15
Star City, home to Green Arrow, Black Canary, and whoever the Hades Green Arrow's sidekick is. It wasn't a very intimidating city, not like Manhattan which housed the home of literal gods, but it had its moments. One of those moments happened to be when two ice super-villains decided to wreck havoc in the streets for no apparent reason.
Icicle Junior and Killer Frost worked together with remarkable speed, and with just as much flirting from Junior as I'd expect from Wally. Killer Frost never deigned to give Junior a response and merely froze an ice wall between the two of them. I slid down a piece of ice, urging my powers to shape it as subtly as possible. Ice wasn't exactly my strong suit. It was one of the earlier powers I discovered, ice is just water in a different form, but it was harder to do and required more focus. Needless to say, my ADHD completely sucked in these types of situations.
"Man, dude. You really need to chill," I said. I ducked and a shard of ice flew over my head. "Really? You're just going to attack me before I can introduce myself? I thought you would be cooler than that."
"Ice puns." Junior smiled. "I like you. Hey, Frost? Can we keep her?"
"Don't tell me you're in love with another sidekick."
"I just like her puns!"
I laughed and shook my head. "Okay, so technically speaking I should probably start fighting you and, you know, take you to jail, but since all you're really doing is disrupting traffic, I'm just going to pretend to do my job and 'fight' you."
"Huh, I guess I like her too. First kid to not immediately beat us up- you aren't setting us up are you?"
"I needed out of the house and I was hoping you guys were like robbing a bank or something."
"So do I."
"Robbery or not, you've got to love the attention," Junior said. Frost looked at me and rolled her eyes.
"Boys."
"I know, right?" I rushed towards them, and I threw a punch at Killer Frost with bad enough form that would get me grounded for two weeks at camp. Considering I'd never had any sort of punishment despite shooting numerous other camper, accidentally, that's pretty bad.
"Just a heads up. The Kiddie League is going to show up soon. We need to put on a good show." My mumbled words hit against Frost's ear as I pulled her in a chokehold. She tucked her chin down and immediately started driving her elbow into my stomach. She freed herself from my grasp and shot ice at me. I dropped and threw birdarangs at her. They either flew harmlessly past or exploded near her feet. It wasn't enough to hurt her, but enough to through her off-balance, and her being off-balance proved too tempting for a certain speedster. Wally blurred past me and I mouth 'go'.
Junior nodded, dipped his head, and took off. Frost followed soon after.
"Who the hell are you?" Artemis asked. I turned and managed to keep myself from grinning as i ticked off each sidekick. Artemis, Superboy, Kid Flash, Robin and- Huh, no Aqualad.
"Bluejay," I said.
"How'd you know about this?"
"Magic." I turned, and instantly regretted my choice of forgoing the cape. It could've been so cool. I could've been Snape or Nick Fury. Such a missed opportunity.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why are you?"
"Because I wish to do what is right."
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Can you get any more noble? Tch. Right and wrong don't matter anymore, not to me," I said, turning and walking away. I disappeared into the night; they didn't follow, most likely so they could go after Killer Frost and Icicle Junior. The further I walked, the more my words rang in my head. I wasn't lying. Right and wrong didn't matter, they couldn't matter. Not when demigods are hunted. We didn't do anything wrong other than be born, and yet we have to fight and defend ourselves or else we die. In a world where kids are born and raised to be weapons, right and wrong don't really exist.
I walked into an empty ally and, after checking to make sure it actually was empty, vapor-traveled to my room in the cabin. My costume laid in a pile before my bed as I changed into pajamas. I shoved it into the suitcase, hidden exactly where it came from. A loud yawn broke from my lips and I stretched. Even in my nearly asleep haze, it was hard to miss the absence of raging winds.
Not one to pass up a chance for a walk on the beach, I wiped the sleep from my eyes and snuck out. It was deceptively easy; probably would've been harder if Bruce was home.
I didn't leave a note. Not for lack of want though. I spent ten minutes looking for a non-magical pen, and all I found was a bunch of board games. Twenty-three to be exact.
Walking outside and down to the beach, I sighed, tension melting from my shoulders. The hiss of water drawing over the sand and the waves crawling up it was calming. Like my own nerves, the waves soon calmed, choppy waves turning to something smoother and less violent.
"Dad, calm down. You don't want people confusing you for your brother do you?" I wasn't specifying which because I don't want to die via angry god. If I'm going out, I'm going out on my terms, and if anyone figures out what exactly my terms are, please tell me. Though, I have to wonder, if this is how Dad's acting after Mom died, what were the oceans like when I got kidnapped?
I slipped my shoes off. Sand welled up between my toes with every step. I walked and I walked and I walked. My attention wasn't on anything other than my own thoughts, though it really should've been. By the time I realized that, I was by the mountain and I had no idea how long I had been outside. Had Bruce gotten back yet? Had Dick? I didn't leave a note, so what if they thought I got kidnapped? What time is it? Because if its close to dawn I won't get any sleep at all and- What was I thinking about?
Despite thinking about it for five minutes, I couldn't figure it out; I sighed and shook my head. it would come back to me eventually. Hopefully.
My gaze turned to the sky, and my heart dropped when I saw the stars. "Hi Zoë," I said, forcing the bile down. "Bob says hello."
The constellation made to honor Artemis's best friend could only ever torment me. At first it wasn't too bad, I only associated it with Zoë. Then I associated with the deaths from the battle at camp and then those in Manhattan. Now it's for everyone that I've ever failed to save.
Why was it them? Why did they die? Why couldn't I save them?
Why wasn't it me?
If my fatal flaw is loyalty, then I should've sacrificed myself to save those close to me. Yet, it's the ones closest to me that get killed. I inhaled and then slowly released it. I can't let anyone get close to me. I can't let anyone else get hurt. Never again.
"Are you okay?"
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1230
GOTTA GO HAVE CLASS
See yah
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