Athena watched closely as Aphrodite worked her magic. I don’t know how anyone can beat Aphrodite, thought Athena. I’m not going to be able to think my way out of this one… unless…
Athena smiled to herself and got busy putting together the worst garden ever. She dug up the ground, leaving clumps of dirt and grass everywhere. She stuck dead trees, shriveled flowers, and rotten vegetables into the messy earth. When she finished, she stepped back and admired her horrible garden.
“Looks like Athena’s smarts couldn’t help her this time,” Apollo Whispered to Ares. “That’s the ugliest garden I’ve ever seen.”
Aphrodite walked over to inspect her friend’s garden. A look of horror crossed her face the moment she saw the mess that Athena had created.
“What in the name of Olympus happened here?” Aphrodite cried.
“I’m no good at this,” Athena said pretending to be upset. “I guess I’ll have to settle for coming in last in this competition.”
“Well, I wont settle,” said Aphrodite. “I can’t stand even looking at this mess. Even now, I can hear the plants calling out for my help.”
Aphrodite closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The dead trees sprouted healthy green leaves, the shriveled flowers opened and burst into rainbows of color, and vegetables ripened in seconds into a hearty bounty.
“Thanks,” Athena said to Aphrodite, Smiling and winking.
“Sure, well I…” Aphrodite stopped. Then she started laughing. “You got me to do that, didn’t you?”
Athena stayed silent. She raised her eyebrows and smiled back at her friend.
Comprehension Questions
1. How did Athena make the worst garden ever?
A. She planted beautiful flowers
B. She put in a lovely pond
C. She put in clumps of dirt and grass everywhere. She stuck dead trees, shriveled flowers, and rotten vegetables in her horrible gardem
A. To trick Apollo into saying it was the best garden he had every seen
B. Because it was an ugliest garden competition
C. To trick Aphrodite into making a garden for her
Your Thoughts
Vocabulary
4. List any vocabulary words below.