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point out that the rules of my competition clearly state—”
    A loud muttering, peppered with grunts and grumbling, rose from the back of the room and, frowning at being interrupted yet again, Athenapeered out across the heads of the Argonauts and their guests as they appeared to part around someone smaller who was making their way towards her. A few moments later, Alex emerged, red-faced from running, elbowing his way through the swaying men. Wiping the sweat from his brow he knelt down beside Aries and patted the ram’s shoulders.
    “You’ve changed your mind!” squealed Aries, beaming.
    Now, Aries reassured himself, everything would be all right because Alex always knew the best words to reason with people so he could tell Athena exactly why Aries should be allowed to enter.
    Athena peered down. “It’s Alex, isn’t it?” she said.
    Alex bowed his head before meeting Athena’s level gaze. “Majesty.”
    “So,” said Athena. She regarded him quizzically. “Tell me! What do you think of your friend’s request?”
    Aries stuck his muzzle in the air, feeling a surge of confidence rise from his hooves to his horns as he waited for Alex to reply.
    “I’ve come to take him home,” said Alex flatly.
    Aries stared wordlessly at Alex, his surge no more than a cold dribble of dismay, as the room burst into fresh whoops of laughter and spite.
    “Well,” said Athena, raising her voice to be heard. “I’m sorry to hear that because you’re too late!”
    “Too late, ma’am?” said Alex.
    “Yes,” said Athena. “Because what I had been about to say when I was so rudely interrupted was that my rules clearly state that anyone who was on Kolkis that night can enter, and since Aries was there he’s as entitled as tonight’s other contenders.”
    Aries blinked. He held his head up high and looked around at the astonished faces of the Argonauts made stupid by the surprise or, as he would have told you, practice.
    “Besides,” she added, “Aries will liven things up a bit, won’t he? After all, the heroes,” she said, waving at the competitors seated behind her, “never make mistakes, do they? They never break their legs or gouge out their eyeballs. In fact, they do nothing for us to laugh at, at all. But a ram on an assault course? That’s more like it!”
    Aries jerked his head back to look at her, feeling his forelegs wobble with the meanness of her words. Glancing across at Alex he could see the shock on the boy’s face, too. Why did no one believe in him? He hunched down and scrunched his eyes closed for a moment. It would be so easy, he thought, to listen to Alex, to turn around and trot meekly backto his stable and sink his nose into a bucket of olives. But how would he live with himself the next day? And the day after that? Stuffed with olives and regret?
    So, instead he opened his eyes and lifted his shoulders, watching Athena as she drew her red velvet cloak around her shoulders and stepped down from the stage. She turned towards the open doors that led out to the gardens and the lake.
    “Let the competition begin!”
    7 . Gurning is an old English tradition in which people scrunch up their faces, pull their lower lip over their top one, puff out their cheeks and cross their eyes. Then they look a bit like your teacher.
    8 . Braziers are metal baskets that hold fire. They are not to be confused with brassieres, which are items of ladies’ underwear and, although they sound similar, do not keep straw burning nearly as well.
    9 . Greek gods and goddesses often had birds with them, a bit like pirates with parrots, but not nearly as much fun. Each bird symbolised what the god it belonged to was famous for: Aphrodite, goddess of love, owned a fluffy-wuffy dove; Zeus, the king, an eagle; and Athena, being wise, an owl, although what is wise about twisting your head all the way round like a lighthouse beacon and staying up all night to catch and eat mice is beyond me.

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H OW THE Q UEST WAS W ON
    Alex