by Joan Holub
“Sorry, but I need it,” Zeus said. “So please give it back.”
Ron shook his head. “I guess . . . I guess you’ll have to fight me for it.”
“I don’t have to do that,” Zeus told him. Then he yelled out, “Bolt! Return!”
CHAPTER SEVEN
A Monstrous Tale
At Zeus’s command, Bolt flew out of Ron’s belt and returned to Zeus’s hand. It felt so good to have Bolt back!
How dare that kid try to keep Bolt! Zeus thought. He looks like a scaredy-cat anyway. I’ll give him something to be scared of. . . .
“Bolt, large!” Zeus yelled.
Ron’s eyes got wide as Bolt instantly grew into a lightning bolt as big as Zeus.
“I’m sorry!” Ron cried, holding his hands up in front of him. “I wasn’t trying to steal your lightning thing. It’s just . . . I don’t know what to do.”
He started to cry, and the white horse nuzzled his face.
Hera stomped up. “Nice going, Boltbrain!” she scolded Zeus. “You made the kid cry.”
“He had Bolt, and he wasn’t going to give it back!” Zeus protested.
Hera put an arm around Ron. “Why don’t you come with us? We’ll find somewhere quiet, and you can tell us what’s wrong.”
Ron nodded and sniffled, wiping away his tears.
Hera led the boy away from the busy village center. The winged horse—and the other Olympians—followed them. They all stopped under the shade of a tall tree.
“Thanks for being nice to me,” Ron said.
“Yeah, she’s nicer to you than she is to any of us,” Hades chimed in.
“That’s because Zeus needs to pick on someone his own size,” Hera said, glaring at Zeus.
“He had Bolt!” Zeus protested. “Besides, he’s short, but he’s no little kid. He’s our age.”
Ron was stroking the horse’s mane.
“Is that your horse?” Hestia asked him.
“It can’t be,” Hephaestus argued. “That horse sprang to life when I destroyed the statue of Medusa.”
“I only met him yesterday,” Ron answered. “I was sitting outside the castle, and he flew down from the sky and landed in front of me. At first I was scared, but he walked right up to me. So I fed him some hay from the royal stables, and he’s been hanging around me ever since.”
“Aw, that’s such a nice story!” said Demeter. “He’s a beautiful horse.”
“I know,” Ron said. “He’s my friend. I named him Pegasus.”
The horse whinnied, as if he approved of the name.
“So why do you need Bolt, anyway?” Zeus asked.
Ron sighed. “To fight the Chimera.”
“Kie-meer-uh?” Athena repeated.
Ron nodded. “It’s a terrible monster that lives just outside the kingdom. It’s part lion, part goat, and part snake.”
Zeus shuddered. “Which part is the snake?”
“I’m not sure, exactly,” Ron replied. “What I know is that the Chimera only comes out at night and tries to eat the people in the countryside. They’re terrified of it, and they’ve been asking my uncle, King Iobates, to do something about it.”
“So, did he?” Zeus asked.
“He sent out his best soldiers, but they returned to the castle babbling and shaking with fear,” said Ron. “Uncle Iobates wasn’t sure what to do. Then yesterday he saw me with Pegasus.”
Ron stopped and looked up at Pegasus sadly. “He said, since I had a fancy horse that can fly, that the gods must have decided I was some kind of hero. He said I should prove myself to him by slaying the Chimera. That’s why I needed Bolt. I have to kill the monster.”
“But you’re just a kid!” Poseidon said. “I mean, we are too, but we have powers and stuff, being Olympians and all.”
At Poseidon’s comment, Ron’s eyes widened. “You’re the Olympians? The ones they’ve been telling stories about? Then you guys can help me!”
Hephaestus snorted. “No, thanks! We’ve got enough monsters to deal with on our own.”
“Hephaestus!” Hera exclaimed. “This is what we do.”
Hermes started to fly in a circle around the group. “I thought Pythia said to find the flying horse. We found it. Aren’t we done here?”
“But don’t you see? This is why we were supposed to find the flying horse,” Zeus said. “It’s not just about getting Bolt back. We need to help Ron stop this Chimera. Hera was right—it’s what we do.”
“You can say that again, Bro!” said Poseidon.
“Yeah, we’ve faced a lot worse,” Hades said. “How bad could a part-lion, part-goat, part-snake be?”
“It all depends on where the parts are,” Poseidon reckoned. “I mean, if it has the head of a goat and the tail of a lion, not too bad.”
“From the stories people tell, it’s pretty bad,” Ron said. “Although, most people don’t live to tell the stories.”
The Olympians were quiet for a second. Then Hera piped up.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “We’ll still help you.”
“Right!” said Demeter and Hestia.
Zeus looked at Hephaestus. He was scratching lines in the dirt with his cane. He caught Zeus looking at him and sighed. “Fine. Let’s fight this thing.”
“We might as well,” Hermes said, still flying in circles. “It’ll be more interesting than hanging around under this tree all day.”
“Let’s go to my uncle’s castle,” Ron suggested. “We can get weapons there.”
“We’ve each got our own weapons,” Zeus said.
“Not all of us,” Hera reminded him. “I mean, my feather is awesome, and so are Demeter’s seeds, but when it comes to fighting. we’ve been using rocks and sticks. I wouldn’t mind a nice shiny sword.”
“Uncle Iobates has plenty!” Ron said. “And I’m sure he’ll be impressed that you’re Olympians and give you as many as you want.”
“Let’s just get going so we can get this over with!” Hermes called down, flying above them.
The Olympians followed Ron, who led them, with the flying horse walking next to him.
“Why are you walking when you have a flying horse?” Hermes asked.
“Well, I, um, don’t want to tire him out,” Ron said.
“Look at him! He’s strong! Come on. Hop on and join me up here!” Hermes urged. The wings on his shoes fluttered as he flew in loops overhead.
“Yeah, well, maybe later,” Ron replied, looking nervous.
Hephaestus looked at him. “What, are you afraid or something?”
Ron’s face turned red. “Uh, yeah. I’ve always been afraid of heights!”
Hephaestus shook his head. “What would you have done if we hadn’t shown up?” he wondered. “You’re lucky we found you.”
Ron nodded. “Believe me, I know.”
They started up a hill crowned by a stone palace. Hermes flew ahead of them. A few minutes later he circled back.
“You guys might want to take cover,” he said. “It looks like rain.”
Zeus looked up. The sun was shining in the blue sky, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight.
“What do you—ahhhhhh!”
Zeus screamed as six small, wriggling garden snakes rained down onto his head. He pushed them away and ran, his heart pounding. When he felt safe, he stopped and looked up. Hermes was hovering above him, laughing.
“Oh, man, that was classic!” Hermes said. “You should have seen your face!”
Anger bubbled up inside Zeus. “That is IT!” he thundered. “I am sick and tired of your stupid pranks. If you don’t want to be with us, then just leave! Get out of here!”
Hermes looked startled. “Come on. It was just a joke.”
“Being an Olympian is not a joke!” Zeus thundered, and for a second he thought he could feel the ground rumble underneath his feet.
“Fine!” Hermes shot back, and then he zipped away, back toward the village.
Zeus watched him go, his heart still pounding. When he
turned around, he saw the other Olympians staring at him. They looked shocked—and a little scared.
“Bro, are you okay?” Poseidon asked.
“I’m fine,” Zeus answered.
“Well, you don’t seem fine,” Hera said. “You totally freaked out! I mean, Hermes is annoying, but not half as annoying as Hephaestus, and you’ve never freaked out on him.”
“Hey!” Hephaestus protested.
It was the snakes, Zeus thought. Hermes even had snakes on that “magic wand” that he carried. It was like Hermes knew Zeus’s exact weakness and had focused on it. But Zeus didn’t say that.
“We don’t need him anyway,” Zeus said instead, and continued to march up the hill. “There are still eight of us, plus Ron, and this is just one monster.”
The Olympians exchanged worried glances. But there was nothing to do now. Hermes was gone.
“Come on,” said Poseidon, trying to lighten the mood. “Let’s go get some cool swords!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ambush!
When they arrived at the palace, two guards greeted them. One of them took Pegasus from Ron. The other led Ron and the eight Olympians to the weapons hold inside the castle. A stern-looking man wearing a crown was waiting for them with a frown on his face.
“What is all this about, Bellepheron?” he asked. “I charged you with slaying the Chimera—you and your fine flying horse. What are you doing with this group of ragged-looking children?”
“Hey, who are you calling ragged-looking?” Hera asked.
“Well, Sis, it has been a long time since any of us had a bath,” Poseidon pointed out.
“Such rudeness! Guards, remove them!” King Iobates ordered.
“Uncle, no!” Ron protested. “These aren’t ordinary children. They’re Olympians, and they’re going to help me!”
A spark flickered in the king’s dark eyes. “Olympians, you say? These messy munchkins?” He laughed. “Nephew, you have been fooled!”
Hades stepped forward. He slipped on his helmet and turned invisible immediately.
“Could an ordinary kid do this?” he asked, his voice coming out of his invisible body.
“Or this?” Hestia asked. She held up her torch, and a flame started to flicker.
King Iobates looked impressed. “Very well, then. Perhaps I was mistaken. And you intend to help us rid the kingdom of the monster?”
Zeus nodded. “Yes, sir.”
The king looked distracted. “Hmm, very interesting,” he said. “Take what weapons you wish. I must go. Do not fail me, Nephew!”
“I won’t, Uncle!” Ron promised as the king hurried off.
Poseidon walked into the center of the room and whistled. “Flipping fish sticks! Look at all this gear!”
Zeus gazed around the weapons hold for the first time. Swords, staffs, and spears hung from every wall.
Hephaestus sniffed. “I could make stuff better than this in my sleep,” he said.
Zeus couldn’t argue with him. Hephaestus was a master metalworker. But the king’s weapons were nothing to sneeze at.
Hera took a sword off the wall. “Check it out!” she said, waving the sword in front of her. Poseidon jumped out of the way.
“Are you sure you know how to use that thing?” he asked.
“I can learn,” Hera promised.
“I think I’ll stick with my aegis and my Thread of Cleverness,” Athena said. “I won’t feel bad turning a dangerous monster to stone.”
“And I’ll stick with my torch,” said Hestia.
Demeter picked up a spear topped with a sharp point. “This is kind of cool,” she said.
Hades picked up a club with spikes coming out of it. “Wicked!” he said with a grin.
Zeus had Bolt, Hephaestus had his cane, and Poseidon had his trident. The only one who hadn’t decided on a weapon was Ron. He stared at the walls, his eyes wide.
“Have you ever trained with any of these?” Zeus asked him.
Ron shook his head. “My mom only sent me to live with Uncle Iobates a few months ago. She thought it would help me get over my fears.”
“Like your fear of heights?” Zeus wanted to know.
“Yes,” Ron replied. “And the dark. And thunder storms. And water. And snakes. And . . .”
“I think I understand,” Zeus said. “About the snakes, anyway.”
“Well, I’m still afraid of all those things,” Ron said, and then he sighed. “And now I have to go face a monster.”
Ron looked really scared. What kind of uncle would send a regular kid out all by himself to face a monster? Not a nice one, Zeus guessed.
Then Zeus saw a glow coming from Chip. An arrow was pointing at the swords on the wall.
“I think Chip has an idea,” Zeus said. He walked toward the wall of swords. The arrow pointed right at a sword with a gleaming white handle.
“His-tip ne-oip or-fip on-Rip!” Chip said.
“He says this one’s for you,” Zeus said, and he handed the sword to Ron.
Ron looked at the sword, his eyes wide. “This is a pretty nice one.”
“You’ll need a scabbard,” Hera said, handing him a leather belt with a long, deep pocket on the side. She was wearing one herself and had already placed her sword in it. “See?”
Ron put on the belt. It hung loosely around his waist. Then he slipped the sword into the scabbard. The weapon was almost as tall as him.
“How do I look?” Ron asked.
“Like a hero in training,” Hera replied, smiling. “Not bad.”
Ron straightened up a little bit. “Come on. Let’s go to the kitchens and get some food for our trip. The edge of the kingdom is a few hours away if we walk.”
In the kitchens they filled their packs with figs, cheese, bread, and dried fish. Then they headed outside to begin their journey. King Iobates was waiting for them by Pegasus.
“Ah, there you are,” he said. “So do you think you’ll reach the outskirts by nightfall?”
“Definitely,” Ron said. “We should be there before the monster shows up.”
“Excellent,” the king said, and Zeus noticed a strange gleam in his eye. “Good luck, Nephew!”
They headed off. Ron rode on top of Pegasus, who walked slowly so the others could keep up. Ron sat up straight in the saddle when he rode.
“So I guess you’re not afraid of horses, then?” Zeus asked him.
Ron smiled and patted Pegasus’s head. “Not this one, for some reason.”
They walked for hours and didn’t stop until they reached a small village dotted with humble huts. There wasn’t a person in sight. Then Zeus saw a door slowly creak open, and a face peeked out.
A man ran out. “It’s a boy on a winged horse! He’s come to save us!” the man yelled.
The villagers ran out of their tiny cottages and surrounded Ron. Nobody seemed to even notice the Olympians.
“Ahem, excuse me!” Hera called out loudly. But the crowd was too busy petting the horse and cheering for Ron.
“I hardly blame them,” Athena said. “I mean, look at him and look at us!”
Zeus gazed up at Ron. His white toga gleamed in the fading afternoon sunlight. Up on the horse, he didn’t look so short. His golden curls waved gently in the breeze.
Then Zeus looked around at the Olympians. King Iobates had been right. They did look a bit, well, raggedy. It was no wonder the villagers were ignoring them.
“Come on,” Zeus said. “Let’s find a place where we can make a plan to defeat the Chimera.” As they broke away, Ron didn’t even seem to notice the group was leaving as he soaked up the attention from the adoring crowd.
They walked until they came to a large, flat rock just outside the village. Hephaestus and Hestia sat down on it.
“My mouth is as parched and dry as the flaming fields of the Underworld,” Hades said. “Is there any water around here?”
Zeus nodded. “I think there’s a stream over there. I’m going to grab something to drink.” He held
out his water horn.
“I’ll go with you,” Hades offered.
“We can put out some food,” Demeter said. “It’s been a long time since we ate anything.”
The sun was just starting to set as the boys headed for the stream. As they got closer, Hades stopped suddenly and tapped Zeus’s arm.
“Do you hear that?” Hades asked.
Deep voices floated to them from across the stream, along with the sound of feet marching on grass—big feet. Instinct took over, and Zeus and Hades ducked behind a bush.
“I’m confused,” one deep voice said. “Do we take all of the kids?”
“I keep telling you, not all!” said another deep voice. “King Iobates said to leave the littlest blond one, the one on the flying horse. But the rest we can capture and bring back to King Cronus.”
“Cronies!” Hades whispered.
Zeus put a finger over his lips and peeked out. Two Cronies stood across the stream. They might have been only half-giants, but they were taller than any human. One had a thick mat of black hair, and the other was bald and wore one gold earring. They each wore a loincloth and carried a long, spiked staff.
King Iobates must have told them about the Olympians, Zeus realized. It figured that guy would be a fan of King Cronus!
“Let’s go get ’em!” said the black-haired Crony.
“Just remember, don’t hurt them too much,” said the bald one. “King Cronus wants them alive so that he can gobble them up himself.”
A rush of anger swept through Zeus again. He jumped out from behind the bush.
“Nobody is hurting us!” he yelled, and he held Bolt up high. “Bolt, do it!”
A sizzling lightning bolt of electricity shot from Bolt and hit the tree branch right above the Cronies. The branch fell on top of them and pinned them to the ground.
Hades grabbed Zeus’s sleeve. “Come on. We need to go warn the others!”
They ran back to the rest of the Olympians.
“Cronies!” Hades yelled. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“But shouldn’t we wait for Ron? I’m sure he will catch up to us soon,” Hera pointed out. “How many are there? We should stand and fight.”
