He reached into a pocket of his cloak and pulled out a golden disc and chain. The disc was etched with a drawing of Zeus’ sword and shield. “Whenever you need extra courage, simply rub this medallion and it will be given to you. And if you are in extreme danger, say the words, 'Bolts of lightning, Peals of thunder', and I shall be there to help you as you have helped me.”
He handed the disc and chain to Matilda. She was flabbergasted and could only manage a quiet, “Thank you” as she put it in her pocket.
“It’s time to return home,” announced Zeus, holding his sword and shield with pride. He grasped Odysseus’ hand, looked up and shouted, “Olympus” again. There was a flash of flame and smoke as they vanished.
Neptune was a different man as he sat down with Matilda through the evening hours and explained the reasons for his behaviour. Although she was hurt and angry, Matilda began to appreciate the pain that his actions had finally caused him and, after both shed some tears, they hugged each other.
“Everything has turned out for the best,” she finally stated, “and much of the trouble was caused by the greed of the pirates, Odon and Husan. If they hadn’t believed that the treasure was gold and jewels, and set their hearts on getting it, a lot of the hurt would have been avoided. Speaking of Husan, where is he?”
“I saw him heading out to the foyer as we were leaving for the island,” said Neptune. “I know the guards wouldn’t let him go too far. And I don’t believe he’s silly enough to risk the wrath of Zeus.”
Matilda walked out to the foyer and looked through the protective wall. There was Husan, with several of the Merman, whizzing around on a sea scooter as if nothing had happened.
“Thick hide, thick head,” commented Matilda as she went outside and signalled to him. ”Inside immediately,” she scolded, and Husan quickly stopped his game and joined her.
“It’s confession time,” she informed him. “I want to know everything. And if you lie to me ever again I’ll make sure you’re sorry to be living. This is your one and only chance to get yourself out of serious trouble, so don’t blow it.” She led him back into the Throne Room.
After they were seated Matilda asked the elf to tell his story right from the beginning.
“I’ve known Odon for a long time. I classed him as a friend and used to talk to him by telepathy. I could call him but he couldn’t call me. When Odysseus freed the pirate spirits to help him find the treasure, they wanted some help from inside Neptune’s cave so they looked for someone there who was unhappy. Odon. He told me all about it when I contacted him and said the pirates were willing to let me join them if I could help. I always fancied a pirate’s life and, as I said before, my great-grandfather was a pirate in the Mediterranean; Corsairs they were called. What with that and the treasure as well I thought I could have a pretty good time. But I had to get here somehow so Odon suggested that Neptune ask for your help. In the meantime I set you up with the dreams and asked Maximilian if I could go with you on your next adventure, already knowing what that would be. Cunning, eh?”
“You can’t still be proud of yourself, can you?” said a disgusted Peri. “You’re absolutely pitiful.”
Husan blushed. Perhaps he’d gone too far again.
“Anyway,” he continued. “When we got here things started to go wrong. Firstly, Odon wanted the Giant Squid to destroy both of you.”
“You set that up too, didn’t you?” gasped a shocked Matilda.
“But I told the squid to let you go once he had the magic wand,” protested Husan. “I could have let things go, you know. Then where would you have been? Minced meat.”
“You’re all heart,” muttered Matilda.
“When I told him what happened, Odon was . . . not pleased. He started making threats and that’s when I decided that I had been stupid and changed sides.”
“Clever you,” said Peri sarcastically.
“And that’s it – finish,” said Husan.
“Not quite,” interrupted Matilda. “Tomorrow morning you’re going to help us get Peri’s magic wand back. Understand?”
“Okay,” agreed Husan with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “Easy-peasy.”
“We’ll see about that in the morning. Now let’s get some dinner and a good night’s rest. I’m sick of those chocolate-covered kelp bars. How about you Peri?”
Chapter 27
Unexpected Help And Strange Justice
Early the next morning, Matilda, Peri and Husan set off on their sea scooters. Cassius insisted on coming along to help protect them. He wanted to take extra Mermen with him but Husan rejected the idea.
“Not necessary,” he boasted. “It will only stir things up. Too many people and the squid will think we’re after him. I can talk him into giving up the magic wand without a fight.” Matilda reluctantly agreed.
Husan led them back to the canyon where the squid had attacked them. He held up his hand to bring them to a halt.
“It could be anywhere around here,” he whispered. “Its home is a little way up the canyon. We’ll take it slowly from here. Once we see it, leave the talking to me.”
They continued slowly between the sheer cliffs.
Suddenly Matilda felt those horrible tentacles grab her around the waist again. She was lifted high and turned to see that Peri had also been captured. Another tentacle held Husan who was screaming at the squid. Cassius had been knocked off his sea scooter and was floating around unconscious.
“Do something,” Matilda shouted at Husan. “Say something.”
“I’m trying but it’s not listening,” replied Husan, waving his arms about helplessly as the Giant Squid twisted him around, tightening its grip.
He looked into the creature’s ugly eye and pleaded, “There’s no need for this. It’s all over. All we want is the magic wand returned then we can all sit down and talk about it. That’s reasonable isn’t it?”
The squid replied in a piercing voice, “You lied to me last time and Odon was not pleased. He is my master and I must do as he orders.”
“But that’s just it,” wheezed Husan as the tentacle drew tighter, “Odon is no more. He’s been cast out. You don’t have to listen to him. You’re the boss now. You can let us go. Please let us go.”
“I will finish what I started,” answered the squid stubbornly.
Husan decided to try another tack. “Okay, go ahead, kill us. But that won’t be the end of it. Others will come, and keep coming until they destroy you. You’ll never have any peace. Think about that. Let us go and everything will end here.”
“Who will come?” asked the squid.
“ Er . . . the pirate spirits.” Husan had to concoct something on the spur of the moment. “Um . . . they wanted us to lead them to the treasure. They won’t be pleased if you spoil their plan.”
“Another lie!” screeched the squid. “The pirates are after Neptune, not you.”
“Brighter than the average invertebrate,” thought Husan and could think of nothing else to say.
“The time has come for you all to perish,” screamed the squid and lifted Husan towards its terrifying beak.
Without warning, Husan found himself flying free through the water. Matilda and Peri shot past him. They looked back to see two huge whales battering the Giant Squid. It tried to wrap its tentacles around each of its attackers as they rushed in but they were too fast and bulky. Wham! The squid was knocked back. Thump! It was thrown the opposite way. Its eye showed its terror.
“Whoopee!” shouted Husan. “The cavalry has arrived.”
Matilda and Peri just watched in stunned silence. In his excitement, Husan stupidly swam closer to the action. The squid reached out with one of its long tentacles and managed to grab him again. Realising that the battle was lost, it squirted out a cloud of black ink and, by the time the water had cleared, the squid had disappeared.
All Matilda had heard through the black cloud was Husan’s voice shouting, “Save me, Matilda, save me. I’m sorry for everything.??
?
The voice trailed off into the distance and she felt a deep sadness. She was joined by Cassius who had regained consciousness.
“What happened?” he asked, shaking his head.
“I’ll tell you later” answered Matilda as the two whales swam up to them.
“How can I ever thank you enough,” she said to them. “You saved our lives.”
“We were only repaying a debt,” said the bigger whale. “The message has been passing up and down the whale pods telling everybody how you saved the calf and its mother from the Killer Whales. We were told to keep an eye on you. So, when we saw you in trouble with the squid, we had to help.”
“A good deed returned,” added the second whale. “We have to get back to the migration now. We’re sorry about your friend.”
“So am I,” said Matilda sincerely.
As the whales swam off, Matilda explained to Cassius exactly what had happened.
“Well, all isn’t lost,” he said. “Husan told us that the squid’s home was farther down the canyon so we’d better go and look.”
Collecting their sea scooters they proceeded down the canyon, keeping a careful eye out for any crevice that might be the squid’s home. At last they spotted a likely gap in the cliff face. Matilda edged forward and looked inside. There on a ledge was Peri’s magic wand. The little fairy leapt off her shoulder and swam over to it. Her face gleaned with excitement as she picked it up and waved it about. She rushed back to Matilda and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then did the same to Cassius. He blushed.
The trip back to Neptune’s cave should have been a happy one but the loss of Husan put a pall over everything.
“What will we say to Maximilian,” Matilda asked Peri.
“I’m sure he’ll understand when he hears the whole story,” replied Peri. “After all, it was his own stupidity that got him into trouble.” She found it hard to forgive the mischievous elf.
“I suppose so,” agreed Matilda. “But he didn’t deserve that sort of end.”
Neptune’s cave loomed out of the waters in the distance.
Chapter 28
Goodbye
Neptune was waiting for them on the steps leading into his cave. He waved as they pulled up and dismounted their sea scooters. Cassius arranged for the vehicles to be put away, then swam over to join the others as they stood outside the foyer.
“My friends have told me how brave you have been,” Neptune said to him.
“The truth is, I wasn’t much use at all,” replied Cassius modestly.
“I’m sure they would have felt less safe without you,” said Neptune, and Matilda nodded. “Your courage throughout this stressful time has been noted and we will be holding a celebration tonight for your promotion to General.”
The Merman bowed his head. Turning to Matilda and Peri, Neptune continued, “I hope you both will be able to stay for the party>”
“Of course,” said Matilda. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world. We are so proud of our brave protector.” She kissed Cassius on the cheek. He blushed again.
The party was wonderful. It was held outside the cave so that the mermaids and Mermen could take part. Food for the walking guests was served in the foyer. The highlight of the evening was when Cassius swam through a guard of honour made up of his own soldiers, to a table set up on the steps of the cave, where Neptune placed a gold General’s Medallion around his neck. As she watched with tears in her eyes, Matilda reached into her pocket and fingered her own medallion from Zeus.
With proceedings over, Matilda and Peri said goodbye to Cassius, the Mermen and the Mermaids, then walked through the protective wall with Neptune.
“You have been so good to me,” said Neptune with misty eyes. “I’m going to miss you.”
“We’ll miss you too,” said Matilda, giving him a hug.
“You have been brave, compassionate, forgiving and most of all wise for such a young girl. Now that I have been given a second chance I will make the most of it. I promise.”
“Everybody makes mistakes,” replied Matilda shyly. “But we all deserve the chance to regain our self-esteem.”
“As I said, very wise,” said Neptune, squeezing her hand. “Now I believe you want to return home.”
“Yes,” said Matilda, “it is time for us to go.” She nodded to Peri who waved her wand. The Story Mat unfurled beside them. Seating herself on the carpet, Matilda looked up one last time and said,” Goodbye Neptune,” closed her eyes and folded her arms.
The Story Mat took off as tears finally trickled down Neptune’s face.
Chapter 29
Reporting To Maximilian
The Story Mat landed in the middle of Matilda’s bedroom. She hopped off, rolled the carpet up and headed for the attic. To her surprise, when she crawled through the small door, Maximilian was already there waiting for her.
He smiled broadly, “Welcome home my little jewel,” he said, giving Matilda a huge hug. He looked around and only saw her and Peri. “Where is Husan?” he asked.
Matilda bowed her head. “I’m afraid we lost him,” she answered and went on to tell Maximilian the whole story.
‘Mm-mm,” pondered Maximilian. “I thought his volunteering to go on your next adventure was a little strange at the time. He made it a point of never volunteering for anything. But I must say he pulled the wool over my eyes.”
“He could do that very well,” agreed Matilda.
“I’m sorry that my decision caused you so much trouble,” apologised Maximilian. “I’ll have words with the little imp about it.”
“But he’s gone,” insisted Matilda. “The Giant Squid took him away. He’s probably dead.”
“No,” laughed Maximilian. “I will be able to have him returned – although he doesn’t deserve it.
It’s my world of magic, my little treasure.”
“Phew,” gasped Matilda. “That’s a relief.”
“More like a disappointment,” put in Peri.
“Yes, well, I think I’ll leave him out there for a few more days, but I have to say life is more interesting with him around. You never know what to expect from one day to the next,” said Maximilian.
“And that’s an understatement,” said Peri, refusing to let the matter go.
“But my real treasure is my little fairy,” smiled Maximilian holding out his hand.
Peri flew over to him and rolled her eyes. “I’m easily conned,” she said.
Matilda laughed out loud. She loved her two friends very deeply.
“Now that you have restored order in the world of the mythical gods, my blossom,” he said to Matilda,” I think you deserve a rest. Until the next adventure comes along.”
“Yes,” agreed Matilda. “This one was particularly tiring, not knowing who was on our side. Oh, by the way, I must show you the medallion Zeus gave me. It’s absolutely beautiful.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the disc and chain.
When he took it into his own hand Maximilian looked amazed.
“This is truly the greatest honour that a god can bestow on anybody,” he exclaimed. “I am so proud of you my brave dove. Treasure this and guard it with your life. It has its own magical powers that you may find useful in the future. That is astounding.”
Taking the medallion back, Matilda reached into her pocket and pulled out the magic map and the plan of the pirates’ fort.
“I don’t think I will need these anymore,” she said, handing them to Maximilian.
Finally she gave him the Story Mat. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, a new respect for her shining in his eyes.
“I have a solution for your other problem as well,” said Maximilian.
Matilda frowned. What other problem was he talking about?
“The school bullies,” Maximilian reminded her. “Listen carefully.”
He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. She burst out laughing.
“That’s fantastic!” she squealed. “I can’t wait.”
r /> “Time to go,” announced Maximilian. He paused while Peri flew over to Matilda.
“Goodbye, my dearest friend,” the little fairy said.
“Goodbye ‘til next time, my little protector,” replied Matilda, knowing that she would see her again.
When Peri had returned to him, Maximilian pointed at the Story Mat and it disappeared; the map and plan vanished as he threw them into the air; and, finally, he and Peri faded away.
Matilda ran down to her room. She still had something to do before her parents arrived home from the bookshop. She took her copy of “Arabian Nights” down from the bookshelf and, finding her pen knife in s desk drawer, carefully carved out a rectangular box inside. It was a shame to ruin the book but she had to have a safe place to hide her medallion where nobody else would look.
When she had successfully shaped the hollow she took the beautiful medallion out of her pocket. She had one last look at it and was stunned by its exquisiteness. It was awesome. Placing it in its hiding-place, she put the book back on the shelf and walked downstairs to prepare the vegetables for dinner.
Chapter 30
Sweet Revenge
The next day at school, Matilda didn’t wait for the bullies to find her – she went searching for them. They weren’t hard to find. There they were by the canteen, stopping small children as they came away from the counter, demanding their change and taking their cream buns and sodas.
Matilda walked straight up to their leader, Gerald Norton, a big boofhead of a boy who scared everybody with his sheer size.
“Well, if it isn’t the book nerd,” he sneered. “How much money have you got for us?”
“None,” replied Matilda. She was going to take pleasure in making this last as long as she could.
“Well, that could be a problem for ya,” said the bully. “I’ll have to get me amusement some other way.” He gave her a push. “What do ya think boys?”
“Yeah,” the other two replied through the cream buns they were stuffing into their mouths.
“You heard what Ms Winterbottom said yesterday,” Matilda reminded him.
“That old bag,” snarled Norton. “Who gives a toss about her?” He began circling Matilda.