Pythian Games [Part 3]

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A large man poured out wine from the amphorae in the kylix before me. After he was done I grabbed the large cup and took a gulp—

"Gurk!"

Only to cough it out. Although the wine was diluted — I can deduce that much— it was strong enough for the current me to drink it all in one gulp.

Tears stinging my eyes as I continued to cough and dry heave.

Fucking hell.

I took a deep breath to stabilise myself.

"Damn." I cursed. I took a look around the kameleon only to find pairs of eyes looking at me. Defeating silence grazed the house.

I sighed, so much for not bringing unnecessary attention to myself.

It didn't take long for the people to laugh at me.

"Still green, eh?" Someone shouted, and the laugh increased in intensity.

I felt shame burn in my gut.

The person who poured me the wine slapped me at my back. If it wasn't that it was not biologically possible, I would've coughed out my heart. Dude got a meaty hand.

"First time?" He asked.

"Yea." I grumbled out, as I sat back.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. It's made out of magic, after all."

Magic?

I didn't sense any magic. But for caution sake, I hit the wine with appraisal— Structural grasp— and....found nothing. There's no magic in this wine, I frowned as I took another sip. Yup, no magic here. My magic sensory receptor didn't catch anything either. Which says a lot because almost anything doesn't escape my senses if that thing was in front of me.

Well this isn't strange or unusual in Greece, I mean they still believe that a bird flies because of wings. That's how Og Icarus and his father managed to fly with wings made out of glue and wax. And they still believe that the earth is flat— This is Flat earthers wet dream come true— and they believe that the sun is the one that rotates around the world, not the earth rotating around the sun. Which...if you squint your eyes and tilt your head enough, it makes sense. Apollo is the one who drives the sun, so it goes without saying that the sun is the one that rotates around the earth.

But you get what I'm saying right? People believe what they believe here, which is one of the reasons why this age is full of Mystery. It's because they don't know shit! I mean I won't be surprised if they don't know that melted ice turns into water.

If I can bring a modern scientist here, they'll die of heart pressure. This world is full of dumb people, even the Gods aren't spared from this disease.

"Yea, yeah." I waved the 'bartender' away.

Instead I changed the subject, "Many people are visiting this city, huh?" I noted out distantly.

The guy gazed at me and inquired, "A visitor?"

I didn't answer. No way I'm going to.

"Well. The city is hosting its annual pythian Games. So it isn't surprising that many people would come."

My eyes widened in surprise. Pythian Games, in a nutshell one can say they're Olympic Games. But on a smaller scale and a little bit different than them.

I naturally know what the Pythian Games are, otherwise my father would've had a heartattack if I had forgotten that. He had beat all the knowledge regarding the culture, customs, etc of Greece in my head.

Pythian Games came to be because of the myth that Apollo slew the Pythian with his trusted bow and buried the body of it in the earth. But no good deed goes unpunished, Zeus punished Apollo for... What did he punish him anyway? For killing Python?

The Pythian Games are one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. They were held in honour of Apollo at his sanctuary at Delphi every four years, two years after the Olympic Games, and between each Nemean and Isthmian Games

Nonetheless, Apollo created the Pythian Games because of his punishment.

"When?" I asked the guy before me.

"A sennight from now."

A week? I looked at the sack of my coins and weighed them. I sigh, I don't think my 'wealth' will survive till next week.

The guy looked at me and said, "The winner gets the medusa coins and a bay laurel."

I disregarded the bay laurel price, it's the standard price, all the Pythian Games had it as a price but never money.

Money?

Money.

"Hohoho, tell me more." I chuckled menacingly. I'm sure my eyes have dollar signs right now.

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[Third POV]

A week goes by.

Icarus stretched and sighed.

"I'm gonna win this year's Pythian Games." Icarus declared.

His eyes hardened with determination.

Icarus prepared himself.

As per usual the Pythian Games are held at Delphic shrine on Mount Parnassus

They were started by Apollo after he killed Python and set up the oracle at Delphi.

The Pythian Games also featured competitions for art and dance, which predated the athletic portion of the games, and women are allowed to take part in some events. Victors received a wreath of bay laurel, sacred to Apollo, from the city of Temple, in Thessaly.

Icarus can't dance, he never danced but he came from the modern society where dancing was one of the prominent arts, and Icarus saw some of the nobles in Athens dance.

So he can say with confidence that he won't lack.

It didn't take time for him to walk into the place where the games were going to be held.

And it's....a stadium. Well, kinda, but it's shaped like a stadium, well it's in a half oval shape. It even has bleachers and stuff, and it's huge. It's called the Crisaean plain if his memory doesn't fail him.

Like one of the biggest modern stadiums! Icarus won't be surprised if it can hold over 150 thousand people and more.

That's how big it is.

Nonetheless when Icarus got there, the Crimean plains were already packed. Well, not really as Icarus can see many spaces not occupied.

Icarus breathed in.

'Alright, let's see what these Pythian Games are about.' Icarus thought.

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A/N: Some time ago(last year) when I was starting to write my fic, I came upon something in google. It was a...medical reseach? idk man. but I says that "Writer's and Poets are more prune to have Bi-polar disorder than normal person."

This stuck with me. Personally, I try to understand my feeling with logic. I'm like Icarus in any way. [I created him with my personality in mind] Maybe that's the reason why this fic doesn't have a sense of Intrigue like any other Fics? idk man.

I try to rationalize my feelings, actions and everything. Maybe that'swhy my fic is boring [According to y'all]

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