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fuckallthegood0nesweretaken · 5 years ago

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Things I write for!

Alright! So here is the list of things I write for. Keep in mind that I will write smut and sexual themes, but If I don’t think it fits or if there is something that makes me uncomfortable, I won’t write it. I will write AU’s, romantic and platonic. I do not write characterxcharacter or any OC’s. I will write for female, male and nb readers, just let me know in your request.

I have also added a list of AU’s and tropes I like to write but if you have one in mind that isn’t on here, don’t be afraid to include it! The characters in bold are ones that I especially love to write for.

ANIME:

Assassination Classroom- I’ll write for Asuno, Okano, Maehara, Itona, Kaede, Karma, Hazama, Mimura, Takebayashi, Justice, Kataoka, Nagisa, Hayami, Nakamura, Terasuka. Sugaya, Okajima, Yoshida, Muramatsu, Sugino, Kanzaki, Isogai, Fuwa, Kurro-Sensei, Irina, and Karasuma. Romantic, platonic, student/teacher/assassin reader is fine.

Attack on Titan- I’ll write for Armin, Eren, Hanji, Jean, Levi, Marco, and Mikasa. I don’t mind spoilers, so anything goes.

Fairy Tail- I’ll write for Cana, Elfman, Erza, Gajeel, Gray, Jellal, Juvia, Laxus, Loke/Leo, Levy, Lucy, Mirajane, Mystogan, Natsu, and Wendy(PLATONIC ONLY). I’ve read the entire manga so anything goes.

Free!- Just the main peeps; Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, Haru, Rin, and Souske. I haven’t watched any of it in a long time and I really don’t mind spoilers so anything goes.

Haikyuu!!- Everyone in Karasuno; everyone in Nekoma; Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kyotani from Aoba johsai; Bokuto, Akaashi from Fukurodani; Ushijima, Tendo from Shiratorizawa. I have not seen season three and four so no spoilers please!

Hetalia- I’m not super into this anime anymore, but I’ll still write for it. I’ll write for anyone and I’ve seen everything so anything goes.

K-Project/K- I’ll write for anyone. I’ve also seen the whole thing so anything goes.

Kuroko no Basket- I will only write for the generation of Miracles. I haven’t seen anything past season one, but I don’t mind spoilers so anything goes.

Log Horizon- I will write for anyone. I have only seen season one so no spoilers please!

Magi- I will write for Alibaba, Morgiana, and Sinbad. I don’t mind spoilers, so anything goes.

My Hero Academia- I will write for Bakugou, Hagukure, Iida, Jiro, Kaminari, Kirishima, Midoriya, Mina, Momo, Ojiro, Sato, Sero, Shoji, Todoroki, Tokoyami, Tsuyu, Uraraka; Kendo, Monoma, Tetsutetsu; Shinso; Mirio, Nejire, Tamaki; All Might/Small Might, Eraserhead, Fat Gum, Hawks, Kamui Woods, Present Mic; Dabi, Shiguraki, Toga. I haven’t read anything past Hawks being introduced, so no spoilers past that point in the manga. Other than that, anything goes.

Naruto- I’ll write for Asuma, Choji, Deidara, Gaara, Hidan, Hinata, Itachi, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Kakuzu, Kankuro, Kiba, Kisame, Kurenai, Lee, Minato, Naruto, Neji, Obito/Tobi, Sakura, Sasori, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Shino, Temari, Tenten, Tsunade, Zabuza. . I haven’t seen/read all of it but don’t mind spoilers so anything goes.

Sailor Moon- I’ll write for Sailor’s Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Tuxedo Mask and their normal counterparts.. I’ve seen all of it, but a long time ago. I don’t mind spoilers so anything goes.

Seven Deadly Sins- I’ll write for Ban, Diane, Escanor, King/Harlequin, Meliodas, Merlin; Arthur, Elizabeth, Gilthunder, Howzer. . I’ve seen what they have of the anime on Netflix and the movie. No spoilers from the manga, but everything goes other than that.

BOOKS:

Harry Potter- I will write for Cedric, Dean, Draco, Fred, George, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Ron, Seamus; James, Lily, Remus, Sirius; Newt, Queenie. I’ve read and seen everything so anything goes.

Lord of the Rings- I’ll write for Aragorn, Boromir, Faramir, Frodo, Legolas, Merry, Pippin, Sam. I’ve read the books and seen the movies so anything goes.

Narnia- I’ll write for Caspian, Edmund, Eustace, Lucy, Peter, Susan. I’ve read the books and seen the movies so anything goes.

Percy Jackson- I’ll write for Annabeth, Bianca, Clarisse, Leo, Luke, Nico, Percy, Piper, Thalia; Frank, Hazel, Jason, Reyna. I’ve read all the books up to Magnus Chase. I don’t mind spoilers and will write for anyone so anything goes.

The Hobbit- I’ll write for Bard, Bilbo, Bofur, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, Legolas, Tauriel, Thorin. I’ve read the books and seen the movies so anything goes.

K-POP:

BTS- Hoseok/J-Hope, Jimin, Jungkook, Namjoon/RM, Seokjin/Jin, Taehyung/V, Yoongi/Suga

KARD- Jiwoo, Taehyung/J-Seph, Matt/BM, Somin

MonstaX- Changkyun/I.M, Hyungwon, Jooheon, Kihyun, Minhyuk, Shownu, Wonho

GOT7- Bambam, Jackson, Jaebum, Jinyoung, Mark, Youngjae, Yugyeom

TWICE- Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, Mina, Momo, Nayeon, Sana, Tzuyu

BlackPink- Chaeyoung/Rose, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa

Mamamoo- Hwasa, Moonbyul, Solar, Wheein

MOVIES:

Big Hero 6- I will write for Fred, Go-Go, Hiro, Honey Lemon, Tadashi, Wasabi

How to Train Your Dragon- I will write for Hiccup, Astrid, and Eret.

Hunger Games- I will write for Katniss, Gale, Peeta, Joanna, and Finnick.

Jumanji- I have seen both 1&2. I am doing a rewrite of the first movie (and the second later on) but will write for any of the characters.

The Meg- I will write for Jax, Jack Morris, DJ, and Jonas Taylor. I’ve seen the movie so anything goes.

Pirates of the Caribbean- I will write for Jack, Elizabeth, James, and Will. I’ve seen everything so anything goes.

The Purge- I’ve seen all of the movies, but not the TV show. I’ll most likely use this as an AU but I do have a rewrite of Election Year and Anarchy in my WIP’s

Star Wars- I will write for Anakin, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, Finn, Han Solo, Hux, Leia, Luke, Obi-Wan, Padme, Poe, Rey

DC:

Flash- I haven’t seen past season one, but I don’t mind spoilers so I’ll write for all the characters and anything goes.

Justice League- I’ll write for all of the heroes. I haven’t seen a lot of the cartoon shows, but I’ve seen the live action movies and Young Justice (Season 1&2 ONLY). Anything goes.

Suicide Squad- I will write for Boomer, Deadshot, Diablo, Harley Quinn, Katana

Young Justice- I will write for Aqualad/Kaldur, Artemis/Tigress, Beast Boy/Garfield, Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes, Impulse/Bart Allen, Kid Flash/Wally, Miss Martian/Megan, Nightwing-Robin/Dick, Robin/Tim, Red Arrow/Roy Harper, Superboy/Connor, Wonder Girl/Cassie, Zatanna Zatara. I haven’t seen season three, so please no spoilers!!

MARVEL:

AntMan- I will write for Hope, Luis, Scott

Avengers- I will write for Bruce, Bucky, Clint, Natasha, Peter, Sam, Steve, Thor, Tony, Wanda

Black Panther- I will write for Erik, Everett Ross, M’Baku, Nakia, Okoye, Shuri, T’Challa

Dr. Strange- I will write for Steven Strange

Guardians- I will write for Gamora, Nebula, Peter, Yondu

X-Men- I will write for Bobby/Iceman, Hank(old and young), Jean(old and young), Kitty Pryde, Logan/Old Man Logan, Marie/Rogue, Ororo Munroe(old and young), Remy LeBeau, Scott(old and young), Victor Creed; Alex Summers, Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, Jubilee, Kurt, Peter Maximoff, Raven(young only)

TV SHOWS:

Avatar the Last Airbender- I’ll write for Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Zuko, Azula, Mei, and Ty Lee. I’ve seen everything so anything goes.

Dr. Who- I have seen everything up to the 12th Doctor. No spoilers for 12&13 please! Other than that, anything goes.

Game of Thrones- I will write for the Starks(Arya, Brandon, Jon, Robb, Sansa), Tormund, Sandor, the Lannisters(Jaime, Tyrion), Daenerys, Brienne, Gendry, Podrick, Bronn, Oberyn, Sam, Theon, and Yara. I have seen the entire series and anything goes.

Legend of Korra- I’ll write for Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami. I haven’t seen anything past season one, but I don’t mind spoilers. Anything goes.

The Mandalorian- I’ll write for Cara, Mando, and Paz. I’ve seen everything so anything goes.

Sherlock- I will write for Sherlock, John, and Greg. I haven’t seen past season three episode two so no spoilers please! Other than that, anything goes.

Supernatural- I will write for Sam, Dean, Cas, and John. I haven’t seen past season 6 but don’t mind spoilers, so anything goes!

The Walking Dead- I’ll write for anybody. I’m only at the beginning of season nine, so anything past that please don’t spoil it!

Video Games:

Assassins Creed- I’ll write for Altair, Ezio, and Connor. I’ve played some of the games and don’t mind spoilers so anything goes.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild- I have beaten the game and will write for Link and Zelda.

AU’S:

Adventurers

Assassin

Athlete

College

Coffee Shop

Mafia

Magic

Modern

Musician

Pet Shop

Royalty

Soulmate- Colorblind, tattoo(name of soulmate/first words spoken, etc.), watch countdown, whatever you write on yourself ends up on them.

Spy

Supernatural

Superpower

Tattoo Artist

Tropes:

Human from our world dropped into their world and vice versa

Only one bed

Roommates

#things i write #requests #read before requesting

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lizartgurl · 6 years ago

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Perfect Marks (Aqualad x OC Soulmate AU)

Word Count: 6200+

Summary: Write something on your skin, it appears on your soulmate’s skin as well

My sole goal of joining tumblr was to make decent Kaldur content and this shows it. I don’t think I’ve ever written anything this fast-paced, and I had no idea a one-shot would turn out this long, but I really enjoyed writing it!

Based off of @the-shadow-of-atlantis‘s soulmate au for Kaldur and her oc, Annabella (x) and inspired by @writing-yj‘s The Bird Tattoo xreader series (x). You guys are both incredible writers, and I love reading your fanfics :)

@staar-sailorr @super-spoiler @lesbianstargirl @flamebiirds @princes-jasmine (please let me know if any of you do not want to be tagged in my oc fics in the future. i’m just tagging you for now becuz)

The morning of her first day of high school, Emma Grayson screamed.

Half of Gotham must have heard it, if not the entire manor. Rick, just down the hall, skid right into the bathroom door trying to help.

“Emma, what is it?”

“Just look!” Emma shrieked, shoving her arm in his face. Her little brother's eyes went wide at the thick black marks winding up and down both her arms.

“You and Roy went out clubbing last night and didn't bring me?” He asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

“Well how do you know we didn't sneak Wally with us?” Emma snapped.

He shrugged, leaning against the doorway with an insufferable smirk that he couldn't hide. “Wally and I are too tight for him to leave me out of any shenanigans.”

Bruce materialized in the doorway before Emma could smack Rick, and sighed as he saw the marks on her arms.

“You don't remember getting any tattoos yesterday?” He asked.

“No.” Emma shook her head.

“And you're not hungover, so you probably wouldn't have blacked out,” he murmured, taking Emma's arm in his hands to examine the marks. “Do they hurt at all?”

Emma shrugged. “They itch a little, but not painfully.”

Bruce nodded. “They must be your soulmate's markings then. Probably tattoos.”

Emma sighed. She herself wasn’t very artistic, so she never would have drawn something so elaborate on herself, but she never took into account that her soulmate might be. And if they were tattoos, that meant that even if her soulmate showered five times a day, they would never come off of either of them. Emma was absolutely terrified of needles and vowed to never get a tattoo. She never thought she'd be paired with someone who got those giant sleeve tattoos, much less tattoos at all.

“Get dressed, make sure you don't have anymore. Richard, you go get dressed too. I'll see you both downstairs for breakfast in a minute.” Bruce instructed.

Emma locked the door behind them and bravely faced her reflection in the silver-framed mirror. They each started on her hands, snake heads, with no embellishments other than an eye and an open mouth. The snakes then twisted around her arms three times and continued on to her shoulders. After taking off her PJs and turning around a couple times, she found that they connected, arcing down to her lower back.

A few minutes and a couple puffy eyes later, she met Bruce in the dining room, taking her usual place across from Rick.

“For you, Miss Emma.” In addition to her breakfast platter of eggs and bacon, Alfred handed Emma a jar of concealer that matched her skin tone.

Bruce wiped his chin of jelly from his toast. “With tattoos of this size, keeping them hidden is vital to your secret identity. Not only would people try to replicate the tattoos to claim to be your soulmate, they would also connect Finch and Emma Grayson with the similar tattoos.”

Emma nodded, and began to apply the concealer to the back of her hands. Her school uniform and her Finch uniform already had long sleeves in case of such a situation. Now the rest of her wardrobe would follow suit. At least Gotham was miserable, cold, and wet ninety-nine percent of the time.

Alfred dropped Emma and Rick off at Gotham Academy before taking Bruce to the WayneTech offices, and Bruce made a big show of seeing his children off on their first day of a new school year for the all-seeing public eye.

“We can look more into them tonight, Emma. How about that?” He offered with a winning smile, a last attempt to cheer her up.

“Sure,” she smiled back. Rick had already run off for the building with the middle school classes. Emma was moving up to the high school building this year, with grades nine through twelve.

She plopped into the open seat between Barbara Gordon and Lucas Fox in first-period chemistry.

“Hey, Emma! How you doing?” Babs asked, sounding peppy and upbeat.

“Long morning.” She groaned.

“As always on the first day of school, huh?” Luke asked with a chuckle.

Emma giggled too. Her friends knew just how to cheer her up, even if they didn't know what was going on.

“Emma?” Barbara was squinting at her hands, “Are you wearing-”

“Good Morning!” The chem teacher trilled along with the bell, and Barbara forgot what she was going to say.

Head cushioned in her arms in the edge of the second row, Emma snuck a look at her two closest friends, who both had their sleeves rolled up to their elbows in the warm classroom. She had to settle for just taking off her sweater.

Luke and Barbara were the two smartest students in their grade at prestigious Gotham Academy, which rubbed off on Emma. They were both in the computer science club. Luke was in robotics club, and wanted to be an engineer like his father, Lucius Fox, head of the R&D department of WayneTech. Barbara's father was Police Commissioner James Gordon of the GCPD, and spent every spare moment in the library. Emma took to joining her, and Rick and Luke would join them.

Instead of paying attention to the long list of safety procedures that Doctor Crane was going over, Emma spent first period thinking over whether or not to tell her friends. Would someone overhear? Would they let things slip?

It would just have to be another secret she kept from them.

Bruce was gone from the time that they got home to late at night, so Emma persuaded Rick to help her look through all the books that the Manor’s library had on Soulmates and their markings, so long as they got to watch Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark while doing it.

Most of the books Emma read were general knowledge. Whenever you wrote or drew something on your skin, it appeared on your soulmate’s body as well. Mostly it was just notes and reminders, doodles in the midst of boredom, but tattoos were a popular tactic to try and find your soulmate quicker, by looking for the exact replica of your tattoo on someone else.

There were several books on the language of markings, symbols ranging from elaborate to simple that could send a certain message to your soulmate were they also well-versed in the language of markings. Emma didn’t find anything resembling her soulmate’s markings in any of those books, so she tossed them on the floor with Rick’s books, which had slid off his lap after he fell asleep shortly after Indy entered the Well of Souls.

Sighing tiredly, Emma shut off the TV, but the excitement of her soulmate’s markings and the first day of school all rolled into one left her exhausted, and she never wanted to leave the sunken cushions of her favorite TV couch.

Shrouded in night, the room faded into darkness. Emma removed her sweater to use a blanket, and stopped.

“Rick,” she whispered, jabbing him in the shoulder.

“Huh?” He asked, “Is the movie over?”

“You fell asleep, but look,” She held out her arms, bare beneath her t-shirt. The black, geometric shapes were now outlined by a faint blue glow, reflected on Emma’s face. The light itself seemed almost alive, and thought it could have been the lack of sleep, Emma thought she saw it swirling around the room, back and forth like an ocean’s current. Beautiful and powerful. Magical.

Rick laughed giddly. “That’s so cool!” He said, suddenly awake.

Emma laughed too. Maybe her soulmate’s markings weren’t so bad after all.

Weeks passed without them fading. Bruce had been right about them being tattoos. They itched like fresh tattoos, though the ink wasn’t in her skin. Alfred gave her a soothing skin balm to rub on her arms before she went to bed each night, guided by the blue lights. They made the perfect night light, though Emma had long since outgrown such things. She’d jolt awake from a nightmare, only to have the magical light envelop her with a tingling sensation somewhat like an electric shock. It was comforting, like a never-ending hug.

Sometimes, on patrol, when Bruce wasn’t looking, Emma would take off her glove and let the snake-head glow, smiling somewhat as she showed it all of Gotham City. Her soulmate must really like snakes, and if they cast the light that her tattoos did, maybe they were a magician like Zatara.

Emma desperately hoped that her soulmate was a hero. She wanted to be able to tell them everything, to share both parts of her life with her soulmate.

“Woah,” Wally gaped appreciatively as Emma showed off her right arm in the seclusion of a back alley in Star City, just outside the “Arrow-Cave,” or the “Quiver,” which Ollie was convinced would catch on.

Roy nodded, but from the way his lower lip jutted out as he slowly nodded, it was clear that he was impressed by whoever had etched these tattoos.

“Show us your tattoos again, Roy.” Emma said. She rolled her sleeve back down, cutting off the light.

Roy rolled up the right arm sleeve of his shirt, exposing the small constellation on his shoulder. The big dipper, or the bear and the birds according to those who had generously raised him. It was a permanent reminder of his childhood and what he had learned with them. After Emma smiled, he showed off the tattoo on his left shoulder. The one from his soulmate.

It was a perfect circle, a shield, he insisted, with the head of Medusa and several wriggling snakes spreading from the center. The Aegis, Athena’s shield. Obviously his soulmate had a penchant for Greek mythology.

“I’m thinking of getting a tattoo,” Wally lounged against the brick wall.

“Oh really? What would you get? A hot dog?” Rick asked, balancing in a handstand on top of the fence that cut the alleyway in half.

“Ha, ha.” Wally huffed, offended. “What would you get, Boy Wonder?” He demanded.

“A bird, duh.” He flipped in the air, landing neatly in front of Wally, “A robin, to be precise. Right behind the ear.”

“What about you, Emma?” Roy asked. “If you got a tattoo, what would you get?”

Emma leaned back on top of the trash can, using her arms to prop herself up. “Probably a music heart, with the treble and bass clefs twisted into the shape of a heart.” But she still wasn’t certain. That didn’t seem special enough compared to her soulmate’s tattoos, or Roy’s tattoo, but it was the best that she could come up with in two seconds.

Rick and Wally were still bickering. “So if it’s not a hot dog, what is it then? Nachos?”

“No! It’d be the digits of pi, stretching from my right hand to my left, like Emma’s!”

“Nerd.”

“Geek.”

“Aren’t those the same thing?” Roy asked as the younger two continued to yell. He knew better than to expect an answer.

Emma shook her head, grinning at the secret she was keeping, this one more for her own amusement than out of necessity. Rick had sketched out where he wanted his tattoo earlier, and now it was hidden beneath his raven-colored mop. And when Wally had taken off his mask to eat some of Ollie’s cookies in the safety of the Quiver, Emma glimpsed a few wobbly sharpie lines in Rick’s non-artistic peeking out from under the bright red hair. Wally was too distracted to notice it for himself, and it was hidden beneath his lightning bolts whenever Rick had been looking at him.

The next day at school, chem class was cancelled because Doctor Crane was missing. Emma and Babs went to the library while Luke finished his homework in the computer lab. Alysia Yeoh wrote her phone number on Barbara’s hand in black pen as the three discussed Harry Potter and the New Hunger Games movie. Then in the middle of civics class, the same ten numbers jumped out at Emma, faint on the back of Luke’s writing hand and nearly made her spit out her strawberry lemonade.

She texted Roy in glee so she wouldn’t blurt out and ruin the surprise for Luke. He let her, though he wasn’t really the kid of person that got obsessed with soulmates.

Emma, however could not wait to meet her soulmate.

Batman called in Flash and Aquaman to help out with a new villain, calling himself “Scarecrow”. Finch was texting Roy with updates every five minutes, and managed to catch the end of Aquaman’s reply as the Batmobile roared towards the Harbor.

“I will be bringing an apprentice of sorts with me.”

“You have an apprentice?” Batman asked. His monotone betrayed no surprise.

“A recent development, I will admit. It will not be a problem, will it? I want to get him started as soon as possible, and after all, Flash and yourself have sidekicks of your own, as does Green Arrow, some of them younger than Aqualad.”

“I take it that’s his name, then?”

“I take it will be fine, then?”

Robin snorted. It wasn’t every day that they heard a member of the Justice League sassing Batman. Typically, Wonder Woman was the only person who could get away with that, on account of her lack of weaknesses. Aquaman may or may not pay for that comment sooner or later if he didn’t watch his back.

“Meet you at the rendezvous point.” Batman cut off the transmission, glaring at his kids in the mirror. Finch only shrugged back at him. Her tattoos were itching again.

Flash pulled up seconds before the Batmobile came to a complete stop.

“Ha! We were here first!” Robin cackled.

“Only counts if you’re out of the car, boy wonder,” Kid patted him on top of his head. Emma grumbled, wishing that Roy were here, so at least she wouldn’t feel like an outcast to their flirting. She pulled out her phone again.

“Finch, phone away. Scarecrow can track the signal.” Batman instructed. She shoved it securely in her belt pocket.

“So how long did Fish man say it’d take him?” Flash asked.

“He’s probably taking the scenic route to show Aqualad around,” Robin piped up.

“Aqualad?” It was Kid’s turn to be surprised now.

In answer, there was a splash from the docks, and Aquaman flew out of the water, crouching in a majestic landing a moment later. A smaller splash followed, with a much less graceful landing that nearly sent the poor “Aqualad” stumbling back into the water.

“Woah!” Finch lunged forward, grabbing his wrist.

“Th-thank you, my lady,” He fell over himself to find his balance, bowing as courteously as he could with sea legs.

“Oh, no worries!” Emma insisted. “And- and you can call me Finch, please.”

“Apologies,” He said immediately, “I am afraid I am not used to the surface yet, it is still very new to me.”

“You will get used to it, Kaldur’ahm,” Aquaman gave a broad smile, clapping his new protege on the shoulder.

“Robin, Kid Flash, I would like to introduce my protege, Aqualad.”

“Cool!” Kid sped over, nearly shoving Finch to the side to shake Aqualad’s hand. “I’m Kid Flash! The coolest superhero around, but you can call me Wally when we’re off-duty.”

Robin saluted. “I’m Robin. Call me Rob. And you’ve already met my sister, Finch.”

“Yes, I have. It is wonderful to meet all of you.”

“Well, there’s also Speedy, but his mentor has a hot date with Black Canary tonight so they’re all currently unavailable,” Kid Flash snickered as their mentors discussed the issue at hand.

Finch gave him an elbow in the gut. “So, Aqualad, how long have you been working with Aquaman?” She nodded towards the adults, and Aqualad followed her indication.

“How are you working with Aquaman?” Robin asked, “I didn’t know the guy had any kids.”

“He does not,” Aqualad assured him. “I am one of his subjects. About two weeks ago, Ocean Master and his followers attacked Atlantis. Though he appeared to best Aquaman, my friends and I, students at Her Majesty’s Conservatory of Sorcery, were able to distract Ocean Master long enough for our king to recover. To show his gratitude, he gave us the opportunity to become his protege. I was the only one who accepted. I have spent the past few weeks training with my king and learning more about the surface world, the dangers it faces, and the threats to Atlantis.”

“Hey, kids! Gather round!” Flash beckoned them over, and Emma groaned inwardly at being called kids. They were on the younger side of teenage years, yeah, but the work they did was anything but childish. Unless you were Wally, and then you could be immature about anything.

While the adults had the dangerous job of actually going in after Scarecrow, the kids were designated to the much less dangerous assignment of patrolling the perimeter to make sure that Scarecrow nor his recently-acquired henchmen got away.

Finch didn’t mind it that much, she could get away with being lazy when Batman wasn’t looking over her shoulder every second, but Kid and Robin were a little upset at being left behind. They mirrored each other, chin propped up in one hand each.

“Why did Batman need to call us in again?” Kid asked. “I mean, isn’t he always like, ‘Bleh bleh, I work alone, bleh bleh,” He imitated the dark and scratchy voice of a vampire.

“Scarecrow’s only weapon is his fear gas, and he’s trying to figure out how to transform that gas into a liquid to infect Gotham’s water supply, and maybe the whole coast, and he needs someone in forensics who can track the fear gas chemicals super-fast, like your uncle. I’m pretty sure Aquaman invited himself along when Flash blabbed about the possibility of the coasts being affected.” Robin listed off.

“Well, the oceans are Aquaman’s responsibility. He takes that very seriously,” Aqualad was the only one of them standing at attention. His eyes were used to the dimness of the water, giving him an edge in night-vision. “He is a very good king, and he does not wish to let down his people.”

Finch set aside her phone. “It sounds like you really respect him.”

“I do. He has been very kind to my family. I admire his heroism for Atlantis and the world.”

Emma’s mind suddenly swelled with curiosity about Atlantis, but before she could ask, the doors of the warehouse they’d been staking out blew open to smoke, and about ten dark-clothed thugs ran out, coughing violently.

“Is that fear gas?” Kid asked.

“Nah, that’s probably just Batman’s smoke pellets.” Emma shot her grappling cord at a tower of cargo containers. “Try to keep up, Gentlemen!” She sang, swinging off towards the escaping thugs. She landed on one, taking him out. Another got a kick to the jaw, and the other hit her in the back. She staggered forward to regain her balance, alone against nine. Maybe she should have waited for the boys, that way she wouldn’t have been alone in facing them.

The thugs said nothing, but grunted, swinging and lunging at her as she danced around them, doing what she could to stay out of their grip and take advantage of any openings.

“Finch, look out!” It took a moment for her to register the almost-unfamiliar voice before Aqualad shoved her out of the way of a thug sneaking up behind her, getting trapped in the bear hug grip instead. Aqualad refused to lose his cool, and took a deep breath. A blue glow started at his shoulders, twisting down his arms, and letting out a burst of bio-electricity that stunned his captor with a scream.

“Woah,” Wally’s eyes were wide with admiration.

Emma’s eyes were wide too.

His tattoos glowed a warm blue hue.

And they matched the marks hidden on Emma’s arms.

“Emma, get up.”

“No.”

“We’re gonna be late for school.”

“Go without me.”

“No.” Still in his PJs, Rick took a flying leap at Emma’s queen-sized bed and bounced until she threw off her covers and started bouncing with him.

“So you met your soulmate, huh?”

Emma bit her lip before she could bite back with a “You too”.

“I thought I was ready to meet them, but I guess I’m not,” She said, still bouncing.

“Well, you don’t have to tell him. Not yet, anyways,” He pointed out. “Me, however, I’m not gonna be able to hold this in for very long.” Emma suddenly wanted to shout out that Wally was Rick’s soulmate, but she held herself back.

“It feels wrong,” Emma said, landing on her butt. Rick landed next to her, bouncing a couple times.

“He’s from Atlantis. He should have been soulmates with someone from Atlantis, someone who understands his tattoos and markings and their cultural significance,” She traced the tattoo up her right arm, an eel, not a snake. Aqualad had told a nervously curious Wally last night. After the fight and noticing Aqualad’s tattoos, it was like someone had flipped a switch from casual to awkward. She couldn’t even look at him without turning bright red. According to the marks on her skin, this was the man she was destined to spend her life with, to fall in love with. And she had known him for less than a day.

“You could always learn more about Atlantis. Ask him, talk to him.” Rick pointed out. “I think Bruce gave Aquaman a water-proof cell phone for AL to use. I can look up his number if you want-”

“No, I can ask him next time we team up, thank you very much.” Emma interrupted.

She sighed. “It probably would be a good idea to start there, though.”

Rick hugged her, his arms around her neck. “It’ll all work out, you’ll see.” He promised.

Emma hugged his arms, holding her little brother. “Thanks, Rick.”

“Master Richard! Miss Emma! You’re going to be late for school!”

The team was formed a few months later. Roy refused entry to the kiddie club, leaving an opening for Superboy and Miss Martian, neither of whom had any markings for themselves or from their soulmates. Emma was ecstatic, though both she and Aqualad missed having Speedy around. Artemis came next, an arrow tattoo wrapped around her bicep, and Speedy became “Red Arrow”, to show that he was moving on.

In the Junior Justice League base of Mount Justice, hero aliases were traded for civilian ID’s and nicknames. Wally remained the only one in confidence of Finch and Robin’s secret ID’s, but other than the three of them, there was Conner, Megan, Artemis (yes, it was the same as her hero name), and Kaldur.

Kaldur’s maturity and level-headedness got him elected team leader, in charge of organizing missions and getting the ragtag team to work together. Emma found herself sticking close by to help out with paperwork and discussing team problems and training with Kaldur. Not just because she wanted to get to know Kaldur, but because she felt so comfortable with him. She could talk to him about how red skittles were clearly the best out of all skittles, and he would listen intently. She could ask him a rhetorical question and he would answer patiently, or he would help her find the answer. He put time and effort into her, and she did the same. He was still studying and experiencing Surface Culture, and Emma loved explaining things to him.

Time set aside for mission discussions more often than not turned into these discussions of almost nothing. Kaldur was quite businesslike, compared to everyone else, at least, but Rick insisted that he “melted” around Emma.

“Still think that fate made a mistake?” He asked.

Emma shrugged. “I feel guilty for hiding it now. What if he thinks I only spent time with him because he’s my soulmate and not because...” She trailed off.

“Because you really care about him?” Artemis asked, loudly sipping a can of pineapple juice stolen from Wally. She and Megan knew, of course. Those things tended to happen when you shared a locker room.

Emma shrugged. “I just don’t think I’m ready yet.”

The others were, though, and she could tell.

“It’s not their secret to tell.” Roy told her over the phone. “If any of them so much as blurt the world ‘soulmate’ in Kal’s direction before you give the okay, I’ll kick all their butts.”

“How do you put up with it?” She asked him. Roy was basically a best friend to both Emma and Kaldur. Keeping it a secret from one of them had to be hard.

“I’ll admit, it’s hilarious seeing you two blushing and talking like that and he apparently doesn’t get a clue.”

“You jerk!” Emma threw a pillow at the wall to substitute for throwing one at Roy.

“Seriously, Em,” His laughter had faded, “You like him, don’t you? And he likes you. What do you have to lose by telling him?”

Nothing. She had nothing to lose. Or did she? She couldn’t tell, and it drove her insane.

“Is something bothering you, Finch?” Aqualad asked.

“Dragonfire,” She reminded him, flexing her new wings. A gift from her old friend the Joker.

“Yes, of course. My apologies,” He still bowed his head formally. Emma liked it when he used Atlantean mannerisms.

“It’s okay, I like that you still call me that sometimes.” She liked it so much her stomach tickled. She passed it off as her new powers being irritating.

Raquel overheard, and like the others she had it.

“We have to set them up,” She declared to the team while Kaldur and Dragonfire were off doing “important paperwork”.

“Agreed,” Artemis pounded her fist on the island counter for emphasis.

“But how are we going to convince Dra that she should tell? The longer she waits, the more nervous she gets.” Wally said

“Shouldn’t we let them decide?” Conner tried to say.

The PA switched on in a burst of static. “Team, report to the mission room.”

According to intel from Batman, Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow, had escaped from Arkham Asylum and was hiding somewhere in Miami, Florida. The team’s mission was to find Scarecrow and whoever was helping him, and make it hard for Scarecrow to hurt anyone until Batman and the League could come in and deal with Scarecrow themselves.

While everyone else donned a tank top to go with their shorts, Emma stuck with her usual long-sleeved shirt in the Florida sun.

“Are you not hot in that?” Kaldur asked.

“I’m fine,” Dragonfire insisted with a smile. Several girls walked past, admiring Kal’s tattoos, and Emma turned away, just a little bit jealous. Of course, it was her own fault for not being more open about their marks in the first place. The team was split up patrolling the city. Kid Flash and Robin scouted out the perimeter, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis had the malls, Zatanna and Rocket had the streets, and Kaldur and Dragonfire had the beach. They walked in silence, side by side through the warm sand, keeping an eye out for any shady or straw-like figures.

And then Kaldur reached down and took Emma’s hand.

“Huh?” She didn’t realize that she’d said that out loud, as if he’d said something she’d misheard.

“I thought that it would sell our inconsequential appearance if we pretended to be a couple,” He said, “Is that alright?”

Emma smiled, thankful that her blush was hidden beneath her sunglasses and the brim of her floppy straw hat. “That’s just fine,” She assured him.

It wasn’t awkward, and it certainly wasn’t boring when Kaldur was around. There was no doubt about it, Emma knew that she was in love.

And then there were screams.

Emma tried to stop the crying child that was running down the beach, but she only screamed louder and ran in the other direction, avoiding anyone who reached out or stopped to try and help her, until she finally fell to her knees, curled up in a little ball. More kids were appearing with those symptoms, jumping at every little movement or sound. Fear gas.

No time to wait for the League, Dragonfire and Kaldur sprinted the way the kids had come.

“Aqualad to Team, come in, the symptoms of mass fear gas have been spotted on the beach. Rendezvous at our coordinates ASAP.”

“Kid Flash to Aqualad, Rob and I found the remains of a lab used to create fear gas about five miles inland.”

“Tag and bag the evidence, then come help us,” Dragonfire instructed. More and more people were screaming out of fear now, not just the kids.

They spotted Scarecrow out at sea, on a rickety old boat bobbing on the waves that were becoming more and more tumultuous every second. Had the clouds been that dark and ominous a second ago?

“Hold on!” Kaldur shouted. Emma wrapped her arms around his torso as he dove into the waves, holding on for dear life as he made for the boat like a torpedo. He shot out of the water and Emma spread her dragon wings, dropping him on the ship like a bomb. Scarecrow threw canisters of fear gas at both of them, but Emma fried them with her electricity, negating the anxiety-inducing abilities. Her fists crackled and her hair billowed with static as she hovered above the ship like a bird of prey, providing cover as Kaldur fought off Scarecrow’s guards. Emma went for the big man himself. It was strange to think that this was her old biology teacher, but given how teachers were treated in America, she really couldn’t blame him. She swept in with a hook to the jaw, sending him stumbling backwards.

“How do we stop it, Crane?” She demanded, going for intimidation. The guy liked fear, right?

“Such power...” Crane hissed, “Tell me, child, what scares a god like you?”

Emma shot him in the arm with another lightning bolt. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Scarecrow grabbed at her shirt, tearing off some fabric. She threw him off with another blast of electricity that tore her shirt even more. It wasn’t made of the same durable stuff that her uniform was.

“Dragonfire!” Aqualad shouted, “I think we have been exposed to minimal effects of the fear gas!”

“Probably!” She agreed, ducking under Scarecrow’s hit. “Try to stay focused! You can fight it off!” She promised.

She turned back to Scarecrow, who now had an aerosol-like can pointed at her face, and sprayed before jumping over the side of the boat. His henchmen follow suit, and Dragonfire heard the sound of a submarine roaring away below the choppy waves.

“Dragonfire!” Aqualad caught her as she rubbed at her eyes, coughing violently.

“Dragonfire, Finch, hang on, you can fight it,” He urged, setting her down on the

Emma heard none of that, her ears were too clogged, no matter how she tried to shake off the fear gas.

She looked down at her arms, the sleeves of her shirt completely gone. Kaldur looked down and saw them too. He quickly pulled away, backing up several steps.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Finch’s voice quavered, echoing in her ears as Aqualad swam in and out of her vision.

It cleared long enough to see the disgusted look on his face.

She was out cold before she hit the water.

Emma awoke tangled in soft white sheets. She hugged herself, running her fingers against the rough ink. They itched more than ever now, reminding her of what happened on the boat.

Kaldur hated her. He had to. She hated herself.

“Good, you’re awake,” Black Canary smiled down at her kindly, approaching the side of her bed.

“You’re all right,” She said at the sight of tears flooding Emma’s eyes. “The fear gas should be just about flushed from your system by now. Aquaman and Batman are helping to oversee the cleanup of Miami Beach, and even though Scarecrow’s escaped, no one was killed. Wonder Woman and Flash are making sure that everyone receives a vaccination for the fear gas.”

That did little to assuage Emma’s rapidly beating heart. “Is Kaldur-” She stopped herself, “Is Aqualad okay?” She whispered.

Canary’s smile brightened. “That’s right! He’s your soulmate!” She patted Emma’s bare arm, “Just one moment, I’ll go get him for you.”

“No, Dinah wait-!” The door whisked shut behind Dinah before Emma could finish.

She leaped to her feet, shaking like jello. She had to get out of there, she couldn’t face Kaldur like this. She grabbed a change of clothes, lying on the counter, and tripped over her big feet. Seconds before she smacked into the linoleum, strong arms with too-familiar tattoos caught her, lifting her up.

“Hi,” Kaldur said, giving a small smile.

Emma pushed him away, falling back into the bed. “Go away,” She demanded, throat thick with tears.

Kaldur’s eyes went wide, glancing between his tattoos and the marks on Emma’s arms. “Finch? Are you alright?”

She shook her head, “Just leave me alone!”

“Finch, what is wrong?”

“Don’t call me that!” She screamed. “I get it, I’m not what you wanted in a soulmate, I’m sorry to disappoint you,” She sobbed.

“But even if you hate me, I have to tell you that I love you. I have been since I met you, before I even knew that we were soulmates.”

Now, Kaldur’s face was screwed up in confusion. He was usually so passive, it was strange to see him like this.

Having said that, Emma was unable to keep her mouth shut. “I love your sincerity and your honesty, your kindness and how much you care. I love your curiosity and fascination with every new thing you find out about the surface world. I love your patience and your smile and that little laugh you make when Rick and Wally are kidding around because we know they’re soulmates but they can’t tell. I didn’t want to tell you I was your soulmate because I wanted to make sure you liked me for me, and that I liked you not just because you were my soulmate.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the blanket in her hands, worried that it might tear if she held it too tight, but it was better than letting the tears she was holding back burst out.

There was she soft pad of bare feet on tile, and Kaldur’s rough but gentle hands brushed some hair from her face.

“I do not hate you, Finch. It would be impossible for me to do so.”

She gasped and opened her eyes. A few tears fell, but Kaldur helped her wipe them away. “I have loved you for a long time, but I hope you can forgive me for not coming forward with my feelings before.” He paused, taking her hand in his. “I was afraid that if you were not my soulmate, you would not be open to dating other people.”

She almost laughed, throwing her arms around him. Kaldur returned her embrace.

“I love how kind you are as well. Your impatience is endearing, and I find it amusing how I seem to be the only person you are patient with. I love how you are always so happy and smiling. I love how stubborn you are, and your commitment to justice for those who need it.

“And I love the fact that you are my soulmate.”

“Are you seriously getting nachos?” Artemis asked, looking at the stereotypical designs that were offered at the most popular tattoo parlor in Happy Harbor. “A lightning bolt would be ten times cooler.”

“Lightning is fleeting but food is forever,” Wally said, attempting to sound old and wizened.

“Yeah, at least until you eat it,” Rick snickered.

“I think I might get lightning,” Emma said. “Or maybe a tiny dragon.”

“Definitely get a dragon,” Raquel agreed, “There’s like fifty heroes who have lightning iconography. You’re the only one who’s got dragon wings.”

“What about Man-bat? Or Blue devil?” Wally pointed out.

“Dude, they’re a bat and a devil, not dragons.” Zatanna said, coming back from her seat with several magical sparkles sprinkled around her wrist like a bracelet. A few moments later, the same style appeared on Raquel’s wrist to go with the white comet on her forearm.

“My turn!” Wally declared with glee, hopping up to the table Zee had been at. “I want the first seven digits of Pi on my ankle,” He said, settling on a price with the tattoo artist.

“What about you, Conner, what are you getting?” Megan asked.

“I can’t get anything here, I’m too strong, but Clark has some tech at the Fortress he can use to put the Superman symbol on my bicep if I really want it.”

“And you do, don’t you?” M’gann giggled.

“Yes, I do.” He nodded firmly. “What are you getting?”

“I don’t know! There are so many cool designs!” She squealed.

“What do you think, Kal? It’s gonna be your tattoo too,” Emma leaned against his shoulder, wearing short sleeves in the summer for the first time in two years, arm in arm with her soulmate.

Kaldur held up the piece of paper he’d been doodling on. “How about this?” He asked, pointing to a small drawing in the corner. A pair of dragon wings, just like hers.

Emma beamed and kissed his cheek. “Perfect.”

#lizart writes #my ocs #nightingale #aquafire #aqualad x oc #kaldur imagine #kaldur'ahm imagine #kaldur #kaldur'ahm #aqualad #fish boy #young justice #soulmate au

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the-shadow-of-atlantis · 8 years ago

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Batfam + others headcanons (Star Wars)

Fuck it the Star Wars trailer got me hyped so now yall gonna suffer some headcanons because I got inspired Maia belongs to @royslittleharper Faith and Jen belong to @melyaliz * you bet your ass Annabella and Tim saw the trailer and were having fan attacks * They immediately got to work on costumes * Annabella designed the clothes and made them, Tim worked on the weapons and gadgets * Annabella and Kaldur went as Rey and Finn * Bruce and Damian were death Vader and Kyle Ren * Dick went as a young Luke Skywaker (they got him a wig though were tempted to dye his hair) * Tim was a Jedi with a decked out lighsaber * Annabella designed a 'Red Hood' Mandalorian armor for Jason(he jokes that he wants it to be his new suit, but secretly really wants it to be) * Roy and Maia ended being dragged along and they went as Han Solo and Leia(though as to who is Han and who is Leia is up to you) * Faith was insistent that Annabella make her an Ewok and she did, Faith loves it. * Jen made the mistake of telling Annabella to go crazy and Annabella made her a very intricate Padme costume and now Jen has to suffer through wearing a very ridiculously heavy wig. * Alfred is C3PO * Tim, Annabella, and Babs work on making an R2D2 and BB-8 * Babs goes as an x-wing pilot * Sooooo many photos get taken * Alfred says it's going to be that years Christmas card * During the movie kaldur is amused at by the little squeals Annabella lets out, and gets a bit worried when she starts to cry * Tim and Annabella are holding hands the entire time * Afterwards they end up getting into a very deep discussion about all the movies. * All in all it was a very amusing experience for everyone

#oc headcanons #annabella wayne #batfam headcanons #Maia #Faith and Jen

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attendsquoi · 22 days ago

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Thea's Quest ~ Ch. 8

Chapter 8: Homefront

Summary: Thea’s having some boy trouble so she turns to Artemis. A strange but eerily familiar enemy attacks the cave.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, impostor syndrome ig

Word Count: 4.9k

Masterlist: Thea's Quest

A/N: I skipped the Terrors episode bc it’s very M’gann/Conner focused but I have an idea of what’s happening to Thea during that day. If you’re interested, let me know and I can write it up or just post the bullet points!

Also this is the longest thing I’ve ever written but I’m so happy with it. I got to add a lot of fun bonding moments with Thea, Artemis, and Robin, so I hope you enjoy. :)

~~~

Being a couple weeks out from the last few missions, Thea was finally fully healed. Even with spending most of her time in the cave, though, she was also quite bored. Thea was sitting in the kitchen having a snack when Kaldur walked through the space.

“Hey, Kaldur!” Thea called, jumping up to join him.

The Atlantean startled.

“Oh, hello, Thea.” He replied kindly, but Thea could tell he wasn’t totally present.

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked, concerned.

“It’s nothing. I’m going to talk with Tornado.” He explained.

“Okay, yeah, let’s go.” Thea said with a smile, turning to walk toward the hangar.

“I need to speak with him alone, actually.” Kaldur spoke quietly.

Thea stopped. Glancing over her shoulder, she could tell he felt guilty. It was weird for Kaldur to pull rank with the team. He was the leader, but he rarely excluded them from conversations. He valued their judgment - especially Thea’s, or so she thought.

Thea’s eyebrows furrowed. His secrecy was giving her a familiar, uncomfortable sensation. She chalked it up to paranoia from her past with Luke, forcing a small smile to her face.

“Yeah, of course, okay.” She remarked.

“Thank you.” Kaldur muttered as he walked past her, out of the room.

Feeling on edge, Thea decided she needed to distract herself. Everyone else on the team was at school, but Thea texted Artemis anyway. They were good friends, and Thea would often receive messages from Artemis during the school day with updates on gossip or complaints about teachers and classmates, even the occasional meme.

I need a distraction, want to hang out later? Thea messaged.

Almost immediately there was a response.

Meet me after class. We can grab coffee.

Where should I meet you? Thea asked.

A notification came through from the maps app with a pin at Artemis’ location. Pulling it up, Thea was puzzled by the address; Artemis was at Gotham Academy. Knowing the girl’s private nature, Thea decided not to mention it.

Perfect! See you soon.

~~~

Later, Artemis and Thea sat outside at a coffee shop. Thea was grateful to her friend for providing some relief, but Artemis looked so tense that she seemed to have a new problem.

“Is everything alright?” Thea asked as Artemis took a sip of her drink.

The blonde choked on her drink and had to cough.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it. I just – I’m your friend. I know you’re maybe not telling the whole truth to the team and that’s fine! If you want to tell me anything, I’m here for you – just to listen. And I’d never tell the team anything. If anything, I’m honored that you trust me enough to show me where you go to school. You don’t have to explain anything. I’m sorry. I’m rambling.”

At that point, Artemis was giggling at the girl across from her. Thea felt a little silly, trying so hard to make a friend and tripping all over herself, but she was glad to see Artemis’ shoulders finally lower below her ears.

“Thanks, Thea.” Artemis said.

Thea could tell she wasn’t going to get more out of her, but was glad she was slowly gaining some trust.

“Anyway, why did you need to get out of the cave so badly?” Artemis asked, turning the questioning on Thea. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with our resident fish boy, would it?” She teased.

Thea’s face dropped. Artemis backtracked quickly.

“Hey, I didn’t mean – if Kaldur did something–”

“No, no. It’s not that. Or at least – I don’t think so. Ugh. It’s complicated. He just– He reminds me of someone.” Thea assured.

Artemis softened.

“I’m always here if you want to talk.” She said.

“Thanks.” Thea said with a sad smile. “But I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

“Cheers to that!” Artemis laughed.

~~~

As the afternoon wore on, the girls decided to go back to the cave to spar for some training. Artemis changed into her suit and Thea followed along in civies, though she had brought her dagger with her. They were walking into the alleyway to zeta back to Happy Harbor when a voice made them jump.

“Artemis?”

“Robin!” Artemis exclaimed, startled.

Their young teammate emerged from the shadows; he stood in front of the zeta tube.

“How random that you're in Gotham City, instead of Star City where your Uncle Green Arrow lives.” He noted with a smirk.

Thea’s eyes narrowed. She could tell Robin knew more than he let on and was teasing Artemis. Thea found herself getting defensive on Artemis’ behalf – she clearly didn’t want to talk about it!

“I'm, uh, here to see my cousin. She was in the state spelling bee here in Gotham City.” Artemis lied.

“C-O-O-L. Did she W-I-N?” Robin said, going along with it.

“N-O.” Thea said brusquely, stepping up beside Artemis.

Robin startled as he realized Thea was there too.

“D-R-A-G.” He smirked, recovering quickly.

“Yeah. Let's just go to the cave.” Artemis said tersely.

“Ladies first.” Robin gestured to the zeta tube disguised as a phone booth.

“Your town. You go.” Artemis insisted.

Robin shrugged and opened the door. The machine announced his departure.

“What a little shit.” Thea stated once he was gone.

Artemis huffed out a laugh.

“Truly.” She acknowledged, stepping into the zeta tube with a snicker and a salute.

Thea followed behind her.

~~~

As soon as she stepped out of the zeta tube, Thea was hit with fire. The light was blinding, and the heat caused the hair on her arm to singe. Her demigod reflexes kicked in, flooding her with adrenaline, as she turned to shield her body best she could.

“Thea!” She heard Artemis call from somewhere off to her left.

The blast let up, though not without having done some damage, and Thea ran to her friend. Reaching Artemis, she found Robin too, and the three of them booked it for the showers. As they ran, Robin attempted to contact the rest of the team to no avail. When they got there, Robin started turning on all the faucets before shoving Thea under a stream of cold water.

“Di Immortales!” Thea hissed, as the water hit her raw skin.

“How injured are you?” Robin questioned urgently.

Thea felt breathless, but quickly snapped into triage mode.

“It’s probably only a first degree burn, and mainly my right arm.” She said, assessing the damage.

Artemis was pacing behind her.

“I’m okay.” Thea assured, struggling as she floundered for her satchel.

“I got it.” Artemis stepped in. “What do you need?”

“Just open it?” Thea asked.

Artemis did as asked, and Thea grabbed a clear flasked labeled “nectar” and took a swig.

“There. I’ll be fine.” She assured Artemis.

“At least the water is helping.” Robin suggested.

Don’t tempt the Gods. Thea was about to say, when they heard a low groaning noise. The water pressure exploded and the shower heads fell from the walls. The room started filling with water.

“Or not.” Robin mumbled, taking a gulp of air before ducking under water and swimming toward one of the walls.

“What in Hades?” Thea asked herself.

Seconds later, Robin’s explosives went off and the three were pushed out of the room on a small wave.

~~~

“We need to get lost.” Robin declared as they stood up and coughed, running for the kitchen.

Thea looked around, scanning for an exit.

“The air vent.” She said, breathless.

“Good. Go.” Robin said.

Thea grabbed Artemis’ arm and pulled her toward the vent. Suddenly, they realized Robin had stopped.

“What are you–” Artemis started.

“Downloading blueprints. Could come in…” Robin explained, trailing off as they heard footsteps approaching.

“Go, go.” Robin whispered.

Thea hoisted Artemis into the vent, doing the same for Robin before following suit, not bothering to close the grate behind them.

“Go left.” Robin muttered directions from between them.

Just as Thea made the turn, crawling right at Robin’s heels, there was a blast of fire through the part of the vent they were just in.

“Styx.” Thea swore, startled.

“Ugh. Too close. Take the first right.” Robin concurred, continuing to give directions. “There should be a vent cover right in front of you.”

Artemis popped the grate, and the three of them slid down the pipe, dropping into the boiler room.

“This way.” Robin directed, the three of them running through the room.

Thea’s arm still stung, but thanks to her demigod constitution, she wasn’t too slowed down, still able to keep pace with Artemis and Robin.

From above, there came a metallic thud. The three heroes looked over to see a wall of fire, and within it, a humanoid silhouette. As they raised their arms, the fire grew taller, the room quickly filling with smoke.

“Let’s go, let’s go.” Thea mumbled, not wanting to stick around any longer.

As they ran, the boiler room started heating up, everywhere they looked it seemed there was a new alarm going off or pipe bursting with steam.

“That's not good.” Robin noted.

The three of them ran behind more machinery as fire started raining down on them. Robin pulled up the blueprints again.

“I know that other access tunnel is here somewhere.” He muttered to himself.

Thea scanned the floor, seeing a vent cover and making a beeline for it. Artemis followed.

“You mean this one?” She asked, getting Robin’s attention as Thea hopped down into the vents, waiting to make sure her teammates followed.

~~~

As soon as they were all in the vent, Thea started crawling forwards, Artemis hot on her heels.

“Hold on.” Robin called. “Locking cave's motion and heat sensors to prevent the enemy from tracking us.” He explained.

Thea frowned as the technology went over her head, but she waited patiently for Robin to do… whatever it was he was doing.

“And I ask again, who is the enemy?” Artemis said, frustrated.

Robin shrugged, then a mischievous smile grew on his face.

“Let's find out. Downloading cave security footage... There.” He said, satisfied.

Thea, Artemis, and Robin watched the camera footage from earlier in the cave. They saw an overhead angle of Wally, M’gann, and Conner working on the bike while Kaldur watches from next to them. Thea felt a pang of guilt as she saw their faces – she had abandoned them over a paranoid hunch. Maybe if she had just stayed in the cave this wouldn’t be happening and they would all be safe. Thea glanced back down at Robin’s holo watch as the recording’s audio started.

“Torque wrench.” Wally called from under the bike.

M’gann handed it to him with her telekinesis.

“Thank you, Green-Cheeks.” Wally replied.

“I have been meaning to ask. Any problem juggling school work with your responsibilities here?” Kaldur asked, checking in.

“No. Juggling's just one of my many talents. Socket wrench.” Wally replied breezily.

“Cheerleading practice has presented a challenge. Oh, but my first loyalty is always to the team. This team, not the Bumblebees.” M’gann said.

“Artemis starts school today. Do you think she will have trouble maintaining her loyalties?” Kaldur asked.

Thea frowned at his words. His phrasing was weird, and something just seemed off. She couldn’t help herself from feeling suspicious.

“Eh, she'll manage all right. I mean, how much more hostile and annoying can–?” Wally started to talk and then suddenly, static.

“What happened?” Artemis asked.

“Explosion. I'll find another angle.” Robin replied quickly, already typing away.

He pulled up the rest of the cameras. With these new angles, they could see fire and water in different places, but still couldn’t really tell what happened.

“That's it. All four are dead.” Robin sighed.

Thea’s eyes widened as she realized how his words sounded. She hit him on the arm.

“The cameras! I meant the cameras. Uh, I'm sure the others are okay.” He stuttered. “Give me a sec to find the fastest route to the hangar.”

“Yeah. They're fine. They've all got superpowers. They can handle anything.” Artemis muttered, trying to calm herself.

Thea frowned. She knew firsthand that superpowers won’t always save you in a fight. Surely if they could, Thalia would still be around. It felt weird, as a demigod Thea had “powers,” but both Artemis and Robin were so well trained that in this situation she merely had average capabilities – especially with an injury holding her back. She felt a wave of hopelessness wash over her: once again, people she cared about were in trouble, and even her godly lineage didn’t seem to count for anything.

~~~

Robin led them through the vents and into the library. The three began to navigate the bookshelves, searching for an exit.

“There's a secret passage behind one of these.” Robin told the girls, pulling at books trying to open the mystery door.

“Seriously? Cliché much?” Artemis muttered.

“You should see the Batcave.” Robin teased.

But Thea wasn’t paying attention to their words, standing still as they grabbed at different spines.

“Shh. Do you hear that? Footsteps.” She murmured, jogging over to them as they all crouched down.

They heard a mechanical voice begin to speak.

“Artemis. Robin. Thea.”

“It's Red Tornado.” Artemis gasped, rushing out of their hiding spot.

Robin’s eyes widened, and Thea instinctively shot out to grab Artemis’ shoulder and shove her out of the way.

“Yes on the Red, no on the Tornado.” Robin announced, following the girls as they ducked under a table, running away from the red machine.

Immediately, they were confronted with another, this time with a feminine build. She stepped out from behind some bookcases, shooting fire from her palms. The kids turned and ran, hopping over shelves to put some distance in between them and the machines.

“Who...? What are they?” Artemis asked, pressed.

With the fire in the room, the ceiling sprinklers activated, suddenly wetting the room. One of the machines hit a bookshelf, sending a domino tower falling toward the heroes. Robin finally found the right book, opening the secret passage as the three of them jump through to (at least momentary) safety.

~~~

The heroes landed in a series of tunnel like hallways, Artemis and Thea following Robin as he ran ahead.

“Unh, did you know Tornado had siblings?” Artemis panted as they ran.

“No.” Robin replied simply.

Thea frowned at the reply, but kept running. When they reached an intersection of hallways, Artemis grabbed Robin’s arm, bringing them to a stop.

“So now what? Red Tornado is one of the powerhouses of the league. How are we supposed to take down two of him?”

“They do seem pretty user-unfriendly.” Robin commented with a sad smile.

Thea huffed softly at the reply.

“Don't joke. They–” Artemis got cut off by an automated voice over the intercom.

“Attention, Robin. Attention, Artemis. Attention, Thea. You have exactly 10 minutes to surrender or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished.”

The threat made Thea pause, immediately concerned for the rest of the team now that they know for sure they’ve been captured.

“We need to move.” Thea announced.

As Thea, Artemis, and Robin ran through the corridors, the countdown continued.

“Eight minutes.”

“We can access the hangar from here.” Robin told the girls.

They stopped as they heard something coming at them from behind. Turning around, they saw a massive wave of water rushing their way.

“Or not.” Robin concluded.

“Will you please stop saying that?!” Artemis stressed.

Thea grabbed both of their arms, pulling them into a run. It wasn’t enough, they didn’t get very far before the water swept them off their feet.

Thea gasped as the water hit them, submerging them quickly. She managed to swim toward Robin and Artemis. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hold her breath for too long, but she was a strong swimmer after years of training in the Long Island Sound at camp. She swam over to Robin and Artemis, eyes widening gratefully as Robin passed her a rebreather.

All of a sudden, Artemis was pulled back. Her eyes widened as she screamed. Thea and Robin swam toward her, realizing she’s been grabbed by the water android. Thea grasped Artemis’ arm to try to pull her friend to safety while Robin grabbed one of her arrows, jamming it into the robot’s head and freeing her. As soon as Artemis was released, Thea and Robin hooked their arms under hers and they swam to safety, emerging in the hangar moon pool. In front of them, Wally and Conner were trapped in some lava-like stone.

“Look out!” Wally warned as they pant for air.

They looked up to see a fireball coming their way and ducked under the water, emerging a few feet away, closer to the boys.

“You guys okay?” Robin asked them.

“Forget us. Help M'gann.” Conner demanded, nervous.

Thea glanced up, heart clenching in fear as she saw M’gann and Kaldur trapped in a cage of fire.

“Aqualad. Is she…?” Artemis asked, trailing off in fear.

“She is unconscious. I fear she... we cannot survive much longer.” He explained.

A wave of guilt washed over Thea. Her earlier suspicion was gone and replaced with shame and fear. All she’s ever wanted is to save her friends, and all she’s ever done is fail.

~~~

The fire machine returned, and Thea, Artemis, and Robin dove under the water again, evading her. They emerged on the stairs, climbing up to the main floor of the hangar. Behind them, the water machine followed. The heroes took defensive stances. On their other side, at the top of the stairs, the fire android touched down, cornering them in.

“I'm almost out of arrows.” Artemis warned.

“Distract her. Now.” Robin instructed.

Artemis shot an explosive arrow toward the android, setting off a flash of smoke. Thea grabbed her arm and they ducked out of the way. At the base of the steps, Robin tried and failed to throw explosives onto the other android. He shot a wave of water at the heroes right as the other android threw a ball of fire. Thea, Artemis, and Robin dove back into the water, swimming through an underwater grate and emerging back in the vent system.

The countdown resumed.

“Six minutes.”

“What do we do now?” Artemis asked, feeling defeated.

“We save them. That's how it works.” Robin replied coolly.

“Maybe that's how it's supposed to work, but those robots already took out our four superpowered friends.” Artemis pointed out.

Thea spaced out, her tactical mind working a mile a minute. She checked her pockets, finding only her dagger and a few golden drachma.

“How can you be so calm?” She heard Artemis ask Robin

“Practice. Been doing this since I was 9.” Robin said, unworried.

Thea immediately felt protective of the boy. She was reminded of the feeling of meeting seven year old Annabeth: this is just a kid. In that moment she knew deep in her bones that no harm would come to Robin while she’s around.

“What good is that now?” Artemis pleaded.

“We just have to think.” Thea jumps back in. “Jason and Medea harnessed a mechanical bull in Colchis.” She pondered aloud.

“Thea, this is no time for a history lesson! In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not Jason or Medea! What chance do we have against unrelenting machines?!” Artemis snapped worriedly.

Before Thea could reply, Robin realized something.

“Oh, duh! They're machines.” He emphasized. “And one electromagnetic pulse will shut down any machine within range.”

Thea nodded along, pretending she understood what they’re talking about. But she didn’t need to know what an ‘electromagnetic pulse’ is in order to help. Even a bad plan is better than no plan.

“Great. Except you better have an EMP emitter in your utility belt, cuz I know I don't have one in my quiver.” Artemis replied.

“I'm fresh out. But I'm betting we can make one.” Robin said with a smirk.

“What do you say, KF? Doable?” He asked through the coms.

“Totally doable.” Wally replied.

“Five minutes.” The android’s countdown warned.

“You know, if you had more time.” He amended.

~~~

Regardless of their odds, the heroes figured they had to try. Wally talked through Robin’s com as he, Thea, and Artemis worked their way around the cave, making an emp emitter.

“Med lab. X-ray machine.” He instructed.

Thea and Artemis watched as Robin followed Wally’s instructions.

“Find a small vacuum tube called a vircator that converts high-energy pulses. Reprogram the unit's microwave conversion from x-rays to EMPs with a cascading energy vector directed outward.”

“A ripple effect! Like dropping a stone in a pond.” Robin muttered.

Artemis and Thea made eye contact, not understanding a word coming out of the boys’ mouths.

“A stone with 10 to the 12th power wattage, yeah.” Wally affirmed.

“So I need to hook it up to the cave’s main generator.” Robin planned.

“Which is where?” Artemis asked.

Robin sighed, Thea frowned, eyes wide, as she realized what he was about to say.

“Oh, gods.” She muttered.

~~~

The plan itself was simple, not that many steps, everyone knew their roles. But Thea was wary, the likelihood of complication was… high.

“Four minutes.” The mechanical voice narrated from the intercom as Thea, Artemis, and Robin snuck back into the hangar.

“Okay, make with the distraction.” Robin instructed the others.

The rest of the team began to heckle the androids as the trio snuck around, Robin ziplining toward the generator.

“Hey, Red Tomato, who's your girlfriend? Red Onion?” Wally berated.

“Yeah, and by the way, worst death trap ever. We can escape any time we want.” Conner shouted, keeping the androids’ attention on them

“Cover me.” Robin told the girls.

Artemis nocked an arrow, and Thea pulled out her dagger, nodding.

“Wally was made for this.” Thea muttered to Artemis, trying to find a moment of levity. The blonde shot her a small smile, but both of their anxieties were through the roof. They watched as Robin landed on the machine, crouching down to install the emp emitter.

“Rerouting power now.” Robin narrated through the coms.

A moment passed.

“It's not working. The circuit's incomplete.” He realized.

Thea sucked in a breath through her teeth, her body buzzing with demigod adrenaline.

“I need something conductible, a piece of metal–” He spoke.

Thea saw movement out of the corner of her eye, gaze shooting to the androids, one of whom had realized Robin was there.

“Robin, look out!” She shouted desperately, but she was too late.

Thea and Artemis watched as he was swallowed by a wave.

~~~

Thea’s earlier protectiveness came out in full force, and she had to stop herself from screaming. She and Artemis watched the scene with baited breath as the android raised his arm, holding Robin in a vertical trap of water. Artemis grabbed Thea’s arm, trying to pull her away and back into the cave.

“Thea! Come on, we have to go!” Artemis hissed in a frantic whisper.

The jostling of her arm was what it took for Thea to snap back into her body. She shook Artemis off quickly.

“N–no, no. I can’t leave him. I won’t!” Thea replied, searching Artemis’ eyes desperately.

The girls gazed at each other in distress. Artemis realized in that moment that nothing would pull Thea away from Robin. But she didn’t have a plan. Feeling tears gather in her waterline, Thea took Artemis’ hand and squeezed it gently. Artemis’ eyes widened, Thea nodded. Artemis squeezed back, the pain and guilt and fear clear in her eyes. Then she turned and ran.

Thea watched her go, wishing things could have been different. She wasn’t given time to dwell. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Thea turned back to the scene in the hangar just in time to watch Robin fall to the floor, unconscious.

Her body moved of its own accord, jumping into action to try to save him.

She got down to the floor before being confronted by the Reds. Without any long range weapons or a plan, Thea knew she was screwed. Even so, she worked to duck and evade the attacks of water and fire, making her way toward Robin. Her instincts worked in her favor, the demigod reflexes coming in handy. But of course, good things can’t last forever.

In a moment of distraction, the water android picked up the torque wrench from the ground and sent it toward her in a stream of water.

Suddenly, Artemis’ voice alerted her. Thea turned toward her friend, brain working a mile a minute as she realizes the blonde’s plan to surrender. Before she could move toward Artemis, movement caught her eye.

Thea turned toward the torque wrench just as she saw it, only to immediately get hit in the head. She barely caught herself as she fell to the ground before everything went black.

Thea was only knocked out for a second. Propping herself onto her elbows, her eyes focused slowly, blurring before finally clearing. In a second, Artemis was at her side.

The blonde knelt down worriedly, but Thea pushed her off weakly.

“I’m fine – go check on Robin.” She murmured urgently.

Artemis glanced at her one more time before rushing over to the boy and starting CPR. As she did so, Thea’s eyes searched for her other teammates.

“Kaldur! How’s M’gann?” Conner called, while Thea slowly moved herself into a criss cross position.

The Atlantean startled slightly, glancing at the others while still holding M’gann in his lap.

“She breathes. I believe she will recover.” He assured. “What of Robin?” He called to Artemis.

As if on cue, the young boy wonder coughed weakly, turning on his side as Artemis rubs his back while he gets the water out of his lungs.

“He’s breathing too!” She exclaimed, the relief audible in her voice.

Thea sighed with relief, comforted that her friends were alright. Thea stood up shakily, moving to walk over to Artemis and Robin but immediately stumbled. Kaldur’s eyes widened with concern, seeing her struggle, as Thea sat back down and laughed at herself quietly. Fishing a piece of ambrosia out of her satchel, Thea offered him a reassuring smile and took a bite, content to rest for a moment.

~~~

Later, once everyone was relatively stable, the team got to work trying to help Wally and Conner out of their traps. Artemis held a laser cutter while Kaldur supported M’gann and Thea and Robin held each other up.

“Will you quit playing with that thing and cut us free, already?” Wally complained.

“It’s not working, genius. EMP shuts down all machines, remember?” Artemis snarked back.

Thea chuckled quietly, meeting Kaldur’s gaze and rolling her eyes fondly before being startled by a mechanical voice.

“All machines present at the time.” Red Tornado corrected, touching down near the team. “What has occurred?” He asked.

Artemis and Wally scoffed.

“We had a visit from your family.” Robin muttered.

“Your extremely nasty family.” Artemis sassed.

“I was not aware I had relations.” Tornado said.

“Where have you been?” Conner asked, all of them feeling rightfully confused, and a bit angry.

“Monitor duty on the Watchtower. When it became clear cave communications were down I attempted to investigate, but your zeta tubes were also non-functional. I transported to Providence and proceeded here.” The android explained, walking over to the nonfunctioning android “siblings.”

The sudden buzzing from the laser caught all of their attention.

“Hey, boy.” Conner murmured kindly as Sphere rolled over.

“The pulse has worn off.” Robin and Wally realized in tandem.

Suddenly, Red Tornado froze. He rose into the air, creating twisters and psyphoning the oxygen out of the room. Thea grabbed a falling M’gann, breaking her fall only slightly. The air was getting thinner, and Thea was already dizzy. The room started to spin. Ahead of her, Thea saw Robin hit the ground.

“No!” She tried to call, but all that came out was a puff of air before once again, everything went black.

~~~

“Thea, Thea. Come on, Thea.” A feminine voice murmured.

Something felt wrong. Forcing open her eyes, Thea saw the blurry outline of a figure, simultaneously familiar and a stranger all at once. The details morphed and faded, but she could make out the concerned pinch of her brow.

A bright light flashed in her eyes. Thea squeezed them shut, opening them again to find Black Canary kneeling over her.

“Holy Hera.” The demigod groaned.

Above her, Dinah breathed a sigh of relief. Sending a subtle nod to Batman, she turned her attention back to the girl.

“I know. You’re okay. You’re safe now.” She assured, carefully helping Thea up.

Looking around, the girl saw a collection of leaguers gathered around the team. Most were with their proteges. Taking a quick headcount, Thea couldn’t find Wonder Woman.

“Diana’s on a league mission, but they’re wrapping up and she’ll be on her way back soon. I’ll get you back to her apartment, stick around until she’s back.” Dinah murmured, answering Thea’s silent question and rubbing her back soothingly.

Thea nodded, taking in her words, then winced.

“I think I’m concussed.” She muttered.

Dinah chuckled sympathetically.

“I think so, too.” She murmured, caring but not overprotective. “We’ll take care of you.”

Thea offered her a weak smile, turning her attention back to the rest of the team.

“What happened here?” Superman asked Artemis.

“What happened? The reds happened.” The archer replied, anger coming through clearly in her voice. “Tornado and his– wait. What? Where are they?” She stuttered.

“Gone. All three of them: gone.” Robin answered gravely.

Thea sighed quietly, leaning weakly into Dinah’s hold. Whatever this is, it’s only the beginning.

7 notes · View notes

attendsquoi · 8 months ago

Text

Thea's Quest ~ Ch. 1

Chapter 1: Infiltrator

Summary: Thea, an unclaimed demigod, left Camp Half Blood after five years to become Wonder Woman’s protege. Today, Thea joins the Justice League's new covert team.

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Word count: 3.3k

Today was the day. Diana had finally convinced Thea to join the team of young heroes. The demigod was unfamiliar with most of the names, having spent the last five years removed from the outside world. Thankfully, Diana had given her a rundown of the situation - but first, it was time to meet Artemis.

Thea’s eyes adjusted as the lights from the zeta tube quickly dissipated. She and Diana were in Happy Harbor.

“We’re early.” Thea remarked, following as her mentor walked into the main room.

“I know, but Oliver and I wanted you and Artemis to get the chance to meet before introducing you to the rest of the team. You’ll be new – but you’ll both be new together. Hopefully that’s a good thing.” Diana replied, stopping with a smile.

Thea nodded back.

As they waited, Thea looked around the cave – if that was an adequate description. While windowless, the space was incredibly high tech, with multiple computers and a large platform with built in holographics. Thea moved to hold her necklace, a small model of a hand holding up three fingers made of stygian iron, grateful for the magical gift that masks her godly scent and wards off monsters.

An automated voice broke her out of her thoughts.

“Recognized: Green Arrow, 08. Recognized: Artemis: B07.”

Green Arrow, or Oliver, appeared through the zeta tube with a girl behind him. Diana walked forward to meet them.

“It is good to see you, Arrow.” She greeted.

“It’s good to see you too, Diana.” He replied jovially.

“And it’s nice to meet you,” He said, looking at Thea.

“This is Artemis.” He gestured to the girl beside him. She stood straight, but her confident front betrayed her, revealing her insecurities to Thea.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Thea.” The girl replied.

“Sorry if this is rude, but are you an Amazon too?” Artemis asked her.

“Thea is a demigod – half mortal, half deity. I recruited her as she’s already part of my world.” Diana answered for Thea.

“May I ask how you started working together? I understand you are not the first protege archer.” Thea inquired.

“I’m his niece.” “She’s my niece.” The two answered simultaneously.

Thea raised an eyebrow, sensing a lie, but didn’t question further. Everyone’s allowed their secrets.

~~~

Just then, Batman and Red Tornado entered the room, and Wonder Woman and Green Arrow moved to talk to them. Artemis and Thea followed at a distance, quietly making small talk. As soon as the team appeared, Artemis and Thea were thrown into a whirlwind of introductions. Thea vaguely recognized Robin, and Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy were easy enough to tell apart.

Suddenly, the zeta tube rang out.

“Recognized: Kid Flash, B03.”

“The Wall-man is here!” Called a voice, even before Thea could see his face.

“Now let’s get this party star! – ted…” Kid Flash, or “the Wall-man” said, tripping on the ground.

Thea couldn’t help but chuckle to herself at the sight of the supposed superhero lying on the floor. Swim trunks and beach inflatables weren’t a particularly flattering look.

“Wall-man, huh? I love the uniform. What exactly are your powers?” Artemis teased.

“Uh, who is this?” Kid Flash questioned.

“Artemis, your new teammate.”

“Kid Flash, never heard of you.”

Thea moved to rest her hand on her hip, amused by the interaction. She caught Aqualad’s glance and they shared an endeared eye roll.

That was when Kid Flash noticed the other new person in the room.

“Who are you?” He asked.

“Thea.” She replied.

“Thea is my protege, she’s been working with me for a few months and I wanted her to join the team.” Wonder Woman added, moving to rest a hand on Thea’s shoulder.

“And Artemis is my new protege.” Green Arrow finally intervened.

“What happened to your old one?” Kid Flash interrogated.

The computer rang through the cave.

“Recognized: Speedy, B04.”

“Well for starters he doesn’t go by Speedy anymore. Call me Red Arrow.”

A man walked through the zeta tube, clearly Green Arrow’s old sidekick.

Between Artemis and Kid Flash's sarcastic remarks, Red Arrow introduced the team’s mission: protect Dr. Serling Roquette and destroy her “fog.” Thea didn’t have much context to the love lost between Red and Green Arrow or the institution they referred to as the “Shadows” – but that didn’t matter now. She could do research after they neutralized the weapon.

~~~

After Red Arrow left, the team took a few minutes to gather supplies and make their way to the high school. Diana stopped Thea before she could follow.

“I know how new this world is to you, and I know you know how new this team is to the world – but you’ll be fine. You may not have been fighting supervillains, but you’ve certainly battled your own monsters. Good luck.”

“Thank you.” Thea answered, then left in the direction she saw the others go in.

Upon entering what turned out to be a hangar, a large plane-like structure caught Thea’s attention.

“That’s the bioship!” Miss Martian called, walking up to her.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get much of a chance to get to know each other, and I bet you have a ton of questions, but I’m sure you’ll do great.” The martian continued.

“I appreciate it.” Said Thea.

“Follow me!” Miss Martian replied.

As the girls approached the ship, Miss Martian held out a hand and a ladder grew out of the ship.

“Neat trick.” Thea told her with a smile.

“Thanks!” The Martian girl seemed genuinely excited by her comment.

The two got into the ship and the rest of the team filed in shortly after. Thea gave Artemis a smile when she sat down next to her. Neither spoke, but they shared a mutual understanding.

“Thea, forgive us for our earlier distraction,” Aqualad said as he sat down, “It is nice to meet you.”

“Thank you, and no apology needed.” The demigod replied.

“I’ve never heard of you!” Robin exclaimed, seeming perturbed by his lack of knowledge on the newbie.

“I didn’t even know Wonder Woman had a sidekick!” Kid Flash added.

“Robin. Kid.” Aqualad reprimanded.

Thea smiled.

“It’s fine. I’m sure you all have plenty of questions. I’ll do my best to answer.” She said as she took out her dagger and inspected it.

“Well first, I guess I want to know why you need that.” Robin said, gesturing to the weapon in her hands.

“Yeah! I mean, if you’re like Wonder Woman, don’t you have, like, superstrength and flight and that sort of thing?” Kid Flash clarified.

“Like Diana, I am a demigod, but she and I are very different. For starters, she’s an Amazon – which already makes her stronger than most mortals – and a daughter of Zeus.”

Miss Martian interrupted before anyone got the chance to ask more questions.

“We’ve arrived at Red Arrow’s coordinates. Taking us down now.” She announced.

Thea was secretly relieved. It wasn’t that she really had anything to hide, but she’d only been working as a “superhero” for a few months. She already felt pretty far out of her comfort zone. She didn’t want to try to explain the nuances of being unclaimed too.

~~~

Once inside the high school, Thea stationed herself by a window in the computer lab. She didn’t want to crowd the doctor, not to mention she felt more in control in the corner. There, she could see the whole room and had a clear view of the street outside. Thea may feel uncertain about how to interact with the team, but strategy and fighting? Those she could do.

Everyone online? Miss Martian’s voice rang out in Thea’s head.

Oh, this is weird. Artemis and Thea thought at the same time. The girls immediately looked at each other and giggled.

And distracting. Dr. Roquette thought, turning to glare at the girls. Artemis rolled her eyes and Thea raised her hands in surrender.

Coding a distributed algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teen think in my skull? The doctor exclaimed, tossing her hands in the air.

Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you? Kid Flash said.

Pot, kettle. Have you met? Artemis replied.

Hey, I do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off the team. Kid Flash snapped.

That is so not on me. Artemis retaliated.

She’s right. I’m new too, and whatever Red Arrow’s deal is – his actions are his own. He chose not to join, that’s his problem, not hers. Thea spoke up, defending Artemis.

Fate of the world at stake. Dr. Roquette interrupted.

She started it. Kid Flash whined.

Oh my gods. Thea complained.

How about I help Miss Martian and Superboy patrol the perimeter? Artemis suggested.

Good idea. Aqualad replied curtly.

Thea sent the girl a smile as she left the room.

You might cut her some slack. It was her arrow that saved your butt against Amazo. Robin said to Kid Flash after Artemis was gone.

What? No, that was Speedy's... I mean, Red Arrow's arrow, right? Kid Flash insisted.

Not so much. Robin said.

Huh. Well, still not giving her the satisfaction. Kid Flash replied.

Thea rolled her eyes.

You know, I can still hear you. Artemis remarked from out of view.

Thea grinned, proud of her teammate’s tenacity.

Argh! Kid Flash exclaimed.

I couldn't get the Justice League. Dr. Roquette complained.

The virus won't be of much use if we cannot find the weapon. Aqualad finally intervened, focused on the task at hand.

Can you track it? He asked.

My utility fog is not a weapon. It's science, brilliant science. Dr Roquette insisted.

And of course I can track it, but I'd have to go online. Might as well rent a billboard with this address and "assassinate me" written in neon.

As much as the woman put on a strong front, Thea could tell her kidnapping had left a toll. She was afraid.

We will protect you. Aqualad told her, calmly.

Dr. Roquette paused.

Tracking the fog now.

~~~

As the doctor worked on the computer, Thea moved toward the center of the room. She maintained her view of the window, but decided that being right next to it made her an easy target – and had the potential to raise questions if a passerby were to see a fully armed Greek warrior in the school’s computer lab.

Mmm that boy. Came Artemis’ voice through the mind link.

It took Thea a second to figure out what was happening.

He can hear you. We can all hear you! Miss Martian blurted out in response.

Oh, I know. Artemis replied.

Thea raised her eyebrows, half scoffing at the archer. She caught Aqualad’s eye and gave him a shrug.

Suddenly, the computer pinged.

Miss Martian, Dr. Roquette has located the fog. Aqualad announced.

Refigure the ship so Thea, Robin, and Superboy can pursue. He added, nodding at the two team members in the room.

Ready. Came the martian’s reply.

Robin ran out of the room to meet Superboy at the bioship. Thea was about to follow when a movement caught her eye. Immediately, she turned around, swinging her sword and knocking a sai out of the air. In front of her was a girl with a mask of a cat that covered her face.

“Doctor, get down!” Aqualad commands out loud.

“Not too bad, new girl.” The woman said to Thea.

M’gann, Kid, Artemis, we are under attack in the computer lab. He said.

On our way. Artemis replied.

I’m busy – Robin, Superboy, go without me. Thea commanded.

Thea was engaged in combat with the assailant. The woman was fast and clearly well trained, but as a demigod, Thea was born for battle. As the woman got closer, Thea realized her sword wasn’t as effective a close range tool. Thea twisted her arm, moving to hit the woman’s wrist with the flat side of her sword – knocking the weapon she planned to throw down and giving Thea enough time to sheath her sword and take out her dagger. Not without anger, Thea realized how grateful she was for all that time spent sparring with Luke, growing proficient with the smaller weapon. Unfortunately her brief memory served as just enough of a distraction for the woman to swipe her legs under Thea’s feet, knocking her to the ground. Thea fell back, catching herself on her hands. Her wrist screamed in pain, preventing her from pulling herself back up.

Thea heard a sai go flying through the air, but was relieved to see Aqualad knock it away from the doctor in the nick of time.

“Almost.” The woman said.

“Poison slowing you down?” She asked Aqualad, feigning concern as another sai embedded itself in his skin.

“Jellyfish toxin. I'm largely immune.” Aqualad insisted.

“Largely.” The woman mocked.

Thea was relieved to see an arrow come flying through the air.

“Don't move.” Artemis said, her eyes flitting between the attacker and Thea who had just managed to pull herself up.

“Heh. This gig's getting interesting.” The woman murmured.

Just then Miss Martian and Kid Flash ran into the room.

“Maybe a little too interesting.” She concluded, dropping a smoke bomb.

As the air cleared, it was obvious she had run away.

~~~

“Gone.” Kid Flash grunted.

“She’s getting away! You’re letting her get away!” Doctor Roquette cried.

Thea crossed her arms, walking over to stand by Artemis, wary of her injured wrist.

“This is all your fault. You were on perimeter! How’d that shadow get in?” Kid Flash yelled, accusing Artemis.

“That’s not fair.” Thea interjected.

“She’s right. I was outside too.” Miss Martian added.

Thea and Artemis sent her a smile.

“Yeah, outside being distracted by her!” Kid Flash defended, pointing at Artemis.

“Besides, I can’t be mad at you,” He continued.

You gave me mouth to mouth. Kid Flash said through the mind link.

We all heard that. Everyone responded.

“Dang it!” Kid Flash exclaimed.

“I didn’t do half as well during my first battle. I know you can’t have been Green Arrow’s sidekick for long.” Miss Martian assured Artemis.

“And Thea, you held your own against that shadow. But is your wrist okay?” She asked, turning to Thea.

Thea glanced up at her from her bag as she took out a small flask.

“I’ll be fine, but I appreciate the concern.” She said, taking a sip of nectar. Already she could feel the ache in her wrist ease.

“Focus, everyone. The shadows will be back.” Aqualad said after waiting to make sure Thea was okay.

“Robin to Aqualad.” They heard in their ear pieces.

“We're over Philadelphia. We've located the Shadow's next target: S.T.A.R. Labs.”

There’s a pause.

“We're too late.” He radioed in again.

“It's destroyed, totally destroyed. The fog decimated it. This is bad. S.T.A.R. Labs is cutting-edge science. Now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy. What's our next move?” Robin asked.

“Rescan for that fog. Find it.” Aqualad directed, looking at Roquette.

“Robin, Superboy, come pick up Thea. We're moving the doctor.”

~~~

Robin and Superboy stopped back at the high school to pick up Thea while the rest of the team moved Dr. Roquette and rescanned for the fog.

“Thanks for coming back.” Thea said, as she sat down in the ship.

“Happy to. Sorry you got held up the last time.” Robin said with a smile and glance toward her wrist.

“No need to worry about me being a liability. Demigods heal fast, I’m all better.” Thea said, noticing his gaze.

Robin nodded back at her. He looked down at the screen tracking the fog.

“Next target’s a Wayne Tech facility.” He told Thea and Superboy.

“In theory it’s system software could be used to hack the –” He cut himself off.

Thea furrowed her eyebrows, glancing at Superboy.

“The what?” Superboy asked.

“Doesn’t matter.” Robin replied.

“What matters is Wayne Tech operates a 24-hour workforce. We'll never evacuate the building in time.” He continued.

Thea frowned, looking outside. They needed the virus to work.

Robin opened a hatch in the bioship.

“It’s downloading!” He said, as Thea and Superboy stood at the ready.

Below them, a van opened its door, revealing a man with a container – the housing for the fog.

“Don’t need it!” Superboy said, jumping out of the bioship.

“Holy Hera!” Thea exclaimed with a jump.

“Superboy!” Robin yelled at the same time.

The young boy sighed.

“He does that.” He told Thea.

The two watched as Superboy fell through the air, only to get hit by a massive laser from the guy in the van. As soon as Superboy hit the ground, the man released the fog.

“No!” Robin shouted, hopping out of the bioship and ziplining down to the building.

“Sure, leave the demigod who hasn’t touched technology in five years to pilot the alien ship. Why not?” Thea said with an exasperated sigh.

She watched to make sure Robin got safely inside before moving to sit down in the center seat.

“Let’s try this.” She said to herself, placing her hands on the glowing orbs.

But it seemed the bioship knew what to do, morphing its steering operations into something Thea did know: chariot reins.

“Oh, I love you.” Thea said aloud, adjusting her hands in the straps and angling the ship down.

She landed in the parking lot behind Superboy, running out just in time to see him pushing another laser away from his face and walking toward the man. Thea ran up to him right as his hand connected with the man’s helmet, effectively knocking him out.

“Nice one.” She complimented.

Superboy seemed surprised to see her, turning around to see the bioship safely landed.

“You too.” He replied.

~~~

Robin let Thea pilot on the way back to Happy Harbor, content to give directions and have her steer.

“I still don’t understand why you get reins.” He said, thinking aloud.

“Me either. I mean, between horses and chariots reins are about the only thing I know how to drive with. But I still don’t know how or why the bioship seemed to understand that.” Thea responded.

“Wait, you don’t know how to drive a car?” Robin questioned.

“I’ve spent the last five years living in a summer camp for demigods. How would I have learned?” She asked rhetorically.

“That… makes sense, given that context. I guess there’s a lot we still don’t know about you.” Robin said.

Thea saw Superboy nod out of the corner of her eye.

“Well you’ve only known me for less than a day. Give it time.” She laughed.

Thea landed the ship outside the internet cafe where the team was standing. As the three heroes got out of the ship they caught part of their conversation.

“Artemis. Where is the assassin?” Aqualad asked as Dr. Roquette walked beside him, supporting some of his weight.

Thea frowned at the fragile state their leader seemed to be in.

“She, uh… She got away.” The archer replied.

“Oh, from you? Oh, big surprise. Notice, we got ours.” Kid Flash said.

He and Miss Martian walked up to the others and Thea, Robin, and Superboy joined them. Thea walked next to Artemis as Kid Flash moved forward.

“Cool. Souvenir.” He chirped.

Thea leaned forward to see what he picked up. It was the assassin’s disguise.

“Her mask? Unh! Did you see her�� Her face?” Aqualad asked Artemis.

“It was dark.” Artemis responded, looking down.

Thea moved to rest a hand on her shoulder. Artemis glanced up at the girl gratefully.

“It is fine.” Aqualad replied assuringly.

“Thea, Robin, and Superboy neutralized the fog and Dr. Roquette is safe, thanks in no small part to you.” He continued.

Thea stepped back from Artemis, glad everything worked out.

“Welcome to the team.” Aqualad said, smiling at the two new members and shaking their hands in turn.

“I've always wanted sisters. Here on Earth, I mean.” She said to Artemis and Thea.

“I have 12 back on Mars, but, trust me, it's not the same.”

“I wouldn't know.” Artemis said.

“But thanks.” She smiled

Miss Martian elbowed Kid Flash.

“Ow!” He whined.

“Yeah, uh, welcome.” He finally said, shaking Artemis’ hand.

#young justice #young justice fanfiction #percy jackson fanfiction #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #luke castellan x oc #kaldur'ahm x oc #luke castellan #kaldur'ahm #thea's quest #luke castellan x reader #kaldur'ahm x reader #wonder woman #kaldur x oc #kaldur x reader

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attendsquoi · 9 months ago

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Thea's Quest: Introduction

At 12 years old, Aletheia Hart ran away from home.

No one believed her when she talked about the things she had seen in the street or on the playground, especially not her father. So, she did what any kid would do, and saved up money and bought herself the cheapest possible plane ticket to the farthest possible city. Thea found herself in Richmond, Virginia, where she met a seven year old girl in a shockingly similar situation. She and the girl, Annabeth, later met Luke, Thalia, and Grover, and traveled to Camp Half Blood.

Over the next five years, Thea never got claimed, but regardless she loved camp, and found her family there. She and Luke dated for three years which ended in an awful breakup. Then a year later, Percy Jackson showed up.

The young son of Poseidon was selected for a quest to find Zeus’ master bolt and prevent the gods from going to war. Annabeth and Grover were chosen to join him. It was when Luke started to “help” them that Thea got mad. She could sense his insincerity, but had no proof. Thea confronted Luke after the questers had set off, and it led to a screaming match the whole valley must have heard.

Thea felt like she was being pushed out of her home; the people she considered family were lying and accusing and she didn’t know what to do. She decided to leave. That was when Chiron confronted her, saying he understood her pain, but that she didn’t need to run away, she just needed to “find a purpose.” He told her that Diana of Themyscira, also known as Wonder Woman, was looking for a protege and hoping to find someone versed in the mythological world. Thea wanted nothing more than to leave camp and get away from Luke, so she agreed.

Thea and Diana trained together, and over the next few months, Thea got reacquainted with the mortal world and learned to fight crime. But Diana wanted Thea to interact with kids her own age, and in August, she convinced her to join the team.

#luke castellan x reader #kaldur'ahm x reader #young justice #percy jackson #wonder woman #kaldur'ahm x oc #luke castellan x oc #young justice fanfiction #percy jackson fanfiction #thea's quest #kaldur x oc #kaldur x reader

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attendsquoi · 1 month ago

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Thea's Quest ~ Ch. 7

Chapter 7: Targets

Summary: Thea and Kaldur spend the day learning about computers, help Superboy pick a name, and save two countries from war.

Warnings: canon typical violence, blood and injuries

Word count: 3.5k

Thea was glad to have a day off. She needed to catch up on some of Diana’s homework and fill out a few mission reports – and of course some rest was always appreciated. But first, she had to meet Kaldur in the mission room. A week or so prior, the team had found out that Thea didn’t know how to use technology, given its habit of attracting monsters. With the help of her magical pendant she wasn’t at as much risk anymore, but she still didn’t really know how to approach electronics. Kaldur had offered to try to teach her some things on their days off, so that was where she was headed.

“Hey!” Thea called to the Atlantean as she walked into the mission room.

“Good morning, Thea.” Kaldur replied.

The two got to work, Kaldur first showing Thea simply how to gesture in order to turn the screen on.

“I’ve seen so much stuff that is unexplainable by science, and yet this feels so magical to me.” Thea said to Kaldur as she practiced.

He had opened his mouth to reply when their comms went off.

“Aqualad.” Kaldur reported.

“Red Arrow.” Came the voice on the other end.

Thea frowned. She wasn’t a fan. Red Arrow was aggressive, which she could look past, but his general distaste and distrust of her and her friends – especially Artemis – rubbed her the wrong way. She just felt like something was off about him.

“I need access to the Justice League's database and the exact height of the League of Shadows assassin known as Cheshire.” Red Arrow said.

Kaldur moved over in front of Thea to pull up the necessary information.

“Checking. Cheshire is 1.67 meters.” Kaldur said.

“Um…” Red Arrow trailed off.

Thea rolled her eyes.

“She’s 5 foot 6.” She clarified.

“And exceptionally dangerous. Do you require backup?” Kaldur asked.

As much as she didn’t like Red Arrow, Thea respected Kaldur’s kindness toward his friend.

“Please. The last thing I need is the Junior Justice League.” Red Arrow rejected.

“Just our computer.” Kaldur said sassily.

Thea couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Good luck, my friend. Aqualad out.”

~~~

After their call with Red Arrow, M’gann walked through the mission room. Thea and Aqualad followed her to the hangar to wish her and Superboy a good first day of class.

“Ready for school? I made our lunches.” M’gann said as she flew toward Superboy.

“The first day of the scholastic season carries great cultural resonance. We want to wish you both well.” Martian Manhunter said as he, Red Tornado, Kaldur, and Thea approached.

“Guess it's not a Kryptonian thing.” Superboy said sadly.

Thea felt a wave of anger at Big Boy Blue. The way Superman ignored his clone reminded her of the ways the gods ignored their unclaimed children.

Powerful people need to learn how to parent. She thought with a frown.

“Wait, Thea, why aren’t you going to school?” M’gann asked.

Thea’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, uh, I don’t go to school.” She said, unsure how to answer the question.

“What do you mean?” M’gann asked. “Surely you care about your education.” She continued.

“No, of course.” Thea said.

“Just, the last time I was in school was five years ago, and a harpy attacked one of my classmates.” She explained.

Everyone looked at her with some amount of confusion of concern.

“He was fine!” She assured.

“But anyway. I’m – uh – I’m homeschooled.” Thea said.

“You may wish to change before you depart.” Kaldur mentioned to M’gann, changing the topic.

“Ah! I spent hours choosing this outfit. What do you think?” M’gann said as she spun around, her clothes transforming out of her hero outfit and into a skirt and blouse.

“Can M'gann M'orzz pass as an Earth girl now?” She asked.

“Well…” Kaldur trailed off, unsure how to break the news.

Thea pursed her lips, holding in a giggle.

“Just kidding!” M’gann laughed.

“Meet Megan Morse.” She said, her skin changing from green to caucasian.

“What's your new name?” She asked Superboy.

“My what?” He asked.

“I chose the name John Jones for myself. And suggested John Smith for Red Tornado. You could be a John too.” Martian Manhunter suggested.

“Pass.”

M’gann – or Megan – put her hands on Superboy’s arm.

“Conner's always been my favorite name.” She said.

Superboy shrugged ambivalently, accepting the title.

Thea thought back to her most familiar Connor: Connor Stoll. Half of the set of twins who consistently lovingly made her life at camp difficult as hell.

“A last name will also be required.” Kaldur said.

“Perhaps Kent?” Martian Manhunter suggested.

“Oh, in memory of Dr. Fate, the late Kent Nelson.” Megan said.

“Of… course.” He replied.

Thea sensed something off and looked over at Kaldur. She tilted her head slightly to indicate her question. The boy winked at her. Thea’s eyebrows raised at the implication. Superman’s last name is Kent; that’s knowledge to file away for later.

“Okay, sure. I guess it'd be an honor or something.” Superboy, now Connor, agreed.

“Well, Conner Kent, time to change your shirt.” Megan said.

Connor looked down at his shirt, then back at her, confused.

“You don't wanna reveal your identity.” She explained, tapping his chest.

Connor reached over his shoulder and pulled off his shirt. Thea’s eyes widened. She may not like the boy romantically, but he was by no means an unattractive man.

“Ugh, will this work?” He asked, pulling the shirt inside out.

Megan looked like a deer in headlights.

“Works for me.” She all but drooled.

Thea put a hand around her mouth to stop herself from laughing, or at least hide her gleeful grin. Kalur glanced at her and chuckled.

“Wait, shouldn't I be Conner Nelson?” Thea heard Connor ask as he and Megan walked away.

“They grow up so fast.” Manhunter said fondly.

~~~

Kaldur and Thea took some time the rest of the morning to do some work, and make lunch. Thea really liked spending time with Kaldur. It reminded her of her early days at camp, meeting and getting to know Luke, Annabeth, and Grover – back when it all felt so simple.

Later, they returned to the mission room. Thea was slowly but surely getting the hang of using the cave’s computer, but she could always use more practice.

Again, their comms went off.

“It’s me. I may possibly be in over my head.” Red Arrow said.

After a brief conversation to plan, the call ended.

“You go ahead.” Thea said as soon as Red Arrow hung up.

“You’re not coming?” Kaldur asked, seeming confused.

“He doesn’t like me.” Thea stated bluntly. “The whole situation will be easier if I’m not there. He’s not upset by my presence and you don’t have to worry about the two of us not getting along.”

Kaldur paused, thinking over her words.

“You do not need to come if you really do not want to.” He began. “But I think we will need your help. As… abrasive as he can be, he does not hate you, and I know that his distrust is misplaced. I will not force it, but I would like you to come with me.” Kaldur said.

Thea’s posture softened.

“Okay.” She said. “But only if you don’t leave me alone with him.” She commanded.

“Deal.” Kaldur said with a smile.

~~~

Kaldur and Thea arrived in Taipei covertly. Zeta tubes meant no TSA, but Thea didn’t want to risk openly carrying her sword into a politically tense situation, so she stuck with her dagger hidden under her jacket. The two were standing in front of a podium where Red Arrow, along with Lex Luthor and the representatives from North and South Rhelasia were.

Thea felt a presence behind her.

“Get ready.” She whispered to Kaldur.

He turned around to face the disguised woman as Thea shifted over slightly, getting out of the way while making sure to watch Kaldur’s back.

“That is far enough, Cheshire.” He said.

The assailant acted innocent for only a second, before pushing a button on the tea cart she was pushing and leaping away. Kaldur pulled the water from the cups on the podium, forming a wall of water just as Red Arrow shot an arrow, setting off the bomb. Fortunately, Kaldur’s wall held, but the exertion it took was obvious. As soon as the explosion cleared, Kaldur dropped the barrier.

“It’s over, Cheshire.” Somebody said.

“You would think so.” She replied coyly.

Thea’s eyes narrowed. A helicopter carrying a group of assassins piloted next to the building.

“Take Sportsmaster. Cheshire’s mine.” Red Arrow commanded Kaldur.

“Thea–” Kaldur started.

“Protect the ambassadors?” She said, already pulling out her dagger to engage the closest Shadow.

“Yes.” He acknowledged, focusing his attention on Sportsmaster.

Thea moved quickly, focusing on the Shadows and making sure they couldn’t get too close to the ambassadors. She only had her dagger, and the Shadows were trained in a different fighting style, but her years of sword practice and combat training made her a formidable opponent. The whole time, Thea was careful. Monsters could be killed and would eventually come back – but these were mortals, and she didn’t want to murder anyone.

Thea ducked a blow from the Shadow in front of her, then kicked their leg out from under them. They fell and hit their head on the ground. Quickly another Shadow engaged her. They circled each other, each landing hits and defending against the others’ attacks. Oddly, this Shadow seemed to be pushing Thea away from the ambassadors rather than getting closer to them himself. Thea glanced over, trying to find Lex Luthor as well as her friends. The slight moment of distraction was enough for the Shadow to push Thea outside the building. As soon as her foot crossed over the threshold, the soldier spun around, heading back to the ambassadors.

“Vlakas!” She swore, realizing the trick.

~~~

Before she had the chance to run back inside, though, a sudden searing pain cut through her shoulder. She grabbed the area, pulling her hand away to see blood coming from a slice – almost like that of a small arrow. Something on the ground caught her eye and she kneeled to find a feather. She picked it up. It was a grayish color, but when it caught the sun it gleamed gold, and when she turned it to the side, it was razor sharp.

“Oh, Styx.”

It was as if her realization summoned the flock. Spinning on her heel, Thea spotted the treeline and ran for cover. It wasn’t great help though – Stymphalian birds are incredibly dangerous monsters. The mortals she ran past looked confused, but Thea paid them no mind, certain that the Mist would do its work. Thea tried not to be slowed down by the birds, even as their feathers slashed cuts in her skin.

“One monster is bad enough, but a whole swarm? Really?” She muttered under her breath as she finally reached the trees.

Of course, it didn’t stop the birds from following her, but at least she wasn’t as obvious a target, and they couldn’t shoot their feathers from above.

“Okay, Thea. Think.” She said to herself.

“Defeating the Stymphalian birds was one of Hercules’ tasks. But he used brass bells from Athena – what am I supposed to do?” The girl thought out loud.

It was too little, too late. Some of the birds had found her. There weren't as many as before, but that hardly mattered. Pulling out her dagger, Thea really wished she had her sword. One of the birds flew close – it looked like a pigeon, but bigger, and stronger – and Thea swung at it. She knocked it aside before its bronze beak could grab her, but it was only stunned for a moment. It flew back toward her, gaining speed. A pigeon shouldn’t be as menacing as a peregrine falcon, but Thea was very afraid.

This time, she had a better idea of what she was up against, and her aim held true. Her dagger sliced through the bird, turning it to golden ashes, though not before its feathers cut open new wounds on her hand.

A much worse pain shot through her abdomen. Thea looked down to find one of the other birds pecking, working its way through the skin of her stomach. She yelled, shoving forward her dagger with her injured hand, but another bird intercepted her, sending the dagger flying a few feet away.

If she made it out now, she would survive – the injuries weren’t too severe. But she was defenseless against the monsters, and she knew that without some loud noise to stop them, they would strip her to the bones.

Suddenly, a resonant boom sounded from inside the building, then a pause before more loud bangs. The lives of the ambassadors crossed her mind, but regardless, she had never been so grateful to hear a bomb and gunshots.

A few of the birds startled, and went flying away. The other, still cutting up Thea’s flesh, stayed for a moment. The adrenaline Thea got from looking down at the wound gave her the energy to kick the bird away and scream. Fortunately, it was enough for the creature to fly away after its family.

Thea slumped against a tree. From where she lay, she could see into the building, though her vision was gradually blurring. Having not prepared for a monster attack, she didn’t have her typical supplies on her. Thea pulled off her partially shredded shirt, leaving her in her sports bra, and balled it up to put pressure on her jagged wound. Her energy was draining, and nectar and ambrosia would have to wait until after Kaldur and Red Arrow found her – if they even would.

“What a way to go.” She muttered to herself in Greek, closing her eyes from the pain but trying to stay awake.

~~~

Fortunately for the young heroes, the guns Thea had heard did not maim the ambassadors, but rather an attacking Shadow. Sportsmaster and Cheshire had disappeared, but the treaty had been signed.

“I can't believe we just did a solid for Lex Luthor.” Red Arrow complained as he and Aqualad walked through the building.

“Not for Luthor, for peace.” Kaldur said, looking around for Thea and concluding that she must be outside.

“Beyond that, if Ra's and the League of Shadows wanted to sabotage the Summit, the signing of the treaty renders their contract moot. It is over.” He assured.

“Is it?” Red Arrow questioned as they stepped outside.

“I heard what Sportsmaster said. Do you really think there's a mole on your team feeding him intel?”

“I cannot rule out the possibility.” Kaldur said diplomatically.

“I will investigate quietly.” He said.

“Not tell them?” Red Arrow asked, surprised.

“I do not want the unit unraveling over baseless suspicions. And if there is a mole, I have no wish to tip him or her off.” Kaldur explained.

“Good luck with that.” Red Arrow said with a salute, turning to walk away.

“One moment, my friend.” Kaldur said.

“Tonight, you could have called Green Arrow for help or the Justice League. Instead, your first instinct was to call the Cave.” He observed.

Red Arrow paused.

“You're right. The team deserves… has my respect.” Red Arrow admitted.

“I'm still getting used to this solo act stuff. But if you need me, I'll be there.” He said kindly, moving to shake Kaldur’s hand.

The boys stepped away from each other. Red Arrow stopped suddenly, furrowing his eyebrows, looking off past the fountain. Without saying anything to Kaldur, he broke into a run toward the treeline.

“Arrow?” Kaldur called after him, but the hero was too distracted and said nothing.

Kaldur, confused, followed after him.

~~~

Thea had remained awake, but was afraid to try to get up due to the injury in her side. She saw Kaldur and Red Arrow walking out of the building, but her voice was strained and she couldn’t yell to get their attention. As much as she had her issues with the man, when Red Arrow looked over in her direction, she was relieved.

He ran up to her, having spotted her before Kaldur. When he reached her he immediately scanned her body, seeing cuts across her arms and legs as well as whatever injury she was hiding with her shirt.

“Holy shit, what happened?” He asked, kneeling next to her, lifting up her makeshift compress to view her injury before pushing it back down with more pressure.

Thea gasped at the sting.

“Did a Shadow do this to you?” He asked, concerned and confused.

She shook her head.

“Stymphalian birds.” She croaked.

“What?” The boy asked.

Thea smiled a little bit.

“Greek monsters – they’re like scary, flesh-eating pigeons.” She explained.

“Jesus.” Red Arrow muttered under his breath.

“Yeah.” The girl chuckled, moving to prop her arms behind her and pull herself up.

“Oh, hell no.” Red Arrow said, pushing her back down.

Kaldur came jogging up behind Red Arrow. His eyes widened with guilt and concern as he saw Thea in her condition.

“Thea…” He trailed off.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” The girl attempted to reassure though neither boy seemed convinced.

“We need to get you to the med bay.” Kaldur said, putting himself in leader mode to mitigate his distress.

“That’d be great.” Thea said, clenching her teeth as she shifted against the tree.

“I’ll help.” Red Arrow said, leaving no room for argument.

The boys nodded at each other, each moving down to grab Thea under her shoulders.

They pulled her up, Red Arrow keeping pressure on her wound.

“Wait!” Thea said before they could start moving.

“My dagger, it’s right over there.” She said, pointing a little ways away.

Red Arrow shouldered all of Thea’s weight, and nodded at Kaldur who stepped away to pick up the girl’s weapon.

“Thank you.” Thea said, reaching out to grab it.

“I can hold onto it for now, let’s just get you back to the cave.”

With Red Arrow and Kaldur both supporting her, the three young heroes hobbled back to the zeta tube.

“This is where I leave you. At least, assuming you’ve got it from here. If you need me, I can stay.” Red Arrow said.

“We’ll manage.” Kaldur told him and Thea confirmed with a nod.

“Arrow!” She called as the archer began to walk away.

“Thank you.” She said sincerely.

The boy smiled.

“You’re welcome.” He said.

“And, Thea? You can call me Roy.”

~~~

Kaldur had carried Thea to the med bay in the cave, helped her dress the wound in her side, and after some discussion, even got her to sit down on a gurney. The girl protested, but after seeing the worry in Kaldur’s eyes, she agreed.

“I got what you asked for.” Kaldur said as he walked back into the room, carrying Thea’s satchel.

“Thank you.” She smiled, reaching into the bag to pull out a small flask and a ziplock with small, yellow cubes.

Grabbing a piece of ambrosia, Thea took a bite. Closing her eyes, she savored the taste of her dad’s homemade sourdough. It had been a long time since she had seen – or had wanted to see – her father, but the taste never failed to make her feel at home.

Kaldur smiled at the peaceful look on Thea’s face before getting up to grab some disinfectant and cloth to clean the cuts on her arms and legs. Thea swallowed her bite and opened her eyes to watch Kaldur. In some ways, it reminded her of times she got stuck in the Apollo cabin with injuries. Kaldur’s gentleness, though, made the moment far more tranquil.

Kaldur held Thea’s wrist gently as he wiped the antiseptic over the cuts on her arm. He had a small frown on his face as he worked. Thea knew that look.

“I’m okay, Kaldur.” She murmured softly, looking at her injuries, not meeting his eyes.

Kaldur sighed gently.

“I know that you will recover. But I am still upset to see you injured, especially from an unsanctioned mission I convinced you to go on.” He mutters, a hint of self-loathing seeping into his tone. Thea grabbed his wrist gently, halting his movements. She looked up at him.

“It isn’t your fault, Kaldur. My injuries have nothing to do with the mission. This is just a… occupational hazard, I guess. Courtesy of being a demigod. I’m fine.” She insisted quietly.

Kaldur was unconvinced.

“You should have called for help. We would have helped. I…” He trailed off, unable to articulate his thoughts.

Thea sighed gently.

“I know you would have helped me. Of course you would have.” Thea reassured. “I just… I was being stupid. I forgot that I had comms in. I’m still… I’m still not used to this whole ‘having back up’ thing.” She chuckled weakly. “Usually when you get cornered by a monster… you’re on your own.” She said sadly.

Kaldur paused, face softening at her words. Thea let go of his wrist and he resumed cleaning her cuts, mulling over his next words.

“I understand that. It is… quite the transition. Learning how to work with a team.” He acknowledged softly. “But you’re not on your own.” He concluded, voice gentle but firm.

Thea smiled up at him, letting him maneuver her arm to reach her scrapes and cuts.

“No. Not anymore.” She agreed.

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attendsquoi · 3 months ago

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Thea's Quest ~ Ch. 5

Chapter 5: Downtime

Summary: Thea and Kaldur have a heart to heart after a long mission.

Warnings: No warnings for this one.

A/N: Short chapter bc this episode is so Kaldur-centric, but I already have the next chapter written, so I'll be updating soon. So sorry for the delay in posting this, I’m so happy that people are actually reading lol!

Word count: 1.3k

~~~

Thea preferred living in the cave to Diana’s apartment. It’s not that the apartment was a negative space, but it had been a long time since Thea had left camp, and as much as she relished the privacy of having her own room, the quiet was often too much. As a result, she moved many of her things into a room in the cave. Living with M’gann and Connor was still a far cry from Camp Half Blood, but it was better.

After the team’s unfortunate mission with Clayface, M’gann and Connor had retreated into their rooms. Everyone needed time to decompress and clean off from the fight. Thea had taken a long shower, working to rid her body and hair of any possible remnants of clay, but afterward she quickly found herself restless and bored. She didn’t have to meet Diana to attend to other hero duties until that evening. Searching for something therapeutic to do, Thea decided to bake some brownies as a treat for the team.

The demigod got to work, pulling together the supplies she needed and climbing on stools to reach ingredients in the high counters.

“Damn martian telekinesis, putting the flour on the top shelf.” She muttered to herself with a chuckle.

As she worked – mixing the batter, lining the pan, putting it in the oven – Thea’s mind wandered to Kaldur. He was clearly off his game, making hasty decisions and appearing distracted. Thea had only been with the team for about a month, but she and Kaldur were friends, and she worried for his well being. Not to mention whatever lecture he got from Batman after the rest of the team hit the showers.

“What are you doing?”

Thea jumped.

Speak of the devil… She thought to herself.

“Making brownies.” She replied as calmly as she could to the Dark Knight.

Thea couldn’t help but notice how out of place he looked in the cave’s small kitchen. Batman nodded but said nothing as he walked through the room and into the mission area.

Thea let out a breath, checking the timer and seeing just a couple minutes left. Just then, a zeta tube in the other room announced Aqualad’s arrival. Thea busied herself by wiping down the counters, working hard not to eavesdrop. Even so, she heard them discussing Kaldur’s alliance to the team. When she heard the zeta tube signifying Batman’s departure, she paused, then walked over to the doorway to the mission room. Kaldur was standing in the room by himself, eyes closed, taking a deep breath.

The kitchen timer went off with a shrill ringing, startling Kaldur and Thea out of their thoughts. Thea smiled at him sheepishly.

“Would you like a brownie?” Thea asked.

She didn’t wait for a response as she turned around and beckoned him into the kitchen.

As Kaldur walked into the kitchen, Thea had pulled the brownies out of the oven and was grabbing two bowls. She spooned some just-too-warm, melty brownie into each, setting Kaldur’s down in front of a stool by the kitchen island, then leaning on it from the other side. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. Then Thea stood up to fill a glass of water.

“So, you’re staying with the team?” She asked, breaking the silence.

Kaldur looked up at her.

“Yes,” He said after a beat, “I am.”

Thea felt relieved.

“I’m glad.” She responded, moving to rest her elbows against the island.

“If it’s okay, can I ask why you were considering leaving?” Thea asked.

The question hung in the air for a few moments, but Thea knew Kaldur wasn’t ignoring her. He was deep in thought, and Thea let him be.

“There are multiple reasons, I suppose.” He began, looking down.

“Stress from leading the team, and a lack of confidence in my ability to do so –”

“You are a great leader, Kaldur’ahm.” Thea interrupted.

“I may be new to the whole “superhero” world, but the Greek warriors of history are far from lacking in both positive and negative examples of leadership. You’re doing a good job.” She concluded.

“I am grateful for your kindness, and your approval,” Kaldur responded. “But it wasn’t just that.”

Thea said nothing, but raised her eyebrows warmly.

“I won’t push. But you are my friend, Kaldur. And I’m here if you want to talk.” Thea said.

There was a peaceful lull in the conversation and Thea moved to refill her glass of water. Kaldur stood up, walking to grab his own glass from the cabinet and filling it as Thea stepped back from the sink. He leaned his back against the island and Thea hopped up to sit on the counter across from him.

“When I came to the surface, I left behind my family as well as my friends.” Kaldur said, still deep in thought.

Thea smiled knowingly. She knew that look.

“As well as your more-than-friends.” She guessed.

Kaldur ducked his head and chuckled; Thea grinned as he blushed.

“I suppose that too. Her name is Tula.” He admitted.

Kaldur told Thea the story from the very beginning – studies of sorcery at the conservatory, a growing crush on his classmate, saving Atlantis with Garth, becoming Aqualad, leaving everyone behind, returning only to find his two friends had gotten into a relationship without him knowing. Clearly, the pain was still raw, but Thea could tell he was at peace with his decision to stay with the team.

“That’s hard.” She acknowledged first. Then she paused. “I can relate – in some ways at least. Complicated relationships with childhood friends, secrets getting in the way.” She summed up vaguely.

“Your offer extends from me as well.” Kaldur said.

“What do you mean?”

“I won’t push, but I am here if you want a friend to talk to.” Kaldur echoed her words from earlier.

Thea’s face softened.

“It’s a long story.” She warned.

“My schedule is free.” He replied, not missing a beat.

A moment passed.

“When I was 12, I ran away from home. That’s when I met Luke.” Thea began, looking down at her feet.

She proceeded to tell Kaldur her story – many parts of it which she had never said aloud before. Meeting Luke in the alley, traveling to camp together, fighting monsters and protecting each other, losing Thalia, their quest battling the aurae, their first kiss during capture the flag, running the Hermes cabin – an unstoppable duo. Then things changed. First it was Luke’s failed quest, then the nightmares which he refused to talk about, the lies he started telling, the way Thea felt she was going insane – losing her closest friend and unable to do anything to stop it. She told Kaldur about the breakup a year prior, and finally the fight that made her leave camp.

“It’s going to sound dramatic, but it feels like he pushed me out of my home.” Thea concluded, glassy eyed.

Kaldur had been listening attentively, nodding along to her account, humming to let her know he was listening. Now, he didn’t say anything. He set his glass down gently and stepped closer to the other counter where Thea sat atop it. Kaldur rested a hand on her knee. Thea slid off the counter to stand, still looking down at the ground. As soon as her feet touched the floor, Kaldur pulled his arms around her shoulders, wrapping the girl in a hug. No tears were shed, but the two clung to each other, each an outcast in their own way. They stayed like that for some time, just resting in the solidarity and gentleness of the moment. Finally, they pulled away, Kaldur’s hands still tracing circles over Thea’s back.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“Thank you.” He whispered back.

Thea fully stepped back, rolling her shoulders and standing straight. Glancing at the time her eyes widened.

“I need to go meet Diana.” She said regretfully.

Kaldur looked over his shoulder at the clock, equally taken aback.

“I will see you tomorrow.” He said quickly, turning around to observe Thea gathering her things.

She glanced up at him and waved as she walked toward the zeta tubes.

“Thea!” Kaldur called, causing the girl to turn back in surprise.

“Thank you for the brownies.”

Thea smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

#kaldur'ahm x oc #luke castellan x oc #percy jackson #percy jackson fanfiction #young justice #young justice fanfiction #kaldur'ahm x reader #kaldur'ahm #luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #thea's quest #batman #kaldur x reader #kaldur x oc

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attendsquoi · 3 months ago

Text

Thea's Quest ~ Ch. 6

Chapter 6: Bereft

Summary: Thea wakes up in the desert. She doesn’t know why she’s in the desert. She also doesn’t know anything that’s happened in the last six months.

Warnings: canon typical violence, memory loss?

Word Count: 3.1k

When Thea woke up, she was in the desert. This was particularly concerning because she had no recollection of going to the desert.

Immediately, she wondered if she was having a nightmare. It wasn’t a typical scene for her nightmares – they typically centered around monsters and friends dying and fights with Luke – but there was a first time for everything. If it was a nightmare, though, nothing was happening in it. She walked a few paces forward, finding herself on the top of a dune, nothing but sand as far as she could see.

It was off putting.

“Well I need to do something.” Thea said, muttering to herself.

She pulled her satchel around her waist.

Maybe I was on a quest? She wondered.

She pulled out her canteen and peered inside. There was a little water left, probably not enough for an Iris message back to camp. And she wanted to save the resource; she would need to be careful not to get too dehydrated. Even if she was going to send a message to camp, who would she call? Luke was off the table, so who? Grover? Chiron?

Putting her water bottle back into her bag, Thea examined the other things she brought with her. A minimal first aid kit, a few cubes of ambrosia, and a small bag of drachma. Typical quest materials, but also stuff she normally carried on her person.

Some movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She instinctively crouched down at the top of the dune, angling her body to avoid being seen. Looking over the ledge Thea squinted her eyes, seeing a group of tanks come to a stop before firing a missile.

“What is going on?” She questioned aloud.

“Why don’t you tell me.” A voice replied.

Thea jumped, muscle memory engaging and pulling out her sword. She swiveled on her heel, coming face to face with — some kid?

“Who are you?” Thea asked, wary of fighting a mortal – not that her celestial bronze would do much damage anyway – but also unsure of his threat.

He was short – judging from other campers, Thea guessed he was probably in his tweens – but he was dressed in some sort of colorful suit with a cape and a mask over his eyes. He reminded Thea of some pictures she had seen years ago before she even left for camp.

“Wait, are you that hero guy’s sidekick? The Gotham one – I – is he called Batman?” Thea questioned, lowering her sword.

The kid’s eyes narrowed.

“Who are you?” He asked.

His suspicion made Thea defensive. She didn’t really know who this kid was or what was happening. For all she knew, he could be the reason she was in the desert in the first place.

“It doesn’t matter.” She said calmly, then snapped her fingers, using the Mist to cloud his judgment and accept her answer.

The boy blinked.

“What are you wearing?” He asked her. “Are you an Amazon?”

Thea looked down at her outfit, noticing for the first time that she was in full ceremonial armor. It was more than she would ever wear for capture the flag, and definitely more than most quests would warrant.

She looked up, realizing the kid was still staring at her expectantly.

“It’s armor.” She replied, curtly.

“Why?” he asked.

“I – I don’t remember.” Thea said

The boy’s eyes widened and he stepped closer to the girl.

“What’s the last thing you do remember?” He asked.

A memory of the Stoll brothers recruiting the Hermes cabin for pranks flashed across Thea’s mind.

“I’m not sure. Maybe the beginning of April.” She said.

The boy frowned.

“We’re both missing six months.” He said, examining his watch.

“What do you mean?” Thea asked, growing only more confused and concerned with the boy's curt responses.

“It’s September.” He told her gravely.

~~~

Realizing they’d both lost the same amount of memory, and given that neither of them were actively trying to attack each other, Thea and the kid decided to work together. He told her to call him Robin, they were in the country of Bialya, and that he had run into her while he was on the way back to some tracker he had no memory of placing.

“So you really don’t recognize me?” Robin broke the silence as Thea followed behind him.

“Not well. And I already tried asking you about what I thought – not that you answered me. Why? Should I?” She rambled.

Robin chuckled.

“You were right. I do work with Batman in Gotham City. I just wonder why you were so hesitant.” He said.

“What? Did you think I was going to ask for a signature? What an ego.” Thea teased, working carefully to avoid his question. Hero or not, she wasn’t about to expose Camp Half Blood to a mortal.

“I’ve been doing this for five years. It’s not an ego – it’s statistics. Most people, especially Americans, know who I am.” The boy defended.

“I’m not most people.” Thea said curtly.

Robin stopped. He turned around to face her.

“Why is that? Who are you?” He questioned seriously.

Thea’s gaze hardened.

“It doesn’t matter.” She said, snapping her fingers.

Robin’s eyes glazed over before he turned back around, continuing on as if nothing had happened.

By evening, the two had made their way to the tracker’s location. They approached when suddenly a group of soldiers rose from the ground in an ambush. They were all carrying guns and started yelling in a language Thea didn’t understand.

“Oh my gods!” Thea exclaimed, jumping out of the way.

She pulled out her dagger, taking a defensive stance.

“Heads up.” Robin said before throwing down a smoke bomb.

With their vision impaired, the soldiers paused and Thea finally had room to move. Sensing a man to her left, she swung around and knocked him out. Her hand to hand combat was good, but even with her and Robin, there were too many guys.

They opened fire, and as good as Thea’s combat skills were, they weren’t a great match against bullets. Suddenly a blur passed by her face, grabbing the weapons from their attackers. Thea and Robin got back to work, incapacitating who they could.

Suddenly, Thea felt the hairs on her arm raise up and she turned around just in time to see a soldier who had snuck up on her being raised into the sky. Above her, a green skinned girl appeared, hovering in the air. Out of the corner of her eyes, Thea saw one of the guards running away before his legs were caught and he fell to the ground. On the dune behind him stood a girl with a bow and arrow.

“KF!” Robin said in recognition once the fighting had stopped.

“Man it’s good to see a familiar face.” The new boy, some sort of speedster, responded.

Thea sheathed her dagger and moved to stand by the other girls.

“Hey, Rob. Memory loss?”

“Six months. Let’s hogtie these creeps and compare notes.”

~~~

The others introduced themselves as Kid Flash, Artemis, and M'gann – who explained that they had all been working together, and somehow they lost the memories.

“So we're a team?” Robin asked.

“Wait, but what am I doing here? I’m no hero. At least, not like you all.” Thea intervened.

“I don’t remember everything, but I know we work together. It’s the five of us and Superboy.” M'gann replied.

“Who?” Thea asked.

“This must be his.” Robin realized, handing her a piece of fabric.

“Yes. Did you see him?” M'gann asked.

Robin and Thea shook their heads.

“I think we did.” Artemis realized.

“Feral boy? Some teammate. He attacked us.” Kid Flash added.

“He didn't know who we are. I don't know who we are.” Artemis said.

“I remember Batman ordering radio silence. Our team must work for him.” Robin concluded.

“How do you know we don't work for my mentor?” Kid Flash argued, pointing to himself.

As he touched the symbol on his chest, his suit morphed from black into a bright yellow color.

“Whoa, this is so cool!” He said, continuing to switch the colors of the suit back and forth.

Artemis and Robin attempted to do the same, but neither of their suits changed. Thea glanced down at her armor, then looked back up. She met eyes with M'gann and shrugged.

“We look ridiculous.” Artemis said after a moment.

Kid Flash continued.

“Quit touching yourself.” Artemis complained.

She sighed at the unintentional innuendo.

“We need our memories back.” She insisted.

In a flash of light, Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis, and Thea were transported into some sort of glowing space, with shards showing images of memories floating above their heads.

“What in Hades?” Thea wondered aloud.

“I've brought you into my mind to share what I've remembered so far, but I need your help. Together, our broken memories can form a whole if you open your minds to mine.” M’gann said, appearing from a glowing white light.

“You wanna paw through our private thoughts?” Artemis asked sharply.

“I have no wish to intrude, but–” M’gann started.

“You need to hack our minds to grok what happened to us. Go.” Robin interrupted.

Thea was not quite as enthusiastic.

“My brain's all yours. Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you.” Kid Flash said.

“Or underwhelm you. Hey, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?” Robin asked.

M’gann turned to Artemis and Thea.

Thea didn’t think she had anything to hide, but she didn’t know how much she could trust these people. Whatever crazy lives they may have lived, no doubt hers was vastly different.

“Last six months only. And only what you need.” Artemis finally said.

“Agreed.” Thea said, glancing over at Artemis only to find her and Kid Flash holding hands.

Four glowing arms extended from M’gann, landing on each of their heads. There was a blinding white light, and then they were seeing their memories.

“The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan desert. Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. Find out what happened at that site. What landed there.” Thea saw Batman giving the mission assignment to the team back in the cave.

“Bialya is a rogue state ruled by Queen Bee and not a member of the league's U.N. Charter. All communications are subject to interception. Maintain radio silence at all times.” He continued. “You'll land in Qurac, on Bialya's border, two clicks from the hot zone.”

The scene changed and they were in the desert.

“All clear.” Robin said as the team got off the ship.

“The Bialyans control the site.” Artemis reported as she and Thea overlooked a tent surrounded by soldiers.

They were flashing between different memories, all blurring together. It was becoming hard to tell whose was whose as they worked together to see the bigger picture.

“Set up here.”

“We'll be up and running in no time.” Said Robin, typing away at the site monitor.

“Jackpot! This site's lousy with Zeta-Beam radiation.” Kid Flash said, looking over his shoulder.

“Detecting non-terrestrial trace elements from the tent.” Robin announced.

“I'll check it out in camouflage mode.” Miss Martian suggested.

“Good idea. Go. Be careful. And maintain telepathic contact.”

“I will, Aqualad.” M’gann replied.

The visions ended.

“Aqualad!” They all shouted.

“Where is he? What happened next?” Thea questioned.

“I don't know. That's the last thing I... We remember.” M’gann said.

“Uh, we landed 24 hours ago. If Kaldur's been wandering the desert that long, that's not good for a guy with gills.” Wally added.

“Now that I know to look for him… He's close! But he's not moving.” Robin said.

~~~

When they found Aqualad, he was lying on the ground, mumbling in Atlantean and unable to open his eyes. Thea knelt by his side, not sure about their physiologies, but having spent enough time in the Apollo cabin to pick up on basic first aid. She checked his pulse and felt his forehead.

“I can't restore his memories in this condition.” M’gann told them, leaning over Thea with a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“He needs immediate rehydration. Call the bioship.” Robin said.

“It's out of range, but you can get him there fast.” She said to Wally.

“He's too heavy and I'm too low on fuel. Right now, I couldn't even carry her.” He told them, gesturing to Artemis.

“Hey!” The girl protested, hitting him in the arm.

“Why don’t you levitate him back?” Thea asked.

“I can't. I have to find Superboy.” M’gann said. “Six months ago, he didn't exist. He has no memories, just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him.” She explained.

“Superboy's indestructible. Just ask those tanks. It's Aqualad who needs your help. Like, now.” Wally objected.

M’gann clutched her head.

“No! Superboy's in pain.” She cried before flying away.

“M'gann, wait!” Artemis called.

“We still don't know what erased our memories! It could happen again!” Robin yelled.

Thea wanted to get up and scream at the girl, but then Aqualad mumbled and rolled around in her arms. Yelling at M’gann wouldn’t do any good. Thea could be mad later, right now she needed to figure out how to get her friend help. She thought back to her medical training.

“I have something that might be able to help, but it’s a risk.” She said, moving to rummage around in her satchel.

“What is it?” Robin asked as the girl pulled out a ziploc bag with small yellow cubes.

“Ambrosia.” The girl responded.

“The food of the gods, and a healing food for demigods. But it’s incredibly potent – we have to eat it in small doses – too much makes us feverish, and if a mortal were to eat it they would die. Kaldur is Atlantean, so it seems likely that it could work. But I don’t want to attempt it unless we’re absolutely desperate.” Thea explained.

Robin looked down in thought.

“I don’t think we’re there yet. But let’s keep it as a backup option. In the meantime, we might as well try to make a stretcher.” He said.

~~~

The group followed Robin as he navigated toward the bioship, taking turns carrying their makeshift stretcher with Aqualad lying on it. After a while, they heard trucks. Quickly they found a hiding space behind a rock.

Kaldur started mumbling in his sleep. Thea was panicked.

“Shh, Kaldur, quiet now.” Artemis said.

His babbling continued.

“Rest.” Thea said in Greek.

Thankfully, the man stopped speaking.

Thea could feel Robin’s eyes on her. She could tell he had questions, not that he’d be able to articulate them. She never would have used the mist on him earlier if she’d known who he was. Robin turned away to peek at the Bialyans over the rock. Thea felt guilty for not explaining, but she didn’t want to justify her actions or create suspicion.

“We can't risk a firefight with Aqualad KO'd like this.” Robin reported

“Ugh. It's not just him. I'm way out of juice.” Kid Flash said.

“And I'm almost out of arrows.” Artemis added.

“My sword won’t be much use against their guns.” Thea said, not looking up from Kaldur.

There was no response. Thea glanced behind her, and Robin was gone.

“I forgot how much I hate it when he does the ninja thing.” Kid Flash complained.

Kaldur shuddered. His breath was getting shakier. Thea took out her canteen and poured the remaining few drops of water into his mouth. Wally and Artemis started to quarrel behind her, but she closed her eyes and muttered a prayer to Apollo.

“So I'm your ninja boyfriend, huh?” Wally said as Thea finished her plea.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Hey, amnesia, remember? Completely forgot how truly annoying you are.” Artemis responded.

“Oh, like you're the goddess of congeniality.” He complained.

“Yeesh. Get a room.” Thea jumped as Robin appeared.

“Dude, where were you?” Wally asked.

“Breaking radio silence.” Robin replied smugly.

Thea heard beeping and faint laughter, before an explosion echoed around the space.

“That's our cue. Move!” Robin commanded as they hurried to pick up Aqualad and run away.

~~~

Too many miles later, the team – minus M’gann and Superboy – made it back to the bioship at the Quraci border. Thea and the others worked together to get Aqualad onto a cot and hook him up to an IV. Thea was monitoring his vitals while Artemis dabbed a damp rag on his forehead.

Hey, everybody! I’ve got Superboy! M’gann’s peppy voice rang out in their heads.

He’s back to normal and we’re on our way. She concluded.

Kaldur jumped up, suddenly awake.

“Who are you, and how did you get inside my head?” He asked.

Thea quickly moved over to push him back into a lying position.

Hello, Megan. Aqualad's memories! I knew I forgot something. M’gann said.

Oh, man, me too. I didn't get a souvenir from the mission. Wally whined.

Don't worry, got the souvenir thing covered. M’gann assured.

~~~

Thea changed clothes quickly after the mission. It was the middle of the week, so she was staying in the cave, but she had one more thing to do. The demigod walked into the mission room just as Artemis went through a zeta tube.

Oh no you don’t. The girl thought, jogging toward the portal and following her through.

Thea emerged in an alley. Artemis was only a few paces ahead of her, but she turned around, startled, when she heard the zeta tube announce her presence.

“Thea?” She asked, walking back toward the girl.

“We need to talk.” Theal responded.

“Why? What’s this about?” Artemis asked, annoyed but getting a little concerned.

“I know I was teasing, but looks like I was more right than I realized.” Thea said jokingly.

Artemis’ posture relaxed with Thea’s playful tone, and she rested a hand on her hip.

“What about?” She teased back.

“Full of it or not, you seemed pretty cozy with Wally back in the desert.” Thea said.

Artemis groaned, dragging her hand down her face.

“Not you too.” She complained, though Thea could see a hint of a sheepish smile.

Thea grinned. She hadn’t felt this comfortable with a friend in a long time.

“I’m just saying, I’m here if you ever want to talk.” Thea said with a smirk, but both girls knew she meant it.

“I appreciate it.” Artemis said with an eye roll.

“Well, that’s all.” Thea said.

It was true. She hadn’t expected Artemis to confess to anything, she just wanted to tease her a little bit.

“Oh, fuck off.” Artemis laughed, causing Thea to giggle.

“You know you love me.” The demigod said, walking back to the zeta tube.

“Whatever. I’ll see you later!” Artemis called fondly.

“After a while, crocodile!” She heard as Thea disappeared in a burst of light.

Both girls returned home with smiles on their faces.

#kaldur'ahm x oc #luke castellan x oc #percy jackson #percy jackson fanfiction #young justice #young justice fanfiction #kaldur'ahm #kaldur'ahm x reader #luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #artemis crock #wonder woman x child!reader #wonder woman #thea's quest #kaldur x oc #kaldur x reader

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attendsquoi · 4 months ago

Text

Thea's Quest ~ Ch. 4

Chapter 4: Denial

Summary: Thea gets roped into the team’s “mission” to find Kent Nelson, climbs a very real lava rock wall, and has a heart to heart with Wally of all people.

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Word count: 3.1k

~~~

“Initiate combat training. 3, 2, 1.” The computer rang out.

The team was gathered in the mission room. There were no assignments for the day, so they were catching up on some training and – in Thea’s case – some much needed rest.

The demigod had just returned from her mentor’s mandatory days off, and was still nursing a few cuts and bruises. It was good to be back. As much as she appreciated Diana sharing her apartment, it was too quiet for Thea. After years of being surrounded by the busiest cabin in camp half blood, Thea felt far more at home in the cave.

She stood off to the side, chatting with M’gann and Artemis as they watched Superboy and Kaldur spar. Thea couldn’t help but analyze their movements; an old habit from running combat lessons at camp.

“Kaldur’s, uh, nice – don’t you think.” Artemis said as Thea tuned back into their conversation. “Handsome, commanding. You should totally ask him out.” The girl suggested to M'gann.

Thea couldn’t help but smile to herself about both of her friends’ not-so-subtle crushes on Superboy.

“He’s like a big brother to me.” M’gann denied.

“Oh, but you know who would make the cutest couple?” Thea said, jumping into the conversation. “You and Wally.” The demigod said, teasing Artemis.

She laughed at the way Artemis wrinkled her nose.

“Yes, yes! You’re so full of passion, and he’s so full of…” M’gann trailed off.

“Of it?” Artemis suggested, causing the three of them to laugh.

“Failed: Aqualad.” The computerized voice announced.

Thea looked over to see Superboy helping Kaldur off the ground.

“Black Canary taught me that.” He said, proud.

Thea was happy for Superboy, enjoying seeing her team, along with herself, make progress with Canary’s training.

~~~

Thea’s head turned as Wally ran by her, looking over to see where Red Tornado had entered the cave.

“Do you have a mission for us?” The speedster asked as Red Tornado walked into the room.

“Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility.” Red Tornado replied.

“Yeah, well, the Batman's with the Robin, doing the dynamic-duo thing in Gotham.” Wally said. “But you're headed somewhere, right? Hot date? Or a mission?”

“If we can be of help.” Kaldur pacified.

“Oh, we don’t need to.” Thea interrupted, weary from her week.

Her wishes went ignored as Tornado pulled up an image on the cave’s computer.

“This is Kent Nelson, a friend. He is 106 years old.” Tornado began.

“Guy doesn't look a day over 90.” Wally whispered to Artemis.

“And he has been missing for 23 days. Kent was a charter member of the Justice Society, the precursor to your mentors' Justice League.” Tornado said.

Kaldur’s eyes widened in realization. “Of course. Nelson was Earth's sorcerer supreme. He was Dr. Fate.” He exclaimed.

Wally rolled his eyes. “Pfft. More like Doctor Fake.”

Kaldur turned to Thea as Wally continued talking.

“If you are tired, or injured, you do not need to join us on this impromptu outing. It is not an official mission, and you are under no obligation to go – especially if you need rest.” He said.

Thea’s posture softened.

“Guy knows advanced science and "Dumbledore’s" it up to scare bad guys and impress babes.” She heard Wally continue.

Thea’s eyes narrowed.

“I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine. There’s no way I’m about to let Wally get proved wrong without me.” She whispered to Kaldur.

He smiled back at her.

“Kent may simply be on one of his walkabouts, but he is caretaker to the Helmet of Fate, the source of the doctor's mystic might, and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded.” Tornado added.

“He's like the great sorcerer priests and priestesses of Mars. I would be honored to help find him.” M’gann replied.

“Me too!” Wally blurted, sticking his hand in the air. “So honored I can barely stand it. Magic rocks.”

Thea rolled her eyes.

“Take this. Red Tornado said to Kaldur. “It is the key to the Tower of Fate.”

~~~

“What are the chances we'd both so admire the mystic arts?” Wally asked M’gann as she piloted the bioship to the team’s destination.

Thea could tell Artemis was equally annoyed with his dishonesty. Her eyebrows raised when she saw the girl smirk.

“So, Wally, when did you first realize your honest affinity for sorcery?” Artemis needled.

Unfortunately, he took it in stride.

“Well, I don't like to brag, but before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself.” He said, without looking away from M’gann.

“We've reached Tornado's coordinates, but…” The Martian began, not paying Wally any attention.

“Nothing's there.” Superboy finished for her.

“Take us down.” Kaldur ordered.

Once they got off the bioship, the team started to inspect the empty field where they had arrived.

“Nothing.” Wally said, skidding to a stop after having run around the perimeter. “This isn't simple camouflage.”

“So, what do you think? Adaptive micro-optoelectronics combined with phase-shifting?” Artemis asked.

“Absolutely… not!” Wally caught himself. “Clearly mystic powers are at work here.”

Thea paused, stepping around them. “Mystic powers” were largely out of her understanding, but the concealment reminded her of the nature of the mist. She closed her eyes and thought back to Chiron’s training. The mist is malleable. She pictured pushing apart a lead curtain.

She opened her eyes, raised her right hand and snapped.

The sound echoed across the field. Nothing happened. But that’s when Thea felt it; almost like a hum, some sort of noise or vibration coming from the very ground they stood on.

“That energy… there’s something here.” She insisted, turning back to the team.

They seemed largely confused, not understanding what the girl had just done.

Kaldur looked down at the key.

“A test of faith.” He said to himself. “Stand behind me.” He said, raising his head.

Kaldur walked a few paces forward, and Thea stepped out of the way, following his instructions. He put his hand forward, as if he was inserting the key into a lock, then he turned his wrist. There was a click. A door appeared, open, as if it was inviting them inside. The team followed Kaldur through the threshold.

~~~

As soon as the last of them entered, the door closed behind them by itself. Then it disappeared.

“Uh, where'd the door go?” Superboy asked.

Suddenly a hologram of an old man – Thea recognized him as Kent Nelson – appeared.

“Greetings. You have entered with a key, but the tower does not recognize you.” The mirage spoke. “Please state your purpose and intent.”

“We are true believers, here to find Dr. Fate.” Wally announced.

Thea thought she saw the image frown before dissipating. Then the floor started to creak, before suddenly it collapsed beneath their feet.

Thea screamed but, thanks to her demigod impulses, reacted fast. As quickly as she could, Thea drew her dagger and thrust it into the rocky wall of the chasm. She lodged it there, dangling. As she looked down, she saw a pit of lava beneath them.

“Those were my favorite boots. This Nelson guy better be worth it.” She heard Superboy say from the edge of the lava.

Acting on instinct, she moved her legs to find footholds.

“Okay, you’re fine. It’s just the lava rock wall at camp, you can climb out.” She mumbled to herself.

Soon enough, she found notches to rest her feet and started hoisting herself up. Gripping the handle of her dagger in one hand, she stretched the other arm, curling her fingers around the rocky grips. Slowly but surely, she started climbing up and out.

“Having trouble maintaining altitude.” M’gann stammered as she tried to levitate her and Wally above the lava, but they were gradually sinking. “I'm so hot.”

“You certainly are.” Wally said.

“Wally!” Artemis chastised.

“Hey, inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind.” He defended.

“My physiology, and M'gann's, are susceptible to extreme heat.” Kaldur announced. He was clinging to Artemis – at less risk of falling than M’gann, but certainly still suffering.

“We must climb out quickly.” He implored.

Thea had just about reached the top, but her arms burned from the exertion. She was still not fully recovered.

“I’m about there.” She called, turning her shoulders to face the team. “But I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to pull myself out, much less the rest of you. And I don’t know how I am going to get to you in the first place.” She said.

“Hello, M'gann. We never truly answered the question.” M’gann realized. “Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the helmet were safe.” She shouted out above them.

Suddenly, the heat stopped.

~~~

Thea sighed in relief, stopping a moment, still clutching her dagger and the top ledge of the pit to catch her breath.

“Can you get down?” Kaldur called from below her.

Thea looked down, seeing her friends gathered on a platform where the lava had been.

“I could climb down, but it might take me a minute.” She called back.

Suddenly, an arrow shot by her face, lodging itself in the rock beside her. Artemis had sent a grappling rope to aid her.

“Thanks!” Thea said, grabbing the wire before unlodging her dagger from the rock and sliding down.

When she fell to the platform, Kaldur was kneeling on the ground.

“This platform, it should be red-hot, but it is cool to the touch.” He said.

“Don't worry, Megalicious, I gotcha.” Wally said to M’gann as they landed.

“Enough!” Artemis yelled. “Your little impress-M'gann-at-all-costs game nearly got us all barbecued!”

“When did this become my fault?” Wally asked, incredulous.

“When you lied to that whatever-it-was and called yourself a true believer!” Artemis accused.

Thea moved forward, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Breathe.” She instructed her friend, calm and quiet, though she couldn’t deny her own anger at Wally.

“Wally, you don't believe?” M’gann asked, startled.

Wally floundered for a moment.

“Fine. Fine! I lied about believing in magic. But magic is the real lie. A major load.” He declared.

“Wally, I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis. The mystic arts created the skin-icons that power my water-bearers.” Kaldur said.

“My whole world relies on some conception of magic, or at least a godly power beyond understanding.” Thea added.

“Dude, you ever hear of bioelectricity? And what power would that be, Thea? You don’t seem to have any!” Wally said sarcastically. “Hey, in primitive cultures, fire was once considered magical too. Today, it's all a bunch of tricks.”

Thea bristled.

“Oh, you did not just call us primitive.” She warned.

“You're pretty close-minded for a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers.” Artemis accused.

“That's science!” Wally insisted. “I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment and here I am. Everything can be explained by science.”

“Let us test that theory.” Kaldur said, leaning down to open a hatch in the platform.

“Wait, the back draft from the lava will roast us alive!” Wally yelled, panicked.

“Huh.” Thea said.

“It's snow.”

~~~

The team clambered through the doorway, into an expansive, wintery scene.

“Do you ever get tired of being wrong?” Artemis asked smugly.

“Well? Ever hear of string theory? We're in a pocket dimension.” Wally said.

“Ugh!” Artemis exclaimed.

They saw something glowing ahead of them.

“What's that?” Artemis asked, walking toward it.

“Ooh, maybe it's Nelson's magic wand.” Wally mocked, speeding ahead to join her.

“I got it.” They both spoke in tandem. “Unh. I can't let go.”

Suddenly, the cane lifted into the air, carrying Artemis and Wally with it.

“Whoa!” They both yelled before disappearing in a burst of light.

“I don't understand Wally.” M’gann spoke as the remaining four members of the team trekked through the snow. “It's almost like he needs to believe the impossible can't happen.” She said.

“Wally uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend. Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of that control.” Kaldur explained.

They continued on in silence, with Superboy and M’gann pulling ahead to walk in front. Thea didn’t mind the snow, but she hated the wind, and she certainly wasn’t prepared for the weather. Kaldur noticed her angry shivering. Without saying anything, he shrugged off his jacket and set it around her shoulders. Thea glanced up at him in surprise.

“Wally’s attitude toward things he can’t explain may come from a place of insecurity and fear, but that does not justify it.” Kaldur began.

“I hope you did not feel distressed by what he said. It is true that we do not have a good grasp on what your powers are, but even if you did not have them at all – you are obviously a skilled warrior, and we know that you’re an incredible teammate. He should not have been that disrespectful.” He insisted.

Thea did not shift her gaze from the path ahead, but Kaldur felt her step closer to him.

“Thank you.” She said.

As they continued on, Thea ended up walking next to M’gann for a while, letting the boys lead the way.

“I – I promise I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help but hear a little of what Kaldur said, and I just need you to know that we all value you – as a teammate and as a friend.” M’gann said. “Even Wally, he just… doesn’t always show it.” She cringed.

Thea smiled at her.

“Thanks, M’gann. I’m okay. I mean, I wouldn’t believe half the things that I know to be true if I hadn’t seen them for myself.” Thea responded quietly, tone sincere.

~~~

Then, just ahead of them, the group saw a doorway. Through it, Thea thought she could make out her friends' voices. None of them spoke, but they all ran toward the door.

“Ugh!” Superboy and Kaldur groaned as they fell through, the ground shifting from below their feet to their sides as they entered some M.C.Escher-esque room of staircases.

Fortunately for Thea, she had been standing next to M’gann who grabbed her arm and levitated the two of them to the ground. Thea nodded to the Martian in thanks, but there was no time to talk before they scattered, trying to avoid the blasts coming from Abra Kadabra. Out of the corner of her eye, Thea saw Wally and Kent Nelson disappear into a bell.

Great. There they go. She thought to herself.

Once again, Thea realized too late how severely she was lacking in long range attack and defense gear.

I really need to get a shield. She thought, as she was caught by some sort of electric field, falling to the ground in pain.

The agony felt like it lasted forever. She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t even reach to grab for her weapons. While not severely injured, her scratches and bruises started to ache; Thea’s whole body shook with distress. She could hear her cries mixing with her teammates. Vaguely, she was aware of Klarion the witch boy standing over her, looking down at her with some confusion, before vanishing.

Finally, the pain eased. Thea rolled herself onto her elbows, looking up in time to see Abra in his underpants disappear and Wally reappear with the helmet of fate. Looking around, she realized that Kent Nelson was nowhere to be found. But as Kaldur offered her a hand and she stood up, Thea was just glad all her friends were alright.

~~~

The team returned to the cave, weary but in one piece. Thea noticed how Wally seemed more somber on the flight back – not that the rest of the team was very talkative either. Everyone was pretty exhausted. Even so, Wally may not have known Kent Nelson for very long, but it never felt good to lose someone on the job.

As everyone disbanded, Thea decided she needed a cup of tea before she did anything else. She went into the kitchen and put on the kettle, leaning against the counter as she waited for the water to boil. Slowly, she let her body ease, rolling her shoulders, closing her eyes, and tilting her head back.

She heard voices down the hall – Artemis and Wally, presumably in the souvenir room where they were putting the helmet of fate – but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She listened as they stopped talking and as footsteps echoed down the hall, nearing the kitchen.

Thea looked over to see Artemis, staring at her with a smirk.

“What’s that look for?” Thea questioned as she turned to the cabinets, pulling out a tea bag.

“I know I was teasing M’gann earlier, but it looks like I guessed the wrong girl.” Artemis replied.

“What are you talking about?” Thea asked.

“You’re wearing Kaldur’s jacket.” Artemis observed smugly.

Thea’s eyes widened, glancing down. It was true. She had forgotten she was even wearing it. Quickly, the girl shrugged it off, tossing it on a kitchen stool.

“We were in the snow a lot longer than you were. My uniform is a toga – he was just being nice.” Thea defended, not meeting Artemis’ eye.

“Whatever you say.” Artemis sing-songed back, waltzing out of the kitchen.

Thea heard the zeta tube announce Artemis’ departure, then startled back to attention when the kettle began to whistle. She was pulling out a mug and pouring her tea when she heard someone else walk into the kitchen.

“Ahem.” Wally softly cleared his throat.

Thea turned to look over at the boy. He held his hands behind his back sheepishly.

“I just – I wanted to apologize.” He said.

Thea raised her eyebrows, giving him a gentle but expectant look.

“I was angry earlier. But not at you. And I took it out on you – and that was bad.” Wally said.

Thea’s face softened.

“I… I was hurt by what you said. But not because you’re wrong.” Thea said, letting out a deep sigh.

“Being a demigod, there are ways in which I’m more “powerful” than most mortals. I have quick instincts, I can read Greek, I can see things you can’t. But for the past five years, so has everyone around me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt powerful.” She confessed.

Wally winced before frowning.

“Thea, you climbed out of a lava pit hours ago. M’gann can fly, I have superspeed, Superboy is the strongest guy around – none of us could do that. You’re insanely powerful. And– and I’m sorry I made you feel otherwise.”

“I accept your apology. Thank you, Wally.” Thea said with a smile.

The boy perked up immediately.

“You betcha, beautiful! I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said, speeding out of the room before zetaing home.

16 notes · View notes

attendsquoi · 5 months ago

Text

Thea's Quest ~ Ch. 3

Chapter 3: Breakdown

Summary: Thea runs into the woods and confronts some past and current fears. She’s reminded that healing takes a village.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, panic attacks, hallucinations (there’s a happy ending I promise!)

Word count: 3.5k

Five years at camp made Thea pretty familiar with the woods. The forest was undoubtedly dangerous, but if you went in prepared and level headed then you’d make it out fine. The closer you were to the border with camp, the less likely you were to encounter monsters. Under normal circumstances, Thea would stick close to the treeline. But she needed to fight something, so she followed Zephyros Creek deeper into the woods.

It wasn’t too long before Thea felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She was being watched. Good.

While she was looking for a fight, Thea still wanted to be careful. She walked through the stream to get to the other bank, not caring about her socks and boots getting wet.

In the near distance, she heard rustling. Thea adjusted her grip on her dagger. She was ready.

The noise grew louder, and almost seemed like it was coming from above. Thea’s eyes darted around the area when she finally saw movement. Off to her left, a giant ant was clambering toward her. And then there was a swarm.

“Styx.” Thea swore, realizing her mistake.

It was one thing to go look for a monster or two, but in the darkness she had stumbled upon the Myrmeke Lair.

The massive ant hill was home to the Myrmekes, giant ants the size of German Shepherds. While not the most violent, they are powerful in numbers and determined hoarders of all things shiny.

Thea’s dagger glinted in the moonlight. The Myrmekes barreled down the hill. Thea turned and ran.

The first Myrmeke caught up to her quickly. The girl turned to face it, barely managing to avoid a spray of poison.

Thea crouched into a defensive stance and started swinging. She quickly cut one of the mandibles before it could call even more ants over. Then the Myrmeke pushed toward her, shoving her into a nearby tree.

Its antennae tickled her neck, and the Myrmeke pushed harder.

“This is so gross.” Thea couldn’t help whimpering aloud.

The Myrmeke’s unscathed mandible scratched her wrist. She dropped her dagger.

“No!” She yelped.

Immediately, the Myrmeke pulled away from Thea, snatching up the weapon and then rushing deeper into the forest.

“Huh?” Thea wondered aloud.

Without any precious metal on her person, the Myrmekes didn’t seem to pay Thea much attention. They were swarming toward something else.

Without a weapon, Thea knew it was time to find a way out of the woods, but her curiosity got the better of her. Hiding behind rocks and shrubs (you can never be too careful), Thea followed the trail of Myrmekes and eventually saw something shine between the trees. It was gold, like her dagger, but it wasn’t any kind of weapon. It was huge, and vaguely mechanical. The Myrmekes converged upon the metallic object. Thea never got a clear view, but she swore it looked like a massive wing.

Thea turned to find her way back when the ants finally unlodged the piece of metal; a grating scraping sound rang out around them. Thea froze.

The harsh noise brought her back to the sharpening of the butcher’s knife. She felt the ropes digging into her skin, holding her above the flame. She could smell the charred flesh, burnt hair, and the putrid, warm, suffocating scent of death.

Out of the corner of her eye, Thea saw movement in the shadows. She spun around; she swore she saw something glint in the dark.

Clash! Clang!

The Myrmekes started rolling the metal back to the ant hill.

Thea jumped, startled, and then she started running.

She had to get away from the ants, from the wing, from that sound, from the woods. As she ran, Thea felt the wind stinging her face. She realized she was crying.

The realization only made the feeling worse. Against her will, Thea wished Luke was there. All the times he hugged her after an injury or comforted her after a harsh day of training flooded her mind. Only now was she beginning to feel the pain of what she had lost.

Thea yelped, then hit the ground.

~~~

She had tripped over the root of a tree. Pulling her ankle to her body, she stopped to examine it. No break, and it probably wasn’t sprained. The only thing she really had to worry about were the new scrapes on her palms.

Pulling herself up, Thea glanced at the tree that she had fallen over. She swore it was frowning at her disapprovingly – or perhaps that was pity – and she wished that Grover were in here with her. He always knew which trees were dryads, while Thea only guessed right half the time.

“Sorry.” She apologized with a pained smile. Better safe than sorry.

Looking around, Thea noticed that she was no longer on the path. She moved to retrace her steps, but when she walked forward she realized she no longer had any sense of direction. She couldn’t see her footprints, couldn’t hear the stream, and the dense tree cover blocked any view of the stars and moon. Thea became uncomfortably aware that she did not have any weapon.

It was at that moment that she heard it. The faint crushing of bark and leaves, the deep echoey rumble of the earth.

Immediately, her breath grew ragged. She knew that sound. Thea felt hot with fear, standing as still as she could despite the way her hands shook and her breath came out in anxious pants through her nose.

It was no use. It had already heard her, seen her. The snapping of twigs grew closer, and through the foliage, high in the trees, Thea saw the blinking of one big, evil, yellow eye.

~~~

Thea ran. She had no clue what direction she was going: if she was heading out of the woods or deeper in. She paid no mind to the brambles scratching her arms and legs or her cold feet - still wet from walking through the stream - or the blistering of her ankles. She just ran.

Behind her, she could hear the rustle of trees being pushed out of the way, and feel the stomping of the cyclops’ massive feet from the vibrations across the forest floor. Gradually, though, the sensations started mixing with her memories – the creaking of old floorboards, the crackle and pop of a flame, the stomping echoing across cement rooms.

She kept running. Somewhere, deep in her head, a rational voice was telling her to calm down, to find a place to hide, to remember to breathe. She couldn’t hear it over the roar of her heartbeat flooding her skull.

She remembered feeling so afraid. Her heartbeat hammered in her ears. Her whole body pulsed with her erratic breathing. She was so scared then. She was so scared now.

Last time, they had managed to escape. All of them. Thea, Annabeth, Thalia, Luke. But Thea played no part in that. It was all Annabeth. If not for her, Thea would have died – and so would have Thalia and Luke. Not that it mattered. Thea couldn’t save Thalia in Virginia, and then she couldn’t save her at Camp. Gods know she failed to save Luke, and now she was going to fail to save herself.

She’s not good for anything – for anyone. She’s stupid enough to go into the forest, at night, barely armed. Now she can’t even fight. The only thing she’s ever been good at is the same thing that saved her every time she couldn’t save one of her friends: running away.

She ran away from the Hill; she lost Thalia. She ran away from Camp; she lost Luke. The only one left to lose was herself.

Thea could feel a familiar dread creeping up on her, clouding the space behind her eyelids like the most menacing experience of deja vu.

Just then, she spotted her saving grace: a small hole in a rock wall. It was barely large enough for a small family of woodland creatures, but Thea didn’t care. She squeezed her body down, scraping her arms and legs against the rough, cold stone. Already, in the corner of her vision, she swore she could see a silhouette. She recognized it immediately; she would know Luke anywhere. She forced herself deeper into the hole, leaning her head back against the rock and clenching her eyes shut. It was too late.

~~~

When Thea had gone into the Big House to bandage her wound, she failed to see Chiron, observing her from the window. The centaur watched her carefully, realizing she was not in a proper state of mind, but before he could confront her she turned and ran toward the woods. As soon as he realized what she was doing, Chiron trotted after her. But even with four legs, he was too slow. By the time he made it to the treeline, she was already gone.

Back in Washington D.C., Diana Prince got a phone call.

“Hello, this is Miss Prince.” She answered groggily.

“Diana, it’s Thea. She needs help.” Chiron’s voice rang through the other line.

There was a moment of silence as Diana sat up suddenly, immediately concerned.

“What has happened? Where is she?” She asked worriedly.

The centaur sighed wearily on the other end.

“She ran into the woods. Even in daylight we’d be hard pressed to find her. She seemed… motivated. But also scared. I– I’m worried for her. The woods are not a safe place to be alone in, especially at night.” He informed her.

Diana frowned.

“I’ll get on it.” She replied, hanging up the phone.

~~~

A light flashed on the batcomputer, indicating an incoming call.

“Hello? Wonder Woman?” A young voice asked.

Diana paused, confused, stopping her preparations.

“Robin?” She asked, after a moment.

“Yes ma’am.” The voice replied.

Diana huffed.

“Robin, it’s - what - three am?” She said, confused.

“Uh huh.” Robin hummed in affirmation, unbothered.

“Why are you awake?” Diana pressed. “Actually - no, nevermind. I need to speak to Batman.” She insisted.

“Um, I’m sorry, he can’t come to the phone right now.” Robin said.

“Robin.” Diana warned.

The boy heard the threat in her tone.

“Just one second, patching you through now.” He replied hurriedly, not wanting to be on the Amazon’s bad side.

Diana frowned as a quiet elevator jingle played through the phone.

“Stupid bats.” She muttered under her breath, raking her hand through her hair worriedly.

A moment later, the phone clicked.

“What do you want.” A gruff voice demanded.

Diana breathed a sigh of relief.

“Bruce.” She began, not bothering with codenames. This was serious. “It’s Thea, she’s in trouble and– and I don’t know where she is. I need to find her.” Diana said, the worry seeping into her tone.

Batman huffed at the lack of professionalism, but was uneasy at the anxiety in Diana’s voice. It wasn’t like her.

“How can I help?” He asked, grunting as he kicked a goon. He was working, after all.

Diana sighed.

“I– I don’t know. I need to find her. Do you have a tracker on her?” Diana asked.

On the other end of the line, she could only hear faint grunting.

“Why would I have a tracker on her?” Batman asked, defensiveness slipping into his normally steady tone.

“Do you?” Diana pressed, not in the mood for a conversation around boundaries and personal privacy. Not when Thea was missing.

There’s a beat of silence.

“... yes.” Batman replied.

“Send me her location?” Diana asked, tone almost begging.

“Of course, right away.” Batman agreed, then hung up the phone.

Diana sighed, stressed out. A moment later, her phone pinged with Thea’s last location.

“Don’t worry baby, I’m on my way.” Diana murmured to herself, rushing out of the apartment.

~~~

As she flew to the zeta tube, Diana called Chiron.

“Diana.” The centaur answered quickly.

“I’m on my way. I have her location.” Diana said breathlessly.

Chiron sighed in relief, deciding not to question how she knows where Thea is.

“Good luck. And be careful.” Chiron reminded her.

“I will.” Diana promised, hanging up the phone as she plugged in the coordinates for the Manhattan zeta tube.

Diana flew through the city with a one track mind: to reach Thea.

Reaching the hill, Diana flew quickly over it and through the border, making a beeline for the woods. It was still too early for most campers to be awake, but Diana was concerned with the amount of time it had taken her to get there. If something had happened to Thea… she didn’t know what she would do.

Once she got into the woods, she couldn’t fly because of the trees - but she ran quickly, heading toward the tracker. She jumped across the stream and moved deeper into the forest. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a shaky trench, as if something had been dragged across the ground, but she paid it no mind.

When she got within a few yards of the tracker, she was on her own. She started looking around, searching frantically for her protege. Diana scanned the trees and – though everything in her refused to believe it – she inspected the ground, looking for any sign of Thea’s lifeless body.

Suddenly, from a little ways away, Diana heard a desperate whimper. Her eyes shot over to a rock wall a few feet away.

~~~

Thea was cold.

She couldn’t feel her fingers or toes, she couldn’t tell if her eyes were shut or open. She couldn’t move. Her body felt impossibly stiff, like she had been turned to ice, or to bark. For a moment, Thea wondered if she had been turned into a tree like Thalia. Had her mother – whoever she was – in one fell swoop, a first and final act of mercy, transformed her to stop her suffering? It was hardly unheard of.

For only a second, the thought brought her peace.

But then Thea heard the snapping of branches and she knew it wasn’t real. And of course it wasn’t; Thea’s mother had waited 17 years to show she cared – why would she start now?

Unbidden, Thea’s thoughts shot to the words Luke said to her last night. He hadn’t really been there, but Thea had been bombarded with thoughts of him the whole night. Along with their other talents, some cyclops can cause hallucinations - of which Thea had undoubtedly been the victim.

Still, real or not, she heard the words again.

Your mom doesn’t care about you. Whoever she is, she doesn’t even know you even exist. Or maybe she does – she just doesn’t care about you enough to claim you.

You failed your mom and you failed me.

Just like you failed Thalia.

Failed.

Thea whimpered.

The words spiraled in her head, the voice morphing – sometimes Luke, then her dad, then Thalia, then Diana.

You failed.

She heard her mentor’s voice, angry and sad, the epitome of disappointment. Thea thought that it couldn’t get worse than the memories of Thalia and Luke, but somehow this cut through the numbness only to hurt sharper, deeper.

She thought that if she could cry, or if she had any awareness of her body, that she would be crying.

Somewhere in the back of her brain, there was a rustling noise and muffled words, but Thea wasn’t present enough to pay it any attention, much less understand what was being said.

Diana’s voice emerged again, gradually morphing into Artemis then Robin then Batman then Kaldur, as they all tell her how they don’t trust her, they can’t, not after she’s failed so many times. Not after she’s been so stupid.

There was a miniscule part of Thea’s brain that was sure she was crying now.

A new word cut through Thea’s mind.

Cold.

Yes. Thea thought. I’m so cold.

But different from the other memories and hallucinations, this voice wasn’t taunting. If anything it was… worried?

A muffled flash washed over Thea. Her muscles burned, as if her body had been put through the most intense workout. She felt tired. She heard the voice again: Diana.

Thea gasped as her eyes shot open for a split second. She saw Diana, who had woken up in the middle of the night, who had flown to save her, who had pulled her weeping body out of a hole in the rock.

Thea saw Diana, the edges of her vision still white and blurry. Then she passed out.

~~~

When Thea came to, she was somewhere warm and soft. Her eyes felt heavy, and she waited as the feeling gradually came back to her fingers and toes. She listened, and she could hear Diana’s voice muttering not too far away.

She couldn’t make out too many words, but it sounded like she was assuring whoever was on the other end of the phone that Thea was okay. She caught something that sounded like freezing and hallucinating.

Gradually, Thea forced her eyes open, blinking hard. She hissed as she felt blinded by the soft lamp light. Off to her side, she heard Diana gasp lightly then hang up the phone.

Before she could really realize what was happening, Diana was at her side, brushing her hair out of her face. Unwittingly, Thea leaned into her touch.

“Sweet girl.” Diana murmured.

Thea flushed slightly at the sympathy, glancing down at herself. Her arms and legs were covered in cuts and scrapes, but they’d all been cleaned and the deeper ones had been bandaged. Suddenly, she felt her stomach churn uncomfortably.

“Diana.” Thea whimpered a warning, and Diana quickly reached for the trash can, already prepped with a trash bag.

Thea threw up, stomach turning as she recalled the previous day’s events, feeling the toll on her body. Diana rubbed her back soothingly. After a couple minutes of mostly dry heaving, Thea felt her breath coming back to her more steadily.

“Okay. Okay, I got it. I’m done.” She muttered, leaning back against the couch.

Diana looked down at her with a concerned frown.

“What… what happened?” Thea asked her.

Diana sighed, worried.

“You’ll have to fill in some gaps for me.” Diana said. “But I’ll tell you what I know.”

~~~

Diana filled her in about the call from Chiron and flying to find her in the woods. She told her about where she was hiding, and how she had pulled her freezing body out of the rock. Apparently she had been hallucinating and mumbling in fear through most of the day. It was now about three in the afternoon the next day.

Thea sighed as she realized what had happened.

“I– I ran into a cyclops. Had a panic attack as I ran away. Between the fear and their ability to mimic voices, I must have started hallucinating.” She said.

Diana’s eyes widened in concern.

“Thea… why were you in the woods?” She asked, raking her fingers gently through the girl’s hair.

Thea felt her eyes watering slightly at the affection.

“I– I had a nightmare.” She murmured. “About Luke.”

Diana nodded as she realized that there was a lot to Thea’s story that she didn't know.

The older woman sighed, shifting on the couch. Thea’s eyes followed her movement, and she sat up slightly against the armrest, pulling her feet closer to her body to make more room for Diana. Diana watched her actions fondly, resting a hand on one of her knees soothingly, adjusting to sit more comfortably next to the girl.

“Thea, I am not going to make you explain everything to me. I know there’s a lot. But with that, I ask that you consider therapy.” Diana said quietly, not wanting to startle her.

Thea’s brows furrowed.

“Therapy? Diana, I– I know I need help.” Thea began. “But who am I supposed to go to for therapy? There aren’t demigod psychologists. I’d get sent to an institution.” She said.

Diana huffed with mild amusement. “Dinah, Black Canary, is a counselor, a therapist.” She explained.

“I thought she ran a flower shop.” Thea muttered.

Diana laughed gently.

“She owns a flower shop, yes. But her day job is as a therapist. I– I hope you don’t mind. I already asked if she’d be willing to sit down with you, about more than just the team. She’s already agreed. She’s ready whenever you are.”

Thea nodded, taking in the information. It’s a lot to process, but she already trusted Black Canary, and she knew she couldn’t keep running on fumes.

“I– okay. Yes. I’ll do it.” Thea murmured, looking back up to Diana.

Diana sighed in relief, hand finding its way forward to cup her face gently.

“Thank you, Thea.”

Thea shook her head, a frown returning to her face.

“No. Gods, no. Why would you thank me? I’m– I’m such a mess. I mean, I was gone for a day and you had to come save me.” Thea cut off her frustrated rambling quickly, realizing something.

She looked up, searching Diana’s face.

“You saved me.” She whispered. “Thank you.” She said, eyes watering.

Diana suddenly felt herself holding back tears.

“Of course, Thea.” She murmured, leaning forward to wipe a tear off her cheek. “I’ll always save you.” She promised.

Thea lunged forward weakly, pulling her mentor into a bony hug. Diana chuckled through a few tears, holding Thea tightly.

“I’ve got you. I’ll take care of you, always.”

#kaldur'ahm x oc #luke castellan x oc #percy jackson #young justice fanfiction #young justice #percy jackson fanfiction #kaldur'ahm x reader #luke castellan x reader #kaldur x reader #kaldur x oc #wonder woman x child!reader #thea's quest #grover underwood #annabeth chase #diana prince #wonder woman #kaldur'ahm #luke castellan

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attendsquoi · 6 months ago

Text

Thea's Quest ~ Ch. 2

Chapter 2: Betrayal

Summary: Thea returns to camp at the end of the summer, only to learn some disturbing news.

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Word count: 3k

A couple weeks after her first mission with the team, it was time for Thea to go back to camp.

“Okay, you’re sure you have everything?” Diana asked her, hovering around the girl as she filled up her water bottle in the kitchen sink.

“Yes, Diana.” Thea chuckled.

“Besides – I’m only going to be gone for the weekend. I’m just there to see friends and pack up the rest of my stuff.” She reminded her.

Thea had decided that she was going to spend the rest of the year living with Diana. She was liking the team, and while it was a big adjustment, she was enjoying the change of pace. Summer was coming to an end – and Percy, Annabeth, and Grover were back from their quest – so Thea was headed to camp for the weekend to talk to them and grab whatever else she needed for the foreseeable future. A few days ago, Batman had let Thea know that a zeta tube was installed in Manhattan. How he knew that she was going back and the location of camp were beyond her, but she wasn’t complaining.

“Okay. I’m sorry for fussing, I’m not used to this.” Diana said.

Thea could hear an emotional waver in her voice.

“Not used to what?” She asked, turning around.

“Saying goodbye to my daughter.” Diana suggested shyly.

Almost instantly, Thea felt her eyes water and her throat close up. She stood very still.

“Oh, Thea – I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep it’s not—”

“Thank you.” Thea said shakily.

She hadn’t told Diana much about her family, other than that she was unclaimed – but she knew the Amazon could tell even her relationship with her father was strained. Thea hadn’t really thought of Diana as her mother, but she was starting to think she liked the idea.

“Come here.” Diana said with a watery chuckle, pulling the young girl into a hug.

After a few moments, Thea pulled away and wiped the tears that had collected on her lash line.

“See you in a couple days.” She smiled.

“See you then.” Diana replied.

~~~

Thea zeta-ed to Manhattan and walked to camp from there. The climb up the hill always felt so nostalgic. When she reached Thalia’s tree, Thea stopped to say a quick prayer to Apollo, asking for her friend to be healed, before continuing into camp.

“Thea!” As soon as she crossed the threshold, Grover yelled her name.

“Boy is it good to see you!” She called, grinning hard as the young satyr threw himself into her arms for a hug.

“I missed you.” He whispered into her shoulder.

“Me too.” Thea replied, happy to be home.

As soon as Grover stepped away, though, Thea could tell something was off.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, serious.

Immediately he looked guilty, and his hands dug around in his pocket before digging out a tin can to chew on.

“Grover,” Thea said, more gently this time, “You know you can tell me anything. The quest— Is everyone okay?”

Grover gave an involuntary nervous bleat.

“I – I mean yes. We all made it back, we’re alright.” He said.

Thea let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m glad. But, then, what’s going on?” She asked.

Grover swallowed loudly.

“I’ll explain everything – let’s head to the Big House.” He said.

And that is how Thea learned that her ex boyfriend had betrayed the gods and tried to kill her friends. The more Grover told her – about Luke and the plot to steal the master bolt, how it almost started a war, how he sabotaged the kids with his winged boots, how he was actively working with Kronos – the more Thea realized she didn’t know what to feel. She had broken up with him a year ago, one of the hardest things she’d ever done, because she felt like he was lying to her. And it turns out she was right. In a way, she was relieved; she wasn’t going crazy, she didn’t burn bridges with her oldest and closest friend for no reason. But most of her was sad and angry and guilty. How could he do this? And how didn’t she see it before?

When the two arrived at the Big House, Thea’s body was running on autopilot. Her brain was going a mile a minute, and she would have tripped over the steps if Grover hadn’t grabbed her arm.

“Thea… I’m so sorry.” He said sadly as they stepped inside.

Thea’s head snapped toward him, hating the way he looked so small.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. Thank you for telling me.” She said. “I – I’m sorry. I can’t believe he would do this.” She trailed off into a whisper.

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

“It is not your fault, Aletheia.” Chiron reassured, having stepped onto the porch to see her.

Thea nodded.

“And while apologies about Luke’s actions may not be necessary, you are certainly due others. I am sorry that we turned you into our Cassandra. You did not know his plans any more than the rest of us – but there were signs, and you gave us warning. We should have believed you.” The centaur said.

Thea’s eyes started to well, but she squeezed them shut. She was just now realizing the strain her relationship with Luke had put on her relationship with camp.

“We’re having a bonfire tonight.” Grover piped up.

Thea wiped her face and smiled at him, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I can’t wait.” She said honestly.

~~~

Thea had waited to go back to the Hermes cabin to get her stuff until the campers were all at lunch. It was a hard enough space to be in when Luke had been there, now it was only worse – and she didn’t need her campers to see her get upset. Walking over to the back of the room, she sat on her cot, underneath the top bunk of the bed above her. After a moment, she turned to her chest of drawers, pulling out the keys from her pocket (you can’t take any chances with Hermes kids), she opened the lid and pulled out her belongings, packing them into the backpack she had brought.

“Thea?” A voice called from the doorway.

Annabeth.

“Hey.” Thea said quietly.

“Can I come in?” Annabeth asked, hesitant.

Thea softened.

“Of course. Come here.” She said, patting the space next to her on the bed.

Annabeth smiled, then awkwardly walked over to sit by Thea.

“You have to tell me about your quest.” Thea said, as soon as she sat down.

The elephant in the room could wait a minute.

“Well?” Thea prompted.

Annabeth told her everything. Thea’s favorite parts were when the girl got lost in the story, eyes sparkling as she told her about the monsters they’d killed and the mysteries they’d solved. There was a time when Annabeth wanted nothing more than to go on a quest – it was all she could ever talk about. Thea missed those days.

“That’s amazing.” Thea said when she had finished, taking everything in. “And terrifying, and I’m really glad you’re safe.” She added.

Annabeth smiled, but slowly it dropped off her face.

“Thea, I’m really sorry.” The young girl said.

“Annabeth—”

“Please, just let me say this?” Annabeth asked.

Thea nodded her head.

“I was so mean to you during the Luke stuff last year. I brushed you off when you said he was acting weird after his quest and – and I should know better than that! I know you better than that. I mean, Thea, you’re so smart, and when you broke up with him I just blindly took his side. And, I’m sorry. I never wanted to cause a rift between us. I – I don’t want to lose you too.” Annabeth said.

Thea barely let her finish speaking before she was pulling the girl into a hug, one arm around her back, the other cradling her head. Annabeth started shaking and Thea felt tears wetting her t-shirt and she didn’t care at all.

“Oh, honey – you are never gonna lose me. It’s okay. I was never mad at you, Annabeth. I was so confused and upset about Luke, but never at you. I don’t blame you at all, honey, I completely understand. I had no proof – you were doing the smart thing, just like you always do.” Thea whispered into her hair, holding the girl tightly.

“Do you – do you forgive me?” Annabeth blubbered.

“Oh, of course I forgive you Wise Girl.” Thea said immediately, a few tears slipping loose.

Annabeth was the first demigod Thea ever met, having found her running away from home in Vermont. The girl was like a little sister to her, and she knew Luke always felt the same. When they broke up, it was like the whole camp picked sides. Annabeth went with Luke, and Grover stuck around for Thea. She wished the circumstances were better, but she was so glad to have Annabeth back in her life.

Eventually, Annabeth’s crying stopped. She slowly pulled away with puffy eyes.

“You know – you might just be a daughter of Athena.” She said with a grin.

“What do you mean?” Thea asking, giggling with her.

“You figured Luke out right away. That takes brains. I’m shocked you didn’t get claimed back then.”

Thea burst out laughing.

“Can you imagine? Luke and I are in the woods and I’m yelling at him for lying, and suddenly an owl and olive branch appear over my head.”

Both girls burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. It felt good to be back.

~~~

After their heart to heart, Annabeth and Thea went their separate ways. Annabeth had training to get to, and Thea had to finish packing. Once she had gotten her stuff together, Thea decided to go look for Grover before heading to the bonfire. She was on her way to search the strawberry fields when she heard his laugh coming from the stables. The familiarity of it all made her smile.

“Hey, boys.” She said as she walked in, spotting both Grover and Percy.

She didn’t know Percy as well – he had only been at camp for about a week before they set off on their quest, and during that time he was pretty attached to Luke – but Grover had sent her a few letters while he was watching him at Yancy, so she was already fond of the kid.

“Thea!” Grover said, happily.

“Hello.” Percy said politely, still a little shy.

“Annabeth told me about your quest. Stopping a war between the gods? Consider me impressed.” Thea said to Percy, hoping to offer an olive branch.

“Thanks.” He replied shyly.

There was a pause.

“I’m really sorry about Luke.” Percy added.

“Yeah. Me too.” Thea replied. “But really – I’m just glad you guys figured it out, and made it out safely. At the end of the day, that’s what I care about.” She said.

Percy gave her a small smile. Grover caught her eyes and gestured to the boy next to him. Thea furrowed her eyebrows. Percy saw her confusion and looked over at his friend.

“Dude?”

“Oh for the love of– Thea’s awesome. And even before Luke was weird and evil, she’s always been a better mentor.” Grover said pointedly.

Thea scoffed a little at the compliment, but at least she had realized what Grover was trying to do.

“I won’t be back at camp until next summer, but I’m always an Iris message away. Luke is… special – and he did genuinely care about you, Percy – and I’m definitely not trying to replace that. But, I’ve been in this world for a while. I… I’m here to help. If you ever want me to.” Thea stuttered her way through an explanation.

The young son of Poseidon smiled at her.

“Thanks, Thea. I… I might take you up on that.” He said.

The dinner bell rang, and Grover jumped up.

“Dinner time! Let’s go!” He exclaimed, grabbing Percy’s hand and dragging him out of the stables and toward the pavilion.

Thea laughed.

“I’ll meet you there!” She called.

Thea hadn’t realized how much she had been missing camp before dinner. Everything was so familiar – sacrificing part of her meal to the gods, sitting with her cabin mates, leaving the pavilion after dinner to go to the campfire to roast s’mores, sing songs, and tell stories. This time of year always felt so sentimental and bittersweet; the end of summer is when most of her friends and fellow campers would be soaking up those last few days before packing up to head back home for the school year. Except this year was different – for one thing, Luke wasn’t there – for the other, this year Thea would be leaving too.

~~~

After the bonfire, everyone departed to go back to their cabins for the evening. After hugging Clarisse then Annabeth, Percy, and Grover, Thea headed back to Cabin 11 for the night. When she got there, most of her roommates were already in bed or hanging around the room – reading to themselves and playing cards or cat’s cradle in the corners while others gathered around some desks to chat about their day. The gentle din and lull of voices was Thea’s perfect lullaby, and she fell asleep quickly.

When she woke up, Luke was staring at her.

“What – why – Luke?” Thea stuttered, suddenly very afraid.

The boy just chuckled.

“C’mon, Thea. Let’s go.” He said, leaning down to her level and pulling her up.

His tone was bright, but something about his eyes disturbed her.

“What? No! Luke – what – how are you here?” Thea questioned, pulling away and grabbing for her dagger.

Luke’s hand caught her wrist in a tight grip.

“Let go!” She gasped, ripping her arm out of his grasp.

“Think about what you’re doing, Thea.” Luke warned.

“What I’m doing? Luke, this is insane! What’s going on? You betrayed us!” She hissed.

Luke stilled, then smiled. It was dark – malicious – nothing like the boy she once thought she knew.

“No, Thea. You betrayed me. You of all people should understand what I’m doing! When have the gods ever done anything for you? They haven’t!” He yelled.

Again, that eerie smile.

“Not even your mom.”

Thea shuddered.

“Stop. Stop talking. If this is about your dad—” She commanded, though she couldn’t keep the tremble out of her voice or the tears from gathering in her eyes.

“It isn’t. Besides, I’m just telling the truth. I’m just telling you what you already know. Your mom doesn’t care about you. Whoever she is, she doesn’t even know you even exist. Or maybe she does – she just doesn’t care about you enough to claim you. You’re an embarrassment, Thea.”

They had been broken up for a year because Thea couldn’t trust him, and the information she learned this morning only confirmed her suspicions. But still – this is Luke. Her first love.

“Shut up!” Thea cried.

He made her mad, he lost her trust, but she hadn’t really thought he was evil.

“An embarrassment, and a failure. Remember, after my quest, how you promised to protect me? Well you failed. You failed your mom and you failed me. Just like you failed Thalia.”

A new image flashed across Thea’s memory. Her friend, bloodied and bruised, yelling at her to run; pushing seven year old Annabeth ahead of her as they slipped on mud and slick grass trying to climb the hill; the roar of hellhounds flooding her senses; feeling relief as they finally crossed the boundary then turning around with dread, pulling Annabeth to her chest and covering the young girl’s eyes as the sickening sound of Thalia’s bones popping, cracking, and contorting into wood echoed through the forest.

She hadn’t really stopped loving him.

Until now, it seemed.

~~~

Thea woke up in a cold sweat. It was dark, her ears were ringing, and she couldn’t see. On instinct she lunged for her dagger. Holding it to her chest, she looked around her.

She was in the Hermes cabin with everyone else asleep in their bunks. Glancing at the windows, the only light to be seen was the flickering of the torches. Thea’s breathing was jagged and harsh, but as she scanned the cabin, Luke was nowhere to be found.

It was all a nightmare.

Back when she lived in California with her dad, anytime Thea had a nightmare she would run to his room. No matter how dark it was outside or how groggy he would be, once Thea woke him up he would turn on the lamp, pull her into his arms, and just talk. He would recount fairytales or tell stories from his job or explain to her the chemistry behind baking a souffle. The words themselves never mattered. As a little kid in her dad’s arms, cuddled up to his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breath and the gentle timbre of his voice, Thea felt truly safe.

She shook her head. The last thing she needed to be thinking about right now was her dad.

Thea felt something wet on her hand. Examining her palm, she realized she had cut herself when she grabbed her dagger in her post nightmare haste.

“Styx.” She muttered under her breath.

Not wanting to wake the others, Thea quietly climbed out of bed and headed for the Big House. Apollo kids didn’t typically appreciate campers in the infirmary without supervision, but Thea wasn’t going to wake someone up for a cut she could handle herself.

After cleaning the wound and wrapping it with gauze, Thea still felt that nervous energy running through her veins. The adrenaline from her nightmare hadn’t settled yet, and she was wired. Walking out of the Big House, Thea looked toward the treeline. Her chest was tight, and she knew she wouldn’t be falling back asleep any time soon. Demigods aren’t supposed to go into the woods at night, or alone, but Thea didn’t care. Sometimes the only way to stop feeling scared is to go make yourself afraid.

Clutching her dagger in her bandaged hand, Thea ran into the woods.

#kaldur'ahm x oc #luke castellan x oc #percy jackson #percy jackson fanfiction #young justice #young justice fanfiction #thea's quest #luke castellan x reader #kaldur'ahm x reader #wonder woman #kaldur x reader #kaldur x oc

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