3 The feud

Chapter 3 The feud The day's sporting events were beginning. As Rosa and Kingsley followed DeLay through the stadium, athletes were practicing hard, and food vendors were selling snacks to the excited crowd. The scent of mint and honey wafted around. "Get your olives here!" bellowed one.

当天的体育比赛开始了。 罗莎和金斯利跟着迪莱穿过体育场时，运动员们正在努力训练，食品摊贩正在向兴奋的人群兜售小吃。 薄荷和蜂蜜的香味飘来飘去。 “把橄榄拿过来！”一个人大吼道。

"Olives so tasty, they're fit for a feast at Mount Olympus!" "That's the home of their gods and goddesses," said Rosa, remembering what she'd learned about ancient Greece at school. They were passing the big stone blocks that separated the seating area from the stadium. These were encircled by a ditch filled with running water. Tempo dipped her beak into it for a quick drink, then flapped out of the way of the athletes who were gathering beside it. They wore helmets and metal shin armor, and each carried a huge shield. Rosa tried to imagine what modern competitors would think of those outfits!

“橄榄太好吃了，可以在奥林匹斯山上举行宴会了！”“那是他们的神和女神的家，”罗莎说，想起了她在学校里学过的古希腊知识。 他们正在经过把座位区和体育场隔开的大石块。 它们被一条充满流水的沟渠包围着。 Tempo把她的嘴伸进去喝了一口，然后拍着翅膀离开了聚集在它旁边的运动员。 他们戴着头盔和金属护胫，每人拿着一面巨大的盾牌。 罗莎试着想象现代的竞争对手会怎么看这些服装！

Officials now waited by the starting line, and the watching spectators were telling each other excitedly, It's the hoplite race!" "A hopping race?" Kingsley said in amazement. "Nice joke!" It was Karpos again, holding a big bowl of olives that he'd bought from a food stand. "Oh," he said, "you really don't know? It's called that because the athletes are armored like a kind of soldier called a hoplite." Rosa and Kingsley watched, amazed, as the athletes headed for the starting line. "Those shields must be incredibly heavy," Rosa said. "The race will be a test of strength as well as speed."

官员们现在在起跑线旁等候，观看比赛的观众们兴奋地告诉彼此：“这是重装步兵比赛！”“跳跃赛跑？”金斯莱惊奇地说。 “不错的笑话!”又是卡尔波斯，手里拿着一大碗橄榄，那是他从食品摊上买的。 “哦，”他说，“你真的不知道吗？ 之所以叫这个名字，是因为运动员们穿着盔甲，就像一种被称为重步兵的士兵。” 罗莎和金斯利惊讶地看着运动员们冲向起跑线。 “那些护盾一定很重，”罗莎说。 “这场比赛将是对力量和速度的考验。”

Kingsley pointed to two competitors striding to the start. "There are the Prince of Sparta and the Prince of Athens," he said. "Do princes run in races, Karpos?" "Of course they do," Karpos said, chewing on an olive. "A prince who sprints is a prince who... glints? Hints? Hang on, a rhyme will come to me..."

金斯利指着两名正大步走向起跑线的选手。 “有斯巴达王子和雅典王子，”他说。 “王子们也参加赛跑吗，卡波斯？”“当然了，”卡尔波斯一边嚼着一颗橄榄一边说。 “冲刺的王子是…… 闪烁吗?提示?等一下，我会想到一首诗的……”

At the other end of the arena, DeLay was heading up an aisle between the rows of spectators. "Sorry, Karpos," said Rosa. "Got to go!"

在体育馆的另一端，迪莱正沿着一排排观众之间的过道往前走。 “对不起，卡波斯。”罗莎说。 “我得走了！”

Rosa and Kingsley ran up the next aisle. They kept glancing across at DeLay, trying to catch up with the fleeing villain. Running up steep steps was easy for his long, spindly legs, but as the Timekeepers reached the top level, they were exhausted. "I feel like I've run a marathon," gasped Kingsley. DeLay put a thumb on his nose and wiggled his fingers at the Timekeepers. "Can't catch me!" he jeered, and started back down the aisle. Kingsley and Rosa groaned. A trumpet blast echoed through the arena. The hoplite race was beginning! Rosa could hardly believe how fast the competitors could run in their armor. As she and Kingsley ran back down the

罗莎和金斯利顺着旁边的过道跑了过去。 他们不停地看迪莱，想追上那个逃跑的坏蛋。 对于他细长的腿来说，爬上陡峭的台阶是很容易的，但当计时员到达顶层时，他们已经筋疲力尽了。 “我感觉自己跑了一场马拉松，”金斯利喘着气说。 迪莱把拇指放在鼻子上，对着计时员扭动着手指。 “抓不到我！”他嘲笑道，然后沿着过道往回走。 金斯莱和罗莎呻吟着。 号角声响彻竞技场。 重装步兵的比赛开始了！罗莎简直不敢相信那些穿着盔甲的选手能跑得这么快。 当她和金斯利跑回