Just as he finished using his mighty arms to pull trees from their roots for lumber for a small village, Hercules could hear Zeus' voice. The god's voice was carried by the winds and spoke to his ear alone.
"Come to me, Hercules!" it beckoned him. "Come to me now!"
With no time to receive his well-earned praise from the villagers, the demigod left for the place he knew he'd find Zeus.
It was at the shrine where he found his father standing before a giant statue of himself, staring at its magnificence.
Zeus could feel Hercules' presence from behind.
"You've come, Hercules," he spoke with a troubled voice. "Approach, my son."
It was a rare occasion that Hercules ever heard the king of the gods sound like that. Something was wrong.