Clap, clap, clap, clap.
After Heracles threw the heavy Nemean Lion's corpse back to the ground, accompanied by a round of applause, Ares's divine power avatar naturally walked out from behind the tree.
"I admire your bravery, brother. I shall reward you!"
As Ares spoke, he bent down and lifted the Nemean Lion's claws, using them as blades to dissect its corpse. He skillfully peeled off a complete lion hide from the lion and then detached all four of its paws.
Next, he used his divine power to directly blow out flames, using them as a furnace, and crafted the lion hide into a leather armor. He made the lion's head into a majestic helmet and fashioned two of the four lion claws into a pair of gauntlets, while the remaining two were made into leather boots.
These pieces of equipment, while retaining their original functions, were reinforced by Ares using Hephaestus's smelting techniques and Hecate's magic, making them even more powerful than the originals.
After the forging was complete, Ares presented these pieces of equipment to Heracles. The latter, of course, did not decline, expressing his thanks and also thanking all the gods of Olympus. This, of course, was the result of their prior agreement.
Afterward, Ares casually mentioned to Heracles, "There's currently an athletic competition being held in Athens. If you're interested, you can stop by and take a look on your way back."
"I understand." Heracles comprehended, lowering his head and saying, "Thank you for the reminder, God of War."
"Then I'll be going back." Ares patted Heracles's shoulder with satisfaction. "Perform well, my brother."
With that, his divine power avatar returned to the sky. However, Ares did not go far; instead, he followed behind Heracles. Since Athena knew what Heracles's first task was, it was impossible for her not to guard against this. Heracles's journey to Athens would likely encounter many twists and turns. Although they certainly couldn't stop this great hero, they could slow him down.
Sure enough, as Heracles was about to reach the outskirts of Athens, a fierce wind suddenly arose in the sky. Notos, God of the South Wind, who had been thoroughly tormented by Ares, reappeared in the clouds, blowing winds towards the ground and causing a huge downpour to fall in Heracles's path. The heavy rain made the ground extremely muddy and difficult to traverse, forcing Heracles to somewhat impatiently take shelter in a cave.
Seeing this, Ares silently circled behind Notos, God of the South Wind. He gestured behind this poor deity, who was still wearing shackles as he came out to blow the wind, found a suitable angle, and then suddenly kicked him down from the clouds.
"Ouch!"
Notos, God of the South Wind, was caught off guard and tumbled directly from the cloud. He only managed to turn his head and see a familiar golden flash disappear from the cloud where he had just been. Afterward, amidst a dizzying haze, he directly fell onto the muddy ground. He rolled several times in the mud and water, not knowing where he had ended up. When he finally stopped, Notus, covered in mud, was astonished to find himself inside a cave, and in front of him, a burly man wearing lion-hide armor and a lion-head helmet was sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, staring directly at him.
Seeing the burly man, Notus was stunned, but the other party stood up directly, reaching for the huge bronze club leaning nearby. He hoisted this human weapon onto his shoulder, then circled around, blocking the cave's only exit, and calmly asked:
"Was it you who blocked my path?"
"Wind and rain, what do you mean by blocking your path?" Hearing the burly man's question, Notos, God of the South Wind, recovered his senses and sneered. He tidied his clothes, used his divine power to wash off the mud on his body, and then said to the burly man with disdain, "Move aside, mortal, I am Notus, the God of Wind, fulfilling the oracle of the higher gods. I advise you not to try and block a god's path, otherwise—"
Since Zeus took the lead in messing around in the mortal world, the gods on Olympus followed suit, and there were also many demigods in the Greek World. However, the strongest of these demigods could only rival the weakest of the minor gods, while the weaker ones, apart from being extraordinary in certain aspects, were otherwise like mortals, such as Linus, Apollo's son, who was casually killed by Heracles with a lyre.
Notus inwardly believed that the burly man before him was merely an ordinary demigod and could never be a match for a powerful minor god like himself. However, after he issued his threats and warnings, Heracles merely lowered his head, looking at him with a seemingly dazed expression.
"What? You don't understand human speech? Are you perhaps an idiot?" Notus walked aggressively in front of Heracles and forcefully pushed Heracles's chest. However, the latter remained motionless, his body not even swaying.
Normally, upon seeing Heracles's overwhelming physical strength, most people would understand the disparity in their combat power and would not dare to provoke Heracles easily. However, Notus, considering himself a deity, was accustomed to arrogance and did not regard these demigods and mortals. Seeing Heracles motionless, he felt insulted and then angrily raised his eyebrows, cursing:
"You audacious mortal? How dare you offend a god? Let me teach you a lesson!"
With that, Notus rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Heracles, who was blocking the cave entrance.
A moment later, Notus, bruised and swollen again, had his hands and feet bound by Heracles with a leather rope. Heracles tied his hands and feet together, then threaded a wooden stick through the gap between his hands and feet, lifting him up and carrying him on his back. At this moment, Notos, God of the South Wind, looked exactly like a slave.
"Mortal! You are desecrating a god!" Even after being beaten by Heracles for a long time, Notos, God of the South Wind, remained stubborn. With a thick tongue, he slurred his threats, "You will die a miserable death! I swear in the name of the Father of the Gods! Ah—"
Heracles casually slapped him and then stuffed a stone he picked up from the roadside into Notus's mouth, forcing him to shut up.
Seeing this withered god, Heracles, who had been feeling depressed lately, couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. He patted Notos, God of the South Wind's arm, and then said to him as Ares had instructed:
"You said you came to block my path by divine decree. Then, in the name of my father, Zeus, I will seek an explanation from the gods. Athens is nearby, so why don't you come with me to Athena to judge who is right and who is wrong in this matter."