In the Greek World, athletic competitions were a very popular activity.
Thanks to the Olympus Gods who enjoyed a good show, a form of athletic games flourished in Olympia, where the statue of Zeus stood. Initially, these games were rituals led by priests to commemorate the gods, but they have now developed into a grand event enjoyed by everyone, from gods to mortals, throughout the Greek World.
Apart from Olympia, its place of origin, other city-states in the Greek World gradually built huge arenas and began to host various activities independently to attract people and worship their city-state's guardian gods.
Besides slaying monsters and defeating enemy nations in War, athletic activities also gradually became a way for Argo Heroes of the Greek World to gain renown.
Currently, in the Greek World, apart from the Olympia Games, the most flourishing place for athletic activities is Athens. It is said that within Athens, there are comprehensive combat competitions no less significant than those in Delphi, protected by Apollo. If a victor performs exceptionally, they might even receive the personal blessing of Athena.
Ares intended to use this combat competition in Athens to establish the reputation of "Perseus." He entered Athens, and after some inquiries, learned that a competition was about to begin soon. So, Ares went to the venue, registered under the name "Perseus," and then temporarily remained in Athens, awaiting the start of the competition.
However, while he was strolling, he suddenly noticed a figure in the marketplace.
This person was a man with a long black beard and long hair flowing down his back, wearing a sea-blue robe. He was indeed heroic in appearance; mortals who didn't know might mistake him for a king or noble from a nearby city-state, but Ares saw the strong divine aura that could not be dispersed from him.
Sea King Poseidon, this man was clearly a disguise of his avatar.
The moment Ares recognized him, his heart tightened. Since he was tricked by him last time, and Poseidon and Zeus completely broke off relations, the gods had not seen Poseidon anywhere else for a long time. Now, this Sea King, who had been self-isolating in his Golden Palace in the sea, suddenly came to Athena's territory, his great enemy, in the form of an avatar. There was only one reason Ares could think of for this.
Even though she often covered her face with a hood and avoided crowds, Medusa, as a priestess of Athena, was still targeted by Poseidon. No, it should be said that it was highly probable that Athena and the Three Goddesses betrayed her to Poseidon, as this was also Medusa's "fate."
Seeing this situation, Ares naturally wanted to contend, but his divine power avatar didn't seem to have a particularly reliable reason to be here, and Perseus's small account couldn't possibly contend with the Sea King. Fortunately, in the nearby Peloponnese region, there was a great Hero who could rival the Sea King, and if he came, Ares would have an excuse to descend there.
Thinking of this, Perseus glanced in a certain direction outside Athens, then withdrew his gaze, fixed it on Poseidon's avatar, and quietly followed him.
During Perseus's stay in Athens, Ares's other avatar watched Heracles successfully find the Nemean Lion near the Nemean Plain in the Peloponnese region.
When Heracles found it, the Nemean Lion was devouring an unfortunate traveler in its lair. Halfway through its meal, it looked up and saw a heavily armored, fully armed strong man suddenly entering its lair entrance.
Its territory invaded, the Nemean Lion immediately dropped the human corpse it hadn't finished gnawing on, roared, stood up, and pounced towards Heracles. Heracles, in turn, drew his bow and arrow, calmly engaging it in battle.
Although consistently known for his bravery in mythology, the wisdom of Heracles, the mighty god, should not be underestimated; this also greatly aided him in battle. After two rounds of probing engagement, Heracles quickly understood the characteristics of this Nemean Lion and realized why this lion had been entrenched in this area for many years, harassing surrounding city-states, yet no one had come to kill or drive it away.
To summarize the Nemean Lion's characteristics in one sentence: it is incredibly tough while also dealing high damage. Its lion hide is impervious to swords and blades; even the bronze club Ares gave him, crafted with the highest Spartan smelting technology, could not harm the Nemean Lion in the slightest. Yet, this beast's sharp claws could cut through anything. The Spartan armor Ares gifted him was like paper in front of the lion's claws, making it incredibly troublesome.
Fortunately, it did not inherit the same magical abilities as its siblings from Typhon and Echidna; otherwise, even many gods might not be a match for this giant lion.
After determining the characteristics of this lion, Heracles's mind raced, and he quickly devised a way to deal with it—equip armor-piercing gear, then control it and suppress it directly.
He pushed the giant lion back into its lair, then used a huge rock he had prepared beforehand to block the entrance. While the Nemean Lion was destroying the rock, trying to come out and fight him, Heracles began preparing to kill it.
He first took off his bow and arrows and armor, throwing them on the ground. The bow and arrows couldn't pierce its defense anyway, and wearing the armor was like wearing a layer of paper; it was better not to wear it for more agile movement. Then, Heracles selected a tree of suitable thickness outside the giant lion's lair, broke it, and fashioned it into a "wooden club" that would appear to be a pillar to an ordinary person, holding it in his hand.
This wooden club was not a creation of human civilization but a tree born from nature. Therefore, what the bronze club could not penetrate—the thick lion hide—this giant club could achieve.
After completing these preparations, Heracles stood guard at the lair entrance, waiting for the giant lion to break through the huge rock blocking the entrance.
Although not an ordinary creature itself, the Nemean Lion was a monster that only attacked physically. Therefore, a huge rock that could be pulverized by a fireball spat out by Cerberus, the hellhound, took the Nemean Lion a long time to dig through.
When its claws shattered the last piece of bedrock and it saw the light of day again, the sunlight before it was suddenly obscured by a tall shadow.
Heracles, bare-chested and displaying sculptural muscles, raised the huge wooden club high. Before the Nemean Lion could react, he mustered all his strength and savagely smashed it onto the lion's head.
With a loud bang, the Nemean Lion's head was struck down like by a crane's heavy hammer, slamming violently onto the ground and sending out a circle of air shockwaves. The wooden club in Heracles's hand also couldn't withstand such abuse; it cracked and shattered into splinters with that single blow.
However, after delivering this heavy blow, Heracles successfully achieved his goal. As the wooden club shattered, the Nemean Lion also collapsed. Although this completely natural and unpolluted wooden club, 100% sourced from the natural environment, could not directly penetrate its thick lion hide to kill it, the impact force of the club had completely penetrated its natural armor, piercing into its skull and shaking its entire brain.
The Nemean Lion reeled, seeing stars, completely disoriented. Heracles, seizing the opportunity, agilely moved behind it, extended his strong arms, and directly clamped the Nemean Lion's neck.
Heracles applied a powerful chokehold to the Nemean Lion.
The effect was outstanding; the Nemean Lion suffocated.
Heracles roared, his arm muscles bulging, and with a sudden burst of strength, he actually lifted the giant lion, which must have weighed several tons, directly into the air.
The Nemean Lion desperately kicked its limbs, but in terms of pure strength, it was already a notch weaker than Heracles, that freak among the fourth-generation divine children. Moreover, after Heracles throttled its throat, he also cut off its intake of magic and oxygen. The lion's struggles became increasingly weak, and finally, Heracles tightened his arms again. With a snap, the Nemean Lion's neck was twisted clean off by him.