Hell Is An Empty Body (Book Two of The Triple Moon's Chronicles)

12 | They Would Not Get Away With It

He was a man dressed in warriorship through a body made master in the art of physical training. His own bare hands didn't hesitate to defeat a lion to save the city of Nemea, making him renowned.

He then became a symbol of masculinity when he killed a fire breathing creature whom its multiple serpent heads kept on growing back after being chopped off to rescue his own home city.

This fabulous man who captured a fearsome marauding boar on the loose. The famous man blessed with high sexual prowesses who wasn't afraid to clean a stable of three thousands cattle in one day, making him the pride of Zeus and the first ever Semi God.

Those were just a fraction of Alcaeus' glories, however deep within the Lost Mountains of Artemis and by Athena's mouth, the so-called hero was another man.

"So, you had Alcaeus built all in that fantastic muscly armour flesh in front of that lion with a tiny blunt knife?" Athena clasped her hands in this moment, shaking her head at the event she was there to witness and to help. Lying there nested in Artemis' arms and bed, dipped into the darkness and yet lightened by fire torches, Athena could no longer hide her frustration. "You're a hunter Artemis, if you want to skin an animal, you used a bigger knife than that and a sharp one too. I was tightened in my mission to protect him from our father, so I have to put on an old woman's disguise and suggested to him to use one of the lion's claws instead."

Artemis chuckled at the recollection, her eyes enamoured by her goddess with her lips freezing into a silly grin. "Indeed, he doesn't seem very bright." And she leaned down for a kiss.

Since Athena's return from the underworld, they had been both buried in the unfathomable Lost Mountains, where they knew no one could find them. Bathing together in the fresh water of the mountain stream with their faces lightened by the moon, they were cut from everything and made rulers from their own dreamed world.

Artemis lived for those days, the time when Athena would be all hers and between two caresses, though, she couldn't help but to reminisce another event from the Alcaeus' mission.

"Do you remembered when he tried to catch our golden hind here?" A giggle escaped Artemis' lips while Athena rolled her eyes. "It was quite amusing to watch. Apollo and I forgave him for the sin against the divertissement he provided us for that entire mortal year. I'm glad he finally succeeded in all his labours. Hera must have been in the most unpleasant mood at Mount Olympus."

The memory was innocent—the only time Athena came for a halt close to Artemis' domain during Alcaeus' endless twelve labours and yet the same event made Athena rose in a sudden.

Sitting up and away from Artemis' touch, Athena brought her knees closer to her body with her eyebrow drew together. "Did he bring the animal back to you?"

Artemis shook her head, "No!" with a snigger. "She came back to us all by herself, just like we taught her to."

Concern grew ugly wrinkles on Athena's face at the answer. She stood up and paced all over the dimly lighted room. Each torches, each nook on the cave wall reminding her of the pending consequences if ever something were to happen to the borrowed Cerberus.

"I need to go!" was the first thing Athena said, ruining her brief holiday with Artemis.

Athena left right in this instant even with sadness lingering on Artemis' reddened eyes. The latter just sniffed and swallowed down her pain before falling back into her bed, solitude embracing her tighter.

    As they spoke, Alcaeus had finally reached the estate of king Eurystheus with a chained and limping Cerberus behind him. They had walked for two whole mortal months. Unlike Sisyphus, Alcaeus didn't take any shortcut, he didn't take any rest either.