They froze, the man with a worried expression on his face stood in front of them, "do you need any help?" Asked the man as he leans down to their eye level.

  "Excuse me?" Mel asked, though they have not been in this world for long she had gotten used to the usual contempt, this was the first person who looked at them as children.

  "I don't mean any harm, i am Alector of Tiryns, may i ask your names?" His voice was smooth, though still sounds computer generated.

  Mel started to analyze this man, he was carrying a bag over his shoulder, a tunic which was woven of deep crimson-dyed wool, stiched with golden threads-

  "Hello?" The man ask, interupting mel's thoughts, "is there something on me which i am not aware of?" The man looks over himself checking his fine linen cloak, bleached to apale ivory, then he stops. "You do know it is rude to stare in a middle of a conversation."

  "O-oh! I'm sorry i didn't mean to stare, i was just admiring your... you." 'god why did i say that,' her nervousness is more obvious, she holds herself to stop the shaking.

  "It's quite alright," Alector chuckles, " i was simply messing around with you, now tell me your name child." He says his voice sharoer than before.

  "I-i am mel, and we just failed at becoming hunters." Mel said, dissapointment in her voice obvious, she looks down at her feet.

  "At this age you were only able to qualify as hunters?!" Alector looks over each of them, seeing the bruises and scars from the fight with lykos, "that is absurd!."

  "I'm 12 actually." Mel replied, suprised at the man's shock.

  "12?! My goodness, how outrageous where are your parents i need to have a word with them." Alector looks around, searching for their parents, he has an angry expression.

  "Um they're not here... they're um... gone." Mel said looking away at the man, she looks back, the rest of the group looked at her, their expressions had a mix of confused, questioning, and disbelief.

  "Oh i see that is the reason you just started learning," Alector looked at the group with pity, "still i can't believe you couldn't even hunt a rabbit."

  Mel looked at the man, she is confused, "what? No we just couldn't defeat the some guy." She stared at the man looking for anything that would indicate he made a mistake, but there wasn't any.

  "You do not fight a man to become a hunter, you simply hunt small creatures, then by this age you should be able to join the actual hunts." He said matter of factly, no indication at all of uncertainty.

  "No! We fought some guy named Lykos, then if we had won we would've gone through trials to become hunters!" Mel was mad at this point, he was so obviously wrong, and he was so sure at that.

  "Lykos? That man is the man for you to become hunters not hunters," Alector said, he looked at them confused as well as concerned. "Are you saying you fought Lykos the commander?"

  Before she could say anything, she realized what had happened, though what alector said translated to 'hunter' it wasn't the same as the words used to describe what they were fighting Lykos for.

  "Am i misunderstandimg something?" Alector looked at cairos questioningly, "if not, then i am very confused." He chuckled after the statement.

  "Um i think we're the one who misunderstood, sorry um sir Alector." Cairos spoke, looking at the man, he had not catch on as quickly as mel but he somewhat understood.

  "Oh alright," alector looks at the group, they were beaten and battered looking like they had to pick up discarded cloth based on their odd clothing. "How about you all stay with me, just for a short while, if that is not a problem."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Mel losing her train of thought looked up at the alector, 'why would he be this kind to random kids? Is he a predator of some kind? Is there an ulterior motive?'

  Raquel spoke before mel could, "and why would you take us in? Do you want somethimg from us?" She looked at the man, not trusting that he was just going to take care of strange kids.

  "No ulterior motive, i just feel alot of pity for you children, i mean just look at yourselves." He said gestiring at them, clothes that were ripped, black and blue bruises covered their faces and arms.

  Mel's thoughts drifted to when they met theras a couple days ago, 'So what do i care if a couple lost kids die, i mean what would we get if we do care for you.' She curled her hand then looked at the man. "Why would you help someone out of pity."

  "Because it is a choice to be either mean or kind, and i am choosing the latter, and rising above those who chose the lower." He said looking at them with a wide smile, unlike the grin of theras when they slayed the lion, no it was a kind smile.

  "A choice huh?" Mel understood his statement, she had heard this statement over and over back home from her mothers, but she couldn't comprehend it, not really. "Then why do so many people choose to be mean."

  Alector paused for a second, he looked at mel, then at the rest of the children, "Sometimes it is easier to be mean, sometimes they get hurt and want others to feel what they felt, sometimes they are forced to become mean, sometimes they think they are right, and sometimes they just want to see others suffer,"

  He paused once again, now he is looking past the children. "But i know that i can choose to be greater than them, to not make the choice they did, to be... kind."

  Mel looked at the man, then looked behind to look at whatever the man stared at, she saw the man's eyes they were so distant so regretful as if looking at something far away, something she couldn't understand.

  "So, do you want to stay with me?" The man ask once again, looking at the children once more with those same eyes, looking at them kindly.

  "I-i," mel thought again and again, 'what was he looking at?' She wants to understand, she want to... go home, that was her goal and she wouldn't let this man distract her from it.

  "Only tor awhile, we have a goal that we want to achieve and i don't want us to get distracted." Mel spoke.

  Alector looked at mel, looked at her eyes burning with a fire to achive the afformentioned goal, "...alright for a short while, but i will teach you somethings that will help you, it may help with your goal or it may not, but it will help you in one way or another."

  "Okay," mel looked at the group, "so do you guys wanna follow this guy or what?." She asked questioningly.

  "It's fine with me really, and i somewhat trust this guy." Cairos said, a hint of admiration for alector.

  "Whatever." Raquel said quickly, though she didn't quite understand the man but he reminded her of her uncle.

  "I'm okay with it!" Liora said excitedly, this was the first man to have had spoken to her so kindly.

  Hollis nodded, the clutch on his bag's strap loosened though still tight, he wasn't so scared anymore.

  Mel sighed and looked at alector, "fine we'll follow you, but just so you know if you show your bad intentions we'll slit your throat." She tried to look as menacing as possible but just looked funny.

  Alector chuckled, "okay okay i understand, and i wouldn't dare to do so, after all zeus would smite me if i broke xenia." He said in a light tone.

  "Can we just hurry this up, i want to lay down, my feet are hurting." Raquel said, she had been helping liora stand for awhile.

  "Of course! Just follow me." Alector turned and started walking, the kids follow suit soon after.

  Raquel leans over to mel and whispers, "are we really trusting this guy?" She ask mel.

  "I mean what else are we suposed to do? What was our plan, just walk around the forest hoping to get home?" Mel answers condescendingly.

  "Ugh whatever," raquel looks at liora who was holding onto her shoulder, "hey holly, here." She pushes liora off her shoulder onto hollis

  Liora falls onto hollis, grabbing his shoulder to keep her balance, "ow that wasn't very nice!" She scowls at raquel, while leaning on hollis.

  "Oh um sorry." Raquel said, she actually regretted that.

  "...oh uh okay." Liora looked at her slightly confused, she thought raquel would bite back but no i guess not.

  Alector walks over to a man next to a cart, he is feeding his donkeys, "excuse me my good sir, may i ask if you could possibly carry me and my compatriots," he looked at the man then remembered something. "With pay of course."

  "Huh? You know i pay a hefty amount based on how many of you are riding..." he looks alector over. "But i think you can pay it, what is your name sir."

  "I am Alector of Tiryns, hold on let me get my-" Alector gets cut off by the man.

  "L-lord Alector, my goodness my apologies, i did not mean to offend you." He bows down to alector quickly.

  "Oh no you did no such thing, please stand you need not bow to me." Alector clasp the man's hand, making him stand.

  "But no one would dare to make you pay, i mean for all the good you've done even a demigod would bow!" The man tries to bow down again but Alector prevents him from doing so.

  "Any man with my status would do what i did, after all it was not me that sow the seeds of this land." Alector looked at the man with the same eyes he had earlier.

  "B-but so many don't!" The man's voice cracked at the last word, "pardon me, but so many officials don't do what you do my lord."

  People start gathering at this point, some start looking over at the commotion, some recognize Alector and start bowing as well.

  Alector looks around, "Please all of you stand, you need not cause such a scene on the streets," Alector looks over at the man again. "Please just take us to my home."

  "It would be an honor my lord." He readies his cart, then waits for them to get on.

  Mel looked around, her mind swirling, 'who in the heck is this guy? Why are so many people bowing down to him.' She looked at Alector more closely, trying to match his face to any description she heard but nada.

  They get on the cart and it starts moving, as it does they still see people bowing down to Alector.

  "Hey uh who is this guy?" Cairos whispers to mel, "have you heard of him him? cause i sure haven't." He said kinda confused.

  "Nope." Mel replies as quickly as possible, she looked around trying to map out the terrain, but the cart is making it hard to focus.

  After a couple hours they see walls made out of brick painted white, it wasn't too large but it was bigger then the cart stops, "we're here my lord." The man stands up, and then bowing to Alector.

  "Thank you my good man, here for the fee." He handed the man some grain he had in his bag.

  "Oh no I can't possi-" the man gets interrupted.

  "No, take it," Alector puts it in the man's cart. "And don't you dare try to bring it back, got it."

  "Thank you, my lord." The man bows deeply one more time, he looks very grateful for the gesture and then leaves.

  "Well come in now children," the group follows him to the entrance, "welcome to my estate."

  END OF CHAPTER 8