• Chapter 1: Arrival in Olympalantis

    A beautiful sunrise began the day in the megalopolis that was Olympalantis, the capitol of the empire that bears the same name.
    Businesses and shops soon opened their doors.
    The place looked like something from ancient Greece, and it would be were it not for the satellite dishes and high-technology electronics within the land.
    Yes, this world was a world where the old met the new. It was where ancient Greco-Roman mythology met the science-fiction world of futuristic dreams.
    For example, some of the temples had, instead of statues, holograms of the deities that dwelt within—or at least visited when they were not in the heavenly realms they came from.
    A few stadiums were about, and instead of horse chariot races and old Olympic games, they had jet ship races and futuristic technological variants of said games. For example, some people would get into giant robotic armors for wrestling, as there were safety features to prevent grievous injuries.
    The people within the city were mostly humans, though occasionally an elf or a dwarf, or a Halfling, or some other sentient being would enter the city to do trade in the marketplace.

    It was on this day that one person had arrived in the harbor, a young man from Paxotassia Town, which was in the Ionized Ionian Islands.
    This young man had skin the color of blanched almonds, his brown shoulder length hair waved gracefully in the wind, and his eyes green as a lush summer forest. He wore a skobeloff teal short sleeved shirt with a capital Greek letter Gamma on the front, dark powder blue slacks, and boots the color of storm clouds. This man’s name was Valerius Magnitis.
    As he disembarked from the ship, Valerius smiled as he looked about the city. He had been here in the past, but this time, it was a special day—it was the 700th anniversary of the empire’s founding.
    “This is indeed a glorious time to be here,” said Valerius. “And it will be even better when I find my darling.”
    His beloved happened to be one of the best healers in the land, a woman named Delphinia Triantafyllou. And Valerius knew exactly where to find her.
    Riding on a rented motorized bicycle, Valerius went to Delphinia’s small yet beautiful healer’s house. The house was like a classical healing apothecary, but also with fancy gadgets to help the user find anything that was required. Otherwise it was as what one would expect from the Greco-Roman healer’s house, with all sorts of herbs, fruits, spices, and minerals for making homemade medicines—the empire always treasured Delphinia’s knowledge of natural medicines.
    “Delphinia, are you here?” asked Valerius. His question was answered in just a few seconds.
    “Yes, Valerius,” said a cheerful female voice. “I’ll be right up.”
    The sounds of soft footsteps soon were followed by a lovely sight. Delphinia soon approached her love. Her papaya whip skin was smooth, most likely because she had been using some of her homemade ointments to prepare for a visitor. Her hair was ruby red, with an almost rose pink shine, and the length went down to just above knee-level behind her. Her royal azure eyes looked lovingly at Valerius. Her headband looked like it was woven from a sea green vine, and the flower in the center of the headband looked almost like a real flower with plum purple petals and a saffron center. She was wearing her flame orange tank top and sinopia brown shorts. Since the floor was swept clean and any sharp or otherwise dangerous objects were swept away, Delphinia had no worries in walking barefoot as she approached the man in her shop.
    “Ah, Delphinia,” said Valerius. The two embraced and, since there were no other people in there at the time, shared a sweet kiss.
    “I see you came to join in celebrating the 700th anniversary of the empire,” Delphinia replied softly.
    “Yes,” said Valerius with a nod. “I wouldn’t want to miss it. And with you, it makes the celebration even more beautiful.”
    Delphinia just giggled.
    “Well,” said Delphinia, “business has been slow but good. Most people were just getting some items to up stamina for dates, as well as some sunblock to prevent sunburn. Only once or twice did I need to provide medicine for some heat-related illness.”
    “It is well, love,” replied Valerius. “When evening comes, I’ll come by again. It has been a while since I explored Olympalantis proper. I have your number in my cellphone, so I can call you this evening when you’re ready.”
    “All right, dear,” said Delphinia. “Heavens smile on you always.”
    The two then waved as they parted ways for the time being.

    Valerius then visited the local arcade, to pass the time before his evening date with Delphinia. The arcade looked like a family friendly tavern, similar to a Greco-Roman tavern, but with various televisions to show various sports games and local news. Many games were there, from platformers and 3-D games, to racing games, dance games, bumper cars, miniature golf, and even a miniature roller-coaster ride.
    “Maybe another time I should take Delphinia here,” said Valerius. “After all, she does love the dance games.”
    Soon, he met another human male and an elf male, in their biker outfits, but he knew these people were safe to be around, as he remembered seeing these people in a previous arcade tournament. He didn’t get their names, but he did watch their interactions from a distance and knew their tough biker garb was just a façade… unless, of course, criminals threatened the innocent—he one time saw that as well, and they quickly came to the people’s rescue.
    “Hey, can I join you for a good classic space shooter?” asked Valerius.
    The elf wisecracked, “I don’t know, can you? Joking aside, sure—come on over!”
    The other human male added, “The game can take a total of four players simultaneous, and we can use extra help in fighting evil aliens!”
    Valerius then joined them. He took the Player 4 slot. The Player 3 was soon taken by a Dwarf also in biker garb. Due to his small stature, he had a step-stool to help him.
    After a few rounds and getting to the high score, Valerius checked the time. It was an hour before sunset.
    “I gotta split, guys,” Valerius explained. “I need to meet with Delphinia.”
    “It’s cool,” said the Dwarf. “Always important to keep promises.”
    Valerius waved farewell as he left the arcade, preparing to reunite with Delphinia.

    The healer woman had just closed up shop as she turned to meet Valerius.
    “You made it!” cheered Delphinia.
    “Yes, love,” replied Valerius.
    The two then walked arm in arm to a hill close to the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace looked like a Roman fortress appeared in Europe prior to Rome’s collapse that heralded the dark ages, aside from the high technology elsewhere in the empire, of course. They then sat down, with Delphinia in Valerius’ lap, and they relaxed near an olive tree as the sun soon set, and others found some places.
    When the sun finally went down and the night came in, a bang was heard, and the fireworks soon shot up. The crowd oohed and ahhed as the various displays of light and sound echoed.
    “It is so wonderful,” said Delphinia.
    “And amazing,” replied Valerius, “that 700 years ago this empire became what it is now.”
    “Yes,” said Delphinia. “Both war and peace formed the Olympalantis Empire. Right now, I am just thankful to the gods we have this moment of peace.”
    “I am too, darling,” replied Valerius.
    During a break in the fireworks, the two embraced and kissed.