Author's note:
To evolution-500: Thanks for the review! It helps a lot to know I am doing something right.
To jose19: I want to point out that this is a joke accent he mainly used to mess with the sidekicks. He talks like a normal person, I assure you.
--
Story notification: Aquaman is the Jason Momoa version. At this point, I can't possibly see him any other way. Additionally, any knowledge he has of Spartan comes from conversations with the man himself and records inscribed by Poseidon himself.
--
Chapter 2: Joining the Team
(Aquaman POV)
He sits at the conference table as Superman and Batman gaze at him from the other side. Eventually, the silence is broken by Batman's voice.
"Who is Spartan, Arthur?" he asks. "There is no way you would turn on the League outside of mind control. Zatara and Manhunter have already analyzed you for traces and you came up clean. The only reason is if you were trying to help him escape since he made a break for it at the same time."
"Arthur, talk to us," Superman implores him. "We don't know anything about the boy besides he is extremely powerful. He was able to break into the Zeta network and pass himself off as a recruit to the other sidekicks. Please, tell us what is going on."
"What do you know about Themiscyra?" he asks as he finally responds.
"It is an island nation of female warriors," Batman says. "They are all metahuman level with the exception of particularly strong fighters blessed with greater abilities through ties to gods. It is where Diana is from."
"What does Themiscyra have to do with Spartan?" Superman asks as he tries to connect the dots.
Batman undoubtedly has a picture already forming in his mind, so he just continues.
"It has everything to do with Themiscyra," he says. "That is where he comes from."
"How did a male come to live on Themiscyra?" Batman asks. "I thought it is against their rules."
"They are less like rules and more like a way of life," he replies. "To really understand it, you have to go back to the origin of Themiscyra. Back when Greece was under attack by the Persian Empire, the Amazons still lived on mainland Greece. They had resided in a beautiful valley where they would live and train as they passed the days until the gods would call for them to act in wars. It was a peaceful and wonderful place. Men were not allowed inside, but that was more for the focus it provided the women instead of any overt aversion. They were undistracted by romantic attachments as they trained to be warriors of the gods. It didn't last though."
"The Persians wanted to cripple the divine assistance that the Greeks enjoyed," he explains. "The major source was the Amazons since they would join the battles alonside Athens, Sparta, and the other city-states. To this end, an army was sent to destroy their home and kill them all. It was led by a traitorous son of Olympus, Hercules. The demigod had sided with the Persians after he felt he was not getting enough attention as the greatest of Zeus' mortal children. He led them straight to his father's warriors and even helped breach the divine protections that had safeguarded the Amazons for centuries."
"They prayed to Zeus as their sisters were slain and the survivors violated," he continues. "They had sent word to the city-states about the invasion. All of these went unanswered. Their allies did not come to aid them in their time of need. The god they served was silent as their prayers went unanswered. It twisted and broke them. After it was over and the fraction that remained finally escaped, they learned of the punishment Zeus levied on his son. The retribution was not death or punishment in the depths of the Underworld. No, it was a slap on the wrist and a warning. It was an insult to their loyalty and loss which made them curse even the gods for their betrayal. They could trust men neither mortal nor divine."
"When they eventually settled on the isle of Themiscyra, the king of Atlantis had been wary of their presence," he describes. "Even with their reduced numbers, they were still a force to be reckoned with. As such, he was unsure of how to deal with them. If they were to turn their ire on Atlantis, it would lead to costly deaths. While the other princes thought it would be best to either eradicate them or leave them alone, there was one prince who was kinder than the others. He had been visited in a dream by Poseidon, the patron god of Atlantis, who told him of the tragedy of the Amazons. It was conveyed as a warning to stay away, but the prince was too kind to let it go. He wanted to show the women that there were men who would stand by them if they ever needed aid. He convinced his father to let him visit the island with a peace delegation. They would bring gifts and a message of peace in the hopes that peace would be assured."
"When the prince did not return, the king grew worried," he says after silence had fallen for a minute. "He sent two more of his sons with a battalion to find where their brother had disappeared. When they got to the island, the seas were red along the base of a cliff as ravenous sharks feasted on the chum tossed into the water. When they surfaced, they saw what lined the cliff's edge. Pikes were planted into the stone with the heads of the prince and the other emissaries resting on the points. Their bodies had been reduced to chum which they dumped into the waters out of mockery to the Atlanteans. When asked why they did it, their reply was simply, 'Because they were men.' That is why Atlanteans have despised the Amazons for the past two millennia."
"What does this have to do with Spartan?" Superman asks as he looks unsettled from the description.
"He wants us to know how deeply their hate runs," Batman says. "Diana has always hidden information about her people behind half truths and deception. He wants us to understand them as they truly are. After all, many of those same Amazons still reside on Themiscyra due to their virtual immortality."
"Fast forward around two thousand years to an incident where an Amazon was kidnapped through a plot from Ares to mess with them for fun," he begins again. "Long story short, the Amazon ended up pregnanct before she could escape and start making her way back to Themiscyra. However, Ares did his best to prevent this by taking her across the world to the Canadian tundra. It was certain death even for an Amazon, let alone one weakened by captivity and pregnancy. When she inevitably collapsed, she thought she was dead. As luck would have it, a lone hunter found her before she perished from hypothermia."
"The hunter was a man who lived alone ever since his wife died," he says. "His only companionship was his infant son who was left without a mother. When the Amazon woke up with her injuries treated and her body wrapped in warm furs, the only thing that stayed her hand from killing the hunter was the knowledge that his continued survival was the only choice to survive herself. As such, she hid her disgust for him and his child as she let him nurse her back to full strength. When the day came where she would leave, she decided to leave him alive if only because he saved her life."
"Despite her cold demeanor, the Amazon reminded the hunter of his late wife," he explains. "He could not resist the impulse to help her return home after she mentioned it was her goal. So, when she snuck out at night with the supplies she packed, she found the hunter waiting with his dog sled loaded and his son tucked in a carrier. To her surprise, he wanted to help her get back to her home, even if it did not benefit him in the slightest."
"They make their way through the snowy barrens of the north before they reach civilization," he describes. "Despite being a hermit hunter, the man was far more skilled with human interaction than the Amazon. After all, he could talk to a man without the chance of snapping his neck. They start to travel down to the US through a train before the minions of Ares finally catch up to the woman. Despite the supernatural threat he was putting himself through, the hunter endeavored to keep the Amazon and his son alive as they escaped with the monsters on their heels. The path across the US to the east coast was fraught with countless brushes with disaster as they barely managed to keep ahead."
"The journey across the Atlantic was hard especially with the Amazon's pregnancy advancing and the baby fast approaching," he says. "Even though she hated her own weakness for relying on a man, she could not help but lean on him when she could. Once, she even asked him why he was willing to put himself and his son in so much danger for a stranger. The hunter just laughed and said that his wife would come back from the dead to beat him up if he ever let a pregnant woman fend for herself. For the first time since the Persian attack, an Amazon came to trust a man."
"It all fell apart when they reached Europe," he tells the other heroes as his face twists into a grimace. "The monsters had sped up as they approached Greece. The hunter was grievously wounded protecting the Amazon before they managed to set sail in a small boat from Athens. They were caught in a storm as they tried to reach Themiscyra."
"I don't think I can make it, Lyra," he says as he coughs up some blood. "I am out of time."
"No, you are going to be okay," Lyra promises him as she tries to tie his bandages tighter while the boat crashes through the waves. "Hey, you said you would get me all the way to my home. You can't just abandon me when we are almost there."
"I'm sorry," he says as the ocean spray splashes across his face and the turbelent sky overhead cracks with lightning. "I don't think I can follow through. I guess I ended up breaking my promise after all."
"Just hold on a little longer, Ryan," Lyra insists. "Don't you want to see little Aresia when she is born? I promised that I would show you how beautful Themiscyra was."
"I am going to have to take a rain check," Ryan apologizes. "How about the next time I see you? I can even introduce you to Maggie. I think you two would really get along."
Lyra seems to finally realize that she has run out of time. "Yeah, that sounds great," she says as her tears were covered up by the pouring rain. "I can tell you both about how Aresia and Icarus are doing. I still can't believe you named him Icarus. You know he falls in the end, right?"
"I know," he admits with a fond smile as breathing starts to slow. "I was always the kind of guy who likes to shoot for the moon. Even if I failed, I would try to be the best. I had a feeling he would be the same."
"I love you," she says as she doesn't want to lose the chance before he is gone. "I wanted you to be there for Aresia as she grew up. I wish I had never left that cabin. I could have stayed with you. We could have been a family."
"It's okay," Ryan says as he pats the hand putting pressure on his wounds. "I couldn't save Maggie when she got sick, but I could save you. I just wish I didn't have to leave you so soon."
She couldn't find anything else to say before his hand dropped away from hers and his eyes go dark.
"Ryan!" she calls ou pt as she shakes his body. "Please don't go! Ryan!"
"When all seemed lost, Poseidon rose from the waves and gazed down at the Amazon," he continues. "Despite the bloodshed her people had wrought on his people, he could not find it in his heart to take more from the woman. She had found an end to her pain only to lose it before she could even realize. He nudged the boat through the storm to the shores of Themiscyra. By this point, Lyra had gone into labor. The Amazons found her and rushed her inside their medical hall as they brought Icarus as well. He was bundled up so tightly that they did not notice he was not a girl for the moment. It was pure luck because they would have just left him to die in the boat if they had realized. Soon, Lyra gave birth to her daughter, Aresia, and died from childbirth soon after. In her final moments, she begged her queen to protect the two children."
"After she passed, the Amazons discovered the other child was a male," he says. "They were about to decide how to get rid of the child when the gods themselves descended from Olympus to stay their hand. They declared their protection of the infant and gave him their blessings. Some believe it was to honor the dying wish of Lyra. Others think it was the gods getting revenge on the Amazons for turning their backs on them. However it came to be, Icarus would become the first and only male to grow up on Themiscyra."
"Why did Diana never mention a little brother?" Superman asks. "She has mentioned several of her sisters before, but never a younger brother."
"That's because he is older," Batman says. "Isn't he, Arthur?"
"His father met Lyra in the winter of 1884," he admits to Superman's surprise. "As it stands, he is over one hundred years old. I first met him when I was sixteen. He only looked a few years youger than he does right now, maybe fourteen at most."
"How did he grow so slowly?" Superman finally asks. "I doubt the blessings slowed down his growth so badly. Diana has several and she grew normally from what I have heard."
"It has nothing to do with the blessings," Batman answers. "It was the Amazons, wasn't it? It is a simple principle. How do you make sure a baby doesn't grow up to be the thing you hate? You just have to make sure it doesn't grow up."
"From what I learned from records left by Poseidon, he remained a baby for the first few decades of his life," he admits. "After that, he started to develop a tolerance to the potions and spells restricting his growth. No matter what they did, he would adapt with time and keep growing up. At a certain point, I believe they began to use loyalty and compliance potions along with mental directives. It was centered on never betraying their orders, never hurting a female, and suppressing his power. He eventually outgrew this too, but it ended up giving him a complex when it comes to independence and trust. I wouldn't be surprised if he is naturally hostile with telepaths. They eventually resorted to psychological strategies to try and control him. The tactics designed to make a prisoner submit to his incarceration and treatment. It was intended to make him too scared of trying to leave or fighting back to actually try."
"Jesus Christ," Superman says. "They did this to a child? Diana did this to a child?"
"I don't think she knows about most of it," he grudgingly accepts. "However, she was part of the more psychological aspects, especially when it came to..."
"Came to what, Arthur?" Batman asks. "You are hiding something."
"It isn't my place to say," he replies. "If you want to know, ask him yourself. I would advise against letting Diana learn anything about him though. She is very territorial when it comes to Icarus. I donkt know if it is some kind of twisted affection or what, but she is convinced she knows what is best for him. It isn't rational so you can't get through to her with logic. Your only hope is to make sure she doesn't have access to him. If she had her way, then he would be back in Themiscyra where he could never escape again."
"So, should we pull her off active duty?" Superman asks.
"I wouldn't," Batman responds. "If anything, that would give her more time to obsess. No, we should depend on her more. It will keep her too preoccupied to focus on Spartan, or Icarus as he seems to be called. We just need to ensure that the League missions target threats that are particularly negative for women, like human trafficking. Her pride won't allow her to choose personal issues over her perceived duty. Now, the only question is what to do with Spartan."
"He could join the team," Superman offers. "It might be good for him to get social interaction with people not focused on trapping him in an emotional and physical island."
"I do not like the idea trusting a champion of the gods that is easily as strong as Captain Marvel on a volatile team of teenagers," Batman says. "That is before you account his age. He might appear to be a teenager as well, but he is well over a hundred years old."
"If it is any consolation, he is still pretty much a teenager," he offers. "Sure, he might be closer to his late sixties mentally. He is a skilled tactician and can analyze any combat situation in moments before calculating the best path through a fight. However, physically, emotionally, and emotionally, he is still very much a teenager. If anything, Robin and Kaldur are probably more mature than he is."
"How can we trust he won't go out of control again?" Batman asks. "He was able to incapacitate several trained members of the League with pure instincts before finally falling to Captain Marvel. It would be a gamble to have him around the weaker sidekicks if he were to suddenly turn violent. None of them could hope to match him when he is using his full power."
"Best guess?" Aquaman asks. "I would just make sure he never feels cornered. The only reason he acted out was because of Diana's appearance. While he will likely become stronger than her in the future, he views her as the single greatest threat to his freedom. To him, she is an unstoppable and inescapable symbol of everything he ran away from. As long as he never feels like he is out of options and doomed to be trapped in Themiscyra, I sincerely doubt we will ever see a repeat. Hell, Bats could probably tie him up in the Batcave for a year and he wouldn't have a problem."
"Despite being a walking contradiction, if you vouch for his stability and control, I am willing to see how he handles working with the team," Batman begrudgingly accepts. "However, we will have to ensure that a powerhouse from the League is present at all times to ensure that any situation is prevented from escalating. If I believe he is an unnecessary danger, I will not hesitate to solve the problem. Captain Marvel has professed an interest in working with the younger team due to his connection with one of its prospective members. He will likely be the best choice for serving as a Residential Advisor of sorts. Red Tornado can provide oversight to balance the Captain's more immature tendencies."
"I agree," Superman says. "It would be a tragedy if he lost his chance at freedom due to an accident out of his control."
He quietly does a little fistpump under the table at the victory. It thanks in no small part to his masterful plan. It was all coming up Arthur!
"Now, we need to discuss the punishment for you, Green Lantern, and Flash," Batman says as he clearly saw the tiny celebration. "While justifiable, you still attack the League without warning and injured several members. Let's decide what will be suitable penance. I don't believe monitor duty will cut it this time."
Shit, so close!
--
(Icarus/Spartan POV)
I wake up with a start as I suddenly look around in a panic. My fears were quickly put to rest when I see I am in an advanced looking hospital room. I was kind of confused when my arms were handcuffed to the railings of the bed, but a quick shapeshift to a snake and back solves that problem.
"Whew, I thought that Diana caught me for a second," I say with a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods it was just a dream."
"Not truly," a voice says from the side. My head darts around to see a bald man with green skin looking at me with a calm expression. "Some of it was very real."
"Woah, what kind of human are you?" I ask in amazement. "I didn't realize that people could look so green. The red eyes are pretty cool too."
"I am no human at all," he answers. "I am a Martian. I go by the name Jonn Morzz, but my heroic title is Martian Manhunter."
"Oh, the green perv," I say with a nod of recognition. "You are kind of well known where I am from as a degenerate of the highest order. Apparently, you use your intangibilty and invisibility to sneak into showers to peep on women. Also, you are supposed to have mind powers you use to beam dirty thoughts into women's heads."
He seems to have been struck speechless for a moment before he rubs his face with a groan. "Your lack of a social filter reminds me of my niece, M'gann," he finally says. "You both seem to say the first thing that pops into your minds. Does Diana truly say those things about me? I made a mistake with directions one time when I was acclimating to the station's layout and I am forever marred with the title of pervert."
"Don't feel too bad," I say. "She says that kind of stuff about all of the guys on the League. Batman apparently has a sex dungeon in a cave. Some archer guy is supposed to be a man whore. Flash is supposed to be as quick in the bedroom as running around. The list goes on."
"Did she not say anything about Superman?" Martian Manhunter asks in curiosity.
"According to her, he is definitely a virgin who would pass out if he ever saw a girl take off her clothes," I inform him with a serious expression.
The stoic Martian bursts out into hearty laughter. "He does give the appearance of not finding a mate," he agrees. "I never expected to hear it out loud though."
"Hey, wait a second," I say as I finally realize something. "How do you know that I know Diana?"
"Our comrade, Aquaman, has told us about you," he explains. "He said that you were a friend of his."
"Brine Beard said that?" I ask in surprise. "I thought he was still pissed about the time I filled his clothes with sea urchin spines."
This just causes Martian Manhunter to laugh once more. "I would be delighted to hear more about some of my fellow League members," he tells me with a smile. "It is intriguing to hear about a different side of them than the one they show the League."
"Oh, if you liked that, then how about I tell you about the times when I used to change baby Diana's diapers?" I ask with a grin of my own. "You have never seen a baby so happy while literally covered in shit."
His laughter rings out in the room as I tell him about the toddler princess of Themiscyra. It was like a weight had fallen from my shoulders. So, this is what life feels like. I think I am going to like it.
--
(Later at Mount Justice)
"Sup, guys," I say as I wave at the sidekicks. "I heard you got your asses chewed out. Ha! I just took a nice nap and told a Martian embarassing stories about some of his teammates. Sucks to suck."
"Wait a second!" Kid Flash exclaims. "What happened to your accent?! You used to talk like you were at a ren fair and now you talk like some normal guy! What gives?!"
"I can't believe you guys bought that shit," I say with a laugh. "I heard the League was full of weirdos, so I thought it would help me seem more normal to you guys. And I was right!"
I follow this up with another cackle of laughter as Martian Manhunter waves goodbye and returns back through the Zeta tube. I toss a wave back before the alien disappears in the swirling light.
"I totally knew he was messing around the entire time," Robin says. "I was just playing along until I figured out everything I could about him."
"Says the guy who bought everything I said after I pretended Batman trusted me with your name," I scoff. "Nice try, short stuff. I think we can all call bullshit on that."
"Let us all calm down," Aqualad says. "All's well that ends well. We should be welcoming our newest member of the team."
"How are you Brine Beard's apprentice?" I ask in confusion before I grin and throw an arm over his shoulders. "Don't worry. I will do my best to unstraighten you out. Before you know it, you will be a loose cannon like the rest of us!"
"I do not believe that would be helpful," he remarks before I am already moving on as I follow the smell of cookies tantalizingly calling to me from deeper into the base. It was like they were sending an SOS to my stomach. Don't worry, I will save you.
I skip cheerfully into the kitchen to see a pair of girls chatting as several cookie sheets rest on the kitchen island to cool. One was a red haired girl with green skin that reminded me of Martian Manhunter. Oh, this must be his niece, M'gann. The other one made me freeze in place as our eyes locked. The cookie she was about to eat slips from her fingers as she looks at me in shock.
"Kara?" she asks before I immediately try and bolt for the door only for the guys to have accidentally blocked it with their bodies. This snapped her out of her stupor and forced me to use the kitchen island as a divider between us as she tried to race around and grab me. "Stop running away! Everyone was worried when we couldn't find you!"
"That's not my name, Donna!" I shout back. "I am never going back to that hellhole! What the fuck are you even doing here?"
"I heard from Diana that the sidekicks would be forming a team," she says as she looks for an opening to flank me. "I thought it would be a fun way to get off the island and look for you. I didn't expect to find you here too!"
"Oh, surprised I found friends who don't actually like me for me?" I ask. "It must sting to know you and the others didn't win in the end."
"Why can't you see that we know what is best for you?!" she asks in outrage.
"Because you don't!" I roar back. "I am tired of bending to the whims of you sick fucks!"
I use the moment of distraction as an expression of hurt crosses her face. My brain races as I take in the situation and look for a way out. Fact: the only unblocked exit from the kitchen is behind Donna. Fact: Donna has a sweet tooth which gives her a predisposition to focusing on desserts. Fact: Diana has been recently training her to block bullets with her bracelets and caused her to subconsciously focus on small moving targets.
This gives me one clear plan to get through this and escape. I grab one of the cookie trays and immediately fling its contents into the air. Donna's gaze naturally follows the small baked goods as I shift into a rabbit and race across the island. She reacts quicker than I expected as she refocuses on me and tries to catch me as I run by. However, before her hand can close on my furred form, I change to a snake that fluidly coils around her outstretched arm before leaping past. I change into a cheetah as I race at breakneck speeds down the hallway.
I soon reach a wall as the hallway splits into two paths going in opposite directions. I just trust my instincts and choose to go right. I leap up at the wall before changing from a cheetah to a kangaroo so that I can conserve my momentum and spring off of the wall. When I fall back to the ground, I change to a greyhound dog. It might be a step down from the cheetah's speed, but I need its trained nose if I am going to find a way out and back to the Zeta Tube. With any luck, I can get back to the Watchtower or at least anywhere without an angry Amazon on my ass.
This hope was dashed when I smell Donna moments before she appears shooting down the hallway towards me. She must know the layout better than I do. At the last second, I dissolve in a cloud of gold dust which she ineffectually shoots through before I reform on the other side.
She does her best to grab onto me, but I continue to evade with the skills I trained from decades running away from Amazons on Themiscyra. With one grab, I transform into a monkey and pivot off of her grasping hand to run up her arm. When she tries to get me again, I shift to a hummingbird and fly just over her approaching hand. As I shift to a spider and fall down to her again, I begin to weave as much silk as possible before changing again. Between dodging her attempts, I kept switching back to a spider as I prepare the move that will end this all.
--
(Donna Troy/Wonder Girl POV)
As she tries to grab the annoying shapeshifter, she can't help but get pissed off. She was just trying to help her! How can she not see that?!
It was even more infuriating when Kara kept saying that she and the others did not care about her! Why would she be doing this if she didn't care about her? It didn't make sense why she was fighting against them so hard. Why go through all of the trouble of running away from their home?
It didn't make sense to her why Kara would do all of this. They used to be so close when she was younger. Yet, as time went on, Kara pulled away and left her alone. Every time that she tried to get close again, Kara would just push her away like she didn't even care about her anymore.
"Why won't you just come back home?!" she asks as she furiously tries to catch the squirrel before it changes into a hawk. "Why can't we go back to the way things were? We were happy!"
"I hated how things were!" Kara shouts in anger upon turning back to a human. "You think I want to go back? I never want to see Themiscyra outside of my nightmares. You think I was ever happy there? Why would I want to go back and be twisted into something I'm not?!"
"Why do you keep saying that?" she asks as she slams her hand to the ground in a failed attempt at catching the beetle before it shifts to a sparrow. "We are just trying to help you see who you are!"
"The only reason you think that is because I made a joke decades before you were ever born!" Kara snarls before shifting to a house cat and springing off her arm in a flip over her head that ends with her changing back. "I thought it would be a fun little surprise. They only seemed to care about other women. Maybe they would think it was amusing if I turned into a girl as a gag. After all, these were the only people I could call family. Why would anything bad happen from a simple little joke?"
"But they pushed!" Kara shouts as she shrinks to a badger and rushes between her legs. "And they pushed! And they pushed! I couldn't be me anymore! Why care about poor male Icarus when they can just convince me I am better off as sweet female Kara instead?! They don't want me to be happy or for me to be who I am! They just want to defy nature and morality to make their little world work the way they want! Who cares if a disgusting male doesn't like it? He will just be better off a girl anyway!"
It was then that she realized her arms were suddenly bound to her torso as thread she didn't even notice had coiled around her body and sealed off any possibility of movement. She tried to fly but the threads pulled her to the ground where she was stuck to the spot. Despite her attempts to escape, her strength was found wanting as the threads felt tougher than steel and refused to snap.
"How do you like my webs?" Kara asks. "I designed it for Amazons in mind. It takes a lot of effort to make enough silk and weave it just right, but it is sure worth it. Athena's blessing sure comes in handy with threadwork like this. Hell, I think it even boosts the strength of the spider silk by a fair bit because of her connection to Arachne. I bet it would take even Diana a second to break out of there and you aren't exactly at her level yet."
"Why?" she finally manages to ask. "Why didn't you stay? Weren't we enough? Wasn't I enough?"
"If I stayed, I would have gone insane," Kara, no, Icarus says. "I even thought of just visiting Hades a little sooner than planned. As it turns out, his blessing keeps me from dying by my own hand. Healing those cut wrists sure fucking hurt, though. If I were to manage it, I would need to steal one of the divine weapons the queen kept under lock and key. I thought my chances were better with the heroes. As for you all, well, of course it wasn't enough. Why would it be when I was never enough as I was? You Amazons didn't love me for me. You loved me for what you could shape me into. That isn't love worth staying for. No, you can't even call that love at all."
Icarus wipes off his hands from some dust and dirt before turning his back and walking away. "I would suggest you head back to Themiscyra, Donna," he says. "I don't think you are ready for the big mean world out here. You aren't strong enough to survive on your own power. You were no challenge, even with me holding back. I mean, it's not like I could hurt you if I tried. It seems you psychos were able to mindfuck me that well at least."
With those words, he leaves as she could feel herself letting out tears of frustration and sadness at being abandoned once and for all by someone she had pushed away without even realizing it. For once, Wonder Girl wasn't feeling so wonderful.
--
(Icarus/Spartan POV)
After that mentally exhausting fight with Donna, I am ready to drop like a stone in the nearest bed. I let the blessing of Hestia guide me to the nearest safe bed before I stumble into a room and drop down onto the mattress. I was out like a light as my dream commenced immediately with the feeling of a head nuzzling into my chest.
"Big bro!" Donna shouts as she rushes into my room. "Do my hair again! I just finished training so I want you to make it pretty!"
"I thought you knew how to do it yourself by now, Donna," I tease as the little Amazon pouts at me. "After all, you have seen me do it so many times."
"I like it when you do it," she says as she looks at the ground and kicks her foot shyly.
I can't help myself at the adorable sight in front of me. I pick her up and spin her around as she squeals in delight. She hugs me tightly as I return the affection with just as much intensity. I nuzzle her messy mane of black hair as I squeeze the tiny warrior before plopping us down in a chair as I reach for the comb.
"Well, who am I to refuse the request of the most beautiful Amazon on Themiscyra?" I ask as I run the comb through her tangled locks.
"Even prettier than big sis Diana?" she asks as she looks back at me.
"Leagues prettier," I confirm. "She is but a simple torch compared to the blazing sun of your beauty. You make her look like trash!"
Donna just giggles as I run the comb through her hair and slowly manage to work it into a usable condition. She preens from the attention and I just go along with it as I fuel her little ego. Once I finish combing, I start braiding her hair with the sure hands of someone who has done it a thousand times before.
I pat her on the head when I finally finish. I admire my immaculate handy work for a moment. Her silky black hair had two braid going from her temples back to meet the rest which was woven into a plait which fell down her back. It was magnificent, if I do say so myself.
"Thanks, Icarus!" Donna says after I show her with a mirror. She wraps her arms around my neck in a hug as thanks before she hops down and rushes out of the room. "Thanks, big bro! I need to go to lessons now! See you later!"
"Bye, Donna!" I call after her. I let a smile cross my face until she leaves and I feel it fall from my face. It was so hard to try and not care. It was the same story for decades. I would watch as the little girls I would pamper and play with grow up only to look at me with disgust. Every time, I would say it was the last one I was stupid enough to care about. It was bad enough when Diana stopped smiling at me whenever she caught sight of me. I just couldn't go through that shit again. But here I am, a fool once more.
The queen was blessed with another child by Zeus as a half-assed apology for the horror that he allowed the Amazons to go through. Like anyone with a brain would expect, she just accepted the magicly formed child growing within her and told him to fuck himself with his lightning bolts.
Just like with Diana, it wasn't long before I was stuck watching the child because all of the Amazons had better things to do than watch a baby. After all, the mistake could be useful for once and do it. It didn't help that I was being less complacent at the time either. That was just the excuse they needed to force me to do it.
One look into those brillaint blue eyes and I was a goner. Baby Donna was so cute and innocent that I couldn't help adoring her. It was one of the only chances for pure human contact I had ever gotten to experience. I knew that the main reason the older Amazons did it was to act as another of their mindgames. They knew how much it hurt me to watch the girls grow up, leave me behind, and turn on me. It was just another way to force me to submit and live how they want me to. Jokes on them. Nothing is going to make me break.
I have been sticking it out for decades since I realized this isn't really a home for me. It is just a prison. I have been biding my time as my body slowly grows through the many years. They had been dumping so much suppressant into my food and drinks these days that I could physically taste it. It had long passed the point where they had tried to hide it. I just needed to hold out for a few more years. With how quickly I was overcoming the suppressant, I would be sixteen in around a decade. When that happened, I would finally do whatever it took to end this charade of a life. Finale or freedom, it was going to end.
--
"Hey, you thought you could trick me, but I am too smart for your tricks," Donna says as she appears in my room again.
"Of course," I agree as I nod sagely and go along with whatever joke she is doing. "What was the trick supposed to be? I am awfully tricky."
I regret it the moment I hear the words coming from her mouth. "Nice try, big sis Kara," she says with a triumphant smile.
In that moment, it felt like my world was falling apart. The Amazons usually wait until they are older. I thought I had more time. I wasn't ready for it to happen so soon.
"I figured it out all on my own," she says proudly. "The others were so impressed when I told them I found out."
"You really are incredible, Donna," I tell her with a smile. "You just blow me away all the time."
"So, can I see?" she asks. "What you really look like? The others say you are still confused after you bumped your head a while ago. They say that you get silly sometimes when they want you to look normal. Is it okay?"
"For you, I would do anything," I tell Donna before I turn into the form I loathe more than anything in the world. "What do you think?"
"You look perfect, Kara!" she exclaims in excitement before hugging me. I just wish I could feel it. Everything felt dull and cold like I was at the bottom of the sea. "Can you do my hair? I just finished training, so I can keep it for the rest of the day."
"Of course," I reply as she hops into my lap like usual. Except now, it feels empty of the warmth it had yesterday. I can tell in my bones that I will never feel that warmth again. Still, I force myself to go through the motions the same as always. It was the only thing that kept me from breaking down.
Once I finish, I pull Donna into a tight hug as I rest my chin on her head and let the tears of loss finally fall from my eyes. I don't want her to see me like this, even if this isn't my real face. I cry for the childhood I never had. I cry for the family I lose no matter how hard I hold onto them. I cry for the boy who never got to be himself in a place he should have been able to call home. But most of all, I cry because I have finally given up. I can't bring myself to fight them every day anymore. I have just enough strength to pull off my final attempt, but that is it. Until then, I will play their fucked up game. I will pretend to be the twisted version of me that they all dreamed up. I just don't have it in me to keep losing at every step.
"Are you okay, big sis?" Donna asks. "Are you crying?"
"I am okay," I lie to her. "Sometimes, you just need to let out a good cry."
"Okay," Donna says. "You can hug me as long as you need. I love you, Kara."
That cut deeper than I could have imagined. It was the first time she ever said she loved me, but it wasn't even the real me. I guess that proves what I always thought. None of them could ever love me, even Donna and Diana. I always thought it would be a relief to realize it. So, why does it hurt so much?
I wake up with a start as I am grabbed by my ankle and thrown through several stone walls. I tumble to a stop in an open room that was surprisingly the entrance hall with the Zeta tube I was looking for earlier. Better late than never, I suppose.
I look up to see Superboy climbing through the holes he made with my thrown body as he glowers at me. I just push off of the ground before glaring back. My dreams were finally calming down before this half alien asshole had to literally drag me out to pick a fight. I guess he wants payback for the beating I gave him under Cadmus. I just have to give him a second serving it seems.
We meet in a clash of fists as we proceed to beat the shit out of each other. I had a ton of pent up aggression from fighting Donna that needed an outlet and I could tell he was feeling the same. I completely give up on technique or finesse as we both proceed to brawl and slug each other as hard as possible.
I slam my fist into his cheek only for him to return the hit into my stomach. This prompts me to grab him by the back of the head before kneeing him in the chest. He grabs said leg and uses it as leverage to slam me into the ground in a wrestling takedown. I send my fists down onto his head in a hammer blow that loosens his grip enough for me to rear my leg back and kick him in the chest. He goes flying back before cratering the far wall as his body impacts the stone of the cave.
"Come on, you nutjob!" I say as I lay on the ground. "You were waiting for a rematch after I handed you your ass at the lab. Let's do it!"
"That's not why!" Superboy shouts back. "You were sleeping with my sister!"
Huh? I wasn't-
My thought is cut off when I see a bleary eyed Supergirl looking out through the series of holes leading from the bedroom. It looks like I might be in the wrong here. I really should stop blindly trusting my Hestia blessing to not get me into situations like this.
--
(Supergirl POV)
She was confused for a moment when she was woken from her nap by the bed shifting as someone laid down. This was fixed the moment she saw who it was. She was wondering where he went earlier.
However, that didn't matter now that he was back. She snuggled into his chest as his warmth was the one thing she was missing. It made her feel safe knowing that he was there to protect her.
When she had first woken up from her pod, she didn't expect her world to change so quickly. After she and her brother had escaped with the help of the strangers, she now had a home with a nice soft bed and someone to share it with.
She did not know who he was at first. He did not seem to fit with any of the information she had been taught. He was helping her even though he didn't have any reason to. Only three kinds of people were supposed to help others: family, friends, and heroes.
The other three were heroes that she was informed of. Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad were all sidekicks that worked with notable heroes in the Justice League which was same place as Superman, the hero she was grown from. It made sense for them to help since it was their job.
However, the other was not a hero she recognized. He could not be a friend either since there must be an extended history between people before they can become friends. Since she had just met him, he couldn't be a friend either.
The only possibility left was that he was family. That narrowed it down, but that still didn't make sense to her. He couldn't be her brother since she only had one brother and Superman didn't have any children. There was only one other option, however, it was a role that she thought was already filled.
This was disproven when Superman turned away from her and her brother. Fathers were supposed to care about their children no matter what. If Superman didn't care about her, that meant he must not be her father.
She was not truly certain due to his disappearance as soon as the League appeared and soon began to fight amongst themselves. This confusion was cleared up when Superman was injured in a fight against the person he had gone to find. She was taught that a father was strong to protect his children and this proved what she had suspected. After all, he was being nice to her brother and pretending to be knocked out.
The evidence that proved it all was right in front of her. He was here. It was far more than Superman was capable of. She couldn't help the happiness that welled up in her as she felt him wrap his arms around her and squeeze her back.
This was over far too soon when she realized that he had disappeared suddenly. She looks around before realizing that her brother had ruined her time and wanted to play with him instead. He could wait until later. It was her time right now.
She drags the blanket with her as she makes her way out of the room and towards where they were messing around. As she enters, she glares at her brother. He seemed to be surprised and frightened by the anger he could probably see looking at him. What was he expecting when he barged into such a special moment?
Instead of paying any more attention to her sibling, she just lays down and rests her head on her target's chest as he was already conventionally laying on the ground. She wraps her blanket around them before letting out a content sigh.
"I love you, Daddy," she says with a soft smile before she drifts back to sleep.
--
(Icarus/Spartan POV)
"What?" I manage to ask in confusion only to be met with silence as Supergirl was already asleep.
"What?" Superboy asks with equal confusion. He didn't seem to know what was going on either.
"What?" the other sidekicks ask as they watch from the sidelines. I didn't even notice they were here.
"What?!" Donna asks in shock as she was apparently freed from the web binding by someone.
The only one not in shock was a man in a red suit with a yellow lightning bolt and gold trim. He was laughing his ass off as a younger girl was smacking him and trying to get him to stop. I am glad this is amusing someone at least with how outrageous it was.
I didn't know what to make of the half alien clone who suddenly declared I was her father. Yet, as she rested on me, I can't help the growing suspicion that I was going to fold like a house of cards against her clear affection. My only hope was that it turned out better this time around.
--
Author's note:
There goes another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I initially wanted to reveal the source of Icarus' fear later on, but I felt it would be better here since it would contribute to his fight against Donna. After all, it would be a little weird for the reason behind the animosity to not be brought up during a confrontation fueled by it.
Feel free to write me a review and let me know how I did. I am practically fueled by reviews, so don't be shy. I always make sure to take all reviews to heart and respond to any questions at the beginning of each chapter.
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A pleasure as always,
Titan900
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