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."
"Do you think that's true?" Julia whispered to Markos.
"I don't know," Markos whispered back. "Nobody in Olympia has seen Alcides."
Julia noticed a pair of gods striding into the agora.
"Look! Artemis and Apollo. Let's spy on them for a while!"
After eavesdropping on some of the gods, Julia was feeling more confident about Brody's chances in the Games.
She and Markos had also spoken to three or four mortal champions who happened to pass by.
"It sounds like Brody actually has a good chance of beating most of the athletes in most of the events," Julia said.
"But I'm worried about two things."
"Alcides?" Markos guessed.
"Of course," Julia replied. "As you said, nobody will know what he's like until he shows up.
I'm also worried about the chariot race."
"Why?" Markos asked. "That event doesn't usually require much athletic ability."
Julia frowned. "It requires skill. And as far as I know, Brody has never even seen a horse up close.
He might be terrible at driving them. I think I'll try to convince Hermes to—"
A loud shout suddenly interrupted her. Suddenly everyone in the agora was turning around, peering in the same direction.
"What's going on?" Julia asked.
Markos stood on tiptoes, trying to see what everyone was looking at. "Oh!" he said. "It's Zeus."
Just then an enormous figure leaped onto a dais in the center of the agora.
Julia would have known that it was Zeus even if Markos hadn't said so.
Zeus looked just as she had imagined the king of the gods to look.
He appeared huge and powerful, with a long gray beard.
"Attention, people of Olympia!" Zeus' voice boomed out over the agora. "I have a very important announcement."
The agora went silent except for the sounds of animals and birds.
Out of the corner of her eye, Julia suddenly saw movement.
Turning, she noticed Hermes pushing his way forward with Brody at his heels.
They were staring up at Zeus just like everyone else.
"What is it, Zeus?" Hermes called out. "Don't keep us in suspense."
Zeus smiled. "I know you've all been eagerly awaiting the chance to cast your eyes upon Alcides," he said.
"Soon your wait will be over. Alcides—the most impressive mortal champion in all of Greece—arrives in Olympia in just two more days!"