Summary AU!: Eighteen years ago, the wolf goddess, Lupa, adopted the demititan son of Atlas. Out of the five years, she adopted the clone of Superman. She raised the two as her own, turning them into something more. Something the world needs now more than ever.
Atsáli was awaken from his light slumber with a pat on his shoulder, provided by his brother.
"We're almost there" he says, his tall figure blotted out the sun from hitting his eyes. After that night, he and Viribus made up a series of plans to make their dream a reality. The first step was gaining allies for their cause, which wasn't going to be easy for a number of reasons.
And two days later, at the crack of dawn, the two packed up some supplies and stowed away in one of the cargo holds of the Amtrak.
"Where are we?" Atsáli ask as he rose to his feet, stretching.
"Now entering Emeryville, California" Viribus answered, "We'll get off here and take the Bart station to the Berkeley Hills"
"And how long will that take?" Atsáli grumbled slightly. He didn't like taking trains to begin with. Heck the reason why he was on this one was because his brother made him.
"At least two hours" Viribus sighs as he adjusts his new armbands, "And that's in case we do run into monsters"
Atsáli gave a huff in annoyance. They've been cooped up in this train cart for too long.
"Why couldn't we just run there? Save us the trouble?"
"Because two guys running at Mach 2 speeds through the Bay Area would obviously catch someone's attention" Viribus answers calmly while looking up to the sky, "and if we of all people arrive to New Rome without breaking so much of a sweat, they'll most likely be afraid of us"
Atsáli was about to retort, but found his brother's reasons to be valid. So he said nothing.
"And you feel it too, don't you?"
Atsáli rotates his arm as he nods, "Yeah, something's watching us. And it's no god or immortal"
"The mortals are becoming more aware of us" Viribus says, "makes sense after what happened a couple of days ago"
Atsáli nods and stood next to his brother. The sun was at it's peak, indicating it was noon. The young clone closed his eyes and absorbed as much radiation as he could. His body was still sore from the battle and Lupa's punishment. The only reason why he was able to survive the punishment was because of the food of the gods.
Any normal mortal would've combust from consuming too much, but he surprisingly hasn't yet. Probably thanks to his blessings from Lupa and Kryptonian biology. Viribus slightly envied his brother's natural healing factor, but he technically has more stamina and strength so silver lining.
"Alright" the son of Atlas says, waking his brother out of his small sun bath, "We get off here"
The two quickly jump off the train and land with a roll. After dusting themselves off and making sure they had everything on their person, they got on the nearest bus heading to their next destination.
Reyna took a deep breath as she covers her eyes with a black blind fold. Sweat dripped down her body as she raised her imperial gold gladius above her head. The automatons around her got into defensive stances, holding weapons ranging from swords, spears and shields. The gears in their bodies ticked as they got ready to strike.
'Six enemies' Reyna counted, 'Three armed swords and shields. Two with spears. The last one is dual wielding. Estimated time to defeat them; Five minutes'
Her head tilted slightly as she heard an automaton closed in on her, going in for a horizontal slash. She side stepped the attack before blocking a slash from another.
She spins from under the attack and back kicks the machine away. The praetor barely avoids a shield bash and a spear thrust to the face. She grits her teeth as she felt the blade brush past her face, taking off a few hair strands.
Reyna bats the weapon way and advances on the automaton. As she was close to breaking its guard, another tries to slash at her leg. But she switches her stance, making it miss its target and throw it off balance. She push kicks the machine's head clean off before kicking the spear wielding machine with a back kick with the same leg, finally breaking its guard.
Reyna takes this time to change her sword into a spear and stab the machine through its chest. Without missing a beat, she stabs her spear into the ground and pole vaulted over to her next opponent. When she landed, she spun her spear and went in for a thrust.
However, the automaton blocked with it's shield and countered with its own thrust.
She ducked under the sword and spun into the machine's guard, all the while changing her spear back into a sword. She reversed the grip and plunged the blade deep into the machine's stomach.
Reyna gave a huff before rolling away from a stab to the back. She rose to her feet, taking on two automaton's at once; the sword wielder and the spear user.
She was slowly getting pushed back towards the dual wielding machine, but that's what she planned for.
After side stepping a sword slash and decapitating an automaton, she parries a spear thrust and yanks the weapon out of its hand. She knocks the machine off its feet with the spear shaft, and by the time it was on its back, she rolls forward and stabs the machine in its chest.
She turns and throws the spear towards the dual wielder, but was swatted away. Reyna quickly advances on her last opponent, each slash was calculated. Every block was firm and her form had little to no flaw.
With a shout, she parried a double overhead strike before disarming the machine by cutting off both it's arms. She then slashes downward, slicing the machine in half.
Her training session was over. She whips off the blind fold and looks at her wrist watch.
"Five minutes and eighteen seconds" a voice called out to her from the stands in the arena, "that's a new record for you"
The praetor smiles, "Nico, it's been a while"
The son of Hades rolls his eyes, "I wouldn't call a couple of months a while"
None the less, there was a small smile on his face.
"Have you eaten today?" Reyna asks.
"Have you?"
The duo were now sitting at Reyna's favorite cafe, each with their own drink and lunch. The magic ward surrounding the camp protected it from the Darkseid War, but the terrain on the outside had a few parademon bodies.
The daughter of Bellona always enjoyed Nico's visits. It filled her with joy seeing the small, yet noticeable light in her 'little brother's' eyes. Before, all she could see was pain and sadness. Even after all these years, she regretfully remembers her assuming it was a trait all children of Hades had.
"You didn't hear a word I said, didn't you?"
Reyna widens her eyes as she realized she was lost in thought, "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I was talking about what happened the other night" Nico says as he pokes his bagel with his kitchen knife, "me and Will were unpacking our things in one of the suites, when suddenly suddenly everyone started screaming"
Reyna furrowed her eyebrows. She remembered she doing paperwork, blinking in and out of consciousness when she felt this...spark. It made her scream the most random thing before she passed out. The next morning, she was training extra harder than she usually would. Now she knows it wasn't just her.
"What did you scream?"
Reyna blinked, "...What did you scream?"
"Toothpaste. Now you"
"Demotion" she answered before smirking mischievously, "now what did Will scream?"
"What isn't he screaming about" Nico answered with an eye roll, "he was unpacking our stuff while I was showering. I suddenly her him yell "I'M NOT OKAY!' I run out the shower to see that man blushing and wearing my My Chemical Romance shirt"
Reyna felt a pang of jealousy in her heart as her smile broaden, "You're really happy with him, aren't you?"
For a brief second, the "young" man sent the infamous glare all children of Hades inherited from their father. But Reyna wasn't easily phased. She knew it was out of habit when Nico got emotional.
The glare subsided and was replaced with a small smile. His cheeks went from to pale to pink, "Yes...I am. That son of Apollo makes me-"
Nico stopped in mid sentence. He rose from his chair and looked out into the distance. She raised an eyebrow at the sudden action. Her dogs began to face the same direction as him.
Now her eyes were narrowed, "What is it? What do you sense?"
"...there is a battle" Nico answered, "two people fighting against monsters"
"Not demigods?" Reyna asks. Of the demigods of Olympus, Nico was probably the second most active on the field. He had developed new skills over the years, one of which his partner dubbed "soul searching". The technique allowed the user to be able to sense or detect any living thing nearby.
He mostly used the technique to find unclaimed demigods or legacies, it made his job a lot easier.
"No...but one of them feels like one, but stronger. A whole lot stronger. And while the other doesn't feel like a demigod, it's not quite human either"
Reyna remains silent. What could possibly be out there? Nonetheless, there was a battle outside her camp. Whether they're friend or foe, doesn't matter at this point.
"I'll gather a small squad then" Reyna said as she rose to her feet, "care to join?"
"Nope" the son of Hades says, "but I know you're going to make me, Ramirez"
Reyna put a hand on her heart, pretending to be hurt. She scoffed, "Di Angelo, I would never"
"Yeah, ok" he rolled his eyes as they walked away, with the two dogs following after them.
"End of the line" the bus driver called out.
Viribus nods his head to his brother, and they both rose from there seats. As soon as they stepped off the bus, they stretched there body. Even though it was Viribus' idea, he was itching to get off the bus. They were lucky to avoid monsters along the way.
"Ok then, we walk from here" Viribus says as he lead the way through the hills. Atsáli follows after him silently.
Fifteen minutes passed, and they were almost to the entrance. And every step they took, Atsáli heard his brother's heartbeat pump slightly faster. It's not that he intended to, his senses were naturally sharper than his brothers.
"Are you nervous?" Atsáli finally asked, "About what will happen in New Rome?"
"...A little" Viribus answered, but he knew that wasn't the full truth.
"I know the Romans aren't necessarily fond of us, especially after our last visit" Atsáli continues as they approached the Little Tiber.
"Well we did destroy the Field of Mars" Viribus says as he stops in front of the river, "and...gave the war elephant a concussion"
"'We?' You destroyed the field" Atsáli countered playfully with a frown.
"Well they shouldn't have shot me with a water cannon" Viribus replied with a shrug, "and you were the one who let the elephant crash into you"
"I thought it was the son of Mars!" Atsáli exclaimed, "I wouldn't have punched it if I could tell the difference"
"You would still punch an elephant?" Viribus asked with an amused smile.
"If you had seen the look it gave me and how fast it was going, trust me" Atsáli says, "you would've done the same"
The two share a heartfelt laughter together. It was moments like these that made their missions enjoyable. Small talks, reminiscing old memories, even sharing meals in silence. Moments like those strengthen their bond, and in turn, made them into Olympus' greatest assets.
Like a twig in the distance, the lighthearted atmosphere was snapped. The two stood back to back in there fighting stance. Atsáli could hear whatever was out there, but Viribus knew exactly what it was. The itching sensation on a few of his scars confirmed his suspicion.
"Werewolves" Atsáli says as he activated his shield. The face of the shield had wolf design instead of the Kryptonian symbol of hope. Personally, Viribus liked this one better. This one was lined with silver and imperial gold, made for killing werewolves.
"I wanna say...a small pack of them. Thirteen of them, minus the Alpha Male and Female" Atsáli said.
"He's here" Viribus says, "Don't know where he is, but he's close. He has to be"
All it took was a glance, and Atsáli knew what to do. He took a knee and held his shield above his head. The son of Atlas cocked his right fist back and hit the shield with all his might.
GONG!
The wolves whimper as the sound penetrates their ears. Anyone with sensitive hearing would find this torturous, but Viribus and Atsáli were trained to battle werewolves before anything else. The two dashed through there ranks and jumped into the trees.
"Can you track him?" Viribus asks as he swung from a branch. Atsali runs a long a branch before leaping to another. They land on the same tree, assessing their enemies.
"No good" Atsáli answers as his eyes flashed briefly, "Lyacon has evade gods and Hunter's for years. I'd assume with your experience with him, you'd know how to find him"
"I've only encountered him twice" the son of Atlas replies as he adjust his armband, "both time he nearly killed me with cheap shots"
"This time, I'm ready for him" Viribus says as he cracks his knuckle, "Let's draw him out"
Viribus jumps down and land on all fours, he dashes at a werewolf. He punches it in its chest before spinning around and kicking it into a tree. Another tries to lunge at him, but Viribus turns in time to snap a kick to its jaws.
It goes flying into a tree, a tree branch penetrating its chest. The son of Atlas spins out the way of a claw swipe before wrapping his right arm around the beasts' arm and breaks its arm with a with a sharp tug. He then shatters its ribs with a thrust punch.
Atsáli jumps down and decapitates a wolf before chucking his shield at another. As the shield ricocheted off of one wolf to another, Atsáli turns and delivers a left hook to a wolf trying to sneak up behind him. He catches his shield with his right hand and spins low to the ground. He slices the wolfman's legs off and rises to his feet. As the monster dies from its wounds, he sees Viribus fighting against two werewolves by himself.
He kicks off from a nearby log and spins in a circle. The shield goes flying through one of the wolves his brother was fighting and embed into a tree. Viribus ducks under another swipe before driving his elbow through its side, obliterating it on the spot.
A she-wolf pounces on top of him and goes in for a bite to his jugular, but he blocked with his arm. These specific bands were luckily laced with silver and designed to help control Viribus' incredible strength.
Though he's outgrown them, they still come in handy for situations.
Viribus bucks his hips and knocks the she wolf off of him and punches her through its chest. He rolls backwards to dodge another pounce.
Atsáli judo flips a werewolf before stomping on its throat, crushing its windpipe. He turns to hold back a beast from snapping at his neck. With a grunt, he snaps its legs with an inside leg kick. He knees it in its face before push kicking it into his shield, still lodge in a tree.
As he goes to retrieve it, Viribus raises his arm to block an overhand swipe before drilling it with punches. He then spin kicks it in the neck, snapping it and instantly killing the monster. Viribus gave a huff before turning to his brother.
Atsáli yanked the shield out the tree with ease. As he straps it to his arm, he noticed something moving in its reflection.
His eyes widened at what he saw. He makes eye contact with his brother, who nods quickly. They take off quickly through the woods, with another pack of werewolves on their tail.
"Why are there so many here?!" Atsáli asked, "It's not even a full moon, why is there another pack?!"
"You don't need a full moon to transform" Viribus answers as he knocks over a few tree, "And the pack we just fought was just a scouting party. They tricked us."
"Can you smell him? I've only ever encountered him once"
"Unfortunately, no" Viribus cursed, "His scent is untraceable. Even gods and goddesses can't track him"
The tree slows them down long enough for them to break through the tree line. Thankfully there was a small legion standing on the other side of the river.
"Werewolves!" Viribus yelled out, "Lyacon's here!"
A werewolf tackles Viribus to the ground. Before it could bite at his neck, a sliver dog ran into it and sunk its canines into its neck. The wolf whimpered as the dog ripped its neck to shreds. Viribus rose to his feet to see Atsáli fighting for his life. Silver arrows pierce most of the wolves, driving them back. But it wasn't enough.
Atsáli blocks a swipe with his shield before ducking under another. He spins and slices one beasts legs before throwing it through a werewolf's chest and into another.
He rolls to the side to tackle a werewolf the ground. His shield comes back to him as he raises his arms to catch it. He decapitates the wolf and raised it to block another swipe.
Thankfully, an arrow pierced its head before it got a chance to do more damage.
Viribus runs in to deliver a flying knee into a werewolf, knocking it into the river. It disintegrated immediately. He sees two familiar automaton dogs and freezes. He catches her scent immediately, as she lands behind him. It was a soft thud away from a graceful landing.
Time seemed to slow down as the son of Atlas tries to turn and see her face. But she seemed to be moving so fast, for he just missed her.
He only caught her whipping out a silver pocket knife and a silver knuckle duster. He wished he could see her face as she stabbed a beast in the throat, but time seemed to resume forward as so.
Reyna yanks her weapon out of the dying werewolf's throat before turning and punching another in the face.
"Archers! Next volley, aim five feet in front of us. Nico, get Atsali out of here!"
The son of Hades nods after slashing another she-wolf with his sword. He dodges a slash before disappearing in the monster's shadow. He appears behind Atsáli and grabs his arm.
"What th-?!" the Kryptonian clone was cut off by being pulled into the realm of shadows.
Viribus sends a punch that blows a few wolves away before running towards Reyna. She evades a slash before slicing at the monster's stomach and uppercutting the wound a few times.
She turns to slash at what she assumed was a monster, but was actually Viribus. Luckily he caught her wrist a few inches before she could make contact.
The fire she keeps in her eyes for battle was replaced with a brief expression of shock. He was equally shocked, but he masked it well. He knew she would be in the camp, but he didn't expect to see her so soon. If anything, he should've caught her scent by now.
"Demititan" she greets in a neutral tone. A volley of silver tipped arrows finished off the remaining werewolves. The survivors whimpered as they retreated back into the forest.
"Praetor" he responded with a small smile, which caused her eyebrow to twitch slightly.
'A habit she does when she's irritated' Viribus mused internally.
The werewolves were pushed back into the forest. The praetor's two companions run back to her heels and snarled at the son of Atlas. Viribus blinked at the two dog's actions before looking at Reyna with a raised eyebrow. She doesn't say or do anything as she sheathed her weapons, all the while keeping her eyes on him.
"Ahem"
The two turned to see the son of Hades standing behind them with Atsáli. A draw bridge had rose from underneath the river, allowing the Romans to cross over and set a perimeter.
"Are we interrupting something?" Nico asked. There was some humor in his voice, but Reyna was the only one who could sense it.
"Not at all, Ambassador Di Angelo" Reyna replies, "Just catching up with an old acquaintance"
"I see" Nico says as he sheathed his sword, "Well while you were doing that, Atsáli- Atsáli, right?- says they're here to request an audience with the Senate"
Reyna blinked in surprise before glancing at Viribus, who gave a slight shrug. She gave a small sigh before walking across the bridge.
"Very well then" Reyna called out, "However, we'll have to do it first thing in the morning. This is last minute call unfortunately"
Nico and Atsáli follow after her, but the latter noticed that his brother wasn't following him. He turned and chuckles as the praetor's dogs were still growling at him.
"Um, Praetor?" Viribus calls out, making her pause in stride. She turned her head slightly and he could have sworn he saw a grin on her face. She steps off the bridge and gives a whistle. The gold and silver dogs give one last snarl before rushing back to their master's side.
Viribus let's out a small breath of relief, before walking to across the bridge.
"So...you and the praetor?" Atsáli asked with a whisper, "that's why you were so nervous?"
Viribus merely glares at his brother before walking away. Atsáli chuckles quietly before following after.