Amadeus Cho has hijacked the SHIELD Helicarrier Behemoth and
is bombarding SHIELD’s ground forces and opening the cells in the Negative Zone
prison. Gabe Jones, commanding another Helicarrier that has dropped out of the
sky, demands that Amadeus disable the virus that has invaded all SHIELD craft,
before all the rockets launched toward the Behemoth hit. Herc yells “Stop the
virus” and Amadeus yells “Smash those missiles” several times at each other
until Ares arrives to put an end to Hercules. The two Greek gods bash one another
with missiles and other painful materials and it comes out why Ares has a
grudge against Herc: jealousy. For all his flaws, crimes, and misdeeds,
Hercules is loved by the people and the noble Ares is not. Herc replies that it
is because the people understand him and that’s his strength. Herc tosses Ares overboard
where he attracts several missiles and doesn’t return in this issue. Herc tells
Amadeus another account of his murder of his wife and children, claiming to
have lost control of his anger and killing them while under the spell. It was
not Hera driving him mad as many claimed but eventually Herc grew tired of
correcting people and to make the lie look more truthful, he changed his name
from the Greek Herakles “the Glory of Hera” to the Roman version. So, he uses
that as an object lesson: do nothing out of anger which solves nothing and will
have made all of their struggles to be in vain. Amadeus ponders this and
restores power to SHIELD, bringing the ships back online, locking up the prison
again, and more. Herc and Amadeus then hop aboard a Sakaarian teleporter and
get out of there before SHIELD blows the Behemoth to bits….
Herc and Amadeus arrive in Vermont, where Athena tells them
that the world is going to war. “Again?” say the two heroes….