Without Heracles, Zeus, the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus would not have survived. Zeus was first made aware of the importance of Heracles by Prometheus; and that's where my story begins.

Prometheus at Zeus's command had created the first humans, but then, in defiance of Zeus, he gave them fire. He was punished by being nailed to the top of a mountain in the Caucasus. Might and Violence, Zeus's enforcers, coerced Haephastos, the lame smith of the Gods, to drive in the spikes of adamantine that secured the wise Titan to the rock.

Zeus taunted Prometheus,"In the summer, you will burn.In Winter, you will freeze. You are immortal. You will stay forever. Humans will derive no benefit from the fire you stole from them-I'll drive them into extinction."

Prometheus responded, "If you destroy mankind, Zeus, you will cause the Gods themselves to become extinct.Gaia, Mother Earth, is even now building Giants deep within herself.When these monsters arise from the mother's body, they will attack the Gods of Olympus."

"The Gods are immortal," said Zeus. 'The Giants will be born from Earth.They can be killed."

"That's true," conceded Prometheus, "but Gaia is fashioning the Giants so that they cannot be killed by the Gods, only by a human hero, a warrior whose father is an Olympian God and whose mother is a mortal woman. Destroy the human race, Zeus, and there will be no hero to kill the Giants when they arise. The Gods will be defeated. Gaia will have her revenge on you for displacing her son Kronos as commander of the universe."

Zeus knew that Prometheus was correct. He would have to allow the human race to survive.

As one generation succeeded another, Zeus developed a fascination with the actions and culture of these tiny human creatures.Much to Hera's annoyance, Zeus also found their women just as attractive as the Goddesses.

The city of Argos, in the Pelopennese, now comes into our story.

It happened this way....

Princess Io, daughter of the Argive king, Inachos, attracted the interest of Zeus. Not just because she was beautiful, but also because Zeus sensed that Io would be the ancestor of the hero so desperately needed to defeat the Giants when they came bursting through the earth's surface.

Hera found out about Zeus's dalliance, though. Zeus turned Io into a black and white cow to hide her from Hera's wrath. It didn't work. Hera captured the unfortunate cow and imprisoned her in a stockade in Arcadia, while she pondered what punishment to inflict upon her.

To guard Io, Hera enlisted a monster named Argus, who had one hundred eyes. Fifty would keep watch while the others slept.Zeus knew if he rescued the cow-girl, Argus would report to Hera; so he handed the problem to his son Hermes, messenger of the Gods. After all, thought Zeus, the lad is the God of Thieves.He should be able to solve the simple problem of rescuing the black and white cow from under the hundred eyes of a watchman who never sleeps.