THE GREEK GLADIATOR

It was an early morning and Rome was just beginning to wake up. Tradesmen were opening up their shops and the delicious smell of freshly baked bread was wafting out of the bakeries. It was going to be a blisteringly hot day. As Dylan looked down the balcony he felt happy to be in the most important city in the world, the heart of the mighty Roman Republic. People from across the globe came to admire its glory and there he was living right in the middle of it.

“Dylan, time for breakfast” his mother called out.

Woken from his daydreams he reluctantly went inside. He lived with his parents, and his two brothers in a modest house. Their family wasn’t particularly rich but it was noble. There were stories that they descended from Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the eldest gods of Greek mythology.

Dylan dreamed of becoming a “DUNKER” player but his parents had other ideas, they wanted him to become a doctor.

Dunker was game played by the local people of the town, in which six people competed with each other on untrained bulls to put a flag on the other bull’s horn.

The new Dunker team players of Rome were chosen and luckily Dylan was also selected.

Everything was going smoothly, but the same year Crallus seized control of Rome. He immediately made a list of his enemies and the people he intended to kill. Crallus was a brilliant military commander but a ruthless man and no friend of Dylan.

One night Dylan was summoned to Crallus’s  villa.

“Dylan Darkum Garcus you are my enemy. After all, your uncle Marius was one of my bitterest enemies, but I shall spare you only if you bow down to me.

“Never” Dylan said bravely

“So be it, let your parents die.” Crallus said

Dylan had no option but to listen to him

“Please do not kill them, I am ready to do as you wish” he said with a helpless tone and he bowed.

“Good” Crallus replied

“Send my pirate friends a letter that I am sending somebody whom they have to keep as prisoner for 2 years

He was taken in a ship with 12 soldiers to Pirate Isle. The pirates kept him as prisoner as per Crallus’s orders.

After he was released, one day as Dylan was walking in the forest, he found a sword forged by the gods with a blade that could never be broken.  When he picked it up, suddenly he started hearing voices he wasn’t familiar with.

“Dylan, keep this as a gift from me. Will you?” The unknown voice asked

“Who are you?”asked Dylan

“I am Zeus” he said

“I will surely keep it if you ask me to” said Dylan

“But if …..”

Before he could even complete his question, Zeus blew a gust of wind and Dylan was given magical powers. Zeus came in front of him in the form of a golden bird.

The bird said “Use your powers wisely” and it disappeared.