"As my name is Hercules"

Two souls 

The sunlight fell through the window on the marble floor of the palace, the light reflected itself and fell precisely into Megara’s eye’s. It has been a warm summer, but this day specifically was extremely hot. This made the cleaning all the more exhausting. But she had no time for a break, not that she was allowed to have one. Lord Darwin told her to work extra hard because later this day a special guest would arrive, a very special one. 

After finishing her work Megara went on to have a break. But just before she could sit down and eat something she was called by her lord. She stood up and walked to the throne room. As she walked into the room she saw lord Darwin talking to a mysterious man. ‘Yes my lord, how can I be of service?’  Megara said. ‘Bring us wine, my guest and I are rather thirsty’  Said lord Darwin. The mysterious figure turned around and looked at me. It was a tall, muscular man with a beard, quite handsome to say the least. But something was off about him, Megara had a feeling that this was not just any man. ‘HEY, Stop looking  and bring us the wine’. The lord yelled. Megara jumped a bit and ran back to the kitchen immediately to get the wine. 

After the day was finished Megara laid in her bed, if that’s what you could call it. She was drifting asleep until suddenly she heard the door of the room open. In the door opening stood the man from before: The guest of the king. ‘What are you doing here?’ said Megara ‘Visiting you ‘ the man responded. ‘I saw the way you looked at me in the throne room.’ Megara was speechless. ‘I am so sorry, my lord,’ said Megara. 'For what?’ Before she could respond the man kissed her. Not long after they made love. 

When the sun rose up Megara opened her eyes, the man was gone, never to be seen again. 

Nine months later her first and only child was born: Alcides

Born into agony

Being born as the son of a slave was not easy. Alcides was forced into labour from the moment he could walk and hold a pickaxe. Daily beatings, harsh working conditions and nothing but dry bread and a couple drops of water caused Alcides to know nothing but pain

As he grew older, his godly heritage became more apparent. By the age of fifteen, Alcides had grown inhumanly strong and would perform the same amount of work as 12 labourers. With this strength, came an god like physique that would turn heads. Inevitably, his masters took notice and saw an opportunity. One day, his lord-commander came to him and shoved a sword in his hand. “You're being relocated”, he would say with the meanest smirk.

The following years were spent fighting in the pits where Alcides learned to fight like a lion, as the alternative was death. Over time, he became a crowd favourite and was considered one of the most successful gladiators of his time.

Unchained

Though Alcides made more than enough gold for his masters, the torture never stopped. “You are my little puppet, mine!” The lord-commander would often remind him. One night, Alcides finally had enough. With 5 fellow slaves, who had become nothing short of brothers over the years, they made an escape attempt. Under the cover of darkness they managed to sneak up to the guards and overpower them. At dawn, Alcides and his brothers were nowhere to be found, only a trail of cold bodies they had left behind.

The night of their escape, Alcides and his brothers had sworn to each other that they would return to free the others, including his mother. 

The Attack

The days preceding the attack were mainly spent crafting makeshift weaponry, planning their assault and fighting practice. Though their plan was far from waterproof, they estimated to free more than half of the slaves, which in their eyes was better than none.

On an unsuspecting afternoon, Alcides and his men striked and successfully managed to infiltrate the slave camp. For every 30 soldiers that were thrown at them, Alcides would take on half without breaking a sweat. Though the former slaves all fought bravely and heroically, they hadn’t taken into account the possibilities of reinforcements. Seemingly out of thin air, a host of soldiers, nearly twice the size of the camp, ran out to meet the free men in battle. One after the other fell against the overwhelming number of forces until Alcides was left standing alone. 

Ere long, he found himself imprisoned once more. The lord-commander would not allow him any fatal wounds, he proved himself too valuable for that. It wouldn’t take long before he would visit Alcides. With his whip in his hand he lowered himself to a chained and beaten Alcides, "Did you really think you could kill us all?" he sneered. "You’re nothing but a filthy slave, worth nothing." The commander struck him, but Alcides, nearly unconscious, retorted, "Do what you want with me, I don’t care." The lord-commander smirked, as he was expecting this answer. “Oh I know, but luckily I have something you do care about.” Alcides’ mother was thrown into the cell. Alcides struggled against his chains, pleading, "Leave her alone! She had nothing to do with this. Please!" Ignoring his pleas, the commander ripped the dirty rags of his mother and forced himself upon her. All he could do was lower his head and feel the rage fill his body.

Rage

The night was long. Alcides laid on the cold ground, broken and exhausted. With the almost lifeless body of his mother before him, there was nothing he could do but weep. “S-son”, coughed his mother with her last strength. “Y-yes mother,” he responded with a broken voice. “Remember who you are…”, a long pause followed in which Alcides could feel a burning resolve building up in his body, “...Alcides.” Gathering every last ounce of strength, Alcides managed to break free from his chains and tore open the cell doors. He disappeared in the shadow of the night, as he had done before, and went from tent to tent, killing guards who were either asleep or oblivious. 

Finally, he approached the lord-commander’s tent where he would find the lord-commander and his wife abed. As he slowly approached the bed, the wife began to beg for mercy, all the while the lord-commander stared in disbelief. The pleas for mercy were ignored, and Alcides landed his first hit on the lord-commander, knocking his teeth out. The tent filled with laughter, “Are you here to punish me for fucking your mother?” 

Alcides remained silent and grabbed the lord-commander’s wife, “You think your actions have no consequences”, he screams while placing his hands around the woman's neck, “you think you can get away with this too?” The wounded man's expression changes from smirking to shocked. “Please, you don’t have to do this, I can make you a rich man, I can give you more gold that you can carry.” All Alcides could do was smirk.”I don’t give a fuck about gold”. 

The enraged giant snapped the woman's neck as easily as a twig and walked to the crying, crippled man. He landed another hit, pulverising his ribcage, followed by a series of blows of godlike strength that would leave the lord-commander unrecognisable.

With his enemy defeated, Alcides had no reason to stay. He freed the slaves, grabbed a horse and some supplies and rode off. As time passed a heavy weight began resting on his shoulders knowing he had killed an innocent woman, he had become no better than all those men in the camp he killed. Thus he swore on his mother’s memory that he would fight to protect the innocent and free the enslaved no matter the cost.

Hello Father

Not much later, Alcides decided to set up camp for the night. As the fire crackled and the tent was pitched, the tranquil moment was shattered by a deafening explosion. The demi-god barely had time to react before being blinded and hurled backward into a massive boulder, which shattered under the impact. Dazed but determined, he struggled to his feet, his vision clearing just enough to make out a figure approaching through the haze.

With his characteristic resolve, Alcides shook off the pain and launched a mighty punch at the shadowy figure. But just as his colossal fist was about to land, it stopped. Dead. The impactless strike hung in the air, caught effortlessly in the hand of a bearded man who now stood before him, smirking.

“I expected more of a challenge from one of my own,” the man said, his voice laced with scorn. Before Alcides could process the words, the man seized him and, with overwhelming strength, began to spin him like a ragdoll. The demi-god was slammed into the ground repeatedly, each thunderous impact sapping his strength.

When the assault finally ceased, the bearded man let go, dropping Alcides’ broken and battered body onto the unforgiving ground. The once-mighty warrior lay there, half-dead and utterly defenseless.

The man strode toward Alcides, his eyes cold and piercing. “Do you know who I am?” he asked, his voice low but seething with authority.

Alcides, bloodied and defiant, turned his head slightly and spat a mouthful of blood straight into the man’s face. The bearded stranger’s expression darkened as he wiped the blood away with a sharp, irritated motion. “I’ll take that as a no,” he growled. “Maybe the name Zeus rings a bell?”

Confusion flashed across Alcides’ face. “What the fuck are you talking about? Why are you here?” he demanded, his tone defiant despite his battered state.

“I am your father,” the man said, his voice cutting like a blade. “And you—” his voice rose with fury, “—you let someone very dear to me be assaulted and murdered.”

Before Alcides could react, Zeus drove a brutal kick into his ribs, the sickening crack of bone breaking under the impact. Alcides gasped, his breath stolen, a moan of pain escaping his lips as he collapsed to his knees.

“I’ve seen you fight in the arena, son,” Zeus continued, his voice dripping with disdain. “You could have saved her.”

“I tried,” Alcides choked out between ragged breaths.

“Tried?” Zeus barked, his rage boiling over. “You killed a few thugs and then broke an innocent woman’s neck in the chaos? What kind of man does that, Alcides? What kind of god?”

“God?” Alcides rasped, his voice weak and ragged. He spat the word out like it tasted bitter.

“Put the damn puzzle pieces together, you fool,” Zeus said, his tone a venomous mixture of frustration and disdain. “You are a half-god.”

Alcides coughed violently, blood sputtering from his lips as he struggled to breathe. For a moment, it seemed as if he might choke. Zeus stared at him coldly. “I’ve had men tortured for being less of a moron than you,” the god sneered. “But because you are my son, I’ll grant you a chance to redeem yourself.”

Zeus straightened, his eyes glowing with divine authority. “Complete eight tasks to prove that you are worthy—worthy of being a man. Worthy of being a god.”

“The tasks are:” 

Kill the lion Named trómos in the golden fields of Sautrin

defeat the hydra within the dungeons of the Emperors Palace

Kill the Dragon of mount Ventura

defeat the cyclops who wanders in the lost city of Pillars

Overthrow the rebelgroup who want to overthrow the Emperor of Sautrin

Clean the enormous stable of the people of Dýr-Artor

Kill the phoenix in the scorched lands of Lithion

Alcides glared at him through bloodshot eyes. “And why,” he spat, his voice raw with anger and pain, “would I want to prove myself to you?”

Zeus’s lips twisted into a wicked smile. “Because if you refuse, an eternity of torment will be your fate.” 

“I’ll also strip you of your ability to feel the emotion of love.” He paused, letting the weight of his threat settle before adding, “Here. Allow me to give you a glimpse of what that feels like.”

With a snap of his fingers, Zeus sent the mortally wounded Alcides hurtling into another realm. Reality twisted, and before Alcides could comprehend what was happening, agony consumed him. He found himself trapped inside a massive cauldron, submerged in boiling metal. The searing pain was unlike anything he had ever known.

Alcides screamed—not the cry of a man, but the primal, desperate wail of a beast being torn apart. His humanity, his pride, his very soul, began to unravel in the inferno.

Above it all, Zeus’s voice thundered like a judge pronouncing a sentence. “I will leave you in this hell for ten years. When this is over, your journey shall begin, son.”

And for the next decade, Alcides knew nothing but torment. His screams echoed endlessly, his mind and body crushed under the weight of unrelenting agony. Over time, his humanity eroded completely, leaving behind only the raw, instinctual cries of a creature who had forgotten what it meant to be anything more than pain.

Aftermath 

After what felt like an eternity of torment, Alcides was finally cast out of the hellish realm. His body hit the ground with a heavy thud, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt no pain.

Collapsing to his knees, Alcides trembled as the realization washed over him. Tears began to stream down his face—not for the agony he had endured, but for the devastating truth that struck him now: his mother was gone.

He cried, his sobs raw and unrelenting, echoing into the empty silence around him. Hours passed as he knelt there, overcome by grief, mourning the woman who had been his anchor, his guiding light. She was lost to him now, and nothing could bring her back.

Finally, Alcides raised his head, his face streaked with tears and dirt. He drew in a deep, shuddering breath and forced himself to his feet. The weight of his loss still hung heavily on him, but he understood one thing with painful clarity—he could no longer remain here, paralyzed by sorrow.

There were tasks to fulfill.

And for the first time, the battered son of Zeus felt a flicker of resolve stir within him. His path forward was clear, and he would see it through, no matter the cost. 

A long road to freedom

In the years that followed, Alcides dedicated himself to completing the tasks his father had laid before him. The journey was long and grueling, stretching across countless miles and unrelenting years. Yet, as he traveled through the realm, Alcides found a greater purpose beyond his own redemption. Wherever he went, he sought to free those bound in chains, liberating slaves from their oppressors and bringing hope to the hopeless.

Many of the freed slaves, inspired by Alcides’ strength and resolve, chose to follow him. Together, they formed a growing band of loyal companions, united by a shared mission to bring justice and freedom to others still suffering under tyranny.

Over time, Alcides’ reputation spread far and wide. Stories of the warrior who fought for the downtrodden and crushed all who opposed him began to circulate. He became known not only as a protector of the people but as an indomitable force, a fearless champion whom none dared to challenge.

By the time Alcides had completed five of the seven tasks his father had commanded, he felt the pull of destiny urging him onward. He knew it was time to leave the familiar lands of Sautrin and journey north to face the final challenges that awaited him.

Determined to see his quest through to the end, Alcides gathered a group of his most loyal and trusted followers. He prepared to venture into the unknown, his resolve unwavering as he set his sights on fulfilling his destiny.