Alcides the Berserker 5 (Patreon)

Alcides the Berserker 5 - or ‘My Twin Sister and I go through a wild journey in Ancient Greece’ (Fateverse, Herakles!SI)

Athens had recovered a bit from the bout of sickness rotting out a worrying slice of its population.

Bodies were being brought out of the city in carts to be burned in an effort to both purge the stench while also providing the deceased with a chance to have a ‘proper funeral’. The streets had that sense of miserable essence which made wandering around quite difficult.

Hell, I would say that it was such a bad of a situation that hardly anyone even noticed our approach, with only a few eyeing Asterios, but it was also due to the fact that we had him covered up to hide horns, his fur and his eyes.

Still, Asterios and I were among the tallest around from the looks of it, and we were drawing attention due to this. Hence why I pushed to have less of an explorative walk around the city and focus on the main motivation behind our visit: find the Temple of Zeus and try to get in contact with him.

Due to my unusual birth, the fact that the ‘Divine Spirits’ of the Olympians being somewhat ‘nicer’ than some myths showed and our current circumstance justified in full by what we were bringing to the King of the Gods’ attention, I was hoping this would have been easy.

But I had ruled out, perhaps out of foolish expectation, that the temples had been kept open to the public during this epidemic. So, I was reasonably embarrassed and annoyed when we were told off as ‘the temple was not meant to house cowardly foreigners trying to avoid the godly wrath upon the city’.

So yeah, insults aside, the priests had restricted the capacity of people to be housed in the temples, using the ‘it is a religious matter of importance that renders impossible any other religious function for the time being’ kind of excuse.

Frustrating as it was, we couldn’t do much without pissing off deities in our effort to placate them. The plan was thus changed- we would camp outside Athens and wait a few days for this restriction to be lifted.

The chance to move out to another city may be seen as a slight to Zeus as ‘we did not bother to show ourselves repentant and didn’t do it in the earliest place we could do it in’. I know, it’s a shitty reason, but it’s Zeus and the Olympians we are talking about.

Any excuse counts as good to poke mean fun to the mortal folks. So, we went to find a nice spot on one of the nearby hills right beside the forest leading out of the city’s perimeter, and made plans to stay there for a full week.

While Iphi helped Asterios in putting on his tent and explained to how we were going to ‘split the day’, I went on to the forest with two objectives in mind: 1) get some more wood to keep the fire going during the dark hours; 2) hunt some food between animals and plants.

I didn’t expect more of it, especially when the situation was such that I doubted we were going to deal with any major issues, both mortal and divine. Not yet, at least. I expected Minos to cause some hassle in the long-run, but by the time he would be made aware of us, he should have something else to worry about- such as Zeus himself.

So, I was soon busying myself with the task of providing resources through the bountiful forest. The first effort was for the wood, but it went beyond merely the concept of fuel for the fire- I wanted to test out a few things I had experimented on back home.

Specifically, some portable tools to carry animals. I would cut a few logs, then split them evenly to create a stable surface where to put on the big meat and finally use a few carved spheres of wood I had made beforehand. The reason why I did not want to make it one back home was mostly due to the kind of reaction I would have gotten at home for it.

Knowing my mother, she would have seen it as a sign I was connected to Hephaestus, thus giving me a name about the guy and… no. I really didn’t want to dodge ‘Herakles’ to be called ‘Hephaestuscles’ or something of the kind. Shaking my head at the thought, I carefully used a few leather strings to tie up the whole thing and- eureka! I got a foldable carrying-mat.

It could be extended up to keep roughly three full boars before I needed to put more on top of those. I could confirm this as I ended up finding five big boars, fat with nutritious meat and energetic enough to be the feistiest preys I had in a while. It wasn’t the craziest hunt ever, but I managed to secure both our meals for the ensuing time, and some more logs for me to carry over my right shoulder.

After two full hours of getting everything I needed for the camp, I was making my way out of the forest when I stumbled on a sight that… clearly had been set up while I had been distracted with the hunt.

Firmly impaled on the stump of one of the many trees I had cut stood a blade that looked very familiar at first glance, but that I needed closer inspection to fully recognize.

The weapon was not a mere sword or a lance- it was a legendary weapon alright and one that called upon me. Marmyadose was considered a powerful weapon, even when put in a comparison with Excalibur, its power could actually go beyond what the Divine Phantasm could muster.

Such a powerful item was, however, one of those that had some catch to it- in the specific, whoever left it there had done it on purpose for a test or something. I frowned, looking around to try and find any other clues on who may have left it there and… perhaps in a move that shocked the one behind this ‘gift’, I decided to go around it and resume my steps.

This plan was, however, a short-lived one.

“Perhaps you should take it with you.”

The loud masculine voice drew me to stop, my attention shifting not around at ground level, but above my head as I saw an eagle perched in one of the tree branches in the area. It was staring at me with a pair of intelligent eyes.

…Isn’t that a Zeus’ thing? Wait, is that actually Zeus?!

Still I can’t exactly-

“Are you Lord Zeus?”

The eagle went a bit still, and I tensed up a bit as my mouth reacted outside my thoughts- fucking hell, why did I have this odd habit in times like this!?

“And how… how can you tell that much?”

“I have heard many times of your favored avian form as an Eagle,” I pointed out, trying to hold a polite tone through it all. “So… that’s how.”

The bird nodded, then looked away for a moment, seemingly thinking and then turning his attention back to me.

“Beyond this unexpected notion, I suggest you bring that sword with you. Marmyadose is a legendary weapon meant for great heroes.”

“...But am I worthy of it?”

“That means- wait, what?” Zeus shook up at that question. “What do you mean with ‘being worthy’? I think you are and thus you receive it from me, the King of the Gods.”

“Why, though?” I pressed on. “I mean, perhaps there is something I am missing here, but I am not exactly a ‘great’ hero yet.”

“You did a deed already,” The Divine Spirit pointed out. “After all, Asterios’ situation is one worthy of being seen as a deed for saving an individual from being punished for things beyond his control.”

…

“How do you know that precisely?” I asked, appearing less respectful for a moment, and Zeus’ eagle form pushed his chest out with a hint of pride.

“I know many things, child.”

“...If you do, then why is Athens still being tortured if you know that Minos is in the wrong?”

…

…

“I have yet to… judge them clear-”

“You forgot. And before this becomes ground for some divine act of wrath, I am not trying to mock you or anything like that, Lord Zeus. I get it- it’s some frustrating job that, as a divine being puts you in a bad spot but… people are kind of dying. It’s an ugly sight for sure and… it kind of stopped us from going to your temple to properly summon you.”

The eagle tilted his head left and right. “That’s a very troublesome detail and… I don’t mind this respectful criticism. The only time I may react negatively is when mortals speak to gods in a disrespectful manner. You did not do such a thing.”

“Oh… I am glad to hear that, Lord Zeus. Then I will be on my way-”

“The sword, Alcides.”

I sighed. “Lord Zeus, I appreciate the gesture, but if I was to pick it, wouldn’t it pretty much ‘taint’ my rise to greatness a bit.”

“...What?”

“From a narrative standpoint, I mean,” I reasoned as I explained my point of view. “If Marmyadose is such a powerful weapon, the value of the growth of my heroic career would be seen by many as a clue into favoritism. I appreciate it, I am not denying the good will put behind the gift, but… I don’t want to be disrespectful, but isn’t it a bit of an overused circumstance?”

Zeus raised an intrigued brow- to see this from a bird was indeed odd. “How so?”

“Hero rises to a journey, then ends up finding a ‘random’ piece of powerful equipment, using it to pretty much push through all obstacles. There are many others that don’t rely on tools and use their own unique traits to their advantage. Which is why I would prefer, not as a means to be a runt about it, to be able to do these first few deeds on my own using my wits, strength while also relying on my friends for help.”

…

“That’s… an interesting narrative. It’s not something I have ever considered but maybe… I can give it permission to see it unfold.”

I smiled-

“But you will eventually need to claim this blade. For it is prophesied you will claim it as yours.”

…Well, shit. Of course prophecies would give me the finger on what freedom of choice I have on these matters.

“Then I will be ready for it the moment I will have to claim it,” I assured, then turning and leaving.

I had much to think from this encounter, but I could now say for sure that Zeus was informed of this mess and… he didn’t sound like a bastard like I had expected him to be.

—-------d-d-d-d—--------

AN

Zeus is actually feeling a bit of pride at knowing that his growing demi-god son Alcides has a thing for literature too.