Chapter Two

Feet splashed in dark alleyway puddles. Seconds later pursuers repeated the act. Heavy breathing and panting were constant.

"Get back here!", one of the pursuers yelled after the fleeing figure. The three of them were gaining on the mystery person.

Nothing worth having comes easy.

Turn after turn. Turning over cans of garbage and jumping over carts, doing whatever it took to create distance. The trio hardly seemed fazed by these things though. The maneuvering they displayed made it clear that they were not ordinary people.

"STOP!", another shouted. "Make this easier on everyone." Of course these words fell on death ears, devoured by the air of the chase and the echoes of feet meeting earth or objects being disrupted from their spots. But even if those words could be heard, going back certainly would mean certain death. There was nothing to talk about.

A quick glance back let it be known, giving in or not, death might be inevitable. They were gaining ground and quick.

Fuck!

Options were running thin. And then it happened. The city was massive. He was a new resident there. It's not like he knew the ins and outs of the city, he'd just been really fortunate up until this point.

Dead end...

Something he had feared. Even the most well established citizens found it borderline impossible to navigate this labyrinth. He tried to undo his steps, but from the moment he turned, he was faced with the 3 hunters. They slowly walked him down, brimming with confidence having closed it. All they could make it from their quarry is his dark complexion. The street lights vaguely gave this away by way of his cheek, but most the rest of him was shrouded in the shadow of night. The three suddenly stopped walking. The one in the middle, the leader of the three, spoke first.

"You tried valiantly for a human", he said. "But alas, the games have come to an end. This was inevitable." He was answered with a chuckle.

Caution to the wind.

Quickly, the cornered prey dug into his pocket. He pulled out two cubes the size of skittles.

"BOY, STOP!", but he barely had time to finish that sentence before it was done. Both pieces, devoured. Then, a blinding light.

The room was dim lit with the torches on the wall with flames dying out. The vast room was made to look bigger with how empty it was. A giant bed, with comfort only the Gods could truly appreciate, sat elegantly in the middle. In front of it was a lion skinned rug, but this lion looked more like a bear in its size. A golden dresser with a mirror sat against a wall, and of course Hercules stood by the balcony. He started out at the green lands that were cloaked in the early dawn. Light hadn't broken just yet.

Hercules had taken a few days to mull over everything Zeus and Odin had told him. During that stretch, Zeus stressed the need for secrecy. You know, just incase it hadn't been clear. But the final day was only hours away and he'd have to make his choice. Walking to his bed, Hercules sat and then laid back. He wanted to get some rest before speaking with his father.

Zeus sat in the empty council room of the Greek Gods. As the king, his seat towered over the others, but all the thrones in general dwarfed any would-be visitor. Behind each throne was a monument of the God who sat there.

Zeus had his back to the entrance looking at his throne. Then Hercules entered.

"Father", Hercules greeted Zeus. Zeus turned to his son with a smirk.

"My boy! I'm glad you've decided to be punctual. Your presence surely means you've taken me and Odin up on our offer."

"Even if there wasn't something in it for me, did I really have a choice?" Both chuckled. Then Zeus' face got serious.

"So what did you decide?"

"Father, I've thought long about my choices. Why not have Ares and Apollo accompany me?"

"Boy did you not forget that this is to be done in secret? They may be my children as much as you, but they do not hold my trust. They, much like all the other Gods, have their own agendas. You would be wise to remember that. " Hercules started to say something but he paused. He appreciated his father's trust, but was it actually trust? Or trust out of necessity? He also couldn't help but wonder...

Is father an agenda having God? What agenda is he trying to keep hidden?

Hercules knew as well as any Olympian that Zeus doesn't have the most trustworthy history. After a few more seconds of silence, Hercules spoke.

"So it would have to be two discreet persons?"

"Yes"

"Then, allow me to take on this task with Gilgamesh and Achilles." Zeus could not hide the shock on his face. It gave way to a nervous smile.

"Why those two?"

"I'll keep my own secrets", Hercules grinned. "But do I have the authority to promise them whatever it takes to get them to join my cause?"

"I'm familiar with both. I have a good grasp of what I'll believe they'll lobby for. Go out once and seek them out. But that won't be an easy task." Both looked at each other with faces as stone cold as Medusa victims.

"I know, Father."