Detective Work

The next day Julia and Markos went to the gymnasium to watch Brody’s training, as usual. “ Wow, there are lots of gods here today, ” Julia said. Markos nodded. “ As the Games draw closer, the gods become quite focused on the competition. Only the most powerful gods have a real chance of winning, of course. But the others don’t want to make it easy for them! Julia looked at the field. She couldn’t help worrying about whether Brody would be good enough to compete against all these other athletes. Still, she could tell that he was doing his best to train hard. She watched Hermes hand Brody a discus and then gesture toward the course.

As Julia followed the track of Brody’s toss, she noticed Ares creeping along the edge of the field. “ What’s Ares doing?” she said. Markos glanced at the god of war. “ Probably trying to sabotage another god’s champion. ” “ You mean like what Hera and Aphrodite tried to do to Brody?” Julia asked. “ Do the gods do that kind of thing a lot?” “ Of course, ” Markos replied. “ Ares has quite a rivalry with Apollo. He’s not eager to have his sister Athena beat him in the Games either. Oh, and I heard he recently quarreled with Hephaestus. ”

Julia shivered. “ The gods really can’t be trusted, can they?” she said. “ What if they keep trying to sabotage Brody?” “ They probably will. ” Markos shrugged. “ Then we should do something to help him. ” Julia stood up. She was tired of sitting around watching Brody run and jump and throw things. “ Let’s go spy on the other gods and their champions. Maybe we can figure out which ones are the biggest threat to Brody. ”

Markos looked surprised, but he stood up too. “ That’s a good idea. The gods usually can’t help bragging about their tricks and plans. If we listen carefully, we might be able to help Brody stay safe— and even win. ” “ Where are you two going?” Brody called out as Julia and Markos headed for an exit. Hermes looked over too. “ We’re, uh, going to the agora. ” Markos flushed. “ My mother asked me to get some extra eels for tonight’s dinner. ” Hermes smacked his lips. “ Eels, eh?” he said.

“ My favorite! Make sure you get plenty, boy. We’ll meet you at the agora when we’re finished here in case you need help carrying them. ” “ How many eels does Hermes expect you to get?” Julia whispered as she and Markos hurried out. “ It doesn’t matter, ” Markos said. “ I just made that up about my mother. Let’s go to the agora and see who’s there. ” A few minutes later, the two kids were wandering around the agora. As usual, it was crowded. A fabric merchant was placing a bolt of silk in front of his tent. Two farmers were arguing loudly over the price of a flock of honking geese.

Several small boys dodged through the crowd toward another stall. There were only a few gods in view, including Hera. “ Let’s go closer, ” Julia whispered, nodding at the queen of the gods. Julia and Markos moved toward Hera, who was talking to her champion, a muscular young man with a scar on his cheek. “ . . . and you’ll have to do much better at the long jump, ” the goddess was saying when Julia got close enough to hear. “ Because my husband has been bragging that his champion once leaped across the Elpeus River at its widest point. ”