With that Maximilian clicked his fingers and an elf, nearly as tall as Matilda, appeared beside him. He was dressed nattily in a turban, kaftan and slippers, all golden. He bowed low and swept his hand across his waist.
“Pleased to meet you Matilda,” he said in the sweetest voice Matilda had ever heard. “I’ve been told so much about you that I feel privileged to be able to serve you.”
“Husan is a bit of a smoothie,” said Maximilian. “But he has some useful talents.”
“I hope I can live up to what you’ve heard about me, Husan,” replied Matilda.
“I know you will,” stated the elf.
Suddenly Peri, the little magic fairy, appeared on Maximilian’s other shoulder. Her little arms folded across her chest and, with a scowl on her face, she did not look pleased.
“What’s going on here?” she frumped. “Why wasn’t I told about this meeting? And what’s he doing here?” She pointed at Husan.
“Now, now, Peri,” said Maximilian, gently, “this is not a good start. You will have to put your feelings about Husan to one side if you are to help Matilda this time. And I believe that you will need his extra talents if you are to survive,” he continued, patting the fairy on the head. “I was going to call you as soon as I found out what was worrying our friend.”
“Hmmf,” Peri responded. Then, smiling, she looked down at Matilda. “Hi,” she said with a wave of her hand.
“Hello, Peri,” replied Matilda. “It’s so good to see you again.” She motioned with her hand and the little fairy flew across to land gently on her shoulder. Matilda reached up and stroked her head. While this was going on, Husan watched with his hands on his hips, and a strange smile on his face.
“If that’s been settled,” said Maximilian, looking at both Husan and Peri, “we can get on with a plan of attack.”
Quickly explaining Matilda’s problem to both the elf and the fairy, he then clicked his fingers. A scroll appeared in his hands. “Every plan needs a map,” he grinned.
“As you probably know, Neptune lives under the ocean. He is the god of the sea and can also create earthquakes – a sort of sideline.” The map unrolled in front of him. “Here is his cave,” he explained, pointing to a mountain beneath the sea marked with a red cross. “I think that is the cave in your dream, Matilda, and would be a good place to start. You have to speak to Neptune to find out what is going on. From there it is anybody’s guess where it will lead. However, once you discover what you need to do, this map will prove to be invaluable. It has magic qualities that you can use when you are under the sea. And it’s waterproof,” he laughed. “Just ask it a question and, if it knows the answer, it will give it to you. Make sure that you never let this scroll out of your sight. In the wrong hands it could be disastrous.”
Matilda looked down at the map. It showed a vast area of the sea bed with all of its mountains and valleys, as well as the depths of the water. It was quite beautiful. There were several golden dots sprinkled around the map but nothing to explain what they meant.
“What are those golden dots for?” she asked.
“They are important places you may need to refer to as a guide during your journey. Watch,” explained Maximilian, placing his fingertips on one golden spot and gently rubbing it.
As Matilda looked on, the map disappeared and was replaced by a moving picture. It showed a group of mermaids playing a game with a silver ball. They were obviously enjoying themselves as they frolicked and laughed, passing the ball to each other. Maximilian rubbed the scroll again and the picture disappeared.
“You will be able to communicate with anybody in the pictures if you need help,” added Maximilian. “Remember that, once you are under the sea, the map will also help you by answering your questions. Simply wave your hands over the scroll and ask what you will. Are you ready for another adventure, my princess?”
“As ready as I can be,” replied Matilda, “with my trusty friend, Peri.”
“Don’t forget me,” shouted Husan jumping through the air to her side.
“How could anybody forget you,” grumbled Peri.
“I can see we’re going to have to work on team-building here,” said Matilda, smiling at Maximilian.
“I’m sure you’ll cope,” he replied, patting her on the head. “Now for the final piece of equipment.” He snapped his fingers and the Story Mat appeared before him. He handed it to Matilda. “As before, earth-time will stand still while you are away and your parents will not be aware that you have left home. Be safe my little one and I await your return.”
With that, Maximilian faded away.
Matilda turned her head to look at her two little helpers on her shoulders. “Well, it’s just you and me now,” she stated. “Let’s find out what this is all about.”
“I’ll see you whenever you need me,” said Peri as she disappeared in a flicker of light.
“Unfortunately I can’t do that disappearing stunt,” said Husan. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to put up with my good looks full time.”
“Mm-mm,” muttered Matilda. It looked like the elf had a big ego that she would have to cope with as well. Picking up the Story Mat and the scroll, she headed downstairs to her bedroom.
Chapter 6
The Adventure Begins
Matilda decided that now was as good a time as any to be on their way. Her parents were still at their bookshop, not that it mattered anyway as time stood still while she was away and they would never miss her. But the truth was that she was eager to begin the adventure and she had a niggling feeling that time was running out for Neptune. He needed her help now.
After she had unrolled the Story Mat on the floor, she was joined by Husan as she sat down on it and placed the scroll on the golden sun at its centre. Then she folded her arms across her chest, told Husan to hang on tight, and closed her eyes.
WHOOSH! The Story Mat took off, passed right through the walls of the house and shot out into space.
“Wow!” yelled Husan. “This is great!” Flashing coloured lights whistled past them as they sped along a bright tunnel.
At last Matilda felt the Story Mat slowing down until it finally landed with a gentle bump. She opened her eyes to see that they had landed on a sandy beach. When she hopped off the Story Mat and looked around, she saw that they were actually on a small island no bigger than a football field, with a single palm tree. They were surrounded by sparkling, clear, turquoise water and there was no other land in sight. The Story Mat silently rolled up and disappeared.
“Peri,” Matilda whispered, and the little fairy appeared on her shoulder. “What do we do now?”
“Just wait, I suppose,” replied Peri.
“It looks pretty lonely,” Husan commented. “I hope we don’t get stuck here.”
As he spoke, the water near the island began to bubble and swirl. Suddenly a golden chariot burst through the surface. It was pulled by six dolphins in two rows of three, with a huge Orca in front. In the chariot stood the old man Matilda had seen in her dreams. He was holding a three-pronged spear.
“Welcome,” wheezed the old man as the chariot moved towards the island. “We have been anxiously awaiting your arrival.”
‘It’s good to know we’ve come to the right place,” Matilda responded with a sigh of relief. “You must be Neptune. I’m Matilda, and,” pointing to the fairy and elf,” these are Peri and Husan.”
“Oh, I know who you are,” said Neptune. “My faithful Communicator has kept me in touch with developments.” He pointed to the Orca leading the dolphins. “May I introduce Odon, the Killer Whale. He is the one responsible for you being here.” The Orca winked at Matilda.
“Pleased to meet you,” replied Matilda.
“Odon convinced me that you would be able to help me with my . . . er . . . problem,” Neptune informed them. “He heard of your bravery in Laboria from his relations in that area. It was certainly a nasty business from what I have been told.”
“All’s well that en
ds well,” said Matilda, feeling a little embarrassed. “Now what can we do to assist you with your problem?”
“It would be best if we discussed this in private. If you would like to hop into my chariot, I’ll take you to my palace under the sea.”
“Er . . . there’s one small difficulty,” stated Matilda. “We humans can’t breathe under water. I’d drown down there before you could tell me anything.”
“Oh no,” laughed Neptune. “I wouldn’t want that to happen. But I’m sure your little friend there can make suitable arrangements.” And he pointed at Peri with his trident.
Matilda looked at her tiny friend on her shoulder. “Can you do that?”
“Simple,” replied Peri, and she waved her wand. “Feel your neck,” she added.
Matilda rubbed her hand down the side of her neck. She felt a series of small slits. She rubbed the other side and found similar slits.
“Those are your very own gills,” Peri informed her. “You are now an official Amphibian.”
“What about me?” asked Husan.
“I suppose so,” said Peri with a scowl. “We may need you, although I doubt it.” She waved her wand and little gills appeared on Husan’s neck too.
“I’ll just fix myself up,” said Peri, waving her wand again, “and we’ll be ready to go.”
Chapter 7
Neptune’s Palace
Matilda waded out to the chariot, with Peri on her shoulder. She and Husan climbed in and seated themselves beside Neptune who was holding a set of silver reins. When he shook them, Odon reared out of the water and pulled the chariot out to deeper water before plunging down under the sea. Matilda felt the little fairy grab hold of her hair and Husan clutch her arm as the water rushed over them and they dived to the depths below.
Deeper and deeper they went until the sunlight from above disappeared and they were surrounded by darkness. Neptune reached forward and turned on a large lamp attached to the front of the chariot. It pierced the darkness as the dolphins, led by Odon, took them towards a mountain in the distance. They could see more lights around an opening in the side of the mountain. It was the same as Matilda had seen in her dream.
At last the chariot stopped in front of the opening and Matilda could see that it led into a huge cave within the mountain. It was brightly lit and, standing guard outside the entrance, were at least twenty Mermen. They each held a trident, and stood stiffly to attention as Neptune climbed down from the chariot.
“My loyal sentries,” he explained to Matilda. “And they are badly needed in these dangerous times. But more of that later.”
He walked through the entrance to the cave where Mermaids were swimming around, resting or talking in small groups. They waved happily as Neptune and Matilda walked by.
“My devoted handmaidens,” continued Neptune. “They look after my every need. I could not survive without them.”
“I don’t care who he is, he wouldn’t get me being his slave,” Peri whispered into Matilda’s ear.
“Keep your opinions to yourself,” muttered Husan.
“Shoosh, both of you,” Matilda said softly. “You can worry about who does what later. Right now we have to find out what’s going on.” She could not believe that she was walking around underwater and breathing through her new gills.
Neptune stepped up to what appeared to be a clear plastic wall. Matilda could see through it to a large foyer with passages leading off in all directions. She watched as Neptune paused at the wall, then walked straight through it. He signalled to her to follow. Placing her hands on the clear wall that felt like jelly, she closed her eyes and stepped forward. Suddenly she was no longer surrounded by water but was breathing fresh air. She was an amphibian. And she also noticed that their clothes were instantly dry.
“Osmosis is a wonderful thing,” smiled Neptune. “We simply pass through the wall and no water is allowed inside. Welcome to my palace.”
The three friends looked around in wonderment. The walls of the foyer were turquoise glass giving the whole space a cool feeling. Behind the glass all sorts of tropical fish swam lazily amongst coral and kelp. The colours were magnificent.
“Follow me,” instructed Neptune as he moved towards one of the many passages. The glass walls continued as they moved deeper inside the cave. The end of the passage opened into a vast room with a towering ceiling, lit by shining domes set in the roof. A silver throne was set against the far wall with a purple carpet leading to it. There were deep blue settees lined around the other three walls and Neptune led Matilda across to one.
“We can discuss my problem here,” he informed the three friends, “without being interrupted.”
Chapter 8
Neptune’s Problem
“The first thing you must know,” Neptune informed them, “is that I have many powerful enemies, not all of my own making. Some wish revenge for things they believe I have done to hurt them in the past, others have seen the chance to attack me as my powers disappear. It now seems that they have joined forces to destroy me.”
“Who are these people?” asked Matilda.
“A mixture of the old gods of mythology and spirits they have released to help them in their cause. The gods have used the greed of the spirits to draw them into their conspiracy. Their aim is to strip me of any powers that remain, take all of my possessions, and cast me into the mystic world to float around, helpless, for eternity.”
“Wow, you must have done some terrible things to them,” interrupted Husan.
“Not so,” continued Neptune. “Everything that happened was the result of their own actions. I simply struck back when they attacked me and my family. They set the conflict in motion and I reacted the only way I could.”
“Tell us the whole story,” Matilda requested, “so that we understand what happened.”
“Very well, I shall make it as brief as I can,” replied Neptune. “It all goes back to the golden days of Greek mythology, when I was known as Poseidon, god of the oceans and earthquakes. I had a son, Cyclops, he of one eye, who lived on an island. When the mortal Odysseus was returning from the Trojan War and stopped at the island, Cyclops captured him and his soldiers. He had them trapped in his cave and guarded the entrance so that they could not escape. However, Odysseus blinded Cyclops with a sharpened stick and escaped. I was angry that my son had been blinded so I stirred up the seas and Odysseus became marooned on an island, supposedly for the rest of his life. This was not to be as the god of gods, Zeus, intervened, sending a messenger to have him released from the island. As Odysseus sailed home on a raft, I heard of his escape and, once again, stirred up the seas so that his raft was wrecked. Little did I know that the gods intervened again and he did not drown. He was finally taken in by the gods and survives today in the mystic world, carrying his hatred of me with him. Now that he has learnt that my powers are diminished, he has surrounded himself with my enemies to exact his revenge.”
“But you said that Odysseus was a mortal human being. How can he possibly have more power than you?” asked Matilda.
“He is a favourite of Zeus, the god of gods. Zeus has seen fit to support Odysseus in his quest to destroy me. He has given Odysseus access to the spirit world.”
“What does that mean?” asked Husan. “The spirit world is only made up of harmless ghosts.”
“Not so harmless, my little friend,” answered Neptune. “They have powers that I cannot control and, more importantly, they have good reason to help crush me. As god of the seas and oceans I have been able to gather all of the treasures from ships that have been wrecked over the millennia. Those treasures have been stored in a huge chest and hidden away in a secret place. I am the only one who knows where the chest is concealed. Odysseus has called upon the ghosts of pirates past to capture me and force me to reveal my secret. The pirate spirits will have their treasure and the gods will destroy me”
“That’s what I saw in my dream,” interrupted Matilda. “There were ghosts dressed as
pirates trying to grab you. But why would ghosts want your treasures? It’s not as if they would be able to use the wealth.”
“You are right, of course,” explained Neptune. “It is not a matter of wealth for them, it is a matter of principle. They see themselves as the rightful owners of the treasures. They believe that they lost their lives gathering much of what the chest contains and, so, it is justly theirs.”
“Why have the gods and Odysseus waited so long to seek their revenge?” asked Matilda.
“They have been very patient, waiting until my powers have diminished. In the past they have worried about the havoc I could cause to their world with my full powers. Now they sense that I am all but defenceless,” replied Neptune. “That is why Odon, my faithful Communicator, sought your help. We have to fight the greed of the pirate spirits and the wrongful revenge of Odysseus and the old gods if balance in the mystic world is to be maintained. Will you help me?”
Matilda looked at both Peri and Husan, who nodded. “Of course we will,” she replied.
Chapter 9
Settling In
“Excellent,” responded Neptune. “Now I’ll show you to your quarters so you can freshen up before dinner.”
He stood and walked back out into the passageway. Matilda followed behind with Peri on her shoulder. Husan trailed behind. When they reached the foyer Neptune turned down another passage which opened into an even larger space with doors around its walls. He waved his hand in front of the door and, as it slid open, ushered them inside.
“The automatic doors will make it simple for the little one going in and out,” he said, smiling at Peri. “I trust you’ll be happy here.”
Matilda looked around to see a very comfortable room with a large bed, couches, cupboards and a beautiful bathroom. Once again, the walls were turquoise glass. “This is wonderful thank you,” she replied.
“If you need anything just ring the bell beside your bed,” Neptune informed them. “I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”
“Hmm-m-m,” coughed Husan. “Would it be possible for me to have my own room? You know, for some privacy?” he added, blushing.