(Aden's P.O.V)

Aquaman had lost control of his people. Well, putting it that way sounds more harsh than it is. To be completely honest, a mutiny hadn't exactly happened just yet. Things were tense because although the Trident had been returned, the city states were no more and different factions were springing up from Atlanteans who wanted power for themselves.

Knowing that the conflict would soon spill to the surface world, I decided to send the Justice League junior, Darken and the teenage mutant ninja turtles I was yet to send home. Meh, I'd deal with that when the time came.

The minute I stepped out of the Bio-ship and announced myself, their faces underwent different expressions. There was fear, nervousness, awe, surprisingly trust and from Red Arrow, distrust that bordered on hostility. Aqualad had insisted on him being there because he was apparently a good strategist.

"So I know most of you have questions."

"That's an understatement."

Robin muttered.

"You got something to say Boy Wonder?"

I asked him with a small smile.

"Yeah. I do. Why us? The League is better trained, more powerful and have better relations with the current king of Atlantis."

Robin complained.

Instead of answering, I looked at Aqualad, who was standing behind me.

"If you don't mind answering that."

Aqualad gave a nod at my request.

"It's time." He solemnly begun.

"We cannot always rely on the League. We have to do this mission because like it or not, the League is not cut out for this. Not as splintered as it is."

What went without mention was that I wouldn't allow them.

His words affected them.

"There is no one else."

(Elsewhere)

The world was fucked. This time however, it was fucked in a good way. She didn't have to worry about that man again or the multiple misdemeanors and criminal charges filed on her report. Holly hadn't made it a secret that she disdained the law.

A bunch of pissants sad about how low their prospects for the future turned into reality, cops were fucking corrupt pigs. At least she didn't hide her actions under a badge and pretend to be good. Holly had learned from a young age to be independent and selfish for herself, just like Dove. Her sister had ran away when it became too much. Holly only regretted she hadn't followed right after her.

Dove was at least smart enough and brave enough to do what she had failed to do. But life was rarely fair. There was food now at least. Food and a place to stay filled with all kinds of entertainment without getting charged for an atrocious rent. The world was now truly fair. If only...Dove could see it.

Holly wiped her sister's face mechanically. It was something she was already used to after months of the same since Dove had been injured in a car accident. The guy behind the wheels had been drunk driving and the concequence of his actions had been a dead mother and a paralysed sister. Life was unfair. Everyone else that had been sick, no matter how bad their condition, had been healed after all of humanity was teleported away from earth.

Dove was yet to wake up though. Holly did not know what to do except keep on tending to her. Once things settled down, Holly would seek out more help.

Maybe she should pray to Aden? Naah too weird. However she knew his religion was catching on like wildfire. She'd read that in some of the articles and news reports being published in the Realm's version of the Internet called the Aethernet. It was a phrase coined by a few web developers and it's popularity was growing steadily.

Blatant plagiarism of Earth's famous games and websites was happening as people fiddled with the terminals to find out just how the devices worked. Holly finished tending to her sister and prepared herself. She was going to a festival. The very first of it's kind in the new realm.

'No, it's Gaea now', she reminded herself. The festival was aptly named, 'Ascension' and if it was to be believed, even celebrities would be there. Apparently the festival was endorsed by the EUC to promote unity among people from different walks of life.

Holly was mostly excited for the beer. Oh and the unveiling of the huge Aden Strong statue, the one true God of Gaea. Holly had first thought it was all bull crap but now, after reality had set in and she had processed everything...maybe just maybe, there was truth to some if the things Aden had claimed.

Plus he was hot as fuck so...

She left the house after kissing a sleeping Dove on the forehead, something she normally wouldn't be caught doing.

Every second of every minute, it seemed like changes were rapidly happening. It felt as if the residential areas were changing, becoming more...homely. She waved at her neighbors, a cool African man and his two twin sons. They were from Senegal if she remembered correctly. Luckily the man spoke English which was about all Holly knew with a little bit of french and Germany. Around her, were people from different ethnicities. A true diverse community. The first of it's kind.

The houses were also actively shifting depending on a few factors like the number of people in each household, their ages and conditions. Holly had no way of knowing but Gaea was running billions of programs each dedicated to every house and it's needs. She was personalizing the way of living for everyone present and encouraging meaningful skill development.

The house of someone dedicated to gardening would have a larger backyard space as compared to someone whose main interests laid in coding and tech design. In addition, there was a tab where one could place a request for something they needed and the program would decide whether the request was reasonable and necessary before approval.

Requests varied and would be approved based on necessity. For example, it wasn't necessary to have a PS5 but it was okay if the terminal was upgraded enough to support game design.

This is how the public commuting system was created. Enough requests and Gaea approved. Someone had even gone to the lengths of designing how the commute system would look like based on early maps of the residential area easily accessible through the terminal.

The commute ranged from big hover carts that transported a large group of people and cargo from one place to another and something called the speed tunnels. These were nodes placed in almost every street,L

like telephone booths. The speed tunnels were where you could enter and chose which sector in the residential map you wanted to go out of the 390,000 quarters, by simply clicking on it.

Then without fan fare, you would be enclosed in a highly resistant capsule and be transported through tubes on the ground towards your destination. It was easy and very fast. Gaea had actually wanted to introduce teleportation stations. By tweaking the zeta beam tubes technology she would make travelling from one place to another no matter the distance, instantaneous and more efficient through Zeta wrists watches. Aden had refused, citing that would make humanity too lazy.

Holly walked over to the Speed Tunnel and after squashing the little bud of fear at how everything could go wrong, she clicked on her destination and closed her eyes. The transition was fast and barely uncomfortable. Except for a mild case of vertigo once she stepped out of the capsule, the trip had not taken more than 10 minutes. Highly convenient.

The loud blast of music was her only warning. She looked around in amazement. Never before had she seen so many people gathered in one place. It was crazy and the very air was charged with something she couldn't quite describe.

"Amazing right?"

A voice said from behind her. She looked back and rise her eyebrows. Chiselled jawline, beautiful eyes and tall. Yeah coming here was the right choice.

(Aden's P.O.V)

My gaze speared past the multitudes of people gathered to land on the red haired girl. With my air god form planning the Atlantis mission, I had to take care of something else.

Vaatu and I were invisible as we floated in the air after a very interesting person. The person in question was a girl about 16 years old with red hair.

"Is that her?"

I asked more in a way to make conversation rather than a genuine question. I already knew the answer.

"No."

Vaatu shook his head.

"That's the sister."

I turned to him.

"So why show her to me instead of the sister."

Vaatu shrugged.

"She's special as well." He surveyed the while crowd.

"All of them are. But with her, I sense a potential."

I nodded. Holly did indeed have the potential to become highly skilled in spirit energy manipulation and with her sister being even more special, I could see what Vaatu meant.

"I did give them the right to choose their own fates. So yeah, she might surprise us in the future."

I warped space, the two of us leaving the noisiness of the Festival and popping up above a sector of the residential area to the south of the statue of strength. Yeah, that's what they decided to call it. A bit too on the nose? Probably. Do I still love it? Definitely.

"For now, I am more interested in Dove."

I told him, looking at the house directly under us. We fell, allowing gravity to do it's job before phasing through the roof of the modest 2 bedroom building.

You could see the efficiency with which Gaea had constructed these houses with. The inner layout was something out of a high class apart with gray and silver decor highlighted with amazing lighting.

"It's decided, I'm asking Lady Gaea for help in designing Olympus. Place looks archaic. It could use some Elder god touch."

"Thank you Vaatu."

Gaea's voice sounded from around the room.

Vaatu took a bow.

"It is a pleasure my lady."

"Now if the both of you are done stroking each other's ego, Vaatu we have work to do."

I interrupted them, eyes cast towards the girl sleeping before me.

"Dove."

Her red hair had been almost overtaken by white strands. Inside her, something resonated with my order state.

I looked to Vaatu who was put in a trance staring at her.

"Are you ready?"

He gave a nod, eyes not leaving the sleeping Dove.

"Okay. Let's wake your sister up."