Persephone & the Giant Flowers
Page 2
“Do you want to be the one to tap on it?” Athena asked.
Persephone did. But she guessed Athena did too. “Let’s both do it,” she suggested.
“I don’t care who does it. Just hurry up!” said the voice.
“Cranky,” Persephone whispered to Athena. They grinned at each other.
Athena held up the stick she’d used to push the shell. “Grab on,” she said to Persephone. Together, they touched the shell with the tip end of the stick three times. Tap! Tap! Tap!
To their surprise the shell began to grow bigger and BIGGER. Soon it was the size of that Wunderworld chariot’s wheel! Whoosh! It spun around. Vrooom! It zoomed toward the shore.
“Jump back!” yelled Persephone. They dropped the stick and leaped away before the shell could knock them over.
Once onshore the shell stopped spinning. Then it began to open up, like some giant book. Persephone and Athena held their breath, waiting to see what would be inside.
When the shell was fully open, Persephone exclaimed, “It’s . . . a girl!”
The girl gracefully unfolded herself from the shell. Out she stepped. She was the most beautiful girl Persephone had ever seen!
The shell girl looked about the same age as Persephone and Athena—eight years old. She had long golden hair. Her eyes were the color of a bright blue sky. She wore silver sandals and a blue silk dress that matched her eyes.
“Finally!” said the beautiful girl. “Am I glad to be out of that shell at last.” She looked around her at the flowers, the sea, and the palace. “Where am I, anyway?”
“You are in Wunderworld,” explained Persephone.
“Spelled with a u, not an o,” added Athena.
The shell girl shrugged. “Never heard of it. Nice palace, though. Is it yours?” She stretched her arms over her head and bent from side to side.
“No, we’re just visiting. Um, I’m Athena,” said Athena.
“And I’m Persephone.”
“Woof!” said Oliver.
“And that’s my dog, Oliver,” added Athena.
“Uh-huh,” said the shell girl. She touched her toes.
When she said nothing more, Athena finally asked, “So what’s your name?”
“If you must know, it’s Aphrodite.” She pulled one leg up to stretch it out. She really liked to exercise! Probably because she couldn’t while in that shell.
Persephone pointed at it. “How did you get trapped in there?”
Aphrodite sighed. “Well, I was out walking yesterday when I met this girl. She had green snakes for hair, and—”
“Medusa!” Persephone and Aphrodite exclaimed together.
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. “You know her?”
“She’s bad news,” said Athena.
“So what happened?” asked Persephone.
Aphrodite began to jog in place. “Well, I said something that made her mad. I do that a lot. People tell me I’m hard to like sometimes. Still, she started it.”
“What did you say?” Persephone asked, curious.
Aphrodite’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “The wind had tangled my hair a bit, and she asked if I was having a bad hair day. So I said, ‘No, my hair is always perfect. But I guess every day’s a bad hair day for you, right?’ ”
The girls laughed.
Aphrodite’s smile made her look more friendly. Maybe Aphrodite will become my friend too, thought Persephone. Then I’ll have two non-flower friends.
“I thought it was funny too,” Aphrodite said. “But Medusa didn’t. She yelled that she would eye zap me to stone! Only for some reason her eye zap wasn’t working. So she trapped me in a magic shell instead.”
“How did you get here though?” asked Athena.
“No clue.” That said, Aphrodite began to turn cartwheels.
“Maybe Medusa saw a crack in the ground like we did. Maybe she threw the shell into it,” Persephone whispered to Athena.
“I bet you’re right,” Athena whispered back. “And the shell landed in this sea.”
“Growl. Bark! Roar!”
The three girls jumped in alarm. Uh-oh. Cerberus was back! He came racing from the palace toward them.
Athena quickly grabbed up Oliver. As Cerberus got closer and closer, they could see his sharp, pointy teeth.
“We’re all goners!” Persephone wailed. “Three girls equals one snack for each of that dog’s mouths. And Oliver will be dessert!”
But then Aphrodite stepped up. “Stop that noise, you!”
Looking surprised, Cerberus stopped mid-growl. Then they heard a sharp whistle. The boy ran out of the palace. “Sit!” he called to Cerberus. The dog sat.
The boy marched over to the girls. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“We saw your chariot go down through a crack in the ground,” Athena told him. “We followed it. Then my little dog ran in through the front gate.”
“We didn’t mean to trespass,” Persephone added. “But we were wondering. Is this a shortcut to Sparkle City?”
The boy looked confused.
“We’re on our way there,” Athena explained.
“If anybody cares, I arrived by shell,” said Aphrodite, pointing.
“However you all came, you need to leave,” the boy said gruffly. “You don’t belong in Wunderworld.”
He clapped his hands. Immediately his chariot and black horses appeared beside a clump of giant daisies. The same daisies that had spoken to Persephone earlier.
“Hop in,” the boy said after leaping into the driver’s seat. “I’ll take you back up to the Hello Brick Road.”
Athena climbed in first with Oliver. Then Aphrodite. Cerberus tried to get in too. The boy shook his head. “No, boy. Go home!” The huge dog whined, but he jumped back down.
Before Persephone could climb aboard, the daisies whispered in her ear again. “Don’t leave,” they begged. “Stay here with us. Put down some roots.”
“Sorry, I can’t,” she said kindly. But when she tried to take another step, she couldn’t. The giant daisies had wound their stems around her legs! Their roots curled around her feet.
Suddenly, the black horses began to gallop. The chariot rose into the air. The others were leaving without her! They hadn’t seen what was happening.
Her bad luck-itis had struck again!
5
Onward
All at once the flying chariot made a U-turn. It headed back Persephone’s way. The horses set down near her, and the chariot rolled to a stop. Athena, Aphrodite, and Oliver jumped down from the chariot and ran toward her.
“We didn’t mean to leave you,” Athena called. “Hades didn’t realize you weren’t on board!”
“Hades? Who’s that?” said Persephone. But the daisies had put their petals over her mouth, so her words sounded like “mmmpf.”
The chariot-boy had understood her, however. “Me! I’m Hades!” he called out to her.
When the girls and Oliver reached Persephone, they got to work. Oliver dug near her rooted feet. Athena and Aphrodite unwound stems from her legs.
“Let go of her, you silly daisies!” Aphrodite shouted. “Don’t make me break your stems!”
Hearing this, the giant daisies finally let go of Persephone. They sang:
We’re very sorry!
Didn’t mean to offend.
We were just hoping
to make a new friend.
“You can’t make someone be your friend,” said Persephone. “And it’s not fair to keep someone away from their other friends.”
As the words left her mouth she began to wonder. She hoped Athena and Aphrodite would decide to be best friends with her. But if they didn’t, she’d have to accept that, hard as it would be.
Quickly the three girls and Oliver ran to the chariot. After they got in, the horses galloped upward again.
“Open!” yelled Hades. At his command, a new, big crack opened overhead. They zoomed up and out through it. A moment later, the horses and chariot land
ed on the Hello Brick Road.
The girls hopped out with Oliver. “Thanks for the ride!” they told Hades.
He waved good-bye. Then he drove his horses and chariot back down through the crack. It closed behind them.
Persephone gazed at the top of Mount Olympus and frowned. “Sparkle City still looks far away.”
“Yes, but it’s nearer than when we followed Hades into Wunderworld,” said Athena. “So it did turn out to be a shortcut after all.”
“Still, we’d better get going if we’re ever going to make it,” said Persephone. She set off, moving fast. She needed Zeus’s gift of good luck before her bad luck-itis could strike again. Next time it might bring something worse!
“Why are you both going to Sparkle City?” Aphrodite asked as they walked along.
Athena answered first. “I don’t belong here,” she said. “I landed in magical Mount Olympus during a weird storm. My real home is far away. I’m going to ask Zeus to help me get back there. I heard he can help.”
Aphrodite nodded. “Everyone says he’s super-duper powerful.”
“I’m going to ask him to give me good luck,” said Persephone.
“Good idea,” said Aphrodite. “After seeing what those daisies did, I guess you could use some.”
Persephone laughed. She and Athena looked at each other and smiled. Were they both thinking the same thing? Persephone wondered. Like friends often did?
“Want to come with us?” Athena asked Aphrodite. It was what Persephone had been thinking of asking too!
Aphrodite’s blue eyes lit up. “Really? But are you sure? I can be hard to like. Sometimes I say things that hurt people’s feelings. Not on purpose. It’s just that I speak before I think.”
“That’s okay. Nobody’s perfect,” said Persephone. Besides, Aphrodite had helped rescue her. Which had been kind. And kindness was a likable quality.
Athena snapped her fingers. “I have an idea,” she said to Aphrodite. “If you come with us, you could ask Zeus to give you the gift of, um, likability.”
Aphrodite grinned. “I like it!”
The three girls linked arms and began to skip along the road. However, they’d only gone a few skips, when they heard a terrible cackle. “Eee-heh-heh!”
Uh-oh, thought Persephone. Her bad luck-itis was back already. Perched on a white fence at the side of the road was the snaky-haired Medusa!
6
Green Smoke
Medusa’s zappy eyes did a double take when she noticed Aphrodite. “Well, well, well,” she said. “Look who escaped her jail shell!”
“Look who’s still having a bad hair day!” Aphrodite shot back.
Persephone giggled. But it was a worried giggle. Were they ever going to get to Sparkle City?
“Grrr,” growled Oliver.
Medusa switched her gaze to Athena. “Give me those sandals and you’ll never have to see me again.”
“Ooh. Interesting offer,” Aphrodite said to Athena. “But, no.”
“Good,” said a new voice.
“Hestia!” Persephone and Athena exclaimed. The tiny, glowing, fairy-like goddess had popped out of nowhere. Now she hovered in the air between the four girls, wings flapping gently.
“Off with you, troublemaker!” she told Medusa. “Your magic is no use here. As long as these girls stick to the Hello Brick Road they are protected from harm.”
Medusa let out another cackle. “Eee-heh-heh!” Ignoring the tiny goddess, she glared at the girls. “You won’t be able to stay on the road forever,” she warned. “And when you leave it, you’ll be at my mercy!” She cackled again. “Too bad for you I don’t do mercy!”
The snakes flicked their tongues and hissed. Then Medusa disappeared in a puff of green smoke. Poof!
“Bye! We’ll miss you. Not!” Aphrodite called after her cheerfully.
That girl was funny, thought Persephone. And, like kindness, funny was a likable quality.
Hestia’s glow began to blink.
“Uh-oh,” said Athena. “That means she is about to disappear.”
“She tries to help us. But she can never stay for more than a few minutes at a time before she blinks away,” Persephone added.
“Listen up,” Hestia said quickly. “If all goes well you’ll reach Sparkle City soon. But there’s danger ahead. Watch out for—” She broke off as her glow blinked faster.
They all leaned closer. “For what?” asked Persephone.
But it was too late. Pop! The tiny goddess was gone.
“She isn’t actually very helpful, is she,” said Aphrodite.
Persephone shrugged. “You still want to go with us? Even though it might be dangerous?”
“It’s okay if you’ve changed your mind,” Athena said kindly.
“Ha! Danger won’t scare me off! Not a hissy mean girl either,” Aphrodite declared.
Persephone giggled. Only it was a happy giggle this time. Because in her heart she knew for sure she had made two new girl friends. Maybe even best friends. How cool was that?
As the three girls linked arms and began to skip, Persephone stared ahead at Mount Olympus. The rainbow-sparkles of Sparkle City looked closer than ever. They might find danger as they went on their way. But with the help of her new friends, she’d be up to the challenge!
Word List
asphodels (AS•fuh•dels): Flowers that grow in the Underworld
challenge (CHAL•enj): A test of someone’s ability
chariot (CHAIR•ee•ut): A two-wheeled horse-drawn cart
harmony (HAR•mo•nee): Pleasing blend of music notes
invisible (in•VIZ•ih•bel): Not able to be seen
mercy (MER•see): Under someone else’s control
Mount Olympus (MOWNT oh• LIHM•pus): Tallest mountain in Greece
offend (uf•END): Make someone mad or unhappy
pomegranates (POM•eh•gran• its): Fruit with red skin, sweet pulp, and seeds
scallop (SKAL•lup): A ribbed fan-shaped shell
trespass (TRESS•pass): Enter without permission
Wunderworld (WON•der•wurld): Home to Hades and Cerberus (Underworld in Greek mythology)
Questions
1. If you had magic winged sandals, where would you want to go?
2. Would you rather have winged sandals or a cap of invisibility? Why?
3. Aphrodite says that people tell her she’s hard to like sometimes. Why do you think they say that? What are some things you like about her?
4. Do you think Persephone has bad luck-itis? Why or why not?
5. What new dangers do you think Athena, Persephone, and Aphrodite will come upon as they travel toward Sparkle City?
Authors’ Note
Some of the ideas in the Little Goddess Girls books come from Greek mythology.
Persephone was the Greek goddess of plants and flowers. She divided her time between Earth and the Underworld, which she ruled with Hades. When she was in the Underworld it was winter on earth and not much could grow. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
We also borrowed a few ideas from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a book written by L. Frank Baum. In that book, there is a road called the Yellow Brick Road. In this book, there is a Hello Brick Road. There are other similarities too. We’ve added lots of action and ideas of our own to this book too.
We hope you enjoy reading the Little Goddess Girls books!
—Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
About the Authors
Joan Holub is the New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred fifty books for young readers, including Little Red Writing, Zero the Hero, Mighty Dads, This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer, and What Is the Statue of Liberty? She also coauthors the Goddess Girls series with the amazing Suzanne. Visit her at joanholub.com.
Suzanne Williams is a former elementary school librarian and the author of over seventy books for children, including the awardwinning picture books Library Lil (il
lustrated by Steven Kellogg) and My Dog Never Says Please (illustrated by Tedd Arnold) and several chapter book and middle-grade series. She coauthors the Goddess Girls series with the fantastic Joan. Visit her at suzanne-williams.com.
Yuyi Chen began her career as a 3-D artist making video games, then realized her true passion is illustrating for children. She also likes to spend her time reading, listening to her children laugh, and pretending she is a competitive cake decorator. She lives in Washington with her husband and two sons.
ALADDIN QUIX
SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Joan-Holub
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Suzanne-Williams
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Yuyi-Chen
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.