The Rise Of A Porter

It took them a while to look for Hercules. The domain was vast and not a good place to keep and dog without a leash. After looking for a few minutes, Tiamut dragged him out of the cells where they were keeping all those vassals, where Hercules was found dry humping one of the aliens. 

Hercules might have been behaving like a dog, but he was still a demigod stronger than any of the vassals there. Thus, once he entered their cell, he could do whatever he pleased and none of them would have been able to stop him even if they wanted to. It was a good thing that he was technically dead and couldn't reproduce... otherwise who knew what else he would have done. 

Either way, he was brought forward in front of Arnold who kept on looking at him with indifferent eyes. Without saying a word Arnold yanked the collar off and Hercules slowly got a hold over himself. However, as he did, memories of the time he spent as a dog came rushing back into his head. 

His eyes turned red with rage. How dare Arnold humiliate him like that? He was Hercules! The son of the mighty Zeus. Blinded by rage he turned towards Arnold ready to fight him to the death, however, as soon as he saw Arnold all idea of fighting flew straight out of his head. 

At first, he thought there was a blotch in between Arnold's brows, left behind as a result of an injury. But the more he looked at it, the more he realised that wasn't the case. It wasn't a blotch or a wound, it was the third eye.

Only a fool wouldn't know about the Destroyer's eye. An eye that held enough power to destroy the entire universe with just a blink. Over billions, no, trillions of years countless gods had tried to activate it and failed miserably. The only one known to have successfully manifested it was the Immortal one.

'Did he inherit the Immortal's powers?'

That was the first thought that crossed Hercules' mind. However, when he looked into Arnold's eyes, he knew that wasn't the case. His eyes weren't the eyes of someone who was triumphant, but of someone who was defeated. All of a sudden, Hercules broke into laughter thinking his father must have done something to the arrogant idiot.

"Oh, high and mighty one, why art thou sad?"

Hercules didn't hold back in the slightest while mocking Arnold. What could he do to him? Kill him? Destroy him? Obliterate him? Doing any of those things would be nothing but an act of kindness to someone who had been reduced to his current state.

"Are you done?" Arnold replied to his mockery as if he couldn't give two fcks about what Hercules had to say to him.

Hercules stopped laughing out of shock. If he would have said something like that before, Arnold would have definitely thrown a fit, but now it was like he didn't care about anything in the world. It was at that moment, Hercules realised something had changed deep within Arnold. 

"Looks like it," Arnold continued before turning around to face the man standing next to him, "Tell him what you told me."

Hercules had been so caught up on Arnold, he didn't realise who the man standing next to him was. As soon as Hercules saw Heimdall there, he immediately got down on his knees. They might have had their differences in the past, but Hercules had nothing but deep respect for the Protector of Asgard. In fact, he was one of the few whom he respected enough to show it. 

"We are equals now, Hercules." Heimdall said in a confident voice, "As we both serve the same master."

"What do you- how?" Hercules would have never thought Heimdall would be reduced to the state of a mere undead as well. 

"I sided with your father and-"

"Just get to the point. You can chat later when I'm not here." Arnold didn't have the time to listen to their idle chatter. He had things he needed to do and people to kill. 

Heimdall gave him a courteous nod and broke the news to Hercules, "Your father has replaced you with someone else. A new son, but just like you were."

Hercules kept staring at Heimdall as if he had never seen him before. His father replaced him? What kind of bullshit was he spewing out of his mouth? His father would never do something as cruel as that to him!

He was his favourite son! One who died trying to fulfil his desires and he replaced him? No there was no way Zeus would do something like that to him. Heimdall was lying... It must be another one of Arnold's ploys to use him. 

Hercules got up and threw a punch directed at Heimdall. But before his punch could even graze the Asgardian, Hercules found his face firmly planted on the ground. He desperately tried to get back up, but a finger was all it took for Arnold to keep him pinned down. 

"Your lies won't work on me!" Hercules exclaimed in a fit of rage, "My father will nothing do something like that!"

"Oh, high and mighty one, why art thou enraged?" Arnold said before briefly slapping him across the face, "You are my slave, and my slaves aren't allowed to throw a fit in front of me. Heimdall, tell him what that bastard Zeus' plan was."

And so, Heimdall retold the entire story with Arnold's permission. He also pointed out that Zeus was adopting Johnny because he did something Hercules failed to... hurt Arnold. Godhood was just a reward for what he did... and that he was planning to change Johnny's name to Herakles, another version of Hercules' real name. 

"I swear in the name of Asgard, there isn't a single lie in what I told you," Heimdall concluded by saying. 

Hercules was in a state of calm rage. He was still having a hard time accepting that his father had just tossed him aside like that. But he knew Heimdall would never lie after swearing in the name of Asgard because if he did, then Asgard would be obliterated into pieces.

Arnold finally let go of Hercules who slowly got back to his feet. Hercules was seething. He wanted revenge against Zeus... after everything he had done for the man, he dared to toss him aside like one of his used whores? He wanted to make him pay... make them all pay.

"I know you want revenge, and I know you want strength." Arnold mumbled calmly, "I can give both of those things to you, but only if you swear loyalty to me. Zeus has stabbed all of us in the back, but now it's time we do something about it. Or you can keep sulking here that daddy got a new son. The choice is yours."

Saying so, Arnold extended his hand towards Hercules, who blankly stared at Arnold. After a long time, Hercules had found someone he could respect. He knew Arnold could achieve greatness, after all, he did defeat him and Heimdall, two of the greatest warriors of their respective pantheons, fair and square. Thus, Hercules had no issues accepting help from someone like him. Someone who could help him get his revenge.. He immediately shook Arnold's extended hand.