"Such a shame, daughter. You always manage to disappoint me."

The daunting voice encircles the pitch black. Mara spins in aimless circles trying to pinpoint where her father is hiding.

"Your new friends have shown you American TV, so you know what baseball is." The voice tickles the back of Mara's neck and she whips around to nothing. "This is strike one."

An inkling of fear creeps upon Mara. The damage back at Belle Reve wasn't much compared to what it could've been, but she's still terrified of hurting someone she cares about. "Please don't do this to me," she begs, too scared and exhausted to keep the desperation out of her tone. "You can't do this to me. You don't understand―"

"I understand perfectly fine." A strong wind knocks Mara to her knees. "It is you who needs a reminder."

Suddenly, her wrist is grabbed forcefully and with the sharpness of his armor, Ares slits her throat. A deep red spews out as she grasps her hands to her neck. The crimson suddenly starts flowing to a gold-like color, one that almost resembles plant nectar.

Through pained gasps, she meets her father's gaze. He crouches in front of her, gently stroking her cheek. "This is who you are and it is all you will ever be," he taunts.

"N-No," she chokes out, her face turning purple. "I-I'm gonna hurt them."

"Good. Embrace it. They are not your kin." Suddenly, Ares squeezes her chin. "Prophet girl, chosen by the gods. To defeat me, you must become me."

"I'll never be like you," Mara says, her voice dwindling down to a mere whisper.

"Don't be so sure," Ares murmurs, tossing her aside. "It's only a matter of time."

She falls on her side, watching as the dark void unfolds into Happy Harbor. Buildings have crumbled and a pile of rubble suffocates the Team, marking them dead. Tears well in Mara's eyes as the flow of blood from her neck leaks over to Robin, surrounding his body.

Ares stands in front of her. Behind him, her siblings appear. Deimos stands idle. Eros floats in the air. Harmonia smiles at her. Phobos outreaches his hand.

"We are waiting for you back at home," Ares says. "Think―what would they want for you?"

.

.

.

Gasping for air, Mara shoots awake.

Robin jolts to life, shutting down his holocom to join Mara's bedside. "Hey, hey, relax," he soothes. "We're back at the Cave. You're safe."

"No. I don't . . ." Mara's scrambled words fall short when she feels the pressure around her neck. An inhibitor collar, the same ones they use in Belle Reve to temporarily dampen powers. Mara doesn't even have the energy to argue. She sits up in bed, which in itself looks like a chore as she shamefully hides her face in her hands. "I did it again . . . didn't I?"

Sadly, Robin nods.

"Did I . . . Is everyone okay?"

The door slides open and many new faces arrive. "We are fine," Kaldur reassures with a firm nod. "How are you feeling?"

Who cares about me? Mara thinks but swallows the words back down like vomit in her throat.

From behind the leader, Bennie peeks out. "Good, you're awake!" she says with a smile. Cautiously, she steps forward. "And you're . . . you?"

"Yeah," Mara says, her voice raspy. Most likely from all the screaming earlier. She looks herself up and down, her gaze lingering on her hands.

She suddenly remembers everything.

A sledgehammer slams against her ribcage and a raspy breath leaves her lips.

Wally speeds over and wrangles Robin forward, earning a scowl from the Boy Wonder. "Loverboy here has been by your bedside all day," he says, playfully waggling his eyebrows.

Chuckling nervously, Robin scratches the back of his head with a boyish grin. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Mara tries her best to smile in appreciation but it falls short because she inevitably knows what's coming. She senses the shift in the air as Aqualad steps forward. "We are all glad that you are feeling better, though I must ask―"

"The gloves," Mara interrupts, staring at the floor. She awkwardly fiddles with the material of the accessory, realizing that they're now completely useless. "Why do I really wear them?"

". . . Yes."

M'gann levitates over and sits near the demigod, careful to give her space. "It's alright, Mara, we're all here for you."

Artemis smiles, placing a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "We won't judge."

Robin nods. "Whatever it is, we'll work it out."

"Together," Bennie adds with a smile.

"Just like we always do," Kaldur concludes.

Mara's mouth dries. The fact that they're all being so nice and casual about it only makes her feel worse. "I . . ." She looks up at all of the supportive faces, even Conner, who smiles even though it looks like it hurts.

"Can I have an arrow?" Mara asks, extending her palm towards the archer. Unsure, Artemis pulls one from her quiver. Mara removes a glove and swiftly swipes the arrowhead against her palm. Eyes widen as a thick red drips down her wrist.

Robin gasps. "What are you―"

Much to the Team's surprise, the blood flows into a golden hue. The overhead light makes it shine like honey.

"Oh, that's . . ." Artemis murmurs, raising a brow. "Interesting."

"Cool," Wally gasps, his scientific mind churning as he gets a closer look. "What is that stuff?"

"Ichor." Mara sucks the blood back in and the wound instantly heals itself back up. Not bothering to put the glove back on, she sits there with her hands in her lap. "It's the blood of the gods. What gives them their powers and immortality. But because my father is Ares, I can . . ." She winces. It looks extremely painful like someone is inside her skull controlling her facial movements. "Half of my blood is ichor. It absorbs psychic negative energy, especially when I'm hurt, and I turn into something I can't control."

Silence bounces off of the walls.

"Oh," Bennie finally says. "That's all?"

Mara's brows fold. "I don't―"

"Hm, I always thought it was because you secretly had six fingers," Wally says, stroking his chin. "Which still would've been really cool."

"Guys―"

"How can you possibly get any angrier than you already are?" Artemis snickers. "You should've seen Ivo's face back there! Priceless!"

High fiving Artemis, Bennie laughs. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he had to change his pants afterwards." The Lantern goes in for a high five from the demigoddess but she doesn't move.

"You don't have to try and make me feel better." Mara shakes her head. "I know I messed up. Back at Belle Reve and then not telling you―"

"You already can't control regular you," Conner comments with an eye roll. "What would be the difference?"

Maybe they're right, but Mara traces back the anger that she felt back at Belle Reve. That raw and crazed feeling. She doesn't know what would've happened if Zatanna hadn't performed her sleep spell.

Oh, no. Zatanna.

"Is Zatanna okay?" Mara asks, eyes wide at the thought.

Thankfully, Kaldur nods. "She is fine. Why?"

"I just thought―"

Wally smirks, knowingly grinning. "Thought what?" He mockingly sticks out his bottom lips and says in a baby voice, "That your evil counterpart hurt Zatanna for even looking at your precious little Robby Wobby." He pinches the Boy Wonder's cheeks, which earns a hard jab in the side.

"Not helping," he scolds through clenched teeth.

"No!" Mara denies a little too loudly and a little too quickly.

"Oh, really?" Wally teases. "So if I brought Wonder Woman's lasso in here you'd say the same thing?"

"You wouldn't. Unless you want me to break your other arm."

Wally sticks his tongue out. "Ha ha, but that won't work. You can't hurt me as long as you have that inhibitor―" Mara reaches up and rips the collar from her neck. She raises a challenging eyebrow, urging the speedster to go on. His face pales. "―on."

Artemis's eyes boggle. "How did you―?!"

"The ichor," Bennie gasps. "Since it's what gives you your powers, the collar's useless. Am I right? Please tell me I'm right. You know I love being right."

"You're right," Mara confirms, chuckling lightly at the girl's eagerness.

"But how did you know that?"

"Eh, I've had my fair share of run-ins with Amanda Waller." That's not the full truth but it also isn't a complete lie. Back during her assassin days, Mara once got caught by Waller. That was a time before she wore the gloves everyday. Her goddess form lost control and she did horrific things that she can't think of without wanting to throw up or bash her head against a cement wall.

"So the gloves were basically a power dampener in itself, but it only stopped you from absorbing any bad juju with magic, right? Enchantment, that's what Ivo said?"

"Mhm," Mara murmurs, watching as the gears turn in Bennie's head.

The Green Lantern starts doing a bunch of uncorrelated hand gestures. "So what if, I don't know, say there was some sort of invention that could maybe be inserted into your veins to target only the ichor and completely suppress it, as if it was never even there in the first place. There are already devices that isolate proteins and such, so it's not an impossible idea."

Since Mara isn't as much of a science nerd as Bennie, the words take a while longer to register. Her eyes light up. "Yeah, that might actually work. If the ichor can't absorb any energy, then I won't lose control."

"Yeah, but . . ." Wally murmurs, looking more serious than Mara's ever seen him. He glances at Bennie and they seem to be sharing the same idea. "You'll lose your powers."

Oh. She doesn't know what she'd be without her enhanced abilities. It's all her father wants from her. Maybe her new friends won't like her anymore if she's powerless. Maybe all she'll be is dirt beneath their shoes.

Still, she has to. For the better.

"I don't care," Mara quickly rebuttals. "I'll do whatever I have to."

Still lingering closely by her side, Robin's expression falters. "Are you . . . sure?"

She swallows thickly. "I have to be."

A scoff from the doorway. Ella leans up against the wall with an irritated face. "No. No way. There has to be another option."

Mara's brows knit in confusion, wondering why Ella of all people is defying the idea. "Do you have a better idea?"

"I don't know," Ella mutters. "Can't you get Zatara to redo the enchantment on the gloves? Fix magic with magic."

"I wish, but it's Harmonia's spell," Mara sighs. "Her magic is ancient, it's unmatched."

Ella moves closer, staring at the wall behind Mara in thought. "Why would she remove the spell? Why would she do that to you?"

"I . . . don't know." Frustration crosses Mara's features. "Either way, that's not a long-term solution."

"And removing everything special about you is!?"

Aqualad nervously looks between the two. "Perhaps we should take a break―"

"Stay out of this, Kaldur!" Ella snaps, stomping closer to Mara. "You can't just give it all up just like that. I won't let you!"

"I don't have a choice!" Mara shouts, stepping forward with equal malice.

"You always have a choice and you're choosing to lie down and take it like a beat down dog!"

In all of the years that Mara's known Ella, she's never seen the brunette lose her temper. Her level-headed and relaxed demeanor is something Mara always envied.

The demigoddess shakes her head. "If I don't, people will get hurt," she says, desperation lining her tone.

The Al Ghul's teeth press together as if she's trying to force herself to stop. Either way, her fury circles around the room. "People get hurt everyday and with your powers, you're able to do something about it. Do you know how many people would kill to be able to do half of what you can do? You're so focused on a 'what if', something that's never been created because it's just that―a theory."

Ella focuses her gaze on the Green Lantern and speedster, making Bennie awkwardly shift her eyes elsewhere. "Guys, be realistic. What's the possibility of something like this existing anywhere in the near future?" The Lantern's eyes wander. "Mara's roots aren't just some science toy that you can fiddle with. They're ancient."

"She's right, Ben," Wally sighs. "Some serum or device won't suddenly be able to make her mortal. At most, it'll only be temporary."

"Maybe not . . ." Bennie murmurs, but determination still etches onto her face, which gives Mara a sense of hope. "But mortals are turned into gods all the time."

The lights flicker on in Wally's brain. "So there must be some way to turn a god into a mortal."

"Sort of like a reverse-engineering. So maybe something modern won't do it."

"But something ancient will," Wally finishes, making Bennie nod enthusiastically.

"Exactly!"

The door behind Kaldur slides open. An expressionless Wonder Woman enters, eyes scanning before landing on Mara. The little goddess wants to look away but forces herself to maintain eye contact. "You must go to Mount Olympus," Diana says. "Through a ritual performed by Zeus, your wish will be fulfilled. He has granted and removed immortality many times throughout history. I'm sure this will be no exception."

Mara's silent. She doesn't know what to say or how to feel.

"Then it is settled," Kaldur says, staring straight at Mara. She sadly looks at the floor. "We will accompany you on your journey but only if you are sure that this is what you want."

Bennie reassuringly pats Mara's back. "Yeah, all you gotta do is pay your old pops a visit. I'm sure he'll be willing to listen since y'know, he missed out on all of your birthdays so he kinda owes you big time."

All eyes fall upon the demigoddess but she can't meet a single gaze.

Artemis nervously chews on her thumbnail, hating to see her friend so upset. "Maybe it'll get better as you age? Like once your raging teenage hormones calm down?"

"It is not hormones," Diana combats, "it is a sickness."

Ella jumps in front of Diana, blocking the mighty Amazon from Mara's gaze. "Stop okay, just . . . promise me you'll think about it."

Mara nods stiffly, trying to remain stoic and act like Diana's words didn't stab her in the heart. Her damp and rugged heart that pumps the ichor throughout her veins like a poison.

Does she even have time to dwell on it? What she did to Ivo was only a wake-up call. What if she hurts someone she cares about?

At the thought, her mind begins to spiral and she grows sick to her stomach. She can't deal with the stuffy atmosphere anymore and races past the others.

Confused, Robin reaches out to her but she slips right through his fingers.

.

.

.

Bundles of heavy rain streams from the sky.

Mara sits at the edge of a building. With a random blanket she found at an empty concession stand, she uses a blanket to shield a sleeping cat from the downpour.

The stars dance in the darkness and she latches her attention to the moon. It seems to be so dull today that it's barely noticeable in the sky. The girl drops her head, sick of watching the world rot around her. But it's all her fault. Everything is.

Maybe she could fly into the sun like Icarus.

A thud of lightning claps somewhere around her.

Startled by the noise, the cat jumps awake and sprints away. Mara takes this as a sign that she should also get going. She doesn't know where she'll go as long as it's anywhere else. She only briefly starts to take flight when a voice echoes behind her.

"Leaving so soon without saying goodbye?"

Robin strides forward. Of course he does. Mara almost feels dumb for feeling like she would've been left outside all alone. The thought forms caterpillars in her stomach but she can't let him know that so she frowns at him heavily.

Refusing to fall into his trap, she crosses her arms. "You don't have to keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Trying to save me." She sadly floats down. When her feet touch the cement, she sinks down into a sitting position . "They sent you out here, didn't they? Because I listen to you and all that blah, blah, blah, well not this time."

"Actually," Robin chuckles, taking a seat next to Mara. "Everyone's looking for you because we just want to make sure you're okay." He grins proudly. "I just found you first."

The Boy Wonder's raven hair starts to stick to his forehead as the rain comes falling down. "You've got an affinity for rain," he jokes. "Sure you aren't Poseidon's daughter?"

"Things would be a lot easier if I was, huh?" Mara chuckles, but it's half-hearted. She looks at her hands, paler than the rest of her complexion from being veiled for many years. "Maybe then my eyes would look how they're supposed to. How my mother wishes they looked."

"I think they're beautiful."

Even in the muted light, Mara can see the pink flush of Robin's cheeks. Better yet, she feels the thud of his heartbeat.

"I think you're beautiful."

Mara has to look away so she doesn't excitedly break into song. The ginormous smile on her face doesn't go unnoticed to Robin. She turns back with a challenging eyebrow raise. "Oh, yeah? And what about your eyes Mr. Must-Maintain-Cover-At-All-Times?"

The white of Robin's domino mask widens slightly as Mara continues to smile at him. Figuring that she's not going to get anything out of him, she quietly chuckles at his flustered state.

But then he reaches for his domino mask and pulls it from his face.

This time, it's Mara's turn to be flustered. Her jaw unhinges slightly. She's completely silent, just taking everything in especially since she never thought he'd reveal his identity to her. But staring straight into his eyes, she decides that blue is her favorite color.

"My name's Richard Grayson, but everyone calls me Dick."

"Dick? In English, isn't that―"

"Yeah, yeah!" he responds, quickly cutting the demigod off. She laughs loudly, the first genuine one in days. Contagion ripples through Robin and he has to bite back his grin, just glad to see Mara happy.

"Dick Grayson." Mara grins at him. "It's nice to finally meet the face behind the mask." Her feet leave the ground as she floats off the edge of the building. Robin quickly hops to his feet and attempts to follow after her but his abilities only go so far as walking on solids.

Right when it seems Mara's about to leave for good, she turns and reaches out her hand. There's a shimmer in her eyes as she speaks. "You coming?"

Without hesitation, the boy wonder takes the girl wonder's hand and they zoom off through the streets together. The roads are completely empty as the two lose track of how late at night it is. Mara keeps her eyes on the top of the ferris wheel in the middle of an amusement park and plants both her and Robin on top of it. In awe, she stares around at the closed off concession stands and rides.

"It feels like forever since we last came here," she says, reminiscing on the memories. "So much has changed."

"Not everything."

"Hm?"

Robin sheepishly scratches the back of his neck. "I just mean that the first time we were here I still felt―AAAHH!"

The ferris wheel randomly tilts to the side and Robin's flung out of his seat as the entire ride shakes. He grips onto the edge of the cushion and pulls himself up. His eyes narrow as he scans the area of any suspicious activity. The wind only gently blows.

"RAHH, I am the master alien, here to take you prisoner!" A glowing green figure glides up with Kid Flash curled up in her arms like a child. He sees Mara and Robin's unamused looks, hops from Bennie's arms and squeezes in between the two. Bennie stays flying and soon, M'gann, Aqualad, and Superboy also manage to somehow squash themselves into the seat meant for only two, with the exception of Superboy latching onto the side, his body dangling down.

Mara deadpans. "Y'know, we could've just come down there."

"Yeaaaahh," Bennie drags out, nearing closer to Mara and pinching her cheeks. "You could've. But we wanted to get close to the stars, and the planets, and the moon!"

Mara absentmindedly swats Bennie's hand away as her eyes migrate over to the moon. As everyone chats away and reassures Mara that everything will be okay, she realizes that the moon's glow isn't so dull anymore.