Cronus and the Threads of Dread CHAPTER ONE Sticky Spidernets! Surrender, Olympians! Nine young Olympians--Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter, Apollo, Ares, and Athena--stared at the sky in horror. The words appeared in a huge spiderweb that had been spun between the clouds. The web looked like it covered the entire sky! Suddenly, sticky strands shot down from the clouds. One of them wrapped around Poseidon's ankle and yanked him away. "Sticky spidernets!" he yelled. Zeus, their leader, grabbed the lightning bolt attached to his belt. "Bolt, large!" he commanded. The magical weapon grew until it was as big as Zeus. Weeks before, he had pulled it from a stone in the Temple of Delphi. It had helped him battle all kinds of monsters, beasts, and the Crony army ever since. Zeus ran after Poseidon as another thread shot down and grabbed Hestia's ankle. Then another thread grabbed Demeter around her waist, and the next one circled Hera's arm! "Help!" they cried as the sticky threads dragged them away. "What's happening?" Hades asked, catching up to Zeus as they chased after the four captured Olympians. Apollo, Ares, and Athena followed at their heels. Excerpted from Cronus and the Threads of Dread by Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.