Asterius' Labors- Part 1 (Patreon)

Asterius was offered a place in the heavenly Elysian Fields, and now has decided to pay it forward by taking on the eternal hunger Tantalus was punished with- I'm sure this won't have any big side effects.

Enjoy, folks!

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Asterius rolled his eyes, trying to tune out Theseus. Asterius, once the Cretan Minotaur, had fought Theseus, hero-king of Athens, to death- and now, they were spending eternity together in the Elysian Fields. He was a powerfully built bull, with thickly roped muscles and a pair of massive horns tipped in pink crowning his head. He was once fearsome and ruthless, but death had changed both of them- Theseus had killed the minotaur, and cast him into Tartarus. But when he saw his one-time foe in the Underworld, he fought for Asterius to join him in the heavenly Elysian Fields, a place reserved for the souls of the great and good, the heroes of humanity. Theseus had argued Asterius was as much a legend as he, and by his prowess and strength, deserved a place in the Elysian Fields at his side. For this, Theseus earned Asterius' everlasting loyalty- and perhaps even affection. But the minotaur never could forget some of the souls he saw suffering in Tartarus.

And it was this that led him to his most recent argument with Theseus. The prince of the Underworld, Zagreus, had recently fought his way to the very banks of the River Styx, and had tried escaping the rule of his father, Hades, many times. His adventures had shaken up the Underworld, and left many thinking about how they were spending eternity. Asterius, too, was thinking how he could pass on the good fortune he had found with Theseus, and perhaps save another soul from Tartarus.

"But why Tantalus?" Theseus demanded. "He's being punished for serving human flesh to the Gods- few things are as twisted and vile!"

Asterius shrugged. "I used to eat people, seven Athenian youths a year. I guess I found a kindred spirit."

Theseus shook his head. "You know that his punishment won't just go away, yes? If you want to pull Tantalus out of Tararus, you'll need to share in his punishment. Eternal hunger and thirst- are you sure you can handle that?"

Asterius frowned. "But you got me out of Tartarus, and you weren't punished."

Theseus scoffed, folding his well-muscled arms. "Oh, they mentioned something about becoming bull-headed. I'm sure I have no idea what they're talking about." He then moved closer to Asterius, squeezing the minotaur's broad shoulder. "So, are you certain about this?"

Asterius nodded curtly. "I'm sure it won't be that bad. It's not like you'll let me starve, right?"