"Hermes must have annoyed the other gods last night," Julia murmured to Markos.
It was the following day. Julia and Markos were in the gymnasium, sitting on their usual bench watching Brody's training.
Today Brody was practicing boxing. He'd spent the past few minutes sparring against Hermes himself.
Markos gasped as Hermes landed yet another jab on Brody's shoulder, and Brody fell back with a grunt.
"And now Brody is paying the price.
None of the other gods would agree to train with us today, so Hermes had no choice but to serve as Brody's opponent himself."
Julia watched as Hermes danced around, jabbing at Brody every chance he got. She winced.
The messenger god seemed to be enjoying himself.
He flitted back and forth, taking advantage of his greater height, speed, and strength, as well as his winged sandals.
So far Brody hadn't landed a single punch, although he'd received plenty from Hermes.
"Ugh," Julia said. "I hate boxing. It's so violent!"
"Good one, Brody!" Markos shouted as Brody swung at Hermes' chin, barely missing as the god spun out of the way. "Er, I mean, nicely dodged, Hermes."
Hermes grinned. "Don't hesitate to cheer for your mortal friend, boy," he called to Markos good-naturedly.
"He needs all the help he can get!"
"Urgh!" Brody grunted, lunging at Hermes.
But once again his punch missed the mark.
Hermes sidestepped easily and hit Brody on the ear as Brody went by.
"I don't want to watch anymore," Julia told Markos with a shudder.
She glanced around for something else to do, but the gymnasium was nearly deserted.
"Let's go to the agora and find out if Alcides has arrived yet.
Today is the day he's supposed to arrive, right?"
Markos was leaning forward, watching the fight with interest.
"Alcides is not in Olympia yet," he said.
"If he were here, we'd have heard about it."
Julia sighed and sat back. She looked away as Hermes punched Brody in the nose, sending sweat and a little blood flying.
Now she could see that Apollo was wandering toward them.
"Nice moves, Hermes," Apollo said. "It's a good thing you're getting your champion used to losing.
He'll be doing a lot of it once the Games start!"
Hermes frowned at the other god. But before he could say a word, the ground beneath the gymnasium let out an ominous rumble.
"What was that?" Julia exclaimed. "An earthquake?"
Suddenly the ground split open. Dirt and sand sprayed everywhere.
Hermes and Apollo jumped back as a chasm appeared in the spot where they'd been standing.
Brody just stood there staring, and Hermes had to fly in and grab him so he didn't fall into the chasm.
"What's going on?" Julia cried, grabbing Markos by the arm.
Markos' face had gone pale. He pointed. "Hades is here."
The chasm belched out black smoke, and then a god stepped out.
"Hades," Julia whispered, impressed and a little scared. "The god of the underworld!"
Hades' chest and shoulders were broad, and he had pale skin, sleek dark hair, and a craggy, ugly face.
He was holding a chain in one strong hand.
The other end of the chain was fastened to the collar of the largest dog Julia had ever seen.
But this was no ordinary dog. It had three heads and a serpent for a tail.
"Is that . . . is that Cerberus?" Julia asked Markos in a shaky voice.
"The three-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld?"
"Of course!" Markos said.
Brody hurried over to his friends, staying far away from the edge of the chasm.
"What's going on?" he asked. He spit out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood. "Who is that?"
"Hades," Julia told him with a shiver. "He's the god of the underworld."
"The underworld?" Brody echoed.
Markos nodded. "It's where the dead go after their lives are over. It's known as Hades."
Brody shook his head and looked at Markos in confusion.
"Okay, Hermes hit me pretty hard a few times," he said.
"But did you really just say that guy's name is Hades—and the place he comes from is also called Hades?"
"That's right," Julia said, wondering if Brody had paid any attention at all in social studies class.
Brody snorted with laughter. "Hades from Hades! Good one!"
Julia rolled her eyes and turned to watch as Hades looped Cerberus' chain around a column.
"Guard this entrance," Hades commanded the three-headed dog, pointing to the chasm. "Do not let the dead escape!"
Julia's eyes widened. "Can the dead really escape from the underworld?" she whispered to Markos.
"They can try. That's why Hades usually visits the surface through the entrance that lies across the river Acheron," Markos whispered back.
"He must be in a hurry if he decided to open a portal here in Olympia."
Hermes and Apollo looked perfectly relaxed as Hades stepped toward them.
"Greetings, Hades," Apollo said. "What brings you to this side of the Earth's surface?"
Hades greeted them. "It is good to see you.
I am here to see the champion my brother Zeus claims is the best he's ever seen.
I hear this amazing mortal has just arrived in Olympia."
"What?" Hermes exclaimed. "Why didn't we know of this?"
Apollo smirked. "Ah, so the messenger of the gods is the last to receive this particular message, huh? Too bad, Hermes."
Hades laughed loudly. "Never mind," Hades went on.
"If Zeus isn't here, perhaps he is bringing his hero to the agora first."
Hermes' scowl disappeared, replaced by an eager expression.
"What are we waiting for?" he cried. "Let's go to the agora at once!"