Ares pinched the bridge of his nose helplessly after hearing what Heracles said.
Then he said,
"I remember I've been teaching you one thing since you came of age: patience."
"Of course, I wouldn't dare forget my teacher's teachings," Heracles mumbled.
"Then where is your patience?" Ares asked. "Linus is a demigod, and even though he's annoying, his crime isn't punishable by death. When he hit you, why didn't you think of enduring it?"
"I tried, but I was so angry then. I've never been so angry, like I'd gone mad." Heracles looked at his palms worriedly. "And I didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted to hit him with the lyre to warn him to stop touching me, but after I threw the lyre, he stopped moving."
"Isn't that right? The lyre was embedded in the wall," Ares sighed. "I've hit you plenty of times too. Why aren't you angry at me?"
"That's only if I could beat you," Heracles muttered softly.
"Enough, Heracles, listen carefully, I'll only say this once." Ares said to Heracles very seriously, "Reign in your temper, learn patience, control your emotions, otherwise, one day, you will regret it."
"Oh." Seeing how solemn Ares was, Heracles didn't dare to be negligent and quickly lowered his head in agreement.
"Here, take this." After Ares finished speaking, he pulled out a pendant made of transparent crystal from his sleeve and placed it in Heracles's hand. "Keep it close to you. When you lose control in the future, it might help you."
Heracles solemnly accepted the pendant and kept it close to him as Ares instructed. Afterward, Ares left, leaving Heracles to continue his self-reflection.
Two days later, Amphitryon prepared rich offerings and summoned Rhadamanthus, the judge, from the Underworld to adjudicate Heracles's case. The just Rhadamanthus, after careful consideration (and Zeus's intimidation), decided to declare Heracles innocent, on the condition that Amphitryon would cede the throne of Thebes to Creon and become a general of the Mycenae Kingdom himself.
This was not a great loss, and Linus was a demigod after all, which was also Amphitryon's compensation to Apollo. However, after the judgment was delivered, Amphitryon still feared that Heracles would harm others again, so he decided to send Heracles to the countryside to herd cattle for him.
Considering that Heracles's incident had already begun, Ares, while also teaching Medea, focused most of his energy here. He guided Heracles step by step, supervising his surroundings to prevent Athena and The Fates from causing trouble. Athena also seemed to know about this and, under Ares's supervision, no longer appeared by Heracles's side.
However, Heracles was no ordinary person; he had a heroic spirit from childhood. While herding cattle in the countryside, he met an envoy sent by King Erginus of the Mycenae Kingdom and learned that the Mycenae Kingdom was imposing an unreasonable annual tribute on Thebes. So, as the liberator of all oppressed people, he quickly struck down these abusive envoys, then tied them up and sent them back to their king.
This incident ignited the war between Thebes and the Mycenae Kingdom. Creon, the new king of Thebes, was a coward and was already prepared to compromise with Erginus. However, he did not expect that Heracles, with Amphitryon's help, had mobilized a group of brave youths from Thebes. Ares, through his temple, provided them with a batch of excellent weapons and equipment from Sparta, and also freely gifted Heracles a giant bronze club.
Thus, wielding these weapons, the invincible Heracles marched directly to the capital of the Mycenae Kingdom and clubbed the tyrannical King Erginus to death. However, his adoptive father, Amphitryon, was also wounded in this battle. Although Ares helped him avert certain death, he could no longer be a general in this life.
Ares sent him and his wife Alcmene to the rear of Thebes, where they were carefully looked after by his priests. The victorious Heracles, meanwhile, gained the favor of King Creon of Thebes. Probably fearing Heracles's great club, Creon married his daughter Mégara to Heracles without a word upon seeing him.
Facing injustice, returning victorious, and marrying a princess—the lives of most heroes at Heracles's stage would then be peaceful and prosperous. Heracles did indeed enjoy several years of prosperity in Thebes. He and Princess Mégara, Creon's daughter, were deeply in love and had three children, leading a very happy life.
However, at this very moment, Ares became vigilant. His divine power clone followed Heracles 24 hours a day using invisibility, monitoring Athena and The Fates, ready to deal with any divine intervention against Heracles. Even when Heracles was being intimate with his wife Mégara, Ares was listening nearby, fearing that Heracles might suddenly go mad and strangle his wife.
Even if The Fates and Athena used methods unknown to Ares, he would at least photograph the act to preserve future evidence.
Thus, under Ares's protection, Heracles's three children slowly grew up into three rather adorable lolis and shota.
…
"Goddess Athena, is what you're saying true?"
Inside the Underworld, Rhadamanthus, who had just finished a day of judgment, looked seriously at the Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of Fate veiled in white gauze by the River Styx.
"Of course, it's all true. According to fate, Amphitryon was destined to die in this battle, and his wife, Alcmene, so beautiful that even Zeus coveted her, should have become your wife. However, Ares changed his fate, sparing him from death, and the beautiful Alcmene naturally did not fall into your hands."
Standing by the River Styx, Athena smiled and pointed to the nearby River of Oaths:
"I can swear by my divinity on the River Styx that not a single word I've spoken is a lie."
"Rhadamanthus."
Just as Athena finished speaking, Atropos, the Goddess of Fate behind her, also spoke:
"Ares, who defied his own fate, is an unforgivable sinner, and Amphitryon, who violated his own fate, is also guilty. As a judge of the Underworld, you have a responsibility to return fate to its original course."
"Well, Rhadamanthus?" Athena asked. "As the most just and impartial chief judge, are you willing to fulfill the mission we have given you?"
Hearing the two goddesses' questions, Rhadamanthus remained silent for a long time.