Wrath of the Gods Page #18

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Elixir (page 28) scenes. She’s feeding a carrot to a horse, and

when you enter the scene she walks over to a pile of logs.

PEDDLER:

Hello again. Remember me? Yeah, there was no

future in elixir. I’m in a new line now. Wanna buy

some nice seasoned firewood? Only two gems.

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She holds out her hand, the one not holding the carrot. Pay

her, and a worthless pile of wood pings into your inventory.

But look more closely at the carrot—it’s yours for the taking.

Click on it and it pings into your inventory.

The Graeae

CAVE ENTRANCE. You find yourself at the mouth of a cave.

If you enter, you will be following in the footsteps of the

hero Perseus (PUR-see-us). When Perseus sought the head of

the Gorgon Medusa (GORE-gun meh-DOO-suh)—a being whose

very gaze had the power to turn to stone anyone unfortunate

enough to lock eyes with her—he knew he’d need special

equipment. And the gods were kind enough to inform him

where such might be found. “Seek ye the nymphs (NIMFS)

who guard the helmet of invisibility,” they counseled the

young hero.

And where, Perseus inquired, might he find these nymphs?

“Ask the Gray Sisters, the Graeae (GREE-ee), born hags with

but one eye between them. They know—not that they’ll tell

you.”

And where were the Graeae? “Ask him who holds the

heavens on his back—Atlas, renegade Titan, who pays

eternally the price of defying Zeus almighty.”

Okay, okay, and where’s this Atlas? “Why, that’s simple

enough:
At the very western edge of the world.”

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While these directions were somewhat deficient as to

particulars, Perseus did indeed track down Atlas, who

grudgingly nodded in the direction of a nearby cave where,

sure enough, Perseus found the Graeae. He had heard

the version of the myth whereby these Sisters, though

gray-haired from infancy and sadly lacking in the eyeball

department, were as lovely as young swans. But he was

disappointed to find himself taking part in the version that

had them as ugly as ogres. Nor was their disposition any

cause for delight.

Sure, they knew where the nymphs did dwell, but that was,

in a manner of speaking, theirs to know and his to find out.

With cranky cackles and venomous vim, they told him just

what he could do with his quest. But the hero had a trick

or two up his sleeve, and by seizing that which by virtue of

its scarcity and indispensability they valued above all else,

he made them tell him what he wanted to know about the

location of the water nymphs.

Entering the cave, you discover three horrible hags with but

a single eye between them, which they pass back and forth

as they speak in turn.

FIRST HAG:

(cackling)

We three Graeae have it in our power to bestow a

hero’s gift…

SECOND HAG:

…but we wouldn’t think of it…

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THIRD HAG:

…on one so unworthy.

You try to click on the eyeball and realize that the best

technique for grabbing it is to wait with the cursor in one of

the Graeae’s hands. You take it away from them and they fly

into a rage.

THREE HAGS TOGETHER

He took it! He took the eyeball!

You bounce the eyeball in your palm extortionately.

SECOND HAG:

(shrieking)

Give him a gift, give him a gift!

FIRST HAG:

(to Second Hag)

Which gift?

THIRD HAG:

(to other two)

Let him choose.

FIRST HAG:

Oh very well…

A bow and quiver materialize in the First Hag’s hand; she

holds them out to you.

FIRST HAG:

(continues)

Do you want a bow…?

A club materializes in the Third Hag’s hand; she holds it out.

THIRD HAG:

Or a club?

You click on either the bow or the club—and discover that

you can’t have both.

FIRST HAG:

Now give us back the eyeball!

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SECOND HAG:

And leave us alone!

THIRD HAG:

Or we’ll invoke the curse of the Furies!

(The Furies were female spirits who tormented evil-doers,

particularly those who had committed some crime against a

family member.)

You hand them back the eyeball. The chosen item is now in

your inventory. Clicking on daylight takes you out of the

cave again. If you return before you’ve been to Clubbing

(page 100) without the club or Archery (page 103) without the

bow:

FIRST HAG:

What do you want? You were just here.

SECOND HAG:

Go away.

THIRD HAG:

Or by the powers of darkness you’ll wish you had.

They freeze and you can’t take the eyeball. If, however,

you’ve been to the relevant scene before coming back:

FIRST HAG:

You again!

SECOND HAG:

You can’t have the club!

THIRD HAG:

Don’t give him the club!

But you swipe the eyeball.

THREE HAGS TOGETHER

He took it! He took it! Give him the club, give him the

club!

The Third Hag hands you the club (you click on it and it

pings into your inventory).

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BLOCKS OF STONE. Europa (yoo-ROH-pa) was a princess

of Tyre (TYE-r), a kingdom in the land of the Phoenicians

(fi-NISH-unz). One day she was gathering wildflowers in

a seaside meadow when she came upon a beautiful bull.

This bull was uncommonly gentle and did not inspire

fear. Decking its horns with flowers, Europa was at length

emboldened to climb upon its back. Whereupon the bull—

actually the god Zeus in disguise—took off at a trot and

dove into the sea. Europa was carried off to the island of

Crete (KREET), where she became the mother of King Minos

(MYE-noss).

Europa’s brother Cadmus (CAD-mus) was charged with

the duty of finding his sister and securing her return. He

consulted the Oracle of Delphi, however, and was told to

abandon the search. Instead he was to venture forth until he

should meet a cow, to follow this cow wherever it should

lead, and to found a city on the spot where it lay down.

Such is the foundation legend of the city of Thebes (THEEBZ),

which goes on to relate how Cadmus and his companions

went out to fetch water for their new settlement at a nearby

fountain. Here all but Cadmus were slain by a dragon.

Cadmus killed the dragon and, at the prompting of the

goddess Athena (a-THEE-nuh), sowed some of its teeth in the

ground. Armed men sprang from the earth, just as they later

would for Jason under similar circumstances—for the teeth

that Jason strew upon the fertile soil of distant Colchis (KOLkis)

came from the very dragon that Cadmus had killed.

Using the same trick that would eventually serve Jason,

Cadmus caused the sown men to fight amongst themselves

Alphabet Blocks

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until only five were left standing. These five, together

with Cadmus, became the original inhabitants of Thebes.

Cadmus, their king, is said to have taught them the alphabet

and the art of writing.

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