pass without any problems.

"Huh, I wonder where Cerberus went," Danny voiced his confusion, "Oh, well. Saves you the heart attack."

"Daniel! Finally you are here, my boy!"

The booming female voice startled the entire group, aside from the Fenton siblings. The appearance of the owner of this voice did not ease the tension. Truly, a woman of colossal size, twice as large as the tallest present humans. With blue skin, glowing red eyes, a set of bronze armour with the helmet spurting purple fire, she had a most intimidating presence. Her bright smile, however, somehow eased the tension. With all her four arms she scooped the teenage king and hugged him close.

"Yeah, Pandora," Danny chuckled, "It's only been two days since we've seen each other."

"Oh, shush," she put the blushing teen back on the ground, her gaze then setting on the visitors. "Oh, right, the deadweight."

"Excuse me?" Dash squeaked.

"Pandora..." said Danny longingly.

"What? You may act nice to them, it doesn't extend to me," she shrugged. Double the amount of hands, double the amount of said shrugs, "I am already making a huge exception to make them stay for rest. Smiles and cheerful platitudes are not included in the service, that's entirely on you, my boy. Whatever entertains you, child...speaking of, where are the main litigants?"

"Knowing that you might as well burn them shall they say something wrong, I've decided to leave them outside of the walls. Do bring them some food from time to time, please," Danny said as Pandora gestured for everyone to follow, "Don't give me that look, mitéra. They are already in a gregarious position as it is. Although I do admit, keeping them out like dogs does have a certain wicked value."

The latter part was barely a whisper, something only Pandora could catch. And although she shared the hatred for those detestable human beings, she realised that the boy shouldn't be led in the wrong direction. If he suddenly got a taste for it, the calamity it would bring were impossible to measure. Thus, she should not entertain the darker side of the usually gentle king.

"I understand. I will order to fetch something at an appropriate time."

"Thank you."

"Excuse me," Jazz stepped forward and got closer to her brother, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Those formalities in front of everyone annoyed both siblings, but the excess familiarity could tip anyone, even the dumbest people present.

"What do you...ah, yes, my bad. So, everyone, as you have guessed, this is Pandora, she is in charge here."

Pandora rolled her eyes. "Foreseeing the question, yes. That Pandora, you don't have to remind me," she said.

Lancer was promptly shut before he could say anything. He was honestly the most curious one among the group, one that had it in himself to ask a question to a giant ghost. He was calmed by Phantom's presence somewhat. He was also familiar with the word the boy used. The fact that he did call Pandora "mother" in her presence did entail the closeness between the two, which was somewhat sweet. It got him wondering, and, as they passed the lush green gardens, Valerie unknowingly had the same thought. They never paid much attention to how families worked among the dead. And with Phantom having died so young, him clinging to another ghost as a parent felt both sweet and unsettling at the same time.

Once inside the palace, Pandora finally looked at the visitors.

"Now, let me get this straight. Daniel has volunteered to show you all to your rooms for tonight," Danny waved his hand, "Dinner is in two hours, so make sure to wash and change your clothes until then."

"Uhm, do we have to wear those towel things?"

"Chlamis, Ms. Sanchez," Phantom made sure to explain, "There is a larger variety than you may think, but I made sure to get something more natural to you in the capital. So, off we go..."

"Now wait a second," Valerie butted in, "When did you have the time to do so? You said that it's pretty far to that place."

Phantom froze. They weren't to know that their crash was in fact an attack ordered by him.

"Let's just say...I was aware that something like this might happen."

"That doesn't explain anything at all!"

"Does it? By now it is common sense that when you went inside you were doomed to crash. All I needed to know was the time, really."

Technically he didn't lie. The only thing he omitted was the question of "how".

"You mean to say that Fentons were so ignorant?" Lancer asked.

"Ignorant? An interesting choice of words, indeed. Follow me."

Pandora watched how they disappeared behind the doors, and only then she noticed that Jazz was still there. A smile crossed her features now when there wasn't anyone nearby.

"I haven't seen you in an even longer while, Jasmine," Pandora commented.

"I feel you. I haven't many chances to get here, you probably know why."

"Why don't you tell me this with a nice cup of tea? Let Daniel handle the rest," the woman chuckled, lightly nudging the redhead.

With that they went in an opposite direction, chatting casually about their own stuff. Meanwhile, Danny strolled through the fancy marble corridors, of which there was little to say, except the windows with a nice outlook on the entire settlement. The palace was located on the hill, after all.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to give you a history rundown," Phantom admitted sheepishly, "I admit I have slept through that part."

Lancer, as a teacher, frowned disapprovingly. The rest, however, could relate.

"Hey, Phantom," Dash called, "I get it that Lady's name is Pandora and all...but is there anything else?"

"I'm not sure I follow," admitted Danny.

"Like, how is she a mother to you?"

Phantom rubbed his temples. Those A-listers needed to train their speech abilities. "What's there to say? I was basically an orphan when she took me in. It is quite normal for ghosts to do that, since not many of us can have kids. Parents may not even be married or know each other. Having more than two is an odd thing, though," he huffed, scratching his nose, "I am not sure what answers you seek."

"Why did she do that?" Valerie blurted out. "You aren't the best kid there is."

"I am certainly not the worst," Danny smirked, "She is a kind person. Pardon her the prejudice towards you, Pandora is being a concerned mother, is all."

"So...she isn't going to let you get involved with a human?" Paulina asked soberly.

And somehow nobody was surprised to hear her say this of all people. She had already envisioned the entire life path. The one she and the Ghost Boy shared in her own fantasies.

"I am free to make my decisions. Neither Mitéra nor the old Stopwatch are going to do anything about it. Although, I am being conscious of my choices. I'll outlive you all, getting married to a human is a hurtful path. Besides, I am taken," he finished on a cheerful note.

"Who is she?"

"Really?"

Somehow that got more attention. Danny sighed, making it evident to Lancer and Valerie that he did not enjoy this tale.

"Ember. I think you remember her...ha, get it? Oh, nevermind."

"Pride and prejudice...you mean that insolent punk who ruined our preparations for exams?" Lancer raised his voice in surprise, stopping in his tracks.

"Why, yes. She is a ghost, how else would she enchant so many with her music? We used to be enemies, but she turned out to be not too dissimilar from me. She may be a punk, she may be unfit from a political standpoint, but I am happy and I love her. Now. Girls have the first door on the left, boys go to the next one. There aren't many of you, this should be enough. Mr. Lancer, you get the privilege of the entire room to yourself."

"Oh, that's...very generous of you."

"Consider it a payback for the second chance."

Lancer was confused, moreover, everyone was. Danny just smiled for some unspoken reason, but did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, in another place the atmosphere was the total opposite: dull, yet vigilant. Yes, sitting on a rock outside was a very humiliating experience, but there were more important things than dignity. Maddie kept her gun to herself, eyeing the unblinking guards at the gates. The ghosts, too, were curious and spiteful. The reason for the latter was simple, they knew precisely who the guests were. The King was well-loved, and a child atop of that. To torture the innocent boy was a disgusting act to all decent beings.

"This sucks," Sam muttered angrily, hitting a small peddle, "Did we really have to stay here? Those bastards are laughing at us."

"Probably," Tucker shrugged unenthusiastically, "Those are A-listers. And Phantom has even more fun, I bet."

"Did you feel that, Tucker? It was familiar, wasn't it?"

"Tremor, chill, fear? Yeah, he enticed these feelings, too. I wonder..."

"What are you kids talking about?" Jack asked, looking up from his gun. He tried to keep the spirits, that was in his nature.

"Just wondering...Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, we didn't tell you why we've told you everything, did we?"

"Can't say you did. Wasn't it just a realisation that this is not your friend gallivanting around wearing his skin?" Asked Maddie.

"No," Sam shook her head and sat near a campfire, "In fact, we always knew it was him. Ghosts, after all, may not be exactly similar, but they still represent what is left of the dead. The problem is...we've seen the future."

"What?"

Tucker nodded, joining his girlfriend near the fire, "There is a ghost. His power is so big that he can send you back and forward in time. That's what happened once. And we got transported ten years into the future. There...we saw what Phantom could turn into. And that apocalypse was not pretty."

"You mean that HE caused it?"

"Yes. Although the conditions for him turning like this months ago were not met, it got us two thinking...That bullshit about fusing with an evil ghost did not buy our trust. Danny himself seemed fearful that that wasn't the end of the story. There must be something dark lurking beneath. Something that seeks a way out. His appearance just now...it is more reminiscent of what we saw, it has just confirmed our suspicions...and it is scary."

"And how he gets off on how we are going through all this shit. Don't forget that."

"It just means that we have to finish what we've started. But this situation is not easy, we will have to retreat and plan for the future. How do we get out?"

"I have an idea. If only we knew where to go, though..."

"Hey, Phantom mentioned that he has his own portal at home, right?"

"Isn't this where he is leading us already?"

"There is a chance that he is not lying to the rest of the group. But I don't think it extends to us either way."

"We need to figure everything out sooner. Or else we will have to stay here forever...Hey, where are the guards?"

"Perhaps it is the time they change shifts. Nevertheless. Tonight we will be taking shifts. Cannot allow anything to happen during the night."