Read Online The Demigods of Olympus: An Interactive Adventure by Rick Riordan - Free Book Online

approached the base of the statue. He pushed the bronze plaque inscribed with the goddess’s name. The pedestal hissed, and the front part swung open like a refrigerator door.
    Inside was a locker almost as tall as I was. I spotted two hiking packs with bedrolls and water bottles. And hanging on the back wall of the cabinet was a sheathed sword with a blue gem glowing faintly on the pommel.
    Before I could say anything, a glass window shattered behind me. A lion even bigger than Ms. Roche crashed through and landed only ten feet away.
    “There you are.” The lion’s voice was 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.

WARNING! You’re about to spoil a great story by not making a choice! Page back, then click one of the links to advance the story. Otherwise, the next section may not make any sense to you.

“Let’s go back to the bridge,” I said. “Maybe I can figure out a way to get us across.”
    “You sure?” asked Sam, wrinkling his nose.
    “Am I…? Of course not! I just almost got us killed! I told you— I don’t know what I’m doing . I just don’t think I can jump that river.”
    Sam looked around nervously. “OK—But we should hurry. That leonte is somewhere in the woods.”
    Together we carefully entered the woods. Not seeing any sign of the leonte , we sprinted through the trees until we reached the old bridge. I knelt to take a closer look.
    “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