Dec 18: "Hero", from Hades Lord of the Dead.
Partially inspired by a quote from Lyndsay Faye, about Joseph Campbell, as quoted by Zach Dundas in his book The Great Detective. Google it. Not going to put it here because of the rating...
Also, becoming reminded of the Homeric authorship issue recently was amusing, in relation to this.
A hero's duty is to leave the world he knows, to venture into the unknown. And this, too, he makes known: a gift to the world he must be one step ahead of, the world forever chasing his shadow.
A hero is to return from his odyssey. That is his fate. Even if he remains hiding in the mountains, he is to break free in a time of great need. Whether he does is irrelevant - his story precedes him, becomes him.
A man becomes a hero when his epic is sung. There is no shortage of singers for my brother's epic, but if we have a Homer, it is the good doctor Watson.
What was once upon a time the truest ending of a story may someday be replaced. I will take every measure to see that Watson lives to tell a different tale.