Prologue
It all began with a chance meeting. The Olympians only gathered twice a year; during the summer and winter solstice. Therefore, all twelve major gods were shocked when Zeus called an emergency meeting on February 29, a day referred to as Leap day. Little did he know that, by calling a meeting, he was helping cause what the meeting was about preventing. Demigods.
"Settle down, Olympians, settle down. It is time for the meeting to begin," Zeus commanded, seated in his beautifully carved throne at the head of the room.
Instantly, the bickering and conversation stopped. No god wanted to feel the wrath of the almighty Zeus, who carried his thunderbolt with him wherever he went. They had all seen what had happened when Zeus had used the weapon on his father, the evil tyrant Kronos, and no one wanted to break into hundreds of pieces. Zeus cleared his throat.
"Now, as you all know, my brothers and I formed a pact to not have any more children. This agreement was to make sure the balance was even between the demigods. Unfortunately, my brother and I both broke the vow. We went unpunished, which may have given you, the gods of Olympus, the idea that you too could break the rules. That is not what we wanted," Zeus began, eyes glancing accusingly around the room.
Poseidon stood up, eyes wide with anger. "It is not my problem that you cannot control the others, nor it is the problem of Hades. My understanding is that you, the king of Olympus, have not done your duty to prevent your people from making wrong decisions. It is you, not we, who should be held responsible. Is that understood?"
"With all due respect, my brother, you and Hades are the deputies of Olympus, so it is your duty as it is mine to…," Zeus said calmly, fists clenched together tightly.
Hades interrupted, his dark eyes infused with the red that came with anger. "How dare you, brother? When we were deciding on who controlled what land and who was king, you treated Poseidon and I like we were nothing. You were happy to be the sole leader then, so why not now? Is it because you do not want to take the blame for these gods, because that's what being a king is about?"
"Silence!" Zeus arose from his seat, his arms shaking with anger as he tried to control the group. "I will not tolerate any of you challenging me in the building. I am the king of Olympus and unless you want to leave, you will be forced to go along with it! Do I make myself clear?"
Apollo snickered. "Clear as mud."
Zeus gave his son a faint smile and then raised his thunderbolt over his head, the point straight at Apollo's chest. The musical god gave a gasp and slid back, right off the side of his throne. With a crash, the god fell onto the shining marble floor. Doing something similar to the crab walk, Apollo slid away from his father, his shaking fingers trying to draw back the string of his magical bow.
"Do you wish to challenge me?" Zeus took a huge step forward.
Apollo could barely speak. "No sir."
"Good, but I'm afraid I will still have to punish you."
Aphrodite gasped, moving her hand dramatically over her mouth.
"Zeus, I command you to stop in the sake of peace," Hera ordered. "He's your son. If you wish to speak with him, do it in private."
Zeus spun around, the point of his weapon now aimed at Hera. "You do not command me to do anything! I am Zeus, god of the sky, and I am eternal!"
There was a brief flash of light. Several gasped sounded from around the room. Normally, Zeus would have yelled at them, but not now. All eyes were on Hera. Or, to be precise, what had been Hera. Now, all that was left of the queen was ashes. Zeus had killed her.
At that moment, Apollo struck his father across the face, sending Zeus sprawling. This caused a stirring in the gods and an instant later, it had begun. Arrows and spears flew through the air while the metallic clang of swords and daggers echoed around the cavernous meeting hall. In this battle, there were no sides. It was sudden death. A wrong move and you would join Hera.
In the midst of the battle, Athena and Hephaestus slipped away, their hand locked together.
That same day, a small god was born. Athena kept him carefully wrapped in silk as she plastered him with protective and transfiguring spells. Hephaestus carefully crafted a golden screwdriver, his apron smeared with grease of other liquids. Together, the baby's parents crafted items that would protect their son when they left him.
"It's time," Athena said, wrapping the baby in his silken cloth.
Hephaestus nodded, tears dripping from his eyes. "He will always be safe, for we will always be watching."
They left him at the doorstep of Reginald Foster Home in Boston, Massachusetts. He was wrapped in silken clothes, which concealed a freshly made screwdriver and a letter. The magic Athena had sewed into the cloth prevented any mortal from seeing this. If they looked at him, all they would see is a baby wrapped in red cloths with a small notecard resting on top. The notecard read, "PLEASE CARE FOR HIM WELL. HIS PARENTS CANNOT CARE FOR HIM ANYMORE. HIS NAME IS RICO." At that moment, a god had successfully become a mortal for the first time. Rico was safe.
I will try to add Chapter 1 as soon as possible. Please leave me any comments, questions, concerns, or idea. Thanks.