章節 11: Method Acting!

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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