only a short, thick neck, it didn’t make the slightest bit of difference and just as he reached the flagpole Jason finally leaped free of Herakles, shot past him and began climbing for the flag. A second later Herakles threw himself onto the pole, reaching up and clawing at Jason’s ankles.
Jason kicked as Herakles punched, swinging his fists like demolition balls. Jason leaned out. Herakles leaned in. Swinging around the pole, they looked like a thin man and his fat reflection in a fun-house mirror as the flagpole lurched and creaked, bending left and right, as the crowd roared, cheering and shouting for their favourites.
Not that anyone cheered for Aries, of course. Nor did they notice when he snatched one of the flagpole’s straining guy ropes and began furiously chewing through it.
Except Alex.
That’s right.
Because, wondering why he’d not been summoned to untangle Aries from the Web or prise him out of the Tube, he’d come to see what was happening for himself. And now, despite his annoyance at Aries’ stubbornness, he couldn’t help feeling a spark of delight at seeing his friend at the finish, one rope now broken and the second clamped in the ram’s mouth. Only Alex watched as Aries stalked backwards with sweat dribbling off his muzzle and tendons rising in his neck, pulling the pole downwards. It arched down, lower and lower, until its tip touched the grass, but it was only when Jason felt the prickle of thistles against his neck that he glanced sideways and found himself eyeball to eyeball with Aries.
“Greetings!” said Aries, out of one side of his mouth, before snatching the flag with his front hoof and releasing the rope.
The flagpole whipped upright, firing Herakles and Jason into the sky, up, up and well, even
more
up, sailing across the starry sky like two squealing starfish and disappearing into the darkness.
The crowd stared after them, stunned. Until they noticed the drumming of horns against the flagpole. Only then did they look back down to see Aries beaming from horn to horn, the winner’sflag hanging out of his mouth.
“You did it!” shouted Alex, running up the grass of the Finishing Knoll. He knelt down and threw his arms around Aries’ neck, burying his face in his side. “You idiot!”
Athena’s chariot creaked to a halt beside them. Stepping down, she picked the Scroll up from where it lay at Aries’ hooves, her face a muddle of surprise and bright amusement.
“Come with me, ram!”
On either side of them, the dumbstruck crowd parted, staring wide-eyed at Aries as he followed the goddess to a stage lit by flaming torches and set with a golden pedestal on which a circlet of fresh laurels rested.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” said Athena, looking out over the bemused faces of the spectators as Aries scrambled up beside her. “I present the champion of our competition!”
The crowd began to clap uncertainly as she set the laurels on Aries’ head.
“So then, ram,” she said, straightening up, “tell us the nature of your quest!”
Aries looked out over the waiting crowd and cleared his throat. “I’m going to find and bring back my fleece!”
“Your fleece?” said Athena a few moments later, her voice breaking the astonished silence that now engulfed the crowd. “That’s quite a mission, particularly for a ruminant. However, since you’ve shown such cunning and guile in our competition, perhaps the Fates might smile on you.”
“I doubt it,” muttered the Scroll, drawing its papery curls in so tightly that it looked more like a reed.
Ignoring its remark, Athena lifted the Scroll with her left hand. “Aries, as our champion, you may take this scroll with you.” She raised her right hand and fluttered her fingers. “I, Athena, daughter of Zeus, command you, Scroll, obey your new master.”
There was a brilliant flash, a puff of ruby-coloured smoke and a shower of silver stars as Athena unfurled the Scroll to reveal an ancient hand-drawn map.
Jason kicked as Herakles punched, swinging his fists like demolition balls. Jason leaned out. Herakles leaned in. Swinging around the pole, they looked like a thin man and his fat reflection in a fun-house mirror as the flagpole lurched and creaked, bending left and right, as the crowd roared, cheering and shouting for their favourites.
Not that anyone cheered for Aries, of course. Nor did they notice when he snatched one of the flagpole’s straining guy ropes and began furiously chewing through it.
Except Alex.
That’s right.
Because, wondering why he’d not been summoned to untangle Aries from the Web or prise him out of the Tube, he’d come to see what was happening for himself. And now, despite his annoyance at Aries’ stubbornness, he couldn’t help feeling a spark of delight at seeing his friend at the finish, one rope now broken and the second clamped in the ram’s mouth. Only Alex watched as Aries stalked backwards with sweat dribbling off his muzzle and tendons rising in his neck, pulling the pole downwards. It arched down, lower and lower, until its tip touched the grass, but it was only when Jason felt the prickle of thistles against his neck that he glanced sideways and found himself eyeball to eyeball with Aries.
“Greetings!” said Aries, out of one side of his mouth, before snatching the flag with his front hoof and releasing the rope.
The flagpole whipped upright, firing Herakles and Jason into the sky, up, up and well, even
more
up, sailing across the starry sky like two squealing starfish and disappearing into the darkness.
The crowd stared after them, stunned. Until they noticed the drumming of horns against the flagpole. Only then did they look back down to see Aries beaming from horn to horn, the winner’sflag hanging out of his mouth.
“You did it!” shouted Alex, running up the grass of the Finishing Knoll. He knelt down and threw his arms around Aries’ neck, burying his face in his side. “You idiot!”
Athena’s chariot creaked to a halt beside them. Stepping down, she picked the Scroll up from where it lay at Aries’ hooves, her face a muddle of surprise and bright amusement.
“Come with me, ram!”
On either side of them, the dumbstruck crowd parted, staring wide-eyed at Aries as he followed the goddess to a stage lit by flaming torches and set with a golden pedestal on which a circlet of fresh laurels rested.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” said Athena, looking out over the bemused faces of the spectators as Aries scrambled up beside her. “I present the champion of our competition!”
The crowd began to clap uncertainly as she set the laurels on Aries’ head.
“So then, ram,” she said, straightening up, “tell us the nature of your quest!”
Aries looked out over the waiting crowd and cleared his throat. “I’m going to find and bring back my fleece!”
“Your fleece?” said Athena a few moments later, her voice breaking the astonished silence that now engulfed the crowd. “That’s quite a mission, particularly for a ruminant. However, since you’ve shown such cunning and guile in our competition, perhaps the Fates might smile on you.”
“I doubt it,” muttered the Scroll, drawing its papery curls in so tightly that it looked more like a reed.
Ignoring its remark, Athena lifted the Scroll with her left hand. “Aries, as our champion, you may take this scroll with you.” She raised her right hand and fluttered her fingers. “I, Athena, daughter of Zeus, command you, Scroll, obey your new master.”
There was a brilliant flash, a puff of ruby-coloured smoke and a shower of silver stars as Athena unfurled the Scroll to reveal an ancient hand-drawn map.
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