7 Where's that wreath

Chapter 7 Where's that wreath? DeLay rolled away from the Timekeepers and leapt up. He sprinted off, looking like a speeding ostrich. "Catch him!" Kingsley cried. Rosa and Kingsley gave chase, but the tricky villain was too fast. After a few minutes of dashing around the fig trees,

they could tell it was hopeless. "He doesn't have the wreath anyway," Rosa said. "We need a new plan..." She frowned as she jogged to a stop. A familiar, rosemary-like smell wafted back from DeLay. Incense, she thought. She'd smelled it on the priest, and at the food stands. "Maybe DeLay's been in a temple," said Rosa. "Could that be where he hid the wreath?" They unharnessed both sets of horses from the chariots, and left them with some others who were eating oats from a trough. Then they headed back across the Olympic grounds, taking a shortcut through an arch into a wide grass

rectangle, surrounded by low buildings. A sign said: "Gymnasium." A lot of athletes wearing loincloths were practicing their sports. As they exited the gymnasium, a young woman in a short tunic jogged toward them. "I wonder why she's here?" said Rosa. "We now know women weren't allowed in the ancient Olympics. Excuse me," she called. "Are you an athlete?" "Yes. I'm training for the Heraean Games. They take place after the Olympic Games," she said. "We're from a faraway land," said Kingsley, "so we don't know much about your customs. Are the Heraean Games for women?"

The young woman nodded. "They're in honor of Hera, Queen of the gods, and wife of Zeus," she said. "Only girls and women are allowed at our games. We're training close by—come and see." "I wish we could," Rosa said. She'd love to see the women training, but finding the victor's wreath was much more urgent. "But we have to go to a temple." "The temples are past our practice ground. I'll show you," said the young woman. "I'm Melissa." Rosa smiled. "This is Kingsley, and I'm, um, Ross. One of my best friends is

named Melissa, too," she added. Wow! she thought. That name's 2,000 years old! Melissa showed them a group of girls and women playing a ball game, sometimes throwing the ball, sometimes kicking it. "Chrysanthe," Melissa called, "these visitors are from far away." A girl ran over to say hello. "We're playing episkyros," she said. "You throw or kick the ball, and try to get it past the other team, over the back line. It keeps us in shape!"

"In our land we play soccer," said Rosa, "but we can't use our hands." Rosa asked, "Chrysanthe, has anyone odd been lurking around? He's skinny, with strange hair..." "And a mean face..." added Kingsley. "...And he's rude to people," Rosa finished. "By Artemis, I know just who you mean!" said Chrysanthe. "He passed me as I ran through the olive grove, beneath the Hill of Kronos. There." She pointed to a cone-shaped peak, overlooking the Olympic grounds. "He yelled at me to get out of his way." A ball from the episkyros game bounced toward them. Without thinking, Rosa intercepted it, controlling it with