Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kon sighed. It’s so boring when there are no missions and all his friends are busy with something. Not that he’s complaining about free time, but he literally has nothing to do. Hanging upside down, he trailed his fingers over the smooth floors of Titan’s Tower as he floated aimlessly. Kon did a few lazy loops in the air until eventually, he settled down in a criss-cross position in midair. 

Is there even anything he can do? A call? A task? A place to visit? 

Maybe he should go outside. Kon sighed. No one’s even in the tower right now, which is disappointing, seeing as the only reason he’s here is to see if there’s someone he can socialize with. San Francisco is still a nice vacation spot, though. Maybe he can just step outside and enjoy the California sun for a bit.

Mind made up, Kon decided to tour the San Francisco Bay area (again) for something fun to do. Going to the beach is fun, right? Or he can find a park to play in. The possibilities are endless!

It didn’t take long to punch in the codes to unlock the door and allow him to step out of the tower. It also didn’t take long for him to fly over the houses to look for somewhere interesting. Soon, he spotted something in the distance. A stretch of trees and nature that was different from the city and the beach. Kon hovered in the air and used his phone to check his location. According to Google Maps, he was in a place called “Sonoma Valley”.

Shrugging, Kon dropped down to take a walk through the forest. Behind the cover of the trees, he got out of his superboy suit, leaving Konner Kent, a regular civilian in his place. He trekked through the woods, appreciating the nature and the fresh scent of grass here. There were birds and a water source somewhere in the background. He could also hear insects and other critters like squirrels and wolves. Ah, what a nice day- wait wolves??

Kon turned towards the direction of the wolf pack. That’s interesting, he’s never seen a real wild wolf before! Guess today won’t be boring after all. Kon listened for the heartbeats of civilians and found none nearby, which meant he could fly without worrying about identities. He took off, flying through the canopies of the trees above. 

Soon, he saw his target: a wolf pack. They seemed to be traveling. Hunting, maybe? With his powers, Kon easily kept up. The dynamic was interesting and each wolf seemed to know exactly where they needed to go. 

The interactions between the pack reminded him of his team. They worked well together through years of cooperation, just like this pack. It was heartwarming and made the wolf pack even cooler. They clearly understand the power of friendship. 

And the wolves were so fluffy ! At that moment, he decided, as a brand new wolfwatcher, birdwatchers have nothing on him. 

They are kind of big, though. He noted. I thought they were the same size as huskies, but they’re more the size of bobcats. He moved even closer so he could observe the wolves better. The leading wolf turned around, presumably to interact with the rest of the wolves-

And raised its head to stare straight into his eyes.

——————————

The wolf’s gleaming silver eyes pinned Kon in place, its too-intelligent gaze seemed to shoot right through him, burning him. He suddenly felt like prey, being hunted by something so much more powerful than he was. He felt like a butterfly on a board, dissected by the gaze of a predator he can never escape. Despite having the high ground and several superpowers, he felt hunted, as if the wolf would swallow him whole and leave nothing behind.

Which was ridiculous, because he’s Superboy . It’s not like the wolf has kryptonite lying around. It’s literally an animal. Kon’s fought giant robots, extraterrestrials, extra-dimensional beings, etc. It’s not even a mutated wolf. 

And yet Kon stays still, careful not to disrespect or aggravate the wolf. Something in him tells him that the wolf is dangerous, and, well, he has long since learned to trust his gut instincts in his line of work.

“Come down.” The wolf speaks, in a tone so commanding that Kon is already floating down before he’s even processed the fact that she can speak. Halfway down the tree, he jolts at the command. Oh. That explains the unease. Not a normal wolf after all. 

“Who are you?” He asked cautiously. He did not want to piss off this pack of wolves. The pack moves to be right under him, some even bearing their teeth. If he were to drop down, he would be surrounded by wolves. Wolves that are definitely bigger than average wolves, because he’s pretty sure the wolf that spoke is taller than even him. He didn’t notice earlier, but he sure sees it now. 

The leading wolf has beautiful red fur and absolutely radiated power. Her steely eyes were still locked onto him when she replied, “I am Lupa, Roman goddess and the She-Wolf.” 

Kon’s eyes widened at the answer. The wolves are prancing right below him, waiting for him to make a mistake. Kon has never felt more threatened by a single sentence. 

Lupa’s lips curled back to reveal rows of sharp teeth. “You do not belong here.” Around her, the wolves growled. Kon’s heart was beating like a jackrabbit in his chest. 

“Wait, a goddess? What do you mean by that?”

“You are a child of another land, favored by other gods.” Lupa sneered and stalked forward. The wolves followed and Kon floated higher to be out of reach. He has never been more confused and scared in his life. 

Then she lunged, and Kon yelped as he was pulled down by his leg. The pack piled onto him, and for a few moments, he struggled to shake them off. Growls and snarls filled his air and his vision was blocked by fur. Kon flailed within the wolf pile. He could feel their sharp teeth and claws over his skin, but thankfully, they couldn’t pierce through. 

Kon blocked a silver wolf lunging for his throat with his forearm, then swung around to throw it onto a dark brown wolf. Both went down, but more came at him. He shoved the closest wolves away from him and shot up into the sky. He yelped as a few wolves slung to him still, shaking them off and dodging wolves jumping at him as he ascended. 

Finally, he was free of the pack. The wolves prowled beneath him, anxious and aggressive, but he was too high up for them to reach. The new height kept him far from the jump range of even Lupa. He struggled to calm his heart down, the fresh adrenaline keeping his muscles tense. 

He shivered as he watched the wolves pace below him. If he wasn’t a Kryptonian, he’d be dead now. 

Kon could fly away. He should fly away, but for some reason, he stayed. Lupa seemed to study him for a moment, but this time, there was something like approval in her eyes. Kon had the feeling that he had just passed some sort of test, though he didn't know what.

Lupa seized him up one last time, then said, “Come. It’s high time for Rao’s children to meet ours. Since ” She turned around and started walking in a direction, the pack following behind her. Bewildered, Kon followed the wolves. He didn't know why, but he knew it was the right choice.

What even is my life? He wondered, feeling very much out of his depth.

——————————

Now, Hazel isn’t a pessimist. In fact, she’d even say she’s the opposite. However, recent events may have made her a little negative.

Jason, dead. Nico, gone. Leo, missing. (again! Leonidas Valdez, you are so dead when we find you! Was one time not enough?!) And if that wasn’t enough, apparently something is going on with Lupa, too.

Hazel has the feeling that something bad is going to happen, and she doesn’t like it. Lupa has been seen several times throughout the past month, which is unusual because she never goes near camp. Once the demigods leave her, they’re on their own. So although the entire camp is technically her children, they are considered part of the legion rather than part of her house. 

All of this comes to a head when someone flies into Camp Jupiter. Emphasis on the flying part because no one has ever done that. Not even Jason, because he made the trek on foot. The only demigods with the power of flight are children of wind gods… or Jupiter himself.

And unfortunately, this new arrival radiates power the way that normal demigods don’t. He carries with him a sort of confidence that only those with power do. He holds himself like he’s invulnerable.

Hazel couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja vu. It was just like when she saw Percy for the first time. Percy had looked like a god to her, then. This guy, just like Percy, has a sort of otherworldly aura to him. Hazel would know, she’s manipulated the Mist enough times to recognize things or people that are other .

She sincerely hoped there would not be another great prophecy, but she wouldn’t hold her breath. The demigod life has taught her that Tyche never gives enough luck to them. 

Hazel prays to the gods, once again, for everything to turn out okay. It’s never worked before, but just in case.

Hazel breathes in, and the praetor of the Twelfth Legion steps forth. “Hello.”

The young man turns to face her, confused. Just like Percy was on the first day. Her brain unhelpfully reminded her. He blinked, looked at the soldiers behind her, blinked again, and then looked back at her. 

“Uh, hello?” His lost expression would be funny if she wasn’t busy worrying over his parentage and potential familial relation to the king of the gods. 

Behind her, the legion shifts, evidently agitated. They’re depending on her, their leader, so instead of voicing her worries, Hazel squared her shoulders. “Do you know where you are?”

He shakes his head. Oh gods, this is just like Percy’s situation. Please do not have amnesia and then need to go on a quest to save the world from some powerful being. He scanned the camp curiously, but Hazel could also see cautiousness in his eyes. “Ok, so who are you? A talking wolf kinda told me to get here? I honestly have no idea what is going on right now.” He suddenly stopped, his forehead furrowing. “Wait, this is Camp Jupiter, right?”

“Yes,” Hazel replied, perplexed by his reaction but not showing it, “My name is Hazel Levesque and I am the praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Who are you?” Her eyes narrowed. He may claim to have been sent by Lupa, but he could also easily be anyone. As a praetor, she must be suspicious of outsiders to ensure the safety of the legion.

“Um,” the newcomer paused, seemingly debating with himself before replying, “it’s Kon, with a K.”

Hazel spared a glance at the people behind her, then came to a decision. “Come with me.” She commanded and turned around, the swish of her purple cape no doubt making her look like some sort of superhero. Kon followed her, clearly still confused but willing to cooperate.

Good. Now, time to handle this while causing as little problems as possible.

Chapter Text

A knot had sat heavy in his chest since Barbara broke the news and only loosened when Bruce finally laid eyes on all of his children.

Well, almost all. Cassandra was still on the plane, but he made sure to rush her over from Hong Kong the second he heard the news. She’s still around fourteen hours out, but he trusts that she can take care of herself (even if he still feels jittery whenever he thinks about the fact that she is all alone and completely by herself right now).

Barbara had called him in from patrol to take a look at a message from the League, prompting both Batman and Robin to immediately return to the Cave. Thus, Damian had been right next to him when she broke the news, his face changing from curious impassivity to pure shock in mere moments. They were both able to read the decoded message in League Dialect and Barbara was right – Ra’s al Ghul is dead.

Bruce still doesn’t quite believe it himself. Over five hundred years of escaping death… what could have happened to bring down Ra’s al Ghul? What even could bring down Ra’s al Ghul?

Cass, who had been on call with Barbara the entire time, started packing right away while Bruce quickly purchased a ticket for her straight to Gotham. Tim was woken from his bed by Alfred while Stephanie was called in from her patrol. Dick’s patrol in Bludhaven was similarly interrupted by Oracle’s alert and he drove in from Bludhaven.

Even Jason came. Normally, he would’ve ignored any and all Bat meetings, especially if Bruce was there, and even more especially if the alert came from Bruce. However, this time, Bruce had sent out one of the most severe alerts, reserved for big calamities that required all hands on deck. The only alerts more severe than this one are the ones for when a family member has died, nuke threats, alien/interdimensional invasions, or other problems of similar caliber. Despite their differences, Jason would never ignore an alert like this.

The Cave had been in an uproar once the news came out, and everyone present had been speculating on Ra’s cause of death since the meeting started, before they had even finished confirming that the information was real. 

Most of his children are debating, but Jason is leaning against the wall, clearly agitated but not engaging, yet. 

This is probably not a good time, but... Bruce doesn't know when Jason will come around again. He doesn't want to miss this chance.

Slowly, he makes his way to stand next to Jason, who tenses and pretends not to see him.

Bruce awkwardly cleared his throat, "Jason."

"Bruce," Jason side-eyes him. Slowly, Bruce reaches into the Batsuit and draws out a ticket. He offers it to his son, who eyes it like one would a rabid raccoon.

"It's for a book event, the one you were ranting about," Bruce shifts nervously under Jason's incredulous gaze, "I invited the author to Gotham to host an event here."

Jason stares at the ticket, then at his face, then back down at the ticket. Then, slowly, he says, "You invited Sally Jackson to Gotham."

"Yes."

"Because I ranted about her book once."

"...Yes?"

"You," Jason looked constipated. "I don't even know what to say." He pointed at Bruce, seemingly fighting with himself about something, "You, you idiot!"

Bruce just stood there stupidly. Was this the wrong choice? Was he not supposed to- 

The ticket is snatched out of his hand before he could overthink. Jason marches away without another word towards his siblings. He seemed taken aback, but also... happy? Bruce hopes he's happy, at least.

Maybe he did it right, this time. Bruce doesn't squash down his hopes this time, following his son's retreating back as he joins in on the debate. 

Chapter Text

"See? I called it!" Percy cackled. "You are blond Superman!"

"Not blond anymore, though," Annabeth mused.

Jason groaned. "It's been, what? Ten years??"

Percy had purposefully arranged a gathering just so he could say how right he was, coming up with that nickname. Even though he came up with that name almost a decade ago during the Giant War... And also to make fun of Jason's newest hair change. Smug bastard.

"This is why I'd never be a movie star," Hazel shuddered, "Look at your hair! So much gel..."

"It's Superman's iconic swirl!" Jason threw his hands up. "What am I supposed to do? Not look like Superman when it's literally my role?!"

"Hey, maybe he only got the hair swirl after puberty," Percy suggested as Leo snickered. "You're young Superman, you could forgo it."

"You just look better with blond hair," Piper complained. "I don't like this."

Leo nodded solemnly. "It doesn't even look like Jason anymore."

Jason threw a pillow at their heads. Leo cackled, not even bothering to dodge.

"At least I'm taller than all of you." And now it's his turn to smirk. Everyone who's been making fun of him were shorter than him, after all.

Five pillows were immediately launched at him. "Hey! My living room!" Jason dodged the projectiles with ease -- it's all monster fighting experience.

Frank raised his hand, "I'm taller than you."

"I was talking to the people-" Jason glared, "-who made fun of my hair!"

"Well, I prefer blond Jason too," Frank said innocently. Jason knows he's not innocent. He said that on purpose because, unlike the others, Jason can't use his height against him. 

Jason picked up a pillow from the ground. "It's not even that bad!"

A pillow fight ensues.

——————————

"Mr. Grace, can you divulge-"

"Mr. Grace, is it true that-"

"Mr. Grace!"

"Mr. Grace! Have you-"

Clark watched the new up-and-coming movie star wince from the bombardment of questions thrown his way. This must be his first time at a gala being hounded by reporters, but he'll probably get used to dealing with them soon, considering his rising fame. He was casted as Superman in the new Superman movie, after all. Well, technically young Superman, but still.

There were four Supermans total, the infant Superman (to show his departure from Krypton in a spaceship), the kid Superman (to show his childhood), young Superman (to show Superman in his early days when he was still starting out), then finally current-age Superman (in the epilogue to show how much he’s grown). The movie focuses on his journey as Superman, so it’s all early day stuff. 

If Clark remembers right, they’re also planning to make a Justice League one soon…? Early Justice League, at least, so Jason Grace will get to play early day Superman again. Mostly because there were already current-age Justice League movies with older actors, but the movie industry is still trying to crank out a few more superhero movies due to their popularity, hence the early day Justice League movies. 

As for Clark, he feels nothing but embarrassment about the new Superman movies premiering in just a few months. This movie has the permission of the Justice League, and he did an interview on it, but… It's just weird to have a whole movie about yourself, especially since most of the "facts" are wrong. The world believes him to have grown up in the Arctic in the Fortress of Solitude, so the movie -- especially the parts that young Superman would be in -- displays his childhood at the North Pole.

And the Justice League movies… It’s going to be so awkward. He can still remember the dumpster fire that the Justice League was when the team was first created. They barely even knew each other, much less trust each other. Batman had been even more of a pain to work with than he is now, and they constantly disagreed over everything. They almost disbanded a few times, too. The public also knew that they didn’t always get along well in the beginning, so that’s undoubtedly also making it into the movie…

Clark felt too embarrassed to ask about a movie on himself , so he left that for Lois to handle while he tried to interview some of the other big shots at the gala.

It’s not going to be out for a while, though; it's only the Superman movie right now, thankfully. One at a time, right? So it’s really not that bad. Sure, he keeps hearing about the new Superman movie everywhere, and seeing ads everywhere, and news, and…

Ok, it is that bad. 

It’s getting ridiculous, honestly. He's been seeing so many billboards of the new Superman movie that he almost smacked into one once while flying through Metropolis. He had to research it for the Daily Planet, too. Watching all the teasers... just thinking about it made him wince. 

Jason Grace did it well, though. He had to dye his hair black for the role, and had apparently scraped himself quite a few times shooting the flying scenes, but Clark could see how good his acting was in the teasers. The flying looked a lot less artificial than movies usually showed.

Guess that's something he can look forward to in the movie, since Lois was already planning on dragging him to the cinema to see it... She just wants to embarrass him, really.

He sighed and went back to vying for interviews. At least it might be interesting.

——————————

“So,” Oliver smirked, his elbows on the table and his hand tucked under his chin. “How are you enjoying the new movie?”

Clark groaned. “Stop!”

“I heard it showed a lot of Superman’s hardships in the past,” Hal snickered. 

Barry grinned, “All true events too, from the Man of Steel himself!”

“Will you stop making fun of me!”

Everyone laughed. Clark put his head in his hands. Of course, all of his friends just had to make fun of him.

Then Bruce walked in alongside Diana and… John Constantine. Oh.

What is he doing here? Constantine is only ever on the Watchtower when there are magical issues…

Almost everyone in the room collectively groaned. Pretty much everyone hates dealing with magic.

Batman walked to the front as Wonder Woman settled in her chair. “Constantine has something to tell us.” He motioned to the brit, then glided across the floor to his own chair.

The sorcerer sighed. “So, there’s been some sort of leak from Tartarus…”

——————————

In the end, it basically boiled down to: Tartarus energy is bad. There’s also been divine energy peaking around the Tartarus energy  – Greek gods in particular – which may or may not also be bad. Wonder Woman doesn’t think so, but Batman disagrees. This was originally just a Justice League Dark issue, but it became too big for them to handle alone when monsters started to crawl out of the Tartarus leaks and then disappeared on Earth, so now the entire League has to help track them down and kill them before they do any damage.

An average Tuesday, honestly. After dealing with alien invasions, brainwashing, insane villains, etc every week Superman is just used to it. Yes, he knows all of these are dangerous and he will always do his best to protect Earth, but he also can’t help but complain a little on the inside. Why can’t villains, aliens, and monsters be neutralized from Hawaii or something? Clark really wants a vacation.

The League had figured out pretty quickly that normal weapons did absolutely nothing against the monsters. Except for Wonder Woman’s sword and Arthur’s trident, none of the other weapons worked. Batman and Green Arrow were both pretty annoyed about it. On the other hand, magic, energy blasts, Superman’s lasers, Manhunter’s psychic attacks, etc… they all work, although some are more effective than others. Science-based energy blasts, for one, dealt a lot less damage than magical blasts. 

Superman had battled a giant snake with enough strength to throw him around, so although he sustained no injuries, it was still annoying. Physical attacks were only mildly effective, so he had to rely almost completely on his laser eyes to deal damage. His suit was completely ripped by the end of the fight, although he did end up killing it. All the monsters just turned to dust after death, which is strange, but definitely made cleanup much easier. 

“Uhhh, guys?” His comm crackled to life. It was Green Lantern. “I’m seeing some random kids fighting these giant dogs like the ones Manhunter and I fought yesterday. And they’re succeeding! One of them is flying, and they have weapons that work on these monsters. ”

“Children?” He could hear the frown in Wonder Woman’s tone. “How?”

Lantern was quick to reply, “Not literal children, I think they’re in their twenties. Maybe. Wait- one just turned into a bear!”

The comms immediately flooded with questions, but quickly quieted when Green Lantern exclaimed, “Holy shit- Is that Jason Grace?”

“Jason Grace?!”

“Like the Superman actor??”

——————————

It took only a minute for Clark to pinpoint Hal’s location through his heartbeat and fly there. He wasn’t lying. Jason Grace was flying and battling the dogs with a sword. There was a shapeshifter turning into different animals, as well as a blond girl stabbing away with a dagger. 

The last dog turned to dust before either superhero could reach the trio. They hadn’t noticed the two yet because they were both floating in mid-air, which is good, because Clark is pretty sure if the three knew he and Lantern were there, they would’ve been gone already.

The two superheroes flew down. “Who are you?” Hal didn’t miss a beat. “And what was that?!”

“Green Lantern?!” The shapeshifter said in surprise, revealing himself to be an Asian boy (man?) who, funnily enough, completely towered over Green Lantern despite the latter’s role as the interrogator.

The girl cursed under her breath while Jason Grace (what?!) stepped back with wide eyes.

“Uh, my question?” Hal said when no one moved.

The girl groaned. “I knew Tyche hated us,” she grumbled. “Fine, ask your questions.”