Zeus the Mighty Book 4: The Epic Escape from the Underworld
PREFACE ARTEMIS AMBROSIA DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE Mount Olympus Pet Center even though it was five minutes to closing time It wasn’t only that she loved her job as the center’s caretaker despite endless hours spent scraping algae from the aquariums and refilling food bowls And it wasn’t because it was storming outside a summer downpour just in time for her walk home It was that strange things happened after she left the center each night Chew toys went missing Rodents went swimming Displays came crashing down The shop’s robot vacuum never seemed to recharge But that wasn’t all A lot more happened in her pet center than Artemis Artie for short could imagine She looked around at her favorite rescues who she suspected were also the most troublesome Poseidon the pufferfish hovered above a colorful coral in his tank Ares the pug nibbled on Mutt Nuggets near his kennel while Hermes the hen snoozed alongside him Athena the
cat was curled up in her bed beneath the picture window and its Mount Olympus Pet Center sign And at the back of the center on the highest shelf her favorite rescued animal sprinted in his exercise wheel Just once I wish I could see what you mischief makers are up to at night Artie said There’s an app for that answered a voice behind her Artie turned to see her friend Callie in the entry to the vacant space next door which she was converting into an expansion for the pet center What kind of app Artie replied intrigued Like a nonsense sensor More like an extra few sets of eyes Callie said as she lugged her tool bag to the front door I’ll show you tomorrow Artie had wrapped up her evening routine She joined Callie at the door and turned off the light Closing time Zeus the Mighty Artie called The golden hamster looked at her You behave my little escape artist One of these nights you’ll wish you never sneaked away from home
CHAPTER 1 ZEUS THE MIGHTY WISHED HE HAD NEVER sneaked away from home For the first night in as long as he could remember his squad of Olympian gods didn’t have an adventure awaiting them no multiheaded monsters to vanquish no enchanted relics to recover no perilous journeys to undertake Instead the Olympians milled about in the Agora while Zeus leaned against a rope-wrapped pillar glancing longingly at his palace He could be on Mount Olympus now kicking back in his Golden Fleece bed popping pieces of Fuzzy Feast into his mouth Watch us Zeus Watch Watch A tan pug barreled past the king of the Greek gods snapping him out of his daydream 13
