Back in the house, Joar Mahkent and Lawrence Crock were in the office, trying to find a solution to a problem they had discovered was growing in Star City. The citizens of the city, they had noticed, were becoming rebellious, even more so than usual. It wasn't a secret that the people were not happy about being ruled over by villains, though fear usually kept them from acting up. In Star City though, the rebellion of the people was beginning to get stronger, and the two of them knew they had to do something to stop it before things got out of hand.
Before they could come up with anything though frantic knocking on the door interrupted them. Joar scowled, extremely annoyed at the disturbance. He went to the door and threw it open, prepared to give whoever was bothering them a piece of his mind. Joar didn't know who he had been expecting to see outside the door, though it certainly hadn't been his son.
"Cameron, what are you-" Joar growled, but he stopped when he saw that his kid looked exhausted and was holding an unconscious Artemis in his arms. "What the heck happened?"
"I-I don't know." Cameron stammered and looked at the ground. Lawrence by this time had joined them at the door to see what the father and son were talking about. Lawrence's breath caught in his throat when he saw his daughter and the state that she was in.
"Artemis!" Lawrence grabbed his daughter away from Cameron. He didn't even bother hiding the fact that he was concerned like he normally would. Because, at the moment, he wasn't Sportsmaster or some villain. He was just a father, and his little girl was hurt.
At least, Lawrence was pretty sure she was hurt, because why the heck would she be unconscious if she wasn't? Physically though, Artemis seemed fine. There were no bruises or scratches to even indicate an injury. She didn't even have a bump on her head or dilated eyes, so Lawrence doubted it was a concussion. The only thing that seemed to be wrong with Artemis was that her skin felt much colder than it should.
While Lawrence was looking over his daughter, Joar was just trying to get a straight answer from his kid. But no matter what question he seemed to ask, Cameron's only response was a mumbled 'I don't know', and that just wasn't good enough of an answer.
After getting one too many vague answers from Cameron, Joar had had enough. With one hand Joar grabbed Cameron's wrist to keep the boy from running off. Joar's used his other hand to force his son to look him in the eyes. Joar was about to ask, yet again, what happened, but stopped because he realized that he didn't have to ask, he already knew.
Joar could feel that Cameron's hand was cold, covered in frost, and shaking. But at the same time, Cameron's face felt warm and slightly damp with perspiration. Which meant that Cameron had been pushing himself too hard...again.
"You were using your powers." Joar said. It wasn't a question, he already knew it to be true.
"His powers?" Lawrence growled, an angry fire in his eyes. "That's what did this to Artemis?"
"We don't know that." Joar tried to point out, but Lawrence wouldn't hear it.
"Her skin is freezing cold, and it's not warming up!" Lawrence shouted. "How else would you explain it?"
Cameron bit his lip and hung his head to try to hide the tears that were beginning to fall again. "I-I didn't-" Cameron whimpered. "I didn't mean to. I-it was an accident."
Accident or not, Lawrence was absolutely furious. His daughter may not have looked too injured, but he could tell that she was in bad shape, and all because some brat didn't know how to control himself. Lawrence barely knew what was wrong with Artemis, let alone how to help her. And if anything happened to her because of this little accident, Lawrence would not hesitate to kill the kid responsible, and Joar knew it.
"Lawrence, calm down." Joar barked before his partner could do anything. "Getting angry won't do anything to help Artemis."
Lawrence glared at Joar. "Well then, what will?"
Joar stepped closer to Lawrence and Artemis so he could examine the girl's condition himself. Since it was likely that Cameron's powers had been what had caused this, Joar had expected to find some evidence to show it, but there wasn't any. The was no ice on her body, or even cold scratches from a sharp icicle. She really was just cold.
But it was an unnatural type of cold, that much was for sure. The poor girl wasn't even shivering, which she should be considering how cold her skin was. Joar liked to think that he was knowledgeable about ice and the effect it had on people, but this...Joar hadn't seen anything quite like this before. All he knew was that Artemis likely wouldn't be able to survive for long with such cold skin, he just didn't know how to fix it.
Joar doubted that any normal attempt to warm her would do any good. She was made cold by more unnatural means, so it made sense that they would have to warm her up in a similar manner, which none of them were capable of doing. Which meant that they needed to take Artemis to someone who was capable of it. Someone who was familiar with the unnatural and unexplainable.
"We need help." Joar muttered thoughtfully, but reluctantly. He hated asking for help, from anybody. Joar had no problem ordering people to do something, and he was fine with working in a partnership with somebody else. But actually straight out asking for help, admitting that he needed help, was not something that Joar liked to do.
But they didn't really have a choice on the matter.
"We need to take Artemis to somebody who actually has the ability to heal her." Joar said. Lawrence narrowed his eyes.
"Ability? You mean someone with powers?" Lawrence scowled. "I'm not letting my daughter anywhere near another meta-human."
"And who I had in mind isn't one." Joar said. "He's not a magic user either. Not exactly. But from what I heard, he is a healer."
"Heard?" Lawrence raised an eyebrow. That didn't exactly sound too reassuring. "Just who are you talking about?"
"His name is Raymond Begay, though he prefers to be called Brave Bow." Joar said. "He is an old indian chief that lives in the mountains nearby. Mostly he just seems to keep to himself, but he may be willing and able to heal Artemis."
"...And how do you know this?" Lawrence asked.
"You know how long I've been here in Star City. I've made it my business to know as much as I can about anything or anybody of interest in or around the city." Joar said.
""You always were a bit of a control freak like that. Always needed to know just what assets you had before you." Lawrence said. "But are you sure this guy can help Artemis?"
"No." Joar admitted. "But unless you have a different idea, we don't really have much of a choice, do we?"
"No, we don't." Lawrence looked down at the little girl lying in his arms. Taking her to the Brave Bow guy seemed like a long shot, but it was the only shot they had. Lawrence sighed. "You'd better know where we're going."
"It's not very far from here." Joar assured Lawrence. He then turned a cold, warning look to his son. "We'll have to go quickly though, so you'd better not slow us down, kid."
Cameron blinked, shocked that his father had basically said that he would be going with them. Cameron hadn't expected that. He thought that his father would order him to stay behind, and normally, that would be exactly what Joar would do. This time though, Joar knew full well that if they left Cameron here, then he would just follow them anyways. So Joar decided that it would be better to just let the kid come with them in the first place. That way, he would at least be able to keep an eye on his son, keep him from getting into any more trouble.
Because God knows that the last thing they needed that night was any more trouble.
The journey to the mountain, which stood just outside the city limits, was not a long or difficult one. However, it still seemed much too long a trip to Lawrence. The cold air of the night was doing nothing to improve Artemis' condition. In fact, the colder the weather got, the colder Artemis' skin seemed to become.
At one point, Lawrence became so desperate to do anything that might help his daughter that he did the only thing he could think of. Lawrence took off his coat and wrapped it around Artemis, shielding her from the cold.
"Hang on, baby girl." Lawrence muttered. "We're almost there."
They reached the mountain shortly after that, though their journey wasn't quite over yet. Joar knew that Brave Bow lived on the mountain, but not the exact location. He wasn't sure of how high up the mountain he lived, or on which side. Joar wasn't concerned though. It was a small mountain, and he suspected it wouldn't take too long to find the man.
His suspicions were correct. Not long after they got to the mountain the group found the old Sioux Chief sitting next to a small fire near a cave in the mountainside. He didn't seem surprised to see them, almost as if he had been expecting them. However, he did not seem very pleased about their visit, which was understandable. Nobody liked being visited in the night by villains.
"What are you doing on my mountain?" Brave Bow asked, his eyes full of suspicion toward his visitors.
"Trust me, we're not any happier about being here than you are." Lawrence said. "But we didn't know where else to go. We...we need your help." Lawrence looked down at his daughter lying in his arms. Brave Bow followed Lawrence's gaze, and his eyes softened slightly.
Brave Bow came closer and put his hand against Artemis' skin. "This girl has been touched by magic."
"It's not magic." Joar growled, but he was ignored.
"Can you help her?" Lawrence asked desperately.
"I may be able to." Brave Bow said, "But to help the girl, I must first know what is causing her to be this way." Suddenly and without warning Brave Bow took a small knife from his belt and nicked Artemis' skin with it.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Lawrence cried out furiously. Brave Bow seemed oblivious to his anger.
"See for yourself." Brave Bow held out his knife, which now had a small amount of blood on it. Upon looking closer at the blood, Lawrence noticed that it did not look quite normal. Almost as if it wasn't as fluid like as blood should be. Artemis' blood looked like it was in a semi-frozen state, which just wasn't possible. Blood wasn't supposed to freeze, not like this.
"What's wrong with her?" Lawrence asked in a quiet voice.
"Her blood is slowly being turned to ice." Brave Bow said. "If this is not reversed, the ice will spread and your daughter will freeze from the inside out." Lawrence shuddered and held Artemis tighter.
"Alright, but can you stop it?" Joar asked. Brave Bow sighed.
"I can try." He answered. Brave Bow gently took Artemis from Lawrence's arms and took the girl inside the cave. Not knowing what else to do, Lawrence sat by the fire, waiting, hoping that his little girl was going to be okay.
Joar, who wasn't as bothered by the cold weather as Lawrence was, just sat on a rock a little further from the heat of the fire. Cameron, who hadn't said a word since they left, lay down on the ground next to his father. It didn't take long for Cameron, who was likely physically and emotionally exhausted by the night's events, to fall asleep.
Joar watched his son as he slept, and was slightly amused to see that the falling snow seemed to be attracted to Cameron, almost as if the kid were a magnet for the cold. Even when he was asleep, Cameron seemed to have more potential for his powers than Joar had first imagined. This excited Joar, and he longed to see just what Cameron could be capable of someday. At the same time though, all the kid's untapped potential made Joar nervous. Very nervous.
Like, with what happened early that night to Artemis. None of them had been aware that Cameron could ever do something like this. Freezing somebody's blood? It seemed way beyond the capabilities of an eight year old. And yet, Cameron had done it. Sure, it had been unintentional, but that almost made it more dangerous. Nobody, probably not even Cameron, knew how he had done it, so who was to say that he wouldn't accidentally do it again?
Lawrence had been thinking in a similar way. He had always thought that it was risky, letting his daughter be around Cameron while the boy was still learning how to control his powers. Tonight was just proof of how risky it was. Joar had once told Lawrence that it would likely be years still before Cameron learned to control his powers, and emotions, properly. Until then, he was just a danger to anybody around him, and Lawrence wasn't about to let anything else happen to Artemis. Not while he could help it.
"Joar, we need to talk." Lawrence said.
Joar sighed and made sure that Cameron really was asleep before answering. "I know." Joar said. He had a feeling he knew what this talk was going to be about.
"I'm just going to get right to the point here." Lawrence said. "I don't want your kid anywhere near Artemis anymore."
"You can't blame Cameron for what happened tonight!" Joar growled. "It wasn't his fault, and you know it."
"But it still happened." Lawrence glared at Joar. "Your kid can't handle the powers that he already has, let alone the ones that we both know he'll discover as he gets older. And as long as he can't control himself, I don't want him near Artemis. I will not let her be in danger like that."
Joar said nothing. As much as he hated to admit it, Lawrence was right. While Cameron was getting better at his powers, he still lost control at times. Especially when he was emotional. And Cameron was never more full of emotion than he was whenever he was anywhere near Artemis. It was obvious to Joar that Cameron really cared about Artemis, which was dangerous, and not just because of his powers, but because that was just how the world was now.
A world being run by ruthless villains was a dangerous one to live in. The only way to be safe was if you were one of the ruthless villains in charge. That way, you would be the one ruling, rather than the one being ruled over.
The thing was, Cameron wasn't ruthless or heartless, and Joar doubted he would ever be. If anything, Cameron was, by nature, shy, kindhearted, and sensitive, and those just weren't good traits to have. Not if somebody wanted to survive in the world the way it was now. And Joar was going to make sure that Cameron survived, even if he had to bring down his kid's spirits to do it.
This is why Joar agreed with Lawrence. Maybe it would be best that their kids didn't see each other anymore. Artemis wouldn't be in danger of potential ice attacks. And Cameron, without having Artemis around as a distraction, may have better luck getting a handle on his emotions and, in turn, his powers.
"You know the kids aren't going to be happy about this." Joar pointed out. That was an understatement. Cameron and Artemis would surely hate being kept from each other.
"They'll have to get over it." Lawrence said, and that was the final word on the matter. Neither of the villains said another word. The two of them just sat in silence. It was only when Brave Bow came out of the cave with a still unconscious Artemis in his arms did the still silence break again.
"Artemis!" Lawrence stood up and immediately took his daughter back into his arms. He didn't need to ask if Brave Bow had succeeded in healing her. Just by feeling Artemis' skin, which had been so cold earlier, Lawrence could tell that she was better. She was by no means warm yet, but certainly not as cold as she had been before.
"The girl will need rest, but she will be fine." Brave Bow said. Lawrence nodded his thanks and held his little girl tighter. He had been so worried that he would lose her, but he hadn't. Artemis was alive, and she was going to be fine.
"I should get her home." Lawrence said because, even though her blood wasn't freezing anymore, Artemis was still quite cold and needed to get warmed up.
"Go." Joar said. He himself was planning on staying up on the mountain a bit longer. He had some things that he needed to think about. And later, when Cameron woke up, the two of them had things that they needed to discuss, alone.
The night was dark and quiet, the only sound being that of the falling snow hitting the ground and the wind. And, because Lawrence had headed back down the mountain and Brave Bow had retreated back inside his cave to find shelter from the cold, Joar was alone with his thoughts, and he was just fine with that. Between ruling over Star City and training Cameron, Joar didn't often have a moment's peace to just think. It was nice.
Joar simply sat there until the sound of Cameron groaning and shifting on the ground alerted him that his son was beginning to wake up. Cameron tiredly opened his eyes and blinked in confusion at his surroundings. He was still only half awake, and the events of the night hadn't caught up to him yet. Joar scoffed at his son's confusion.
"It's about time you woke up, boy." Joar said gruffly.
"Dad, what...where-" Cameron began, but his question trailed off as he remembered what had happened. "Artemis!" Cameron's eyes were wide, all signs of fatigue gone. "Where is she? Is she-"
"Your friend is fine." Joar answered. "Her father took her home already."
"She-she's okay." Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. "I want to see her." Cameron stood up, but Joar grabbed his arm, stopping him from going anywhere.
"Hang on, Cam, I need to talk to you." Joar said with softer tone than he usually used.
Cameron froze. His father never spoke to him that way, and very rarely did his dad call him Cam. Because of this, Cameron knew that his dad was completely serious and likely had something important to say.
"About what?" Cameron asked hesitantly.
"Things tonight got out of hand, Cameron." Joar said. "We can't let something like this happen again."
"It won't." Cameron swore.
"You can't promise that." Joar said. "The whole problem with you losing control of your powers is just that. You lose control. You can't help what happens, and you become a danger to yourself and everybody around you."
"I-i don't try to." Cameron stammered.
"And that is exactly the point!" Joar growled. "The only way to fix this is for you to have complete control over your powers, at all times."
Joar gave a small sigh. "And until that happens, me and Lawrence think it would be best for you and Artemis to not be around each other."
"W-what?" Cameron's eyes widened.
"You heard me. You and Artemis cannot be around each other anymore." Joar repeated. "That means no more training together. No more sneaking out when you think we aren't paying attention. Nothing."
"But-but Artemis is my friend." Cameron protested. "I can't just...you can't do this, dad! Please!"
"Cam, listen to me." Joar put his hands on Cameron's shoulders and knelt so that he could look Cameron in the eye, because he needed his kid to understand. "You lose control of your powers when you're emotional, and you are never more emotional than you are when you're near Artemis. If she's around you when you lose control, she could get hurt again, just like tonight, except next time, we may not be able to fix it. The only way to prevent any of this from happening is for you two to not be around each other at all, understand?"
Cameron looked at the ground and bit his lip. Slowly, Cameron nodded. He was obviously devastated at the thought of not being able to be with Artemis anymore, and he didn't want to avoid her. But, more than that, he didn't want Artemis to get hurt because of him again.
"So you'll stay away from her?" Joar said. Cameron nodded again and Joar internally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good." Joar lightly squeezed Cameron's shoulder before standing up. "Now, let's get home before it gets too late." Joar began to walk back down the mountain, with Cameron following closely behind him, sniffling quietly.
Joar said nothing as they went. He didn't scold Cameron for crying, nor did he offer his kid comfort. Joar knew perfectly well that Cameron was upset, and probably would be for a while. That much was to be expected. Joar doubted that Cameron would ever get over losing his friend, and Artemis likely wouldn't either.
Someday, though, Joar hoped that the kids would understand why this had to happen.
because there wasn't another way.
A/N: This chapter was more difficult to write than the first, and I blame Joar. Seriously, the guy was so hard to figure out how to write, because he's a hard-hearted villain, but he's also a father too, and it's hard to find a balance between those two things. I think I managed it okay though.
