The story begins with Zeus, who wants to become the god of thunder and lightning, but must first save his siblings, fight against the Titans, and imprison them in Tartarus. Zeus then accumulates power for 12 generations, but his wife, Hera, is dissatisfied with his infidelity and tries to stop the birth of their son, Hercules.
Hercules grows up and is tasked by his relative, Eurystheus, to complete 10 impossible quests. Hercules successfully completes the tasks, including killing a lion, a hydra, and a boar, catching a golden deer, and cleaning the Augean stables. However, Eurystheus does not count two of the tasks, and Hercules must complete two more, including stealing golden apples and capturing Cerberus, the three-headed dog from the underworld.
Throughout the story, Hera tries to hinder Hercules' progress, but he ultimately succeeds in completing his tasks. The story concludes with Hercules' legendary 12 labors and sets the stage for further adventures.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Zeus had to save his brothers and sisters and fight against the Titans for 10 years to become the god of thunder and lightning.
2. Zeus imprisoned the Titans in Tartarus.
3. Zeus' grandmother, Gaea, gave birth to giants who were meant to take revenge on Zeus and his siblings and destroy humanity.
4. Zeus protected humanity and had children with mortal women to create demigods.
5. One of Zeus' children was Hercules, who was born to a mortal woman named Alcmene.
6. Hera, Zeus' wife, was angry with Hercules and tried to kill him as an infant.
7. Hercules grew up to be a brave warrior and completed 12 labors set by King Eurystheus.
8. The first labor was to kill the Nemean Lion, which was born to the giants created by Gaea.
9. Hercules killed the lion and used its skin as a cloak.
10. The second labor was to kill the Lernaean Hydra, which was also born to the giants created by Gaea.
11. Hercules killed the Hydra with the help of his friend Iolaus.
12. The third labor was to capture the Ceryneian Hind, a golden deer.
13. Hercules chased the deer for a year and finally captured it.
14. The fourth labor was to capture the Erymanthian Boar, a large boar that was terrorizing the people of Arcadia.
15. Hercules caught the boar alive and brought it to Eurystheus.
16. The fifth labor was to clean the Augean Stables, which had not been cleaned in years.
17. Hercules redirected the Alpheus River to clean the stables.
18. The sixth labor was to kill the Stymphalian Birds, which were attacking people with their copper beaks and claws.
19. Hercules scared the birds with a krotala and then shot them with poisoned arrows.
20. The seventh labor was to capture the Cretan Bull, a ferocious bull that was terrorizing the people of Crete.
21. Hercules captured the bull and brought it to Eurystheus.
22. The eighth labor was to capture the Mares of Diomedes, which were fed on human flesh.
23. Hercules fed the king's servants to the horses and then captured them.
24. The ninth labor was to obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons.
25. Hercules and his friend Theseus went to the Amazon's island and obtained the girdle.
26. The tenth labor was to obtain the cattle of Geryon, which were guarded by a three-headed giant.
27. Hercules killed the giant and brought the cattle to Eurystheus.
28. The eleventh labor was to steal the golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides.
29. Hercules supported the sky for Atlas while he picked the apples.
30. The twelfth labor was to capture and bring back Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld.
31. Hercules was allowed to take Cerberus by Hades, who was his uncle.
Note: Some of the facts may be repeated or rephrased, but I have tried to keep them concise and separate.