shadow of hell || a dc/jason todd oc

― 01 | upbringing.

"Why are we even training when there's nothing to defend ourselves from? We're the only ones here on this island! And Hippolyta is always quick to make sure that I'm not leaving this island until she thinks I'm ready, which will probably never happen. There's an entire world outside this place." Hadronia snapped and pointed at the ocean with her weapon. "I feel so suffocated here, Antiope. Which I know is strange since I'm on an island but I feel so out of place. This isn't where I want to be."

"It's for your best, Hadronia." Antiope sighed and her stomach clenched every time she had to hide the truth from her or lie. "We are blessed with this paradise. The world outside is dark and cruel."

"But why? I've been here for years and I've barely lived. I've only met two people in my entire life and I'm getting sick of the same environment all the time. And I know you two are hiding something from me. Hippolyta can't look at me for longer than a minute and if she does, it's with disgust and shame. You pity me for some reason and it makes me so angry that you two are dishonest with me."

Antiope's eyes flickered to the spot of flowers beside them and sucked in a sharp breath when they lowered and turned darker. Hadronia gazed at her with clenched teeth and her eyes that were usually bright blue lost its color by the second. Most teenage girls went through puberty — Hadronia went through activating her celestial powers.

"It's because you're different." Antiope stated calmly. "You're not like us. Hippolyta may have raised you but she is not your mother. It is not my place to tell you of your parents. I promised Hippolyta I would let her tell you when she thought appropriet."

"Oh, for the love of the gods!" Hadronia spat, taking her by surprise. "I deserve to know who my parents are and where I come from. Just look at those flowers." She chuckled without humor, nodding toward where Antiope had thought she didn't notice. "I cause that! I've done it before and no one explains how I do it. It scares me but I have to deal with it alone because you two refuse to let me know who I am."

"You're right, you deserve to know. Your–"

"What's going on here?" Hippolyta interrupted while she approached them. Hadronia sighed, placed her sword in the ground and left their training spot. Hippolyta looked at Antiope for answers but the queen's sister merely grabbed the weapons and left as well. "Hadronia!"

Hadronia entered her small cottage-like home and lay down on the bed with her arms crossed against her face. Even though Hippolyta had never been very maternal, she always thought that she was her mother. Knowing she wasn't only infuriated her even more. All she wanted to do at the moment was to disappear and leave the stupid island for good.

"Hadronia! You can't just storm away like that and expect me to–" Hippolyta entered her room but stopped dead in her tracks. With a frown on her face, Hadronia slowly sat up and watched as the queen scanned the room with worried eyes. "Hadronia? This is no time to play hide and seek. Please, just let me talk to you."

Hadronia waved her hand in confusion and stood up. She couldn't understand why Hippolyta was acting like she wasn't even there until she realized that her hand wasn't visibly waving in front of her. Looking down at herself, she gaped as her entire body and armor blended in with her surroundings. It took her everything to not squeal out of fear. How could this be? She needed answers quickly and Hippolyta wouldn't be the one to answer them. Carefully, she passed Hippolyta and sneaked out through the open door so that she could run away from the area, literally smashing through the big wall of bushes that isolated her from the rest of the island. That's when she was finally faced with the truth.

On the other side, a huge field was occupied by other women combat training. Some were sat on horses on the hill top watching and some were standing to get a closer look at a dark haired girl training with Antiope. Her hair was made into a long braid on her back and she wore soft golden armor. While most of the women looked grown up, the one fighting Antiope only seemed a few years older than Hadronia.