The team finds out about Artemis' parentage. How do they react? Some Artemis / Robin fluff at end.
"{words}" for mind-link convos.
Note 1: Sportsmaster might be OoC as I really don't know much about him. Feedback on that would be great.
Note 2: I've brought up a piece of an old "Green Lantern and Green Arrow" comic history for Roy. I'll explain it at the end for those that don't get it since I don't really explain it completely in-fic.
/
The mission had gone well. Really well. Toowell. The team – with the additions of Roy and Zatanna – had managed to retrieve the cobra venom and catch Sportsmaster. Which is when things started to go really south, really fast.
Not content to shut up, Sportsmaster kept ranting about revenge, and the Light's power, and how he'd kill the whole team when he was free, all the normal fidgety supervillian trash talk. Then it got personal.
The team had stowed Sportsmaster in the medical section of the bioship, since there wasn't really anyplace better to put him. But that didn't mean the team couldn't hear him. The guy could yell. Goes with the whole hockey player get up.
"You'll all die soon enough." Sportsmaster said, "I bet you don't even know about the mole. I bet the archer boy and Aquakid never even told you. They've known the whole time. You'll only have them to blame when you're walked straight onto the executioners block."
In the front of the ship, Kid Flash took a pause between chunks of banana and yelled back, "It's Red Arrow and Aqualad! Not archery boy and Aquakid." In a lower tone he added, "Ugh, supervillians, they never get anyone's name right."
"Well," Superboy said, "At least that keeps it consistent with training simulations."
"Ri-ght", Kid Flash said, "So, Kaldur, come up with any new ideas about who our blind burrowing friend is?"
"We have talked about it with Batman," Kaldur said, indicating Robin and Roy, "but we have come to no solid conclusions."
"Have you considered that it might not be a person?" Zatanna asked. Superboy and M'gann stiffened. "Not that I mean either of you two, but the mole could be something else couldn't it? I mean Wally does keep a whole room full of who know what of supervillian memorabilia."
"Hey new girl," Kid Flash replied, "you might be pretty, but lets not go blaming one of the founding members of this team of being a traitor. It might make me less inclined to like you."
"Yeah," Artemis interjected, "because not being the center of attention in Wally's bizzaro world is such a tragedy."
"Enough everyone." Kaldur said.
"Having trouble controlling your team, are you Aquaboy?" Sportsmaster yelled. "Sounds like you're having such a good time. Really a fine-tuned, trusting team." Something in the medical room sound like it crashed. "Hey little girl," Sportsmaster yelled, "why don't you be a good daughter and come free me? You know it's what your mother would want."
"You don't know jack shit about what mom would want!" Artemis yelled, as she found herself suddenly standing with her bow aimed at the door. Everyone stared at her as the room when dead silent. She lowered her bow. "Fuck."
Roy stood up in a huff of anger and got right into Artemis' personal space. "I knew it! I knew you were the mole! I told Batman and Aqualad, and" Roy paused and suddenly turned Robin, walking over to him as he continued, "You! You defended her! You knew, didn't you? You knew the whole time and didn't even care!"
Robin leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head. "Well you're certainly not traught."
"This isn't the time for silly word games little bird."
Robin waved Roy off. "Just trying to defuse the tension. And I still stand, or rather sit, by that defense. I knew about her parents, sure, but heroics are not genetic it's about choices. You of all people should know that Speedy."
"Don't call me that!"
"Sure, sure. We don't call you that anymore because you've moved beyond it. And I just don't mean the sidekick gig."
"Now looks whose keeping secrets." Artemis said, "Not fun is it?"
M'gann mind linked up with Conner, Kaldur, Zatanna, and Wally. "{Does it bother anyone else that Robin seems to know everything about everyone? Doesn't that seem kind of suspicious?}"
"{Robin's always known everything about everyone though.}" Zatanna said, "{I mean it doesn't seem that much more off the mark than normal. What's your opinion Wally? You've known him as a superhero longer than I have.}"
"{It wouldn't be suspicious if it wasn't for the fact that he tagged Roy. Roy buries things, and buries them deep. I don't even know what Robin's got on him, and I'm both of their best friends.}"
Roy walked back over to Artemis. "Mysecrets don't put a whole team of my supposed friends at high risk of death."
"No," Robin said, "just yourself."
"Will you shut up!" Roy said, "I swear I'll roast you like a Christmas turkey."
"What I'm not good enough to be chopped up for GA's famous chilli?"
"{Green Arrow makes chilli?}" Conner asked.
"{Well, sure.}" Wally said, "{It's five alarm though. Burns up most people's mouths.}"
"{Because you know allabout having a mouth full of hot air.}" Zatanna said.
"{Oh my mouth is full of more than just hot air.}"
"{Team. Focus.}" Kaldur said "{M'gann, how much longer until we get back to Mount Justice? The sooner the Justice League steps in to remove Sportsmaster and defuse the situation the better.}"
"{We're almost there.}" M'gann said, "{Mount Justice is coming up over the horizon now.}"
"I'm getting tired of waiting back here, little girl." Sportsmaster yelled.
"You," Artemis yelled, "Need to die in a fire."
"Might want to pick a different death option." Robin said, "Bats already has enough problems with one Two-Face. He could do without a second one."
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Semantics. Diction. Whatever. Points still stands that just because I've got part of his genetics doesn't mean I have to act like him. Or even like him. I mean look at Kaldur! He's related to one of Black Mantas men, and I don't see anyone bringing up hisparentage."
"What!" Conner said, "First not telling us about the mole, now this?"
"It's true. My father did used to work for Black Manta, but who he is or was is not relevant to who I am. I think perhaps we should all calm down. Miss Martian, land the bioship."
Mg'ann nodded her head as the hatch in the base of the mountain opened to the hanger. The team had now arrived at Mount Justice. And no sooner had the ship landed then Artemis bolted off of it. She ran right past GA, J'onn, even the Batman. Shortly after, Robin also ran past the three aforementioned Justice League members, screaming Artemis' name as he did so. He could feel Batman's glare on the back of his head, and knew he'd get hell for this stunt later.
Then the rest of the team disembarked. Roy fumed off to the side of everyone as Kaldur approached Batman. "We've left Sportsmaster on the bioship." Kaldur said, "I am afraid you will have to get him yourself."
"Trouble on the mission?" Batman asked.
"Hardly." Roy said. "Trouble started after the mission was complete."
Batman nodded.
/
Artemis was wailing her fists on the brick wall of the ally where the Zeta tube let out. She couldn't take it. Everyone knew. Everyone hated her for it. For not telling them. For keeping secrets. Zatanna had warned her, or had tried to anyway, back during their night in Manhattan. "Secrets don't stay buried." Zatanna had told her. Why hadn't she listened?
"You know if you ruin your hands, you're not doing to be able to string your bow correctly on missions."
Artemis leaned her head against the wall. "What do you want Robin?"
"Nothing. Just to see if you're ok. You are still part of the team after all."
Artemis pushed herself off the wall, crossed her arms, and faced Robin. "Yeah, and how much longer is that going to last exactly? They all hate me now."
"That was just Roy." Robin said. "Roy's got his own issues to sort out, and he's just taking it out on you because it was easy."
"Whatever." Artemis went to turn, Robin grabbed her wrist.
"I don't hate you." He muttered.
Artemis shock her arm from from him and put her hands on her hips. "Yeah the boy who invalided my privacy doesn't hate me. Because I'm so going to trust you for that. Or Batman! He was suppose to keep it quiet."
"He did." Robin said, "Bats, I mean. When I was in that conversation with him about the mole, you know the one with Kaldur and Roy, Iwas the one who almost messed up and said who you were when Roy said you weren't trustworthy. Bats cut me off."
"Then how exactly did you find out? Some sort of hacking snoop for fun? Do you think this is funny?"
Robin looked at the ground, dejected. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out. This is so notasterous."
"Find what out?"
"That apparently someday is already here, but it turns out I was wrong and we're not going to laugh about it."
Artemis stood frozen as her brain started to make the connection. Robin pulled a phone out of somewhere – one of the eternally expanding pocket of his perfect accessory belt, probably – flipped it on and handed it to her. Artemis looked down at the screen, know already what she'd see. But that doesn't mean she was ready for it. It was a photograph of a shorter boy with bright blue eyes and a slightly taller Vietnamese girl who looked confused. It was that freshman and her. No, Artemis thought, ItwasRobinandher.
She looked up to give the phone back to find Robin, still standing exactly there, with his mask removed, looking a whole lot like a freshman boy who had decided to play dress-up rather than the first of the superhero sidekicks.
"My name," he said, "is Dick Grayson." He held out his hand.
Artemis smiled and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. My name is Artemis Crock."
Dick nodded and fluffed his hair. "So Artemis, you up to anything tonight?"
"Just heading home. Why? Want to walk me?"
Dick placed his mask back on, smiling. "How about we fly instead?" He said. And just like that he had an arm around her waist and a grappling hook shot into the sky.
After hopping around rooftops for a while – and finally getting to the laughing part of the someday – the pair dropped down on the roof of the darkened Crock house. Artemis led the way to her bedroom window. As she tugged the window opened, it creaked. Artemis started to step inside and as she turned to say goodbye to – Robin, Dick, Whoever – a voice said her name. Artemis looked down at her bed to see her mother, resting her head on the foot of her bed in the dark. She looked like she had just been woken up.
"Mom..." Artemis said as she climbed all the way inside.
"Artemis." Her mother said, sitting up. "You're finally home."
"Yeah, long day. You know how the business goes."
Paula looked saddened by this. She went to say something, then cocked an eyebrow. "Is there a reason you've left your friend standing outside your window? I thought I taught you better manners than that."
"Oh mom, of course you did." Artemis said as she motioned for Robin to enter. He nodded back and shut the window behind him after he was through. He went to stand next to Artemis and put a hand on her shoulder.
Artemis smiled and went over to hug her mother. "We caught dad today." She said. Paula hugged her daughter back and started crying. As Artemis hugged her mother, she felt another body wrap around the pair of them. Artemis looked up to see Robin there, supportive as ever, and she was grateful for it.
/
Thanks for Reading!
Note 2.2 about Roy: The "Secret" that Robin keeps jabbing at in the first half or so of this with Roy is that Roy used to be addicted to drugs. I think it was heroin in the comics. In my head-canon it's Speed because that makes more sense with the name Speedy.
