The Watchtower conference room was crowded today. On top of the founders, Vagabonds, and Jason's bodyguards; Captain Atom, Red Tornado, Shazam, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, and Wally West were in attendance. There were even some of their international partners tuning in over holocall: Godiva, Vixen, Booster Gold, Fire, and Ice. Ideally, this would be the team dispatched to demolish the network once they had the intel from the operation they'd be discussing today.

"This meeting is now called to order," Superman said. "You all received a brief on the Decembrist situation, but some new information's recently come to light." He nodded to one end of the table. "Mr. Drake."

Caden threw a compilation of files and records onto the display. "Last week, I oversaw the prisoner transfer of Richard Dragon and his top lieutenants. A man named Adonis interrupted that transport by shooting all four prisoners from over two miles away."

"Trying to shut them up?" asked Captain Atom.

Caden shook his head and waved over the display, showing the FBI case file on the incident. "He knew they were wearing body armor and didn't compensate for it. He was trying to get my attention." His lips pursed tightly. "Ares has two clones of me working for him. Adonis is the second."

A faint ripple of unease ran through the group.

"So it's confirmed," Batman said. "Achilles is your clone."

He nodded. "I saw Adonis face to face. He told me he wants to defect, and as a sign of goodwill gave me more intel on the Decembrists and their operations than we've managed to gather in the last year. Including the identity of Zirconan Nebula's earthside partner: Black Mask." He turned to Jason. "He's the one who put a price on your head. According to Adonis, Ares is using Sionis and Red Claw to test out his new Venom formula. To what end, I don't know."

"And we're supposed to trust this Adonis why?" Shayera asked.

"I don't, but his intel checks out."

"What did he want in return?" Batman asked.

Caden looked at Shazam. "The Signet of Solomon."

Billy paled.

"I have no intention of handing it over," Caden said. "A single intel dump isn't nearly enough to earn that kind of trust."

"Do you believe he actually wants to defect?" Black Bat asked.

Caden stared at the table, frowning. "He didn't give off any of my tells. I don't think he was lying. I also know he didn't tell me everything. For now, I'm content to use his intel to further our ends and figure out the details later."

Wonder Woman nodded. "At least now we know what to look for with this network. We can start building a case against Sionis."

"Agreed," Batman said. "Did he give you anything about Sionis' dealings with Circe?"

"He did," Caden answered, "though I'm afraid none of it pertains to today's operation."

"Does he know what she's after?"

His head shook. "Not exactly, but she's been importing shipments of unknown items from the Middle East and Northern Africa for months now. Whatever she's planning, it's big."

"Then it's all the more important we get good intel off this op," Alex said.

Caden nodded. "Adonis also couldn't give us much on the specific nodes of Black Mask's network. Hopefully the Athens location has more information."

Batman hummed. "Which brings us to our other point of order: Mount Lycabettus."

The projector shifted to multiple satellite images of the location.

"Backscatter imaging shows at least a dozen bodies in the underground facility at any one time, though there's no telling how deep it actually goes or how many might be deeper than the scans can penetrate. Best guess—probably eighteen to twenty total, likely all Bestiamorph thralls."

"Besides their beast form," Rev said, "there anything else we should worry about?"

Donna chimed in here. "You already met Caephus and his Keravnós, so you have some idea of their magical capabilities. You should know, he planned to be captured, so if we do run into him on this job—or anyone like him—don't expect to have as easy a fight."

Rev nodded.

"What's our role in all this?" Wally asked.

"To remain on standby for the next couple days," Superman said. "If they have as much information on the network as we suspect, the bugs we plant today could give us the location of every node, or at least enough to put a significant dent in Sionis' bottom line. We do that, Zirconan Nebula abandons Black Mask, and the whole thing comes tumbling down."

"So, once we have the node locations, we'll split off into separate teams and hit them simultaneously," said Captain Atom.

"Correct. Captain, you'll be leading one of four strike teams. Wally, Hal, and I will lead the others. Zatanna, Shazam, Vixen, and Dr. Fate will be assigned to each as our magic specialists, in case they have any arcane surprises waiting for us."

"The Vagabonds will remain on reserve during the operation, in case we need reinforcements," Batman said.

"Agreed," Alex said.

"As for today's operation, our only job is to plant bugs and start data mining," Caden chimed in. "Infiltrate, find out the purpose of the facility, and get out undetected. If this goes hot, the location is burned, and we have nothing except whatever we can wrestle out of anyone we capture." He turned to Alex. "Lantern, you, Supergirl, and the Wonders will be on standby outside. Give us a bird's-eye view of the external, let us know if there's anything coming." He motioned to Cass, Jason, and Rev. "The four of us will be the infiltrators. Depending on the security we find on-site, we may split up or pair off. We need to bug the whole facility, collect as much visual intel as we can on active operations, and maybe find out what Circe is really after."

Jason and the others nodded.

"Remember," Batman said, "this leg of the operation is not sanctioned by the Justice League. If you get in hot water, the fallout will be yours alone."

Alex glanced over his teammates. "Anyone opting out?"

No one spoke up.

"If there are any additional concerns, now is the time," Superman said.

Caden frowned and turned to Dr. Fate. "Did you ever figure out what was happening with that tome Donna brought you?"

Fate remained silent for a long moment. "Its arcane signature is unfamiliar to me, and the spell on its pages equally so. I know not who planted it in the library of the Amazons, but their command of magic was immense, godly even. The complexity of the enchantment will take some time to unravel."

"But you can do it?"

"Of course."

Diana frowned. "What do we think it is?"

Donna and Caden shrugged.

Dr. Fate spoke up. "Difficult to tell. It would help if we knew whether its giver was friend or foe. All I can say for certain is that it is old, very old. Any further conjecture on my part would do you a disservice."

"We understand," Superman said. "Anything else?"

The room was silent.

"Then let's get to it. Your window's coming up."

Wonder Woman smiled at Jason and Cass. "Good luck, and good hunting."

…

Caden was prepping his gear in a Watchtower ready room when Alex found him.

"Thought we were going quiet on this one?"

Caden glanced his way. "Mhm. That's why I'm using subsonic rounds and suppressors. No supersonic crack, little less penetration, but as quiet as it gets."

"You start dropping bodies, it'll get their attention as quickly as a gunshot."

He smirked. "Not if there are no bodies to find." His smile faded. "And I'm concerned about their 'beast' qualities. If they have a way of sniffing each other out, any foreign scents will set off alarms as soon as we get inside."

"Hm." Alex scooted up onto the side of the table he was using. "That's not what's really bothering you."

Drake's movements hesitated for a split-second. "No." He resumed loading his guns. "But it's what I can control."

Alex sighed. "Fair enough." He was silent for a while. "Want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Your clones."

Caden stiffened.

"That's what this is about, right?" He motioned to Caden's current occupation. "I mean, I've never been cloned before, but I imagine it's a surreal experience, being faced with a mirror image that's at once so utterly foreign."

Caden paused and laid his hands on the table, staring at nothing. "More than anything…it's humbling."

Alex frowned. "How so?"

"In all my years of doing this, I've never been faced with an intellect that matches my own, never been so…thoroughly outmaneuvered." A shrug. "I mean, if Adonis wasn't trying to use me to escape Ares, I'd be dead. Or worse." He frowned deeply. "I'm afraid I may have gotten complacent. And that would be less concerning if it wasn't—"

"If it wasn't for Achilles."

Caden nodded. "By all accounts, Adonis included, he's a maniac who revels in all the violence. Adonis at least has a rational pragmatism I can reason with, but Achilles…if he's right, there's no reasoning with him, no dissuading him from his course. And if that's the case, then I need to put him down."

Alex's lips pursed. "Why?"

He met Alex's eyes. "Because we will never be able to contain him otherwise."

Before Alex could pursue that line of questioning further, the rest of the team arrived. Lucas was tweaking something with his nanotech suit, making the surface ripple and shift in a near-hypnotic fashion. His usual white and blue-gray color scheme was inverted, and the darker tones became the dominant color scheme.

Kara looked at him curiously. "Is that Kryptonian?"

Luke glanced her way. "Kinda. It's based off the same tech that makes up your suit, but with my own additions and other stuff I've picked up on my travels."

"Like the tachyon emitter."

"Mhm."

"Huh. So you've met other Supergirls?"

"Oh yeah!" Luke chuckled. "I even dated one back on Earth-Theta."

That got Jason's attention. He glanced between the two.

"That's gotta be awkward," Jason said with a nervous edge in his voice.

Lucas shrugged. "Not really." He waved to his forearm interface. "Travel the Multiverse long enough, and meeting doppelgangers is like meeting twins. There are all these little…variations that make them stand out from each other. Once that clicks, it's very easy to tell them apart."

"Huh…I never thought about it that way."

Luke smiled and gave him a nod.

Kara frowned and tweaked something with her own gauntlet. "I think…yeah, this'll work."

Suddenly, both the texture and color of her suit shifted to a sleek black bodysuit and cloak with a silver S-shield. Jason stared at her wide-eyed.

"What?" she asked.

He turned away and shrugged. "Nothing."

Kara smirked. "I see that blush."

"No you don't."

"If you want to see me in black, all you have to do is ask."

"All right, huddle up!" Caden called. "We all know the plan, but just in case, we should go over any last-minute concerns or questions." He glanced at Jason and Kara. "I know how difficult it can be talking in a big group, especially when you're sitting across from giants like that. So, if anyone has anything to add or ask, now's the time."

"And remember," Alex said, "the only stupid question is the one you don't ask."

Lucas raised his hand. "Yeah, uh, are we goin' for baklava after?"

Caden smirked. "We pull this off without a hitch, I'll buy out a whole damn shop."

His gray eyes lit up. "Promise?"

Alex chuckled. "Anyone else?"

"You sure you want me on the perimeter?" Kara asked. "I mean, I'm almost as fast as Rev, and I know how to avoid being seen. Plus, my x-ray vision will be useless on the outside with the way they built those tunnels."

"Right." Alex turned to Caden. "Thoughts?"

Caden's lips pursed. "It'd help us cover more ground, sure, but adding more moving pieces is still a risk."

Donna piped up. "And you'd be vulnerable if any of them have magic or magic weapons."

Kara shrugged. "No more than any of you are—or they are to being punched in the face."

Caden huffed a small laugh. "True. For now, stay on standby on the outskirts and keep your ears open. You may not be able to see into the compound, but you'll hear if anyone tries to raise the alarm. If we need to cover more ground in a hurry, we'll call you in."

She sighed. "Okay."

"Anything else?"

No one spoke up.

"Then let's roll. We'll take the teleporters to a site a few miles out, then fly the rest of the way. Good?"

They all gave an affirmative.

"Let's do it."

As the others filed out, Alex stayed behind with Caden while he stowed his weapons.

Caden shot a look at the smile he was sporting. "What?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I just find it kinda funny."

"What?"

"That for a self-proclaimed loner, you're shaping up to be quite the leader."

Caden blinked and huffed. "I'm not. Just didn't hear anyone else speaking up."

"Uh huh." He pushed off the table and walked with Caden. "Yet you brought us all together, and you've been keeping an eye out for everyone else." He frowned a little. "It's a little concerning, actually. How thin you seem to be spreading yourself."

"I'm fine. And the only people I brought together were you and Jason. Everyone else volunteered."

"Doesn't change the fact that none of us would be here without you." Alex smiled and nudged his shoulder. "I know I wouldn't."

Caden frowned. "You don't owe me anything."

"I know. Doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be grateful."

Drake's lips pursed, and he said nothing more.

…

Mount Lycabettus was about the most sore-thumb geographic feature one could imagine. The surrounding Athens was mostly small hills and forested flatland. And then there was this mountain, right in the middle of the city. If Circe's complex weren't underground, it would be easy to question the efficacy of building it here of all places. But Jason could see the advantages. High ground. Nice, long sight lines in every direction. If anyone tried to come at them by air, they'd be seen a long ways off. Anyone tried to attack by ground, they had a rough climb ahead of them—and not at all an easy drive.

A Greek flag flew over the parapets of a stone structure on the mountain's peak, illuminated in the faint light of a spotlight and the rapidly setting sun. Between the portholes and cross built into the central tower, that structure looked like a cross between a church and a castle. According to their deep scans, the complex was built right underneath, spanning between that structure and the Lycabettus amphitheater a ways off. The team was currently set up in an airborne forward operating base created by Alex's ring. They had the advantage of thick cloud cover concealing the projection's glow.

Blue Lantern was busy constructing further scanning equipment and telescopic monitoring. Drake was reviewing the satellite scans of the subterrane with the infiltration team. Donna and Cassie were discussing something with Kara. It wasn't until a good ten minutes after they arrived that the FOB was finally complete and an uplink established to the Watchtower.

"Watchtower, are you receiving?" Alex called.

"Receiving," replied Cyborg, who was on monitor duty tonight. "You guys do know having a record of this kinda kills the League's 'plausible deniability,' right?"

"We only need that if we make a mess," Kara said. "We won't."

"And I think the government of Greece will thank us when they realize they don't have to deal with a bunch of angry, murderous furries," Lucas said with a grin.

Cassie snorted.

Jason and Alex chuckled.

"Listen up!" Caden called. "Based on Kara's super-hearing, the mountaintop doesn't seem too busy tonight, so we should be out of the public eye. Below ground is a slightly different story. Kara?"

Her arms crossed. "I picked up at least eighteen heartbeats in the complex, fast and strong. Lots of movement. Can't see down there, so I don't know if we're dealing exclusively with Bestiamorphs or if there's some Red Claw sprinkled in."

"Well, Red Claw's international, so there's no reason to believe there couldn't be. Bottom line: keep your heads on a swivel and if you take contact, sound off and come in heavy. There's no point in risking our lives just to keep this quiet, regardless of political blowback."

"But that's not gonna happen," Jason said. "We're gonna do this."

"Right." Caden donned a thin backpack and tightened the straps. "Everyone ready?"

They all gave an affirmative.

"Alex, a ramp if you please."

A section of the FOB's floor tilted and opened into the clouds below, permitting an updraft that whipped Supergirl's cape. Caden pulled a balaclava over his features with a full-face oxygen mask attached, seeing as they were well over 30,000 feet in the air. Black Bat likewise attached a breather to the lower half of her mask. TK and Rev's bodies were well adapted to dealing with thin air.

"Infiltration team," Caden said through the mask, "go!"

As one, all four ran down the ramp and leapt into freefall.

…

Jason knew how Caden and Cass were getting down safely, more or less. He'd never bothered to ask Lucas. Looking to the side, he saw the speedster grinning like a madman as wind and water droplets whipped across his body. Then they broke through the first layer of cloud cover and saw that the air was much thicker with fog than they'd gathered. Good. It'd mask their approach better, in case the Bestiamorphs had external surveillance. The one thing Kara hadn't mentioned was any lookouts, but even with the sparse crowd, that would've been near-impossible for her to pick out.

After reaching terminal velocity, it took them a scant two minutes to get within striking distance of the mountain. Jason prepared to adjust his flight pattern for a smooth glide, not wanting to disrupt air currents too much for fear that they had someone who could pick it up. It was then that he glanced to the side once again to see what Lucas was—

The hell?

He was…running…midair…through the clouds.

A closer look and Jason noticed that the soles of his feet were moving faster than the rest of him. Oh! He'd heard of this before, but never actually seen it. Speedsters could vibrate a point on their bodies to rearrange water molecules on contact, essentially creating instantaneous platforms of solid ice that dissipated when they moved on. More advanced users could also vibrate at the same frequency as the water droplets, essentially putting themselves in phase with the clouds and interacting as if they were the same matter. At a glance, Jason couldn't tell which method Lucas was using, but he supposed it didn't really matter.

TK still kept an eye on him in case he ran out of fog before they hit the ground.

Black Bat had her cape retracted into a back sheath to minimize drag and air disruption.

Then Caden called, "Pull, pull, pull!"

As one, the two non-metas triggered their glider tech. Black's cloak expanded to full breadth and rigidified, a slight alteration of the wingtips arcing her plummet into a fast glide that flew them toward the mountain. Caden likewise activated his pack, which expanded into a thin, fibrous wingsuit configuration not quite flush to his limbs. They still moved with his appendages such that he altered his course the same way Cass did. As they approached the target location, Black shifted her weight and pulled back, flaring the cloak as wide as it could go. Caden shifted both arms and snapped them down, fists pointed up at either side of his head like he was holding onto parachute toggles.

A moment later, Jason realized why. The "glider" configuration of his pack expanded massively into an umbrella-like shape that seemed half as thin as the glider. His descent rapidly slowed, and he managed to control his fall in the same way Cass did. So much so that they landed side by side on a patch of gravel. Jason set down with barely a whisper. Lucas skidded to a halt in the gravel, having hopped from one cloud of fog to another, all the way to the mountain.

Jason looked him up and down. "That was really cool," he blurted out.

Lucas grinned.

Jason turned to Caden, who was adjusting something on a forearm PDA similar to the one installed in his Green Arrow suit. His gear collapsed into itself, condensing into backpack form once again.

"What is that?" Jason asked.

Caden removed the oxygen mask and slapped it in the pack. "It's a prototype I've been working on with Mr. Fox. Polyadaptive graphene matrix—programmable, wearable electronics."

"Like the piezoelectric layer in Dad's suit."

Caden nodded. "Building off the same tech, yeah. It's pretty bare-bones for now, but apparently good enough for a HALO jump."

Black Bat stared at him. "Wait, you hadn't tested it?"

He shrugged. "Field test."

"What were you going to do if it didn't work?"

"Count on one of them to save me, obviously." Caden motioned to Rev and TK. "Not like I could safely field test it in Star City." He sighed and motioned downward. "The real question is how we get inside. Satellite scans didn't reveal the entrance."

"Well, this place was built on an old temple, so maybe there's a passage inside," Jason proposed.

"As much as I would love to sit here all night and watch you nerds play Indiana Jones, I'd rather not risk us getting caught any longer than we have to," Lucas said. He pulled the scans up on his gauntlet, then nodded and closed it down. "Everyone brace yourselves."

"For wha—"

Rev didn't let Cass finish.

A split-second later, all four of them were phased through the rock into one of the empty tunnels. Black Bat swayed and took a moment to steady herself. Caden shook it off pretty quick.

Luke held his hands up toward them. "You good?"

Cass held up a finger. "Little more warning next time."

"You got it."

Caden made a hand sign for the others to follow as he unslung a compact rifle. He reached to its side and unfolded a hollow shoulder stock. The tunnel led to a cavernous nexus of passages hewn into the rock, like something out of Lord of the Rings, though not quite as tall or nearly as grand. That nexus had six moving bodies, men of varying Mediterranean descent who were bustling about toting wooden crates. Throughout the room, many more crates were stacked in rows, none of which were labeled clearly.

"We need a look in those containers," Caden said.

"Can't do it without getting spotted," Black said.

TK turned to Rev. "Think you can pull that invisibility trick again?"

"That's not a bad idea."

Rev frowned. "I've got it mostly down for movement, but actually interacting with stuff uh…it gets complicated."

"Then we'll have to make a distraction," Caden said. "Let's put a pin in it, come back later." He waved around. "These passages are gonna take too long searching in a group, and we're more likely to get spotted. Everyone split up and take a cardinal direction. Maintain radio silence unless you find something urgent. We'll meet back here in twenty."

They all nodded and branched off, taking a different direction. Black Bat grappled to one of the steel rafters and swung across the room to a higher passage heading east. Rev vanished down a northward tunnel on ground level. Knight flew past one of the workers and took the only southward path, leaving Caden to sprint for the west, leaping down behind a stack of crates and out of sight with barely a whisper of his passing.

…

Up top, Alex glanced at Donna and Cassie as the former polished a short metal staff. He glanced at Kara.

"Anything new?" he asked.

Her head shook. "They went radio silent, just in case they get intercepted."

"What about the feed from body cams?"

"Same deal."

"Yeah, makes sense."

Alex started pacing and sighed.

"The waiting's the worst part," Kara said.

He chuckled. "Always is. Known that since I was on the force."

For a while, there was silence, save the passing of wind outside the projection's walls. Alex finally had enough, added a few chairs, and sat immediately, though his leg still nervously tapped the floor.

Kara sat next to him. "Did you always know you weren't all human?"

Alex's eyes snapped to hers. He blinked and looked off to the side. "No. I mean, having purple eyes with blonde hair isn't exactly normal, I knew that, but it's not like I had much of an explanation."

"Your mom didn't…"

His head shook. "She was afraid that Dad's political enemies might track us down, was scared of what I might let slip." He shrugged. "By the time I was an adult, I'd gotten used to the odd looks. Tried to play it off as style instead of biology. The funny thing about America: no one really questions it if it's a 'choice.' But if you're born different, suddenly you're a freak." He smiled ruefully and huffed. "People are funny."

Kara frowned. "Guessing that's why you and Laira hit it off so well. She's used to a world where everyone's a whole different species. Doesn't really matter what you look like."

Alex smiled warmly. "Yeah." A chuckle. "Though she definitely has a type. You know when we first met, she was actually dating my brother?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "No way."

He grinned and nodded. "Way. They split up a few months after. There was a whole…mess in the Xun Empire when I was discovered. Power struggle, questioning of Kad's validity as crown prince…" he pinched his fingers close together, "minor war of succession. Eventually, they uncovered that one of the ringleaders of the opposition was working for Sinestro to sow discord in the Empire and preferably start a war. After that, right or wrong, most of their platform collapsed. Dad stayed on the throne, Kad was restored to his rightful place."

"They broke up because of that?"

Alex took a sharp breath, wincing. "Ah…yes and no. During that whole period, the Guardians got a little testy about one of their Lanterns being too deeply involved in politics. Said he had to recuse himself from the situation and be impartial, regardless of who came out on top." His head tilted. "As you might guess, Kad wasn't good with that, especially with Dad's name getting dragged through the mud over Mom. The Guardians didn't interfere, per se, but they used his relationship with Laira to keep an eye on him, make sure he didn't do anything reckless." He frowned. "Laira understands the struggle between duty to the Corps and duty to family. She would've protected him if it came down to it, but…the fact that she agreed to it at all…" Alex shrugged and shook his head. "That didn't sit right with him."

Kara sat on that for a while. "Then how did you two end up…you know?"

Alex shrugged. "First time we met, we talked while Kad got to know Mom one on one. She was fascinated by how we handled things on a local level when I told her stories about BPD. A while after the breakup, she came by to check on how things were going with the restaurant, y'know, make sure I was safe. It was nice, talkin' about my brother with someone who wasn't as stubborn about withholding details as he was. Then she kept visiting and…things just happened. Years later, here we are."

Kara smiled and looked off into the distance. Her smile slowly faded. "I have…some idea what it feels like, being a fish out of water." A shrug. "I mean, not like you and Kal. I didn't grow up around humans, or have my whole childhood to get used to having powers. Kinda just…landed on Earth and then got thrown into the thick of it."

Alex's lips pursed. "And how do you like it so far?"

"Well, it's not Krypton," she answered with a chuckle. She sighed hard, brows knitted. "Honestly? I hated it here. Everything was just…wrong, so delicate and overwhelming. Sometimes it still is. But…there are bright spots. A lot of bright spots, if I'm willing to look for them."

Alex smiled. "Like your boy?"

Kara grinned and played with her hands. "Eventually, I realized I had to redefine what home is. Krypton was gone." She looked up at him. "But my family's not. Not all of them. Kal and Jon and Lois." She laughed. "I found a kindred 'sick-of-everyone's-crap' spirit in Stephanie."

Alex chuckled.

She kept smiling into the distance. "And Jason found me." Her smile faded slowly. "Y'know he's always been so sweet to me." Her lips pursed. "It's just…I can tell he's been holding something back, ever since New York."

"Since ZN?"

Her head shook. "No. Before. We had a…bit of a fifth-dimensional incursion?"

"Huh?"

"Mr. Mxyzptlk."

"Uh…not familiar."

She shrugged and waved dismissively. "Annoying pain in the ass, played some mind games on us. I sent him packing, but…the whole thing got me thinking."

"About what?"

"Why I chose to be with him in the first place? I mean, I don't regret it. Never have, not for a second."

"So why does it matter?"

Kara blinked and frowned in thought. "I don't know. I don't know why it's bugging me so much." Her frown deepened. "I guess part of me's afraid that Mxy was right, about me using Jason as a rebound."

"Do you think maybe it started that way?"

She gave him a pained look. "I don't know. Maybe?" Her head shook. "I mean…" her eyes shut, "just the thought of that horrifies me."

"Because you think it might be true?"

Kara was silent a long time, then slowly nodded. "And he doesn't deserve that, not with everything he's put into us."

Alex sighed and leaned back. "Are you being a good friend to him?"

"…I hope so."

"Do you respect him? Treat him like a partner?"

"Yes."

"Are you holding back anything from your relationship?"

Kara blinked and thought for a second. "No."

Alex shrugged. "Then who cares how it started? If you're in it, you're in it, Kara. If you're being as honest as I think you are, then it's real, and nothing else matters."

She smiled faintly. "Yeah."

"But—" he leaned toward her, "—if it's really bugging you that much, maybe you should just talk to him about it." He splayed his hands out toward her. "Who knows? Your moment of vulnerable honesty might spur the same from him." He smiled and squeezed her hand. "And you'll both be stronger for it."

Kara smiled. "You're really good at this."

Alex grinned, all teeth. "I know. My franchise don't just serve water and alcohol, doll." He leaned back and smugly crossed his arms. "Sometimes I break out the good 'tea.'"

Kara laughed.

"Guys, I found something."

They all turned toward the console projection and Jason's voice.

"What's up?" Cassie asked.

"Are you receiving this?"

Alex's ring hand twitched as he blew up the signal on one of the FOB's walls. It was a live feed from Jason's suit showing a stone gateway with runes etched into the border.

"It's a teleportation gate," Donna said, "like we thought." She leaned in to get a better look. "I recognize the terrain on the other side of that portal. It's Aeaea, Circe's home."

Cassie frowned. "Hey, can you zoom in on the arch itself? I wanna get a closer look at those runes."

"Sure," Jason replied.

A few moments later, Cassie's brows knitted and head shook. "This doesn't make sense. There's nothing about that gateway that looks like the destination can be adjusted. If this is a distribution hub for the network, they're not using that portal for it."

"So it's strictly two-way?" Caden asked.

"Yes. I'm sure of it."

"Then she must have it here for something specific," Black Bat said. "I found documents, old and new, most of which I can't read."

Her live feed came up next. Donna and Cassie looked it over.

Donna frowned. "It's…history, legend, ritual documentation…most of it pertains to lore of the Mediterranean: Olympus, the Ennead, djinns—hard to say its purpose without more information."

"Maybe we're in luck," Lucas said. "I think I found their command-control center. Lots of computers, comms. gear—could be a gold mine."

"Bug it and move on," Caden said. "We can data mine and have Cyborg sift through what we find later."

"You got it. You find anything?"

"Yeah. An archive of recent history, focused on Qurac and Bialya. They have records of troop movements, civilian displacement…you think there's a connection between Janus and Circe?"

Cassie and Donna exchanged a look. The latter responded.

"Circe strikes deals and dominates; she'd never let a man run the show or use her outright. And Janus doesn't play second fiddle. If they're helping each other, it's strictly coincidental."

"Then why would she…"

Alex frowned. "Cade?"

"Hang on."

The line went silent for a bit.

"She's not following the war, she's tracking pieces of something. I have photos of cargo manifests from both countries detailing items retrieved from battlegrounds in the Olympus War. Most of it's been redacted, but the locations are clear enough. The only part I don't get is the contents—'god dust?'"

Donna blanched. "That's what it says? That's what it translates to?"

"Yeah, more or less. Why?"

She blinked and turned to Cassie.

"Hecate was in Qurac," Cassie half-whispered.

Donna's jaw tightened. "We need to know what's in those crates."

Jason sighed. "It's no good. I planted a camera in the nexus earlier. That room's still occupied. We can't inspect them without clearing it, and if we do that, we can kiss our 'covert' status goodbye. They burn any data we can get on Black Mask, and we're down another lead."

Alex immediately looked to Kara. "You know our resources, Cade. Your call."

"…Supergirl, you're up."

She smiled. "About time. Alex?"

He immediately formed an exit hatch in the floor and winked at her. "Good luck."

…

Kara was streaking toward the mountain as fast as she could without going supersonic.

"Lucas," Jason said, "think you can phase her in?"

"He won't have to," she said.

Supergirl closed her eyes and let out a long breath, her body starting to vibrate intensely. Moments later, she slowed as she approached the mountain's surface and braced herself, sharply increasing the frequency of her vibration. With a nudge forward, Kara simply floated through the rock and phased into the subterranean tunnels.

"Holy shit," Jason exclaimed. "You can do that?"

Lucas answered. "Theoretically, anyone with enough speed can. Probably even you."

"Well, add that to the bucket list!"

Kara smiled and looked around, able to see through the walls now that she was below the lead shielding. "Found the nexus. Now let's see about those crates…"

"Describe what you see in detail," Donna said. "Leave nothing out."

"I see…bags. Drug bags. Heroin, cocaine…guns. I think we were right about this being a distribution center for Sionis."

"I don't see how they're getting it all out," Alex said. "The drive up that mountain ain't exactly truck-friendly."

"Unless they have another tunnel that runs far enough to get them out of Athens," Caden proposed. "Richard Dragon had that kind of setup in Star City; if Sionis is working with the Decembrists, he could too."

"Anything else?" Cassie asked.

Kara kept looking, her eyes drawn to the farthest, small corner of the room.

She frowned. "I've got two crates set aside by themselves, right next to a machine, like a…a milling press."

"And the crates?"

Kara's eyes widened. "Dust. Just…lots of dust, in tiny crystalline formations. It's weird, like…opalescent, almost."

"…shit."

"Cassie?" Jason asked concernedly.

Caden huffed. "Let me guess: your 'god dust?'"

"Yeah," she said. "It's Hecate's essence."

"Essence?"

"Yeah. Pieces of her magic and ichor that were expended while she was fighting Billy. Think of it like…crystallized divinity, for lack of a better term."

"And the rituals and history," Jason said, "that's all so Circe can use the dust."

"Yes," Donna answered. "She tried to supplant Hecate once before. Now, with the goddess of magic imprisoned and the remnants of her power ripe for the taking, she has another chance." She paused. "We have to destroy it."

"What?"

"The crates, the dust—it all has to go, now."

"But the data tap—"

"You don't understand, Jason. We don't know how long Circe has been at this, maybe since the Olympus War. If she assimilates Hecate's power, she will become a sorceress such as the world has never seen. A goddess without any of their limitations or vulnerabilities."

"They were vulnerable?" Cass asked skeptically.

"Yeah," Cassie said. "Nobody worshipped them anymore. If we'd fought the gods in their prime, Earth wouldn't have stood a chance. And neither will we if Circe gets what she wants."

"If she's been at this since the war," Caden said, "then she's already assimilated plenty of Hecate's magic. A week to sort through the data mine won't make a difference."

"Unless her magic reaches a critical evolution," Donna said. "Morgana le Fay did so centuries ago, and the ensuing conflict killed Merlin, most of his allies, and nearly killed the wizard Shazam. I'm sorry, Jason. I know you want this to be over, but we can't risk Circe getting her hands on that dust."

The line went silent.

"What if it didn't matter?"

Kara frowned at Jason's question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if we made it so the dust couldn't help her? Or better yet, that it hurt her?"

"…you're talking about poisoning it?" Donna asked.

"In a…manner of speaking, yeah, kinda."

"Explain," Caden said.

"When I forged my sword and shield, there was a good bit of leftover Nth-metal that I held onto. Most of it was in chunks, but the milled bits, the dust—I stowed it in a pouch in my belt. Thought maybe it could help if I had to disable a sorcerer at some point. Maybe I was right."

"That…could actually work," Cassie said. "I mean, looking at these rituals—she has to consume the essence to assimilate that power. If we mix Nth-metal dust with the essence, she won't be able to absorb Hecate's magic, and the whole thing could backfire."

"Backfire how?" Jason asked.

"At the very least, it'll hurt like a bitch."

"…I can live with that."

"Question is how we get it into the crate and mixed without drawing attention," Black said.

"Leave that to me," said the Revenant.

"Thought you said you couldn't interact with stuff and maintain your invisibility," Jason said.

"I can't, certainly not for this. Won't matter if I get it done before they even know I'm there."

"Can you do it?" Caden asked.

"Just gimme the dust and tell me what to do."

"Come get it," Jason said.

Moments later, Kara saw a faint blur flash from one end of the compound to the other, then return to the nexus and enter that corner for about a second before vanishing once again.

"Done," Rev said. "I also found that shipping tunnel you mentioned. You were right. It goes right out to the port."

Caden exhaled slowly with a sound that dripped with glee. "Well done, everyone. Let's get out of here."

Kara vibrated at phasing frequency once more and swiftly found herself joined by the others.

She motioned to Cass and Drake. "Shall we?"

…

They were back on the Watchtower in minutes. The team was gathered around a massive computer terminal connected directly to Cyborg's neural net. On it were a dozen holographic screens with data and images flashing by almost too fast for them to track.

"What do we have, Vic?" Cassie asked.

Cyborg grinned ear to ear. "Gold mine. That data tap's connected to a quantum network. Definitely alien tech. I've got petabytes of data to sort through, but the little I've sifted so far gives us a pretty good picture of what these guys are into."

Donna leaned in and braced her hands on the table. "Right. So the usual filthy pies."

"Damn," Lucas breathed. "Never thought I'd see the day when Black Mask gave Intergang a run for their money." He frowned. "Why did ZN pair up with Sionis instead of Intergang?"

Kara's arms crossed. "Probably because they're both cults, just with different gods."

Alex snorted. "Last thing we need is a holy war being fought with alien tech."

"Anything on other hubs in the network?" Jason asked.

"Not yet," Victor said, "but it's early. Like I said, petabytes, and I have to make sure they can't trace my presence in the system. This data mine won't be worth much if they know we're watchin'."

Cassie patted his shoulder. "Take your time. Do it right. We don't need a target on your back too."

"You got it, Cassie. Soon as I know more, the League'll be in contact."

"Thanks, Vic," Kara said with a grin.

Jason took her hand and turned away from the terminal to see Caden sitting at a nearby table with his feet kicked up. He was spinning his knife on the table, using its point like a top. The Promethium was slowly but surely carving a divot into the metal with each spin. The look on his face was focused and tense.

Alex noticed. "What's wrong?"

Caden's head slowly tilted. "Did anyone else think that felt…a little too easy?"

Jason's stomach tilted a bit. "I've been trying to ignore that feeling."

He blinked and looked up at them. "Did we check everyone for any bugs or traps?"

"Yeah," Luke said. "If there was anything external, I would've seen."

Cass stared at him. "You checked us?"

"Right before we left the mountain, yeah. Why?"

She shrugged. "Would've been nice to know, but I'm glad for the second pair of eyes."

He gave her a nod.

Caden sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just not used to working with a competent team."

Jason chuckled. "After babysitting Watson and her bozos for so long, I wouldn't be surprised."

Caden smiled faintly and nodded.

Alex frowned. "Your instincts are rarely wrong."

A shrug. "Rarely, yeah, but not never." He frowned a little deeper. "Hey Victor!"

"'Sup?"

"If you find anything on Achilles' movements in there, forward it to me. I need to know how close he is to finding the Signet."

"You got it."

Alex sat on the table next to him. "What are you gonna do?"

Caden spun the knife one last time before grabbing the handle in an icepick grip. "Find him. Find out what he knows. Assess the threat he poses. Act accordingly."

Alex's lips pursed. "Do you really think it'll come to—"

"Do you really need me to explain the danger of letting him run wild?" Caden looked over the whole team. "Some of you already think of me as a loose cannon, but you know I live by a code. No one wants to see what could happen if I ever forfeited that. I know everyone in this room has thought about it more than once." He looked down. "No one more than me. I'm not asking you to help me, but you cannot interfere. This is my blood, my mess to clean up. If Achilles is everything I think he is, then he has to die." His head shook. "I won't allow a monster like me to exist in this world."

The room went silent.

Caden took a deep breath. "You should all go home, get some rest. You earned it." He stood up and sheathed his knife. "Great job, everyone."

Alex looked to Cass. She frowned and shook her head slightly.

Caden made to leave, but Victor snapped his metal fingers.

"Oh, by the way," Vic said, "I did the calculations for that boom tube you asked about. Just let me know where you take Artemis and I'll get her back home."

Caden nodded to him. "Thanks, Vic."

Alex cleared his throat and followed Caden to the teleporters. "You heading back to Star City?"

"Kyiv, actually," he replied. "I have a friend there who may know more about where the Myrmidons are sourcing their gear. She has her ear to the ground about that whole region."

"What about Adonis?"

"Trust but verify, my friend. Or don't trust and verify first. Whether he wants out, he's still working for the enemy."

Alex sighed. "Fair enough." He slapped a hand on Caden's shoulder. "Man, you are wound tighter than the Gordian knot. You gotta get yourself a girlfriend."

A shadow of pain flashed across his dark brown eyes before a regretful smile turned his lips. "Not…really in the cards for me, I think."

Alex blinked. "Why the hell not?"

His smile widened. The pain in his eyes was even clearer now. "I'll see you around, Alex."

Then he stepped into the teleporter and vanished.

Alex couldn't keep the worry off his face if he tried.

"What do you think is up with him?" Jason asked.

Alex looked back to see the rest of the team arriving.

He sighed. "I don't know. There's been something nagging at him for a while, since right before he took over as Green Arrow." Alex's head shook. "And he won't confide in anyone about it, even me."

"Need me to keep an ear out for him?" Kara asked.

He shook his head again. "When he finds out—and he will—he's gonna bite your head off. Better to leave it be. You can't force growth, Kara." He stared at the teleport pad. "No matter how much you might like to."

…

"Hey."

Lucas turned to Cass. "Hey."

Cass frowned, mind racing back to the look on his face at Belle Reve. She forced a tiny smile on. "So, you may or may not know that I don't like having debts. I still owe you dinner, and I'd like to clear that."

He blinked and smiled. "Okay uh…how about next week? Pick me up after a gig."

"Gig? What exactly is it you do?"

"I'm uh…a part-time DJ."

Cass blinked. "That…makes a frightening amount of sense."

Luke grinned and shrugged. "What can I say? I've got soul that can't be contained."

Her brow arched. "Not even in a fight, apparently."

"Especially not in a fight. So?"

Cass smiled. "Just tell me where and when."

He grinned wider. "Keep that phone handy. I'll be in touch."

…

"So, phasing."

Kara glanced at Jason. "Yeah?"

"You up to teach me sometime?"

She smiled and nodded. "Come drop by the farm when you get a chance."

Jason cringed. "Ah…still have that whole…curfew thing, 'cause of the bounty." He grimaced. "And um…something else that I don't know if, maybe, my parents talked to you about? Or maybe Clark or Lois did?"

Kara frowned and knitted her brows. "What's that?"

Jason shrugged. "Ah, it's—it's nothing, really. No big deal, shouldn't be anything to worry about, just…y'know the usual tabloid-paparazzi craziness that follows my family around."

She shrugged. "Yeah, what about it?"

He hesitated, taking a deep breath. "You're…turning eighteen in a few months."

Kara blinked.

"And I'll still only be sixteen."

"So? We've been together since last year. There's nothing wrong with—"

"Yeah, I-I know. But M-Mom and Dad are worried that, you know, the vultures in the press are gonna make a big deal about it if they find out. And I just…you worked your ass off to get into Parsons, and I don't ever want to be a reason why that gets sabotaged."

Kara softened and cupped his face. "That's sweet, Jace, but I don't think you really have any control over that."

Jason winced. "Yeah."

"And I don't want our relationship to be based around what other people might think of us. You and me, we know the truth, and if it ever has to come out, then we know we did nothing wrong."

He sighed hard and hugged her tightly. "Yeah." He went silent for a while. "Still not breaking my curfew with the parents."

Kara laughed. "We'll figure something out." Her smile faded slowly. "Hey, can we…can we take a walk before you go home? I wanna talk about some stuff."

Jason tensed up. "O-Okay?" He glanced at Cass. "Sis, you good with that?"

She shrugged. "You're on the Watchtower. It's as secure as it gets."

"All right, thanks. Let Mom and Dad know."

Cass nodded and teleported away.

Kara walked through the halls hand in hand with him until they reached an observation deck, both taking in the vast, empty grandeur of space through the wall-length windows.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Kara blinked and looked up at him. "It's nothing bad, I promise. Just something I have to get off my chest."

Jason nodded but didn't look very soothed. "Okay."

She took a deep breath, replaying her conversation with Alex. "Remember the stuff Mxy said, about why I started dating you?"

He nodded.

Kara swallowed. "Well, I've been thinking about it since then and…maybe there was some truth to it."

Jason's hand tensed in hers.

"Everything you said at Christmas was right. About me, about Dox…that day in New York just sealed it in my head, what I had to do to move on." Kara frowned and leaned into him. "The truth is, I was terrified when you asked me out. I know I played it off like I was all nonchalant about it, but…I was afraid of knowing why you did it. You and me, we were friends, good friends, and I didn't want to risk that. But you were so sweet and attentive and…" Her eyes stung. "I didn't want to get attached because I was afraid of being disappointed again. Of being rejected again.

"I couldn't take that from you, couldn't take losing that trust again." Kara sniffed and wiped her eyes. "But then Christmas came." She gave him a watery smile and reached for her neck beneath her shirt. "And you gave me this."

Kara held up the opal and rose quartz necklace.

"The truth is, I didn't fall for you on our first date when I kissed you." Her lips pursed. "That was for you."

Jason swallowed hard.

Kara smiled, warm as the sun. "I fell for you in all the moments between." A small shrug. "The little things. Lab accidents and donuts and—" she chuckled, "—Christmas kidnappings."

Jason smiled.

She leaned in and pressed her forehead to his. "And I'm in it, Jason. I want to be in it. With you."

He nudged her cheek with his nose. "Thank you for telling me."

She nodded and kissed him gently. He drew it out for a while, holding her close. When they finally broke apart, Jason was grinning like an idiot and swinging their linked arms as they walked back to the teleporters.

"Thanks to you, I think I'll sleep like a baby tonight," he said, beaming at her.

Kara grinned and kissed him again. "Good. I think I might drop by the manor sometime this week, see if I can teach you phasing."

"Lookin' forward to it, gorgeous."

He finally let go of her hand with much reluctance, then stepped back onto the teleporter and waved goodbye. Her smile faded a bit when he vanished. She had hoped Alex was right about reciprocating her vulnerability, but Jason hadn't said a thing. Well, trust was complicated, and he was probably just too happy to bring up whatever was bugging him. Kara had faith he'd tell her eventually. Until then, she'd be content knowing she had a clean conscience—and try not to let his silence get to her.

AN: The hero gig isn't always about the drag-outs and knock-downs. Hope this was still a good read. Couple of things getting set up in this chapter. The next should be…quite interesting in a number of ways. Heading back to Gotham for a little father and son time…

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