Shadows and Cards (a Batboys x OC)

Chapter 10

   Damian

With Grayson gone, Tim working on the suit, and Jason heading back to his part of the city, there was no one for him to pester or spar with, save for Athena. But she went with Alfred to her new rooms, and he hasn't seen her since. 

He was a little surprised at how fast she was taken into the team, and he still felt like she was hiding some things. But it wasn't his problem. After all, she had just come from a psychotic lab and had no sense of trust. It was reasonable to let her be for some time. 

Yet he still found himself wandering the halls near her new rooms. He stopped in front of the door several times, just looking at it. He even pressed his ear up against it. But there was only silence. He thought she must be sleeping, but when passed by the door again, he heard a small whimper and saw a flash of light from under the door. 

Alarmed, he tugged at the door. But it was locked. I'm so dead after this, He thought as he kicked open the door. When the door thudded to the ground, he stopped in his tracks.

The room was a different planet. It was a patchwork of different elements. Grass and fire and water and so many other elements all coexisted in one biome. And in the center, sat Athena. 

She levitated in the center, and her wings were spread open. The wings themselves would have sent anyone running. They were like diamonds, they were shards of glass. They glistened with every color, and they pulsed. Each pulse reverberated in his bones, sending wave after wave of emotions. Fear, love, anger, hate. And the stone in her chest was glowing and pulsed in time to her wings. 

But what scared him most was her face. Her eyes were lit with a black fire, and her mouth was open and black fire was pouring out of it. Tears of black were streaming out of her eyes. She looked scared and powerful. Her eyes slid down to meet him. And when she spoke, it was otherworldly.

"So this is the one who saved you." said Athena, "Pity. I thought he would be a little bit happier to see me." She smiled.

"Who are you," Damian growled.

Athena laughed. It was demonic and angelic.

 "Oh, where are my manners? I suppose I can't tell you my name, because I don't have one. I am the Creator. The Destroyer. The Life-bringer. The Reaper. I am the one who gave Athena her powers. Her burdens as she calls them. But little does she know that I saved her. I gave her a chance to change this miserable planet to her own liking. She is so creative, I'll bet she will make this world a place of prosperity, or if she chooses, a place of death and horrors. But, you still don't know my name." Athena laughed again. "I have an idea, I shall tell you the name that she gave me. My name is Shadow."

Damian said, "What kind of name is that? Sounds like a name someone would give to his cat."

Athena grinned to reveal sharp canines. "I like you, so much spunk. I think I'll stick around for a little while longer in this host. She seems to keep good company. I hope to see you again soon."

And with that, the patchwork of elements receded into Athena, and the fire in her eyes went out. Athena gasped, and her wings returned to normal. 

She collapsed to the ground and vomited. Damian rushed to her side and helped her to her feet. Her eyes darted around the room, and her face as pale.

"What just happened?" breathed Damian.

But Athena just kept on shaking. She looked ready to pass out, so he moved her to one of the sofas in the middle of her room. 

They were on a raised part of the room, and on the lower part sat her bed. There was a wall of glass that faced her bed, that showed the gardens of Wayne Manor. There was a walk-in closet to his left, and a bathroom to the right. There were more doors on the raised part, but instead, he helped her to the bathroom. 

When he entered the bathroom, he grabbed a cloth and began to clean Athena. Her eyes looked lifeless and gaunt. When she did speak, it was shaky and hollow.

"Shadow is my source of power," she whispered.

Damian paused. "I thought the stone was your source of power."

"It is. Shadow uses it like a battery. When she connects to it, my powers become erratic and overly powerful. When she leaves, there is still some charge, and I can control that charge. But she has never shown herself to someone other than me." Athena rubbed the stone in her chest. "The stone is a Shadowstone. I don't know where it came from, or how it works, but it hones my emotions and transforms them into different powers."

"And what about other forms? What other ones can you take?" asked Damian.

She looked at him solemnly. "If you really want to know, meet me in the cave at dawn." and with that, she held her palm to him, and a ball of black light appeared in it. She pressed her hand to his chest, and his vision went black.