On the 16th day of the hero's 16th year

For one single precious held most dear

By the shade of evil with time in his hands

Choices will be made to determine who stands

The hidden hero will be proclaimed

After a fall leaves him heavily maimed

The day's weather will be fought

By winter, summer, and storms a lot

The land of choice is the original spot

Where she died and now lives reborn

In the world of the original's form

The Road to Happiness, The Long One

A/N: Please review! Also, my bad on the last chapter's author's note. This is scheduled to end the second Saturday of August, so please stick with me!

Characters: Cal (Your "average" mysterious male), Mason (Cal's best and most trustworthy buddy), Kara Danvers (Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl), Jason (Kara's Ex), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Clark Kent (Superman), Lois Lane (Superman's wife), Batman, Bartholomew, Karen (Power-Girl) and more that aren't quite ready to be presented yet. (Lots of characters are Out of Character (OOC), but I try my absolute best to make it as close as I can with the story.)

Chapter 31: Day 11/16, Thursday

"Callum is my son," Destiny said calmly. Kara's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait! I thought Cal was an orphan!" Kara exclaimed. "You just abandoned him?" Destiny sighed.

"It was his father's choice to either keep him or give him up for adoption. As much as I wish I could have, I couldn't have raised a child in my line of work. It's the reason why any children beings like me have grow up quickly and out of our way. Anyway, after several months of debating, he gave Callum up, saying it was because of his job as well, but we both watched Callum's life as close as we could, preventing what we could. I, unfortunately, am not allowed to interfere, so I tell his father whenever something is going to happen, but sometimes his father takes a job… and can't be reached for several days…" Destiny trailed off as she looked away, sighing.

"You're not allowed to interfere?" Kara asked. Destiny shrugged.

"We all have rules, some of us are more restricted than others," Destiny explained.

"And who sets these rules?" Kara asked. Destiny laughed lightly.

"My father of course," Destiny stated. "He made us and our powers and our rules. He gave me my wife, Karma. My father is very loving and caring, but he has the most restrictions on himself… He doesn't like messing with the laws, but he does occasionally."

"Who is your father?" Kara asked. Destiny smiled and shook her head.

"He doesn't like mortals knowing his name," Destiny said. Thunder boomed from behind Destiny, who nodded. "See what I mean?" Kara frowned, confused.

"But why are you telling me this?" Kara asked. "I mean, why tell me this, but not be all cryptic about it?" Destiny laughed.

"My father is a private person; I pulled a few strings to get you here to tell you this. I'm sorry about being cryptic, but I'm telling you this because, and it pains me to say this, you should be dead…" Destiny said. Kara's eyes widened in shock. "Only Kal-El should have survived from Krypton…"

"I'm supposed to be dead?" Kara asked, quiet and shocked. "Why am I alive then? Did you save me? If so, why?" Destiny thought for a moment, struggling to find the words.

"Because I saw the possibilities of your survival… I didn't want Callum to be alone in the world, struggling to find a good reason to survive. I saw that you were the best solution, and I suppose the simplest. You have an amazing heart, Kara Zor-El, and I can easily see why he cares for you the way he does…" Destiny paused. "Kara, you might think I'm putting this on you, but I'm not. Deep down I can see you would never want to leave him, but if this pressure is too much for you, I understand and will make arrangements to fix this…" Kara shook her head.

"No, I don't want to leave, I love Cal!" Kara said honestly. "Knowing I keep him going makes it easier for me to care, if that's possible…" Destiny smiled and checked her watch.

"That's definitely a good thing," Destiny said. "And I'm afraid our time is almost up… But I want you to hear it from Callum…"

"Hear what from Callum?" Kara asked. Destiny simply smiled and snapped her fingers, and a screen appeared behind her, showing Cal in Kara's room, holding her hand.

"Before we start, I want you to promise me you will do your best to understand…" Destiny said. "Callum, as everyone, has secrets… His haunt him to his soul… But he lives… Cause of people like you in his life…" Kara nodded, frowning.

Kara watched and listened to Cal's confession, shocked and clinging to every word. Cal mentioned being The Protector, and Kara gasped, a shock of emotions running through her mind. Cal mentioned being trained, and Kara just sat there, stunned. Cal told his story about fighting a war, and Kara slumped in her chair. When Cal talked about Annabeth Monroe, Kara looked at Destiny in surprise.

"You let her die?" Kara asked, surprised. "Why?" Destiny looked away.

"There are some fates I simply cannot prevent. Some people who have the power to overrule my power…" Destiny said sadly. She looked back at the screen. "It doesn't help that I didn't think to look at her file… She was so determined and tough… I never thought she would die…"

Cal mentioned his hijacked test, and Kara simply sat there in silence, only covering her mouth and tearing up at Cal's confession of kissing Annabeth.

"…Forgive me because I love you…" Cal finished. The screen faded to black and Destiny turned to face Kara, snapping and the screen disappeared.

"Time and Space?" Kara asked, shocked. Destiny growled softly.

"My annoying brothers… They despise Callum because my father took a liking to his grandchild…" Destiny said, angrily. "They are both of the few who can overrule my powers… When Callum died, they were the ones who killed him, and my father brought him back to life because, plain and simple, he favored his grandchild." Kara sighed shakily.

"And Annabeth came back and KISSED Callum?!" Kara asked, outraged. "He-"

"It was a kiss goodbye…" Destiny explained. "He's male, so he doesn't understand the difference, but it was a kiss goodbye. It was a kiss telling him to move on. Callum, deep down, understands this, but doesn't exactly. Neither Annabeth nor Callum meant any harm in that kiss…"

"So… He didn't cheat on me?" Kara asked. Destiny nodded, smiling.

"Technically not," Destiny said.

"That's a relief…" Kara said, slumping in her chair. "And Callum is The Protector?" Destiny listened again.

"I'll make this quick," Destiny said. "We're pushing our time. My father picks… guardians… to help keep world safe. There's The Mentor and The Current. The Current becomes the Mentor when he decides to retire, which is usually a few centuries. Callum is The Current. He protects whomever, regardless of situation. Life is precious, and no being deserves to die. My father favors him not only because he is his grandson, but because he reminds him of lost family… The armor he spoke of is tougher than diamond, but is mainly used to protect the wearer from guns and swords, not to mention he probably Kryptonite proofed it for you." She checked her watch. "Our time is pretty much up, and I'll leave you with this. Callum isn't perfect. Callum isn't unstoppable, but he truly could be. He's scared of hurting the innocent and scarring people close to him or himself… Callum is the most unique being out there… Don't lose him, it would tear you both apart… And please tell him only that his mother loves him… Nothing more…"

-Break-

Kara's eyes fluttered open and she sat up slowly. Cal let go of her hand and stood over her.

"Hey, don't move yet, Zatanna's not back yet…" Cal said. Kara smiled softly and laid back down. After a moment of silence, Cal spoke again. "Kara… I need to tell you something… Something I'm really sorry for…" Kara sighed and sat up.

"Cal," Kara said softly. She took Cal's hand. "I heard you…" A moment of silence ensued. Cal winced.

"You did?" Cal asked. Kara nodded. Cal withdrew his hand.

"Did you hear everything?" Cal asked, looking away. "Cause I don't think you did…" Kara took Cal's chin in her hand and made him face her.

"I heard it all Cal…" Kara said, staring into his eyes. "As shocked as I am by all of this, I promise you I love you and forgive you…" Cal smiled, but before he could speak, Kara continued. "Yes, I'm sure." Cal beamed.

"I'm really sorry…" Cal said. Kara smiled.

"I know, that's why I forgive you…" Kara said. "So you're Walter?" Kara asked. Cal nodded slowly.

"I should have told you sooner…" Cal said, looking away again. Kara smiled.

"It's okay," Kara said. "It's a dangerous fact for people around you…" She took Cal's hand again and squeezed it reassuringly. "At least you told me eventually…" She swiftly leaned in and kissed Cal. "I still love you…" Cal smiled.

"I love you too," Cal admitted. Kara smiled.

"And you have my armor?" Kara asked. Cal nodded, still smiling. "Is it tougher than diamond and Kryptonite proof?"

"Yeah… how did you know?" Cal asked. Kara chuckled.

"Lucky guess?" Kara said. Cal chuckled.

"Either way, I'll grab it later…" Cal said. "I'm just glad you're okay." Kara kissed him again.

"I'm glad you care," Kara said. Cal nodded. "So," Kara continued, laying back down. "We both are superheroes…" They both laughed.

"Yeah, I guess we both are…" Cal said.

"And I suppose you don't want anyone to know about you being a superhero?" Kara asked. Cal smiled and nodded. "Not even Barbara?" Cal sighed.

"I guess…" Cal said. "I guess if you trust her that's good enough for me…" Kara nodded.

"If you don't want me to, I won't. You just have to tell me…" Kara said. Cal sighed.

"Do you trust her?" Cal asked. Kara nodded. "Then you can tell her." Kara nodded again. After some time of peaceful silence, Kara spoke.

"Want to go flying sometime?" Kara asked. Cal grinned.

"With you? Anytime," Cal answered. Kara beamed.

-Break-

"Here we are," Cal said, gesturing to his room. Kara smiled and looked around.

"It's cleaner than I would have thought…" Kara said, cracking a smile. Cal laughed.

"I'll admit, Mason's the cleaner," Cal said. "I try to clean up when I can, but I'm not the best at it…" Kara laughed.

"I would have thought you clean! Not Mason!" Kara exclaimed, laughing. Cal went into the closet, moving a few things around, and pulled out a box labeled 'Kara'. Kara squeaked and jumped up and down.

"Is that the armor?" Kara asked excitedly. Cal nodded and handed her the box. Kara quickly opened it and pulled out the armor, piece by piece. She gasped at the chest plate, the shiny red and gold 'S' painted in the center. She admired the blue and red coloring on all the pieces, as well as the gold trim, matching The Protector's. At the bottom of the box laid a black, skin tight suit, the same style as the one Cal wore under his armor, but with a vivid silver 'S' in the center. Kara gasped again and held it out for Cal to see.

"Now we're matching!" Kara exclaimed happily. She turned it back around and admired it some more. "Can I try it on for you?" Kara asked hopefully. Cal laughed.

"Bathrooms are the doors in the middle of the hallway," Cal said. Kara yelled excitedly and left to change into the suit first. Cal smiled and went downstairs. Miss Charlemagne was in the kitchen making lunch for the kids at home. She turned around, holding a plate of sandwiches. She flinched when she saw Cal, dropping the plate. Swiftly, Cal caught the plate and all the sandwiches remained on it. Miss Charlemagne leaned on the counter, breathing deeply.

"Callum!" she said. "How many times do I have to tell you, don't sneak up on me!" Cal set the plate down.

"I'm sorry!" Cal apologized. "I don't do it intentionally." Miss Charlemagne smiled.

"Are you back for good?" she asked. Cal shook his head.

"I wish. I'm just stopping by to say hi," Cal said. She smiled.

"Well, that's awfully nice of you," Miss Charlemagne said. "Is Mason visiting too? I heard two footsteps up there…" Cal's face became red.

"Um, Mason is busy…" Cal said. Miss Charlemagne looked at Cal confused.

"Then who…" she glared at Cal. "Why are you up there alone with her?!" Cal held his hands up.

"We aren't doing anything like that! I promise!" Cal promised. Miss Charlemagne eyed Cal suspiciously, but sighed.

"Ok, I trust you, but be careful!" she said. Cal nodded. Cal took the plate and brought the little ones their lunch.

"Cal, I thought you were dead!" one kid said. Cal laughed and patted his head.

"Not quite, I'm still kicking," Cal said. He spent a few more minutes with them and went back upstairs. He went into his room and sat down in the chair. A few moments later, Kara entered in her black suit. The suit hugged her figure nicely, following every curve and shape Kara had very nicely. Kara walked to the center of the room and twirled, stopping facing Cal and striking a model's pose. Cal clapped and stood up.

"A standing ovation?" Kara asked. "I must look good!" They both laughed, and Cal grabbed Kara by the hips, pulling her closer to him. Kara smiled and rested her hands on Cal's shoulders. Slowly, they both leaned in for a kiss. Cal tilted his head slightly, and Kara brought their lips together. Cal's hands traveled up Kara's back, finding their way to Kara's cheeks (on the face perverts). They broke for air and Kara smiled.

"You do look good, great even. You know what, let's go with amazing," Cal admitted. Kara beamed.

"And I haven't even put on the armor yet…" Kara said. Cal let her go, and Kara's hands slid off his shoulders. "Should I go put it on?" Cal nodded. Kara grabbed her armor and went to go change again. Cal smiled as she left. Cal sat quietly, contemplating the future. Kara knew his secret, which he didn't mind, but Bartholomew warned him when he wanted Mason to know.

"Telling one person is like undoing rope string by string. One string after another makes it easier to unravel…" Bartholomew's words echoed in Cal's mind. Kara and Barbara were the 3rd and 4th strings, but would that be enough to unravel the entire rope? Cal thought about this for a while until Kara came back, wearing her gold, red, and blue armor. Her red boots crunched softly with the carpet, the gold trim following the top ends, which were just below her knees, and the boots turned into blue armor over the knees, which was also gold trimmed. More blue armor covered the rest of her lower half, with spaces for the joints, and were also trimmed with gold around the edges. At her waist she wore a gold belt, with the traditional 'S' in red at the buckle. She wore red gloves, which matched her boots nicely, and the rest of the armor was blue, save the center gold and red 'S' and the golden trim and red shoulder armor, which connected to her flowing red cape. Her gold hair flowed over one shoulder, matching the trim fairly well. Cal stood up, awestruck. He struggled to find words.

"You l-look… B-beautiful," Cal stammered. Kara blushed and tucked loose hair behind her ear, but smiled.

"Thank you," Kara said finally. Cal smiled in happiness. He stepped closer and leaned in slowly. Kara kissed him. Cal broke it, stepping back.

"I almost forgot!" Cal exclaimed. He rummaged through the closet some more, finally pulling something out. He hid it behind his back as he turned and walked towards Kara. "Face the mirror," Cal ordered. "And close your eyes…" Kara eyed him suspiciously, but obeyed. She faced the mirror and shut her eyes tight, not wanting to spoil the surprise. Cal placed the object over Kara's head, which she felt, but didn't open her eyes yet.

"Okay, you can open your eyes," Cal said. Kara opened them and gasped at what she saw in the mirror. She was wearing a helmet, similar to Cal's. It was blue, with the red and gold 'S' on the forehead, with small bias-relief wings, like Cal's helmet, and a gold trim around the base of the helmet. Over the eyes were white lenses, and the mouth was covered by plating. Her gold hair flowed out the back of the helmet. Cal wrapped his arms around her from behind, and Kara held her hands on his.

"I love it," Kara said. She turned around. "Thank you." Cal smiled.

"My pleasure," he said. He took her hand. "And there's a small button…" He guided her hand underneath the helmet's left jaw. "That opens the mouth plates…" He pressed it with her. Suddenly, the mouth plates drew back, revealing Kara's mouth and chin. Kara smiled.

"Is this just so you can kiss me?" Kara asked jokingly. Cal laughed.

"It's a perk…" Cal said, kissing her. Kara beamed.

"I can't say I don't love it…" Kara said. She kissed Cal back. "So… do I get to see you in yours?" Cal smirked.

"Sounds fair," Cal said. "Let me go change real quick." He began walking to the closet. Kara watched him curiously. He moved the false wall and walked into the back room. Kara watched patiently. A few minutes later, Cal emerged, dressed fully in his armor. His helmet's mouth plates were closed, and his shimmering white and black armor shone brightly. Kara stood awestruck.

"I can't get over how cool that armor is," Kara said. "It kinda makes me jealous…" Cal laughed. Kara stepped closer. "But the only problem is…" She put her chest on his and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I can't kiss you with that mouth thingy closed." Cal smiled under his helmet. He pressed the button on the inside of the helmet and his mouth plates slid smoothly open. Kara smiled. "That's better…" she said as she kissed him.

"I love you," Cal said. Kara laughed.

"I love you too," Kara said. She hugged Cal close. "…Can we go flying now?"

-Break-

"Move my appointment to tomorrow, and push the 3 o'clock meeting to next week," Lex Luthor said, strolling into his office. His secretary nodded. He turned towards his desk and stopped in his tracks. "And who might you be?" Chronos stood up, getting out of the desk chair.

"That's a very comfortable chair," Chronos noted. He turned to Lex, an evil glint in his eyes. "I am Chronos, and I believe we have a similar enemy." Lex studied him, confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lex said. Chronos laughed his evil laugh.

"Of course you don't," Chronos said. He turned to the desk and began toying with things. "You don't despise Supergirl, Superman, or any other super heroes whatsoever… Especially not this new found Protector…" Lex walked over to the desk and pressed his hand down over the papers Chronos was playing with.

"Exactly," Lex said. "Now that we've cleared that up, get out of my office." Chronos chuckled.

"Do you know what we could do? Together?" Chronos asked. Lex raised an eyebrow. "I have a plan… A plan that would bring the entire Justice League and any other heroes to their knees." Lex laughed and went to his seat.

"Do you know how many times I have heard that?" Lex asked. "Too many, and each plan SEEMS better than the last… But in the end they all fail…" Chronos laughed.

"I'm afraid I may be different…" Chronos said. "Because I'm not from this world." Lex laughed.

"Great, another crazy," he said. Chronos smirked.

"Hear my plan first… then decide whom is crazy," Chronos said. "The Protector is my worst enemy. I know his process better than I know my own son. The Protector, along with Batman's suspicions of him, will bring down the entire League with my plan…" Lex sat up, listening intently.

"Go on then," Lex said. Chronos grinned. He explained his plan, filling in and accounting for every detail and every possible scenario. Lex nodded and his stern look slowly grew into a smile. When Chronos was done, he raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" Chronos asked. Lex continued grinning.

"This may be the best plan ever to be thought of in history…" Lex said. Chronos laughed. "But first… How did you know I despise The Protector?"

"You sent a man to capture Supergirl; a plan that would have worked if The Protector hadn't chosen to arrive…" Chronos explained. Lex narrowed his eyes.

"How did you know about that?" Lex asked angrily. Chronos smirked again.

"I make it my business to know everything about The Protector… I have studied him for years, yet I still do not know every detail… But I have gathered as much information as possible, and know even those closest to him…" Chronos explained. Lex studied him again.

"Do you know his identity?" Lex asked. Chronos nodded, smiling evilly. "Then why-"

"Because he is too smart to be outed. He knows that myths don't exist, yet legends are unbelievable and possibly real. Outing him now would be like outing a myth, but my plan ensures that I am outing a legend… And this legend will not be put to rest for a long time…" Chronos stated. Lex thought for a moment, then smiled.

"I believe we have a deal…" Lex said, grinning just as evilly as Chronos. Chronos beamed, and they shook hands.

-Break-

The wind brushed Kara's face, pushing her hair out of her face. Cal winced at the whipping sensation across his face. Kara yelled in joy, and Cal was struggling to see.

"Why do you like this so much?" Cal asked. Kara laughed, giddy, and did a loop-de-loop.

"How could you NOT like this?" Kara asked. She sighed happily. Cal shook his head and wiped his eyes.

"I can't see without any lenses to get the dust out of the way!" Cal protested. Kara laughed again.

"You'll get used to it you big baby," Kara said, laughing. Cal smiled. They flew forward together, coming to a stop over the city. Kara sat in Cal's lap, and they hovered together. Cal wrapped her arms around Kara, and Kara rested her head on Cal's chest. Together, they watched the sunset. The sun slowly left, leaving a soft orange glow behind it, soon followed by the deep depths of a blue and purple haze.

"Cal?" Kara asked.

"Yeah?"

"You mentioned something days ago about how it would all end with Chronos… about 4 days left right?" Kara said. Cal nodded. "Why 5 days?" Cal sighed.

"16 days after my birthday… After my 16th birthday…" Cal answered. "I don't know why, but that's when…" Kara nodded.

"And when's the last time he appeared?" Kara asked. Cal shrugged.

"Too long ago," Cal said. Kara nodded. "I can tell he's about to execute his plan, whatever it may be… I can tell it isn't going to be pretty…"