Pip waltzed out of the classroom, flipped the pencil in her hand, caught it, and lobbed it at the trashcan across the hall. It smacked against the metal caging and flew down the hallway in the opposite direction.

  She dropped her hands back to her sides.

  “Lame,” Khione said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stepped out of the classroom.

  “That didn’t go exactly how I imagined it,” Pip admitted, tucking her hands into her pockets. A wide smile spread across her face, a weight lifted from her shoulders. Midterms were done. Not only that, but they were her last midterms ever. Senior year was halfway done.

  Only a few more months, and she’d be free from these halls and well on her way to becoming a hero. The thought filled her with a flood of excitement, and she couldn’t stem the smile rising across her face. Khione caught the change in her expression with raised eyebrows.

  “Why are you so happy? There’s no way you did well on your exams.”

  “Hey!” Pip protested, immediately dropping into a pout. It wasn’t that it was entirely unfair, at least for how she had been, but she’d actually tried for this one. The last thing she needed was to be forced to repeat senior year. “I don’t think I did terrible.”

  “Whatever you say,” Khione said with a shrug that said she didn’t believe Pip in the slightest. “Why are you so happy then?”

  “Well, winter break,” Pip said, as if it was obvious. She dropped her voice, not trying to be overheard. In halls full of exuberant voices, it shouldn’t be an issue, and if it was, it would only be an issue Khione cared about. “And Grandma Thalia is picking me up later so we can start touring program locations! It sucks that we have to take this other girl along, the one from the party, but I’ll get to see Florence and the others!”

  Khione’s jovial mood dropped the moment the word ‘program’ left Pip’s mouth. “What do you mean? I thought you were going to just study here.”

  “It’s less studying and more training, and yeah, I could. But Grandma Thalia really wants me to go to New York and Aunt Artemis teaches there, so it really would make sense. Plus, that’s where Florence is. He’s such a good opponent to train against. There are so many heroes there! I really haven’t decided but it would be nice to get out of New Denver, wouldn’t it?”

  Khione set her face into a mask, blue eyes drifting off down the hallway in a blank stare. “Right,” she said, the words clipped. She struck off down the corridor, weaving through bodies as Pip stared after her. What had she managed to do this time?

  It struck Pip a moment later, and she cursed under her breath as she took off after Khione. It was just like her to react like this, go all frosty and moody at the mention of heroes, but seriously? Couldn’t she just be reasonable for once?

  Dodging bodies and backpacks, Pip raced to catch up with Khione, nearly slamming her locker shut as she reached her girlfriend. “Are you seriously upset about the program thing still? I told you months ago that’s what I was going to do.”

  “No,” Khione snapped. Her eyes shuddered closed and she sucked in a deep breath, nostrils flaring. “What you didn’t mention was the fact you’d be moving.”

  “Oh. Well,” Pip stared at her, mouth dry as she fought for words. “It’s not for sure. And it’s not like you won’t go to college, Miss Straight A’s.”

  “Not out of state, I won’t,” she snapped. “Not everyone comes from a rich family like you.”

  Pip opened her mouth to speak, but Khione cut her off.

  “Not like it matters anyway,” she muttered, grabbing her bag from the locker and slamming it shut. “Have a good time on your trip.”

  “Khione, wait…” Pip reached out for her, only for Khione to deftly dodge out of her grip, fingers brushing against the textured leather jacket she wore. “I’ll see you for Christmas?”

  Pip let out a sigh and slumped against Khione’s locker, on the opposite side of the school from her own. If she was a good girlfriend, she would chase after Khione, try to make things okay. But she didn’t have time, and she really, really wanted to go to New York.

  What that would mean for her relationship with Khione, she would sort out when she got home.

  Pip didn’t bother stopping at her locker. She didn’t keep anything important in there, only textbooks and school binders, and she wouldn’t be needing those over break. She didn’t think she had any homework for break, at least. If she did, she’d sort it out when she got home.

  Too impatient to wait on a ride, Pip took off at a jog, pushing herself all the way home. The weight in her muscles vanished at the sight of a familiar purple and black mercedes parked in front of the house. Grandma Thalia was here.

  Smiling so wide the muscles in her face protested, Pip made it to the dining room before realizing she still had her shoes on. She quickly doubled back, kicking them off at the door and racing on slippery socks to the living room, nearly barreling into her hero of a grandmother.

  “Woah,” Thalia said, grabbing Pip by the shoulder and stopping her advancement. “Slow down there, Pip.”

  “Are you ready to go? I’m ready to go,” Pip said, practically vibrating in her skin. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t slept last night, all too ready to finish testing and go on this trip and see the world she’d be entering into. Her bag had been packed for days. All she needed to do was race upstairs and grab it. And maybe change out of her school uniform.

  “No goodbye? I love you? Nothing?” Mai asked from across the room, crossing her arms over her chest.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Love you, bye, I’ll see you for Christmas,” Pip rattled off in short order, the words accompanied by a smirk as she met her mother’s eyes. “Where’s Mom? I should say bye to her too.”

  “She’s at the tower,” Thalia said with a wave of her hand. “We’re stopping by anyway. Go grab your things.”

  Breaking free from her grandmother, Pip took an abrupt turn across the room to Mai rather than the stairwell. Her mother’s arms opened in an instant, enveloping her in a warm hug, thick flannel and scratchy acrylic yarn and the scent of ginger and spices all together.

  “Be safe, Phillipa,” Mai murmured, rasping into her ear. A shakiness weighted her voice, rattling out from her chest with an uneven breath.

  “You know I will be, Mum,” Pip said, squeezing her mother even tighter. She hated making Mai hurt like this, hated scaring her, but she had to do this. And it wasn’t like she’d be in any danger on this trip. “Grandma Thalia’s got me covered.”

  Mai snorted. “Thalia would film you fighting to share in the family Christmas recap.”

  “That too,” Pip said, smiling. “But you don’t need to worry. Think of it like a college tour. It’s as close to one as I’m ever going to get.”

  Mai rolled her eyes and pushed Pip away. “Go get your things so you can go say bye to your mom.”

  ******

  Pip slung her backpack over her shoulder as she stepped out of Thalia’s car in the garage beneath the New Denver Tower of Unity. Energy rushed through her body at every step, little shivers that made it almost impossible to stand still, waiting for her grandmother to get out of the car.

  “Just making sure the security measures aren’t engaged,” Grandma Thalia said, shutting the door with care. “Don’t want anyone to get vaporized if they decide to go for a joy ride.”

  “Uh…” Pip stared at the car, a perfectly normal albeit expensive car. Did it really have security measures that would vaporize you? There was no way, right?

  “I’d leave the keys here, but that would be a bit too easy,” Thalia said with a twinkle in her eye as she stuffed the keys, skull keychain and all, into the pocket of her worn leather jacket. It was scarred with years of wear and tear, and from being a central piece of her superhero uniform for much of her career. The fact that it was still in one piece spoke to incredible craftsmanship. “They should have to work for it, after all.”

  “Do you want people to go joyriding in your car?” Pip asked.

  Thalia shrugged. “Most of the people here are far too serious, they need a bit of temptation,” she said. “It keeps us all honest.”

  “Stealing cars keeps you honest.” Oh, if only Mai could hear that one. Her mother would have a field day with that statement.

  “No,” Thalia said, laughing and laying a hand on Pip’s shoulder. “But those little human moments of weakness, temptation, those do. Otherwise, if you’re good all the time, you might start to think you’re God.”

  She finished the statement with a heavy sigh and dropped her hand back down to her side, a shadow passing across her face. Without another word, she strode out of the garage, leaving the room and the memory behind. For once, she didn’t speak about it, or delve into a story Pip had heard hundreds of times growing up. Which must mean it was one of her harder stories, the stories she didn’t share, about times before heroes were common and Unity existed.

  One day, Pip would ask about that story. But today, she had places to visit and people to see.

  First, of course, was her mother.

  Athena, Hero of Earth, was so far the highest classed super in the Carter family. Not that they weren’t all extremely powerful, but Athena’s ability was on another level, at least when it came to power and reach. Thalia had saved the world more times than Pip could remember, but even she wasn’t classed as a Hero of Earth. Though technically, Grandma Thalia was something beyond that, beyond the system she’d built and the classes she’d helped define. A Titan.

  Athena was also the hero in charge of the New Denver tower, and helped oversee the whole Rocky Mountain region. Hundreds of miles to look after, millions of people to keep safe, and hundreds of heroes to help supervise. Even Grandma Thalia, legend that she was, had trouble getting to see Athena while she was working.

  A crowd of heroes surrounded Athena as they reached the top floor of the tower, windows on all sides to overlook the city of New Denver it had been built to observe. She towered above most, an anchoring point in the room, as identifiable and impossible to ignore as the crater of Pikes Peak in the distance.

  Through it all, Athena caught sight of them, and nearly stopped mid speech. Eyes flitting between Thalia and Pip, she quickly finished up, rattling off a few orders before excusing herself and striding across the room. Even so far off the ground, Pip could feel the vibration each foot step left in its wake.

  “Something I don’t know about happening?” Thalia asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “Just metafauna and inclement weather,” Athena said, dismissing the matter before Pip could get too interested. “Nothing major, just heading any issues off before they bud.”

  “That’s my girl,” Thalia said, beaming up at her daughter.

  Athena turned her attention to Pip, a smile gracing her face. It was odd, seeing her mother like this. Athena was a hero. She watched her on TV, had seen recordings of old fights and the things she’d accomplished, but actually seeing her at work? Giving out orders and managing fellow heroes? It was a strange glimpse into the world Pip grew up just outside of.

  “Heading out?”

  “Yup! Just came to say goodbye.”

  “Try not to fall in love with New York too much,” Athena said, wrapping Pip in a hug. Pip fell into the embrace, caught between hard muscle and the soft warmth of her mother’s body, her metal breastplate cold against her cheek. “I was hoping you’d train here.”

  “Oh, you know it’s best to train away from safety nets,” Thalia said with a tsk.

  “Which is why you made Art, Orion, and I all train in New York while you were still in charge?” Athena asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow as she pulled back, still keeping one hand on Pip’s shoulder. If Pip did go to New York, something everyone seemed more and more certain of as the day progressed, she would miss this. Going home to her moms everyday. Seeing her siblings. Training against Athena.

  “Things were different. We didn’t have so many training options, and my presence was hardly a safety net.”

  “Sure,” Athena said, narrowing her eyes. Once again, she pulled her attention from her mother and back to Pip. “I do want you to know, I’ll be proud of you wherever you decide to go. But it really should be here.” She squeezed Pip’s shoulder and sighed before Pip had a chance to respond. “I really should have told you no, you know,” she said, glaring at Thalia. “She’s going to go and fall in love with that city and I won’t get a chance to work on training her.”

  “You trained me for eighteen years,” Pip pointed out. Maybe not for eighteen years exactly, since she’d only just had her birthday, but it was close enough. Athena had been training Pip all her life. She wouldn’t be who she was today if Athena hadn’t.

  “She’s right,” Thalia said. “Now it’s time to give someone else a chance.”

  “I haven’t decided where I’m going yet,” Pip said, though the protest felt futile.

  “Yeah, but you’ll go where you think you can get the best training, and there’s nowhere better than the heart of where it all began.”

  Someone called out for Athena from across the room. She glanced over her shoulder and cursed, pulling back with a bashful smile. “Duty calls,” she said. “Have fun, Pip. Oh, and your friend arrived below a little bit ago. I have Odye giving her the tour.”

  “Excellent,” Thalia said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s go see if she’s found any trouble yet.”