Across the wilderness, a black and a white warhorse thundered forward, hooves tearing up the ground as they carried their riders through drifting grass and mud.
A dark arc swept in from behind. Amid frantic whinnies, an Amazon warrior with bloodshot eyes closed in on the two despicable outsiders, using her numbers and familiarity with the terrain to hound them without pause.
Enough already?!
Samael tilted his head aside just as a javelin streaking with a sharp white-gold arc flashed past him. It detonated beside him, blasting open a cone-shaped crater over ten meters wide. His face darkened as he shot a cold glance back.
Among the Amazons, the elegant woman with long, fair arms felt her heart clench for no reason. Humiliation surged up right after, and she glared back with icy rage.
Looks like you won't quit unless I teach you a lesson.
Samael snorted, handed the reins to Hippolyta, leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words, then leapt off the horse. He shouted to the side and raised his arm.
"Heracles!"
Heracles understood instantly. He grabbed his employer's arm and hauled him onto the man-eating centaur horse, the two sharing the saddle.
"I'll steer. You counterattack. See that loudmouth in the Amazon ranks? Take her out."
A cold gleam flickered in Samael's eyes.
Heracles turned sharply and drew the bronze longbow gifted by Athena, along with arrows smeared with the lethal droppings of the Stymphalian birds.
At the same moment, Samael placed a hand on the hero's back. His eyes snapped open, golden arcane symbols swirling within them.
Heracles' body arched with impossible tension as divine power surged through him and into the bow. The bronze weapon flushed gold. A cryptic force flowed through Heracles and fused with the arrow, clinging to it like a second skin.
Mandate of Heaven: Collapse.
The instant Samael thought it, inspiration struck Heracles. He drew and released. The azure-gold arrow roared forth like a furious dragon, crossing the distance in a blink.
Crack.
The divine barrier around the instigator shattered into shards of transparent light.
Thump.
The bronze arrow punched into the elegant woman's left chest. Torn flesh and corrosive poison wracked her with agony, and she toppled backward off her horse.
She tried to call up her divine power to evade the charging hooves, but golden cracks like spiderwebs had already spread across her entire body from the wound.
Boom.
The next wave of trampling crushed her like brittle crystal. Her body burst apart, scattering into motes of dust swept away by the rising Ether storm.
The Amazons reeled in shock, their formation falling into chaos. By the time they regrouped, their targets had already fled far beyond sight.
Wait… weren't we at the harbor? Why are we here?
As they came back to themselves, their minds felt blank, certain memories smeared into fog.
Save the Queen! Those two despicable outsiders abducted the Queen!
Only after several more minutes did they manage to pull their thoughts together. Remembering how they'd attacked wildly during the pursuit, completely ignoring friendly fire, their faces went pale with dread.
The eight chieftains, gathered together, were just as unsettled by their own loss of control.
Looking around now, they realized their forces had already marched deep into the heart of Greece.
When dawn came, such a large army would be spotted immediately. The Greek city-states would take it as a declaration of war and mount a full pursuit and blockade...
The eight leaders discussed briefly and decided that four of them would take the main force and withdraw first. Penthesilea and the remaining three sisters would continue the chase, looking for a chance to rescue their queen.
But after the canyon and this latest fiasco, they had no choice but to admit that beating those two head-on was nearly impossible. For the queen's sake, their only option was to rely on cunning and follow in secret. At this point, the safest approach was also the only one left.
The eight leaders exchanged nods and split up, each carrying out her assigned task...
As night faded and a pale strip of dawn appeared on the horizon, hundreds of miles away on a scrub-covered plain with a water source, three figures dismounted from their warhorses. They loosened the restraints and let the mounts drink and rest freely.
After a night of chaos, all three were drained in body and mind, leaning against a tree to catch their breath.
Samael and Heracles sat together, exchanged a glance, and burst into unrestrained laughter.
This was the taste of blasphemy. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
Hippolyta stood off to the side, utterly lost.
Heracles lifted a hand and gave his employer's shoulder a light pat, sounding helpless.
"Sorry. You got dragged into this because of me."
Samael answered carelessly, "Dragged into what? Those lunatics weren't targeting only you."
What if they were?
After a moment of silence, Heracles seemed to recall something. A shadow crossed his face, and he let out a bitter smile. "I think we should go our separate ways. Forget escorting you to Athens—sticking with me might actually be more dangerous."
Samael pressed down on Heracles' rising shoulder and rolled his eyes. "If you leave, how am I supposed to show my face in Athens? Relax. She took a solid hit. She won't have time to mess with us for a while."
"You figured it out?"
"Who else in this world could hate you that much? Don't forget I serve the Goddess of Wisdom."
Ancient Serpent spoke with certainty and pride. The look he gave Heracles carried a trace of pity, and he quietly uttered the name of a goddess who, to the great hero, meant nothing but suffering.
Hera, Queen of Heaven.
The white-armed goddess was the protector of marriage, childbirth, and women, yet her obsessive need for control—combined with the curse Aphrodite had placed upon her—kept her entire life consumed with trying to rein in her husband's infidelity and plotting against Zeus's lovers and children.
Among Zeus's many illegitimate offspring, none had a more tragic fate than Heracles.
Heracles' father was Zeus; his mother was Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon, King of Thebes, and granddaughter of Perseus.
Before Alcmene went into labor, Zeus declared that the first descendant of Perseus born that day would rule Mycenae.
Hera was enraged that Alcmene had become her husband's lover. Combined with Zeus's prophecy that this son would achieve greatness, her hatred toward Heracles grew even deeper. As the goddess of childbirth, she abused her power to delay Alcmene's delivery.
At the same time, Hera caused Perseus's other grandson, Eurystheus, to be born prematurely. Heracles, born moments later, lost the throne and was forced to serve his royal cousin.
And Hera's persecution of the mighty hero was far from over...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/PinkSnake