There are many virtues that were once upheld in Ancient Greek culture. It was Kleos, the need for glory, that lead the army of Greeks to follow Menelaus and Agamemnon to Troy in Homer's Iliad. It was Xenia, the virtue of hospitality, that prohibited Telemachus and Penelope from turning away suitors in Homer's Odyssey, and it is Eusebia that lead Alcestis to sacrifice her life for her the life of her husband, Admetus. Eusebia is an overarching phrase that represents many virtues, but overall, it is the code of social duty Greeks followed in Ancient times. The way Greeks treat their spouse, the members of their family, servants and others of higher or lesser power were all connected to Eusebia, especially our relationship with the gods. No one else could control the lives of mortals except the gods and the Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Eusebia instilled this knowledge as a fact into the minds of the Greeks and it was up to mortals to live their lives accordingly in order to obtain prosperity. Some mortals would try and defy the gods' power over them. Most failed.

Oedipus had tried to run from the prophecy given to him, only to gauge his eyes out when he found out the truth. Niobe had boasted of her superiority of the Titan Leto and lost her six sons and six daughters from the arrows of the twin archers. Lycaon, King of Arcadia, tried to trick Zeus, the King of the Gods, and had turned into a wolf. Eusebia instilled fear of the Gods in mortals and those who did not fear the gods suffered a tragic end. Some mortals were more cunning in their attempts to outsmart the gods and the Fates. They did not boast like Niobe, and they were not flawed with hubris like Oedipus. For example, Sisyphus, The King of Ephyra, was manipulative and deceitful. In order to avoid the Fields of Punishment when he would eventually die, he kidnapped Thanatos, death himself, and chained him under a bed. Ares rescued Thanatos and Sisyphus ended up pushing a boulder up a mountain as punishment for the rest of eternity. Orpheus was not successful in his attempts to outsmart the Fates either. He traveled to the Underworld to convince Hades to release his love only to lose her to temptation before they could reach the mortal world again.

Thanatos has always told me that the only way to escape the wrath of the Gods or too even cheat death, was to garner a God's favor. A perfect example of this is the story of Admetus and Alcestis.

Admetus was the king of Thessaly and loved by everyone - it was said that he knew all his subjects by name. When Zeus banished the god Apollo to live on Earth as a slave for a year, Apollo had turned to Admetus who provided him shelter and let him work as a shepherd. As a gift of gratitude, Apollo wrestled a lion and a bear and attached them to Admetus' chariot so he could court and marry Alcestis, the princess of Iolcus. Not only this, but when Admetus married Alcestis, Apollo gifted Admetus with the chance to cheat death if someone sacrificed their own life to prolong his. Years later when Admetus fell deathly ill, Alcestis sacrificed herself as it was her social duty as a wife and queen to preserve the life of the king. Thanatos had sadly taken Alcestis' soul to the underworld as Admetus mourned the loss of his love. There was nothing Admetus could do, Apollo had already bargained with the fates once before in order to preserve his life. He knew that defying the Fates or the gods would lead to a tragic end, making his wife's sacrifice all in vain.

The only person at the time who could defy the work of the gods or the fates was none other than the great hero Herakles. As Thanatos lead Alcestis to Persephone, in hopes that the Queen would show mercy to the virtuous couple, Herakles tackled Death to the ground and lead Alcestis to the light of day once again. Thanatos, not one to be vengeful, let Herakles and Alcestis leave so the King and Queen of Thessaly would live a happy life until Thanatos would take them both down to Hades' realm together years later. That was one of the two times Thanatos has ever let a soul leave his grasp.

Knowing Thanatos like I do, he has always been morally obligated to follow the eusebian code. He was never one to defy the power of the Fates like mortals and gods have attempted to do. The only time he has ever been lenient with the ancient laws after the story of Alcestis was in 1979: the year of the crash.

When I was born in 1971 in Manhattan, I never imagined my family would have connections to the Greek gods. I didn't think the Greek Gods even existed! My mother Rebecca was mortal and so was my Aunt Estelle. However, it was my father Rick and my Uncle Jim Jackson that were connected to the world of Greek mythology. Unknown to me at the time, the Jackson family were descendants of a child of Hecate, the greek goddess of magic, crossroads, and the mist: the veil that separated the mortal world from the world of the gods. It was why me and my cousin Sally were able to see through the mist. It was also why I was able to survive the crash.

I was eight and Sally was five when it happened. I was on the plane with my mother along with my aunt and uncle flying from Toronto - where my mother is from - back to New York City. My maternal grandfather was an architect and had spent his time between Rochester, New York, and Ontario building homes or buildings. It was why Jim and Estelle had come along for the trip, Jim wanted to work with my grandfather on a business deal. After a few days spent with my grandparents and Jim closed his deal, we were flying back on a red eye. By three that morning an issue with one of the engines lead to a fatal crash 150 miles from Lake Ontario.

I was the only Jackson to survive.

Unbeknownst to me, the child of Hecate that I descended from was granted a gift. His mother - my ancestor - is the attendant of Persephone and had made a deal with the the Queen of the Underworld. Just like Apollo had gifted Admetus, our family was gifted with the choice to preserve a life only if someone else volunteered their own in exchange. My father Rick had given my mother our family heirloom as a gift when she was pregnant with me. She knew that we were going to crash and die so she had used Hecate's gift to preserve my life in exchange of her own.

I don't remember how she did, it I don't even remember feeling the plane descend and obliterate into utter chaos. All I remember is being pressed in my mothers side in our seats on the plane then waking up in Allegheny Nation Park: alone and afraid in the dark. The smoldering hot flames of the ruble and debris from the crash only 200 yards away from where I laid.

"Mom?" I got up and observed my surroundings, "Uncle Tim? Aunt Estelle?"

"Mom?" I question again.

I start to sprint towards the flames.

"Mom! Mommy! Mom!" I start to scream.

The heat from the flames was unbearable by 150 yards away and I had to move back so I wouldn't burn myself.

"Mom!" I wailed and collapsed to the floor just as the hood of the plane collapsed in on itself.

If the heat was too unbearable almost two football fields away, I knew there was no chance my family could have survived the crash. I was all alone with no idea where I was and no idea if anyone would find me. There was nothing I could do but sob and wail for my dead mother and my relatives.

It wasn't much longer until he found me.

"You should be dead, Perseus."

I look up from where my head was curled into my knees to the vast amount of trees that surrounded me. All I could see was darkness besides the flames on my far left. The voice was unsettling. Could it be God?

"Who's there?" I try to sound strong as I called out to the unknown but I could not stop my voice from trembling.

There was a strong gust of wind. The branches of the tall trees that surrounded me rustled loudly and I stood up out of fear, frantically glancing around in the dark in hopes to see who had spoken.

" I knew there would be many souls to reap to here…" I quickly spun in a 180 degree turn towards the voice.

Several feet away from me stood a tall figure - a man - with hair as black as the night sky and skin the color of the trees that surrounded us. From the glow of the destruction behind us, I could see that the iris of his eyes was the color of molten gold. He had appeared out of nowhere and he had completely disregarded my question.

"… After all, this was supposed to be a fatal crash that would kill everyone on board…"

The man had started to stalk towards me. A loud crunch of a twig under the figure's foot caused me to flinch and cower. My tiny thin arms covered my head as I curled up into a ball on the dirt floor, hoping the figure would leave me unharmed. I did not look up until I heard the man walk past me, only to see him with his back turned and facing the tall flames of the commercial flight in front of us.

"… Yet," The man turned to look back me, a contemplative look on his face, "a mere mortal such as yourself was able to come out unscathed."

The man narrowed his golden eyes, his whole body was facing me at this point. The only color I could see was the golden slits of his irises.

"It must be the work of a god."

"A… a… a god?" I stammer.

All my life the only god I knew of was the God. The Christian God that was the father of Jesus Christ. Was there more than just Him in Heaven?

"Yes, Perseus, a god. There is no other possible way that you could have the survived that crash unless…"

"It was me, Thanatos," I turn to my right to see a women standing a few yards away from the man and I.

Her hair was as dark as the night sky above us, just like the man's hair, but her eyes were the same color as mine, an emerald green. She wore a dark purple dress only visible from her waste up to her face and her ivory skin was illuminated from the torch that she held in her left hand. From the moment I saw her, she reminded me of a witch. My intuition wasn't wrong.

"Hecate," The man did not show his surprise but I could hear it in voice, "why does the life of a mortal concern you?"

"He is my legacy, Thanatos. Over a hundred years ago I gave a gift to my son from the Queen. It was only now that the gift was finally used," The women, I think her name was Kate, explained my survival through terms I could barely understand. I had no idea what any of this meant. How did these people appear out of nowhere and who was the Queen? Were they talking about Queen Elizabeth II?

"He is able to see through the mist," Thanatos is looking straight at me now.

I don't know what else to do but stare back into his lifeless eyes.

"Yes, so can his father and cousin, another two of my legacies."

I turn to Kate when I hear her mention my dad and Sally.

"Where's my dad?"

"Then he is susceptible to the monsters of our world," Thanatos ignores me.

"He will not live past 16, I can already See."

My eyes widen in fear. I will only have eight more years to live? Kate scowls at Thanatos from where she stood, the flame of her torch rising higher.

"Not if I claim him…"

"Where's my dad?" I ask again.

"You claiming him will not stop the work of the Fates, you know this Hecate…"

"I have cheated you before Death, I can cheat you again," she growls.

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, how can Kate cheat Thanatos before death? And who were the Fates? None of them would answer my question. Was my dad gone too? The thought made me stiffen in anxiety. If my father was gone what would Sally and I do? Would we be sent to an orphanage?

"The more you violate the Ancient Laws the more likely Zeus will smite you with his lightning bolt, Witch!'

Out of nowhere a streak of lightning flashed in the night sky, the rumble of thunder following straight after. I was paralyzed in fear. The shock from the death of my mom and relatives would linger for years but the quick appearance of this man and women so quickly after the crash was only making everything worse. My breath began to hitch and my breathing started to increase. Eventually I started losing feeling in my face all while the the two adults in front of me continued to argue.

Before anything worse could happen, I had felt a soft hand sit on my shoulder. I didn't freak out like I should have. Instead, the presence that belonged to the hand on my shoulder soothed me. My breathing slowed and I regained feeling back in my head. Even the incessant arguing had stopped.

When I fully regained my bearing, I had looked up on to see Thanatos and Kate kneeling. One leg on the ground with their heads bent in servitude in my direction. Confused, I turned to look behind me to see another women, just as beautiful as Kate.

She wasn't as tall as Kate, but her hair was orange and it flowed all the way down to her waste. Her dress was light blue and long and it reminded me of the dress Cinderella wore when I watched the DVD with Sally at Uncle Jim and Aunt Estelle's house except it wasn't as puffy. She looked regal, like a Queen so I understood why the two others were bowing to her. Instinctively, I copied them and bowed as well. It made the red headed women chuckle.

"You mustn't bow to me Perseus. It's okay," she coos and wraps her arms around my small frame. It was something my mother would do if my dad yelled at me or I felt ashamed about something. It only made me miss her more and I started to sniffle a little. The burning debris was still aflame and the crash was barely on my mind as I watched the two adults fight earlier. Now as I faced it once again, all the pain and sadness came rushing back. I was full on sobbing into the new woman's neck. However, she did not push me away. She simply held me and soothed me until I was calm enough to step back and listen to what she had to say.

She simply smiled down at me then looked back up to the other adults, her facial features hardening.

"Rebecca Jackson has used our gift to exchange her own life for her son's; a selfless act that only a true mother can possess. For that, she will have the choice to be reborn or to rest in Elysium for eternity."

Thanatos and Kate nod silently, waiting for the new individual to continue. "However, her selfless act has altered the fate of her son," The regal woman glanced at me before looking back up, "Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos came to me with weighing news."

I turn back to see visible surprise on the others' faces. Who were Atropos and Clotho and why did they surprise Thanatos and Kate so much?

"Young Perseus' life is now intertwined with the other mortals of our world and we must find him protection."

"We cannot violate any more of the Ancient Laws, Persephone…" Thanatos states.

"And he does not belong in Long Island… " Kate continues.

"So then we will send him to California," The woman, called Persephone, interrupts.

"Hecate," Persephone addresses, "you will take the boy to the bay. He will survive the trials of Lupa." Hecate nods in affirmative.

"Thanatos, I need you to bless him."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"M'Lady, never in the eons of my existence have I ever "blessed" anyone. Especially a mere mortal…"

"Perseus is not just a mere mortal, Death!" Persephone hisses, "Not anymore."

"You shall give him your blessing. The Fates spoke of the great power he will possess and since the Olympians will not approve of blessing the descendant of a minor godling and my husband is bound by oath by his brothers, you are only one here who can offer something."

Thanatos glares heatedly at Persephone, the only emotion I have been able to see in his eyes tonight. But then, he smiles sarcastically, flashing his blinding white teeth and says, "your wish is my command."

Thanatos turns to me and his golden eyes start to darken until his entire eyes were completely black, the fires from the plane diminished and the darkening figure started to chant:

Με τη δύναμη που επένδυσε σε μένα

και η μεγάλη θεά Hecate

αφήστε το Θάνατο να ζήσει μέσω αυτού του θνητού

αφήστε την κατάρα να είναι φλέβες

οι εξουσίες μου είναι οι δυνάμεις του

με την ευλογία μου

The power that cursed through me caused searing pain and I started to scream as I felt something began to be engraved in my upper back. The pain became so unbearable that my vision finally began to fade and I blacked out moments later.

The last thing I saw before I was completely unconscious was the torch of Kate, glowing in the night, the red hair of Persephone that framer her face like a halo, and large black wings attached to Thanatos' back. Now that he has blessed me, would I have wings sprouting out of my back too? I would find out soon enough.

Hi, I am Percy Jackson. And this, this is how my new life began.