Hellfire | Isle of the Lost

TEN: Long Live Evil

Carlos, Evie and Helena were still gathered in his room at Hell Hall. They were supposed to be helping the de Vil boy clean his house, but the task laid long forgotten in the spirit of conversation.

"Still working on that machine of yours?" Evie then questioned Carlos as she changed the subject.

"Yeah, wanna see?" he asked.

"Why not?" Helena concurred.

The princesses followed Carlos out of the room toward the back of the house. He slipped out outside, holding the door open for the girls.

"Where are we going?"

"To my lab," Carlos replied, pulling out a matchbook and lighting a candle to lead the way into the weedy backyard.

"Your what?"

"My science lab. Don't worry, I don't, like, sacrifice toads or something."

Helena let out a sputter of laughter at the hesitant laugh that Evie let out.

They approached a huge, gnarled tree with a rope ladder. Carlos started climbing up it. "I have to keep it all in my tree house. I'm afraid my mom is going to get some big ideas and turn my chemicals into makeup and hair products."

"I can imagine the look on her face if she saw us here right now," Helena commented, climbing up the ladder behind him.

Evie watched for a moment before scrambling up the ladder behind them. The tree house was more elaborate than any she'd ever seen, with miniature turrets and a tiny balcony that looked out onto the dark forest below. Inside, Evie spun around, gaping. The walls were lined with shelves of glass beakers, vials, and jars containing various neon-colored liquids. In the corner sat a small, old television with about fifteen different antennas strapped to it.

There were small drawings and Greek sayings around the walls, a clear sign that the daughter of Hades had been here before. It was Helena's way of keeping herself occupied as Carlos worked on his experiments and, as she put it, gave the room a little more color.

"What is all this?" Evie asked, picking up a jar of something white and snowy.

"Oh, that's from Chem Lab. It's sodium polyacrylate - I was trying to see if I could use it as a sponge when mixed with water," Carlos said. "But here, this is what I wanted to show you." He pulled out the wire-box contraption he'd been working on in class. "I think I got the battery to work."

"It's about time. You've been working on that thing for a while," Helena said, sitting down beside him in her usual spot.

Carlos fiddled with a few buttons and flicked a few switches. It sputtered to life, then died. His face fell. He tried again. This time, it emitted a high-pitched squeal before dying.

He looked up at Evie and Helena sheepishly. "Sorry, I thought I had it."

"Maybe, you just need to work on it some more," The Underworld princess suggested with a shrug, unsure of what to do since science or technology weren't her subjects.

Evie looked at the black box. "Maybe try connecting this wire to that one?" she suggested.

Carlos peered at the wires. "You're right, they're in the wrong place." He switched the wires and hit the switch.

A powerful electric burst shot out of the box, sending Carlos and Evie flying back against the wall and falling to the floor. The beam of light burst up toward the plywood ceiling, blasting a hole in the tree-house roof and up to the sky.

"Maleficent!" Carlos cursed.

"Oh my goblins!" Evie screamed. "What just happened?"

Helena laughed, "I don't know, but it was so cool."