The Legend of Perseus: The Labors

Ch. 6

Ch. 6

Perseus watched as Heracles pulled the blade from the coals of the fire and handed it to him.

"Just do it quickly."

Without wanting to, Perseus did as he was told and pressed the flat of the blade to the deep gashes along Heracles' back. The son of Zeus' body went rigid and he sucked in a hard breath, clenching his fists and forcing himself to stay still.

"Gods of Olympus," he growled. Perseus pulled the blade away from his back and had to choke back some bile as he saw the smoldering skin. It was the same bright red and the blade and nearly made him sick on the spot. He forced himself to act as he remembered Heracles instructions and pressed a handful of the leaves Heracles had gathered against the wound.

Heracles fell forward onto his knees, the cooling Eucalyptus leaves stuck to his skin and gave him a euphoric relief from his pain. After a minute, he got back to his feet and nodded to Perseus gratefully.

"Thank you. That should stop the bleeding and the leaves will prevent fever from the exposed wound."

Perseus took a seat on the ground next to their small fire. They hadn't moved far from their encounter with the Nemean Lion. They set to work brewing up a stew from more of the leaves Heracles had found and a small amount of the meat they'd packed from Perseus' kill; they'd given the lion's share to Molorchus for giving them shelter and the tip about of the lion's whereabouts.

Once they'd eaten, Heracles pulled an arrow from his quiver and examined it closely, shaking his head and looking disheartened.

"Never in my travels have I seen a beast invulnerable to Celestial Bronze." He just sighed and looked over at Perseus who'd taken out one of his own arrows and poked his finger with it. The young demigod winced as a small trickle of blood trailed down his finger.

Heracles smiled at his young companion before his smile was replaced with a frown. He turned his gaze into the small flames of the fire and thought deeply of their predicament.

He regretted bringing Perseus with him. It was selfish and reckless. He let his own insecurities guide his decision making and it was putting his one friend in this world at risk. Perseus was no older than ten and even that might have been pushing it. Yet here he was, out tracking the most dangerous creature in Greece because a man twice his age was scared to do so alone.

Coward, he cursed himself.

Perseus was like the little brother he'd never had and Heracles cherished that dearly. But he was acting the opposite of how a big brother should act with his younger sibling and filled him with shame.

Perseus was a demigod like him but he'd barely scratched the surface of his demigod abilities. When he sent the river at the Nemean Lion, it'd been the first time he'd been able to manipulate anything bigger than a goblet of water. Although his potential was clear as day, Perseus was nowhere near ready to be a great hero. The Oracle may have confirmed that potential in Delphi but it still gave him no right to drag a child along while he served his penance.

Heracles ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. When he looked up at Perseus again, he found him curled up next to the fire, his bow gripped tight in his hands as he slipped into deeper sleep.

Heracles just smiled softly and pulled the stag pelt off his own shoulders and draped it over Perseus as he shivered slightly in his sleep.

Tomorrow, Heracles thought, he would confront the beast himself and keep Perseus out of danger. He swore it to himself as he pushed himself back up against a nearby tree with his bow across his lap as he kept watch over the eerily quiet night.