Swamp Thing looks out over the swamp as a conflict brews between men.
Bartok is at a café looking at a parchment provided to him by Professor Goldwise. Goldwise insists that the parchment is worthless without his contributions. Bartok says that if they find the burial grounds then they'll find the secret to defeating Death itself. Goldwise tells him that he's disgusted by Bartok's style of archaeology, and he's going to take the parchment to the Smithsonian. He gives Bartok the $6,000 for the work he requested and walks off.
Swamp Thing enters Houma.
Goldwise walks down the street and hears someone following him. He ducks into an alley, and Bartok grabs him and cuts his throat.
Swamp Thing clutches at his head in pain, and a passage opens up in the rock wall ahead. Two Mayan warriors walk out, and Swamp Thing watches as they trace a circle in the ground.
The next day, Will is at the house putting up pinups when a man, Alonso, walks in. Bartok is with him seated at the table, and Alonso says that he wants to hire Will as a tour. When Will says that he's booked up for the next few days, both men draw guns on him.
Will soon takes Bartok and Alonso into the swamp. The pull over and follow the professor's notes, which say that the area was dry a thousand years ago. The engine sizes up, and they continue on foot. Bartok guides them to the ancient Mayan burial ground but Alonso complains that there's nothing there but dead grounds. He digs into the brush and grabs a skeleton, and Bartok points out the turquoise and silver Mayan necklace around its neck. The two men laugh and go to work, and order Will to help them.
The three men dig into the ground and Bartok finds more skulls. He smashes them apart, and Alonso finds a stone tablet. Bartok says that it contain the secrets of eternity, and says that it was inscribed 1,220 years ago. He tells Will that before their downfall, the Mayans hid their riches and the legend is true. Mayan warriors protect the temple for all eternity, sworn to kill anyone who seeks out the treasure.
The next day, the three men head back out following Bartok's directions.
That night, the two Mayan warriors find the graveyard and realize that someone has desecrated it. They return to their circle and cross spears, and a storm comes up. When Swamp Thing tries to intervene, they easily knock him back with a gesture.
The next day, Will and the others go ashore at the spot on the parchment. Bartok explains that it was once a mountain, and they continue on. The two Mayan warriors follow them, and the three men make camp for the night. Bartok asks will if there's anything particular they should know about camping in a swamp. Will spots a snake a snake in a nearby tree, and advises them to camp underneath the tree rather than near the water. As they prepare for the night, Will gives Alonso bug repellant. Alonso says that he's from Philly like Will and is just there to get rich, and tells Will that Bartok is nuts about history. He admits that he sells what Bartok finds, and Will asks him why he needs Bartok. Alonso tells him to shut up and then figures that they can do the job without Bartok. Will says that he's not into robbing graves, and Alonso is surprised that Bartok offered to cut Will in. Bartok pokes his head out of his tent and tells them both to shut up.
Once Will goes to sleep for the night, the two Mayans send a vision into the campfire. Alonso sees one of their faces and opens fire. Bartok and Will come out and Alonso tells them what he saw. Bartok figures that he's imagining things, and orders him to bed as a storm comes up.
Once Alonso is asleep, the warriors direct the snake into Alonso's tent. He wakes up and panics, tearing the tent apart to get at it. When Will come over, Alonso blames him and points out that Bartok asked him where to put the tent. A branch falls on them,
Swamp Thing is bound to the earth by vines, unable to get up.
The next day, Will asks the men if they will let him go once they find what they want. Bartok realizes that Will is leading them in circles using a magnet on the compass. Will says that only he can get them out, but Bartok is ready to kill him. When Alonso objects, Bartok figures that they're working together. Will runs off, and Bartok and Alonso go after him.
Swamp thing hears Will's cries for help and manages to break free. He slips and holds on to the edge of a cliff, and Bartok and Alonso prepare to finish him off. Will falls backward and lands in a cavern, and Bartok and Alonso jump in after him. They find the treasure and Bartok looks for the guardians' urn with the secret that he's seeking. He tells Will that it holds the blood of the warriors left to guard the temple.
Tow two warriors appear as Alonso tries to leave. Alonso tries to offer them money, and Swamp Thing arrives and brings down vines to stop the warriors. They walk through the vines, and Swamp Thing tells will to get the urn. Alonso tries to climb out and Bartok grabs him, dropping the urn. Will grabs it and gives it to the warriors, and they walk into the temple and put the urn back in its place. They then drag Alonso and Bartok away, disappearing. The cavern wall seals itself, and Swamp Thing tells will that he's not the evil that they sought.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 4, 2017