Asterius' Labors- Part 3 (Patreon)

Asterius' hunger is getting out of hand, and is weighing heavily on their quest- check out next week to see how it ends, and enjoy!

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Having spent his mortal days trapped in a labyrinth, Asterius only had the accounts of Theseus and other great heroes who rested in the Elysian Fields to tell him what going on a quest was like. They always talked of the trials and tribulations, the hardships and grueling tasks that completing heroic tasks entailed; but if this counted as Asterius' first quest, to get the Golden Apples of Hesperides to finally quell his gnawing hunger, it was far easier than Theseus made it seem. To be sure, the minotaur's gnawing hunger was a source of discomfort, but he had no idea how readily people would simple hand over food to him if he asked- they didn't even ask for him to pay! Granted, the fact most mortals were terrified he would eat them explained their generosity, but Asterius had long ago grown used to such treatment.

Of course, Theseus and the ghostly Tantalus had a markedly different opinion of the experience- keeping people calm whenever the increasingly large and ravenous minotaur started eyeing everything so hungrily was a trial all its own, and then there was aiding the minotaur's travel: Asterius' appetite had dominated all other concerns, and the effects on his body were becoming harder to manage.

As the bull-headed beast gorged himself on baklava, moussaka, and souvlaki, his weight ballooned, and he showed no sign of slowing down. Every part of his once chiseled physique had been buried under an avalanche of excess fat, his belly alone swelling into a humongous boulder that sank perilously close to the ground. Carrying that weight alone slowed Asterius to a meandering waddle, and the eating never stopped. He cradled an amphora of wine in one arm, wedged between augmented love handles, the overhang of his now-doughy chest, and the reams of fat wrapped around his once musclebound arms, and his other hand held a gigantic gyro, which would probably last him until the end of the hour. He huffed between bites, legs thick as Theseus' ego rolling off one another, soft, oversized thighs churning. Their journey had brought him to Piraeus, a bustling harbor, and Theseus paused, looking between Asterius and the ships beyond.

"What're we stopping for?" Asterius asked. "Oh! Is there another market? I wouldn't mind grabbing a snack…"

Theseus thinned his lips. "My friend, we need to sail past the Pillars of Hercules to reach our destination. Which means grabbing a ship."

"Uh-huh?"

"Well… I worry, ah." Theseus rubbed the back of his head. "How heavy do you think you are right now?"

Asterius blanched, mashing the amphora of wine against the voluminous folds of back fat stretching his hide. "Ah… around two hundred stone, I'd wager."

Tantalus sighed wearily. "We won't find many ships that can haul that…"

Theseus rubbed his chin. "Perhaps… perhaps he's now buoyant?"

The three would-be adventurers looked between another, and then nervously out at the harbor. Just one more challenge to overcome… if Asterius could be torn away from their dwindling supplies quickly enough.