When the deities, spirits, and heroes finally took their seats, the lights of the divine theater began to dim little by little, until the entire venue was enveloped in a soft and welcoming gloom.
Then, at the center of the stage, a tiny spark of light appeared out of nowhere.
At first it was barely a luminous point, fragile like a distant star. However, it began to grow slowly, expanding until it reached the size of a person. The light spun upon itself with elegant movements, tracing curves in the air as if it danced to the rhythm of an inaudible melody.
And indeed, it was a dance.
Finally, the luminous figure came to a stop. For a brief instant it remained suspended in the air, vibrating with intensity, before bursting into a gentle flash that dissipated like a sigh. When the brightness faded, it revealed the muse Calliope at the center of the stage.
The muse inclined her body in an elegant bow toward the audience. At the very moment she did so, an intense light illuminated the stage as if a great celestial spotlight had been turned on above it, leaving the stands plunged into total darkness.
The audience responded with a wave of applause.
Calliope slowly raised her head, a serene smile drawn across her face. Then she extended an arm with a theatrical gesture and began to speak with her melodious voice.
"In our previous match…" she said, raising a finger and pointing upward toward the top of the stage.
A luminous projection appeared. The figures of Diomedes and Achilles emerged like specters of light, recreating the most impactful moments of their confrontation.
"The legend of Diomedes sought to devour that of Achilles!" the muse continued, slightly raising her voice to stir the audience's excitement. "But even the cunning of the son of Tydeus proved insufficient to bring down the greatest of the Achaeans!"
The projection showed the images of the end of the encounter, of Diomedes being stabbed in the chest by Achilles' sword, after he used his own leg as bait.
Among the audience, Achilles watched that scene with a furrowed brow. His hands slowly clenched into fists. A silent discomfort crossed his expression, mixed with a trace of guilt he could barely conceal.
"But…" Calliope continued, making a wide gesture with both hands.
The projection dissolved into a shower of sparks that faded into the darkness.
"Now it is time to present our next contenders!"
The stands erupted in cheers, applause, and excited murmurs that spread throughout the theater like a storm of enthusiasm.
Suddenly, amid that uproar, other sounds began to be heard. A deep, rhythmic murmur.
The unmistakable sound of waves crashing against the sea.
"There was once…" the muse said in a softer, almost narrative tone. "When the greatest heroes in the world embarked on the greatest journey the seas had ever witnessed."
Calliope extended a hand toward the theater's invisible horizon. And then it happened.
To everyone's surprise, a massive ship appeared above the audience's heads. Around it, enormous waves of illusory water rose and crashed with fury, roaring as if that vessel were truly cutting through a storm.
"That is the man who managed to gather all those heroes under a single cause!" the muse proclaimed, pointing proudly at the ship.
The vessel continued its aerial voyage until it reached the center of the theater, approaching the stage as if seeking to dock upon it.
"Even the greatest heroes, those who were already legends before embarking on this adventure…" Calliope went on with growing dramatism. "Called him in only one way…"
The ship came to a stop just above the stage.
Directly above the muse.
Calliope raised her arm and pointed solemnly at the ship.
"Captain!"
An instant later, a figure leaped from the deck.
The man descended swiftly, cutting through the air before landing forcefully on the stage. He landed on his knees, one hand braced against the ground to absorb the impact.
"He is the man of a single sandal!" the muse announced with a triumphant voice. "The one who defied seas and monsters to bring back the Golden Fleece!"
The man rose slowly as the cheers began to roar through the stands.
His left arm remained hidden beneath a white cloak that fell over his shoulder, while with his free hand he raised his arm to greet the audience with confidence.
"Jason… the Argonaut!"
The theater erupted in applause and shouts of enthusiasm as Jason smiled, accepting the ovation with the naturalness of someone accustomed to leading heroes… and to defying fate itself.
When the ovation dedicated to Jason finally began to fade, Calliope stepped forward, gently raising a hand to once again claim the audience's attention.
"Now!" proclaimed the muse with renewed energy, letting her voice rise throughout the entire venue. "A legend like the captain of the Argo cannot face just any opponent."
She made a brief pause, allowing the anticipation to build in the air like a tightening rope.
"He will have to face…" she continued, drawing a faint theatrical smile. "Another just as fearsome."
At that very moment, the majestic ship floating above the stage vanished. Its silhouette dissolved into particles of light that slowly scattered into the darkness of the theater.
From the edges of the venue, dense mists began to creep in. The fog swirled around the seats, slowly concealing the spectators' feet and spreading toward the stage like a ghostly sea.
Calliope spoke again, but this time her voice had changed. Her tone was no longer triumphant or enthusiastic, but deep and enveloping, as if she were about to narrate a tale of horror.
"She is…" the muse whispered. "Without a doubt…"
The mist began to concentrate at the center of the stage. The gray vapors swirled violently, gradually gathering as if an invisible presence were shaping them.
"…the woman most cursed by the gods."
The clouds of fog compressed until they formed a solid silhouette. When they finally dissipated, they revealed a statue carved from pure white marble.
It represented a woman of breathtaking beauty.
Her face held an almost divine serenity, with delicate and harmonious features that seemed sculpted with impossible precision. Her posture was elegant, her figure perfect, and her expression conveyed a melancholic calm that made it impossible to look away.
In the divine stands, someone reacted immediately.
Athena's eyes widened. The goddess gripped her spear almost instinctively. A chill ran down her spine, and for the first time since the tournament had begun, her perfect composure cracked.
A cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Her face turned pale.
That marble face… she knew it.
"It can't be…" Athena murmured, her voice tense, barely audible.
Meanwhile, on the stage, Calliope continued the narration.
"Cursed by Poseidon…" she announced solemnly.
A dull sound echoed from within the sculpture.
The noise was dry, deep, like something striking from inside a prison. A thin crack appeared in the marble, slowly running across the surface of the statue like a scar beginning to open.
"Cursed by Athena…" the muse went on, slightly raising her voice.
Another rumble shook the sculpture. This time, the cracks multiplied and tiny fragments of marble began to fall away.
Inside the statue… something was moving.
"She lived as a woman…" Calliope continued, extending an arm toward the cracked figure. "And died as a monster."
The next blow was devastating.
The statue exploded.
Large chunks of marble flew in all directions as the body of the sculpture shattered from within. A figure emerged from the stone prison and fell onto the stage floor among the remains of stone.
"The gaze that all fear…" the muse whispered.
The figure slowly rose.
As her head lifted, an unsettling sound began to fill the theater. Dozens of overlapping hisses, sliding over one another like a chorus of snakes awakening at the same time. Among the strands falling around her head, scaly bodies began to be distinguished, writhing and intertwining slowly.
Living snakes.
Calliope raised an arm toward the figure that had just risen among the marble fragments.
"The fearsome… Medusa!"
The creature finally lifted her face. A murmur of astonishment, fear, and fascination spread throughout the entire theater.