Altered Destinies

A New Beginning

Ch. 1

A young boy ran through the woods of Central Park in New York City. An overly large hound was hot on his trail as the boy weaved his way through the trees, desperately trying to escape. The boy had been on the run for almost two full days now. No matter how many times he managed to lose one, a new monster seemed to find him within a few hours. It had been three days since he had last eaten and the malnutrition was beginning to take its toll on the ten-year old. His body was weak and beginning to fail him; the only thing that kept him moving was sheer willpower and determination.

He could feel the beast slowly gaining on him as he was already at his peak when it came to his endurance while he prayed for a way to escape the terrifying creature. Just as he was losing hope, he saw two people standing next to a small fire in a clearing just a few yards away. He didn't have the energy to yell for help, so he just put his head down and used the last of his strength to jump across the fire, hoping the two strangers would help him.

When the boy landed on the other side of the fire, he tumbled roughly to the ground. He turned around to see a sight he never thought he would see in his life. The man stood in front of the monster which seemed to be bowing to him, before he snapped his fingers and a crack appeared in the ground and swallowed the monstrous dog into the earth.

The boy immediately started to panic, assuming he had just found someone far worse than the giant hound. As he tried to scramble to his feet, he was quickly engulfed in warm comforting arms. The panicked boy turned to meet warm glowing red eyes.

The eyes were glowing like the embers of a fire and despite the shock of what he had just seen, the boy immediately calmed at the woman's touch. As he stared into her eyes, he felt relaxing warmth spread throughout his whole body. After a minute in the woman's arms the young boy finally spoke.

"W.. Who a..are you?" He stuttered out, still trying to catch his breath.

The woman gave him a gentle smile, "My name is Hestia. You don't have to worry anymore; my brother got rid of the monster for you." She told him kindly.

The boy's head snapped around, only now remembering the other man. When he looked at the man, he saw black eyes and an expression that, while it wasn't friendly, it wasn't unfriendly either. It was more a look of curiosity on the man's face.

"Thank you for saving me." He quietly told the man, still unsure if the man might want to hurt him.

The man gave the boy a small smile as he looked into the child's eyes. After a few seconds, the man got a look of realization on his face and then anger. He turned to the woman with a scowl on his face.

"He is a son of Poseidon. I can see it in his eyes and the smell of the sea on him. Of course neither of my brothers could stay true to the oath they forced me into." He snapped at the woman.

Hestia looked at her brother with a disapproving expression on her face. "Yes, our brothers may have wronged you but it is not the boy's fault. He is not to blame and I will tell you right now Hades, you will not seek revenge on Poseidon through this boy, he is innocent." Hestia said with a glare at her brother.

Hades looked as if he were about to argue with his sister before looking at the boy one more time. When he did, his face softened just the slightest and he nodded, "Very well sister, I will let the boy be... for now."

The boy who was still in Hestia's warm arms was watching the conversation with fear and curiosity. He never knew his father but apparently these were his father's siblings. When the boy turned back to Hestia, she smiled warmly at him and asked, "What is your name child? And why are you all alone in the woods in the middle of the night?"