"Once Perseus returned from the Isle of the dead, he rejoined Thallo and the others. They traveled a safe distance from the river and found a nice place to camp for the night, completely unaware they were being watched." Jareth told his children. "Hiding in the shadows, Calibos waited until everyone was asleep. Once they were sleeping the only thing that could ruin his plan was a faithful little owl that was keeping a watchful eye."

"Bubo!" Melody shouted.

"Yes, our golden friend was watching over Perseus, Thallo, and the other soldiers."

"What did Calibus want?" Luke inquired.

"Revenge of course. He wasn't about to let Perseus defeat the Kraken and save Andromeda." Jareth answered. "But he was too much of a coward to just attack them directly. After getting rid of Bubo he snuck over to the bag that held Medusa's head and stabbed it with the trident that replaced his hand."

"Why did he stab it?" Liam questioned. "Wasn't she dead?"

"She was, but remember her blood was a deadly poison. It also did strange things to living creatures. Calibos dripped the blood on 3 large scorpions. The blood caused them to mutate and grow larger."

"Were they huge?" Liam's eyes lit up as he asked his question. He had always loved bugs.

"Bigger than our hero," Jareth told him. " Seeing the growing scorpions, Bubo started shouting to wake the others. When Bubo was looking the other way, Calibus struck him with his whip and knocked him in the creek."

"Was Bubo alright?" Liam asked.

"Yes, it takes a lot more than a whip to get rid of this little guy," Jareth replied as he stood and grabbed the golden owl. "Though due to being made of metal he sank to the bottom and since he landed on his back it took a while for him to get out of the creek."

"While the scorpions grew, Calibos untied and scared off the horses. Luckily between the horses stampeding off, the large splash Bubo made, and the snapping of the giant claws of the scorpions, Perseus woke up in time to wake Thallo and the other solider." Jareth started juggling crystals. "The men drew their swords and tried to fight off the scorpions. Each took a scorpion there were three of them. It wasn't easy to avoid two massive claws along with their stingers. The one Perseus was facing managed to knock his sword from his hand. "

"How did he fight without a weapon?" Melody asked.

"He used the torch he was carrying to push it back while he grabbed the stinger. It wasn't easy and without a weapon, he'd certainly die. But I'll come back to that. Once Calibos chased the horses off, he attacked the men as well. First, he grabbed the soldier by the legs with his whip and knocked him to his feet. Unable to get up in time the scorpion stung him and he died almost instantly."

"Poor soldiers. They just have all the bad luck." Sarah commented.

"The risks one takes when going into battle my love." Jareth shrugged and flopped into the pillow pit.

"What happened to Thallo and Perseus?" Luke asked.

"They were ok right?" Melody added.

"Well, Thallo fought his scorpion bravely and killed the scorpion with one swift thrust of his sword. Seeing Perseus was in trouble he recovered his sword and called out to him before throwing it to him. Perseus easily caught it and continued to fight. His friend Thallo wasn't so lucky."

"No!" Melody cried. "why?"

"Sorry, my dear," Jareth said soothingly. "As soon as he threw the sword a whip was wrapped around his neck, strangling him. He fought to pull it off but Calibos pulled Thallo to him and stabbed him in the back with his trident hand. Meanwhile, Perseus, now armed with the sword from Aphrodite, cut off the stinger and then the claws of the scorpion before stabbing it. Just as he killed the scorpion, Calibos struck him with his whip and knocked the sword from his hand. The whip wrapped around his wrist and Calibos pulled Perseus to the ground. As he scrambled to get to his feet and get to his sword, Calibos continued to whip him. Right as Perseus was about to grab the sword, Calibos wrapped his whip around his throat."

"No Perseus can't die!" Melody cried. "He had to save the Princess. Where is Bubo?"

"Bubo is still at the bottom of the creek," Jareth stated plainly.

"But Perseus survives right?" Liam asked.

"If you would let me finish..." Jareth said in a slightly scolding tone. "Now while he had his whip around Perseus's throat, Calibos was pulling, but unlike Thallo, Perseus was able to get a grip on the whip and pull back. He pulled as hard as he could to prevent being strangled and reached blindly behind him with his other hand trying to find the sword. His fingertips felt the cold metal and inched it closer until he wrapped his hand around it. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the sword at Calibos and impaled him."

"Good, he needs to die! He's an evil man!" Melody shouted.

"Now, now, Mel," Sarah scolded, "Even bad men deserve a trial and fair punishment. We don't just kill because they did."

"Your mother is right," Jareth agreed. "But in this case, it was self-defense. If Perseus hadn't killed him, Calibos would have killed him. Now once he was gone, Perseus ran to his friend Thallo and checked on him. He was gone sadly, but there was still a mission to complete."

"He had to defeat the Kraken!" Luke exclaimed.

"Yes and in order to get there in time he was going to need help."

~*~*~*~/.../~*~*~*~

Bubo made his way out of the creek slowly, his metal body making it hard to move in the water. As he exited, he coughed and sputtered trying to clear the water from his gears. He found Perseus beaten, dirty, and exhausted by the creek with the cloak containing Medusa's head nearby. "Where is he? Let me at him. I'll show that whip-wielding maniac that I'm not the bird he should mess with. Are you alright? What happened?"

Looking up wearily, Perseus smiled a bit at his enthusiastic companion. "Hello, my wet friend."

"Is everyone alright?"

"No" Perseus shook his head.

"Is it over?"

"No our task is not complete."

Bubo shook his head. "I wish I could have helped more. I tried to warn you, but he knocked me into the water. What do we do now?"

"If you can fly..." Perseus paused as the owl flapped one wing after the other, testing them, and then nodded. "Good. And if he's still alive..."

"Who? If who's still alive?"

"You must try to find Pegasus," Perseus told him in a winded voice. He was breathing heavily and obviously exhausted.

"What about you? I can't leave you like this." Bubo argued.

"I'll be fine. Please find Pegasus. I'll make my way back to the amphitheater."

"I don't like it but if you're sure." Bubo watched him carefully.

"I just need to...catch my breath," Perseus assured him.

With a final nod, Bubo promised to find the winged horse as fast as he could and took off.

~*~*~*/.../~*~*~*~

In Olympus Jareth and Athena were watching everything unfold through the eyes of the golden owl in a crystal. "Where is Pegasus?"

Athena shook his head. "Last I heard he had been captured by Calibos. Father was furious, but Thetis assured him that the stallion was alive and well."

"So he must be in the swamp, at his camp. I'll let our golden friend know." Jareth stated.

"Wait," Athena stopped him. "We have to be sure. There's not enough time to search elsewhere if we're wrong. Let's check with Artemis."

"Why should we check with your sister?"

Athena put on her sandals and headed for the door. "She's been searching since we heard he was captured. She's as protective of that stallion as Father is, maybe even more so."

Nodding, Jareth shifted into his owl form and flew after the goddess.

They found Athena in the clay figure room looking at figures of various animals. "Sister, what brings you here?" She asked when she noticed Athena walk in with Jareth on her shoulder.

"Have you been able to locate the white stallion?" Athena didn't waste time on greetings for there was little time to spare.

"I have," Artemis said through gritted teeth. "He's in a cage in the swamp. I wish Father would let me deal with Calibos."

"You're too late, sister." Athena placed her hand on the Huntress's shoulder. "I was killed by Perseus."

"Wonderful," Artemis grinned. "Though I'm sure his mommy will want justice for her son."

"Good luck with that. He attacked Perseus and his friends while they were asleep and killed all but Perseus." Athena informed her.

"How do... Nevermind. I forgot about your golden spy." Artemis shook her head.

"Fear not, soon the stallion will be free." She patted Jareth's head and he flew off to her room. Once inside he changed back and summoned a crystal to his hand. He informed Bubo of what they had learned and soon the little owl was flying through the swamp.

~*~*~*~/.../~*~*~*~

Bubo didn't have to search long to find Calibos's camp. He swooped in immediately. "Fear me, foolish mortals!" He dive-bombed the swamp men and cried out as loud as his little mechanical voice could. "I have come to deliver you a message from the gods! Flee before you meet your deaths!"

The swamp men began running around trying to avoid the crazed owl and the large vulture ruffled his feathers when the small owl flew his way.

"What are you looking at, you overgrown turkey?" Bubo dive-bombed him and he moved and ducked trying to avoid him. Bubo didn't let up though. "What's the matter? Scared? That's right you better run!"

The vulture flapped his wings, spun, ducked, and tried to avoid the owl. In his attempt to get away he knocked over a bunch of candles and the fire quickly spread burning everything in sight.

Once the vulture and men were scared off, Bubo flew to the cage where the white stallion was being held. "Hey, Pegasus! I'm here to rescue you!" He hit the latch and opened the door, releasing the winged horse. "Come on! Let's get out of here!" He flew through the smoke and coughed. "This way!"

Bubo and Pegasus took to the sky and headed out of the swamp. They headed for the amphitheater, and Bubo hopped that Perseus had made it there safely.

~*~*~*~/.../~*~*~*~

Zeus was in the clay figure room watching over his son. Perseus made it to the amphitheater but collapsed once he got there.

"Great Zeus, below on Earth it is now the eve of the longest day," Thetis said from the doorway with Lord Poseidon at her side.

"Very well," Zeus said solemnly as he walked around the table. "Release the Kraken."

They nodded and walked away, neither truly wanting to go through with this. Once she learned of her son's demise, Theits had lost her need for vengeance, but she couldn't undo what had been done.

The others had gathered to witness the sacrifice and none said anything about Zeus picking up the clay figure of his son and placing him back on his feet.

~*~*~*~/.../~*~*~*~

Bubo and Pegasus arrived at the amphitheater to find Perseus standing there holding the cloak with Medusa's head. He looked exhausted but Bubo knew they had no time to rest. "I found him! I found him!" Bubo cried as he flew around the amphitheater.

"Good work my friend." Perseus smiled. He watched Pegasus land beside him and rubbed his nose. "Good to see you, my friend. I need your help."

Pegasus neighed and stomped his foot. Perseus jumped on his back and they took to the sky, heading for the sacrificial rock. Bubo flew ahead, leading the way. "We have to hurry!"

By the time they arrived at the coast Andromeda was already chained up and the Kraken was towering over the rocks, terrifying all those that had gathered to see the sacrifice. Bubo flew in front of the Kraken taunting him. "Hey! Over here Ugly! You better leave if you don't want to die!"

The Kraken glared at him and gave a deafening roar at the tiny owl, sending him flying into the rocks. Seeing the tiny owl collide with the rocky cliff, he moved closer to where the princess was chained. He was about to grab her when he heard something, looked around, and growled as he spotted Perseus flying towards him.

Perseus was struggling to undo the knot on his cloak. He had been so concerned with making sure the head didn't come out of the cloak on accident, he hadn't thought about how hard it would be to actually get it out when he needed it. Before he could get the knot undone, the Kraken swatted him and Pegasus with one massive hand, knocking them both into the sea.

Bubo recovered from his collision with the rock just in time to see the two disappear into the water. He blinked his eyes unbelievingly. "No, it can't be..."

He and all watching from the shore cheered when Perseus surfaced and started swimming towards the rock where Andromeda was chained. He made it safely but without the head, he had no way to fight the Kraken.

Bubo searched the water and soon spotted the red cloak. With the cloak now soaked it was a darker shade of red and much harder to spot, but he finally did. Without hesitation, the little owl dove for the water and grabbed the cloak with his claws. Hurrying to the rock where Perseus was, he shouted "Perseus! Catch!" As he flew over the man, he dropped the cloak and flew off. He circled the Kraken trying to keep his attention away from Perseus. "Bet you can't catch me, you big bully!"

While the golden owl distracted the Kraken, Perseus rushed to open his cloak, but the task wasn't easy, especially with the strong waves that kept crashing over him. Finally, he managed to undo the knot and closed his eyes as he unwrapped the head. Grabbing it by the snakes that were her hair, he held the head high aiming it right at the Kraken. Suddenly Medusa's eyes glowed bright green and the snake started squirming,

Bubo took cover on the rocky cliff and the Kraken turned his attention back to humans on the rock. Glancing down his eyes fell upon the severed head of Medusa and he froze. Slowly his dark skin turned gray as he turned to stone. He tried to move but didn't get far as it spread all over. Soon his body began to crack and break, large chunks falling into the sea. Soon there was nothing to be seen of the titans except the large waves created by his disappearing body.

Seeing the Kraken was gone, Perseus threw Medusa's head into the sea to join him. The crowd cheered and a soldier tossed the keys to Perseus so he could unchain Andromeda. As he was doing that, there was a large wave and something burst through the water. People cried out in fear at first, thinking the Kraken or some other creature was back. A white streak shot into the air and once white wings opened and flapped strongly, everyone was relieved to see it was Pegasus.

Bubo hopped up and down happily on the rock, excited to see his friends were alight and the Kraken was defeated. In his excitement he lost his footing and fell down the rocky cliff face, breaking a leg. It took a while but eventually, Perseus found him and carried him back to the city.

~*~*~*~/../*~*~~*

Seeing Perseus defeat the Kraken even made the Gods cheer. After witnessing the Kaken's demise, Zeus called everyone to the throne room. "Perseus has won," he smiled. "My son has triumphed."

"A fortunate young man," Hera said through gritted teeth. Se had been hoping the boy would be killed but she would never admit that in front of her husband.

"Fortune is ally to the brave," Zeus commented.

"What a dangerous precedent. What if one day there were other heroes like him?" Thetis demanded. She was still upset about what happened to her son.

"What if courage and imagination became everyday mortal qualities?" Hera added. She didn't like the idea of mortals defeating powerful beings.

"We would no longer be needed," Zeus smirked. "But for the moment, there is sufficient cowardice, sloth, and mendacity down there on Earth to last forever." His answer seemed to placate Hera and Thetis for the moment. " I forbid any revenge against Perseus." Everyone knew it was an order. " He has done well. He will be rewarded."

~*~*~*~/.../~*~*~*~

"So did Perseus live happily ever after?" Melody questioned.

"Yes, in fact, he did. He and Andromeda were married and had 9 children." Jareth answered.

"What happened to Bubo?" Luke inquired.

"Well, he stayed with Perseus for many years. Occasionally he ran errands for Athena or Artemis. But he was happy. How he ended up in one of my storage rooms is a mystery though." Jareth stated as he picked up the owl once more. "May he can tell us that tale." With a snap of his fingers, the owl blinked his eyes and started making beeps and whirling sounds.

"Wow!" All three children exclaimed.

"He's alive!" Liam shouted.

"Hello my old friend," Jareth smiled. "Glad to see you're still able to move."

Bubo flapped one wing and then the other. "Yup they still work," he said but only Jareth understood him.

"Very good. Now, why don't you go explore with the children? We'll catch up later."

"Sounds good to me." He flapped his wings and flew around the room. "Follow me tiny mortals!" he cried and out the door he flew.

Sarah laughed as she watched her children chase the golden owl. Once they were gone she got up and sat on her husband's lap. "So my dearest, when were you planning o tell me that story?"

"I told you about Athena." Jareth protested.

"You told me she was your lover for a bit but you ever mentioned how you got your owl form or Bubo." She said teasingly as she stroked his cheek.

"You said I was allowed to keep some secrets in my past." Jareth raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

"True, but I think this was a nice story to tell. I'm glad you told the children." She kissed him softly then rested her head against his. "Now we should collect the children. It's almost time for dinner."

"Of course, Precious, I shall have Bubo bring them back." He stood with her in his arms and spun her around making her giggle. "First though I believe I need to reiterate how much I adore you." He kissed her soundly before they vanished in a cloud of glitter.