Gilgamesh stood on a raised platform overlooking his workers. Each had their own desk, and any equipment they could possibly need to carry out their tasks. Just a month earlier, he had told the Justice League heroes that he would make his own base, and so he did.

This base of his was stationed on the very island (that he also bought) his penthouse resided - in fact, the base was directly underneath. Currently, the world thought he was Kirei Kotomine, a man who gave trillions of dollars to charities. No one would suspect that he was the founder of an organization (that was only just recently made) to keep watch over the world, to preserve humanity (He had named this organization Chaldea - as a token towards those from the original Chaldea he knew).

And if someone of ill intentions ever suspected him of interfering, he had made sure the island was well protected. Copying his designs of the Melammu Dingir, he created those exact missiles that would launch his own magical energy towards the target. Gilgamesh had built them with his own two hands, each and every one. Presently, they were buried underneath the sand of the island, lying in wait for any unsuspecting intruders.

Of course, it wasn't the weapons that made a base, but the people inside it. Those working in his base didn't appear by some magic - he had meticulously sorted and sifted through society to find specific individuals up to the task of meeting his demands.

The requirements those presents had faced were to be adept at quickly analyzing information. They had to have discipline in order to carry out such tasks. He knew they were all trustworthy and determined on their work based upon the readings of his clairvoyance, which had helped him single them all out. Simply put, they were good people, heroes in their own right. They also had to be alone in the world - he would not force families into secrecy from one another, and would not separate families either. Those that worked for him lived in housing he set up for them - a small community.

It was almost enough to make him think of Uruk, and made him wish that Siduri was assisting him, as she always had. Alas, both Uruk and Siduri were gone.

Regardless of his personal feelings, their task was to monitor threats on the world in each country. Then bit by bit, they would narrow down the results into categories ranging from most to least dangerous, thus where their priorities lay. And it went without saying that Gilgamesh still combed through all their work, just in case they may have missed something. They were all still fairly new, and he didn't quite know how competent they were at their jobs.

While he was sure the Justice League had a similar system, he was more confident that his was better. His base was a hub of information the Watchtower could never be. He'd had more experience than the majority of the heroes anyways.

He, true to his word, did partner up with the Justice League as allies. When he saw a dire threat that could not wait, he sent a notice to the league. When he was passing by an attack, it was simply customary to assist in battle. And…. there was that other matter….

"Those young heroes ought to be arriving today," he murmured. "How…. intriguing this situation is."

Turning his back to his workers, Gilgamesh took an elevator up to the ground floor of his penthouse. Those children ought to be arriving within the hour.

What else did he have to take care of...he already had the "training" set up for the young heroes. He also had other engagements under the alias of Caster, in order to meet and analyze those villains he needed a closer eye on. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have resorted to such measures as getting so involved, but he had no army. He had no warriors. Before, he was a king alone on the throne, but now he was truly and completely alone. If protecting humanity demanded he take those steps, then so be it.

And also…. there was that….mage he wanted to see if he could reach out to….

Kaldur already heard word from Batman that he, and quite a few members of his team were to go and meet with the very person that they had an encounter with a few days ago. Batman also informed Kaldur that Grayson needed to be there. He was told that this would help his oldest friend. Kaldur, already feeling guilty about even thinking about lying to him, told Grayson that he was needed for a mission. While it was half true, he still felt guilty about it.

Kaldur and his team met at the entrance to the King of Heroes' penthouse, waiting for not only Grayson, but for the very man they were there to see.

Grayson showed up in mere moments before Kaldur thought to call him.

"Tell me again, why couldn't you tell me anything about this mission. You said it was from Batman and that I was required to be here?"

Kaldur didn't want to answer.

"I knew if I were to explain things to you, you wouldn't have come."

It was only then that Grayson realized where they were. Any reason he could think of as to why they were there flooded his mind. All of them pinned Gilgamesh as an enemy and they were to stop him. He thought that if he had just stopped him that night, they wouldn't be here now.

"So, you've all come," the man's voice rang out as the King of Heroes walked outdoors from the penthouse. "Good thing you're not late - a king always has a full schedule."

Grayson looked confused.

"You were expecting us? What is going on?"

Kaldur looked at his younger friend. He let out a sigh.

"We are here to be allies with him. My apologies for not telling you sooner."

"In other words," Gilgamesh said, cool eyes going from one hero to the next. "You mongrels are under my…. supervision."

Knowing that Batman was the one to set this up, there was a reason. Grayson kept his mouth shut and just stared at Gilgamesh.

"King of Heroes, shall I introduce everyone?"

"You shall. I also wish to know all of your capabilities for future missions."

"Of course. I am Kaldur'ahm, but you can call me Kaldur. I use Atlantean magic. This is Conner, he is half Kryptonian so he has half the abilities of a normal Kryptonian. This is Artemis, she is a skilled Archer as well as Roy over there. Jaime is human and gets his powers from a scarab such as sonic type weaponry. Bart over there is a speedster. He can run fast."

Bart acted all dramatic and gasped.

"I don't only run fast, mind you. I also come from the future soooooo, that makes me a source of entail. Plus, I can make my molecules really excited and phase through solid objects, run faster than sound and light itself and create lightning."

Jaime facepalmed at the sudden outburst from his friend. Kaldur glanced over at the young speedster before continuing.

"M'gann is a Martian and her powers are vast, but she mainly uses psychic powers. Cassie has increased strength and can fly. Garfield can shapeshift into any animal. Tim and Dick are normal humans, but are both excellent fighters and great Hackers."

Gilgamesh nodded appraisingly. "Very well - you may all call me King Gilgamesh, as is befitting of my station. Now, since you're all here, I figured I'd put you lot to work immediately. There's no use slacking off when you can be getting things done."

The king began walking, obviously expecting them to follow. So... they did. He led them not into his penthouse, but into a little neighborhood.

"Since I've arrived in this time period," the king began. "I've founded an organization on this island to keep an eye on the preservation of humanity, as well as those who mean humanity harm. Of course, you are all free to report this to your superiors, as I am sure was your plan from the beginning."

"Of course. We will be working together and I figured that the Justice League would want to know of our activities."

The Atlantean stated. He knew his responsibilities as the team's leader was to make sure that the Justice League knew of their whereabouts. It was a safety precaution, as they had many young children that are heroes there.

They exited the neighborhood, having only seen a few people walking around. Each one had smiled and waved at them - though strangely, he had a feeling they weren't waving at his team of heroes, but at the king they trailed behind. The king, he saw, noticed the people and acknowledged them with a nod of his head.

How had they all grown so loyal to one man in such a little amount of time? His best guess was that kings from another age had their own appeal to them.

They walked a bit farther until they were practically at the edge of a small town. There, a type of van was waiting for them. The king climbed into the front seat, which somewhat surprised him - how was it that such an ancient king knew how to drive a car?

"Get in," the king ordered. "We're going some ways away."

"Are we seriously going to get in this…. van… with this man that we literally attacked the first time we met him?"

"The League trusts him, so he can't be that bad…. Right?"

"Gar, the League, a few years before you joined the Team, was controlled by Vandal Savage. They did many things against their will. This could be another trap by an outside source. How do we truly know he doesn't work for Vandal, or even the Light?"

Before any of the heroes could respond, Gilgamesh interrupted. "You fool, as if I would work for some spineless coward who did not fight for humanity's preservation! Nor would I work for any lesser being than myself - remember this, I am a king, you mongrel. The only people I work for is humanity. Now, my time is precious and losing even a second more than necessary is a waste."

Grayson stared at the man. Even though he didn't want to, he had a feeling, he didn't have a choice. He reluctantly went into the van. The rest of the team exchanged glances, but followed their friend. Gilgamesh did have a point about time. Once in the van, Grayson concentrated on having M'gann read his mind.

'M'gann, set us, minus that… guy, a mind link. Don't let him know'

M'gann was very familiar with making a mental link between the others.

'Guys, I want us to mainly communicate by this mind link. We still don't know anything about him. I tried digging up his past, but found nothing. He really is like a ghost.'

Tim gave his brother a look.

'Don't you think that you are going a little too far, Mr. Detective?"

'No, I don't think I went far enough. It's best to know everything before jumping head first.'

'That's not how I remember the night you met this man.'

'He hurt you! I lost sight for a moment. That's all.'

Grayson looked away.

'Grayson, maybe just give him a chance?'

Grayson looked over at the voice that spoke in his head. M'gann.

'M'gann…. I just don't know. This whole thing…. I am just unsure…. You know I don't do teams anymore.'

M'gann nods. She, and a few of the others know why.

'If he hurts any of you guys, I won't hesitate to hurt him, too.'

Tim frowns.

"Dick…. You sound like Jason.'

Grayson's eyes widened. He looked down and Tim knew at that moment he shouldn't have "said" anything. Grayson kept his thoughts to himself the rest of the ride.

The king didn't seem to notice their silent communication, but it would be a mistake to assume he didn't notice the new tension in the van. Eventually, the van rolled to a stop. Save for one building - a farm, from the looks of it - there was no other building in sight.

"When I bought this island, there were still people residing on it, of course. That's how such architecture is present on this island. And that is also how the crops are ready for harvesting as well," the king explained. "Personally, I don't like imported food. In times of war and opposition, the strategic move is to procure your own food, to ensure that it is right for eating.

And that brings me to your first task. Those who tended this land are still here, but they are severely understaffed. I want you lot to assist them on this farm - is that understood?"

Kaldur, and the rest of his team were taken back. Some thought that this man was going to train them and help them improve. Manual labor was not at the top of their list. They didn't complain because they, not to Gilgamesh's knowledge, liked to help those who really needed it. They agreed to it without complaint.

'Hey, uh, sis. Why don't you help Dick over there and, I don't know, read that guy's mind?'

Gar asked his adopted sister. He looked up to Grayson. Grayson was the one who helped him after Rita died. Grayson was there for him a lot. He wanted to help ease his sister's friend's mind a little.

M'gann looked at her brother. Even though she doesn't read minds without permission of her colleagues, and only reads the villains' minds, she did take note that her brother had a point, as well as Grayson. A person can be deceitful. This man may put on an act that, to the outside, was pure, but on the inside corrupt. She looked at Kaldur, he seemed to have thought it over and gave her the okay to proceed.

'Very good, it seems as if they all seem willing enough, I was concerned they'd start throwing a tantrum about not getting any actual mission though this is more important, of course, than any old mission considering the test I had with Grayson I'd say that taking some time away from bloodshed and actually helping the common folk would be good for both him and the others after all when saving people from supervillains the civilians tend to get lost in the balance and each human life is priceless though I really expected more complaining regardless I am the king so their complaints would be meaningless anyways hopefully by spending time with those on this island with allow them to be at ease and grow further into the heroes they were meant to become after all it worked with Ritsuka Fujimaru in Uruk and I have no evidence the same results wouldn't work again, thus it's the best action to take in the meantime I really ought to get a lock on Ra's movements he did want my treasures for a reason after all and I still need to get into contact with Merlin and figure out where that coward Vandal is hiding and perhaps forge an alliance with the Mage Association though they really are annoying people and I need to keep track of more threats and make sure the needs of the people of this island are met and-.'

M'gann felt a wave of fatigue from the king, but it didn't show on the man at all, who was in conversation with one of the working farmhands. She had to wonder...how much rest did he get, each night, to feel so tired?

'From what I can tell, he is on our side. He is searching for two well-known villains. It seems as if he has the same goal as us. Find and take down Vandal. From what I can tell, he is pulling a Grayson.'

Grayson looked over.

'Excuse me?'

Artemis let out a chuckle. She looked over at Grayson.

'When someone gets swallowed up by their work, they forget to take care of themselves. We started calling it after you since you do have a tendency to do that. You weren't around when Gar made that comment first. It kinda stuck.'

Grayson glared at them before rolling his eyes and letting on a small smile. Artemis looked pleased that he was already feeling better since the Van ride.

The king seemed to be finished with his conversation with the farmhand. "You will be back to the penthouse by sunrise for dinner. There, you will have your own rooms. Tomorrow, you shall all leave at the brink of dawn and continue with your work here, or with whatever assistance you may lend these people. Each day, I respect a report of your progress by…" the king looked over them, and his eyes landed on M'gann. "You shall deliver the report to me. This shall continue until I see fit for this schedule to cease - there is always something more to do, thus it is a job that will never be finished."

The king turned away from them, and a gold portal opened next to him. Gilgamesh seemed to rummage through it before looking satisfied. The portal widened and out came a motorcycle. "If something truly serious of my attention appears, you, M'gann, may contact me. I will be at the penthouse if my presence is absolutely necessary."

And just like that, the King of Heroes was off, a speck in the distance in a matter of seconds.

Gilgamesh sat at his desk; stacks of papers spread out in front of him. His current problem resided with how he was going to contact Merlin - the mage was currently trapped in Avalon, so he couldn't be easily summoned. However, he was certain they could get in contact with him, but how was the question.

Unfortunately, though he technically was a Caster, he knew virtually no magic, which made communications magic complicated for him. He had done it once in Uruk, basing it off of Chaldea's technology, but that was different. He needed to get communications in and out of a land blocked off to all mortals - a land that was essentially for the honorable dead knights of Camelot, and mythical beings.

Regardless, he would figure it out. No matter how much of a numbskull Merlin may act sometimes, his input and skillset were valuable at times. Any other Servant, actually, would be a great help, but he wasn't counting on it.

He looked at the watch on his hand - the young heroes ought to be returning from their first day of work. Which meant he'd be receiving his report soon.

He sighed and took a sip of his coffee - not as good as Siduri's specialty brew, but it did the trick of keeping himself active. Right at that moment, someone knocked at his door.

"Enter," Gilgamesh said, and the Martian woman entered his office. "You have my report?"

"Yes, everyone worked well at the farm and with the townspeople. Bart was the most helpful. He used his speed to get through many of the tasks he was assigned and proceeded to help the others when he could. We worked in pairs to lessen the bigger jobs to make time go somewhat faster. We even managed to do tasks that were going to be jobs for the following day so the townsfolk are now one day, at least, ahead of schedule."

M'gann finished her report and looked at Gilgamesh. She could see he was tired, whether others noticed or not, she could feel it. Maybe she should have Kaldur leave a member here to help him directly.

"Well done," the king said. "The work output is exceptional, but what I am more interested in is your team's mental states. I don't expect one day to clear their minds completely, but they have been more at ease?"

M'gann was taken back by Gilgamesh.

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about? You are more interested in…. Our mental states? Why? We are…. fine."

She paused as she thought about Artemis and Grayson.

The king gave her a look. "Do you mean to imply that I, a king, am wrong in my observations? Because if anything, the actions of your Grayson show the opposite of 'fine'."

"Well, he is going through a lot. However, we trust him to get the mission done. We know that his personal life is a different story, though."

'Should I really be telling him this? I'm not sure. He might be sincere in his words about being concerned, but why would a complete stranger care for a bunch of …'

The king snorted. "Trust is a different matter entirely, child. When a soldier's mental health declines, despite their previous accomplishments and trust, a distracted soldier can lead to many dead men and women. In Uruk, I made sure that my people got a chance to rest and take care of themselves, though we were one the brink of total destruction. Tell me, have any of you actually taken any time towards that end?"

"Well, most of the time we use our missions as a distraction. Some of us take time off, but not all. For…. one person, it's all he has known. If he isn't on a mission, he's training or patrolling."

M'gann looked at the tired King.

"And what about you?"

The king blinked, and narrowed his eyes. "What is it that you mean?"

"When do you rest, relax? You can't care about all of us and your people if you don't care for yourself."

"Where do you get the authority to ask such questions? I certainly did not give it - everything I do, I do for humanity. Do not question my methods, mongrel, until you have known the weight of kingship."

"It was just a question. Even kings need to rest. In the meantime, what is it you would like us to do?"

The king still frowned at her, but he moved on to the next topic. "For now, I would like you all to continue assisting those living on the island. I will determine when you are ready for anything else. You may now rejoin the rest of the heroes for dinner - I have more work to get done, and I know all that I wish to know."

"Would you like to join us for dinner?"

"No," the king answered, attention already on his computer, and stacks of paper on his desk. "A king must stay separate from those he governs. Sitting with you would require me lowering myself to your level, but a king must stay at an unattainable height. You are dismissed."

"Well, if you change your mind, the offer still stands."

She left to join her friends.

"Hey, sis. How'd things go?"

M'gann sighed.

"I know I read his mind, but even I don't know what he is thinking. He said he doesn't want to eat with us because that would lower him down to our level."

Artemis felt rather annoyed with that response.

"You mean to tell me that he wanted to avoid us simply because he is a king? Is he really that full of himself?"

Kaldur looked at his archer friend.

"Not everyone is like my king. King Orin, he is different. We can't expect everyone to be the same. And remember, he is from a different time."

"Yeah, well, so am I, and I don't act all high and mighty because I am from a different time."

"Yeah, well, you are from forty years in the future, while he is from thousands of years in the past. Things look a lot different than, hermano."

"Well, I guess that is true. Maybe if he could be a little bit more… I don't know…. open? Talkative?"

"You are the most talkative one here, I think we are good."

"Hey! Wait, is that an insult or a compliment?"

"You can take it however you want."

The speedster thought for a moment but decided not to say anything more and proceeded to eat his food. Jaime chuckled at Bart's sudden non-interest in talking.

"I, myself, don't know what to take from this. He is different, I will tell you that, but so are we. I have, after living this life for as long as I have, learned that things don't happen by mistake. For now, we will do as he says until we have learned more. As time goes on, we can go from working under him, and more of a partnership sort of deal."

The leader of The Team stated. Grayson rolled his eyes, not that anyone could see since he was wearing his mask over his eyes. Kaldur continued.

"For now, we will keep an eye on him. Help out as he wishes, and help him if needed. Is that clear?"

The Team nodded as acknowledgement to their leader and Grayson stayed silent. He had a bad feeling and he didn't like it.

Bart was running at his top speed, making deliveries for the people of this island. He liked doing this. The people here liked him and his friends so they started to know them by name. He already saw Mash, Cu, and Ritsuka.

He saw that it was nearly time for lunch, and he never missed a meal. Fast metabolism meant he had to eat more and on time. He was running toward the meet up location, just a block away from Gilgamesh's penthouse. That guy still has not warmed up to a few of the members, but to Bart, he was crash. Maybe today Gilgamesh will actually join them for a meal.

He looked over to where Gilgamesh stayed and let out a sigh. As he was running, the sound of an explosion and glass shattering was heard by the speedster's ears. He quickly looked and saw the penthouse in smoke. He knew Gilgamesh was still in that building! Did he get out? Was he hurt? Bart didn't know anything but he knew that as a hero of speed, he needed to get in and out with as many people (if there were many people) as possible. He changed the course of his direction and ran into the building to the top floor. The young speedster looked around. He was moving so fast, the world around him was practically frozen. He saw Gilgamesh, who had a shield in front of himself to cover from the debris, and he rushed over to him. He quickly got Gilgamesh and rushed out to the bottom. Bart looked at the king.

"Hey, you alright?"

The king looked over to Bart and he looked…. not happy. Very not happy. "You fool! Take me back up, at once!"

Bart has never met anyone who wanted to go back into a burning building.

"The building is on fire! You could have died!"

The king's eyes narrowed. "I have things under control. I do not need you to question me, mongrel, I need you to take me back up there."

"Are you saying you planted a bomb to go off in your own building?"

"What on earth are you going on about? If you desire to know my plans so terribly, then rejoice and take me back up there. I will not ask again."

"We should wait for Kaldur and he can put out the fire."

The king's eyes flashed - instead of being just annoyed, he was becoming angry. "I have no need to wait. If you shall not escort me, I shall go myself. I have no need for those who do not take heed of my orders."

Gilgamesh strode off back towards the building at a quick pace. Bart knew that this guy was like many of his team members - stubborn. He either try to keep him back until help arrives, or go with him to keep him from doing anything stupid like he has done many times in the past. He figured talking was out of the question so he rushed to Gilgamesh and brought him just one floor below the burning floor.

The king nodded, his previous impatience gone since he had gotten what he wanted. "Follow me."

Bart hesitantly followed the king up a flight of stairs that - luckily - were intact. Much unlike the contents of the floor that exploded. Furniture, upturned and scorched by flames. Nothing had escaped the destruction.

Strangely enough, the king looked unperturbed. He just walked through the wreckage as if it were a walk in the park, Bart behind him. Suddenly, Gilgamesh stopped.

"Are the communications working?" the king asked, voice authoritative.

At first, Bart thought the king had been talking to him when someone else responded.

"Why, isn't it King Gilgamesh! To think I'd see you in this age once more!" a voice exclaimed. "I thought it was just a fluke, or a missed call when no one answered, but here you stand. It's good to see you again, and in such good health!"

A blue transparent figure flickered into place. From what Bart could tell, it was of a man, with long hair, wearing a type of robe or something.

Gilgamesh nodded. "Unfortunately, despite being summoned to this age as a Caster, my knowledge of magic is still limited." The king laughed. "All the better for it, to mock those Grand Casters - even I, no magic to be seen, can be a Caster."

The other man laughed as well. "I quite agree. Being a Grand Caster myself, I can still see the appeal of poking fun at a certain someone. Regardless, even though it's you, from the Age of Gods, you really should be more careful, trying to communicate with me directly in Avalon. From the sounds of it, it didn't go very smoothly."

The king gave a look at the translucent figure. "If you were so concerned, I'm sure you could've lent assistance - though communications have been set, so I suppose it hardly matters."

"What in the world is going on? Who is that? How is that even possible? Is he a ghost? Are we actually dead? Is this an illusion set by Psimon or Klarion? I am so lost. Also, What's a caster?"

Bart asked a series of questions really fast, but slow enough that could be understood.

He found the mystery man's attention on him. "Oh, one of the young heroes of the present! You are all so lively, and very entertaining, so allow me, your humble mage, to explain!

First off, no, we are not dead. A funny thing, especially since I can't die! This is actually a spell set by King Gilgamesh, modeled after a technology developed by the Mages' Association in the future and used by a group in Alaska called Chaldea. Unfortunately, as brilliant of an idea it was, it did seem to backfire a bit. Unsurprising, considering I'm in one of the most magically fortified places in the world, and the king's lack of magical knowledge.

Next, as a Heroic Spirit, they are usually put into certain categories - Archer, Lancer, Saber, Assassin, Caster, Rider, and Berserker. Our king here has been summoned by the Holy Grail as a Caster, despite his, well, his lack of magic-"

"Get on with it," the king said, arms crossed.

The mystery man sighed dramatically. "Alright, alright, way to spoil the fun, but - to introduce myself, I am the Mage of Flowers, but you can just call me Merlin."

Bart's mouth dropped.

"Merlin? Like trained King Arthur Merlin? The wizard from Camelot? Or was it Avalon? I can never remember. I'm getting off track, but that Merlin?"

The man - Merlin - laughed. "Yes, yes, that's me! I am from Camelot - or, I did reside there for a time. And I did train the king, though she preferred me to call her Arturia instead of her more well-known name."

"King Arthur was a she? That wasn't mentioned before. That's actually really cool! Also, are you under this king's command or something like that? Or are you someone who can advise him and he can't refuse kind of guy? Because let me tell you this, he is a workaholic. Worse than Gray-Nightwing. Can you use a spell that makes him rest for at least…. Eight hours? He really needs it."

Gilgamesh cut a glare at the young hero. "Hold your tongue, you mongrel. I only take advice from those who I deem worthy - you do not fit into that category. As for your request…" Gilgamesh's cold gaze rounded on Merlin. "If you even think of casting a spell on me, you will live to regret it, even barricaded in Avalon as you are."

Merlin's snickers died down, though the man obviously thought the whole situation was funny by that smile he had. "Ah…. yes, of course. Ah, anyway - the king and I actually know each other from when he was alive. He'd summoned me and five others to assist with a threat that would've obliterated humanity. I must say, it was an honor to serve under him - a rather exciting time, that was."

"I see. Why has he summoned you now?"

Merlin shrugged. "There are a great many reasons as to why that would be. I've kept an eye on humanity from my prison, and while I can see humanity hasn't stagnated, it hasn't quite moved forwards either. You are stuck at an impasse, heroes versus villains, and no one can move forwards from it. Though stuck in Avalon, I still can assist in a few ways - with my clairvoyance for present times, I can more accurately monitor the world as it is now. And while limited, I can use magic like this. What say you, my king?'

Gilgamesh nodded. "Things cannot stay as they are, especially with humanity turning on each other. It is as you say - the more allies, the better I may conquer this threat."

Merlin nodded. "More allies, you say...hm, have you considered contacting some mages to summon a few heroes?"

Gilgamesh shook his head. "Mages are annoying, and it has only been a brief time since the fifth Holy Grail War has ended. It is best that I don't contact them, else they'll become a hindrance instead of allies."

Merlin sighed. "A shame your younger self was so-"

"Agreed," Gilgamesh interrupted, looking…. if Bart didn't know better, he'd say almost frustrated. At what, Bart wasn't quite sure.

Bart was about to say more when the doors were flung open. Bart looked over his shoulder and saw Nightwing, Aqualad, and Tigress. Nightwing stepped forward.

"Is everyone alright? When you two weren't accounted for, we assumed you were still in the building."

"Oh, more heroes!" Merlin exclaimed. "How exciting! It's a pleasure to meet all of you! It's been so long since I've been able to interact with this world!"

"Oh wonderful, another mystery person."

"Tigress, this is actually Merlin! He's a wizard."

"So, he can do magic? Like what Atlanteans can do?"

"Do you not know who Merlin is?"

"My father was someone who trained me to fight and to kill. I never was told fantasy stories."

"Fantasy?" Merlin asked, aghast. "I can see how it might seem like a fantasy, but I assure you, I am very real!"

Gilgamesh sighed. "How humanity has digressed. I commend you for looking for the wellbeing of your king, but I have no need for your assistance. This situation is being handled."

Nightwing looks at Gilgamesh.

"Tell me, were you going to tell us any of this? You set off a bomb, or something that exploded, and we thought someone was hurt or dead! You could have killed someone. What was the purpose of keeping this…." he gestures toward Merlin and the whole burned building, "secret!"

Gilgamesh looked at Grayson, expression unreadable. "You dare suggest I would've let my subjects die under my own care? I know my limits, and it was contained to the floors where there were no others but myself - and if, by some reason, another being on this floor, I would've protected them the same way I defended myself. Feel lucky that I explained that much to you, for I owe you nothing."

"You owe us nothing? Really? You call yourself a king, but that was in your time. This isn't the past that you are from. Things are different. We may work with you because the league told us, but if they knew that you could have put someone that is under your watch because of a secret you decided to keep…. It won't end well for you. You need to get it through your thick skull that we have different ways now than there was then. Lies and deception will only lead to grief."

He looks at Kaldur and Artemis before facing the "king" once more.

"Start treating us like we are partners rather than us following you blindly."

Kaldur put a hand on Grayson's shoulder. Grayson didn't realize it, but the entire time he was shaking and trembling. He took a deep breath and just nodded to Kaldur, to inform him that he was okay, even if he wasn't. Kaldur looked at Gilgamesh before leading Grayson a few steps away from Gilgamesh.

The king himself frowned - he was still furious. After all, who did these-these children think they were? He knew this wasn't Uruk, it wasn't his home or his time. But he did know that he also had everything under control. Yes, magic wasn't his strong suit, and yes, it did backfire. But he could defend against that easily. If needed, he could've even summoned forth his strongest protection, his armor, for any civilian that happened to be in radius. But there weren't any.

And Grayson, that fool, had actually dared to threaten him, and suggested he had lied. He had been nothing but truthful, as there was no gain in lying. The audacity had enraged him - the child had no knowledge of what he spoke. It was simply a project - one of many - that Gilgamesh had been working towards. Was he expected to share every little detail? How foolish.

This boy spoke of treating them as partners, but that was inherently against what Gilgamesh knew - a king could not have partners. A king could not have friends. The king must only think broadly, of his people as a whole. Yes, they were allies, of a sort. But they weren't at the level they needed to be at to be his equal in a partnership. That position belonged to only one person, and that person was dead.

"Leave us," Gilgamesh ordered. He had no wish to further engage the hero at the moment, and there was still work to be done.

Kaldur, before Grayson said anything more, nodded and led him out. Artemis looked at Gilgamesh.

"Don't be mad at him. He… no… we lost a close friend of ours because of events our lies and deception caused. He was the one who came up with the plan and everything. He blames himself. When he saw Bart here in the remains of an explosion, he didn't see Bart…. He saw…. He saw his friend he thinks he killed. No one blames him except himself…. I hope me telling you this helps you understand that he wasn't actually angry at you, at least, not all the way. I'm sorry you got his backlash from built up frustration, anger and grief. Bart, let's go."

Bart and Artemis left Gilgamesh with Merlin. Artemis had to hold back her emotions before she broke down in front of him. Wally was the person she loved and she always had a hard time bringing him up. Bart saw Artemis as family since his own cousin loved her. He never told Artemis, but he made a silent promise to Wally that he would watch out for her. He quickly gave the blonde archer a hug. She was frozen for a moment before embracing the speedster, tears running down her face.

"I miss him, Bart. I miss him so much."

"I know. I do too. We have to keep fighting. For him."

"I don't know how much longer I can do this."

"I know you can do this. You're strong Artemis. You've always been. That's one thing he loved about you."

Artemis held the younger one tighter. They stayed like that for a moment.

Meanwhile, inside the king's rooms, Merlin spoke, voice quiet. "Their story reminds me of a very similar one, don't you think?"

Gilgamesh sighed. He was so very tired… "It does indeed, Merlin. It does indeed."

I find Gil rather entertaining. He calls everyone Mongrel and it's great. And yeah, Grayson is not pleased with how things are going. In this story, Jason and Tim had met before, but only for a small amount of time. Enough for Tim to know who Jason is and how he was like. But not that long, maybe a few months, but not that long. Grayson also doesn't like how Gil kept things from them. He remembers how well that worked for them. The Team was all upset at him and Wally ended up dying at the end. It doesn't help that Wally's cousin was with Gil at the time of the explosion. eek. Also, poor Bart, just trying to help the King only to get yelled at. I will admit, writing that scene with Artemis and Gil as well as Artemis and Bart made me cry. I cried when Wally died in the show too. Anyway, see ya in the next chapter.

~Akira

Posted: 7/24/2021