orn of a mortal woman and the king of the gods, Hercules is blessed with extraordinary strength. The goddess Hera commands that the mighty Hercules must undergo twelve incredible tasks to pay for a mistake he made in the past. Hercules easily completes the first few labors, as he overpowers a ravenous lion and battles a giant bull barehanded. But not all the gods support him, and Hercules faces difficult tasks that test his strength and his mind. These reader-favorite tiles are now updated for enhanced Common Core State Standards support, including discussion and writing prompts developed by a Common Core expert, an expanded introduction, bolded glossary words and dynamic new covers.