he not-demon was a boy her age, who had a pair of sunglasses perched on his head even though the sun wasn’t up yet. He wore a bright eyesore of a tie-dyed denim jacket over dark jeans. It wasn’t until he smiled that Aru recognized him.

“You,” she said.

“Moi,” agreed the boy.

It was the naga boy who had freed them last year from Takshaka, his own grandfather, by playing loud music. Although he didn’t look part snake right this second. Now he looked thoroughly human, except for the strange scale-like pattern across his right temple, though to someone else it might just appear to be a birthmark. Aru glared at him. The way he managed to stay smug even while being pinned to the wall by a lightning net was almost impressive.

“Told you I’d call in that favor someday, Aru Shah.”

“How did you get into my house?” demanded Aru.

“Can I ask my question first?”

“No.”

“Figures,” the boy said. “Girls have trouble organizing their thoughts after they meet me.”

“I will literally electrocute you,” said Aru. “What are you doing in my house?”

“First, it’s a museum—”

“Vajra,” commanded Aru.

Electricity prickled over the net.

“Ow! Ow!” said the boy. “All right, all right! Call off your demented rope!”

Vajra, highly affronted by this description, shocked him again.

And then the front door slammed shut. Aru turned to see Aiden standing in the threshold, his camera slung over one shoulder and his backpack hanging from the other. Just then, Greg the stone elephant (Mini had named him after reading about gangrene infections, which apparently turned dead tissue gray as stone) lifted his trunk and dropped his jaw to the floor, allowing Brynne and Mini to climb out of the portal.

Aiden looked at the boy trapped by the lightning net and sighed. “I see you’ve met my cousin Rudy.”

“It’s actually Prince Rudy. Just saying.”

ZAP!

After Aru gave him another shock, Rudy tumbled to the floor, and Vajra zoomed back into her hand. Not as a ball this time, but an imperious spear crackling with electricity. Aru even felt her hair lift from her scalp and wave around, which she suspected made her look ridiculously epic.

Aru mentally checked in with Brynne and Mini, who were making their way toward her. On a scale of one to Galadriel, how awesome does my hair look?

Mini: Well, uhh…

Brynne immediately responded with I love you, but you look like you got in a fight with Pikachu.

Aru scowled.

And lost, added Brynne.

The lightning bolt’s electrical charge abruptly shut off. Aiden, Brynne, and Mini drew closer, and the three of them watched as Rudy wobbled to his feet and…grinned?

“Did you get a shot of that, cuz?” he asked Aiden.

“Don’t call me that,” said Aiden.

Aru couldn’t help herself. “Around here, he’s called Wifey.”

Aiden sighed. “Thanks, Shah.”

Rudy frowned. “Someone’s going to have to explain that one to me later.”

“No one here owes you any explanations,” said Aru.

“Let me start over,” said Rudy. He took a deep breath, then bowed. “I, Prince Rudra of Naga-Loka and descendant of Queen Uloopi, am here to offer my services to the Pandavas.”

Aru frowned. What was the protocol here? Was he going to give them a fruit basket or something?

“I’m sorry, who asked for your services?” demanded Brynne. She elbowed Mini. “Right, Mini? Tell him we don’t need him.”

Behind Brynne, Mini looked suddenly wide-eyed, and Aru remembered the first (and last) time Mini had seen Rudy. He had winked at her. And Mini?

Well, she had walked into a telephone pole.

Mini hadn’t yet mastered the art of boy. At the Otherworld Halloween dance, she had spent so much time talking to a guy about the different germs on people’s hands that he’d excused himself to grab some punch and never returned. Then there was the time when Mini wanted to tell a boy that he had nice eyelashes but instead told him about eyelash trichomegaly and pulled up some truly disturbing photos on Google.

Looking at Rudy, Mini opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again and said, “Need is a weird word. I guess it depends on the circumstances, right? Like, I wouldn’t want my internal gut flora lying around on a table, but I sure need it in my intestinal lining!”

Then she started laughing hysterically.

Rudy frowned. “What?”

“Aiden, why did you bring this snake here?” asked Brynne, slowly shielding a still-cackling Mini.

He sighed, scrubbing at his dark curls. “Mom only keeps in touch with one nagini princess cousin—”

“My mom,” cut in Rudy, “thought it was best for me to get some mortal cultural exposure. So she sent me to his mom’s! And I overheard Aiden talking about the quest you guys are going on—”

“You read my texts.”

“Details, cuz, details,” said Rudy dismissively. “Basically, I heard that you need to get inside the Crypt of Eclipses, but you can’t do that without a member. I just so happen to be a member. So, you know, you’re welcome and all. Just let me know when we’re leaving.”

Rudy walked off, leaving the three girls to glance at each other with shared What just happened? looks. Aiden shrugged helplessly. Rudy proceeded to cruise around the museum and poke at the statues.

“Do these things come alive and eat thieves?” he asked.

“Uh, no?” said Aru.

“Huh,” said Rudy, shaking his head. “The mortal world is so weird.”

“Why do you even want to join in on this quest, Prince?” demanded Aru. “You’re not going to be waited on by us.”

Brynne flicked her wrist and her wind mace zoomed into her palm. “And don’t even dream about asking,” she said threateningly.

Rudy didn’t seem perturbed. “I’ve got my reasons, Shah. You owe me a favor. I’m calling it in.” He winked at her.

Aru rolled her eyes, but even as she did, she felt a little thrill. No boy had ever winked at her before. Well, except for that one time she thought David Kyrre was incessantly winking at her on a school trip to the zoo, but it turned out he’d just had an eyelash in his eye. Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, Aru caught Mini’s expression. Her eyebrows were scrunched up—not in envy, but in sadness, which was way worse. Aru’s tiny thrill vanished.

Brynne cast a withering glare at Rudy and said to Aiden, “Your cousin, your responsibility.”

They waited for their ride, which Brynne had arranged, outside the museum. Rudy kept asking Aiden to snap dramatic shots of him in various poses against the lightening sky, and Aiden kept refusing. Brynne busily assembled whatever she’d raided from the fridge, while Mini practiced her transformation skills, her small frame practically drowning in her huge gray sweatshirt as she changed Dee Dee into random objects: a backlit skull and a jar of teeth, a pair of violet wings, and a black lacquered apple. Daughter of Death indeed.

“You know, you’re probably the only person here who isn’t wishing they were still in bed,” said Aru.

Mini sighed. “I can’t help it. I get anxious before I travel. What’s the point in sleeping?” She looked over at the boys, now sitting about twenty feet away, and groaned. “Aru, how weird was I with Rudy?”

“Not that—”

“Be honest.”

“Okay, awful.”

Mini whimpered.

“But no worse or better than usual when you meet someone you think is cute.”

Mini slumped to the ground.

Oops, thought Aru. Even Vajra in bracelet form scolded her with a sharp electrical shock. Ouch! Message received!

“First impressions aren’t everything,” said Aru. “Think of how many weird things I end up saying.”

Mini sniffed. “That’s true.”

“Do you even like him?”

Mini’s cheeks flamed red. “He probably thinks I’m a freak.”

“Daughter. Of. The. God. Of. Death,” enunciated Aru slowly. “Say it with me! You’re inherently cooler than ninety-nine point nine percent of the population—”

A loud honking sound interrupted Aru. It seemed to be coming from above. A huge flying car came into view. It looked like a super-fancy taxi, but with massive white wings that beat gracefully as it descended to the street. The words VIMANA EXPRESS flashed across its side.

“Get in, heroes!” shouted Brynne. “We’re going questing!”