The twelve labors of a Hiccup
5: The Augean Stables
It's been one week since I returned to Athens and as hard as it was to believe word of my fight with the boar had spread after a member of the village I saved came to buy some seeds for their new crops came and spotted me. After that thing just went downhill as he ran up to me and shook my hand explaining how he was from the village I saved and wanted to thank me again for ridding them of the boar. Some people heard and asked him what he meant and that's when the story of how I captured the boar spread like wild fire and soon enough I couldn't walk five feet without someone slapping me on the back saying how great I was, asking me to tell the story or in the girls case wore togas with low neck lines and high hems like the girls back at the village did to show off their more feminine side while the more wealthier ones also wore a bit of jewellery to show how well off they were. Some girls took to hanging out around the forge to just watch me work or hanging around the park I would go to relax so while I lay down and watched the clouds go by they would sit down close to me and play the lyre for me saying how much they loved to play it for great hero's like me. The only time I got to myself so I could just relax and enjoy life was when I was on the island that me and my dragons were camping at. It was also the only time I was able to think of a way to complete the task of cleaning the stables in a day if they were only half as big as I was told.
I had been going over a map I brought of the area in which the stable was built. From what I could tell there were two separate rivers near the stable and I figured I could use this to my advantage if I could find a way to redirect one of them through the stables and into the other river taking the filth with it since the river would carry the filth out to sea. It wouldn't be easy though so I needed a plan to redirect the river which is what I've been working on for the last two weeks. I figured if I could dam up the river with a few large logs and boulders while blocking the one side it would redirect the river towards the stables but to make sure the river didn't get misguided and went straight to the stable I figured it best I used logs and boulders to help make a small path to get the river down the right path to the stables. With Toothless it would be a lot easier to move the logs and rocks so I should hopefully be able to do this task in a day but it would take a few days to set everything up like getting the logs and boulders to make the path to redirect the river right into the stables. I figure it best to prepare to put my plan into action before I went and told the king who owned the stables that I accepted his challenge since gathering the materials would take more time than I would be allowed to clean out the stables.
Today was the day I was going to Elis so I could begin preparing for the task and frankly I just wanted to get away from Athens female population for a little while. I had already prepared for my trip by gathering supplies for the trip, finding an area where I would be able to keep my ship and Scaulder, working out the best route to take to get there and learning everything I could about the king and his city. I learnt that he was said to be the son of the god Helios and Nausidame but you ask me it sounds like this guy just has a bigger ego then Snotlout and that's saying something. Another thing is that he is the father to three sons Phyleus, Agasthenes and Eurytus and two daughters Epicaste and Agamede. I was not able to find much else about him other than some rumours which I doubt were reliable sources of information when it came to this type of thing so I didn't put much faith into this type of info.
I was doing one last inventory check just to make sure everything was in order and as soon as I'm done we'll be on the ocean once again. I was just checking the animal pens to make sure they're ready for the cattle should I be able to complete the task since the cattle would need food and water for this trip which the pens were fortunately equipped with. This is why I love my ship for long journeys since it made life so much easier when transferring new livestock back to Berk. It was times like these I was truly grateful for that old ship graveyard since it supplied me with the old ships making my projects so much easier for me and saved me a ton of time on both wood collection and ship construction. Once I made sure the pens were in perfect condition for any livestock I went back up to the top deck and looked at the front of my ship where Scaulder was waiting for me to give the order to pull the ship out. I gave him the order and we were on our way. As I looked out to the ocean ahead of us I felt Toothless nudge his head against my arm. I looked down at him and rubbed his head and said.
"Well bud. It looks like we're off to face another challenge but this one might just be our foulest one yet." He just let out his version of a laugh as I just rubbed his head and looked towards the horizon.
5 days later
We had just docked on a small isolated beach which could only be reached by ship due to the large cliffs which blocked it off from the higher ground where I could see the city in the far off distance with my spy glass. I would say it would take about seven hours to get here from the city on foot but by flight about half an hour. Fortunately there was a small forest where I could hide Toothless in while I checked out the city and check if I could see the area stables were in. I figured I would spend the first day gathering information and try to get a better map of the area the stables were in since I wasn't sure they were in this area. After that I would have to gather the resources I needed to complete the task of redirecting the river but get a feel for the area first and check out the stables location. I turned to Toothless and asked.
"Shall we get to work bud?" He just crooned before I mounted and we flew to the forest so I could find a place to hide him.
8 hours later
Me and Toothless just arrived back at the ship and boy was I happy since it had been a very long day for me all because some people recognised the lion pelt I had on while others recognised me since they had heard of my other escapades besides killing the Nemean lion. People can say what they want about Greece but one thing was for sure about this land and that was that word travelled fast between people of Greece and their cities. I leaned over the railings of my ship and went over what I had learned today from my excursion around the area and the city. I had found that there were a lot of trees in the forest but not a lot of wild life which is probably because they were scared to live close to a city, the stables were about two miles away from the city at the bottom of a hill which was good since it meant I wouldn't need to make a path to direct it to the stables as the hill would do that for me and I had also gathered what I believe would be a suitable amount of both trees and boulders to block up the river all stacked up so I just had to pull a stick down to tip them over. I also built a small wall on the one side to prevent the water going that side. One thing was for sure and that was tomorrow was going to be very interesting and to start things off I will have to talk to the king and if he's anything like Snotlout it's going to be a long talk.
Next day
Morning came too early for me since I was currently on my way to see the king to discuss the challenge and the reward he was offering to those who completed it. As I made my way through the city people were all looking at me as if I was some big hero and the girls kept pointing at me before giggling. I got used to it a while ago but it was still annoying to me as I made my way to the kings home. When I arrived I realized that home wouldn't exactly be the right term for the kings dwellings since a more accurate term would be palace or temple since it was huge. As I reached the entry way a guard stopped me and asked me what my business with the king was. I simply showed him the parchment with the challenge and said.
"I've come to accept his challenge." The guard looked at me for a moment before he signalled a guard behind him to come forward.
"He will take you to king Augeas but be warned. Many tried to complete this task and all have failed but still I wish you luck."
I gave him a nod of thanks before I followed the guard who was told to lead me to the king. As we walked I took note of all the statues and fine works of art from fine pottery to large marble statues that were decorating the hallways and I have to say this was one fancy place. Just by looking around you could tell that the person who owned this was rich beyond belief.
It was at that moment we entered a large throne room with high windows letting the light in as tall marble columns held up the ceiling and at the end there was a large throne on a pedestal where a strong looking man with short hair and a small beard, wearing a white tunic and purple toga both of which looked to be made of silk sat on the throne. Judging by the way he sat and how he just radiated arrogance I could tell he was king Augeas. There was also a young man standing by the throne in blue robes which I can only assume were also silk. The guard bowed to him then said.
"My king this young man has come to accept your challenge to clean out your stables for the reward of a tenth of your cattle." The king looked down at me before he smiled.
"Are you sure you wish to attempt this challenge dear boy. Many have tried but none have succeeded?" I nodded.
"I love a challenge."
"Very well but in order to even attempt this challenge you must first give me fifty gold drachmas."
That price was pretty steep but I had more than enough in my money bag on my waist. I pulled out the required amount and gave it to a servant boy who was holding out his hands for the money. King Augeas smiled at me before he said.
"Very good young man now you better hurry and get to cleaning because your time starts now."
Hearing this I gave a quick bow to the king before I turned around and left the throne room. As I made my way down the hall I heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind me. I turned around to see the young man dressed in blue silk robes running after me. When he reached me he gave a small bow and said.
"I am Phyleus, son of king Augeas. My father sent me because he wanted me to see you attempt to clean out the stables."
"Well it won't be much of an attempt since I will do it successfully."
"Your confidence impresses me but I do hope you are able to back it up."
"Don't worry I've got a plan that should clean out the stables and get all that dung out of Greece for good."
"I hope you're right but then again I have heard of your exploits across Greece. The pelt of the Nemean lion which you wear tipped me off to who you are Heracles."
"Well if you've heard of my adventures then you know that I've faced tougher challenges."
"Don't be so sure about that my friend." We continued the rest of the way in silence.
When we reached the stables to say I was disgusted by the smell would be an understatement since I thought they were rotting corpses in there and when I looked inside I saw why. There were literally piles of dung that reached the ceiling and were three times bigger than my father. I couldn't take one step without stepping in some it was so bad. I turned to Phyleus and asked.
"When was the last time this place was cleaned out?"
"Thirty years ago. Now you know why so many failed to complete the task."
"Well none of them had the idea I had. When will the cows be taken out to pasture?"
"This afternoon. Why?"
"I need them to be out of the stable to put my plan into action."
"So what will you be doing in the meantime?"
"I'll be waiting to put my plan into action."
"I must ask then. What is your plan?" I told him how my plan was to temporarily redirect the river through the stables so it would wash out all the dung out of the stable and out to sea. "I look forward to seeing this plan in action but right now I will allow you to prepare in peace." I nodded to him in thanks before I left to go put the finishing touches on the soon to be dam.
4 hours later
I had just finished putting the finishing touches onto the soon to be dam and just needed to go and check if the stables had been emptied of the cattle yet. Looking around I found not a single cow anywhere which is when Phyleus walked up behind me and said.
"The cattle has been taken out to pasture so you can put your plan into action." I smiled at him before leading him outside to a rock which overlooked the stable.
"Stay here and watch the stables get cleaned out." He looked at me with a cocked eyebrow before I walked back to the river where the dam was about to be made. He looked at the stack of trees and boulders.
"What are you doing?" I simply smiled at him.
"Cleaning the stables."
It was then I pulled the branch at the base down making everything tip over into the river. As soon as the things begin to tumble into the river to form the dam and redirect the river, I ran for the rock Phyleus was on so I could enjoy the show with him. I smiled as the river rushed around the rock me and Phyleus were on and down towards the stable. After it passed the rock it rushed down the hill and down into the stables and out the other side carrying piles of manure with it. As I watched it get carried out Phyleus asked.
"So this was your plan? Dam up the river and redirect it towards the stable so it would carry all the manure out for you?" I smiled and nodded before he chuckled.
"You my friend are a true genius."
"Thanks. You know pure strength isn't going to help you solve all your problems?"
"I know that now. Thank you for the lesson but how are you going to return the river to normal?"
"Don't worry I have a plan for that as well. We just need to wait for the manure to stop flowing then I'll destroy the dam." He nodded before returning his view to the stables which were still being cleaned out by the river.
1 hour later
After the stables were clean a simple plasma blast from Toothless broke a large hole in the dam which then proceeded to bring the whole thing crumbling down and to be swept away by the river. Once that was done me and Phyleus began our walk back to the city and chatted a bit. Along the way he brought up the subject of the Stymphalian Birds in Arcadia which he said are man-eating birds with beaks of bonze, sharp metallic feathers they can launch at their victims, and poisonous dung. Apparently they've been ravaging the country side destroying crops, fruit trees and killing townspeople. One thing was for sure after that and that is when I was done getting my reward from the king I was going to investigate these birds since even if they were as deadly as Phyleus said they needed to be stopped and I was going to at least try.
Currently I was once again walking through the palace which was the home of king Augeas only this time it was to reap the rewards for my work with Phyleus by my side. As we reached the throne room I saw king Augeas sitting on his throne drinking what I assume was wine from a golden goblet as a young woman with her brown hair tied up in a ponytail wearing a purple toga sat next to his throne and played the lyre for him. I admit the girl was rather beautiful and the way she played the lyre was incredibly lovely but I wasn't looking for a relationship at the moment. When I reached the middle of the room I kneeled and said.
"Good day your majesty. I have come to inform you that I have completed the task of cleaning out your stables and now wish to claim my reward of a tenth of your fine cattle." The girl stopped playing the lyre as the king put down his goblet and looked at me with both his eyebrows raised in what I can only assume was shock before he gave a smile which screamed arrogance.
"I don't recall offering any such prize for cleaning out my stables or any prize for that matter." I looked up at him with both my eyebrows raised in shock.
"But we agreed to it! You even had me pay you fifty gold drachmas before you would allow me to attempt the challenge and receive the reward of a tenth of your cattle." He merely waved his hand dismissively.
"Well this is my city with my rules and if you don't like it then take it to a judge now leave my castle before I have my guards escort you out."
Hearing this I left the throne room with my fists clenched but as I was making my way down the hall I heard someone running towards me. I turned as saw Phyleus was the one running towards me and once he reached me he said.
"Heracles! I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am about my father. He really is an arrogant and selfish man."
"It's alright. You're not the one who lied and took my money and besides I grew up with a few relatives like that." I said this while thinking of the Jorgensons. It was then Phyleus put his hand on my shoulder.
"I do know how you can get back at my father if you're interested." I turned to him smiling at the thought of that greedy old man getting the slap in the face he deserved to bring him back to reality.
"I'm all ears."
"My father already gave you the way to get justice. He said to take it to a judge and that's exactly what we'll do. I'll even support you at the trial to bring down my father. I lost my respect for that man a long time ago since his arrogance has made him the way he is." I smiled and thanked him before we left to go talk to a judge.
5 days later
I was now loading up my ship with what supplies I could get since I was no longer welcome in Elis. The trial had gone well for me with Phyleus supporting me as a witness to his father's promise of my reward and paying him which won me the trial. This of course made king Augeas angry since he did have to pay me my reward but instead of giving me one hundred cows he only gave me ten which were five females and five males so I could breed, along with returning my fifty drachmas. He also was forced to apologise to me pay me nine hundred since he refused to give up that amount of cows to me and to top it off he gave me a servant which was the girl he had playing the lyre for him when I came to collect my reward. I turned her down of course and in return I received one hundred more drachmas. After all the payment for my services had been done king Augeas exiled both me and Phyleus from Elis for humiliating him in such a way. Me and Phyleus parted ways on good terms though since he was moving east to live with his aunts and he wished me good luck in my future adventures.
Presently the cattle were now resting in their pens, Scaulder was getting ready to pull my ship out while, Toothless was helping me load the last of our supplies onto the ship. The loading didn't take long and once we were done I rubbed Toothless' head in thanks before asking.
"You ready to go bud?"
He growled in approval before I walked to the front of the ship and signalled Scaulder to pull us out. He did so happily as I let out a happy sigh at travelling again but this time we weren't going back to Athens. This time we were going to Corinthia since it was the closest place by the ocean which could give me a clear flight to Arcadia where I would be able to find Stymphalos and with it the Stymphalian birds. I only hoped I would be able to take them down and bring an end to the major terror they cause the people. One thing was for sure and that was we were sailing to a new adventure now.
AN: Hey all I know this chapter wasn't that exciting but give me a break I'd like to see you make cleaning out a stable exciting but the next few chapters will be better since they'll have man eating birds who can shoot their feathers down like knives, wrestling an insane bull to the ground, insane man eating mares along with soldiers sent to get them back, Amazonian warriors, a three torso giant and my favourite a multiple headed dragon guarding golden apples. Also to the guest who keeps asking me to update please keep in mind that I do have a life outside of fanfiction and trying to get back to updating my other fanfics by losing the writer's block for them.
