Too embarrassed to listen, she turned to flee . . . and ran smack into Medusa and Pheme.
“Now that was an interesting little scene,” said Medusa, wearing an even bigger smirk on her face than usual. Pheme’s eyes were sparkling as she stared across at Heracles. She was obviously relishing the choice bit of gossip she’d just been handed.
Athena glanced back at him.
“Athena!” he called. “Sorry if I misunderstood. I—”
“Leave me alone!” she yelled. Her humiliation complete, she backed away from all three, then turned and ran upstairs to her room.
Finding the Favor
ATHENA THREW HERSELF ONTO HER BED and buried her face in her pillow, sobbing with embarrassment and—and something else, too—confusion. Heracles’ attempted kiss had turned her world upside-down. Suddenly she wasn’t as sure of her feelings toward him as she’d thought. Did she like him as more than a friend? He was cute, and she did enjoy being with him. How did one know for sure?
Aphrodite and Persephone thought he liked her. But what if he’d only been taking advantage of her to help with his labors, as Artemis had once suggested? She wished she knew what he really thought of her. She punched her pillow. It was too much to sort out. If only she could stay in her room and never come out!
But she couldn’t, of course. The lyre bell would sound any moment. So after drying her tears, she grabbed another power bar (though she was starting to get sick of them), and dutifully trudged downstairs to attend her afternoon classes. She peeked around every corner first, though, making sure she wouldn’t run into Heracles. She wasn’t ready to deal with him yet. Ignoring the curious glances cast her way and the whispers swirling around her, she kept her nose buried in her textscroll during class.
Her three best friends were waiting to meet her as she left the room.
“Did you—?” Athena began.
“Yes, we’ve heard the rumors,” Aphrodite said as they steered her past staring students. Persephone nodded gravely. “That’s why we’re here.”
“We’ll make sure no one bothers you,” Artemis added. Her three friends surrounded her like a protective shield as they started down the hall.
As the girls neared the marble staircase, Heracles appeared. “Athena,” he called out. “Can I talk to you? Please?” He seemed oblivious to the snickers that broke out from several small groups of students that happened to be passing by just then.
Athena’s friends scowled at him.
“Get lost, Lionboy,” barked Artemis. “You’ve done enough harm for one day.” Growling deep in their throats, her hounds bared their teeth.
Aphrodite arched an eyebrow. “Can’t you see your attentions aren’t welcome?”
“It would be best to keep your distance for a while,” Persephone advised him.
“I’m asking Athena,” Heracles said stubbornly. Ignoring the other girls’ scowls he took another step toward her. “Won’t you please talk to me, Athena?”
She wanted to refuse him, but wouldn’t that undermine what she’d been trying all week to show him—that it was best to solve a problem by talking it through? Besides, there was such misery in his eyes! “All right,” she said at last.
“Are you sure?” asked Aphrodite.
Persephone studied Athena’s face. “This is what you really want?”
“Maybe we should stay with you,” said Artemis. “Just in case he tries anything.”
Athena waved her friends away, smiling a little at her friend’s ferocity. “I can handle it. But thanks, you guys.”
“We’ll be in my room if you need us,” Aphrodite called back over her shoulder as the three goddessgirls started upstairs.
“I’ll be up soon,” Athena replied. She turned back toward Heracles. For the first time, she noticed that two large bags dangled by their handles from his club.
Her heart squeezed in her chest. “Are you leaving?” she asked, trying to keep the panic she felt out of her voice.
He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “Zeus is sending me back to Earth.”
“But why?” She didn’t want him to go!
Heracles stared down at the floor. “I told you yesterday that I hadn’t yet met a situation I couldn’t handle. Well, now I have. I totally messed up on that ninth labor. I was supposed to win the favor of a strong girl. Since you’re the strongest girl I know, I tried to figure out how to make you like me. I thought kissing you would do it. But I—I made a mistake.” He glanced up again. “I’m sorry. I really do like you Athena.”
She didn’t need to be the goddessgirl of wisdom to know he was speaking the truth. Tell him you like him, too, she thought, but her tongue lay like a heavy stone in her mouth.
“I told Zeus the truth about what happened,” Heracles continued, blushing a little. “Since I failed to complete all the labors, it’s only fair that I should leave Mount Olympus and remain mortal.” He paused. “But I couldn’t go without thanking you for your help—even if you just did it because Principal Zeus asked you to.”
Now it was Athena’s turn to blush. “Did my dad tell you that?”
Heracles nodded.
“He asked me not to tell you,” she said. “But the truth is, I was glad he asked me to help you. She glanced at him shyly. I—I enjoyed it.”
Heracles nodded. “Thanks for saying so.” As he shifted his club and his bags to his other shoulder, Ms. Nemesis’s words came flooding back to Athena: “It often takes more strength to forgive an injury than to insist on having one’s revenge.” If she let Heracles go now she could avenge her embarrassment and confusion over the presumptuous kiss. But was that what she wanted? She smiled, remembering that day in Ms. Nemesis’s class, when he’d dropped his club on his foot. When Ms. Nemesis had asked if he was all right, he’d replied, “Nothing broken. Except my pride.”
Well, her “injury” was no worse. In her heart, she’d already forgiven him. And as they stood there, an idea began to form in her mind. Perhaps she could fix things so he could stay at MOA!
“How soon are you leaving?” she asked.
“Hermes is supposed to come for me in his chariot in an hour. I’m going to wait in the library.”
She nodded. “There’s something I need to do. But then I’ll—”
“You’re busy,” he interrupted, backing away. “It’s okay. We can say good-bye now. I understand.”
“No, you don’t,” she said reaching out to lightly touch his arm. “Meet me in Principal Zeus’s office in forty-five minutes, okay? Don’t leave MOA without doing that. Promise?”
His brow wrinkled, but he nodded. “’Kay.”
Smiling, Athena ran upstairs to her room. The tapestry on her loom was complete except for one last scene. Her fingers flew as she wove that final scene into the design. When the tapestry was finished a half hour later, she removed it from the loom and rolled it up like a scroll. Then she grabbed her first tapestry—the one she had woven for the contest—stuffed both weavings into a bag, and left her room.
Aphrodite flung open her door before Athena could even knock upon it. Inside, Persephone and Artemis jumped up from Aphrodite’s pillow-strewn bed where they’d been playing Grecian checkers. “What happened?” they all asked at the same time.
Athena told them everything Heracles had said. When she finished, Persephone sighed. “Heracles did act rashly. But he also apologized. I think he sounds kind of sweet, just like Hades.”
“So do you believe him?” Artemis asked. “You think he was being honest?”
Athena nodded. “I do.”
“The strongest girl he knows,” repeated Aphrodite. Her eyes sparkling, she hugged a heart-shaped pillow to her chest and sighed with delight. “Oh, he likes you all right. What a shame he has to leave!”
“Maybe he doesn’t have to,” said Athena. Pointing to her bag, she told her friends her plan. “Heracles is going to meet me in Dad’s office in just a few minutes. Will you all come too? I could use the support, and I might need some witnesses.”<
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The three readily agreed, and minutes later all four goddessgirls trooped into Zeus’s office. If he blamed Athena for Heracles’ failure, she couldn’t tell, though the new scorch marks she spotted on the furniture and walls suggested that he was not in the best of moods. The girls had just pulled up chairs around his desk when Heracles arrived too.
“You still here?” Zeus growled, rising from his golden throne.
Heracles’ face reddened. He started to mumble an apology and to back away, but leaping up from her chair, Athena waved him closer. Still holding on to her bag, she leaned over Zeus’s desk. “There’s still time for Heracles to complete his remaining task before this day ends, isn’t there?” she asked.
Zeus frowned. “Yes, but I thought—” Daring to interrupt her father, Athena turned toward Heracles again. “Please kneel before me.”
A look of confusion came into Heracles’ eyes, but he humbly knelt at Athena’s feet. As her dad and her friends looked on, Athena withdrew the two tapestries from her bag. “With this gift, I—a strong goddessgirl—bestow my favor,” she said, handing Heracles the rolled-up weavings.
“I don’t understand,” he said, taking them. “What are these?”
“Tapestries,” said Athena. “Unroll them.”
“Oh,” he said, looking pleased as understanding dawned. “You made them? For me?”
She nodded.
“OPEN THEM ALREADY!” boomed Zeus, and everyone jumped. He shoved a pile of papers, magazines, and empty bottles of Zeus juice off his giant desk, making room. Heracles unfurled the two tapestries on top of the desk, and everyone crowded around. Athena couldn’t help feeling proud as the dozen scenes she’d woven were greeted with delighted oohs and ahhs.
“They’re—they’re wonderful!” Heracles exclaimed, carefully examining each one. “I can’t believe you did this! All twelve labors! No one’s ever given me anything so nice!”
At his praise, Athena felt an unfamiliar fluttery feeling inside her stomach. She found herself wondering what it would’ve been like if she hadn’t turned her head when Heracles had tried to kiss her. If her plan succeeded and he stayed, maybe she’d have to ask Aphrodite for some pointers after all!
“Is that boy hiding in a vase?” Aphrodite asked, pointing to a scene showing Heracles holding the Erymanthian boar up to the mouth of the vase while his cousin crouched inside. Athena and Heracles nodded, laughing.
“That’s my exceedingly brave cousin, Eurystheus,” said Heracles.
“Is that my deer?” gasped Artemis, gazing at another scene Athena had woven that showed Delta peeking out of the bundle on Heracles’ back. “She’s so beautiful! And she looks real enough to pet!” Artemis ran her hand over the stitches, looking awed.
“Look, there’s Cerberus!” Persephone said, as she examined the second tapestry. “And here you are at the end,” she said to Athena, “handing the tapestries to Heracles! As Zeus looks on.”
They all turned to look at her dad. Zeus had been uncharacteristically quiet all this time, but now he clapped a hand on Athena’s shoulder. She jumped a little as electricity zapped her. “This is fantastic, Theeny!” he said. “Even better than I hoped for! Of course, I didn’t know you would weave these when I asked you to—um—when you decided to help Heracles, but—” He stopped talking as his eyes grew spacey. “Yes, Metis, dear,” he said. “Theeny’s tapestries are works of art! And no, I wasn’t going to just assume she’d let me copy them. I was going to ask.”
“Copy them?” asked Athena.
Zeus smiled, looking at her with evident pride. “With your permission, I would like to have my architect copy your designs to adorn my new temple!” He waved toward the architect’s model that now sat on his shelf.
Gasps filled the room. Athena knew this was quite an honor. “Yes, that sounds wonderful,” she said, delighted that he liked her work so much.
“Wonderful indeedy!” Sparks flew as Zeus rubbed his hands together. Everyone ducked for cover. “My temple just happens to have twelve empty spots for paintings, and the artists will have to start tomorrow to be done in time for the grand unveiling ceremonies!”
Huh? thought Athena. Wait a minute. Was it possible that Zeus had put Heracles and her through all this just so he’d have some ideas for his artists in time to paint them on his temple walls? Her eye fell on a copy of Temple Digest that had fallen to the floor when Zeus shoved everything off his desk to make room for her tapestries. Her gaze zoomed in on one of the cover blurbs: “Hot New Trends: Decorate Your Temple With Awesome Mortal Deeds.”
Athena didn’t know whether to laugh or . . . or what. But Zeus looked as happy as a very big little kid as he ordered Ms. Hydra to send for the artists so they could copy the tapestries and decorate his temple with Heracles’ awesome mortal deeds.
Athena laughed to herself. Everything seemed so clear to her now. Through his oracle, Zeus had come up with the idea of the twelve labors and then convinced her to help Heracles accomplish them—all for the benefit of his new temple! He was a crafty one, her dear ol’ dad. But she couldn’t help loving him, just the same.
Clearing his throat with a sound like distant thunder, Zeus announced that Heracles’ trial period was up and he could remain at Mount Olympus. “You’ve done what the oracle required,” he said, “but the question of immortality will have to be determined later, after you’re grown.”
Heracles beamed. “Thank you, Principal Zeus,” he said. “I won’t let you down, I promise. I really like it here at MOA, and I won’t do anything that gets me kicked out!”
As everyone left his office, Zeus bent his giant head to Athena’s ear, “Thanks, Theeny,” he whispered. “I knew I could depend on you.”
Athena stared at him in surprise. Not just because of what he’d said, but because she had no idea he could actually whisper! Straightening, Zeus boomed out to Heracles, “Bring your tapestries by my office tomorrow morning, boy! I’ll need to borrow them for a few days.”
“Sure thing, Principal Zeus!” Heracles clasped the tapestries to his chest as if he regarded them almost as highly as his club.
As they all left, Athena wound up walking beside him. Aphrodite, Artemis, and Persephone were a little farther behind, carefully picking their way through Zeus’s office and marveling over the weird stuff they came across.
“I’m glad you’ll be staying,” Athena told Heracles.
He kinked an eyebrow at her. “Really?” he said in a flirty tone.
“Yes,” Athena said. And before she could chicken out, she slipped her hand into his.
Heracles almost dropped the tapestries. He glanced down at his feet. “We aren’t wearing winged sandals.”
“I know,” said Athena. If ever there was a time and a place for just acting on her feelings, surely this was it.
He grasped her hand tightly and whistled off-key as they continued down the hall. And when he smiled down at her, she wisely smiled back.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedcation
Contents
Chapter 1: The New Mortal
Chapter 2: On Trail
Chapter 3: Revenge-Ology
Chapter 4: A Mysterious Figure
Chapter 5: Too Many Heads
Chapter 6: Third Labor
Chapter 7: Gone Hunting
Chapter 8: Pooped
Chapter 9: Battling The Birds
Chapter 10: Missing Heracles
Chapter 11: The Contest
Chapter 12: Last Labors
Chapter 13: Finding Favor
Back Cover
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Athena the Wise Page 10
