Free The Demigods of Olympus: An Interactive Adventure by Rick Riordan Page B

gas pedal. “We’re in trouble, ma’am. Please. We need help. You have to help us.”
    “Zane?” said Sam nervously. “Look!”
    I watched in horror as the trees wavered and the leonte charged out, running toward us at full speed.
    I banged on the window harder now. “Ma’am? Please . Let us in.”
    The car sped up. The leonte got closer.
    “We’re toast,” said Sam.
    “I’m sorry!” I said, jogging alongside the car now, trying to keep up. It was going faster and faster, pulling away from us, leaving me panting in the middle of the road as the leonte got within striking distance. I scanned the area for a weapon I could use, but there wasn’t anything, not even a rock I could throw.
    The car disappeared over the hill. I’d failed again.
    Sam looked at me in despair, then turned to the leonte and raised his fists.
    Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and a small white meter maid cart zoomed up. It moved so fast, it may as well have dropped straight from the sky.
    The leonte pulled up short as a man wearing navy shorts and a light blue polo shirt stepped out of the car and raised his hands. “Stop. By the powers of Olympus, I compel you to show mercy to these two.”
    The leonte roared its displeasure, eyes narrowing.
    “Aren’t you one of those people who give parking tickets?” I said.
    The man smiled wearily and ran a hand through his thick salt-and-pepper hair. “I almost always let people off with a warning.”
    Sam squinted as he examined the vehicle more closely. “Are you a god?”
    “My name is Eleos. I’m sort of an…uncle or cousin of the gods. But if it helps, you can think of me as the god of mercy.”
    “And you’re going to stop this thing from eating us?”
    The man considered me for a moment. His eyes, which had appeared black from a distance, were actually…not there. I suppressed a shudder as I gazed into the empty sockets. “Yes,” he said. “There are great things in store for you—if you live. But this is a one-time deal. Mercy is rare in this world. Most people aren’t lucky enough to meet me at all.”
    He once again raised his hands to the leonte and I suddenly noticed that they were three times the size they should have been. “Run,” he commanded. “You’ve shown these young people no compassion, and I have none for you.”
    The leonte growled, baring his teeth and crouching as if to strike.
    Eleos took another step forward. “Go,” he said. “Now.”
    The leonte looked at the hands, glanced at us, growled his annoyance, then high-tailed it for the forest.
    Eleos turned to me. He seemed weary again. “Take care with your decisions, young hero,” he said. “You won’t get another chance like this. Now go. The leonte will be back soon after I leave.”
    “Thanks,” said Sam.
    “No problem,” said Eleos, then climbed into his cart and zoomed off.
    “Never gonna think about meter maids the same way again,” I muttered.
    “We need to go,” said Sam. “Now: Stick to the woods and try to jump the river, or fix the bridge?”

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My Demon Satyr Tea Party

    “Food,” Sam gasped. “Need…food.”
    I glanced at the diner’s clock and rolled my eyes. “Be patient. We only ordered five minutes ago.”
    Sam and I had arrived in Austin, Texas, half an hour earlier. We were tired and hungry. One of us—three guesses who—smelled like a goat. We’d bought a street map of the city and then made a beeline for the nearest restaurant, a tiny place called Xenia. I was dying for a steaming pepperoni pizza, but the menu was limited to BBQ, BBQ, and…more BBQ. When in Austin…
    “Did you know that xenia is ancient Greek for hospitality?” Sam commented.
    To my surprise, I did . Though why I knew an ancient Greek word was a mystery to me.
    I unfolded the map and smoothed it