After Hops informs them that they must ask permission from the swamp itself in order to complete their mission, Helena, Issy, and Valencia prepare to head back out into the wilderness, looking for the very center point of the Everglades in order to find the swamp's place of greatest power. They have to work pretty hard to convince Rafael and Djimy; Valencia takes pity on Rafael and tells him he can go home if he wants to, but he points out that it's a few hours back to his Jeep and he still isn't sure if he can even get it to drive far enough to escape the swamp, and since Djimy doesn't want to explain to his mother that he abandoned his sister in the swamp because she was going to commune with it, they both long-sufferingly decide they have to continue as well. The center of the swamp is easily four more hours away, so they decide to set directly off into the swamp without stopping first to rest. Frustrated and aware that they're starting to run out of time as far as needing food and clean water soon, the three girls try to set a punishing pace through the swamp - so much so that they realize suddenly that they're plunging through the wilderness at speeds more suited to deer or horses than human beings, covering huge amounts of ground that they would never have expected would be possible (especially Helena, who actually has to hold herself back so she doesn't leave her companions behind, and Issy, who isn't as fast but has impressive endurance; Valencia keeps up but hates it most of all, and doesn't mind letting everyone know it). Their speed is spurred on by strange noises in the swamp and occasional glimpses of melon creatures in pools and bushes, and in spite of their exhaustion, they arrive at the center of the swamp in record time, with Rafael and Djimy huffing and puffing to catch up. The center of the swamp is a perfectly round, supernaturally quiet clearing, with a bottomless pool of water in the center, in which fish and amphibians swim and around which snakes and other swamp creatures move constantly through the undergrowth. Once they have arrived, the swamp seems interested in the three girls; snakes and frogs crawl toward them as if pulled, fish peek up out of the pool, and even the trees and vines seem to lean and crawl toward them, herding them to the center. Hops reappears to try to explain to them how to call to the spirit of the swamp, but as Helena and Issy strain to understand the rabbit language, Helena misunderstands badly, thinking that the rabbit is telling them that they were fools to be lured here and that they will be consumed by the swamp now. She starts a furious tirade against the rabbit, who is extremely confused and offended since it was in fact only offering them help figuring out how to perform the ritual, and Issy is forced to intercede, trying to distract the rabbit from the disaster and explain to Helena that everything is all right. Since this is all happening in rabbit language, which Helena is having trouble understanding, she briefly believes Issy is a traitor as well, and it's only after Issy and Valencia both reassure her and calm everyone down that they can proceed, narrowly convincing Hops not to bail on them. Since Issy isn't very solid on rabbit vocabulary, either, she misunderstands Hops' directions, and the three girls attempt to commune with the swamp the most direct way they know how: they stick their heads into the swamp and think about it really hard while they hold their breaths. Unfortunately, this does not work, and Hops manages to convey to them that they just aren't powerful enough to be able to beam their thoughts directly into the swamp that way. Instead, they wade into the pond, holding hands, and do their best to call out to the spirit of the swamp as they go deeper and deeper, and the creatures in the swamp inch closer and closer, and the two guys in the background panic a little bit more. As they feel their attempts almost failing, Issy gives the attempt her all and a huge sigil flashes out from her, branding a symbol across the heart of the swamp and finally awakening the powers within it. When they have gone in far enough to almost go underwater, a great shudder happens, and the pond drains completely; in its place stands a huge and terrifying creature made of mud, water, and plant life, and the three girls are suddenly much more intimidated about the idea of talking to "the swamp itself" now that it's looming over them and looking at them out of alien eyes. Nevertheless, Valencia steps up to the plate, doing her best to explain their plan to take alligator eggs and other things from the swamp as part of their attempt to get close to Aldonza and stop her evil operation, which takes a while since the swamp is not particularly good at understanding very human concepts. Eventually, it grasps that they are trying to be respectful by asking permission before they disturb the swamp, and is pleased, granting them its blessing. It explains that it has reached out to the alligator they must seek out, and while she will still fight them as is her nature, they have the permission of both her and the swamp itself to attempt to take her recently-laid eggs. The creature returns to the swamp and the pond rises back up to cover them, and everyone is extremely wet and muddy but relieved that they weren't smitten by an angry swamp deity and decide to call the day a win. Since everyone is ready to fall down, they decide to spend the night resting here at the safest point they know of in the swamp, where the constant exposure to heat and bacteria makes everyone pretty sick but they at least get some sleep. In the morning, they set off into the swamp again to seek their alligator target, relying on Helena's tracking skills and the last reserves of their endurance to hope they make it in time to get back out of the swamp and into civilization soon. And not long after, Valencia spots in the distance a few of the melon creatures, and they don't look like they've decided to be particularly impressed by the recent blessing the swamp bestowed on them...
