Hercules and his Twelve Labors

The Final Labor: The Capturing of Cerberus

To gate the godling swift returns
In hopes reprieve from labors earned
By taming beast that guards the door
With many heads as final chore.

There stood the beast it's maws so wide
With three of heads and Stygian hide.
It's tail like snake its teeth like knives
It bloody tongue now eerie writhes.

As hound does guard the way to hell
Along the path that's black and fell.
A fearsome sight that's full of dread
Enough to scare away the dead.

To beast the hero cautious walks
At sight of hound he almost balks
But stills his heart and readies hand
In hopes a mighty blow he'll land.

Then Somnus god of sleep did call
In hopes the hero's blow he'll stall.
"Remember promise hero made
That deathly queen must serf obey.

To cause the hound the slightest harm
Will raise in hell a great alarm.
And bring the whole of hades here
With blacken shields and spectral spears.

To hunt the hero cross the land
Where ever demi-god may stand.
So stay your hand from striking blow
To try and lay the creature low.

And set on stone and answer find
For idle hands have active mind."
So hero lays his club to side
And time the godling waiting bides.

To find a way to tame the guard
With out a blow or struggle hard.
Then hero rises up from seat
With way to carry out this feat.

"I ask of Somnus smallest boon
That demi-god avoids his tomb.
Will god of sleep allow me take
A bit of draught from Lethe the lake.

That god does use so all who sleep
Forget their time in Somnus keep
When going back to land of day
So none may know your cryptic ways."

Then god of sleep does nods his head
That heroes task be quickly sped
So land of dead he'll leave alive
And up to Tyrne may hero strive.

So down to realm of dreams they go
That hero's wiley ways be sown.
In saucer godling gathers draught
He down in dreamlike lair sought.

Then leaves with pan on back to gate
To meet his doom and find his fate.
Then after bowl is set in place
On next to hound with little grace.

To Styx the hero quickly goes
On down to moat of deepest woe.
There spying harpies circling high
Like vultures flying up in sky.

He readies bow and shoots at beast
To make for hound a poisoned feast.
And single harpy falls from sky
To lake below where creature dies.

Then hero jumps from stony crop
To Styx below avoiding rocks.
The water burns the heroes skin
And cry from godlings mouth is rend.

But still he pushes through the pain
In hopes he harpies body gains.
And after raptors took from lake
To shore to hound a dinner make.

He takes the beast to monsters side
Where creatures gently downward lied.
And little time the hound does waste
Devouring harpies form with haste.

Then poisoned blood by arrow shot
Does burn his throat like spice so hot.
But hound is son of Typhon grand
The greatest beast to roam the land.

The poison gives him little pause
But seeking water's action caused.
So beast may stop the burning feel
That's caused by hero's poisoned steal.

And waters drawn from Lethe the lake
Is only source for hound to take.
So beast does swig forgetting all
To make him head his masters call.

And ancient hound becomes like pup
When beast from draught of Lethe had sup.
So hero makes the beast obey
By teaching dog a servants ways.

And after many moons had past
The hero trained the hound at last.
Then readies dog to go to lair
Of tyrant born with out a care.