I want to begin this story by asking you to please forget about the familial relationships in both Greek mythology and HTTYD. Only a select few of those are being kept due to the alternative leading to awkward situations later or just not working with this story. I changed a lot of history for their universes. So mostly, the characters are being put into this world that was made to accommodate the crossover. With that out of the way, please enjoy!

Ancient Greece. Home to gods, demigods, mortals, and monsters. So many monsters. It seemed like the lands would never be free of attacks from violent giants, centaurs, minotaurs, or anything else that looked at a mortal and saw a meal. It caused the Greeks to be in near-constant battles. Even the grand city of Athens was not spared and it was home to some of the greatest warriors. Regardless, there were giants one day who were ready for a meal. They hungrily looked at the crowd of people and prepared to grab one, but they had underestimated the Athenians.

A tall, young man with a reddish-orange ponytail charged at the monsters. With a leap, he dug his sword into one giant's side, causing it to cry out. The sound was loud enough to make the ground rumble. Most of the people nearby continued to run, but he did not. He stayed until the job was complete. It was the work expected of heroes. Mortals either defeated monsters or got eaten by them. It was the way it had always been. That was why two cousins were so anxious. One of them was a stocky boy with dark hair mostly kept underneath the hide of a lion. He was impatiently waiting for his ax to be sharpened.

"Come on, Hiccup," he said, arms crossed. "Achilles is going to kill all the giants by the time I get out there."

Near him was a much smaller boy. Brown bangs got in his eyes as he kept his head low. He was diligently sharpening the weapon, but he could not stop his hands from trembling. Outside, the sounds of death were all too noticeable.

"It's almost done, Snotlout," he stated, trying to remain calm.

This caused his cousin to frown and glance around. "Don't call me that!" he said in a harsh whisper. "Someone might hear you."

"We're in the middle of an attack. Do you really think they'll care?"

"Yes! That'll make them care. Have to keep up the right image. Why do you think I'm wearing this?"

Snotlout gestured to the lion and Hiccup sighed. He handed over the weapon.

"Fine. Good luck, Heracles."

"Don't need luck, Daedalus," the warrior said, puffing up. "I've got pure skill."

Getting a better grip on the weapon, Snotlout ran towards the sounds of carnage. He could see Achilles still fighting with the giants, but most had been slain. The boy tried to not get too discouraged by that. A few monsters remained that he could kill. Spotting one, Snotlout hurried over and slashed the back of the creature's leg. It yelled out, doing so once more when the ax was brought onto its other leg. This caused the giant to fall onto the ground with a mighty thud. It could not stand back up to rejoin the battle. Seeing this, another giant came to avenge the fallen comrade. Snotlout rolled out of the way of an enormous sandal. Speedily, he climbed up the giant's tunic, avoiding the swats to stop him. He dug his ax into the nape of the monster's neck. This made it cry out and start to fall. The boy leapt back to the ground in triumph.

"Yeah! Snotlout, Snotl–I mean, Heracles, Heracles! Oi, oi, oi!"

Delighted, he started getting distracted. He was too excited by the victory to notice another giant's hand that was about to get him.

"Watch out!" Hiccup called out, running over.

Snotlout turned in surprise at the voice and his eyes widened when he saw the reason for this warning. He dove to the grass, pushing his cousin into the ground in time to prevent him from getting crushed. The giant tried to smash them into a fine powder with its palm, but Snotlout was able to use the ax's blade to stop it. Still, the giant's hands were rough. It did not react to the blade at all. The most the warrior could do was try to keep it from pushing further.

"What are you doing out here?!" he asked, looking over at Hiccup in frustration.

The smaller boy was trying to flatten himself into the grass as much as possible to be away from the giant.

"You were about to get killed!"

"No, I wasn't! I was celebrating!"

"The battle's not over yet!"

"Well, I know that now!"

Yelling, Snotlout used his feet to help push the blade more. It cut deeper into the giant's palm. With a yell, the monster moved back and licked at its wound.

"Go back home!" Snotlout ordered, frowning at Hiccup. "You don't belong out here."

The other boy wanted to protest, but he knew his cousin was right. He started running back to the home as Snotlout got ready to deal with the monster. The stockier boy ignored how fast his heart was beating. That did not matter. He was a warrior. A hero. Or at least he would be soon. He just needed to be noticed. Suddenly, Snotlout's eyes widened. The giant fell to the ground, leaking red over the grass and dirt. Standing on his back was Achilles. Snotlout looked around in a panic and saw that there were no more giants. He had missed his chance.

"Achilles!" some people cheered. "You saved us!"

They crowded around the hero, patting his back and offering expressions of gratitude. Throk did not look particularly thrilled by their reaction, but he offered a polite smile.

"It was my pleasure to help."

"Hey," Snotlout called out. "I helped too." He pointed to the bloody giant duo. "Those giants over there are dead because of me."

It was like he had not even spoken. The young man was going to say something to him, but the crowd was too loud and ushered him away to receive free food and drinks. Snotlout glared after the group.

"Stupid Throk," he grumbled.

Kicking the ground, he stormed back home and brushed past Hiccup. The other boy had seen what happened, but he was still just impressed that Snotlout had been able to do all that he did. Returning home in the middle of a battle was shameful. It was a fate that Hiccup knew his cousin would never experience. He was strong. Being strong was something Hiccup knew he would never experience either. Soon, the only sound was of the cheering crowd outside. It was quiet inside the home as Hiccup tried to sharpen more weapons and Snotlout went back to training. The silence ended when a man entered. He had dark hair and was much taller than them both. Some people were beside him, chuckling.

"See you around, Patrocolus."

The man did not return the farewell. When he slammed the door, a glare was on his face. He eyed Snotlout angrily.

"Why did I see Throk out there getting all the glory?"

Snotlout's eyes were low and he spoke quietly. "Sorry, Dad. He got to the giants before I could."

"That's no excuse. They're giants. Plenty to go around. Throk really did all this by himself? You can't be that weak, Boy-o."

"I got two of them."

"I saw a dozen."

"Well…I-I would've been out there faster if my ax was ready."

As soon as he said it, Snotlout cringed. His father turned his glare to Hiccup who flinched slightly under the scowl.

"And why wasn't it ready, Hiccup?"

"You and Snotlout use a lot of weapons over the course of a day," he said timidly. "I try to sharpen them all, but it takes time."

"What's the point of you being here if you aren't going to be useful?" the man asked harshly.

Hiccup went silent, eyes on the weapons he was still preparing. He did not want to raise his gaze to his uncle. He could already feel the heat from the man. Patrocolus huffed and turned.

"Achilles should've been my son or nephew instead of my cousin. He just makes this side of the family look pathetic."

With that, he heavily walked to his room and slammed the door shut. Hiccup still was just looking at the weapons.

"Thanks for that," he said sarcastically.

Some guilt hit Snotlout, but his father was far too close for anything resembling an apology to be given. "It's not my fault you sharpen weapons slowly. You just do that while Dad and I have to keep the city safe. You have it way easier than we do."

Hiccup did not say anything else. He did not because he felt that his cousin was right. The role of a warrior was irreplaceable. Anyone could learn how to sharpen and make weapons. Not just anyone could become a hero. When he finished with the blades, he set them aside and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" Snotlout asked. "There could still be some more monsters outside."

"If there are, they probably won't eat me. I wouldn't make much of a meal."

Snotlout did not try to stop him as he left the home. It never felt like a home anyway. It was just where Hiccup had lived for the past ten years. Ten very long years. The entire city was no home to him. Athens or Berk. Whatever the outsiders and residents wanted to call it–it was all the same to him. It was all a way to remind him of his own shortcomings. So, quite often, the boy would do as he was currently doing. He would go to a temple. Many were in Athens. Many were visited by the boy. There were multiple people at this one, which was expected but never enjoyed. When they saw Hiccup, they chuckled.

"You're wasting your time, Daedalus. She'll never answer your prayers," someone said.

"I'm surprised she doesn't smite him for thinking otherwise."

Someone else did a poor job of whispering. "I saw him at Zeus's temple a few days ago. It was pitiful. As if the king of gods would ever notice him."

A few more people spoke like this, but Hiccup tried to not think of them. Instead, he just walked up to a statue of a young woman, closed his eyes, and knelt down like he always did. He never prayed aloud. That would just cause more mockery.

"Wise Athena," he silently prayed, "I beseech you. Please help me become a strong warrior like the rest of your champions. I want to help keep your city safe. I want…I want to be useful. Even if I can't be strong, can you make me strategic or wise in war? There has to be some reason I'm alive. I have to be good at something."

Hiccup opened his eyes, looking at the statue. It did not glow. He was not even sure if it was supposed to do that. Occasionally, he heard stories about it glowing for special individuals, but it never did when he was close enough to see. Like usual, he sensed nothing. He did not believe what the other Berkians said. They thought that his prayers were ignored. His prayers were always answered. It was just that the answer was always a resounding no. Hiccup stood up and returned home. That night, he thought about what he could do. Maybe he was a frail person and was not very coordinated, but that did not have to mean he should give up. No, that was the true sign of shame. He would persevere.

The boy took out a scroll and began to draw. What he needed was an idea–something that could even bring pride to Mount Olympus if they ever took time out of their busy but endless days to see him. He scribbled ideas all throughout the night. Hiccup must have even been dismissed by Hypnos and Morpheus. The promise of sleep was not enticing to him and he did not care about dreams that night. He needed to be conscious for this. By the time Helios brought his chariot over the sky, Hiccup had not been asleep even for a few minutes. Snotlout yawned and got out of bed. His eyebrow rose when he saw the pile of scrolls on the ground.

"Uh, Hiccup? Have a busy night?"

"I did it," the boy said, quiet and shocked.

"Did what?"

"I came up with how I can do this–how I can make a difference!"

"What did you do?"

Snotlout went over to look at the scrolls. He squinted in confusion at what he saw.

"Are those…wings?"

"Yeah!" Hiccup exclaimed excitedly. He held up the scroll to show him. "They're going to be made of wax. I'll use them to fly, then I can spot monsters long before they come here. I'll give you the warning and you can fight them off before Throk even knows they're here."

Snotlout scratched his head. "People can fly?"

"We will when I'm done with these. I could even make some for you and Uncle."

"If they work, sure," Snotlout said, shrugging. "I'll take some wings. Don't see the harm in flying around like a Pegasus."

"The only problem is that I think I'll need some divine intervention for this to work."

"Bye bye wings."

"I can still do it," Hiccup insisted, frowning. "I just won't ask Athena. I'll ask…Hephaestus. He's a blacksmith like I am."

"But he doesn't fly."

"No, but he builds. I pray to him a lot too."

"Does he ever help out?" Snotlout asked, already knowing the answer.

Some hope faded out of Hiccup's eyes. "He hasn't yet."

"And he's probably not going to. Face it. You're not on any god's favorite list."

Hiccup started to frown. "And you are? How many times have you prayed to Artemis for hunting tips?"

Snotlout's cheeks flushed red. "That doesn't count! She just didn't pick me because I'm not a girl."

"She's helped out male warriors too."

"Well, she didn't help me because…" The boy stopped, face turning to a pout. "Shut up, Hiccup. Hephaestus still isn't going to help out."

"I guess we'll just see what happens. Maybe if I build these near one of his temples, he'll be more likely to help."

"Whatever you have to tell yourself."

Resolute, Hiccup grabbed his scroll and left the home. He bathed in a river, then quickly went towards one of the crafter god's temples. The boy had never worked so passionately in his life. He had wax and melted it in pots heated by fire. Hephaestus was the god of fire too, so Hiccup hoped this was going to earn him some more favor. Using metal, Hiccup began creating the skeleton for the wings. When this was done, he dipped them in the hot wax. This process was completed several times, waiting for them to cool before he dipped again. It took a while, but he was willing to wait. He carefully attached the straps so that people would be able to tie themselves into the invention. Once the day turned to dusk, Hiccup had his wings.

"I made wings," he remarked, genuinely surprised. "Hephaestus, if you're listening, I beseech you and hope that you'll bless these wings. I think they'll be able to keep a lot of Berkians safe. They can probably help other Greeks too. I'd be happy to bring these all over. Just…please help me out with this. I've never done this before."

Hiccup closed his eyes, trying to pray even harder. Just once, he wanted the answer to be yes. It was not as if he was trying to hurt anyone who was innocent. He just wanted to protect people. That could not be too much to ask for. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He heard something.

"Hephaestus?" he asked, turning in excitement.

Immediately, the excitement vanished. Before him was no god, it was a cyclops. The boy's heart nearly stopped and he took several steps back, almost tripping over his own feet.

"Y-you don't want to eat me," he said. "I'm all bones. You'll be starving when you're done."

The cyclops just licked his lips. "Where are you going? I never said I was going to eat you. My name's Abnar. Just come over here and we can talk."

Hiccup continued to move back, heart pounding in his ears. The cyclops was tall and looked strong. Hiccup was sure that he was fast too–at least faster than he was. Regardless, he had to try. Hiccup took off running. He heard the thuds of each step the cyclops took. His single eye was trained on the boy. He was gaining on him. Hiccup helplessly looked at the wings. Hephaestus had not granted them any power, but maybe…just maybe they would work. His only other option was to keep running until he was eventually caught. Taking a chance, Hiccup ran while strapping his wings and the harness around his arms and chest. He fumbled with the straps, but he managed to not drop them. Once they were on him properly, he began flapping like a bird. A gentle breeze came and for once, the boy thought that he was experiencing divine favor. It was working. The inventor kept flapping, feeling as his feet left the ground. He started to fly higher and higher. He was going to escape this creature. Then he remembered that fortune did not smile on mortals like him.

It hurt. Hiccup felt fangs around his left knee. They were piercing his skin and muscles. It almost felt like the bones were breaking. No, they definitely were. It was excruciating. The boy cried out in pain and stopped flapping. He fell to the ground, hitting it hard. Stabbing pain was hitting him from all sides. Hiccup began to feel light-headed. Through hazy vision, he saw the cyclops with his jaws full. It made the boy as queasy as he was terrified.

"I'm going to be eaten alive," he thought, starting to lose consciousness. When he spoke, his voice was weak. "A-Athena…Hephaestus. Zeus…p-please."

It was another beseechment that he was sure would not be answered. Hiccup was almost unsure why he was wasting his time. He probably did not have much left anyway. Overwhelmed by pain, his eyes closed and the world around him went silent and noiseless. Somehow, it did not remain this way. Hiccup did what he did not think would be likely. He sensed the world again. There was something cool and wet on his cheek. Still barely conscious, the boy swatted. When he did, he felt fur. That caused him to slowly open his eyes. They widened in shock when he realized that he was looking into the green eyes of a giant, red wolf. Hiccup yelped and started to get up to run. As soon as he tried to put weight on his left leg, he fell. Before he could hit the ground this time, the wolf's paw caught him. Hiccup was plopped onto the ground so that he was sitting. From his peripheral vision, he saw that his left leg was missing from below the knee.

The boy's breaths started speeding up. He was not sure if he was panicking more from the lost limb or the mystical beast in front of him. He started to think of the reason that he had this injury and looked around in a panic. Jolting, he saw the cyclops, but he was dead. His large eye was lifeless and he had claw marks that had created deep gashes over his body. Hiccup looked between him, where his leg used to be, and the wolf.

"You don't have to worry about that guy anymore."

Hiccup blinked, becoming more shocked even though he thought it was impossible. The wolf was talking to him.

"I died," he said, putting his head in his hand. "That's it. I'm dead and this is some weird part of the Underworld. Nobody gave me a coin. Spitelout probably didn't want to waste one. He won't even help me pass over."

"Why do you think you're dead?" the wolf asked, confused. Suddenly, he sat back. "Oh, right. Giant wolf. I guess that would be weird."

Instantly, the creature shrunk. It turned into a normal-sized wolf and happily wagged its tail. Hiccup just looked at the animal.

"This isn't really less weird," he commented.

The wolf let out a small scoff. "Picky. Is this better?"

Again, it transformed. The wolf turned into the form of a human. He was significantly taller than Hiccup, looked a couple years older, and kept the red hair that was almost hidden underneath a golden helmet.

"You're an immortal," Hiccup said quietly. "You have to be, right?"

The stranger nodded, grinning. "Right."

"Are you Hephaestus?"

This made his smile fall. "No. We don't look anything alike."

"Sorry," the boy responded sheepishly. "I've never seen him in-person. Are you Zeus?"

The immortal laughed at that. It was a wild sort of laughter that Hiccup had never heard. That alone could have told him that the being in front of him was not a mere mortal.

"You're going to get us both smote for that one."

"Okay, so definitely not Zeus." Hiccup got quiet, feeling unsure and a little worried. "I'm guessing you're not Athena or Hera."

"Not the last time that I checked."

"Apollo? I've prayed to him."

The immortal shook his head and Hiccup started to feel bad as well as anxious. He had no idea who this was. It was not his intention to offend the immortal, but he was sure this was what would happen if he continued. The stranger began looking bored.

"You're taking too long to guess," he said. "I'll give you some clues. I'm the spirit of battle that fills the heart of every good soldier." His bright green eyes started to twinkle, glowing below his helmet. "I'm the bloodlust that forms powerful warriors. I'm the embodiment of all the brutality other gods and mortals don't want to face. I'm the god of war!"

Hiccup felt the blood drain from his face as realization dawned on him. "Y-you're…Ares."

Nilva123 gave me the idea to include some brief facts about the actual mythical characters and I thought that sounded really fun! For Hiccup, his character, Daedalus, is the father of Icarus and the crafter of the same wax wings he made here that allowed them both to fly. He was known as a genius crafter/architect. He is known for another tale too, but we'll get to that in a few chapters. Also, Achilles and Patrocolus really were cousins, so that part is true, but they were not Athenians. When Patrocolus was young, he killed another child, so he was sent to live with Achilles's and his father. I thought that could fit with Spitelout being a bad egg. I hope you had a fun time reading this!