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.

"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!

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."

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..."

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!"

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