Percy of the Huntsmen

Birth of a Hero

Sparta, Greece. 1004 B.C.

"Come on in, Percy!" a woman yelled from the front window as her small child ran around in the street in front of their house. The child, Percy, acted as if he couldn't hear her and kept running.

Suddenly, a blast of lightning came crashing down from the sky and obliterated the house. As if on cue, several teenage boys arrived on what used to be the door.

"Check for the mother," a boy with an odd tattoo on his shoulder ordered, gesturing to the house.

"Dead." Came the reply. "And no wonder, either. Zeus must really hate her to send this powerful of a strike."

"It's not her he was after. Look for the kid. He's probably around here somewhere, and he better not be dead too or we failed this job."

"Alpha! He's over here!" One of the other boys called from a few meters away.

"Are you sure he's the target?"

The boy nodded. "Positive. The kid is definitely one of his children."

"Good," said the first boy. He was obviously in charge of this small group. "At least this job isn't a total failure." He walked over to the boy. "What's your name, kid?"

"I-I-I'm Percy," the boy stammered back.

"Well, there's a very evil man named Zeus who hurt your mom very badly. Do you want to come with us? We can provide a home for you."

The boy just stared back at him. "Go with you? But my dad's gonna come home soon. Mama keeps telling me so."

"Your dad?"

"He went off to fight many years ago." Percy looked down. " I wish he'd come home. I really miss him..."

"Face it kid. Your dad's not coming home. Just come with us, and--"

"NO!" Percy shouted. "I'm not going anywhere with you. My mom said--"

But whatever Percy's mom said to him wasn't told to Adam as one of the boys had come up behind him and knocked Percy out cold.

"Sorry boss, but that wasn't going anywhere fast."

The "boss" laughed. "That's fine. Okay guys, we got the kid. Move out!"

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Percy woke up on a bed in a white room. "Where am I?"