Third Person POV
"No!" Artemis stated.
Percy sighed, "This isn't really up for debate Artemis."
Percy was sitting at the head of the table in the Mountain Lounge area, the rest of the team in chairs all around him. He had just arrived back and had called a meeting to debrief everyone on the coming events, starting with the new coming members.
"Why on earth would you trust her?" Artemis exclaimed, referring to her sister, "Tricking people into doing that is kind of her thing!"
Percy sat up to his full height, "And you think her tricks would work on me?"
Artemis narrowed her eyes, "Depends, did you sleep with her?"
Percy coughed uncertainly while Artemis rolled her eyes. Percy tried his hardest to ignore the snickering around the table, as well as the many disapproving looks, worst of all from Aqualad. Thankfully Raven still had her usual monotone look, though for a moment he though he saw her mouth twitch.
He cleared his throat, "Not that it is any of your business, but yes I did. I'll admit it was a moment of weakness, but it was purely a form of stress relief, one I think you all will be happy to know, worked quite well.
A collective halfhearted cheer rang out from his original teammates, while Tyson, blushing red, had his fingers in his ears, trying hard not to think about his brother like that, with M'gann closely mimicking him. Kara simply rolled her eyes while muttering something about men (a notion he was sure she picked up from Themyscira), while Koriand'r looked confused, as if she didn't know what the fuss was about.
Again, Raven just remained impassive. Bless her soul.
Percy spoke up over the sarcastic cheer, "Oh screw you guys, how about you try being a 157-year-old virgin huh? Let me tell you: it ain't easy."
The drawls turned to laughter as Percy laughed with them. he had forgotten how much he missed them.
Artemis simply sighed as she rubbed her temples, "Okay, moving on from the fact that you… ugh… slept with my sister—"
"Wait, Cheshire is you sister?" Kara asked in surprise.
Artemis tensed up, but Percy quickly intervened, "That's not important. You were saying Artemis?"
The Archer gave him a grateful look before speaking, "I'm just trying to understand your reasoning. Cheshire is bad enough, but isn't Killer Croc a cannibal?"
Percy rolled his eyes, "Waylon has never eaten anybody. Of course, he has killed people, but that doesn't mean he can't change his ways."
Robin didn't look convinced, "I don't think—"
"Luke Castellan.' Percy stated simply, shutting him up. Most of them remembered the name from his interrogation by the amazons.
Percy sighed, "Look let's just get the elephant out of the room here: I've already made up with Wally, if you think that's influencing my decisions it's not."
The team looked very interested in that, "You spoke with him?" Kaldur asked, how is he doing?"
"Better." Percy said confidently, "I also figured out what was making him so irritable so that's taken care of.'
Artemis scoffed, "Oh come on whatever it was couldn't have been—"
"It doesn't matter what it was," Percy interrupted, "but for the record, he was feeling ghost pains, as in pain in the arms that aren't there, and had no idea how to relieve them. that aside, I've talked with him about how he acted, and he feels bad, but Artemis the guy is missing both arms can you really expect him to act rationally right now? Gods know his parents aren't."
Artemis raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"
He waved her off, "His dad shot me."
"WHAT!?" everyone else exclaimed.
Percy barely acknowledged it, "Emotions were high. Look, why don't we just put a pin in that for now and move on to something else. Namely: Koriand'r. Did I… pronounce that right?"
The Tameranian smiled and nodded, "Yes thank you. It is an honor to meet you Perseus."
Percy winced, "You can just call me Percy. Perseus is a name only my enemies should worry about. Now then, I hear your arrival kicked up quite a fuss."
The orange skinned girls' cheeks darkened, "Yes… I do apologize for that, I was… greatly distressed."
Before Percy could tell her it was fine, Tyson quickly assured her for him "That's alright, I was the same way when I arrived! Heck, I was so upset I accidentally. Ahem… broke a city block I think."
He looked down guiltily as he remembered the moment."
"Right…" Percy continued, before smirking, "And that's not even close to how Jack was."
"Hey what did I break?" The clone protested.
"The Cadmus building," Kaldur responded.
"My ribs," Robin chimed in.
"And my heart!" Percy cried dramatically.
Jackson rolled his eyes before realizing something, "Wait, "Jack"?"
Percy nodded, "I figured it would be less of a mouthful, unless you prefer everyone you know to be reminded of how awesome you think I am?"
Snickers went around the room, including a few greatly subdued ones from Koriand'r, making Jack grit his teeth, "Jack is fine."
Percy smiled and winked at him before looking back at Koriand'r, "Now, Koriand'r…. actually, can I call you Kori? While we are on the name thing?"
The girl eyed the pouting Jack before smiling at Percy, "That will be most acceptable."
"Alright then Kori, I already know your story and all about your powers from the briefing, but what I want to know is related to the war that sent you here."
Kori's smile vanished, "A0alright."
"What are the chances of it following you here?"
The girl winced, "It's possible more Gordonians will come for me, but I doubt it. The ship we sent back had been properly cowed and likely won't want to return, and the chances of the finding me are very low. This is a fairly backwater—I mean, Isolated planet."
Percy nodded, "Good. However, I also heard you intend to retake your planet after you amass enough force."
The room was audibly silent then. Kori raised her chin a bit. "Indeed."
"Do you intend to amass that force from this team?"
Apparently, that was not what Kori expected him to say, "O-of course not! I only intend to show my gratitude to you all and help you until I figure out how to regain my home."
Percy leaned back in his chair, less tense for some reason, "Good. Now don't get me wrong I'm sure your cause is good and all that, but I've already fought enough wars for this lifetime, I don't intend to get caught up in another, and I refuse to let any of this team get caught up in one either."
Kara leaned forward, "Hey, what if we wanted to help her?"
Percy closed his eyes as he answered, "Then you would have to go through me first."
He could feel the tension increase at that. Robin spoke up next, "Look we know you're just looking out for us but we can take care of ourselves."
"I'm aware."
"We've seen some messed up stuff." Robin continued.
"Not war." Percy answered, still with closed eyes.
"You realize I was enlisted in the Atlantean military at 14 right?" Kaldur spoke up cautiously.
"And I've known kids younger than that actually have to fight in wars. The ones that survived never got over it. Powers or not you're still kids. Talk to me again when you're 18."
"Uh… technically I'm 48." M'gann stated nervously.
"Guys…" Tyson said nervously, though went mostly unnoticed
"And Jack's one chronologically, how Is that fair?" Robin spoke up
"And if you count the time I was in space," Kara chimed in, "I'm way older than 18—"
"And I'm 157!" Percy spoke up, standing from his chair, opening his eyes to show them glowing dangerously, "So why don't you all respect your elders and trust me. Do I really have to remind you what happened to my last team because of war?"
The room was silent. He really shouldn't have, they all thought guiltily. Percy wanted to yell more, but suddenly found the anger dissipating. He thought was strange, until he noticed a pale hand on his shoulder. Somehow, Raven had made her way beside him without him noticing.
When he realized what she was doing, he immediately pulled away, looing uncertain for a moment, before finally deciding what he felt. "Thank you." he whispered.
Eventually Koriand'r spoke up, "I'm afraid I know not of your past, but your conviction shows clear as day. I swear not to coerce any of your teammates to my cause. It was never really my intention…"
Percy nodded to her, "Thank you. Look I don't want to come across as unfriendly, I'd be happy to take some time later to get to know you better. Now however I have some things to check in on and prepare for our new arrivals."
Kori smiled understandingly, "Of course, I will look forward to it."
With that the meeting was unceremoniously adjourned, Percy nodding to the others before looking to Tyson, "Which way to the stables?"
His brother's eye widened before he smiled and bounded forward, eager to show Percy his work.
As soon as the brothers were gone, the other teammates looked the Kori "So what did you think?" Jack asked
The newcomer looked thoughtful, "He wasn't what I expected, given all that I'd heard about him, but he definitely has all of the qualities of a leader. I do have one question."
Kara smirked, "Wait let me guess: Is he single?"
Kori looked a bit shocked while the others groaned and growled at Kara. Only Raven and Jack, for some reason, remained silent."
Kori cleared her throat, "No… I was wondering what species he is. He is obviously not human, or not fully human. And he said he was over a century and a half old! So… what is he? If you will pardon my bluntness."
The room was silent as the heroes looked at each other, wondering what to say, "That," Kaldur spoke up, "is a complicated question."
Percy smiled as Tyson led him through the Mountain, happily updating him on all that at had happened while he was gone, from his perspective with Kori, to his plans on Wally's prosthetics. The most exciting development however was the completion of the stables and the arrival of the mares Blackjack "visited".
Percy was led to the hanger near the bottom of the mountain. Tyson exclaimed that he considered building it in the upper hanger, but that it would be much harder than to move the wingless Mares in.
When they arrived, the first thing that garnered Percy's attention, was a full-sized Mrs., O'Leary chasing Sphere around the room, barking happily as the Sphere whirred in what could only be terror.
Percy found himself laughing before h realized it, which got MRs' O'Leary's attention well enough. The hellhound barked excitedly, before bounding towards him, shrinking down to the size of a regular dog, much to his relief, before pouncing on him.
For once, instead of being flattened, he managed to remain on his feet as he caught her under her front legs and started to scratch her in all her favorite spaces, which son led to the hell beast on her back drooling happily as he rubbed her belly.
"She really missed you." Tyson said forlornly, "She whined the whole night after you left."
Percy winced, "That must have been tough."
Tyson shrugged, "The others managed to sleep through it, and I…couldn't sleep anyways.
Percy took a moment from greeting his dog to put a hand on his brother's shoulders, "I know it wasn't easy Tyson, but from what I can tell, you handled yourself perfectly while you were gone. I'm really proud of you man."
Tyson smiled proudly, "I did my best! And I've gotten a lot of practice in with my wings! I can't wait to show you, I can almost fly as well as Blackjack now!"
Let's not get ahead of ourselves now.
Percy turned to see his equine friend trotting up to him. How's it going Boss?"
Percy gave him a tight smile as he stroked his muzzle, "It's going I suppose. How are the mares?"
Still getting used to the new place, it's nice though, almost nice enough for me to want to stay. Almost.
Percy rolled his eyes, "Come on, you won't even stay for all your girlfriends?"
Horses don't like labels Boss. Though they are getting a little antsy in there, a lot of them are leaving their homes for the first time. Think you could…
Percy nodded, "I'm on it" he turned to Tyson, "How about keeping the stables clean? We got a plan for that."
Tyson looked away guiltily, "I've been doing it so far, I didn't want to bother anyone—"
"Wrong answer." Perc stated, "I'll clean it today and tomorrow but everyone who lives in this mountain can pitch in every now and then, gods know they're capable." He shuttered at the memory of a much worse stable cleaning experience, "If they complain just send them my way."
Tyson didn't argue,
The trio then walked through the stables, meeting and tending to each of the mares. They were all surprised to meet Percy and were curious at their own compulsions to obey him, but once they learned that he was the "boss" of Blackjack, they didn't seem to care. They continually sang the Pegasus' praises. Blackjack was right about horses not caring about labels, or modesty, or… censorship.
Percy had never felt more awkward around his black feathered friend
A lot of them were also freaked out by Tyson, but not as much as the horses back home, who actually knew what a cyclops was, so it was easier to calm them down. After he had finished checking each of them, and grooming those who needed it, he dusted himself off next to Tyson at the entrance. "A lot of them are pretty far along. Do we have the equipment necessary for the births?
A regular horse pregnancy was around 11-12 months. Not so with magical winged horses. A quick inspection showed the same rules applied here, as many of the mares would give birth in a few weeks, much to his annoyance, though he didn't show it.
"We do." Tyson assured him, "I made sure of it. It was hard though, with Batman…"
Percy narrowed his eyes, "He tried to stop you?"
"No it's just, he obviously didn't know anything about horses, it felt weird having to explain it to him."
Percy rolled his eyes, "I'm sure next time we see him he'll know everything about them."
"Well, maybe not everything."
Tyson jumped, somehow not sensing the Dark Knight's approach this time. Percy chuckled internally as he turned to face Batman. No doubt the hero had been working on his Stealth purely for Tyson.
"Enough to help out with maintenance?" Percy smirked.
To his amusement, the man smirked back. "I'm sure you and your team will be more than enough. Call it a bonding exercise."
Percy chuckled and didn't dare push it. The man had already paid for everything, he didn't really expect more. He quickly stopped however and turned serious, "What is it?"
Batman sighed, "I heard you slept with Cheshire. You didn't mention it to the rest of the League."
Percy was ware of an incredibly uncomfortable Tyson beside him, "T why don't you go find Jack, and meet me at the gym later. I want to get some exercise in.
Grateful for the escape, Tyson quickly rushed off.
"I didn't think it was the League's business." Percy addressed Batman.
"Maybe not." Batman nodded, "But you should be careful."
"You think I'm compromised."
Batman hummed, "I think you have one of the strongest wills, and minds that I have ever seen."
"Aw, you'll make me blush, but you obviously haven't seen my Standardized test scores."
"But even the strongest minds can be muddied when women are involved. I myself have been a victim of this." Percy gaped at that, "Why so surprised?"
"You got someone to date you?!"
"... you may be strong willed and somewhat strong minded, but even you can make mistakes. As of this moment I do not believe you are compromised, but we will be monitoring Cheshire closely just in case. As for Waylon… well I don't believe you slept with him, but he is still dangerous. We're taking a risk trusting you with him."
Percy rolled his eyes, "He's nothing I can't handle. I don't think he'll be a problem, he claims to be tired of the villain gig, and with a name like Killer Croc I can't blame him."
Batman grunted in agreement, "True… if only you could be such a good influence on all the villains" he turned to walk away.
Percy smirked, "Are you mad about what I did to Riddler?"
The older hero stopped at the door and spoke without looking back. "I would never condone such brutality."
Percy rolled his eyes, knowing batman was one of the most brutal Leaguers, but before he could retort the man looked over his shoulder with a smirk, However, I also would never condone talking as much as that man does."
The next day
"So this is where you and the kids have been hiding…" Jade mused as they exited the boom tube, "Clever."
Percy had just collected Cheshire and Killer Croc from Belle Rev, from a very annoyed looking Amanda Waller. Percy wasn't certain what her problem was, but he suspected it had something to do with his resistance to her collars, or maybe it was because he infiltrated her prison, put her prisoners in critical condition, and helped orchestrate a breakout, but hey he stopped it didn't he!?
Speaking of which, the two former villains were now sporting a pair of brand-new ones, courtesy of the league's science division, which they apparently had. It had the electric shock capabilities, though the only remote to it belonged to Percy and the League. Even Percy didn't know where the Leagues remote was, or how it worked. He obviously didn't approve of that, but he could understand it.
Another thing he didn't like was how they were transferred to him in handcuffs. Evidently however it made his teammates feel much better.
"What do you mean?" Robin asked, as he was standing assembled with the other heroes to greet the newcomers, "You can't possibly tell where we are."
Jade smirked, "This is Mt. Justice correct? The former headquarters of the Justice League?" at Robin's gaping and the uncomfortable shifts of the others, Jade could only laugh, "Don't look so surprised Kiddoes, I'm a former member of the Shadows remember? Did you really think we wouldn't be trained to recognize any and every location, past and present, of our greatest enemy?"
The team recoiled as Waylon laughed at them. Probably because they didn't know it was laughing, instead of strange repetitive hissing.
Percy rolled his eyes, "Guy's, relax, let's just get to introductions. Obviously, this is Waylon Jones, and—"
"Jade Crock," Cheshire interrupted, "Assassin extraordinaire and Artemis' sister, I'm sure she's told you all about me."
Artemis scoffed as she glared at her sister, "What could I have told them? I haven't seen you since I was a kid."
Jade tsked,
Koriand'r stepped forward, "My name is Koriand'r, but you can call me Kori. I look forward to working with you!"
Jade seemed taken aback by the genuineness of the greeting, but was taken even more aback as Tyson walked up, "Hi! I'm Tyson! If you want any weapons made you can ask me! I'm really good!"
"What is that." Jade hissed in surprise. Waylon on the other hand simply walked up and started conversing with the Cyclops.
"That is my brother." Percy answered a little too calmly, "You might have heard of a certain monster taking on the entire league a while back?"
Jades eyes widened, and looked to want to say more, but Percy found himself distracted as the entire team went into a battle positions. Apparently Tyson had just taken Waylon's cuffs off.
Percy sighed as he approached the too. Tyson was admiring Waylon's scales, and asking questions about them, while Waylon preened at the attention.
"I've taken hits from a sniper rifle before and barely felt it," he boasted, "maybe if it was pointblank but otherwise bullets aren't getting through."
"That's so cool!" Tyson exclaimed, "DO you think it's the density or the way their arranged? If it's the overlay then I could make some pretty good—oh sorry Brother , I was distracted.
Percy simply smiled in amusement, "That's fine, but next time please ask me first before uncuffing someone? not that I don't trust your judgement but…" he gestured to the on edge heroes.
Tyson's eye widened, "Oh! Sorry guys!"
Percy chuckled before gesturing to Robin, "Boy wonder, go ahead and uncuff Cheshire."
The "boy wonder" gritted his teeth at the nickname but went to do as he said. Unfortunately, Artemis stepped forward as well, "Are you sure that's the best idea? let me do it I think—"
"I asked Robin." Percy stated firmly, staring down he archer as she glared back, before she finally broke eye contact, crossing her arms in a huff as she looked away.
"Yeah Artemis." Jade taunted as Robin carefully used his lock pick to uncuff the assassin, tensing up as they came on dune and clattered to the floor, allowing the girl to stretch her arms, shamelessly puffing out her chest, making her younger sister scoff and many male eyes turn away before she went to rubbing her wrists. She then noticed all the apprehensive stares and chuckled, "Oh relax, if I was going to turn on you, I wouldn't do it here."
The others relaxed a bit—
"I'd do it while you're sleeping!" Jade stated cheerfully. The tenseness returned.
Percy sighed and rubbed is forehead, "And with that you've earned yourself a lock on your door at night. Seriously Jade knock it off."
The assassin only smile wider, "'A lock huh? Let me guess, only you have the key?"
Percy ignored and began walking away, "I have things to do so you all, meet and greet. Tyson, if a fight breaks out please break it up."
The cyclops saluted dutifully as Percy left the room.
He soon found himself down in the makeshift dock, lovingly tending to the Wise Girl. She hadn't had much attention or maintenance since he was away, which was more his fault for not asking Tyson about it.
He first made his way underwater and began talking to the barnacles that had attached themselves to her hull. After a few minutes of debate he convinced them to detach so he could take them to a new place to live. He did so with utmost care before returning to the deck.
He was in the process of sanding the railings, when he heard feet land on the deck behind him. He turned to see Raven standing there in her cloak, looking at him with their usual deadpan. He nodded to her, "Hey."
"Hey."
"Why aren't you getting to know the newcomers?"
"I said hi and told them my name."
Percy paused for a moment before slowly nodding, "I guess for you that is pretty good."
IF she was offended she didn't show it. "How are you doing?"
Percy thought about it for a second before turning to continue sanding as he answered, "Pretty good actually. Better than I have in while."
She nodded understandingly, "Sexual release is very effective for pent up emotions. I can feel the "pressure" for lack of a better word, of your emotions has subsided greatly."
Percy snorted at her bluntness, "Uh, yeah I guess that's true—"
"It's only temporary."
Percy stopped sanding, took a deep breath before turning to her, "I know that."
"It will only get worse again."
"I know."
"and if you keep staving it off like that it will regress even worse that it was befo—
"I KNOW!" Percy snapped, causing the girl to float back a bit. With a sigh he realized he had broken his sander in his hand . "what's your point?"
She stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "I'm just concerned that this is effecting your judgement with Cheshire."
The cavern was silent then ,save from the drops of water from the ceiling.. Percy stared at Raven in disbelief, while she slowly edged farther away, sensing his emotions building up again, though she wasn't sure why.
"…how… dare you!" He exclaimed.
Her eyes widened, "What?"
Percy chuckled humorlessly and started stomping across the deck towards the capstan, "Does everyone on my team really thing so little of me?"
Raven frowned before floating after him ,"What do you mean? I didn't mean to offend—"
He whirled on her, "You think I would use Jade as some fuck toy as a way to ease my own pain? You think I would pull all those strings, get her on this team simply so I can get laid some more?"
Raven winced, "I didn't mean—"
"No I'm sure you didn't." Percy snapped. Which his accentuated by flicking his hand and willing the anchor to get pulled out of the water in an instant, clanging against the side of the ship loudly. He then started making his way towards the helm.
"Where are you going?" Raven asked as he started maneuvering the ship out of the cave.
"Out," he stated simply, "Tell the others I'll be back by tonight. Now I suggest you get off my ship, something tells me the seas are going to be a bit rough." He glared at her.
She looked as if she wanted to protest more, but she instead gave a simple, "I'm sorry." and floated away towards the cave
Later
It was indeed a rough day out at sea, however since the source of said roughness was emanating from the Wise Girl, the ship was in little danger of capsizing.
Percy made sure not to go to fast as he made his way towards Manhattan island. He used the time to release his anger into the sea, before shutting it all down as he neared the city. He anchored his vessel several miles out and was about to leave it there, when he thought better. With a little concentration, he bent the water to his will and lowered the ship down to the sea bed, keeping a bubble of air around it, then, remembering his newfound control over waters temperature, he tried freezing the water around it so it was incased in a bubble of ice.
It took a lot more energy than he had anticipated, presumably from lack of practice, but eventually he managed it, making the dome o ice several layers thick to withstand the pressure. He then conscripted some sharks and dolphins to protect the dome just in case, before turning and shooting through the water towards the shore.
He emerged perfectly dry as always, startling several passerby's at the pier, and confusing them even more. He wasn't wearing his armor for this one, as he didn't plan to actively seek out trouble today, instead he was wearing the smart-clothing he got from M'gann on his birthday, as well as the shoes Wally gave him. With some help form M'gann, the semi-conscious fabric now had two looks: a dark bodysuit with his armors color scheme and the domino mask included, I case of any unexpected heroics, and jeans and an orange camp half-blood t shirt, the image of which he had M'gann fish from his mind.
So, ignoring the confusion and stares he received, he started making his way through the city, without Tyson, he couldn't sniff out crime, so it came as a surprise to him when he still found some: a few muggings, as well as an attempted rape. The muggings he stopped pretty quickly, with water tendrils while he stayed out of sight, but the rape he decided needed a personal touch.
He gave his clothes the mental command to switch to the suit, and rained down hell on the bastards, breaking many of their bones in the process, but somehow managing not to kill them. It was pretty cathartic. The woman he saved was a little apprehensive when she saw who he was, but thanked him anyway before quickly running home. He didn't blame her, after all the news about him. He was just glad none of the people he saved tried to worship him or something.
That's why when he finally reached Puzzles he was in a lot better mood than he was before. He entered the restaurant quietly and made his way to his regular spot, which was thankfully empty.
It wasn't long after that Caroline spotted him and had one of her waitresses take over for her. she was visibly nervous as she approached his table, "P-Perseus? Is that you?"
He smiled softly at her, "Yeah, but please call me Percy when I'm out of uniform."
She nodded slowly, "Okay… can I get you anything or—"
"Do you want me to leave?"
The question seemed to shock the older woman. After a moment of processing she sat across from him at his table, seemingly preparing what she wanted to say "I… I'm sorry that I'm acting this way it's just… I'm confused okay? You seem like such good kid, and yet with all that's going on in the news, the league saying you're a…" she trialed off at the look on his face, "The point is no. I don't want you to leave. I just want to know: are you okay?"
Percy's eyebrows rose at that, he had though her nervousness was based in fear not uncertainty about how to approach him, "I'm… well honestly I haven't been fine in a long time. I was hoping I could come here to unwind for a moment. I heard how you helped My team out during the invasion business. I'm very grateful for that, but I don't want you to think that you owe me or T anything more. If we're causing trouble for your business—"
"Oh please." Caroline cut him off, "Even bad press is good press. That picture of you guys on my wall worked exactly how I hoped, save for a few religious types accusing me of idol worship, but business has never been better. Everyone's curious what someone like you would consider a good burger."
He shrugged, "Well I'm glad for that at least. If you get into any trouble for it though—"
"Call you?" She asked with a smirk. Percy laughed nervously as he remembered he didn't have phone or any way for her to contact him.
"We can work on that." He said before leaning back. "So can I go ahead and order or…"
Caroline was looking at him expectantly with a raised eyebrow, "What?" He asked.
"You sure there's nothing going on right now that you want to talk about?"
Percy was confused for a moment before she pointed behind him at the TV. He looked and saw a weather report about a freak miniature hurricane that had appeared of the eastern coast and disappeared into apparent thin air. "Oh. Woops."
So he told her, about his fight with Raven that is. Caroline new Raven only a little less than she knew Percy as the girl visited with the brothers fairly regularly during which she had noticed something very interesting, so when she heard what the problem was she couldn't help but smirk a bit.
Percy noticed, "What?"
The woman sighed dramatically, "Geeze, good to know you really are just a guy at the end of the day. I think we can both agree that your teammates reaction was a bit warranted."
Percy flushed a bit but nodded, "Yeah, but Raven took it too far. I mean how could she thin I'd do that? I thought she knew me better than that!"
"She likely does, but I don't think that's a factor here. Percy have you considered the fact that hearing about your sexual exploits and then having it shoved in her face with the girls arrival has made her a bit—"
She was cut off by an explosion outside.
Outside the window, civilians started screaming and running away from something. A moment later, they had to dodge as a taxi flew through the air past them, resulting in an explosion further down the street.
Percy gritted his teeth, as he stood up from his table, "Guess I'll have to put lunch on hold. You might want to close for a bit."
Caroline visibly gulped, but was quick to head to the back, ushering customers and waitresses somewhere safer.
Percy burst out the door in frustration, which he intended to use against whatever superpowered bastard unlucky enough to cross his path today. But, as he shifted his clothes into hero mode and turned to face the threat, he froze.
It wasn't a rogue meta, a rampaging mech, or even a failed science experiment gone wild as was the norm for this universe. No, instead he faced something far more familiar to him.
It stood far taller than any normal man should. It was far hairier too, with much of its upper torso covered in fur. Most striking however, was that instead of a human head, it had the snarling visage of a bull upon it's shoulders.
Percy faced the minotaur once again.
"... You have got to be kidding me."
Meanwhile, back at the Mountain.
Raven drifted slowly through the halls, lost deep in thought about her argument with Percy. Well, it was less of an argument, and more of her making a rather outrageous assumption, and him getting rightfully offended by it.
In hindsight, she should have known better, but something inside her had affected her judgement, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Usually she had a tight lock on her emotions, so the fact that one had grown so powerful could only mean trouble. She resolved to go nip the problem in the bud by entering her mindscape once again. There she can deal with those troublesome feelings directly.
As she was making her way however, a voice interrupted her thoughts, "Hey there."
Raven froze, before turning to see the newly arrived Jade leaning against the wall. How had she not noticed her? was the assassin simply that good, or was she really that distracted?
She nodded curtly to the woman, "HI." And tried to move past.
To her annoyance, the woman stepped in her way. Jade seemed to notice how tense this made her however, and backed away a few steps, "Relax. I only wanted some directions. I'm having trouble finding my room."
Raven blinked, "Did none of the others offer to show you?"
Jade waved her off, "Oh I'm sure they would have, but they're just so… energetic, that I had to slip away for a while. I'm sure you know what I mean."
Raven did, though she didn't say so. "You know that won't help them trust you. also, Kara has X ray vision."
Jade snorted, "Well she obviously hasn't mastered it, they still haven't found me. anyway, do you know where I'll be bunking?"
Raven considered for a moment, before changing her course, "Follow me."
The assassin pushed off the wall and jumped into step behind her, "Many thanks."
They walked in silence at first, which Raven preferred, but of course it had to be broken, "So, what's going on between you and our divine leader?"
Raven looked back at her blankly, "What do you mean?"
Jade shrugged, but couldn't hide a sly smirk, "Well, first Percy leaves, saying he has "business" to take care of, and a few minutes later, you leave in the same direction."
"That room has only one exit, I had to leave in the same direction."
"Oh come on!" Jade giggled as she leaped in fort of her, "It's just us girls here, no need to be shy. Maybe giving the leader a proper welcome back?"
Raven tensed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Jade smiled widely, "Oh I think you do. He can say what he likes, but that man was way too good at what he did to me to be a virgin."
Raven felt her mouth twitch , "I think you're mistaken, Percy and I don't have that kind of relationship."
"You sure? Maybe you've just forgotten. Let's see if I can give you refresh, has ever done that thing where he makes his hand water and slips it in your—"
"We aren't LIKE THAT!" Raven found herself raising her voice in the end, as well as unconsciously sending out a burst of energy, not enough to cause damage, but enough to send jades large mane of hair fluttering.
That's when Raven knew without a doubt where Jade earned the name Cheshire, "Alright, I believe you. honestly I was just wondering if there was any way to make you crack, you seem so dead set on remaining emotionless. I told myself: it's such a shame, I'm sure a little energy in those eyes would brighten up that drab face."
Raven, now composed, ignored the girl and turned to float away. As she did so however, jade called one more time: "Pretty interesting though, that the only thing to really get to you is talking about Percy…"
She gave no response, but she couldn't help but agree.
Artemis watched her go with a smirk, before turning and walking to her room. she had already found out where it was.
When she opened the door, she was not at all surprised to see her green clad little sister waiting for her. She cooed at her, "Oh look, you came to catch up with your big sis?"
Artemis snarled, "I can just look up your criminal record, cut out the middle man."
Jade shrugg3d and strolled past her before sitting on her bed, idly testing its springs. Artemis followed with her glare, "What are you doing here Cheshire?"
Jade stopped what she was doing and looked at her sister, "I thought Percy already told you that?"
Her sister scoffed, "I get the whole running from the shadows thing, but I know for a fact that you trust heroes even less than you trust them. so what gives? If you think I'll let you spy on this team—"
"Relaaaax sis." Jade drawled as she laid back on her bed before propping her head u to look at Artemis. "I'm not a mole. I'm not that stupid."
"You're not at all stupid," Artemis stated matter-of-factly, "That's what I'm worried about."
Jade quirked an eyebrow, but felt a swell of pride for her sister. "Fine. You're right, I don't trust the "heroes" but… well, Percy isn't like them is he?"
Artemis sighed exhaustedly and rubbed her face, "Please don't tell me you agreed to this just so you can sleep with him again?"
Jade laughed heartily at that, "Oh sister, if you knew what he was like you'd be far less judgmental. But no, something tells me that that was a one-time thing. I don't mind really. I can always get the job done my—"
"Okay ew! Ew ew ew ew!" Artemis shrieked while covering her ears, "I don't need that image in my head."
Jade chuckled a gain, before her eyes turned more serious, "Sis, you may not know me as much as you should, but you know me better than most. I always do what benefits me the most. Percy is… powerful, and not just because he's a god. He has resolve, the kind I thought only existed in people like Ra's al Ghoul. I want to be on the winning side, and if you ask me, that is whatever side Percy Jackson is on. "
Artemis looked at her for a moment before sighing in concession, "Fine, I'll believe you for now." She then turned to walk out of the room.
"You know, If you really did want to catch up I wouldn't mind." Jade said, trying her best to sound nonchalant
Artemis laughed humorlessly at that, "Really? Well I hope my answer is something you'll recognize."
She walked out the door, not looking back .
Jade sighed.
Waylon Jones was happier than he had been in years.
Granted, the last decade has consisted mostly of crime and ridicule from just about every one he met, but still. He had made fast friends with the Cyclops, who apparently was Percy's brother somehow, not that he particularly cared. After the little welcoming party, he found himself dragged around the cave as Tyson gave him the grand tour. He found himself a bit taken aback at times, like with the stables that apparently would house baby Pegasi, and the freaking Hellhound that greeted him with licks to the face for some reason. There was also this weird roly poly looking thing made of metal, but it didn't really do much.
Eventually he asked to hang out at the gym. Waller never let him have gym privileges, claiming his genetics gave him enough strength as it is, which, while true, was still annoying. Over the years as his atavism progressed, he got stronger and stronger, until he could nearly meet Bane's strength, on a very good day, but only if he kept himself in good sap. That meant frequent weight lifting.
He soon regretted is request however, as he found himself hopelessly outclassed by many of the members of the team. Most of them could lift several tons as easily as he could a basketball, aside from Robin of course, but Waylon knew painfully well where that kids strengths laid.
Funnily enough, the one closest to his strength level turned out to be Aqualad, who was gracious enough to spot for him, and vice versa. The others seemed loathe to come close to him, aside from Tyson. It soon became clear why.
"Apologies if this comes across as rude, but is it true that you're are a cannibal?" Koriand'r asked. sounding impossibly innocent as she did so. The mutant was actual dumbstruck, and lost his grip on his barbell, forcing Kaldur to have to pull it off him,
To his surprise, Robin answered for him, "No Kori, he's not. That's just a rumor that he allowed to fester so his enemies would fear him. He's never eaten anyone, nor has he fed people to crocodiles."
Waylon felt the need to thank the little nuisance , and almost did so until he continued with, "But he has murdered people before."
He let out an low hiss, "Don't give her the wrong idea, I killed criminals, my competition, the occasional dirt bag politician, but never someone innocent, and never for no reason."
"You tried to kill me a bunch of times."
"Yeah but you're really annoying"
Robin narrowed his eyes, and narrowed them further , when he a subdued snort from Jack. He looked over at the clone in disbelief who only shrugged, "I mean you kind of are sometimes"
Waylon rolled is eyes and sat up, "Look if I have to spend the rest of my life hearing you all bitch about my bad decisions ,I might as well go back to prison.
Robin looked about to agree with him, but Kaldur spoke first, "That will not be necessary. I'm sure everyone here knows that sometimes life throws us a bad hand. Sometimes we make the right choice, and sometimes we do not."
Robin frowned but didn't argue, while Koriand'r looked at the Atlantiean thoughtfully. Tyson looked uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere however, and piped up with, "Want to see the training room?"
Waylon might have, but before anyone could answer, Kara, the terrifying Kryptonian girl, appeared in the doorway with a strange expression "Uh guys, you might want to come see what's on the news!"
"What is it?" Robin asked, already moving towards her."
"It's Percy, and he's fighting… well you better come see."
With Percy
Percy eyed the news helicopter warily as he circled his opponent. It had appeared shortly after his fight had begun, and it was making him anxious.
Mostly because his fight should have been over by now. He had gotten pretty good at taking out Bull Breath over the years, but this time seems to be different. The reasons was obvious however.
Instead of being clad in fruit of the looms like the first time he faced the Minotaur, the beast was wearing heavy armor. And not the kind he wore at the battle of Manhattan. This armor was strange, twisted, red and almost… demonic. The same went for the new great axe he bore. It was double sided with each blade being jagged and blood red.
Alongside his new equipment, the minotaur had had a major upgrade in abilities, which made sense in a way. The same had happened for Tyson after all. The beast was quicker, matching his swordplay with its axe and barreling past him at the speed of a freight train. It was stronger, throwing buses at him like they were baseballs. And worst of all" it was smarter, no longer falling for his matador trick.
All that being said, Percy was holding back as well. Limiting himself to swordplay with Riptide, no powers involved, but there was a reason for that. He knew this universe had monsters, but this Minotaur looked exactly like his, and he acted like he recognized Percy. He wasn't sure what was up with Riptide these days, but if it can slay this monster, he was going to have to have a serious discussion with the League.
He dodged another taxi. The minotaur had ben hooking them on his ax and slinging them at high speeds. It was getting annoying. With a snort of frustration, the beast began another charge towards him, which Percy met with a grimace.
The two collided in the middle of the block they had ended up in. Percy had been careful to lead them away from Puzzles. When they met, Percy yelled in anger and tried to slice his enemies approaching axe in two, but it seemed this weapon was made of sterner stuff than the last. Riptide only clanged off of it. In that brief moment of uncertainty, the monster took the opportunity to spartan kick Percy in the chest, sending him flying backwards before slamming into an abandoned bus, folding it in half with his momentum.
He coughed uncontrollably, grimacing as gold splattered on the ground beneath him. With a groan, he pulled himself from the wreckage and started walking towards the bull man. He had made a mistake in this fight: he had treated the Minotaur as he always had, like the creature he had beaten bare handed when he was only twelve. Obviously it was no longer that.
"Alright Beef for brains," Percy called out, causing it to roar in indignation, "You want me? come get me!"
And come it did. Once again, the monster charged, it's axe horizontal in its hands to discourage any last minute side stepping. Percy simply stood tall and waited for him to arrive, giving his enemy all of his focus.
When it arrived, he wasted no time. He ducked under the first swing and paired the next, with great strain to his muscles. Before doing something, many would call insane: he leaped forward, and headbutted the minotaur.
Apparently, it was so insane that even the Minotaur couldn't see it coming. While it sent pain hammering through Percy's skull and likely a lot less through the Minotaur, it had the monster stumbling back in confusion. That was all Percy needed.
Ignoring his self-inflicted migraine, Percy leapt forward again, grabbing the minotaur's left horn with one hand, and using it as leverage to shove his sword into the creatures chest as hard as possible. He got a lot of resistance from the strange armor, but in the end it was no match for good old fashioned Celestial Bronze. He forced it through and looked into the creatures eyes as it roared in pain. As it died however, the look in its eyes wasn't defeat, it was resolve. The hatred that burned form the beginning of the fight hadn't disappeared , it only burned brighter the look in its eyes was clear, it said: I'll get you next time.
Percy knew, even before it exploded into Monster dust, that this was indeed the minotaur from his world. After a moment of processing, he looked down at his left hand to see that he had accidentally snapped the monsters horn off in the process. He gritted his teeth, and nearly attempted to crus it in his hand right then and there, before he stopped, having a better idea.
Later
Percy walked out of the mountain's teleporter with a purpose, feeling a bit of relief when he found Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman already waiting for him. "Thank goodness, I thought I would have to call you myself."
"We need to talk Percy!" Superman stepped forward and talked first, making Percy, and the other two heroes roll their eyes a bit.
"I know." Percy responded, before tossing the Minotaur Horn to Wonder Woman, who caught it easily though with a bit of surprise. "Diana, please tell me that this is the horn from your minotaur."
Before the Amazon could respond, Superman was talking again, "Now hold on, we aren't just going to look over what you did today!"
Percy looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"You killed! Again!"
The man of steel was taken aback when he was met with genuine laughter , "No I didn't."
Batman finally stepped forward, "If it isn't dead, then what happened to it?" his tone indicated he dreaded the answer.
Wonder Woman spoke next, "The minotaur has been dead for centuries Percy, this is… not of our world."
Percy took the horn from her outstretched arm, looked at it for. Moment, before growling and channeling earthquake energy through it, eventually shattering it with a yell before pacing back and forth between the three heroes,
Batman tried to calm him down, "It might have been a genetic experiment, or a magical construct."
Percy shook his head and uncapped Riptide, not noticing as Superman flinched, "I killed him with this, and he turned to dust. Not only that but I saw his eyes. He knew me, and I knew him."
"So you admit to killing him." Superman stated with his arms crossed.
Percy whirled on the Kryptonian "He's not dead you moron! He's reforming! Probably down in some hellish dimension from this universe. It's the only way. I know I killed him right before I came here, but why did he follow me? How?"
"Whatever the reason, however he did it, the fact is he's here now." Wonder Woman stated. "An immortal monster that likely will come straight to you whenever it reforms which will be…"
Percy shrugged hopelessly, "It could be years, centuries, months, or days. Probably days with my luck."
"All you can do now is wait," Batman said, "But the next time he shows up, we should try to get Zatara to meet it. There might be a solution in magic to keep him contained."
Percy brightened up at that, but only for a moment. "Yeah… I'm so sorry."
Wonder Woman came and put a hand on his shoulder in concern, "What do you mean? This isn't your fault."
"It sure feels like it." Superman muttered. Only to get elbowed by Wonder Woman.
"Don't be sorry." Batman spoke firmly. "Be better. Even if it turns out it is your fault, then all you have to do is keep fighting him off like you did today. The same thing you've always done."
Percy nodded grimly, "You're right." He took a deep breath before glancing at Superman, who was looking at Riptide nervously. He sighed, "You can relax dude, I have no reason to kill you with this."
Superman narrowed his eyes, "Yes, but if you were to lose it, it could fall into the wrong hands."
Percy rolled his eye , "What part of "magically enchanted to return to my pocket" don't you understand. No one can claim ownership over it unless I give it to them, happy?"
He obviously was not but said nothing more. Percy scoffed, "I still don't understand why it works on Kryptonians anyways."
Wonderwoman looked thoughtful as well, "He always has been vulnerable to magic attacks."
"Everyone is vulnerable to magic attacks," Batman explained simply. "It doesn't explain why Riptide goes through you and not him."
For her part, the amazon's cheeks were a bit red as she looked away.
"So, we just wait then?" Percy asked.
"That's all we can do" Batman stated.
So that's what they did three weeks of waiting. Of course, no one was idle during that time. Life goes on, heroics to be done.
Percy officially took up Manhattan patrol again, despite some of the residents still having a bit of a problem with him. Though he would never admit it, there were a few times he thought of yelling back, and he might have, if not for Tyson always being there bedside him.
He kept training with the team as well. With their new members they were becoming a force to be reckoned with. The addition of Cheshire and Croc added new elements in their training. Croc, while no Joker or Lex Luthor, had set a few traps for heroes in his day, and was helping them learn how to spot a set up as well as training with them to get used to larger, tougher opponents.
Cheshire on the other hand, had a far more sinister game, one she called the Cat and Mouse game. In it, she was the Cat, and all of them were the mice. At first a few were skeptical of the game but were soon shut up when they were "assassinated." As she explained it, their encounter with the was a rush job where she had no preparation, which is not the Shadows usual style. After taking several days to get used to the cave, she unleashed a series of attacks that got the better of everyone on the team, except Tyson, much to her disappointment. She felt better however, when Percy mentioned that even Batman has trouble sneaking up on the Cyclops.
Tyson also kept himself busy with the forge. He had approached everyone with offers of new armor or weapons despite already working on Wally's prosthetics, alongside Raven for some reason. Almost everyone had refused except for Waylon, despite his own natural body armor. When asked about it he claimed to be tired of just walking around shirtless all the time.
"I want to look badass!" he exclaimed.
Percy decided not to take the pair of former bad guys on patrol anytime soon, not just because they were intimidating … well okay mostly because of that, but also because their fighting styles were still too brutal. Neither of them were used to holding back against regular humans.
Percy also noticed that Cheshire never approached him for more "fun". he wasn't too disappointed. He probably would have said no, partly because he didn't want to end up like the gods, and partly because what Raven said might have gotten to him a little.
Soon after he had returned form the fight with the Minotaur, she had approached him and apologized profusely, stating that she was out of line and making quick assumptions. Admittedly he was tempted to bask in the win and agree that she was wrong, but he ended up forgiving her and saying that she was right to be a bit concerned, just maybe not that much.
On an especially fun day, he returned to Atlantis with Kaldur to visit the magic university. He didn't have time to learn anything special, but he did end up getting a matching pair of eel tattoos on his arms, the same as Kaldur's. Even better, it was Tula who ended up doing it, on Kaldur's request. The girl had trouble focusing with Percy's scars and physique on full display, but to her boyfriend who was also present, it looked to be only his physique.
Not that Percy resented them for breaking Kaldur's heart or anything. He wasn't petty like that.
With the tattoos done, (and looking badass btw) the two soon made their way back home. Percy had absolutely no idea how to use the markings, as Kaldur planned to teach him what he knew over time, when they got the chance.
Of course, a less than popular development was the new stable cleaning job, that was distributed to each member of the team. Oh no one argued, especially after meeting the beautiful mares, (Blackjack had high standards after all) but no one could ever enjoy shoveling manure.
It was at the end of the three weeks that Wally finally made his return to the cave, with both hands no less."
"They grew back!?" Was what the bewildered Tyson exclaimed as soon as Wally entered through the teleporter. He was still in civilian clothing, and it did indeed seem like his severed limbs had returned, with skin covered hands by his sides.
Wally couldn't help but chuckle at him before pressing an unseen button, lowering a holographic image of the skin covering his now metal prosthetics, "It's from Star Labs, the Flash has a close relationship with them. This way, I don't have to worry about people making the connection of Wally West and Kid Flash losing limbs at the same time."
"That's awesome dude!" Robin exclaimed as he embraced his old friend, before grabbing one of the prosthetics, "You know if you let me into their systems I bet I could—" He was cut off as Wally snatched his arm out of the mischievous hackers grasp
Wally blinked as he noticed a few new faces, including some villainous ones, "Uh guys, why is Killer Croc here?"
"His name is Waylon." Was the unanimous response from the entire team, after weeks of being corrected by Percy.
"Cheshire and him are now part of the team." Percy explained as he came to pat the speedster on the back, "It's a long story but I'm sure you'll get along. Also, that's Kori, she's a princess from an alien world."
Said princess smiled and wave happily, "Hello!"
Wally smiled nervously and waved back a little weakly. "Dude what else did I miss?"
"Not much, really." Artemis stepped forward, staring at wally with a hand on her hip and an unreadable expression.
Wally visibly gulped. "H-hey Artemis…"
"Kid Flash."
Percy raised an eyebrow, "Wow it's tense in here. Alright everyone, let's give them some room. M'gann, Raven, that means no going invisible to spy on them."
As the team walked out the two girls protested in outrage, "I would never do that!/Don't be ridiculous." Causing Percy to chuckle as Wally and Artemis were left alone.
Several uncomfortable moments past as they looked at each other , before Wally could take it no longer, "I'm really sorry!"
Artemis cocked an eyebrow, "For?"
Wally sighed, "For acting like such a jerk to you, and chasing you off when you were only trying to help. I just… well… it's not really important."
"I'll be the judge of that"
Wally hesitated, before slumping forth in defeat, metal hands swinging back and forth, "I just… you were acting very, ahem, "affectionate" which normally I would be all for! But like, I've never actually… well…"
Artemis had to cover her mouth to stifle a giggle, "You've never dated before?!"
Wally pouted and looked away, "N-no! it's kind of hard being the school nerd while also balancing a superhero life! But I'm off track. Look the only time I've ever had a girl willingly flirt with me is right after I saved their life. And after what happened, it started to feel like it was just more of that… like you were only doing it because I saved you."
At this Artemis' feature softened and she put a hand on Wally's shoulder, "Oh Wally… that's the stupidest thing you've ever said."
Wally looked up at her in confusion, "Wha—mph!" He was cut off as she grabbed him by the collar and crashed her lips on hips.
For the first time in a long time, Wally's hyperactive mind was completely blank as he struggled to process what was going on. Once he finally did, she had already pulled back and looked at him with a smirk, "Does that make sense?"
"Uh… no?"
He was rewarded with her flicking his forehead, causing him to wince, "Good. It's not supposed to genius. Honestly you think I'd drop my panties for every guy who saved my life?"
Wally's face went beet red, "N-no!"
"That's right, because that would include everyone on the team. I don't like you because you saved me Wally, I like you because you're you. I mean sure I came to that conclusion faster because of what you did, but that's completely normal! Tell me did you ever actually ask out any of those girls you saved?"
Wally blinked, "Well no but—"
"Any one of them could have said yes, and any of them could have said no. and if they did say yes, who could blame them? You had just saved their life! Seriously dude this isn't rocket science!"
The speedster still looked lost, so Artemis sighed and put both hands on his shoulders, looking into his eye. "Wally, we had no memory of each other, whatsoever. I could have been anyone, yet you saved my life three times, despite barely having enough energy to walk, and on the third time you did it by taking a hit you knew would not end well for you."
Wally looked away nervously, "W-well I didn't know it would end like-mph!" Artemis kissed him once again.
When she pulled back he gulped again, no longer looking away, "Okay I might have had an idea…"
Artemis rolled her eyes and stepped back a bit, "Finally. Now if you're done being an idiot, let's go see to the forge."
"Why?"
"You'll see. Also you should start thinking of plans for Saturday."
"What's happening Saturday?"
"You're taking me on a date."
Wally stopped and looked at her I shock. "I am?"
Artemis' response was to look back at him with a glare.
"I-I mean of course I am! Can't wait!"
"Better."
They quickly made their way down to the forge, where they found a pouting cyclops idly hammering on hot metal.
"Tyson, don't be like that." Artemis sighed.
The young minded brute sniffed, "I'm not being like anything…"
Wally looked at Artemis in confusion, to which she sighed again and spoke louder, "Hey Wally, do those arms have combat capability?"
Wally blinked but answered, "…No, they're just to blend in. The League is currently working on something I can bring into the fe—" he was cut off as Tyson suddenly appeared before him with a huge smile.
"I have something like that! Want to see?!"
"…Sure?"
The next thing he knew the cyclops was rummaging through his work tools, before reappearing with a pair of bronze prosthetic arms "Ta da!"
Wally looked at the arms in wonder. They definitely blew his current, and possibly his old ones out of the water. They were beautifully made, almost as if they were bronze covered flesh. He couldn't spy any seems or joints, yet they bent perfectly as he moved them. "Dude… these are beautiful!"
Tyson smiled wider before piping up with, "Oh! Watch this!"
He maneuvered them a bit until they were in a pose to crack each other's knuckles. Tyson made the motion, and suddenly they shifted from hands into large studded clubs.
"These should help you in combat, especially combined with your speed! There a bunch of other modes that you can use once they're attached too! Let me just—"
They were cut off as a robotic voice sounded all over the cave, "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"
Tyson was frozen in shock until Artemis tapped his shoulder, "T, go upstairs and help the others, I'll help him get the arms on and come after."
He nodded slowly, "Right… right! See you soon!"
The pair tried their hardest to ignore the banging and explosions sounding above them as Artemis helped him out of his current arms and into his new ones. The speed an certainty with which he did it told him that she had been planning to help him with it from the start.
Once they were finished, the arms suddenly connected with his mind and came to life, much more responsive then the star labs pair, Wally could only guess it was some sort of enchantment.
The pair made their way upstairs, with Wally deftly picking Artemis up and speeding up the stairs. When they arrived in the training room where the sounds were coming from however, they were too late.
The battle was already won, Percy and Tyson were standing over their own respective piles of red android parts, joking and laughing with each other while the other team members just seemed to be still recovering. The pair noted that he room was covered in water and scorch marks.
Percy brightened when he saw them,
"Guys! Get this: these hunks of junk can manipulate elements. Guess which ones."
Artemis frowned, "Uh…"
"Fire!" he pointed to the android in pieces at Tyson's feet, who giggled modestly , before pointing to the one at his feet, "And water! How sad is that!"
The two heroes could indeed see the humor in that matchup. Defeating the androids must have been remarkably easy for the brothers.
The pairs laughter was cut short however when an unfamiliar "I agree it was quite humorous!"
The team was instantly on guard, except for raven, who had suddenly turned whiter than humanly possible, "Oh god no…"
"You of all people should know that "God" has nothing to do with it…"
Suddenly a fiery red portal appeared in the middle of the room. out stepped a tall man in a suit and tie. Only, he wasn't really a man. He had long ears, pale skin, and four, glowing red eyes .
"Don't you sister?" he growled out, looking right at Raven..
"Greed…'" She breathed out.
Chapter 18
Next chapter will be an eventful one for sure.