Zeus 25 - Praxis

6 - Argosian Games

"What a zoo," Origen observed when he arrived with Melos and Spyro.

"Do you see us as the animals or the spectators?" Praxis asked.

"We're fed and put on display," Melos said. "I think you know what that makes us."

"Good luck, animals" Spyro said, "I leave you here." With that Spyro moved to the journeyman side of the vast tent to be enhanced to become a temporary Rockman and to fight with the journeyman division.

"Do you think he was right to pick the harder division?" Origen asked.

"Yes," Praxis said, "if he wins."

The Argosian Games lasted five days. In pankration, each contestant would have four matches every day except the last day. In this way, each of the sixteen chosen Clayman competitors would fight each of the others. Journeyman, adepts, and master matches would be interspersed allowing everyone to rest between contests. After Lord Jason 5 crowned the winners with laurel leaves, they would fight each other. The two victors with the best records in pankration would win AvoDar's Blessing of Strength and go on to Elesium to vie in the Olympian Games to become Zeus 25.

The Claymen was the largest group because it included members of the public who could afford a temporary enhancement, or others who were already working outside the guild as permanent Claymen but wanted this once-in-a-lifetime chance for glory. Because the normal contest structure was restricted to sixteen entrants, two rounds of sudden-death eliminations were added before the regular matches began. Unfortunately, Melos was eliminated in the first of these early rounds by a burly doero who looked like he could be Origen's cousin. He probably had nearly Clayman strength before being enhanced.

At the end of the first day, the two elimination rounds and four regular matches had exhausted Praxis and Origen.

Spyro fight with the journeymen resulted in his advancement.

Twice Origen and Praxis had their temporary Clayman enhancements renewed with Orbs of Strength, but it only brought them even with men who had already been permanent Claymen for years. Praxis began to feel how hopeless his quest was as he jogged with Origen back to Apollo's Guild that night. Io will soon see that I was right to doubt this opportunity, Praxis thought.

"Hey," Origen said, "don't be discouraged. You have two formal victories in pankration in the famous Argosian Games. You're the stuff of legends."

"Ha. Ha," Praxis muttered sarcastically as they ran, but Origen's mood was already making him feel better.

#

After two days of the Argosian Games, Praxis had a perfect record, but he hadn't faced Origen yet who was also undefeated. Even Spyro had only one loss in the journeyman division. Unfortunately, adepts and masters alike were being trounced by Jason 6 and Ajax. The games had settled into a rhythm after that hectic first day: first meal, run, fight, massage by a pretty doera, fight, bread and water, fight, another massage by another pretty doera, fight, run, dinner, and sleep. By the third night, though, Praxis decided he had enough energy at the end of the day to check out the entertainments meant for spectators. Origen joined him.

"I wouldn't want you claiming tomorrow that I won because I had more rest than you did," Origen said.

"You won't be winning. Let's see if the archers are still competing," Praxis said, and headed for the furthest fields without looking back to see if Origen followed. Unlike the Olympian Games, archery contests at the Argosian Games were held for both men and women. The women who won would go on to the Elesian Games hoping to catch the new Zeus 25's eye. One or two might become Queens of Atlantis, ruling the Grand Council at Zeus's side.