For my Dear Helen
For Prometheus it all started thousands of years ago in ancient Greece. Prometheus was a titan, one of the oldest gods in the world even older than Zeus himself. he was always known as one of the stubborn gods always wanting his way and willing to do anything to get it. As history goes Prometheus defied Zeus's command and gave humans fire which had previously only been on mount olympus for the gods to use at their disposal. after Prometheus gave the humans fire they evolved rapidly learning and questioning things. Zeus fearing that his creation would grow too intelligent planned to kill all of the humans below him but conceded to let things play out and let them kill themselves with their new gift. But Zeus was not done with his wrath. He sentenced Prometheus to be chained to a rock on mount Caucasus where every day a monstrous eagle would peck out his liver but by the next day his liver would grow back and the cycle would be repeated. but one day Hercules slayed the eagle and set Prometheus free from the 30 years of torment. Prometheus realized that if Zeus found him he would capture him again and would be put back on the mountain with a new daily torture preferably worse on Zeus's part.
So prometheus ran as far as he could away from Greece with a new name, (Alex) and a changed appearance to match the humans around him so that Zeus could never bother him again. But in the back of his mind prometheus always knew that somehow Zeus would find him.
Alex sat on the edge of the apartment roof, feet dangling over the edge. To someone on the ground it would look like he was going to jump, But he wasn't. Sometimes he liked to just sit up there alone and let his thoughts of his past life envelope him. When he looked up and out he could see the isle of manhattan with hundreds of jutting skyscrapers kissing the sky and the smog surrounding Manhattan as if acting as a holo for the sinful city.
It was early November so the air was growing colder. Alex could see his own breath puffing around his face as if he were smoking.
'Dad?' a small voice asked behind him.
Alex whirled around in surprise to see the young figure at the door to the apartment stairs.
'Helen what are you doing up here?' he asked in concern. 'Its freezing out you shouldn't be up here. where's your mom?' He scooped up the six year old and began walking down the stairs towards the third floor where their apartment was.
The young girl as always traced the tattoo's up her fathers arms whenever he held her in his arms. The red and green ink always captivated the girl.
They reached the third floor and walked down the beaten hallway to apartment number 306 and strolled into the unlocked apartment and alex put his daughter down. Maria burst out of the bedroom in a frenzy.
'well I think we found mummy' Alex joked
'Oh my god I thought you were both dead!' she yelped 'first you disappear Alex and then you Helena?
I turn my back for two seconds and your gone!' she yelled still blind with panic.
'Its my fault.' Alex murmured 'I went up to the roof and Helen followed me. Just calm down, were ok see.' he said flashing a grin as if to say "see, safe and sound!"
'Just never disappear on me like that again... ok?'
'of course love' he said and then pecked her on the lips.
'eeeeeeww!' Helen cried in disgust
Alex and Maria laughed at their daughter and kissed again anyway making it extra long to the poor girl's dismay.
'Ok time for bed Helen' maria told the girl
'Do I have to? It's only eight o'clock.' the girl whined
'Yes Helen and thats that.' Her father said
Later that night Alex lay awake in bed unable to sleep. He stared at the ceiling fan above his bed slowly turning until he couldn't take it any more. So he carefully slipped out of bed making sure not to wake Maria beside him. He grabbed his coat, quietly closed the apartment door and made his way to the stairs toward the roof.
Five hours later Alex watched the sun rise over the condo's and office buildings and decided he had had enough and walked stiffly towards the stair's once again. As Alex awkwardly walked down the stair's to the third floor towards his family something didn't feel right. It may have been his blue toe's, frozen from the cold because Alex didn't bother to put on shoes. But no... it was something else. Not a physical feeling more like a feeling feeling. The feeling got more intense every step down he took and soon he was running at full pelt down the stair's towards his apartment. He reached the unlocked door and threw it open to find the apartment untouched.
'Jesus' he breathed 'calm down alex everything's fine' he reassured himself.
He half expected to find Maria to pop her head out of the bedroom to see what all the noise was about, but she didn't.
'sorry guys just had a panic attack or something...'
He waited for a response but none came.
'Guys?!' he yelled louder 'Guys!?' his voice was rising in panic in fear that his gut feeling had come true.
He searched the whole house for any sign for his wife or child any sort of struggle or blood but there was nothing. It was as if they just disappeared. their coats and shoes were untouched from the floor mat beside the door and no suitcases were packed. everything was perfect except for the fact that the most important people in his whole life had disappeared in the span of 5 hours. Suddenly something caught Alex's eye. A single sticky note stuck onto his small kitchen table.
"That wasn't there this morning..." alex thought.
He glanced at the sticky note with caution fearing for what it would say.
"They serve your penance. 145 north wellington st. .Z"
Alex automatically knew who the note was from.
'Zeus' He breathed
'No no no no no, this can't be happening this isn't fair!' he screamed
'I covered my tracks i did everything to keep them safe, so that he wouldn't find them!' He was crying now a total mess on the floor.
'I have to get them back.'
He stopped crying got up and walked out the door and started walking towards 145 north wellington street. His expression was completely blank in an attempt to hide his building rage.
"It's obviously a trap for me" Alex thought to himself as he walked down the early morning Brooklyn streets.
'I should get help. maybe Hercules would help me or even my brother...' he wondered
'But their isn't enough time!' Alex was growing frustrated.
He didn't want to be tortured a[gain and he desperately didn't want his child or love to die because of what he had done. This was his mistake he didn't cover his tracks well enough. Alex understood that if he went, Zeus would kill him and his family.
"but I have to save them, I just cant leave them!" alex screamed in his mind.
The Titan picked up his pace but not running. He didn't want to get there too quickly. He still needed time to think of a plan.
3 Hours later Alex approached an old beaten down abandoned warehouse on the north of Brooklyn.
'America never seems to have a shortage on these' Alex muttered staring at the warehouse
There was broken glass everywhere probably smashed by teenagers breaking into the abandoned building to sell drugs and what not. The young Titan's bare feet crunched over the shards of glass which made deep gashes in his skin but he didn't care, not now.
Alex found a window where a frame used to be but had long been smashed out so all that was left was a gaping hole. He climbed through through the window and into the pitch black building.
'Hello... is any one there.' alex called out into the dark.
His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. He was scared, really scared. Alex being a titan and all was immortal so Zeus couldn't kill him, but he could kill his family and to alex that was basically the same thing. A noise jutted through the darkness and Alex whirled towards it source. It was crying a young girls crying.
"It's a trap. It's a trap. It's a trap" was all Alex could think
He began to creep towards the child's muffled cries.
'Hello?!' He called out again and the crying stopped.
Alex was beginning to see vague outline's of old desks and book shelves that were strewn everywhere as his eyes adjusted to the void.
'Dad?' The child's voice rang out.
'Helena!' Alex ran towards his child's voice, glass crunching under his exposed feet. He soon saw the outline of her tiny figure. Once he was close enough he knelt down and took his daughter in his arms like he would never ever let go.
'I am so sorry Helen this is all my fault i shouldn't have left you i promise to never ever leave you again i will never let any one ever hurt you oh my baby i'm so sorry!' He blubbered to his six year old.
Helen was frightened but remained tight lipped. But the young girl wasn't looking at her father anymore but her gaze was somewhere past him...
'Where's mommy Helen?' Alex asked
But the girls stare turned into complete and utter horror and in an instant a scream rose from her throat. Alex whipped around to see what Helen was staring at but before he even caught a glimpse Prometheus already knew what he was about to see.
'Is this who your looking for?' a sly voice asked.
when Alex finally turned he saw what his daughter had. There being only held up by her hair was Maria, throat slashed and eyes like glass staring at nothing.
'NO!' Alex gasped out
He quickly shoved his child's face into his shoulder so she wouldn't be able to see. Alex's eyes had now completely adjusted so he could now see every detail. The man who held his now dead wife was indeed who he feared to be. The man he had been running from for his whole life. It was Zeus.
'Zeus.' prometheus breathed.
'Prometheus, It's been far too long my old friend.' He said
The god of gods smirked at the young titan and his daughter with pure malice. He was in his human form wearing a sharp business suit to cover his built form. A trimmed grey beard covered his chin along with salt and pepper hair greased over into a permanent wave. He looked like a typical tax accountant or a CEO. But his eyes told another story, They were pure hatred.
The gods smirk intensified as he spoke.
'You knew this day was coming prometheus.' He laughed 'I mean come on a family?' he laughed harder at his mistake. He dropped maria's hair, letting her slam into the concrete like she was nothing.
'I built a life, I was never going to bother you again Zeus!' prometheus snarled unable to hold his bubbling hatred.
'Why are you doing this?!' Prometheus screamed
'Why am I doing this?' he yelled at the titan. 'Because you disobeyed and destroyed MY world!'
'I didn't destroy anything zeus! the humans were living in caves like rats!' Alex spat 'I helped them!'
The girl in her father's arm's silently began to cry but the two god's ignored her.
'You destroyed our kingdom prometheus us gods have been forgotten no one believes in us no one prays to us they only care about money and jobs and children' Zeus looked directly at Helen in Alex's arms.
'She will pay for your mistake prometheus' he said cynically.'
'She has done nothing' alex begged. He looked down at his watch 20 seconds
'No she hasn't but you must learn my wrath Prometheus.' Zeus gripped a lightning bolt out of his quiver slung across his back
"10 seconds" prometheus thought
Helen whimpered in her fathers arms tears streaming down her face.
Zeus raised his lightning bolt over his head aiming for the child.
'Father!' a voice yelled
Zeus whirled around to see a young woman standing behind him. With silver arrow cocked in position ready to fire.
'Prometheus was right.' she said
'Artem...'
Before the name could slip past his lips Artemis released the strained string and let the arrow fly. The silver arrow sank into the gods chest with with a thump. the old man gasped in surprise and dropped the thunderbolt letting it clatter to the ground.
Hercules appeared behind prometheus and grabbed the six year old from his arms letting his arms be free. Alex bolted towards the stunned God swooped up the crackling thunderbolt and plunged it into his chest. Zeus gasped for a last time as the crimson began to seep through the crisp business suit. Prometheus breathed heavily, adrenaline still making his ears pound.
"It's over" he thought. He knelt there for a long time before he noticed his wife once again dead on the ground with blood completely surrounding her.
'Maria...' he whispered he held in his grief momentarily for his daughter.
'Hercules!' Alex yelled his voice cracking with tears 'Get Helen out of here, somewhere safe...please.' he gasped out.
Hercules quickly followed the orders and took the bawling 6 year old to safety and made sure she didn't see any more of her dead mother. After his daughter was gone and out of ear shot he let go. Every sob made his whole body violently shudder as he picked up his blood ridden wife and held her in his arms. Her blood quickly soaked as he pressed her limp form against his chest as if the tighter he held her she would come back.
' c.. back please...m..maria please.' he choked out 'I can't do this on my own...'
'I'm so sorry Prometheus' Artemis said gently behind him.
he had completely forgotten that she was still there. The young hunts-woman knelt down beside him and closed Maria's glassy eye's.
'Now she is sleeping' she whispered
'I will give her a proper funeral Prometheus' She said solemnly
Alex carefully laid his wife down and let out a last sob of grief. He wiped the tears from his face and his expression became blank.
'Thank you artemis for coming to my aid when I called and for saving my daughter.' he said simply and walked outside to find his daughter. On the inside Alex was a wreck but he would not wreck Helen too with his grief. He had to be strong, for her. The young titan walked out through the doors to find Hercules cradling his still crying daughter.
'Thank you Hercules for coming to mine and my daughters aid.' He said solemnly.
He took Helen from his arms gently and began walking home.
Once they reached their home 2 hours later Alex laid his daughter down to sleep in her parents bed. his arms cradled her tightly to his chest as if he would never let her go again.
'Is mommy gone?' the young girl asked
the question startled him and made his grief bubble up again. his eyes began to tear once again and he could hear a sob rising in his throat. But he needed to stay strong for his Helen. He needed to be her rock not the other way around.
'Yes' he said his voice faltering slightly
'Is she ever coming home?'
He felt like getting mad at her for asking all these questions but he couldn't. She had every right to ask what had happened to her mother.
'No' Alex choked out 'Mommy is never coming home'
Helen was on the brink of crying as well but he reassured her.
'Mommy may be gone Helen' He said gently 'But she will always be here for us watching out for you and me. Making sure I don't mix the reds and the whites in the wash and make all of our clothes pink again' he joked
The little girl laughed and that was all that mattered to him as long as Helen kept laughing he was sure every thing would be all right.
'Πάντα θα αγαπώ Ελένη μου' He whispered in ancient greek to his daughter just as her eyes slipped closed. (I will always love you my Helen)