Chapter 2

The large boat rocked gently as it glided along the sea's waters. The stars up above shone brightly as it illuminated the night sky, as if guiding the boat along its journey. Somewhere on this large metal vessel stood a young boy leaning against the railing of the boat, his black hair dancing to the wind of the ocean breeze and deep blue eyes staring out over the water's edge.

Next to him stood a man, older in age, who watched the boy with a careful eye. Most people thought he was the boy's father, but if you looked closer and recognized the boy, you would recognize the man not as the father but as Alfred Pennyworth, the loyal butler and guardian of the young Bruce Wayne.

The two males stood against the rail in silence, Alfred noticed his young charge begin to shift his feet around.

"Alfred, I think I'm going to walk around the ship for a bit," Bruce told him as he turned his head to face him.

"Very well Master Bruce, just ensure you return to the cabin before too long." He only got a nod in return.

Alfred watched as his young charge slowly walked away with his hands tucked into his pocket. His eyes followed him until he disappeared around the corner and Alfred let out a sigh, turning back towards the sea and crossing his arms on the railing to lean over.

Ever since the death of his parents, Bruce had never seemed to be the same again. Of course, witnessing the murder of one's parents would be extremely traumatizing, especially for a young boy, but Alfred didn't expect for things to change so dramatically and so suddenly. He knew the moment he heard the news on that fateful day and rushed to find the new heir of the Wayne family fortune that nothing would be the same again.

And indeed it wasn't. Gone was the bright-eyed, cheerful little boy he knew from before. He still remembered when the young master would run down the stairs full of energy and laughter, eager to learn and fulfill his curious little mind.

But that little boy was gone, replaced by this quiet, reserved shell of who he once was. The new Bruce had lost the spark in his eyes and the jump in his step. Now he walked around with a distant look in his eyes that revealed no emotions, hiding his true feelings from the real world. He no longer socialized with anyone around him, instead, chose to isolate himself away from everyone else so he wouldn't have to talk to anyone. His demeanor now seemed more dark and closed-off, completely contrary to the open and bright boy he once was.

At first Alfred had thought this would only be a phase. His friends had suggested he leave him alone and hopefully Bruce would return to his old demeanor with time. After all, they say time heals all wounds. So, he had left him alone.

It's been two years since then, and during those two years, Alfred has seen no improvement. In fact, all he's seen was the young master become more and more reclusive each day. At the end of the first year, Bruce had stopped going to school completely on account of not willing to socialize with the other children and the schoolwork being too easy for him. After that, Bruce would spend all his time studying in his room or the library, rarely even spending time with him, let alone anybody else. At the very least he was exceeding his studies but it was not the improvement he was hoping to see in the young boy.

Eventually he had had enough and decided to take a more active role in Bruce's life. He began taking his charge out more often, specifically to places he had enjoyed when he was young in hopes of sparking some kind of interest. Over the past few months he's taken Bruce to everything, from sporting events to circus acts, yet all he would do was sit through it quietly and uninterestedly.

This is what led them here, on a cruise somewhere in the southern part of the Aegean Sea. At a young age Bruce had taken an interest into ancient cultures, in particular, ancient Greece. So, Alfred had decided a nice way to rekindle that interest would be to tour all around Greece and visit some of the influential cities of the beautiful European country. They had recently visited important cities like Thebes and Athens, and now they were on their way towards the region of Peloponnese where they planned on making their way towards the town of Sparta.

Yet, despite the beautiful sights and the extensive learning experience this trip has provided, Bruce still seemed detached. Due to knowing the boy since birth, Alfred could at least tell that Bruce was interested in what they have seen so far, but the boy still held a blank stare in front of him wherever they went, as if he acknowledged his surroundings but his mind was somewhere else. He always had that distant look and Alfred couldn't distinguish whether it was a look of thoughtfulness or boredom.

As another sigh escaped the butler's mouth, he looked up and was startled to see the sky no longer illuminated by the bright stars. Instead the little lights were hidden behind a large, dark cloud which seemed to appear out of nowhere and covered the entire sky, plunging it into darkness. In fact, it was so dark that Alfred could barely see out past the light of the boat.

"How strange..." he muttered as he turned to go look for his young charge.

Taking a lap around the ship, Alfred was unable to find the young master. When it started to rain, he quickly made his way inside to the boat's eating hall, wiping his shoes on the mat before entering. People were sitting around and chatting as he walked through the hall, looking around for Bruce. Not seeing him, he spotted a few men sitting at a booth playing cards and made his way towards them.

"Strange weather we're having, huh?" He heard one of them say in a thick Greek accent, placing down his cards. "Flush."

"Yeah, it was nice just a few minutes ago and now it's pitch black outside," another man agreed, placing his cards down as well. "Full house."

"μαλακας," the first man swore under his breath, begrudgingly pushing his chips towards the other man.

"Pardon me," Alfred greeted, turning the heads of the men. "By any chance have you seen a young boy walking around here? He has black hair and is wearing a gray collared shirt."

"I think I saw him go down to the lower level," the winner of the hand answered, gathering his chips.

"Thank you," Alfred said, nodding to the men before heading for the stairwell.

Making his way down the stairs he noticed the sound of chatter slowly get quieter and quieter behind him until it was just silence. He pushed through the doors of the lower deck level and looked around the large, dark area. The boat uses this level for storage so naturally nobody is usually on this level. Everyone except his charge, it seems.

Alfred could hear the heavy sound of rain pouring from outside as he stepped around crates and wandered through the large room. He called out Bruce's name multiple times but received no response. A loud boom from outside echoed through the hollow area, startling him slightly as he took a glance outside just in time to see a flash of lightning, blinding the window.

Following the flash, just as Alfred was turning away to look elsewhere, he noticed in the corner of his eye a figure outside the window. Doing a double-take, Alfred's eyes widened when he saw that not only was there a figure standing outside in the storm but the figure was none other than Bruce. The butler hurried towards the door, opening it and immediately being hit by a barrage of strong winds and pouring rain.

"Master Bruce!" Alfred called out but his voice was lost within the loud winds.

"Master Bruce!"

The second call seemed to reach his ears as the young boy turned around, startled to see Alfred standing there holding the door open and waving him over.

"Alfred?"

"Master Bruce, what on Earth are you doing out there?! Get inside this… instance…"

The butler's jaw fell open and his eyes widened at something behind the young boy. Bruce, who noticed this, slowly turned to follow Alfred's gaze and froze.

Behind him was the biggest wave he had ever seen in his life. Seemingly emerging out of nowhere from the darkness of the sea, it was the size of the boat itself and it was rushing right towards them.

"Good heavens," he thought he heard Alfred say over the sound of the wind, but frankly he was suspended in a state of shock to be able to focus on anything other than the giant wave headed towards him.

"Run Master Bruce! Quickly!" Alfred yelled out.

Bruce heard him and turned around, the look of shock on his face. Finally something clicked in his mind that told him he should do what he was told. He forced his legs out of its shocked state and began sprinting towards the door. He could feel the looming wave behind him closing in on them as he pushed forward, running as fast he could.

"Master Bruce, take my hand!" the butler shouted, extending his hand out while keeping the door propped open with the other.

"Alfred!" Bruce shouted back, reaching forward to grab the hand.

And then the wave hit.

Just as Alfred was about to grab the hand of his charge, the side of the boat was hit with the full force of the giant wave. The entire boat rocked and Alfred stumbled back, right into the waiting path of the hard metal door being slammed closed by the weight of the water. The blunt force of the door on the butler's head knocked Alfred back inside, and all he could see as he fell was the world around him fading away into darkness.

The last thing he saw was Bruce being engulfed by the wave.

Water.

There was so much water.

Bruce hadn't felt the fear of dying since that fateful day two years ago that changed his life forever. The memory was still as clear as day and was the only thought on his mind. He still remembered the exact moment the feeling of fear had hit him. It was also the exact moment he knew that he would be alone.

Just as he was now.

Water rushed all around him, trying to enter his lungs as he forced himself up for a much needed breath of air before being pushed right back into the water.

The only reason he hadn't drowned yet was due to the fact that he was an excellent swimmer and was able to hold his breath for longer than the average ten year old. But still, he was only human and nothing could have prepared him for this.

Bruce felt his body being jerked around by the harshness of the sea, forcing him in deeper. It was as if there was someone purposely keeping him submerged in the water. He felt his lungs begin to burn from holding his breath for so long and his body screamed for another breath of air. Desperation overcame him and Bruce swam upwards as best he could before he had to succumb to unconsciousness.

He was about to reach the top when another wave crashed down over top of him, forcing him back into the depths of the sea. And even though he still kept trying, it was this moment where he knew he was going to die.

Him, 10-year-old Bruce Wayne, the last member of the Wayne family, was going to die.

And he was terrified.

But then, just as his eyes were about to close he felt something grip onto his arm and pull him towards the surface. Forcing his eyes open just a little longer, he saw that what grabbed his arm wasn't someone's hand but a talon.

His last thought before falling into unconsciousness was a strange one.

Did he just get saved by an owl?

The next time Bruce opened his eyes, his first instinct was to cough hard as his lungs gasped for oxygen. He lay there on his back for a few moments, catching his breath, before forcing himself on his knees and looking around.

He was on a beach somewhere on what looked like a huge island. Rain was still pouring down from above which made it hard to see in the distance, but Bruce was able to make out a forest somewhere up ahead. There didn't seem to be any person insight, and more importantly, no owl either.

Shaking his head, Bruce forced himself to his feet, feeling slightly nauseous and lightheaded, and wiped the wet sand off his hands and soaked clothes. Of course there was no owl. He must have been hallucinating as he was falling unconscious. The waves probably washed him up onto the beach.

Suddenly he remembered he wasn't the only one who might have been washed away by the wave.

"Alfred?" he called out, looking around for his butler. Was Alfred alright? Did he get washed up on the island too? He couldn't remember if Alfred had gotten swallowed by the wave or not.

Either way, he was all alone.

Bruce decided the smartest idea would be to find a place to rest for the night and maybe find help if the island had any inhabitants.

He started towards the forest, his first step being a near tumble back to the ground. Bruce grit his teeth and forced himself forward. A cold wind blew by, making him shiver in his wet clothes as he stumbled his way into the safety of the forest.

Wandering through the dark, rainy woodland, Bruce felt a strange sense of comfort here, despite his poor condition and the rough situation he was in. It was as if there was something magical about the forest, though, he wasn't one to believe in magic. One closer look at the vegetation and he noted he couldn't recognize any of the trees or plants. He started to wonder just how far the waves had pushed him from civilization.

Bruce walked through the forest for what felt like an hour and finally he spotted a clearing up ahead. He dragged his exhausted legs forward until he emerged from the forest and found himself in a small open area. There was a pond to his right and up ahead an entrance to a cave on the side of a small mountain. Without a second thought, Bruce headed for the dry shelter.

Once he was out of the pouring rain he immediately collapsed against the wall of the cave. He brought his knees to his chest to try to conserve body heat as he noticed his entire body was shaking. For the first time since waking up on the island, he realized the gravity of his situation.

He was lost on an unknown island, probably with hypothermia and no means of communicating with someone for help.

He was cold, wet, exhausted, dizzy, and his chest hurt from almost drowning.

And most importantly, he was all alone.

He just wanted to go home.

Bruce felt a single tear run down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away, refusing to show weakness, even in front of himself. He forced himself to lie down on the cold, hard cave floor, hoping to at least rest his eyes.

If this was the situation he was thrust into, so be it. It's not like anything good has ever happened to him anyways.

If it was up to his luck, he'll probably die here anyways. Cold, forgotten, and alone.

"You are not alone Bruce."

The light voice startled him and his eyes immediately shot open, shocked to find a woman standing a few feet away from him further into the cave. He forced himself into an upright position, slightly on his toes in case he needed to jump away as he stared at the mysterious woman with a careful eye.

The woman was tall and very attractive, with long, curly brown hair and a soft, olive skin complexion. She wore a beautiful white chiton which wrapped around her curvy form, yet also radiated a strong, fierce presence. What was the most striking about her, however, were her stormy grey eyes; compassionate but filled with an intelligence beyond this world.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled softly. "A friend. All will be explained eventually but first, you need to rest."

Before he could respond, the woman waved her hand at him and somehow his clothes were no longer soaked anymore. Instead they were incredibly warm, as if they had just been taken out of the dryer. The sudden heat warming him up let his muscles finally relax and made him incredibly drowsy as a yawn escaped his lips.

"Sleep, child. You will be safely protected," the woman said in a soft, melodic tone.

Bruce struggled to keep his eyes open, not wanting to doze off with a stranger around, but he had no energy left and he felt like the woman was trustworthy enough for now. With another yawn, he laid himself back down on the ground and curled himself into a ball. He felt himself begin to drift away, but not before asking one question.

"What...what's your name?" he asked, shutting his eyes.

The woman smiled as the young boy finally fell asleep.

"Athena."