Kaldur fixed his gaze on Grayson. It's been an hour since they left the Wizard's ghost and the arrogant king, and he still said nothing. He thought Grayson would have said something by now, but that was not the case. He kept to himself. The Atlantean decided that Nightwing had had enough solo time. He walked over to the young man and sat next to him.

"Grayson, we need to talk."

Grayson shifted his focus to the atlantean. He wasn't in his hero suit anymore, so Kaldur could see the regret in his blue eyes. Kaldur figured that, along with the feelings of anger and frustration he had toward Gilgamesh, Grayson was feeling guilty for lashing out at him.

"Before you say anything, I think I might…. disappear for a few days."

"Excuse me?"

"You already knew I didn't want to do this. I don't do teams anymore. I'll work with people when I need to but…. Clearly I can't work with….. him…. I like how he wants to help people that are struggling, but he …. We still don't know enough about him. He keeps to himself and that is dangerous. You of all people know that. So does Artemis. How does he expect us to follow his lead when that's not how things work here? M'gann is from another planet and she had to learn the rules here. Bart is from another time just like Gilgamesh. He learned to follow the rules of this time. Both he and M'gann adapted to the people around them. He is… I'm gonna stop talking about him. Just know, Kaldur, you can call on me whenever you need me, but until then, I'm going to be on my own. Keep the others safe. Watch out for them will ya?"

Grayson stood up.

"If you ever feel the need to return, you are always welcome. I can't force you to stay, but you will be missed."

Grayson nods.

"Goodbye, my friend."

"Farewell to you too, Kaldur. Until I see you again."

Kaldur watched as one of his oldest friends left; watched as he faded into the distance, until he couldn't see him any longer. Kaldur sat there in thought for a few moments, wondering if he made the right choice of letting him leave. Either way, what's done is done. Now, he had to go tell the team.

"I can't believe him! Why does he always run?"

An enraged Superboy yelled at Kaldur.

"He did that last time too! It won't change anything!"

"Conner, this was his choice. We can only support him and not force him."

"M'gann, he ran last time, he is only repeating events."

Tim stayed silent as he watched M'gann, Kaldur, Conner and Artemis bicker back and forth. If they ever discussed tracking him down, he would be the first to speak up. Knowing how to place a tracker on people has its perks.

"I think we give him space, at least for now."

M'gann rested her hand on Conner's shoulder, he shifted his gaze to her before letting out a sigh.

"Fine."

"Now, uh, I don't want to interrupt this little conversation and all, but should we tell Gilgamesh? He kinda…. might get upset or something."

Bart spoke up. That was the question. Tell Gilgamesh or not. Be open like a team, or secretive as he has been.

"For now, we won't say anything. The truth is that we don't know where he is or where he went. We won't be able to tell him even if we wanted to."

The others all determined that this was the better of the options. For now, they will keep Grayson's disappearance a secret. They just didn't know how long his disappearance would go unnoticed.

Impressively, the building's damages were fixed within a couple of days, and things continued as they had beforehand...for the most part. One change was that they saw less and less of the king - instead of issuing missions himself, he had one of the civilians - Ritsuka Fujimaru - do it for him.

And Ritsuka Fujimaru was far more personable than the king, for sure. She always greeted them, joked with them, and worked with them. Eventually, she even started having dinner with them, along with her two companions - Mash and Cu. Mash was a sweet girl who seemed hungry for life experience, so the team was happy to indulge her. Meanwhile, Cu was the 'older brother' type who wasn't afraid to laugh along at their jokes - even if they were at his own expense, at times (though they had to admit, something was different about Cu….).

Even Merlin pitched in from time to time, whenever the communications magic was up and running. In fact, the team had been surprised the other night when they found they could all converse directly with the mage with their technology. When asked about how it was possible Merlin had just said, "The king likes to be efficient as possible, and since I am here to help he figured my services should be available to all the heroes underneath his supervision."

However, it just wasn't the same. They barely saw the man, and when they did he kept their meetings as short as possible. They'd assumed he simply didn't even leave his office, but that wasn't the case. He'd been spotted multiple times chatting with the civilians, and inquiring after their health and mundane topics.

Maybe he was mad at them? A petty reason, to be sure, but not unreasonable as even he was a human.

Only a select few knew this wasn't a case. As Ritsuka was basically their only link to the king, they had asked her about it.

"Well," she said hesitantly. "There's been some….developments, recently. Developments that could be very detrimental. I know he can be very arrogant, but he wouldn't ignore you all out of a grudge. He's just busy at work…" she trailed off, and shook her head. "Though that king should learn to take a break every so often. He said himself he doesn't want to die by overworking again…"

That comment had been spoken quietly, so most people missed it. Except for a few close to her.

"Excuse me, did you just say he died from overworking?"

Jaime almost missed it, but if it wasn't for the scarab, he would have overlooked it. The only ones who did hear were Conner, Jaime, and Tim, who was right next to her.

"When did this happen?"

Ritsuka froze. "Uh….well….Mash, help please?"

Mash nodded. "Right! King Gilgamesh, while he was alive and defending the preservation of humanity, had worked so hard he had passed on to the underworld. Luckily, senpai and I were able to to go save him, along with the goddess Ishtar-"
"Mash," Ritsuka groaned. "We weren't supposed to have revealed that."

Mash covered her mouth, eyes wide. "Oh, I'm so sorry senpai, I thought- oh, I messed up…"

Cu patted her head reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, little lady. Secrets are always meant to be found out at some point. This one was just revealed a little sooner than we would've liked."

Ritsuka nodded, and looked up at the team of heroes, who all had varying degrees of confusion on their faces. "Well?" she asked weakly. "Any questions?"

"Who's Ishtar?"

Mash answered again. "She's the patron goddess of Uruk, as well as a goddess of Venus. She assisted us in the war against the three goddess alliance."

"The king doesn't like her very much," Ritsuka added. "He...has a complicated relationship with the gods at best, but Ishtar caused the death of his friend Enkidu, I think...if I remember correctly from the Epic of Gilgamesh."

"I see. I wonder if there is a chance to meet that friend. We already met other people from the past, I mean, I'm from the future and I met people from the past. Well, technically anyone I meet is from the past. I can't ever go back to my time."

Jaime chuckled at the speedster's little speech. It always ends up long whenever he talks.

"I mean…" Ritsuka began. "I can try and summon them? Unfortunately, it's all very randomized, so unless I have a catalyst, Enkidu might not answer my summons."

"Relax, Master," Cu grinned. "You have excellent luck - you summoned me after all. I'm sure this Enkidu would answer your summons."

"While that does sound like fun, I suggest we wait for another time. For now, we should focus on the very person we are talking about. From what you tell us, He could be in life threatening danger from himself. Maybe we should do something about that."

Kaldur, who even though still had questions, decided to wait for another time. It would be best to help a member of his team, even if he doesn't consider it, Kalder will treat him as such. .

Ritsuka nodded, frowning in thought. "I definitely agree, but….Gil most likely won't listen to us. He is a great king and a clever man, but he is the most stubborn person to have ever existed."

Garfield nearly choked on his drink.

"You think that he was the most stubborn person to have ever existed? You have not met half the members of Batman incorporated. Those people are stubborn and it is really hard to change their minds. Trust me."

Ritsuka stared at him. "You clearly have not had enough time with Gil. He….is really something."

Mash nodded sagely. "Like that one time when he received a lethal blow, yet stayed defending Uruk even when we insisted he get medical help."

Will glanced at Artemis.

"Is it just me, or did something similar happen?"

"Yeah, with Grayson…. M'gann was not feeling great and that fire didn't help, but he wanted to go after that one guy from the undercover circus mission, even though he himself wasn't feeling great."

"...Are these two pretty much the same person?"

Ritsuka crossed her arms, frowning in thought. "They are both pretty stubborn….but how do we even help the both of them? Has anyone even heard from Grayson since he departed?"

They all look at Tim.

"Uhhhh, no."

"Dude, you are a bad liar."

"What? No I'm not!"

"When it comes to your family, a little bit."

"Okay, fine, I may have talked to him…. Once….. He wanted to check in on me and I told him I was fine. We talked for a little bit before he looked troubled by something and ended the call."

"Really?" Ritsuka asked, concerned. "He's okay...right?"

"What do you mean? He looked okay….. For the most part. Tired mainly. I take it he is doing his day and night job."

"You know," Cu interjected. "If you guys need anyone to go and check up on him, it would be a piece of cake for me since you guys are here under Goldie."

"Really? Cool. How would you find him? He is known for being hard to find if he doesn't want to be found."

Will asked Cu.

Cu grinned. "Us Heroic Spirits aren't like normal humans. I'd find him, trust me on that."

"With Merlin's help," Ritsuka murmured.

Cu shrugged nonchalantly. "It would get done though, wouldn't it?"

Kaldur thought about his friend. Based on what Tim said, he may be in trouble. It wouldn't hurt to have someone check in on him.

"Alright. If you are willingly wanting to, you may go. It would be appreciated."

"Finally, some action!" Cu smiled. "No more fishing charters!"

"I hate to break this up," a small voice said - that voice coming from a nearby intercom. "But the king needs to meet with you all. Immediately. It's...not a great situation."

Ritsuka looked up at the intercom, eyes wide. "Merlin?"

"Miss me?" Merlin asked. "But yeah, I do suggest you all hurry."

Jaime looked concerned.

"Do you think someone broke in and attacked him?"

'I do not think that is the cause, Jaime Reyes. The tone of that voice doesn't match my data of how you humans respond to attacks.'

"You know, not all humans are the same. We all react differently."

'That may be so, however I do not believe we are under attack. I do not sense any nearby danger.'

"You could have started with that."

"We'd better hurry," Ritsuka said, already starting for the door to lead them up towards the king. "If Merlin says it's serious, then it must be a bad situation. And if it's a bad situation, the king must need for a war counsel."

Together, though many were confused, they traversed through the penthouse to the room the king utilized as his office. Ritsuka pushed open the doors with zero hesitation (or knocking).

The king stood at the head of a table, a hologram map hovering over it. Merlin's own projection stood next to the king, both their expressions grave.

The king nodded, eyes focused on the map. "You've all arrived on time, but we must make haste. I will quickly brief you all, but we must be on our way immediately.

"For the past few days, I have been looking into the appearance of significant power sources with Merlin. These power sources are due to the summoning of Heroic Spirits. As far as I know, besides myself and Cu Chulainn, at least three different Heroic Spirits have been summoned into this time. We've been working to pinpoint their locations and identities, and we have succeeded on that front.

"However, it seems our enemies have already put a plan into motion - one such servant they have summoned is the goddess Quetzalcoatl." Gilgamesh looked up at the team of heroes. "The goddess' abilities are powerful - so powerful, she is responsible for the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs. A great deal of mana is being released in Central City, and Merlin has confirmed that Quetzalcoatl is becoming that meteorite once more to wipe out Central City, as well as anything likely on the continent."

Bart's mouth dropped.

"Woah woah woah, back up. Did you say Central City? We have to warn Ba-Flash and the city! We can't let them get caught in the crash. We have to do something!"

"Bart, we will, I'm sure the League already knows and is working on a way to stop it and will contact us soon. Patience is what is required here."

"I… Yeah, okay Kaldur…. patience… I can do that."

Jaime scoffed.

"Yeah, and I can get this scarab to stop talking to me."

"The League of Heroes won't be able to stop her," Gilgamesh interrupted, expression grave. "Quetzalcoatl is a goddess, and has power unlike anything seen in this age. There is a reason gods disappeared in the Age of Man - they were simply too powerful, and humanity could not coexist with them. Stopping her by any means the League may come up with is impossible.

"Fortunately," Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes. "I do have a….weapon, that might possibly combat the destruction of humanity. Thus, we must all head out immediately to stop this threat."

"I see, then my team and I will follow your lead. Give the orders and we will do what is necessary to stop this threat."

"Then follow me."

The team followed the king as they hurried up to the roof of the penthouse. The blue skies didn't seem to indicate a humanity-killing meteorite, but the situation could always change in a second.

One of the king's portals opened, and it grew and grew and grew - and out of the portal appeared an alien-like flying craft. The craft opened up, allowing space for everyone to fit inside, the king at the controls.

Unbeknownst to the heroes, the craft was named Vimana - usually, when Gil had used it beforehand, it had been smaller with a throne-like pilot chair in the open air, but Vimana appeared this time big enough to hold the rest of the heroes, the pilot chair now inside. It was not too strange, as sometimes Noble Phantasms in his vault had a tendency to change to suit the times and its user.

Wasting no time, the king took off into the skies.

"I've already had Merlin notify those in Central City so they can prepare for the fallout of my counter." Gilgamesh explained as he flew the craft. "I can take out the main meteorite, but the falling debris will also be a danger, which is why you are all accompanying me. My attack will likely destroy Quetzalcoatl, but if it's not, I shall warn you - only a few of you have a chance in combat. Out of you all, only Conner and perhaps M'gann can fight. The rest of you will act as support from a distance, if she survives.

"Also know this - as a Heroic Spirit, summonings by a human does limit the spirit's freedom somewhat. It is extremely likely that Quetzalcoatl is being forced into this through a command from her master - the Quetzalcoatl I met in my time loved humans, so this change in behavior is definitely odd. Does anyone have any more questions before we reach our destination?"

And they were almost there - no evidence of any danger, yet they all knew it was there.

"Uh, why would only Conner and I be able to fight? Everyone here is highly trained."

"She can kill any human with a flick of her hand," Gilgamesh explained. "Her strength is unparalleled, and excels in hand-to-hand combat. Don't get within arms reach of her if you can help it. Conner's strength may be able to fend her off for a moment or two, and you, M'gann, can interfere with her mind - an invaluable skill on the battlefield. Though….I do suppose, if you absolutely must get involved, Jaime would be another suitable combatant, given the circumstances."

They had reached Central City and the Gilgamesh gently lowered the flying craft into an emptied parking lot. The king and the team of heroes stepped out of the Vimana. Instantly, another gold portal opened up and the king began rummaging around within it.

"I had sworn I'd never use this again," the king murmured to himself. "Whoever is responsible for this…."

Gilgamesh withdrew a weapon from the portal. It was almost like a cylinder, though it thinned out near the end. Red lines traced the weapon, and it radiated power.

The team, while they knew were not in any real danger, felt slightly on edge. The scarab felt as if he was in danger and proceeded to activate his armor. Blue body armor covered Jaime and the sonic arm cannons were formed.

"Woah, scarab!"

'An unidentified energy source was scanned. We must be cautious, Jaime Reyes.'

"Now you are over exaggerating."

"This weapon I call Ea, an Anti-World weapon," Gilgamesh began, looking down at his sword distastefully. "If put to its full power, it is capable of destroying this world entirely."

"And you plan to destroy that meteor?"

Kaldur questioned as he soon became a little used to the overwhelming energy and began to relax.

"Yes," Gilgamesh answered, eyes looking towards the sky. Narrowing his eyes, he caught sight of a pinprick of light, then a rumbling sound filled the air. Gilgamesh powered on his Nameless Sword, the red lines beginning to glow. "This item, at the present, is the only weapon I have complete confidence in that will save this continent."

The king did not sound very happy about that fact.

The meteorite was moving at full speed towards Earth - already, the heat was rapidly rising, and Gilgmesh thrust the sword into the sky. He would not let this continent be crushed, and so many lives wasted. For what? A coward's greed?

As a king, he would not allow that, ever.

"Enuma," he shouted. "Elish!"

A brilliant beam of red light shot from the blade - the sword, in essence, could erase the existence of anything it came in contact with. Erasing the existence and revealing the nothingness the universe had been before the world had been created - the Truth of the world.

A large blast of energy hit the team, and cracks formed in the ground from the pressure. The sky lit up, flaring in oranges and reds. It was as if the sky itself was on fire. The city seemed to be suspended in time - the brief moment of two absurd powers clashing felt as if it had lasted a century. Gilgamesh gritted his teeth, and poured more of his energy into the weapon - the goddess was strong, but she would not surpass his will.

And just like that, the power of the Nameless Sword shut off, the brilliant red lines fading back to their original red. Fire began to fall upon the city, a layer of smoke resting between the buildings.

One of Gilgamesh's portals opened, and he reached inside to put away Ea, when something stopped him. Turning away from his portal, he came face to face with Quetzalcoatl. She did not look as he had remembered, when she had been powerful and vibrant with life itself. Quetzalcoatl instead had cracks made of living flame engraved on her skin, her very body disintegrating slowly (under normal circumstances, Quetzalcoatl would've been completely wiped out, but she was a goddess after all, and one couldn't underestimate the divine). Yet she still was able to give him a grin, those sharp teeth of hers showing.

"Thank...you…" she wheezed. "For stopping….me….."
The team watched in disbelief as the woman fully disintegrated, and Gilgamesh sighed -he was happy to put gods in their places, but the whole situation felt off to him. At least the young heroes wouldn't have to face combat with Quetzalcoatl, but they still had more work ahead of them. Finally putting away that wretched blade, Gilgamesh turned to the team.

"Come now, we must ensure the safety of the citizens," he said. "Quetzalcoatl is no longer a threat, but we must make sure the city will be well off."

Kaldur stared at him in shock.

"You killed … you killed her. We said we would do only what was necessary."

Gilgamesh looked Kaldur in the eyes. "That was necessary. There was no other way of stopping her. Tell me, would you trade the lives of millions of people, for the life of one goddess who doesn't even belong in this era? And who could pull off something of that magnitude multiple times? I understand wishing to keep your hands clean, but how many lives are you willing to trade for such a desire?"

"Taking a life is not the answer. When you take a life, how are you any better than the countless murderers and villains that stoop that low?"

"Then tell me, what would you have done to stop the goddess? There was nothing you could have done - I have known Quetzalcoatl both as an enemy and ally. You and those in this era are not equipped to deal with someone as her. You would've doomed an entire continent - the way I see it, not utilizing the resources at your command makes you worse than the villains you so despise."

"You said it yourself, she was being forced to, did you not? Find the person who made her do this and that would have been the best option to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."

"In what time?" Gilgamesh demanded. "Quetzalcoatl was attacking now, and her master could be anywhere. Taking such a risk is a gamble doomed to fail. Regardless, even if we did find her master, the result would still be the same - her master would call on her to defend himself, thus killing each one of us. Then, with us out of the way, Quetzalcoatl would once more become that meteorite. And even if things worked out so cleanly, Quetzalcoatl's existence here is temporary. One way or another, she would disappear from this world."

Kaldur, although not pleased with how Gilgamesh handled things, chose not to continue. It would prove only to be futile. What's done is done. However, he hoped in the coming of the next mission, there will be no killing at all.

"Now," Gilgamesh turned away from the team. "We must check in with the local authorities to ensure the safety of those in the vicinity. Find, save, and treat the injured and clear any wreckage. Can you do that, or shall you debate with me more of the morality of my actions?"

"Kid is already running through the city, looking for people, Miss Martian is helping lift debris, along with Superboy. Beetle is with Kid. The rest with one or the other or helping treat the people who may be hurt."

"Very well," Gilgamesh acknowledged. "Continue in these efforts. I, too, shall aid those in need. Do what you think is necessary."
With that, the king walked off into the city, leaving Kaldur behind.

It's been a few days since Grayson left the Team and that... king. He knew if he headed home, Batman would have his head for not following orders. Didn't matter, he wasn't going to listen. Instead, he went back to the city that the vigilante, Nightwing, has been watching over since the whole Blockbuster incident - Bludhaven. It was relatively close to Gotham, so when he first ran away and became Nightwing, no one knew it was him, not even the great detective Batman himself. Nightwing was looked into, but he managed to keep his identity a secret. That was until Wally and Tim joined together and found him. They had a feeling they knew who it was because only Grayson could do those certain flips.

Grayson found comfort in his apartment that he would use from time to time. He contacted his captain and told him that he was going to be back for a few days. She told him that she was glad to have him back and that he was going to be needed first thing the next morning. Of course, he agreed. His chief, Sarki Griffin, was really easy on him. He had his suspicions, but he never confronted her. He may be the youngest member in his department, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't get his job done, it's just he has a few more hours in his day to go after the criminals. Chief Griffin always seemed so understanding when it came to Grayson's weariness, or even tardiness. He didn't like being late and tried his best not to - however, it seems that only Nightwing can be on time, and even then he had some slip-ups.

Grayson had stopped by the Police department and picked up a few case files. He might as well get started now. He proceeded to read through as many as he could and he only realized that it was morning when he heard his morning alarm go off. He sighed and got into his day clothes and proceeded to head to the department. When he got there, many people glared at him or greeted him with a small smile. The chief walked over.

"Greetings Detective Grayson. Good to see you back in town. I take it your family event went longer than you expected."

"Uh, yeah, you could say that."

"Well, whatever you did must have taken the life out of you. You look like you went through death and came back. You know I want my officers, and my detectives, in top shape."

"I know. I just.. had jet lag, you know? Right now is about the time I would be asleep, and so I am just going to have to readjust."

"I see. Well, if you ever need a break-"

"No ma'am. I should be fine. You know this isn't the first time."

"Yes, yes, and it most certainly won't be the last. You are dismissed."

Grayson nodded and headed to his desk and logged on to his computer. He loved his job, but he hated paperwork. He spent the next hour finishing up any paperwork he could get done. Tedious work, but even he had to do it.

One thing about Grayson and the police department was that he never wanted a partner. He never needed one, but he ended up with one anyway. Griffin always insisted that he have one for backup. Since she was his boss, he couldn't completely say no, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Yo, Grayson, apparently you are the lucky one and get a partner that won't know anything about you. Someone from another department is coming down here for a few days."

"Really? Oh, great."

The sarcasm was heard in his voice. The man, officer Dudley Soames, smirked. Officer Hank Hogan frowned.

"Soames, leave the kid alone."

"I'm just saying. You get paired with him all the time, Hogan, and I can tell you hate it when he ditches you. Well, Chief Griffin stated that we had to pass on the message that he can't ditch this person."

Grayson got up and left the two to bicker. He actually liked Hank. He didn't mind teaming up with him from time to time. It was fun. He was curious about this new person. It was rare for someone to head over to Bludhaven's police department. This place had a worse crime rate than Gotham city. And for a 'rookie' like Grayson, to get paired with him, it doesn't make sense. As he was heading to grab a cup of coffee, he was stopped by Griffin.

"Detective Grayson."

"Chief."

"We have a possible 10-64. I know you just got back, but we don't have many officers to head out to take a look."

"I take it you want me to go?"

"Affirmative."

"Copy, I'll head out now."

"Maybe take this with you."

She hands him an already made coffee and a slip of paper.

"I had a feeling this is what you were planning on getting."

"Thanks, Chief."

"Can't have one of my officers falling asleep on the job. You are free to go."

She left Grayson and he looked at the paper. It was a location. He found himself already heading to his vehicle. While driving to the location, he thought about whether he should be Detective Grayson or vigilante Nightwing. As Grayson, he didn't have to hide behind a mask and stay in the dark; however, as Nightwing, he could be more of himself, yet at the same time, a man he didn't know.

He arrived at the location that Griffin gave him and at first everything looked ordinary, as ordinary as it could be in Bludhaven. He decided to give his brother a call. It would be nice to see him again, and check in.

"Hey Tim, how are you?"

"I'm good? Why are you calling?"

"What? I can't say hi to my little brother?"

"I mean, I guess you can….. Are you okay, Dick?"

"Of course, I'm fine. Just got caught in work."

"I see, that explains why you are in a police car."

"Did you actually think that I was arrested? Why would I be arrested, Tim?"

"I never said that."

The two of them laugh and do minor chit-chat and Grayson felt at ease. He didn't feel like a detective or a vigilante. If he could, just being Tim's brother would be enough for him. He failed being an older brother to Jason, he didn't want to fail Tim. He was happy - tired, but happy just to see his brother's face and hear his voice.

It wasn't until he saw someone who looked out of place, that a frown crept onto Grayson's face.

"Dick?"

"Hmm, oh uh, sorry, I have to go."

"Wai-"

He cut Tim off by ending the call. This person he was seeing was a female in the most bizarre outfit he had ever seen and he has seen heroes and villain outfits. She had a mask over her eyes, and seemed to be wearing some sort of revealing black leotard, with openings along her torso. She wore a long red skirt, reminding him of perhaps European aristocracy one-hundred years back - or something of the sort. The most bizarre thing about her clothing, however, was an article of clothing that also covered her torso. It was branchlike, but it also reminded him of some sort of cage - or….bone. She also carried some sort of staff. Definitely not something a civilian would wear.

With his experience with villains, he has been getting pretty good at picking them out, but he shouldn't always jump to conclusions too soon. He stepped out of his car and headed toward the direction he saw the woman was headed. He felt a little uneased from the feeling the air was producing. He carefully walked to the corner of the building and looked over. He saw that women along with a few of the very group of villains that he and the team had gone head to head with. At the head of this group was Ra's. Grayson looked and saw three others near Ra's. He spotted Sportsmaster, Klarion and Cheshire. He was a little surprised to see her. Will will not be very pleased to hear this news. Sportsmaster could have dragged his daughter with him to this little meeting, or she came on her own free will.

Grayson noticed the lack of Shadows near Ra's. What could the Light be up to now?

"Tell me, Ra's. Why have you invited us here? Of all the places you could have chosen, it was here you wanted to meet up? In this dump of a town?"

"Cheshire, need I remind you that when we should meet, it would be best to go to places that people would least expect or even think to look for you. This is Bludhaven, and crime is known in these parts, therefore the police will have less worry about us. Plus, the vigilante that protects this city has not been seen in a few days. We will have a better chance here, under no watchful eyes."

"You talk a lot when we want to make things quick and fast."

"Patience, Sportsmaster. We are all in good time."

"By the way, are you ever going to explain who little Miss Horror-show is over here?"

"Right, would you like to introduce yourself to the others?"

The woman smirked and tilted her head slightly upwards, looking down on the Sportsmaster. "I am a Heroic Spirit, summoned forth from the Throne of Heroes by this man, my master. You may call me Assassin….unless my master wishes me to reveal my true name?"

"These are my colleges. They may know your name."

"Very well," the woman nodded. "I am known as Carmilla, the older and finished product of Elizabeth Bathory."

"Well, little girl, you don't look like much. You sure this girl is someone who could take down members of the Justice League?"

"While I have not seen her in action myself, I do have high expectations."

Cheshire looked Carmilla up and down.

"I have to say, it will be rather interesting to see another strong female fighter."

Carmilla looked at Cheshire appraisingly, and perhaps...a bit possessively. "You are a female warrior? This makes me want to bathe in your blood more….but, since you are one of my Master's allies, I suppose you are off limits. I will have to then look forward to bathing in perhaps Wonder Woman's blood instead...wouldn't it make sense for a demigod's blood to be more rejuvenating?"

"Oh I like her."

"Carmilla, you shall have plenty of opportunities to do as such, but for now, we wait for Vandal's orders. He said that he bore witness to powers he thought he would never see again. I am unsure what he meant by that, however, in time we shall know."

Grayson thought that now would be a good time to leave. He got some intiel that he thought The League would like to hear. As he turned to leave a sword was placed near his throat. His eyes widened as he found himself face to face with the red-hooded ninja he met before.

"Oh great, you again."

The man said nothing. Grayson heard Ra's speak.

"Who is there!"

"Welp, there goes stealth."

It seems he and this guy would always clash. He, while the guy had his guard somewhat down, pushed his arm that held the sword away from him. The guy in red quickly regained his composition and attacked Grayson. Ra's walked over to the two boys.

"Oh, if it isn't Bruce Wayne's little brat. Carmilla, you may kill him if you wish, or rather….. disregard that, let them finish their fight."

Grayson heard Ra's tell Carmilla to attack him, but not the part where he told her to stay, so for a split second, Grayson took his eyes off the swordsmen and that was the leverage he needed. He impaled Grayson's left shoulder. Grayson clenched his teeth from the pain. How could he have made such a rookie mistake. Ra's seemed a little disappointed. To the Ninja, Ra's simply stated.

"Finish him."

The one in red nodded, and when he turned to Grayson, he seemed to hesitate for a mere moment. And in that moment, something knocked into the red-hood's blade.

"Hey!" someone called out. "Get away from him, or I'll blow you to bits!"

Grayson looked in the direction of the voice, and he saw two people - a woman in a red coat, whose hand was outstretched and hand taking the shape of a finger gun. A man seeming to be the same age stood next to her, two swords in his hand.

The two newcomers hurried forwards to Grayson's side. The man's eyes were focused on red-hood, blades at the ready, while the woman frowned at the other villains.

"You, there!" she called out. "Are you the master of this Heroic Spirit?"

Ra's simply narrowed his eyes at the girl.

"That I am. Who are you, exactly?"

The woman smirked. "I'm Rin Tohsaka - and I am here to get rid of that Heroic Spirit for you."

"Can I kill her?" Carmilla asked, eyes focused on the woman. "Master?"

Ra's thought everything over. Should she succeed in killing the young girl, he would call that a win and a loss. Should she fail and fail in battle, that would only be a loss, but if they all left, they could come up with a better plan of action, but so would the heroes.

"For now, we shall leave. There will always be another opportunity."

"What?! We outnumber them five to three! And that cop over there is wounded, so I would even say he doesn't count!"

"Sportsmaster, we don't know enough - plus, Vandal never told us to take action. When it was just the Prince of Gotham, I didn't mind, but now, it seems as if we have…. a mage."

Cheshire looked at Grayson, and he could see that she wanted to know about her family. She knew Grayson, and she knew that he would see her dear sister and her husband before she would.

"Take care, until next time."

Grayson knew that the "take care" was not directed to him, but rather the family she left behind.

Cheshire was the first to leave, followed by an angry and frustrated Sportsmaster. Ra's ordered the assassin spirit to leave, turning into spirit form, and he left with the man in red.

Grayson sighed before looking up at the two new people.

"Why did you….. what are you people doing here?"

"The chief told us to meet you here," Rin answered. "She said you might need backup, and you clearly did."

The man with the two blades - which seemed to...dematerialize - nodded. "Good thing we arrived here on time. Those guys seemed dangerous, and on top of that, a Heroic Spirit...in that situation, it only seemed right to step in."

Grayson just looked at them before laughing.

"I don't need help. I would have been fine. The chief worries too much. And what was that last part? Heroic Spirit? You can't be serious. I already dealt with one insane "spirit" now another? Great!"

"Hey-hey, don't you laugh! Your stab wound clearly says otherwise…" Rin trailed off, then focused on Grayson. "Wait a minute, what did you just say….?"

Grayson tilted his head.

"The chief worries too much?"

"Not that! The other thing! About the spirit!" Rin said.

The man also seemed to be focused on Grayson. "What kind of spirit is this? Do you know their True Name? Please, this is very important."

"Kind of spirit? I would assume the one that is dead. He's just some guy that is with my….. Tim."

Grayson realized that he probably left his brother worried about him. He ignored the pain and quickly called his brother. Tim didn't take long to answer.

"Dick! Oh my gosh! You are not allowed to just end a call like that and you… are hurt! What happened!?"

"Nothing to worry about, just get a message to the team, say that there is some sort of spirit or something and Ra's has control of this spirit. I don't know how, but she wants to kill people and it doesn't look like she cares who it is."

"I…. I will, and please go to a hospital or something."

"You worry too much, Tim."

"Maybe not enough. Just get help. Also, I'm heading to you. Okay?"

"No, don't."

Tim hung up before Grayson could tell him "no". Grayson realized that he may have picked that up from him. He sighed and let his body relax before pain shot through his body. He had momentarily forgotten about his wound.

Rin noticed his wince of pain, and cursed. "Oh, sorry about that - here, I can help you out with that wound of yours." She dug around in her pockets and pulled out a small gemstone. Putting her hand above Grayson's wound, she started murmuring words in German. A soft light came from her hand, as well as pulsed from the gemstone. The pain from his wound began to fade, and he watched as the wound itself closed up.

"How did you do that?"

Rin sighed, and repocketed her gemstone. "I guess the secret's out now...I was really hoping to keep that under wraps a bit longer, but there's no helping it." She eyed him. "At least, it seems you're already involved, so it's not too big of a problem. I am a mage, and used some simple healing magic on you. You shouldn't strain that shoulder, but at least you won't bleed out."

"Okay… Well, thanks for your assistance, I should get going."

'I am unsure what to think about these too. The guy hasn't said anything. This girl… what is her goal?'

"Hey!" she pointed at him. "You can't just leave, you still need to answer our questions! Besides, even if you do leave, Shirou and I will have no choice but to follow you. I am, after all, your newly assigned partner."

Shirou sighed. "It'll be much easier for you to answer the question. As you can see, Heroic Spirits can be incredibly dangerous...so the fact that you've met a spirit like that could be no trouble at all, or…."

Shirou left the rest of the sentence unsaid. Grayson sighed. Didn't seem like he was going to escape this one anytime soon.

"Fine. I'm Dick Grayson. Let's head back to the office. I'll drop you off there and I'll wait for my brother at the station."

Grayson said, trying to get rid of these two. He did not want to be paired up with anyone.

"Let me get one thing straight here," Rin said, scrutinizing him. "I don't care about being partners with you - the only thing we want is information on all materialized Heroic Spirits in this region. You tell us what you know, and we'll be out of your hair. Got it?"

"Get in the car, and I'll tell you what I do know. Is that fine with you? If anything, my brother and the team will know more."

Rin smiled. "That is a suitable agreement. In turn, we shall tell you what we know."

Rin and Shirou followed Grayson to the car, the two of them sliding into the backseats. Grayson got into the front seat, put the car in drive, and pulled out onto the road.

"Alright, what is your first question?"

Rin leaned forward. "Who is the spirit that you...and your team, know?"

"He said his name was Gilgamesh. He calls himself a King of Heroes. I have to say, not a fan of him."

"Neither are we," Rin muttered.

"So he's really back," Shirou mused quietly. "But...how do you know him? Do you know what he's planning?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by back, but I only know him because I saw him with Ra's al Ghul and Klarion and they were talking about trading a weapon or something. I may have also attacked him after he attacked my brother…. And they may be under his watch."

"Wait just a minute," Rin said slowly. "You attacked the King of Heroes, and you escaped unscathed? Shirou, is that even possible?"

Shirou shrugged, frowned in thought. "I don't know about unscathed. I only beat him that time because I was able to create enough blades to counter his weapons - that, and since he didn't take me very seriously, along with Archer's intervention. But to go in without that sort of ability...I don't think that would be possible."

"Then he must've been holding back," Rin deduced. "But...you said your brother is under Gilgamesh's watch? So is he a captive? But what could he possibly want with you and your brother?"

"My brother is not the only one there. We… I really shouldn't be telling this to a bunch of strangers, but we are heroes. My brother is the current Robin. I don't think he is captive. I am unsure what his goals are. He keeps everything from us. That's why I left."

Rin nodded. "Alright...I guess since you told us that you're a hero, we should probably tell you how we know Gilgamesh. A couple years back, both of us participated in the Fifth Holy Grail War. It's a war in which the participants all summon Heroic Spirits and fight the others in order to obtain the supreme wish granting device - the Holy Grail. Normally, there are seven masters and seven servants, but that war was different. Gilgamesh participated in that war, but as an outlier. I think he somehow stayed in this world from the Fourth Holy Grail War, which was a little more than a decade beforehand - my father was his master.

"Regardless, Gilgamesh was our final opponent in that war, and by far the most powerful one. His goal was to use the heart of the vessel of the Holy Grail - a girl named Illyasviel von Einzbern - to purge humanity. Thankfully, we were able to beat him….but it looks like he's returned. That's why it's important to us that he's back, and what it is he's planning."

"If he's trying to destroy the world again," Shirou said. "It's our job to stop him - we can't have another situation like that. Never again."

"So…. he's not a good person… And I left my brother with him! You guys know how to stop him?"

"That's the hope," Shirou said. "Though the last time we fought, he underestimated me. I don't know if he'll make that mistake again if we meet. But we won't stand by - we'll do what we can."

"Well, I'll help you out. Should we tell Tim, uh, my brother, about this? He's coming here. If not, should we head to his base with Tim? You can catch him by surprise that way."

"That may be our only option," Rin said. "Surprise is really the only thing we have going for us. We have to destroy him before he realizes what's going on. But...I also think that we should wait. Having some more backup would be beneficial to us, and since it seems summoning servants is possible..."

Shirou nodded. "We should summon a servant of our own to counter him."

"It'll take time," Rin informed Grayson. "For now, I think our best course of action would be to inform your brother - and only your brother. From how it sounds, your team isn't being harmed. It won't hurt to have someone tell us what the king is doing."

Grayson nods as he pulls into the station where Tim was waiting right inside talking to Griffin.

"Detective Grayson, he's my brother. I need to see him."

"Don't worry, he is out right now and should be back soon. For now, you can wait."

"He's hurt, can't you send someone to make sure he's okay?"

"Tim….. I'm fine."

Tim turned around and saw Grayson. While his wound was healed, blood stained his clothes.

"Jeez, Grayson, you look like you went to hell and back."

"Nice to see you too Hank. I'm fine by the way."

The older cop chuckled.

"I know. Your brother here, interesting guy. Doesn't look like you though."

"We're adopted."

The two brothers said at the same time.

"Ah, right. Sorry. You never talk about your family, you really should."

"Now is not the time, Hank. Tim, I will talk to you outside and Chief-"

"Go, I will assume you won't be back for a few days."

"I am sorry."

"Take care, Detective."

Grayson walked out with Tim, who sat in the back seat of the car next to Shirou.

"Dick, who are these people?"

"These people have some news about this 'King of Heroes' that you need to hear."

He nodded to Rin to let her explain while he drove. And so she did, explaining the Holy Grails Wars and Gilgamesh's involvement in them.

"So… this whole time, you were right. He is trying to get on our good side and just use us as pawns."

"Yes, but we can't tell the Team, not yet, not until we can get him in a tight spot and we have the upper hand."

"Okay, I trust you, but them, can we?"

"They saved my life, we can trust them."

"Okay - you didn't trust Gilgamesh, but them?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Tim chuckled. Some days, his brother was really fun, others the detective side took over, and then there was that moment of enigma, where Tim couldn't understand Grayson at all. Tim thought about something that occurred before he had left.

"Hey, if he is such a bad guy…. why is he helping people and going to Central City to oversee the rebuild?"

A/N from Sora: And there's another chapter! Here's my first author's note for this story, but I do want to thank everyone for taking the time to read it. It started off as something fun to do with my friend, so I'm happy with what we've done with our little project. There are a few things I would like to elaborate one, as we've received a few comments on the fate side of the story. Now, the Nasuverse is very very elaborate, so right off the bat I'm going to say that there are probably things off in this story than from canon. I know what I know from my limited knowledge and understanding (I've only seen the anime and played up to the start of the sixth singularity in Grand Order), as well as from Wiki. Lots of (rightfully) asked questions are about Gil - is he caster, or archer, or what? I made him Caster here because Caster is the best Gil (though he is bound to be ooc a bit). Though, in this story, he uses a variety of weapons, not just magic staffs. In my research, I've concluded that Castor Gil is able to use traditional weapons as missiles, but choses not to. Something about him showing "self-restraint". But I can't write him without using his weapons sooooo here he is, launching a sword like an arrow. This is the same for Ea, though I did use a bit more logic for that - after all, though Gil locked up Ea after Enkidu died (I think), I also believe that if it was the only option, then he would use it so everything doesn't get obliterated. But this is the only appearance Ea makes, because that was the only world ending situation that would make Gil pull it out. So from here on out, we're sticking with Malammu Dingir. As for how Gil is there (and other spirits, as we now know) I consider it to be similar to an event from Grand Order (like GudaGuda, or the Hawaii event, or the Swimsuit Swordmaster event) - so it's not too settled in lore, it's just here for fun. If anyone has any questions, or comments, or anything really, my partner and I will do our best to answer them! Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy future chapters, as much as we enjoyed writing them XD. This story isn't meant to be super lore ridden, it's just a fun crossover XD

A/N from Akira: Woohoo, Cu showed up. He's a great character and he deserves better in the show. Anyway. We got more time with Rin and Shirou, and the two met Richard. True, he wouldn't have reveled himself as a person who is or even works with heroes to people he just met but with everything that has happened with the spirits and all, it was only a matter of time. Also, a 10-64 is police code for Crime in process. As well as the the fact that I don't like the actually chief of police that I made one up for this story. I am saying that he got fired or something because I needed a good chief of police. I don't think she will show up often in this story, but it was a minor detail I wanted to explain. Anyway, I hope you are all feeling the Aster and are staying safe! See ya in the next Chapter.

Posted: 7/31/2021