Using this short hero story, use the context clues you learned about in this lesson in at least three different ways to interpret the story and determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Once there was a hero named Heracles. He was very strong and very brave, and he had strapping muscles— the biggest in the world. From the day he was born, he went around the world having adventures. Some people say he was not very smart, but that’s not true. And here is a story to prove it.

One day, Heracles went to work for a nefarious king, who did not love Heracles. He spent all of his time thinking up dangerous things for the hero to do. First, he sent Heracles to fight the voracious Lion of Nemea. The lion was eating people all over Greece, but Heracles put an end to him.

Next, the king sent Heracles to a dark swamp to face the Hydra, a man-eating monster with nine heads. As soon as Heracles cut off one head, two more grew in its place. And the last would not stop biting—even after it was cut off!
Then the bad king ordered Heracles to wrestle Geryon, a cattle rancher with three ugly heads, six legs, six arms, and six heavy clubs in his six hands.

To make matters worse, Geryon had a nasty two-headed dog with very sharp teeth! After each dreadful battle, Heracles always came back the winner with some trophy to show—a lionskin, for example, or Geryon’s wild herd of cattle, which stampeded through the court, scaring the king and making a mess!

Heracles was very proud of his prizes. But the day he brought back the three golden apples, he was proudest of all, for that’s the day he proved he was smart.