Chapter Text
“They’ll come out when they’re ready.”
“They’ve been in there for days! Latesiesta is almost over -”
“Then they’ll come out when it’s over. They were just born, Herc. Give them some space.”
“Yeah, and do you leave a week-old baby alone to sulk in its room for three days?”
“That’s different and you know it.”
“I’m not leaving until you let me in there.”
“...You don’t need my permission.”
“I know I don’t.”
“Fine. But I want it on record that I think this is a bad idea.”
“Thank you, Niq. Really. Thank you.”
Niq Nyong’o, captain of the Atlantis Georgias, turned in the water and swam away. Hercules Alighieri just watched, steeled his face, and sighed. With one hand, he pushed open a door to his left, and slowly floated in.
Hercules found himself entering a simple dark room. It had all the makings of a hotel room, with simple furniture that was a bit too clean to feel like a home. That made sense, as this was one of the guest rooms at the Bubble, usually used to house visiting teams. Right now, there was a single figure in the room other than Hercules, sitting on the bed facing away, with their knees drawn up to their chest.
That immediately struck Hercules as alien, as Atlanteans don’t really sit. The closest they come is sleeping in a bed, where they have to use specialized weighted blankets to prevent themselves from floating away at night. Still, strange as it felt, Hercules swam over and sat down next to the figure.
“Hey, Wyatt,” Hercules spoke up after an uncomfortably long silence, “how are you feeling?”
There was no response from Wyatt Mason III, who just shifted slightly to the left, facing away from Hercules.
“I...I know we haven’t really talked,” Hercules started, a bit unsure how to phrase his next words. “I mean, you haven’t really talked to anyone. But after what happened with Wyatt Mason IX, we just wanted-”
“Nines.” Wyatt Mason III cut in, the first words Hercules had ever heard them speak.
“Nines?”
“Their name. Nines. Don’t say the Roman numerals like letters. It’s weird. Their name was Nines.”
“Thank you for telling me, Wyatt.” Hercules said, in a softer tone. “Do you have a name you’d rather I call you? Like Three?”
“Three is fine, I guess,” Three replied, but Three didn’t really feel like theirs, it was just...anything was better than Wyatt.
“Alright, then, Three it is.” Hercules stated, a small smile on his face. “We’ve all been wanting to talk to you, especially after Nines-”
“The captain didn’t,” Three interrupted again, and Hercules was almost annoyed, but was coming to realize that this was just how Three communicated, “I heard you talking. She didn’t want you to talk to me. She thought I should be left alone.”
“Niq is…” Hercules, for one of the first times in his life, struggled to find the words to express what he was feeling. “Niq just wants what’s best for you, kid. For all of us.”
“She still wanted to leave me alone.” Three stated, the way they stated everything, in a matter-of-fact way that made you believe what they were saying before you even understood the words.
“...I guess she did, Three.” Hercules said slowly, letting the conversation lapse into a brief silence. “How’d you remember she was captain, anyway? I didn’t even know you two had spoken.”
“We haven’t.” Three replied instantly. “She introduced herself as captain. I remembered. It’s not that big a deal.”
“Still, that’s a pretty good memory, to recall that detail.”
“I guess.”
“Anyway, Three,” Hercules started again, trying to get the conversation back onto his original track, “games are starting up again tomorrow. I’d love for you to come meet the team; you’re gonna be spending a long time with us. Last I saw, Gita had gotten into Mint’s lab again, and that’s always fun to see the aftermath of. Wanna come check it out?” Hercules slowly pushed himself off the bed, extending a hand to Three.
“You don’t have to give me your hand. We’re underwater. I can swim.” Three stated, looking somewhat confused at the outstretched hand.
“I know.”
“This is weird. You’re weird.”
“Hey, kid, you’re in Atlantis. We’re all weird.” A grin crossed Hercules’ face as he replied, and for the first time, he saw Three smile too. It was just a brief flash of white across their face, sharp teeth that pointed past each other like a shark’s, quickly settling back into indifference once more.
Three took Hercules Alighieri’s hand and let themself be led out the door.
They didn’t look back.