The Legend of Perseus: The Labors

Ch. 5

Ch. 5

Perseus sat perched on the balls of his feet atop the wooden fence that gated in the sheep of the elderly Molorchus. The sun was just beginning it's ascent into the sky as the day's first lights crept over the horizon. The scene before him was serene and peaceful. The mountainous terrain surrounding the village provided a natural barrier, making the journey into and out of the valley a slow and difficult one but providing a sunrise view that rivaled any others he had seen in his short but adventurous life.

Perseus had been perched in the same spot, rocking back and forth for over an hour, his mind flooded with more thoughts than he could consciously understand. On the forefront of his brain was the task before him. In their journey to this moment, everything had seemed a little surreal and he doubted if he had ever truly comprehended what they were attempting to do. But here, at the present moment, it had finally become frighteningly real.

Over the previous six months his life had taken a dramatic turn and one he was very grateful for. He had learned many skills and done things he never would have imagined before meeting Heracles. But as he looked at the sun peeking through the hilltops, a sinking feeling was growing in his gut, threatening to make him sick at any moment.

Since Heracles had saved him from the Hellhound, they hadn't seen a single monster. They'd hunted wild animals but nothing mythical since that fateful night. In fact, they hadn't even seen a mythical creature since the Hellhound, something he was enjoying very much leading up to that moment.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. The meeting with the oracle could only be explained with some kind of magical or supernatural origination. And then there was the elderly woman and her cryptic message who vanished from existence in the blink of an eye. Those two things were certainly not normal but this was different.

Now they were hunting possibly the most dangerous creature that walked the earth; something said to be unable to be killed. A creature Heracles had said not even gods wished to find before them.

And yet, here they were, in a distant and alien village armed with little more than their bows and the duty of disposing of a beast none yet had been able to best.

A nagging voice in his mind told him to run. It had been his natural instinct for the better half of his life and to be fair, it had kept him alive. But he quashed those thoughts pretty quickly. He had thrown his lot in with Heracles and despite his young age, he was not a coward.

The sound of footsteps behind him quickly broke him from his musings. He didn't turn around, he kept his eyes on the sunrise as Heracles leaned up against the fence, staying silent and following his gaze to the sky.

"You should stay here, wait for my return." He tried to sound hopeful but at the same time, he didn't seem to truly want the words he spoke. It was obvious he did not want to do this alone and who could really blame him?

Instead of responding, Perseus dropped off the fence, stretching his stiff legs from his awkward sitting position.

"Are we ready?"

Heracles let out a small breath and nodded, "Aye, I packed up some food and here," he held out a quiver to the son of Poseidon who took it with an eye raised.

"Celestial Bronze arrows. We will have no use for anything else from this point on." Heracles explained as he handed Perseus his bow as well.

Without another word, the two walked back towards the road, taking the path north, towards the mountains and towards the unknown.

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