"I suppose I could, but you would have to deal with Zeus. He doesn't like mortals on Mount Olympus." Athena said as she disappeared into a cloud of sparkling dust. Rebecca vanished similarly a few seconds later. The both arrived at the foot of a very tall set of steps. They looked old and decaying. They climbed to the top all the while Athena's jaw dropped. When they reached the top, they were amazed by huge, tarnished golden gates.
"What is this place?" Rebecca asked as she pushed open the gates.
"This is Olympus, or it was." She said as she stepped pasted the gates and stared in awe at what looked like Greek ruins. There were several Greek style buildings scattered around. A few had collapsed from disrepair. The furniture was old and dust covered. It looked like no one had tried to keep it clean for years.
Sitting against one of the columns was a large man with a white beard. His face was in his hands and he was weeping. Athena walked over to him. "Zeus? Is that you? What happened?" He raised his head and nodded as he stood up to great his guest.
"You win. We've fallen. They left us. They all left."
"What do you mean?" Athena asked the man who looked as if his pride had been smashed in front of him.
"Remember that wager? You won. They left us for dead. No one cares about us anymore. I thought it was nothing, but new religions replaced us. If Hades ran a nicer afterlife, they would have stayed."
"What happened to everyone else? Are the other gods all right?" Athena asked as she tried to comfort her father.
"Without people worshiping them, they all went down to the great maze. Them and all the other nymphs, monsters, dryads, and everyone else went there to live in their own caverns. I stayed here, on my throne thinking it would be a fad, but it wasn't." At this point he just broke down and started to cry on Athena's shoulder. Rebecca felt somewhat sorry for him but then she picked up Harriet and remembered why she had came.
"Excuse me sir, but I came here to ask you to change my friend back." He lifted his head and looked at the statuette. He wiped the tears from his eye and picked it up. They both felt bad for the fallen titan.
"How did she read the bottom? She knows the language. She cares! She will bring everyone back! It will only take one person to bring them back and restore my rein. I want Athena to be your guide. This is very important. If you want her changed back, go and see the daughter of Medusa, Nikkusa. Unlike her mother is very pretty, but she still has all her old powers and some new ones. She lives inside the great maze. Go there and be careful you two, there are many perils you must face. Good Luck." With a snap of his fingers, the two girls and the statuette were at the foot of huge mountain. In front of them was an entrance way with columns on each side. On each column was a torch.
The great maze was a cave went throughout the mountain. Occasionally there was a cavern with a creature living inside and from time to time a trap. Athena led Rebecca into the cave. Her armor lit up the cavern so no torch was needed. Shortly after entering, they found…
Thu, 19-Jul-2001 18:36:26