1. The Map, the Shop, and the Shadowed Eyes
Morning light streamed through the cracked window of
Alcmene’s stone manor, spilling gold across the kitchen’s rough-hewn walls.
Heracles slouched at the scarred table, thumb worrying at a
splinter. A memory pressed at him—shadows slipping into the night, his mother’s
trembling hand gripping his shoulder.
Across from him, Amelinda wrestled a blackened loaf. Her
knife skidded uselessly against its crust.
“This thing’s tougher than Minotaur hide,” she muttered, curls falling into her
face.
Gwen lounged by the wall, an apple spinning through his
fingers, grin sharp enough to start trouble. Outside, his family’s polished
carriage gleamed in the morning sun, the wiry coachman perched stiff on the
bench.
“Give it up, Amelinda,” Gwen called, snatching the apple mid-spin. “Bread’s
winning. I came here to be a legend, not a baker.”
Heracles tipped his chair back with a smirk. “Legend? You’re
more like a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Disaster?” Gwen’s grin widened, eyes alight. “Please. I’m
bigger than Icarus flying too close to the sun.”
Amelinda huffed, shoving her hair aside. “Big words for
someone who could burn water. Help me before my mom—July—skins me alive.”
The air quivered. A faint hum stirred, and three doves burst
through the window, wings scattering motes of silver light. Their eyes glowed
gold, uncanny and unblinking. Each bore a scroll bound to its leg. One landed
before Heracles, another before Amelinda. The third clipped Gwen’s apple,
knocking it to the floor before settling smugly in his lap.
“By the gods!” Gwen fumbled for the scroll, eyes gleaming.
“Magic mail? This is bigger than Prometheus stealing fire.”
Heracles’s chair screeched as he jolted upright. His hand
hovered over the scroll. The wax seal— a lion wreathed in flames—flared, then
vanished in a hiss of smoke. His pulse hammered as he broke it open.
“Listen…” he breathed.
Heracles, son of Alcmene,
The divine spark in your blood commands your presence at Hippocoon Academy,
where heroes are forged, at the rise of the new moon. Refusal risks the gods’
wrath and a life unfulfilled. Visit the All-for-You Shop before dusk
tomorrow—its doors open only once this season. A map is enclosed. On departure
day, present yourself at the Temple of Athena at dawn. The path will open.
—Professor Finn, Headmaster
Heracles’s thumb lingered on the parchment, his brow
knotted. His chest pulled tight.
“Divine spark?” he muttered. “They say Zeus fathered my grandfather… but this
feels more like a chain than a gift.”
Across the table, Amelinda wrestled with the silver thread
binding her scroll. It snapped loose, and her grin burst wide. “I’m in too!
Listen!”
She read aloud, voice tumbling over itself with excitement:
Amelinda, daughter of July,
The gift within you demands awakening at Hippocoon Academy, where heroes are
forged, at the rise of the new moon. Refusal risks the gods’ wrath and a life
unfulfilled. Visit the All-for-You Shop before dusk tomorrow—its doors open
only once this season. A map is enclosed. On departure day, present yourself at
the Temple of Athena at dawn. The path will open.
—Professor Finn, Headmaster
She clutched the scroll to her chest, bouncing like
lightning lived under her skin. But a flicker of doubt tugged at her
eyes—housekeeper’s kid, always scrubbing floors, now called to stand with
heroes? She squared her shoulders. “It knows me. I’m going to Hippocoon!
What—thought they’d skip me, Gwen?”
Gwen tore his scroll open and whooped, nearly knocking over
a chair. “By Olympus! All three of us!” He waved the parchment so the lion seal
flashed in the light. “This is straight-up Olympian epic.”
Heracles blinked between them. “All of us? Together?”
“You bet!” Gwen smacked the table, bread leaping from its
plate. “And All-for-You shuts at dusk tomorrow. Lucky for you, my coachman’s
ready.”
Amelinda arched a brow, though her eyes sparkled. “Your
coachman breaks half the wheels he touches. Still… the letter says it’s now or
never.”
The kitchen door creaked open. Alcmene stepped in, sunlight
at her back, her smile warming the room like a second dawn.
“What’s this noise?” she teased.
Heracles thrust his scroll forward, his pulse racing.
“Mom—we’ve been summoned. Hippocoon Academy. All three of us.”
Her gaze skimmed the parchment. A shadow crossed her
features, then softened into a smile. She set a hand on his shoulder. “This is
your path, my love. Hippocoon will show you who you’re meant to be.” Her eyes
swept to Amelinda and Gwen. “Stay together. Promise me.”
“Swear it, Miss Alcmene!” Gwen saluted, grin wide. “My
coachman will get us there in style. Might only get us a little lost.”
Amelinda snorted. “A little? We’ll circle till sunrise.”
July appeared in the doorway, apron dusted with flour. Her
sharp eyes softened on Amelinda’s scroll, pride flickering before she gave
Alcmene a small nod.
“Hippocoon called you, Amelinda. You answer.” She fixed Gwen and Heracles with
a look. “And you two—keep her safe.”
π On Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heracles-and-the-nemean-lion?sId=13f9c3b5-d01e-4bcb-8313-7b163619395f
π On Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/heracles-and-the-nemean-lion/id6746382445
Heracles and the Nemean Lion
The first epic in the Heracles and the Twelve Labors series — witness Heracles' legendary battle against the invincible lion. A tale of strength, fate, and immortal valor.
Heracles and the Dragon Hydra
The second chapter of the Heracles and the Twelve Labors series. Heracles faces the monstrous Hydra — a dragon-like beast with many heads, each reborn from the last. A mythic journey of courage, strategy, and divine challenge.
Heracles and the Burden of Mercy
The third chapter of the Heracles and the Twelve Labors series. Heracles faces the ultimate test of mercy by choosing to redeem the ethereal Ceryneian Hind instead of slaying it, while Avery atones through grueling labor, Lily sings the hymn that rebirths the Hydra, and the dark ocean Umbrother awakens, heralding a greater shadow to come.
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