legionworld | Like he wasn't already a part of a Legion...[Open]

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Like he wasn't already a part of a Legion...[Open]

Who| Jason Grace & Open
What| A new place to stay means you need to explore, right? Jason enters the scene.
Where| Wandering but eventually Observation Deck
When| Mid-TTHS, after Rocket's arrested.
Warnings/Notes| N/A

When you are born the son of a god, raised by wolves, fighting monsters on a regular basis, and sent to two different demigod camps you learn to adapt quickly. Jason Grace was only mildly surprised when he'd woken up in a futuristic room with monitors beeping and someone explaining that the entire multiverse was in trouble. Accepting that had been the easy part and honestly he shouldn't have been in the Medbay too long except for the fact that when a man arrived to offer him a position on the Legion he'd had to take some time to consider this whole "super hero" business.

It wasn't that he was scared -- he'd faced pretty terrible odds his whole life and honestly it had been a secret dream to live the life of a superhero like out of the comic books. It wasn't even the idea of joining a group called The Legion. There was almost a poetic irony in the idea that he'd be joining a new Legion, this one not tied to Camp Jupiter or New Rome. He'd switched to the Greek camp and yet he couldn't seem to escape his roots. No, the thing that was holding him up was just the minor problem of coming up with a superhero name. Apparently you needed one to take the oath and Jason wasn't about to choose one haphazardly. He'd requested some time, but made it clear that he was only needing it to come up with a codename. At first he'd asked if that was even necessary, there was a part of him that thought the idea was a little silly. Everything had been explained to him though, it boiled down to tradition. Jason didn't always agree with the idea of tradition, but this was one he might be able to accept.

It had taken longer than he would have liked, but eventually he'd honed in on a name he could live with and asked to see the man once more to talk about making that Oath.

Everything after that was kind of a blur as the blond 16-year-old started out of the Medbay and the vastness of this place really started to weigh on him. His mind was whirling with thoughts about his new surroundings and he wandered in a daze through the halls of the moon-sized ship. This was really happening. He was in a whole other dimension, far away from his friends and everything he knew--but for whatever reason he was supposed to save the day again. What was even stranger to him was there didn't even seem to be a probation period like the Legion he knew. They'd just accepted his Oath and told him to get settled in. They must have been desperate for members if that were the case.

If no one stopped him or interrupted his thoughts, he'd eventually wind up standing on the observation deck. Space stretched out around him and even the son of a sky god had to feel impressed by that sight.

Jason adjusted his golden framed glasses, staring up in wonder. "Wow. They weren't joking about that either," he mutters. Somehow the idea that he was in space had been the most fantastical of what he'd heard--or perhaps that's the part that hadn't really seemed real. Everything else was strange enough that he believed he was in a futuristic dimension, but he just couldn't believe he was in space until he saw it.

He dropped his gaze, looking around at the observation deck himself, "And...I just realized I should have been paying attention to where I was going. Great."

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The Observation Deck seems to have become the place for the Holy Shit I'm In Space realization, which means that Wash occasionally checks there to see if anybody new has shown up recently. It's the first time he's been back since getting out of the hospital, though you'd never know that's where he'd been by looking at him, and he figures he should make up for lost time.

Of course, he finds a new guy. The fact that said new guy sounds like he's lost is the cherry on top.

"Let me guess: you're new, and you're lost."

It was a pretty convenient place for such a revelation to occur. Sure, the technology surrounding him would be interesting to look at later, but you really couldn't beat a view like that. Especially when that view was really confirming for Jason that he was not exactly in Kansas anymore.

Jason is a little relieved that he isn't completely alone. A ship this big was bound to have a large crew, so he'd figured someone would stumble along eventually to give him further guidance. "This place is pretty big," he says in defense, though he's honestly not that embarrassed by it. The man's response makes him think this must be a pretty common thing. "But, yeah, I'm new."

Wash just shrugs. He's not exactly being accusatory, here. "Most new people tend to wind up here eventually - evidently 'being in space' isn't as common as common for new people as it is for native Legionnaires, and the view helps it sink in." Wash is one of the exceptions to that rule, but that's not terribly important right now. "Are you trying to go anywhere in particular, or do you just need a map?"

"It definitely did that much," Jason assures him. He guesses it isn't too weird that everyone would be drawn to a grand view like this though -- whether your used to space or not. That thought sort of blew Jason away though: getting USED to being in space. It was probably because he was still so new around here, but the idea seemed laughable. "I mean, it's one thing to be told "you're in another dimension and in space" and another to actually see evidence of that. I had to see it for myself," he says.

He then considers the man's question. Was he trying to find somewhere in particular? It seemed like more a list of places he wanted to locate. "A map would be best. I'm mostly just trying to get an idea of where everything is. This place is big and I'd rather not keep getting lost."

The observation deck was one of Sam's favorite places to be, in general. Whatever else was different here, space looked a lot alike before you got in close enough to start comparing.

(The lack of a moon orbiting Earth was kind of off-putting, considering that it used to be one of his favorite places when he needed to have a good sulk, but you couldn't win them all.)

So he was stretched out on his back on the deck, hands behind his head, watching the stars, when he heard the footsteps of someone else approaching. "Hey, for not paying attention, you still picked the best view in the house. That's not bad, right?"

Jason hadn't been paying too much attention to anyone else that might have been on the deck. Mostly he'd been wrapped up in his own thoughts, but there was also the little matter of just the view of space being a lot more impressive than anything he'd seen in a long time. He'd noted that there were other people around and now that he realized he was lost it seemed like a good opportunity to start making friends.

His gaze drifted down to the person speaking to him and then back up to the expanse of stars, "No, it could be worse. I could have gotten turned around and wound up in a trash compactor." Jason wasn't sure how universal -- or multi-universal -- a Star Wars reference was, but he'd try for it anyway. "I'd much rather have a view."

Jason turned his attention back to the boy, getting a better idea for who was in this situation with him would be a good idea. He'd been worried that he might be getting involved with a bunch of adults who would treat him like he was an inferior. Which, while new and refreshing, would probably have irritated him in the long run. He'd have to prove his capabilities either way, sure, but he didn't want to be immediately written off either. This guy, however, appeared to be close to his own age. Maybe Jason wouldn't have to go completely without kids his own age here after all. He knew better than to think the universe cared how old you were to drag you into "save the world" situations. After all, he'd been doing that job for years now and he was only 16.

"I'm Jason Grace, probably pretty obvious that I'm new," he paused and then added, "Who are you?"

"I'm pretty sure the trash compactors here don't have dianogas in them. Probably."

Star Wars references were more than welcome. Star Wars was one of the few places Sam's inner nerd actually shone through, when he stopped looking like a dubstep-loving jock and started looking more like someone who knows the species of that trash compactor monster, what a nerd.

He sat up, because as much as he wasn't really one for perfect manners, lying on your back wasn't the greatest place for a conversation. "Sam Alexander. Or Nova, when we're doing the hero thing."

Even Jason hadn't remembered what the creatures were actually called. Sure he'd seen the movies quite a few times back in Camp Jupiter, it hadn't exactly been high on his to do list. But he might be out of his nerdy league here, but it was still reassuring that maybe he would have things in common with people here after all. "Guess some things do transcend time and space then," he replies with a slight smile.

"Right...the hero thing. I'll have to get used to having a code name...that's new." The hero thing wasn't that new though, he'd been a demigod hero for a long time after all. It was just that hadn't required code names or even uniforms typically -- except perhaps the camp shirts or armor. And armor was less a uniform and more a necessity. "Nice to meet you though Sam."

"It sinks in pretty quick once people start yelling it at you in the field." Largely because if you didn't remember that they meant you and pay attention, it was easy to get yourself clocked by the threat du jour, and that was always something to be avoided.

"So, you already do this kinda stuff back home?"

Jason had his fair share of injuries, both with and without people yelling at him on the field. He hoped he would have a better track record here than back home of getting knocked out.

It was a strange thing to talk about. Back home, you didn't discuss the whole "demigod" thing with people who weren't, well, demigods or part of that world. That wasn't to say it was against the rules, but typically your average mortal would think you were nuts and have you sent to the looney bin if you went on about gods and monsters. So usually they kept to themselves and others like them.

This was different though. The Legion had aliens for starters and people were coming here from all sorts of dimensions and backgrounds. He was pretty much living inside a comic book and in comic books there were several examples of demigods and gods both who fought alongside aliens, robots, and mutants. Jason didn't feel like he needed to hide that fact nor the fact that he had abilities or experience. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to let his teammates know what he was capable of for the sake of teamwork and planning in the future.

All of that quickly ran through Jason's head as he thought about how to respond. He eventually replied, "Yes. Minus the costumes and codenames -- things worked a bit differently for us. But I'm no stranger to battles, monsters, and trying to save the world. It kind of comes with the territory of being a demigod." His tone of voice isn't one of someone bragging either. He says it the way someone might admit to being a vegetarian or Jewish. It's simply a part of his identity.

Sam took that revelation exactly as calmly as it had been delivered. "Cool. I don't meet a ton of those."

Which does imply that he knows at least one.

"If it's mostly just goofy costumes and code names you're not used to, you're gonna have an easier time getting the hang of things than a lot of people." A fair number of them did the superheroing thing already, sure. But then there were some who weren't used to fights involving powers, or who knew how to fight but had no idea what to do with the level of technology they were confronted with.

In the grand scheme of things, having to get used to spandex was a pretty okay problem to have.

It was honestly a relief. Jason didn't know how people would take the news -- he wasn't used to having to tell people who weren't already aware on some level of the gods or their demigod heritage. After all, even when he'd been Praetor of Camp Jupiter the demigods and legacies presented to him had already been vetted by Lupa so they knew what they were. He knew this wouldn't always be the case, but it was a good start.

Jason also doesn't miss the fact that Sam's statement implies he's met other demigods. He briefly thinks to ask, but then decides that he'll save the question for later.

"Hmm...the technology is actually pretty new too. And space. Being in space is new, but honestly after all I've been through it's not...weird so much as another thing I realize I'm going to have to get used to sooner rather than later," Jason admits. "But I guess that's good to know, I can only imagine how confusing this would be for someone without any experience with bizarre, world-ending situations." He honestly feels bad for those people -- it's bad enough being asked to take on the burden of saving your world and a billion others when you're used to that kind of situation.

"Hey, you know what space is, right? You're definitely coming in ahead of some people."

The medieval types...well, Sam didn't envy their adjustment periods at all.

"Wow...I hadn't considered that," Jason admits. He'd understood that people from any dimension or world could potentially be brought here. He hadn't thought about what that might really mean in terms of people being from places without space travel or a concept of other planets or anything like that. Sam saying it made it sink in, that was for sure.

Jason leans against a nearby railing, "How long have you been involved in stuff like this?"

"Uhhhh. Few months before I got here, I guess?" He shrugs. "But hey, it's enough to have saved the world a few times, so I figure it's good for something."

He'd seen more of the galaxy in a few months of being a space superhero than most people would ever see, period, after all.

Jason is actually a little impressed. "That's certainly a lot of experience in just a few months. Saving the world multiple times I mean." His own experience was a little more spread out than that, though to be fair he'd been involved in some kind of issue with the gods since he was two years old. It wasn't always completely world ending -- though the incident with the Titans a few years ago and then the more recent battle against the Giants and Gaea.

There might have been other incidents, but those were certainly the bigger ones and just those two had been more than enough times. Thank you very much.

"Yeah, well...some people just don't give up." Some aliens. Whatever.

Okay, and to be fair, the second time the Chitauri sent an armada to wipe out Earth had largely been in retaliation to Sam messing with them on just about every level, but he wouldn't have been messing with them if they hadn't attacked already, so really, they started it.

"I think i get that," Jason replies. He'd certainly met his fair share of enemies that continued to come back.

But enough about the past, maybe he should find out some more about the place he'd currently found himself in. "So you said this is the best view, right? Anywhere else worth checking out?"

"The threshold hub lets us go pretty much anywhere, so if you've never been to an alien planet, now's your chance."

Technically, they had a lot of chances, since as soon as the next mission rolled in they'd probably be dropping down onto somewhere, but you didn't get to pick where missions took you. Sam had plenty of opinions on good places to visit.

Jason hadn't considered the fact that he could potentially explore alien worlds without a quest or...wait they called them missions here, didn't they? Jason considered the possibilities and it was almost overwhelming.

"So you don't have to wait for a mission to go visit the other planets around here? Where would you recommend going for a newbie to alien exploration?"

Sam was silent for a moment, considering.

"Titan's pretty, but it's kind of eerie to visit? The natives are all telepathic, so they don't talk to each other out loud. Even when you're on a really busy street it's super quiet. I can't get used to it." He wasn't sure he'd recommend it very strongly as a first place to visit, when someone was trying to get used to so many other things already. The second one that came to mind, though -

"Robotica's cool, though! A lot of people don't like Roboticans, there's been some bad history with machine life and organic life. But they're trying really hard to make up for the past, and since the Legion's been advocating for them, they totally love Legionnaires, so we always get a good reception from them."

Jason tried to imagine what that could be like but he wasn't sure even he had that great of an imagination. He'd never encountered something like telepathy before and the description didn't sound all that fun to experience either. "Yeah...I think I'll pass on that one too," he agreed.

He considered the other option that Sam was presenting. He was from a different universe, so he didn't exactly have a built in prejudice towards machine life. However, if he really thought about it, his experience with machine life was pretty positive thanks to Festus, Aurum and Argentum. Jason shrugged, "I've actually had some pretty good interactions with machine life. So if you say it's a pretty good place to check out then I'm all for it."

"Sounds like we've got ourselves a winner. The threshold hub's down a few levels."

"Where do you need to get back to?"

Passing through is a very tall... well, probably a person. That or a robot. The suit of armor makes either a possibility. Regardless, he paused to examine the new arrival.

The Chief was a little busy, but he figured it wouldn't take long to give the kid a nudge in the right direction.

Jason looked up. The armor threw him for a second as he DID try to decide if the person in front of him was human or something else. It could be hard to figure out sometimes. Jason preferred speaking to people face to face, but it wasn't like he was in a position to ask.

He decided to do what he usually did in uncertain situations and play it by ear. "I guess finding out where the crew quarters are would be my next step. I just got released and was figuring out my way around."

"Legion World's big. You'll get used to it."

It had taken some time and stubborn memorization, though.

"You'll want to head that way until you hit the elevator. It's a couple decks down." He gives the kid the number.

"Are you a Legionnaire?" he asks. If so, he's just met another new member of the team and should take this opportunity to learn something. The Chief likes to know who he's going to be working with this.

"Well, it is called a world," Jason replied, offhandedly. He was expecting it to be big, but honestly the size really is still taking him awhile to adjust to in concept versus theory. Jason glanced the way he had indicated and took a moment to memorize that much. It'd probably make more sense to memorize a little at a time as opposed to trying to do it all in one day. It certainly sounded like a task like that would be impossible. "Thank you," Jason said.

The other thing that would take some getting used to was being a Legionnaire again. Only a few years ago he'd been a member of a different Legion. Not only that, he'd been a leader of it, a Praetor of Camp Jupiter and New Rome. He supposed he was still technically a member of that legion too, but that wasn't what the armored man was talking about.

"Yes. I joined the Legion."

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Like he wasn't already a part of a Legion...[Open]

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