The Hood and Athena: An Arrow: Season 2 Fanfiction

Chapter 3: Copycat Hoods With Guns

Third Person POV 

Officer Lance ran down the steps of what was supposed to be an elaborate party, but was now a war zone. Several members of security laid dead on the floor, killed by bullets from machine guns. 

'Laurel!' 

'Dad!' she said, throwing her arms around him. 'I'm fine.' Mr. Donner, Laurel's boss, came down to greet Officer Quentin Lance. 

'You've got one very brave daughter there, sir,' he said, walking up to them. 

'Yeah, one daughter's right, and I can't stand to lose another.' 

'Well, I still can't believe this happened. The Hoods' attacks have strictly been limited to people in the financial sector trying to redistribute wealth in the Glades at gunpoint.'

'Yeah, well, clearly that's not getting the result they're looking for, is it?' Mr. Donner walked away from them, and Quentin took his daughter aside. 

'Did you get a good look at any of them?' he asked. 

'It was hard to focus on anything other than the gun barrel pointed at my face.' 

'No tattoos, distinguishing marks?' 

'What are you doing?' his former partner spoke, coming to stand near the two of them. 'Interviewing the witness is the job of the Detective,' he spat with a slight contempt in his voice. 

'This was my daughter. She was nearly killed tonight.'

'Well, as a parent, you're welcome to stay. As a beat cop, you're more than free to go.' He walked away. 

'You know, that's one of the downsides of being demoted - you don't get to witness his sunny disposition on a daily basis.' Just then, Oliver Queen walked down the stairs. 

'Dad, give me a sec.' 

'Yeah.' She strolled over to him. He cast a long glance at Quentin Lance before he neared Laurel. 

'I didn't know you were back in town,' she said. 

'I just got back a little while ago, and I was going to call, but then I... saw you on TV, so I thought that I would come and make sure you were safe.' 

'Just four hooded gunmen. Nothing a few self-defence classes couldn't handle.'

'Take a walk?' he offered. 

'Yeah.' The two walked away together. 

They walked down the stairs for a while, talking. 

'Sorry I left,' he said. 

'Believe me, I get it. After the funeral, I think we both needed time to figure things out. On our own.' 

'I didn't get very far on my own. And you? Figure anything out?' 

'That I made a mistake... when I slept with you,' she said, turning to him. 'I know it wasn't exactly cheating, because Tommy had broken up with me, but he only did that because he thought that you and I should... be together. All I know is I feel like I betrayed him. And now he's gone, and there's nothing I can do to make it right.'

'I know how that feels. When I brought your sister on the Queen's Gambit, I betrayed you and your father. There's no forgiveness for what I led Sara into. I would give anything to...' She threw her arms around him and spoke in his ear. 

'Go back.' 

'Yeah.' 

'But we can't go back.' They stepped back, and then, without another word, she walked away. 

Oliver Queen's POV 

'Diggle!' I called once I exited the building. 'I don't like being played.' 

'I'm not sure what you mean.' 

'That's why you came to the island and brought me back to Starling City - these Hood copycats.'

'Well, what if it was?' he asked me. 'They're just doing what you did last year, terrorising one-percenters into cleaning up their act. Except, they don't have your or Evelyn's restraint, Oliver. Or honor.'

'I'm done... being the vigilante.' 

'Maybe this town still needs a vigilante.'

'Now there's four of them,' he said loudly. 'How's that working?' He looked straight at Diggle. 'Please take me home. Got a big day at the office tomorrow trying to save my family's company.' Diggle opened the car door. 

'Absolutely. Mr. Queen.' I looked at him one more time, then got in the car. 

Third Person POV 

'And in local news, billionaire Oliver Queen has returned once again to Starling City, along with his sister, who was not seen tonight, but has been seen with him, driving through the Glades,' the television announcer said, showing the live footage of Oliver Queen and his bodyguard speaking near their car. 

'Unbelievable,' one of the Hoods said. 'We off the mayor, and what's the local news keep showing? Oliver and Evelyn Queen. Why?'

'Guess they're taking over the family business. Why?' another Hood said. 

'We've been going about this wrong,' the leader spoke. 

'What do you mean?' a third Hood asked. 

'If we want real payback, we got to take the fight to the name that did this to us.'

'Queen?'

'Yeah,' the leader replied with a gleam in his eye. 

'He's just some useless brat. And she's a Russian whore.' The leader laughed. 

'The applied sciences division of Queen Consolidated built the earthquake generator. If we want real justice... than that family has to pay for the suffering it's caused us. In full.' 

Time skip

'Hello, Earth to Queen,' Roy Harper said, walking behind Thea. 'What, you drop a Vertigo when I wasn't looking?' She chuckled. 

'I was just distracted.'

'About what your brother said, about your mom?' 

'Eavesdrop much?' 

'Ah, what I lack in height I make up for in wicked good hearing.'

'Well, don't keep me in suspense, Harper. What's your take on the matter? Though, keep in mind, I do control your paycheck and your sex life.' Roy chuckled. 

'Well, both my parents weren't worth a damn, either of them.' 

'You never talk about them,' she said. 

'You got nothing nice to say, right? Still, I - I'd be glad to see them and talk to them if I could. But - Look, you already lost your dad. Your mom, she's still here, and I'm sure she'd love to see you.'

'I'm sure she's dying to,' Thea deadpanned. 'Just like a lot of mothers in the Glades won't ever get to see their kids again... because my mother helped kill them. I'm not going to that prison. It's the only way I know how to hurt her.' She stepped down from the DJ bench and walked away. 

'You might want to consider how much it's hurting you,' he called out to her. She said nothing, just looked at him, then walked away.