Chapter 6: The First Olympic Race

'You've gotta be kidding me.' Julius whined internally as the titan continued to haul him outside. Then, in a faint shimmer of the space around them, he noticed that the titan's form was slowly shrinking, until he became just about the right size for a man his age.

He looked back at the door where Pandora was also coming out, and the same thing happened - she shrank until she became smaller in frame, and followed them to wherever they are going.

"Haha! I'm amazed that you were able to see us in our real form, young man! Usually, mere mortals can only look upon us when we are in this form. But you, however….are you a Dactyl too?" The titan asked.

"Come on, old man. Let me gukkk-" He gagged because in truth, the man's armpit smells like week-old socks.

"Just nod when I tell those Dactyls that you're one of them too, you understand?" The titan now turned towards him and he caught the strong whiff of his disgusting breath. Again, Julius gagged and thought of Pandora's tolerance for this titan. "That trick of yours can only apply to us though, lesser immortals. You'll burn to death when you see those who are truly divine in their real forms hahaha!" He finished.

"I said get me down, old man! I am not participating in that race you're talking about!" he struggled to break away from the titan's grasp.

"Eh? But what about the payment for my wife tending to this?" The titan poked the wound from Julius' arm.

"Geerroff me!" He tried so hard not to wince at the titan's action.

"Hahaha! Spunky one, aren't ya? That's right, keep up that energy. You've got a long way to go."

After a few more minutes of constant struggling, the titan finally let him go and threw him to the ground. When he looked up, many people were gathering, looking excited for the footrace. Moreover, there was a shocking display of four stark-naked men who were looking down at him in confusion.

"What the actual fu–" Before he can curse, Julius was suddenly lifted again by the titan.

"Idas, the Littlefinger! This man will be the one who's running in your behalf! Come here and confirm the exchange!" The titan roared towards the guy who was blocked from view by several spectators.

"Epimetheus, I am glad you found a substitute for me." He stepped forward and continued. "Who are you, who is so strange in the ways of Olympia?" The one called Idas asked Julius.

And he too was buck-naked like the four others behind him, but his left leg was bent at an awkward angle. 'Injury', Julius thought.

The nudity! Of course, it was prevalent in the ancient times! The Greeks had great appreciation for the human body, and it was shown in their fashion (or lack thereof). Julius can recall countless pieces of Greek-inspired art that depict their everyday lives, embracing the nude, and now he's seeing it first hand in the real setting.

He remembered the miniature sculpture in his father's study – the mini version of Discobolus (The Discus Thrower) by Myron, which featured a young, nude Greek athlete throwing a discus. Talk about Greek sports appreciation. But inside Julius' mind, 'I am not about to run around Olympia with my 'friend' hanging in there'.

"Now that we are all set, shall we begin the race?" One of the Dactyls asked to no one in particular.

"Of course, of course. Let me just remove my bet's burdens." Epimetheus responded.

For some reason, that did not sound right for Julius. He quickly stood up and went after the titan before he can force him to take off his clothes. Plus, he can't risk being a subject of a sculpture to be recovered and displayed in museums eons from now. "I can't participate in this race Sir Titan Sir, you see, my arm, it's inju-"

"Hahaha! Don't worry, you won't be using that arm to run! Hahaha!" He titan clapped his back and it knocked the air out of his lungs. Julius can't see any other way to free himself from this situation. But he did find an excuse not to get naked during the race. And with a heavy heart, he just accepted his fate.

"But do you know, Sir Titan Sir, that these clothes I'm wearing are actually lucky?" He said this in a low voice so that only him and the titan can hear it.

"I'm listening." The other responded.

He uttered the lie he thought of. "You see, it is ultra light-weight and can support me in a way that it can dramatically increase my speed. If I remove this, chances are, I may not be able to win against them. So, what do you say? Do you want me to win this race, or not?"

The titan looked like he was thinking deeply. Finally, he turned away from Julius and said out loud, "Haha! My Dactyl friends! This fellow I picked up wishes to run just the way he is. And I'm sure you are fine by that, correct?"

The Dactyl who asked the earlier question, responded to the titan's announcement. "But won't he be burdened by the layers that he is wearing? Not that I don't mind if he loses. We just want a fair game to offer to the Great Zeus."

"Herakles is right, we want a fair game. We want to run on equal footing." Another Dactyl added.

'Damn you, equal footing my ass.' Julius thought. 'These funeral clothes might be really unsuitable for running, but it's better than running around buck-naked! Come on, now, let's end this, quickly!'

"We might displease the Gods who are watching if we delay this race further, brother." This time, another Dactyl spoke, much to Julius' relief.

Herakles and the other thought about it, and in the end, they just agreed to it. Now, the five men positioned themselves in a line that was drawn by Idas himself.

"Do your best, Julius!" Pandora cheered.

Across them, was the beautiful view of Mt. Olympus. The clouds were covering its summit but the majestic sight of it alone felt so surreal.

Julius felt a chill run down his spine. 'That's the home of the Gods.' Then a brilliant idea crossed his mind. 'If I win this race, Zeus will favour me among these mortals. He will crown me with a laurel and he will also grant me a request! What if I try to win this? Yes, I'll definitely win this! Then I can get back to Boston and open my dad's basement!'

Idas lit a torch, and uttered, "This torch is an offering to the Goddess Hestia, may she grant us the burning flame that will fuel my brothers in this race. To Lady Hestia of the Hearth!"

Everyone else repeated after him, "To Lady Hestia of the Hearth!"

"May the victor of this race please the Gods of Olympus, especially the Lord of the Heavens. To Lord Zeus!" Idas continued.

The others once again repeated after him. "To Lord Zeus!"

Julius interpreted the ritual as the origin of the symbolic torch lighting of the modern-day Olympic Flame. Based on the enduring traditions, a sacred fire is lit before the games as an offering to the gods. The fire is from Olympia and its brought all the way to wherever is the location of the games. Even to this day. Julius finds that fact really cool.

Idas is the first Olympic torch bearer, and his voice boomed again. "On your mark, get set…..go!" He signalled by using his free hand.

Julius is no newbie when it comes to running – they do this everyday after all in his sports club. In volleyball, they do stamina training by running up and down the hills and all around the court. He got an early lead. But this mountain summit marathon proved to be a difficult ordeal. It not only concerns on how fast you can run or how long you can hold out, but also on how resourceful you are to find footholds so you can manage your strength and stamina to complete the arduous climb.

Moreover, the topography of the area is very unfamiliar to Julius, so he had no idea if he was going in the right direction or not once he arrived at the foot of Mt. Olympus. As he looked up to the skies, he wondered if he could really finish this and reach the mountain's peak. "Nowhere to go but up, eh?" He silently muttered.

Meanwhile, in Olympus itself, Zeus and Hera were enjoying the livestream of the race before them as displayed by the Vision courtesy of the Olympus' Eye – the mountain's innate magic. The Lord of the Skies was casually sipping on his nectar as he scrutinized the young man displayed in the livestream feature.

"Who do you think will win, my love?" Hera said as she offered a berry to her husband's mouth.

"Hmmm….the man who is currently leading the charge is rather strange. I hate the Vision interruptions, though. The scenes displayed are not of high quality." Zeus commented.