it were an old arm chair and spread his
arms.
“ Boys and
girls,” he said, “I think we're home.
The rest of
The Pantheon jogged to catch up.
Behind the
thrones was a balcony. Minnie passed right by her throne-- decorated
with shields and spears, with an owl's wings sheltering the head and
a olive tree made of bronze forming the back-- and looked down over
the balcony. Below the throne room stretched a city made of bronze.
It was empty and silent.
“ This is
totally Olympus,” Penny said. “I've seen it in a dream. This is
our throne room. That's Zach's chair, and June...” Penny knew that
she had no seat here. Her own throne was in the underworld where
Peter-- Hades had taken her.
Nick was
standing over the basin, looking down. “What is this stuff?” he
asked, pointing at the liquid it contained. The basin was filled with
an opalescent liquid with a green tint.
Minnie turned
back from the balcony and walked around the pedestal. She took her
time examining the images painted there before nodding. “Nectar.”
“ What?”
asked Peter.
“ It's
Nectar. See, this painting tells the story of Tantalus, who stole the
sacred Nectar from Olympus and how he was punished for it. These are
warnings, like a curse on an Egyptian tomb. Don’t drink this if
you’re not a god or we’ll punish you.”
“ What is
Nectar?” Lewis asked. “Like from flowers?”
“ Well, as
usual, I'm going from myth here, so it could be wrong.”
“ What does
the myth tell you?” Astin asked.
Minnie reached
into the basin and dipped her finger in the liquid. “It's a drink
that gives you eternal life.” She touched the tip of her finger to
her tongue and tasted the Nectar. Her eyes closed and she sighed.
“ What does
it taste like?” Diana asked.
“ I don't
know,” Minnie said. “Like... a backyard barbecue with my dad.”
Lewis scowled,
“The Nectar of the gods tastes like barbecue sauce?”
“ No. It
tastes like that feeling. Like summer and family and good food.”
Nick reached
over Minnie's shoulder and dipped his finger in to the Nectar. As
soon as he had tasted it, his lips spread into a devilish grin. “It
tastes like skinny dipping at sunset on the beach. With a hot girl.”
Teddy laughed
and high-fived Nick. “Sweet.” He reached into his bag and pulled
out a shot glass that he had bought at a gift shop earlier that day.
Teddy dipped it into the basin and drank. A peaceful expression
washed over his face. He opened his mouth to speak, and froze.
“ What?”
Peter asked. “What is it?”
“ Eating root
beer barrels in a tree at my parents’ vineyard in California.”
“ I have to
try this,” Lewis said, snatching Teddy’s shot glass from his
relaxed hand. He pushed Minnie aside and dipped the shot glass pack
in the basin. Lewis drank.
Everyone from
The Pantheon took turns drinking from the basin and telling what they
felt. While everyone was interrogating Evan on his insights, Peter
scooped up a bit of Nectar with his empty water bottle and saved it
for later. He just didn’t think he had a happy enough memory to
relate it to. What if it didn’t taste good for him? He didn’t
want everyone watching while he drank.
Evan was being
practical. He held up his wrist, showing off his silver watch. “Guys,
we've been here for ten minutes. You think the tour might be missing
us?”
“ Oh, crap,
you're right!” Lewis said.
Nick rolled
his eyes. “Who cares? We're on Mount Olympus, for Christ's sake!
We're gods! Nobody gives a damn about the school.”
“ What about
my Mom?” Penny asked. “You don't think she'll be a little
worried?”
Lewis opened
his backpack and pulled out a water bottle. He dumped the contents on
the marble floor and tossed it to Evan, who barely caught it. “Fill
'er up, Evan. We'll take some back for the rest. Penny is right.
We've got to move.”
“ Who put you
in charge?” Nick asked.
“ Give it a
rest, Nick” Minnie said. “It's always about who's in