The Hood and Athena: An Arrow: Season 2 Fanfiction

Chapter 6: The Captured Hoods

Third Person POV 

'Keep it under 40 next time,' Officer Lance said to the driver. 'Have a good evening.' He walked away from the car, but not before he spotted four hooded men chained to a wall. He came closer, but then Athena and the Hood stepped out in front of him. He pulled out his gun. 

'Do you know who they are?'

'I think the hoods gives me a pretty good idea.' 

'Bring them in,' Athena said lowly. They turned to go, but then Officer Lance called out. 

'Where you been?' he asked. They turned, their faces hidden by their hoods and the dim lighting of the alleyway. Quentin Lance lowered his gun. 'Typically when I bring in guys that you've gone after, they're a little more dead.' 

'We're trying another way.' He turned, and walked away. Then, aiming his bow, he shot it upwards, grabbed Athena around the waist, and the two launched off into the night air, leaving the officer to stare at them in shock. 

Oliver Queen's POV

I knelt in front of Tommy Merlyn's grave, with Evelyn sitting on the grass beside me. It was a whole gravesite, dedicated to the victims of the Glades earthquake. I took a shaky breath. On it read: In Loving Memory of THOMAS MERLYN. 1985-2013. Beloved Son. Evelyn rubbed my shoulder. 

'He's in a better place now, Oliver.' Just then we heard footsteps and the both of us stood and turned to face Laurel Lance. 

'I didn't mean to disturb you,' she apologised. 'I was just... I come here a lot. I can go,' she said, turning away from us. 

'No,' I said softly, holding out my hand to tell her to stop. 'It's... You don't have to. Laurel, I understand. After everything that's happened, I - understand why we can't be together. But I still need you in my life.' I turned to see Evelyn clearing her throat as she scratched her temple awkwardly. 

'Okay... I'm gonna get going now. I leave you two to your lover's quarrel.' I laughed, watching Evelyn walk away. Laurel walked closer to me. 

'We've been through too much for it to be any other way,' she said. She took my hand, and we stood before the grave. 

'I feel like I betrayed him too,' I said softly, staring at the grave. 

'Before the Hood and Athena, we didn't have things like earthquake machines or copycat vigilantes,' Laurel began, but I cut her off. 

'Laurel,' I said, turning to her. 'Malcolm killed Tommy.'

'He was killed in the crossfire between two archers.' 

'And now that Malcolm's dead, there's only one archer left. And I'm going to help my boss catch him,' she said, looking up at me. 

Time skip - at Iron Heights Prison

Third Person POV 

Thea Queen walked into the room. 

'That outfit, with your coloring - isn't that cruel and unusual punishment or something?' she commented, coming to sit across from her mother. 

'I've done my best to avoid mirrors in here,' Moira Queen replied. The two both chuckled. 

'So, I -' 

'How have you been?' her mother interrupted. The two women, mother and daughter, let out a breathy chuckle. She looked at Thea, who had tears in her eyes. 'Don't worry about me. I want to hear about you. How are you doing. Are you still seeing, uh - Roy was his name, wasn't it? Sweetheart, I'm fine, really.' 

'It's not that. I -' she sighed. 'I almost died last night.'

'What? Thea, what happened?'

'It doesn't matter. But when I thought it was over, I kept thinking that if... If I had died, you would spend the rest of your life thinking that - I hated you. And I want to hate you. I really tried to. But I can't. I can't, Mom.' There was a moment of silence. Then Moira spoke. 

'However long I am in this place, you have freed me.' There was more silence as the two women fought back their tears. Then Thea replied, 

'If I hug you, are they going to shoot us?' Moira laughed. 

'I'm willing to risk it if you are.' The two got up out of their chairs and hugged, the older woman soothing her daughter, stroking her hair. 

At Queen Consolidated...

Evelyn Queen's POV 

'You can't win this,' Isabel Rochev said to Oliver and I. I was sitting at the table, and Oliver was facing the newly installed glass, listening to her boast loudly about how we weren't going to win this. 'I now own 50% of the stock. By tomorrow, I'll have the outstanding five percent and I will control your company. Any attempt to fight me will lead to litigation and leave you penniless. And trust me, poverty isn't as glamorous as Charles Dickens made it look.'

'What if I found someone to invest new equity capital?' Oliver asked. 

'A white knight? With all due respect, your last name, and that of your sister's, is now associated with mass murder. Even you don't have that good a friend.'

'You're right. We have family.' Just then the door opened and Felicity entered, with Walter Steele trailing behind. Isabel stood up abruptly. 

'Mr. Steele. It was my understanding that you had resigned as CEO,' she said shortly. 

'I did. I'm now Chief Financial Officer of Starling National Bank.' He came to stand next to Oliver. 'And my institution has committed rescue financing to Mr. and Ms. Queen.' She looked furious. I held everything in me trying to not laugh. 'We bought up the remaining shares of Queen Consolidated when they were released this morning.' 

'Now I know I majored in dropping out,' Oliver said, walking towards her, 'but I'm pretty sure that makes us partners going forward. So I guess... we will be seeing a lot of each other.' She let a small smile slip from her lips, then it turned back into an angry frown. 

'You aren't at all what people say about you,' she remarked. 

'Most people fail to see the real me.' She got up, and with her investors from Stellmoor International, they walked out of the room, leaving Felicity, Walter, Oliver and myself. Oliver exhaled as I stood. 

'Thank you, Walter.' 

'Thank you, for reaching out to me,' Walter replied. 

'Thank you so much, Walter. It means a lot,' I said, coming to stand next to Oliver, slipping my hand into his. 

'You're welcome. Whatever's happened between your mother and me, I'm gratified that you know you can still count on me. Your father would have been very proud of you, Oliver.' He turned to Felicity. 'Ms. Smoak.'

'Mr. Steele.' He left the room, leaving the three of us alone now. 

'You did it,' Felicity said to Oliver as he sat at the head of the table, leaning back in it and looking up at her and I. 

'Not bad for someone who got a 'D' in tenth-grade algebra,' I said, laughing. Felicity leaned close to Oliver. 

'If it's online, I can find it.' Oliver shot her a playful look; said nothing. 

'Yeah. Well, it was just like a good friend once told me. I had to find another way.'