by Joan Holub
“Easier said than done,” said Pallas, her smile wobbling a little. Not wanting him to think her ungrateful, she added quickly, “Thanks for everything, Achilles.” Then she turned away from her friends and let them retake their seats in the audience.
She and Athena went to stand on either side of the herald, center stage. In a brief ceremony both girls’ swords were bespelled to prevent harm. Afterward, Artemis came onstage. She presented the herald with the helmet and then left again.
The herald showed the audience that the helmet now held only two scrolls tied with matching baby-blue ribbons. “Both scrolls display the name of the same battle—the Trojan War. It remains only to see which competitor will play which character.”
He turned to Pallas and Athena and offered them the helmet. They reached inside it at the same time and drew out the scrolls that would decide their assigned roles in this, the final bout.
Athena unrolled her scroll first. Surprise flickered over her face. “I am to play the role of the Greek, Achilles!” she announced as Pallas unrolled hers.
“And I am to be the Trojan, Hector!” Pallas shouted. As the crowd cheered, she slid her eyes toward Achilles and gulped. What a huge coincidence that he would be one of the characters in this final bout! Still, they both knew how the original battle between these two had ended. Hector had lost and Achilles had won. Would history repeat itself?
Suddenly her confidence took a dive and doubt crept in. Back in Triton she and Athena had been fairly equal at wielding a blade. But what if Athena had only been going easy on her then, just to be nice? And how much had Athena been practicing since they’d last sparred?
As the enthusiastic whoops and clapping continued, Pallas watched Athena look over one shoulder at her fans. Of course Artemis, Aphrodite, and Persephone were cheering for her. Pallas didn’t take it personally. They were Athena’s best friends at MOA, after all.
Pallas looked over at her supporters one last time. Eurynome, Achilles, and Agamemnon punched their fists in the air. She smiled at them and took a deep, calming breath. This battle didn’t have to turn out the way the original one had, she reminded herself. The outcome depended solely on how she and Athena played. It was up to her to do her best, win or lose.
She didn’t really want to win if it meant there was a chance she would lose a friend, but what choice did she have? Athena wouldn’t want Pallas to let her win on purpose, same as Pallas wouldn’t want Athena to do that for her. She hoped for a fair victory. There was no guarantee that her dad’s sword could or would be repaired, so she really needed to win a new one to replace it!
Just before the competition began, the herald told the audience one last thing. “This final bout will be decided a little differently from all previous bouts. You, the audience, will decide the winner this time. Display a thumbs-up for the winner you choose and a thumbs-down for the loser.”
This brought huge applause. Over the sound, the herald went on, almost shouting to be heard, “Now, without further ado, let the battle begin!”
Athena and Pallas saluted each other with their swords. “On guard!”
11
Sportsmanship
Athena
ATHENA HAD KNOWN THERE WAS a good possibility that she and Pallas would wind up pitted against each other in this final epic battle, but she’d hoped with all her might that it wouldn’t happen. Just when they’d begun feeling close again like they had in Triton, now they were called upon to fight. But fight she would. Zeus was in the audience, and she wanted him to be mega-proud of her!
Once their bout began, she noticed that Pallas was a bit cautious in her parries and thrusts. Was she cutting Athena some slack because of their friendship? Athena hoped not. She wanted to win, but only in a fair-and-square contest. Pallas was talented. They’d been equally matched when they’d sparred back in Triton.
Athena’s blade whooshed through the air, sometimes missing its target, but most often making contact with Pallas’s sword in a loud Clang! “Good work,” Pallas would compliment now and then. “Nice swing,” Athena would say. They clashed over and over, each intent on scoring points.
Her own advantage as a goddessgirl was tempered by her rusty sword skills, making this an even match between her and Pallas. It was obvious that her childhood friend had been practicing regularly and learning new moves. Not only was she in the Cheer Blades, but rumor had it that Achilles—Athena’s character in this battle, no less!—had been coaching Pallas. She was keeping Athena on her toes for sure!
As the competition went on, Athena sensed that Pallas’s confidence was growing stronger. Her friend was obviously every bit as determined to win as Athena herself was. As Pallas lunged and swung her blade at Athena’s chest, Athena really wished she had her lucky aegis to wear along with her armor. The aegis that Zeus had remembered to bring but then misplaced!
Athena parried, using one of the nine positions she’d been taught to protect the various parts of her body. Seeing an opening at last, she swung hard at Pallas.
Pallas parried, avoiding the blow. Then she pivoted her elbow, thrusting her blade with extra oomph toward Athena. But Athena saw it coming. Stepping back, she dodged the swinging blade and deflected it with her own.
On and on the bout went. Cheers and whoops sounded from the crowd now and then, as well as gasps whenever a hit was made. Trouble was, Athena and Pallas both knew each other’s styles and moves. Neither got in very many good blows.
Suddenly Zeus’s booming voice rang out from the audience. “Booooo, Pallas-Hector!” he called, shouting at Pallas from the stands. “Beat her, Athena-Achilles! Crush her like a bug!”
Finally her dad was paying attention to her again! Maybe Athena should’ve been pleased, but she wasn’t. Because he was displaying really bad sportsmanship. He was the King of the Gods and shouldn’t take sides. Or boo her competitors. Especially not Pallas!
From the corner of her eye she noticed him jumping up and down excitedly like the child he seemed to have become lately. And he was waving something over his head. Her aegis! He’d found it after all!
12
New
Pallas
BOOOOO, PALLAS-HECTOR!” ZEUS SHOUTED AT Pallas from the stands. “Beat her, Athena-Achilles! Crush her like a bug!” he yelled.
Pallas didn’t have time to dwell on Zeus’s unsporting behavior. She was fighting the biggest battle of her life. And it was against her BFF!
However, Zeus was hard to ignore. Especially since he was so loud! Whenever Pallas scored a point, he acted like a big bratty baby. “No fair. I want Theeny to win!” he’d say. Or “Pallas is cheating!”
Pallas could hardly believe what a bad sport he was being! Apparently Zeus had found Athena’s aegis, because he was waving it around overhead now as he cheered Athena on.
Fortunately for Pallas, according to the rules, armor could not be changed mid-bout, so that aegis Athena considered so lucky wasn’t going to help her.
She and Athena performed many leaps and flourishes, using their blades magnificently. Part of the contest was to put on a good show, after all. As the herald had said, the crowd would decide who would win. And each of them wanted that crucial thumbs-up!
Although both blades had been put under spells to stop them from doing harm, it was still scary to have a sword come flashing toward you. Then, suddenly, something else came flying toward the stage from the audience. At first she thought it was a giant bird.
But no, it was Athena’s aegis! Zeus had tossed it. That thing had magic powers, but Athena had only planned to wear it for luck. Still, it wasn’t lucky for Athena that Zeus threw it! Her sword accidentally struck the aegis and got tangled up in it. Somehow, the magic of the aegis interfered with the spell that had been cast on Athena’s blade to render it harmless. As her sword fell, it whacked Pallas’s shoulder—hard.
“Ow!” yelled Pallas. The blow dropped her to the marble floor. To get out of harm’s way, she purposely rolled toward the edge of the stage. Achilles
rushed from his seat in the audience to make sure she was okay.
Meanwhile, up in the stands, Coach Triathlon had sneaked over to Professor Ladon, looking for some payback for the sandcastle incident. He reached over and pinched Professor Ladon’s tail! The professor let out a blast of dragon breath. “You beassst!” he yelled. This set off an unforeseen chain reaction.
Thinking that a dangerous beast (such as a one-headed, two-armed, three-bodied, four-winged, six-legged Geryon) must have gotten loose in the theater, Apollo jumped up from his seat. In a single fluid movement he drew an arrow to his bow and took aim as he gazed around the theater, searching for the beast—his target.
At the same time, Professor Ladon’s dragon fire happened to lick Zeus’s back. “Yeeowch!” Zeus boomed. He leaped up, bumping into Apollo. Which caused Apollo to accidentally release his arrow just as Achilles leaped onstage, intending to go to Pallas’s aid.
Boing! The arrow flew toward the stage.
“Ow!” yelled Achilles. He fell to his knees and then keeled over onstage in what appeared to be a dead faint.
Pallas, who hadn’t been seriously injured by her fall, sprang to her feet and hurried over to kneel beside him. “Achilles? Achilles!”
Others, including Athena’s goddessgirl friends, gathered onstage around them, murmuring in concern. “What happened?” “Is he okay?” “What’s wrong with him?”
Instantly regretful, Apollo dropped his bow and also ran onto the stage. “Ye gods! I accidentally fired an arrow. I didn’t mean to hit anyone. How bad is it?”
Pallas pointed at Apollo’s arrow. “It struck Achilles’ heel.”
They shook Achilles’ shoulder and yelled his name.
“It’s only a flesh wound,” said Apollo, sounding really worried. “It shouldn’t have knocked him out like this.”
“Think we should pull out the arrow?” asked Artemis. She and Apollo, who had some experience with such injuries, examined Achilles’ heel closely.
“Humph! Achilles is always telling everyone how he’s invincible because his mom dipped him in the River Styx,” scoffed Agamemnon. “Not so much.”
“Hush, you!” Pallas told him.
“Yeah, he’s really hurt!” said Athena. “But Apollo’s right. I don’t get why Achilles isn’t coming to.”
“Oh no!” Pallas said, suddenly guessing what was going on. “I’m sure Achilles was telling the truth that dunking him in the River Styx made him invincible. Most of him. Except where his mom’s hand was holding onto him, though. His heel, I bet!”
“Because her hand would’ve been covering his skin there,” said Athena, getting what Pallas was saying right away. “So his heel is the only place where he can still actually be wounded!”
“I’ll handle this!” boomed Zeus, suddenly appearing onstage. Everyone backed off, letting him come to Achilles’ aid. However, at the sight of blood, Zeus fainted too.
Ares, Poseidon, and Heracles gathered around Zeus, peering at him anxiously. “Suddenly he’s scared of a little wound? What’s wrong with him?” Ares wondered.
“He’s been acting weird all day,” said Heracles.
“I noticed that too. Acting like a little kid. And now a scaredy-cat!” said Poseidon, shaking his head in bewilderment.
Before anyone else could decide what to do next, Apollo gritted his teeth and pulled his arrow out of Achilles’ heel. Everyone gasped. But still Achilles did not wake.
“Somebody get some water so we can see how bad the injury really is when the blood’s been washed away,” suggested Athena.
“I’ll do it.” Pallas flew into action. Spotting Mr. Cyclops’s empty helmet on Artemis’s seat, she leaped from the stage, grabbed it, and ran over to Hebe’s fountain. Bending over its second tier, she scooped water into the helmet like it was a bowl. Then she rushed back to Achilles as fast as she could without spilling any water. Kneeling at his side again, she splashed the water onto his heel.
Gasps split the air, as to everyone’s amazement, the skin around the wound instantly knit itself together, magically healing the injury. In mere seconds, Achilles revived and jumped up. “Wow! I feel great!” he announced, smiling.
Everyone stared at him in disbelief. “You’re okay? Just like that?” asked Pallas.
“Better than okay. My feet feel amazing. I feel like dancing!” Since Agamemnon was standing next to him, Achilles grabbed the surprised boy’s hands and led him around in a little jig.
“Hey, stop it, Dip!” demanded Agamemnon, yanking away. Achilles just laughed, as did the crowd gathered around him.
Athena looked at Pallas. “I wonder . . . does the water in that fountain have . . .”
“. . . healing properties?” Pallas finished for her.
Athena nodded. “And we’ve seen grown-ups drinking from it. Muse Urania for one, remember? Plus I saw Hermes drink from it in my dad’s office last Sunday.”
Having caught on to where Athena’s thinking was heading, Pallas brightened. “So maybe that’s what’s making the grown-ups act weird? The water? Maybe it’s making them sort of . . .”
“Kids again!” she and Athena said at the exact same time.
Persephone’s eyes went wide. “And that’s probably why my mom was ripping up those flowers and acting so giggly?”
“I think so,” said Athena. “Also the reason Ms. Hydra was drawing on the walls when I went into her office last week. She must have drunk from the fountain!”
“And Zeus and Hera and our other teachers too?” asked Artemis. “It would explain how oddball they’ve been behaving.” The students looked around at the grown-ups nearby. Most of them were either jumping up and down in their seats, or making faces at each other, or fighting.
“Hmm.” Athena’s brow furrowed in thought. Suddenly she gasped. “I just realized . . . I mean, I wonder if Hebe’s fountain might be the legendary . . .”
“Fountain of Youth!” Athena and Pallas announced at the same time.
Everyone turned to look at them in surprise. “The what?” asked Aphrodite.
Athena quickly explained. “Back at my old school on Earth, Pallas and I read a scrollbook by the Greek author Herodotus about a mythical Fountain of Youth. It was supposed to be a spring that turns back the clock. Those who are old and drink from it are made . . .”
“. . . new again,” finished Pallas. “Younger, in other words. In both looks and behavior. Which must be exactly what has been going on here.” She and Athena grinned at each other. They’d begun to finish each other’s sentences again, just like in the old days when Athena had lived in Triton.
All at once Pallas noticed a goddessgirl with short, spiky orange hair hovering nearby. Her ear was cocked toward them as she listened in. Athena noticed her too and looked a little worried. But before Athena could speak to her, the goddessgirl was gone with a flutter of her small, glittery orange wings. When Athena saw Pallas looking her way, she silently mouthed the girl’s name: Pheme.
Uh-oh. Pheme was well known to be the goddessgirl of rumor and gossip. Whatever information she had overheard would soon be spread far and wide.
Pallas raised her eyebrows at Athena, silently asking what they should do about it, but Athena shrugged. There was nothing they could do.
“So you’re saying the Fountain of Youth is that fountain?” said Artemis, drawing their attention. “And it’s real, not mythical?”
“But why didn’t its waters make me younger, then?” asked Achilles.
Everyone got quiet, thinking. Naturally, the brainy Athena was the first to come up with a plausible explanation. “Maybe because you didn’t drink the water. It only touched your heel. Which watered down the effects, so to speak.”
Murmurs of “that makes sense” ran through the students gathered onstage. As the others continued discussing the matter, Pallas got a wildly crazy hope-it-works idea. “I wonder what else it could make new.” She ran over to her cross-body bag and pulled out her dad’s ruined sword. Then she went over to the fountain
and dipped the sword’s blade into the bubbling waters falling from the second tier into the third.
Clank! Like magic the sword became straight and powerful again. Like brand new!
Pallas gasped, completely awestruck. She showed everyone the restored sword. “This must be what it looked like when my dad got it. All shiny and perfect.”
Eurynome grinned at the sword, then at Pallas. “He’s going to be so amazed!
“That’s cool that the fountain works on both objects and living things,” said Persephone. “And I’m guessing its effect on your sword will be permanent, since metal doesn’t grow and change like people or plants do.” She frowned. “But let’s hope its effect on the grown-ups is only temporary. Because I want my real mom back.”
Waa! Suddenly Hebe began to cry.
Athena hurried down from the stage and lifted the baby from her stroller. This time Hebe began to calm as soon as she was in her big sister’s arms.
Athena smiled down at her, then up at all her friends. “Hebe says that she and I want our parents back the way they were too!” she announced, which made everyone laugh.
“But exactly how do we get the grown-ups to grow up again?” Aphrodite asked.
“We hide the fountain?” suggested Pallas. “And then hope they start to act more their ages?”
“Yeah, but what if they don’t?” asked Eurynome.
Unfortunately, no one had a good answer for that.
13
Win or Lose
Pallas
SO WHO WON THE BOUT?” someone in the audience called out.
“Good question.” Artemis looked around at the crowd. “What do you say? Who won the final competition?”
In answer, about half of them jerked their thumbs up for Athena and the other half for Pallas, which made it impossible to reach a decision.
