Welcome to the New Year updates.

I took a little break from writing the psych evals but our field tests are coming up.

Year Three: Arming Up

Sixteen Years Ago - Asgard

"Try it," Thor encourages.

Five-year-old Apollo looks back and forth from his father to Mjolnir on the floor in front of them. He knows the rules of his father's weapon and has seen him use its power. Beautiful skies filled with lightning channelled in the Uru. It's slammed into the ground, his father hunched over before looking up, seeing his lightning disperse and spread through the crackling ground to take out whatever's in its path.

Apollo looks up at his father and shakes his head. "Father, I'm not worthy."

Thor nudges him forwards, towards Mjolnir. "Give it a gander."

Apollo's gaze returns alternating between the hammer and his father who keeps nodding encouragingly. He knows he isn't worthy and doesn't understand why his father wants him to try something he'd fail.

Apollo holds his hand out, focusing on the hammer. He isn't sure how to summon it. Does he think it? Does he command it in his mind? He isn't sure if he's supposed to feel something in his bones or if it works automatically, in a scenario where it's his right to summon the hammer.

To his surprise, Mjolnir's handle twitches. Apollo lowers his arm, looking back and forth between his father and the hammer in shock. Thor's jaw dropped open as Apollo backs away from the hammer.

"Oh, gods!" Apollo exclaims, jumping up and down excitedly. "Did it move? Why did it move?"

"I don't know!" Thor exclaims, picking Apollo up with one arm and calling Mjolnir with his other hand. "Maybe the Gods will give you your own weapon one day."

Little did he know Thor would hold his hand out behind Apollo and calmly make Mjolnir move to create the illusion.

-o-

Six Years Ago - Asgard

"Come on!" Freya yells.

Freya and the other warriors in training circle around with their weapons held high. On the other side is an armoured Apollo who freshly came to Asgard to visit. He was still in his Midgard clothes walking through the palace to change when Freya found him and dragged him to their training arena. She and the other warriors

"No advantage?" Apollo asks. "Quite unfair. I just got here and didn't even stretch."

He smirks at Freya just to spite her and she rolls her eyes, keeping a grin. Apollo looks at the warriors, thinking of a strategy. He rubs his hands together and dark clouds start forming in the skies, throwing everyone off, especially him since it wasn't his doing. Apollo turns around to his parents who are watching on the sidelines and Thor shrugs.

Then as lightning strikes in the skies and thunder rolls, Apollo feels the elements crackling in his bones. For a moment he feels like he's being torn apart and he screams. Freya drops her sword and starts running towards him with his parents from behind but they stop when a ball of light hurtles towards him.

Jane yells for Apollo as Thor calls his hammer and Freya ducks, shielding her eyes. Apollo holds his hand out as gut instinct and he grips onto something. When the lights dim and storms settle, everyone looks in awe to see a glistening axe forged from the stars in Apollo's hand.

The warriors chatter amongst each other, wanting to see that weapon in battle.

"A gift from the Gods," Jane states.

"Only you are worthy," Thor says proudly, patting Apollo's shoulder.

"You don't want to gander?" Apollo jokes.

-o-

Present Day - Johannesburg, South Africa - 11:11 AM

The next time Emily sets foot in Milan would be her last time there in a while. She'll graduate with her business degree, return home for the summer and follow her parents around as she helps with the business, and then head to Japan to start her Masters program in biomedical engineering. She just came flew in from Tokyo after touring her school and her program. Before she flew back to Milan, she stopped in Johannesburg where she met Iqadi and Imanu at an outdoor café.

"So, you've been flying around," Iqadi comments.

Emily laughs, shaking her head. "I'm tired of it."

"Any word from the Academy?" Imanu asks.

Emily traces the base of her glass with her nail. "They just had their psych evals and it fucked them up. James went home to go hug his dad the moment he was dismissed. I was on the phone with him the whole time he was driving. Angela tried a word-association test on me, Xavier asked me who he was, and Merida asked me to describe her childhood for her. I sent her pictures of her in Girl Scouts because what was I supposed to say?"

Iqadi purses her lips as she nods. "And Daniel?"

Emily pauses as she thinks back. "I had to call him since he didn't reach out to me. I knew his psych eval was the last day possible but I didn't want to ask and worry him. The only reason I knew his psych eval happened was because his evaluator called me and said to check in on him."

"That bad?" Imanu questions, sitting back. "But that's a breach of confidentiality, isn't it?"

Emily shrugs. "She didn't tell me anything about their meeting, just to call him. The onus was on Daniel to tell me if he wants but I didn't pry. He could tell I wanted to know but he didn't waver."

"I only imagine that all the memories he's tried to repress were brought back into the light," Iqadi says.

"Yeah, that was a tough phone call. I'm shocked he actually answered me. He was working on his express Ph.D. since he's gotta finish that by the summer or sooner since he's visiting me in Italy." A small smile teases her lips at the thought of their future plan. "They have their field tests next, not Daniel. His psych eval got him out of it but he has to get at least a Masters degree in medicine to make up for it. Field medic or team medic. Same thing."

"Their classes might be over but the Academy is still finding new ways to torture them," Imanu says. Iqadi playfully nudges him.

Emily raises her glass to that statement. "The Academy can try and prepare them for fights and battles, even for their field tests, but training rooms and simulations don't factor in the blood and madness like reality."

Iqadi scoffs since she's been training intensively since she could walk. "Don't I know it?"

"Okay, weird question, but anything about Apollo and Britney?"

Iqadi's eyes dim and Imanu holds her hand under the table. "I didn't plan to bring them up since I figured it would've been the first thing you'd mention if you had any updates."

Emily nods, looking down at her glass again. She wasn't surprised. "And that answers it for us. God, it'll only get weirder from here."