Thálassa

Chapter 3

I returned back to the Cave after dropping off my belongings at the Manor.
I was still sort of steamed at Percy, but he had other things to worry about. Mostly our adoptive sister, Rosemary.
Rosemary was a British witch. She had gone to this prestigious Witch and Wizardry school called Hogwarts. Who in their right minds would name their school 'Hogwarts'? Is there a school called 'Pigfarts'? Obviously, most wizards and wizards aren't in their right minds because they think Rosemary is a dark witch. Rosemary is the most loyal person I know. I'm actually surprised she kept her demigod secret for so long. Considering she had a twin half-brother who didn't know. I would've thought she would've revealed herself sooner to save her friends or something. Which she did, but only after seven years.
Percy and I are proud of her for keeping the secret for so long. We're all just hoping that I can keep it while on the team.
There was also something else. I remembered what Percy had said.
*Flashback*
"Listen, Nere, I know you're angry..." he said through the Iris Message.
"Angry! I'm past angry! I'm infuriated! You know this might cause the discovery of all demigods! You want me to live, to train, to be with the very people we've been trying to hide from the most!" I shouted.
It was true. The capes and their scientist teams would want to experiment on us, try to see what made us tick. They would want to become their own little army. That wouldn't work. We Greek demigods hate orders and are more, "wing it" then anything else. We didn't need them, they didn't need us, so it was best for both worlds to be separated.
"Nere, there was a prophecy." This pulls me up short from my mini rant. Prophecies are a big deal in our "line of work." They can guide us, warn us of hardships. "I won't go into the specifics, but Kronos is gaining conscious. Not enough to ever again have a mortal form, but enough to influence and lead the monsters. They're are teaming up with evil masterminds from the mortal world. It's inevitable, but we can delay it. At least until we can better prepare ourselves."
CHB and the roman camp, Camp Juniper, were still getting used to the idea that there was another camp. And with the construction of a new city near CHB that was monster-proof, things weren't what you'd call stable.
"So I'm your go-between," I say.
"No, Nere!" His eyes widened. "Not at all. The Young Justice team is covert operations. We hoped you could find more info. But you can't tell anyone about being a halfblood or about this quest."
"Not even Richie?" I ask weakly. It'll be hard to keep a secret from my little bro.
"Not even Dick," He says. "I've gotta go. Nere, you're in charge of the flower decor, by the way. Bye!"
"Bye." I reply. He slashes through the IM, leaving me with a big responsibility and a secret to keep.
*Flashback*
I entered the training area. It was empty. Sighing, I brought up a training program. I hesitated before deciding to keep my jacket on. That way, if anyone watched me train, they wouldn't ask about the scars. There were four levels. Easy, medium, hard, and extreme. I chose extreme.
Four ninjas appeared. I frowned. Only four? Then, two extra set of arms appeared.
"That's more like it!" I muttered happily. They reminded me of Earthborn, in a way. I fought them without any weapons, for the extra challenge. After I dismantled the first, I dodged a thrust from the second. Then I ripped the third one's arm (they had easily breakable arms) I ducked an attack from the fourth. And so forth and so on.
After I defeated all four of the four-armed ninjas, I looked up to see the Team + Red Arrow staring at me. I uncapped a water bottle, took a long drink. Water reenergizes me, being a daughter of Poseidon after all. Then, I recapped it and pointed the water bottle at them. "What you doin?" I asked.
"How... did you do that?" KF asked. I shrugged.
"I guess I'll start training you, huh?" I asked. They shrugged. "First lesson- always have a bobby pin or a paper clip with you." I said, remembering what the Stolls and Rosemary taught me.
"Why?" Rocket asked. Out of my formerly gold satchel came some handcuffs.
"How do you have handcuffs in your satchel?" Artemis asked cautiously. I shrugged.
"I stole them from my sister's two best friends."
"Why do they have handcuffs?"
"I think they stole them. They're kleptomaniacs. They use them for practice and to teach the select few thought to be 'worthy' of their 'teachings.'" I said, making quotation marks with my fingers. "They thought I was 'worthy', like my older sis. Anyway..." I snapped the handcuffs onto my wrists. Ignoring their stares, I maneuvered my hands near my head, taking out the bobby pin I always had in my hair. Fifteen seconds later, the handcuffs were lying on the floor and I was putting the pin back in my hair.
"Now, you try. Any volunteers?" I smirked evilly. All of them except for Wally stepped back. "Thank you for volunteering, 'Wall-man'." He turned around, and noticed they had stepped back. "Dudes!" he protested. "So not cool,"
"Sorry, KF," Dick said. "Besides, you have the key, right? Right? RIGHT?" He repeated at my sheepish face. "It's in here somewhere. There's a lot of stuff in here. It's not like it matters. I'll just pick the lock," I say shrugging. Then, before he can escape, I put the handcuffs on him and hand him my bobby pin. "Pick it." I say. "How am I supposed to do that?" he complains. "Well, when I was being taught, they left me alone for nearly four hours. But, since I'm nice and we still have six people to go, I'll tell you." I pause, just to annoy him.
"Well?!?"
"Geez, Drama Queen, all you have to do it shove it in and jingle it!" I say.
"Seriously?"
"Well, you have to maneuver your hands so that it fits in the keyhole, but, essentially, yes."
After ten failed tries, Wally finally got it.
He and I forced Dick to go next. He got it fairly quickly, only two tries. Artemis was also good at it. Zatanna asked why she, M'gann and Conner had to learn it since they have superpowers. To which I answered, "Yeah, but what it they drain your powers? Or you're too tired to use them? Or they have a very strong door? Or..."
"We get it!!!" they shouted. I smirked. I loved this game.
The rest of them passed without much fail. Red actually got it in his first try. I guess he had experience picking locks.
I dramatically collapsed on the couch.
"There. I taught you something. Now I'm gonna go feed my peg...horse. I'm going to feed my horse," I corrected my near slip-up.
"You mean Dusk?" M'gann asked. I turned sharply.
"How do you know about Dusk?"
"Robin just told us you had a genetically altered horse named Dusk,"
"Did he now?" I turned to glare at my little brother, who avoided my glare. Sighing, I let them follow me outside. I gave a loud taxi whistle and then reached my mind out to him.
«Dusk?» I called mentally.
«I'm coming, boss. Whatcha need?»
«I want to to meet a few of my 'friends.'»
«Kk»
"What are you doing?" Red Arrow asked rather rudely.
"Waiting," I snapped back, scowling. But the frown soon left my face as I heard the familiar thump thump of my pegasus's wings.
«Hey boss!» Dusk said, nuzzling me.
"Hello to you, too." I chuckled. As I rubbed him under the chin, I couldn't help but remember the day we had met.
*Flashback*
I was thirteen at the time. We had just emerged from the wreckage of the Garden of the Gods, where I had met Daedelus, or Quintus, as Annabeth, Percy and Rosemary had called him. He was really smart and his workshop was amazing. He had even given me a computer, which I took special care of. I could practically see the envy radiating from Annabeth. I told her we could share it, and she seemed touched by the gesture. She carried for me as I hobbled to where Percy was.
"Now what?" I asked my god-brother.
"Here they come," he answered, not elaborating. I looked in the direction he was looking towards and gasped. There, five winged horses were flying towards us. The next few minutes were a blur. I rode a beautiful pure black pegasus as the others called them. Percy told me his name was Dusk. He was Blackjack's, Percy's pegasus, little brother. I could hear him in my head. I didn't tell Percy, he would've thought I was crazy. But when I talked, mentally of course, back, I could've sworn he had heard me too.
*Flashback*
"Thálassa? Thálassa?!? Maria?!?!" Ro-Red, Red said, snapping me out go old memories as I absentmindedly brushed Dusk's coat. "What were you thinking about?" He asked, seemingly genuinely curious. I didn't trust his concerned, rugged face. Wait, rugged?
"Nothing that concerns you," I snap, mostly out of confusion of my feelings. I feel slightly guilty when I see his hurt expression a split second before he regains his uncaring countenance.
"Team, report to the mission room," Bruc-sorry, Batman's monotone voice calls us over the speakers. We hurry to the mission room. Batman starts to talk about the mission, but I'm not paying attention. For one thing, I can't read it because of my dyslexia. For another, I have a very short attention span.
"Any questions?" Batman concluded, daring us to ask him anything. I raised a hand.
"Can I have a short summary? I wasn't listening." They all turn and look at me incredulously. The Bat sighs.
"Get into the lab. Find out what they're doing. Get out," he says bluntly. I nod.
"Short and concise. Didn't think you had it in you," I say. Batman shakes his head, partially annoyed, partially amused. "Just go," says he.
Aqualad leads us to a Martian spaceship. As I board, I murmur, "Cool ship." It's red, with black. As I sit, the seat belt latches on.
As we start to fly, I sent a silent prayer to Zeus to not blow me up.
The spacecraft is filled with an awkward silence.
"So," Wally starts. "Do you never listen?" I flush slightly and Artemis hits him in the arm. "Good going, Kid Mouth." They're so cute together. They remind me of Annabeth with Percy.
"I have ADHD; attention deficit/hyperactive disorder," I say, looking away. "I have a hard time paying attention." We lapse into another period of awkward silence.
"There is a Justice League ceremony going on," Robin whispered to me. "You think that's why the Bat let you off easy?"
"Maybe," I shrug. "Usually, he'd chew me out."
"So... Any ideas on how to break in?" Wally asked. Ric-Sorry, Robin activated his computer-glove.
"Can you project it, Thál?" he said, sending me a model of the building. Nodding, I took out my laptop. The delta glowed blue as it activated. Logging in, I brought up a 3D version of the building. I turn the screen so they can see it better.
"There are four entrances. Probably monitored with cameras and actual guards. But..." I turned the screen back to me and punched in a few commands.
"We can access the mainframe from here. If Robin can make the video loop, which he can, we can enter through the window here. There's a one minute interloop between one guard and the next, they probably won't notice us," I conclude. They're all staring at me, except Rob, who's just smirking.
"WHAT?!?" I exclaim. "Just because I'm childish doesn't mean I'm reckless or don't think things through. I leave that to my brother," I add the last sentence under my breath. Conor looked at me strange, like he heard me, rats I forgot he had super hearing, but put it aside.
We arrived at the lab. M'gann linked our minds.
«Mind link established, Aqualad,» she said cheerfully.
«This is so weird!» I thought to them.
«Tell me about it,» Red Arrow thought back.
«All right, everyone. Follow the plan,» Aqualad orders. Red Arrow, Robin, Zatanna, Aqualad, and I dropped near the access vent. Robin begins hacking.
«It's looping,» he says after a few minutes. Kid Flash began using one of the gadgets I had. It made holes in windows. We rejoined him and the rest of the team there.
30 seconds had passed and it was ⅓ way done. «This is taking to long,» I think to them. «1/2 of our time is up, and we're not even half way throught!»
«As much as it pains me to agree with her, we're going to get caught,» Red agreed.
«Gee, thanks.»
«You're welcome.»
«What can we do about it?» Superboy asks, ignoring Red and me.
«You guys hurry up, I'll do one of the things I do best,» I say, smirking and shouldering my satchel.
«And that is?» Red asks, following me.
«Pranking authority figures.»

********

«What are we doing?» Red asks.
«Shut up,» I order. We're a little ways away from the team. I'm rummaging through my bag. I take out a few random things, like tennis balls, basketballs, a watch I need Tyson to repair, sword polish, Meda's UVA 300,000 sunblock, when I find what I'm looking for.
Dungbombs, a wizard thingie that explodes and makes a bad smell. At least, that's what it's suppose to do. It's usually activated by magic, but Leo and Rosemary tinkered with it so that it would open through voice commands. At least, supposively. We haven't tested it out yet.
«What are those?» Red asks as I stuff everything back. 40 seconds.
«They explode and send out a bad smell. Supposively,» I say.
«SUPPOSIVELY?» KF yells. They've been so quiet I forgot they were there. «They've been tinkered with," I say, slightly defensively. «They haven't been tested. But, no time like the present,» I say.
I set the bombs and say, "Archimedes." Then we both run up a nearby tree, checking that the exploit on had attracted the guards. «Come on!» I say to Red and we rejoin the others where KF had finally made a hole.
We entered the lab as stealthily as possible. Which involved a lot of yelling. In our heads, of course. Kid Flash and Superboy are really bad at stealth. I don't think they've noticed though. The scientists did, though. Maybe I zoned out, because then Lex Luthor was there, aiming a giant cannon, gun, thing.
"If it isn't the Junior Justice League!" Lex said, narrowing his eyes. "And you've adopted a few new members too!"
I didn't trust the thing in his hands. I was also curious what it was. "What's that?" I asked.
«Way to be blunt, Thálassa,» Red said sarcastically.
«I don't trust that thing in his hands,» Zatanna.
«You took the words right out of my mouth. Or would it be mind, since it's a telepathic conversation?»
«As much an interesting point that is, fight now, talk later," Aqualad said.
"You can tell the capes that they're too late. Thanks to a new ally of ours, we have finished a very special formula that will finally enable our victory!"
Interesting. Could their ally be Kronos? I'd have to IM Percy after this. He also said capes. That's a demigod term. Either Lex is secretly a demigod, or he's allied himself with the monsters. I'm putting my money on the latter.
Lex aimed his blaster thingie at us. Time seemed to slow down for me. I saw Wally trying to speeding Artemis out of the way. I ran and rolled to one side of him, avoiding the blast and landing next to Lex. Grabbing a big metal baseball bat from my bag, (Long story, don't ask) I hit the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The others appeared to be covered in a sort of pink goop. I inched closer, slightly worried.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked. Kid had managed to push Artemis out of the way, but had gotten covered in goop in the process. I helped her up and we looked at the others. The goop had turned purple.
"I don't think that it's poisonous," Robin said slowly. "M'gann, can you contact the League?"
"Umm... Guys?" M'gann's voice is flirting on the edge of panic. "I think I found out what the goop does."
"What's that?" I ask as I pull out my computer and try to analyze it.
"My telepathic powers. They're gone!"