Persephone the Grateful by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams

Author:Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2020-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

9

Clue Two

PERSEPHONE AND HER TEAMMATES QUICKLY formed their own huddle some distance away from Team One, so that they could discuss the new message clue in secret. “Got to be some kind of sea creature,” she said.

“Yeah, this must be the clue Poseidon made up, since it’s about the sea,” Makhai said in a low voice.

“I’m going to check all my coins,” Theseus said, emptying his pockets of drachmas and obols. “Anybody else got money?” He spoke quietly and turned away from Athena’s team so they wouldn’t see what he was doing and think of doing the same thing.

No one else on Persephone’s team had coins, unfortunately.

Pirithous drifted away from the group again to continue tap-tap-tapping on his scroll-gadget. What could he possibly be doing? Persephone wondered. But her attention was drawn away from him when Antheia whispered, “Maybe the sea creature is a dolphin. They like to frolic in waves.”

“True,” said Persephone. “But I’ve never seen them lying around on sunny beaches.”

She bent over her scroll-gadget. “How long can dolphins survive on land?” she asked the head of Theophrastus.

In its jerky fashion, the golden head replied: “Most dolphins can only survive for a few hours on land before becoming dehydrated, especially in warm weather. Because they don’t have the proper limbs to walk on land, they can become stuck in sand and unable to return to the sea.”

“So, not likely to be a dolphin,” Antheia said disappointedly.

“Aha!” Theseus crowed suddenly. He did a little happy dance. Then, remembering that Team One was nearby, he huddled with his Team Four teammates (all except Pirithous, who was still tapping on his scroll-gadget a short distance away) and held up a coin. “Monk seal,” he said, passing it around so they could see the image of its head on the coin.

“How long can seals survive on land?” Persephone asked her scroll-gadget.

“Who cares?” scoffed Makhai. “We just need to find some so we can get our next proof!”

Antheia scowled at him.

Persephone glanced at Theseus. “I don’t doubt that you’re right about us needing to search for monk seals. I’m only curious to know the answer.”

Bling! This time she got a written reply.

“What’s it say?” Pirithous asked, coming over to rejoin the group. He took a look at Theseus’s coin, then handed it back to him. For some reason, there was a self-satisfied smile on Pirithous’s face, as if he’d been the one to figure out the message clue instead of Theseus.

Persephone read the reply aloud: “ ‘Most seals are able to spend several days to a week out of the water. If you see one on the beach, it’s usually because it wants to be there and isn’t in trouble or anything.’ ”

“Here’s an even better question: Where’s the best place to find monk seals?” Pirithous asked his scroll-gadget. Bling! “ ‘Monk seals are numerous in parts of the Mediterranean, especially the Aegean Sea,’ ” he read aloud.

Antheia pointed upward just then. “Uh-oh.” Persephone looked skyward to see that Team One was leaving.

“They must be figuring things

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