A Fantasy Book Series Based On Greek Mythology
Mythos by Jonny Capps
Series Excerpt
Hera had never liked Hercules.
Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, a mortal woman. While this was not the first of Zeus’ affairs, Alcmene was beneath the standards that Hera had set, even for Zeus’ extramarital conquests. Gods, after all, are almost expected to sleep around. Hera herself, the goddess of marriage, had gotten into her own share of affairs. Alcmene, however, was unworthy. Her illegitimate child was therefore unworthy as well.
When Hercules was still a supposedly defenseless infant, Hera made an attempt to eliminate him. She set two venomous serpents loose in his crib. To this end, Hercules first showed his inhuman strength. Taking a serpent in each hand, he strangled them both. Whether this was intentional or simply an infant’s attempt at exercising newly found muscles is not known. Later, when his nurse came in to check on him, she found Hercules playing with the two dead snakes as if they were toys.
Through his youth, Hercules had little influence from the gods. He grew to be a healthy young man, having the strength of ten others. Alcmene’s human husband, Amphitryon, adopted and raised Hercules as if he were his own. He received no special treatment, either positive or negative, through his youth. Amphitryon was a farmer, and one day he sent Hercules to tend to the cattle. Hercules herded the cattle onto the side of a mountain nearby his home. As the cattle grazed, young Hercules noticed two beautiful women approaching him. These women were actually nymphs. They introduced themselves to Hercules as Pleasure and Virtue, informing him that they each had an offer for him. With her long, blond hair flowing behind her, Pleasure grew close to Hercules, running her nimble fingers through his hair and down his back. Rubbing her perfect body against his own, Pleasure kissed him gently on his neck, again on his cheek, and again behind his ear, nibbling gently upon his earlobe. Her breath smelled of sweet honey as she made her offer: a pleasant and easy life, but without adventure and satisfaction.
The second nymph, Virtue, made no attempt to seduce Hercules. Whilst Pleasure continued to lavish herself on the young man, Virtue, with her strong body and auburn hair, stood her ground. She simply smiled at Hercules and offered a severe but glorious life. It would be more difficult than he could ever anticipate, but he would be remembered for decades, even centuries, afterward. He would work for every glory he achieved, but because of this, each glory would truly be his own.
Hercules considered the choice that was presented to him. The offer of a pleasant and easy life was tempting, surely. It was also difficult to think of anything else, with the Pleasure nymph enrapturing him with her stimulation. Still, his earthly father had taught him the value of hard work. He had taught Hercules that hard work was its own reward, and that it would bring forth profit. A man who achieves a world of riches through the sweat of another is not a man at all. To truly know the value of something, one must first earn it.
With Pleasure’s arms still strung about his neck, Hercules locked eyes with Virtue and accepted her offer. Repulsed, Pleasure abandoned Hercules immediately, while Virtue stepped up to replace her. She smiled at the young man lovingly, and pulled his body close to her own in a tight embrace. Bringing her lips to his, she kissed him deeply. Hercules closed his eyes as her tongue filled his mouth. She did not taste or smell as sweetly as Pleasure had, but she was real and authentic. His saliva mixed with hers, and Hercules knew that he would never regret the choice he made. The kiss lasted for what felt like hours, and after it was through, Hercules opened his eyes to find that he was alone with the cattle once more. He could still feel Virtue’s breath inside of him.
Throughout this entirety, Hera watched him and waited for her moment.
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