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

Chapter 29: It's Thea

Several days later... 

Oliver opened the door to the apartment. 

'Thea?' he called out. Oliver and I both stepped in and looked to the couch area to see glass broken and a lump, a body on the floor. We ran to the body. It was Thea. Oliver rolled her over. 

'Thea! Hey!' She groaned loudly, and coughed, her mouth and hands covered in blood. Oliver grabbed the phone and dialed 911. 

'I... couldn't stop... him,' she gasped out. 

'I need an ambulance to 455 Merced, Unit 10,' Oliver said into the phone. 'Please hurry.' He grabbed a blanket and we both put pressure on the wound in her chest. Her head lolled to the side. 

'Thea, stay awake for me!' I said, tapping her cheek, cradling her face. Oliver threw the blanket to the side and scooped her up in his arms, the two of us running out the door. 

At the hospital... 

'Hang on, we're almost there,' Oliver said urgently as the doors burst through, the doctors beside the unconscious Thea on a stretcher. 

'How long was she like this?' a doctor asked. 

'Uh, 20 minutes, 40, I don't know,' Oliver said, panic clear and present in his voice. 'I just found her.' They took her through a set of doors and Oliver tried to go through, but the doctor pushed him back none too gently. 

'You need to stay here.' 

'I'm not going to leave her!' 

'You need to let us work,' she said and disappeared through the double doors. My eyes welled with tears and I slumped against Oliver, crying. 

Several hours later... 

Oliver walked back and forth, hugging himself. I sat in a chair, cradling a forgotten cup of cold, grainy, hospital coffee. Just then a door opened near us and I stood, throwing the cup in the trash bin nearby. The same nurse that had been with Thea earlier came through, holding a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. 

'We did the best we could under the circumstances, but her injuries were extensive,' the nurse said. 'Even if she were to regain consciousness, we can prolong her life for as long as you wish. But...' and at this she held the clipboard out in front of Oliver, '... it might be best to consider other options.' She looked between the two of us. 'I am truly sorry, Mr. and Ms. Queen.' 

'May we see her?' I asked. She nodded and opened the same door, letting us through to see her. We walked to the foot of her bed. Her heart monitor was beeping steadily, and she was unconscious, covered in tubes and wires to keep her alive. 

'I'm sorry,' Oliver said, brokenheartedly, leaning against the railing at the foot of her bed, beginning to shed tears. I was wiping tears away as I wrapped an arm around Oliver, patting his back. He leaned into me as I had done so many times to him, and I wrapped him in a hug. He disengaged from me just as the door opened. 

'Oliver, Evelyn,' Malcolm said. We turned to him, and Oliver shook his head mournfully. Malcolm rushed to Thea's bedside, tears welling up within his eyes. He fell to his knees beside her, taking her hand in his. 'Thea,' he said softly, cradling her hand, breaking down in tears as Oliver collapsed in a chair, putting his head in his hands as the three of us wept silently. 

Much later... 

Oliver and I sat there in the chairs, Oliver's jacket across his lap, the both of us numb - and silent. I heard the click of heels and looked up to see Felicity and Diggle come around the corner, towards us. 

'Oh, my God,' Felicity said. 'Oliver, Evelyn!' 

'Oliver, we came as soon as we could. What happened?' Diggle asked. They stopped in front of us and I got up and went to hug Diggle. He looked semi-shocked and wrapped his arms around me, letting me soak up the support as I sobbed. Felicity sat down beside Oliver as he refused to acknowledge the two. She placed her hand on his. 

'Oliver,' Felicity said, trying to catch his attention. 

'They just left her there...' he said brokenly, 'to die.' 

'Oliver, is - is she...?' 

'It's bad,' he said, turning to her. He looked to the window, and his brows furrowed, standing fully and walking over to the window, looking out. 

'What is it?' I asked, disengaging from Diggle. 

'Smoke.' Oliver said. 

'The League?' Felicity asked. 

'Screw 'em,' Diggle replied. 'At least until we get our bearings, Oliver. Come up with a plan.' 

'He's won,' Oliver said, ignoring Diggle's statement. 'There is no plan.' He turned and walked away. 'Stay here with Thea.' 

Oliver found his way to the roof, where his old friend from Hong Kong, Maseo, better known to the League as Sarab, stood on a roof, overlooking the city. 

'Did you do this?' Oliver growled, stalking over to the man and punching him in the face. 'Did you do this?!' The punch sent Maseo to the ground. He looked up at a tearful, angry Oliver from his knees. 

'You can still save her, Oliver.' 

'I don't understand.' 

'Take your rightful place as heir to the Demon... and Ra's al Ghul will bring your sister back.' 

Oliver zipped up the bag as the doors to the apartment opened, letting Diggle, Felicity and Evelyn in. 

'Where the hell are you going?' Evelyn asked. 

'Away,' he said simply, turning to see them. 

'You can't just leave like this,' Felicity pleaded. 'You have to tell us what's happening.' 

'There's a way for me to save her.' 

'Thea?' Felicity said. 'Come on, Oliver, that's not possible.' 

'Yes, it is,' Malcolm said, making us turn to look at him. 'There are waters in Nanda Parbat. They've permitted Ra's to live for over a hundred years. And in rare instances, told in legend, those waters have been used to restore the dead to life.' Malcolm stepped forward. 'He offered to use the Lazarus Pit on Thea, didn't he?' 

'Lazarus, as in from the Bible, Lazarus?' Diggle asked incredulously. 

'Why trust the League on this, Oliver? For all we know, those waters don't work,' I said. 

'The pit's real. I've seen it,' Oliver replied, ignoring my earlier statement. 'It can save Thea.' 

'Right. But only if you become the new Ra's,' I retorted. 

'Ok. Well even if a magic hot tub were not crazy talk,' Felicity replied, 'we're not going to let you go and join the League of psychotic murderers, even if it is to save Thea.' 

'Which this wouldn't,' Malcolm spoke. 'The waters change a person, in the soul. Even if they work, the Thea you get back will not be the one you lost.' 

'The one we lost because of you,' Oliver snapped tearfully, pointing at Malcolm with an accusing finger. 

'Oliver...' Felicity began to say, but Oliver cut her off. 

'I'd prefer that we didn't do our usual 'please, don't go' dance,' Oliver snapped. 

'We're not going to. Because I'm coming with you,' she replied determinedly. 'Assuming that this works, someone's going to need to bring Thea back home.' 

'We need a way to get to Nanda Parbat,' Oliver said as we all looked at each other.