one : olympian

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( CHAPTER ONE : OLYMPIAN )


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HEARNE HAD BEEN LIVING WITH ATHENA FOR NEARLY FIVE YEARS, SHE READ THE WOMAN WELL.  She hardly ever tried to hide things, and even if she did, it took only a glance to see them. She was straightforward, genuine, and rarely ever kept secrets.

Because she knew the woman like the back of her hand, she knew that in the middle of sparring something was wrong. Athena could never hold her own--not for too long, Hearne was much more skilled than her--but she could hardly do it at all. Athena rarely did that, not unless she was sick.

With a huff, Hearne pulled Athena up with one arm, her lips set into a minuscule frown, the one that the other always said looked disapproving. "Are you ill?"

"What, do I look that bad? I thought I looked pretty good today."

Hearne's features narrowed and Athena sighed, meeting the girl's eyes. "Okay, okay. Curse you for being a mind reader. I talked to you-know-who, and he says he'd like you to join a team."

"Bruce, or Batman?" Hearne asked. "The two are entirely different."

"Batman," Athena answered. "The sidekicks--Robin, Kid Flash, those guys--they've split off, formed their own team. It's literally called The Team. But he thinks you should join."

"Why? I'm not like them. You know that, we've had this discussion."

The woman nodded, wiping at her forehead. "I know, and I know what you said. But think about it. A team of super-powered teens, given tasks by the League themselves, it'll be safe. You could finally . . . let it out in another way."

Hearne scowled at the floor, her lip twitching with irritation. "I'm not like them. I can't work with people like them."

"You don't have to work with them, you have to work beside them." Athena put a hand on her shoulder. "Please? You know that even if it makes you stronger, it's going to make you worse one day."

"Alright. But I will not--"

"Tolerate 'foolish mortals,' yes, I know."


*    *    *


HEARNE HAD NEVER personally met Bruce, nor Batman, but she had a fair suspicion of what they'd be like. She had records of Batman to go off, the highly-publicized encounters of Bruce Wayne, too, even some stories Athena tended to tell. Athena always kept it like that, never mentioning him often, only saying she was "going out" before she disappeared into the Zeta-Tube in the backyard to Gotham. It didn't take a genius to figure out that, at some point, the two had become more than friends in their own way.

The thought of sneaking into the Zeta-Tube had crossed her mind before. At first, it was to seek revenge on people that were against what her family stood for, but over time, it morphed into a want to know more. Eventually, she learned to think more for herself, and realized her family's goals weren't what she wanted anymore, and she wanted to know about the Justice League, about who they truly were. But Athena only had access to certain Zeta-Tubes to Gotham, and Hearne certainly didn't have access to anything.

The fact that she was now getting her own designation in the system seemed strange. The fact that she had a suit, tailored to her by one scan days prior, and her choice of any of the weapons she owned (within reason) to use, was numbing. 

"You look amazing," Athena said, her smile wide. "Seriously, you look . . . comfortable. Like you're meant to wear it." Her eyes drifted to the symbol of Hades on her chest. "You're doing your name well."

Hearne looked at the sacred tattoos covering her arms. "I hope so."

Athena's phone dinged and her eyes widened as she checked it. "He's here! And, remember, behave. Don't reveal your identity, either. Unless you want to. Which, I don't think you do. And, don't, unless you absolutely have to, kill. I know it's fine to you, but to them, it isn't."

Hearne nodded as she flipped the black hood over her head, darkening the part of her face that wasn't obscured by the mask around her eyes. "I will. And I won't, they will never know." She paused at the last part before she nodded once more, the small, minuscule nod she'd been taught to do. "I won't, they won't understand. They're heroes, they don't kill."

Athena smiled, giving her a pat on the shoulder as they made their way out the back door and onto the porch. "No matter what happens, I'll always be here, remember? We're . . . close."

Her jaw set in determination, the emotion draining from her face as she saw Batman standing by the door of the shed. "I remember."

She set off, walking across the dirt path to the shed, wondering if Batman felt out of his element in the middle of the countryside. He looked like he didn't belong, a sea of onyx amongst fields and cattle. She also wondered what he thought of her. He didn't know who she was, or where she came from. Who did he think she was?

"Are you ready?"

Hearne wasn't sure. "Yes, sir."

He cast one last look to Athena before he led her into the Zeta-Tube, where Hearne heard the words that sealed her fate.

B08, Olympian.




A/N!
january 24, 2020

this is so short, and i'm sorry! but it just made sense
to end it there. more will be explained into athena,
athena and bruce, and all of that. though, i'm gonna
preface by saying: athena and bruce were friends in high
school, and lost touch once he went off training. they
rekindled once he came back to gotham, and along the
way she found out he was batman, because she put the
pieces together quickly. he knows about hearne, though
he has no idea who she is, only a foster child that athena
adopted (which isn't true).

word count: 1k
edited: july 23, 2020
touched up: july 19, 2021

word count: 1kedited: july 23, 2020touched up: july 19, 2021

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