Superpowers (7 page)

‘We just need to get them back to Juno now,' Finlay agreed.

Max frowned as he saw a problem. ‘Um … Fin, how are we going to persuade Zoë to let us use her bag on the way home? She wouldn't even let me touch it before.'

A grin spread over Finlay's face. ‘A-ha!' he said, pulling the letter out of his pocket. ‘We use this.'

‘Is that the soppy love letter?' Max said.

Finlay nodded. ‘A soppy love letter I'm betting she doesn't want your aunt or your mum to see.'

Max stared at him. ‘So you mean we
say to her we'll show it to them if she doesn't let us use her bag?'

Finlay grinned. ‘Yep! Let's see how she likes that!'

Max grinned back. ‘Cool!'

They ran out of the maze. Finlay's mum and auntie were walking out of the courtyard with Zoë and Michelle.

‘A great big bird?' Max heard his mum saying. ‘You mean one of the emus!'

‘It must have escaped from its paddock,' Auntie Carol said. She looked across at the paddock. ‘Yes, look, the fence is broken!' She smiled. ‘Honestly, girls, I can't believe you two were so scared of an emu.'

‘It ran towards us,' Michelle said.

‘And the boys had told us that there was a man-eating bird in the maze,' Zoë said. ‘So … So …'

Auntie Carol and Max's mum burst out laughing.

‘A man-eating bird!' Max's mum

exclaimed. ‘Oh, Zoë! How old are you? Surely you didn't believe a silly story like that!'

Zoë and Michelle both looked a bit embarrassed.

Max grinned at Finlay. ‘Cos you'd never really get a real man-eating bird in a maze, would you!' he muttered.

His mum noticed them. ‘I hear you two have been scaring the girls,' she called, but from her smile Max could tell she wasn't cross. ‘Man-eating birds! What will you think of next!' She headed towards the maze. ‘Well, let's see what this maze is like, then.'

Zoë's eyes had fallen on her bag. ‘What are you doing with that?' she hissed, hurrying over to the boys. ‘That's
my
bag!'

‘Can we borrow it, please?' Finlay asked.

‘No way!' Zoë said, trying to snatch it off him.

Finlay whisked it out of her reach. ‘I think you meant to say yes,' he told her.

‘No, I didn't,' Zoë retorted.

‘Oh yes you did!' Finlay pulled the letter out of his pocket. ‘Cos if you said no we might just have to show this to your mum and Max's mum. Right, Max?'

Max grinned and nodded. ‘Yep, that's right.' He looked at Zoë. ‘Little snuggly squoogles … '

Zoë gasped and her face turned as red as a tomato. ‘You went through my bag! You … you …'

‘What's it to be?' Finlay interrupted. ‘We get to use your bag for today –
you can have it and the letter back this evening – or we show the letter now?'

Zoë glanced round to where Michelle and the two mums were about to go into the maze. ‘Oh, OK, then,' she said through gritted teeth. ‘You keep the bag, but I want it back by this evening.'

‘Deal,' Max said quickly.

‘And don't do anything gross with it!' she added.

‘It's OK,' said Fin, grinning. ‘We only want it to keep some dead bird skins safe.'

‘Ha, ha, you are just
so
funny, Finlay.' Zoë gave them a furious look and then turned and stomped off.

Max's mum stopped by the maze entrance. ‘Are you coming in as well, boys?'

Max and Finlay shook their heads firmly.

‘I've had enough of mazes for one day,' Max muttered to Finlay.

‘I've got my pocket money with me,' Finlay said. ‘Let's go and get an ice cream!'

After lunch, Auntie Carol drove them all home. To Max's relief, his mum said he and Finlay could go up to the castle.

They raced up the path. As they ran over the bridge there was a loud bang and the bag suddenly got lighter on Max's back. He opened the top. ‘The skins have gone!' he exclaimed.

They hurried in through the
gatehouse. Juno was standing in the middle of the keep. She looked furious. ‘You have completed the task!'

The boys stopped warily by the gatehouse wall. ‘Yes,' Max said.

‘Bah!' Juno spat.

Max felt a warm swirling sensation in his chest and a flood of golden light burst out of him. He felt dizzy. The superpower had gone! It streamed across the keep and hit the inner wall of the tower opposite.

Almost immediately the bricks crumbled. The boys saw Hercules look out.

‘You did it!' Hercules exclaimed triumphantly. ‘My superpower has returned to me!'

They raced over to him. His face was
looking less lined and his eyes glowed golden. ‘You killed the Stymphalian Birds and brought back their skins!' he said. ‘How did you do it?'

‘It wasn't easy,' Max said, shivering at the memory. ‘We had to use an axe and a disc and hide in a maze …' He and Finlay quickly told Hercules what they'd done.

Hercules smiled from one to the

other. ‘You used all your strengths. You worked as a team, battling side by side, trusting each other. You did very well.'

‘Those birds were mean!' Finlay said. ‘It was the hardest task yet.'

Juno strode towards them, her eyes flashing fire. ‘You will not be saying that tomorrow! In the morning, you must fetch me the three golden apples of the gods. It is a task that requires great courage and wisdom. You must solve a riddle to help you steal the apples. Make one mistake and …' she looked from one to the other, ‘a fate
worse
than death awaits.'

‘We won't make a mistake!' Finlay told her.

‘No,' Max said, moving so they were standing side by side. ‘We're going to
get Hercules another of his superpowers back.'

‘I doubt it very much,' Juno sneered.

‘You have been wrong evey day so far, Juno,' Hercules said in his deep voice.

‘Silence!' Juno clapped her hands and the stones closed over his face. She looked at the boys. ‘I hope you like dogs!'

Laughing evilly she clapped her hands again. There was a flash of lightning and a thunderclap and she disappeared. A hawk swooped upwards into the air. ‘What do you think she meant about dogs?' Max said slowly.

‘Something tells me she's not talking about a Labrador,' Finlay replied, with a shaky grin. ‘Anyway, I'm more worried about this fate worse than death she was talking about!'

Max lifted his chin. ‘Well, whatever Juno's got planned, we'll complete the task tomorrow,' he said determinedly.

‘We will! Just two more tasks to go!' Finlay said. ‘Then Hercules will be free!'

‘And Juno will be sorry!' Max declared. ‘We'll show her!'

Overhead the hawk cried out and circled like a dark, defiant shadow in the sky.

ALEX CLIFF LIVES IN A VILLAGE IN
LEICESTERSHIRE, NEXT DOOR TO FIN AND
JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM MAX, BUT
UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS NO CASTLE ON
THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE VILLAGE.
ALEX'S HOME IS FILLED WITH TWO
CHILDREN AND TWO LARGE AND VERY
SLOBBERY PET MONSTERS.