When Hercules started out with his labors he was required to only complete ten labors and not twelve. The first task for Hercules was given to him from King Eurystheus was to bring back the skin of the Nemean Lion.

 Hercules went out on his journey and came to the town of Cleonae where he met a man, Molorchus. Molorchus offered to sacrifice a animal for safe hunt, Hercules told him to wait until 30 days. In 30 days if Hercules returned they would sacrifice the animal to Zeus, if Hercules did not return the animal would be sacrificed in his honor. When Hercules found the lion he put his arms around the lions neck and choked him to death. Hercules returned on the 30th day, he and Molorchus sacrificed the animal to Zeus. When Hercules returned to King Eurystheus the king was shocked that he actually completed the task. The king became afraid of Hercules and forbade him from entering the gates of the city, he also had a large bronze jar made and buried it partway in the earth so he could hide it from Hercules if need be.  

The second labor for Hercules was to kill the Lernean Hydra. The Hydra was a monster that would rise up and terrorize the countryside, the Hydra had nine serpents heads that attacked with poisonous vemon. This wasn't as easy as it seemed to be, Hercules could not just chop all of the heads off because one of the heads was immortal. 

Hercules did not go alone on this labor; he brought along his nephew Iolaus. When  Hercules and Iolaus arrived at the lair of the Lernean Hydra, Hercules drove him out of his cave by shooting flaming arrows at the monster. Hercules then attacked the heads with his club, but everytime he smashed one head two more would grow back in its place. Each time Hercules hit one of the heads Iolaus would hold the flame to the tendons of the head to prevent the head from growing back.

 Once he removed the eight heads he then removed the ninth immortal head and buried it at the side of the road leading from Lerna to Elaeus. Eurystheus was not impressed by this labors, he claimed since Iolaus was along with Hercules it did not count as one of the ten labors.  Because of this he added one more labor.

For his third labor Hercules was ordered to bring the Hind of Ceryneia Diana's Pet Deer.

 A hind is a female deer. This also seemed to be an easy task yet the deer belonged to the goddess of hunting and the moon, Diana. Hercules hunted the deer for a year before the deer finally began to tire. Hercules, realizing the deer was about to get away, shot her just as she was about to cross the stream. He caught the deer and carried her to Mycenae. As Hercules was on his way back he was met by Diana and Apollo.

 Diana was furious when she found Hercules had hunted her pet deer. Hercules told her the truth and said he had to obey the oracle and do the labors. Diana calmed down and healed the deer's wounds. Hercules carried it alive back to Mycenae.