Jeremy in the Underworld Page 2

  “Hello,” called Jeremy boldly. “Can you tell me where I can find six blood-red lanterns?”

  The man lifted his head. Jeremy gasped. The shade’s face was twisted with pain. “I can’t stop now,” the shade whispered. He vanished past them into the mist.

  Jeremy and Aristotle kept walking. More shades flitted past, their heads bent to the ground.

  Suddenly Jeremy stopped. “Look!”

  A little way from the road, seven women huddled around a big bronze tub beside a stream. Each woman held a bucket. Jeremy and Aristotle watched them fill the buckets in the stream and pour the water into the tub. The water ran out through seven large holes in the bottom of the tub. Wailing, the women filled their buckets from the stream again. Again, the water ran out of the tub!

  “They’re the daughters of a king,” said Aristotle. “Mr. Magnus said we might meet them. They’re being punished by Hades. They have to stay there until the tub is filled.”

  “That’s awful!” said Jeremy. He took a big breath. “Excuse me!” he called.

  “Don’t do that!” cried Aristotle. “Hades won’t like it if you—”

  But Jeremy had run over to the women. “Why don’t you plug the holes?” he suggested.

  The seven sisters stared at him. Then one of the women nodded slowly. She tore a small strip from the bottom of her tunic. She stuffed the cloth into a hole. Her sisters did the same thing with the other holes.

  “Now watch!” said Jeremy. He filled one of the

  buckets from the stream. He poured the water into the tub. The water stayed in.

  The seven sisters laughed and clapped their hands. “Dear boy, dear boy!” they cried. “We can fill the tub at last! We’re free! How can we thank you?”

  “Do you know where I can find six blood-red lanterns?” said Jeremy.

  The women shook their heads. One of them said, “Queen Persephone will know.”

  “Yes, yes,” chimed the others. “Queen Persephone will tell you.”

  Jeremy frowned. “Who’s Queen Persephone?”

  “The Queen of the Underworld,” said a sister.

  “Where can I find her?” said Jeremy.

  But the women had hurried to the stream with their buckets.

  “Thank you, anyway,” called Jeremy. He waved goodbye. He and Aristotle kept walking.

  “Next time,” said Aristotle, “it would be much safer if you didn’t—”

  But Jeremy had stopped again. A small crowd of shades had gathered a short distance from the road. “What are they looking at?” said Jeremy.

  “You can’t help everybody!” said Aristotle quickly.

  But Jeremy ran over to the shades. He stood on tiptoe and peered over their shoulders.

  Chapter Seven

  “One, Two, Three... PUSH!”

  A man was pushing a huge boulder up the side of a steep hill. Sweat trickled down his back. His hands were bleeding.

  He was almost at the top of the hill. The crowd was still. Then the boulder rolled backward, all the way back to the bottom of the hill. The crowd groaned. The man trudged wearily back down the hill. He started to push again.

  “His name is Sisyphus,” Aristotle whispered beside Jeremy. “He made Hades very angry. This is his punishment”

  “That’s terrible!” said Jeremy.

  He took a big breath. “I’ll help you!”

  Jeremy ran forward. He stood beside Sisyphus and pushed the boulder. All the shades ran over too.

  “One two three...PUSH!” shouted Jeremy.

  Everybody pushed. The boulder inched up the hill.

  “Harder!” gasped Jeremy.

  The boulder rolled over the top of the hill. It disappeared down the other side.

  The shades cheered. Sisyphus shook Jeremy’s hand. “How can I thank you?”

  “Can you tell me where I can find six blood-red lanterns?” said Jeremy.

  Someone in the crowd shouted, “Ask Queen Persephone. Queen Persephone will know.”

  “But where is Queen Persephone?” said Jeremy.

  Nobody heard him. The shades lifted Sisyphus on their shoulders. “Hip hip hooray!” they shouted.

  Jeremy sighed. “Thank you, anyway.”

  Jeremy and Aristotle kept walking. After a long time, they came to a place where the road went two different ways.

  Jeremy took the map out of his backpack. “We’re right here,” he said finally. He pointed to a place in the middle of the map.

  Mr. Magnus had drawn two arrows at the fork in the road. He had written beside each arrow in his spidery printing. Jeremy looked at the first arrow. He read out loud, “To the Valley of Heroes.”

  The Valley of Heroes looked peaceful. Mr. Magnus had drawn pictures of flowers and birds and shades with big smiles.

  Aristotle peered over his shoulder. “That’s where all the dead heroes go,” he said excitedly. “It was in one of Mr. Magnus’s books.” He purred. “They might even have feasts there. Let’s go!”

  Jeremy shook his head slowly. He wanted to go to the Valley of Heroes too. But they had to solve the riddle of the six blood-red lanterns.

  Jeremy pointed to the second arrow on the map. He read out loud in a shaky voice, “To the Palace of Hades.”

  Chapter Eight

  The Valley of Heroes

  Jeremy looked at the map again. It was a long way to Hades’ palace.

  “We better rest here for a few minutes,” he said. He looked up.

  Aristotle was gone!

  “Great!” said Jeremy. He jumped up. “Aristotle! Where did you go?”

  Jeremy peered up the narrow dark road that led to the Palace of Hades. Then he looked along the road to the Valley of Heroes. Far away, a pale light glowed in the sky.

  An orange tail disappeared around a bend.

  “Aristotle!” yelled Jeremy.

  He ran after Aristotle. Panting, he caught up to the cat at the fifth bend in the road. “What’s the big idea? Where do you think you’re going?”

  Aristotle flicked his tail. “I just want to see the Valley of Heroes. Just one teeny tiny look. Just one—”

  Jeremy sighed. The Valley of Heroes was probably just around the corner. “Oh, all right,” he said.

  He followed Aristotle. When they reached the last bend in the road, Jeremy stood still.

  The Valley of Heroes was beautiful. The sun burst out of the gray gloom. Golden birds sang from the branches of trees. Unicorns with silver horns grazed beside a bubbling stream.

  Men in white tunics were gathered around the edge of a large playing field. They were cheering and shouting.

  “It’s like Sports Day!” said Jeremy. “And those must be the heroes!”

  Jeremy loved Sports Day. He raced to the edge of the crowd. He squeezed between the men. 41

  Four runners sprinted down the track with sticks in their hands. The crowd roared. Someone pushed Jeremy forward.

  Suddenly one of the racers passed him a stick. He was a huge man with big shoulders. “Run!” he shouted.

  Jeremy ran. He ran like the wind. He ran all the way around the track. When he finally stopped, the crowd cheered.

  “Hey, Hercules!” someone yelled. “Where did you get your friend?”

  Hercules!

  Jeremy looked around. The racer who had passed him the stick smiled at him. “Thanks, kid,” he said. “You made us win.”

  “You’re Hercules?” stammered Jeremy.

  “That’s right.”

  “Wow!” said Jeremy.

  He had learned about Hercules at school. Hercules was a famous Greek hero!

  “Come on!” said Hercules. “We’re going to have a javelin throw next. You can be on my team again.”

  Jeremy shook his head sadly. Hercules was so cool. And he loved the Valley of Heroes. But they had to go to Hades’ palace to find Queen Persephone.

  Where was Aristotle?

  He gazed around. He spotted Aristotle sitting in the grass beside a small clear blue pool.

/>   Jeremy frowned. The pool looked familiar. He pulled out Mr. Magnus’s map and stared at it. His heart thudded.

  “The Pool of Forgetfulness,” he read out loud.

  Underneath, in his spidery printing, Mr. Magnus had written: Where heroes drink to forget their past lives.

  “ARISTOTLE!” shouted Jeremy. “DON’T DRINK THE WATER!”

  He ran to the pool.

  “Whew!” he said. “Boy, was that ever close! Mr. Magnus said—”

  Aristotle flicked his tail.

  He rolled on his back and purred softly.

  Then he said, “Do I know you?”

  Chapter Nine

  A Ride with Hercules

  “It’s me! Jeremy!” said Jeremy.

  He groaned.

  “Don’t you remember? Mr. Magnus sent us here to find the six blood-red lanterns! So we can solve the riddle and save the Enchanted Theater!”

  Aristotle looked at him politely. A crowd gathered around them, listening.

  Jeremy’s face went red. “Oh, never mind,” he muttered. The important thing was to find Queen Persephone.

  Just then the Valley of Heroes became deathly still. The golden birds stopped singing. The unicorns with silver horns bounded into a grove of trees.

  The heroes fell silent. They stared at a black chariot and rider rattling at full speed along the road into the valley.

  Hades, the god of the Underworld!

  Hades stopped his horses in front of the Pool of Forgetfulness. He pulled his black cape tightly around his shoulders. A black visor shaded his eyes.

  “He can’t bear the sunlight,” whispered a hero beside Jeremy.

  The horses blew steam from their nostrils. They stamped their feet. Hades scanned the silent crowd. “I’m looking for a boy and an orange cat!” he roared.

  A huge man with big shoulders stepped in front of Jeremy and Aristotle. It was Hercules! “We haven’t seen them,” he called back.

  Jeremy held his breath. The heroes murmured in agreement. “Hercules is right. We haven’t seen them,” they shouted.

  Hades glowered. He whipped the horses and spun the chariot around. He disappeared up the road in a thunder of galloping hooves.

  “Thanks, Hercules,” said Jeremy.

  “I like to help a friend,” said Hercules. He looked at the sun. “It’s too late for the javelin throw. I have to go.”

  “Where are you going?” said Jeremy.

  “To Mount Olympus,” said Hercules. “That’s where I live. The gods gave me everlasting life. I come here to the Underworld in my chariot once a month for the races.”

  “Oh,” said Jeremy.

  He thought fast.

  “On your way out of the Underworld, do you go near the palace of Hades?”

  Hercules looked at Jeremy closely. “I go right past.”

  Jeremy took a big breath.

  He said, “Do you think you could give us a ride?”

  Chapter Ten

  The Palace of Hades

  Hercules cracked his whip. His two white horses flew over the road. The wind blew in Jeremy’s face.

  As they left the Valley of Heroes, the sun disappeared. They were back in the cold and the mist. Jeremy shivered.

  “We’ll take the shortcut!” cried Hercules.

  Huge wings unfolded on the sides of the horses. The chariot lifted into the gray sky.

  “Don’t look down!” said Aristotle.

  But Jeremy looked. Far below, a road climbed like a snake through the dark forest. A black chariot sped over the road. It was so tiny it looked like a toy. They were beating Hades!

  Hercules’ chariot soared higher. They were heading to a huge black palace on top of a jagged mountain peak. The castle had two tall turrets and a massive wooden door.

  Hercules circled over the palace. Then he landed on the rocky ground. “Hey, Jeremy, are you sure—?”

  But Jeremy had climbed out of the chariot. Aristotle hopped down beside him.

  “Good-bye!” said Jeremy. “Thank you!” He waved until Hercules and his snow white horses were a speck in the sky.

  “I forget,” said Aristotle. “Tell me again. Who are you? And what are we doing here?”

  Jeremy groaned. Somehow he had to find a way to free Aristotle from the spell of forgetfulness. But there was no time now. They had to find Queen Persephone before Hades got back to the palace.

  He sighed. “You just have to trust me. I’ll explain everything later.” He stared up at the palace. Then he pushed open the heavy door.

  It was pitch black inside. Jeremy remembered that Mr. Magnus had put a flashlight in his backpack. He dug in the pack for the flashlight and turned it on. He blinked in the sudden brightness.

  They were in a huge entrance hall with stone walls. Dark passageways ran in every direction.

  It was like a maze. Jeremy swallowed. Where was Queen Persephone?

  Jeremy and Aristotle wandered up and down the winding passageways.

  After a long time, cool air brushed Jeremy’s face. Slits of yellow light gleamed in the distance. He shone the flashlight in a circle. They were standing in a small courtyard open to the sky. The yellow lights were the glowing eyes of stone wolves that stood against the courtyard walls.

  A tall tree grew in the middle of the courtyard. The branches were weighed down with dark red fruit. Jeremy’s stomach rumbled. He walked over to the tree. He reached for a piece of the red fruit.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” whispered someone in the darkness.

  Jeremy froze.

  “That’s a pomegranate,” said the voice. “It’s the Forbidden Fruit of the Dead.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Queen Persephone

  A woman stepped out of the shadows. She wore a long black gown and a black crown with red jewels. Her face was pale and very beautiful.

  “Queen Persephone!” said Jeremy. He bowed.

  The queen smiled. She touched Jeremy’s arm. Her hands felt like ice.

  Jeremy swallowed. “I’m Jeremy,” he stammered. “And this is Aristotle. Only he doesn’t remember who he is.”

  “Ah,” said Queen Persephone, “the Pool of Forgetfulness.”

  She laid her hands on Aristotle’s head. She sang softly. The song was strange and haunting.

  Aristotle’s ears twitched. His tail stood straight up. He looked at Jeremy and blinked twice. “Isn’t it time to go back to the Enchanted Theater?”

  “Queen Persephone broke the spell!” said Jeremy.

  He wanted to go home too. But they still hadn’t found the six blood-red lanterns. And he wanted to learn more about this strange sad queen.

  It was as if Queen Persephone had read his mind. “Sit with me, and I will tell you my story,” she said.

  She led Jeremy and Aristotle to a stone bench in the shadows. “I was captured by Hades when I was a young girl picking flowers. I was brought here against my will to be his queen.”

  “That’s terrible!” said Jeremy.

  Queen Persephone smiled sadly. “My mother is the goddess of the harvest. When she found out that Hades had stolen me, she punished the world by making it always winter. The earth was cold and barren for twelve months of the year.” 56

  “Zeus wouldn’t like that!” said Aristotle.

  “He didn’t. He ordered Hades to send me home. But just when I was ready to leave the Underworld, I ate six seeds of a pomegranate.”

  “The Forbidden Fruit of the Dead!” said Jeremy.

  “That’s right,” said Queen Persephone. “As a punishment, I must spend six months of every year as queen of the Underworld. That’s when the earth has its winter. And when I go home to my mother for six months, the earth has summer.”

  Jeremy shuddered. He had almost eaten the Forbidden Fruit of the Dead too!

  He looked at the queen’s pale face. “But why do you sit here in the dark?” he said.

  “The light bothers Hades,” Queen Persephone said. She sighed. “He lets me have candles in my stone wol
ves. The candlelight shines through their eyes like lanterns.”

  She gazed longingly at Jeremy’s flashlight. “I’ve never seen such a wonderful thing as that.”

  Jeremy stared at the glowing yellow eyes of the stone wolves. Queen Persephone was right.

  The wolves’ eyes looked just like lanterns!

  Jeremy was sure it was a clue to the riddle. He said slowly, “In the land of Hades by night and day, six blood-red lanterns light my way. Who am I?”

  He thought hard.

  The six blood-red lanterns could be eyes! Six blood-red eyes! Why hadn’t he thought of that before?

  Jeremy’s neck prickled. The dog that guarded the gate to Hades had three enormous heads. It had white fangs that glistened. It had huge hairy ears that flapped like wings. It had six fiery red eyes.

  “I’ve solved the riddle!” he cried. “The answer is the three-headed dog!”

  Aristotle jumped off the stone bench. He waved his tail. “Now we can go home,” he purred.

  “It says in the Enchanted Theater Rule Book that a hero must do five brave things to return home,” said Jeremy slowly.

  He counted on his fingers. “I pretended to the ferryman that I was dead. That’s one.”

  He bit his lip. “I tricked the three-headed dog. That’s two!” He thought hard. “I helped the king’s daughters on the Plains of Judgment. That’s three!”

  “What else?” said Aristotle. He sounded worried.

  “I helped Sisyphus push the boulder over the hill!” said Jeremy. “That’s four!”

  THUD! THUD! THUD!

  Heavy footsteps echoed in the passageway that led to the courtyard. Jeremy and Aristotle stared at each other.

  “PERSEPHONE!” bellowed a gruff voice.

  “Hades is coming!” said Queen Persephone.

  “Quick! I’ll show you another way out.”

  She led Jeremy and Aristotle to a second passageway on the far side of the courtyard.

  “Good luck,” she whispered.

  Chapter Twelve

  Home Again

  Jeremy turned off his flashlight. He and Aristotle slipped into the darkness. “Have you thought of the fifth brave thing yet?” said Aristotle.