"Faster," Julia called to Brody. He was jogging slowly up a path leading out of the city and into the surrounding hills.
"We don't want Hermes to change his mind."
Brody stopped so suddenly that the winged chariot almost bumped into him.
"We don't?" he echoed, sounding grumpy. "Maybe you don't want Hermes to change his mind, Julia.
But I'm sure ready. It wasn't my idea to spend the day running up and down some stupid hills!"
"Shh!" Markos glanced over his shoulder. "Just keep going, Brody, please.
We'll explain when we're out of sight of the city."
Julia thought Brody was going to argue. But he turned and jogged away.
Finally they were on the other side of a hill.
Brody stopped running and sat down on a log. "Okay, it's time to explain.
Why did you convince Hermes to make me run out here?"
"We heard Heracles is training in these hills," Julia said. "Remember? We even told Hermes that."
"So what?" Brody still sounded grumpy.
"So don't you want to see what he's doing out here?" Julia said.
"Maybe we can figure out a way to beat him in the Games." She hesitated, not sure if she should admit the next part.
"Besides, if we find him, I want to warn him that all the other gods are plotting against him."
"What? Why?" Brody asked. Markos looked surprised too.
Julia shrugged. "Because he seems nice," she said.
"Because he saved me when I fell off the roof.
I just feel like it's the right thing to do."
But Brody was shaking his head. "Bad idea," he declared.
"Heracles already has enough advantages in the Games.
We should let the gods do whatever they're going to do, because it's none of our business."
"Brody is right," Markos agreed. "Besides, Julia, Zeus has surely warned Heracles of the dangers."
Julia frowned. "I hope so. But in case Zeus hasn't . . ."
"Look." Markos pointed to the next hill. "Smoke!"
"Do you think that's Heracles?" Julia asked.
Brody looked at her. "Would anybody else be hanging around out here in the middle of nowhere? Come on, let's go see."
He hurried off. Julia stared at the smoke twirling its way into the sky.
The magical chariot seemed to know which way she wanted it to go.
It stayed right beside Brody as he jogged in the direction of the smoke.
For a while it was easy to track the smoke over one hill and up another.
Then they reached a dense thicket of shrubs and vines.
The chariot stopped, hovering at the edge of the thicket.
"The chariot cannot travel through there," Markos said.
Julia nodded. "I guess we'll have to go on foot from here."
As soon as they climbed out of the chariot, it disappeared with a poof of smoke.
"Yikes!" Julia said.
Markos laughed at her surprised look. "I see you're still getting used to the ways of the gods, Julia."
The three of them pushed their way through the thicket.
Vines tangled around Julia's legs, threatening to trip her.
Thorny branches grabbed at her chiton and scratched her bare arms.
But finally the underbrush thinned out. The smell of smoke was stronger now.
Brody was in the lead when the group reached the other side of the thicket.
He pushed aside one last clump of thorny vines and then halted.
"What are you waiting for?" Julia poked him in the back. "Keep going!"
"Uh, I don't think so," Brody said quietly.
He moved aside so Julia could see what lay ahead.
She gasped. An enormous forge was built into a tall rock wall.
And standing in front of the fire were Hera and Hephaestus.
"Uh-oh," Markos muttered. "We'd better get out of here before they see us."
He spun around to lead the way back into the thicket.
But his foot caught on a vine, and he went sprawling with a loud "oof!"
"Who's there?" Hera's sharp voice rang out.
"Run!" Brody yelled.
Julia tried to do as he said. But she'd only taken a few steps when she was surrounded by a cloud of buzzing insects.
She heard Brody and Markos yelling in dismay nearby.
Julia tried to stop herself from screaming so the insects wouldn't fly into her mouth.
But she couldn't help crying out when she felt the flies lift her and carry her away.
A moment later the cloud of flies dropped Julia in front of the two gods. Brody and Markos landed beside her.
"Well, well. Who have we here?" Hephaestus' craggy face was curious but not unkind as he stared at them.
Hera, on the other hand, looked as unpleasant and scary as ever.
"I believe I recognize this mortal," she said, poking Brody in the chest with one long, thin finger. "You're Hermes' hero, aren't you, boy?"
"That's right," Brody said. "I'm Brody."
"I always knew that Hermes was foolish." Hera sneered.
"But I didn't know he was foolish enough to allow his mortal champion to wander these hills without his protection.
After all, it can be quite dangerous out here. Isn't that right, son?"
She turned and gave Hephaestus a meaningful look.
Hephaestus smiled. "You're right as usual, Mother," he said.
He grabbed an enormous pair of metal tongs and used them to reach into the fire.
When he drew the tongs out, they were gripping a large metal object.
The object was so bright and hot from the flames that Julia had trouble looking directly at it.
Hephaestus set the object down. Now Julia saw what it was—a giant metal statue of a bull with sharp, curved horns.
Then there was a snort, and black smoke puffed out of the statue's flared nostrils.
Julia gasped as the huge metal bull suddenly clanked into motion, pawing at the ground and tossing its massive head.
"Run!" Brody yelled.