In the beginning, Zeus and Perseus were to be minor characters. When Old Bob came along just in the nick of time to find Lori and Virginia losing a battle with a herd of zombies. It was Zeus that led the charge to stand by Virginia’s side followed by a Perseus as Old Bob blasted away into the herd. From that point on the love between Virginia, Zeus, and Perseus exploded upon the pages. Virginia had been a loaner before the zombie apocalypse. After seeing first her mother, then her father dragged out of their family home and taken to a government “Cure Center”, then finding her older brother as a pile of flesh and bone being devoured by blood stained zombies. Left her distant and walled off from what was left of her world. While her sister Lori clung to what was, agonized to remember every little detail of her parents, brother. And the life she had lived. Virginia shoved those memories and thoughts deep into the back of her brain and locked them away, throwing away the key.

Zeus and Perseus (The Lads) took to Virginia right away. From that moment forward on they considered her to be theirs. Zeus always led the way, clearing a safe path for her while Perseus brought up the rear denying harm to come from behind. Their travels together became a story with in a story. Not one of a girl and her dogs, but one of deep friendship and love. One where the safety of their pack out weighted the safety of the individual. More times than I care to count, I have sat here writing the story as it filled my head with watery eyes. It would have been easy to have the Lads run for safety or to have Virginia use the Lads to by time for her escape. No matter how perilous the situation, they have always stuck together. Survival alone was not an option, survival of the pack took precedence. By the end of Z Chronicles: The Beginning, Zeus and Perseus were part of the main characters. Looking back now while I am working on Z Chronicles book 4, I believe the story would have been lacking without the lads.