*200
You enter a cold, damp room that smells
of seaweed. The sound of rushing water
is all around you. Suddenly, a spray of
salt water hits your face and a figure
appears in front of you.
*201
He has flowing blue hair and holds
something that looks like a huge,
sharp pitchfork. "By my trident," he
roars, "what sort of creature are
you?"<
<
"I am [name]," you say timidly.
*202
He eyes you suspiciously. "[name],
eh?," he says. "A common land mortal,
by the look of you. I, Poseidon, am
god of the seas. With a wave of my
trident," he continues, waving the
pitchfork, "the waves swallow up great
ships...or gently carry travelers to
shore."
*203
"And now, I must return to my ocean
home. I cannot bear to spend any
more time on dry and dreary land."
*204
"STOP!" roars Poseidon. "No common
land mortal shall ever touch my
trident!" With that, he waves the
trident and an enormous wave rushes at
you. It sweeps you up, tosses you
around, and at last dumps you on the
ground.
*205
You feel your legs and arms. Nothing
is broken. You check your tape
recorder. It is still running.
*206
"May I go with you to the sea?" you
ask.<
<
"What uncommon wisdom for a mere
mortal!" Poseidon says, beaming at
you. "Come along, young [name], and
see my kingdom." He raises his trident,
and a beautiful chariot appears.
*207
You and Poseidon step in, and a team
of four white horses pulls you through
a fine mist of saltwater spray.
*208
When the spray clears a little, you
see that the horses are dashing
through the ocean. Their white,
arched necks look like the white curls
of the waves all around you.
*209
Poseidon stands next to you, holding
the reins. He points to a tremendous
wave coming up beside the chariot.
"Let us ride this wave to shore!" he
shouts. "Ho, horses!"
*210
The mighty wave rolls ahead of the
chariot. With shouts and a great shaking
of the reins, Poseidon urges the horses
to go faster.
*211
The white steeds surge forward, and the
chariot lands on a tiny island--just
before the wave crashes onto the sandy
beaches. "Ha, ha!" Poseidon laughs. "I
knew we could do it! Well done, my fine
team!"
*212
You feel limp after the wild ride.<
<
Poseidon laughs. "Sit down and rest,
[name]," he says. "Let me show you a
treasure from my kingdom."
*213
He plucks an oyster from the water and
opens it as if it were a jewelry box.
Inside there is a glistening pearl, the
largest you have ever seen. "This pearl
can make a vast wave of water come from
the air," Poseidon says. "It might be
useful to you."
*214
"I must take you back to the maze now,"
Poseidon says apologetically. "Crete may
be an island, but the maze is far from
the sea. I pity those who do not live
near the briny deep!" You climb back on
the chariot and fly back through the sea
spray to the damp room that smells of
seaweed.
*215
"Good-bye, and thank you, Poseidon!"
you say.<
<
"Farewell, [name]," Poseidon replies
gruffly, waving his trident.
*249
There is no more to read.
*1000