The God of Olympus

by Matthew Argyle

  The second day in the afternoon came the fourth event—the wrestling match. Hercules was up two to one, but knew that Milo’s great strength was his wrestling ability. All the wrestlers gathered around in a circle, wearing only a piece of cloth resembling a loin cloth around their waste. Once all the wrestlers had gathered together the chief Hellanodikai raised his hands and declared loudly, “We shall let fate decide who shall oppose each other in the wrestling arena. In this urn are many two of many different letters, alpha, beta, etc. The two who draw the same letter will oppose each other.” The chief Hellanodikai handed the urn to the athlete to his right. In the urn were as many tokens as there were competitors, each token inscribed with a letter of the alphabet, and each token making part of a pair.

  Hercules watched as the urn was passed around. He knew that this event meant everything. With a win here he would be the winner. When the urn reached Hercules he pulled out a token marked “alpha.” Then he passed the urn on. Competitors around him also pulled out tokens. The man next to him pulled out the “beta” token, and another the “theta” token, and so forth. Hercules knew that should he fight against any competitor except Milo it would be an easy win for him. After all, he had wrestled all kinds of terrifying creatures in the past with no problem. But, to Hercules’ dismay, when the urn was passed to Milo, the Hellanodikai announced, “Alpha!”

  The crowd cheered. Apparently the crowd was going to get what they wanted. Hercules was to wrestle against Milo in the final competition.

  Pericles also seemed pleased as he looked onward. “Now this Hercules will face a true wrestler!”

  As Hercules faced Milo he did not feel fear, but did feel a little uneasy. Milo looked like a giant as he stood over eight feet tall and weighed over three-hundred pounds. He was so toned and muscular that Hercules felt he was a twig. While Hercules’ physical power was hidden inside his relatively normal-looking frame, Milo’s great strength was apparent.

  And it was at this event that Milo of Croton would merit the victory. Milo of Croton was far larger than Hercules and had much more experience than Hercules in wrestling. Not only that, but for all his life and training Hercules had never before wrestled an actual human being (but only beasts).

  It was a relatively even wrestling match for several minutes. Hercules and Milo both held onto each other’s fists and tried to push the other. But suddenly Milo let one of his hands pull back. Then Milo threw a harsh punch at his side. Hercules felt a terrible pain. Milo threw another punch, and then another, and another until, after three hits Hercules was on the ground in great pain. Milo was declared the winner. That ended the second day.

  That night Hercules again sat up next to the same old tree he slept under the night before. Then suddenly a voice came from the darkness. Philoctetes stood from a distance staring at him in the darkness. Suddenly he removed his hood.

  “What is it?” asked Hercules.

  “You must win the final event tomorrow,” said Philoctetes. “Hercules, while you have been competing I have seen the winged servants of Hades. They now know you are here. It is only a matter of time before Hades knows you are here! If Hades does find you Hercules, you must be wary! Beware of Hades, for he comes in the darkness of the night and often makes evil deals.”

  Hercules nodded, although he did not like the prospect that the entire fate of Greece relied on him winning one Olympic event. “I will try,” replied Hercules.

  Philoctetes spent several hours discussing with Hercules on how he should go about this last, great Olympic event. “Do not let what everyone else says get to your head,” said Philoctetes. “Yes, you are not the one favored to win. Yes, you are a not as good of a wrestler as Milo, and you do not have the experience he has in the Olympic Games. But, no matter, you will find a way. Why? Because you have heart. And you must find a way, for if you do not, nobody will. Remember Hercules, the greatest of Gods must first prove themselves as a man.” This ended Philoctetes’ words to Hercules. Philoctetes placed the hood back over him and wandered away to sleep.

  When the morning came Hercules did not take his usual run. This time he knew he needed every ounce of energy and strength he could to defeat Milo in the final event—the hoplitodromos, or the race in armor. This event favored neither Milo nor Hercules. The running clearly favored Hercules, who was exceptionally fast; however, running in heavy armor favored Milo.

  Hercules remembered Philoctetes talking about the dreaded race in armor. Although Hercules thought running his strong point he had never done it with armor on before. Athletes were required to wear helmets on their heads and metal greaves below the knees, and compete while also carrying a large round shield that was the main protective device of the Greek infantry soldier, or hoplite. The run would be a run of 800 meters.

  The audience stood patiently watching as Hercules and Milo approached the starting line. Nobody else had a chance to win the Olympic Games except Hercules or Milo, so everyone else seemed to garnish little attention or have little motivation to run. The great Milo stood and looked over at Hercules, who looked over at him. Then Hercules drew his gaze back towards track.

  It was clear that everyone still underestimated Hercules and his abilities. When shouts went into the air most were for Milo, and various names for Milo surfaced with intensity, such as Milo the Strong, Milo the Magnificent, and even Milo the Invincible.

  Philoctetes and a few others were the only ones who believed in Hercules, who believed that in fact he could defeat the great Milo and win the reputable Olympic Games.

  Bets began to abound at this stage in the Olympic Games. Most bets were for Milo and against Hercules. Everyone was very drawn into the game.

  Of course, Hercules heard many people in the crowds say things such as “Oh, Milo is sure to win the final event. I have no doubt.” and “It is not Hercules who is favored to win. The Gods will no doubt crown Milo the great champion.”

  This seemed to bring Hercules’ spirit down a little bit, but he was nonetheless determined to win.

  Once the runners were ready to run Pericles silenced the crowd as he stood and said, “This is it—the final event of this great Olympic Games! May the best athlete win!”

  Pericles sat down and then a trumpet blared, signaling the start of the race. Hercules and Milo both darted off, while the other athletes didn’t even try running. It was just Hercules and Milo. Both were neck and neck until Milo turned and slightly to the left and bumped Hercules hard. Hercules struggled to maintain his balance and he was quickly falling to the ground. However, Hercules did not let himself fall. He managed to roll and quickly rolled himself back up. Cheers in the audience escalated. Milo was surprised.

  Both were quickly approaching the finish line and Hercules was slightly behind Milo, although he was gaining on him. Just before they both reached the finish line Milo quickly stuck on his foot to trip Hercules, but Hercules saw this and did the only thing he could think of—he jumped! Hercules let off one last jump to the finish line. And it was with this last, powerful jump that he avoided Milo’s threatening trip and crossed the finish line first! He had beat Milo by a few inches. Hercules had won the Olympic Games! Cheers rang out through Olympia for this new and indeed surprisingly contestant.

  Philoctetes smiled as Hercules won the Games. “There you go Hercules!” he thought to himself. “You are on your way!”

  Pericles looked surprised and said, “Well Hellanodikai, we have a new victor. You must go congratulate him!”

  A herald came and announced the victory. Hercules was named “Best among the Greeks.” This happened soon after the event and caused immediate celebrations in the victor’s camp, with the athlete collecting palm leaves and accolades.

  The parade of victors on the fifth or sixth day was semi-riotous…the sort of ecstatic carousal the Greeks called a komos. Wearing woolen headbands, the victor Hercules, and other good Olympic athletes made their way towards the Temple of Zeus. There they were showered with flowers, fruit, twigs, and what was ca
lled a “greenery pelting” which was similar to confetti. There they all sung a hymn as they made their way to the Temple and Altar of Zeus:

  “We came far to play in these,

  The great Olympic Games.

  We now sing a victorious song,

  A song that the Gods may delight!

  A song that the Gods may cherish!

  A song that the Gods may remember!

  These great athletes, who come into your presence,

  are the greatest athletes of Greece!

  These are athletes who hurled the discus,

  jumped the jump,

  wrestled the man,

  and ran the race of the warrior!

  Zeus, these are your greatest warriors!

  Zeus, your choicest blessings have been upon these athletes,

  For they have been given your divine favor,

  Especially our one and only ultimate victor—Hercules!”

  Then, in the presence of the great gold and ivory victory-bearing statue of Zeus, the chief Hellanodikai bestowed the crown of olive leaves upon Hercules. “The great victor of this Olympic Games wears an emblem of the Gods—the crown of olive leaves. This is a gift of the Gods. May we always remember the great Gods that give us life day to day.”

  After this event was over Hercules felt very good about himself. He had proven himself the greatest athlete in all of Greece.

  Following the words of the chief Hellanodikai sacrifices were offered at the altar of Zeus. Then a great banquet was held in Hercules’ honor in the Prytaneion, or official hall, located in the northwest corner of Altis.

  After the Olympic Games were officially over many other events transpired that are worth noting. For one, Milo approached Hercules, smiled, bowed slightly, and then said, “Congratulations Hercules! You have proven your great skills. Perhaps you may tell me one thing—who was your trainer? Who taught you these great things? And what did you do to train?”

  Hercules could sense Milo’s good nature and honesty and replied, “His name is Philoctetes, the best trainer that there ever was. And as for how I trained, perhaps I may show you!”

  The following day Hercules showed Milo everything he did that helped him to prepare for the Olympics. He began with running, as Milo ran alongside him. “I have been running much ever since I was a child. This helped to prepare my body for the Olympics.” Hercules also took Milo up to a hill where he learned how to wrestle lions and other creatures.

  “You must not fear or hate these creatures,” said Hercules. “No, you must come to tame them, to show them why they should respect you.”

  Once all of this was complete Hercules asked Milo for one thing: “Milo, I have showed you what I did, but maybe you can show me one thing.”

  “Yes, what do you want?” asked Milo. “Anything you ask may be yours.”

  “I would like to know how you beat me when you wrestled,” said Hercules. “What trick did you use?”

  So Milo showed him his trick. Both stood up and grabbed each other’s hands as they did in the Olympics. Milo kept one hand held onto Hercules hand. Then he quickly let go of one of his hands, ducked to avoid Hercules’ punch, and then jabbed Hercules lightly in his side. “You see!” exclaimed Milo. “When wrestling with a human you must do moves that involve both evading and attacking. Evade and attack!”

  Hercules appreciated the help that Milo gave him. They each then thanked each other and departed.

  They stood on a hill alone when Hercules whistled and Pegasus came flying down on top of the hill. Milo was startled by the great creature, but Hercules told him to not fear him. “This is Pegasus, a gift from my father—Zeus.”

  Milo looked like he was in shock. “Your father is Zeus!”

  Hercules nodded. “Yes, although I cannot tell you more. Now I must be off.”

  “Where will you go now?” asked Milo. “Everyone is waiting to walk with you into Athens to celebrate your victory!”

  “I will be back in two days on the outskirts of Athens,” said Hercules. “However, there is one place that I must go first.”

  Milo nodded. “Very well. Good-bye Hercules.” And that was how Milo and Hercules became good friends.

  And so Hercules set off on Pegasus east towards the outskirts of the small of town of Delphi, where he would pay a visit to Alcmene and Amphitryon.

  There were many reasons why he was making this trip. For one, after all the time he had been with them he wanted to see them again. Another reason was to give them the considerable amount of money he was able to receive on the side by all those who won a bunch of money betting on him in the Olympic Games. But the main reason was to show them that he was okay, that he had won the Olympic Games and understood more about himself.”

  And so, when he arrived at Alcmene’s and Amphitryon’s house he found that all was well there. They each were overjoyed to see Hercules and gave him a strong embrace.

  “We have missed you so,” exclaimed Amphitryon. “But why have you returned? You must have other things to do…”

  “Do not mind him!” exclaimed Alcmene. “Hercules, you must be hungry! Come inside and eat!”

  They had dinner there that night where there was a long discussion about what had transpired. Hercules told them about how he discovered who he was—a son of Zeus and Hera. He told them about seeing Zeus on Mount Olympus, and about finding Philoctetes his trainer. He told them about his journey to Sparta and about his victory in the Olympic Games.

  “We are glad that you finally know who you are,” said Alcmene. “We knew for a long time, but were told by Hermes, a messenger of Zeus, to never disclose to you your true identity, until you discovered it for yourself. And we are impressed that you won the Olympics, although we are more grateful that you are alive and well. This is one of our most joyous occasions.”

  “There is a celebration of sorts to be held in Athens for the winner of the Olympics, or at least I was told there would be,” said Hercules. “I am afraid that I must leave soon.”

  Amphitryon and Alcmene were both surprised that he needed to return so quickly, but were not sad or unsupportive in any way of his need to speedily return to Athens. “You must go of course,” said Alcmene. “Your father and I will do well here as we have since before you were born. You must go and complete the mission Zeus gave you, for the people here need you dearly.”

  Hercules nodded. He thanked Amphitryon and Alcmene for the dinner and then went outside. It was dark and he found that Pegasus was tired from the journey was already asleep on the grass. Hercules looked up at the stars for a moment, sat up against a tree, and went to sleep. When the morning came Hercules left early with Pegasus, as they flew back towards Athens.

  Amphitryon and Alcmene looked onward as Hercules flew off in the distance.

  Chapter 7: Pericles

  Pericles and the Hellanodikai leader stood in Pericles’ grand Athenian palace throne room. The room was long with several long tables. “We can find nothing wrong with him,” said the chief Hellanodikai. “His performance in the Olympics was, as far as we are aware of, completely fair.”

  Pericles seemed very upset as he kicked over a vase and watched it clash down on the floor and shatter into many different pieces. “But this is impossible! Hercules has no great physical body like Milo. How is it that he performed so well? There must have been some kind of drug in him that allowed him to do so…something…after all it was Milo that was to support me in my campaign to be undisputed King over this land!”

  “Perhaps Hercules will support you in your campaign as well!”

  “Very well,” said Pericles. “Where is Hercules?”

  “Look for yourself,” replied the chief Hellanodikai as he pointed towards the balcony. Pericles made his way towards his balcony and watched as Hercules walked into the city, surrounded by hundreds of people cheering for him. A large man in front of Hercules yelled, “Make way for the great Hercules—the winner of the Olympic Games!”

  People cheered and threw down palm l
eaves at his feet as he entered. This made Pericles terribly upset. “Very well, go get him then!”

  The chief Hellanodikai nodded and then went away. Pericles stood for a several minutes wondering and pondering upon what he should do with Hercules. Then the doors to his large estate opened and Hercules entered, led by the chief Hellanodikai. “I present to you Hercules, sir!” said the Hellanodikai. Then he left, leaving Hercules and Pericles alone. Both wanted each other as a friend and both took great measures to flatter the other.

  “Ah yes!” said Pericles, smiling. “Hercules…welcome to my humble abode!”

  Hercules knew that it was a great honor to be invited into Pericles’ house. Hercules approached Pericles. “I come to offer you a great gift!” said Hercules. “I can only offer you one thing…my Olympic Crown.” He pulled off his crown, knelt before Pericles, and presented to him his crown. This was, no doubt, a great honor and would be a valuable and unique award. But Pericles was not interested in this.

  He stared down at the crown and then said, “I do not want it, nor do I need it! I will not have gossip going around that I took an Olympian’s Crown.” Pericles waved his hands and turned around. His voice suddenly seemed more pleasant and happy. “Please rise Hercules! There is no need to bow before me, for I am no king.” Hercules nodded and lifted himself up. Pericles placed his arms around Hercules’ shoulders and led him forward into his grand living room. “Your performance in the Olympic Games was extraordinary Hercules.”

  Hercules nodded politely. “Thank you sir.”

  Pericles pointed down to a large chair. Hercules nodded and sat down. “Come have something to drink! You must be thirsty after your long journey to Athens.” Pericles offered Hercules a cup of wine but he did not take it. “Not thirsty huh…okay…well do sit.”