The rest of the week was fairly chaotic in Clark's mind. He put extra effort into helping Lana with the Torch as both Pete and Chloe were now gone and no one knew for certain when Chloe would be back. The Cuckoos helped as well but Chloe's absence was noticeable as Lana relied on her experience in running the Torch. Lana was clearly feeling the strain.

Ryan was very happy at the farm, but disappointed that Clark now stayed at the castle. Clark himself was surprised that his parents had been the ones to suggest it. He had never been happier though after he first experienced working Hippolyta.

"You dare stare at my breasts?!" Came the sneering accusation.

"What?" Clark asked as he turned around, still holding a bale of hay.

"You were using your- your powers to look through my clothes! I know it!" She accused.

"No I was not!" Clark said defensively as he looked around frantically for an adult. Any adult would do… he'd settle for Dani at this point. He was also glad that Ryan wasn't there. Ryan brought up a worry for him.

"You don't think those things around Ryan do you?" He asked as he took a step forward and put the bale down.

"The boy? I know he looks as well… like all males, he will grow to defile women everywhere."

"You better keep your thoughts in check Hippolyta." Clark warned. "Ryan hears everyone's thoughts and he can't help it."

"I knew he was evil."

"Watch your mouth Hippolyta or I'll ask Harry to turn you into your worst nightmare." Clark hissed angrily. He was very protective of Ryan.

"You know nothing of fear, child. I have seen fear and it no longer troubles me."

"Keep it up Hippolyta and I'll make you prove it."

"What is her fear Clark?" Jonathan asked curiously as he walked in with three cups of coffee. Hippolyta was his responsibility. She was an arrogant bitch but she wasn't an immediate danger to the farm or his family. Just annoying.

"She fears men. That's why she hates them. If she keeps her attitude up I'll ask Harry to turn her into a man." Clark smirked.

Jonathan was mildly surprised to see Hippolyta pale and begin to shake.

"Besides, even if I'm wrong, Emma or Jean can read her mind to find out something even worse." Clark said seriously as he turned and walked out.

Jonathan watched his son go. He was proud his son was growing up, proud of the man he was becoming. But at the same time he was sad to see his little boy mature and lose his innocence.

"I really don't understand you Hippolyta." Jonathan sighed.

Hippolyta quickly regained her composure and arrogance now that Clark was gone. "You are a man." She spat. "It is obvious you don't have the intelligence to comprehend such things."

Jonathan ignored her. He was getting used to her vitriol. "You believe and respect the goddesses, yes?"

"Of course! The goddess Aphrodite herself created us."

"Then why do you not trust them? Why are you so rude to them? Aphrodite is more than your goddess. She is your mother. How would you feel if Diana treated you like you treat Aphrodite?"

Jonathan put a mug down for Hippolyta before taking the remaining two mugs and searching for Clark and leaving a livid and confused former queen standing over a pile of manure.

"If you fail to change your ways, it is not a man you will become. But a baby boy."

Hippolyta spun around to see Aphrodite herself standing there. Despite her anger she fell to her knees.

"I will ask Lord Death to reduce your soul to a spark and turn you into a boy so that you might be raised properly."

"Why have you forsaken me?" Hippolyta demanded with as angry and desperate tears streaked down her face.

Aphrodite sighed sadly, as her own tears fell. "Even now, you accuse me of wrong. Not once have you questioned your own actions. You continuously think yourself better and wiser than those older and more experienced. Those that have proven themselves."

Hippolyta looked up angrily only to find Aphrodite gone.


Friday had Amara, Martha and Dani standing in front of a chain link fence in disgust. They were at the known site of the Kawatche Caves not a mile or so from the castle. The sign on the gate said LuthorCorp and declared a new high-rise plaza was going to be built.

"Why would he do this? Can he do this?" Martha asked worriedly.

"If he bought the land then: yes, he can. But there should have been a survey first to determine its effects on the culture and environment. He should know the Kawatche Caves are near here and might be at risk." Amara confirmed.

"And he's probably doing it out of spite. This is the closest land to the castle and he wants to rub it in our face after we broke his little bank." Dani sneered.

"So what do we do?"

"For starters you and I are headed to City Hall to find the survey and plans. Then we will file a motion to stop the work as it will affect our own home." Amara told her.


"Clark, are you still planning on taking Ryan out today?" Jonathan asked his son the following morning.

"Yeah, I hired the bikes and safety gear. I was going to pack a lunch."

"Be aware that there was an explosion at the new LuthorCorp site last night. The foreman was killed and they suspect foul play."

"They always suspect the chickens first." Dani muttered.

"Dani!" Jonathan admonished. "A man died."

There was a snort of laughter as Clark cracked. "Sorry Dad, but that was funny."

Dani just grinned at him.


Clark led Ryan on a merry chase through the woodland trails. Ryan was clearly enjoying himself and Clark was glad he had suggested this. They enjoyed a nice picnic where they easily chatted.

"Ryan, I have a question. Can you read the minds of animals?" Clark asked as he noticed a squirrel nearby.

"I can get a feel of what they are feeling." Ryan frowned as he tried to explain. "They don't think in words like we do."

"So you know when the horses and cattle are happy, sad or in pain?"

"Yes, but all your horses and cattle are fine." Ryan assured him.

"Glad to hear it. Can you tell what that little guy is thinking?" He indicated the squirrel.

"I think he wants our food." Ryan said as he scrunched his brow in concentration.


After lunch they continued their trip on the quads. This time Clark let Ryan take the lead. Ryan never realised Clark had disappeared behind him.

Clark, meanwhile, had fallen down a hole into caves beneath. It was not a pleasant trip down as he had tumbled and the bike had landed on his chest.

"Oh my god! Are you ok? Don't move!"

Clark turned to the female voice that was panicking over him.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Clark assured her as he pushed the bike off himself and sat up.

"You shouldn't move! That was nearly a hundred foot drop!"

Clark managed to clear the dust from his eyes and saw the girl was about his age, ebony hair and tanned skin. She reminded him of Dani.

"Hi. I'm Clark." He said.

"Kyla. I should really call an ambulance. You could have a concussion."

"Clark?! Clark?! Are you ok? Can you hear me?"

Clark looked up at the hole he had fallen through and saw Ryan looking through worriedly.

"I'm fine Ryan. Back up from the hole a bit in case it's still unstable and call Dani." He instructed. Dani had given Ryan a phone for emergencies. This would probably count.

"Where are we?" Clark asked Kyla.

"The sacred Kawatche Caves. My grandfather and I are studying the cave paintings and history." She smiled as she indicated the illustrated walls.

Clark froze as a cold chill went down his back. There was Kryptonian writing on the walls.

"Dani wants to know if you're hurt." Ryan called back down.

"Just my ego!"

"I know what that is, Clark!"

"I'm not sure you do! Now back away from the hole and wait for Dani, there is someone else down here with me." Clark instructed. He hoped Ryan got the warning.

"Your brother?" Kyla asked as they heard Ryan talking into the phone and moving away.

"No, but he lives with us. It's a sort of a foster arrangement for now. Has anyone told you you look like-"

"If you say Pocahontas… so help me god I will hit you!"

"Actually I was going to say Lara Croft."

Kyla's eyes snapped down to her attire. Sure enough she was wearing shorts a tight t-shirt, boots and a backpack.

"Oh… well it wasn't intentional."

"So I take it you're a member of the Kawatche tribe?" Clark asked with an amused look.

"That obvious, huh?"

"The defensiveness gave it away. I'm used to it. The person Ryan is calling is Cheyenne, she holds the rights to protect these caves and lands."

"If that's the case why are they letting LuthorCorp build here?" Kyla demanded.

"Nobody lets Lionel Luthor do anything." Clark said sourly. "He just does. We got a restraining order yesterday to cease work whilst the permits and surveys are contested."

"Oh my god! Naman!" Kyla gasped as the wall paintings caught her eye.

"No, my name is Clark… did I hit you on the way down?" Clark asked worriedly.

"No, these paintings. My grandfather has been looking for these for years. They tell the story of Naman who will arrive in a rain of fire, have the strength of ten men and start fires with his eyes."

Clark looked at the paintings. There was an ice-cold fist playing with his insides.

"Only ten, huh?" He asked weakly.

"Clark, you ok down there?" Came Scott's voice.

Clark moved back under the hole where he could see Dani, Scott, Amara and Laura looking down.

"I'm fine, is Ryan ok?"

"He's here." Dani assured him. "We've got climbing gear, we're coming down."

"Understood." Clark moved Kyla back a bit so loose dirt and rocks wouldn't hit them.

"Do they know what they're doing?" Kyla asked with concern. "That is not a drop for amateurs."

Clark smiled as he saw Dani swing down.

"They are very experienced." He assured her.

"Wow, that's some drop Clark. How high did you bounce?" Dani laughed as she hit the floor of the cave.

"Not very, my quad bike landed on top of me." Clark said as he rubbed his chest.

"How are you not dead?" Kyla asked.

"I get hit by an entire team of muscled and armoured guys a few times a week. That drop isn't much of a stretch." Clark shrugged.

"What?"

"I'm the high school quarterback."

"Ah."

"Dani, meet Kyla, Kawatche tribe. Kyla, meet Dani, Cheyenne tribe."

With that introduction Clark moved forward to help Laura disengage.

"Laura, Ryan is coming down now." Scott called down.

"Wait, it's too dangerous for a child down here." Kyla argued.

"He'll be fine." Dani assured her. "Tell me about these drawings." She said as she led Kyla away.

"You ready Clark?" Ryan called down as he hung nearly one hundred feet up on a rope.

"I'm here Ryan, just take it slowly and we'll catch you if there are any problems." Clark assured him, he could hear the nervousness in his young friend's voice.

Slowly Ryan made his way down before gently touching down where the waiting Laura and Clark unhooked him.

Laura sent a mental message to Scott that it was safe for him and Amara to teleport down now that Dani had Kyla distracted elsewhere.

"What have you stumbled onto now?" Laura asked teasingly.

"Wonderland." Ryan smiled.

"I swear there was no white rabbit." Clark said defensively.

"I recognise these symbols." Laura said as she examined the walls.

"It's Kryptonian." Clark confirmed.

"Can you read it?" Scott asked.

"I can. It talks about a conflict between two beings. It's not real Kryptonian though; the grammar is really bad."

"I think this is more important." Laura called the two men over.

There in the wall was a very familiar octagonal recess.

"Are we going to have to dismantle another version of Jor-El?" Clark asked with a sigh.

"Only one way to find out." Laura said with a sympathetic look.

"Amara! Sweetie! Don't you think Clark is sooo hot!" Dani beamed as she came skipping in.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Kyla hissed at Clark.

"What do you mean? She's always excitable like this."

"She just tried to stick her tongue down my throat!"

"That's… not like her." Clark admitted. "Dani, why did you kiss Kyla?" He asked carefully.

"Cause she's fucking hot!"

"Dani!" Amara gasped. None of the group really swore; Dani was acting very out of character.

"What? She is! We should all strip down naked and get it on right here." Kyla gaped at the older woman as she literally began to strip.

"Dani, we need to get you to the hospital." Scott said seriously.

"Wanna play Doctor, huh?" She said suggestively as she groped him.

Scott was used to Dani's playful manner but not in front of strangers and children.

"What happened whilst you were alone with Dani?" Laura asked Kyla.

"Nothing, we were talking about the caves and what some of the drawings looked like. That's it."

"She didn't touch anything or say anything unusual?"

"She did touch a wall and she acted like she had cut herself."

"With her hands?"

Kyla nodded.

"Check her hands." She called back to Scott and Amara.

"Ryan, come here." Clark called to the young boy who was clearly getting more and more scared.

"She's got what looks like a puncture or needle mark on her left palm." Scott replied.

"I need you to show me exactly where she touched." Laura told Kyla. "Get her up top and back home immediately." She ordered Scott and Amara. "Clark, I might need your help so come with."

"Ryan, stay very close to me." Clark warned the boy.

Ryan just nodded.

Kyla led them away to the area she and Dani were discussing. There were crevices along the wall as well as more Kryptonian symbols and pictures.

Laura turned anxiously to Clark. "If there was another way and more time I wouldn't ask."

Clark just nodded. He took a quick look at Kyla before focusing his x-ray vision on the wall.

"There's a space behind the rock face. There are hundreds of some kinds of insect; they have pincers and a stinger. My guess is they are the culprit."

"How the-"

"Clark, take Kyla and Ryan out of here and check the walls on your way out, keep them safe and evacuate anyone you see. Claim there is a cave in or something."

"I was the only one down here." Kyla admitted. "How can you see through walls?"

"Later." Laura said firmly. "Clark, go."

"Let's move. Remember, stay close to me." He told Ryan.

As Clark led Ryan and a protesting Kyla away she immediately erected repelling wards that would keep people out.

"I've got your back." Amara said as she walked up behind her.

"How's Dani?"

"With Jean."

"Those are vicious little things."

Both women turned in relief to see their soul mate there.

"Harry, what are they?" Laura asked.

Harry shoved his hand into a crevice and pulled out one of the bugs before placing it in a specimen jar he conjured.

"Alien. Very alien." Harry remarked.

"They look like giant albino earwigs." Amara grimaced.


"Can I kill it?"

The eager and bloodthirsty request of Danielle Moonstar was quite understandable. Harry had easily cleansed her system of the strange toxin and parasite but she was pissed. The little creature Harry had captured was sitting in a glass aquarium style tank in the lab.

"Not this one." Jean told her. "I want a few more samples as well to keep in stasis."

"Don't worry Dani, there are plenty more in that cave for you to squish." Harry assured her.

"I would like to take Clark and have him attempt to destroy them with lightning." Thor spoke up.

"Are we sure that will work?" Loki asked.

"One way to find out!" Dani declared with a bloodthirsty grin. She conjured electricity in the palm of her hand, just like she would when shocking someone's heart and jammed it in the tank.

The parasite writhed around but the end result was it just got slightly more active.

"Clear!" Dani called out as she did it again.

"Again, cle-"

She was stopped by Amara's arms wrapping around her. "It's ok sweetheart. We can find another way."

"The lightning Clark and I wield contains an element of our divinity. It may be more effective." Thor suggested. "Clark."

Clark stepped forward and produced his hammer; he held it over the tank and caused a small bolt to lance out towards the parasite.

It slowed the creature down but didn't kill it.

"What about fire?" Loki asked as she conjured a ball in her hands.

"No, we can't damage the caves." Dani said softly.

"Liquid nitrogen?" Lex suggested. "It might not kill them but it should freeze them so you can fish them out easily. Harry can phase into the walls and collect them up."

"I can help with that." Emma nodded.

"Won't you be at risk of getting stung?"

"Not in this form." She smirked as she turned to diamond.

"Most expensive armour on the planet."

"Again, I've heard it before." She laughed.

"How many times were you kidnapped for the purpose of selling your body off?"

"Numerous times." She admitted. "But only after I became a witch. I took great pleasure in demonstrating my displeasure and opinion on their efforts."

Scott just glared at her.

"Scott was the highest ranking law enforcement official for most of those incidents." Lorna explained. "There was a lot of paperwork to fill out and explanations to the courts."

"For killing her captors in her escape?"

The others just laughed leaving Clark and Lex confused.

"I didn't kill them." Emma told them. "I removed their limbs or paralysed them from the neck down. If there is one thing I have learnt from Harry it is that their evil souls would travel to the other side to cause more pain and suffering. But only Harry can destroy the soul permanently, erasing their stain from existence."


The following morning Martha, Jonathan and Ryan were woken up far too early. Granted they used to get up before dawn to do their chores but magic allowed them a longer lie in.

"Can I help you?" Jonathan asked sourly.

"Is Clark here?" The girl at the door asked.

"Kyla? It's five am." Ryan whined. "Can't you come back later… like tomorrow at noon?"

Martha chuckled at Ryan's annoyance as she pulled him into a hug. "Go on back to bed, we'll let you sleep in a bit longer."

Ryan tiredly trudged up the stairs.

"Clark sleeps at the Potter Castle. You can try there but I don't recommend going for another few hours. They aren't as nice as we are when woken this early in the morning." Martha told her.

Kyla blushed. "Sorry, I just… I was a bit… sorry." She floundered. "I'll just go."

"Oh no you don't young lady." Jonathan stopped her. "You want to speak to Clark and he will be here to do his chores in a bit. I'm up now and there isn't much point going back to bed. You can wait for me to get dressed and then you can help me do my chores whilst we wait."

"But-"

"Come in, I'll brew some coffee." Martha smiled tiredly.

"But-"

"Make it black Martha." Jonathan called over his shoulder as he headed up the stairs.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't actually know what the time was." Kyla said sincerely.

"Don't worry, we're not really angry, just… annoyed." Martha assured her. "I'm sure Jonathan will get over it."


When Clark arrived at the farm with Dani, Amara and Hippolyta they were surprised to see Jonathan already hard at work, not to mention the physically exhausted and sweating Kyla.

"Dad, Kyla." Clark greeted warily.

"Son. I believe you know Miss Willowbrook." Jonathan said, not bothering to halt his work.

"Kyla, why are you here working on the farm?"

"Yes Kyla. Do tell them." Jonathan groused.

Kyla just blushed. "I woke up early and didn't realise the time. I wanted to talk about yesterday, what you did."

"You woke dad up early?!" Clark asked in horror.

Jonathan Kent was a farmer. His day usually started before the birds woke up. He took any opportunity for a lie in very seriously. Clark still remembered the time he had woken his parents up early for Christmas. Never again. Of course Clark didn't know that Jonathan was still in hot water with Martha because of his over-reaction, and this was nearly ten years ago.

"It was a mistake!"

"Another woman you have taken for a slave." Hippolyta sneered. "A child at that."

Kyla gasped as Clark glared at the former Queen.

Jonathan closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. "I'm sorry Amara, and I apologise to Aphrodite, but this needs to change." He said seriously.

"Clark, why don't you take Kyla somewhere else?" Dani suggested.

"Really? Because she wants to discuss what I did last night in the caves. That was Laura's idea. Unless you want to mess with her memory she might as well see this. Besides, I want to be present for what happens to Hippolyta."

"Your son is an animal just like all men."

There was a loud meaty smack as Dani's fist ploughed into Hippolyta's face sending the woman to the ground.

"Aphrodite, if you can hear me, you should really be here for this!" Dani called out loudly.

"I am here, Dani." Came the beautiful voice.

Kyla was startled when the stunning woman just materialised in front of them. "What the hell!"

"Harry hasn't seen you yet." Aphrodite said as she smiled at the young woman. "This marks the beginning for his Apprentice. But you must confess your crime, it was an accident but it is unfair to the man if justice isn't served."

Kyla paled.

"Kyla, meet Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty." Amara said with a small bow to the goddess.

Kyla was fairly shocked, gobsmacked, to be honest. She had suspected there was more to Clark last night, she had come to confront him this morning, and she never expected to run into goddesses and possible Greek tragedies.

Aphrodite turned to Hippolyta who stood there stubbornly, showing the goddess no respect. "This stage of your punishment requires no aid from Lord Death." She said calmly. "Should your attitude not change I will call upon him for a more drastic and permanent measure."

She stepped forward and waved a hand at Hippolyta who doubled over in pain. Dani and Amara took a step back and they watched as the former Queen of the Amazons morphed into a man.

The process took less than thirty seconds but the cries of pain made it seem longer.

When Hippolyta stood she was the same height and slender build. But it was clear she was now a man. A man with short cropped blond hair.

"What have you done to me?" She demanded. She grabbed her throat as the voice was now deeper.

"This is your punishment. Until you learn to change your ways you will live as a man. If you refuse to change, a more permanent measure will be taken and you will be destroyed and Lord Kal-El's plan will be put into action."

Clark was a little confused at being called Kal-El but then he remembered she was being formal and that this was to allow him to live the private life of Clark Kent.

Amara waved her hand and Hippolyta vanished.

"Where did she- he… err it go?" Kyla demanded.

"To a special holding cell where she will be perfectly safe and unable to harm herself."

"Is she still a she?" Clark asked curiously.

"Her mind and soul are unchanged." Aphrodite assured him. "Her identity is still female. I will take my leave now." She stepped up to Jonathan and kissed him on both cheeks. "We thank you for all you have done."

She vanished on a soft breeze.

Kyla stared at the spot for a few moments before she realised everyone was looking at her. The grin on Dani's face worried her, especially after yesterday.

"So you want to know more about Clarkie, huh?" Dani asked. "Still sure about that? There's a lot to tell about Naman."

"Hey, we never established that was me." Clark objected.

"Man arriving in a rain of fire, strength of ten men and fire from his eyes?" Amara asked. "How is that not you?" She asked with an amused look.

"First of all, I was a boy when I arrived here. Second, I am much stronger than ten men. Third, can you really see Harry, Ryan or Lex turning on me?"

"The first two are mere semantics. As for the third, never discount things like possession." She warned.

"You really are Naman?"

It was more of a statement than a question. But it was said with such awe that it got their attention.

Clark just sighed. "Probably."

"You have to meet my Grandfather!" Kyla said suddenly.

"Whoa! My powers and abilities are a secret. If you can't keep them-"

"Don't worry Clark, we'll vet her grandfather." Dani assured him.


Joseph Willowbrook turned out to be a stern man but fairly reasonable. It had taken some demonstrations to prove Clark was Naman and that the others weren't people to be messed with.

He turned out to be fairly stubborn.

"The prophecy is iron-clad." He declared with authority. "One who is like Naman's brother will be Sageeth and will turn on him."

"I've been dealing with prophecies since long before you were born. My father broke several." Harry told him as they sat at the dinner table in the castle. Lex was present with the Kents, Kyla, Lana, Thor, Sif and Loki and Ryan. "Prophecies can always be broken. Prophecies have no true power over free will."

"You broke your world's prophecies. As you have said, this is not your world."

"I have broken prophecies in many worlds. This world is no different. We Aspects still hold the highest authority."

"We shall see." It was clear that Joseph didn't believe it though.

"Clark, if I ever go bad, just ask Harry to deal with me." Lex said with a smirk. He was entirely serious though.

"You really think I might be evil?" Ryan asked worriedly.

"Ryan, I've been a bad guy before." Lorna told him kindly. "Sometimes things can happen that make you do crazy things. The important thing is to make sure you have plenty of family and friends that can pull you back."

"You were a villain?" Ryan asked with wide eyes.

"I was. My father was a super-villain at one point."

"Ah Eric. I so enjoyed his initial attempts at intimidation." Harry smiled in fond reminiscence.

"I'm surprised you didn't just kill him." Laura said.

"He was interesting. He was the sort of person that has the ability to change if shown a different way. He didn't choose to do violence because he enjoyed it; he chose it because he thought it was the most effective way. We just needed to deal with his hatred."

"But you still killed him in the end."

"Not everyone that has the potential to change will make the change."

"So you admit you can be wrong." Joseph said pointedly.

"I'm about 20 million years old. I've been wrong a lot." Harry told him seriously.

"He's been right far more often though." Jean said dismissively.

"What sort of things have you been wrong about?" Clark asked curiously.

"Usually the small things. Everyday things mainly, occasionally bigger things like giving the wrong person a chance. I really can't afford to make mistakes when it comes to things involving The Aspects."

"But you haven't?" Lex asked hopefully.

"Not yet." Harry said as he knocked on the wooden table with his knuckles.

"Luck isn't an Aspect, is it?" Jonathan asked worriedly.

"Fortunately not." Thor said with a grin. "Neither is fate nor destiny."

"What makes a prophecy, how do they come about?" Martha asked.

Loki took up the explanation. "Simply put, a mortal is blessed, or cursed, depending on your point of view, with the ability to see glimpses of a future. The key is to figure out how the future they observed will come to pass and if you want it too."

"The future is set in stone. It is only the path we take that is open for choice." Joseph argued.

"There is only one thing in life that is certain, Joseph." Harry said sternly. "And that would be me."

"We will see."

"Not with that attitude you won't." Loki muttered under her breath.

"I will agree not to reveal your secrets to anyone. But Naman must speak to the tribe."

"No." Harry said simply.

"Then I will tell the world-"

Lorna's hand snapped out and Joseph Willowbrook collapsed into his plate.

"Grandfather!" Kyla cried.

"Relax, he's just unconscious." Dani assured her.

"Why did you do that?" She demanded.

"He needs to learn a lesson." Lorna scowled. "You don't make demands of gods and aspects. You don't expect them to do as you say. You definitely don't threaten them or their family."

"What are you going to do with us?" She asked fearfully.

"Relax Kyla." Sif said soothingly. "You and your grandfather will come to no harm. Father will simply block his memories of what he has learnt. In a week or so he will remove the block. It will be a lesson that he is powerless against us and that if he continues his foolishness he will be denied the knowledge he has searched for all his life."


"Lorna, hi. Is everything ok with Chloe?" Gabriel Sullivan asked as he invited Lorna into his home.

"She's fine. The Amazons are treating her as a warrior in training. Princess Diana herself has taken responsibility for her."

"When you say Princess Diana, I assume you don't mean the late Princess of Wales." Gabe asked.

"No, she just happens to be named Diana."

"Ah, hopefully you'll forgive my mistake, after being told about magic, aliens and Death it wouldn't be much of a stretch to find out the late Princess was actually alive somewhere for some reason or other." Gabe chuckled as they moved to sit down.

"Oh I wouldn't discount the improbable for anything. After all my years with Harry I still get surprised. So does he!"

"So what brings you here then if not Chloe?"

"Well it does relate to Chloe's punishment. You recall we asked for permission to investigate your ex-wife?"

"You found something." Gabe was nervous, one day his wife had just vanished. All that she left was note apologising and saying she had to leave, no explanation as to why.

"We know why she had to leave. It had nothing to do with you but it isn't pleasant." Lorna said seriously.

Gabe nodded. "I understand, what did you find?"

"She checked herself into a mental asylum. She claimed she could control her daughter with her mind and that she was a danger to her."

Gabe had spent a few days talking with various residents at the castle, from Earl Jenkins to Cassandra, Harry and Thor. He knew that it was best not to take things at face value.

"Does she deserve to be there?"

"'Deserve' may not be the right term." Lorna prevaricated. "We don't know if she can actually do as she claims but she certainly didn't do it with malice. She claims that she ordered Chloe to scrub her hands until the ink that was on them was gone. Chloe scrubbed herself bloody."

"Dear God. I remember that day. Chloe didn't understand why she did it and Moira was distraught. Things only got worse for us after that." Gabe breathed.

"One way or another we can help Moira, the question is do you want her back."

Gabe didn't really need to think about it. "As long as she loves me still I want her back. Whatever happens between Moira and myself it shouldn't affect her relationship with Chloe. Do what you need to and I'll do what I can."

"We will start work on getting her transferred to our care, then it will be a matter of trying to help her anyway we can. If need be Jean or another telepath will go in and try and bring her out or act as a bridge until we get something more permanent set up, she is currently catatonic."


With Joseph Willowbrook still unaware of the memories he no longer remembered, Kyla was wary of spending time with Clark or his friends. Not after what they had done to her grandfather. But that was no longer an option as far as Amara and Dani were concerned as they had heard what Aphrodite said to her. This led them to confront her as she left Granville High School a few days later.

"What do you want?" She asked distrustfully.

"We need to talk about that thing you need to confess. The thing Aphrodite mentioned." Dani said seriously.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about." Kyla said dismissively as she tried to move past the two women, but both blocked her way.

"The goddess does not use words like 'justice' and 'crime' lightly." Amara said firmly. "She also wouldn't lie to the family of Death. Harry has killed gods and goddesses before and he would do it again. Now you need to tell us what happened so we can start to try and deal with it."

Kyla said nothing. She wouldn't look at them, she felt shame and guilt but most of all she felt fear. Fear as to what the consequences would be for causing the death of a man. An innocent one at that.

"The triplets you met at dinner, they know what it is." Amara said softly.

Kyla's head shot up.

"They won't tell us but you were thinking about it so loudly that they couldn't help but hear your thoughts. They keep that kind of information very confidential as it isn't theirs to know in the first place. Would you prefer that they told us? So you don't have to?" Amara offered compassionately.

"You should tell us yourself." Dani said in a much firmer tone. "Aphrodite spoke of you as marking the beginning for Harry's Apprentice. Clark is that apprentice and we take Clark's life and happiness very seriously. We don't know what sort of impact you will have on Clark's life but do you really want your prophesied Naman to look at you with disappointment simply because you couldn't stand up and do the right thing?"

Kyla winced at the way Dani told her she had the chance to be part of something important and in the same breath told her that she may have already ruined that chance.

"Kyla… Clark and Harry can forgive a lot. But they can't forgive you if you aren't willing to stand up and confess your sins and take your punishment." Amara told her.

"Can I have some time to think about it?" Kyla asked weakly.

"Don't take too long. Until you confess we won't allow you to see Clark or the caves and we definitely won't be restoring your grandfather's memories." Dani informed her.

Kyla looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Blackmail?"

"No, this isn't blackmail. This is us ensuring Clark's safety. If you don't stand up, we will erase your knowledge of us and Clark. You will have to suffer with the burden of your crime without our friendship."

"Take a few days and when you are ready come and see us at the castle." Amara broke in. "We will be waiting."