I found the idea of a superhero AU to be pretty interesting, and I hope everyone enjoys.
Being a superhero was a dream that almost every young kid had. They would watch Saturday morning cartoons and dream of themselves as the heroes they saw on television. Most kids lost that dream as they grew up and learned that superpowers just didn't exist. The kids in Olympian Plains didn't have to worry about losing their dreams because superpowers were a very real thing.
It started with an explosion at a nuclear power plant a few towns over. The town that held the nuclear power plant was completely wiped out. Radioactive fallout spread across a radius of five towns in every direction. When the radiation was combined with freak weather, it caused a string of freak mutations.
Those mutations were found in young babies that had been born a few months after the explosion. The babies were noted on a special file, but that file had been destroyed when the record room at the hospital caught on fire. Since the fire happened, no one knew who had the mutations.
Most of the citizens forgot about the entire incident. It took twenty years for the mutations to come back to light. A man who called himself Kronos started a major crime spree. He recruited others with powers to his cause.
It seemed like no one would stand against the new group that called themselves the Titans. Then, six men and six women stood up to Kronos. They used their own powers as they were plunged into a war. It took months for the heroes to defeat Kronos and his crew.
When Kronos was finally defeated, he was cast into a maximum security prison called Tartarus. Those who helped him were also thrown into the prison. The mayor then turned her sights onto the heroes who were now being called Olympians.
Their leader, who went by the name of Zeus, volunteered his group to protect the city. A few rules were laid out. The superheroes would have their identities kept a secret, so they wouldn't be hounded by fans or villains. Another rule was that criminals could not be killed or seriously injured by the superheroes.
There had been a few more villains over the years, but there was nothing on the caliber of Kronos. About two years ago, the Olympians officially announced their retirement. They did promise that their kids would be taking up the mantle.
Reyna stopped typing and reread her paper. Her assignment was about the history of superheroes in Olympian Plains. She was also suppose to mention the new breed of superheroes, but at the moment, Reyna really needed a break.
She stood and stretched. At her feet, her two greyhounds stirred. Reyna had received them two years ago as a gift from her older sister. Their names were Aurum and Argentum.
Aurum got his name because of the speck of gold in his right eye. Argentum was the same, but the speck he had was silver. Reyna loved her two dogs. She patted both of them on the back and stepped out of her room.
Reyna walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her older sister was making food, even though it was about midnight. Hylla glanced at her and smiled. She spoke, "Why are you awake?"
"Paper," Reyna responded. She poured herself a glass of water. "I thought you didn't have work tonight."
"I picked up an extra shift," Hylla answered. "I wanted a little extra money because I'm taking Kinzie to that fancy steak house."
"The one with a hundred dollar steak?" Reyna questioned. Her sister nodded. "It's your anniversary tomorrow, right? Well, it's today now. Anyway, I can give you the money if you need."
"Not out of your college fund," Hylla stated simply. She silently went back to cooking. Reyna knew that her sister's pride wouldn't let her accept help, especially when it came to money.
Hylla worked a night job at a gas station, and she used to work a day job. That was the only reason they still lived in their house. Their father died when Reyna was ten, and her mother had never been in her life.
Their mother left after Reyna was born. For eight years of her life, Reyna thought that she had ran her mother away. Then, her sister had told her that their mother was actually in prison. To be exact, she was in Tartarus: the prison for supervillains.
Reyna had been more shocked to learn that their mother was considered a supervillain than the fact that their mother had powers. She also learned that her sister had a superpower. That power was super strength.
Hylla inherited it from their mother. The only thing Reyna inherited was her mother's black eyes. Everyone thought that her eyes were a dark brown, and if it kept them from making the connection, she wouldn't correct them.
Hylla always told Reyna that her powers would come later. It was sixteen years, and there was no sign of powers. That didn't keep Reyna from helping her sister stop crime. They both broke one of the rules though. If there was a criminal, they would do anything to take him or her down.
"Do you have any plans for later today?" Hylla questioned. She sat a small plate of food down for Reyna and then sat her own food down. Hylla started to eat. Reyna ate the food to appease her sister.
"I'm hanging out with my girlfriend," Reyna replied. "We might work on that paper together."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Hylla commented. With her fork halfway to her mouth, she froze. "Wait. Don't do anything that I would do."
Reyna laughed and thought about her girlfriend. Thalia Grace was the most beautiful girl in the world. She had electric blue eyes and spiky black hair. Reyna had met Thalia's younger brother first, and that was how she met most of her current friends.
Reyna knew that Thalia's mother had passed away a few years ago, but she didn't know the details and wasn't going to prod. Thalia didn't question Reyna about her father, so it was the only respectful to not question her. She did know that their father owned the largest company in the city.
"Have you seen the paper from yesterday?" Hylla asked. Reyna shook her head. She didn't enjoy seeing their name slandered in the papers. For some reason, the media considered them villains, even though they stopped crime. It pissed her off. "But, you're in the paper."
"What does it say?" Reyna groaned. Her sister handed her the paper. She scanned for her name. It didn't take long to see a picture of her on the front page. Of course, Reyna was in her uniform. Hylla called it a costume, but it was totally a uniform.
Reyna's uniform was a legitimate set of recreated Roman armor, and she secretly loved it. Reyna would never admit it to her sister because Hylla would just tease her. Her helmet was almost a Roman one, but she had a face plate that hid everything but her eyes.
Hylla had to be the extra one. She wore a black leather jumpsuit and a mask. There was also a gold belt of interlocking chains around her waist. Hylla always said that black suited her, and she wanted to look good when she took down crime.
It took Reyna a moment to refocus. She scanned the headline and read it aloud, "Who is Praetor?"
"The media chooses the worst names," Hylla muttered. She rolled her eyes in disgust, but it was clear she was doing her best to hide a smirk. It wasn't working.
"You can't complain," Reyna said. "The media calls you Amazon. That means they think you are from a tribe of awesome, warrior women."
"You're Praetor though. That's a Roman title, and you are obsessed with everything ancient Rome," Hylla countered. Reyna opened her mouth, but she couldn't argue with that. It had been an interest of hers ever since she was in middle school.
Reyna sighed and scanned the article for anything interesting. The article had a lot of speculation about what she looked like. For some reason, they thought her hair was brown. They were always so close with her looks, but her hair was black.
The article was full of speculation and no facts. It even had a comment from Wise Girl. She was one of the city's most well known heroes, and she was the famed daughter of the heroine Athena. Wise Girl had the power of telekinesis. Reyna thought that was the worst.
Wise Girl was named because another hero called her that during a press conference. She retorted by calling him Seaweed Brain, and they officially had the worst superhero names ever. Reyna sighed and dropped the paper.
Reyna had run into Wise Girl about three times. The first two were a draw. The third ended with Wise Girl getting saved by Seaweed Brain, and Reyna was thrown into the ocean. She was not in a good mood for the rest of that day.
"I have to go to work," Hylla said. Reyna lowered the newspaper and smiled at her. "Oh, I'm also going to tell Kinzie about our secret identities."
"You're going to tell her what?" Reyna demanded as she instantly lost her smile. Hylla looked at her and sighed deeply. Reyna glared at her."How the hell do you think Kinzie is going to react?"
"Honestly, I think she will accept it," Hylla responded. Her tone was calm and reassuring. "Kinzie is the one. I know it."
"Just be careful," Reyna said after a moment. She looked at Hylla. "I trust Kinzie, but it just freaks me out that we're actually telling someone. You've told me over and over again to never tell anyone."
"I'm the only one who is allowed to break that rule," Hylla said with a shrug. "Now, you should go work on your paper for no more than a hour. After that, you're going to bed."
"Oh, I'm also inviting Kinzie for lunch before our dinner date," Hylla continued. "You can invite Thalia if you want."
"I will," Reyna promised. "Have fun at work."
"I'll try," Hylla said. She smiled at Reyna and walked out of the house. Reyna took their dishes and washed them. Honestly, she was too tired to work on her essay more. Tomorrow would be a new day to work on it.
Reyna walked up the stairs and into her room. She saved her document and closed her laptop. After placing her laptop on her cabinet, she collapsed onto her bed.
As Reyna's eyes were closing, she heard a ringing. It took her only one second to get on her feet. She grabbed her phone and watched the flashing screen. There seemed to be a crime only five minutes from where she was. The sleepiness was replaced with adrenaline.
Her phone rang as she opened her closet. Reyna answered her phone and spoke, "I got this one Hylla."
"Are you sure?" Hylla questioned. "I can be late a few minutes."
"I'll be fine," Reyna promised. She opened her cedar chest and grabbed her uniform. "You have fun at work. I'll call you when I get back, okay?"
"Just stay safe," Hylla ordered, and she hung up. Reyna smiled and rolled her eyes. She tossed her phone on her bed. It took only twenty seconds to put on her uniform. Reyna grabbed her helmet and smirked. This criminal wouldn't know what hit him.
