The God of Olympus (20 page)

Hercules remembered that Meg did not give specifics about what the fountain was for, only that it was for her use only and he was not to drink
of its water or else he would die.  He was curious and this led him to watch her.  At the moment she seemed slightly different.  The light that normally emanated from her countenance was not near as bright.  Her skin didn’t look as smooth.  It appeared almost cracked.  And her hair seemed almost soggy.

             
Hercules watched as she slowly moved forward to partake of the water of the fountain.  She dipped her hands into the water and lifted them up to her mouth.  After she partook of the water she was not groggy, as she had been previously.  Instead, the water seemed to lift her soul up, to brighten her countenance.  This was quite unusual to Hercules.

             
While she was drinking of the water Meg was brought back to Hades’ words to her before she was sent to the island:

             
“Every evening you must drink from the fountain in the palace, for if you do not you will lose your beautiful, bright form and became a wraith once again.”

             
The more Meg drank of the fountain the more she began to realize why the fountain was there.  She knew that Hades and his magic alone could not uplift others to great forms or beauty for very long—only a day.  His magic was simply not that kind of magic.  No.  She figured only Zeus and Hera had the power to alter someone’s form and beauty for good.  She wanted to go to them, to run to them and have them heal her, but she remembered Hades’ command that she could not leave the island. 

The most plausible
reason Hades placed the fountain there because this would make her stay there.  Should Hades destroy Hercules and gain control of the world he didn’t want Meg ever interfering.  He wanted her to remain apart, to remain on the island of Alcinous.

She began to even doubt Hades’ ability to truly change her form forever.  Even if all her desires were to be fulfilled she knew that the only way Hades could grant her her old form and beauty would be for her to remain forever alone on this island.  It would be her eternal prison, a place where her beauty, form, and physical freedom would come to mean nothing.

Meg glowed with a powerful brightness after she partook of the water of the fountain.  She turned around, after which Hercules immediately again hid himself in the darkness behind the doorway.  Hercules watched as she walked away and to her bedroom to sleep.  He then scurried back out to the garden where he sat up against a tree.  For several minutes he pondered upon the significance of what he saw and of what it meant.  Was Meg human?  What power was contained within that fountain?  Hercules had more questions to ask, but he would not ask them until the morning.  No, for now Hercules let his own exhaustion defeat him and he went into a deep sleep.

Chapter 11
: Dark Deeds

             
It is now time that we return for a moment to what was occurring outside the island at this time.  While Hercules had been journeying to the island, met Meg, and spent time there on the island, many other works were going on abroad.

Pericles was working more evil deeds.  Y
ou see, Pericles was now on a new path.  While before he thought reforms on all of Greece could be made by building up people’s faith in their Gods, he now believed that no reforms could be made except by dictatorship and war.  The great leader that was Pericles was fading away.

It was early in the morning following the day Hercules escaped prison that Pericles
had the chief Hellanodikai, who was now his second in command, send forth a summons to all the people in Athens come to the foot of Pericles’ palace where he could stand before them on his balcony and make an announcement before all of Athens.

It was midday and thousands had
gathered in the massive courtyard below, while the rest were to watch him from the tops of houses and alleyways.

Philoctetes
arrived at Athens just a few hours before and heard the summons for Pericles’ great announcement and there he secretly made an entrance through the crowd.  He thought of searching for Milo, but he then realized that Milo already had left for Sparta.  So, with his cloak and hood over him he moved over into the crowd and watched Pericles’ next move.

There, after his servants had silenced everyone in th
e assembly, Pericles spoke saying:

“Hercules, the man who you trusted, the one who took the victor’s crown at the Olympic Ga
mes, is a traitor to our people!  He attempted to slay me, your leader, and has now fled into hiding!  But we must find him and bring him to justice!  So, if anyone finds him they are not to be kind to him, not to take him into their house, but to inform me and my men and we will lay hold of him.  He will not be set free, but killed for his treachery, for trying to cause the downfall of Athens!”  After saying these things, many people were in shock, for they had thought Hercules was a great man for winning the Olympic Games.  Pericles looked over the crowd and was nervous at how they would respond.  But after a few moments, several claps and cheers began emerging from the crowd.  Pericles took a deep breath.  He was relieved.  He waited a few moments and then raised his hands to silence the crowd.

             
Pericles found a way to use the lies of this circumstance to his advantage.  “In addition to the treachery of Hercules, there is yet another great threat—Sparta.  Sparta and its king have been preparing armies for our extinction.  So, in order to make it easier for us to find this great, powerful, traitor and repel the war that Sparta will be sure to place upon us, I will, temporarily, have complete control over Athens—as your great King, for I will not let the great Athens fall!”

             
As opposed to what Philoctetes thought, the people rang out in cheers.  “A king!  King Pericles!  King Pericles!”  The people all cheered loudly for this evil man who had declared himself king over the people.

             
Philoctetes, however, leaned on his cane and mourned.  He wanted to raise himself up above the people and reveal to them all Pericles’ lies and deceit, but he knew, because of his hideous form he could not.  Everyone would see his face and at least part of his furry body and think him some terrible beast or devil. Above all, however, he wished Hercules were there, to reveal the evil of Pericles.  But, as for his own strength, there was little he could do.  He heard the cheers and watched as Pericles was crowned great King of Athens.  Then he snuck away into the darkness.

             
The rest of the day was a gloomy one for Athens and their future.  They were no longer a democracy and for the entire day hundreds of Pericles’ soldiers scoured the city looking for Hercules, or anyone who knew Hercules.

             
During this time Philoctetes had retreated to the only place he could think of retreating—the house he stayed at before with Milo.  He had been to that house before and, as he expected, he found it empty.  He knew Milo had already gone to Sparta.  Philoctetes then made himself some dinner from what food he found left in his house and when Pericles’ soldiers came by searching for Hercules he didn’t answer the door, but hid himself.  He hid himself quickly underneath his hood in the corner of the room.  The soldiers looked inside, but moved onto the next house, saying, “Come on, this one is abandoned!”  And by doing this Philoctetes was able to hide until he could decide what to do next, or until Hercules returned.

             
For many hours that day and night Philoctetes thought of Hercules and hoped and prayed that he was okay.  He said, “My boy Hercules!  May you survive what may linger there on the island!”  It was then, after this, that Philoctetes stayed into a deep sleep.

******

              It is now time to return to Hades and what evil he did while Hercules and Meg were on the island.  You see, Hades knew that, by placing them on such a small island, he could easily monitor their every move from his abode, and this is what he did.  From his underworld throne room he looked over his giant globe and watched everything with exactness, knowing that what occurred between Meg and Hercules was the key to everything.

             
“A wraith woman and a God man,” said Hades.  “What an odd combination?  And yet everything is working so far to perfection.”

             
Hades knew that he had some time before he would visit Hercules and Meg on their island and so, the next night, he secretly flew off to pay a visit to Pericles.

             
It was late at night and Pericles was sitting upon his newly created throne so desperately concentrated on catching Hercules and destroying Sparta.  These were the only two forces, in his mind, that could oppose his ultimate rule of Greece.

             
Then he watched as a thick mist of smoke crawled along the ground towards him.  He was confused at what this was and at first thought that someone had started a fire.  But he quickly knew that this could not be the cause.  No natural smoke crawled along the ground like this.

             
Pericles stood up and drew his sword.  “Who is there?  Who does intrude upon the king’s lofty place?”  Nobody replied.

             
Then the smoke seemed to gather together into a figure as Hades appeared before him, dressed as he always did and with his black staff in hand.  Pericles looked Hades in the eye and stumbled backwards against his throne.  He yelled for his servants, “Help!  There is a great imposter!”

             
Hades smiled.  “They cannot help you, for I have made these walls insulated from any intrusion or sound.”

             
“How can you do this?” asked Pericles.  “Who are you?”

             
“Who am I?”

             
“You have created statues and temples of all kinds of Gods in this, your great city of Athens and you don’t recognize me?  Why, I am the greatest of all the Gods—Hades, God of the Underworld!  It is because of me that all the other Gods have left this world.”

             
Pericles saw his staff and feared it greatly.  He got himself up from his throne and said, “Then Hades, if that is who you are, what do you want?  Why have you come to me in the dark hours of the night?”

             
Hades again acted friendly and craftily.  “Well, firstly to congratulate on your kingship.  You see, I have a kingdom like yours, only it is not here on the mainland.”

             
“You would seek to use it to destroy me?”

             
“No, of course not,” said Hades.  “Because I feel that we can be great friends.  You see, we both have much in common.  We both desire to see Hercules destroyed and Sparta in ruins.”  Pericles was silent.  “Pericles, I have foreseen what will become of you should things remain the way they are. You see, I have great fates on my side and they showed me that it would not be you that would be revered and it would not be the great Gods that would be worshiped, but this Hercules. After all you have done for the people, they would not remember you, but Hercules!”  Pericles suddenly perked up and like so many men, began falling into Hades’ trap.  “Pericles, you have done well.  You have seen what evil Hercules is capable of and have seen how Sparta is a great threat to you.  But there is one thing you have yet to do—something that may give you a great advantage in this war.”

             
“What is that?” asked Pericles.

             
“Why, kill the King of Sparta of course!”

             
“You kill the King and the rest will tremble in fear and, without a leader, are ripe to fall to your hand,” said Hades.  “I will make a great deal with you.”

             
“What deal?” asked Pericles.

             
“If you go and lead an assault against Sparta and kill its King, King Archidamas, then I will kill Hercules, a man that is far too powerful for you to kill,” said Hades.  Pericles looked up at Hades for several moments.  “But you must decide fast, for we haven’t all night.”  Pericles looked at Hades for a moment and then a smile grazed his face.  He wanted to kill Hercules and saw no downside to this deal.

             
There was no need for a contract to this deal because there was no consequence should Pericles fail to King Archidamas and Hades didn’t want any true commitment to kill Hercules (although he much desired to do so).  Hades knew that should he do the deal he would attempt to kill him with all he had.  He also knew that he had no obligation to actually kill Hercules from this deal either.  In addition, Hades knew the Pericles did not know that there needed to be a contract for a deal between mortal and God to be truly valid.  Hades extended his hand to Pericles.

             
Pericles looked wearily at the hand for a moment, but then extended his.  After they both shook hands Hades suddenly disappeared.

             
But this was not the end to Hades’ divisive workings that night, for that very night, after he had made a deal with Pericles, Hades went in secret to King Archidamas, the king of Sparta.  King Archidamas was preparing to go to sleep when Hades appeared at his bedside.  He said, “Great King of Sparta, I Hades, come to deliver a grave message to you.  Pericles, the once proud democratic leader of Athens, has now been corrupted.  He has crowned himself as king and now means to take over Athens.  He means to kill you great King.”

             
“You are Hades, dark Lord of the Underworld?”

             
Hades nodded and lifted up his staff.  “Yes, I am he!”

             
“Then how do I know I can trust you?”

             
Hades smiled and again acted deceptively.  “Because I, like you, want to see Sparta live and Athens destroyed.  That man, Pericles, is a terrible tyrant who opposes my rule.  I want him dead.  If you do this for me you may save Sparta from extinction!”

             
The Spartan king was very distraught by this and replied, “Then what must I do to stop this—to protect my people?”

             
Hades said, “You must go quickly!  If you gather your armies and assault Athens and kill its king you will not only be stop Athens from being corrupted by an evil leader, but you may claim the entire land as your own.”

             
And so King Archidamas, like King Pericles, were both determined to attack the other’s main city and destroy the other.  Of course, Hades was very clever at this and neither king knew of the other’s true workings with Hades.

******

After the evening had passed and morning came King Archidamas gathered together many of his fellow leaders, including Milo, into his palace hall and said, “We must attack Athens, for I have been made aware that Pericles means to attack me with his armies!”

“No, that is not true!” said Milo.  “Who told you this?”

“That is none of your business,” replied the king.

“It was Hades, wasn’t it?” said Milo.
The king was silent. “Do not trust him! He will lead your nation to its destruction if you do!”

“I am sorry, Milo, but
what I have decided I have decided!  I will not regress!  So to war!”

King Archidamas was a rugged King, a muscular man whose frame rivaled that of Milo’s.  He was forceful in his opinions, and like his father, was obsessed with military might and prowess.  And for so long he had
believed that Athens was preparing for war, but did not fight because he had no evidence that they would attack him.  But now, after Hades’ appearance, he felt he had great evidence.

King Archidamas had his high-ranking captains all gather together in preparation for war.  There he declared to them, “We, my grea
t generals, for many years have been preparing soldiers to defend ourselves!  For so long we have lived in fear, but no longer, for tomorrow we shall march towards Athens, to destroy them once and for all!”  The Spartans cheered as they raised their weapons in the air.  “Is this not what we have been preparing for all of our lives?  War will surely come upon all of Athens and we will be the victors!  We will take Greece and finally bring peace.”