Erytheia, a fearsome land and the home of Geryon and his cattle. There was nothing special about the cattle other than who they were owned by. Geryon, the three bodies giant. Three arms, three legs, three chests, three heads and three times the size of the largest man you have seen. He would even stand well above the likes of Heracles, Diomedes and Hippolyta.
No sooner had Heracles approached the cattle had Orthrus appeared. The two headed guard dog, it's bark was loud enough to cause headaches, and the bite could shatter bones and tear the flesh of any man. Azeus fell to one knee from the bark. As Orthrus launched it's attack Heracles stepped in, the dog biting into his calf. Heracles screamed out in pain as the dog ripped through his flesh. For the second time in as many labors had Heracles bled.
Perhaps he was losing his touch. A thought that entered his mind as he attempted to pry the teeth of both dogs from his legs. With no avail, he reached for his club. Smashing the heads of both dogs, as they were still latched onto his leg. Even with the dogs dead, it was still hard to remove the dogs from his leg as their curved teeth had dug deep into the muscle.
No sooner had Heracles freed his leg did their second challenger arrive. Eurytion, a common name for a Centaur, but he was not common. He was cruel, deceitful and manipulative. He had come to steal Geryon's cattle himself, but could not find a way to kill the giant. There was simply not enough poison in the world to put him down.
"Who the hell are you," Eurytion asked as Heracles struggled to stand.
"Ah, we are here to negotiate the purchase of cattle," Azeus quickly tried to stall.
"They ain't for sale," Eurytion yelled, now immediately in front of Azeus.
"Then we shall be going as soon as my friend can," Azeus can't finish the as Eurytion throws a punch.
Azeus dodges the first few punches. One lands on his shoulder, he screams out in pain. Azeus ducks the next punch and with one swift motion he comes up, stabbing a dagger into Eurytion's side and continues the cut until he reaches the Centaur's ribs. As the Centaur jerks back in response to the pain Azeus stares at the dagger in his hands. A gold plated dagger given to him by Phyleus, mostly for show. He never expected to use it, but here he was watching a centaur recoil.
"You will die for this," Eurytion arose and drew the sword from it's sheathe on his back.
"It's really your fault for trying to attack me," Azeus responded, shocked by his own arrogance.
Eurytion did not finish contemplating his next sentence. In the excitement he had forgotten to watch Heracles who had made it to his feet and found the sword of his own. Soon it was slicing through Eurytion's neck and the situation had been resolved.
"You did good," Heracles commended Azeus. "I can't move, would you fetch my bow and some arrows. Not the hydra dipped, but the sharp ones. I can't seem to move my leg at the moment."
Heracles felt it well before Azeus, the ground shook and the wild animals fled as Geryon was making his way to them. Too much noise had gone silent. He knew there was trouble. Azeus saw the size of Geryon before he felt the ground shake under his footsteps. Geryon was a true giant, smaller than those that battled Titans and smaller than those that battled Zeus, still he was their blood and it showed. Men like Heracles had been called giants in jest, but Geryon was as large as any ship Azeus had laid eyes on.
Heracles on drew back his bow. Aimed and waited for Geryon to block out the sun. Geryon was not a hydra, if one of his heads died, the body would cease to live, that was Heracles thought on the matter. He released his arrow and watched it fly with more power than he had placed in any arrow before. It pierced the metal helmet that the center head of Geryon cared for so dearly. Soon it was piercing flesh and bone, a brain, more bone, flesh and metal again. Geryon bent his neck over to one side, like a poppy that spoils its delicate shapes, shedding its petals all at once
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