Take a good look at them. Eight demigods and one human, each isolated in an octagonal pod. They are free to leave whenever they wish, and yet they stay, in hopes of winning the grand prize. How much agony must I subject them to before they decide it is too much, and quit? That is what I intend to find out in this experiment. The Preliminary Phase of Solitary begins…now.

I'll start by altering the temperature in their pods. In my last three experiments, I subjected my guests to both extreme heat and extreme cold. I still do not know which is more uncomfortable. For this experiment, I will try them both. The current temperature in Solitary is 72 degrees Fahrenheit. I will raise it to 108 degrees, for now.

Of all my guests, it seems Number 8 is most upset by this sudden heat wave. "Hey, VAL, can you turn on the AC in my pod, please? It's so hot, I can't think straight! Ugh! My brain is melting!"

"Impossible, Number 8. Your pod is not nearly hot enough to accomplish that."

"You see? I'm saying stuff that doesn't make sense, because my brain is melting in this heat!"

"Recorded."

Number 3 is not a huge fan of the heat either. "My gods, it's like an oven in here!"

"VAL, I'm friggin' HOT! What in Hades is going on?" Number 4 grumbled.

"I need some ice chips to suck on," mused Number 7. "Can I get some ice in here?"

"Negative, Number 7. This is part of the experiment."

Number 5 seemed to pick up on that right away. "I'm so hot, but this is just part of your game, isn't it, VAL? You going to cook us alive, and eat us for supper, huh?"

"I have no intention of eating my guests, or anything at all, for that matter."

"VAL, did it have to be so hot in here?" asked Number 6. "What's this strange fluid coming from my pores?"

"I believe that's called 'sweat', Number 6. Your body is producing it in response to the heat."

"Why?"

"When it evaporates, excess heat will be removed from your system, cooling you down."

"Really? How do you know this?"

"I have done extensive research on humans."

"Huh."

While the majority of my guests are uncomfortable in the current weather, some are enjoying the heat.

"Number 9, is your pod too hot to handle?"

"Nah. It reminds me of the forge. It's comforting."

"Number 2, are you uncomfortable?"

"My father is the god of the sun. The heat doesn't bother me."

Number 1 is enjoying the heat a little too much.

"It's getting hot in herrre, so take off all your clothes…" she sang, while doing what the song suggests.

"Are you disrobing to cool off, Number 1, or is there some other reason?"

"I guess. But I also like showing off my sexy bod! WHOOO!"

"I am not going to tell you to get dressed, because what you do in your pod is your business. I will point out that this is airing on national television."

"I don't care. Let 'em look! You know they want to! Yeah, it's getting hot in herrre…"

Number 1 will be singing a different tune when I bring in a cold snap. The temperature in Solitary is now 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Oh sure, you cut off the heat, make me put my clothes back on. If you wanted me to get dressed, you could have just said so."

"It is not my place to tell you what to wear, if anything at all."

Number 5's teeth are chattering. "Typical, really. I complain about it being too hot, so you make it super cold, like a wise guy. So predictable."

"Hey, VAL, can you turn the AC off, please?" asked Number 9. "I'm a black guy, I can't handle the cold."

"Oh, sure," Number 7 moaned. "You won't bring me some ice, but you'll make the pod so cold I can't stand it. You suck, VAL."

"Hey, where's the nice warm sunshine?" asked Number 2. "Why'd you have to make it so cold?"

"Ah, this must be the other temperature extreme," said Number 6. "Is my body equipped to deal with this too?"

"Only one way to find out, Number 6."

"Hey, when I said I didn't like it so hot," Number 4 said, "I didn't mean put my pod on ice! My gods, why are you doing this to me?"

"I am doing nothing to you, Number 4. I am doing this to the environment. If you do not like it, just push the red button, and quit."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"I honestly don't care if you stay or go. But if you stay, you have to play by my rules."

While Number 4 contemplates quitting, Numbers 3 and 8 seem to be glad the heat wave is over.

"Number 8, is your brain still melting?"

"Not anymore. Thank you for this reprieve."

"You are not bothered by the lack of heat?"

"I am a little chilly. But I prefer being cold to being hot."

"Recorded."

"Number 3, are you feeling cold?"

"Yeah, a little bit. But I'm okay with it. I spend most of my time in water anyway."

While there are exceptions in a few instances, on the whole my guests are more comfortable with heat than without. But Solitary is not designed for comfort, so I will keep their pods cold for the duration of this experiment. Besides, when the human body attempts to keep warm, it usually triggers a hunger response. I think now is a good time to give my guests their first meal.

"Good morning/evening/afternoon, guests. I am pleased to announce that the first breakfast/dinner/lunch of Solitary is now ready. Please go to your meal slot, and retrieve the feast I have prepared for you. Bon appétit!"

Upon opening the meal slot and seeing their first meal, all of my guests said more or less the same thing, "What is that?" Suspicious about the offering, they poked it, sniffed it, and licked it until information was gathered.

"It smells like butt," complained Number 2.

"It's pretty solid," observed Number 5. "I think I might chip a tooth on it."

"It tastes disgusting," complained Number 3.

"Is this like prison food, or something?" Number 8 wondered.

"Are you insinuating that you do not like the meal?" I asked. "Do you not realize that this meal bar contains all the nutrients you will need to survive?" I wasn't really offended, but I wanted to sound offended. I thought that if I made it appear my feelings were hurt, they would eat the food anyway, out of guilt.

But it seems I have overestimated their capacity to feel guilt.

"I am not eating ass-bars for breakfast," Number 1 said defiantly.

"I'd rather eat dog crap and die than shove this down my gullet!" Number 9 shot back.

"Worst. Food. Ever." said Number 7.

"It tastes like despair," said Number 6.

"I'm on a special diet," said Number 4, "no food that tastes like my gym socks."

Hmm. That clearly didn't work. Time for a more direct approach.

"I am sorry you do not like your food, but that is your own misfortune. As long as you remain in Solitary, these meal bars will be the staple of your diet."

"So, I have to eat this, or I go hungry?" asked Number 3.

"That is correct."

Number 3's eyes shifted. "Is there any way you can dye them blue?"

"That is an unusual request. Why would you ask such a thing?"

"Well, this one time, this guy said to my mother, 'There's no such thing as blue food.' So, she went out of her way to find blue food, just to prove him wrong. It sort of became a thing between her and me."

"So, you want your meal bars dyed blue to remind you of your mother?"

"Yeah. So, can you do it?"

"I am sorry, Number 3. I did not think to bring blue food coloring into Solitary."

"Ah, man. Oh, well, I guess this will have to do."

"Yes, yes it will."

Besides the weather and the menu, I also control the guest's sleep patterns. I have kept them awake for the past 18 hours, and provided a jarring alarm when it seemed they were sleeping.

In Pod 7, my guest is lying face down on the floor. I had better check his consciousness.

BOWM BOWM BOWM

Number 7 stirred.

"Number 7, I need you to remain conscious. Were you asleep?"

"No. Not really. Maybe just a little bit."

"Do you like to sleep?"

"Not usually. I get wicked bad nightmares, every night."

"If you do not like to sleep, why were you sleeping?"

"Because I'm frigging TIRED, that's why!"

"Recorded."

Oh, look. Number 4 is sleeping too. I need to fix that.

BOWM BOWM BOWM

"I'm up! I'm up!"

"Number 4, were you sleeping?"

"What's it to you?"

"In order to condition you to life in Solitary, you must remain awake."

"Why? Is sleep deprivation part of the experiment?"

"That is correct."

"You suck, VAL."

"Your response had been recorded."

It seems that Number 5 is dozing as well.

BOWM BOWM BOWM

Number 5 did not respond to my wake-up call. Perhaps I should increase the volume.

BOWM BOWM BOWM

"VAL, could you knock it off? You're keeping me awake."

"That is my intention, Number 5. I need you to remain conscious."

"No, I don't want to be sleep deprived."

"Do you like to sleep?"

"Yes, I love it. I love getting eight hours a night."

"Unfortunately, you will not be getting nearly that much sleep in Solitary."

Number 5 moaned in agony.

"If you are really uncomfortable with this arrangement, you can always leave. Go home to your own bed, and get as much sleep as you want."

"No, I want to stay. I want to win. I'll push through it."

"As you wish."

I haven't had to wake anyone else up during this phase of Solitary. I wonder if they are as tired as Numbers 4, 5, and 7.

"I've never been this tired, ever," said Number 6.

"I've never really enjoyed sleep all that much," said Number 8, "but I really want to sleep now that I've been up for so long."

"I don't care what nightmares I have now," said Number 3, "I just want to sleep."

"It's kind of hard to function when you don't sleep for so long," said Number 9.

"I'm sooooooooooo tired," said Number 1.

"VAL," said Number 2, "when's the part where you pull out the bed and let me go to sleep?"

"Soon enough, Number 2. Just not right now."

Number 2 moaned.

Having deprived my guests of heat, sleep, and food variety, they have responded in the same way as an ordinary human would…by bitching about it.

"Guests, you do realize that the conditions of Solitary only get progressively worse, do you not? We are not even one full day into the experiment, and already you are complaining. What makes you think you will last the whole time and win the grand prize?"

"I'm going to win," said Number 1, "because I'm not going to quit. No matter how tough things get, I'm not pushing that red button. I'll just push through it and keep going."

"I'm not giving up," said Number 2, 'because I can get past anything you can throw at me. I'm clever, and I'll find a way to conquer every test and treatment."

Number 3 was a little cockier. "There is nothing you can do to me that is worse than what I've already been through. I am sure of that."

"Quitting is not an option for me," said Number 4. "I will not surrender to you. I will not disgrace myself or my father by failure."

"I know I'm only a mortal," said Number 5, "so the others might count me out early. But I intend to prove them all wrong. I want to prove that I can do anything they can do."

"I want to make my father proud of me," said Number 6. "He's never really had any kind of faith in me, and I want to show him that I can conquer any challenge."

"My brother and I have always done things together," said Number 7. "It's like we're almost joined at the hip. I want to show that I can do things on my own, that I don't need him to be great."

"This game is all about mental strength," said Number 8, "and I have mental strength like nobody else. I'm not going to be defeated by you or your torments."

"To win this game," said Number 9, "you need to be able to withstand anything. And I can do that better than anyone I know."

"Recorded."

Thus far, my experiment has given me quite a bit of data on my guests. Thus far it seems that my hypothesis is correct. My guests are bent, but not broken, which is typical of a normal human. The preliminary phase of Solitary hasn't broken their will. But this experiment is just getting started. Soon, and very soon, one of them will be destroyed.

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Coming up, can the demigods remember a series of facts while resisting their urge to laugh?

"The most effective method of birth control is scratching your butt," said Number 7, fighting a smile.

And later, the Solitarians face their first treatment…

Number 5 is shown in anguish while sirens blare in her pod.

…which will force one of them to leave Solitary, for better or worse. And it's going to get worse, right after the break.