Rise of the New Olympians (TNOS #1)

Prologue

Eighteen years earlier. . .

A storm was brewing in the distance.

The sky rumbled. Gray clouds shadowed the city below, making the already black sky look darker and more sinister. The weather eerily matched the predicament Cronus was in, and he did not like it.

Needy cries sounded from the tiny bundle he carried with his arms. For something so fragile, the baby sure did move a lot. Cronus tucked the stray edges of the infant's blanket as a cold gale blew at their direction. Still, the baby continued crying.

If I could just silence your pleas, my child. But perhaps you also feel that the night is not in our favor.

As Cronus stared solemnly at the newborn, his friend, on the other hand, paced in front of him in panic.  He didn't walk a long distance since the alley they were in was narrow for the three of them. With that circumstance, he felt his companion's nervousness without even looking at him.

"Calm down, Benjamin," Cronus said. "The baby can sense your nervous energy. Keep yourself still."

But Benjamin didn't stop. "Calm down? How can I calm down when that maniac of a lady has finally found you?"

Cronus gently cradled the baby. "Shh. . . Calm down, little lotus."

He paused. Lotus was quite fitting for the little bundle of beauty he held. He could perfectly see the flowing red hair that she'll inherit from her late mother. The lady was a goddess sent from heaven when she was still alive: pretty, kind-hearted and brave.

He missed her.

Cronus hummed. "I shall call you Hera."

Benjamin ran a hand through his hair. "That's a great name, really, but I don't think this is a perfect time for that. We have to run away and hide you!"

"Yes. That."

"So what are we going to do?" Ben paced in front of him, his hands fidgeting. "I can't believe, after all this time, she found you! A-Are you positive it was her?"

"Yes." He touched the baby's nose, earning a chuckle from her.

"Okay, okay. . . Great!" Ben raised his hands up. "Just g-great! If she's here then that means she knows about your daughter! She'll kill you both!"

"That is why I will hide no longer," Cronus said. "It is about time I did something about it."

Ben turned to him. "Have you lost your mind? You've done a great job hiding from her for years. Why stop now?"

"Because I don't want to make the same mistake over and over again, Benjamin." Cronus sighed. "I will face her so Hera can have a normal life."

"But she'll hunt you down!" Benjamin reasoned. "Hera will be alone when you're gone, and she'll grow up without a mother and a father."

"That's why I'm counting on you to take care of her. I'll do whatever it takes to protect her." Cronus handed the baby to him. "Hera's abilities. . . they're powerful and I feel it around us, around her. They must be kept a secret."

"Must be kept a secret from who?" a chilling voice asked.

The two of them turned to see a woman standing at the side of the road, her cape billowing from the sudden breeze that came with her.

"Oh, Cronus, there you are!" the woman said. "I missed you so much! You made me worried sick when you were gone! Where were you?"

Cronus remained still, gazing at her coldly, while Benjamin stared at her with bulging eyes.

"Giving me the silent treatment, I see," she said, then turned to Ben who held Cronus' baby. "Oh! Is that your friend? And he has a baby! Can I see it?"

"I will not let you touch her," Cronus said, then turned to his friend. "Go away as far as you can. Protect my daughter at all costs."

Benjamin shook his head. "N-No! I-I won't leave you alone with that psycho!"

"Please, you must go, Benjamin," Cronus said firmly, then took something from his pocket and handed it to him. "Give this to her when the time is right."

With one last look at his only best friend, Benjamin ran off with the baby, never to be seen again.

The odds of this encounter may not be in my favor. Time will only tell.

"Do you think that you can hide her from me easily?" The lady cackled. "You're just delaying the inevitable. I will find her to the edge of the world!"

Flicking his wrists, golden circles appeared above Cronus' palms. "Not if I have anything to say about it."