The Twelve Labours of Heracles

Long ago, beneath the brilliant, sun-drenched skies of ancient Greece, there lived a man who was stronger than the hills, stronger than the tides, and stronger than any mortal who had ever walked the earth. His name was Heracles. The people of Greece have told his story for thousands of years, passing it down from campfires to marble halls, from grandfathers to children, in dozens of different ways. In some stories, he is called Hercules. In others, he is a tragic king. But in all the tellings, he is a man of unmatched power. Yet, if you had met him at the beginning of our story, you might not have envied him at all. For Heracles, despite his mighty shoulders and his ability to lift boulders as if they were pebbles, carried a burden heavier than any stone. He carried a deep, quiet shadow in his heart. Heracles had a great temper, and once, under a dark spell cast upon him by a jealous goddess, he had lost his mind and done terrible things, hurting the people he loved most. When the madness cleared and he realized what he had done, his heart broke. He did not want to hide from his deeds, nor did he want to live in anger. He wanted to make things right. He wanted to find a way to wash the shadow from his soul. So, he traveled to the sacred temple of Delphi, where the priestess spoke for the gods. He asked how he could find peace. The answer he received was strange and difficult. You must go to the city of Mycene, the priestess told him, her voice echoing in the cool, smoky air of the temple. There you must serve King Eurystheus. You will perform 10 tasks for him, tasks of his choosing. If you complete them, your spirit will be cleansed, and you will find the peace you seek. Now, King Eurystheus was not a brave man. In fact, he was a cousin of Heracles, but where Heracles was tall, broad, and fearless, Eurystheus was small, narrow-shouldered, and terrified of his own shadow. When he heard that the strongest man in the world was coming to serve him, he did not rejoice. He panicked. He will take my crown, Eurystheus whimpered, pacing back and forth across his polished marble floors. He will squeeze me like a ripe grape. I must keep him away from me. I must send him so far away on tasks so incredibly dangerous that he will never, ever return. To make absolutely sure he was safe, Eurystheus ordered his royal blacksmiths to construct a special hiding place. They forged a massive jar made of solid bronze, as tall as a man and twice as wide, and buried it deep into the stone floor of the palace courtyard. It had a heavy bronze lid with a handle on the inside. Whenever Heracles came near the palace, the king would scramble over the edge, drop into the dark, cold jar, and pull the lid down with a loud metallic clang. He would only peek out through a tiny slit to squeak his commands. When Heracles arrived at Mycene, wearing a simple traveler's cloak, he found the courtyard empty, except for this giant bronze pot. Suddenly, the lid of the jar lifted by a mere inch. Two watery, fearful eyes peered out at the hero. "Are you, are you the cousin who has come to serve me?" a muffled, trembling voice squeaked from inside the bronze. "I am, King Eurystheus," Heracles said, bowing his head respectfully. "I am here to do whatever tasks you set before me, to clear my name and heal my heart." Inside the jar, Eurystheus grinned a wicked, cowardly grin. "Very well," he called out, his voice echoing inside the metal chamber. "Your first task is simple. In the valley of Nemea, there is a beast, a lion. It is terrorizing the countryside. Go and rid my kingdom of it. Do not return until it is gone." The lid slammed shut with a resounding thud. Heracles stood alone in the quiet courtyard. He turned, adjusted his cloak, and walked out of the city gates toward the…

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