Wings of Olympus
CBC Books | | Posted: May 28, 2020 5:28 PM | Last Updated: June 4, 2020
Kallie George, illustrated by Fiona Hsieh
High on the slopes of mighty Mount Olympus, among the sun-splashed meadows and sparkling waters, glide the winged horses of the ancient gods. Here up high is normally no place for a lost, parentless girl like Pippa. But once every hundred years, the gods and goddesses descend to the mortal realm to choose jockeys for their winged horse race — and Pippa is one of the lucky children chosen to ride.
With her undersized, impetuous winged steed, Zephyr, by her side, Pippa has to confront the greatest challenge of her life: achieving victory in a race across the sky.
No one expects Pippa and Zephyr to win, or even finish, this death-defying race. A poor orphan who's spent her life working in stables, Pippa doesn't seem to belong in the world of the gods. And while she loves Zephyr with all her heart, he's smaller than the other winged horses racing. But if Pippa and Zephyr don't find a way to win, the gods will separate them — forever.
To stay with Zephyr, Pippa will have to work harder, train longer, and dare more bravely than her competition. In a race filled with petty, jealous gods and goddesses and a host of ruthless riders, Pippa must prove that love is greater than might. (From HarperCollins)
From the book
Long ago, on the southern slopes of mighty Mount Olympus, in a house with a roof made of sky, lived the three Fates. Although they were always busy spinning, measuring, and snipping the threads of mortal lives, their work gave them plenty of time to talk. They liked arguing best.
"Might!" snapped Atropos, brandishing her shears. "Might is greater than love. The thicker the thread the better."
"Love!" insisted Lachesis, tapping her measuring rod. "Love is greater than might! Two threads are better than one!"
"Bother," muttered Clotho, pulling back her spindle. The thread she'd been spinning had snapped.
Rain was falling now, and Atropos and Lachesis were too busy arguing about who was getting wetter to notice the snapped thread. Before they did, before Clotho could change her mind, she knotted the thread back together. She hated when threads snapped before they were snipped.
Of course, she wasn't supposed to fix threads that broke. She wasn't supposed to meddle. But where was the fun in that?
She was a Fate, after all.
From Wings of Olympus by Kallie George ©2019. Published by HarperCollins.