In the legends of Ancient Greece, there was one great hero who could not go unmentioned—Heracles!
He was the greatest hero in Greek mythology, a demigod. At birth, he was first named "Alcides."
He was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and Alcmene, born with immense strength. He also had a half-brother, Iphicles, and a younger sister, Laonome, born to Alcmene and Amphitryon.
But because of his birth, he was hated by Zeus's wife, Hera. He was the son of a mistress, after all! Thus, he was cursed by Hera, which later drove Heracles mad and caused him to kill his own children.
Because he accidentally drank Hera's milk at birth, he became immensely strong. Later, Hera sent two venomous snakes to kill Heracles, only for him to easily subdue them while still an infant...
After growing up, he completed twelve "impossible" tasks to atone for his sins. They were known as the Twelve Labors.
Along the way, he rescued the bound Prometheus, joined Jason's heroic expedition in disguise, and helped Jason obtain the Golden Fleece.
Heracles was wise and illustrious throughout his life, yet he was misunderstood by his wife, who smeared poison on his clothes. Unable to endure the agony, he burned himself to death.
After his death, he ascended to Olympus, where Zeus named him Hercules. He took part in the war between the Olympian Gods and the Gigantes, emerging victorious.
In the Nasuverse's view of history, things were roughly the same, except the Gigantes had received an epic-level buff, to the point where it had become the Third Divine War.
Why bring all this up?
Because the purple-haired God of Amusement before Thaumas wanted him to complete one of the Twelve Labors while ensuring that Heracles himself remained unaffected?!
How was that any different from asking him to kill Tang Monk and Disciples? What a considerate god you were...
"Then, Goddess of Wisdom, which one am I supposed to complete?" Thaumas asked helplessly. If it was not necessary, he truly did not want to stir up trouble right now.
As long as he obediently followed the script and boarded that ship, he would become a Heroic Spirit no matter what...
Yet this goddess apparently was not willing to let him live such a life.
"Which one? Hmm... how about every one of them?" Athena pondered for a while before giving her answer.
"Then I think we should consider how to make my death easier." This was Thaumas's second day hating Gods of Amusement!
"I'm joking! You can't even take a joke.
What you need to do is sever the head of a stinking lion before Heracles does! And you have to make sure Heracles can still complete his labor! Mm-hmm, that's it!"
Athena spoke slowly with her hands on her hips, as though she were discussing some trivial matter.
This was such a hassle!
"And you are not allowed to refuse! This is an oracle!"
That made it even more troublesome!
According to legend, the first task assigned to Heracles by the king was this: Heracles had to skin the Nemean Lion.
This monstrous beast lived in the great forest between Nemea and Cleonae in the Peloponnese region of Argolis. The lion was extraordinarily fierce, and mortal weapons could not harm it at all.
Some said the lion was the son of the giant Typhon and Echidna, the half-woman, half-serpent monster. Others said it had fallen from the moon to the earth.
Heracles set out to hunt the lion, and eventually killed it. He used its claws to cut through its hide, finally peeling off the lion's skin.
Later, he used that strange lion skin to make armor and fashioned himself a new helmet.
He packed up the lion skin and weapons he had brought, draped the Nemean Lion's hide over his shoulders, and continued on his way back to Tiryns.
Now that he knew the script, things were much easier. Thaumas already had a plan.
Though this legendary magical beast from the Age of Gods was powerful, what was too rigid was easily broken. It was not invulnerable.
But how was he supposed to kill the lion before Heracles, who had already set out? The journey alone had declared his plan bankrupt.
Seeing Thaumas frowning in distress, Athena said considerately, "Don't worry, little Thaumas! I've already asked another god for help. He'll assist you."
But then she placed a finger to her lips, gently shook her head, and smiled mischievously as she said:
"Still, given Heracles's pace, you probably have three days. If you fail, you'll probably be eaten by the little lion.
If you run away or fail to meet the conditions, then you'll most likely be tossed into the Underworld by some unknown god!"
Thaumas immediately felt something was wrong. And that unknown god was obviously you, you God of Amusement! One day, you'll become someone else's amusement!
"I should remind you that although I can't hear you, I can sense the presence of 'malice.' Thaumas!" Athena suddenly said with a dark expression, "smiling."
So she was angry after all. Fortunately, Hera had given him this Golden Bracelet, which shielded him from divine observation, though it had certain limitations.
"Eh, isn't that Apollo's lyre? Are you his son, or one of his lovers?"
A young man flew over from afar, wearing winged shoes and a short-sleeved belted tunic.
He carried a leather bag, wore winged sandals, and had a winged cap on his head. Half of that cap was the Helm of Darkness, while the other half was a sun hat. It was quite fashionable. He also held a herald's staff in his hand.
With that appearance, he had to be the "messenger of the gods." If it was him, then traveling quickly really would not be a problem.
After all, his true form was an information-transmission machine ship, something like a scout or sentry. He was best suited for espionage work.
Oh, right. Unlike orthodox history, in the Nasuverse's historical view, Hades had replaced Hermes's position.
But because Hestia had voluntarily given up the struggle for power, there were still twelve chief gods, at least until Dionysus was born.
The difference was that Hermes had no voting rights in the Council of Gods, while Hestia had not relinquished that right.
After staring carefully at the lyre on Thaumas's back for quite some time, the crafty young man said without interest:
"What? It's just a fake! I got excited for nothing. I thought I could finally get one over on Apollo. Tch!"
Athena's voice was filled with temptation. "This is the child I told you about! He'll definitely satisfy you!"
Hermes's eyes lit up. He and Athena exchanged a knowing look. That was right—good things had to be shared!
So,
"Hera's little follower, we're ready for takeoff! I paid a 'great price' to borrow you from the jealous Queen of Heaven.
"You absolutely cannot make me lose money! If you make the God of Commerce lose money... hmm? That actually sounds rather fun?"
"Ahem, Hermes!" Athena reminded someone to tone it down.
"Oh, right, right! If you make the God of Commerce lose money, I'll throw you into the Underworld and leave you to fend for yourself!"
Wait, so the unknown god Athena mentioned, the one who would throw me into the Underworld, was you?!
Seeing Hermes's excitement and Athena's smile, Thaumas felt as though Hera had sold him.
No, considering the Queen of Heaven's personality, it was obviously you, the "God of Deception," who had made a move, wasn't it? You even dared to deceive the Queen of Heaven? Just how badly did you want amusement?!
Fine, you were so ruthless that you even sought amusement at your own expense. He truly had nothing to say about that.
That "private conversation" in the temple had made him realize just how much Hera doted on him. Yet because of that, he felt these Gods of Amusement were truly formidable.
He did not quite understand. Perhaps this was the difference between gods and humans?
After all, human lives were so short. People always pursued either a brilliant instant or a peaceful lifetime, with only a few exceptions.
But the gods of Ancient Greece were nearly immortal. With such long years ahead of them, aside from their pride, there seemed to be nothing else worth fighting over. Because they were bored, they were so enthusiastic about causing trouble...
Even Athena had cursed Medusa, created the monsters known as the Gorgon Sisters, and guided countless heroes to subdue them.
Though that had something to do with the Gorgon Sisters being local native gods, it certainly could not be separated from Athena's desire for amusement.
"Ah? Hey, hey, hey—no, don't! I'm a little afraid of heights—!" While lost in thought, Thaumas was suddenly grabbed by Hermes and sent flying.
Seeing Thaumas like this, Hermes laughed heartily and became even more excited, single-mindedly thinking of ways to tease the little fellow.
"How delightful!"
Before you continue