Monsters of Greek Mythology, Volume Two Read Online Free PDF

and instruct him to extort the blood price from Hercules—to become, in fact, his taskmaster for the space of a year. But it won’t take a year, not even a month. For the first task I’ll make him give the lout will be to slay the Nemean Lion. And we know who’ll slay whom. Yes, Hercules will die now, and his death will be entirely legal. No one will be able to blame me.”

8
    New Girl at the Palace
    Iris and Iole perched on the rainbow, gazing down at a drenched meadow sparkling in the slanting rays of the sun. The daughter looked excited; her mother was trying to look cheerful.
    â€œIt won’t do,” said Iris. “You’re simply too vivid to pass unnoticed in the Mycenaean court. We’ll have to tone you down, my girl.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œCan’t do much about your eyes or your skin. But we’ll have to darken your hair.”
    â€œWhatever you say, Mother.”
    â€œYou’ll be able to wash the dye out when you come home …”
    â€œDon’t worry about it. I’m not.”
    â€œLet’s slide down and get you attended to by the nymphs.”
    They slid down the arch of colors, but neither of them sang joyously this time. When they reached the meadow and were greeted by the nymphs, Iris spoke privately to Numa, who listened earnestly and then took Iole’s arm and led her to the far end of the glade where the dyeing vats stood.
    The nymph dropped a handful of roots into clear boiling water. The water thickened, foamed, went black. Numa took a pair of silver shears and began to cut Iole’s hair. It was a glorious red-gold mane, hanging down to her waist. Numa cut it so that it barely reached the girl’s shoulders, then cut bangs. Finally, when the dye had cooled, she blackened Iole’s hair.
    Iole dashed to a stream, knelt, and looked at herself. She squealed in excitement and raced across the meadow to Iris. “Mother, Mother, look!”
    Iris took her daughter by the shoulders and gazed down at her, winking back a tear.
    â€œHow do I look, Mother?”
    â€œLike a cat, my dear. With those black bangs and jade-green eyes you look exactly like an Egyptian temple cat.”
    â€œBut quite unnoticeable, don’t you think? I’ll be able to slink around the Mycenaean court like a shadow and help Hercules all I please without anyone knowing. Don’t you think so, Mother? Who pays much attention to a black cat, after all?”
    â€œBut you will be very careful, won’t you, my child? Eurystheus is an exceedingly cruel king. And while he’s very stupid himself, he’s surrounded by crafty councillors. So take no unnecessary chances.”
    â€œI won’t, Mother. I’ll go there, find Hercules and do what I have to do. Then I’ll come right back. I swear.”
    â€œFarewell then, dear girl … brave darling girl …” Iris ran off then so that Iole would not see her weep.
    The girl then shed her rainbow draperies, and donned a plain brown tunic. She bade farewell to the nymphs and set off for the court of Eurystheus.
    Iole had no experience of the mortal world, no idea of how anything worked … and when she wanted something, she went after it with utter simplicity.
    On reaching Mycenae, she went directly to the royal palace, melted into the shadows, and observed things for a while. It was midmorning; the king had not yet awakened, and seven maids with seven mops were swabbing a flight of marble stairs. Every so often, one of them would take the bucket of dirty water away and return with clean water. This meant carrying the heavy wooden bucket out to a well in the courtyard and drawing water. While she was gone, the other maids leaned on their mops and chatted, and slowly, with many groans and sighs, began to mop again when she came back. For these servants were not young, and it was a very broad, long stairway, and extremely dirty. Because the king often rode his horse up the