43_More Tricks

" Man, I’m starving. ” Brody popped a few grapes into his mouth. “ I wish the gods would give us more food, ” he complained to Heracles. The gods were feasting on roasted meats, fish, cheese, and vegetables. Even the mortals in the crowd had plenty of food, thanks to the vendors wandering around. A few minutes earlier, after the end of the discus event, Zeus had called for a lunch break. Brody could see Julia, Markos, and Iphicles enjoying a platter of cheese and olives. Delicious scents drifted over the track, making Brody even hungrier.

"伙计，我快饿死了。”布罗迪把几颗葡萄塞进嘴里。。 “我希望众神能给我们更多的食物，”他向赫拉克勒斯抱怨道 众神正在享用烤肉、鱼、奶酪和蔬菜。 即使是人群中的普通人也有充足的食物，这要归功于四处游荡的小贩。 几分钟前，铁饼比赛结束后，宙斯要求午休。 布罗迪可以看到朱莉娅、马库斯和伊菲克勒斯正在享用一盘奶酪和橄榄。 美味的气味飘过赛道，让布罗迪更加饥饿。

Heracles was chewing on a fig. “ Eating light snacks is best, ” he told Brody. “ If you’re full, you can’t perform well in the Games. ” Brody shrugged, still wishing he had a nice, juicy cheeseburger—or at least some of those sausages Dionysus was enjoying. “ So which event comes next in the pentathlon?” he asked. “ The javelin throw, ” Heracles replied “ And what pranks are planned for that?” Brody asked. “ None, ” Heracles said. “ At least none that we know about. Julia, Markos, and Iphicles heard no one plotting against me in this event. ”

赫拉克勒斯嚼着一只无花果，他告诉布罗迪：“吃清淡的零食是最好的。”。 “如果你吃饱了，你就不能在奥运会上表现出色。” 布罗迪耸耸肩，仍然希望自己能吃一个美味多汁的奶酪汉堡，或者至少能吃一些狄奥尼索斯喜欢吃的香肠。 “那么五项全能的下一个项目是什么？”他问。 “掷标枪，”赫拉克勒斯回答 “在这项目上会进行什么恶作剧？”布罗迪问。 “没有，”赫拉克勒斯说。“至少我们不知道。朱莉娅、马科斯和伊菲克勒斯没有听到有人在这件事上密谋反对我。”

Brody shrugged. “ So maybe the gods will give you a break when it’s your turn to throw the javelin. ” He picked up another grape. “ I doubt it, ” Heracles replied grimly. “ I suppose I’ll have to be ready for anything. ” “ Yeah. ” Brody tossed the grape into his mouth. “ By the way, I’m sorry for throwing my discus so far. I almost beat you! ” Heracles shot him a surprised look. “ You have no need to apologize for that, my friend, ” he said. “ I didn’t realize the tortoise would be so heavy, ” Brody went on.

布罗迪耸了耸肩。“所以，当轮到你掷标枪时，也许众神会让你休息一下。” 他又摘了一颗葡萄。 “我怀疑，”赫拉克勒斯冷冷地回答。“我想我必须做好一切准备。” “是的。”布罗迪把葡萄扔进嘴里。“顺便说一下，我很抱歉把铁饼扔了这么远。我差点打败你！” 赫拉克勒斯惊讶地看了他一眼。“你没有必要为此道歉，我的朋友，”他说。 “我没想到乌龟会这么重，”布罗迪继续说道。

“ You would have thrown a real discus much farther. ” “ This is still a competition, Brody, ” Heracles said, looking serious. “ I’m willing to accept your help in avoiding the gods’ mischief. But I still want to win on my own merits. ” Brody nodded. “ Yeah. I get it. ” He knew just how Heracles felt. He loved to win football games, but winning wouldn’t be fun if the other team wasn’t doing its best. Soon the lunch break ended, and the Games resumed.

“你会把真正的铁饼扔得更远。” “这仍然是一场竞争，布罗迪，”赫拉克勒斯表情严肃地说。 “我愿意接受你的帮助，避免众神的恶作剧。但我仍然想凭借自己的优势获胜。” 布罗迪点了点头。“是的，我明白了。”他知道赫拉克勒斯的感受。 他喜欢赢得足球比赛，但如果对方没有尽力，赢得比赛就没有乐趣了。 很快，午休时间结束，奥运会重新开始。

Zeus announced the start of the javelin event. “ Ares’ champion will go first, ” he declared. Then he smirked. “ Although there’s not much point in anyone throwing the javelin, is there? It’s pretty clear already who is going to win every event. ” A few gods groaned. “ Don’t get cocky, Zeus, ” Ares called out with a frown. “ Anything can happen in the Olympic Games, and we’re not even halfway through! ” A smile curled across Zeus’ face. “ As you wish, Ares, ” he said. “ I merely wanted to spare your champions the embarrassment of losing. ”

宙斯宣布标枪比赛开始。“阿瑞斯的选手将首先上场，”他宣称。 然后他笑了。“虽然谁来掷标枪都没有多大意义，不是吗？很明显谁会赢得每一场比赛。” 有几个神在呻吟。 “别骄傲，宙斯，”阿瑞斯皱着眉头喊道。 “在奥运会上，任何事情都可能发生，而我们甚至还没有完成一半！” 宙斯脸上掠过一丝微笑。“如你所愿，阿瑞斯，”他说。 “我只是想让你的选手免于失败的尴尬。”

Hera scowled. “ That’s enough, husband, ” she snapped. “ I came to see the Games, not to listen to your constant bragging. ” “ It’s not bragging if it’s true, dear wife. ” Zeus smirked again. When Brody’s turn came, he threw the javelin as far as he could. Brody knew at once that it was a good throw, and he instantly heard Hermes cheering and applauding. Agon stepped forward to retrieve the javelin and mark its landing spot. “ Sorry, Hermes, ” Demeter said with a smug expression. “ It appears that your champion has failed to beat my champion’s mark. ”

赫拉愁眉苦脸。“够了，丈夫，”她厉声说道。“我是来看奥运会的，而不是听你不断吹嘘。” “亲爱的妻子，如果这是真的，那就不是吹牛。”宙斯又笑了。 轮到布罗迪时，他尽可能地掷标枪。 布罗迪立刻知道这是一次好的投球，他立刻听到赫耳墨斯欢呼和鼓掌。 阿贡走上前去取回标枪并标记其落点。 “对不起，赫耳墨斯，”德米特得意地说。“看来你的选手没能击败我的选手。”