Hercules reads Charles Anthon’s A Classical Dictionary to learn about the mythical Hercules’s labors. When his family was killed, he had to complete 12 tasks bestowed upon him by King Eurystheus of Mycenae. The first was to capture the fearsome Nemean Lion. With his bare hands, Hercules killed the beast and kept its hide.

One morning, Hercules sees a neighbor, Mrs. Savage, moving one of her statues, a baboon named Eleanor. He helps her place it so the animal can catch the light just right, and he considers the other statues around the yard, all created by Mrs. Savage. Later, Hercules contemplates the “right light” for people in his life. Then he decides that he is like the mythical Hercules, who is “a secret to himself” (50). Later, Hercules wonders how he can capture a Nemean Lion. Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer is no help, but Elly says that his first labor will reveal itself. The next evening, Mindy and Hercules spot a hideous cat with scars and one eye. When Mindy chases it, the feline leads them to an abandoned house, where a hoard of ugly cats waits. Frozen in fear, Mindy is surrounded.