Finding the Hidden World

7. The Mission...

The sky is is painted black, in Grimmel's temporary base with his Deathgrippers.

One of his Deathgrippers has put its stinger into the top of a glass and is releasing its own venom into it. The Deathgripper then takes its stinger out of the glass, as Grimmel pours the venom from the glass into a tube and then places the tube into one of his darts.

The riders, which are wearing their dragon flight suits, are flying to Grimmel's temporary base. Hiccup, who has been riding on Puff with Athena, jumps off, flies to the base and lands on it.

Luckily, Grimmel is still working on the dart before his Deathgrippers sense that the riders are close. He clicks his fingers, making his Deathgrippers defend him and his base. However, The riders appear from behind rocks outside.

"Okay. Split up, we'll be harder to catch." Explains Snotlout, catching Athena's attention as she nods.

"I was thinking we should split up... just because." Says Eret son of Eret, talking to Valka and also the group.

"I like your instincts." Valka agrees, as Athena chuckles at Snotlout's reaction.

Soon, The Riders walk-off individually and split up.

"What is this?!" Snotlout whisper-shouts to himself, because everyone has listened to Eret and Valka and has split up.

The Riders walk stealthily inside of Grimmel's tower. Astrid throws a stone to the opposite side of the building, misleading a Deathgripper, and, Tuffnut is very visible until Ruffnut pulls him down barely before a Deathgripper spots him.

Athena finds Hiccup, and they both run upstairs and arrive in Grimmel's room with his Inferno lit. They both don't see him inside Grimmel's room anywhere.

Hiccup spots Athena, and makes hand gestures of 'what are you doing here?!', but as she's about to answer, a net falls down and covers the base. Hiccup, with Athena slowly tailing behind, run out of the room and Fishmeat starts screaming.

"Shh. Shh. Quiet!" Fishlegs tries to silence the baby Grobkle. As the pair gets out of Grimmel's room, Hiccup spirals down the stairs, leaving Athena near the top. However, Grimmel is on the other side of the net.

"Where's your dragon when you need him? Hmm, Chief?" Grimmel questions the young Chief, holding a lantern with his Deathgripper's behind him. "Must have forgotten all about you." He tells Hiccup, while the brunette takes his mask off he looks up  to see Athena looking at the scene, and at Hiccup. The brunette slowly shakes his head, a sign to tell his girlfriend not to go anywhere.

"First rule of the hunt:" The man says, putting his lantern on the floor. "Separate the prey from its pack. You've just removed yourselves from the equation." He says, pointing at Hiccup, also talking to everyone else at the base. Somehow, Grimmel knew that The Riders were here. Maybe even his daughter.

"Why are you doing this?" Questioned Hiccup, his voice echoing.

"Really? I didn't think you cared. Well, unlike you, when I was a boy and I came up on a Night Fury, I killed it where it slept!" Athena quietly gasped and took her mask off in disbelief. 'Monster' was the word that was echoing through her head, as she looked below her and looked at the man she once loved as a child, the man that she longed to know for so long.

"That simple act of courage made me a hero in my village. So, I decided to kill every last one, bringing real peace to the people of this world. Until you came along preaching that dragons are something other than thieves and murderers. Psssh. That nonsense dies now. Starting with you." He told the Chief, pointing at him.

"But you have dragons of your own." Hiccup told the man in clad black, confusion etched upon his face, as Grimmel laughs at Hiccup's comment.

"These? They're dragon killers, drugged into obedience with their own venom. Not even your precious Alpha could control them. They serve me..." He explains to the brunette as he pushes a drug into the Deathgripper next to him. "And only me. Allow me to demonstrate." He says, wiping his hands as he whistles.