"I see, Amphitryon, you've worked hard. We'll be in touch later." Ares said, turning off the image Amphitryon had sent, then looked at Heracles, whose face was twisted in rage.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Heracles's fury was even stronger now. In the recordings Ares had just shown him, Athena and The Fates had treated his birth mother, Alcmene, as if she were a toy, laughing as they did so. Heracles found this utterly unbearable.
Hearing Ares's words, he struggled to suppress the anger that was about to erupt, then asked, "So, all the misfortunes I've suffered in my life were caused by Athena and The Fates behind the scenes?"
"You could say that," Ares nodded. "But you can't deal with them yet. Forget The Three Goddesses, you can't even get past Athena."
Heracles asked with a grim face, "Teacher, shouldn't you gods be our protectors?"
"Protectors? The proper Olympian gods have never considered humans as objects of protection. To them, humans are their property, no different from their cattle and livestock, and also tools for their venting and props to achieve their goals," Ares sneered. "Be glad, Heracles, that you have a God-King for a father, and that you met me first. Otherwise, no one could say what you'd be like now."
Seeing Heracles's silence, Ares continued, "You'd best prepare yourself mentally. I will now tell you everything: the causes and effects, and the reason Athena targeted you."
After Heracles was mentally prepared, Ares then told him everything, from his own intervention in human affairs during the Silver Age to Heracles's future destiny.
Of course, he still held back a lot; after all, Heracles didn't need to know too much about the matters between him and Hecate. However, everything Heracles should know, including Ares's current objectives, he told him in meticulous detail.
After listening to Ares's words, Heracles fell into a long, long silence.
After a long while, he finally asked with difficulty, "Why? Why are The Fates and the Goddess of Wisdom so unfair to me? Did I ever profane or offend them when I wasn't paying attention?"
"No, they target you simply because it is your 'destiny'," Ares rose from his divine throne and came to Heracles's side. He stretched out a finger and drew a line of fire in mid-air. "From the perspective of the planet's inhibitory force, the trajectory of destiny is predetermined, just as this world beneath our feet will one day meet its end. Gaia has accepted its destiny, and therefore it hopes that we, the beings nurtured on it, will also follow our destinies. This destiny has been established; the destinies of humans in many parallel worlds converge, weaving together into a 'Pan-Human History' that appears on The Fates' weaving loom. Gaia and The Three Goddesses want us to obey it."
"So, my life's script was already written before I was even born?" Heracles looked at his palms, a mix of tears and laughter on his face. "How ironic."
However, after a moment's pause, he asked again, "But Teacher, you telling me these things isn't just to make me despondent, is it?"
"Heh, at least I didn't teach you for nothing," Ares chuckled and continued, "As I said before, everything on this planet is a puppet under predetermined destiny. Even a God-King as strong as Zeus is powerless before the inhibitory force and destiny. But destiny is not absolute. Although the number of parallel worlds is limited, it also means that multiple possibilities exist simultaneously in different timelines. It's very possible that in some timelines, you and I are both beautiful old women, and this means that destiny is not absolute."
"I don't want to be a puppet manipulated by the threads of destiny, and I don't want to die like this, ushering in the end of the gods," He clenched his fists, raised his head, and continued, "So I will resist destiny. While ensuring the stable development of human history, I will change my tragic future, our tragic future—I will end this Divine Age!"
"!!" Even Heracles couldn't help but twitch an eyelid when he heard Ares's bold statement.
"How about it?" Ares extended his hand to the astonished Heracles. "Life is short, want to join me for a grand venture, brother?"
Heracles pondered for a moment, then asked, "If I join you, can I avenge Mégara and the children?"
"Of course," Ares laughed heartily. "If we win, we'll ascend Olympus, seize Zeus's throne, and gradually drive out the gods' influence among mortals. Then, Athena and The Three Goddesses, what can they do, no matter how you deal with them?"
"Good!" Heracles nodded, "Then I'll follow your arrangements, Teacher. But if you dare to deceive me…"
"Then I'll cut off my own head and give it to you to play with," Ares immediately replied.
In the independent space created by the God of War, the two swore an oath in the name of the Styx River, the "River of Oaths," forming the firmest alliance. Afterward, Ares roughly informed Heracles of the subsequent "battle strategy."
The two discussed for a while and agreed on a method of contact. Ares then transformed back into his original Thebes priest appearance and lifted the spatial blockade used for their secret talk.
Ares helped Heracles bury his wife and two children, building small tombs for the three behind the house and placing a copper coin in each of their mouths for Charon's ferry fare.
"Don't worry, your father is also a judge now," Ares said, patting Heracles's shoulder as they stood before the three tombs. "He recognizes your wife and children. They will surely go to Elysium to enjoy happiness."
"Mm," Heracles nodded.
"Where will you go next?" Ares asked again. "Are you still planning to exile yourself and then go to your brother, Eurystheus, to undertake his Twelve Labors?"
"Yes," Heracles looked towards the horizon and said in a muffled voice, "Teacher, I think what you just said is right. Destiny or not, it doesn't matter. The most important thing is that this is a choice I made according to my own will."
"Then I wish you a smooth journey," Ares said with a smile, waving his hand. "Remember, I am always with you on your journey."