Athena and the League of Assassins (An Arrow: Season 3 Fanfiction)

Chapter 24: Not So Empty Threats

The man in the heavy robes fought the group of soldiers, taking them down with ease. The last of them was cowering on the ground when the man walked up. Seeming to accept his fate, he lowered his head as Ra's al Ghul thrust his sword through the man's chest, spraying blood on the tile floor. The man collapsed, dead. 

'Father,' a voice came from the door. Ra's looked up to see his daughter, Nyssa, and her associate, Sarab, standing at the door, stoic, stone-faced. 'It's nearly time,' she said, walking forward a little. 

'Mr. and Ms. Queen have not presented the guilty yet?' the leader of the League questioned, turning to face the two, bloodied sword in hand. 'Perhaps he believes our threats are empty. We must correct that belief.' He pointed his sword at Sarab. 'Return to Starling City. Be merciless. Teach Oliver and Evelyn Queen we only ask but once.' 

At the Arrow hideout... 

Oliver walked in to see Diggle and Felicity. 

'Where you been?' Diggle asked. 

'I took Evelyn home and went to see Thea. She lied to me again, but she didn't kill Sara.' 

'Oliver...' Felicity said in warning. 

'I looked her in the eyes, Felicity. These are eyes that I have known my entire life. She could lie to me about Merlyn and spending time with him, but she could never do this.' 

'Oliver, you are one of the smartest men I have ever known, but you have a blind spot when it comes to your family.' 

'Not this time -' he began to say, but John cut him off. 

'First your mother, then your father, and now Thea.' 

'That's enough, Diggle!' Oliver shouted. 

'You know she lied to you, Oliver!' 

'Both of you, stop!' Felicity exclaimed, making the two stop their argument and look over at her. She stood, out of her chair, and walked towards Oliver. 'Oliver, I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you, but John is right. Thea lied.' 

'She lied about Merlyn. But Sara... I don't want to believe that she can do something like this. And I know Evelyn doesn't want to believe it either. John, you saw how it affected her.' 

'Which is why you shouldn't be the one asking the questions,' Felicity said softly, as Oliver looked over at his Arrow suit in the glass case. 

Later...

Oliver sat at the bar after his confrontation with Thea, still disbelieving her fighting abilties. 

'It's the strangest thing,' a voice that Oliver knew well said tauntingly, making Oliver turn and face Malcolm Merlyn. 'Thea just called and said she was attacked by the Arrow. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Oliver?' 

'This was you,' he growled. 'You know, I figured when I spared the man that murdered my mother... I would never kill again.' He grabbed Merlyn around his throat, throwing him on the desk forcefully, glaring into his eyes. 'I was wrong.' He began to squeeze. 

'You might want to reconsider,' Malcolm gasped. 

'Why?' 

'For Thea.' Oliver's phone buzzed and he looked down, then back up at Merlyn. 'Check your phone. I can wait.' Oliver let go, and pulled out his phone, watching the video that showcased that fateful night. One, two, three arrows were fired into Sara, and as she fell from the roof, the culprit turned, wearing the face of Thea. 'I don't think you want the League to see that,' Malcolm said. 'And if you kill me, they will.'