The twelve labors of a Hiccup
8: The Man-Eating Horses of Diomedes
Hiccups POV:
It has been three days since I got back and I was already wanting to get back out there with what's been happening in the city. Aetes wasn't kidding when he said word about my little challenge and adventures spread to the people especially the women, warriors and children. Everywhere I went I was stopped by upcoming warriors wanting advice on how to fight, battle strategies and training exercises I did to keep in shape. The children would often following me like ducklings following their mother begging me to tell them stories of my adventures or to take them under my wing as my apprentice. The girls however were still by far the worst of all the annoyances. Some would wait dock waiting for me to arrive so they could be the first ones to talk to me before I entered Athens, some would make me pastries or lunch and give them to me either at work or on my way, some would literally latch onto my arm and start talking to me while walking with me as they tried to show off their more feminine parts to tempt me, some would sit down by me while I was laying down in the park and play a song on their lyre, some would offer to feed me grapes while I lay down, some would tell me I could use their laps as a pillow and some would come wearing so much jewellery they looked as if they were made with gold in an attempt to show they come from wealthy families which it did along with blinding me. Then there are the fathers of those girls. They were constantly trying to talk to me about my adventures, finding out things about me for their daughters to use to get to me, telling me how wonderful their daughters and how wealthy their families are. I knew they wanted their daughters to marry for the wealth and pristine being married to me would bring since I was known as a hero throughout Greece. Some even tryied to trick me into signing a marriage contract. Those who tried to get me to sign a marriage contract understood not to mess with me when the threat of an arrow with hydras blood planted in their chest was brought before them. There was also the wealthier people who didn't want to get to me for their daughters but for themselves wanting to see if they could get my cattle but I wasn't planning on selling them.
Right now I was in the forge once again pounding the hot metal to straighten it out so I could make a proper sword. As I pounded away at the metal I couldn't help but feel greatful to Aetes since half an hour ago I was being constanly watched by the girls through the forge window before he chased them off. He left me to hold down the fort while he went to take care of some business with his family. As I continued to stare at the red hot metal that I was pounding I heard someone enter the store. I looked up to see Aetes walking in and giving me the smile as he said.
"Hey Heracles. I'm back from taking care of that little business with some of my relatives. Thanks for holding down the fort for me. Anyhting happen while I was away?"
"Anytime Aetes. To be honest I like being in the forge more than being out there in Athens." He chuckled.
"Trouble with the ladies my friend?" I looked at him and cocked an eyebrow at him as if asking him if he was serious before he chuckled. "Sorry I just couldn't resist. I have a tough time telling if Aphrodite blessed you or cursed you." I rolled my eyes at this. "Well if you're looking to get away from the attention you should try going out to Thrace. Nobody knows you there so you should find a bit of peace there." I nodded in gratitude at the idea. "Why don't you plan out your trip today and you could leave tomorrow. I'll be able to take care of things here since it's a slow day." I nodded to him in gratitude before I left the shop to prepare.
3 days later
We had just docked on a small isolated beach where there was nobody for miles and only two-hour flight from the Rhodope Mountains, which are said to provide a lovely view, and that is where one of the Bistones who are some of the local people live. I was hoping to check out their village and take in a bit of the culture Thrace had. I decided it best I did a quick sweep of the area before I got too comfortable with the area. I brought Toothless who was all too happy to take a flight after being cooped up on the ship all day. As we flew over the land I couldnt help but get the feeling that there was something off about this land and unfortunatley it looked like my hunch was right since in the distance I saw a small village with smoke coming from it. I knew this meant there could be a fire so the people could use help and fortunatley there was a forest clearing where Toothless could land and not be seen.
After landing I ran to the village to investigate the smoke but was not just a fire but a full blown massacre. Everywhere I looked there was either a destroyed building, a small fire burning in the rubble or a villager nursing a wound. It wasn't a pretty sight for me to see but then again I doubt it would've been pretty for anyone. I heard a cry for help a little deeper in the village so I went to investigate who could need help besides the ones who were tending to their own wounds. I walked deeper into the village following the voice until I saw an elderly man trapped underneath some rubble. I ran over and said.
"Don't worry I'll get you out of there soon."
Before I began removing the rubble off him. When I was done I helped him up and lead him to a large rock to sit on as I handed him my water flask and asked.
"What happened here?" He took a long drink of water before he looked at me with anger in his eyes.
"It was a raid by Diomedes men. He attacked us because we refused to send him any of our people to feed to those monstrous beasts he calls his mares." I looked at him confused.
"Did you say mares? As in the name for female horses?" He just nodded.
"Unlike most mares the mares of Diomedes have a taste for only one thing and that is human meat." I felt my jaw drop as he told me what the mares eat.
"And he gets the people he feeds them to by?" He looked down.
"He feeds them slaves or prisoners but when there aren't enough he orders the nearby villages to give him villagers to feed them and if we refuse then this happens." I felt myself get sick to my stomach learning this.
"Where can I find Diomedes and his mares?" He looked at me surprised.
"You can find them dwelling at mount Rhodope in the palace laying by Lake Vistonida. What do you intend to do warrior?"
"Put an end to the rain of terror Diomedes brings with his mares." He looked at me and nodded.
"I would try to turn you away from this path but I can tell you will do it no matter what I say so all I can do is wish you good luck and may the gods watch over you." I nodded to him in gratitude before I left to plan out my attack on the palace stables.
Nightfall
Me and Toothless had done a quick sweep over the palace shortly after the sun went down and I knew in order to get the mares stealth would be my best option unless I wanted an entire palace of armed guards after me. I was definitely going to need my stealth armor for this and fortunately I had sowed shed changewing skin into the cloak, which makes anything it, covers invisible. It's most definitely going to come in handy when I sneak into the stables. From what I could understand from the information I was able to gain from sneaking into the palace under the cloak Diomedes was planning to do another attack in the morning so his horses would be prepared tonight. This was good because it meant they would be hooked up to the chariot which means I wouldn't have to pull the horses along and risk getting hurt by them. Unfortunately this also meant the horses groomers would be looking after them so I would have more people to get past so I could get the mares out of there for relocation. I knew a little valley, which would be difficult for them to get out of, but it had a good water source from a waterfall and plenty of plant life for them to feed on since there won't be any meat for them to eat.
Right now Toothless had just flew a few feet above the roof of the stable where two guards were keeping lookout. I gave him a pat on the side of his head before I said.
"Keep an eye out from above bud but stay out of sight. The last thing we need is everyone freaking out over something in the sky."
He just growled before I took out my blowpipe with a speed stinger dart inside and took aim at one of the guards aiming carefully at the side of his neck since it was the only exposed part of flesh I could hit. I blew into the pipe and sent the dart flying towards him before I smiled seeing it land in his neck as he made the move to grab it with his hand only to freeze up as his hand was halfway to his neck. I repeated this on the other guard before having Toothless land on the roof before giving him a hand signal to circle the building but to stay out of sight before he took off.
I slowly climbed down from the roof of the stable covered by the cloak and found myself standing in front of a guard who was looking right at me but was squinting his eyes as he asked.
"Is there someone there?"
As he kept his hand on his sword while I held completely still not wanting to be spotted. He then shrugged before turning around giving me the chance to give him a gentle nick on the neck with my dagger leaving him paralyzed and standing there like a statue which is good because it meant it would be less suspicious then without a guard watching the door. I silently opened the door and saw the four mares hooked up to a very well decorated and expensive looking chariot. It was decorated in gold so it probably worth a small fortune to the right buyer and it showed the size of Diomedes ego and how much he treasured his mares. I saw about five groomers and handlers taking care of the mares who much to my disgust were eating from a trough full of from what I could tell was human parts. It was truly just disgusting which was the only word I could think of to describe what I saw in that trough. I didn't want to stay in there longer than I needed to so I decided to take care of it quickly. I snuck up close to each one before hitting them with a dart or a small knick with my dagger before I moved onto the next. When they were all paralyzed I moved them away from the chariot after removing my cloak before I used some chains that were hanging on the wall to tie them up. As I was about to pull the mares away from the trough the door opened as a guard walked in looking for the horse handlers. It was then his eyes landed on me but before he could speak I rushed towards him and hit him hard in the stomach knocking the air out of him as he kneeled over in pain before I slammed my elbow down on the back of his head knocking him out cold.
I looked down at the unconscious form of the guard before I said.
"Sorry by I couldn't risk you blowing my cover."
Before I opened the stable doors before going hopping on the chariot. After that the mares and me took off out of the doors and out of the stables down the road. It would take us three hours to reach the bottom of the mountain and my ship and by then the guards will have surely realized what was happening and come after me. Fortunately I had Toothless carry my regular armor on his back with a bow and quiver full of explosive arrows incase I needed to make a block on the road by causing a small landslide. I would have had him bring my battle armor but that one takes half an hour to put on and I needed that time but I just hoped I could get out of there before there was any trouble.
Sadly it seemed like my hopes were not meant to remain since half an hour down the mountain after we stopped for five minutes so I could change my armor there were three chariots and six men on horseback giving chase and at the head was a decorated one with whom I assume was Diomedes judging by how decorated his chariot was and the crown on his head. The chariots were coming closer with two men on each of the chariots with one who was controlling the chariot while the other had bows in hand. I threw a bola at the one in control of the first chariot and got a direct hit. I smiled seeing him lose control before he fell back into the archer as they both fell off the chariot, which slowly came to a stop. This didn't stop the others from following meaning I had to think fast since the other chariot was gaining speed and fast. I unfolded my shield and blocked an arrow that was shot at me by the archer before shooting one of my smaller speed stinger arrows back at the chariot driver. He quickly succumbed to the speed stinger venom and fell back into the archer as he was preparing another arrow knocking them both off the chariot. Now all I had to do was take care of the king and his six horsemen.
As I tried to outrun them I saw a split in the road up ahead and saw both routes lead to dead ends and the only difference was that one lead to higher ground which overlooked the other routes dead end. I decided I would steer the mares to the lower ground while I jumped to the side and made my way to the higher ground. Chances are the king and his men would follow the mares so I would be able to take them down from above. As we got to the crossroads I hopped off to the side and ran up the path to the higher ground but unfortunately the king and his men followed me up and cornered me.
I looked at the king and his men who had dismounted their horses and were now pointing their swords at me. I had already taken my sword out and had my shield at the ready. The king left his chariot and walked towards me smirking as he said.
"Did you really think you could escape with my mares? Nobody has ever succeeded in his or her attempts and you were no different. I must ask though to sate my curiosity. Who are you and why did you try to steal my mares?"I glared at him before flipping the switch on my helmet making the front part open up to show my face and my face.
"My name is Heracles and my reason for taking your mares is because of what you use them for. To destroy villages and slaughter innocents." He simply smiled at me.
"I've heard of you Heracles and your exploits. I see you wear the pelt of the Nemean lion you slayed as armor, which is good because it shows not all the tails are false. Some say you strangled two snakes as an infant and are the son of Zeus. Ridiculous really how people could believe the king of the gods would ever birth you, a common thief. However should I kill you it will no doubt cause trouble so I offer you this chance. Return to me my mares and leave my kingdom now and your life will be spared."
"But by leaving I'll be leaving countless innocents to die. So if you want the mares back you're going to have to kill me first."
"So be it. You'll be good food for my mares." Before he clapped his hands and his men came at me.
The first one to reach me try to bring his sword down on my head but I just sidestepped before grabbing his arm to pull him forward and knee him in the gut knocking him out. I tossed him behind me as another came at me bringing his sword to my left before I used my sword to block before sliding his sword to the ground making him stumble forward as I elbowed him in the back of the head taking him out of the fight. As soon as he went down though another guard came charging at me with his sword raised I held my shield in front of me. As he reached me I rammed my shield right into his gut and used it to lift him over my head and flung him into the dead end. After that a guard with a spear charged at me with his spearhead pointed at my chest. As the head was within arms reach I side stepped and grabbed the spears top and pulled it towards me along with the guard before delivering a hard punch to the guards face which is when I heard a sickening crack signifying the breaking of the guards nose as he collapsed to the ground. There were only two guards and the king left to deal with and they were starting to look nervous. Both guards charged at me ready to strike me with their swords raised. I used my sword to block the sword of the one who brought his down first before using the momentum to push him behind me making him stumble as I delivered a hard strike to the second one with the edge of my shield. As the one kneeled over in pain the other had recovered from his stumble and charging at me with his sword once more. I simply dodged and sliced at his arm with my sword paralyzing him and making him fall to the ground from being carried by the momentum of his strike. The final guard in a last attempt tried to kill me by making a stab at me but I just sidestepped him and elbowed the back of his neck knocking him out.
The guards were now down for the count leaving only king Diomedes to fight but he was backing up to get to his chariot. I threw my sword in his path and said.
"Don't move!" He stopped immediately before turning to face me as I approached him. When I was right in front of him I grabbed him by his throat and said with all the anger and hatred I could muster. "Let me get one thing clear with you. If I ever see you or if you ever try to breed horses like those mares to torment and destroy innocents again then I will feed you to those beasts of yours. Do I make myself clear?" He just let out a gurgled yes since he was gasping for breath because of my tight breath on his throat before I dropped him to the ground and said. "Good. Now get out of my sight you miserable coward." He quickly ran for his chariot and rode off into the night leaving his guards lying unconscious on the ground. After taking their helmets from them as trophies like I did to challengers back him I went back to the chariot and took off to my ship.
Five days later
I had just docked back in the Athens harbor after spending three days out at sea sailing back here with four incredibly aggressive mares who kept banging on the cage walls before spending a day with Toothless transporting the mares to an isolated valley where they would be free and need to find something else to eat other than human flesh. I then spent one day just relaxing and flying around the cove with Toothless and looking at my souvenirs from this trip which were the bridles of the mares along with the six helmets of the guards who tried to stop me. Each of my souvenirs now rested with the rest of my souvenirs in the storage hold of my ship. I gave the chariot to the villagers of the destroyed village to sell so they could start rebuilding their village and their lives. They were very grateful and swore to build a statue in my honor for it. I just hoped Aetes was at the forge because I really needed time in the forge to calm my nerves.
When I got close to the forge I saw Aetes through the window putting a sword on a rack with others as he smiled at what I assume was his handiwork. I cleared my throat to get his attention before he turned around and smiled at me as he said.
"Well now back already from your little vacation? I hope it was relaxing for you." I just smiled.
"Relaxing is the last word I would use to describe my trip." He cocked an eyebrow.
"What happened?"
"A destroyed village, heartless king, flesh eating mares, heavily guarded palace, big chase, fight with guards and relocating mares." Aetes just looked at me as if I were crazy before asking slowly.
"What?" After that I pulled out a stool and told him what happened on my 'vacation' if you could call it that.
When I was done he smiled before he said.
"Sounds like you had quite a vacation Heracles." Before I could reply though a voice from the door said.
"Indeed it does." We both turned to see a man I would say in his thirties standing there in black armor. He had dark brown hair, a beard and was looking right at me with a twinkle in his eye that I didn't like. He walked towards me and held out his hand. "My name is Jason and I've been looking for you Heracles." I kept my hand on one of the swords behind me.
"Why?" He looked at me as he pulled his hand away.
"I've been around and heard many stories of your labors from slaying the Nemean lion and now stealing the mares of Diomedes. I came to ask you for your aid in claiming the Golden Fleece so I may reclaim the throne of Lolcus which rightfully belongs to me but was stolen from me by my Uncle Pelius."
"I'm sorry but I can't help you. I have nobody to look after my cattle or my ship while I'm away." He just looked at me in shock.
"We can tow your ship behind mine and you can cross whenever you like to look after your cattle." Hearing this I knew it would be easy for me to look after both my cattle and my dragons but still I had my doubts until he said. "This journey will be a great adventure and I need all the help I can get especially with the dragon that is said to be guarding the fleece."
"Did you say dragon?" He looked at me and nodded. "So we'll be able to bring my ship with us and should I wish I could leave the expedition should I wish?" He nodded.
"Of course." I smiled.
"When do we leave?"
"Two days from now. We'll meet you out in front of the dock of Athens." I gave a nod before he left as Aetes said.
"You just signed up for one tough trip my friend. May the gods watch over you." I nodded at him in thanks before we got to work.
AN: I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter because it's going to be the last one for a while. You see I've started working and it's form seven to half past three and when I get home I'm normally completely drained and still have things to do leaving little time to write so sorry and don't worry the next chapter will be a little more action packed with amazon warriors and six armed giants as Hiccup travels with the Argonauts. Also new Poll so please vote.
