The Heracles of Thebes (1)

Do you know how the hero of prophecy, Heracles, was born?

After a long time had passed without the appearance of the awaited great hero, Zeus, becoming anxious, devised a plan.

"Rather than waiting for a hero like Perseus or Cadmus, why not raise a great hero from childhood?"

Instead of merely observing the journey of a hero-to-be, he would receive the powers and blessings of the gods.

A hero born with divine blood inherently possessed a power far superior to other mortals. Therefore, the hero must be raised as a demigod, with one of the parents being a god.

The stronger the divine parent, the more powerful the demigod would be. Thus, the strongest demigod would naturally be one born from Zeus himself.

Mother Earth, Gaia, must have suspected that the hero was related to the Gigantes. The hero must be raised in a domain of the gods that could evade Gaia’s watchful eyes. It should be a sacred place, like Olympia, where Zeus resided, Delphi, the domain of Apollo, or Athens, the city of Athena.

The demigod should not die immediately upon birth. He had to be born to someone with sufficient wealth and power to ensure his survival. He should also not be too far from Thebes, where heroes were trained, as he could be killed on his way there.

"That woman would be suitable. The queen of Thebes, who worships my brother Hades…"

Among the candidates, Zeus had one who, admittedly, piqued his personal interest—Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon, King of Thebes.

"Oh? You're back early today, dear?"

"Ahem. Yes, it seems that way."

So Zeus, disguised as Amphitryon, the King of Thebes, approached his wife and lay with her. Naturally, Alcmene did not know of this until much later.

"Which god could have come to you? Surely it wasn’t Pluto, the chief deity of Thebes?"

"Ah... It must have been Lord Zeus."

"Well then, if it is the will of a god, we have no choice. We must raise this child as our own."

And so, their child, Heracles, was born. Zeus placed him in Hera's arms, allowing him to suckle her milk, and, evading the wrath of the Queen of the Gods, he wandered here and there, even the Underworld, for a time.

"…The child disappears frequently. This time, he was gone for an entire month..."

"Could it be that the gods have a need for this child?"

"In my dream last night, a goddess appeared and said the child’s name was to be Heracles."

Fortunately, Heracles grew up unharmed. Amphitryon invited many renowned teachers to instruct him. They taught him archery, horseback riding, sword and spear fighting, playing the lyre, and other noble skills.

However, there was one issue…

"Your Majesty, I cannot teach this boy any longer."

"What? Even you, who studied in Mycenae, find him unteachable?"

"Within a month, he has learned all I have to offer. I have nothing left to teach him…"

"Is it normal for a child his age to break rocks with his bare hands?"

"They say he's never been injured, not even once."

"I even saw a practice sword shatter upon impact with his body during sword training..."

Heracles was simply too extraordinary.

With Zeus's blood, Hera's milk, and the power of the Styx coursing through him, Heracles was in a different league than ordinary mortals. Watching him shatter a steel sword with his bare hands, Amphitryon realized that they could no longer handle this child.

"As he is the child of Lord Zeus, ordinary human education won’t suffice."

"Do you think Heracles heard the servants calling him a monster behind his back?"

"Let’s take him to the temple. I've heard that many children begin their training in the temple from a young age."

After much deliberation, Amphitryon and Alcmene decided to take him to Pluto’s temple. If they entrusted Heracles to the temple, where aspiring heroes were selected and trained, they could be at ease.

Whoosh—

"The moment Heracles approached…"

"Light is emanating from all the statues…"

"To be so welcomed by the gods, he must truly possess the qualities of a great hero."

Upon entering Pluto's temple, Heracles was quickly drawn into the Underworld. The air was different, the sky strange, and the surroundings eerie and cold...

Fwoosh—

"Hey! Watch out!"

Heracles noticed an arrow flying toward him. The arrowhead rushed toward his chest, but he felt no sense of danger as he watched it approach.

Thwack—Ting—

The arrow bounced off his skin. His body, fortified by the Styx, was impervious to ordinary weapons. Turning toward the voice, Heracles saw a blonde youth running toward him, panting heavily.

The youth, appearing roughly the same age, perhaps in his mid-to-late teens, wore an astonished expression—similar to those who had witnessed Heracles' strength and invulnerable skin.

"Huff… Huff… Did that arrow just bounce off? What kind of divine blessing is this?"

"Did you shoot the arrow?"

"Ah, yes! Sorry about that. I was practicing archery and missed."

"Practicing archery?"

"Yeah. This is the training ground for heroes, isn’t it? But where’s Mr. Chiron? He should be here by now… Anyway, follow me."

After his brief shock, the blonde youth spoke familiarly, approaching Heracles as if he had known him for a long time. Heracles smiled, pleased that the youth did not seem unduly frightened despite witnessing his invulnerability.

"Are there many people here with bodies that don’t get injured?"

"Not exactly, but there are heroes who deflect arrows with their swords, regenerate from wounds, or shoot down incoming arrows…"

"Is Mr. Chiron the same wise Chiron mentioned in history books?"

"Yes, the very same! He really is a sage with the lower body of a horse."

On the way to meet the centaur Chiron, Heracles learned many things. He discovered that the youth before him was named Jason, a royal from Iolcos, and learned about the Underworld's training ground and the intensity of their daily training…

"Yesterday, there was a giant monster…"

"Jason, who is that beside you? A new hero?"

"Oh, Mr. Chiron!"

Soon, a centaur with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse appeared before them.

"I am Chiron. What is your name, young one?"

"…Heracles."

"Tsk. You speak so curtly to your elders, Heracles."

Chiron, though smiling, seemed to have a vein bulging on his forehead as he gently patted Heracles' head. Could this centaur be different from all the other teachers who had trained him so far?

This was the Underworld, upon the throne of Hades.

A few years ago, when Heracles arrived in the Underworld, I had begun receiving regular reports on him from Chiron.

At first, Chiron had wondered why Heracles was given special treatment, but he accepted it once he learned that Heracles had suckled Hera's milk and bathed in the Styx.

Looking over the reports Chiron sent on the hero's progress…

• Heracles faced off against the hero Bellerophon in over ten rounds and lost, though this was under the condition that he would lose if any weapon touched his body. In actual combat, he would surely fare much better…
• I had him lift a rock larger than any house when I felt he wasn’t being sufficiently challenged by ordinary training. It might have been a bit heavy…
• Now, among my students, only Theseus, Atalanta, and a few others can endure even a brief sparring session with him…
• Lord Hades, Heracles has defeated every hero in single combat except for Cadmus. He is undoubtedly the greatest hero among my disciples!

The final report stated that Heracles had defeated all the heroes except the great hero Cadmus. Indeed, he is a hero of prophecy. So, he has already surpassed Bellerophon and Perseus?

Since he hasn’t yet beaten Cadmus… Perhaps he has the strength of a minor deity?

I was starting to think it was a good decision to have submerged my nephew in the Styx. Ah, speaking of which, here comes Lady Styx herself.

She held a scroll bearing Hermes' seal. Could this be news from Olympus?

"Hades. Eros and Psyche have conceived a child."

"A new god? That is joyous news. Is there any other news from Olympus?"

"Aside from Apollo returning from his punishment with Poseidon and being reinstated, not much. The Gigantes are lying low, and Gaia seems to be conserving her strength, perhaps planning something. Oh, and there are complaints about Dike’s recent actions being excessive..."

So Apollo has returned, and we should be cautious of Gaia’s scheming.

As for Dike’s behavior? She’s probably lecturing the Olympian gods about justice. Too excessive? Zeus himself could come down and I wouldn’t stop her.

"And how goes the task of training Zeus’s son, the one who bathed in my river?"

"Heracles? Now that you mention it…"

It was about time for a new report on Heracles.

At that moment, a messenger entered and handed me a scroll.

"Lord Hades, it is a report from Mr. Chiron at the hero training ground."

"Hmm."

I unrolled the scroll and read its peculiar contents.

"Lord Hades. Though it is uncomfortable to admit my own shortcomings, I must report this matter to you."

Shortcomings? The greatest educator of heroes claiming inadequacy?

What could possibly prompt such a statement?

"Heracles has completely lost his motivation. No matter what I try, I cannot restore his will. I ask for your aid…"