Chapter One Many Monster Heads Who was Hydra What other monster is like Hydra Two heads are better than one This is an old saying Hydra was a sea monster Most say she had nine heads But some believe she had thousands of heads Hydra lived in Lake Lerna It was in ancient Greece It was like a swamp She lived in an underwater cave It was a gate to the underworld The underworld is where people went after they died Hydra was its guard She stayed close to the lake But she had to eat She’d leave the lake She went into town She hunted She killed She ate animals She ate people 4
Hydra’s lair was the entrance to the underworld 5
Explained by Science Hydra had extreme bad breath Humans get it as well The condition is called halitosis Twenty percent of humans have it Halitosis doesn’t kill people But it keeps people away It could mean tooth decay It could mean sickness The smell is caused by bacteria Bacteria sits below the gum line It’s also on the back of the tongue People with halitosis might have a white tongue They need to take care of their mouths They need to brush their teeth They need to scrape their tongues They need to use dental floss They need to use mouthwash They may need medicine Medusa is a monster similar to Hydra 6
Hydra was like a dragon It’s a mythical monster It’s like a giant reptile Hydra had a snake’s body She had two arms She had two legs Hydra is sometimes mistaken for Scylla Scylla was pretty She was a water spirit The sea god liked her His wife got jealous She poisoned Scylla’s bathwater Scylla became a water monster She had 12 legs She had a cat’s tail She had six long necks She had six dog heads Each mouth had three rows of sharp teeth She attacked ships 7
