by Joan Holub
“Wish I had a throne,” said Poseidon. He sounded a bit jealous. Zeus understood since he’d sometimes felt the same way about Poseidon’s trident.
“At least you’ve got a trident,” Hera shot back. She sounded a little jealous too. “I’ve got nothing. Neither does Demeter.” She looked at the oracle. “Will I ever get a magical object like Zeus’s bolt. Or Poseidon’s trident? Or Hades’ helm?”
Before Pythia could think them ungrateful for what they did have, and for the help she’d given them so far, Zeus chimed in, “We’re grateful to you for guiding us in our quests. But before you give us a new one, we have a few things we’d like to ask.”
“Very well. I will allow questions,” said the oracle. “But you may ask only three.”
“Why only three?” asked Poseidon.
“Because three is the most magical number of things,” Pythia said matter-of-factly. As if that should’ve been obvious.
“Please don’t make that the first question you answered,” Hera begged the oracle.
Pythia smiled. “I won’t.”
Phew, thought Zeus. He kneeled and picked five blades of grass. Three were long and two were short. He stood again and held them in his fist out to the others. “Longs get to ask a question,” he said.
Luckily, he picked one of the long blades. So did Hera and Poseidon.
“Will Demeter and I ever get our own magical objects?” Hera asked, going first.
“Yes. In time,” promised the oracle.
“What will mine be?” Hera asked eagerly. The oracle did not reply.
“You only get one question!” Poseidon reminded her. Looked like those two were back to bickering now that Poseidon’s memory had returned, thought Zeus.
Quickly Poseidon asked the second question. “What do you see in our future?”
“The future is what you make of it,” Pythia replied. “But dark forces are gathering. You must be strong. As one. A team. If and when all of the Olympians are united again, you will have the power to defeat Cronus and his evil ways. If you fail, the entire world will be lost to chaos and destruction.”
“But, hey—no pressure, right?” Poseidon joked lamely.
No one laughed. From the grim set of his jaw, even Poseidon seemed to realize that the idea of a world lost to chaos wasn’t a funny one.
Pythia glanced at Zeus since it was his turn now. He opened his mouth. He’d planned to ask about his parents. He really had. But for some reason another question fell from his lips instead. “Am I an Olympian like the others, or am I a hero in training?”
At this, the mist around the oracle seemed to glow more brightly. “You are both,” she said gently.
“Sorry, I should’ve told you that you were an Olympian,” said Hera. “I kept it a secret for too long. I wanted to make sure you were on our side.”
Zeus had little time to consider all this before Pythia spoke again. “And now begins a new quest,” she told them all briskly. “Next you must find the Olympic Torch, which rightfully belongs to the Protector of the Hearth.
“Find the torch, and you will also find more of those you seek. Only, you must go carefully. For with each of your successes, King Cronus fears you more. And I fear for you when you next come upon him. It will be soon. Beware . . . ”
With that, the oracle faded from view. They were all silent for a minute, watching the magical glittering mist until it disappeared.
Then Zeus raised his thunderbolt high. He pointed it westward, and everyone looked in that direction. The sun was setting there in the distance, on the horizon. The sky was so orange and pink that it almost appeared to be on fire.
“Onward,” he called out in a clear, brave voice. “To adventure.”
Poseidon raised his trident. Hades raised his helm. Hera and Demeter raised their hands. They all touched, doing a high-five that excited their magic again.
Zap! Fizz! Zing! Slap! Slap!
“Onward!” they shouted as one. Then they turned to head toward the horizon.
Whoosh! Suddenly a giant fireball soared through the sky overhead. It screamed downward, heading right for them!
“Take cover!” yelled Zeus. Everyone spread out, running. He leaped behind a boulder just in the nick of time.
Ka-BOOM! The fireball exploded as it hit the earth.
As the smoke and dust cleared, Zeus peeked out. His eyes widened when he saw what had happened. There was now a crater in the exact spot where he’d been standing only seconds ago. The remains of the red-hot fireball still sizzled inside it.
Had the ball of fire been sent here on purpose to blow him to smithereens? By who? He didn’t know. But one thing he did know. He was going to find out!
Joan Holub is the award-winning author of more than one hundred and thirty books for young readers, including Zero the Hero, Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars, and Shampoodle. She lives in North Carolina. Visit her at joanholub.com.
Suzanne Williams is the award-winning author of more than thirty-five books for young readers, including Library Lil, Ten Naughty Little Monkeys, and the Princess Power and Fairy Blossoms series. She lives near Seattle in Washington State. Visit her at suzanne-williams.com.
JACKET DESIGNED BY KARIN PAPROCKI
JACKET ILLUSTRATION COPYRIGHT © 2013 BY CRAIG PHILLIPS
ALADDIN
SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK
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DON’T MISS THE OTHER ADVENTURES IN THE HEROES IN TRAINING SERIES!
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom
Poseidon and the Sea of Fury
COMING SOON:
Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the authors’ imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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First Aladdin hardcover edition April 2013
Text copyright © 2013 by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Craig Phillips
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Designed by Karin Paprocki
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Library of Congress Control Number 2012942890
ISBN 978-1-4424-5725-6 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4424-5267-1 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4424-5268-8 (eBook)