The God of Olympus (2 page)

Chapter 1: Hercules’ Early Life and Departure

The moment the heavenly child landed in the back of their moving cart the two future parents were alarmed and gazed back to a see a naked baby clapping his hands gleefully. The baby chuckled slightly as he bounced up and down due to the bumpy trail.  This surprised them because they had no idea where he came from but the heavens.  But if he did come from heaven they thought that he should be dead after what seemed like a great fall (after all, he had fallen with so much apparent force that it seemed as if nobody would have survived the fall, let alone be happy about it). This was the first miracle of many other miracles that would come to this couple, with each miracle being as astounding or more astounding than the last.

Before discussing in great depth the life of Hercules, the main hero of this tale, it is necessary to discuss the lives of our two great re
scuers—Amphitryon and Alcmene. Amphitryon, now fifty-five, was once a great Theban general. As a general he won countless battles and led thousands into battle against their terrible foes. But his destiny changed one day when he killed his future father-in-law Electryon, King of Mycenae (thinking he was another man). After this Amphitryon lost his great mantle and was driven out of his home city where he fled to the city of Thebes to hide until his head was no longer wanted; and so in Thebes Amphitryon remained for a long period of time until, who did he meet, but Electryon’s own daughter—Alcmene.

Amphitryon instantly fell in love with Alcmene and eventually she also fell in love with him.
After some time of secretly meeting, however, he knew that he would eventually need to confess to her that he was the killer of her father Electryon. And so he eventually did the brave and noble thing—he told her everything that occurred that day. He told her how he had fought and killed her father. She was sad at this news and had every right to leave him, but their love would not be soiled and her heart would not be hardened. Instead of harboring any feelings of anger she was understanding of what had transpired and, in order to relieve his feelings of guilt, she brought him to the King of Thebes, named Creon, who cleansed his soul from the great guilt of the sin. After Amphitryon was cleansed from his sin he knew that these two now pure and young lovers could not remain in the wicked city of Thebes. Instead, they both left together out into the country of Greece, up into a peaceful cottage on a hill, where they would remain very much away from the world. There, the powerful love the two shared would only increase. And it was there that they hoped they would be able to have a child.

Although they had departed from the evil of the world, the couple would not be shielded from their own pain and suffering.
The couple had a young child they named Iphicles. But Iphilces did not last long in this world, for shortly after his birth he died (from causes quite unknown to this couple).

Amphitryon and Alcmene were terribly disheartened.

“How could the Gods have granted us a child only to take him back so quickly?” asked Alcmene.

Amphitryon had no answer.
“There are some things that men are not meant to know or understand.”

Alcmene was so disheartened at having to bury her own little babe that she decided, even with her desire for a child, against ever having another child again.
“We mustn’t have another child, for I could not bear to bury another one of my children.”

Amphitryon, in his deep love for her, agreed.
And so the couple lived together, but without a child for twenty long years. It is here, however, where our story now returns to the moment after the babe Hercules descended from the heavens.

After the child landed in the cart, Amphitryon stopped the cart and both leapt out to examine the child.
Amphitryon looked up. “Where did he come from?” asked Amphitryon as he looked up. “There are only trees all around.”

Alcmene looked down at the cheerful babe who seemed to glow in the darkness.
Then both looked up in awe at the rocks, hail, and lighting firing down from the heavens.

“What is going on?” asked Amphitryon.
“I haven’t seen a storm like this up here before…”

“Come let us move quickly,” said Alcmene.
“I sense a dark force at work this evening!” Whether it was the noble instincts of a mother or mere human intuition it was clear that Alcmene sensed something was very wrong.

The two quickly traveled through the
forest back up to their small house in the mountains, just to the north-east of the city of Delphi, where they hid the child. “The Gods are greatly upset!” yelled Amphitryon, now barely able to hear himself above the sound of the storm. The storm continued to rage with great intensity around their home, so much so in fact, that Amphitryon and Alcmene both thought that they were going to lose their cottage. However, before all was lost they suddenly heard the babe mumble a few clearly distinguishable words.

“Stop!” yelled the child as he pointed his finger up towards the heavens.

Amphitryon and Alcmene were both frightened, not as much by the fact that this child spoke (although this was surprising considering his age), but by the fact that after the child spoke the storm suddenly ceased.

“What manner of child is this that the elements obey him?” asked Alcmene.

The couple just stood there in awe, staring at this cheerful, heavenly child, until they heard a loud knock at their door.

“Hide the child,” whispered Alcmene.
“I will get the door.”

Amphitryon nodded and went back to hide the babe in the back room.

Alcmene opened the door slowly, but was surprised at what she saw. In front of her was a bright man who looked no older than twenty-one. He was clothed only in a light-blue robe and sandals. In his hand he held some kind of white staff.

“You really are going to keep
a God waiting at the door? How preposterous!”

“Who are you?” she asked, as she opened the door and let him wander on inside.

The man was relatively odd looking. In fact, it was hard to tell whether he was a man at all. He entered the house and suddenly lifted up his right foot. “Wait!” he said, reaching his hand down to pull off one of his blue sandals. “Okay, I got it! A rock was stuck in my shoe you see! Oh, blast, I hate when that happens. It never happens in heaven ya know. Well, what are you gonna do? We must treat some things lighter than others. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hermes, messenger of the Gods, patron of poets, travelers, herdsmen…well basically I have a very long title. But that is unimportant. What is important is that I have come on behalf of the child you have. Tell me, I was sure that I saw him land in your cart and come this way. Where is he?”

At this moment Amphitryon was still hiding with the child in the back room of the cottage, listening to their strange guest.
Alcmene still didn’t know whether the guest was an ally or an enemy, but was beginning to believe that he was no enemy. “For what enemy,” she thought, “would wear something like this and appear so bright and happy?”

Suddenly Hermes smiled and moved over towards the hall.
“Do not worry,” said Hermes. “I come in peace, in behalf of Zeus and Hera, high Gods!”

Amphitryon looked over at Alcmene who smiled and, without hesitation, motioned for him to come out.
“It is fine. Bring out the baby! I know that he is a messenger of Zeus and Hera!”

“Wonderful!” exclaimed Amphitryon, who brought the naked child out in his arms.

Hermes sent a powerful smile down at the child and began running his hand along his head. “Oh my goodness! It is him! The son of Zeus and Hera—Hercules!”

“Hercules,” said Alcmene.
“That is the child’s name…”

“The son of Zeus and Hera?” said Amphitryon, clearly thinking it was all one big dream.

“Yes,” said Hermes, smiling. “Oh, what a wonderful child!”

“A child of the
Gods?” said Alcmene. “But what is he doing here? He must not be here on our world.”

“No, on your world he must remain,” replied Hermes.
“I will not explain the details here for it would take me far too long and, as a messenger of the Gods, I have many great deeds to do. But I will tell you this—Hercules must remain here until the time comes that he may return home. And indeed, who knows when this time will be. I certainly don’t know. Heck, Zeus doesn’t even know. Only your Hercules can know when it will be time for him to return to his heavenly home.” Hermes looked over at Amphitryon and Alcmene, who both stood staring deep into the child’s eyes. “I have not been with you for long, but I can tell that you are a noble couple, a couple with whom true love is no stranger. I do not believe that it is against fate that young Hercules has been brought here.” Hermes suddenly pulled out a bright-white manuscript. “You only need to sign this and he will be yours, as least as long as he is on this mortal world.”

Amphitryon and Alcmene both looked up with tears of joy in their eyes.
“It would be our pleasure!” exclaimed Alcmene, as she grabbed a light feathery pen from Hermes and signed her name.

“Indeed we have been praying for a child,” said Amphitryon as he also signed the paper.
“But how are we to take care of a God?”

Hermes rolled up the manuscript and put it beneath his clothes.
He then chuckled loudly, grabbed a piece of fruit from off the table, and took a bite. “A part-God now.  And, well, pretty much how you take care of any other kid. Clean him up, change his clothes, give him food and water, you know, the basics.” Suddenly Hermes’ lighthearted tone seemed to get more serious. “But above all you must read him this.” Hermes suddenly pulled from behind his back a white book. “He is a unique child. He will have no kinsman on earth or in heaven. He must learn of the divine world while young, for he will grow more and more attached to it. But you must be wary and not reveal to Hercules what has transpired this evening, especially who his real parents are. I fear that if Hercules were to know the identity of his true parents while young bad things may ensue. He may develop terrible pride. He may seek to begin grand designs too early. Either way, do you promise to keep the identity of the boy’s true parents a secret?”

Alcmene and Amphitryon both nodded.

Hermes smiled.  “Excellent.  Well, time is moving fast and I have places I must be. So now I must leave you.”

Then suddenly Hermes snapped his fingers and was gone, leaving Amphit
ryon and Alcmene with Hercules.

******

Time passed quickly and it would not be a lie to say that Hercules was an exceptional child, a child of love, hope, and soberness.

Amphitryon and Alcmene raised Hercules with more love than any parents had ever before raised a child.
He was their treasure, making the boy not only a treasure of his godly parents, who watched him grow up from above, but also his mortal parents.

Every day seemed like a new surprise for Amphitryon and Alcmene, who poured all of their daily mortal strength in feeding and providing for young Hercules.
It seemed that, although he technically was more mortal than God, his Godly attributes shined out all the clearer. He was a tame child, a child who would sit nicely at the table, a child who would obey his parents without hesitation. However, he was also a wild child in that his Godly powers continued to grow and grow within him, allowing him to run faster than any man, endure weather far more terrible than any man could endure, and carry much more than any man could carry.

Amphitryon and Alcmene were overjoyed at the amazing powers their child possessed.
And, as Hermes had instructed, every night they read to their young child from the book of the Gods. Hercules was intrigued by the stories of these Gods and felt some miraculous connection to them. Eventually Hercules became old enough to want to know whether or not all these stories and Gods were real. Amphitryon and Alcmene smiled at the child and said, “They are as real as you are.” Of course Hercules at the time didn’t understand the deeper meaning of their words (that in fact Hercules was, at least in part, a God like them), but he understood enough to accept the fact that these stories and the Gods portrayed within them were quite real.

There were many things that were unique about Hercules and of which his earthly guardians became aware.  Hercules was extremely fast and spent much of his time running through the hills.  Hercules was also very tolerant of any of kind of weather, be that very cold or very warm weather.  As a result Hercules rarely wore more than a
tunic. 

The older Hercules got the more responsibility he was given.
As great parents they knew the importance of giving Hercules responsibility. And so the couple bought many sheep and made Hercules the official shepherd. Amphitryon smiled as he gave the young fourteen-year-old Hercules an old wooden shepherd’s staff. “Hercules, may you watch over these sheep and protect them from all harm. This will be your task.”

Although this was a simple task for such a talented child, Hercules didn’t mind being given the task of shepherd and tended to his duties with great diligence.
There was even a notable instance of when Hercules found some of the sheep had wandered off, but returned with the skin of a great lion, having slain the lion to protect his sheep. Of course, when Hercules returned with the skin of the lion over his shoulder his parents were quite amazed.