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LadyAwesome45321: Yes, it was Hypnos. The entire subplot's purpose will be gradually revealed through the story. Thanks for reviewing!
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As Sara lay in bed that night, she missed Ava. They had barely gotten the time to talk and catch each other op on the current events. Due to general chaos at the Time Bureau, Gary had to take over after a while and Sara wasn't in the mood to continue the conversation with him. it was nice to have talked to Ava, but this hadn't been enough. hopefully, when both weren't so busy, they could take a week or four just for themselves. If the timeline allowed it.
Sara fantasized about all the thing she and Ava could do when they were off-duty. A walk around the park, going to see a movie, game night with the Legends (someone was going to lose a finger)… the possibilities were endless, like the darkness that washed over her when she finally fell asleep.
It wasn't a good dream, but it wasn't a nightmare either. The temple was a smaller Parthenon, with its marble pillars and floor. Anything beyond the temple was a miserable grey, and Sara could not see further than the pillars keeping the temple standing. On the other end stood two thrones, with a fire basket on its left and right.
A dark-skinned woman sat on the right-side throne, a proud look in her eyes. The red dress suited her and black curled hair rested upon her shoulders. She started at Sara Lance with interest, who decided at that moment that this woman on the throne was gorgeous.
"Welcome, miss Lance," the woman said in a low and smooth voice.
"Are you a goddess?" Sara asked. She was still wary about the current situation and not in a hurry to come closer to her.
"I am Persephone," the woman on the throne responded. "I am the Queen of the Underworld." Persephone rose from her throne, revealing her height. She would tower over Sara if they stood next to one another. "I needed to talk to you and this is the only way we can communicate without you dying."
"Very thoughtful," Sara said, though she did not quite understand why Persephone couldn't appear in front of her during the day. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and instead focused on the other question at hand: why did the Queen of the Underworld want to talk to her? There was only one reasonable answer to that question.
"Am I your champion?" Sara asked.
Persephone nodded affirmatively after a few moments of silence. "You are my champion," she said, "may your fierce determination be the key to defeating the Giantess and may your team work together better than before."
Sara was honored, but on the other hand, she still had no idea what to expect or what the job entailed. One detail that rushed through her mind was how this blessing was going to work and how the effects were going to manifest - if they ever would manifest. Then there was the fact that Persephone had called her to the Underworld in her dreams (or at least conjured up this image) to announce this news. She was the Queen, she must have better things to do than to appoint a champion. She could have easily sent a messenger, unless Sara needed to know something else.
"Did you want to say anything else?" Sara boldly asked.
"Yes, I did," Persephone said. "My husband has appointed someone outside of your team as his champion. You will need her to defeat the Giantess."
If Sara had wanted to ask who this champion was, no words came out of her mouth. Instead, her mind was pulled in every which way as different names popped into her head. Who could Persephone's husband – the King of the Underworld – have chosen? It could be any one of the women Sara knew. It could be Dinah, Ava, or Caitlin. He could have chosen someone from another earth; Earth-Two Laurel and Supergirl then could join them on the Waverider.
Then Sara was reminded of her vision and her mind leaned more closely towards what she would call an unlikely candidate. Nora would be too obvious, right? Would a god even pay attention to that woman? Would they believe she deserved the title for whatever reason?
"Her name is Nora Darhk," Persephone said. "If I am correct, she is already on your time ship."
Sara nodded, trying not to show her dissatisfaction with this turn of events. "She is." She was not looking forward to working together with Nora Darhk by necessity, especially after that vision where Sara accepted the offer to hold her hand. Which was strange in itself.
"You will be returned to your ship safely," Persephone said. "You will wake in your bed. Good luck."
Sara woke up in her bed, soaking in her own sweat and her breath rigid. She remembered the dream and meeting the goddess of the Underworld sitting on her throne. She remembered Persephone declaring her as her champion and the remainder of the conversation, but nothing else. Persephone's face and features were already fading from her mind and Sara could not at all recall the surroundings.
Maybe it was good she did not remember what the Underworld looked like. In fifty years, hopefully longer, she would find that out for herself.
Then there was the fact that, according to Persephone, they were going to need Nora Darhk if they wanted to defeat the Giantess.
Sara wasn't going to easily fall asleep while still sweating and reeling from what could have easily become a horrifying nightmare. So, she stood up from her bed, washed herself at the sink in her room, got dressed and left her room to visit Nora. Persephone had said Nora had been declared a champion – she should have met the god she was going to represent and explain some things to her. It was always possible Nora knew more about the situation than the Legends did. It would also allow Sara to verify whether Nora was truly selected as a champion or whether that was just part of the nightmare-aspect of her dream.
Sara silently made her way through the dark hallways – Gideon dimmed the lights whenever it was 'nighttime' on the Waverider. Still, there was enough light left for Sara to see where she was going. Within five minutes, Sara was where they were keeping Nora Darhk.
Gideon automatically turned on the lights when Sara walked in. Nora Darhk groaned and rolled her eyes once she had opened them.
"Did you have to visit me at this hour?" Nora asked grumpily. She wasn't going to sit up – she closed her eyes and hoped Sara would take the hint and leave her alone. She could come back in the morning.
But Sara folded her arms and stayed, a determined and curious look on her face. She had to know.
"Are you a champion?" Nora's eyes shot open, a shocked and deeply confused look on her face. She sat up and looked at Sara.
"What did you say?" she asked.
"Are you a champion?" Sara repeated, not changing her stance. She saw this sudden shift in interest as positive, as a sign that Nora knew something.
Nora frowned. "How did you––" She shook her head as if to remind herself there was a good reason for Sara knowing this. For Sara, this only confirmed what she had suspected and that her mind hadn't just added that detail to the dream because of her vision.
"Hades approached me in my dreams," Nora eventually said after moments of silence. "He said he needed me. He said I was going to prevent the world from ending. He made me his champion and immediately sent me to the maze, telling me I'd meet my allies there." Nora shot a glare at Sara. "He never mentioned I'd have to work with you."
"We're not exactly thrilled either," Sara said. Most other Legends would feel the same, even if Ray was hopelessly biased towards Nora being good somehow. "I don't like how this is going, but we're stuck in this situation and we have to deal with it." Now she knew about the Greek gods being real, she knew that some decisions were made by a cruel guy or girl in the sky or under the ground that dictated her life. Still, she had to try not to alienate Nora to make sure she'd at least be willing to stay around on the Waverider.
"I could let you out tomorrow," Sara eventually said when Nora remained silent.
Nora raised an eyebrow. "Could?" She did not like the possibility that she had to spend more time in the cell.
"We're obviously going to need you whenever we're up against something Greek. I'm willing to let you out, but if you misbehave, I won't hesitate to lock you up here again." Sara took one step closer to Nora. "You're going to be watched by one of the Legends at all times. If you want to keep that freedom to walk around, you'll do everything we tell you to do."
"That doesn't sound like a fair arrangement," Nora said accusingly.
"I don't have to trust you and you don't have to trust us," Sara said in a softer tone, hopefully sounding not too antagonizing this time around. "But if you want to work with us and leave the cell, this is how we're gonna do it."
One minute passed and nothing else.
"Alright," Nora eventually said. She sighed and lowered her shoulders in relaxation. "I'm in."
That was good news. "I'll come back tomorrow," Sara said. Nora may not be fine with it, but she did not voice her criticism. Sara unfolded her arms and walked to the exit.
"Whose champion are you?" Nora asked. Sara stopped in her tracks. She turned her head. "If some god already wanted to claim you. I wouldn't be surprised."
"Persephone," Sara answered. How ironic that the champions of Hades and Persephone were going to have to work together to beat the Giantess, according to Sara's vision. But she pushed that thought out of her head; they were going to work together, but that did not need to lead to Nora joining the team in the long run. At least, Sara did not think that at the moment.
Sara left Nora in her cell. Without looking back, she returned to her own room to finally sleep some more and be well-rested for whatever tomorrow might bring.