Almighty Hercules, Page 2

CHAPTER 2: Blessings of Zeus

  A veil drapes the monument towering above the Parthenon. A marble column is the podium that holds the gift from Zeus. Two files of men stand on each side tugging the lines that restrain the wind blown veil, as two Greek kings finish dedicating this trophy to Hercules.

  The man of honor stands before the audience with his head tilted skyward. His fist rest on his waist supporting his propped arms. Clapping hands and cheering erupt in praise to their hero that has vanquished evil for so long from their land. The two kings give the order to drop the veil.

  The magnificent golden head with its four giant faces radiate over all Athens. Their humble hero bows in acceptance to their repeating celebrating chants, “Hercules, Hercules, Hercules...”

  As the crowd quiets Hercules remembers the words his father Zeus told him. To honor his father he must speak the words.

  “We dedicate this monument to the gods. May it forever stand in remembrance to their kindness.” Hercules waits for the audience to subside their clapping hands before speaking the final phrase. “May every man know the heart of Zeus.”

  The ground beneath slowly begins to vibrate. The surrounding buildings begin to crack. Dark menacing clouds appear out of a clear blue sky. A spider web of lightening bolts rain down on the Parthenon as deafening thunderbolts explode chunks of marble from off the temple. The audience disperses in every direction but there seems no safe place to hide. The people scream out, “Help us Hercules!”

  A momentary silence is restored as the people huddle near their hero. They hear the golden gift as it begins to twirl upon its pedestal. It spins faster and faster as a vision of Zeus's face appears amidst the blur.

  “I have heard your prayers. But they are not to me. Since you worship another god, I will let him be your savior. I give you four more gifts. If you survive them I will again hear your prayers.”

  Zeus's face dissolves as the spinning head slows to a stop. The trembling audience begs mercy from the gods. The golden face of the man speaks.

  “No mercy was shown to me in life. Neither will you receive mercy. We bring you four torments. I bring you the first.”

  The people move away from Hercules. They curse him for bringing this damnation upon them.

  “Since you are devoted to Hercules, I give you the power to praise your mortal god without ceasing.”

  The sinister face laughs as it looks down mocking the human god.

  Every tongue whispers prayers to Hercules. Their voices become one chanting choir that is unable to stop. Hercules is the only one not under the spell. A passing mother hurries by as both her and her new born shout blessings before running homeward. An old man stands before him wishing to ask what Hercules plans to do to break this spell. But, he is only able to say, “You are the most high. You are my god.”

  No matter where a person runs to, or how far they travel from the demigod, his praise remains on their lips.

  No one has slept in three days or been able to communicate their needs or desires. Eating and drinking leads to choking as their words never cease. Citizens of Greece lay in the streets waiting for their demise as Hercules watches knowing he is powerless to help.

  Hercules whistles for the winged horse Pegasus. The white stallion lands in the acropolis as he races to mount the winged creature. “To Delphi,” he orders Pegasus. “Be off,” he commands.

  Hours later they descend through the morning mist covering the rough mountainous countryside. Hercules tells Pegasus, “Wait here at the base of the temple steps.” He climbs the rugged stairway leading to the ancient temple. A cloaked being awaits at the entrance.

  Hercules stands before him and then kneels. “I've come to request a solution from the Oracle. My people are in great distress and torment. May I inquirer of the Oracle what to do?”

  “I am the priest and protector of the temple. You may ask your question of the Oracle, but you must pay a penance first.”

  “What do you require and I will pay it.

  “Be careful what you ask Hercules.” The protector lifts his budding rod from under his cloak and lays it over Hercules shoulder. “Are you really willing to sacrifice your most cherished possession to save your people?”

  He humbly whispers, “To save my people I will do any righteous thing.”

  The buds of the rod grow into vines that crawl around Hercules neck. They blossom with leaves as they twist three times around his throat.

  “What you require cost more than the normal tribute of gold and silver. What you need is divine intervention. This comes at a higher cost.” The vine begins to close tight as the Protector continues. “I will ask you a riddle. If you are successful, I will allow you to inquire of the Oracle. If you are inaccurate with your reply, these vines of Vulcan will choke the very strength from you, and then your life. Do you agree with these terms?”

  Hercules feels the supernatural strength from the leafy noose choking him. He realizes this is his last chance to save his life. The fearless Hercules responds, “Ask your question!”

  “Here is my riddle. What is greater than Zeus, is more wicked than Hades? The rich desire it, the poor have it. And, if you eat this you will die.”

  Hercules feels the mounting pressure around his neck as his hands grip the vines closing around his throat. He feels his strength vanishing as he frantically searches for the solution. He pulls apart the vines with his mighty hands to retrieve a single gulp of air, but he can only slow their squeezing that steals his breath and power.

  His mind rest in his thought he is about to die. A dream comes to him as he begins his eternal sleep.

  Hercules sees his dear departed mother. She runs to him and wraps her loving arms around her darling son. “How I missed you my son.” He cries and trembles in her embrace. “Why are you so upset my child?”

  “I have let you down mother. I have brought a curse upon all Greece.”

  She continues to embrace him as she strokes his hair. “It is not you that has brought this curse. It is your prideful father that kills the people. I will help you with your answer. You will awake again. Remember this. What greater love is there than mine for you? What greater love is there from you to your people?”

  His mother slips from his embrace as he so desperately tries to hold on. He wakes once more to see the skull face of the Protector hidden just inside his hood. He remembers what his dear mother said. Instead of answering the Priest riddle he answers his mother's instead.

  Hercules strains to cough out his one word solution, “Nothing.”

  “You have answered wisely.” The Protector disappears revealing the path to the Oracle.

  Hercules continues up the worn stone path toward the fissure in the earth. A marble table lay before it with a veiled woman sprawling across its top. Mist climbs up through the fiery crack below. It swirls over her as its coldness eerily strokes Hercules feet. It invites him to step closer.

  He cautiously obliges the ominous presence by stepping five paces forward.

  I know your question Hercules. The answer you seek is found in another riddle. I will tell you. First, know this” She laughs as she speaks. “The gods and goddesses require your prayers. This is the source of their eternal strength. To destroy the curse you must weaken the gods.” She twist as a snake over the table and raises her head to his face.

  “How can one beat a god? Is it through might, or is it through cunning? How might a farmer rid himself of ravenous wolves. Is it through strength, or is it through wisdom? That is the first riddle you must answer.”

  Hercules mind repeats her words so as not to forget the riddle. He listens as she speaks once more.

  “This is green as the Elysian fields, and as sweet as honey nectarine. It is taste of ambrosia to man, but as sour as rotten meat to the gods. Men search for it, but gods hide it. If you can retrieve it, the people will devour it. These are you answers. Now go.”

  The Oracle slithers off the table and descends in the earth. Her veil ripples in the
current of the mist still churning atop the alter. From under it comes a green hideous gas. A whiff of the odorous substance causes Hercules to convulse. He runs from the poison toward Pegasus.

  He quickly mounts the winged friend before yelling “Away!”

  Hercules mind recalls both riddles but is clueless to their answers. There is one special place he believe he might find the answers. It lay due east across the great Aegean sea. He knows he must hurry as thoughts of his people perish.

  Two hundred leagues from the coast of Greece is an island. Hercules orders his friend to descend. On the beach he strokes the side of Pegasus cheek. “Wait her my friend. I will return shortly. If I do not return by sunset, leave this place. For then surely, all hope is lost.”

  Hercules climbs the side of the mountain that is laden with a thousand cave entrances. He worries more for the safety of his winged friend than the dangers he faces ahead. He knows there are creatures that guard this place. Some crafty wait in hiding as others fear nothing of their prey.

  Once before he has traveled here. He remembers the secret to find the correct entrance. All the other entrances are traps to kill the unwise. Just below the middle of the precipice he stops his assent. From off the cliff's face he yanks a bush. He pulls a flint-stone from his pocket and begins striking it against the mountain face. He catches the sparks with the bush and begins to blow upon it. Fire and smoke rage upward as he holds his torch. He patiently watches the smoke rise leaving trails of fingers into the caves. Coughing and growling drift out of the entrances the smoke crawls in.

  Hercules sees it. It is the one cave entrance the smoke blows away from. He carries his torch as he climbs toward the opening, jabbing it at Harpies, and beast peeking out their caves. He hoist himself into the opening while pointing the bush ahead. He burns the webs of spiders that light the entire passage through the long tunnel. He ventures one hundred steps before the light burns out. There is still a light ahead at the end of this darkened shaft.

  He enters a vast chamber. He is amazed at seeing magnificent mechanical devices that click, grind, and churn. Some rise to the height of the chamber, and others small enough to perform intricate task. In the center of the chamber sits a very old man. His gray straggly hair touches the floor. His hand beckons Hercules to come near.

  “It has been a good long time since I saw you last Hercules. Come close so my failing eyes my view your presence.”

  “I have missed you Methuselah.”

  “It seems you have grown as huge as a human man can before he explodes.” Methuselah laughs at his comment as Hercules smiles at his amusing complement. “Well, what do you want? That is the only reason anyone comes to visit.”

  “I have come to inquire of you, but I also come with a gift.” Hercules holds up a golden apple, a trophy from a previous adventure.

  “Great Zeus.” Methuselah proclaims. “I thought you gave them all back to Athena?”

  “No, I hid but one. And, it is now yours.”

  He snatches the prize from Hercules hand. “The gods and goddesses would kill for this. One bite will make a mortal wise as one of them and give him eternal life.” He stares at his gift as he journeys to a case were his numerous scrolls are kept. He lays a clean white cloth atop the case before neatly centering the golden treasure. He ponders it momentarily before returning to Hercules.

  “Ask your question Hercules. I know you desire haste in your return to your Greek's.”

  Hercules states, “I have two riddles and a question. Might you answer them?”

  “Tell me your riddles.”

  “How can one beat a god? Is it through might, or is it through cunning? How might a farmer rid himself of ravenous wolves. Is it through strength, or is it through wisdom?

  Hercules finishes the first riddle and waits for his answer.

  Methuselah use everyone of his nearly thousand years of knowledge to ponder the question.

  “You must make the gods and goddesses more jealous of themselves than of you. What is the next riddle?”

  “Before I go to the next riddle, I need to know how to accomplish this feat.”

  “If the people praise the gods, the gods become stronger. But if the people praise only the most worthy god, the gods become jealous of who this god might be. Thus, the gods fight amongst themselves. Now, tell me the next riddle..”

  Hercules recites, “This is green as the Elysian fields, and as sweet as honey nectarine. It is taste of ambrosia to man, but as sour as rotten meat to the gods. Men search for it, but gods hide it. If you can retrieve it, the people will devour it.”

  “This answer is simple. It is the moss of Endure. Gods hate it because it has the most repugnant smell. One taste is poison to their very tongue.”

  “Why is it so good for man but so awful for the gods?”

  “That too is simple. This moss grows only on the trees of humility in the Endure forest. Its very essence vanquishes vanity. This is why the vain gods hate it so.”

  “Where can I find it?”

  “Follow the Spring of Olympus to the hidden garden of All Innocence. The moss grows just past the Pool of True Reflection. There you may cultivate your antidote. Bring it to the people and wipe small amounts on their lips. This will not break Zeus's curse, but it will allow you to control whom they pray to. Finally, what is your last question?”

  “Why did you not bite the golden apple?”

  Methuselah laughs. “I'll tell you why with all wisdom. I do not wish to be like the vain gods. To be all knowing would destroy the joy of adventure. There would be no need to think. I enjoy solving things. What do I need with eternal life? I've already lived too long. Go now. The darkness approaches and you horse is at risk.”

  Hercules runs out the chamber and then leaps from the cliff. He watches as Pegasus rares up fighting several flying Harpies. Pegasus notices his falling friend and takes to flight to catch him,

  “Mount Olympus! Away.”

  About midnight on the forth day of the curse the glare of moonlight reveals the spring. Its sparkle trickles down the side of Mount Olympus. He guides Pegasus over the twisting stream that disappears below the ground ahead. He sees an opening in the ground that he follows downward. The rushing river settles into a still pond just ahead. The beauty surrounding him is a marvel to his eyes. He thinks I know why the gods hid this place from man. It is as beautiful as the Elysian Fields. Giant sunflowers illuminate this heaven. Every color of flower decorates the entire gentle roaming countryside. He sees there are all sorts of fruit trees bound heavy with ripen harvest. He thinks this sweet fragrance must be the perfume of the goddesses. This must be the Garden of All Innocence.

  He sets down on the edge of the pond that reflects like a mirror. He dismounts while telling Pegasus, “You've earn a reward. Feast on the sweet grass this place must hold. The stallion's thirst is greater than his hunger. He moves to drink from the still waters. Hercules feels his thirst needs quenching also. He bends to sip but sees Pegasus reflection in the water. It is the innocence of a newborn colt reflecting off the pond surface. Hercules looks down and sees himself, but it is not as he imagined. Half his face belongs to his adoring loving mother, and the other half is wrinkled with the waring face of Zeus. He realizes this pond reflects what truly exists on the inside. He takes this memory with him that he will carry the rest of his life.

  In the distance he sees the green outline of small hills. This is where he will begin his search. He does not see any forest as he climbs the soft plush hill. He reaches down and grabs a small amount of the green growing at his feet. He plucks a bit before raising it to his eyes. The texture feels like moss. He smells the sweet aroma that is more delightful than honeysuckle. He dabs the tip of it on his tongue. He instantly taste ambrosia, the wonderful food of the gods. He knows this must be the moss of Endure. But, he sees no forest. Just to make sure, Hercules jabs his hand in the green he plucked the moss from. His fingers are surprised to feel roots running in every direction.
He yanks up and pulls over and over to find it is a tree. He realizes these trees grow downward. This must be a tree of humility because it bows down. The forest of Endure must be hidden all around me. He hurries and gathers handfuls of the moss. He pushes the moss deep inside his empty sack.

  He whistle to his steady steed. “Come Pegasus! To Athens and away.”

  Hercules sees most of the citizens lay as they die in the streets. Their prayers to him can hardly be heard. He faces another perplexity. He thinks I could never get this to all the people in time to administer the antidote. “Pegasus. Land on the Parthenon.” He dismounts and then rushes to the roof's edge. “Rise up quickly Pegasus. Wait in the sky until I tell you what to do.”

  As his winged friend rises, Hercules summons all his strength by yelling the source of his power, “Mount Olympus!” He tears half the roof off the Parthenon and holds it straight up in the air. He balances it with one arm as his other hand crushes the sack containing the moss. He holds the sack to his mouth and rips it open with his teeth. He flings the contents high in the sky. He quickly returns his hand alongside his other arm holding the roof's edge. He quickly begins fanning the moss up and up.. “Pegasus. I need you to stretch out your wings and spin around.” His friend does not question his tactic as he begins turning in circles. Faster and faster he spins as Hercules flaps higher and higher the green moss spores. The green cloud breezes off in all directions high up in the atmosphere. When he is sure it will reach all Greece he commands Pegasus, “Stop. We have finished here.”

  He mounts his trusty friend and flies over the city. He shouts out, “You are free to pray to the god you desire. Not by name, but by worthiness!”

  The green mist settles to the ground as Hercules watches these starving tongues lap the green delicacy. The substance has empowered their voices as their prayers shout out once more. These prayers are directed to the most worthy of the gods. These prayers are for the most beautiful of the deity.

  The ground rumbles and splits as the four face beast speaks once more. Every tongue becomes thankfully silent.

  The man's face shouts with the voice of Zeus, “You have caused strife amongst the gods with your trickery and deception! I have ended the first curse. See if you are as cunning with this next blessing!”