Chapter 4:
–Kara Zor-el–
Kara tried her best to focus on the barrage of questions from the reporters, but her mind kept wandering. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, all her thoughts seemed to circle back to one person—no, one MAN.
Titus… Her sort-of-but-not-really cousin.
Her cheeks heated up as she stole another glance at him. He was standing just a few feet away, also surrounded by reporters, doing his best to answer their endless questions. His chest was completely bare, and the only thing covering him was Kara's detachable cape, wrapped loosely around his waist. It was the only thing keeping him from being fully exposed.
Well, not that he hadn't already been fully exposed to her back inside the volcano.
Kara bit her lip, feeling her face flush again. 'I didn't even think… that a penis could be that big.' The thought sent another wave of heat through her, and she quickly shook her head. 'And those muscles…' Her gaze drifted back to him. 'I wonder what it'd feel like to have those strong arms around me…'
"Supergirl! Supergirl! Can you answer the question, please?" A reporter's voice cut through her thoughts as a microphone was shoved way too close to her face.
Kara snapped back to reality, realizing she'd been spacing out again. 'This isn't like me at all.' Ever since she arrived on Earth, she hadn't been attracted to a single human guy. Not like this. Not the way she was suddenly drawn to Titus. Even back on the Watchtower she could hardly keep her eyes off of him when he first entered the room.
But then again, Titus wasn't human, was he?
Her thoughts drifted again, and she quickly shook her head. "Uh, yes—what was the question again?" she asked, feeling her cheeks burn even hotter.
"Supergirl! How did you and Titus manage to stop the eruption? What was it like inside the volcano?" the reporter repeated.
Kara tried to focus, to remember what had happened inside the volcano. They'd done something to stop it… but her mind was fighting her and not letting her remember what they'd done. 'Come on, think!'
But the only thing she could clearly recall was him. The way the light from the molten lava had flickered over his skin, the hard lines of his body, and… well, everything else.
'Stop it, Kara!' she mentally scolded herself. 'You're not supposed to be this horny!'
She was Supergirl, for crying out loud! Not some boy-crazy mess like Starfire! As much as Kara loved her friend Koriand'r, that girl always seemed to be... well, horny. Nightwing could barely keep up with her, and Kara didn't see their relationship lasting much longer.
The truth was something she'd already realized and it stung—super-powered women like them needed someone who could match their strength. Someone... enhanced.
Like Titus.
'Ugh, dammit!' No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get him out of her head. Was this all because she knew she was the last living biological female Kryptonian? Was something in her DNA pushing her toward Titus? Was her body, her genes, manipulating her thoughts, trying to make her seek out a partner like him? Like a Kryptonian?
The idea made her squirm, and not just because of embarrassment. 'Why him?'
No matter how hard she tried to focus, Titus kept creeping back into her thoughts.
Titus glanced over at her, his eyes locking with hers for a brief second. Kara quickly looked away, hoping he hadn't noticed the blush creeping up her neck. He probably thought she was distracted by all the reporters. But no. She was distracted because she'd seen him—all of him.
And now? She couldn't unsee it.
"Supergirl, did you use heat vision to seal the volcano?" another reporter shouted, pulling her back into the present.
"Heat vision? Yes—wait, no! We didn't use that. We, um… actually…" She muttered under her breath, trying to remember. Kryptonians were supposed to have perfect recall, but right now, the only thing she could perfectly recall was not the way they'd stopped the eruption.
Before she could respond further, a female reporter stepped forward, her smirk obvious. "Hi, Supergirl! I'm Emma Walters, from Vanity Affair. You seem a little distracted. Do you have something on your mind, or maybe… someone?" Emma's gaze flicked over to Titus.
Kara's heart jumped, and her blush deepened. "W–what?! No! I–uh–I don't have any feelings for Titus at all!" she stammered, her voice way too loud.
And just like that, the entire press scene descended into pandemonium. The questions about the volcano stopped, and suddenly everyone started asking about her non-existent love life!
"SUPERGIRL, ARE YOU AND WONDER WOMAN'S SON, TITUS, DATING!?"
"ARE WE LOOKING AT THE WORLD'S NEXT POWER COUPLE!? HAVE YOU TWO MOVED IN TOGETHER YET?"
"WHAT'S TITUS LIKE IN BED? Is he hiding an anaconda under that cape!? Because it certainly looks like he is!" Emma's smirk widened, and Kara felt like she was going to explode from embarrassment.
"N–no more questions!" Kara squeaked in utter embarrassment. Then, without another word, she took off into the sky, leaving the reporters behind in a blur of blue and red. A sonic boom echoed across the skyline as she sped toward the Fortress of Solitude, desperate to escape the chaos she'd just inadvertently caused.
'Maybe the cold air up there will help me calm down,' she thought, her heart still pounding as she flew through the clouds.
–Titus–
Huh…? Supergirl just up and left all of a sudden. She'd been acting kind of weird beforehand too. Her heart rate was way up, and she kept glancing over at me every few seconds, her cheeks bright pink.
It was almost like… she was attracted to me or something?
"…"
Oh…
Well, that was a thing. First, it was Hawkwoman straight-up propositioning me, and now my sort-of-but-not-really cousin was looking at me the same way.
I was starting to realize that women were really confusing. All the pre-programmed info in my head about them wasn't helping either. No real surprise there. The scientist who created me looked like he'd never spoken to a human woman a day in his life…
I guess I'll just ask Mother—er, Diana—what I should do about women who are attracted to me from now on. She's supposed to be hundreds of years old. She probably has answers... Maybe.
"Titus! Over here!" A reporter's voice cut through my thoughts. There were a lot of them here—at least 20 different media outlets—and we'd only stopped the volcano from erupting less than half an hour ago. They didn't even wait for it to be safe before showing up.
Were they suicidal or just stupid?
"Yes?" I called back. "Do you have a question for me?"
"Why are you naked, and is that Supergirl's cape around your waist?" the reporter asked.
I scratched the back of my head. "I'm naked because I don't have my own superhero costume yet. I was wearing normal clothes, but they burned up as soon as I flew into the magma. Today's actually my first day as a member of the Justice League."
"Where have you been all this time? Why didn't the public know about you until your birthday with Wonder Woman?" another one spoke up.
I nodded. Diana had prepped me for this one. I couldn't mention anything about being a clone—the public wasn't exactly welcoming toward clones, and legally, they didn't have many rights in America. "I grew up on my mother's island, Themyscira. I spent my youth training so that I could one day become an amazing superhero like her."
"What about your father?" A blonde reporter stepped forward. I recognized her as the same one who made Kara fly off in embarrassment. "Hi there! Emma Walters, Vanity Fair. From appearances alone, it's obvious you're Superman's son! What's the story there? Are your parents secretly together?"
I shook my head. "My parents aren't together. I've actually only met Superman a handful of times. My existence came from... a single night of passion," I explained, without any real details. Diana told me that sometimes it was best to be vague and let people make their own assumptions.
"Ooooh! How scandalous!" Emma grinned, satisfied with my answer. Something told me Vanity Fair would be running some wild headlines these next few days…
The next round of questions were about how Kara and I stopped the volcano—questions she hadn't answered for some reason. I explained how we used our durability to dig deep under the volcano's base, creating massive holes until it collapsed in on itself. When they asked if there was any further danger of eruption, I shrugged and admitted I didn't know. I wasn't a volcanologist, my only job was to stop it from erupting, potentially killing millions across North America.
"All further questions will be answered by the Justice League itself in a few days!" Diana's voice rang out as she flew down from the sky and landed beside me. She raised an eyebrow and smirked at my appearance. "Looks like we need to get you a proper costume that can handle the elements," she said with a laugh. "You did good work today, Titus!" She looked genuinely proud.
"Thanks, Diana!" There was a big grin on my face. It actually felt pretty good to be recognized as a real hero.
"Come on, fly with me. Let's get out of here!" Diana said as she lifted off back into the sky
I followed after Diana as fast as I could, hoping the reporters below wouldn't get any embarrassing pictures of me under the cape I had wrapped around my waist. Once we were high up in the stratosphere, I glanced down at the piece of super-durable fabric.
"I should probably get this cape washed before I give it back to Kara," I muttered.
Diana gave me a strange smirk. "Have you considered that maybe she'd prefer it unwashed when you hand it back?"
"...What?"
She shrugged. "She's a thirsty little thing. I was watching the whole time while you two handled the reporters. It was pretty obvious Kara Zor-El couldn't keep her eyes off you. I've seen that look plenty of times from my sisters back on Themyscira. Some of them I was more than happy to reciprocate!"
Was it wrong that I kind of wanted to see that?
I blinked. "What should I do about… her feelings?" I asked Diana.
Diana started laughing, like really laughing. She had a good 30 second chuckle at what I felt like was my expense. "Her feelings? Oh, you're too much, my son! Still so young and innocent!" She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. "You can do whatever you want. Or not do anything at all—it's up to you." She paused for a second, then gave me this knowing look. "Personally, though, as your mother, I think you should take some time to... play the field. You were just born—or, uh, created—you know what I mean! Don't jump into anything serious too soon. You've inherited my longevity, so you've got plenty of time. Go on some dates, have fun with various women, maybe even build a harem if that's something you're interested in! I had a few of those myself back in the day..."
"Wow..." I really had no idea how to respond to all that. It seemed the more time I spent with Diana, the more I got to know the real her.
Diana hovered closer, giving my shoulder a reassuring pat. "Or you could just focus on being a hero for now," she said. And then her eyes narrowed, the mood shifted instantly. "Did you notice anything strange when you were inside the volcano with Kara? Or possibly anyone?"
"Strange like what? I was mostly focused on stopping the eruption," I said.
Diana bit her lip. "Flash found footprints a couple miles away after he finished helping Superman evacuate the nearby town."
"Footprints?" I repeated.
She nodded. "Yes, but these were different. The ground was scorched underneath them, like whoever made them was walking on fire. We suspect the eruption wasn't natural. It's possible we're dealing with a new villain—someone who can control lava, maybe even volcanoes."
I frowned, crossing my arms. "What would anyone gain by setting off a volcano? That's just pure destruction."
"That's for Batman to figure out. He's the best at investigating these kinds of things," Diana replied, then smirked. "Also, he's proud of what you and Kara accomplished today. Not that he'd ever say it out loud, but I caught him smirking after you two saved the day."
I couldn't help but smile at that, but it wavered as I asked my next question. "And what about Superman? Did he say anything?"
Ugh. I'd told Hawkwoman earlier that I didn't care about his approval, but here I was asking about it anyway.
Diana sighed. "He didn't say much. Once everything was under control, he took off for Metropolis."
That stung more than I wanted to admit. "I guess it is what it is," I muttered, trying to shake it off. I decided to change the subject. "Since I just saved the world for the first time, shouldn't we celebrate?"
Diana's face brightened immediately. "Yes! We should! You've tried mortal alcohol—now it's time for you to try something far better! GODLY ALCOHOL!"
I tilted my head, intrigued. Mortal alcohol tasted like chemicals because of my enhanced taste buds, but that didn't mean I wasn't curious. "Where do we even get that?"
"Themyscira, of course!" Diana grinned. "And I think it's about time you meet your grandmother! She probably won't try to kill you immediately!"
Wait… What?
–Lex Luthor–
"What the hell?" Lex muttered to himself, barely able to process what he'd just seen on the news report in front of them all.
The members of The Light—a secret group with terrifying power and influence, which Lex himself had co-founded—sat in stunned silence underneath the bright lights.
The bright lights snapped off, leaving the room dim. For the first time in a long while, everyone could see each other clearly.
Savage, sitting across the table, glared at Lex with barely contained fury. "What did we just witness?"
Lex cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice steady even though his mind was spinning. "There were some rumors online a few days ago, but I thought them all hogwash until now. It appears... Superman and Wonder Woman have a son. A very powerful son." He said it calmly, but inside, Lex was reeling. How did none of them know about this? The Light had been secretly monitoring the world's heroes for years. They were supposed to know everything there was to know about them.
"It has to be a clone," Queen Bee said disdainfully. "We'd have known if Wonder Bitch had a secret love child with the Hunk of Steel."
"I don't think so. No! I bet they fucked!" Klarion the Witch Boy giggled, clearly delighted by the chaos in the room. "Ooooh, what a delicious scandal! I love it when the board gets flipped. I hope Super-kid's more fun than his boring dad!"
Lex ignored Klarion's cackling and turned back to Queen Bee, forcing himself to stay calm. "I don't know if it's a clone or not," he admitted, hating how clueless he sounded in front of the others. "I didn't even know anyone else had gotten their hands on Superman's DNA! That was the whole point of today's mission."
Everything had been set up perfectly—or so they thought. The Light had been willing to risk exposing one of their most dangerous new weapons just to create the perfect distraction. Red Volcano, an android capable of controlling lava, had triggered the eruption of a supervolcano. That eruption had been their golden ticket.
They just needed Superman out of Metropolis long enough for a League of Shadows agent to slip into his apartment and collect as much DNA as possible.
"With that DNA, we were supposed to create our own Superman in secret," Lex muttered, the frustration building. That had been the plan. He had even been toying with the idea of mixing in some of his own DNA, creating a clone that was part Superman, part Lex Luthor. The perfect weapon, designed to finally kill the Man of Steel when the time was right.
But now…
"Someone beat us to the punch," Black Manta said. "Or the kid is legit, it doesn't really matter, does it? He exists."
"All that work for nothing," Ra's al Ghul mused. "Would we even be able to create a clone more powerful than this Titus boy?"
"Let's assume it is a clone?" Vandal Savage's eyes narrowed. "Did Cadmus go rogue on us? Do we have any scientists unaccounted for?"
Lex raised an eyebrow, barely containing his disbelief. 'What a stupid question…'
Cadmus was always rogue. The entire organization was filled with scientists who had long since abandoned sanity and restraint. They all wanted to play God. And sure, they worked with The Light, but they never really followed orders. Even threats to their lives didn't sway them much. Lex had no doubt some of them were running side projects—maybe even working with competitors.
"Maybe…" he couldn't give a better answer than that.
Savage's fists hit the steel table with a deafening slam, the force of the blow warping the metal. Lex flinched. The immortal sure knew how to make an impact.
"Damn it!" Savage growled. "All of our plans will temporarily be put on hold until we figure out more about this Titus! We need to know how powerful he is, if he's capable of standing against us!"
Lex kept calm and straightened his tie as he sat up. "Might I possibly make a suggestion?"
Savage whipped his head around, irritation flickering in his eyes. "What!?" The immortal man really didn't like his plans being disrupted, which Lex found oddly strange considering he had nothing but time on his hands.
"Maybe we should release THE GIRL? Use her to test how powerful Titus is?" Lex proposed.
The eyes of every supervillain in the room widened in shock.
"Are you insane, Luthor!?" Ra's al Ghul snapped. "That girl is a walking Apocalypse! Literally! It was a miracle we even managed to capture her and get her into that stasis pod the first time! We did all of that without her father knowing!"
"I agree with Ra's," Queen Bee added. "She's far too dangerous to let out."
Klarion grinned mischievously, "I say let the girl loose! And if her daddy shows up looking for her! I bet I can take him!" He grinned while stroking his cat.
Savage scoffed at Klarion's bravado. "You most certainly cannot take him. But…" He paused, weighing his options. "...we can always set contingencies in place if we have to." He turned to Lex and nodded in agreement. "Very well. Set the girl loose near the clone. But make sure to equip her with a control collar first."
"Very well then," Lex smirked in sinister satisfaction. If they were lucky, the girl might even do them the favor of killing Superman's son. Lex could already picture it—the agony, the despair twisting Superman's face when he realized his precious son was gone. The thought made Lex lick his lips in anticipation.
XXX
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Current Advanced Chapters:
The Fallen Gamer ch 287-291
The Fox Hole ch 11
The Supe Devil ch 8
The Blood Queen ch 7
The Fox Hole ch 10
The Supe Devil ch 7
The Blood Queen ch 6
The Titan ch 5
The Blood Queen ch 5
The Fox Hole ch 9
The Supe Devil ch 6