Archive of Our Own

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Number 1. “Jason”
 
Jason woke up to the incessant beeping of his alarm clock. He reached blindly for the snooze button, hitting it with the palm of his hand before forcing himself out of bed. He managed to make his way out of his room, stopping to water his plant before struggling to get his space suit on.

His daily life was getting boring. The first few nights on the moon had been wildly exciting to him. It was a whole new experience that no one else had experienced. He would be living on the moon, as long as his father needed him to. He took samples of the rocks and the air, he explored craters, and enjoyed the view of Earth.

But there was only so many times you could do the same thing. He was alone, with almost no contact with the life on Earth. He had no idea what any of his siblings were up to, if they were okay or not.

Well, Jason knew they weren’t all “okay.” None of them were, not fully. It had been a while since Number Six had died, but they never truly dealt with it. Number Five was still missing, and Number Four… was probably still a drug addict. Only Numbers Three and Seven seemed to be living a decently “normal” life, with a home and job of  their own.

They had fallen apart, and it had been somewhat of a relief to be sent to live on the moon. Jason’s siblings weren’t around, meaning he wouldn’t have to deal with awkward interactions if he passed them on the street. All of the remaining siblings, except Number Three, all lived close to their childhood home. It was only a matter of time until they ran into each other, and Jason wasn’t in the mood to deal with their questions about him. The only sibling he wouldn’t mind seeing lived across the country with her family.

Incoming transmission.

The noise startled Jason out of his thoughts, and he turned to the device on his arm. It acted as a radio and a computer at the same time, allowing him to send and receive messages from Earth.

He expected it to be a request from his father, on what to sample, or how much to send back. Maybe even questions about his life. Instead, he got the news that would change everything.
 
Number 2. “Percy”
 
Percy sighed as he strapped his knives down. The radio he used to intercept police frequencies was sitting on the nearby table, static softly emanating from it. He was hoping for a call he could respond to. There were no interesting fights going on that day, and it wasn’t like he had a lot of  friends. He held his favorite knife in his hand. It had been a gift from his “mom” when he had left the family home. She knew his proclivity towards knives, and decided that he should have it.

His mom was his favorite person from the family. She was the only one he always got along with, aside from a few heat of the moment arguments that he blamed on hormones. She helped him with his speech when no one else would, and always told him she was proud of him. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t his actual mother, or that she wasn’t, technically, real.

As he was strapping the last knife down, a loud burst of static coming from the radio startled him. Percy grabbed it, listening to the police report that was coming across. Finally, something to do.

He responded quickly to the report of a group of intruders in a family’s home. As soon as he entered the house, he took one man down, breaking his neck. Then, using his skills, he pinned another man to the wall with his knives. They always did exactly what he wanted them to, curving through the air to hit their mark. Though he didn’t used to like hurting anyone when he didn’t have to, he long since had to push that to the side to be part of the Umbrella Academy. He was good at fighting, and took pride in what made people notice him. Without many comrades and a dysfunctional family, he pursued the one thing that seemed solid, a constant, to him.

Once he disposed of all the intruders, Percy began collecting his knives. He didn’t want to leave  them behind. They were his pride and joy. His skills with them was one of the things that made him special.
“Your family is safe now.” Percy glanced at the family huddled in the corner of the room. They were all bound and gagged with duct tape, but the noise of the tv in the next room drew his attention away from them. Heart beating quickly, Percy stepped into the room, eyes immediately drawn towards the screen.
We’re going now live to a breaking story.
 
Number 3. “Piper”
 
Piper was walking down the red carpet for her newest movie. The reporters were loud, trying to have their questions heard above the rest of the cacophony. The lights were nearly blinding, but she had gotten somewhat used to them. She walked with confidence, smiling at them when they asked her to. She struck poses, and basked in the attention. She used to hate being the center of attention, but she had found her confidence during her teens. She had been used to being talked about as part of the infamous Umbrella Academy, but that was often as Number Three, or The Rumor, or one of the seven Hargreeves, born under weird circumstances, even though that was rarely talked about anymore.

Now, Piper had made a name for herself. She was associated with the movies she had been in, the tattoo on her wrist usually covered with makeup to distance herself from the past. She didn’t want that to be why they looked at her. She was Piper McLean now, a movie star who had moved on to create a life for herself. Though it was slowly unraveling, for a little while, she had a family she went home to, a husband and a daughter. Her new name was a part of her, just as much as her old name.

When it came to crediting her in a show or a movie, her stage name of McLean was listed. However, everyone still knew she was a Hargreeves. With her career path, there was no way she could hide from it, so she learned to embrace it. That way, no one could use it against her, even if she sometimes wanted to forget her early years.

Turning to strike another pose, Piper noticed a man pushing his way through the crowd to get to one of the reporters. He whispered something to him, and the light in the reporter’s eyes changed. Turning away from questions about the movie, he, and the other reporters, started asking about her family.

It was odd, and Piper stiffened slightly. They had learned that though she wasn’t ashamed of her entire past, it was best not to mention it much. After all, she didn’t keep up with them much anymore, save for making sure they hadn’t lost anyone else. She didn’t know why they were being brought up now.

The last questions she heard before she was ushered away rung in her ears.

“Piper, will you wear Valentino to the funeral?”
 
Number 4. “Nico”
 
Nico smiled slightly to himself as he jumped off the top bunk that had been his. As he left the room, he bid goodbye to those who roomed with him. Though he wasn’t super close to them, wouldn’t be talking to them outside the four walls of the rehabilitation center, they had been good companions for his time there.

Making his way down the yellow hallway, he stopped at the checkout desk, where he was handed a bag with his meager belongings. He never carried much around; he didn’t really have a permanent home, as he was often in and out of rehab due to drugs and alcohol. And had been for years; it was a coping mechanism. He could never truly control his powers to the extent that his father wanted him to, and drinking and taking drugs was the only way to keep the ghosts at bay.

As soon as he was out of sight from the rehab center, Nico made his way down familiar alleyways, destination in mind. It didn’t take him long to get there— he knew the fastest way to get there from the locations he frequented the most.

His dealer was sitting in the alleyway, hood pulled over his head in an attempt to hide his identity. He didn’t look surprised at all to see Nico standing in front of him, trying to pull the waded up bills out of his pocket. He had kept them hidden during his time in rehab. He figured he’d be back there soon enough, so he had left some of his stash hidden in the room he was usually in. Future self would thank him.

Handing over money, he smiled, relieved at the drugs he was now holding in his hands. He wandered back down the alleyway.
The next thing he knew, he was in the back of an ambulance, an oxygen mask strapped to his face and the sound of sirens in his ears.
He started laughing, before turning to the EMT in the back with him, who accepted the offered high five, exasperated but amused.
The sound of a news update coming from the small tv in the back of the ambulance drew both of their attention.
BREAKING NEWS flashed across the screen, and he lowered the oxygen mask that was still in his hand.

Moments ago, police reported the death of the most eccentric and reclusive billionaire.
 
Number 7. “Reyna”
 
Reyna was alone in the darkened theater, but it felt more comforting than isolating. She had grown up used to being alone, and it had become comforting over time. There was no one yelling at her, or telling her what to do. She didn’t have to deal with not being enough for those around her, or telling her she wasn’t special..

She pulled out her violin, tucking it under her chin as she closed her eyes. She played from memory, letting the music wash over her. It was a comforting place to be. Though she wasn’t first chair, it was still a well renowned orchestra, and she had gotten in. It was what made her special, though others would think of her siblings first. They were powered, the inaugural class of the Umbrella Academy, while she had be the normal one. Number Seven, separated from One through Six her entire life.

As she reached the crescendo, a strong emotion washed over her, and she slowed the music. Her eyes opened as she just stared out into the empty seats. Whatever had happened, it broke the mood, and she packed up.

As Reyna made her way back home, one of the window displays caught her attention. The tv prominently displayed showed a news report, where a new anchor was reporting on the breaking news that Sir Dionysus Hargreeves was dead. There was a picture of him to accompany the report.

She couldn’t hear what was being said, but the screen told enough.

“Dad…”

It started to rain as she continued to stare at the screen, other photos of her father, and her siblings, his proudest accomplishment being the team (not the family), flashing across. She was nowhere to be seen.

Knowing that another family member had been lost, no matter how unfair he could be, or how little attention he could give them, how often he told her she wasn’t special, Reyna knew she had to go back. She grabbed a cab, still dazed from the news.

She sat alone in the back of a cab, unsure how to feel. There was so much left unsaid between her and her siblings, her siblings and her father, her and her father. A lot of questions that had never dared been uttered.

Many that would be left unasked.

The cab pulled over, stopping in front of a place she hadn’t been in a long time. Grabbing her bag, she exited, staring up at the looming facade of the building.

Home.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Reyna opened the door slowly, not sure what she would find inside. It had been awhile since she had last stepped foot in her childhood home. She was unsure as if it would be the same, or if it had been vastly changed.

She looked around, finding it exactly as she remembered. The high ceilings and the chandelier, the ornate woodwork and the grand staircase straight ahead. The floors were clean, and everything was dust free. Taking a few steps forward, Reyna peered into the first arched doorway on the right. The room looked the same at first glance.

“Mom?” Reyna spotted the familiar figure sitting in front of the fireplace, looking forlorn. Her hair was perfect as always, but she didn’t turn when Reyna called out to her. She took half a step forward, but a voice calling her name distracted her.

Reyna turned around, spotting Piper walking down the stairs. She smiled hesitantly as she got to the bottom, before walking over to greet her. It was an awkward exchange, as they hadn’t seen each other in years, but the hug that Piper offered was welcomed. When Piper first wrapped her arms around Reyna, she was unsure what to do. Before she could bring her arms up, Piper had released her, taking a step back to scan her.

Just as Reyna was about to say something, they were interrupted by the arrival of one of their brothers who walked through the front hall from one of the back rooms. He was dressed all in black, knives strapped down wherever he could fit them. There was a scowl on his face as he made his way towards them. Percy ignored Reyna, turning to talk directly to Piper. Percy was usually one of the nicer siblings, but not that day.

“She doesn't belong here,” he hissed. “Not after what she did.” Percy was defensive of the people he cared about, and if someone hurt them, he wasn’t happy. Reyna used to be one of the people he would fight for, but with the autobiography she published, full of family secrets that were supposed to stay secrets, things changed. There were things about the seven of them that they had promised not to tell anyone. When they were younger, still five or six, they trusted each other with almost everything, even things that they would be embarrassed to tell someone a year later. Percy’s stuttering, Nico’s fear of the dark, Bianca’s nightmares. Now, their secrets were out in the open where anyone could read them.

Percy had always been insecure about his stuttering, and he had trusted no one outside of the walls of their home would ever know. Mom helped him more than most people, but sometimes Nico, Bianca or Reyna would, too. He couldn’t forgive Reyna, not yet, for divulging the part of him he hated the most to the world. He couldn’t forgive Reyna yet for leaving and living a normal life when the rest of them were always stared at, watched with pity, remorse, or hate. They were forever marked by their tattoos, and she was free to make her own life. The rest of them were remembered as the Umbrella Academy that had eventually failed. They lost two of their own: one to a horrible death, and the other missing. While the Academy had faded from general knowledge, it would take one glimpse of their tattoos, or a brief mention of Number Five or Number Six for everything to come crashing down.

It’s why Percy distanced himself from his last name, why he created a new one for himself when he entered the academy. He knew they could easily find out who he was, but they never questioned him. Maybe it was to show that they weren’t given him any special treatment, or draw attention to them. Whatever it was, he was grateful that at least to some people, he wasn’t Number Two, Perseus “Percy” Hargreeves of the Umbrella Academy. He was Percy Jackson, vigilante who liked to fight crime even though he wasn’t a cop. He wasn’t the only sibling who created a new persona.

Piper glared at him. She had always been one of the closest siblings to Reyna, and was protective over her. Sure, Piper wasn’t happy about all their secrets being out in the open, but she had let it go. She wasn’t surprised that Percy hadn’t, but she wished he would. Time had passed, and they had bigger things to worry about. They had all come back for a funeral, after all. “Percy, that’s enough. She’s just as much part of this family as we are.” Glancing at what he was wearing, she scrunched her nose slightly. “And do us all a favor and change.”

“At least I’m wearing black,” Percy retorted as he receded up the staircase.

Reyna shuffled her feet. She always felt awkward around her family. They had been dysfunctional at best, and she had always been isolated from everyone else. She found confidence in her talent, even though she felt inferior everywhere else. She was often compared to her siblings, if people remembered she was one of them at all. She had fixated on learning one thing really well when she was younger, one thing she could do that her siblings couldn’t, that she was able to teach to others. “Maybe Percy’s right. I can just go,” she gestured towards the door.

“Forget what he said,” Piper waved off her sister’s worry. “I’m glad you’re here.”
  
Jason walked into his father’s room, looking around. The siblings usually never went into their father’s bedroom or office, but he wasn’t around anymore to tell them to get out. Jason had been in allowed a few times, and most of it looked exactly how he remembered it.

Walking over to the windows, he examined the locks, noting that they were all secure and there was no sign of forced entry.

“The windows are all locked, no sign of forced entry.”
Jason turned around to see Percy standing in the doorway, arms crossed in front of his chest. He took a few steps forward, unsmiling with a hard to decipher look on his face. Percy had gotten more serious as they grew up. There had been a time where Jason would have found it weird to see a scowl or frown on his brother’s face. Now, it would be weird to see him laughing. Bianca’s death and Hazel’s disappearance had been hard on all of them. Percy had been unfortunate enough to witness Bianca’s death, and Hazel had been one of the siblings he had been closest to. He had become more serious after loosing both of them, in a way that made it hard for them to get through to him.“I’ve already checked the room. There’s nothing out of place, Sasquatch.”
Jason rolled his eyes. His brother always knew how to frustrate him. They had never been on the best of terms, having been pitted against each other constantly as they grew up. It had made Jason better, but there had been a few times he regretted the relationship he had with Percy. In another life, they might have been good friends. They had enough interests in common they would have had something to talk about, but their differences would give them things to teach each other. If they had been brought together later in life, had been friends rather than brothers, they could’ve used their strengths to counter each other’s weaknesses instead of to boost themselves up. “Says you. You wouldn’t know if something was missing. This might not be a normal death.”
Percy pulled out a folder that he had been hiding. “The autopsy says it was normal. Heart failure. Nothing suspicious with that.”“Where did you get this?” Jason snatched the folder out of his brother’s hands. He opened it, scanning through the contents.“Stole it,” Percy shrugged as he sat down. “It’s not hard to get into the coroner’s office. Not a place most people would try and break into, so the security’s not that good.”
“Why—” Jason cut himself off, shaking his head. He didn’t have time to question Percy as to why he thought that was a good idea. “Chiron was the first to find dad. His monocle was missing. Don’t you find that odd?”

Percy snorted. “That old thing? It wasn’t valuable. Why would someone want to steal it? It was just a normal death, Jason. Natural causes. There’s nothing for you to avenge. The old man died alone, just as he deserved.”

Jason glared at him. “You might not have liked him all that much, but he was still our father. Honestly, would it kill you to show a little respect?”

“Whatever,” Percy waved it off as he walked out. “No sense trying to convince you how shitty he was."

The wall held a lot of frames containing photos and magazines of the Umbrella Academy. Phrases like “Wonder Kids” were plastered on the cover, above six siblings, dressed in uniform. School uniforms and domino masks.

Reyna sighed heavily as she scanned them. There was a time where she would’ve given anything to be one of them, to go on missions and help save people. She had long since accepted that she didn’t have powers like they did, knew that though she had the same last name as them, lived in the same home, she wasn’t truly one of them.

Moving away from the wall full of her siblings, she examined the bookshelves. She was familiar with most of them, all pristine and in the same place as usual. There was no dust in sight, and they were lined up alphabetically by author last name. It didn’t take long to find her autobiography on the shelf. The spine hadn’t been creased, so she knew immediately it had never been read.

Reyna wasn’t surprised. Though she had been estranged from her family, they were still her family. She tried to offer a peace offering, but it was obvious it wasn’t accepted. Opening the book, she ran her finger over the inscription.

Her attention was drawn away from the book as Chiron entered the room. She immediately shoved the book back where it belonged, but she knew he had seen it. He didn’t comment on it right away, though, choosing to hug her instead.
“It’s good to see you, Reyna.”She smiled back before it dropped. She was pretty sure her father had never read it, but she needed confirmation. “Did… did he ever read it?”
“I… I don’t believe he did,” he looked at her sympathetically.
She nodded, not surprised. It stung somewhat, but she would move on from it. She turned to look at the painting above the fireplace. It was what one’s eyes would be drawn to the moment they stepped into the room. A light shone directly on it, illuminating it.
“How long has it been since Five disappeared?” The siblings had helped their mom come up with a name after Five disappeared. She never had a problem keeping Number Five as her name, but they wanted give her a new one. They referred to her as Hazel privately, or if they discussed their family with someone who didn’t know who they were, so as not to reveal who they really were. To their father, and to the world, Hazel was simply Number Five.

“It’s been sixteen years, four months, and fourteen days. Your father insisted I keep track.”

“I used to leave lights on for her. I didn’t want her to come back and think none of us were there. I wanted it to be welcoming. Sometimes, I would leave snacks out.”

“Ah, I remember those,” Chiron smiled wistfully. “I stepped on most of those sandwiches. You know, your father always believed young Number Five was still out there. He never lost hope that Five would come home one day.”

“I don’t know if she ever will. It’s been so long,” Reyna shook her head. “But it would be nice to know what happened.”
 
 
Piper walked slowly into her father’s study. She had been inside once, and had stood in the doorway to look in twice over the course of her life. Her father had been a very private person, and none of them could say they truly knew him.
Mom smiled at them, before knocking on the door. She opened it, revealing their father writing in his journal, sat behind his desk.

“The children would like to say goodnight.” She smiled at the man, the smile faltering as he didn’t look up or acknowledge them.

The seven of them stood together in matching blue striped pajamas. They were all crowded close to each other, hoping against better judgement that their father would look up from his work and say goodnight to them. Usually, once he retreated to his office for the night to go over research from the day’s training exercises and tests, no one bothered him. But Bianca, the kindest of them all, had convinced them to try, even if it was just once. They wanted to believe her. Their mom cared about them, and they were just barely young enough to hope their father could, too. Though not all of them liked their father very much by that point, they were willing to give Bianca’s plan a chance

Their mom’s face began to falter, but she managed to keep the smile plastered on her face, though it was now forced. “Come along, children,” Sally’s voice was as sing-songy as usual. “Your father is very busy tonight.”

“He’s always busy,” Piper crossed her arms across her chest. Her siblings walked past her in silence, parting ways to go back to their own rooms. Jason would go to bed immediately, already the one who followed the rules to the T. Percy would likely stand in front of his mirror to work on his speech, letting mom help him when she came to check on him in half an hour. Nico would work himself to exhaustion to keep the ghosts at bay. Hazel would spend forty-five minutes working on her powers before going to bed to be well-rested for the next day. Bianca would read whatever book she was currently on until she felt tired, and Reyna would find new sheet music to learn. Piper would practice memorizing monologues, or creep up to the greenhouse on the roof to look up at the stars.

As long as they were asleep within an hour and twenty-seven minutes after they were supposed to, their father wouldn’t confront them about their habits. He would be able to study whatever he studied about them when they slept.

Sally’s face dropped as she looked sympathetically at the girl. She placed her hand on her shoulder, gently steering her out of the room. Before sending her on her way, Sally hugged Piper.

It wasn’t the family Piper wished she and her siblings could have, but at that age, they had enough good moments.

If she knew what was going to happen, she would’ve appreciated the small moments more.

Nico moved quickly as he rummaged through the drawers in his father’s study. He knew Dionysus was eccentric and hid money in places they wouldn’t think to look. He opened drawers, pulling out papers as he looked for false bottoms. As he found small trinkets and other things he could sell for money, Nico shoved them in his pockets.

“What are you doing?”
“Oh, hey Piper,” Nico grinned as he glanced up to see his sister standing near the door. As she moved closer, he stood up, shoving a bracelet into his pocket. “How’re ya doing?” he moved towards her, meeting her at the window near the desk. He embraced her. “Hey, so how would you feel about giving me an autograph, hm? I’m starting a collection.” Nico knew that her signature would collect a fair sum of money.
“Nico,” Piper sighed as she grabbed his wrist. She had noticed the plastic hospital bracelet on it. “Rehab? Again?” She pulled it up closer to her face so she could read it. “And you just got out!”

Nico shrugged her off as he collapsed on their father’s desk chair, legs draped over the side. “I’m done with all that,” he waved his hand around in lazy circles. “Just stopped by to see if dear old father really was gone. I had to see it for myself. Looks like he is.” There was a small smile on his face.

Piper shook her head, but her eyes sparkled slightly. She was used to her brother’s antics. “He was always in here, huh?”

“And we were never allowed in,” Nico agreed, clearly unaware of the time Percy and Piper had snuck in. His eyes scanned over the room, looking at the paintings on the walls and the ornate light fixtures. “You know, I’m glad we’re not related to him. We don’t have to worry about inheriting his cold, dead eyes.” Nico pointed at the large portrait of the man hanging behind the desk.

Piper snorted quietly. She couldn’t disagree with that.

“Get out of dad’s chair.”

Nico and Piper turned to see Jason’s looming form in the doorway. The blond walked closer, a small scowl on his face.
“Wow, you got big, huh, Jason? Tired of Percy and Piper being the muscle?” Nico joked. Though Jason had always been the strongest of them, growing up, he didn’t appear to have super strength. Before they became well known as the Umbrella Academy, when they helped strangers carry things to cars, or into stores for delivery, people gave lighter boxes to Jason. Nico always found it amusing.
Jason rolled his eyes. “You and Percy are always two birds of a feather, aren’t you?”

Nico stood up, knowing that his brother wouldn’t have no hesitations getting him out of it. As he made his way out of the room, he turned back to look at his two siblings. “Have fun in here.”

“Nico,” Jason warned before he could leave. “Drop it. I know you took some of dad’s things.”
Nico didn’t look back at Jason or Piper, but sighed dramatically. “Fine.” He made a big show of letting all the small trinkets spill out of his pockets, even digging into the hidden ones to find the jewelry. “You know, it’s not like he’s going to miss any of this.”
“Just go,” Jason sighed, exasperated. He had forgotten how draining it could be, spending time with his siblings.
“Aye aye, Captain,” Nico saluted as he left. He was grinning, but neither Piper nor Jason could see it. As soon as he was out of the room and down the hallway, he pulled out the one thing they didn’t know he had. It was an ornate gold box that had been hidden in a locked false bottom. Nico had managed to pick it, and hide the box in the few seconds before Piper had found him. Of all the things Nico had tried to swipe, this looked the most valuable. He had no idea what was inside, but at the moment, he didn’t really care.
He whistled to himself as he went to stash it somewhere until he could sell it for money, vaguely wondering what Piper and Jason were talking about now. He could hear their voices, but they were too far away now to hear what they were saying.

“Why is he always like that?” Jason grumbled.
Piper shrugged. “He’s always been the one who’s had the hardest time with Six’s death. Five’s disappearance didn’t help, either.” Saying the names of her siblings that were gone made it too real to her, sometimes. Though it hurt not to acknowledge who they were to her, to the other siblings, calling them by their names could hurt worse. They weren’t their numbers anymore. “And he’s still having trouble with drugs and alcohol. It’s not all his fault.”
“Still.” Jason was on edge, and it made him want to argue with someone. He needed to find out what had truly happened to their father. Having a mystery surrounding one family member was enough. “Have you seen Percy’s stupid outfit?”

Piper laughed. “Yeah, yeah I have. Called him out on it, too, but you know him. If he thinks it annoys you, he won’t change.”

Jason smiled at her. Silence washed over them as they fidgeted with objects on the desk in front of them. “I wasn’t sure you would come,” he admitted, breaking the silence.

“Neither did I.” Piper’s life was getting hard to maneuver, with the movie that just came out, the film she was filming for, press conferences, and her family life. Her father’s death and dealing with her siblings was now added to the pile.
“I’m glad you did, though. You look great,” Jason offered. “Uh, where are Austin and Claire?”
“Right,” Piper sighed to herself. “You’ve been gone,” she pointed up to the sky, where the moon would be, “so you wouldn’t know.  Austin filed for divorce eight months ago.” Her voice was quiet. The life she had tried to build for herself away from her past was falling apart.
“I’m… sorry to hear that. What about Claire?”
Piper turned away, squeezing her eyes shut. She wrapped her arms around her. “He got custody.”

“Piper….” Jason moved closer to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. “That’s awful. But can’t you use your powers to change it?”

Piper’s back straightened as she turned to look at him. Her voice was firm, unwavering in her response. “I don’t do that anymore. I made a wish that came true. I couldn’t take it back. I’m not going to do it again, especially when it comes to this.” She had made bad decisions in her life, and though she couldn’t take them back, she could try and be better as she continued through life.

She resolved to do so.

Percy sat down next to Piper, handing her one of the drinks he was carrying. He had just made them at the bar in the living room, knowing that the conversation to come was one that needed it.

Reyna was sitting on one of the couches, legs curled up to her body. Jason sat on another couch, staring at all of them. He stood up a moment later, walking to stand where everyone could see him.

“Alright,” he started.

“Hold your horses, Shoulders,” Nico interrupted. “Were you really going to do this without me?” He waltzed in, smoke wisps surrounding him.

“Is that my skirt?” Piper asked, ignoring Jason’s pointed look to pay attention.

“Mhmm,” Nico nodded as he sat next to Reyna. “It’s really quite comfortable. Might be a little outdated, but I think I can pull it off.”
“Like I was saying,” Jason raised his voice. “We need to talk about dad’s death.”
“What’s there to talk about?” Percy snorted. “It was a natural death. Didn’t you read the autopsy report? Or was that too hard for you?”
Jason glared at him, but didn't offer up any words in retaliation. Instead, he turned towards Nico. “Can you talk to dad, and ask him about it? He’s the only one who would know the truth that we could ask.”
“Mmm… yeah, not something I can help out with right now, if I’m going to be honest.” He waved his hand lazily, the smoke following the movements. “It might be my thing, but the thing is, I might be a little high.”

“Just great,” Jason muttered. “I can’t even be surprised about that. Okay, so then let’s talk about dad’s missing monocle.”

“That thing is worthless. There’s no point to steal it.” Percy set down his empty glass as he turned to look at his brother.

“Exactly. That’s why I think whoever did it was close to dad. They likely held a grudge. It was personal.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?” Nico asked.
“He thinks one of us killed dad,” Percy rolled his eyes. “Don’t you, Jason?”

Piper, Nico, and Reyna looked at their blond brother, appalled. When he looked away, but didn’t try to deny what Percy said, they got upset. Just because they didn't always like their father, and some of them hated him for the way they were raised, didn’t mean they would kill him.

“Unbelievable,” Reyna shook her head.

“You’re crazy,” Nico stood up, gaze trained on Jason.

“How could you?” Piper looked disappointed.
“You know what?” Nico asked. “Maybe I’ll just go murder mom now, huh?” His voice was heavily laced with sarcasm. He made his way out of the room, flicking Jason off before disappearing, Reyna and Piper right behind him. Percy was the last one out, shooting one last look at his brother before leaving.

Seventeen Years Ago

In five, four, three, two…  This is Jim Hellerman, reporting live for Channel 2 News outside of the Capital West bank at Main and Sixth. A group of heavily armed men stormed the bank not three hours ago and took an unknown number of hostages.

The bank was vast, high ceilings and countless windows. Usually, it was spotless, nothing out of place, and full of life as customers did their business. However, that day, instead of the pleasant conversations, there were screams and the loud footfalls of the thieves.A man yelled angrily into his walkie talkie as some of his comrades herded the hostages into one of the nearby offices.
A young Piper smiled as she skipped in. She was dressed in costume; a school uniform and a domino mask. The other five of her siblings also in the building were dressed the same. Though she was nervous about their first real mission, they had been training for a situation just like the one they were now in.

Piper’s fingers were intertwined behind her back, so no one could see her hands shaking slightly. She needed to appear confident.

“Get back with the others,” the man snarled when he spotted her.

Holding her ground, Piper smiled. “I heard a rumor…”

“What? What did you say?” He leaned in closer to hear what she was saying.

“I heard a rumor that you shot your friend in the foot.” The words came out quickly, but clearly. She watched his eyes glaze over as he turned to look at one of the other armed men, before pulling the trigger. The other man looked mad, and in pain, as he collapsed to the ground, no longer able to stand on his foot. It was a debilitating injury, but still minor enough that he wouldn’t have any severe consequences.

When the gun went off, the hostages screamed. Piper knew they were unsure as to what was going on, if it was the police, or the hostage takers.

We just heard shots from inside the bank. It’s uncertain if any hostages have been harmed in that. There’s some movement on the roof. Possibly law enforcement.

A large crowd had gathered in front of the bank, kept back by the police barricade. There were squad cars, with police officers crouched behind them, ready to shoot if any of the robbers made a wrong move. A helicopter recorded ariel views. There were also reporters, Jim Hellerman being the one with the larger crew. It was his report that other citizens were watching, at home, or in a bar, or from the display of televisions in the display windows of stores.

Inside the bank, a smallish, blond boy grabbed hold of one of the armed men. The young Jason lifted the man up with ease, before throwing him up and out of the glass ceiling.

The crowd went silent as a body came soaring out of the high ceilings, through the glass skylights. The broken glass rained down around the body that crashed to the ground, a bloody mess. The moment was broken by screams as what just happened solidified in the minds of the audience.

Looks like one of the armed robbers has been thrown from the bank.
Percy ran through the lobby of the bank, muttering under his breath as he noticed one of the armed robbers trying to sneak away. “Guns are for sissies. Real men throw knives.” It was a phrase he would look back on later and cringe at. However, the sentiment still rang true. He preferred blades to guns, and he was good with them. With the harsh competition between the siblings, especially between him and Jason, anything he could do better he practiced at, and prided himself for. Anything to make him his own person, rather than Number Two, who always came second to Jason.
The knife curved, following the trajectory he wanted it to. They always did what he wanted them to. It easily took out the man trying to flee.

I’ve been in many hostage situations, like this, and it can escalate very quickly.

Another of the robbers stood on the counter, looking down at the group of kids that was now surrounding him. “Get back, you freaks.” He held the gun out in front of him.
“You should be more careful,” Percy offered from his spot next to Piper.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt,” Piper agreed, pretending to be sincere.

The man looked both angry and confused, before movement behind him drew his attention. Behind him, Hazel suddenly appeared, thanks to her powers. She lay sprawled on the smooth marble surface, looking smug.

As the man aimed the gun at her, she disappeared, reappearing behind him as the man emptied the magazine into thin air. Number Five smirked as she looked at the man as he turned to face her again. He moved to shoot at her, but there no longer was a gun in his hand.

“Oo! That’s one badass stapler!” Number Five shoved her hand against the man’s holding the stapler into his face, knocking him down.

Although there’s been no activity for a few minutes, we’re gonna stay live on location to make sure we don’t miss anything in this hostage situation at the Capital West bank.

Bianca sighed as she let her siblings lead her over to the vault, where a few of the men had gone in to take the money. “Do we really have to do this?” She didn’t like using her powers very much, but she had been trained to control it for a situation like this. Not all of them would be very useful in every situation, especially her and Nico. But this one now called for her.

“Come on, Bianca. There’s more guys in the vault.” Jason gestured to the shadowy figures inside the room.

Bianca sighed again, but moved towards the door. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

Now we see the hostages. They— they’re free. They’re scared, clearly, but they do seem to be unharmed.
Jason, Percy, Piper, Nico and Hazel stood outside the vault, watching as their sister did her thing. The shadowy forms of tentacles appeared, picking up people and slamming them into the glass. The men were screaming as snarls and other monster like sounds echoed through the room. Blood splattered across the inside of the glass as bodies fell lifeless to the ground.
The door opened seven minutes later, revealing Bianca. She was covered in blood, looking tired. “Can we go home now?”

People are coming out now. It’s not the armed robbers. These are young schoolchildren in uniforms with masks on. Jim Hellerman, Channel 2 News.

The siblings stood together, in order of their numbers, as reporters and police moved closer to question them. They stood proud, backs straight, as Jason stepped in to deftly answer the first question. They knew that their father would be joining them soon, as he planned to introduce them to the world. Until then, they would have to fill the silence and answer questions.

Dionysus watched them proudly from a nearby roof. Reyna stood at his side. She had been silent during most of the mission.

“Why can’t I join the others?” she asked. She knew that though she wasn’t like them in certain respects, she wasn’t useless, either.

Dionysus turned away from her as he made to walk down the stairs. It was time to join the others. “I’m afraid there’s just nothing special about you.”

He left Reyna alone with those words, appearing minutes later with the others, standing in front of cameras.

Everyone turned to him, waiting with bated breath for his explanation. “Our world is changing. Has changed. There are some among us gifted with abilities far beyond the ordinary. I have adopted six such children. I give you the inaugural class of the Umbrella Academy.”

Present Day

Nico stood alone in the living room, an empty bottle resting behind him on the bar. “You know,” he started, talking to his father’s urn that he had set on the table in front of him. “You were a pretty shit father. Only calling us by our numbers, never giving us names. If it wasn’t for mom, I’d just be Number Four, huh? How’d Jason get to be Number One? Is it because he was your favorite? Was he born earliest in the day? Or he was just the first one of us you managed to get?” He hiccuped, before changing tactics. “Okay, you know, it would be nice if you just showed up. Put Jason’s mind to rest about your death. There’s nothing sinister behind it, is there? You just want us to pay attention to you, don’t you?”
There was no response. Nico scoffed, before turning to look at the other, mostly full bottle on the counter. As he moved to get it, deciding he needed another drink, his elbow knocked against the urn, causing it to fall and spill.
All Nico could do was laugh in shock.
  
Jason walked down the familiar hallway that held all their bedrooms. It was just how he remembered it, pictures of fighting techniques lining the hallways. He caught a few of the words as he moved towards his room. Disarm. Gauge.

Jason opened the door to his room, looking around. Next door, Piper was also in her room, taking in everything that had been important to her when she still lived in her childhood home. She spotted a magazine hidden on her desk, the first one that she had been on the cover of. Hidden underneath it was a heart locket with an inscription on it. “J + P.”

In the kitchen, Nico was alone. He looked around to ensure no one else was nearby, before popping three of the pills he had hidden in his pocket into his mouth.

The living room was occupied solely by Percy, who collapsed on the couch. He cracked his fingers, before pulling out the first knife he had ever been given, examining it.

Reyna, too, was alone. She sat halfway up the staircase in the foyer, eyes lazily scanning her surroundings. There was nothing new, but she wanted to keep her mind busy.

Jason knew, somehow, that they were all alone at the moment, isolated in a part of the house they had grown up in. He felt disconnected from all of them. They had all chosen their own paths, and it was only their past that connected them now.

He crouched down, looking at the shelves of records he had, looking for one. Upon finding it, he placed it on the record player, turning the volume all the way up. There was a way for him to connect it to speakers throughout the house, so he did. Jason wasn't always good with talking about feelings to his siblings, so he used music.

As “I Think We’re Alone Now” came on, he started to dance in his room, door closed so no one could see him. He had no idea if his other siblings would dance, too, or appreciate what he was trying to do, but he hoped.

Piper was the next to hear the music and let it wash over her. Grabbing a pink feather boa that was still wrapped around the back of the chair, she let the music control her movements. Nico, too, let himself get lost in the music, sashaying around the kitchen with his father’s urn in his arms. Reyna stood up, dancing in jolted movements. She rarely danced, but she enjoyed the freeing feeling it brought her.

Percy threw the knife in his hands into the forehead of the mounted deer head on the wall, before getting up to close the doors to the living room. Once he was sure all the doors were closed and no one could see him, he surrendered himself to the music.

None of them danced much, so some of their movements were awkward and stilted. Despite this, their dancing was unique, and reflected their personalities. For the first time in a long time, they all felt like themselves. They were alone, but they knew somewhere else in the house, the rest of their siblings were doing the same things as then. They were united in that moment.

The moment was broken all too quickly by the lights blinking on and off, the sound of thunder echoing through the building. Blue light filtered in through the open windows. As if drawn by a giant magnet, all the metal in the rooms they were in was drawn to a wall, sticking there. Piper’s locket, their father’s urn, the knives in the kitchen that managed to miss Nico.

“Dad?” Nico asked cautiously as he caught the urn before it could slide off the table onto the floor. He stared at the knives embedded in the wall, glad none of them hit him.

Percy was the first one outside, pushing the doors to the courtyard open. The wind was blowing, and the space was bathed in an eerie blue light. Reyna as right behind him, followed by Jason and Piper.

“What is it?” Reyna asked, worried. There was a bright ball of blue light hovering seven feet off the ground, the wind, lightning and noise originating from it.

“Don’t get too close!” Piper warned. She didn’t want any of her siblings to get hurt.

“Looks like it’s some sort of temporal anomaly,” Jason answered Reyna’s question as they stared at it. “Either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two.”

“Pretty big difference there, Paul Bunyan,” Percy shouted over the noise.

“Out of the way!” Nico yelled as he arrived on the scene, holding a fire extinguisher. He tried to use it, before giving up, and throwing it at the mysterious light. It was sucked in.

“What was that supposed to do?” Piper demanded.

“I don’t know,” Nico threw up his hands. “But I didn’t see any of you guys trying to do anything.”

As it started to generate more electricity, Jason yelled at his siblings to get behind him, putting an arm out to guide them behind him.

“Yeah, get behind both of us,” Percy stood his ground. He hated when Jason tried to one up him, or acted like he was the only one who could protect them. They could all handle themselves, but only Percy would make a big deal about it if Jason brought it up. Jason always tried to act the hero, as if forgetting the rest of them had also been part of the team.

A figure appeared in the blue light. It was the face of an old woman, mouth open as if screaming, arms reaching forward. They watched as the image wavered, before showing a younger figure. As the figure fell and the light disappeared, they dropped some of their apprehension. They hesitantly moved forward, confused by what they had just seen. Their lives were far from normal, but this was something completely new.

The girl was laying face down on the ground. The siblings watched her struggle to get up, unsure if they should offer help or not. Just because she was a kid, didn’t mean she couldn’t do some damage.

The girl finally got to her feet. She looked at them, as they looked back, stunned.

Nico hesitantly raised a hand. “Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me?” He was used to see people others couldn’t see. Ghosts were drawn to him because of his powers. They never knew Hazel’s fate, and Nico was afraid that if he was the only one who could see her, that meant she had died all those years ago. Bianca was hard enough. He didn’t think he could handle Hazel, too.

Number 5. “Number Five, occasionally Hazel”
Number Five looked down at herself, taking in the clothes she was wearing, and her smooth skin, hands no longer wrinkled. “Shit.”

They had all gone to the kitchen. While Percy, Jason, Piper, Nico and Reyna sat around the table, Hazel made her way around the kitchen.

“What’s the date? The exact date,” she inquired.

“Uh, the twenty-forth,” Reyna responded a beat too late.

“Of what?”
“March.”“Good.”
“So are we gonna talk about what just happened?” Jason asked.

Hazel ignored him as she pulled out two slices of bread from the bag, laying them in front of her. She didn’t look up until Jason stood up, towering over her.

“It’s been seventeen years!” he exclaimed, somewhat angry, as she was ignoring him.

“It’s been a lot longer than that,” Hazel retorted as she disappeared from in front of him, reappearing on the other side of the kitchen, grabbing something off the top shelf.

“I haven’t missed that,” Jason mumbled under his breath. When Hazel wanted out of a conversation, she would just disappear.

“Where did you go?” Percy wanted to know.

“The future,” Number Five responded as she used her powers to jump around the kitchen, grabbing what she needed. “It’s shit, by the way.” She knew they were surprised at her swearing, but she didn’t care. All the years she spent by herself, and then working for the Handler had changed her. She had seen and done too much to be the same person they knew before she disappeared. She had had to adapt to survive.
“Called it!” Nico looked proud.
“I should've listened to the old man,” Five continued. “You know, jumping through space is one thing. Jumping through time is a toss of the dice.” She looked up, noting that her brother was wearing a skirt. It didn’t surprise her. Nico always did what he wanted, regardless of the looks he got. “Nice skirt.”

“Thank you,” Nico responded. It was nice to know that even all the time had passed, Hazel was still accepting of his choices.

“How did you get back?” Reyna asked.

“In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time.”

“That makes no sense,” Percy voiced what everyone else was thinking. Five had always been one of the smartest ones, using words that they didn’t always understand, at least, in the way she used them.

“Well, it would if you were smarter,” Hazel responded, not looking up as she finished making her sandwich. She knew how her brother would take her words, but she didn’t have the time to deal with explaining how time travel worked. She had a world to save.

Percy scowled at her words, standing up and taking a step in her direction. He had always been sensitive about his intelligence. When he was younger and stuttered a lot more, people assumed he was unintelligent. While he knew he wasn’t as book-smart as some of his siblings, like Hazel or Reyna, he wasn’t stupid. It was one of the things he was most sensitive about. It was hard to believe in himself when not many people did.

Jason put his arm out, stopping his brother from getting in Hazel’s face. They didn’t have time for an argument. Jason knew why his brother was upset, but in the moment, they had other things to deal with, like their father’s death and Five’s reappearance.

“How long were you there?” Jason asked.

“Forty-five years. Give or take.”

“So what are you saying? You’re fifty-eight?”

“No, my consciousness is fifty-eight. Apparently, my body is now thirteen again,” she held up the sandwich she used to eat all the time as a kid for emphasis.

“Wait, how does that even work?” Reyna asked. She knew she wasn’t the only one confused about all the information Five was telling them.

“Sammy kept saying the equations were off. Bet he’s laughing now,” Hazel muttered under her breath, ignoring her sister’s question. She bit into the sandwich as she made her way over to the counter, spotting the newspaper on it.

“Sammy?” Reyna asked.

“Guess I missed the funeral,” Five picked the paper up, spotting the article about their father’s death on the front page.

“How’d you know about that?” Jason asked.

“What part of the future do you not understand?” Five’s voice was laced with disdain. She had no time for questions like the one Jason just asked. She had just explained she had been in the future, that she knew things that they didn’t. It shouldn’t be a surprise that she knew their father had died. “Heart failure, huh?

“Yes,” Percy responded at the same time Jason did, but in the negative.

Hazel’s mouth twitched upward slightly. “Glad to see nothing’s changed.” Though many years went by without her, and her siblings found their own path, it was nice to see that a few things remained constant, including the bickering between Percy and Jason. One and Two always seemed to disagree about everything growing up. She began walking out of the kitchen, waving off whatever Piper had said, leaving the remaining siblings in the kitchen, confused and stunned.

Five made her way to her old room, making a beeline for the closet. She wanted to put on something else, but found it full of old uniforms and nothing else. Sighing heavily, she resigned herself to having to wear one.

It was one of these that Reyna found her in.

Hazel was in the living room, looking up at the giant portrait of herself. Reyna approached her carefully.

“Nice to know dad didn’t forget me,” Five remarked as she turned around to face her sister. “Read your book, by the way. Found it in a library that was still standing.” In the silence of her statement, Hazel moved away from the fireplace. “Thought it was pretty good, all things considered.” Five had gotten along with Reyna better than others while growing up. She understood why Reyna had wanted to write the book, why she spilled family secrets. It made them all seem more real. “Yeah, definitely ballsy, giving up the family secrets. Sure that went over well.” Even though she understood, she knew not all of their siblings would. Bianca, if she had still been alive, would have been disappointed. Percy was defensive of them, and insecure about his own struggles, never wanting anyone to know. It was a wonder they all knew, and now the whole world could find out, if they wanted to.

He also wouldn’t want the details of Bianca’s death out in the open, especially since he had been one of the few witnesses. It had been bad, and he didn’t want people to remember her for her tragic death.

“They hate me,” Reyna responded.

“Oh, there are worse things that could happen.”
“You mean like what happened to Bianca?”
“Was it bad?”

All Reyna could do was nod.

There was a single grave in the courtyard. It read: Bianca Hargreeves. “May the darkness within you find peace in the light.” On top of it, there was a statue of her in uniform, but without the mask, somber.

The rain gave the statue the appearance of crying. It was the first thing Piper noticed as she and her siblings gathered in the courtyard.

Jason was in front of them, carrying their father’s urn in his hands. He didn’t have an umbrella, letting the rain hit him.
Mom, Reyna, Five and Piper held matching black umbrellas above their heads, protecting themselves from the precipitation. Nico had a clear umbrella instead, the trim of it a bright pink. Percy stood between Piper and their mom, not minding the rain as it hit his face.
“Did something happen?” Sally asked, voice as light as always.

“Dad died, remember?” Piper looked concerned as she answered the question.
“Oh. Yes, of course,” Sally responded, looking slightly confused.
“Is mom okay?” Piper asked, turning to look at Percy. He was always most in tune with her, so if something was wrong, he would be most likely to know.

“Yeah, yeah, she’s fine,” Percy responded, coming to Sally’s defense. He had always been the most protective of her, the closest to her. “She just needs to rest. You know, recharge.”

Reyna, Nico and Hazel looked concerned, but dropped it when Chiron joined them, making his way over carefully. One hand held an umbrella over his head, the other rested on the cane he used to help him walk.
Jason opened the urn, turning it upside down. The ashes spilled out, piling up on the ground. “Would’ve been better with wind,” he murmured. He looked out at his siblings that were standing in front of them. The separation between them in that moment was clear.
“Would anyone like to speak?” Chiron asked. Silence followed his question as they all looked away. “Very well. In all regards, Sir Dionysus Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master, and my friend, and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy—”

“He was a monster,” Percy cut Chiron off. Percy’s face was serious, not joking even in the slightest about what he was saying.

Nico laughed.

“He was a bad person and a worse father. The world’s better off without him,” Percy continued. He had never gotten along with their father very well, knowing that how he treated them was not how at typical father would treat his kids.

“Percy,” Piper warned.

Percy didn’t let her get in another word. His voice was tense as he responded. “My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn’t be bothered to give us actual names. He had mom do it.”

Upon hearing her name, their mother spoke. “Would anyone like something to eat?” She looked confused and distraught.

“No, it’s okay mom,” Reyna tried to calm her.

“Oh, okay,” she responded, not looking any less confused.

“Look, you wanna pay your respects? Go ahead,” Percy waved his hand. “But at least be honest about the kind of man he was.”

“You should stop talking now,” Jason warned his brother.

“You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One,” Percy mocked the name their father gave Jason.

“I am warning you.” Jason wasn’t in the mood to argue, but he would if it came to it. Percy often provoked him with words, taunting Jason into throwing the first punch.

“After everything he did to you? He had to ship you a million miles away.” Percy couldn’t make himself stop. Everything he felt towards their father for what he did, his resentment towards his brother, was bubbling out of his mouth.

“Percy, stop talking.”

“That’s how much he couldn’t stand the sight of you!”

Jason had heard enough. He pulled back his fist, aiming for his brother. Percy easily dodged the first two blows, before starting to retaliate. As they continued, their siblings stepped back.

“Boys, stop this at once!” Chiron demanded.
Nico moved to step in front of Hazel. Logically, he knew she didn’t need it, but her appearance said otherwise. They were all adults, looked the part, while she looked the same as she did when she disappeared at age thirteen.
Five batted his hand away, as if she could read his thought process. As the fight continued, only Nico seemed to be into it. He knew how often the two were at each other’s throats. It was only to be expected from the way their father treated them. Percy and Jason often built up a lot of emotion, only letting loose in a fight, usually against each other. It wasn’t healthy, but from experience, Nico knew it could be a lot worse.
Sighing, exasperated, Chiron left. He knew he couldn’t do anything at this point.“We don’t have time for this,” Five retorted before walking away, ducking back inside. Reyna seemed to agree with her sentiment, but she stayed anyways.“Come on, big boy!” Percy taunted.
As Jason pulled back his fist, ready to hit his brother, Percy ducked out of the way. Jason couldn’t stop the momentum of his fist, watching as it slammed into the statue of Bianca. The statue teetered for a few seconds on its pedestal, before falling down, the head breaking off as it hit the ground.

“And there goes Bianca’s statue.” Piper had seen enough. Her brothers fighting was one thing. But breaking the statue of Bianca had been too much.
Percy hated the sinking feeling in his stomach at the sight of the broken statue. He didn't feel guilty for starting the fight, but the guilt he felt about the broken statue felt like the whole world was on his shoulders. He never wanted to disrespect his sister’s memory. And now, the head of her statue had been broken off. Trying to ignore the feeling until he could be alone, Percy grabbed one of his knives. He flipped it once in his hand, before letting it fly.
“Percy, no!” Reyna called out, but it was too late. The blade was flying through the air, heading for its target. She knew it wouldn’t miss.

The knife cut open Jason’s sleeve, slicing into his arm. It began to bleed as Jason quickly wrapped his hand around it, ignoring the blade as it fell to the ground. He began to breath heavily, worried about what his siblings may have seen through the tear in his clothes. Jason made his way out of the courtyard, ignoring the few left outside.

“You never know when to stop, do you?” Reyna was disappointed. Percy had changed from the protective, fun-loving boy he had been, the brother she had admired at one point. She knew grief changed people, but the one-eighty of willingly hurting his brother shocked and disappointed her.

“You got enough material for your sequel yet?” Percy was still on edge around her, still upset about the family secrets she had written down for anyone to read. This would probably be another. He wanted to trust her, but she proved to him that he couldn’t.

“He was my father, too,” was all she responded with, before heading back inside.

Percy shook off the conversation as he made his way over to his mom. “Mom. Let’s go inside. Come one. Okay? Come on.” He led her to the door, trying to forget his sister’s words and the broken statue that left a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought about it.

Once Percy and their mom were back inside, Nico was the only one left. He took a long drag from his cigarette, before squatting down to stare at the pile of ashes. “I bet you’re loving this. Hm?” Nico taunted his dead father. “The team at its best. It’s just like old times.” He took one more drag from the cigarette, before sticking it in the ashes. As he walked away, he mumbled to himself. “Best funeral ever.”

Seventeen years ago

Nietzsche once said, “Man is as a rope, stretched between the animal and the superhuman. A rope over an abyss. It is a dangerous crossing, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting.”

Reyna stood next to her father on one of the landings of the tall staircase. Their siblings were at the bottom, on the ground floor. They were dressed in matching green tracksuits. Reyna was not, instead holding a clipboard in hand, and with a whistle around her neck. She was waiting for her father’s approval to blow it as he scribbled in his journal. Once he was finished writing, he nodded to her. She blew the whistle.

Her siblings began racing each other up the stairs, floor by floor. Jason was in the lead for the first few floors, Percy pulling ahead once they reached floor four.
As much as you must strive for individual greatness, and strive you must for it won’t come  to you of its own accord, you must also remember that there is no individual stronger than the collective.
Five used powers to jump ahead of her siblings, smiling as she heard Percy cry out in outrage.

“That’s not fair! Five’s cheating!”

“She adapted,” was all their father offered.

The ties that bind you together make you stronger than you are alone.

A chair was placed in the middle of the great hall as a man with tattoo equipment got everything prepared. One through Six were watching warily, huddled together. Seven was alone, watching from the staircase.

Nico was the first to get the tattoo, a black umbrella within a circle on the inside of his left wrist. Piper was next, and when hers was done, Nico hugged her in an attempt to offer comfort. They watched Percy as he took the seat, eyes closed as the needle made contact with his skin. Mom hovered nearby, taking a halted step forward in a wish to offer Percy her hand to hold. Percy rejected the offer, unwilling to show weakness in front of all his siblings, that tattoo artist, and his father. He had to be strong, even though he didn’t want to. In a different situation, he would’ve let his mom hold his hand.

They will make you impervious to the pain and hardship the world will thrust upon you. And believe me when I tell you life will be hard. it will be painful.

Jason was sitting with Bianca on one side, Hazel on the other as they waited for their turn. They were all uneasy about the situation, but knew nothing they said would convince their father otherwise. As Jason was led to the chair, their father leaving the room, Bianca spotted Reyna trying to hide at the top of the stairs.

Reyna, for her part, was glad she wouldn’t have to deal with the pain her siblings were facing, but it would be yet another way in which she was isolated from them. Uncapping the black marker tucked in her pocket, she drew the tattoo on her wrist. For a few minutes, she could pretend she was one of them.

We can accomplish anything when we accept responsibility together. This is what creates trust.

Dionysus monitored the children’s brain waves while they slept. The wires connected to the sticky pads on their faces led to his office. He had visual evidence on them, and while he watched and listened, recorded his findings in his journal. Number Seven always had the highest brain activity, something which he took interest in.

Together, you will stand against the reign of evil.

Present

Reyna poured out one of the pills from the orange bottle she always kept in her pocket, popping it in her mouth as she waited by the front door. The telltale sign of Chiron’s cane caused her to turn around, spotting him.

“Don’t bother,” she spoke before he could. “Percy was right. I shouldn’t have come.”

“This is your home, too, Reyna. Never forget that. Would you like me to call you a taxi?
“No, thanks. I already called one. Should be here any moment.”
“You know, your father loved you very much. In his own way.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Reyna smiled bitterly. None of them had grown up with normal shows of affection, meaning they had to learn how to accept and offer compliments late in life. It affected some of their relationships. She was used to it, but she still wondered what it would’ve been like if they stayed with their birth mothers, or if someone else had adopted them out of the love in their hearts, rather than the hope of honing their powers to create a team of superhero kids. “Take care of yourself, Chiron.” Reyna heard the taxi honk its horn from the street, and she turned to leave.

“And you as well, Miss. Reyna.”

Five stood in the kitchen, searching the shelves for coffee. Piper walked in, asking if Hazel had seen Reyna recently.

“She’s gone,” Nico piped up from his spot at the table.

“That’s unfortunate.” Five was still searching.
“Yeah,” Piper sighed as she sat next to Nico. She had wanted to talk to her sister again.“An entire square block. Forty-two bedrooms, nineteen bathrooms. But no, not a single drop of coffee.” Five turned around to face her siblings, an annoyed look on her face.
“Dad hated caffeine,” Piper reminded her.

“Well, he hated children, too, and he had plenty of us,” Nico pointed out, laughing bitterly.

After a beat of silence, Five turned to leave the room. “I’m taking the car.”

Nico straightened up, concerned. “Where are you going?”

“To get a decent cup of coffee.”

“Do you even know how to drive?” Piper asked. Five had been too young to drive when she disappeared.

“I know how to do everything,” Hazel retorted before disappearing.
“I feel like we should try and stop her. But then again, I also just kinda want to see what happens.” Nico turned to his sister to ask her opinion. Before she could respond, they heard the sound of the car’s engine before it drove away.
“All right, I guess I’ll see you guys in, what, ten years? When Chiron dies?” Percy walked through the kitchen, his black duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.
“Not if you die first,” Piper smiled at her brother.
“Yeah, love you too, sis,” Percy replied sincerely, before letting his smile drop. “Good luck on your next film. Hope it turns out better than your marriage, huh?”

As he left, Piper scoffed as she watched him leave. She knew to except a jab from him about her marriage, but that didn’t mean she had to like it, even if it was accurate. She left headed for the stairs, heading upstairs, leaving Nico with Percy.

“Are— are we leaving?” Nico asked, chasing Percy.
“No I’m leaving. Me, by myself.”
“Oh, fabulous! I’ll get my things.”

Percy rolled his eyes, but didn’t try and stop Nico from dashing up the stairs to grab the small bag of his belongings. If Nico made it back before he could leave, then so be it.

Unlocking the car, Percy threw his bag onto the front seat. As he started the car, Nico flung open the back door, throwing himself and his bag into the backseat. “Thanks for waiting. Had to find my stuff. The bag is so small it gets lost easily, you know?” He continued to ramble as Percy drove off.

Jason watched his brothers leave from his bedroom window, before glancing down to check the cut on his arm. It had stopped bleeding, but it was clear to see against his skin. He changed shirts quickly, not wanting to see the abnormal amount of hair on his upper body.

He didn’t like thinking about it. He was just glad that only three others knew about. His dad, who was now dead, and Chiron and mom, who wouldn’t say anything unless necessary.

Sally was still clothed in her black dress and pearl necklace from the memorial service the family had in the backyard. Like always, her hair was perfectly styled, pinned back and away from her kind face. Her red lipstick was unsmeared.

She walked down a hallway, the echoing of her shoes on the hardwood floor being the only noise. She made her way towards a corner full of paintings, most of them nature. Only the one in the middle of a woman contained no nature, but it was lit by a single light.

Entranced, Sally lowered herself onto the couch in front of the paintings, as a wire snaked out of a hidden port, placing itself in her ear. Her face began blinking blue as she was recharged.
  
Five parked the car in the parking lot of Griddy’s Doughnuts. She walked into the empty establishment, taking a seat at the counter before ringing the bell. She looked up as a man walked in, sitting down a couple seats away from her. He didn’t pay her much attention, turning to look at the newspaper instead.
The waitress came out a minute later. Her uniform was pink, with a white apron tied around her waist. She looked tired as she tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. She was too young to look as exhausted as she seemed. Hazel would guess she was at most ten years older than she herself was supposed to be.
“Sorry about the wait. What can I get for you?”

“I’ll take a chocolate long-john,” the man requested.

“Of course,” the waitress, Mellie if her name tag was correct, smiled. “Coming right up. And for the kid? Milk?”

“Coffee, black,” Five responded.
Mellie seemed put off by the response, but turned to get it anyways.“I don’t remember this place being such a shit hole,” Hazel looked around. “I used to come here as a kid. Used to sneak out with my brothers and sisters and eat doughnuts till we puked. Simpler times, huh?”
The man looked confused at her words. She looked thirteen, too young to be looking back on the old days, but he had met weirder people through his job. “Eh. I suppose.”

They were interrupted by Mellie placing their orders in front of them.

“I got the kid’s,” the man handed Mellie money.

“Thanks,” Five was sincere. “Say,” she started, spotting the logo on his shirt. It was for a towing company. “You must know your way around the city well.”

“Oh, I sure hope so. I’ve been driving it for twenty years.” He had learned the ins and outs of the city, including where all the drug dealers hid out, where people went to have their affairs (he would see them sneaking in or out of the back of buildings) and where homeless children and adults stayed.

“Good. Maybe you can help me out. I need an address.” There was someone she was looking for, and she only had the name of a department store to go on.
After giving Hazel the address, the man left. Starting his truck, he drove away, not giving anymore thought to the strange girl for the time being.
Alone in the shop, Five tucked the address into her pocket before turning back to her coffee. She had taken one sip before the door opened, alerting her to the presence of someone. Glancing in the reflection of the bell, she took in the numerous figures. She wasn’t surprised to see them.

“Hm. That was fast. I thought I’d have more time before they found me.” Five appeared unbothered as she turned to face them.

One of the men pointed a gun at her. “Okay. So let’s all be professional about this, yeah? On your feet and come with us. They want to talk.”

“I’ve got nothing to say.”

“It doesn’t have to go this way. You think I want to shoot a kid? Go home with that on my conscience?”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about that. You won’t be going home.”

She stood up, taking in the figures in front of, ignoring the sound of the old jukebox in the corner playing.

Five picked up a knife, jumping through space to another part of the store as the men began to start shooting. She reappeared on the counter. “Hey, assholes!” she called out. Before they could aim their guns at her, she disappeared. She was able to predict their movements, using them to her advantage. She would appear in front of one of them, disappearing in time for the bullet to hit the man, instead of her. Doing this, they took out most of themselves, leaving only a few to her.

Five’s years in different eras took away her hesitance to hurt others, especially when she knew that the fate of the world, the lives of her siblings, hung in the balance. She had learned to do what she had to in order to survive. And she needed to live in order to save her siblings.

Once Hazel was sure they were all down for the count, she sat back down at the counter, ignoring her disheveled clothes and hair. She grabbed the knife on the counter, before bracing herself as she cut her arm. Five knew they had to have found her because of a tracker. She managed to pull it out of her arm, looking at it once it was out. She covered her arm up, before climbing over the bodies to get out. As she walked away from the scene, she dropped the tracker,  before readjusting her tie.

Inside the store, Mellie peered out from behind the counter, hands shaking. At the first sound of gunshots, she had hidden in the back office. She had no idea who it was, or if any innocents had been hurt. She did know, though, that the man had left. She had seen his car drive off, and assumed the girl, who she believed to be his daughter, was with him.

She was relieved they were safe, but as she looked out at her destroyed store now littered with dead bodes, she was horrified. It was all she could do to manage to call the police.

Percy’s car was parked at the edge of the river. Nico was sitting in it, while Percy stood at the edge of the water, staring at his father’s monocle that was in his hand. He could hear Jason’s voice. Do you ever remember a single time dad wasn’t wearing his monocle?

Percy knew Jason was right, at least about that. Their father never took the monocle off.
“I hate to rush you,” Nico called out the window, “through any brooding moment you might be having, but come on, man, we’re starving!” Getting no response, he ducked back into the car, turning to the figure besides him. The figure had a black leather hood pulled over their face, keeping their identity hidden, even though Nico knew exactly who he was talking to.
“I’m craving… eggs. No, it’s too late for eggs. Waffles, huh? You like waffles, right?”

The figure nodded.

“Ah, of course you do. Everyone likes waffles.”

Percy continued to stare at the monocle, before coming to a decision. He let it slip out of his hands, watching as it hit the water, before sinking down to the bottom. The crackling of the radio he had left on the hood of his car, hoping for an interesting night, drew his attention. He made his way quickly back to the car, picking up the radio before getting in.
Gunshots reported on the 400 block of Milton Avenue, Griddy’s Doughnuts.
“Percy, thank you for joining us,” Nico smiled. “We have decided on, drum roll…. waffles.”

“I’m gonna drop you off at the bus stop. I gotta get back to work.” Percy turned the key in the ignition. He took a quick glance in the review mirror, only seeing his brother.

Nico sighed. “What, breaking bones and cracking skulls?” He chuckled softly.

“Saving lives, baby.”

“Well, I guess it’s frozen waffles again,” Nico turned to the figure. He knew Percy was watching him, but was thankful that the driver paid no mind. The siblings had long gotten used to Nico talking to what appeared to be thin air.

Nico smiled awkwardly at the figure next to him. She had taken down her hood, revealing her face.
 
Number 6. “Bianca” 
(deceased)
 
Just like Nico knew he would do, Percy used the excuse of readjusting the review mirror to glance at the backseat. He only saw Nico, but wouldn’t be surprised if Nico was sober enough to talk to a ghost. It was known to happen occasionally. Percy had learned to accept it, better than some of their other siblings. At least this time, the ghost seemed to be friendly.

“Yeah,” Nico spoke, as if talking to air. “I could do eggs and bacon, but I’m trying to cut back on my pig products.”

Deciding not to say anything, Percy slipped on a black mask. It was like the old domino mask he used to wear as part of the Umbrella Academy, but without the white. Starting the car, he drove away.

Reyna walked down the hallway, fumbling for the keys to her apartment. She heard sirens in the distance, probably off to investigate some break in.

She unlocked the door, stepping inside. A light clicking on startled her, until she notice Five sitting in one of the chairs. Reyna calmed herself down as she closed the door. She knew she shouldn’t be surprised to see her sister. With her powers, Five could get in anywhere.

“You should have locks on your windows,” Five raised an eyebrow.

Reyna snorted. Since when had window locks stopped Five? “I live on the second floor.”

“People can climb.”

“You are so weird,” Reyna smiled, amused. She made her way over to her sister, sitting besides her. “Is that blood?” she asked, amusement turning to worry.

“It’s nothing,” Five responded as she glanced at the wound.

“Why are you here?”

“I’ve decided you’re the only one I can trust.”

“Why me?”
“Because you’re ordinary.” After a beat, Hazel realized the context behind her words. Reyna had always been told she was normal, ordinary, when her siblings were special. “Because you’ll listen.”
“Okay,” Reyna stood up as she made her way to the bathroom. She dug around in the medicine cabinet until she found gauze and antibiotic ointment. She sat back down next to Hazel, taking the girl’s arm in her hand. Five let her push her sleeve up to tend to the wound.

“When I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, do you know what I found?”

“No.”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

The Past and the Future

Five had been thirteen when she had experimented with traveling through time. The first few times worked well. She skipped ahead a few seasons, or a couple years. And then she was surrounded by smoke, rubble and fire.

“As far as I could tell, I was the last person left alive. I never figured out what killed the human race, but… I did find something else.” Hazel stumbled upon a newspaper. She stared at the date. “The date it happened.”

Five was alone, surrounded by the destroyed ruins of her childhood home.

Present

“The world ends in eight days and I have no idea how to stop it,” Five admitted. She had a tough facade on, but she couldn’t hide the worry seeping into her voice.

Reyna stood at her, unsure how to respond. It wasn’t like Five to lie, so even if Reyna didn’t want to believe it, she did. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”