Alright, finally edited the first chapter to put it up. I hope you enjoy the rewrite! I figured it would be easier to keep track of things by posting it as a new story than replacing chapters one by one in the original version.

The rain was coming down, and lightning was flashing in the sky while thunder rumbled in the distance. The howls of wolves echoed in the forest as Lupa ran, her paws digging into the soft earth. She had left the children of the gods in fear of Lycaon coming for what he thought belonged to him. She held a small pup carefully in her jaws as she ran, his eyes haven't even opened. His black fur was slick with rain, and his little whimpers of discomfort reached her ears. Lupa knew she couldn't be with him for long, no God or Goddess has ever stayed involved with their children. Besides she had broken her oath, this pup wasn't supposed to exist. Lupa reached a small cave it wasn't ideal, but it'll do. Lupa looked down at the little pup, even though he wasn't supposed to exist. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the hardships he would face when he's older. Perseus, that's what she'd call him the one hero who got a happy ending, and she hoped he would too. Lupa never understood humans who have the undying love for their children, there was no such thing happening, but she did feel something. Lupa didn't know how to explain it, but she did want this tiny wiggling child to live. A child of Rome and a Greek monster, a rare occurrence.

Three years went by a young pup with bright yellow orbs with specks of silver ran around a small clearing chasing butterflies while Lupa watched from afar. Perseus could never sit still, and Lupa loved every moment of it though she would never tell anyone. Today she was finally going to teach him how to shift into his human form and when he turns five the curse will begin, every full month he'd suffer excruciating pain of being forced to change.

"Okay, Perseus now watch." Lupa shifted her hair was red and her eyes silver, "now it's your turn. Imagine you have hands, fingers, toes, and feet."

His little eyes closed and Lupa gasped when a small three-year-old took the small wolf's place. He held his hands in front of him, "what are these?"

"They are your hands."

"Oh, what are they for?"

"To pick things up and carry them."

"Oh, that's cool!"

Three days was all they had before the sound of paws hitting the ground were heard from a distance. Lupa looked to the little boy. "Perseus shift now and run!" Lupa shouted making the young boy jump. He shifted at the same time as Lupa looking at her with wide eyes. "I'm scared! I don't want to be alone!"

Lupa looked down and snarled, "You are a child of Rome! Fear is an excuse; you are the one to cause the fear, now run! Don't look back!" Lupa ran in the opposite direction hoping to lead Lycaon's pack away from Perseus. She hoped he'll find the Hunters of Artemis before Lycaon found him.

Percy ran as fast as his little legs could take him. He has never run this far, never saw the outside area around his home. His ears flickered back as the sound of leaves and twigs crunched behind him. A large grey wolf rushed past the tree line barreling towards the little wolf. His paws burned as he tried to go faster. A small yelp as the gray wolf's maw wrapped around Percy's scruff. He squirmed trying to break free only to stop when a voice that didn't belong to him spoke, "Stop squirming boy, Lycaon wants you back, and he specifically said unharmed."

The wolf paused when an arrow embedded itself in a tree, "hunters!" Percy closed his eyes as the wind whipped around them as the wolf took off in a sprint. Suddenly the ground came sweeping up trapping Percy under the large grey wolf.

"Girls don't shoot the little one! I repeat, don't shoot!" A girl with auburn hair and silver eye walked out from the shadows. Percy lowered his ears and gave a warning growl. She stopped and lowered herself down "It's okay I won't hurt you, let me help you." She slowly moved closer

Percy growled once more, but it came out more like a whimper. The girl with grey eyes held up her hand "Slow down you're scaring him. shhh, it's okay." Percy growled although it only made the girl laugh, "I won't hurt you, young one. I'm Artemis the goddess of the hunt." The other hunters swiftly help move the large wolf to free the small pup, his eyes were wide as Artemis held him in her arms. Her fingers brushed through his fur in his head it was foreign to him but lulled the little wolf to sleep.

Artemis carried the werewolf into the temporary camp hushed whispers following, the uncertainty of where the werewolf's alliance would one day stand. Artemis knew who he was, Lupa's only child, one that was never supposed to exist but here he was. She had promised Lupa if the time came to help him until she could decide what to do. She would take charge, help the young wolf grow strong, powerful.

"My lady, what are we going to do with him?" Zoe asked

Artemis looked down at the sleeping pup, "We need to keep the other gods from knowing about him, he is the child of Lupa and his father well, Zeus is the one who originally cursed him, so there is deep hatred between them."

"Thee can't possibly mean that he is the spawn of Lycaon."

Artemis nodded solemnly, "he is, which is why we need to protect him from Lycaon's pack. I want you and Phoebe to help watch over him."

"I can do that my lady. How old is he?"

"I believe he has to be four or five judging by his size. We'll see when he shifts into his human form."

Percy slept all day and woke up the next morning to a hand massaging him behind his ear that now seemed to be his favorite spot to help calm him down. "Morning Perseus, you've been sleeping for a long time is ye hungry?" Zoe closed her book which caused Percy to look at it with curiosity. "Has ye never seen a book before?"

Percy closed his eyes and shifted, his sun-kissed skin and jet black hair; he had bright yellow eyes just like his father. Zoe smiled, "well, look at that."

Percy smiled, "what's a book?"

"It tells stories that you read. Let's go get some breakfast; ye must be hungry."

"Why do you talk like that?" Percy asked as he took Zoe's hand. He closed his eyes as the smells reached his nose, his mouth watering.

They walked hand in hand, Percy felt the slight tingle beneath his skin. So many smiled at him while others only frowned. Some hunters didn't approve of having him in their ranks, having to risk their well-being for a child who wasn't even supposed to be here. Percy sat next to Zoe and some other girl he did not know.

He looked at the strange food in front of him; it wasn't deer which happened to be his favorite but weird looking circles that were flat. "Has ye never had pancakes before?"

The girl beside him snickered, "you're showing your age Zoe, it's you not ye now."

"Phoebe, I believe the correct term now is shut up. Eat up Percy; you are probably starving."

Percy watched curiously as they ate with what they called "forks," it was so bizarre to him, wouldn't it be easier to just pick food up with your fingers? Humans were so weird, they had so many rules to follow and were always embarrassed about little things that should never be embarrassing.

—

By the time Percy turned five, the curse finally began. All the other hunter's loved him dearly, but all began to notice the slight shift, one moment he'd be happy but when something would make him afraid or angry he'd snap, shifting and snarling. Zoe learned the hard way to keep her distance on a full moon, Percy lashed out, and now Zoe had a scar on her bicep, his teeth tore through skin and muscle.

Artemis held the young wolf, he snuggled, into the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent, she smelled of the forest and wildflowers, just like Lupa, his mother. He missed her terribly and every night would ask when she would come for him. They would answer, "soon." Yet, she'd never come, Percy couldn't help but wonder if he did something to make her not want him.