Escape Plans

And then Athena started yelling at Aphrodite. ” Brody’s voice was shaky as he told his story. “ I just put on my old chiton and sandals and got out of there. ” Julia had always seen Brody looking cocky and confident. But right now he seemed upset and unsure of himself. He’d come rushing out of the bath ten minutes earlier, babbling about almost being poisoned. She and Markos had led him to a private spot outside the gymnasium, where he’d told them the whole story of Aphrodite’s visit. “ Wow, ” Julia said. “ And Athena mentioned Zeus’wife, Hera?”

“ Yeah, ” Brody said. “ She seemed to think Aphrodite and Hera were working together or something. ” “ That makes sense, ” Julia said, thinking back on the Greek myths she’d read. “ I mean, it sounds like something Hera might do. It reminds me of the story about the Shirt of Nessus. ” “ The shirt of what?” Brody looked blank. “ Never mind, I’ll tell you about it some other time, ” Julia said. “ But what about trying to escape? Are you ready now?”

Brody thought for a second. “ Maybe, ” he said. “ But how?” “ We need to find a way to sneak into the Temple of Caerus. ” Julia glanced at Markos. “ Will you help us?” She expected him to say no. To her surprise, however, Markos looked thoughtful. “ Did Athena truly say that Hera and Aphrodite were working together?” he asked. “ Because that would be quite unusual. ” “ Why?” Brody said. “ Wouldn’t anyone want to work with Aphrodite?”

Julia looked at him in astonishment. “ She just tried to kill you, dummy! You can’t still have a crush on her! ” Looking unhappy, Brody shrugged. Markos looked troubled now. “ Both Hermes and my father have ordered me to keep you safe, ” he told Brody. “ But if Hera is after you, there is no safety for you in Olympia. Or anywhere in Greece, for that matter. Once Hera develops a grudge against someone, she won’t stop until she’s destroyed him. ” He shuddered. “ Even Zeus himself is not always safe. ”

“ That’s why we need to get home, ” Julia said. “ Back to our own time. ” She looked at Markos. Would he help them? Or would he tell Hermes what they were planning? She and Brody had told Markos about the time passage in the temple on their first night in Greece. But Markos hadn’t said much in response. Julia wasn’t sure he believed they’d really come from the future. Finally Markos nodded. “ I will try to help, ” he said. “ In return, I ask only that you not tell Hermes that I did so. If he learns of my help, he will be angry and could even take out that anger on my father or the rest of my family. ”

“ Don’t worry, ” Julia said. “ Once we get out of here, we’re planning never to see Hermes again. Now listen, I’ve been thinking about this, and I have some ideas about how we could get away. . . ” The three of them spent the rest of the day concocting their plan. By dinnertime Julia was feeling confident. Hermes and Caerus entered the courtyard and took their seats at the table, just as they’d done the evening before. Julia watched from the doorway as Hermes started talking to Brody about his plans for training.