Read Online Tom Holt by 4 Ye Gods! - Free Book Online

looked.
    'Where?' he said.
    'Under the small rock by your...'
    'What small rock?'
    'The small rock by your... Just a moment, please.' The giant made an expressive gesture with his left ear, and the eagle hopped over and stood by his head. They whispered together for a moment.
    'Did I say two hundred paces north?' said the giant. 'I'm sorry. Try going ten paces further.'
    Jason uprooted his legs and advanced.
    'Right,' he said, 'got the small rock. No sandwiches, though.'
    'Ah.' The giant wiggled his ear again. The eagle hopped forward.
    'Is it a squarish brown rock?' asked the giant.
    'I don't know,' Jason replied. 'It's hard to say with rocks. They all look the ...'
    'Try going back a bit.'
    'Ah,' said Jason, 'got that. Small, squarish brown rock. Sandwiches. Yes.'
    'Oh good,' said the giant. 'Now perhaps we can get down to business.'
    'Fire away,' Jason said, with his mouth full.
    'Allow me to introduce myself; said the giant. 'My name is...'
    'There wouldn't be any mustard, would there?'
    'No,' said the giant.
    'Pity.'
    'My name,' said the giant, 'is...'
    'Pickle?'
    There was a long silence. Jason guessed that there probably wasn't any pickle.
    'My name,' said the giant, and then paused, as if waiting for a further interruption. 'There is,' he said, 'no piccalilli. And my name is Prometheus.'
    'Prometheus?'
    'Prometheus, yes. Nor is there any salt.'
    Jason chewed thoughtfully. 'I've heard of you,' he said. 'I think.'
    'Have you really?' said the giant. 'I'm so thrilled. Now...'
    'My dad,' Jason said, 'says you're a traitor to your class and you sold us all down the river. My dad says...'
    'No doubt he does; said the giant. 'That's just the sort of thing I would expect your father to say. What of it?' 'Nothing,' Jason replied. 'Which river?'
    'I expect he was speaking metaphorically,' said the giant.
    'I think he was simply trying to express his disapproval of me. You should be able to gather from what you can see that your father disapproves of me.'
    'The chains and the eagle and everything?'
    'Well,' said the giant, 'it could be that I'm sunbathing and the chains are here to prevent me getting blown away by a freak gust of wind, but that wouldn't really explain away the eagle, now would it? Yes, your father has a pretty low opinion of me, all things considered. And I,' added the giant proudly, 'have an even lower opinion of him. And what do you think of that?'
    'How do you mean?' Jason said, chewing.
    'Let me put it another way,' said the giant. 'On the one hand, you owe your father filial respect, love and obedience. On the other hand, I happen to know the whereabouts of a packet of chocolate biscuits and a can of diet Pepsi. The decision, of course, must rest with you. Only you can...'
    'Where?' said Jason quickly.
    'Hidden,' replied the giant. 'Now, if you will do me a little favour, I'm sure the eagle will be happy to...'
    'Yes; said Jason. 'Hurry up, will you, I'm starving.' The giant raised his head petulantly. 'Not so fast, young man,' he said. 'First, you will have to listen to a certain amount of tedious explanation.'
    'All right; Jason said, 'but make it quick, because...'
    'In the beginning,' said the giant slowly, 'was the Word...'
     
    'What do you mean,' said Diana angrily, 'you've lost him?'
    'Just that,' Apollo replied. 'One minute he was there, standing about looking hungry, the next minute he was gone.'
    Diana made an exasperated noise and turned to Demeter.
    'Dee,' she said, 'you tell me. It's no use trying to get any sense out of Pol when he's in one of his moods. What's been happening?'
    Demeter shrugged. 'He's absolutely right; she said. 'He just sort of walked out of sight. Bing,' she added.
    Diana frowned and turned to Minerva, who was leaning on her spear-shaft looking sage. Pure habit.
    'But that's impossible,' she said. 'Heroes can't just disappear. Perhaps he's gone down a hole or something.'
    'I thought of that,' said Apollo, ignoring the fact that he was apparently too idiotic to be audible.