After persuading Hera, Ares looked at the pool in Hera's temple. Amphitryon had already handed the baby to a nearby maid and then, looking forlorn, walked onto the palace terrace, gazing up at the starry sky.
Ares thought that if he were given a cigarette at this moment, the image of a middle-aged man who had lost his way would emerge. Amphitryon was probably struggling at this time, wondering whether to accept this illegitimate child and whether to retaliate against his unfaithful wife.
His wife Alcmene had clearly thought of this as well. She feared that Amphitryon and Hera would harm her child, but as a mother, she was unwilling to watch Heracles die at the hands of Amphitryon and Hera. So, while her husband was on the terrace "smoking," she called an old woman who served her and had her take Heracles out of Thebes, abandoning him in the wilderness outside the city. She herself only kept Eurystheus, Amphitryon's biological son, by her side.
Seeing the old woman carrying Heracles leave the city through the pool, Ares said to Hera:
"Hera, since that's the case, let's go."
Hera nodded and rose from her divine throne. Ares handed Garantis, who had turned into a black cat, to his sister, Hebe, the goddess of youth, asking her to hold him temporarily and that he would retrieve him later.
Afterward, Ares and Heavenly Queen Hera went together to the wilderness where the baby had been abandoned.
Seeing the old woman sent by Alcmene place Heracles on the ground and hurry away, Ares and Hera approached the infant. Ares somewhat roughly grabbed the swaddling clothes of the infant Heracles, lifted him up, and said to Hera:
"Hera, please use your motherly power to help him shed his mortal body."
"Mm."
Hera took the baby from Ares's hand and said:
"Ares, turn your head."
"Oh."
Ares turned his back, and Hera unfastened her bodice, beginning to nurse Heracles.
Hera, representing the Heavenly Queen, was also the Mother of All Gods. If she wished, she could secrete milk, and if anyone drank her milk, they could shed their mortal body and become a god.
Heracles already had a portion of Zeus's blood flowing within him, and with Hera's milk, this not only allowed him to shed his fragile human part but also made him a god with powerful divine energy flowing through his body.
Perhaps as an infant, he was still fragile to the chief gods, but Heracles also inherited human growth potential from Alcmene, making his future limitless.
While Ares was turned away, waiting for Hera to nurse Heracles, and incidentally observing the surroundings to see if Athena was causing trouble nearby, he suddenly heard a cry of pain from Hera.
He turned around and saw the Heavenly Queen angrily throw Heracles onto the ground, one hand clutching her chest.
Clearly, Heracles, who hadn't eaten since birth, was hungry. So, when Hera nursed him, he greedily sucked with force, biting the Heavenly Queen. Hera was already displeased with him, so she naturally wouldn't show him any more respect and simply threw the baby onto the ground.
Fortunately, Heracles, having drunk Hera's milk, had already shed his mortal body and become a Heavenly God. Even being thrown to the ground by the Heavenly Queen, he was perfectly fine. Instead, he looked at Hera with wide eyes, making the unique laughing sounds of a baby.
Ares picked him up again and said to Hera:
"Hera, leave the rest to me. I will return him to his parents. Please return to the Heavenly Queen's Palace and wait."
Hera tidied her clothes, nodded somewhat indignantly, and then left without looking back. Ares, carrying Heracles in his swaddling clothes, walked into the palace of King Amphitryon of Thebes.
Hearing of Ares's visit, King Amphitryon of Thebes dared not be negligent. He quickly came out to greet him. Ares had him dismiss everyone around, then placed Heracles, still in his swaddling clothes, into his hands:
"Here, this baby, he's your wife's son, isn't he?"
"This…" Amphitryon held Heracles, his face alternating between green and red. He was a smart man and quickly understood the cause and effect. Clearly, his wife Alcmene also feared his retaliation against this child, so she had quietly had her subordinates send the baby out of Thebes while he was cooling down on the palace terrace.
It was just a coincidence that the baby immediately encountered Ares, who was wandering nearby, and was thus sent back by him.
"I…" Seeing Ares's actions, Amphitryon thought he understood the gods' intentions. He bit his lip in humiliation and bowed to Ares, saying, "I will raise this child, Ares, please rest assured…"
"Alas, you make it sound like I'm forcing you." Ares sighed, then pointed a finger, and a barrier of fiery divine power formed around him and Amphitryon.
"Alright, now the other gods shouldn't be able to hear us."
Having done all this, Ares sat down cross-legged in front of Amphitryon:
"Sit down, we can now have a good talk about Zeus's problem, Amphitryon."
Seeing this, Amphitryon carefully sat down on the spot with Heracles in his arms, then gave a bitter smile:
"I wouldn't dare to criticize the King of the Gods, great Ares."
"You merely fear his power and authority, Amphitryon. Let's not dwell on that for now, and stick to the facts. What Zeus did, if he weren't the King of the Gods, you would have killed him long ago, wouldn't you?"
Ares asked.
"It probably wouldn't be up to me." Amphitryon sighed with a very complex expression. "Alcmene would have directly killed him. In fact, I learned the full story from Alcmene, and this… it really isn't her fault."
"Mm, it's good that you understand. And it's not the fault of the child in your arms either." Ares nodded. "All things considered, the culprit is none other than Zeus. If it weren't for that old pervert, none of this would have happened."
"Ares…" Hearing Ares curse Zeus on his behalf, Amphitryon looked up at him in surprise.
"Don't be so surprised. Do you really think that we, as Zeus's sons, truly like him as a father?" Ares chuckled. "As far as I know, among all Zeus's sons on Olympus, it seems only Hermes truly likes him. We are just like you, also… without enough power to confront him."
"Ares." Amphitryon's gaze towards Ares suddenly held more recognition. He whispered, "But even if you tell me this, I am powerless to change anything. Even great gods cannot contend with Zeus, so what am I?"
"Yes, you are merely mortal, but the child in your arms is not." Ares pointed to Heracles in the swaddling clothes.
"What do you mean?" Amphitryon asked. "Even if he is a demigod, he can't contend with Zeus, can he?"
"No, just a short while ago, Hera helped him shed his mortal body." Ares winked at Amphitryon and then said, "Hera also bestowed a name upon him. His name is 'Heracles.' Do you understand what I mean?"