This story begins with a handsome young prince named Regulus, son of the King of Nemea.

Regulus was well-known for his artistic talents and lavish-style of living. His palace, filled with artistic walls, sculptures, and beautiful pottery mostly handcrafted personally by himself, would be flaunted to visitors on any occasion.

His art and flair gained him popularity far and wide, and because of that, he was also quite arrogant.

“Party at my place tonight, but only for the best dressed!” Regulus would flirt with any fair lady with his charm and extroverted nature, often with astonishing success. He was truly loved and envied by many.

One day, his father asked him to paint a fresco on a new wall in honour of the Olympian Gods. Regulus happily agreed to the task and went to work straight away. Watching him work in a public space would always be a spectacle that would attract a crowd, and he would allow all the attention.

“See it while it’s still fresh! This will be another masterpiece to my name.”

It was a spectacular mural of all the Olympian Gods flying amongst the clouds in positions that made every god look very imposing and beautiful. A piece worthy of praise even by the gods themselves.

But fate would have it that this piece would be the one that changed his life forever.

It was only after the big announcement of the completion of the fresco, which received a public standing ovation, that Regulus noticed he had in fact missed one of the Olympian Gods in his latest masterpiece.

Goddess Hera was nowhere to be seen in the painting. Yet admitting such a mistake now would be too embarrassing for him, so Regulus ignored the mistake and pretended as if there was nothing wrong. He did not expect the consequences that would come after. This was his fatal mistake.

That very night in his sleeping chamber he received a visit from a very upset Goddess Hera.

“You dare to insult me, Regulus?!”

“G-Goddess Hera?” Fear ripe in his voice.

Immediately, Hera snapped her fingers to cast a spell. “For your crime of excluding me in your painting of the gods, you too shall be rejected!”

The change happened before Regulus could even fully comprehend what the goddess said. One moment he was sitting on his bed as a human, the next he was a large lion complete with enormous paws and a massive mane. His clothing ripped to shreds in the transformation. Was this for real? This must be a dream, right?

“Humph! Now you shall suffer as you watch the very people who once adored you now run at the sight of you!” Hera declared with spite before disappearing in a flash of light.

Mind still in a daze, Regulus tried to stand up only to stumble and fall over his painted stone floor, dragging his sheets with him. He was still in the form of a lion.

“This has to be a dream! It has to be!” He tried to shout out the words, but all that came out were growls and roars. Regulus then decided he must need a good hit on the head to wake up, so he rammed his head into anything that looked solid. Nothing worked; he caused destruction all over his room, but he remained a beast.

“Lion!” came a scream. Turning his head, he locked eyes with a slave girl, and she immediately dashed out of the room.

“Wait! Don’t run! It’s just me!” Regulus tried to say, but once again only a loud roar came out. It was terrible. He chased after the slave girl in his large form, hoping to get her to understand, but it only made her scream in terror.

As he kept chasing, eventually he came out to his courtyard filled with his paintings. There were more screams from the slaves and workers who saw him; everyone fled when he came near. No matter what he said to tell people who he was, no words came out, only angry sounds of the beast that he became. Things continued to go south when his palace guards arrived shouting and trying to attack him with spears.

Nobody recognised him as their beloved prince; what everyone saw was a fierce and wild lion that had somehow gotten into the palace. It was as Goddess Hera had said. The people who once revered him ultimately chased Regulus out of his own home.

Devastated and misunderstood, he had no choice but to flee and hide himself in the nearby wilderness.

From man to beast, oh how hard he had fallen. The only silver-lining was that he had quickly found an open cave to settle in. At least this way he could finally take in his situation properly and figure out a way to reverse the curse placed upon him.

But for the time being, Regulus could only mourn and feel sorry for himself, lying cold and alone in the cave.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

The next day, Regulus woke up to sunlight shining onto his closed eyes. How odd. Why was there so much light in a cold, dark cave?

Bright light met his lion eyes as soon as he opened them. Then he saw a handsome figure crouching over him.

“…Regulus of Nemea… Oh good, you’re awake.” It was the Sun God, Helios!

He was so startled that his lion form jumped back and away from the god in fright.

“Oh!” Helios suddenly realised that he stood too close and awkwardly backed away as well. “Ah! I know this is weird, but I heard what Hera did to you. I feel bad, so I want to help you. I’m a fan of your work, you see…”

“A fan? Helios, God of the Sun, is a fan of my work?” Regulus could not help feeling a rush of pride.

“Your artworks are known amongst us gods as some of the best in Hellas!” Helios grinned brightly before becoming serious. “And that’s why Hera was so upset when you didn’t include her in your latest painting. She’s known for going too far when she’s upset.”

Regulus groaned, covering his head in shame. “I’m sorry! It was a mistake! It wasn’t intentional; I just forgot!”

“I can’t say if that’s better or worse…”

Suddenly, Regulus shot up in realisation. “Wait, you can understand me!” He figured out that his lion form could not speak words, yet here he was having a conversation with a god. Perhaps… “O Helios, can I request you to turn me back to normal?”

“Ah, about that…” The sun god rubbed his head. “Sorry, it’s Hera’s curse so only she could revert it. But I can help by easing your burden a bit.”

With a clap, Helios cast a blessing onto Regulus; his large lion body glowed bright gold. “You’re going to need protection. I’ve now made your lion fur impenetrable and your claws strong enough to cut armour. This way you can fend for yourself until Hera undoes the curse.”

Regulus looked at his fur and claws. He was already an enormous beast, but with these additions he became truly terrifying.

“You think Hera will eventually lift the curse?” Regulus asked hopefully.

“Probably,” Helios shrugged. “She might relent if you begged her too.”

The thought made Regulus grimace. Beg? He was a prince! He has never begged for anything in his life!

Now with his impenetrable fur coat, he no longer feared being killed, so that same day Regulus went back to his home palace hoping to find someone who would recognise him; someone like his father.

However, what he saw left him in shock.

A funeral was held near the palace. Everyone, including his father, was mourning his death. A ceremony was being held despite there being no body to bury. Everyone had assumed that he had died in the ‘lion attack’.

“Ridiculous!” Regulus wanted to shout. He was right here! The funeral was pointless! If only they could see what had truly happened to him!

Enraged, Regulus leaped out of hiding and raced towards the funeral.

“ROAR!”

Instantly, everyone at the funeral screamed and scattered into hiding.

“AHH! The Nemean Lion has come back again!”

The screams of terror brought Regulus further into a panic. “No! I’m Regulus, your prince! Don’t run! Please hear me!”

But it was hopeless.

No one listened; his plea came out as angry roars from a beast. His fierce exterior caused the people to flee, and chasing them only resulted in terrorising them further. He was at a loss for what to do. Was there truly no way to communicate to anyone who he really was?

The funeral ceremony was in shambles. His father deployed soldiers to deal with him. “You horrid creature! First you kill my son, now you ruin his funeral, you deserve nothing short of death!”

Swords, spears and arrows attacked Regulus, but as expected, none could damage him. No, what hurt more was the pain in his heart at the fact that his own father did not recognise him.

What more could he do but accept that ‘Regulus’ was dead in their eyes?

Full of hopelessness, he eventually allowed himself to be chased away before hiding in his cave once again. He mourned in despair, for himself and for his situation. Too used to being people’s object of admiration, he did not know how to handle it when faced with such extreme rejection, and from the very people who had once adored him too.

But this was exactly what Hera had wanted! This was punishment for his negligence, the result of offending the god.

“You win, O Goddess Hera!” Regulus cried out to the mouth of his cave.

“I’m sorry! I understand the error of my ways! My arrogance got the better of me. So please…” he had to physically swallow his pride before he could continue further, “…please, I beg you to return me to human form!”

His plead to his people had gone unheard, but plead to a god and he would receive an answer. Before long, the Queen of Gods stood before him in a flash of light. Regulus immediately lowered himself at her feet.

“I’m not yet convinced you have learnt your lesson.” Hera’s stern face remained unchanged. “But even if I decide to undo the curse, Helios’ blessing upon your lion form will remain. A god cannot undo the work of another god; you’ll end up a human-shaped lion.”

Regulus slumped in defeat. “So I must forever remain a beast.”

“Not necessarily,” a twinkle sparked in the goddess’ eye. “If you could find a man to remove the impenetrable fur and armour-cutting claws off you, then you have my word that I will revert you back to normal.”

Lion eyes widened in horror; she literally wanted him skinned alive! But soon his gaze became determined. So be it, whatever it takes to return to normal. He’ll do what he must!

Now with a goal to aim for, Regulus took on the role of monster lion and used his beastly stature to attract hunters and warriors to himself. By actively terrorising people and stealing cattle within the district of Nemea, he embraced the new identity given to him.

‘The Nemean Lion’ was what they called him. With such a notorious name, he hoped for the day a strong challenger appears, one strong enough to remove the blessed fur and claws from his body.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

A year passed by. The name ‘Nemean Lion’ became a legend within Nemea and the Argolis region. Many have attempted to hunt the lion without success, often returning with mortal wounds, broken weapons and armour riddled with gashing claw marks. So terrifying was the creature that the locals spun up tales of its origins. Many believed it the offspring of certain monstrous gods sent upon their land as some divine punishment.

It was the perfect setup for a hero story waiting to happen.

“You know, what’s most troubling is that since its arrival, the path to the Shrine of Zeus is blocked! We can’t do the usual rituals!”

Heracles listened to the man’s lament from across their campfire.

After the sinking of the Argo and rescuing all the Argonauts that he could, Heracles had to cut his detour short, returning to his original aim of travelling to Tiryns to see his cousin. But he felt unwilling; to see his cousin Eurystheus, King of Tiryns, meant serving the physically weaker man for an infuriating twelve long years! But since it was an order by Zeus, he did not want to incur his father’s wrath by disobeying him.

“Your first labour will be to slay the infamous Lion of Nemea!” was the first demand his coward of a cousin gave him. Thus, he found himself in the city of Cleonae, heading to the Nemean district and encountering a man who was more than willing to rant about the objective of his first task.

“My son barely made it back after getting attacked by that lion.” The man continued, glancing up and down at Heracles. “Are you another one of those warriors attempting to kill the monster too? What’s your name?”

“I was…requested to take on this challenge.” Heracles replied before giving the man his name.

“Well, Heracles, you wouldn’t be the first, but may you be the last.” The man sighed. “Tell you what? I swear on my name, Molorchos that if you manage to kill it within thirty days, I’ll sacrifice a lion to Zeus. But if you don’t come back in that time, I’ll sacrifice the lion to mourn your death.”

Heracles simply nodded in response. It was just encouraging words, but it was still insulting that the man thought he could die. He was the strongest demigod! He’ll prove it to both Molorchos and his cousin Eurystheus.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

Regulus signed as he carved another tiny figure into the wall of his cave with a claw, adding to the hundreds he had already carved. One figure for everyday he remains in lion form. He was losing hope that he’ll ever return to human form again. He had been both attacker and the attacked, yet no one could match his lion might.

He was too powerful, perhaps remaining a lion was his fate. Had he been a warrior, this might be something to be proud of, but he was an artist!

Every passing day he wished he had hands that could hold a brush again, but instead he had claws. At least they were good for carving rock. It was not his forte, and his lion arms were clumsy, but it was good enough to pass the time while he waited for a strong challenger to take them off.

Unbeknown to Regulus, a shadowy figure peeked from behind a cave pillar and fired an arrow at him.

Whoosh!

But the arrow simply bounced off his back.

What was that? An attack? The arrow didn’t harm, but it hurt. Regulus turned to see the figure run out of the cave.

What a surprise! He was in the deepest part of the cave; it made him realise this was the first time anyone was brave enough to enter his domain to ambush him.

Now unable to see his attacker, he let out a growl of excitement before chasing after the enemy in the direction he ran. May today be the day!

“Whoever these people are, they’re quite crafty.” He mused to himself as he discovered the main cave entrance blocked by a large boulder. He had expected a group assault, but it seemed they wanted to trap him instead.

Suddenly, he smelt the scent of smoke from a burning fire coming from the second cave entrance.

Were they planning to burn him alive? Suffocate him with smoke?

“Very crafty indeed.” Regulus nodded in quiet acknowledgment before turning to run towards the smoke.

Instead of brute force, these people were using tactics against him. If Regulus was not on the receiving end, he would have complimented their ploy. He may comply with being skinned alive, but he would not die before that happened. How could he become human again if he died in this form?

Sniffing the air in the cave, he knew he must escape before smoke filled the enclosed cavern. Aside from the two entrances, there was no other way out. His assailants must know that.

With one end blocked, most likely an ambush was waiting for him on the other end. But he had confidence that his blessed coat would protect him from any weapon they used, so he was not too worried.

“Besides,” Regulus thought as he neared the exit, “the Nemean Lion does not flee. It’s the type to defend his territory from all intruders!”

As soon as he rushed out of the cave exit, a heavy strike landed on his lion head.

Whack!

So strong! The club to his head stunned him so much that his large body stumbled and fell in a heap on the ground. He was too naive! His coat may be impenetrable, but powerful blows still affected him.

Immediately, a pair of muscular arms grappled him tightly around the throat, strangling him, cutting off his air.

What strength! Regulus twisted and shoved, trying to throw the man off, yet his neck was gripped with a vice-like hold.

His attacker had a heavily built body that was strong enough to wrestle him down. While his lion form was still larger, the man possessed brawn far greater than anyone he had ever come across before.

He was also working alone! Regulus neither saw nor sensed anyone else near them; a remarkable one-man assault.

He had been waiting for this. A warrior who could match his strength!

Yet his pride and the beast within him would not simply allow him to roll over and let the man take his coat and claws. With his air cut off, adrenaline rushed through his body and animal fighter instincts quickly took over.

With a powerful roar, Regulus thrashed around with all his beastly might.

“Finally, someone who could put up a decent fight!”

The wrestling between beast and warrior left cracks and imprints all over the ground. But the warrior dominated the fight the entire time by maintaining his firm choke-hold on the struggling Nemean Lion.

All Regulus could do was desperately fight for air. With the enemy’s vital organs cleverly out of reach, what damage he could inflict was not enough to force his assaulter to release him.

Inevitably, he grew faint from suffocation. It was his defeat.

When his lion body finally went limp and fell to the ground, only then did the warrior loosen his grip.

“I had hoped, but it was still foolish.” Regulus thought as he glanced up at his attacker, who raised his club. “No one would skin a lion before killing it first.”

Everything went black when the club came down.

BASH!

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

“It’s finally over!” After delivering the finishing blow onto the Nemean Lion, Heracles fell on his butt in exhaustion.

He had spent many days observing the lion, the area, and planning for this attack. The fight was tough despite his superhuman strength; the lion even clawed off one of his fingers in the struggle. It was only fortunate that it passed out just before he grew too tired to keep his hold.

Nevertheless, Heracles completed his first labour. All that was left was for him to bring back the evidence to Eurystheus.

But looking at the heavily muscular corpse of the lion, the hero grimaced. Sure, he could carry the body back, but that would be even more exhausting than the fight itself. His cousin would not care if he brought back the whole lion or part of it, so Heracles settled for the Nemean Lion’s skin instead.

However, knife or stone, there was no way to cut open the hide.

“Of course, this was how the beast built up notoriety!” Heracles groaned.

His own arrow could not pierce it, and Molorchos had told him as much during their conversation… “No weapon has ever scratched that beast, you know! Yet its claws cut stone and armour even better than a sword!”

Unyielding fur coat and claws sharper than the best swords; his cousin certainly knew how to give him a proper challenge. But he would not relent. Kneeling by the lion’s corpse, Heracles forcefully detached one of its claws from a hind leg before testing its sharpness on the fur coat.

“It works!” He grinned as the claw easily split open the hide.

He had been uncertain it would work, yet amazingly before long he had a pelt of impenetrable fur coupled with the rest of the lion’s claws.

Admiring his work, he rewarded himself by wearing the lion pelt over his body like a cloak. Its fit was loose and comfortable, and would come in handy for future labours.

“Heracles!” someone called out his name.

It was Iolaus; his nephew and charioteer had finally arrived.

Heracles raised his hand to acknowledge him as the younger man pulled his chariot to a stop.

“Sorry I’m so late!” Iolaus apologised, “It took far longer than expected to get the chariot fixed after it fell in the ditch… But it looks like you didn’t need my help anyway, huh.” He spied the corpse and the pelt his uncle wore.

“It took a while, but I completed Eurystheus’ first labour.” Heracles nodded as he stepped onto the chariot. “This lion pelt will be my proof. Also, once we pass Cleonae, there is a man I need to meet one last time.”

“Sure thing.” Iolaus urged his horses to turn around, pulling the chariot back the way they came. “I bet Eurystheus the coward will wet himself once he sees you like this, haha!”

Heracles let out a bellowing laugh. “I would very much like to see that, but my concern is what other impossible labours he will throw at me.”

“He’ll probably make you kill another monster. I heard there is another one somewhere in Argolis, a serpent or something…”

Both men continued to chatter as they rode away back to Tiryns, leaving behind the skinless corpse of the once feared Nemean Lion.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

Hera was furious as she watched Heracles ride away from the scene, still alive and kicking. She had hoped that Regulus, with all his fierce lion glory, could take down the bastard and end his life, but it was not enough.

Regulus’ soul glowed in the goddess’ hand, taken as soon as he died. She had not intended for Regulus to meet his end in such a way, but she would admit to trying to make the most of the man-turned-lion to aid her own goals by instructing Eurystheus to send Heracles to him.

The outcome was unfortunate, yet it also made it possible for her to fulfil her promise to Regulus.

“You fought well, Regulus,” Hera praised as she stood before the dead lion, snapping her fingers. “I’ll now return your human body back to you.”

Swiftly, the lion transformed back to his old human body while retaining lion ears and tail. The goddess then returned Regulus’ soul to his renewed body, effectively bringing him back to life.

After all the misery Hera put him through, she decided the artist deserved recognition for using his creativity to make the best of his situation.

“Wake up, Regulus!” Hera shouted, which forced the part-man, part-lion to snap open his eyes.

He was alive! Graciously brought back to life. He almost couldn’t believe it and touched his human skin tenderly.

“Listen well,” Hera continued with an announcement. “I declare you now as the personification of the fifth zodiacal constellation.”

“I’m a what?” Regulus asked, confused.

“You shall now call yourself ‘Leo the Lion’!”

END