Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Persephone ❯ Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?)

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Persephone: Chapter 3
by Katrina Kadabra

The loss of Demeter's daughter had indeed been a tragic event for those on Atlantis, but on earth there was excitement brewing. Alan, the son of Zeus and greatest hero ever known, was engaged to be wed to the princess Millerna. Millerna was kind and gentle, not the mention the envy of every girl in town. Alan loved her deeply, mostly because he was one of the few women who loved him for his personality, not just his looks.

The wedding was a beautiful event, except for the few times Millerna had to remind Alan to go easy on the wine. When he got excited, he often forgot how powerful his strength was. Everyone from far and wide came to see the happy couple off. However, there was a dark shadow looking over the happy occasion. Alan was the son of Zeus, but not of Hera, which made the queen of the immortals furious with jealousy and determined to kill Alan. The problem was that she had done everything in her power to no avail. Alan seemed physically invincible. His mental strength however, was the weaker end of him. He often made rash decisions and could become very emotional under certain circumstances. As Hera saw it, all she had to do was arrange these circumstances and the great hero would be his own end.

By the time the plot was prepared and ready to be unleashed, Alan was the proud father of three children, the youngest not more than a few months old. One afternoon when he sat gathered with his children, Hera sent Alan into complete insanity, forcing him to murder the two oldest. Upon hearing the commotion, Millerna rushed in. She knew instantly Alan was not in his own state of mind but was not about to stand back and watch her children fall. She leapt in front of her husband and he approached the baby and tried to hold him back as she took the infant in her arms. With all his strength, Alan threw both of them to the floor and then his sanity returned to him.

Alan was horrified at the sight he saw before him. What had happened to his beautiful wife and children? They had just been talking a moment ago, and there they were dead on the floor. His friend, Theseus, had witnessed this and told him the story. Alan was immediately moved to tears. Theseus tried his best to comfort him.

"She knew what was happening. She doesn't blame you, I'm sure. Don't take this out on yourself."

"What can I do then?" Alan asked.

"Talk to the oracle at Delphi. Ask what you can do to pay for this crime." Alan nodded, willing to do anything. The oracle then led him to King Eurystheus, who was to come up with twelve impossible labors for Alan to accomplish.

King Eurystheus was a bit surprised at Alan's story, but nevertheless agreed. He had heard from Hera that Alan would come to him, asking for the twelve tasks. The goddess hoped that at least one of them would overwhelm the hero and at last bring him to his end.

The first talk Eurystheus felt was rather clever on his part. Alan was to destroy the Nemian lion. It would have been a simple thing to do, except for the fact that the lion could not be harmed by weapons, not that Alan would let a minute detail like that stop him. He choked the life out of the lion with his bare hands and wore the lion's pelt to show off his victory as he marched back to the palace to find out what his second labor would be.

The second labor proved a bit more formidable. Alan was to slay the multi-headed Hydra. He could use weapons this time, but they seemed to be of little use. Every time one head was chopped off, two more would grow in its place. To make matters worse, one of the Hydra's heads was immortal, and Hera had sent a mischievous little crab to pester Alan and distract him from his task. Then it occurred to Alan he had to find some way to stop the heads from growing. When a head was cut, he smothered the area with a torch, preventing any new heads from re-growing. The final immortal head he buried and the Hydra was killed. Alan had to return with a prize. So, he dipped his arrows in the Hydra's blood, making then deadly poisonous before he returned.

The third labor was quite a challenge. Alan was to catch, but not kill, the golden stag which was sacred to Artemis. To kill it would have been simple, but to catch it was another matter. After getting permission from Artemis, Alan chased after the animal for a year before he finally caught it. Exhausted from the long chase, Alan was very grateful when Artemis offered to watch it for him as he journeyed back to the king. Afterwards, of course, she would release the stag back into its home.

King Eurystheus, having assumed Alan had given up after he had been gone for a year, was quite surprised to see him return for his fourth labor. He decided it was best to stick to monster slaying. This time he sent Alan after the terrible Erymanthian boar. Alan smiled, promised to have a good wrestling match, and set out after the animal. Sure enough, he returned victorious in no more than a few days.

Alan's next labor promised to be a quick one. In one day, he had to clean the filthy Augean stables, which had not only not been cleaned for years, but also housed thousands of cattle. To approach them without fainting from the overpowering stench was an accomplishment in itself. However, Alan didn't need to approach the stables at all. He simply changed the courses of two rivers, causing them to flow through the stables and finish the job for him. Satisfied, he returned to find out his next challenge.

Back on the kill-an-animal trend, King Eurystheus sent Alan to kill the vicious and carnivorous birds of Lake Stymphalus. Needless to say, Alan was somewhat outnumbered, but overwhelmed the birds in strength. On his journey homeward, he suddenly realized that he had completed half of his torturing labors, and that soon he would have paid his debt in full.

Once again, Alan was sent after an animal, but this time it was to be one-on-one. The Cretan bull was his next challenge. This labor gave Alan a rough idea of how Theseus had felt in dealing with the Minotaur. After that, he was of to rid the people of Thrace of the flesh-eating mares. The number of vicious animals there were to defeat somewhat overwhelmed him, but he nevertheless, did as he was instructed. It seemed that Hera was losing in her race to destroy Zeus' son.

The ninth labor was a bit different. Alan didn't have to kill or capture anything. He did, however, have to face the fierce female warriors, the Amazons, since his next labor was to take the girdle from their queen, Hippolyte. She was very understanding after Alan explained the situation to her. The hero was permitted to take her girdle provided, naturally, that he return it immediately after he was finished with it. Alan gave her his word and thanked her graciously. He was very careful to be sure he returned the girdle promptly, as the Amazons were not a good people to get stirred up.

The tenth labor was another adventurous type. Alan was to steal the oxen from Geryon, a three-headed giant, who also had Cerberus' two headed brother helping him. It proved an exciting struggle for the hero. He often wished he could just kill the oxen, but after exercising his strength and a lot of patience, he returned, once again, in victory.

Meanwhile, King Eurystheus was becoming desperate. He knew Hera would be furious if Alan completed his tasks, yet only two remained. This time, he sent Alan to fetch the gold apples of Hesperides. This seemed impossible, since no mortal knew where the garden was. So, Alan consulted the Titan Atlas. Atlas had fought against Zeus when he overtook Olympus, and Zeus hadn't forgiven him. As punishment, Atlas was forced to bear the enormous weight of the heavens and earth upon his shoulders. Atlas said he would be glad to fetch the apples for Alan, if Alan would take his burden while he got them. Seeing as how he had no other options, Alan agreed. As he suspected, when Atlas returned with the apples, he wasn't all too anxious to take back the weight of the sky and earth. However, Alan tricked him by requesting that he hold the skies for just a moment while he caught his breath. Atlas was not all too bright and took back his burden while Alan left with the prize.

"I've come to hear of my last labor," Alan announced upon his return. The king was running out of ideas. How much could a mortal accomplish on his own? He had faced all the greatest monsters and challenges known. Then the king remembered there was one thing all the mortals had to answer to sooner or later. Not even Alan could stand a chance against the gods of the dead. King Eurystheus was sure he had Alan now.

"Very well, Alan," he answered, sneering. "For your final labor, bring me Cerberus, the three-headed hound who guards the entrance to the underworld."