The Demigods of Olympus: An Interactive Adventure Read Online Free PDF Page A

definitely male. His snarling face was wreathed in a shaggy golden mane. His fully extended claws gleamed white. He rose on his haunches, which only made him look scarier. “You destroyed my sister,” he snarled. “Now I will destroy you.”
    My lungs deflated like old helium balloons. “Your—your sister? You mean you and Ms. Roche—”
    “We are leontes !” the lion bellowed. “The children of Atalanta! We always hunt in pairs. Normally, the female has the honor of the kill, but since you sent her back to Tartarus—”
    “Wait.” I was hoping if I bought us a little time, Sam could get us out of this somehow. Maybe one of the packs in the cabinet contained a few hand grenades or possibly a bazooka. “Um, Mr. Lion…sorry, but I always like to know who’s killing me. You said you’re a child of who?”
    “Atalanta!” he cried. “The most famous Greek heroine! A glorious hunter. The fastest of runners. She and our father Hippomenes were cursed by that ridiculous love goddess Aphrodite simply because they forgot to make a few sacrifices during their wedding ceremony. Aphrodite changed them into lions! Ever since, we their descendants have prowled the world, looking for revenge. Since we cannot destroy the gods, we destroy their children!”
    I was out of magical tree-growing gold coins, so I glanced at Sam, hoping he had found a bazooka. Sadly, he was frozen in terror. He may have been my self-proclaimed protector, but at the moment he was about as helpful as the statue of Nemo Sign.
    “Well, Mr. Lion…” My voice sounded as squeaky as Mickey Mouse. “I can tell you’re upset. But, uh, I don’t even know the gods. I didn’t know I was a demigod until like an hour ago—”
    “Good!” snarled the lion. “I will destroy you before you learn your powers!”
    I looked around frantically. Should I go for the sword? Or try to outwit the lion?
    The lion tensed to pounce.

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“The bridge,” I said. “Maybe I can figure out a way to get us across.”
    “You sure?” asked Sam, wrinkling his nose.
    “Am I…? Were you not listening to me at all? NO! Of course I’m not sure. You told me to trust my gut, and my gut says it doesn’t want to try jumping those rapids. Come on.”
    Together we sprinted through the trees until we reached the old bridge. I knelt to take a closer look, doing my best to ignore the howls of the leonte .
    “The supports are fine,” I said, tugging on the wire truss, and kicking the concrete block where it connected to the shore. “The problem is those wooden slats. They’re pretty rotten. I don’t think they’ll support our weight.”
    “Um, okay,” said Sam, looking around nervously. “You can fix it? Like, fast?”
    I scanned the area, relieved to see several suitable branches. “Yeah, bring me as many of those branches as you can—the thicker the better.”
    Sam and I dragged the branches over to the bridge. I lined them up so the ends were facing each river bank, then slid them out over the rotting slats. “We’ll use these to distribute our weight. It should keep the wood from breaking.”
    “Should?”
    “Yeah…should. I’ll go first.” I put a cautious foot onto the layer of branches, feeling for any give. Everything seemed okay, so I pulled my left foot onto the bridge, keeping it as far as possible behind my right. I looked at Sam, smiled, and scooted both my feet and the branches forward, keeping my weight spread out. I inched along, then hopped easily onto the opposite bank.
    Sam had already laid out a new set of branches on the far side. “Come on,” I said.
    Just then, the foliage behind him rustled and the leonte leapt out.
    Sam yelped and trotted onto the ancient bridge, holding his arms out to the sides for balance. But where my sneakers gripped the wood, his