Hello all, here is chapter 25, hope you all enjoy. Please leave a review etc. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM me, or if not join my discord, see the AN at the bottom of the story for details, or my bio. Sorry for the delay, but alas I've been pretty busy with lots of other things IRL. Still I managed to get it out eventually, so there it is. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.
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Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or DC.
Unfortunately this chapter hasn't been beta-ed, but ah well, the same could be said for most of my other stories :D
( - )
(Last Time)
Snarling in response, Silver Banshee leapt into the air, her smirk absent as she soared up into the air, before with another smirk at him, she hurtled away and into the clear blue sky.
Letting out a grunt as he saw her escape, Red Arrow collapsed to his knees, his vision blurring as he first looked over at the unmoving, blood covered Kaldur. Before a few moments later, and with a grunt, he glanced at the grey suited woman. Only for his eyes to widen as he saw her turn back to the flipped limo and help a completely unscathed, bald man in a suit out of it.
The arbitrator, Red Arrow, thought his vision going dark as his blood loss took its toll, it was Lex Luthor.
( - )
Chapter 25
( - )
(With Percy)
"Remain calm Percy, and keep your head clear," Diana said, her voice firm and steady as she hovered a foot above the ground in front of, her arms folded, and her long dark hair swaying about behind her in the breeze as she looked down at him.
"I'm trying." Percy grunted, his eyes scrunched shut and stomach churning as he tried to clear his mind.
"There are many different ways of achieving flight. Mortals use technology and gadgets, and create tools that give them the power of flight, their way relies on preparation and physical crutches. Zatara, Doctor Fate and other magic welders learn magic and use that to fly; they either exert their will on reality forcing it to conform using spells to give their will structure, or they use magical tools to achieve the same results. Martian's and those like them, use telekinesis, their inborn talent, to fly. For those like Superman, and myself, it is a birthright, we were born with the ability to fly, and thus it comes naturally to us. We know we can fly, believe we can fly, and so can fly. For you, it is different." Diana said, her voice calm as she floated through the air, easily revolving around his stationary form, her stance not changing for a moment as she made gravity her bitch.
"Different how?" Percy asked, a shiver running down his spine as the cool sea breeze swirled around his bare-chested form. Overhead it was overcast, the sun having all but disappeared at this point as steely grey clouds instead invaded the sky. Despite what he had thought previously, the climate on the American West Coast was much colder than it had been on the practically tropical island of Themyscira. "We're both demigods in a world no longer governed by the gods, aren't we?"
Diana smiled slightly. "The gods aren't as gone as you might think, Perseus. They might no longer walk the mortal world like they did in ages past, nor do they oversee their domains like they used too. But their presence still reverberates through the universe. Yes, most of them did ascend to one of the higher realms many centuries ago, and in doing so, left the mortals to their own devices, even as entities such as the New Gods came into existence. But they have not faded, nor have they died. Instead, they've just… gone on a… holiday, you might say. Some, like the War God, have stayed closer as they thrive on chaos and discord. But, the majority, although not here now, haven't left for good. Over the last few centuries, more than one god has returned to the mortal realm for one debauched reason or the other."
Percy frowned slightly. "But the Atlanteans-"
"Are not entirely wrong, but not entirely right either. It's complicated, and the truth..., well the truth is something only known to the gods themselves, and as you might suspect, they are not all that communicative right now. The gods are no longer here like they used to be, but they are not gone yet, and although they no longer jealously guard and control their domains like they used to, they still have some measure of control over them." Diana cut in.
Percy nodded curtly, there was some crossover between what Tula had told him, and what Diana had told him, but he still suspected there was more to it than he had currently learned. Why would the gods just leave their playground? If they were anything like iterations of the gods he remembered, then it just didn't make sense.
"Which is why, although we are both demigods and have divine blood flowing through our veins, we are still the children of different gods. Zeus, my father, is the god of the skies. Poseidon, your father, if the god of the sea." Diana continued.
Percy struggled not to roll his eyes. "Yes, I am aware of that. But like you said before, an aspect of my power is based around controlling the winds."
"Yes, the domain of storm, it can be separated into many elements. But, your control over each is far weaker than your control over water, even with my father and the other sky gods no longer controlling their domains with an iron fist." Diana nodded. "But that is something that can be improved upon with time, training and concentration. For me, flying comes naturally. I don't have the same level of control over the skies as you have over the sea, but that is because my gifts are different from your own. What I did have, though, was an instinctive ability to fly from birth. I was born with both the ability and knowledge of how to fly. Just as you were born with the ability to breathe underwater, and the ability to move through it with ease."
"So what you're saying is that what comes naturally for you, does not come naturally for me." Percy surmised. "I already know that."
"Yes," Diana said patiently. "I am aware, and that is why we are doing this. You need to discover your own way to fly. We are different, our powers are different, and the ichor running through our veins is different. The way I fly is instinctive, I don't think, I just do. You, however, don't have that instinct."
Percy grunted again in response.
"So clear your mind, and reach out to the air and wind around you, like you would normally do when you're controlling water. Reach out and find it, feel it and grasp onto it. The air is free, changeable, it is not easily contained, and not something that you can just control with sheer will alone. Instead, it is something you need to feel, understand and embrace."
Closing his eyes, Percy did as she said and reached out with his senses.
Blocking out the feeling of the earth beneath him, and the vibrations he could feel from every rock and granule of sand below him, and blocking out the push and pull he could feel from the nearby ocean, he instead focussed on the sea breeze as it swirled around him.
It was damp, he could feel the moisture clinging to it.
Scrunching his eyes together, he tried to focus deeper.
He had to filter out all other distractions.
It was almost like trying to meditate.
He had to get in the zone and find his zen.
Controlling his breathing, he inhaled deeply through his nose, bringing fresh, clean air into his lungs, and then exhaled through his mouth, a quiet hiss leaving his slightly parted lips as he did so.
He needed to concentrate.
He inhaled again, and then exhaled.
He could feel the steady thud of his own heartbeat.
Inhale, exhale.
He could feel the wind flowing across his skin, tickling and stirring the hair on his head, face, chest and arms.
In, out.
He could feel the skies above.
The ferocity of the winds further above him, even as they gusted backwards and forwards, constantly changing direction.
He could sense a bird in the sky above him, its wings spread as it rode the winds, occasionally altering the shape and position of its large wings and pinions, as it maintained its hover far above the steely grey ocean below.
It was riding the winds, not controlling them.
The winds had a rhythm.
They were not as unpredictable as he had first thought.
Changeable, yes.
Unpredictable, no.
The bird seemed to almost predict the way the winds changed, even as it adapted and altered its positioning. It barely moved from its chosen position, no matter how fiercely the winds blew, or how often the direction changed.
It was in control.
Not of the wind, though, but of itself.
It was patient, and didn't fight the wind, but instead embraced it, even as it waited.
And it continued to wait right up until the moment it needed to act, and act it did; as the moment a fish swam too close to the surface, it dived. Its entire body compacting as it brought its wings closer to its body, and its head forward, it became more streamlined, even as it shot towards the surface of the ocean like a bullet.
It was pure instinct.
It saw its chance, and took it.
It dived, it struck the water, and it caught its prey, killing it in an instant, so fast in fact that he couldn't even hear the fish's panic as by the time it knew what was happening, it was already dead, and the bird…, the bird was already back in the sky its prize clasped securely in its beak.
"Good," Diana's voice rang out, cutting through his thoughts, even as he snapped his eyes open and looked around at her.
"What?" He asked, only to let out a yelp as he suddenly felt himself falling several feet down and on to the damp sand beneath him.
With a 'whumph' he hit the ground, a gasp leaving his lips, as the suddenness and unexpectedness of the fall knocked all the air out of his lungs.
"That, though, was not so good." Diana chuckled, a slight smile playing around her lips as she floated back to earth, her sandalled feet touching down right next to his sprawled form.
"What happened?" Percy rasped, his breathing heavy as he took several deep gasping breaths.
"You flew… or rather, you managed to hover for a few minutes." Diana said, a proud smile on her face as she reached out and offered him a hand up. "It was going well, or at least right up until I distracted you, and you lost concentration."
"Yeah, thanks for that…" Percy replied dryly, allowing her to pull him up to his feet, even as he brushed some wet claggy sand off his arms, back and shorts.
"It was a good start. It shows that flight is something you can accomplish. Just how fast you can move, or high you can go, that's something that can come later. For now, though, we need to work on hovering. We need to drill it into you, so you can maintain it unconsciously." Diana nodded, gripping his shoulder. "It's going to take a lot of work, but it's a good start. I'm proud."
Percy couldn't help but smile, a warm feeling fluttering around in his gut. "I… yeah, well, thanks."
Diana's smile widened slightly as she patted his shoulder. "Well, I think here is a good point to stop, and just in time too."
"Oh?" Percy questioned, quickly composing himself as he pulled his shirt back on and grabbed his bag.
"We're expected back at Mount Justice." Diana nodded, leading the way back to the road where her car, or rather Diana Prince's car, was waiting. "It's time for the Team to reassemble after your break, especially since we've already got some missions lined up for you."
Percy nodded, a slight smile playing around his mouth at the thought of returning to Mount Justice.
He had very much enjoyed his time on Themyscira training with Diana, sparring with Artemis and Pyrrha, playing around with Donna, and just generally relaxing, but he had also missed spending time with his friends.
Pausing mid-step at that thought, a slight frown crossed Percy's face.
He didn't think of them as just annoying brats any more.
But instead, he thought of all them as friends now, the entire team, as opposed to just one or two of them like before.
"Huh," Percy muttered, a slight smile playing around his lips.
He hadn't realised just how much they'd all grown on him over the last few months, and oddly, he was actually looking forward to seeing them all again.
( - )
(At Mount Justice with Robin)
Robin moved to block the incoming attack with his wood sword as Kid Flash darted forwards in a blur, his fists already flying as he leveraged his speed to its fullest and landed several quick blows on Robin's more armoured than usual form.
With a grunt, Robin lurched backwards, one of his arms visibly spasming as he quickly and deftly shifted his wooden sword into his left hand and changed his stance, his right hand now clenched into a fist.
"You've built tasers into your gloves." Robin stated more than asked, his lips twitching upwards into a slight grin as he fell back on his training and tried to ride out the dampened after-effects of the taser powered punches.
"Yep, but don't worry I've lowered the power, and I am holding back on just how hard I punch." Kid Flash grinned cheekily, his fists raised and his feet dancing back and forth as he kept on his toes, his green eyes following Robin as he once again changed his stance.
"Huh, well luckily for you, I've just got a practice sword, and have decided not to use all of my gadgets." Robin replied, his smirk widening for a second, before he exploded forwards, his right arm moving once more as he suddenly hurled a handful of smoke pellets at Kid Flash.
"Liar!" Kid Flash laughed, already blurring away as he deftly avoided the spreading smoke, and instead closed in on Robin from behind.
Sweeping his cape out as a distraction, Robin was already moving as he turned to face the predictable retaliation.
Only for him to once again receive a half dozen rapid punches as Kid Flash suddenly sidestepped, and disappeared from view again, only to reappear directly behind Robin in another red blur.
"Ouch!" Robin groaned as he hit the floor, low levels of electricity coursing through his body, even as he tried to turn his fall into a roll. The additional armour and padding he had added to his suit insulated him from the worst of Kid Flash's attacks, but not entirely; not that he was going to reveal that little facet of information to his opponent quite yet. Still, although he was insulated, it was not enough to make him fully immune to Kid's electric-powered punches. "Have you gotten faster?"
"Guilty," Kid Flash grinned as he vanished in another blur of red and reappeared half a dozen metres away. "Flash helped me reconstruct the experiment that gave him his powers a few days ago. We still couldn't get it exactly right, but it gave me a boost. I can't keep it up constantly, but I can now do sudden surges…, or rushes..., or well you get it. But yeah, I can hit Flash's level of speed now for short bursts of time. Oh, and my base speed is faster too!"
"Congrats," Robin smirked, genuinely pleased for his friend as he knew how much it had stung him not being able to fully keep up with his mentor, "But should you really be telling your opponent your secrets?"
"Like you can catch me now." Kid Flash laughed cockily.
Smirking, Robin shook his head, even as he eyed Kid warily.
Just like him, Kid Flash had updated his costume. Unlike before Biayla, it was now completely red, as opposed to the yellow colour it was previously. On top of that, it was missing the golden lightning bolt symbol in the centre of the torso, the Flash's hero symbol. Instead, he had a new symbol placed there, a pair of dark red 'Rs', RR, in the centre of his chest instead. Finishing it off, he had lightweight, metallic red gauntlets covering his hands and forearms, and boots and greaves made of the same metal on his feet and calves.
The look was very different from what he was used to.
But then again, Kid Flash would likely say the same about him, after all his costume was slightly bulkier than before as he had added more armour, similar to the kind Batman used, into his own costume. He also had an unfolding blade clipped against his hip, and armoured bracers on his forearms, with little barbs on them, similar to the kind Batman used. That, and he'd also changed the colour of his suit to a mainly black suit, with dark red elements here and there, including a now dark red, and slightly more stylised robin symbol on his chest.
"So, what's with the change in costume?" Robin asked blithely, his right foot slighting quietly across the ground slightly, even as he shifted his wooden practice sword back into his right hand.
He had gotten better with the blade, but he was not an expert yet; that was something he would work on over time. What he had already achieved, however, was success blending the use of a sword into his existing style of fighting.
"Well you know new me, new cost-" Kid Flash began, only for him to flinch as Robin made his move, an ear splitting shrieking sound ringing out, all but deafening the unprepared Kid Flash, even as Robin, his ear protected due to the custom-made communicators in his ears, rapidly crossed the distance, ice pellets already flying from his free hand as he swung his wooden blade forward.
To Kid Flash's credit he almost escaped, he managed to pull himself together fast enough to make it to the edge of the ice pellets range before it exploded and trapped his foot in ice, stopping him dead for a moment, and a moment was all Robin needed to close the remaining gap and bringing his wooden blade swinging round to rest against Kid Flash's throat.
Or at least that is what he aimed to do.
Before the tip of the blade could reach Kid Flash, the speedster had already changed direction and lunged forward, easily catching the flat of the blade with one palm, redirecting it, even as his other gauntlet closed around the hilt, and Robin's hand, electricity already coursing from his now closed hand as the taser function activated.
"Argh!" Robin grunted, biting down on the discomfort, as he instead surprised Kid Flash by powering through the effects of the taser and delivering a palm thrust to his opponent's throat.
"Oh screw you." Kid Flash gasped as he stumbled back and fell, his foot breaking free of the weakened ice as he then fell onto his arse.
"My win," Robin grinned cockily, as he too fell forwards and landed in a heap by Kid Flash's side.
"You got lucky." Kid Flash grumbled.
"And yet, I still won." Robin teased, rolling around, so he was now laid on his back, his gaze resting on the roof of Mount Justice. In the background, he could hear some of his fellow teammates also practicing.
"Ha ha," Kid Flash chuckled.
"So really though, what's with the change in costume." Robin asked, pushing himself into a sitting position now. His gaze rested on Tula and Artemis, both of whom were duking it out with Black Canary in the centre of the practice ring, even as Caleb, M'gann and Barbara did their own training further off to the side.
Barbara noticeably was currently using her new crossbow alongside her usual gadgetry, as she used some specialised bolts -the kind Green Arrow regularly used- to keep the Superman clone at bay. With M'gann backing her up using telekinesis, and, he presumed from his brief conversation with the three of them prior to the joint training session, some limited telepathy.
Caleb, meanwhile, was noticeably using more tactics than normal as he tried to close in on the highly mobile pair. With him not going with his usual strategy of relying on his powers and pure brute force, but instead with a more tactical approach as he tried to corner and take down one or other of his foes.
Smiling slightly, Robin shook his head.
They had all changed and grown a lot, and in a very short time too.
It was strange to think that only a few months ago they were all pretty much strangers, with the exception of himself, Kaldur and Wally.
Turning back to Wally at that thought, Robin smiled slightly as he listened to him explain why he'd changed his costume.
"I want to make my own mark. I might have pretty similar powers to Flash, but I'm also my own person, and I want to be my own kind of hero too. I don't want to live in his shadow any more, or have people look at me, and think of him. I know it sounds arrogant and like I'm being ungrateful, especially after all he's done for me, but-"
"No, I get it." Robin smiled, glancing down at his own altered costume as he did so. "I've had similar thoughts. But, well, I guess I didn't go as far as you."
"I was going to ask, actually, what's with your new threads?" Kid Flash smiled wryly.
"Most of it is for the sake of practicality, and efficiency. My old costume was more lightweight, but also less protective. It suits me currently because of my age, flexibility and fighting style. But as I get older, and bigger, and gain more muscle, I'll need to start changing things up. Considering I've already started changing my fighting style to make it a bit more… aggressive, I've had to start making some changes already. As for the colour scheme, well, I think it looks cooler now." Robin shrugged.
"Yeah, you look less like a traffic light in tights." Wally grinned.
Robin punched him lightly on the arm in response.
"Oh yeah, and what does the RR stand for, then?" Robin asked.
"Well," Kid Flash flushed. "You know, with the whole changing my costume to set myself apart from the Flash-"
"You're both wearing red." Robin laughed.
"Yeah, but that's because it's on theme. I want to set myself apart from him a bit, but not entirely. I'm still his partner, and a part of the Flash legacy. Plus, well, it also is necessary because of my new hero name." Kid Flash shrugged, his tone turning a little embarrassed as he said the last part.
"Wait, you have a new hero name?" Robin asked with a grin.
"Y-Yeah, well calling myself Kid Flash, it, well I'm not a kid any more, and it just makes me sound like a junior version of Flash, and not his partner, or a member of his team." Kid Flash said, ruffling his red hair awkwardly as he looked away.
"Yeah, I get that." Robin nodded.
He chose his name, Robin, partly for that reason too.
He didn't think he'd be able to live it down, or that his ego would recover, if he called himself Batboy, or Kid Bat, or Batlad. Barbara might be secure enough to pull off Batgirl, but he wasn't sure could say the same about himself. Not that he would ever admit it out loud.
"So what is your new name then?" Robin asked, pushing the conversation forward once more.
"Well, I was going to wait until everyone had assembled. You know, wait for Kaldur and Percy to arrive, but well, if you can keep a secret…" Kid Flash began, only to sigh as he saw Robin smirk at him. "Okay, yeah, I get it, you're like a master of secrets." Robin nodded. "Well fine then, my new name is Red Rush, and don't laugh!"
"Red Rush," Robin repeated contemplatively. "It's different."
Wally winced.
"But not bad." Robin pressed on quickly. "It'll take a while to get used, but yeah, it's still cool."
Wally relaxed minutely. "Well, I just thought, my hair is red, and my costume is now red, and rush, that's another word for going fast, plus with my ability to now go full Flash-mode in short bursts, or well, rushes, it just kind of… I don't know, it made sense."
"Nah, I get it." Robin grinned. "It's cool, and I'll bet the other's like it too. Hey, it might even convince some of them to change their own names to be less derivative as well."
Wally smiled slightly. "It is kind of funny when you think about it. We all shouted about how we weren't sidekicks, but then all chose super obvious names; Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, Aquagirl, Batgirl, Kid Flash. You Artemis and Percy, and now me I suppose, are the only ones with original names."
"Yeah," Robin laughed a bit. "And if you think about it Roy, who was the angriest about being called a sidekick or a copy, changed his name from Speedy, a more original name, into Red Arrow, a more derivative name."
"Ha, yeah, I didn't actually think of that. What an asshole." Wally laughed.
"Hey," Robin frowned, "He's maybe a bit rude and abrasive, but he's still our friend."
"Yeah, I know," Wally shook his head. "He's arrogant and self-entitled, and definitely an asshole, but I'm not saying he's not our friend."
"He's not that bad." Robin said.
Wally raised an eyebrow. "When was the last time you spoke to him over the last couple of months, and he wasn't a complete dick?"
"Hmm, point taken." Robin nodded after a moment, before he let out a sigh. "But he and Kaldur are still close. They're actually out on patrol at the moment."
"Huh, I didn't know that. I've not spoken to Kaldur all week. Where are they patrolling?" Wally asked, his brow furrowing. "And why weren't we invited?"
"Not sure," Robin shrugged. "I only spoke to him briefly yesterday when he told me he was heading off with Red Arrow to do something. He didn't say what they were doing, though. He didn't tell M'gann or Caleb either, and he was staying here at the time, so it might be something personal."
"Maybe," Wally muttered, "I hope he isn't in trouble though."
"Nah, you know Kaldur, he's too serious and responsible. If he were in trouble, he'd definitely call for help." Robin said, waving Wally's concerns away.
"Yeah, you're right." Wally nodded, forcing a grin as he pushed himself up and back onto his feet, before turning and offering Robin a hand up too. "I could do with a break from training…, so, let's go annoy-, I mean, hang out with the others."
"Sounds like a plan." Robin smirked, placing his wooden sword on the nearby rack, before following Wally's lead as the two of them headed over to where Tula and Artemis were still fighting it out with Black Canary.
From what he could see of the other three, their spar/ training session already looked to be coming to an end, as Barbara was now out of ammo, and Caleb looked lost, almost like he'd been trapped in a living dream, or illusion or something. A possibility that was emphasised by the fact that M'gann was currently floating above him, her expressive hazel eyes now glowing a vibrant green.
( - )
(With Dinah)
Tripping Artemis after grabbing and pulling on her ponytail, Black Canary landed a quick, solid kick into her gut as she fell, propelling the younger woman several feet across the ground and into Tula's legs, unsteadying the Atlantean, even as she pressed the attack.
"Remember, your opponent won't always fight fair." Dinah said, as she dodged several water whips, her footwork remaining steady and controlled as she continued to close in on the harried Atlantean.
"Yeah, I already got that." Artemis grunted, swinging her legs around for momentum and flipping to her feet, her knees bending as she did so, before she then pushed off and leapt towards her opponent.
Dancing back a step, Dinah shifted her position, forcing Artemis to fight in between herself and Tula, her arms already moving as she parried several rapid punches, before then using her knee to block a kick.
Opening her mouth, she let loose a sonic scream, catching both girls in its range as she forced them both to back off, their hands clasped around their ears.
Smiling, Dinah used the space it bought her to ram her knee into Artemis's gut.
Or at least she tried to.
Before she could, though, Artemis leapt forward and tackled her around the waist, taking her to the ground quickly as they started to grapple. With Artemis using her powerful legs, and the momentum from the take down to lock one of Dinah's arms against her torso, even as she tried to use her arms to put the older blonde in a chokehold.
Gasping slightly as she felt Artemis's strong limbs around her neck, her elbow already flying as she tried to hit Artemis in the kidneys and underarm, anywhere she could to weaken her hold.
"Good," Dinah rasped. "Changing up your speed can give you an advantage, it makes it difficult for your opponent to dodge or block an attack, especially when you do something unpredictable."
Rearing her head back as she felt Artemis, tired as she was and struggling to hold on, shift about behind her, Dinah slammed the back of her head into the side of Artemis's face, her blue eyes narrowing as she saw the now recovered Tula was closing in on her. Already she could see a swirling trident of water clutched in redhead's hands and more water weaving about behind her as she both used the time Artemis was buying her to collect up more water from the limited reserves around them, even as she moved to take advantage of the opening and end the fight.
She was in a tough spot, she was on the ground with Artemis behind her, the younger blonde's legs wrapped tightly around her arm and torso like a snake, even as one of her arms was wrapped around her neck, slowly choking her, with the other locking that arm in place.
Gritting her teeth as she heard Artemis's gasp of pain, Dinah sucked in what little air she could and let loose another shriek, forcing Tula to back off, even as she continued to try and worm out of her current predicament.
Both Tula and Artemis were getting better.
It was a bit of an impromptu spar, one spurred on by Tula's recent return to base, and Artemis's constant drive to improve, but they were doing well.
They'd only been going for twenty minutes, and already they had trapped her, an experienced hero with nearly a decade of experience, in a bind. Yes, she hadn't been going all out, but then arguably neither had they. Artemis hadn't used her bow, and Tula had been limited to close combat oriented spells and water manipulation.
"Okay," Dinah said, her face very red now as she Tula once again moved in, her trident now pointed at her heart. "I give, you win."
With a short laugh and sigh of relief, Artemis released her grip and rolled away, her face and clothing soaked in sweat and face quite pink, as she then proceeded to lay spread-eagled on the floor.
With a sigh of her own, Tula allowed the trident of water to disperse, even as she sank to her knees and dropped backwards onto the floor.
"You did well," Dinah said, rubbing her neck as she tiredly sat up and looked at the two girls appraisingly. "Artemis, you're definitely stronger than you were before Bialya. And Tula, well I don't know enough about your capabilities prior too now to be honest, but you did very well too. For someone that primarily relies on your magic and ranged attacks, your hand to hand was pretty good, and although you could do with more training for melee weapons, you've got the basics down."
Both of them grinned at her compliments.
It was enough to raise her mood slightly, even as she rolled onto her front and tiredly pushed herself up, her gaze sweeping the rest of the chamber as she saw Robin and Kid Flash both chatting amicably as they walked over to where the three of them were resting. The others meanwhile, Superboy, Miss Martian and Batgirl, were also walking over.
They all looked tired, but triumphant.
It was definitely an improvement on how they had all looked directly after the mission to Biayla.
The team was pretty much back together now, and ready to take on a new mission.
All that was missing was Percy, who she had been warned would be returning today, and Kaldur, who she knew from Batman, was in Taipei at the moment helping Red Arrow out on some kind of protection mission.
Her smile faded at that thought.
Both at the thought of Percy returning. Her stomach roiled guilty at the thought of facing him again, especially if Diana had shared what she knew.
But also at the thought of Kaldur going off on his own with only Red Arrow as backup. The young Atlantean hadn't asked permission before leaving. Instead, he had just gone, and worst of all, there was nothing she could have done to stop him. The others had all returned to their respective homes, or were doing their own things, and considering Kaldur was seventeen, and she wasn't his legal guardian, there had been very little she could have said to stop him aside from telling Aquaman, his actual legal guardian up here on the surface world, or where he had gone and what he was doing.
In the end, though, he was his own person and on the cusp of adulthood, and so very much capable of making his own decisions and mistakes.
Sighing at that, Dinah grabbed a nearby towel and wiped some of the sweat off her face.
"Recognised: Riptide, B06"
Turning around as she heard the tinny voice ringing out from the zeta tube, Dinah watched as Percy stepped out of the glowing machine.
He looked good, a lot better than he had after the mission to Biayla.
His skin had a healthy, tanned look to it, his dark hair was shorter than before, and his bright green eyes seemed happier and more relaxed than she had ever seen them. On top of that, he was dressed far more casually than she had ever seen him dress before, with him wearing a baggy white t-shirt, dark blue shorts and flip-flops. He didn't have a sword at his hip, or any armour, or weapons in sight. Instead, he just looked like a stereotypical surfer, or some frat boy on spring break. If she didn't know what he was, she would have thought he was just a normal, happy every day guy.
Considering what he had looked like before he left, and the way he had acted when he first joined the team, the difference now was like night and day.
He looked happy, and the sight of it made her stomach churn with guilt.
"Recognised: Wonder Woman, 03" The zeta tube rang out again, even as it whirred to life a moment after Percy stepped out of it, allowing Diana through next, a bright smile on her face as she pulled her sunhat and sunglasses off and looked around the cave.
Once again, Dinah was taken aback.
Diana too looked very different from when she had last seen her. She didn't look like a grim warrior, or an ancient hero. But instead like a relaxed young woman, with a nice trendy white blouse, jean shorts and open toed sandals.
The pair of them looked like they were a couple dressed for a day out at the beach.
"Percy!" Miss Martian shouted as she rapidly flew over to him, her conversation with Caleb and Barbara completely forgotten as she instead slammed into the young demigod, a bright smile on her face as she threw her arms around him.
It was nice to see, especially considering her chats with the young Martian over the last week. The girl was a bundle of insecurities and anxiety.
She had also taken the aftermath of the mission to Biayla quite hard, especially once she regained her memories and realised that she had hurt Percy, the person she was closest to on the team.
It was nice to see them reunite, though inwardly she suspected that this wouldn't be the end of it, not when Megan, even after all their chats, was still suppressing so much guilt, fear and insecurity.
Looking around she could see the others quickly following suit, with some like Robin, Barbara, Artemis and Caleb hanging back as they greeted him with waves and kind words. While the others, Tula and Kid Flash gave him more physical greetings, as Tula also threw her arms around him for a quick hug, ignoring Megan's scowl, as she instead sent him a smile before stepping back. Kid Flash meanwhile, just threw his arm around his shoulders and offered him a fist bump.
"Hey, how are you all doing?" Percy smiled, the expression painfully genuine, as he put an arm around M'gann, giving her a quick hug, even as he turned to the others, lightly punching Kid Flash in the arm, even as he looked him up and down, and made a comment about his new costume.
She couldn't hear exactly what he said, but she assumed it was sarcastic and funny, considering Kid Flash and the others laughed, even as Percy strode into their midst, a smile still on his face as he shook hands, clapped people on the shoulders, and just generally started chatting with his team.
From where she stood, they actually looked like a team now.
She couldn't help but smile at the sight of it, not that her smile lasted long when she spotted the frowning Diana heading her way.
Taking a step back, her eyes flickered over to where Percy and the rest of the team were still chatting, none of them were paying attention.
"Diana," Dinah said as the older woman came to a stop in front of her, her expression now flat.
"Dinah," Diana replied, her blue eyes as frosty as her tone. "You remember what we talked about?"
"Yes," Dinah nodded, refusing to break eye contact. "Once he's settled in, I'll ask to speak to him. I need to do it anyway, just to check up on him after his mission. But I'll also use it as an opportunity to, well-"
"Tell him how you betrayed his trust, and went behind his back when you colluded with Batman to uncover very private aspects of his identity and origin?" Diana said bluntly.
"Yes, that." Dinah nodded. "I'll speak to him, and tell him everything."
"Good," Diana said, turning away. "And then we'll see how he reacts. If he no longer feels comfortable with you around…"
"I'll leave Mount Justice, and surrender my position here to someone else, and I'll do the same if he tells the others and they no longer feel comfortable with me around." Dinah said seriously. She didn't want to leave, she liked working here with the Team, helping them and training them to be the best that they could be. It would be painful to leave. But at the sametime, she knew her position here would be untenable if she lost their trust.
"I'm glad we're clear." Diana said after a moment, her expression still hard.
"I am sorry," Dinah replied softly.
"I'm aware, but words are meaningless. Action is what counts. Show your contrition and earn forgiveness. Do that, and we'll see where we go from there." Diana said, her voice softening for a moment, before she shook her head and turned away. "Oh, and I'm not sure if Red Tornado informed you, but I'll be taking Percy and a couple of the others with me on an important mission in the next few days, one that I will be leading."
"Yes, I was told. You're searching for Doctor Fate's successor, right?" Dinah asked.
"Yes, Zatara and Constantine have tried to find him, but he's in the wind and keeping a low profile. The Tower is secure, but there is no sign of him or her. It's concerning, especially considering what happened to the previous host." Diana said, her tone steady as she crossed her arms and glanced over at where the team were now lounging around on sofas, talking and relaxing after a hard training session, with Percy now ensconced on a sofa with M'gann and Wally on either side of him, even as the others crowded round, no doubt sharing tales of what they've been up to over the last week and a bit.
"You think it has something to do with Klarion the Witchboy?" Dinah asked, concerned.
"Yes," Diana nodded. "It's an important mission, which is why I'm bringing some of the Team with me. That, and we'll be linking up with Zatara and his protégé too."
Dinah grimaced. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but Batman has also suggested a mission he wants the Team involved in over at Belle Reve…"
Diana scowled and shook her head. "Batman can suggest what he wants, but the team is big enough to split into two. I'll take Percy and a couple of the others with me. He can make do with the rest."
"He might not like that…" Dinah cautioned.
"I couldn't give a shit what he might and might not like." Diana said sharply. "The rest of the League are aware of Zatara and my mission, and are fully aware of its importance."
"I'm not saying otherwise." Dinah said quickly, raising her hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying, well, you know Batman…"
"Yes, he is an ass, and hates it when others interfere in his business. Unfortunately for him, he is on a team -even if he doesn't act like it sometimes- and as such can't dictate what the rest of us can and can't do." Diana said firmly, before shaking her head. "Either way, it is irrelevant, the mission will be going ahead."
"Right," Dinah nodded.
"Now, I'll just say goodbye to Percy and then head off. I think they all need an evening to settle back into the swing of things. I'll be back tomorrow morning to brief them on the mission." Diana said, no longer looking at Diana now, as she instead smiled and walked over to where Percy and the others were sitting, her eyes suddenly far livelier as she ruffled his hair, much to his displeasure, and started saying her goodbyes to him and the others.
"That could have gone worse." Dinah muttered to herself, leaning back against the kitchen counter now, her handle idly reaching for the tv remote as she forcibly took her eyes off of the others.
Diana was pissed at both her and Batman, and rightly so.
Still, reading between the lines, she did see hope for their relationship in the future. It might never be the same as what it had been, but there was at least some hope of patching it up into something approaching friendship.
Grabbing the tv remote, Dinah absent-mindedly clicked the tv on, her attention only half on it as she glanced oversaw Diana heading for the zeta tubes, only for her attention to snap to it in an instant as she heard the content of the ongoing news report.
"This is Cat Grant reporting from Taipei, where the historic Peace Summit between North, and South Rhelasia has erupted into violence and chaos. " Cat Grant, a pale skinned, blue eyed, blonde said as she stared into the camera.
From behind her scenes of chaos and confusion were visible as suited members of armed security quickly bundled crowds of screaming and shouting civilians away, even as more police and security moved in using tape, vehicles and riot shields to quickly cordon off an area.
Within the cordoned off area, several ambulances were already visible, as were a damaged limo and a number of paramedics quickly working on several barely visible bodies.
"Only twenty minutes previously, during the arrival of the arbitrator for the peace summit, Lex Luthor; the famous businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, tragedy struck, as unknown metahuman assassins hiding within the crowd attempted to kill the recently arrived, Mr Luthor!" Cat Grant continued, her tone sombre as text began to run across the bottom of the screen announcing that there were so far twenty seven casualties and three known deaths.
Almost at once, Dinah felt like an icy hand gripped her heart.
Taipei, that was where Kaldur and Red Arrow had gone.
"Details are still coming in, but I can confirm that despite the heroic actions of the young heroes; Red Arrow, Aqualad, and the actions of Lex Luthor's own security detail and the thwarting of the assassination, several people still lost their lives." Cat Grant pressed on, her expression grim. "There have been twenty seven casualties so far, some of whom have already been taken to the nearest hospital, even as others are being seen as we speak. There have also been three deaths; two as of yet unnamed security guards, and most tragically of all the young hero, Aqualad, all of whom lost their lives during the failed dassassiantion attempt."
Dinah felt her heart sink, even as she heard a muffled gasp from behind her.
"The details coming in are still hazy, but from what we have been able to gather, a terrorist organisation had put in place plans to assassinate Lex Luthor, and disrupt the ongoing peace summit. After hearing of this plot, Aqualad and Red Arrow both moved to assist and provide protection, even as the security at the event was increased. Unfortunately, these provisions were not enough, and this as of yet unnamed organisation succeeded in pulling off their plan, though not successfully, again due to the heroism of Aqualad, Red Arrow, and Mercy Graves, Lex Luthor's bodyguard, as well as the tireless work of the security teams. This is Cat Grant reporting with the latest updates of the ongoing situation here in Taipei."
Hearing the news report come to an end, the tv remote fell out of Dinah's limp hand, even as she turned and looked at the devastated looking members of the team.
Kaldur was dead.
( - )
AN: And so Kaldur is dead! Who saw that coming? And what impact will that have on the story and the characters in it going forward? Suffice to say shit will likely hit the fan, still with DC being what it is, who knows what will happen. As for as IPs go DC is pretty bizarre and weird sometimes. Still, I hope you enjoyed the story, and not too many of you are put off by the death of a character. Alas in danger lines of work like heroism it happens. Both to villains and heroes. Still, I have plans for the future concerning the impacts of what happened in this chapter.
Plus next chapter will be the start of the new arc, and will have two missions running concurrently, though we will primarily be following Percy's exploits as he, Wonder Woman, and a couple of others including Zatara and his protégé go on a mission to find the missing new version of Doctor Fate, even as the others tackle a mission at Belle Reve with only half their numbers. Plus all the team of growing and developing, and Percy is learning more about this world, and the possibilities that are out there with the gods absent, even as he starts to ponder the reasoning behind their disappearance. Throw in the ongoing disunity in the Justice League, the ongoing machinations of the Light in the background, and we have quite a few things going on right now.
So yeah next chapter things will pick up very fast, as events start coming in, even as they deal with the revelations of what happened in this chapters, and the impacts that will have on things going forward.
Hope you all stick with it, as I do have a plan in mind.
Thanks for reading, and please do join my discord, there is an invite in my profile. If not then feel free to PM me is you've questions or suggestions. Otherwise, hope you all have a good rest of the day, and catch you later.
Greed720.