Demi-God

As Lucian approached the ring, the crowd's chants and shouts grew to a deafening roar. His focus was so intense that he almost missed the figure leaning against the wall near the entrance. As he drew closer, recognition dawned, and his eyes widened behind his helmet.

"Kyra?" he said. "Or should I say, Thanatos? What are you doing here?"

Kyra smirked, pushing off from the wall. "Don't act so surprised. I frequent Thais' little underground spectacle now and then. Mostly for the betting. Saw you were fighting and thought I'd pay a visit."

Lucian frowned, caught off guard. "I... I didn't sense your presence."

"Too focused on the upcoming fight, I'd wager. Congratulations on your earlier victory, by the way."

"Thank you. But why are you really here?"

"Tell me, did your mother Artemis ever taught you how to unlock your power?"

"No," Lucian shook his head. "No, she didn't."

"Then allow me to help," Kyra said, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

A blinding flash erupted at the contact point, enveloping him in brilliant white light. In that moment, Lucian's senses exploded with sensation.

A surge of raw energy coursed through his body, spreading like wildfire through his veins. It felt as if liquid fire and ice were battling within him, each vying for dominance. His muscles tensed and relaxed rapidly, tingling with newfound strength.

His breath caught in his throat as an overwhelming rush of power flooded his mind. Colors seemed more vivid, sounds more crisp. He could hear the individual heartbeats of the crowd, smell the sweat and anticipation in the air with startling clarity.

Time seemed to slow around him. In the span of what felt like minutes but was mere seconds, Lucian experienced a kaleidoscope of sensations. A connection to something greater surged within him. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a world he had always been part of but never fully perceived.

As the light faded and his vision cleared, Lucian found himself gasping for breath. His body hummed with energy, every fiber of his being alert and alive in a way he had never experienced before. He felt lighter, faster, stronger - as if the limitations of his mortal body had been temporarily cast aside.

The sensation was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure. He flexed his hands, marveling at how even this simple movement seemed more fluid, more controlled. It was as if he had been reborn, awakened to a part of himself that had long lain dormant.

As he struggled to process this transformation, one thing became clear: whatever Kyra had unlocked within him, it had fundamentally changed him, at least for now. The true extent of this change, however, remained to be seen.

"What... what did you do to me?" Lucian asked, flexing his hands in wonder.

"I've unlocked a small portion of your power," Kyra smiled. "It's temporary, but extremely potent. If you want to know what it is..." He gestured towards the arena. "You’re going to have to try it out in the ring and see for yourself."

Before Lucian could ask any more questions, Kyra turned and walked away, disappearing into the side.

Lucian stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened. He felt invincible, yet uncertain. What was this power? How would it manifest? And more importantly, why had Kyra chosen to bestow it upon him now?

The crowd's roar washed over him as he stepped into the arena, his Spartan armor shined in the torchlight. Despite the uncertainty, he felt a surge of confidence.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer bellowed. "It's time for our next bout! A clash of titans that will shake the very foundations of this arena!"

The crowd's roar swelled in response, a racket of cheers, whistles, and stomping feet that seemed to make the very air vibrate.

"In this corner," the announcer continued, "we have a newcomer who's already proven his mettle! The Spartan warrior who toppled the mighty Kyros! Give it up for... Lucian!"

The crowd's reaction was immediate and deafening.

"Spar-tan! Spar-tan! Spar-tan!" The chant rippled through the spectators, growing louder with each repetition.

"Look at that armor!" someone shouted. "A real fucking Spartan!"

"Crush him like you crushed Kyros!" another voice shouted.

Lucian raised his spear, acknowledging the crowd. The simple gesture sent another wave of cheers through the arena.

"And his opponent," the announcer's voice cut through the din, "a man whose name strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies! The shadow in the night, the dagger in the dark! The one, the only... Alexios!"

A different section of the crowd erupted in cheers, while others booed and jeered. The conflicting reactions created a storm of noise that rang off the arena walls.

"Alexios! Alexios!"

"Gut him, Alexios!"

"Send that Spartan dog back to his masters!"

He fixed his gaze on the opposite side of the arena, waiting for his first glimpse of the mysterious opponent.

From the opposite entrance, a figure emerged. Alexios strode into the arena with a casual confidence, his lips curved in a cocky smirk as he acknowledged the crowd's reaction.

He was lean and wiry, his body honed for speed rather than brute strength. He wore light, flexible armor that seemed pieced together from various sources - a mismatched collection that spoke of practicality over uniformity. A worn leather cuirass protected his torso, reinforced with small metal plates at vital areas. His arms were bare save for leather bracers studded with small spikes, while his legs were guarded by light greaves.

What caught Lucian's attention most was Alexios' choice of weapon. In his right hand, he wielded a peculiar blade - shorter than a typical sword but longer than a dagger and has a razor-sharp edge. In his left hand, Alexios casually twirled a short chain, its end weighted with a heavy metal ball.

As he reached the center of the arena, Alexios raised his arms, playing to the crowd. His dark hair was tied back in a tight knot, revealing a face marked with several thin scars. His eyes, when they met Lucian's, held a predatory gleam.

"Who wants to see some blood?" He shouted.

The crowd responded with a thunderous roar. Alexios grinned, spinning his unusual blade in a showy flourish.

"That's what I thought," he said. Then, addressing the Spartan directly, added, "Hope you're ready for a real fight, pretty boy. That fancy armor won't save you from what I've got planned."

"Less talk and more fighting."

"With pleasure."

As the two fighters circled each other, the tension in the arena was palpable. Alexios spun his metal ball weapon, the weighted end creating a menacing whoosh as it cut through the air. Lucian kept his shield raised and spear at the ready, eyes never leaving his opponent.

Suddenly, Alexios sprinted forward, releasing the metal ball towards Lucian, who side-stepped, trying to avoid the attack. In that instant, something extraordinary happened.

Lucian's vision flashed, and the world around him seemed to grind to a halt. The metal ball hung in the air, its trajectory clear but its movement glacially slowed. The crowd's cheers became a deep, drawn-out roar, like the sound of waves in slow motion.

"What's happening?" He thought.

He could see Alexios, frozen mid-step, his face contorted in a battle cry that seemed comically exaggerated in this slowed state. The spectators were like statues, their mouths open in mid-shout, fists raised in slow-motion encouragement.

"Is this what Kyra meant by unlocking my power?"

Before Lucian could fully process what was happening, another flash occurred, and reality snapped back into normal speed. Lucian, still in mid-air, threw himself to the side, hitting the ground hard but cleanly avoiding Alexios' attack.

The metal ball whistled past, missing him by a wide margin and embedding itself in the wooden barrier of the arena with a resounding thud.

Alexios stood there, slack-jawed in disbelief. "What just happened?" He muttered. "That guy moved so fast I wasn't able to follow him."

Lucian got to his feet, his mind reeling from what had just occurred. He glanced at his hands, flexing his fingers in wonder. "This can't be real," he thought. "That ability to slow time... it was amazing."

As he stood there, he realized something else - the gnawing hunger that had been his constant companion since discovering his demigod heritage was gone. He felt energized, powerful, as if he could fight for days without tiring.

The crowd's cheers had turned to murmurs of confusion. They had witnessed something extraordinary, even if they didn't understand what it was.

Lucian raised his shield and spear once more, a new confidence flowing through him. Whatever this power was, it gave him an edge he never thought possible. As he locked eyes with the still-bewildered Alexios, a small smile played on his lips. This fight had just become a lot more interesting.

Alexios retrieved his metal ball, the chain clinking as he began to spin it once more. With a grin, he lunged forward, body weaving in a serpentine pattern that made his movements unpredictable.

Lucian tracked his opponent's advance, thrusting his spear to keep Alexios at bay. But the man was too quick, dodging the spear's point and closed the distance quickly, releasing his metal ball again.

The projectile slammed into Lucian's shield with tremendous force, the impact vibrated through his arm and pushed him back several steps. Before Lucian could recover, Alexios had already retrieved the ball and was swinging it again.

This time, the chain wrapped around Lucian’s shield. With a powerful yank, Alexios pulled him forward, throwing him off balance. Lucian stumbled, his vision filled with the sight of Alexios launching himself into the air.

Time seemed to slow as Lucian saw Alexios above him, a maniacal grin on his face and tongue out, his short sword descending towards Lucian's exposed neck.

But once again, his power surged to life. The world around him flashed and slowed to a crawl. In this suspended moment, Lucian could see every detail of Alexios' attack - the tensed muscles, the fire in his eyes, the trajectory of the blade.

Acting on pure instinct, he released his grip on the shield and rolled to the side. He felt the chain slip away as he moved, his spear still clutched in his hand.

As suddenly as it had begun, the time dilation ended. Reality snapped back into normal speed just as Lucian completed his roll.

Alexios' blade met nothing but air. Unable to halt his momentum, he crashed to the ground where Lucian had been standing a split second before. Dust billowed around him as he hit the arena floor hard.

Confusion etched across his face as he sat up, eyes locking onto Lucian several feet away. "How the hell did you do that?"

The crowd's roar had died down to a stunned murmur, spectators exchanging bewildered glances.

"I... I'm not entirely sure," Lucian replied.

Alexios climbed to his feet, retrieving his weapons. His cocky grin was gone, replaced by a look of focus. "Well, whatever trick you're pulling, it won't save you forever."

As Alexios launched into a frenzied assault, the arena became a whirlwind of motion. He spun and released his metal ball repeatedly. But to the amazement of everyone watching, including Alexios himself, none of his strikes found their mark.

Lucian seemed to dance around the arena, his movements are impossibly quick. One moment he was directly in front of Alexios, the next he had vanished, only to reappear on the left, then the right. It was as if he was toying with his opponent, allowing Alexios to come tantalizingly close before slipping away at the last possible instant.

The crowd watched in stunned silence, their earlier bloodlust replaced by a sense of awe. Even the most experienced spectators had never seen anything like this before.

Sweat poured down Alexios’ face, chest heaving with exertion. Yet Lucian appeared fresh and untouched, not a hair out of place despite the intense battle.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of futile attacks, Alexios stopped. He stood there, panting heavily, his weapons hanging limply at his sides. Pointing an accusatory finger at his opponent, he shouted, "I don't know what sorcery you're doing here, but somehow you're cheating! No one is that fast. No one!"

The accusation hung in the air. Audience looked at each other, murmuring in confusion. This was far beyond the usual spectacle they came to see.

Lucian, for his part, stood calmly, his spear held loosely in his hand. He was still trying to comprehend the full extent of his newfound abilities. Each time he had activated his power, he had felt a surge of energy, followed by the strange sensation of the world slowing around him. It was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure.

"It's not cheating," he replied, his voice steady despite the turmoil in his mind. "It's... something else."

Stephanos blinked hard, convinced that he must be seeing things, but the impossible display continued.

"By the gods," he whispered, "what in Hades is happening?"

He’s trying to reconcile the Lucian he had seen earlier. It was as if he had been transformed into something... more.

Stephanos leaned forward, gripping the wooden railing in front of him. Every move Lucian made defied explanation. One moment he was there, the next he had vanished, only to reappear elsewhere in the blink of an eye.

"How is he doing this? In his last battle, he was struggling just to stay on his feet. Now... now he's not even breaking a sweat."

This was beyond anything he had ever witnessed.

The tension in the arena reached a fever pitch as Alexios turned his ire towards the announcer's booth.

"Hey!" He shouted. "Declare this Spartan disqualified! Give me the win! He's clearly cheating!"

The announcer stood frozen, eyes glancing between Alexios and Lucian. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled to find the words.

Alexios, impatient with the lack of response, bellowed again. "Hey, are you listening to me?!"

Finally finding his voice, the announcer stammered, "I... I need to consult with the head. Please wait a moment."

As the announcer hurried over to where Thais stood, the crowd began to murmur. Speculation ran rampant through the spectators, theories about Lucian's abilities flying back and forth.

The announcer and Thais engaged in a hushed conversation, their heads close together. Thais' face remained impassive as she listened, occasionally whispering something back. The entire arena seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the verdict.

After a few minutes, the announcer returned to his position. Clearing his throat, he proclaimed, "After careful consideration, no cheating has been found. The match will continue!"

The crowd erupted into mixed reactions. Some cheered, excited by the prospect of more supernatural action. Others booed, agreeing with Alexios that something unfair was occurring. Many simply talked amongst themselves, unsure how to react to this unprecedented situation.

Alexios, upon hearing the decision, lost what little composure he had left. His face turned a deep shade of red as he unleashed a torrent of curses.

"This is bullshit!" he screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. "Are you all blind? He's clearly cheating! How else could he move like that? This is not fair!"