Hephaestus and the Island of Terror

by Joan Holub

  Thump! Thump! Thump! The sound got louder . . . and closer.

  “Think there’s a Titan back there?” Apollo wondered aloud.

  Zeus started to sweat, imagining the huge Titan that was about to appear from behind the door.

  Athena leaned over to whisper to him. “Hold on a second. That door is normal-size.”

  Yeah, so how could a giant Titan fit through it? Zeus realized. He brightened a little.

  As the door swung open, every warrior dropped to his knees and bowed to the figure who’d appeared. Zeus was astonished to see that it was only a boy! A boy about the same size and age as the Olympians. He was dressed all in black, with a silver belt around the waist of his tunic and shiny armor on his wrists. His thick, dark hair was slicked back with oil, and his brown eyes were flecked with gold.

  But what really caught Zeus’s eye was the cane the boy was leaning on. It was the coolest—and scariest—cane he had ever seen. Like the first door they’d entered, it was carved with skulls. These were way smaller, though, and the cane had a skull-shaped knob at the top.

  “He sure is tiny for a Titan,” Hades whispered to Zeus.

  “I don’t think . . . ,” Zeus started to say.

  Thwack! The boy struck the ground with his cane, and eyed the Olympians fiercely. “I am Hephaestusoo! Bow down toog me!” he demanded.

  When they hesitated, the warriors yanked them down, forcing them to drop to their knees.

  “Have you no respectoo?” the boy asked. “What brings yoog to my island?”

  “We are on a quest,” Zeus replied.

  “Quest? You’re just a bunch of kids!” The boy laughed. “What kind of a quest could you be on? Are you looking for your mommies?”

  No more “oos” and “oogs,” Zeus noticed. Now the boy was speaking in the same way as the Olympians. What was up with that?

  “Are you a tiny Titan? Or a mini Crony?” asked Apollo.

  The boy struck his cane against the floor again. Thwack! “That’s a rude question,” he said. “But I will answer it, because I do know something of Cronies. And I have an amazing story to tell. When I was very young, I was taken prisoner by Cronies. They stole me from my home and stashed me away on a ship.”

  A look of sadness crossed his face, and he glanced away for a moment. Then he shifted his cane to his other hand and went on.

  “On the second night of our journey, a terrible storm struck,” he said. “The ship crashed onto the rocky coast of this island. None of the Cronies survived. But I did . . . barely.”

  He glanced down at his leg, and Zeus guessed that it must have been hurt in the shipwreck. That would explain the cane.

  “So you were captured by Cronies,” Athena asked. “Do you know why?”

  The boy shook his head. “It is my guess that they feared my greatness, for you can now see what I have become. A respected and powerful leader-oo!” He motioned to the warriors, who bowed even lower. But Zeus noticed that a few of those warriors rolled their eyes at one another even as they bowed.

  The Olympians looked at one another as realization dawned on them. “He’s no tiny Titan!” Apollo said.

  “He’s one of us!” Hades cried.

  Zeus rose to his feet and announced the truth to the boy. “You’re the eleventh Olympian!”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  A Mechanical Mind

  You’re Olympians?” the boy asked in surprise as Zeus’s four companions also got to their feet. “You mean, like the ones King Cronus is all fired up about capturing and . . .” He drew a finger across his throat, indicating that the king meant them harm.

  “Yes,” said Zeus. “We’re those Olympians. And you’re one of us.”

  The boy laughed and replied, “Hmm. Hephaestus, of the Olympians! Or maybe I’m supposed to be your leader? Hephaestus, Leader of the Olympians. It has a nice ring to it.”

  Of course, Zeus hadn’t told the boy he was going to lead them. They didn’t even know him!

  “Although, I can’t say I’m surprised by this news,” the boy went on. “I’ve always known I wasn’t like other mortals. Apparently my special qualities are even more special than I realized. I’ll have to ask my subjects to start worshipping me extra hard now!”

  At that, some of the warriors started to giggle. But a glare from Hephaestus shut down that laughter pretty quick, and they started stomping their feet and clapping instead.

  Zeus couldn’t believe how this tiny kid could make those ginormous warrior dudes do whatever he wanted with just one look! He wondered if those warriors really liked worshipping this strange boy—and why they did it in the first place.

  “Um, well, here’s the thing,” Athena said. “We need to ask you to leave this place and come with us. Maybe you could help us find our friends? They should be on this island somewhere.”

  “Yeah,” Zeus went on. He started pacing back and forth in front of Hephaestus. “You see, there’s this oracle. And ever since we found out we were Olympians, she sends us out on quests.” He paused, waiting for the boy’s reaction.

  Hephaestus cocked his head, appearing interested. “Go on.”

  But before Zeus could continue, Hades jumped into the conversation. “We mostly fight horrible monsters and Titans on our quests. And we search for magical objects and weapons and stuff.”

  At the mention of magic, the warriors looked at one another, curious. One of the warriors, who had taken Bolt, tapped it against the head of another warrior, who was still wearing Hades’s helmet. When nothing happened, they all chuckled and started chattering among themselves.

  “And find other Olympians,” said Athena, joining in. “Like how they found me. And once we collect enough magical weapons and Olympians, we’ll be able to fight King Cronus and beat him and his soldiers once and for all.”

  The warriors went silent, looking toward their tiny leader.

  The gold flecks in Hephaestus’s eyes sparkled. “I see. So if the Olympians defeat the king, we’ll rule the world instead of him?”

  “I think that’s the idea,” said Zeus. “The details are never entirely clear, because Pythia’s spectacles fog up, and then she can’t see into the future all that well. She’s the oracle I was telling you about.”

  In spite of their attempts to convince him, Hephaestus looked doubtful. “Let me think about it,” he said finally. “It’s great here. I’ve got the perfect workshop, and besides, I like being worshipped by all these islanders. I mean, who wouldn’t? Still, ruling over more than just this one island is pretty tempting.”

  This set the warriors to murmuring. They shot the Olympians dirty looks.

  “Why exactly do all these guys worship you?” Athena asked.

  “That’s another rude question, but I’ll answer this one too, because the answer is interesting,” replied Hephaestus. “It’s because of my brilliant mechanical mind! I’m a whiz with metalworking.”

  “We saw some of your work in the shop,” said Apollo. “It’s amazing, but why do they care so much about a bunch of metal toys?”

  “There’s more. Let me show you,” said Hephaestus. He twirled his cane like a baton, then pointed it down the hallway. “Walk with me,” he said. He set off, striding swiftly, despite his limp.

  Without another word he led them farther down the hall. His minions followed too, bowing the whole way. When they all reentered the workshop, Hephaestus waved his cane and bellowed at the workers and minions. “Sintians!”

  “What’s a Sintian?” Apollo whispered to Zeus.

  Overhearing, Athena whispered back, “Must be what the people who live here are called?”

  “You are all dismissed-oo!” Hephaestus ordered, twirling his cane. Unfortunately, he lost control of it and it accidentally flew out of his hands. Smack! It knocked one of the workers in the head.

  “Oops! My bad,” Hephaestus said. The worker scowled at him. But then he looked a little scared and bowed low.

  “Wait! Our magical objects,” Athena called out. “Your war
riors took them, and we need them back.”

  “Done!” said Hephaestus. “But the Sintians had already hurried out before anyone could ask what they’d done with the objects. “Great,” said Hades, shooting Zeus a glance full of blame. “We may have lost our objects forever!”

  Just then the mechanical bird flew over the Olympians’ heads and landed back on its perch. Hephaestus smiled. “One of my first creations. Pretty good, right?” he boasted. “You see, after I crashed onto this island, the Sintians found me on the shore. I wasn’t sure if they were going to help or hurt me, but I felt like they needed me. I mean, they already knew how to use fire to soften and bend metal to make things, but their metalworkers weren’t very skilled or creative.”

  “So they didn’t know how to make all this stuff?” Athena asked.

  “No way. I taught them. As soon as they handed me a hammer, I just knew what to do with it, somehow. I could hammer metal into all kinds of shapes. Then I discovered how to connect pieces to make weirdly amazing creatures, and to make them move, too.”

  His eyes shone. “When the Sintians saw what I could do, they were in awe, of course. They made me their leader. They thought my inventions were magic. Before I came, Cronies used to attack them all the time. But I promised them that my inventions would keep Cronies away. Now the Cronies never come near this island. Do you know why?”

  Zeus thought he knew. “It’s those three-legged boxes that make the fog so thick near the shore, right? They help make the island look extra-spooky with the steam from the volcano, and scare everyone away.”

  Hephaestus nodded. “And any enemy who did set foot here would be swiftly defeated by my other creations,” he bragged. He pointed to a large ram-shaped metal animal still under construction. Two sharp, fierce-looking metal horns spiraled from its head.

  “My mechanical creatures are not only cool and quirky. They’re also deadly,” Hephaestus explained happily. “Once it is finished, this ram could take down a line of Cronies in mere seconds.”

  “Pretty impressive,” admitted Athena.

  “But don’t you see, that’s exactly why we need you to come with us. None of us knows how to make weapons like yours,” said Zeus. “Each of us has our own special skills. Together, we make a great team.”

  “Yeah. Wait till you see what I can do with a bow and arrow,” said a girl’s voice from behind them.

  Zeus and the others spun around. It was Artemis! While everyone had been focused on the ram, she’d crossed the room and taken the gold bow and silver arrows down from the wall. Now she held the bow in her hands and was pulling an arrow back, looking ready to shoot.

  “You’re awake!” Apollo cried.

  “Finally,” Hades said happily. “Maybe now Hera will stop grumbling.”

  “Dream on,” said Apollo.

  “Unhand those!” Hephaestus said angrily.

  Artemis shook her head. Instead of obeying him, she sent an arrow across the room. Boing! It went straight into the eye of a metal bull. “Bull’s-eye!” she crowed.

  “Pythia said you would only wake up when you had your gold bow and silver arrows. She was right!” cheered Apollo.

  “Nuh-uh. That bow and those arrows are mine,” Hephaestus protested. “I made them!”

  “Sorry, Heffoo. You made them, but they were meant for me all along,” said Artemis. “They’re mine now. Right, Zeus?”

  “Yep,” Zeus told her. “We came for them and for a new Olympian. Now that we have both, let’s all get going.”

  “You know, maybe I will come with you,” said Hephaestus, seeming to decide it was okay for Artemis to keep the bow and arrows after all. “I’ve always wanted to work with lots of gold and silver. There’s not much of that around here. Mostly it’s bronze or iron. I bet there are more precious metals where you come from. Besides, you need a good leader. One who doesn’t just turn your weapons over to a bunch of warriors and leave you defenseless.”

  “We already have a leader. Zeus,” Hades said loyally.

  “You’re our leader?” Artemis said, staring at Zeus in surprise. “Did you really give up everyone’s weapons without a fight?” She gripped her bow and arrows tightly as if worried he’d offer them to the next Sintian who walked by.

  Zeus opened his mouth to defend himself and his decision, but Hephaestus was quicker to speak. “Soft, bro, soft,” he said, shaking his head at Zeus in disgust.

  “I am not soft!” But Zeus saw Artemis and Apollo exchange doubtful glances. That hurt.

  Then he looked at Athena and was alarmed to see that her eyes were wide with fear. Turned out that her fear had nothing to do with her opinion of his leadership skills, however. “Um, didn’t that silver lion and gold dog used to be by the throne room?” she asked, slowly pointing toward the door.

  The lion and dog now blocked the entrance to the workshop. Though the animals weren’t moving, the lion’s green jeweled eyes and the dog’s glittery red eyes both gave off an eerie glow.

  “Uh-oh. I think my pets may have figured out that I’m planning to leave and become your leader,” Hephaestus said. “My pet creatures and I are exceptionally connected.”

  He turned to the lion and dog. “Here, kitty, kitty. Here, doggie. I command you to . . .”

  Before he could finish, the silver lion and gold dog sprang to life. With a mighty mechanical roar and a threatening growl, they pounced!

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Awesome Artemis!

  The Olympians took off running to all corners of the workshop, taking cover where they could.

  “Silver lines and gold dolls. Pythia’s warning!” Zeus yelled, diving behind the ram statue.

  “But as usual, she muddled things a bit,” added Apollo from behind a column.

  “Yeah!” said Athena from behind a vase. “It wasn’t lines and dolls, but lions and dogs!”

  With a mighty roar, the lion opened its huge jaws, revealing a mouth of sharp silver teeth. Grr! growled the gold dog. It had long fangs and a mouth big enough to gobble an Olympian in two bites!

  “Stop! I command you!” Hephaestus yelled as the two mechanical beasts charged again and again. He pointed his cane-staff at the creatures, but they took no notice.

  “They’re not listening to you!” yelled Athena.

  “Is there some other way to make them stop?” Zeus asked.

  “Well, no. Because I, uh, made them unstoppable,” Hephaestus replied.

  Artemis aimed an arrow at the silver lion as it began to stalk her and Apollo. “Do they have any weak spots?” she yelled.

  “Maybe where the head and the neck connect!” called Hephaestus. “There are gears between them that an arrow could jam.”

  As the mechanical lion roared again, Artemis sent her arrow flying. Zzzpt! It lodged in the lion’s silver neck, and sparks shot into the air. Luckily that slowed the lion down a bit.

  “Awesome, Artemis!” Athena cheered.

  Without wasting time, Artemis shot next at the mechanical dog. Her arrow nailed it right in the neck too. This slowed the beast down, but unfortunately didn’t stop it.

  “You guys get out of here!” she cried. “I’ll keep these two at bay and catch up later!”

  Zeus hesitated, but Artemis had a steely look in her eye that told him she was going to be fine.

  “All right!” he called back, while glancing around the workshop one last time. And there, strewn on a table at the far end of the workshop, were the Olympians’ magical objects.

  “Guys! Over there!” Zeus cried, running toward the table. He picked up Bolt. “Bolt, large!” he commanded. But nothing happened!

  “If that’s a magical object, it won’t work here,” Hephaestus told him. “The volcano puts sulfur into the air,” he explained, “and that drains the magic from stuff—except for stuff made from the metal on this island.”

  “Just like in the Underworld,” added Hades. “We’ve got lots of sulfur there, too.” After shoving on his helmet, he started to grab every spear and sword in sig
ht.

  “Hey!” Hephaestus protested. “What’re you doing? Those aren’t yours!”

  “If our magical weapons won’t work, we’re gonna need some help to get out of here,” Apollo pointed out, grabbing weapons too.

  Hephaestus nodded. “All right then. Everyone, take what you can! Then follow me to the exit!”

  Zeus frowned in frustration—he’d just been going to say the same thing! But Hephaestus took the lead, motioning with his cane toward the weapon-strewn worktables.

  As they headed for the exit, Zeus looked back at Artemis. The silver lion was on its side, its legs still in motion. The mechanical dog plodded forward slowly, dragging one of its gold feet behind it. Artemis let another arrow fly, and this one must’ve hit the gears inside the dog’s neck. Sparks shot out, and the dog slowed to a stop.

  “Wow, those arrows really are magic!” Hades remarked.

  “That wasn’t magic. That was skill,” Artemis said proudly. “C’mon. I’m finished here. Let’s get going, you guys!” she called.

  “Yeah, let’s make a run for the ship,” said Apollo.

  “You have a ship?” Hephaestus asked.

  “Yes,” said Zeus. “So are you coming with us?”

  Hephaestus looked around his workshop. “I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it,” he said. “But I’ll at least help you get out of here. C’mon.”

  The Olympians left the workshop and dashed down the long hallway that led out from inside the volcano. Artemis pushed open the door at the entrance to the volcano, and they ran outside. The Sintian guards gave them curious looks, but they bowed their heads when they saw their leader-oo.

  Hephaestus stopped and looked at the guards. Then he looked at the volcano. “I’ll miss this place,” he said, sounding a little sad. Then he turned his gaze toward the Olympians. “But there’s something about being with you all that feels right.”

  “Because you’re an Olympian,” Zeus reminded him.