Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire

by Joan Holub

  CHAPTER THREE

  A Trio of Monsters

  It was mega-hot as the boys made their way north, following Chip’s arrow. They tromped down dusty roads and across barren and rocky hills. Everyone they saw was heading in the opposite direction. Away from Olympia.

  The boys had just caught sight of a mountain, when more fireballs blasted from the sky. But this time was different. The fireballs didn’t explode when they hit the ground. Instead they rolled up the road. Right toward the Olympians!

  Poseidon’s eyes bugged out. “Now Hyperion’s bowling his fireballs?”

  “Yeah. And we’re the pins!” Hades exclaimed.

  “Take cover!” yelled Zeus.

  The boys dodged the balls and ran behind some rocks. So did several other travelers, including a young man with a beard.

  Like most people they’d passed, he was carrying a big bundle on his back. Everyone was leaving the hot, dry places where they lived. They hoped to find cooler lands farther away, with water where they could farm and grow gardens again.

  “Are you from Olympia?” Zeus asked the bearded man. “We heard Hyperion was there. We’re looking for him.”

  Boom!

  Just then the fireballs that had chased them exploded a ways down the road. An old woman sitting nearby let out a dry cackle of laughter. “You got a death wish or something?”

  “Um, no,” Poseidon said, looking alarmed, and a little bit chicken.

  “Then if I were you, I’d turn around right now. Go back the way you came,” the bearded man told them. “Fireballs are one thing. You can dodge those. But Hyperion’s mere touch could fry you to a cinder! Nothing good can come from seeking him out.”

  Zeus gulped. “We have to see him, though,” he said bravely. “We’re on a quest.”

  Another fireball came crashing up the road. A gray-haired man dove in next to them, narrowly escaping being mowed down by it.

  “Did you say ‘quest’?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at Zeus. “Who sent you?”

  “The Oracle at Delphi,” Hades told him.

  The old man gave a low laugh. “Pythia? I consulted her once. About buying some pigs. Instead she gave me some crazy advice about planting figs.”

  Zeus nodded. “She makes mistakes like that sometimes.”

  The old man grinned, as if remembering. “Worked out pretty well, though. I had years of excellent fig crops—till Hyperion came.”

  As the fireballs continued to rain down, the group stayed hidden. They shared what little food and drink they had. And they tried to sleep. At sunset the fireballs abruptly stopped. Just like they had the night before.

  Once the moon rose, the boys crept out onto the road. Everyone else did too, all going their separate ways.

  “Word to the wise,” the gray-haired man called to the Olympians. “Beware of the three creatures that guard the entrance to the temple Hyperion is using as his stronghold. Heard they’re a dangerous lot.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” Zeus called back.

  As the three boys moved on, Chip’s arrow glowed green, helping to light their way. It was pointing toward the mountain up ahead. Chip’s map labeled it MOUNT CRONUS.

  But when they reached the base of the mountain, there was a sign there that read: MOUNT KRONOS. The Titan king liked naming things after himself. But he was a horrible speller. Sometimes he even spelled his own name with a K instead of a C and substituted an O for a U.

  “Stealing that flame won’t be easy, you know,” said Poseidon. As they began climbing, he was sounding more and more nervous. “I mean, Hyperion won’t just give it to us.”

  “I know,” Zeus said. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”

  “Think the dangerous creatures that guy told us about are more Creatures of Chaos?” Hades asked.

  He was sounding jittery now too. And with good reason. King Cronus was always unleashing evil creatures on the world. It was like he was hoping to scare everyone into submission.

  “Probably. But we can take them,” Zeus said with more confidence than he felt. He figured it was a leader’s job to encourage others.

  “We’ve already done battle with a huge army of Androphagoi,” he added. “What could be worse than monsters with sharp-toothed mouths smack dab in the middle of their chests?”

  “Those punishment-obsessed Furies we met in the Underworld were pretty harsh too,” said Poseidon.

  “Right,” said Zeus. “So compared to them, how bad could these three new monsters be?”

  His companions paled. “Monsters?” echoed Poseidon.

  “Oops. ‘Creatures,’ I meant,” said Zeus. “Besides, don’t forget we’ve got help. A trident, a helm, and this.” He gave his thunderbolt a pat.

  Hiking up the mountain was easier than it could have been. Because of the drought, there was no snow. Still, it took hours for the boys to reach the top. Once there they could see the city of Olympia in the valley down below.

  “Look! The temple!” said Hades, pointing. Though it was still dark, Zeus was able to make out Doric columns. They surrounded the rectangular structure. Moonlight glinted off the roof’s thin marble tiles.

  As the boys set off for Olympia, they kept a lookout for the trio of dangerous monsters—uh, creatures. But all was quiet. By the time they reached the foothills, dawn was breaking.

  They headed for the temple. They were almost to its steps when something swooped down from the sky to land before them. Its front half was a horse, but its back half was a winged rooster.

  Hades made a sound that was part giggle and part gasp. “What is that?”

  Was this one of the three creatures? wondered Zeus. If so, it didn’t look all that scary.

  “ ’Scuse me,” said Zeus. “You’re in our way.” He started to go around the creature, but it moved to block him.

  The creature stamped the ground with its two front horse hooves. It tossed its mane. “Neigh-a-doodle-do!” it said.

  “Does that mean ‘no’?” Poseidon asked it.

  The creature scratched at the ground with its rooster claws, shook its rooster tail, and flapped its yellow-feathered wings. “Cock-a-doodle-neigh!” it crowed.

  The boys stared. Then they all started to laugh. They couldn’t help it. This was the goofiest-looking creature they’d ever seen!

  “Ha-ha-ha! What in the world are you?” Hades asked it. “A roosterdoodle?”

  “Hee-hee. Or maybe a hooferdoodle? Or a wing-a-ling?” Poseidon asked.

  The creature fixed them with an icy stare. Then it half-trotted and half-strutted toward them. “Whoodle doodle do you think you are?” it said in an annoyed voice. “If you think I look funny, have you tried looking in a mirror?”

  “Whoa!” said Zeus. This caused the creature to come to an immediate halt. It acted as if there were reins around its horse head and Zeus had given them a yank.

  “You can talk,” Zeus said in amazement.

  The odd-looking creature let out a sound that was half horse snort and half rooster squawk. “Of course I can. I’m a Hippalectryon, not a dodo bird.”

  “Hippa-what?” said Poseidon. He grinned at his companions. “Try saying that name three times fast!”

  The boys began giggling again. The only way this monstrous creature was going to harm them was by making them laugh to death, thought Zeus. But their laughter was cut short when the Hippalectryon called for backup.

  “Manticore! Onocentaur!” it whinny-crowed. Immediately two more creatures burst from around the sides of the temple. They stood on either side of the Hippalectryon, looking fierce.

  The Onocentaur was similar to a centaur. Only instead of being half man and half horse, it was half man and half donkey. The Manticore was scarier. It had the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and the head of a man.

  “State your business!” the Manticore ordered the boys. It had three rows of nasty-looking shark-like teeth inside its mouth. And it looked hungry.

  Zeus considered those teeth. He also st
udied the sharp, pointy spines on the creature’s tail. Were they poisonous? Just in case, he decided it might be best not to mess around.

  “We’re here to see Hyperion,” he said in what he hoped was a commanding voice.

  The creatures folded their wings, arms, and paws. They stared at the boys haughtily.

  “And what makes you think that the High One, Lord of Light, Hyperion will want to see three little nothings like you!” brayed the Onocentaur.

  “He’s searching for a certain torch, isn’t he?” Zeus said with a burst of inspiration.

  The eyes of all three creatures went wide. In an instant they surrounded the Olympians. Suddenly they looked far more menacing. The boys didn’t feel like laughing now.

  “Doodle-do you have it?” the Hippalectryon demanded.

  “I didn’t say that,” Zeus replied. He glanced at Poseidon and Hades. They nodded to show that they understood he was trying to trick their way into the temple. “But we might just have some information that—”

  “Tell us what you know!” the Manticore interrupted. Its scorpion tail rattled menacingly. “Or else!”

  “Oh, Manticore, give it a rest,” said the Onocentaur. “Hyperion won’t be happy if we slay them before he finds out the location of the torch.”

  “No, guess not,” the Manticore said, sounding disappointed. “But maybe just one of them?”

  “No! Now move it, boys,” the Onocentaur instructed the Olympians.

  “Unless you doodle-do want to become Manticore’s breakfast,” prodded the Hippalectryon.

  And with that, the monstrous creatures ushered the three boys up the temple steps.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The High One

  Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon soon found themselves inside an enormous room within the temple. In the center of it was a huge marble statue of King Cronus seated astride a rearing horse.

  “Wait here,” the Onocentaur instructed them. Then he and his two companions disappeared into another part of the temple.

  “Let’s get out of here!” wailed Poseidon the minute the three boys were alone.

  “No!” said Zeus. “We have to see Hyperion, remember? And somehow trick him into revealing the location of the flame so we can steal it.”

  “Zeus is right,” Hades agreed.

  To pass the time the boys began circling the statue that dominated the room, studying it. It nearly reached the ceiling of the huge temple. And it was so well sculpted that it almost appeared to be alive.

  Poseidon pointed his trident at the statue’s open mouth. “Cronus looks like he’s shouting commands.”

  “To his army of Cronies, no doubt,” said Zeus.

  “Yeah, probably saying, ‘Death to the Olympians!’ ” Hades shuddered.

  Zeus eyed Poseidon’s trident. “We’d better keep our magical objects hidden. So Hyperion won’t try to take them.”

  “Good idea,” said Poseidon. “Short!” he commanded the trident. Instantly it shrank down to only a foot and a half long. He tucked it under his belt, then arranged the folds of his tunic to cover it.

  Worried that Bolt’s occasional sparking might draw attention, Zeus removed it from its place at his side. After setting Bolt on the temple floor, he took off his belt, then retied it around his waist under his tunic.

  Finally he tucked the bolt under his belt again so the tunic covered both belt and bolt. No way Hyperion would spot it now. At least Zeus hoped not.

  “What should I do with my helm?” asked Hades. “It doesn’t get any smaller.”

  Zeus rolled his eyes. “Do I have to think of everything? Put it on. Then it and you will both be hidden.”

  “Awesome idea!” said Hades. Two seconds later he and his helm went invisible.

  Just in the nick of time too. Because a giant strode into the room right then. He was as tall as the statue of Cronus! And his entire head glowed like a pale sun.

  “Hyperion!” Zeus whispered to his companions, recognizing the Titan instantly.

  That night in the forest, when Zeus had thrown his thunderbolt down the king’s throat, this Titan had saved Cronus from choking. And that’s when the king had barfed up the five Olympians imprisoned in his belly.

  Hyperion’s eyebrows rose when he saw Zeus. “Good to see you again,” he said. Then he smiled warmly. A little too warmly.

  As the room heated up, Zeus began to sweat. Suddenly he wished he could take off his tunic. And jump into a lake. One that was full of ice.

  In his mind Zeus quickly ran over the plan the boys had discussed earlier. It went like this:

  Step one: Trick Hyperion.

  Step two: Find the flame.

  Step three: Escape with it.

  Only now it struck him that the plan might’ve benefitted from a few more in-between steps. And some details about how to accomplish those things.

  Hyperion switched his solar-heated gaze to Poseidon. “Well, if it isn’t one of the barf boys,” he taunted. “Looks like you managed to clean yourself up a little since the last time I saw you.”

  Luckily, Hyperion didn’t seem to know that there were supposed to be three boys in the room. His goofy creature-guards must not have mentioned that fact.

  Hyperion snapped his fingers. A golden throne magically appeared in front of the statue. He sat in it and got down to his evil business. “My guards say you have information about a certain . . . object . . . I’ve been searching for.”

  Zeus gulped. He racked his brain, trying to think of some way to trick Hyperion into telling them where he kept the flame. But before Zeus could get any great ideas, the Titan spoke again.

  “But where are my manners? You boys look tired and hot. Lemonade, anyone?” Hyperion snapped his fingers again. This time a pitcher magically appeared.

  Zeus and Poseidon eyed it thirstily and nodded.

  Hyperion took a long gulp straight from the pitcher. “Ahhh,” he said. “Delicious!”

  The boys leaned forward. They licked their lips.

  “Your turn,” Hyperion said. He reached out as if to hand the pitcher to Zeus. Then he deliberately let it drop to the floor. Thunk!

  “Oops, clumsy me,” he said, laughing as the pitcher fell over on its side. Made of thick ceramic, it didn’t break.

  Before the lemonade could spill out and spread over the floor’s mosaic tiles, Poseidon made a grab for his trident. “Long!” he shouted.

  Zeus watched in horror as the golden trident lengthened. Seemingly unaware of what he’d revealed, Poseidon used his trident to suck up the lemonade. Then he drank thirstily as lemonade sprayed from the trident’s middle prong like a fountain.

  “It’s good,” he told Zeus. “Want some?”

  Zeus groaned.

  Hyperion slowly rose to his feet, his eyes gleaming. “That’s Oceanus’s trident!” he exclaimed. Oceanus was another Titan buddy of his and the king’s. The boys had tangled with him on an earlier quest to a boiling sea.

  Poseidon blinked, realizing his mistake. “No, it’s mine,” he countered, clutching the trident with both hands. “Oceanus stole it from me, but—”

  “Well, it’s mine now!” exclaimed Hyperion. Sparks and cinders flew from him as he reached toward Poseidon. At his fiery touch the golden trident glowed red-hot.

  “Ow!” shouted Poseidon. He dropped the trident like a hot potato. It clanked to the floor as he blew on the palms of his hands to cool them.

  Zeus lunged for the trident. But Hyperion moved faster. He picked up the trident, which looked the size of a fork in his big hands. The instant he grabbed it, it enlarged dramatically. It was now three times as long as Poseidon was tall!

  “This will make a nice addition to the magical object collection I’m putting together for King Cronus,” Hyperion said. His eyes burned into Zeus’s. “Got anything else for me? Like that thunderbolt you had last time we met, perhaps?”

  “Nope. I, um, lost it,” Zeus lied. He could feel it under his tunic and just hoped Hyperion didn’t have solar X-ray vision
.

  “Oh, too bad,” said the Titan. He gave a low, evil laugh.

  Zeus wasn’t sure if Hyperion really believed him. Maybe he was just biding his time. Maybe he thought that if Zeus did have the thunderbolt, he’d get it off him later.

  Regardless, Zeus was having second thoughts about using Bolt to fight the sun-headed Titan. Hyperion’s fiery touch hadn’t melted the trident. But if his power clashed with the thunderbolt’s electric charge, who knew what might happen?

  “King Cronus will be quite pleased I’ve captured this trident for him,” Hyperion said. With a snap of his fingers, a table magically appeared next to his throne. He set the trident on top of it. Then he plopped onto his throne again. “He was none too happy when Oceanus lost it.”

  “He didn’t lose it,” Poseidon argued. “I took it from him.”

  Zeus jumped when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Hades whispered in his ear. “As soon as the trident cools down, I’ll grab it off the table.”

  “Good plan,” Zeus said.

  “What’s a good plan?” Hyperion asked. Apparently Zeus had spoken louder than he’d intended.

  Zeus thought fast. “Um . . . your plan to collect magical objects for King Cronus. I’m sure he’ll be grateful. Maybe he’ll even make you his second in command.”

  Hyperion frowned. “I already am.”

  “Oh,” said Zeus. Here was his chance to find out about the flame. “How amazing! You must be really good at getting things done. So, how many magical objects have you already collected?” he asked in a fake admiring tone.

  “Besides the trident?” Hyperion replied proudly. “Just one so far.”

  “More like one half, actually.” said Poseidon, sounding angry. “A flame without a torch, right?”

  Hyperion leaned forward. His blazing eyes narrowed. “What would you know about that?”

  “Nothing,” Zeus said quickly. “Some villagers mentioned it. Said you need a certain torch to make it work?”

  As he spoke, he noticed the trident move slightly. Hades must be over by the table trying to pick it up.