the_blood_of_olympus_-_rick_riordan

were trying to eat or have a serious conversation about the fate of the world.
Percy sipped his syrup-flavoured orange juice. He seemed to find it okay. ‘I’m cool with fighting
the occasional goddess, but isn’t Nike one of the good ones? I mean, personally, I like victory. I can’t
get enough of it.’
Annabeth drummed her fingers on the table. ‘It does seem strange. I understand why Nike would be
in Olympia – home of the Olympics and all that. The contestants sacrificed to her. Greeks and
Romans worshipped her there for, like, twelve hundred years, right?’
‘Almost to the end of the Roman Empire,’ Frank agreed. ‘Romans called her Victoria, but same
difference. Everybody loved her. Who doesn’t like to win? Not sure why we would have to subdue
her.’
Jason frowned. A wisp of steam curled from the wound under his shirt. ‘All I know … the ghoul
Antinous said, Victory runs rampant in Olympia. Juno warned us that we could never heal the rift
between the Greeks and Romans unless we defeated victory.’
‘How do we defeat victory?’ Piper wondered. ‘Sounds like one of those impossible riddles.’
‘Like making stones fly,’ Leo said, ‘or eating only one Fonzie.’
He popped a handful into his mouth.
Hazel wrinkled her nose. ‘That stuff is going to kill you.’
‘You kidding? So many preservatives in these things, I’ll live forever. But, hey, about this victory
goddess being popular and great – Don’t you guys remember what her kids are like at Camp Half-
Blood?’
Hazel and Frank had never been to Camp Half-Blood, but the others nodded gravely.
‘He’s got a point,’ Percy said. ‘Those kids in Cabin Seventeen – they’re super-competitive. When
it comes to capture the flag, they’re almost worse than the Ares kids. Uh, no offence, Frank.’
Frank shrugged. ‘You’re saying Nike has a dark side?’
‘Her kids sure do,’ Annabeth said. ‘They never turn down a challenge. They have to be number one
at everything. If their mom is that intense …’
‘Whoa.’ Piper put her hands on the table like the ship was rocking. ‘Guys, all the gods are split
between their Greek and Roman aspects, right? If Nike’s that way and she’s the goddess of victory –’
‘She’d be really conflicted,’ Annabeth said. ‘She’d want one side or the other to win so she could
declare a victor. She’d literally be fighting with herself.’
Hazel nudged her cereal bowl across the map of Greece. ‘But we don’t want one side or the other
to win. We’ve got to get the Greeks and Romans on the same team.’
‘Maybe that’s the problem,’ Jason said. ‘If the goddess of victory is running rampant, torn between
Greek and Roman, she might make it impossible to bring the two camps together.’
‘How?’ Leo asked. ‘Start a flame war on Twitter?’
Percy stabbed at his pancakes. ‘Maybe she’s like Ares. That guy can spark a fight just by walking
into a crowded room. If Nike radiates competitive vibes or something, she could aggravate the whole
Greek–Roman rivalry big-time.’
Frank pointed at Percy. ‘You remember that old sea god in Atlanta – Phorcys? He said that Gaia’s
plans always have lots of layers. This could be part of the giants’ strategy – keep the two camps