Chapter 2 Descendants of Hercules - 2

King Demophon heard the news in the palace: the square outside was full of fugitives, and there was a foreign army, and a messenger asked for the fugitives to be handed over to him.The king himself came to the square and heard the intention of Eurystheus from the mouth of the messenger. "I am an Argive," said Cyprouius, "and it is a group of Argives that I ask to bring back. They are servants of our king. You will not lose your mind, son of Theseus, In order to protect these fugitives, I will not hesitate to fight Eurystheus!" Demophon, a calm and tolerant king, listened to the emissary's words and said only: "I haven't heard the opinions of both sides, how can I judge who is right? How can I decide to fight a war?" ? This old man, you are the protector of the young, do you have anything to say?"

Iolaus stood up from the stone steps of the altar, bowed reverently to the king, and said: "My lord, for the first time I feel that I have arrived in a free city. Here I am allowed to speak, and here someone is listening." My speech. Elsewhere, we were expelled from the country and had no right to speak. Eurystheus drove us out of Argos. Since we cannot stay in the country, how can he say that we are What about his subjects? Haven't those who escaped Argos a place in all Greece? No! At least not in Athens! The inhabitants of this heroic city will not drive the sons of Hercules out of their land ..their king will not let those who ask for protection be dragged from the altar. Take care, my children! You are now in a free country, and with your kindred. King, It is not strangers that you protect, those who are persecuted are the descendants of Hercules, and Hercules and your father Theseus are the grandsons of Pelops, and Heracles also came from Your father was rescued from the underworld."

After hearing these words, the king stretched out his hand to Iolaus and said, "There are three reasons why I am obliged to protect you and cannot refuse your request. The first is Zeus and this altar, the second is kinship, The third is the favor of Hercules to my father. If I let you be dragged from the altar, then this country will no longer be a free country, no longer a god-honoring country, and no longer a A nation of righteousness! Therefore, Messenger, please go back to Mykenne at once, and tell your king that I will never allow you to bring back these exiles!" "I'm going, I'm going!" said Cyploius, waving his scepter menacingly. "I will come again with an army of Argos. Ten thousand soldiers are waiting for my king to issue Command. He will himself command the army, verily, this army has reached the borders of your kingdom."

"To hell with you!" said Demophon contemptuously, "I am not afraid of you, nor all you Argives!" The descendants of Hercules rejoiced when they heard this.A group of young people jumped up from the altar, put their hands in the king's hand, and thanked the generous savior.Iolaus again spoke on behalf of the others, thanking the king and the citizens of Athens. After returning to the palace, King Demophon urgently deployed to deal with the enemy's invasion.He called together a group of diviners and celestial watchers, and ordered them to hold a solemn sacrifice, and he invited Iolaus and those he led to live in the palace.Iolaus repeatedly declined, declaring that he did not want to leave the altar of Zeus, and they were willing to stay here and pray for the happiness of the city of Athens.

"Until the gods help the king to victory," he said, "we will rest our weary bodies under your roof!" At this moment, the king ascended the tallest tower to observe the approaching army of the enemy.He summoned his soldiers, ordered them to defend the city of Athens, and then consulted with astrology and fortune tellers.When Iolaus was praying to the gods, Demophon suddenly came to him with a sad face. "What do you say I should do, my friend?" he said aloud, "although my army is prepared to fight the Argosians, my soothsayers say that there must be one condition for the victory of this war, but this The conditions are difficult for me to satisfy. The oracle clearly tells us: You don’t need to kill calves and bulls, but sacrifice a young woman of noble birth. Only in this way can you, including this city, hope to win victory and be saved. But how can I Can it be done? I have a daughter myself, and what father would make such a sacrifice? Who would give up a daughter of a noble family who has a daughter? It is a nuisance that would lead to civil war!"

The sons of Hercules heard the king's words with a heavy heart. "My God!" exclaimed Iolaus, "we are like shipwrecked men who have just climbed onto the beach and are swept back into the sea by a huge wave. Hope, why is it like a dream? It is over, boys, and now the king will deliver us, but we cannot blame him for it. Suddenly, a glimmer of hope flashed in the eyes of the old man. "Do you know how we can save ourselves?"You keep the sons of Hercules, and hand me over to Eurystheus!He will surely put me to death, for I am the hero's companion and his faithful friend.I'm an old man, willing to sacrifice my life for these young people! "

Demophon looked at him and said sadly: "Your spirit is noble, but it will not help us. Do you think Eurystheus would be content to kill a man? No! He will kill Hercules My children and grandchildren. If you have other ideas, let me know. This one just won't work."