Hey ya'll! Hope you're ready for more of my work, because here's a brand new chapter! In this chapter, we return to the Titans in time for them to be treated to a welcome banquet by Omoros and his men. How shall things unfold from here? Here's hoping you read, review, and enjoy! And considering how I'm still in a pretty good mood from managing to see Captain Marvel (yet another Marvel-ous movie for the MCU) last Friday night (the day it was released in theaters no less!), I'd be especially happy to hear what you all have to say about my work (but again, NO FLAMES!).
A/N: Quick reminder, I do not own Teen Titans, or anything else explicitly found in DC canon. That out of the way, onward with the fic!
Chapter 7:
The Banquet
"You really didn't need to go all out like this."
"Nonsense. You are our guests, and you deserve our utmost best hospitality."
At that moment, the Titans were seated alongside Omoros and his men in a large banquet hall, with the Atlanteans mostly busy dining on various Atlantean dishes while listening to the Titans talk.
"You say you've faced Trident before," one of the soldiers said to Beast Boy. "What was he like?"
"He certainly had a high opinion of himself," the changeling responded. "Very high considering he chose to make an entire army out of clones of himself."
"Really?"
"You bet. And they all shared his own high opinion. In fact, they were all so equally arrogant that they all believed themselves to be the original Trident!"
"That certainly sounds like him."
"Here, here!"
Cyborg, meanwhile, was having a discussion of his own with the soldiers.
"So you are a mechanic?"
"You kidding? Sure am!"
Cyborg took a look at the various cybernetic parts of his body. "I mean, no offense, but I kind of have to be all things considered."
"No offense taken," said the soldier who'd asked, a thoughtful look coming onto his face and a finger on his chin as he gazed intently at Cyborg's mechanical parts.
Terra narrowed her eyes as she watched this particular soldier. She couldn't help but feel that there was something off about the look in his eyes.
The soldier sitting to the other side of Cyborg gestured towards Cyborg's untouched plate of kelp. "Are you sure you don't wish to eat anything?"
Cyborg shook his head. "No thanks. Really, I do appreciate the offer, but I'm good."
"If you say so."
The soldier who'd offered resumed his dining on his own kelp dish, and Cyborg continued his talk. But Terra couldn't help but notice how the one soldier in particular still seemed to maintain an unhealthy interest in Cyborg's mechanical parts.
Starfire, meanwhile, was likewise engaged in a discussion with several of the soldiers. "Please," she began, "out of curiosity, would you happen to be aware of the missing brother of the one called Tramm?"
"Indeed we are."
The soldier who'd responded shook his head solemnly, his eyes closed. "Our hearts go out to Tramm, and we hope very much that La'gaan is found in the near future."
"I am most glad to hear that; for I myself know particularly well how Tramm must be feeling. Not too long ago, I myself was reunited with my own long lost brother; and I hope very much that Tramm will have the same turn of good fortune befall him."
"As do we," said the soldier next to the one Starfire had originally been talking to, turning his head to face the other soldier next to him in the process.
Aqualad raised his eyebrow at the sight of this, but then turned his head towards a different area of the room after hearing Raven ask a particularly important question.
"These caverns you live in, have they had any history involving a cult?"
The soldier sitting closest to Raven's position raised his eyebrow. "What makes you ask that?"
"In one of the tunnels," Raven explained. "There was a drawing of a large star and Atlantean glyphs written underneath that described something to do with an 'abyssal star' and how it treated its followers and enemies. It sounded very much like something a cult would write."
"Oh, that." The soldier nodded his head. "Now that you mention it, yes, there was once a cult that lived in these caverns before us. The 'abyssal star' you mentioned was the 'deity' they worshipped."
"That's putting it lightly," said another soldier. "The members of this cult? They were fanatics! You should see the fanciful nonsense they rambled on about in their scriptures and other documents!"
"No kidding! I still can't get the hymns they wrote in honor of the 'abyssal star' out of my head! And don't get me started on the entire paragraphs they have in their scriptures about how the literal touch of this star upon their skin could give them enlightenment, fill them with its infinite wisdom, and allow them to be guided to the promised land!"
Upon hearing this, Aqualad turned his attention away from Raven's discussion. Robin, however, carefully made note of this information he'd just heard in his mind while letting his face remain impassive from the outside. He had no idea why, but this information he'd just heard about the 'abyssal star', especially the details involving its touch, seemed strangely familiar to him for some reason. The boy wonder felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned his head to face the soldier next to him.
"Garth has mentioned that he had several friends amongst the surface dwellers before he joined this 'titans' group. From the descriptions he gave of those friends, it seems clear that you are one of them. Is that correct?"
Robin thought to himself. "Yes. It is." He saw no harm in admitting to this fact.
"Tell me then," said the soldier. "What was it like in those days?"
Robin raised his eyebrow, confused as to why this soldier would have such interest in the current topic.
Terra, meanwhile, despite her own suspicion about the soldiers talking with Cyborg, was now engaged in a conversation with the soldiers sitting near her about a topic she thought to have much less reason for suspicion.
"So it's true then? The gossip we've heard from Atlantis about you and Garth?"
Terra chuckled and rubbed her fingers through her hair. "Well, some of it I'm sure is exaggerated. But yes, I am indeed Garth's girlfriend."
"Not his betrothed?"
"Not yet. Garth and I feel like spending a good few years dating first before we agree to anything like that. But trust me, in the event that we marry, it really doesn't matter how long it takes for it to happen as long as we both love each other; and I know I love him."
"Sounds good enough to me." The soldier who'd spoken nodded his head. "Poseidon knows he needs someone of his own to love and be loved by after all the drama that unfolded in everyone's lives over Kaldur and Tula."
"I just hope that Tula doesn't feel jealous or similarly unhappy about me when I meet her."
"Why would she be? She doesn't love Garth the way you do. And Garth certainly doesn't have that crush he used to have on her anymore."
"I know that, but that doesn't change the fact that, so far, Garth and I are both alive and able to spend our lives together. Her own betrothed died five years ago while they were still waiting to become of age to marry."
"So?"
"Use your head. Her best friend is still able to potentially live happily ever after ever with the person he loves while she has to spend the rest of her life alone because of how the man she loved died young before they even had a chance to marry. Don't you see how unhappy that could make her feel if she meets me and sees me with Garth?"
The soldier thought to himself. "I suppose that's true. Forgive me for my thoughtlessness."
"I'll think that request over."
At the same time all this was happening, Omoros and Garth continued their own discussion. "Forgive me for my men's behavior. We don't often leave this cavern."
"I guessed as much."
"If it makes you feel any better, you have my condolences for Kaldur's death. And next time you see Tula, tell her that she has them as well."
The conversations continued; and while this happened, Robin, Terra, and Aqualad continued to take note of various details in their friends' conversations as well as their own that they couldn't help but find suspicious. The other founding Titans, meanwhile, seemed completely oblivious to these details as they continued talking with the soldiers. Eventually, Aqualad decided it was time to change the subject. He felt like he'd gathered enough information and talked with Omoros about Kaldur and the state of affairs at Atlantis long enough.
"Omoros," he began. "About when will you be sending that squadron you promised to send to pass the message to King Orrin?"
Omoros seemed to understand that Aqualad was not in the mood for messing around, and the commander nodded his head. "Fear not, I shall send the promised messengers out immediately after this banquet. If we're lucky, they should make it to Atlantis and safely return to this cavern within 2 or 3 days."
"You are certain of this?"
"You have my word."
"Very well. But I'm holding you to that."
The two Atlanteans nodded, and turned their heads to face the rest of the room's occupants. Aqualad filed all the information he'd gathered to the back of his mind, hoping that he would not find it necessary to bring it up to his friends.
And just like that, another chapter done! Admittedly, this chapter does somewhat count as 'filler' from a certain point of view. But nonetheless, it's another step forward in allowing this 'episode' to unfold. All that said, just how will things unfold from here on out? We'll just have to find out later everyone! Here's to hoping you read and enjoyed this chapter, and that you leave plenty of feedback (SERIOUSLY, I NEED THE EXTRA MOTIVATION!). Remember, I require a bare MINIMUM of ONE review for this new chapter before I allow the next chapter to be posted. Again, hope you all had fun and look forward to what comes next!
Coming up Next: With almost three full days having passed since the messenger squadron Omoros promised to send to Poseidonis supposedly left to spread word of the Titans' plight to Aquaman, yet no further development on the matter having occurred since that day, Aqualad can't help but feel not only like there's something wrong, but that Omoros and his men may very well know more then their letting on. And he's not the only Titan in the area to feel this way either. Simply put, are Omoros and his men truly as trustworthy as they currently appear to be making themselves out to be? Or have the Titans only ended up stumbling into a potentially even bigger problem then the one that got them to the outpost in the 1st place?
