She started her journey in early April. After about five hours of travel she sat to rest and have a bite to eat. She suddenly heard something rustling in the woods. She had nothing to protect herself with, but grabbed a nearby stick as some means of protection. Then she saw the Nemean lion confidently stride out of the forests into a nearby field. She knew she had almost no chance of defeating it. It was the size of an elephant and stone, brass, or iron could not touch its skin; she realized that a stick wouldn't help at all. Its sharp teeth and claws were more to the lion's advantage than hers. She turned to see what it was trying to attack, noticing a cow contentedly grazing. The cow was the sacred animal of Hera! She must do something to protect this holy creature. Suddenly, as if by sensing her presence, the cow turned and faced her. She felt compelled to kneel, but she did not know why. She felt as if the cow were speaking to her. This is Aphrodite's doing, by permission of my husband, they want you dead. Her husband? Why this cow truly must be sent by Hera! She knew the gods must be by her side. The cow turned away from her and walked calmly away out of the pasture, not even recognizing the lion's presence. The lion then turned to her and slowly walked toward her, ready to strike. How could Hera leave her to be eaten by this monster after warning her of its purpose? Her mind raced as she tried to think of a plan. To her left she noticed a cave filled with lavender flowers. She thought it was odd that flowers would grow in a cave, but nevertheless they were there. She knew that the scent of lavender flowers could make an enemy fall asleep, if the gods were on your side. She firmly stood in front of the cave, waiting for the Nemean lion to approach. Her heart was pounding and she felt herself go white with fear as the Nemean prepared to pounce. She rolled out of the way just in time so that the Nemean lion rolled into the cave as she raced up the hill, ready to release a boulder to cover the entrance of the cave. She removed a smaller stone, the only thing holding the boulder in place, and watched it roll until she could tell that the cave was securely closed. She quickly walked down the path, trying to distance herself as quickly as possible from the Nemean lion. She walked for a day, non-stop, until she could go no further. She collapsed in a field of dandelions without even realizing what was happening.