“It shall be done,” proclaimed Zeus, handing him a small gold trophy. Beaming, Poseidon left the stage, waving his trophy high in triumph. The crowd cheered wildly. Especially the girls.
Then Zeus turned to Athena. “And you? What prize would you like?”
Athena already knew what she wanted most. “I was wondering if . . .” She crossed her fingers for luck behind her back before continuing. “I was wondering–could my friend Pallas from Earth come visit?” she finished, the words tumbling out.
“A mortal?” Zeus’s black eyebrows lifted doubtfully. “Is she gifted in some way?”
“Sort of. She’s a good friend–a gift to me. It’s just a visit. Pleeease?” Athena pleaded, hoping as hard as she could.
After a long minute and intense discussion with the fly in his head, Zeus said, “Okay, why not?”
Muscles bulged in his arm as he pointed a finger toward an empty spot in the center of the stage. “In the name of Zeus, let it be done!”
Zap! A bolt of lightning shot from his fingertips. When the smoke cleared, Pallas stood there on the stage between them.
Her dark, wavy hair was sticking out in all directions, and she was wearing her pajamas. Not only had Zeus transported her to Mount Olympus–it looked like he had gotten her out of bed!
Yawning, Pallas glanced around as if she thought she must be dreaming.
“Ye gods! I didn’t mean now,” Athena told Zeus. “She’s not even dressed.”
Pallas scratched her elbow, then stretched, yawning again.
“Should I send her back?” Zeus asked, looking confused.
“No!” Athena rolled her eyes. Honestly, parents just didn’t get it sometimes.
“Sorry about the pj’s, Pal,” Athena told her friend.
“Am I really on Mount Olympus?” Pallas asked, beginning to look more excited. And more awake. She reached out and touched Athena’s arm. “Is that really you, Athena, or am I dreaming?”
Athena grinned, squeezing her hand. “It’s me, and yes, this is really Mount Olympus. If Zeus sends a message to your parents, can you stay for the weekend?”
“Are you serious? Yes!” shouted Pallas. She and Athena hugged and began jumping around the stage together in a little circle.
“Thanks, Dad,” Athena told Zeus. She was so happy, she hugged him, too, but quickly let go when she got zapped.
Zeus grinned, noisily chomping another olive. “Anything for my Theeny.” Giving her a huge smile and grabbing a jar of olives under one muscle-bound arm, he leaped off the stage and headed back in the direction of his office.
“I wonder what I should do with this,” Athena said, looking at the huge statue he’d left her with. She still couldn’t figure out what kind of bird it was supposed to be.
“I’ll take care of it,” Aphrodite called from where she was standing with the other goddessgirls in front of the stage. Summoning the four nearest godboys she saw, she smiled at them and asked, “Would you mind taking this to the trophy case? I’d really appreciate it.”
They practically fell over themselves rushing onstage to impress the prettiest goddessgirl in school, then huffed and puffed Athena’s trophy off through the gym toward the trophy room.
“Thanks, Aphrodite,” said Athena.
“Aphrodite?” Pallas echoed, gazing at her in awe.
“Come meet my new goddessgirl friends,” Athena said, pulling her old pal down to the gym floor to meet the others. “Hey, everyone, this is Pallas, my friend from Earth.”
As the girls introduced themselves, Pandora ran up. “Guess what?” she said after she’d been introduced too. “I made the flag team, and you all made the GG Squad! The list was just posted on the bulletin board!”
“Woo-hoo!” shouted Artemis.
“Wooooo,” howled her dogs.
“Let’s go celebrate!” said Persephone.
“What about Medusa?” asked Athena as they started out of the gym. She didn’t miss her one bit, but she wasn’t sure if they should just leave her as she was.
Aphrodite grinned. “Later.”
“Yeah, she’s not going anywhere,” added Artemis.
“Why spoil the celebration?” said Pandora.
Athena smiled. “Well, then, let’s go!”
“Who’s Medusa?” asked Pallas as they started to walk again. She was looking a little dizzy and overwhelmed. “I’ve never heard of a goddess with that name.”
“C’mon. We’ll fill you in,” said Athena, linking arms with her. “It’s been a busy week. I can hardly wait to tell you everything!”
“Wow! I can’t believe I get to hang around with goddesses for a whole weekend! And–” Suddenly Pallas stopped in her tracks. “Oh. My. Godness!” she said in a faint voice. She lifted a shaking finger toward the Water Waves exhibit they were passing. “Is th-that–Poseidon?”
Seeing her interest, Poseidon shot her a gleaming smile and winked.
Pallas blushed.
“Another one bites the dust,” murmured Artemis.
Athena hid a smile. “I’ll introduce him to you later, if you’d like,” she said. “But maybe you’d better change your clothes first.”
“Ye gods!” Pallas exclaimed, her face turning red. “I forgot I was still wearing pj’s!”
“Don’t worry,” said Aphrodite. “I’ve got something that would look great on you.”
As the girls headed off for the dorm, Athena thought how happy she was to be with her old friend Pallas and her new friends, Aphrodite, Persephone, Artemis, and Pandora. When it came right down to it, the students at MOA weren’t so very different from those on Earth. While most were nice, Medusa and her sisters were just like some of the queen bees at her old school.
“The academy is so beautiful,” said Pallas, gaping at the paintings and statues when they entered the school building.
“It is, isn’t it?” said Athena, hearing the pride in her own voice.
Pallas leaned close, so only Athena would hear. “So you’re happy here? You fit in?”
“Yeah,” Athena assured her. “I am. I do.”
It was true, she realized. She did fit in here. Amid girls with snake hair and boys who made squishing sounds when they walked, she was practically normal! And though the past week had been difficult, having good friends had made things easier, and her studies interested her way more than those at Triton Junior High ever had. Not that her problems were over, of course. She’d need her new friends to help guide her in her schoolwork and in the rules of being a goddessgirl. But she was looking forward to the challenges ahead. And to getting to know Zeus and her mom better too.
“Yeah, I have a feeling I’m going to be very happy at Mount Olympus Academy,” said Athena. Smiling, she tugged Pallas toward the stairs. “C’mon. I can hardly wait to show you around!”
A LYREBELL PINGED, SIGNALING THE END OF another Monday at Mount Olympus Academy. Persephone crammed the textscroll she’d been reading into her scrollbag and got up to leave the library. As she joined the throng of godboys and goddessgirls streaming into the hallway, a herald appeared on the balcony above them. “The twenty-third day of the school year is now at an end,” he announced in a loud, important voice. Then he struck his lyrebell again with a little hammer.
A brown-haired goddessgirl carrying so many scrolls she could barely see over the top of them fell into step beside Persephone. “Ye gods. That means one hundred seventeen days to go!”
“Hi, Athena.” Persephone pointed to the pile of scrolls. “Some light reading?” she joked.
“Research,” said Athena. She was the brainiest of Persephone’s friends, and also the youngest, though they were all in the same grade.
The two goddessgirls continued past a golden fountain. Persephone’s eyes flickered over a painting on the wall beyond it, showing Helios, the sun god, mounting to the sky in his horse-drawn carriage. The academy was filled with paintings celebrating the exploits of the gods and goddesses. They were so inspiring!
“Hey, you g
uys, wait up!” called a goddessgirl in a pale blue chiton–the flowing gown that was all the rage among goddesses and mortal Greek women right now. Aphrodite, the most gorgeous of Persephone’s friends, raced toward the two girls across gleaming marble tiles. Her long golden hair, held in place by seashell clips, streamed behind her as she dodged past a godboy who was part goat. He bleated, but when he saw who it was, he stared after her with an admiring, doe-eyed look.
“I’m going to the Immortal Marketplace this afternoon,” Aphrodite said breathlessly. “Artemis was supposed to go with me, but she’s got archery prac-tice. Want to come?”
Athena sagged under her load of scrolls. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve got so much work to do.”
“It can wait,” said Aphrodite. “Don’t you want to go shopping?”
“Well,” said Athena, “I could use some new knitting supplies.” Athena was always knitting something. Her last project was a striped woolen cap. She’d made it for Mr. Cyclops, the Hero-ology teacher, to cover his bald head.
“You’ll come too, right, Persephone?” Aphrodite asked.
Persephone hesitated. She didn’t really want to go to the mall, but she was afraid of hurting Aphrodite’s feelings. Too bad she didn’t have a good excuse like Artemis. But except for cheering with the Goddess Squad, Persephone wasn’t much into sports. “I . . . uh . . . I’d love to go,” she said at last. Her mom would have been proud. She was always telling Persephone to be polite and “go along to get along.”
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
CONTENTS
THE LETTER
FIRST DAY
HERO-OLOGY
DEAR OL’ DAD
YAMBROSIA
ROOMIE
DROWNING
THREE CHEERS
MISSING
DOOHICKEYS
ATHENA THE BRAIN Page 7
