Nyx the Mysterious

by Joan Holub

  “Sure, why not?” said Athena.

  As soon as Nyx opened the door to their cage, her birds flew out. While they flitted up and down the hall, Nyx took the sack of seed she’d brought, out of her bag. She showed the girls how to hold some seed in their upturned palms, and they giggled with delight when Hypnos and Thanatos flew down to perch on their hands and eat.

  The girls were in the midst of feeding the birds when suddenly, without warning, the hall door opened and Artemis’s three dogs ran into the hallway. Because boys weren’t allowed in the girls’ dorm, Apollo had dropped them off without coming inside himself. He probably figured Artemis or one of the other girls living here would put the dogs in Artemis’s room. Which normally would have been the case. Except the dogs spotted the birds right away. Before anyone could corral them, pandemonium broke out.

  The birds squawked, dipping and diving, as the dogs chased after them, barking. Afraid the birds would be eaten, the girls screamed and ran after the dogs. “Stop that!” yelled Artemis. “Come back!” yelled Nyx.

  Luckily, the birds could fly much higher than the dogs could jump. Eventually all three dogs were rounded up and Artemis shut them inside her room. Now that the show was over, most of the girls headed to their rooms. Meanwhile, Nyx and Athena coaxed the birds to land on their fingers and then put them back in their cage.

  “Phew. Sorry about that,” Artemis said to Nyx once all was well again.

  “No, I’m sorry,” Nyx insisted. “Down in the Underworld they’re used to playing with Hades’ three-headed dog, Cerberus. He looks scary, but he’s really very gentle. And much less rambunctious than your dogs, which is why I guess my birds were so afraid. I’ll keep them in their cage from now on.”

  All at once a big yawn came over her. “Excuse me,” she said when she’d managed to close her mouth again.

  “You must be tired after the long trip here,” Athena said.

  Nyx nodded. “Plus, I was up all night as usual. I only go to sleep when Eos, goddess of the dawn, takes over to bring morning.”

  “Then you should get to bed!” Athena exclaimed. “Let’s go to Aphrodite’s.” Grabbing Nyx’s bag and cage, she and Artemis pulled Nyx down the hall to a room. Since Athena’s hands were full, she used her foot to knock at the door.

  “Coming!” Aphrodite’s voice called out. When the door opened, the girls all gasped. Because Aphrodite was holding a black-and-white kitten! It leaped from her arms toward the birds as soon as it saw them. Thinking fast, Athena held their cage higher. The cat missed it and dropped to the ground, landing on all fours.

  “What’s Adonis doing here?” Athena asked as Aphrodite swept the cat into her arms again. “I thought Persephone had him this week.”

  Aphrodite stayed in the hall but gently shut Adonis inside her room. “Persephone’s mom decided to paint a few rooms in their house this week. So I’m keeping him out of harm’s way and from possibly making a mess!”

  “Rats,” said Athena. “We were hoping Nyx could stay with you this week since you’ve got an extra bed. But she needs a place that’s safe for her parakeets.”

  “Hmm,” said Artemis. “Maybe Nyx could sleep in my room after all.” She looked at Nyx. “I doubt my dogs would bother your birds if we put their cage someplace high. Want to try it and see?”

  Nyx brightened. “Sounds like a plan.”

  They all trooped one door down. While Artemis held on to her dogs in her room, Nyx brought her birds in and placed their cage on a high shelf above a desk. She guessed it must be Artemis’s “spare” one since the only thing on top of it was a half-dead plant. “Pretty,” Nyx commented, stroking a withered leaf.

  “Ha!” said Artemis. “Nice joke. Persephone gave me that plant, but I can’t keep anything alive.”

  “Oh,” said Nyx. She hadn’t been joking, though. She really did like the droopy plant. It reminded her of the plants around her home in Tartarus. Except for asphodel, hardly any vegetation lasted for long in the Underworld!

  Athena had followed the other two girls into Artemis’s room. She placed Nyx’s black bag on top of Artemis’s spare bed.

  “Thanks,” Nyx told her. Then she stifled another big yawn.

  “See you guys at dinnertime?” Athena asked, moving past Artemis and her dogs to the door.

  Nyx nodded tiredly. “Uh-huh.”

  After Athena left, Artemis introduced her dogs to Nyx. “The beagle is Amby, Nectar’s my greyhound, and Suez is a bloodhound,” she announced before letting go of them to see what they would do. Though they barked and leaped around at first, they soon calmed down when they realized the birds were out of reach even if they jumped up on the bed.

  And after a few squawks of alarm, Hypnos and Thanatos seemed to figure out that the dogs couldn’t bother them. They settled down to preen their feathers. Their cage was close enough to the window that sun shone through the bars, which was something they really liked. Soon the two parakeets were chirping away cheerfully.

  Nyx gave them more seed and some water while Artemis fed her dogs. “Does your birds’ singing keep you awake?” Artemis asked as her dogs gobbled down their kibble and then lapped up some water from a bowl on the floor.

  “Nuh-uh,” said Nyx. “Just the opposite. Their singing helps me sleep.” She yawned again and then stretched. “Besides, I can cover the cage if I ever want them to quiet down.”

  Artemis laughed. “Maybe Zeus should try something like that with Hebe. Think a little tent over her bed might help her sleep?”

  Nyx laughed with her. “Doubt it.”

  “Listen, I’m going to take my dogs out for another walk so they won’t bother you,” Artemis announced.

  “That’s so nice. Thanks,” said Nyx. She yawned again. “Could you wake me up before dinner? I wouldn’t want to accidentally oversleep. I have to do my job tonight!”

  “You got it!” said Artemis.

  After she and her dogs were gone, Nyx changed into the nightgown she’d brought from home and climbed into bed. It smelled like dog, and she supposed that Artemis’s dogs slept there most nights. Luckily strong smells didn’t bother her. There were many strong smells in the Underworld, including sulfur, which smelled a bit like rotten eggs, actually.

  Though not everyone at MOA had been welcoming, she was glad to be here. She hoped she’d be allowed to “shadow” Artemis and Athena in their classes during the week—their afternoon classes, anyway. She’d have to miss the morning ones in order to get at least some rest after performing her nightly job.

  Closing her eyes, Nyx pulled the covers over her head since this bed didn’t have heavy curtains around it to block out the light of day. The bed was comfy, though, and within minutes her parakeets’ singing lulled her to sleep.

  5

  Reaching for the Stars

  THAT EVENING, NYX WOKE UP with a start when something leaped onto her bed and stuck its nose in her face. “Down, Nectar!” Artemis scolded her greyhound.

  “It’s fine,” said Nyx, sitting up. “After all, I’ve invaded their space!” As if they sensed her meaning, the other two dogs jumped up on her bed too. Amby the beagle rolled over on his back so Nyx could scratch his belly, while Suez the bloodhound curled up at the end of the bed.

  “What time is it?” asked Nyx.

  “Dinnertime!” Artemis went to the window. “Or about six fifteen, according to the sundial below.”

  “Yikes. I’d better get a move on!” After gently pushing the dogs aside, Nyx leaped from the bed. “I need to start the sun setting in just forty-five more minutes,” she explained as she rummaged in her bag for one of the clean black chitons she’d packed. She quickly changed into one and then covered the birds’ cage so they would sleep while she was gone. Then she dug in her bag again for her folded sandwich-size cape as well as a couple of Hotter than Hades spicy nut bars for snacks later on. After tucking all into the pockets of her chiton, she announced, “I’m ready.”

  While waiting for Nyx to get dressed, Artemis had sat a
t her desk and filed the tips of some arrows. Now she put the arrows back in her quiver and stood. “Great! Let’s go eat!” Amby, Nectar, and Suez followed the girls out the door.

  There were fewer stares than at lunchtime as Nyx walked into the cafeteria with Artemis and the dogs. Did this mean that some students at least were getting more used to her? She hoped so. She and Artemis got their food quickly. Aphrodite and Athena were waiting for them at their table, but Persephone had apparently gone home to help her mom paint.

  Athena motioned for Nyx to sit beside her. “Did you sleep okay?” she asked politely.

  “Yes, thanks,” said Nyx as she set down her tray and took a seat. In a hurry to eat and be off, she quickly dug into the plate of pasta the eight-handed lunch lady had given her. Though it could have been spicier to suit her taste, it was still delicious. She shoveled it down while the other girls chatted about this and that.

  All at once, Aphrodite, who was sitting opposite Nyx, leaned across the table. “I guess you don’t get nectaroni and cheese down in the Underworld, huh?”

  Nyx looked up from her plate. “Whah?”

  “It’s just that you’re eating kind of fast, and Persephone told us once that food there is mostly toasted asphodel roots, so . . .” Aphrodite was making an “ick” face.

  Here was another chance to educate. Nyx set down her fork, saying, “That’s what shades eat. I tried them once. They’re actually not bad.” She paused a moment, then grinned. “Nectaroni is way better, though. Definitely. And Ms. Okto’s Underworld stew is to die for in my humble opinion.” She rose with her tray. “Wish I could stay longer to chat, but duty calls.”

  Artemis stood too. “Wait up. I want to see your horse and chariot.” Leaving her half-eaten plate of nectaroni on the table, she added to Aphrodite and Athena, “Back in a few.”

  “Leave your tray,” Athena told Nyx, after nodding to Artemis. “We’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks,” said Nyx. “Later, then.”

  With the dogs at their heels, Nyx and Artemis sped outside to the courtyard. So as not to draw unwanted attention from the students lounging around on benches, Nyx said, “Why don’t you show me the stables? I’ll call my horse when we get there.”

  Once at the MOA stables, Nyx snapped her fingers and Erebus instantly appeared in a swirl of silver glitter, already magically harnessed to her chariot. Artemis looked delighted and began petting the horse’s muzzle. Before Nyx could climb aboard, the girls heard the flapping of wings overhead.

  “There’s Zeus!” said Artemis, pointing. “Coming back from somewhere on his horse, Pegasus.” Stretching out its mighty golden wings, the flying white horse glided down for a landing a short distance away.

  While Nyx was marveling at the beauty of the powerful winged horse, she heard crying. Zeus had a baby strapped to his chest, cuddled in some kind of comfy-looking cloth carrier. He dismounted and gazed at the infant in consternation as he led Pegasus toward the stable. “Hey, little Heebie Weebie. Why is it you fall asleep the minute we fly off on Pegasus, but the instant we land you wake up and cry? What is it you want?”

  Despite her pink-faced wailing, Hebe was very cute, Nyx noted. She had bright blue eyes the same color as Zeus’s, and her little face was framed by strawberry blond curls.

  “I know!” Suddenly Zeus’s eyes lit with an idea and he launched into singing a lullaby off-key.

  “Rock-a-bye, Heebee

  In the treetops . . .”

  Artemis and Nyx dared to hold their ears since he wasn’t looking their way. But amazingly, Hebe seemed to appreciate his singing. She immediately stopped crying and began to gurgle happily. For about two seconds. Then the wailing commenced again.

  Zeus sighed. “You used to like my singing.”

  Nyx found it hard to believe that could possibly be true!

  “Hi, Principal Zeus,” Artemis called out when he came even with them. She had to practically shout to be heard over Hebe’s wails.

  “Hello, girls,” Zeus replied.

  Nyx cringed at the wary look he gave her as he opened Pegasus’s stall door. Though she really needed to be off in her chariot, she decided to take a stab at getting him to see her as helpful rather than as someone to fear. When the baby took a breath between wails, she said quickly, “It must be rough when she cries like that.”

  Zeus gave her a small, tired smile as Pegasus calmly trotted inside his stall. “I don’t know why she’s so fussy. Seems like she cries at the least little thing. Makes Hera and me fussy too,” he admitted. Then he yawned big. “We’d probably all feel better if we were getting more sleep.”

  Without thinking, Nyx blurted, “Maybe you’d like to borrow my parakeets for a few days? Their singing helps me sleep. Might help Hebe, too.”

  “Really?” Zeus perked up at the offer. “I’ve got allergies to some pets—cats, for instance. Not sure about birds, but at this point I’ll try anything. I’ll talk to Hera and have her get back to you.”

  While Zeus and Nyx had been talking, Artemis had taken it upon herself to feed and water Pegasus. “Much appreciated,” Zeus told her when she came out of the horse’s stall. After bidding the girls a good night, he strode off to the Academy with the still-wailing Hebe.

  “Poor Zeus,” said Artemis. “I guess it isn’t easy being the parent of a new baby, even if you are King of the Gods.”

  “Guess not,” Nyx agreed. Hebe’s fussiness had given her an opportunity, though. If she could help him out, Zeus’s attitude toward her was sure to become more positive. And she’d be able to manage without her birds for a few days. She climbed into her chariot. “See you sometime tomorrow,” she called to Artemis as she pulled her cape from her pocket. When she shook out the starry black cape, it began to expand immediately, even as she fastened its golden star-and-chain clasp around her neck.

  “Cool cape!” Artemis said admiringly. With a wave, she was off to the MOA cafeteria again.

  “Onward and upward!” Nyx shouted to her magical horse. Then they soared away to darken the world and bring an end to the day’s labors for immortals and mortals alike.

  Far off in the west Nyx glimpsed the chariot of Helios the sun god. By now he would be almost to the land of the Hesperides, his westernmost destination. As his chariot sank lower in the sky, and Nyx’s rose higher, the colors of the sunset appeared. Within the hour, Helios would descend into a golden cup that would carry him back to his palace in the East.

  As Nyx’s cape unfurled behind her, the deep yellow, orange, and red of the sunset darkened to violet and midnight blue and, finally, black. Nyx loved how the quiet settled over the world as nighttime took hold. Spotting some bats, she swooped low. “Hi, Squeaky. Hi, Flappy. Hi, Nightwing,” she called out as they flitted around her chariot. She liked giving them names even though she couldn’t really tell them apart.

  As stars shook loose from her cape, they spread out hither and thither to their usual positions high in the sky. Her favorites were the Hyades, who had once been a sisterhood of nymphs. Every night they whispered their story to her, and though the story was mostly sad, they seemed content with their lot as stars. By now, of course, Nyx knew their tale by heart. Still, she never tired hearing of how, when the Hyades’ brother, Hyas, was killed by a lion in a hunting accident, the sisters wept their grief until they were eventually changed into a cluster of stars.

  Eventually, the time came for night to end. Nyx unfastened the golden star-and-chain clasp around her neck. With both hands she began to reel in her rapidly shrinking cape. As she was doing this, Eos appeared in her saffron robe to take over and bring forth the dawn. For a moment their eyes met. Again, Nyx had a feeling that Eos wanted to speak. Did she want to be friends? Or was there some problem?

  Suddenly, Nyx felt an awkward jerk on her cape. Her head whipped around. Oh no! One corner of the cape had drifted toward the ground and gotten tangled in a tall tree while her attention wandered! With all her might, she fought to free the cape, carefully pulling with one arm,
then the other. If she tugged too hard her cape might rip!

  Her heart was pounding and her muscles aching by the time her cape was free of the tree. By then Eos had moved off and the moment between them was lost. The sky brightened as Nyx finished folding up her cape and tiredly turned her chariot back to MOA. It was Monday morning.

  After guiding Erebus in for a landing at the stable, Nyx climbed down from her chariot and gave him a hug. Then she looked him in the eye and snapped her fingers. As always, he and the chariot promptly disappeared in a glittery cloud. Pegasus’s stall was empty, she noticed. So, even as early as it was, Zeus was probably already out and about on important business. Or maybe he had gone for another ride with Hebe, trying to calm her.

  Nyx hurried to the Academy and upstairs to Artemis’s room. She couldn’t help noticing that the early risers she met along the way (who were presumably headed to breakfast before classes began), gave her a wide berth as they passed. Including some of the very same girls who had been so interested in her birds yesterday! What was up with that? For some reason, they looked as tired as she felt. Had they been up all night studying or something?

  Artemis was already dressed and fixing her hair when Nyx slipped inside the room. Amby, Nectar, and Suez were all on top of Nyx’s bed. Though they raised their heads briefly and wagged their tails, they didn’t jump down. Too comfy to move, Nyx guessed.

  “Did you sleep okay while I was gone?” she asked Artemis.

  “Not really,” she replied as she swept her glossy black hair into a cute, simple twist high at the back of her head and then encircled it with a golden band.

  “Oh?” Nyx tossed her sandwich-size cape into her bag and began to change into her black cotton nightgown.

  “Nightmare,” Artemis answered, giving no details. She whistled her dogs off Nyx’s bed. “I’ll walk them, and then they can go to breakfast and classes with me so you can rest in peace.”

  “Thanks.” Resting in peace was a familiar phrase in the Underworld and it sounded super good to Nyx right now. “I’m sure I’ll be up by lunch,” she said as she climbed into bed. “I’d like to sit in on an afternoon class or two if that would be okay.”