I Lost A Bet

Costumes and Competitors

Taking a deep breath, Hades walked into the waiting room and, for the first time since this entire ordeal began, was faced with his competitors. They were all suited up in extravagant costumes, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't intimidated. They ranged from goofy and colorful to beautiful and elegant, but the designer's hard work was evident. They were forbidden to talk with one another because the voice modulators were only applied when they were filming. Still, Hades had watched a couple of episodes over the last month to get a grasp on what he was getting himself into. The first episode was 1 vs. 1, so he knew he could be competing against any of the immortals in the room. He strode over to the person on the far end, trying to portray the confidence he didn't feel. He settled into a folding chair, careful to move his cape so it wouldn't be wrinkled. He wished he could just get it over with, but he didn't control the order, and it was too late now to switch. Hades' stomach tied itself in a knot as he chewed his lip anxiously, and looked right, studying the other contestants.

Closest to the door, a man leaned against the wall, ignoring the bustling crew rushing around him. To someone younger and less experienced, his nonchalant pose screamed relaxation; however, years of board meetings had taught Hades a thing or two about body language. He could see how tensely his arms were folded against his chest, almost defensively, and, though he tried to hide it, he was clearly nervous. "Probably not a professional performer, but someone accustomed to the spotlight," Hades thought to himself as he studied the man. He was average height with a slightly lean body shown off by a well-fitted red velvet tailcoat. Underneath, he wore a crisp white dress shirt and black dress pants paired with a bow tie and a chain of a pocket watch. His mask was made of a dark metal but had incredible detail carved into its snout and ears. It was clearly a warthog with shining white tusks that gleamed in the stage light. As if he sensed Hades' gaze, he turned, and their eyes met for a split second before he looked back down at the cane with a golden head that he was wringing in his white-gloved hands.

Hades' eyes continued to wander and found their way to the woman pacing to the warthogs left. She was clearly a ball of nerves and wasn't bothering to hide it. She was continually rearranging her mic, adjusting her fluffy coat, and shuffling in her high heeled leather boots. She had a beautiful athletic figure, and her outfit was far more playful than the warthog proceeding her. She had black leggings that hugged her legs and a light brown tutu that floated around her waist. She wore a white turtleneck topped with a short faux fur jacket that matched the various browns of the boots, tutu, and the enormous fur squirrel tail that reached up to her neck. Tasteful gold accents and jewelry tied the costume together into a cute but flirty ensemble, obviously directed more towards the teenagers in the audience. Her mask was a dull bronze and looked much simpler and lighter than the warthogs and his but concealed her identity nonetheless. "She looks younger than the warthog, perhaps a social media influencer?" Hades considered. He didn't follow anyone other than family and his favorite humane societies on Fatesbook, but Hebe had often mentioned the many celebrities who had gained their fame through the platform. Catching him looking her way, she gave him a small wave before resuming with her anxious fretting.

A flurry of feathers caught Hades' eye, and he looked over to find a competitor running in from the costume room a little late and clearly out of breath. Immediately, Hades's eye was drawn to the yellow mohawk of feathers adorn his head and the curved black beak of the mask. It was far more realistic than the others he had seen so far and actually looked similar to the birds head. He only came up to around Hades shoulder and he seemed to be portly with an obnoxious Hawaiian shirt and colorful leas covering his feathered costume. "I can't tell if he's a washed up celebrity clinging onto fame or a comedian who's just here to mess with the judges," Hades laughed to himself as the cockatoo caught his breath and gave him a cheeky wave.

Hades mentally shrugged and continued examining the rest of the room. The other two competitors were both women and seemed older than the squirrel. One of them moved around the room with a grace that perfectly befitted the animal they were dressed as. Her movements were fluid, suiting her flowing dress. He smirked as he recognized the familiar flapper girl dress that she wore and wondered if he was the only one who was old enough to live through that era himself. He laughed to himself, Zeus had loved the flapper girls normalization of casual sex, but he had hated their sass. Personally, Hades had thoroughly enjoyed watching Zeus finally being put in his place by the woman he tried to "seduce" and had been all for the freedoms they were taking advantage of. The puma had a classic example of a flapper slip dress on, draped black silk and glittering gold beads and sequence that reflected the stage light drawing all eyes to her. The intricate patterns glinted, and the fringe swayed as she moved and were complemented by strings of pearls and a feather boa draped around her neck. In her long white gloves, she clutched a massive feather fan, an iconic accessory of the period. Her mask was both gold and black, matching her slip dress. It was sleek, polished, and slightly more abstract than the others he'd seen but equally beautiful. It was topped with a classic flapper headband, a black band decorated with pearls and black feathers. Personally, he thought that they had done a fantastic job of capturing the era, and he couldn't wait to see her perform. Everything about her and her body language screamed movie star or dancer, so they were clearly going to get quite the performance.

His eyes finally settled on the last performer in the room. Her posture was immaculate, and she was obviously a veteran to the scrutiny of the public eye. Everything about her regal appearance screamed maturity and experience. Hades wouldn't have been surprised if she was around his age. She looked as if she had a will of iron and determination to match; the kind of person nothing could shake, but she also seemed to lack the usual boldness of a performer. He raised an eyebrow; she also didn't seem the type to make drunk bets, so he was left wondering what a woman like her was doing here. As if she could read his mind, she looked over at him and looked him up and down with a cool and calculating gaze; definitely a politician or the wife of one then. He did his best not to fidget under her scrutinizing stare, but he felt goosebumps race up and down his arms despite the heat. He gave her a nod, acknowledging her, and, after a moment, she returned it and turned away. He shuddered, what the hell was that all about.

Though she was no longer focused on him, he continued to study her outfit. She was dressed in an elaborate ballroom gown of silver silk, intricate white lace designs, and brilliant gemstones. It was elegant and honestly awe-inspiring. She was adorned in jewelry matching the countless gems on the dress. The lace crept up the sides of the dress, almost like vines, to form a waisted covered in jeweled flowers and bodice of what almost looked like diamonds. Whoever was under the silver and ruby owl mask had resources, and, by the looks of it, old money. He wouldn't be surprised if she was a god as well. Usually, it was nymphs, minor gods, and demigods who participated, but every once and a while, an outlier like himself would pop in, and the ratings would soar.

At that very moment, he heard a final person exit the changing room and looked over to see this year's host finally emerge. Thaleia, one of the nine goddesses of music, song, and dance, came out with a dazzling smile, and the crew finished attaching the mic. Personally, she was the muse of comedy, which made her perfect for the role, but Hades was surprised they had gotten someone so famous to host. This show must be a bigger deal than he first assumed (but I mean who wouldn't want to watch celebrities make asses of themselves on TV). He had talked to her at a couple of Zeus' parties and indulged in her comedy specials on numerous occasions. She never failed to make him laugh with witty, sarcastic humor and talent; however, she definitely didn't recognize him behind his mask (especially in his leather get-up)- not even the host was allowed to know their identity before they were revealed. Nevertheless, he returned her grin, forgetting she couldn't even see it and nodded at her as she passed. She glanced at him and looked him up and down with a smirk, finally giving him an exaggerated wink that left him practically navy before looking away and sauntering onto the stage to the thunderous applause of the crowd.