and glaring up at him. "All your powers kicking off while you’re sleeping--I didn't get any sleep last night because of you! Now you're threatening me!"
"I have to pee," he mutters.
"Oh for crying out loud," I say, heading for the rock that holds him. I kick it, but nothing happens. "This is hard, you jerk! Break it yourself!"
"Come up here, it should be easier to break where it's thinner," he says, looking at the sculpture.
"You're an elementalist, just make it break with your powers or something!"
"This is rock, not metal! I'm a metal manipulator, duh!"
"You're both, otherwise you'd be wrapped in metal, moron," I say, starting to climb up the rock. "Metal is a form of earth elementalism, right? So it's not really surprising that you've got rocks--" I grunt, tugging on the thin part of the rock behind him. It cracks, and he falls onto me, sending both of us tumbling to the ground. "Ow."
"Thanks," he says, racing away before I can respond.
"Whatever," I say, getting my breath back before standing. I look around, taking in the spikes of rock and the lack of Grandpa. He must have run off again before we woke up. "And you promised me I'd get a shower!" I complain to the absent man. "Forget this! I'm going to the Hall by myself!"
"Hey, wait up, I want a shower too!" Jason calls from the trees nearest me. "Take me with you."
"It's all the way in the city, though," I say, frowning. "I think I know how to get there, but--can you run yet?"
"Uh..." he says.
"You can't, can you."
"Haven't tried? I mean, my dad hasn't got speed--"
"Neither have I," I admit. "So... should we try?"
He hesitates, and I can clearly see him trying to compare himself to his dad. What sort of dad leaves a kid so focused on being like him when he's a super villain? "I guess," he says finally, glancing back at the rocks.
"Okay, but if one of us can't keep up, we walk, got it?" I say. I don't want to be all on my own in a strange time again, I've had as much of that as I can handle.
"Okay."
***
There's something on his chest. It's not like it's heavy, but it is waking him up. "Zoe, I swear it's not my turn to make breakfast," Nico mutters, gently pushing the weight off of him. It goes right back to where it was, irritatingly enough. He opens his eyes and stares blankly at the leg draped over his chest. It's bad enough that this was one of the nights he needed sleep, he thinks, but having someone use him as a footstool? He shoves the leg off and gets up, looking at the pile of people--then at his father, who's floating in the air above them, sound asleep. He wished he'd thought of that.
He looks around, seeing only a few places to step, and takes to the air, floating over them to avoid it entirely. He stops next to where Taurus Sr. is draped over a couch. "Wake up . It's time to go talk to Mastermental."
Taurus Sr. wakes with a jerk, looking at him blankly. "Are you flying?" he asks finally.
"There's nowhere to walk," Nico says dryly. "I should have slept like he did," he adds, glancing at the still sleeping super in question. "I don't want to leave him here, though. Better to keep an eye on him."
"Is he really Superior?" Taurus Sr. asks quietly.
"Yeah, he is. Unfortunately," Nico says. "Oye, Father ," he calls, "time to wake up. We're going to the Hall."
Superior sits up, looking at him for a moment before straightening and flying over the mass of heroes. "I don't believe that all of these are capes," he says, looking down at them. "I'd say... one third at most. That one looks like one of your kids in the school. The rest are pretending."
"Not our place to judge," Nico says with a shrug. "And no point in scanning each and every one of them, we're not going to change the future at all." He stares into his father's eyes as he says that. "We're just here to get Noelle back and go back into our own time."
"Who's Noelle?" Taurus Sr. asks,
"I have to pee," he mutters.
"Oh for crying out loud," I say, heading for the rock that holds him. I kick it, but nothing happens. "This is hard, you jerk! Break it yourself!"
"Come up here, it should be easier to break where it's thinner," he says, looking at the sculpture.
"You're an elementalist, just make it break with your powers or something!"
"This is rock, not metal! I'm a metal manipulator, duh!"
"You're both, otherwise you'd be wrapped in metal, moron," I say, starting to climb up the rock. "Metal is a form of earth elementalism, right? So it's not really surprising that you've got rocks--" I grunt, tugging on the thin part of the rock behind him. It cracks, and he falls onto me, sending both of us tumbling to the ground. "Ow."
"Thanks," he says, racing away before I can respond.
"Whatever," I say, getting my breath back before standing. I look around, taking in the spikes of rock and the lack of Grandpa. He must have run off again before we woke up. "And you promised me I'd get a shower!" I complain to the absent man. "Forget this! I'm going to the Hall by myself!"
"Hey, wait up, I want a shower too!" Jason calls from the trees nearest me. "Take me with you."
"It's all the way in the city, though," I say, frowning. "I think I know how to get there, but--can you run yet?"
"Uh..." he says.
"You can't, can you."
"Haven't tried? I mean, my dad hasn't got speed--"
"Neither have I," I admit. "So... should we try?"
He hesitates, and I can clearly see him trying to compare himself to his dad. What sort of dad leaves a kid so focused on being like him when he's a super villain? "I guess," he says finally, glancing back at the rocks.
"Okay, but if one of us can't keep up, we walk, got it?" I say. I don't want to be all on my own in a strange time again, I've had as much of that as I can handle.
"Okay."
***
There's something on his chest. It's not like it's heavy, but it is waking him up. "Zoe, I swear it's not my turn to make breakfast," Nico mutters, gently pushing the weight off of him. It goes right back to where it was, irritatingly enough. He opens his eyes and stares blankly at the leg draped over his chest. It's bad enough that this was one of the nights he needed sleep, he thinks, but having someone use him as a footstool? He shoves the leg off and gets up, looking at the pile of people--then at his father, who's floating in the air above them, sound asleep. He wished he'd thought of that.
He looks around, seeing only a few places to step, and takes to the air, floating over them to avoid it entirely. He stops next to where Taurus Sr. is draped over a couch. "Wake up . It's time to go talk to Mastermental."
Taurus Sr. wakes with a jerk, looking at him blankly. "Are you flying?" he asks finally.
"There's nowhere to walk," Nico says dryly. "I should have slept like he did," he adds, glancing at the still sleeping super in question. "I don't want to leave him here, though. Better to keep an eye on him."
"Is he really Superior?" Taurus Sr. asks quietly.
"Yeah, he is. Unfortunately," Nico says. "Oye, Father ," he calls, "time to wake up. We're going to the Hall."
Superior sits up, looking at him for a moment before straightening and flying over the mass of heroes. "I don't believe that all of these are capes," he says, looking down at them. "I'd say... one third at most. That one looks like one of your kids in the school. The rest are pretending."
"Not our place to judge," Nico says with a shrug. "And no point in scanning each and every one of them, we're not going to change the future at all." He stares into his father's eyes as he says that. "We're just here to get Noelle back and go back into our own time."
"Who's Noelle?" Taurus Sr. asks,
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