The whole drive back from the shelter, Bruce caught Alfred eyeing the newest member of the family with concern. Not for Damian, no—the pup was as smitten as he was—he was worried about the upholstery. If her shedding didn't absolutely ruin every piece of furniture in the manor, her claws would. Bruce made a mental note to find a groomer and schedule a house call. Now that Ace's dogfighting days were behind her, she wouldn't need to keep those nails so long—or sharp.

As soon as they pulled up to the front, Damian was hopping out of the back seat with his dog in tow. She followed him to the door, grinning and drooling all over the place. Bruce heard Alfred sigh as he sidled up to the front and unlocked it. The pair scampered inside, the click of nails on the hardwood floor making Alfred flinch. Bruce felt a great swell of pity and resolved to take care of that groomer today.

Just as soon as they flew Jason back from Themyscira.

Diana had texted a few times since their last call. He was stirring, but not quite awake. Hopefully he'd be up in time for breakfast, since Alfred had been working on it all night with the kids' help. Carlisle managed all of fifteen minutes trying not to use his speed in the kitchen, then headed home after giving Cass a wink and a promise for a "raincheck." Bruce had spent that time cataloguing the evidence collected by Oracle and the GCPD, trying to make a solid enough connection to trace Elliot's movements. Nothing so far, not even a reference to their deal.

But then, Tommy was smart enough not to use his real name—or any alias Bruce might already know.

For now, it was more hurry up and wait. So he'd headed up to the kitchen and asked Alfred if he needed anything from him.

To which the Brit had sternly replied, "Sleep, sir."

Bruce had protested. It wasn't his first all-nighter, and Alfred had been working just as hard.

"Sleep, sir."

But if there was a break in the case—

"Sleep. Now…sir."

So Bruce had sulkily climbed to his room. Damian and Cass had a good chuckle when they thought he was out of earshot.

In retrospect, it really had been the best decision. Between the fear toxin, Darren Hayes, and what happened to Jason, the last twenty-four hours had been a living nightmare in more ways than one. So it was a blessed relief when his actual nightmares had been utterly absent. Some of that might've been due to the fact that he got all of four hours of sleep before waking Damian to pick up Ace. He didn't relish the thought of his next full night's sleep. When he rounded the corner to the dining room, Bruce knew he'd had neither enough coffee nor sleep to face today.

Because Jason Todd was sitting in his dining room with a cup of black coffee.

Everyone except came to a dead stop—except Alfred, who strode past, gave Jason a pat on the shoulder, and went to make himself a fresh cup of Earl Grey. Damian stood with his new friend (who came up to his lower chest) and held onto her leash. The tension was making Ace anxious, by the way her ears went flat. Bruce touched his shoulder to calm him down and nodded at the dog. Damian noticed and forced himself to relax.

"A heads up would've been nice," Bruce said.

Jason smirked and slurped his coffee in the oh-so-obnoxious way he'd started as a kid whenever he wanted to irritate Bruce. "You were out and you never left me a key."

"Cass was here."

"Is she?" He shrugged. "Number of bodies comin' in and out of here, you never know. It's like the Ritz."

Bruce approached the table and motioned Damian on. He eyed Jason like a viper and strode past with Ace curiously sniffing the newcomer. Jason held his hand out toward her, then chuckled.

"So you broke down and got the dog," he said when they were gone.

Bruce sat a few seats down from him. "I think they'll be good for each other."

"Hm." Another obnoxious slurp.

Bruce sighed. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"Mhm."

Sluuuurp.

"Is this your way of saying you want your room back?" Bruce asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

That stopped Jason short. He set the mug down. "No. You said the kid would be comin' back in the morning." He waved the coffee toward the sunlit windows. "Sun's up. Kid's not here."

"He's taking a little longer to wake than expected. They gave him a lot of anesthetic."

Jason frowned. "How bad was it, really? Caden didn't give me a lot of detail when he called."

Bruce dragged a hand across his face. "Remember Harvey?"

His jaw visibly tightened—he'd still been Robin back when it first happened.

"This was worse. And it was more than just the face."

"Christ…" Jason leaned back and stared off to the side. "But he's okay?"

"Fully healed, far as they can tell." Bruce gave him a look. "But I think we both know the physical damage is the easiest to deal with. I can only hope the initial shock coupled with how long he spent sleeping lets him forget most of it. Something that severe…it's not like a stab or a gunshot. You don't just shrug that off."

"…I know."

Bruce checked his phone again. Nothing. He sighed and stood up. "Alfred!"

The butler showed up in seconds.

"Do you think we can pack up the food for transport?"

Alfred's eyebrows shot up. "You want to bring it there?"

Bruce smiled and nodded. "I'll call Diana so she can give her mother a heads up. Pack up the jet and get the others to help. We leave as soon as you're done."

Alfred gave Jason a meaningful glance. "All of us, sir?"

Bruce looked to Jason and didn't speak until he gave a faint nod. "All of us."

…

Voices. Voices like a flood, a torrent of indistinguishable sound and emotion. At some point, a few things became clearer.

"Timing, friend. It all comes down to timing."

"He is vulnerable now."

"Not in a way that matters."

Jason's eyes flew open as he gasped his way to consciousness. His clenched fists immediately looked for something to hit. The moment something brushed him, he started swinging. His swing didn't go halfway.

"Jason! Jason, it's me! Can you hear me? Jesus, he's strong!"

He blinked rapidly, trying to wrench free. He could still hear that voice.

"One piece is retrieved, and not by you. That should be your only other concern. Especially if you ever want to see him again."

Jason was hyperventilating, desperately snapping his body back and forth. He had to move.

"You're safe!" someone was screaming. "We're all safe!"

We? Who's we?

He couldn't see a damn thing. It was just so dark.

"What have I told you about arguing with me? I—"

The voice stopped as if someone had jerked a noose around his neck.

Jason blinked and stared at a singular point of light that promptly became two.

Metallic gold.

"Jason!"

He blinked once more, and his mother was looking up at him with panic in her eyes. Her hands cupped his face, trying to hold him steady. His arms were entrapped by Donna and Cassie, both of whom looked red with exertion.

"Mom?"

Jason startled at the sound of his own voice, echoing and booming unnaturally as it was. He blinked rapidly and shook his head, noticing belatedly that he was aglow with silvery light. In moments, the runes faded and the room was dark once more. Slowly, torchlight and a faint teal glow made themselves known. He barely remembered the last time he'd woken up, but he recognized these chambers from stories Diana used to tell.

"The healing pools?" he asked, breathless.

Diana nodded and held his shoulders as she eased him back into the water. "You're safe. The chimera struck you with Stygian flame, magic that Circe stole from Hecate. Athena provided us the cure."

He sighed and nodded, taking a deep breath as his eyes shut. "Did the others make it out?" He craned his neck to look at her when she didn't immediately answer. "Mom?"

No one looked in a hurry to speak.

"Darren Hayes overdosed on λ-Venom after the tunnels were flooded with fear toxin," Cassie said finally. "He went into cardiac arrest in seconds. Paramedics couldn't save him."

Jason slumped back in the water and shut his eyes. "Goddammit."

"There's more," Diana said. "Apparently Circe's 'shapeshifter' isn't a shapeshifter at all, but an identity thief."

His eyes snapped open. "Thomas Elliot?"

She nodded gravely.

He groaned and punched the water. "How the hell did I not see this coming?!"

"How could you have?"

Something was very, very wrong. Elliot wasn't even active during this part of history, much less making prisonbreaks and dosing schoolchildren with fear toxin. Then something she said came back to him.

"λV, what is that?" he asked. "New variant?"

Diana nodded. "A highly addictive version designed to induce overdose after a little over a week. We think Elliot's also the one producing and selling λV with the express purpose of causing mass casualties. Hopefully Caden and Adonis can produce a cure before that happens, but your father and Gordon just raided a distribution hub that doubled as a testing site. With any luck, it'll slow the drug's spread if nothing else."

Jason arched a brow. "Adonis is helping? Like, actively helping?"

Diana shrugged. "Apparently. According to Bruce, he almost seemed offended at the existence of this new drug."

He scoffed. "Guess perfectionism runs in the blood." He was silent a while. "How am I looking?"

The lead healer stepped up now—Althea, if he remembered right.

"Your body should be completely healed," she said, "but I'd still like to test your range of motion and coordination before you do anything strenuous."

He waved her off, a touch annoyed. "I'm fine. I feel great, actually."

Althea frowned. "You've been fighting off full disintegration for almost twelve hours. A little caution wouldn't kill you."

"No, any more time lying around in hospitals will," he replied testily, starting to get up.

At which point he realized he was naked in a room full of women—including his mother—and immediately dropped back in the water.

Cassie vainly and ineffectually smothered her giggles at how beet-red he got. They erupted moments later, to the exasperation of Donna and Diana.

Jason cleared his throat sharply. "Can I uh…get my clothes back? Or, like, a towel? Something? Anything? Napkin?"

Althea let him stew on it for another moment or two, then smirked and waved to one of her attendants. "Your clothes were mostly destroyed by the flame, and your mother has barely left your side."

He arched a brow at the flowy cream garment as he held it up over the edge of the pool. "So, I get to wear a dress?"

"A toga," she corrected with a hint of annoyance.

"I know," he said with a grin. "I'm just givin' you shit."

Althea stared him down flatly, sighing hard. She turned to Diana. "Suddenly I'm reminded of another difficult patient."

Diana smiled sheepishly.

She waved at Jason dismissively. "He's in your care now, princess. Clearly I can't make him take it slow, so I'll leave that to you." She made for the exit. "We'll give you a moment of privacy."

"Thank you," Jason said, still very red.

The other healers left too. Diana jerked her head at Donna and Cassie. They got the hint. Diana turned around and gave him space.

"How's Lindsey taking it?" Jason asked as he toweled off.

Diana's shoulders slumped a bit. "I don't know. Besides Bruce's operations, I haven't heard anything from home." She perked up a bit. "Oh, you'll find this interesting: Jason Todd lent us a hand last night."

His eyes immediately snapped to her. "He's back?"

"He was. Left not long after the raid was over. Though it didn't seem like he'd be gone forever."

"…huh."

Jason smiled to himself as he pulled the loose-fitting robe on. Damn. It was entirely too breezy in this thing. They hadn't even saved him underwear. A glance at his mother showed she was trying desperately to contain her amusement.

"Did you ever have to wear one of these?" he asked.

She smiled. "Only on the occasion. To be fair, I doubt anything else they make would've fit you."

Jason carefully stepped out of the pool to find strapped sandals waiting for him. "How's Dad taking the news about Hush?"

Diana sighed hard. "You know your father. He's been in work mode all night. Left for Gotham as soon as you were delivered here."

Jason nodded. "Yeah, that tracks. Nothing worse than feeling useless at a moment like that." He frowned. "Especially after Darren."

Diana nodded and followed him out of the caves. By the look in her eyes, she seemed more than a little resentful about it. Jason decided not to push. Donna and Cassie were waiting for them just outside. Together with several royal guards, they escorted the pair back to the palace.

"I called Bruce to let them know you're awake," Diana said. "They should already be on their way with the jet. Althea will want to run a few more tests, and then we can go."

Jason nodded, trying to ignore the looks being sent his way from every Amazon they passed. When he couldn't, he found the amount of smiles a little…unsettling.

"Has it…been like this all night?" Jason asked.

One of the guards glanced back at him. "The queen was beside herself from the moment she saw your condition. And she has made no secret of her ire. Preparations are already underway to strike at Circe's stronghold as soon as we find it."

Jason felt a full blush overtake him as they entered the palace. Hippolyta was in her usual garb, but her energy was completely different. There was an icy hardness in her blue eyes that he'd never seen before. It vanished as soon as she looked up and saw him.

"Engonós!" she cried, rushing over to embrace him.

He held her back as tightly.

"It is good to see you on your feet." She pulled back just enough to smile and nudge his chin. "You gave us all quite the scare, little one."

Jason felt a little awkward, since this was the exact same scrutiny she showed the first time they met. This time felt much different, warmer, in a way. He pushed down his discomfort and found a swell of warmth in his chest as he locked her in his arms and held her tight.

Hippolyta chuckled. "Are you all right?"

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Just…glad you're in my life this time. I love you."

She stiffened for the briefest of moments before petting his hair. "I love you too." She kissed his head and held him at arm's length. "Now, you must be starving. Shall we?"

Diana raised her hand. "Ah…actually, Alfred is—"

As if on cue, the dull roar of the Invisible Jet's stealth engine vibrated through the palace walls. Jason broke away from his grandmother to run for the doors to the landing pad. He pushed his way out first and watched the jet's ramp descend. Bruce was the first one out. The relief on his face was like a mallet to the gut. He broke out running at the same time as Jason. They embraced as soon as they touched, Bruce cradling his head to his chest. He kept stroking Jason's head, reassuring himself he was there and alive.

"I'm okay, Dad. I'm okay." Jason's cracking voice seemed to think otherwise.

Bruce didn't say anything, just held him. Then Jason heard the dull roll of wheels on brick and drew back to glance at the heavy-laden cart being pushed by Alfred and Damian.

"That's breakfast?" Jason asked in shock.

"Well, we did have to cook for a few extra bodies."

Damian cleared his throat sharply.

Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes. "They had to cook."

Jason frowned. "Extra—"

"Hello, Jason."

He froze and turned around, grinning like a madman. "Hello, Jason."

And promptly tackled Jason Todd like a bulldozer. To his mild surprise, Jay stayed standing and chuckled.

"Been a while, kid. You're just a magnet for all kinds of trouble, aren't you?"

Jace cackled and hugged him again. "It's so good to see you, man. Where've you been?"

He shrugged. "Ah, here, there. Let's just say the Decembrists won't be getting any new material from West Africa for a while."

"My man." Jace slapped his arm and pulled him toward the palace. "Come on! Alfred went way overboard, and I still remember how you love to eat."

Bruce was lingering.

Jace stopped short. "Dad? Missing something?"

His lips pursed, eyes glancing his way with a little twinkle. Then he whistled, and Jace looked to the ramp. A low-pitched woof echoed from the landing pad as a giant black fur missile dashed from the plane.

"Jason," Bruce chuckled, "this is—"

"Ace?" Jason's voice was barely a whisper of shock and disbelief.

A small, distant bark answered him.

"Ace!" Jason screamed at the top of his lungs.

Before the big pup had even reached full gallop, Jason was there. Ace barreled into him like a torpedo. He barely felt it.

"Ace, baby, I missed you!" Jason threw his arms around her. "I missed you so much!"

He didn't even realize how fast his voice disintegrated or when his shoulders started shaking or eyes went blurry. He just held on and pet her head and ears and treasured every startled lick of his face. The big hound yowled and panted excitedly. He pet behind her ears and brushed his fingers over the white spade, for a moment remembering how much more white there had been when—

Jason sobbed and held her closer, his whole body shaking violently. Every royal guard in the palace wouldn't be able to pry him off.

Nobody tried.

…

After his outburst on the landing pad, nobody said a word about Jason bringing a dog to the table, not even Alfred.

Jason Todd (well out of Jason's earshot) had even complained, "I feel like I should be disappointed he's more excited about the dog than me but uh…nah, this is okay."

When everyone was inside, Donna and Cassie had stood frozen at the edge of the room for all of five seconds before Jace asked, "You gonna help us with this or what?"

The atmosphere in the royal dining hall was eerily similar to Christmas at the manor. No one was talking at the moment, save to request something from the other end of the table.

Alfred had outdone himself: a massive spread of shredded hashbrowns, pancakes, honey-glazed turkey bacon (Alfred kept a large supply in case Caden or Katherine stopped by), and spinach-and-cheese omelets. On the other side of the table was a very different buffet produced by Myrrha—his Amazonian counterpart, as it turned out. Upright cylindrical racks of lamb and chicken meant for slicing and skewer, an abundance of rice and fried tomato fritters, and a hefty platter of baklava (which she said, in no uncertain terms, would not be touched until they were finished with breakfast).

Neither chef was sampling their own creations. Instead, they were critiquing each other. Thus far, Alfred's only complaints were that none of this was technically "breakfast" food, and would be better served as brunch. To which Myrrha shot back with the necessity of having necessities first thing in the morning, and not just meat and sugar. Alfred was in the middle of defending via his omelets at the moment.

Diana just grinned. She couldn't remember the last time someone had managed to ruffle the old butler enough to get him animated. Hippolyta was observing Myrrha with the same look.

She leaned in toward Diana. "Why have you not brought this delightful man sooner?"

Diana rolled her eyes. "Mother, you know why. Until recently, friction with the sisters—"

Hippolyta scoffed and waved her hand. "Oh, bother with the sisters! Seeing Myrrha so flustered is absolutely worth the price of admission."

Diana chuckled and shrugged. She didn't dispute it. She looked over at her sons to see Jason and Damian not-so-secretly passing Ace the occasional scraps while the servers looked on with a mix of amusement and horror. Jason's hand barely left the large hound the whole time. She bit her lip. Seeing him cry like that…

Gods, she couldn't remember the last time she'd cried like that for anything. If she remembered correctly, Great Danes only had an average lifespan of eight to ten years, and this one was already a year old…

She sighed and forced herself not to think about it. Animals, beautiful and finite—one of few examples where mortal humans could relate to her own immortal grief. Knowing they would be there long after their beloved was dead and gone—it was a special kind of hell, one that took a great deal of practice to cope with.

Bruce caught her brooding and gave her a tap.

Diana smiled and held his hand, lacing their fingers. He didn't ask, and she didn't offer. They just ate and enjoyed the atmosphere. The two Jasons were catching up at the far end of the table. Todd was explaining the raid last night and going into a ridiculous (in her opinion) amount of detail on how he developed the less-than-lethal munitions he'd used. Jason was hanging on his every word. Diana cocked her head a bit.

She'd only ever met Jason Todd a handful of times, once in his latter years as Robin and a few times after his resurrection. The last was right after the siege the night of Bruce's proposal. In all her years of knowing and being part of the family, she'd exchanged maybe ten sentences with him. Needless to say, Diana had no idea what to expect outside of his reputation as a merciless vigilante. But the more she watched their interactions, the more she realized just how much his younger namesake had taken after him.

The way they spoke, the faint hunch at the table because it was too short to sit and eat comfortably, even the way they held their knives. The only other person she'd seen Jason latch onto like this was Cassandra, who was very noticeably as close as possible on his other side.

"How is she doing?" Diana asked Bruce softly. "I saw the way she looked in the throne room last night. Did you ever speak to her about it?"

He frowned. "No, but she seems to have leveled out." He sighed. "I know we haven't really discussed her new…friend. It's her life, her choice of who she spends time with."

"Of course."

He met her eyes. "But you know I've had my doubts."

She nuzzled into his arm. "You're her father. It's your job to worry." She kissed his neck. "What about it?"

Bruce looked at her smile watching the Jasons. "When we got back last night, I told her and Damian to rest, take some time to level out. She went to see Carlisle."

Diana arched an eyebrow. "And?"

He sighed. "Came back a completely different person." His lips pursed. "I think, maybe…he's good for her." He frowned. "She's spent most of her life alone in every way that matters, and sometimes I'm afraid she still feels that way even with us. She doesn't let many people in outside of that circle. If she's opening up to Carlisle, then she sees something I don't, and I'm just going to have to trust her judgment."

Diana hummed. "Have either of them given you a reason to do otherwise?"

"The opposite, actually. The speedster helped a lot last night. Even made sure no one saw him during the operation—criminals or police."

"Because a new metahuman player in town attracts the sort of criminals Gotham isn't prepared to handle."

"That's my rationale, yes; he didn't even need prompting."

Diana grinned and nudged his cheek. "You like him."

He gave her a sideways look. "He's not a liability, at least."

Diana chuckled and snuggled into his side. "And you still don't know how to be straight with compliments."

He didn't reply except to hold her hand and rub her belly with the other.

She slowly frowned and leaned into him. "I wish you had stayed."

Bruce tensed a bit. "Diana, I couldn't have helped—"

"That's not why you stay." She looked up at him.

He didn't meet her eyes. "I know."

"Taking care of Elliot's mess was important, I know, but you could've delegated that to someone else. You know Dick or Tim would've gladly run point on it."

Bruce sighed and pinched his nose. "I know."

"Then why?"

His jaw clenched. "For the same reason I couldn't stay the last time Circe came at us."

Diana's lips pursed. She'd stopped Circe's designs on the Pandora Pits over a year ago, right before Scarecrow's attack on Gotham. The witch's retribution was the sole reason she'd had to sit it out in a coma. The reason she had to listen to Bruce's proposal through a malaise of cursed magic—and knowing he was about to step right back into the fire without even hearing her answer.

She stared at him. "It wasn't just because of Crane, was it?"

He averted his gaze. "No." His hands clenched into fists in his lap. "Diana, I can't…stay still and just…sit in a hospital with someone I love."

"Not true. All the times we've visited Jason over the last seven months—"

"He was already out of the woods, and so was Cass after surgery." He stared at the table. "If I sit still, Diana, it gives my mind the opportunity to run through every worst-case scenario—my parents, Silver, Robin. That fear, of ever going through any of that again…" Bruce grimaced and shut his eyes. "If I go down into that place, I'll be paralyzed, useless."

"Or you'll be stronger than you think and present for your family." Diana frowned. "I love you, Bruce, but this is one fear you have refused to overcome for as long as I've known you and…" She laid her head on his shoulder, voice cracking. "I needed you here, damn it."

He was silent for a long time, gently stroking his thumb over her hand. "I know. I'm sorry."

Her jaw tightened. "Do better. Please."

He nuzzled and kissed her forehead. "I will. I promise."

Diana sighed and relaxed into his touch and the numerous fluttering kisses he pressed to her skin. She caught Hippolyta eyeing them from the corner of her eye and wondered at the strange look on her face.

"What?" Diana asked.

Hippolyta smiled slightly and shook her head. "Just proud of you." She looked over the table and the boisterous youngsters at the far end. "You have a beautiful family, Diana."

Diana leaned over and nudged her. "They're your family too."

She smiled wider and nodded.

Diana held her husband's hand.

"So what made you change your mind about coming home?" Jason asked.

Jason Todd frowned and sighed. "I didn't."

"…you're not staying."

"Look, kid, I needed to make sure you're okay. You are." A chuckle. "And clearly you've got more than enough eyes watchin' your back."

Jace slouched a bit.

Jay grimaced. "If you're tryin' to guilt me into stickin' around, it's not gonna work. I have my own life to live that isn't shackled to that cesspit of a city."

Jace smiled sardonically. "Not much of a life, though, is it?"

He blinked and stared at Jace.

"I mean really, think about it. How many times do you have to come back to the same cold, empty apartment and stitch your own wounds up before you've finally had enough?" Jace scoffed, getting agitated. "What does it even do for you, anyway? This 'independence?' What's so worth it about that life that you don't call, you don't text, and the only time you do show up is because I got my friggin' face melted off!"

The whole table was dead silent.

Jace threw his hands up. "Seriously, man. I don't get it. I've never gotten it."

The table remained silent as he halfheartedly cut into another waffle.

Jay looked to Bruce, then back to the kid. "You will…when you're older."

He snorted. "That's bullshit."

"Jason," Bruce scolded.

He threw down the fork. "It is, Dad! And I know you think so too." He waved between them. "I've never understood why you two could never just man up and be straight with each other!" He angrily stabbed his fork into the waffle and tore a chunk off. "Save us a bloody decade of drama."

"That's enough," Bruce said calmly.

He gave Bruce a wild look for the briefest of moments, then immediately mellowed out as his ears turned bright red. Jace's eyes didn't leave his plate. Ace whimpered and shoved her head in his lap. Diana's mother gave her a questioning look. She shrugged uncertainly and pursed her lips. Patience was not one of Jason's stronger suits, but this felt like something boiling over…maybe a little too rapidly. Maybe. Then again, having worked with Cassie and Donna during their teen years, she knew how volatile adolescent emotion could be. Not to mention her experience with Damian, who was a whole other case study entirely.

But if it was something else, if Hippolyta's paranoid instinct last year proved correct…

The only issue was that Ares' emotional influence was usually limited to proximity, at least on those blessed with Amazonian traits. If Jason was being affected, it didn't bode well for Themyscira's security. Then again, someone had smuggled that garbled tome into the archives, a shapeshifter by every indication. If Ares was manipulating Jason's emotions, he could be the one who'd planted the book. They'd have to keep a much closer eye on him—and those surrounding him.

Jason Todd looked like he'd lost his appetite. "Breakfast was great, Al…and uh…sorry didn't catch your name."

"Myrrha," answered the Amazon.

"Myrrha." He stood up. "I'm gonna stretch my legs—unless that's a problem."

"No problem," Hippolyta said, "as long as you stay near the palace. My guards all know of you."

He nodded and walked away toward one of the palace's many verandas.

"Jason," Diana said sharply. "A word."

He nodded blankly and followed her and Bruce into a nearby prep room.

She gently took him by the shoulder. "That was uncalled for and unacceptable."

"I know," he said softly.

"So what are you going to do?" Bruce prompted.

Jason sighed and shut his eyes. "Apologize."

"Good."

"I just don't get it, Dad. Why won't you—"

"What? Try to pull him closer?" Bruce's arms crossed. "How do you propose I do that without antagonizing him?"

Jason's lips pursed tightly.

Bruce sighed. "I understand your frustration; I share it. But his stubbornness isn't something you can brute force. Trust me, I've tried. Baby steps, Jason."

Jason huffed and nodded. "Yeah."

Bruce threw an arm around his shoulders. "Now come on. You just woke up in one piece. Let's try not to pick a fight first thing in the morning?"

Jason smiled and nodded.

…

It wasn't five minutes before that was tested.

Philippus had entered right as the servants were clearing the table. She gave the queen and princess a small bow, then turned to Jason and bowed lower.

"Prince Jason," she greeted.

He visibly gagged. "Please—don't ever call me that again." Jason cringed and looked to Hippolyta. "Do we have to make that a thing?"

She smirked. "It's custom, I'm afraid." Her eyes turned to Philippus. "And it is her duty to serve the royal family."

Philippus bowed her head even lower. "A duty I left derelict on your first visit. For that, I must apologize. You came to us with no pretense or scheme, and I treated you like an enemy." Her eyes shut. "I'm sorry." She met his eyes. "And I thank you for sparing my life."

Jason frowned, eyes hardening. "Don't thank me. Thank Kara. If she hadn't been there, you would be dead."

In the corner of his eye, he saw Bruce and Diana flash a flicker of surprise and no small bit of concern.

Philippus nodded gravely. "I see. Nevertheless, it was your choice to relent, and for that I commend you." She straightened up. "In that light, though it may seem impertinent, I would ask a favor of you."

He stared at her in confusion.

"Spar with me."

Diana's hands immediately tightened around the armrests of her chair.

Before she could open her mouth, Jason said, "You're seriously asking me for a rematch?"

Philippus shook her head. "A spar. Blunt weapons for the purpose of training." She frowned. "As it always should've been. I would very much like to see what you've learned since then."

Jason glanced at his mother, who was still tense but visibly calmer. "Is…that okay?"

Diana glanced at her mother. "Althea recommended you take it slow…but perhaps this could inform us of any issues."

Hippolyta nodded and motioned to one of the servants. "I will send word for her to join us on the training fields. If something is wrong, better to have her on hand."

Philippus nodded her approval, then turned to Jason. "Shall we?"

…

Of all the stories he'd heard about Themyscira, none had done the island's sheer scale and grandeur justice. And Jason Todd was not easily awed. Just the view of the morning sun over the ocean was stunning enough. Add to that the flawless Classical architecture and carefully-maintained landscaping, and this place looked like a slice of ancient Greece taken out of time. Well, except for the superhuman women who exclusively populated this place.

The view and atmosphere were almost enough to take his mind off what the kid said. Almost. It surprised him just how much all that rankled. He'd met his younger namesake what, once? Whatever "history" they supposedly had was far in the future and had nothing to do with him. And still…

Jason sighed and leaned against the stone railing over a massive cliff drop.

"The guards mentioned we had visitors."

His head snapped toward the voice to see a tall redhead sizing him up.

She frowned. "But I don't recognize you."

He leaned back, draping his arms over the rail. "Jason Todd. Came along to check on the kid."

"Ah." She nodded and approached the edge. "Diana mentioned your assistance stateside."

He hummed absently, a little wary of her proximity. "You know, when someone introduces themselves, it's usually polite to do the same."

She blinked and cleared her throat. "Apologies. Artemis, Champion of Bana-Mighdall."

Jason nodded. "The other one. Gotcha."

"One of several, actually."

He frowned. "Several?"

"Well, one other, really. Our sister Atalanta founded a sanctuary in the Amazon jungle." Artemis smirked. "Quite apropos, I think."

Jason snorted and arched an eyebrow. "I think it's a bit more 'on the nose' than apropos."

She barked a small laugh. "Perhaps. Do you know if Diana or the queen have a moment?"

He shrugged. "No idea. Needed some air. Why are you here?"

Artemis frowned. "Same." She was silent for a moment, rubbing her hands together with nervous energy. "How familiar are you with the current threat to the queen's family?"

"Which one? Janus or Circe?"

"Ha. So, well acquainted, then."

"Well enough." He shifted to mimic her posture. "I've been sabotaging Decembrist operations in Africa for the last couple months."

"Africa?"

"Their Myrmidons have been using Congo as a hub for running advanced hardware through unmonitored channels."

"Achilles' men?"

"Yeah."

"Any line on where they're headquartered?"

He shrugged. "That was part of the reason I was there. Caden forwarded intel he got off the Lycabettus op that led me to a transport hub. They ran a lot of shit through there, but no hard intel on their HQ."

"Shame."

"Yeah. What's your stake in this?"

"Besides punishing them for having the audacity to threaten us?"

Jason chuckled. "Besides that."

Artemis' jaw tightened. "They orchestrated this war in the east—a war that is perilously close to Bana-Mighdall."

"Damn. Talk about hitting close to home—literally."

"Indeed." She hesitated for a moment. "I found something in the archives that may indicate this proximity…might've been intentional."

"And you want to tell the queen about it."

She nodded.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Artemis frowned over her shoulder at the palace. "Diana…I've never seen her like that, nearly insensate with fear. It was…irksome to witness. I would rather not dampen her relief at Jason's recovery with more bad news. Or the queen's, for that matter."

Jason frowned. "What exactly did you find?"

She eyed him uncertainly. "Who exactly are you to them? I've never even heard your name before this incident."

His jaw worked. "That's…kind of up for debate at the moment." He nodded at the palace. "One of the main reasons I came out here."

Artemis was still staring.

"Let's just say Bruce and I have the same goal, just some fundamental disagreement on how to get there. Kid's having trouble reconciling that, especially with our supposed 'history' where he comes from."

"History?"

"He says I trained him for this."

Her green eyes went double-wide. "You're the Red Hood."

Jason side-eyed her. That was an odd reaction.

"Yeah?" he said.

Artemis fell silent for a while, hands clasped as she gazed out at the horizon. "I have reason to believe there's another god in the mix."

Jason immediately straightened up. "What?"

She sighed hard. "When we went to Alexandria, there was someone else in Athena's stash, one who was able to overpower my strength quite easily. He took something from the cache—a set of old shackles. From what I was able to find, I believe they are manacles forged by Hephaestus—for the binding of Atlas."

"Atlas, like holding-up-the-sky Atlas?"

She nodded. "He said the cache was a family inheritance of sorts. Athena has no children—she swore eternal maidenhood—and he denied being a descendant of Thoth."

"And with every other Olympian taking a permanent vacation—"

"Only the gods of Egypt remain, and I can think of only a few who are still active."

Jason arched an eyebrow. "Guessin' that's a bad thing."

Artemis tilted her head. "It's not a good thing. Members of the Ennead who have not receded into obscurity are driven mostly by self-interest." She frowned. "And in other cases pure malevolence and chaos."

"You think this guy's solo or working with one of our current problems?"

She sighed hard. "That is the question that concerns me most."

Jason chuckled without mirth. "Yeah, I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this is worth the interruption."

"I can't be certain of these suspicions. That is why I'm hesitant."

"They need to know, Artemis."

She remained silent for a while. "For all your differences, you do love them."

It wasn't a question.

"You can tell that from one conversation?" Jason asked skeptically, arms crossed.

Artemis smiled. "You met the boy exactly once, yet when he was in danger, you came running all the way from Africa. Clearly you don't hold his stories of your 'future' together in high regard, so why go to such lengths otherwise?" She straightened up and nodded toward the palace. "Come. As one who has lived among sisters for all her life, I know how important family is. You may argue, even fight, but everyone has to come home eventually." She frowned. "No matter how far you may stray."

He got the feeling she wasn't talking about him anymore.

They walked in to find the table cleared and the others gone.

"Guard," Artemis called, "where are the queen and her family?"

A heavily armored Amazon saluted her. "They went to the training fields, Champion."

Jason could just make out the faintest smile under her helmet.

"The general challenged the boy to a spar."

Artemis' eyes lit up. "A rematch? This I must see!"

Jason made a distinct noise of protest when she grabbed his arm and halfway dragged him all the way to the training fields.

…

Per the challenge, they chose blunted weapons for their match.

Jason opted for his typical sword, this time adding a shield. Philippus retained the loadout from their last confrontation: spear and shield with a sword as backup. Up on the observation platform were his grandmother and the rest of the family. Diana had approved the match, but she still looked sour about it. Jason gave her a smile. She hesitantly smiled back.

While Philippus had challenged him out in the open field last time, it seemed this match would have a bit more pomp and circumstance. They'd moved to a coliseum-like structure set aside for duels, complete with an amphitheater for other Amazons to spectate.

And wonder of wonders, they gave him actual clothes.

Many training uniforms made for bulkier Amazons actually fit him quite nicely, he'd found. Of course, they still needed a bit of adjusting around the chest, but Philippus had apparently been preparing for this, because she'd commissioned a proper training breastplate for him months ago. The gesture was…oddly endearing? It said something about her keen eye that she'd provided Io exact measurements after meeting him only once.

And it said something about her sense of honor that she insisted their rematch be a fair fight.

From her opening stance alone, it was clear she had no intention of underestimating him. Everything was tight and coordinated, no gaps he could see. The faint murmur of Amazons watching their bout drew his attention for a moment.

"Stay focused!"

He snapped back to Philippus.

"Their gazes do not matter. Look away again, and I will remind you why distractions are a bad idea.

"We haven't even started yet!" he protested.

She smirked under her helmet. "Your enemy won't wait for a starting bell."

Jason rolled his eyes and strapped on his own helmet, a hoplite configuration that came with his training suit. He rapped his sword against the shield and braced it point-out.

"Let's do this," he said.

Hippolyta stood over them. "Ready!"

Jason and Philippus nodded.

"Begin!"

Just like before, Phil made the opening move—a series of lightning-fast stabs with the blunt spear. Jason didn't bother trying to parry or block with his shield. He simply ducked and weaved each strike, looking for a way to pin that spear so he could close the distance. A swipe at his face deflected off his shield. A low sweep of the legs met his blade. He drove the edge of his shield into the haft of her spear, then rushed to close the distance with an upward slash.

Philippus brought her own shield to bear, driving it down hard enough to send his sword-tip into the sand. She snapped it back up, trying to bash his head. He was ready this time, lunging away and twirling his sword up to stab at her face. Phil brought her spear up, deflecting his blade with the haft and spinning it above her head in the same motion to make a swing at his left side. Jason felt it slam into his shield. She kept twirling the spear, striking at different angles with the shaft and effectively neutralizing his close-range advantage.

That is, until Jason lunged forward on one knee and swept his shield across the side of her calves. Philippus tumbled onto her back, quickly rolling out of it but losing her spear in the process. That move alone showed Jason how much of an advantage he'd given her in their first duel by limiting himself to just a sword. Her own blade snapped out in a drawing cut across his chest that met his shield. He stabbed over it, missing narrowly when she snapped her head to the side.

They slammed the flats of their shields together, using the bind to test each other's balance and conceal the movements of their swords. Blind stabs around the edge of their shields came one after another from both sides, each narrowly dodged. Jason pushed low, trying to make her lose footing and pop her into the air. Philippus bent her knees and dug in just enough to stabilize, then shifted to the side and let his momentum carry him past. Jason whirled around shield-first, instinctively deflecting a stab.

He countered with another rising cut she sidestepped. Down, left, up and right—Jason let off a barrage of slashes, none of which hit anything but the general's defenses. Growling faintly, Jason slammed shield and sword against her shield, figuring if he couldn't beat her technique-wise, he could brute force it again and break her tools. Sure enough, dents and scores started to mount in the metal. Philippus herself was visibly flexing her every muscle to hold back his onslaught. Mid-strike, he twirled around her left side, using her braced posture to hit her in a blind spot.

Or so he thought.

A vicious side-kick slammed him in the gut before he could stab at her. With the wind knocked out of him, Jason couldn't hold onto his shield when she twisted her sword around it like a hook and pulled hard. He swung and backpedaled to create distance. She pressed the advantage, deflecting his blade and keeping it back with her shield to open him up to her sword. He ducked and weaved around her strikes and stabs, frustration steadily mounting.

Then his sword turned into a bronze blur and struck from three angles almost simultaneously. To her credit, Philippus managed to fend him off—just barely—but the blade still made significant dents in her shield and not a few notches in her sword. He kicked her shield to force her back a step. Her boots skidded through the sand. He swung up and left at an angle difficult to defend. She pivoted and stepped back to create enough distance for a block. Jason immediately pulled back and stabbed at the opening her low stance had given him.

He saw her smirk too late. The moment his stab bypassed her shield, she hit the edge of the shield against the flat of his blade while simultaneously using her sword to trap his from the other side. With those two points of contact, all it took was a snap of her hips and the sword flew from his hand. Before it even struck the sand, Jason lashed out with both fists, slamming them against her shield and nearly driving her to kneel.

Philippus straight-up dropped her sword and used the shield to trip him, then tackled Jason to the sand and moved to pin his right arm. He rolled, using his hips to try and produce leverage. Philippus used his belt to lift him and take that leverage, then flipped him onto his stomach and yanked his arm around to his back at a painful angle. She pulled enough to make his shoulder scream.

Almost as loud as he yelled in frustration, slamming his other fist against the sand.

Phil held him down, not moving either way and letting him rage. When his breathing had calmed somewhat, she spoke.

"Yield?"

Jason growled and planted his face in the sand, giving her a muffled, "Yeah."

She finally released his arm and let him work out the tension as he rolled face-up and tossed his helmet. Jason saw Philippus' offered hand and took it with a huff. She had taken off her own helmet, showing her smile clearly. It wasn't taunting per se, just…amused. Honestly, that pissed him off almost as much. Jason forced it down with some effort. Something in her eyes changed when she saw it.

Phil hummed and nodded. "Your anger gives you great strength." She cocked her head slightly. "But I fear it takes more than it gives."

Jason felt an eerie chill pass over him as a memory flashed through his head.

"Beware your anger, Jason Wayne. It will never give you what you truly desire."

Jason frowned and grunted, letting go of her hand and moving to rejoin his family. Diana stood up as he approached.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

Jason grimaced and sighed hard. "Just my pride."

Philippus smiled and bowed. "I enjoyed the fight, prince. Your technique is improving."

"Thanks," he muttered grudgingly.

She arched an eyebrow. "You do not take loss gracefully, do you?"

Damian scoffed. "Runs in the blood, I'm afraid. Don't expect to win so easily next time."

What?

Jason's head snapped around to stare at him. "Was that a legit compliment?"

He shrugged and crossed his arms. "Simply a pattern observation. You don't often lose a stand-up fight, and you've never lost to the same opponent twice."

That was…oddly touching.

Diana chuckled. "If it's any consolation, I was three thousand years old before I defeated Philippus one-on-one."

"Then how the hell did I beat her last time?"

"My guess?" Hippolyta said. "She underestimated your savagery. A mistake not often repeated."

"Hell of a fight, kid!"

Jason turned to see Jason Todd and Artemis watching from the amphitheater. "You were watching?"

Jay nudged the redhead with his elbow. "She insisted on it. Dragged me all the way here."

Artemis chuffed and crossed her arms. "Not my fault you're so slow."

Jace grinned and laughed softly, his earlier frustration vanishing at the sight of those two together again. Or, well, meeting for the first time, he guessed. Jay's good humor vanished quickly as he gave Artemis another nudge. She sighed and approached the queen.

"Your majesty," she greeted, "princess—there is something I must discuss with you." Artemis cast a meaningful look at Cassie and Donna. "It may be of grave importance."

Jason didn't like the sound of that. Diana exchanged a look with Bruce and brought him to a quiet corner with the others. Jason couldn't overhear their conversation, but he was quickly distracted by Ace's jumping tackle and slobber.

"You grew up with her," Damian said.

Jason stiffened and smiled, that pain in his chest returning. "Yeah."

Damian just nodded gravely and knelt next to Ace as she rolled over for a belly rub. They both obliged. Jason felt a presence at his back and glanced to see Jay smirking at the hound.

"Alfred's gonna have a conniption takin' care of her shed," Jay laughed.

Jace chuckled and kept rubbing. His smile faded slowly. "I'm sorry I came at you like that."

He waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's a helluva thing, isn't it? Time travel."

Jace stood up and paced. "Yeah," he huffed. "Everything's so familiar and all wrong at the same time." He felt that same chest pain return. "I miss you, man."

No one said anything for a while.

Jace noticed Cass eyeing the others as they spoke in hushed tones.

"What do you see?" Damian asked.

She frowned. "Nothing good. Diana looks more than a little exasperated."

"Considering the last twenty-four hours," Alfred said, "one can hardly blame her for resenting the arrival of more bad news."

Jace nodded. He glanced at Jay. "Do you know what they're talkin' about?"

He shrugged. "If they want you to know, they'll tell you."

His eyebrows shot up. "This from Mr. Rebellion himself?"

"Yeah, well after you made the mistake of running straight at Richard Dragon, I learned not to trust your judgment when it comes to stuff you can 'handle.'"

Jace gave him a deadpan glare.

Finally, their little meeting broke up, and Diana and Bruce returned to the group.

"What was that about?" Damian asked.

Diana sighed hard.

"A problem for another day," Bruce answered.

Jason wasn't satisfied with that answer, but he knew that tone.

Diana turned to him. "Althea was watching the fight and she didn't see any indications of something wrong. Did you feel anything off?"

Jason shook his head.

She smiled. "Then I think it's about time we head home."

"Please," he groaned.

She looped an arm around his shoulders and led them toward the palace.

Artemis remained on the training fields. Her lingering gaze on Jason Todd didn't go unnoticed by Jace. Then she glanced his way, and they shared a meaningful look. Jace smiled and nodded to her. With any luck, this was only the first of many encounters they would enjoy.

"Farewell, engonós," said Hippolyta when they reached the landing platform.

Jason embraced her while Alfred and Cass loaded the empty cart back on the jet. They'd annihilated breakfast, as expected. Ace was tippy-tapping her nails against the stone, hopping a bit as she panted excitedly at Hippolyta. The queen gave her an amused look, but refused to pet her. Jason gave her extra to make up for it.

"Thank you, Mother," Diana said softly as she hugged her.

"Of course. You and your family are always welcome here." Hippolyta turned to Bruce and bowed her head slightly. "Bruce."

"Your majesty," he replied with a return head bow.

One by one, they filed onto the jet, with Ace giving the island a parting howl that left Jason cackling. Jason Todd was silent the whole way back. He seemed pensive.

Cassandra nudged him from behind. "What's your plan when we get back?"

Jace gave her a grateful look. She'd saved him from having to ask.

He was silent for a good bit. "Not sure. This λ-Venom situation needs more working until we cut it off for good. Until then…" he glanced at Jace, "I'm thinkin' maybe I'll stick around for a bit. Won't be staying at the manor, but I've got my eye on a place in the city. Kind of a shithole, but it's quiet and secluded, which is good enough."

Jace turned away and grinned to himself. He had a pretty good idea of where it was.

"We'll be glad for the help," Diana called from the pilot seat. "Since I started showing, we've been a little understaffed in the field."

Jay scoffed. "I'm not exactly what you'd call a team player."

She glanced back at him. "You were last night. Clearly there's some potential there."

He blinked and stared at the back of her head. Jace got the distinct feeling he didn't quite know how to handle her. It was…oddly refreshing to see him so out of sorts. Jay didn't respond, just leaned back in his seat and enjoyed the ride.

Jace elected to do the same.

AN: Act II is rapidly coming to a close. I think the next chapter or two should finish it, then it's on to the final act—which is going to be painful to write for a whole host of reasons. The end will be worth it, though.

Formatting notes:
– Internal Thoughts/Flashback
– "Super-Hearing/Surveillance/Hallucination"
– Telepathy/Divine Speech
– "{Translation}"
– [Text Message]