The clashing of metal and the shifting of sands filled the backyard training arena with a sea of noise. Shouts rose up, her brothers’, to match the clanging of metal and a rumble deep in the earth.

  Athena’s voice called out, both taunting and encouraging, egging the pair on.

  Pip followed the voices, opening the gate and moving into the protected and enforced arena the Carters did their training in. Galin and Theo fought against their mother, one completely transformed into a golem of rock that almost matched their mother’s size, the other looking human, but punching with superhuman strength. They teamed up, combining their attacks as they fought against Athena, their mother rooted in the sand from which she drew her own strength.

  To Pip’s surprise, Athena wasn’t wielding one of her signature, sand-woven weapons. She merely danced in place, taking blows and throwing them back, fighting the two brawlers with a brawler’s tactics and calling out combinations for them to try.

  The moment Pip's toe hit the sand, Athena’s eyes darted toward her. “Jump in!” she shouted.

  A wild, berserker smile broke out across Pip's face. In the space it took to breathe in, she had summoned a sword and shield pair, all composed of super enhanced glass. Normally, the glass would weigh far more than Pip was able to lift, but her power allowed her to lift and move glass like a telekinetic.

  Which meant Pip was able to leap high in the air, wielding the shield like it weighed less than a feather, and send it slamming down at her mother's head.

  A moment before the shield hit, a whirlwind of sand swirled up and around the hero. Not a true whirlwind, not like Amalia, but enough to throw not only Pip back, but Galen and Theo too.

  As the sand died down, Athena stood in its place, clad from head to toe in constructed armor, signature massive spear planted into the earth. Brown hair fell down to the small of her back, normally contained inside a centurion’s helm. Despite being raised by her, and always knowing exactly who her mother was, Pip never quite got over the starstruck feeling at seeing her mother in her hero's costume.

  But as Athena had drilled into her children again and again, no amount of shock should keep you from the fight.

  Pip was on her feet before her brothers, releasing a mighty shout as she struck out with her glass blade.

  Athena kicked out. The spear spun out of the earth, flipping over in Athena's hands as the handle came down, striking against the length of the blade. Rather than resist the blow, Pip allowed the strike against her blade to throw her forward.

  Her brothers came barreling forward, directly on the path she'd just been thrown from. As they rained down blow after blow, Pip rolled to her feet, shaking sand out of her hair, and darted around behind.

  Athena's feet remained rooted in the sand, an unyielding contradiction to the parable about the stability of sand. Theo and Galen struck with the strength of strongmen, and she didn't budge.

  If this were a real battle, you would have to get her off her feet. Or at least break her balance. And that was exactly what Pip intended to do.

  Banishing her shield, she gripped the blade with both hands, strengthening it and lengthening it as she wheeled back like a batter at the plate. She swung, letting out a minor grunt of effort as she heaved the massive weapon around with all the strength in her body and struck the flat against her mother's Achilles heel.

  Athena let out a startled grunt at the impact, taking a half step forward out of instinct that her brothers capitalized on. Working together, they compounded their blows and forced Athena to back down.

  Before Pip could plot out her next move, a familiar beeping sounded through the arena, and everyone stilled.

  Athena was being summoned.

  She let out a sigh and dropped the spearhead to the earth, vanishing into the sand. “Just had to ruin our fun. Well, you all did well tonight. Pip, sharp thinking. If you were against a real opponent, make sure to use that sharp edge. Theo, Galen, don't choreograph so much. It looks nice, but anyone with the slightest bit of martial training will see directly through your patterns. Focus less on planning your moves, and more on reacting to each other.”

  “Yes ma'am,” their voices chorus, before Athena sprinted out, leaving the arena behind.

  Pip deflated as their mother darted off. She wasn't anxious for her, not in the slightest, but for the first time since getting grounded that she'd been able to fight.

  “Wanna spar?” Pip asked, glancing at the twins as Theo dropped his golem form, returning to his usual, linebacker style appearance.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Not really.” Galen shrugged.

  “Aren't you still grounded?” Theo asked.

  “Mom was letting me spar!”

  “Right.” Theo bit the word off, then shook his head. “I’m not trying to get my privileges taken away as well.”

  “How are you going to get better if you don’t train against your betters?” Pip demanded. Maybe if she could fire them up enough, they’d fight.

  “That wouldn’t be you.”

  “Except I'm a better fighter than you,” Pip fired back. She’d gotten a taste of it, and she needed more.

  “Keep thinking that, Pipsqueak,” Galen said, patting Pip on the head as he walked by. Pip bristled, fighting the urge to throw a fist at her younger brother. Just because she wasn't physically as strong as they were didn't make her a good fighter.

  Before she could think about a good way to prove her point, the twins were gone, and Pip decided to be the bigger person.

  Adrenaline easing away and leaving her body feeling numb, Pip trudged her way out to the center of the training ground. Sand squished beneath her feet, mothers footsteps still trailing out to where she’d been standing throughout the brief fight. She followed them, marching up a mound of sand and standing at the top. Starlight beaded down on her from above, and the outdoor lights illuminated her where she stood.

  She drew a toe along a path in the sand, feeling the strength her mother carried still rooted in this place. Athena was impossibly, incomprehensibly strong. Hero of earth was not a title given out lightly. It was a title Pip could never possibly accomplish, no matter how much she tried. Very few ever did. But she could learn from her, she could strive to be like her mother.

  Her mother, who not only protected the world, but was training up a new generation of heroes to help do the same. This was what Mai had wanted her to realize, she decided. Pip was strong, and she was smart, and she had skills very few her age would ever have. She could help the L.O.S.E.R.S do better, and even if it didn’t change much, it would make a difference for each of them personally.

  She could do that.

  She could be like her mother. Not just a warrior, but a teacher as well.

  Leaving the sand behind, she returned to the house to watch her mother fight and defend the earth.

  The TV was already on when Pip walked inside, leaving her shoes by the doorway and wandering into the living room. Her siblings had gathered there, grouping together on the couch to watch the news report of Athena’s fight.

  Joining them, Pip slid onto the arm of the couch, Theo and Galen leaning against the couch from behind as Amalia, Emelios, and Dyiona sat on the cushion seats.

  “Turn it up?” Galen asked, reaching for the remote beyond his reach.

  Amalia took the remote from Emelios, turning on the sound. A report spoke over a silent camera angle of Athena’s battle, fighting against an unknown super with Odysseus by her side. The teleporter must have picked Athan up, because there was no way she had gotten across the city as fast as she had without him.

  The villain appeared to have a metal manipulation power, tearing pieces of scaffolding off of buildings to throw at Athena. With Odysseus providing support, using more than just his tracking and teleporting power, Athena was able to throw herself at the villain, containing him to a single street, where he had been running rampant before.

  Speaking like an auctioneer, the news anchor gave a running commentary, though none of it was very beneficial. The villain was an unknown, and no one knew why he went on a rampage. It was usually the same variation of reasons. Too much power, and power often went to people’s heads. Maybe they were slighted. Maybe they felt like they deserved better. Maybe they were righteous in their anger, but just taking the wrong actions. Pip had seen it before. Those supers often caused the most damage, because people with a cause often held out a lot longer than people without one.

  That was one of those things Athena talked about, as well as the other heroes in the family. With so many in the family, including a few who had converted over to the teaching side of things, Pip had sat through a number of conversations on the topic, and many others. The philosophy of heroing, her grandpa liked to call it.

  Mai walked into the room, clucking her tongue at the sight. “Turn that off,” she snapped, fear turning her voice tight.

  Pip glanced back at her mum, Mai standing in the doorway with her arms wrapped around herself, pale as she stared down the TV. She'd never watched Athena’s fights, never wanted to. But she was human. She didn't understand how indestructible Athena actually was.

  Then again, they were all human, and Mai saw them all the same, power or no. “Okay, Mum,” Pip said, meeting Mai’s eyes. She took the remote and turned the TV off, looking down at her siblings. “Why don't we go and play board games until Mom comes home?”

  Galen and Theo looked like they were about to protest until Pip shot them the nastiest glare she could conjure up. Both shut their mouths as Pip darted her eyes at their Mum, forcing them to back down. She was doing this for her, her eyes side.

  “That is a great idea,” Mai declared, motioning for them to follow her. “What game should we play?”

  “Anything but superchess,” Galen said.

  “You're just mad I keep winning,” Amalia shot back as she rose from the couch, book in hand.

  “It's because you cheat!”

  “You can't cheat at superchess! It's quite literally impossible!”

  “How about my campaign?” Emelios asked hopefully.

  A chorus of groans echoed from the siblings. “You want us to play tabletop every night!”

  “It's a strategy game!”

  “It's math,” Theo said, making a gagging noise.

  “Cool math!” Emelios said.

  “There's no such thing,” Galen said, and Pip was inclined to agree. Though, tabletop could be fun. Just not tonight.

  “What about monopoly?” she suggested.

  It was Mai’s turn to protest. “Absolutely not. You’ll be up all night and have a grudge match that lasts a month.”

  Dyiona spoke up, jumping and grabbing onto Pip’s arm as they walked. “How about five minute dungeon?”

  “Now that’s a good one,” Pip said, smiling down at the little girl. Cheering at her success, Dyiona took off down the hallway to the game room, leading the way. Theo, Galen, Amalia, and Emelios followed, with Pip and Mai trailing behind.

  Mai reached out, touching against Pip’s arms before they left the hallway. “Thank you,” she said, her voice low.

  Pip brought a small smile to her face. “Mom is gonna be okay.”

  “I know she will,” Mai whispered, but still she wrapped her arms around herself as they walked into the game room. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything, but she did believe Athena would be okay. She was Athena, hero of earth, after all.