H. Labour three

Everything in life sometime happens for the first time - one rainy morning you go to the nursery, one gray day you marry, and one dark night ... Well, let’s not talk about bad. Shepherds who herded cattle on the slopes of Ceryneian Mountains noticed un unusual animal in the early spring. By appearance it was a deer, but what kind of! Firstly, she was extraordinarily beautiful, secondly, unusually large, thirdly, with golden shiny horns, fourthly, with shiny gold skin,  fifthly, very fast, and sixthly, extremely voracious, so that shepherds first admired on her beauty, then horrified, seeing the ravaged animals on the hillsides.
All the secrets become clear. Slowly the mystery of the voracious deer origin became known. Earlier this year, as usual, Artemis has announced a contest for the vacant seat for maid of honor-chamber. Among the applicants was also Taygete, one of the Pleiades, the daughter of the titanium Atlas.
In order to win the goddess (no victory, no approach), in the central workshop the Pleiade ordered a mechanical deer with golden skin and gilded horns, in which then arose life and gave it to Artemis. Of course, the vacant seat was left for her, and Artemis liked the deer very much and she was thought to ask Taygete to create a muss -  that kind of deer next year.
It is always like this in life–the thing which is good for someone is bad for another one. The fact that the Chinese is well is bad for the Japanese. The fact that Artemis is happy makes people be in tears. Many brave men were willing to catch a deer, but it was vain. The animal was damn clever and carefully avoided all snares and traps. People mumbled, and went to the king, beated on forehead, so they said him, save us king . The position of "father” was not that easy. Just a month ago he had sent messengers to Eurystheus to call for help - to save the country from enemies and asking this kind of thing again would be awkward. Rescued the king the crafty minister.
- Your Majesty, let's write to Eurystheus that there is a very beautiful deer which we would like to catch and give to him, but we cannot, and we will send drawings and sketches to him into the bargain. Perhaps he wants to get hold of this deer and sends Hercules here.
- Tell it in your chancellery; let them write the draft of the letter.
The paltry and greedy Eurystheus swallowed the bait.
- Hercules, go quickly to Arcadia and bring me a wonderful, golden horn deer. Bear in your mind - I need it alive.
The hero went to Arcadia and began to hunt the deer according to all the rules. The animal, however, had a supernatural instinct and moved to north. Hercules had hard times. The deer easily overcame the boundaries between neighboring kingdoms and Hercules was detained by the border guards and had to write explanations. Finally, the impudent animal wandered into the country of Hyperborean. There Hercules was caught and they figured out his identity for a long time. It would be bad for the hero if he hadn’t got the pictures with Apollo, who was known by the natives and was worshiped. The king of Hyperborean personally apologized to Hercules and wanted to give him a magnificent antlered deer.
- Take it, dude, - said the king, - we will paint the horns golden, we will treat the skin with copper sulfate, and here you are, the Ceryneian Hind is ready.
Hercules marveled at the wisdom and sharpness of the Hyperborean, but knowing the pettifogging nature of Eurystheus, refused the offer.
The deer turned back to South and Hercules after her. Following her became much easier as the guards already knew Hercules and he freely passed through the border without any obstacle. It seemed the hero was about to overtake her, he'd already driven her in the gorge, but at the last moment, the deer gracefully jumped over the river and escaped. Hercules got angry.
- By hook or by crook.
Rang the arrow and dug the noble deer in the back left leg. The rest was, as they say, a matter of technique.
        In a good mood Hercules was sitting on the river bank, eating the trout he caught and drinking wine from a wineskin when suddenly lovely Artemis appeared in front of him.
- How did you dare to encroach on my Hind? Don’t you know that she’s mine? Didn’t you know how anxious I am for my gifts? Didn’t you know how much I love animals? Oh, do you think that if you are the son of Zeus you are allowed to do everything?
  - Beautiful Artemis, not willingly, but by the will of paltry Eurystheus 'm here. I don’t need your deer even for thousand years. Know that I don’t like the meat of deer. I'm here just by the will of gods. And if you want your deer remained alive and unharmed care for her when I hand her to Eurystheus.
- Well said, - haughtily said Artemis, - So it will be.
        At first hero wanted bind the deer and bring to Thebes on his shoulders, but then realized to throw a rope around her neck and drove her to South. Near Thebes, Hercules made a-week-halt and cured back leg of the deer so that Eurystheus could find no faults.
With great fanfares Hercules came into town with a wonderful deer on his mighty shoulders. The heaviest deer caught in Greece before, weighed two hundred pounds, while the Ceryneian Hind which was brought to Thebes weighed approximately five hundred pounds. As Eurystheus was a fool, even though he realized that this deer was not a simple one, he ordered to immediately release her and counted the feat.


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