Disclaimer: I only own my original characters. That's is.

Originally I was going to post this as one single chapter, but it got big enough that I decided to cut it in half.

Heads up, lots of flashbacks.

War Games (Part 1)

Flashback

The city was, quite simply, a war zone. The two opposing sides of the ongoing civil war had been fighting hard for what felt like forever, and although neither one had gained much ground, the casualties, military and civilian alike, only kept going up. Ruined buildings were spread throughout the once great city, rubble was strewn about the streets and alleyways, and dust hung in the air. The innocent, those poor people caught up in the conflict, huddled under what shelter they could find, rocking their children asleep to the sound of gunfire and praying for the explosions to get no closer. On the edge of the city was a prison complex that had been old before the civil war, housing countless inmates convicted of all manner of crimes. Now, its perimeter walls and guard towers were in ruins, a gaping hole had been blown in one of the cell blocks, and the entire place was devoid of inmates and guards.

However, a group of remarkable young people was currently using it as a hideout. The majority of them were gathered in what used to be the prison's cafeteria, counting arrows, putting on armour, or examining weapons. However, most were watching a duel between 16 year old Hector and another boy nicknamed Mauler, both of whom held a sword and were wearing armour. "Just a wild guess, but you're one of Ares' kids, aren't you?" Hector asked as he deflected one attack, then blocked a downward strike, using both hands to hold back his opponent's sword.

"And you're the guy he's been training personally," Mauler replied, their blades locked together. "Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about."

Mauler then pressed harder against Hector's weapon, only for the smaller boy to tilt his blade. Mauler's sword slid off of Hector's, the sudden lack of resistance causing him to stumble forward. The bigger boy managed to catch himself before falling over, though not before Hector spun around and drove an elbow into his side. Mauler grunted and stepped back, holding a hand against his side. Hector merely stood still, giving him a smirk and tilting his head, as if questioning whether or not he wanted to continue. Mauler soon answered when he came at him again, only for Hector to keep fighting defensively, deflecting several attacks, then pivoting around his body like a ballerina and smacking him in the butt with the flat of his blade. Several of Mauler's companions laughed at this, which only served to make him angrier and more aggressive. He unleashed a flurry of blows against Hector, who nimbly danced around him like a bullfighter facing an angry bull. Mauler growled angrily as he swung his sword hard, only to miss when Hector jumped back, executing two back handsprings and putting some distance between them. "Oh dear, you seem tired," Hector remarked mockingly.

"Are you too scared to fight back, you jackass?" Mauler barked at him.

"Scared of your face, maybe," he replied, adopting a stance to taunt his opponent. "Tell me, what did Ares sleep with to make you? A crocodile? A baboon? A donkey? I mean, I know Ares is no looker, but you're one of the ugliest fuckers I've ever laid eyes on."

"RAHH!" The other boy fell for the taunts and charged at Hector, who casually ducked under the wild swing and stuck out his leg, making him trip and fall flat on his face. Hector then set one foot on Mauler's back and held the tip of his sword to his neck.

"That's what you get for losing your cool, brother," a boy who resembled Mauler said. "Even if I weren't an empath, I still could've told you were being too hot-headed."

"Alright, that's enough, initiation's over," an older boy spoke up as he stepped onto the scene. This one had blond hair, blue eyes, and was holding a blue horsehair helmet under his arm. "Let 'im go, please." Hector released his opponent, who grumbled a bit as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Mauler, play nice. He's on our side."

"Fine, fine. You're the boss." Mauler turned to look at Hector and gave him a smirk. "Heh. You're a slippery little shit, aren't you? You one of Hermes' kids?"

"Not that I know of," Hector replied.

Mauler shrugged his shoulders and walked over to his friends, making a face at their (mostly friendly) jeers, while the leader of the group approached Hector, who turned his sword back into its pen form. The two of them smiled and clasped hands, giving each other a hearty slap on the back. "Jason, it's been too long," Hector said gladly.

"It's great to see you, man. By the way, call me Archon. You're in the God Squad now, and everyone here has a code name, even the boulder twins, Wrecker and Smasher." Jason/Archon pointed at a pair of seven foot tall, twin cyclopses. "Speaking of which, you need one too. How about… Spartan?"

"Whatever you say, mister Archon, sir," he said with a smirk, saluting his friend.

Archon smiled, then turned to address the rest of his companions, looking very much like what you'd expect of a leader. "Everyone, please welcome Spartan to the God Squad." The others clapped and cheered in congratulations, until their leader raised an arm to signal them to calm down. "Now, this is the situation, people. Nemesis' daughter Electra has managed to capture Thanatos, and she's using him to gain power with every death. And unfortunately, there's a lot of that going on around here. So, we need to fight off any minions that get in our way, free Thanatos, and stop Electra, hopefully without us all dying in the process." Several of the others chuckled at this. "Once Chaser returns from her scouting, we'll come up with a plan."

"Quick question?" Mauler's brother spoke up, raising his hand.

"What is it, Fury?"

"I thought your mother was going to help us out. Why'd she just send the new guy?"

"Lady Athena said that the gods are forbidden to interfere in this conflict because there are demigods fighting on both sides," Spartan explained. "Any direct action would risk escalating the situation, so sending me was the best she could do under these conditions."

"I trust this guy, and I can vouch for his skills," Archon spoke up, placing a hand on Spartan's shoulder. "This is a serious threat we're facing, and we'll need everyone we've got."

"Hey guys, I'm back!" Everyone turned to face the new arrival, that being a slim, sandy haired girl who was lightly armoured, like a scout.

"Chaser, what've you got for us?" Archon asked.

"Electra's bunkered down here," she said, rolling out a map of the city and a set of blue prints on one of the tables. "Thick walls with only one entrance, guards, lots of guns, etc. I saw a few trucks go through, and security seemed a bit lax with checking them out, so if we can steal one we should be able to bullshit our way through the front gate. Inside, the place is loaded with soldiers, they've got demigods, and I'm pretty sure I saw a couple of Artemis' Hunters. I wasn't able to get in close to Electra or Thanatos, but I know he's chained up in here." Chaser pointed at one of the higher floors on the blue prints.

Archon proceeded to question her about what she'd seen, asking for certain details, and discussing with his comrades. "Everyone, this is it," Archon declared once they'd established a plan of action. "Last chance to back out before we go jumping in the lion's den."

No one said anything for several seconds, until finally Mauler spoke up loudly. "Come on, let's just go out and kill this lion already!"

Everything and everyone suddenly seemed to freeze, leaving only Spartan and Archon untouched. Archon's helmet fell to the ground as he turned to face Spartan, who was horrified to see his friend's face literally melting until there was nothing left but his skull. Spartan found himself unable to move as his friend slowly advanced on him, letting out a low, guttural moan. "Whyyyy….?"

"I… I…" Hector stuttered, somehow rooted to the spot, unable to tear his gaze away.

"Youuuuuu let me diiiiiiiiiiieeeee…" the skeletal warrior moaned.

"No, I didn't… I…" Whatever words he meant to say were caught in his throat. The body known as Archon/Jason grabbed a spear, thrust forward…

And then Hector woke up.

Flashback end

Hector gasped as he woke up in Zatanna's bed. A rustling of bedsheets accompanied by a feminine groan soon brought him back to reality. Through sleepy eyes he saw Zatanna, undisturbed by his awakening, lying on her back next to him, the bedsheets covering just enough of her breasts for her to be considered decent. A dark haired teenage boy then walked in the room. "Hey, Zatanna. I…" He trailed off mid-sentence as he caught sight of Zatanna and Hector in bed together, their clothes strewn about on the floor.

Unfortunately for the young man, Hector's mind was still hazy from sleep and the nightmare he'd just had, because he instinctively grabbed a lamp from the nightstand and threw it at him. The lamp flew through the air and collided squarely with his forehead, knocking him out cold. Hector craned his neck to look at the teenager lying on the floor, then he looked at Zatanna's face, then him, and then Zatanna again. "Uh oh," Hector muttered, an eery feeling creeping over him as he noticed something of a resemblance between the two. "Zee," he said, gently shaking her shoulder. The magician merely made some unintelligible sound in response and rolled onto her lover, draping herself over him. "Zee, wake up," he tried again, shaking her a little harder.

"I don't wanna," Zatanna replied drowsily, nuzzling her face against his. "I'm comfy like this."

"Zee…"

"I can't go again so soon," she muttered. "I'm too tired… and sore. You *yawn*… screwed me so hard, I don't think I can walk."

Hector let out an embarrassed cough at this. "Not what I meant."

"How many times did we *yawn*… do it last night anyway?"

"Zee…" Hector pleaded.

"Alright, alright." Zatanna gave him a sloppy kiss, almost missing his lips entirely due to her drowsy state, then rolled off of him and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Zee, you mentioned you have a cousin, right?"

"Uh huh. Zachary. What about im?"

"I may have just knocked him out with a lamp."

"What?" Zatanna propped herself up on her elbows and looked in the direction Hector was pointing, where she saw her younger cousin unconscious on the floor. The magician lay there in stunned silence for a moment, looking at her cousin, then Hector, then her cousin, and then Hector again, an incredulous expression on her face. "Seriously…?" Hector gave her an awkward look, clearly embarrassed by the situation. "Oh god. This was not how I pictured this introduction."

"Umm… oops?"

Just outside, in the early hours of the morning, a rough looking blond man dressed like a biker with sunglasses was standing on the other side of the street, arms crossed and tapping his foot as he looked at Shadowcrest. The man didn't blink as wisps of smoke rose from the ground next to him and coalesced into the form of a grey haired man with a tired look on his face. "Well? Did you get it done?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got through to him," Morpheus replied in a bored tone. "The house may be protected by magic, but dreams are my speciality."

"Good."

"You know… you really are a sore loser, doing all this just because you lost a bet."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," Ares snapped at him. "So just keep your mouth shut and don't tell anyone… especially Aphrodite. If she finds out I spoiled her little brother's 'moment of glory'… well, she ain't gonna be happy."

After Hector and Zatanna had gotten dressed, they'd done a quick check to make sure Zachary wasn't too badly injured, then Hector had picked him up and followed Zatanna to the kitchen, gently setting him down in a chair where she'd proceeded to wake him up. An awkward moment had followed, with Zachary moaning about 'getting the license plate of the truck that hit him', then taking the ice pack Zatanna offered and holding it to his throbbing head, while Hector awkwardly avoided his gaze. Zatanna introduced Hector to her cousin, awkwardly explaining that he was her boyfriend, then at her prompt (aka: elbowing him in the side) Hector offered an awkward apology for throwing the lamp at him, explaining that he hadn't been entirely awake, and that unfortunately Zachary had just walked in at the wrong time. Zachary muttered a sarcastic comment at this ("Yeah. No kidding."), at which Zatanna had jumped in and asked what he was doing here in the first place. Zachary explained that he'd wanted to borrow a book, and so she escorted him to the library while Hector offered to cook breakfast. Zachary thanked her for helping him find the book once they were done, but declined her awkward invitation to eat with them. With his departure, Zatanna returned to the kitchen where Hector soon finished making an omelet, and they sat down together to eat in awkward silence.

"…"

"…"

"… It's good," Zatanna commented.

"… Thanks."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… Well, that was awkward," Hector said.

"You're telling me. I just hope my cousin doesn't tell anyone. This isn't exactly something I'd like my friends in the league to know about, especially Flash. If he finds out, he'll probably tell everyone, and before you know it the whole Watchtower's gonna be laughing."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Hector offered Zatanna an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for making such a mess."

"It'll be alright, but… what happened? Did you have a nightmare or something?"

"Yeah… I did."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hector took a few deep breaths as he thought about what to say. "Do you remember hearing about the civil war in Vlatava?"

"Yeah, about 9 or 10 years ago, I think."

"When I was younger I had a friend named Jason. To be honest, he was the first real friend I ever had. I didn't have much of a childhood growing up in the gutters of Gotham City, and for a while after I was adopted I focused on training and studies, but Jason helped me just… be a kid. We'd known each other for years, and we got along great, but… Jason got caught up in the fighting in Vlatava, and, well…" Hector was quiet for a moment as he relived certain memories. Zatanna reached out to hold his hand, giving him a sympathetic smile. "I still remember the day he died. My family lived in South Africa back then, and for a while I had dreams where I was next to him when… yeah."

"I'm sorry for bringing up an unpleasant memory," Zatanna said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay, Zee. It's not your fault."

As the two of them moved onto more pleasant conversation, Hector couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for deceiving her, even though he hadn't actually lied. However, despite this, he still wasn't ready to reveal this side of his life to Zatanna, and so he decided to keep the truth from her.

Later that day, Cassandra was sitting in the school library during lunch break, looking at the online edition of the Daily Planet, which she had a subscription for. She eventually found Clark Kent's article about her brother and began to read it. It described the events of the evening when Hector had been shot, applauding his reckless courage in the face of danger, and his willingness to sacrifice himself to protect his sister. Clark had clearly spoken to Detective Decker, since he mentioned her in the article, and had included a few words from her. When Cassandra finished she was smiling, happy to see her brother portrayed as the hero she saw him as. She then printed off the article in question, but when she went to collect it from the printer, it was accompanied by another page with a message addressed to her. When she was finished reading it, she paused for a few seconds, then squealed in excitement, causing the librarian to shush her. Cassandra mouthed 'sorry' to the librarian, then looked back at the message in time to see the letters vanish, leaving only a blank page.

"To: Cassandra Anderson, demigod daughter of Hecate (goddess of magic, ghosts, and half a dozen other things).

Heya, munchkin, how's it going? I hope you don't have any plans for the weekend, because the big man's decided to let you see your mom. If you're wondering why, Hera asked your brother to help out Wonder Woman's sister, and in exchange she agreed to try to convince her husband to change his mind. Well, he changed his mind alright, and let me tell you, for a couple that's been married for thousands of years, they can still go at it like it's nobody's business. Anyway, I'll come around your place to pick you up Friday after school, so be sure to pack a bag and tell your friends you're going camping, or visiting a family friend, or make up some other excuse, since it's probably a bad idea to tell people that you're going to visit your mom who's supposedly dead, but in reality is actually a goddess from Greek mythology.

Sincerely,

Uncle Marc/Hermes (god of travellers, thieves, and all that good stuff) :-)

P.S: This message will explode in 30 seconds… just kidding, but it will vanish once you're done reading it."

In the meantime, Hector had finally gone back to work. News of the events that lead to his hospitalization had spread until everyone knew about it. Most of his coworkers congratulated him on his recovery, while a few bothered him for further details, which he patiently provided. When his break arrived, he took the chance to slip outside for a breath of fresh air, only for his phone to alert him to an incoming call. "Hello?"

"Hey Hector," Dick's voice was heard from the other end of the line. "How's it going?"

"I'm fine. I just returned to work today, but I'm on break now. What about you?"

"I can't complain. So listen, there's a medieval fair happening in Star City this weekend, and they're gonna have a LARPing tournament. Some friends and I were planing to enter the tournament, but unfortunately one of my friends can't make it. Since our team's already signed up and everything, I was wondering if you wanted to take his place. I mean, assuming you don't have any plans already."

"It sounds interesting, but I don't have a ride, or a place to stay in Star City."

"My brother and I are driving to Star City Friday afternoon, so we could pick you up along the way. Plus, you can stay with us at our friend's place."

"Sure, if your friend doesn't mind having me over…"

"No worries. I'll talk to him about it, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Roy's pretty chill."

"In that case yeah, I'll go. Anything I need to know about the tournament?"

"I'll send you an e-mail with the details, but basically our team's dressing up as characters from Robin Hood, and we're calling ourselves 'Robin Hood and the Merry People'. I'm Robin Hood, my brother's Friar Tuck, my friends are Will Scarlett and Maid Marion, and you'll be Little John."

"I should be able to put something together. Thanks for the invite, Dick."

"No problem. I'll see you on Friday."

"See you then. Bye."

Fast forward to Friday afternoon, Hermes had appeared in the apartment to bring Cassandra to Mount Olympus. Hector had hugged her goodbye and suggested a few useful magical skills that she could ask her mother to teach her, but told her to enjoy their time together. Cassandra had hugged him back and told him to have fun in Star City, then she'd taken Hermes' hand and the two of them had vanished. Not long after, Hector heard someone knocking, and upon opening the door he saw Dick waiting for him. "Hector," Dick greeted him with a handshake. "You look well."

"Thanks. I'm feeling a lot better these days."

"Glad to hear that. You have an outfit for your character?"

"Yeah, I've got all my stuff right here," Hector said, picking up a backpack he'd prepared beforehand. "You want anything to eat or drink before we go?"

"No thanks," Dick declined politely. "We've got food in the car, and it's a long drive ahead of us, so we'd better get going." The two of them walked out of the apartment, Hector locking the door behind him, and made their way down to Dick's car, where a man with messy black hair and wearing a leather jacket was sitting in the passenger's seat, apparently taking a nap. "Jason!" Dick spoke up once he was settled in the driver's seat and Hector was in the back.

"What?" he replied grumpily, opening his eyes to look at him.

"This is Hector Anderson," Dick said, pointing his thumb at Hector. "He's gonna be Little John since Mal can't make it."

"Hello," Hector greeted Jason, extending a hand towards him.

Jason looked at him for a moment as if sizing him up, then turned around to shake his hand, squeezing perhaps a little harder than strictly necessary. "Hey."

"And this is my charming brother, Jason Todd," Dick piped up as he began to drive. "Don't mind him though, he's just grumpy because he stayed up late last night."

"Remind me again why I'm doing this?" Jason asked, sounding like Dick had dragged him into it against his will.

"Because we're brothers, you love me and it's a good bonding experience," Dick teased him, smiling all the while. "And because there's a prize for the winning team."

"And why do I have to be Friar Tuck? Why can't I be Robin Hood instead?"

"This whole thing was my idea, so I get to be Robin Hood." Dick's smile became mischievous as a thought popped into his brain. "I mean, if Mia's willing to trade with you, I'm sure you'd make a great Maid Marion."

"… Fine, I'll be Friar Tuck, but I'm not shaving my head." Jason then noticed that Hector had been looking at him with a curious expression. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Hmm? No, I was just thinking about a friend of mine. His name was Jason too."

"Was?" Jason asked, an eyebrow raised in question. "What? Is he dead?"

"Yeah," Hector replied curtly.

"… That sucks. What happened?"

"… I don't wanna talk about it."

A tense silence hung about in the car for a moment, until Dick reached over and smacked his adoptive brother in the shoulder. "… I'm sorry, that was rude," Jason admitted with some reluctance.

"It's fine," Hector said dismissively. "You didn't know, plus it happened a long time ago." Unbeknownst to them, Hector was more preoccupied with the fact that his earring had gone cold since he'd stepped in the car, similar to when he'd met Jason Blood. However, unlike the icy cold he'd felt back then, this time it was more of a dull throbbing sensation, fluctuating in its intensity, though it was more pronounced when he shook Jason's hand.

'You're a strange man, Jason Todd…' Hector thought to himself. 'And you've been touched by death.'

Flashback

Removed from the civilians hiding in fear, through the ruined streets marred by blood, bodies and rubble, stood one of the tallest buildings in the city. As Chaser had described, sturdy walls surrounded the premises, with a single security gate through which people could enter or leave. Soldiers in full combat gear with machine guns, grenades and heavy weapons were posted at the gate and throughout the complex, and overall the place seemed like a veritable fortress. However, the God Squad had ambushed one of their trucks earlier and a couple of them had disguised themselves as soldiers while the others hid in the back. Then they'd driven up to the front gate, and as the daughter of Hermes had predicted, they'd managed to talk their way through. Stealth was soon abandoned when they reached the entrance to the building proper, their way blocked by a pair of steel security doors. This obstacle proved little match for the twin cyclopses, who simply peeled it back with their bare hands, leaving large fingerprints in the metal.

From there the God Squad charged into the building, meeting the soldiers defending the complex who bunkered down and shot at them. Gunfire, explosions, shouts, and screams of the dying mixed together in a symphony of war and destruction. The young warriors cut through the soldiers' armour and bodies in showers of blood, while their cyclops companions struck with powerful blows, hitting hard enough to send men flying like rag dolls. "We need to hurry the fuck up!" Mauler shouted as he and Spartan charged at a group of soldiers. "The longer we waste on the small fry, the more powerful Electra gets!"

"You think I don't know that!?" Spartan shouted back at him, jumping up at one soldier and bashing him in the face with his shield. He rolled forward as the man fell down, then lunged at the soldier behind him, slicing open his stomach.

Mauler let out a barking laughter as he jammed his sword in the fallen soldier's throat, then picked up his gun and emptied it out at another three soldiers, before dropping the weapon and drawing his sword from it's bloody sheath. "Suck it, Spartan! You're just-" Mauler was silenced when a silver arrow went through his eye and into his head, killing him instantly. Another arrow glanced off of Spartan's helmet, since he'd happened to turn his head towards his brother in arms to fire off an insult, without which he would've met the same fate.

Two women with silver bows stood on the level above, ready to fire again at the warriors down below, with several regular soldiers moving to support them. Seeing the threat, Archon immediately called out to his comrades. "Everyone, lock shields!" The warriors banded together with shields raised, though not before the archers shot down another of them. "Spartan, Goldeneye, return fire! Chaser, get up there!"

"I'm on it!" Chaser called out as Spartan switched out for his bow and arrows, him and another boy shooting from behind their companions' shields. As they kept them occupied, the girl jumped into the hands of one of the cyclopses, who threw her up onto the second level. One of the soldiers panicked when he saw Chaser dashing at them with preternatural speed and agility, scrambling to reload his weapon, only to end up with a knife lodged in his throat. She ducked and rolled as one of the archers fired at her, the arrow whizzing just over her head, and grabbed the dead soldier, holding him up as a makeshift shield. Two more arrows hit the corpse before she reached the rest of her enemies, dropping the body and lunging at them with a knife in each hand. Between her flashing blades and Spartan and Goldeneye's arrows, the archers and soldiers were quickly decimated.

The warriors had little time to celebrate, as they soon spotted more enemies coming at them, these ones with similar armour and weapons as their own. Seeing their foes banded together, Archon quickly barked out an order. "Spartan, light em up!"

Spartan immediately dropped his bow and pulled out his golden spear, pointing it at the rival warriors and mentally channeling his anger into the weapon. Lightning surged from the spearpoint, closing the distance in an instant and slamming into the middle of their enemies, knocking several off their feet. The rest of the God Squad let out a war cry and charged, taking advantage of their stunned enemies and driving into the gap in their formation. A short but fierce melee erupted, in which they emerged victorious, suffering no additional casualties, but several nasty injuries. "What was that?" someone asked.

"A gift from Zeus," Spartan explained as they took a very brief moment to bind their more serious wounds. "It shoots lightning when I get angry."

"We don't have much time to waste," Jason reminded them. "Anyone who can walk, get moving." They quickly finished tending to their injuries as best they could, then marched deeper into the building, hoping to stop the threat in time.

Flashback end

"We're here," Dick called out as they parked in a driveway late at night. He looked at the others, only to realize that both had their arms crossed, heads tilted forward and were snoozing. "Wake up!" he said louder.

"Huh, what?" Jason muttered, eyes blinking open.

"Jeez, you guys are boring travelling companions," Dick whined.

"Sorry, Dick," Hector apologized as they got out of the car. The three of them grabbed their things from the trunk and walked up to the front door where Dick knocked three times, but not too loudly.

A ginger haired man answered the door shortly after. "Hey guys, you finally made it," he spoke softly. "Come in, but try not to make too much noise. Lian's sleeping." He then stepped aside to allow the three of them to enter. "How was the drive?"

"We would've gotten here faster if Dick had let me drive instead," Jason complained.

"Or we would've gotten arrested for breaking a dozen traffic laws," Dick shot back.

Roy chuckled at the brothers' antics, then turned to face Hector, giving him a quick look up and down. "You must be Hector Anderson, right? I'm Roy Harper."

"Pleasure to meet you, Roy," Hector greeted him politely, grasping his hand in a firm grip.

"Same here," Roy said as he returned the handshake, making note of his strength. "So, I heard from Dick that you're a pretty good archer. At least, he mentioned you said something like that."

"I practiced a lot when I was younger, and I go out hunting with a bow every year," Hector explained, trying to sound modest about it. "I can show you a photo of the moose I caught last year, if you like."

"Sure." Hector took out his phone and scrolled through his photos for a moment. Roy, Dick and Jason all leaned in to look as he showed them one of himself in the woods, dressed in a hunting outfit with a bow in hand and a quiver strapped to his back, crouched next to a dead moose. He also showed them a close up of the moose, displaying the arrow that had gone straight through it's eye.

"Not bad," Jason commented casually, sounding at least a little bit impressed, if not too much. "You must have at least some talent to pull off a shot like that."

"It's already late, so why don't we wait until tomorrow to see for ourselves what he can do, yeah?" Dick suggested, laying an arm around his brother's shoulders. Jason shrugged off the offending limb, which caused Dick to give him a fake pouting look.

"Anyway…" Roy spoke up. "Two of you can take the guest rooms, but someone will have to sleep on the couch."

"I'm fine with the couch," Hector offered, forestalling any potential argument about who'd get the guest rooms.

"Great. There's extra blankets in the closet down the hall if it gets too cold for you," Roy said, letting out a yawn, tired from staying up late waiting for them. "We'll have an early breakfast in the morning before we head out, so try not to stay up late fellas. Good night."

Far, far away from here, Cassandra and Hecate were walking side by side through a forest in the middle of the night. The teenager wore a white gown, sandals and looked like an Ancient Greek princess, courtesy of Aphrodite. "Mom," Cassandra piped up as they moved along, followed by several torches that floated in a circle around them, providing ample illumination to see where they were going.

"Yes, Cassandra?" Hecate replied calmly. Though she stayed focused on the path ahead of them, the eyes of her maiden's face looked at her daughter next to her.

"Where are we going? And why did you have to wake me up in the middle of the night and take me away from Olympus for a walk in the woods? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy we have this chance to spend time together, but… why?"

"Are you scared?" Hecate asked as she gently lay a hand on Cassandra's shoulder, a touch of motherly concern in her voice. "Nothing will hurt you, I promise."

"Thanks, but I still don't get what we're doing here."

"You wanted to learn magic, did you not? Tell me, have you ever heard of 'the witching hour'?"

"Isn't it after midnight, and has to do with demons, ghosts and stuff?" Cassandra asked. Despite knowing that she was perfectly safe, she couldn't help but feel a little creeped out being in a dark forest at night.

"It's more than just that," Hecate explained patiently as they came up to a clearing in the forest, where they could see the cloudy sky. "You see, there are times, places and circumstances under which magic is naturally more powerful. And since we only have a few days together, the best way to teach you magic is to immerse you into it. Come, sit down." Hecate motioned to the middle of the clearing where seven stones were arranged in a perfect circle, each engraved with strange symbols.

Cassandra hesitated for a moment. "Are you… sure about this?" she asked, uncertainty in her voice.

"Trust me, dear," Hecate said, resting her hands on her daughter's shoulders and looking down at her with a reassuring smile on her motherly face. "You are a child of magic. You have nothing to be afraid of." Comforted by her mother's words, Cassandra sat down in the centre of the circle with her legs crossed in the lotus position, hands resting on her knees. "Try to focus."

Cassandra tried to calm down, like she was meditating, and began speaking an incantation. "Etati-"

"No, no, no," Hecate interrupted insistently. "No words."

"But I need to say the words to use magic," Cassandra protested, looking up at her mother.

The goddess clicked her tongue disapprovingly at this. "Magic isn't all about saying a bunch of words backwards," Hecate lectured her daughter. "We'll get around to working on spells and incantations later, but for now, I just want you to focus."

"Okay mom. Whatever you say." Cassandra tried to focus again, frowning in concentration. She remained quiet for a couple minutes, nothing happening safe the sound of crickets in the woods. "It's not working!" she finally declared in frustration, looking up at her mother again. "I'm just not feeling it."

"Cassandra, relax," Hecate insisted. "Calm down, close your eyes, and I'll guide you." Cassandra did as her divine mother bade her, closing her eyes and trying to relax. "Listen to me, focus on my voice, hear my words. Breathe… breathe slowly… breathe deeply. Feel the air as it fills your lungs, giving you life. Feel the ground beneath you holding you up… the grass brushing against your feet. Feel the chill of the night… the goosebumps on your arms… the shiver that runs up and down your spine. Now… open your mind, and feel the magic."

"I… I feel something…" Cassandra muttered, overcome by a strange, inexplicable sensation.

"Good… You may look."

As Cassandra opened her eyes, she found her breath taken away. The clouds had parted and the full moon, which seemed especially large, was shining down brightly, bathing the area in its light. The grass and trees swayed, even though there wasn't the slightest breeze. The torches danced in the air, flames flickering as if they were alive. The rocks were floating as well, symbols glowing with purple light. And the air was alive with magical energy. "Whoa…"

"Well done Cassandra!" Hecate said with a smile full of pride.

"Is this really… me?" the teenage girl asked, face alight with wonder. "You're not doing this, are you?"

"I'm not doing anything. This is all you."

As Cassandra marvelled at the majesty of it all, she suddenly realized that she was feeling weightless, and upon looking down she saw that she was levitating. "Eep!" In an instant the air returned to normal, the grass, trees and torches stopped moving, the glowing symbols faded, and the rocks, not to mention Cassandra herself, dropped to the ground. "Owwww." Hecate cackled as Cassandra rubbed her sore buttocks, her crone's face smiling in amusement at her daughter's misfortune. "Mom! That's not funny!" Cassandra protested indignantly.

"I'm sorry Cassandra," Hecate apologized. "If it's any consolation, you were doing great. Come now, the night is still young. Let's try again, shall we?"

Hope you liked it, please review if you have any comments, suggestions or criticisms to offer. It's fine if you don't like my story, just don't be an a** about it.

Working on part 2, shouldn't be all that long (at least in comparison).