36_Julia's Errand

Julia was feeling cranky. Ever since the boys had left for the banquet, Markos’ mother and sister had kept Julia busy. They’d all cooked and eaten a quick dinner, then gone to work cleaning and tidying the entire house. “ I wonder what Brody is doing right now, ” Julia thought as she scrubbed another cooking pot. “ Whatever it is, I bet it’s more fun than this. ” “ Oh dear, ” Markos’ mother said, interrupting Julia’s grumpy thoughts. “ We are nearly out of water. One of us had better fetch more from the fountain in the agora. ”

朱莉娅感到烦。自从伙伴们离开去参加宴会后，马库斯的母亲和妹妹一直让朱莉娅忙得不可开交。 他们都做了饭，吃了一顿便饭，然后去清理、打扫卫生整个房子。 “我想知道布罗迪现在在做什么，”茱莉亚一边擦洗另一个锅，一边想。 ”不管是什么，我打赌它比这更有趣。” “哦，亲爱的，”马库斯的母亲打断了茱莉亚暴躁的想法。 “我们快没水了。我们中的一个人最好从集市的喷水池里多拿些。”

“ I’ll do it, ” Julia said before the other girl could respond. “ I’m finished cleaning this thing anyway. ” She set the pot aside, and then she grabbed one of the large decorated jars used for collecting water from the public fountain. She hurried out of the house, glad for any kind of distraction from boring housework. It was a clear evening with a pleasant breeze, and it felt good to be outside. Julia took her time walking toward the agora. She was in no hurry to get back to her chores. Hearing the faint sound of music, she paused and peered down a side street. At the far end stood the Temple of Hera.

“我来，”茱莉亚在另一个女孩之前回应说“反正我已经把这东西清理干净了。” 她把锅放在一边，然后抓起一个用来收集公共喷泉水的漂亮罐子。 她匆匆走出家门，为能从枯燥的家务中离开而高兴。 这是一个晴朗的夜晚，微风和煦，在外面感觉很好。 朱莉娅慢慢地走向广场，她并不急于回去做家务。 听到微弱的音乐声，她停了下来，凝视着一条小街。在街道的最远处矗立着赫拉神庙。

“ I bet that music is coming from the banquet, ” Julia murmured. She couldn’t resist turning onto the street and walking past the first few houses. The music got louder, and soon Julia could also hear the sounds of laughing, talking, and singing. The noise was coming from a building close to the temple. She stopped in front of the building, the largest home on the street. Several guards stood near the front door. The youngest guard eyed Julia suspiciously, but Julia ignored him.

“我打赌宴会上会有音乐。“茱莉亚自言自语。 她忍不住走到街上，走过最初的几栋房子。 音乐越来越响，很快茱莉亚也能听到笑声、说话声和唱歌声。声音来自寺庙附近的一座建筑物。 她在街上最大的住宅楼前停了下来，几名警卫站在前门附近。 最年轻的警卫怀疑地看着茱莉亚，但茱莉亚没有理会他。

“ I’d love to slip inside the building, ” she thought, “ and get a look at the celebration. ” Plus, she couldn’t help feeling a little worried about Brody, and also about Heracles. Would the other gods try to play their usual dangerous pranks at the banquet? “ You! ” the young guard snapped. “ What do you want here? This is a private party. ” Julia opened her mouth to answer. Before she could get out any words, the door burst open and a slim, pale goddess came out. Julia didn’t recognize her.

“我很想溜进大楼，”她想着，“看看庆祝活动。” 此外，她忍不住对布罗迪和赫拉克勒斯感到有点担心。 其他神会在宴会上玩他们经常玩的阴谋诡计吗？ “你！”年轻的警卫厉声说道。“你想在这里干什么？这是一个私人聚会。” 茱莉亚张开嘴回答。她还没来得及说出什么话，门就开了，一位苗条、苍白的女神走了出来。 茱莉亚没认出她。

The guards immediately bowed deeply. “ We trust you are enjoying the evening, Lethe, ” the oldest guard said politely. “ Lethe, ” Julia thought. “ I thought that was the name of a river. “ ” Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s a river in Hades. I guess it’s the name of a goddess too. ” Lethe ignored the guards. She had a dreamy expression on her face as she drifted toward the street. “ You, young dancer, ” Lethe said when she spotted Julia. “ Did you see me inside?” “ What?” Julia said, startled. “ Inside? Uh, no. ”

卫兵立即深深地鞠了一躬。“我们相信你今晚过得很愉快，莱思，”年纪最大的警卫礼貌地说。 “莱思，”茱莉亚想。“我以为那是一条河的名字。 “事实上，我很确定这是地狱的一条河。我想这也是女神的名字。” 莱思无视守卫，她朝街上走去时，脸上有一种梦幻的表情。 “你，年轻的舞者，”莱蒂看到茱莉亚时说道。“你看见我在里面了吗？” “什么？”朱莉娅吃惊地说。“里面？呃，不。”

“ Good. ” Lethe turned her dreamy smile in the direction of the building. “ I wish I could stay at the banquet longer. But Hera feared that the other gods might guess our plans. ” “ Your . . . your plans?” Julia swallowed nervously. “ What plans?” “ I cannot reveal them to you, young dancer, ” Lethe replied, her smile widening. " It’s really Hera’s plan anyway. All I had to do was deliver a very special drink to the banquet. " " It’s Hera’s job to ensure that some of her champion’s competitors take a nice, long sip . . . ” Her laugh made Julia shiver.

“好的。”莱思把她梦幻般的微笑转向大楼的方向。 “我希望我能在宴会上多呆一会儿。但赫拉担心其他神会猜到我们的计划。” “你…你的计划？”茱莉亚紧张地咽了咽。“什么计划？” “我不能向你透露，年轻的舞者，”莱思回答，她的笑容越来越大。 "无论如何，这确实是赫拉的计划。我所要做的就是为宴会送上一杯非常特别的饮料。" "赫拉的职责是确保她的一些冠军竞争者喝上一大口……”。 她的笑声让朱莉娅瑟瑟发抖.