Crius and the Fright of Night
Page 4
“Calm down, Poseidon,” Hera said. “They’re tree nymphs. Friendly ones.”
Carya stepped forward, her face delighted. “Artemis? Is that you?”
Artemis’s blue eyes widened. “Carya?” she asked with a yawn.
“How do you know these nymphs?” Apollo asked his sister.
Carya answered for her. “She rescued us once. She was being taken to Crius’s tower when she saw a river god about to swallow us up. She broke free from the Pandi and pulled us to safety. But then the Pandi captured her again, and we couldn’t help her.”
“You did help her though,” said Demeter, stepping forward. “I mean, your berries did. They woke her up, but not all the way. Do you have any more of those magic seeds?”
Orea shook her head. “I am sorry. We gave Hera the only seed we had.”
“But we do have something else for Artemis. A thank-you gift,” said Telea. She held out her arms, and a long pouch with straps appeared in them. The feathery tops of arrows stuck out from the top of the pouch.
“A quiver with arrows,” said Zeus. “Cool.”
“We wove the quiver from the reeds,” said Carya as Telea gave the gift to Artemis. “And the arrows are made from plants in our forest.”
“Thank you,” said Artemis with a yawn. Then she dropped to the ground. Using the quiver under her head as a pillow, she curled up to sleep.
“Oh dear,” said Carya. “I see why you need more of those berries.”
Apollo pulled Artemis to her feet. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead. Now is not the time for bed!”
Artemis opened her eyes again and yawned. Apollo hung the quiver around her shoulder for her.
“Thank you for all your help,” Zeus told the green girls. “We won’t forget you.”
“And we won’t forget you,” the three nymphs said at the same time. Then they disappeared.
The Olympians continued on through the forest. When they emerged on the other side, the sun was low in the sky. Beautiful red and orange streaks spread across the horizon.
“We should find someplace to sleep for the night,” said Athena.
“I’m sure Artemis would like that,” Poseidon joked.
“I’ll find a safe place,” Hera said, placing the feather on her palm. “Feather, go see if there are Cronies we must fight, or if it’s okay to go to sleep for the night!”
“Your rhymes are getting better,” Apollo remarked as the feather floated away. They exchanged smiles.
Suddenly, a hazy mist materialized before them. A dark-haired woman appeared in it. She took off her glasses and wiped them off on her long white robe.
“Pythia!” Zeus cried.
CHAPTER TEN
Silver and Gold
Pythia put her glasses back on and sent Zeus and the others a fond smile.
“Welcome, Artemis!” she cried. “Now there are ten of you. How wonderful.”
Artemis yawned.
“Oh dear,” said Pythia. “Are you tired?”
“Crius gave her a potion that put her in a deep sleep,” Zeus explained. “She took some berries as a cure, but we think she needs more.”
Pythia squinted through her glasses. “My vision is hazy, but I believe she will be fully awake soon,” she said. “I see she has a quiver. But she will need some magical silver arrows to fill it. And a gold bow so she can shoot those arrows.”
“How is she supposed to get those?” Hera asked.
“You will find them on your next quest,” Pythia replied. “Along with all the ammunition and armor you will need when you face Cronus and his Cronies.”
“Does that mean we will finally battle Cronus himself on our next quest?” Zeus asked.
Pythia shook her head. “No. Not yet. You must find more Olympians first.”
“More? How many are left?” Zeus asked.
“My spectacles are foggy. I am not sure,” said Pythia, wiping off her glasses again. “But if you travel to the Island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea, you will find another of your number.”
“Can you tell us about the monsters we’re sure to face?” Hera asked.
“Still too foggy,” Pythia replied. “You should be on the lookout for silver lines and gold dolls!”
“Silver lines and gold dolls?” Zeus repeated. “That can’t be r—” But before he could question Pythia further, the mist faded before everyone’s eyes.
Hades laughed. “Ooh! Beware the gold dolls!” he said in a spooky voice.
Athena wiggled her fingers, trying to look scary. “And beware the silver lines!” Everyone laughed.
Zeus frowned. “That’s funny, but I actually do wish we knew what we were going to be up against,” he said. “What if it’s some super terrible creature?”
“With long fangs,” said Poseidon.
“And claws like knives,” said Ares.
“And a spiked tail,” added Athena.
“And a fire-breathing mouth!” said Hades.
“Seven fire-breathing mouths!” corrected Hestia.
Then they all cracked up.
“I hope you’ll still be laughing when that monster really attacks,” said Zeus.
Hera nudged him. “Oh come on, Zeus. When did you get so serious?”
Maybe when I realized that Cronus, our father, wants to destroy us, Zeus thought. But he didn’t say it out loud. Everyone else looked so happy.
At that moment, Hera’s feather flew back into her hand. She looked into the eye shape on the feather. Her smile faded quickly.
“Cronies!” she exclaimed. “About a dozen of them.”
“Are they close?” Zeus asked worriedly.
The sound of thundering boots answered his question. And not only were the stamping boots loud, they made the earth shake. The Olympians were bounced around on it like they were on some kind of huge, weird trampoline!
“Let me guess,” said Poseidon when he caught his balance for a second. “We should run?” Suddenly, he was knocked off his feet again as the sound of boots got closer and closer.
“Run? Are you kidding? All I can do is bounce!” Zeus yelled. Every time he tried to move, another stomping boom made him topple over. The other Olympians were having a hard time staying upright too. If there hadn’t been a bunch of Cronies on the way, it would almost be funny. But it wasn’t. It was the opposite of funny!
As Zeus looked over at his friends bopping all over the place, he wondered what lay ahead for them all. What would the next battle bring for him? He hoped he could control his anger, be a good leader, and continue to make his mom proud. But he had to get back on his feet first!
Whoa! Those feet flew out from under him and he went flying. Here we go again! he thought as he crashed to the ground.
Joan Holub has authored and/or illustrated over 140 children’s books, including the New York Times bestselling picture book Mighty Dads (illustrated by James Dean) and Little Red Writing (illustrated by Melissa Sweet). She lives in North Carolina and at www.joanholub.com.
Suzanne Williams is the author of over fifty books for children, including the award-winning picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg). She lives outside Seattle, Washington, and is online at www.suzanne-williams.com.
Together, Joan and Suzanne write the Goddess Girls, Heroes in Training, and Grimmtastic Girls series.
ALADDIN
SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK
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DON’T MISS THE OTHER ADVENTURES IN THE HEROES IN TRAINING SERIES!
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom
Poseidon and the Sea of Fury
Hades and the Helm of Darkness
Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire
Typhon and the Winds of Destruction
Apollo and the Battle of the Birds
Ares and the Spear of Fear
Cronus and the Threads of Dread
COMING SOON:
Hephaestus and the Island of Terror
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 authors’ imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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First Aladdin paperback edition April 2015
Text copyright © 2015 by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Craig Phillips
Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.
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Cover designed by Karin Paprocki
Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia
The text of this book was set in Adobe Garamond Pro.
Library of Congress Control Number 2015932178
ISBN 978-1-4814-3507-9 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-3506-2 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-3508-6 (eBook)