Lucien relaxed with Ty in the living room of their house hours later, sprawled across the massive L-shaped black couch that Leonidas had purchased for family football viewing. His god-brother was busy typing on a laptop connected with a lunchbox-sized black rectangle that their guardians had mysteriously provided at their request. Neither of the boys had thought about prying into how the Washingtons had found their way to taking possession of a current-generation NAPD transceiver, nor how they’d also acquired a full set of instructions on how to properly program it.

“This would be infinitely harder without this manual.” Tiberius commented, taking a break from typing to pick up the tablet he was viewing the document on and swipe through a couple of pages. “The protocols and frequency codes alone would have been next to impossible to crack. With this, it’s just a few basic lines of code and proper band-specification.”

“What did you set it for?” Lucien asked, his bare feet crossed at the ankles as he watched the generically pretty news anchor on New Avalon Nightly News.

“Central and First District.” Ty replied. “Anything more than that and you’ll be getting a dozen alerts every few minutes. New Avalon is way too big for you to patrol all alone, and you’re going to need to be close to home to make a break for it if you’re trying to avoid someone.”

“Yeah, you make a good point.” Lucien said after a moment of consideration, choosing not to argue a logical observation. “Though that still doesn’t settle the matter of what the hell I’m going to wear.”

Tiberius paused in his reading at that, lowering the tablet with a grimace. “Yeah, I’ve been avoiding that. Reality is that we don’t have a clue how to fabricate the material they use for proper Hero suits, or Villain suits for that matter. I remember reading it’s some kind of special polymer—”

“Astral Weave.” Lucien said, glancing at Ty with a grin.

“Okay Nerdlord.” Ty responded with a snicker. “Astral Weave. How would we even get our hands on that stuff?”

“Apparently it’s supposed to be impossible. It’s controlled by a single company, and the weave itself is produced by the abilities of a Meta; Gucci Astral.”

“… Gucci Astral? Seriously?” Ty asked, eyebrows shooting up towards his cropped fringe.

“No bullshit.” Lucien said with a laugh. “There was a whole lawsuit and everything, but she won. Her name is literally Gucci Astral.”

“So what’s her power, then? Super Fashion?”

“No one knows the exact details, outside of the DMHA or maybe heroes like Hyperion. We just know that she’s the reason Astral Weave can exist, and the only way to get it is through her company.”

“Then how do villains get the shit?” Ty asked with a furrowed eyebrow, looking back to the tablet and opening a search engine. “No way a legit company is selling to Villains.”

“Nah, but the reddit threads you’re about to find all detail the conspiracy shit that goes into it. On paper Gucci Astral is clean, but there’s a long-standing suspicion she’s selling extra supply off the books to pad the company’s off-shore accounts. It’s never been proven, and no one wants to risk her cutting off their supply to investigate.”

“Why not just buy it in bulk, then?”

Lucien grinned. “Because she’s insanely crafty. Astral Weave loses its consistency after roughly six months of use, and she limits how much she sells presumably to avoid ‘overtaxing’ herself. Which means—”

“Heroes and Villains both need to stay in her good graces, or suddenly their suits become a whole lot less capable.” Ty finished with a tone like he was impressed. “That’s an insanely good business strategy. I don’t get why the government doesn’t just create an equivalent alternate material, though.” He glanced up. “I’m guessing you have the lowdown on that, too?”

“Very funny, jackass.” Lucien said, shooting Ty a scowl. “… But yeah, I do.” He admitted, drawing a laugh from his god-brother who gestured for him to continue. “The US patented a few different equivalent designs to Astral Weave, but they cost ridiculous amounts of money to fabricate. Astral Weave isn’t just durable, it’s super durable. That’s why stuff like Hyperion’s Solarfire beams don’t just burn into someone’s skin. The Astral Weave can take a shitload of punishment. Recreating that from scratch is… Well, it’s stupidly expensive.”

“And I’m guessing that Gucci Astral sells her material for far, far less than Uncle Sam.” Ty said with a shake of his head, immediately aware of exactly how that cost versus gain must look to politicians.

“Uncle Sam, His Majesty The King, The Pharaoh… There are a lot of states that have tried to imitate her stuff and just can’t justify the expenses.” Lucien shrugged his shoulders. “Astral’s got the monopoly, and that’s all there is to it.”

“That’s some next level ultra-capitalism.”

“I know. She’s probably the richest single person on the planet by now.”

“Probably?” Ty asked, going back to typing.

“Well, nobody knows what she’s actually worth. What’s on the books isn’t really a good example.”

“Let’s hope she never gets any ideas for world domination.”

“Right?” Lucien agreed, shaking his head at the idea. Gucci Astral had long been an enigmatic figure, and while it wasn’t difficult to find images of the eccentric meta-human, she retained an air of mystery and mystique that had led to cult followings the world over. The fashion industry worshipped her, and the business sector used her as a study in capitalist brilliance. Lucien only knew as much as he did from hours of sleuthing and sorting the rumours from the provable assertions. There were layers upon layers of false information surrounding Gucci Astral. It had taken him a long time to peel them away to find as much as he had.

The sound of car doors closing hit his enhanced hearing, and Lucien sat up with deliberately normal speed from the couch. He’d had far, far less superpowered accidents since he’d started training with Ty. “Your parents are home.” He said, nose picking up the scent of Chinese. “With orange chicken, hell yeah.”

Ty nodded as he hit a shortcut to save the coding he’d done, closing the laptop and pushing himself to his feet with a quick stretch. “You know, you can say ‘our parents’.” The darker-skinned boy said suddenly. “I mean, it’s true isn’t it?”

Lucien faltered for a moment at Ty’s words, glancing at him. “I mean yeah, kind of… It just feels, I dunno…”

“Like you’re disrespecting your mom.” Ty concluded, smacking his palm into his forehead. “Of course. I’m a dumbass. Sorry, dude.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“No, no, it’s fine.” Lucien said, lifting a hand to wave it off. “You’re not, and you’re right, it’s just… I dunno, I don’t think I’m ready for that. Dunno if I ever will be, you know?”

“I get it.” Ty said, letting it drop. “Let’s go get some grub.”

The pair migrated together towards the kitchen at the same time as Vanessa and Leonidas, exchanging greetings with their guardians while the bags of food were deposited on the kitchen bench. Lucien and Ty took their seats while Leonidas and Vanessa pulled out plates, bowls, and cutlery. It was a common understanding that the teenagers would take care of the clean-up, making the serving process much faster.

“Alright, we got Kung Pow Chicken, Orange Chicken, Squid, Hyperion Noodles…”

Vanessa continued to list off the various options while the boys and Leonidas started sorting through, passing boxes and containers back and forth to take their individual shares of the spoils.

“… and rice pudding.” She concluded, before looking up from the list to see her husband and boys already eating. “Neanderthals.” She huffed, folding the list and putting it down before starting to select her own food.

“Hey Auntie V?” Lucien asked after a few moments of quiet chewing and slurping, looking over at his godmother.

“What’s up, kiddo?”

“Why are you and Uncle Leo not stopping me from doing vigilante stuff?”

The eating stopped momentarily at Lucien’s question, and the adults exchanged glances. Ty was looking at him with alarm, as if calling his sanity into doubt. Lucien knew what he’d asked was dangerous, but the lack of understanding had been gnawing at him since they’d received the transceiver. He was hardly ungrateful, and he didn’t want his godparents to stop him; yet the nagging wonder as to the reasons behind their support wouldn’t go away. He trusted Vanessa and Leonidas without question, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to know their reasons. It felt important.

“Well…” Vanessa started carefully. “We talked about this at length, actually, while you were still recovering after your assault.”

Tiberius and Leonidas both scowled at the mention of Lucien’s beating, father and son sharing equal looks of anger at the memory.

“You see, your mother talked to us before… Before she passed.” Vanessa said, halting over her own words as if reliving something painful. It was a stark reminder to Lucien that Vanessa and his mother had been friends since their first steps. Losing her must have hit Vanessa as hard as it had Lucien, perhaps — though it almost felt wrong to think it — even more.

“She had suspicions about your future, Lucien. Your mother loved you deeply, but she also understood what giving birth to you had meant. We both did.” Vanessa looked at her husband, and Leonidas’ powerful voice took up in her place.

“You never knew your Father, Luc. I only met him a couple of times, but Vanessa and your mother were much more exposed to him. He and your mother were very in love.”

“But he died when I was three, right?” Lucien asked, frowning. “You and Auntie V were around plenty before that.”

“Your mother…” Leonidas hesitated, glancing at Vanessa, who sighed.

“The man whose picture your mother kept, Jonathan? He was her second husband, Luc. John accepted you without hesitation, and he was a good man for doing so, but he wasn’t your biological father.”

Lucien’s heart skipped a beat. The truth, spoken so plainly, didn’t shock him as much as it should have. He’d always suspected, always thought that perhaps his mother hadn’t been fully honest about his parentage. After all, he’d never inherited any of Jonathan’s features. He’d been blond haired and blue eyed, with Mediterranean skin. Lucien had never been any of those things.

He felt a hand on his arm, and looked over to see Ty’s face searching his own, his god-brother’s features frowning at him in concern. Luc offered him a smile of reassurance, and turned back to Vanessa, meeting her own searching gaze with his. “So. Who was he?”

Vanessa’s features twisted, and she bit her lip. “I…”

“We promised your mother to keep it a secret.” Leonidas said after a moment, moving over to wrap his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Before she passed, she made us swear not to say anything. Not unless your powers manifested, and you asked us directly.”

“Well, I’m asking.” Lucien said with a forced smile, as if it were a joke.

“I know, son. It’s just… Difficult. It isn’t easy to talk about.”

“Why? Was my father a criminal or something?” Lucien asked, his throat tight.

“It…”

“He deserves to know, Dad.” Tiberius said, as solidly on Lucien’s side as ever.

Leonidas turned to Vanessa, whose fingers twisted. “I was hoping you’d never have to find out.” She said softly, tears brimming in her eyes. “You shouldn’t have to bear this burden.”

“Auntie V.” Lucien said, trying to keep his voice calm. “Please. Just tell me. I promise I can handle it.”

Vanessa closed her eyes shut at his words and drew in a breath, while Leonidas rubbed her shoulders gently, watching his wife with a concerned gaze. “It’s alright, Nessa.” He said gently, with an intimacy that made Lucien feel faintly embarrassed. “He can handle it. He deserves the truth.”

Tiberius looked between his parents carefully before turning back to Lucien, his face as worried and confused as Lucien felt inside. Would the truth change Ty’s opinion of him? Would he hate him afterwards? The thought entered his mind unbidden, and Lucien abruptly felt rage flash through him — at himself. Tiberius Washington had been his best friend since childhood. Shame crashed through his body as he reprimanded his own brain. The day Ty turned against him was the day Lucien would have done something truly heinous to deserve it.

“Are you sure?” Vanessa asked a moment later, her voice stronger, but still faintly brittle. The tears in her eyes remained unshed, but her gaze was firmer as it watched him.

“I’m sure.” Lucien said, far more confidently than he felt.

“Your father’s name was Arcturus Pendragon.”

“Pendragon? I thought that was mom’s married name?”

“Jonathan was his cousin. He was there for your mother, and they fell in love after your Father’s death.”

“I… Don’t know that name.” Lucien admitted, looking towards Tiberius for clues. His best friend seemed just as bewildered, shaking his head to indicate he didn’t know either.

“Tell him, Nessa.” Leonidas said, faintly nudging his wife. “He’ll find out eventually.”

Vanessa huffed, throwing a glare at her husband at being called out for what Lucien was beginning to believe was a half-truth. “Damn it all, Leo.” She said angrily. “It isn’t fair to put that kind of pressure on him!”

“That isn’t your choice to make.” Leonidas said calmly, surprising both Lucien and Tiberius, who looked at the older man in joint expressions of shock. Leonidas rarely contradicted or overrode his wife, preferring to cruise through life with a kind of surfer-dude ease outside of work hours. His expression, though, was firm — and Lucien glimpsed the strength and determination that had likely made Vanessa fall so head over heels for her husband.

“Please, Auntie V.” Lucien said simply, watching her steadily, and feeling far more panicked than he’d let on.

“Fine.” She said, her eyes tightening with worry. “Your father was known by another name.”

Lucien’s heart started hammering in his chest.

“Olympus.”

Silence followed her confession.

“Holy SHIT.” Ty said beside him.

It was an apt reaction.