Athena the Proud

by Joan Holub

  Ares slipped the horse half of the costume over his head and then struck a pose. “How do I look?” he asked.

  “Ha! A horse’s rear end would suit you better,” quipped Apollo. The two boys started trading joking insults, and some of the others joined in.

  “You were, like, soo terrific!” Ariadne exclaimed to Theseus as she drew near.

  “Oh, thanks,” he replied a little bashfully. Then he seemed to notice Actaeon, who was examining one of the soldier’s swords.

  Without another word to the princess, Theseus darted over to Actaeon. “Do you like swords?” Athena heard Theseus say to him. “Because if you do, I have an amazing one. My dad gave it to me. Want to see—” He reached toward his hip.

  Suddenly Heracles came barreling toward him. He didn’t even seem to notice Athena as he brushed past her and ran smack-dab into his cousin. On purpose, she was sure.

  Oomph! Theseus was knocked aside. With an apologetic glance at Actaeon, Heracles grabbed his cousin’s arm and began tugging him toward the rooms where the boys would be sleeping. “We’d better get going. Need to get up early so we’ll have lots of time to enjoy the rides, right?”

  Looking a little dizzy, Theseus just mumbled, “Um, uh, yeah.”

  As Heracles rushed his cousin away, Athena saw her crush whisper urgently into the other boy’s ear. Heracles seemed mad. No doubt he was scolding Theseus. Professor Ladon had been talking to King Minos only a short distance away when the boy had tried to show his dagger . . . er . . . sword to Actaeon. Theseus would probably have gotten sent home to Athens pronto if King Minos or Professor Ladon had found out he’d brought it.

  “Sooo, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then, huh?” Ariadne called to Theseus as he and Heracles passed by. Neither boy took any notice of her.

  Poor girl, thought Athena. She had about as much chance of snagging Theseus’s attention right now as Athena had of snagging Heracles’. Which was to say, not much. She could only hope that tomorrow would be different. For the princess and for her!

  7

  Trapped!

  AS BREAKFAST ENDED IN THE banquet hall the next morning, King Minos appeared. He was dressed in ceremonial garb, with a purple cloak slung over his fine linen tunic. A gold-leaf crown sat atop his almost bald head.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen,” he called out in a grand and theatrical style that befitted a circus ringmaster. “Are you all feeling fearful—I mean cheerful—about today’s grand opening of Minos’s aMAZEment Park?” He paused as his fourteen young guests shouted out “Yes!” and applauded and cheered enthusiastically.

  He beamed at them. “Thank you very much! I’m pleased to hear it. We will be saving the beast—ahem . . . the best till last. The a-maze-ing labyrinth with our star attraction—its Minotaur—will open at exactly noon. However, all other rides and games are now open for your enjoyment. So go,” he urged them. “And have fun!”

  The students didn’t need to be told twice. There was practically a stampede as everyone jumped up from the dining tables and stormed toward the exit doors.

  Athena, Aphrodite, Persephone, and Artemis moved off together. But once they were outside, heading around the side of the palace toward the walkway and the tall arched golden entrance to the funpark, people started pairing off. Just ahead of her, walking hand in hand now, were Aphrodite and Ares, Artemis and Actaeon, Persephone and Hades, Apollo and Cassandra, and Medusa and Dionysus. Pandora was following Professor Ladon, asking a million questions.

  Athena wished she could catch up with Heracles. However, he and Theseus were already way too far ahead. She’d only just rounded the side of the palace when she saw them pass between two columns of the walkway and then veer right under the grand golden entrance arch with its waving flags and paintings of monsters, creatures, heroes, and gods.

  She looked around for Daedalus, thinking maybe they could hang out. In fact, maybe she should have let him know about the changes she’d made in his maze before now, she realized. But he was nowhere in sight.

  Which left Athena alone. Great. Alone was so not the way to enjoy a funpark!

  After passing under the golden arch, Athena saw a ride called the Shipwreck off to her left. A half dozen ships that were actually rides modeled after the ships that Odysseus and his men had sailed were lined up in a trough of water. Each ship could seat four people and was waiting to sail into a dark tunnel that would presumably lead visitors through simulated terrors like the ones Odysseus and his men had encountered.

  Aphrodite came up beside her, her blue eyes twinkling with excitement. “Want to go on it with me?”

  “Sure,” said Athena. She looked around. “But where’s Ares?”

  Aphrodite motioned toward the far end of the aMAZEment Park. “He and a bunch of the guys wanted to try out the bumper chariots first. I told him I’d catch him later.”

  “But don’t you want to go on the bumper chariots with him?” Athena asked. It had crossed her mind that Aphrodite might have noticed her standing alone and felt sorry for her. Was that the real reason she’d offered her company? Not that it wasn’t nice of her, but Athena didn’t want to be pitied.

  “Nuh-uh,” Aphrodite replied. “Remember how Pheme had all that trouble with that boy, Phaeton, who sneaked into MOA a while back? The one who drove Helios’s chariot too close to the sun? Well, that’s the theme of the bumper chariots. Flames and terror. It would probably melt my makeup off and singe my hair. Uh, no thanks!” She gave her long, stylish golden hair a fluff.

  Artemis and Persephone overheard as they came along to join them. “Yeah, we decided to skip the bumper chariots for now too,” Persephone said to Aphrodite. “This ship ride looks like way more fun.”

  “I do want to try the bumper chariots later, though,” said Artemis. “So I can tell Pheme about them.”

  Athena smiled at her friends, relieved that she wouldn’t have to tour the park alone after all. Also, it seemed unlikely that all three of her GGBFFs had purposely ditched their guys for her sake. But if they had . . . well, she would just feel honored and go with it. Hanging out with her favorite goddessgirl friends was a great way to start things off.

  All four girls piled into one of the ships. Aphrodite and Athena sat on the bench seat in front, while Persephone and Artemis sat behind them.

  As soon as they were settled, their ship gave a jerk and began to move forward through the water trough as if blown ahead by a strong wind. They entered the tunnel, which was lit with flaming torches every few feet. Soon the goddessgirls heard singing. Incredibly beautiful singing that made them really want to get closer to hear it better. Rounding a corner, they came upon the source: three mechanical women perched on a jagged rock to their right.

  “Sirens!” Athena exclaimed.

  “Their music is enchanted,” said Aphrodite.

  “Meant to lure us to our doom!” added Artemis.

  Still singing, the Sirens’ hands reached out toward the girls as if imploring them to sail closer. “Nuh-uh,” said Persephone, holding her fists over her ears. “Not going to happen.” But then, without warning, their ship lurched toward the rocks. Splash! A spray of water almost got them. The girls screamed, and then laughed with relief as their ship slipped past the rock and sailed on.

  Next they encountered a mechanical representation of Scylla. The sea monster’s tentacle-like legs slapped the water as the mouth in each of its six heads snapped open and shut, revealing rows of sharp-looking teeth.

  “No! Get away!” yelled Aphrodite, her blue eyes rounding.

  “Eek!” yelled Athena. She wasn’t truly scared, but the sea monster was a frightening sight, and it was fun pretending to be terrified with her friends. Just as it seemed the girls would be swallowed up by one of Scylla’s heads, their ship lurched sideways.

  “Phew. Glad that’s over,” said Artemis. However, when their ship suddenly began to whirl around in circles, she added, “Oops. Guess I spoke too soon.” The girls shrieked as they clung to the sides of their little s
hip. It felt like they were about to be sucked down into the depths of Charybdis, a giant whirlpool.

  Abruptly their ship stopped spinning and tacked toward Scylla again. “Oh, great,” said Persephone. “Looks like we’ll be chomped to bits after all.” At the last moment, however, their ship veered back on track.

  As the ride continued on, the girls passed through a vicious-sounding storm where a mechanical Zeus rained pretend thunderbolts down on them. Athena made a mental note to tell her dad about that part of the ride after she was back at MOA. She was sure he’d get a kick out of it.

  They skirted several islands once the storm had passed. One was full of squealing mechanical pigs that represented sailors the sorceress Circe had turned into swine. (Later the real Odysseus had gotten her to reverse the spell.)

  Since there were at least a dozen mechanical gods, monsters, and creatures in the Shipwreck ride, Athena wondered again why Daedalus had only included one—the Minotaur—in the labyrinth. Had he simply run out of time to create more? Either way, the park obviously wasn’t a total dud, she was relieved to know. Everyone was going to love this ride for sure. It was scary, adventurous fun!

  When the Shipwreck ride was over, the girls went on more rides together, including a sea serpent roller coaster that plunged up and down as if riding the waves on a choppy sea. And another called the Mount Parnassus Special, which involved driving little one-seater golden swans up and down a “mountain” while splashing across flooded “rivers” and being chased by howling mechanical wolves. It was a pretty tame ride, actually.

  Athena guessed that it was probably intended for younger riders. Still, she and her friends giggled the whole time, making faces every time they passed each other, and honking at one another to go faster.

  At the top of Mount Parnassus in her swan-car, Athena caught a glimpse of Heracles and Theseus across the park grounds. The guys must’ve finished the bumper chariots, because they were in the game arcade now. She watched Heracles bend a bow and shoot an arrow through a series of axe handles in imitation of a trick Odysseus had done to win back his wife, Penelope, and reclaim his kingdom. Then Athena’s swan-car swooped down into a valley, and she lost sight of her crush.

  The next time she reached the top of the mountain ride, Heracles and Theseus were gone, probably having moved on to some other game or ride. Medusa and Dionysus were below in the arcade now, though. They were standing near a sign for a game that read: THE PYTHON. There was a giant fanged serpent curled around the two words.

  Quickly Athena called to Artemis and pointed the game out. Artemis and Apollo had tangled with the real, riddling Python earlier in the year, and this game seemed to be based on that theme. As the four goddessgirls watched, Dionysus handed Medusa a stuffed toy python he’d apparently just won for her by playing the game.

  “How sweet!” cooed Aphrodite.

  Then they all screamed with terrified delight as their swan-cars zoomed downhill again.

  “Hey! See that sundial?” Persephone called as they came to the end of the ride. “It’s noon. Time for the labyrinth to open. Woo-hoo!”

  “Let’s go!” yelled Artemis. Athena and her friends piled out of their swan-cars. On the way out of the ride, they caught up with a few other students. They all passed back under the grand golden arch, then headed down the columned walkway that led to the red palace door with the gold hinges.

  Athena could feel everyone’s anticipation and excitement growing as they entered through the door with the bull horns on top and went downstairs to the round brown room. Right away she spotted Heracles and Theseus among a group of students already waiting to enter the labyrinth. A bright blue ribbon that stretched across all three entryways was holding them back, however.

  King Minos and Daedalus were standing in front of the ribbon, chatting. Since the king held a large pair of scissors, Athena guessed there was going to be a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the labyrinth.

  She would’ve expected there to be a reporter or two on scene, but come to think of it they were probably all attending the same conference Pheme had gone to in Athens. Had King Minos invited them only to be turned down? How disappointing for him when he wanted to spread the word about his new attraction!

  As Athena eyed the archways, her pride in the changes she’d made to the labyrinth swelled. She just hoped Daedalus wouldn’t mind that she’d improved it. Yesterday, before they’d separated and she’d gone off with her friends, he’d told her he was well satisfied that his maze was ready. He’d had other rides to check on, he’d said, and would only return to the labyrinth when it was time to let students enter today.

  If the labyrinth became the wild success that she now believed it could be, Daedalus was bound to be happy she’d helped out, right? And she would of course humbly let him take credit for what she’d done.

  Ariadne appeared beside her, then wove her way through the group until she managed to insert herself between the two cousins so she could talk to Theseus. Her sparkly pink bag hung over her shoulder. Ye gods. Didn’t she go anywhere without it? That girl had been bit by the knitting bug for sure!

  Now’s my chance to peel Heracles from his cousin’s side, thought Athena. But as she moved toward him, Cassandra came up to her. “Hey! I’ve been meaning to thank you,” she began earnestly. “Pheme told me you suggested that she ask Professor Ladon if I could take her place on this trip.”

  “Apollo was the one who suggested it,” Athena said truthfully. “I just seconded him by telling Pheme it was a great idea.”

  “Oh, but Apollo says Pheme really listens to you,” Cassandra told her. “He thinks your support of the idea was crucial.”

  Athena smiled. “Well, then, I’m glad I could help. Especially since you brought those Opposite Oracle-O cookies on the chariot ride over,” she said, grinning. “Dee-lish!”

  Cassandra grinned back. But before she could say anything more, King Minos’s voice rang out. “This is it, Ladies and Gentlemen. The scary . . . um very moment we’ve all been waiting for.”

  He must be making the word mix-ups on purpose, Athena decided. They were kind of funny, in a weird sort of way.

  Minos held his silver scissors up to the blue ribbon. Snip! As the ribbon fell away, he called out, “You may now enter the main attraction of Minos’s aMAZEment Park—the labyrinth! Have a horrific—I mean, a terrific good time,” he added, waving them in.

  Maybe his way of speaking was some kind of secret code, she thought. A hint that he had a hidden agenda? But, no. Her imagination was just running wild.

  The king dramatically swirled his purple cloak over his shoulders and moved away from the three entrances to stand beside Professor Ladon off to one side. “Come on, Professor,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “Daedalus can handle things here. And I’ve been dying to try out those bumper chariots!”

  “Bumper chariotsss? Sssounds good to me,” the teacher agreed readily. As the two men exited, the king called back over his shoulder to Daedalus, “Keep an eye on things while I’m gone.”

  Cassandra and Athena fell into line. “I don’t know when I’ve had more fun than today,” Cassandra told her. “I just want you to know I really, really appreciate what you did for me. Getting me invited and all.”

  “Oh, sure. No problem,” said Athena, watching helplessly as Heracles disappeared into the labyrinth up ahead of her with several other students. Theseus wasn’t one of them, though. He’d been right behind Heracles when Ariadne had managed to snag him in conversation. And he was still talking to her.

  Now that the labyrinth was more complicated, Heracles’ head start could make it a lot harder for her to find him inside, Athena feared. She remembered how she’d gotten turned around twice trying to find her way back from the maze’s center to the entrance last night. And since she’d left it to her spell to decide on the precise rearrangement of the walls in the other two tunnels, she would have as much trouble as anyone else navigating the newly changed maze. She had absolut
ely no clue how everything was laid out now.

  Smiling brightly, she linked arms with Cassandra and urged her forward. “C’mon. Let’s catch up with the others so we can all help each other figure this thing out.”

  They reached the front of the line at the exact same moment that Theseus broke away from Ariadne to head inside. Only, before he could choose an entrance, Daedalus stepped in front of him. “Sorry,” he said. “Just one small group at a time is allowed in. King’s orders.”

  “B-but I was going to hang out with my cousin,” Theseus sputtered, craning his neck for a glimpse of Heracles beyond the entrance. Daedalus shook his head, holding the boy back. He sent Athena and the others in line an apologetic smile. “You’ll all have to wait here and be part of the second group.” He must have glimpsed the dismay on her face, because he added quickly, “Fear not. It shouldn’t take too long for even the slowest students to make their way in and out.”

  Theseus let out an annoyed huff. Then he started to pace. Watching him, Athena shifted restlessly from one foot to the other. Given her changes to the maze, she wasn’t so sure Daedalus was right. For the first time it occurred to her that he might have made his labyrinth simple on purpose. So that crowds of visitors wouldn’t have to wait too long for a turn inside it. Uh-oh. She couldn’t quite bring herself to tell Daedalus what she’d done, however. And she lost her chance to try when a messenger sent by the king came up to him a minute later.

  “Slight problem with one of the bumper chariots,” she overheard the messenger murmur into his ear. Athena caught the words “flames” and “smash-up.” Had Professor Ladon gotten a little too excited playing bumper chariots and accidentally set his chariot on fire during an especially violent collision?

  The messenger didn’t seem agitated, so it seemed likely there was no real reason for alarm. After urging the remaining students to wait their turn until the first group had completed the maze, Daedalus put them on their honor and hurried off with the messenger.