"The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever." – Herb Caen
It was on Danny's twenty-third birthday when he knew his powers had reached their peak. After the incident with Clockwork and his evil alter ego, Danny was curious about ghost puberty. He did research and with time found that all ghosts reach a point when they stop aging. Amber stopped in her teens, while the Warden stopped in his late thirties. There was no rhyme or reason, but it seemed to do with the ghost's past life, well being alive anyway. Danny was a special case since he was still "half" alive. His sister, Jazz, had been extremely supportive, but Danny knew he would have difficulty explaining why he stopped aging. It was on his twenty-ninth birthday when he told her. She cried quite a bit.
Danny left Amityville later that month telling his parents he was going to search for a job abroad. He faked his death one year later and never returned.
He spent years roaming the world learning and experiencing new things. He earned another degree in a university in Germany, learned to surf in Australia, but mostly spent his time mapping the Ghost Zone. He checked in on Jazz every two years, but it was hard to watch her grow old. Danny went through a destructive phase after his loving sister died leaving behind only her husband. The Halfa hiked in remote locations, refused most human contact, and disappeared. It was then he learned he did not need as much food as regular humans.
The cities changed and humans went farther than he ever imagined they could. Surprisingly, the place that once caused him nightmares became his refuge. The Ghost Zone shifted and expanded, but it still had the same ghosts and the same problems. Danny now spent most of his time in his ghost form. It was during this time when the elusive Clockworth contacted him again.
"I see you still have a penchant for causing trouble," said the old man with the time gear around his neck.
"I don't think that's something I'll ever grow out of…" replied Danny in return.
"Yes, you remind me of someone with the same plague as you that I met in a distant life," reminisced the Toddler. "It matters not. I have come to give you an invitation, of a sort. It is not something I would think you would refuse, but it is by no means obligatory."
He handed Danny a spoon.
"Is this a joke?" asked Danny. "I finally get to talk to you, and you hand me a piece of cutlery."
"It is not a joke young Halfa. You must remember immortal you may be, there are still more powerful players in the world. I wish you luck, and remember don't let go of the spoon."
With that final warning, clockwork disappeared.
Danny continued to stare at the spoon in disbelief. A spoon. Was clockwork going insane?
Pondering what this meant, Danny reverted back to his human form and strolled down the streets of his favorite hangout. He pocketed the spoon and sat in a café to order a hot chocolate. Even after all these years, he still had a mighty sweet tooth. The hot drink slid down his throat and Danny remembered that clockwork had said he wasn't the most powerful being out there. Did that mean there were other ghosts like him? Times had changed and Danny hadn't exactly kept up with the news. He knew that there were superheroes and supervillans and aliens, but they could all die. Putting down a five, Danny went invisible and took to the sky.
The stars had long been out when Danny felt something peculiar in his pocket. The spoon had begun to shake and was moving on its own. Did it feel warmer too? Not letting go as per his instructions, Danny held the spoon closer to his face. Suddenly, he felt a tug.
With a soft umph Danny landed on a concrete roof in the middle of a small city. Looking around he realized he had no idea where in the world he was. Danny decided he needed to prepare for the worst and go ghost.
"Hello there."
Startled, Danny turned around to stare into a pair of eyes greener than his own.
"There's no need for that," said the person gesturing to Danny's clenched fists.
"Who are you?" asked Danny cautiously while lowering his hands.
The man-boy with black hair far messier than Danny's chuckled. "The question is 'who are we?'"
Movement in the shadows caught the ghost's eyes as a raven with red eyes rose from the darkness. A young woman in a blue clock materialized and placed her hooded gaze on Danny. A swirl of leaves announced the next person and a very blond man was standing on the ledge of the roof. Danny stared flabbergasted at the group in front of him. Were these heroes or villains?
"Well, now that most of us are here, I suppose I ought to start the introductions."
Danny realized this strange man or boy had a British accent.
"I'm Harry. It's nice to meet you Danny." He gave the Halfa a small smile that made his green eyes alight.
The quiet woman lowered her hood to reveal the purple eyes set in the face of a young girl. "I'm Raven."
The blond went next and appeared right in front of Danny and gave him a hug. "You can call me Naruto! It's nice to meet you ghost-man!"
"Nice to meet you to…Were you the one that gave me the spoon?" asked Danny hesitantly.
"Clockworth gave you the spoon," said Harry. Raven rolled her eyes.
"But yes, I brought you here. The spoon is a portkey. It's old magic that the world has not seen in decades ever since technology became so invasive. We just wanted to meet you."
"Were you the ones that clockwork mentioned were so powerful?"
Naruto gave a loud laugh before saying, "That baby is still saying that? We're no more powerful than you average immortals. Except maybe Raven. She's super powerful having more archaic magic than Harry-"
A black hand-made of shadows covered his mouth.
Danny took a closer look at the three figures in front of him. The young man with the visage close to his own looked to be physically 18. He had a confident and comfortable stance. The young woman actually looked younger. Danny would guess 14 or 15. She made silent movements and seemed to be part of the dark shadows. The tall blond man was the oldest and looked to be in his late 20s. He had broad shoulders and the garb of a man from the East. His sandals looked worn and he had a bright smile to compliment his blue eyes.
Wait, immortal?
The puzzled look on Danny's face was seen by Harry. "You didn't think you were the only being in this universe and others that lives forever, did you? clockwork is proof of that."
"But, I've never heard of you or seen you," said Danny.
"Of course not! I was born in the late 20th century in the UK. Raven is from a different dimension entirely. Naruto is probably the oldest of all of us, but he's strictly stayed in Asia."
There was a brief pause as Danny digested that information. "Are you the only ones? How did you find each other?"
Harry shared a look with Naruto and Raven, silently confirming that it was okay to include Danny on their secrets.
"It's hard watching your friends and family die while you stay young," said Naruto solemnly. "I was a mess for a long time before Harry found me. It was by accident. I was letting off some frustration when he suddenly appeared."
"You were causing a water spout by running atop the water and harming the ecosystem," Harry deadpanned.
"Meh. Anyways, we fought, discovered we both couldn't die and bam! Friends for life."
"It was a little more complicated than that, but once you've lived on the same Earth for a few lifetimes, you run into people," said Harry. "Raven actually spotted you when you first became Half Ghost. Other dimensions are her specialty. Since then, we've kept an eye on you. clockwork contacted us soon after you lost everyone."
Raven stepped closer and spoke in a soft voice. "We are not here to recruit you or force you to come with us. We just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in the world. You are free to live your life. You could call us an unofficial organization dedicated to preserving humanity and ensuring other immortals do not disrupt the balance. We were all heroes at some point in our lives, but we all understand love and loss."
"We're also here to offer you a peaceful death," whispered Harry. "I don't want to kill you, but I know that eternal rest is an option immortals do not often have. I could easily see you were safely on your way."
"I too could offer life after this. A simple exorcism is all that it would take," said Raven.
The proposals floored Danny. He could die. He could see his parents and friends. He could stop hiding and fighting. He could be a normal human. But his powers had allowed him to experience so much and save his friends and others.
"You don't have to answer now. Just keep hold of the spoon," said Harry.
"Thank you for everything," said Danny, "but I'd like to keep my powers. I might be doomed to eternal life or half-life, but my ghost half is a part of who I am. I can't give it up."
The four made an odd group as they sat on the roof of the building well into twilight discussing their lives, past and future. Danny learned a lot from Raven, who he discovered was a half-human being as well. She told him about exorcisms and other dark beings, like vampires and ghouls. Naruto and Harry swapped stories about battles and added joy to the meeting. Harry really made Danny laugh when he told the story about being summoned by a hunter calling the master of death. Harry was touring a black sand beach at the time and had been in his swim trunks. There were other immortals too. Jack Frost was a Guardian and had a job to do, like clockwork. There was also a mutant named Wolverine. He looked to be in his 30s or 40s. After the long talk, Danny felt a little lighter knowing he would always have someone to help him in a time of need.
There would always be those that sought immortality or tried to take over the world, just like there would always be heroes to stop them.