Athena and the League of Assassins (An Arrow: Season 3 Fanfiction)

Chapter 10: Yet Another Cruel Truth

'Where is she?' Nyssa Al Ghul asked, worry and anger flashing in her eyes as she pointed the bow at Oliver. 'Where is Sara? She came here for the League two weeks ago. We've not heard from her since.' 

'There's something I have to tell you,' Oliver replied softly. Her lips parted softly in a small, silent gasp. 

'Sara's dead?'

'I'm so sorry.' She lowered the bow slowly, almost as if in defeat. 

'It was an arrow, wasn't it?' 

'How do you know that?'

'Where's her body?' 

'Nyssa...' Oliver tried to say, but was cut off. 

'Where?!' she asked desperately. 

'We buried her in her grave from seven years ago.' Lowering the bow fully, Nyssa stormed out of the building. Oliver turned to Roy. 

'She knows something. I want you to follow her. But be careful.' Roy nodded. 'I have to meet Thea and Evelyn.' He then turned and walked away. 

At a resturant... 

Oliver entered the room and gave Thea a kiss on the cheek and touched my head tenderly. 

'Hi,' he said softly. 'Sorry I'm late.' 

'Late is your 'on time', Ollie,' Thea commented. I giggled. 

'So much for my promise that things would be different, right?' Oliver asked jokingly. 

'Relax, it's fine,' Thea replied reassuringly. 

'Dinner is on me,' Oliver said. 

'Ooh, free food. I'm down,' I chimed in, from where I was taking a sip of white wine and perusing the menu. 

'With what money?' Thea responded. 'Aren't you broke?' She made a face. 

'Um... aren't you?' Oliver replied in turn. 

'Not so much, actually. When I decided to come back, I had no idea what I wanted to do, and realised I kinda missed the club. And turns out, a lot of other people do too. I have investors. And they're going to help me buy back the Foundry from Queen Consolidated.' 

'I'm thrilled for you,' Oliver said, letting a smile slip. 'That's fantastic. You seem changed. Stronger.' 

'After last year, I... don't see any other way it could have turned out.' 

'And that's it?' Oliver asked curiously. 'You're not seeing anyone, or...' 

'Hoping Roy didn't put you up to asking that.' 

'Chill with the overprotective big brother act, Oliver,' I said from my spot at the table, leaning back, taking another sip of wine as I eyed them. 

'No, I'm just trying to figure out why you're so different.'

'How about just being my big brother instead?' He sighed. 

'Okay.' 

Laurel Lance stood in front of her sister's gravestone. Nyssa walked up behind her slowly, stealthily, in that way that always makes your heart jump out of your chest whenever you are startled by someone. But Laurel wasn't quite startled. She turned, and said one word. 

'Nyssa.' The young, dark-haired woman knelt by the gravestone, speaking Arabic softly in what seemed to be a prayer for the dead. Nyssa stood and turned to Laurel. 

'You have my condolences,' she said softly. 'And that of my father, Ra's Al Ghul.' 

'I don't want your condolences,' Laurel snapped. 'And I definitely don't want your father's.' Nyssa's face was passive. She turned and began to walk away from Laurel, before the young woman snapped back. 

'She died with arrows in her chest! Do you think that would have happened if she hadn't met you? You were the one that showed her the darkness inside. You and your father.' 

'I know you grieve,' Nyssa replied softly. If she took slight to Laurel's snappy, grief-filled comments, she said nothing. 'But so do I. I didn't show Sara the darkness, Laurel. It was already inside of her when we met. When I found her alone, starving and terrified, I protected her. I took Sara into my heart and loved her with all of my soul. And that jacket...' she said, gesturing to the article of clothing that Sara had given to Laurel, the one that she was currently wearing, '... I gave it to Sara as a gift. You are not fit to wear it.' Nyssa turned once more and walked away, leaving the grieving sister without words. 

Making her way to the League safehouse, Nyssa sat on a bench, broke down and wept. 

'She's moving,' Roy said on the phone to Oliver as he and I walked down the street. 

'Where?' Oliver asked over the line. 

'She went to visit Sara's grave and now she's on the top floor of some dump on Amsterdam. Could be where she's crashing. League of Assassins safehouse or something.' 

'Text me the address,' Oliver replied, then ended the call. 

As Nyssa sat and wept on the bench, Oliver and I found the building she was in and invaded the space, coming to stand behind her. She must have definitely noticed us, because she spun, laying blades across both of our throats. 

'Are you ready to talk?' I asked. She let us go immediately, letting everyone in the room have breathing space. She sheathed her blades. 

'We have nothing to discuss,' she said, her eyes bright and angry, fresh, yet drying tears still lingering in them. 

'The trail for Sara's killer has gone cold,' Oliver said. 'And I - we, could really use your help.' She spun around to face Oliver and I again. 

'Whereas I don't need yours.'

'Really?' Oliver asked. 'We're gathering evidence, we're working leads. You're visiting cemeteries and hiding in League safehouses.' 

'I am not hiding,' she snapped, coming up close to the two of us again, the same bright, angry expression on her face again. 'And this is not my safe house. It was Sara's while she was in Starling.' Oliver walked over to the duffel bag on the table and began to search through it, freezing in his place when he picked up a yellow can with decorative writing on it. 

'These were her favorites.' We all let a smile slip with that as he placed it on the table and walked up to Nyssa, myself coming up between the two. Hopefully just in case everything went wrong between Nyssa and Oliver. 'You said Sara was in Starling for the League. That suggests her target was also her killer.' 

'Agreed. Except it wasn't her target. Sara came to Starling to confirm rumours. Whispers, really, that an enemy of the League was here.'

'Wait...' I asked, dragging it out. 'Who what now? Who?' 

'Malcolm Merlyn. He's alive.'