by Joan Holub
“Like Hyperion and his fireballs,” Hera remembered.
“And Iapetus’s power to freeze time,” added Apollo.
Hestia shuddered. “I guess we won’t know until we meet this creepy Crius face-to-face.”
“Or better yet, sneak up on him,” Zeus said. “Before he can show us his powers.”
Hera yawned. “This storm is not going to end soon, I bet. We need to sleep, but I’m not sure I can.”
Hestia looked at Apollo. “Got any songs that are calming enough to put us to sleep?”
Apollo nodded. Staring into the darkness outside the cave, he strummed his lyre again.
“Rain, rain, go away.
Come again some other day. . . .”
“It’s catchy,” Hera said, curling up on the floor of the cave. “Not sure if it’s a lullaby, though.”
“I think lullabies will come easier when I finally look into my sister’s eyes,” Apollo replied. Then he began to play a sad, slow tune that soon had the girls yawning.
Zeus found himself yawning too and it didn’t take long before he drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a peaceful sleep. In his dreams, or rather his nightmares, he still saw the straw hut whirling and twirling in the wind.
* * *
They woke up to the sound of birds chirping. The first rays of morning sun streamed into the cave and across Zeus’s face.
Apollo was already up, stretching, along with the rest of the group. “The storm is done! Here comes the sun!” he sing-songed happily. “Now we can go find Artemis.”
“And that hut full of Olympians, don’t forget,” Hera reminded him.
“We should eat something first,” Hestia suggested. “If we run into any monsters, we’ll need our strength.”
“Well, now that you’ve said that, I’m sure we will meet some monsters,” Hera complained.
Zeus was anxious to get going, but his stomach felt like a hollow pit. “Breakfast is a good idea, thanks,” he said.
Hestia looked in her bag. “Uh-oh. Our rations got wet. They’re ruined!”
“Hold that dismal thought,” Apollo said. He darted from the cave. Before anyone could ask what he was up to, he bounded back again with his arms full of ripe fruit. “Don’t despair, just eat a pear. Some fell from a tree. Enough for you three and me!” Zeus knew he must be feeling hopeful again. He talked in rhyme most of the time—but especially when he was in a good mood.
Munching breakfast, they headed out again.
“We should find the others first,” said Zeus. “That hut flew over the hill.”
Hera held Chip in her palm. “Chip, where are the other Olympians?” she asked. A new arrow appeared on Chip’s stone surface.
“This way,” Hera said, pointing.
They followed the arrow and found a path that led to a thick forest. The morning sun was bright, but with tall trees blocking the sun, the forest looked dark and a little spooky.
“Think they landed in there?” Hestia said hopefully. “I hope falling through the trees didn’t wreck their hut!”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Zeus said quickly, though he wasn’t sure of that at all. He was just trying to keep everyone’s spirits up.
The sound of chirping birds faded as soon as the four Olympians entered the forest. It was eerily quiet as they wound their way through the trees.
“There’s no sign of the others,” Hera said.
“It’s a big forest,” Zeus said. “They’ll turn up,” he added, with less confidence than he felt. Then, out of nowhere, he shivered.
“What was that for?” Hera asked him.
“No clue,” he replied. “I just suddenly felt . . . cold.”
“I did too,” Hestia said. “I’ve had that feeling before. It’s usually right before monsters attack.”
“Stop saying monsters!” Hera cried.
“Well, that’s just what happens,” Hestia pointed out.
“I know what she means,” Zeus said. “It’s not just a cold feeling. It’s like my skin prickles. Right before something is about to happen.”
Suddenly, Apollo cried out. “Look!”
Three spooky-looking girls had appeared on the path in front of them. They had pale green skin, dark green hair, and wild green eyes. Zeus couldn’t tell if they were friends—or foes.
“What are you doing in our forest?” one of them demanded to know.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Dark Tower
Zeus stepped forward, forcing a smile. “We’re looking for our lost friends,” he said. “Five of them.”
“And for my lost twin sister,” added Apollo.
“And for a Titan named Crius,” Hera said.
The green girls looked at one another.
“We can help you,” said the one in the middle.
Zeus sighed with relief. “So, you don’t want to attack us or anything?”
“We’re tree nymphs,” said the one on the right. “We don’t attack—unless you’re going to cut down our trees.” She glared at them. “You’re not here to cut down our trees, are you?”
“No!” Zeus said quickly. “Of course not.”
The center one nodded. “Good. I am Carya, and these are my sisters, Orea and Telea.”
“Nice to meet you,” Zeus said. “He introduced himself and the other Olympians. So you said you can help us? Have you seen our five friends?”
Carya shook her head. “No. But we know where you can find Crius.”
Orea looked at Apollo. “You! Golden-haired one. We’ve seen a girl who looks like you. Is your sister named Artemis?”
Apollo’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Do you know where she is?”
Orea nodded. “Crius has her. He is using a potion of crushed flowers to keep her in a deep sleep.”
“That’s awful!” said Hera. “Why would he do that?”
“So she won’t cause trouble. She was always trying to fight the Titans,” replied Telea. “She is a good fighter.”
Apollo smiled. “That’s my sister.”
“You said she’s in a deep sleep,” Zeus said. “Is there any way to wake her?”
Carya took a small pouch that hung around her neck and pulled a seed from it. This she handed to Hera, the nearest Olympian.
“Once planted, this seed will grow into a bush. Its berries can be used as a cure,” Carya told them. “It is our gift to you all to help Artemis.”
Apollo’s smile faded. “But that will take so long!”
“If Demeter were here, she could make them grow fast,” Hera pointed out.
“We’ll find her. Hopefully in time to help,” Zeus said firmly. “Thanks, Carya.”
“You’re welcome,” Carya replied. Then she and the other two nymphs turned to leave.
“Wait! Where is Crius? Where is he keeping Artemis?” Apollo asked impatiently.
“Pass through our forest, and then head westward. You will soon see Crius’s dark tower,” Orea replied, turning back.
“But beware of the Pandi!” warned Telea.
“The Pandi? What are the Pandi?” Zeus asked.
“We must go,” said Telea. With that, the nymphs seemed to dissolve right back into the trees.
“Wait! Come back! What are the Pandi?” Zeus yelled again, but the spooky nymphs did not reappear.
“Come on. Let’s get to Crius’s tower,” Apollo said. His face looked fierce and determined—more like Ares than the Apollo that Zeus knew.
“We’ll rescue Artemis, don’t worry,” Zeus promised him.
Apollo didn’t say anything. He just stalked to the head of the group and marched them through the forest as fast as he could. The others almost had to jog to keep up with him.
In no time, they were out of the forest. A plain stretched out before them now, but there was no tower in sight.
“The nymphs said it wasn’t far,” Hestia said helpfully.
After walking another thirty minutes Apollo suddenly called a halt. “Look! The tower!”
He
was right. It was impossible to miss on the horizon—and not just because it was tall.
Orea had called it a dark tower, Zeus remembered, but it wasn’t just the tower that was dark. Though the sun was shining, the area surrounding the tower itself had no light. Bright stars shone above it. The group stared at the tower in awe.
“Now that is an incredible sight. We are in day, but the tower’s in night,” rhymed Apollo.
“Must be some weird power Crius has,” Zeus guessed.
As they got closer to the tower, they slowed their steps. The sky above them became darker and blacker as they approached it.
“On, flame!” Hestia commanded. A fire danced on one end of her torch. Zeus took Bolt from his belt and held it in front of him. Bolt glowed, trying to help.
The magical objects lit the way for a while. But the darkness became deeper and deeper.
“It’s like the night is a thick woolly blanket,” Hera remarked. “I can actually feel its darkness.”
Whoosh! Something whizzed by Zeus’s ear. Zeus caught a glimpse as it sped past him. An arrow!
“We’re under attack!” he yelled.
“How can you tell?” Hera asked, spinning around. “I can’t see anything!”
“Flame!” Hestia cried, and her torch burned brighter. She gasped.
The Olympians could now see their attackers clearly. A circle of strange big-eared warriors surrounded them. Each one had white hair covering his entire body. They gripped long spears with eight fingers on each hand, and they had eight toes on each foot to match.
“The Pandi, I’m guessing?” Apollo whispered to Zeus. “What big ears they have!”
“Hey! I heard that!” one of the Pandi yelled.
“Of course you did, with ears like that!” Hera laughed.
The Pandi poked her with the end of his spear.
“Ow!” Hera cried.
Then the Pandi grabbed the Olympians’ weapons! They took Hestia’s flame and Zeus’s bolt. They even took Apollo’s lyre, though it wasn’t a weapon. “March!” Pandi ordered. One warrior got behind each Olympian, holding a sharp spear at the ready.
As they walked, the Olympians complained and asked annoying questions about where they were going in hope of distracting their captors. But their questions seemed to fall on deaf pointy ears.
Zeus’s mind raced trying to think of a way to reclaim their weapons and escape. Then it came to him. Hera’s feather! The Pandi hadn’t taken it.
“Hera, command your feather to tickle them, so they’ll drop their weapons,” Zeus whispered to her. “Then we can run for it. I’ll summon Bolt, and then zap them if they get too close.”
“Good plan,” Hera whispered back. “Except that these big-eared guys can hear you when you whisper, genius.”
Sure enough, two Pandi rushed over to them right away. Zeus groaned. How could he have forgotten those huge ears of theirs?
“Stop!” one commanded. “Turn over the feather too.”
Hera glared at Zeus as she took her feather out of her bag and gave it to the Pandi.
And the botched plan is all my fault! Now we’ll never escape! Zeus thought.
CHAPTER FIVE
Crius
Then it hit Zeus—Duh! All he had to do was shout “Bolt!” and his magical object would fly back to him. He’d already opened his mouth to yell when Hera jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
“What?” he asked. She gave him a warning look, as if she knew exactly what he was intending to do.
Zeus knew that Hera wasn’t going to risk talking because the Pandi would hear. So what was her objection? What was wrong with his plan to call back Bolt?
He played it over in his head. As soon as he yelled Bolt, it would fly back into his hands. He could start zapping Pandi. Easy peasy.
He looked around at the Pandi surrounding them as they made their way toward the tower. He quickly counted five . . . ten . . . twenty . . . too many to count! He couldn’t zap them all. That must be what Hera was thinking. That he should wait until the odds were better.
He knew that was smart, but waiting while spears were pointed at you wasn’t an easy thing to do.
If Ares were here, he’d be stabbing at these attackers with his own spear! He had always thought that Ares was too hotheaded. But now Zeus thought maybe he understood Ares better. Because he was really itching to fight!
He looked back at Hestia and Apollo. Hestia looked worried. Apollo had that same determined look in his eyes that Zeus had noticed before. The one that meant he was thinking of his sister.
By now the darkness was as black as ink all around them. Some of the Pandi held torches they’d lit with Hestia’s flame. They marched the Olympians up a stone walkway to the looming tower.
When they reached the entrance, two of their captors opened the enormous wooden doors. Creak! Once inside, they made the Olympians climb up a spiral staircase. It took them up, up, up to the top of the tower, and spilled them out into a large, round room.
A massive throne sat in the center of the room, and in the throne sat a humongous Titan. Zeus thought he would never get used to how big these giants were. Even seated, this one towered over the Olympians like an oak tree.
The Titan wore a deep purple cloak that sparkled with what looked like swirling galaxies of real stars. A set of big ram horns grew from his giant head.
“Olympians,” he greeted them in a booming voice. “Welcome to the tower of the Highest Titan! I am Crius.”
“Wait, that sounds familiar,” Hera said slowly. “Didn’t one of the other Titans we’ve met before call himself that?”
Crius coughed. “You may be thinking of my older brother Hyperion. He calls himself the High Titan. But I am the Highest Titan!”
“If he’s your older brother, shouldn’t he rank higher than you?” Apollo asked.
Crius frowned. “Silence!” he boomed, sounding annoyed. Then he turned to the Pandi. “Bring them.” With that, he headed up yet another flight of stairs.
Zeus felt a spear in his back again, as the Pandi marched them up the stairs behind the Titan. Crius led them to an outdoor rooftop garden.
“It’s beautiful,” Hestia whispered.
Zeus agreed. Soft grass grew beneath their feet. A large fountain bubbled in the center of the garden, shimmering in the starlight. White moonflowers grew on vines that snaked up the sides of the walls. But why bring them here? Zeus wondered.
Crius walked to a table in front of the fountain. It was laden with fruit, delicious looking cakes, and a glass bowl filled with a pale-blue liquid.
The Titan looked at the Pandi and clapped his hands. “Serve our guests!” he ordered. On command, two Pandi stepped up and began filling four glass cups with the blue drink.
Zeus looked around. Only a few of the Pandi had come with them upstairs. Now the odds were a little more in the Olympians’ favor, he realized. The Pandi handed each of them a full cup.
“Drink, and enjoy the hospitality of the Highest Titan!” Crius said.
Zeus looked at the other Olympians. Hera mouthed the words “Don’t drink.” Hestia and Apollo nodded. They remembered what the nymphs had told them about Artemis: He is using a potion of crushed flowers to keep her in a deep sleep.
What if this was the same potion? If they drank, they might become captives of Crius too—forever!
“Come, come. Drink up!” Crius commanded when they hesitated. “You must be thirsty after your long journey to my tower.”
Zeus knew he had to distract Crius somehow, so he stepped forward. “Why are you being so nice to us?” he asked. “You’re a Titan. Most Titans attack when they see us. They want to take us to King Cronus.”
Crius laughed. “But I am the Highest Titan, as I told you. I do not answer to Cronus.”
“You don’t?” Zeus asked, truly surprised to hear this.
“He is too concerned with puny humans and their stupid earth. I care not for them. I care only for the heavens!” As he spoke, the stars on his rob
e glimmered and shimmered.
Zeus cast a look back at his friends. Their cups were empty. He noticed a small damp spot on the grass at their feet where they had dumped the potion. He just hoped Crius hadn’t noticed. Fortunately the Pandi were busily occupied at the table.
He motioned meaningfully to Hera. It was time to dump his cup too. She stepped forward.
“Your stars are very beautiful, oh Highest Titan,” she told him in an admiring tone.
Crius looked up at the sky, and in that moment, Zeus dumped out the contents of his own glass.
“Yes, they are beautiful, and they shine only on me!” he boasted. Then he looked back at the Olympians. “I’m glad to see you have drunk your fill. How are you feeling?”
Zeus stretched his arms high and pretended to yawn. “Very sleepy, Highest Titan.”
Hera, Hestia, and Apollo copied him. “Yes, very sleepy.”
Crius smiled. “Good, good.”
Zeus lay down on the grass and pretended to fall sleep. The others did the same.
“Excellent!” they heard Crius say. Then the self-proclaimed Highest Titan clapped his hands. “Pandi, take them to the Chamber of Sleep!”
It was hard for Zeus not to move or open his eyes when he felt the eight-fingered hairy hands of a Pandi pick him up.
“Foolish Olympians,” Crius said with a chuckle. “You shall remain asleep until the Titans rule! With you in my power, that day won’t be long in coming.”
The Pandi warrior carried Zeus down the stairs, then walked straight for a while, maybe down a long hall. It was hard to say exactly since Zeus didn’t dare open his eyes. Finally, the warrior stopped and Zeus heard the sound of a door opening. Squeak!
The Pandi dumped him on something soft—a bed, he guessed. He heard three more thuds as the other Olympians landed on the bed with him.
“Sweet dreams,” one of the Pandi said, and the others laughed. Then the door closed, and everything got quiet.
Zeus slowly opened his eyes. Overhead, he saw a dark sky with twinkling constellations—but he knew he wasn’t outside. This had to be some kind of magical room.