So this is the first chapter of my second story. So you understand what the chapters will be like, each of them is basically their own story with their own lead character. The only thing connecting them is Riptide. The chapters will each be based on a famous hero's story and how he used Riptide on his quest. This is the first story, soon after Riptide was created.
These chapters are longer than the ones in my last story and require more research, so I will definitely not be updating as frequently as I used to be. Also, this is a shorter story, so there will be fewer chapters.
Reviews are greatly appreciated. Ideas, comments, criticisms, etc are all welcome. Let me know if you think I should continue on with the story or not!
Disclaimer: I own none of this stuff.
The man picked up the bronze sword. He examined it, turning it around in his hands. Normally, his hands were the only weapons that he needed. But a hero is only as strong as his weapon, and while hands could fail, the man had a feeling that this sword would not.
He had watched the sword as it had been created. He had seen the girl infuse it with the power of the ocean and had felt the same power rush into the deadly weapon.
Yes; a hero is only as strong as his weapon. Perhaps it was time that he tried using a stronger weapon.
The man ran his finger up the edge of the sword. When he drew it back, there was a thin line of blood appearing rapidly where he touched the edge. From the day he had first laid eyes on it, the sword had never needed sharpening. The man doubted that it ever would. Not in his lifetime at least.
The man swung a cloak around his neck. It looked thick and golden, and upon closer examination the cloak appeared to be the skin of a lion.
He touched the tip of the sword with his finger. The sword began to shrink, becoming smaller and shining more brightly.
Left in the palm of the man's hand was a brooch. It appeared to have been shaped from a huge pearl. It was glowing white and shone brightly in his hand.
As it changed, the salty smell of the sea wafted in the air. He could have been imagining it, but the man swore that he could hear the sound of waves crashing onto a rocky beach.
He took up the brooch and used to fasten his lion-skin cape. He had a long journey ahead of him, and he had to be prepared for whatever the gods could throw at him.
Heroes have to prove themselves. Even though this man had proven himself many times, he still wanted glory. He had heard of another way to do this. Troy appeared to have a problem. One that he could solve.
The man set out for Troy.
-
He arrived at the newly created gates of Troy. They were truly an awe-inspiring sight. Created by the gods, they were said to be impossible to breach. Unfortunately these walls were the same reason that he was here. King Laomedon was truly a fool.
After Apollo and Poseidon had built these walls, Laomedon had refused to pay them what he had promised. The gods are vengeful. Poseidon set a sea monster on Troy, and the only way for the city to be saved was for the princess to be sacrificed.
The man shook his head. Not only was Laomedon a fool, he was a coward. He had decided to agree to Poseidon's demands and allow the monster to kill his daughter.
The man walked up to the walls of Troy and waited for entrance. No one knew that he was coming, but once they saw who he was, they would gladly let him in. Sure enough, after barely a minute of standing before the gates, he was allowed in.
He walked along the streets of Troy. Townspeople stared at him and whispered as he passed.
"Hercules… Can't really be him…"
He smiled to himself. Of course he was known even here. He was a living legend, almost a god among men.
Hercules walked up the front of the castle. Four guards stopped him with spears.
As if four men could stop him. However, he paused and looked at the leader in the eyes. The guard looked Hercules up and down.
He noticed the cape first. He took note of the lion skin and the build of the man.
He nodded and stepped aside. The three guards behind him followed suit.
"Go ahead," the guard said gruffly. "The king will be glad to see you."
Hercules walked up the stairs and into the castle of King Laemedon. He walked straight ahead and pushed open the doors into the throne room. King Laemedon was sitting on a throne made of stone, looked troubled. Rightly so.
Hercules walked up and knelt before the king- something that he detested, seeing as he believed he was stronger, more courageous, and more deserving of respect.
King Laemedon stood up also and spoke a single word.
"Hercules."
They discussed for nearly an hour. Hercules emerged from the throne room, happy with his deal. He had agreed to kill the monster and save the king's daughter in return for the horses of Laemedon.
The king was the exact time of man that Hercules hated. He should have been doing anything to rescue his daughter, but he seemed determined to argue to keep his horses. He was untrustworthy, cowardly, and at some points downright stupid.
Eventually, though, the king had conceded. Hercules could have his reward if he killed the monster.
Hercules headed up the path that led to the top of the cliff where the princess was waiting. According the king, the monster had arrived every day for nearly a week at the same time. It had terrorized the town, knocking down buildings and eating the horses of the townsfolk.
If the monster arrived at the same time today, then it would be here soon. He would have to hurry.
He climbed up the last of the rocky past the led to where the princess was waiting. He saw her standing there, the wind blowing her hair back as she waited to be killed.
Incredibly, she wasn't crying. In fact, she seemed to be purposely masking all emotions. The expression on her face could have been carved in stone. She gazed out over the ocean, as if she was searching for the monster that was destined to kill her.
Hercules took the brooch out of his cape. He touched the tip of it with his finger and it elongated, changing color and shape.
The grip appeared to be molded for his hands alone. The bronze of the sword glowed faintly. It made a faint sound as it transformed into the sword he knew as Anaklusmos.
At the sound, the girl turned around. She noticed the sword in his hand and the wild look in his eyes. She shook her head at him.
"I can't allow you to kill me. Unfortunately, the job has already been assigned to another creature."
Hercules stepped forward, closer to the girl.
"I'm not here to kill you. I'm actually here to save you." He said.
"I can't allow that either," she said. "I must be killed so that my father's city can be saved."
"You would be willing to sacrifice yourself for your father? You think he is worth that much?" Hercules questioned.
She met his gaze with steely eyes. "He is family. And even if I don't believe he is worth it, then I know that this city and the people inside of it are. I am willing to die so that they may continue on with their own lives."
"I am impressed," Hercules responded. "You are much braver than he is. But you need not worry about the sea creature. I will kill it so that your city- and yourself- may be saved."
"You cannot kill this monster. It is huge."
He smiled at her. "I have killed many monsters with my bare hands. This time I have a sword. I am not afraid."
"You should be."
As soon as she said that, the sea far below them began to churn. The water became frothy and white. It sounded as if a thousand waves were hitting the rocks at the exact same time. Then everything became still. For a second.
Then the monster erupted from the sea. It looked like a dragon with no wings. It was as thick as a school bus with dark blue scales harder than steel. Its red eyes looked up the edge of the cliff, directly at the man and woman standing peering over at it.
The monster appeared to grow. It became longer and longer, extending itself up to where the princess stood waiting.
Hercules pushed her aside and waited to meet the monster. He held his sword out in front of it. It hummed, as if it was happy to be close to the sea and close to a fight.
The monster opened its mouth, ready to devour the princess that Poseidon had demanded. Hercules turned back to the Princess, winked at her, and then jumped over the cliff.
Straight into the mouth of the sea monster.
It was a weird sensation for Hercules to be swallowed by a monster. The throat of monster was too tight for Hercules to move Anaklusmos around. Still, it couldn't have been comfortable for the creature to be swallowing nearly three feet of Celestial bronze.
Hercules could only see darkness. If he had bothered to open his eyes, he was sure there would have been no difference in how much he could he see. He could have been in the monster's throat for two minutes or ten hours,. There was no for him to be sure.
Finally, the tightness around Hercules was lifted. He could move his arm again. There was space around him. More importantly, he could move the sword he wielded. He smiled, even though there was no one around to see.
He swung his sword blindly. He felt Anaklusmos rip through the flesh of the creature. It vibrated as it touched the water on the other side of the monster's skin.
Hercules gritted his teeth and used his incredible strength. He swung the sword around in a 360 degree arc. At first, nothing happened. Then, ever so slowly, the two parts of the monster separated and began to disintegrate.
Hercules pushed his way out of the lower part of the monster. He was in the ocean; the monster must have submerged after it had eaten him. Hercules swam up and turned to watch the rest of the monster disintegrate.
As he turned to look, Anaklusmos fell out of his grip. Hercules could only watch as the sword sank quickly into the ocean. There was no way he could retrieve it. He already felt himself running out of air. He had to get to the surface.
Hercules swam up quickly. His powerful strokes carried him up to surface faster than most normal mortals. Even the weight of the Nemean Lion cape couldn't slow him down. He broke through the surface and gasped for breath.
He sat there, treading water for a minute as he recovered. When he felt strong enough, he began to swim to shore.
Hercules paced rapidly in front of the king.
"What do you mean, you refuse to give me your horses?" He asked angrily.
King Laemedon shrugged carelessly. "I'm grateful to you, of course," he said. "You saved my daughter and my city. But I don't seem to recall any agreement to have been sworn on the River Styx. You should always get a solid oath."
This is entire quest had been a failure. Even though he had succeeded in killing the monster, he had lost his new sword and his reward. As he left the throne room, he promised himself that he would make King Laemedon pay for his crimes.
Perhaps one day, someone else would find the sword know as Anaklusmos.