Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 328 The Goddess's Revenge

Since his return from Thebes, the young man has been welcomed by the entire city of Thebes, and people flock to see this young hero who has slain the giant lion with his bare hands.

The young hero was unrestrained and had no idea what humility was. In his view, victory should be celebrated, and why should he belittle his own glory?

The King of Thebes, his stepfather, was also very pleased with him. In Amphitryon's eyes, his stepson was destined to become famous, but he did not expect it to happen so quickly.

Amphitryon personally hosted a banquet for his stepson to celebrate his return.

However, it wasn't just the young heroes and guests who arrived; there was also a distinguished guest.

……

"Come on, come on..."

Amidst clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely. They drank heartily, shared grilled meat, sang loudly, and danced together.

Since the beginning of time, humankind has been happy. Although they experience the troubles of birth, aging, sickness, and death, they are adept at enjoying the present moment. In moments of joy, there is no hierarchy, no worries, only people dancing together.

In contrast, the gods cannot be so carefree. They live too long, experience many joys, and also have many troubles, making them less fortunate than these mortals who die young.

Just like an uninvited guest in this great hall.

In a corner of the main hall, a mysterious figure draped in a long robe watched all this unfold, her teeth clenched in anger, her chest heaving slightly as she suppressed her rage.

No one inside the hall could see the mysterious man's true face; only the snake perched on the young hero's shoulder noticed.

Its gaze pierced through the robe and saw the true face of the mysterious man.

With her golden curls, proud and reserved demeanor, and a face of beauty surpassing all gods and men, isn't that Hera, the queen of the gods?
This noble goddess has certainly not come here without a purpose.

In the past, this bastard, known as "Hera's Glory," lived in the land of the snake people. The goddess could turn a blind eye to it, as long as he didn't get in her way.

But now, her husband makes no secret of how much he values ​​this bastard child. He favors him so much that even his lover doesn't receive such favor.

Previously, all the gods had witnessed the scene of this young hero bravely fighting the giant lion.

Unbearable!

Absolutely unacceptable!

A surge of jealousy welled up within her; the young hero's handsome appearance was more repulsive to the diva than a toad.

"Zeus... I am your wife, how can you treat me like this?"

The goddess trembled all over, her love for her husband and her anger at his infidelity intertwined in her mind.

The existence of this bastard child is the greatest mockery of oneself.

But the goddess had not lost her mind. She knew how much Zeus valued this child and would never allow her to intervene directly.

"Laugh, laugh, but your laughter won't last long."

The goddess glared resentfully at the laughing young hero before disappearing from the hall.

The snake's eyes watched all this unfold. It had the power to stop it, but it merely wagged its tail indifferently, as if it had nothing to do with it.

"Poor thing, it looks like the little dumpling is in trouble."

The snake, perched on the young man's shoulder, yawned and said in a nonchalant tone.

Meanwhile, the little meatball in its mouth—the youth—was still happily drinking his wine, completely unaware of his future.

After the banquet, the King of Thebes believed that his adopted son was impeccable in bravery, so he decided to send him several teachers to instruct him in astronomy, geography, philosophy, and music, striving to make him an even more ideal hero.

The young man accepted it happily.

But he never imagined that one day, some time later, he would get into an argument with his music teacher, and in a fit of rage, grab a zither and smash it at his teacher.

But how could a mortal resist a hero born with superhuman strength? With just one strike, the old musician collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.

The young man was filled with remorse and chose to exile himself.

In the sky, the snake laughed with extraordinary glee upon seeing that day. But the snake remained indifferent, knowing that this was only the beginning.

Sure enough, the goddess's revenge was as fierce as a sudden storm.

Even in exile, the hero's brilliance could not be suppressed. While shepherding sheep, the young hero encountered envoys from the Kingdom of Minyans, who had come to extort money from the Greek city-states.

The young hero easily drove away the extortionists, but he knew he could hardly defeat these foreigners on his own.

So he rallied some young Greeks to fight alongside him against the invading Minnians.

The young hero's stepfather also heard the news and, fearing for his safety, led an army to his aid. A fierce battle ensued in the canyon, in which the King of Minian was slain, but the young hero's stepfather, Amphitryon, also perished.

……

"Rumble..."

The battlefield, battered by torrential rain, was littered with corpses, scattered shields, and weapons.

The great hero, clad in a lion's skin, was fearless of swords and spears, but at this moment he was terrified, like a child who had made a mistake.

"Father! Father!"

He scrambled to the side of the dying king, crying out in alarm. He pressed his hand against the king's wounded abdomen, but the blood was gushing out and he couldn't stop it.

"Hercules... no, Alcides."

The dying king looked at his adopted son, who was so anxious he was almost crying, and with a forced smile, he called out his adopted son's childhood name.

“My child, my child, you are the offspring of the gods, destined to accomplish great things, you should not be weeping here.”

He stroked his adopted son's cheek, his body growing weaker and colder. The king realized that he feared he would not survive.

The rain poured down, and the great hero desperately shielded his adoptive father from the downpour. His adoptive father, however, remained pale. "My child," he said, "I too have achieved many feats and been called a hero, but I believe you can go further on this path than I have… When you've gone further, come back and tell me what kind of world it is…"

He spoke weakly, his words broken and intermittent, yet he refused to stop because of some obsession.

A smile appeared on his lips when he saw his godson nod.

"Courage...wisdom...humility...hospitality...integrity..."

The king's eyes gradually lost their light, and he softly murmured the creed he had believed in all his life.

In his memory, he seemed to see a young man, a handsome and dashing young man determined to become a great hero.

He bravely seized the cattle of the Taphons; defeated the foreign king; rid himself of the man-eating fox; married the beautiful Mycenaean princess; won the heart of the princess of an enemy kingdom; and outwitted the immortal golden-haired king…

Memories flooded back, some joyful, some regretful, but one thing still puzzled him somewhat.

"Have I... become the hero I wanted to be?"

The world before my eyes gradually descended into eternal darkness.

……

For the young hero, Amphitryon was like a father to him, and he was overwhelmed with grief and unable to contain his emotions.

In the pouring rain, this ever-confident young hero, holding the blood-soaked body of Amphitrion, wept uncontrollably.

However, the snake still shook its head.

That's not enough. It's far from enough. The more innocent and gentle that goddess was, the stronger her desire for revenge became after she became jealous out of love.

Meanwhile, far away in the heavens, the Heavenly Queen watched the young man on the ground weeping in sorrow, and laughed heartily. But beside her, another goddess in armor shook her head.

"Oh, pitiful, lamentable, and admirable hero, may you rest in peace in the underworld."

The goddess in military attire held a petal in her hand. The petal flew and swirled, finally landing on the hero.

……

Three nights later, the young hero still couldn't fall asleep.

Unable to fall asleep, he tossed and turned, so he simply got up.

Once outdoors, he saw the bright moon and the constellation symbolizing Leo among the countless stars.

"Leo, is becoming a hero really this painful?"

On the ground, the young hero murmured.

The constellations in the sky did not answer, but the lion opened its eyes and heard the voice of its childhood friend.

Besides the lion, some also heard the voice of a hero. Among the stars of the night, a goddess in armor emerged from the moonlight.

The young hero knew of this goddess because she had once guided him.

"Goddess Athena, I salute you."

The hero bowed his head, showing respect to this goddess of Olympus, the queen of warriors, and the friend of heroes.

Among the gods, Athena is the most benevolent to mortal heroes, having guided many who were lost and confused.

The goddess stroked his head.

"Poor Hercules, your destiny has finally caught up with you."

As she spoke, she told the young hero about the time of his birth and the origin of his name, Hercules.

The young hero was stunned when he learned all this for the first time, but after hearing the whole story, he clenched his fist.

"Could it be that the Queen herself orchestrated all of this?"

"Hush, Hercules, don't mention this goddess casually in the future, because she might hear you. As for your question, I can only say that the Queen of the Goddess did indeed intentionally push things along."

After cautiously warning the young hero, the goddess spoke again.

"Even Poseidon, the god of the earth, dares not face the Queen of Heaven's wrath. But the innate destiny and karma surround you, and you are destined to be entangled with the Queen of Heaven. Her revenge will not stop until you breathe your last breath."

"Hercules, be careful."

As the words fell, the goddess's figure vanished.

The young hero, looking lost and dejected, sat on the steps for a long time. After a while, he suddenly spoke softly.

“Amphitryon, Leo, Mona… watch me, I will walk this path until the very end. I will show you just how far mortals can go.”

He looked up. The night was deep, and he couldn't see the goddess's figure, but he thought that the goddess was probably watching him too.

Beneath the abyss, the serpent goddess Mona gazes upon her adopted son, who already knows his enemy and grits his teeth, determined to face whatever lies ahead.

She pondered for a moment, then performed a divination.

This divination is for the young hero and Hera.

"A tangled web of cause and effect, he was her glory, he was her enemy, she gave him power, she hated him with death... a complex web of gratitude and resentment, a whirlpool of fate from which she could not escape."

Faced with such a divination, the goddess shook her head.

They were truly an indescribable stepmother and son.

[On a side note, due to certain reasons, the main group is also gone. Now both groups are completely destroyed, leaving only one backup group. Those interested can join. ③⑥⑨③⑨⑧⑥⑤④369398654]

(End of this chapter)