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.
After chopping several large branches off the trunk, he gathered up the dead wood and lugged it back to where he could see Heracles had already started a small fire. He dropped the firewood and put himself inches from the flames as he relished the feeling of warmth that had become so alien to him.
After cutting the branches smaller and building up the fire, Perseus went off to retrieve more wood. He made a handful of trips until they had enough wood piled up to keep the fire burning strong into the night.
Heracles had cooked up the last of their meat and broken a piece of bread in half, giving the larger portion to his companion before devouring his meal.
Once they'd eaten and set up a small tent to fend off the frigid winds, the two heroes stood silently around the fire.
"So," Perseus asked finally. "Do we have a plan?"
"A plan," Heracles repeated. He seemed to think about the question for a minute before shrugging his broad shoulders, "Well, we usually come up with plans, which then promptly go to Hades. This time, I think we'll skip the planning and just wing it. We'll try to use Chiron's advice but ultimately, it will be in the hands of the gods."
Perseus tried to get closer to the fire, but if he took another step, he'd be standing in the coals.
"The hands of the gods," he mused. "Let's hope it'll be the hands of gods that like us. I really don't want to see what the ones that don't would have in store for us."
Heracles looked at his young companion and knew what he was saying. Hera was the reason they were in this miserable place. He hoped his father or maybe Apollo would look favorably upon them in their hunt tomorrow. But there was a little voice in the back of his mind telling him that this wasn't going to be the moment when his luck finally turned in his favor.
-X-
Their sleep was far from pleasant. The fire blazed through the night but it did little to help against the arctic conditions. It was almost a relief when they were awakened by the sound of thunder overhead.
Or, at least they thought it was thunder.
Perseus was grabbed roughly out from under his his blankets and pulled from the tent before he even realized what happened.
He barely had time to register what was going on as Heracles dove away from their tent as an enormous creature barreled through the snow and right through their tent. All Perseus could make out was a blur of dark muscular skin and two big tusks that ripped through their tent like it wasn't even there.
They landed in the snow and both rolled away from each other, Perseus' bow appearing in his hand and Heracles drew the sword he had been sleeping with. But the boar just continued its torrid path of destruction right through their camp and then into the woods, leaving the two heroes standing there in shock.
"By the gods," Heracles was breathing heavily. "It's a bit bigger than I thought it would be."
Perseus felt the same way. When he'd pictured this quest, he'd imagined a boar, a little larger than a normal one, maybe with an attitude problem. But what they saw made Perseus was to burrow himself into the snow and wait for spring.
It was over fifteen feet tall and just as long. It's body was just a mess of rippling muscles and fur to go along with a huge maw and two tusks that looked as deadly as they were ugly.
Of course looking back at their previous quests, he realized that his guess was foolish. Of course they were hunting a boar that looked like it'd give a god trouble, never mind two demigods.
"Come, Perseus." Heracles' voice broke him from his musings. "Let's go, maybe we can finish this today and leave this forsaken place."
Heracles was rummaging through their destroyed tent until he found his bow. He thanked the gods it was still in one piece and hoisted it and his quiver over his shoulder. He then grabbed the godly sized chain they'd gotten from Chiron and bounded off through the snow after the monster.
Perseus watched him bound off through the snow with deep strides and cursed quietly. He was less than half as tall as the son of Zeus which made going through the snow twice as hard. He silently vowed that if he ever got out the winter wonderland he'd find whatever god or goddess was in charge of snow and put a couple bronze arrows in their backsides.
-X-
It took until the early afternoon to catch up to the monstrous boar. It wasn't hard to track, the beast left a trail of death and destruction wherever it went. A few brave souls had tried to defend their homes but were left maimed and discarded like everything else the boar touched.
Perseus couldn't help but get angrier as they followed the monster's chaotic path. There was no method to its madness, it was just destroying for the sake of destroying. The poor victims did nothing but try to protect their homes and were dealt horrific deaths for their efforts.
Finally the Erymanthian Boar seemed to run out of steam and allowed the two heroes to close in on it. They didn't need time to plan, they'd been together long enough that they knew what to do.
The boar was snorting and stomping around a destroyed hut that looked like it had been an earlier victim of the monster. The home was beat down and had a fresh layer of snow on it. It was likely somewhere the beast had found food on a previous day and it had returned to look for more to scavenge.
Perseus took off to the left, his bow in one hand and an arrow ready on the other. Heracles crept forward, the monster still hadn't detected their presence and he wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.
When he was within twenty yards of the monster, he crouched down in the snow and waited. The boar's head snapped up as it scanned the area with beady black eyes. It sensed danger close but couldn't locate the source yet.
Then the twang of an arrow being released and the thud of it landing in the tree above its head sent the animal into a frenzy.
"REEEEET! REEEEET! REEEEEEET!" It squealed loudly and turned around to bolt when a monstrous figure burst from the snow. The head of a lion and the body of a man, the massive boar's feet slipped in the snow as it tried to find traction.
Two more arrows thudded into the tree right above the boar's head sent it into a full on panic. Its tusks whirled around in a frenzy and charged right at the half-lion, half-man.
Heracles saw the monster turn on him and readied himself. He had planned to smoothly jump onto the monsters back and wrangle it to the ground, similar to how he had handled the Nemean Lion.
Of course, that is not how things went down. For one, he didn't really account for his lack of leverage as he stood in thigh deep snow. Also, the way the boar charged sent snow flying in all directions as it ran. By the time it closed in on him, all he could see was a wall of white snow.
He would have been run through if Perseus hadn't been so quick on his feet.
Seeing Heracles setting himself up for a painful greeting with the monster, he climbed the tree beside him and ran along a thick branch before launching himself in the air. When the monster was just a few feet from Heracles, Perseus landed hard on its back. To stop himself from being thrown off, he grabbed two thick handfuls of its wispy fur. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't enough to keep him steady and he ended up rolling off its back with two thick handfuls of the boar's hair.
"REEEEEEEEEEET!" The monster screeched in outrage as its hair was unceremoniously ripped from its body. It came to a skidding stop in the snow just feet from the son of Zeus and whirled around in a rage. It found the offender climbing to his feet still holding its fur in it hands.
Perseus' shoulder felt like it was on fire. Pain seared through his mind as he pulled himself from the snow. When he finally looked up, all he could see was a grunting and snoring giant boar glaring at him from way closer than he would have liked.
"Oh Styx," he cursed under his breath as the monster charged at him. Luckily for him, he was smaller and much more agile than the lumbering beast. He waited until the last second and then dove into the snow to his left. He almost regretted it when he felt his shoulder throb in pain. He couldn't even lift it, it felt like it had been detached from his body and was now utterly useless to him.
He was so distracted by the pain in his shoulder, he almost didn't see the boar coming around for another charge. It turned out not to matter. With a roar that would have rivaled most monsters, Heracles barreled straight at the boar while its attention was on Perseus.
He slammed his shoulder in the monster's side and sent it rolling in the snow.
"Come, we can bind it now." Heracles called over to Perseus. But when he looked he saw his young friend's arm hanging awkwardly and knew he'd dislocated his shoulder. "Forget it," he called when Perseus was trying to gather himself together. "Tend to yourself, I can handle this one."
Perseus looked like he wanted to argue but when he tried to raise his hand in objection, he winced so hard he fell back onto his butt in the snow.
"Yeah," he agreed and rolled over burying his arm and shoulder in the snow, "you got this."
Heracles watched Perseus sink back into the snow before turning to the monster as it climbed back to its feet.
"Alright!" He bellowed at the boar. "You and me! Let's go, big boy!" Rather than draw his bow or sword, he stalked towards the beast with nothing but his big meaty hands for weapons.
The boar, recovered from the surprisingly powerful blow from Heracles, huffed and snorted as it eyed its attacker. Like the cornered animal it was, the boar reacted first, charging straight at Heracles.
This time, Heracles was prepared. His footing was solid and his sight line on the beast was clear. As it closed the distance, Heracles heard Perseus call out a warning but it was ignored. Heracles knew what he was doing. At the last second, he kicked up some snow in the monster's face, which was enough to give it the moment's hesitation he needed.
His hands shot out and grabbed hold of the boar's tusks as he tried to plant his feet as solidly as he could in the snowy earth. His feet slid back but he kept his grip on the tusks as he put as much resistance as he could. The boar continued charging, pushing the son of Zeus backwards while Heracles just made it as difficult as he could, not allowing himself to be run over, just making the monster earn each and every step it took.
This continued on for almost a full minute. The beast pushed, trying to run the hero over; Heracles keeping hold of the tusks and being pushed backwards, his feet sliding over the snowy ground but making each foot the monster gained as taxing as possible.
Finally though, the boar began to tire. It's pushing was not as strong and was getting weaker until Heracles felt he had the advantage. He planted his foot and pushed back, stopping the monster in its tracks. Not wanting to miss his chance, Heracles twisted his arms, wrenching the monster's head around before it let out a pained "REEEEEET!"
Heracles swung his foot around as he continued to yank the monster by its tusks. It tripped over his foot and crashed into the snow. Despite his exhaustion, Heracles pinned the monster down and tried to grab the huge chain still hanging over his shoulders.
"I got it." Perseus used his good arm pulled with everything he had. He managed to slide the celestial bronze metal from Heracles' broad shoulders before handing it to the son of Zeus.
Heracles didn't waste any time. He first bound the monster's back legs and then the front. He looped the chain around the monster's neck and then collapsed into the snow. The fatigue of his pushing match with the Erymanthian Boar had taken a toll. He could barely move. His entire body felt like it was a mix between liquid and solid, and every movement just sent waves of pain through his body.
Perseus let himself fall butt-first into the snow beside him.
"Well, I guess Chiron's advice wasn't necessary."
Heracles, who had shut his eyes as he tried to recover his strength, opened one eye, "I'd been planning on using his idea until you went and hurt yourself."
Perseus' jaw hung open and a look of indignation covered his face, "If I didn't, you'd be a bleeding mess in the snow right now."
Heracles' lips curled into a sardonic smile, "I had it under control."
Perseus tried to throw his hands up in objection but when he did, he doubled over clutching his right shoulder in agony.
Heracles pulled himself out of the snow and put a hand on Perseus' back as he writhed in the snow.
"I was kidding, my friend. Let me fix your shoulder and we can try to figure out what to do next."
Perseus sat up and looked warily at Heracles. He wasn't sure he wanted his shoulder fixed. He had a feeling it would involve a lot more pain for him and he really wasn't looking forward to that right now.
"Your shoulder had popped out. I need to put it back in or it won't start healing." Heracles urged seeing his look.
Perseus just nodded solemnly and closed his eyes, preparing for what he knew would hurt a lot.
Heracles grabbed his hand and shook it gently, trying to get Perseus to relax. When he did a little, he wrenched his arm up and pushed it hard. The sickening pop was heard and Perseus howled in pain. He cursed Heracles with every curse he knew as he rolled in the snow in pain. But when he finally stopped, he found that while still very painful, he could at least move his arm again.
He slowly climbed back to his feet and almost tripped over the struggling Erymanthian Boar as it tried in vain to free itself from its bindings.
"Ouch, uh, thanks."
Heracles nodded, knowing how painful it was having your shoulder popped back in place.
"So, how are we supposed to get that thing back to Tiryns?" Perseus said eyeing the monster.
Heracles looked like a fresh weight was placed on his shoulders as he slumped back into the snow, "I have no idea, my friend, no idea."
Perseus slumped back into the snow as the realization that their challenges were far from over. He wished they could catch a break for once. These trials were so taxing, he couldn't fathom why they needed to bring the beast back alive. His hatred for King Eurystheus was growing as the cold set in again.
As they sat there in the snow, contemplating their dilemma, Perseus thought he heard a voice in calling to him in the distance. He sat up and looked at Heracles.
"Did you hear that?"
Heracles opened his eyes and gave him a confused look, "Hear what?"
Perseus strained to listen but heard nothing, "I, I thought I heard something."
"Hearing voices is a sign that you're turning delirious, perhaps your starting to freeze to death."
Perseus ignored his comment. He kept listening, sure he had heard something. Just as he started to think Heracles was right, he heard it again.
"My lllllord."
Perseus stood up straight and looked into the distance.
"What is it?" Heracles asked, a little worried about his friend.
Perseus stared into the distance, searching.
"Perseus..." Heracles began.
"THERE!" He pointed to a spot forty or fifty yards away.
Heracles narrowed his eyes before they went wide.
Galloping through the snow and speeds that shouldn't have been possible were two steeds the same color as the snow they were kicking up as they ran.
Perseus stepped forward and Heracles put his arm out to stop him, unsure whether or not they should trust the appearance of these horses. Perseus just ducked under his arm though.
"It's fine, they're here to help."
Heracles looked at him skeptically, "How can you be sure?"
"They told me," Perseus said it like it should be obvious. But Heracles still felt a little uneasy about it as the steeds slowed their pace as they reached them. The two horses were large, bigger than any common equine.
The two horses lowered their head as they approached Perseus.
"My lllllord," they said in unision. "We are here to serve you."
Perseus rubbed the back of his head sheepishly but stopped when he found his long dark hair was frozen solid.
"Right, uh," he glanced at the Erymanthian Boar as it struggled in vain to free itself. "Do you think you could help us bring that thing back to Tiryns?"
The two horses whinnied and nodded their heads.
"Attach the chains to us and we will transport it and you to wherever you wish, my llllord."
"Okay," Perseus felt a little foolish responding to horses only he could hear speak. He turned to Heracles, "They said to attach the chains to them and they will bring it and us wherever we want."
Heracles looked back at the monster and then back to the steeds, "Uh, attach the chains to what?"
In response, harnesses appeared out of nowhere on the horses.
Perseus grinned, "To those, of course."
Heracles rolled his eyes but set to work. It took some effort and time to attach the two horses to the chains so that the weight was distributed evenly. But once they were, Perseus climbed awkwardly on ones of the horses' backs, still favoring his shoulder. Once they were both settled on their steeds, Perseus wasn't sure what to do.
"Uh, to Tiryns please."
The horses shot off at speeds that shouldn't have been possible, especially with such a massive burden trailing behind them, carving a large path through the snow and struggling every step of the way.
A.N: Uh, that was harder to write than I wanted. But done with labor # 4. Let me know what you thought, I wrote this in several different parts so Im not sure if its any good.