Athena & the Magic Land

by Joan Holub

  For Alyson Heller, editorial goddess

  —J. H. and S. W.

  Cast of Characters

  Athena (uh•THEE•nuh): A brown-haired girl who travels to magical Mount Olympus

  Oliver (AH•liv•er): Athena’s puppy

  Medusa (meh•DOO•suh): A mean mortal girl with snakes for hair, whose stare can turn mortals to stone

  Wiggle Warts (WIG•uhl WARTZ): Medusa’s pet snake in a game

  Owlies (OWL•eez): Silly talking owls who live in magical Mount Olympus

  Hestia (HESS•tee•uh): A small, winged Greek goddess who helps Athena

  Zeus (ZOOSS): Most powerful of the Greek gods, who lives in Sparkle City and can grant wishes

  Persephone (purr•SEFF•uh•nee): A girl with flowers and leaves growing in her hair and on her dress

  1

  Hello Brick Road!

  Tap. Tap. Athena pushed the buttons on the tablet she held. The school bus came to a stop, and she hopped off. Without looking up from her tablet, she walked down the sidewalk. She lived in a white house on this block, with her mom, dad, and big sister.

  Tap. Tap. Athena pushed more buttons. Happy Perky Pets was the best game ever! Even if she wasn’t very good at it, it was still fun.

  The goal was to get your pet to a happily-ever-after home. The pet she had chosen in the game was a cute little dog. He had white fur and a red collar. She’d named him Oliver. If only he were real!

  Dogs were her very favorite animal. In fact, she had decorated her book bag with shiny dog-shaped stickers. Too bad her mom had said they couldn’t get a real dog till she was older. Athena thought being eight was old enough!

  Athena tapped the game button one more time.

  Boink!

  “Oh no!” A boink sound meant: Oops! Start the game over and try again.

  “Ha! You lose.” Athena looked behind her. It was Medusa. She went to Athena’s school and was never very nice to her. Or to anyone.

  “So?” huffed Athena. She started walking faster. Medusa did too. Their houses were on this same street.

  “You picked a dog for your pet?” Medusa teased. “BOR-ing! I picked a green snake. I named her Wiggle Warts.”

  Athena stared at her in surprise. Eww! She did not like snakes.

  She looked down at her game again. Tap. Tap. Boink! “Uh-oh, not again!” This time, lumpy brown emojis began appearing on the screen.

  Medusa laughed. “Ha! Ha! You made doggie poo!” she said, pointing at the tablet.

  Ugh. Medusa was right.

  “Gotta go!” Athena said, speeding off. Medusa was always trying to embarrass her. That girl was a big meanie!

  “Sorry, Oliver,” Athena told the dog on her screen. “I wish I were better at this game. And we could go on lots of fun adventures. No meanie Medusa allowed.”

  Athena was only a few steps from her house now, but as she spoke, dark purple clouds appeared overhead. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky! Thunder boomed.

  A strong, sparkly wind whipped up and pulled the tablet from her hand. The tablet twirled around in the air like a spinning top, then fell to the grass. Before Athena could pick it up, the strange wind lifted her right off her feet! It blew her high into the sky. Athena whirled head over heels.

  “What’s happening?” Athena yelped.

  Minutes later, the wind stopped. As fast as it had begun, the storm was over. And now Athena started falling! Down, down, down through the clouds she went.

  Thump! She landed sitting in soft grass. Her book bag lay on the grass beside her.

  Athena was okay. Except her shoes were gone. So was her tablet. The wind had whisked them away!

  “Woof! Woof!” Athena looked over to see a cute little white-haired dog. He looked . . . familiar.

  The dog wagged his tail, ran over, and jumped into her lap. Athena read the name tag on his red collar: OLIVER.

  Huh? Her dog from Happy Perky Pets was real?

  She giggled when Oliver licked her cheek. Then he wiggled out of her lap and started barking again. “Woof! Woof!”

  “What are you barking at, silly dog?” she asked. Looking around she saw three round owls sitting on a nearby bush. A yellow one, a pink one, and a blue one. They were staring at her.

  “Whooo are you?” the owls asked.

  Did those owls just talk? A bit alarmed, Athena jumped to her feet.

  “I—I’m Athena,” she replied. “Whooo—I mean, who are you?”

  The owls blinked their big round eyes. “We are the Owlies,” they announced.

  “My name is Yellow Wing,” said the yellow owl.

  “I’m Pink Tail,” said the pink owl.

  “I’m Blue Feather,” said the blue owl. She fluffed her feathers, which made Oliver bark again.

  Athena patted the dog’s head. “Shh! It’s okay. They seem friendly.” The dog licked her fingers. He was sooo cute!

  She watched him trot off to sniff the grass by a tall street sign. “Hello Brick Road?” she said, reading the sign aloud.

  “Hello,” the sign answered.

  Athena’s eyes went wide. Not only did the owls talk, this sign talked too? Where had that wild wind dropped her, anyway?

  This wasn’t her street. Her street was gray and lined with houses. But Hello Brick Road was made of orange, blue, and pink bricks. And there weren’t any houses along it. Only flowers, bushes, and trees.

  “Wow! Where am I?” Athena wondered.

  “In magical Mount Olympus, of course,” replied a sweet voice.

  “Who said that?” Athena whipped around. There was a tiny glowing lady with wings. She was flying right in front of her nose!

  2

  Wiggly Hair

  Athena stared at the tiny flying lady. “Are you a fairy?” she asked with excitement.

  The Owlies hooted with laughter.

  The tiny lady giggled. It made the glow around her sparkle. “I’m not a fairy. I’m a Greek goddess. My name is Hestia,” she said.

  Athena had never met a goddess before. She did not know much about them. Before she could ask Hestia if she was a special kind of goddess, they heard footsteps.

  A girl about Athena’s age came running up the brick road. She was chasing two golden birds that were flying just ahead of her.

  “Come here. Right now!” the girl yelled at the birds.

  Those birds did not listen. They swooped and did loop-the-loops. Then they zoomed straight for Athena!

  “Stop!” Athena tried to scoot out of their way, but she tripped and fell backward. Thonk! She landed with both legs in the air.

  The birds kept coming. They dipped low. And then they slipped themselves onto her bare feet!

  They weren’t birds at all! They were golden sandals. Each with a white wing at the heel.

  Athena stood up fast. Whoosh! The sandals’ golden straps wound up her ankles. They crisscrossed higher and higher. When the straps reached just below her knees, their ends tied themselves together.

  “Give me those sandals. They’re mine!” yelled the girl. Her hair was woven into many fat braids. And it was green.

  Athena knew that voice. And that frowny face.

  “Medusa? Is that you? Did the storm blow you to Mount Olympus too?” Athena asked the girl.

  “What storm? And how do you know my name?” demanded Medusa. Suddenly the green braids on her head began to wiggle. And hiss. And flick their red forked tongues at Athena.

  Athena backed away. “Your braids. They’re snakes!”

  “Cute, right?” said Medusa. She patted the snakes fondly.

  Medusa doesn’t seem to know me, Athena thought. And how did her hair turn into snakes?
>
  Medusa took a step closer. “Who are you? Are you a goddess?”

  “I’m Athena. From school, remember?” Had traveling to this magic land given Medusa snake hair? And made her forget the past?

  Medusa frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now give me those sandals. Or else.”

  “Don’t do it,” Hestia warned.

  “Shoo, you!” Medusa flicked her hands at the tiny goddess. Hestia zipped back and forth, staying out of reach.

  “Those sandals are magic,” Hestia told Athena. “No one knows all they can do. But if Medusa gets them, she might find out. And use their magic to make trouble for Mount Olympus!”

  “No I won’t. Honest.” Medusa sent Athena a fake-looking grin. “Let me hold the sandals. If I can figure out how they work, I’ll make them grant you a wish.”

  Just then the light glowing around Hestia started to blink. “Oh dear, I have to go now,” she said to Athena. “We’ll meet again, soon, I promise.” With that, she blinked out of sight.

  “Last chance to take my offer,” Medusa warned Athena.

  “Home,” Athena said in a rush. “That’s my wish. I want to go home.”

  “Woof! Woof!” barked Oliver. He ran over to Athena.

  “With my dog, Oliver,” she added quickly, hugging him.

  “Sure. No problem,” Medusa replied. “But first hand over the sandals.”

  “Okay,” Athena agreed. She was worried that Medusa was up to no good. But Athena had to get back home. She didn’t belong in this magic land and couldn’t stay. She missed her family!

  Athena bent down to untie the sandal straps. She tugged and tugged at the ties, but they wouldn’t budge. “I can’t undo them!” she said in surprise.

  “Let me try.” Medusa reached for the straps. One of them undid itself enough to smack her hand away. The other straps unwound and grabbed her leg. Oomph! She fell on her bottom.

  The Owlies hooted.

  As the straps retied themselves, Medusa leaped up. Looking angry, she wagged a finger at Athena. “Trick me, will you? Well, you’ll be sorry!”

  “Grr!” growled Oliver. He bared his teeth at Medusa.

  Medusa backed off. “And keep your little dog away from me, or he’ll be sorry too!” Her snakes hissed in agreement.

  With that, Medusa and her snakes disappeared in a puff of green smoke!

  “Oh no!” wailed Athena. “How will I get home now?”

  “Zeus!” the owl named Yellow Wing told her.

  “Whooo, I mean, who is Zeus?” Athena asked.

  “The king of all the gods on Mount Olympus!” explained Blue Feather.

  “No problem is too big for the super-duper powerful Zeus to fix,” added Pink Tail.

  “Where do I find him?” Athena asked eagerly.

  The Owlies fluttered their feathers. “At the top of Mount Olympus. In Sparkle City.”

  “How do I get there?” Athena asked.

  “On the Hello Brick Road,” said Blue Feather.

  Athena looked down the long road made of orange, blue, and pink bricks. “All by myself? What if Medusa comes back?”

  “As long as you stay on the road, she won’t have any power to hurt you,” Pink Tail assured her.

  Then the street sign piped up again. “Besides, you’ll make new friends on the Hello Brick Road. If you see a friendly face just say hello.”

  “Time for a nap,” Yellow Wing hooted. The three Owlies flew back to their bush and waved good-bye to Athena.

  When Athena wished for an adventure, she’d never imagined anything like this. It looked like that wish was coming true. Would her going-home wish come true too?

  Athena picked up her book bag. “Come on, Oliver. Let’s go find Zeus!”

  3

  Stuck in the Muck

  Athena skipped happily along the Hello Brick Road. Oliver trotted beside her. There were bunches of colorful flowers planted on both sides of the path. At the far end of the road ahead, she could see tiny rainbow-colored sparkles. That was Sparkle City!

  “Too bad Sparkle City is waaay up at the top of Mount Olympus,” she told Oliver. “It’s going to take forever to get there. I wish there were a faster way.”

  At Athena’s words, the wings on her sandals began flapping. The sandals lifted her a few inches off the ground. They flew her sideways. Whoosh! They zigzagged her backward. Swoosh!

  “Oof!” She brushed against a flower bush as tall as she was. She spun her arms, trying not to fall. Not again! This was almost as bad as being tossed around by that storm.

  “Hey! Stop, you silly sandals!” Athena shouted.

  Right away the wings stopped flapping. They floated her lower. Finally the sandals rested on the brick road once more. But now their wings sagged. It seemed that she’d embarrassed them with her yelling. And maybe hurt their feelings too.

  Athena knew how that felt. It’s how Medusa made her feel all the time. Mostly when she teased Athena about how bad she was at playing Happy Perky Pets.

  “Thank you for trying to help me go faster,” she told the sandals kindly. “It’s not your fault I’m not good at flying. I probably just need more practice.” Hearing this, the wings perked up, starting to flap again.

  “Wait! Not right now though. Maybe later,” Athena said quickly. She wasn’t ready to try flying again quite yet!

  “Mmm. What’s that sweet smell?” she said, sniffing the air. The sandals had taken her close to a big flower bush.

  What a pretty bush, she thought. It grew many kinds of flowers. There were colorful daisies, roses, and lilies all over it. She reached out to sniff a perfect red rose.

  “Stop!” shouted a girl’s voice.

  Athena jumped back. “Who said that?”

  “Me!” A girl’s face popped up from the top of the bush. She had daisies growing in her hair! And she wore a cute dress made of leaves and flowers.

  The two girls stared at each other. Then Athena remembered what the Hello Brick Road sign had told her about making friends.

  “Hello. I’m Athena,” she said to the girl.

  “I’m Persephone.” The girl grinned.

  “Are you a girl or a flower bush?” Athena asked.

  Persephone laughed. “I’m both.” Then she frowned. “And I’m stuck in the muck.”

  “Oh. Is there a way I can help?” Athena stepped closer to her.

  “Stay back!” Persephone yelped. She held up both hands, keeping Athena away.

  Uh-oh! Maybe this girl didn’t want to be friends after all?

  Persephone sighed. It made her leaves flutter. “I have a bad case of bad luck-itis,” she explained. “I wouldn’t want you to catch it. You see, horrible things are always happening to me. Like today. I came into this garden to help some droopy flowers feel better. Instead I grew roots.”

  She lifted the hem of her leafy flower dress. Athena stared in surprise. Persephone’s legs ended in tangled roots that went down under the ground.

  “I can’t move. See?” Persephone tried to pull her roots out of the dirt. She tugged on one leg and then the other. The roots didn’t budge.

  “That is bad luck,” agreed Athena. If only she could help! She stared at Persephone’s roots.

  “Woof!”

  Athena looked over at her new dog. He was sniffing and pawing at a beetle in the grass. That gave her the perfect idea.

  “Come, Oliver!” she called out. When he dashed over, she pointed to the dirt around Persephone’s roots. “Dig, boy!”

  Oliver wagged his tail. Then he started to dig. Dirt flew as his front paws dug deep. Before long Persephone was free!

  Persephone leaped from the garden to stand on the road. Her roots magically became feet again! She wiggled her bright-green painted toenails in delight. She gave Athena a big smile. “Thanks.”

  Persephone’s leafy, flowery dress rustled as she bent to pat Oliver. “And thank you, too,” she said. She laughed as he tried to give her kisses.

  She straightened and po
inted to some droopy flowers at the side of the road. “I wish my luck were better,” she said with a sigh. “Then I could use it to help all plants grow strong and beautiful. Wouldn’t that be great?”

  “Hmm.” A new idea came to Athena. She pointed at the rainbow sparkles in the distance. “Want to go to Sparkle City? I’m on my way there to see Zeus,” she told Persephone. “He’s the super-duper powerful king of the gods. I’m going to ask him to help me get back home. Maybe you can ask for the gift of good luck.”

  Persephone’s big green eyes twinkled with excitement. “That’s an awesome idea. With good luck, I could help the flowers!”

  The two girls high-fived. “Onward to Sparkle City!” they shouted. Then they skipped down the road. Oliver trotted along behind them.

  That street sign was right, thought Athena. It was easy to make new friends on the Hello Brick Road!

  4

  Talking Trees

  Athena and Persephone came to a forest.

  Athena’s tummy rumbled. “I’m hungry.”

  “Me too,” said Persephone. Then she pointed ahead. “Look! Plums!” Some fruit trees stood in the forest. They were behind a low white fence at the side of the road.

  Both girls stared at the plums. Then they looked at each other. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Athena.

  “We’ll have those plums for lunch!” Persephone said.

  “Stay,” Athena told Oliver.

  The girls climbed over the white fence. They ran to the fruit trees. They stood on tiptoe to reach the purple plums growing on their lower branches.

  Whoosh! The branches began to sway wildly.

  “Who is there, picking on us?” demanded a tree.

  “Looks like two troublemaking mini monsters!” another plum tree replied.

  Athena jumped in surprise.

  “Oops! We didn’t mean any harm,” she told the trees.

  Persephone nodded. “We’re just hungry. And your plums look so yummy.”

  Frowning, the first plum tree crossed its branches over its trunk. The other trees did the same, as if to protect their plums.