Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League or associated characters, please don't sue. :-)

Just gonna take a moment to explain a few things in response to the anonymous review that was submitted last chapter, under the name "Shitabrick".

First off, it's not that Hector was unable to fight back against Batman, but that he chose not to. The reason is that he was still recovering and didn't want to take the chance, or risk escalating the situation and have to pull out one of his weapons, and also he got back at him by telling Zatanna about it later (I will admit I could've made things more obvious).

Hector/Spartan's power levels are comparable to Conan the Barbarian. Or, if you like, he's Batman with magic weapons instead of gadgets. Physically, he's a street level character, but his magic weapons allow him to take on bigger threats (if he faced Blockbuster without his weapons, he wouldn't be able to hurt him, unless he did something like drop a building on his head).

As for Hector being bulletproof and all that, I don't want to explain it publicly yet, so I'll just recommend that you re-read the flashback scene in chapter 17. Going over chapter 18 might also help.

With that said... on with the show!

War Games (Part 2)

Flashback

On one of the top floors of the building was a very large, almost barren room with big windows that gave a good view of the ruined city outside. A handsome dark skinned man with pitch black wings and dressed in a toga was wrapped in silver chains and bound to the wall. Armoured demigods were standing at the ready, weapons in hand, tense, and eyes fixed on the security doors. In the centre of the room was a grown woman with frizzy black hair, sharp brown eyes, and an ugly scar running over her left eye and down to her chin. Unlike her companions she was unarmed, wore no armour and was unusually calm, even with the booming noise of someone pounding on the thick doors, making large fist shaped dents with every hit. Finally the doors could take no more and fell over with a loud bang, revealing the God Squad, including the twin cyclopses who'd opened the way. "Well, well, the conquering heroes," Electra remarked in a detached manner, as in their arrival was of little consequence.

"Electra, I presume?" Archon spoke up, a cautious look on his face as the others funnelled into the room with him. The son of Athena held a spear in his right hand, and on his left arm was a bronze shield imprinted with the face of snake haired Medusa.

"I am." Though her allies seemed unnerved by the monster's image, Electra herself didn't even react to it.

"This is your last chance," Archon warned her, his tone deadly serious. "Surrender now, or we will strike you down."

"This senseless war has cost too much. Too many dead fathers, mothers, husbands, wives… too many dead sons, innocent boys crushed to death when a tank brought a building down on their heads." Electra spoke in a haunting voice, looking at the warriors assembled against her with cold eyes. "I am the daughter of Nemesis, and I will not be denied my vengeance." Darkness suddenly enveloped her, creating a shadowy aura around her body.

The tension between the two groups was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. Archon raised his spear and slammed the butt against the floor, the sound echoing across the room. "Everyone…" he spoke solemnly. "May the gods be with us." The God Squad then exploded into action.

Although Nemesis' daughter had no weapons or armour, she was not defenceless. An arrow impacted her barrier, only to ground to a halt and fall to the floor. A ball of dark energy sprung from her hand and struck one of her rival demigods in the chest, engulfing him in black flames. He dropped dead a moment later, his body a charred husk. She managed to fire off a second ball of energy, though Archon's shield weathered the hit without damage. Two spears hit her magical shield as the two groups collided, but they made no more of a dent, and then everything was quickly swept up in a whirlwind of violence.

At the same time, Wrecker and Smasher made a beeline for the chained god. A handful of Electra's warriors moved to block their way, forcing Spartan, Fury and Chaser to intercept them, allowing the boulder twins to reach Thanatos and begin working on his chains. Despite their different styles, the two demigods and Spartan fought hard to protect their one eyed friends, holding back the other, more numerous warriors. Chaser moved with speed befitting a child of Hermes, flitting about their foes like a hummingbird, taking quick shots at them all while dodging their attacks. Fury, contrary to his previously even temper, wielded a large battle axe with strength and ferocity, striking a shield hard enough to break the arm of the demigod holding it and knock him down in the process. For his part, Spartan was a mixture of styles. He lashed out at weak spots with deadly precision one moment, acted a stalwart defender the next, and then landed crippling blows the next, cutting a deep gash in one boy's sword arm and smashing another's knee with his shield.

However, even with their speed, strength and skill, the three warriors did not go unharmed, taking their share of cuts and bruises. One of Electra's dark orbs flew at Spartan who blocked it with his shield. Unfortunately for him, the attack had greater effect than against Archon's Medusa shield, throwing Spartan to the floor and causing him to drop his sword when his arm was burned. Chaser saw a boy trying to take advantage of this to attack one of the cyclopses and made a mad dash for him, a sword grazing her side as she ran. Fury swung his axe in wide arcs, keeping multiple enemies at bay as his fallen ally covered himself with his shield, though another demigod managed to stick a spear in his thigh.

As this happened, Archon bravely led the rest of the God Squad in a fierce fight against Nemesis' daughter, keeping her away from their companions. Even though Electra's stolen power made her a fearsome foe, her allies dwindled away one by one, either killed or incapacitated. A grizzled man to her left fell, an arrow in his throat. Electra retaliated with a flurry of dark spikes that Goldeneye mostly avoided, safe for one that nicked him in the shoulder. A teenage girl was knocked unconscious when a sword hilt smashed into the side of her head. Electra punched the boy responsible in the chest, her power pulsing out from her fist. He flew over everyone's heads and slammed into the wall with a crunch, then crumbled to the floor and did not rise. Electra was caught off guard when she felt a spear poke her in the back. Fortunately for her, it lost enough momentum upon striking the darkness surrounding her so that it barely broke the skin. She pivoted away from her attacker, seeing Archon right in her face. Electra jumped back to put some distance between them and tossed a black orb at him, only to have it bounce off his shield again as he followed through.

Archon thrust his spear at her once more, but this time she was ready and reinforced her barrier, then countered by lashing out with her foot, putting her power behind the kick. Archon blocked it with his shield again, but was shoved back some distance. "Heads up!" An instant later Goldeneye managed to accurately hit Electra, except that this time his arrow didn't just stop, it exploded. And while she was protected from direct damage, the force of the explosion was still enough to knock her off her feet.

"Don't let up!" Archon shouted. As one, they yelled a war cry and surged towards their staggered foe. Electra picked herself up off the floor in time for her enemies to fall upon her like an angry mob. Swords slashed, spears stabbed and arrows flew, forcing her to concentrate on her aura, lest they rip into her. The warriors struck one after another in quick succession, intent on not giving her the chance to fight back. For all of her efforts, Electra could feel her powers slipping away under the onslaught, until they began to penetrate her cloak of shadows. She fell to her knees as their weapons finally drew blood, though she stubbornly clung to her powers, drawing it out as long as possible.

But then, just as it seemed like she was going down, Electra's powers exploded outward, sending them all flying. The darkness surrounding her was now so thick that her features were completely hidden, leaving only a humanoid shape visible. Electra ignored her fallen enemies for a moment to look out through the windows, where they could see a section of the city collapse in the distance. "Do you see?" she asked, her voice unnaturally calm as she turned in Archon's direction. "They'll never stop, but their lust for death will be their undoing. Every death grants me more power, and a great many people have just died. I will kill them all and tear down the old order, no matter who gets in my way."

"When does it end?" Archon asked, using his spear to help himself get to his feet. Around him, the remaining members of the God Squad were slowly getting up as well. "How many people have to die before your need for vengeance is satisfied?"

"As many as it takes. You cannot-"

Electra was interrupted when a lightning bolt slammed into her back, piercing the veil of darkness and striking the woman beneath it. Spartan stood with his spear extended, alongside Fury, Chaser and the boulder twins, and Thanatos was free of his chains. "Child of Nemesis…" the god of death spoke in a grave voice. "Be warned that this path will not bring back your loved ones."

Dark tendrils wove together as Electra got to her feet, her shadowy armour quickly repairing itself, erasing the damage Spartan's lightning had done. "Uncle," she said, looking at Thanatos. Despite her features being obscured, her tone and posture suggested she wasn't particularly concerned by this latest development. "It doesn't matter that you're free. I've already gained enough power, and the gods are forbidden from interfering in this fight, so you can't do anything."

Thanatos shook his head, seemingly disappointed by her response. "So be it." An ominous chill hung in the air as he looked over Electra, the heroes who stood against her, and those who'd fallen. "Until we meet again." And then he vanished.

With Thanatos gone, Electra raised her hands and conjured a pool of darkness, from which sprung a band of shadowy warriors to match the God Squad. A tense silence reigned in the room, both sides standing still as they stared each other down, until Electra spoke two simple words. "Kill them."

The shades of warriors past charged at the children of the gods and the battle resumed in earnest. Although the God Squad had already gone through a number of soldiers and demigods on their way up the building, they nevertheless put up a fierce fight against this new enemy. Black blades met swords, shields and armour, arrows flew with uncanny accuracy, and Electra took on Fury, Wrecker and Smasher all at once, matching their strength with her dark powers. In the midst of the chaos, Archon and Spartan found themselves fighting side to side against the horde of shadows. "You got a plan!?" Spartan shouted as more shadows took the place of those they struck down. "Because these things just keep coming!"

"You need to blast her with lightning again!" Archon shouted back. "It's the only thing that's done any real damage!"

Spartan ducked under a swing that glanced off his helmet instead of decapitating him. "I'm…" He thrust his spear through the shadow's chest, causing it to disintegrate in a puff of black smoke. "… a little…" Another shadow jumped at them, only to stagger when an arrow sunk into its shoulder, allowing Spartan to stab it in the face. "… busy!"

"Hang on!" Archon offered a quick player to his divine mother. "Athena grant me strength." He then raised his shield high above his head. The Medusa's head engraved in his shield suddenly came alive, snake hair writhing and eyes glowing bright yellow. The dark warriors fell to their hands and knees as the magic shield radiated a fear powerful enough to pierce their phantom hearts. "NOW!" Spartan seized his anger, his rage, his warrior's fury, and focussed it into his weapon, then pushed outward. A lightning bolt surged from the golden spear, burning through multiples shades and slamming into Electra. The lightning pushed her away from her opponents, burned through her aura and singed the skin underneath.

"It's not enough!" Spartan remarked, as she was still standing and the darkness was already healing itself.

"Again! Pour it on!" Trusting that his friend had a plan, Spartan fired another lightning blast and kept it going, pouring out a steady stream of energy. Electra put her arms up in front of her, and although she could feel her barrier give way under the onslaught, she managed to reinforce it and hold out. "Fury, break the window!" The son of Ares gripped his axe in two hands and struck one of the windows with all his strength, shattering it into innumerable little shards. "Wrecker, Smasher, get her!"

"On it!" "On it!"

Seeing the boulder twins approaching Electra, Spartan cut off his attack at the last second, feeling relieved, as channeling lightning gifted from Zeus was not a stress free act. Electra managed to lash out with her powers as the cyclopses grabbed at her, though she wasn't able to recover from the lightning fast enough to do any real damage, and so they powered through her attack, dragged her to the open window and threw her down. No sound was heard from Electra as she fell. No cries of dismay, no cursing her enemies, nothing. After a moment of waiting, the shadow warriors faded away, and the God Squad let out a collective sigh of relief. "Thank the gods it's finally over," Goldeneye muttered.

"Can someone have a look?" Archon asked as he lowered his shield, the engraved Medusa's head returning to its normal state.

"Dude, she just fell, like, a thousand feet," someone said. "She's a pancake."

"I don't care what it looks like," Archon stated firmly. "Someone please make sure that it's over."

"I'll check it out," Chaser volunteered. The teenage girl walked up to the smashed window and, with one of the cyclopses keeping a hand on her, leaned out as far as she could and looked down. "I don't see any sign of-" A beam of dark energy suddenly shot into the sky, causing Chaser to jump back in surprise and fall on her rear. The God Squad gripped their weapons and stood at the ready, eyes fixed on the dark pillar, waiting for something to happen. Several tense seconds later, a hole opened up to reveal Electra. Her shroud of darkness was incomplete and only partially obscured her, with gaping holes showing her badly damaged body underneath. One of her arms was held at an unnatural angle, her skin was blackened where lightning had struck, her hair was covered in blood and dust, and she was severely bruised and bleeding. Half her face was hidden by her aura, her nose was broken and her visible eye glared angrily at them. "Ooooooooh shit."

"I…" A platform extended from the pillar to the broken window. "… will…" She stepped onto the platform, resolute despite a limp in her step. "… have…" Electra looked straight at Archon, a determined air about her, like she didn't care what happened to her so long as she achieved her goal. "… vengeance." Electra raised her good arm and fired dark energy from her hand. Out of reflex, Spartan countered with another lightning bolt, striking the projectile she'd launched their way. The two attacks collided with explosive results, kicking up a cloud of smoke and dust that blocked everyone's view.

When the scene cleared up a moment later, the squad members were treated to a dismal sight. Electra was standing in front of Archon and had stabbed him in the gut with a shadowy sword.

Everyone suddenly went still like they were frozen in time. Spartan was on the floor, having been bowled over. The God Squad were like statues, many with looks of shock on their faces. Archon had dropped his shield and stood impaled on Electra's weapon. He removed his helmet and turned his head to face Spartan with hollow eye sockets. Worms crawled out from his dead eyes, his hair shrivelled up and his skin cracked and turned grey. "You dare call yourself a warrior? You're nothing but a weak fool!"

"No…" Spartan moaned, eyes fixed on his former friend.

"Why!?" Archon shouted, slowly moving towards him with the black sword still stuck in him. "I was your friend! Why did you let me die!?"

"I…" Spartan tried to get up, but the world began to shake, and a booming voice came down from the heavens, shouting…

"Wake up, damn it!"

Flashback end

Most of the occupants of the Harper household woke up early the next morning. Roy and Dick went into the kitchen to begin making breakfast, while Jason looked after Roy's daughter Lian. Dick wore a medieval style green tunic, leather pants and pointed Robin Hood hat with a feather, while Roy wore the same clothes in red, Lian had a similar outfit, and Jason was dressed in brown monk's robes. "Daddy, are you almost done?" Lian asked as she and Jason poked their heads in the kitchen.

"Almost, honey," Roy answered, setting the table with plates, cutlery and a large bottle of maple syrup, while Dick worked at the stove. "It won't be long now."

"Daddy, the big man's still asleep on the couch."

"Hector's still sleeping?" Dick asked, looking at the kitchen clock for a second. "If we take too long we'll be late. You guys mind waking him up?"

"Come on, Lian," Jason spoke up, taking Lian's hand and leading her out of the kitchen. "Let's go wake up Uncle Dick's friend." They went over to the living room, where they found Hector still lying on the couch, with a blanket half draped over him. His head jerked one way and then another, and his face was contorted in a pained expression.

"Uncle Jay, is he possessed?" Lian asked. The little girl was standing behind Jason, watching Hector with caution.

"Huh? What gave you that idea?"

"Daddy was watching this scary movie about a man who gets possessed by a ghost when he's sleeping, then the ghost makes him do horrible things and-"

"No, Lian, I'm pretty sure he's not possessed," Jason said, trying to reassure her. "He's probably just having a bad dream. But if it makes you feel better, you can stand back here and I'll wake him up. That way if he really is possessed he won't be able to get to you." Jason then walked over to the couch and poked Hector in the ribs. "Rise and shine, big guy." Nothing happened, so Jason poked him again. "Get up already, or we'll be late." A couple attempts later, and still nothing happened. Getting annoyed by this, Jason leaned over, grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Wake up, damn it!"

Lian cried out in surprise when Hector suddenly sprung up and shoved Jason hard enough to throw him off his feet and send him crashing on the other side of the room. A second later Dick and Roy came rushing in to the sight of Lian standing against the wall, Hector sitting upright with his arms out, and Jason lying on his back. Dick looked from Hector to Jason, Roy checked on his daughter, Jason grunted as he picked himself off the floor, and Hector was frozen like a deer in headlights as he took into account what he'd just done. "He's awake now," Jason said curtly, dusting himself off and walking out of the room. Roy grabbed his daughter's hand and lead her back to the kitchen.

"So…" Dick spoke up, standing with arms crossed. "What was that all about?"

"First off, that was an accident," Hector explained. "I did not mean to do that."

Dick raised a questioning eyebrow at this. "Care to elaborate? Because I've never seen someone get thrown across a room 'by accident' before."

Hector took a couple deep breaths to steel himself. "I… was having a nightmare. I mean, everyone has them now and then, right? But this one… it just… it really got to me. And when I woke up with Jason shaking me and yelling at me, I just… reacted."

"What was the nightmare about?"

"My friend Jason."

"Oh." A moment of silence followed as Dick processed this revelation. "You gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Hector insisted. "It's been years."

"Even if it happened a long time ago, losing a friend is never easy," Dick said, giving him a sympathetic look. "I know what it's like to lose people you care about, so if you'd like to talk about it, I'm willing to listen."

"I appreciate the offer, and maybe someday I'll tell you about it, but not today." Dick nodded at this, looking like he wanted to help, but choosing to respect Hector's decision. "I just hope I didn't mess everything up for the tournament."

"Don't worry, Jason's pretty tough, and I'll try to smooth things over with him. Now come on, let's join the others before they eat all the food."

After getting dressed in his Little John outfit (the same style clothes as Dick and Roy, except brown, and with a hood instead of a hat), Hector had joined the others for breakfast, during which he'd apologized for shoving Jason (and scaring Lian), and explained why he'd done it (without going into details about the nightmare). Jason had grumbled a little at this, but accepted his apology (with a little discreet prodding from Dick) and said it was fine. Once they were ready they drove over to the site of the fair. A sea of tents and stalls in various colours had been erected in a field at the edge of a forest, a great big banner greeted everyone at the entrance, and people dressed in medieval clothing were milling about. "Hey guys! Over here!" The group spotted a young blond woman dressed in a feminine version of their outlaw garb who was waving at them.

"Mia," Dick greeted her with a friendly smile as they approached her. He then cleared his throat and adopted a more flowery tone. "Dearest Marion, fairest maid in all of Sherwood. Tis good to gaze upon your fair visage."

"Sir Robin of the Hood," Mia replied with a smile, getting into the act as well. "To see you again doth warm my heart. Pray tell, who art your brave companions?"

"I am known as Will Scarlett," Roy spoke up, giving her a short bow. "Tis an honour to meet you, Lady Marion."

"Well met, good sir."

"I am Little John," Hector introduced himself with a bow of his own. "At your service, m'lady."

"Perhaps not so little, I see," Mia commented with an amused smile.

Everyone then looked expectantly at Jason, who glared back at them and said in no uncertain terms: "I'm not doing an act."

"Party pooper. No cake for you," Mia shot back at him, sticking her tongue out. She then noticed someone stepping out from one of the nearby tents. "Good sirs… and lady," she added, looking at Lian. "Allow me to present the illustrious Lady Dinah Lance, first of her name, head of House Lance, consort to Lord Oliver Queen, and for today, babysitter to one Lian Harper."

Dinah walked over to the group, dressed as a medieval highborn lady, complete with oversized dress, a silver tiara and her hair done in a French braid. "Dinah!" Lian exclaimed excitedly.

"Come here, you," Dinah said, opening her arms out for her. The little girl rushed over and hugged her. "How's my little outlaw?"

"We had pancakes for breakfast, and Uncle Jason went to wake up Uncle Dick's friend, but he was having a nightmare so when he woke up, Uncle Jason got knocked over and went flying like a chicken."

Dinah looked at Hector, who had a blank look on his face, while Jason grumbled unhappily. "Fancy seeing you again," she remarked to Hector. "You seem to have made an impression already."

"An unfortunate accident," he insisted. "And not one I'd care to repeat."

"You two know each other?" Mia inquired, curiosity on her face as she looked from Dinah to Hector.

"We met once, about a month back when I was watching over Ted's gym," Dinah explained. "He came in looking for Ted, we ended up sparring, and then we hung out for a while. Don't let his size fool you, he's surprisingly fast, and he gave me a pretty good run for my money. Turns out he trained with Ted when he was younger."

"Anyway…" Roy jumped in. "Not to be rude, but we really need to get ready for the tournament. Thanks a lot for offering to look after Lian today."

"No problem, Roy. We'll be cheering for you guys from the sidelines."

"Bye daddy!" Lian said, giving her father a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck!"

The group made their way to one of the bigger tents where they stood in line to register their team. "So, you trained with Ted Grant?" Dick asked casually as they waited.

"I used to be a small kid, and when I finally hit my growth spurt I grew pretty fast and had a little trouble adjusting. Let's just say I got in a fight and accidentally caused more damage than I intended, so my mom took me to see Ted. He trained me and helped me get used to my own strength."

"You sure you're used to it?" Jason muttered sarcastically. "Because you still seem a little accident prone."

"Jason, come on," Dick protested.

"It's alright," Hector said, holding up a hand to forestall any argument. "Again, I apologize for what I did. I can understand if you're still upset with me, but I hope we'll be able to set our differences aside and work together when the game begins." The look on Jason's face suggested that teamwork might be asking a bit much. "Or maybe we can at least agree not to shoot each other. Please?"

Jason looked at Hector's outstretched hand with suspicion for a few seconds, before he finally reached out and gripped it hard. "Fine, but this doesn't mean we're friends, so don't expect me to save you if you get into trouble."

Flashback

Hector woke up on a small cot, looking up at white canvas. His armour had been removed, his body felt drained like he'd run a marathon, and even though the burn he'd received still stung a little, his sword arm had been bandaged up. Tired as he was, he managed to prop himself up on one elbow, whereupon he realized that he was in a medical tent. A teenage boy of Indian descent was going from one cot to another, checking on wounded members of the God Squad, many of whom were sporting bloody bandages. "Ah, you're awake," the young doctor remarked as he reached Hector. The teenager (roughly Hector's age) was dressed in a white doctor's coat, had black hair and tired lines around his brown eyes.

Hector looked up at him with a confused expression, bringing a hand up to his temple. "My mind's a little fuzzy right now. Who are you?"

"Ravi Singh, son of Apollo, code-named Goldeneye" he answered as he examined Hector's head and looked into his eyes. "Hold still and watch the finger." Ravi moved a finger around his patient's face for him to follow, then a light emerged from the tip which he shined into his eyes. "No head trauma." He gently put his hand around Hector's uninjured arm for a few seconds, then touched his wrist and the tip of his finger. "Vital signs okay, no serious injuries. How do you feel? Any pain?"

"I'm fine," Hector insisted pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Can you walk?"

"I'm tired, but I can manage."

"Good." Ravi picked a cane off the ground and passed it to Hector. "Here you go. Now, I've got other patients, so shoo."

Using the cane for support, Hector pulled himself off the cot and slowly walked out of the tent. They were stationed in the countryside far from the capital city, and many more of them had bandages, slings or canes. Dark clouds sat in the sky above, and a grim, somber mood hung about the area. "Spartan," Fury called out. The son of Ares had removed his helmet, revealing a rugged Asiatic face with brown hair and eyes. He was sitting on a tree stump, and his leg was wrapped in bandages where he'd been stabbed.

"Fury," Hector greeted him with a nod as he sat down next to him.

The two boys sat there in silence, gazing at the nearby funeral pyres built for those who'd died in the battle. Hector hung his head as they contemplated the cost of their victory. It was as if a weight was pressing down on him, leaving him physically and emotionally tired. "No one will judge you for grieving," Fury said softly, looking at some point in the distance. "My powers may lean more towards hate and rage, but I can tell that Jason's death has affected you."

Hector let out a deep sigh, staring down at the ground for several seconds before he finally spoke up. "Before my parents adopted me, I was a nameless Gotham City gutter rat. I didn't have any friends, no one to play games with or have fun. All that mattered was survival. I first met Jason when I was 10. At the time I was so focused on training, when Athena brought him over to see me I couldn't figure out what the hell I was supposed to do with him." Hector paused for a few seconds, then continued his story. "We'd play games, run around, practice, goof off, and most of all… we were friends. Hell, one time his little brother was kidnapped in Hamburg, apparently the kid got ahead of himself and was caught ripping off some rich scumbags, so we teamed up and saved him, and we crashed a ship into the port in the process."

"Sounds like you guys were pretty solid," Fury remarked.

"Yeah…" Another moment of silence followed, during which Hector looked up at the funeral pyres. "I can't remember how things went down in the end with Electra. What happened after… after Jason got stabbed?"

"Before he died, Jason managed to pin Electra's leg to the floor with his spear. Then, since your spear's lightning is fuelled by anger, I used my powers to give you as many people's anger as possible. You let out a blast powerful enough to kill Electra and blow the roof off the building, but the stress was too much for you, and you passed out. Afterwards, all the fighting in the city just… stopped, so we all got the hell out of there. Besides that, Hades gave up enough Lethe water for Zeus to make it rain over the city. No one but us will remember what happened here today."

"I suppose it's just as well no one else knows about us," Hector muttered. "What about you? Are you gonna be okay?"

"I am going to miss my brother," Fury admitted, a solemn look on his face as he continued staring out into the distance. "You know… it's funny how he always took after Ares, while I was more like dad's Roman aspect of Mars. Two brothers of the same god, and yet so different…"

"Hey guys," Chaser's voice was heard. The two boys looked at her and saw a pretty red headed girl with freckles walking towards them, her midriff wrapped in bandages.

"Chaser," Fury greeted her cordially. "Any word on your mother?"

"Nothing yet, but I'm sure she's fine. She's just smuggling one last truckload of refugees out of the city, and if anyone can charm their way past a checkpoint it's her. After all, she is her mother's daughter." The teenage girl looked over at Hector with sympathy. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah…" Hector seemed to deflate as he let out a deep sigh. "I just… when Electra got up after she got thrown outside… when she fired that blast at us… why did I shoot lightning back at her? If I hadn't, maybe Jason would still be alive."

Chaser spontaneously crouched down and threw her arms around him in a hug. "Hey… I know it's hard, but you can't blame yourself for Jason's death. That wasn't your fault." Hector accepted the gesture without saying a word, simply hugging her back, while Fury leaned in and wrapped his arms around both of them.

Some time later, the members of the God Squad had gathered at the pyres under a starry midnight sky. The bodies had been cleaned and prepared for the ceremony, and each was now lying atop its own pyre. A prayer was said for the fallen warriors, and then Hector stepped forward with the other torch bearers.

Jason's body looked almost peaceful as he lay on his back, feet together, arms folded over his chest, eyes closed. A coin had been placed over his mouth as payment for Charon the ferryman, and his spear lay beside him. Hector placed a hand over his friend's heart, feeling no warmth or movement, only the coldness of death. Several tears fell from his eyes, raining down onto Jason's face. "I'm sorry," Hector said, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. With a heavy heart, he stepped back and lit the pyre.

As the members of the God Squad grieved for their fallen comrades, watching the fires burn, Hector offered up a silent prayer for his friend. 'Good bye Jason. I hope you make it to Elysium.'

Flashback end

Having registered their team for the event, 'Robin Hood and the Merry People' had gathered with all the other contestants, all of whom were equipped with bows and full quivers. However, instead of sharp ends, the arrows had round, soft points like large colored sponges. One of the event organizers (dressed as a town crier) had taken a moment to go over the rules. Following that, all the teams had been led into the forest to their respective starting points, and the game had begun. Despite some lingering resentment on Jason's part for Hector's actions that morning, the group managed to work well enough. A couple hours later, they'd gone through a shootout with one team, eliminating all but one player who ran away. They'd also climbed up into the trees at one point and ambushed another team that had the misfortune of passing by, wiping them out completely.

"Nice work." Roy said to Hector as they jumped out of the trees following their successful ambush. The ginger man showed a measure of respect for his skill. "How'd you learn to shoot a bow like that?"

"When I was young my mother introduced me to a woman named Diana who taught me," he replied as they moved along.

"Diana, like the roman goddess of the hunt," Dick remarked with some interest.

"She's good, but I wouldn't exactly call her a goddess," Hector said dismissively.

The group remained quiet as they moved along, alert for other contestants. After a bit of a trek they spotted a large fallen tree not far from the boundaries (marked with red tape). "Well, that doesn't look suspicious at all," Jason said sarcastically, looking at splotches of colour on the trees standing at either end of the fallen trunk.

"Yeah, this looks like a good spot for a trap," Mia commented.

"Agreed," Roy chimed in, looking at their team leader. "It's your call, Robin Hood. Should we go in after these guys, try to draw them out, or hope someone else takes care of them?"

"Let's just check to see if anyone's still hiding here," Dick proposed. "Roy, do you mind?"

"Hang on a sec…" Roy then pulled out an arrow, calculated the distance between them and the tree, raised his bow at an angle, then released. The arrow sailed through the air, over the fallen tree and thumped onto the ground. A cry of surprise was heard from behind the tree.

"GAH!"

"Well, that answers that question," Roy said. "How'd you wanna do this?"

"Hmm… We need a distraction to draw their fire," Dick said in a hushed tone.

"This sounds like a job for you," Jason pitched in, slapping Hector on the back.

"Dare I ask why?" Hector asked, an eyebrow raised in question.

"You're big, and that makes you a tempting target. Plus, Dinah said you're fast."

The others had thoughtful looks as they considered Jason's words. "I mean… he's not wrong," Mia admitted, giving Hector a quick look up and down. "You are the biggest one of us."

"See, he's perfect," Jason insisted. "Just run really fast and make a lot of noise so they don't pay attention to us. You'll be fine."

"Are you up for this?" Dick asked, looking at Hector. "I won't force you to do it."

Hector was quiet for a few seconds as he considered this. "… Just be sure to make it count."

"Good man." Jason then shoved Hector hard in the back, making him stumble forward a couple steps. "Off you go!"

Hector turned to give Jason a flat, unamused look, receiving a smirk in return. He merely rolled his eyes at this and turned his back on the others, heading towards one side of the fallen tree. Before he got within line of sight, he suddenly started running while shouting loudly. Three arrows thudded into the ground behind him as he sprinted past, maintaining his distance. He fired a few arrows while zipping around erratically, not trying to hit his targets so much as keeping them busy. As Hector was running about, he tripped on a root that seemed to come up out of nowhere, sending him tumbling into the dirt. Hector rolled twice, losing his bow and arrows in the process, and ended up flat on his back. He quickly to sat up, just in time to see one of other archers release their arrow. Hector's hand shot up with lightning speed, catching the arrow just before it hit him in the nose, though the sudden deceleration caused some of the colour in the tip to powder his face nonetheless.

Before the rival team could take another shot, Dick, Roy, Mia and Jason jumped out and quickly eliminated them. "Took you guys long enough," Hector commented, getting to his feet as the other team walked away. Despite his words, he didn't really seem that upset.

"Meh, you were doing fine," Jason said, waving his hand dismissively.

"That was impressive," Roy remarked, motioning to the arrow Hector still had in his hand.

"Yeah, where'd you pick that up?" Dick inquired curiously. "Did Diana teach you that move as well?"

"Well, I-" Hector began.

"Hey, you!" A referee, identified by the bright yellow vest he was wearing, was the one who'd interrupted. The man was looking straight at Hector as he approached the group. "What're you still doing here? Any player who gets hit is eliminated."

"Sir, I wasn't actually hit," Hector explained, remaining calm as the referee invaded his personal space. "As it happens, I-"

"Really? You didn't get hit?" The referee said sarcastically, waving a hand in Hector's face. "What the hell do you call this then? Did a squirrel shit on your face?"

"Hey, stupid!" The referee turned to see Jason scowling at him. "Maybe you didn't realize, but he's telling the truth. He caught the arrow before it actually hit him. So guess what? He's still in the game. Now do us all a favour and get out of here."

"Ha!" the ref laughed at him. "This guy caught an arrow mid-flight? Yeah right! What kind of shit lie is that?"

"It's not a lie you dumbass!" Jason shot back, his temper rising. "Maybe you didn't realize it, but these arrows make a mess when they hit their target. So if the arrow actually hit him, his face would show it."

"Jason…" Dick spoke carefully, trying to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "Let's not-"

"I don't care what kind of stupid excuse you've got, tough guy," the ref insisted. "Your friend's got colour on his face, he got hit, he's out of here. Now do yourself a favour and keep your mouth shut before you get in trouble."

"Here, let me show you what it looks like."

"Jay-"

Mount Olympus

A puff of smoke appeared as Cassandra and Hecate teleported onto Mount Olympus, accompanied by a loud bang. The demigod teenager coughed a few times as the smoke cleared, holding onto her mother's arm to steady herself. "Are you alright?" the goddess of magic asked.

"I'm fine," Cassandra said. "Just a little dizzy. I don't think I have the hang of it yet."

"Don't sell yourself short," Hecate reassured her. "You're doing very well, all things considered."

A streak of light appeared as a fast moving object flew through the air, creating a gust of wind as it suddenly stopped in the midst of the gathered gods, nymphs and other beings. The 'object' turned out to be a dark haired woman wearing aviator goggles and a rainbow colored jacket. "Hello Cassandra," she greeted the teenager as she pushed the goggles up on her forehead.

"Ah, um, Iris, right?" Cassandra said a little nervously, guessing her identity by her getup and the entrance she'd made. "I mean, Lady Iris, goddess of the rainbow and-"

"Relax, child," the messenger goddess of Olympus reassured her with a smile. "I won't smite you or turn you into a houseplant for not using my full title, especially not in front of your mother."

"I should hope not," Hecate spoke up, an unamused look on her face. "Did you speak to Hephaestus as I asked?"

"Don't worry, I've got your trinkets around here somewhere." Iris reached into a messenger bag, plunging her arm in up to her elbow and rummaging around until she pulled out a small cloth bag. "Ah ha, there you are." She then emptied out two dozen rings, pins, necklaces, wands and other assorted knick knacks, which she neatly arranged on a table that suddenly rose out of the ground. "Oh, and Cassandra? When you see your brother, remind him not to bother printing off a rainbow if he needs me to send a message for him. A real rainbow is preferable, but I will accept one that's hand drawn."

"Okayyyyy…" Cassandra hesitated for a moment, a look of uncertainty on her face. "You do know that-"

"I am aware your brother draws about as well as a 4 year old child," Iris said, anticipating her question.

Hecate snorted in amusement at this. "That's being generous. He's so bad Apollo and the Muses themselves couldn't teach him art."

"Well, as fascinating as this discussion is, I really must be going," Iris declared. "Lots to do. Ta!" And with that said, the messenger goddess put her goggles back on and disappeared in a streak of rainbow colored light.

Hecate's demeanour became more serious, like a teacher with class in session. "Now, you have a great deal of potential, but you still lack experience, so I want you to choose an artefact. It will help channel your magic, and I'll also be able to imprint an echo of myself onto whatever piece you choose, which means you'll be able to continue your lessons even after you go back home."

"Cool. So… which one should I pick?"

"You need to see for yourself which one you're most comfortable with. When you find the right one, you'll know."

"Hey, it's kinda like Harry Potter," Cassandra remarked, chuckling to herself. "'The wand chooses the wizard' and all that." She looked at her mother, who gave her a flat look in return, as if telling her to get on with it. "Alright, alright." Cassandra grabbed a wand with a gold star at the end and gave it a wave, causing it to explode in a cloud of smoke, making a mess of her hair and leaving her face black with soot. "… Maybe not."

"Try again," Hecate commanded.

Cassandra then picked up a diamond ring, which, when she tried casting a spell, flew off her finger and hit Morpheus in the eye. "My bad!"

"Again."

The process continued like this, the pile of discarded items growing with each failure. A shiny amulet snapped in two, a pin pricked her finger, and a sapphire bracelet resulted in a beam of energy shooting from her fingertips and knocking over a jug of wine, spilling it all over Ares. "Sorry!"

"Again," Hecate insisted, ignoring Ares' loud complaints.

Cassandra waited before making her next choice, taking time to examine the remaining options, and eventually settled on a necklace with a simple green butterfly charm. The nearby spectators watched warily as she placed it around her neck, waiting for something to go wrong again. A strange calm washed over her, and then she spoke an incantation and vanished. An instant later she reappeared on the other side of the room, then she spoke another word and was back at her mother's side. "Bravo, Cassandra," Aphrodite called out, smiling brightly and clapping for her. The goddess of love stomped on Ares' foot and looked at him expectantly, until he clapped as well, albeit slow and not especially enthusiastic.

"Umm… thanks," Cassandra almost squeaked, cheeks flushed at the attention.

"Well done," Hecate congratulated her, smiling at her daughter's performance.

"So… what's next?"

Star City

Jason and Hector were sitting at a table, both with a mug of ale in hand. Some time after their encounter with the referee, the two of them had met up with Dinah and Lian and explained what had happened. The little girl oohed at the part about Hector catching the arrow, and laughed at the part about Jason shooting the ref in the face, while Dinah seemed interested by the story. At one point Dinah had to take Lian to the little girls' room, so the two men were left alone. They sat there in silence with their drinks, until Jason looked up and saw Hector staring at him. "… What?"

"You mind if I ask you a question?" Hector asked.

"Depends on the question."

"Why did you come here in the first place?" Jason merely raised an eyebrow at this, prompting Hector to elaborate. "To put it bluntly, you didn't exactly seem thrilled to come here, so I'm curious why you bothered."

Jason took a swig from his mug as he considered the question, debating whether or not he was going to give him an answer. "How about… I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine."

"What do you want to know?"

"Your friend Jason who died... what the hell happened to him?" A heavy silence sat between the two as they stared each other directly in the eyes. Jason looked like he was trying to read Hector, whose face showed about as much as a brick wall.

"… I'm not that curious," Hector responded, giving Jason a cold, hard look.

"Okay then. Why don't you tell me who he was instead?"

Hector thought about it for a moment before answering. "Until I was adopted, I was a homeless brat that nobody cared about. Even afterwards I mostly kept to myself, except for my family. Jason helped me get out of that phase and just be a kid. He was the first real friend I ever had."

"Where'd you live before you were adopted?" Jason asked, curiosity on his face.

"That's a second question," Hector pointed out.

"Humour me."

"Fine. The mean streets of Gotham City."

"Funny…" Jason muttered humourlessly. "That's two things something we have in common. Growing up in that dump and getting adopted."

"Yeah… funny," Hector remarked in a similar tone. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"Look… Dick and I aren't related, but he's still my brother. Maybe I missed him. Maybe I wanted to hang out with him. Maybe he guilt tripped me into coming here. Whatever."

"I know a little what that's like," Hector replied, a look of understanding on his face. "I have a younger sister. We're not related by blood, but I've never thought of her as anything other than my sister." The two of them were quiet again for a moment, just enjoying their drinks. "By the way, thanks for sticking up for me back there, even though we both ended up getting eliminated."

"The guy was a total jackass and he had it coming," Jason said off-hand. "But now that you mention it, catching the arrow… how did you pick up that trick? Because, let's be honest, that's not exactly normal."

"Training, paranoia, and there's the fact that one time I was tracking a deer when a crazy bow hunter who was also after it decided to shoot me instead of the deer. I still have the scar."

Jason raised a doubtful eyebrow at this. "Really?" In response, Hector loosened the top of his tunic and pulled it aside to show the scar on his shoulder. "Huh…" Jason then caught a glimpse of Dinah and Lian out of the corner of his eye. "By the way, you tell anyone about this conversation… you're a dead man."

"I understand," Hector replied calmly, tying his tunic up again. "We wouldn't want people to think we were being civil with each other."

"Ha, ha," Jason muttered sarcastically.

"You two seem to be getting along," Dinah remarked as she and Lian joined them.

Jason and Hector looked each other in the eyes, as if they were having a staring contest, before the latter spoke up. "Well… we haven't tried to kill each other."

"Yet."

"Simmer down, boys," Dinah said, smirking in amusement at their behaviour.

Any further conversation was interrupted by the sounds of trumpets blowing. The four of them decided to go check it out. This turned out to be the signal for an announcement, as people quieted down to listen to one of the organizers speaking. "Hear ye, hear ye! Good people of Star City, the contest be now over. For certain thou wish to know the glorious victors, so I shall not tarry. The victors are…" The man paused for dramatic effect as someone did a drum roll. "Robin Hood and the Merry People! Congratulations!" The trumpeters played a victory tune as people clapped and cheered.

Later in the evening, a great big banquet had been arranged. A pig roasted over a fire, servants carried around platters of chicken, turkey, lamb, potatoes, soup and all manner of food, and drinks were flowing freely. Robin Hood and the Merry People were seated at the place of honour (a large table apart from the rest with a fancy setup), while the others were seated elsewhere. A merry atmosphere reigned, with music, laughter, singing, dancing and good cheer. At some point during the celebrations, Jason challenged his teammates to a drinking contest, but before they could begin, Dick felt his phone vibrate and excused himself, walking away from the celebrations to go answer the call. "Hey Bruce," Dick spoke up. "I hope it's important, I'm missing the party."

"Did you found out anything?"

"Hello to you too," Dick muttered sarcastically. "For the record, I don't like using my friends like this."

"Need I remind you that he's quite likely a dangerous vigilante?" Bruce asked. "We need to know more about him in case we have to take him down."

"You know, a lot of the evidence you've gathered is circumstantial. Do you have any actual, physical proof that Hector is Spartan?"

"Martial arts, weapons training, multilingualism, acting, hunting and engineering. All useful skills in this line of work, all of which he has and more. Now consider how often he seems to be near trouble. The Themysciran embassy, Blockbuster's appearance in Bludhaven, and the recent attack against Troia."

Dick sighed at this. "Remind me again why you had to drag me into this?"

"I told Zatanna I wouldn't bother Hector again," Bruce explained, his voice remaining calm and collected. "I never said I'd stop investigating him."

"You do realize Zatanna isn't going to care about your reasoning if she finds out you're exploiting a loophole in your promise, right? But now that you mention it, I heard that she seemed especially angry when she barged in to see you a few days ago. According to Damian: 'She was yelling so loud you could've heard her all the way in Central City.'"

"I tried to explain my suspicions about him being Spartan, but she refused to listen."

"I don't blame her!" Dick shot back in exasperation, put off by his former mentor's mannerisms. "You threatened her boyfriend and assaulted him after he'd just gotten out of the hospital. What the hell did you expect?"

"Again, did you find out anything?" Dick sighed, then began telling him what he'd learned. He mentioned Hector's training with Ted Grant, sparring with Dinah, catching the arrow, and his archery teacher Diana. "Was there anything else?" Bruce asked once he was done.

"No. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to the party before people start thinking I've been abducted."

"Very well. Have fun."

By the time Dick returned to his friends, Hector was a little flushed (but still in full possession of all his faculties), Mia was occasionally stumbling as she danced amidst the crowd, and Roy and Jason looked tipsy, arm over each other's shoulders and singing loudly in between gulps. "Our fearless leader has returned," Hector greeted him with a friendly smile, holding out a mug for him. "Care for a drink, Sir Robin?"

Dick smiled back at him as he sat down, accepting the drink and giving him a hearty pat him on the shoulder. "Many thanks, Little John." As Dick enjoyed the festivities, he thought back to what Hector had told him about his friend Jason. Although he could understand Bruce's paranoia to a certain extent, that piece of information felt too personal, and so he'd chosen not to give it away.

16 years ago

Hector had been outside practicing archery behind the house, near the woods that surrounded his family's current home. The number of arrows lying on the ground, stuck in trees, or in places other than the target hanging from a branch suggested that he still had a great deal of room for improvement. In truth, since he'd encountered the giant wolf during Ares' first test, Hector had been training for hours every day. Although he did take care of basic necessities like food, sleep and hygiene, and of course, helping his mother look after baby Cassandra, he left himself little to no time for anything not related to fighting or scholarly pursuits. Intensely focused on the challenge before him, Hector grabbed another arrow, fitted it to his bow, pulled back the string, aimed as carefully as he could, and-

"Hector!" his mother called out to him. Startled, Hector jerked his bow upward as he let go of the string, causing the arrow to fly far above the target.

"Mom!" he cried out in protest. "You made me m-" A partridge suddenly fell to the ground, Hector's arrow stuck in its chest.

"Lucky shot," she remarked, looking at the dead bird. "Athena's here, and she's brought a visitor to see you. I'll take care of the partridge, and you can pick up your mess later. Run along now, don't keep her waiting."

Hector dropped his bow and ran inside the house, where he found the goddess of wisdom herself, appearing as a beautiful woman with long chestnut hair, wearing a white ankle-length gown and various gold accoutrements. At her side was a teenage boy with blond hair and blue eyes, who looked mature despite his young age. "Lady Athena," Hector greeted her with a formal bow.

"We're not on Olympus, you don't need to be so formal," Athena said patiently.

"Yes, Athena." Hector's eyes glanced at the blond boy standing beside her, giving him a quick look up and down, which was returned by a smile. "Um… who's this?" he asked, nodding his head towards the older boy.

"Hector, this is my son Jason." Athena placed a hand against Jason's back, giving him a gentle nudge forward. "Jason, this is Hector."

Jason gave a friendly smile and confidently strode forward, extending his hand out for Hector. "Nice to meet you," he greeted him politely, waiting for his response.

Hector hesitated, seemingly confused by the gesture, before he slowly reached out to grab Jason's hand. "Umm… hi." He couldn't help but wonder why the goddess of wisdom had brought her son to see him. Was this some kind of test? Did she mean for them to train together? But, of all the questions that the other boy's presence brought up, the first one out of Hector's mouth was: "You're… Athena's son?" he asked, as if he simply couldn't grasp the concept.

"Yep. And your mom's Hecate, right?"

"I'm adopted, but yeah." Hector looked up at the goddess, confusion still clear on his face. "Athena, if he's your son… I thought you didn't… aren't you supposed to be a… I mean, how did he…?" Hector stumbled over his words, apparently incapable of formulating the proper question.

Not being named the goddess of wisdom for nothing, Athena quickly realized where Hector was going with this. "You're wondering how I can have children if I'm supposed to be a virgin," she stated bluntly, crossing her arms and looking down at him with an unimpressed look on her face.

"Umm… well, yeah," Hector said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"First off, yes, I'm still a virgin," Athena said in a no nonsense tone. "Second, humans have advanced to the point where it's possible for them to have children without having sex. Is it really so surprising that the gods might do the same?"

"Umm… well… I guess not. I just didn't think… what're you doing here?" Hector asked, trying to change the subject.

"I know you've been busy training since Ares' first test, so I decided that this would be a good time to introduce my son to you."

"Is he going to help me with weapons' training?" Hector asked.

"He can, although that's not the reason I brought him," Athena replied patiently.

"Is he going to make me do mind games or puzzles?"

"That's not it either."

"Are we supposed to work on planning and strategy?"

The goddess frowned at this, getting annoyed by the questions, and the fact that Hector was so focused on training he couldn't see the opportunity she was trying to present him. "No."

"Mathematics?"

"No."

"Am I supposed to fight him?"

"Hector… shut up," Athena said firmly, having had enough. "As much as I admire your dedication to protecting your sister and learning new skills, Jason is not here to test you. Even hardened warriors don't train all day, every day. In case you've forgotten, despite your involvement in the world of gods and monsters, you are a ten year old boy. Children your age should take at least a little time to make friends, to play and have fun."

"You're here… to play with me?" Hector asked, looking at Jason with a puzzled expression. The other boy nodded in response, causing the look on Hector's face to go from puzzled to embarrassed as the truth finally dawned on him. "Oh. I'm sorry. I… never had friends before," Hector muttered, his eyes downcast.

"That's okay, I'll be your friend," Jason offered, giving him a sincere smile. "You wanna play Snakes and Ladders?" he asked, pulling the game out of his bag.

"I've… never played that game," Hector admitted.

"It's super easy. Come on, I'll show you," Jason said.

As the two boys walked over to the dining room table and began to set up the game, Athena smiled to herself, pleased to see the two boys getting along. "Jason, I'll return tomorrow morning to take you back to your father and brother. In the meantime, you boys have fun."

"Bye mom." "Bye Athena."

And with that said, the goddess of wisdom walked away and vanished.

As usual, hope you liked it, sorry for the wait, please review (criticism is fine, just be professional about it).

Kind of busy with college these days. I'll try not to let this story die, but updates will probably be irregular.