Jump City
October 24, 8:16
Zoe walked into Percy's apartment only to see him on the couch, sleeping. The TV was still on, but nothing was playing. She silently walked to the kitchen to get herself some coffee. While standing next to the machine, she could see Percy's peaceful expression while he slept. Whatever he talked about with Canary, it must've really helped him. Even with all the tiredness, her mind kept replaying the events of last night. And what Dreamer said to her. True, the more time she spent with Percy, the more she had to question her views. He was obvious example, but now that she kept reflecting on it there were also others. Kaldur was most respectful, surpassing even Percy. Garth was a little more rough around the edges, but she could see he really cared for Tula. Dick was... a bit like this Nico kid. Both had to grow up faster and both were alone except for their distant father. Still, he also didn't act like she would expect from a Male. Conner was like a male version of Phoebe. Distrustful, brash, but also loyal and protective. The only team member that matched what she thought of males was Wally. But even with all his faults, he was still reliable. They all weren't that bad... And there is Perseus. Percy was the living proof that Artemis didn't exclusively hate all males. He managed to earn her mistress favor. It was all too confusing for her. And she had no one to talk to...
"I see water boy found himself a girl. I am sad it's not me though." Zoe heard an irritating voice behind her. How anyone, let alone a well-known wanted assassin, managed to sneak on her was a question for another day. Cheshire had her mask off, but she was still in her outfit.
Without too much thought Zoe crossed her bracelets and summoned her own superhero gear. Bow appeared in her hands with arrow already notched. "You must really be stupid to come here, killer." She spat at the woman in front of her.
"There there." Cheshire rose her hands up in the air. She was supposedly unarmed, but there was no guarantee. "If you are not up with the news, I got kicked out of the shadows Mooney, so calm down." Just as she finished arrow embed itself into the window-sill next to her.
"Call me this one more time and they will find your body on actual moon. And just because you left the shadows does not mean you are absolved. Now tell me what brings thee here."
"Well, if you must know, I came to see Percy. Hoped he would like to go for another club date. The last one was kinda bummer." The poor window-sill had another arrow in it. "Whoa. Someone sure is possesive..." She suddenly had a wide grin on her face. "So tell me. How is he? His body is so... And this lips, so full. You live with him under one roof. If I were you, I would eat him alive already." Another arrow embed itself right next to her head. Zoe was now frowning with irritation.
"You shut up now or I will pierce your tongue with exploding arrow."
"I don't hear a denial." Cheshire was grinning widely, giving Zoe a perfect target line made of her white teeth. It was really tempting, but on the other hand she wanted to find out why the cat woman suddenly had a suicidal thoughts.
"Tell me why you are really here and maybe I will actually just put you in jail."
Suddenly, Cheshire image shimmered and she was gone without a sound, only to appear next to the fridge. She opened it and pulled out a bottle of orange juice. The image shimmered again and she was now standing right in the middle of the glass wall separating living area from the kitchen. "I got thirsty. You don't mind."
"Talk. Now." Zoe was on the edge. She really wanted to put exploding arrow through her. But then she would need to do the cleaning and probably explain the mess to Percy.
"Aren't you a feisty one. Fine. I am looking for some help. I was hoping I could cash the favor Percy owed me."
"Like Hades he would. You might as well teleport yourself to jail already, because he would..."
"I would what? Girls. Stop screaming so loud. I am trying to sleep here." Very tired and very still-asleep Percy walked into the kitchen. His mind didn't comprehend what he was seeing at first and decided to get himself some coffee. He pulled a mug from the cupboard and it hit him. He immediately turned around, tossing the mug at Cheshire. He would of course miss by a whole foot, probably breaking the glass wall in the process if Jade didn't catch it mid-air. "What. the. Hades. is. Going. On? Cheshire? Oh. Hi Z. Had a good night?" The two woman could practically see the steam going out of his head as he processed the whole situation.
"Oh." Cheshire put one finger to her lips. "I think we broke him. What a shame. He was so cute. And quite handsome." She put out a seductive grin. Zoe came to really hate this woman. Who does she think she is to barge here and try to steal Percy from me. Wait what?! Her train of thoughts abruptly crashed. She turned at Percy who silently watched the whole scene.
"Okay. Enough. What is going on here and why does Fates, Chaos, Gods, Universe, whatever driving force there is hate me so much?" Demigod sighted.
"Miss Deadly Assassin here broke in early morning. She also stole the orange juice. The one I spiced with nectar." It was Zoe's turn to grin as Cheshire, who was just taking a first swing from the bottle spilled it all out. "Or maybe the other one... I forgot to label them. Silly me."
"I came to cash in a favor you owe me." Percy only gave Cheshire a confused glare at that. "I did save your life a couple times and did you pay me?"
"I did."
"Details. I need help and that's what you superheroes do, right?"
Zoe was about to protest, but Percy silently nodded. She sent him a meaningful, angry glare, but he just shrugged. "Might as well hear you out. But no tricks."
"Who me? I am a good girl?" If glares could kill, Zoe would slaughter the assassin ten times over by now. "I am running. Since the two of you and this amazon cousin of yours brilliantly decided to wreck the Infinity Island, I ditched the Shadows. But it's not that simple. Now I have a target on my back. Too much sensitive secrets on the line. I managed on my own for some time, but they are closing in on me. It's not like I have many people I can trust this days..." She was serious for once and it was what unnerved Percy. Cheshire was rarely serious during this short time as his body guard. She was never this serious.
"You can't just expect us to help a known criminal." Zoe raged. this woman was really irritating her. There was this feeling that she couldn't shrug. Like there was something more that met the eyes. "You ditched your job, betrayed Percy, came here and tried to kill him, Aided Ra's Al Ghoul escape and then you expect us to forget all of it because you come here? You didn't even apologize."
"Maybe I should do the talking?..." Percy asked, a bit uncomfortable. Zoe sent him a wolf stare that would Batman's look like puppy eyes. "Or not. You are doing great."
Cheshire chuckled at their interaction. "Whipped."
"You are not helping your case here." Percy responded.
"She don't have a case to begin with." Zoe corrected him.
"I will take my leave then. Maybe one of the other team members of yours will be more hospitable. One told me that you all had quite... traumatic experience yesterday. Maybe they will want someone to talk to..." Her image shimmered as another arrow flew right through the place where she was sitting. It was barely too late, because Jade disappeared like a Cheshire cat. The glass wall shattered, much to the dismay of place owner. In the hindsight making the walls of glass was not the best idea when you live with overreacting huntress.
"Great. Now we need to report it to Captain Atom. It's the mole thing again." Percy groaned. He wasn't a part of the team when it emerged, or had a possibility to know about details mole was supposed to know, so he was cleaned from suspicion, but it didn't ease his tension. The memory from Second Titan War still haunted him. Silena betrayed the camp, many demigods defected to the titans, it was a mess back then. It was hard to know who to trust.
"Mole?"
"Well, there was a case of leaked info back when I was still going solo. We thought it was already over with Tornado turning on them, but it looks like it is far from it. Now let's go. We better go report it asap." He started to walk to the exit. Zoe decided that the time was as good as ever. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "Wha..."
"Shut up. Sit and listen." Zoe placed him on a chair and took a deep breath. She didn't really think this through. She just spun into action. Something about the visit of the overconfident assassin, the previous night and talk with Canary just made her finally break. "About that kiss. I... We..." All the confidence she mustered was gone. This is ridiculous. I am the New Goddess of Moon and Hunt. I can beat the living Hades out of any monster, criminal or idiot. I am THE Zoe Nightshade, the slayer of thousands of monsters. I can do this.
"I am sorry. I don't know what got into me..." Percy had his head low. "I just woke up from a dream where Annabeth, the real one, not an illusion, pretty much broke up with me all over again and I just... I wasn't thinking clear. Please forgive me."
He is asking for my forgiveness? Gods. "No." This caused him to cringe. "I will not forgive you because you have nothing to apologize for. Last twenty four hours made me realize that... I might have been wrong in my treatment of male part of society. And I was unfair to you. I could break the kiss any second, but in truth, I enjoyed it. It felt... right." She sighted. And here we go.
The expression on Percy's face was indescribable. The mixture of relief, happiness, fear, worry, content, confusion, dread, surprise and many more. It was like he didn't know what emotions to feel so he just felt them all at once. "I... I enjoyed it too. It felt right too." He managed to muster in his state. To his credit, it was more than anyone would expect by looking at his expression. They sat there in silence for good five minutes, just starring at each other, neither really knowing what to say next.
Finally, Zoe broke the silence. "So what happens now?"
"Hades would I know." Zoe's face twisted. She had no idea how it worked. Her only other interest with male ended with being used, banished from home and joining the hunt for three hundred years. Any hope of Percy taking the initiative quickly melted as well. She looked him deep in the eyes. The two whirpools of sea-green stared back at her charcoal black. Welp. There goes nothing. She suddenly pulled him by his shirt, closing the distance between their faces. Zoe read a total of three romantic novels throughout her life, only one in the last two centuries. She always laughed at the impulses people had in this storied. And yet here she was.
Her lips slammed onto his. The familiar-unfamiliar feeling of bliss traveled through her body. It was a bit electric. Of course Percy was at first confused, but it quickly passed and he reciprocated. He wrapped his arms around her waist while hers were now resting on his shoulders. The feeling that overtook him was similar to what he felt when he was kissing Annabeth, but at the same time different. Zoe seemed more... absorbed into it. Percy dismissed any thoughts of his ex-girlfriend and instead focused on the woman in front of him.
Zoe's mind was going haywire. She took a leap of faith twice today. If two months ago someone suggested that she would be alive again, kissing a boy A man, and her mistress would be gone, she would shoot them with a star. Where did you think shooting stars came from? She was angry with someone and her mistress did give her a bow after all... Zoe's mind wandered it's own paths as she continued to immerse herself in the feelings. It was magical. The scent of sea breeze mixed with her own forest scent. It a bit like when they first met by the cliff. The forest meeting the sea under the full moon. Back then he was in love with Annabeth and she was still a sworn maiden. Time changes people. But often for the better. Definitely for the better in that case.
Percy had a really strong lungs. He could go without air for a really long time. it was good five minutes when he and Zoe finally broke up the kiss. "That... That felt right too..." He spoke while panting heavily. She was also taking heavy breaths, but not because of lack of air. Zoe was pretty sure she could go another five minutes before she would need to stop for some oxygen.
"Indeed it did. Listen... I... I... Thou... We... UGH! What of us now?" She almost screamed in rage. She could not gather her words. Her long hair was now shaggy and her mind was still hazy.
"I think it would be proper for me to ask you out for a date?" Percy chuckled. While Zoe was angry, he saw that it was more irritation than proper anger. "How does next Friday sound?"
When he spoke, she felt her anger drain away. The feeling of bliss from the kiss still lingered. "It sounds too far into future. It's not like either of us has any day-jobs and our night-job usually starts after eleven."
"Tomorrow then?" He sounded hopeful.
"Okay." She said almost immediately. What is going on with me? Did I change this much in just few weeks?
New York City
October 31 19:26
Police forensic team investigated the area of breaking. They already checked most of it and so far there were no evidence whatsoever. The lead detective was talking with curator.
"Out of all the priceless artifacts gathered here, why would they want to steal this staff of werewolf?" He asked the elderly man.
"It's sword of Beowulf sir. The legend says that it grants incredible power to those pure of heart. Whoever wields the sword cannot be defeated by a mortal nor a god and monsters shall fear the might he possesses. There is even an ancient spell that unlocks the power. 'Abannan Afol Beowulf'."
"Fairy tales. There is no such thing as magic." Detective dismissed the Curator's claim
"Said the guy who lives one city away from an alien." One of the passing forensics deadpanned.
"Get back to work Dibney. Nobody pays you for being a comedian here."
"Whatever. The thief is long gone anyway, so there is no need to hurry."
Suddenly, a man in long white coat landed in front of the three, causing all other police officers to immediately pull out their guns at him. He had three claw marks going over his left eye. He held the sword loosely. "Harm thanks you for your compliance. Harm had the sword, but he needed the incantation." The villain grabbed the scabbard with one hand and enforced his grip on the handle. "Abannan Afol Beowulf"
There was an orange discharge of mystical energy and rotating, circular glyph appeared over Harms heart. "B-But Th-thats impossible. O-Only the pure of heart can wield the sword." Curator stammered as he tried to walk back. Most of the police officers opened fire at the sword guy, but orange energy fried all the bullets to dust before they reached him. Dibney was smart enough to just run away without looking back. Better to be fired from a job, than fried at the job. Should he turned just for a moment, he would see the orange lightning hit the other policemen and turn them into charred copses. Detective tried to fire something, cursing at Ralph while the curator made his escape. The brave officer of the law made his end by the fast cut of the psycho's sword. Curator managed to get to next room and activate the security. The iron bars fell down, locking any and all entrance to the room. He kept running away. Suddenly, a shadow flew over his head and Harm landed right in front of the terrified curator.
"Harm does not like to be run from. He could not stop the policeman, but he can stop you!"
"But what of the pure of heart."
"The legend said Harm's heart had to be pure. But it didn't specify pure good. It can be pure evil." He finished as he cut off the head of the curator.
Mount Justice
October 31, 19:41
Percy walked in and saw the Team (minus the atlanteans) prepare for the Halloween Party. He was tempted to go somewhere with Zoe, but Diana snapped her right before he could ask her. She said the two of them needed a 'quality girl time'. It was okay by him, but why at Halloween? Okay. Most of the other days he and Zoe were inseparable. They had a date at last Monday, then they went to amusement park at Wednesday and to cinema at Friday. Other days they spent cuddled on the couch watching some movies at home. Being a billionaire had it pros, but also it cons. As of late he started to receive more and more calls from different companies with offers of cooperation. They smelled an inexperience heir to giant fortune and vultures started to gather. Oh well! Something to worry about later.
Percy himself was wearing a full Greek armor he forged for himself. Back at the camp he never was nearly as good as children of Hephaestus, but he did learn simple things. He also missed the shield Tyson got him, but maybe it was for the best. It held so many painful memories. This one was made of Tiber metal, much like his armor, but he spray-painted is bronze. The only mismatched part was his belt. Even in camo mode, it was out of place, but it didn't matter. It was just a Halloween costume. Except he spent 30 hours making it. But no need to go overboard, right?
"Hi guys."
"Oh! Percy! Good to see you. Where have you been all week?" M'gann asked.
"Making this beauty." He spun around, allowing the gathered crowd to marvel at his costume. He had a greek hoplite helmet to match and he even got himself a replica of riptide. This one might not have turned into a pen, but matched the rest nicely. He did engrave a small trident at the base, just for the sake of tradition.
"You made it all yourself?" Zatanna's eyes went wide. "It must have been a lot of work."
"You bet. I also got myself a matching sword. So, you going to a party?"
"Ayup!" Artemis and Wally answered at the same time. She then hit his arm and shouted "COKE! Ha. I score." This earned confused look from all the other gathered, except from captain Marvel who walked right now, wearing a skull painting on his face. "what? You never did that when you were younger? Comeon."
"Nope" *Zatanna
"Nah." *Robin*
"Anop" *Wally*
"No" *Conner*
"we did not have such a tradition on mars" *M'gann*
"Don't look at me, I am from another world too." *Percy*
"Seriously guys?" Captain Marvel asked after the series of declines. "When two people say the same thing at the same time, first to touch the other in the shoulder and shout 'Coke' earns a point. Or a coke in some cases."
"It must be a really old thing or some new stich." Robin said.
"Weren't you suppose to be with Bat on some assignment?" Wally asked curiously.
"Yeah, but Captain Atom set Batman up with Wonder Woman on a dinner so they could discuss things in civilized way."
"Oh right! He took Superman with him as a moral assistance." Captain Marvel explained.
"This could be interesting." Percy grinned.
"Why?" M'gann asked curiously.
"Because Diana took Zoe as hers."
"o-oh." was the common response from most of them. The team did not get to meet the more lenient Zoe. Since last week she spent almost solely with Percy in their apartment or around Jump City on the other side of the country. "A-yup. I guess things could turn interesting."
"I didn't know league had a Costume Party this year." Zatanna changed the subject. "Dad didn't tell me anyways."
"Costume party?" Percy asked curiously.
"the one you and Captain Marvel are going to. We have party at our school with sneaking Dick, Zatanna, Artemis and Wally as exchange students. Nobody will recognize anyone there anyway."
"Actually, I..." Captain Marvel sheepishly smiled while trying to gather courage to go with them when Percy grabbed his arm and started to drag him to the Zeta tube.
"Actually, we are late." the Demigod finished. He had a frown on his face.
"Have fun on your party!" Artemis shouted after them when a familiar sound of teleportation got to them.
Manhattan
October 31, 20:16
Percy was walking through the city with captain marvel following him. He already activated his belt and was now in Neptune outfit.
"Listen. I am happy that you are taking me to a party, but that's no big deal. And what with a costume change. You worked so hard on the previous one." Captain Marvel finally stopped, using the strength of Heracles to get out of the grip. Percy was really strong.
"We are not going to that kind of Party. I want to punch something so we are finding some action. I checked the reports and there was a break-in at the museum. The only survivor said that there is magical sword on the loose. I thought it would be better than some stupid party." He was still frowning. How could they not invite him. He was part of the team. Maybe they tried but you were busy with Zoe...
"Oh! That sort of Party." Marvel wiped the pain of his face and started to float. "Then count me in." He cheerfully smiled. Percy only laughed and jumped up on the roofs using his tremor control to launch himself. After he landed, he was met with a tip of a sword. Captain Marvel floated next to him. The guy holding the sword was smiling smugly. "Looks like harm's first prey came to him."
"Dude. You are sure you want to go for it? I was considered the best swordsman of last three centuries before the war with giants." Percy teased.
"Harm will not indulge in such pettiness. He will slay the heroes!" The villain then swung his sword at then, but it came to stop at a golden shaft of a trident. The orange sparks met with light-blue ones and created an explosion that pushed both of them back. captain Marvel was about to join the fun, but Percy stopped him.
"Let me have this one. You will get the next criminals we find. Deal?"
"Fine. But be careful. He seems to be a strong warrior."
"Maybe, but I am handsome...er? Oh, I am better." Percy groaned at the failed tease. He lunged forward to meet Harm head on. Their weapons clashed over and more sparks came around, but this time trident absorbed them, glowing slightly. Percy spun his weapon in front of himself, catching the sword with it and pulling it to the ground before Harm could even react. Or so he thought, because as soon as he stopped spinning and used the prongs to hold weapon in place, the aspiring villain pulled his weapon up with all the strength he could muster and Percy went flying onto different roof. This gave captain Marvel a signal to act, because Percy definitely was not dealing with this as well as he thought the best swordsman would. He zoomed up and summoning all the might of Zeus and Strength of Heracles he dashed down on the psycho. When his fist met with the naked chest, Harm didn't even flinch. The attack had no effect on him and Captain Marvel felt multiple bones in his hand shake and almost shatter. It was like he hit a metal block with a naked fist as Billy Batson. He let out a painful whimper.
"Ouch. What are you dude?"
"Harm is Harm."
"We get it. Your name is Harm, which is exactly what is going to happen to you if you don't give up now." Percy landed back on their roof, sending a single quake causing the villain to loose a bit of balance. Not waiting for the aspiring psycho to reject his generous offer, he instead decided to shoot him with a stream of pressurized water and used his confusion to advance. The swing of trident was met with the blade of the sword. Whoever he was, Harm shown to have reflexes better than any demigod and speed to match them. Percy decided to stop playing. He wanted to use his favorite technique of creating water bubble and playing a shark when suddenly an arc of orange lightning hit him in the chest.
"Harm is tired of playing games. With the sword He is unbeatable." Percy only groaned as next wave of orange lightning hit him.
"Marvel! Go get her. I will keep him busy." Percy managed to overcome the pain and raise his trident. Now most of the energy was being sucked into the divine weapon. The golden prongs started to crackle with blue lightning and Neptune released the discharge at Harm, who caught it into his sword. The two weapons slowly charged with more and more power. The coursing magic created feedback loop that kept increasing in power. Finally, the critical mass was achieved and they were pushed back by the discharge. Large part of the (luckily empty) house was turned into rubble.
Percy groaned and lifted himself from the ground. No matter what he did, this guy seemed to be able to beat him. "Secret!" Percy turned around to see a young girl. She was pale and had a white-blonde hair pulled back with the help of a hairband. Her dress was even whiter. "Secret!" She shouted again and run in the alley. There was a strange aura of death around her, which sent involuntary chills down the Demigod's spine. He decided to follow her.
"Stop running from Harm. He will catch you."
In response, Percy sent a tremor wave at him, causing him to stagger for brief moment in which Percy jumped onto the roof and jumped into the other alley.
"Secret!" The girl shout-whisper again and disappeared behind the corner. This time, Percy decided not to follow her.
"Come back and talk!". To his surprise, the girl suddenly appeared in front of him. Like literally floated from the ground.
"You... You are different." She spoke in surprised voice.
"Yeah... Who are you?"
"My name... I..." Suddenly, the image dispersed. Before Percy understood, his supernatural reflexes acted up. He spun around to block the overhead slash before it happened. If someone asked him later what gave him the idea, he would not be able to tell. It was just pure instinct.
"Oh Hades. Here we go again..." He sighted and took the battle stance.
At the same time in more prestigious part of New York Diana, Bruce, Clark and Zoe sat around the table in empty restaurant. The waiter brought them four sets of menu and left. The place was situated 600 feet above ground. From the window they had a great view on the city panorama.
"I still can't believe you rented the whole place. People need to wait for years to get a reservation." Clark moaned. He wanted to take Lois here for some time, but queue was just impossible.
"It's not every day that a princess, a duchess, a billionaire and a reporter meet. They agreed to make an exception." Bruce had his signature smirk.
"It is rather nice. Definitely... quiet..." Zoe was unsure what to think. When Diana asked her to come as her plus-one to this peace talk she didn't know what to expect. "also what do you mean by duchess?"
"This is your official title. The Duchess Zoe Nightshade of Themyscira." Wonder Woman explained. "My mother decided to grant you this status after she heard your story. You are a Titaness. You are always welcome to come. I was actually planning on telling you this later." She sent Bruce a death stare. This made Clark flinch, but Batman looked unfazed.
"Let's calm down and order something." Clark suggested quickly, trying to avoid further pissing off the amazon(s). He proceeded to open the menu and he saw the price of an appetizers and received a miniature heart attack. "Whoa. My rent is lower than that..." The other three chuckled.
"Don't worry Clark. I will pay for all of us." Bruce offered. Zoe stopped herself from scowling. He is not trying to seduce you. He is just trying to be nice. Percy is wealthier than him anyway. She let a small smirk creep on her face at this thoughts. Most of her knowledge about big and scary bat came from the son of Poseidon and it's fitting to say he wasn't a fan. They all ordered, although Clark tried to be modest. Once the food was served, an uncomfortable silence fell on the group.
"Should we worry that someone will listen?" Zoe finally asked.
"No. I made sure of that." Clark pulled out a small stone with runic circle on it. He then touched the rune with his middle and index finger and it briefly glowed golden before turning light blue. "This is supposed to... distort the sound waves and recompose them at our ears. Basically, to anyone else, including recording device should any be in proximity, it will seem like you are just discussing some business while I try to interview you three."
"Okay then. Let's get this done with." Diana spoke.
"Agreed. Why are you so defensive of Perseus?" Bruce jumped directly to business. Zoe and Clark sighted. This was going to be a long night.
"Why are you so suspicious of him?" She retorted. "He came here tired, confused and broken. We should have helped him, but you instead wanted to imprison him. He was nothing but helpful and you kicked him of the team..." She wanted to continue, but he interrupted her.
"He killed a man Diana. And he said he would do it again in a heartbeat."
"He saved a mother from being shot."
"There were other ways."
"You can't know that."
Bruce and Diana kept arguing. Clark just sighted. "I just wish the two of them just kissed and stop acting like a pair of preschoolers." He knew neither of the two superheroes would hear him mutter that, but he failed to account for Zoe's enhanced senses. One of her domain was the Hunt after all.
"What do you mean?" She asked. The couple was now in heated argument over something from the Great War.
"What?" The realization dawned upon him. "You heard me?" She nodded. "Well. You see... Both of them are dense as..."
"Percy?" She chuckled. "When he was fourteen he sneaked on a cross-country quest to save a girl. He was willing to hold the weight of the sky just to save her, and yet it took him two more years to finally realize that he was indeed in love with her." The two of them chuckled.
"Yeah, but this is going on for like... seven years now. There is even a betting pool among some leaguers on who will make the first move." He revealed to the Huntress. She was a bit outraged, but then she remembered that when she was still in the hunt there was this giant betting pool on when a certain male demigod 'singer/artist' get killed by Apollo for the transgressions against music. She almost won once, but the sneaky bastard somehow wriggled his way out.
"Well, that was fun, but I think we should get something done here. I had other plans tonight." She then reached for the spoon, spun it between her fingers few times before launching it at Bruce's plate. It clanged, then flew to hit the ceiling and was reflected right at Diana's plate, only to return to her hand. The previously arguing superheroes were now starring at her wide-eyed. "Now that I have your attention. Can someone explain to me what is the actual argument about. talked about great war which I can assure you did not involve Percy in any way."
"The same as always. Bruce and his 'no killing' rule. By his inaction thousands die at the hands of Joker."
"The act of taking a life is wrong, no matter what life you take."
"Heard about guilt through lack of action?" Diana snapped.
"maybe let's calm down?" Clark offered.
"Maybe this was a mistake." Bruce said calmly and stood up, but a strong hand pulled him back down. "Let. Me. Go." he growled at Clark.
"No. This feud must end today. You can't be in control of everything Bruce. Some things are beyond you. I know that you wish it was otherwise, but you can't be everywhere at once."
"While I respect your noble ideas" Zoe spoke up. "They are too pure for the darkness of the world."
"The 'noble ideas' is what separates us" He made a hand gesture at the four of them. "from the criminals. If we take justice into our own hands we will be no better than them. Diana could walk into the white house and snap presidents neck and no one would be able to stop her. Clark can wipe out entire city in one minute. Who knows what Perseus can do. If we push the line, there is no knowing where it stops." Bruce was visibly angry. Something that was actually rare for him.
"Yet, you don't have problem with killing alien invaders." Clark pointed out. Bruce was actually taken aback. He expected Superman to be on his side. "There were several invasions and each time you didn't bother with the lives of invaders. Just because they don't look the same, does not mean they aren't like you. They could have families, goals, dreams. They were soldiers. You are right. The rules are there to be. Killing is wrong, but sometimes, it is necessary."
"So what? You expect me to just abandon everything I believe in?"
"I for once expect thou to just drop the righteous facade and leave Percy alone. He likes to say 'The Sea does not like to be contained' and usually trying to control him can end badly. Like 'disappear into another reality' badly." Zoe said. Her face did not reveal too many emotions.
"Zoe is right. Follow your code, but don't force it on the others."
Bruce was frowning, but he relented. "Fine." He grumbled. "But this is begging for disaster." he stood up and walked out of the room, tossing a large wad of cash at the waiter, not even bothering it was held together by golden clip with diamond 'W' on it. The other heroes watched him.
"I am no daughter of Aphrodite, thank the gods, but I think here goes your betting pool."
Percy was actually beginning to tire. The last fifteen minutes were hectic. They kept exchanging blow for a blow and neither managed to find an opening. What Harm lacked in skill, he made up with sheer ferocity and 'might'. He was faster, stronger and more agile. At the other hand Percy had some tricks up his sleave too. They were back on the roofs. Two News Station's Hellicopters floated around them and Police cut out the area.
"You can't beat harm." The villain sounded as if he was not even remotely tired. "For he can't be defeated by mortal nor a god." To his surprise, Percy actually smiled at that. The left part of Neptune's mask was destroyed so he retracted the bottom and used only googles, thus his smirk was visible.
"I think you just revealed your greatest weakness pal." Percy taunted
"Harm has no weakness. Harm is unbeatable." With that, the pale man resumed his assault. this time, Percy's moves were a bit more sure. He finally found a tactic.
"Correction. You can't be defeated by mortals or gods. But you see... I am neither." Using the confusion this sentence caused he kicked the blade out of Harm's hand and swiped his legs under him. The villain hit the ground with a loud THUD!. "You are speaking with one and only Son of Poseidon, the Demigod. Not quite mortal, not quite god." To prove his point, he put the tip of the middle prong at his neck and pushed just a bit. Harm felt a hot stream of blood travel down. Percy suddenly felt a presence nearby. His life sense picked something new just appear. But it was not the same like other mortals. More... empty. The Demigod figured it out rather quickly. "And I think there is someone here who wants to see you."
True to his words, a girl in white rose from the ground. Harm tried to crawl back at the sight, but the trident pinning him down made it rather hard. "No! Harm's heart is pure. Harm has no weakness. Harm is worthy!"
"Secret!" She tried to say more, but words stuck in her throat. Seeing this, Percy touched her shoulder and sent a pulse of energy through her. He had no idea if this would work, but he just focused on the power Hades gave him and tried to extend it. To his relief, it worked. The blessing did not leave him, but he felt a bit weaker. Some energy left him, but the powers like life-sense or ghost touch were still there. "Thank you."
Harm visibly cringed at the sound of the voice. "No! His heart is pure. He made sure of it. You are not real. Harm's heart is pure. He got rid of only thing he loved. He is still worthy!" At this point, he started to babble uncomprehendingly. Secret just walked forward, passing through his waving hands and reached for his heart. The circular orange glyph appeared for brief moment, but shattered under her touch and she pulled an orb of white light, which then dissipated. Harm tried to call his sword to him, but it rose and flew toward the scabbard he had on his back instead. The hand grabbed the guard, locking the weapon in place. Percy smiled at now powerless harm. He then spun his trident around and hit him on the head with blunt end. Turning to the girl he nodded.
"He's someone close to you?"
"He is... He was my brother. But he... Billy changed. I don't know why. After our parents died he promised to take care of me, but then something inside of him snapped."
"Now that he is stopped, will you be able to..."
"Pass? I don't know. My... I didn't stay to stop him. I don't know my unfinished business..."
"I remember Nico telling me about something similar. Sometimes spirits are just... lost. No one comes for them. Let me try something." Percy placed a hand on her forehead and started to channel energy again. He had no idea what he was really doing, but it was doing something. "For your heroics. For stopping the evil. For aiding the one blessed by Hades. I grant you passage to Elysium. May your journey be pleasant. May Charon transport you to your destiny. May the judges look at your deeds and deem them worthy of the eternal bliss." The words came to him and his voice changed a bit. There was a faint echo of someone else speaking. She glowed slightly and started to dissipate into nothingness.
"Thank you. Thank you for this." She let a single tear fall. Slowly, she fades. Percy pulled a golden drachma from his belt and tossed it into her dissipating body. It faded with her.
"To make sure Charon will not be giving you trouble. Good luck... Secret." He chuckled and went to pick unconscious Harm like a sack of potatoes. In his other hand he carried the sword of Beowulf. This thing better goes somewhere safer than museum. What was Wally's catchphrase again? Oh right! SOUVENIR!
The reporter in the helicopter turned to the camera-man next to her. "Did you get any of this? It can be our ticket to fame. I will show Cat Grant what real news look like."
Her companion turned the camera off and pressed some buttons. The screen at the side displayed the final of the battle. Then, there was white light and suddenly it turned off. He gave a confused look. Suddenly, a small smoke came from where the memory card was.
"What just happened? Please tell me the recording is okay!" Reporter screamed in panic at her crewman.
"Maybe some things aren't meant to be seen..." he spoke mysteriously. She frowned.
"My career definitely will not be seen after this!" She moaned with resignation.
In the underworld Hades sat on his throne. Persephone was on the other, equally large throne on his right. To his left there was a smaller one, on which his son Nico sat. The new god of Magic was now his full-time heir and aide. In front of them was a young girl in white dress.
"Tell me child. Do you know who I am?"
"You... You are Hades, aren't you? The man who helped me get here talked about someone named Hades... that's you, right?" She spoke shyly, but they could hear curiosity in her voice.
"Yes young one. I am indeed the lord of the underworld. The man you speak of is a friend of my son. Now, We have a question for you and we want you to think about it very carefully before giving an answer. You see... I need a favor. The world you live was cut away from us gods. Most souls find their way down there on their own, but some, like you, get lost. If you wish, I can allow you passage into Elysium just like Perseus promised. But I can also allow you to return to the world with my blessing. In exchange, I need you to do something for me."
"Wh-What do you mean return. I died."
"Indeed. But you weren't judged yet. Gods can't enter the sealed world just like that. Yet, there exist some... loopholes to this rule. I need you to...
For the next half an hour, Hades explained certain things to Secret. Finally, she thought about it for a moment.
"But... Are you sure I will be able to become normal again?"
"It remains to be seen. It isn't exactly something that happens often. Or ever. I can promise that you will always have a place at Elysium, provided you fulfill your end of a deal."
Both Persephone and Nico remained silent for the whole ordeal. Their expressions didn't even change. Those who did not know better could think that they are indeed mother and son and not step-mother and step-son.
Secret gave it some more thought. "I agree."
A/N That sums it up. Hades has his own plan, Batman finally is realizing he was a prick, Percy had some fun, we are getting close to the ending. Only five more chapters or so.
Harm was supposed to be this scary, unbeatable villain for halloween horror episode, but I have other plans for him. It's not the last time you see him mind you, so don't worry. But this is all setting up the stage for the sequel, so you must be patient.