Jupiter opened the door quietly, stepping into the house as a soft click followed behind him. The digital clock on the wall read a little past eleven. Not too late, but late enough that most nights the house would be quiet by now. Except tonight, it wasn't.
Faint music drifted from the living room, something classical with the light, lilting notes of a piano. That alone caught Jupiter's attention. Ajak wasn't one for casual music unless there was a reason. Which meant only one thing: her guest was still here.
He slipped off his shoes, hung his bag on the hook near the door, and followed the sound. As he got closer, he heard laughter, Ajak's warm and genuine, mixed with a lighter voice. He stepped into the living room and saw them.
Ajak stood on the rug, smiling as she turned toward him. Across from her was a girl, blond hair tied loosely, green eyes sharp and curious. She looked no older than twelve, but something in the way she moved, in the way she looked at Ajak, carried a maturity that didn't belong to a child.
"You're back," Ajak said with a small, knowing smile.
"Yeah," Jupiter said, lifting a hand in a casual wave. "Didn't mean to interrupt."
The girl turned toward him, lowering her arms slightly from what looked like a half-finished dance. Her expression was curious but wary.
"This is Sprite," Ajak said, gesturing between them. "The guest I mentioned earlier. Sprite, this is my son."
Jupiter nodded, stepping closer with a polite smile. "I'm Jupiter," he said, extending his hand. His tone was calm, even respectful, like he would with an adult. He wasn't about to underestimate her just because of her appearance, especially not when she looked right through him like she was trying to measure something.
Sprite glanced at his hand, then looked up at him, her expression unreadable for a moment before she smirked slightly. "So you're the son she keeps talking about," she said, not taking his hand but crossing her arms instead. "Didn't think you'd be… well, like this."
Jupiter's eyebrow raised slightly. "Like what?"
"Normal," Sprite said bluntly.
Ajak chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Sprite," she said in that gentle tone that somehow carried authority, "be nice."
Sprite rolled her eyes but smiled. "Fine. You just don't meet a lot of teens with good posture.''
Jupiter couldn't help a small laugh at that. "Guess I'll take that as a compliment."
Ajak smiled between them, clearly amused by the interaction. "You came back late," she said, her voice shifting slightly, motherly but with a touch of curiosity. "Everything go well with your friends?"
Jupiter nodded, dropping into one of the chairs. "Yeah. Just… a long night. Some unexpected talks."
"Talks?" Sprite asked, hopping onto the arm of the sofa, legs dangling. "You look like someone who'd rather punch than talk."
"Sometimes," Jupiter admitted with a faint smirk, though the amusement faded almost as quickly as it came. The conversation was wearing thin, and fatigue was beginning to set in. "Welp, I'm tired, so I'm gonna go to bed," he said in an exaggerated, almost theatrical tone, stretching his arms before making an overly formal bow. "If that's all, I'll take my leave."
Sprite snorted. "Dramatic much?"
"Always," Jupiter replied with a grin, straightening up and turning toward the stairs.
But before he could take more than two steps, his mother's voice stopped him cold. "Jupiter."
The tone wasn't loud, but it carried weight, soft yet chilling in the way only Ajak's could be. He froze mid-step, that single word enough to pull his attention completely.
"In the morning," she said evenly, eyes on him, "we should talk."
Her voice didn't rise, didn't waver, but he caught the undercurrent beneath it. Something was off. She was calm, too calm. He could tell she wasn't angry, just... thinking. That, somehow, was worse.
"Alright," he said after a pause, keeping his tone light even though he didn't turn around. "Tomorrow then."
He didn't linger. No sense giving her a chance to follow up with another question he wasn't ready to answer. With that, he walked up the stairs, each step feeling heavier than the last.
Once inside his room, Jupiter shut the door and let out a long sigh, dropping face-first onto the bed. The ceiling above was dark, the faint hum of the house the only sound around him. For a few minutes, he just lay there, staring blankly before rolling over and holding his hand up.
The familiar blue screen flickered into existence above his palm, lines of divine script and data streaming like electric light.
Template Identified: Lostbelt Zeus [Ω Class Machine God]
Assimilation Progress: 50%
Basic Assimilation: Divine Core of a Chief God – Rank C
50% Assimilated of Proper Human History Zeus
The glow from the screen bathed the room in a faint, cold light. He exhaled slowly. Halfway. Just from that single encounter with the sentinel, he'd jumped seven percent. Not bad, but nowhere near enough.
If he was being honest with himself, Jupiter didn't really know how strong this world's hierarchy went. So far, his only real benchmark was his mother, and she was… different. Her presence alone radiated with a constant flow of true ether, something even his system struggled to quantify. The sheer divine density in her existence was staggering.
But outside of her? He had no clue. Mutants, gods, cosmic entities, it was all layered here, and he was barely beginning to understand where he fit into it.
He closed the screen with a flick of his hand, the light dissolving into the air. Silence filled the room again.
He leaned back on his pillow, staring at the ceiling. His mind wandered back to Ororo, to Charles, to the deal he'd made. He hadn't lied, but there was more at play than he wanted to admit. Ororo's decision had surprised him. She hadn't hesitated, hadn't second-guessed. There was something about her conviction, about how easily she trusted him, that didn't sit right.
Not because it was bad. But because it was dangerous.
Trust, in his experience, had always come with a cost.
He rubbed a hand over his face, letting out another sigh. "Great," he muttered. "Now I'm gonna have to figure out how to be a god and a politician."
For a moment, he considered opening the system menu again to train, to strategize, to do something, but instead he let his arm fall back onto the bed. His eyelids felt heavier by the second.
Ororo entered Charles Xavier's office, the early morning sunlight filtering through the tall windows. The room was surprisingly crowded for the hour. Jean and Scott were already there, along with Bobby. Logan leaned against the far wall, his expression as nonchalant as ever, while Beast sat near the center, his blue fur slightly ruffled as if he had rolled out of bed not long ago.
"Good, we're all here," Charles said, his calm voice cutting through the quiet as he closed the blinds, dimming the room.
"So why are we gathering here, Professor?" Scott asked, his brow furrowed, arms crossed.
"To put it simply," Charles began, his tone even but carrying weight, "we've struck a deal with a god."
The words hit like a thunderclap. Eyes widened across the room. Bobby blinked a few times, clearly unsure he had heard correctly.
"What?" Scott asked, his voice rising slightly.
"Ororo's friend Jupiter," Charles continued, "happened to be a god. While Logan and Ororo were taking him home, they were attacked by a sentinel."
A stunned silence fell over the group. Everyone had heard the warnings about the sentinels, about their lethal capabilities against mutants, but to see it happen in reality, to witness Ororo and Logan face one, was different.
Logan stepped forward, his claws still faintly catching the light. "Yeah, we ran into one. The kid stopped its attack with zero damage. Ororo hit it with lightning, and it didn't even slow the thing down. But then he moved faster than I've ever seen and sent it flying. Then he said something to Ororo, and she obliterated the sentinel." His voice was gruff, tinged with disbelief.
"It wasn't me," Ororo interjected quickly, her hands rising slightly as if to shield herself from their stares.
All eyes turned to her.
"He was doing something with me," she explained, hesitating as she searched for the words. "It's hard to describe, but I felt this… weird sensation. Like… like my lightning was being powered, but it wasn't my power. I was controlling it, but I wasn't the one generating it."
Jean leaned forward, her green eyes wide with curiosity. "You mean someone else was… channeling through you?"
Ororo nodded slowly, her white hair catching the faint morning light. "Not just channeling. It was like… we were connected. My power, his guidance. I don't know how else to say it. It felt natural, but also… overwhelming."
Bobby's mouth was slightly open. "So… let me get this straight. Jupiter, god or not, just amplified your powers like that? And you were fine with it?"
"I didn't have a choice," Ororo admitted, shaking her head. "But it didn't feel wrong. It felt… like he was helping me, not controlling me."
Beast cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses with a soft click. "Fascinating. That implies a level of manipulation of electrical energy beyond any known physics of mutant abilities. If his influence is external yet entirely harmonized with Ororo's own control, this would explain the sudden increase in output and precision."
"So that's why he was here after the party? He was making a deal?" Jean said suddenly, leaning forward, her voice a mixture of curiosity and concern.
Bobby raised an eyebrow. "You seen him?"
Jean nodded. "I saw him leaving after he left the party. He said there were some problems on the road."
Charles nodded slowly, folding his hands in front of him. "This is why we must be cautious. Jupiter's power is immense, yes, but we do not yet understand its limits or the potential consequences. That said, his intervention today may have prevented a tragedy. And that is… something to consider moving forward."
Scott rubbed the back of his neck, his frown deepening. "So what even is this deal? Jupiter seems like a good guy, but was all that stuff fake?"
"No," Ororo said firmly, shaking her head. "He never lied. Remember, Scott, he directly told you he was named after the god Jupiter. Or that he is the god Jupiter."
Scott's eyes widened as the realization sank in. "Wait… so he's not just messing around? He's actually—"
"The Roman god Jupiter," Jean interrupted, her voice cautious. "The Roman equivalent of Zeus?"
Hank furrowed his brow, leaning forward slightly. "Why would such a powerful being make a deal with us? Or anyone?"
"He said he was degraded," Logan muttered, voice gruff but informative. "Whatever that means. Guess even gods have bad days."
Ororo tilted her head, her white hair catching the morning light filtering through the blinds. "Degraded… he meant he doesn't have full access to his powers right now. He needs faith, or belief, to regain his full strength. That's why he made a deal with Charles."
Bobby let out a low whistle. "Faith? Like… people have to believe in him or something?"
"Exactly," Ororo said, her gaze steady. "But it's not like he's asking for blind worship. He's offering protection in exchange. He only acts against threats. He won't force anyone to follow him."
Jean crossed her arms, looking unconvinced. "So basically we're supposed to trust a literal god to help protect mutantkind because he's… weakened? That's a lot to ask, even for someone like him."
Charles placed a hand on her shoulder. "Trust is always a choice, Jean. But sometimes, when facing threats beyond our understanding, we must act with prudence and make the best decisions we can."
"Ororo also agreed to become his apostle." The words hung in the room, causing a ripple of shock.
Jean blinked, disbelief written across her face. "Ororo, why?"
Ororo's expression softened, a small proud smile tugging at her lips. "Jupiter is my friend, just like the rest of you. I've known him longer than all of you. Professor, asked for help with mutant representation… Jupiter offered this as the way to help. I trusted him."
Jean paused, taking that in. "If Jupiter truly is how he was at the party, then maybe this is… a good thing."
Scott and Bobby exchanged a glance before nodding slowly in agreement.
"Do you know what you'll be doing as an apostle?" Scott asked, his tone curious but cautious.
Ororo shook her head. "He said we'd talk more today."
Charles leaned back, folding his hands, his gaze thoughtful. "Which is why we must be ready for anything. He is still a god, and now that it's been pointed out… if he truly is the king god Jupiter, and if he is anything like his mythological counterpart from the Roman myths I'm familiar with… we should be cautious around, well… the ladies." He coughed awkwardly, his discomfort barely concealed.
Jean raised an eyebrow, clearly picking up on the implication.
Beast nodded slowly. "Yes. Historical accounts of Zeus and his Roman equivalent often lacked restraint and disregarded the agency of women."
Ororo glanced away, her white hair shifting slightly in the sunlight. She had noticed Jupiter's openness about his interests, and while he had flirted openly with her and Anna during the party, he hadn't crossed a line. That gave her hope. Still, she understood the warning. Jupiter's so-called celibacy might be enough to restrain him, but she doubted he had the same lack of restraint as the mythological Zeus.
"I don't think he's like Zeus in that way," Ororo said, her voice quiet but firm. "He was playful, confident, and charming, but I never felt threatened or coerced. He knows boundaries—or at least, he seems to."
Jean looked unconvinced. "You're saying that now, but what happens once he knows he has followers, people who rely on him?"
Ororo tilted her head, considering. "Then we trust him, just like we always do with each other. And if anything… we'll hold him accountable. That's what being part of this team means."
Logan grunted from the back, leaning against the wall. "Just make sure the accountability part sticks. Gods with egos the size of mountains don't usually listen to mortals."
Ororo smirked faintly. "Then it's a good thing he listens to me."
Bobby chuckled softly. "Or at least you're brave enough to tell him off if he tries anything. That counts for something."
Charles let out a small sigh, the tension in the room easing slightly. "We proceed carefully, but we do not forget that Jupiter's presence may tip the balance in ways we cannot yet predict. Ororo's role as his apostle could be pivotal, for better or worse."
Charles let out a quiet sigh, the tension in the room easing just a bit.
"We proceed carefully," he said, his tone thoughtful. "But we must not forget that Jupiter's presence may tip the balance in ways we cannot yet predict. Ororo's role as his apostle could be pivotal, for better or worse."
When Ororo finally stepped out of Charles's office, the soft hum of the mansion's morning lights seemed louder than usual. The conversation still lingered in her mind, Jupiter, faith, mutants, gods, it all felt too heavy for so early in the day. She took a slow breath, walking through the quiet halls, her thoughts chasing themselves in circles.
Maybe she'd overstepped. Maybe this was too much. But when she thought of Jupiter, his calmness during the battle, the way his presence seemed to steady her lightning rather than control it, she didn't regret it. Not yet.
The thought was cut short when she turned a corner and nearly walked straight into Anna.
The young woman was standing there with her arms crossed, her usual spark dulled, eyes shadowed by something heavier than annoyance.
"Can we talk?" Anna asked quietly.
Ororo blinked, surprised by the tone. "Is something wrong?"
Anna hesitated before answering. "I heard your conversation."
That gave Ororo pause. For Anna to have heard that far from the office, she'd have had to make an effort. Ororo's expression softened slightly, though she didn't let it show too much. "I see," she said calmly, then gestured toward her dorm. "Let's talk in my room."
Anna followed silently. The air between them was thick with tension, the only sound their footsteps against the floor. When they entered Ororo's dorm, Ororo shut the door quietly behind them before turning to face her.
"Why were you eavesdropping?"
Anna didn't meet her eyes at first. "I was just walking by. I heard Jupiter's name and… I don't know, I stopped."
"Anna." Ororo's tone wasn't angry, just firm.
Anna sighed and gave a small, guilty shrug. "Fine. I might've stayed longer than I meant to."
Ororo crossed her arms, studying her for a moment. "You heard everything then."
Anna nodded slowly. "Yeah. I heard enough. About Jupiter. About you." She took a step forward, her voice quieter now. "I wanted to ask if I could be one too. One of his apostles."
Ororo blinked, caught completely off guard. "Why would you want that?"
Anna looked down at her gloved hands, flexing her fingers as if they were something alien to her. "Because maybe he could help me."
Ororo's expression softened. "Help you?"
Anna nodded, her voice trembling slightly. "You don't get it, Ororo. Every day I wake up and I have to put these gloves on just to keep people safe from me. I can't touch anyone. Not skin to skin. Not ever."
Her words hung heavy in the air. She clenched her fists, struggling to keep her voice steady. "I just, I wanna touch someone again, Ororo. Feel somethin' real. You don't know what it's like… everythin' I touch just, dies." She swallowed hard. "If I take my gloves off, I gotta worry about hurtin' people. Killin' 'em, even."
Ororo stayed silent, her chest tightening as she listened.
"When I first came here, I thought it'd change," Anna went on, voice quieter now. "I thought maybe Professor Xavier could help me control it. But nothing works. Not his training, not the Danger Room, nothing." She gave a bitter laugh. "And then when I finally thought I could be normal for a second, I tried… and he rejected me."
Anna's shoulders slumped, her voice barely a whisper. "So yeah, if there's even a chance Jupiter could help me, I'll take it."
For a long moment, Ororo said nothing. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the lights. Anna stood there, trying to keep her breathing even, but her voice had already betrayed her.
Ororo finally stepped closer, her tone soft. "Anna, I cannot pretend to understand what that pain feels like. To live every day afraid of what your own touch might do."
Anna's eyes flicked up at her, guarded but searching.
"But I do understand loneliness," Ororo continued gently. "The feeling that you are trapped in something you never asked for, and no one can truly reach you."
Anna's lips trembled, and she looked away, blinking fast. "Feels like that all the time."
Ororo nodded slowly. "Jupiter is not someone you should look to for salvation, Anna. He may have power, yes, but power alone cannot heal the heart. What you are asking for, what you need, it must begin with accepting yourself."
"That's easy for you to say," Anna muttered, voice breaking. "You don't kill people just by touching them."
Ororo didn't argue. She just stepped closer and gently placed her gloved hand on Anna's shoulder. "No. I do not. But I have seen the way you protect the others, even when you think no one notices. You care deeply. That is your strength."
Anna stayed quiet, her chin trembling as she looked at the floor. "I just want it to stop, Ororo. Just once, I want to feel like I'm not a monster."
Ororo sighed softly. "You are not a monster, you are human, and that means you are flawed, hurting, and still capable of kindness despite it."
Anna finally let out a shaky breath, the fight in her shoulders easing just a little. "You really think he can't help me?"
Ororo hesitated, her expression thoughtful. "I believe he can help you," she said finally. "But that does not mean he should. Jupiter does nothing without reason. Every action, every gesture, it's part of something larger. If he offers to lift your curse, he will expect something in return."
"You guys talking about me?" A voice cut through before they could continue. Both girls snapped their heads toward the window, startled.
Jupiter was standing just outside, leaning casually against the frame with a half-smile on his face, as if he'd been there for a while. His blue eyes caught the morning light, amused but unreadable.