"I saw your fight. Very impressive!" The friendly man roughly patted Nikolas' back, though the latter didn't budge.
"Thank you, Bellerophon." Nikolas simply replied.
Bellerophon was thin yet muscled, with short, dark black hair and warm green eyes. He was a young man, around a year or two older than Nikolas. Nikolas was unsure as to why Bellerophon was being friendly with him, but he seemed to hold no ulterior motives.
"Now that we've made it to the third event, I just wanted to say..." Bellerophon spoke. "...good luck. We may be competing with each other, but still."
"To you as well, Bellerophon." Nikolas replied, extending the same hospitality that this strangely nice man exuded.
"I won't go easy on you though." He smiled, extending his hand.
Nikolas simply nodded in response, taking the extended hand and shaking it.
"I'm heading out then. Gotta be ready for tomorrow." Bellerophon stated, walking away with a wave.
Nikolas agreed with idea. It would be a smart idea to get some good rest this night. The chariot race which occurred tomorrow was the one which Nikolas was unsure about.
Wrestling? Fine.
Pancration? Fine.
Archery? Fine.
But the chariot race and music? He was at a loss for those. Era had helped him some with the chariot race, but all it helped him with was understanding how it worked. Putting it into practice was another thing entirely.
He didn't enjoy the feeling of his feet on the wood. While he wasn't in the air while in a chariot, he still lacked that connection to the ground which helped him stabilize and visualize so many things.
Without that, he became incredibly disoriented. It wasn't something that could be changed with only a days of practice.
"Nikolas!" He heard a familiar voice call his name from behind.
He turned around, noticing the three pairs of feet. Ria, Melinoe, and Era had all arrived in front of him.
"Good job!" Ria clapped excitedly.
"You did good." Melinoe nodded in approval.
"Thank you. But tomorrow is the difficult one." Nikolas replied.
"Chariot racing and archery." Era stated. "Do you believe that you are ready for the chariot races?"
Nikolas thought it over for a moment. "I lack the skill to properly maneuver the horses."
Era nodded in understanding. "Do your best. Apply the techniques I taught you. And don't forget, you only have to be in the top half to make it to archery."
"Wow...so much advice..." Ria muttered, feelingly slightly jealous. When had she ever been this supportive?
"I wish to see him win." Era emotionlessly shrugged.
"Thank you." Nikolas replied. "We should head back."
"Let's!" Ria grinned.
They walked back to their rooms of residence for the evening silently, but at this moment two of them had minds louder than any conversation the four could possibly hold.
'Was that what I think it is?' Era wondered. 'If it is, then there are big implications. And it becomes so much more likely that they are the ones of the prophecy.'
'I will not be able to succeed in the chariot race. I knew this. Why did I still agree?' Nikolas thought to himself, in an inner turmoil. 'We can always reach the King another way. So why do I wish to win so badly?'
YOU ARE READING
The Son Of Snakes
FantasyA monster. Cursed by the gods and feared by all. Medusa, the famed gorgon which turned those to stone with one look, had lost all hope in her life when she stumbled across that crying baby. She was ready to put the abandoned child out of its misery...
