Chapter 3: Departures and Arrivals

Atreus woke up after sleeping only a few hours. He was much too excited to waste time being asleep. He leaped out of bed and quickly started to get ready for the biggest day of his life. After showering, he floated to his closet and put on his favorite outfit; black and gray cargo pants paired with a baggy white tee and a black bomber jacket with designs he’d painted running down the arms. He was blasting music from his speaker while he got ready, as Aunt Ruby had already left for work. There was nobody home to scold him for being too loud.

He approached his mirror as he dried his long, curly hair. It was white as snow, contrasting his dark olive skin. He pulled his hair back into a ponytail as we walked over to his desk. He rummaged through a small drawer and grabbed a golden necklace. Hanging in the center was a square pendant with rounded edges. There was an inscription in a language Atreus didn’t know, but he didn’t care. It was his father’s. He fastened it around his neck and took in the sight of his room one final time. It was pretty empty; he’d already sent the majority of his belongings to the Academy weeks ago. With that, he packed his large backpack with the rest of his essentials, slung it over his shoulders, and walked to his windowsill.

Atreus crawled out of his window and leapt into the air, the morning sun shining behind him. He rose to hover just below the clouds, and flew to the Air Station posthaste. He could do this flight with his eyes closed; he knew the city of New Metropolis like the back of his hand. He’d lived here his entire life, and spent a good amount of his free time soaring around and surveying passersby below. He figured it was good practice for the future, considering he’d be going on patrol often when he would eventually work in the lower Hero ranks. He passed over the green park he used to play at as a kid, reminiscing about all the times he’d visited with Aunt Ruby. He saw his favorite burger spot, his elementary school, the business district, and all his childhood friend’s houses in the residential districts.

Before long he arrived at the Air Station. As he landed, some pedestrians shot dirty looks at him and whispered to each other as they passed by.

“...another one of those so-called ‘Heroes’...”

“I guess…yeah they’re absolutely useless…”

“...good for nothing supes…”

“-thinks he’s so much better than everyone…”

Atreus just smiled at them and kept walking.

‘I’m used to it. Growing up different from everyone, this has always been my reality.’

Despite being held in high regard by the majority of the population, there were a good amount of people who had nothing but contempt for superpowered individuals. 

He knew this, and held his head high regardless, his grin deflecting all the negativity thrown at him.

“A Hero should always keep their composure.” Aunt Ruby’s words echoed in his mind.

 

He made his way past the security modules and into the main terminal, crowded as usual.

Planes and conventional trains had been a thing of the past for long distance travel for decades now. They were replaced with the much safer and more energy efficient Air Trains. They utilized Hardlight technology created by Novaheart, one of the Champions. The billionaire genius had discovered how to create solid light by inducing strong interactions between photons. It was capable of bearing immense weights, and could be fashioned as a rail in the sky for Air Trains to travel on, similarly to a monorail. The Hardlight, when activated, could propel the Air Train at exceptionally fast speeds, making it the optimal choice for both travel and commerce. They’d even replaced the underground subways with Hardlight Trains all throughout New Metropolis.

“TREYYYYYYYY!”
Atreus jumped and turned around.

A figure stumbled around behind him, bumping into everyone as he ran towards Atreus.

“WAIT FOR MEEEE!”

Atreus rolled his eyes and waited for his friend.

‘Oops. I totally forgot we were supposed to meet up before we board.’

After going through the security module, he collapsed next to Atreus, his chest heaving.

“What’s up Finn,” Atreus said dryly.

Finn closed his eyes and held a finger up.

“Ho-…hold on…”

Atreus sighed and stuck his hands in his jacket pockets, impatient to get on the Air Train. Finn composed himself and stood up, dusting his clothes off. They’d been friends for years, so his clumsiness was nothing new to Atreus.

“Morning, bro. Alright, let’s get to the Academy!”

They made their way into the line and waited anxiously for their turn to board.

“What do you think orientation is gonna be like? What food do you think they’re gonna have? How nice do you think our living quarters are? What class tiers do you think we’re gonna be placed in? OOH! What Heroes do you think are gonna be our teachers?!” Finn couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Dude. Relax.”

“I know I know, I just can’t believe it’s actually happening. Two best friends accepted to Academy Prometheus, the most prestigious of all the Hero academies, both ready to take on the world! THIS is where our legend starts, bro. It’s the start of everything.”

Atreus smiled. His closest friends' positivity knew no bounds. He admired it.

They quickly reached the front of the line, and presented their tickets on their phones.

“Heading to Gladiator City, are we? I’m guessing you’re Hero students?,” asked the stewardess.

They both nodded energetically.

“Good luck to you both! You’re the future!”

The duo looked at each other enthusiastically and thanked her before boarding the Train.

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Finn snored as Atreus gazed out the window.

‘I definitely could’ve gotten there wayyy faster if I just flew myself…’

He didn’t mind though. The ride gave him time to think and center himself. He was excited for what awaited him and his friend in Gladiator City, but he knew he needed to keep his wits about him.

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After just over five hours of flying, they’d finally arrived on the other side of the country.  When they stepped off the Air Train, the boys found their way to a massive man in a suit holding a sign that said “Academy Prometheus Students.” His skin was light blue and he wore thick sunglasses that covered his eyes completely. Next to him were three young Heroes, their eagerness and excitement palpable. They were all wearing expensive designer clothes, very obviously flaunting it.

Atreus nudged Finn in his side.

“It’s Ice Hawk!!! Freaking Ice Hawk is bringing us to the Academy!,” he whispered.

“Awesome! Soooo, who is he?”

Atreus looked at his friend dumbfounded.

“How do you not know?! You’re hopeless, I swear.” 

Finn laughed at his friends’ disappointment.

“I’m messing with you. He used to be one of the Champions. Stepped down years ago after he decided he wanted to teach the next generation of Heroes, blah blah blah.”

Atreus rolled his eyes.

“Come on idiot, let's join the group.”
They approached the small assembly of students, and their cheery atmosphere instantly shifted.

The trio of young Heroes immediately began to size Atreus and Finn up, not even attempting to hide their apparent disdain. The two friends, however, stood their ground, matching their gaze.

The silence was broken by a boy with pale skin and blonde hair.

“Aren’t you the bumbling idiot who made a ruckus at security?” The boy sighed. He had an odd accent. He wore a white button up shirt and black pants, a gold watch adorning his wrist.

‘Definitely not from Altea,’ Atreus thought. ‘Not with those ugly clothes. He must’ve flown over the Atlantic from overseas and gotten here from New Metropolis with us.’

 “I guess they’re letting anybody into the Academy these days.” The pale boy opened his hand, a swirling ball of water forming in the center.

Both Atreus and Finn took offense and instinctively took a step forward. Growing up in the city, they’d both been in their fair share of fights.

‘He’s in range. I could finish this in the blink of an eye…’

The pale boy’s face immediately fell from a sneer to a scared frown. He began to feel an immense pressure exerted from his new white-haired adversary. He couldn’t help but tremble. This was a fight he knew he couldn’t win.

The air around them suddenly turned penetratingly cold. The growing ball of water in his hand froze into ice and shattered in a flash.

“That’s enough.”
Ice Hawk hadn’t moved from his position, but the tone of his voice commanded enough respect for the students to heel. Atreus gave the pale boy a glare before backing up.

“There will be time for all that later. We’re waiting for just one more student. We’re going to another arrival terminal. Follow.”
The group trekked through the crowded Station before arriving at another terminal. A young woman with dark red hair was waiting for them and waved as she saw the group approach. She was wearing dark jeans and a maroon top, and a black jacket hung off her shoulders.

“Rose Thomas?” Ice Hawk inquired.

“Yes sir, Rose Thomas reporting for duty sir!” She saluted and gave a mischievous smile.

Ice Hawk rolled his eyes and turned around.

“A jokester. Great,” he said dryly.

“Let’s move. We’re heading to the Academy.”

With that, the group hurriedly exited the Station.

 

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