I wake up… or at least I think I am. This place doesn't look like my home; It's all white, the ceiling is kind of far away. I stand up, the floor is freezing, making me jump a bit. I still have on the pair of shorts I went to bed.

“Don’t be afraid. Everything is alright.”

“Who are you?” The voice is disembodied, I can’t see where it’s coming from.

“Who are WE dear?” Comes another.

“Wh-What?”

“Three of us to be exact.” Comes yet another.

“I- I would like to know what’s going on. Please.” This is all very confusing. Out of what I suppose are the walls, comes three women. Cloaks over their heads I can't see any facial features whatsoever. One has a spindle with some thread on it, another looks like she is measuring some of that thread. And another has a pair of scissors. I think I have an idea who they are.

“Hmm. You know who we are yes?” asks the one with the scissors.

“I think so. The Fates? Right?” I ask hesitantly

“Very good James. So smart.” Says the one in the middle. I can see the bottom of her face, and she smiles.

“James,” This time it’s the first one. “Since the day you were born we’ve known everything that ever did and everything that will ever happen to you.”

“Ok… But what does that have to do with me being here?”

“This has everything to do with you. You see, we foresaw all that has happened to you, even this meeting. Now it is time for a new adventure.”

“What do you mean? I’ve never… gone on any adventure… I don’t think so anyway.” My life has been uneventful up to this point. I'm not quite sure what they mean when they say a ‘new adventure’.

The one on the end pulls up her hood, and it is strange, so much so I have to take a step back, and I want to throw up. She is a skeleton. Her entire skull is exposed, But I can still make out her facial expressions. SHe smiles.

“You’re probably thinking to yourself you haven’t gone on an adventure; that your life has been uneventful. But that isn’t true. SInce the day you were adopted, you have been different, thought different. A loner, self reliant. This first adventure you’ve been on has existed to train you for your new one. You are ready for your new one. Now no more time can be wasted. Follow us.” They all turn, the skeleton pulling her robe back over her head. I have nothing else to really do, so I follow them.

A door opens and we are in what looks like that big greek building… the one in Athens… Damnit, I know this one… Pan- par- Parthenon! It looks like that, but almost limitless. There are hundreds of torches and fires lit illuminating the stone. Up ahead, there is a man hammering away at something, but from where I am now, I can’t exactly see.

When we get closer, I can see. He is a large man, immensely so. Hes has no shirt on, just a robe to protect him from the sparks coming off his work. His left leg is very shriveled however, there is a brace on it.

“This is where we leave you James. We would wish you the best of luck, but that might give you the idea everything from here on out is easy.”

“Will it?”

“We will let you figure that part out yourself. Hephaestus, here is your champion.” And the fates walk away.

Hephaestus turns to face me. His face is worn, he has a beard that stretches down to the top of his broad chest. He is mostly bald on the top, save for a few wisps on the top of his head.

“So… You are James. Do you know who I am boy?” His voice is deep and filled to the brim with power.

“Yeah… Hephaestus. You make Zeus's Thunderbolts right?”

“Exactly. I am the God of the forge. Would that give you an idea wof where we might be?”

“Under Mount Olympus? But how? I thought all of this was just a myth.”

“HAHAHAHA!” Oh. Does this come off as a myth to you?” He hartily laughts as he puts his hand on my shoulder. It feels real, this has to be real, this can't be a dream.

“My boy, this is as real as the bed you sleep on at night, and as real as the history you read. Just because you can't see something doesn't make it false. Plato made that point over two thousand years ago.”

“I guess. But why am I here? I’m still in the dark about that.”

“This way my boy.” we walk over to a large stand with what I suppose is armor on it.

“This is the armor which will allow you to begin your adventure.” It looks like a full body suit, The pants area is blue on the inner leg, and red on the outside, and the same design goes up to the upper body. The arms are all red and the boots are all blue. The mask area is red, but it's covered by a blue hood. The eye area is tinted yellow. It looks really cool.

“This armor, I have been working on it for years. So I hope you like it.”

“Thank you. But how do I put it on?”

“Simply place your hand upon it, and it come to you. The mask can come off, with but a thought.”

I walk up to it, and touch it. Suddenly, the armor turns black and slides up my armor. It's cold, but it feels right. It slides over me. I imagine the mask and hood down, and they become so. I turn to Hephaestus with a smile.

“Thanks. I have no idea how to thank you.”

“Oh, don’t thank me yet my boy. Best of luck on your adventure.” And the world starts fading. Suddenly it's dark, but the world feels different. It feels like cloth, like bedsheets. I start to move, nothing is forcing me down. I walk and walk and walk, for what feels like five minutes. Suddenly, I feel a cool breeze. I pull my mask back up, having no idea what to expect. What I see is bewildering. Laid out in front of me is a floor that looks like a carpet, far off, there are two frames, one facing me, one facing in. Looking up, the sky is grey, and looks miles and miles away, farther than normal. I can see massive structures, three to be exact, one tall, one long and the closest one to me small and short. I sit down on the edge of whatever it is I am standing on, and think.

Where Am I? This place is too static to be outside. That would mean I’m inside. But I can’t fathom what happened. There exist only three possibilities: That I am dreaming, and this has all been a dream. Two, I am in some very elaborate hoax. Or three, I am in a new environment. The dream idea can’t be, it just can’t be. This hoax seems way to elaborate to be possible. If I am in some new environment, What could it be?

BOOM! What could that be. Earthquake? I stand up and take a step back from the edge of the bed.

BOOM! Again, this time I feel it.

BOOM! This was faster than the last one. The hell could that be!?!

CRACK. Light filters in, and it is followed by a shadow. And What I see is so impossible, this has to be a dream. The lights snap on in this room, and I stumble back onto my but.

I am in my room, and my mother is in my room. And she is either massive or I have shrunk. This has to be impossible.

My mom is barely dressed. She has her favorite robe on which goes down to just about her waist. She has a pair of blue panties and underwear. SHe has a mug of coffee and she looks barely awake.

“James? Where’d you go?” Her voice sounds like thunder. Like the volume is all the way up and I can't turn it down. My mother starts to walk over to my bed. The force of her walking is simply tremendous, and makes it nigh impossible for me to stand up.

I have to think. She is getting closer. If she sees me, what will she do? Better question is what if she dosen’t? I'd rather her not find me right now. If she see’s me, it will be on my terms.

“Compliance master.” A robotic voice says in my head. The fuck is that. I look at my arm, and the costume turns black, the same shade of my blanket. This thing is sentient!

Looking up, My mother is here. And She is turned around; I need to get out of here, She’s sitting down. I get up and try to run. I can see the shadow, and I'm meeting it in the middle; every step I take, the shadow comes closer. I need to hurry.

I would have made it. But I don’t. I trip. FUCK! I turn around, and My mother's thinly blue clad ass fall on me, crack dead center.