The Five Prophecies
Okay so the beginning may be slightly similar, but stick with me. I've already got 13 really decent sized chapters completed.
My name is Hunter. Hunter Robson. And I have never been a normal kid.
My childhood was littered with strange events. On my 8th birthday, my Mother had taken me and Shadow, my dog, to the seaside and we ended up fighting with what I remember as some sort of bull. Something my Mother, Rachel, swears never happened.
But I know it did.
7 years later, it all makes sense.
I'm a Greek-Demigod.
Perhaps I should rewind slightly. After all, you don't just come to the conclusion that you're half an immortal deity which the entire world believes is mythical children's stories.
On my 15th birthday, my Mother had taken me and Shadow, to the seaside again. Parker was my best friend – he followed me everywhere. He was larger than most dogs; larger than any dog I had ever seen to be honest. My Mother had bought him as a puppy for me when my Dad left. He was more than just a dog, he was family. He was my brother. We had, quite literally, grown up together.
My Mum never really talked about my Dad. She always said that he loved me and that he didn't want to leave but that he wasn't allowed to stay. There are no pictures of him in the house and none of my family remember much about him but it is quite clear my Mum is still in love with him. And she makes it quite clear he isn't dead.
We were walking down the beach just off the coast of Florida and Shadow was playing in the sand but staying well away from the sea. He hated water but because I was near it, he stayed close. Mum always said that he and I shared similar qualities; both of us were extremely loyal and brave beyond stupid. It didn't help that he was nearly as big as me either – I used to think that sometimes I was the little dog and that he was the big human!
Then my life changed forever in one short sentence.
"It is time I told you the truth about your Father", Mum said.
But she never got the chance.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to start explaining so many questions that I had been asking myself for years, the world seemed to darken and grow cold. The wind began to roar and the earth began to solidify in front of us. The figure looked like a Grandmother, old but strong. Then it opened its eyes.
"He will never know, nor will he ever see you again", the creature rasped. The sound was like a muffled scraping and it chilled me down to my core.
"Who are you?" I roared. This thing would not harm my family. I stood in front of my Mother and my companion but Shadow growled in his throat, lowered his fiery yellow eyes and took up a position to my right ready to pounce, baring his teeth.
"I am the first, I am the last. I am everything. I am everywhere. And you Hunter, represent something of a new breed. Nothing like you has ever come before. My rise is coming and this time I will not be stopped as I have seized the power of fate itself. You can be my secret weapon", she whispered. All around me I felt the chill growing colder as I sensed her power. "Choose, Hunter Robson. Join me or Die".
My anger boiled inside of me. I felt my focus sharpen. I felt myself grow stronger and the cold grow warmer. I was Hunter Robson and this freaky sandstorm apparition was not going to hurt my family.
I ran at the freaky old lady made out of sand; Shadow ran with me. He seemed to grow with every bounding leap he took. I swear that when we were almost within striking distance he was as big as me.
Then the sand lady dissolved.
I spun around and to my horror, saw the sand lady stood behind my Mum. Before I even had time to shout or help or even comprehend what I was seeing, the woman and my Mum started dissolving together.
"You chose wrong, Hunter", the lady whispered through the wind. "You should have just chose to side with me and become stronger than you could possibly imagine. Perhaps even stronger than Hercules and more heroic than Perseus. Alas, your Mother will now come with me."
Who are you?!" I screamed for the second time.
"Why I've already told you Hunter. I was the first and I will be the last. This time I will not lose. I am Gaia, the Earth Mother and you, you will no longer be a threat to me young one".
And with that, my Mother was gone. My entire life, my upbringing, my whole world vanished in a wisp of sand and it was replaced by a giant.
A giant with a big club.
And he only had one eye.