Hercules

**Hercules** is a protagonist in the *Divine Comedy*.

Formerly known as Heracles, he is the greatest of the demigod heroes, a paragon of masculinity, and a champion of divine order against chthonic monsters. However, Hercules would fall from grace due to his defiance against the gods for not keeping their promise of ridding him of the nightmares of his family's murder. In modern times, Hercules would encounter Cain and his family, eventually joining them.

## History

### Background

Hercules's background is somewhat similar to his mythical counterpart in that he is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman that was known for his godly strength. However, Hercules was tricked by Hera into killing his family as revenge for being a bastard child of Zeus. In an attempt to redeem himself, Hercules had to undergo twelve impossible tasks beset to him by the gods but would become increasingly more difficult due to Hera's machinations. Surprisingly, against insurmountable odds, Hercules was able to complete his tasks using his wits and strength.

Because of his endeavours, Hercules was highly respected and loved by the people of Greece but was not exactly well liked by the denizens of the underworld as the gods tasked him with acquiring several valuable trinkets in possession of the underworld's rulers. Thinking it would only be twelve tasks, Hercules would soon discover that he would forever be under the service of the gods to kill any unholy beast that is deemed a threat to them to secure their reign. And thus he concluded that he won't ever be rid of his nightmares, so in defiance he cursed out the gods and to add insult to injury ate the Golden Apple that was meant for them. In response, Hercules would forever wander the Earth as an immortal while being plagued by his sins.

### Modern Day

While Hercules would have sleepless nights he carried on nonetheless, eventually working as a monster slayer for good coin all the way up to the modern days. But as time passed, less monsters would appear on the surface, eventually leading him to semi-retire, using all his finances to make a home for himself. But his nightmares persisted to where he drowned himself in booze, becoming a depressed drunkard.

Hercules would receive an anonymous tip of a 'murderous beast' that cannot be killed by any man or woman, also further explaining that should he manage to kill this beast he would finally get rid of his nightmares. In the past Hercules would deem this as suspicious but at this point in his life he could hardly care.

The coordinates led him to the sleepy town of Bermuda Falls where he met the so-called 'murderous beast'; Cain. Almost immediately the two immortal men engaged in a brutal fight that had Hercules send Cain flying several times across the town due to his godly strength. Due to their immortality neither could kill the other until Hercules stopped when he realized Cain is not the monster he was described to as. While the two had a very tense relationship at first, Hercules would slowly mellow down, becoming friendlier and kind based on his interactions with the likes of Eli, Edith, Greta, or Tanner.

## Trivia

* He is based on the same mythological figure of the same name found in Greek mythology. Heracles was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon. He was a descendant and half-brother (as they are both sired by the god Zeus) of Perseus. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, the ancestor of royal clans who claimed to be Heracleidae, and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters.
* His theme song would be "Everyday Superhero" by Smash Mouth.
* It is revealed that he changed his name from "Heracles" to "Hercules" due to the sheer loathing he has towards Hera.
	+ He also goes by the name of "Samson" among society which is a nod to the biblical figure of the same name who was a Nazirite, and that he was given immense strength to aid him against his enemies and allow him to perform superhuman feats.
* Hercules has his own gymnasium that he also uses as a training ground where he also trains Eli, Edith, or Tanner.