START THE ADVENTURE HERE

Don’t read this book like other books. If you read this book from front to back, nothing will make sense. But if you
follow the instructions on each page, the story will come to life. Okay, the forty-two stories. Because that’s how this
book works.
There are forty-two different stories inside. Read the words on the page. When it tells you to make a choice, you
turn to the page that it tells you to turn to. One thing you have to keep in mind. You can’t turn back.
If you’re expecting Medusa’s head to be some sort of good luck charm, you might as well put this book down.
Sure, sometimes it’s not a bad thing to have the head of a gorgon. But other times . . . well, my friend, remember,
she can turn people to stone (including you!). With over forty possible ways to finish the story, you know you’re
going to get turned to stone at least once.

If you dare, click this link to turn to page 2.

The doorbell rings. You glance outside just in time to see the delivery guy running away. He’s crazy fast. You’ve
never seen anyone run that fast. It’s almost like he has wings on his feet and is flying. Nobody else is home, and
your parents hate when you let packages sit out front, so you open the door to bring it inside.
On the front porch sits a big brown box. You grab it to drag it in when you notice that it’s addressed to you.
Sweet! You almost never get packages. You didn’t order anything. Maybe it’s a cool new gaming console, and
someone got it for you as a gift. Aside from the label, there are no other markings on the box.
You drag it inside and put it on the kitchen table. It’s kind of heavy, and it feels like something is rolling around
inside. Maybe it’s a bowling ball. Not that you ever wanted a bowling ball, but whatever. You cut open the seal and
pull out the packing material. Inside is another box, but this one is completely covered in silver duct tape. There’s a
huge label on the top that says:

MEDUSA’S HEAD. DO NOT OPEN.

Taped to the top of the box is a folded piece of paper with a few Greek letters on it. You unfold the paper and read
it.

As a lover of mythology, you have been chosen as the guardian of Medusa’s head. You are entrusted with its safe storage and care. For your safety,
the following guidelines are suggested.

1. Do not open the box and look at the head.

2. Do not open the box and use the head to turn anyone into stone.
3. Do not try to dispose of the box.
4. Do not get the box wet.
5. Do not tell anybody what is inside the box.

You read the list twice. It can’t be serious? Get the box wet? What? Is it some kind of gremlin? There is seriously
no way that Medusa’s head—like the actual head of Medusa the gorgon—is inside this box. This has to be some
kind of joke. Maybe your friends are behind this. They know how much you love mythology. But what if it’s not a
joke? What if the Greek gods are real and they really have chosen you to be the guardian of Medusa’s head? Maybe
you should open the box and take a quick peek, just to see if it’s legit.

One little peek can’t hurt. Click this link to turn to page 6.

Heck no, you aren’t opening the box! Click this link to turn to page 8.
 TAKE THE MYTHOLOGY QUIZ HERE

ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN

QUESTION 1

What is given to Chronos to eat instead of his son, Zeus?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 19.
Medusa’s head! You aren’t going to believe it until you see it. And as long as you are careful, one little peek can’t
hurt. But as you start to cut open the box, you get second thoughts. If this really is Medusa’s head, then you need to
take precautions. You’ve read the stories from mythology. You know the tricks. If you use a mirror to look into the
box, then the gorgon head can’t turn you to stone. So you go into the bathroom and find a hand mirror.
You hold it in front of you, and you finish cutting the seal on the box. Mist seems to escape from the box. Your
heart speeds up. What are you doing? Looking at Medusa’s head? What if this mirror thing doesn’t work?
No, it’s going to be fine. It will work. Then you pull open the flaps of the box, all the while keeping your eyes on
the mirror.
Snakes slither inside the box. Green and attached to a face that is green to match. The eyes on the head are closed,
but they flicker, as if Medusa’s head is asleep and having a dream.
A dream about turning you to stone!
You quickly close the box. Okay, well at least you know this is not a hoax. Now you need to figure out what
you’re going to do about it. You stare at the box for a good hour, trying to decide, but every idea you have seems
horrible. You can’t burn the box or mail it away or try to destroy it. It’s like your mind is frozen. What you need to
do is tell someone what’s going on. Get some help. You could tell your mom about it. She’s an archaeologist. Or
you could tell that girl, Harper, from your school about it. She’s as much of a mythology nerd as you are. She knows
everything and anything when it comes to mythology. The only problem is that she’s kind of a know-it-all. Still, that
might help in this situation.

You’re better off keeping this in the family. You’ll tell your mom. Click this link to turn to page 16.

Adults never understand. Telling Harper is the way to go. Click this link to turn to page 10.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You are not going to risk it. If for some reason, Medusa’s head is really inside this box, then you can’t open it. But
why in the world did you get picked to be the guardian of a gorgon head? Yes, it’s true that you love mythology. But
lots of kids do. Sure, you won the mythology smackdown they had at your school last month, speaking of which,
you were supposed to get a prize for winning. What ever happened to that? The librarian who’d been in charge said
it would get mailed to you.
Wait. No way is this the prize! If you’d known you were going to win Medusa’s head, you would have tried to
lose. You could have pretended you didn’t know the answer to something simple like “Who rode Pegasus?”
(Bellerophon, duh!) or “What Titan gave fire to mankind?” (Prometheus of course!). You could have let someone
else win. And then they’d be the one with this duct taped box sitting on their kitchen table. You know, come to think
of it, that one girl Harper almost won. If you hadn’t answered the question about Daedalus being the one who
designed the labyrinth, it would have passed to her and she would have won. She should be the guardian of
Medusa’s head.
Wait, you could stick the box on her doorstep. Just put it there, ring the doorbell, and run.
No, the stupid rules said to not dispose of the box. But giving it to Harper wouldn’t really be disposing of it,
would it? Hmmm . . . you can see both sides of that argument. Maybe you should just find somewhere safe to keep it
until the gods come and take it away.

Harper is totally getting this box. You don’t want it. Click this link to turn to page 20.

You can’t break the rules. You gotta keep the box. Click this link to turn to page 13.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You close the flaps on the box as best you can and throw it in your wagon. Then you haul it over to Harper’s
house. Snakes keep popping out of the box, you shove them back in. You nearly look at the head once, and it’s
terrifying. Why in the world did the gods think you should be the one to have this head? It’s the worst thing that’s
ever happened to you.
You ring Harper’s doorbell, and thankfully she answers.
“Oh, it’s you,” she says, kind of coolly. She’s not the friendliest, but maybe the head will help.
“I have something to show you,” you say. “But I can’t show you here.”
So Harper lets you in. Maybe she notices the snakes slithering and peeking their little heads out.
You tell her the whole story about how you got the box delivered to you.
“Let me see,” she says. She grabs a hand mirror and holds it out. You flip open the box and tilt it so she can see
in. Her eyes go wide.
“You really do have Medusa’s head!” Harper says.
“I told you so,” you say. “That’s why I’m here. I don’t want it. How do I get rid of it?”
Harper pulls out a notepad and starts making a list. “There aren’t many known ways to kill a gorgon,” she says.
“And it’s kind of already dead. I mean where’s the body?”
That’s a really good question. All the myths talk about Perseus cutting off Medusa’s head, but they don’t really
say what happened to her body.
“Focus on the head,” you say. “How can we destroy it?”
Harper’s face lights up. “Oh, I know! We can turn it to stone.”
Then she holds the mirror in front of Medusa’s head. Since you can’t look at the head, it’s impossible to see
what’s going on. All you know is that it doesn’t work.
“It didn’t work,” you point out. Maybe this is why Harper’s never liked you all that much.
But Harper is not ready to give up. “It’ll work. Hang on.” And she searches the Internet until she finds what she
needs.
“Okay, it’s not proven, but instead of a mirror, I think we need to use an ancient shield that belonged to a Greek
hero. If we reflect her face in that, she’ll turn to stone.”
You glance around Harper’s house. “You got any ancient Greek shields around here?”
“No,” Harper says. “But the natural history museum does.”
That’s right. There’s a special Greek exhibit going on right now. Included in the treasures is what is rumored to be
the shield of Achilles. That would definitely work.
You and Harper box Medusa’s head back up and head to the museum. But when you get there, you realize there
might be a problem.
“We can’t go in the front door,” Harper says. “They’ll search our bags. We’ll have to sneak in.”
But sneaking in is the kind of thing that could get you in serious trouble. Taking your chances and going in the
front is the better idea.

Sneak in the back. Click this link to turn to page 35.

Go in the front. Click this link to turn to page 22.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You can’t just go around breaking the rules of the gods. And they did entrust this stupid head to you. Still, it’s not
like you can leave the box sitting here on your kitchen table.
You get the great idea to bury it in your backyard. Luckily it rained for the last week straight and the ground is
nice and soft. It doesn’t take long to dig a hole. You carefully place the box in the hole and cover it up. Relief flows
through you. Now this was a good idea. Maybe you can plant some flowers here. Or put some stones on top.
You turn to put the shovel back in the shed when you hear a suctioning noise. You turn just in time to see the dirt
being pulled downward. Up pops the box. That shouldn’t have happened! Maybe there was some weird sinkhole in
this spot. You bury it again, this time in a different spot, but the same thing happens. It’s like the box with the head
refuses to stay underground.
Fine. Burying it won’t work. You shove it in the back of your closet and close the door. As long as your sister and
brother don’t come digging through your closet things should be fine.
As the days pass, you almost forget about the head. A week goes by. Then a month. You see it when you reach for
your shoes, but you don’t touch the box. (You also don’t get it wet because you are a rule follower.)
Almost two months later someone knocks on your door. It’s a guy with a baseball hat on, but on either side of the
hat is a wing. Wait, you know who this is. This is the guy who brought the box in the first place! With the way he
kind of glows, it’s not just some regular FedEx or UPS guy. This is a Greek god. This is Hermes!
“You can have it back!” you say as soon as you realize who you’re talking to.
Hermes puts his hands up. “I don’t want it! Do you have any idea the trouble that thing can cause? It turned my
wings to stone. I had to order new ones from Hephaestus. Speaking of which, that’s why I’m here.”
“Hephaestus wants the head?” you ask hopefully.
“Not a chance,” Hermes says. “But he has agreed to make a mask to cover it.”
Now that is good news. If Medusa’s head has a mask, then it can’t turn anyone to stone. After all, you have to
look right in the eyes for the thing to work . . . or at least that’s what you’ve heard. You don’t plan to test it out.
“Okay, let me go get it for you,” you say, and you turn to fetch the box.
“Not me,” Hermes says. “You have to take it to Hephaestus.”
Um . . . no, is what you almost say. Hephaestus is grouchy and always mad according to the myths. You look to
Hermes, hoping he’s kidding, but he only smiles, flashing his bright white teeth. But what? Are you the messenger
of the gods? No. Hermes is. Why is it your job to do this? Maybe you should at least see what you can get out of it.

You aren’t going to run errands for free. You want something out of this. Click this link to turn to page 25.

You have no plans to try to bargain with the gods. You’ll do it. Click this link to turn to page 37.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

Harper is smart and all, but this is a problem much better off kept in the family. You decide to tell your mom. After
all, she’s an archaeologist. She knows tons about ancient civilizations like the Greeks. Maybe she’ll know what to
do with the head.
Your mom walks in just as you make your decision.
“What’s in the box?” she asks.
“Well, that’s an interesting question,” you say. And then you tell her that it’s Medusa’s head.
You think your mom might freak out, but she actually acts really excited. She grabs a few pairs of sunglasses.
“Here, put these on,” she says. She puts on a pair, too. “We have to test it out.” Then she opens the box, and
feeling around with her hands, but not looking in the box, she attempts to place the third pair of sunglasses over
Medusa’s eyes.
“That should do it,” she says. “Now if we look into the eyes of Medusa, we won’t turn to stone.”
“You’re sure?” you ask.
“Definitely,” she says. But neither of you can bring yourselves to look into the eyes of Medusa to test out the
theory.
Just then your dad walks in. “What’s in the box?” he asks, and he looks inside.
He doesn’t turn to stone, so you take that as a win.
“What do we do with it?” you ask. Sure, you’re the guardian, but what does that mean?
Your mom smiles. “Well, I have a theory about that. According to mythology, blood from the right side of
Medusa’s head will bring the dead back to life. Blood from the left side is a fatal poison. So you just have to decide
which of these is better.”
Wait, what? Bring the dead back to life or fatal poison? They both sound a little sketchy.
“Why do I have to decide?” you ask.
“Because you’re the guardian,” your mom says. “That’s what the letter said. Now if it were up to me, I’d go with
the fatal poison option. The poison is so potent it can even kill the gods of Mount Olympus. But it could also be
turned into medicine.”
Okay, your mom is taking this whole thing a bit too far. Still, bringing the dead back to life may backfire.

Fatal poison could maybe be used to help people, too. Click this link to turn to page 31.

Bringing the dead back to life is a way better idea than fatal poison, always. Click this link to turn to page 44.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 2

If you cut off its head, two more grow back. What animal does this describe?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 28.
Harper could have easily won the contest. If she’d gone first, she would have. The only reason you got to go first
was because she was taking a bathroom break. That is more like luck, not who’s better at mythology. In this case
you winning was bad luck. It’s only right if she gets the head.
You shove the duct taped box back into the bigger box and scratch your name out. Instead, you write Harper’s
name and address. She only lives about a mile away. Still, that’s too far to carry the box. It’s got to weigh almost
twenty pounds. So you throw it in your red Radio Flyer wagon and set out.
You’re sure there are noises coming from the box, but that has to be your imagination. It’s not like even if this
was Medusa’s head, it would be alive. Wait, would the snakes be alive? The more you think about it, the more you
can’t wait to get rid of the head.
It’s about a million degrees when you finally get to Harper’s house. You’re dripping with sweat. Thankfully
nobody is outside when you get there. You tiptoe up to the door and place the box on the porch. Then you run. You
grab the handle of the wagon, and you don’t look back.
That night you have the best night’s sleep. You dream that all your problems are far behind you. You find a pile
of gold and treasures. It’s almost a shame when the doorbell wakes you up.
You stumble downstairs and open the door.
“No way,” you say to nobody since everyone else in your family is asleep. But there is the stupid box. Harper’s
name is nowhere in sight. It’s like some horrible kind of déjà vu.
You drag the box inside. Okay, so you can’t get rid of the head that easily. There has to be some other way you
can be done with it. You do not want Medusa’s head. You could mail it far far away. Maybe to Alaska. You could
look up a random name and drop it at the post office. Or you could burn it. Anything has to be better than keeping it.

You are mailing the head as far away as possible. Click this link to turn to page 41.

Even a gorgon head should burn, right? Click this link to turn to page 29.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

“They’ll never see it,” you say. “I’ll put a blanket over it.” Then you shove the head into your backpack and cover
it up. There. That should work.
You get up to the front door of the museum. When the guards ask you to open your backpack, you do, but you
make sure to keep the blanket covering Medusa’s head.
“What’s under the blanket?” one of the guards says.
Darn. You’d hoped he wouldn’t ask.
“Nothing.”
“Show me.”
But you know you can’t.
“Never mind,” you say. “We were just leaving.”
You and Harper try to make a run for it, but the guard wrestles you for the backpack. Then before you can stop
him, he pulls off the blanket. You and Harper look away. There are screams, and then the atrium goes silent. You
use your hands to find the backpack, and you zip it closed. Only then do you and Harper open your eyes.
“Everyone turned to stone,” Harper says.
“We did warn them.” But after seeing what happened, you can’t risk anyone else seeing the head. The shield is up
on the third floor. That’s too many people you’d encounter. So instead you and Harper head into the basement of the
museum.
Down in the basement is box after box of labeled artifacts. You find an empty spot on the shelf and a box, and
you shove your backpack in it. Then you write a warning note and tape it on the box.

MEDUSA’S HEAD. DO NOT OPEN.

You and Harper leave the museum, weaving around the news crews that have now turned up at the museum.
Nobody has any idea what happened. The guards and everyone in the atrium have been turned to stone. Video
footage cut out during the incident.
The two of you leave the museum and never tell a soul what happened there. You do wonder, from time to time,
who will get the head next. But happily that’s not your problem anymore.

THE END
Want to try again? Click this link to turn to page 2
“What’s in it for me?” you ask.
Hermes laughs. Really hard.
You aren’t sure what’s so funny, but when he finally stops laughing, he tells you to ask that question of
Hephaestus. Then he tells you how to get to the forge of Hephaestus.
You grab the box from the back of your closet and set out. But you aren’t a block away when you decide you
don’t want to walk. Hermes flies everywhere. It would have been nice if he’d offered to give you a ride.
You grab your bike, bungee the box on the handlebars, and ride down the street. Hermes said to look for the
volcano on the road that runs along the edge of town. You’re so busy looking everywhere for a literal volcano that
you almost miss the sign. It’s hidden behind some trees, but when you pull back the branches, there’s no mistaking
it. It’s red with a picture of a white volcano painted on it and an arrow pointing the way.
Soon you come to a golden door set into a rocky hillside. You knock and the door swings open.
You tiptoe in, still holding the box. The door swings closed behind you. There is only one way to go, which is
down a giant staircase carved into the rock. You go down it, still carrying the box. The steps are steep, and you
almost trip a few times. That would be a disaster. The box could open. You could turn to stone. You’re more careful
after that thought crosses your mind.
At the bottom of the steps is a fiery river of lava with cyclopes all around working.
“What do you want?” somebody grumbles.
You turn to see a short guy wearing a leather apron over his leather clothes. He’s frowning and eyeing you
suspiciously. Uh oh. This must be Hephaestus.
You hold the box out. “Hermes told me you were going to make a mask for the head of Medusa.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Hephaestus says. He doesn’t sound real happy about it.
“Great,” you say. “But I was wondering what’s in it for me?”
Hephaestus grabs the box and throws it to the ground. If you thought he was frowning before, there are no words
to describe the look that now occupies his face. It looks like he’s really constipated.
“In it for you?” he says. “What, are you some insolent little brat? What’s wrong with kids these days? I’ll tell you
what’s in it for you. Ten years of hard labor working in my forge.”
And before you can even respond, two cyclopes hurry over and grab you. They chain your ankles together so you
can’t run, and they hand you a pickaxe and tell you to dig. Seeing as how they are big enough to pull your arms from
your sockets, you decide not to argue with them.
You dig. They hardly feed you. It’s like a million degrees. The air is stale. The cyclopes all smell like they
haven’t taken a bath in months. You smell like you haven’t either. Also they pick on you, which makes you sound
like a whiny little baby, but it’s true. Things are not going your way. You need to escape. But if you try to escape
and get caught, Hephaestus could make it twenty years. Or thirty years. Or the rest of your life.

Better to die while trying to escape than to do nothing. Click this link to turn to page 73.

You can’t risk a worse punishment. You’ll tough it out. Click this link to turn to page 55.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 3

What are the names of the three gorgons?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 34.
Even a monster head should burn. And what’s to say that there is really a head in there in the first place? Yep.
Setting it on fire is definitely the right choice. There’s a fireplace in your house, but your parents never use it. There
is a grill in your backyard, but the box is way too big to fit inside. So instead, you grab some matches, and late that
night you sneak off to the parking lot behind the grocery store. It’s quiet and dark, and you place it right in the
middle so it won’t catch anything else on fire. Then you strike a match and light it.
The box immediately starts blazing. Sweet! This is the answer to your problems. You will burn Medusa’s head to
a crisp. Sure the box is blazing away, but as the flames start to settle you notice a dark lump right where the box
was. A dark lump that looks a lot like a head.
Oh no. This is so not good. If you happen to look into Medusa’s eyes, you are going to turn to stone. You need to
get out of here. But you can’t leave the head here and risk someone else turning into stone. Or maybe you can. The
head shouldn’t be your responsibility in the first place.

You are out of here, without the stupid head. Click this link to turn to page 61.

You can’t leave the head. You’ve got to take it with you. Click this link to turn to page 77.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

“Do I have to pick one or the other?” you ask. Maybe you can just do nothing.
Your mom crosses her arms. “You have to pick or I’m going to. I have to know if the head works.”
You figure that’s fair. And to be honest, you’re kind of curious, too. Also, the gods must have wanted you to do
something with the head. Why else would you have it?
“We’ll go with the poison,” you say. “But I get to do it, and we’re only doing one drop. Just to see if it works.”
Your mom nods. “Just to see if it works.”
You and your parents take the head out back. There’s been this annoying fire ant hill that won’t seem to die no
matter how many times you treat it. You take a tiny knife and cut into the left side of Medusa’s head, and then you
let a single drop of blood fall onto the fire ant hill.
The next day the hill is a withered pile of dirt.
“It works!” your mom says. “Let’s go into pest control! We can kill so many bugs!”
Your mom is acting a bit too excited about this. Also, you promised to test the head, not use it to run a business.
“We’re not using the head,” you say.
“We are,” Mom says.
This is not going to get resolved. You pray to the gods and ask for help, but nothing happens. Maybe they aren’t
going to help you. But not an hour later there’s a knock on the door. Actually there are three knocks on the door.
When you open it, you’re greeted by three old ladies wearing sunglasses. One holds a ball of yarn. One holds a
pair of scissors. And one holds an eyeball. A real eyeball!
You know who these old ladies are. They are the three Fates. First the head of a gorgon. Now the three Fates.
What’s gonna be next?
“Are you going to invite us in?” the one holding the eyeball says.
You don’t really want to invite them in. Medusa’s head has been enough trouble. The Fates are only going to be
more. But you also don’t want to offend them.

Invite them in! What’s the worst that can happen? Click this link to turn to page 50.

No way are you letting the three Fates into your house. Click this link to turn to page 69.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 4

How long did it take Odysseus to get back to Ithaka?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 47.
You and Harper head around to the back of the museum. There you pretend to work for a delivery company.
“We have an important artifact for display,” you say, and they let you in. But they insist on following you which
isn’t quite in the plan. But you work with it. Now to get to the shield.
When you get up to the third floor where the shield is supposed to be displayed, you can’t find it anywhere. Then
the person says, “Go ahead and put the artifact on display in that case.” They’re watching you like a hawk. If you
turned them to stone, it would give you more time to find the shield, but that also wouldn’t be a very nice thing to
do. Still, you can’t put the artifact on display.
Harper leans over and whispers, “See that mask?”
Sure enough, there’s a really cool golden mask in the display case.
“Okay,” you tell the person. “But it goes with that mask.” Then you grab the mask, and feeling around with your
hands, you slip it over Medusa’s head. Now for the test.
You set the head it on the shelf. You can’t look. Instead you look at the person who is staring right at the head . . .
and not turning to stone.
Whew. This will work for now. But after you leave, you and Harper know you shouldn’t leave the head in the
museum. One wrong move and someone will turn to stone. You could steal it back. Or you could hope nobody ever
takes the mask off.

You’re stealing it back. Click this link to turn to page 48.

You’ll leave it and let it work itself out. Click this link to turn to page 67.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You aren’t stupid. You know way better than to try to bargain with the gods. So you get directions from Hermes
and set out to find Hephaestus. It’s a long way, on the edge of town. There’s a red sign with a white volcano on it.
When you see the sign, you cut off the trail until you come to the hillside. There, embedded in the hillside, is a
golden door. Hermes appears.
“You found it,” he says.
Wait, if he was coming here too, couldn’t he have brought the head? You almost ask in your most sarcastic tone,
but once again you remember that these are gods. It is not a good idea to bargain with them or talk back to them. So
you thank Hermes once again and go through the door.
You have to go down about a million stairs, but there you find Hephaestus. He looks a lot like an ugly dwarf, but
you don’t tell him this. Instead you hand him the box.
He tells you to follow him, and he starts working with a bunch of gold around a fire. You figure he’s working on
the mask. But you’re sitting there in awkward silence, and you can’t take it anymore. Doesn’t this guy talk?
“How are things?” you ask, trying to spark conversation.
Hephaestus turns to you, still working as he does so. “Horrible. Just horrible,” he says.
This is definitely not the answer you are expecting so you ask him what’s wrong.
“Well, my wife, Aphrodite, and I had a fight the other day,” he says. “She called me an ugly ogre and stormed out
of here. Then I went to Mount Olympus to ask Zeus if I could borrow his special harp because I figured I could
write Aphrodite a love song, but he told me to get lost. The other gods all order me around, telling me things they
need me to make. It’s always RIGHT NOW, too, as if none of them has a single bit of patience. And if that’s not bad
enough, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with Athena, but she doesn’t know I exist.”
Wow. And you thought middle school was bad. Hephaestus has things pretty rough.
“Maybe you should stick up for yourself to the other gods,” you say because with everything Hephaestus has said,
it sounds like he’s letting the other gods walk all over him.
“What do you mean?” he asks, still working away at making the mask.
“I mean don’t let them order you around,” you say. “Tell them what you want. Don’t ask. That kind of thing.”
Hephaestus is intrigued, and he keeps asking you questions as he works. Finally he shows you the golden mask.
“I’ll put this on Medusa’s head for you,” Hephaestus says. “But I have a favor to ask.”
You shake your head. “Remember, don’t ask.” Didn’t he listen to a word you said?
“Right,” he says. “I want you to be my negotiator when it comes to dealing with the other gods.”
His negotiator? The last thing you need is to get in the middle of disputes of the gods. That sounds like a horrible,
awful idea. But Hephaestus really does need your help. And you could help. Also, if you say no, he may throw you
into the lava river that runs through his forge.

You could be a good negotiator. Why not? Click this link to turn to page 58.

He has to do this on his own. Click this link to turn to page 75.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You look up an address on the other side of the world, but when you see how much postage is going to cost, you
decide to mail it to Alaska instead. There is no better feeling than dropping it off at the post office and being done
with it.
When you wake up the next morning, there it is in the middle of your bedroom floor.
“No!!!!” you scream to whoever will listen. Your parents ask you what the fuss is all about, but you don’t tell
them. You have to solve this on your own. Then you shut your bedroom door and try to figure out what to do.
You are busy listing out every possible loophole you can think of for how to get rid of the head when three old
ladies appear in your room.
“Whatcha doing there, kiddo?” one of them asks. She’s holding a giant ball of yarn. They all look like they’re two
hundred, with so many wrinkles drooping on their faces that you can’t even see their eyes.
Wait! They don’t have eyes!
“The three Fates?” you say. “Are you kidding me?”
“The three Fates never kid about anything,” another one says. She’s holding a pair of scissors that are so big they
could snip right through your arm if you aren’t careful. You take a step back.
“Yeah, but why are you here?” you ask.
“We came because of the head,” one of them says. It’s really disconcerting. They are looking in your direction,
but since they don’t have eyes, you can’t make eye contact with any of them.
You grab the box and hold it out. “Here, take it. I don’t want it.”
They snip a piece of thread. You wonder if that means somebody died.
“We can’t take the head,” one of the Fates says. “It is yours to keep.”
“But I never asked for it,” you say.
A new ball of yarn appears in one of their hands, and she holds it up. “Life often gives us things that we do not
ask for. It is up to us to decide what to do with them.”
What? Is this some kind of self-help seminar? You are not taking a life skills class from three old hags who cut
the threads of life as their job. But maybe there is something to what she said. It is up to you to decide what to do.
“How about this?” you say. “Is there some kind of bargain we can make? Like some deal where you guys take the
head and I don’t have to be its guardian?”
The Fates whispers back and forth amongst themselves, still snipping yarn and pulling threads. Then they turn
back to you.
“We have decided,” the one in the middle says. “If you agree to one year of bad luck, we will take the head.”
One year of bad luck versus having to keep a gorgon head around forever? Having the head here already seems
like the worst of bad luck as it is.

You’ll take the bad luck to get rid of this head. Click this link to turn to page 64.

Things could always be worse. You don’t need more bad luck. Click this link to turn to page 81.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

There is nothing about fatal poison that can end well. You decide that bringing the dead back to life is the way to
go.
“Remember Tiberius, my pet goldfish?” you say.
“Kind of,” your dad says, but he’s not the best with small details like the names of your pet fish.
“He died last summer,” you say. “Mom wanted to flush him, but we buried him the backyard instead.”
“Oh right,” Mom says. “Let’s go find him.”
You find Dad a pair of sunglasses, just to be sure, and then the three of you head out back and dig up the grave.
There at the bottom of the hole is the shoebox. The cardboard is soggy and falling apart. When you open it you see
that poor little Tiberius isn’t in much better shape.
“Ain’t nothing bringing that fish back to life,” your dad says.
But your mom slices a hole into the right side of Medusa’s head. She holds it over the nearly decayed corpse of
your fish and lets the blood drip on it.
First off, you had serious doubts about this working. Second off, in the crazy chance that it was going to work,
you thought it might take, oh, maybe at least ten seconds or so. But the second the blood touches Tiberius, he flops
around on the soggy cardboard. His skeletal mouth opens and closes, like he’s trying to say something.
“What do you need, little buddy?” you ask.
Only after he dies for a second time, do you realize he needed water. You’re not really all that sad. You got over
Tiberius months ago. And the blood from the head works!
“So where to next?” your mom asks, shoving Medusa’s head back into the box.
“We’re not bringing Grandma back to life,” your dad says.
Mom scowls at him. You don’t see what would be bad about bringing your mom’s mom back to life, though you
do seem to remember she and your dad bickered all the time.
“Let’s go to the cemetery,” Mom says. “We can dig up some bodies. Bring them back.”
You try to process this thought. Bring dead people back to life? Well, at least unlike Tiberius, they wouldn’t need
water. But maybe it’s not such a good idea to bring dead people back.

You’re off to the cemetery. Why not bring some dead people back? Click this link to turn to page 52.

You can’t bring people back from the dead. Click this link to turn to page 71.

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 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 5

How many guys and gals were fed to the minotaur each certain number of years?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 80.
You and Harper wander around the museum until you find the perfect place to hide. You stay there until the
museum closes. Then once everyone is gone and they’ve locked the doors, you head back to the exhibit.
The display case is all lit up, making everything look shiny and amazing. The mask glitters and gleams. It would
make a great addition to Medusa’s head. And if you keep it on the head, then you won’t accidentally be turned to
stone.
Maybe the gods are on your side, because the display case isn’t even locked. You pop it open, and Harper grabs
the head.
Immediately a bright light appears behind you, illuminating the entire room. “What do you think you are doing?”
someone asks.
When you and Harper turn around, there is a Greek god. You’re pretty sure it’s Apollo because he’s glowing like
the sun.
“Got any ideas?” you ask Harper.
Harper can’t take her eyes off Apollo. All she does is shake her head.
“You two are trying to steal the mask of Apollo,” Apollo says.
“No we weren’t!” you say, even though you kind of were. But would it really even be stealing?
Apollo is certainly not convinced. “The Oracle will decide if you speak the truth,” Apollo says. Then there’s a
flash of bright light. When it disappears, you are definitely not at the museum anymore. From the looks of things,
you are in a Greek temple next to a really cool carved stone. You’ve seen this stone before. It’s the Navel of the
World. You are in Delphi where the actually Oracle lives.
Apollo brings you and Harper in front of the Oracle and demands you tell the truth. But you’re both really
nervous. Were you trying to steal the mask? Kind of. But that might get you in trouble. Maybe you should lie.

Telling the truth is always the right thing to do. Click this link to turn to page 111.

It’s okay to lie every once in a while, Turn to Click this link to turn to page 84.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You invite the three Fates in. They sit in the family room and ask for tea. You make a pot of tea and bring it over.
You bring along some sugar and milk, and you even find a box of Oreos to share with them. They can’t see you
because they don’t actually have eyes (except for the one eyeball they share), but they still seem to stare into your
soul. You hope they like what they see.
“Do you have any more cookies?” one asks.
“That was the last box,” you say.
“Are you sure?” she asks. “Go look.”
So you go to the pantry and look. Sure enough, there is a fresh box of Oreos. You bring it over and the three Fates
finish it off, too.
“Thank you so much for your hospitality,” one of the Fates says. “For your kindness, we’d like to reward you.
What would you like?”
What you’d like is to be rid of Medusa’s head. You also want your mom back to normal. But maybe she’ll return
to normal if the head is gone.
“Can you take Medusa’s head away?” you ask.
“We sure can,” one of the Fates says. She places a hand on top of the head, and it vanishes.
Then the Fates leave. Mom does return to normal. She actually doesn’t remember anything about Medusa’s head
or the blood. This is a very good thing.
Now that your problems are behind you, your stomach starts to grumble. You look in the pantry. There is a full
box of Oreos waiting for you. A note sits on top of it. “A bonus thank you gift.”

THE END
Want to try again? Click this link to turn to page 2
You and your mom head to the cemetery. Your dad makes up some excuse about needing to mow the lawn, but
you know it’s really because he’s always been a little freaked out by dead people and cemeteries. Your mom brings
along the knife so she’ll be able to get the blood out of Medusa’s head.
Deep inside, you know this isn’t a good idea. But your mom acts like an excited child, talking about what an
amazing opportunity this is to study such a cool archaeological artifact.
It’s the head of Medusa, not some sword. It’s not really an artifact. More like a deadly weapon that you’ve been
put in charge of. But before you know it, you and your mom arrive at the cemetery.
The sky darkens as you walk through the gates. Dusk falls. The wind picks up, pushing clouds across the sky.
“Maybe we should—” you start.
Your mom puts a hand up. “We have to know if it works.”
You try to point out that Tiberius proved it worked, but she’s not listening. She is focused.
When you get near the center of the cemetery, your mom opens the box with Medusa’s head. She makes another
cut and dribbles some blood onto one of the graves. The gravestone looks really old. You can’t imagine there is
anything more than bones inside.
Unfortunately, you are right. A bony hand shoots up from the ground. You and your mom dash out of the way to
the next grave over. But at that grave, a hand pops up, followed by a skeleton head. One by one, a bunch of bodies in
varying states of decay begin to rise from the dead. There have to be at least twenty of them, and when they’re free
of the earth, they start coming for you.
“Zombies!” you shout. You and your mom try to run, but they have you surrounded. There is no way out.
“You two in trouble?” someone says.
You turn to see a guy with dark hair standing there. He looks like he’s about twenty, except he also looks way
older. Wiser. Wait, this must be a god. And given that you’re in a cemetery, you have a pretty good idea which god.
“Hades,” you say with relief. “You have to help us.”
“I do?” Hades says.
“Yes! We brought the dead back to life,” you say. “But we don’t want them. You have to take them.”
Hades smiles. “I don’t really have to do anything. But I can help you.”
Whew. You thought you were a goner.
“Here’s the deal,” Hades says. “If one of you comes to the Underworld with me and holds open the gates to
Asphodel, the dead can return. But it has to be one of you two since you brought them back to life.”
“I’ll go,” your mom immediately says.
You can’t let your mom go! You have to go. The head is your responsibility.

Mom can go to the Underworld. You’ll stay here and keep the head safe. Click this link to turn to page 90.

You can’t let your mom go. You have to face the Underworld and return the dead. Click this link to turn to
page 116.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

Toughing it out is definitely the best option. After all, if you try to escape and get caught, Hephaestus might never
let you leave. And ten years isn’t so bad.
A month goes by. You have no idea what ever happened with Medusa’s head. You haven’t seen the box since
Hephaestus took it. You try to ignore the cyclopes when they pick on you. Pretty soon they stop picking on you and
act like you’re one of them. Also they don’t seem to smell as bad as they used to either.
One day on your lunch break (Yes, you do get a lunch break. No, the food is not tasty.) you’re sitting on a rock
when a cyclops comes up and sits next to you.
“Hi,” he says. “My name’s Arges, but everyone just calls me Arg.”
You aren’t sure if he’s trying to mess with you, but he is acting like he wants to be your friend, so you finally tell
him your name. Then you tell him how you wound up here.
“That is so not fair,” he says. “Almost as not fair as why I’m here.”
You look out at all the cyclopes working in the forge. It never occurred to you that they didn’t want to be here
either. They all just seemed really happy working inside the volcano.
“Why are you here?” you ask.
“Well, I made something really cool for Zeus,” he says. “And a bunch of the other gods got upset and demanded
Hephaestus punish me. And here I am for the rest of my life.”
“The rest of your life!” you say, thankful that you only have ten years. “What did you make?”
“Zeus’ lightning bolt,” Arg kind of whispers like he’s afraid someone will overhear him.
“No way! That’s amazing!”
Arg sits a little taller, happy at your compliment. And he should be. This is the actual cyclops that made Zeus’
lightning bolt.
You and Arg eat lunch together every day. You talk about all sorts of things. And pretty soon he becomes your
best friend.
You’ve only been working in Hephaestus’ forge for a few months when Hephaestus tells you that you can leave.
“The gods told me I had to let you go,” he says. He doesn’t sound real thrilled about it.
But you are thrilled. Still, when you tell Arg that you are leaving, he’s really sad. So are you.
“Maybe you could come with me,” you say.
Arg is pretty sure that’s impossible, but you ask Hephaestus. He actually agrees, and you and Arg leave. Your
parents let Arg live in the basement. They don’t notice he’s a cyclops which makes no sense. It could be the magic
of the gods. Arg goes to school with you, too, and just like with your parents, no one at school notices Arg is a
cyclops either. Everything is going great until Arg tries to eat a kid on the playground.
“You can’t eat kids!” you tell Arg.
“Why not?” he asks.
You try to explain, but he’s really hungry. Okay, so maybe this isn’t going to work out with him living here and
going to school. You could take him back to Hephaestus. You certainly can’t let him eat a kid. Or maybe there is
some other option.

He’s got to go back to Hephaestus. Click this link to turn to page 94.

There has to be some other option. Click this link to turn to page 122.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You and Hephaestus head to the top of Mount Olympus. You are worried the entire time that lightning will strike
you down since mortals aren’t allowed there, but maybe Hephaestus and his special god powers keep that from
happening. Finally you reach the top and walk through the two golden gates that guard the place.
A bunch of beautiful shiny people are all sitting there. You know these are the gods. Your knees feel like they are
going to collapse under you, but you have to stay strong. You got this. You totally got this.
“Why is there a mortal here, Hephaestus?” one of the goddesses says. She has a peacock feather sticking out of
her hair, so you figure this must be Hera. You always thought of her as some old matronly hag, but she’s really
pretty and doesn’t look a day over twenty-five. She looks way younger than your mom, though you would never tell
your mom that.
Hephaestus shoves you forward and clears his throat. Every eye turns to you. This is it. This is your moment.
“I’m here on behalf of Hephaestus,” you start. “He would like you all to not order him around, and he would like
two days off each week.”
The gods cock their heads as they try to understand your words. You smile and try to look like you are filled with
confidence. It’s a total lie.
Then the god that has to be Poseidon because he’s holding a trident says, “Two days off each week,” and he starts
laughing.
You open your mouth to reinforce your words, but Poseidon points his trident at you. A huge wave comes out of
nowhere and hits into you. It carries you out of the palace of the gods and all the way down the side of Mount
Olympus.
Well, that didn’t go quite like you’d hoped.
Hephaestus is there next to you. The wave must’ve carried him down, too.
“Well, at least we tried,” he says. He acts like that is the end of that.
You are so not ready to give up. You want to march back up the side of Mount Olympus and demand it this time.
That was your problem. You didn’t sound forceful enough.
No, that wasn’t your problem. Your problem is that those were gods and you are a mortal. He’s right. At least you
tried.

You are not a quitter. You have to try one more time. Click this link to turn to page 97.

Hephaestus is right. It’s time to give up. Click this link to turn to page 124.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

Who cares about the head? You are out of here! You turn and run as fast as you can. You think you’ll be able to
get away, but then you hear something behind you, rolling, coming after you. No! It’s the head. It’s coming for you.
You run faster, and when you see a hill, you run up it. The head can’t roll upward after all.
Sure enough, the sound of the rolling head stops. You turn just in time to see a giant eagle swoop down and grab
the head in its talons. Then it flies after you. This is so not fair! Why would the eagle help Medusa’s head? If
anything, the eagle should throw the head off the side of a cliff. Except then you remember that sometimes eagles do
the bidding of the gods, like that time eagles ate Prometheus’ liver every single day.
Enough. This is not the time to geek out about mythology facts. You run even faster, up the hill, down the other
side. Except the next step you take, your foot does not connect. You fall.
Down and down you fall until you land at the bottom of a dark pit. You can’t see anything at first, but slowly your
eyes have time to adjust. Something lands hard right in front of you. It’s round, covered in hissing snakes, and . . .
You close your eyes. It’s the stupid head. Overhead, the eagle caws. Dumb bird. It totally did that on purpose.
Now you’re stuck at the bottom of this pit with Medusa’s head ready to turn you to stone if you so much as sneeze
in its direction. What are you supposed to do?
“Hey, kid,” the head says. Medusa has a really raspy voice like she’s had a lingering cough for the last thousand
years.
You try to ignore her.
“Yeah, I’m talking to you kid,” she says. “Look at me.”
You bust out laughing. What? Does Medusa’s head think you’re stupid?
“I won’t turn you to stone,” Medusa’s head says.
“Oh right,” you say. “And I’m supposed to believe you why?”
“Because if you open your eyes, it will be a lot easier to get out of here,” she says.
You keep your eyes closed and claw the walls of the pit around you. “I’ll get out of here with my eyes closed just
fine,” you say.
Medusa’s head laughs with her raspy laugh. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead and try. But I got a better idea. How about I
promise not to turn you to stone if you take me out of here with you?”
Maybe this means the head will be stuck down here otherwise. “Why should I trust you?” you ask.
“Because I can see the future,” Medusa’s head says. “Get me outta this hole, and we can be friends.”
You want to trust her, but this is a monster from Greek mythology. Everyone knows you can’t trust monsters. But
it would be a lot easier to get out of this pit with your eyes open.

Trust the monster. Open your eyes. Click this link to turn to page 129.

Leave the head and climb out alone. Click this link to turn to page 102.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

“Fine,” you say. “Bring on the bad luck.”
You dump the box on their laps and step back. Anything is better than Medusa’s head. The Fates snicker and snap
their fingers. The box disappears.
“Where did it go?” you ask.
“Why? Do you want it back?” one of the Fates asks.
“No way!”
One of the Fates holds up a ball of blue thread. “This is your life,” she says. “Do you want to see where it ends?”
You shake your head. “Um, no. And if you could leave, I could get on with my year of bad luck.”
You feel pretty lucky when they simply disappear.
The week starts out rough. You forget to do your homework. You don’t get the part in the school play. You lose
the next mythology smackdown at school because you hear the question wrong. Of course you know that Artemis
and Apollo are twins, but you’re sure they said Narcissus, not Artemis. The next week, you break your leg. While
trying to maneuver around the kitchen, you shatter your mom’s expensive crystal pitcher. You lose your favorite
video game CD. You can’t remember any of your passwords. But that’s okay. You can get through this year.
The last month comes. A giant sinkhole opens in your backyard. At least zombies aren’t climbing out of it. It rains
every day you have plans outside. Finally through it is the last day of the year. You’ve done it.
While you’re in the backyard looking at the sinkhole in the rain, the three Fates appear. They’re still holding your
ball of blue yarn.
“Last chance, kiddo,” one of them says.
“Last chance for what?” you ask.
“To take the head back,” the Fate says. “If you take the head back right now, right here, you are freed from your
year of bad luck.”
Is she kidding? The year is pretty much over. There is only one more day left. Still a lot could happen in a day.
You feel like this is some kind of trap.

You can make it one more day with bad luck. Click this link to turn to page 135.

You don’t trust the Fates and their bad luck. They’ve surely saved the worst for last. You’ll take the head. Click
this link to turn to page 108.

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Trying to steal the head and the mask will only get you in more trouble. Right now the head is safe. No one is
turning to stone. You and Harper decide to leave it there, and you both go home.
That night, as you sleep, you dream about the head. You dream it’s rolling toward you, coming for you. You
barely escape. The next night the dream is worse. Each night the dreams come, and they’re driving you crazy. You
can’t sleep. You can’t eat. All you can think about is the head. You have to get it back.
You go to the museum the next day, prepared to steal Medusa’s head, but it’s gone! You ask someone who works
there where it went.
“Oh that thing went missing,” the museum person says. “We have no idea where it is. We’ve searched
everywhere.”
Well that is just perfect. Not only can you not get the head back, you know it’s coming for you. And it’s going to
kill you. You have to devise a plan so you are ready when it shows up. You list out every idea that you can think of,
then eliminate the ones that have no chance of working, until you are down to two ideas. You could sleep near the
old well and lure it down there when it comes for you. Or you could devise a net to capture it, then tie an anchor to it
and bury it in the river.

The bottom of the well is the better idea. Click this link to turn to page 86.

The net and anchor will work best. Click this link to turn to page 113.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

No way are you inviting the three Fates into your house. And if you remember correctly, they can’t come in unless
you invite them which must be why they asked. Or maybe that’s vampires. You can’t remember. Or was it the
Furies? Weird mythology facts spin around in your mind.
“I’m not inviting you in,” you say. You’re very firm and clear with your answer. You don’t want there to be some
loophole and them come in anyway.
“What did you say, mortal?” one of them cackles. And by the tone in her voice, you’re sure you’ve made a big
mistake. But they are only trying to trick you.
“I said you can’t come in.”
They seem to grow double in height. “Your insolence is unforgiveable. You will be punished.”
Uh oh. Maybe they could come in for just a quick cup of tea.
“Well—” you start.
“Too late, mortal,” the Fate holding the eyeball says. “Years will be taken off your life. Forty years.” And she
pulls out a ball of blue yarn that you’re sure is your lifetime.
You don’t want to die forty years too soon. Maybe you can appease them with a gift. The gods love gifts, and the
Fates are kind of gods.
“How about I give you all a really nice gift instead?” you say. You try to sound really humble so they’ll consider
it.
“What kind of gift?” one of them asks.
This is good. But you hadn’t thought that far. You could make them something. Maybe you could paint them
something. A portrait of them! Or . . .
You could give them Medusa’s head.

Everyone wants a portrait of themselves, even the Fates. Click this link to turn to page 88.

You can get rid of the head and give them a gift all at the same time. Click this link to turn to page 115.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

Your mom acts more excited than a preschooler. But this whole bringing people back from the dead thing is not a
good idea.
“I don’t think we should do it, Mom,” you say.
“Just one person?”
“No. Not just one person. No one.”
Your mom frowns. She’s definitely not convinced on the matter.
“Dad, what do you think?” you ask.
He shrugs. “I agree with your mother.”
Typical. He always agrees with Mom.
“Well, I’m the guardian of the head, and I say no bringing the dead back to life.” You pull the box holding the
head close to you.
“What about Bingo?” your mom says. It’s one last attempt to get you to agree, and it’s a pretty good one. Mom
knows how much you loved your old dog Bingo. You cried for a month when Bingo died.
“Not even Bingo,” you say. Then you take the head and walk away. Maybe if Mom can’t see Medusa’s head,
she’ll forget about it.
But Mom keeps staring at it. You can’t bring it with you everywhere. You certainly aren’t taking Medusa’s head
into the bathroom with you. There has to be a way to prevent Mom from bringing the dead back to life. You could
drain the head of blood completely and hide the blood. Or you could put some kind of glue over the head, like a
protective coat that Mom can’t cut through.

Draining the head of blood is the way to go. Click this link to turn to page 92.

It’s impossible to drain the entire head of blood. Covering it with glue is a much better idea. Click this link to
turn to page 120.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You have to escape this forge. You can’t spend the next ten years of your life here. By that point you’ll have
missed your entire childhood and the best years of your life.
Later that night you wait until all the smelly cyclopes are asleep. (You know they’re asleep because they snore
like drunken sailors.) You still have the chain connecting your feet together. You tried to chop it off with your
pickaxe earlier today, but no luck. The thing must be made of unbreakable metal. But even if you can’t run, you can
at least walk.
You hold the chain so it doesn’t rattle and you pick your way around the cyclopes. You can’t go back up the
staircase. The only way to go is deeper into the forge. The place is huge, but toward the back are some connecting
tunnels. You grab a torch off the wall and duck into the first one. You aren’t sure but it sounds like someone is
laughing back in the forge. Like Hephaestus. But no. It must be your imagination.
You walk for hours through the tunnel, turning right and left, trying to find a way out. But it seems like the deeper
you go, the more twists and turns there are. It’s almost like a labyrinth.
You hear growling. Then you see the shadow of a head with two horns.
The Minotaur!
It is the labyrinth!
You run, except you can’t run. Your feet are chained together and you trip. You get up and try to walk really fast.
You keep looking back. You think you’ve escaped the Minotaur only to see the shadow reappear. It’s hunting you.
And you have a horrible feeling in your stomach that no matter how long you try to stay away from it, it will find
you in the end.

THE END
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You act like you’re considering his offer, but you’ve already made up your mind.
“As much as I’d love to help you, you have to do this on your own,” you say. “It’s the only way you’ll grow.”
You sound like some sort of self-help book.
He grumbles and scowls. “So you’re saying no to me?”
Well, when he puts it that way, it is very black and white. There should be a shade or two of gray in the middle,
but you can’t find them.
“Yep, I’m saying no,” you say. “My obligation is over.” After all, you brought Medusa’s head here and got the
mask made.
“Then take your gorgon head and get out of here,” he growls. “But know this. I’ve put a curse on the mask. When
you least expect it, the mask will disintegrate. You will look into Medusa’s eyes. And you will be turned to stone.”
Yikes! That is unfortunate. You try to talk him out of it, but he won’t say another word to you. Hephaestus is
known for being a grouch who’s always out for revenge. You remember one story about how he got revenge on
Ares and Aphrodite, and she’s his wife!
You slowly walk back up the stairs, but as you’re leaving, you see a stash of treasures. They must be things
Hephaestus has made for fun. One looks like a four-leaf clover. If you take it, it could bring you good luck. It could
counteract Hephaestus’ curse. But stealing from the gods is kind of a big deal.

You need the good luck charm to help protect yourself. Click this link to turn to page 100.

You are not stupid enough to steal from the gods. Click this link to turn to page 127.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You can’t just leave the head in the parking lot and run away. If somebody got turned to stone, you would never be
able to forgive yourself. It would be your fault. You pull off your jacket and run toward the fire, throwing it over the
head and putting the flames out. Then you pull the ends of the jacket together and get out of there.
The head is not happy. As you walk, the snakes bite at you. They hiss and squirm. By the time you’ve walked half
a mile, you hate Medusa’s head with a burning hot passion.
“Stupid head,” you say.
One of the snakes bites you through the jacket. You drop it. The head rolls out from under the jacket and begins to
roll away. You can’t let that happen. You run after it, grabbing the jacket. But your hand is bleeding where the snake
bit you, and it hurts a lot. When you see the head roll under a bush, you actually aren’t all that upset. Maybe it can
just stay there. But no. You feel under the bush. Then you look.
There is no sign of the head anywhere.
You spend the rest of the night searching for the head. You go home and sleep for a couple hours, then spend the
next day searching too. You have to face the facts. Medusa’s head is gone. You were made the guardian of it, and
you lost it. Oh well. That’s how life goes.
You go home and forget about the head.
A week later there is a knock on the door. You open it to find a woman standing there dressed in a gray toga with
an owl on her shoulder.
“Athena?” you say, glancing around to see if any of the neighbors have noticed her.
The owl glares at you.
“Don’t Athena me,” Athena says. “You’re being called in for questioning.”
“For what?” you ask. It’s not like you’ve done anything wrong.
“It seems the head of Medusa is missing,” Athena says. “You are the number one suspect. The gods would like to
talk with you about the matter.”
Just hearing the words makes you want to throw up on the spot. You can’t go talk to the gods! You’re a mortal.
Things do not go well when mortals and gods interact. What you need to do is make up some excuse.
No. you should face your problems head on, just like your mom’s always telling you to do. But would your mom
really want you to talk to the gods?

You are totally making up an excuse. Click this link to turn to page 133.

You might as well get this over with. Click this link to turn to page 105.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 6

How many Olympians are there and what are their names?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 119.
“I’ll keep it,” you say. You really don’t need any bad luck. The gods are not to be trusted. Everyone knows that.
Bad luck from the gods would be like stubbing your toe every day, every hour, for the next year.
“A smart choice,” one of the Fates says.
“But mention the clause,” another says.
Clause? What clause? You agreed to not take the bad luck. You have the head. There shouldn’t be any more to it
than that.
“What do you mean?” you ask.
“The clause is that you must use the head,” one of the Fates says.
“But only once,” another Fate says.
“And it must be used on the right being at the right time,” the third says. “Anything else will be your end.”
“You want me to use Medusa’s head?” you ask. You must have heard wrong.
“Only once.”
“On the right being at the right time.”
Yeah, yeah, you heard that part.
“But what if I don’t want to turn someone to stone?” you ask. That seems a bit sketchy to you.
“You must use the head.”
“But only once.”
“On the right being at the right time.”
Okay, they’re sounding a bit like a broken record.
“Fine,” you say. “Just leave.”
The three Fates disappear.
For the next month, you try to figure out what the right time is to use the head. There’s an annoying kid at school.
Your language arts teacher can’t stand you. The dog down the street barks all the time and is really irritating. But if
you pick the wrong time, it’s going to be your end. This is really confusing, but you know you have to make a
decision. It’s like you can hear an invisible clock ticking everywhere you go.
Your language arts teacher is always asleep, anyway. No one may notice if you turn her to stone. But that stupid
dog won’t stop barking.

That’s it. You’ll bring the head to school. The teacher is the right choice. Click this link to turn to page 109.

It’s got to be the dog. You haven’t slept all week because of the barking. Click this link to turn to page 138.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

This is not a normal situation, and given that information, you decide it’s okay to lie. You hope Harper agrees with
you.
“I would never steal from the gods,” you say. “I was going to take the mask off and put it back in the display case
as soon as Medusa’s head was hidden away. I just didn’t want anyone to turn to stone.”
It sounds like such an obvious lie, even to you. The Oracle doesn’t say anything for a few moments. Then she
says, “You speak the truth. You don’t realize this is the truth, but it is. You would have done the right thing, even
though you don’t believe it.”
Whoa. That is deep. Maybe the Oracle is right. You would have put the mask back (although it was nice and
shiny).
“As a reward for your honesty, I will tell you how to dispose of the head,” the Oracle says. Then she tells you and
Harper that you need to take the head to a marketplace and bury it in the center. That is what Perseus did, and that is
what you guys need to do. Then Apollo transports you back to the museum. He even lets you keep the mask until the
head is buried.
As soon as they unlock the museum doors in the morning, the two of you hurry out of there.
“Where’s a marketplace?” you ask Harper. It’s not like you live in ancient Greece.
But Harper has obviously been thinking about this. “Well the way I see it, we have two options. We could take it
to the shopping mall and bury it there. Or we could take it to the Ren Faire and bury it there.”
You hadn’t thought of either of those options, and they’re both really good. And since you’re the guardian of the
head, it’s up to you to decide.

You’ll bury it at the Ren Faire and maybe watch some jousting while you’re at it. Click this link to turn to page
142.

The shopping mall is way easier and closer. Click this link to turn to page 159.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You decide the well is the way to go. You’ve seen lots of movies and read books about people trapping things at
the bottom of wells. They always work.
You set up near the well, and you pretend to sleep. It’s not long before you hear something coming your way. It
rolls along the ground. But you are ready. You run toward the well. It’s right behind you. How can it move so fast?
You speed up, and when you reach the well, you jump over it.
The head does not jump over it (because heads can’t jump). It falls into the well, just like you planned. You
quickly put the lid on the well. Then you find as many big rocks as you can and cover it. All the while you can hear
the head at the bottom of the well, sloshing in the water and hitting against the sides. But just like heads can’t jump,
heads can’t climb either.
You paint a sign, warning people to never open the well. Then you go home and have the best night sleep ever.
You dream about the head, but it’s no longer following you. It’s safely hidden away, never to be found.

THE END
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“How about a wonderful portrait of the three of you?” you say. “Maybe sitting under a tree?”
“In a Greek temple,” one of the Fates says. You figure that means they agree.
You grab some art supplies, and you head out with the three Fates to a local museum. It happens to look a lot like
a Greek temple.
The Fates are ugly wrinkled old ladies with no eyes, but you make them look radiant. When you’re done, you
show them the finished product.
They gush over it and talk about how amazing of an artist you are and how they are going to tell all the gods.
Then they offer to give you a gift.
“Can you do anything about Medusa’s head?” you ask.
The three Fates smile. “Why yes we can.” Then they tell you that they’ve made you and your entire bloodline
immune to the head. The blood won’t work for you, and there is no chance of turning to stone.
After they leave, you go home and place the head on the mantel. It looks very cool up there.
It’s not long before the doorbell rings. It’s Artemis and Apollo wanting a portrait of the two of them together.
Aphrodite and Hephaestus are next. Athena wants a portrait with her owl. On and on, the gods pay you visit after
visit until painting their portraits is a full-time job. You don’t mind. You do a great job. And they always give you
very cool (and sometimes magical) gifts in return.

THE END
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Your mom is really insisting she should go. Hades agrees, and he opens up a giant hole in the ground.
“This way to the Underworld,” he says, and he goes through the hole and disappears.
Your mom follows him, but you grab her arm right before she disappears. Then you, her, and Medusa’s head are
all being transported to the Underworld.
The first thing you notice is the smell. Not bad. Really good, actually.
Almost like he knows what you’re thinking, Hades says, “Persephone insists on burning candles to keep the
stench of the dead at bay.”
Persephone must be pretty smart.
Hades leads you and your mom to the gates of Asphodel. Behind the gates are a bunch of gray zombies stumbling
around. The dead you raised in the cemetery definitely belong here. He unlocks the gates, and you and your mom
hold them open.
One by one the dead come through. Then grin at you with their skeleton mouths. Or maybe that’s just the way
skulls are made. Finally they’re all through. You and your mom each swing one of the giant gates closed.
“Now what?” your mom says.
“I’m sure Persephone would love to have you stay for dinner,” Hades says. He seems to roll his eyes, like having
visitors (who are alive) is a complete inconvenience. But you follow him back to his house where Persephone is
waiting.
Hades is grumbly, but Persephone is perfect. They argue all the time. You ask if they’ll keep Medusa’s head here.
Your mom wants to take it back home, but you are the guardian after all. Hades and Persephone bicker back and
forth, but finally he gives in. The head can stay in the Underworld. It’s their problem now. Not yours. Now your
only problem seems to be finding your way out of the Underworld.
Hades insists you can’t leave. Persephone disagrees. You let them argue it out once more, and once again, she
wins. Then you finish dinner and exit the Underworld, leaving Medusa’s head (and hopefully all the problems it
might bring) far behind you.

THE END
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You grab the box. “Nobody touches the head. And if you both would leave me alone, I have something I need to
take care of.”
Mom is trying to act like she doesn’t care, so she offers to go inside and make waffles. As soon as she and Dad
are out of sight, you grab the knife she was using and a bucket, and you slice into the right side of Medusa’s head.
Blood begins to drip out. You place the head over the bucket, and you drain every single drop of blood (you
hope). When all the blood is finally in the bucket, you place Medusa’s head back in the box. It stares at you,
sunglasses on. The snakes are slithering on the left side still, but the snakes on the right side of the head are drooping
like they’re dead. Oh well.
The problem you now see is that you have an entire bucket of blood with the ability to bring the dead back to life.
You can’t keep it around. You have to get rid of it. You could pour it down the toilet and flush it away. Or you could
bury the bucket. One thing you can’t do is try to hide it somewhere. Mom would find it.

Flushing it down the toilet is a really good idea. Click this link to turn to page 145.

Burying the bucket is the better idea. Click this link to turn to page 166.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

“I can’t let you eat kids,” you tell Arg. “You have to go back.”
Arg hangs his head, and you are sure you see a tear slip out of his cyclops eye. But he slowly nods. “I
understand,” he says.
You walk him back to the volcano.
“Will you come visit?” Arg asks.
“Sure,” you say, though you aren’t sure you want to go back inside the forge. Still, Arg is your best friend.
Later that week, Hermes delivers a message to you. “Arg says you should come visit this weekend,” he says.
“Apparently he has a surprise for you.”
You miss Arg a lot, so why not? Saturday morning you ride your bike back to the volcano and go through the
golden gate. Arg meets you at the bottom of the steps. There is no sign of Hephaestus.
“Wait until you see what I made,” Arg says. He reaches behind a rock and pulls out . . . a head! It’s Medusa’s
head! Snakes wriggle from the scalp, hissing and snapping, but thankfully there is a golden mask covering her actual
face so you don’t turn to stone.
“Um . . . ,” you say, and take a step back.
“Now you won’t get turned to stone,” Arg says, and he drops the head into your hands.
You thought you were rid of Medusa’s head, but now here it is, squirming snakes and all, in your arms.
“Do you like the mask?” Arg asks.
The mask. You force yourself to look. The golden mask is actually beautiful, with cool engravings and designs.
It’s almost a shame that Medusa’s head is underneath it.
“I love it,” you say, and then you get an idea. A really bad (good) idea.
You step forward, toward the flowing river of lava, and then you pretend to trip on a rock. You grab hold of the
golden mask and thrust your hands forward with enough momentum that the head is pulled from the mask. You
close your eyes because you can’t risk seeing Medusa’s eyes. You try to visualize it tumbling through the air and
landing in the river of lava. And when you finally dare to open your eyes, there is no sign of Medusa’s head
anywhere.
The good news is that you’re still holding the golden mask.
“The gods are gonna be really upset about that,” Arg says.
You shrug. “It was an accident. And I love the mask.”
Then you have lunch with Arg and leave. You hope the gods never ask what happened to Medusa’s head. You
certainly don’t volunteer the information.

THE END
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“I have an idea,” you say to Hephaestus, and then you explain your thinking.
He agrees, and the two of you head back to his forge. There you collect Medusa’s head (wearing the mask of
course; you aren’t stupid. Okay, maybe you are stupid. You are trying to threaten the gods.). You head back up
Mount Olympus, but this time with the head.
The gods start laughing when they see you holding it.
“Medusa’s head won’t work on us,” one of them says. You think it’s Aphrodite because she’s the prettiest one in
the room and she keeps glaring at Hephaestus.
“That’s true,” you say. “But if you don’t listen to me, I will turn all your favorite humans into stone.” (This
confirms your stupidity, btw).
The gods are actually kind of speechless. Then Zeus says, “Well, I guess we could give Hephaestus one day off a
week.”
“Two days,” you say, trying to hold firm. Your heart is about to beat outside of your chest. This has to work.
Zeus scowls. “Two days. But only if he continues to deliver what we want.”
You know you should stop there and accept the offer, but things are going so well, so you push your luck a tiny
bit more.
“You need to ask him nicely when you want something,” you say. Your voice is shaking. They are going to smite
you on the spot.
But Athena inclines her head and says, “We could ask a bit more nicely.”
You turn to see Hephaestus has turned ten different shades of red. You can deal with him and the Athena thing
later.
“Wonderful,” you say, and you and Hephaestus head back down Mount Olympus.
Things are going great. You negotiate five more times on his behalf. Each time the gods are less happy, but they
do agree to your terms.
The next time you visit Mount Olympus, you pull out Medusa’s head to make your normal threat when Hermes
dashes over and steals it.
“Now what are you going to do, mortal?” Hera demands.
It’s not like you have a backup plan.
“I was just on my way out,” you say, and you leave Mount Olympus forever.
This is actually great. You never wanted Medusa’s head in the first place. It was the gods who gave it to you.
Now that they’ve taken it away, you can go back to your normal life.

You’re going home. Things are going to be normal once again. Click this link to turn to page 2.
Hephaestus is to blame after all. Stealing the good luck charm is the only way to protect yourself. And it’s not
really even stealing. It’s self-defense. Anyone would see it that way. It’s a stone with a silver four-leaf clover
burrowed into it. You slip it in your pocket and head home.
At home, you keep the four-leaf clover with you at all times. The mask stays on the head. You keep it on your
bedroom dresser so you can keep an eye on it, though you are smart enough to turn it away from you just in case.
As the days go by, though, Medusa’s head really starts to give you the heebie-jeebies. You know something is
going to happen. Your skin prickles. You have to get rid of the head. You reach for it, grabbing it by the hissing
snakes that cover the scalp. They don’t even bite at you. But then it happens. The mask is there one second and the
next second it’s not. Hephaestus’ curse has come to be.
It’s a good thing you have sunglasses on. Whew. Thank you, good luck charm!
You shove Medusa’s head into a pillowcase and look for your backpack. You think you left it in the kitchen. It’s
there, next to the sink. You start to put the head into the backpack, but the angle is really awkward and the good luck
charm falls out of your pocket. It bounces back up and falls down the garbage disposal. You reach for it and your
hand nearly gets cut off. You’re so startled that you drop something. You turn to see what it is, only to remember it’s
the head.
It rolls out of the backpack and out of the pillowcase, landing eyes up . . .
. . . looking directly at you.
Your parents come home later to find you there in the kitchen, now a solid stone statue. There is no sign of the
head. They have no idea what happened to you and they never will.

THE END
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If you’ve learned one thing from Greek mythology, it is that you cannot trust a monster. Monsters are monsters
because they were either born that way or did something bad enough that the gods turned them into monsters. Take
Scylla for instance. It’s not like she was bad to start off with, but then . . .
Okay, back on track. You need to stay focused.
“As much as I’d like to trust you, I can’t,” you say to Medusa’s head, and then you start to claw your way out.
“Yeah, whatever,” Medusa’s head says. “But remember that part about me seeing the future? Well, I can see your
future. And it ain’t lookin’ so bright, kid.”
You ignore the head. You ignore her discouraging prophecy. You dig your fingers into the dirt and stones and
climb out, one slow foot at a time, until finally you feel fresh air on your face. You open your eyes finally, not
looking down. You know the head is down there still because she’s been taunting you this whole time. Stupid head.
You search around until you find the biggest rock you can and you throw it into the pit. Then you go home.
That night you’re sleeping when you wake to the sound of hissing snakes. You swear there is whispering on the
wind. “I’m coming for you,” the whispering seems to say.
This is so totally your imagination. Unless it’s not.
Everywhere you go, you hear the snakes hissing. You hear the head taunting you. “I’m getting closer,” she seems
to say. “Your time is running out.”
You finally accept that leaving the head in the pit was a giant mistake. You go back, but the pit is gone! They’ve
paved a parking lot over the place where it was. If it was still in there, it is impossible to get out now.
Around the house, at school, everything puts you on edge. You can’t sleep. The head is coming. At this point you
almost welcome it.
One day your mom insists that you need to get out of the house. You help her in the garden. You’re pulling weeds
when you hear her shriek. “A snake!” she cries.
A snake. You let the words process. You slowly go over to look. Whew. It’s just a small little green garter snake.
You grab it with your gloved hand and pull it, but it’s stuck on something.
No, it’s attached to something. Out from under the bush rolls the head. It stops when it’s face up. Then its eyes
open.

THE END
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This is Athena. She’s a goddess. She is totally going to know if you make up some excuse. And even though
Athena seems pretty chill in lots of the myths, you can’t forget that she’s the one who turned Medusa into a monster
in the first place. She’s actually a little mean and vengeful when it comes right down to it. All the gods are.
You cringe as the thought goes through your head. You do not want to make the gods mad.
“Fine, let me get my phone, and we can go,” you say.
“No phones,” Athena says. She sounds like a teacher at school, but if Athena were the teacher, the kids would
actually listen to her.
You wonder about how to get to Mount Olympus, but Athena’s got it all figured out. You climb into her SUV.
“Put your seatbelt on,” she says.
The owl glares at you. You put your seatbelt on, and Athena starts driving. She takes the SUV off-road at the first
turn and starts going up a hill. But it’s no normal hill. It’s a mountain, and the top is so high up it’s hidden inside the
clouds. You ask her how this is possible.
“Magic of the gods,” Athena says.
Maybe getting to know the gods will be pretty cool after all.
When you get to the top of Mount Olympus and see the golden palace, your knees start shaking. You should have
made up an excuse. And when the gods start questioning you, you forget how to talk.
“Where is Medusa’s head?” Zeus demands.
Ugh. What are you going to do? You could lie, but the gods would know. Not only that, some goddess wearing a
blindfold is turned to face you, and even though she can’t see, you’re sure she’ll know if you’re lying. So you tell
the truth. The whole truth. Nothing but the truth.
“The child speaks the truth,” the goddess says.
“I’m not a child,” you say.
“Except for that statement,” the goddess says.
Fine. Maybe you are still a child . . . kind of.
“We appreciate you being honest,” Athena says. “And as a reward for your honesty, we would like you to find out
who took the head of Medusa in the first place and find where it is now.”
Oh no. This is not good. First of all, you’re not a detective. And second of all, messing in matters of the gods
can’t be smart. You don’t want them to turn that “magic of the gods” against you. But you also don’t think it’s a
good idea to say no to them.

Why not try your hand at being a detective? Click this link to turn to page 170.

You have to politely decline. Click this link to turn to page 150.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You realize that you only have one day left. One day! But with the Fates and the gods, you know they can’t be
trusted. The reason they are back here right now is because they’re planning something horrible awful for you for
this last day. Like a plane is going to fall on your house or you’re going to stumble into a sinkhole or you’re going to
step on a Lego. You can’t risk whatever it is that they have planned.
“Fine,” you say. “I’ll take the head back.”
The three Fates cackle in their old lady voices, but then, much to your happiness, the one holding the ball of blue
yarn tucks it into her pocket.
“You have chosen wisely,” one says. Then she snaps her fingers.
The three Fates disappear. In their place is the box, unopened. Just like the last time you saw it. You hate the sight
of it, but it must be better than bad luck.
You shove it into the storage space under the house, and eventually you forget all about it.

A lot of years go by. Click this link to turn to page 154.

It’s got to be the teacher. You can’t turn a poor innocent dog into stone. Just because the dog barks a lot does not
mean it deserves that. Your teacher on the other hand . . . well, she doesn’t like you, anyway.
You take the bus to school. Everyone wants to know what’s in the box. You refuse to tell them. This isn’t show-
and-tell after all. This is your responsibility and also the only way to stop the Fates from ending your very existence.
But when you walk into your language arts classroom and see Mrs. Brown there, head down, sleeping on the desk,
you can’t do it. This can’t be the right place, and it can’t be the right time.
Almost like she can hear your thoughts, Mrs. Brown’s head snaps up. “What’s in the box?” she asks.
“Nothing,” you say.
“Then show us nothing,” Mrs. Brown says.
You pull the box closer to protect it. Everyone is looking at you now.
“I can’t show you what’s in the box,” you say.
Mrs. Brown stands. “Do it or you’re going to the principal’s office.”
Just the thought of being sent to the principal’s office sends waves of fear through you. That never ends well.
They’ll call your parents. You’ll get in trouble. And you’ll still have to show what’s in the box. It may be better just
to get it over with now. And for all you know, this whole thing could be a hoax. Medusa’s head may not be in the
box.

You can’t open the box in the classroom. The principal is a way better choice. Click this link to turn to page
156.

There’s nothing to lose. You might as well open it. You don’t think Medusa’s head can turn everyone to stone
at once. Click this link to turn to page 175.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

This is the Oracle of Delphi. She is totally going to know if you’re lying. You fumble over your words because it’s
really hard to admit that you were going to steal the mask of Apollo. It was just so shiny and nice.
“Well, I kind of was thinking, you know with the head of Medusa . . .” Nothing you say sounds right.
“Liar!” the Oracle says. “Your friend may go free as she would have spoken the truth, but you are a liar and must
be punished.”
This is so unfair. First of all, Harper isn’t really your friend. Second of all, she’s in this as much as you . . . except
you are the guardian of the head. And third, you were trying to tell the truth! But the Oracle doesn’t care. Apollo
whisks Harper back to her normal life, but you are left in front of the Oracle awaiting your punishment.
“You may choose your punishment. Be turned to stone or become a gorgon yourself,” she says.
“What?!” Both of those options sounds horrible.

Better turned to stone than being a gorgon. Click this link to turn to page 140.

At least as a gorgon, you’re still alive. Click this link to turn to page 161.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You decide capturing it in a net and giving it a water burial is the way to go. You set up a net on the bridge that
goes over the river. Your parents always tell you that you can’t swim in this river because it’s too deep and
dangerous. For Medusa’s head, that is perfect. You tie an anchor to the net and set it on the railing. Then you wait.
You’re dozing off when you hear something rolling along the ground, coming for you. This is it. This is the
moment when you will be free of Medusa’s head forever. You wait. You definitely do not look at whatever is
coming your way. Then you hear the hissing of snakes as the thing rolls right into the net.
As fast as you can, you tie the ends of the net together, securing the head. Then you shove the anchor over the
side of the bridge. Everything is going perfectly! Except your foot catches in the net, and you’re pulled over the side
also. You struggle and try to break free. And as you’re doing this, you forget to keep your eyes closed. When you
open them, you are looking right into Medusa’s eyes. Your last thought is how much faster you are falling now that
you are turning to stone.

THE END
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“I have the perfect gift,” you say, and you rush back inside to get Medusa’s head. But when you show it to the
Fates, they shriek with rage.
“How dare you try to turn us to stone, mortal?” one of them says.
“But—” you start.
They don’t let you finish. “For this attempted crime, here will be your punishment. One day in the next five years,
no matter what precautions you take, you will look at the head, and you will turn to stone.”
Then they leave.
Well, that didn’t go quite like you’d hoped. Still, the Fates have spoken. You might as well have what fun you can
until that moment comes.

THE END
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You can’t let your mom go to the Underworld. Even if she was the one who wanted to raise the dead, you are the
guardian of Medusa’s head. She argues and tries to convince you to let her go, but Hades agrees with you. You and
he sink down through the ground, and then you’re in the Underworld.
“Here’s the catch,” Hades says, and he leads you to a giant wall of rocks. “The gate to Asphodel is behind these
rocks. For every minute you take to open it, ten more zombies will be released on the world.”
That does not seem like a fair ratio at all!
“But—” you start.
“And you’re already wasting time,” Hades says.
You get to work, moving the rocks. Each one is heavier than the last. You try not to take any breaks, but the work
is really hard. Your back hurts. You can hardly stand up. There must be thousands of new zombies by now. They
could have taken over the world. You have no way of knowing. Finally though, you see your first glimmer of hope.
An iron gate appears behind the rocks. You double your speed, and in under a half hour (three hundred more
zombies), you swing the gate open.
Zombies begin to pour through. There are so many. Way more than there should have been given the time it took
you to open the gate. They pull at you. They try to bring you with them, through the gate and into Asphodel. You
cling onto the gate like it is a life preserver. When the last one finally ambles through, you swing the gate closed and
lock it. For good measure, you pile a couple of the bigger rocks back in front of it.
“You did it,” Hades says, casually walking up. He looks like he just enjoyed a piña colada by the pool, and you’re
dripping with sweat and covered in zombie muck.
“Can I go now?” you ask.
“You sure can,” he says. “The exit is that way.” He points the way then walks off in the opposite direction.
You immediately start walking, but as you pass by different openings, you can’t help but look. One is like some
kind of paradise, with palm trees and beaches and a perfect hammock where you could take a nap. You could check
it out.

Check out paradise. When else will you have this kind of opportunity? Click this link to turn to page 144.

You have to get outta the Underworld. No time to waste. Click this link to turn to page 164.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 7

Who flew too close to the sun and fell to his death?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 132.
Even if you tried really hard, it would be impossible to drain every drop of blood out of Medusa’s head. Your mom
would find a way. So instead you take the head to the garage and cover it with Mod Podge. You put on four coats
just to be sure that it is extra thick. Then you try to stick a knife in it.
The Mod Podge holds! This stuff is the best. You set the head on the coffee table and explain what you’ve done.
Your mom acts a bit discouraged, and you feel like she’s planning something. Then before you know what’s
happening, Mom grabs a knife and slices one of the snakes off the head!
The snake is writhing around and hissing and super mad. “Venom from the snakes works too,” your mom says.
When did your mom become so obsessed with this? She’s not even acting like herself. This is out of control, and
you can’t figure out what to do. You decide to ask the Greek gods for help. You can’t ask Athena. She’s the one
who created Medusa in the first place. Maybe Aphrodite could help? Or Zeus? Will the gods even listen to you?

Aphrodite always sounded really nice. You’ll ask her for help. Click this link to turn to page 148.

Zeus is powerful and strong and can fix anything. You’ll ask him for help. Click this link to turn to page 168.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

If Arg has to eat a kid here and there, it’s not the end of the world.
Okay, fine, it is. You can’t let him eat any kids. But there must be another option.
“What about animals?” you ask. There are a million coyotes and wild boars running around in the greenbelt near
the middle school.
“Do they taste good?” Arg asks.
You widen your eyes and act really excited. “They are amazing!” You’ve never eaten a coyote or a wild boar, but
doesn’t everything taste like chicken?
This seems to convince Arg to at least try. So he doesn’t eat the kid, and that night you go out to the greenbelt. It’s
spooky and scary and dark, but you have a cyclops with you! Cyclopes are crazy cool, and you can’t imagine he’d
let anything in these woods hurt you.
“I smell bacon,” Arg says, and he takes off into the woods.
It gets darker by the second, so you sit against a tree and don’t move. Fifteen minutes later Arg comes back. He’s
got a huge grin on his face.
“Wild boars are way better than Pop-Tarts,” he says.
“I know!” you agree, even though you don’t. You’ll stick with Pop-Tarts.
After that, everything goes great. Arg and you have almost every class together. He joins the football team.
Nobody ever knows he’s a cyclops. And the best part?
You never see Medusa’s head again.

THE END
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“You’re right,” you say. “At least we tried.” You are more than happy to quit, actually. If Poseidon washes you
over the side in a giant tsunami again, you will die. Actually all the various ways the gods could do away with you
are terrifying.
“So I guess that’s it, then?” you ask Hephaestus. After all, these are his problems, not yours.
He shakes his head. “You need to come back and get the head.”
“But I don’t want the head,” you say.
Turns out Hephaestus doesn’t want it either. That puts you guys at kind of a stalemate. He starts to threaten you,
to demand that you take it. It’s the most assertive he’s actually ever been that you’ve seen, and you’re kind of proud
of him. But now’s not the time for that.
“How about a competition,” you suggest. “If I win, you keep the head. If you win, I keep the head.”
“Bring it on,” Hephaestus says.
You think fast. What is Hephaestus not good at? Nothing. That’s why the gods ask him to make all sorts of crazy
amazing things for them.
“First one to make a mask wins,” you say.
He agrees and you both go back to his forge. He gets to work, pouring melted gold into a form to help shape it.
You put a bandana over your face.
“Done,” you say.
Hephaestus is not happy at all, but you did make a mask first. He shouldn’t be such a perfectionist.
“Fine,” he says. “You’re free to go.”
Sweet!
But before you leave, he clasps a golden anklet around your ankle. You can’t get it off.
“It’ll let me track you,” he says with a smile. “And it will allow me to pull you back to the forge whether you
want to or not. Anytime, anywhere. You are under my control.”
Wait. Now you remember that Hephaestus is really keen on getting revenge. Maybe you should have tried to
make a better mask.
Oh well. It’s too late now. And what are the odds Hephaestus will ever actually use the anklet?
Fine you know they’re good. But that’s a problem for tomorrow, not today.

THE END
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You may not be the smartest person in the world (except when it comes to mythology), but you know it’s not a
good idea to steal from the gods. This would make the gods very angry. So you leave the good luck charm where it
is and head home.
It’s not like you can really do anything about the head. You have to live your life. You set Medusa’s head on your
bookcase, and your life kind of goes back to normal. But in the back of your mind, Hephaestus’ curse is always
there. One day . . . One day . . .
Finally the day comes. You’re sitting at your desk, slaving away at your homework when you hear a thump on the
ground behind you. You turn without thinking. There is Medusa’s head on the ground. It must have rolled off your
bookcase, but look at that. It’s face down!
Living in fear like this is ridiculous. You have to do something.
You grab the stupid head by the writhing snakes and head out to your backyard. There you place the head face up
toward the sky. You make sure not to look at the eyes.
First one bird comes, but it quickly turns to stone. Then another does the same. But soon there is an entire flock of
birds, so many that Medusa can’t make eye contact with all of them. They peck out her eyes, taking away the threat.
You shoo the birds away and grab the head. Back on your bookshelf it goes, but this time, instead of being a
ticking time bomb trying to kill you, it just makes a really cool decoration. All your friends think so too.

THE END
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This may be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done in your entire life, but you slowly open your eyes. “Fine, I trust
you,” you say.
“Good, smart kid,” Medusa’s head says.
Then you’re looking right at her. You don’t breathe. You wait. And as the seconds tick by, you do not turn to
stone.
“Told ya you should trust me,” Medusa’s head says. “Now get me outta this hole.”
It’s kind of awkward going. You hold Medusa’s head under one arm and climb with the other. But with your eyes
open, it’s easy to see the sloped angle of the pit and where to grab the rocks. And after only ten minutes you and
Medusa’s head are out of the pit.
“You know what I want?” the head says.
Hopefully it’s not to turn you to stone.
“What?”
“Chocolate,” she says. “And coffee. Can you get me some chocolate and coffee?”
Funny enough your mom loves chocolate and coffee, too, so you take the head home and set it on the kitchen
table. Then you brew up some coffee, following the directions Medusa’s head gives you perfectly. You also swipe
one of your mom’s Kit Kat bars.
“Kit Kat’s not bad, but next time you’re out, I want Twix,” Medusa’s head says. “The left ones, not the right
ones.”
You are smart enough to know it’s not a good idea to debate this with Medusa’s head. Instead you buy some left
Twix bars from the corner store. One time you bring home a right one by mistake, and she totally calls you out on it.
She knows!
“Did you say that you knew the future?” you ask Medusa’s head after she’s gotten over the right Twix fiasco.
“Well, duh,” she says, shaking the snakes around on her head. You’re gotten to where you need to brew a couple
extra cups of coffee just for the snakes to drink.
“So tell me the future,” you say.
“Whaddaya want to know?” Medusa’s head asks.
It only takes you a second. “The winning lottery numbers,” you say.
Medusa’s head lists off six numbers. You beg your mom to buy you a ticket since you aren’t old enough to buy
lottery tickets yourself. And when you win, your mom is more excited than you are! Your sister gets the new Vans
she’s been wanting, and your brother picks out the Death Star Lego set. Then you ask Medusa’s head what she’d
like, seeing as how she was the one who gave you the winning numbers.
“Better coffee, and more Twix,” she says. “And do you think you could bring me back to Greece? I’d really like
to go home.”
Money isn’t an issue, so you and your family fly to Greece, bringing the head along with you. And there, when
you get to the temple of Athena, you place the head on the altar.
“She was so nice,” your mom says.
You agree. You turn back to say goodbye one last time, but Medusa’s head is no longer there. Instead a girl,
maybe twenty, watches you. She could be another tourist. Or maybe after all these years, Athena has taken pity on
Medusa and turned her back into a normal girl, not a monster.
The girl smiles at you and walks away.

THE END
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 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 8

Who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to Mankind?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 153.
“You know, as much as I would totally love to do that, I have so much homework,” you say. Homework is always
a good excuse. Adults understand that kids need to do homework. And Athena is the goddess of wisdom. Wisdom is
all about learning.
“You’re making up an excuse,” Athena says.
You shake your head. “No way. I have a project in social studies. Math homework. And I have to write up a lab
report for science. Also there’s this book I need to read. And the worst part is that all of it needs to be done by
tomorrow.” As you say it you realize that sadly it’s all true.
Athena twists up her lips and scowls. “Are you lying, mortal?”
“No way!”
“Hmmm . . .” She thinks for a moment and then something seems to occur to her. She pulls out an hourglass from
behind her back. “This hourglass will stop the sands of time. Turn it over and time will stop for you. Now you have
all the time in the world for your homework and to come to Mount Olympus.”
You stare at the hourglass. You have been tricked by your own excuse. You could grab the hourglass and smash
it, or you could accept your fate and go to Mount Olympus. Also having an hourglass that can stop the sands of time
would be kinda cool.

You are totally going to smash the hourglass. Click this link to turn to page 151.

You accept your fate . . . and the hourglass. Click this link to turn to page 172.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

No way are you taking Medusa’s head back. You’ve made it 364 days so far. You can make it one more day. That
night you sleep better than you’ve slept in the last year. You wake up. Everything is going great. Your toast comes
out perfect. You get two double yolks when you crack eggs. You find a lucky penny on the sidewalk out front . . .
and it’s face up! Maybe instead of a bad luck day this is going to be a really good luck day.
You spot Harper as you’re walking to the park. It seems like so long ago that you beat her in the mythology
smackdown that got you the head in the first place. Sure, she’s won the last couple at school, but that was all
because of your bad luck. After today, you will again be the champion.
“Hey, Harper!” you call, because you’re in a really good mood.
“Oh, hey,” she says. “You want to see something really cool?”
“Cool like what?” you ask.
She’s almost bouncing up and down with excitement. “You have to see it to believe it,” she says.
Why not? If Harper thinks it’s cool, then you probably will, too.
You follow her to her house, and things are definitely going your way because she offers you donuts as soon as
you get inside. Her mom picked some up this morning while they were still warm. They almost melt in your mouth.
You love today. It is the best day ever.
“It’s in my room,” Harper says, and you follow her in there.
“Okay,” she says. “You have to promise to not tell anyone about this. Can you promise?”
You glance around because you aren’t sure what she’s talking about. You aren’t the best at keeping secrets, but
Harper doesn’t have to know that.
“Sure,” you say.
“Okay, check this out,” Harper says, and she opens the closet door. Sitting there staring at you is Medusa’s head,
eyes wide open.
You try to turn back to Harper, but your neck won’t move. It feels like your entire body is turning to stone.
“Oh, oops, her eyes weren’t supposed to be open,” Harper says. “That’s really bad luck.”
The last thing you see before you turn completely to stone is Harper reaching forward and closing Medusa’s eyes.

THE END
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It’s not like you want to turn the dog to stone, but it’s better than turning a person to stone, right? And the Fates
have insisted that it had to be done.
Late that night you grab the box and head out. You tiptoe down the street, avoiding the street lights. The dog is
still barking. How can any dog bark that quickly? You reach the house at the end of the street where the high fence
is. As soon as you go through the gate, the dog goes silent. Darkness fills in around you. You can’t see a thing. You
can’t hear a thing. The dog has to be here somewhere. You start to open the box when a light comes on inside the
house.
“Hades, honey, do you know why Cerberus stopped barking?” a female voice says.
Hades? Cerberus?
“No idea, Persephone,” a male voice says.
Persephone?
No, it can’t be. You turn back to dash through the gate you came in but you can’t see it. You can’t see anything
until the light from the moon comes out from behind a cloud and illuminates three dog heads on one dog. It is
Cerberus, and he’s coming right at you.

THE END
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Maybe it’s the wrong choice since you’ll be dead, but you don’t want to turn other people to stone.
“Turn me to stone,” you say. These are four words you never thought you would utter in your life.
“So be it,” the Oracle says.
Apollo takes the head and holds it up. And even though you don’t want to, you know you have to. You slowly
look Medusa’s head right in the eyes.
Nothing happens. You wait, a long time. Apollo brings the head closer, trying to get you to turn, but you stay as
not-stone as ever. Then you start laughing.
“Stupid thing doesn’t even work!” you say.
It’s not like the Oracle or Apollo can disagree. And because of your bravery, they decide to let you go. Apollo
whisks you back to your house along with the head. He keeps the mask. And since the head is kind of worthless as
anything but a decoration, you set it on a shelf in your family room. Everyone who visits comments on it. Nobody
turns to stone.

THE END
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There’s a Ren Faire about a half hour away. You and Harper hop on the subway, backpack in hand, and head over.
The tickets are kind of pricey, but they do have all sorts of amazing shows to watch. You’re tempted to watch the
jousting right now because a show is about to start, but first you have to get rid of the head.
You and Harper head right to the center of where most of the shops are. Then you start digging. At first nobody is
watching, but then a few people stop. A few more join them. Before you know it, you have a giant crowd watching
you. They think it’s part of the Faire. It’s making you really nervous, and you’ll feel much better when the head is
buried.
You pull the head from your backpack, making sure to keep the mask on. But the mask seems to have a mind of
its own. It does not want to be buried, and it slips from Medusa’s head. You and Harper look away, but nobody else
does.
Yep, they all turn to stone.
You finish burying the head.
“Cool display,” someone says, walking up between the stone statues of people.
“Isn’t it though?” Harper says. Then the two of you buy a turkey leg and catch the next jousting performance.

THE END
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You have to check out this paradise place, if only for a moment. You turn down the tunnel. Voices seem to beckon
you, telling you all the wonderful things that wait. The best part is that they aren’t wrong.
You get to paradise and realize this must be the part of the Underworld where the really good people go when
they die. Everyone is smiling. They offer you unlimited soda and nachos. You take the nap in a hammock.
When you wake, there is no homework. No head of Medusa. No worries of getting to school on time. Everything
is perfect and peaceful, and you really never want to leave.
So you don’t. You keep waiting for Hades to show up. To tell you that you have to go back to the real world. But
he never does, and you stay forever.

THE END
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Flushing this blood down the toilet is the way to go. As far as you know, when you flush the toilet, it’s like a
magical way of flushing away stuff you don’t want. And you don’t want this blood.
You lug the bucket and the box with Medusa’s head back into the house.
“Waffles are ready,” Mom says. So you take a break and eat some waffles. You wonder if Medusa’s head ever
gets hungry. Maybe she’d want a waffle. Okay, no, Medusa does not want or need a waffle. You finish your waffles
and then tell Mom and Dad that you need to go to the bathroom “really bad.” You don’t want them bothering you.
Then you grab the bucket and lock yourself in the upstairs bathroom.
You didn’t realize how much blood there is. It takes you four flushes to get it all down. But the inside of the toilet
is covered in blood, so you have to wipe that with a bunch of paper towels. When you try to flush them, you worry
that the toilet is going to overflow. The water gets really high, but then it finally gurgles and goes down. Your work
here is done.
When you go back downstairs to get the head, Mom is standing over it with a knife, and she’s mad.
“No bringing people back from the dead,” you say. Then you grab the head and go to your room.
That night you’re fast asleep when strange noises wake you. They sound like they’re coming from the bathroom.
“Hello?” you call.
The voices seem to moan in return. You tiptoe into the bathroom. You turn on the light just in time to see
something that looks like a zombie squirrel trying to claw its way out of the toilet. Oh no! You smack it back into
the toilet. You have no idea what kind of dead things must have been down there, but you’ve brought them back to
life. The toilet bowl is filled with zombie fish, swimming around. All the dead fish people have flushed over the
years. You never thought about that! This is so not good. You have to do something.
You slam the toilet lid closed, but you know that won’t stop them forever. You grab Medusa’s head and position
it over the toilet looking down. Then you take off the sunglasses you put on the head.
The zombie squirrel tries to get out again, but when it sees Medusa’s head, it turns to stone. The zombie goldfish
are next. One by one everything that has come back to life turns to stone. Sure, you can never use this bathroom
again, but that’s a small price to pay for keeping the dead in their watery graves.

THE END
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All the stories you’ve ever heard make Aphrodite out to be really sweet and only concerned about beauty and love.
That’s the kind of person who can not only talk some sense into your mom but also deal with Medusa’s head.
“Help us, Aphrodite!” you say. And maybe it’s the desperate sound of your voice or maybe it’s that no one
believes in the Greek gods these days, but Aphrodite appears right there in your family room.
She’s way pretty and smiles a lot, but when she sees Mom holding the hissing snake, her eyes go wide.
“Ew, gross,” she says. Then she points at the snake and it vanishes.
Mom is not please.
Then Aphrodite sees Medusa’s head. “I never understood why Athena made Medusa a monster in the first place.
It was so mean. The poor girl was in love, and Athena turned her into a hideous beast.” Then she points at Medusa’s
head and a flash of white light appears.
When the flash of light goes away, the head has been completely transformed. It’s nowhere near as pretty as
Aphrodite herself, but it sure as heck isn’t a monster.
“Oh, thank you!” the girl Medusa who used to be a monster says. She tosses her long hair which is definitely not
snakes anymore. And she bats her eyelashes. You and your parents haven’t turned to stone, so Aphrodite must have
fixed that, too.
“What do we do with the head now?” you ask, because you don’t really want the head around even if it isn’t a
monster.
“Don’t you worry about that,” Aphrodite says, and she takes the head and disappears.
Mom isn’t real happy, but there’s nothing she can do about it. And as far as you can tell, everything is perfect.
The head is gone. You now know mythology is real. And nobody is going to start the zombie apocalypse with
Medusa’s head.

THE END
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This is it. This is the moment you say no to the gods.
“As much as I’d like to, I don’t want to do it. I really don’t want to do it,” you say.
The lie-detector goddess with the blindfold watches you.
Nobody says a word. They all are looking at you. Zeus looks like he’s ready to grab his lightning bolt and strike
you down.
Then the goddess says, “The child again speaks the truth. And speaking the truth should always be rewarded.”
You let out the breath you had no idea you were holding. Then all the gods and goddesses are thanking you for
your honesty.
Athena says, “I will reward you for your honesty, too. Look for a present coming from me in the future.”
A present from a goddess sounds pretty sweet. Then you climb back into her SUV and she drives you home. Your
life returns to normal. Then the doorbell rings.

Answer the doorbell. Click this link to turn to page 2.

“Let me see that thing,” you say.
Athena hands the hourglass over.
The second it is in your hands, you throw it to the concrete ground, smashing it. Glass goes everywhere, and sand
pools all around your feet. There is so much sand. But the weird thing it that it is way more sand than could ever fit
in the hourglass.
“How is there so much sand?” you ask Athena. The sand is up to your knees by now.
Athena smiles. “It is all the sands of time, mortal. That is quite a bit of sand.” And the sand keeps pooling until it
pulls you under. You sink down through it, falling through the sand and the earth and everything that is below you.
It is completely impossible to keep falling and yet you do. And when you finally stop falling, you look around.
You’re encased in a glass room, still in the sand.
“Greetings,” some guy says, walking up. “I’m Hades. Welcome to the Underworld.”
“The Underworld?” you say. You aren’t sure how you hear him through the glass.
“Yep. That’s this place. My realm. And look at that. You’re going to be in that hourglass until the sands of time
run out . . . which they never will.” Then Hades walks off, leaving you there in the giant hourglass. Sand spills on
your head, falling around you, getting higher. When it finally covers you, the hourglass flips over. You fall through
first and the sand begins to fall on your head all over again.

THE END
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 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 9

Who designed King Minos’ labyrinth and what was held there?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 163.
So many years go by. You get really old, like thirty. You get married, have kids, and still live in the same house.
Your parents have long since moved to some beach resort in the Caribbean. You visit them once a year.
One year, just after your annual trip to visit your parents, you arrive back home. The three Fates are there,
standing in the backyard.
“We’ve come for the head,” one of them says.
“It’s under the house in storage,” you say.
They scowl and shake their heads. “Not anymore. So where is it?”
You look in the storage unit just to make sure. The Fates are right, even though they can’t see. There is no sign of
Medusa’s head.
You ask your brother and sister if they know what happened to it. They say that your parents cleaned out that
storage area years ago.
“What about a box?” you ask. You’re trying not to panic, but you were assigned to be the guardian of the head.
Your siblings shrug. “Pretty sure everything got donated to the thrift store.”
It’s definitely not the answer you want to hear, but you relay it back to the three Fates.
“Then you must find it,” one of them cackles. “Find it or die.” And she pulls out the ball of blue yarn.
Stupid blue yarn. You almost grab it from her and run, but you aren’t that dumb. Still, why are you the one who
should have to track down the stupid head of Medusa? You don’t want to do it. You shouldn’t have to do it.

You’ve had enough of the gods and the Fates. You tell them no. Click this link to turn to page 184.

You are the guardian of the head. It’s your job to find it. Click this link to turn to page 196.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You hold the box close. “I’m not opening the box.”
Mrs. Brown glares at you. “Go to the principal’s office right now.”
You stand up and leave the classroom, carrying the box. Part of you thinks you could just make a run for it.
Maybe Mrs. Brown will forget the whole incident and never check up on you. But then this girl you may have seen
once or twice before (Her name is weird. It’s written Euryale but pronounced Yur-E-Al-E) comes out of the
classroom behind you. She’s got some really cool sunglasses on with purple lenses that match her purple hair.
“Mrs. Brown wants me to make sure you go where you’re supposed to,” Euryale says.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” you say, even though you’d just been contemplating leaving.
“Yeah, well, Mrs. Brown thinks you do,” Euryale says. Then the two of you start in the direction of the main
office.
“So what’s in the box, anyway?” Euryale asks.
“Snakes,” you say, hoping that will get her to stop asking.
She lowers her sunglasses, almost showing her eyes. “Can I see?”
Okay, so maybe Euryale is thick in the head. Did she not just hear you say snakes were in it?
“Um, no,” you say. “They could bite you.” Then you walk the rest of the way in silence.
Once you get to the office and tell them why you’re there, you’re told to sit in a chair and wait. Euryale sits down
next to you.
“You can go,” you say.
But Euryale shakes her head. “Mrs. Brown told me to make sure you went into the office. And you haven’t gotten
into the office yet, so I have to wait here.”
What a stupid rule follower.
“Whatever,” you say. Then you sit and wait, not looking at or talking to Euryale.
Finally the door opens and a voice from inside calls you into the office. You stand and walk in. The principal, Ms.
Steno, is there behind her desk, watching you behind a pair of dark green sunglasses. She has some sun allergy and
has to wear them all the time.
“Come in,” she says.
You move forward and sit in a chair. Euryale sits down next to you.
“I’m in here,” you say. “Go back to class.”
“Not until I see what’s in the box,” Euryale says.
“Yes, open the box,” Ms. Steno says.
Maybe this is what the Fates meant. This is the right moment. From inside the box, you hear the snakes slithering.
“No,” you say.
“Then you are a murderer!” Ms. Steno shrieks, and she jumps up from her chair. “You killed our sister.”
Wait. Our sister? Oh no! Ms. Steno and Euryale are the other two gorgons! That explains why they have
sunglasses on. You have to get out of here. Or you could open the box and turn them both to stone.

You are turning these gorgons to stone. Click this link to turn to page 186.

You have to get out of here. Click this link to turn to page 198.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You and Harper go to the local shopping mall. You aren’t really sure how this is going to work, but Harper says,
“Check this out.”
She’s standing by a tree in the center of the shopping mall. It’s a whole green area that looks like it gets watered
every day. This is perfect.
You and Harper get to work, digging a hole then burying the head. People ignore you, almost like the gods are
keeping them from noticing what you’re doing. You grab the mask of Apollo off the head before you cover it with
dirt.
When you are finally done, you and Harper stand back to admire your work. There is no sign of digging, no sign
of anything unusual.
“What if someone digs it up?” Harper says.
As far as you can tell, that’s not really your problem. After all Perseus got rid of the head the same way. Apollo
shows up to collect his mask. You ask him for twenty dollars which he gives you. Then you and Harper get a pretzel
and sit next to the tree enjoying it.

THE END
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At least as a gorgon you will still be alive.
“Make me a gorgon,” you say. These are four words you never thought you would utter in your life. Then your
hair begins to turn into snakes. Your skin turns green. And instead of legs, you get a slithery tail, like you are a giant
snake. Then Apollo returns you to your house.
You can’t go inside! You slither under the porch and hide, snacking on mice and squirrels. Each day you really
want to turn people to stone. Each day you resist the urge. But it’s getting harder. You venture out a couple times
and almost give in. But you stay strong . . .
Until one day, you can’t take it anymore. You turn the annoying woman who lives down the street from you into
stone. Man, that felt good! But you know you can’t do this again. So you slither off far far away and find a cave to
live in. One day some kid visits your cave. He walks in, sword and shield in hand. “I am a demigod, and I’m here to
slay you.”
You turn him to stone. Then you decide not to hide anymore. If demigods are going to start hunting you,
eventually they’ll get you. You might as well enjoy your gorgon life until then.

THE END
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 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
QUESTION 10

Who is the ferryman of the underworld and what river does he take souls across?

Ready for the next question? Click this link to turn to page 192.
You don’t have time to waste. You’ve already been here in the Underworld forever while the zombie apocalypse
was unleashed on the world above. You have to get back to your mom and dad.
You pass at least five different tunnels that lead to the paradise place. You pass a couple tunnels with fire burning
at the end, like Tartarus is in that direction. No way are you going there. Hades had pointed in this direction, so this
is the direction you need to go.
So much time has gone by. You start to run. But within seconds of running, there is a growl from the tunnel
behind you, then three quick barks.
It’s Cerberus, hound of the Underworld, and he’s chasing you! You run harder. Faster. You have to be close. But
when you come out of the tunnel you’re running through, a black river lies in front of you.
It’s the River Styx.
Then the three-headed monster dog finds you. You can jump in the water and try to swim across, which is sure to
be your death, or you can get eaten by Cerberus, which is also sure to be your death.

You’ll take your chances with Cerberus. Click this link to turn to page 188.

Maybe you’ll make it across the River Styx alive. Click this link to turn to page 177.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You can’t flush the blood. People throw all sorts of dead things down the toilet. Fish, insects, spiders. The last
thing you need is a zombie fish apocalypse on your hands because you flushed the blood. It’s a much better idea to
bury the bucket. If you keep it upright, it won’t spill and everything will be fine.
The ground is pretty soft, and before long you have a hole that is three feet deep. That should be plenty good. You
carefully set the bucket in the ground and put some stones around the sides of it to keep it from shifting in the earth.
Then you throw all the dirt back in to cover it.
The next morning, you can’t see out your window. It’s covered with something. When you go downstairs, you see
that all the windows in your house are covered with slugs. You start to get a bad feeling in your stomach.
You tiptoe outside, not because you’re trying to be stealthy, but because the ground is covered in slugs. The slime
they’re leaving behind has to be an inch thick. You walk to where you buried the head. Sure enough, that is where
they’re the thickest. But they aren’t only in your yard. They’re out in the street, as far as you can see.
You’ve created a plague of slugs, and from what you hear on the news (which is calling it the slugpocalypse),
they’re growing and taking over the earth.
You think through your options. You could wait it out. Hopefully all the slugs will die, eventually. Or you could
use the blood from the left side of Medusa’s head. If it really is a poison, then if you bury it in the same spot, it could
kill this plague you’ve unleashed.

You’re gonna wait out the plague. Click this link to turn to page 180.

You have to try to stop the plague. Click this link to turn to page 190.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. How is she going to help against Medusa’s head? She’s not. What
you need is the king of the gods.
“Zeus, help us!” you say.
He doesn’t appear. It takes you calling his name five times before someone finally knocks on your front door.
You open the door to see Hermes standing there. He has a hat on with wings on either side.
“Zeus wants you to stop calling for him,” Hermes says. “It’s really annoying him.”
“Annoying him?” you say. “Yeah, well, Medusa’s head is annoying me. I don’t want it.”
“Too bad,” Hermes says. “You’re the guardian.” Then he flies away.
You call for Zeus a bunch more times. Hermes appears again. “Zeus wants you to—” he starts.
You cut him off. “Look, if he doesn’t take the head away, my mom is going to start the zombie apocalypse.”
“Not my problem,” Hermes says, and he flies away.
You do not give up. You call for Zeus a bunch more times. Next time the doorbell rings, you open it. There stands
Zeus, king of the gods.
“Who dares to call my name?” he says. “I will smite them with a lightning bolt.”
You get a really good idea. “Do you promise?”
“Absolutely,” Zeus says. “I will smite them.”
Then you hold up Medusa’s head along with the snake that your mom cut off it. “She’s been calling you.”
Zeus grabs Medusa’s head and throws it high up into the air. He takes his lightning bolt and strikes the head, like
some kind of target practice. It is completely obliterated. He does the same to the remaining snake.
“Thanks!” you say.
“I better not hear anyone calling my name again,” he grumbles. Then Zeus leaves. You are free of the head.
You’re tempted to call his name, just to annoy him, but you’re a little smarter than that.

THE END
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You want to decline the offer, but you just can’t find the right words. So you say, “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Being the detective of the gods has its benefits. They give you a really cool bike with wings that goes super fast
and can pedal all by itself to the top of Mount Olympus. During the day you go to school. After school, you search
for clues. You have access to very cool secret mythological places that are hidden everywhere. How did you never
see these places before? There are temples all over town to gods and goddesses. There are treasures and cool gods-
only restaurants. There are movie screenings where only immortals (and you!) are let inside. You enjoy the life, but
you also gather clues. And then you unearth the final clue. You figure it out.
“I know who took Medusa’s head,” you say next time you’re on Mount Olympus.
“Do tell, mortal,” Zeus says. He still won’t use your name even though you’re pretty sure he likes you.
“Apate,” you say. “Goddess of deceit.”
There is an audible gasp, not that you understand why they’re surprised. Of course the goddess of deceit was the
one causing trouble. It is so obvious. Still, the gods are pleased. They ask you to stick around and be their permanent
detective.
“But only if you want to,” the truth-detecting goddess with the blindfold says.
You realize that you really do want to.
“I accept the offer,” you say.
Life is never boring. They even let you bring a friend along from time to time. Then one day a really cool new
case comes up. Someone has stolen the Golden Fleece and the gods need you to find it.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .
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You take the hourglass and flip it over. Then you check the kitchen clock just to be sure. Yep, time has stopped.
Magic of the gods is kinda cool. Athena throws you in the back of her SUV and drives you to Mount Olympus.
You’re pretty sure she goes over every single bump in the road on purpose. By the time you reach the top of an
impossibly tall mountain, you have bruises everywhere.
“This is stupid,” you say.
Athena frowns at you and hauls you inside the golden palace.
The gods are not in a good mood. They immediately start drilling you with questions, one after another. You
hardly have time to answer. And when you do answer, you’re so shaken by them, that you lie. You never got the
head. You don’t know what happened to the head. You’ve never heard of Medusa.
“The child is lying,” some goddess with a blindfold says.
You aren’t sure how she knows. She can’t even see you. But the gods all believe her.
“For your insolence, you are sentenced,” Zeus says.
He’s kind of annoying, and you roll your eyes. This is all ridiculous. What are they going to do to you, anyway?
“Sentenced to what?” you ask.
“How about a choice?” Athena says. “One year in Tartarus or one year cleaning the Augean cattle stables.”
Tartarus! No way are you going to Tartarus.
“Wait, did you say the Augean cattle stables?” you ask as the myth returns to you. These are the cattle that
Hercules himself had to clean up after. And if it was one of the twelve labors of Hercules, it can’t be easy. Maybe
Tartarus would be better. You could find a nice corner and hide.
“Yep,” Athena says.
“You have five seconds to decide,” the blindfolded goddess says.
Five seconds! What happened to time being frozen?

Tartarus can’t be all that bad. Click this link to turn to page 193.

You’d pick cattle dung over Tartarus any day of the week. Click this link to turn to page 182.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You have to open the box. It’s like pulling off a Band-Aid. Better to just get it over with.
“Okay, I’m going to open the box,” you say. “But everyone needs to close their eyes because Medusa’s head is in
this box.” It sounds so stupid coming out of your mouth, but you don’t want your entire class to turn to stone.
A bunch of the kids laugh. This one kid named Johnny, who you can’t stand, calls you a dorky idiot. He might not
be dorky, but he is an idiot.
“No really,” you say. “This is your last warning.”
Every single kid keeps their eyes open. So does Mrs. Brown. “Open the box,” she says.
Here goes nothing. You open the box. But as you do so, you turn it face up. Snakes hiss. The box shakes in your
hand, like it is hungry to turn some poor mortal to stone. You keep holding onto it.
“Show us, dork,” Johnny says. “Unless you’re afraid to. Oooh, are you afraid?” Then he starts making stupid
chicken noises. This kid is so annoying.
Oh, maybe . . . just maybe . . .
You could ask him to come over and look in the box. Medusa could turn him to stone. Everyone would know you
are telling the truth. And then he would never annoy anyone else again, especially you.
Wait, that’s a horrible thought! You are not going to turn someone to stone. Except the Fates had told you that
you had to. It was turn someone to stone or the end of your existence. Johnny could be the right person at the right
time.

You are totally turning Johnny to stone. No one will care. Click this link to turn to page 178.

You can’t do it. You can’t turn another human to stone. Click this link to turn to page 200.

Want to start over? Click this link to turn to page 2

You will definitely die if Cerberus gets to you. You jump in the black water. Under you go, and when you come
up, you are sputtering black grossness out of your mouth. There are things floating all around you. Dead things.
Arms and legs and . . . ugh, this is the worst. You start to swim.
The water is thick and messy, and you’re making tons of noise. But you stop swimming and listen when you see
something jump in the water not far away from you. You only get a quick look, but its teeth look like they are
razors. It jumps again, this time closer. Another joins it. Then another, almost like they are hunting you.
You glance back to shore. There is Cerberus watching you from the safety of the ground. He drops a ball from
one of his three mouths and then he wags his tail. He only wanted to play. And now, as the monsters get closer, you
know you made the wrong choice.

THE END
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Johnny is so annoying. If you turn him to stone, kids all over school will rejoice. You will be a hero, like Hercules
or Perseus. Okay, maybe you’re getting a little caught up in all this, but you’ll be some kind of hero. And you will
fulfill what the Fates told you to do.
“Hey, Johnny,” you say. “Come here and look in the box. Unless you’re too scared.” You add this last part just to
make sure he comes over. The Fates had been totally right. There was going to be a perfect place, time, and person.
“I’m not scared,” Johnny says, and he walks over.
You tip the box just enough so he can see inside, but he trips you as you’re doing it. You fall. The box falls. You
land on the ground. You hear something land next to you. When you open your eyes, you’re looking right into the
eyes of Medusa. The last thing you hear is Johnny says, “So it really was the head of Medusa. That’s cool.” Then
you turn to stone.

THE END
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The blood from Medusa’s head is what started this problem. You are sure if you try to poison these slugs, it will
only create more problems. You’re gonna wait this out and let it resolve itself.
You and your parents head inside. You put duct tape over the cracks to keep the slugs from taking over your
house. You boil water to get the taste of slugs out of it. You play a lot of video games. The slugpocalypse is taking
over the world. It’s all the news channels are talking about. They are thick, they are everywhere, and they are not
stopping.
The biggest problem isn’t the slugs though. People are running out of food. You think about this as you toast your
last Pop-Tart. You and your parents either need to try to make a run to the grocery store, or you’re going to starve.
You take a bite of the Pop-Tart. It’s really slimy and gross. There are slugs covering it! That is so nasty.
Nasty, maybe, but it is food. And maybe if you bake them or toast them they won’t taste so bad. You decide to
try. You make baked slug soup, and it is delicious. Your mom and dad even agree. Then you make slug pudding.
And that’s when you realize there isn’t a food shortage. There is plenty of food. You tell your neighbors and slowly
the slug population begins to dwindle as people eat the slugs. Pretty soon they are all gone. You may have started
the slugpocalpse, but at least you ended it, too.

THE END
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You have heard way too many nightmares about Tartarus to go there. That’s the place where people get their livers
eaten and their skin peeled off. Cattle poop has to be better than eternal torture.
“I’ll take the cattle,” you say, and Athena throws you into the back of her SUV one more time. She drives you to a
field. You have zero idea where you are. In the field is the biggest stable you’ve ever seen. All around the field are
cattle grazing, eating grass, pooping. It’s a mess.
“There must be a thousand cattle here,” you say.
“Five thousand,” Athena says. Then she drives off and leaves you.
Well, you might as well get to it. You head to the stable and start cleaning.
You try not to interact with the cattle because you don’t want them pooping on you, but one of them won’t leave
you alone. You name her Lady and she follows you everywhere. The next day a couple more join her. Pretty soon,
you’ve named most of the cattle and have started playing with them during your rest periods.
The work is hard, but the cattle are really sweet. Also you get into really good shape. Your muscles are looking
buff.
When the year is over, Athena comes to collect you. You start to walk away from the cattle. Lady lets out a sad
sounding low.
“Do I have to leave?” you ask Athena.
She looks at you like you left your brain back in the stable. “You want to stay?”
You really love the cattle. You don’t want to leave them and never see them again.
“I want to be able to visit them every day,” you say. “I can stop time, clean their stables, play with them a little.”
It’s actually kind of a perfect solution, especially given the fact that you still have the hourglass.
Athena shrugs. “I’ll check with the gods.”
Turns out the gods are thrilled. Not only are they happy, they vow to owe you a big favor. And having a favor
owed to you by the gods cannot be a bad thing.

THE END
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“I’m not going to find it,” you say. “Just go to the thrift store and get it yourself.” After all, you have a family and
a job and all sorts of responsibilities. Some gorgon head does not need to be your responsibility.
“Is that your final answer?” one of the Fates asks.
“Final answer,” you say.
She’s still holding the ball of blue yarn, and from the way her sister is holding the scissors really near it, it’s
making you crazy nervous.
“You’re sure about that?” she asks.
Your stomach clenches. “Sure about that.”
The scissors come closer.
You can’t take it anymore. You jump forward and grab the ball of blue yarn. Then you wrap your arms around it
so they can’t get it back.
The Fates smile, all at once. Then one of them pulls out a ball of red yarn. “This is your lifeline,” she says.
Wait, what? “I thought this was my lifeline,” you say, holding up the blue yarn.
“Nope,” she says. “That’s my latest crocheting project.”
That’s when you notice that hanging on the end of the blue yarn is an alien she’s crocheting.
“And the red yarn?” you ask.
They start to cackle. “That’s your lifeline,” one says. Then the one holding the scissors snips it.

THE END
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“I never killed a gorgon . . . yet,” you say, and then you open the box. The snakes are slithering. You don’t look at
them. But you do look at Ms. Steno and Euryale, and that’s when you realize the problem. They both have
sunglasses on. For them to turn to stone, you need to get their sunglasses off.
Just then the office door opens wide. In walks the administrative assistant, Mrs. Sweeny.
“Is that a gorgon head?” Mrs. Sweeny says. Then she turns to stone right there in the doorway.
This is not good. You’ve turned one person to stone, and there are still two live gorgons in the room with you. But
almost like fate is on your side, the three Fates appear. Fate is on your side!
“Leave now!” one of the Fates says, but she’s talking to the two gorgon sisters, Ms. Steno and Euryale.
The hiss and try to reach you, but the Fates are totally protecting you. Then Euryale says, “We’ll get our
revenge,” and the two gorgons flee.
That leaves you, the three Fates, and the head of Medusa in the room with the now-stone administrative assistant.
One of the Fates points to her. “She was a servant of the gorgons,” the Fate says. “You picked the right person.”
“In the right place,” the next says.
“At the right time,” the third says.
Then they take Medusa’s head and disappear. You better disappear too before someone finds you in the office
with Mrs. Sweeny.
The window is pretty low to the ground. You open it, but as you are about to jump out the window, you notice
something on the desk. It’s a small gold and black jar so shiny you can see your reflection. You think it’s called an
amphora. You stick it in your pocket and leave.
When you get home, you take a closer look at the amphora. There’s a lid on it, and when you shake it, it sounds
like there is something in there. There are Greek letters on the top, and when you translate them on Google, they say,
“DO NOT OPEN.” But you kind of want to open it. What’s the worst that can happen?

TO BE CONTINUED . . .
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No matter how much you try, you cannot bring yourself to jump in the water. You know the water is death. Maybe
you can outrun Cerberus.
He steps closer. He wags his tail? Then he drops three slimy balls onto the ground, one from each of his mouths.
“You want to play, boy?” you ask.
Cerberus wags his tail ever harder.
You pick up one of the balls. It’s gross and covered in slobber, but it’s better than being dead in the River Styx.
You throw it and Cerberus takes off to fetch it. Before he even gets back you throw the next and the next.
Cerberus returns with all three balls, and you go through the same routine again. And again. And when Cerberus
finally seems like he’s tiring out, he leads you to the exit of the Underworld. You promise if you ever make your
way back here, you’ll bring him a doggie treat. Then you scratch him behind all three sets of his ears and leave the
Underworld.
When you get back above ground, the opening to the Underworld is still there. You grab Medusa’s head and hurry
back through.
“Here you go, boy,” you say. “Here’s your treat.” And you toss Medusa’s head his way. Cerberus swallows it in
one gulp.

THE END
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You started this whole mess, so it’s up to you to end it. You get a knife and cut open the left side of Medusa’s
head. Then you let the blood drip directly into the ground where you buried the bucket. It starts to work
immediately. The slugs begin to wither away until there is nothing left of them. You drain every last drop of blood.
No more can Medusa’s head be used to bring the dead back to life or to poison anyone. But that’s not good enough.
You don’t want it to turn anyone to stone either. So you dig the hole one more time, and you throw the head inside.
As you cover it with dirt, however, the ground begins to turn to stone. It’s spreading out, turning the trees into
stone. Turning your house into stone. It’s a whole new kind of apocalypse, and once again it’s your fault. Some
guardian of Medusa’s head you turned out to be.
You try to run, to get away from the ground, but your feet won’t move. You look down. They’ve turned to stone.
Your legs are slowly turning to stone also. This is the worst, but there is nothing you can do but wait for your entire
body to turn to stone. It doesn’t take nearly as long as you think.

THE END
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 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN
BONUS QUESTION

What event (including names) started the Trojan War?

All done! Let’s check your answers. Click this link to turn to page 207.
How bad can Tartarus be? All those rumors can’t be true. People don’t get their livers eaten by eagles. And that
Sisyphus thing? No way is some guy pushing a rock up a hill day after day after day.
“I’ll take a year in Tartarus,” you say.
“So be it,” Zeus says. “A year in Tartarus measured by the sands of time.”
Before you have a chance to tell him that you’ve stopped the sands of time with the hourglass, the earth opens,
and you are swallowed whole.
You find yourself on a hill. There’s a guy nearby leaning on a large boulder.
“You know why I like this boulder?” the guys says.
“Why?”
“It’s soft as a pillow and made of cotton candy,” he says. “So I get to come here any time I want and eat some.”
“What flavor cotton candy?” you ask. You like the blue but you don’t love the pink.
“Blue raspberry,” he says.
“Not bubble gum?”
He shakes his head. “Definitely not bubble gum. Here come try some.”
Your stomach grumbles. You are kind of hungry. All this dealing with the gods has given you an appetite. So you
wander over.
“Here, feel how soft it is,” the guy says.
You lean against it. It’s not soft at all. It’s actually really heavy.
“Thanks, kid,” the guy says, and he runs off. You turn to look at the boulder, to see if you’re missing the whole
cotton candy part of, when you see something carved into the side. “Sisyphus was here” it says.
Wait, what!? Sisyphus? That means this is his boulder. And now here you are pushing it. Nope. You let it go. But
as you watch it roll down the hill, you can’t bring yourself to leaving it there. You have to push it to the top. Then
you let it roll down again. No matter how hard to try to walk away from that boulder, you are drawn to it, like a
curse. And the worst part is that every time you think about the hourglass back at your house, you realize you will be
pushing this boulder up this hill for the rest of eternity.

THE END
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Whether you want to be or not, you are the guardian of Medusa’s head. You go to the thrift store and ask about the
box. The guy working there seems to remember a box that sold right away, without even being opened, years ago.
“It was almost like they knew what was inside,” he says. It gives you the chills.
“Do you remember who bought it?” you ask.
“Nope.”
So you post to Nextdoor and ask if anyone happened to buy Medusa’s head at the thrift store. The string of
comments you get on your post is unending. People start a thread of Medusa puns.
I’ve started dating Medusa recently. Our relationship rocks!
What’s Medusa’s favorite cheese? Gorgonzola.
I feel like Medusa was in some rocky relationships.
Okay, fine, people aren’t taking it seriously. If the tables were turned, you probably wouldn’t take it seriously
either. But finally a comment is posted that has some hope.
“There’s a weird box in my basement that my dad bought years ago,” the comment says.
You arrange to meet the person, and they show you the box in the basement. It is the one! And it’s still unopened.
“What’s in it really?” they ask.
You already posted on Nextdoor. It doesn’t matter now.
“Medusa’s head,” you say.
“No way!” And before you can stop them, they cut the box open and look inside.
At least you know, as they turn to stone, that you have the right box. And once you can swipe it out from under
the person (who has now turned to stone), you return it to the Fates. They’re only a little mad that you turned
someone to stone, and it wasn’t really your fault, anyway.

THE END
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There are two of them and only one of you. All they have to do is take off their sunglasses and you are a goner.
You wrap your arms around the box and run from the room. You know your way around the school really well, but
with two gorgons chasing you, you forget where everything is. All you can think is that you have to get out of here!
You turn left. Then right. Then left. Then you duck into the gym and peek back out the doors.
There is no sign of the two gorgons anywhere. Whew. That was close! But then you hear footsteps coming toward
you. You aren’t in the clear yet.
Taking the box with you, you dash into the locker room. There sitting on the bench is the most amazing pair of
running shoes you’ve ever seen in your life. They are gold with black trim, and coming out of the side of them are
white wings.
Wait! These aren’t normal running shoes. These must be Hermes’ running shoes. Hermes must have left them
here to help you escape these crazy mad gorgons.
You shove the shoes onto your feet and run. The shoes lift you off the ground. You’re back in the gym just as the
two gorgons come through. But they can’t reach you! They screech and yell, but too bad for them. You are free!
You fly out of the school and far far away. You only rest when you are sure they have no idea where you are. You
hope they can’t track you down.
Night comes and you know you need to go home. But if you go home, the principal is sure to know where you
live. Ms. Steno could totally look you up. Still, they might not expect you to go home. Should you risk it? You can’t
stay out here forever. Maybe it would be better to lie low and find somewhere to hide.

Go home. The gorgon sisters aren’t going to come after you. Click this link to turn to page 202.

Better to find somewhere to hide. Those gorgons could turn up any second. Click this link to turn to page 204.

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Even if Johnny is annoying, you can’t turn him to stone. You face the sad fact that you can’t really turn anyone to
stone, even if it means the end of your existence. But you still have to get everyone to stop wondering what’s in the
box.
You wave the box around. “Watch out for the head of Medusa! Watch out! She’ll turn you to stone.” You dance
around and act really stupid, and pretty soon everyone is laughing including Mrs. Brown and Johnny. Then you seal
the box.
Nobody asks about the box for the rest of the day.
When you get home, the Fates are waiting for you.
“You failed,” one of them says.
“You didn’t turn the right being to stone,” one says.
“At the right time,” another says.
“And the right place,” the third says.
These Fates are really annoying. Why should they decide who gets turns to stone? Who put them in charge?
“Well, I had a question about that,” you say. “I wasn’t sure how to do it.”
The three Fates shake their heads like you’re the stupidest creature on the planet.
“You point the head at a being and when eye contact is made, they will turn to stone,” one of the Fates says.
“Oh, okay.” You open the box. “Like this?” And then you point the box right at the single eyeball the three Fates
share. Seeing as how they are beings, though immortal ones, and they are making eye contact, they immediately
solidify, leaving you with three stone statues and the head of Medusa in your room.

THE END
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You have to go home. Even if the gorgon sisters are able to track you down, it’s not like you can hide from them
forever.
You fly home with Hermes’ shoes. But as soon as you land, you see Euryale. She’s waiting for you. She pulls
down her sunglasses, but you are prepared. You open the box and face it toward her. Immediately she turns to stone!
Good to know that Medusa’s head works on her sisters, too. You close the box. One down. One to go. But you know
what’s waiting for you inside.
You sneak in the back, but it doesn’t matter. There is your mom having hot chocolate with Ms. Steno.
“She’s a gorgon, Mom,” you shout.
Your mom’s eyes widen, but she doesn’t look as surprised as you would have thought.
“That’s right,” Ms. Steno says. “And if you don’t admit to killing my sister, I will turn your mother to stone.”
Well, this is a little tricky. You did actually kill her sister, Euryale, who is now out front decorating your yard. But
you don’t want to tell her that. It’s not like she’s just going to let you off the hook if you confess. These Greek
monsters can’t be trusted. You can’t confess.
“I didn’t do it,” you say.
“You know,” your mom says. “Why don’t I go get us a light snack?” Then she heads into the kitchen. That leaves
you and Ms. Steno sitting at the table. Waiting. She still has her sunglasses on. You still have Medusa’s head. But as
long as she keeps the glasses on, you are certain of two things. You can’t turn her to stone and she can’t turn you to
stone.
Then your mom comes back in the room. She’s carrying of all things a giant silver butcher knife. And with one
solid swipe she cuts off the gorgon’s head. You grab the head before the sunglasses can come off and shove it in the
box with Medusa’s head. Then you finish the hot chocolate.
So there you are. You now have TWO gorgon heads and a sweet pair of running shoes that make you fly. This is
nothing like how you imagined things would go, but all in all, everything has turned out okay.

THE END
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You can’t go home. That is totally what they’d be expecting! You have to let some time pass. Give them time to
get over the whole thing. Okay, who are you kidding? These Greek monsters have been around for thousands of
years. They can probably hold grudges for your entire mortal lifetime. You’re going to have to hide forever.
You remember stories from mythology about people hiding in caves, but it’s not like there are tons of caves
around. What there is though is a giant Amazon warehouse that has basically everything you could possibly need to
survive. You sneak in a side door when one of the workers sneaks out to take a break, and you find a place to hole
up. You shove the box with Medusa’s head on the far back shelf, and then you set up camp.
This place is better than a shopping mall. You have all the food you could ever want, you can read any book, play
any game. And the nice thing is that since you are at the far back corner of the place, no one ever comes back here.
That is until one day . . .
You’re just coming back from picking up the latest gaming console when you see a warehouse worker loading the
box with Medusa’s head onto a cart.
“Wait, stop!” you say.
The worker calls security. Next thing you know your wrists are cuffed and you’re being dragged in for
questioning. Ten people sit glaring at you.
“What are you doing here?” the main guy in charge asks. He seems really mad. You aren’t sure why he should
care. All you can think about though is getting the box back.
“Where’s my box?” you ask.
“Gone,” the guy says. “And unless you can come up with a really great explanation, I’m calling the cops.”
There is no good explanation, at least not one that is truthful. You can’t just tell other mortals about Medusa’s
head. But before you can make up a lie, Ms. Steno walks in with Euryale at her side.
“We can take it from here,” she says. Then she and Euryale turn all ten people questioning you to stone.
“You just turned them all to stone!” you say.
“Oh, oops,” Ms. Steno says. “That was an accident.” She places her glasses back over her eyes. “Now where is
the box?”
Good thing you’re decent with computers. You manage to track down the box ID to see where it is being sent.
You give this information to the gorgon sisters.
“By the way, I didn’t kill Medusa,” you say.
“Liar,” Euryale says. Then she turns you to stone also.

THE END
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 ZEUS’ MYTHOLOGY SMACKDOWN ANSWERS

1) A stone wrapped in a baby blanket

2) Hydra
3) Stheno, Euryale, Medusa
4) 10 years
5) 7 guys and 7 gals
6) 14: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hermes, Demeter, Hephaestus, Ares, Hestia,
Dionysus. and Hades (though the answer is debatable)
7) Icarus
8) Prometheus
9) Daedelus, The Minotaur
10) Charon, The River Styx
Bonus) Paris, a Prince of Troy, kidnapped Helen, wife of King Menelaus

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