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In the halls of Mount Olympus, Zeus, King of the Gods, argued with his wife Hera, Queen of the Gods, about which hero was worthy to complete the feats needed to usher in the new age. Hera had supported Eurystheus, King of Mycenae, but Zeus had vouched for his own half-mortal son, the demi-god Hercules. Hera deeply resented Hercules, and she fought with her husband about him being given the right to complete the tasks.

"You cannot allow this bastard to be given such honor!" Hera shouted. "Let the distinguished king Erusytheus do it, he is worthy."

"My mind is made up," Zeus responded. "I'm sorry, but Hercules has proven himself to be strong and virtuous. Eursytheus is nothing more than a spoiled prince. We might as well appoint Paris this role; he at least has sound judgment."

"I will not allow you to do this," Hera retorted. "I demand someone else be given the chance."

"Very well," Zeus responded with a sigh, "Your Eurystheus will be the one to task Hercules with these endeavors. If Hercules fails at any time, Eurystheus may complete all the remaining tasks and take the honor for himself."

"Hercules is still unworthy but this is acceptable," Hera spoke.

"HOWEVER," Zeus loudly continued, "you may not interfere in the process at all. I know you have a habit for meddling in mortal affairs."

"Fine," Hera replied, annoyed. "I will deliver the news to Eurystheus."

With that, Hera was off, and Olympus became quiet once again.

* * *

Hera traveled to the city of Tiryns to inform King Eurystheus of the situation. She mad sure to include the caveat Zeus had agreed to. Eurystheus and Hercules were from rival families from generations ago, but Eurystheus was especially grateful for this information.

"Make sure to give him the most difficult tasks you can think of," Hera told the ruler. "He must fail for us to win."

"Oh, he will fail, your highness," Eurystheus said. "Just not at anything I couldn't do."

"Do not shy away from giving him difficult tasks," Hera told Eurystheus. "Loath as I am to say it, Hercules cannot be underestimated. But between the two of us, I believe fate is on your side."

"I see," Eurystheus said with a wink. "I have just the task in mind for his first trial."

As the conversation continued and began to come to its close, Eurystheus called for one of his ministers. When the man arrived, Eurystheus said to him, "I believe Hercules is coming to town. You are to alert runners and magistrates that he is called to the palace. To receive a gift."

Hera smiled as the minister ran off to set the plan into motion. She left Mycenae with confidence in the plan. Eurystheus too felt he had the perfect task in mind.

* * *

Hercules, who had been left in the dark as to the whole plan, wasn't sure if he should come to the palace when he received the invitation. He knew Eurystheus was an age-old rival, and didn't trust him. However, Hercules had confidence in his own abilities, and knew if the king wanted him dead or kidnapped, that could have already been attempted. Not to mention the dishonor of killing an, albeit infamous, hero under false pretenses. So Hercules decided to go. When he arrived, he didn't regret it.

"Hercules," Eurystheus spoke as the hero walked in, "welcome. I have been given the privilege from the gods of tasking you with ten feats which you may overcome as penance for your crimes."

"My word," Hercules responded, dumbfounded, "I am honored."

"As am I!" Eurystheus continued. "For I have chosen for your first task an issue very near to my heart. As you know, the fearsome race of warrior women, the tribe of the Amazons, have been a nuisance for some time. Though outside of my domain, their pillaging of settlements outside of Thebes is a cause for concern."

"Of course..." Hercules said.

"I have concocted an opportunity for you to bring them to heel that could greatly benefit both of us," Eursytheus continued. "My daughter would love to have Queen Hippolyta's girdle."

"The one given to her by Ares herself?" Hercules asked.

"Ah, you've heard of it! Yes, the very one. If you could retrieve this for me, I think it would send an important message to these Amazons that they are not to interfere in the affairs of men. And of course, you have everything to gain."

"Oh, I'm aware," Hercules replied. "But this might as well be a suicide mission. No army of men has yet defeated the Amazons, let alone one man -- who they would of course kill on sight."

"Fear not," Eurystheus said through his teeth. "You will be allowed to select a party to accompany you, so long as all members choose to -- I will not compel anyone." Eurystheus would have loved for this to be a suicide mission, and it effectively still was. But he knew Zeus would not accept him forcing Hercules to complete this alone. Not to mention leaving open the possibility for him to abuse his power as king to complete the task, should Hercules fail.

"It appears we have a deal then," Hercules agreed. An unfair deal it might be, but Hercules believed in himself. Hercules would accept nearly any offer in exchange for a chance to clear his name and return favor with the gods.

Eurystheus leaned in to shake hands but was stopped by Hercules: "I want your word that you've presented me with the full deal, as agreed to by the gods."

"I swear it," Eurystheus responded. And on this point, he was entirely truthful. "Now, Hercules," he continued, "your methodology is your own choice. As you select a party and theorize a strategy, why don't you stay in the palace for the remainder of the week? You may feast with us tonight and stay in our guest quarters."

"You live up to your reputation as a generous king. I accept."

And so, the first labor of Hercules had begun.

* * *

Hercules had chosen as his companions his friends Telamon and Theseus. Short of an army, no band of men could defeat the Amazons, so Hercules hoped to operate on stealth and, if it came to it, speed and goodwill. With his two trusted allies, Hercules delved into the jungles near the river Thermodon, in search of the reclusive Amazon tribe. Several weeks in, with no sign of them yet, morale was low.

"My grandfather always told me the Amazons have one weakness," Telamon said as the group entered an open patch in the rainforest. "If only I could remember what it was."

"I fear we may never find the Amazons," Theseus said. "They wish to be hidden from men, and looks like they've gotten their wish."

"Don't give up so soon," Telamon cautioned. "All great journeys take time."

Theseus continued, "Surely there would at least be signs that we're making progress if we were."

"Well wandering into the forest without any plan wasn't my idea," Telamon retorted, "but so long as we are, this is what we can expe--"

"Shhh!" Hercules interrupted. "Do you hear something?"

The men stopped and listened. There was the faint sound of some distant rumbling and rustling in the leaves. It gradually became louder.

"Probably just a boar," Theseus said, before being warned to be quiet by Hercules.

The rustling got louder and felt closer as the men braced for something coming their way. With the noise at its loudest and the earth shaking slightly, they saw the thick brush move. Suddenly, charging into the forest clearance, came an Amazon scout. She stood at a remarkable height, reaching at least seven feet tall, if not higher. She wore light armor over what appeared to be a leopard-print garment, with her arms, legs and what skin was visible on he torso showing her toned and muscular body. She could easily take any one of the three heroes, and they were rightly scared.

The Amazon stopped several yards in front of the men, clutching the fearsome spear on her side.

"In the name of Queen Hippolyta, I command you to stop!" she yelled. The men were already frozen in their tracks to begin with.

"State your business!" the Amazon demanded.

"We are travelers, lost on our way to Troy," Theseus ad-libbed. "If you could direct us as to--"

"Liar!" the Amazon barked. "No man would venture here without sinister intent!"

As the Amazon drew her spear, Hercules stepped back and crouched on the ground. Telamon put his palms forward, evidently trying to reason with the warrior, but she didn't seem interested.

"My orders are to kill all men who venture this deep," she spoke.

"There are three of us and only one of you," Telamon shouted desperately.

"I am an Amazon warrior. I could kill a hundred men by myself if I needed to." With that, the Amazon reached with her left hand for the horn on her side. Just as she was about to blow it, notifying other Amazons across the woods, it was knocked out of her hand and shattered on the ground. In a stroke of luck and skill, Hercules had thrown a stone right near the warrior's face. Now she was enraged.

The Amazon charged toward the three companions as fast as she could, holding the spear above her head. She launched it in front of her, and it just barely missed Hercules, who used his super-human reflexes to roll out of the way. Making the decision to retrieve it rather than attempt to fight with her knives, she bolted forward. Telamon, who had drawn his sword, prepared to strike her, but with one push of her hand, she shoved him to the side, where he hit the ground on the grass. The Amazon now facing away from the party, Hercules prepared to charge. But instead, he saw Theseus take the rope he had used in the Labyrinth out of his bag. Without second thought, it was thrown to Hercules, who caught it as the Amazon turned around and prepared to charge at Telamon with her spear. She ran at full-speed between the two other men, preparing to throw her javelin when her ankle was caught on something and she fell face-first into the ground. Hercules and Theseus had successfully held the famously strong Cretan rope between them and, using all of their strength, tripped the scout. As Telamon prepared to send his sword into her neck, Hercules shouted "stop" and ran there himself. Before the Amazon could get up, Hercules had banged a rock against her helmet, rendering her unconscious.

When the Amazon woke up, she found herself tied up between a log and a tree. It was dark out and the companions had lit a small fire. She struggled, but the rope was too strong. Her muscular arms were tied behind her and her legs were restrained apart. She couldn't move, but her head was neither gagged nor blindfolded.

"She's awake," Theseus noted, and the three heroes gathered around their captured warrior.

"What is your name?" Hercules asked.

The Amazon kept her mouth shut, the anger visible in her eyes.

"What's your name?" Hercules asked again.

"I will not tell you anything," the Amazon responded. She saw Theseus holding her knife and continued, "No matter what you do. We Amazons are trained to resist torture -- if you are even capable of harming me."

"We need to know the way to your capital," Hercules told her.

The Amazon scoffed. "My Queen would have me killed if I revealed that to you."

"It's either her or us," Theseus said, showcasing her knife.

"Just give us directions and tell us how far, and we will let you flee," Hercules said. "That's a far better offer than we would be getting from you."

The Amazon spit at him, the saliva landing on the side of her right breast near her armpit.

"We don't want to have to hurt you," Hercules said.

Intending to offer a sign of goodwill, Hercules grabbed a cloth and wiped around the warrior's armpit to clean up the spit. He didn't notice, but Telamon saw the Amazon squirm slightly and force her face into composure as Hercules wiped her. As Hercules continued trying to reason with the Amazon, Telamon moved over to her feet. Kneeling in between them as she looked at Hercules to her right.

"What are you doing?" Theseus asked Telamon.

"Just watch," Telamon responded. Then he began unstrapping the warrior's sandals. She tried not to take notice of it, instead continuing to refuse to cooperate with Hercules. Soon both of her massive feet -- at least a ruler's foot in length -- were now entirely bare. "Gentlemen," Telamon continued, "I have remembered the Amazons' weakness."

"Nonsense!" the Amazon shot back. "We have none."

"Really?" Telamon asked, taking a feather out of his pack. "That isn't what I've heard."

"You are pathetic, what are you doing?" the Amazon snarled, trying not to let her nervousness show. She was just slightly relieved to see Hercules look unimpressed.

"I'll ask you again," Hercules said, "which way is your capital?"

"You don't scare me!" the Amazon responded. "I will never tell you! Nev--

Mid-sentence, Telamon had begun stroking the eagle feather up and down the Amazon's enormous left foot. She visibly began to squirm as she tried to complete her sentence.

"Nev-- never tell yoahahahahahah!" she began to breakdown, and Telamon momentarily stopped.

"Come on, you know you want to," he said.

"No! You are wasting your tiahahahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Stop it! Stop iAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAt!" The fierce Amazon warrior howled as the man mercilessly tickled her feet. Telamon now was holding one hand on each foot, and she was screaming. She desperately tried to break away but met no luck. "Please no, pleahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAS! I'm begging you, this isn't faiAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAH! Not fair! AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!"

"Enough!" Hercules ordered. "Now, are you ready to cooperate?"

"I can't," the Amazon said, barely recovering from the tickling. "Please, just stop this torture, I can't take it."

"Are all Amazons as ticklish as you are?" Theseus asked.

"It is our great shame," the scout responded, panting. "Our embarrassing weakness."

"Perfect," Theseus responded. He dropped the knife and dug his fingers into the Amazon's sides. She howled.

"STAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! You must ceahahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHACE!" More begging followed as Theseus and Telamon mercilessly tickled the Amazon warrior. The tickling only continued.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, let me goAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" she bellowed between bouts of laughter. Eventually, even Hercules was amused, and he started tickling her armpits. As her loud voice carried across the forest from this, she knew she was done.

"I'll tahahahaha, I'LL TALK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA JUST STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"

"Perfect," Hercules said as the men stopped. "What is your name?"

"Myrna," replied the Amazon. "Imperial Scout."

"And which way is your capital?"

In the moment of silence that followed, Telamon began to tickle the Amazon's feet again. She quickly spoke up.

"It's to the southeast of here, a little to the right of the way you were going."

"Excellent," Hercules replied. "You're going to take us there. In return, you keep your life... and your honor. No one will have to know about this incident."

Myrna reluctantly nodded her head.

"Good work, boys," Hercules said to his friends. "This has been a very successful day. Now I think we all need some rest." After checking Myrna's restraints, the fire was put out, and the party prepared to rest before journeying to their destination tomorrow.

[To be continued]