8 The Glory of Olympus.

"Ladies and gentlemen are you ready to rumbleee!!!"

The crowd roared in expectation. All manner of creatures could be seen in the crowd. 

I stood in a group of five. Five major pantheons would compete in this century's competition.

The Biblical pantheon.

The Norse pantheon.

The Japanese pantheon.

The Buddhist pantheon.

The Olympian pantheon.

They had brought some of their greatest warriors. People of great renown from gods to demigods. The living and the dead. Then there was the lost ten year old Michael Jackson the Olympians presented. How the hell am I supposed to compete with these guys. What if there's a race and everyone except me just teleports to the finish line.

"For our first challenge in this year's kəˈnekSH(ə)n will beee.... an archery competition!"

At that my heart calmed a little. I was the greatest archer camp half blood had seen in a 1000 years. I could use this chance to one up guys like Son Woukong.

That's when I saw the target. Or to be precise I didn't see the target that Apollo was pointing to. Then I realised the thing was in bloody space. The f**k?

"Archers! The target is all the way on the other end of the galaxy. 100000 light years of pure space with some premium stars to avoid. It 's also a micrometer long. The goal in this case isn't to hit it but to get as close as possible to hitting it."

"I'll be explaining the rules...."

Suddenly I wasn't there. I was transported to a white room I did not recognize. A beautiful woman with long auburn hair and a silver dress stood before me a bow and quiver on her back. She looked at me with a stern expression.

"What does it mean to win Michael?" Where did this pop qui...

"Baaam!" She hit me with a stick.

"It seems all you do is complain. I have watched you Michael from the time you arrived at Olympus up to now and frankly I am disgusted."

'Well f*** you too bi-'"Baaam!"

"You were chosen Michael. You represent Olympus. What kind of spinless bastard gives up before they even try?!" Artemis looked genuinely puzzled."Even if the odds of victory are low Michael they aren't zero and they never will be!!"

I paused in contemplation.

She was right. Even if the odds were to be stacked so heavily ,even if the disparity was so incomprehensible, it was never impossible.

Look at all the legends who had carved out their names in history. Alexander the great who was often out numbered 10 to 1, Messi who was affected with a condition from childhood that would ensure he never became tall practically crippling his future prospects in football and many more.

Men and women who never let the circumstances of their birth and misfortune affect what they thought they could and couldn't do.

In the face of such courage who was I to give up?

Was the universe my baby sitter?

Did I expect it to coddle me and make my life easier?

There was no point in complaining about age, disadvantages,status, ethnicity, gender nor race because it was never about those things ,it was always and will always be about me and the world. This will always be my fight and may the odds go f**k themselves every single time.

Before I could blink I was back on the podium. The first contestant had already pulled back their string ready to fire at a moments notice. Apollo gave the signal and Gabriel let his arrow loose a bulls-eye. The angels rejoiced by playing a multitude of instruments. He started walking down the podium his footsteps portraying infinite grace.

In my hand was a silver bow. I looked to where the Olympians sat. There were many gods sat in majesty. I only needed one in that moment. I looked for Artemis' face and found it, she offered a smirk.

'I can't think of anything else.'

Apollo called for me next. For a moment I couldn't hear the crowds. My feet walked up the steps.

'The target is all that matters now.'

Gabriel passed by me he seemed to say something. It didn't matter to me ,all I could see was the silver halo up ahead in all its mesmerizing beauty painting a target on my prey's back.

'All my dreams and aspirations pale in comparison.'

All I could see was the podium the stars in the sky and very soon not even that, the world was dark and all that lay before me in the entire universe was that target.

I could here a voice in my head. 'Let go... let go of everything...'

It was all there was and there was no other.

'Its just us Mike. Its just us."

I pulled back the string with all my might barely budging it. I charged my arms with electricity. Seeing my arms come to life with sparks of lightning. I imagined all that unrestrained power like a dirty,overflowing river before my mind's eye. I then imagined it in a cleaner state flowing in a streamlined state not a single drop wasted.

In an instant indescribable power flowed in my arms and I was able to pull the string back.

'Mana the power of the gods.' The voice was there again calm and reassuring.

I wasn't only human.

There was a part of me deep inside that truly believed that I was a god , immortal and detached from this world.

My hands were now tinged with a faint pale blue color. The target was ahead. I focused and zeroed in on it waiting for a perfect moment where our world was just right and the target was vulnerable, when it was a weaker prey.

Just then for a second it was clear. I could see it the target was well hidden behind Gabriel's golden arrow. My muscles relaxed almost unconsciously in tandem with the voice.

'Release.'

The silver arrow left my bow a stream of light. Then the once visible target disappeared and I was flung back into reality. The shouts of jubilation nearly deafening.

"Incredible stuff here! Michael has somehow managed to out do Gabriel! In a daunting display of skill his arrow has split the angel's in half!"

The crowd was in a frenzy. They sang my name in different songs each different. Desperate to be heard. That arrow meant different things to different people. I stared at the score board in shock.

'It would appear I was wrong Michael. May my favor be with you always.

A champion of the hunt.

The son of a King.'

Name: Michael Jackson

Distance from target:0

Score from judges : 11/10

"Let it never be said that the Olympians had no new legends in this century because he is here!

The son of Zeus!

The glory of Olympus!"

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