After witnessing the fate of Prince Meleager of Calydon, both the spectators outside the arena and the participants who had signed up for the race realized the cruelty of this competition.
The winner would marry Atalanta, while the losers would be mercilessly shot dead by the Arcadia warriors; Iasos clearly wouldn't give the defeated any chance to argue.
This situation caused many who had originally signed up to withdraw from the competition, retreating in the face of difficulty, but it also led to a group of people who hadn't initially entered seeing the situation and coming to seek excitement.
Perhaps human nature contains this element of seeking thrills; these people, to put it nicely, are adventurous, and to put it bluntly, they are seeking death—succeeding means living, failing means dying.
Ares naturally didn't bother to protect those who sought their own demise, so after a few days, many people lay dead, scattered across the Arcadia racetrack.
Moreover, as Atalanta continuously displayed her strength, her odds kept dropping, making it difficult for Ares, who was running the betting, to earn much money these past few days.
Of course, Ares wasn't just running the betting; while engaging in these minor activities, he was also monitoring everyone in the stands, keeping their every move in his sight. He was searching for Hippomenes, the one from legend who used clever tricks and eventually married Atalanta. Today, he finally found that young man, favored by Aphrodite, on one side of the stands.
As a beloved devotee of Aphrodite, Hippomenes naturally had a handsome face and a physique robust enough for Aphrodite. Furthermore, Aphrodite's aura lingered around him, making him very easy for Ares to identify.
Of course, while Hippomenes was well-built, his strength was still far inferior to that of Heroes like Atalanta. This young man himself was aware of this, so when he heard that the Arcadia princess was selecting a husband through a race, and that anyone who lost to her would be shot, he actually only intended to watch the show.
When Hippomenes arrived, Atalanta had just finished a race and gone to rest, so he hadn't seen Atalanta's appearance, only the runners shot dead on the track by the Arcadia warriors. When Ares blended in and sat near this young man, he happened to hear him mockingly say to a nearby companion:
"This Arcadia princess truly has great charm, to have so many fools shamelessly throw themselves at her?"
"You can't say that," his bearded companion replied. "I've been watching here for days, and Princess Atalanta is indeed very beautiful. Among these losers, there are even Heroes who have been on the Argo."
"But they are all dead. Dead Heroes are no longer Heroes; they are Hades's servants," Hippomenes snorted, saying, "In my opinion, all these people are idiots, throwing away their lives for a woman. Can a woman be more important than life?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Iasos announced the start of the next race, and Atalanta also ascended the stage. Immediately, the young man's gaze was firmly captivated; he stared intently at Atalanta's figure, muttering softly to himself words no one else could understand.
"Hippomenes, Hippomenes?" his companion called out twice, asking, "What are you saying?"
Hippomenes came back to his senses, then took a deep breath and said earnestly to his companion, "I must marry this woman!"
"Ah?" His companion looked at him in shock, then asked, "Didn't you just say that anyone who wanted to marry her was an idiot?"
"Then I am an idiot," Hippomenes replied without hesitation.
So, after the restless Hippomenes watched today's races, he immediately hurried away from the arena. However, Hippomenes did not directly run to the Arcadia city-state to sign up for the competition. He knew very well his own capabilities; without external intervention, he absolutely could not win against Atalanta.
Therefore, Hippomenes, taking advantage of the evening when everyone had gone home for dinner, hurriedly went to the Arcadia temple. He found Aphrodite's altar and immediately knelt down, praying without hesitation:
"Oh, divine Aphrodite, please mercifully bless me!"
When ordinary people pray to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty certainly does not respond, but Hippomenes was a handsome young man and also a beloved devotee of Aphrodite. Therefore, after he prayed to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty quickly responded to his prayer, her enchanting voice resounding directly in Hippomenes's heart, asking him what he desired.
Hippomenes then told Aphrodite of his longing for Atalanta and promised that, should he succeed, he would offer Aphrodite the best sacrifice he could possibly present.
Aphrodite then granted her devotee's request. She flew to her domain, Cyprus, and retrieved three golden apples from the temple in Cyprus. She then returned to the Arcadia temple, handed these three golden apples to Hippomenes, and instructed him on how to use them.
Hippomenes thanked Aphrodite profusely, then joyfully picked up the three golden apples, carefully tucked them into his clothes, and left the temple. He thought his actions had gone unnoticed, but his transaction with Aphrodite had been entirely observed by Ares, who was disguised as an attendant.
Watching Hippomenes happily depart, Ares rolled his eyes, then revealed a mischievous grin and quietly followed Hippomenes's footsteps to the race registration office in the Arcadia city-state.
...
The next day, Atalanta, fully rested after a night's sleep, once again stood radiantly on the competition grounds.
Today's first batch of fearless suitors once again took to the track, and once again they were left far behind by Atalanta, who started later but finished first. As they gasped for breath on the track behind, Atalanta had already reached the finish line and looked towards her father.
Iasos stood up and ordered the Arcadia warriors to execute this group of losers, but just as the arrow rain was about to fall, a handsome young man stepped forward and shouted to Iasos:
"Noble King, please show mercy."
He called out to Iasos, then, with his head held high, came to the starting line of the track and said with a smile to Atalanta:
"Beautiful Princess, why do you only compete against the weak and powerless? Do you dare to race against me? If fate favors me and grants me victory, then you will at least not feel wronged. My name is Hippomenes, son of Megareus, and great-grandson of Poseidon, the God of the Sea. If I lose, then your honor will be even greater, for you will have finally defeated Hippomenes."
"Hippomenes, a name I haven't heard of," Atalanta thought, upon hearing he was Poseidon's great-grandson, immediately recalling the image of the God of the Sea fleeing in panic from Ares and the Moon Goddess that day at sea. Her gaze towards Hippomenes couldn't help but become a little strange.
However, Hippomenes mistakenly believed that Atalanta was captivated by his charm, so he continued to speak to himself:
"Beautiful Princess, what, I have also signed up for the competition, do you want to test yourself against me?"
"It doesn't matter," Atalanta said, unconcerned that Hippomenes was challenging her right after she had just finished a race and hadn't had a chance to rest. For her, outrunning these people was merely a warm-up.
So Hippomenes turned his head, seizing the opportunity to drive away the defeated contestants on the track. Iasos looked displeased and said, "Young man, you've thought this through. You've made this decision for me; you'd better be able to win against my daughter later, otherwise… you might die rather uncomfortably."
"No problem, noble King, I will surely win, for fate and the gods are watching over me." Hippomenes touched the golden apple in his embrace, looking confident.
"Then get on the field," Iasos waved his hand and instructed.
Hippomenes then stood at the same starting line as Atalanta, not forgetting to send a flirtatious glance to the Princess of Arcadia. But at this moment, Atalanta suddenly turned her head and said:
"Since we're competing, why don't we call all of today's contestants up? Are there any others?"
"Yes," a tender voice suddenly came from the crowd. Then, a small boy dressed as an attendant emerged from the crowd and came onto the field.