"The what?!"
"The Goddess Games," Pearl repeated. "It's an annual event held by the entire pantheon! Once a year, we goddesses gather together, chose a human champion, and give them a series of challenges to complete. Then, a panel of judges decides which performance was best. The goddess whose champion gets the highest score wins!" Pearl sighed dreamily. "Oh it's so wonderful, the winner gets a fame, fortune, and eternal glory as their name is inscribed on the Wall of Champions!"
"I'd get all that?" you ask.
Pearl laughed in your face. "No, silly! The winning goddess gets that!"
You crossed your arms in a huff, "So what does the winning mortal get?"
"A participation ribbon."
"Are you kidding me?! You could at least send me home if I win!"
Pearl sighed, as if pitying you. "I told you, darling. There's no going home. No mortal ever returns after being taken to the heavens. We can't let them leave, knowing what they know about us. People would lose all respect for us if they knew that even a goddess needs to break wind every now and then. I'll tell you what, I don't want a miserable mortal for a slave. If you compete in the games and really give it your all, I promise that I'll make your servitude here as happy as reasonably possible."
"That's it?" you huffed. "That's all you're offering?! "Happy" slavery? What a joke."
Pearl narrowed her eyes. "I could always make it unhappy slavery if you prefer."
There was something about the way she said it, along with a cold glimmer in her eyes hinting at buried cruelty that made you not want to press her on this. You sighed. "So I just have to fight a bunch of humans? That's not so bad."
Pearl smirked. "Well there is one correction, darling, you don't actually fight against any humans. They're just the ones whose scores you need to beat. Mortals fight the goddesses!"
"WHAT?!"
"Well, not technically fight. At least not usually. Each challenge is devised by a goddess and rarely is one of us cruel enough to set you up in an actual fight. Instead it's just a series of games where you need to best us in some way. If you do well, you'll be fine! If not, then you'll probably be humiliated, squashed or eaten. But that just gives you all the more incentive to persevere!"
"Are you kidding me?! No way am I going to do that! You can find yourself another dupe, cause--YOOOOWCH!"
With a snap of her fingers, the anemone shocked you again. It felt ten times as painful as it was before. That immediately shut you up.
"Like I said," Pearl said, clearly at the end of her patience. "All you have to do is compete. You're immortal. You'll survive. Keep mouthing off, and that immortality will go away fast. Ever wonder what happens when you disappear from the heavens? The demonesses in charge of the infernal realm would be more than happy to educate you. This is the first Goddess Games I'm able to compete in and I only just managed to get promoted in time. I'm not going to have my first games ruined by an uppity mortal. Understand?"
You nodded.
"Good," Pearl said. In an instant, the composed, regal goddess who had first collected you reappeared. She reclined in her hot tub, sipping her wine, serenely. "We'll have a week to train. All I ask is you do your best. No pressure."
A week passed, and it was not a fun experience for you. Pearl tried to cram a year's worth of training into seven days, and it easily became seven days of hell. You'd never been the most coordinated person, sports, hell, even physical labor were a strain for you. Unfortunately, in the practice games Pearl devised based on previous events, this resulted in a lot of you being stomped, sat on, eaten, and, in one memorable occasion, used as a literal hacky-sack. Because of your immortality, you survived each game, but somehow the pain and humiliation of each event never lessened. Being eaten the tenth time was just as bad as being eaten the first. Seeing your lack of progress, Pearl became even more dedicated to working you harder to gain improvement. The games became more brutal. However, by week's end the only thing that had been accomplished is that you ached all over and were only slightly less of an embarrassment than you first started. Pearl's assurances of, "Do your best. No pressure," came as more of a mantra directed to keep her spirits up than to help you.
Finally, when the week was done, you both departed to the Coliseum where the games were being held. It must've been packed, because you could hear the roar of the crowd from outside. Pearl walked the steps, carrying you delicately. You didn't know which of you was more nervous, you or her.
"No pressure, no pressure, no pressure," Pearl murmured.
As she neared the entrance, three figures appeared, breaking out of the shadows. They were goddesses, all, and all of them were built like Pearl, obese, large chested and fat-assed. The only difference is that these goddesses were bigger than Pearl! You would never have imagined in your wildest dreams that Pearl would be the runt of the goddess litter.
The leader of the three figures, the tallest and fattest, a golden-skinned dragoness in a red toga approached Pearl. Not only were her shoulders over Pearl's head, but her long neck made her even taller. Even her jewelry looked bigger and fancier than Pearl's. The dragoness tossed her long, midnight-black hair over her shoulder, narrowed her heavily mascared eyes, and smiled her ruby-red lips in a false sweetness, showing off giant, surprisingly white fangs.
"Pearl!" the dragoness said in faked joy. "You made it! I'm so happy! When I heard you'd been promoted, I couldn't believe my ears. Little guppy Pearl, all grown up and part of the pantheon!"
"H-hello, Dracana," Pearl mumbled.
You recognized that name. It was the name of the goddess of the sky.
"Easy girl," Dracana said. "No need to be nervous, you're among friends here! And is that your human? He's so precious and widdle! I just wanna eat him up! And maybe I'll get my chance. Fingers crossed right?" she said, and her two friends giggled sycophantically behind her. "This is, of course, Romulus, he's been the champion of the last three games, as you know."
You hadn't even seen the human confidently standing in the palm of Dracana's hand. He was as giant to you, as his mistress was to yours. Only where Dracana's bulk came from fat, Romulus's came from more muscles than you could imagine. He surveyed you imperiously and made a throat-slitting motion afterwards.
"Well, I'm sure your little fella still has a shot. It's not like you're still that that awkward little girl back in school. Sure, some people say you only got promoted to improve relations with hell after your sister became ruler, but we know better don't we?"
"Y-yes, Dracana."
"Hmm. Well, it was great seeing you again. Good luck in the games, not that you'll need it with such a strapping specimen."
Dracana walked off with her friends, all three giggling as they entered the Coliseum. Pearl breathed deeply for a minute. Finally you worked up the courage to ask, "Pearl? Are you ok--
"WE'RE BEATING THAT SMUG BITCH!"
You flinched at her sudden outburst. "What?! But Pearl, you said no pressure!"
"FUCK IT! LOTS OF PRESSURE! TONS OF PRESSURE! I earned this position! I'm in charge of the ocean! I cover 75% of the planet for crying out loud! I can't help it if my sister conquered hell!"
"Pearl, calm d--"
"DON'T TELL ME TO KEP CALM! I swear, if you don't help me put that overgrown crocodile in her place, you're gonna wish I sent you to hell!"
Before you could argue more, trumpets sounded, signaling the start of the games. Pearl cursed and rushed in, carrying you along roughly. This was gonna be awful. Pearl just managed to get to her spot on stage with the rest of the goddesses as the announcer announced the first event. What was it?
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