Hour of the Olympics

by Mary Pope Osborne

  Here’s what kids have to say to

  Mary Pope Osborne, author of

  the Magic Tree House series:

  WOW! You have an imagination like no other.—Adam W.

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  One day I was really bored and I didn’t want to read.… I looked in your book. I read a sentence, and it was interesting. So I read some more, until the book was done. It was so good I read more and more. Then I had read all of your books, and now I hope you write lots more.—Danai K.

  I always read [your books] over and over … 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times.… —Yuan C.

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  Dear Readers,

  Hour of the Olympics was a joy for me to write, mostly because Jack and Annie meet my favorite creature of Greek mythology.

  I’ve been very interested in Greek myths for many years. In fact, I’ve written a number of different books retelling them, including several picture books.

  My hope is that Hour of the Olympics will help spark your interest in Greek mythology. Though these stories were first told over three thousand years ago, they are still some of the most vibrant, exciting tales we have today. When we read them, it’s as if we’re listening to the ancient Greek storytellers across the centuries. Now that’s real time travel, don’t you think?

  All my best,

  Random House gives special thanks to Jonathan Master for providing the Greek spelling of “Pegasus.”

  Text copyright © 1998 by Mary Pope Osborne.

  Illustrations copyright © 1998 by Sal Murdocca.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American

  Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by

  Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by

  Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

  www.randomhouse.com/kids

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Osborne, Mary Pope.

  Hour of the Olympics / by Mary Pope Osborne ; illustrated by Sal Murdocca.

  p. cm. — (Magic tree house series ; #16) “A Stepping Stone book.” SUMMARY: Their magic tree house takes Jack and Annie back to retrieve a lost story in ancient Greece, where they witness the original Olympic games and are surprised to find what girls of the time were not allowed to do.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89473-2

  [1. Olympics—Fiction. 2. Greece—Fiction. 3. Time travel—Fiction. 4. Sex role— Fiction. 5. Magic—Fiction. 6. Tree houses—Fiction.]

  I. Murdocca, Sal, ill. II. Title. III. Series: Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic tree house series ; #16. PZ7.O81167Ho 1998 [Fic]—dc21 98-24100

  Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland

  RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks and A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. MAGIC TREE HOUSE is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.

  v3.0

  To Chase Goddard,

  who loves to read

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dear Readers

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. Just One More

  2. Any Girls Here?

  3. The Secret Poet

  4. Not Fair!

  5. Hi, Zeus

  6. Mystery Man

  7. Go! Go! Go!

  8. Save Annie!

  9. Fly Away Home

  10. They’re All Here

  More Facts

  Special Preview of Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic

  One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods.

  Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, climbed into the tree house. They found that it was filled with books.

  Jack and Annie soon discovered that the tree house was magic. It could take them to the places in the books. All they had to do was to point to a picture and wish to go there.

  Along the way, they discovered that the tree house belongs to Morgan le Fay. Morgan is a magical librarian from the time of King Arthur. She travels through time and space, gathering books.

  In the Magic Tree House Books #8–12, Jack and Annie solved four ancient riddles and became Master Librarians. To help them in their future tasks, Morgan gave Jack and Annie secret library cards with the letters M L on them.

  Jack and Annie’s first four missions are to save stories from ancient libraries. This is their fourth mission …

  “You awake?” Annie’s voice came out of the dark.

  “Yep,” said Jack from his bed.

  “Get up,” said Annie. “We have to get to the tree house before sunrise.”

  “I’m ready,” said Jack.

  He threw back his covers and jumped out of bed. He was wearing his jeans and T-shirt.

  “You slept in your clothes?” asked Annie.

  “I didn’t want to waste any time,” said Jack. He pulled on his backpack.

  Annie laughed.

  “You must really be excited about going to ancient Greece,” she said.

  “Yep,” said Jack.

  “Do you have your secret library card?” asked Annie.

  “Yeah, do you?” said Jack.

  “Sure. Put it in your backpack,” she said. She handed her card to him. “I’ll carry the flashlight.”

  “All set,” said Jack.

  They tiptoed downstairs and
out the door.

  Outside the air was fresh and cool.

  “There’s no moon,” said Annie. “Just stars.”

  She turned on her flashlight.

  “Ta-da!” she said. “Let’s go.”

  They followed the beam of light across their yard and up the street.

  Jack was thrilled to be going to ancient Greece. But something worried him.

  “What do you think will happen after we go to Greece?” he asked Annie. “Is this our last mission ever?”

  “Oh, I hope not,” said Annie. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s ask Morgan,” said Jack.

  “Hurry!” said Annie.

  They started running. The flashlight beam flew in front of them, lighting the way.

  They slowed to a walk when they got to the Frog Creek woods. The thick woods were pitch-black.

  Annie shined the flashlight upward as they walked between the trees. Finally, they found the magic tree house.

  “We’re here!” Annie called.

  “Go on up,” said Jack.

  Annie grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Jack followed.

  Annie shined the flashlight around the tree house.

  Morgan le Fay was sitting at the window. She covered her eyes when the light hit her face.

  “Turn off the light, please, Annie,” she said softly.

  Annie turned it off.

  “Welcome,” Morgan said in the dark. “Are you ready for your next mission?”

  “Yes!” said Annie. Then her voice got quiet. “This isn’t our last one ever, is it?”

  “Ask me that question after this mission,” said Morgan.

  “We want to go on more,” said Jack.

  “You’re very brave to say that,” said Morgan. “You’ve had three very hard journeys as Master Librarians.”

  “Oh, they weren’t so hard,” said Jack.

  “You risked your life to save the lost story of Hercules,” said Morgan.

  “It was nothing,” said Annie.

  “And the Chinese story of the silk weaver,” said Morgan. “And the Irish story of the serpent monster Sarph. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” said Jack and Annie.

  “Now,” said Morgan, “for the last story … ”

  Jack heard a rustling sound.

  “Here is the title,” Morgan said. “You can shine your light on it, Annie.”

  Annie turned the flashlight back on. She shined it on the paper.

  “Wow, is that Greek?” asked Jack.

  “It certainly is,” said Morgan.

  She reached into her robe again and pulled out a book.

  “For your research,” she said.

  Jack took the book from her. Annie shined her flashlight on the cover. They read the title: A Day in Ancient Greece.

  “Now, what must you always remember?” asked Morgan.

  “Our research book will guide us,” said Jack.

  “But in our darkest hour, only the lost story can save us,” said Annie.

  Morgan nodded. “And you must show your secret library cards to the wisest person you meet,” she said.

  “Don’t worry. We will. Bye!” said Annie.

  Jack shivered with excitement as he pointed at the book’s cover.

  “I wish we could go there,” he said.

  “And I wish we could go on lots of other missions!” Annie added.

  The wind began to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was silent.

  Absolutely silent.

  Jack opened his eyes. Warm sunshine streamed into the tree house.

  “We sure don’t need the flashlight here,” he said.

  “Look, Morgan gave us clothes like the ones we wore in Pompeii,” said Annie.

  Jack looked down.

  His clothes were similar to the ones he’d worn in the Roman town of Pompeii: a tunic and sandals. He also had a leather bag in place of his backpack again.

  Annie looked out the window.

  “And we landed in an olive tree—just like Pompeii!” said Annie.

  Jack looked out the window. He caught his breath.

  “Are we in the wrong place?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Annie. “Look past the trees. Doesn’t it look like a big fair?”

  Jack looked. Annie was right. Past the olive grove was a field filled with white tents. Beyond the field were red-brick buildings with columns and huge crowds of people.

  “What’s going on?” Jack asked.

  He pulled the research book out of his leather bag. He found a picture of the scene outside. Below the picture were these words:

  The Olympic Games began in ancient Greece over 2,500 years ago. Every four years, more than 40,000 people traveled to Olympia, the town where the festival of athletic games took place.

  “Oh, man,” Jack whispered. “We’re at the ancient Olympics!”

  “Cool,” said Annie.

  Jack wrote in his notebook:

  “Come on, let’s go watch!” Annie said. She started down the rope ladder.

  Jack threw his notebook and the research book into his leather bag.

  “Don’t forget we have to get Morgan’s story, too,” he said as he followed Annie.

  Annie waited as Jack stepped to the ground. Then they walked through the olive grove to where the tents were.

  Jack heard pipe music and smelled food roasting over fires. Groups of men talked excitedly to one another.

  “That’s funny,” said Annie. “I don’t see any girls here.”

  “Oh, sure, there’re girls,” said Jack.

  “Where?” said Annie. “Show me.”

  Jack looked around. But he only saw men and boys—no women or girls at all.

  Then he saw an outdoor theater. A woman was standing on the stage. She had yellow hair and a purple tunic.

  “There,” said Jack, pointing.

  “What’s she doing?” asked Annie.

  A soldier was on the stage with her. He wore a long cape. A helmet with a red crest hid his face.

  The woman and the soldier were waving their arms and talking loudly to each other.

  “I think they’re doing a play,” said Jack. “I’ll look.”

  He pulled out the Greek book and found a picture of the theater.

  “Listen,” he said. He read aloud:

  The Greeks were the first to write plays. Many English words for the theater come from Greek words, such as drama, scenery, and chorus. Many Greek plays are still performed today.

  “Hey, Jack,” said Annie. “You’re wrong.”

  When Jack looked up, he saw the woman had pulled off her wig. It was a boy dressed up as a woman!

  “See, even she’s a boy,” said Annie. “That’s weird.”

  “Hmm,” said Jack. He went on reading:

  A few actors would play many different parts in the same play. Women were not allowed to act, so men played the female roles, too.

  “That’s not fair,” said Annie. “What if a woman wanted to be in a play?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” said Jack. He put the book away. “Let’s just take a peek at the Olympics, then find our story.”

  He nudged Annie to move along.

  Just then he heard a voice.

  “Wait!”

  They turned around. A man with a short white beard was walking toward them.

  “Hello,” said the man. He was looking right at Annie. “Who are you?”

  “Who are you?” Annie asked boldly.

  The bearded man smiled at Annie.

  “My name is Plato,” he said.

  “Plato?” said Jack. That name sounded familiar.

  “You may have heard of me,” the man said. “I am a philosopher.”

  “What’s that mean?” said Annie.

  “A lover of wisdom,” said Plato.

  “Wow,” said Annie.

  Plato sm
iled at her.

  “It’s odd to see a girl walking so bravely through Olympia,” he said. “You must be from far away.”

  “We’re Jack and Annie,” said Annie. “And we come from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. It’s very far away.”

  Plato looked puzzled.

  Annie turned to Jack.

  “I think we should show him our cards,” she said in a low voice. “He’s a lover of wisdom.”

  Jack nodded. He reached into his bag and took out the secret library cards. He showed them to Plato.

  The letters M and L that stood for Master Librarian glittered on the cards.

  “Amazing!” said Plato. “I’ve never met such young Master Librarians. Why have you come to Olympia?”

  Jack pulled out the piece of paper with the title of the story.

  “We’re looking for this story,” he said.

  “Oh, yes,” said Plato softly. “This was written by a brilliant poet—a friend of mine, in fact.”

  “Do you know where the poet lives?” asked Jack.

  “Very near here,” said Plato.

  “Will you take us there?” asked Annie.

  “Yes, but I must warn you—never tell anyone who the poet is,” said Plato. “It’s a secret.”

  “We won’t,” whispered Annie.

  Plato led them away from the outdoor theater.

  They started down a dirt road. It was crowded with people heading to the games.

  Plato stopped at the door of a sand-colored house with a brick roof.

  He opened the door and led Jack and Annie into an empty courtyard.

  “Wait here,” he said. He disappeared through a doorway.

  Jack and Annie looked around.

  Rooms opened onto the sunny courtyard. Everything was quiet.

  “The people who live here must have gone to the games,” said Annie.

  “I bet you’re right,” said Jack.

  He pulled out the Greek book and found a picture of a house. He read aloud: