PROLOGUE
Long ago, in the distant land of Ancient Greece, there was a golden age of mighty gods and extraordinary heroes. The greatest and strongest of all those heroes was the mighty Hercules, who ended up marrying Megara after saving her from her fateful destiny, but everything wasn't a "happily ever after" end.
Two years later, Hercules and Megara joined their lives in a fantastic wedding that took place in the middle of the countryside. Megara gave birth to a beautiful girl named Erianthe. She was lively and very creative, and she lacked any kind of power. Instead, she possessed great artistic talent.
Three years later, Zenos came into the world. He was an identical copy of his father, Hercules, but unlike him, he did not possess an enormous strength.
All was peaceful; the four of them lived very happily together with Hercules' adoptive parents. His friend and trainer, Phil, and Pegasus. They formed an atypical family, but even so, they lived happily and well together. In those times, with no dark lord of the underworld, no monsters lurking, and no natural disasters, Hercules decided to work in a stone quarry to bring money home. On the other hand, Megara took care of her garden and grew vegetables, and once a week, she went to the market and sold some bouquets of flowers that she prepared.
But, happiness did not last long; Greece had a strong animosity with the Persians until one day war was proclaimed between the two nations.
People from all parts of Greece were called to their ranks, and city states recruited all healthy men of age to fight in battle. This time, the Greeks were going to go to Persian territory to defend some territories they had across the Aegean. So Hercules was recruited to fight in the army.
"Daddy, don't go! I'll be good, I promise! But don't go," cried Erianthe uncontrollably while she was hugging her father's legs.
"Sweetheart, I'll be fine. You'll see how, before you know it, I'll be back with Pegasus and Phil." Hercules said to her, sweetly caressing the head of his 6-year-old daughter. "Promise me you'll take care of everyone while I'm gone, promise?"
"I promise, Dad!"
"That's my girl! Take this; now it's yours". The hero handed the little girl the golden medallion with the symbol of the gods engraved on it that he was given as a baby. "Give it back to me when I return."
Erianthe held the medallion in her little hands and looked at her father.
"Yes, Dad, I will treasure it."
"Take care, my hero," said Megara, who was holding Zenos in her arms. She looked at Hercules with glassy eyes because the love of her life was going on the most dangerous mission of his life: the war.
"Oh, Meg, don't cry. I will come back; you know that." Hercules approached his wife and caressed one of her cheeks. "I will always come back to you, my love," and he kissed her in the most gentle way, trying to memorize the warmth and softness of her lips.
"Hercules, I love you; don't forget it." Megara could no longer hide her sadness and embraced her husband, but immediately the youngest of the household protested that he could not breathe. Hercules took him into his arms.
"My little Zenos! Behave yourself." He hugged Zenos and kissed him on the forehead. He immediately fell asleep, and Meg grabbed him from his father's arms.
Finally, he said goodbye to his parents, who were already old. They looked at their son with sorrow, as they did not know if they would see him again. While Hercules said goodbye, Phil prepared the bags that Pegasus was going to carry, and then he said goodbye to the whole family, especially to Eri. He had a soft spot for the little girl.
It was time to say goodbye. On the same day they were going to leave from the port of Thebes, everyone watched how the ships were moving away from the coast until they became black dots.
The village of Hercules overlooked the sea, and Erianthe stared into the distance while the ships were lost on the horizon. She begged to her grandfather, Zeus, to stop the war, but she did not get an answer.
The years passed, and Greece was sinking into misery. From an early age, children had to work to bring money home; dreams were forgotten by many, and survival was the top priority. The tyrant king of Thebes sacked every fortune "for the sake of all them". Although the situation was indeed tragic, Erianthe never lost hope and kept looking to the horizon, hoping that her father, Phil, and Pegasus would return home.
Hi, everyone! I was thinking of translating this fic into English, so I've started with the prologue!
It would take time: work, and writing the fic in Spanish…, but I will try to do it as soon as possible. So, have patience! If I can this week, I will upload a couple of translated chapters.
I hope you still like the fic and remember to leave a review to let me know what do you think.
Thank you for your support!