by Joan Holub
9
Fitful Night, Thunderous Morning
SOON NYX HAD DONNED HER starry cape and was riding high in her purple and gold chariot, bringing rest to the weary as shadows lengthened and night took over the sky. Alone with her thoughts and the stars, she felt the loss of Thanatos keenly. Not even the squeaky little bats that usually gave her such joy could lighten her mood tonight. Despite her enjoyment of the new experiences she’d been having, she couldn’t help thinking that coming to Mount Olympus had been a tragic mistake.
When it was finally time for night to end and she was on her way back to MOA, she glimpsed Eos in the distance. To Nyx’s surprise, the goddess of the dawn waved her over. Directing Erebus closer, Nyx saw that Eos held a notescroll tied with a multicolored ribbon in all the colors of the dawn. As the two girls neared each other, Eos tossed the notescroll high.
It fell inside the chariot, landing at Nyx’s feet. Huh? What could Eos have to say to her? She picked up the notescroll and was about to unroll it when Erebus made a sharp turn to the right to get her chariot back on course. The turn caught Nyx totally off guard, jerking her so hard she almost fell. She fumbled with the notescroll, accidentally dropping it over the side of the chariot.
“Oh no!” she cried out. Though she scanned for it from above, she couldn’t see it on the forested ground below. She was dying to know what Eos could’ve written. They’d never even traded greetings before!
Even if she’d had the energy to go looking for the scroll, which she didn’t, she would never find it in the trees. Night was over. Already the yellows, oranges, and pinks of dawn were taking over the sky and Eos was far away, with no clue her message had not been read. Leaving the scroll to lie wherever it had fallen, Nyx made for the Academy. Her chariot landed beside the stables and she hopped down from it. After a kiss to Erebus’s nose and a fond stroke along his mane, she snapped him and the chariot away.
With Pheme spreading the word, it seemed likely to Nyx that most MOA students would have heard about her parakeet’s disappearance by now. Not wanting to face their questions about what happened or their pity, she lingered near the stables to pet Pegasus in his stall.
Only when she heard the herald ping his lyrebell and announce the start of first-period classes did Nyx hurry inside and up to Artemis’s room. She was surprised not to hear the dogs at the door when she twisted the knob, but then she remembered the note Artemis had left. It was probably best that the dogs were with Apollo. Still, Nyx kind of missed their enthusiastic greetings. With the dogs and her birds gone, the room was deathly quiet. Ordinarily, anything that could be described as deathly, was A-OK with her. But not this time!
After changing into her nightgown and making sure the window was still open for Thanatos’s possible return, Nyx climbed into bed as the sun rose higher. With Thanatos missing and Hypnos with Zeus, Hera, and baby Hebe, there was no birdsong to lull her to sleep. Even with the covers over her head to block the daylight, she tossed and turned. Finally she did drop off, only to sleep fitfully. Nightmares disturbed her, including one in which she came upon a group of giant snarling sharp-toothed monsters that were munching away on bird feathers. (No need to wonder what had inspired that nightmare!)
She had only just dropped down to a deeper level of sleep when she was startled awake by someone pounding on her door. “It’s me—Athena!” a frantic voice called out. “I need to talk to you!”
Nyx sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. “Come in,” she said sleepily. Judging from the light outside, it couldn’t be later than ten o’clock. What was so urgent that Athena felt the need to wake her, unless . . . “Is Hypnos okay?” Nyx asked anxiously as the goddessgirl burst into the room.
“Fine,” Athena said quickly. “For now.”
Huh? What was that supposed to mean? Before Nyx could ask, Athena went on. “I came to warn you that Dad’s on the rampage.”
Nyx stared at her in confusion. “I don’t understand. Oh, so Hypnos’s singing didn’t help Hebe sleep better after all?” If the baby had slept worse than usual last night, that would explain Zeus’s anger.
But Athena shook her head. “Quite the opposite. It did help. She slept great.”
Nyx quirked an eyebrow. “Then . . . ?”
Athena went to the window, gazing down at the courtyard as if expecting something to appear as she continued explaining. “Hypnos’s singing also made Zeus and Hera sleep well. Too well. When some sailors devoted to Zeus tried to alert him to come to their aid because their ship was in danger of sinking, he failed to hear their summons.”
“Uh-oh,” said Nyx. Looking out for mortals was an important part of Zeus’s job as King of the Gods.
“Yeah,” said Athena, turning away from the window to pace and wring her hands. “Those sailors nearly drowned! They depend on Dad, and in their eyes he let them down. Dad blames you. He thinks that you and your bird intentionally made him oversleep.”
“What? No!” Nyx’s eyes went wide. How could Zeus think that? But this was serious! If mortals came to doubt Zeus’s ability to rule well, which included helping them out in emergencies, they might just give their support to some other ruler! “Where’s Hypnos?” she asked, suddenly afraid for her pet.
Before Athena could answer, a bolt of lightning suddenly lit up the sky outside, which had turned an angry gray. A loud peal of thunder followed almost instantly. Both girls jumped at the sound and then rushed to look out the window. Zeus was running around in the courtyard now, tossing thunderbolts into the air right and left as a blue-and-white parakeet dodged them.
“I’ll fricassee you, you dumb bird, you!” he boomed. “Come back here!”
Squawk! Squawk! Hypnos sounded scared.
“Oh no!” cried Nyx. “Zeus is going to hurt him if this keeps up!” A black mist began to swirl around her as her fear grew, and the roiling wind pulled curls of it outside.
Hypnos must have seen the mist and realized what it meant because he made a beeline for the window and the safety she could provide. He flew inside just as another of Zeus’s thunderbolts struck the outside wall of the Academy right beside the window. BOOM! Trembling with fear, Hypnos landed on Nyx’s shoulder and sidestepped till he was right up against her neck and partly hidden under her thick hair.
Athena leaned out the window. “Dad! Stop!” she called out. “It was not a plot that you overslept last night, I promise!”
Zeus had drawn his arm back, about to launch another thunderbolt, but now he let his arm drop to his side. “Theenie?” He peered up at her.
Gathering her courage, Nyx fanned away the black mist and poked her head forward so she’d be spotted.
“You!” Zeus shouted up at her, now that he could clearly see her standing next to Athena. “Hand over that bird! Do you realize the trouble and harm he almost caused?”
“It wasn’t on purpose,” Nyx dared to say. “And I won’t hand him over!” she added defiantly.
From beside her, Athena gasped. One did not disobey the King of the Gods. Ever. Expecting him to raise his arm with the thunderbolt again and incinerate her, Nyx cringed. Then to her surprise, Zeus backed down.
“Fine,” he growled. “Keep him, then. But you’ll both have to go. Immediately.”
“But, Dad,” Athena called down. “That’s not fair. She was invited to stay for a week, and it’s only been two d—”
At the same time Nyx stammered, “B-but what about my other bird? I need to be here in case Thanatos comes—”
“Silence!” thundered Zeus. He glowered at Nyx so darkly that this time she obeyed. No way did she want to anger Zeus further and make him change his mind about sparing Hypnos’s life.
“Go now, and make it snappy,” Zeus growled up at her. “I don’t want to find you here when I get back from trying to save my reputation. Thanks to your dumb bird, everything is a mess!”
Turning abruptly, he strode off toward the stables. Probably planning to fly down to Earth on Pegasus to meet with those sailors and other mortals,
Nyx guessed. To make the case that he could still be depended on to protect them in times of need.
“I’m so sorry,” Athena apologized after Zeus had left. “This wasn’t your fault, you know. Dad might be in a more reasonable state of mind after he fixes things up with the sailors. If you want, I can talk to him after he’s back and—”
“Thanks,” said Nyx, closing the window. “But I’d better do as he said and go.”
Sounding resigned, Athena said, “Okay. Yeah.”
“Could you get Hypnos’s cage from Hera while I get ready?” Nyx asked her.
“Of course,” said Athena. She headed for the door, looking almost as miserable as Nyx felt.
Hypnos perched on the shelf where his cage had sat yesterday, while Nyx changed from her nightgown into a chiton. She gathered her belongings, and then she was ready to go. As she sat on the edge of Artemis’s spare bed to wait for Athena’s return, she held out her upturned palm. Her bird flew down to sit upon it. “This visit didn’t exactly turn out the way we hoped, did it?” she said to Hypnos sadly. Tears sprang into her eyes, but she wiped them away.
Moments later, Athena was back with the birdcage. Hera had come with her. The statuesque goddess, whose thick blond hair was piled high on her head, was cradling Hebe in her arms. The baby was in a good mood—all smiley and giggly.
“I’m sorry about this,” Hera said as Nyx slid open the cage gate and gently deposited Hypnos inside. “You’ve been a big help. Last night Hebe slept for the longest time in forever.” She smiled at Nyx. “And so did I. It was heaven.” She hesitated, and then in a near echo of Athena’s earlier words, she said, “Wait a while. When Zeus returns I’ll speak to him on your behalf. Sometimes I can get him to see reason.”
Nyx waved away her offer. “Thanks, but I think it’s best if I go.” Though she didn’t say so, staying would be humiliating. The entire school must’ve seen Zeus’s thunderworks display and heard what he’d said to her. Even when he wasn’t angry, he wasn’t exactly quiet!
Tears pricked her eyes again as she stood. The lack of sleep probably wasn’t helping her mood, either. Thing was, she felt like she’d been starting to convince everyone here that she wasn’t so bad and that night had value, but now she wouldn’t have a chance to finish the job. She’d been foolish to think that she could ever fit in and become just one of the girls—even for a week.
Hera passed Hebe to Athena so she could give Nyx a fond farewell hug. “Please know that I wish you well.”
“Thank you,” Nyx said around the lump in her throat. She hoped Athena appreciated what a nice stepmother she had.
After Hera and Hebe left, Nyx took the birdcage with Hypnos inside and Athena lifted her black travel bag. The girls started downstairs. They’d just reached the front doors when the lyrebell pinged to indicate the start of third period. “I wish I could stay to see you off, but I’ve got a test in Science-ology this period,” Athena said hurriedly.
“It’s okay. I can manage,” said Nyx, realizing that Athena must’ve skipped part of second period to be with her.
“If Thanatos shows up, I’ll send you a message. Promise,” said Athena. After a quick, heartfelt hug, she handed over Nyx’s bag and raced off to class.
With her bag in one hand and Hypnos’s cage in the other, Nyx pushed through the doors and started outside. She wished she had time to say good-bye to some of the other girls, especially Artemis. But then that very goddessgirl appeared before her.
Artemis eyed her luggage. “I heard and saw everything from the Hero-ology class windows. I should be in Beast-ology right now, but I got permission from Professor Ladon to come see you off.”
Nyx sent her a sad smile before the two girls headed down the granite stairs. The moment she reached the MOA courtyard, Nyx snapped her fingers, bringing forth Erebus and the chariot in a swirl of silver glitter. After tossing her sparkly black bag into the chariot, she set the birdcage alongside it.
When she turned around, Artemis handed her a small bag she’d been carrying. “Snacks,” she announced. “I stopped by the cafeteria and got them for your trip back to the Underworld.”
“Thanks! You’re so sweet,” Nyx told her. Of all the students at MOA, Artemis was her favorite. Of course, Artemis was goddess of the moon in addition to the hunt. Maybe that shared connection to the night sky contributed to her feeling of friendship for the girl. She sensed that Artemis liked her a lot too. “I’ll—I’ll miss you,” Nyx added. She gave Artemis a hug.
“Safe trip home,” Artemis bade her as Nyx climbed aboard. “I wish things had gone better, but it wasn’t your fault.”
It wasn’t your fault. Athena had used practically the same words when she’d apologized for Zeus banishing Nyx. But Nyx did blame herself. She should have known better than to think she could change minds or influence anyone’s thinking about her and her precious night. Her coming to MOA had done more damage than good.
Salvaging what was left of her pride, however, she plastered a big smile on her face. “Bye! Let me know if Thanatos turns up!” she called to Artemis. Then she urged her horse “onward and upward.”
10
Things Get Worse
AS EREBUS SAILED THE CHARIOT in the direction of the Underworld, Nyx thought with dread about what she would say to the real Hypnos and Thanatos upon her return. Even though the brothers were way older than she was, they were the closest thing to friends that she had. They knew she was supposed to be staying at MOA for a week. And they’d been super excited for her when she’d showed them her invitation and the essay Athena and Artemis had sent along with it.
Word of her banishment would spread quickly, even to the Underworld. It didn’t matter that Pheme, the prime source of gossip and rumor at MOA and on Earth, wasn’t allowed down there. When some newly deceased mortal crossed over the River Styx, the news would leak out. Nyx sighed, not looking forward to witnessing the looks of disappointment on those elderly brothers’ faces.
When Erebus was halfway to the spot where he would begin his descent to the Underworld, it began to sprinkle lightly. Soon the sprinkles became full-fledged raindrops, and as the drops fell faster and harder, they turned into a downpour. Spying a cave in the trees below, Nyx guided Erebus toward it, thinking she could rest there till the rain slowed (or better, stopped) before continuing on. With luck she’d still make it back home before she had to leave again to perform her nightly job.
By the time she landed, Nyx was drenched to the bone. She left her chariot outside the cave and tied her horse to a nearby tree. She could have snapped him and the chariot away, but Erebus was unusual in that he actually liked rain showers, so she’d let him enjoy this one till she was ready to leave again.
Quickly, she emptied her chariot, bringing everything inside: Hypnos in his cage, her sparkly black bag, and the snacks Artemis had given her. Unlike the horse, her bird did not like rain. Once he was inside the cave, Hypnos gave his feathers a good shake to dry them. Then, because it was dark in there, he tucked his head to his breast and fell asleep.
Nyx gathered some dry boughs she’d found under an overhang outside the cave and brought them inside to sit on. As she was spreading them on the floor, she found a scroll buried among them. She examined it. It was damp and crushed, but she immediately recognized it as the one Eos had tossed to her yesterday morning. Her chariot must’ve been flying over these very woods when she’d fumbled and dropped the notescroll, she realized. So this was where it had fallen!
As soon as she was settled upon the boughs, she took her blue-black cape from her bag and pulled it around herself for warmth. In the darkness, its stars winked on and off. Unless she waved it outward to expand it, her cape’s magic would remain safely contained by the cave. She didn’t need to worry about it causing a premature night to fall upon the rest of the world!
At last she turned her attention to Eos’s notescroll again. Though exhausted from too little sleep and too much emotion, she was curious about its contents. After slipping off
the scroll’s multicolored ribbon, she unrolled it.
Though it was dark inside the cave, her cape gave off just enough starlight to read by. As Nyx read, her eyes widened with alarm:
Dear Nyx,
I spotted the Oneiroi flitting around outside MOA as I rose in the sky this morning.
Thought you’d want to know. How they escaped the Underworld is a mystery.
Maybe you should alert Hades?
All best,
Eos, goddess of the dawn
P.S. Nice to meet you!
The Oneiroi escaped!? Nyx pursed her lips as she stared at Eos’s notescroll. This was not good! But how had they . . . ? Suddenly the puzzle pieces fell into place.
“Oh no!” she moaned, flopping backward to lie on the boughs. Two days ago, when Nyx had first arrived at MOA . . . Those shadows Artemis had seen fly out of Nyx’s bag in the office must’ve been the three Oneiroi! Nyx had been sure Artemis had just imagined them. She’d even told Artemis so.
And later, she herself had glimpsed a shadowy form zooming out of Zeus’s office window as he slept. She’d chalked the vision up to imagination contagion, or maybe evidence of some weird atmospheric disturbance that was a result of her presence at MOA. But now she decided it had in fact been that tricky trio. They must have hitched a ride in her black bag when she’d left the Underworld!
Suddenly the weird dreams and nightmares various students at the Academy had been having the last two nights all made sense. Why hadn’t she made the connection between those dreams and the Oneiroi before? She’d had a lot on her mind, that’s why! A missing bird and her mission to convince everyone at MOA how great the night was, for example.
As long as dreams had to travel all the way up from the Underworld, their power was mild. But if the Oneiroi had really gotten loose within the Academy, their very nearness to students and staff would increase the power and impact of the dreams they created tenfold or more. She jumped up. She had to go back to MOA and fix things! And take the Oneiroi back to the Underworld, where those rascals belonged!