The Olympian Games 2/Victor Triumph

Challenge 1~The Ultimate Contest
I had just finished me shift at the packaging company when I ran into my boss before leaving. My boss, Mr. Ed he liked to be called, was a honest man who had hired me with no questions asked. As long as I got my work done, which I always did, he didn’t care about my past. I liked that, as my past wasn’t a place I liked to go to.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stick you on the payroll,” he asked again, something he asked me at least once a week. “You know I can’t promote you or give you a raise unless you are an official employee.”

“Sorry, but you know I can’t do that,” I said apologetically. As much as I could use money, I couldn’t become a real employee without telling Mr. Ed who I was and being a demigod, I wouldn’t want anyone worrying if one day I disappeared.

“Well maybe next time. Enjoy the rest of your day,” Mr. Ed said in a happy tone as he slapped me on the back.

I left the factory and started walking the ten miles back to my ‘house’ if you could call it that. I could never stay in one place too long and after my father died, I ran away from home before I could be put into foster care. I found out about five months later that my mother was a Greek goddess, Nike the goddess of victory. I at first thought the lady was crazy until she snapped her fingers and we were in the front row of the Super Bowl. That tends to get your attention, but I knew I was different for much longer. Growing up I would see the impossible; monsters walking the streets or appearing in the shadows. My own father was killed by a harpy, but that isn’t something you tell the police. Ever since I’d been on the run, never staying in one place to keep everyone else safe.

“Home sweet home,” I said out loud as I looked at my small tent in the middle of the forest. For a guy on the run, tents were just easier. They could be packed up in a matter of minutes and before too long, I could move to my next spot. I couldn’t very well rent a house or anything and living in a tent allowed me to save up any money I got for food or supplies.

As I sat down on top of my sleeping bag, I grabbed my battery operated radio and turned on a baseball game. Sports were my passion and I couldn’t refuse a good one or even a bad one. Sometimes I would find kids my age playing basketball or baseball and I would play for a bit. Unfortunately I started gaining something of a reputation because of my skills and competitiveness and once again had to move to another city.

“Oh come on, are you letting them hit the ball?” I shouted at the radio. The pitcher had just thrown his third fast ball this inning that resulted in a home run for the other team. Despite how rapped up I was in the game, I thought I heard the hiss of snakes. I froze and reached for the amulet I always carried. My dad had told me that it was something my mother wanted me to have before she died, but that was before I had known she was a goddess. I later learned that it was a Xiphos, a type of Greek short sword. My mother had told me it belonged to a great hero, but in another form. I didn’t understand, but I was thankful for the gift as it had come in handy more than once.

I slowly unzipped my tent and walked carefully, as despite being a demigod snake bites could be deadly. I took a few steps forward and looked around, but the snakes had apparently moved on or been scared away by my presence. I turned around to return to my tent, but bumped into a guy dressed like a delivery guy.

“Special delivery,” he said. “What?” I responded.

“I have a letter for you,” he said back to me.

So there were a few things wrong with this. First off, I was in the middle of the woods surrounded by about half a mile of trees. No mailman in his right mind would go into the woods to bring me a letter. The other big thing was that no one would be sending me a letter in the first place. Besides maybe Nike who I could find at any major sporting event yelling a cheering for both teams, I didn’t have a family. The only other option was that this guy was some kind of monster using the Mist to appear human. I took a few steps toward the guy, but kept my sword at the ready. When I was maybe a foot away, I went in for the strike. I expected to feel my sword collide with him, but a moment later there was nothing where the guy once stood.

“Did he turn to dust?” I asked myself. “Maybe he was a monster from the Underworld and sunk into the shadows or something.”

“Please, to think I need Shadow Travel to move around is like saying Athena needs an excuse to show off how smart she is,” the guy smirked, leaning up against a tree a few yards away. “And trust me, she doesn’t.”

“You’re a god?” I asked him, a bit skeptically. What kind of god goes around in a messenger’s…uniform…I’m an idiot.

“It isn’t all that bad,” I heard something hiss in my head. That pretty much confirmed that I had just attacked Hermes.

“Could have been worse; imagine if you attacked Ares,” I heard another voice hiss in my head. “By the way, do you have any rats?”

“Stop asking for food,” Hermes ordered. “This is the fifth demigod we have visited today and none of them have any rats for you!”

“Well actually,” I began, but stopped myself. I did have one rat in my tent, which I had been planning on cooking tonight with a side of potato chips and a soda I had bought. I was really going all out for dinner. “Nevermind.”

“Anyway, as I said I have a letter for you,” Hermes repeated. He had this mischievous look in his eyes like this letter would explode and I would be covered in whip cream. Regardless, I took the letter from his hands and opened it up. The paper probably cost more than my old house did, as the lettering and borders of the letter looked to be sold gold. I was so entranced, that it took me a minute before I started reading.

Dear Victor Triumph,

''You have been selected to partake in this year’s Olympian Games; a test of skill and power hosted by the gods. If you decide to compete, please check the box below with your response and we will get back to you. Wonderful prizes await if you decide to join us. RSVP as soon as possible.''

Sincerely, The Olympians

“So it is like a contest?” I asked Hermes.

“No,” Hermes replied and I felt my heart drop. “It is a contest, the contest for demigods. Some of the world’s best will be there competing as well.”

“All I needed to hear,” I said and quickly checked the Yes box. Games and contests were my specialty. I handed letter back to Hermes and he gave me a quick nod before vanishing in a blast of light. This would get interesting pretty soon. Maybe I should ask Mr. Ed for a few days off…