Athena the Proud Read online

  At that, Athena’s gaze found Theseus, who was sitting toward the middle of the stairs near Ariadne, helping her rewind a mountain of tangled pink yarn into several large balls. This was, of course, the yarn that had followed him out of the labyrinth as he’d threaded his way back after “vanquishing” the Minotaur.

  Daedalus finally spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. “Last night Athena and I decided the maze was too easy, so we made it harder. Maybe too hard. But we’ve changed things again, so I think the next group in will find it a little easier now.”

  “But not too easy, I hope,” the king said quickly, which surprised Athena. Had he guessed the original maze was too uncomplicated?

  Daedalus grinned, shaking his head. “No worries.”

  He wasn’t just a great inventor, Athena decided. He was also kind. He’d taken half the blame for the maze being too hard, when it had been entirely her fault. The two of them stepped forward to the center of the room.

  Professor Ladon shot the group of students who’d been in the maze a puzzled look. “I don’t underssstand. Why were you ssscreaming if you liked the experience ssso much?” The ones nearest him fanned their noses when he looked away. He really could use some mega–breath mints!

  “Because sometimes being scared is fun!” Aphrodite explained. “Especially when you know you’re actually safe.”

  King Minos was beaming. “So it was really fun, then? Great!”

  “We had a little ssscare of our own,” the professor mused. “A big crash with flamesss and the like. But it wasss fun, too, sssince we knew we were ssstill sssafe in thossse padded bumper chariotsss.” He glanced at the king. “By the way, where did you get off to there at the end? When Medusssa and Apollo arrived we couldn’t find you.”

  Before Minos could reply, Medusa piped up. “So do the rest of us get to go through the labyrinth or what?” she asked in an impatient tone.

  At her question King Minos leaped to his sandaled feet. He looked a little relieved at not having to answer the professor, Athena noticed. “Of course. Just be careful and stay calm,” he called out in a mock stern voice. Then he smiled at the students. “As some of you have already had the pleasure to learn firsthand, the star attraction of Minos’s aMAZEment Park is a chilling . . . I mean a thrilling experience!”

  After swirling his purple cloak over his shoulders, he strode up to the arched opening into the labyrinth. “Well, come on,” he called to the eager students who had yet to go inside. With a teasing look at Professor Ladon, he said, “Last one in is a rotten dinosaur egg.”

  As he dashed off, his crown caught the light from a torch. When a flash of gold blinded Athena for a second, she frowned. That momentary flash had reminded her of something.

  “That won’t be me!” shouted Professor Ladon as he jumped up and rushed through the arched opening behind the king. Medusa, Pandora, Apollo, and the other students who hadn’t yet had a turn inside the labyrinth raced after him.

  “That’s it!” Athena said suddenly. As she, Daedalus, and the students who’d already toured the maze headed upstairs and outside, she spoke to him in a low voice. “Remember what my teacher said about King Minos disappearing after the bumper chariot crash? I think it was the king who messed up those controls!”

  She explained about seeing the flash of gold as she’d entered the control room and how it had looked like the flash of his crown just now. “He must have come back here before Medusa, Apollo, and Professor Ladon. He must have sneaked upstairs before me and then run off again when I arrived.”

  “But why would he do that?” asked the inventor.

  “No clue,” she replied. “Maybe, like me, he was trying to turn the Minotaur off?”

  “Maybe,” Daedalus said uncertainly. Then his brows rose. “Or maybe he was up there trying to make it even scarier. He sure seemed happy that everyone had such a screaming good time.”

  Athena grinned. “Ha! I bet you’re right. In fact, that’s probably what all his weird little word mix-ups were about. You must have heard them too. He wanted the Minotaur in the maze to be both ‘chilling’ and ‘thrilling,’ for instance.”

  “Yeah!” said Daedalus. “And he wanted everyone to have a ‘frightful, delightful’ experience too.”

  Nodding, Athena glanced over at Theseus. He and Ariadne hadn’t gone into the labyrinth with the second group. And they weren’t heading off into the park to the other rides now like students from the first group. Instead the pair were chatting away about his adventure on a bench outside as they continued to wind the pink yarn into balls. There was no harm in Theseus believing that he’d actually slain the monster, Athena decided. He’d thought there was danger and had acted bravely in the face of it. He deserved his moment of glory!

  All at once Daedalus froze. “Yikes. Later!” he said to Athena. “Just remembered I need to turn the Minotaur back on before that second group finds its way to the middle of the maze.” He took a few steps, then looked back at her. “Want to come? I could explain the whole control center to you.”

  Out of the corner of her eye Athena noticed that Heracles was coming over. He was staring at her and Daedalus, and there was a scowl on his face. Was it possible he was a little jealous? Of Daedalus? He had no reason to be, of course. Besides, it was his own fault that she’d been spending more time with Daedalus than with him. But then she softened. Probably Heracles just missed her like she missed him. As he drew nearer, she quickly told Daedalus she’d meet him in the control room in just a few minutes.

  “What’s up?” Heracles asked her. By the time he reached her side, his scowl had disappeared. “I can sense there’s more to the story of what happened in the maze than Daedalus told everyone.”

  “Yeah. There’s some stuff I should tell you,” said Athena.

  As they walked a little ways into the park together, she explained everything. That Daedalus had only been being kind when he’d implied that he’d been partly responsible for the labyrinth’s complexity. And that it had been she alone who’d gone downstairs during dinner the night before to make changes.

  Hearing this, Heracles looked shocked, but a little pleased, too. Was it just her imagination, or did he seem relieved that Daedalus and she were just friends with a mutual interest in inventing? If so, that had to mean Heracles wasn’t planning to dump her like had happened to that seven-headed Hydra-lady she’d read about in the Supernatural Market scrollazine. He must still want to be her crush, right?

  Since Heracles already knew that Theseus had brought his short sword on the trip, Athena recounted his cousin’s “battle” with the Minotaur. She thought that Heracles, at least, should know about the boy’s attempted heroism.

  Heracles’ expression filled with pride as he looked over his shoulder. She followed his gaze to where Theseus and Ariadne were now walking side by side in the park. They were laughing, chatting, and still winding yarn together.

  “That yarn idea of Ariadne’s was brilliant,” she mused aloud. She had truly misjudged the girl. Just as she’d misjudged Daedalus, thinking she knew better than he did what the design of the labyrinth should be. Suddenly she felt quite humble.

  Heracles nodded, and they continued on their own walk, discussing the rides they passed and the ones they’d been on. “Did you try the Twelve Labors ride?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t get the chance.”

  “The Hydra labor part is cool—you get to ride on the moving heads. And the Erymanthian boar section was wicked epic. You’d like it,” Heracles told her. He’d begun to sound a little distracted. Something had caught his eye. She looked over to see that Theseus was alone now. Ariadne was heading back toward the palace with a servant.

  “Yeah, you should try that ride,” Heracles said to Athena. “Well, see you.” With that, he started toward his cousin.

  Huh? He wasn’t asking her to go with him on the ride?

  Just then she remembered how Heracles had told Theseus that his favorite labors had been two of the ones he’
d done without her help. “Are you sure you didn’t prefer the Geryon part of the ride? Or maybe the man-eating horses section?” she called after him.

  He stopped and turned to look at her with an expression that was confused and a bit wary. “Are you mad about something?”

  Annoyed and hurt, she said coolly, “You figure it out. I’ve got to go. Daedalus is going to explain the control room to me while the second group does the maze.” Without another word she took off for the palace and raced inside.

  Daedalus was in the control room by the time she arrived. He’d already turned on the Minotaur, but now he explained to her how everything worked. It was so fascinating that she stopped thinking about Heracles as she listened. Mostly stopped, anyway.

  As the two of them watched through the glass floor, waiting for the students to appear in the Minotaur room below, Athena found herself asking his advice about how to improve the plow she’d invented.

  Daedalus listened intently as she described how it worked. Then he asked, “What do you most want your improvements to do?”

  “Make it take less effort to use,” Athena answered readily. “You see, farmers tell me that the plow works great, but pushing it is hard, sweaty work.”

  “Hmm,” said Daedalus, rubbing his chin in thought. “A sharper blade and more comfortable handles might help. And how about adding a wheel?”

  “Yes. I thought about those things too, and I’ll do them,” Athena replied. “But I’m not sure how much they’ll really help. I’d make the plow lighter too, but then it wouldn’t cut deeply enough into the soil.”

  “That’s a tough one,” said Daedalus. He let out a deep breath. “You know, when I’m stumped for a good solution to a stubborn invention problem, it often helps me to just let go of the problem for a while. To allow a solution to bubble up in its own time.”

  “Interesting,” said Athena. She wasn’t sure how not thinking about a problem could actually lead to its solution, but it had been nice of him to mull over plow ideas with her. Maybe she’d take his advice. It certainly couldn’t hurt! Especially since racking her brain hadn’t really gotten her anywhere so far!

  11

  Back  to  MOA

  LATE THAT AFTERNOON PROFESSOR LADON and the fourteen students bid their hosts a fond farewell before boarding the blue-and-gold chariot to fly back to Mount Olympus Academy. Smoke puffed from the nostrils of the fierce-looking dragon harnessed to the chariot as Professor Ladon straddled the beast’s neck and took up the reins.

  “Thanks for coming, everyone!” King Minos shouted. He stepped back as the dragon unfolded its wings and began to flap them. “Be sure to tell all your friends about the eerie—ahem, cheery good time you had at Minos’s aMAZEment Park!”

  At yet another word mix-up, Athena and Daedalus’s eyes met and she was sure they were both thinking that their suspicions about the King’s role in things had been right.

  As the chariot lifted off, she waved to Daedalus down below. Her respect for the teenage inventor had only increased as a result of her visit. Now she saw him as a good friend as well as a world-class inventor! And they had agreed to discuss invention problems now and then, whenever a particularly puzzling one came their way.

  “Good luck!” he called up to her as the chariot lifted off. Athena gave him a thumbs-up, knowing he was talking about the plow improvements she was struggling with. Her eyes searched the ground for Ariadne so she could wave to her, too, but the girl had already disappeared. Perhaps all the good-byes had been too much for her and she’d retreated to the palace. She’d been tearfully reluctant to part from Theseus during the time the chariot was being readied.

  “I’ll knit you a new scarf,” Athena had overheard her promise him. “One you can actually wear around your neck.”

  “Wasn’t this the best trip ever?” Pandora enthused from beside Athena as the chariot sailed off. “What was your favorite ride? Wasn’t that Minotaur scary?”

  Since it didn’t really matter if she chose to answer all, one, or none of her roomie’s questions, Athena responded to the first one. “It was an a-maze-ing trip.” Which made Pandora giggle and launch into a new series of questions.

  From the seat in front of her, Athena could hear Theseus and Heracles talking. “A little bird told me that you defeated the Minotaur after you rescued those of us stuck inside the labyrinth,” she heard Heracles say. “Way to go, Cuz. You’re a real hero!”

  Despite still feeling irritated with him, Athena’s lips curved a bit. That “little bird” had been her, of course.

  “You know about that?” Theseus replied. Athena could hear the surprise and pleasure in his voice.

  “Yes, but you can count on me to keep your secret,” said Heracles.

  “Because of the sword I wasn’t supposed to bring?” Theseus guessed.

  “Uh-huh. And also because we heroes have no real need for applause and honors, right? I mean, those things are nice, but our true satisfaction comes from helping and protecting others.”

  Theseus was silent for a moment. Then he said, “I see what you mean.”

  Athena leaned back in her seat. She and Theseus had both learned a lot on this trip, she thought. Not just about humility but about facing down their fears too. It had taken great courage for him to battle a Minotaur he’d believed to be dangerous. It had taken almost as much courage for her to admit to Daedalus that she’d made a humongous mistake with his maze. And just like she’d made a new friend in Daedalus, Theseus had become friends with—

  A sharp tug on the hem of her chiton interrupted Athena’s thoughts. Huh? She looked down to see Princess Ariadne squirm from beneath her and Pandora’s seat.

  “Shh,” Ariadne warned both girls as she crouched at their feet.

  Pandora stared down at the girl, her blue eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

  Ariadne giggled. “I’m a stowaway,” she whispered.

  Pandora gasped.

  “Does Theseus know?” Athena whispered back. She didn’t think he’d encourage Ariadne to smuggle herself aboard the chariot, but it never hurt to check.

  “No, silly,” said Ariadne. “I wanted to surprise him.”

  “He’ll be surprised, all right,” said Athena. “But what about your dad? Don’t you think King Minos will worry when he discovers you’re gone?” She was sure that Zeus would worry if she disappeared suddenly without telling him where she was going.

  “I left him a note,” Ariadne said defensively.

  Pandora nudged the princess gently with her knee. “What did your note say?” she asked.

  “That I was going to Athens to hang out with Theseus. And that on the way I’d visit Mount Olympus Academy, too. How awesome is that!”

  Pandora blinked. “Don’t you know you can’t come to MOA unless Principal Zeus invites you?”

  Athena nodded. “True. It’s my dad’s rule.”

  “Oh,” said Ariadne. She thought for a moment. “I guess I’ll just go to Athens, then!” She spoke this last a little too loudly.

  “Ariadne?” Theseus’s head jerked around from the seat in front of the girls to look down at her in surprise. Heracles also turned to look.

  “Shh,” said Ariadne. But it was too late. Soon all fourteen students knew that their chariot was harboring a stowaway.

  And it didn’t take long for all the murmurs and exclamations of surprise to attract Professor Ladon’s notice. The chariot practically went into free fall when he spotted the princess, who’d moved from the floor to squeeze onto the seat between Pandora and Athena.

  After putting Artemis in temporary charge of guiding the dragon, the professor dropped down into the chariot and came to stand beside their seat. “Thisss isss not good,” he told Ariadne. “If you were my daughter, I’d be ssso anxiousss for your sssafety that I wouldn’t be able to sssleep until you were home again.”

  “Really?” Ariadne’s forehead wrinkled with concern. “I don’t want my dad to worry.”

  “Maybe if you return
home now, we could convince Zeus to invite you and King Minos to MOA for a visit later on,” Aphrodite suggested gently. She glanced at Athena, who nodded. If they were careful to make it seem like inviting Minos and Ariadne to the Academy was Zeus’s own idea, he’d go for it for sure.

  As the students looked on, Professor Ladon spoke to Ariadne. “I’ll be dropping Cassssandra off at the Immortal Marketplace, where ssshe and her family live. Then it’sss back to Crete for you,” he told her sternly.

  “Hey, my mom lives in the marketplace too,” Theseus piped up. “She owns a travel agency called Island Dreams, and books ship passage for travelers to islands like Naxos and Crete. If you drop Ariadne and me off with Cassandra, my mom can let King Minos and my dad know where we are. Plus she can book passage home for Ariadne.”

  Fortunately, the professor agreed to this plan. Artemis had been guiding the chariot in a circle, waiting for a decision to be made. Now the professor relieved her of her duty, taking control of the dragon again. Under his guidance, the dragon’s powerful wings caught the air, and the chariot swooped off toward the marketplace.

  “I wish I didn’t have to go home,” Athena overheard Theseus say to Heracles as the group approached the Immortal Marketplace. “Being with you and going on this trip was just so awesome!”

  “I know,” Heracles replied. “Ditto for me.”

  Athena felt a pang of jealousy at his reply. But she did her best to ignore it. Because, really, how would it have helped her if the two cousins hadn’t gotten along? Despite her irritation at Heracles, she decided to be glad that he and his cousin had enjoyed each other’s company. She was also glad that Theseus had gotten to play the hero, since that was so important to him.

  Hoping to make him feel better about having to leave, Athena leaned across the aisle to where Cassandra and Apollo were sitting. “Can you two see some good things in Theseus’s future to tell him about?” she asked.

  Theseus overheard her request and whipped around. “Can you?” he asked the two fortunetellers eagerly.