by Joan Holub
Her thoughts were interrupted when Thetis suddenly snapped her fingers. “Hey! Forgot to tell you. Dad got a special bulletin yesterday from Zeus—the King of the Gods himself. It said that the Temple Games will officially kick off at Mount Olympus Academy today. All schools, including MUMS, are to stand by for more news. And get this . . . there are rumors that some of us will be invited to participate in the games this year. Wouldn’t that be mervelous? Dad said we should hear something more tomorrow.”
A spark of excitement leaped in Amphitrite at this news. The Temple Games were a weeklong contest of skill, strength, and strategy. Like just about everyone else, she’d read about them in Teen Scrollazine. She and her sisters eagerly devoured each new issue of the ’zine as it came out. If any merperson wound up on the winning team, they would bring great honor to the realm of the merpeople. And they’d be in the news!
Just being chosen to be on a team would bring honor, Amphitrite thought. She’d love to be in the games. Then a sigh bubbled from her lips. Ha! Even if the rumors proved true, it wasn’t likely she’d be chosen. She, who couldn’t shape-shift. What use would she be to a team? No way would she ever be able to leave home and see the world.
Instead, she would have to act all happy for those of her family who were chosen. And she would be happy for them. But, oh . . . if only she could go too!
2
Choosing Teams
Poseidon
STUDENTS OF MOUNT OLYMPUS ACADEMY!” Zeus boomed. It was Monday morning, and he was standing at the top of the Academy’s front steps, gazing out over the courtyard below. “The time has come to announce the official list of competitors in this year’s Temple Games!”
Thirteen-year-old Poseidon, godboy of the sea, whipped to attention at the rumble of the principal’s voice. So did all the other MOA students standing in the courtyard. They’d all gathered there to await this very moment.
Behind Zeus, their school towered five stories high. It was built of polished white stone, surrounded on all sides by dozens of Ionic columns, and was perched atop the highest mountain in Greece—Mount Olympus.
Standing before the huge bronze front doors of the Academy, Zeus looked powerful and kingly. Not just because he was King of the Gods and Ruler of the Heavens, in addition to being principal of MOA, either. He was also seven feet tall!
And if all that wasn’t enough to command everyone’s attention, there were his bulging muscles, wild red hair, piercing blue eyes, and fearsome temper, too. Not to mention his skill at hurling thunderbolts to obliterate his enemies. Even if you weren’t an enemy, sizzles of electricity would shoot from his fingertips and zap you if you were ever unlucky enough to make him really mad. (Sometimes, by accident, he zapped the walls and furniture in his office, too.) Everyone at MOA was a little afraid of the principal, including his own daughter, Athena. But they all respected and admired him as well!
Water dripped from the three-pronged tip of Poseidon’s pitchforklike trident and ran down his arm. Realizing that he’d been nervously jiggling it up and down while waiting to hear if he’d made the list of competitors, he loosened his grip. He and many other MOA students had been practicing hard for weeks, all hoping for a chance to participate in the Temple Games. Still, he didn’t want to seem too anxious.
Now Zeus lifted a scroll high in his meaty hands. Giving it a hard shake, he unrolled it. Whap!
Everyone leaned forward in anticipation.
The hambrosia and eggs Poseidon had eaten for breakfast a few minutes ago suddenly lodged liked a lump in his stomach. His heart pounded. His muscles tensed. The list Zeus held could change everything for him. In fact, this announcement could change his whole life.
Immortals and mortals alike probably thought he already had it all. Well, he didn’t.
Sure, he was one of the most popular gods at the Academy. Sure, girls adored him. He was always getting fan letters from mortal girls on earth, and more than one girl at the Academy had crushed on him too. And, sure, he scored mostly As in his classes, and he ruled the seas. But, even so, there was one thing missing from his life. And being chosen as a team captain in these games would be the first step toward getting it.
As Zeus cleared his throat, a hand clapped Poseidon on the shoulder, startling him. “Hey, god-dude, what up? You just went from your usual turquoise color to green,” kidded Ares. This blue-eyed, blond-haired godboy of war liked to tease. He could even be something of a bully at times, though his goddessgirl crush Aphrodite had gotten him to tone down that aspect of his personality lately.
Poseidon’s eyes shifted to Apollo and Hades, who were standing behind Ares. They were also immortals. Apollo was godboy of truth, prophecy, and music, and was an excellent archer like his twin sister, Artemis. And Hades was the ruler of the Underworld.
For the benefit of all three guys, Poseidon gave a relaxed shrug. “Nothing’s up. Just kind of tired, that’s all.”
Overhearing, a mortal boy named Heracles, who was even more heavily muscled than Ares, came over. He carried an enormous knobby club against one shoulder and wore a lion-skin cape. “I know what you mean,” he volunteered cheerfully. “Couldn’t sleep last night, wondering if I made the list.”
“Actually, I was hanging out at the Supernatural Market till late,” Poseidon said quickly. Even to his friends, he couldn’t bring himself to admit how desperately he wanted to make the list of competitors, and be made captain of one of the teams.
“Shh! Listen up, you guys,” said Apollo, nodding toward Zeus. A staff member had interrupted the principal just as he’d been about to speak, but now he appeared ready to continue.
“We’re doing something a little different this year,” Principal Zeus began with a wide grin. “Going to shake things up. In the past we’ve sent seven five-member teams from MOA to compete against one another in games at various temples. This year, I have chosen seven team captains from among you, but assigned only two MOA students to each captain’s team.”
Murmurs filled the courtyard. Poseidon wasn’t sure what to make of this change. Did that mean teams in the games would only have three members each? Why so few?
But then Zeus explained, his booming voice silencing all other conversation. “In the interest of encouraging friendly cultural relations with other lands, our seven captains will each choose two non-MOA competitors to also join their team. Which will make a total of five members on a team, including the captain, as usual. So to be clear, that’s seven teams of five students each. A total of thirty-five participants drawn not just from MOA, but from around the world. Got it?”
He shot a glance at the students, who had begun to murmur again. Abruptly, they quieted, all nodding. “The seven team captains whose names I am about to announce were chosen from a list of those who requested the position,” Zeus reminded everyone. “Please hold your applause until all seven names have been read.”
“The captains who will represent the Academy in the Temple Games are . . . ,” he began. Then he stopped to take a dramatic pause, eyeing his audience. Finally he continued, naming names at last. “Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Iris, Medusa, and . . . Pheme!”
Huh? A dozen emotions filled Poseidon all at the same time. But the one taking up the most space was mega-extreme disappointment. He wanted to throw up. He hadn’t made captain? How could that be? Just like the chosen ones, he had been diligently practicing his skills on and off the sports fields for weeks now.
Everyone knew him to be a worthwhile competitor. It was a pretty sure thing that Zeus would now assign him to compete under the captain of one of the seven teams. But he didn’t want to take orders from one of the other captains. He was born to lead. How had Principal Zeus failed to see that?
This just wasn’t fair! Pheme had been chosen, and he hadn’t? Really? Sure, she had wings. But other than flying, she wasn’t athletic. And her grades weren’t even as good as his. As the goddessgirl of gossip, her main talent was spreading news. She even wrote a gossip column in Teen Scrollazine.
But those were hardly qualifications for the position of team captain!
The choice of Medusa made more sense. His eyes found the green-skinned, snake-haired girl. She wasn’t an immortal and so hadn’t been born with magical powers. However, she did have the ability to turn other mortals to stone with her gaze, which could come in handy against opponents in the games.
Since Athena had unintentionally given her this gift (or problem, depending on how you looked at it), she’d later invented special stoneglasses that allowed Medusa to control her stone gaze. Medusa was wearing them now. Instead of protecting against the sun, they protected mortals against being turned to stone by her stare.
“Remember, it’s an honor to be chosen as a member of a team,” Zeus went on. “Not everyone can participate, but there’s always next year. Now, in a few minutes Hermes will arrive to deliver some scrolls that list the complete rules of the competition. Everyone here will get a scroll and—”
Suddenly the nine-headed Ms. Hydra, who’d been standing behind Zeus, stepped forward to interrupt him. Each of the administrative assistant’s heads was a different color and had a different personality, such as her grumpy green one. She even had a pink head that was almost as gossipy as Pheme, at least when it came to news about Zeus.
But it was her gray head—her most efficient one—that whipped over to Zeus on its serpentine neck and whispered something in his ear. His bushy red eyebrows flew up in consternation. After a quick discussion with Ms. Hydra, he turned to address the students again.
“Sorry about that. I have just been reminded that Pheme will be going to the games in the capacity of reporter, not captain. Instead, the seventh captain will be . . .” He paused, thinking hard. Then he tapped his forehead and smiled. “I remember now. It’s Poseidon!” he announced.
A thrill shot through Poseidon, replacing the horror that had filled him only moments before. He’d made the cut after all!
“Awesome, Po,” Apollo said, mock-punching him on the arm in a friendly way. “Wouldn’t have been the same without you in charge of a team.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t worried, though,” Poseidon fibbed. “Knew there must have been some mistake. You guys need some real competition. Where would you be without me to provide it?” His friends laughed. But the truth was they all had amazing skills. Many variables in the games would help determine the ultimate winner.
When a metallic flash suddenly lit the sky, the boys all looked up. A beautiful silver chariot with mighty wings had burst through the clouds overhead. It was piled high with what looked like hundreds of six-inch wide white papyrus scrolls tied with purple ribbons. The driver was wearing a winged cap. It was Hermes, driving his Delivery Service chariot.
In an expert move, he swooped low, tilting his chariot sideways. Boing! A big coiled spring popped up from the back of his chariot, launching all the scrolls high in the air. After a few seconds, gravity caused them to reverse direction and rain down on the students. Then he nudged the lid off a box on the seat beside him. Seven purple papyrus scrolls, each with a pair of small wings, flew out. Without stopping, Hermes turned his chariot and headed off into the wild blue yonder again.
Down in the courtyard, hands reached. As the white scrolls were unfurled, students’ heads bent over them to read the rules for the games. Before Poseidon could grab a white one, the seven purple scrolls magically winged directly to him and the other six captains. Seeing his name on the one hovering in the air before him, he grabbed it instead.
Ares was already unrolling the purple captain’s scroll he’d gotten. “Look! These scrolls list our MOA team members too,” he said.
Unrolling his own scroll and skimming down it, Poseidon found the names of the two MOA team members he’d been assigned. The first was . . . Pandora? Hmm. To tell the truth, if he’d been doing the choosing, she wouldn’t have made his team. Not only was she a mortal, and therefore without magic powers, she was also annoyingly curious and might question every order he gave!
The second member of his team was Hades. Now that was more like it! Hades was his roommate and a stand-up godboy, too. In Poseidon’s opinion, he actually had skills worthy of a team captain. And as godboy of the Underworld, a realm located below the earth, he could be a huge asset to the team if the competition happened to carry them there.
He had to wonder at Zeus’s captain picks, choosing Medusa over Hades or Heracles, for example. But their principal put a lot of thought into such matters, and his decisions usually turned out to have been wise ones.
Everywhere around him, Poseidon could hear cries of excitement. Some who’d been practicing hard had not been chosen for a team. But they seemed to be doing their best to contain their disappointment, offering congratulations to those who had been chosen. Too bad there wasn’t room for everyone in the games. At least he’d made it!
“Captains, keep your purple scrolls with you at all times,” Zeus called out. “They are magical and will give your team helpful clues, instructions, and updates throughout the course of the games.”
Before he could go on, Ms. Hydra’s gray head slithered over and whispered something to him again. “Yes, yes, I was just about to get to that,” he said. Then he addressed the students once more.
“As I started to say a minute ago, I have a special announcement for those of you who are not participating!” he told them with extra excitement in his thundering voice. He held up one of the white scrolls Hermes had delivered, gazing at it proudly. “No longer will you have to wonder what’s going on during the games in faraway lands. Because with Pheme’s help as reporter this year, news flashes about important events will magically appears on both white and purple scrolls all week, as they happen. At this very moment, Hermes is on his way to deliver more of these scroll-gadgets to rulers around the world so they can keep their realms informed too. I came up with this invention myself. Awesome, right?”
Looking quite pleased with himself, Zeus spread his muscled arms wide as if to say, Ta-da! Isn’t my scroll-gadget idea amazing? A few seconds passed while he continued to hold out his arms, gazing out over the crowd expectantly.
“Clap your hands,” Poseidon heard Athena whisper from somewhere nearby. As her advice spread, applause swept the crowd.
A satisfied expression filled Zeus’s face. Smiling big now, he called out, “So, listen up, team captains. By dinnertime tonight, you will need to notify Ms. Hydra in the front office of the final two team members you choose. She’ll then summon them to meet you at the Delphi temple tomorrow morning where all seven teams will gather to receive some very magical information! Good Luck! That is all!” Turning on his heel, Principal Zeus pushed through the tall bronze front doors and into the Academy.
Ignoring the issue of choosing team members for now, Poseidon quickly skimmed over the additional instructions on his purple scroll. He saw that, as usual, teams would be given food to see them through the trip.
“ ‘Look for the clay bowls decorated with black-silhouetted figures at each temple you visit during the games,’ ” Ares read aloud from the same part of the scroll Poseidon was reading. “ ‘They’ll contain your one meal of the day. Other meals must be scavenged from your surroundings as you travel.’ ”
Aphrodite came over to stand by Ares and silently study his scroll along with him. Artemis looked up from her captain’s scroll and craned her neck toward Poseidon. “Who’s on your team?”
Snap! Poseidon closed his purple scroll and grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“C’mon, we’ll find out tomorrow anyway,” said Iris. Besides being one of the captains, she was also the goddessgirl of rainbows.
“Yeah,” Pandora agreed. “What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal,” Ares explained, “is that if we tell who our teammates are, other captains will have a jump on analyzing their talents. And on figuring out ways to cream other teams. If captains don’t find out who’s on whose teams till the last minute, there’s less time to do that.”
> Aphrodite curled a lock of her long golden hair around one finger, then smiled as she let it go again. “Leave it to the godboy of war to be a few moves ahead of the rest of us in his thinking,” she said. Her hair was threaded with curly ribbons and held back from her face with shell-shaped clips that matched her sparkling blue eyes.
Unlike many godboys at MOA, Poseidon had never been in like with her. But he had to admit she was startlingly beautiful. Which made sense, since she was the goddess of love and beauty. Most guys always seemed ready to help her, therefore her beauty could benefit Ares if she were on his team. Poseidon stared hard at her, wondering if she was.
Seeing his look, she easily interpreted the question in it. “And no, I’m not on Ares’ team. I’m not on anyone’s team. Persephone and I helped Principal Zeus and Ms. Hydra write out the challenges you captains are going to face at each temple, so it wouldn’t be fair if we participated.”
A few minutes later, the friends drifted apart. Poseidon decided he’d wait till after dinner to tell Pandora and Hades that they were his teammates. They’d still have enough time to plan some strategy before nightfall. For now, he had some serious thinking to do and not much time to do it.
Since team captains were excused from classes all week, he spent the rest of the day choosing the final two members of his team. He decided right off that he wanted them to be sea dwellers. That would benefit him in the end since it would bring acclaim to his realm. Plus, strong swimmers would be in good shape mentally and physically. At the Academy library he found a book that listed all sea creatures by name and gave brief details about them. Once he’d compiled a short list of candidates, he took it to the pool he’d built in the bottom of the gym, where it was quiet. He did his best thinking around water. And he wanted his two choices to be perfect.
After careful consideration, he chose one of the daughters of Nereus, the most respected merman in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, to be on his team. Except for Nereus himself, merpeople weren’t immortal like the goddessgirls and godboys who lived on Mount Olympus, but they weren’t exactly mortal, either. They were somewhere in between, with limited magical powers.