Page 16 of The Trickster's Heart

Hercules turned around slowly, feeling the short distance between them stretching out into a chasm.

I have no idea what to do with this god, Hercules admitted to himself quietly, further spiraling as he acknowledged additional weaknesses.

He opened his mouth to ask Hermes how to open the doors when an ear-piercing shriek filled the air.

Hercules’s entire body went taut as he spun around, pulling the longbow from his shoulder as he scanned for the threat. At first, he couldn’t see anything, until the high-pitched squeal echoed throughout the cavern again. Hercules followed the sound and looked up…and there he saw it.

The largest bat Hercules had ever seen, larger than a bull, was swooping down towards them. The creature was gliding effortlessly through the air, with its clawed feet outstretched and its mouth curled open in a snarl. It seemed to have eyes only for Hercules and was bearing down on him with a terrifying speed.

Hercules nocked his bow and aimed, a hunter’s calm washing over him. His expression turned stoic as he waited for the last possible second to release his arrow.

“Stop!” Hermes realized what Hercules was doing and screamed, jumping in-between Hercules and the monster.

Hercules didn’t think—he only reacted. He saw Hermes in the bat’s path and jumped to his feet, throwing his body in front of Hermes. Hercules’s colossal frame knocked Hermes to the ground, and Hercules dropped his bow. He unsheathed the broadsword from his waist, letting out a primal scream to match the bat’s incessant shrieking.

Hermes sprang to his feet, jumping onto Hercules’s back and throwing his arms around Hercules’s neck.

“Hercules! Stop!” he shouted in Hercules’s ear.

“What?” Hercules froze, dropping the sword at the exact moment the bat veered upwards and missed them by inches. The screeching noises got quieter and quieter as the bat disappeared in the rock formations above them.

“What the fuck was that?” Hercules bellowed, looking around as if he anticipated another attack.

Black smoke began trickling out of the crack between the doors, and a sound like thunder shook the ground beneath them.

“I’m going to ask again, what the fuck?” Hercules had to shout over the noise, even though Hermes was still holding onto his back like a small bird.

Hermes giggled. “Oh, that means one thing… Persephone has decided to greet us.”

Before Hercules could respond, the doors began to slowly swing open. More smoke poured out, and a harsh red light obscured whatever lay beyond the threshold. The thunder echoed again, and the ground trembled, but Hercules managed to keep his footing. His arm instinctively reached behind him to anchor Hermes to his back.

Hercules’s vision was obscured as smoke filled the cavern, and without warning, a cloud of bats came flying out of the doors. Hercules could feel them in the air as they whizzed by, chirping and swarming—and luckily, these were not of gargantuan proportion. Hercules cursed and spun around, trying to identify the main threat, but Hermes only continued to laugh.

“Seph!” Hermes called out into the abyss. “Yes, you’re very scary, can you drop the act now?” Hercules didn’t have time to react before suddenly, his vision cleared. The smoke evaporated, and the bats disappeared; even the bright light dimmed.

Hercules blinked rapidly, just in time to watch one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen descending the threshold steps. She had a long, blonde braid that moved as she walked and a soft, voluptuous figure that would put an amphora to shame. Her peplos was black, but as she moved towards them, it slowly faded to a light shade of red. A crown of bones receded into a circlet decorated with pomegranate seeds and tiny flowers. The goddess shifted in front of their very eyes from the dread queen to the goddess of spring.

“Hermes, why am I not surprised to find you on the back of a titan?” Her voice was light as she came to a stop a few paces from Hercules and Hermes. Hercules could almost feel Hermes smiling in response.

“For the same reason we had to make up that whole mess about pomegranates to deter Demeter when no one could find you and Hades for three days,” Hermes quipped. Persephone’s eyes lit up.

“You knew exactly where we were; you just didn’t want to interrupt us.” She seemed pleased with herself, flicking her braid over her shoulder.

“That’s for good reason too.” Hermes angled his head towards Hercules. “Trust me, pet, I’ll try anything once but those two—”

“Anyway,” Persephone sing-songed, turning her attention to Hercules, “and who might you be?”

“Hercules of Thebes,” Hercules deadpanned. He had a strict rule about not liking the gods, but he was finding it impossible to not fall prey to Persephone’s charms.

“Ah! So you’re the mighty Hercules,” Persephone mused, taking a step back and looking him over. “That explains why you look like a son of Hyperion.” Her gaze landed on Hermes as her hand went to her hip, and her voice hardened. “And what have you done to him?”

Hercules’s brow furrowed in discontent. Hermes had mentioned the gods didn’t favor him, but he seemed friendly with Persephone; even still, her first instinct was to assume there was mischief afoot.

“He’s done nothing to me,” Hercules snapped, standing a little taller and wrapping his arms around Hermes’s legs to support him. “He’s only been helpful since our paths crossed…very loud, but helpful.”

Persephone’s eyes widened for a brief second before she glanced between Hermes and Hercules and smiled. At the same time, Hermes poked his head further out from behind Hercules and kissed his cheek.

“You do care,” Hermes crooned. “Look at you, defending my honor.” He sounded playful, but there was a thread of sincerity in it that Hercules picked up on. It sent a rush of satisfaction through him, and he subconsciously puffed out his chest a little.

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