“It’s too dangerous to continue.”

Lucien sat with Tiberius, Leonidas, and Vanessa in the massive living room on the bottom floor of their house. The moment school had ended, after a day of rumours and excitement that had lasted for an agonizingly long time, both he and Ty had hopped into the latter’s truck and hurried back home per Vanessa’s emphatic instructions. A family meeting, as it were, had been called to discuss the recent video — and what it meant for Lucien’s masked escapades.

“This was going to happen eventually.” Leonidas said reasonably, resting his hand calmingly on his wife’s shoulder. “But we never anticipated this level of reaction. Hyperion himself has marked you, son. We can’t in good conscience let you continue to go out there with the Golden League painting a target on your back.”

“It seems kind of weird that of all things, the League would choose to target Luc.” Tiberius said, ostensibly on Lucien’s side as always. “I feel like it’s got to mostly be damage control and PR. Why would Hyperion have such a major investment in beating up on a random vigilante?”

“What matters is that the threat has been made.” Vanessa said tensely, barely maintaining the illusion of a discussion. “We can’t risk Lucien’s safety on the possibility that the world’s most powerful metahuman is bluffing.”

“He only had one chance to be a hero!”

“And look how it turned out!” Vanessa shot back in full mother mode. “Be sensible, Tiberius! Your brother is going to get himself killed at this rate.”

“I’ll be watching his back!” Ty objected.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Tiberius.” Vanessa said, her consistent use of his full name a surefire sign she wasn’t in a negotiating mood. “No matter what you do, you can’t protect him from this.”

“Bullshit!”

“Tiberius!” Leonidas said sharply. “Be respectful to your mother.”

“But Dad—!”

“Apologise!”

Lucien looked between his godparents and godbrother in silence, seated next to Ty and unable to bring himself to say anything. He felt awful, both for causing the argument in the first place and for not being more sensible with the use of his powers. How had he not known what had happened when he’d been fighting Jayne? Was that why her accomplice had been so willing to surrender? He didn’t even remember levitating. He could have sworn, even while scanning his recollections, that he’d been on solid ground the entire time.

A tense lock-jawed contest was occurring between Tiberius and Leonidas, with the latter donning his most severe ‘dad’ look. It was rare to the point of non-occurrence for Ty to be at odds with his father, given how similar their dispositions and views were. To see it made Lucien even more guilty than before, and he opened his mouth to say something at last only for the front door to ping a visitor alert.

“I’ll get it.” Lucien said instead, rising and moving at a quick-but-normal speed to reach the front door. A quick glance at the cameras showed him who it was, and he did a double-take. Without really thinking he pulled open the doors, staring in shock at the scowling face of Malachi Cohen. The grizzled Israeli had on a black jacket over a white shirt, with a pair of dark cargo pants and combat-style boots. Stubble adorned his square jaw as usual, and his breath smelled of nicotine as he spoke.

“So. This is where you’re hiding, eh boy?”

“I’m not hid—!” Lucien began fruitlessly, before the wizened soldier brushed past him and prowled into the house. “Hey!” Lucien called, closing the doors and following him as Malachi rounded the corner out of the entrance hall and bore down on the tense trio in the living room.

The reaction from his family was mixed as they spotted Malachi. Vanessa leapt to her feet and rounded the sofa to hug him, Leonidas reached up to rub his forehead while muttering, and Tiberius grinned in appreciation.

“Malachi!” Vanessa said with relief. “Thank god. Maybe you can talk some sense into the boys.”

“I’m afraid you’re not going to like what I have to say, bubeleh.”

“Here we go.” Leonidas grumbled, leaning back and watching Malachi warily.

“Hmph.” Malachi grunted at Leonidas, before turning to Vanessa. “Sit down, Nessie. What I have to say is not what you want to hear, but you need to hear it.”

When Vanessa looked at Lucien, he took the chance to lift his hands in a demonstration of innocence. He’d really had no idea his mentor would be showing up at his house, let alone in order to say something that he presumed was in disagreement with his godparents’ wishes. After a moment of watching him with the eyes of a woman who’d known him his entire life, Vanessa eventually gave in and moved to sit next to her husband — taking his right hand in her left as she did and turning to Malachi.

“Sit down, boy.” Malachi said to Lucien, who complied without hesitation, not wishing to give his grouchy instructor any reason to take umbrage. He enjoyed Malachi’s rough edges, but he also knew not to poke the proverbial bear. As he settled down next to Ty, his godbrother flashed him a grin as if they’d won something. Lucien wasn’t so sure, but he smiled back anyway.

“I’m guessing the reason this chutzpah wasn’t at our meeting place is because the two of you are having willies about what that blond idiot said on television.” Malachi said after everyone was seated, folding his arms and watching Lucien’s godparents with a — to Lucien — surprisingly serious expression. “I expected that might happen when I saw the fool’s press conference, but I had hoped you’d both know better. In this I at least hoped your husband’s infuriating insistence on hippy-dippy parenting would soothe your overprotective instincts, Nessie, but I can see I was wrong.”

Tiberius’ eyes went wide at ‘hippy-dippy parenting’ and he seemed to be struggling not to gawk, a feeling of disbelief that Lucien could empathize with. He would not classify Leonidas as ‘hippy-dippy’ anything. Though compared to Malachi, he could understand why that’d be the perception. Leonidas himself only narrowed his eyes at Malachi’s words, not choosing to say anything. Lucien had a feeling it was a mix of patience and a desire to see what the older man’s point would be which motivated his godfather’s forbearance.

“So now.” Malachi continued gruffly. “You’ve stopped the boy’s lessons with me after one session, are talking about stopping his heroics, and are backpedaling away from the entire idea of him fulfilling his destiny because the most obvious—” the older man put special emphasis on those two words “—possible outcome has occurred. I expected you to be worried, Nessie, but I never expected you to be deluded.”

“That’s enough, Malachi.” Leonidas said firmly after the older man’s words, jaw locked in displeasure. “I won’t tolerate that kind of talk to my wife in our home.”

“If you won’t tell her, boy, then I will.” Malachi responded flatly.

“It’s too dangerous.” Leonidas reiterated, though Lucien heard a flicker of doubt in his normally unshakeable godfather’s voice. “Lucien is our responsibility, we can’t—”

“You can’t put him in danger?” Malachi asked, his normal growl amplified by what Lucien could identify as his growing impatience. “You’re acting like scared children. You’re forgetting who he is.”

“He’s just a boy.” Vanessa said, though her voice seemed a little less commanding in Malachi’s presence. “He’s Ty’s brother. He’s our son.” Lucien’s heart swelled in his chest.

“No.” Malachi said, his voice like a blade slicing through that little bubble of pleasure. “He’s not.”

“Damn it, Malachi—!” Leonidas said, leaping to his feet in a rare show of anger.

“You know it’s the bloody truth, Leonidas!” Malachi snarled, pointing a calloused finger at the taller man. “You’ve known it since the day he was bloody born, you’re just too soft to be the one to tell Nessie, so I’ll do it for you!”

Lucien’s head darted from Malachi to his godfather, and he saw Leonidas’s jaw clamp shut, and an echo of shame in his godfather’s eyes. Malachi, meanwhile, turned to Vanessa as he continued. “You know what he is, Vanessa. You know how it works. You know what his birthmark truly means.”

“Stop it, Malachi.” Vanessa said softly, and Lucien was stunned to hear his godmother near tears. “Please stop it.”

“He deserves to know the truth. The full truth. Telling him his parentage isn’t enough, Vanessa. You have to tell him everything.”

“He’s too young—!” Leonidas interrupted again, only to be cut off by Malachi’s wordless snarl of displeasure.

“He’s already set on the path. Keeping him in the dark now only raises the chances of him getting himself killed. I know you love him, Leonidas. As much as I loathe your more soft-handed tactics, I know you took it on yourself to stand in for the Father he never knew.” Lucien only grew more confused and filled with dread as the adults continued. “But it’s time to fully embrace that role and tell him the bloody truth.”

“I…” Leonidas looked towards Lucien. “He’s not ready, Malachi. He’s just a boy.”

“He’ll never be ready in your eyes, Leonidas. It’s a father’s duty to defend their children. But this isn’t something you can protect him from.” Malachi’s expression flickered with regret. “Tell him, or I will.”

“Can someone please fill us in on what the hell is going on?” Tiberius cut in abruptly, looking between his father, Malachi, and his mother with anger and confusion. “You’re all arguing as if we’re not even here. If something is going on, we deserve to god damn know.” He turned to Malachi. “And who the fuck are you to talk to my parents that way, anyhow?”

Malachi grunted in amusement at Tiberius’ words, while Leonidas’ lips spread into a tense smile at his son’s defense of Vanessa, and Vanessa herself seemed both proud and angry at the same time; proud of her son, angry at the language.

“I’m her uncle and godfather, boy.” Malachi answered without ire. “Your grandmother was my sister.”

“Oh.” Tiberius said, his indignance momentarily deflating before suddenly reigniting again. “But you’re a Meta! How come mom doesn’t have powers?” His eyes widened. “Dude, how come I don’t have powers? What a bummer. I could have been a superhero!”

“Enough, Tiberius.” Leonidas said, cutting a hand through the air to silence his son. “Now isn’t the time.”

“That’s bullsh—!”

Lucien pulled him down before he could finish. “Not the time, dude.”

Tiberius glared at him for a moment, before sighing. “Yeah, okay.” He turned back to his father. A moment of hesitation followed, and then he sighed again. “Sorry, dad.”

Leonidas just nodded in acknowledgement, and turned to Vanessa, who was staring at Malachi helplessly. “We can still spare him the burden, Malachi. Please.”

“I’m sorry, Nessie.” Malachi said with what Lucien was sure was genuine sympathy. “But you should have done this the moment he manifested.” He turned to Leonidas. “When you’re ready, son.”

Lucien saw his godfather take a slow and steading breath, the same way he often saw Ty doing when his best friend needed to calm his nerves before a game. The gesture only increased the trepidation he felt into a near-panic, and he started fidgeting the same way he had before his manifestation; popping his knuckles nervously as his godfather settled himself down next to his wife, and took her hand in his. “I can tell him, Vanessa, but it’s more your story than mine. What do you want to do?”

All eyes turned to Vanessa as sniffled and wiped her eyes, fresh tears on his cheeks. Instead of answering directly she lifted her gaze, fixing her eyes on Ty, then Lucien, and smiling sadly. The expression caused Lucien’s heart to seize, and he felt Tiberius stiffen beside him in shock at his mother’s expression, the other boy’s hand automatically coming to grip Lucien’s locked hands in the way he had when they’d been kids. It was a silent show of support, one Lucien was — especially in that moment — grateful for beyond the means to express.

“There’s a secret to the origin of the Trumpets.” Vanessa said softly, looking between Lucien and Ty. “One that involves both of you, in different ways. I had hoped to avoid this discussion, as is obvious, for a long time yet — but Malachi is right. You need to know, especially now that Hyperion’s attention is focused on Lucien.”

She glanced at Leonidas, and her husband nodded, placing a powerful arm around her shoulders to reinforce her resolve. She smiled at him and turned back to the boys.

“The first thing you should know is that the Trumpets weren’t born as metahumans.”

Lucien’s eyes narrowed, and Tiberius leaned forward immediately.

“They were created.”