Slade's house

Morning

Oliver sat in the kitchen at the table, still staring at the spot where Artemis had vanished when Slade walked in, his eye narrowing as he saw Oliver.

"Have you been here all night?" he asked after a moment.

"Most of it," Oliver admitted. "My mother paid me a visit."

"And by your mother, I assume we're talking about Artemis," Slade said wearily and Oliver nodded. "…how was it?

"Good, really good," Oliver said after a few moments. "The gods, they're everything you say they are…but they're so much more than that to. They're people, just like us. They're not inherently good or bad, they're flawed. I guess you could say they're human."

"Some things haven't changed," Slade said and Oliver looked at him oddly. "You're still an idiot."

"Guess so," Oliver said with a slight grin and, after a moment, the two began laughing, although they couldn't say why.

"Can't remember the last time I laughed," Slade said once they got control of themselves.

"Neither can I," Oliver admitted and it was silent for a moment. "Slade…you don't have to do this."

"Prophecies don't lie kid. You need me. And, if what you've said is true, the world needs all of us," Slade said grimly. "You and me kid. Like old times."

"Too much like old times," Oliver muttered with a sigh, knowing there was no talking Slade out of this.

Upstairs, as Percy slept, Annabeth was wide awake, looking at her hand. Specifically, her ring. She would be lying if she'd said she hadn't fantasized about marrying Percy but, given their lives, it had always seemed just a fantasy. But now, that fantasy, which had always seemed so far away, seemed almost within her reach. She and Percy just had to survive this Crisis.

Feeling Percy shifting beside her, Annabeth looked over as his green eyes opened.

"Hey," he said drowsily as he saw her.

"Hey," Annabeth sad lightly.

"You been up a while?" Percy asked.

"Just the last few minutes," Annabeth said and it was silent for a moment, but not uncomfortably.

"You know, once we get up, we'll have to go fight Ladon, try to get a scale and hope we survive," Percy said, breaking the silence.

"I know," Annabeth said, almost groaning at the thought. "But we've survived worse."

"Hydras and gods and Titans," Percy noted.

"Cyclopes and ghosts and prophecies," Annabeth continued.

"Aphrodite," Percy said and Annabeth smiled.

"We'll survive this to," Annabeth promised.

Percy wasn't worried about him surviving. After Kronos' defeat, the fates had shown him his future; he knew he would live to be an old man. It was Annabeth he was worried about.

Philadelphia

Same time

Barry was speeding down the street when a Breach suddenly opened up. Barry skidded to a stop as Rokk, Irma and Garth stepped out.

"How-" Barry started shocked.

"The Legion rings also function as an extrapolator," Irma explained.

"Why'd you leave?" Rokk inquired, getting down to business.

"The Oracle told me I would walk alone. I need to do this by myself. No one dies," Barry said firmly.

"If Medea has possessed this Patty Spivot, you may not have a choice," Rokk said gently. "Where were you running to?"

"There's a temple that belonged to Medea in Colorado. Patty visited it last month and, from what I've heard, she's been acting strangely since then," Barry said.

"You think this temple is where her possession started," Irma realized.

"At the very least, it's a start," Barry said and Rokk and Irma exchanged a look. "What?"

"Barry, we know of Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, Iris West, even Ralph Dibny. But we've never even heard of this Patty Spivot," Rokk said cautiously.

"Well, she was never part of Team Flash and she left town after she knew my secret," Barry said dismissively, not seeing the issue. "I haven't seen her since until yesterday."

"You're right. Her name was probably just lost in the annuls of history," Irma said but Barry could see something in her eyes, something she was holding back.

"You don't think that though, do you?" Barry said pointedly and it was silent for a moment.

"What they've trying to say is that Patty Spivot probably isn't in the history books…because she didn't survive," Garth, out of patience, finally said.

However, everything stopped as Garth suddenly had a bronze dagger at his throat, Barry glaring at him, his eyes hard behind his cowl.

"This dagger is supposed to be ineffective against mortals. Who knows what it does to Metas though. You come near Patty, we'll find out," Barry promised.

Barry then lowered the dagger, to Garth's relief, before turning and speeding away.

"Lightning Lad, you need to learn to take your AC foot out of your DC mouth," Rokk said annoyed.

"Grife Rokk, I thought the Flash was known for doing whatever it took to save the world. You sure we got the right guy?" Garth complained as the trio started to walk off.

"It's him alright," Rokk said grimly. "That's a fact Gar."

Slade's house

Later in the morning

After they had eaten, Slade led Oliver, Percy and Annabeth into a room. It seemed ordinary enough, that is until Slade flipped a switch. Percy and Annabeth watched in awe as the walls flipped around, showing a huge assortment of weapons, mostly swords. Some looked to be made of steel while others were made of bronze, likely celestial bronze. Weapons to kill monsters. And in the corner, in a glass case, was the Deathstroke suit.

"Wow," was all Percy could manage.

"Where'd you get all these weapons?" Annabeth asked as her grey eyes swept over them curiously.

"Some were mine at the start. Others I picked up from traders or the black market. Some I keep as reminders, of failure, of those I cannot save," Slade said as he walked over to the Deathstroke suit, staring at it with a mix of emotion. "When I settled here, I told myself I would never wear this thing again."

"You can still keep that promise Slade," Oliver said in a last ditch effort to keep Slade out of this.

"You need my help kid, whether you want it or not. No better reason to break that particular promise," Slade said, glancing back at Oliver before returning his gaze to the suit. "Whether I like it or not, I am Deathstroke. Not even the gods can change that now."

Patty's apartment

Same time

"What are we doing here Rokk?" Garth asked as Rokk led him and Irma into Patty's apartment. "We should be trying to catch up to Barry."

"Right now, I want to learn more about this Patty Spivot. Maybe what we learn can help us track her down," Rokk ordered.

The trio began to search through the apartment. Garth opened a drawer and found it was full of drawings. Pulling them out, Garth frowned as he saw a temple, drawn over and over again.

"Rokk, check this out," Garth called out and showed Rokk the drawing. "It's some temple. She drew it a lot."

"The detail on it…I recognize it. This is the temple of Medea," Rokk muttered. "It's possible that the possession of Medea manifested itself in small ways at first, like blackouts where she would draw this temple."

"So she wouldn't have known what was happening until it was too late," Garth said and Rokk nodded.

"Rokk, Gar," Irma called out.

The two put the drawings back and walked over to her. Irma was holding a picture frame that she switched around so they could see what it was. The two were greatly surprised to see a picture of Barry with a blond woman, who he was kissing on the forehead. It was plainly obvious that the two were involved.

"I think we now know why Barry is so intent on saving Patty," Rokk muttered.

"Wait, I thought Barry Allen only loved Iris West," Garth said confused.

"The history records obviously don't tell us everything. From what I saw when I read Barry's mind earlier, he cares very deeply for Patty. He may even love her," Irma said and Rokk frowned thoughtful.

"Then it's possible…that Patty's death is what made Barry become the Flash we've heard stories about," Rokk muttered.

Medea's temple

Same time

Barry entered the temple cautiously, not knowing what he'd find here. But this place had obviously had an effect on Patty's mental state and, if Chiron was right, led to her possession b Medea.

"You dare."

Barry's heart stopped as he heard the voice, usually filled with so much warmth, now filled hate and scorn. He turned around to see Patty standing behind him. But the blue eyes he loved were now a sickly yellow that were filled with hate.

"Medea," Barry muttered.

"You dare to enter my temple son of Aphrodite?" Medea demanded as she took a few steps closer to him. "Jason was arrogant enough to believe he could slight me without consequences."

Medea waved her hand and Barry was sent flying back. He hit the stone steps of an alter back first and fell to the floor. Groaning, Barry pulled himself to his feet as Medea approached him.

"Like you, he soon learned otherwise," Medea said as she stopped a foot from him. "You have no business here halfblood."

"I disagree. The woman whose body you inhabit is someone I care about," Barry said and Medea laughed.

But it was not Patty's amused, joy filled laugh. No, it was a pale imitation, a cruel, mocking laugh that made Barry's blood boil.

"Aphrodite's children were ruled by their emotions in my time as well. It's nice to see that some things have not changed," Medea said mockingly, a cruel smirk marring Patty's face.

"You're dead. You have no business here anymore," Barry said.

"On the contrary, I have been planning this for a thousand years," Medea said as she turned away from Barry. "This world robbed me of everything that was rightfully mine. But now, the stars are in alignment for me to finally have my revenge. I will see this world burned to the ground. Every man, woman and child will feel my wrath."

Angrily, Barry sped over, grabbed her, and slammed her against the wall. Barry almost took out his knife but, halfway there, his hand stilled as he remembered. Medea may be in control, but she had Patty's body. And he couldn't hurt one without hurting the other.

Seeing him hesitate, Medea laughs again.

"That's right; you cannot stop me without hurting this vessel. The one you care for," she mocked.

With a wave of her hand, Barry suddenly found himself unable to breath. He gasped for breath, his hands going to his throat as he tried to pry the invisible hands from around his neck. Medea then waved her hand and Barry was sent flying crashing into the altar with such strength it was destroyed. Barry fell to the floor, dazed as Medea approached him.

"It would be so easy for me to kill you…but where would the fun in that be. I want you around, to see as this world is laid to waste. As I finally take my revenge," Medea said with a wicked laugh.

With a wave of her hand, Medea vanished as Barry sat up painfully, staring at the spot where Medea had vanished.

Colorado

Early afternoon

"What is with the air quality of this time?" Garth complained as he, Rokk and Irma walked the streets, cars driving passed them.

"They won't be replacing fossil fuels for another thirty years," Rokk said absently, his face set in concentration.

"Rokk," Garth said and Rokk paused. "Everything we've heard about the Flash, it's all from date files and Holovids."

"We're so far in the past," Irma noted.

"Maybe the Barry Allen we've been looking up to is more legend than Legion," Garth said and Rokk turned around to face him.

"He may not be everything we thought he would be, but he is no fraud," Rokk said in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Rokk," Irma said and he looked over at her. "We have to stop Medea. With or without Barry."

"We're gonna have to kill Patty Spivot ourselves," Garth said as Rokk wore a grim look, knowing they were right.

Patty's apartment

Same time

Barry walked into Patty's apartment, feeling a sense of defeat wash over him. Walking over to a table, he looked down at the picture of him and Patty. A sense of rage suddenly overcoming him, he picked it up and threw it across the room. The glass frame shattered as it hit wall and Barry breathed heavily as a voice spoke up behind him.

"Did that make you feel better?"

"No," Barry said as he turned around, not at all surprised to see his mother. "What are you doing here Mom?"

"I felt you needed my help," Aphrodite said and it was silent for a moment.

"Did you send me to Patty? Did you know what was going to happen?" Barry demanded.

"Athena was concerned for her daughter. I did not know what exactly was wrong, but yes, I did send you to her, hoping you might be able to help. I sent you my mirror, thinking you might need it," Aphrodite said and Barry laughed humorlessly.

"Well, you were wrong. I can't help Patty. I can't help anyone. Medea, she's spent too long planning this. I can't save Patty, I can't stop Medea. Maybe Rokk is right, maybe the only way to save everyone…is to kill Patty," Barry muttered.

"I have watched over you your entire life, since the night I died," Aphrodite said and Barry looked over at her. "What I know about you is that you never hesitate. Your greatest strength my sweet boy is your heart, your sense of morality. If there is a way to save Patty and stop Medea, you will find it. Of this I am certain."

"How do I do that?" Barry asked desperately, hoping she would have an answer for him.

"I do not know, that is something you must figure out for yourself," Aphrodite said, to Barry's dismay. "When the time comes, you will have to face Medea at the highest point in Colorado. Brace yourself my son, this will prove to be your most difficult challenge."

And then Aphrodite was gone, leaving Barry staring at the spot where she had vanished, reflecting on her words.

This chapter was a little more Barry heavy than I expected, but next chapter will be more of an even split with Oliver.

Next chapter will conclude the Medea Arc and then the story will get back on track to the quest.