Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1004__(2010)
(student #: 17441)
The Real Reason for Global Warming
[total words: 512]
One day, after driving his sun-chariot through the sky, Apollo, god of the sun and of music,
returned to his palace in the sky. His palace was on a nearby mountain, next to Olympus, where
Jupiter, the king of the gods, lived. After dining on a dinner of nectar and ambrosia, Apollo sat down to
play his golden lyre, his most prized possession. The sound of his lyre filled the heavens, making
every god and goddess smile. No person, god or human, could resist the sound of Apollo's lyre. It
even made Pluto smile, which was a very rare event.
While Apollo was still playing his lyre, Mercury flew by, on a mission to help the dead reach Charon
the ferryman who would take them to the Underworld. All of a sudden, Mercury stopped in his tracks.
He had heard the music coming from Apollo's lyre. He floated in silence wondering to himself, "Where
is that beautiful music coming from?" He flew towards the source of the music and ended up at
Apollo's palace. Captivated by its beauty, Mercury became jealous and decided that he wanted the
lyre for himself. Mercury made a plan to steal the lyre from Apollo while he slept, and hide it on Mount
Cyllene where he was born so no one would find it. Once Apollo was asleep, Mercury snuck into his
palace, stole the lyre, and flew back to Mount Cyllene, and hid the lyre.
When Apollo woke up the next morning, he drove his sun chariot around the earth, making the sun
rise and set as it did every day. After he ate, he sat down and prepared to play his lyre, but he could
not find it anywhere. He searched frantically, but his lyre was nowhere in sight. Upset, he went to
Jupiter and asked if he had borrowed his lyre for any reason. When Jupiter said no, he left in a hurry
to search again for his lyre.
For weeks Apollo searched every part of the earth, hoping that he had dropped it somewhere on his
daily chariot drive. He only returned to his palace to make his revolutions with the sun. After he
finished, he would continue to search the earth in vain.
A month went by and Apollo still did not find his lyre. However, one day, while making his journey
with the sun, he drove by Mount Cyllene where he saw Mercury playing with his lyre. Outraged, he
flew towards the Mount Cyllene to get his lyre back. When he arrived, Mercury tried to lie to Apollo
about his lyre, but Apollo was not fooled. He demanded that Mercury return his lyre. When Mercury
refused, Apollo swore that as long as Mercury had his lyre and did not return it, he would cause the
The Real Reason for Global Warming -- P__1004__(2010)
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Modern Myth
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sun to become hotter, making more crops burn and wither away, rivers and lakes too dry up, and ice
in the far north regions to melt slowly. Mercury has not given Apollo his lyre back yet, and so he is the
reason for global warming.
The Real Reason for Global Warming -- P__1004__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1007__(2010)
(student #: 15436)
Selene Helios Scott
[total words: 1013]
Selene Helios Scott
One bright day, I woke up with a joyful spirit that normally took the day off. I went out into
the meadow in my yard with my newly acquired accomplice, Ruff, the young spirited pup. We climbed
down and sat in the meadow, I braided blades of grass and sang the lyrics of the newest Taylor Swift
song while strumming my guitar which, I had hauled all the way down to the meadow.I sat like that for
a while; not knowing how much time had elapsed. When I looked around finally, the sun seemed
lower in the sky and it was chillier.
"Ruff?" I said, expecting him to run into my arms. When he didn't, I panicked. I got up,
suddenly, and set my guitar down. I ran around in a crazy frenzy looking for my companion. I ripped
my True Religion jeans at least four times. I sat down and cried a bit. Where could he be?
Oh"no"RUFF! Then, a slimy tongue ran down my face. I moved my hands, and there he was! "Oh,
Ruff! Where were you?" I wiped the tears off my face. I petted his cute head. Then, I heard the sound
of my guitar, coming from behind me. WHAT????? I turned to see a blonde, gorgeous man,
strumming my guitar with Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Nickleback and 3 Doors Down stickers;
honestly he looked pretty silly.
"Sorry, mam, I heard you singing and, well, as for your dog, I've always attracted animals."
"Oh"you heard that?" I turned red with embarrassment; he heard my awful voice!
"It sounded really good, that's why I listened."
"Really?" No way!!!
"Seriously, and trust me, I know my music."
Selene Helios Scott -- P__1007__(2010)
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Modern Myth
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I blushed again, this time with flattery. Then, there was a rush of wind and howling of wolves
all around us, Ruff looked particularly scared. I picked him up and held him close to my body. Then,
the unexpected happened, a teenage girl, maybe 17 showed up with a bow over her shoulder.
"Don't you dare seduce another," Said the girl in a malicious tone
"Sis, be quiet. Let me do my thing, and you can do yours."
"But you KNEW, that next month, I was going to ask this girl to be my hunting companion!
You know how good she would be at hunting with me, she's noble and talented!"
"Ha! That's what makes it so funny!" Said the man with a childish face
They chased each other around, so fast it seemed that I couldn't see them at all. How could
they do that? How does he know her? How is it that they just showed up in my meadow? I sat down
with an awful feeling in my stomach.
The man came over and sat down next to me, "Aww, look what you did Diana!"
"Me???" She asked, "It was YOU!!!!"
I came out of my placid state and inquired, "Diana? Like the Diana?"
"Yes," she rolled her eyes, "who else could I be?"
"She's only a mortal." Said the man
"That's why you should stay away from her." Said Diana
Selene Helios Scott -- P__1007__(2010)
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Modern Myth
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"Whoa, whoa! If you're Diana, and you said she was your sister then you're"" I was so
confused and scared, putting two and two together seemed nearly impossible.
"Apollo," the man said to complete my sentence
"Well, he's TOO late!" Shouted Diana, "she's mine!"
"No, she is mine, I called dibs."
"For your own reasons of cruelty! You're just going to dispose of her once you get what you
want!" Shouted Diana, acting like she had gone through this before
"No! She has musical talent, which you know is MY department." Screamed Apollo, "sis,
come on now, let's not do to the humans what we did to the dinosaurs and wooly mammoths, just
relax"
"You're way past that mister, you foul person! How can I even dare to call you my
BROTHER???"
"Stop, calm down" said Apollo
I stayed like that for a while, just waiting for the two of them stop fighting over me,
unfortunately it seemed a resolution would never come.
The two deities argued and argued over me (not to my enjoyment), with each gain in either deity's
favor, the earth warmed up or cooled down. The sun, ruled over by Apollo, wanting my love, made ice
melt resulting in floods & tsunamis and also formed hurricanes, and it was also 110 degrees in
Selene Helios Scott -- P__1007__(2010)
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Modern Myth
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December. The cold of the moon, ruled over by Diana, wanting me to be her companion, made it
freezing in October and dark in the middle of the day, everything was thrown out of natural order. 13
eclipses occurred, 6 of which were solar and 7 were lunar, corresponding with whenever either deity
got the upper hand, and blocked the other out. The two continued to fight between themselves, no
matter what I said, or what any deity would say, even Zeus. I tried to make them find peace, for my
own sake and for the world's but they blatently said it was not possible. All I could do was sit and
watch the Earth go to ruins. The lonely meadow and my guitar seemed so wonderful at that moment,
Ruff had passed away at the age of 15 and all I could do was get dragged around with which ever
diety had the upper hand at the moment.
They bickered and the Earth suffered the consequences, until, the day that I, Selene Helios Scott
died in a lightning storm. Apollo and Diana were both devastated, and out of pity for his children, Zeus
made me a god, and the goddess of peace, Pax, made the siblings get along. Now, I keep the climate
of the Earth in check, but I can't control what humans may do, just the gods. I am forever stuck in
between the two gods, and often think of my simple, old life. I fear that if human's don't change, I won't
have any power over the climate anymore, I will be again, eternally lonely and devastated. Please
don't do that to me!
Selene Helios Scott -- P__1007__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1010__(2010)
(student #: 17866)
The Travels of Aeneas
[total words: 357]
It all started when Paris took Helen
From her home of Sparta to the city
Of Troy where he had been banished' from.
Menelaus, her husband, asked his brother,
Agamemnon to assemble an armed
Force of many to fight for her freedom.
For ten long years a stalemate was
All the armies did for so long you see.
It was inevitable that would transpire
with Troy's great walls, and Spartan Warriors.
Aeneas was the second greatest fighter
for the Trojans against the Greek fighters.
After ten long years the Greeks laid siege there
Using the great and famous Trojan Horse.
The idea was that of Ulysses
and was executed with perfection.
The Greeks pretended it was just a gift,
And the people of Troy believed' it.
The soldiers hid within the wooden horse
And jumped out in the middle of the night,
And they killed all the inhabitants of Troy.
Just Aeneas, his son and father
Escaped the burning city, now taken.
Aeneas left when the gods spoke to him
Saying that he should not waste his one life
In defending a hopeless cause.
Aeneas had to leave his wife to die,
The Travels of Aeneas -- P__1010__(2010)
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Modern Myth
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And carried his father upon his back.
He took his son Ascanius's hand
And left the city to found a new one.
He braved the Mediterranean lands
For many many long hard years.
Though the Gods told him to found a new city,
The destination was still not revealed.
He tried to find a suitable new land
Where he could adequately settle down.
He tried in Thrace, also he tried in Crete,
He tried to stay in Carthage too.
The queen of Carthage and our hero did
Indeed fall deeply into love's embrace.
But fate would not allow them to remain
Together forever in matrimony.
When Aeneas left queen Dido was sad,
So much that she thought the eternity
Of death's cold cloak was preferred to it,
The ache she felt at the absence of him.
From there he sailed' to Italy's shores,
And married Lavinia, the daughter
Of Latinus and founded Lavinium.
This is where his story ends, A Mix of myth and legend
The Travels of Aeneas -- P__1010__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1016__(2010)
(student #: 18232)
My First Performance
[total words: 438]
My First Performance
My mother kept telling me to get ready,
We were going to the Theater for a performance.
This was a big deal because we had seat tokens,
And these of course,
Were hard to come by.
All of my friends were jealous,
Because they had to sit at the rocky slope above the theater.
I wore my best tunic because we were sitting in the "VIP section".
I quickly got ready and we were off,
Off to the theater.
This was my first time going,
And I was rather nervous.
All of the adults spoke so highly of this place,
I was afraid I would embarrass myself or my mother and father.
We lived close to the theater,
And we walked to get there.
When we reached it,
We went a different direction than where I saw my friends.
They were on the rocky slope but we were going inside.
When we were inside,
We went to sit in a section that was close to the front.
The stage had a curtain that was closed,
All of the seats were stone,
And it looked like there wasn't anyone I knew around me.
I looked at the people sitting near me,
And they all looked way fancier than my family did.
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I could tell that my family really didn't belong there.
My parents had never really shown any interest in the theater,
That is until we were given these seats.
The play was starting,
And it became really quiet.
I was lost through the whole thing.
There was something,
About a god and goddess getting together,
I think.
Then the goddess was sent to Earth,
As a punishment and could never return to Mount Olympus.
At the end of the play,
Everyone stood and was clapping.
All of the actors came on the stage and bowed.
I didn't understand why we were all standing,
I didn't even get the point to this play.
Well I am only 6 years old,
But still they should make these things more kid friendly.
We got up to leave, but it took a while because there were so many people.
It was late and I was tired,
It had been a long exciting day,
More exciting than most days,
Here in Athens.
Later my parents told me,
That we had seen a tragedy.
This answered my questions about why the play wasn't funny.
I had only ever heard about the comedy plays.
But my first day ever in the theater was an awesome one,
Because I got to sit in the theater itself and I understood what a tragedy was.
My First Performance -- P__1016__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1016__(2010)
(student #: 18232)
My First Performance -- P__1016__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1021__(2010)
(student #: 18014)
A Face That Launched a Thousand Ships
[total words: 120]
A Face that Launched a Thousand Ships
Your face launched a thousand ships.
They fought and fell for you for ten years.
Heroes were made and cowards were revealed,
All to prove their love for you.
The war was for you, over you, and by you.
You watched the war be fought as you were with another.
Your face launched a thousand ships.
A horse of wood breached the wall.
From its' stomach poured men who had come to claim you.
They set the city ablaze, and doused the fire in your heart with fear.
Your people fled, but they are cut down.
Oh Helen, the daughter of Zeus, and the one with a
Face that launched a thousand ships.
A Face That Launched a Thousand Ships -- P__1021__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1022__(2010)
(student #: 18002)
Narcissus
[total words: 129]
Who's the fairest in the land?
I'm the fairest; I'm so grand!
Who's the twinkle in my eye?
Why,of course, me, myself and I!
Oh, that lake serves me well,
the lake in which many creatures dwell.
But of the oh-so-many creatures,
I must say that I have the best features.
Who's the fairest in the land?
I'm the fairest; I'm so grand!
Who's the twinkle in my eye?
Why of course, me, myself, and I!
Those creatures cannot stand
that of my beauty, their's is so bland.
I really must say that I,
must be the beauty of their eye.
Who's the fairest in the land?
I'm the fairest; I'm so grand!
Who's the twinkle in my eye?
Why of course, me, myself, and I!
Narcissus -- P__1022__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1027__(2010)
(student #: 17856)
Icarus Almost Wins
[total words: 527]
Carly Thie
One day there was a boy named Icarus and his father, Daedalus. Icarus and Daedalus lived in
the Bronx. They were extremely burdened from Icarus's grandmother's extensive medical bills simply
due to old age. The father-son pair found that the one thing that made them feel happy and free was
when they sang. It didn't matter what they sang, but there was always a song in their hearts to keep
them going.
Around the time that Icarus was 16, American Idol came to New York City. Daedalus and
Icarus realized that this could be the one chance to really get them about of debt and give them a new
start in life. Before Icarus left for the auditions, Daedalus told him, "Good luck, and if you make it, don't
let all the fame go to your head." Icarus went and stood in line for hours and hours wondering what
would happen if he DID win. Would he be able to go to college? Maybe he would get a record deal?
Before he knew it, Icarus was propelled into the judge's room. His face went white and his knees were
violently shaking because there before him sat Paula, Randy, Simon, and the guest judge Minos. He
quickly remembered his love for singing and began to belt out his own interpretation of "I Guess That's
Why They Call it the Blues". After his song was over Simon's harsh words were raining down on
Icarus like a horrible storm. Paula and Randy immediately said yes because of his creativity and
beautiful voice. The only thing standing in between Icarus and Hollywood was Minos.
*****
Icarus and Daedalus were hurriedly packing up their things and arranging a place for grandma
to stay before they had to catch their plane to Hollywood! Icarus had already made it through the
preliminary rounds and now he was really going to perform in front of a real live audience! Icarus's
dreams were coming true! There was one problem though; Minos still didn't like Icarus or his voice.
The rest of the judges disagreed with him and so did the American population.
Quickly, Icarus was advancing his way through the levels! America loved him, the judges loved
him and the other contestants loved him. His father was so proud of his son, but he was truly excited
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for the chance to be out of debt and living a happy life. Soon, it was down to just two contestants:
Icarus and Alfred Earheardt. On the last show, everything went perfectly, they both sang with such
clarity and tone, but something was caught on film that could ruin Icarus. He was caught backstage
having a hissy fit because his dressing room wasn't arranged just the way he wanted it. After America
saw this, his ratings went down and Alfred's went up.
*****
Icarus and Daedalus didn't speak for weeks. Daedalus had warned his son to not get to full of
himself all those months ago. His cockiness cost Icarus a record deal and it cost both of them the
chance to finally be pulled out of such a horrible lifestyle like the one they had.
The End
Icarus Almost Wins -- P__1027__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1030__(2010)
(student #: 18252)
The Invention of Rap and How it Spread
[total words: 694]
Once, while Vulcan was hammering away in his forge, Apollo was walking by. As was his habit,
Apollo was doing his poetry along the way. As Apollo approached Vulcan's forge, he started walking
and talking to the beat of Vulcan's hammering. As Vulcan sped up the pace of his hammering, Apollo
sped up the pace of his talking until he was spitting his rhymes at quite a fast pace. There was only
one other being there: hiding in the shadows was the immortal son of the streets, Rappus Maximus.
When he heard this occurrence, Rappus Maximus liked it a lot. He started doing it himself, using his
own beats as well as his own lyrics. He soon mastered this new style of music and named it after
himself; he named it rap.
In order to spread his new discovery throughout the world so that others could enjoy it, he had to get
together a posse to travel across the country with him to put together the best lyrics, the best beats,
and the best dance moves to show some people the best that rap can be. When he was done
selecting his homies that were best suited to perform this task with him, the group consisted of: MC
Hammer and Soulja Boy to cover the dancing, T-Paine and Will.I.Am to lay down the beat, and Jay-Z
with Eminem to come up with the lyrics. When they had prepared a multitude of their most incredible
raps, Rappus Maximus and his "Cross Country Posse" (CCP) then set out to go on tour from the east
coast to the west coast.
While in Latium City, New York, they encountered a group of people who threatened them with guns.
In self-defense, the CCP shot at the group and drove away in their cars as fast as they could. When
the police arrived, they thought that the CCP had started the fight and followed their cars until Apollo
stopped them by shooting arrows into the tires of their police cruisers. When Rappus Maximus asked
Apollo why he had helped the CCP, Apollo explained that he found it his duty as god of music and coinventor of rap to protect the reputation of these revolutionary musicians. But Apollo was too late, the
general public began to consider rap a bad influence on people.
In an attempt to combat a bad reputation with even better music, Vulcan took some of T-Paine's
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voice and built it into a guitar tuner and a computer. Vulcan's new invention became known as a
voice synthesizer. Armed with their new technology, the CCP again set out to spread their love of
rap.
The police however, had set up blockades along the routes they would need to take to continue their
tour. After much discussion, the CCP decided to sail to San Francisco on T-Paine's boat. Before
travelling to the south and to the west, the CCP sailed north to Nova Scotia where they bought a large
amount of Canadian bacon, which they sacrificed to Neptune as a burnt offering. Then they turned to
the south and sailed, with the favor of Neptune, to the Panama Canal.
As they were passing through the Panama Canal, the CCP started hearing the voices of the sirens,
who were singing their magical song. As the CCP was being led away from their course, one of the
sirens, Beyoncé, recognized them and took control of their boat steering them away from the rest of
the sirens and back on course. When the CCP came back to their senses, she asked if she could join
them and they accepted.
Soon they arrived in San Francisco and performed there. It didn't take long after that for rap to
spread from the east coast and the west coast inward, toward the middle of the country until people
from all over knew about rap and listened to it. When Rappus Maximus returned to his hometown of
Olympus, Jupiter crowned him Deus Viarum Poetarum (God of Street Poets, or God of Rappers) and
endowed him with the Muse-like ability to inspire rappers and to inspire others to become rappers.
The Invention of Rap and How it Spread -- P__1030__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1032__(2010)
(student #: 17863)
Pigs Do Fly
[total words: 732]
Pigs Do Fly!
There once was a great runner, named Fabia. She was a beautiful woman but she didn't want to set
her mind on any one guy. Since she was so beautiful and powerful, men were always asking her to
marry them. She got so fed up with all of the men that she decided to put on a race called The Flying
Pig Marathon. The only rule was that if a man beat her, then she would marry him! She thought that
this would solve everything, and keep the guys away for good if no one beat her. So on the day of the
race, men came swarming in from all over to compete for her love and devotion. She was all stretched
out and ready for the race when a man walked up to the front of the group of men lined up and ready
to race. He caught her eye! She noticed that his pockets were stuffed with something but she couldn't
figure out what it was. The announcer is ready and says "ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, AND GO!"
Everyone is off, and Fabia is of course in first place, while right behind her is the man with the big
pockets. He was so fast it amazed her; she couldn't believe that someone was almost as good as her!
However, she didn't think he could beat her. They have reached the 10 mile marker, and the
arrangement hasn't changed. The man throws something to the side of the road, and Fabia sees it
and goes to get it. She reaches it and sees that it is a Starbuck's gift card! This happens to be her
favorite coffee store. She realizes that everyone has passed her so she speeds back up to the front.
The man is pretty far in front of everyone else so she has to go a little faster to get in front of him.
They are now reaching the 17 1/2 mile marker, and again the man throws something to the side of the
road. Not thinking, Fabia goes to retrieve it. This time it was a Coach purse, which happened to be
Fabia's favorite bag. She is suddenly reminded that she is still in the race and everyone has passed
her again so she sprints to the front again. She kept thinking to herself that she wouldn't stop again
because she doesn't want anyone to beat her. They have reached the 26 mile marker now with .2
miles to go. Fabia runs a tenth of a mile, and she notices something in the corner of her eye. It was
straight ahead on the side of the road. It was shiny, and it twinkled when she looked at it. She couldn't
help herself, even though she was telling herself not to stop, she did! She bent down to pick the object
up, and it was a beautiful and elegant diamond necklace. She loves diamonds and it made her very
happy to find it. She finally looked up and the men had passed her again and she felt so stupid. She
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hustled to the front, but when she got up there she couldn't get in front of the one man. They could
see the finish line so she sped up, but as she did he also did. They were neck and neck, and the finish
line was right there. The man ran even faster and he won! Fabia was devastated that she lost, but she
was surprised and a little happy that the man had won. He introduced himself as Leo and Fabia
realized he was a handsome and charming man. Leo asked Fabia to marry him and she said, "Yes,"
with excitement! They run off to be together, they are in love. Leo has karma coming to him though,
before the race his mother had given him all those gifts to help him win. When he finished the race he
was supposed to thank his mother but it had slipped his mind totally and when he and Fabia went off
together after they were married, they had disappeared. No one knew where they went, except for
Leo's mother. His mother was disappointed in Leo for not remembering to thank her, so she wished
they would turn into flying pigs, which they did. Fabia and Leo were the first two people to see pigs fly!
Pigs Do Fly -- P__1032__(2010)
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Modern Myth
proj. #: P__1034__(2010)
(student #: 18251)
The Abduction of the Flower Child
[total words: 901]
Vrooom!
The gleaming Aston Martin DB5 roared down a San Francisco freeway, coming and going like a wisp
of smoke. That was only possible if your driver of this prestigious car was none other than Fades, the
god of smoke. He planned to go to the Haight-Asbury neighborhood to see the ‘great' gathering of
hippies to see if anyone wanted to join his army.
He exited the freeway and parked near the neighborhood where the gathering was taking place.
Putting on his sunglasses, Fades walked down the crowded sidewalks and looked around before he
stopped in his tracks. There, in front of a fruit shop, was a beautiful girl who was passing out flowers.
He quickly walking over and asked, "Do you work here?"
Responding in a voice that didn't sound hippie at all, she said, "Yes, my mother, Medimet, and I work
the shop together. Would you like a flower?"
Hades looked in the back of his mind and Fades-Googled: Medimet. Flowers, agriculture, and
Borunda were at the top of the list. Choosing the only one that sounded like a name, he asked, "By
any chance, could your name be Flower?"
She stared at him and said, "Of course not! My name is Borunda, silly. So do you want a flower?"
Baffled, Fades replied, "Sure, I'll take that purple one." As he was handed a purple carnation, he
asked casually, "I was thinking, do you want to go for a ride? I mean, if you have the time, of course."
"Sure! Where's your car parked?"
"A street away. Why?"
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"If I were you, I'd move it before the hippie mobs come through. If it isn't painted like a hippie car, it will
be." With that happy note, put her flowers on the cart and tidied up as Fades walked to his car,
already curious if it was painted.
Fades got in his DB5 and slowly went down the street where Borunda worked. He searched the
sidewalks carefully, but didn't see her.
"What are you doing? If this is a ride back to the shop, I would rather walk!"
Jumping, Fades turned around and saw Borunda sitting in the backseat of his car.
"How'd you get in here? I didn't see you."
"I just followed you and opened the door the same time that you did. I've been waiting for something
to happen."
"Well, in that case, I'll show you my home."
With that, he floored the accelerator and zoomed out of the Haight-Asbury neighborhood"straight into
a giant chasm that opened up. After the DB5 went through, it disappeared like smoke.
As they fell through darkness, Fades said, "So I'll show you around my land and you can get a bite to
eat!"
"If it's pomegranates, no thanks. I know what happened to my step-cousin-in-law. She's never happy
during the winter."
"Okay"well, it won't be pomegranates. I promise."
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So as Fades and Borunda were touring Smokegrounds, Medimet was getting angry.
"Where is my daughter? You may be the ruler, but I'm your older sister so find Borunda!"
Shuss cringed at the sound of Medimet's voice. He was busy but according to the Law of Age, he had
to do as she asked.
"Okay sis, slow down. I'll send Dertamus and all the men that he can fit into his chopper to get her.
Fades' signal just went missing so Dert will check there."
"If only she would have done her homework"She should have known that Fades is as trustworthy as
smoke is solid."
"Um, well"Oh there you are Dertamus! I need you to get Borunda from Fades. If she hasn't eaten
anything, well you know what your uncle taught you. One month for each thing eaten."
Dertamus nodded without a word walked to the helipad on Mt. Supmoly. A few seconds later, a
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King ASW helicopter descended from the high altitudes of dreams to the low
altitudes of humanity.
"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Fades, who was serving lunch. He was wearing an apron made of
smoke and a lopsided chef's hat.
"Well, I'm on a diet, you see. So I don't think that I can eat smoke. It's not good for the stomach, you
see," replied Borunda.
"Here, drink this. It's a low calorie drink that I bought yesterday. It's good for you and it's not smoke!"
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Borunda read the labels and being the smart girl that she was, she also read the fine print with a
magnifying glass that Fades handed her.
"Well, I guess it can't hurt. Thanks!"
She took one sip just as Fades' doorbell rang. Without waiting for the door to be answered, 3
DreamSEALs rushed in and stood at attention as Dertamus came in saying, "Fades, you're at it again!
Don't feed them that sewer junk! One more time and Shuss will make you the god of goodness, got it?
Since there is no rule as there is in Hades, Borunda can go without penalties. But you, Fades, are
issued a DreamSEAL to guard and observe everything that you do 24/8. Am I understood? Good.
Men, move out!"
Fades stood there with a DreamSEAL at his back watching. For all of eternity, he was kept under
guard. The only thing that made him smile everyday was a purple carnation that was mailed to him by
none other than Borunda.
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They Deserve It
[total words: 984]
"Not to mention she's great at volleyball and just fabulous in Student Government. My gosh, you're
gonna love her, Andy, just love her!" I proclaimed with a giggle. Andy looked at me, wondering why
on Earth I was chuckling away. I smiled trying my best to look innocent. I couldn't help snickering. I
was pursuing my favorite hobby, which (for some reason) many people thought was cruel. Andy
deserved it. He had bragged and provoked me for too long. In a way, Danna deserved it as well;
being so beautiful and making all the guys love her. But I had (of course) done this to her many times
before.
"Carry, where did you say she was?" Andy whispered, not wanting to make it obvious that I
was (as he thought) "Setting him up."
"Oh, yeah, I told her we'd meet her in the library, the computer section," I said and then, to
seal the deal, I told him something else about "wonderful" Danna. Of course, I didn't need to. Andy
already was ready to marry her.
And there Danna was, just where she said she'd be studying like the sickeningly sweet and
good student she was. Her sandy hair flowed down barely past her shoulders, in bouncing curls. She
wore no makeup, and she'd never need to. Her flawless tan skin, rosy cheeks, and pale blue eyes
could shine on their own. She was just in sweats, but the color, like that of the lake, made her eyes
seem even more like sparkling stars. I hated the girl.
"Hi, Danna. I'd just love for you to meet my friend. This is Andy. Maybe you met him, already?
He is the captain of, like, every sport" and he's, like, and in all honors or whatever"" I exclaimed. She
glared at me and mouthed, "Not again! What did I ever do to you?" I couldn't believe how unaware
she was of the pain she caused me. I glanced over at Andy. He was ogling Danna, with a giant goofy
smile on his face. I'd seen that smile a lot.
"Well, I'll just leave you two to it," I sniggered. I pushed Andy in Danna's direction, winked and
left. Those two deserve it, I thought with a smile.
A few days later, I decided to IM Andy about his "progress."
Carrycupid: Soooo how's Danna?
WarGodAndy: Oh, well I've been texting her, talking to her, trying to catch her in the halls, and stuff.
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She just runs away, though. I'm still going to keep trying. I think I'm in love with her.
Carrycupid: Well, that's good! :D Do you want her cell number?
WarGodAndy: Well, uh, sure.
You deserve it, I thought as I typed in those 10 digits.
Oddly enough, almost 2 weeks after I had introduced Andy he hadn't changed his mind about
Danna. Whenever I spoke to him or otherwise contacted him, Andy would swear he was in love with
her. "Oh, Carry, thanks so much for introducing us! I never would have met my true love, "he'd
always gush. Although he was acing all his honors classes, he could have been the dumbest kid I
ever met. He was still a nice guy, though. Sometimes, I even regret what I did to them. But then, I
remembered why I did it.
Although I did worry about Andy, my main concern was Danna. She became quieter and
stopped raising her hand in class all the time. Her perfect, bubbly, cheerful demeanor became quiet,
subdued, and maybe even slightly insecure. I had bugged her for a long time, and even before that
boys and sometimes even teachers would find her attractive. Although, she had never acted like she
was.
And then, one Saturday night when the stars were glowing and for once I was the one with the date, I
got a call from my mom, who was good friends with Danna's mother. "Sweetie," my mother said in
between sniffles, "Mrs. Hallabough just called. Danna, she committed suicide while you were at the
basketball game. They, they found her with her arms wrapped around this tree near her Grandma's
grave. She had taken pills, lots. Will you please come home a little early? I think we need to be home
tonight."
I held back tears as I told my mother that I would be home as soon as I could. "I have to go, now," I
told my date. Before he could reply, I was off like a bullet running to my car. When I was surely alone
in the parking lot, I looked up at the sky. The blanket of shining light reminded me of her eyes. I cried
under the blanket, as I made my way home.
A few days later, I called Andy. He was surprisingly stoic, when he told me what he had done about
Danna. He gave me few details but he did tell me he decided that since she could never be his
girlfriend at least that tree could be his special tree. He scraped off a little piece of the bark and
forced it into a locket. Since that day, I've never seen him without it.
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Although many people were changed by Danna's death, few people knew why she had done the
things she'd done. Sometimes, I'd blame myself, because of the awful things I'd done to her so many
times, and for entertainment too. I had tortured her because I was jealous and petty. Most of my class
will say that her death taught them something, and some of them have learned something about the
importance of life. I'm sure Andy and most of those other people I fooled with and hoodwinked
realized sometimes it was best to let someone go, before they're hurt. I learned something epic, too.
What you do could affect you, or worse, someone else. She didn't deserve that anyway. Neither of
them did.
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Digitalis
[total words: 943]
In the beginning there was Ouranus and Gaia. Ouranus was the sky and Gaia was the earth. They
gave birth to the Titans who stole the reign from them. The Titans gave birth to the Gods who in turn
overthrew the Titans. Ouranus, Gaia, and the Titans reigned before mankind. The Gods reigned
during the time ancient Greeks and Romans. Now, the Gods are still in reign. For the past two
centuries, the Gods have started to produce a new set of immortals to rule the world, the Sanctes.
The Sanctes are born slowly. Currently, there are three. The first, Locomo, is the Sancte of trains.
The second, Ludus, is the Sancte of light. The third is the reason for this story.
Hermes and Athena were the third pair of Gods to give birth to a Sancte. It was 1990 and they
named him Digitalis. Three days before Digitalis was born, Apollo prophesized that Digitalis would
have the power to decide the fate of the Gods and rule the world. Now, Zeus was not at all happy
about this. He wanted to be the big boss for eternity. He ordered Ares to drop him into a New York
alley. Ares did as he was told and was happy about it, because he, also, did not want to give up
reign. Everything was going as planned until a bright light appeared. After the light was gone, so was
Digitalis.
Hermes and Athena were angry and worried, they wanted their child back. No god was able to find
Digitalis; he had gone completely from all of their sights. Zeus was so angry that they had lost sight of
Digitalis that he threw a lightning bolt down into Central Park and burnt down ten trees.
Truthfully, Digitalis was as safe as he would ever be. He was with his cousin, Ludus. Ludus felt
kinship with Digitalis and therefore wanted to protect him. He, however, also wanted to take control
from the Gods.
So for the next two years Ludus and Locomo took turns taking care of Digitalis. Although, one day
when Ludus had brought Digitalis to Central Park, he left Digitalis lying under a tree while he went to
get him a balloon. The tree was in fact a wood nymph who saw the child and thought he was
abandoned. She brought him over to a middle aged couple and without them seeing, left him with
them. Without the immortal presence that Digitalis had to comfort him the past two years, he began to
cry. This caught the attention to the couple who tried to search for his parents but could find no one,
for Ludus was busy looking for Digitalis.
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The couple decided to keep Digitalis because they did not have a child of their own. They had found
a name tag on him that told his name. When Digitalis turned four, he started public preschool where
he made no friends. He didn't make friends in kindergarten, first, second, or third grade either. While
he enjoyed the learning part of school, he did not reach out to others and they did not reach out to
him. In the fourth grade he made a friend but it turned out he was only being Digitalis' friend on a bet.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh grades were just as unlucky. In the eighth grade Digitalis met another
outcast and the two became friends. Her name was Sarah. They stayed great friends through their
freshman year in high school but then Sarah moved.
Now that Digitalis was 15, Ludus and Locomo decided to start training Digitalis in preparation for his
destiny. They found him after school one day and introduced themselves. Digitalis believed them
because when they showed up he felt the same comforting feeling he treasured when he was
younger. They sent a letter to Digitalis' adoptive parents and brought him to an underground training
facility where he trained for the next two years. After these two years, Locomo brought Digitalis to
fight the Colchian Dragon The Dragon had just awakened from a long sleep induced by Medea. The
battle was long but Digitalis was able to outwit the dragon by running in circles around it. Once the
dragon was completely disoriented, Digitalis went in for the kill, but he accidentally paused. This gave
the dragon enough time to set everything straight. When the dragon was about to kill Digitalis,
something happened. Time stopped, Digitalis took this chance to kill the dragon. Once the dragon
was dead, time resumed. Seeing this remarkable defeat, Locomo decided to get Ludus and take
Digitalis to Olympus.
When they arrived at Mt. Olympus, the gods were ready for battle. They were slightly frightened since
they too had seen the dragon slain. When Digitalis fully understood the situation, he took his place in
between his cousins and the Gods. He spoke for all to hear. He said he did not want to rule the
world. He was sure that if the Gods and the Sanctes worked together in peace, they would rule the
world forever. Once a final agreement was made, Digitalis and Zeus shook hands. Within the four
second hand shake, a door of knowledge opened in Digitalis' mind, telling him that he would be able
to see different periods in time. Although he could pause time or see it occur in forward or reverse, he
did not have the power to change things within those periods.
After this knowledge was opened to him, he went on to be the Sancte of Digital Video Recording
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(DVR). The Gods and the Sanctes would rule the world in peace for many millennia to come.
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Arbor Aurelia
[total words: 679]
 In the golden age, when Saturn ruled, the race of Arbor Aurelia coexisted with
men. The gilded offspring of the Arbores, the folia, were composed of gold far
purer than any earthly metal. However, to thieve the folia was to diminish the
Arbor Aurelia. The Arbores were so gentle and defenseless that to destroy its
life was a divine crime. The golden race of mortal men revered the priceless
beings. Corruption had not yet entered the world.
When Jupiter and the sons and daughters of Saturn waged war on the
Titans, the Arbor Aurelia suffered much loss. Their children were harvested
brutally, and they were thrown aside to the fire. At the end of the ten years of
war, the fate of the Arbores was entrusted to Ceres, the goddess of the harvest
and maternal love. The goddess was kind to the Arbor Aurelia and fabricated a
plan to save them from men who would abolish the Arbores in turn for the wealth
of the folia. Ceres turned the offspring green to disguise their golden flesh.
When the hunters came to abduct the delicate folia, they could not find them.
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Ceres bore a daughter to Jupiter, Proserpina, the Maiden of Spring. The
happiness of Ceres given to her by Proserpina caused the harvest to flourish.
The mother was inseparable from her daughter. Occasionally, Proserpina would
play in a meadow filled with flowers separately from her mother, in a place
where the Arbor Aurelia lived richly. However, one day as Pluto, the god of the
Underworld, watched the lovely maiden, he opened up the earth. In a chariot
pulled by great black horses, Proserpina was stolen away by the wicked Pluto to
make her his wife, the Queen of the Underworld. Ceres wandered the earth. She
searched for her ceaselessly for nine days. She shadowed the cries of
Proserpina, desperately seeking her, only to find that the cry that she had
followed was that of the nymph, Echo. She had been deceived by Pluto.
 Ceres abandoned her divine duties in her sorrow. She allowed the earth
to become barren and death to touch mankind. The Arbores languished. Having lost
her own child, she ceased to protect the vulnerable race. Ceres exposed the
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glowing skin of the folia; they were no longer hidden by a sage shell. After a
year of brutality towards the sacred Arbores, Jupiter implored the great goddess
to return to her post to allow men and animals to continue living and
multiplying. However, the great goddess refused to end the famine until her
daughter was returned to her. Jupiter sent his messenger to the Underworld to
demand that Pluto return Proserpina to her mother, but it was too late.
Proserpina had eaten the fruit of the Underworld, the food of the dead. She
would have no choice but to return to her husband. Knowing this, Pluto obeyed
Jupiter and sent Proserpina back to her mother.
 When Ceres was reunited with her daughter, the Maiden told her mother of
the fruit that had been given to her by Pluto. The goddess understood the
profound meaning of this simple action; her daughter was lost to her.
Fortunately, Jupiter felt pity on the two. He declared that Proserpina would not
have to stay in the Underworld for the entire year. For half of the year, she
would be allowed to reside with her mother.
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During the seasons when Proserpina returned to Ceres, the goddess graced
the crop and made the vegetation green. In this time, the Arbor Aurelia
blossomed and multiplied, shading all of the earth with their cherished folia,
which were cleverly hidden away. But during the seasons in which the Maiden of
Spring waits in the Underworld, Ceres pulls back her protection, allowing the
Arbores to taste the bitterness of her loss. Every Autumn, the leaves show their
true colors and are lost to mankind. But every Spring, the peaceful trees and
their priceless leaves are safe. Each year, the Arbores wait for Proserpina,
when their children will be returned to them once more.
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The Creation of Corn
[total words: 1220]
The Creation Of Corn
By Eli Neuenschwander
Long ago, long before the Ancient Roman Empire, the god Neptune ruled the sea everything,
which lived beneath the waves. Neptune was not always a fair king; at times he made decisions that
would benefit him instead of the ocean. But he could also be a kind ruler, if he desired.
Off the coast of Naples, there was an uncharted island, which today would translate to Pirate's
Kingdom. Runaway criminals, outlaws and enemies of nearby villages inhabited the island. The
Romans were unaware of this, but had they known they simply would not have even cared because
none of the Pirates ever disturbed this village. These men had quickly become Pirates and had no
reason to disturb the peace on the mainland. They had sailors that would find ships to supplies.
One day, one of the Pirates called Eucledes was sitting under a tree and drinking it was an
unknown beverage intercepted by the traders. Eucledes was relaxing and enjoying his drink when
suddenly, he died. Almost instantly, his brother, Servius, found the body. Servius was shocked and
was miserable.
"What has happened? Why is my brother dead?" Exclaimed Servius.
All the pirates lived in a large hut on the beach, just a short distance from Fredrick. Fredrick
ran to the lodge and burst into the door.
It was a small half wood-half stone structure built a few feet from the sandy shore. Inside was a very
dark candle-lit room. At some badly constructed tables were men sitting in equally low quality chairs.
Most men were young, had tanned skin, dark long hair, long beards and tired eyes. They were
drinking wine stolen from years ago and most seemed to be very drunk.
"Gentlemen, I need to make an announcement." Fredrick shouted. The responses were very weak,
as the men seemed disinterested.
An older man stood up from his chair and walked over to Servius. The man was very short, had
exceedingly long hair and a beard, both a disgusting shade of grey. The man had mud-brown eyes
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and a tan darker than most of the others. His eyes hung low and harbored a mournful expression.
"Servius," the old man said in a thick accent, "these men are drunk beyond your comprehension.
Anything you say will be as useless. You can tell me, though. What is your news?" the old man said.
"Lucius," Servius replied to the man with great sorrow, "my brother, Eucledes has died."
Lucius then wore an expression of deep horror.
"No, it cannot be true! Eucledes was like son a to me! How did he die? What will we do?" Lucius
responded in panic.
"Calm down, old man. We will come up with something." Servius responded calmly. The old man
was hyperventilating and tears started to roll down his eyes. Lucius was very close to the brothers
and it would take a long time to recover from this.
"First, we must discover how this happened." proposed Servius "We must find out how he died, I
know where he died and when."
As Lucius and Servius planned to find out how Eucledes died, the men slowly awoke from their
tortured, drunken sleep. What Lucius and Servius were unaware of was that, in the Heavens,
Neptune was very displeased.
"Stupid humans," Neptune muttered. "It was my will that their friend died. He was such a notorious
Pirate that would disturb my seas with his plundering of its ships. Oh well, they shall be punished."
Because Neptune was not forgiving, he also devised a plan. The worst part was that he built his so
that Lucius and Servius were sure to fail right from the beginning.
Lucius and Servius had been investigating while the men were in pain. Eucledes had died of
poison from his drink; they knew this because they fed some of the drink to a passing bird and the bird
died instantly. They knew where Eucledes had died and found out from one of his shipmates,
Cornelius, that it was given to Eucledes by a rather mysterious Greek man.
"The man could be anywhere right now. There is no way we will find him." Cornelius stated.
"You are quite right. I believe the best thing we can do is pray to the Gods." Lucius suggested.
They did not know what would come of this, though.
The men all walked onto the beach facing the sea. The sky was blue as the water with not a
cloud in the sky. Birds chirped and flew over as the wind blew very lightly. Two men came forth to
Servius with offerings to Neptune. Fredrick placed the offerings.
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"O mighty Neptune, God of the Sea, I pray to you that we may find the killer of my brother, that we
may avenged his death, that you may rest his soul and his body may rest in peace." prayed Servius.
Suddenly, dark clouds began to cover the sky, blocking the sun. The wind began to speed up. A
storm was coming.
"Servius," a loud, ear-shattering voice boomed, "I am Neptune, God of the Sea."
The men instantly fell to there knees and began to bow.
"O Lord, Neptune, thank you for appearing before us weak mortals. I pray that you will stop this
storm to protect us and that my brother""
"Silence! Your brother died in vain. For many years ago, he was a Pirate, raiding my seas and
disrupting the inhabitants. For I arranged it that he would enjoy a poisoned drink and die."
Some of the men started to run from the beach as if they could find shelter.
"I am deeply sorry for my brother's actions." Servius shouted. Neptune could tell he was an honest
man who had given up crime.
"Very well, than. I shall spare your life and the old man's life. But the others shall join your brother."
Lucius and Servius thank Neptune. By a miracle, they were swept from their feet by the wind and
carried over the sea and dropped within swimming distance of another island.
As for the men who fled, they ran to the tree in which Eucledes had died. They tried to honor throw
him into the sea as if to show disrespect and be honored as well. But Neptune swept them from their
feet, also grasping a tree from its roots.
"What is your name, you coward?" Neptune boomed at one man.
"Cornelius, O mighty Neptune."
"You men are cowards. I shall punish you, Cornelius."
The men were grasping the tree and were thrust into the sea. They sank deep below, holding onto
the tree. As they got deeper, they began to stick to the tree, with only their faces exposes. When
they surfaced, they were on the other end of the world. Today, it is called South America.
A small boy walking on the beach saw what looked like a small stick floating in the sea. He picked it
up.
"What is this called?" he asked, as no one had ever seen it.
"My" name" is" Corn"" Cornelius tried to say. But he was so weak that he could not talk.
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"Corn! You are called Corn!" the boy said.
Even though it did not affect the Romans, this is the story of how corn came to be.
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The Creation of Forks
[total words: 846]
One day, Prometheus was in Italy. He smelled a delicious aroma.
He searched far and wide as to the source of the smell, and finally he came
along a small kitchen, where a woman stood making pasta. Now, this was the
first time anyone had made pasta before. The woman stood, in front of her
pot, proud of her creation. She had spent many hours coming up with ways to
make this new dish, and had finally perfected it. She was known as Forcella,
and was loved by all the village children, for she never hesitated to give
anyone a treat, or help them with anything they needed.
Prometheus wandered into her small kitchen, and asked if he could try her
marvelous food.
Â?Of course!Â? She replied. She knew he was a god, but even if he had not been
she would not have refused. She handed Prometheus a large bowl of the
steaming noodles, but he was confused.
Â?Forcella,Â? He asked, Â?How am I to eat this?Â?
Â?Why, by putting it in your mouth and chewing, Prometheus!Â? She responded.
So Prometheus lifted a single noodle, but as soon as he picked it up, it
slipped from his fingers. He tried again and again, but the pasta was quite
elusive.
Â?Might I have a utensil?Â? he inquired.
Â?Oh, how silly of me! Here, have a knife.Â?
So Prometheus twirled the pasta around a knife, and it held, but as soon as
he put it in his mouth, the knife cut his tongue. Because he was a god, it
was not painful, just a nuisance.
Â?No,Â? he said. Â?This wonÂ?t do.Â?
Â?Oh, why here, have a spoon!Â? she cried.
He gladly accepted the spoon, but he found that as soon as he would scoop a
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strand up, it would slip right off before he could begin to eat it.
By now, both Prometheus and Forcella were frustrated. The pasta smelled so
delicious, yet they could not find a way to consume it.
Â?I shall search all the world for a device with which to eat this!Â? He
promised.
Forcella was glad, for she wanted all to be able to enjoy her creation.
Prometheus thought and thought, and suddenly he had a vision of Poseidon. He
was mighty, carrying his trident.
Â?ThatÂ?s it!Â? He cried.
Prometheus immediately went to PoseidonÂ?s kingdom.
Â?Oh Poseidon, king of the sea, I implore you to let me use your trident!Â?
Â?And why should I let you do that?Â? replied Poseidon in a booming voice.
Â?To experience the most joyful flavor of all time, Pasta!Â? he said.
Â?No, Prometheus, you may not use my trident for something so trivial as a
utensil. I wonÂ?t stand it.Â?
Prometheus walked away dejectedly. Yet in the dead of night, he went back
and stole the trident. He had stolen from the gods before, and he knew the
great risk. He was so insatiable though that he just had to have the pasta,
and therefore the trident. He hurriedly went to ForcellaÂ?s house, and
presented her with the stolen trident. She was full of fear, because she
knew that Poseidon would not have given him the trident so easily. She
worried that she would incur the wrath of the gods.
The temptation was to great however, and both she and Prometheus started to
eat the pasta. Both proclaimed it so good that they ate at least four more
bowls.
Poseidon awoke, and seeing that his trident was gone, immediately went to
Zeus and told him what he suspected. Sure enough, there was Prometheus and
Forcella with PoseidonÂ?s trident. Both gods flew down to earth to confront
him, but as they neared the house, they smelled the most delicious scent.
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Just as Zeus was about to set a curse upon both Forcella and Prometheus, he
saw strands upon strands of pasta.
Â?What is this strange creation?Â? he said.
Â?Pasta, O merciful king of the gods!Â? said Forcella. Â?Please, try some!Â?
She handed him a bowl and the trident.
Poseidon bemoaned that his trident would be slobbered upon yet again, but he
dared not defy Zeus.
Suddenly, all the wrath left Zeus as he partook of the wonderful food.
Â?I see now why you needed the trident. While you should not have stolen it,
I cannot punish you for taking something for this wonderful purpose. I shall
make hundreds of miniature tridents, so all can have their pasta and eat it
to! And to commemorate you, Forcella, original maker of pasta, I shall name
these miniature tridentsSForks!Â?
So the pasta recipe spread through out the mortals. Forcella was even called
upon to teach Hebe, the servant of the gods, to make it. Poseidon, still
disgruntled, eventually softened up as he came to enjoy the pasta. All
thought Forcella a hero, and her name lived on through the centuries.
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Why Penguins Can't Fly
[total words: 948]
There are many beautiful birds in the sky. However, unfortunate as it may be, one is missing. The
penguin does not have a place among the clouds. However, things were not always like this.
Penguins once flew free. However one day, a penguin named Amartia made a poor choice.
Amartia happened to be flying in circles with her friend, Sullia, when they saw Hermes
approaching. Now, this was not necessarily a bad sign because Hermes was the messenger of the
gods, along with being the transporter to the Underworld. However, the sullen expression on Hermes'
face was telltale of his duty.
"Sullia," Hermes began, "I am afraid that it is your time to die. Please come with me as we
make our journey to the underworld."
Now, of course, Amartia and Sullia were both flabbergasted and disbelieving at what Hermes
said. However, they knew better than to outright resist a god. So, Sullia went with Hermes.
Amartia was extremely upset about this. Her very best friend had just been taken by an
immortal being! Amartia knew that she had to do something, and fast. She quickly came up with what
she thought was a flaw-proof plan.
The first thing she had to do was find a way to get up to Mount Olympus. Just as she was
pondering the puzzle, she saw Iris, the messenger goddess drifting past. It appeared as though Iris
were heading toward the clouds. So, Amartia hastily and slyly latched onto the foot of Iris. Luckily, Iris
was too busy thinking about her next task to notice the penguin.
Once Amartia reached the clouds of Mount Olympus she hopped of Iris and wandered over to
Hermes' lair. It appeared he had just gotten back from delivering Sullia to the Underworld and decided
to take a quick nap.
Amartia quietly approached him and very, very gently slipped off both of his winged sandals.
She replaced them with a couple of sacks she had picked up. Knowing that Hermes would realize it
was she who stole them, she hurried away, flew off Mount Olympus and went back to the cold prairies
where she lived.
Amartia placed the winged sandals on her own feet and learned that she could fly like know
other. When she approached the other penguins, they gazed at her in awe as she flew circles around
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them, twisting and turning like a god.
Just like Amartia predicted, it was not long before Hermes came to find her. The gods tend to
know all things about any type of mortals.
"Give me back my sandals now, penguin! For I cannot fly without them!" Hermes bellowed. "Or
I shall tell my father Zeus and you will truly feel the wrath of the gods."
Amartia, being the clever bird she was, expected this type of response. She calmly said to
him, "Relax Hermes. As much as I enjoy these sandals, I do not intend to keep them. That is, if you
return to me my friend, Sullia. Bring Sullia up from the Underworld and you will have your sandals
back and never hear from me again."
Presently, Hermes could do nothing but agree with her. However, Hermes was a god, and this
bird was only a mortal. Hermes knew that the gods would prevail in this mishap. So, Hermes replied,
"Alright Amartia. I will bring Sullia to you at nightfall. Have my sandals polished and ready."
While Amartia rejoiced at what she thought was victory, Hermes went to Zeus and explained
the situation.
"And now," Hermes finished, "She will not return to me my sandals until I bring back Sullia
from the Underworld. I do not understand why she is taking this out on me. Has this bird never heard
the saying ‘why shoot the messenger?''
"It is ok, son," Zeus replied reassuringly. "I know what to do. Offer the bird a choice. Tell her
she can have her friend back with one condition, and give you your shoes, or she can keep your
shoes and not take her friend back. I shall inform Hades of this plan. Don't worry though, that is just a
bluff. You will have your sandals returned to you no matter what."
"But father," Hermes said questioningly. "What is the condition?"
"Your choice, Hermes. Whatever you desire, and it shall be done."
With that, Hermes hurried to the Underworld to fetch Sullia. He dragged her back up and
brought her to Amartia and the other penguins.
"Here she is, your friend." Hermes said. "Now give me my sandals."
Not wanting to upset him much more, Amartia quickly dropped the sandals at Hermes' feet
then backed away.
"Now," Hermes began, "You can have your friend back with one condition, which I will name
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later, or you can take my sandals back and be free of any payment to the gods. Beware; you do not
want to have debt with the gods. Think wisely of your choice."
Amartia did not need to think about this. She quickly grabbed Sullia and embraced her with a
hug. Hermes smiled, knowing this is what would happen.
"Alright, you have made your choice. But, since you committed a crime against me by stealing
my sandals, you have a price to pay. This is the condition, and there is no going back: Amartia, you
have experienced the flight of the gods. That is enough for a lifetime. So, your flight, and all the
penguins that come after you will be absent from now on. That is the price, now live with it." Hermes
flew off into the night.
So, because of Amartia and her decisions, penguins after her never got to experience the
miracle of flight.
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Date with a Dog
[total words: 997]
"Hey Uncle Hercy."
"You know I despise that name, Iolaus," said Hercules, sighing. "What is it, nephew?"
"I think King Eurystheus wants to see you now."
"What gives you that idea?"
"He told me yesterday," said Iolaus wittily.
"Well, you might have told me as such. He's in his palace?"
"Yesterday he was."
Hercules went upstairs without another word, thinking how painful it was to converse with his
non-stop clever nephew. Changing out of his pajamas, he quickly put on his tunic and toga and went
out into the garage to his sleek green car. Saying a hasty goodbye to Iolaus, he started the car and
drove out.
Within 15 minutes, Hercules was at the palace. When he went inside, he found the King on his
luxurious sofa, watching some commercials. Eurystheus looked up.
"Ah, Hercules, I was expecting you. So let's get to it. This is your final task, and twelfth."
"Remind me why I had to do twelve rather than ten?" whined Hercules.
"Because you got help on two of them- you cheated." Hercules would have argued, but was
not quite in the mood. Eurystheus continued. "This will, I assure you, be your hardest task. You must
bring me Cerberus the dog, from the realm of Pluto. You cannot be helped by you nephew, this time.
Now, on your way. Have fun!"
Hercules was ushered out, thinking how hasty and non-chit-chatty his King was.
▬▬▬▬▬
Knock-knock. The door quivered, and Iolaus, nephew of the to-be-hero Hercules, went to open
it for his uncle. It had started raining, so ‘Uncle Hercy' came in soaked to the tunic.
"I have to steal Cerberus."
Iolaus raised his eyebrow. "Dramatic. Obviously he doesn't think you'll make it."
"Mm. Maybe he's right," admitted Hercules. "Anyway, I won't be here tomorrow. You can take
care of yourself, right, Iolaus?"
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"Sure, Uncle Hercy."
▬▬▬▬▬
So Hercules drove to Taenarum in Laconia, and took the elevator down to the Underworld. A
couple of other dead people were going down to live the rest of their deaths there. Hercules wasn't
intimidated a bit. As soon as the elevator got to the bottom floor, he strode out, and his eyes
immediately fell upon the legends Theseus and Pirithous. His eyes stretched and he walked toward
them, they with their hands outstretched. They were both stuck in the ground.
When within talking range, Theseus said, "What's up, Hercules?"
"Yesh, whash up, Herculesh?" said Pirithous, who apparently had a speech problem.
"Well, I was going to take Cerberus back up for my king."
"No, really," smiled Theseus.
"Yesh, no, really," copied Pirithous.
"Really. You want to come?" Hercules outstretched his hand and Theseus took it. Hercules
pulled, and Theseus came out. The latter laughed once in disbelief, and then hugged Hercules.
"Thank you so much, my newfound friend!"
"Hey, ish my turn now, ish my turn!" said Pirithous.
Hercules put out his hand and Pirithous grabbed. Just then, the ground shook all about them.
"Sorry, friend, but earthquakes aren't a good sign," said Hercules, pushing himself up on one
muscular arm. "‘Never anger the gods,' you know what they say."
"Oh well. I'll shee ya round!" Theseus and Hercules left, waving to dim-witted yet charming Pirithous.
Within 5 minutes, the duo had gotten to a street.
"Taxi!" yelled Theseus, waving to a yellow cab, coming up to them in the street. It slid to a stop
and the man in side rolled down his window.
"That'll be a coin up front." Theseus pulled out a coin and slapped it in the driver's hand,
opening up the door and getting in the back with Hercules.
Hercules mumbled, "Pluto pays you here?"
"Yup."
"Driver," said Hercules, "We're going to Pluto's throne." The driver snickered but started the
car and they drove.
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Within another 5 minutes they were at the home of Pluto. They paid the driver the rest of his
due, and got out. Knocking on the door of Pluto, they noticed that there was no doorbell to the huge
mansion. Nonetheless, Pluto heard them and opened the door.
"Hercules. Theseus. Come in. Wait, what? Theseus? What- how'd you get out?"
Theseus smirked. "My friend here got me out. Thankfully, he didn't get that dope with the
speech problem out. But anyway, not only free me, he wants to take Cerberus from you."
"Whaaaat? Hercules, is this true? Why?"
"Yup," said Hercules. "I'm doing it for my King. So, take me there."
"Quite bold! I will let you go, but you must not use any weapons. In fact," he snickered, "I'll
make sure you don't."
Abruptly, Hercules was in an arena.
▬▬▬▬▬
A big dog- really big dog- was drooling in front of him. In fact, it had three heads, and was as
tall as Hercules. Its tail stretched out about 10 feet, and at the end, the head of a dragon- it was
drooling, too.
Hercules, on the other hand, was dressed in a lion skin, weaponless. He rolled up his sleeves
and started stomping towards Cerberus, manly muscles bursting from the number of pushups he had
done at the gym.
Within one final stretch of 5 minutes, Hercules had pinned Cerberus. But the dog/dragon
wasn't done yet- its tail, the dragon, lashed out and bit Hercules. But Hercules, being the hero he was,
bit his lip and took the pain, until Cerberus was taken down.
▬▬▬▬▬
It was the next day, and Hercules was driving a rented van, with a big dog/dragon stuffed in
the back. When he reached the home of King Eurystheus, he pulled out Cerberus in chains, and
lugged it down to Eurystheus's television room.
"Hey, King!" yelled Hercules. The King looked up to see Hercules with a giant three-headed
dog in chains. He yelped and jumped into an antique pot next to him.
Hercules giggled.
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The God of Sports
[total words: 862]
Paste or type your entry here.
Mitch Frazier
Latin 1
Madeira High School
The God of Sports
Xaviertus, the God of Sports. Xaviertus was the winner of many events in the Olympic games,
strongest of all the Gods, and smartest of all the Gods. Not only that, he became the wealthy God too.
He tricked and deceived many people, using his mind and strength to his advantage. His tricks got
him what he wanted, but they also made him lose everything.
Son of two strong parents, Xaviertus was bound to be the world's greatest athlete. His father
the God of Athletes, and his Mother, the Goddess of Competition, Xaviertus was predicted to be the
strongest God anyone had ever seen. By the time he was 10, he could lift an entire house, and by 16
he could toss a tree as long as the great fields. Xaviertus had always known how to trick and deceive
people with his abilities. He would trick people into competitions with him letting them believe they
could win. Xaviertus would let them win the first competition, and then he would challenge them to a
rematch. This is where Xaviertus would make his money. His victims, believing that they can defeat
Xaviertus, would place much money on the second round. Xaviertus would then win, take their
money, and move on to the next person. This dirty trick angered people but, helped him create and
destroy his fortune.
When Xaviertus had turned 21, he was finally old enough to compete in the Olympic games.
Xaviertus came up with a plan to win his Olympic events and a large amount of money. He hired
someone to place all of his money on him to win his events. Xaviertus was favored in all of his events.
With all of his money pending on his victories, he had to win. This was no problem for Xaviertus; he
was the God of Sports, and no one could stop him. Each Olympic Games Xaviertus did the same
betting strategy, until one year when Xaviertus lost all of his money. To make more money, Xaviertus
would disappear for a week or two before the games, to make people think he's weaker, and his
chances of winning would go down. When he won, he would win more money. After years of pulling
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the same stunt, Xaviertus became the wealthiest God who ever lived. One year, Xaviertus
disappeared for many months before the Olympic games. This, of course made his chances of
winning decrease, but Xaviertus was not worried. While Xaviertus was away, his opponents were
training harder than ever. They were tired of being defeated all the time, tired of being embarrassed
by the same person, and tired of Xaviertus mocking them; they weren't going to take it any more.
Xaviertus had not practiced for 3 months before the games. Still, he was confident and did not
worry. The first event, the discus, was Xaviertus's best event. Xaviertus walked up to the pit, and
threw what he thought was a winning throw. His next opponent walked up to the pit and threw about
20 yards farther than Xaviertus's throw. Shocked, Xaviertus demanded a second try. The official
refused. He had to wait until the next round. Unfortunately for Xaviertus, there was no second round.
Everybody had beaten him, Xaviertus was furious! This lost cost him half of his money, if he were to
loss the shot put, he would lose all of his money. When it came time for the shot put, Xaviertus threw
his longest shot ever. Once again, all of his opponents threw farther. This meant, Xaviertus lost all of
his money! At this point, Xaviertus realized what he did was wrong. He knew he should have
practiced, and used his great abilities correctly. Instead, he used his talents to make money. After
losing, he apologized to his opponents for being mean to them over the years. Everything began to go
downhill for Xaviertus after his embarrassing loss.
Xaviertus never competed again; he was too ashamed of himself. His parents forced him out
of their family, and he was never allowed to return to Mt. Olympus again. Xaviertus had lost
everything, his money and his family. Nobody ever heard from him again. But, he left writings in stone
to portray his beliefs. The writings said, "Now I realize all of mistakes I have made, treating my
opponents horribly, not training, and finally underestimating my opponents. Money got in the way of
my perfection; I never practiced and never became perfect. I hope my mistakes will help athletes of
the future."
Today, Xaviertus's beliefs are still around. Kids are told that practice makes perfect. This
phrase is used in all contexts of sports, and it was taken from the scribes of Xaviertus. Also from his
scribes, kids are taught never to underestimate their opponents and what could happen if they do.
Finally, good sportsmanship, every athlete in all levels of sports learns the value of sportsmanship.
Most coaches use the scribes of Xaviertus to help them teach all different morals of sports. Xaviertus'
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mistakes lead to his downfall, but continue to help our sports world.
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The Prideful, but Brave Eagle
[total words: 598]
The Prideful, but Brave Eagle
There was a time ago when the bald eagle was just called an eagle and was a normal, everyday
eagle. That all changed one day when the eagle was challenged.
In the woods, one sunny afternoon under the shadow of Artemis, the bear, squirrel, deer, snake, and
eagle were gathered peacefully together just talking as neighbors do. Then, Ares, dark god of war,
came upon them. He sparked an argument among the animals: which one was closer to being an
Olympian god. Insults flew out from the lips of the animals to another. Finally, the eagle spoke up, "I
obviously am the closest to being an Olympian god. Let me explain: the snake is the lowest of us all
so he can't even reach up to the heavens; the squirrel is so tiny and not powerful at all; the bear would
never be let up into the heavens, for he is much too large and the gods would not want their heavenly
place to be weighed down to earth's height; and lastly, the deer, I must say has some potential, but
just doesn't compare to me. I can fly great heights and distances; I have grace, style, and charisma."
At this last comment, an argument erupted, but this time every insult was aimed at the eagle.
Then, Aphrodite and Athena came upon the animals; "Please, stop arguing," cried out Aphrodite.
Athena said, "Eagle, since you think you deserve most to be an Olympian god, I will assign you a
challenge. You say you can fly high; you say you are brave; prove it. You must fly up to the heavenly
palace of the Olympian gods, touch the clouds and fly back down, without a scratch."
The animals exclaimed, "What kind of challenge is that?!!"
The eagle said, "That is no challenge for me, for I will be called the Bold Eagle when I complete this
task." And so the eagle went, up and up and up, all the while chanting, "Bold eagle, Bold eagle," until
he could no longer be seen or heard.
After a few minutes, Athena said to the deer, "You might want to get some water." The deer went and
came back with water. The next moment, they heard the eagle's voice, shouting, "Bold Eagle; I am
Bold Eagle." Then, he came into view. His head was scorching on fire from the power and heat of the
heavenly Olympian palace. He touched the ground exclaiming, "Bold Eagle!!!" Artemis saw the fire on
the eagle's head and shouted, "Put out the fire! You'll burn my forests!" The deer poured the water on
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the eagle's head, extinguishing the fire. Then the animals burst out laughing. "So much for bold eagle,
BALD eagle is more like it," and the animals went around chanting, "Bald eagle, bald eagle."
Athena spoke to the eagle, "Don't mind the new nickname; you were very brave and courageous; you
flew to the palace and back, but let's not forget, you did get a scratch, or rather, a burn. Because of
this, all of your descendents will display a crown of white hair; it is for you to decide whether it's a
disgrace or beautiful gift. Though you are no god, I will give you great title: you shall be called the
national bird of a nation that will be great one day and will wield great power.
So this is how the eagle came to be called the bald eagle, not just simply the eagle, and also to be
the national bird of the United States of America.
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The Lovers' Sign
[total words: 967]
Aphrodite and Ares shared a love that was as passionate as it was secret. It had to be a secret,
for Aphrodite was married to the god Hephaestus. But it was a loveless marriage, forced by Zeus. So,
whenever Hephaestus went out, Ares would sneak in to their gleaming palace to visit his precious
love. There was only one problem. They could not communicate with each other. If they sent the
messenger god, Hermes, that mischievous god would surely tell everyone he met. If they sent a bird
with a message clutched in its feet, then surely the sun god would see and inform Hephaestus.
Aphrodite could not hear her love's melodious voice and she was heartbroken. She went out
to walk alongside the ocean, the place of her birth, which always invoked such calmness and serenity
inside her. She couldn't shake this feeling of despair that was rooted deep within her. Without her
love she felt lost. She thought if she could just hear his voice, then at least she would know all was
well, and she could feel joyful again. Aphrodite scooped up a shiny conch shell that was at her feet,
for all things of beauty interested her. She stroked it's smooth outside and marveled over the lovely
color of pink on the inside. She put it up to her ear, and heard the sounds of rushing waves caught
inside. That gave her an idea. If she could just trap her voice inside some object, then Ares could
listen to her love messages. He could send one back! But not a conch shell, for it had lumbered at the
bottom of the ocean for too long, and now the ocean had drowned it. She considered what else to use
in its stead, but became too excited to think. She clapped her hands together and spun around,
closing her eyes in glee. She was so excited she did not hear the footsteps approach.
"Hello, my love" a deep voice sounded from under the canopy of trees that lined the beach.
Aphrodite spun around, gasping at the sound of Ares' rich and glorious voice. He was standing not ten
feet from her, obscured by the shade of the trees. "How did you get here without anyone seeing you?"
she asked, contentment radiating from her.
"When I saw you here I flew down so quickly Helios could not have seen me. And now I hide under
the trees, where his sunny rays cannot touch us."
Aphrodite remembered her recent discovery.
"Oh darling! I have found a way for us to commune with each other when we are apart. We need
something to catch up our voices and keep them until the other breaks it open." Aphrodite said, proud
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of her intelligence and creativity.
They thought it over excitedly. They decided the container would have to be easily thrown,
light enough to skip across the ocean, and shaped like two shields, representing each of them. Ares'
would have spear- and arrow-like things to represent war and Aphrodite's would display a beautiful
flower.
"Let us shape our beautiful sign and then I must depart. My husband will soon come looking or me."
Aphrodite said with a touch of sadness.
Ares scooped up a bit of sand in his palm and covered it with the other. He opened his hand,
presenting to the goddess exactly what they had envisioned. Aphrodite wept tears of joy when she
saw the beautiful shell, and five tears were caught inside it. They turned to doves, and stayed locked
in the shell forever.
••••
The next few months passed in a blur of sweet messages and occasional visits. They had to
be careful where they met, knowing the sun god Helios was always watching. Aphrodite kept a secret
room in Hephaestus' palace where she stored all of the beautiful messages from the war god. Every
time Hephaestus left, even for a brief time, she would go into the secret room, light a candle and listen
to the harmonious sound of Ares' voice. As the weeks passed, Hephaestus went away less and less
and the lovers could not meet.
Finally Hephaestus left for the afternoon. But there was only enough time for Ares to come to
her, they could not rendezvous. Throwing caution to the wind, Aphrodite hurriedly gathered sand and
compressed it into their special sign. She whispered the message in and flung it out of her window,
trusting Ares to find it. And he did. He too acted without prudence and flew to his love without
protecting himself from Helios.
Moments later the great god of carnage came rushing to her through the door. Suddenly,
neither could move. Hephaestus had caught them in a trap of wire thin metal. Neither could escape
nor unlock themselves from the other's arms. As the gods arrived and teased the couple for their
predicament, they were helpless to loosen themselves. When Hephaestus arrived, Poseidon pleaded
with him to free the couple, and so he freed them from the trap. Hephaestus turned to Aphrodite in
anger.
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"I give you a good home, good food, safety. Why do you betray me? Ares doesn‘t even love you!"
His eyes showed the full extent of his wrath.
"I'll show you he loves me- I have proof!" Aphrodite was hurt. She stormed to the secret room
and opened the door. Hephaestus gawked at the tremendous amount of love tokens hidden in his
very palace. His fury bubbled over now and in a rage he shoved his wife out of the way, and snatched
up every last shell. He hurled them into the ocean where they lay forever in the beaches and the
waves. Now they are known as sand dollars, but the ancient symbols of love still remain.
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The Dance of Fire
[total words: 808]
David stared at the fire, watching all the ways it moved and changed shape. David did not understand
these changes, and he thought to himself, "Why does fire dance?" David approached his mom and
asked, "Why does fire dance?"
His Mom replied, "Sit down, David, and I shall tell you a story." David sat, and his Mom told him a
story.
"In the age of the ancient Roman gods, there was a goddess named Vesta, goddess of the hearth.
Vesta was not one of the main twelve Olympian gods and goddess. She had given up her seat to
Bacchus, god of wine. One day Jupiter decided to have a dinner party. He invited all the gods and
goddesses to the party and arranged everything so that everyone would have a good time. Jupiter
sent Iris to spread the word about the party.
Jupiter waited for Iris to return. Finally, Iris came back after talking to everyone that was invited to the
party. Iris told Jupiter, "Everyone whom you invited will be coming to the party. Everyone, that is, but
Bacchus."
Jupiter was confused by this. "Why would Bacchus not be coming? He loves to party!" asked
Jupiter.
Iris replied, "Well, he does not have anyone to come to the party with. He does not want to be left
having nobody to dance with."
Jupiter really wanted Bacchus to come to his party, so he called Vesta over to him. "Can you please
find Bacchus a date to my party?" Jupiter asked. "I would really like him to come but he cannot find a
date. It would make me very pleased if you found someone to accompany him to my party."
Vesta replied, "Jupiter, I would be happy to find someone for Bacchus to dance with."
Jupiter said, "Thank you very much, Vesta. I will remember this the next time you need a favor."
Vesta set out to see all the goddesses who were not married. She stopped by each of their houses,
but all of them either had a date or was a virgin goddess and would not be taking a date to the party.
Vesta returned to the hearth after a long hard day of looking for someone for Bacchus. Vesta began
to become stressed and thought to herself, "What should I do? Jupiter already told Bacchus he would
have a date and should go to the party. If I do not come up with a date for Bacchus, surely both he
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and Jupiter will be mad at me!"
Vesta, in her upset state, stared at the immobile flames in the hearth. She suddenly thought of an
idea, "I shall make a dancing partner out of fire, and it shall dance better and faster than anyone else
at the party." So Vesta shaped a beautiful body out of a flame from the fire. Vesta charmed the
beautiful flame so it could move like a goddess and touch anything without setting it ablaze. She
danced with the flame spirit and made sure it was worthy of Bacchus. She then sent Iris to Jupiter to
tell him that she had the perfect date for Bacchus. Both gods were eager to meet the date and could
not wait until the party.
That evening all the gods and goddesses met on Mount Olympus, ready to have a good time.
Bacchus met his date and was thrilled! After the dinner, Apollo played his lyre while other gods
played their instruments, and everyone danced and had a great time. Bacchus loved the flame Vesta
had made for him to dance with. She danced very well and liked to party just as much as Bacchus.
At the end of the night, after everyone had danced enough and had a great time, they all left the party.
Bacchus thanked Vesta for his beautiful dancing partner and then gave the flame back. Bacchus then
asked, "Can you do me a favor, Vesta?"
Vesta replied, "Yes, of course I will. What would you like me to do?"
Bacchus said, "Since the flame was such a beautiful dancer, when you put it back in the fire, make
sure it can dance always and freely."
Vesta replied, "Of course I will. My fire seemed to be a little boring before anyway." Bacchus
thanked the flame and left. Vesta took the flame to the hearth, and the flame obediently went inside
of the fire, and immediately the flame started to become animated and danced. And all the flames
everywhere began to dance. To this day, whenever there is fire, there is the spirit of the flame that
danced with Bacchus. And that is why fire dances," finished David's Mom.
"Thanks for the great story, Mom," David said to his mom. David stared at the fire again and then
asked his Mom, "Can we roast marshmallows?"
"Sure, David," replied his Mom.
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"Why are the necks of giraffes so tall?"
[total words: 427]
There once lived a Greek God named Orion, God of strength.
One afternoon, Orion traveled to Mount Bestia. Mount Bestia is a zoo where numerous kinds of
animals lived; elephants, horses, sheep, zebras and giraffes. There were animals that attracted Orion,
but there was one with big eyes, long legs and a small neck that really got his attention. It was the
lovely and innocent giraffe named Collusaltus. While Orion Gazed at Collusaltus, he thought to
himself, "In order for me to reach the palace of the Olympian gods, I need something very tall." Orion
pondered and pondered about that thought of his and suddenly came up with an idea; an idea to
stretch the neck of
Collusaltus and use him as a ladder. Coming up with an idea so amazing and
timeless brought excitement, but also eagerness to Orion. He immediately began his magic. First,
Orion mixed a potion to increase Collusaltus' height. Then after the potion was completed, Orion
stroked Collusaltus ears, laying him down to rest, and played soothing music to relax him. After Orion
gave Collusaltus the potion, he waited days and months to see results. A year had passed and still no
different than before Collusaltus was still the giraffe with a small and short neck.
"What am I missing?"
"Where did I go wrong?"
Orion thought long and hard about this.
"Orion, you're missing the most powerful ingredient of your magical potion."
"Go to the Greek Islands, where you will find your final ingredient, a coconut," goddess Hais
proclaimed.
It took Orion a short time to reach the Greek Islands. When he first arrived there; he immediately
noticed a coconut lying in the soft sand waiting there patiently. He picked the coconut up and shouted,
"Yes, yes, yes! I have found my last ingredient." With excitement he got on his way back to Mount
Bestia where he left Collusaltus. When Orion returned to Mount Bestia, he quickly began his magic
again. He then laid Collusaltus down to rest; he slept in silence with his eyes closed tight. Orion
slipped the potion into Collusaltus's mouth and waited once again. After days had passed, Collusaltus
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neck grew five inches taller. Eventually his neck reached its stopping point. Orion was so excited.
"Orion, God of strength is now able to meet the Olympian Gods for the first time ever!"
Orion did just that, he climbed onto Collusaltus neck and was finally able to reach the palace of the
Olympian Gods. Carter was so proud of himself and what he had accomplished.
our entry here.
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The Flightless Bird
[total words: 1148]
Clyde gazed at the boundless, blue sky as a flock of snow petrels soared in a V-shaped formation
overhead. He marveled at the freedom they had, owning the skies like that. It was all so wonderful to
the 3-year-old Adelie penguin.
"I wish I could fly," Clyde murmured. "Boy, the things I could do, the places I could see!"
He tried to flap his flipper-like wings to fly, but, to his dismay, he quickly realized the ability to fly was
unattainable to penguins. He looked back up at the snow petrels conquering the beautiful, cerulean
sky kingdom.
"Can't fly, can you?"
Clyde recognized the deep voice. He quickly turned, embarrassed, and found his father walking
toward him. "Sorry, father. It won't happen again," Clyde said submissively.
"Ha!" he exclaimed. "Don't worry about that. Every little penguin tries to fly at some point. Even I did
when I was your age."
"Really?" he answered, relieved.
"Of course!" he said cheerfully. "Everyone wants to be like those birds flying up above us in that
inviting, blue domain." He waited a minute, choosing which words he should say next. "Son, do you
know why penguins don't fly?"
Clyde pondered a minute. "Because they don't have access to airplanes?"
"Ha, ha, ha! You're a funny one, Clyde. But let me tell you the real story; let me tell you the story that
forever changed the penguin species." He cleared his throat.
"Long ago, in the Soaring Age they called it, all birds, whether they be petrels or penguins, had the
ability to fly. Everyone was perfectly capable of it. These flippers on our arms? They used to be
covered in a multitude of feathers; they were our wings, our keys to the sky.
This all changed in one day: the day of Poseidon's wrath. The day was full of the deadliest hurricanes,
the most brutal squalls, and ravaging waves and tsunamis. Poseidon claimed his son Triton had been
kidnapped by Hermes and that Hermes demanded complete power over the Mediterranean Sea. This
would give him a monopoly in trade, and in exchange, he would give back Triton. In his rage,
Poseidon threw his trident on the ground and shook the earth and caused the separation of the
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province Sicily from Italy! Poseidon would not cease his storms of anger until Hermes returned Triton.
When Hermes received news of this, he explained to Zeus that he had no intentions of doing anything
Poseidon said. Hermes said all he wanted to do was start a band with Triton: Hermes would play the
lyre, and Triton would play his conch shell. Hermes denied kidnapping Triton in exchange for power
over the Mediterranean Sea!
So it seemed that there was a misunderstanding; Poseidon was blinded by a rage so powerful, a rage
comparable to Achilles', that, in his rage, he accidentally made false accusations against Hermes. The
solution was to send a bird down to inform Poseidon that this was all a mistake. Zeus sent an eagle
down to Poseidon, saying his bird was the strongest. However, the bird was unsuccessful because a
storm still raged violently. Hera then sent her bird, the peacock with 100 eyes, saying her bird could
look for a different way to Poseidon with its eyes. The peacock did find a way, but it could not swim.
Next, Ares sent his vulture, saying his bird has been through the toughest battles and that this was
just a little rain shower for his strong bird. However, like the other birds, the vulture failed to reach
Poseidon.
So now the gods had a dilemma. They needed to send a bird that could easily pass on the information
to Poseidon. They decided they could not possibly send one of themselves because it would be too
dangerous. As the gods' debate droned on, crafty Athena glimpsed, out of the corner of her eye, a
black and white bird with a slender body suitable for diving. She stopped the bird and told it:
‘A great task needs to be completed to end this storm. You are necessary to complete this task. My
idea is this: I shall give you the ability to swim, but that means you will lose your power to fly.'"
Here, Clyde's father paused. "Well? What happens? Does he agree to it or not?" Clyde inquisitively
asked.
His father smiled. "Of course he says yes."
"Wait. Why didn't Afeema—"
"Athena, you mean."
"Yeah, Athena; why didn't she just let penguins have both powers?"
Clyde's father took a deep breath. "Well, I'll ask you this: why can't those birds in the sky swim?"
"Well, duh, it's because they already rule the sky," he answered plainly.
"Well, duh, then why can't penguins fly?" his father replied, imitating his son.
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"Well—it's because—"
"You see, son, all animals have their own place. Some rule the jungle; some rule grasslands; some
rule the sky; and some, like us, rule the sea. It's not right if an animal can rule the jungle and the
grasslands or the sky and the sea. It's Nature's way of balancing itself."
"Oh." Clyde paused, looking up at the sky, pondering what precious information his father had just told
him. "Okay. I get it now." He looked at his flippers, examining them left, then right, left then right. "So"
what happens in the end?"
"Oh, right. Here's the end.
As mentioned previously, Athena tells the black and white bird to swim down to Poseidon to tell him to
stop all of the storms, so the bird loses his flying power and he falls right into the sea. Immediately,
swimming becomes natural for him and he dives deeper into the ocean until he discovers where
Poseidon is conducting his symphony of storms. Poseidon notices the bird and bellows, ‘WHAT DO
YOU WANT?'
The penguin explains everything, and Poseidon begins to calm down. ‘So you mean it was just all a
misunderstanding?'
The penguin nodded his head, pleased that the sea god had understood. And with that, Poseidon
went up to Mount Olympus, the home of the gods, and apologized to everyone, especially Hermes.
The end."
"Yay!" Clyde exclaimed with delight.
"That was great. I enjoyed telling you that story. You know, my father told me the very exact one."
"Really?"
"Yup. I knew you'd like it because I loved it."
"Well, I loved it too, Dad." He glanced up at the sky, and the cheer ran out from his eyes.
"Are you still thinking about that sky? Let me tell you right now. That dream of flying—"
"No," Clyde interrupted. "I was just feeling sorry for them."
"First you wanted to be just like them, and now you're feeling sorry for them?"
"Yeah... I feel sorry for them because they can't do this!" He ran over to the tip of an iceberg and
courageously leaped, shouting, "CANNONBALL!"
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The Moonflower
[total words: 999]
Every night, when the sun Helios retires at his evening palace, Selene, the beautiful moon,
resumes her duties, shedding her milky beams across the earth. Just tonight she gazed upon her
beautiful mortal, Endymion, forever sleeping and dreaming with a smile on his face. She had just
pleaded to Zeus to grant him eternal sleep, and he had fulfilled her request, freezing him in his world
of dreams so Selene could marvel over him at night.
Selene loved Endymion, and she bore him several children while he dreamed on into eternity. She
often halted her travel in the night sky to stare into his smiling face. Selene was convinced that
nothing could make her duties more enjoyable than watching Endymion sleep peacefully.
Selene was not the only deity who was watching Endymion. Apollo looked down from the
heavens with jealousy and disgust. How could Selene, the beautiful white moon, be in love with a
mere mortal? Selene deserved so much more than that peasant. She deserved someone more
handsome, someone immortal, and someone to complete her, someone like" himself. Apollo smiled
as he thought of what they could be together; his musical gifts, poetic lines, and light and wisdom
along with Selene's great, calm, milky beauty"oh he must have her. He must draw her away from that
filthy mortal.
And so Apollo began his plot to woo the moon.
Apollo knew he needed something extraordinary, something that would make her gasp in
amazement and wonder, something that would only be for Selene, to show how special she was to
him. He began thinking about his artistic gifts: music and poetry. Perhaps he could appear one night
plucking the strings on his divine lyre or reciting his beautiful stanzas, and maybe combined with his
handsomeness, she would fall for him. But he discarded this idea, knowing he needed something
more, something for Selene to look upon every night that would make her forget about Endymion and
his smiling, dreaming face. Thus Apollo began to seek advice from the gods.
Apollo first approached Ares, a powerful and most handsome god.
"Ares, I know you strive to claim Aphrodite's love, what would you give the moon to win her
heart?" Ares responded without a thought.
"Display your power for her. Show her what you can do to man and beast, how you can kill with a
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single piercing from one of your silver shafts. Show her how great you are by presenting to her a
show of strength, and the moon will be in your arms instantly." Apollo considered this. It was a good
idea, for often women could be impressed with power, but Apollo thought that peaceful Selene would
be more horrified than awed with a bloody show of power. He discarded Ares' suggestion.
Apollo next sought help from his beloved sister Artemis. But after presenting his question, he
realized that Artemis would never understand, as she did not wish for love or marriage like he.
Apollo finally pleaded to Demeter, having compared her gentleness to the soft beauty of the
moon.
"Demeter, I am in love with the moon, but fail to come up with an idea to win her heart. Do you
believe you could assist me in flattering her?"
Demeter's face lit up, for she was delighted with the idea of new love. Demeter herself possessed a
different, but powerful love with her daughter Persephone. She also knew what it was like to yearn for
a loved one, so she willingly decided to help Apollo.
Demeter decided to craft for Selene a flower, one like her daughter Persephone loved. The flower
was to be large, but not giant, with milky white petals to resemble the complexion of the moon. In the
center would be a yellow tinted five pronged star, representing her constant companions in the night
sky. These flowers would grow tall on vines, reaching toward the heavens, and bloom only in the
night, so only Selene could witness their beauty. And finally, the flowers would be called moonflowers,
to honor the figure for which they were created. When the design was finished, Demeter carefully
placed the blossoms in vines around the earth, but she withheld them from blossoming and kept them
hidden until Helios had finished his journey across the sky. Then, as Selene appeared, the
moonflowers showed their milky petals for the first time.
Selene swept the sky in awe, observing the many luminescent petals that now covered the earth
during the night. She was in a trance of wonder and thought who could've created such a perfect
flower, only for her? Apollo watched from above, pleased with his gift and ready to float down to her at
any second and claim credit to win her love.
But then Selene's eyes once again fell on her precious Endymion, his eyes still closed in sleep, a
wide smile still spread across his face. Even though he was surrounded by these new flowers, her
eyes could not be drawn from him; her love remained unchanged.
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Apollo, who had been watching and listening still, was outraged. He stormed down from Olympus,
crying out to her in fury.
"How could you still love this horrible mortal, when I, I the great god Apollo, worked to create in your
image such a beautiful flower in hopes that you would return my love?" Selene shuddered and said
that the flowers were appreciated; however she would love no other than Endymion.
Realizing suddenly that Selene would never love him, Apollo told Zeus to remove the flowers from
the earth. But Selene pleaded to Zeus to keep them, insisting that the flowers were a wonderful gift
and should be kept as they are on earth, only blooming at night. Zeus agreed that this would do great
honor to the moon, so he kept them. Therefore the moonflower continues to bloom to this night,
honoring the moon and reminding all who dream of capturing the moon's heart that she is already in
love.
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The Sandwiches of Harry
[total words: 427]
(Modern Myth based on the story of Odysseus and the Cattle of Helios)
"Now," the teacher said to Tommy, "while I'm gone, I don't
want you to touch the sandwiches, they're not for you!"
Tommy Looked back at the sandwiches. He had just been
banished to detention. Tommy was now stuck in the cafeteria for
another hour and a half.
"Okay, okay, I get it, don't touch the sandwiches, I got it, I got it,"
he mumbled through his breath.
"Good," Mr. Harry said, and then turned to the other boys in the
cafeteria also in detention "and that goes for the rest of you too."
"We won't, Mr. Harry," all of the boys grumbled at him.
"Good, now when I come back, I don't want to see any
sandwiches missing! Got it?"
"Yes sir," all the boys said in a low voice.
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"Um, excuse me, what was that?" Mr. Harry asked.
"Yes sir," all the boys said in one voice.
With that Mr. Harry left the room.
"Uhg! What am I supposed to do now? I'm starving!" Someone
said from the crowd.
"Me too."
"Me three."
"Shut up!"
"Okay..."
"We can't eat any sandwiches or we'll be banished into more
detention," Tommy interrupted. "That's final! If any sandwich is missing
then we'll all be in trouble! Period."
"All right, all right, we won't."
Tommy went to get a drink of water from the fountain. He sure
to death hoped that they wouldn't eat any sandwiches that belonged to
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Mr. Harry. Lord knows what might happen...
Tommy drank deeply, and walked down to go into the cafeteria
only to find all of the boys fat, flubby, chubby faces stuffed with Mr.
Harry's sandwiches.
"Ahh, jeez," someone said. "We ate all the sandwiches!"
"Well there's no turning back now, but I guess we should still stop."
All the boy's put down the half eaten sandwiches right when an
alarm went off. Mr. Harry must have set an alarm on them!
Immediately, Mr. Harry busted through the doors of the cafeteria
with a seething, sizzling, and just flat out mad look on his face. "You ate
my sandwiches!" He bellowed at the puppy faced kids.
Then he turned and ran up the stairs up to Principal Zach's room.
"Mr. Zach! Those students just ate my sandwiches!"
"Alright, then just put all of them into detention and-"
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"All except Tommy since he wasn't near the table." Mr. Harry
interrupted.
Both of them went down stairs to face the students. "Congrats,
you all have detention for a week except for Tommy..."
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Modern Myth
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(student #: 18554)
Tornadoes
[total words: 522]
Aeolus, the king and god of wind, was given very strict instructions from the king of the gods,
Zeus. He was to make sure the winds, Boreas, the North Wind, Notus, the South Wind, Zephyr the
West Wind, and Eurus, the East Winds were never released from their cavern unless called upon.
When a certain wind was called for, Aeolus would open the cave, then close it shut before the others
could escape. Aeolus was very good at his job, until one day.
Aeolus received the rare notation that Eurus, the East Wind was to be released. He
sometimes had a problem with Eurus, that because he was rarely called, he would move very slowly,
and the other winds would try to get out. He went up to the cavern and carefully called Eurus, and let
him out, making sure that the others didn't escape.
The East Wind eventually came back and Aeolus opened the cavern again. This time
however, Boreas and Notus, the most ambitious of the four winds, were determined to get out of the
god forsaken cavern. Right when Aeolus opened up the entrance, Boreas and Notus rushed out
before Aeolus could close the entrance. Aeolus, begging them to come back, tried everything, for he
did not want to be punished by Lord Poseidon. The two winds refused to cooperate and stormed off.
The two winds went for miles, and eventually got to solid land.
Boreas suggested that they should have a race to see who could go fastest. Notus accepted
the challenge, so he could prove himself best. The wind that got to Crete, from Sicily first would be
considered the fastest. They got to the starting line on Sicily. Notus would've had the disadvantage
here, because he had the most moisture. They went off, Boreas having the clear lead. Notus was
fairly far behind Boreas; however Boreas was already tiring from all the energy used from the big
head start.
Notus eventually caught up, but Boreas would not be defeated. Boreas shot ahead, while
Notus stayed at a fast but not tiring pace. Boreas slowed down so much that Notus eventually passed
him. With every single ounce of energy left, Boreas leaped barely ahead of Notus. Crete was in
sight, and they were neck and neck. They finished in a tie. They got into a fight, and eventually used
their abilities to their advantage. They went full speed at each other, trying to over power the other.
They started circling each other. They both increased speed so much that it turned into a vicious
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cyclone. Boreas, having ice in his power, made hail drop, while on the other hand Notus who had
water, made it rain. The cyclone ravaged the land and tore houses and trees. They got onto the
water and created a whirlpool that rose into the sky, touching the clouds. This fight only lasted a few
minutes because they easily lost energy. Aeolus found them and locked them into their cavern.
To this day tornadoes happen every time Aeolus accidentally lets both Boreas and Notus out,
still fighting over whom was the best wind.
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Aurora
[total words: 626]
Have you ever seen the Northern or the Southern Lights? They light up the night sky for many,
creating a beautiful current of light for people to marvel at. Have you ever wondered how this
phenomenon has come to be? To answer this question, we have to go far back in time to a time much
simpler and more primitive than ours. A time when the gods of Mount Olympus ruled over the Earth,
and our futures and our destinies were determined by their fickle wills. The aurora specifically was
caused by a dispute between Helios and Selene over who was the most important light in the sky.
"I am the most important light in the sky," Helios said. "Mortals wake up by my light. They work
and play under my light. Civilization itself would not last without me. What do you do? No one sees
nor cares about the light you give to the world. Mortals are asleep or drunk when your light comes out.
You contribute nothing to the world."
"That's not true." Selene responded. "Thousands of animals receive my light. What would
those traveling by cover of night do without the benefit of the moon and the stars? Your claims,
Helios, are for naught. Remember that the moon is, and always will be, as important to the nighttime
as the sun is to the day."
At that point Zeus, king of the gods, stepped in to resolve the dispute. "Enough. Selene is
right, Helios. Both of you are important to the times that you control. Now, go. I don't want to hear any
of this brought up again." Selene, who was a peaceful and benign goddess, obliged. She returned to
her duties as the moon and never brought up the topic again. Helios, however, was a fiery, brash god.
He thought about the words of Selene and resolved that he would become unarguably more important
than she by shining during the night as well as the day.
That night, as Selene was making her trip across the night sky, something astonishing
happened. A flash of red light appeared across the sky and stayed there. Selene had no trouble
figuring out who was behind it, but was astonished that Helios would have the temerity to disobey
Zeus and confront her directly in her own realm. Greatly angered, Selene used her own special brand
of power to turn Helios' red light to green. That morning, as Helios rose, Selene kept the moon in the
sky for a few hours, infuriating Helios and sending him a message.
Helios and Selene continued this practice for days, both trying to demonstrate that one of them
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was more important than the other. Unable once again to resolve their dispute, they went to Zeus for
help. Zeus was more bemused than helpful, saying simply, "Must you waste all your time with your
petty arguments? We have far greater things to worry about than which of you is more important than
the other. I cannot say whether the sun or moon is more important to the world, but I realize that I
cannot stop you two from arguing." With that, Zeus left and to this day Helios and Selene have used
the aurora to argue which light was more important in the sky. As time went on, these lights in the sky
persisted, and humans today can still see the work of Helios and Selene when they see the auroras in
the sky, or when they see the moon in the sky in the hours just after sunrise. So if you are ever lucky
enough to see a beautiful streak of light dancing through the sky at the dead of night, remember that it
is the work of Helios and Selene.
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Tendonitus, the Ill Fated Brother of Achilles
[total words: 858]
Tendonitus, the Ill Fated Brother of Achilles
Hello. I am the handsome, striking, dashing, and very modest hero known as Achilles. The
tale of my life has been told by many, but they all forget to include one thing, my younger brother,
Tendonitus. Tendonitus was an unfortunate soul. He was not nearly as handsome as I, and I was
destined for greatness, but he was fated for failure.
It all began when I was born. As you know, my mother, the Nereid Thetis, took me down on a
perilous journey to the Underworld, where she gently immersed me in the icy waters of the River Styx.
As a result of this, I became an invincible warrior, feared and admired by all, and rightfully so, for I am
very good looking and brave. My mother soon learned she was again with child, and she rejoiced, for
now she would have two unconquerable heroes for sons. When the new child was born, she named
him Tendonitus, and took him down to the Underworld where he would share the same icy bath as I.
Something happened though, for as my mother was racing towards the Styx, she dropped the baby
into a nearby creek, that of the River Lethe. Poor, poor Tendonitus, for now was he not as handsome
or formidable as I, and he now had been dropped into the river of forgetfulness that lost souls entering
the realm of men drank to forget their past life.
As we grew older, we were trained by the sagacious centaur known as Chiron. Chiron taught
me to not only become a master of the sword and spear, but he also schooled me in the arts of poetry
and music. I mastered all of my lessons, and I was soon composing ballads about my unmatched
skills and good looks, but my brother could learn nothing more than the names of animals and trees.
Chiron was a patient teacher, but soon even he gave up. Yet, being the outrageously generous and
kind older brother, I made Tendonitus my armor bearer, as any good man would. Even though
Tendonitus sometimes forgot whether he was supposed to carry me or my armor, that did not stop
him from loyally following me when I was called to the Trojan walls with my Myrmidon warriors.
At first, when I was called to fight with the other Greeks, I did not think that they deserved my
help, for Agamemnon had been rather nasty to me in past years. So, I decided that they had to find
me first. So, with Tendonitus, I escaped to the island known as Skyros. We lived at Skyros for some
time and dressed as women so the cunning Odysseus would not find us. Odysseus learned from
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someone back home where I was hiding, so he came to Skyros. To try to lure me out, he laid out a
bunch of pretty dresses that all of the women there admired, but on another table, Odysseus placed a
brilliant sword and shield. As I passed the shield, I noticed my beautiful face reflecting back at me. I
refrained from staring, for my attraction to the arms and my gorgeous reflection would give me away.
Tendonitus, on the other hand, forgot we were supposed to be hiding. When the poor fool saw the
shield, he remembered for once that he was supposed to carry my armor. He raced toward it, picked
it up, and brought it towards me screaming with delight, "I found your armor Achilles! I found it!" This
sudden outburst gave me away, and we were whisked away on our ship across the Aegean Sea to
Troy.
Tendonitus, being the royal blood that he was, was given command of a company of
Myrmidons at Troy. Tendonitus knew nothing of leading an army, and his perpetual forgetfulness did
not help either. One time, a leader of a neighboring village of Troy threatened us, saying that if we
even came near the village, he would pray to the god he served, Apollo, and Apollo would send a
plague on us all. I ordered Tendonitus to not attack the village, but my mother's blunder once again
botched our schemes. Tendonitus went out on a foraging party one day to gather food, and he
spotted a village from a hilltop. Being the forgetful fool that he was, all he remembered of my warning
were the words "attack" and "village".
The plague came upon the camp before Tendonitus returned, and dread filled my heart.
When my brother entered the camp, he offered me a beautiful girl named Briseis, exclaiming, "When I
attacked the village like you said, I found this pretty girl, so I thought that you would like a friend." At
least my brother's heart was in the right place!
Tendonitus survived the plague and even the rest of the war. Afterwards, he joined the crew of
Odysseus, and he had many adventures with them. In the end, he died at sea after he urged the
crew to eat the cattle of Helios, as he thought Odysseus had said. Thus ended the life of my ill fated
brother, Tendonitus.
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The Myth of the Sunset: Hesperides
[total words: 907]
The three Hesperides spend long hours tending the garden in the West. They have many beautiful
and exotic fruits and flowers that need special care. Their most important task is to ensure that the
tree with the golden apples is watered and protected. Three golden apples were a wedding gift from
Gaia, to Zeus and Hera. From the seeds of the apples, the Hesperides produced this wondrous tree.
The gentle and lovely Pulcherrimia would soon be the age when most young women and their
parents begin to think of marriage. Pulcherrimia was followed around the skies all day long by
throngs of suiters and many approached her parents. Pulcherrimia, however, was more interested in
studying chemistry. She was fascinated by the interaction of Potassium and Carbon. She was
captivated seeing the calming results that a simple bicarbonate could induce in her father as his
stomach calmed. Most grown up gods loved a chemical cocktail of caffeine before breakfast.
She was badgered by suitors so much that she finally promised that she would only marry the man
who could bring her a golden apple from the garden. She knew this would never happen because the
100-headed dog and the Hesperides guarded this tree night and day. She was sure she had nothing
to worry about and went on with her studies finding out what would happen when she combined
Hydrobromic Acid with water and other delightful experiments.
The news of her promise spread far and wide throughout the skies. Young hopeful gods attracted by
Pulcherrimia's intelligence flocked to the garden to try the challenge. For the first year, none came
close to stealing a golden apple so daunting was the watchful eyes of the dog. But soon, blogs
sprung up on the "intersky". Bloggers discussed what hadn't worked and spent log hours trying to
figure out how to outwit the dog in order to steal the golden fruit in order to win the hand of the brilliant
maiden.
Pulcherrimia being a bright and diligent scientist kept up on current chemistry trends on the Intersky.
One day, she was stuck on a particularly hard question of chemical composition so she idly checked
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out a few blogs about the young gods trying to win her hand. She discovered that there was indeed a
flaw in the garden security system. None had yet discovered it, but she felt it was only a matter of
time. Pulcherrimia was also a determined young goddess who felt a young goddesses should take
control of their own lives. She invented a chemical reaction that would burn up anything trying to
leave the garden with a golden apple.
On early afternoon, as Pulcherrimia was working in her lab, she heard a knock at her door. Thinking
it was yet another suitor seeking directions to the garden she went to the door with printed directions
from Star quest. To her surprise, the young god said,
"No, I do not want to go to the garden yet. I would like to sit and talk with you to find out what your
dreams are."
Pulcherrimia was shocked for never had a young god spoken to her thusly. She told him that she
would love to sit on the bench outside for a few minutes.
Later in her lab, her mind was not on her experiment but on Abelardus, the young god she had spend
time with earlier. He had asked her about her daily life, about her hobbies, and about her dreams.
The next day, they met again and again spoke of their fondest memories and their values and
approaches to child-rearing. As before, Pulcherrimia could not focus on her chemical analysis of the
powdery white substance before her. She realizes that she is in love with Abelardus
On the third day, when Abelardus knocked, she greeted him with a proposal. She told him she loved
him and that she thought they would be compatible life partners. She asked him if he would marry
her. He agreed telling her he felt the same way.
Her elation turns to sadness. She knows that because of her proclamation, he must remove the
golden apple from the garden. She knows the very complicated, delicate procedure to neutralize the
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chemical reaction of the apple hitting the chemical barricade. She teaches it to him and makes him
practice until he has it down perfectly.
The next day he goes to the garden. She follows him, but remains on the outside of the chemical
barrier. Her heart beats fast with anticipation of being united forever with her love. Aberladus
executes the neutralizing procedure carefully, step by step. He is about to separate the last element
from the solution which will result in total neutralization when Pul calls, "Aberladus!" She intends to
tell him to be careful. As he looks up at her, his land slips and he drops the nitroglycerin instead of
removing it.
In an instant, a red fiery ball envelopes him, and he is vaporized. Seeing her love is gone forever,
she follows him into the fire and is also burned up. Every night after that, as the sun sets, red spreads
across the sky, and the Hesperides sing of the star-crossed lovers who tried too hard to manipulate
their fate. They sing songs of the beauty of the sunset, the peace of the sunset, and the question of
whether gods truly can be in control of their own end.
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The Legend of the Weeping Willow
[total words: 909]
Paste or type your entry here.
The Legend of the Weeping Willow
In Greece, not far from the Mediterranean Sea, on the gentle rolling hills of the countryside, in
the forest lived a beautiful, gentle, quiet tree goddess named Dendritus. She had smooth, shiny brown
hair and eyes that sparkled merrily in the moonlight. Dendritus always wore a gorgeous tiara made of
leaves, flowers, and gemstones. She lived in the forest, in a little tree-house that she had built
herself. Every day, she would take care of all the animals that inhabited her lovely, peaceful forest.
Every night she would go out to the middle of the forest to a sacred pool known as the Moonpool.
After enjoying a cool, refreshing bath at the Moonpool, she would put on her silky silver satin nightdress. Then, she would dance and sing beneath the glowing stars with her friends Artemis-goddess of
the hunt, Demeter, goddess of the harvest with Persephone (her daughter), Chloris- goddess of the
flowers, Hegemone, goddess of plants, and Selene, sister of Helios and goddess of the moon. The
goddesses danced and sang around the magnificent Moonpool with the moon's light and the stars'
reflections shimmering in the beautiful water. Their lovely voices made a melodic sound that could be
heard from miles away. This spawned the creation of early lullabies for children. All night they would
dance and sing, but when the first rays of the sun god Helios would peek over the hills, Dendritus
would watch the sun rise with her friends. She would then cleanse herself again in the purifying water,
put on her satin golden day-dress, and go care for the animals. At noon, she would fall asleep until
evening. Then she would wake up and once again bathe in preparation for the night.
One day, she was out watching the animals when she decided she would visit her friend
Aphrodite, who lived by the sea. She was very glad to see the goddess, and together they talked a
long time, while sitting on the beach and watching the waves. Relaxed, she soon fell asleep.
Suddenly, she awoke and remembered she had to go back to her forest. She bid Aphrodite farewell
and quickly left her to return to her forest, her golden dress leaving tiny sparkles on the sandy beach.
Unfortunately, Dendritus became lost on her way home and soon, it began to rain. Lightning from
Zeus flashed as Dendritus scurried under an overhanging ledge. Poor Dendritus stayed there for a
week, very unhappy at the fact that she was not able to return home to her beautiful, peaceful forest.
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She missed it desperately and cried herself to sleep. She stayed asleep for the whole duration of the
storm, which is why many people sleep well during a rainstorm. Finally, on the seventh day, it stopped
raining and Eos appeared and awoke the world and sprinkled tiny droplets of dew on the fresh new
blades of grass. Dendritus woke up and yawned, and when she realized it was no longer raining, she
set off towards the forest. By midday she reached the forest, but as soon as she reached it, she
realized something was terribly wrong. One of her beloved sacred deer was missing! One the leaflittered forest floor, she saw tiny drops of blood. She followed the trail, and it led right to the pool.
When she arrived, she gasped. The sacred deer was lying dead with a terrible wound that was
dripping blood into the sanctified pool. She sadly removed the carcass, not noticing the blood in the
pool and buried it. Then, she prayed to Zeus that the murderer would be punished, and for the second
time that day she cried herself to sleep. When she woke up in the evening, it was time for her dance.
She removed her day-dress and bathed in the blood-filled water. Suddenly, a stretching feeling in her
limbs occurred. Her skin turned dark brown as bark, her legs grew together, and her arms turned
brown and sprouted leaves. Her hair grew thick and also sprouted leaves. She bent over and her back
curved, her hair-branches barely skimming the water. Her beautiful smooth milky-white skin turned a
lovely green and brown. Dismayed, she recalled the deer blood that had poisoned the ground. She
realized with horror that the blood had seeped into the magical pool of water. And not just any kind of
deer blood. The deer that was killed was a willow deer, named for its habit of eating the poisonous
willow leaves. The toxic juice from the leaves seeped into its blood and anyone who touched,
ingested, or even inhaled the blood would be turned into a willow tree forever. Dendritus slowly turned
into a willow tree. To this day, she still protects and watches over her forest, but after a storm, she is
reminded of her terrible fate and weeps for her poor deer, which is why when people are sad, they say
"Poor Dear!" Her tears form the pool, in the forest that she loved so dearly. At night, her friends still
grieve for her and dance and sing around her. Sometimes, if you listen closely, you can hear the
sounds the animals make at night, which is Dendritus wailing for help; because she wants to dance
with her friends, and her spirit still lives on in the animals she cared for.
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Why the Hummingbird is Green
[total words: 531]
In Greece, Hummingbird was known for her vibrant colors and delicate body and wings- she was the
envy of all of the common birds in the empire. Crow was desirous of her dazzling body that shone
with hints of pink- while she just had a greasy looking coat of black feathers. Vulture was covetous of
Hummingbird's quick stature that could beat thousands of times a minute, darting and weaving
throughout the streets of Rome, whereas Vulture had a savage-like body, and was always forced to
the outskirts of every town in which she had lived. All of the other birds began to wonder why
Hummingbird was so perfect, while they were just unexceptional. Even though Hummingbird had the
looks of Venus, she knew very well of her superiority to the other birds. In this knowledge,
Hummingbird was very pretentious- in her own world, Hummingbird thought she was the Aryan of her
time. While she was full of color and speed, the other birds were lackluster and lethargic. Not one
bird in the empire was better than Hummingbird.
One day while the birds were flying about the aromatic flowers, Hummingbird was approached
by Mockingbird. She was not the most beautiful of the birds, but Mockingbird sang with a voice so
melodic and harmonious it brightened the day of every bird in her sight. Hummingbird was jealous of
the attention the other birds were giving to Mockingbird as they came over to see whose voice
seemed to be a gift from the gods. Gradually, as Hummingbird was overcome with jealousy, her pink
tints began to fade to a green hue.
All across Mount Olympus, the gods were gossiping about Mockingbird and how talented she
was. Their interest was no longer in Hummingbird and her comeliness, but with this soloist whose
talent was pure. One evening when the sun was hanging back in the deep billows of the sky,
Mockingbird was invited to perform for the gods, with the other birds as her audience. Her voice cut
the warm spring air and rang throughout all of Mount Olympus with its splendor, filling the heavens
with elation. When her singing concluded, the gods erupted with applause for Mockingbird. Never
had they heard such a beautiful ballad. While Mockingbird was receiving her praise, Hummingbird
was fluttering off in the distance- even her beauty could not compare to that of Mockingbird's voice,
and she was no longer the object of affection for the gods. Her bitter rage brought the green of envy
to her face- light at first, but the color soon deepened to a dark emerald. All of the birds saw what she
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had become- Hummingbird might be beautiful, but she was turned sickly green with her resentful spite
of any competition.
Any time you see a hummingbird, you might note its distinct color. The bird's size is dainty,
with its tiny wings pulsating incessantly, but the color of it can always be detected. Ever since the fate
of Hummingbird and the sign that was placed upon her to show all others of her weakness, you can
see how the most beautiful of species are made to look horrid by a fault of their character.
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Orioles
[total words: 746]
Long ago, when the earth was still young and the gods had only recently fought off the Titans,
there lived a young nymph named Oriel. When she was five years old, she had been kidnapped by
the Titan Iapetus to be used as a slave. Dark-haired and dark-eyed, she lived under his servitude for
twelve years, until Zeus rose up against his father Cronus, and threw him into Tartarus along with
Iapetus. Oriel was forgotten. Left all alone in a mountainous range at the western edge of the world
that no mortal could climb up, let alone down, she faced starvation and dehydration, since it had been
her master who had made food and drink out of thin air for her. What little resources there were in the
peaks she was unable to reach. Eventually, it came to a point in which she hardly had the strength to
move.
For five days, she prayed that someone would come and take her away. Tears would have
coursed down her cheeks during that time if her body had had the water to spare. Even though the
mountains were high enough that the Sun was strong enough to burn her skin so fiercely to cause it to
chafe off in red welts, Oriel couldn't even sweat. Heartbroken and saddened, she lay idle on a stony
cliff face and watched the Sun be pulled across the sky each day by Helios in his flaming chariot.
On the eve of the fifth day, Oriel gave up all hope of being rescued. She closed her eyes
forlornly and prepared herself for the eternal sleep that she knew would come soon. Each breath that
she took became increasingly shallower and harder to enact. Then, suddenly, she heard the flapping
of powerful wings.
Arduously, Oriel opened her eyes. There, standing before her on the cliff face, was a huge
eagle. It looked at her contemplatively, as if assessing the situation and ensuring that it had her
attention, before saying, "Trust me." The eagle then jumped off the cliff.
Shocked and amazed, Oriel lay where she was for a split second, before forcing herself to
stand. This caused her great pain, for she was weak, but hope now flowed through her veins and
intoxicated every molecule of her existence. She stepped away from the edge of the precipice as far
as she could, and then, with a running leap, Oriel threw herself off the face of the earth.
As she fell, the wind buffeting her entire body, Oriel's skin began to prickle, and black feathers
sprouted from her frame. Her bones shrunk and changed, and her face elongated into a beak. She
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tried flapping her wings, and found that after being starved her body was light enough to fly. Excited
now at her freedom, Oriel laughed out loud joyously at the first reason she ever had to be truly happy.
Her prayers had been answered! She had been transformed into a bird! Swooping nearby, the eagle
laughed too.
Fair-haired Helios, who was just about to bring the Sun back in to change day into night, pulled
up his chariot beside the now liberated Oriel and gently cupped his hands around her. She gazed in
wonder at his radiant face. He smiled, and said, "Are you happy now, nymph? I have watched you
from afar and have heard your prayers. Today I chose to answer."
In response, Oriel nodded and warbled a melody in bird-song. Helios chuckled and scratched
her under the chin before petting her feathers. Where his fingers touched, the feathers turned gold.
"I have a task for you now, in order to repay me for my deed," he said. "Will you do it?"
Not knowing what else to do, Oriel bobbed her head up and down inquisitively.
"Good," Helios said, taking it as a yes. "I need you to soar around the world each day, and at
the end, to come back and tell me what you saw. Understand?" Oriel nodded, and Helios then flung
her lightly back into the sky, where she flew off in search of something to soothe her starved body.
To this day, Oriel and her descendants can be found all over the eastern world, watching it
and learning its secrets. As night falls, they return to Helios, and tell him stories of what they saw.
Because of this, Helios sees all and knows all, thanks to the small birds that whisper in his ear.
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The Creation of the Electric Eel
[total words: 1152]
It was a normal summer day. The birds were singing. Flowers were
blooming. The breeze was calm. It was everything needed to be a perfect
day. Poseidon was debating what his next great creation should be while
Zeus was throwing lightning bolts across the sky, waiting for the next
great storm.
Poseidon wondered why he should make his own new creation
when there were already so many amazing creations that Zeus had already
made. He knew he could never make anything better than all the things
Zeus had made. And even if he did, Zeus would then just make something
new. That realization was what scared Poseidon even though he didn't
really believe Zeus could ever be as powerful as him.
If Poseidon could not top something Zeus had already
created, he would have to use Zeus' creations. Somehow, he needed to
make a creation that Zeus would not realize was his own. If he could,
Zeus would be jealous. Never again would the other Gods look up to
Zeus. They would look up at Poseidon. The great Poseidon, they would
call him, King of the Sea and the Earth. Nothing would be able to stop
him.
But what would Zeus not recognize? Poseidon looked at every
single animal looking for one he could use and transform into his own.
But there was nothing. Zeus was simply too good. Like most problems
that Poseidon had, he took it to the other Gods. This time they had
only one option, Hades! Hades was the only God who could help with such
a plan. Hades knew more about the living and the dead than any other
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God.
Poseidon explained his problem to Hades. At first, Hades
was confused but soon understood all the things Poseidon could get if he
could pull off such a plan. Hades agreed to help but only if he could
get to add something special to the creation, something that only Hades
could add.
After many days of thinking, Hades thought of a creature, a
creature like no other. It was evil and would not be recognized by
Zeus. It was the snake. Its long body and scales made it easily
changeable and it was already a deadly and hated creature.
After hearing Hades' plan, Poseidon was amazed. He was shocked that he
hadn't come up with the idea on his own. Poseidon was instantly
worried, however, that the fangs would give the creature away. He knew
that there must be something done to get rid of the fangs. Both Hades
and Poseidon agreed that the snake had to get something even more
powerful in return.
Now it was Poseidon's turn. He quickly got to work. Poseidon began
trying to add different gills and fins to make the snake able to live in
water. After numerous attempts on a corn snake, rattlesnake, desert
snake and forest snake he had zero successes. Every time, the snake
would come out unable to swim, breath or eat.
Poseidon tested for many weeks but without success. It seemed as if
Zeus was just too great. Something as simple as a snake was so perfect
it could not be improved. For many days and nights, Poseidon wondered
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what he could do. How could he top Zeus? He knew he only had one
option and it was the most evil option of all. He would have to use the
black snake. It was the deadliest snake known to man and God.
Poseidon knew he could not make any mistakes this time. First, he
added simple gills that were stronger than any other fishes. Then he
added the ability to swim under water. After all of this, he left it
at the bottom of the ocean for three nights and three days. After the
third day, he returned. It was alive. It was a success.
But there were two problems. It still looked like the black snake and
it had fangs. Both of these were too obvious and would easily be
recognized by Zeus who would destroy the creature. Poseidon knew he
could not change the looks of this creature any more. What he had done
was all he could do. Without fangs the creature would not survive and
would be an easy target to the next fish that swam by. There was
nothing Poseidon could do. He thought he had failed again.
The next day Poseidon brought the snake to Hades and explained the
problems. Hades laughed. Poseidon was confused but Hades quickly
explained his great powers. After several days, Hades told Poseidon
that he was finished. Hades had made the creature into the scariest
being known to land, sea or sky. It had black holes for eyes and was as
smooth as Cupid's arrows and had the teeth of a tarantula. One look of
this creature and even the great warrior Achilles would run in fear.
Poseidon was amazed. He knew Zeus would never recognize it, even with
the fangs.
The next day, Hades released the snake along with all the failed
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attempts into one massive air bubble that rose to the surface of the
ocean where all Gods could see his great work. He called all the Gods,
saying "This is the Day you will all remember that Poseidon outdid the
great Zeus." All the Gods realized that Poseidon had done it. His
creature was no match for any other creature alive.
When Zeus came down from the heavens, he did not see the great snake but
instead all the others, the failed snakes, the snakes that looked like
his creations. Knowing that Poseidon had tried to use his creation,
Zeus's fury was unleashed. He threw lightning bolts in every direction
trying to destroy everything Zeus had made out of these creatures. Each
time a lightning bolt hit the water it would send a shock more powerful
than anything else known to man, disintegrating anything near. After
Zeus had thrown every last lightning bolt he had, there was nothing left
to be seen.
Poseidon couldn't believe it. All his hard work had been for nothing.
Zeus destroyed it all. Poseidon searched many days to find the great
snake he had created. After many days, the snake came to him. It was
more powerful than ever before but it had no fangs. Each time something
would come near, it would send out a shock like a shock from Zeus's
lightning bolt that would destroy anything near. It was more dangerous
than the fangs and could not be stopped. It had absorbed the
electricity from Zeus' fury and attacks all into its fangs which
disintegrated but left the great snake with all the lightning's energy.
Each time it let some of the energy out it would make a noise like
"EEEEEEEEL".
From that day on, Poseidon hid the snake at the bottom of the ocean
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where Zeus would never know it survived. Poseidon called it "Eel".
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