Action & Adventure
Jake woke in the middle of the night with his heart pounding. Something had startled him out of a dream. What was it?
He strained his eyes to see in the dark. A beam of moonlight shone through the skylight, allowing him to to see the outline of the other bunk bed. His younger sister Sierra's breathing was the only sound in the bunkhouse. Had he heard his parents moving around in the main cabin? He didn't think so.
Then he heard the noise again. Howling.
Something silver flashed in the corner of the room.
Jeremy stepped closer.
A jagged lightning bolt glowed and shimmered.
"Neat!" said Jeremy. He picked it up.
It felt warm.
His fingers tingled.
"Put that down!" screeched Mr. Magnus. "Can't you read? DON'T TOUCH!"
Everything swirled around Jeremy.
Mr. Magnus cried, "He's not ready! He didn't read the rule book!"
When Jeremy burst through the door, Mr. Magnus jumped up. "Now we can get started!" he cried.
"Meow," said Aristotle from the top of the blue and gold trunk.
Mr. Magnus unrolled the scroll.
"The last riddle," said Jeremy.
"And a real doozer!" said Mr. Magnus. His voice shook. "I'm round like a ball, but I'm not a toy. Beware, Inventor, and your little boy!"
"An inventor!" said Jeremy.
"I've read all the books," sighed Mr. Magnus. "I found only one inventor. His name was Daedalus. He lived on a Greek island called Crete."
"The second riddle!" said Jeremy. Jeremy was good at riddles. But Mr. Magnus looked worried. "This is a tough one," he moaned. He opened the scroll and read out loud: "I have twenty legs but just one wing. The sea is my kingdom and Jason my king. Who am I?" Jeremy frowned. "Twenty legs...one wing...," he mumbled. He screwed up his face. He thought as hard as he could. "It's no use," sighed Mr. Magnus.
Jeremy blinked. He was sitting beside a swamp. Green slime covered the murky water. Cold clammy fog tickled his face.
Jeremy had just traveled back in time three thousand years. He didn't look any different. He was still wearing his jeans and runners. He didn't feel any different. Except that he was stiff and cold.
He looked around for Aristotle. The cat was sitting on a mossy log, washing his fur.
"The Underworld sure is foggy," said Jeremy.
Aristotle stopped licking. "We aren't in the Underworld yet." He flicked his tail. "You better check the map."
