Joan Holub - Athena the Brain (Goddess Girls)

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First Aladdin paperback edition April 2010

Text copyright 2010 by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams

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Designed by Karin Paprocki

The text of this book was set in Baskerville Handcut Regular.

Manufactured in the United States of America

0210OFF

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

Library of Congress Control Number 2009019170

ISBN 978-1-4169-8271-5

ISBN 978-1-4169-9912-6 (eBook)

For Paula McMillin, Sherylee Vermaak,
and goddessgirls everywhere
J. H. and S. W.

A STRANGE, GLITTERY BREEZE WHOOSHED into Athenas bedroom window one morning, bringing a rolled-up piece of papyrus with it. She jumped up from her desk and watched in amazement as it swirled above her.

A message for Athena from Mount Olympus! the wind howled. Art thou present?

Yes, Im thou. Im present. I meanIm Athena, she replied in a rush.

Abruptly the breeze stilled, and the scroll dropped right in the middle of her science homework. A thrill swept over her. Shed never gotten a message from the gods before! No human she knew ever had. The gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus ruled Earth, but only made their powers known for important matters. What could they want? Was she being given an urgent mission to save the world?

She unrolled the scroll as fast as she could and began to read.

DEAR ATHENA,

THIS MAY COME AS A SHOCK TO YOU,

BUT I, ZEUSKING OF THE GODS

AND RULER OF THE HEAVENSAM

YOUR FATHER. AND THAT, OF COURSE,

MAKES YOU A GODDESS.

Huh? Athenas knees wobbled so hard that she plopped back into her chair. She read on:

YOU MUST BE, WHAT... NINE YEARS

OLD NOW?

Try twelve, she mumbled under her breath. And for most of those years, she had yearned to know who her parents were. Shed spun endless stories in her head, imagining how they looked and what they were like.

At last a piece of the puzzle had dropped into her lap. Or onto her desk, anyway. Her eyes raced across the rest of the letter as she continued:

AT ANY RATE, YOURE PLENTY OLD

ENOUGH NOW TO CONTINUE YOUR

SCHOOLING AT MOUNT OLYMPUS

ACADEMY, WHERE IYOUR DEAR

OL DADAM THE PRINCIPAL. I HEREBY

COMMAND YOU TO PREPARE AT

ONCE FOR THE JOURNEY TO MOUNT

OLYMPUS. HERMES DELIVERY SERVICE

WILL PICK YOU UP TOMORROW MORNING.

YOURS IN THUNDER,

ZEUS

* * *

Was this for real? She could hardly believe it! Beneath his signature was the worst drawing shed ever seen. It looked sort of like a caterpillar, but Athena had a feeling it was supposed to be a muscled arm. She grinned. One thing was for sure, Zeus was no artist.

A blazing gold Z shaped like a thunderboltZeuss official sealwas embossed alongside the drawing. She traced her finger over it.

Ow! A burst of electricity buzzed her fingertip, and she dropped the scroll. As the sizzle zinged through her, the scroll shut with a snap and rolled across the carpet. No question about it, this letter was from the King of Mount Olympus!

Feeling dazedand not from the electricityshe gulped. She was his daughter. A goddess!

Athena jumped to her feet, unsure if she should be happy or upset, but feeling a little of both. Rushing over to the mirror, she gazed at her reflection. Her determined gray eyes stared back at her, looking no different from before shed read the letter. And her long, wavy brown hair was the same too. With a poke of one finger, she squished the end of her too-long nose up, then frowned at the piggy nose shed made.

She wasnt sure what shed expected to see in the glass. To suddenly look beautiful, wise, and powerful? In other wordsmore like a goddess?

She turned as she heard her best friend Pallas come into their bedroom.

Crunch! Crunch!

Pallas eyed her, munching an apple. Whats that? she asked, gesturing toward the letter on the floor.

Umm. Athena quickly scooped it up and tucked it behind her back.

Looking suspicious, Pallas came closer, trying to see what it was. Come on. Give. Ive known you forever. Why are you suddenly keeping secrets?

Athena thumped one end of the scroll gently against her back. On one hand, she wanted to twirl around and shout the news that she was a goddess! At the same time she wanted to hide the letter in the back of her closet and pretend it hadnt come.

Zeuss summons was going to change everything.

Its a letter, she finally admitted. From my dad. Turns out hes... Zeus.

Pallas stopped in mid-munch, her mouth full of apple. Wha? Zeu? Quickly she finished chewing and swallowed. Your dad is the King of the Gods?

Athena nodded, holding out the papyrus scroll.

Pallas pounced on it. By the time she finished reading, her eyes were huge. Youre a goddess? Her voice rose to a squeak on the last word.

I dont want this to change things, Athena said quickly. Well still be best friends, right?

Pallas examined the scroll closely, seeming not to hear. Who brought it?

The wind.

Its got the official seal and everything. Its the real thing, thenan invitation to Mount Olympus. Pallas stared at Athena in wonderment. My best friend is a goddess!

So you think I should go? Even as Athena asked, she knew that the idea of going to Mount Olympus Academy was growing on her. But how could she tell Pallas that? Shed be devastated at the thought of Athena moving away.

Pallas tossed the scroll on her bed. It rolled itself tight and snapped shut again. Are you crazy? Of course you have to go! she exclaimed. This is your chance to really be somebody! I mean, who wouldnt want to be a goddess?

Athena hugged herself and glanced out the window toward the Triton River, feeling a little hurt. It almost sounded like Pallas was trying to get rid of her. Shed lived with Pallass family since she was a baby. The two of them had shared this room and been as close as sisters all their lives.