Everyone knows the story of Hercules. He is the son of Zeus, the King of the Gods and of and Alcmene, a mortal woman. Hercules was born in the land of Cadmia and grew up to be a legendary hero. He was a man with a strength nothing on Earth could match. He would become the greatest hero of them all. Hercules fought against monsters and demons, all in the service of humanity. In time, he challenged the gods themselves. He was often at odds with the Olympians themselves, such as the Sun god Apollo and the wicked Hera, Queen of the Gods. Hercules fought against Giants such as Anteus and even fought against the fearsome Amazons, the legendary warrior women that few fighters could stand against. He would even battle the Titans, the seemingly invincible ancient enemies of the Olympian gods. This is one of the stories taking place in the hero's youth, before he began his amazing adventures...
The day comes and Hercules steps out of his home in Thebes. It's just another day in his life. He has recently turned eighteen. Hercules is a young man now. He stands six feet two inches tall, lean and rather wiry. He has black hair and pale green eyes. Nothing about him looks out of the ordinary. Hercules took considerable pains to hide his true nature from the ordinary mortals around him. Since he was born, he has had the strength of about a hundred men. His strength increased as he grew older. The body of Hercules is half mortal and half divine. The divine part of him comes directly from Zeus, his father. The power of the Thunderer lives inside the demigod who calls him father. As such, Hercules was impervious to what could hurt an ordinary man. His body could not be pierced by any blade or sharp object. It could not be crushed. Also, fire could not harm his flesh. He was simply invulnerable. Aside from his superhuman strength and invulnerability, Hercules did not differ from the people around him. He did not have superior stamina or agility. Indeed, other than his great strength and invulnerability, he was quite average.
Hercules was raised in the house of Amphitryon, a member of the royal family of Thebes and a cousin of king Eurystheus. Amphitryon was the leader of the Theban army. He had married Alcmene in his youth and had a son with her, Iphicles. When Iphicles was only ten, Amphitryon went away on a military campaign and the god Zeus assumed his form in order to seduce Alcmene. Zeus seduced Alcmene and their passionate night left her pregnant with Hercules. Amphitryon found out that the god Zeus had bested him and seduced his wife. He wasn't particularly happy with that fact. Indeed, he was very bitter toward both Alcmene and Hercules for years to come. He viewed Hercules with distrust and fear. Hercules didn't care much for his stepfather. He preferred to spend time with his teachers and friends. He developed a liking for the arts and his mother encouraged that. Hercules tried his best to conceal his super powers. He did not want the people of Thebes to fear him. Everyone knew that Hercules was the son of Zeus. People watched him with suspicion and awe. Hercules always behaved like an ordinary man should. He used to think of his super powers as a curse. They were what made him different from everyone else and there was a time when he wanted to be rid of them.