"You're trying to tell me that you just ran into the forest, alone, without backup, thinking that one of the most dangerous men on the planet was waiting for you…because of a hunch?"

"Well when you say it like that, it sounds kind of ridiculous."

"It is ridiculous!"

Montoya threw her hands up in exasperation, before waving a dismissive hand at Percy,

"You are quite literally the craziest mother fucker I have ever met in my entire life."

"I'm going to choose to take that as a compliment,"

"It's not and you shouldn't."

Percy chuckled as he opened the door for Montoya leading into the interior of central booking. They'd gotten word from Gordon that Lawton had finally woken up and had been processed. He was currently waiting in one of the interview rooms for Percy and Montoya.

As they walked through the doors to the monitor room where the Commissioner and District Attorney would watch the interview, Percy and Montoya found the men already there and waiting for them.

"Hell of a job, detective," said Dent, a wide smile on his face as he rose from his chair and gave Percy a firm handshake.

"Thank you, sir," said Percy cautiously. Given the way the man had acted the other night, and general…aloof attitude, Percy was more than a little wary of the man. Something about him struck Percy as being very off.

"That was the easy part," grunted Gordon, "Hard part is going to be getting him to cooperate. Jackson, he was your collar, you want first dibs?"

"Please and thank you," nodded Percy, before glancing at the monitor of the interview room. Lawton was sitting, bound in a straight-jacket in order to restrict his movements, alone in the room. Percy cocked his head curiously,

"Lawyer hasn't shown up yet?" Asked Percy,

"Federal Supervillain Detention Act," said Dent, "Passed a couple of years ago in response to the massive uptick in the classification of criminal activity. Any person who is classified as a 'supervillain,' loses their constitutional protections. They're deemed as large enough menaces to society that the benefits to the country heavily outweigh the consequences." Dent shrugged, "At least as far as the Supreme Court is concerned at any rate. Who knows if it'll stick around but for now, that means that he's free game." He paused, "But maybe try not to give the man another concussion." He winked at Percy, who felt immensely uncomfortable by the gesture by tried his best not to show it.

"Right," said Percy slowly, "Well then, I guess I'll go crack him a little then," "Don't go easy on him," said Montoya as Percy slid past her and out of the room. He missed the worried look that Gordon shot to Dent as Percy left the room. As Percy shut the door behind him, he was greeted by the unwelcome surprise of the Batman waiting for him. Standing on the other side of the hall.

"The hell are you doing here?" Demanded Percy, his good mood immediately souring at the sight of the vigilante,

"I'm going to speak to Lawton," said Batman. It wasn't a request, it wasn't a question. It was a simple statement of fact.

"Hell no," spat Percy, "This was our investigation, our collar. You had nothing to do with this, and furthermore you're not even a fucking cop. Like hell I'm going to let you interview him before I get the opportunity."

"He won't crack to you," said Batman. He was wrong, but Percy was still very consciously aware that the man likely didn't know that Percy had used the mist on him previously, and Percy had absolutely zero desire to give that information away here and now.

"And he will for you?" Said Percy, crossing his arms over his chest,

"Yes," said Batman. He did not offer any other form of explanation, not that Percy was going to actively seek one.

"There is more going on here than you understand," said Batman, "I'm asking you to trust me," "Trust you? Trust you?" Percy would have laughed he wasn't so blindingly angry, "You're asking me, to trust you. You, the guy who ordered me a personal babysitter. The guy who tore through my life without any semblance of guilt? You're asking me to trust you? Lex Luthor will be elected the president before that'll happen. Why the hell should I trust you?"

"Because I respect you," said Batman, and Percy stiffened,

"Excuse me?" Said Percy, certain that he had misheard,

"I said that I respect you. I'm not one for apologizing, it's one of my many flaws. And it's even harder for me to admit when I was wrong. But with regards to you, I was. You've done nothing but an impeccable job since arriving to Gotham. You have my respect, detective, and I need you trust me right now. I need your trust because you know, peripherally, what's going on. What has been happening behind the scenes. I know that the rest of the League spoke to you, I know you know what's been happening. Deadshot may be the link we need to put the final pieces together. So I'll say it again, I need you to trust me."

It wasn't often that Percy was left at a loss for words. Yet here he was. He didn't know what to make of the man. One minute, he was cold and berating, and the other he was humble and understanding. It was maddening. The worst part about it, was that Percy didn't know if the man was truly being genuine or if he was just being a hell of a liar. Percy wouldn't have put it past the man to manipulate him like that, but it seemed like such a genuine admission.

Perhaps more agitating, was that the man had a point. Percy had been having similar thoughts since bringing in Deadshot. It was clear that, if he wasn't at least working with the Shadows, then he was at least working at the behest of them. There were other things happening in the background, things that undoubtably weren't good. Percy wasn't so naive as to think that what the League did didn't matter. He couldn't stay out of this.

And it infuriated him.

Gritting his teeth, and not trusting his voice, he simply nodded at the Bat and wordlessly walked away. Batman fell into step with him. Silently, Percy opened the door to the interview room and walked inside. Lawton looked up from his lap, and glared at Jackson, before freezing as he saw the man who entered the room behind him.

Batman brushed past Percy and strode up to the small table in front of Lawton. He didn't speak, instead he simply reached into his utility belt and pulled a small photograph out. Percy couldn't see what was on the photo, but judging by the way Lawton's face contorted in rage, Percy could make some educated guesses.

"6104 West Lincoln Avenue." Said Batman gently, as he leaned forward onto the table, "Just so you know that I'm not in the mood to be playing any more games with you."

Lawton looked like he would have liked nothing more than to choke Batman to death with his own teeth at that moment. But he slumped in his chair, and nodded,

"I'll talk," said Lawton, "Just leave my kid the fuck alone,"

"Detective," said Batman in lieu of an answer, and Percy stepped forward.

"Falcone," said Percy, "I want everything you have on him. Now."

"I got a call a few weeks ago. Ten Million for every name on the list. It was easy money and I wasn't about to say no. Falcone wired the money after confirmation of every kill."

"How many names were on the list?" Asked Percy,

"Seven," said Lawton, "Friend's of his brother or some shit. Look I don't know, I don't ask too many questions. He paid me, gave me the targets, and that was about all there was to it."

Batman shared a look with Percy, and Percy nodded at him. That was all they needed. Batman pressed a button on the side of his gauntlet, and there was a strange clicking noise. Percy shot a confused look at the Bat, but he didn't spare a look in Percy's direction.

"Camera's are off now Lawton," said Batman, "And it's just us listening. How long have you been working with the Shadows?"

Lawton's stiffened,

"Hell no," said Lawton, "Uh-uh. You want me to turn on some wannabe mobsters? Fine, what are they to someone like me. But them? Hell no, I ain't saying a damn thing."

"Why did they order you to kill Winston?" Demanded Batman, but Lawton refused to speak. However his silence seemed to be answer enough for Batman. Without sparing a second glance at either Percy or Lawton, he turned on his heel and strode from the room. Percy shared an incredulous look with Lawton, before Percy chased after the vigilante.

"The hell was that?" Percy called out as he dashed into the hall, but the Bat ignored him. He turned around the next hall, and by the time Percy reached the corner, the man had disappeared.

"Dick," muttered Percy, as a door to his right opened and Montoya stepped out into the hall. Percy could see Gordon and Dent speaking in hushed tones behind her,

"Metro," she hissed, "What the fuck was that?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know!" Said Percy, "You know what that asshole is like!"

"What happened? The cameras all went out and Gordon refused to let me go in there,"

"Something about Shadows?" Said Percy, "I have no idea what the fuck he was talking about. He only asked something about whether or not these 'Shadows' or whatever the fuck ordered him to kill Winston, Lawton didn't say anything, and then he left."

"The hell is a Shadow?" Asked Montoya,

"Beats the fuck out of me," lied Percy,

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Gordon, having finished his conversation with Dent, he had stepped out into the hall as well. "Those Justice League types are working their own agenda, even the Bat. You spend too much time thinking about it and it'll hurt your brain." He sighed as he pulled his pipe out and lit it,

"Dent's going to try and convince Lawton to sign a plea deal. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night, so why don't you two get out of here for the time being. I don't think there's anything else for you here tonight."

"You sure about that Jim?" Said Montoya warily, her eyes darting down the hall and back towards where Lawton was sitting, "I won't speak for Metro, but I'm happy to stick around if you need me to."

"No, no," said Gordon dismissively, "It's New Years Eve, take the night off for once. You've been on the clock for the last week and a half straight. Take tonight and tomorrow, get rested and refreshed and be back first thing on Wednesday."

"If you say so," shrugged Montoya,

"Thank you sir," said Percy.

Gordon nodded stiffly, before turning on his heel and marching back into the observation room with Dent. At a look from Montoya, Percy and Montoya walked away from the room.

"Got anything fun planned for New Years, now that you have a free night?" Asked Montoya, and Percy shrugged noncommittally,

"Not really, not much of a Holiday guy. Probably just gonna go back home, have some drinks, and pass out. Probably watch some football tomorrow, but I just wanna take it easy. Been a long couple of months, you know?"

"Ain't that the truth," groused Montoya as they stepped out of the building and into the chilly winter evening.

"Well I guess I'll see you on Wednesday," said Montoya, "Happy New Year Percy,"

"Happy New Year Renee,"

But as Percy walked back to his car, he couldn't get the interaction between the bat and Lawton out of his head, or what Lawton had said to Percy during their encounter. There was more going on, and like it or not, Percy knew that he was involved in all of this. If Lawton had been working with or for the Shadows, and he had been ordered or hired to kill Percy, then what the Justice League had warned him about was starting to bear fruit.

He had questions, and he desperately needed answers.

He needed to speak to Canary. Believing that his babysitter was probably hanging around somewhere nearby, Percy extended his senses outward and tried to find a sign that she was somewhere nearby. But as he scanned the nearby buildings, he didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Nobody was near him, nobody that shouldn't be at any rate.

"Always around when I don't you to be, but the second I actually want to talk you're nowhere to be found. Typical."

Grunting in agitation, he decided that he'd try and track her down the next day. Sooner or later she'd probably be following him around again.

Turning back to the parking, he began a slow walk back to his car.

At least he could sleep in tomorrow.

BREAK

Percy jolted awake, the remote falling from his lap and clattering to the floor. Blearily, he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. A loud fist rapped at the door, and Percy groaned. Sitting up, he cracked his back and glanced back at the clock on his oven. It was a little after eight. He had only been asleep for an hour or so.

There was another loud knock on the door, and Percy groaned as he got out of chair, a feeling of foreboding washing over him. Nothing good ever seemed to happen when someone knocked on his door.

Opening the door, it took his brain a couple of seconds to process what he was looking at. Teenagers, several teenagers, all in varied stages of dress were standing, shivering in the snow. But that wasn't what had his attention. No, it was the armless and legless torso, and the bound and gagged Black Canary in the burly arms of Superboy, that had his attention.

Percy slowly turned his attention back to the teenager who had knocked on his door. Meeting the frantic eyes of Kaldur, Percy asked his most pressing question.

"Kaldur…what the fuck?"

"Apologies, your highness," said Kaldur, much to Percy's consternation, "But please, can you let us in before anybody sees something?" Without his permission, his body unconsciously stepped aside as the kids all scrambled into the apartment and out of the cold. When the last member of the team, Robin, had stepped inside, Percy closed the door behind him and locked it. He cast a brief glance at the windows of his apartment, before striding to each one in turn and shut the blinds. When his work was done, Superbly deposited the unconscious Canary and the limbless torso onto the couch.

"You have my thanks, detective," came the slightly modulated voice of the head of the torso, and Percy blinked in surprise,

"Huh?" He was not ready for today,

"My apologies," said the…man, "My name is Red Tornado,"

"Pretty sure Red Tornado has arms…and legs…and is red…" said Percy slowly,

"There's been an attack on the Justice League," explained Kaldur, "Members of the League of been brainwashed, using these," he reached into his pocket and held out a small triangular device. Reaching out, Percy let out a seething hiss as his skin came into contact with the foul magic emanating from the device, and he dropped it on the ground.

"Kaldur what the fuck!" He said, startled, "That thing is foul,"

"Yes, your highness," agreed Kaldur, who reached down and snagged the device, "It is a mixture of alien technology and magic. We are unsure how it works precisely, but we do know that it has been used to brainwash the majority of the League. That is why Canary is…indisposed."

Percy shot a glance over at the unconscious woman. It was his first time seeing the woman without her mask on, and there was something oddly familiar about her. Then he had to look again.

No…that wasn't-he was seeing things.

He blinked, and then he rubbed at his eyes and stared again. There was no way he was seeing things right. But he knew that face. It would be impossible not to. He'd seen it at least twice a week for nearly six months.

"Dinah?" Percy said, his voice coming out slightly weak and hoarse, "That's…that's Dinah…"

Kaldur froze, and shot a look at Artemis, whose face had drained of all color.

"That's Canary," said Artemis quickly, "You don't know what you're talking about,"

Rage, blinding rage, the likes of which Percy had not felt in nearly a decade washed over him. The wind outside the apartment picked up into a furious howl, as rain, sleet, and snow began to cascade down in a torrential onslaught from the heavens.

"Bullshit," snapped Percy, "I know what my fucking friend looks like, and I know that's fucking Dinah," He whirled on Kaldur, "Did you know about this?"

"I-your highness," Kaldur tried to say taking a cautious step-back as Superbly advanced on Percy,

"Hey leave him alone! He had nothing to do with-"

"Sleep!" Barked Percy, channeling the mist into his voice. Superboy's eyes crossed for a moment, before they rolled back into his head and he fell face-first onto the ground. A red-headed girl, whom Percy deduced to likely be his girlfriend, squeaked in worry and dashed over to the boy, while Robin and Kid Flash darted forward. Percy caught them before they could get closer, and in a moment, both of them were asleep on the floor as well. \

"Enough!" Barked out Red Tornado, and Percy turned his furious expression away from Artemis, who had her bow drawn and aimed at Percy's chest, and Percy addressed the android.

"The kids are not responsible for the deception, please do not harm them further!"

"I'm going to need a damn good reason why I don't turn you into scrap," snarled Percy, white-hot rage frothing in his chest,

"Because the fate of the world hinges on these children, and on you," said Red Tornado somberly, "I empathize with your fury, even if my processors limit my ability to understand it. However you must see the bigger picture right now-"

"Bigger picture? Bigger fucking picture?" Percy bellowed, "You people have been using me, manipulating me, abusing my trust and confidence for months! One of my best fucking friends is nothing more than a plant to spy on me and you want me to see the bigger picture!"

Percy was yelling, and he was sure that his neighbors would be able to hear him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Hurt, anger, despair. The emotions were roiling inside of him, fighting and clashing against his psyche, drowning out any other thought or reason.

At that moment, Canary's eyes snapped open. She panicked, as she looked around her at the strange surroundings as she fought against her bindings, and then her gaze landed on Percy. Her eyes went wide, and she started to shake. She tried to speak but the gag was muffling her words. In a rush, Kaldur dashed to her side and undid the gag around her mouth,

"Percy!" She gasped out, "I can explain!"

"Save it!" Percy snapped. He was breathing heavily, and he shut his eyes as he fought for internal control. He couldn't lose himself now. Not after he'd worked so hard to keep his power even. He took several shaking breaths, and turned away from Dinah, unable to even look at her. Hot tears spilled down his cheeks. Tears of frustration, of anguish and rage. He dug his nails into his palm, hoping the pain would keep him level, as warm blood trickled from where his nails cut into his skin.

"You claim to be the good guys but you invade my life and my privacy and try to control me. You're really no different than the people you fight." His voice was hoarse and choked with emotion. He needed to leave. To get out of her before he got even worse.

"Do whatever the fuck you need to, then get out of my house." He strode away from the living room, past the unconscious bodies of the teenagers still sleeping on the floor and grabbed his coat from where he'd tossed in on the kitchen island. "If you're not gone by the time I get back, I'll evict you the hard way."

He wrapped a hand around the knob of the door and opened it. Cool wind danced across his skin as the bite of winter nipper at his exposed flesh. The storm had subsided, and a gentle snowfall had taken its place.

"Canary," said Percy, his voice soft, "If I ever see you anywhere near me again, I'll kill you." He waved his hand behind him, undoing the sleeping spell he'd placed on the boys, and closed the door behind him.

He didn't have a destination in mind as he walked through the streets of Gotham. He simply allowed his feet to carry him. His mind was reeling, and he felt numb, though not from the bitter cold. He wasn't thinking, so much as he was just…existing.

How had it happened again? How had he let this happen to him again? He had promised himself that he wouldn't let something like this happen to him, not since he had left the life behind. He had thought to highly of himself he supposed. He had believed that, after being the pawn in the machinations of higher beings his entire life, he would have been able to detect when a mere mortal had been using him to their own ends.

He was a fool.

Was it so much to ask for a normal life. To just be a normal man, with normal problems and normal worries? Why did it seem that it was his destiny to be wrapped up in the games of beings beyond comprehension. To be a pawn in the schemes of those who believed themselves superior.

Was it the simple nature of humanity? Was it in mans inherent nature to manipulate others, to abuse trust and use one another for personal gain?

Or was he merely the unfortunate victim of cruel fate?

He idly noticed that the street ahead of him had been closed off for construction, and he was forced to make a detour, but he barely paid it a second glance.

Had any of it been real? He had thought as much, he had thought that Dinah…no, Canary. He had thought that Canary had truly been his friend. Had he been so wrapped up in his own hopes for a normal life that he had been blinded to what was happening right in front of him? How could he have been fooled so easily? The woman only wore a measly theater mask and a wig. Add in the voice modulator and the entire ensemble was ridiculous. Had he truly been so blind?

Another section of the road was blocked off and he was forced to take yet another detour through an alley.

No…he couldn't have been that blind. It wasn't just him that had been fooled after all. Canary had fooled others. The entire Justice League had. But maybe he hadn't wanted to see it at all. Maybe he had just been so desperate for companionship of any kind that he had willingly blinded himself to all reason and logic in favor of having that bond.

He sighed, stopping in the middle of the alley.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

He could move again, he supposed. Get out of the city, try and go somewhere where there weren't any known heroes or villains. Try and start over. But he didn't want that. He was just starting to find his footing here. Was just starting to find his place. He had a good partner, a good relationship with the commissioner, and had been doing good work. He couldn't leave now.

Moreover, if he did leave, it would just be giving in to what those bastards wanted. Batman didn't want him in Gotham, had this been his plan the entire time? Get someone close to him, then break his spirit? Was this entire ruse with the sidekicks part of the plan?

No…no that didn't make sense. He knew Kaldur well enough to know that the boy would never willingly go along with something like that. While it would have been in character for the Bat to play him like that, Percy truly did believe that it was all just a matter of unfortunate circumstances.

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end, and his body moved of its own accord, reacting on instinct. Diving to the side, he just managed to avoid being impaled in the chest by several shuriken, which appeared from somewhere above him. However he had not been quiet fast enough to get out of the entirely, and the weapons embedded in his arm. Almost immediately, Percy felt woozy. Something strange was seeping into his bloodstream, making him feel dizzy and disoriented.

"Fucking poison," spat Percy, as he reached inside of himself and gripped onto the foreign entity. Pulling at the poison, he pulled it up and out of, gathering the offending substance in his mouth and spitting the poison onto the ground in a black and purple wad.

"I don't know who you are!" Percy called out into the alleyway, "But I can promise you, that you really don't want to be doing this today…" He got no reply to his suggestion, and as he expanded his senses outward, he could feel someone moving rapidly over the rooftops above him. He reached down to his waist and cursed. In his hurry to leave his apartment, he had completely forgotten to grab his weapon.

"Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way," he muttered to himself, as he scanned the rooftops for his quarry, he found his target, clinging to the side of the nearest building. Hoping to catch the woman by surprise, he suddenly spun around and leapt into the air, nearly two stories, and swung a fist at the assailant.

However the target, a woman who seemed strangely familiar to him, was agile. Contorting out of the way of the attack, she flipped off the building and landed in the alley below. Landing on the building, Percy dropped back to the ground, and glared at the woman. There wasn't much in the way of light in the alley, but it was a full moon and the shine from it's face illuminated just enough of the alley for Percy to recognize the woman.

"Well hello Ms. Wu-San," said Percy, "Or whatever the fuck your name is, nice to finally meet you." She didn't respond, "You want to tell me what this is about? Or should I just assume you're with the Shadows or whatever the fuck it's called. Which reminds me, that's a dumb ass name, you weren't the one to come up with that were, because that would be unfortu-"

Percy was cut off as the woman darted forward. She had withdrawn a large scimitar from under the back of the robes she was wearing, and she brought the weapon across her body in a blindingly fast attack. Percy was fast, and he managed to avoid most of the more lethal blows from the woman, however her lither frame, and her own seemingly unnatural agility was starting to wear him down. While Percy was able to avoid being dealt a fatal blow, he was not quite fast enough to avoid being hit. His jacket was soon shredded as she hacked and slashed at him. Blood began dribbling from small cuts along his arms, legs, and cheeks, staining the snow below his feet in crimson.

Growling in irritation, Percy finds his opening. Ducking under a slash, he wrapped his arms around her legs and hefted her into the air. With as much force as he could muster, he left his feet as he smashed her into the floor of the alley. The woman grunted in pain, but she was not deterred by the blow. Reaching into her hair, she withdrew a small needle-like knife and made to stab Percy in the neck. However Percy bat the offending weapon away like a gnat and reared his head back. With a roar, he brought the crown of his forehead forward bashed his skull into the woman's. She gasped in pain as her head smacked in the concrete beneath them, and blood began to flow from the wound.

Percy reared a fist back, intending on trying to break her ribs, when the woman contorted out of his grasp. Coiling like a snake, she wrapped her legs around his waist and slithered her way up his body like a snake faster than Percy could process. She reached his shoulders, and wrapped her legs around Percy's throat, effectively choking him. Percy stumbled to his feet, his body swaying to and fro as he tried to toss the woman off of him. He felt her upper body moving, and out of his darkening vision, he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eyes.

He shot his arms out, and caught the woman's hands before she could impale him in the temples with a pair of razor-sharp needles. Percy applied as much force as he could to the woman's wrists, which snapped with a loud 'CRACK' the reverberated around the alley. She let out a howl of misery and her grip on Percy's neck slackened enough for him to suck in a heaving breath.

Reaching up, he wrapped a hand through the woman's hair and bodily threw her to the ground. Rearing back one last time, he leveled a punch against her forehead, making sure to only use just enough power to knock her out, and not kill her. The woman fell still and unmoving, and the alley fell silent.

Sucking in deep breaths, Percy rubbed at his chaffed and sore neck. His body hurt, and he was bleeding rather profusely. He glared at the woman at the ground. Of course it would happen tonight of all nights. When his temper was already bad, and his emotions were frayed.

He was sick of being hunted. Sick of being manipulated. Sick of people trying to kill him for stupid, asinine shit.

He made a decision.

Picking the woman up, he channeled his father's power, and disappeared in a flurry of water.

BREAK

Slowly, Shiva began to come to. She was sore, the back of her head throbbed, and she felt as though she had been run over several times over. She was also shockingly cold. It felt as though she had been forced onto the peak of a mountain without protection. Though she was surprised that she was still alive. She had been told that the detective did not share the childish reticence to take a life shared by the Justice League. Perhaps he believed that he would be able to get something out of her.

Fool.

She tried to move her body to see if she was restrained. Her legs moved freely, but came into contact with something strangely solid, cool, and wet all at once. She tried to move her hands and let out a gasp of pain. Right, the brute had broken her wrists. Well, she had been in worse situations she supposed. She just needed to take stock of her surroundings. She tried to open her eyes, but it didn't seem to work. She was still surrounded entirely by inky blackness. She couldn't even see the nose in front of her face. She closed her eyes and tried again, but to no avail.

Had the blow to the back of her head taken her vision from her? Or was she simply locked away?

She tried to stand, but her head slammed into something as solid and yet and oddly wet as the floor. What the hell was going on?

Her answer came a few moments later. A dull light began emerged. It was as though it was coming from miles away. Perhaps her vision was returning?

She watched as the dancing light approached. It was oddly hypnotic, swaying to and fro in a calming and soothing manner. Her eyes tracked the light, as it came closer and closer. But even as the light grew closer, her vision around the periphery still appeared dark. In fact, the closer the light became, the more blinding it was. She tried to shield her eyes but the light was so pervasive that it made little difference. The light was right on top of her, and then she let out a startled scream as a monster appeared behind the light. Rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth sunk into the wet prison surrounding her.

It was a damn anglerfish. After a few seconds, the fish swam back from her prison. The light allowed her to get a better view of her surroundings. She was trapped inside what appeared to be a ball of water. In every direction, she could only see more darkness, but as she turned her attention back to the fish, a new figure appeared. Swimming through the waters before appearing in front of her.

Percy Jackson, looking completely unharmed both by the fact that he was underwater and from their brief fight, stopped beside the anglerfish.

"Morning sunshine," said Jackson,

"Where the hell am I?" She demanded, panic flooding through her. She was normally far more composed, but she was out of her element. Quite literally. They knew that Jackson had powers, it was even presumed that he might have been part Atlantean, but this was something else entirely.

"The Marianas Trench," said Jackson, looking around fondly at the empty pit of darkness around them, "The deepest part of the ocean."

"You're going to kill me," said Shiva bluntly,

"Of course," said Jackson breezily, "But first I want a chat,"

"You are a fool," scoffed Shiva, "You tell me you will kill me, and then proceed to demand answers? You would be better off killing me here and now."

"That's cute," chuckled Jackson, "You think you actually have a choice in the matter." He held a hand out in front of him and his eyes glowed bright. A wave of calm washed over Shiva. Her mind went blank, and her only desire in the world was to answer each and every one of Percy Jackson's as accurately as possible. Slumping against the wall of her prison, Shiva stared unblinkingly at her captor.

"Who are you?" Asked Jackson,

"They call me Lady Shiva,"

"Cute," scoffed Jackson, "You work for the League of Shadows?"

"Yes, I have devoted my life and my body to the use of Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows,"

"Gross," grunted Jackson, "Why were you ordered to kill me,"

"You killed Klarion," said Shiva,

"Why do the Shadows care about that?"

"Because he was a member of the Light."

Jackson arched a brow, "And what, exactly, is the Light?"

"An organization dedicated to bringing about a new era for the world and ending the reign of the Justice League,"

Jackson snorted and rolled his eyes, "Of course it's more superhero bullshit," he muttered,

"It is," said Shiva,

"What are the Light's plans?"

"I have not been made privy to that knowledge."

"Of course not," sighed Jackson, "Okay, who's in the Light?"

"Ra's al Ghul, Queen Bee, Ocean Master, Lex Luthor, The Brain, and Vandal Savage. There have been talks of introducing Deathstroke the Terminator to the organization."

"Heavy hitters," Jackson muttered, "Anything else pressing that you think I should know?"

"They are working with an otherworldly entity." Said Shiva, "I do not know their identity, only that they are supplying us with alien technology. That is all I know."

"Good enough," said Jackson, waving his hand in front of the woman. All at once, the sense of calm vanished, and panic began to overwhelm Shiva as she regained control over her body,

"What did you do?" She demanded, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Jackson's only answer, was to smile. He held his hand out again, and suddenly her prison began to shake and rumble. The walls slowly began to close in around her, she was forced onto her knees as the walls pressed her into a smaller and smaller ball. It felt like she was being squeezed by walls of concrete. She screamed in terror and pain as her bones broke, and her body was contorted beyond the point any living human could sustain. The last thing she saw, was the eery smile on Jackson's face.

Then blackness consumed her.

BREAK

Percy watched as Lady Shiva's broken and contorted body fell into the abyss. He sighed, running a hand through hair. This was going to be a mess. What did he do with this information now that he had it? That was the real question. On the one hand, his mind was telling him to just leave things as they were. To drop this entire ordeal and try and get on with his life.

The other, more rational part of him, knew that wouldn't be an option any more. He had just killed his assassin. The person sent by the League to kill him. If they were trying to kill him for what he did to Klarion, then they would surely keep coming after him, especially after what he just did.

He sighed, he knew what needed to be done.

He just wished he didn't have to do it.

Resignation in his heart, Percy dismissed the anglerfish, and began the long swim back to New York.

He needed to make a phone call.