A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay in posting this. School started, then I took my GRE, then I had to adjust my class and work schedule and had to get used to it this week. I've had half of this written for about three days but never got the chance to finish it.
I was also renewing my knowledge of the Marvel canon 'verse. We get to meet another group of Marvel characters this chapter who will play a role in this fic. That leaves one last canon Marvel character to introduce. But s/he won't be making an appearance until Kaiba and the gang arrive. Sorry~ Guesses are welcome though. I'll tell you if you're right or not. ^_~
Lastly, I FINALLY got to let Helios use his powers. He's a kickbutt Titan, not a puny Olympian. He's awesome and SCIENCE!
IMPORTANT: If at any point, y'all think this fic should be moved to the YGOxAvengers/Marvel/whatever category instead of the YGOxJustice League category it's currently in, let me know and I'll change it.
Ok, I'm done. Night y'all. I'll edit this and try to write/post the next chapter tomorrow. I have class every day until 11am and then work 12:30-5 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. If worst comes to worst and I fall behind on my every day/every other day posting schedule, then I'll try to have regular updates on Mondays, Thursdays, and the weekends.
That said, enjoy.
Review Replies:
* Death update: Helios is staying for th3 long haul. I promise you that. He's growing well as a character in his own right. Mokuba is aware they aren't on the Earth he's used to but still hasn't grasped that they're in completely different alternate universe. He honestly doesn't know what to think. All he knows is that he has to find his Ni-sama. SHIELD is, let's just say they're more suspicious of strangers than interested in recruiting. I'm glad you like it so far.
** AvidReaderRed: I couldn't reply to your review because you have your private messaging turned off. So I'm replying to your review here. SHIELD will be involved, yes. I'll mostly be sticking to an AU version of the MCU and Avengers Assemble animated show 'verses with one character who has yet to make it to the modern MCU but has has been officially cast and has a movie in the making. This is post Avengers movie but is AU from there. Falcon is in this though cuz he's too awesome not to be. As for the villain who shot Kaiba, well done my young apprentice. Guess well, you did. The characters from GX and 5Ds may show up near the end of this fic to bridge into the next one I hope to start but other than that, no. At least no as far as I know. My characters enjoy doing what they want at my expense so we'll find out.
Chapter summary: In which Arrow meets sees a duel spirit, a member of the Justice League makes a surprise visit, and Helios lashes out.
Meetings and Flares
The change in location was not exactly the best thing to Kaiba. It was in the middle of the wilderness and the wifi connection was definitely going to be substandard if he tried to access it. Thank Ra for the cellular network. The hotel was not necessarily happy with such a rich patron pulling out in the middle of an extended reservation, but they cancelled his arrangements when they found out he had been present at the "event."
It saved him money but still, he glanced around at the log cabin with barely concealed trepidation, he was still not happy with location. Especially with his Sorceress sitting comfortably on the couch across from him with a grin that promised mischief. He would never regret taking her on as his Sorceress, but there were times when he regretted the decision. Whenever she grinned like that constituted one of those times.
"What do you want Sorceress?" he demanded. Her grin just grew as she lifted her glass of red wine in a cheeky greeting. Kaiba rolled his eyes and turned to Raphael. "Raphael," he said simply.
"Regent," the large man replied smiling.
Arrow studied the muscular man curiously, feeling a faint twinge on his Shadows. He opened his Shadow sight and was pleasantly surprised to see a small leather and metal amulet with white feathers, possibly eagle feathers that seemed to move in the wind. There was also something, or someone there, hovering just behind Raphael. It looked and felt a bit like Seth did in a way only... It felt light. No, it felt Light. They both felt Light.
"You're a Light?" Arrow asked curiously.
"Raphael," the man said, his smile growing as he extended his hand and shook Arrow's jovially. "You're a Balance, I see. I heard the Regent had a Shadow user in the League's ranks but he's been tight lipped about your identity."
"For good reason," Kaiba interjected, eyebrow lifted in warning. "The Shadow Court exists in shadow for a reason. The last thing we need is for the world to find out about us."
Raphael nodded solemnly. "I know," he said nodding. "I remember."
"Remember?" J'onn asked, stepping forward from the balcony where they arrived.
Raphael sobered and nodded but said nothing else. The spirit thing hovering behind him placed what appeared to be a soothing hand on his shoulder and Arrow squinted at it, hoping to see it clearer. He could just barely make it out. It looked like a shadowy, humanoid figure with a strange head and possibly wings.
"Is there something on my face?" Raphael asked with a jovial laugh.
Arrow blinked back to reality loosing his focus. Whatever he saw was gone. He glanced at Kaiba who lifted an eyebrow curiously. The vigilante sighed and turned back to the Light. "Who's that behind you?" he asked.
Raphael turned but saw no one on the stairs or in the kitchen. He looked back at Arrow with confusion written on his face. "There's no one there. Amelda's still upstairs."
"No, I mean," Arrow trailed away as he tried to find the right words to describe what he was seeing. "Directly behind you." He opened his Shadow sight again and squinted once more. The figure was slowly getting clearer but still clouded around the edges. "It's looks human, but it has wings and an odd head."
Raphael blinked, mouth falling slack in shock. "You can see her?" he breathed pointing to the figure behind him.
"See whom?" J'onn asked reaching out with his mind but feeling nothing but those visibly present and Seth stirring faintly in Kaiba's mind.
Arrow nodded. "What is she?"
Raphael burst into a brilliant smile. "She's one of my duel spirits, Guardian Eatos." He looked at Kaiba obviously impressed. "You didn't tell me he was a seer."
"It wasn't relevant," Kaiba said, still staring at Arrow, although his expression had also changed to a mix of pride and interest. "He perceives the Shadows visually. He can see Seth when he puts his mind to it."
"Well that's an impressive gift right there," the burly man said extending his hand. "It's certainly good to meet you, Arrow."
The vigilante took the offered hand warmly. "Likewise." He glanced at the duel spirit. "You said its a she? What does she look like? She's kind of hard to see."
Raphael reached into a familiar holster on his belt and pulled out his Deck. After briefly shuffling through the cards, he pulled out a single card and held it out. Arrow was careful not to touch it as he gazed at the artistically rendered woman. It was a Fairy Type Monster with an Effect of some kine. She wore an eagle's head as a hood, wore clothes reminiscent of those worn by the Native Americans, had large feathered wings, and wore long white eagle feathers from her ears.
"She's beautiful," he said softly.
"That she is," Raphael said fondly, caressing the much loved card before replacing it back into his Deck with care. "I can also see the Shadows. I can hear them too when it comes to my duel spirits but otherwise, I can only see them." He placed a hand on Arrow's shoulder in a friendly acceptance. "Welcome to the family."
"Thank you," the vigilante said, a smile quirking his lips.
Shaadi stepped in behind the group and stuffed his arms into his sleeves as he approached Mai. "I hate to sober this meeting, but I am afraid Ishizu has decided to remain behind," he said softly.
"Why?" Mai demanded surprised.
Shaadi lowered his eyes. "She wishes to remain with her brother." Mai nodded in understanding as Shaadi continued. "Also, I did not mention it before but I believe it is important for all of you to know." He glanced at Amelda who finally emerged from the bathroom upstairs, nodding a greeting. "The Priestess believes Seth's tomb has been unearthed."
"What?!" Amelda exclaimed, leaning on the railing of the loft above the group.
"My thoughts exactly," Kaiba muttered.
Shaadi had the decency to blush as he responded. "An archeological team discovered it, possibly by accident. Marik has been attempting to slow down the progress through the museum but he doubts he will be able to stop it entirely. Ishizu is going to join him."
"I thought the tombs were protected," Amelda said coming down the stairs to sit on a step near the middle, swinging his legs casually through the railing slots.
"They are," Kaiba said. "There are several mechanical traps outside and within the tomb itself that must be deactivated before allowing entry into the inner chambers. Not to mention the spells cast on the doors. It will take a while for the idiots to penetrate it."
"Yet another reason why Ishizu wants to her Marik," Raphael muttered in realization.
"Spells? Traps? You mean like Shadow magic?" Arrow asked with cautious interest.
Shaadi nodded silently while Mai answered. "The mechanical traps are just that, mechanical. Some may not work anymore." She glanced at Amelda who was listening closely, his narrowed eyes studying the only non-Shadow user present before continuing. "The spells are Shadow magic but while the magic is strong, particularly on sacred ground such as that, it still fades over time just like everything else."
"Will they be like the Curse of Tutankhamen?" Arrow asked curiously.
Amelda snorted. "Much more potent than that," he said. "Especially since that was not really a curse so much as bad timing and bad health of those present. Given the amount of time that has passed since the spells were originally cast, I'd say a few people will die, but most will get sick. Some may not experience anything at all. All that aside," he glanced sidelong at Kaiba, "how are you dealing with all this?"
"I'm fine," the Regent said sternly, dismissing the subject. He went over to the couch and sat next to Mai. "I plan to hold Formal Court in an hour. Will that give you enough time to help Ishizu get to New York to catch a flight back to Cairo?" he asked his Adviser.
Shaadi tilted his head thoughtfully. "It should be, yes. However," he added hesitantly, "I will not be at full strength when I return."
"That's fine," Kaiba said. "I don't plan on doing anything more stressful than Court."
"And traverse the Shadow Realm into an alternate reality and everything that entails," Mai snarked earning her a soft snicker from Arrow.
Shaadi blinked slowly before nodding to Kaiba and vanishing in a teleport. Kaiba glanced around briefly before leaning forward and shivering. He glanced at Arrow, narrowing his eyes, warning him not to mention it. Arrow gave him a look but respected the Regent's wishes.
"Well before you go traipsing off after your brother in some unknown, godforesaken who-knows-where," Amelda said flippantly, "why don't you eat something. There's coffee in the kitchen I think. It's not fresh but it should still be warm. Maybe."
J'onn nodded and made his way into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. Amelda watched him go fascinated. "Has anyone told you you look like a fish kind of?" he asked.
J'onn paused and looked over at the young man curiously. He was thin, wore a crop top shirt, tight capris, a thin jacket, and heavy combat boots. His hair was chin length and dark red, almost maroon. The Martian lifted an eyebrow. "No."
Amelda shrugged. "They should have. You look like you belong in water. You'd probably make a better Aquaman than the, ahem, real Aquaman. He's blonde isn't he?"
"Don't ask me," Kaiba said. "I'd rather not think of Atlantis in anything related to it and its incarnations."
"He is," Arrow answered. "I've never actually met him face to face but I've spoken with him indirectly through the Watchtower comm systems. He's pale skinned because he lives in the deep oceans where there's less sunlight. He gets sunburned easily, I hear. Oh, and he can talk to fish."
"Makes sense," Mai said.
"He sounds like an interesting man," Raphael said, leaning against the stairs so his head was level with Amelda's knees.
"He sounds like a lot of talk and no do," the younger man said, scoffing disdainfully.
Arrow glanced at Amelda and opened his Shadow sight cautiously. There were no hovering shadows but he felt something... It could be Balance but it felt a bit more Dark than usual. He focused on Amelda specifically and saw a small robot, almost like a toy a child would play with. He blinked back to reality and glanced at Kaiba who was watching him. The vigilante lifted an eyebrow in question but Kaiba lifted his own in response.
Arrow huffed and asked Amelda his question directly, "Are you Balance or Dark?"
Amelda smirked. "Technically, I'm Balance, although I tend to lean more towards the Dark at times. But yes, I am Balance. I take it you are too."
Arrow nodded and sat in an armchair across from the old couch. "Since about a year ago," he said.
"He can see Guardian Eatos," Raphael said to his friend.
Amelda's eyes grew round in surprise. "You can see her?" Arrow nodded and Amelda cackled nudging Raphael playfully. "See? You're not the only one who can see them now." Raphael blushed and smiled happily at the teasing. "I personally can only feel the Shadows," Amelda said. "It makes for interesting conversation when I start talking about how everything feels."
"I can see why," J'onn said, returning to the living room with a cup of lukewarm coffee. "Green Lantern is coming," he said to everyone in general. "He should be here soon."
"Why's he coming?" Mai asked.
"I am unsure," the Martian admitted. "I do make a habit of prying into other people's minds without their permission. I can feel his mind approaching, but nothing else distinct."
"Maybe he has news about the bombing," Arrow said. "He was the one speaking to the media and authorities. Hopefully, they've got something."
"How long until he arrives?" Raphael asked.
J'onn tilted his head and said simply, "He has already arrived."
"Excus-"
"Hello," the man in question said, landing on the back porch overlooking Lake Tahoe. "I hope I'm not intruding."
Kaiba just closed his eyes and leaned back in the couch, tightening his muscles to fight down another fit of shivering as he deliberately ignored the new arrival. Raphael and Amelda studied the superhero curiously.
"Were you in the armed forces?" Raphael asked.
Lantern stiffened in surprise before nodding. "Yes. I'm a Marine."
"Still in active duty or retired?"
"You never retire from the Marines," the metahuman replied and Raphael grinned.
"Good answer," the burly blond man said, stepping forward and extending his hand. "Any veteran is welcome here. Thank you for your service."
"My pleasure," Green Lantern said.
"Any news on the bomber?"
Lantern's form wilted somewhat. "Unfortunately no. It's too soon to know enough. I can say the bomb was likely an old fashioned type. Based on the one recovered before the balcony bomb exploded and the study of the crime scene so far, it seems like both bombs were made using an old style combination of black powder and lit by a traditional fuse."
"That's very basic," Amelda said furrowing his brow thoughtfully and idly kicking his legs against the wall from his position on the steps. "It also means someone had to light the fuse by hand personally."
"Precisely," Lantern said with a grin. "We're in the process of recovering the tape from the damaged security cameras but nothing yet. Hawkgirl and I plan on keeping you all updated as often as possible."
"You and Hawkgirl, hm?" Mai said with a sly grin. Lantern had the grace to blush. "How are you two doing by the way?"
The superhero shifted uncomfortably. "It's...going. It is strange dealing with past memories of someone with Shayera's face and personally but who isn't...and is her. Honestly, it's giving me a headache."
"Don't think too much on it," Kaiba said. "Just accept it and move on. You're a different person than you were, you both are. Remember that and see her for who she is now, not for who she was."
The dark man nodded seriously. "I do. It's just strange."
"Wait, you had a past life too?" Amelda exclaimed.
Lantern nodded. "I did, yes. Incidentally," he glanced at Kaiba, "Kaiba's previous incarnation and myself were enemies."
"Ooh, intrigue," the young man said, leaning against the railing. "Do tell."
"While you do that, I'm going to take a nap," Kaiba said, promptly relaxing into the cushions. "Wake me when Shaadi returns and we can call Court to session and get get out of here."
It had gotten hard to follow the car caravan once the sun set. Euos had the descend to the ground and once that happened, it was difficult to tell the black cars from the darkness. Helios could find almost anything in the light of the sun, but the night was not his territory. It had always been his sister Selene's.
Eventually, he had to call off the trek and find a place to spend the night. As they moved further east, the weather warmed somewhat. There was a line of clouds with embedded thunderstorms ahead so perhaps this was the result of a warm front. That meant he would need to keep an eye out for the cold front somewhere behind them. The last they needed was to be lost, alone, cold, and wet.
Mokuba was amazingly calm throughout their entire misadventure. From what Helios had learned during his stay with the Shadow Court, enemies seemed to get a kick out of kidnapping the younger Kaiba brother to get at the elder. So by that reasoning perhaps Mokuba was used to dealing with these kinds of situations to an extent. Helios was still aware of the tense worry the boy kept hidden just under his calm exterior, but he refused to call him on it. In this case it would be pot calling the kettle black.
Helios reined Euos back and dismounted helping Mokuba down next. They had stopped just outside a large city with a huge arch overlooking a river. Helios was not particularly familiar with the intimate geography of countries that were not Greece or its old affiliates. He observed but political landscapes were not exactly clearly visible from altitude. Not to mention politics were finicky things and changed too quickly for him to bother paying attention to.
He reached back and ran a soothing hand over Euos's muscular neck. He pressed his forehead to his loyal steed's and whispered softly in ancient Greek, "Forgive me, my friend. You have remained by my side through this but it would be best if you hid yourself for a time. Where we now go you cannot follow. I will call if I need you."
Euos nickered softly and bumped his nose against Helios's chest and the Titan felt love swell in his heart for this brave stallion once more accompanied guilt that he had to leave. But Mokuba had needs Helios could not provide without help from the humans. He would maintain mental contact with Euos but he could not bring him along. Horses were not allowed in buildings.
Reluctantly, the Titan stepped away and Euos shook his fiery mane before leaping away and vanishing like the tail of a comet. Helios watched his retreating form only looking away when a small hand slipped into his. His golden gaze dropped to meet Mokuba's gentle dark gray. He smiled and together they made their way into the city.
They did not have much money between the two of them but so long as they found a place to shelter them Helios could provide the much needed heat. From what they had been able to gather about this place, wherever it was, it had about the same level of technology as the world they came from with a few differences.
From casual observation of advertisements and people rushing by, the learned the Apple company existed in this world as did Microsoft but instead of KaibaCorp as the third technological giant, there was another company called Stark Industries. There were many devices in store windows and in people's hands that bore the Stark Industries logo.
Mokuba pulled Helios into a McDonald's and bought a dollar tea and small hamburger. They sat in a booth in the middle of the restaurant that had a wall separating them from the order counter on the left and a divider separating the window booths on the far right from the niche of two booths where they currently sat. Helios settled in the booth closest to the shadowed area of the niche with Mokuba sitting across from him. The booth was elevated so both his and Mokuba's feet could kick freely in the air or rest comfortably on a foot rest that ran parallel to the seats under the table.
While Mokuba ate, Helios watched the news channel on the television mounted on the divider. It was muted but had subtitles running along the bottom. They were slightly out of sync but Helios could figure it out. Through this method, he learned there was a group of superheroes in this world as well. They called themselves the Avengers and were currently the main theme on news channel. Aliens had invaded this world in a city called New York and the Avengers had fought them off.
The video clips shown on the screen, though muted, were graphic and starred the self-named Avengers and the disgusting alien creatures. The very sight of those creatures made Helios's hackles rise in disgust and discomfort. They were wrong.
He tore his eyes away from the screen to see Mokuba setting down his drink and rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. Helios smiled softly. "You should sleep while you can," he said. "It's warm in here. I doubt they will kick us out since we are paying customers."
Mokuba nodded and blushed. "Can I..." He sat back awkwardly and twiddled his fingers unsure. "Can I-"
"Yes," Helios said, knowing what the boy was trying to say. "Come over here."
Mokuba hopped down, pausing to grab his drink. "Refill," he muttered. He hurried off to refill the drink before returning. He set the cup on the table and climbed up to the bench Helios sat on and stretched out so his head rested on the Titan's lap. "You'll wake me if Ni-sama shows up, right?" he asked, wide, hopeful eyes staring up at Helios's hesitantly.
The Titan smiled. "Of course," he said. He sat back against the cushion and ran a hand through Mokuba's hair until the boy fell asleep. Then he spent his time alternating between brooding and watching the television. It was going to be a long night, and it was for several hours.
Unfortunately, the strange sight of people running down the street, their screams ringing dully through the windows of the restaurant, heralded something not so pleasant. Helios had a split second warning as the windows flexed before they burst out of their places. He yanked Mokuba up, dragging the both of them under the booth table to protect them from the glass and debris as a car flew through the building.
Mokuba screamed and Helios felt his powers activate, instinctively protecting them. The gravitational field of the sun he represented captured the flying vehicle and yanked it around them and to the side where it landed. Thankfully, no one had been sitting there since it was the middle of the night.
Helios carefully lifted his head and took in the devastation. People were still running and screaming from a group of strange looking people who were busy fighting other strange looking people. Interestingly, one of the people fighting was a woman with stark white hair who tossed lightning from her hands.
Terror developed through millennia of oppression by another being who could wield lightning from his hands sparked within Helios and his powers reacted. He glowed, ready to defend himself and Mokuba if necessary. Some of the lights in the dilapidated McDonald's were still working thus preventing the Titan from shining like a beacon but from the way they were sparking, they would give out soon.
Helios clamped down on his powers, forcing them back under control. This was not Zeus. This was another world and the lightning wielder was a woman, a mortal woman. He felt no godhood from her.
"Helios?" Mokuba called, clinging to the Titan. "What happened?"
"The city is being attacked," he answered, ducking behind the debris hoping they would go unnoticed. "I'm not sure who are the enemy and who are the defenders."
Mokuba snuck up beside Helios and poked his head over the edge of the shredded chuck of metal and wood that had once been the divider. One of the men on the ground fired red beams of light from his eyes at the being who hovered in the air tossing cars and metal lampposts about like toys. So he had been the one to through the car.
He wore strange armour unlike any Helios was familiar with but used a power he was familiar with to through the cars and metal objects. Magnetism. Any solar deity was familiar with magnetism, especially sun deities. Helios knew how the Earth deflected masses of solar radiation to the poles creating the lights named after the Roman name given to his lost sister, Aurora.
Helios watched from his somewhat protected position as the man controlling magnetism carelessly tossed a pole towards a fleeing woman. He felt his heart leap in his chest and almost lashed out with his powers when the pole was knocked aside by a man with knives growing from his fists. Human controlling lightning and magnetism, firing lasers from their eyes, and growing knives from their skin...
What kind of strange world was this?
"Come on," he said, taking Mokuba's hand. "Let us leave while we can."
Mokuba obediently followed Helios as they snuck away, dodging from hiding place to hiding place. It was times like these that Helios deeply regretted his inner light. By wearing white clothes he could attribute his apparent glow to the illusion of the white, but in the darkness like this at a heightened state of alertness, his glow intensified. And it caught someone's attention.
Mokuba glanced back and cried out in surprise and fear. Helios reacted immediately before actually looking back to see what the threat was. He had to protect Mokuba. He whirled and lashed out with the heat and power of a solar storm. His glow became blinding and a whip of superheated plasma thrashed outward in a shock of energized brilliance, heat, and charged particles that raced across the space between himself and the perceived threat. In this case, it was a person diving through the air towards them.
Helios saw the fleeting expression of terror cross the person's face before the being disintegrated in the superheated ejection. The resulting solar wind blasted away everyone in the vicinity and created tiny mockeries of the aurora above and below the human who controlled magnetism where the theoretical magnetic poles would be.
All of this lasted a mere two seconds then it was over. The solar storm, the heat, the energized particles, everything was gone. Euos, unafraid and unharmed by the blast from his master landed next to the Titan, alerted by the familiar surge in his master's power. Helios used the distraction of the other parties to lift Mokuba onto Euos's back and mount himself. The stallion needed no command, immediately leaping away and speeding through the sky. But they did not go unnoticed.
Several humans reported a strange glow streak across the sky that night but it was attributed to the fight between the mutant X-Men and the infamous Brotherhood. The humans were not the only ones aware of them now.