The twelve labors of a Hiccup

1: Slaying the Nemean lion

Hiccups POV:

I was currently leaning on the rail of my boat as the sea air blew through my hair as I thought about how things have been going since we arrived in Greece a week ago. It has been a very interesting week besides exploring Athens, which by itself was a major adventure with all that happens around the city. I was able to find a blacksmith by the name of Aetes who had called me over out of interest in my armor and wanted to know if I'd be willing to sell it. I of course told him no but did inform him I had plenty of weapons on my ship that I was willing to part with. At first, he was unsure until he tested my sword and shield against his weapons, which sold him. We were able to come to a business agreement since I had the weapons and he had the connections so we split the profits half and half. Since the weapons were a major hit with the nobles and soldiers after we reformed them to Greek forms and the shields just needed some minor designs put on but those had to be requested. We each ended up making a total of five thousand drachmas, which he was thrilled with saying he could now afford to get that house he's wanted to buy for his family. Another thing that happened is I've gotten some new books on Greek culture, architecture, customs and food recipes. I also stopped by a few restaurants and the food they serve was absolutely delicious which is one of the reasons I love travelling since I get to experience so many new things like people, food, culture, etc. There were some new items on my ship, which had plenty of room since I got rid of all the weapons. I now had a few amphorae of olive oil on my ship along with a few containing wine. I also had some Greek pottery, which I thought to be rather lovely with the way it was painted, and crafter. I had also spent my time mapping out parts of Greece I'd like to visit since I wanted to experience more than just one city of Greece. That's pretty much all that's happened to me since I first arrived in Greece.

Right now, we were on our way to Nemea so I could hopefully witness the Nemean games. Aetes told me about it in our spare time and how the contests were so incredible it all was to watch. They sounded interesting and a big part of the Greek culture so I figure I might as well go and see if I could get in to watch them. As I looked out to the sea I couldn't help but wonder if they would allow me to watch the games since I wasn't of Greek origin, which I admit, was a little worrying. I shook my head and decided I'd worry about that later like when I got there and even if I couldn't enjoy the games I'd still be able to enjoy the city and what it offered. If I was right about the distance and speed we were going it would take us two days to get to the land where I could dock.

Two days later

We had docked at a secluded beach where Scaulder could rest and swim freely and I have to say I'm glad we docked here. Scaulder doesn't like to be confined to such closed areas like the place we set up camp and this area is a good hour away from any village or settlement so me and Toothless could go flying whenever we want. I planned to have Toothless fly me close under the cover of night before setting his tail to automatic and send him back to pick me up in three days. That was the plan and now all we had to do was wait for night to fall and we'd be on our way. I spent the time I was waiting for night to fall to go over the map to Nemea so we wouldn't get lost along the way. I was hoping that I wouldn't run in to any trouble while I was traveling but I know that that won't happen since trouble always has a way of following me.

Nightfall

As I saddled up on Toothless I turned to Scaulder who was lying in the water by the ship and said.

"Don't go near any ships pal since the last thing we need are people panicking about a sea monster running lose in the waters." He growled and gave a nod before I turned forward and said. "Let's go bud."

He gave a growl before he spread his wings and we took off. I smiled as I felt the cool night air hit my face as we soared through the air. I took note of how beautiful the landscape was as it was bathed in the full moon light. I knew that before I sent Toothless back we'd have to take a nice long flight like we always did when it was clear night with a full moon. As we soared over the beautiful landscape of the Greek land I couldn't help but think to myself that maybe I'll get a house built somewhere in Greece and retire there when the time is right. I chuckled at the thought since retirement was still long ways a way for me. Once we landed near the temple of Zeus figuring I wouldn't be able to find an inn somewhere I packed my tent but I'd have to wait till morning because it was so late. Fortunately, I was used to spending nights under the stars and since it was a cloudless night I wouldn't have to worry about rain. I grabbed my tent and bag of food before I switched Toothless tail fin to automatic and gave him a pet as I said.

"I'll see you in three days' bud. Remember I'll be waiting for you in this very spot to be picked up."

He warbled at me before giving me a nuzzle before he took off into the dark night sky. Once he was out of sight I walked over to a nearby stream I spotted as we flew over. I looked down at my reflection in the pale moon light and saw myself in my regular armor except I had added a foldup shield to the left arm and had a sword on the back of the armor since I figured in bigger cities a fight may break out for me. I kneeled down before cupping my hands to scoop up the water and enjoy a drink of the water. As the cool water rushed down my throat I couldn't help but feel calmed by it and the soothing sensation it brought me. As I continued to drink the water I knew I'd have to find a place to sleep for the night so I stood up and looked around before spotting a tree close by. I figured it was better than nothing so I ended up resting under it and enjoying the sounds of the night.

Morning

I woke up to the sun gently caressing my face making me smile at the beginning of a new day. I let out a yawn and stretched out my limbs as I opened my eyes and admired how the landscape looked in the morning sunlight. It was then I noticed something glimmering near a rocky part of the mountain. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go and check out what it was. As I approached the item in the grass I couldn't help but get the feeling I was being watched so I took out my sword and got it ready. As I arrived at the item that had been glimmering in the light I found it to be a long chain which confused me I picked it up to get a batter look at it and to try and understand why someone would leave it out here. As I was looking at it I heard a vicious sounding growl coming from behind me. I turned around and found a very big and very vicious looking at me like it was looking at a piece of meat. I was in such shock that I was barely able to dodge it when it tried to pounce on me. I was lucky to dodge it the first time as it landed behind me and let out a roar of anger before it took a swipe at me which I was barely able to dodge before it tried to swipe at me again which unfortunately hit my sword sending it out of my hand.

Thinking fast I tried shooting it with my mini bow on my wrist but all my arrows just bounced off it as if it were made of stone. I tried to go for my sword but the lion cut me off and made another pounce for me but this time it succeeded in pinning me. I had to use all the strength in my arms to hold its head back as it kept snapping its very long and sharp fangs that resembled knives. I decided this thing needed to die or it would be me who was killed so using every last bit of strength I could I used my legs to toss the lion over my head sending it into a nearby bolder. I knew that my arrows had no effect on it so those were out of the question and my sword was knocked too far away in the brawl for me to get to it in time so I may have a problem. I then saw the chain at my feet and I realized what I could do to end this. I quickly grabbed the chain as the lion charged at me again but as it pounced at me I stepped to the side and as it landed I quickly got to its side and got the chain around its neck before I began to pull in order to strangle the lion. The lion began to thrash around and giving me a hard time but I held on tight and pulled harder against the chain. It took three minutes of the lions constant thrashing and me holding onto the chain as hard as I could before the lion finally started to weaken before it stopped breathing but I kept hold on the chain for a few more minutes just to be safe. As soon as I was sure it was dead I let the chain drop to the floor along with myself in exhaustion. I looked down at the lion before kneeling down and felt its chest for a heartbeat and found nothing so I knew it was dead. I picked up the chain I used to strangle it and wrapped it around my belt in case I needed it again.

Once I made sure the lion was dead I retrieved my sword before I returned to the body. I looked it over and had to say I was surprised that I was able to take this lion down since by the looks of things its skin was thick as a gronkles and had claws as sharp as a razorwhips tail. One thing was for sure though this was not a normal lion from what I've read about them. It was then I heard a gasp from behind me. I turned around and saw an elderly man in a tunic and straw hat who was looking from the dead lion to me as he asked.

"You killed the Nemean lion?" I replied in both fear and confusion since I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing so I just nodded my head.

"Yes, I killed it in self-defense."

The elderly man cracked a smile before running up to me and shaking my hand so fast I thought it might fall off as he continuously thanked me. This was incredibly confusing so I asked him.

"I take it that killing the lion was a good thing?"

"Oh, great warrior the people who come to Nemea have been plagued by that lion for years and now you have slain it. You have done all of Nemea a great service."He then wrapped an arm around me. "We must report this to the guards. They will report it to king Lycurgus and queen Eurydice." Before he began pulling me towards the city but stopped. "You should carry the lion into Nemea to show it is dead and that you're the one who killed it."

I nodded to him before I walked over the lion and put it over my shoulders but did struggle a bit since it was heavy and by heavy, I mean weighed almost half of what a gronkle weighed so I did stagger a bit. Strange thing happened after that though. Once the lion was over my shoulders I turned to ask the old man what his name was and if he'd come with me but he was gone. I looked around after I put the lion down but he was nowhere to be found which was surprising since I didn't think anyone could move so fast at such an old age. I shrugged it off figuring I'd see the elderly man in the city somewhere and made my way towards the city.

As I made my way towards Nemea I got a little tired so I needed to rest a bit since the lion was a heavy weight on my shoulders. I dropped it on the ground before I sat down by it and began to think of what I might do with the body of the lion. Maybe decapitate its head and make a nice trophy for my trophy room, sell the body for a good price since it might be worth something, skin it and wear it's pelt over my armor to add some more ferocity to its appearance. It was at that moment I heard a gasp from the right side of me so I turned to see three armored men staring at me with their swords drawn. I then saw they were staring at me but when I got a closer look I saw they weren't staring at me but the lion. I stood up deciding to put their minds at ease and said.

"Don't worry the lion's dead."Before I kicked it just to prove a point. They slightly jumped back at this before calming down before the armored male in the middle walked forward.

"You killed the Nemean lion stranger? How?"I shrugged.

"My name is Heracles and I killed the lion because it tried to kill me. As for how I killed it I strangled it with the chain on my belt."It was then they held their swords up and chanted

"HAIL HERACLES! HAIL HERACLES! HAIL HERACLES!" It was then I remembered the old man said I did Nemea a great service so I'm guessing these men were from the city. It was then he male in the middle walked up to me.

"Please come back with us to Nemea. The knowledge that the lion that has plagued us for so long is dead must be spread and the people will want to see the person responsible for our freedom from the beast's terror as it means people can travel to Nemea without fear."I figured it couldn't hurt but I should keep my guard up so I agreed but I kept ready to grab my sword should the need arise as we made our way into the Nemea.

As we made our way through the Nemea I saw a lot of people staring and pointing at me or to be more precise the lion that I had on my shoulders. As we continued I noticed that Nemea wasn't really a city since it mostly consisted of a temple of Zeus, some small inns for people to rest in, a few sports facilities and the stadium. No surprise really since I've been told that Nemea doesn't have any permanent residents except a few priests. The place was rather impressive for the activities of the games that are held here. Once we made it the stadium I was stood before a formally dressed man with brown hair and beard who judging by the gold and jewels he wore was a big deal around here and was sitting in a throne that overlooked the stadium. Next to him on another throne was a young woman who I assume was his wife. She had long black hair that was braided over her shoulder and was wearing a Chiton with a golden girdle around her waist and two gold bracelets on her wrists. When they saw the lion on my shoulders their eyes widened but then went back to normal and made no other move as the guards bowed to them. I figured I should do the same so I dropped to one knee while keeping my hold on the lion. The male stood up and asked.

"What is the meaning of this?"The guard in the middle was the one who stepped forward.

"Your highness while me and my men were out doing a hunt for the Nemean lion to make sure it was away from Nemea we came across this man who had slain it. We believed that you should meet with him in order for you to better understand how he was able to accomplish what so many others had failed and has slain the Nemean lion."They looked up at me as the king stood and advanced towards me.

"Is this true?"I merely nodded before he let out a laugh. "Remarkable great warrior. Simply remarkable! How were you able to accomplish such a task?"

I then told them how I was attacked by the lion and strangled it using the chain. When I was done, they looked at me with admiration before the king said.

"Amazing. You were able to strangle the lion and put an end to its tyranny and for that I thank you. I am king Lycurgus and this is my queen Eurydice."She gave me a curtsy to which I bowed to before king Lycurgus asked. "Now may I ask what your name is great warrior?"

"My name is Heracles your highness."

"Well Heracles may I ask where you come from and what brought you to Nemea?"

"Well I'm a traveler on the seas and I come from an island a few weeks of sailing away and I came to Nemea hoping to enjoy the games."

"Well why don't you participate in them since I'm pretty sure you could easily win with the strength you have?"

"I figured I arrived too late to enter."He smiled and put his hand on my shoulder.

"There is always room for a hero like you my dear boy. Now what event would you like to take part in? We have horse-racing, running, wrestling, chariot racing, discuss, boxing, spear-throwing and archery."Hearing I would be able to partake in the games was a great honor but I decided against it since the competitors have been training longer and have a better understanding of the customs that are followed.

"Thank you for the offer but this year I'd just like to watch to get a better grip on the games." He nodded in understanding.

"Wise words my dear boy." Before he sat back down in his throne. "If you don't mind me asking Heracles where are you staying while you're here for the games?"

"Well last night I slept under a tree. I found it rather comfortable since I always enjoy sleeping under the stars and the lion attacked me before I had the chance to set up my tent for stay."He shook his head.

"A hero like you should not be out in the open for bandits like that. I insist you go to one of the nearby towns and rest in one of the inns."I saw in his eyes he was a little worried so I figured I would save us some time.

"I thank you for your concern your highness. I'll check into one as soon as I can."

He smiled at me before offering me a ride, which I accepted and not long after that we were in a carriage going to the town of Archaies Kleones with the Nemean lion tied to the roof. As I watched the country go by we chatted a bit about the city like its size, businesses, farms etc. I noticed that there were a lot of grape vineyards along the way, which was explained to me by being told that one of the city's biggest exports was wine. As we continued on our way the queen spoke for the first time by asking.

"Heracles if you don't mind me asking what do you intend to do with the body of the Nemean lion

"Well I really don't know what to do with it. I figured I could sell it for a high price or get it stuffed as a trophy."

"Why don't you skin it? Its hide is incredibly thick and should make a wonderful piece to the armor you're wearing."

"Sounds good. Thank you your majesty." After that not that many words were exchanged between us as we just watched the country go by.

When we arrived in the town of Cleonae I was impressed even though it was nothing compared to Alexandria but still it was nice. The shops, the houses, locals, the farms outside of town etc. They dropped me off at a local inn and paid for my stay for the night out of kindness even though I would have been happy to pay for it myself. The room I received had a bed, side table, a small torch and not much else. I did find it comfortable though and figured that I wouldn't be sleeping there for long. After I set my bag down by my bed I put the lion on the other side of the room planning to skin it when I was back on the island where I keep my ship. Until then the lions body would have to wait in the room.

Evening two days later

I was now waiting for Toothless to come pick me up along with the lion's body. The day after I killed the lion I went to the Nemean games and got one of the best seats thanks to the king feeling I deserved it after making life easier for people who wanted to come and enjoy the games. Along with the best seat he also gave me a large bag of sixty gold drachmas which I'm sure will come in handy to my growing fortune. I admit the games were interesting and the competitor's skills were impressive I just wish they didn't compete in the nude. That was quite a shock and made it difficult to enjoy the games since it would make it difficult for anyone who isn't a local or used to it to enjoy the games. Non-the less I did find the competitions interesting and the music they played lovely but now it was time to be picked up and taken back to the island. It was also at this moment I remembered Molorchos, a shepherd I met who told me how the lion had his son. Once he saw that I had killed the lion he was incredibly happy and kept thanking me and even sacrificed a ram to Zeus thanking him for sending me to kill the lion. Frankly it confused me but I find it best not to insult peoples' beliefs when travelling in foreign lands. There were quite a few things people had to say about that lion. Most people said it was really a monster born from Typhon and Echidna who the Greeks believed to be the parents of all monsters. I really had a hard time believing this but there was no way that any ordinary lion if my arrows couldn't pierce its hide when they were easily able to crack through the wood of a tree and embed themselves to their end in the wood. It was at that moment I heard the sound of large wings flapping. I turned towards the sound and found Toothless landing before running towards me. When he reached, me he began nuzzling my chest as I laughed and rubbed his head as I said.

"I missed you to bud." Before he turned his attention to the dead lion and looked at me confused. I shrugged. "Long story. I'll tell you on the ship while we travel back to the island." He gave a warble of understanding before I mounted him and had him pick up the lion before we made our way back to the ship.

When we arrived back I had drop the lion in the storage space while we travelled before we set sail back for the island. Shortly after we took sail Toothless and me went for a flight for a bit since we missed so much flying together. It felt good to be back up in the sky since it always made me feel so free. As we flew I explained to him what was up with the lion and what happened with it. When I mentioned how it attacked me he seemed to coo in concern but I told him that I was alright which seemed to calm him down. I was wondering if I'd face any other beasts in Greece but knowing my luck I would be facing a few more monsters. I just hope they aren't as bad as the lion was.

Two days later

We arrived back at the island and docked. As I got off the ship I stretched my legs and said.

"It's good to be back here."

Before I went for a stroll on the beach with Toothless following me as I ran my feet through the water. It felt good but as I enjoyed the feeling on my bare feet I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me but when I looked around the only ones there were Toothless and Scaulder. I shrugged it off as me just being paranoid before I decided I better skin that lion before it began to rot. I went back to my ship and grabbed the body before I carried it on to the shore where I hung it up on a tree upside down before I began skinning it or more precisely tried to skin it. For some reason my knife wouldn't penetrate its tough hide no matter how hard I tried or sharpened it. I even tried using a sharpened rock but got no results whatsoever and it was really beginning to frustrate me but as I was about to give up I heard a women's voice whisper in my ear.

"Use the lions claw to skin it."

The second I heard the voice I looked around and only saw Toothless looking at me in confusion probably wondering what I was looking for. I shrugged it off since if someone was here Toothless or Scaulder would know. I figured I might as well give skinning the lion with its claw a try like the voice recommended and much to my shock it actually worked and in an hour, I had skinned the lion completely before laying the pelt out to dry.

Two days later

The pelt had dried out and I had made it so I could now wear it over my armor. When I tried it on I have to say it did look good on me and I was thinking of maybe making it a permanent addition to my armor but I figured I'd decide that later when I returned to Berk. I decided to take the day off to rest before going back to Alexandria so we spent the day relax a bit. When I did return to the city people who saw me often applauded me much to my confusion and when I went to see Aetes his reaction was the most surprising. He slapped me on the back and said.

"The slayer of Nemean lion returns." I looked at him confused.

"How did you know about the Nemean lion?"

"I have a cousin who lives in Nemea and the emperor got word of the lion being slain. Word spread fast about that and when they gave the description of the hero who had slain it and the name everyone who's met you knew it could only have been you and they spread the word. Besides you're wearing the pelt."It was then I realized I still had the lions pelt over my armor from yesterday. He then sat me down on a nearby chair. "You have got to tell me how you killed it."

I let out a sigh figuring the rest of my day would be like this and it was since after I told him people came to the shop just to hear me tell the tale of how I defeated the lion. By the time, I got back to the cove I had told the tale so many times I never wanted to tell the tale again.

AN: Hey guy's I was planning to post all the labors as one chapter but that was taking forever so I've decided to post each labor separately and when you read the chapters keep in mind legends get mixed up with time so that's why I'm having Hiccup do the labors of Hercules but altering them to suit him. Be nice with the reviews please.