#also I feel like I’ve seen the symbol on the pendant hanging from her staff

[skitterjitter]

Paprika is adorable and I love that you can tell she’s wearing a knit shawl, headband, the sleeve on her left arm, and her bright red pouch at her hip

we know her Nana made her shawl, and I’d guess probably her headband, too based on the neatness of the pattern. she tells us herself in one of her voice lines she made her pouch, so I’m gonna say she made her sleeve, possibly as a way to test out or practice color work

anyway I love how much detail about a character you can get from just the default base art. for Paprika’s E2, they use something like an openwork knit shawl which I think is an interesting way to represent her chain heal

[aeon-wolf]

Ascension - Chapter 8

Demos Educational Organization was like no other college Lena could have imagined. Instead of reading, math, and science, they were taught Ancient Greek, War Strategy, and Swordsmanship. Lena, shocked to find out her true parentage strikes friendships left and right at her new school. Her most treasured friendship of all, her friendship with one Daughter of Zeus, Kara Danvers. Follow Lena on a journey of self-discovery in an attempt to foil the plot of the Titans, and maybe learn a few things about herself along the way.

Or

A PJO inspired Supercorp series. Part One: Ascension.

Read here on AO3

I.

The group gathered in J’onn’s office that same morning. It was a Saturday and the group was going to be sent off on their quest that day. They had all met for breakfast, giving James their goodbyes with promises to call him and keep him in the loop as much as they could. And now all six of them were waiting as J’onn set his hands on his desk, standing behind it. He looked to Lena. “I see you’ve made your choices.” He said to her with a small smile and a knowing look. Lena glanced at her friends, then back to the headmaster, nodding.

“Yes, sir.” She said stiffly. Her nerves were back and in full force. Kara must have noticed Lena’s uncomfortable posture because she reached down and grabbed Lena’s hand in hers. Lena’s heart skipped a beat, but the warmth of Kara’s hand in hers allowed her to relax a little bit. She chanced a glance at Kara, but her friend was still staring straight ahead at J’onn, though there was a small smile on her face.

“Very well. I’m assuming Miss. Luthor has filled you all in on your mission?” He asked everyone and they all nodded.

“Yup! We’re going to go spy on the Titans.” Mon-El said brightly. Everyone have him a sharp look. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I mean… we are, aren’t we?” He said sheepishly. Alex rolled her eyes at the junior.

“Yes Mon-El, that is your mission. I just have a few words of warning before you leave. I’d caution you to keep to land travel as much as possible. Kara, I know you’re a daughter of Zeus, but traveling on the road will give everyone a better chance of dealing with any rogue monsters that may cross your path,” He said, giving Kara a pointed look.

“Shouldn’t this be a surprise mission, though? Why would there be monsters after us?” Winn questioned. Maggie was the one to answer before J’onn could.

“You can never be too careful Winn. We believe that the Titans know nothing, but who knows? Maybe they do,” She said, J’onn nodding at her.

I would much rather you not put yourselves in a situation that could put you into a corner. Traveling on a plane would not leave you very many options. Land travel gives you more routes of escape,” Lena nodded in understanding.

“We can take my car,” Alex offered. Lena looked up at the senior.

“You have a car?” She asked. Alex nodded.

“I do,” She confirmed. “I don’t usually have anywhere to drive it since it’s usually safer for all of us to stay at the school, but my parents got me one after I had been officially claimed,” Alex said with a shrug. Kara rolled her eyes.

“Show off,” She mumbled under her breath. Lena hid a laugh, having heard Kara’s words.

“It’s settled then. You’ll leave as soon as possible. Thank you, Ms. Danvers,” J’onn said, nodding approvingly at Alex. “If you’ll give me a second alone with Lena, I’ll send you on your way.” Everyone nodded and filed out of the room. Kara was the last to leave, loathe to drop Lena’s hand, but she did, giving her friend a reassuring smile before following everyone else out. Lena’s grip felt empty without Kara’s fingers entwined with hers.

“Miss. Luthor. I want to wish you the best of luck.” J’onn said, sitting down at his desk. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this for you and say it’s going to be easy. I get the feeling that this is going to test your limits; your strength, your will, your determination, and your loyalty.” Lena bit her lip, having been feeling the same since she had spoken with the Oracle. “Your friends will be there to help you, but your decisions rest on your shoulders. Only you can make the right choices for yourself.” Lena nodded curtly.

“I understand, sir. I won’t let you down.” J’onn smiled at her confidence.

“It’s not me you have to worry about Lena.” He said with a nod. “Now, I believe your friends are waiting for you.” He said. Lena nodded again, turning to exit the office where everyone was standing around. Kara approached her friend first.

“This is so exciting! We’re going on a quest together!” She said brightly. Lena had to chuckle at Kara’s exuberance. But she nodded.

“Indeed we are. So, what do we all need to do before we set off?” She asked, directing her question to everyone. Alex seemed to be the one who was most prepared.

“I’ll be driving, so we’ve got transportation covered. I don’t exactly know what supplies everyone wants to bring…” She trailed off, looking at the group.

“I’ve got my toolkit,” Winn said happily, patting the backpack he had slung over his shoulder. “Gift from my dad.” He said without further explanation.

“I’ll need to go to my room and grab my sword,” Kara admitted, and Mon-El nodded.

“Same here. Probably should bring my shield too.” Lena furrowed her brow.

“You have a shield?” She questioned, never having seen the son of Ares use one. Mon-El shrugged.

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to work on my swordplay without it.” Lena raised an eyebrow but Kara leaned over.

“I’ll explain it to you later.” She whispered.

“Maggie and I have got our stuff covered, right babe?” She asked her girlfriend, who nodded with a wide smile on her face.

“Yep!” Maggie said, patting the dagger sheath attached to her thigh. Alex had a backpack as well, along with a short staff strapped to her back. Lena also had Mon-El’s old gladius attached to her hip. She had gotten used to training with it and her friend said she should use it as long as she needed. He didn’t need it anymore after all. Lena was touched that he was willing to gift her with her first weapon, but that made it all the more special.

“Looks like it’s just you and Mon-El who are unprepared this morning Kara.” Alex teased her sister. Kara pouted.

“Hey! I was hungry.” She defended herself. She turned to Lena. “Want to walk to my dorm with me?” Lena shrugged and nodded, agreeing to keep Kara company on the walk over.

“Alright you three, the rest of us will be waiting in the parking lot for you. Don’t be too long.” Alex said, taking charge. Lena found she didn’t mind it much. Alex had this air of authority about her and was far more organized and experienced than the rest of them. Kara smiled, steering Lena off in the direction of her dorm, Mon-El heading to the forges where he had left his sword earlier when he was sharpening it.

II.

“So, excited?” Kara asked. Lena shrugged.

“I mean. I guess? I’m still kind of nervous, you know?” Lena mumbled. Her friend nodded sympathetically.

“If it makes you feel better, this is my first quest too,” Kara said. “I’ve always wanted to go, but just never had the opportunity to go until now.” Lena smiled softly.

“I’m glad I get to give you your first opportunity then,” Lena said. “I’m glad you’re coming along to be honest.” She also admitted. Kara smiled brightly, wrapping an arm around Lena’s shoulder as the pair continued walking.

“I’m happy you picked me too.” She said softly. Lena inhaled abruptly, hyper aware of Kara’s arm wrapped around her. “You know, Mon-El is pretty excited too. I think he’s just eager to put his training to practice and bash some monsters.” Kara said with a laugh. Lena joined in with a chuckle. She could certainly see the headstrong, but somehow also lovable son of Ares going toe to toe with a hellhound.

“I’m sure he is,” Lena said, fiddling with the handle of the sword at her waist. The two finally reached the Zeus dorms. Lena was going to wait for Kara outside, but the exuberant junior grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. Lena had never been inside the Zeus dorms, even though she had been friends with Kara for a few months. They always ended up hanging around the quad, cafeteria, fight pit or sometimes in Lena’s room. Kara always bemoaned Lena’s luck for having an amazing view from her bedroom window.

The inside of Zeus’ dorm wasn’t too dissimilar from the Apollo dorm. Though instead of the sun imagery and colors, there were more soft blues and grays, with clouds and a large mural of a thunderbolt on one wall. The couches were laid out in a similar way to the Apollo dorm, though. Kara dragged Lena down one of the hallways. “Here, my room is down here. There aren’t really that many other children of Zeus… well ever. Because we’re not supposed to exist. But…” Kara shrugged. “So I’m like my own dorm advisor and get to pick my room and all that. Figured a room on the ground floor would be more convenient.”

Kara stopped outside a door marked with a 4. She dropped Lena’s hand to open it, then steering Lena inside. “So, what do you think?” Kara asked her friend shyly. Lena looked around, taking in her surroundings. It was very… Kara. Her bed pushed up against one wall, similar in size to Lena’s bed. She had a window above the bed, obviously much smaller than the one Lena had in her room. On the desk was a typewriter for some reason, along with a small desk easel with a piece of paper on it, with a half completed drawing.

Lena looked around, seeing that Kara hung her broadsword up above the desk on a weapon rack that also held a shorter sword along with a shield with an S on it. “What’s the S stand for?” Lena asked curiously. Kara gave Lena a sad look before answering.

“It’s not an S. It was my family’s coat of arms. One of the only things I have left from my life before I was living with the Danvers after Zeus found me, was a pendant with that symbol on it. It’s El Mayarah. It means stronger together.” Kara said, pulling the small red and blue pendant out from underneath her shirt. Lena had never noticed the chain that Kara wore. But from it dangled the small token of her previous life.

“Oh Kara… I’m…” Lena started but Kara cut her off.

“Don’t be sorry for me Lena,” Kara said, placing a hand on Lena’s shoulder.

“That wasn’t what I was going to say. I was going to say I’m here whenever you want to talk. I know you asked James to tell me about your past because it’s painful. And I’d never dream of pushing you to relive that. But if you ever need someone… Because I can still hear the hurt in your voice.” Lena said softly and a little cautiously, not wanting to risk offending her friend. Kara’s gaze softened, her face melting from a little defensive to one of adoration.

“I… Thank you.” She said simply, not being able to come up with any other words other than her gratitude. Maybe someday she would confide in Lena everything. Tell her about her parents, her cousin who turned out to be a son of Poseidon, about her life at home. But for now, Kara just wrapped her arms around Lena’s shoulders, hugging her tightly. Lena, for one, had finally gotten used to Kara’s super strength charged hugs and noticed that when Kara was particularly emotional, she didn’t have as strong of a leash on her grip. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but it was enough to definitely notice.

She just encircled her own arms around Kara’s waist, placing her forehead on the taller girl’s shoulder. The two stood there for a few minutes in silence. Neither wanting nor willing to step back from the other. They both knew the hug was lasting far too long than was considered friendly, even in the given circumstances, but neither cared. After a few minutes, though, Kara released Lena, going over to the wall to grab her sword. Her back was turned to Lena so the freshman didn’t notice the tears threatening to spill from Kara’s eyes. She took a deep breath, gathering herself, taking the sword from its place off the wall.

“How exactly do you plan to carry that thing, Kara? It’s not exactly… travel friendly.” Lena said, eyeing the overly large sword in Kara’s hand. The blonde blinked.

“Oh yeah. I forgot you’re new here.” Kara said sheepishly. She flipped open a small section of the hilt, pressing a button that was there. Almost magically, the sword shrunk itself into a small pendant, with a lightning bolt on it, shimmering a light bronze color. “Little bit of Hephaestus magic, courtesy of Winn.” Kara shrugged. “Figured that I couldn’t lug a huge sword all over the place so he managed to modify my sword to do that at the press of a button.” Lena raised an eyebrow.

“That’s handy.” She said, getting a closer look at the pendant that Kara held out to her. She nodded.

“Yup. He’s one of my best friends. Of course, I had to help him carry a bunch of scrap metals to his room when he cashed in that favor. A lot of heavy trips, let me tell you that much.” Kara groaned.

“It sounds like you and your super-powered strength struggled.” Lena teased. Kara rolled her eyes.

“There was a lot of metal he needed!” She defended. She then went over to a shelf and opened up a case that was sat on top of it that Lena hadn’t noticed. The blonde pulled out a small dagger and a sheath, strapping it around her bicep, sticking the dagger into it. “Never know when you’re going to get disarmed,” Kara explained with a shrug at Lena’s inquisitive look. Lena nodded, making a mental note to get Kara to teach her to use a dagger at some point in the future when they came back.

“Is that it? Or do you have a whole suit of armor to pull out from under your bed too?” Lena jested. Kara chuckled.

“Nope. I think Winn is trying to develop some field armor, though. Long term project of his. Trying to create celestial bronze armor that you can move in easily, but still have it be resistant to sword strikes and whatever. It’s a little bit hard to follow him when he gets engrossed in something, I’m sure you’ve noticed.” Kara said, and Lena nodded. She loved Winn to death, but his mind worked in a different way from the rest of them. He saw the world in a more constructive and abstract way. He could visualize concepts and inventions in his mind where others would need to see tangible blueprints and plans. “But yeah that’s everything. I think it’s time to go meet everyone else in the parking lot. Alex is probably eager to get on the road.” Kara rolled her eyes. “She barely ever gets to drive her car so she always jumps at the chance.”

Lena nodded, looking around Kara’s room one more time. It was very much a reflection of Kara’s personality. She made another mental note to hang out with Kara in her dorm room more often. There was so much to Kara that she had yet to discover. And Lena found herself wanting desperately to find out as much as she could. But she had to come back from this quest alive first.

Woo, they're finally setting off! And we get Kara and Lena development too. I want to develop their friendship before their relationship, hence it being considered a slowburn. I really just love their platonic relationship too. Not to say I'm not completely in love with a romance between them, but their friendship is just as precious. And important to explore.

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story. I've gotten a number of encouraging messages and happy people telling me that they love the story. Which I'm glad for before I'm completely in love with this story as well.