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Chapter Text

Everyone knows the story of the labours of Heracles, ten difficult tasks that turned into twelve at the insistence of king Eurystheus.

Of course, humans don’t always remember everything quite well: confusions, rumors and exaggerations can greatly change things.

While they were indeed dangerous tasks, it was two chiefs from two different pantheons who set such tasks, in order to make things more fair.

So gather around, and observe how a simple boy named Alcides ended up transforming not only in one of the most important olympians, but a beloved son and brother to his new adoptive family.

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Gods could, of course, hear the prayers of mortals, and knew which beasts and ailments tormented them.That made it quite easy to choose the tasks.

After Alcides left his home, the chief hindu god, Shiva, left him as task that he didn’t expect the boy to complete: he was to murder a monstrous lion, grandchild of Typhon himself, and bring its skin back. The lion lives in Nemea, a region close to the Argolide.

The creature was so evil that it wouldn’t kill humans and cattle just for food: as if it has learned from humans themselves, the beats seemed to do so just for fun.

Many villagers tried to beg him not to go, even showing Alcides the shield of the last man who tried to slay it, which had been cut in half by a single blow with its paws. He didn’t even need to ask what had happened to the poor man, but he still wouldn’t back down.

He asked them to give him thirty days to come back, and if he didn’t, they could assume he was dead. None of the villagers expected to see him alive again, so, in desperation, they made plans to sacrifice a child to the gods to get rid of the beast.

It took weeks to find the creature’s track, until one day…

“Hurry up kid! We don’t have all day!” A white crow complained

“Shh,we are only supposed to watch!” The black crow complained

“I’m sorry if this has taken too long, but I need to see where the lion is. “ the redhead youth apologized.

Many gods didn’t believe that his strength was at such level. Sure, he had drank the ambrosia, but did that guarantee he could live through all the tasks? So, a one-eyed god had send the duo to observe the tasks, and send the word in case the boy ended up being the cat’s latest meal.

As to be fair, some gods of the pantheon he was supposed to join had given him some weapons that, while powerful, would be useless if he didn’t have the ability or the strength to use them properly. The one he expected to be most useful for that particular task had been a gift from Apollo himself: a beautiful golden bow, which carried equally beautiful arrows.

Tracking a creature was never easy, but there was a method that never failed; searching for a source of water. Every animal, from the smallest mouse to the biggest bear, needed to drink in order to live.

“Shh…” he told the crows as they got closer. It would be better not to startle it and kill the animal with the least amount of pain as possible.

He drew back the bow to set his target and shoot him straight to the heart, which should have given it a quick and painless death. Should’ve have, as the creature kept drinking as if nothing had happened.

“Ha, you missed !” The white crow laughed
“The human is going to fail!” The black crow laughed.

He observed, quite perplexed, that the arrow was simply on the ground. Maybe if he aimed for a leg, he would just need to get close and give it the killing blow.

So he targeted a leg, and he was sure he hit it, but instead of sticking, the arrow simply bounced. The lion stopped drinking and decided to take a nap. The young man took the chance to sneak close to it.

The god Hermes had given him a fine sword. Maybe he didn’t use the right amount of strength for the arrows, as, being a gift from Apollo himself, there was no way they could’ve just failed like that.

The beast didn’t wake up, so young Alcides tried to cut its head off, but all that came off was his blade. The lion woke up, not because of the hit, but because of the noise the metal made as it hit the ground it roared angrily and tried to scratch the hero with his claws, but the redhead stomped another one of his paws. The lion felt something new: pain.

“How did that hurt him?” Asked the white crow

“Not even the gods’ gifts harmed him!” The black crow commented.

The beast managed to get free and run back to his hideout, but that allowed the young man to think of a way to slay it.

Luckily, this time it was easier to track it down, as it had been close to the water and so his paws were covered in mud. So, he found the lion’s cave.

He couldn’t let it get away again: that would only make it be more fearful and careful, which would make him harder to find. Not to mention that the creature would keep killing innocents. Alcides checked the place as well as he could on the outside and found it had two entrances: he covered the one in the back with a huge rock to make sure the beast couldn’t get out. Going up front against an animal that couldn’t escape was usually a terrible idea, but in that case, it would be for the best.

Now, his strength could harm the lion, but his weapons couldn’t: he wouldn’t need a new one. After breaking a tree in half, Alcides used the remains of the sword to carve himself a clover. It was simple, yet effective.

“Not even the weapons the gods gave you worked, why would that thing work?” One of the crows laughed at him

“Oh it also won’t be an exact fit for the job, but it’s all part of the plan” answered young Alcides as he went into the cave. The crows decided to stay in a nearby tree to observe.

The lion was still scared about the fate of his poor little paw, so when he saw the hero peaking into his cave, he tried to run away, but the exit was blocked. Seeing that wasn’t possible, the lion roared and tried to leap against him, which gave the hero the chance to hit him as hard as possible on the head with the club.

That wasn’t enough to break his school and much less for killing him, but it left the lion stunned. It was so confused that the beast couldn’t even react when Alcides used the lion’s own strategy against him and jumped to grab the cat, putting his arms around his throat.

That was a rather cruel form to go, and much slower than the hero would’ve liked to used in order to slay the creature, but it was the only option he had. The lion squirmed and tried to free itself, making the hero squeeze his neck more and more until the lion breathed for one last time.

Hearing no more noise, the crows went to investigate and the saw dead lion on the Greek youth’s arms.

“You made it?” The white and black crow asked.

“Yes…” now he just had to take the body and leave, but the crows didn’t let him go through.

“Only the skin!” Said the white crow

“You will have to peel it off!” Said the black one, but that was pretty much impossible, seeing nothing could pierce jt.

So, wanting to test a theory he thought about, Alcides grabbed the cat’s paws: if his paws could pierce through a shield, maybe it would pierce its skin.

It worked: the skin bleed, and after a while, he had the lion’s intact skin. He grabbed it and started his journey to present the god’s his first accomplished mission.

It was just the thirty day after he had left the village: the people were about to sacrifice a young boy to the gods, so they would send help, but they saw the youth who they believed death return, and, even more astonishingly, with the lion’s skin. They immediately let the boy go and killed some cows instead.

“For our hero, Alcides!” They threw a feast in his honor, which he couldn’t refuse and so stayed with them for the rest of the night.

The crows stayed far away, as they shouldn’t draw any attention. The feast lasted until the next morning, and the hero came back with a piece of meat for both birds.

“What is that?” Asked the white crow

“Are you taking provisions?” Asked the black crow.

“They are for you: you kept me company during the whole hunting and it would be unfair if you went hungry “ Alcides had even made sure to ask for two raw pieces, as that type of bird preferred.

The people of Nemea wrote and told the story of the hero, just as it had happened. Of course they changed a detail, which was a lie that everyone, even a certain kid, accepted: the boy had offered to sacrifice himself of the hero didn’t return, in order to save his people.

Chapter Text

The next task was given to him by the one-eyed boss of the crows. The gods had been impressed when they saw the cat’s skin, (Tho Shiva got in trouble with his wife Durga, as she was fond of lions)and a bit more by the carving the youth had made of it on his new weapon, so the Nordic chief gave him a harder task: to slay the hydra that was pestering Lerna.

She was the aunt of the lion, being a daughter of Typhon and Equidna.
Mortals would then start to say Hera was her adoptive mother, but how they came up with this story we shall save for later .

This creature was even more lethal than the lion: it had six heads instead of just one, and she was huge. Her breath was so deadly, that everything around her would die, which forced the people of Lerna to flee from their homes.

This, even tho it was a tragedy, helped our hero to find her, as Alcides found a caravan of women and children that were running away from the creature. He tried to ask for directions, but the women refused to tell him.

“Don’t even try it, my child. Here you see the widows and orphans from Lerna” an old women tried to warn him “our men gathered together to slay the beast, but not even a single one made it back alive. Not even our king was rival for such a beast “

“That is exactly why we should tell him where it is!” A young, twelve year old boy, who’s mom had died while she was washing clothes due to the creature’s breath, and his dad had gone to slay the creature, wanted someone who could put an end of that thing. He was riding his family’s chariot, which was carried by the the only mule he had been able to save “I shall you myself, mister, if you willing to help us”

“Enough of that, Iolaus. You know that is suicide “ one of the old women tried to argue, but he refused to hear any arguments.

“This is my chariot and I decide what to do with it “ he remained stubborn

“I appreciate your offer, Iolaus, but I would rather not have you come. Just with telling me where I can find the creature is more than enough “ Alcides didn’t want to risk anyone else.

“Oh enough of that, if I die, I shall see my parents again anyways. Hop on, mister ! Penelope is strong enough to carry us both!”he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and wanted to avenge the rest. The young hero understood that he wouldn’t change the boy’s mind, and hoped into the chariot.

The closer they got, the more horrible the places would get, and they would see less living things. Even the trees and the birds got more scarce, until Alcides saw a couple of familiar creatures

“Huggin, Munin!” He called the crows as he spotted them. Their job was to watch over him, so usually they would leave him alone until he find the place near the creature’s lair (which, in the case he had to track it down, might be a telltale sign.

“What took you so long?” Asked the white raven

“Who is that ?”asked the black raven

“Did the crows just speak?”asked the puzzled boy.

“Ah yes, they serve the gods, and they’re nice “ the explained to his companion.

“Why did you bring a mortal?” Both of them asked

“He guided me “ that wasn’t forbidden, right ? He didn’t want any trouble.

“Bah, I guess there aren’t any rules against this “ pointed out the black one.

“Seeing you both here means we are in the right path “ observed the hero.

“Well of course, but we have no spot to stand on near the hydra’s lair” complained the white raven.

“Except its hideous cave “ complained the black raven.

“You are free to stay in my chariot “ offered the boy “hope on, a couple of crows are nothing for Penelope “ both crows immediately got in it and the five of them (counting the mule, of course) continued their way until a place where there was absolutely nothing growing in there. As it was swamp, that shouldn’t have even been possible.

As they went on, they saw a weird snake’s head in the floor, but it was bigger than any the hero had ever seen.

“Maybe the poor thing was slayed by the hydra “ thought Alcides, tho that must have been some other monster. And if the beast could slay one of its own, it was certainly fearful.

The boy shook his head “this is a head of the hydra. I only saw it from far away, but nothing could compare to it “ tho there was a detail “ this isn’t the only one she was has, maybe the damn things is still alive with its other five horrible heads “

“They cut it with a sword “ observed the white raven

“It isn’t as resistant as the lion back in Nemea then “observed the black raven.

“You killed the Nemean lion?” Asked an astonished Iolaus.

“Yes, the gods told me to do so “ Alcides answered

“Wow mister, you are very strong!” The surprised boy smiled, tho it quickly faded as he saw something next to the head: he recognized the sword next to it the head, or at least what remained of it’s handle. “Father…” the boy said sadly. He wanted to cry as he picked it up, but refrained himself.

The handle had engraved its late owners name: Ificles, who had managed to cut off one head at the cost of his own life. There was no sight of his body anywhere: it was most likely that he had been a snack for the rest of the creature’s heads.

“His death won’t be in vain “ the hero promised “none of theirs will “ there were several weapons laying in the floor, right where the husbands, sons, uncles, fathers, grandfathers, cousins, nephews and brothers of the women and children of Lerna.

As they reached the top of a hill, they were able to see the cave. It was impossible to miss it, as the creature’s horrible, green-like breath surrounded the whole area. It was right next to a swamp that had once been full of life.

“You stay right here, I don’t want any of you to get hurt” Alcides asked them, he would try to slay the beast as quick as possible. He left his bow and arrows to the kid, along with some other torchers, so he could use them in case he had to defend themselves of any danger (tho, in the opinion of both the crows and even Iolaous himself, it wouldn’t be of much help if the hydra went against them ) and brought his club, along with a torch to lighten the entrance.

Alcides made something very dangerous, that he had only done against the Nemean lion before; he went into the lair of a pissed for creature. He heard a horrible hissing as soon as he lay a step in the cave: a horrible being with seven snake-like head, and a strange dragon-like boy came out quite pissed off: it’s body had some arrows of the last poor idiots who has attempted to slay it.

Alcides didn’t waste any time thinking as he started to hit the heads with his maze and all of his strength, making them fly out while tearing them off. At the end, where there was only one left, the hero stomped it to make sure it was completely dead. One he was done, he turned around to go meet his companions, that place was horrible he preferred not to stay for long.

“Wow, that was quick “ the white raven told the black raven

“Well, the faster we get out of here the better” answered the black one.

But Iolaus, the only human watching (or that’s what he thought at least) wasn’t celebrating: quite the opposite, as his face had turned white “MISTER ALCIDES, LOOK BACK!” Even the calm mule Penelope was aware of the issue, and the crows turned around to see what was scaring them so much: as they did, there were suddenly two white crows, as one of them had lost his color out of terror alone.

Alcides turned back as well Now, you human would use the expression that he saw everything in slow motion, which, between us, is the best way to describe how the hero felt he watched as the heads grow back. Except there weren’t seven anymore, now there were fourteen.

See, a detail that all of our heroes has forgotten, is that instead of showing up with five heads, the beast had seven. This is because hydras, as some of you might know, grow back two heads when they lose one. Of course, when a beast so large charges against you, you don’t stop to count its heads, which was exactly what happened to Alcides.

“Oh sh-“ he was barely able to dodge an upcoming attack. The ambrosia at least made him immune to the poison, but he didn’t know if the hydra could slay him in some other way, and it would definitely charge against the quartet that right now could simply serve as witness of the fight.

“Can that thing slay us?” Asked the white raven

“I have no idea” answered the raven that had turned whjte

Cutting heads just made things worse, but unfortunately, he couldn’t go against the body as the hydra defended it fiercely, sacrificing as many of its heads as needed. He had to climb on top of them to get to the body, as he couldn’t simply go around. Alcides had to make sure they wouldn’t bite him, but that was not exactly an easy task. His only option was to slice them off, but even then, it at times became too dark to see, forcing him to grab both his club and the torch. The first one, for some reason, seemed to scare the heads quite a bit.

“Don’t you know to do anything else but cut off their heads?” One of the crows complained.

At some point, the hydra made the worst mistake of her life: one of the heads bit Alcides with such strength that he left his torch fall, just at the exact moment as one of the heads was growing back. As soon as the flame came into contact with the maimed area, it cauterized the wound, which made the heads unable to grow back.

“FIRE, I NEED FIRE !” The hero hadn’t been slow at all, but alas, he didn’t have a way to get fire in that swamp.

Or so he thought: his young companion didn’t know how the gods’ trial worked, and wanted to get revenge against that hideous creature.

“Help me light them up !” Iolaus told the crows

“We cant help, you brat!” Exclaimed the black raven

“You will get us to three in trouble!” complained the white one

“Mister Alcides is the only one who has given it trouble, and I’m not going to let that thing win!”ugh, maybe he should give the hero the arrows by himself.

The crows sighed, but decided to cooperate. They didn’t want to be mocked if a mortal boy was braver than them. The boy put some of the same substance from the torches into the arrows to set them on fire.

Iolaus was about to use the bow, but then he saw something weird coming out of the swamp, it was…

“A crab??!?!” Exclaimed the crows, Alcides, the boy.Even the hydra and the mule seemed to have been taken a back by the appearance of such a thing

The crab, who was later believed to have been send by Hera herself, was simply just angry as, thanks to the other monster, it couldn’t sleep, eat (all his usual preys bad died thanks to the hydra) and it had even stolen his favorite cave. It wanted to get revenge against that thing, and maybe grab something to eat. He charged against the hydra and began to cut some of its heads, make things harder for the hero.

“I will distract that thing, you give the arrows to mister Alcides !” The boy ordered the crows as he lit a torch. Before going, he set his mule free so it could run in case anything happened.

“You aren’t our boss!” But they decided to do it anyways so the brat wouldn’t look braver than them.

As Alcides tried to avoid the crab’s claws and the hydra’s bites, Iolaus held his breath and hit the crab with the torch, who, angrily, began to pursue him away from the hydra: hey, maybe he could eat the daring brat.

“Get out of here !” Alcides shouted to the boy, but he was busy making the crab angry.

“Hey, lad!” The crows called for the hero so he would know they were coming up with the flaming arrows. Alcides took the chance and hit off as many heads as he could before passing them through the fire. As it lost around half its heads, the hydra began to have issues maintaining its balance, making it easier to repeat the same action with the next round of arrows that one of the crows threw. There was only one head left, and Alcides decided to dedicate it to the man who raised the brave boy who had helped him.

“FOR IPHICLES !”he shouted before smashing the head and cauterizing the wound.

The crab stopped as it realized his annoying usurper had suddenly gone quiet: he stopped his persecution to inspect the body.

“If you leave Iolaous alone, it’s all yours “ offered the tired hero. The crab gratefully accepted, a tasty hydra meat meal was worth more than a skinny Greek boy. Plus with so many heads, he could feast for days until more creatures came back to the swamp.

“You made it, mister Alcides!” Iolaous went to congratulate him.

“I wouldn’t have made it without you four “ the hero was honest, and he even gave credit to Penelope, who had carried them and all the weapons all the way there.

“I wonder what mister Odin will say about this…” mumbled the black crow to his partner

“We should started looking for news jobs…” mumbled the white one back.

With the crab’s permission, Alcides took off one of the hydra’s fangs and gave it to Iolaous, who was almost the same size as it. This would be proof that the monster was gone.

“I hope we meet again some day, mister Alcides !” The boy said as he tied Penelope again. Alcides pet the mule and the boy’s hair as well, before going to present himself to the gods.

Iolaous, on the other hand, went back with the women and children of his city, who didn’t think they’d see him alive again. They decided to go back to Lerna, to remake their lives thanks to the bravery of the two youths (and also the crows and the mule). Strangely several visitors seemed to think he was the nephew of Alcides: Iolaous decided not to correct them, seeing they’d bring gifts to his people, which helped them to prosper once again.

Now, there was another human who was in that swamp: a young man who was searching for tales to tell and sing about, who, maybe quite stupidly, thought the hydra would be a good source for horror stories. He was well hidden, and could see the hero’s fight. As he didn’t have the context, he assumed that Alcides and Iolaous were uncle and nephew, which Iphicles being the brother and father to each. He concluded this seeing that the boy didn’t resemble the hero, of course. And he left the crowd aside, as no one would believe his story if he included their role…but of course, he included the crab’s intervention.

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The crows had been right: Odin, once he heard that they and the mortal brat had helped against the hydra, had been so enraged that he wanted to order the destruction of Tebas, the slaying of the boy and the firing of both crows. He would have,if it hadn’t been for two things: Alcides made it clear that it had been his fault for having accepted their help and begged not to hold his companions accountable, and Shiva seemed to have been impressed for what had happened. The Hindu chief even pointed out that, due to the crab’s attack, the circumstances for the task had become unfair, as he was supposed to only fight the hydra. If the other creature hadn’t intervened, Alcides might not have had to need the help of the trio.

Reluctantly, Odin decided to simply give the youth an extra task, and invalidated the one of the hydra. At Alcides’ request, he didn’t fire the crows, and they were allowed to keep watching over him (they wouldn’t say thank you, however, and might have rather preferred to return to their boss’ side, but they decided to stay quiet) and gave him his next task: capturing yet another dangerous beast, the Erymanthian boar, but this time, he had to bring it alive.

Mount Erymanthos is a mount in northern Greece, the coldest part of the country. The boar had taken this place as his home, and, just like the other creatures, it had been eating its humans habitants.

Now, you might wonder: what is so dangerous about a boar ? Specially compared to the first two beasts. Well, if you wonder that, then you know nothing about boars: they might look like simply hairy pigs with tusks, but they are fierce creatures.

The Greeks did well in fearing them, as they had been terrorized by such beasts for ages, whether they were male or female. Heroes like Theseus, Atalanta, Peleus (father of Achilles himself) and others had to deal with such beings. The good Ares, who had lead the attack against Thebes, had them as his sacred animal (tho, if you have seen the god, you might know he doesn’t have such a bad temper). It was even said that once, angered as Aphrodite preferred to be with Adonis instead of him, Ares had send the beast to slay the man. It was said, but this is a human invention.

Boars are aggressive, usually choosing to attack instead of running away. They are beings that will eat anything, being a danger for farmers who might as well be part of their meal. You often need a whole pack of dogs and weapons specifically designed to slay them in order to safely hunt them. Why? Quite simple: if you stab them with a spear, the spiteful beast will simply go through it to get you. With their huge tusks, they can gut any unfortunate being unfortunate enough to cross their paths. And that’s just a common boar, of course: the biggest ones can weight around 300 kilograms.

The beasts the first heroes fought were twice as big. The one Alcides has to find was at least thrice as big. The issue was not only that he couldn’t slay it: he had to return with it while it remained alive. The hero had hunted some before, while he still lived in Thebes, and knew quite well that it wasn’t going to be an easy task.

As in the other two places, people were absolutely terrified of the creature, and no one dared to go with the hero. The villagers of the town near the mount gave him a few provisions, as the boar would eat their crops and no one dared to stop it, and wished him good luck, but began to prefer a funeral pyre for his remains.

That task took weeks. The boar, tho huge, was good at hiding. And, besides that, having to get it alive means he wouldn’t risk hitting it in the head, as he still couldn’t really control his strength, or using the arrows against it least he ended the beast’s life. So, all he had left was trying to trap it. But alas, the pig was too smart to fall for those traps.

“You haven’t even seen the damn pig!” One of the crows complained

“It has more brains than you!” Complained the other one
“I have only found its droppings…” and every week, it got colder. Winter was coming…

Wait, winter ! Walking in the snow wasn’t an easy task, both for humans and creatures of the forest. The mount’s peak was covered in snow, and because of the cold, it was quite thick. If he managed to get the boar up there, it would be easier to capture him.

He still had the bow, and several arrows. Alcides decided that lighting them up with fire again would do.

“Don’t even think we will carry them!” Both crows complained

“Oh don’t worry, I will do it “instead of a trap, he tried something a bit different: digging and throwing in some buckets of water from a nearby river, he made a mud hole big enough for the boar to fit (or so he expected ).Alcides couldn’t dig any deeper least he got stuck himself. Then, he went out to hide.

Pigs and boats have something in common: they both love mud baths. Because of his size, this boar couldn’t find one that could fit him. Asides from his side, the beast was a common animal: son of a boar , grand child of a boar . While he knew about human traps, for him, a mud bath was just that. Even better, this one at least covered half of his body.

When Alcides saw it, he admired he was stunned, even if the hydra and the lion had also been huge: the boar was the same size as the war carts that they in Thebes. From snout to tail, it was about six meters long, and it stood four meters tall, with big, hairy legs. His body was covered in thick black hair, and he had several sword, AED and arrow scars, with some of the former stuck on his body. He was missing one of his eyes, which probably went missing when it was a piglet. His tusks were as long as Alcides’ arms, tho curved. Oh that boar would have given an amazing feast…but he had to get it alive.

“Well, it’s there now, so jump on him!” The white crow suggested.

“It’s a fast beast…” mumbled Alcides, as it usually went away before he could even catch a glimpse. So he decided to stick to his plan: the hero threw a flaming arrow next to the pig and yelled as loudly as he could. The boar, quite confused, decided to run instead of charging, as he didn’t really get what was going on and anything that dared to attack him was either very dumb, or would be able to beat him, and he’d rather find the second one later.

Alcides put out the arrows as he went by them, to avoid setting the forest on fire. He made sure not to target the pig and the trees, but the boar was getting rid of them as it ran anyways. That’s how he got the pig to get into the peak as it was snowing, making the snow extra thick.

In any case, that would have been bad news for the boar, as his size made it quite a task to walk on the snow. Every step was draining his energy, to the point that for every one he took, he felt like it was ten. Moving his legs to take one started to tire the boar more and more, until it collapsed quite tired. This technique would often be used for primitive humans to hunt, but luckily for the boar, Alcides wasn’t planning to eat him.

“Sorry, pal. Rest up a bit “Alcides apologized. Despite his dangerousness, the boar wasn’t like his first two targets, simply being a wild animal driven by instinct. The hero turned the boar around to tie its legs with some ropes he had brought, and once he was done, Alcides offered it some water. The poor animal was so tired that it accepted the drink without attempting to bite off a finger or two.

The people of nearby towns celebrated as they that their swine neighbor was being carried around by the redhead. Many people offered to organize a feast, but Alcides had to turn them down. On any case, everyone was grateful that the hero was taking it away. As he walked by, many people asked the youth about the hunt, and he tried to tell them as honestly as he could, tho he was in a rush and couldn’t explain some things.

The neighbors of the mountain saved the hero’s story word by word. Of course, to add some excitement and drama, or at least to make it longer, they added the tale of an old centaur and a scramble Alcides had against the first one’s kin over a wine. This was to explain how he came up with his idea for the snow, tho some said that Chiron, half brother to the eldest six (well, seven) olympians gave him this advice.

Oh, what humans will come up with to make a story longer…of course, the boar facts were very necessary for this story, so don’t judge, eh ?

The creature had a happy ending, in case anyone cares : the god Ares, impressed by how fierce he was, decided to keep it as a pet, and it helped that boars were sacred to him. Of course, some gods were disappointed as they expected the animal to make a final feast, but the war god had already asked his half-brother, Hephaestus, to make him a collar to take out his new pet for a walk.

Chapter Text

For the first time, Alcides wasn’t given a mission that involved getting rid of a pest: instead, Shiva ordered him to catch a hind,which is what modern humans know as a doe. A deer. A female deer. This creature lived, as you might have guessed, in Ceryneia. Even the crows were surprised with the task, as the creature was harmless, but they decided to keep their beaks quiet when they took a glare at their boss.

Tho, between is, this was because it had been the All Father’s idea, as Shiva was still suffering the consequences of his wife’s rage over the lion’s fate, and had forgotten to look for task to assign to the young hero. Who can blame him? The beautiful Durga invented the famous technique of sending your husband to the couch, with the support of Parvati and Kali, so the Hindus chief had to share his pet tiger’s favorite sleeping spot. Unfortunately for him, the tiger was angry about his fellow feline’s death, so Shiva had to use sleep in the floor…let’s go back to our hero.

Alcides had already imagined that it wouldn’t been an easy task, but never expected that going after the doe would take so long…or that it wouldn’t look like a doe in the first place, with her big golden horns that usually only males had (of course, not golden ), her huge size…compared to the average deer, as this one was the size of a grown bull, and her silver hooves. Maybe he was able to help a person or two along the way, but it was frustrating not to be able to finish his task.

One day, something unusual happened, as Alcides got the visit from one of his future adoptive brothers.

“Hello, Heracles!” Said a pink haired god. Now, if you haven’t seen lord Apollo, there’s something that you should know: along with Shiva, he is one of the most handsome gods. I haven’t described lord Shiva as just thinking of being held by his four huge arms makes me blush..so it’s better to avoid describing the beautiful lord Apolo.

The crows chose to stay quiet, as they imagined why the god was there and had to pretend otherwise in case Alcides asked them about the topic later on.

“Hello, lord Apollo…and sorry, but my name is Alcides “he had reasons, just like any other theban, yo try to be as careful as possible when speaking to that god in particular. Just by recalling the story of queen Niobe was enough…I might tell you about to some day, but let’s focus on this one “it’s nice to see you again”

“Oh right, how silly of me” the god smiled, tho of course, don’t forget one thing: Apollo is a god who can, through prophecies, can catch glimpses of the future. Perhaps he had seen a bit of the boy’s destiny…or at least for the next few years. “It’s nice to see you too, Alcides. It has been a while “ perhaps a second for god, but Apolo had his reasons to appear

“The hind has been a lot harder to track than I expected “ admitted the red headed youth, tho he was a bit surprised of the crows’ silence. Specially considering they were sacred to Apollo.

“Of course it is, she’s sacred to my dear twin “yes, that was his reason

“Lady Artemis?” Gods, he couldn’t slay it…

“Yes, and she loves the hind quite a lot “ and he would hate to see his sister cry “Shiva didn’t know that detail, as it seems that lord Odin forgot to tell him about it, so he allowed me to come and tell you. So you know, don’t kill it ! Believe me, Artemis would get very sad…and I hate to see her like that “ the god simply left

“Ah kid, maybe you should take off the traps “ suggested one of the crows, and they were certain they would get in trouble later.

Great, he had been trying to hunt it for half a year, and now that he couldn’t even kill it, that would be worse. There were gods that you definitely shouldn’t make angry, and the stories his people told had the twins as a dangerous duo. But again, a story for another day.

Alcides has to come up with a new plan, something that would let her live. Good thing that none of his traps had worked or else he’d send the poor thing flying away. Once again, the hero chose to use his best trick: finding a water source. Curiously, from the few things he’d been able to see , the doe would drink and make an effort not to cross bodies of water.

“What a word creature “ said one of the very normal talking crows, whose companion was an eight legged horse.

Alcides has an idea. A risky and perhaps fatal idea: he had to bring the doe alive, tho not intact. That was cruel, he knew it, but otherwise it would take forever to finish the hunt. The hero searched for a deep river, which wouldn’t be the doe’s favorite place for sure. Once again, the grabbed his bow and arrows, and waited.

“But he shouldn’t kill it “mumbled the white crow.

“I don’t think he’s going to do it “ mumbled the black crow.

The doe arrived to have a drink. As she was a sacred animal, she was smart; having sensed Apollo’s presence, it knew that her mistress’ brother had told the mortal that it couldn’t hurt her, meaning she could slow down and do whatever she pleased, as if in any case, she would easily out run the hero. Had the doe would be able to smirk, it would, knowing that, if she had too, she could easily cross the water despite her dislike for it. She wouldn’t even bother going back on the same way she came in, that’s how smug she felt.

She was wrong: Alcides pointed to one of her legs and shot an arrow. The doe squealed in pain and couldn’t run, giving the hero the perfect chance to capture her. He just hoped that Artemis wouldnt be angry once he saw her…

As he carried the doe, a lot of curious humans would go and ask Alcides about it. Some had heard of his other tasks (tho pretty exaggerated versions at that) and wanted to know why would he capture such a harmless creature. As such, even if they wrote down first hand what the hero said. They came up the idea that the creature was dangerous, destroying crops and acting territorial, as a regular doe would do, to explain so. The task’s nature made this easy, even adding a small confrontation between Alcides and the twin archers just in case.

Chapter Text

Well, as our hero had been quite successful in every task that involved capturing or killing creatures, the gods decided that it was time for a change: this time, he had to clean a stable.

It weirded out Alcides that he would get such a challenge, but its not like he could refuse it . This time, however, the gods (most likely by Odin’s idea) gave him a time limit: as soon as he arrived, he had one day to clean up the whole place.

“Do you know why they would want me to clean the stables?” Asked the young man to the crows.

“No” both answered, and it was true. It wasn’t hard to guess, tho, as it would be probably seen as humiliating.

As soon as the trio arrived to the kingdom of King Augeas, even the birds wanted to throw up. Clouds of flies could be seen everywhere, and the people would be covering their mouth and noses with perfumed handkerchiefs to try to make the smell more bearable

“Gods be good, I would rather go with the hydra again “ Alcides, generally polite, complained about the smell, and had to stop to breath. Terrible idea, of course.

“Breath only with your mouth” another young man adviced as he approached Alcides “lord Hermes said you’d be coming, tho I have to say, I’m surprised that the gods decided to send us their help “

It was strange, the crows thought: the gods generally didn’t tell anyone they would be sending the boy

“Thanks for the advice…” which he had of course figured too late “my name is Alcides, I was asked to clean the stables “

“I’m Phyleus, son of king Augeas, and prince of Eleia. It’s a pleasure to have you here “tales of the deeds by Alcides had begun to spring, tho he expected someone older…but didn’t complain “please follow me”

“shouldn’t I speak to your father first ?” the young mortal asked as he walked with the prince

“I’m afraid he has other matters to take care of…” the young man answered “he told me he would pay you with a tenth of his cattle once you are done “

“I think that would be too much “ Alcides tried to politely decline “I’m also unsure if I can get paid”

“It’s not against the rules “ the black crow answered

“So maybe you should accept “ the white one advised him.

“Had I not seen lord Hermes today, two talking crows would have been impressive “ remarked the prince “Would ten be more fitting ?”

Well, he could send the cows back to Thebes…”yes, they would, I appreciate your offer very much” answered the young man.

And so, the prince called his servants to bring more perfumed handkerchiefs, and, by request of Alcides, had some cut so that they could fit the crows. Afterwards, they left to the stable

Even all the perfume in the world couldn’t have done a thing to thwart the putrid smell: Alcides didn’t only feel bad for the people of the kingdom, but for the poor cows who had to live under such conditions as well

“I wish you the best of lucks, Alcides “ the prince said as he went back to his palace

“Dear gods, how could this place get like this?” Could his newly adquired godly powers helps ? Alcides grabbed a shovel that had been left in there, and started to clean: but the dung was so old, so solidified, that despite his strength, the shovel simply broke.

It’s not our hero wasn’t used to this sort of labors. Quite the contrary; growing up, boys in Thebes would take care of their families’ cattle. From what is known about Alcides’ childhood, such was the case with him. Of course, humans then added some details to make it more interesting, more murders as well, as apparently, a young boy determined to protect others and trained to become stronger wasn’t interesting enough for them.

But, regardless, our hero used to be a cattle herder. He was used to cows, their smell, and flies. Nothing could compare to such proportions, however. Half a day had gone by, and he had barely cleaned one small area, big enough for one cow to stand in.

“Well, this is boring “complained the black crow

“At least the beasts didn’t smell so badly “joined in the white crow. They were both standing as far away as possible, near an interception of two huge rivers.

That gave Alcides an idea…but he had to make sure of something

“What are my conditions to complete this task ?” He didn’t want his feathered companions to get in trouble once again, as well as being told that the task wouldn’t count

“Well, you have to do it without any help” recalled the black crow “use your strength, your mind, and any tools you want, but no help!”

“And finish before a day has passed” joined in the white one “I would hurry if I was you”

Alcides starred at the piece of land that the birds were standing in.

“Let’s say, what if I used the rivers?” Now, while it could be a terrible idea as Alcides didn’t know if changing their path could cause worse issues, but the smell was definitely not helping the kingdom either

“Guess that would be allowed “ if birds could shrug, both of them would have done it.

Our young hero walked over to where the rivers were divided: one punch would be enough….but, he couldn’t let the cows simply drown. While some latter stories would claim the cattle were immortal, they were just ordinary cows, and could have drowned.

So our hero spend a couple of hours moving the three thousand animals to upper land, where they would be safe. Once he was done, he returned to the spot.

“Is he really going to do this ?” Wondered the white crow

“Shh, let’s see where this goes “ said the black crow.

Alcides simply punched the division, and soon, all the water started to go through the stables. The young hero simply held to the side, and soon, his job was done.

Phyleus, the new King of Eleia (tho no one but him knew yet) went to greet the hero as he returned, and gave him a boat and the cows he had been promised. He would later have the records say that his father had tried to cheat the heir out of his payment, and that he had opposed to his idea. As such, Phyleus claimed that Alcides had helped him overthrow his infective father, which wasn’t argued by his subjects given that they were now free of the horrid smell of the stables. The news thankfully didn’t reach the hero, tho no one is quite sure of what was the fate of king Augeas.

When Alcides went back to the gods, the Norse chief was furious, claiming that the river had done the job, as well as that he had received payment. Shiva intervened and said that, as the birds had ruled it was allowed, it was fair. Besides, they never said anything against payment. Other gods decided to agree with the Hindu chief, and as such, the one eyed ruler thought of a labour that would be a punish for his birds instead…

Chapter Text

No one was quite sure how those voracious birds had come into existence. Some claimed that they belonged to Ares, due to their vicious nature. Others that they were pets of Artemis, quite the hunters like her.

What everyone, even gods, and specially the people of Arcadia, were sure about, was that they were pests. No matter how many people managed to kill, they would breed so quickly that their numbers never seemed to go down. They ate everything: crops, animals, fruits, and of course, people.

Several villagers had fled, and even the gods and goddesses temples were nearly empty, which Alcides noticed as he passed by. Athena’s and Apollo’s temple were the exceptions: their priestesses and priests had put up crotalums around them. These were a type of clappers that were used during religious ceremonies, so these two temples had them. One of Apolo’s priest explained that it helped to get the birds away, as the sound annoyed them, so one of them would use a string to get them all to sound if they spotted even one. The issue is that they would go mad, attacking everything they saw, so it wasn’t safe for other buildings to use them as the birds would end up breaking through the walls, killing everyone inside in their frenzied state. Since the temples were made of a stronger matieral, they didn't have to worry abou it, as long as everyone was inside of course. But, as you might have guessed, the crows, being birds, were also annoyed with it, and flew as far away from both temples until they saw their companion leave.

The birds had chosen to live in a marsh, making it harder for anyone to dare to go and destroy their nests, and setting such place on fire was not a good idea, as the woods were sacred to…well, no one was quite sure, but everything was sacred to some god back in those days. They still are humans, just don’t care anymore, and gods can't punish them either due to the deal with our hero

The task had been chosen by Odin. It was hard, but he did mainly as a way to punish his crows: while they didn’t mind seeing other creatures getting killed, well, birds were another matter. Crows are carnivores sure, but they possess more intelligence than people and gods credit them for. These pair, of course, were of the kin raised in Asgard itself, being perhaps smarter than many of the gods themselves.

And thus, they were quieter than usual. Alcides felt bad for them and would give them the best pieces of his meals, but neither was feeling with much hunger.

The trip to the lake was particularly quiet. That is, of course, until thousands of metallic crowing started to be heard in the distance.

The birds have been described as all sorts of species, but truly, they aren’t one that has been known after or before. However, they resembled crows. Crows with bronze beaks and sharp, metallic feathers. If they still lived, they could easily be confused with what humans call robots. But for the actual crows, it wasn’t pleasant to know they were bound to get killed.

“We will observe, just be fast” both birds flew away to see from a safe distance.

The hero decided he had to get the job done quickly. He took a step into the marsh, looking to march forward and see how many he could beat to death with his club, but his foot immediately went down. He had to grab a tree to get out, tho it nearly broke as soon as he got out

“Well, this won’t be easy “none of them were. He had some arrows left, but even if he could kill more than one bird with each, there still wouldn’t be enough.

The birds seemed to be laughing as they saw the struggling mortal, a couple of them decided to attack him, only to have their beaks break as soon as they tried to peck his skin. In their horror, one of the birds crashed against its pal, both breaking their wings and falling to the marsh, where they drowned.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be doing that if I was you “our hero told them, he would rather not have creatures suffer for long even if he had to kill them. The now beak less birds retreated back to their nests, defeated. But Alcides also felt the same way, he couldn’t reach them, and the birds were smart enough not to try to attack him again. He sighed, seemed like Alcides had made a fool of himself. Which was confirmed when he heard the crows laughing?

“Sorry, lad!” The black one apologized in laughter

“We promise no one will know “that was a lie sadly, as you might have figured it out.

“Maybe if I had couple of stones…” but he would need to get hundreds, and the birds could end up flying away to seek yet another place to settle.

“Well, just figure something out “the crows weren’t helpful, sadly.

Perhaps…

“Hey, maybe we should go back to the temples we saw in the last village “Alcides could go alone but hey, the crows were his companions after all “you know, the ones for lord Apollo and Lady Athena “

“Are you insane? The sound of those…ohhh” one of the crows understood the plan. The sound could make the birds panic, and, as Alcides had seen, if they crashed one into another or against him, it would harm them. Maybe if he set the crotolamus in such a way that the birds would be surrounded, it would prevent them from fleeing as they died. However, he had to take something else into account.

“Will it be safe for you?” Our hero asked, he knew the noise bothered them, and was worried it would also affect them.

“It’s the worst sound I have ever heard, even worse than when Loki pranks us with his bells “the black crow complained, it seemed that one God also knew that noise could annoy birds. “But maybe we will have to stay away, in that mountain.

“But then how will we see the task gets done?” Asked the white crow. Crows have amazing eyesight, comparable to that of eagles and hawks, which helps them spot small details from far away, as well as identifying faces. They can see color very well too, and, as predators, have a wide field of view, and these were immortal, but there were limits, of course.

His companion luckily offered a solution.

“I should have brought this for the other task “the black crow took out a strange invention that the dwarves of Nidavellir had made. Where it had been hiding still remains a mystery

Alcides was marveled. The strange object seemed to be made out of bronze, and had small, polished glass discs on each side. The crows thought nothing of it, but our hero, who back then was younger than he’d like to admit, was astonished.

“May I hold it?” He politely asked. The two crows looked at each other and shook their heads.

So, they returned to the temples. Alcides called the lead priest and priestess of each and explained his idea. The Athena priestess wanted to decline, but the priest of Apollo had seen the young hero with a couple of crows and saw it as a good omen as they were the sacred birds of his lord. And as such, both temples decided to give him their instruments, tho that mean they would be defenseless if the birds arrived while their gods were busy. Alcides had to hurry.

As he had to travel all the way back, it was already early morning when the hero came back. The crows stayed in a nearby mountain, where they hoped they wouldn’t be able to hear the annoying things.

Alcides knew he couldn’t set a foot on the marsh, less he sunk again. So went around the trees that surrounded the nesting site and climbed on them, putting the crotalums on both sides, tying them together so they would make noise when he pulled on the strings. He then tied both sides, and, when the sun came out, he threw the instruments over the trees, which attached to several branches. This did wake the birds, who hated the sound and tried to fly away on the sides, but Alcides started to move the strings so they wouldn’t have any peace.

This droves the creatures mad. Some would crash into the marsh, trying to escape the sound by covering their ear holes with water. As they couldn’t fly up, or left, or right, some started to attack each other as their frenzied state made them unable to tell friends from foe, pecking and scratching their companions.

Others seemed to have forgotten that attacking our hero was a terrible idea, and so they met a similar fate to the one some of their companions had earlier. Their nests were thrown to the marshes, with some killing their own young to spare them from the horrible sounds. Alcides kept this up for two entire days, as some were either more willful or lucky, but ended up dying of exhaustion as they couldn’t land to rest. Two lonely birds refused to give up, but our hero grabbed a stone he had picked before and killed both of them with it.

As soon as he stopped, his feathered companions returned.

“Well…. oh, gods” the black crow landed on a branch and was left speechless. His companion, on the other hand, covered his eyes and was trying not to sob. The sight was too much for them, as the birds looked too crow like for their comfort.

Alcides couldn’t help but to feel awful for them “hey, maybe we should leave…” he couldn’t blame his companions. The trio left, hopefully the next labor wouldn’t be as emotionally tasking.

The priests and priestesses of Athena would lather claim that their lady herself appeared and gave Alcides the instruments, which made some theorize that the gods hadn’t counted this trial. They conveniently forgot about lord Apollo’s priests had also helped, but the god didn’t correct them, as he knew it had been entirely his adoptive brother’s ideas. As to why lady Athena didn’t say anything well, no one is quite sure.

Chapter Text

The next labour, given to him by the god Shiva, was like that of the hind and the boar. This time it was a white bull that lived in Crete. If you are familiar with a little bit of history, you will know that there lived the Minotaur, who Theseus confronted. This was the bull who was believed to be the father of this creature, product of his union with Queen Pasiphae, as a result of the anger of Lord Poseidon against her husband, King Minos. These are nothing but slander invented by the Athenians against the good name of Lord Poseidon...and King Minos, I suppose.

First of all, Theseus and Minos both lived several generations before our hero, as Theseus kidnapped little Helen of Sparta, who would later be known as Helen of Troy. Secondly, if you remember the story of Alcides, you will know that the legendary Achilles inspired him to drink ambrosia. This hero fought in Troy, long before the boy was born. Thirdly, why would Lord Poseidon waste his time with such silly revenge, if he could have simply sunk Crete?

Minos was actually not even his name, nor was he the son of Zeus. Minos is the word the ancient Cretans used for kings, but their enemies, the Athenians, were not aware of this and wrote a different record. It was indeed true that the king who possessed the minotaur sacrificed young Athenians to the beast, but this was not the product of such a hideous union. It was a prince named Asterion, son of that king, who was the victim of a curse when he was born, although no one knows for sure who cursed the little one.

Back to our story: Shiva was very specific in ordering that the Bull could not, under any circumstances, be killed. Not only were cattle very dear to his pantheon, but his wives had also made it very clear to him that he did not want another incident like the lion. Besides, he had seen that the lad was indeed strong.

"Sometimes he approaches people to get them to give him fruits, although he usually runs away if someone wants to catch him "added the eldest son "but he seems not to like the color red, he always attacks King Minos' maids who go to hang out their red clothes, although he hasn't hurt any of them ”

"He eats the crops and likes to tear down the flowers in the king's palace ' the fisherman remarked "he really only causes trouble for King Minos."

They left our hero and the crows on the beach before going fishing. Alcides thanked them.

“At least I don't have to kill the bull” he would feel bad killing the creature, as he even felt bad for the nestlings of the Stymphalian birds.

” Let's just go, lad” the crows had a similar thought.

He went to ask the palace if anyone had seen the bull, as perhaps it would not be necessary to track it down. The guards went to warn their king, who authorizes the Hunt.

” Our great Minos says you can take him with you. If you manage to catch the beast, he will give you a boat to leave with him” one of the guards announced as he returned with two young women "these maids will gladly accompany you" although, well, more than one guard would still like to go.

The maids asked to go with each of them holding one of the hero's arms, although he preferred to carry their baskets as they looked heavy. The crows rolled their eyes, the young man was undoubtedly too innocent. He didn't even seem to understand why the young women insisted that he could sleep in the room with them if he wished.

One of the crows landed on his shoulder to give him an explanation. His cheeks were suddenly redder than the new color of his hair, but to his good fortune, they stumbled upon the bull, who was just calmly eating some olives growing in the king's garden.

It was a huge bull, but not as big as the boar. His horns were as long as the god's arms, and it was extremely husky. He was as tall as Alcides at that time.

“He would be perfect for leaping over if we could catch him,” one of the girls remarked. This was a popular sport in Crete, as is the barbaric tradition of the matadores.

“May I borrow some of the clothes?” Alcides asked, as he remembered what the fishermen had told him, and noticed that several of the ones they were carrying were red.

“Oh, all right, but be careful, they belong to our Minos” Alcides, being Greek, still believed that Minos was their king.

He grabbed one of the chitons “I'll be, but you two better stay away “he didn't want the young ladies to get hurt, although they didn't go that far.

” They seem to like you” laughed one of the crows, tho the ladies didn't hear him.

Now, it is a myth that bulls hate the color red. Bulls can't even see the color. What actually happens is that the movement of the garments makes them angry, and, because of the king's status, it was logical that he would have several red garments. You see, in ancient times, it was not easy to dye clothes. Purple was the most unusual color, so much so that washing it was complicated and would not be left to the maidservants. On the other hand, although red was rare, it was not as valuable. So, when the maids hung up the red garments and they moved, the bull would attack.
But there was no movement, and the bull ignored Alcides when he approached him with red clothes. He didn't even want to run away, since the hero hadn't tried to hurt him. The bull approached our hero and licked his face, making him laugh.

“Well, you're coming with me” Alcides simply lifted the bull, who at first tried to resist, but seemed to be happy being carried and relaxed.

"That was it?” the white crow asked.

“Did the crow just spoke?” one of the young women asked.

“You're watching the handsome Greek lad lift the bull, and you're asking about the crow?” Her companion replied. They simply returned to the palace after catching him.
The king kept his promise, and gave Alcides a ship, plus a crew to take them. When he delivered the bull, Shiva decided to give it to his son Ganesha, again disappointing some gods who were expecting a feast with the creature, which was a relief for our hero.

The Cretans would later say that our hero had more difficulties in taming the animal, so as not to look weak. For some reason, it was later said that the bull of Marathon, which Theseus had defeated, was the same as this bull. As explained before, this was simply nonsense. The curious thing is that no one knows where both animals came from, perhaps they were simply born like others and reached a great size, without any divine intervention.

Chapter Text

Odin gave the next task. Diomedes was a wicked man, and king of the Bistones, who had forced his mares to eat meat while they were still just fillies. Not any kind of meat, however: he would feed them human meat, and nothing else, which made them always hungry as he couldn’t simply feed every single person in his realm to them, as much as he wished.

So, Diomedes relied on travelers. His servants wouldn’t tell a soul, and neither would his people, less he unleashed the creatures on them, or they face punishment from the gods for defying their king. Luckily for them, the next traveler was our hero, who did not know anything about why he had to catch the mares. The task was not exactly to steal them, but that he had not been told.

“I don’t know…stealing from someone else seems wrong “Alcides told the crows as they walked to their objective.

“Seriously, lad?” The white crow complained.

“You have captured other animals before!” Reminded the black one.

“Well, yes, but they had no owners “and speaking of stealing “what even is special about these mares anyways?”

The other beasts were indeed special, one way or the other. But these were simple mares. If he asked for xenia, and stole from the host, he would be violating sacred rules that the gods themselves oversaw. If he just walked over and stole them, he would be a thief! There was truly no way of winning.

That was, until he saw a scared boy and little boy running in his direction.

“Mister, run! “The boy had torn clothes, and his knees had scrapes. He tripped, and Alcides gently helped him get up.

“What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly, the crows rolled their eyes, he was losing time with that.

“T-the horse!” He cried, and next thing Alcides knew, there was a huge stallion running towards them. It was white as snow, and his eyes looked red.

Horses could be mean, anyone who grew around then knew it. They would also occasionally eat meat, but it wasn’t their normal diet. This one, unfortunately, had blood on its snout, too much blood. Alcides made the boy stand behind him, and easily grabbed the horse.

“Easy there, boy” Alcides told the horse, trying to get it to calm, the creature trying to kick and bite.

“Lad, that’s a mare” one of the crows corrected him.

The trembling boy slowly approached our hero.

“T-they ate my brother “he managed to say.

“They?” Maybe a pack of wolves? Well, the horse did have blood, and…gods no, could it be? “This is one of the mares I have to steal?”

“Yes” said the white crow.

“What happened?” Alcides was still holding the mare but was worried about the boy and what he said. The boy was too tired and trying to breathe. Alcides walked with the horse and managed to tie its legs so she wouldn’t break free but left her under the tree’s shadow so the sun wouldn’t bother the creature.

He shook it a bit to make a couple of apples fall, and gave one to the mare, who happily accepted. He then walked back to the boy and offered him the other apple.

“Sorry, Sir…” the boy mumbled as he accepted the apple “I…the horses…. they ate him…”

“Your brother was eaten by horses?” Alcides had seen men-eating animals already, but all of them were meat eaters on the first place.

The boy nodded “we were guests of King Diomedes…we travelled from very far, me and Abderus…” he tried not to cry. Alcides put his hand on his shoulder and knelt.

“Hey, it’s okay, take a minute “the poor kid…

The child took a bite of his apple “we…the king said he wanted to show us his horses. Said that no other were like them, and we wanted to know why “he had to stop to breathe again “the king told us to go to his stables, and to wait for him there. I wanted to pet them, but Abderus told me to wait in the fence, as the horses could get a bit too excited “it would happen sometimes “the horses…they appeared out of nowhere. They were huge, j-just like that one. They…they went right for Abderus and began to bite him. He told me to run, to leave him…. the four of them, they…. she…. she noticed me, and slipped pass the gate…”

He could not lie to the boy and say that he could still save his brother: three beasts as vicious as that one? The boy’s brother must have been taken to Hades already…

“Huggin, Munin” he called for the crows “can you make sure…I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

“H-Hylas, mister” the boy managed to mumble.

“Can you make sure Hylas is safe?” He asked feathered friends.

“We are not babysitters “complained one crow, the boy was even younger than the kid who helped with the Hydra.

“I know, but just take him somewhere safe “that wouldn’t count as help. The boy was shocked enough about the mares that he didn’t even ask about the talking crows.

“You watch him” the black crow told his white friend “I will be harder for humans to spot “

Heracles left to follow the track left by the captured, and soon was in the stable.

“Fix the bloody gate, and make sure you can find my prized mare “Alcides heard a man speak “less I feed you to the rest myself “

That had to be Diomedes: the king wore purple robes, a color that was only meant for royalty in the ancient days, and his clothings had golden decorations on him. He was surrounded by fifty of his men, all working to calm the mares, who all had blood on their mouths...

“Who are you?” One of the men spotted our hero.

“I’m here to steal the mares” frankly, while dishonorable, he would rather be honest. He also did not want to receive Xenia from Diomedes…. the men charged at him, despite his huge size.

Alcides could have easily killed the fifty men, their king, and just seize the horses. But Alcides simply ignored their shouts, their swords, and their curses. Swords broke against his skin, arrows bounced. One by one, the men holding the mares let go, and the hero tied them. All except for the last one, who the guards let go in fear before the hero had tied the second one.

And it went for the King, who yelled as the horse tried to bite his neck: she was stopped by Alcides, who managed to grab her just at the last second.

“It’s your fault this happened in the first place “the king wasn’t thinking of thanking the man who saved his life.

“No, it’s yours “luckily, no one else was hurt. Now, later, it would be written than Alcides fed the wicked man to the mares. And he would have been more than justified to do so.

In reality, Alcides, seized the king to arrest him, and tied him, as he was the real beast. The guards knew better than trying to stop him this time.

“Please give me a chariot that it’s comfortable enough for the mares to lay on” he politely asked “I will have your king stand a trial in the temple of Zeus “ as the chief god, he was in charge of trials “and fetch the bones of the boy they ate. I will return them to his family.”

“Don’t any of you dare!” The king roared. The men, seeing the king could not hurt them or their families if someone stronger than all of them seized him, complied with our hero. They also helped to bring their king in chains.

Alcides put the mares in the chariot by himself, knowing the horses could possibly maim any other man. He then went to fetch the one that he had left tied. To his surprise, Hylas was feeding her an apple.

“S-she looked hungry…” the boy mumbled. The mare looked happier, however, and was less aggressive when the hero put her in the chariot “and wanted more apples, she has not even tried to bite me…”

“Foolish boy, you fed her an apple? My mares have only eaten meat since they were fillies “the king complained.

“You treated the poor animals like that?” Alcides angrily asked. Well, of course he had, the king was wicked “Hylas, please fetch me more apples “

The boy did do. Alcides made sure to feed all of the mares some apples, and they calmed down. Feeding them only meat…no wonder the creatures were so angry.

Alcides handed the king over to the priests of Zeus, who asked to use the horses as a punishment. Our hero refused.

“He is an evil man, there is no doubt. But inflicting him upon the same torment would be revenge, not justice “he spoke before leaving. Before going back with the mares to the gods, he made sure to return Hylas and his brother’s bones to his family.
The black crow reported everything to the gods. Even Odin was impressed this time: he chose the task hoping that the young man would lash out and kill the evil king, casting some doubt on his heroic nature as the foe was a mere human who would not be able to defend himself. His strong stand on justice, even for such a foe, earned him the praise of several deities.

The gods, for once, did not want to feed on the returning animals. Alas, they even allowed Alcides to keep them, once he ascended to the heavens. You might have seen them pulling his chariot before his fight against Jack the Ripper. If you did, I envy you: I was with my sisters and lord Apollo, bathing on his pool…. Okay, maybe, I don’t actually envy you.

Chapter Text

The next job, assigned by Shiva, was baffling: he had to bring the belt of the Amazon Queen, but he was not allowed to use violence to get it, as they were women. The god's wives looked at him rather annoyed, it seemed that once again he would have to sleep on the couch with his tiger.

“Oh lad, you are in for a hard time now,” the black crow mocked.

And Alcides knew it was true. He wouldn't hit a lady, of course, but the Amazons had a fierce reputation, and, besides, it was known that they could bargain for a little something with the men....

Something he had never done, as he would rather wait to find someone he actually loved. Besides, and as both crows could testify, he wasn't exactly good at picking up on when a girl tried to approach him. This would be fun to watch for them.

Another issue was getting there: there weren't many men willing to go all the way to the home of these warrios. Now, I imagine many will think that these ladies live on an island called Themyscira, and the most famous of them was a woman named Diana...well no. Diana may be the most famous of the Amazons, but she is not real, and the home of the Amazons was not Themyscira, this place was only their capital.

The Amazons actually had a lot of land in their nation. This place was near Turkey, but it was not an island.
Although in those days, the fastest way to travel was by sea.

Back to Alcides' dilemma: many sailors refused to take him. Yes, a night with the Amazons might be the desire of more than one, but their actions in the Trojan War had caused them to be avoided, as many men had been abducted by the female warriors. The queen at that time had been so fierce that Achilles himself had to kill her. Moreover, they were said to castrate men if they did not please them properly.

“Gods, it will take me months to get there. I don't even have money for passage “and, unlike in Crete, he couldn't ask the favor of someone to take him.

He ran into luck, unbeknownst to him, when he was trying to offer his services as a helper to a ship's captain in exchange for a ride: a stranger put a sack of gold coins to the captain

“I think this will perhaps convince you to take the young man” spoke a youthful man with reddish blond hair, long curly tresses and a mustache of the same shade.

The man, today, would be known as a bard. Well, maybe that's a term humans haven't used for a long time anyway. But he had made a song about Alcides' battle against the hydra, and wanted some new inspiration to compose another song.

“Gods, thank you so much!” Our grateful hero shook his hand carefully, afraid of breaking his bones “how can I repay you?”

“Ah don't worry, about it. I just want to go see the Amazons” he didn't want to tell him that he had made a lot of money from his victory over the hydra, of course. The young man's name was Marcias, though humans now believe he was a satyr.

So they set sail to the Amazon lands. The voyage was, fortunately, uneventful. Alcides and the rest of the crew listened quite delightedly to the bard. He told the story of Odysseus, who angered the god Poseidon after he had attacked one of his sons. The crows tried not to laugh

“Lord Poseidon, father of a Cyclops? These humans don't know what to make up,” laughed the black raven under his breath.

“Yes, his name was Polyphemus, wasn't it? Mr. Poseidon is the father of the Cyclops,” murmured Alcides, so as not to interrupt the song.

“Lad, you know nothing "laughed the white raven under his breath "bards tend to add drama to their stories. "Although Odysseus did stab the Cyclops.”

“But this was not Poseidon's son “muttered the black raven ”He wouldn't waste his time bothering a mortal, it was just the poor idiot's bad luck.”

“Oh, how strange...” muttered Alcides, he wondered how they had such an imagination.

They arrived to the Amazon capital a week later. The ship would wait for them only one night, of course. The bard asked to accompany him, he'd like to see his labour.

The Amazons were curious people. They went with one of their breasts uncovered, which, for mortal (and immortal) men was...fascinating. Perhaps Lord Apollo from time to time stopped his chariot a little longer over their lands...Humans for some reason would later say that they amputated one of their breasts.

Alcides looked at the ground and refused to look up. His parents had raised him well, at least by Theban standards.

To the bard that seemed curious, and of course, he didn't take his eyes off the Amazons' beautiful attributes.....

The crows just rolled their eyes. They were mammary glands with which women feed their young, why would mortal males, gods and the like lose their minds over that?

“Ya lad, speak” muttered the white raven. Though the Amazons hadn't torn them apart yet, he doubted they were amused that he was still so quiet.

“E-excuse me, ladies. I need to speak with your queen...” he said to two beautiful, muscular guards outside the palace. While the Amazons occasionally castrated men, Alcides was surprised to see several merchants there. They had colorful and strange clothes, they did not appear to be Greeks or Cretans, or from any other known place.

“You can follow me” one of them informed him, though he had to stop himself from laughing when the lad blushed at the sight of her breast ”it would be better if you look us in the eye, on the floor you won't be able to see where are you going ”

Alcides walked silently behind her, quite nervous. It wasn't that he was afraid, it was just... embarrassment. Yes, what he was feeling in those moments was total and absolute embarrassment, as he walked among several women with their breasts out.

“Hey why are you feeling like that, if you dress the exact same way?” The black crow questioned him. Alcides wasn't covering his chest after all.

“Have you noticed that your companion doesn't ask why we're talking?” the white raven asked him.

That was true. Marcias was more focused on the women's breasts and playing a song or two, either to get compliments, or better yet, money from people passing by. Alcides would normally have questioned that detail, except that he felt so embarrassed.

At last, they arrived at Queen Hippolyta's place. Much would be written, thanks to the imagination of mortals, about their meeting. The queen was a fierce warrior, even said to be the daughter of Ares (though this was not true), tall (but not for the current standard of humans, and shorter than Alcides) with long wavy black hair. Like all the other Amazons, she did not cover her breasts, just like our hero, who stared into her eyes out of sheer fear and embarrassment. And of course, she had her belt on.

She was sitting on her throne, a wonder made of pure gold, while the lad went to ask for an audience. The bard and the crows stood to the side, watching him.

“Well, lad... why have you come here for?” asked the queen.

Alcides swallowed . The queen was twice his age, as he was barely nineteen at the time “the gods asked me to carry your belt for you, your majesty,” he replied.

Everyone was silent. The bard was anxious, perhaps there would be a battle or some unexpected test.

“Do you want my belt?” the queen asked again, and the lad nodded. Hippolyta stood up, and advanced towards him slowly. Alcides would rather face three angry hydras than stand there. The queen lightly stroked the arm of our hero, who felt his soul leaving his body“why?”

“I-I was put to the test, majesty. I must take him without hurting anyone “he mumbled nervously as the queen stared at him, running her finger along the hero's arms.

“Hmm, I can't just give it to you like that, don´t you think?" Said the queen. Alcides nodded, but then denied, he didn't know if they might misinterpret his gesture. “I'll have to give you a test.”

The bard was trying to memorize everything, it looked like the test would be somewhat intense for the poor lad, and he would gladly trade places with him.

“Ugh, human queens are itching to mate with everything” chuckled the black raven under his breath.

“And...what kind of test...is...” Mumbled the lad, all sweating with nerves. The queen laughed a little and walked away.

“I'll tell you after the feast. We know you, young Alcides. Even up to here we have heard of your bravery. “Gods, it seemed he was becoming more notorious, but he could breathe again.

The feast was huge. The Amazons were fierce warriors, so the main dishes were things they had caught: deer, wild boar, all kinds of birds (except crows, thank the gods), wild goats and some curious lizards. Other things had been brought from far away, like the fruits and spices that flavored the food.

“Look!” said the black raven.

“Mead!” The white crow was also excited, the Amazons even served some to them.

Alcides would rather drink wine. He was a bit confused, what would his test be like? Well, it would be rude not to eat...and he was hungry, of course. Oddly enough, those serving seemed to be other lads, too shy to talk, though they smiled at him too.

Some guests from other places outside of Greece were also there. The Amazons lived near the border with other peoples, and clothing gave them away as foreigners. He saw carvings of gods he had seen when he was assigned his missions, like Lord Shiva, or Loki, the green-haired god who sometimes annoyed the crows.

There was music, the bard who came with him did not miss the chance to go and show off, dances of all kinds (he decided better not to dance, he would need energy for his test), and entertainments that he did not know at all, like a game that consisted of throwing battle axes at each other. It was funny, he had never seen such small axes before.

He didn't know whether to leave, as the music seemed to gradually fade, and the guests were leaving. He didn't see where the queen or the bard went, but a girl staggered up to him.

“Hey...how cute are you...Greek...” she said somewhat tiredly, Alcides caught her just in time to stop her from falling

“Be careful, looks like you drank too much ”he told her softly, though somewhat flushed because well, she went with half her chest bare. “Where's your room?” he asked

“I'll...tell you...if you stay with me...” smiled the girl, she touched the young man's face, who carefully carried her and led her to where she said.

The crows were a little dizzy from the mead, but they followed him anyway

“Lad...hic!” cawed the black crow.

“Maybe it's bad...hic!” cawed the white one.

Despite being immortal, their little bodies had drunk more alcohol than they should have. But they knew of the reputation of the amazons, as well as the practices they carried out for anyone who overstepped their boundaries...just as Alcides did

“I can't just leave her like this” she seemed to be a simple servant, and she was very drunk and confused. She kept laughing as the young man helped her walk. She was very beautiful, somewhat petite, with pronounced curves and large, beautiful breasts, which he avoided staring at. Her brown hair reached her waist, and she had pretty brown eyes. Her skin was smooth and tanned, she had an adorable smile...“ Is this your room?” he asked, and the girl nodded.

He was going to help her lie down on the bed, but the girl impulsively stole a kiss “let me pay for your bravery, hero” she smiled and took off the bottom of her clothes. The crows flew as fast as they could out of the window.

“Miss, you flatter me, but you are drunk...” he commented more flushed and gently pushed her away. He decided it was best to leave, though it was his turn to look for the crows that had gone to roost in a tree. He settled down under it, and although he was cold, he fell asleep there.

-

The next morning, he woke up and saw himself surrounded by several Amazon warriors, who were with their queen. He quickly got up “I'm sorry, I know it wasn't appropriate to fall asleep here, I'm ready for the test.”

The queen laughed, took off her belt and handed it to him “You passed, lad.” She replied. The crows luckily were awake (and a little dizzy) but they could witness it.

The bard, Marcias, didn't think that was going to make a good song. So he made a slightly more interesting one, in which the goddess Hera made the young man fight the Amazons. Since he had to make up reasons for this, he created a feud between the goddess and the young man...And of course, the Amazons were not amused by this version. They or someone close to the goddess skinned him alive, but then poor Lord Apollo was blamed for it.

Chapter Text

The next task also involved thievery, but Alcides had learnt from his experience with the mares that the gods would have good reasons for it. To think that such a wicked man was able to go unpunished for his crimes for such a long time…The giant known as Geryon could definitely be like that too.

The issue, however, was the same as with the Amazons, but even worse this time: how was he to get to the world’s end?

“See, kid, that’s not the end of the world “Shiva explained. Odin had asked the handsome four handed chief god to assign the next two tasks, as the Nordic chief wished to be the one who gave Alcides the last two. “there’s lands beyond the sea, and the world doesn’t truly have a border. Erythia is simply on the last place your people have been able to navigate too “

The gods this time decided to be nicer to him. After all, he did know where the Amazons were, but that island was another matter. And the challenge was awaiting him…so he was given a boat.

A boat given by the generous and handsome lord Apollo, of course. The Sun god himself had commissioned it from Hephaestus long ago but saw it more fit to use a chariot pulled by horses. Humans then thought it had been Helios who provided Alcides with a cup that then turned into a boat, but this is just fake.

“there are more gods beyond the sea? More people?” Alcides asked the crows. The boat was self-sailing, so he didn’t have much to do and was curious.

“Well, you have seen the gods “ the black crow said “they came for the meetings and are also seeing your trials”

“But humans are indeed beyond the dead as well“ the white crow said “and adore those gods “

“How have we not seen them ?” Alcides was curious about those people. How were they like? Where they like the Spartans, or the Athenians? Perhaps like the Amazons, the Persians ? Did they also know that their gods could punish them if they saw fit?

“The earth is bigger than you humans could imagine “ the black crow said “some of you have been able to reach that part of the whole through sailing, but they were planning to move there and make it their home “

“A voyage like that would take too much time for your people. “ said the white crow “Supplies wouldn’t last long, the oceans that divide your lands are too big for the kind of travel you are used too”

“I would like to go there “ Alcides wanted to know what else laid beyond, and wondered how would it be to encounter the worshippers of the pantheons that made their homes there. “What is that place called ?”

“Well, each of the people have their own way to call it “ The black crow said

“Are they also like the Greek city states ?” Alcides asked

“Not quite “ the white crowd said “they are more like empires “

“There are the Olmecs, the Mayans, the Chavins, the Nazcans…and much more “the black crow said, “there are also other crows beyond the sea!”

“I hope that our people get to know each other someday “Alcides wanted to imagine that it would be on a new time where humanity could tolerate their differences. “And that I get to meet the crows as well, if they are nice as you two.

The crows, however, didn’t have so many hopes, at least for the people. Humans tended to treat each other’s differences with hostility and often had the need to conquer other towns simply because they thought themselves to be superior. But they didn’t have the heart to tell their opinion to Alcides. The lad was too innocent.

A pretty curious incident befell to our hero as his ship passed to what mortals today known as the countries of Spain and Morrocco.

See, back in those days, there was a mountain between the two. It was possibly the world’s biggest mountain, and humans could not climb it. The boat, as good as it was, was unable to go through it, as it’s navigation failed and crashed against the mountain, startling our hero. It would take too much time for Alcides to turn it around and have it found another way, as that mountain prevented the connection between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

He first tried to lift it, and while he could, there was nowhere to put it down anyways. “This rock is too big to move “our hero was a bit tired, as he was sleeping when the boat crashed against the mountain. He put his fist back, and prepared to punch…

“Wait lad!” the black crow did recognize what it was.

“That’s not a “but before the white crow could finish the sentence, the mountain was no more, and instead, there were two of them now.

Alcides had punched the whole mountain down and created what was later known as the Pillars of Hercules. And thus, the Atlantic met the Mediterranean…and also created what today mortals named Gibraltar (which Spain disputes with another country) and either Monte Hacho or Jebel Musa.

As he was still tired, our hero went back to sleep. Both crows decided that it would be a problem for another day and thus decided to rest too.

It was morning when Alcides arrived at his destiny. He couldn’t see very well, but he could hear. And he heard dog barking. And judging from it, it was two huge dogs. He would need to make it stop barking and….

There was only one dog. A big one, of course. A big dog with two heads. Not the strangest animal that Alcides had encountered, but it did remind him of the hydra. He decided he wasn’t going to cut the dog’s heads, of course, as he would rather not kill a dog nor find out if it could regrow them as well.

So, he tried to bribe the dog with his provisions. It kept barking, and Alcides worried that it would attract his owner. The poor thing was too loyal, it seemed. He did not know that this was Orthrus, a brother of Cerberus. Our hero gave him a hit on the head with his club, but not with the required strength to kill the dog. The crows were surprised, but after seeing everything Alcides had done, they knew such an outcome was to be expected.

He left the dog some meat as an apology before going to see if the giant was there.

He was not.

“This was too easy “complained one of the crows as Alcides herd the cattle and had it get into the ship.

Such a fact was a disappointment to the mortals who retold the tale of our hero, who got to hear them from Alcides himself. Many begun to speculate how it could have looked like. Some said he was the grandson of Medusa, descended from her giant son with Lord Poseidon. As such, he was given six hands, six feet, and wings. Others said he had one body and three heads. Others said that he had six legs, others that he had three bodies and just one pair of legs. Not happy with that, they gave him a herdsman, Eurytion, who was said to have been killed along with the dog by Heracles. This was, of course, false, just like the red cattle he was said to have.

Alcides did not have an easy time going back with the cows, of course. Animals are not that easy to be kept happy, much less in a boat for so much time, and he told that to those curious about his task. So, people came up with what might have gone on there while he brought them back…And left another rather curious tale, of when he passed through Gibraltar once more.

Alcides had seen it fit to stop in certain lands once in a while, to allow the cattle to roam freely before continuing their journey. In the new land he accidentally created, there were some curious creatures that he had never seen before. You mortals nowadays would not have been as impressed, of course, but he was marveled when small creatures covered in furs approached him. There were some little ones among them, carried by their mothers.

“Hello, my name is Alcides” he greeted the curious inhabitants of the island. He had seen a god who looked like them before, a member of a pantheon from a far away land that the crows had told him was known as China. Some gods were half animal, but he had never seen anything like them and thought that they perhaps were some kind of intelligent creatures “I apologize for coming to your lands like this. See, I needed the cattle to rest a bit and…”

But one curious macaque climbed on him and began to groom his hair. Alcides chuckled a bit and tried to get it down “who are you, good friends?”

The crows, however, were laughing “Lad, they do not talk,” said the black crow.

“They don’t?” Alcides asked as the creature kept grooming him.

“There are animals called monkeys” the white crow said “That one is just seeing if it can eat whatever flea you got from the cattle “

Alcides felt a bit dumb, but admitted that the creatures called monkeys were cute. He petted a small one that had approached him curiously, but its mother pulled it away. He decided to gift them some of his food. The monkeys, which are known as Barbrey macaques by humans nowadays, were overjoyed and allowed the young hero to play with them and even let themselves be petted. He had never seen animals like those, whose eyes looked too human at times and cared for each other just like people would.

“Say, I wonder what else could I see if I ever go to the distance” He wondered, once he was back in the boat “Maybe I could go to the land that adore the gods of your pantheons, or to the lands that lay after the huge ocean you talk about. So many creatures, so many people…”

“Lad, focus” the white crow spoke.

“You have to bring the cattle to the gods!” the black crow reminded him.

Of course, once the cattle arrived, the gods didn’t even bother to ask if they could eat them. After all, Shiva had given the task and would not allow them. However, Alcides was bold enough to inquire if he could let a part of the herd be gifted to the people of nearby towns. Surprised by his courage, the god did grant him permission.
You might be wondering why the gods would give this task to Alcides. Well, there were times were not even they were sure.

Chapter Text

No no my dear mortal, you are not mistaken. This is the twelfth labor done by the brave Alcides. You might wonder why it’s not the eleventh, and well, you see: you don’t end a story by telling the best part first. Not that this was not one worthy of telling, but it simply does not work as a way to close the story of our hero.

Besides, Odin assigned this one as well. And it was not an easy challenge, of course. After all, not only would going to the underworld inspire fear into the heart of even the bravest soul, but to bring back Cerberus himself? That had to be considered madness, as even gods feared that creature. It had only been tamed by one of the most powerful among them…

“So, I just have to go inside, ask Hades to let me take his dog out, and then beat the dog?” Asked Alcides as he and the crowd arrived at the entrance of the underworld. Our hero had to admit that he expected something better.

“Well, yes “answered the white crow.

“Just be careful on your way there “said the black crow.

The underworld was not quite what he expected, seeing he was simply allowed to enter. He was greeted by two gods, who I suppose you might have figured who they might be, and a bird.

Have you seen Hades, dear mortals? If not, allow me to describe him for you: with the permission of my dear sister Persephone, I must say that he is the most handsome of his brothers, with all due respect to lord Poseidon, my father and lord Adamas.  I wouldn’t have minded getting kidnapped by him….

He is a tall man, tho of course, our hero was taller by two heads than him. Sometimes you will see him wearing an eyepatch on his left eye, which shines blue so he might see. Don’t ask why he uses it, because no one quite knows the reason except for himself. That he was not using when he met our hero, however. He has short, but quite stylish silver-white hair, which he wears to make sure it spikes a bit. Like some of my brothers, such as lord Hermes and later our hero (yes, I am aware he is also my brother, but such things don’t matter to us gods, hush) he has a tattoo on his body: a pattern of laurel leaves over his right eye brow. A spiked choker adorns his neck, and his left ear has what you humans know as piercings.

He wears long, white pants that don’t leave much to the imagination of both men and women (sorry, dear sister, but you know it’s true) and tends to dress in quite extravagant yet elegant outfits, with his nails painted black. The one he had chosen for this occasion even allowed to peek at his chest…Bet is not what you expected for the lord of the Underworld, and neither did Alcides.

“Tales of your accomplishments have reached here, young man” he is, of course, polite. Alcides had knelt before him, as Lord Hades was in his throne, which was decorated with skulls. Behind him, there was a painting of Lord Hades and other three gods: Lord Zeus in his young days, Lord Poseidon, and a third one he didn’t recognize “are you here for my dog ?”

“Yes, Lord Hades “Alcides answered. He was to take the dog, not steal it “with your permission, if I may…”

“Hades, I think I must protest” there were two thrones, but the other god, who Alcides did not know, was standing and seemed to have been playing a strange game (which it’s not strange to you, as chess is quite popular as far as I recall) against the bird, who had white feathers and a black beak. The crows where happy to see their friend but couldn’t greet it for the moment. “Cerberus won’t like going outside, he is a creature of the underworld. If this boy even survives trying to take him out it will be a surprise, but I’m more worried about his comfort. “

“I don’t wish to cause any harm or discomfort for Cerberus, but Lord Odin gave me this task” Alcides spoke “I’m sorry, my lord, for not saying your name, but I don’t know you.”

“That’s Beelzebub, lad “one of the crows whispered

“Munin is right” Hades spoke “this is my friend Beelzebub, a god from a pantheon your people aren’t familiar with. “

You might be puzzled as to why a demon such as Lord Beelzebub is in OUR underworld. Well, for us in the Greek pantheon, he is just like another uncle, adopted by lord Hades as a sort of younger brother. Besides, as it’s known in heavens, it is Hades who rules over it, hence why he is the King of Helheim. I know that tiny detail confuses humans a bit too much sometimes, but don’t let it bother you.

It was Lord Hades who helped Beelzebub find the will to live again. He does not have many friends, as my uncle Adamas might tell you, and can be quite creepy…

Yet he is quite handsome, if I may be honest. If it wasn’t because of his curse, well, I might have chosen to become more acquainted with him….

He is a bit smaller than Lord Hades, and ever youthful looking. His hair is black, a bit unkept and messy, which is weirdly adorable. His eyes have a deep, brown color. His clothes are, quite ironically, akin to those you mortals have seen in Catholic priests, save for the two round decorations on his neck that resemble fly eyes, very fit for his name. After all, this is the Lord of the Flies…

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Beelzebub” Alcides smiled to the god, who didn’t return the gesture “I know it’s dangerous to myself to take Cerberus outside, but I must do it. I just wish to have your permission, as stealing from the gods would be a mistake…”

He had seen it first hand, having met the handsome titan Prometheus on his previous task, but I will tell you another day.

Hades chuckled a bit “it indeed would be a mistake “he sighed “while I don’t wish to put Cerberus through any discomfort or have you risk your life, if it was one of the chief gods who gave the order, I will allow it. If you are able to beat Cerberus, bring him here so Beelzebub can make sure his journey is comfortable. My friend here will join you, and will make sure to stop Cerberus if he gets a bit too rough.

But Hades was referring to the cockatoo, who flew and chirped at the young hero.

“She said we should follow her “Huggin translated. The bird could play chess, but unfortunately, she did not speak.

Cerberus was no ordinary dog, of course. Three heads, each with three sets of eyes. This dog was used to prevent those vanished to Hellheim from escaping the underworld, so it served him well to have a total of eighteen eyes who would get others to watch around. It was as huge as three male African elephants standing on top of each other.

 If I’m honest, I think you humans might have seen a slightly similar dog breed, albeit much smaller, of course, with only two eyes and not such a mean attitude. Try picturing a full black Dobermann, with the pointy ears that humans for some reason insist these dogs should have, although Cerberus was born like this. It had sharp teeth as long as swords.

“Chirp, Chirp!” the cockatoo was worried about how a young mortal would fare against it.

“Don’t worry about the lad, he is stronger than he looks!” said the black crow.

“And smarter, he will be fine!” said the white one.

“Thank you a lot, friends” Alcides smiled at the birds “Just please back away, I don’t want anything bad – “

But before he could even finish, Cerberus had launched at him, and he accidentally dropped his club. The dog was a guardian, and his role was to prevent anyone from getting out. Seeing Alcides was still alive, it assumed this was his intention. Luckily, the three birds had been able to fly away to safety.

The cockatoo was worried, seeing the three heads were each trying to bite Alcides, but just a punch by his fist was enough to get him to go free from the right one.

“I know Lord Hades told you to stop the fight if you felt it was necessary, but you have to trust the lad here” the black crow said.

“How about we play a round of chess while the lad fights?” the white crow suggested, trying to calm down the worried bird.

The dog’s fangs were the only thing in a long time that had managed to make Alcides feel pain, and he yelled when it closed its jaws around its neck. The cockatoo was about to go mad thinking the young mortal had been killed, and felt it was an overkill when the other two heads bite the lad’s arms. A pretty familiar sight, wasn’t it? After all, you saw how he fought Jack the Ripper… She was sure he was gone…but did not expect for the canine to let go from his head and yowl in pain, for Alcides had decided to bite the dog’s tongue.

Seeing it worked, he used his hands to squeeze the other two heads’ tongues with all his might, making them let go. Now the dog was furious, and it tried to launch again, but Alcides gave it a good kick.

“Look, I don’t want to harm you!” our hero told the dog “I need to get you outside, and I’d rather do it without having to fight you, why don’t you- “

The dog growled, insulted by the idea, and clearly not having learnt it’s lesson, for it launched again towards the hero.  Alcides sighed and this time was able to dodge him. He needed his club, for the strength of any of his hits would give him an up hand. Of course, he knew this was a dog, so…

He tried to bribe the dog with a bone, which had been his first idea, but Cerberus was again offended and barked, it’s three heads wanting revenge against the hero for managing to get free.

“Chirp!” the cockatoo admitted it was impressed, the young mortal was stronger than she had expected in the first place.

“That’s the lad for you” the crows sounded oddly proud. Of course, at least they could brag about one thing, as the cockatoo had beaten them in every single chess game so far.

He wasn’t sure just how long he fought Cerberus, as the Underworld had no sun that would help to see the passing of time. He just knew that the dog was not going to give up, and neither was he. His club kept changing from spot as the charging dog would move it, and the redhead hero was unsure if it was an accident or on purpose, and he couldn’t use anything in there to his advantage, for the Underworld was not keen on helping the living it seemed. Now, tired, and frankly quite annoyed, he dodged the dogs’ heads and aimed to stomp on one of its paws, making it yelp in pain.

That distracted the dog enough for Alcides to be able to retrieve his club, and he hit the dog on the left head with all his might. This, of course, did not kill or severely harm Cerberus, but it was enough to knock out that head. The confused dog growled and showed its teeth, but refused to give up, and with its paw knocked out the club once more with its right paw. Our hero, enraged, this time punched the right head with enough strength that it was knocked out once more.

The middle head then did something that surprised our hero, the crows and the cockatoo: Cerberus bowed, having accepted his defeat.

“I would have rather not punched you like that, I’m sorry” Alcides was sincere. The dog growled, admitting he had been right. He tried to walk but the state of his heads did not allow him too, so Alcides easily carried him back to the throne room.

“Lord Hades, Lord Beelzebub I have defeated Cerberus” he announced, tho this time, there was someone else on the throne “I’m afraid I don’t know your name, my apologies.”

No, it wasn’t my sister Persephone.

“He is alive?” both crows asked the cockatoo, who chirped saying he never died in the first place.

It was my other uncle, Adamas. The second son of Cronos, born before Poseidon and Zeus.

“Are you the brat that has been going around completing tasks for my baby brother?” Adamas asked. Green skin, black marks, red hair and an armor to keep him alive after an incident with Lord Poseidon…there was a reason Alcides could not tell who he was.

“This is Adamas, my brother” Hades answered “I have to say, I’m impressed. Cerberus is not an easy foe.”

“I was ready to take care of your wounds, but I suppose it won’t be necessary” After all, it was Beelzebub who kept Adamas alive, a mortal like Alcides wouldn’t have been an issue “I did prepare something to help Cerberus go out to the surface comfortably.”

“We could hear you two from down here, frankly I betted that you’d die” Adamas shrugged, the former God of Conquest had to admit he was impressed, but wouldn’t say so out loud “Now I own the guards down in Tartarus quite a few obols.”

“I’m sorry, sir” not for dying of course. He still was holding Cerberus, and the dog began to whimper, to the amusement of Hades

“Cerberus was quite impressed by the fight you two had” the god of the Underworld told our hero “He says he will lend you his strength, if you ever need it.”

“He can do that?” Alcides was impressed “Gods, thank you very much, and again, I’m sorry that I had to knock him out.”

After Lord Beelzebub made sure it would be safe for Cerberus to go out, our hero and the crows made it back with the three headed dog. The sight even scared humans (who made sure to paint our hero carrying the canine on every vase they could find) and even some gods, tho the dog, now recovered, was wagging it’s tail as he smelled Persephone, who was in the surface at the time. And well, you know the rest of the story, Alcides became a god, took the name Heracles in honor of Lady Hera, was adopted as a son by my father Zeus, and died in his fight….

But you might wonder certain things about Cerberus. It was my sister who took him back to the Underworld, as winter was coming, and it was now time for her to go back to her beloved husband. Of course, you saw Alcides, now Heracles, summoning Cerberus to borrow his strength during his fight.

You saw my brother die to a mortal who terrorized London long ago, even with the might of the Guardian of the Underworld with him. Some of you feared that Cerberus had died as well. Rest assured, he lived. His sad whimpers and howls alerted the underworld that something was wrong, with the cockatoo staying by his side after Beelzebub treated his wounds, before a message arrived at the Underworld with news of Heracles' and Lord Poseidon’s passings.

You know my uncle’s fate as well, as the First Emperor fought him and won. It was said that my uncle Adamas tried to kill the Elder and youngest Valkyrie, alongside the human and the Valkyrie sister who aided him, but failed. You know that Lord Beelzebub fought to avenge him and won as well.

But did you know that the cockatoo and Cerberus are waiting for Lord Hades to come back? As smart as they are, my poor sister Persephone fears that their grief will be too much for them. They both where on the underworld for even longer than my uncle ruled there, none of us have ever been quite sure of where they came from. They grieved for Lord Poseidon and for Alcides, but gods know Lord Hades was even more beloved by them.

Chapter Text

Now let's get on to the eleventh task. I must warn you that this will be a long tale, so bear with me, and as you mortals say, buckle up!

Odin asked Alcides to go get an apple. Yes, just as you hear it. An apple....

Which as you may have guessed, was no ordinary apple, no sir. This was a golden apple, the kind that appears everywhere in my pantheon. And this golden apple was only found in one place: the garden of the Hesperides.

You see, these were not just apples. These apples grow on a tree that was a wedding gift for the marriage of my father Zeus and his wife, my stepmother and aunt Hera. Finding it was part of the test, for it was not simple, but Alcides was given a clue: he was to seek out the Old Man of the Sea, a sea god known by the name of Nereus.

Finding Nereus was no easy task, for the god used to transform himself into all sorts of creatures and was hard to find.... except when he was resting, of course. He had the form of a sunbathing seal, but his golden eyes gave him away.

“You just have to catch him, watch him transform into all the creatures his powers allow him to, and he'll tell you what you need to know, “said the black raven.

“And will he really just tell me?” Alcides asked. 

“Well, it worked for that mortal who was helped by the lady Hera “said the white raven” Jason, he and his companions called themselves the Argonauts or something like that.”

“And how do I know what all the creatures are he transforms into?” Yes, that was something I should know.

“When he tells you how to find the apples, boy" replied one of the crows.

Alcides took a deep breath, approached slowly, and jumped on the seal. Now, if he were a normal seal, he clearly wouldn't have been able to move...but he was a god, so he soon dove into the sea, where the pesky deity hoped our hero would let him go, but Alcides held on tight.

He tried to change into something smaller, a black and white-water bird, to which some compare Hermes...but he couldn't get Alcides to release him either. He changed into a small fish whose beautiful yellow and blue colors were splendid to look at, but even with his size, Alcides would not let him go....

He tried to be a dolphin, creatures that even in those days fascinated humans, but as you guessed, Alcides didn't even flinch. Then into a whale, then into a killer whale, an octopus, a swordfish, all kinds of sharks, aquatic birds, fish of all sizes, waiting for Alcides to drown, but the lad's will made him manage to hold his breath or force the god to get up so he could breathe.

“Fine, fine! I'll tell you how to find the stupid apples!” Complained the god, who transformed into what you would call a merman: he was a handsome red-haired young man, with golden eyes, an aquamarine tail and a necklace of purple pearls “look for Prometheus, he's on Mount Caucasus. Just leave me alone, damn it!"

Alcides let him go “I’m so sorry I had to do that ‘he said sincerely ’thank you very much, Mister Nereus ”although the god didn't look like what he was expecting....again.

“Yeah yeah, whatever” he hissed when he was free “go to the Niffelheim, brat!” He said before walking away swimming.

You can imagine how much Nereus regretted his words, many centuries later.

Alcides went out and told the crows where they should go. He knew the story of Prometheus, all humans did, but no one had ever heard before what had become of him until that day. Although of course, on the way, something had made him curious....

“Guys, what's the Niffelheim?” he asked, and both birds stopped dead in mid-flight.

“How do you know about it?” the white raven asked.

“Well, Nereus used it instead of sending me to Tartarus, as we humans usually would “something that these days is not used.

“You see...there are many things you humans are ignorant of “said the black raven” and this is one that frankly it's better not to know ”

“The Niffelheim is the worst thing that can happen to a soul, whether divine or mortal “said the white raven” he really must have been furious to tell you something that cruel ”

“Wouldn't that be like dying?” Yes, that was bad, but well, wishing someone to go to the Tartarus was too.

“You don't understand, kid. That's worse than death itself “continued the black raven” by dying, the souls of mortals are at least taken to the heavens ”

“But the Niffelheim... “the white raven trembled a little” your soul is destroyed. You are destroyed. You do not reincarnate again, there is nothing left of you, your body just turns to dust...not something I should wish on anyone.”

“Gods, I hope Nereus forgives me for making him wish such a thing on me “nor did he blame him, Alcides had interrupted his nap. The crows sighed.

“Boy, you're too kind...”

Alcides laughed a little “I guess Nereus didn't think so” he sighed, he wouldn't have wanted to go to that extent “hey, and why do they call him the Old Man of the Sea?”

“We don't know.”

As Nereus had said, Prometheus was on Mount Caucasus, where the crows could not go as this was a prison and treaties among the gods forbid them to do so. Today it is said that he was tied up on a mountain, and an eagle sent by my father would eat his intestines...silly, isn't it? Well, since you humans were not present to see such a feud, between the demigod and the gods who wanted to change the constitution of Valhalla and be able to participate in Ragnarok, I suppose it is my duty to narrate what happened.

Let me begin by describing to you the titan, whom in heaven we refer to as an outer god. These are gods who, for various reasons, don't exactly get along with the rest of us. Funny enough, he was one of the first, which is a shame, seeing how handsome he is...and that he's also a titan, of course. And like all of them, he is extremely tall, even taller than Alcides himself, or our brother Ares. Today, he has short brown hair, which looks good with his handsome blue eyes. He wears a black shirt that nicely highlights his abs, combined with a tattered but elegant draped sash over one shoulder. His hands are covered by a peculiar chain....

That bound him, as Prometheus had been crucified. Yes, just as you heard it. Acantha, the chain, had been forged by his own request, being a divine weapon. He had accepted this punishment, for the fire had turned humans cruel and malicious, several years before our hero was born... Therefore, at that time, his hair was long, his clothes were in rags...

That was not all, of course. The real torture was simple: Prometheus was the entertainment of the other Titans. After his imprisonment in the Caucasus, their only amusement was to see a certain goddess beat the titan who had decided to be a friend of mankind. It didn't help that, before betraying the gods, he had betrayed the titans. He had wounds all over his body, from every time he had been a victim of this cruel entertainment, either from the blows or from being electrocuted against the cage where he was forced to suffer in these fights. And he did not even try to resist or fight back.

And so it went, for years...until “that day”, he arrived.

It was a typical day for titans, of course. Bia, the goddess of violence, a muscular, spiky-haired woman, had been beating Prometheus horribly. Alcides had entered the place, witnessing the horrible conditions in which the prisoners were treated, humiliated, forced to do all kinds of heavy labor, which really served no purpose. The guards, who are similar to angels, just ignored him, since well, there were no rules against him just walking around.

Now, as you may know, our hero came to be proclaimed God of justice. And seeing the conditions of the titans was something he couldn't believe. The gods didn't know what was going on, of that, he was sure. And he would let Zeus know about it as soon as he returned from his ordeal.

One of the titans, that particular day, had been so exhausted that the rock he was carrying fell out of his hands. Alcides immediately ran to help him, picking up the rock.

“I'll carry it for you,” he offered without a second thought.

“Don't do that, boy.” the titan, whose name unfortunately must have been lost, implored him. His hair was long, almost as long as his beard, both equally unkempt “If I don't, I won't be able to rest...and I wish to see that traitor put in his place.”

“Which traitor?” but he already guessed the answer....

The titan didn't answer, he was too exhausted, the others had already left him behind.

“Water...food...you got some, boy?” he asked, it was something they rarely received.

Alcides, again without thinking, took out the water he had stored, as well as most of his supplies “ keep it...make sure your companions get some too” he could see some titans resting...that place was dirty, just like them, all with tired faces, disheveled hair, scruffy beards, and eyes full of sadness.

Before the titan could answer, a guard had finally deigned to go and see what was going on.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he growled. Despite the fact that the gods there would have immediately recognized Alcides, that wasn't a god after all.

“I came to find Prometheus” he gave for simple reply. He lifted the titan rock with such ease, that the guard decided for himself that perhaps it would be a better idea not to say anything more to him and just allowed the young man and the other titan to walk away before rushing off to alert the others....

Sure enough, Alcides and the nameless titan arrived at where Prometheus was. While the titan was let in, our hero on the other hand....

“I just need to talk to whoever is in charge here" Alcides, despite what the humans mistakenly assumed later, was not someone violent, as you may have deciphered from reading this. And watching them mistreat the one who delivered fire to mankind...that was not something he could continue to allow.

“Beat it, brat” and well, if only he had said that, if only he had been more polite, and hadn't wanted to kill our hero just because he got annoyed....

He wouldn't have had to be humiliated by taking a punch from the red-haired lad and landing knocked out right in front of Cratos, his boss.

“I thought.... I thought you were stronger” Alcides admitted somewhat ashamedly, gods, he would apologize for that later.

He entered through where he saw the guard land, noticing that part looked fancier, and strangely, he was inside the cage surrounding the titans. Whoever was there was undoubtedly the boss of that place.

“Who are you?” asked a tall, black-bearded, muscular god. This was Cratos...don't confuse him with a certain mortal character you may know.

“My name is Alcides” replied our hero.

This was enough to stop the goddess who was in the middle of their brutal fight, and the titans began to whisper amongst themselves.

“You could say I'm an apprentice god” maybe that would make it easier for them to let him try to reason, that place was deplorable. His mission was another, but he couldn't let something like that continue to exist.

“A god's apprentice?” Bia and Cratos said at the same time, equally stunned and furious. Still, Cratos laughed.

“Well, god's apprentice” he hadn't even tried to help the winged guard, who lay unconscious on the ground after his crash landing. At least he was breathing, Alcides was really worried about having given him that blow “what purpose do you have here, in this place?” he asked while drinking some wine from his cup.

“I am not yet a god, so I am oblivious to the affairs of heaven” he had to be honest, he was not someone who wanted to lie” But even I can understand something...” He said raising his club “THERE IS NO JUSTICE IN THIS PLACE!” If he had to fight the god to make him understand, he would do it. He usually dealt with animals, beings that didn't do things with malice, but that place....

“Hum, I see” said Cratos “I had heard the rumors...a mortal who drank the ambrosia, and acquired power equal to that of the gods ‘with his hand, he shattered the wine cup ’a shameless soul who has been gaining influence in heaven lately...”

Alcides could not answer, for the horrible laughter of Bia was heard throughout the place. The goddess had stood over the bruised titan, who was slumped on the ground, and had her foot on his head. He had never struck a woman before, but boy, was he tempted to do so....

“Alcides, dear, let me show you something, you ignorant brat “ the goddess' attire was strange to our hero, but curiously enough, it would not seem so strange to you, as it resembled the ones worn by mortals in Wrestling matches "This place is managed under the orders of Lord Zeus, it is a legitimate and official facility"

Alcides, our hero, listened to the goddess. “If you act on your own, it will be you who will receive the punishment” and the look of the goddess seemed to suggest that she wouldn't mind, as long as she had someone to inflict such torture on.

He would be willing to take the punishment, yes, for the simple fact that it was cruel to do that to the titan who couldn't even defend himself because of his heavy chains, or at least that’s what he thought. No, Lord Zeus must not know about what you do in this place. If I spoke to him...

He had seen the old god before, he knew what he was like. He had stopped the attack on Thebes after seeing how far he was willing to go to help others, and he knew there was another way to solve things... but he couldn't just leave the Titans like that while he was going to talk, much less Prometheus, he seemed to be barely conscious.

“How absurd” he told the two gods and a couple of other guards: with the guards he would have to be careful not to hurt them too much, and although he did not want to hurt them, it seemed that he would have to knock out the deities ”The gods should always be fair, but you hurt the weak...”

Although he had become close to the gods of his pantheon, he still remembered the fear in the eyes of his people when Ares and his army appeared over Thebes. And, though it was minuscule in comparison, he remembered what it was like to watch his best friend Castor pray that the cow he would use to pay for his mother's medicine would not be stolen.

He didn't know if Prometheus could hear him, the titan hadn't spoken, and he seemed to be unconscious. He had to get him out of there as soon as possible, no matter what. “Before guiding humanity correctly, we must guide the gods correctly."

“First of all, I will release the titans, and ask for a reconsideration of their treatment ‘He grabbed his club with one hand and struck a battle pose, he would let them attack him first ’Then I will present my own personal plea to the great Zeus...'...”

“STUPID ARROGANT BRAT” it was the goddess who went into a rage first, and she was coming straight at him “YOU THINK I WILL ALLOW SOMETHING LIKE THAT?”

Before he could even hit her, something wrapped itself around the goddess' left hand.

Our hero was surprised, he hadn't seen when the owner of these had even stood up.

“Alcides, right?” asked the titan, who looked rather pitiful, with cuts all over his handsome body “you fulfill your duty and leave this place in my hands.”

“THE CHAIN...” the bearded god shouted in surprise and anger “HOW DID YOU TAKE IT OFF?”

“I requested it myself to be forged, don't you remember?” he mumbled, he was tired, and Alcides understood that by just seeing him “Acantha...it is a very special divine weapon. Had I wanted to, I would have freed myself sooner.”

He had endured all that on his own free will. Alcides didn't know whether to be fascinated or horrified.

“I was planning to remain in this place, receiving my punishment...” our hero could see a spark in the titan's eyes, which earlier looked empty, as if they had been suddenly ignited. The goddess looked furious, but she wasn't attacking him or her usual boxing bag. “But you, boy... "she smiled, something that surprised Alcides "I want to see with my own eyes what you'll manage to do..."

The furious goddess looked at Alcides again “I'll kill you when I remind the traitor of his place, my dear” she smiled wickedly before rushing at the titan to punch him. But no such thing happened: Prometheus, in one swift movement, grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly.

Despite all the creatures he had faced, the scream the goddess gave when the power of the chains was activated was the most horrifying Alcides had ever heard. The goddess fell to the ground, unable to move, except to curse the titan. Strange sparks ran through both their bodies. Our hero wasn't sure what it was, but he was sure she was suffering.

“Gods, let her go!” he wanted to stop it, but to his astonishment, it was Cratos who prevented him, by punching him in the face.

“Bia will tear that idiot to pieces, but I'll have fun with you, brat” although to the god's surprise, that punch hadn't even made the young man move.

“Can’t you see she's suffering?” Alcides ignored him, he had to stop the titan, he could still hear the goddesses' screams. He understood that Prometheus had suffered, but the goddess could not defend herself. The god didn't care, and tried to hit him again, even though it had been of no use before

“She'll handle it!” laughed the bearded god “Fight back, boy! This is my first time with a human, let's see how much you resist!”

He was about to take another swing at Alcides, but our hero, furious at the god's selfishness, hit him with his club, sending him flying straight into the bars that had constantly hurt Prometheus, which knocked him out.

The screams had stopped, and he could only turn around to watch as the goddess' body slowly crumbled to dust before his eyes...

And well, we'll stop here for now, I didn't expect this story to go on for so long.

.

The crows waited outside, playing cards to pass the time.

“Do you have any fours?” asked the black crow” Do you think the lad is ok?”

“Go fish” replied the white crow” bah, you know he is fine...do you have any twos?”

Chapter Text

Our hero fell to his knees after witnessing the unfortunate incident with the goddess Bia. He wasn't sure if he should get up and punch Prometheus, burst into tears for being too slow, or something else....

What made him react was to see the titan offering him his hand. Alcides didn't know what to say, he just looked at him and hesitated whether to hit him or to get angry with him and complain.

Prometheus sighed “Look boy, I can't say it was an accident...”

“she was screaming from the pain! “hissed the hero. he stood up by his own means even though it required him to get shocked by the cage as he grabbed it to get up “how could you do something like that?” Although he did could not imagine the pain that Prometheus experienced all those years ago, he did not approve of what he had done, not at all. The goddess was at a disadvantage right then and that was simply cruel in his opinion.

“Look, you can come and stop me later... “the titan couldn't blame him to a certain degree

“but you came for something...what do you need, boy? I swear by the Styx that I will guard the place, I will see that the other titans are well and that the guards are not hurt” and you see, swearing by that meant he was forced to carry out his promise, which at least helped Alcides to stay calm....

“tell me where the garden of the Hesperides is” he muttered, he refused to see his face. He only needed to find those apples and then go on to his next task, the end of his trials was very near.

“You must look for my brother Atlas” the titan told him “he is in some distant mountains, which separate a desert from an ocean. Go to Egypt, boy, and follow the river Nile until you reach the sea. Then sail until you come to a mountain full of snow “ he actually gave him the long direction, but he believed that, if things went on as before, there would be someone in Egypt who could cheer the boy up. After all, he heard the bearded god say that he was popular in the heavens.

And another quest awaited our hero. Not that he was enthusiastic about that but he would do that without a whimper. Heracles picked the guard he had knocked out and the god carefully. The other guards approached him cautiously.

“Please see that they are well taken care of,” he said as he passed them to the guards, ‘Prometheus will be in charge of the place, I ask that you please see that they both recover,’ the boy said.

Although there was nothing left of Bia, he took out two coins that his people put on the dead. He left them on the place where the goddess died before taking his club. He still refused to look at the god

“I can only wish you luck, boy,” Prometheus told him. The titan could still see the young man's humanity, his stubbornness was proof of it.

Even so, Heracles did something he did not want to do, that he wished with all his strength to refuse to do... “ Thank you, Lord Prometheus “ he mumbled before leaving the prison. He had been brought up well to his misfortune.

It wasn't the best first meeting, but let's be honest: neither was it when he met Ares, nor Jack the Ripper. Eventually they became friends, with Alcides, now Heracles, helping him to walk after his fight against Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. But of course, there was no one to help our hero out of the arena....

As he walked out, overwhelmed by what had happened, he collapsed and cried. The tears flowed out of him uncontrollably, and no matter how hard he tried to stop.

The crows, worried, rushed to his side.

“Boy, what happened?” asked the black raven.

“Did you find where we should go?” asked the white crow.

He nodded, although he was still trying to calm down “ gods, I couldn't save her! What kind of hero am I?

He told the crows what happened to the goddess. They both looked worried at each other

“Look... It wasn't your fault...” the black raven tried to say, ”Not completely, at least.

“for now worry about something else, you have to go get the apples” the white one reminded him

“The Niffelheim...no one deserves that...” he muttered, the anguish still in his heart.

“Well...say a few prayers for his soul, if that would cheer you up,” suggested one of the crows.

Alcides spent a whole day in the temple of Zeus, asking forgiveness for not having been able to do anything. He left in the early morning.

.

Egypt was a very fascinating land, albeit a very hot one for the curious trio.

Especially for the crows, who came from the Nordic lands and were used to the cold.

“we are going to die here... “perhaps they were exaggerating, but both crows felt like they were melting in the desert.

Alcides was almost out of money, and had given his provisions to the titans, so he spent what he had left to buy enough water for the ravens. It would be a way to atone a little for what he did.

“Hey...that statue looks familiar “ he muttered at the sight of a strange dog”headed man. He looked...

“Ah, it's Anubis,” the black raven observed. 

“the helmet makes humans portray him like that “ the white raven remarked.

Anubis was a very restless god who often asked Alcides about his adventures, when he returned from his tasks. And of course, more than once he got angry for not having been able to taste the creatures he caught.

The god is not a god of death, but a guide to the afterlife, protector of the tombs, and god of funeral rites. He has dark skin, beautiful golden eyes, and muscles that, thanks to the gods, he does not hide. His long claws and fangs are proof of his jack side. When he saw the boy passing through Egypt, he was excited and ran to greet him, leaving his work aside for a moment.

“Alcides, Alcides!” he went on all fours, despite being more human than jackal, for that was what he did when he was very excited. The crows flew away, they knew he was very intense at times “ what are you doing here? Are you on a mission? Will you let me eat whatever you are going to catch this time?” he asked excitedly, running in circles around our hero, who was a little sad about what happened “ hey, what's with the long face?

Alcides sighed and told him what happened. Anubis scratched his ear with one of his paws.

“Look, I'm not saying Prometheus was right...but Bia asked for it,” insisted Anubis.

“Still, I should have...intervened,” he was about to say, but Anubis put a finger in his mouth.

“ Sorry won't change anything,” said the god, “you go on with your business, and give your best attitude! Don't you like Egypt? It's my home and I believe it's beautiful...and no one should be sad in my home!

The jackal god's energy was infectious, and despite his heavy heart, Alcides decided to at least try to be less unhappy.

“All right, Lord Anubis “ he replied and smiled a little bit

“Oh and by the way... there are some unclaimed treasures over there...” said Anubis. The crows flew back to both of them.

“You can't help the lad, Mr. Anubis!” the black raven scolded him.

“It is against the rules,” the white raven told him.

“You accuse me of going against the rules of the gods,” he growled, but he made tender puppy eyes, ”you are insulting me! You think that would do something like that" he threw himself to the floor and pretended to be hurt "ooouch, ouuuch", he said.

Alcides couldn't help but laugh a little at what the canine god was doing, and the crows rolled their eyes but decided that the treasures that happened to be lying there could be used by the hero. The jackal god said goodbye before returning to the heavens.

“Well, I think I know what to do...” Alcides bought a boat, and a palanquin as well. It was not for him, it was so that the crows could go comfortably on their way to the mountains.

They passed through another desert, of course, and it was a surprise when they reached the snow”covered mountains.

But even more so when the crows explained a detail to the boy.

“What do you mean he doesn't hold the earth? “ he asked the crows.

“Of course not, that would be silly,” said the white raven.

“He holds the heavens,” said the black raven.

The titan Atlas, before his punishment, had black hair, but to hold the sky had turned it white. A curious thing if you consider that a mortal deciphered that this effect could occur, having applied this in a certain way to a son of Poseidon who emerged from his imagination.

Atlas was taller than his brother Prometheus, being able to see and hear from the top of the mountain, much more muscular, and of course, extremely attractive. Although his eyes were the ones that stood out the most before our Hero....

“Do I remind you of someone, boy?” asked the titan, smiling slightly, when he saw that the boy was staring at him.

“I'm sorry, sir,” he apologized, it was not polite to do that.

“His grandson is Lord Hermes, lad” said the white crow.

“That's why his eyes are red,” answered the black crow.

“What do I owe your visit to? “the titan ignored the crows

“You see, sir, I need to get some golden apples, straight from the garden of the Hesperides...” he said as he got closer to the titan, ‘your brother Prometheus told me to look for you...’

“Prometheus? I haven't seen my little brother for a long time...” he smiled a little “I didn't expect him to decide to join the gods, but well, what can you do?

“boy, be careful...” muttered the black raven.

Atlas looked at the birds, and sighed” look boy, I'll be honest, because I doubt that anyone has told you: neither a human or a demigod can take those apples” said the titan” even if you manage to kill the dragon that is there, it wouldn't do you any good, you simply wouldn't be able to touch them. And it would be cruel anyway, it is a friendly creature, I myself gave it to my daughters as a gift.

Alcides had so many questions, for the titan and for the crows, but he didn't know where to begin.

“Guys, about the apples...” he was about to ask, but both crows sighed

“It was part of the test, you had to find out,” admitted the white raven.

“And no, carrying the tree from the root would not be possible, nor hitting it to make it let go “ well, he already knew, according to the black raven “ you would only be punished by the wife of Lord Zeus.

Well, that was a problem, Hera was not someone anyone wanted to mess with. Kind of ironic, considering the name our hero was later given.

“And your daughters... are they the Hesperides? “Alcides asked as he looked at the titan again.

“That's right... “said the titan, he had a sad smile on his face” Their sister Maya, the mother of Hermes, is not one of course, but Egle, Eritia and Hesperaretusa are. I haven't seen them since .... well, since I came here."

Alcides' heart ached to hear that. He himself had lost his parents as a child, and would give anything to see them again. He couldn't help abut to feel bad for the nymphs who were there without their father. So he decided to inquire with the crows.

“I just have to bring the apples, right? “he asked his feathered companions.

“Yes, that's right,” answered the black raven.

“And it is not necessary for me to take them,” he asked again.

“Well, no...” answered the white crow. Both crows looked at each other with some concern.

What was Alcides thinking, and why did they feel they wouldn't like to know the answer?

“Lord Atlas, can you pass the dragon,” he asked the titan, who looked at him in surprise.

“Yes, he has known me since he hatched from his egg,” said Atlas.

“And you can take the apples,” asked the boy again.

“I am a titan, you know?” he could have been lying, it could be a trick, but in those moments, Alcides could only see a father who missed his daughters.

“Then, Sir Atlas, I'll make offer you a deal” he approached to stand under the titan. Maybe... no, maybe not. It was a terrible idea, there was no doubt about it “ I will hold the world so you can go see your daughters, and in exchange, please bring me the apples.

He didn't wait for the titan to respond, he simply clutched the heavens on his shoulders.

Do you know how much the heavens weigh? Imagine the limit of all you can lift on your shoulders...and more, much more. But our hero still lifted them.

The stunned titan thought he would see the boy die in front of him, but Alcides had been able to withstand it. It was not only Alcides' muscles that took to the sky: it was also his heart. The titan's punishment made him observe all that he was missing out on by being there.

“I take the deal, then,” said the titan before walking away.

“ALCIDES, YOU ARE AN IDIOT!” said the black raven.

“YOU DIDN'T EVEN SWEAR BY THE STIX," said the white raven.

“I just...I must resist...” murmured our hero. It was heavy, he would not deny it

And it was not only heavy.

It allowed him to see the whole world.

He saw beyond the great ocean, where new lands existed with other humans and crows, as his friends had told him, and he saw them living with beautifully colored birds and decorated their clothing with them. He saw places he had only heard of, where gods he knew lived, where the snow seemed to be eternal. He looked into places he had never even heard of, where people lived with creatures he could never have imagined. Creatures that carried their young in strange sacks on their bodies and jumped, lizards even bigger than those he saw in the Nile. He saw people living off the sea, moving in giant canoes going from island to island....

“I can see everything...” the boy mumbled while still holding the skies.

And that wasn't just the good stuff. You know what he said in his fight against Jack The Ripper about humanity, after all.....

He saw, everywhere, how the powerful abused the weak in various ways. How selfishness caused many to die. How mankind mistreated each other for possessions, and also innocent animals. Humanity could exercise its cruelty in so many ways....

But he also saw a little girl put back a bird that had fallen from its nest. A young woman making the meal softer for her elderly father. A boy climbing a tree to rescue an old woman's cat in the desert. A stranger helping a man who had fallen victim to thieves, even though they were from different villages....

“You will stay here forever,” sighed the black raven.

“We will be here one more day, then we will have to report you failed...you should have been smarter,” sighed the white crow.

It was almost dusk, the sun was about to set and the cold snow was falling...when Atlas returned. He was carrying a basket full of golden apples, given to him by his daughters. The crows were surprised to see him, but assumed he was just coming to tease the boy.

“Lord Atlas! How did it go,” Alcides asked politely, showing no discomfort at having the heavens on his shoulders.

Atlas came with a wide smile on his face. Have you seen Lord Hermes, when he smiles after a prank? Well, just like that

“The face of my daughters when they saw me was worthy of a painting” he laughed a little,with a sad and bitter smile” I've only been able to see them through that thing...and that dragon jumped at me to lick me, it took me a while to get all that drool off me.

“I'm glad you were able to enjoy your day” Alcides smiled. The boy wasn't rushing him, after so many years there it wasn't fair....

“Boy, it was silly of you not to make me swear by the styx” Sighed the titan. The crows could already see it coming when he would simply leave....

“You wanted to see your daughters, I didn't think it was fair to take more of your time,” Alcides replied. The titan just looked at him.

“Isn't it heavy?” he asked the young man.

He would say no, but he didn't like to lie, “ A lot...” admitted Alcides. Atlas crouched down next to him.

“You didn't even give me time to pass it to you and set it up properly,” said the titan, as he placed the sky between his shoulders again, to the astonishment of the crows.

Alcides sighed in relief and collapsed on the floor to rest “ you had been doing it for ages, a couple of hours would have been nothing to me “ although he was exhausted.

“You know I could have left you here, don't you? “ he asked as he watched the young man resting on the floor “the crows thought so, you would have done well to listen to them.

“Well...I didn't think you would, Mr Atlas” That thought didn't cross his mind at any time.

“The punishment was given to me for having supported Cronus, and as his general, it was an honor to accept it” The titan sighed, the boy was right: he would never wish someone else to have to carry the heavens on his shoulders “I have seen what you have been doing, Alcides. I haven't seen any human or God like you...” only his brother Prometheus, who had been punished for it, but he was a titan” That heart of yours will be your downfall if you don't learn to harden it”

“Be punished for having a heart? “ the young man sighed, still lying on the floor “ I would accept that punishment as if it were a hug.”

Chapter Text

Bless my soul, Alcides had been on a roll! After his twelve hard labors, which he overcame even when one more was imposed on him, our hero became a god and was adopted by Zeus himself. He was given the name Hera, in honor of the latter's wife.

It is curious how humans believed that this name was given to him to placate the goddess. Yes, one king or another did the same with his bastard children, but if my father applied that, Olympus would be full of gods, goddesses and nymphs named Heracles.

He became beloved by everyone of haven, and of course, by Earth. Humans did know how to make up stories of our beloved hero, often even putting him in stories that happened before he was born, like the Argonauts. And they gave him lovers galore.

According to them, he tried everything, both lads and damsels. His lovers included people he never even met, as well as some familiar faces, like Iolaus, even if they thought he was his bloody nephew...but well, in ancient times that didn't matter and we gods still don't care at all.

Sometimes, the princesses of the places he visited said that he was the father of their children, the product of an affair. After all, what king would be angry if his grandson belonged to good Heracles? What a surprise these people got when, once they went to heaven, he had to explain to them that he never had any children.

Thousands of years later, he had to explain to young children that he didn’t know how to sing…and then asked for them to teach him certain songs. Oh, he really knew how to sing Go To The Distance…

It's funny how the humans knew he had the lion skin coat with the head of this beast included, since our hero never got to wear it beyond the skirt he wore. Why yes, the gods made him his famous cloak, but what happened to it?

Well, that Heracles had continued to go to Atlas, of course. He insisted the titan change with him once a week. The titan refused. He insisted to change with him once a month. The titan refused. He insisted on switching with him once a year....

“Okay, kid. But stop insisting! “ said Atlas.

“All right, Mr. Atlas,” said our hero. Heracles put on that part of the lion's skin to be comfortable holding the skies.

And when the titan was about to take it back....

“Wait! I wanted to give you this,” said our hero, who put it on him before the titan could protest.

“I didn't expect the lion of Nemea to end up as a rug” said the titan, he knew where it was from “don't you want it? Nothing can hurt you with that, boy.

“You need her more than I do,” said Heracles, and of course Atlas knew he would be too stubborn to take her back. He gave it to him every time they changed places....

In that way, our hero continued to see how humans became more evil, greedy, selfish... and yet he continued to love them. No idea how or why, but he continued to do so.

Atlas could go, during all those days, with his daughters. Eventually his other daughter Maya, and his brother Prometheus, who slowly became a good friend of Heracles, also joined them. And so it went for four thousand years...

Until the words of the titan became real.

During the Ragnarok tournament, the Valkyrie Brunhilde sent Jack The Ripper, the ultimate example of human evil, to fight against our hero. Remember the impressive arena that was made for his battle, representing all of London?

Oh, you do, and do you remember who built it?

That's right: Huginn and Muninn, the ravens that accompanied him in all his adventures. None of them imagined that the stage they so painstakingly made (and which they had to prevent Shiva from wanting to help, for he is god of destruction) would be used to finish off the boy they accompanied for so long. They couldn't even mourn him, they knew Lord Odin would look down on them. But it hurt, of course, and the guilt gnawed at their insides.

The lion skin would have kept Heracles from having his arm cut off with the huge Big Ben clock, no doubt about it. That much the titan, who watched the whole fight from his position, knew.

And no, just because he fought on the side of the gods doesn't mean he hated humanity. Heracles had honor, something many humans have forgotten today. His plan to ask the gods to spare mankind if he won might have worked, had he gone before his uncle Poseidon.

It is curious how so many humans wished for Heracles to habe won. Entire villages, those that he had freed from the plagues, some that he simply helped...well you already knew that, you remember that brat Castor, the Theban boy who was his friend. And he was not the only one: Iolaus, the boy, now man, that Heracles met when he went against the hydra, was also one of those who wept when he saw him dead, along with his father, with whom he was now reunited in the heavens. The Cretan maidens likewise fell into tears, as did Hylas, who died as an adult, and his brother Abderus (curiously, humans came to believe that he was not only Heracles' lover, but also Hermes' son. Just because he had somewhat reddish eyes unusual for humans, was good at picking any lock, his hair was black and he had a mole on his chin does not mean that he was!)

All of humanity would have rather lost than see Heracles die, while embracing such a vile being.

.

The titan Atlas mourned his friend from his desolate position. It wasn't just because he would no longer be able to see his daughters and brother again, or even that dragon: he genuinely liked the boy.

“I told you your heart would be your undoing...” he sighed to himself. Yes, an eternity awaited him holding the heavens, and worse, such a noble boy had died.

He didn't even notice that someone was coming to him.

You saw how upset the God of War was after the death of our hero. You don't need to be a psychic to know that he withdrew to weep bitterly after that round: Heracles was his best friend for all those years, and moreover, his brother. He did not even weep in such a way for his uncles who died in the same battle.

Ares is a peculiar god. Like his parents, he is blond and has blue eyes. A deity certainly attractive: strong, beefy, and he is even one of the few gods taller than Heracles himself. Of course, he's not the smartest....

But despite what humans think, he has a big heart. Maybe he did try to destroy Thebes, and sure he supported exterminating mankind, but by the gods, what is this nonsense about him wanting to overthrow father or plotting against Olympus? First of all, I don't know how humans in a certain movie about an Amazon forgot that he is their patron god, secondly, he would never ally himself with Kronos or someone so idiotic to become a lighting thief, and thirdly, he wouldn't be so cruel as to kidnap a half-brother demigod of his and hand him over to Thanatos.

We speak of the god who, when he saw the emperor Qin Shi Huang sitting on the side of the gods, tried to help him return to the side of the humans himself, believing he was lost.

Heracles had told him of his trips to see Atlas and to hold the skies. Also, how he wished the titan would at least change once a month. Shortly after the tournament, while he was sadly petting his pet boar, whom he had named Erimanthus, the god told his porcine friend his plan.

Although he did not like him, he spoke to Prometheus and told him to go with the Mayan nymph to the garden. Then, to Atlas' surprise, the god took the heavens on his shoulders.

“What are you doing here, boy,” asked Atlas, surprised.

“I came to change places with you,” answered the god. It was heavy, and very heavy, just as Heracles said, but...”my friend insisted that you should change once a month...I am not as patient as he is, so we will change every month from now on, and I don't accept complaints!

The titan sighed, he couldn't help but smile, “well, at least let me lend you the lion skin, then,” he even ignored the tears the god had in his eyes, he clearly missed his brother.