After walking for days, my friend Iolaus and I finally saw a small village in the valley below us. I felt happy to see people again, even though this tiny place was nothing like the big cities I knew from my own time.
"Great timing," Iolaus said, wiping his forehead. "We can get more food here before we go to Nemea."
As we got closer to the village, I noticed something odd. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at us – well, mostly at me. And I heard people whispering.
"Is that really him?"
"Look at that size!!"
"Hercules is here to help us!"
I felt nervous. These people looked at me with so much hope in their eyes. If only they knew I wasn't really Hercules, just a normal teacher in a hero's body.
An old man came up to us. He looked frail, but his eyes were bright as he looked up at me.
"Great Hercules," he said in a shaky voice, "we prayed for help, and the gods sent you. You're here to save us from the terrible lion, aren't you?"
I didn't know what to say.
Iolaus nudged me, giving me a look that said, "Say something heroic!"
"Um, yes!" I said, trying to sound brave. "I, Hercules, son of Zeus, am here to... stop your lion problem. Don't worry, everyone. I'll do heroic things. Very heroic. With my muscles."
I flexed my arms, and people gasped in awe. Iolaus put his face in his hands.
The old man smiled wide. "Praise the gods! Come, mighty Hercules, let's have a feast for you!"
Before I knew it, I was in the village square.
People were setting up tables with lots of food and wine. Kids peeked out from behind their mothers, pointing and whispering excitedly. I felt bad, getting all this praise for something I hadn't done yet.
And also knowing the fact that this food that they are preparing may very well be the portion that they would require them to starve in the future.
But I could not refuse them - the hopeful eyes that looked at me made it impossible to refuse their kindness.
So we ate.
But as we ate, people crowded around me, asking all sorts of questions.
"Hercules, will you make my fields grow better?"
"Great hero, can you make my sick goat well again?"
"Oh mighty one, would you marry my daughter?"
I nearly choked on my wine when I heard that last one. Iolaus looked worried.
"Now, now," he said, "Hercules needs to save his strength for the fight. Why don't you tell us about the lion?"
I was glad Iolaus changed the subject. "Yes, please tell me about this scary animal," I said.
Everyone started talking at once about how fierce the lion was. Some of the stories seemed a bit too wild – they said the lion was as big as a house and could breathe fire!
I listened carefully, trying to figure out what was true and what wasn't. I remembered the old stories about this lion and asked, "So, no weapons can hurt this lion?"
An old woman nodded. "That's right, great Hercules. Many brave fighters have tried, but their spears and arrows just bounce off the lion's golden fur."
I thought about this, stroking my chin. The villagers seemed impressed by this. "I see. And where exactly does this lion live?" I asked.
As they told me where to find the lion's cave, I could feel Iolaus watching me. He probably thought it was strange that I was asking so many questions instead of rushing into battle.
Later, a group of young men came up to me. They looked excited and a bit nervous.
"Mighty Hercules," one of them said, puffing out his chest, "we want to go with you to fight the lion! With our help, you'll win for sure!"
I was surprised. These were just boys, really. They had never been in a real fight before. The thought of putting them in danger made me feel sick.
I wanted to scold these brats, who were not even wet behind their ears to go back and help their parents with farming or something.
But now, I had an image to maintain!
"Brave young men," I said, trying to sound both impressed and discouraged, "I'm glad you want to help. But this is something I have to do alone. The best way you can help is by staying here to protect your families."
They looked disappointed, but they understood.
I felt relieved that I didn't have to take them with me.
That would have been a disaster!
Anyway as night came and we got ready to leave, the old man came to talk to me again. "Hercules," he said seriously, "all our hopes are with you. Come back after you've beaten the lion and saved our lands."
I felt the weight of their hopes on my shoulders. It was a heavy feeling. As we walked away from the village, Iolaus spoke to me.
"You did well back there," he said, sounding surprised. "Usually, you like it when young fighters want to join us. And since when do you ask so many questions before a fight?"
I shrugged, trying to look calm. "Well, you know what they say – when you're strong, you have to be careful too. I'm just trying to think things through more."
Iolaus looked confused. "Who says that?"
"Oh, you know," I said, feeling silly for quoting a superhero movie to someone from ancient Greece. "It's just an old saying I heard once."
As we set up camp for the night, I couldn't stop thinking about the villagers and how much they believed in me. Very soon, we would reach Nemea.
And I would have to fight a monster from the myths.
Somehow, I had to live up to what all those people expected of me. As I fell asleep, I wondered if I could do it. Would I be a hero, or would I fail and be forgotten?
I didn't know it then, but my first real test as "Hercules" was coming soon, and it had nothing to do with lions...
---***---
The next morning was bright and sunny, but I felt worried inside. As Iolaus and I packed up our camp, I kept thinking about every little thing I did.
Would the real Hercules fold his blanket this way? Would he tie his sandals like this? It's funny how small things can seem so big when you're pretending to be someone else, especially someone as famous as Hercules.
We walked to another small village, and I got ready to act like a hero again. But this time, things were different.
The village was full of life and color. There were pretty flags hanging between houses, and the air smelled like good food. People were wearing their best clothes and everyone looked happy.
"What's going on here?" I asked, surprised.
Iolaus looked at me strangely. "Don't you remember, Hercules? It's the festival of Dionysus! We're lucky to be here at the right time."
I nodded, pretending I hadn't forgotten about this big celebration. "Oh yes, of course. I was just testing you," I said, glad that Hercules was older than Iolaus so I could get away with saying things like that.
As soon as we entered the village, people noticed us. A group of happy, slightly drunk people saw us and cheered.
"Hercules! The great hero is here for our party!" one man shouted, giving me a big cup of wine. "Drink this to honor Dionysus!"
I wasn't sure what to do. I was supposed to be on a mission to fight a lion, but saying no might make people upset. I looked at Iolaus, who nodded at me to go ahead.
"When in a Greek village celebrating Dionysus, do as the Greeks do," I said to myself. Then I held up the cup and shouted, "To Dionysus!" Everyone cheered, and I drank all the wine at once.
The wine was very strong, stronger than anything I'd ever had before. My head felt fuzzy right away. Before I knew it, someone gave me another cup of wine.
And another one.
After a few more cups, I found myself in the middle of the village, arm-wrestling with a strong farmer while people cheered. Because of Hercules' strength, I was winning easily, but the wine made it hard to control my strength.
"Hercules," Iolaus whispered to me, "be careful! You might hurt him!"
I quickly loosened my grip, but I did it too much and almost fell on the table. Everyone laughed, thinking I was just drunk.
As the day went on, I did all sorts of festival activities.
I judged a contest for the prettiest goat, which was a real thing here. I tried to recite old poems but did a terrible job. I even joined in a traditional dance, but I was really clumsy at it.
Later, as I sat drinking more wine and watching people dance around a big fire, Iolaus came to talk to me.
"Okay, what's going on?" he asked, looking serious.
"You're acting like you've never been to a festival before. And since when do you get drunk? Usually, you can drink more than anyone!"
I tried to think of a good excuse. "I'm... pretending!" I said.
Iolaus looked confused. "Pretending what?"
"Pretending to be a normal person," I explained, making it up as I went along.
"It's a new hero technique I'm trying. If I act like a regular person, I can understand better how to help people - its called Method acting."
Iolaus stared at me for a moment, then started laughing.
"Oh, Hercules," he said, wiping his eyes. "Only you would think of something so strange. But if it helps you connect with people, I guess it's okay."
As night came and the party got even bigger, I started to feel close to these people from long ago. Even though we were from different times, celebrating together made us feel like friends.
But when we finally said goodbye and started walking to Nemea again, I had a serious thought. I had just been part of a real, ancient Greek religious festival. I had honored Dionysus, who in this world was a real god.
What other gods might I meet on this adventure? And how would they react to a fake Hercules stumbling through their world?
As we set up camp for the night, I could still hear the party in the distance. I felt like I had just taken my first real step into the world of ancient Greek life, with all its gods, monsters, and heroes. Whether I liked it or not, I was now fully part of this world.
I didn't know it then, but my next meeting with the gods would be much less fun, and much more dangerous...
---***---
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