DUE TO HERMES BEING THE GOD OF TRAVEL, the team got back to New York fairly quickly, arriving just before nine o'clock. Apollo and Hermes got to work on buying-read, stealing-an apartment, while Robin and Artemis browsed the internet for anything significant to the last week's event.
"Uh, Artemis..." Robin hesitated, staring at his phone screen. "I think I found something." He handed her his device, the article on display.
She took her time reading the words. Once she was finished, she handed the item back to him. "I'm on it." She told him, and was gone before he could reply. He let out a sigh, relieved that it was over. He leaned back on the park bench, only to be teleported into an apartment. Because of this, he fell backwards, hitting the floor with a loud thud.
Apollo snickered from his spot. That earned him a hit in the shoulder from Hermes, even if he too couldn't conceal his grin.
Robin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up," He grumbled, pushing himself off the ground. He looked around as Apollo started to speak.
"You've got to have get a better sense of humor, Rob," He told the younger boy. The pink-haired boy pouted playfully.
"I do have one! Just not when it comes to my own pain," He defended, earning a scoff from the taller Olympian.
"Sure. Whatever you say, little bro," He mocked, rolling his eyes. Hermes chuckled at their childish behavior, though he knew he acted the same.
Instead of letting the two continue their banter, he changed the subject. "Any idea when Artemis' coming back from her little escapade?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. A flash of blinding light interrupted any response either brothers could have mustered out.
The three boys turned around to see a very distraught goddess of the hunt. She was breathing heavily, her cool grey long-sleeved shirt in tatters, her jeans ripped up and her black shoes practically in ruins. Apollo immediately rushed to her side, his twin instincts coming into action. Artemis swatted him away, insisting that she was fine. Robin gave her a quizzical look, silently asking her to explain what had happened.
"So those monster things attacked again," She started, sitting down cross legged on the couch. "I fought them off... though these odd mortals in costumes also came. Of course, they were too late, as I had already killed them all." She fiddled with the helm of her shirt. She silently prayed to Zeus that she escaped fast enough.
"Were you caught?" Hermes questioned, cautiously sitting next to her, as of in fear she would send a blast of lightning at him for being too close. And to be fair, she probably would. He had the right to be wary.
The maiden shook her head, looking down at her feet then back up again. "I'm 99.9% sure I wasn't," She told her family members. Robin gave her an uneasy look, making eye contact for a brief moment.
"That's .1% still," He deadpanned. He was on edge. If these mortal superheroes saw the goddess, they could be in serious trouble. Instead of voicing his worries, though, he plopped down on the floor. He was fiddling with the hem of his sleeve nervously and looking at the floor. The room was tense, all joking aura went flying out the window.
The goddess in the room dismissed everyone's worries, including her own. "We should focus on looking like real mortals. Get a job or something. We have to at least get food, because someone," She gave a pointed look to Robin, "can't survive without human food." The younger boy sent her a look of mock hurt. It wasn't his fault he was a demigod! You can blame Zeus' love for fucking around for that. Though, the woman did have a point.
"Hold up. We're just going to ignore the fact that there might be superheroes looking for us?" Apollo exclaimed, waving his arms in the air. Sure, he was a god, and he could be portrayed any way he wanted to be seen. However, Robin was only half god, and couldn't do any of the stuff he could do. It seemed as if while there were lots of things the pink hired boy could do, he was still not on the same level as a god.
Hermes nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. Isn't a big deal, really. If they saw anything, it was only Artemis, and she can just change her look. We'll be fine," He told his half brother. He was eager to see what would happen with these so-called heroes.
Apollo huffed and crossed his arms, almost tempted to look away. He restrained himself from being too childish. "Fine," He spat. "But I'm coming up with a backstory in case the government shows up at our door." His family members rolled their eyes, almost all in sync, but no objections were voiced.
After some thinking, the sun god thought of something. He and Hermes would be two dads, with Artemis being their youngest daughter and Robin their oldest son. It was ridiculous, in Robin's opinion, but they did need a cover story. Just in case.
At last, the siblings settled into their new home, each choosing their preferred sleeping arrangements. Hermes and Robin shared one room, while the twins shared the other.
As the four were getting set up in their new house, the Avengers sat around the Tower, discussing the recent attack. It seemed that every time they defeated one villain, a new one surfaced. What is this, a fiction story? Tony poured himself a drink before walking over to his teammates.
"Tony, did you make any new superbots recently?" Steve inquired, sitting around the table. The billionaire put a hand on his heart in mock hurt.
"Me? I agreed to stop after Ultron," He stated with a scoff.
"Do we know anyone who would be able to raise plants from the ground?" Bruce asked, only to be greeted with silence. He sighed. "Alright, I've got nothing."
Tony glanced at the monitor. "Nothing on the web. It's as if every bit of information was wiped clean," He told the team. He pulled up the keyboard and typed in various key words, but it came up blank. He mumbled to himself, trying more codes. The same result. He groaned loudly. "Why does technology suddenly hate me?" He questioned rhetorically, waving his arms dramatically in the air.
Natasha stared at him blankly. "We could just, you know, ask around," She deadpanned. From beside her, Clint shrugged, agreeing.
Steve sighed. "Great. You two go, and come back with what you find. Tony and Bruce can stay and fix their internet problem. Dismissed."
YOU ARE READING
LIGHTNING ✔P.M. ₁
Fanfiction"Well this is awkward." The boy joked as their weapons were trained on his figure. "Who are you and how'd you get in here?" The assassin questioned, her gun lingering on him. She pulled him to his feet with her free hand. Before he could answer, tho...
