Alkyoneus and the Warrior Queen Read online

  “Better fear. The Spear of Fear is here!” Ares cried, and he hurled the spear at the lead giant. She batted it away as if it were nothing. It flew toward the next giant, poking her in the arm.

  “Ouch! Which of you sneaky shrimps did that?” she cried as the spear flew back to Ares’s hand. “You? Come here!”

  Ares ran, and the giant chased him.

  While they dodged the enormous feet, the Amazon warriors threw their spears at the giants. But they couldn’t pierce the strong leather the women were wearing. And the giants plucked out the spears that landed in their arms as if they were splinters.

  Zeus thought quickly. He could use Bolt to stop the seven sisters, but how could he do that without hurting everybody? Then he remembered the hill, and he raced toward it.

  When he reached the top of the hill, out of breath, he saw that now the giants were trying to scoop up the Amazons. One of them grabbed Eurybe and dangled the Amazon over her wide-open mouth.

  “Smelly needs a scrawny snack!” the giant boomed, but before she could drop Eurybe into her mouth, a cry traveled through the air.

  “Let go of her, you big meanie!”

  Hercules jumped from a nearby tree branch and landed on Smelly’s arm. Startled, the giant let go of Eurybe. She plummeted to the ground, and three of the warriors caught her.

  But now the giant had Hercules in her clutches. She grinned.

  “Even better. This silly shrimp is much meatier,” Smelly said, and she dropped Hercules into her mouth.

  “Nooooo!” Zeus cried.

  Then the giant made a face. “Yuck! Stinky! Nasty!” she complained, and then she coughed up Hercules. Three more warriors caught him as he fell—and then quickly dropped him.

  “Yuck! He’s covered in giant drool!” one of them cried.

  Zeus was relieved that Hercules was okay, but angry at the giants. He could feel the emotion bubbling up inside him, filling him, until it spilled out.

  “LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!” he thundered.

  The sky immediately grew dark. Thunder rolled across the countryside. Bolt flew out of Zeus’s hands and shot across the village.

  Zap! Zap! Zap! Zap! Zap! Zap! Zap!

  Streaks of sizzling energy hit each of the giant sisters. Stunned, they toppled to the ground, and Ares, Hercules, and the Amazons ran out of the way as they fell.

  Zeus stayed where he was, ready to attack again, but he didn’t have to. Hippolyta stepped forward. The light from her belt shone like a beacon, bathing the giants with a golden glow. From his perch on the hill, Zeus didn’t have to shade his eyes. He watched as the sisters transformed into seven brown rabbits and hopped away.

  Zeus hurried down the hill, to where the Amazons were gathered in front of Hippolyta. Ares and Hercules stood off to the side, and Zeus joined them.

  “I guess we don’t have to fight one another anymore, right?” Ares asked the Amazons.

  “No,” Hippolyta said. “You helped save our village.”

  She turned to Hercules. “And you—you risked your life to save Eurybe. Why?”

  Hercules shrugged. “My mighty muscles were no match for your warriors’ spears, so I climbed up a tree to get away,” he admitted. “But then I saw that the giant was going to eat Eurybe, and I just—I wanted to help. I didn’t really think about it.”

  “Thanks,” Eurybe said.

  “Those are the actions of a hero,” Hippolyta said. She untied the belt from her waist. “I will give you this belt, Hercules. You have proven yourself worthy. And more than that, you are a friend. We Amazons are strong enough. We don’t need magic to defend ourselves.”

  Hercules grinned and reached for the belt. “Awesome. Thanks!”

  Hippolyta held up a hand. “First we need to do something.” She nodded to a group of four warriors next to her. They moved to Hercules and hoisted him up. Eurybe followed them and began a chant.

  “Hercules is covered in drool! He needs a dunking in the pool!”

  Then they raced to the lake and tossed Hercules in.

  Hippolyta gave the belt to Zeus.

  “Something tells me this will be safer with you,” she said.

  “Thanks,” Zeus replied. “How does the magic work?”

  “This belt was crafted by the first Amazons,” she replied. “All I have to do is think, and the belt does my bidding. It may not work for King Eurystheus, because he is not an Amazon. But if it does, beware. He could use it against you.”

  Zeus frowned. He hadn’t thought of that. What if they were bringing Eurystheus a powerful weapon? Apollo wouldn’t have wanted that to happen, would he?

  I hope I’m not going to regret this mission, he worried.

  CHAPTER TEN The Final Task

  Good-bye, Hippolyta. If you ever need our help again, let us know,” Zeus called out.

  “And if you need our help, we will gladly give it,” Hippolyta replied.

  The three boys left the Amazon camp and began the long journey back to the volcano where Ares and Hephaestus lived. They reached the volcano by nightfall. A big sign at the base of the volcano read: OLYMPIANS AND HALF GODS KEEP OUT! (EXCEPT ARES AND APHRODITE).

  Zeus looked at the sign and sighed. During our last mission, Poseidon and Aphrodite got mad at me. And now Hephaestus!

  “I’d invite you guys to stay over, but…,” Ares said.

  “It’s okay,” Zeus replied. “Hercules and I can camp.”

  “Yeah, we don’t want to hang out with that Heffy guy anyway,” Hercules said. “He’s always in a bad mood.”

  “I think he got into a bad mood when you blew up his stuff,” Ares reminded him.

  “Nah. He was in a bad mood before that,” Hercules said. “Bye, dude!”

  Zeus gave Ares a hug. “You should come visit Mount Olympus sometime.”

  “Maybe,” Ares replied. “I want to create a battle training center here like the Amazons have. Theirs was so cool!”

  Zeus nodded. He understood. That did sound cool—a lot cooler than going on another mission with Hercules. Or sitting on a throne and listening to everybody’s problems.

  “We should head out before we can’t see in front of our faces,” Zeus said.

  He and Hercules walked for another hour and then made a quick camp. Zeus fell asleep quickly, and the next morning Hercules woke him up.

  “Let’s go, friend,” Hercules said, shaking him. “We’ve got to get back to the oracle before our time is up.”

  Zeus yawned and stretched. “Okay. But first let’s eat some of that fruit the Amazons packed for us.”

  Hercules opened his pack and took out some peaches. “Did you hear me call you ‘friend’? Because we’re friends now, right? I heard you on that hill.” He made his voice deeper. “Leave my friends alone!” Then he changed his tone again. “I was included in that. I’m one of your friends.”

  “Sure,” Zeus said. “But you know, you’re not one of my best friends or anything.”

  “Well, right now I’m your only friend,” Hercules said.

  “No you’re not,” Zeus argued.

  “Sure I am,” Hercules said. “I’m the only one here, right?”

  “Just because you’re— Never mind,” Zeus said. He took a peach from Hercules, thinking about what had happened since they’d met. “And come to think of it, I’m not sure if I should let you be my friend. When we ran into Aphrodite on our first mission, you made her angry. We made my brother Poseidon angry when we took the scale from the Hydra. And now Hephaestus is mad at me. And that’s all because of you.”

  “Well, maybe they weren’t your friends in the first place, if they got mad at you so easily,” Hercules replied.

  Zeus shook his head. “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand. Let’s hit the road.”

  Hercules looked like a sad puppy at these words, and Zeus felt a pang of regret for being so hard on him, but Hercules soon perked up.

  “Maybe I’ll make some new friends when we get back to the oracle,” he said as they walked. “Wh
en I tell everyone about how I was a hero and saved the Amazons from the giants, everyone will want to be friends with me.”

  “Technically, you saved one Amazon,” Zeus pointed out.

  “Hippolyta said I was a hero,” Hercules said, and then he began to chant. “I don’t know but I’ve been told, Hercules is brave and bold! Call out, one, two. Call out, three, four. Call out one, two, three, four!”

  * * *

  Three days later they reached the Temple of Delphi. They climbed up the white marble steps and stepped between the tall columns holding up the temple ceiling.

  Inside, a golden-haired boy was strumming a lyre. A bearded man wearing a red tunic and a crown on his head was impatiently tapping his foot.

  “You said they’d be here by now,” he was saying.

  Apollo stopped strumming his lyre and smiled at Zeus and Hercules. “And here they are.”

  King Eurystheus turned to the two boys. “It’s about time. Is that my belt?”

  Zeus handed it to him. “Here you go.”

  The king frowned. “What does it do?”

  “You wear it, and then the gold thingie glows and transforms things into other things,” Hercules exclaimed.

  King Eurystheus tried to tie the belt around his waist. It didn’t fit around his belly, so he held it in place. Then he turned to a pitcher of water.

  “Transform into a pot of gold!” the king bellowed.

  The gold disc didn’t glow. Nothing happened at all. He frowned. “Hmph!” he said.

  “I think you have to be an Amazon to use it,” Zeus said.

  “He’s a greedy goose,” Hercules whispered into Zeus’s ear, mimicking the voice of Alkyoneus, and Zeus laughed.

  “I don’t see what’s so funny,” King Eurystheus snapped. He looked at Apollo. “The oracle had better send them on a good mission this time. It’s my last chance to get something valuable. All I’ve got now is a slimy scale and a belt that doesn’t fit.”

  “Okay,” Apollo said, and he played his lyre. Mist floated up from the floor of the temple.

  “Wow. I didn’t know you could do that,” Zeus remarked.

  “I’ve been practicing,” Apollo said proudly. “Now let me concentrate.”

  He stared into the fog for a few minutes. His blue eyes got wide. Finally he began to sing.

  “Good work, you two. You did succeed!

  To finish your tasks, here is what you will need:

  Travel to the world below.

  To the land of the dead you both must go.

  Travel through gloom and fire and fog,

  And bring back Cerberus, the three-headed dog.”

  Apollo blinked. “How was that?”

  “Great job!” Hercules congratulated him. “Really good rhymes.”

  “Are you kidding?” Zeus asked. “This is terrible news.”

  “What do you mean?” Hercules asked.

  “Hades, the ruler of the Underworld, is my brother,” Zeus replied. “He will never give up his dog. He loves Cerberus.”

  “Then you will just have to take it from him,” King Eurystheus said. “Now, that’s a prize I like. I will have the hound of Hades guarding my castle. My enemies will quake with fear!”

  Zeus looked at Apollo. “Can you pick another task?” he asked.

  Apollo shook his head. “That’s not how it works.”

  Zeus groaned. “Do you know what this means? No matter what I do, there’s going to be a war!”

  More from this Series

  Zeus and the Thunderbolt…

  Book 1

  Poseidon and the Sea of…

  Book 2

  Hades and the Helm of…

  Book 3

  Hyperion and the Great…

  Book 4

  Typhon and the Winds of…

  Book 5

  Apollo and the Battle of…

  Book 6

  About the Authors

  Joan Holub is the New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred fifty books for young readers, including Little Red Writing, Zero the Hero, Mighty Dads, This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer, and What Is the Statue of Liberty? She also coauthors the Goddess Girls series with the amazing Suzanne. Visit her at joanholub.com.

  Suzanne Williams is a former elementary school librarian and the author of over seventy books for children, including the award-winning picture books Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) and My Dog Never Says Please (illustrated by Tedd Arnold) and several chapter book and middle-grade series. She also coauthors the Goddess Girls series with the fantastic Joan. Visit her at suzanne-williams.com.

  Aladdin

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Joan-Holub

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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

  Hades and the Helm of Darkness

  Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire

  Typhon and the Winds of Destruction

  Apollo and the Battle of the Birds

  Ares and the Spear of Fear

  Cronus and the Threads of Dread

  Crius and the Night of Fright

  Hephaestus and the Island of Terror

  Uranus and the Bubbles of Trouble

  Perseus and the Monstrous Medusa

  Hermes and the Horse with Wings

  Dionysus and the Land of Beasts

  Zeus and the Dreadful Dragon

  Hercules and the Nine-Headed Hydra

  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 author’s 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 August 2020

  Text copyright © 2020 by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

  Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Craig Phillips

  Also available in an Aladdin paperback edition.

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  Series designed by Karin Paprocki

  Jacket designed by Heather Palisi

  Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia

  Library of Congress Control Number 2019952644

  ISBN 978-1-5344-3295-6 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-3294-9 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-3296-3 (eBook)