The Hood and Athena: An Arrow: Season 2 Fanfiction

Chapter 23: Pent-Up Frustrations

Felicity, Sara, Diggle, myself and Roy all stood around the workbenches in the hideout beneath Verdant, waiting for Oliver to get done with whatever he was doing. 

'So...' Felicity said, her voice thick with tears, 'what now?' 

'Wait for Oliver,' Diggle replied. 'Figure out what our next move will be.' 

'Wait for him to tell us, you mean,' Roy chimed in angrily. 'We can't do anything without King Queen's permission.' 

'Just shut the fuck up,' I said exhaustedly, rubbing my forehead and letting out a loud sigh. 

'You're out of line, Roy,' Diggle said. 

'All right, let's just all calm down here,' Sara chimed in. 'Slade outplayed us. It happens.' 

'No, it only happened because the police let Slade go - after we turned him in, because Oliver told us to,' Roy said. 'What were we supposed to do? You're Special Forces,' he added, gesturing to Diggle, 'and they're both international assassins -' gesturing to Sara and I, '-You would think between the four of us, we could have gotten answers out of Slade ourselves instead of turning him into the police.'

'Roy, you're blowing this out of proportion,' I said. 'Oliver knows what he's doing.' 

'You weren't any help, last I checked,' Roy snapped. I stood from my chair and stormed up to Roy. 

'And last I checked, I was vomiting in a toilet bowl because I'm worried about my sister! I don't know if what happened to me might have happened to her. If you had even a tenth of the trauma that I do from those years in captivity, then maybe you would be a little more sensitive. My brother is trying another way. I may not like it at times, none of us may like it at times, but we need to band together and figure out what the hell it is we're doing!' 

'Here's what's really sick. We didn't even question him because he said it was the right thing to do. Just like he said that I needed to break up with Thea. One week after telling me that it wasn't safe for me to leave her alone.' 

'Wait!' Felicity exclaimed. Roy turned to her. 'You think it's Oliver's fault that Slade took Thea?' 

'I think it was his fault that I wasn't there to stop Slade.' 

'And I think you're just blaming Oliver because you lost Slade,' Sara chimed in. 

'Well, of course you'd take his side,' Roy snapped back spitefully, 'you're screwing him.' We stayed silent at this, but I spoke up. 

'Now that was way out of line.' 

Later... 

Roy stood to leave. 

'Hey,' Sara said, stepping in front of Roy. 'Where are you going?' 

'Well, sitting around here isn't helping Thea, now is it?' 

'Neither is you running off half-cocked, Roy,' Diggle replied, standing up, and I noticed his hand was going to his gun cautiously. I reached for a dagger on the rack silently. Roy chuckled darkly. 

'I know that you think this is the Mirakuru, but it's not. I'm right, and you know that I am. So you better get the hell out of my way.' 

'Roy, just calm down,' Felicity said. 'It's what Thea would want us to do.' 

'She's right, Roy. Come on, let's throttle back.' He touched Roy's shoulder, but Roy slammed Diggle into the workbench, twisting his arm back, making Felicity jump back, gasping in shock and terror. I went to help him, but Roy kicked me, sending me staggering into the computer bench, falling to one knee. An arrow suddenly flew into the wall next to Roy, making him lift his head. 

'Next one goes into your chest,' Sara threatened, holding the bow, aiming perfectly should Roy lash out again. 'Let him go.' Roy said nothing, refused to let Diggle go. 

'You would honestly kill me because I dare to criticise the almighty Oliver Queen?' Roy scoffed. 

'No. I'd kill you because you're hurting my friend.' 

'Do as she says, Roy. Let him go. Please.' He glared at me. 

'You would too?' 

'For the same reason she will,' I fired back. 

'Let him go,' Sara said calmly again, and still Roy didn't let up. 

'Let him go!' the sharp, strong voice of none other than Oliver rang out through the basement as he stormed in, wearing his suit and tie, looking incredibly upset. Roy finally let Diggle go and Felicity walked away. I could tell she was still trying to process how near violent the situation could have ended. 'What the hell's going on down here?' 

'I'm done,' Roy snapped at Oliver. 'That's what's going on. Thea, she's out there, hurt or worse, because of one person. And that is not Slade Wilson.' 

'Roy...' Oliver said softly. 

'I believed in you. There's nothing left for me here.' He stormed off and up the steps. I took a breath and winced, peeling up my shirt slightly to see a bruise forming, then placed my dagger on the desk and rubbed my forehead for perhaps the quintillionth time this night. Just then the computer beeped. 

'Oh, my God,' Felicity gasped. 'Oliver...' 

'Now what?' Diggle exclaimed in frustration. 

At the Queen Consolidated building... 

Isabel Rochev was holding a board meeting when Oliver stormed into the office building. 

'I'm sorry, Ms. Rochev,' the security guard said, 'but he was very... insistent.' 

'Can you give us the room, please?' she asked the room full of board members, who filtered out to give the two of them the room. Isabel stood.

'Isabel, what have you done?' Oliver asked. 

'Me. Very little,' she said, deadpan. 'You're the one who made this possible when you made me CEO.' Oliver circled the table, a dark, angry look on his face. 'I know it was only temporary... but it gave me the authority I needed to call an emergency board meeting. As of 30 minutes ago, your company belongs to me. The directors unanimously made my appointment permanent.' Her face grew into an expression of sarcasm and fake sympathy. 'I'd say they lost faith in your leadership, but that would imply there was any. Maybe you and Evelyn should have focused a little less on your... evening activities.' 

'Slade. You're working for him.' 

'With,' she said, without even breaking so much as a smile. 'He knew planting me in your family's business would draw you back to Starling City. Truth be told, I was skeptical, but -' Oliver backed her up against the wall, blood boiling now. Hand around her throat, he yelled, 

'Why are you doing this?!' 

'I think it's sad you don't know,' she said in mock sympathy. 'The sins of the father are the sins of the son.' Then, she jumped, wrapping her legs around his neck, sending him to the floor and the two fought. He finally brought her to the table and pinned her head on top of it, pulling her arm back. 

'You are going to tell me where my sister is, or I am going to kill you. Where is she?!' 

'He's holding her at a storage depot just outside the city limits. Tosca Cartage,' she gasped. 

'How do I know you're not lying?' She laughed maniacally, wincing. 

'It's cute how you think this isn't all playing out exactly how he wants it to. And he wants you to come alone. If he even smells your partners, let alone Evelyn, he will gut sweet little Thea like a trout.' Oliver let go of her, storming out of the room. 'It was a pleasure doing business with you, Oliver.'