Hello everyone. You're probably wondering why the hell this took so long, well I had a little set back. My computer got hit with a nasty virus, and I had to wipe my memory clean. All my beautiful stories GONE! So now that my computer is completely back to normal I will be starting to post chapters again. So onto the story!
"Helen, this is utterly insane!" A wavy haired man said running after Mother Greece, who stopped walking immediately. She was not used to being called by her first name. Only two people had ever been allowed to call her by her first name: Her son, Hercules, and Arrian (Rome) who just happened to be the man chasing after her.
" Turkish soldiers have been spotted on the north coast, and any day now you'll receive a letter asking for the strongest warrior, which can't be you!" Arrian said stopping in front of her. Helen shot him a look of pure venom. A look he only knew to well."- what I meant was you're too valuable of a person for us too lose. No doubt, the Turkish armies will send out, Sadik, himself…"
"You worry too much. We still do not know if they will want to end this quickly or wage a war. If they choose to end this quickly and quietly then I will be the one to fight for my country. If I die… Hercules will be the next in line for the throne" She seemed to soften her voice when she said this.
Rome gave her a look that said, " I wish you the best of luck" and turned away. It was pointless to fight with this women.
~~~~~later that night~~~~~
Hercules slowly trudged up the stairs to his room. His legs felt heavy from a long day of playing with Koinos and a few stray cats they had found in an alleyway. Hercules loved cats. He had taken the time to name each cat he ever saw and miraculously he seemed to remember each cat and each name.
Today he had met two orange tabby cats and one dark brown calico. The two orange cats were both named Mako while the Calico, Athena.
Athena had caught Hercules eye on the street. She had been sitting off to the side of the road, reading a statue, or at least that's what it had looked like. Hercules was well aware that cats could not read but he had like the idea of her being smart and beautiful, so he named her after a smart and beautiful goddess.
The Grecian boy often named his cats after the gods. Really it depended on how they acted. He had named one Hephaestus because it had a wonky leg but it was still strong enough to evade Hercules when he tried to catch it. The deformed cat had ran all across the city before it finally realized how determined the boy chasing him was and gave up.
Hera was the name of another cat in which had left a lasting impression. The stray cat had somehow managed to sneak into his room one morning from the window and drank most of his water. Hercules had been in a bitter mood and sent the cat down the water system leading to the animal shelter. Then exactly one week later the same cat climbed into his window again, but instead of coming to take, this time she came to give. Her gift of gratitude was fleas in Hercules bed for a month and two months of his mother inspecting him carefully each morning for bugs. The cat had brought bugs into his bed as Hera had brought snakes into Zeus's son's, bed. Funny both boys should be named Hercules.
Sliding off his sandals, Hercules fell face first into bed and in no time, was asleep. That night he dreamed of the cats Hera and the two Makos. He was in a hallway with stone walls and golden ceilings with a interesting design. Hercules knew this architecture: it was Turkish. There didn't seem to be an end to the hallway as the small boy walked along. He passed no doors and saw know windows. When he look back to the other end of the hallway he saw that the light was gone and there was no light in front of him either. It was as if the lights were following him. After what seemed to be hours of walking he finally saw something. A window with three cats. Hera and the Makos jumped down and approached him. Hera started rubbing against his legs telling him about troubles in the near future, while the Makos seemed to dance behind her purring and nodding every so often as if to tell him she was right. After a while another light appeared farther on in the hallway and Hercules heard a loud thumping noise. The cats scurried the opposite direction down the hallway but when Hercules turned to follow them, he saw that the rest of the hallway was now gone and instead of darkness he was facing a wall. The cats had vanished. He turned around again but the light was gone. The thumping noise grew louder as if someone very big was walking towards him. Then, when it seemed the thumping could get no louder, the lights above him went out.
Hercules shot up in a cold sweat. He was in his room, in his bed. He looked down and saw that his sandals were in the same place he'd left them. It had just been a dream. He laid back down and took a deep breath. It was all just a dream.
It was raining when Hercules awoke the next morning. He didn't remember any of the dream form the previous night. He started his daily morning routine and when he was finished he headed downstairs for breakfast. The meal started in a very somber mood as his mother greeted him with a weak smile.
"What's wrong mother?", The small brunette boy asked as a servant put a plate with fruit on the table before him.
"…I need to talk to you Hercules.", Helen said looking out of a window at the grey skies. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Tonight I will be fighting a Turkish soldier. This battle will decide the fate of our country." She paused a moment to look at her sons face, "If I die, you will be in charge of our country." She swallowed hard and looked out the window again waiting for her sons reaction.
"Why?" Hercules said standing, "Why did you wait to tell me this?" He spoke loudly, his voice echoing off the clay walls of their dining hall. Helen looked at him for a moment before burying her face in her hands.
"Hercules, this is not something I wished upon myself-"
"THEN WHY DO YOU ALONE HAVE TO FIGHT!"
Mother Greece stood up and gave her son a stern look. "I will not let my people die for a lost cause. You've long known of our troubles with Turkey! WOULD YOU RATHER I SENT INNOCENT PEOPLE TO DIE?"
Hercules was taken back. His mother rarely rose her voice around him. Standing abruptly, He shoved his plate away from him and ran out of the room, leaving his mother standing alone. He didn't want to face her after that scene.
She was right after all and Hercules didn't like to be the fool.
