Notes:

I know I'm just repeating myself by this time but I am really, really sorry it took me this long to update.

Thank you to everyone who is still reading and supporting this story, it truly means the world to me.

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 65

Born to a throne Stronger than Rome, But violent-prone. Out of the darkness, I came the farthest. So many wars. Settlin' scores. Bringing us promises.

Oliver

Oliver had left Roy and Sara in the living room a while ago in order to call Anatoly and an old friend of his father's who owned a private plane. He knew that Palmer Tech was in possession of several private jets, but he was in no mood to explain what was going on to Felicity and plead his case. He wanted to get this over with as fast as possible, and arguing with Felicity was never anything that wouldn't delay his plans. And he didn't want her to have to argue her case to the board, he knew things were not that great between her and the board members and he didn't want to make them even more difficult for her, something he was sure was inevitable if she would try to explain to them why her ex-fiance should be able to use one of the planes for personal reasons. He had never been the members' favorite person even while running Queen Consolidated, and there was no doubt in his mind that it wouldn't go over well with them. He really didn't want to put Felicity in that awkward and uncomfortable situation. Besides, there was no reason for that, his father's old friend was more than happy to help him out.

He left the office and went to his and Sara's room to pack some clothes, before calling Thea and Dig to let them know about his absence from Star City, this was when he noticed the object that didn't belong in their bedroom, that hadn't been here before. How hadn't he noticed it before now? Sara must have put it there while he was gone. They hadn't really spent any time apart since his breakdown the night before last. He stepped closer to their bed, and Sara's side of it. What he saw hanging on the headboard brought tears to his eyes and an enormous smile on his face. He walked closer towards the little plush bird. It was blue and appeared to be sitting in a nest. He saw what looked like a teething ring under it. He stepped even closer, lifting his arm in order to touch it, when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"It plays Mozart's 'Lullaby'. I saw it at the store the day before yesterday and it made me think of you. It was the first thing I picked out for Mila because of that." He turned towards the door and looked at Sara. She stood just barely inside of their room, looking unsure, nibbling on her lower lip.

"It's perfect." He, a little reluctantly, stepped away from their daughter's new musical toy to make sure his wife knew just how much he loved it. He wasn't sure why she seemed so insecure about her purchase. Not only was the toy adorable, and fit perfectly with the theme he had chosen for their little Hummingbird's room, the simple fact that it was one of the very first items Sara had bought for their daughter and she had done it because the little bird made her think of him was enough to make him love it.

"You sure?" He didn't hesitate to bend down and kiss her lips before pulling her into a tight embrace. It was in that moment that he realized they had never gotten around to look at all the items Sara and Dinah had bought for their daughter and he felt a stab in his heart. With everything going on, neither one of them had remembered the shopping trip the two women had taken and the purchases they had made. It had been such an enormous step for Sara. And he was so proud of her achievement. He felt horrible for not acknowledging it and celebrating with her while going through everything she had bought. Giving her the security and confidence she needed. Making sure she knew he was fine with whatever she chose to get for their baby girl. It was important and something they needed to do and he needed to address once he was back home. He didn't want to do it now, not while time was an issue and Roy was in the next room. It was something he wanted to do while they had as much time as they needed to decide where to put what or built whatever needed to be put together. It was too important to rush.

"Yes, absolutely. Thank you. I love it." He kissed her crown affectionately while rubbing her back comfortingly. And it wasn't until he was sure she believed him, thanks to her mumbled, "I knew you would." That he dared to tease her a little.

"I'm surprised about the choice of song though, I thought you preferred Tchaikovsky's 'Lullaby' to Mozart's." he made sure it was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was teasing, he didn't want to put any doubt in her mind that he might not like the toy she had gotten their daughter. But he couldn't resist. They had had more than one debate on the musical talents of both Mozart or Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, or any of the other classical composers over the years they've known each other. He was well aware of Sara's preference for Tchaikovsky, or Debussy, which was no surprise given the influence Tchaikovsky had had on Debussy, as a close second. And the reasons behind it, even if she denied them to this day. But he was sure her getting the lead role in several of the Swan Lake productions and the Nutcracker her ballet class had performed in the almost fifteen years she had taken ballet played a part in her preference of the first world renown Russian classical composer.

He himself preferred Bach, Vivaldi and Haydn, but he had no problem acknowledging the other composer's talents. And everything about Mozart was most definitely very impressive, so having one of the greatest composers ever alive's music play as their daughter's lullaby was most definitely nothing he had an issue with.

"Mozart came with the toy. It wasn't like I could have them change the song it was playing." She had moved away from him just far enough to look at him. There was slight annoyance in her voice, but a teasing glimmer in her eyes. Yes, Sara felt the same way about Mozart as he did. He was also pretty sure the store owners would've had the song changed or found a way to do it, had he known who she was. The last name Queen made a lot of "impossible" things possible, at least in Star City. And led to people falling all over themselves in order to please them. It had been useful on several occasions, but it could also be highly annoying at times.

"I'm sure we can change it, if you want to. And I'm looking forward to see all the other items you've bought for our little Hummingbird when I get back. I'm sorry we haven't gone through them yet." He was pretty sure it wouldn't be too difficult to find someone who knew how. Or look it up on the internet and do it themselves, if it was important enough for her. He needed to make sure she knew it was a priority for him, it was important to him.

"Nah, it's alright for now... ask me again in four to six months... Don't worry about it, they're not going anywhere… speaking off, there is still some stuff in the car, but I guess I can ask Roy to bring it up. I'm sure he won't mind." She was looking amused now. Yeah, there was a very good chance they would both be tired of the song by then, if it became something they would play for Mila on the daily. Maybe they could have some fun with that toy, once they found out how to change the song, have it play something less classic maybe… he put that thought to the side for now but made sure to come back to it just in case.

"Okay, I can go get it with him now if you want. It shouldn't take too long, right? And then we can go through it all and decide where to put it when I get home." Even if the car were filled with stuff, which he doubted knowing his wife and her shopping habits, he was still pretty certain Roy and he could have it up in no time. That way, it was done before he left.

"No, it's not that much and shouldn't take very long. We just left the heavy stuff in the car. Mom brought up the rest. Have you called Speedy yet? If not, can you invite her over for dinner tomorrow? Roy and I thought it might be nice having her here with us." She had moved away from him and started to put clothes in his bag that had just been sitting there, still empty. He looked at his wife with a raised brow, not quite buying what she was trying to sell him. Sara was throwing glances over her shoulder back at him while talking and packing his bag. The sight of her getting his duffel ready for him warmed his heart. He wasn't sure why. It was such a simple gesture and mundane task, but then again, Sara's domestic side usually had that effect on him. Those moments were rare and far and few in between, at least they had been. She had been a lot more domestic the last couple of months, understandably so. The pregnancy books usually called it nesting and a sign that her maternal instincts were starting to kick in full force.

He loved that side of her. It was special; it made him feel special. Her taking care of him, doing simple tasks like bringing him coffee while he was sorting through documents in the office, making him breakfast, or like now packing his bag, just because... he watched her throw in a couple of warm sweaters and wool socks he wouldn't have packed because he rarely got cold and had to grin, knowing full well that she knew that fact too and that was why she was doing that. Unbeknownst to him, Sara packing those sweaters and socks was something he would end up being very grateful for once he tracked up the snowy and windy mountains to reach Talia's monastery.

"Roy and you? Or just you?" He inquired, amused.

"Oh, c'mon, as if you wouldn't do the same if you were the one home with him. They just need a little nudge, just like we did. And don't worry, I'll make sure Mila is not getting a cousin before her first birthday." She must have seen the incredulous look that had crossed his face when mentioning them needing a little nudge. Learning he had a son, having to keep that knowledge a secret, his fiancée walking out on him because of said secret coming to light, giving his son up to keep him safe and the two of them travelling for months which led to Mila, not to forget the months following the revelation of their daughter's existence was not what he would call "a little nudge". It was about as far from a "little nudge" as one could get.

"Alright, but just a nudge. They need to figure things out on their own, just like we did. And how exactly are you planning on keeping Mila from ending up with a little cousin so soon after she was born?" She wasn't wrong, he knew Speedy missed Roy and that the Legends' captain was missing her too, but he really didn't like to meddle in other people's private life, knowing first-hand how much damage could be done by that but then again neither did Sara. So, her deciding to make this her business instead of staying out of their business told him just how important it was to her and sure she was about this. Besides, it was just one dinner. The worst Sara was going to do would be some light teasing and making up an excuse to leave them alone. He was intrigued about her plan to ensure Thea not ending up pregnant anytime soon, though, he was sure that was going to be an interesting conversation and would've loved to be a witness to that one. Oliver was pretty sure that was going to be comedic gold. He could just picture his baby sister's face. Yes, Thea would probably be in disbelieve and find it rather amusing that a pregnant Sara was trying to keep her from having an unplanned pregnancy.

"Only a little nudge, promise. Besides, Sin's gonna come over to hang, too." Knowing that Sin was going to be there too eased some of his concerns. It meant they were all just going to spend time together, with no pressure. It also made him wonder when the last time was that Speedy, Roy, and Sin just hung out together. They used to do that a lot for a time, but he was sure they hadn't in probably more than a year. He knew that his sister and Sin still spent time together regularly. Sin had become one of Thea's best friends over the last couple of years, something he was really grateful for. She was a much better influence on his sister than her High School friends had been, he'd never forget the time he walked into her room shortly after he had come home, finding her in there with her friend Margot and drugs… Yes, he'd rather have her spent time with Sin than most of the daughters of the Star City elites.

"I'm seven months pregnant, babe. I think I can come up with some reasons to convince them they might want to wait a couple of years before deciding to reproduce. Honestly, I'm pret…" She made an excellent point, he was pretty sure simply sharing some of the physical issues that came with pregnancy with Thea would steer his sister clear from having a child at this point in time, never mind Thea's current focus on her education, but her breaking off mid-sentence, putting her hand on her stomach and looking confused made the playful mood he was feeling turn to worry.

"What is it? Everything alright?" He took a couple of steps towards her, his mind going a hundred miles a minute, already rescheduling his trip in his mind while calculating the fastest route to the next hospital at this time of day, so her confusion and answer took him completely by surprise.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's just… I think Mila's got the hiccups." He blinked at her a couple of times, not sure if he heard her correctly. This was not the answer he had been expecting. And he needed a moment to get his brain out of panic mode for him to fully comprehend her words.

"Look." She pointed towards her stomach with one of her hands while the other one took one of his and putting it on the aforementioned body part. It didn't take much for him to come to the same conclusion as she had. He looked from her stomach and their hands up to her face, and they shared a smile at yet another new experience they shared. He hated leaving them, but he knew that the information Talia might have could help him tremendously with Prometheus and possibly Ruvé and HIVE too. Which could lead to them no longer terrorizing their home and his family being safe, or at least safer than they were right now. Dealing with Prometheus and Ruvé had never been more important than right now. He didn't want to risk either of them learning about his daughter, and possibly using her against him. He couldn't afford to let them roam the streets of their home any longer. He couldn't put his helpless baby girl at risk. This needed to be done, preferably before Mila was born.

He wasn't going to be gone for long. All he needed to do was get there, talk to Talia, and come back home. A couple of days, ten tops.

He left Sara to the task she had taken over from him, sat down on their bed and called Speedy, all the while watching his wife, shaking his head or grinning at several items she packed for him, knowing he probably wouldn't need or use them but touched about the sentiment behind them, especially the set of knives and two of her Canary bombs, she hadn't used in years. Sara packed the same way he did, only the essentials, even with the items he wasn't sure he would use. So very different from Thea, Felicity or Laurel, they had the tendency to pack way too much and half of what they packed they wouldn't need and some things they would need they hadn't packed… he remembered trips with all three of them where they had faced those issues. Sara was different. They both had had barely any luggage while they traveled through Africa. Then again, they had spent a year together on an island where they had had nothing but the clothes on their backs. They were used to spending time together, not looking or smelling their best. It took off the pressure.

Not that he cared about any of those things with Laurel or Felicity. He really didn't.

The years he had spent away from home had showed him with how little he could get by and travelling light was always important.

Once Sara had finished packing his bag, she left the room to let him resume his conversation with Thea in privacy, not that he minded her presence. He still appreciated the sentiment, though.

He found her back in the living room on the couch with Roy.

"Speedy is looking forward to coming over tomorrow. You should let her know if she can bring anything. Roy, do you mind helping me to get some stuff out of the car before I leave?" His sister had sounded very excited at the prospect of spending the evening with Sara, Sin and Roy. It was a good distraction for her, too. She had been worried about him, after he had explained to her where he was going and why.

"Sure, let's go." Roy got up from the couch and followed him out of the apartment and down to the garage. It only took them two trips to get everything up, and he was really looking forward to go through everything with Sara once he was home. They put everything in the nursery, so that it would be out of the way for now.

They walked back into the living room and Roy sat down next to Sara again. This was it, this was goodbye. He was reminded of the last time he had to tell her goodbye and leave her alone, to help Barry fight the Dominators. Oliver hated leaving her, hated saying goodbye to her even more because he never knew… they never knew if it was for the last time. He made sure she knew just how much he loved her and promised her to call regularly and keep her updated on what was going on.

It was with a heavy heart that he picked up his duffel and left the apartment. Just a few days… ten tops. He'd be home soon. Hopefully, knowing more about his enemies than he did now.

What was it with the al Ghuls and snowy mountain tops? He had to admit, the woolen socks his wife had packed for him, did keep his feet nice and warm in his winter boots and the woolen sweater also helped contain his body heat under and the chilly wind out his winter jacket. He made a mental note, to thank her once he was back home.

He questioned whether or not he was at the right place for a moment, pulling the notes Roy had brought him out of his jacket pocket again before studying the door in front of him.

Yes, those stone figures definitely looked like demons. No doubt this was the right place. He stepped forward, took a deep breath and opened the heavy metal door, preparing himself for whatever might await him on the other side. He walked in and closed the door behind him, not once moving his eyes away from the people training in front of him. Oliver discarded his backpack, throwing it in the corner by the door and stepped further inside the room. His actions led to the training to stop and a woman walking towards him.

"Where is she?" he had no time for formalities or to beat around the bush, he was here to talk to Talia and hopefully get the information he was seeking and head back home.

"Who are you?" the woman's demand was not surprising.

"I'm a former student." It was the truth, sort of. He was never formally trained by her, not like the people in front of him were being trained right now, but she had taught him a lot. And he wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for her help.

"Former, which means you are not welcome here." he had expected the attack, which made it easy for him to eliminate the immediate threat and focus on the rest of the students coming at him.

"Hold! Leave us." The commanding voice left no room for disobedience and the students seemed to recognize that fact to, doing exactly what they were told, walking away and clearing the room.

"I would apologize for my students' enthusiasm, but you should not have come to this place." Talia was as awe-striking as ever. It wasn't difficult for him to see the resemblance between her and her younger sister. The way she carried herself and the aura of power surrounding her were the same as Nyssa's. Yes, it wasn't hard to make out the family connection now that he was aware of it.

"Well, Talia, it was difficult to find." Her entire demeanor screamed enemy and kept him on high alert and ready to spring to action if need be. Yes, there was definitely animosity towards him on her side.

"Our business together concluded 5 years ago." He was studying her every move, trying to figure out what her game was. He felt like a mouse in a trap with a cat circling it.

"No. One of your former students is trying to kill me." Oliver knew he needed to get straight to the point and out of here as fast as he could, before she decided to do what she was clearly contemplating on doing right now.

"Oh, he doesn't want to kill you, Oliver. He means to destroy you utterly." Talia's words made sense. Well, at least the way Prometheus has been going at him was explained now. It reminded him of Slade's words on the Amazo.

"To kill you now... would be a mercy. You cannot die until you have suffered... the same way that I have suffered. Till you have known complete despair. And you will. I promise."

"You knew? If you knew, then why would you train him? Why wouldn't you warn me?" The important question now was, why? Why would Prometheus want him to suffer? He knew why Slade had wanted to destroy him, but what was Prometheus' reason, what could he have possibly done to him to warrant that type of behavior, and why wasn't he aware of whatever horrible thing Prometheus felt he had done to him?

"Two years ago, he sought me out. He'd already learned much about you. He's a man of remarkable capacity." This wasn't helping him or making him more at ease at the thought of going up against a man who had outsmarted him so far. If Talia thought Prometheus had already been "of remarkable capacity" before she had trained him, what would she call him now?

"Talia, enough! If you knew what he wanted, then why would you train him?" He was pretty sure he knew the answer to every single one of his questions, thanks to the conversation he and Sara had had, but he wanted to hear it from her, he needed to know that he was right, that Talia went from being his mentor to another enemy. He didn't like how this was slowly but surely becoming a pattern. His wife deserved something really nice as a "thank you for making me clear the air with Anatoly" present, at least the Pakhan was still on his side.

"You killed his father, and I helped him in his pursuit of vengeance because by then you'd killed mine! I never told you my full name, did I?" And here it was, the reason behind her animosity, and she was no longer capable of hiding the seething rage underneath her skin. At least she gave him a hint. So Prometheus' father had died at his hands. That narrowed the suspect list down a lot. They could work with that, if it was the truth. It shouldn't be difficult to make the connection.

"No, you didn't, but I've met your sister. Nyssa and I have a friend in common. She and I made the connection. Ra's al Ghul was your father. The situation was a lot more complicated than you are making it out to be. He was threatening my home, my family, everything I've fought and sacrificed for. I did what I had to do, to protect the people I love." He wasn't going to elaborate more. It would make no difference to her, he was sure of it, and he didn't have the time, nor did he want to enrage her even more. He got what he came for, a starting point to narrow down the identity of Prometheus.

"Yes. My father and I came to be at odds, so I forged my own path. But he was still my father when you put a sword through his chest." The pain was easy to detect under her anger and he felt for her, understanding the pain of losing a father, but there was nothing he could do to ease that, to change what had happened, nor would he. He didn't regret killing Ra's, part of him wished he could've prolonged his death and caused him more pain, for everything he had made Sara do, for everything he forced on her, all the pain he caused her… Ra's quick death was the only thing he regretted about the Demon's demise. He should've suffered more.

"So that's why you're not gonna help me. That's why you won't tell who this Prometheus is." He understood, and he already had more than he did before, even if anything else she could tell him would be highly appreciated, but he didn't expect her to help him anymore.

"Of course I will, Oliver, because I want you to suffer. He calls himself Adrian Chase." Her words send a shiver down his spine and for the second time in the span of their conversation he was back on the Amazo.

"To kill you now... would be a mercy. You cannot die until you have suffered... the same way that I have suffered. Till you have known complete despair. And you will. I promise."

Slade had almost succeeded in taking everything from him. He had succeeded on Lian Yu. Sara had been all he had left, the only thing that had really mattered to him on that island, and Slade had taken her from him. Was Talia aware of Sara? Was Adrian?

Talia made him understand he had now overstayed his welcome, and he left without hesitation. Not wanting to aggravate his former teacher. He left the same way he had come. Letting their conversation replay in his head over and over.

Finding Talia had been easier than expected, even more so getting the information he had been seeking. It had almost been too easy.

"He calls himself Adrian Chase." That was a very specific choice of words. Did that mean it wasn't his real name? Was he using an alias? Then who was he really? He texted the information to Roy as soon as he had cell signal, asking him to have Gideon find out everything she could. He was pretty sure Roy's AI would be faster than Felicity, especially since asking Roy didn't lead to a game of twenty questions, and time was of the essence.

Adrian Chase was the new D.A., one of Laurel's colleagues. Someone she respected and talked highly of. Someone who had done a lot for Star City ever since he had taken on the job. That meant he had easy access to Laurel. Laurel could be in danger, especially if Talia was still in contact with Adrian and let him know about his visit. Laurel trusted him. He was reminded of three years ago and the last time Laurel had trusted someone and been played by them. She had been right, but no one had believed her then. He still felt guilty for that. For not believing her when she told him about her suspicions concerning Sebastian. She had been right and he should've believed her. He debated with himself for a moment before sending Laurel a quick text, asking her to not be alone with Adrian and promising her to explain everything once he was back home. The question now was whether she was going to do what he asked her to or not. It was a toss up with Laurel. But there was nothing more he could do right now and he would never be able to forgive himself if he hadn't warned her and something were to happen to her because of that.

He was pretty sure Talia had an angle, something she was gaining from giving him the information. Why would she show him her cards otherwise? She wanted revenge for her father's death. She wanted Adrian to succeed. Giving him Adrian's identity was giving him an advantage. Something that could derail their plan... so why do it? Was she so sure of her former student's skills, so convinced Adrian would beat him in a fight? What information had she shared with her student? How much did she know about his current life?

Talia seemed honest enough. She seemed to believe what she told him. Whether that was the actual truth or simply what had been provided under the pretense of it being the truth remained to be seen. Talia seemed to have believed him though, which was an interesting fact and would've made him question himself, given everything he now knew about her, except he had a very reasonable fact which led to him questioning everything he had just learnt from his former mentor.

Because there was only one problem with that story, as he now knew, thanks to Roy's quick reply with the information he had sought. Adrian Chase was born Simon Morrison, the illegitimate son of Amanda Westfield and Justin Claybourne.

He had never killed Claybourne. Yes, he was on the list. Yes, he was someone he had meant to go after. And yes, Justin Claybourne had ended up being killed. Only he wasn't the one responsible for that death.

Claybourne was one of the people Malcolm had killed to clean up after himself and blame the Hood at the same time.

It was hard for him to believe Prometheus wouldn't be aware of this or hadn't figured it out along the lines of planning his revenge.

Adrian Chase had been meticulous in his planning. Having such a huge detail slip through the cracks in his preparation was hard to believe. Something wasn't right here.

If his father had been killed, which he had been, something he hadn't known for a long time, the one thing he would make sure of was that the right person would be at the center of his retribution. Especially taken the amount of time and preparation all of Prometheus' planning had taken and still was taking.

It wouldn't be that difficult to find out the Hood hadn't been responsible. Even the cops had eventually reached that conclusion five years ago.

That meant either Adrian was aware of this fact and didn't care, because the entire story was a lie or he really believed the Hood had killed his father. But then again, if Adrian managed to figure out that the Hood, the Arrow and the Green Arrow were one and the same person, something not even the press, especially Susan Williams, have figured out yet. He wouldn't come after the Green Arrow otherwise. So it made no sense. Unless he blamed him for Malcolm's actions, but why not go after Malcolm too?

He needed to talk to Sara. He really wanted her input on everything he learnt through Talia.

Something wasn't right here.

He was still missing something. Something Talia might not be aware of, either. Was she just another pawn in Adrian's game? But then who was he really? If he could play the Demon's older daughter like that... was he underestimating Prometheus?

What was his connection to Ruvé? Had he known Damien? And if so, why would he go to get trained by Talia instead of Damien? Damien was on the same level Ra's had been. Damien and Ra's had been trained at the same time. Talia was good, but not that good. So why chose her as a mentor instead of Damien? Or had he only met Ruvé after he and Sara had taken care of Damien?

He was missing something.

Well, at least they had a name now. That was more than they had before.

It was something to start digging. Maybe it would bring them the answers and advantage they needed. Maybe it would answer those questions he still had.

He knew who would probably be able to answer some of those, but there was no way he was dragging Malcolm into this. There was too much at risk. Malcolm was a wildcard. And he wasn't willing going that far, knowingly putting his family into the crosshairs of a madman, as his mother's lawyer had so fittingly put it. Especially not after what he had done to William.

There could be another source for information, possibly.

John Constantine had been scared of Damien and his powers. Maybe John knew what Damien had been planning. Or at least, had an inkling. Or possibly why Damien had chosen Star City from all the places in the world. If he was lucky, he might even have an idea about the connection between Damien, Ruvé and Adrian.

Maybe it was something he couldn't know or wouldn't think of, not knowing it was even a thing, especially if it had anything to do with the supernatural. John might know. Maybe he could also do something when it came to protecting Sara and Mila or a mystical security system for the apartment on top of the ARGUS approved one they had, courtesy of Lyla.

He called Sara as he reached the bottom of the mountain again, to let her know he was on his way back home now, with some answers and a lot more questions than he had before. She let him know everything was fine back home, and she was looking forward to having him back.

Notes:

Yes, Sara used to take ballet. Yes, Oliver knows classical music, it was part of his upperclass upbringing.

Let me know what you though about this part and the changes to canon I made. I hated the Claybourne part of Season 5, the way they gave us a flashback to Season one that completely destroyed everything Oliver was in Season one and painted him as a cold hearted killer which was so far from the truth it's laughable. Oliver never killed anyone he didn't need to. It was so stupid and insulting.

Chapter title is from the song "Wavin Flag" by K'Naan.