by Joan Holub
There was one from a store called Gods’ Gift that was shaped like a giant gift box tied with an enormous satin bow. Artfully arranged atop it were decorations that included papyrus-tissue wedding bells and regular-size gift boxes with elaborate wrappings. Now and then puppet heads popped up from the smaller boxes to harmonize in the singing of a song about the joy of gift giving. Echo found herself repeating their silly song, and unable to stop. How embarrassing! She rushed on.
The Oracle-O Bakery and Scrollbooks float was shaped like a giant papyrus scroll, Echo saw as she came even with it. Cassandra already stood atop it, readying baskets of tasty giveaway cookies. Each cookie was in a little net bag tied with a ribbon. Those free samples would be sought-after prizes that were were sure to benefit the shop, bringing customers in for additional cookies, and scrollbooks, too.
Just then the parade got underway. As the floats rolled out, Cassandra began to toss the net cookie bags into the waiting audience. Hands reached, hoping to catch one.
The man in the yellow-and-black checkered suit that Echo had overheard in Hera’s shop was driving the next float in line, from a store called Be a Hero. It had shields fastened in a row on all sides, bearing the likenesses of various heroes, such as Heracles and Odysseus.
Yet another float from a store called Mighty Fighty was shaped like a single giant, athletic winged sandal. Pairs of sandals were even magically circling in the air above the float, swooping and soaring like birds! Echo scampered on, searching for the final float.
A few breathless minutes later she found it. Tiresias was already standing near the float, which hadn’t yet begun to move forward. He was busily writing (more glowing descriptions of Narcissus, perhaps?) in the blue fan scrollbook.
Echo gazed up at the grand float and gasped. It was sooo beautiful, shaped like a giant white layered wedding cake with little flowers, birds, and other designs sculpted out of fake icing all around its edges. Unfortunately, an enthusiastic crowd had gathered so close that she couldn’t see well enough to tell if Narcissus was already atop it. But surely he had to be up there by now.
Abruptly the float lurched forward, and she lost sight of Tiresias in the crowd. At the same time a volley of flat thunderbolt-shaped medallions made of real gold, with MOA stamped on them, flew out from over the sides of the float. “Here you go!” Zeus’s voice boomed as bystanders leaped to catch the bolts.
She was about to call up and ask Zeus how she was supposed to get onto the float, when a small door down low opened along the float’s side. A hand reached out, waving her over. “Hurry! Get in!”
Lifting the skirt of her gown, she leaped inside. An excited Narcissus was waiting for her in a compartment at the base of the float, which contained stairs leading upward. He shut the door behind her, then said, “Did you hear the news? Moda’s here!”
“Here?” Echo echoed, looking around the small area.
“In the crowd, I mean! Isn’t it cool? His is the final word in fashion,” said Narcissus. “And he’s going to L-O-V-E love this tunic you got me. It’s perfection! Once I impress him, my career is made!” He did a little happy dance. A very little dance, since there wasn’t much room in the cramped space.
Echo dared to hope that Moda would be impressed not just by Narcissus’s modeling, but by her work, and Hera’s samples, too!
“Shh! Keep quiet,” Narcissus whispered as their float lurched into even faster motion.
Fine by me, she thought. She wanted to keep quiet. At least until her copycat speech allergy went away!
“When I say go, we run up the stairs and pop out of the top of this cake,” Narcissus went on.
How fun! And dramatic. She loved the idea. It had probably been Zeus’s, since, according to articles she’d read about him, he was skilled at generating mega-amazing ideas. Echo whipped off her cape, getting ready for the big moment. Once they popped out, they’d be a matched set, like a bride and groom decoration on top of a wedding cake!
Their float rumbled along, pulled by four strong, glossy horses. Inside the float Echo was getting more and more excited. If their outfits were a success, maybe she really would find a new home in the fashion world! Then, instead of going to live with some other group of nymphs, she could hang out with Narcissus.
“Almost time. Okay . . . ,” Narcissus whispered. “Now!” On his cue, they ran up the stairs.
But when the two of them lifted the lid on the top tier of the fake cake and popped out, they came face-to-face with Hera and a group of others standing around it. Narcissus grabbed Echo’s hand and raised their arms high. “Surprise!” he yelled. Then he struck a modeling pose. Below in the crowd, the artists and reporters from Greekly Weekly and Teen Scrollazine rapidly sketched them both.
Instantly Echo sensed that something was not right. She turned in a circle, studying those around her. There was Hera, Melissa, Amalthea, and Ide, with a young man who must be Ide’s fiancé. And of course Zeus! They did not look happy. But they did look surprised. All at once the reason for their mood hit her. Just as he’d lied about rescuing Artemis in the Forest of the Beasts, Narcissus had also lied about getting permission for the two of them to be on this float!
“What kind of stunt is this? Explain!” Zeus roared, confirming her suspicion. So that was why Narcissus had asked her not to tell anyone of his plan. Because he had crashed the parade! And she’d unwittingly helped him.
And then things got worse. Hera gasped suddenly, staring at Echo’s chiton. “Oh no!”
“Oh no!” Ide repeated, her eyes going wide. Had Melissa’s daughter caught the copycat virus too? Echo wondered. But then Ide pointed an accusing finger at her and spoke words that weren’t repeats. “That’s my gown!” she exclaimed.
“My gown?” Echo echoed. She glanced in confusion at the chiton Ide was wearing. It was completely different from hers. So what was this bride-to-be talking about?
Ide’s fiancé obviously didn’t understand either. He was staring at Echo with a puzzled look on his face. Before anyone could step in to explain, Ide burst into tears. “She’s wearing my bridal chiton!”
“My bridal chiton?” Echo repeated.
“It’s not yours! It is . . . was mine,” wailed Ide. “Now I can’t wear it on Monday after all. Everyone knows that nobody is supposed to see a bride’s gown before the wedding.”
“She’s right,” confirmed Melissa, frowning at Echo. “Especially not the groom! It’s bad luck.”
“My wedding is ruined!” Hysterical now, the honey-haired Ide collapsed into her mother’s arms, sobbing.
“But I thought you’d already picked up your gown from Hera’s shop? How could this cake-popping nymph have gotten hold of it?” Amalthea asked Ide.
Melissa, who was patting her daughter’s back, explained. “Ide dropped it off again at Hera’s shop for a few final alterations yesterday.”
Ide whirled around and pointed an angry finger at Hera. “I can’t believe you let someone else wear my gown on this float. What a cheap publicity stunt! I’m going to tell all my friends never to shop at the Immortal Marketplace, and especially not at Hera’s Happy Endings!” Looking devastated, she scrambled down from the float and ran off. Her groom quickly followed her, as did Melissa and Amalthea. Which left Echo and Narcissus to deal with Hera and Zeus.
10
Copycake
ZEUS’S BLUE EYES NARROWED TO slits as he stared at Echo. “You stole Ide’s wedding chiton from Hera’s shop?”
Wishing she could melt into a puddle, Echo desperately shook her head.
“No?” Hera asked, raising her eyebrows.
“No!” Echo repeated. If only she could explain herself. Not being able to talk properly was a nightmare! Why didn’t Narcissus speak up? He was the one who’d gotten them into this mess, after all.
From the frown on Hera’s face it was clear she didn’t believe Echo. And Zeus looked ready to bean her with one of his infamous thunderbolts. They thought this was Ide’s actual wedding chiton she was wearing.
It wasn’t, though. She’d found this one still unadorned, hanging on the rack with a price tag. But apparently the pattern for the finishing touches Echo had chosen from the book had been the same pattern Ide had chosen. Talk about bad luck!
How could she communicate this information? She tried to mime the act of sewing decorations on the sample dress she was wearing, but everyone only looked at her like she was as nutty as the walnut trees in her forest back home.
And there was no way Echo could inform them that she had only borrowed outfits to help Hera and Narcissus. And maybe herself too, if she were being honest. She felt upset that she and Narcissus had managed to ruin Ide’s wedding day, even though it had been an accident.
She glanced over at the silent boy, her eyes pleading with him to speak up, since she was unable to. Finally he opened his mouth. “It’s her fault,” he said, pointing at Echo and backing away.
“Her fault?” said Echo, blinking at him.
“This was all Echo’s idea,” Narcissus went on, carefully avoiding her eyes. “I asked her to find outfits for us, but that was only to promote Hera’s Happy Endings. I didn’t know she’d steal the bride’s wedding chiton!”
As Narcissus spoke, Zeus’s eyebrows rammed together and he glared harder at Echo. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to be incinerated by a thunderbolt at any second.
“Our deal’s off!” he roared at her. “I’m not going to help you with switching realms now. Not after you hurt Ide and embarrassed Hera and me in front of all of Mount Olympus, and possibly even ruined relations with visiting dignitaries. This celebration was supposed to bring shoppers to the IM. But your shenanigans have not helped matters.”
Echo gulped and nodded. She completely understood. Not just what Zeus was saying but also that Narcissus was a rat. To save his own skin he’d shifted the blame to her. And he actually appeared to believe that she had knowingly stolen a dress belonging to someone else. That really hurt!
Just then their float gave a hard lurch. They’d arrived at the entrance to the Immortal Marketplace, where colorful flags flew and dignitaries from other realms awaited Zeus’s speech to signal the end of the parade. Everyone was staring. Because of Narcissus and Echo’s “surprise,” their float had become the center of attention in a bigger way than anyone could have anticipated.
Zeus forced a huge smile and turned to address the enormous crowd that had gathered around the cake float. “I hope you all enjoyed the parade!” he called out in his hearty booming voice. “I encourage you, one and all, to enter the Immortal Marketplace and explore the vast array of shops within. You’ll find free gifts and exciting new products everywhere. Don’t forget to visit the grand opening of Good Nannies Honey & Milk, a new shop owned and operated by my nannies, Melissa and Amalthea. Tell your friends to come too!”
As he did his best to proclaim the virtues of shopping at the IM, Hera waved Echo and Narcissus off the float. Before they left, though, Echo spotted news reporters fleeing right in the middle of Zeus’s speech. No doubt they were eager to get to work writing articles about the bridal disaster she’d helped cause.
Like the rat he was, Narcissus ran down the stairs ahead of her, leaving the sinking ship, er, float. Then he disappeared into the crowd, taking Tiresias with him.
Noticing Hera heading for her shop, Echo started to follow. Somehow she had to fix things!
But before she could catch up to Hera, a familiar voice called out, “Hey!” Echo halted in her tracks. It was Pan! He zoomed over to her, wearing winged sandals like those she’d seen on the Mighty Fighty float. He must’ve bought some at that shop.
“Hey!” she repeated, impressed at how easily he banked around the crowds of people milling about. He’d gotten good at flying fast!
“Daphne said to tell you she’s sorry she couldn’t come with me,” Pan said when he stopped beside her. “She didn’t think she could make it all the way to MOA and back to the fo-fo-forest again in twenty-four hours before her chant to protect LaurelRing wore off.”
Echo nodded, understanding. She’d almost forgotten she’d sent him a wingscroll message suggesting he come here today so that she could help him meet Apollo.
“So,” said Pan, looking around. “Is Apollo ah-ah-around here anywhere?” he bleated. “I brought a new flute I ma-a-ade that I want to show him.”
Echo didn’t really have time for this right now, but there was no way for her to explain that, of course. Quickly she looked around for Apollo. Seeing him near the bandstand at the IM entrance, she pulled Pan over to meet him. Unable to speak properly, she reached for the flute Pan was carrying and began miming the playing of it, making a total fool out of herself in the process.
“I think she wants you to audition for me,” Apollo told Pan, chuckling. She guessed that he’d been performing music with his band here at the entrance during the entire parade and hadn’t yet heard about the trouble she’d caused. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to tell him . . . not that she could have.
Overlooking her weird antics, Pan put his modified flute to his mouth and began playing, his fingers flying. He played well, but the sounds that issued forth from the flute were thin and had an unfortunate nasal quality to them.
“Sorry, shepherd-dude. That just won’t cut it,” Apollo informed him kindly but honestly.
Pan’s shoulders sagged. But even Echo had been able to tell that his instrument’s sound wasn’t a good one.
“It’s not you,” Apollo assured him. “Your talent is mega-phenomenal. You just need to find a better instrument with a brilliant sound that’ll showcase that talent.”
Pan nodded, looking disheartened. “I’ve been thinking the sa-a-ame thing.”
As the two boys continued talking music and some of Apollo’s band friends joined them, Echo eased away. Because now she had to go face the music in Hera’s shop. And she suspected that that music wasn’t going to sound half as good as Pan’s had!
When she finally made it into the IM, the first thing she heard as she pushed through the door to Hera’s Happy Endings was an unhappy shop assistant. “It’s terrible what happened,” he was saying to Hera. “Everyone at the IM worked so hard to contribute to the festivities and get the word out to mortals that they are welcome here.”
Argh! Not only had Echo ruined Ide’s upcoming big day, it sounded like she’d also ruined the whole IM promotion. Because of her, all the attention had gotten focused on the trouble on the final float. If stores really did fail, she’d feel awful! Since no one had noticed her yet, she crept closer to listen in.
“There’s nothing to be done about that for now, so let’s discuss the problem of Ide’s wedding chiton,” Hera began in a confident, reassuring tone. “Now, what can we do to put things right?”
“I don’t know. Her wedding is only two days away,” worried a second shop assistant. She shook her head doubtfully.
“We can only do our best and hope she’ll give us a second chance,” Hera said. “The first time around Ide chose the dress she wanted. It looked wonderful on Echo, but as we all know, it wasn’t really the best style for Ide.”
Huh? This was news to Echo.
“So this time let’s do the choosing instead,” Hera went on. “We’ll come up with something we think is right for Ide and present it to her.”
“But remember how difficult it was to get her to make a decision on that first chiton? There was no talking her into something more appropriate,” put in an assistant.
“More appropriate,” Echo murmured unhappily.
Everyone in the shop turned to look at her in surprise. Seeing the gown she was wearing, the assistants instantly guessed who she was. They scowled at her.
Hera frowned too, looking annoyed at her intrusion into their conversation. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Doing here,” Echo repeated, since it was the only thing she could say.
Slowly, understanding dawned in Hera’s eyes. “Wait a minute,” she told Echo. “Say something else.�
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Echo sighed. “Something else.”
“Is that supposed to be a joke?” one of the assistants said hotly.
“A joke,” Echo repeated unhappily.
“Humph!” said another assistant. “Well, it’s not a very funny one!”
“Never mind that,” Hera said quickly. “Tell me, Echo. Did you eat something in this shop before you took Ide’s gown? Maybe a lemon-frosted yellow cupcake?”
“Cupcake.” Echo nodded. Only, what did eating that cupcake have to do with anything?
Hera snapped her fingers. “That explains your repeat-speak, then. That cupcake was an enchanted copycake. A trap meant for Zeus. To teach him a lesson in case he ignored my warning about not eating sweets for a week and came back for more cupcakes.”
“More cupcakes!” Echo blurted, even though she wasn’t hungry.
Hera sighed. “The copycake’s effects should wear off within a few hours. Till then I’m afraid you’ll be able only to repeat others’ words.”
Feeling frustrated, Echo looked around wildly, hoping to spot Ide’s actual gown. She wanted to prove to Hera that she hadn’t really taken it. But it was probably in some special closet for gowns needing alterations. Echo had no clue where that might be. If only they’d go check instead of assuming she was a thief.
As Hera went back to discussing a new gown for Ide with her assistants, Echo turned to go, feeling totally frustrated and down in the dumps. Secretly she resolved to help Hera if she could, however. She owed her that. But right now it seemed an overwhelming task.
Outside the IM she found Pan listening to Heavens Above perform up on the bandstand. “I think I’ll head back to the forest,” he said when he saw her. Certain that she’d worn out her welcome at MOA and having no place else to go, Echo went with him. Absorbed in their own thoughts, they didn’t talk much as they winged homeward. That was just as well, since she was still suffering from the effects of the copycake she’d unwittingly eaten.
By early afternoon Echo was growing nervous about the kind of reception she would get now that they were nearing home. As they crossed through the Forest of the Beasts, lightning suddenly shot out from the labyrinth, whizzing past them to scorch some ferns.
