Cyborg walked into the infirmary.

"I know about the nanobots," said Cyborg, "and I know Slade infected the HIVE and Titan's with them."

"Shut up you idiot!" snapped John, "if Slade has bugs."

"The safe house has been swept for bugs, it's clear" said Cyborg.

"Well go do something about it then!" shouted John.

"That's the problem," said Cyborg, "the Titan's will go down before we can take Slade, and the demigods won't be able to protect us from the Sladebots that will be guarding Slade's base and stop Slade."

John's eyes widened as Cyborg continued "we need you to bring the HIVE in on this."

"I can't," replied John, "I betrayed them. They won't listen to me."

"Convince them" said Cyborg.

"They'll attack before I can speak" said John, "and I'm not powerful enough to stall them."

"Now you're just lying" snapped Cyborg.

"I wish," said John, "but I've committed most of my magic to keeping myself mentally stable. If I drain myself too much…"

Both left the sentence hanging.

"Besides," said John tiredly, "Slade will just use the nanobots in them too."

"Not if we can keep him away from the control system…" began Cyborg.

"It's built into his gauntlet."

Both of them were silent.

"You can't save them" said John, turning his head away.

"Can you summon lightning still?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah," said John, "Enough to kill a laptop maybe."

"That might be all we need" said Cyborg.

The demigods and the Titans had gathered outside of Slade's headquarters. Cyborg had managed to track the signal from the nanobots and immediately mobilized everyone for an attack.

"Grey, you in position?" asked Cyborg, using his wrist mounted communicater.

"Affirmative," murmured John, warily eyeing the ancient shattered skylight that was his entry point.

"This is a terrible plan" said Thalia.

"It's not that bad" said Cyborg.

Percy smirked "Yeah, this is good in comparison to my plans."

"You never plan" replied Annabeth.

"No, I always plan to improvise" said Percy.

"Can everyone shut up and focus" ordered Raven.

"Okay everyone, Titans go!" shouted Cyborg, his sonic cannon blasting through the wall.

Robin slammed down. Slade had demanded brutal sparring matches ever since the disastrous heist at Wayne Enterprises, saying that Robin had been sloppy and that had caused John's capture.

"Pathetic" growled Slade.

Robin screamed and leapt at the criminal mastermind, his bo staff swinging downward in a powerful blow. Slade caught the blow with one hand and slammed the opposite fist into the Boy Wonder's stomach. Robin stumbled backwards, toppling clumsily onto his backside.

"This is all you are capable of Robin," Slade's dangerous tone seemed to fill the room, "I really hope that I haven't been wasting my time."

Robin glared at the masked man.

"Perhaps," said Slade, "I should take another Titan as my apprentice."

And then the wall explodes and Titans and Demigods flood into the room. Slade immediately hit the button on his gauntlet and the Titan's crumpled to the floor, screaming in agony as the nanobots activated. The demigods got in formation around the fallen heroes, with Thalia in the rear covering everyone with arrows as Sladebots poured down from the rafters and corridors.

Across the city, Gizmo, Mammoth, and Jinx toppled to the ground with screaming in pain. There was no warning, no sign. Just agony flooding every nerve ending, every cell in their bodies. Their bodies were doomed to failure within minutes if the nanobots didn't stop their deadly mission.

John slid through the shattered skylight, dust filled light dimly following him into the room. He landed lightly on the giant beam supporting the scaffolding with the silence of a professional thief. The sound of metal on metal sounded, but it was overridden by the Titan's screams. He paled at the sound, knowing Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo could be experiencing the same thing. His jaw clenched in determination as he continued to creep through the scaffolding.

Slade chuckled as his hordes of Sladebots fought the demigods and an exhausted Robin. Casually he reached too his belt and pulled out a cylinder big enough to grip with two hands. With a simple squeeze the hilt expanded, a cross guard and celestial bronze blade springing into existence. Slade spun the sword, the five and a half foot blade glowing faintly as he casually batted aside a silver arrow.

"Foolish little children," said Slade, "meddling in matters they know nothing about."

"How did you get that?" shouted Thalia

"My sibling's gave it to me when I was claimed" stated Slade.

"You're a demigod?" shouted Annabeth.

"Yes I am," said Slade, his smirk obvious in his voice, "I am indeed, little sister."

A sladebot nearly hit Annabeth as she stopped moving in brief shock. An electrified arrow slammed into the Sladebot, causing it to spasm and drop.

"You aren't a demigod," snarled Annabeth, "you're a monster. And we will put you down!"

Slade laughed in amusement, before raising the gauntlet.

"Allow me to finish the mortals first sister dearest" Slade replied, stabbing the sword blade into the ground.

Slade's hand move towards his gauntlet to command the nanobots to finish their deadly mission.

John growled under his breath. He was too far…but he had to try or they died.

"It's too far," said the voice of his Father, "you will fail!"

"I can't fail," muttered John.

He extended an arm, his other gripping a support structure as he leaned from the side of the beam for a clear shot. Two fingers pointed at Slade, and he felt a pull in his chest as every scrap of energy he could spare from his magical core. The energy leaped through him and sang through his flesh and blood.

Lightning ripped from the ceiling and into Slade's raised gauntlet. Sparks crackled and the screaming abruptly stopped as the bolt of lightning connected. Slade shuddered slightly, and then smoke curled lazily from the gauntlet.

Slade's head shot up as the Titan's began to rise and clear their heads.

John stared at his outstretched fingers.

"I did it," said John in awe, "I DID IT!"

"You little RAT" roared Slade, ripping the bronze sword out of the ground and hurling it upwards.

John leaned away, but the sword tore through the beam and the entire thing began to drop. John leapt off, his grapple gun ripped from his belt and he let the cable connect to another beam and swing. He swung and lowered himself into the group of heroes.

"It's over Slade!" shouted John "Just give up!"

"I'll make sure you can't interfere ever again" growled Slade, "you will DIE!"

Slade charged through the horde of sladebots, lifting his hand up as the celestial bronze sword shot through the air and into his hand.

"Zeta! Shouted John "Focus fire on Slade."

"You aren't my boss!" yelled Thalia, even as she sent a barrage of arrows at Slade.

John drew two birdarangs from his utility belt, wielding them like daggers to stab approaching sladebots. Robin leapt at Slade as the older demigod knocked arrows away with his sword, his bo staff being intercepted by a sladebot. Slade spun and slammed the sword hilt into Robin's head, catching two arrows in his side as he sent Robin sprawling.

Beast Boy charged towards Slade as a rhino, smashing through the mass of Sladebots. John ran, sprinting through the path Beast Boy smashed. The demigods waded through the horde, weapons slashing through them with ease. Thalia marched ahead as well, wielding her spear and aegis. Cyborg launched blasts from his sonic cannon, tearing through the robots. Robin had gotten to his feet, but the horde was thick around him, and even his best attempts to evade left him getting battered from all sides.

Raven and Starfire flew overhead, black covered debris and emerald starbolts smashing towards Slade, but getting intercepted by either sladebots or Slade's sword.

John leapt as the a dozen sladebots smashed into Beast Boy's side, driving the rhino to the ground. He hurled a birdarang at Slade. The mercenary leaned slightly and let the birdarang hurtle past as John charged, slashing with his remaining birdarang twice before Slade managed to backpedal and slash with his sword, forcing John back. Slade's blade seemed to leave afterimages as the older demigod moved on the offensive, driving John with powerful blows, his superior reach not even allowing John the chance to counterattack.

Sweat poured down the Grey Warrior's face as the bronze blade scraped against his chest plate, even nicking his chest through the armor as he tossed himself backwards. He hurled his birdarang, a desperate toss at Slade's arm that hit his wrist and caused the man to dropped his sword.

John hadn't noticed Slade driving him towards the edge of the room or the sladebots cutting him off from his allies. When Slade dropped his weapon he roared and charged, lowering his shoulder and tackling John through the wall and into another room filled with packing crates. John shouted in pain before Slade punched him in the face, shattering his nose. John tried to get up, only for Slade to slam his head back down. A dazed John could barely move as Slade's fist pummeled his face again and again. A tooth lodged itself in Slade's fist. Blackness flickered around his vision, seeming to wreathe Slade in shadows. John blinked wearily and suddenly a wide eyed Raven knelt over him.

A blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon had thrown Slade across the room as the Titan's and demigods had finished the last of the sladebots. The demigods and Titan's all advanced on Slade as Raven stayed back to check John.

His nose was shattered, teeth were missing. One eye was swollen nearly shut and the other was red instead of white. His pale skin had darkened to purple, and blood pooled from a fractured skull being slammed into the concrete floor. His eyes were glassy as they stared at blankly at her.

Raven's hands glowed black as she tried to heal John's injuries. John's hand weakly caught her wrist. Raven was surprised by the gesture.

"N-no more" murmured John, his voice almost slurred.

Raven's hand glowed black again as she peeled his hand off her wrist.

"Please," John's weak voice begged, "hurts."

"I'll make the pain stop," said Raven, "but you have to let me."

John's hand weakly slipped off her wrist. The hand dropped weakly across his chest, rising and falling with his labored breathing. His eyes slowly blinked. Raven found herself worried about the demititan.

"Stay with me John" said Raven, wordlessly focusing her magic on John. His body would passively heal if he had the energy, so all she had to do was provide the energy.

"Tired" murmured John.

An explosion caught her attention, Raven's head shot up. The Titan's and demigods were fighting fiercely. Percy jabbed his trident one-handed and slashed with Riptide, Annabeth and Clarisse attacking from Slade's side with steel weapons and shields. Thalia had switched back to her bow and arrows, standing atop a broken sladebot.

Starfire soared above the fray, starbolts raining down from her hands on Slade. Cyborg and Robin peppered Slade with sonic cannon and explosives while Beast Boy swung his tail as a massive ankylosaur.

Slade was the most impressive, while he may have been on the defensive, any blow that hit him was costly. Wielding his massive sword one-handed he was able to slash at Percy, powerful blows that would stagger the demigod. His other hand darted to his belt and threw deadly shuriken with ease.

The explosion had been from an explosive Robin flung. Slade's sword had batted it into the rafters and there it had detonated. The building moaned in grim protest, shuddering as it battered innards were torn apart.

Robin screamed "Raven, get us out."

The Titan's and demigods began to fall back to Raven, but the master mercenary followed. Shuriken glanced or stuck into Beast Boys scaled hide. Dents battered the demigod's armor as sword blow after sword blow rained down. Starfire was forced down as a massive girder fell towards Raven and John, she caught the girder and tossed it aside. Cyborg and Robin fell back, launching ranged attacks at any opening in the fight.

Black energy enveloped the demigods and Titan's, but Slade was too close.

"Drive him back or he comes with us!" shouted Raven.

The falling debris distracted Percy, a hilt slam from Slade staggering the demigod. The mercenary had made a mistake as well though, leaving himself exposed to Clarisse who slammed her shield into the mercenary and hurled him away.

Slade roared as the building came down and dark energy tore upwards and away.

Raven dropped them in the infirmary, landing John on a bed. Her healing magic immediately washed through John's body, bruises vanishing as her power drained. The rivers of blood that were staining the sheets slowed as her power flowed into the battered body before her. After what felt like an age his injuries were healed and Raven allowed her exhausted form to slump slightly. John did not awaken.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Clarisse, surprising everyone who'd managed to crowd the room.

"Does that mean you don't want him dead?" asked Robin.

"Nah, I'd just rather be the one to do it" replied Clarisse matter of factly.

"And there is the Clarisse we all know and love" said Percy, before letting out a yawn.

"He should be alright," said Raven, "he just needs to rest."

"I'll get the cuffs," began Cyborg, before Robin cut him off.

"No"

"Rob," began Cyborg before being cut off again.

"I can get him to stay" said Robin.

"We are taking him to Olympus when he wakes," said Annabeth, "all his past indicator says he'll run."

"He won't" stated Robin.

"I swear it" conviction filling the teen's voice.