The Avengers' base of operations, better known as the Avengers Mansion.
Located on Fifth Avenue, it housed most of the original Avengers. The first, second, and third floors contained their living quarters, kitchen, bathrooms, and library. However, what truly transformed it into something more than just a regular mansion were the underground levels, divided into three levels, each containing everything a group of superheroes would need, including a training room, laboratory, gym, assembly room, storage, and more.
"Fascinating!"
Said Iron Man, wearing his famous red and gold armor, as he looked at the state-of-the-art computer.
The computer was on the first underground floor. Behind the computer stood a gray rectangular table with several black chairs around it.
"What?" another male voice asked, this one belonging to a man dressed in an outfit made of various materials, predominantly red, blue, and white. He wore a brown belt at his waist, horizontal red and white stripes on his abdomen, a large white star in the center of his chest, and a shield in the same colors with a star in the center strapped to his back. This man was none other than Steve Rogers, Captain America.
"Steve, this kid is fascinating!" said an excited Iron Man.
"Tony, care to explain?" Steve asked his old friend.
"Oh, sure, but first, take a look at this." He replied, showing footage of the boy awakening his powers.
"Mutant?" Steve asked after watching the recording for the first time.
"Highly unlikely. Mutant powers typically manifest during puberty or at birth, but the surprises don't end there."
Iron Man pressed a button, showing now a recording from the infirmary. Lying in a bed was a young boy who appeared to be around thirteen years old, judging by his size. His hair was golden like the sun, and his skin was bronzed and flawless.
"Two days after we treated his injuries, he still hadn't woken up. Everything seemed normal until physical changes started to appear, the first being changes in skin and body hair pigmentation."
The recording advanced to a few hours later.
"Five hours later, and he still hadn't woken up, but the changes were complete. His height increased by a few centimeters. Fascinated by this event, I conducted a more detailed examination and realized that his body structure was being altered somehow."
"You've been spending too much time with Reed. You're starting to sound just like him," Steve interrupted his friend's report.
Ignoring his friend's comment, Iron Man continued his report.
"After hours without getting a single response, I decided to conduct a complete study of his DNA structure," he said.
"What did you find?" Steve asked, intrigued.
"I was only able to identify 50% of his DNA as human. The other 50% I couldn't analyze. I even synced it with our database to try and find a similar match among the countless species we have information on, but nothing."
"And his parents? Maybe we can find something by investigating them," Steve suggested.
"You think I didn't try that?" Iron Man replied, pressing another button, displaying a screen filled with information.
"Thalia Brow. No close relatives or friends. All we know is that she cared for her son alone, died in a car accident on October third, and worked as a teacher at a daycare."
"And the father?"
"That's the strange part. When I tried to look him up in government records, there was nothing. No documents, family, friends, not even a name. It was as if he never existed."
"There's a good chance that DNA belongs to the father, which would explain all of this. But what would he be? An alien? There's even a chance he's from a new species derived from ours."
"No, he's Olympian," said a strong voice, entering the room.
"Hercules?" Steve said, turning to look at the newcomer.
Hercules, the famous hero of ancient Greece, stood there as imposing as ever, towering at two meters with an absolutely muscular build. He wore a green belt with golden details and a Greek combat skirt. A golden lion skin hung from his waist, and he wore brown Greek sandals.
He stood with his arms on his hips, a smile on his face, exuding his glory for all to see.
"It's been a while, Cap," he said, adding.
"I thought you were buried in a bar somewhere or attending to your divine matters, something along those lines."
"You're right, Tony. I was. But I received a message to be here at this exact moment."
"From who?" Steve asked.
"From my father," Hercules simply said, stepping forward to look at the recording of the boy.
Hercules soon asked where the boy was and immediately headed to the infirmary. Captain America and Iron Man followed him, and the three stood on either side of the boy, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully.
"After so many millennia, another demigod is born. And of course, it had to be his child," Hercules said with a smile.
"Wait, you mean he's a demigod?" Tony Stark asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.
"Yes," Hercules confirmed.
"Do you have any idea who his father could be?" Stark asked again, intrigued by mythology and magic, a subject he knew little about.
"There are many gods on Olympus, but only one god has this sun-like appearance," Hercules answered without giving a definitive response.
"I see," Tony replied, understanding the hint. With his knowledge of mythology, it wasn't hard to guess.
"This child is lucky. His father is the most beloved of all the Olympians, so one of the Twelve will surely support this child," Hercules said, looking at the boy.
"Do you have any idea what powers he might have?" Steve asked.
"If he inherits his father's divinity, he will certainly be powerful. But I can't say for sure what his powers will be."
"He needs to be trained," Steve stated, not as a request but as an ultimatum. This child could be too dangerous if left untrained.
"What about S.H.I.E.L.D.? They're pretty good at that," Stark suggested.
"No! He won't be trained by S.H.I.E.L.D. Even though they're allies, they're still controlled by the government, and I'm sure they'll want to exploit this situation," Captain America said, fully aware of his country's government.
Hercules silently agreed with Captain America, knowing that this child would never be controlled by mortal hands. After all, he walked between the worlds of mortals and immortals, always with them but never truly one of them.
It didn't take long for him to make his decision.
"I will take care of his training," Hercules declared.
"What's his name?" he asked.
"Sebastian Brown," Steve replied.
"That's a fine name, Sebastian, son of Apollo."
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Where am I?
I wondered as I floated thousands of meters above the ground in the sky. I was looking directly at the sun, and I could see it clearly, which was quite unusual. Normally, if someone looked directly at it, their eyes would be blinded by its light. Finally, I looked down. Without any clouds, and with the sunlight in my face, I could still see all the details.
The vast continent below me was definitely not Earth.
The ground was covered in green grass. I could see massive mountains and several rivers crossing the entire continent, also flowing through a forest.
There were hundreds of structures—actually, it would be more accurate to call them palaces—that looked like they were straight out of ancient Greece, white as snow, and coliseums scattered across the continent. At the center of it all stood an enormous white and gold castle, whose size and vastness could easily occupy a large city.
Then, I was pulled by an invisible force, taking me to a certain place. Due to the speed at which I was being pulled, I wasn't able to get a better view of where I was.
Before I knew it, I had passed through the wall of something, and the pulling stopped when I arrived at a vast and long hall. I've seen many beautiful and stunning places in my two lives, but this one easily surpassed them all. The hall was the size of a football field, the walls adorned with paintings so realistic they seemed to move, and the floor was made of white stone.
Throughout the hall, there were enormous Greek columns on either side, stretching all the way to the ceiling. The columns were white with golden details, and upon looking up, I saw a ceiling illuminated by the image of a sun in a clear blue sky with no clouds.
The beauty was overwhelming, and I averted my gaze. Once again, I felt the invisible force pulling me, this time more gently, leading me along the long red carpet, stopping at the place where I was meant to stand. My attention was no longer on the wonders of this place but on the four-meter staircase with a throne at the top.
The throne could be described in one word: magnificent. It was made of a golden material that shone like the sun, with intricate details carved in the shape of the sun in the center. It was simple, yet it emanated a powerful presence, perhaps due to the man sitting on it.
The man wore a white tunic, leaving one shoulder bare. His skin was the most bronzed I had ever seen in both my lives. He was beautiful, as beautiful as the sun. His hair resembled golden flames, and his eyes were like small suns as well, glowing in golden light.
"PLIM!" "PLIM!" "PLIM!"
The sound of a lyre filled the entire hall, reverberating softly like a distant echo with a crystal-clear tone. In that sound, nine women appeared, each wearing a tunic and holding a different musical instrument.
The nine guests stood still, looking at me with an expression that seemed as if they were happy to see me.
"Sebastian Brown," the man spoke.
His voice was strong and warm, but I felt nothing in it except kindness and care.
"Son of Thalia Brow, who, unfortunately, fate took from us."
He continued, and upon hearing my mother's name, I wondered how he knew her, but his next words caught me by surprise.
"And my son, son of Apollo."
"Son of the Sun!" "Son of the Sun!" "Son of the Sun!" "Son of the Sun!" "Son of the Sun!" "Son of the Sun!" "Son of the Sun!"
The chorus of voices that followed when he proclaimed himself my father barely registered. My mind froze when he said he was Apollo, the Greek god Apollo, and then it finally clicked.
"You are my son. Your mother and I love you, even though it was her decision to leave you in the mortal world," Apollo continued.
"The mortal world is a dangerous place, my child, but do not let yourself be frightened by any difficulty, for you are my son, and the god of the sun and light never cowers before any enemy!"
With these words, he raised his hand, and once again, an invisible force manifested.
"I will be watching your great deeds, my son."
Before I realized it, I was in a white space traveling at an unimaginable speed.
"Now, awaken!"
"Cough!"
The awakening wasn't very gentle. My vision was blurry, and my body felt heavy, but after a few moments, my sight returned to normal.
The first thing I saw was a white ceiling, similar to that of a hospital. Ignoring the change of scenery, I tried to remember what had happened. I recalled that before passing out, I had been crushed by Venom, so I should be in a hospital. But this place was definitely not a hospital.
Why?
Simple. No hospital would have this level of technology. I was surrounded by various devices I couldn't even begin to understand, but just by looking at them, I knew they were high-tech. I pulled the IV needle from my wrist and tried to stand, but I ended up falling to the floor. I didn't feel anything wrong with my body; I just couldn't control it properly.
I understood why after a few minutes. My body had changed. My skin was tanned like Apollo's, and I had grown slightly. I saw a mirror next to me, and with some effort, I stood up to look at my reflection. I froze in shock. My face had matured from a child's into that of a teenager—a symmetrical and handsome face. My once black eyes were now a brilliant gold, like the sun. My hair, which had been dark and curly, was now straight and golden like gold.
"It's not recommended to gaze at your reflection too long to admire your beauty, Mr. Sebastian."
A man entered the infirmary, dressed in a full blue English butler's suit, even holding a silver tray with what I assumed was a glass of orange juice.
"My name is Edwin Jarvis. I work for Mr. Stark, and I also serve as his bodyguard, the Iron Man. Now, let me assist you."
Jarvis was a man of about fifty years old, bald, and his movements exuded experience.
With his help, I got back into bed. After handing me the glass of orange juice, he left the room to inform the others. That gave me time to gather my thoughts. It's not every day you find out you're the son of the Greek god of the sun and wake up in what I assumed was the Avengers' mansion.
I didn't have much time to reflect, though, as three people entered the room. One wore golden-red armor, another wore the colors of the U.S. flag, and the last wore ancient Greek attire. Anyone would recognize Iron Man, Captain America, and, to my surprise, Hercules.
"Son, it seems you've awakened. Are you feeling any discomfort?" Captain America asked.
"I'm feeling better than ever. Could you tell me what happened after I lost consciousness?"
"After you passed out, the symbiote known as Venom was detained by Spider-Man, who then handed it over to trusted authorities for imprisonment and necessary care for the wounded," Iron Man responded.
"Sebastian, I'd like to talk to you about your father," Captain America began calmly.
"He already knows," Hercules spoke for the first time, having been silent since entering the room, simply smiling at me.
"How?" I asked, surprised.
"You have the same look I had when I found out I was the son of Zeus," Hercules replied.
So, I told them everything that had happened, from that place to my conversation with Apollo.
"You've seen Olympus?!" Hercules shouted in surprise.
"Why is that such a big deal?" I asked, confused.
"Kid, very few demigods have had the chance to behold Olympus," he explained, answering my question.
"We'll talk more once you've gotten changed," Captain America said, turning and leading the other two out of the room.
The butler entered the infirmary again, this time bringing a set of clothes, which he placed on my bed before exiting the room.
My second attempt to stand went better. I grabbed the clothes and began to change—an orange shirt and denim shorts. I left the infirmary, walking slowly, still trying to get used to my new size.
As I exited, Jarvis was waiting by the door.
"This way, sir."
I followed him, making a few lefts and rights before we finally arrived at a door that opened automatically. I stepped inside to find a meeting room with a table for eight. Iron Man, Captain America, and Hercules were seated at three of the spots.
"Sit down," Iron Man said.
I sat across from them, waiting for them to speak first. I heard the door close behind me, leaving the butler outside.
"Son, you've proven yourself mature for your age, so I'm going to treat you as such. You'll need to be trained," Captain America told me.
"You want me to be a hero?" I asked, excited.
"If you choose to be, and of course, when you're an adult. The reason we want you trained is that your abilities don't seem to be purely physical like Hercules'. You need to be trained so you don't become a danger to others or yourself," Captain America explained.
"To be frank, it's our only option at the moment," Iron Man added.
"And I'll be handling your training—the mighty Hercules!" Hercules said, playfully.
"You're going to train me?" I asked him.
"Unfortunately, no. I'm not much of a teacher, but I already have two instructors in mind. It'll take some time to get in touch with them, though," he responded.
He was right. Even though Hercules is one of the best fighters in the world and was trained by the greatest warriors in human history, his strength is more in his muscles than his teaching ability.
And I won't lie—I like the idea of becoming a hero.
"But before that, I need to say goodbye to someone," I said.