The doors of Olympus Coliseum opened as Sora and new friends approached. In the center of the roofless vestibule stood two figures; one a glowing hero donned in and a stout satyr seemingly waiting for them.

"Hercules!" Sora shouted as he ran to meet an old friend.

"Sora! It's good to see you! How have you been?" Hercules responded.

Before Sora could respond, the satyr, Phil, interjected. "Perfect timing, kid! We were just about to close down sign-ups for the next tournament. It's called the Hero Cup! Heroes from all around the world are gonna compete for the grand prize! There's still time to join."

"I'd love to!" Sora exclaimed.

"Priorities, Sora," Oswald interrupted. "We don't have time for a tournament."

"Aw, come on, Oswald! It'll be fun! Plus Donald and Goofy might be here!"

Oswald scowled, for some reason not happy with the decision but unable to deny the possibility. "Fine. But just this tournament," he scoffed. Oswald walked away, sitting down on the ground.

"What's up with him?" Sora asked.

"Alright… Sora!" Phil said he chiseled Sora's name onto a tablet of participants. "You're all set!"

The entrance doors once again opened, but with much more force. A red god clad in armor walked towards the group. "Sport!" he shouted, looking at Hercules. "You never told me you had a Coliseum!"

"Ares?" Hercules shouted, not expecting the company. "Why are you here? I thought you hated sports."

"Of course I do! They're a waste of physical talent," Ares replied. "But this isn't a place for sports! It's a place for combat! Warrior's fighting to the death… that's my kind of competition!" Ares almost seemed to have stars in his eyes as he spoke.

"Who's he?" Sora asked Phil as Ares droned on.

"That's Ares, the god of war. Try not to get on his bad side, okay kid?"

Ares stopped his rant as he looked at Sora with a look of confusion. "Who's the squirt?"

"That's Sora. He's going to be in the tournament," Hercules responded.

"A scrawny kid like him?" Ares said as he laughed. "He wouldn't last five seconds!"

"Hey! I'm a lot stronger than I look! I even beat Hercules!" Sora shouted.

Ares stopped laughing in shock, quickly turning to Hercules for confirmation.

"It's true. He's not bad," Hercules humbly admitted.

"Well, I'll be! You beat Sport? I'm impressed!" Ares said as he patted Sora on the back, knocking Sora to the ground. "Whoops! Sorry about that. Sometimes I don't know my own strength," he said still grinning as helped Sora off of the ground. "What's your name again, squirt?"

"Sora," he replied.

"That's a stupid name, I'm gonna call you Squirt," Ares said. He looked up into the sky. "Apollo's moving fast today, isn't he? I gotta go. Lands to conquer and wars to wage, you know the deal."

Aries marched to the coliseum gates as proudly as he had entered. As Ares left through the coliseum gates, he shouted at Sora. "I'll be rooting for you, Squirt!"

"Oh boy… I was hoping he wouldn't show up…" Phil said to himself with his head in his hand.

"Have you had trouble with him before?" Sora asked.

"He has a bit of a… short temper. He's generally harmless, though," Hercules responded.

"Easy for you to say. You're a demigod!" Phil exclaimed.

"It's fine, Phil. I'll make sure he doesn't cause any trouble. Just focus on the tournament for now," Hercules said.

"You're right… Alright, kid, the Hero's Cup starts in an hour. Don't be late!" Phil said, regaining his composure.

"I won't!" Sora said, ready for the challenge.

Sora easily won his first few matches without any difficulties, but instead of the cheering and support he was used to, he was greeted with silence from his new friends.

"Guys… I won," Sora said timidly.

"Good job," Firion calmly replied as he leaned against the wall, not even raising his head to look at Sora.

Meanwhile, Oswald sat on the ground mumbling to himself. Sora could've sworn he heard Oswald say "waste of time" at least once during his quiet rant.

Sora looked at the ground, wondering if this tournament was really a good idea. Meanwhile, Phil entered the room, focusing on a stone tablet in his hands. "Alright, kid. You're next opponent is…"

Phil froze in place, as did Oswald and Firion, as a bright light flashed behind Sora. He turned around to see another god, this one a blue woman. Sora let out a gasp of astonishment at the strange event.

"You must be this Sora I've heard so much about," the goddess said with a dignified voice.

"You know who I am?" Sora asked.

"Of course. I am Athena, the goddess of wisdom, it is my nature to know these things. I've heard of you're exploits here in the coliseum. You not only fight with your strength, but you're wit as well. That is rare these days."

"Thanks!" Sora said with a huge grin.

"Listen, Sora, I must speak with you about something important. I heard you've spoken to my brother, Ares. I do hope he hasn't planted any dangerous ideas inside your head."

"I don't think so… He just showed up and left."

"That's good to hear," Athena said. "I would like to grant you my blessing in the tournament, Keyblade bearer."

"You know about the Keyblade?"

Athena chuckled. "I know many things, it is my purpose as the goddess of wisdom. I even know you're not of this world"

Sora's eyes opened wide, unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Do not worry, Sora. You're secret is safe with me. It would be dangerous for the worlds to meet, but you seem to be an exception. You have only done good." Athena began to walk away, preparing to leave.

"Wait!" Sora shouted, remembering something very important. "Do you know where my friends are? Donald and Goofy?"

"I'm afraid not. I do not know everything, despite my title. But I'm sure you will find them." Athena smiled before disappearing into a flash.

"...Mentor. I hope you're ready, he's a tough one." Phil glanced up from the tablet to see Sora staring at the wall. "You okay, kid?"

"What just happened?" Sora wondered aloud.

"I just told you who you next opponent is, kid! Come on, this isn't the time to space out!" Phil shouted.

Sora snapped back to focus, turning to look at Phil. "The weirdest thing just happened. A blue goddess…"

Phil interrupted Sora's thought, "Yeah, yeah. Listen, kid. You gotta focus on the tournament!"

"Right!" Sora said as he summoned his Keyblade, ready for another fight.