1001 tales

 “I am not here! I am not here! I do not exist!”

A soft stroke over his student’s hair, but it did make Chiron worry. Had it all been some kind of scheme; a way to give Prometheus Chiron’s immortality? It would make sense if it had been; although Chiron had known that Prometheus had been suffering so he didn’t blame him.

It just concerned him; for what would transpire in the future?

“Then help me set this wrong to right,” he explained, “If you wish to bring down gods, you must play the way they do.”

 “...Should I?...Why... We do not have forever to kill them... we are mere shades of true heroes... “ that is why they didn’t allow the usage of their true name, no more Herakles, a name full of grief and history for both of them. 

“It was an accident, Alcides,” Chiron replied kindly, arms carefully wrapping around the younger man to ease him, “I do not blame you for what happened to me, and besides, my death allowed another to live. Make no mistake though, I do plan to recover my immortality, if only because it was a gift from my parents.”

Cronos, Apollo, Artemis, those that had raised him and taught him and enabled him to teach and raise others.

It was a fair trade, surely. 

 “No, not accident, It was not one...something guided my bow, someone fooled me-

 All actions against him were by gods, it would not be out of range to think that a god had guided his bow to kill his mentor, his few true allies in this world. 

He hunches over....ashamed.

“It’s alright, Herackles, I chose to come,” the centaur smiled gently, his hooves bringing him closer, a hand laid comfortingly on the Avenger’s arm, “Someone has to look after you all.”

For so many of his students were here; his sons, his daughters. He couldn’t stay behind while they fought; his heart wouldn’t allow it.

“Are you in pain, my student? I’ll see if Asclepius has anything for you.”

 “No...no...No more Herackles...I am Alcides... teacher...even after all that has happened...you still come? Me...your slayer? You are...to kind.” yearning in his heart for this pain to stop, constant memories of his own rampage, caused by the gods themselves, of all lovers killed by his own hands... 

Chiron from @the-hooved-sage says hello.

Chains rattled, everything was a murky depth. The Avenger , once known as the Herackles of myth, his own breathing was laboured. Everything hurt, did it not? And worst of all, he is at his sanest. 

 “Ah.” sudden recollection of Babylon... he wonders how it ended, there was a lot he missed.