Chapter 61

A quick glance at the time was more than enough to alert me to the fact that the newest members of the Titans would be arriving soon. Miss Martian would be arriving by the Zeta Tube, whereas the other two were going to enter the city normally.

Well, as normal as Zatanna could really be, I guess.

“Not that this hasn’t been fun, but I do need to be going back.”

Ethan expressed after sitting up. Showcasing that he had responsibilities as well. It was also possible that he noticed my look at the clock and went from there. He wasn’t as well versed on everyone’s expression as I was, but he was much more thoughtful when he could read them. Something that I didn’t have the patience for.

Back to Gotham, huh? I must admit, I was feeling a bit homesick myself. Though I didn’t have a gang of drug traffickers to keep me tied down there.

I gave Ethan a nod.

“After this I’ll check out the apartments myself. To see if everythings fine.”

Ethan hummed at that before giving me a side eye. Glancing towards Beast Boy and Min-Jun before looking back at me. His head tilted in the direction of the door.

“You mind walking me out?”

Another way of saying he wanted to say something a bit more private without being overheard. I nodded and went with him to the door.

“I doubt I need to tell you this of all people, but make sure you don’t get too involved with them. They may be here willingly, but that won’t change the fact that some will die. Hell, half of them might just bite it on their own.”

He was correct of course. Progress had a price and I had intentionally chosen those with little to lose.

“Sounds like you’re trying to dissuade me.”

Ethan scoffed at that.

“Absolutely not. Even if you’re only capable of a fraction of what you said the pay offs with be massive. I only thought to say something because…well, you’ve gotten rather chummy with the Titans.”

“So?”

I questioned, only leading Ethan to give me an amused look.

“You’ve definitely changed, that’s for sure.”

“…Is it that bad?”

Ethan rubbed his chin in thought before putting a hand on the doorknob. Slowly pulling it open with a creak and getting Min-Jun’s attention. As she started to lightly jog back towards him.

“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily bad or good per se. Just different. If anything, you’re becoming more like me.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not start balding.”

Ethan snorted derisively at me.

“Oh, go fuck yourself.”

Min-Jun gave me a wave as Ethan shook his head. Refusing to look back at me as the pair made their way to the elevator. Beast Boy then quickly attempted to fill the void where they had left.

“So…those were friends of yours? That’s cool. I didn’t know you had any. Er…I mean, you just don’t really hang out with people outside the-”

“-Aren’t you still on patrol?”

“…This isn’t coming out of my allowance, is it?”

It absolutely was.

*~o~*

I got quite a few looks in public as I was dressed up in my superhero outfit. It was my belief that being seen in public greeting Zatanna and Artemis would be beneficial for everyone involved. Of course, I wasn’t so dense as to not alert the two of my intentions.

That way there wouldn’t be any possible awkward meetings with them still using their civilian identities.

Artemis was the first one I’ll be meeting, then Zatanna, and then Miss Martian once we’re all back at the Tower. Though technically it was possible that Miss Martian could arrive earlier than expected and have the entire team meet her before the other new members.

Or as Beast Boy likes to call them, the third generation.

A crowd had started to build up around me with people taking out their phones in order to take pictures or videos. Personally, I didn’t much care. Though I value my privacy quite highly, this was a public area. I was also well aware of what would happen if I went, and thus prepared.

It also wasn’t as bad as I thought. Considering no one has approached me so far.

Though that changed when Artemis arrived.

I chose this location specifically due to its proximity to the airport. Where she would have just come from. Why she didn’t just take Zeta tube was beyond me, but I didn’t really care enough to question it. Besides, it worked out in my favor.

The crowd quickly parted for her as she slowly walked towards me. Confidence in every step while not looking at the crowd at all. Hmm, seems she could handle a lot of attention.

The crowd themselves were both panicked and excited. Likely because they weren’t all that aware of Artemis herself. So whether she was evil or good was still up in the air.

“…Should I expect them to start making toys of me too?”

Artemis asked before offering an outstretched hand. To which I grabbed and shook with a slight smile. My eyes narrowed for a moment as I locked onto Artemis’s face.

Now that I had a closer look, she was blushing just a bit. Her eyes were also slightly dilated.

So, she wasn’t as unfazed by the crowd as I had first thought.

“What, are you against the idea of little girls looking up to you?”

She huffed a bit at that. Crossing her arms and giving the crowd just the barest glance before meeting your eyes again.

“When you put it like that…”

Alright, I’d spare her from anymore of this. I tilted my head towards my left. She gave me a nod of understanding, allowing us to start moving away from the crowd.

And towards the main street of Jump City.

*~o~*

I expected Zatanna’s entrance to be many things, but what I hadn’t expected was her to come crashing in. A strange purplish portal seemed to rip open several stories above me and Artemis. With Zatanna herself being flung out of it.

Her body immediately started to spiral in the air as she let out a squeal of fear as the pavement quickly gained on her. I thought this might have been some sort of stunt to impress either me or Artemis, but as she came closer and closer to the ground I decided to step in just in case.

Catching her in my arms before she hit the ground.

She simply started to take in breath roughly as I set her down. A wild look in her eyes and her hair was a bit…messy. Which was odd. I thought she fixed it up with magic…

“T-thanks for the assist, Law.”

I waved my hand to discard it as Artemis put in her own two cents.

“You alright? That was a pretty big fall.”

Zatanna’s eyes quickly locked onto Artemis and started to nod violently. After seeing that Artemis was a bit weirded out by her reaction, she coughed into her hand before adjusting herself.

“xif ym sehtolc dna riah!”

Her voice seemed to not only gain a certain level of confidence, but also a bit of an echo. Almost like you were hearing her say the same thing twice at an impossible speed.

After she spoke her words, her hands glowed faintly with a bright blue aura before dissipating. Her hair quickly smoothed and brushed itself back to an almost perfect degree. Her clothes that had been a bit scuffed were now completely smoothed over.

And the more natural look she was giving the two of us was almost was enough to make me forget that she had just fallen from the sky. Almost.

“Zatanna, this is Artemis. Artemis, Zatanna. We should probably start heading to the Tower.”

They both exchanged pleasantries before Zatanna quickly looked up to the sky in panic before looking back towards me with a fake calm look.

“Yeah, that sounds great. The sooner the better!”

…Hm.

*~o~*

Miss Martian was the last member to be acquired. Despite being noticeably rather nervous, she was quick to put herself out there in front of everyone. Leading for the other new members to quickly accept her into their little circle.

Ravager was also here but was rather...standoffish. Not standing with the Titans or the other new members. Just somewhere in between. The Titans themselves were in a group largely to themselves. Talking amongst each other while occasionally looking over at the new recruits.

There were only two that weren’t talking, and that was because they were too busy staring at the new members.

Kid Flash was one I expected. He was…rather easy to understand and guess. It wasn’t like he made any attempt to hide his motives.

Beast Boy however…that was unexpected. I hadn’t seen this side to him before. I knew he was the youngest of the Titans, but not his exact age. Perhaps puberty had just hit him or something?

I had thought him older, but that was the only explanation I had for his rather intense gaze towards Miss Martian. Perhaps her green skin appealed to him? Curious how he didn’t react to her like this when her hologram came up during a meeting.

Then again, the holograms don’t really show color, and Beast Boy wasn’t known for paying attention…

After a round of introductions between the new recruits and the Titans, I proceeded to lead them outside the tower. Onto the island itself where the Tower sat. It was a mostly rocky area with a road leading downwards into the tunnels below the lake. There was however still a training area that had been set up a while ago by us.

Which was our destination.

“Introducing yourselves by name is important, but so too is your power and how you use it. Only so much can be said through words, so we’ll be giving a hands-on demonstration of what you can do in a spar.”

Ravager huffed and Artemis stepped up.

“And who will we be sparring against?”

“Me. Though my aim won’t be to win, but to help showcase what you can do. That said, I won’t be a complete pushover.”

I responded to Artemis, making her and the other girl’s nod. Besides Ravager, who just rolled her eye in contempt.

Alright then, we’ll start with…

“Zatanna. Would you mind being the first?”

She shook her head in the negative and wore a beaming smile. Seeming genuinely excited at the idea.

And…this time it didn’t seem faked.

We started with a good bit of distance between the two of us. Zatanna was a ranged fighter, and that’s what I would be showing off. Cyborg started off the spar causing me to start making my way towards Zatanna.

Not at a dead sprint of course, but not slowly either. I needed to put pressure on her, but not so much that she couldn’t perform. Otherwise, her reputation would take a hit from both the Titans and the newest generation.

She was quick to respond.

“dnib mih!”

Rope immediately materialized around me. I attempted to juke out of the way, but they quickly followed. Wrapping themselves around my midsection and arms as I struggled to get free. Unsurprisingly I had genuine trouble doing either. Even if I used my full strength, I was unsure if I could break free.

Zatanna herself wore an excited and confident face that only grew when both the Titans and the other recruits cheered her on.

I couldn’t blame them. I didn’t know much about magic, but from what I did understand it was not only powerful but extremely versatile. Even still, the battle wasn’t over.

I still could use my legs after all.

After a small struggle, I continued to pivot towards her. Leading her to give me a fully confident smile as she turned her attention towards me.

“So you want to play with magic? Boy, you should know falling for.”

I blinked at that. Pausing in my advance.

“…Did you just quote Katy Perry at me?”

Zatanna blushed furiously at my question.

“N-no! I don’t even know who that is.”

Holy shit was she a terrible liar. Artemis snorted a bit in amusement while the other Titans gave looks of levity towards Zatanna. With Beast Boy yelling out that he loves Katy Perry, much to Zatanna’s embarrassment.

My advance continued quickly with a burst of speed. This time I put a bit of effort in order to push Zatanna a bit. Showcase how well she does under pressure.

So she started to flail her hands about in surprise before taking a step back. Well, that was disappointing, but she still had a bit of time before I closed in on her. She paused for a second before finding her voice and her previous confidence.

“hsams mih htiw a remmah!”

A large blur of blue color started to form in front of me before quickly forming into something of substance. And that substance was…

A massive blow-up hammer. That is, one of those inflatable red toy ones that were full of air. I had only a few seconds to prepare as it descended on me. To which I simply put up my arms easy like.

It was absolutely massive, true, but it was still an inflatable-

My back was instantly blown into the ground below me. Cratering everything around me as blood started to pour out from my nose. There was little I could do but accept what felt like Galatea wearing a boxing glove and crashing it against my body.

After the hammer magically disappeared, I was left staggering a bit in order to get back up.

“Oh my god. I am so, so sorry!”

Zatanna was quick to apologize but I waved her off with a chuckle. Wiping the blood off of my nose as it quickly stopped running.

“Don’t be. This whole thing is about showcasing what you guys can do. If you can wound me, it only shows how capable you really are.”

“Good to know.”

Ravager responded cooly, gaining a few looks from everyone. After cracking my neck, I quickly noticed that I had fully recovered from Zatanna’s attack. Well, mentally getting the shit slapped out me by a toy would take a lot longer to heal.

“You only needed two moves to take me by surprise and wound me. Very impressive Zatanna.”

The dark-haired girl herself blushed a bit at my praise before twirling the end of her hair a bit. The other Titans also chimed in with their opinions. Most of which were also a form of flattery. Though I couldn’t help but overhearing a conversation in the back between Raven and Beast Boy of all people.

“He’s…cheery.”

Beast Boy nodded at her comment.

“Yeah, he’s been pretty happy after meeting his friends earlier.”

Kid Flash gave Beast Boy a look.

“…Friends? Him?”

Ouch. Though I wasn’t exactly a very social person myself, it wasn’t like I was Raven. Or hell, Kid Flash. I could actually talk to people without shooting myself in the foot.

I just don’t normally if there’s nothing to gain.

“Oh right. I forgot to mention to you guys about the mentors.”

Of course, I hadn’t actually, but it sounded like a good path to segway into. The four newest members of the Titans each gave me different looks in response.

“Uh, I thought we were all equals here?”

Artemis spoke up with a level of confusion, leading me to nod.

“We are. There aren’t any actual mentors. It’s just members of the Titans who’ll basically show you around the Tower and help you understand what’s expected of you at the Tower.”

When Artemis had spoken up, she looked a good bit cautious, but after my clarification she relaxed. Hmm, seems like she wasn’t in the mood for another teacher or mentor figure.

Ah, I see.

I think I had a good idea of what Artemis wanted from the Titans.

“So, like a tour guide?”

Miss Martian offered, to which I nodded. She seemed rather delighted to be correct. Like someone who had just answered a question correctly on a gameshow and was walking home with some cash.

“Zatanna, your guide will be Raven.”

The newest member offered a casual and friendly wave to Raven, who seemed to simply frown and giver her a small barely imperceptible nod. Which caused Zatanna to grimace.

“Miss Martian, your guide is S-“

“Me, actually!”

I blinked as Beast Boy interrupted me and stepped forward. A quick glance towards Starfire showed that she was perfectly fine with this, and didn’t seem surprised at all. He must have already brought it up with her then.

Well, it wasn’t as if I really cared who did it as long as it got done.

“Artemis, you’re with-”

“You?”

She guessed, leaving me a bit…confused. Despite it being a guess, she seemed to actually have a bit of confidence in her answer. Making me curious as to why.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, everyone else has something in common. Zatanna and Raven are both magic, right? And Miss Martian and Beast Boy are…you know.”

She seemed lightly embarrassed of saying that they were green. Which was…kind of funny actually. Though her words did beg the question.

What the hell did I have in common with Artemis?

We were both human? No, too obvious. Besides there was only three aliens here. Something color based like with Beast Boy? No, we didn’t really share anything besides skin color. Something related to combat style like with Zatanna?

No, though Artemis did know some martial arts, she was primarily a ranged fighter. I was short ranged and if you really squinted, I could be called mid ranged with my balls. Though I was exactly going to win any awards for my aim.

…I was drawing up blanks.

“What do we have in common?”

I finally cracked and asked. Leading to Artemis to make a complicated expression before quickly hiding it.

“Eh, it’s not important. Was I right?”

“No. Your guide is Kid Flash.”

Who immediately took the chance that was offered to speed next to her. Giving her a side glance as she evaluated him.

“…Kid Flash? Really? Very uh…creative.”

Kid Flash immediately frowned at that before speaking up.

“You use a bow and call yourself Artemis. Not like you really have room to speak.”

A remark that Artemis didn’t seem to enjoy as she opened her mouth to retort. Only to be cut off by me continuing on. I didn’t exactly want to be here all day.

“And of course, Ravager, you’re with me.”

“Joy…”

She rolled her eye before stepping up. A hand on her side piece. Something that got a bunch of rather negative looks from both the Titans and the new members.

“Is that…a gun?”

Zatanna asked, leading Ravager to nod in pride.

“Hell yeah it is. Never leave home without one.”

Oh? I wasn’t aware that she had become so close to the Tower as to consider it home…or perhaps I was thinking of it completely flipped. Maybe home meant so little to her that anything could be considered it.

Which was a bit…pitiful.

“Uh, I didn’t realize we could bring actual firepower.”

Artemis asked giving a look towards Ravagers guns.

“Relax. None of them have any real bullets. Most of them, anyway.”

Ravager seemed to delight in unnerving most of the new recruits except Artemis. Who obviously knew she was lying.

…I hoped she was lying, at least.

“Alright Ravager. Seems like you’re ready for a fight.”

“Damn straight. Oh, and none of that pussy shit. I want you to give it your A game.”

Ravager was many things, but she wasn’t someone who shirked away from a challenge. Or an opportunity to prove herself. Which is why I gave a simple nod towards her before getting ready to spar again.

I got the feeling this one might be a bit more painful than Zatanna’s.