Hippocoon land

The Explosive Next Chapter in the Twelve Labors Series In the world of classical Greek mythology, the second Labor of Heracles was a solitary battle against the Hydra—the vicious, multi-headed serpent whose heads regrew in double upon every strike, forcing the hero to use fire to cauterize the stumps. But what if Heracles wasn't a solitary warrior? What if he was a still-uncertain 15-year-old boy, grappling with newly awakened power, who must confront his deepest fears alongside his two closest friends? That is the spirit of "Heracles and the Dragon Hydra" —the second book in the modern, school-based fantasy series re-imagining the Twelve Labors, written by author Hung Nguyen (following directly from Heracles and the Nemean Lion ). This is more than a simple fight against a monster; it is a journey of discovering bloodline secrets, forging friendship in the face of destruction, and realizing true power comes from the heart—where ancient mythology meets modern emotion, ma...

Gwen was falling. It wasn’t a stumble or a slip; it was a deliberate surrender. He sank into a bottomless abyss, where light was refracted and darkness wasn’t an absence, but a solid, heavy presence. He landed on a solitary, jagged peak, so high that the stars above had long since died. Beneath his feet, the ground was a slab of black obsidian glass , reflecting only absolute solitude. Then came the roar. It wasn't a sound, but a shockwave of antiquity , vibrating through his joints and ribs. Before Gwen, space tore open. A colossal Griffin descended. It was the color of oxidized bronze and lightning. Its eyes were two chips of glacial emerald, and its wings, when folded, cast a shadow over Gwen’s entire meager world. This was the King of the Griffins , and Gwen knew the King saw straight through his skin, directly into his Sherwin soul. The King lowered its head, a slow movement that carried the weight of millennia. “O descendant of Sherwin ,” its voice was a torrent of ...

Among the most haunting and conceptually rich elements in Hung Nguyen’s Heracles and the Dragon Hydra is the introduction of Umbrother , a primordial shadow substance that stands as the polar opposite of Luminether . Where Luminether represents the divine spark of creation, Umbrother embodies the memory of destruction —a living echo of the universe’s final exhalation. Its presence deepens the mythological scope of the series, expanding the cosmology from a single plane of divine light into a dual system of opposing yet interdependent forces. What is Umbrother? Umbrother is introduced as the Primordial Shadow Essence , a form of metaphysical energy born from the Cosmic Tear —the rift between the mortal world and the Underworld, where the realms of Zeus and Hades collide. It is described as “the breath that lingers after the world forgets to breathe,” an antithesis to the luminous vitality of Luminether. Invisible yet corrupting, Umbrother seeps into existence like a sentient mist,...

Heracles, Gwen and Amelinda woke up at early morning. They had light breakfast with some bread and water before they arranged everything to go. The canvas was taken out from their tent frame, rolled then was tied up with a bag. The other things were put into their bags or their space rings. Later, they made their way to go, leaving at the place a tent frame and a pile of ashes beside a lying trunk. Short time later, they all appeared by the forest’s edge at a place in the west far away their tent then hurriedly walking inside the wood. Heracles went ahead leading Amelinda and Gwen to come to the orange trees. They stopped at the place for a little time, picked new ripe oranges then strode off. They followed the small path Heracles and Gwen had walked on before and quickly arrived to the stream. Gwen stopped at the shore to fill full his water-skin then made his way chase after Heracles and Amelinda who had waded pass to the other shore. It wasted Heracles and Gwen a while to find out t...

“But, how Heracles?” asked Amelinda, staring at her friend. Heracles turned in silence he really doesn’t know how to know where the walkway leading to. Amelinda took her eyes from him. “There had one thing I know surely that some people are living in the other side of this forest.” said Amelinda, breaking the silence. “What we need is to go straight, we will come to the other side.” When she was talking, she looked at Gwen and then Heracles observing them. Both Heracles and Gwen didn’t talk in seconds. Amelinda still watched on them. “Okay,” Gwen spoke up, “will follow your words. We will go in tomorrow morning.” Heracles also agreed with them.  Dew appeared some drops of water dropped on their shoulders. It was very cold outside. The decided to go in their tent and rested. Another night was going to pass another night they were kept to stay in a strange place. *** Meanwhile, in a place far away Heracles and the others, everything seemed very chaotic. Hurried footsteps, the calls f...

Winds blew harder and turned cooler in afternoon. One cold wind swept on Heracles’s face and made him wake up. He opened his eyes, managed to sit up then turned the side to see his friend. His friend, Gwen that moment had slipped off the trunk and completely lied on ground. His body shrank because of the cold. Heracles raised his hand up, reached on Gwen’s shoulder. He shook it. “Gwen,” he called, “Wake up. Don’t sleep on ground.”  Gwen’s body moved. He woke up and realized that he was lying on ground. Immediately he sat up. “Why do I lie on ground Heracles?” he squealed.  “I don’t know. You must slip off the trunk when you sleep.” said Heracles. “It must…”said Gwen, nodding. He raised his head, looked far away and suddenly saw a familiar figure standing between standing stones. “Ahh! Is it Amelinda.” he spoke up.  “Yes, she is.” said Heracles. His eyes rested on Amelinda’s back. “What is she doing there?” Gwen squealed, “Go and see what she is doing.” he added and immedi...

“It’s too long. Where did you go?” squealed Amelinda. She was impatient. “You said that you only went in short time but it has been noon now.” she added. Her voice was still high. “It’s because of them.” said Gwen grinning. He moved toward her, put his bag down, opened it and showed her yellow oranges inside. “Where do you get them?” squealed Amelinda. “In forest.” Gwen answered, “We found many orange trees there and spend time to pick them. They are planted by someone. Oranges are sweet and succulent”  “It also didn’t take you much time like that.”  Amelinda spoke. “Yes, it’s not all.” said Heraccles calmly, “We found some paths there and decided to follow them and take a look. One of them is very long. I think it’s the path leading cross this forest.” “Are you sure that the path leading cross the forest.” said Amelinda quickly. “No, I’m not sure but I believe.” said Heracles. “I and Gwen did explore it about half an hour but we can’t ensure the thing.” he added. “Amelinda.” ...