AN: Hello all, here I am back again with another chapter, only this time between updates wasn't too bad! On top of which, as an added bonus, this chapter was initially going to be much long, but I ended up cutting it in half for plot and flow reasons, which means that the next update will probably be at the end of this week or start of next. So an even shorter time between updates there. Not much to say other than that though, just that I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Another thing while I am at it, is this. I am a part of a discord group, there's tonnes of others there, plenty of writers, admittedly mainly PJO, but other stuff too. Feel free to pop along and say hi, I'm always happy to chat about the stuff I am writing. So if you fancy it please do to join by sticking this: discord .gg / QDKQfPwa into discord, with no spaces, or using the link on my bio.

Thanks for reading and please do leave a review, that or feel free to PM, I am usually much better at answering those!

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or anything from the DC universe.

( - )

(Last Time)

"Either way, they will be set to complete their task. Once this is done, they will then be reassigned, and work with our other agents to bring down the Justice League, and this new team of sidekicks they seem so fond of." L-1 continued.

"Just remember though. The god spawn is mine, I owe him a thrashing for what he's done!" L-7 finished.

"Your personal grudges are immaterial to me, all that matters is the Light!" L-1 replied, his voice holding a note of finality to it that silenced any more dissension from the other members of the Light.

( - )

Chapter 23

( - )

(With Percy on Themyscira)

Dancing back and forth across one of the isolated beaches that dotted Themyscira's coastline, Percy's quick footwork naturally kicked up sand sprays of fine, golden sand as he clashed blades with his opponent.

Twisting his sword mid-swing and bending his legs slightly, he parried an overhead blow with ease, and then instinctively took a step back and avoided the follow up slash, before without word, he countered with his own lunge.

In response, his opponent used her armoured bracer to catch and deflect the thrust, the action spewing forth a flash of sparks as his training blade scraped along her armour, even as she twisted and let loose another slash at his torso, and then a head height kick to follow it up.

Backtracking again at her counterattack, Percy allowed the swinging blade to miss him, the gleaming tip of the sword barely an inch from carving into his flesh as he leaned back, before without warning he lunged forward and caught his opponent's leg mid-kick.

Or at least he tried to.

Before he could get a proper grip, his opponent pushed herself up with her other leg, twisting her entire body and using the leverage Percy's partial grip of her right leg gave her as she did so. Taking to the air, she then swung her other leg around, trapping Percy's arm, shoulder and neck in a tight, perfectly executed triangle shaped hold.

Reaching out with her free hand, she quickly grabbed onto her own ankle to maintain the lock, even as she brought her free hand -the hand clasping her sword- down and struck Percy in the face, hard. The cross guard of her sword gave the blow extra weight as it carved a shallow furrow into his cheek. The blow would also likely leave a bruise if not attend to.

"Ah dammit!" Percy cursed, struggling to take in air as he used his one free hand to catch and trap his opponent's sword wielding hand, stopping her before she could punch him in the face again.

"Do you give?" His opponent smirked down at him. Damp red hair framed her smirking angelic face, even as beads of sweat formed on her brow, and trickled down her smooth, bronze skin. Her breathing was irregular, which told him she was tired. The veins in her arms were also prominent, a sign of the strain she was under as she continued to maintain her leg lock.

"Never." Percy grunted back, his face a little red and his breathing strained as he struggled to draw a full breath.

"Beware your pride, young'un. Better warriors than you have been killed because of it. It's better to give up now, then to persist and lose consciousness." His opponent remarked. He scowled in response, even as her lips curved upwards in a cocky smirk as she looked down at him.

Growling under his breath at that, Percy took a deep breath and began to strain, his muscles visibly bulging, and her own sweat-soaked skin rubbing almost sensually against his opponent's body as he used raw strength to break her lock, forcibly freeing one of his arms as he then fell forwards and drove his opponent into the sand.

Letting out a grunt, Pyrrha attempted to re-adjust her position. Her powerful, muscled legs once again clamping around Percy's bare, sweat soaked chest, even as she rolled him over and tried to force the blunt edge of her blade to his throat.

Percy, however, didn't let her, instead he rolled them back around so he was on top, once again breaking her hold as he caught the hilt of her sword with one hand and forced both it and her hand into the sand above Pyrrha's struggling head. With his other hand, he brought his own blade up and rested the edge to her neck.

"What was that saying again, something about 'pride coming before the fall'?" Percy muttered, his voice raspy as he kept Pyrrha trapped beneath him, his full weight, and raw strength, bearing down on her, curtailing her attempts to break free.

"I, I yield." Pyrrha grunted after a few seconds of futile struggle.

Both her arms were trapped, and her legs were likewise entwined with Percy's, which stopped her from using them to break free, or to knee him in the balls like she had initially tried to do the moment he had her pinned. Added to that, was the fact that his body was completely on top of her, to an outside observer they would almost look like lovers.

"Good." Percy smirked, his green eyes glinting with mischief as he gazed down at her.

Releasing his grip on her hand, and throwing his sword away, Percy otherwise maintained his position on top of her, his now free hand moving up to brush a few stray strands of red hair out of her face.

"I thought I had you there." Pyrrha sighed back, shifting about under him, a slight pout playing around her lips. It was an expression that would look more at home on the face of a teenage girl, than on the hardened, millennia old warrior that Pyrrha actually was.

"So did I," Percy nodded back. "If I hadn't broken out of that lock when I did, I would have probably passed out. That, or I would have had to pull out the big guns and use my powers."

"I'm glad I at least gave you a work out then." Pyrrha rolled her eyes. Her tone and nonchalant words understating the sparring session they had just had.

The two of them had been going at it for close to an hour now. First, they had fought with shields and spears, or at least until Pyrrha had snapped Percy's spear in half with her shield. After that, they had fought with swords and shields until Percy had managed to rip Pyrrha's shield out of her grasp. Following that they had fought with just swords, until the end when it had come down to grappling. After nearly an hour of non-stop fighting, the both of them were sweat covered and exhausted.

"Still, now you have my pinned, what are you going to do with me?" Pyrrha continued, her expression becoming sultry, even as she idly started to grind her partially trapped hips against Percy.

"Well…" Percy began, a slight smile on his face. He was bare-chested and wearing just a pair of swim shorts. Pyrrha meanwhile wore little more than breast bindings and a white loincloth. He could feel the scorching heat from where their skin was flush together, and could feel her heart pounding against his chest, just as his own heart beat out a steady rhythm.

His adrenaline was high right now, and when combined with her intoxicating scent muddling his senses, and the closeness of their bodies coaxing out natural urges and reactions, he was finding it very difficult to resist his former lover right now. His previous concerns over his current headspace, were fading with every second that past, even as other thoughts and desires instead made a home in both his heart and head.

Smirking, Pyrrha threw her now free arms out and tangled her hands in his damp hair before without another word she pulled him down and brought his lips down to her own and gave him a scorching kiss, her tongue slipping into his mouth with almost preternatural ease as a whole new kind of duel began.

Smiling into the kiss, Percy allowed all his misgivings and concerns to fade as he instead just allowed himself to be lost within the pleasures of the flesh. Almost instinctively, he ran his hand down her sandy, sweat soaked body, his fingertips tracing the powerful curves of her frame, before coming to rest on a firm, perfectly shaped bottom. His other hand meanwhile moved up and cupped her face, his thumb idly brushing some sand off her face, even as he deepened the kiss, their hips shifting as they started to grind into one another.

It was a good thing that they had both chosen a secluded cove for their spar, and that Percy had sent Donna back to the city for her afternoon classes, because by the way things were going things weren't going to remain PG for long. It wasn't how he had thought things would play out, not after blowing her off previously, but right now he didn't care, he was too lost in the moment to care about anything right now.

Or at least that is what he thought, before without warning there was a whistle of wind and something, or rather someone, landed on the beach with a loud 'THUD'. The impact of their land blasting out a cloud of sand that thoroughly covered both Pyrrha and Percy's entwined bodies.

"Was that really necessary?" Percy asked irritably, rolling off of Pyrrha now and rubbing some sand out of his eyes. A part of him was glad things hadn't escalated, he wasn't in the right headspace right now. A greater part of him, however, the one making all his decisions right now, was cursing Diana's interference.

"You two look like you were... having fun…" Diana replied mildly, ignoring Percy's question as she brushed some sand off of her armoured costume, and instead looked between the two of them with cold, blue eyes.

Percy wasn't sure why, but Diana looked thoroughly annoyed right now. It was a far cry from her usual calm and controlled expression.

In some ways, Percy idly thought as he pushed himself up to face her, it made her look, if possible, more attractive than usual. Not that he would share that dangerous thought right now, especially since he wasn't sure just why she looked so angry.

"Just a sparring session," Percy said, forcing a smile.

From beside him, he noticed that Pyrrha, her face flushed with embarrassment, had taken a knee in deference to her princess.

"Is that what you call it?" Diana replied calmly, her cold gaze shifting from Percy to Pyrrha.

"Princess I…" Pyrrha started to speak, only to be halted as Diana raised an imperious hand.

"That's enough, Pyrrha. I am not angry with you. But I do need to borrow my cousin for a while, if you would excuse us?" Diana cut in, her gaze once again on Percy. What she had said was not a request, it was an order.

Nodding at her Princess's command, Pyrrha sent Percy a last fleeting look, before she turned and briskly started to walk away, pausing only long enough to pick up her sword, spear, shield and clothing, before she quickly made herself scarce.

"We really were having a spar." Percy spoke up in the ensuing silence.

"That hardly sounds like a fair match up." Diana replied brusquely, brushing several loose strands of her raven black hair behind her shoulder, even as the brisk sea air endeavoured to do its best to undo her work.

"Pyrrha is a good warrior, her skill is-" Percy began to say, a frown spreading across his face as he made to speak up in Pyrrha's defence.

"She is a warrior with few equals, I know. Even you, for all your skill and experience with the blade, pale in comparison to Pyrrha when it comes down to pure skill at arms. She is in a league of her own, and comparable to the most skilled heroes of old." Diana cut in, her expression still stern as she gazed around at the rucked up sand that made up their impromptu training field, before looking back at him. "For all her skill, however, she is still no physically stronger or tougher than an average Amazon. Yes, her strength is beyond that of a normal man and on a par with our distant Atlantean cousins, but compared to you and I, she is not even in the same league."

"Raw power is not the be all and end all, you should know that." Percy replied with a frown on his face. Honestly speaking, he wasn't actually sure just how strong he was. His raw strength seemed to wax and wane. At times, while training at the Cave, he had been on a par with Superboy strength-wise -though admittedly Caleb's durability had been far greater than his own. At others, he had only been slightly stronger than Kaldur, so beyond a normal human, but nowhere near strong enough to fight unarmed in the big leagues. Either way, as far as he was concerned, strength and raw power was not all that mattered in a fight.

"I'm aware. As Batman has proven time and time again; skill, planning and strategy can sometimes overcome raw strength. But that only happens in exceptional circumstances. If you had leveraged your greater strength sooner, the spar would have been over considerably quicker. For all her skill, Pyrrha is not on your level." Diana said, her eyes leaving Percy as she instead looked out at the sea. "Ready yourself, Perseus, for I will be your new opponent."

"Wait, what?" Percy asked. The hot rush he had been feeling from being with Pyrrha had all but faded by this point, as had the more obvious signs of his arousal. What little of it remained, however, was completely quenched at Diana's words. It felt like someone had just poured a bucket of cold water on him.

"We need to talk, and since you seem to be a kinaesthetic learner, we might as well spar while we talk. We will focus on hand to hand, so no weapons, elemental powers or flight, just our raw physical abilities and skill. This kind of spar, I believe, will challenge you more and allow me to begin to correct your less than stellar hand to hand combat skills." Diana announced, turning back to look at him. Her expression might as well have been carved from stone.

"This is all a bit sudden, isn't it? I mean, I'm not in the best shape right now. I've just been training for the last hour." Percy said, raising his hands as he tried to talk her down. He wasn't sure what had got into Diana, but he wasn't too keen on doing any more sparring today. Especially not in a spar that would clearly favour her power set, after all, he primarily relied on swordsmanship and wielding his elemental powers. Instead, he rather fancied heading back to the settlement for a couple of drinks and an early night. He still had a lot of thoughts buzzing around his head, and needed time to think and process just what he was thinking and feeling right now.

In response however, Diana merely lunged forward and grabbed one of his wrists, before without a word she physically threw him over a dozen metres away from her, and sent him into the sea, where he landed with a large splash.

"You need to learn to expect the unexpected. Your senses have dulled since you escaped Tartarus. Six months ago, I wouldn't have been able to catch you by surprise like that. Besides which, you draw strength from the sea, a quick dip will reinvigorate you. I, meanwhile, have just flown all the way here from Man's world." Diana replied, raising her hands and settling into a fighting stance. "We should be on an even enough level."

Exploding out of the water, Percy, now feeling stronger than before, his tiredness having been washed away by the sea, landed back on the sand. His expression was flinty as he wiped seawater out of his eyes and glared at Diana.

"What is with you today?" Percy growled. His temper was fraying now. He had just had a very pleasant day on the island, relaxing on the beach and chatting to Pyrrha, playing with Donna, and just basking in the company of the other Amazons. For all the manhating propaganda about them, they weren't a bad lot, or at least not so long as you weren't a sexist, arrogant ass, and instead just treated them as an equal. Only now, his pleasant day had taken an unpleasant turn.

Diana, however, just smirked at his question, before without a word she darted forward and engaged him by throwing out a right hook.

Raising his hands and clenching them into fists, Percy ducked her first swing and moved in for a kidney punch, one arm raised to protect his head, the other pulled back for a jab. Or at least he tried to do that. Unfortunately, however, before he could close in, Diana followed up her right hook with a twist of her body and a sudden elbow to his gut, the blow almost folding him in half, even as it knocked the air out of his lungs.

"You need better situational awareness." Diana said, backing off and fending off Percy's counterattack as he quickly recovered and started throwing a number of fast jabs, feints.

Over the last few weeks he had picked up a few tricks from sparring with Black Canary, Aqualad and Superboy. He was not an expert by any means, but he was no longer completely reliant on his less than stellar, and unrefined, Roman boxing and Greek wrestling techniques. Instead, he had added more to his repertoire, and had started learning how to actually fight efficiently in hand to hand combat.

"I thought you wanted to talk to me, not lecture?" Percy snapped back, only to grunt as Diana suddenly stepped in and blocked one of his punches, and countered with another gut punch, which she then followed up with a leg sweep, which knocked him onto his arse.

"I do, and about several things." Diana said, taking a few steps back and making room for him to get back onto his feet.

"Well, I'm listening." Percy replied, moving forwards again, only more cautiously now as he once again engaged Diana in a blisteringly fast-paced fight, his hands clenched into fists and his breathing already straining as he tried to fight off an opponent that was both physically stronger than him, more durable, and both more experienced and skilled when it came to hand to hand combat.

It was going to be an uphill fight.

"Batman knows what you are," Diana replied bluntly, fending him off with ease, slapping aside his punches almost contemptuously before side stepping a kick and backhanding him in the face. The force of the blow mashed his cheek into his teeth, and drew blood. "He's told the rest of the League."

Almost at once, Percy worked out what she was talking about. Batman had finally figured out he was a demigod. Considering his reputation, he wasn't surprised. If anything, he had expected the purportedly skilled detective to have picked up on it earlier. He hadn't exactly been subtle.

"Was he told, or did he just find out?" Percy asked, his mind instantly going to Robin as he lunged forward and attempted to knock the older hero to the ground. He couldn't match her in strength, but with his greater weight and momentum he was hoping that he could at least enough create a gap for him to put her in a lock and change the tides of the impromptu fight.

"Found out." Diana replied, jumping over his leg sweep, and responded with a straight jab into his face, the force of the blow broke his nose. "For all his personality issues, Batman is both a very intelligent, and very capable, detective. He's a good hero too, even if he is sometimes too narrow-minded, and suspicious of his allies. Suffice to say, I won't tell you exactly how he obtained his evidence of what you are, it's not my tale to tell, but I will say this. That I've lost a lot of trust and respect for Batman, and for others in the League over this issue, particularly in relation to Batman choosing to search out, and share secrets that were not his to share."

Percy grabbed his broken nose and reset it with a wince and a slight crunch, his mind racing even as he snorted out a globule of blood, and nodded. "I don't mind them knowing, not with the Team already being aware. It would have got out eventually, I don't want you to fall out with the others over my sake."

Batman was naive in his opinion, and arrogant too. He wasn't fond of the man. That said, with his team now knowing the truth, he had only presumed that it would be a matter of time until the others did too. He wasn't exactly sure what Diana was implying with her loss of trust and respect comment, but from what he could infer, whatever Batman had done, had been underhanded. Still, despite that he didn't want her burning bridges, and ending friendships because of him.

Darting forwards, Percy did a one-two motions with his fists, throwing his entire body into the punches, first the right and then the left, before following it up with a swing elbow to Diana's head.

Catching the elbow with ease, and ignoring the strength it was thrown with, the kind that would have taken off a normal person's head, Diana responded with a straight kick to his ribs, the force of the blow cracking at least two, even as she kicked him off his feet and sent him rolling across the sand.

"Things are more complicated than you think." Diana said calmly, her hands interlocking behind her back as she waited for him to recover. "With regard to this spar, however, I will say that I am underwhelmed so far. You're stronger than this, I've seen it, and although you are not wielding a weapon as you prefer, your reflexes and battle sense should still allow you to better predict and react to my attacks. You're not focussing."

He grunted at that.

"So, is that all you wanted to say?" Percy gasped out, forcing air into his lungs and staggering to his feet. Holding his aching ribs with one hand, as he turned and spat a mouthful of blood onto the sand, his eyes narrowing as tried to break down and analyse Diana's relaxed stance.

From how she was standing, she didn't even look like she was taking him seriously. Though considering the way the fight was going, and the disparity in their strengths, maybe she wasn't. Their fight wasn't balanced. In terms of demigod abilities, after all, he had inherited mainly elemental abilities based on his father's Domains. Diana, meanwhile, had inherited the ability to fly, was faster than a child of Hermes, and had strength comparable to Heracles, and durability on a par with the Nemean Lion. In a hand to hand fight with no other abilities, he was at a big disadvantage. Which was probably the point.

Still, she had a point. He might have far more training and experience with a sword, and thus prefer it more. But the same reflexes and battle sense he used while sword fighting, should translate to hand to hand combat too.

"No," Diana replied, her gaze following him as he recovered his breath. "I have other concerns too."

"Oh, and what are those?" Percy asked, his eyes narrowing as he darted forwards and quickly engaged Diana in a quick flurry of punches. This time he was more cautious on the approach, and he took his time to break down and analyse her stance and movements. He didn't dare try to grapple with her like he did with others, with her strength she would easily take him to pieces. Superboy he could just about get away with, their strength when they fought, to his surprise, was pretty comparable at the moment, even if Superboy himself was significantly more durable than him. Diana however was on a whole other level.

Instead of answering, Diana merely fended him off, and then lunged forward easily getting in close, as she then caught his right arm in a lock, before with a jump and a twist she brought him back to the ground, only now she held him in an arm bar hold, an almost lazy expression on her face as she looked at him expectantly. She wanted him to somehow get out of this hold, despite the differences in their physical abilities.

"Do you know why I pushed you to join the Team?" Diana asked casually, tightening her grip on his arm as she did so.

"Yeah," Percy grunted, straining against Diana as he tried to wiggle out of the hold, lunging out with his free hand as he tried to punch his way out of his current predicament. It was like punching a three foot thick wall of tungsten. "You wanted me to get used to the whole costumed hero-ing thing, and get to know the scene and the main players in it."

"Partly, yes. But I also wanted you to acclimatise, and to make bonds in this world." Increasing the pressure on his arm, Diana came precariously close to breaking it. "Yet months on now, and I feel like you've accomplished none of the things I wanted you to do."

"What?" Percy grunted. "I have a costume, I work with and lead my team. I'm doing well."

"No, you lead your team, but I feel like you've not opened up to them like I wanted you too. Mentally you may be over a hundred, but emotionally you're immature. Your body did not age in all your time in the Pit, you were time locked while you were down there. More than that, despite your proclamation of being immune to trauma, your time down there still affected you." Diana said firmly. "I pushed you to be on the team, and to maintain contact with those who care for you on the island, as I wanted you to connect, to build relationships and find happiness. I did that because you're family, and I care for you, and I want you to be happy. But think about your actions and tell me, do you think you've done that? From what I've seen, you've thrown up walls and refused to get to know your team and create bonds. Hades, the only reason your teammates found out what you are, is because you made a mistake while you were mind wiped."

"That's not fair. They keep things from me, so why shouldn't I do the same?" Percy scowled.

"Yes, that's a mature response, isn't it? It's clearly the kind of response that a mature one hundred and thirty odd year old would give. How about you take the initiative and put yourself out there? You're old enough and confident enough that you should be able to take the first step!" Diana replied, her tone turning almost mocking as she brushed aside his excuse. "More than that, you've also not learned how to be a modern day hero, your mind set is still like that of the ancient heroes of old. It's causing problems."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Percy snapped back defensively. He was beginning to feel angry now. He generally liked Diana, she was a good woman, and an exemplary hero, but right now, he didn't appreciate her condescending attitude. "Don't tell me you agree with that tool Batman about his whole no killing bullshit?"

"The world is not black and white, as you should well know. Don't get me wrong, in some ways I agree with your thought process, that some people are too dangerous to keep alive. But not all criminals should be treated the same. Some are victims of circumstance, and were forced into crime because they had no other choice. Others have simply made mistakes and have been led down the wrong, but are still redeemable." Diana bit back brutally. "You, however, seem to still be stuck in the mindset that those you fight are monsters, and that like monsters, they should mostly be killed."

"I object to that, I had friends who were monsters. My mind has long since been opened to the way of the world, and I'm very aware that it is not black and white. That's why I limit myself, it's why I only take life when my hand is forced. Do you really think I am so far gone that I would enjoy killing? Do you think I am so out of touch with my humanity, that I have lost any sense of mercy and compassion?" Percy demanded, his voice rising. He might not be the same person he was when he was a young, naive teen, but deep down he still considered himself a good person.

With a slight growl he channelled his anger, and tensed the arm Diana had trapped, before with a growl he loosened her hold and then heaved and lifted her full off the ground, before with a grunt he slammed her into the sand on the other side of him.

"I don't think you're a monster, Perseus. But I do think you're lost. These villains are not like the monsters you've fought before. Some of them, like the Joker, are true monsters in human skin, and deserve to die. If given the opportunity I would end him, and the threat he poses to everyone around him, without hesitation. Others, like Blockbuster became actual monsters by giving up their humanity for power, sometimes for the good of the many, these individuals also need to be put down."

Once again, she engaged him, both of them trading ferocious blows as they ploughed their way across the sand. She landed considerably more blows than him, though he still managed to hit her with one or two glancing strikes.

"Others, however, don't. Many of those we fight are just people, they have families and friends that will miss them and avenge them. If you kill a henchman by accident, you may also kill the family he had relying upon him to provide for them too. The decision over whether killing villains is right or wrong, isn't a simple one, and as such there is not a simple answer."

Dodging a blow, Percy broke off from the sudden flurry of attacks, his gaze flicking back over his shoulder as he noticed that he now had his back to the cliffs. She had manoeuvred him during their latest exchange, so his back was now literally against the wall.

At the same time, as he looked back and analysed his position, he also thought about what she was saying. She had a point. Things were never simple. When he had been younger and more naïve, he had once attacked and blown up a cruise ship full of monsters and rebel demigods. He had excused his actions as being a natural part of war, and had explained away the murder of his kin as it both being due to collateral damage, and them being traitors to Olympus, and thus his enemy.

In some ways, his mindset as a demigod had helped him come to this point of view, as had the death of his friend Charles Beckendorf in that very same attack.

Looking back now, though, he knew that the excuses he made were just that, excuses. What he had done was savage. He had killed dozens of his family members, some of them barely in their teens, and had done so just because they were on the opposite side of him. He didn't feel guilty about it, but he could empathise with their situation. Some had been picked up and recruited before they ever got to the Camp, before they had a chance to realise there was another, better side. Others had simply been manipulated by Luke.

The vast majority of them had not been bad people, they had just been misguided, or had made a mistake. Very few of the traitor demigods had been irredeemable, Ethan Nakamura, who turned on Kronos at the last, proved that much.

In hindsight, he would have tried to do things differently if he could.

It was a regret, or as close to a regret as he could possibly feel.

But even so, it reminded him of what Diana had been saying.

"I know it's not simple," Percy said softly. "And I have been trying to tone things down. I've made mistakes, but I am not a monster."

"I know you have, and others in the League have noticed too. Not all of us subscribe to Batman's strict black and white moral code. But at the same time we are a united front, and for the good of the world we need to remain united. Blockbuster and Deathstroke, they were understandable, they were in self defence or in the defence of others. I would have done the same as you if I had been in your situation, and others on the League, I know, would have done the same. Abra Kadabra, was more of a grey area though, I've seen the reports Robin filed. He was a thief not a murderer, and he incapacitated, yet you killed him all the same when Klarion forced your hand, and you had to find a way to defend yourself and others." Diana said calmly.

Percy grimaced at her summary, she had a point, but extenuating circumstances at the time had made it, so he had no other feasible choice other than to sacrifice Abra to save both his own life, and the lives of his teammates.

"The League is not condemning you due to the circumstances around these deaths. But you have people nervous, both those in the League, and those that watch us. We heroes walk a fine line. We need public confidence and support to act, we also need government buy in. And we get that by being better than those we fight, and by obeying the laws of the land. Sometimes, this means we have to let those that deserve death live, and let the mortal's courts deal with them. It's not pleasant, but it's a necessity. We heroes are outnumbered many millions to one by mundane people, and villains. Without their support we cannot do what we need to do, and if we can't do that, the villains that infest the earth, and the aliens and pagan gods and demons that covet it, will win." Diana continued, her expression grim. He could see, just from looking at her, how much she hated the situation she had explained to him.

"I understand." Percy nodded.

"Good," Diana nodded, before without warning she darted forwards and hit him.

Throwing both his arms out in a block, Percy grunted as he was catapulted backwards and into the cliff. His arms felt like they had both nearly broken front the force of the blow, and his back ached from his impact with the solid, granite cliff face.

Pushing down his pain, he leapt out of the small crater he had formed and re-engaged Diana, his temper flaring at the suddenness of the attack as the two of them clashed in a rapid, minute long duel of flying fists and swift kicks.

Neither of them were holding back, which made it all the more satisfying for Percy when he finally landed a solid blow, his fist lashing out and catching Diana across the face. The force of the blow staggered her, even as it forced her head to whip to one side and a spray of blood and saliva to spatter onto the sand next to her.

Grinning in response, Percy had barely a few seconds to bask in finally getting her back before he was forced to defend himself from a rapid and brutal axe kick. Which he achieved. The follow up knee she delivered into his chin as she landed on the ground following the kick, and leapt up again, he was less successful in avoiding.

Flying back and hitting the cliff again, Percy grabbed his aching jaw.

"You're getting better. Strangely, your strength is increasing too." Diana commented idly, as she ran her hand along the pink mark on her face. "I've made a decision."

"Oh, and what's that?" Percy asked, his words slightly garbled as he rubbed his jaw.

"From now on, you'll be accompanying me once or twice a week on patrol." Diana replied.

"I'm not your sidekick." Percy shot back immediately.

"No, you're my family and my equal, as such you will not be my sidekick, but instead my partner. Either way, I think it would benefit you to come along on patrols with me. We can continue training your hand to hand skills. Not that Black Canary is a bad teacher, but I don't think it's necessary for you to train with her any more. No, instead I will take you on, it will be more beneficial to train with someone both stronger and more skilled than you with regards to hand to hand fighting. I will also use the opportunity to hone my own sword skills. I believe that I might have become rusty over the last few decades." Diana pressed on, her expression expectantly.

Sighing, Percy looked up at her suspiciously. "What kind of things will we be doing?"

"Fighting some of the more dangerous threats as and when they appear, for one. We will also be heading down to Atlantis on some diplomatic business soon, and we will be joining the search for the new Doctor Fate. From what Zatara has said, the Helmet has chosen a new host." Diana said.

"And what of my place in the team?" Percy asked cautiously. He'd grown comfortable with the others, content almost in their company. M'gann was a good friend, and he was growing closer to Barbara, Tula, Caleb, Kaldur and Wally, he was even fond of Robin now that the younger boy had mellowed out a little.

"You will still be the leader and be able to do everything you already do there. Most of what we'll be doing will take place during school time. Both M'gann and Caleb have just started their new schools, and the others already attend one, as such Mount Justice will be empty during most days, and the missions, where possible, will be arranged around school. Now, unless you want to be the oldest student in Happy Harbour high school's history, you can either come out with me and work as my partner and become a better and more rounded hero, or you can sit in the Mountain by yourself. It's your choice." Diana said, her lips curving upwards in amusement. His cousin knew that he had ADHD, and thus also knew that sitting around in the Mountain by himself with no stimulants would be a horrible experience.

"Fine," Percy said unconvincingly, after a few seconds of thought. Internally, he was actually looking forward to exploring more of the world with Diana. She was good company, save perhaps when she was kicking him around a beach. But despite that, he was a stubborn person, and so had to make a token objection, even when he knew she was probably doing him a favour.

"Good," Diana smiled. "Batman has already sorted out all of your ID papers, social security number, health insurance and school diploma, and once you've done a test, he will set you up with a driving licence too. He's even sorted you out with some employment papers, so you'll now be drawing a salary which you can use for expenses and living costs. Think of it as his unspoken apology for prying into your secrets."

Percy smiled slightly at that. He could already picture Diana browbeating the grumpy Dark Knight into helping him out. His cousin could be utterly terrifying when she wanted to be.

"I also want to see if you can learn to fly." Diana then added unexpectedly.

"Wait, what?" Percy asked, suddenly nonplussed.

"Your control over the wind and lighting; elements of your father's Domain over Storm, are improving, and with my father and the other gods having all but left this realm, and thus their domains, I suspect you might be able to refine your control to even greater heights. The domains are now controlled by nature, instead of by the divines, which means my father might not limit his brother's spawn as much as he probably did on your world. Who knows, with some practice, your connection to Storms might allow you to learn to fly just as well as myself." Diana nodded, her lips curving upwards in a genuine smile, and her blue eyes warming up, as she saw him suddenly grin.

Flying would be a pretty cool skill to pick up.

( - )

So what did you think? I imagine I might have some unhappy customers with regards to the little spar between Diana and Percy, but what can I say, the terms deliberately favoured her, as she was older, more experienced and skilled and thus testing out his hand to hand skills to see where he was, and what needed to be done to help him improve. If he had used his elemental abilities things might've been different, though Diana too would have stopped sandbagging, and would have used her flight which allows greater movement and speed, and her lasso. Either way, I suspect some might not be happy, but it is what it is. Percy is still growing as a hero and a fighter, and this also had spots of Character development in it too, as well as some set up stuff for what I want to do later.

Also, since people seem to focus on the discussion over the killing rule. Diana quite clearly said that she agrees with him that some villain i.e. the Joker deserve to die, and should be killed. But at the same time less dangerous ones should be spared and handed over to the authorities either because they are redeemable or because they have a low threat risk and because the governments and everyday people would get antsy if heroes started playing judge, jury and executioner. Essentially she said it is a complex problem, with no one answer, and a balancing act. Which I think sums up the issue quite well. Villains like the Joker deserve to die, villains like Catwoman or non-murderous henchmen don't. But at the same time, the issue goes beyond personal morality, and it is necessary sometimes to look at the bigger picture.

Also for the talk, Diana was giving her opinion and doing her best to mentor/help Percy, which is not something she is completely used too, as I imagine she had few equals for most of her life, because she was either superior to them in abilities or rank, that or they were her mother/aunt and thus looked after her. As you might have noticed, she's not great at it, though she is trying.

That said Percy is pretty set in his ways. He will be growing and developing, but it'll be at a realistic pace. So although he might ease up, don't expect him to go full Batman, he will still do what he thinks is right, even if everyone else would disagree. His principals are a key part of who he is.

That said, I hope people did enjoy the story and continue to read.

Please leave a review, comment etc. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to PM me, I'm usually good at answering them.

Also I am on a discord with a load of other writers, so if you fancy popping over to ask questions or offer suggestions about this story, or any of my other ones, or to find new authors you might not have come across yet, please feel free to use the link in my bio or the link at the top of the page.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later.

Greed720.