Just as Heracles and Iolaus, played by Ares, broke into the swamp, Hydra, who was holed up in the bottomless Lernaean Marsh deep within the swamp, opened her eighteen scarlet snake eyes.
She suddenly had an ominous premonition, as if an electric current had passed through her body, which jolted her awake from her slumber.
This was unusual. Ever since her father, Typhon, was sealed away, Hydra had returned to this swamp, living a pleasant life of eating and sleeping. She would sleep for at least twelve hours a day, and her sleep was as sound as a newborn baby's. There was no way she would suddenly wake up without reason, unless her life was threatened, and something capable of killing her had entered her territory.
This reminded Hydra of Athena, who had suddenly sought her out recently. Although the goddess's beautiful marriage with her father, Typhon, had fallen through due to Zeus's 'meddling,' Hydra still regarded Athena as a 'potential stepmother.' After all, both of them were victims of a certain unscrupulous scoundrel, and there was a saying, 'A day as husband and wife is a hundred days of kindness'… Ptooey, how could she believe anything that scoundrel said?
In any case, perhaps due to their shared misfortune, when Athena arrived in the swamp, Hydra still treated her with courtesy. During their conversation, this 'stepmother' informed her that a hero with Zeus's blood was about to come and slay her, and that this hero was most likely guided by Ares to find her, urging her to be vigilant.
Upon hearing this news, Hydra was naturally both anxious and enraged. She never expected Ares to not only deceive her but now also plan to wipe her out. Athena then played on her emotions, even patting her chest and promising to save Hydra, easily drawing this easily deceived great serpent into her own camp.
And thinking of what Athena had told her earlier, Hydra also raised her guard. Her massive body floated up from the bottom of the deep swamp pool, and her nine heads extended out of the water like submarine periscopes, taking in the surrounding situation in all directions.
After confirming that Ares and his hero had not yet reached her doorstep, Hydra, as Athena had instructed, crushed the talisman Athena had given her.
After the talisman shattered, it immediately transformed into points of light that fell onto the dark green water of the swamp. A whirlpool immediately appeared on the water's surface, and then a gigantic crab, only slightly smaller than Hydra herself, crawled out of the whirlpool and stood before Hydra.
Hydra briefly tested the crab's strength and nodded with satisfaction. It was indeed as Athena had said; though slightly weaker than herself, it could still wound Heracles. More importantly, this monster sent by Athena completely obeyed her commands. If she told it to go east, it would go east, without a single word of complaint.
"For now, hide where they can't see you," Hydra commanded the giant crab, following Athena's suggestion. "I'll distract Heracles and that scoundrel first. When you see me fighting Heracles, quietly emerge, circle behind him, and use your pincers to fiercely clamp his ankle, breaking his leg!"
After hearing Hydra's command, the giant crab nodded slightly, then quickly dug a large pit in the mud by the swamp water and buried its massive body inside, leaving only two dark eyes exposed, indistinguishable from the mud at the edge of the swamp.
...
Meanwhile, Ares and Heracles gradually ventured deeper into the swamp. Perhaps due to Hydra's potent venom, this swamp was constantly filled with highly toxic miasma. Ordinary creatures entering here would become disoriented and unable to move after inhaling a single breath of miasma, eventually dying in this dreadful swamp and becoming nutrients for the area. Even Ares, currently possessing the body of 'Iolaus,' which had a certain divine bloodline, felt a heavy head while walking through this swamp, as if carsick. He had no choice but to wrap some charcoal in a cloth to make a makeshift mask to cope. Only a figure with a body as exceptionally strong as Heracles could move freely in this toxic swamp.
However, while this place was a forbidden zone for other living creatures, it was a paradise for certain venomous beings. Besides Hydra, this swamp was also home to some highly venomous or highly poison-resistant creatures and monsters, which were Hydra's symbiotic species. They were deadly enough for ordinary people, and Ares's current body focused on support functions, with not particularly strong frontal combat capabilities. Therefore, he had to be extremely careful. If he were bitten by a poisonous snake suddenly emerging from the water, the legend of the Heroic Spirit 'Iolaus' would 'collapse midway before the enterprise was half complete.'
Fortunately, Hai Aotian was still Hai Aotian. Protected by the Nemean Lion's hide, Heracles charged forward fearlessly, clearing all dangers for Ares. The serpentine or crocodile-like venomous creatures that emerged from the swamp simply could not bite through the lion hide of the Nemean Lion, a monster on par with Hydra, while Heracles's fists and great club could easily smash their heads.
The two followed a river named Amymone deeper into the swamp, finally finding Hydra's lair beneath a plane tree at the legendary 'Seven Springs of Amymone River.'
Next to this lair was a huge, bottomless pool of water, which was the Lernaean Marsh, Hydra's favorite dwelling place.
Just as Heracles and Ares stood side by side at the edge of the pool, cautiously peering into the dark green, bottomless water, the pool water suddenly churned, and a massive snake head shot out of the water. Its huge fangs, dripping with deadly venom, lunged at the two of them.
"Look out!"
Heracles pushed Ares away with a backhand, then charged forward himself. He held the club Ares had given him in one hand, while his other arm was extended horizontally, actively thrusting it into Hydra's gaping maw.
With a muffled crunch, Hydra's venomous fangs bit into the lion hide bracer wrapped around Heracles's arm. However, they failed to pierce through this layer of hide armor. The moment she bit into the hide, Hydra understood whose skin this bracer was made from.
With Athena's warning, she had already prepared herself. She retreated immediately after the attack, thus dodging Heracles's immensely powerful club strike, and her head quickly retracted back into the pool.
After this head retreated, even more violent splashes soon churned in the pool. The entire pool seemed as if a depth charge had been dropped into it, with countless water columns erupting. Then, amidst the flying spray, Hydra's nine heads appeared one after another, and finally, even her body, resembling a gigantic dog, floated to the surface.