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andlt;bandgt;CHAPTER ONEandlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Under Attack!andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A SPEAR WHIZZED BY TEN-YEAR-OLD Zeusand#8217;s ear. He ducked his head but didnand#8217;t stop running. Neither did his two companions, Hera and Poseidon. They were right behind him.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;Halt in your tracks or youand#8217;re dead meat, Snackboy!and#8221; a cruel voice boomed.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Heand#8217;d know that voice anywhere. It was Lion Tattoo. That was what Zeus had nicknamed him, anyway. He was the leader of the three half-giants who were after Zeus. They were soldiers in King Cronusand#8217;s army and stood as tall as trees.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Just three days before, theyand#8217;d snatched Zeus from his cave in Crete and brought him here to Greece. Heand#8217;d already escaped themand#8212;twice. But he might not be so lucky a third time.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;When we catch you, we andlt;iandgt;willandlt;/iandgt; eat you!and#8221; hollered a second voice. Blackbeardand#8217;s. Another of the half-giants.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Then the third oneand#8212;Zeus had dubbed him Double Chinand#8212;added his two cents. and#8220;Yeah! And weand#8217;ll chomp your friends for dessert! Ha-ha-ha!and#8221; He followed this up with a loud burp.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A shiver ran down Zeusand#8217;s spine. They were probably bluffing, though. Their orders were more likely to take him, Hera, and Poseidon back to King Cronus. So that the andlt;iandgt;kingandlt;/iandgt; could swallow them whole!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;They approached a ditch. Zeus jumped in and hunkered down, waiting for Hera and Poseidon to catch up. Within seconds Hera dropped in to crouch beside him.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;Weand#8217;ll never reach the sea at this rate. Somebody else is going to find that trident thingie before we do. Do something, Thunderboy!and#8221; she hissed.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Zeus liked the nickname sheand#8217;d given him. But she sure did know how to make it sound like an insult sometimes.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;Donand#8217;t be so impatient. Weand#8217;ll get there,and#8221; he told her. and#8220;Weand#8217;re on a quest, remember? You canand#8217;t expect it to be fast or easy.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;An oracle named Pythia had sent them on this quest to search for a magical trident. Which was going to be a challenge, since none of them knew what a trident was. But they did know their destinationand#8212;the sea.