Young Justice: Poseidonis
August 18th, 2010
When I’d first spoken with Kent about visiting Atlantis’s Conservatory of Sorcery, I hadn’t really known what to expect. My only real experience with magical schooling was one-on-one tutoring and of course the nearly seven years I’d spent studying at Hogwarts.
Back home, most of the major wizarding schools all had a generally similar style. All eleven of the internationally-recognized institutions had a six-to-eight year curriculum and housed their students on location throughout the school year. Students started their studies at the age of eleven and finished after taking their OWLs and NEWTs, or in some cases, ICW recognized equivalents.
I knew there were some other, smaller and less prestigious schools, both in England and around the world that did things differently. There were a few small ‘day’ schools in England that only taught a few subjects and typically didn’t have teachers able to instruct students after they took their OWLs. I’d only ever heard bad things about the quality of the education they offered, with only the most brilliant of students able to scrape by with an Exceeds Expectations on one or two exams.
There were also a few specialized schools that had a moderately better reputation. Some were aimed at students that had yet to begin or already completed a formal education at a proper school. Others taught obscure subjects such as Euro-Glyph’s well-known language programs.
Typically however, education before Hogwarts was taken care of either by the family directly or in small groups organized by several families with children of similar ages. If you wanted to continue studying after Hogwarts, you either had to find a Master of the subjects you were interested in to study under, or simply pursue your interests yourself until you could be formally recognized as a Master in your own right.
I had been rather surprised to learn that muggle schools worked quite differently here. For one, most students did not live at the schools they attended, instead commuting five days a week for classes. There certainly were boarding schools like Hogwarts, but the muggles had developed an entire system of schools where they educated the vast hordes of muggle children. First they had schools they went to as little children. Then they had ‘middle schools’ for students between the ages of about ten and fourteen. After that there was yet another school, a ‘high school’ where students studied for four more years. And then, if they wanted too, there were even more schools after that, though they were called ‘colleges’ and ‘universities’ where muggles went to study specialized fields.
It was a lot, but the system was genuinely admirable. Even without magic, the muggles sought to better themselves through diligent study and that was something I could respect. Muggle children were required to attend thirteen entire years of schooling, and many continued on for another four or more! I could scarcely imagine how much progress wizards could have made if we all spent twice as long purposefully studying magic as we did.
Sure it wasn’t really safe to practice wand magic before the age of ten or eleven, but if every student entered Hogwarts with five years of magical theory already behind them…Well, it was an interesting idea. Though it would cause further issues with all the mudbloods and even the more competent muggle born students.
In any case, I had been rather curious how the Atlanteans did things. Was their schooling more similar to the local muggles, or reminiscent of what I was used to? Furthermore, I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to benefit from visiting the Conservatory for a relatively short period of time. Even a month of Hogwarts-style lessons wouldn’t teach me all that much, though the chance to peruse their library (or whatever equivalent repository of knowledge they used in their underwater constructions) was very tempting.
Kent, it turned out, was easily able to answer my questions. After all, he’d actually taught at the Conservatory on and off several times over the years. Atlantis’s schooling system was somewhere between what the muggles did and what I was used to. From the ages of eight to fourteen, all students studied at the same schools, learning math, literacy, history, and the basics of many disciplines. After that, students had a choice of what they could do. Some came to the Conservatory of Sorcery or the lesser schools of magic that the other city-states ran. Others apprenticed under craftsmen, studied science, joined Atlantis’s military and law enforcement, or any number of other potential pursuits.
The Conservatory itself was somewhere between a muggle university and Hogwarts. It had a three-year general curriculum that most students followed, but also hosted a plethora of specialized, high-level classes and lectures that students could either sign up for or simply attend at will in some cases. That was what Kent had been doing. During his time at the Conservatory he had taught several three-month seminars on Order magic and also led a number of open lectures on combating Chaos and specific aspects of his speciality that did not require a series of classes to learn.
After speaking with Kent and briefly corresponding with some of his former colleagues, we had eventually arranged a two-week visit to the Conservatory. Zatanna and I would both be provided accommodations within the school and I’d be able to attend classes, lectures, and peruse the library as though I was a student. I would also have a chance to meet one on one with some of the students and teachers for more personalized instruction.
There were five people in the group that had come to meet us. At the front of the group was a striking woman with crimson hair pulled back into a voluminous ponytail. She was slender and had sharp, aristocratic features. Her green halter top left her entire midriff exposed and the matching green cloth fastened around her waist left nearly her entire right leg bare. She also wore a golden headpiece that framed her face and a matching choker.
Behind her were two younger Atlanians. One was a young woman wearing a bright yellow form-hugging shirt that also left her midriff bare with aquamarine highlights, a shorter version of the other woman’s lower garment, and a choker that matched the highlights of her shirt. She also had red hair, though of a slightly different shade, and it was much shorter and messier. The other was a muscular young man wearing an outfit reminiscent of Aqualad’s, though his was black and blue instead of red, and he wore his black hair in a short ponytail, leaving the rest to hang down around his face.
Finally there were two men who were clearly guards of some sort. They floated silently behind the trio in armor painted in shades of blue and green. Both carried odd-looking bidents and one had the lower body of a shark, while the second looked fully human except for the exposed gills rippling slowly on his neck.
“Kent!” the woman at the front of the group exclaimed as she approached. She spoke with a slight accent and sounded genuinely happy to see my teacher. “I heard what happened! How are you feeling?”
Kent floated forward to meet the group, his body surrounded by golden light as he moved smoothly through the water without needing to move his arms or legs. After a moment, Zatanna and I both clumsily followed after him and I cursed myself for forgetting about something so basic. I could feel the thin layer of air around me shielding me from the water and letting me breath despite what must have been hundreds or thousands of meters of water directly above me. I could also swim around as though it wasn’t there at all, but that didn’t actually help me because I wasn’t exactly an expert swimmer.
I kicked my legs experimentally and it sort of worked, but it was painfully slow and would probably wear me out. Paddling with my arms also somewhat worked, but was horribly unsightly and had many of the same issues. Well, it seemed like I knew the first issue I’d need to work out.
Kent and the woman stopped and hugged briefly. “I’m alright, though I’m really starting to feel my years catching up to me. It's wonderful to see you again Mera, you’re looking as radiant as ever!”
“I’m glad. When my husband told me what had happened, I feared the worst.”
Kent laughed. “Things certainly could have ended poorly. Abra Kadabra caught me by surprise and my magic just isn’t what it once was.” He half turned towards me and gestured with his free hand. “If not for my newest student, I’m afraid I may not be here today. I wish I could take full credit for his abilities, but alas he came to me already rather proficient in the mystic arts. I’m certain his former teachers are very proud to have such a talented and valorous student.”
Mera turned towards me, and I suddenly realized that her oddly-shaped headpiece looked quite a bit like a crown. And she was quite friendly with Kent as well. Hadn’t Zatanna’s permit been approved by one Queen Mera?
She smiled at me warmly. “And you must be Mr. Black then. I believe I saw your application come to my desk, though I fear that my dear husband took care of things before I had a chance to review it.” Well, that confirmed things then. Quite a welcoming party indeed. “I must thank you for what you’ve done. Kent is a dear friend and the world would have grown just that much darker without him. I hope you enjoy your time at my Conservatory.”
I did my best to bow respectfully, somewhat hindered both by the water and not really knowing how to correctly greet foreign royalty. “Thank you, your majesty. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to visit your kingdom.”
Mera laughed musically. “Ah, no need for the formalities. And please, I am here not as the Queen, but as the Headmistress of the Conservatory. Call me Headmistress Nereus if you must, or even just Headmistress Mera. Too many formalities just get in the way of a proper educational environment.”
I straightened, finding myself about two inches higher and further back than I had been before. It was good to see a proper witch in a position of high political influence. Back home, the heads of the primary wizarding schools were all wizards and witches of the highest caliber. Hopefully that was the case here as well and she hadn’t just gotten the position by marrying into the royal family. “Of course, Headmistress. I look forward to studying at the Conservatory. I have heard only great things about the institution.”
She turned towards Zatanna. “And that means you are Miss Zatara. I’m afraid that I’ve never had the opportunity to meet your father myself, but I have heard good things from my husband. Kent speaks highly of your skills. It has been many centuries since a member of your family studied within our halls and I look forward to seeing your achievements.”
Mira smoothly moved back a few steps. “Now I’ve met your students Kent, let me introduce mine. This is Tula,” the red-haired girl inclined her head, “and Garth, two of my best students. Though they’ve only been at the Conservatory for a few short years, they’ve already begun to outperform students many years their senior. I believe you are acquainted with a friend of theirs, my husband’s protégé Kaldur'ahm,” she paused and wrinkled her nose slightly, “though I believe he typically goes by Aqualad on the surface.”
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Ah, that made more sense. I mentally filed the name away. “We’ve met, yes. He fought well against Klarion and Abra Kadabra.” I hadn’t actually seen much of any fighting from him, but it was probably true since he’d survived the experience without any significant injuries.
“I’m glad to hear he is putting his talents to good use, then. It was a shame to have him leave the Conservatory so soon after he began his education, but Orin tells me he’s shaping up to be an excellent hero. It's always good to get a second opinion.” She shook her head ruefully, her long ponytail trailing through the water behind her. “In any case, I’ve asked them to assist you in getting settled. I’m afraid that duty calls far too often when my husband is away for me to stray far from my desk. Perhaps we can meet again another time.”
“That would be wonderful, headmistress,” I agreed politely, Zatanna echoing my words a moment later.
“Excellent. Well then, Kent. It’s good to see you again. You should visit more often. We never did settle our argument about feedback counter resonance.”
“Perhaps I will! I’ve freed up a lot of time now that Nabu has found himself a new host. I’ll be in touch.”
The two exchanged nods and then Mera turned around and swam away, her two guards falling in behind her. Kent gently set a hand on Zatanna and I’s shoulders. “You two have fun.” He shivered dramatically, “it's far too cold and wet down here for me, but I see you won’t be having too many problems with that, hmm? Your magic is so very convenient, Hydrys.” He paused, humming softly to himself. “Well, don’t do anything I wouldn’t, eh? Zatanna, no babies or your father will have my head!”
Zatanna spun around, but Kent was already gone, disappearing through a golden ankh that had formed directly behind him. Her cheeks were blazing red and she looked rather flustered, a few strands of her hair having broken free of the bubble around her and were now floating gently in the clear blue water.
She mumbled something rather uncharitable about Kent, then shook herself and turned back towards where Tula and Garth were floating silently. Seeing that we were done saying our goodbyes––not that Kent really gave us a chance to do so––the pair swam over to us.
Garth stopped a bit in front of Tula and extended a hand towards us. “Greetings. As the Headmistress said, my name is Garth––”
“And I’m Tula!”
“––and we’ve been given the responsibility of helping you two get settled and showing you around.”
I took his hand and shook it. “We appreciate it. I’m Hydrys Black and this is Zatanna Zatara. Thanks for taking the time to help us out.”
Tula smiled at me. “It is our pleasure to assist our teacher’s guests.”
I shrugged. “Still, I’m sure you both have things you’d rather be doing right now.”
Garth chuckled, “Perhaps, but this gets both of us out of having to do most of our homework for the next two weeks, so it's more than worth the time and effort!”
Zatanna and I both laughed. Remembering some of the papers I’d had to write for my professors at Hogwarts, I could completely understand where Garth was coming from. I would have much rather spent a bit of time helping some exchange students from Castelobruxo or Koldovstoretz than writing twenty inches on the use of sloth brains in making fertilizer.
“So what would you guys like to do first? The Conservatory is about a ten––” he paused and looked Zatanna and I up and down, “––twenty minute swim away, but we can probably take a scenic route and give you a tour around the city along the way. We don’t have surface worlders here often, but I’m told that the city is like nothing they’d ever seen before.”
It was a tempting offer, particularly since Zatanna was here with me, but one look at the small, waterproof and spatially-expanded bags that I’d prepared for the two of us, plus my current difficulties in getting around, answered the question for me.
Zatanna and I exchanged glances and she shook her head. “I think we should probably get our things settled before we start exploring. Could we get a rain check on that tour?” she asked.
Garth blinked and looked at Tula, who shrugged. “Oh, I mean like, save it for later. Sorry!” Zatanna quickly corrected herself.
“Ah, I see. Yes, that sounds perfectly alright. Perhaps another day then?” Garth asked.
“Absolutely,” I confirmed.
“In that case, we should get going. The headmistress has prepared a pair of rooms for you in the senior student dormitories not far from our own. There is an enchantment on the door to keep water out so you will be able to rest comfortably.”
“That is very kind of her.”
Tula smiled. “Our Queen is very wise and foresightful, and you are not the first guests from the surface that have visited our school. While they may be able to survive underwater, I’m told that most prefer to sleep in open air.”
Garth slowly started to swim away and Zatanna and I did our best to follow after the far more mobile Atlantean. Tula stayed with Zatanna and I and did her best to give us some tips, which did help, but not by much.
Along the way, Tula told us more about what we would be doing over the next two weeks. Most of it had been in the packets we’d been sent or had been told to us by Kent, but getting some specifics was nice.
Either Tula or Garth would be with us for the first two days, and then for a few hours in the mornings for the rest of our time. They’d prepared schedules of all the different classes that were going on right now, along with any one-off lectures and demonstrations planned for the following weeks, and we were free to attend any of them as long as we warned the instructors of some classes ahead of time.
We soon emerged from the building within which the Zeta Tube had been built and out onto the street. Though we were apparently taking the easiest route to the Conservatory, I still found myself constantly looking around at all the sights and sounds around me. There were hundreds of people swimming through the streets around us, and many others moving higher above the city simply swimming over buildings instead of around them.
The variety of people was truly incredible. Many looked much like humans, though their odd clothing still made them stand out in my mind. Others were just slightly off, like the men with gills on their necks or the woman with a fin emerging from the middle of her back. And then there were the really strange ones. Men and women who resembled merfolk back home with their fish tails, others who instead had human arms and legs but the heads of fish or even something that looked like an octopus.
Then there were the buildings. Most resembled something I would have expected to see in Greece, except built from pale to dark blue stone that at times blended in with the water around it. Many of the buildings were strewn with bright lights, shining out through windows or even just covering the outside like decorations. Many had no conventional doors at all, instead having large windows on upper floors through which people could swim in and out.
We received a number of interested looks, but no one tried to approach us. Several people did call out to Tula or Garth, but our guides waved them away. Several minutes into the trip, Tula took pity on the two of us and offered to carry our bags, which we both gratefully accepted. She seemed slightly surprised by how light they were, but didn’t say anything. Even with both of her arms occupied and the two of us now able to move freely, she still had no trouble swimming circles around us.
Once Tula had answered my questions about the coming weeks as much as she could, I mostly fell silent and allowed the two girls to carry the conversation. Zatanna was filled with questions and it was wonderful to hear her be so passionate as she asked about everything and anything we saw. Tula and Garth did their best to answer her questions, and Garth joked that it was a good thing we’d decided to head to the Conservatory because our tour would have had us swimming around until after dinnertime.
We eventually made it to the Conservatory, a gigantic complex of buildings surrounded by some very impressive wards. I’d noticed a bit of magic along the way, but this was the first time that I really got the impression that the Atlanteans were a culture with a high mastery of magic. Instead of going to the central building like I’d half expected, Garth led the way to a small cluster of spire-like buildings near the edge of the campus.
Along the way, he pointed out different features, like the cafeteria where students ate, the various dorms, buildings where classes took place, and, most interestingly, the huge dome near the back of the campus that housed the Conservatory’s main library.
Nearly half an hour after we’d left the Zeta Tube, Zatanna and I finally got to our rooms. The two were opposite each other at the end of a long hallway, while Garth’s room was two doors down and Tula’s was at the other end of the floor. I could feel the potent wards over the building and even each individual room. As promised, when Garth showed me how to open my door with the token I’d been sent, there was a sharp line at the middle of the doorway where the water ended and air began.
I carefully swam down until my feet were touching the ground, then strep through the threshold. I was absolutely exhausted from the swim, muscles I hadn’t realized I had burning with exertion. Zatanna tossed her things into her room, then followed me into mine a moment later. She looked just as worn out as I felt and promptly claimed the odd-looking desk chair, collapsing into it with a soft groan.
I waved to our guides, who were awkwardly floating outside the door. “You guys can come in if you’d like.”
“Thank you.” Garth, then Tula copied my earlier actions and stepped into the room. Tula tripped over his own feet immediately. She tried to brace herself on Garth’s shoulders, and both Atlanteans collapsed into a heap.
“Gah!” Tula exclaimed, waving her arms wildly. “It's so weird! I don’t know how you guys deal with it all the time.”
I took a seat on the edge of my bed, running my hand slowly along the smooth, cool sheets made from some form of fabric I’d never seen before. “I guess we’re just used to it. The same way you can swim for an entire half hour and still look completely fine.”
“My arms feel like limp noodles,” Zatanna complained. “I haven’t needed to swim this much since gym class freshman year.”
The two Atlanteans slowly climbed to their feet using the floor and doorway for support, clearly unused to not being able to push off against the medium around them. “It is strange to think about our many differences and similarities,” Tula said after a moment. “We look so similar and our lives are so very different, and yet I was just thinking the same thing about running. We have a mandatory class for it in our preparatory schools and then almost never have to practice the skill for the rest of our lives.”
She made a motion with her arms, then shook her head and took a cautious step away from the door. “I can’t believe Kaldur'ahm and our King willingly chooses to spend their days like this,” she mumbled.
“It works for us.”
“I guess it does. To each their own. The world is a big place filled with all sorts of possibilities.”
I nodded slowly. “It really is.”
Garth paced in place, moving his weight from foot to foot experimentally, then looked over at Zatanna and I. “It's lunch time right now, and for another hour at the cafeteria. How about you rest for a time, then we can get some food and afterwards, Tula and I can get you started on some basic lessons and get a sense for where you are so we can figure out a plan for the coming days?”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Do you think you can show me how to get to the library after that?”
“Of course, though I fear many of the texts are written in Old Atlantean and may not be overly useful to you.”
I waved his concerns away, then instantly regretted moving my abused shoulder. “That’s fine, shouldn’t be an issue. I can speak it.”
“Truly?” he asked, and it took me a moment to realize that he’d suddenly switched away from English.”
I smiled and focused on answering in the same language as him. “Of course. I speak a lot of languages.”
Garth laughed. “Ha! And so many say that the old tongue is outdated and useless. And yet you speak it better than any of them!”
Tula groaned loudly and Garth’s laughter intensified. “Tula, you have no reason to be worse at our own tongue than a surface dweller!” he exclaimed.
I decided not to mention that, as a Planeswalker, I could understand any language I’d come across so far. It was far funnier that way.