Chapter 32
Let's Work Together...
Having the ground collapse under your feet was never a good feeling. And then being dropped into a jungle was even more concerning. Especially when you swore up and down that you were just in the northernmost reaches of Canada before falling.
Pulling himself out of the river, Polybius looked around to see the other Titans on the ground, and Doctor Light nowhere to be seen.
Meeting up with the rest of his team, they collectively decided to go ahead and begin searching the jungle for Doctor Light. He needed to be brought down despite the exceptionally random and potentially hostile environment.
This led them to run into a group of living dinosaurs, a pack of raptors. They quickly surrounded the team, and fear overcame all of them except Polybius.
Beast Boy, after being told by Starfire to communicate with them, morphed into one and had a brief conversation with them.
"They want to eat us." Beast Boy said.
Without skipping a beat, the entire team jumped behind Polybius.
"Go get them, Polybius!" Cyborg said as the team shoved him towards the raptors.
Polybius looked at the raptors and pulled out his ax. He held it firm in one hand and got ready to battle.
The mute Titan wouldn't end up battling the raptors as two people suddenly jumped in and rescued them.
Meanwhile, back on Paradise Island, Donna sat in her room to catch her breath. Her mother had grilled her hard about having not seen her for the past several days, but somehow, Donna managed to convince her mother that she hadn't snuck off. How her mother didn't figure out what she was really doing was far beyond her.
However, now that she was in the clear and a lot of stress subsided, her mind traveled back to Polybius. Specifically, her conversation about him with Starfire. And how she had accidentally declared that she loved him.
Donna laid down in her bed and began to think about her friendship with Polybius. And she was very quick to realize that when she compared the way she felt about Polybius versus her other best friend, Zenobia, she felt very differently towards them.
When it came to Zenobia or any of the other Titans for that matter, she felt okay around them. However, when she even thought about Polybius, she automatically felt better, regardless of what was going on. She felt far closer to him than she did anybody else at that moment in time, even her own mother.
"Maybe I am in love." Donna said, still not entirely sure if she was.
That being said, her mother had long preached that love outside of family had to involve sex. And Donna had no interest in that at all. It wasn't that Polybius was ugly, by no means. It's just ever since Montezuma had sexually abused her, she was too scared to even try it.
Nobody knew about Montezuma's sexual abuse towards her. She told nobody, not even Polybius. While he hadn't put his dick in her, he did do a lot of other things that hurt her. Donna remembered many times where he would shove something inside her pussy or worse, ass. He loved doing that, and she hated it. She would cry endlessly when he did it to her, and she felt so violated because of it.
However, thinking back to something Raven had told her, followed up by what Polybius had declared on the way back. She remembered him saying he lacked reproductive organs. Assuming this was true, then she would never have to fear that from him. And that didn't disrupt the aura of safety she felt when she was around him.
However, going back to her original point, Donna felt no sexual attraction to him. This made Donna question if love and romance could exist without sex. She wondered if it was possible to love somebody, not family, in a non-sexual way.
Back up north, Polybius sat outside the house and watched two dinosaurs fight over a carcass. It was quite cool and amusing to watch. Better than Jurassic Park, that was for sure in the mute's mind.
Meanwhile, outside of his earshot range, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg were sitting on the ground and talking.
"So, she really said she loved him!?" Beast Boy asked in a hushed tone.
"She did!" Starfire assured them.
"What are you three talking about?" Robin asked as he and Raven approached them.
"Hush!" The three in question quickly hushed, catching the two off guard.
"What are you talking about?" Robin then asked in a more hushed tone.
"Tell em Star." Cyborg encouraged.
"Donna said she loved Polybius." Starfire said.
"Really!?" Both Robin and Raven questioned.
Starfire nodded.
"Now, we gotta hook them up." Cyborg said.
"Totally!" Beast Boy agreed.
"Now, hold up." Raven said, "Starfire, did you force her to say that?"
"No." Starfire quickly replied, "She said it of her own free will."
"Come on, Rae." Cyborg said, "Donna is the perfect girl for him.
"I can't help but agree." Robin said, "They seem almost made for each other."
"And what about Polybius?" Raven asked.
"Polybius needs a girlfriend in his life." Cyborg said, "Dude is so anti-dating and stuff, having Donna as his girl will open him up."
"Yeah!" Beast Boy said, "He won't be such a stickler for that kind of stuff."
"I don't think so." Raven said, "He seems to stand pretty strong against that kind of stuff."
"He is." Starfire said, "But it is not like Polybius to say no. And I bet we can get Donna to ask him out on a date, he would say yes! And they would make the cutest couple!"
"Yeah." Robin agreed, "Getting those two together would be a good thing for both of them."
"If you say so." Raven said.
"You know Rae, you could use a boyfriend too." Cyborg teased, causing Raven to tense up.
"No, I don't." Raven spat back quickly.
"Then help us hook them up, and we won't give you crap about it." Beast Boy said.
Raven groaned and sighed.
"Fine." Raven agreed.
However, what none of them knew is that other people were listening in on their conversation. Aside from Kole and Gnarrk, who weren't really paying attention to them, other figures were listening in.
Both Darkbius and Hostbius stood only five feet away from them as they listened to them talk.
"What do we do about this?" Hostbius asked Darkbius.
"I already got that figured out." Darkbius replied, "Just follow my lead."
Meanwhile, back on Paradise Island, Donna was scrolling through her phone. Cyborg wasn't kidding when he said they could get signals anywhere. Going to the Titan's Twitter page, Donna began scrolling through posts. She stopped at one she wasn't aware was taken.
The picture was of Polybius and Donna sitting together on the couch. She had a smile and was laughing while Polybius was also smiling. The caption at the bottom was a simple question.
'Should these two hook up?'
Heading over to the comments, Donna began reading them. Almost all of them were chanting that they should hook up. Some were surprised that they weren't already a thing. And a few said other rude things, but the general consensus was clear, the internet thought they should become a couple.
Meanwhile, back up north, Polybius continued to watch dinosaurs fight over things. It was quite amusing to him.
"Hey?" He heard a voice ask.
Looking back, he saw Kole walking up to him.
"Polybius. Right?" She questioned.
The mute nodded.
"Got it." Kole said, "I think your friends are looking for you."
Polybius just waved it off. This clearly caught Kole off guard, and she had a confused look grow across her face.
"Are you not going to go join them?" Kole asked.
The mute shook his head.
"Why?" Kole questioned, "If you don't mind me asking."
What Kole didn't know, was that Darkbius was sitting right next to Polybius talking to him as well.
"Cause they don't want good things for him." Darkbius answered, only for Polybius to hear.
The mute shook his head.
"That's alright." Kole said, "I'll respect your privacy. However, I think they want to get with you so they can move out."
"Yeah, you should really get going." Darkbius said, "Go run off and get yourself hurt."
The mute stood up and began making his way to the Titans. They were his ride out of here, so he did need to leave with them.
As Polybius marched off, Darkbius stood by and watched him go. He smiled as he knew his work was done.
"You think she really loves him?" Hostbius asked.
"Yes." Darkbius said.
"And do you think she'll come to terms with it?" Hostbius asked.
"Yes." Darkbius repeated.
"And what about Polybius?" Hostbius asked.
"I'm not sure." Darkbius answered, "He certainly cares for her, more than his teammates, that is for certain. However, when it comes to love, I don't think he looks at her in that light. At least, not yet."
Meanwhile, back on Paradise Island, Donna had put down her phone and went outside for a walk. She needed to clear her head and stop thinking about this.
However, as she walked, she ran into her long time friend, Zenobia.
"Hey Donna!" Zenobia greeted, "How's it going?"
"Better than yesterday." Donna replied.
"That's good to hear!" Zenobia replied, "I've gotta say, not seeing you for a couple days was really concerning."
"Ah, well, you know. Just had to get away." Donna said, "Ever since I went to man's world, I have missed it."
"And Polybius?" Zenobia teased.
"Yeah." Donna replied.
"Want to go see what he's doing?" Zenobia offered.
"At the well?" Donna asked.
"Of course!" Zenobia said.
"But won't my Mom get mad if she catches me, or anyone else for that matter, even looking at him?" Donna asked.
"Oh don't worry about that." Zenobia told her, "Like your Mom pays much attention to you these days. Otherwise, she would have figured out you have been sneaking off of the island to go play hero."
Donna's blood ran cold when her friend said that.
"But don't worry." Zenobia said, "Your secret's safe with me."
"You better not tell anyone!" Donna said, "I will get in a lot of trouble for that."
"I know." Zenobia replied, "But I don't think your Mom's gonna figure it out. Well, if she didn't figure it out when you vanished for more than a few days, then I think you're safe."
"I hope you're right." Donna said.
"Come!" Zenobia said, taking her friend's hand, "Let's go check out what Polybius is doing!"
Rushing up to the well, it wasn't long until they had an image of Polybius. He stood waist-deep in snow and had a look of anger on his face.
"What's he upset about?" Donna asked out loud.
The two teenage girls watched as a wave of snow hit him. He got showered in snow that moved the line from his waist to his chest.
"Upset that he's stuck in the snow." Zenobia said, "I've always wondered what snow looked like. Have you actually seen snow, Donna?"
"No." Donna replied, "Although Polybius is from a place called Alaska. He says that they get a lot of snow, and it's nothing to be excited about."
"Really?" Zenobia asked.
"Yeah." Donna replied, "He also said with how far north he lived, there was also a long part of the year where the sun never rises, and a part where night never comes up."
"Wow!" Zenobia said, "I wonder how that works?"
"I know Polybius has explained it to me before." Donna said, "I'll tell you about it later."
"Cool." Zenobia replied.
The girls then watched as Starfire pulled him out of the snow and then launched him with his modern ax in hand.
"I thought you said he had powers?" Zenobia asked.
"He does." Donna said.
"Then, what are they?" Zenobia asked, "Cause to me, all it looks like is that he doesn't."
"His powers hurt him." Donna explained, "So rather than use them, he acts more like Robin and uses weapons. However, when push comes to shove, Polybius's powers are something not to be messed with."
"I was about to say, because didn't he fight Diana to a draw?" Zenobia asked.
"I'd say he won." Donna said, "Because if she hadn't gotten medical attention immediately, and if Polybius hadn't volunteered to give her the blood she needed, she wouldn't be alive right now."
"Wow! Really!?" Zenobia asked in disbelief.
"Yep!" Donna said, "I've seen some of the videos. He really did put up a hard fight."
"You gotta show me that someday." Zenobia said.
"I will." Donna assured her.
Looking back into the well, the two girls watched as Polybius took a hit by a beam of light. He didn't seem even phased by it as he kept charging.
"I know you said he was tough." Zenobia said, "But it looks like he's tougher than nails."
"Oh he is." Donna said, "I've seen him take hits that would leave me in shambles."
"Amazing." Zenobia commented, "He really is something else."
"Yeah…" Donna agreed as they continued to watch him fight.
As they did, Zenobia looked up at Donna and saw she had a rather dreamy look in her eyes. Zenobia could tell by her facial expression when looking at him that she was very into him.
"Donna?" Zenobia asked.
Donna didn't respond.
"Donna." Zenobia said louder.
No response.
"Donna!" Zenobia shouted.
"What!?" Donna asked a little surprised by the loudness of her tone.
Zenobia laughed for a brief moment before saying, "I think you're in love with him."
"Bah!" Donna said "Don't be crazy. He's just my best friend off the island. That's all."
"Oh, please." Zenobia said, "You totally love him, and you know it."
"Sush!" Donna said, "Don't say that out loud!"
Zenobia giggled.
"My lips are sealed." Zenobia assured her.
"Thank you." Donna said.
"But I'm totally gonna use that as blackmail against you later." Zenobia assured her.
"I would expect nothing less from you." Donna replied.
Looking back at the well, the two girls saw Polybius get blasted by another wave of snow. While the two didn't know who he was fighting, they could tell that their only means of keeping Polybius back was to blast him with snow, so he would be forced to stop and cover his exposed face. And with a massive enough blast, it would force him back.
"I don't know who he is fighting, but they are not winning." Zenobia said.
"If that's their only way to keep Polybius back, then yeah." Donna agreed, "It's only a matter of time before Polybius closes in on them."
However, this wouldn't happen as Polybius seemed to lower his guard. He then stood by and watched whatever was going on in front of him. It wasn't long after that that the mute Titan pumped his fist into the air in a sign of victory.
"Looks like they won." Zenobia said.
"Of course, they did." Donna said, "They always win."
"Do they?" Zenobia asked, not quite fully believing her.
"They may not win every battle, but the Titans will win the war." Donna corrected.
"There you go." Zenobia said.
Meanwhile, back in Jump City, a new string of events were being set in motion.
"Nathan!" The voice called out.
"Yes?" Nathan asked, total monotone.
"So I've got a job for you." The voice said.
"And what would that be?" Nathan asked.
"Just do as I say, and this will all work out." The voice ordered.
Meanwhile, back up north, Polybius and the team headed back to the ship. Once there, Robin began talking to them.
"Alright, team. Listen up." Robin said, gaining everybody's attention, "I was thinking on our way back, and our recruitment efforts are going too slowly. I think it is best if we split up to speed this process up."
"Good idea." Cyborg quickly agreed, "If we keep getting bogged down like we have been on the last two missions, then there is no way we can get this all done."
The rest of the team quickly agreed to split up and going their separate ways. And as they flew apart, everyone, except Polybius, who was left out of the group chat, was texting back and forth.
'So how are we gonna hook Donna and Polybius up?' Beast Boy texted the group.
'You tell me.' Raven shot back.
'I say when she visits the tower, we get them on a setup date. That way we can force them into it and they realize how much they love each other and then BAM. They're a couple!' Beast Boy replied.
'Let's be a bit more practical here.' Cyborg replied.
'Yeah. Polybius isn't going to do anything he doesn't want to, and will adamantly fight us on it. While it's not a bad idea, we can't make it obvious.' Robin replied.
'I think it is a wonderful idea! But Robin is right, we need to be more subtle.' Starfire added.
'Then it's settled. We'll get them set up a date and get them alone together and help them along the way to loving each other!' Beast Boy declared.
Meanwhile, on a faraway planet, Wonder Woman soon found herself once again tasked out. An alien race decided to invade Earth, and the League had decided that a preemptive strike was the best course of action to take, leaving her unable to respond to any threats on Earth.
However, before leaving, she did take the time to pay a quick visit home. A short three-day venture to check up on Donna, but mostly inform her mother that she would be away for quite some time.
That being said, while Diana knew about Donna sneaking off the island, as she had seen the pictures online, she didn't say anything to their mother. Diana knew how much Donna wanted to be a hero, and she wasn't going to get that chance by sitting at home all day. Getting out there and testing her might be a good thing for her. And if she failed, then Diana knew that both of them could count on Polybius to bring her home safely.
And there you have it! Chapter 32! I hope you enjoyed it and have a wonderful rest of your day!