Hercules and his Twelve Labors

The Eleventh Labor: The Apples of the Hesperides Part IV

The sky does fall with crushing weight
To bear it high the heroes fate.
Till Atlas god of stars returns
At least if vows the god's not spurn.

But load does crush his very soul
And demi-god regrets his role.
To bear the sky to pay for boon
Is price to high and awful doom.

So day and night does come and go
And hero starts to sink in woe.
He's sure that Atlas fled his chore
For crushing weights what Titan bore.

The hours stretch like thousand years
And fill the demi-god with fear
At role he took without a thought
For everlasting gloom he's bought.

For price of apples golden gleam
The godling sold his soul in scheme.
To buy the shinning fruit from hand
With labor heroes foolish plan.

Then after woe had sunk in deep
The god returns to mountain keep.
"These golden apples Titan brought
From hidden garden hero sought."

My daughters guard the golden trees
For crimes they pay the gods this fee."
And Titan saw despaimg look
That hero thought himself forsook.

With pitying face he takes the sky
And lifts the frame on up and high.

So hero's stunned at mercy shown.
For Titan Atlas free to roam

The world so wide had chosen fate
By shortest time he'd learn to hate.
"You've taken sky from godlings back
Though weight does hurt and body wrack.

To spare this godling fate so cruel
And proven well your justly rule.
I swear on Styx the ancient creek
That world I'll scour and havoc wreak.

To free the god of stars from chore
Of weight that single man has bore.
For epochs longs both day and night
For some unknowing ancient slight.

When all my chores I finished fast
And've seen my wife again at last.
I'll come and find a way to free
The Titan god from horrid fee."

The Titan speaks in thund'rous boom
To tell the godling brothers doom.
"My brother Prometheus lays in pain
In hottest sun and coldest rain.

To mountain side the Titans chained
A horrid fate my brothers gained.
An eagle comes and liver eats
This cruelest act a daily feat.

Then deep in night his liver grows
So Titan faces endless woe.
This trial was brought for helping man
To give them fire Titans plan.

That men could make and build at night
And live without the darkness fright.
So Titan stole the flames from sun
To man he brought them, fate was spun.

Then gods when hearing deed he wrought
To punish Titan quickly sought.
So go to mount and break his chains
And Titan ally godling gains.

He'll build a pillar great and strong
That'll hold the sky for ever long.
And free this god from dreaded fate
To hold the sky I've learn to hate.

So sparing man from deadly fall
Thus forcing all to Hades call."
The hero nods to show he heard
And ever onward godlings spurred.

To finish fast his last of task
And quickly end his twelve of acts.