Birdflash oneshots 2

Meeting with a god is good therapy(as long as it's not Hera)

Dick knew as soon as he opened his eyes that something was wrong. Everything around him was a bright white, like he was standing in pure light. There was no sound, but a large shape stood in front of him. It easily towered over him, but he got the sense it was waiting for him. Dick cleared his throat, and lifted his hand. "Uh, hi?" He waved. The shape moved, morphing into something more human-like. It was a large man, with four arms and pale purple skin. Long hair ran down his back, and his left hands held a large staff. "Hello, Dick Grayson. I've been awaiting your arrival for some time." "Who are you? What is this place?" The man stood up, waving his hand. The light faded to a garden, and the sounds of birds invaded Dick's ears. "I am Ahoas. You probably do not know me, but I know you. As for this place, it is my home. The place where I rest when I am not working. Very few mortals come here. You are the third to ever witness my home." Dick thought for a second, trying to figure out where he'd heard Ahoas's name before. He knew it was familiar, he just couldn't place it. "Come. We have much to discuss."

Dick followed Ahoas into the garden, marveling at all the plants. It seemed every plant in existence was here, no matter where they grew. There were trees from Japan growing right next to bushes from Europe. Apples and  oranges were growing on the same tree, filling the room with a beautiful aroma. Ahoas led Dick to a small parlor, where a table and two chairs sat. Dick sat down in one chair, watching as Ahoas sat in the other. "Hungry?" Ahoas asked, gesturing to the trees around them. Dick got the feeling he shouldn't eat anything, so he shook his head. "No, thank you. Do you mind if I ask a question?" "You just asked one." Ahoas chuckled as Dick rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. Genuinely. Who are you? Your name is familiar to me, and I don't know why." "I have told you. I am Ahoas." "Yes, but you have a title. You're the god of something." "I am the god of this domain. The god of my choices. The god of all those who are lost." "Am I lost?" Ahoas sat back, crossing one set of arms. "Such a strange question, isn't it? Most people know when they are lost. They call for help, desperate for someone else to find them. How long have you been lost for, Dick Grayson?" Ahoas watched Dick intently. 

Dick knew what Ahoas wanted. "March 26, 2013." "Quite a long time to be lost." "I don't know if I'll ever be found again." "Because your compass, your path through life, was taken away." "He was everything to me." "Did he go peacefully?" "No. He was killed." "Ah. A violent end. No wonder you wander." "I know he made peace with the fact that he was dying, but he was in pain. Pain I could've prevented." "Now I see why." "Why?" "Why your soul has been so lost for so long. You blame yourself. You do not feel like you deserve good things." "How can I? The love of my life is dead, and I played a part in it." "You were a leader. A leader who made thousands of decisions in a day. How many of those decisions were right and wrong?" "I don't know." "Precisely. There was no way to know what decisions were right and wrong. Besides, it wasn't your decision that ended his life." "But they led up to it." "Everyone made decisions that led up to it." "They weren't the ones in charge." "Everyone is in charge of something. You just happened to be in charge of other people. What would you do if you could talk to him again?" Dick shrugged. "Apologize. Tell him how much I love him. Let him know that his sacrifice wasn't in vain." 

Ahoas started laughing. "What?" "Nothing. You and him think so much about each other." "What do you mean" "I asked him, when he first appeared to me, what he wanted to tell you. He just wanted to make sure that you knew it wasn't your fault. He didn't want you to blame yourself, and he wanted to let you know that he'd be waiting for you." "Wally? He's here?" "Well, not in the garden, but yes. He is here." All of a sudden, it clicked. "You're the god of Judgement. You tell souls where to go when they pass." Ahoas smiled. "Very good. Yes, I lead souls to where they go, especially those that are lost." "So I'm dead." "Not quite. If you were dead, you would have gone straight to the Judgement Hall. Instead, you went to the Land Between. You're not quite dead, but your injuries were fatal. If medical help had not arrived, you would have perished." "So, what? Are you going to tell me I have a choice, and that it's up to me what my fate is?" "You said it, so I see no point in repeating it. I will tell you that whatever choice you make, it is entirely up to you. This is a choice that doesn't require a compass. You tell me what you would like, and I will send you there. I can return you to your mortal body, or you can stay here as a spirit. This is one decision that has no right or wrong answer. It is simply whatever you prefer."

Dick felt his breath freeze in his chest. He could stay here? With Wally? But his family...they needed him. He still had to be a hero. "Still lost, I see?" Ahoas asked. "I don't know. I want to stay with Wally, but my family needs me back on Earth. My heart and my head are still conflicted." "That is not an uncommon situation here. I meet many souls who don't want to die." "I know. I've seen plenty of people who want to stay alive, no matter what. I don't know what to do." "How about a little help from your compass?" Ahoas motioned behind Dick. Dick turned around, heart racing when he saw familiar red hair. "Wally?" He gulped, moving closer to the speedster. Wally smiled. "Hey, Dickie. I see you're here already." He opened his arms to Dick, embracing his husband once more. "Sort of. I'm halfway between life and death. I can choose to stay or go back, but I don't know what to do. I want to stay with you, but I know they need me back on Earth." "I think you should go back. My life was short. I don't want you to have a short life as well. I want you to grow old. I want you to go do all the things we were going to do, then you can tell me about it when you're here for good. How's that sound?" "Sounds a little painful." "I know you can handle it. I love you, Dick." "I love you too, Wally. I'll be back one day." "I know you will. I'll be waiting, but you better not be here in the next ten years." "I'll try. I promise." Dick turned back to Ahoas, still holding on to Wally. "I want to go back." Ahoas smiled. "Nice to see you've finally found your path."

Dick opened his eyes, and found himself in a hospital room. The sky outside was dark, but the lights inside were very bright. He winced, raising his arm to block the light. His stomach hurt. Okay, time to figure out what happened. He'd clearly been injured, but who'd done it? And had he been in civies or his costume? Ahoas had referred to him as Dick, but that could mean anything. It could just be that Ahoas called everyone by their real name. Dick sat up uncomfortably, groaning softly at the pain in his stomach. There was a chart on the other side of the wall, but all that it said was he was on a liquid diet and that he'd gone into surgery for...claw slashed on his stomach? Was he attacked by an animal. The wound felt very big, so it had to have been a large animal. Or maybe a monster? It wasn't uncommon for him to come across strange things on his missions.

There was a soft knock at the door. Dick looked over to see Bruce, who had a glass of water in his hands. "Hey, Dick. How long have you been awake?" He asked, walking closer to his son. "Maybe a minute or two? Not long. What happened?" "A lab experiment got out. It went on a rampage, and you were part of the group who went to take it down. It got a good hit on your stomach, and you nearly died because of blood loss." "But I'm okay now." "Yes, you are. Have any good dreams while you were out?" "If you mean my therapy session with Ahoas and Wally? Sure. Yep. Great dreams." "You're so strange." "I know. But at least I'm here now, and I have no plans of leaving anytime soon."