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!

Chapter 38: Day 14/16, Sunday

Jason fell, and Cal, against his rage and anger, nearly threw himself over the edge to catch him again, but Jason slipped through his fingers. Jason hit the ground hard, his body hitting the ground like a rag doll. Cal heaved himself back onto the safety of the catwalks and simply sat there for a moment. Jason's dead body laid on the floor of the warehouse, eyes open wide, Blood trickled from the back of his head into the cracks in the floor. Jason's blank, expressionless eyes stared at the metal roof. Cal took a deep breath. Cal silently went down to Jason's body, closing his eyes and taking out a small piece of paper. Cal sighed as he opened it, revealing where Kara and Amber were.

-Break-

"Cal, it's not your fault," Kara said, breaking the silence. "You couldn't save him. You can't save everyone…" They all sat in Mason and Cal's room, Mason being filled in by Kara.

"She's right," Mason added. "Besides, I looked into him after your first incident with him… The worst he had in his life was divorced parents and anti-social qualities…" Cal sighed. Next to him, Amber rubbed his back comfortingly. "There's no 'I deserve' worthy excuse in any way shape or form for him. Or anyone really… Except maybe you…" Cal sighed.

"Let's talk about something else," Cal suggested. "Like, um, I'm sorry your gals' day was ruined…" Kara, sitting on the other side of him, hugged him.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Kara said. Amber nodded. Cal sighed. "Besides, now you can… you know…" Cal sighed again.

"Um, Amber?" Cal asked.

"Yeah?" came the reply.

"Who, where, and what about our father can you tell me?" Cal asked. Amber sighed.

"I don't remember his real name, I only called him 'Father'. Where? I have no clue. And what? Well, not much. I know that he traveled for about 2 weeks once or twice a year. Why? I don't know. For what? I don't know either," Amber answered. She sighed. "I don't remember a lot of my youth with all the mind-control. I'm sorry…" Cal hugged her.

"It's ok, I know someone I can talk to find out some shred of something," Cal replied. Amber frowned, but nodded.

"Well, we should probably get to bed," Mason said, trying to avoid the subject of Jason from coming up again.

"Yeah, probably," Kara said, understanding Mason's reasoning. Amber nodded.

"I'm going to bed," Amber declared. "Goodnight, everyone. And Kara, don't bother sneaking in and out." Amber smirked as she left the room. Mason raised an eyebrow. Kara blushed. Cal swallowed and looked down.

"How did she know?" Mason whispered. "I mean, when Cal doesn't sleep in his bed, it can be assumed, but Kara…?" Kara blushed.

"I didn't think she noticed…" Kara said. Mason laughed. Cal took Kara's hand.

"I think she's okay with it though," Cal whispered in Kara's ear. Kara giggled and kissed him.

"Thank goodness," Kara said. "I didn't want to have to sneak back and forth every night."

"Come on," Cal said. "I'd come to you too." Kara nodded.

"True," Kara said.

"Cal… maybe we should…" Mason said slowly. "You know…"

"Fly around and save people?" Kara asked. Mason nodded slowly.

"I probably should," Cal said.

"I'll come with," Kara said. Cal shook his head.

"You've been through enough tonight," Cal said. "You take a break. If I need you, I'll call. I promise." Kara pouted cutely. "Wow, you're so cute when you pout…" Cal said. Kara's pout turned into a badly suppressed smile.

"Fine, but ONLY tonight," Kara decided. Cal nodded and kissed her, getting up to change and leave. Kara laid down on the bed and groaned.

"It's going to be weird without your warm body or heartbeat nearby," Kara said. Cal smiled, turning around and kissing her again.

"Then remember it till I come back," Cal said.

"Okay, but you promise to come back?" Kara asked.

"Always," Cal replied. Kara sighed and kissed him.

-Meanwhile-

Chronos strolled through the prison, calm as can be.

"Hey you! Stop!" a guard yelled. Chronos stared at him and snapped his fingers. The guard fell over, gasping for air and holding his neck. Chronos continued down the hallway, glancing in each cell. He passed Duchess first, who frowned at him, but didn't move or outburst. Chronos smiled, cold and evil, and passed her. Duchess got up and strutted to the cell bars. Chronos continued down the hall, most of the other inmates began yelling and banging on their cell bars, desperate to escape. Chronos raised his hands and everyone fell silent.

"My dear friends," Chronos said. "I am going to let you go free; however, you must do one small favor for me, and it will be fun for you. I'll need you all to stay with me for my… project. Two days. That's all I'm asking for. If you can't… well, let's just say your cell won't be six feet above like this one." Everyone in their cells nodded in eager agreement.

"Fun?" the Joker asked from his cell. Chronos shot him a look.

"Yes, fun," Chronos answered.

"Then count me in," the Joker said, laughing. "I love a good game…" Chronos grinned evilly.

"Well, who else is in?" Chronos asked. Everyone hollered and waved their arms. Chronos laughed evilly as he snapped his fingers and the cells opened, and chaos ensued.

-Break-

Kara's phone went off, a blaring alarm ringing. She groaned and reached for her phone, glancing at the notification.

'Quadrant 8 is under attack! Mass riots! All available heroes please report!' the message said. Kara's eyes widened and she leapt into action. While changing, she called Cal, who answered immediately.

"What's wrong?" Cal asked, alarmed.

"One of the prisons is under attack! Meet me here and I'll take you there," Kara said quickly, ending the call and finishing changing. As Kara stepped out of the bathroom, Cal appeared in the hallway.

"Let's go," Cal said. Kara nodded and they took off. Kara led him to the prison, where they burst through the cafeteria wall to see chaos everywhere. Kara went to the other side of the cafeteria and The Protector faced the nearest opponent, Heatwave. The Protector dodged a blast of heat, rolling forwards and punching him in the face. Heatwave flew back, unconscious.

'One down, 99 to go,' Cal thought. He heard a screech and turned around to see Cheetah flying towards him, claws outstretched. The Protector backed away, but not fast enough as her claws cut through the armor and pierced his skin. He winced, but caught her other wrist as it fell down on him. He threw her away, but she flipped over his arm and slashed his helmet with her free hand. The helmet didn't hold and the claws dug into Cal's face. Cal grunted, but swiftly kicked her away. Suddenly, a large shard of ice pierced Cal's shoulder. Cal grunted and winced, falling over. Cal grunted and pulled the shard out, getting up and seeing Killer Frost stride towards him. She threw another large shard of ice, and Cal dodged it. He ran forward to take her out, but suddenly a baseball bat broke over his helmet. Cal didn't even flinch, but his attention was drawn to Harley Quinn, who stared at him in surprise.

"I thought that would work," Harley said quietly. Cal growled softly, and she threw a punch. Cal caught the punch and swept her leg, causing her to fall to the ground. Harley landed with a giggle. "My, you really know how to treat a lady!" Cal ignored her and turned back towards Killer Frost as another shard of ice flew towards his face. Cal swiftly dodged it. He rushed towards her, jumping up and kicking her into the far wall. Cal turned to face another opponent, but a ball of acid splashed his chest, sinking into the cuts in the armor. Cal fell to his knees as and tensed as he felt a swift kick knock him over.

"No one hurts my girl!" Joker said laughing. "Especially not masked and/or armored goody goodies." Cal growled softly and kicked Joker in the side of the knee. Joker cut his laugh short as he went down, and he grunted on impact with the ground. Cal got up and swiftly knocked Joker out with a hard punch to the skull. He turned to see Duchess throw an extremely dense punch his way. It made heavy contact with Cal's head, and Cal fell over. Cal got up quickly to see her whip wrap itself around his throat. She wrenched her whipping hand back, but Cal grabbed his end and pulled harder. Duchess flew forward, and Cal kicked her face so hard she evaporated into gas. As a gas, Duchess tried to suffocate him, but Cal's helmet was closed. Cal waved his hand through her, and she diffused away. Suddenly, a blast of sapphire slammed him into the wall.

"AH!" Kara yelled from the other end of the cafeteria. Suddenly, a portal appeared near her and the villains began going through it. Cal heard Kara and frantically tried to make his way towards her, but the villains around him punched, kicked, and pushed him away from her. Black Adam grabbed Kara and jumped through the portal.

"NOOO!" Cal yelled as Kara was taken. Cal pushed is way towards the portal, but a yellow blur slammed into him, sending him flying. Cal scrambled to his feet, but the yellow blur knocked him over again. Cal looked up to see Reverse Flash standing over him. Cal kicked out, but Reverse Flash swiftly backed away. Soon, only a few villains remained.

"Well, Protector," a voice said in Cal's mind. "It's been a pleasure taking your life away from you." Cal looked up to see Grodd standing in front of the portal. "See you soon…" Grodd stepped through the portal. The few other villains left, leaving Reverse Flash alone with The Protector. Reverse Flash crouched down next to him.

"You know," he said in a vibrating voice. "I've spent my life training a hero to get me home, as well as destroy him… I've succeeded at neither, and I've had YEARS to prepare. The fact that your worst enemy has known you for about 2 years and has this plan to destroy you, a fool-proof plan mind you, as all plans should be… Well, every hero seems to have some sort of guardian angel that allows them to defeat their enemies and their plans… My point is, with his plan there is absolutely no possibility of winning, so don't even try to…" With that, Reverse Flash left through the portal and it closed behind him. Cal sighed in defeat as he continued sitting there.

'Kara's gone…' Cal thought to himself. 'She's gone, and Chronos has her… Now what?'

-Break-

"Where are Cal and Kara?" Amber asked Mason, who was sitting in a somber silence. Mason shook his head.

"Chronos took her… And as for Cal… I have no idea…." Mason answered. Amber sat down.

"She's gone?" Amber asked. Mason nodded.

"Probably not dead… but with Chronos' track record… she's probably not dead yet…" Mason said sadly. There was a dreaded silence. "You know Cal loved someone else before Kara? Not as much as Kara, but it would have gotten there over time… Cal trusted her with his life. He trusted him with his life, and…" Mason swallowed. "And in the end she died to save him from her ignorance…" Amber frowned.

"Do you want to explain?" Amber asked. Mason sighed.

"Her name was Annabeth Monroe. Cal went to her dimension to save their world from Chronos. When he got there almost everyone guessed he was the one to save them. Everyone except Annabeth and himself. Cal took it upon himself to prepare everyone for an attack, and an attack happened. Annabeth and Cal kinda bonded after that… Annabeth found out that there was a spy in their camp, but she assumed it was a ploy to get everyone against each other, even though the person that told her was on Cal's side… The spy went into Cal's tent, a knife in hand. Annabeth saw him and rushed in with just enough time to get between the knife and Cal… She died in his arms… Cal nearly went insane after that…" Mason looked up. "I know where he went!"

"Wait! He nearly went insane?!" Amber demanded. Mason stood up.

"Yeah, but he managed to control himself and defeated Chronos and his army," Mason said quickly. "I know where he is…" Amber frowned.

"Where?" Amber asked.

"Annabeth's grave…" Mason said. "It's the only place Cal can go to think… that and really high mountain tops…"

-Break-

Annabeth Monroe

Savior of The Chosen

Born: January 2nd, 2001

Lives on in every heart she touched

Annabeth's tombstone was placed at the top of Mt. Atlas, of her home world and dimension. It stood near the edge of the mountain's cliff, shining and proud. A wreath of flowers laid at its base, a gift from Cal every 2 weeks. After one week, the current wreath still looked nearly brand new, its flowers still bright in color and smell. Cal personally had carried her body to the top of the mountain, dug her grave himself, buried her himself, and made her tombstone himself. Cal chose not to put her date of death, deciding that her death shouldn't be the focus of her memory. The nature around the grave was primarily flowers, daisies, her favorite. One oak tree stood tall and proud against the light snow of the mountain top. The snow gleamed in the soft moonlight.

Mason stood a Callum's stone's throw away from Cal's hunched body. Amber made a move to go to him, but Mason held her back. She looked at him, desperate to go comfort him. Mason shook his head. Instead, Mason mouthed the word 'stay' as he slowly walked towards Cal. Mason got within earshot, listening silently.

"I couldn't save you," Cal was saying, trying to keep his watery eyes in check. "I couldn't save you, and for that I'm truly sorry. And now the exact same enemy threatens to take Kara from me… He has another army, this time smaller, but hundreds of times more deadly and more difficult to fight… I can't stop them all, most definitely not if Kara's in their hands…" Cal stopped talking, straining his ears for some sort of heartwarming reply. After there was no answer, Cal sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't expect an answer. I mean, you only got to answer me that one time because of closure or something like that… I barely got over losing you, how could I possibly get over losing someone else?" Cal sniffled and wiped his eyes. "You were the first person I felt something towards that was more than familial. Mason, he's a brother to me, like family. Amber, I didn't remember, but again, family. My father, whom I don't even know, but again, family. Miss Charlemagne is like a mother to me. Bartholomew is like a stand-in father to me. That leaves you and Kara really. I know you loved me, and deep down I love you back. And I love Kara. I'm pretty sure she loves me back. But… I don't even want to think about what may or may not happen to her…" Cal sighed. "I guess I'm just saying… I won't fail her like I did you." Cal sighed again and sat down, looking over the edge of the cliff, watching the moon fall towards the distant horizon and studying the bright, glimmering stars around it. Mason started to close the gap between them, but decided against it and went back to Amber.

"Let's leave him alone, to think," Mason whispered. Amber nodded and Mason teleported them home.

-Break- 15/16, Monday

"What part of 'separate prisons' did you not understand?!" Batman yelled at the warden. "You were supposed to build SEVERAL different prisons in different places!" The warden flinched in fear of the Dark Knight.

"I thought you just wanted different sections of one prison in the same area…" the warden said, terrified.

"AN AVERAGE PRISON HAS DIFFERENT SECTIONS! WE WANTED, NO, NEEDED MORE THAN ONE PRISON IN MORE THAN ONE AREA!" Batman yelled. The warden swallowed hard.

"We should have seen it coming with us only dropping off all the villains at one location each time. 'To ready for transport'…" Wonder Woman stated, fuming. The Justice League nodded.

"And now my cousin is GONE!" Superman yelled, slamming his fist into the wall. "Supergirl's gone because YOU got lazy!"

"Now there are over 80 villains free!" Flash yelled. "You THOUGHT?! Thawne is free! Grodd is free! Black Adam is free!"

"Joker and Harley are free! Cheetah is free! Metallo is free! Bane is free!" Cyborg yelled.

"And not to mention the non-super powered villains with fancy tech!" GL continued the yelling. "You really screwed up this time!" The warden swallowed hard and ran out of the room at seeing Batman's murderous glare. Flash started to chase after him, but J'onn grabbed him.

"Let him feel guilty," J'onn said. "Perhaps he will learn from his grievous mistake…"

"So both The Protector and Supergirl were both there first, and the only ones to get there before everyone left?" Batman double checked. Everyone nodded. "But they didn't take The Protector?" Batman asked.

"No…" Wonder Woman said.

"Then where the hell is he?" Batman demanded. Everyone shrugged. "No one finds it a little suspicious that The Protector and Supergirl BOTH are the first and only heroes to get into the fighting and in the end only Supergirl is taken, yet The Protector still disappears?"

"Stop being paranoid," Flash said. "He's probably trying to find her."

"Speaking of, how did The Protector get back to us? And why do we never call him Walter like he asked?" GL mentioned. Everyone frowned.

"Does it really matter?" Cyborg asked. "I mean, he's back now and everything… And the name thing is just weird."

"But think about it!" Batman protested. "The Protector is hurt, and as we try to help him, someone manages to trick us into letting our guard down. The Protector is taken, and, presumably, nursed back to health. Now, a prison break happens, and The Protector and Supergirl both get there. Then, Supergirl is taken, and The Protector disappears. And this chain of events is suspicious to no one?" Everyone thought for a few seconds.

"I will admit, that is suspicious…" Cyborg admitted.

"I have to agree," Wonder Woman said, sighing.

"But there's no proof of that!" Flash protested. "It's just you, jumping to conclusions!"

"Yeah, and what about Chronos?" GL added. "I mean, why fight him if they're on the same side?"

"It was just a cover, to get our trust," Batman deduced. "Save me, first and foremost to gain ALL of our trust. Then help save other people, but BAM! Prison break, making an army of villains indebted to you, and then take over and rule the world to his liking."

"But-" Flash stared to say. Batman held up his hand.

"Just think about it," Batman said.

"The Protector could just be a hero," J'onn pointed out. Batman shrugged.

"Could be, but doubtful if you look at the facts," Batman said.

"They're not facts!" Flash protested. "Just educated guesses!"

"Okay look, it's three to three. Superman, you decide if we go after The Protector in hopes of defeating him and saving Supergirl. Otherwise, we assume The Protector is completely innocent and just HAPPENED to be taken from us, healed, and be in the same prison break with Supergirl, not be taken with her, yet disappear…" Batman explained.

"Innocent till proven guilty," Flash said. Superman looked at them. There was a long silence.

"The Protector had something to do with Kara's kidnapping," Superman decided finally. "We destroy him and get Kara back…"

-Break-

Cal sighed as he got up from Annabeth's gravestone. He patted the stone lightly and sighed. The early sun rose as Cal turned to leave. He got down the path a bit and he glanced back, hoping for some reply to his questions and hopes. After there wasn't any answer, Cal sighed and turned back. He was about to teleport home, but he stopped when he heard a voice.

"Callum," the voice said. "I can at least promise you Kara will be okay, regardless of whomever lives or dies…" Cal spun around to see Potens as a shimmering gold silhouette. Cal chuckled.

"You promise?" Cal asked, making sure. "You swear on everything you are that Kara will be okay? No matter what?" Potens nodded.

"I promise. I swear on my existence that Kara Danvers will survive with minimal physical injuries," Potens swore. "If Chronos wins, there will be bigger problems than Kara's health, but if you die, I can't promise that her mind will remain sound, but I can promise that her mind will heal in time. But, come on, you won't lose or die…" Slowly, it began to rain. Potens looked at the sky. "About time," Potens muttered. "Anyway, I won't keep you long. I've come to say what I have to say." Without further warning, Potens began disappearing.

"Wait!" Cal said. Potens looked at him and fully returned. "Can I talk to her? Even if it's just this once… Can I talk to her?" Potens thought for a moment and sighed.

"I'll do you one better," Potens decided. "From now on, whenever you come to her grave alone, she'll appear beside you and talk with you. I wouldn't come here too much, because you won't be able to touch her, but it's still a comfort. Is that okay?" Cal nodded.

"Thank you," Cal said. Potens nodded.

"Goodbye, Callum," Potens said, a sad note in his voice. He slowly disappeared, and the rain became heavier. Cal walked back to the grave, and Annabeth appeared in front of him.

"Hi Cal," Annabeth said. "I saw what happened, and I just want to say it's going to be alright. Kara'll be okay…" Cal nodded.

"Hi Annabeth…" Cal said. "I don't suppose you heard what I said before…" Annabeth smiled lightly and nodded.

"I heard, and I'm surprised to have to say this, but… It's my fault I died, Cal, not yours! I didn't act on my knowledge. That led to you being in danger… This isn't about the past, Cal, but the future. Kara's going to be okay," Annabeth said comfortingly. "Kara's going to be okay…" She reached forward and caressed Cal's cheek comfortingly. She could touch him, but he couldn't touch her… Cal smiled as he raised his hand to touch hers, but his hand went through hers. Cal immediately pulled his hand down to keep the feeling of her hand on his. Annabeth giggled at Cal's actions. "I love you Cal, but you can't hold yourself accountable for every little thing." Cal's eyes watered.

"Annabeth, I let someone die. I watched them literally slip from my grasp and fall to their death…" Cal confessed. Annabeth held his face with both hands now.

"Cal, you knew people would die on your watch. You knew that you couldn't save everyone… You knew that for a fact when you blamed yourself for not saving me…" Annabeth said. "Jason dying wasn't something you wanted, no matter how angry he managed to make you." Cal nodded, and Annabeth kissed his cheek. "I hope you feel better, now go home, rest up a bit, and save the world again…" Cal smiled as she disappeared slowly. Cal closed his eyes and focused, disappearing. He appeared in his room, with Mason and Amber calmly and quietly watching TV. They looked up to see Callum there, soaked from rain.

"Cal!" Amber said, jumping up and hugging him. "I heard about Kara, are you okay?" Cal nodded and wiped his eyes.

"I'll be fine," Cal answered. Amber nodded and sat back down.

"You sure, buddy?" Mason asked. Cal nodded.

"Chronos let nearly everyone in the prison go, probably as long as they promise to help them a bit. And now," Cal sighed. "And now, they have Kara. They have Kara and that 16th day prophecy is right around the corner…" Amber frowned at the mention of a prophecy.

"Cal is destined to fight to the death against Chronos tomorrow," Mason briefly explained. "But first he's got to get through the day…" Suddenly, the TV flickered and a silhouette appeared on screen.

"This is an announcement to whomever The Protector is," the silhouette said in a garbled, but understandable voice. "If he does not appear, completely alone, at the sight where he assisted the Bat, Supergirl will die. At nightfall, Protector, at nightfall or the Girl of Steel dies…" With that, the screen turned back to what it was on previously. Amber and Mason looked to Cal.

"Chronos is about to regret calling me out and taking Kara!" Callum promised. He looked outside at the early morning daylight. "I've got a lot to prepare for, and not a lot of time to do it." Cal left to go outside to take Ace for a quick walk.