Chapter 4

       I ran back to the closet and could not find Elle anywhere. I even looked behind all of the racks of clothing and shoes. Though I did not find her, I did find something else that was an amazing find. Under the blue shoes was a door that led to marked tunnels. I was overjoyed in finding this secret way to get around. I followed the tunnel marked “Main Dining Room”.
       When I popped my head out of the door marked “Main Dining Room”, I saw what seemed to be the pantry. I exited this room and came into a beautiful dining area with golden walls and a crystal chandelier. To my delight, I found that I had arrived before Orion. When Zeus saw me, he called me over to the table, complemented my attire, asked me to sit, inquired how I had gotten there so quickly, and before I could answer a single question, his brother entered.

       “Liz! I-uh, mean Elizabeth.” he stammered when he saw me there.

       “Brother! How do you mean to insult my guest this way?” Zeus reprimanded.

       “I do apologize Miss Elizabeth, I was just startled to see you here so soon. I thought it would take you much longer to find your way,” Orion responded.

       “You did not stay to escort her here?” Zeus inquired.

       “One of the servants has shown me the way. Zeus you really do have lovely people working for you. Are all of the beings who work for you human?” I replied, partially to quell the anger Zeus seemed to have.

       “Most, but not all, of the beings working for me are human. In fact, Elizabeth, about eighty percent of my staff is human. The other twenty percent is made of wolves, vampires, ogres, imps, dwarves, and nymphs. Those that do not look human use tunnels that run under my entire property,” he responded.

       "Oh you have tunnels!" I said in my most how-wonderful-I-didn't-already-know-that voice. Orion rolled his eyes.

       “Oh yes! That would please me very much,” I responded with un-faked joy.

       “And you could use the tunnels as a more direct route to anywhere you needed to go. In fact, after dinner I will take you on a personal tour of my tunnels and you will be free to use them from here on out.”