But first, you and I must come to an agreement. I'll be taking a more active role in planning our future. You will be my queen. I want you to leave the others behind to join me at the palace. That way, if anything goes wrong, there will be one less life on the line." Athena thought about this for a moment. She didn't like it. Especially the "one less life on the line" part. But, she decided that since she had no choice, she'd accept it. "Fine," Athena said. "Just tell them where you'll be. We'll meet up later." Athens walked over to a table where the young woman she'd met earlier had gone. He spoke to her briefly, then returned to Athena's side. "Follow me," he said, and they walked down a side alley. Athen led them to a small, three-story apartment building with a red awning. "This is the way you'll come and go," he told Athena. "Stay alert. There may be some resistance. They may be expecting you." "I'm ready," Athena said, feeling a little nervous. What if the citizens remembered her from the last time? Would they be angry? "I know you're ready," Athen said. "This will be a snap. Okay, the rest is on you. Good luck." And with that, he was gone. Athena stared around the alley, slightly frightened but mostly excited. * * * * "All right, I guess you want to hear the plan," Athena said. She was sitting in a classroom, across from a group of seven older people. Athena had brought her friends and a few other kids to listen in on the meeting. "We need to attack at night," Athena continued. "We'll sneak up to Athens' place, where the others will be waiting for us. Athena, you're gonna go up first. After that, we'll climb to the roof. Then, we'll come down the fire escape and sneak in the front door." "We can't sneak in through a door!" Jason said. "How do you know what's behind it?" "I have a book," Athena said, grabbing the small satchel from around her neck and holding it up. "A book?" Jason asked, skeptically. "A really big book?" "Very big," Athena said, holding her hands about four feet apart. "This way, when I bring it with me, there's no danger. The book can walk through doors and turn pages as I need." She put the satchel down on the table. It opened and something fell out onto the floor. Everyone looked down. There was a small black puppy. It shook its little head, got up and went back to sleep. "Okay, what's the point of the book?" Jason asked. "The book?" Athena asked, not getting it. "It's a book! Do you think I'm a magician? I just wanted everyone to see the book. How else can I prove I'm doing a good job?" "All right, maybe I'm not following the plan," Jason said, with a sarcastic smile. "What's the book?" Athena leaned down and picked it up. It had fallen on its side and was lying flat. It was about four inches long and a few inches thick. It didn't look like much, at least not to most people. The students looked at it. One of them grabbed it from Athena and examined it. "How did you get that?" the student asked, looking surprised. "You stole it?" another student asked. Athena reached out and picked it up. A black paw reached out, took the book and gently held it. It curled around it protectively. Athena noticed it had the same markings as the other cats she'd seen in Greece. "I made it!" Athena said, holding it high over her head, as if it was some kind of trophy. "I made it out of paper. But, it can't hold this forever. It'll break and fall apart. It's a tool, not a weapon." "You have to get it away from the puppies!" Jason said, in a harsh voice. "Please, Athena, give it back! I don't want to see it hurt." Athena looked shocked. She dropped the book and let it sink back into the satchel. "It won't hurt anyone," Athena said. "I had it made to help me. But, I'm not a warlock. I don't know how it does its tricks." She stood up. Athena hadn't realized how tired she was. She had actually been tired before, but in a different way. Now she felt sleepy. "We have to be on our way," she told everyone, turning to go. "I just wanted everyone to see how great I'm doing." "Wait!" someone called. It was Jason. "I found a spell. It says you need to tell them what happened." "Okay, Jason," Athena said, with a nod. "Where is it?" "I wrote it down," Jason said. "I'll go get it." He disappeared through the door. "Is the book safe?" Jason said, reappearing as he stepped back in. "It was safe in my hand. I think it was a magical artifact that protected it from the dogs." "I don't care about the book!" Athena said, her energy starting to go. "I don't care what they say. I didn't ask to be a hero. They made me that way." "The book may only be a piece of paper, Athena," Jason said. "But, it's a big piece of paper. If you want proof you're doing a good job, that's the way. Athena shook her head, but gave the book back to Jason. He put it back in her satchel and picked it up. Then, he put a piece of paper on top. He held it open. "There," he said. "A piece of paper covered with black paw prints. It tells how you helped all the citizens at the Temple of Poseidon. It's all marked on the paper with numbers." "What's the paper say?" Athena asked, staring at it, still confused by all of this. "It says you and your dog saved hundreds of people," Jason said, sounding proud. "Your work is mentioned in the history books." "The history books?" Athena repeated. "Is it a good thing?" "I didn't see much damage," Jason said. "Except for all the craters on the ground. Your dog used to live with the people in the caves. "So, you're thinking about giving me to Athen?" Athena asked, starting to sound really tired. "Maybe you could give me back to Jason?" "I already asked Athen about this," Jason said. "He said he'd see about it later, if you keep being helpful. But, if you keep getting into trouble, he'll have to take you away from us." Athena sighed. "What happened to my mother?" she asked. "And what's happened to Luke and Michael? Why are they not here with us?" Jason didn't want to talk about her mother. She looked nervous and worried. "I'm sorry, Athena," he said, quickly changing the subject. "Let's say goodbye and go. Athens should be back by now, and he has a lot to do with the plan. Maybe if you keep doing the good things, you can stay with us. You could even be a hero to all the adults. I know you could do it." Athena sighed. "Fine," she said. "You know where to find me." She followed Jason to the door and walked out. She was glad Jason had agreed to give her a second chance, but she was really nervous about it. * * * * "You should sit down before you faint," Jason told Athena. "Your face is red. Are you all right?" "I'm fine," Athena said. She picked up the satchel and looked around. Jason was sitting across from her, on a blanket. He had his dog between them. The two dogs were napping. The cats had scurried away. The door opened, and someone else joined them. Athena recognized the man as the one who looked like her mom. He sat next to Jason. He turned towards Athena. "The adults are looking for you, daughter of Medea," he said. "Please, come to the front door." Athena looked at Jason. "We can't do that," he said. "We'll go to the beach. That's safe. But, the adults will still be watching the building. I know a place in town. We'll be safe there. But, we have to hurry." Athena felt nervous. She didn't want to go to the beach. This was more important, and she'd gotten very good at this game. "I