There was great rejoicing in the palace of the Sky King. The queen had given birth to a son and heir - a beautiful baby boy with the most astonishing blue eyes. They named him Leo. He'd already demonstrated that he'd inherited his father's command over the elements of the sky, moving clouds about with a wave of his chubby little hands, and forming rainbows in his nursery.
But there was one person who did not join in the universal celebration. The king's brother, Malcolm, King of the Underworld, was heartily displeased at being displaced from the line of succession. He dispatched a pair of imps to dispose of the boy, but they managed to botch their assignment. The child lived, but with his god-like powers badly diminished. All that remained was a tenuous command over the cold.
Anxious to avoid their master's wrath, the imps abandoned Leo on Earth, where he was discovered by a thief named Lewis. At first, Lewis used the child as a prop to gain sympathy - and access to wealthy homes - the better to rob them. As Leo grew, Lewis began to look upon his powers as a means to staging bigger and better thefts.
The Sky King and his queen could only watch from afar, heartbroken.
Many years later…
"This is wrong, father," Leo whispered, as they snuck into the temple in the dead of night.
"Fat, rich, priests, or fat, rich, merchants - it's all the same."
"This isn't robbing from rich men, father. These offerings are left by regular people, to please the Sky King, and ensure a safe birth or a good harvest."
"There ain't no such thing as a Sky King. Now, freeze that lock, or I'll burn them books of yours. I know where you hide them, boy."
Leo frowned, but he concentrated, then laid his hand upon the lock and froze it. He was mildly surprised that it worked. Oft times, he either couldn't channel the cold at all, or else he'd freeze an entire stream in its bed. Hitting a small target was pure chance.
"Well, at least you're good for something," Lewis muttered, looking around at the offerings piled in the temple, trying to decide what would fetch a good price in the market.
"Hello?" a voice called out.
Lewis spat out a curse.
Leo recognized the voice. It was Brother Bartholomew, a kind-hearted young acolyte, often seen about town, distributing food and medicine. More than once, he'd seen to it that Leo had food in his belly when Lewis had drunk up all their meager savings.
"Leo! Whatever are you doing here?" The young man's gaze took in the pry bar in Lewis's hand and the large sack he had slung over his shoulder. His eyes widened in sudden understanding - and fear.
"Get rid of him," Lewis hissed.
"No."
"Do as I say, boy!"
"I'm not a boy, and I'm not going to let you hurt him!"
Lewis strode toward Bartholomew menacingly, brandishing his heavy bar. Leo stepped between the two.
"No, father!" he raised his hand to ward off the blow - and a stream of ice erupted from his hands, freezing Lewis instantly.
Leo stared at his hands in horror and skittered away from what was left of his father. He backed into a table filled with offerings, and a heavy pewter pitcher wobbled and fell, landing on the marble floor with a loud crash. The sound shattered Lewis's frozen form into miniscule shards of ice.
"How did you do that?" Bartholomew gasped.
Suddenly, the interior of the temple was filled with a golden glow, which emanated from the enormous statue of the Sky King. "I'll handle this, Bartholomew. You may go now."
The young man bowed hastily to the statue. "Er - yes, of course, your majesty!"
"Who are you?" Leo stammered.
"Who d'you think, lad?" the voice asked jovially. "It is my temple, after all."
"You…you mean…you'rethe Sky King?" Leo gulped, wondering what his fate would be for shedding blood in the temple of a god who evidently was quite real.
"That I am. But the real question is - who are you?"
"Me? I'm -"
Lewis's voice sounded in his memory, taunting him.
"I'm nothing. Just a common -"
The voice laughed, a hearty rich sound. "My boy, you are the farthest thing from nothing. Why - you're my son!"
"Your son. But wouldn't that make me -"
"A god. Well, that's how things were meant to be, until you were stolen from us."
"I don't understand. Didn't you want me? Why would you give me to someone like Lewis?"
"Of course we wanted you, Leo! As I said, you were stolen from us."
"How come you never came to get me?"
"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. You see, the Palace of the Sky is for immortals, and your immortality was stolen from you."
"So…I can't ever go home?"
"Never is a long time, my boy. You just need to earn your way back to us."
"How do I do that?"
"Well, you start by becoming a true hero."
Leo snickered derisively. "Hero ain't on my resume."
"It is if you want to come home," the Sky King informed him in a severe tone.
"I wouldn't even know where to start," Leo confessed. "It's not like I had any great example to look up to."
"The power to change your fate lies within you, Leo. Talk to Bartholomew. He'll set you on the right path. Never forget that your mother and I love you very much, and we miss you."
And with that, the golden glow faded from the chamber.
Leo huffed out a breath he didn't eve realize he'd been holding. Then he shook his head, and went to find Bartholomew.
As Leo expected, Bartholomew was standing outside the chamber. "How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough. I knew there was more to you than just a common thief!" the younger man exclaimed enthusiastically.
Leo favored him with a sour smile. "How the hell am I supposed to become a true hero?"
"You're a very clever man. You see details. Just…open your eyes, and follow your heart. You're the son of a god! If anyone can become a hero, it's you. I have faith in you."
Mick fell into step beside Leo as he walked the path through town at dawn. "Hey, Boss. What's the haul?"
"No haul," Leo replied tersely.
"Where's Lewis?"
"Gone."
"Gone how?"
Leo turned to his friend with flat, dead, eyes.
"Oh." He followed along for several steps in silence. "Where we goin'?"
"Weare not going anywhere. Look, Mick…hell, I don't even know where I'm going. No reason for you to follow."
The bigger man shrugged. "Not like I've got anything better to do. People 'round here look at me funny."
"Probably because you've either robbed most of them or set their houses on fire."
"So we'll find new places to rob and burn."
"No…Mick. I'm not going to steal things any more. I mean…I…uh…"
"Did Lewis hit you in the head?"
"That would make more sense than what really happened." Leo stopped and turned to face his old friend. "Look - long story short - Lewis wanted to rob the temple of the Sky King. I got between him and Bartholomew. Lewis died. The statue of the Sky King came to life and told me I was his son. To get home, I have to become a true hero."
"Huh?"
"Exactly." Leo sighed heavily. "Bartholomew said I needed to follow my heart, whatever the hell that means."
"You got a heart?"
"Shut up, Mick."