Did you miss me? It's been a couple of years since I finished Seraphim's Run, and I've been experimenting on several things. But it's good to be back and with a brand new story.

Here's some insight on what I'm looking to do and what inspired it; in my youth, I was intrigued by Greek Mythology, (and later Norse) as a result of watching Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (shout out to Kevin Sorbo) as well as various genre of anime. I'm not looking to copy off of all that, though.

I want this to be my own story with a focus on character development, the importance of family and, of course, a healthy dose of action. You can expect some strong language and descriptions of brutal violence, nothing too bad. I'm doing this for primarily for fun, but I'd be lying if I wasn't also looking for some recognition. Okay, so maybe there's a little ego involved. (lol)

As I stated, character development is an important aspect of this story. You'll meet characters that seem somewhat one dimensional at first, but they'll grow and evolve over time in ways you might not expect. You might even grow to like them, maybe even relate to them. FYI; the cover art is AI generated but the logo is my own design.

With all that being said, the Prologue will be forthcoming. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.

(Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek Pantheon of Gods, had fallen. An unexpected calamity had erupted the likes of which had never been seen since the beginning of time. Most of the Gods had died, and only one remained. Zeus, the one time King of the Gods, seemed a shell of his former self. He was wounded, his ceremonial garb torn to shreds and blood seeping from the wounds across his otherwise chiseled body. Laying on his back, he looked up at the darkened clouds and streaks of unnatural lightning. Bits of ash rained down from above, searing into the ground. Zeus rolled to his stomach and crawled forward, and the devastation grew ever more apparent. The bodies of most of his fellow Gods littered the ground, battered and broken but at least slightly recognizable. He needed to put a stop to this madness.

As he dragged himself along the rubble, Zeus heard the call of an animal in the skies. A bird appeared from above resembling an owl, at it approached Zeus. A moment later, the owl metamorphized into a woman. She was beautiful, dressed head to toe in Greek garb that, while at one time it might have been a splendid sight, was now coated in blood and dirt. Her long light brown hair was disheveled and messy, but her clear blue eyes seemed to bring a small measure of comfort to the fallen King of the Gods.

"Zeus, my King." she spoke with a small hint of relief mixed with concern.

"Athena." Zeus acknowledged as Athena rushed to help him up.

"All of the evil and misfortunes have been released, thanks to him. I do not think we can stop him now." Athena said.

"Not everything has been released." Zeus replied, and he showed to Athena an extravagantly crafted container.

Athena recognized it instantly. "Pandora's Box. You have it."

"There remains one fundamental force within this box, and that is Hope. We cannot allow him to obtain it again, for he will destroy that Hope," Zeus explained, and he handed to Athena. "Athena, you must take the box and escape from Olympus."

Athena appeared surprised and hesitated to take the box. "But what of you, Zeus?"

Zeus placed his bloody hand on Athena's shoulder, drawing her close and telling her, "This is not about my life anymore or the life of any other god. I have seen the future, and that future lies in the hands of mortals."

"Mortals? But mighty Zeus," Athena said before she and Zeus heard a low howl from afar, and one that grew louder as it closed on the two gods. Athena, in horror, muttered, "He's coming."

Zeus took the moment to grasp Athena's face and calm her down, and he told her, "You must trust me, Athena. In time, mortals will rise to face the evils brought about on this day and they will bring hope back to the world. But it is you who must guide them. Awaken them."

"Mighty Zeus..." Athena whispered before another howl sounded out, and it was coming closer to them.

"Take Pandora's Box and go, Athena. Go now and do not look back. That is my final command." Zeus said before he started to rise to his feet, aided as he was by Athena.

Athena wished to protest Zeus' command, but he gave her a stern look as if to further emphasize his orders. But he also smiled and nodded his approval, as to tell her that he trusted her completely. Athena knew to never question the orders of the King of the Gods, and she knew there would be no convincing him otherwise. She took Pandora's Box in her hands and rushed away. With speed and grace, Athena turned back into her owl form and grasped the container in her talons before flying off into the sky. She did not dare look back for any reason, but the need to escape with her life hurt all the same.

Zeus stood tall and proud as Athena flew away until she was completely out of his sight, and then he staggered and dropped to a knee. He tried to pick himself back up as the shrieking drew closer. A ethereal mass of black smog approached Zeus. Zeus held his right hand to his side. A crackling light formed in the his palm and a bolt of lightning manifested. The smog came closer until it seemed hover over Zeus, who knew exactly what was this fiendish form. It dropped down, forming a puff of black smoke to form and envelop it, and then the smoke quickly dissipated. A tall and burly man stood before, adorned in a black and purple robe with emerald jewelry and messy black hair down to his waist. His crimson eyes stared at Zeus, who knew full well who stood before him.

"Hello, Zeus." he said with a malicious tone.

"Hades." Zeus replied with vitriol in his own voice.

Hades, the God of the Underworld, approached Zeus with a menacing gait in him step. "You looked terrible, brother. Fate has not been kind to you."

Zeus gripped the thunderbolt tighter as Hades came closer until he stood over Zeus. He crouched down to meet him face to face; his was bereft of any sympathy, a scowling visage of pure rage and malice. "Pandora's Box. Where have you hidden it?"

Zeus considered the few options he had; answer Hades' question or attack. Neither would result in positive results, but at least one was better than the other. He reared his hand back as far as he was able and tossed the thunderbolt directly at Hades. The bolt struck Hades directly in the stomach and drove him back while exploding in a shower of mighty sparks. Zeus saw his chance and threw another thunderbolt, this time striking Hades in the shoulder. The third strike however did not have the power as the first two, and Zeus' own power was diminishing. Hades at least felt the thunderbolts and was staggered, but she was stood up and stalked toward Zeus. Zeus tried to attack one last time, but Hades managed to close the distance between them and knock the thunderbolt from Zeus' hands. He grabbed Zeus by the throat and held him there, glaring into his weary eyes.

"That was unwise, brother," Hades said before throwing Zeus to the ground. He manifested a pitchfork type weapon and turned the prongs toward the fallen King of the Gods. "Last chance; where is Pandora's Box?"

But Zeus glared at the God of the Underworld and, with complete defiance and even a wry chuckle, replied, "You are already too late, Hades. Pandora's Box is long gone from here. You will never have it."

Hades snarled upon hearing the revelation and, with a deft thrust, plunged the pitchfork directly through the chest of Zeus. Blood seeped out of the wound as well as from Zeus' lips all while Hades grasped his silvery hair and glared into his eyes. "I will raze this world to the ground. I will eradicate every single remaining creature that still lives. I will have Pandora's Box and I will destroy the Hope within."

Still defiant, Zeus spat his own blood onto Hades' face and replied, "Perhaps you may, but in time, brave mortals will rise to defend both this world and Pandora's Box from your evil. That is my promise to you... brother."

Angered by those final cryptic words, Hades forcefully pulled from Zeus' wound and reformed into the black smog before flying away. Zeus was left alone on the war torn field, a pool of his own blood forming around him. He smiled at his Pyrrhic victory, even as he collapsed to the ground. Looking up toward the darkened clouds and as his last breath left him, Zeus still retained his smile. A small but noticeable ray of light pierced through the clouds, and that was all Zeus needed to know that his efforts were not in vain.

"Athena... it falls to you now. You must... awaken... them." He said weakly, and those were his final words before passing away, as all of Mount Olympus and the Greek world itself burned to ashes.))

Author's Note: This story is also available on a separate site. Private message me for more information. Feedback is appreciated.