The Legend of Perseus: The Labors

Ch. 14

Ch. 14

The further they made their way north, the harsher they found the conditions. There were few roads and the ones that were there were covered in a deep layer of snow that was only growing deeper from the storm blanketing them as they forged on.

They'd been at it for over a month since leaving Chiron. Though the journey should have taken a few weeks at most, the travel was slow and they had to give themselves ample time to set up camp and build a fire to avoid freezing to death in the night.

"I miss Tiryns," Perseus grumbled as he followed Heracles' path through the snow. "I even miss King Eurystheus and his stupid herald."

Heracles just shook his head, "Yeah, well you could be carrying this huge bronze chain through the snow too. So just count your blessings that you only have to carry my bow and quiver."

"Oh yes," he drawled sarcastically, "the gods have truly blessed me. I get to freeze to death only carrying a bow. I should make a sacrifice to Zeus right now for the generosity of his son."

Heracles slowed his pace and turned around to watch Perseus try to make his way through the deep snow. Though he'd been annoyed with the whining, he found himself smiling when he watched his friend grumpily kick snow out of his path.

Perseus ran right into Heracles and tripped stumbling backwards and landed in the snow. When he almost disappeared in the deep drifts, the son of Zeus laughed loudly.

Perseus was not nearly as amused as a heavy dose of snow found its way under his thick cloak and onto his already cold back. He jumped out of the snow and threw Heracles' bow at the older hero's feet.

"What the Hades?!" He snapped.

Heracles just smiled wryly, "Perhaps you need to pay better attention." He knelt down and picked up his bow and tossed it back to Perseus. Then he pointed in the distance ahead of them.

Through the whitewash of snow, the unmistakable outline of a large mountain could be seen. The visibility was so poor, they'd nearly reached the mountain before Heracles was able to spot it.

Perseus' anger fizzled before extinguishing completely. Laying eyes on their destination at last was the break he'd been waiting for. The snow and cold were harsh and he'd about had all he could handle of them. Though they still had an impossible task to complete before they could leave, at least the endless march through a wintry hell was over, for now.

Heracles let the massive chain fall off his shoulders. Though they couldn't be seen, his shoulders were deeply bruised from carrying so much weight for so long. The relief he felt at freeing himself of that burden was euphoric.

"Night is approaching. We'll make camp here for the night and try to come up with a plan for tomorrow. Be a lad and gather some wood." Heracles asked.

Gathering wood was about the last thing Perseus felt like doing but when he caught a look at the weariness on Heracles' face, he just nodded. Even though he'd been the one complaining, it was clear the journey was harder for Heracles. He grasped his pendant and thought about an ax. He felt the familiar weight of the tool he needed in his hand as he approached a downed tree leaning into another.

He felt grateful to his father. His gift was an invaluable asset for him. It could turn into anything that could be considered a weapon. He'd tested its limits but it seemed to have a pretty broad definition of weapon and could vary in size to accommodate his needs. He wished he could properly thank his dad but after his father's warning, he had a feeling it could be a long time before he saw the sea god again.