“Mmm. What’s that sweet smell?” she said, sniffing the air. The sandals had taken her close to a big flower bush.

What a pretty bush, she thought. It grew many kinds of flowers. There were colorful daisies, roses, and lilies all over it. She reached out to sniff a perfect red rose.

“Stop!” shouted a girl’s voice.

Athena jumped back. “Who said that?”

“Me!” A girl’s face popped up from the top of the bush. She had daisies growing in her hair! And she wore a cute dress made of leaves and flowers.

The two girls stared at each other. Then Athena remembered what the Hello Brick Road sign had told her about making friends.

“Hello. I’m Athena,” she said to the girl.

“I’m Persephone.” The girl grinned.

“Are you a girl or a flower bush?” Athena asked.

Persephone laughed. “I’m both.” Then she frowned. “And I’m stuck in the muck.”

“Oh. Is there a way I can help?” Athena stepped closer to her.

“Stay back!” Persephone yelped. She held up both hands, keeping Athena away.

Uh-oh! Maybe this girl didn’t want to be friends after all?

Persephone sighed. It made her leaves flutter. “I have a bad case of bad luck-itis,” she explained. “I wouldn’t want you to catch it. You see, horrible things are always happening to me. Like today. I came into this garden to help some droopy flowers feel better. Instead I grew roots.”

She lifted the hem of her leafy flower dress. Athena stared in surprise. Persephone’s legs ended in tangled roots that went down under the ground.

“I can’t move. See?” Persephone tried to pull her roots out of the dirt. She tugged on one leg and then the other. The roots didn’t budge.

“That is bad luck,” agreed Athena. If only she could help! She stared at Persephone’s roots.

“Woof!”

Athena looked over at her new dog. He was sniffing and pawing at a beetle in the grass. That gave her the perfect idea.

“Come, Oliver!” she called out. When he dashed over, she pointed to the dirt around Persephone’s roots. “Dig, boy!”

Oliver wagged his tail. Then he started to dig. Dirt flew as his front paws dug deep. Before long Persephone was free!

Persephone leaped from the garden to stand on the road. Her roots magically became feet again! She wiggled her bright-green painted toenails in delight. She gave Athena a big smile. “Thanks.”

Persephone’s leafy, flowery dress rustled as she bent to pat Oliver. “And thank you, too,” she said. She laughed as he tried to give her kisses.

She straightened and pointed to some droopy flowers at the side of the road. “I wish my luck were better,” she said with a sigh. “Then I could use it to help all plants grow strong and beautiful. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“Hmm.” A new idea came to Athena. She pointed at the rainbow sparkles in the distance. “Want to go to Sparkle City? I’m on my way there to see Zeus,” she told Persephone. “He’s the super-duper powerful king of the gods. I’m going to ask him to help me get back home. Maybe you can ask for the gift of good luck.”

Persephone’s big green eyes twinkled with excitement. “That’s an awesome idea. With good luck, I could help the flowers!”

The two girls high-fived. “Onward to Sparkle City!” they shouted. Then they skipped down the road. Oliver trotted along behind them.

That street sign was right, thought Athena. It was easy to make new friends on the Hello Brick Road!