Chương 14: Roar that can stop a man's heart!

That roar changed everything.

It wasn't just some story from an old book anymore. The Nemean Lion was real, and it was out there, and I….I was supposed to defeat that.

The Villagers were terrified by the roar, I couldn't really fault them, after all, even I felt like running away because of the mere terror that the roar brought!

But I couldn't!

I wouldn't!

Sullying the name of the great hero Herculeus is the last thing I wanted.

Iolaus and I spent the night helping villagers block their doors and windows. My - no, Hercules' presence helped them calm down a little and all of was drifted to sleep.

By morning, the lion's roar or any of its traces were gone, but about a certain distance from the village, there were huge footprints in the dirt.

That, and a whole lot of scared people.

"We need to go," I told Iolaus as we packed our things.

"The longer we stay here, the more danger we put these people in."

The Nemean Lion wasn't a mindless beat.

It seemed intelligent, even searching for us before we could even confront it - I need to be more careful about my journey!

I can't afford to engage in a fight with the Namean Lion anywhere else than the planned location or else a lot of innocent lives would be sacrificed!

Iolaus also understood this and agreed with me, but then gave me a worried look.

"Listen, Hercules, I've never seen you freeze up like that before. Are you okay to do this?" I tried to smile confidently.

"Yeah, of course. I was just... thinking about the best way to handle it."

He raised his eyebrow but didn't push it.

We didn't delay our departure and immediately continued our journey to Nemea.

As we walked, we met people running away from Nemea. Everyone had a story to tell, and by nightfall, those stories were all we could talk about around our campfire.

"Its claws can cut through rock," one old man had told us earlier, shaking with fear.

A merchant we'd met added, "Its roar can stop a man's heart from fifty steps away."

Now, sitting by our small fire, I found myself sorting through these stories like I used to do with research papers.

I wanted to figure out what was real and what was just fear talking.

"What do you think about all these stories?" Iolaus asked, poking at the fire with a stick.

I caught myself rubbing my chin, something that felt weirdly natural in this body.

"Well, we have to think about how fear affects what people see..." I stopped myself. I was starting to sound like I was giving a lecture.

Iolaus was already looking at me funny.

"Since when did you get so... scholarly?" he laughed. "Next you'll be quoting old poems and talking about deep ideas."

I forced a laugh. "Just trying to be smart about this. You know, understand what we're up against."

"Okay, professor," he grinned. "So what do your smarts tell you about our chances?"

The smile dropped from my face.

This wasn't funny anymore.

"Look, this won't be easy. If even half of what we've heard is true, this lion is something else. Nothing can break its skin, and it's as strong as the gods or at least demigods."

"Sounds perfect for the great Hercules' heroic stories," Iolaus said, but I could hear the worry in his voice.

I stared into the fire, watching it burn.

"Maybe. But what if... what if I'm not the hero everyone thinks I am? What if I can't do this?" Iolaus was quiet for a while.

When he spoke, his voice was kind.

"Hercules, I've known you for years. I've seen you do impossible things over and over. Whatever's bothering you, I believe in you. We'll fight this lion together and we'll win. That's what we do."

His words hit me hard.

Here I was, pretending to be someone I wasn't, and this man still trusted me completely. "Thanks, Iolaus," I said quietly. "That means a lot."

As we got ready to sleep, we heard the lion roar again, somewhere in the hills. I lay there looking at the stars, my mind running through every plan I could think of.

I might not be the real Hercules, but I knew something he didn't - I knew how this story was supposed to end.

Maybe that would be enough.

As I started drifting off to sleep, I thought about tomorrow. There was still a considerable journey towards Nemea. The real test would begin once we arrived there.

I had to be ready by then, not just for myself, but for Iolaus, for the villagers, for everyone counting on Hercules to save them.

But life had one more surprise waiting for us before we got to Nemea. Something none of my books had prepared me for...

The fire crackled low as the night grew colder. In the distance, an owl called out, reminding me of late nights in my university office.

How strange that felt now, like a dream from another life.

I turned on my side, feeling the weight of Hercules' body, still not quite used to it. The stars above seemed brighter here than in my time, untouched by city lights. I knew their ancient names, and had taught them to students, but seeing them like this made all that knowledge feel different.

My actions going forward would change so many things.

The stories I'd spent my career studying would become real in ways I never imagined. As sleep finally took me, I wondered what my students would think if they could see their professor now, about to face one of the most famous monsters in mythology.

At least I knew one thing - no matter what happened in Nemea, this would make one hell of a lecture.

If I ever got back to give it, that is!

---***---

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