Hiccup had never seen a Minotaur up close before. Its bull head had horns which were as long as they were sharp. It was covered in dirty, matted fur. The chest of the creature was like a man who seemed to be particularly muscular just to further intimidate Hiccup. The legs were furry and it had hooves. Dagur glared at the Minotaur and the true monster who suggested this.
"You can't expect him to fight that thing," he said.
Hiccup shook his head. "N-no, I agreed to do it. I will. I just…can't do it right now." He turned to the king. "Can I come back tonight?"
Sisyphus appeared open to this idea. "You can, but don't think that you can leave. Now that you've made this agreement, I'll make sure that guards are watching the borders of the kingdom."
"Don't worry," the Berkian said, frowning. "I'll be back."
Moving out of the way, Sisyphus let the trio exit the palace. When they were gone, Snotlout started talking.
"That was just a bluff, right? We're actually going to find some other way to do this?" His face lit up. "Ooh, Dagur, can you make illusions?"
"Eh, it's not something I do often, but I guess."
Hiccup knew where his cousin was going with this and spoke up. "Snotlout, I don't want you to pretend to be me. That wouldn't be an honorable way to do this."
"But it would work. I could kill that Minotaur in no time!"
"Actually, it wouldn't work," Dagur corrected. "Minotaurs are really connected to their animal sides. It would sense that something was off and then Sisyphus would probably guess what happened, especially if Hiccup starts looking like a trained warrior all of a sudden."
Snotlout let out a sigh. "Then I'm out of plans."
"That's okay. I have one," Hiccup said. "I'm going to make something. That's why I needed to wait until tonight. If I can create a tool to use, it'll give me the advantage that could just help me win." He paused, starting to smile. "And what you said about a Minotaur's animal side just gave me an idea."
His comrades liked the sound of that and returned to the village. Hiccup took the helmet that Dagur had given him.
"I can melt this down," he stated.
The redhead found a large pot and brought it over. Snotlout started a fire underneath it and Hiccup began working with the material. He added other items that they had nearby, but there was not much. The most he could do was include a few tiny pebbles and pieces of rotten wood that no one was using. Hiccup was painfully aware of the sun beginning to set. He was becoming a little more anxious as shadows covered the ground.
"Any chance that you'd be able to convince Helios to keep the sun chariot up there for a little longer?"
"Not likely," Dagur told him unhappily. "We're not really on good terms either."
Hiccup tried to push down his nerves and kept working. He was running out of time. Finally, the sun had set, so the trio returned to the palace. They went back to the throne room and saw a smug look on the king's face. It annoyed all three of them.
"Welcome back," he said. "Are you ready to fight the Minotaur?"
Hiccup nodded. "I am."
He had more confidence in his voice than he felt. Still, it was nice to see that irritate the ruler. Sisyphus got up and led them to the creature again.
"You'll have to pardon the beast. It hasn't eaten as much as usual today. It might be hungry."
Hiccup felt his blood run cold at the thought. Despite that, he went towards the door. Before he could enter, Dagur put a hand on his shoulder.
"No dying. I'll smite you if you do."
Hiccup saw Snotlout nodding in agreement. The dark-haired boy was too anxious to offer anything himself, but he agreed with the sentiments of the immortal. To prove this, he made a semi-threatening fist. The smaller Berkian gave them a weak grin and turned back to the door. Taking a deep breath, he entered.
The Minotaur was fast. He hardly let the door close before he attacked. Every step was powerful and seemed to make the ground tremble. Hiccup clumsily dove out of the way when the creature ran at him, horns first. They hit a wall, sliding off the stones. Hiccup realized that was why the material was made of that. He wished it had been wooden so that the horns would get stuck. The boy scrambled for the item he had made. As he tried to grab it, the Minotaur charged again. This made the object fall from his hands. It jangled and Hiccup's heart felt like it leapt into his throat.
One horn from the creature scraped the side of his shoulder, drawing blood. Hiccup winced and ducked when the monster tried to reach for him. With the hooves and horns, he nearly forgot that his opponent could just strangle him as well, but Hiccup was also fast. He was not particularly agile, but he bent down and went to the side at a greater speed than the creature expected. The Minotaur could not get an attack to land properly. It always seemed to be a lessened version of what it was meant to be. The side of its head butted Hiccup in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. He hit the wall, then looked back at the device. It had slid to a corner of the room. Hiccup had been trying to get closer. He tried again, but like before, his path was blocked. The monster charged and Hiccup tried to dash for the item. Doing this, he slipped on some of the blood on the ground. He landed with a grunt, but he had the device in the grasp.
The Minotaur ran to him and lifted his hooves to stomp the Berkian. Hiccup managed to roll in time to avoid this. The monster moved with him, pinning the part of his tunic near his arm. Hiccup's heart raced as he saw that he was stuck. Before the animal could do anything else, the boy shook his invention. When he did, the pebbles began jangling inside the device. It was loud. Sisyphus looked bored, crossing his arms as he waited for the boy to die. Yet, Hiccup did not die. The Minotaur lifted its hands to cover its ears, stepping back. Its hoof stepped on Hiccup's prosthetic, causing it to lose its balance. The creature stumbled, falling to the ground. Instead of getting back up to fight more, it kept its hands over its ears. Sisyphus's eyes widened and he stepped closer to the door.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Hiccup did not answer, moving towards the Minotaur as he held out the device. It moved further away from him.
"Stop that noise!" the monster yelled.
To the mortals and immortal, the noise was just annoying. To someone with the enhanced hearing of a bull, it was deafening.
"Do you yield?" Hiccup asked.
The Minotaur did not answer. It had never lost. Whenever someone entered the room, that mortal either was already dead or would be within the next few minutes. The creature whimpered when Hiccup moved the device right next to its ear.
"I yield!"
Hiccup squeezed the invention, making the racket come to an end. This let his opponent breathe a sigh of relief. This same breath was breathed by Hiccup's companions even if the reason was different. Hiccup hesitated before exiting the room.
"Why do you stay here like this?" he asked. "You're strong enough to break down that door."
The Minotaur regarded him in shock. "I stay because I'm fed. Sisyphus gives me the guests."
"But can you only eat people?"
The creature shook its head. "No."
"Then why not try to work with us instead? You wouldn't have to stay trapped in here."
"Hey," Sisyphus called, banging his hand on the door. "Get out of there. If you're not going to kill him, the fight's over."
Hiccup kept his eyes on the Minotaur. Its eyes were wide and unsure. It stayed still as he went to the door. The Berkian walked out, immediately getting hugged by his cousin. After Snotlout realized what he had done, he moved back.
"I don't have enough coins to put one on you for the Underworld," he commented, turning away.
Hiccup smiled at him. His smile faded slightly when he saw Dagur. The immortal was also glad that he was fine, but his focus was on the king. Sisyphus's gaze was deadly and would not move off the Berkians.
"He won," Dagur said. "That means you'll give your wealth to the subjects so that they won't die."
Sisyphus put a forced smile on his face. "Of course. I'd never dream of breaking a deal with an immortal. But first, we should have a feast."
"We didn't come here for feasts."
"Zeus would be displeased with me if I had guests and didn't offer them a meal."
"Under the circumstances, I'm sure he'd understand."
"A drink then. It's a custom of ours to do this. What could one drink hurt? Demaratus!"
Immediately, Demaratus approached, bowing his head slightly. "Yes, Sir?"
"Prepare ceremonial beverages for us." He looked back at Dagur. "Sorry, we don't have ambrosia."
Dagur sneered at him. "I'm not thirsty."
Sisyphus looked back at his companion, sharing a quick moment. Then Demaratus left. The king started bringing the group back to his throne room.
"You've got a tool to let you communicate with immortals," Dagur said. "Who gave it to you?"
The king regarded him in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about. I've never seen something like that."
"Don't lie to us," Snotlout said. "We know you have it."
Sisyphus shook his head. "I'm sorry, you must have been mistaken. I only speak with other mortals." His expression became annoyed. "If this is what'll happen when I deal with immortals, I think I'll avoid them."
Dagur glared hatefully at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Demaratus enter. He held a tray with several chalices. The man handed one to Snotlout, then Hiccup.
"Careful, he's a sore loser," he whispered.
Hiccup's brow rose, then he nudged Snotlout before he could take a sip. The bigger boy looked at him, seeing Hiccup eyeing the drinks suspiciously.
"Come on," Sisyphus encouraged, taking the last beverage. "Drink with me."
"You had these tainted," Snotlout accused.
He and Hiccup dropped the chalices, letting the unsafe liquid spill on the ground.
"You set the terms to the challenge and really couldn't just accept that you'd lost?" Hiccup asked.
The king's eyes widened and he glared at Demaratus. "Traitor."
Shrugging, the other man started leaving. "I don't want to get on the bad side of any god. Have fun with this, Grimmel."
"Get back here, Savage!" the ruler yelled.
Savage was too far gone and Grimmel glared back at the others. He was starting to panic. Eurymedon would literally have his head for this. He needed those mortals to die. Unsure what else to do, Grimmel reached behind himself and threw two blades at the cousins' throats. Dagur swung his ax, blocking them. His eyes began to glow angrily and Grimmel paled.
"You don't understand," the king said. "I need to bring them back."
"Then you are speaking with someone. Who?"
Grimmel did not answer. He just knew he had to find a solution. He could not die. The king rushed towards the spilled liquid, lapping it up. In confusion, the trio watched him. It started to make more sense when his body swayed. He was not dying, but his eyelids became heavy and he fell onto the ground. Dagur scowled and kicked the man's shoulder, pushing him to his back.
"You're not getting out of this so easy," he said.
He stepped on the king's stomach, making him spit out liquid. Grimmel threw up the rest, speedily regaining consciousness. Dagur started dragging him back to the Minotaur's room.
"Don't put me in there!" the ruler pleaded.
Dagur was not listening and threw him in, but he turned to the creature.
"Don't kill him. I've got something better planned."
The cousins looked at Dagur curiously.
"What's better?" Snotlout asked.
This made the immortal laugh. "Zeus might be involved in this after all. I think we need a special kind of punishment for a king who uses monsters, manipulation, and cheating to run his kingdom into the ground. Keep an eye on him while I'm gone. Shouldn't be long."
Dagur vanished, heading to Mount Olympus. He had not been there in a while, but he thought this would be a good time to visit. The immortal approached the throne room of the palace. There, he saw a much larger redhead.
"Ares, why are you here?" the king asked.
"King Sisyphus is conspiring with someone."
"Do you have proof?"
"No, but I do have proof of him leading his kingdom to ruin. The subjects are all dying off and he's been killing visitors. When he was confronted about that, he tried to kill the mortals who wanted to protect the others. He even keeps a Minotaur to eat people and tried to cheat death by making himself comatose."
"This doesn't answer my first question."
"I think he deserves a special punishment. That's why I'm here. He should have to make amends by being a servant in the kingdom for the others. He has to fix every area he's let break and make sure that the people have what they need to start thriving." There was a pause that frustrated the immortal. "Zeus, this is probably the most helpful thing I've ever come to you about."
"I agree. That's why I'm surprised it's coming from you. This isn't about war."
"No, but I still want to do it."
"Does it involve those two mortals? Apollo told me that he saw you with them."
"Yeah, it does."
"Are you up to something?"
"Nothing bad."
"You're not one for spending much time with different mortals. Why are you now?"
Dagur crossed his arms. "Because unlike you or the others, when I told them that something was up with the king, they believed me."
Zeus was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "I'll allow your punishment. It'll teach future mortals to respect guests in their homes and kingdoms."
He made a fist, then opened his hand. In it, there was a chain meant to be worn around the neck.
"Hephaestus made this long ago in case of a similar situation. It'll force Sisyphus to be a servant to them as you said. This won't allow him to deviate from that kind of behavior and will prevent Thanatos from collecting him."
Dagur grinned deviously, already excited to put the collar on the cruel king and see the arrogance fade out of his eyes. When he approached Zeus, the immortal ruler moved his hand back slightly.
"I don't trust you, Ares. When immortals like you start behaving differently, it makes me suspicious."
"I told you before, I think something's up. What am I going to gain from lying about this? Why won't you just believe me?"
Zeus became quiet, but his eyes said everything. He thought the immortal was insane. Dagur scowled and took the collar.
"Thanks for this," he said. "During the next thunderstorm, I'll make sure my team's real grateful to have you on their side."
The immortal turned, going back to his comrades. They were still in front of the door, watching as Sisyphus pushed himself as far into one wall as he could go. Regardless, the Minotaur was not trying to attack him. The younger mortals looked at the god.
"What happened?" Hiccup asked.
Dagur opened the door and entered, approaching the king. "Zeus decided to grant my request. He doesn't like this guy either."
Sisyphus attempted to run, but Dagur caught him. The collar was clamped around his neck. Desperately, the deposed king clawed at it, but it would not come off. Suddenly, he stopped. An odd thought filled his mind. He wanted to go find ill people and nurse them back to health. This disgusted him. Sisyphus shook his head, trying to get rid of the idea. The next one was worse. He wanted to give the subjects all his gold and advise on the best ways to make it last. He wanted them to…prosper as horrifying as the thought was. Sisyphus let out a cry.
"What have you done to me?!"
"You didn't want to die," Dagur said, grinning. "Now, you won't, but you'll be forced to serve the kingdom in all the ways you never did as king."
Sisyphus wanted to complain and fight against this, but the urge to help was too strong. He ran out of the door, going straight for his medical supplies. Then he ran out of the castle, hating every step with every fiber of his being. The trio followed him out to make sure that the enchantment was working. Even the subjects regarded Sisyphus as though he had been struck with madness, but they could not deny that he was already being useful. The man ran around, cleaning up debris and waste anywhere he could find it. Snotlout had to laugh at the sight.
"Did we just turn the most selfish king we know into the most helpful one?"
"I'd say so," the redhead declared proudly.
Snotlout grinned. "Way to go, us!"
Hiccup glanced back to the palace. "What about the Minotaur? It said it doesn't need to eat people. Maybe there's something it can do."
His teammates glanced at one another, shrugging.
"If Sisyphus is making up for his crimes by helping out, maybe it can too," Snotlout offered.
In agreement, the group returned to the stone room. The Minotaur was still there. It did not seem like the creature even knew how to respond to the door being open.
"You didn't leave?" Snotlout asked.
"Where would I go?"
"Ephyra could use some strong subjects who can help with repairs," Hiccup stated.
"And I'll be keeping an eye on this place, so if you go all people-eater on us, I'll know," Dagur said, a warning in his eyes.
The Minotaur understood the threat and nodded. "I could…try to find ways to help out. It might scare the subjects, though."
Dagur cackled. "I think that's a guarantee, pal, but they don't have that many options. Help enough of them and even if you're still the scary Minotaur, you'll also be the scary Minotaur who's pretty cool to be around."
The creature seemed open to this plan and left the castle with them. As expected, people seemed frightened, but they did not stop the Minotaur when he began assisting in removing broken pieces of roofs. It was almost a peaceful sight to the trio. The rebels started to approach them, grateful smiles on their faces. They eagerly shook the visitors' hands.
"We'll never be able to repay you," the leader said.
"You don't have to," Hiccup assured him. "We're happy to help."
"But if you wanted to spread the word about Heracles, Daedalus, and Ares being heroes, we wouldn't complain," Snotlout added.
The smaller Berkian chuckled quietly at his cousin's attempt to self-promote, but this was the least that the subjects felt they could do. They nodded their heads.
"Of course! We'll tell stories of you. Everyone who enters Ephyra from this point on will know that the only reason we're able to survive was because of the great heroes who didn't turn us away in our time of need."
Snotlout's cocky smile faded some, hearing the genuine sentiment in the person's voice. This was not like Spitelout had told him it would be. He had said that being a hero would mean getting gold, feasts, and anything he could ever ask for. Seeing people with tears of joy in their eyes seemed like a nicer prize. Hiccup wondered if he had actually died that day with the cyclops. It did not seem like he was the one who had really been able to help people in this way. He never thought it was truly possible.
"We can't stay much longer," Dagur said.
The cousins looked at him.
"What's wrong?" Snotlout asked.
"There's a problem somewhere else. We still don't know what really was going on here. We need to keep going so that we'll be able to stop whatever's been happening."
"Alright," Hiccup stated. "Then who are we helping now?"
"A goddess this time. Or more specifically, a follower of hers." The immortal's eyes twinkled. "Even I'm not really sure what we'll be up against. Still up for it?"
The mortals turned to one another before their faces broke out into grins.
"Absolutely," Hiccup stated.
Snotlout puffed up happily. "Best team! Best team! Oi, oi, oi!"
I mentioned the coins with Hiccup in chapter one, but I want to elaborate on that. In myth, it was believed that coins needed to be placed in the mouths of the dead. This was so that their souls could pass through to the Underworld on the boat of the ferryman (we'll get to him too. Feel free to guess who he is!). Along with this, I want to finally talk about Sisyphus. I have been waiting to not give much away about him. He was as bad of a king as he is here. He would kill guests without there being records that would justify the attacks. Sisyphus also tried to cheat death, literally chaining Death/Thanatos up when it was time for him to die. Thankfully, Ares came to rescue Thanatos from his imprisonment. Angered by Sisyphus's actions, Zeus forced him to roll a boulder up a hill, let it fall back down, and repeat this for all of eternity. I think that Grimmel got off easy in comparison.
