Philoscifi

On the brink of destruction, the world desperately needs a Hero. Phil Safari, a reluctant Candidate, must prove himself worthy to the gods by completing a Heroic Task: change 1000 lives for the better… or else! The following is part of the Safaris – a collection of Phil’s misadventures in Heroism. Find out how it all started and what he has learned about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness.

“Father, you sent for me?”

Athena glided across the room, and bowed before Zeus.

Zeus chuckled and then sighed.

“Such grace. Even at the height of my displeasure, I cannot help but admire it.”

“Displeasure?” Athena frowned. “How do I offend, Father?”

“Come see for yourself.” They walked to the Situation Room, a vast, circular chamber dominated by a gigantic hologram of Earth in the center that was used to track troop movements and battles. Zeus passed it without turning his head, but Athena gave it a quick glance. It confirmed her suspicion: the war was going badly.

They stopped in front of a large table at the far side of the room. On the table was Gaia, a massive 2D representation of Earth with thousands of intricately carved humanoid figurines scattered across its surface. This had once been the Game Room, and Gaia had been the popular tabletop game where the gods could watch and play with their favorite humans. Memories flooded back, and Athena smiled wistfully. No one had played such games in a long time.

Zeus picked up a figurine that had been lying face down on the board. As he did so, a scene appeared on the wall. It was Phil, hunched over in a darkened room, playing a video game.

“Is this…cretin really the best that mankind has to offer?” Zeus jabbed angrily at the scene on display. “Look at him! He is far from accomplishing his assigned task, yet all he does is waste time. Adding insult to injury, he has the audacity to play that accursed game, God of War 2. As if any mortal could kill me. HA! Give me one good reason while I should not smite him this instant.”

It had been a long time since Athena had seen her father this angry with a mortal, and it almost always ended badly for that person. Zeus had promised her twelve years for this project, but he was not above breaking his word. He had not sworn. Athena knew that she must tread carefully – for Phil’s sake, as well as the world’s.

Athena bowed low and cried out, “Great Father, I beg for your patience! Like all mortals, he is flawed, but he has the greatest potential out of all the remaining candidates. Perhaps even greater than Odysseus.”

Zeus leaned forward with an incredulous look on his face. Then he burst out laughing “Ho ho! So the truth comes out. You fancy him, I see. I don’t know what you can possibly see in him, but very well, I shall allow him to live for now. However, it doesn’t mean I have to tolerate this nonsense.”

The air crackled with energy as Zeus threw a lightning bolt at the board. The scene on the wall went black, and he laughed as cursing erupted from the darkness. The “power outage” meant that Phil would have to replay the whole level over again.

Zeus grew somber. “Take care not to allow personal feelings muddle your judgment, my child. If he is not fit for the task, he must be replaced – and quickly. We cannot afford to make a mistake at this critical juncture.”

Athena bowed again. “I am well aware of the situation. Rest assured, Father, that my counsel is as sound as it ever was. I will not fail you.”

Outside the Situation Room, Athena chuckled. Fancy Phil? That was amusing. She soon grew serious. In truth, she did not at all feel the confidence that she had expressed just moments before. This was a huge gamble. She did not know how it would turn out, but they had no choice.

Athena muttered under her breath, “Actually, Father, he is the only candidate remaining.”

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