Shadows and Cards (a Batboys x OC)

Chapter 16

   Jason

Jason gagged at the sight of Athena withering on the ground, only moments before having injected herself with a highly radioactive substance called Kreeal. He had never heard of it before, but he at least knew to keep his distance until Athena had finished the process of taking in the drug. 

Damian, on the other hand, was pacing as Athena shook curled into a tight ball. Jason had considered tying him to a post, after he lunged for Athena when she first collapsed to the ground, a blank stare on her face and her arm glowing green. But he ended up only having to give a solid blow to the face for him to regain control.

Jason checked his coms watch. It had been almost an hour since they departed from Grayson and Tim. They had gone back to the cave to make sure their little excursion hadn't gone to Bruce's head. Grayson had left him with a pat on the shoulder and a look that told him that there was more to be discussed, on matters he rather not discuss. Everyone getting into his business and his past, he was sick of all the questions. This is exactly why he preferred a helmet to a mask. Fewer questions.

Just as he was about to call Tim, Athena groaned and uncurled from her spot on the ground. She tried to stand, but Damian was already there with an arm supporting her. Surprisingly, she didn't object as he hoisted her up. She checked her surroundings with weary eyes, and finally rested them on Jason.

"Those drugs don't look like they're helping you," said Jason.

Athena just looked at him with weary eyes.

Damian spoke, "You really need to rest. Whatever that Kreeal did to you, it's taken a large chunk out of your health. And with that stunt you pulled to get them, we can't stay here for much longer until someone finds us."

Athena just nodded her head. Jason sighed and motioned for Damian to give Athena to him. Damian looked at him with distaste but eventually let Jason pick up Athena into his arms. 

Jason gawked at how cold she had turned, and how pale her face had become. The three of them swiftly made their way back to the vehicle that they had acquired. And by that time Athena was on the brink of passing out. He jumped into the black Aston Martin he had acquired from the cave and set Athena in the seat behind him. Damian jumped into the seat next to her, and they raced through the streets of Gotham back to Wayne Manor.

When they entered the Batcave, Athena had returned to normal and immediately leaped out of the car as soon as it stopped and began to shift. Swords and knives and staffs and tridents lay around her an hour later when Jason later returned to find her still training. 

She was like a whirlwind of elements. Where she was one moment was later filled with a blast of fire or ice or water. She moved like a snake, striking her invisible target with impressive force and speed. Her wings hadn't stopped changing either. When she finally sat down to rest, her wings were shifting rapidly.

Jason strode over to where she was sitting and found her to be toying with a lethal-looking dagger in her hands. He sat down next to her, and the dagger vanished from her hands. Athena peered into his eyes, and he shifted uncomfortably at her gaze.

"Give me your hand," Athena commanded.

"Why?" he asked a bit sharply.

She snorted, "Relax, I'm not going to chop it off. I want to see what grip you use."

A bit confused, Jason held out his hand to her, and she ran a finger over it, tracing the lines.

Out of self-curiosity, Jason asked, "What's with all of the scars on your body? A girl as young as you can't possibly have attained so many in such a few years."

Athena paused from tracing his hand and shifted her steely gaze back to his face. She dropped his hand and pulled back one sleeve of her suit. Her arm was peppered with scars big and small, some looking only a few days old and some looking as if they'd been of her arm for years. Athena ran her finger along with one large one, in particular, the scar running from her wrist to her elbow in jagged angles.

"This one here was when I had my first Test. In an annual competition, the program has to see which children have the most potential to be sold. And survive. I got this from my first fight with a leopard mix. The blood loss almost killed me. I killed her before she won."

Athena rolled up her other sleeve, where Jason cringed slightly at the rings of scars that ran up her forearm.

"This one was from a month-long punishment I received when I did not fully complete my first mission by killing my target too quickly. There was no sun and I only received food when I was on the brink of death."

And as if nothing had happened, Athena took his hand and began tracing the lines on his hand once more. Jason gaped at her, wondering just how these children managed to stay alive all this time.

"Do you ever feel any pain?" Jason asked.

Athena paused and set down his hand once more. She sighed and summoned a knife from the air. With one quick stroke, she slashed open her stomach. 

Blood began to pour everywhere, and she winced a little but merely set down the knife and produced a ball of backlight from her hand. She pressed it to her abdomen. When she was done, all that was left was a small line on her skin and a rip in her shirt.

"Does that answer your question?" Athena said.

Jason gaped at her. "Yes. Yes, it does."

While imagining the horrors Athena must go through, he hadn't noticed that she seemed to be weaving strands of darkness from around them into a web in front of her. He leaned in and saw that she was making a pistol, occasionally glancing at the one secured in his thigh holster. 

When she looked as if she had finished, Athena pulled at the sides of the web, and a wicked-looking gun plopped into her lap. She picked it up and held it out to Jason.

Jason picked up the gun as if it were a baby bird, weighing it in his hands. It was beautifully crafted. Black as night and as red as blood, the gun matched perfectly to his attire. And when he gripped it, it felt as if it were an extension of him, the grip felt too perfect to be real. 

He switched it out from his other Glock and tossed the other one away. Jason looked up to see Athena looking at him now with a look he had never seen before. A look of caring.

Jason smiled for the first time in a while. "The others are gonna be pissed you know. Giving me gifts and not attacking me? Damian is going to kill me for sure now."

Athena laughed and punched him in the shoulder. "Yeah right. They'll get 'gifts' too, don't worry your pretty head. Then you can all fight each other with them."

Jason's grin grew, "Oh, so you're saying my head is pretty now. Well, I'm one-thousand percent sure that Dami is going to eviscerate me now."

Athena gaped at him for a moment and then hid her face a bit as color grew on her cheeks. Jason laughed and stood, holding his hand out.

"Come on. I think it's time for us to start watching our Game of Thrones. You promised me, after all."

Athena beamed up at him and took his hand. He hoisted her to her feet and laughed again when her wings shifted to leaves and her eyes practically glowed green. The weapons vanished and Athena excused herself to go change out of her dirty combat suit. 

And as he made his way to the TV room, Jason felt a very small, very frail part of his chest lighten just a little.