So Iolaus has earned himself the mark of Artemis and the right to call himself hound - or has he? It takes the events of a long and unnatural night for him to prove it - and that to the oldest and strongest of Missy’s pack, who is clearly not prepared to simply take his mistress’s word on the worthiness of a mere mortal.
Orion is a fascinating character, one of the early heroes that appear in Greek myth. He’s the demi-god that gave his name to the constellation of Orion, where the Pliades hang from his sword belt, and he almost undoubtedly was a proto-Hercules, the tales concerning him probably pre-dating those of the more generally known son of Zeus . There are a number of conflicting tales about both his birth and his death; he was variously described as the son of Mother Earth, as the offspring of Poseiden and Euryale, and as the son of Hyrieus, the King of Hyria in Boeotia. The tale concerning the latter is that, one day, when Zeus, Hermes and Poseiden were travelling together on earth they were handsomely received by Hyrieus. In gratitude for his hospitality they promised to grant him whatever he wished, and the King asked for a son. The three gods then took the hide of a heifer, urinated on it and buried it in the ground. Nine months later Orion emerged.
This is a an interesting way of conception, to say the least! The mythological Orion was said to possess prodigeous strength and was of such a stature that he could walk on the bottom of the sea without getting his head wet. He was also a passionate hunter, pursuing his favourite sport along with his dog Sirius (the one the dog star is named after) and had a variety of adventures, such as having his first wife whisked off to Tarterus because she boasted she was more beautiful than Hera and being kidnapped by Eos, the goddess of the dawn when she conceived a passion for him.
Orion’s tales link him with strongly with Artemis; again there is conflict concerning the details, although most agree that the goddess was responsible for his death. One version suggests that Apollo was responsible, challenging his sister to demonstrate her marksmanship by shooting at a distant object bobbing in the sea. Unaware that this was Orion, swimming, she lifted her bow and made a clean shot that pierced the hero’s temple. Another tale suggests that she killed him in anger; when he tried to ravage her when they were on a hunt, Artemis summoned a deadly scorpion from the earth, which stung Orion on the heel. It is possible that this version of the story was concocted to explain why the constellation of Orion fades whenever the constellation of Scorpio ascends in the sky.
I have pulled a number of strands from these stories to create my Orion - Hunter, first of Artemis’s hounds and leader of the pack. Since the tales I’m telling are set in Ancient Greece, this demi-god half giant has to have been a hero of a much earlier, more primitive time. I’ve therefore depicted him as a tribal chieftain, short on speech and enigmatic in attitude. He, like Hercules, is a child of the gods and possesses a similar gift of strength. There are a number of legends surrounding him - legends Iolaus is clearly familiar with, although their details are sketchy and it’s not clear how close they run to actual event. If Artemis did kill the Hunter in in a fit of jealous rage then she obviously regretted her actions, elevating him to the ranks of the semi-divine after his death. His link to the heavens is demonstrated in his tendency to reflect unseen starlight - and while he’s not explained his own history, his dislike of scorpions speaks for itself.
And he’s a proud, fierce warrior, one that’s hard to impress and harder to defeat in battle. He’s intensely loyal to his mistress, but not blindly so - when Missy so blithely hands out her favour to a mortal man, her pack leader wants proof of his worthiness. He gets it too - although not without annoying our Hero and possibly risking his own soul into the bargain.
It’s probable that some of Orion’s behaviour in this tale is born from a very genuine desire to protect the man for whom his goddess has shown such special favour - but had Iolaus done as the Hunter ordered and returned to the city to hide, it’s almost certain that he would never have earned either the friendship or the respect of his fellow hound.
(And if he had been killed in the course of this adventure - his soul seized by Hera and his body swallowed by the Abyss - then Missy would never have allowed Orion to forget it. In fact, she’d probably have sent him into Tarterus with strict instructions not to return until he’d rescued his brother hunter from a fate he most certainly does not deserve. Hercules, of course, would have insisted on going with him ...)
I have deliberately made the Hounds of Artemis demi-gods rather than full blown immortals. Their abilities are limited; they can change from man to hound and back again at will, but need to assume hound form before they can travel in godlike fashion. As an example of these limitations, Orion has no power to escape from under Hera’s cloak, despite the fact that his strength, physical endurance and stamina are of Olympian proportions.
I suspect that the HTLJ casting director would call on Tony Todd to fill the role of Orion, although I think there’s a definite hint of Michael Dorn in his character. Either actor would do - his is a commanding presence, one capable of quiet menace as well as regal generosity.
The backdrop that serves to introduce this feral warrior is a tale of brooding evil, ancient sorcery and dark revenge. Periphas - the tyrant sorcerer - is my own creation, and he only really came to life once I’d added the touch of a Bronx accent and the attitude, which is very out of period, but utterly in keeping with the series approach. (I have this vision of an epilogue scene where Charon is finally ferrying Periphas - on an overloaded boat, since so many souls were released from the staff - and the two of them are discussing Hercules ... ‘The big jerk took away my pig - and he never pays me!’ ‘So? He killed my boys, he broke my staff - ha! Guy’s a real schelp ...)
Dameas, on the other hand, really was an eminent sculptor. Pausanias records him as having crafted statues of Diana, Neptune and Lysander for the temple at Delphi. His home city was actually called Clitor, which supposedly had a fountain that, once drunk from, gave a dislike for wine. The fountain was apparently called the Clitorius - and I thought, no way. (The jokes were too obvious - and way too crude for the Hercules universe ... I mentioned it to Iolaus and he had this silly grin on his face for weeks!) I went looking for another city in Arcadia and found one called Dine. I added the æ to give it a little class (it is an artists colony after all) and set it in the valley that Periphas had once ruled. I also made the artist an old friend of Hercules. (That guy knows everybody!)
My first version of this plot was put together before I’d seen the events depicted in the fourth season closer - in which Hera was kicked into the Abyss of Time. Originally I had this as just another of Hera’s schemes to destroy Hercules, but once I thought about it, her being exiled in this way gave the story an interesting twist. Her power to affect the mortal world is now very limited, and only the fact that the earthquake opened a crack, not just into the Underworld, but directly above the Abyss gave her a chance to exercise that power.
She’ll be a long time climbing back up. Iolaus’s falling sword will probably tumble past her in the six or seventh century AD. (It might even hit her. You never know ...)
But while she is remote from the events, she is very much a part of them. Periphas was one of her followers and he derives much of his power from her support while he lived. She is also a major menace; not so much to Hercules, whom she cannot reach, but to his best friend who - having been marked by Artemis - has earned himself a double whammy of dislike where she’s concerned. And Orion meant what he said, even though the implications of it haven’t registered with our hero - and won’t for a long time to come. Day you die, Huntress come for you. She will - if she’s able too. That mark he carries is much more than just a pretty conversation piece ...
So - after a devastating earthquake our heroes get to deal with ghosts, revenants and an evil undead sorcerer. Hercules demonstrates his strength, makes a potentially fatal mistake and finally gets to save the day. Iolaus nearly gets himself killed (at least twice, if not three or four times ...) risks his neck to save his sword brother from a terrible fate, proves himself a worthy addition to the Huntress pack, and makes a new friend. Not bad for one night's work ...
