Lena woke, shooting up out of her mind. She was breathing heavily after her discovery. She looked around to take in her surroundings before she felt a body pressed up next to her, a set of very strong arms wrapped around her. She looked down to see Kara wrapped around her, her face buried into Lena's shoulder. "Kara?" Lena said weakly.
Kara looked up and Lena could see the redness in her eyes, most likely from crying. Lena's heart broke a little bit, but Kara smiled widely, pulling Lena into a tight hug. Very tight in fact. Lena gasped a little bit. "Kar, super strength." Lena managed to gasp out. She felt Kara loosen her grip, but didn't let go.
"Lena! I was so worried." Kara said, her voice quivering. Lena rubbed circles on Kara's back, certain that Kara had probably not left her side since she had passed out.
"How long have I been out?" Lena asked, not entirely sure how long it had been. She heard Kara sniffle.
"36 hours, just about." Kara whispered. Lena's jaw almost dropped. Hyperion had held her in her mind for a day and a half. The next time she saw him, she was going to give him such a tongue lashing. She didn't care that he was her father, nor that he was a powerful Titan. He was going to get an earful for making Kara cry like she did.
"I... what happened?" She asked. "That last thing I remember was feeling so angry at those monsters and then... nothing." She half lied. Kara released her, looking at her friend.
"You collapsed after that. We took care of the remain Dracaena, but we couldn't get you to wake up." Kara sniffled. "We couldn't take you to a human hospital or anything. Too much of a risk. So we brought you back here and hoped you would wake up soon. Winn called James and asked him to see if J'onn had any advice. He just said you probably collapsed from exhaustion from using your powers. And that you would probably wake up on your own soon." Kara was going to continue, but Mon-El opened the door to their room.
"Hey Kara, any..." He started before seeing that Lena had woke up. "Lena! You're awake!" He said happily. "I'll go get the others." He said before running off to go grab everyone else. They all poured into her room
"Lena!" Maggie exclaimed. "Don't scare us like that again, kid." She said, sitting down on the bed next to Lena. Mon-El and Winn nodded in agreement. Lena pouted at being called a kid.
"I'll try not to." She said, rubbing her forehead gently.
"We were all worried about you," Winn said. "After we couldn't wake you up..." He trailed off. Lena shrugged.
"Well, I feel fine now. In fact, we really need to go." She said urgently. "The Titans are... well, finishing up their plans. We need to find out what they're doing. And fast." Lena said. Alex frowned.
"How do you know that? Did something happen while you were out? Another dream?" Kara, Mon-El, and Winn looked confusedly at Alex, not having been privy to the conversation that Lena had with both Maggie and Alex back at Demos.
"Another?" Kara asked curiously. Lena looked a little sheepish.
"I... I've been having dreams for a few weeks now. I didn't know if they were anything to be concerned about, you know, new to this world, so I asked Maggie and Alex about them. They said I should talk to J'onn about them, but I didn't get the chance after he assigned me this quest. I figured they could wait." Lena said, looking back, seeing how stupid that decision was.
"But..." Kara pressed. Lena sighed. She knew she was going to have to come clean about her parentage. They were going to find out at some point, Hyperion wouldn't hide it from everyone forever. And it would be better for them to hear it from her, rather than him.
"But I was wrong. I..." Lena's voice caught in her throat. She wasn't sure how to voice her confession. It was going to change everything between them. She trusted her friends to believe her and support her, but it still didn't change the fact she was a child of a Titan. Kara grabbed Lena's hand, sensing that she was struggling to say whatever it was. She gave Lena an encouraging look.
"The Titan Hyperion has been the one visiting me in my dream." Lena finally said. Alex and Maggie frowned, a concerned look crossing their faces. Mon-El and Winn just looked confused. And Kara placed a gentle hand on Lena's shoulder.
"What did he say?" Alex asked, not entirely sure she wanted the answer.
"He said that they are planning something big. A war. And he's trying to get me to join them." Lena said, choking out the last part. The entire group was visibly taken aback at the admission. Mon-El was the first to recover.
"Why? Why would he do that? Why would a child of one of the gods help destroy our parents?" Mon-El asked. Lena gulped.
"Because I'm not a child of the gods. I'm a child of the Titans." Lena said quietly. Alex's eyebrows shot up, as did Maggie's and Winn's.
"No. How? The Titans hate humans. Why would they have a child with one? How do you know he wasn't lying to you?" Alex fired off. Everyone else seemed to be speechless. Though Kara still had Lena's hand in her grip.
Lena just shrugged. "I don't know how to answer that Alex. He just said something about my humanity. And I know he wasn't lying to me because he swore on the River Styx he would tell me the truth." She said bitterly. Alex narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You're sure you didn't know?" Alex asked cautiously. Both Lena and Kara shot Alex a dirty look.
"Alex, she wouldn't lie about something like that. If she just found out, she just found out." Kara scolded her sister before turning to Lena. "You know this doesn't change anything, right?"
"But it changes a lot, Kara," Lena argued. The Gods have been lying to her. Using her. Though Lena decided to keep that thought to herself. They may have had their reasons. At least, Lena hoped that was the case. "I'm a risk," Lena said. "Who would ever trust the child of a Titan?" Lena said bitterly.
"I would!" Kara said, looking up and around at their friends, who all nodded in agreement, even Alex though she was a little more hesitant about it. As was Winn.
"We all would." Mon-El insisted. "We know the real you Lena. You're not like your dad. We trust you. And that's all the matters." He finished, Kara nodding in agreement. Lena found herself throwing Mon-El a small smile.
"Thank you." She said to him. He just waved her off.
"It's what friends do. It's what family does."
***
While they had some evidence of what the Titans were planning, the group still needed to complete their journey to Mount Othrys. So they packed up quickly, having lost a day and a half. They decided to grab a bus to San Francisco. It would be a 15-hour ride, but it was the safest and quickest way. Flying wasn't an option. Not with monsters after them. They might have been able to get a car, but none of them were sure how long that would take.
So they bought their tickets at the bus station right outside of Vegas and boarded a Greyhound to San Francisco. Kara insisted on staying close to Lena for the entire trip, Lena, her mind still reeling sat in silence next to Kara, resting her head on Kara's shoulder, cuddling up to her side, seeking comfort in her friend.
Kara, on the other hand, was feeling conflicted. Not about Lena's parentage. Nothing about Lena had really changed. She was still the same person, no matter who her parent was. What she was conflicted about was telling Lena about her feelings. She desperately wanted to tell Lena what she felt for the younger girl. But after the day's revelation, she wasn't sure if it was the right time. She could only imagine the thoughts rolling around in Lena's head. Loading her with her feelings of affection wouldn't help.
The blonde figured she could wait to tell Lena. After all, they had ample time to get to that. They just had come back from their quest alive first. So Kara decided she would wait. She would be there for Lena as a friend. For now.
A few hours into their trip as they passed the state line into California, something caught Alex's eye. Through the trees, she could just make out a shadow running through the tree line. She elbowed her sleeping girlfriend. "What the fuck Alex?" Maggie complained.
"Not now." Alex hissed, pointing out the window. Maggie looked in the direction she was pointing. She squinted to see what Alex was referring to before she could just make out the shadow that was following them along the treeline. And as the two girls further looked, what looked like a head turned to look at them and the two tensed at the glowing red eyes that they stared into. "We need to get off." Alex said seriously, not wanting the humans to be harmed. "Hellhounds." Maggie said, a little in fear. They looked to the seat beside them where Mon-El and Winn sat.
"We need to leave. Now." Maggie said seriously. Mon-El was about to question Maggie but decided not to. The seriousness in Maggie's voice told him enough. He nodded, getting up and subtlety moving to the back of the bus where the emergency brake was.
"Kara, we need to leave," Alex said, looking over the seat at her sister, Lena asleep on her shoulder. Kara frowned.
"Why?" She asked. Alex sighed.
"Hellhounds are following us. We need to lose them. I don't know how long they've been following us. Or why they haven't attacked yet, but I don't want to take any chances. We're sitting ducks on this bus. If we flee into the trees, we might be able to lose them." Alex reasoned. Kara nodded, gently shaking Lena.
"Lena. Wake up." Kara whispered. Lena stirred. "Seriously. We're in danger." She said with a little more urgency.
"What?" Lena said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"We're being followed. Alex wants to try to lose the monsters in the trees." Kara said softly. Lena looked up at Kara, sitting upright in her seat, nodding. Alex looked at the two girls before giving Mon-El a thumbs up. He pulled the emergency brake, the bus squealing to a halt. The sound of startled passengers and an angry driver resonated around them, but they paid no attention.
Instead the halfbloods looked in horror at the pack of hellhounds that burst from the trees towards the bus. Large mastiffs, the size of grizzly bears with glowing red eyes charging towards them. What the humans saw, the halfbloods had no idea, but the looks of fear on the passenger's eyes meant it wasn't something friendly. Probably a bear of some sort. The first hellhound made contact with the bus, his claws sinking into the metal, pulling an entire panel off. Out of reflex, Lena's powers tugged at her stomach. She pulled at the warm feelings, her hands beginning to glow.
Alex backed away from Lena slowly before Lena let loose a flash of light that blinded the monsters of the Underworld. The one that had attacked the bus yelped, the light blinding it and the rest of the pack momentarily, giving the group enough time to escape. They all quickly hopped out of the opened the monster had made in the bus.
They waited for the hellhounds to regain their vision, making sure that the entire pack followed them, rather than attacking the humans. The alpha seemed to notice that their targets had escaped, growling at them before chasing them into the forest. The group ran into the treeline, hoping to be able to fight them off or lose them in the dense forest.
***
The pack of what was about eight hellhounds pursued the group. As they ran, Alex yelled out, "Split up, force them to break from the pack. They'll be easier to lose that way." Everyone nodded as Alex made a break to the left, Mon-El following her. Maggie and Winn continued running straight. While Kara and Lena ran to the right. The alpha growled, ordering his pack to follow the halfbloods. They split up, three following Kara and Lena, two following Maggie and Winn, and the remaining three following Alex and Mon-El.
The three that followed Lena and Kara pursued them relentlessly, no matter what twists and turns they made. Lena decided to test something. Something that had been growing in the back of her mind. Without warning Kara, she split from her friend, running in the opposite direction. Kara yelled out, "Lena! What are you doing?" But she didn't have the chance to follow Lena as the hellhounds cut her off, one running after Kara, the other two following Lena.
The young Luthor continued running, hoping that they would eventually stop, recognizing her as the daughter of Hyperion, but it seemed as though they didn't have the higher thinking the Dracaena had. Suddenly, Lena found herself on the ground, having tripping over a tree root. A jolt of fear shot through her as she turned onto her back to see the hellhounds growling and approaching her slowly. She tried to summon her sword or her powers, but before she had the chance, Hyperion appeared before her in a flash of light. The first time she had seen him outside her dreams.
The hellhounds seemed to recognize him, his eyes flaring. The two hellhounds whined submissively. "Leave us." He threatened. "Go after the others." He said dangerously. The two hellhounds, quickly, turned and ran off into the forest. Hyperion turned to his daughter, offering her his hand. She hesitantly took it as the Titan pulled her to her feet.
"Thank you." She said, warily eyeing him. Hyperion bowed his head.
"What kind of father would I be if I let you be killed." He jested. Lena groaned.
"What do you want from me?" She asked, a little frustrated and angry. Hyperion shrugged.
"You know what I want. I want you to join us. Lead our armies against the Gods. With you at my side, we'll be unstoppable." Hyperion repeated his words from earlier. Lena scoffed.
"And again I ask you, why would I do that? The Gods may have lied to me, but the Titans, you, are evil." She spat. Hyperion narrowed his bright eyes at her.
"Evil is all about perspective." He said. Lena frowned. "How did your friends react to you being my daughter?" He asked. She wondered how he knew that she had told them, but figured he was a Titan, he probably had his ways.
"They were accepting of it. They still care about me. More than I can say for you." She retorted curtly. Hyperion chuckled, a sinister look in his eyes.
"Are you sure it was acceptance? And not fear?" He challenged. Lena furrowed her brow, about to reply, but he continued. "Your friends, like the Gods, are afraid of what your power can do. And now that they know the limitless power you possess, what will stop them from using you in the future?" He challenged further. Lena clenched her fists together.
"They wouldn't do that!" She insisted. She immediately thought of Kara, her closest and dearest friend. Maybe more in the future. But she could never imagine Kara being afraid of her. Or using her. Lena didn't fall for people easily. But she trusted Kara to never give up on her. Lena gazed harshly back into her father's eyes. Hyperion seemed to relent though.
"Perhaps." He said thoughtfully. "But your friends still are loyal to the gods. And the gods will never be on your side." He spat. "They fear beings more powerful than themselves. So they will always keep them on a leash. And that's all you are Lena. A leashed dog at the behest of Olympus." He said angrily. Lena's gaze hardened as Hyperion approached her, grabbing her wrist. He touched it with his finger, her mark glowing. "Whether you accept it yet or not, you are the daughter of a Titan. And eventually, Olympus will turn its back on you. Look at Prometheus. My foolish nephew helped the Gods and yet they still punished him. They will never see past your Titan blood. You will be with us in the end, Lena Luthor."
Before Lena had the chance to reply, he disappeared in a flash of light, leaving her alone in the forest. She collapsed onto a large boulder that was nearby, sitting down, placing her face in her hands. Was he right? Was she doomed to the life of a Titan, regardless of anything that she did? Would all of her attempts to help the Gods eventually be for naught? Because her father had a point. Prometheus sided with the gods during the first Titanomachy. Yet his fate was still sealed to a lifetime of punishment. His loyalty was brushed aside after her... cousin she supposed dared to defy Zeus to help humanity. Was she doomed to the same fate in the end?