Chapter 28

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Salvete viri. Ergo deus est hodie Dioscuri. Gratias tibi. Fruor.

Translation - Hey guys. Today's god is Dioscuri. Thank you. Enjoy.

Dioscuri, also called (in French) Castor and Polydeuces and (in Latin) Castor and Pollux, (Dioscuri from Greek Dioskouroi, "Sons of Zeus"), in Greek and Roman mythology, twin deities who succoured shipwrecked sailors and received sacrifices for favourable winds. They were the children of Leda and either Zeus, the king of the gods, or Tyndareus, Leda's mortal husband and the king of Lacedaemon. According to the usual version, Castor was the son of Tyndareus and thus was mortal, while Pollux was the son of Zeus (who famously had approached Leda in the form of a swan).

Both brothers were fine horsemen, and Pollux was an unrivaled boxer. They took part in the hunting of the Calydonian boar (see Meleager) and in the voyage of the Argo (see Argonaut). When their sister Helen was abducted by Theseus, they invaded Attica and recovered her. They carried off the daughters of Leucippus, Phoebe and Hileira, and were confronted by Leucippus's nephews, Idas and Lynceus. Castor was murdered by Idas, but Pollux killed Lynceus; in retribution Zeus killed Idas with a thunderbolt. Zeus then gave Pollux the choice between spending all his time on Olympus or giving half of his immortality to his mortal brother, so that they could alternate realms together. Pollux elected to share his immortality. In one version of the story, they became the constellation Gemini (though several different pairs are associated with the constellation).

The introduction of their cult at Rome goes back traditionally to 484 BC. The building of their temple in the Forum followed a vow of Aulus Postumius at the battle of Lake Regillus, where, according to legend, the Dioscuri fought on the side of the Romans and carried the news of victory to Rome. As horsemen, they were especially attractive to the Roman equites, the equestrian order or knights, and to the cavalry. In art the twins are represented as two youths, usually horsemen, holding spears and wearing helmets; their image appeared on early Roman coins.

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Cat's POV

"You ready yet, girlie?"

I pulled my boots on and glanced up as Anabeth walked into my room. She gave me a low whistle and I blushed, because I was already considering changing. She caught my look and shook her head.

"UH-huh. No way. You look way too hot, and Jason is going to be drooling like a sick dog."

I stood and glanced at myself in the mirror. "I don't know. Are you sure?"

She gave me the look, the high eyebrow, are-you-even-kidding-me look, and I grabbed my gloss and shoved it into my purse.

I'd dug through my closet and found a denim skirt that may or may not have been on the short side. I pulled on a pair of spandex shorts because, well, you now, the bending-over thing could be dicey. Paired with an indigo colored halter top and my boots, I was kind of rocking some weird sort of country/rock thing.

"The guys are waiting. Let's go."

I followed her out of my room. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Yes, I do," she said with a giggle. "But I'm on strict orders not to say a word."

It was a Friday night, and my week had been full of highs, mostly because of Jason, and a few lows. The highs kind of balanced out the crap that my family was dealing with, and I was grateful for that.

I spied Jason before he saw me, and just like every single time I saw him, he took my breath away. He was chatting with my father, arms crossed over his chest as he nodded to whatever Dad was saying. He wore a plain black t-shirt, faded jeans, and a pair of Docs. The ends of his hair were damp, as if he'd just showered. The green streaks in his hair were fading a bit and he wasn't thinking of dying it again for a while, and he was sporting the unshaven look (which I totally adored).

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