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Justicar Chapter 29: Alannah
🕑 Added 2022-10-27 03:00:02 +0000 UTCLucien sat beside Tiberius in the center of the living room lounge an hour later, freshly showered and dressed in a black long-sleeve shirt and a pair of comfortable sweatpants. The adults had unanimously agreed to postpone their conversation until he’d been able to change out of his ruined supersuit and back into regular-person clothing, which had prompted Ty to opt to get showered and changed as well. Amusingly Lucien also noted the scent of cologne when they’d reconvened, no doubt in any attempt to make a better impression on Alannah.
His godbrother’s choice of a white polo and jeans seemed oddly more appropriate given the prestige of their guest, but Lucien couldn’t bring himself to care about his own lack of ‘dressing up’. After everything that had happened during and after his fight with Constantine, he felt entitled to being comfortable even if it meant ‘dressing down’. He reached out to the coffee table in front of him and lifted the mug of hot chocolate Vanessa had prepared for him when he’d come down, taking a sip of the thick liquid within gratefully.
His godmother never skimped on the chocolate part, and he loved that.
“So.” Vanessa said as she sat down beside Leonidas, facing Alannah on the opposite side of the lounge with the boys in the center between them. “While it was nice to catch up, Alannah, I have to assume you didn’t decide to reconnect after fifteen years out of simple interest in our lives.”
Tiberius and Lucien exchanged a wondering glance again at the implied history.
“As much as I appreciated the chance to speak to you and Leonidas again, Vanessa, you’re correct. I meant what I said, I am sorry I never took the time to check in — but I thought it best to leave some things in the past, for all of us.”
“Okay, timeout.” Tiberius said, earning the attention of all three adults. “Is no one going to explain how the hell the Tempest is sitting in our living room as if it’s perfectly normal and not extremely surreal?”
Lucien lifted his mug in silent agreement, nodding along with Ty’s words.
“It’s a long story.” Leonidas said in his calm, paternal baritone. “To save time, let’s just say that your mother met Alannah before she was known as Tempest. We came into contact with her through Lucien’s father, and your mother provided some assistance during the war.”
“Assistance?” Tiberius asked, before his eyes widened. “Woah, you mean—!”
“Yes.” Vanessa confirmed with a hint of impatience. “I was a Guardian.”
“Holy shit.” Lucien and Tiberius said in unison, staring at Vanessa in shock.
“You never told them? I would have thought it’d be a point of pride.” Alannah said, hiding what Lucien suspected was an amused smile at his and Ty’s reactions.
“The information served no purpose,” Vanessa answered with a sigh. “Besides, I’d hoped to avoid having to talk about the other side of my life with either of them. Tiberius never manifested as a warlock and Lucien hadn’t shown any signs of inheriting his father’s burden, so…”
“You wanted to spare them. I understand, and I’m sorry for forcing you to reveal that history through my visit.” Alannah said with what Lucien believed was legitimate contrition. “However, you once again confirming what I suspected and now believe to be true is why my presence here is imperative. Still, I need to ask. Directly.”
Lucien met her silver eyes as Alannah turned to him and spoke. “Are you the son of Olympus?”
“Arcturus Pendragon was my father.” Lucien replied instead, choosing his words carefully. “Olympus was a symbol. I understand it’s a largely moot difference at this point, but it’s an important one to me. I think you of all people can understand the importance of a name, after all.”
“You speak like him. Has anyone told you that?”
Lucien blinked in surprise and shook his head, his cheeks flushing with heat.
“I suppose that makes sense,” Alannah continued, “Olympus — I hope it’s okay I call him that, it’s how I knew him — rarely chose company outside of necessity. Still, I can see him in you. He would have been proud of you.”
Lucien swallowed back a lump in his throat and focused on his hot chocolate.
“Thank you for answering me, though. I know it seems largely redundant to ask, since Vanessa already confirmed it, but I had to hear it for myself.” The brunette paused and sighed, reaching up to lightly rub her temples. “The reality is that after what happened out there tonight, no one can express reasonable doubt anymore. I have to ask, what spurred you to do that? To take on your father’s guise so absolutely?”
Lucien blinked at her as confusion filled him and he looked to Tiberius, and then his godparents. All three were watching him with looks of concern mixed with mild guilt, and that caused his anxiety to stir in his stomach again. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Ah. No one’s shown you yet.” Alannah said while turning towards Vanessa and Leonidas questioningly.
“We didn’t want to overwhelm him.” Leonidas said simply, before turning to the colossal television on the wall. “Power On. Channel Five.”
The television came to life obediently a moment later, displaying an image with window-like clarity of the events of the night. From what Lucien knew of superhero reporting — and he knew quite a lot given his fanboy status — it seemed as if the news were in the middle of a breakout cycle, which meant they would be constantly showing the same ratings-attracting footage for several hours. It was no surprise then, he supposed, that Alannah’s words were given clarity almost instantly.
“… information still coming in,” the handsome anchor was saying excitedly, “though from what we understand, this is not Olympus returned from the grave. Instead it appears to be the reality that Hyperion and Atlas both denied being true: The Primus did indeed have a son, and he has made himself known to the world in truly dramatic fashion.”
Lucien sat in stunned silence as the anchor’s image was reduced to a small outlined box near the top right of the screen, and new footage took priority. A white-haired hero in a torn white and gold suit threw around a man attired like a priest as if he were a ragdoll, every movement possessed of a surety and power that even through the lens of what appeared to be a mobile phone camera conveyed a sense of overwhelming might.
The scene moved from the figure on the screen hovering between the massive emergency response VTOL aircraft to shattering several dozen meters worth of asphalt in a display of power that was both terrifying and awe-inspiring in its immensity. The image skipped to Tempest’s arrival before it reached what Lucien knew was Constantine’s death, as if the news crew specifically wanted to avoid anything that could be deemed ‘unheroic’. The footage concluded with both of them exploding skyward like the lightning bolts Tempest was famed for, before cutting back to the anchor.
“Once again, we are still awaiting a statement from the Golden League, DMHA, and other Hero Organizations as to the stance on this so-called ‘Son of Olympus’, and will provide updates as things progress—”
“Power Off.” Leonidas said, shutting down the television and refocusing on Lucien. “Son, I know this must be overwhelming, but I think we’d all like to know some level of what happened. As much as you feel comfortable talking about.”
Lucien looked from his godfather to Vanessa, then to Tiberius, and finally to Alannah. A mixture of trepidation and a desire to unload danced within him, combined with the earlier anxiety that had not fully gone away — and exacerbated by the underlying panic reaction of what had happened with Constantine. The feeling of the old man’s neck under his fingers, the sharp snap of bone and cartilage, the sound of his neck breaking and the life draining from his eyes—
Lucien jerked as he forced the recollection away, swallowing a gulp of hot chocolate to distract himself. “Sorry.” He mumbled a moment later while he felt three pairs of concerned eyes on him, surprised at how he seemed to know Alannah was legitimately interested in his well-being. “I keep remembering Constantine and… It isn’t easy. Uh…” He stared at his mug’s contents for a moment. “What happened, well… It’s hard to explain. I’m going to be brief, so please don’t dig for greater detail, I really don’t want to get into it too deeply.”
“You don’t have to do it at all—”
“No, it’s okay Auntie V. I want to get this out, I just don’t want to overly dwell on the overarching events.” Vanessa nodded as he looked at her, shooting Alannah a look of disapproval which the superheroine seemed to accept, though didn’t shrink from. Lucien couldn’t help but respect her conviction, and it helped him steady his own.
“When I saw Morpheus die,” he started with forced calm. “I passed out from pain and I think from shock. While I was unconscious, I heard a voice talking to me. Telling me things. I can’t really recall details, but I thought it was my subconscious until the voice called me ‘son’ and I felt something.” He peered at the mug’s dark liquid thoughtfully. “It’s hard to explain. I just know that I was speaking to Arcturus. To my father.” He gave Leonidas a reflexively apologetic glance, and the black man simply smiled at him as if it were of no consequence.
Lucien smiled back and continued. “When I woke up, it’s like I had a kind of liquid starlight in my veins. I could picture it, like a river of pure energy, or molten power replacing my blood. I felt… really calm. Certain of myself. It was like all my panic and doubt and terror was still there, just… Shielded. Held behind some sort of barrier.” He frowned in thought. “It also felt like I was being guided without words, shown the way without a physical guide. I knew my capabilities and powers with such a level of intimacy and comprehension that it was almost scary. They were also immensely enhanced.”
Lucien shrugged his shoulders. “The rest you saw. I was so strong Constantine basically became a non-factor threat-wise, and from there I did as I did. It’s weird, though.” He looked between them all. “Arcturus, or his echo maybe?” He hesitated, then shook his head and continued. “Anyway, he — or it — told me that the power I was using was my power… Just dormant. Not released yet. He called it a temporary aid, but the only one I’d ever be able to get.”
Lucien looked back at the contents of his mug. “The weird thing is… even with all the power? I just…” He searched the steaming chocolate drink before looking at Alannah. “I felt as if it wasn’t anywhere close to what I could do. It felt like a taste of something far, far greater. To be honest… it kind of terrified me. If that was a taste, I… I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for the full effect.”
Alannah looked confused after he finished, and seemed to take a moment to consider her words. The attention in the room was focused on her, largely due to the fact — so Lucien assumed — that she was the only one with any kind of experience with having such incredible power at one’s fingertips. When she spoke her confusion only became more palpable. “I don’t understand what you mean by an ‘echo’ of Olympus. I don’t recall him ever mentioning the ability to communicate after death, and if he did, why not speak to us as well?”
“I think it’s probably to do with the intention I inherited.”
“Intention?” Alannah asked, sounding more confused.
Lucien blinked at her for a moment as confusion replaced his wariness at her presence. Alannah had known Olympus better than most, though not as well as a few. The only way she wouldn’t know about the Intention would be if she had never known.
His eyes widened in realization. “You don’t know. He never told you.”
“Never told me what?” Alannah asked with a hint of tension to her voice.
“Do you know how the Trumpets and metahumans came to exist, Alannah?” Lucien asked, ignoring the tense intake of breath from his godparents. “Has anyone ever told you?”
“The Trumpets no. For metahumans it was an inexplicable microevolution spurred by the energy of the Trumpets.” Alannah answered with certainty. “That’s what science tells us. People started awakening a dormant gene in the wake of the Trumpets’ emergence.”
Lucien’s pulse quickened in his chest, and he could hear the same from his family. Alannah being gifted with enhanced senses as she was picked up on it as well, in all likelihood, and her eyes narrowed. “What? What is it that you’re nervous about?”
“Alannah, there was no microevolution. There was no dormant gene.” He paused and looked at Tiberius for support, receiving an affirming nod from his godbrother before he turned back to her and continued. “Metahumans didn’t evolve, we were created.”
Alannah was silent for a moment, and her artistic fingers curled into tight fists. “Explain, please.” She said with a kind of forced calmness that Lucien couldn’t help but admire.
“Are you sure? I know it may be stupid to ask, but—”
“Yes.” She answered simply.
So explain he did. He told her everything from the true history of practitioners and his lineage, to the story of the Trumpets and Arcturus. He told her also about Intention, about the nature of metahuman abilities, and the elemental connection. He told her about his own experiences with his inherited powers, his manifestation, and everything that went with it. He spoke about it all, from the way his power felt in his minds’ eye during his fight with Constantine and how he’d discovered complete equilibrium between all his abilities.
Nearly two hours passed while he discussed everything he knew with Alannah, aided by his godparents and Ty where he fell short. By the end of it the woman he had once regarded as a living manifestation of power looked very, very human to his eyes. She held her head in her hands, rubbing her temples to soothe her head in a way Lucien could relate to. He’d had a hard time absorbing everything the first time he’d heard it, too.
“So if what you’re telling me is true, and based on what my senses are telling me, it is.” Alannah said after a moment of drawn out silence. “Then your existence invalidates literally the entire basis of the Golden League, of my husband’s position in metahuman society, and indicates the fact that not only could the world see a second Olympus — but if they exist, the emergence of other children of Trumpets?” She looked up at him, silver eyes intent. “More than that, it means that these other children, if they exist, will be compelled to follow the cataclysmic path of their parents… with only you to stand in their way.”
Lucien himself hadn’t even really put thought to that fact. With Alannah stating it outright, however, he couldn’t deny it. If other Trumpet-sired children existed, they were inevitably going to force his hand in confronting them. Would he be ready for that, though? The doubt that accosted him as a constant companion reared its head again, and he almost physically shrunk in on himself. The idea of fighting another Constantine was bad enough, but a person with the power of a Trumpet and the horrifying amalgamation of Intention to boot?
Pity and horror warred within him. “Yes.” He said in response to Alannah, solidifying the reality of the possibility to himself in the process. “They might already exist, or be working as heroes. Intention isn’t blatant. In their case, it’d be insidious. They’d probably try to resist it until one day they just… snap.”
“The difference with you, of course, being the nature of your compulsion?”
“Yes.” He responded again, more confidently. “My intention demands I protect people, and pursue justice. That’ll grow more compelling the stronger I get, and probably as I age too. It’s probably going to put me at odds with a lot of heroes, too.” He admitted after a moment. “There’s a lot out there that do things in a kind of greyscale sense of right and wrong.” His eyes found his hands and he curled his fingers into fists. “Given the way I feel about what justice is, and my personal biases…” He looked up at Alannah, feeling certain of his own words. “I don’t think I’ll be able to let that slide.”
Alannah watched him for a long moment. When she spoke, it was with the tone of voice of a woman who’d made up her mind. “You’re an existential threat to the entire existence of the Golden League, and the status quo of hero society. You’re the true heir of Olympus, Lucien. Your existence is like that of a secret prince. When you truly ascend, you’ll be the one everyone looks to. The one the world looks to. An Emperor without a crown.”
“I don’t really want to be anyone’s ruler, to be honest.” He replied with unease.
“I don’t think your father did either.” Alannah said more gently. “But reality is not always sympathetic to our desires.”
“So what now?” Tiberius interjected, drawing Alannah’s gaze. “You said Lucien was a threat, right? Are you going to take him away or something?”
Lucien was surprised by the ferocity in his godbrother’s voice, and the fear in it as well. He seemed to have forgotten all about his hero worship, and was watching Alannah like someone might watch a dangerous stranger. Even Vanessa and Leonidas, Lucien noticed, were tensed in their seats — though the impossibility of their ability to actually do anything to stop Alannah was very likely prevalent in everyone’s minds.
Even on his best day, Alannah was a metahuman in a different class to Lucien — at least for now. He doubted he’d have been able to beat her even with the strength he’d used against Constantine; she was in a league of her own. The woman herself seemed to sense the tension the same as Lucien, and he watched her draw her eyes over Tiberius and then to Vanessa and Leonidas. Consideration lingered in her gaze, and then she sighed.
“No. I’m not intending on imprisoning Lucien.” She said to Tiberius, drawing a sigh of relief from him and a notable flash of relief on the faces of Vanessa and Leonidas.
“So what happens next, then?” Lucien prompted, realizing perhaps more clearly than the others that Vanessa had not said she was going to do nothing, just that she wouldn’t imprison him.
“I’m going to train you.” She said simply, clasping her hands together and leaning back into the lounge. “I know you probably have a mentor, so I’ll work alongside them, since they’ve done a pretty good job so far.” She smiled wryly at the looks of shock on everyone’s face, Lucien’s most of all. “Olympus made a request of the Guardians when he died, asking us to protect his legacy. We believed that meant the new world, and when he named a son, we assumed he meant Adam.” Her smile turned more bittersweet. “With the reality of that tragic misunderstanding now revealed, it’s clear that we’ve been woefully disloyal to the man who raised us.”
Lucien stared at her in silence, too stunned to speak.
“Olympus was like a father to me, Lucien. In a way, I suppose that makes you my surrogate brother, though I guess the two-decade age gap makes that a little laughable.” Her smile was more genuine as she spoke, silver eyes glimmering with amusement. “Either way, I believe it was Olympus’ intention for the Guardians to mentor you.” Her expression turned more grim as Lucien’s heart thundered in his chest, the shock caused by her words robbing him of the ability to do more than listen in silence.
“Unfortunately, I think my husband has decided that you’re a threat to be handled, and his dedication to that premise is single-minded. Acknowledging you means admitting his entire life from the day of your father’s death has been a mistake.” She shook her head. “He’ll never be able to accept that, not any time soon. He’s done too much in pursuit of his perceived destiny to let anything undermine his legitimacy.”
“Does that mean that Hyperion is Lucien’s enemy?” Tiberius asked, his voice tense. “We knew he wasn’t a fan, but we always sort of viewed him as more of a pissed off official than an actual enemy. If Lucien’s existence is such a threat to him, though…”
“I don’t think Adam will try to bring any form of lasting harm to Lucien…” She seemed to hesitate as she spoke, and Lucien had the distinct feeling she wasn’t as sure of that as she once might have been. There was something deeper going on with Hyperion, though Alannah seemed disinclined to elaborate on it. “Well, let’s just not give the situation the chance to go that way.” She pushed herself to her feet, and turned her attention to Vanessa and Leonidas.
“You’ve both been incredibly understanding, even if I can hear your hearts racing and sense the tension in both of you. I can’t promise to keep Lucien from harm, he’s chosen a life that has a predilection towards danger. All I can do is train him, with your blessing, and help Tiberius learn how to more professionally support him.”
“Wait, what?” Ty asked, looking between Alannah and his parents.
“If you’re going to continue serving as ‘Quarterback’, I think we need to make sure you have the training, contacts, and savvy to do so at a professional level. At least until…” She paused. “Well, until things become easier. For both of you.”
Lucien raised an eyebrow at the clear hesitance in her voice, and something told him she had been about to say something all-together different, though instinct told him to keep the reservation to himself.
Tiberius was, understandably, ecstatic and was staring at Alannah in awe.
“I take it you’ll be a regular guest, then.” Vanessa said after a moment of tense consideration. “In that case, I’ll ask you to try to avoid any overt use of your powers, to avoid arousing suspicion.”
“I’ll make sure to bring more conventional transport with me in future.” Alannah agreed, smiling at the older woman. “Though I have to admit, I expected more pushback from you, Vanessa.”
“I can imagine you did.” Lucien’s godmother said with a little less tension, as if pleased by the expectation. “However, I’m protective but not deluded. Lucien’s current mentor is fine as far as combat and self-preservation go, but to properly navigate the world of superheroes — especially with his gifts… We’d be foolish to turn down your experience, Alannah, especially given your personal capabilities. I can’t think of a mentor better suited to teaching him to control the power at his proverbial fingertips. Even on their best days, your husband and brother were both prone to recklessness.”
“Woah, you knew Hyperion and Atlas…” Tiberius said, looking at his mother with respect.
“I assume, from the situation, that his mother was—?”
“Yes.” Vanessa cut in. “You’re correct, Alannah, though I’ll thank you to keep that to yourself.”
“Of course.” The brunette replied, her voice light. “I suppose I’ll be going, then.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Lucien said, glancing surreptitiously at his family. Taking the hint, Leonidas cleared his throat and ushered the other two out, winking at Lucien as Tiberius and Vanessa acceded to his herding with only mild protests.
Smiling at his godfather’s quick-wittedness, Lucien turned back to Alannah and made his way towards the door as she fell in beside him, his hands in his pockets. A kind of comfortable silence settled between them while they made their way to the doors of the House and Lucien ‘pulled’ them open, stepping out onto the conveniently darkened approach path to the house. He made a note to thank Leonidas for that quick thinking as well, while looking to Alannah.
“You really do look like him, you know.” She said after a moment of thoughtful appraisal. “Hair’s different, of course, but having seen it earlier… Yeah, you’re basically his clone. A few things are different, thanks to your mother, but overall… Overall you’re Olympus down to the eyes. Just more… refined, I suppose. Less blocky in the face.”
“Thanks.” Lucien said with a bit of awkwardness, unsure how to process her words. “Um. Can I ask you a question?”
“I’m going to be teaching you, Lucien. You can ask me as many as you want.”
“Right.” He said with a flush of his cheeks, reaching up to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. “So. I have this uh… Well kind of a mental block, I guess. With flying. I think it’s kind of mostly gone thanks to what happened, but… I dunno, I’m just wondering if maybe you’ve experienced anything like that?”
Alannah studied him for a few moments, then finally nodded. “You know my elemental alignment?”
“Lightning, right?”
“Sort of. Lightning is just advanced control over the aerial dominion. Technically lightning is my advanced skill. Air is my elemental alignment.”
“Oh. I see.” Lucien said, taking note of that distinction for later.
“Yep. Well anyway, when I was a lot younger, I actually used to be really scared of my powers because I was just terrified of lightning in general. I associated it to some traumatic memories, and it blocked my abilities. I used to have panic attacks trying to manifest them.”
Lucien watched her with wide-eyed surprise, stunned to hear that Tempest had been scared of anything. It made a kind of sense, but it still floored him.
“It was Olympus who helped me figure out how to move past that block. He helped me turn my terror into strength and find courage to overcome my fear. How he did it is probably not how it’ll work for you, but I can promise to do my best to help you get to the point where your trauma no longer cripples you — though it’ll always be there. It’s not about forgetting, you see, it’s just about learning to accept it as part of you; and to eliminate its power over you in the process.”
“I think I got most of the way there, it’s just…”
“Hard to fully let go. I get it. Next time we meet, we’ll practice flying. Okay?”
Lucien smiled with genuine pleasure. “I think that’ll be cool, yeah.”
“Great.” Alannah replied easily while glancing around quickly. “I’ll see you soon, alright? I need to get some things done before we start training, so don’t fret if I don’t see you for a bit. This is going to require some serious caution from all of us, Tiberius included. If Adam found out I’m helping you, or my brother did…”
“I get it.” Lucien agreed with a nod. “Top secret. Promise.”
“Good.” Alannah said with another smile. “Then I’ll see you soon, Lucien.”
“Luc.” He said suddenly, embarrassed by his own impulse. Ah well, he’d already done it. “Lucien is too formal, just… Just call me Luc.”
“Luc.” Alannah agreed warmly. “Call me Lana. Stay out of trouble, okay?”
“Will do, Lana.” He agreed fervently, wanting nothing more in that moment than to avoid trouble of any kind. The raven-haired superhero smiled at him and took a step back before levitating into the air. Lucien’s enhanced eyesight tracked her as she flew upwards while watching him, before eventually turning toward the sky and pouring on the speed. In seconds she’d transitioned from a slow drift upwards to rapid but subsonic velocity, and once she was a few kilometers away she broke the sound barrier with a distant boom.
Lucien’s smile turned wistful even as anxiety and excitement warred in his body.
I’m going to learn from Tempest. He thought gleefully. Fucking awesome. I just hope Malachi isn’t too pissed to work with her. The thought of the old Israeli’s reaction made him grin even wider. I can’t wait to see his face.
