Festival of Peace
-:-
"No way…"
The rest of the Team was silent as they watched Danny go backstage.
Superboy wasn't sure what he felt the moment his friend walked out from behind the curtains. Shock? Anger? Sorrow? Betrayal? His thoughts were jumbled and contorted as he tried to make sense of the situation.
How was he supposed to react? Was he supposed to feel happy? Proud? His friend was just announced as King of an entire realm. Yet… he didn't know how to feel. It was like he was just meeting Danny for the first time.
'Did I ever really know him?'
Was it all a ploy? Was it all just some part of one of Clockwork's master plans to get what he wanted? Did Clockwork use Danny? Or… did Danny use them?
What if that was it? What if Danny and Clockwork wanted to know more about the Team because they wanted to know more about the Justice League and their dimension?
A loud bark of laughter from a nearby ghost snapped Superboy out of his thoughts.
He looked around and shook his head to rid himself of the dark thoughts.
'You're starting to sound like Wally, pull yourself together Con-El.'
The crowd started moving, which Superboy was forced to follow as to not get trampled over.
The clone felt M'Gann's mind touch right before hearing Aqualad's order to regroup outside the amphitheater.
One by one the Team regrouped off to the side of the front entrance to the Main Stage.
'Did that really just happen?' Beast Boy asked incredulously over the Mindlink.
'You know… suddenly everything from the last couple of days makes so much more sense,' Zatanna awed.
'Just the last couple of days? I feel like I'm just now meeting the guy!' Kid exclaimed.
The sorceress was right though, if the Team did look back at Danny's behavior the past couple of days the answer was so obvious he's surprised they never considered it. The formal attire, the last-minute meetings, the way he was treated by some of the higher-ranking ghosts, even the seemingly distancing behavior. All the puzzle pieces suddenly fit together.
"Hey, guys! What's up!"
The Team turned to see Ember, Johnny 13, and Kitty walking towards them all with amused or joyful smiles.
"Uh, you guys don't look too thrilled," Johnny commented with a grimace.
"That's one word for it," Kid scoffed.
There was a brief silence, and Superboy already could feel that trouble was right around the corner.
Nightwing stepped up and crossed his arms. "Did you three know?" he asked sternly.
"Know what?" Ember glared, crossing her arms defensively in return.
"About Danny?"
The three sent glances at each other, Kitty being the one to speak for all of them. "We were told not to tell anyone-"
"Ugh! This again!" Kid scoffed as he threw his arms up angrily.
Johnny stepped in front of Kitty defensively, his shadow seeming to move restlessly on its own. "Hey! Don't dismiss my girlfriend!" he threatened with a growl.
"How many knew?" Aqualad asked, probably hoping to diffuse the situation noticing the questioning glances being sent their way.
Kitty rubbed her arm nervously, "Most of us knew."
"And how many were told not to tell us?" Artemis growled, crossing her arms.
Nervous glances were sent between all of them, but the silence was all the Team needed for an answer.
"Are you-" Kid threw up his hands again and turned away from the ghosts with an irritated growl. "Come on, guys!"
Miss M quickly grabbed the speedster's arm. "Kid, where are you going?"
The protégé threw off the shapeshifter's hand and continued to stomp away. "Anywhere but here! Not like we were wanted here, to begin with anyways," he announced pointedly.
The three ghosts didn't move to follow them.
West Bazaar Security Tent, Festival of Peace
-:-
The Halfa idly fiddled with the Ring of Rage as he watched Cujo in puppy form run around in front of him.
Wanting to get away from the crowd for a little while, he decided to choose the least busy place he could find. Which just so happened to be the Security Tent for the West Bazaar.
The tent itself was located a little ways from the actual vendors, with a few trees and benches for visitors to rest on should they want or need to. It was a quieter part of the Festival, with only one or two guards posted, and a place that the half-ghost has come to call his 'secret spot' when he wanted a break from all the politics and noise (while still having security close by as to not worry his friends or the one-eyed idiots).
He frowned as his mind wandered to the last couple of days.
'It's been pretty busy, and it's only supposed to get even busier from here on out… I wonder if the Team is doing okay-'
Someone cleared their throat behind him, making Danny startle a little.
Danny turned to see a tall and muscular man in a formal gold and black tunic. He had strong, rugged features, broad shoulders and a square jaw. He also had three pale scars running across his face, brown eyes, and long black hair that was pulled back in a loose ponytail.
"May I?" a deep baritone voice asked, gesturing to the empty spot on the bench next to the Halfa.
Danny blinked for a moment, processing what the slight-intimidating figure had said.
"Oh! Yeah sure, here…" The teen replied politely before moving over a little bit more to make room.
The stranger smiled appreciatively and sat down next to the tense teen.
The teen didn't know what to say to the newcomer as he went back to watching Cujo play.
"You'll have to forgive my boldness but… I had noticed that you appeared lonely and wished to offer my company."
Yet again, the Halfa blinked at the man, before quickly collecting himself and offering a reassuring smile.
"There's no need to apologize. You can speak freely, Mr.-?"
"Ah, forgive me, your highness. It's Marduk," the man chuckled and offered a small bow of the head.
Danny smiled and shook his head. "I don't really care that much about formalities, Mr. Marduk. While away from the crowd you can feel free to call me Phantom. I noticed some people prefer to call me Lord or Sir Phantom if that sort of thing helps you feel more comfortable."
Marduk gave him a small smile in return. "Thank you, Phantom."
He looked curiously at the sight in front of them. "Is this a companion of yours?" he asked uncertainly.
The teen turned back to see the ghost dog jumping excitedly into a pile of snow that he had created earlier for him.
"Cujo? No, he's not actually my dog, just a dog that's taken a liking to me," the young hero explained. He quickly turned to the other, realizing that he may not have been comfortable around dogs. "Does he make you feel uncomfortable? I can ask him to leave or for one of the guards to come get him?"
Marduk smiled amusingly, "No, I was only curious. But I thank you for the offer."
Phantom sat in amused silence as he watched Cujo struggle to pick up one of the few snowballs the halfa had created for him to fetch.
'This actually isn't so bad…'
"Thank you, by the way," the teen said while still staring at Cujo playing.
He could feel Marduk shift next to him. "For?"
"For the company. Admittedly, I came here to try to avoid people and just have some time to think. But I think having someone to talk to is a lot better than being alone with my thoughts," he admitted with a sad smile.
The man raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's on your mind, if I may ask? Surely it couldn't be about the Blizzard Games?"
Phantom sighed and grumbled with a slight blush. "I can't believe I fell on my face again, Ember is never going to let me live that down."
The man chuckled next to him. "I had meant the assassination attempt."
The ghost blushed a brighter green. "Oh right…"
There was a short silence. One the Halfa was a little grateful for as it let him sort through his jumbled thoughts.
"While the investigation is still ongoing, it is not the incident at the Blizzards Games that's been bugging me… it's a lot of other stuff too. One thing that I'm worried about is that I might not be what everyone expects me to be," Phantom frowned.
Marduk grunted, though in an understanding way. "I see… I too was once the ruler of a kingdom, and the responsibilities that were placed upon me were far greater than any common man would know. Responsibilities, I am sure, that you have already come to realize, even as the crowned prince."
Phantom would usually wince at the title, though, instead, he felt entrapped by the man's words as he silently waited for the stranger to continue.
"But, I also see that you care for your people a great deal. During the Blizzard Games, you did not hesitate to place a fog over the field and around the assassin in order to protect both the players and the audience, before protecting yourself. At the assembly, I saw how you addressed the people, humbly so, I might add, and I was deeply moved and inspired by it. You are proving to be quite a capable Heir, Phantom. I find myself lucky to have been able to meet you face-to-face."
The Halfa blushed slightly as he looked back at Cujo playing. "I'm glad I could be inspiring…"
There was a comfortable short silence.
"Mr. Marduk?"
The man chuckled at the 'mister'. "Yes?"
"May I ask you something?"
The man raised an eyebrow for a moment before offering a reassuring nod. "Of course."
"If you had to make a choice between the people that you've come to associate as family and the people you rule over, which would you choose?"
"Hmm.…" the man hummed as he stared thoughtfully at the scenery for a moment. "I believe it would depend on what the choice would entail. Are you asking in the sense you had to choose one as a main priority? Or are you asking if you were to choose which one to associate yourself with?"
Phantom hesitated and Marduk let out a quiet hum of understanding.
"If it is regarding your- condition- I can assure you, I have no qualms with it, and you can speak your true thoughts."
The teen was shocked at first before he almost facepalmed remembering that most ghosts in the Ghost Zone did know about his halfa status. And most didn't have any problems sharing it with others if it meant having a good gossip.
A few beats went by before he decided to continue as he ran a hand through his hair.
"I've been having a difficult time deciding where to call home... On one hand, living in the Infinite Realms is nice, because I don't have to worry about humans freaking out about my powers or what I am. I also have a lot of allies and friends that I can rely on at any given moment. But, there are still quite a few ghosts out there that don't like that I'm part human and have openly expressed it by hunting me down or trying to kill me. While on the other hand, the Living Realm is full of amazing and wonderful things. Like going on late-night flights, stargazing, or hanging out with friends is always nice too. But, I feel like I have to hide my ghost half in order to live in their world because people usually tend to fear what they don't understand. I feel like no matter what, I'm-"
"Stuck between two worlds, and yet do not belong to either?" Marduk suggested with a knowing smirk.
Phantom blinked. "Yeah...yeah actually, " the teen replied, turning back to the stranger with a hopeful look in his eyes. For once, it felt like he had possibly finally met someone else who could understand where the teen was coming from.
"Allow me to share something with you, Phantom. I know all too well how you are feeling at this moment because I too used to struggle with such thoughts. I am not a ghost but an immortal human, you see. I cannot age, and have not aged for thousands of years."
The Halfa remained silent as he once again became entrapped by the man's words.
"I too had trouble finding where I belonged in my world. I felt as though I could never truly belong anywhere because of my condition and I would never be able to have any kind of long-term relationship or a family… Until I did."
"You found it?" he asked hopefully.
Marduk nodded his head. "I allowed myself to open up more and over the many years, I have had numerous families. As for finding a place to call home well…"
He stared off into space for a moment and smiled to himself. "Home is where I made it at the moment. Something you will come to understand, Phantom, is that home is not a place, sometimes it's not even a people, sometimes… it's just wherever you feel at home at that moment."
The white-haired teen looked away and smiled thoughtfully. "Thanks, I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Marduk."
"No.…thank you, Phantom."
The hero raised an eyebrow at the man. "Huh? What did I do?"
"You offered me perspective and allowed me to get to know you a little more. So I wanted to thank you."
A comfortable silence fell between them again, Cujo finally settling down and curling up to take a nap by Danny's foot.
"My friends call me Danny," the teen offered with an appreciative smile.
Marduk had an amused smile as he bowed his head slightly. "Very well… Danny, then."
The sound of footsteps came from behind them and Danny turned to see Fright Knight come from around the tent.
He saluted and bowed. "Sire, the Master of Time has requested that you return to your tent for a meeting."
Danny let out a small irritated sigh. 'I swear I have barely had time to breathe this past week.'
"And duty calls-" he mumbled out loud as he stood up, Marduk following suit. Cujo ignored him, perfectly content in his napping spot.
He turned to the now less-intimidating man with a smile. "Thank you again for the advice and for the company. Will you be attending the rest of the Festival?"
Marduk hummed in thought. "Perhaps… I have not made up my mind just yet."
"Well in case you do stick around, I'd like to personally invite you to the Grand Feast at the Pavilion," the Heir offered.
"You are too kind, Lord Phantom. Surely, I could not accept such an invitation." He said with a bowed head.
The teen waved it off. "Please, there's no need. Seriously, it's the least I can do for having you sit through my ranting."
"I can assure you that it was anything but… Very well, I humbly accept your invitation."
The Halfa's eyes lit up as he started to walk away, sending a wave back. "Great! I'll see you then."
Fright Knight followed from behind as they made their way toward the King's tent.
"You know, Fright… I actually really enjoyed talking to him, he seemed really nice."
The knight's eyes squinted as though they were smiling. "I'm glad to hear, sire!" he exclaimed joyfully.
North Dining Area, Festival of Peace
-:-
"I can't believe he didn't tell us something this huge!"
Superboy rolled his eyes and continued eating his lunch.
The Team had followed Kid Flash to the North Dining Area, which just so happened to be the same place they had met up with their guides two days ago. After everyone had grabbed something to eat, they then had been forced to listen to Kid rant for about half an hour.
"Huge in what sense, Kid Flash? The size of the Festival? The crowd? Or perhaps you're speaking of your appetite?"
Superboy's appetite dwindled as he turned to see Clockwork and two of Dora's knights walk up to them.
"We're not really in the mood for your riddles, Father Time," the speedster grumbled.
The Time Ghost remained expressionless as he continued. "I have come to inform you that you've been summoned to the King's Tent."
Superboy could've sworn he could hear a pin drop from how fast the crowd turned down their volume to hushed whispers. He shifted in place as he felt multiple eyes on him.
"Why doesn't he just-OMFF!"
"Does he need something?" Artemis asked curtly, pretending as though she didn't just elbow her teammate in the chest.
"Do you accept this invitation?"
The clone watched as the guards seemed a little too tense as they awaited their answer.
'Are they worried we'll hurt Phantom? No, that can't be it… Maybe they're waiting to see if we'll deny the future King's invitation?'
Aqualad seemed to notice this too as he cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "It would be an honor, please show us the way," he replied, bowing his head and gesturing for the Time ghost and the guards to lead the way.
They were led to a large black tent with two green triangular flags waving in the nonexistent wind at the top.
Two knights, also from Dora's kingdom, were posted outside of the singular entrance.
Clockwork raised his staff and the two guards pulled back the curtains, allowing the Team and Clockwork to pass through.
The first thing Superboy noticed was how well-lit it was for a dark-colored tent. Soft yellow light from nearby candle holders revealed the interior of the well-furnished tent, and the older teen couldn't help but be a bit awed by it all.
"Hey, guys."
The Team looked over to see Danielle eating an apple as he sat on top of a wooden table.
"Danielle?" Superboy grunted curiously.
"What are you doing here?" Beast Boy asked with wide eyes.
She shrugged, "Hanging out. What are you guys doing here?"
"That would be Clockwork's doing…"
He turned to see their ghostly teammate push aside a curtain that had hidden a side of the tent.
Superboy had to do a double take as he now could get a better look at the outfit their friend was wearing. Instead of wearing his normal jumpsuit, or even the Knightly accessories, he was wearing a slightly loose-fitting black linen long-sleeve shirt with white trim around the fastened collar. The shirt was tucked into black pants, which were then tucked into a pair of black boots. Around his waist was a black and silver belt with an empty sword hostler hanging off the side of it. While he didn't have the floating aflame crown on, Superboy did notice that he did have a green ring with a skull with red eyes carved into it.
"You look… different," the clone grunted unsurely.
Danielle made a noise that sounded like laughter before she started almost choking on her apple.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Phantom chuckled nervously.
"I shall leave them with you then," Clockwork announced, dismissing himself.
An awkward silence took hold of the tent.
"So uh- nice place you got set up here," Beast Boy commented unsurely as he fidgeted.
Phantom cleared his throat. "Yeah, it is. It uh- wasn't exactly by choice, but it's definitely nice what they had set up for me."
"Why the tent anyways?" Zatanna asked as she looked around the tent.
The Halfa leaned himself against the side of the table as he gestured around them. "It was originally set up so I could have somewhere to stay while at the festival so I could be nearby at a moment's notice. But I've only really been using it to discuss private matters."
Another awkward silence passed through the tent.
Beast Boy cleared his throat. "Noted… um, your majesty?"
Danielle snorted and busted out laughing as Phantom blushed a bright green.
Superboy watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose and collected himself before addressing the young shapeshifter as his clone laughed up a storm. "Gar? Please, for the love of whatever you believe in, don't ever call me that again."
The younger teen covered his mouth as his eyes widened comically. "Oh! I'm so sorry, was that offensive?! Am I not supposed to call you that?!"
"That was awesome!" Danielle laughed as she pointed at Phantom while floating in the air above the table. You totally should've seen your face just then!"
Miss M looked sympathetically at their embarrassed ghostly friend. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, M'Gann… I'm fine," he answered, waving her off while covering his blushing face with the other hand. "Dani, please settle down…"
The other clone looked at the older Halfa curiously as her laughing fit subsided, before looking around and seeming to notice the tension in the room.
Phantom's face began to return to its normal color as he looked back at the Team. "Let's get something out of the way, you guys don't have to call me by my title-"
"But-"
Danny raised a hand, stopping Gar before he could protest. "I don't care for that stuff when it comes to addressing me. If you're really that worried about what people will think, just address me as Sir or Lord Phantom in public. But privately, you can treat me as you've always had," he reassured before looking back up at the Team with a guilty look in his eyes. "I'm still me, okay?"
The Team remained quiet, and Superboy wasn't quite sure how to respond to the situation. Thankfully, he didn't have to as Danny continued to lead the conversation.
"Gar, you had a question?"
The younger member seemed startled to be addressed.
"Um… well two now."
"Shoot," the other nodded as he crossed his arms.
"I guess I'll ask my second question first, is it okay to call us by our real names here? What about the guards?"
It was strange for Conner not to see Danny offer a reassuring smile or much emotion at all during a discussion like this one. Instead, he was either formal or straight to the point.
"The tent itself is made from a sound-dampening material, so long as the curtains are closed and we're not screaming at each other, no one can eavesdrop on us. Also, the guards are sworn to never discuss who has come to and from the tent, nor can they discuss what they may have heard. "
"And you trust them?" Kaldur asked seriously.
The other nodded. "I know them from Dora's kingdom; they're good, honest, and trustworthy men."
"Huh, ironic," Wally grumbled.
Danny winced and there was another awkward silence before Gar continued.
"As for my other question, if you're the heir to the throne, how come nobody seemed to know who you were?"
Danny uncrossed his arms and readjusted himself as he leaned against the table again. "It's complicated- "
"Pfft! No, it's not. It's because those lazy floating eyeballs don't want a human running the show, but still want someone to fix all their problems for them!" Danielle answered bitterly.
"Lazy floating eyeballs?" Gar questioned.
The older Halfa nodded. "The Observants. They watch over the timeline like Clockwork, the only problem is that's all they ever do. They just see a potential problem, but will send somebody else to fix it, usually Clockwork."
"I see, but how does that affect Danny?" Zatanna asked pointedly towards the younger Halfa.
"After the Ancients took care of Pariah Dark the first time, the Ghost Zone was left without a king," Danny began explaining.
"So they took that as their opportunity to make themselves the rulers," Kaldur chimed in as he crossed his arms.
The older Halfa nodded. "Exactly, and it worked for a little while. At least until they realized how much actually goes into it and didn't want to do it anymore. After that happened, the people residing in the Realms just started to look after themselves. Some created their own kingdoms and customs, while others just created their own laws, causing the entire Ghost Zone to break apart due to all the chaos. During that time, the Observants did nothing to help, saying that they couldn't because they needed to constantly watch over the timeline."
"Let me get this straight," Artemis jumped in. "So these guys were supposed to keep everyone in line, realized they could do whatever they wanted and save themselves rather than keep everything from falling apart; so when a king's candidate shows up on their doorstep, they just immediately want to dump it all on you? But at the same time, don't want you to because you're still technically half alive?"
Danny's eyebrows furrowed. "I think you're giving them too much credit here. These are the same people that sent Clockwork to erase me from existence after a darker version of me from a different timeline became a possibility."
"You're kidding…" The archer asked irritably.
"Unfortunately he's not," Danielle grunted. "These guys don't like Danny and never have. Luckily, the only leverage that they have is that he's technically Clockworks' apprentice, and can only make him do so much. But I would like to say that if it wasn't for half the stuff Danny's done under their noses, those guys would have long faded by now. I mean, come on! It's not like the Ghost Zone wasn't going to find out sooner or later! They should've made it public a while back. But noooo, they need control over every aspect of my cousin's half-afterlife don't they? All because they don't-"
"Dani, it's okay. Why don't you try to find Youngblood? I heard he was going to be here today." The older Halfa offered gently.
They both made eye contact, seeming to have a silent argument for a good minute before Danielle sighed in defeat.
"Fine… I'll catch up with you guys later, stay out of trouble!"
The tent was silent as Danielle left.
"So…" Dick shrugged after a few beats. "When were you going to tell us?" He asked with crossed arms.
"Did Clockwork have something to do with it?" Kaldur asked, keeping his voice level.
Conner watched as Danny sighed and pushed himself off the table to stand in front of them.
"Look, guys, I-"
"You know, I don't really think there's a good enough excuse," Wally interrupted with a glare.
"Kid-"
"No. No, I'm putting my foot down on this and so should you Kaldur. These kinds of things, you can't just hide, alright? What if one of us got captured huh? What if one of us got captured by someone that knew and was going to hold us for ransom or even torture us for information on the heir? What then?"
Danny looked taken back. "It's because you guys didn't know that never had to deal with any major ghost problems-"
"It didn't matter if it was major or not! The one thing I've noticed since we've been here is that these guys love to gossip. So what would've happened if someone got the word where you or anybody else on the Team lived?"
"They don't- Ghost can't get out of here easily-" He took a breath and seemed to collect his thoughts. "Look, what matters is the fact that now that you guys do know-"
"So what we know?!" The speedster retorted angrily. "We were going to find out anyway because we came here! How do we know there aren't other things you have been hiding?!"
The candles around them dimmed significantly as a threatening aura surrounded them. Danny's glowing green eyes seemed to glow even brighter than before as he took a step toward them.
"You want to go there? Fine. Let's go there, Wally. Why were you and Gar following Dani around?" the ghost asked with a chilling calm, his natural echo returning.
The redhead took a step back and gritted his teeth. "How did you-? Whatever we only had to follow her because we were trying to find out more about-"
"More about what? Me? You could've simply asked her. But instead, you decided to follow her, which leads me to believe you saw her as a suspect. Then, after the fact, I find M'gann spying on Frostbite and I in Dora's Kingdom. So I am only left to assume that you may consider me to be a threat. Am I a threat to you, Justice League?"
As the ghost spoke, the room had gotten colder to the point everyone could see their own breath. The candles were so dim, they didn't offer warmth or light, Superboy could've sworn they had a slight green tint to them.
Before anyone could respond, Danny inhaled a sharp breath and his eyes widened.
Superboy frowned as he watched the half-ghost turn and pinch the bridge of his nose while taking a shaky deep breath. The inside of the tent returned to normal, as though a shadowy blanket was being pulled off of it.
"Harley was right…" the Halfa mumbled after a few breaths.
"What did you just say?"
"Wally…" Dick warned with a slight glare.
Danny let out a small growl as he glared at Wally. "I said Harley was right. I shouldn't have let Clockwork's invitation influence me and I should've set boundaries."
The speedster threw up his hands and let out an incredulous sarcastic bark of laughter. "So he admits to not wanting to invite us! And yet again we had to hear that from somebody else instead of you!"
Once again, the silence was all the Team needed as confirmation.
"And Harley?" Dick asked with a stern calm.
"What about her?" Danny asked bitterly, clearly having been put off by the speedster's words.
"Were you ever going to tell us about her?"
"I don't see how her and I being friends is any of the Team's business," the Halfa answered with a stern tone.
Another tense silence filled the tent, several people shifting in place as the tension grew heavily uncomfortable.
"Very well then. Your Highness," Kaldur bowed, making Danny wince. "Thank you for speaking with us, but we shouldn't take any more of your time. Do we require your permission to leave?"
Conner watched as Danny's expression remained still as he turned away from them. "No, you can go."
It was quiet as the clone could hear the shuffling of the Team's footsteps and watched as they left, Conner electing to stay behind a bit longer.
He heard a sigh and turned to see Danny hadn't moved either. "Conner, please-"
"How many knew?" he asked, cutting the other off with a grunt.
The half-ghost was silent for a beat. "Clockwork, Doctor Fate, Hades, a few other rulers, and most of my allies."
There was a brief pause as Conner tried to process not only the information but his own emotions as well.
"Would you have ever told us?"
There was a brief pause of hesitation. "Not unless I had to…"
Conner's eyebrows furrowed as he let out a small grunt and left the tent without another word.
