Lightning Rod Faces the Cyclops Queen

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

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  Written by Cavan

  Scott Illustrated by Dani Geremia—Beehive Illustration Agency

  © 2014 Activision Publishing, Inc. Skylanders Universe is a trademark and Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

  ISBN 978-0-698-17194-7

  Version_1

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  About the Author

  The Storm Titan Games

  Incoming!

  Squirmgrub

  Kaos!

  Battle Stations!

  The Windbag Djinnis

  The Sea of Storms

  Tempest Towers

  The Cyclops Queen

  Kaos’s Great Floating Head

  Battle!

  Baiting the Beast

  Rod Works It Out

  Follow That Whale

  The Air Element

  Special excerpt from TERRAFIN BATTLES THE BOOM BROTHERS

  About the Author

  Onk Beakman knew he wanted to be a world-famous author from the moment he was hatched. In fact, the book-loving penguin was so excited that he wrote his first novel while still inside his egg (to this day, nobody is entirely sure where he got the tiny pencil and notebook from).

  Growing up on the icy wastes of Skylands’ Frozen Desert was difficult for a penguin who hated the cold. While his brothers plunged into the freezing waters, Onk could be found with his beak buried in a book and a pen clutched in his flippers.

  Yet his life changed forever when a giant floating head appeared in the skies above the tundra. It was Kaos, attempting to melt the icecaps so he could get his grubby little hands on an ancient weapon buried beneath the snow.

  Onk watched open-beaked as Spyro swept in and sent the evil Portal Master packing. From that day, Onk knew that he must chronicle the Skylanders’ greatest adventures. He traveled the length and breadth of Skylands, collecting every tale he could find about Master Eon’s brave champions.

  Today, Onk writes from a shack on the beautiful sands of Blistering Beach with his two pet sea cucumbers.

  Chapter One

  The Storm Titan Games

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present the greatest champion Skylands has ever known—Lightning Rod!”

  The crowd went wild as soon as Lightning Rod’s name was announced. They cheered; they clapped; they threw their hats in the air. A couple of Rotting Robbies even threw their heads in the air . . . but the less said about that the better. Lightning Rod was the most popular participant in the annual Storm Titan Games. In fact, some said he was the most popular participant in the event’s entire history. No one had won as many medals as he had, and no one else had had anywhere near as many statues carved in his or her image. They were everywhere you looked: Rod throwing a lightning bolt; Rod running a marathon; Rod lifting an entire herd of saber-tusked elephants stacked on top of each other. There was even a statue of Rod snoring his beard off. Even when asleep, Rod was the most impressive specimen for miles around. No one performed like Rod, no one flexed their muscles like Rod, and no one polished off as many eggs for breakfast as Rod.

  In the crowd, Pop Fizz bounced up and down in his seat as everyone’s favorite Storm Titan made his way into the arena.

  “Hey, watch it!” said Cali, as the excitable alchemist slopped potion all over her. “You’re spilling that stuff everywhere!”

  “Whoops, sorry,” apologized Pop Fizz, before taking a slug from the bottle. There was a puff of smoke and the distinct whiff of brimstone, and Pop Fizz transformed into a hairy beast with more teeth than was healthy. “I’m just so pumped up to be here,” he rumbled, suddenly taking up twice as much room as he had before his transformation. “Go Lightning! Go Lightning!”

  “Stop moving,” snapped Drobot from the other side of Pop Fizz. “You are interfering with my visual circuits!”

  With a gurgle, Pop Fizz shrank back to his normal size.

  “Whoops again,” he spluttered, his eyes spinning from the sudden metamorphosis. “This is exciting though, isn’t it? I mean, look at this place.”

  Drobot had to admit that the arena was spectacular. Over a billion games had been played here, and every year the Storm Titans added more seats. The stands stretched for miles and seated millions of spectators, all of whom were now looking expectantly at Lightning Rod. The amazing blue hero stood in the middle of the field, soaking up the applause, flexing his bulging muscles, and flashing a blinding smile.

  Cali was grinning, too. Rod was in his element here, surrounded by his adoring fans. Yes, Cali knew that Rod loved being a Skylander, protecting the magical realm of Skylands from the forces of Darkness, but he was also massively proud of his sporting accomplishments. They all were.

  “Do you think he’s going to do it?” Pop Fizz asked, half-raising a soda bottle to his lips before being stopped by Drobot. “Do you think he’s going to break the record?”

  “There is a ninety-nine-point-nine-nine-nine percent probability that Rod will triumph.”

  “Eh?” said Pop Fizz, looking completely bewildered.

  “He said yes,” whispered Cali as a hush fell over the crowd.

  In the royal box, the king of the Storm Titans had raised his hands. “My friends,” he boomed, his voice like a thousand thunderstorms rolled into one. “Please be silent for our guest of honor.”

  Beside the king stood a tall thin man, leaning heavily on a crystal-topped staff. It was Master Eon, Skylands’ greatest Portal Master. Master Eon had been asked to open this year’s games, but he looked so old and tired. Cali frowned. She knew the last few weeks had been tough for the ancient wizard, but she’d hoped the excitement of the games would revive him. Still, the Portal Master smiled as he drew himself up, his eyes resting on Lightning Rod far below.

  “People of Skylands,” Master Eon said, his voice magically amplified around the stadium. “It is my pleasure to pronounce these games . . . open.”

  A buzz of excitement rippled around the assembled throng. “And without further ado, we shall enjoy the first event—the five-hundred-ton hammer throw. And our first contender, Lightning Rod!”

  The crowd roared once again as Lightning Rod approached the massive metal ball and chain at the center of the field. It was twice
the size of the Titan, and yet he grabbed the heavy chain without hesitation. Straining he began to spin the ball around, faster and faster, electricity crackling up and down the metal links.

  Cali couldn’t help but be impressed. She often worked with the Skylanders, training them to use their powers, but she’d never seen Lightning Rod lift something this heavy, let alone spin it around.

  “He’s gonna win,” Pop Fizz was babbling, almost beside himself. “He’s gonna get the gold. I just know it.”

  But Drobot didn’t say anything.

  Cali turned and saw he wasn’t looking at Lightning Rod, but into the sky.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, the fur on the back of her neck bristling.

  “That is wrong,” Drobot replied, pointing toward the clouds with a claw. Cali turned to see a solitary balloon drifting high above them. “If Lightning Rod lets go of the hammer . . .”

  Cali didn’t need him to complete the sentence. Worst of all, she knew who owned the balloon.

  It was Flynn, the so-called “best pilot in all of Skylands,” and someone who seemed to have a knack for flying into trouble. The guy had an ego the size of an entire island, but he’d helped the Skylanders time and time again.

  “We’ve got to warn them!” Cali cried out.

  “Too late,” reported Drobot as the Storm Titan let go of the chain and flung the hammer into the air. It rocketed up, soaring over the heads of the crowd . . . straight for Flynn’s balloon.

  Chapter Two

  Incoming!

  Everything happened so fast. Before Cali could shout a warning, the hammer zoomed out of the stadium and hit the balloon’s basket. There was a flash of blinding light and the craft went into a spin, its propeller snapping off. The balloon went one way and the propeller went another.

  The crowd gasped.

  Drobot calculated the trajectory of the rogue propeller. It was heading straight for one of the many statues of Rod. The balloon, meanwhile, was in free fall, plummeting toward where Master Eon was sitting.

  With a crash, the propeller bounced off the statue and ricocheted in the direction of the stands.

  The crowd screamed.

  There was no time to lose. Drobot shot into the air, shouting over his shoulder, “You deal with the propeller. I will stop the balloon!”

  The crowd scattered as the whirling blades spun toward them. Beside Cali, Pop Fizz downed an entire bottle of potion and transformed into his fuzzy beast form.

  “Let’s play ball,” he growled, grabbing an empty bench. Just as the propeller was about to plow into the fleeing spectators, Pop Fizz swung the bench like a baseball bat and whacked the blades out of harm’s way.

  Meanwhile, on the playing field, Lightning Rod had raced over to the royal box. As the balloon came crashing down, the Storm Titan threw himself forward, stretching out his muscular arms to shield Master Eon and the king.

  But the crash never came. At the last moment, Drobot streaked over their heads and grabbed one of the basket’s ropes in his jaws. His gyro-gears whirring, the dragon pulled with all his might and heaved the balloon away from the royal box. Back in the stands, Cali gasped. Drobot was moving too quickly; there was no way he’d be able to pull up in time. She saw the dragon fire his retro-thrusters, but it was too late. With the sound of splintering wood and billowing silk, robo-dragon, basket, and balloon all smashed into the immaculate turf, sending up a wave of grass and earth.

  The crowd fell silent as the balloon deflated over the crash site. Even Lightning Rod clasped a hand over his mouth, fearing the worst. Then there was a roar of jet engines, and Drobot blasted out of the heap of fabric, Flynn dangling from his claws. Everyone burst into applause, whooping and cheering, none more so than Lightning Rod whose clapping sounded like thunder. The Skylanders had saved the day!

  Cali, however, didn’t join in the celebrations. She was staring into the sky, her eyes wide.

  “Rod!” she yelled. “Look up! Look up!”

  Lightning Rod spotted Cali out of the corner of his eye and did as he was told. High above them, the statue that had been hit by the propeller was now leaning dangerously. Even worse, a crack was appearing along its neck. The statue’s humongous head lolled forward, broke away, and plummeted down toward Master Eon and the king. It was going to squash them alive!

  “By my beard and biceps, I shall save them!” exclaimed Rod, tossing a crackling bolt of lightning into the sky. It slammed into the tumbling head, smashing it into a thousand tiny pieces.

  “Thank you, Rod,” Master Eon said with a gasp, as dust floated down around him. “I’m sorry about your statue, though.”

  The Storm Titan threw up a hand, shrugging off the apology. “It matters not. They could never get my chin right anyway.”

  Above them, Flynn was still hanging from the talons of a hovering Drobot. “Woo-hoo!” he cried out as Drobot lowered him to the ground. “What a ride! But don’t worry, I’m still in one piece and twice as handsome. BOOM!”

  “It’s a good thing you weren’t carrying any passengers,” Master Eon said, glancing over the crash site. “They could have been really hurt.”

  Flynn swallowed hard.

  “Flynn, you weren’t carrying any passengers, were you?” the Portal Master asked, his voice grave.

  The pilot laughed nervously. “Do I look like the kind of guy who forgets about his passengers?”

  When no one answered, he turned on his heel and ran toward the middle of the balloon wreckage.

  “I’ll just check if they’re all right!”

  Chapter Three

  Squirmgrub

  “Help!” came a muffled cry from beneath the upturned basket. As Cali and Pop Fizz ran up to join the other Skylanders, Rod grabbed the wicker gondola and flung it aside.

  Underneath, a huge robot figure was flailing about on the floor, arms and legs jerking left, right, and center.

  “That’s a Warrior Librarian,” Cali gasped. “But what’s wrong with it?”

  “It’s lying on top of me, that’s what’s wrong with it!” shouted whoever was still trapped beneath the Librarian.

  “Allow me,” Drobot said, leaning over the twitching cyborg and snapping open a control panel in its side. He plunged a claw inside and started flipping switches. “The crash has caused it to short circuit.”

  “Can you fix it?” Cali asked.

  “Of course,” came the sharp reply.

  The Librarian’s armor beeped and its legs stopped thrashing. “Repair complete.”

  “Thank you,” the Librarian said, finally back in charge of its body. Flexing its mechanical arms, the hulking robot sat up sharply. “I need to talk to Master Eon.”

  “And I need to breathe!” insisted the voice from beneath it.

  The robot gasped, apologized and, taking a welcome hand from Rod, pulled itself up to its large metal feet.

  “Hugo!” Cali exclaimed as soon as she realized who had been trapped beneath the bulky armor. “And Double Trouble, too. Are you guys okay?”

  “We are now,” gasped Hugo, Master Eon’s faithful right-hand Mabu. Beside him, Double Trouble was also getting to his feet—or at least he would have been if he had any. Like Rod, Drobot, and Pop Fizz, the small but powerful witch doctor was a Skylander, although none of them had ever seen him looking so disheveled. His feathers were crooked, his Eldritch staff was bent in two, and his wooden mask appeared to be on upside down. At least everyone assumed it was a mask. For all they knew it actually was Double Trouble’s face.

  “Well then,” Flynn said cheerfully, clapping his hands together. “All’s well that ends well. No harm done, eh?”

  “No harm done?” spluttered Hugo, straightening his mangled spectacles. Both lenses had been smashed in the crash. “Look at the state of my glasses. I can’t see a thing.”

  “Calm down, Hugo,” said Mas
ter Eon. “That is easily fixed.” The Portal Master clicked his fingers, there was a flash of light, and Hugo’s glasses were miraculously fixed. Even Double Trouble was back to normal, feathers primped, staff straightened, and face the right way around. The tiki-man cheered, firing some test blasts from his Eldritch staff to test it was still working okay (and narrowly missing a passing shoal of flying fish, who scattered in panic).

  “Now what is this all about?” Master Eon asked.

  “Master Eon, this is Squirmgrub,” Hugo said, indicating the Warrior Librarian that towered over him. “He has discovered something about the Mask of Power.”

  Master Eon’s face darkened. “Is it news of the next segment?”

  Hugo nodded, his newly repaired glasses bouncing on his nose. “Indeed it is. Squirmgrub believes he knows where it can be found.”

  “The next what?” Cali said, completely bemused. Everyone else seemed to know what was happening, but she was still in the dark. “And what’s the Mask of Power, anyway?”

  The Skylanders explained as Lightning Rod led Master Eon, the Warrior Librarian, and the Skylanders to a trophy room deep within the stadium.

  “It all started when Kaos tried to steal a book from the Warrior Librarians,” Pop Fizz was saying.

  Cali felt her hair stand on end at the mention of Kaos. He was the Skylanders’ archenemy, an evil Portal Master who was trying to take over Skylands.

  “Which book was it?” she asked.

  “The Book of Power and Other Utterly Terrifying Stuff,” Pop Fizz answered.

  “Volume Three!” chipped in Hugo, wringing his hands together in worry.

  “That doesn’t sound like light reading.”

  “It’s not, Cali,” Hugo continued. “Not at all. The Book of Power tells of a mysterious artifact from the dark times . . .”

  “The Mask of Power, right?” asked Cali.

  “The very same, although the ancients knew it by its full name—The Infernal Mask of Malevolent Power, Dominion, Dread, and Tyranny.”