Cassie Sandsmark winced as she heard another muffled yell through the corridor between her living room and her kitchen. Next to her, Diana placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her protege to smile back at her gratefully. They were currently waiting for the discussion between Cassie's mother, Helena, and Donna, to finish.

After the meeting adjourned, Donna had her own private conference with the other Titans. Well, her former teammates now. It was odd, knowing that Donna was no longer a member of the team. Donna Troy had been a staple of the (Teen) Titans for as long as Cassie could remember. The idea of her not being there was almost foreign in a way. Cassie could understand why, of course, after everything Donna had unloaded upon her earlier, but still — she just couldn't wrap her head around it.

Once that was done, there had been a discussion over the training camp, with Young Justice, their mentors on the JLA, and the members of the JSA (who wanted to give as much information to Stargirl as possible to help her make her choice). Cassie didn't know how to feel about that either. While she had agreed to it like the others, mostly because the idea of having personal, uninterrupted tutelage from a former Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman fell too good an opportunity to pass up, there was a certain amount of reservation there. She knew Donna already as a mentor figure, and she barely knew Jason beyond what Tim and Kon had told her about him, so it wouldn't be hard to view him in the same light. The problem was Kon.

Things had shifted ever since Kon… well, since Kon. His entire personality had changed — while he was still laid back, he acted a lot maturely and was more content to stay in the background and just watch them during missions, obeying Robin's orders when needed. He still talked to them, of course, but he acted so different. There were moments where he took charge of the team and they found themselves following his orders without second thought. He always apologized to Tim afterward, but Tim told him he didn't mind.

Tim. It was so odd, knowing Robin's real name. He had always been the one to hold back, to keep this whole 'secret identity' thing going between them. But that was gone now. Gone when Kon had inexplicably grown up almost three decades over the course of a couple of hours. It was a relief, in a way, no longer having that barrier between the team and him, but now several new ones had been erected between them and Kon in its place.

Kon was still Kon. Cassie could see that much in his eyes. But sometimes those eyes would look at her, at all of them, like they couldn't believe they were there. It was an unnerving thing to realize. So much so that when Kon was out on the errand, she had talked about it with the others. While Cissie and Greta (and that was odd too, not calling her Suzie) didn't quite get it, Tim and Bart did. And while Bart felt like her, felt uncomfortable, Tim did not. And when they asked why, he sighed and said, "Because Jason had a tendency to look at our family like that when he first got back. He still does, even now."

That had been sobering to hear.

(Cassie often wondered what it felt like for Tim, to share a best friend you now barely knew with your older brother.)

Kon was still Kon, yes, but Kon was an adult now. Whatever feelings she had for him, they were fading away. Because Kon had dated her in the last timeline, and they had broken up, remaining friends. And then Cassie died, and then Kon had gone on and gotten married and had a son—

Life had gone on, for him. He was their friend, yes, but not really. Not in the same way. And yet, she felt herself longing for it to be that way again. And she could tell the others felt that way too. Maybe that's the real reason they had agreed to this. It would be a chance to get to know this new version of their friend in a new setting.

Whatever remaining thoughts Cassie had faded away when she heard the shouting stop, the door beginning to open. After the conference over the camp had officially ended, all three of the time travelers had been asked to visit the homes of various members of Young Justice to convince their guardians to accede to what their mentors already had and let the teenagers join the camp. While Greta and Tim didn't have that problem (because Cassie wasn't an idiot — it was obvious who Batman was now), and Kon was going to be one of the teachers, Cissie, Cassie, and Bart were a different matter. Kon and Jason had decided to work on Bart together, while Donna had taken Cassie for herself, and brought Diana with her. Cissie was the lucky one, getting all three plus Diana, because it was correctly predicted that her mother would be the most difficult of them all.

There was a secret that Helena Sandsmark, Cassie's mother, had been keeping and it was time that both Cassie and Diana learned it, Donna had said. Cassie wanted to deny it, the idea that her mother was keeping something from her, but upon further introspection, she had to concede it was a possibility. So she had brought Donna and Diana to her home in Gateway City. Upon their arrival, Donna had Diana use the Lasso of Truth on her to confirm the time travel story to Helena before asking to speak in private. Helena reluctantly agreed.

That was several minutes ago. It wasn't long before the yelling started, and both Cassie and Diana had lodged themselves on the couch in awkward silence while they waited for it to stop. Neither of them were aware about what was being discussed, but both had a growing suspicion it had to do with Cassie herself. The fact that they needed to have the discussion in private didn't help matters.

But now, that discussion was over. Cassie saw Helena and Donna exit the room, and then—

"Cassie," her mother breathed out, causing Cassie to unconsciously straighten her back. She loved her mom, she honestly did, but things had been slightly strained between them ever since she had accepted the offer to be the new Wonder Girl. Helena hadn't liked her putting herself in so much danger, but conceded upon Cassie's insistence and with the knowledge that she could 'ground' her daughter from superheroism with just a word. Cassie wondered if her opinion changed upon learning that she had died in the future because of it.

"Yeah, mom?"

Helena glanced at Donna, who had moved from behind her to stand next to her. The younger (older?) woman gave Cassie's mother a single nod, causing Helena to sigh once more. She moved towards her daughter, crouching down and going to one knee while taking the young girl's hands. Cassie swallowed. "Mom?"

"I wanted to wait until you were older. Or perhaps, I hoped I would never have to tell you. That you would never have to find out. But Donna…" Helena once more looked back at the other woman, who had an unmoving expression on her face. "She explained to me about some things that happened in the future. Of the futility of that. Of…of the danger in that."

Cassie tightened her hands around her mother's. "What are you talking about, Mom?"

Helena closed her eyes for a brief moment. "It's about your father, Cassie."

The young hero reeled back, and it was only Diana's steadying hand that stopped her from falling over completely. "Dad? But you never talk about him."

"And for good reason," Helena told her, before sighing once again. "When I was a young woman, I met a man during one of my digs. He was kind, charming. I…I fell in love with him, and soon enough I was pregnant with you. He had disappeared by then, but when you were born he came back for a little bit, to explain who he was. And once I learned, I resolved myself to make sure you would never learn the truth, and forced him to promise the same."

"Who was he?" Cassie asked, and there was a growing pit in her stomach.

Helena bit her lip. "His name…was Zeus."

There was a moment of silence as both Cassie and Diana both processed that statement in growing disbelief.

"Mom, you don't mean…" Cassie trailed off.

"Helena…" Diana inhaled, equally surprised.

"Yes, Diana, Cassie. Zeus."

Cassie let go of her mother's hands and flopped back into the couch, eyes wide. She put a hand to her forehead. "Then that means…"

"You're a demigoddess, Cassie," Donna confirmed, finally speaking up.

Diana looked at her sister. "How did we find out in the previous timeline?"

Donna shrugged. "Helena told you some time after you started mentoring Cassie and made you promise to keep it a secret. After Cassie's identity as Wonder Girl was exposed, he tried to contact her through a human disguise. By the time she found out the truth, Cassie had suspected for some time that he was her father. It explained why Zeus had granted her those powers — in reality, he had simply loosened the seal on her divinity. After something caused him to reapply the seal, she sought new empowerment through a deal with Ares. Upon that deal falling through, he released the seal entirely and gave her access to her full abilities."

"So she would've gained access to these abilities eventually? Why now then, Donna? Why not wait until she was older?"

"Isn't it obvious, Diana? Something is coming," Donna said, face growing dark. "Something big. My being here is proof enough of that. If not for that, I would wait, but as it is, Cassie will be in danger no matter what happens. She is not only just a daughter of Zeus, but a superhero with her own team. It's best she knows now, so she can prepare for what is to come."

Cassie looked down at her hands. "Then my powers…"

"Are just a fraction of what you are truly capable of," Donna continued for her, stepping forward. "After today, I plan to beseech Zeus to grant me — and you as well, Diana — permission to gradually undo the seal. I am confident I will be able to convince him, as I've had my own fair share of deals with him in the future. With that, as you increase in skill and maturity, Cassie, we will grant you more of your power. When we are fully satisfied with your training, you will have access to all of it."

Her successor stared up at her. Donna gently placed a hand on Helena's shoulder, causing the other woman to stand up. With that, the former Wonder Woman replaced her position, and brushed a stray lock of blonde hair away. "I am sorry, Cassie. I know this is a lot to take in so quickly. But we do not have the luxury of time anymore, nor the luxury of ignorance. Know that I'm only doing this because I wish to protect you. But, alas, if there is any unfortunate lesson I have learned over the many decades of my life, it is that the best way to protect you is to teach you how to protect yourself."

Cassie sniffed and nodded gingerly. "What now?"

"Now, we train," Donna glanced at her older sister, and then at Helena. "Your mother has agreed to let you join the camp. Once we have everything settled, I will retrieve you myself and guide you to your new base, where you will learn with the others. Work hard, Cassie. Your life, and the lives of many others will depend on it."

The teenager nodded. Donna smiled, and stood back up. "That's enough for today. I imagine you have much to talk with your mother about, so Diana and I will depart for now, if that is fine with you."


"And now, for the hard one," Kon announced as Jason, Cissie, and him teleported in front of the Jones home. Thankfully, it was late out, so no one was present to see them.

Jason hummed. "I don't know, Max Mercury took a lot of convincing."

"Stage mom."

"…oh. Oh."

"I take it you've had to deal with parents like Mom before?" Cissie asked, glancing between the two boys.

Kon pinched his nose. His poor, abused nose. "Unfortunately, Cissie, parents like your mother aren't as unique as any one of us would wish them to be."

"Not even for superheroes," Jason commented, rubbing his chin. "In fact, I think even more of those types showed up after the JL started the training system. They were a pain to deal with and we often had to get child services involved, usually because those kids very rarely actually want to be superheroes." He gave Cissie a pointed look as he said this.

Cissie didn't miss it, nor the accompanying look Kon shot her as well. She sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

Kon shrugged. "Not when it first happened, but we've been teaching kids like you for years now Cissie. We know the signs."

"If you don't want to do this — any of this — then you don't have to, Cissie," Jason added. "You originally quit after an incident with your therapist and her ex-boyfriend, and had a fulfilling life as a competition archer and then as a teacher after you grew up. That incident hasn't happened in this timeline, and never will, but if you still don't wish to be a hero, then we won't stop you from making that choice. We'll just ask that you explain your decision to your friends before you go."

Cissie rubbed her arm and glanced at the door of her house nervously. "I do want to stop," she finally admitted, "But…not yet. Like you said, there's something big coming, and my friends will be in the middle of it. And I…I can't step away. Not until I'm sure they'll be fine without me."

Kon placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Alright then. All that's left is convincing your mother to let us train you." He thought that over for a moment, before shrugging again. "It'll be a pain, but not too difficult."

"How so?"

The three heroes looked up to see Donna and Diana descending from the sky, having evidently finished with their visit to Cassie's. They had been waiting for the Amazons, because unlike the other guardians, they had no intention of telling Bonnie Jones the truth about the time travel. Max Mercury and Helena Sandsmark were both trustworthy, with the former being a superhero in his own right and the latter's obvious desire to keep her daughter safe in-line with her own common sense. Bonnie Jones, however, was a Grade-A narcissist who, despite her own care for her daughter, was desperate for attention even if it meant living it vicariously through her own child. Who knows what she would do with that kind of information?

With Diana and to a lesser extent, Donna, here, they could just use their authority and credentials to help convince Bonnie this was the best choice without getting into the whole time travel aspect. They would just have to shuffle around some of the facts, and be very exact in their wording. Which was Jason was here, because that was what he was best at. Lying without actually lying, which was great when you were standing in the same room with the embodiment of truth.

Speaking of said embodiment of truth, it was Diana who had asked the question. It was Jason who answered, and with something of a devious smirk. "Because, Diana, when it comes to stage parents, all they want is attention. And once you realize that, their buttons are very easy to push."


"No, absolutely not!"

"Mom—!"

"Where's the money, the marketing, the brand?" Bonnie demanded over her daughter's pleas. "What's the point of all this if my girl isn't going to get some recognition from it? She'll just be holed up in the middle of nowhere, learning how to shoot an arrow straighter than she already does. You're calling this an opportunity of a lifetime, but all I see is another way of giving my daughter the shaft."

You mean giving you the shaft, was the collective thought of all the adults present, physically or otherwise. Jason, Donna and Kon exchanged looks as they watched Bonnie continue to rant at Diana while Cissie tried to rein her in. One had to admit, for all her griminess, Bonnie Jones certainly wasn't a coward.

"Mrs. Jones," Jason finally said, trying to cut through the rant. When she failed to pay attention to him, he sighed deeply, before inhaling a deep breath. "Mrs. Jones!" he shouted this time.

"What!" The woman shrieked, whirling around to face Jason with fire in her eyes. Cissie flinched, while Diana frowned. Jason, Donna, and Kon, however, had no reaction. This was hardly the first time they had to deal with someone like Bonnie Jones.

"If your daughter joins the camp, she'll be in constant contact with the likes of my father, Batman," Jason explained, careful to keep his tone subdued and not too persuasive. He was going for silver-tongued, not used car salesman. "Not just him, but also Superman and Wonder Woman here. Their word carries a lot of weight, and they've given their stamp of approval on this camp."

"And?" the woman hedged.

Jason shrugged, eyes half-lidded behind his domino mask. "Why, they may get to know Cissie better. They may even come to like Cissie. And when Cissie is older and more mature, that may see her being entrusted with bigger, more important assignments and missions in the future. Ones with more visibility than she's used to. And perhaps even see her joining the flashier teams, like the Titans, or maybe even the Justice League."

Bonnie's angry expression gradually faded with every word that spilled from Jason's lips, replaced with a much more ecstatic one. A person could literally see the stars and dollar signs in her eyes.

"This is an opportunity, Mrs. Jones, for your daughter to move on to bigger and better things in the future," Jason's voice was svelte. "You don't want her to be like those former child stars, who burnout before they even turn thirty, do you? No, you want her to have a long and fruitful career as a superhero, to be talked in the same breath as the Trinity, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter. The greatest heroes of the age. Think of this as the first step towards that." Of course, just because Cissie was taking the first step down that road didn't mean she had to walk all the way, but Bonnie didn't need to know that.

Got her, Jason thought, as he watched Bonnie give her consent to the slightly astonished Diana. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Cissie looking at him in disbelief, and gave her a playful wink. She flushed, and smiled at him gratefully.


With all of Young Justice confirmed and Cass also consenting to joining the camp, all that was left was to wait and see if Courtney and her family accepted the invitation or not. The JSA had been told that Courtney was allowed to know the time travel secret as well, along with her stepfather Pat Dugan, but no one else. While the information would spread eventually, they still wanted to keep it contained to as small a circle as possible until they figured out what, exactly, was going on.

Surprisingly, they didn't have to wait long. It had only been a day or so before Batman returned from patrol to inform them that Courtney had accepted their invitation to join the camp. With that confirmation, that meant they could start planning it all out in earnest. Upon dropping off Jon back at the Kent Farm, Kon told Martha and Jonathan that he'd be staying over at Wayne Manor for the next week or so for 'hero work' and that he'd return later, only staying long enough for a meal and to pack up more of his belongings.

After that, they got to work. They spent the first day visiting the resort and deciding what they wanted to fix up and what they wanted to tear down, surveying the surrounding land for potential training areas. After writing down some notes and drawing up some blue prints, they had them sent to Bruce so he could procure the materials and have them delivered — discreetly — to Catskills. With some help from Wally West, they had managed to transform the base entirely into a top-rate training facility within a couple of days.

Now that they had a concrete idea of what they had available, the next piece of work had been the curriculum. That was much easier to deal with, since they had years of lessons to draw on. Group lessons weren't going to be an issue. No, the real issue was the more individualized training. Jason could handle the likes of Robin, Batgirl, and Arrowette. Donna had already declared Wonder Girl hers and it was decided she would be the best suited to Stargirl. That left two remaining members — Secret and Impulse, that were saddled with Kon. Unlike everyone else, that was hardly ideal.

While Kon could help Impulse with controlling his super speed, he had to acknowledge that Bart would need to learn the secrets of the Speed Force from Max Mercury, like he had been doing ever since moving in with the older man. Secret however, was an entirely different manner. Her powers were unique, and expansive, and while on paper Kon might seem like the best choice considering his own varied power set, they were several distinct and fundamental differences between them. All three heroes agreed that M'gann would've been the perfect mentor for Secret instead, but they had no idea where M'gann was or if she was even coming back. So, it would fall to Kon instead.

Speaking of the other members of their team, there was still no word about what was going on with them, exactly. The Flashes were keeping a close eye on Wallace, and neither him nor Kyle were showing any signs of remembering a future life. J'onn was searching for M'gann, but it was slow-going. And as for Arthur, well, Mera was still refusing to speak with him, and that meant there was no locating Kaldur'ahm either. Hopefully, if someone did come back, it wasn't one of the latter two.

Eventually, the three of them pushed those thoughts aside. All they could do was wait, so they waited and worked. And eventually, the following Saturday arrived. Almost week since Donna's arrival and the big meeting, the training camp began.

It would prove to be quite the memorable occasion.


When Courtney Whitmore first arrived to the newly renovated, yet isolated mountain hotel in the Catskill Mountains that was now serving as Young Justice's new base, she didn't know what to expect. Honestly, this was not how she expected her weekend to go at all. When she had found that belt in her stepfather's closet over a year ago, Courtney could have never predicted the wild ride her life had been since.

Now, a year later, she was Stargirl, the newest user of the Cosmic Staff of the famed Knight family. A member of the legendary Justice Society of America. And now, the newest student of a time-displaced Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Her mind had gone into a tailspin when Jay and the others explained that to her, and then their offer to train her. She honestly didn't know what she was thinking when she accepted the offer, except, Hello! You get to learn from the Trinity! You can't pass this up!

Okay, it wasn't really the Trinity. Or, at least not the Trinity of this time. But it was still a Trinity, and that was more than enough for Courtney. She had heard of Donna Troy, of course, she was one of the original Titans, and Superboy was fairly well-known, but Gotham Knight was every bit as mysterious as his mentor. Even so, Batman trusted him, as did Superman and Wonder Woman, and apparently that had been enough for Courtney's JSA mentors to forgo any doubt they had about all of this. They made the offer, Courtney and her parents weighed the pros and cons, and Courtney accepted.

And now here she was. In the Catskills. Staring at the newly renovated resort-base that was now Young Justice's new home.

…how was this her life again? Oh right, she found a belt, put it on, and basically blackmailed her stepdad into making her a superhero. That's how.

As if sensing her thoughts, the newly rebuilt gates to the building swung open, giving her implicit permission to enter. Courtney took in a deep breath, staff in hand and bag on her shoulder (she had been instructed to bring both civilian and normal workout clothing along with a spare super suit or two), before stepping inside, observing her surroundings. The lawn had been neatly manicured, but that was offset by the equipment she saw at every corner. Targets, training dummies, weapons — it seemed they hadn't held back at all in rebuilding the place to fit their needs. The former parking lot had even been converted into a hangar of sorts, where she could see Young Justice's Super-Cycle in the slight opening of the door.

The building itself had been restored to its former glory, newly painted and its windows replaced, though she could see it had also had a number of extra armaments built into it in case of an attack. Courtney knocked on the big oak doors and waited, until she heard the sound of footsteps. A twist of the knob and the slightest creak of the door, before it swung open to reveal Donna, dressed in her civvies. She smiled warmly at Courtney.

"Stargirl," she greeted the younger woman, "welcome. Come in, come in. Everyone else is already here. We've all been waiting for you."

Great. Last one here. Yippee. Courtney nervously walked through the doors, glancing around at the interior. Much like the exterior, it had been restored throughly, with fresh furniture and even a hanging chandelier above. There was a reception desk as well, with a functioning computer, giving off appearance of an actual hotel. Considering that there was talks about adding more kid heroes to the program if the camp proved successful, she had a feeling that retaining that particular feature of the building was intentional.

Donna handed her a key and gave her some directions to her room, which was in the girls' wing. She was instructed to change into her civilian clothing first for the introductions and icebreakers, and that later they would do some basic sparring in their actual suits to get a feel of each student and their current skill level. Courtney tangentially realized that meant she would be exposing her civilian identity to everyone else at the camp. Then again, considering there were like three Bats present, there was a good chance they already knew it anyway.

She went upstairs to her room, and when she opened the door to see in the inside, she couldn't help but stare a little. Even the her room looked like a hotel room, straight out of Expedia. Granted, she doubted this place had room service or housekeeping (keeping a civilian staff on hand was just asking for their secret identities to get exposed), but it was still too much. Courtney had heard rumors that Batman was insanely rich, and if that was the case, then all this certainly proved it.

Whatever. She was wasting time. She walked inside, set her staff against the wall, and quickly changed into a t-shirt, some jeans, and sneakers. After a quick look in the full-length mirror to make sure she looked presentable, Courtney grabbed her key and walked out, closing the door behind her and locking it. Donna had pointed out the conference room where everyone would be, and Courtney wracked up her brain to remember the way even as she began unconsciously walking down the steps towards her destination.

She took in another breath upon arriving, and stepped inside.

What she found wasn't exactly what she was expecting.


"Why did you bring Damian along again?" Tim asked in exasperation as he watched his little brother chase a laughing Jon Kent in the midst of a circle of chairs, where various teenage superheroes were seated (or, in the case of Secret, floating). The various members of Young Justice were all cheering one or the other on, or just watching in amusement.

"It's Alfred's day off and Stephanie refused to babysit because she wanted to come here with you," Jason answered blandly, jerking his thumb towards Tim's cheering girlfriend. "If you want to blame anyone, blame her."

"I'm not going to blame her, she's my girlfriend. So I'm going to blame you instead."

"And that's why you're going to be sparring with me later instead of with one of your teammates."

"Wow. Abusing your status as a teacher already. You're terrible."

"Indeed I am. But you knew that already."

Donna shook her head as she watched Jason and Tim continue to snark at each other. "What a familiar sight," she said wistfully, before perking up when she spotted Courtney. "Courtney! Come in, come in! We're about to start." She glanced at Kon, who nodded.

The Kryptonian hybrid used his telekinesis to freeze the running boys and move them back to their respective chairs. Damian opened his mouth to shout at him, but a look from Jason stopped him. Instead, he crossed his arms and pouted, while Jon grinned and slung his arm around his shoulders. Next to them, Stephanie giggled and snapped a picture with her phone. Hello, blackmail!

Realizing the show was over, the various members of Young Justice clambered into their own seats. Courtney looked around until she spotted an empty one between an Asian girl with black hair and a jittery brunette boy. The latter was obviously Impulse — his hair and energy was a dead give-away — but she had no idea who the girl was. She didn't match any of the profiles of Young Justice and she obviously wasn't Donna Troy. The new Batgirl, perhaps? According to Jay, it was suggested that she might be joining the camp too.

Once everyone was seated and quiet, Donna stood up and greeted them with a smile. She went a spiel about what the training camp was about, what kind of activities, protocols, rules — an orientation, more-or-less. Not dissimilar from any first day at an educational institution. After she was done, she instructed them to introduce themselves, including both their superhero and civilian identities and their powers and skill set.

If it weren't for the whole superhero aspect, Courtney would call it mundane. Was this how they were really going to start this off? Then again, it was the first day. The first days were always the calmest, with the least amount of workload. And Donna did say they would be sparring later, so it wouldn't be that boring. Tomorrow was certain to be more exciting, she was sure of it.

The introductions continued. Courtney confirmed the girl was the new Batgirl — specifically, she was Cassandra "Cass" Cain-Wayne, the adopted daughter of Bruce Wayne. She was the adoptive sister of who Courtney recognized to be Tim Drake-Wayne, who introduced himself as the current Robin. And there was Jason Todd-Wayne, who Courtney shamelessly admitted to having a massive crush on after that video of him singing went viral on YouTube. He was Gotham Knight. And considering Dick Grayson was the ex-fiance of Starfire, and currently lived in Bludhaven, it wasn't much of a jump to figure out who Nightwing was. Even that kid, Damian, looked familiar — he was probably Damian Wayne.

Courtney wasn't stupid. It was blatantly obvious who Batman was now.

I guess this is why they didn't want any of our guardians here. Batman was notoriously secretive. It was probably taking a lot out of him to let his children expose their secret identities like this, and by extension, expose his own. He must have had a lot of faith in the people here. Or is scared enough about whatever is coming to risk it.

That was the underlying current going on in the superhero world. While not everyone was at the meeting last week, nor aware of what was discussed there, heroes were people and people talked. Almost everyone was tangentially aware that something was coming. Something big. And that whatever it was, it had the entire Justice League on edge. Hence, the camp — not only would the younger heroes hopefully be out of the way when the time came, but they would be getting vital training in case they would have take the field themselves.

Courtney cut off any further thoughts and perked up as she became the center of attention. It was her turn. She plastered on her best smile and stood up. "Hello, everyone. My name is Courtney Whitmore and my superhero identity is Stargirl. For skills, I am a trained gymnast and kickboxer. While I don't have any actual powers myself, my staff and belt do. My belt, the Cosmic Conveyor Belt, converts cosmic energy, or starlight, into a force that enhances all of my physical abilities. My staff, the Cosmic Staff, has a number of abilities, but it's primary ones include gravity manipulation and energy projection."

There was a chorus of greetings, and then Donna stood up again. "Right then — now for us, your teachers. My name is Donna Troy, and my current superhero identity is Troia. Formerly, I was Wonder Girl, and in the previous timeline, I became Wonder Woman. As an Amazon, I've been divinely empowered by the gods and have had extensive training in all forms of combat. I will be in charge of your physical training — both conditioning and combat."

She sat back down and glanced at Jason, who sighed and stood up, rubbing his arm. "My name is Jason Todd-Wayne, and my current superhero identity is Gotham Knight. I was the second Robin, and eventually I became Batman. I have no powers, but like Donna I've been extensively trained in all forms of combat, and educated in a number of disciplines, including investigative work. I will be in charge of teaching you strategy and tactics, along with helping Donna in physical training."

After Jason was seated, Kon was next. "My name is Conner Kent, or Kon-El. You can just call me Kon. My current superhero identity is Superboy, and in the last timeline, I became Superman. My powers include telekinesis, as you've seen with the kids," he jabbed his thumb towards Damian and Jon, "and eventually, I will develop a Kryptonian power set."

"Speaking of the kids, and the young woman sitting beside Tim, I'd like to introduce you to my cousin Jon Kent, his best friend and Jason, Tim, and Cass' little brother Damian Wayne, and their close family friend, Stephanie Brown. They'll be staying with us for this weekend and possibly many more, and helping us with your training — including my area of expertise, empathy."

There was a collective blink. "Empathy?" Tim asked, sounding very skeptical.

Kon smiled at them all beatifically. "You'll understand when you have my class. As for now, however, introductions are over. Go upstairs and change into your costumes — it's time for sparring."


Well, I hope you liked that. The camp is supposed to feel mundane, as Donna, Jason, and Kon don't believe in Training From Hell for kids that young. There is a…harsher version of their teaching, but we won't get into that now. You'll see.

Next chapter: the actual camp.