Wait
Two young looking men step forward, one much taller than the other, matching your height, yet still appearing human. The two of them exited the door, extending their hands, the shorter one spoke to you, his rugged beard and spiky hair stood out to you the most, as he began to project with his gruff creaky voice.
“Congratulations, you’ve been picked to play the game” He says to you, approaching you with outstretched arms in a greeting. “So this guy’s gonna train you okay? Then you’re going to do a thing for me, I do a thing for you, then we all can get what we want! Is that clear?”
“Uhh” you hesitate with your response.
“Great, I’ll leave you to it. Be seeing you on the big day, enjoy each other in the meantime! You have two weeks to prepare.” You stared at the taller young man, baffled and unable to respond to what you were getting. The two of you exchange glances before he parts his plump lips to speak to you. A more gentle voice rang out to you.
“Don’t worry about him, I’ll get you ready in no time.” You still are at a loss for words, pondering what you’ve gotten yourself into. As you approached him, looking closer at his tall slender figure, you realize that he’s not human, but a centaur just like yourself. Suddenly you don’t feel as alone in this world. You tilt your head slightly to the side and notice that his muscular upper body is attached by the small of his back to the spot where a horse’s head would typically be. The two of you shuffled on your hooves, causing an audible clopping sound that seemed to add a spring in Hades’ step as he walked from between the two of you.
Your take a moment to bring in the view before you. From the front, his appearance was completely of a man. His entire body stretched down all the way to his legs, hairless in appearance, and ending in skin-covered human feet. Though when you look around his body for a better view, to your surprise, his back end was completely that of a horse. The stark contrast from your appearance startled you; regardless of your similar frame, this person somehow felt more ‘human’ than you at this point.
“Everyone who comes here has to go through initiations… It’s for us to know who stays and who… well” His voice was gentle and low as it trailed off, along with his attention. “You should be fine though! You have me to train you anyway.” his tone sounded much happier as he met your gaze once again. His beautiful blue eyes almost made you blush as his eyes met yours.
“Training?” You question, confused about the entire situation. With wide eyes you questioned his intent with your expression alone. He laughs before silently leading you through a large pair of double doors at the back of the house. You two step through to see an immense coliseum, the sandy tan ground was broken up and rugged from past battles there. “Oh my god..” You quietly say to yourself, eyes glistening at the sheer size of the bowl you stood in.
Written by Driftingdragon on 20 April 2020