Disclaimer: Neither Young Justice nor anything of the Justice League series belong to me.

Sorry everyone, I was in the hospital for two weeks, none COVID related but I could not do anything. Been recovering for about three weeks now and finally have the strength to concentrate. Will try to update Once A Hero, Always A Hero as soon as I can.

Chapter 12: Save the Queen

"So I'm still trying to wrap my head around this...alternate world you say the kid is from." Green Arrow was jogging besides Batman through yet another dark alleyway, wondering to himself how Batman knew these back routes through the city to avoid every patrol or civilian they would run into out on the streets. Not even Arrow knew some of these paths and it was his city for crying out loud.

"She's a teenager. They are very specific about how we address them."

"Sounds like a kid to me."

"I could say the same about you."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. We are almost there."

Green Arrow grumbled under his breath, "I'll show you... Sound like a kid... You sound like a kid..."

Batman pretended not to hear the immature, childish ramblings behind him, and was making his way around a corner to the back of the hotel when he suddenly stopped. Arrow nearly ran into the Dark Knight, stopping himself just in time with a grunt, "Hey what's the big idea? You're the one who said we were in a rush..."

Arrow went silent when he saw Batman glaring up towards the top of the hotel. The archer looked up himself before his eyebrows shot up. There were plumes of smoke rising from the hotel, and from what Arrow could guess, it was coming from the top floor, "Please don't tell me that is where we left Artemis and Perdita."

"It's where we left Artemis and Queen Perdita."

"For the love of..."

Batman shot forward, spotting people evacuating out of the now open backdoor and made his way towards it. Green Arrow ran after the Bat, making his way inside and weaving his way around panicked employees and guests.

When Batman heard the faint beep from his right ear, he lifted his hand to tap the small communicator lodged inside, "What is it?"

Robin's voice spoke up from the other side, "Batman?"

"This is really not a good time."

"Wait! Are you with Artemis?"

"No. But we are heading to where she is supposed to be right now."

"I don't think she's there anymore."

Batman stopped, holding a hand up to Green Arrow for him to do the same, "And how may I ask, do you know this?"

"Well..."

15 Minutes Earlier

"So you and this...Kid Flash. You are, in love?" Perdita was laid back in bed, staring at the plain white ceiling above. Since they were in hiding, and inside a room where no one was supposed to be checked in, turning on the TV was much too risky. Even turning on the lights to play cards was a no go. So that just left the two blondes to chat in the dark room with only the moonlight to accompany them.

"I...well..." Artemis coughed, "Yeah. I love him. More than I have loved anyone else before, except, maybe my mom."

"Have you told him this? That you love him." Perdita turned onto her side, looking at Artemis who was sitting slightly left of the window and out of sight of any passing helicopters, her eyes set on the door with her bow resting on her lap.

"Of course I told him. We've told each other that we love each other lots of times."

"What I mean is, have you told him how much you love him. To the degree you just described to me."

"Um, well not exactly like that. But that might be...too emotional for him. Wall- I mean, Kid Flash, is not the most serious of guys. He might not take the...intensity of my feelings well."

"You believe he does not love you the same way?"

"I...well no, but- can we stop talking about this? This is embarrassing."

"Oh, I am sorry. I just... Have not had much opportunity to do, how do you say, the 'girl talk'. Being queen of Vlatava takes up much of my time."

Artemis chuckled, "I bet. Don't you get free time though? Hang out with friends?"

Perdita smiled slightly, "I am afraid my time as queen has left me with little time to be free. Nor have any I can truly call, friends. I have many who I cherish of course, ministers and officials who have my confidence and are most trustworthy. But they are more often than not, decades ahead of me in age and mind."

"You know, I'm still amazed that you are the queen of a country when you are only ten years old."

Perdita sat up on the edge of the bed, her hands clasped together atop her lap, "Well, after my father passed, there were some disputes about who would rule Vlatava. My father had no blood to take the throne besides me, and my mother only had an elder brother, my uncle."

At the mention of Count Vertigo, Artemis stiffened. Perdita, however, did not notice and continued speaking, "By the people's will, as well as the wishes of my father's closest council, I was put forward to rule despite my age. When I took the throne, and saw that my people needed direction, needed the help of their country's monarch, what choice did I have but to rule?"

Artemis listened intently, really understanding the extent of Perdita's charisma and command when she spoke. It was no wonder Vlatava adored their queen so much.

"I saw what our countrymen needed. And thought about what must be done, what needed to happen, and what changes must be made, despite the protests that would arise. It has been a struggle of course, no change, no rule is without such. I burned bridges, and created new ones. I have worked and built Vlatava up so that my people would flourish, not just those who presume to stand above. Better education, better support, better healthcare and concern for those who work to build the foundation of our country, and less focus on those at the top who seek only to line their pockets with money and influence. It is a challenge, a dire struggle, but one I will see to till the end."

Artemis was struck silent by the intensity, the strength, and the passion in Perdita's green eyes. In the dark, with the moonlight shining down, her eyes were almost lighting up like glowing emeralds. She struck a regale and imposing sight, a true queen that was meant to be seated on a throne and leading her people to prosperity. Artemis much doubted Count Vertigo could rouse the same poise or inspiration in others. And hearing what Perdita was doing in her country, Artemis doubted the rich and fat at the top would stand idly by. She would not be surprised if some of them were secretly supporting the Count, in hopes of protecting their own interests over the prosperity of the general people.

Before Artemis could respond, the communicator Robin gave her beeped, "Sorry Perdita, hold that thought." The young archer opened the communicator, the small screen coming to life, "Artemis here."

"Artemis! Thank goodness!" Robin's face was on screen, concern in his blue eyes, "Artemis listen! I made a mistake!"

Artemis quirked an eyebrow, "Isn't that Kid Flash's job?"

"Hey!"

"The communicator! It's not finished, still a prototype! I didn't think you would be in hiding when I called you! I didn't think about it until we got back to Wayne Manor, the line between communicators is sort of secure, but if people were monitoring communications around the city, they would notice an odd signal coming from the hotel's top floor! Especially if it is supposed to be empty!"

Artemis' eyes widened, "You mean they could've found out we are here!"

"Exactly! You need to get out before-"

Artemis heard it, the thumps of heavy footsteps moving down the hall. Swearing to herself, Artemis closed the communicator and slipped it inside one of the compartments on her belt. She surged forward, grabbing Perdita's hand and pulling the queen to her feet, "We have to go!"

Perdita looked confused but nodded, following Artemis as the young archer yanked the side door open, quickly running into the next room just as multiple blasts of yellow laser tore through the front door, shattering the window and blowing a huge hole out of the back wall.

"Damn it..." Artemis let go of Perdita's hand and drew her bow, notching an explosive arrow and releasing it in one fluid motion towards the second room's door. The door exploded into bits of metal, smoke filling the hallway and making the goons on the other side hack and cough. Artemis looked at Perdita, "Cover your mouth and nose and squint your eyes."

The queen nodded, bringing her left arm up to shield her mouth and nose. Artemis then grabbed Perdita's hand with one hand, the other wielding her bow defensively as they ran out the busted doorway. There were six men scattered around the hallway, trying in vain to wave away the smoke. Artemis dragged Perdita down the opposite hallway, making her way towards the south stairway. No way was she going to get them stuck inside an elevator. The young archer slammed the stairway door open, pulling Perdita inside before shutting it. Artemis pulled out one of her arrows, twisting the top before aiming the arrow at the gaps of the door, foam spraying out all around the edges. The substance hardened into something like cement, barricading the door shut.

"What is the plan?" Perdita looked at Artemis with determination, having placed her complete faith in the hero before her.

"We'll head down, but only one floor." Artemis started down the stairs, bow still drawn, an arrow loosely notched.

Perdita stuck right behind her, moving only when Artemis did, "Why only one?"

"Because." After moving down two flights of stairs, Artemis finally saw the door leading to the floor below, "The goons who just saw us probably have friends downstairs. They'll probably radio them and tell them to guard the door on the ground floor, and send men up while they make their way down. Trap us." Artemis opened the door, sticking her around inside and looking around before fully opening the door and ushering Perdita inside.

Both girls made their way down the hall, passing the elevators and walking towards the opposite end of the building. Perdita glanced back towards the elevators, "Then should we not just take the lifts?"

Artemis shook her head, "They'll be watching the elevators. Plus, that explosion was probably heard by the other guests, and there will be panic. Elevator is probably crowded by now and very busy. We can't risk stopping at every floor as we go down."

"Then what are we doing?" Perdita was having a bit of a difficult time trying to keep up with Artemis. While Perdita was by no means, unfit, she was still very much a ten year old trying to keep pace with a teenage heroine.

"Hotels that are big as these, usually have..." Artemis stopped, grinning in triumph, "Two sets of stairs. North and south. They will be expecting us to be going down the south stairway, we'll go down the north one." Artemis pushed the door open, checking the stairway up and down before holding a hand out to Perdita. The queen took it, following Artemis as she made her way down the stairs, "Hopefully by the time they realize we're not there, we'll have made it down. And wherever they are in the city, I'm sure Batman and Green Arrow will have noticed the smoke coming out of the hotel's top floor by now."

"And if you are wrong?"

"Eh, I'll improvise."

"That is not the most comforting of answers, Artemis."

"It rarely is, my dear queen."

/0/

"So this is your fault."

"No! Well, I guess technically yes, but..."

Batman ignored the excuses Robin was making, turning to Green Arrow and pointing towards the north side, "Their position was compromised. If she is smart, Artemis would be making her way down one of the stairways that is the opposite of where Brick's men found her."

"And how do we know where they found her?"

"We don't. That's why I'll take the south side, you take the north side. If they weren't caught, Artemis and Queen Perdita should be pretty close to making their way down by now. Take down any threat you see, and make your way up until you find them."

"Got it." Green Arrow drew his bow, running towards the northern stairway while Batman turned and made his way towards the southern stairway.

Robin spoke up again, "Artemis is smart. She will be doing what you said, and probably avoided most of the men looking for Perdita."

"I see she brought you up to speed."

"We talked via the...portable communicator I made for long distance connection."

"I'm assuming that's what caused this problem?"

"...Anyways. It seems like their room was attacked, maybe seven or eight minutes ago."

"Then I better hurry." Batman shut off the communicator and threw a batarang at one of the emergency doors of the hotel, blowing the locking mechanism open. He pushed the door open and quickly made his way inside and towards the southern stairwell. He paused when spotted heavily armed and armored men keeping guard around the now empty lobby. Six in total, dressed in black tactical gear and brandishing illegal military laser weaponry.

"Arrow, do you copy? I have six men watching the southern stairwell. How is it on your end?"

"It's a crapfest. All the guests are swarming to get out of the building this way. I asked one of the staff why it's so crowded over here, and he said some men claiming to be police have been diverting guests towards the north side starting from the second floor."

"Sounds like Artemis was found on the south side then. She'll probably be heading down the north side. I'll make my way up from here just in case. Can you reach the stairs?"

"There are a lot of guests at the stairs, I don't think Artemis could get down here even if she wanted to."

"Keep at it, I'll contact you once I reach the fifth floor." Batman crouched down, his back to the wall as he pressed a switch on one of the pouches on his utility belt, three small black balls dropping into his hand. Pressing a small switch on them, Batman quickly chucked them around the corner, the devices exploding into plumes of black smoke. The goons quickly started coughing, aiming their guns frantically around as they looked for their attacker.

"Form a circle, it's just a smokescreen, don't panic-" The leader of the group yelped, suddenly dropping to the ground and being dragged away.

"Adam?" Another member of the group pointed his rifle towards the sound of their leader's voice before he found himself in a choke hold, unable to breath and being slowly knocked out.

"What is going on?" Two other members of the group brought their rifles up, about to risk just shooting wildly when two batarangs came through the smoke and knocked their guns out of their hands.

"What the-" Batman came out of the smoke, delivering devastating punches to their faces and slamming them onto the ground.

The last two goons ran full sprint until they were out of the smoke, their backs to the wall as they pointed their lasers towards the smoke and started to fire. They shot left and right, hoping to hit whomever was attacking them in the smoke until their energy packs were spent. Both goons were breathing heavily, hands shaking as they waited a few seconds for any reaction from within the smoke. When nothing happened, the goon on the left laughed, "I think we got him!"

Not a moment later, a thick black rope shot out of the smoke and wrapped around the goon on the left before dragging him into the smoke with a scream. The goon on the right quickly scrambled to replace the energy pack for his rifle, only to scream as Batman ran out of the smoke and rammed an uppercut onto the goon's chin.

Not wasting any time, Batman made his way through the stairway door, stopping in the middle where there was a gap among the stairway going all the way up. Taking out his grappling gun, Batman shot it up as far as it could go before pressing a small button on the side to propel himself upward. If he did not see Artemis and Perdita before he reached the top floor, he doubted they were coming down these stairs. If that was the case, he would have to cross the hotel and get to the north stairway before anything bad happened to either of them.

His thoughts were interrupted when, as he was passing the thirteenth floor, he caught the eye of one of the goons making their way down the stairwell. Quickly swinging forward, Batman managed to throw himself onto the sixteenth floor stairs before the gap he was propelling up was filled with laser fire.

"It's Batman! You five, follow me. We'll deal with the Bat. The rest of you, keep going. Help the ground team look for the queen!"

Batman drew out his knuckle tasers, fitting them onto his fists before pressing the button to charge them, making sure to up the voltage but keep the amp down. As soon as he heard the heavy footsteps of the goons making their way up the stairs right below him, he vaulted over the rail, keeping a hold of the edge and swinging his legs down below. He drop kicked two men, surprising the four others who tried to bring their laser rifles up to fire.

He was on them before they had the chance to fire a single shot. He delivered a devastating haymaker into one of the goon's sides, sending 10,000 volts of electricity throughout their body. Pivoting his foot, Batman then delivered a savage punch into the next goon's liver, once more sending a jolt of electricity into his body and making the man puke. The remaining men had brought their rifles up but could not get a good shot up close. One of them, the leader, quickly pushed his rifle to the side and drew a Karambit knife before lunging for Batman's throat.

Moving closer instead of back, Batman grabbed the leader's wrist with one hand, then turned his body while grabbing the goon's upper arm before throwing the man over his shoulder and slamming him into the wall in an Aikido style throw. The last man standing drew his handgun, screaming loud as he fired.

Batman dodged to the left, dropping low and throwing himself forward, tackling the shooting man around his midriff and slamming him against the railing. This caused the goon to drop his gun, and Batman the opportunity to deliver a knock out punch to the man's face before throwing him to the side.

Without missing a beat, Batman brought his hand up to his earpiece, "Arrow, Artemis and Queen Perdita are not on this side of the hotel. They are probably heading down your way. Do you copy?"

"I read you Batman. I'm almost through the crowd to the staircase. I'll contact you when I reach them."

"Copy that. I'm going to cut across the hotel and head towards the north stairwell. I'll radio you if I find them first." Batman suddenly threw his right fist back, slamming it into the goon leader's face. The man had gotten up during the conversation and was about to drive his knife into Batman's back.

/0/

Artemis did her best to shield Perdita from the crowd, keeping the young girl close to her side. The archer was garnering a lot of attention, not because she was pushing her way past people, but because of her bows and arrows, and the clearly Green Arrow style costume.

"Is that Green Arrow?"

"But she's a girl..."

"Isn't Green Arrow a man?"

"I am pretty sure..."

"I mean, there is no way the whole city wouldn't notice Green Arrow was a woman, right?"

Artemis ignored the conversations sparking up whenever she shoved past another group of people. When they reached the fifth floor, she saw the large line of people crowding down towards the ground floor and clicked her tongue.

"Now what?" Perdita looked up at Artemis who was already taking an arrow out of her quiver, "Artemis?"

"We can't wait for this crowd, and by now, I am pretty sure the men trying to kill you have people placed downstairs. We can't afford to fight with so many civilians running around. Come on." Artemis moved towards the fifth floor door, pushing it open and letting Perdita get inside. The halls were, thankfully empty, of both civilians and bad guys alike. Making a quick calculation inside her head, Artemis made her way towards one of the rooms facing the back of the hotel. Apologizing silent in her head, Artemis shot her arrow at the door handle, the controlled explosion blowing the door handle section completely off. She pushed the door open with her shoulder, making sure Perdita was still close behind, before making her way towards the balcony.

"Are we...going to jump?" Perdita paused as Artemis opened the balcony door, moving outside and peering over the edge.

"Kind of. I have pretty sturdy grappling gear. It'll be more like we're propelling down." Drawing a bulkier arrow, Artemis aimed up and shot it into the concrete of the building. The metal pierced the stone deep, the edges of the arrowhead expanding and hooking in. The other end of the arrow opened up, shooting out some cable which she tied to her utility belt, securing it before holding a hand out to Perdita with a smile, "Don't worry, you can trust me."

"I do trust you Artemis, I am not afraid." Perdita took Artemis' hand, "I have not done something like this before. This is actually quite exciting."

"You're a thrill seeker, huh."

Perdita laughed, "Perhaps so!"

Doing one last check on the cable equipment and finding everything secure, Artemis gave Perdita's shoulder a small pat, "Ready?"

"Ready."

Artemis lifted Perdita up, easily carrying the petite girl before she maneuvered them over the railing and sat on the edge. She pressed a small button on her belt, more cable slipping out of the arrow wedged into the concrete and giving them some more length to work with. The archer wrapped her arms around the young queen's waist tight, making sure she had a good grip, "Hold on tight."

Perdita's arms wrapped around Artemis's neck before the young queen nodded. Taking a deep breath, Artemis shifted forward, letting both of them drop. It lasted barely a second but the jolt from suddenly falling went up Artemis' back, before she felt the strain of her belt squeezing tight around her waist, the cable going taut and suspending both of them in midair.

Artemis looked down at Perdita, "You okay?"

"Y-Yes, that was indeed, quite exciting!"

Letting out a quiet chuckle, Artemis quickly lowered one of her arms down, pressing the button on her waist before returning her arm around Perdita's waist, "I'm going to have to take you skydiving some day."

The arrow above them started to whir, more of the cable's length being released from the end and lowering the two girls down the side of the hotel at a leisurely pace.

"Oh that sounds like so much fun! I always dreamed of soaring through the sky on my own."

"Well, while I can't fly on my own, I have been flown through the air without a plane before. It's scary at first, but super cool."

"I will look forward to having that experience with you, Artemis."

"It's a promise, my dear queen."

DC Extra #7

Aqualad ran across the rooftop, vaulting over water pipes, sliding under large air vents, and performing such impressive acrobatic feats as he ran, even Robin would have been impressed. Spotting the back of the person he was chasing, the Atlantian's eyes narrowed in concentration. It was a holiday for the surface dwellers, Thanksgiving they said. Robin and Wally left to celebrate with their respective families, while Zatanna, Conner and M'gann were preparing their own celebration in the cave. When Zatanna asked Aqualad if he was going to use the holiday they were given to go back home to Atlantis, he said no. When asked why, he avoided the question and said he would go patrol Happy Harbor and would be back for the early dinner (a tradition of Thanksgiving).

He did not mean for it to bother him, nor did he mean to avoid Atlantis as much as he did these recent days, but his heart still ached when he thought about who would be there. While he was happy for his two best friends, the thought of Tula still pained his heart.

Shaking his head of the memory, Aqualad turned his attention back to the present. His distracted mind almost made him lose the person he was pursuing. A masked girl from what little he could make out from the mask and dark clothing they wore.

He was overlooking the city from a high vantage point, when he spotted someone on one of the rooftops, clearing picking at a locked door. When he had confronted them, they immediately turned and ran.

"Stop! I do not wish to harm you, but I will use force if necessary!" Aqualad's warning went ignored, the fleeing girl jumping onto another building's rooftop and rolling with the fall before immediately getting back up into a run. Whoever this thief was, she was experienced in what she was doing.

Adjusting his magic and strength, Aqualad drew one of his Water-Bearers, the runes on his arms glowing bright blue as he summoned his Atlantian magic. A hard-water whip formed, shooting forward to wrap around the thief's ankle and yank them back.

The thief let out a high-pitched yelp, landing flat on her face before clawing at the ground as she was dragged back towards Aqualad.

"Please, stop resisting. I do not wish to harm you. I will hand you over to the proper authorities and make sure you are well looked after."

The girl continued to struggle, turning on her back to swipe at the hard-water whip around her ankle. When she saw how close she was getting to Aqualad, her eyes widened, panic setting in.

"Please do not be afrai-" Without warning, the girl before him burst into flames, destroying the end of the hard-water whip around her ankle. Aqualad shielded his eyes, fear shooting through him as he feared the girl had just been burnt to a crisp. When he brought his arms down, however, he watched in shock as the girl stood up, her entire body covered in flames.

No. When he looked closer, he saw that she was not just cloaked in fire, but that her whole body had actually become a burning blaze. A body of living fire which was now glaring at him.

Both Atlantian and living fire stared at one another in silence for a full minute, neither willing to make the first move. Seeing how the girl of fire before him had not attacked, Aqualad decided that a peaceful resolution was still possible.

Putting his water-bearer away, Aqualad held his hands up in a peaceful manner, "Please, I do not wish to fight. I am Aqualad, I am sorry for attacking you, even if it was done without malice. May I ask for your name?"

The girl remained silent, staring at Aqualad suspiciously before giving the barest of nods. The flames slowly died down, her body turning back to normal. She still did not speak for a few moments, still deciding whether or not to talk with him, or try to run again. Deciding that taking a chance to talk was better than being captured as a metahuman, the girl spoke up with a hesitant tone, "I'm...Tori. Tori Rivas."

Crossover: Forging Hephaestus (Super villain/Superhero story from the perspective of the "villains" by Drew Hayes that I do not know too well, but is an interesting series to read.)