Their car dropped out of the sky, landing in a pool of liquidified shadows.

Artemis grimaced, holding his forehead. "Grim, was shadow travel really necessary?"

Grim snorted, pushing open the door and stepping onto a patch newly-non-liquid shadows. "If I have to talk to the old man, I might as well have fun getting there."

The Underworld was just as Grim last remembered it: dull, kinda smelly, and crawling with ghosts. Grim likened it to a cemetery, but with more body odor. Upon the tallest hill, the castle stood, by far the most interesting structure in the entire place.

As Grim passed by a twisted, dying tree, he turned to smile at Artemis. "Moony, make a wager."

"Grim, must we really-"

A black tendril zipped from the folds of Grim's cloak, inserting itself firmly into Artemis's pockets. Artemis glanced upward at the sky as he was frisked, muttering under his breath.

"Huh, five dollars it is then," Grim remarked, wiggling a crisp bill with his tentacle, "Geez, I thought Dad payed you more."

"I'm not payed at all," Artemis moaned, pushing away Grim's supplementary limb.

Grim wrapped an arm around him. "But the love and companionship you receive from me is all you need, right, Moony?" he cooed, rubbing his cheek against Artemis's.

"Sure, let's go with that," Artemis replied, returning his hug.

Grim stared at the gnarled trunk before them, propping his hands on his hips. "So, whatdoya think? A crack, or a complete 'KO?"

"My five dollars is on a crack. That's all you've done this week."

Grim clicked his tongue. "You doubt me. Tonight, daddy's getting five more dollars!" He tapped the trunk with his hand.

Right as his hand connected to the tree, a massive crack split through the bark, the edges of the wood turning black. Despite the grievous injury, the tree stood firm.

As long as Grim could remember, he had been endowed with a special "power," if one could even call it that. He found that his touch almost had a destructive property to it, causing anything from physical damage to general misfortune to hang around him. It was rather annoying, but as Grim found, he could still make the best of it.

"Oh come on!" Grim exclaimed, marveling that the tree was still standing.

"Tough luck," Artemis remarked, plucking the five dollar bill from the air and sticking it back in his pocket. "Now let's go see your father."