Chapter Text
Captain Marvel is truly an avatar created by gods eons ago and was sealed away? A time travel accident? Idc for the last couple centuries he was not around. But now he's back!
He barely recognizes anything. He barely understands anyone. The world sure has changed a lot in the time he was out of commission!
At least the gods are still there and happy to see his return. Mercury gives him knowledge of the modern languages as a welcome back gift which is very helpful.
With his new language skills, Captain Marvel befriends some of these superheroes who are running around fighting for humanity by providing a helping hand against various foes. They invite him to join a team called the Justice League which he accepts. They are very welcoming and understanding and explain a lot of stuff to him. It is nice to see a familiar face in Diana. Superman seems very excited to get to know him although his eagerness crumbles a bit when he learns that no, Captain Marvel is not a Kryptonian.
From his new superhero friends, he learns about "secret identities". It's apparently something that superheroes have. And since Captain Marvel is now a superhero, he supposes he should have a secret human identity as well. Or at least he wants to give it a shot. Superman is very convincing that it is a good thing to have for various reasons. Even Diana has one!
Unfortunately, Captain Marvel has never been human and he's been gone for so long that he has no idea what they are up to nowadays or how to go about pretending to be one.
Fortunately, Captain Marvel is never alone. Mercury is always up for any kind of trickery and Zeus adds that he has experience with this type of deception although he mostly used it to test humanity's faith and to seduce mortal women.
Solomon proposes to pose as a human child. Children naturally don't know much about the world so nobody will notice if he screws up. He can alter his appearance to grow up as he learns more about the current human society. Also, it fits well with Captain Marvel's personality which can be childish at times as the others agree.
Hercules disapproves of the idea of a secret identity altogether as being dishonest and Atlas is indifferent. But everyone else agrees on Solomon's plan.
This secret identity thing turns out to be harder than expected even with the use of magic. But Captain Marvel wouldn't be Captain Marvel if he gave up because of small inconveniences like having no parents and no home or name. Amnesia, he is going for amnesia.
The gods and demigods in the back of his mind are just as clueless about human needs as Captain Marvel. How much does a human need to breathe and eat and sleep? What temperature is too hot? And there are little things Captain Marvel had no idea humans did like poop and yawn and blush and blink. He did have some kind of familiarity with it, like yes, he has seen humans do it once and again but why do they do it so often? Solomon is the only one of them who was completely human once upon a time and guides him through it all. His knowledge is incredibly useful.
The humans who find him bring him to the police. From his adventures with the other superheroes, Captain Marvel already knows that the police is trustworthy. They keep order in society.
They give him a name because he has no idea what is considered a normal name nowadays and claims to have forgotten his own. The woman who gives names to found children goes through the alphabet and the next letter is B. His temporary name becomes Billy Batson “until they find out his real name.”
Captain Marvel's real name is Captain Marvel but he doesn't say that. The two identities are to be kept secret and separate from each other, Superman had told him. It's the most important rule for secret identities. It's only lying by omission, it's not too bad.
He is put in an orphanage. The other children are clearly weirded out by him but "Billy" doesn't mind. These are children who have gone through a lot and he tries to be there for them and to impart some wisdom of Solomon on their impressionable young minds. And also some self-defense skills. The adults at the orphanage do not understand that last part and yell at him whenever he starts a play-fight.
Otherwise, Captain Marvel tries to be a rather quiet and studious child, watching the world and learning but not drawing too much attention.
He enrolls in school and he loves it although sitting still for so long is hard and the other children groan whenever he raises a hand to ask a question (which happens very often.)
He's never been this close to humans! They insult him, they look down on him, they treat him like a peer, it's exhilarating. The secret identity allows Captain Marvel to get to know a completely new side of the humans he is protecting and also new ways to find bad apples to remove. When humans perceive you as a human child instead of the avatar of gods, they treat you differently. He understands why the other superheroes do it now.
He is still drawing attention left and right.
But that is to be expected, he hasn't been doing this for long and he is still learning.
He gets a foster family. Unfortunately, Captain Marvel is forced to hand his foster parents over to the authorities. Hercules especially is very protective of the other children in the household when it becomes apparent that the parents have anger issues that they let out on the kids. Captain Marvel almost unveils his true identity right then and there until Solomon reminds them that they can handle this without godly transformation and without lightning. Hercules is happy to lend his strength instead and Billy Batson feeds his foster parents their own medicine. At the orphanage, he has already established that he can fight. So, this is not too out of character.
The next foster family is better. Billy doesn't see his new parents very often which is good because that means that they cannot get to know him and be unsettled by his non-humanness. They have him learn piano and Chinese and play tennis and go to a therapist in his free time and Captain Marvel absolutely loves learning everything he can about this new world, don't get him wrong! But he doesn't have any time for his non-secret identity anymore and it is a problem.
Captain Marvel has a duty to fulfill and the foster parents are an obstacle. And also, the therapist is asking too intrusive questions and despite his excuse of amnesia, Captain Marvel's answers reveal more and more holes in his backstory.
He has to hold back ... a lot. He already knows Chinese and has to pretend not to and playing ball with children does not make him sweat as it does the others.
Most of all, he wants to do his duty and not worry his foster parents all the time by disappearing or having troubling health check-ups just because he accidentally interchanges the frequency of heart and lungs. Then they try to take a blood sample and cannot pierce his skin and Captain Marvel just alters all of their memories. Why is this so hard? How do the other superheroes do it??
When a blue monster destroys their home, Billy Batson uses the opportunity to transform, pummel the monsters and then to finally run away and live on the streets as Billy. Street kids have existed 3000 years ago and they are still there and they provide the necessary freedom to Captain Marvel.
He tries to go back to school but they call his foster parents and Billy is on the run again.
He makes his first friend in another homeless kid named Freddy who is the first one who doesn't mind the otherness that Captain Marvel still cannot completely shake off.
He doesn't feel the cold at night but Freddy does. He doesn't feel hunger but Freddy is starving. And Billy has to keep up appearances as well. Begging is only successful until someone alerts social services. Captain Marvel has a serious problem with giving the little he has to anybody who looks like they need it. Nobody is willing to give seven-year-old Billy a job. Captain Marvel is sternly against theft even when Mercury points out opportunities and offers to teach him. Mercury is outvoted by the rest of the pantheon, too. But miracling food and money into his pockets becomes suspicious at one point.
Then Freddy sees him transform into Captain Marvel and the act is up.
He converses with Superman again who assures Captain Marvel that it is a good thing to have one or two trusted people who know both of his identities.
He still cannot regulate his temperature and has impenetrable skin and sometimes, he forgets to blink or to intake water regularly, but slowly but surely, Captain Marvel is getting the hang of a secret identity.
Humans are strange and pretending to be one is very hard. Captain Marvel has a newfound respect for his fellow superheroes.