A crackle and a spark. That's all it took.

A laugh, a snap of fingers, a "look mom, I did something cool," a crackle, and a spark.

Minutes later, the thirteen year old boy stepped back toward the door, looking confused. "What?"

"GET OUT!" his mother screamed. Tears streamed down her face. "YOU'RE NO SON OF MINE YOU MONSTER!"

Zeus' mind was reeling. What was happening? What had happened? What had he done?

A decorative stone thumped against the door next to his head. His mother's frantic screaming became one continuous sound to his ears. He looked up at her in fear as she loomed over him.

"Get out of my house," she growled.

Zeus wasted no time scrambling out the door into the night.

-

Zeus ran his fingers over the lightning bolt tattooed on his right hand. Apart from that, he was still. It was unnaturally dark. He could hardly see the cracked asphalt beneath his feet, much less across the road to the wheat field.

The darkness grew even blacker. Tiny crackles of white sparks danced across the ground at his feet and through his clothes. He closed his eyes, listening intently to the silence.

Wind blew against him, tugging his short hair in all directions. Then he heard something else. A quiet thumping, nearly lost in the wind. The sound repeated in a rhythmic way. Footsteps.

The steps slowed slightly, growing lighter as they passed Zeus. They never stopped. Zeus didn't call to the person, whoever they were. This had happened before. The darkness slowly grew lighter as the footsteps got further away.

In the now bright light of the full moon, Zeus gazed across the street at his childhood home. He could tell his mother still lived there. The rusted white car hadnt changed in two years, though maybe it was parked a few feet further to the left than he remembered.

Zeus could feel his heartbeat, hear it in his skull. He was nervous. This was the last time he would do this. The last two years, he had shown up once every couple months to see if he would be allowed back. The answer was always the same. No.

Surely this time would be different. This time... nothing moved.

Zeus looked around in confusion. There had been wind a moment ago hadn't there? He shrugged it off and stepped toward the large white house. He froze midstep when he saw a bird suspended in flight.

Someone behind him cleared their throat. Zeus spun around. The sparks along the ground turned into snakelike branches. His normally blue eyes went white and began to glow faintly.

A man stood there. He was tall, with dark brown hair that hung limply around his face. His eyes were mismatched silver and gold. His clothes hung loosely on him, clearly showing how thin he was. He looked tired and worn, but he gave Zeus a small smile. "Evening."

Zeus glared at the strange man suspiciously. "Who are you?"

The man shrugged. "I am the bringer of choices. You have a large one to make here." He nodded to the house behind Zeus. "Is that your home?"

Zeus gave no reply. Fear glittered in his eyes. How could this stranger know he had a choice? Shouldnt it be the same as the last two years? This man hadnt showed up then. "Who are you?" He demanded again.

There was a pause before the man spoke. "Bifrons."

That was a fake name if ever Zeus had heard one. He curled his right hand as if he were holding a ball. Crackles of lightning arced from his fingers into his palm.

Bifrons watched calmly. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His eyes had an odd sense of depth as he looked at Zeus. "You should walk away. The choice awaiting you inside is not one you will enjoy."

Zeus turned away from Bifrons and looked up at his former home. "I've never enjoyed this. It always ends the same way."

"This time is different," Bifrons said, stepping up beside Zeus. "You know this, but it is not different in the way you think. It is dangerous to go back, Sparky."

Zeus turned a glared at Bifrons again. "Did you just call me Sparky?"

Bifrons turned his head. The barest hint of a smile flickered there. "Did I?"

Zeus muttered a few choice words under his breath and Bifrons chuckled quietly. Silence fell again and Zeus eyed his former home with apprehension. He didn't trust this... Bifrons any more than he trusted a mugger, but something about what he had said tugged at the back of his mind. What if he was right?

"What will happen if I ignore your warning?" Zeus asked.

Bifrons gazed at the house. "Something life altering will happen. I cant tell what, but it will change you. That's why I'm here. For better or worse, this is a pivotal moment in your life."

Zeus' lightning flickered out. He was convinced now that Bifrons wasnt going to hurt him. Neither spoke for several minutes. Finally, Zeus made his choice. "I cant just walk away."

Bifrons smiled sadly. "I know, but it was worth a shot." He stepped back and Zeus turned to watch him go.

Bifrons didn't follow the road. Instead, he walked to the small shed near the edge of the driveway. Before Zeus could decide if he should try to stop Bifrons or not, Bifrons had opened the shed door and stepped through. Just before it closed, Zeus caught a glimpse of an ocean view that definitely was not the inside of the shed.

Zeus blinked as the wind picked up suddenly. Owls hooted in the distance, and he noticed movement inside the house.

He took a deep breath and jogged down the driveway. He reached the door quickly. A quiet rustle could be heard inside. He stood there uncertainly. Was this really what he wanted to do?

He shook himself and knocked sharply. The faint sound stopped. The door remain closed. He knocked again, a bit harder.

The door opened quickly and a man Zeus had never seen before looked down at him. The man had black hair buzzcut almost down to nothing. He regarded Zeus with a suspicious look in his brown eyes. "What do you want, kid? You selling something?"

Zeus took half a step back. "Uh... no I'm not. Is... is Sophia Clipston here?"

The man snorted. "Not Clipston anymore, but alright." He turned his head and shouted into the house. "DARLING! THERE'S A BOY HERE WHO WANTS TO SPEAK WITH YOU!" He turned back to Zeus and stepped to the side. "Why dont you come on in?"

Zeus stepped inside slowly. He gazed around at the familiar walls. He noted a small black smear along the bottom of one wall that had been there since they moved in. All pictures of him were gone. There used to be one by the door. He ducked his head and wondered if this man had ever seen a picture of him before.

Sophia stepped through a doorway, opening her mouth to ask something. Her eyes widened when she saw Zeus. Fear. She screamed and stumbled back against the wall.

Zeus took a slow step forward. "Mom, please-"

"NO! NO, GET OUT!" Sophia made herself stand up straight. She glared at him with hatred and fear. "STOP COMING BACK! YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED MY SON!"

Zeus flinched. "I am your son," he said pleadingly. "Mom... I can control it now."

Sophia hadnt seemed to have heard. She gestured at Zeus, looking to the man. "It's a demon! It took my son!"

In an instant, the man had a pistol in his hands and was pointing it at Zeus. "Get out."

Zeus' heart shattered. "N-no. You don't understand. Please..."

The man hesitated, looking back at Sophia's terror, then to into Zeus' desperate eyes.

"Please."

The man's gaze hardened. "Get out." He readjusted his hands on the gun. "Or I shoot."

Zeus froze. Everything got deathly silent for several seconds. Then, suddenly, several things happened all at once.

Zeus realized exactly how much danger he was in and threw open the door. The man fired two shots, one hit Zeus in the side, the other missed. Sophia started shrieking again.

Zeus bolted down the driveway, hand pressed to the wound in his side. He heard another gunshot and felt it strike his left leg. He tumbled to the ground with a cry of pain. Another shot, this one hit his left leg again. He heard something crack in his leg and felt the bone shift. No time to worry about that now.

Zeus struggled to his feet. He couldnt run. He grit his teeth and took one slow, limping step at a time. Thunder rumbled above them. Yet another bullet struck home, this one in Zeus' back.

He almost fell, but managed to save his balance. He felt his energy drop significantly just before a crackling bang ripped through the air. Something exploded, but Zeus didnt dare look back. The explosion made his ears ring so he couldn't hear anything else.

Pain ruled his mind, but he forced himself to keep moving. Blood flowed freely from his wounds. His hand fell away from his side stained with red. Rain began to drop from the sky and more thunder crashed.

He didnt know where he was going. He just limped through the pain. The rain picked up, pouring down on his head and soaking him to the bone. He shivered.

He had no idea how long had passed or how far he had gone when he collapsed. He hit the ground with a splash, too exhausted to even make a sound. His eyes fell closed and his world went black.

-

Zeus awoke in a brightly lit, warm room. The walls were painted a rich, warm yellow. The bed he lay on was soft and completely free of blankets. Somewhere nearby, someone strummed on a guitar and sang.

Zeus groaned quietly and tried to sit up. He remembered the bullet in his back after he moved. He fell back to the bed with a hiss. None of this would have happened if he had only listened to Bifrons.

The strumming and singing stopped. "Try not to move too much," a smooth, soothing voice said. It was oddly musical, even though it wasn't tied to music. A boy not much younger than Zeus himself came into view. He had smooth, well styled golden hair and a radiant smile. His amber eyes shone with life. "You'll only make it worse."

Zeus blinked slowly, looking up at the boy. "Where am I?"

"Home!" The boy said cheerfully. "We found you outside in the field. We're just outside of Lakeville."

"We?"

The boy laughed. "My family, me, and you of course. What you thought I lived alone?"

Zeus didnt respond to this. He turned his gaze to the ceiling. He recognized the name Lakeville. He really hadn't made it far.

"I'm Apollo. Apollo Briar. My twin sister is Artemis," the boy said, going on with his cheerful chattering as he checked over Zeus' bandages. "We grow corn and wheat and stuff like that. I've been studying medical books recently, as well as music of course. Really living up to my namesake." He laughed. "Really I'm amazingly good at both. I surprise myself sometimes." The comment was offhand enough, but it was clear Apollo knew exactly what he was doing.

Zeus brought his gaze back to the golden haired boy. He was about to ask for clarification when Apollo put a hand over the bullet wound in his side. The pain faded quickly. Zeus felt something pulling slightly in that area.

When Apollo removed his hand, the wound was mostly healed. Apollo never ceased his chatter, but he did look slightly more drowsy. He moved his hands to Zeus' leg. His eyes closed and he trailed off mid sentence.

Zeus felt the bone grind against itself. Pain flashed up his leg, making him gasp. Just ask quickly, the pain was gone and the bone clicked back into place.

"Pa hasnt gotten a chance to look at you yet. Dont tell him what I did, okay?" Apollo looked at Zeus hopefully.

Zeus nodded instantly. There was no way he was going to let Apollo go through the same thing as himself. Apollo's power, however, got his mind working. Apollo was the Greek god of music, healing, archery, and the sun. This boy had mentioned being good at music, and he had just healed some of Zeus' injuries.

Zeus himself, named after the king of the Olympians, was lord of storms, wind, and lightning. Zeus had all of those abilities.

"Apollo," Zeus said slowly. "Does your sister have any... powers?"

Apollo's eyes flashed with suspicious surprise before he got control. "I dont know."

That flicker was enough of an answer for Zeus. Another idea popped into his head. "Do you know someone named Bifrons?"

Apollo hesitated. "Yeah, but his name is Janus, not Bifrons."

Another person with a mythological name. Another person with power. It couldn't be a coincidence.

I need to protect us. Someone will find out about this and hunt us down. Zeus thought. A firm resolve settled into his mind. He wouldn't let anyone else go through what he had if he could help it. "You need to keep your power secret, understand?" He said to Apollo. "If anyone finds out, it could be disastrous."

Apollo tilted his head, looking at Zeus' wounds again. "Do you have powers too? Is that why... that happened?"

A weak flicker of sparks ran down Zeus' arm in response. Apollo grinned and it made Zeus feel slightly less awful.

Apollo opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened. A short man with graying hair stepped in with an armload of bandages. He smiled at Zeus kindly. "Hey, kid. You doing alright?"

Zeus smiled weakly. "Not really, but I appreciate the concern."

The man laughed. His eyes, the same amber as Apollo's, were kind. He sat down on the edge of the bed and began inspecting Zeus. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to you?"

Zeus didn't answer for a long time. Finally, he sighed. "I was disowned a couple years ago... kept coming to see if anything changed..." he shrugged and instantly regretted it as pain laced through his shoulder. "Things changed. Just not the way I wanted."

The man put a gentle hand on Zeus' shoulder. He looked sympathetic now. "Well you're welcome to stay with us as long as you need, lad."

Zeus smiled again. "Thank you."

The man nodded, then waved a hand. "Roll over. I need to see your back."

Zeus rolled over cautiously. Despite his efforts, the motion made him dizzy. He gasped, closing his eyes. He suddenly realized how tired he was.

Zeus didn't bother to warn the man. Instead, he let himself drift off.