Disclaimer: Just like the last six times, I don't own Justice League (cartoon or comics).

That said, here's another fun filled chapter for everyone to hopefully enjoy.

Fun fact: I came up with the title of this chapter because I have a camo t-shirt with that message written on it.

I would also like to thank author "whitetigerwolf" for providing inspiration for the monster that appears in this chapter.

Enjoy!

Do Your Best on the Test

Cassandra hummed a tune to herself as she walked up the stairs to her and Hector's apartment, having just been dropped off by Sally and her mother. Pulling her key out of her pocket, she opened the door with the expectation that he'd still be lying on the couch, since it was still early morning, only to find that he was nowhere to be seen. "Hello? Is there anybody home?"

"I'm in the workshop," Hector's voice was heard from one of the rooms. The 'workshop' was a large spare room loaded with pieces of wood, scrap metal, screws, nails, springs, gears, wires, old electronics, electronic components and various tools. These and other things were organized among a number of shelves, a few tables and even the floor. Hector himself was sitting at a work bench, wearing a pair of makeshift magnifying eyeglasses with telescopic lenses while tinkering with a seemingly ordinary dial watch.

"Just in case I haven't mentioned it before, those things seriously make you look like the mole man from Atlantis: The Lost Empire," Cassandra commented, referring to his magnifying glasses. "Only-"

"… not quite as short, fat or dirty," Hector finished for her, pushing the items in question up to his forehead. "You've stated as much several times before."

"So why are you working on your 'special watch' instead of sleeping in late like you normally do on Sunday?"

"Anna came here last night after I walked Zatanna to her hotel room. Besides wanting to talk about me and Zatanna-"

"How did she know about the two of you in the first place?" Hector merely raised an eyebrow, causing her to realize the silliness of her question. "Oh right, I forgot, she's… her. Please continue."

"Besides that, she wanted to warn me that Mars' next test is due to happen in ten days, nine days now. Also, she wanted to pass on a message that mom says hi."

Cassandra smiled at this, grateful that her mother found ways to let her know she was thinking about her, despite the restrictions imposed. Her smile faded a few seconds later as a thought occurred to her. "I just remembered, my Political Science class is taking a field trip to the Themiscyran embassy next week and Sally's mom wanted me to see if you'd mind coming along as chaperon."

"… It's on Tuesday, isn't it?"

"... Yeah." The two of them remained quiet for a moment, until Cassandra decided to break the silence. "So… I wonder what kind of test Mars will have for you this time. Last year he sent Mister Moo, and the year before that 'the man from down-under' lent him the three bats."

"Unfortunately, all Anna managed to get out of him was the date of the test, so I don't know what the test itself will entail, but my gut tells me it's going to be big. Hence, why I'm taking extra care to be sure my 'watch' is working."

"Good idea. What about the Amazons anyway? I mean, obviously there'll be a number of them at the embassy, so what's to stop them from just killing whatever thing you're supposed to fight?"

"I'm sure Mars will have something planned for that. I'm more concerned about whether or not Wonder Woman will be there, because if she or anyone else told the Justice League, it could raise some questions I'd rather not answer."

"You mean questions regarding mom and her… friends and family?"

"Something like that," Hector answered.

"… When you do tell Zatanna about me, because I'm assuming that you will tell her eventually, she's obviously going to have some questions herself."

"When the time comes, we'll tell her everything. But, should anyone else find out about your powers, all they need to know is that you're half homo-magi, which isn't actually a lie, since your father was a full, albeit untapped homo-magi himself."

Cassandra nodded in agreement, then began to smirk as she redirected the conversation. "That said… how was your hot date yesterday?"

"It went… very well." He then began telling her about it, from the BBQ (Cassandra laughed upon hearing how Zatanna had scared off the boss' daughter), to the almost/sort of fight at the bar, and some of the things they'd talked about.

"That's very nice. And are you guys 'official' yet?"

"Yes, yes we are."

An eerily mischievous grin broke out on Cassandra's face, which was followed by: "So when can I expect to be an aunt?"

Hector's face quickly turned red at this, the man himself unable to speak for a moment due to embarrassment. "I worry about you sometimes," he said tensely, his sister cackling almost maniacally at his reaction.

Flashback

Hector, 14 years old at the time, and his girlfriend Sara (a few years older, beautiful with long auburn colored hair and bright green eyes) had been 'sleeping' together when little four year old Cassandra trudged into her brother's room, half asleep, dressed in pajamas and dragging her teddy bear along. Their nightly activities had come to a screeching halt upon taking note of her presence, scrambling to cover themselves with the bed sheet. Cassandra had then revealed the reason for her late visit, being that she'd had a nightmare and wanted help getting back to sleep. With the reassurance that they'd take care of her in a moment, she'd stepped outside while they quickly got dressed, after which Sara walked her back to her room while Hector went to the kitchen, where he was currently grabbing a carton of milk from the fridge.

"That was unexpected," he muttered to himself as he poured the milk into a mug for Cassandra, heating it up in the microwave.

"What was unexpected?"

Hector turned around to see Cassandra's mother, a dark haired, pale skinned woman, young but mature, with the sparkle of wisdom and experience in her sharp eyes. "Hello mother. What are you doing up so late?"

"Hector…" she said in a stern tone matched by the look on her face. "What did you do?"

"Whatever are you talking about, mother?"

"You normally call me 'mom. You have a habit of calling me 'mother' when you're in trouble. So, again I ask: What was unexpected?"

"Cassandra may have… walked in on me and Sara while we were… sleeping."

Hector squirmed a little in discomfort under the gaze of the woman who'd adopted him. "Has Anna visited while I wasn't around? Is that why you two are so eagerly succumbing to your urges? Has she done something to-"

"No, it's not that!" Hector exclaimed, clearly embarrassed by the discussion. "Anna hasn't done anything, it's just… us."

Cassandra's mother looked him over for a minute, before apparently deciding that he was indeed being honest with her. "Very well, you may do as you wish. But first take care of putting your sister back to sleep, and if she should happen to ask questions later as a result of things she might have seen, I expect you to do the responsible thing and give her 'the talk'."

"Yes mother," he replied, silently praying that Cassandra would forget about everything the next day.

Cassandra's mother nodded in satisfaction and turned around to head back to her own room. "Good night then, and try not to stay up too late."

Doing his best to scrub that conversation out of his mind, Hector grabbed the mug of warm milk and headed towards Cassandra's room, where he found his sister sitting upright in bed, while his girlfriend was kneeling down next to her, offering reassurance that her nightmare wasn't real and she had nothing to worry about. "What took you so long?" Sara asked as he gave the mug to Cassandra.

"Let's just say I had an… awkward conversation with my mother." Sara said nothing in response, though her lips curved upwards in an amused smile.

Cassandra soon finished her drink, after which Hector and Sara proceeded to tuck her in. "Saawa," the little girl spoke up tiredly. "Are you an angel?"

The two teenagers shared a knowing look at this, before Sara answered with a kind smile. "That's very sweet of you Cassie, but no, I'm not an angel."

"But you're too pretty. Saawa, will you sing for me?"

"Of course, I'd love to." First clearing her throat, Sara began to sing in her native tongue, her voice soft, clear and peaceful. And even though Cassandra couldn't understand the words, the lullaby still had the desired effect, as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Once the two of them were certain she was well and truly sleeping, they carefully tip-toed away.

"You really have a beautiful voice," Hector complimented her sincerely after they'd gently closed the door behind them. "It's no wonder Cassandra thinks you're an angel."

"Thank you," she replied with a smile, her expression turning mischievous as she took his hand and lead him back to his room. "Now, I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to."

Hector smiled bashfully as he followed her without complaint. "Let's just not forget to lock the door this time."

Flashback end

Friday that week, Zatanna was sitting in front of a mirror in her dressing room, preparing for her next show when Hector walked in, his presence remaining unknown until he was right behind her and said: "Hello Zee." Zatanna jumped in surprise and spun around to see him standing there with a barely perceptible smirk. "Couldn't help myself, sorry about that."

"You should be!" she exclaimed, lightly smacking his arm. "You almost scared me half to death!"

"Personally I blame Cassandra's influence, and Marc Curry. He's the guy who taught me to be sneaky and stuff."

"I swear, if you disappear when I'm not looking, I'm going to have issues. So… Batman-esque tendencies aside, how are you doing?"

"Nothing extraordinary's happened since last Saturday, but I can't complain. That said, one of Cassandra's classes has a field trip to the Themiscyran embassy next Tuesday and I'll be going along as a chaperon."

"That's cool, I'm sure you'll find it really interesting."

"Yes… it should be quite an experience."

Their conversation was interrupted by someone knocking on the door and informing Zatanna that it was almost time for the show. "I'll be there in a minute," she called out to the person on the other side.

"I should probably get going now," Hector said.

Feeling a little forward at the moment, Zatanna stood up and playfully asked: "Do I get a kiss for luck?"

"If milady truly wishes," he replied, adopting a more flowery manner of speech.

"Milady does." Hector then leaned down and gave her a kiss that was short but sweet.

"Knock em dead, Zee."

"Will do."

Four days later, Hector was on a bus with Cassandra, her fellow students and their teacher/Sally's mother. At the embassy they passed through a security check, after which they were greeted by a dark skinned Amazon dressed in full armor with a sword at her waist. "Welcome, younglings. "I am General Phillipus. Unfortunately Princess Diana was called away to Kasnia on a mission with the Justice League and will therefore be unable to join us."

'At least that makes one less thing for me to worry about,' Hector thought to himself as Phillipus began giving everyone the tour, telling them about Amazonian culture, laws, societal structures, beliefs, language, traditions and so on and so forth. Hector listened well to their guide, interested in the subjects she spoke of, despite simultaneously keeping an eye on the students and being on the lookout for whatever Mars was planning to throw at him.

"Come on Steve, ask her," one of the boys whispered to his friend.

"No way Rodge, you ask her," the other boy whispered back.

"Come on, we're talking about an island full of women with no men. Don't tell me you don't wanna know if they're les-" The boy's mouth closed shut faster than a mouse trap when Hector gave him and his friend a very stern look and shook his head 'no'.

The rest of the tour went on without any problems, which lead to Hector being on edge, since he was expecting something to jump out at him anytime now. "While Princess Diana may be unavailable, her majesty Queen Hippolyta has decided to speak with you all before her next engagement," Phillipus spoke up as they arrived at a set of double doors. "You are expected to show her the respect due to one of her station and behave accordingly." She then lead them through the doors into a grand room where the queen of the Amazons herself was seated on a throne, her posture and appearance making her look as regal as did the crown and clothes she wore.

"Welcome, young ones," she greeted them kindly. "Have you enjoyed your experience today?" A number of students voiced the fact that they had enjoyed themselves, or simply nodded instead. "I'm glad to see that. I fear I have only a little time to spare, but if there is something more you wish to know about our people, be it history, culture or another subject, I'd be happy to enlighten you."

As one of the girls politely inquired about the Amazons' government, Hector's attention was drawn to one of the windows, or more specifically the flock of birds he could see in the distance. "General," he spoke quietly, catching Phillipus' attention, then indicated the window he'd been looking through. "Those birds are approaching with unnatural speed."

"And what of it?" she questioned him in return, a bland look on her face.

"Perhaps I'm simply paranoid, but surely a little caution couldn't hurt?"

The Amazonian General looked through the window in question and saw that the birds were moving oddly fast indeed, so she beckoned one of the guards over, telling her to check with the sentries. The guard bowed her head and went outside, only to return in a hurry a short moment later. "General Phillipus, your majesty, a flock of Stymphalian Birds is heading this way!"

Phillipus quickly took charge, ordering the bulk of the guards to go outside and assist the sentries in dealing with the winged beasts, while she and another Amazon escorted the queen and the students, along with their teacher and Hector, away from the danger. "Something's not right," Hector muttered to Cassandra as they followed everyone to a safe room. "The threat isn't big enough, there's no reason for me to jump in yet."

"Wait a minute, where're Steve and Roger!?" Sally's mother spoke up, having noticed the two boys in question were missing.

"Shit!" Hector cursed, realizing that, coming up to the throne room, he'd been so pre-occupied with his imminent 'test' that he hadn't seen them slip away from the group. "I think I know where they are. I'll find them."

"Go with him," Hippolyta ordered her General, who obeyed with a curt nod.

Phillipus and Hector ran through the hallways like fleet footed deer, heading towards where the latter suspected the boys had gone. His hunch proved true, as they found them taking photos of and with a statue of the goddess Aphrodite. "Come, now!" Phillipus barked at them. The boys didn't dare disobey and immediately went over to the two adults. However, a green dragon of considerable size suddenly burst through the wall, prompting Hector and Phillipus to shove the boys out of the way and jump back as the dragon attacked, separating them from the boys with a wall of flame. "Run!" the Amazon shouted, which they were all too happy to oblige.

The dragon let out another burst of fire, forcing them to dive out of the way lest they get roasted. Phillipus took the chance to draw her sword as she got to her feet and attacked the fire breathing monster, only for it to whip its tail, sending her smashing through the statue of Aphrodite and into the wall behind it. The dragon reared its head back to spew fire at her, but Hector turned the sides of his watch and tapped it, causing it to transform into a wide bronze shield, then jumped in front of the Amazon. "Move!" he shouted, using his shield to block the dragon's flames.

Though a little shaken by the blow, Phillipus wasted little time in grabbing her sword and moving out of the way. She came at the dragon from the side, giving Hector some breathing room, jumping away as it struck at her again. Keeping her at bay with a burst of fire, the fearsome beast tried to smack Hector with its tail, at which he jumped onto its tail, ran up its back, up its neck, jumped in the air and brought his shield down on its head, striking such a blow that the dragon dropped its head. Phillipus quickly took advantage of its stunned state, burying her sword up to the hilt in its eye, effectively killing it.

Neither one of them said a word as the rush of battle slowly died down, both still fueled with adrenaline. Finally, the silence was broken when Phillipus spoke up. "You're a brave warrior," she pointed out. "Not many could face such a monster, yet you did not hesitate to come to my aid. You have my thanks."

Hector gave her a respectful nod, changing his scorch marked shield back into a watch. "You're welcome."

Later on, when asked what had happened, Hector had jumped in before Phillipus could speak, explaining that they'd found Steve and Roger, but had been separated from them by the dragon's attack. He then told everyone how Phillipus had fortunately been able to kill the dragon, for which he was very grateful. The Amazonian General caught the look he sent her way, and despite being puzzled that he would omit his direct involvement, she simply said: "He speaks the truth." Afterwards, Hippolyta had personally apologized for the whole mess and everyone had gone home safe and sound, albeit shaken up in some cases.

"Man, what a crazy day," Cassandra said out loud. She and her brother were currently relaxing on the couch while watching Home Alone 3. "I mean, I knew something was gonna go down, but still… Mars sent a freaking dragon after you? That's just… wow."

"In any case, I'm glad things didn't turn out worse," Hector admitted. "Phillipus being with me turned out to be convenient, not only with the dragon itself, but also in that I was able to absolve myself of any credit for killing the dragon. And with any luck, Mars won't be upset it wasn't technically me who killed it."

"Yeah… You know, I bet you must have looked seriously awesome when you were fighting that dragon," Cassandra commented. Hector merely shrugged in response and they both focused on the movie again.

And hour into the movie, there was a knock at the door, so Hector paused the film and went to answer. Standing in the doorway was a tall, seemingly ordinary blonde woman dressed in casual clothes. "Hector Anderson? My name is Polly, I work at the Themiscyran embassy. Might I have a word with you?"

Hector stood aside, allowing her to walk in, and closed the door behind her. "How may I be of service, your majesty?" he asked in the Amazons' language.

Hippolyta's eyes widened in surprise, shocked that he'd recognized her, let alone so quickly. "Wait, wait, wait," Cassandra butt in. "I didn't get most of that, but did you just call her 'majesty'?" Hector nodded in response. "Didn't see that one coming. I mean, you recognizing her, I can figure that, but I didn't imagine seeing the queen of the Amazons in our apartment."

"Just how did you recognize me?" Hippolyta asked a little warily.

"The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you stand..." Hector explained. "Frankly, introducing yourself as 'Polly' didn't help your case either. Most people wouldn't pay attention to the little details, but I was taught to be observant."

"I can see that. Phillipus told me how you not only spotted the Stymphalian birds in advance but also suspected there was something wrong even before knowing there was a threat."

"I was also taught to be paranoid. Please, have a seat," he offered, the three of them sitting down at the table, Hippolyta politely declining any food or drink.

"So, umm, your majesty?" Cassandra spoke up. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but what exactly are you doing here alone, and dressed incognito?"

"I merely wished to talk, but before I begin, I am curious to know how you can speak our language," she directed at Hector.

"I'm a quick study, plus your language is very similar to Ancient Greek, which I'm well versed in." Hippolyta nodded at this, interested by his linguistic capabilities. "Now, what did you wish to talk about?"

"I spoke with Phillipus after the attack, and she informed me about what really happened. She said you were a warrior, that you saved her from the dragon's fire with a watch that turned into a shield, and helped her kill the beast. And yet, instead of seeking fame and glory, you told everyone that you played no part in the dragon's demise."

"Technically, I spoke no lie," Hector specified. "I said that Phillipus killed the dragon, which she did. I merely omitted being involved in its death, and lead everyone to believe Phillipus had saved my life."

"A little under-handed, but not outright dishonest," Hippolyta commented. "What of your shield?" In response, Hector placed his watch on the table and changed it into the shield to show her, scorch marks still fresh on its surface. "Impressive. And just how did you come to own it?"

"I made it," he said bluntly, changing it back into a watch.

"You must be quite a skilled inventor to create such a masterwork, especially one capable of withstanding dragon fire. Hephaestus himself would surely be impressed."

"My brother's a man of many talents," Cassandra pitched in. "Even though dancing, singing, music, poetry, painting, drawing and anything remotely artistic except for sowing are so far down the list they pretty much don't exist for him."

"Cassandra… was that truly necessary?"

"Absolutely, it was necessary for my amusement," she replied with a wide grin.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" he inquired, pointedly ignoring his sister.

"Yes. You see, General Phillipus is a dear friend of mine, and it would reflect poorly if I did not offer you reward for saving her life. Is there anything you might wish for?"

"Only one thing: Anonymity. Tell no one what really happened today, not even your daughter, and don't mention the shield."

"May I ask why?"

"It's because of me," Cassandra explained. "He doesn't want the attention because he's concerned it could end up hurting me."

"I take my sister's well-being seriously."

"That's quite admirable of you," Hippolyta said, offering him a gentle smile. "Very well, I give you my word that neither I nor General Phillipus will tell another soul."

"Thank you, I'm very grateful."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Hector Anderson." Hippolyta then stood up and made to leave, stopping when she reached the door and turning around to say a few words. "I'm glad to know that there are still good men like you in the world. I wish all my sisters could see that too. Farewell."

"That… I did not expect," Cassandra stated once their guest was gone. Right after she'd said this, a blond man with a military style haircut and wearing sunglasses and a black biker jacket suddenly appeared in the kitchen area, leaning against the counter. Cassandra let out an 'eep', then frowned as she took into account who it was. "Didn't expect this either," she muttered with an undertone of anger.

"Hey shrimp, nice meeting you," the man said to Cassandra. "Why don't you go to your room so your brother and I can talk about grown-up stuff?"

"Hey, you don't get to tell me what to do, you over inflated d-!"

"Cassandra, would you please go to your room?" Hector asked, his voice serious, his expression controlled. Grumbling unhappily she did just that, slamming the door behind her. Hector then got up from his chair, walked over to the man, activated his shield and backhanded him square in the face.

"Ha! Glad to see you haven't lost your edge," the man laughed, shaking off the blow and re-adjusting his sunglasses. "You got any beer in this dump?" Changing his shield back, Hector grabbed the last two bottles from the fridge and passed one to the man, who popped the cap off and took a swig. "Tastes like piss… I like it."

"I assume you had something to do with the situation in Kasnia?"

"To be honest, I barely had to put any effort into it. And besides, I couldn't well have Wonder Woman interfering with your evaluation."

"Mars… what're you doing here?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you on the fight. Those were some nice moves, worthy of your namesake. Admittedly I'm a little miffed it was that Amazon who killed the beast instead of you, but you impressed me well enough anyway."

"Admittedly I'm a little miffed with the attention that I garnered… even if it could have been worse."

"Relax, I brought a gift I'm sure will make you forget you're pissed." Mars reached into his jacket and pulled out four wicked looking teeth, passing them to Hector. "In case you're ever in a bind and need a little backup, just sow these and they'll each sprout three."

"Thanks," Hector said with a curt nod, pocketing the inhuman teeth. "Is there anything else?"

"Thought I'd give you a piece of advice: Don't wait forever before getting the kid help with her 'talents'. If something should happen when you aren't around, she ought to be able to protect herself."

"I know, and I'll get there eventually, just... not now."

"Suit yourself," Mars said with a shrug of his shoulders. He then chugged the rest of his beer and said: "See you around," before disappearing.

"You can come out now, he's gone," Hector spoke up for Cassandra's benefit.

"Good," she said as she stepped out of her room. "So what did Mars want, besides getting me riled up?"

"He wanted to give his approval for my performance during the fight, and to give me these," he said, showing her the teeth he'd received.

"What are those?" she asked curiously.

"Cadmus."

"Really? That's awesome! You know, I guess Mars isn't all that bad, seeing how he did train you into someone who can kick some serious ass. Plus, if he gives you stuff like this… I still feel like punching his teeth in every time I see him though."

"That's just who he is. Now why don't we just finish watching the movie? Might bring your temper down a notch." Cassandra agreed and the two of them sat on the couch again to finish the movie, Mars' advice lingering in Hector's mind.

If you have any comments, criticisms of anything else to offer (flames notwithstanding) just leave me a review (or a PM if you'd really prefer).

A virtual slice of pie will be given to anyone who can guess what Cassandra meant by 'Mister Moo', 'the man from down-under' and 'the three bats'.

Also, another virtual cookie to anyone who can guess what 'Marc Curry' adds up to (Mars should prove to be little challenge, especially if you've already guessed Anna).

Until next time, people!