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

hooves slipped and slid. I gathered a few larger branches from my side, trying to make it easier for him.
    He took a few more steps and froze at the sound of cracking wood. “What do I do?” he said, eyes wide.
    “Step as lightly as possible,” I said, “and walk toward me.”
    I’d never seen him so frightened. “I can’t do it.”
    “You can do it, Sam. Remember the time I fell off Parker’s roof and you carried me all the way home?”
    Sam nodded slightly, but otherwise remained frozen.
    “You kept saying ‘One more step, one more step,’ remember?” Sam nodded again. “Do the same thing, okay? One more step.”
    Sam took a step forward.
    The leonte roared.
    “One more step,” I said.
    He took another step. Then another.
    “Almost there!” I said. “One more step!”
    And then he was across, collapsing theatrically beside me.
    Before we could celebrate, the leonte put an enormous paw onto the bridge, testing it.
    “Come on,” I said. “Help me!” I leaned forward and started madly brushing the branches off the bridge and into the rapids below.
    Sam picked up a few rocks and threw them at the leonte , causing the monster to pause momentarily before bellowing with rage and then continuing his way across.
    I’d never be able to knock the rest of the branches off in time. I scanned the area, spotting a few rocks the size of bowling balls. “Bigger ones!” I shouted. “Throw bigger rocks!”
    I picked one up and hefted it onto the bridge. The old planks creaked under the added weight, and the leonte stopped, suddenly looking uncertain.
    “Yeah!” shouted Sam, as we both hurled more boulders onto the fragile wood.
    The leonte roared with frustration, then took another step. As it shifted its weight onto a plank, the wood snapped in half. The leonte ’s paw shot through the gap and then its whole body fell onto the rotting bridge, shattering nearly every plank.
    The leonte howled as it fell into the rushing rapids, and I couldn’t help but smile as it was whisked downstream, its cries growing fainter by the second.
    “You did it!” said Sam.
    “ We did it,” I said, smiling.
    “Fair enough,” said Sam. “Now let’s go. That river won’t distract him for long.”
    We turned and sprinted through the woods, leaping over fallen trees and avoiding brambles.
    After about ten minutes, Sam and I burst into a clearing behind the old public library.
    “Yes!” said Sam. “Let’s get inside!”
    The town library had been shut down several years ago—something about state funding cuts. With its red brick facade, white columns, and clock tower, the library had always been the nicest building on Main Street. Now that it was closed, it felt like the town’s heart had stopped beating.
    The windows were dark. The main entrance was boarded up. Taggers had spray-painted neon graffiti across the front steps.
    “How do we get in?” I asked.
    “Around the side.” Sam led me to a storm cellar entrance half-hidden in the bushes. A big padlock hung from the latch, but Sam produced a key from his backpack and opened the lock.
    “You’re full of surprises,” I noticed.
    Sam shrugged. “It’s nothing fancy inside, but at least the goddess might protect us.”
    “There’s a goddess…?”
    Sam nodded and descended into the cellar. I didn’t feel so sure about following him into the dark, but I also didn’t want to wait around for the leonte to catch up. I climbed down the steps and closed the door behind us.
    That’s when I heard it…the rustle of little feet scurrying across the floor. And squeaking . Lots of squeaking.
    “S-Sam? What’s that?” I whispered, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
    Sam paused to listen before taking his next step down. “Oh, I’m sure it’s just—”
    “Rats,” I blurted, a shudder running through my body. “Oh, no. I can’t go down there, Sam. I can’t.”
    “Oh,” said Sam. “That’s right.” He pulled a flashlight from his backpack, wincing as the