Part one of the labors (Of Hercules)
Book 1
The Nemean Lion
Chapter one
The court of Tiryns was a majestic place. The slate roof was supported by marble columns covered in intricate scrollwork and images of great deeds. Vibrantly dyed woolen rugs covered the pine floor. Wide windows spaced between the columns admitted the light of the sinking sun in all it's golden glory. Bronze incense pots glowed dully, spreading a fragrant scent through the hall.
King Eurystheus was engrossed by some jugglers acompanied by lute and flute players. The jugglers kept four balls in the air with skillful ease as they circled and cartwheeled in dazzling array. The nobles of the court, dressed in white robes with rich gold and blue lining, were spellbound.
The heavy oak doors at the far end of the hall slammed open. Everyone froze for a instant, then turned slowly towards the door. The music died away, servants halted in their tracks and courtiers where frozen with food halfway to their mouths.
A man strode into the hall through the cloud of flying oak splinters and gold guilding from the slamming doors. He was very tall and covered in wiry muscles and bristling hair. A dirty white tunic flowed over his huge frame and he carried a huge oak club. All was silent.
The strangers voice was deep and loud. "Greetings cousin Eurystheus."
The king replied in a nervous squeak. "Welcome to my court Hercules." A gasp of recognization at the name swept through the court. "Why have you come to Tiryns.?" The king continued, sounding bolder.
"I have come to execute twelve labors for you, at the command of the oracle of Delphi.To obtain forgiveness for my family's murder and to gain immortality."
"Yes, so I've heard." Said the king, hurriedly, desperate to get the conversation over with. "So I order you to go and kill the Nemean Lion." "The what?" "The Nemean Lion, it's a lion that, er, is bothering Nemea, so go kill it."
Hercules turned without a backwards glance and left the court. Outside he decended the long flight of marble steps to the palace gates and hurried through the city of Tiryns, he left through the iron gates that allowed passage through the giant white stone walls of the city. Built by the gods many ages ago.
Eurystheus hurried to a supply room adjoining the court, his woolen slippers softly shuffling across the stone. Inside he aproached a serving maid filling a earthen jar with wine from a large cask.
"So Eurystheus" she said without turning, "He is going to kill a lion?" Her voice was full of menace.
"Yes, goddess Hera." "He has already done that, unless you did'nt notice." She stated with a hint of sarcasm. Eurystheus looked smug. "But this is the Nemean lion, every hunter that has gone to kill it has disappeared or returned half-dead. They say that it has diamond-sharp claws and a golden hide that no weapon can harm."
"Use my idea if he survives." Said Hera as she turned and swept past him. He caught just a glance of her burning brown eyes, burning with hatred.
Chapter two
Hercules breathed easier out in the country. He strode boldly through meadow, forrest and farmland. In a few days he had reached the Nemean plain. A great valley of fertile ground dotted with rocky hills and groves of trees.
There were several villages in the plain. By brisk walking Hercules reached the nearest within the hour. It was deserted. No children dashed about in its streets, no merchants crying thier wares from now deserted shops. Its only occupants were a few dogs scavenging scraps. Hercules found a meal all prepared in the village inn. everyone had left in a hurry.
"Well, waste not." Thought Hercules. So he ate the entire pig and several pies that had been prepared and left the village. Whistling cheerfully as the breeze ruffled his matted hair.
He strolled for an hour through verdant olive orchards and came to a small farm flanked by a winding road. A old man with a hoe was working in his garden, when he saw Hercules he hurried towards him at a exited trot.
The old man reached the orchard shade and called out in a reedy voice "Hail stranger! I hope you don't take offence but I think you should turn back. This entire valley is ravaged by a huge lion." "I thank you for your warning." Replied Hercules in his deep voice. "But I'm supposed to kill it."
The old man looked crestfallen and resigned. "Very well, head straight across that meadow and you will quickly come to its lair. Such a shame to waste such a strapping man on hero-eating lions. I would sacrafice my best sheep to Zeus if you could kill that thing. Here." The old man ran into his house and returned with a bow and quiver of arrows. Hercules took them gratefully. He had been one of the best archers in Thebes and could still hit anything within range...if he did'nt break the bow first.
Evening was coming on as Hercules reached the top of a small rocky hill and saw the cavern where the lion made its home. He entered. The place reeked of decay. Piles and mounds of bones littered the rocky floor. Black stalagtites as sharp as spears jutted up to meet others dripping down down from the ceiling. He saw a light at the back of the cave and found upon investigation that it was a second entrance that opened onto the hillside. He saw a big boulder nearby. Setting his back to it he gave a gentle push. As if it was made of wool it rolled down the hill and sealed the second opening shut with a thunderous crash.
A league away the Nemean Lion was padding silently through the plain in the failing light when it heard sound like distant thunder coming from its cave. It's green eyes narrowed as it turned towards its lair.
Chapter Three
Hercules was standing on a rise on the hill, not far from the cave, leaning on his massive oak club and watching the setting sun burst into golden glory and litter his glowing rays over the peaceful landscape.
The lion might have killed Hercules right then and there. It padded up silently behind him and crouched to spring, the pair of finches that had been singing in the branches of a nearby bush fell silent. Hercules was startled by the sudden silence and suddenly sensed a malevolent presence behind him. He turned and instead of snapping his neck as it had intended the lion hit his chest. The collosal impact drove the air out of Hercules chest and hurled him a hundred feet.
He struggled to his feet and saw his opponent already charging towards him. He had fought lions before. But this one was huge, its golden fur shone like fire in the glaring afternoon light, its entire body was pulsing with corded muscles as it bounded towards him, its padded paws made no sound on the rocky slope. Hercules realized that blood was pouring down his chest from where its diamond sharp claws had hit him. He put a arrow to his somehow unbroken bow and fired in one smooth movement. Just as his sportsmaster Chiron had taught him so long ago.
The arrow flew with a sound of a angry hornet and hit the lion squarely in the chest, it bounced off with a Ping! Hercules hastily fired another arrow. It hit the lions shoulder but again its majical hide repelled it. Hercules only had time for one more shot. The lion opened it maw and released a mighty roar that shook the ground and toppled the birds from the trees. Hercules's arrow hit it right in its mouth. The lion stumbled and roared again in pain. Hercules ran to his club and barely had time to swing it at the enraged beast. With a heavy thunk! the club connected and sent the lion flying. Again it charged and again he swung at its vulnerable jaws. Dizzily the lion stumbled away and loped towards its cave. Hercules followed close behind.
The cave was very dark, Hercules stepped softly across the damp floor, his eyes desperately scanning the shadows for his enemy. The lion could hear him, it could smell him, and with it's glowing green cat's eyes that collected and amplified every particle of light it could see him as clearly as if it were day. He was slowly approaching the ledge in the corner where it was lying.
The beast tensed its body to spring. As Hercules scanned the darkness its two giant green eyes appeared right before his face. He threw himself down and the lion sailed overhead, its lethal claws just inches above his back.
It landed on its feet and Hercules had barely turned to face it before it sprang at him. Hercules dropped his club and met it head on. Desperately he grappled with the huge mass of fur and muscle. The lion slashed wildly with its claws, tearing his tunic from his shoulders and carving great gashes in his sides and back.
Desperately Hercules finally grasped the lions head and began choking it. The lion struggled with even greater ferocity and crushed Hercules to the ground. Still he hung grimmly on. His head was pounding and every part of his body seemed to be on fire. At last the lion began to weaken, after what seemed like eternity the great heart ceased to beat, Hercules heaved the great bulk off of him, and the Nemean Lion was no more.
As he stood there, his tunic hanging from his belt, covered in wounds and dripping blood, Hercules suddenly felt very faint. He retrieved the pieces of tunic that were littered over the floor and used them to bind up his wounds. After leaving for a minute to wash the dust and blood of the battle off at a stream not far off he returned to gaze at his prize.
"I've got to get that hide." He thought out loud, remembering how his arrows had rebounded from the lions skin. He was startled by a woman's voice coming from the back of the cave. "Yes, would'nt it make a good piece of armor?"
The sun was now in it's last dying red glory behind a hill and even by the caves entrance Hercules could'nt see much at all. "Where are you? Who are you?" He called. A sudden bright white light iluminated the cave. Hercules blinked at the sudden brightness, as his eyes ajusted he saw who had spoken.
She stood taller than any mortal woman, she wore a ankle-lenth dress of some pure white cloth not spun by mortals and a glittering breastplate, shoulder plates and greaves of amazing craftsmanship. her soft blue eyes were set in a face that reflected youth, calmness and wisdom as deep as the sea. Pallas Athena. Godess of justice.
Hercules realized that he was staring, he gave a start and started trying to look busy trying tear the lions skin off with his bare hands, something he had done often before. Athena shook her head and spoke softly, as if reprimanding a child. "You can't do it that way Hercules, even if you had the sharpest sword in Greece you could'nt." Hercules replied gruffly with a hint of frustration and sarcasm. "Well what would you do, O Godess of wisdom?" Athena gave a small smile. "Try using one of the lions claws."
Hercules easily pulled out it's diamond claws and was soon washing the hide at the stream. As he laid himself down to sleep in the cave Athena retrieved her spear and helmet and walked to the caves entrance, she paused and looked back at him expectantly. Hercules frowned grumpily and said with bad grace."Thank you for your council Athena." She nodded slightly in acknowledgment and walked out towards a hilltop, leaving Hercules in darkness. She stopped at the top and brandished her speap over her head. A blinding pillar of light shot down and enfolded her. When it disappeared Athena was gone.
Chapter four
The old farmer was driving his goats out to pasture the next morning when he heard a deep voice call to him, he turned and saw Hercules striding towards him across a field, The pelt of the Nemean lion wrapped around him like a cloak.
The old man stood speechless. Hercules stopped and, like a naughty boy who has done wrong he handed the farmer the wreckage of the bow he had given him. "Sorry," Began Hercules humbly "I got knocked down and, er..." The old man cut him off with a peal of joyfull laughter. "I shall treasure this broken bow forever! Come in, have breakfast, we will sacrafice that cow immediatly!" "I thought you said sheep yesterday?" "Did I? Oh yeah."
Eurystheus was reclining on a couch as a slave fed him grapes, around him his courtiers reclined as they enjoyed a feast of roast boar, platters of fruit and fluffy white cakes. The king was reflecting on the perfect roundness of a peticular grape when one of the great oak doors partially opened and a officer rushed in, Eurystheus cut him off before he could speak. "What did I tell you about leaving my doors open? Shut it immediatly!" The Officer trembled and shook his head.
With a resounding slam both of the heavy oak doors swung open and collided with pillars, sending oak splinters, gold gilding and frightened servants flying in all directions. In tramped a huge lion-headed man covered in golden fur,its tail swaying behind.The lions green eyes still stared with riveting intensity at the assembled court.
Eurystheus startled everyone with a panicked high-pitched scream, he screamed and screamed while he sat as if frozen to his couch. Annoyed by the noise Hercules turned and left, the lion's fur rustled by the fresh evening breeze that came in through the open doors. He sat on the palace steps and stared at the crowd of commoner's and guards that had gathered to stare back, a tailor edged hesitantly up the steps like a frightened rabbit ready to bolt. He stopped a few feet away, his head barely coming to Hercules's knees and spoke in a quiet inquiring voice."So,um, how does it fit?" he asked, gesturing to the hide that covered Hercules back and shoulders and was twice belted on at the waist and the chest by the lions paws. Hercules glanced at his new makeshift garment and leaned forward confidentially as the small man backed away."Its a little scratchy at my shoulders." He said, and winked happily.
Eurystheus was out of breath and could only manage a choked sob as he stumbled into a storeroom and locked the door. The serving maid walked over silently as he strained to fortify the door with a heavy chest. He jumped as she touched his shoulder and started blabbering."Hera! Its a lion headed man! it's in my courtroom! it will eat my courtiers and smash my vases and if it finds me..." He shuddered and resumed tugging on the chest.
"Weak, blind fool!" Hera shouted, slamming Eurystheus efortlessly into the door and holding him there with a single finger. "It's only Hercules you doddering coward! He has killed your formidable pussy cat and is back for his second task! Tomorrow you will tell him to kill the Learnean Hydra."
Hera turned and stalked angrily to the end of the storeroom.
"Are you sure it can kill Hercules?" Eurystheus timidly squeaked. Hera turned with a deadly gleam in her brown eyes."I have raised the Hydra myself for one purpose, to kill Hercules."
Eurystheus nodded and tried to move the chest way from the door so he could leave. He leaped back as Hera stormed forward and gently shoved the chest with her sandal. It flew into a corner and smashed into a thousand pieces, the door slammed and Hera was gone, the broken lock dangled from the doorframe, the key still in it.
