Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kara wakes up to her head pounding. That's... more than just unusual. Her head never aches, not since she's woken up from her pod when she'd crash-landed into Earth's atmosphere.

From her side, she can hear Barry groaning and from further away, she can hear Oliver muttering about putting an arrow into someone.

Despite the urgency of the moment, she finds great relief in knowing they're there with her.

"Wakey, wakey, heroes!" A voice that does not belong to Barry or Oliver says. And she knows exactly who it is. It's her turn to groan, not from having to wake up or from the pain in her skull.

She's annoyed. No, scratch that. She's pissed.

"Where did you take us?" She hisses as she props herself up to glare at Music Meister, standing there, looking all smug in his stupid suit and pocket handkerchief. What is his deal with that stupid red pocket handkerchief?!

"This time?!" Oliver adds; his own tone is gruff and dangerous without him even having to try, she's jealous of that trait of his.

Music Meister, jerk that he is, just smiles as if he's just heard it's someone's birthday. "Well," he points to his head before pointing at the collective of them, "we're still inside your heads." He looks all too pleased with himself. "To get out, all you have to do is—"

Barry cuts him off. "Yeah, yeah. We know." Good god do they know. He's done this trick to them so many times and for what? For his own darn amusement and 'for their benefit' (the latter he only says probably to make himself feel better and all three of them refuse to accept it; even though they did end up being together right before their shared dream ended).

"Reach to the end of the plot," she says tiredly, doing a poor imitation of the magician.

Music Meister's grin unsettles her a little. "Actually, my dear sweet Kara. Plots."

"What?" All three of them bark at the same time before fading once more into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

Oliver Queen wasn't a brat at all. He was more of a shell of a broken man who always tried to fill the void of his emptiness that seemed to grow by the day. When he was a lad, his mother died.  When he was a strapping young boy, he'd discovered he liked boys just as much as he liked girls; his father did not like that one bit. When he was a teenager, his sister died. When he was at the cusp of manhood, his father died.

Not only was he surrounded by death and despair, he was also surrounded by the need to fulfill what his father had always told their subjects... what his father had beat into him. He wasn't supposed to like boys, just girls. So every day, he put out this show... that he only liked girls. He did this by taxing his people higher than normal so he could afford to host parties every night, only for the most beautiful and lavish women across the land.

For a brief moment, he thought Princess Laurel of Starling would be the one for him, his life partner, his everything...

If only he'd met her first...

If only this were another lifetime...

"You okay, Ollie? You're... You seem really tense. Do you... Should I tell Felicity to cancel tonight's party?"

Oliver shook his head. "No, honey, I'm fine. Just thinking. Are you okay?"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? I'm fine, I'm perfectly okay. You, on the other hand good sir, are perfect. More than perfect, in fact. Which I don't even know how is possible and I have no idea how the topic just completely changed to your perfectness—"

There was just the ghost of a smile playing on his lips; he found himself smiling more nowadays. "Sweetheart."

"Right. Rambling. Um..." There was a pause. "You know, I should get back to my duties..."

Oliver was having none of it. It was only the break of dawn, the day hadn't started yet so there was no need to start on the party preparations until at least the sun was at its highest. He held onto the arm that wound around his waist. "Don't you dare. You're staying here."

"B-But—"

"King's orders, Barry."

His manservant, the love of his life since they'd been lads, blushed but burrowed himself deeper in the covers and buried his face into Oliver's neck. "Well, if my king bid it..."

Damn his father and what he thought. He loved Barry; he was everything to him. He just wished he were brave enough to be brave. His love for Barry should have been strong enough to knock some sense into him, but every time he thought he could introduce the world to the man that meant everything to him, he'd hear his father in his head and back out at the last minute.

Oliver kissed the top of Barry's head.

"I love you, Barry Allen."

"And I you, Oliver Queen."

The old woman was sprawled out on the floor before him, weak and shivering from the cold. He wasn't heartless; he could see the fatigue and desperation in the woman's quivering form as she offered him the bright rose, the only thing she could give in exchange for shelter from the raging storm.

At the sight of the flower, something deep within him broke.

Thea... she had loved roses, red roses especially. He remembered how she'd always ask him to pick out the reddest rose for her since she couldn't because of the thorns.

He collected the rose and crushed it in his hands, thorns digging into his palm like how a glimpse of the flower had pricked its way into his chest.  He couldn't show weakness, not right now in front of everyone.

He made sure to hide all traces of emotion by making his voice low and rough. "Get. Out."

The old woman's face turned defiant. "You shouldn't have done that, boy."

Slowly, her face morphed, melting into a beauty he'd only imagined possible: long raven black hair, blood red lips and a calculated outraged glint in her green eyes. In that moment, he realizes she's not just some random sorceress; he'd heard stories about her from his father, King Malcolm and King Quentin.

"Morgana."

"That was never my name. It's Lena."

She doesn't realize someone has decided to block her way until her book crashes into her face when she collides into someone's torso.

"Kara! Good morning!" Mon-El declares proudly, hands on hips to puff out his chest.

She doesn't want to be polite, but she has to be. "Good morning, Mon-El," she says, not bothering to look at him and instead opts to stare at the words in front of her.

Mon-El, undeterred, walks around her and snatches the book from her hands. She doesn't find this surprising nor amusing — he does that every time they meet.

"Mon-El, can I please have my book back?" She tries to hide the anger. She'd just gotten the book from James, who so kindly gave it to her after having borrowed it a total of four times; she doesn't need him ruining it.

Mon-El inspects the book before shutting it. "I just don't understand why you just won't say yes to me, Kara." He waggles the book in her face. "It's because you keep reading these kinds of nonsense, filling your head up with ideas." He tosses the book away and gets down on one knee whilst taking her left hand. "Please. Just take me as your husband. You need to get your head of out of those books and have a real man to show you how it's done."

It takes all of Kara's strength not to kick him in the mouth. First he's just thrown her book away and now—

"I have a real man, thank you." She pulls back her hand. "And right now, I have to get home to him."

Mon-El gets up, making a face. "That's another thing I don't understand. Of all the men in the village, you just had to choose Barry Allen as your husband-to-be. You chose him over me!"

Kara turns away from him and picks up her book. A corner of the hardbound front cover is bent, but it doesn't seem like it has sustained more damage. Before she has the chance to retort (or insult) back, Winn's already talking.

"Yeah! How do you pick that crazy loon over the greatest hunter in the world?"

Kara whips around so quickly, the air around her makes a sound. She directs her glare at Mon-El's lackey. "Don't you dare talk about Barry that way. He's a brilliant man with a brilliant mind." She then looks at Mon-El, slowly stepping further away towards her cottage. "Mon-El, I'm sure you'll find some other girl for you. It's just never going to be me."

As soon as she's said her piece (one that she swears she ends up saying one way or another every time he proposes to her), she takes off to her home when she hears an explosion, right in the direction she's heading.

There's thick smoke everywhere, too much that she's forced to open all the windows. She finds Barry on the floor, dazed and covered in soot but otherwise okay.

He doesn't notice her in his workshop until he is practically picked up Kara, who helps him to his desk.

"It's the hydrazine," Barry mutters as a sort of explanation; Kara isn't too sure if it's meant for her or him. "Shouldn't have been next to the nitric acid..."

"You okay, Bar?" She asks, tugging the goggles from his eyes and letting them dangle around his neck. The smoke from the explosion makes a mark on his face where his goggles were, his brown hair is blown back into a spiky greasy mess, and it's these moments she finds her husband-to-be most handsome.

He blinks rapidly for a few moments as he takes in his surroundings. His eyes finally meet her and his entire face lights up, smile spreading across his face as he wraps his arms around her waist, twirling her around in modest excitement. Her laughter blends in seamlessly with his, marking this another moment she's going to savor for the rest of forever.

"It works!" He proclaims as he spins her around for the third time before needing to put her down before they both end up on the floor. His hands caress her face. He whispers, "It works! Look!"

He swipes at his beaker, throws Kara a ridiculously dopey grin and, before she can stop him or even comprehend what his intentions are, he takes a swig of whatever red concoction he'd made.

Her only response is to stare at him in disbelief. The words 'have you gone insane?' is hanging on the tip of her tongue, but can't bring herself to say them, eyes sharp as she watches him for any ill effects. He puts down the glass beaker and brings a hand up. Kara isn't even absolutely sure what's going on anymore, but what she's sure of is that his hand is moving back and forth in a speed that shouldn't be possible.

His hand is vibrating; the tips of his fingers seem to be emitting some sort of yellow electricity. Before she can truly appreciate her husband-to-be's genius, Barry brings his hand down before literally disappearing into a blur of yellow lightning across the room, blasting wind and a perceptive smell of ozone. Then suddenly, he is somehow in front of her, eyes wide in spectacled fervent elation.

In lieu of words, she kisses him to convey her excitement. He tastes like coffee, cherries and burnt toast, exactly what home tastes like to her nowadays.

"You know," Barry says after Kara had told him how her morning went, swallowing the last bit of the porridge Kara had made for them, "one of these days, I may actually kill Mon-El."

Kara rolls her eyes as she takes a sip of her water. "He's obnoxious, I'll give you that, but he's harmless."

"He keeps hurling your books around!" He waves his arms around in exasperation. She giggles a little at the sight of his spectacles sliding down his nose. She finds it perfectly endearing that Barry knows just how precious books are to her. "Take one of his rifles, chuck it around carelessly and let's see what happens."

She pictures it in her head, how Mon-El would knock the person out should they ever try that. "I know."

He angrily picks up a baguette and takes a bite. "Why aren't you more upset?" His eyes are wide with sincere wonder.

She shrugs. "I'm used to it."

He grimaces. "You shouldn't have to be."

"I'll be fine, Barry. I've had to deal with his antics since we were kids."

Which is true. Mon-El has always... fancied her ever since they first met in the market the week after she moved into town with her older cousin, Kal, who later died in battle years later. She'd been flattered at first and flustered at best, but even in their first meeting, he'd shown his notorious narcissism and brash views of women. He's easy on the eyes, she can't deny that, but she can't spend the rest of her life waiting on a man to come home, cook him dinner and rub his feet. She knows she's meant for greater things, and Barry recognizes that about her.

"If I'd known you then, I'd probably still be the lovesick fool I am now." He smiles, but she can see the uncertainty clouding in his eyes.

This is one of the rare occasions he talks about anything remotely connected to the past, and that's because he can't remember it. Five years ago, he'd arrived in town with a bag full of his belongings but unintentionally having left his memories behind. All she truly knows about his feelings of his unknown past is that he feels... incomplete, no matter how many time he says he isn't.

Kara banishes the thought from her head and decides to change the subject for his comfort. "Don't you have a fair to get to by daybreak tomorrow?"

Barry's chair scratches the wooden floorboards as he is scrambling to his feet, rapidly finishing off the rest of his coffee and baguette.

"I have a fair to get to by daybreak tomorrow." He crosses the space between them and plants a hasty kiss on the top of her head before rushing off to his workshop.

"I love you, Kara Zor-El."

"And I you, Barry Allen."

Barry's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before crinkling at the sides as he smiles.

"I'll be back by evening tomorrow!" He adjusts his glasses as he gets on his horse.

"You better come back with that potion patented!"

"Okay, first of all, it's called the Speed Force. Second, of course I will. Third, take care of yourself while I'm gone, and feel free to punch any guy who flirts with you and flings your book halfway across town!"

"We're lost, aren't we?" Barry says to his horse, his voice shaking. He likes to convince himself it's because he's cold.

The mist that thickens around him isn't helping his nerves at all. He should've brought Kara with her since she's always been the better one at reading maps.

He's about to give up and turn back around to head home when he hears the distinct growling and heavy padding behind him.

"Oh no." The howling gets closer and he has no choice: he can't go back now so he's forced to move forward. "Let's go, Wally!"

The horse whinnies as it darts ahead in agitation. However, in its effort to get them to safety, it rears with no such warning, causing Barry to get slide of its back and painfully land on his tailbone. He groans and can only watch as Wally gallops away. When he finally registers that his satchel is still attached to him and that his creation is actually still with him, he hastily opens the bag, only to find broken test tubes and the spilled red liquid.

Great. So much for a patent, he thinks. Maybe next year.Then he adds begrudgingly, Again.

As he slowly gets to his feet, he can just make out the snarling behind him through the haze of his growing adrenaline.

Without so much as assessing the situation, he takes off in a direction that'll take him to god-knows-where. He doesn't know why, but he feels like he knows where he's going and that he can outrun a bunch of wolves. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he can hear an unmistakeable male voice cheering him on, bellowing voice proclaiming he's the fastest man alive.

He's not remotely close to being out of breath, and he knows this isn't even his top speed. He pushes his legs harder, a feat that isn't too hard to achieve since his life is on the line; adrenaline is magical, sure, but he just wishes he has the Speed Force but of course the test tubes just had to break.

Just up ahead, he can see a giant iron gate and he can't help but feel like he's been here before. He pushes at the gate.

"Of course it's locked!" He cries out. Howling closing in, he knows he has a few precious moments before he becomes a meal.

As if triggered by muscle memory, he reaches inside the gate and dislodges the lock by pulling on it while giving the gate a swift kick. The gate squeaks opens. Just as the wolves are about to feast on his bones, he kicks at the gate and watches in deep relief when it closes and the locks engages. He laughs hysterically as he exhales, head falling backwards into the snow. The adrenaline wears off and the fatigue of the situation plus weeks of working on the Speed Force gets registered by his body.

Just as he gets pulled into unconsciousness, he can see a large horned figure descend on him. He's positive his mind imagines it when he hears his name.

After Mon-El just rudely invades her home in another wild attempt to get her to leave Barry (as if) and marry him instead (she threw a punch right onto his nose when he gets handsy), she decides to run off into the hills where her and Barry often have picnics to clear her mind.

It doesn't take long when her tranquility is broken by the clicking of hooves and urgent whinnying from a horse she'd know anywhere. "Barry?" She grins, getting up to greet her husband-to-be... only he isn't there.

She runs to the horse. "What— No. Where... Wally, where's Barry? Where's Barry?! Take me to him!"

She gets on and the horse takes off immediately.

She's worried, so worried that it makes tears flow freely down her cheeks. She doesn't often cry, but when she does it's mostly because of frustration. Right now, she's nowhere near frustrated. She's scared, scared out of her mind that something awful has happened to Barry. She cannot begin to imagine life without him; she can't imagine living alone in a village that already thinks her to be odd, her and Barry alike: her for her reading and him for his chemistry.

The horse eventually stops in front of a castle, one that she has no idea even existed so close to the village. She gets off and tries to open the gate. It doesn't budge open. She shakes at the gate with her fists and it still doesn't open. Letting her frustration finally bleed through, she kicks the gate and it screeches open. She walks inside and just five steps in, she sees Barry's brown leather satchel.

She hurries to it and when she picks it up, the flap falls open, spilling broken shards of his test tubes and its red liquid onto the ground. Her heart splits a little at the thought of all of his hard work just being shot to hell.

She dashes to the castle. She feels rattled at the eerie vibes she's picking up from the castle, but she has to get to Barry.

"Hello?" She says cautiously. "Anyone here? Barry?"

She's pretty sure she's trespassing and that she can get thrown to the stocks or, even worse, jail, if she's caught. But Barry... she has to find him.

She wanders deeper into the castle, calling out Barry's name once in a while. She somehow ends up in one of the towers. "Is anyone here?" She asks.

"K-Kara?"

"Barry!" Relief slams into her like a mountain of bricks. She quickly makes her way to the cell. Barry's hands shoot out between the bars and Kara takes them immediately. "Barry, your hands are like ice." Just barely having said that, Barry's coughs wetly. "We're getting you out of here."

Barry's hold on her hands tighten, refusing to let her punch her way in. "No, no, Kara. Y-You have to l-l-leave."

"What? Are you insane? I'm not leaving you here! Not when you're about to develop pneumonia!"

"K-Kara, listen to me. There's n-no time to explain. Get out of here right now. P-Please!"

"I won't leave—"

"What are you doing in this place?!" Someone with a rough voice demands from behind her, yanking her by the collar of her coat and before she knows it, she's tossed aside, about a few meters from Barry's cell.

She's barely able to contain her gasp as her eyes widen at the sight of the... creature, the beast. He has horns that curl like a ram's but not quite, the build and fur of a bear, mane of a lion she's only seen in books... everything about him is animalistic; he towers over her easy and he has this immediate air around him that demands fear... but his eyes resemble that of a human's: they're an easy baby blue, clouded with so much torment and anger, she can see that he's gone through so much.

"Who—" She stops before taking in a deep breath to gather herself. She remembers what her cousin had once told her: never let them see you rattled. "I'm here to get Barry back."

"Well, Barry here is a trespasser. And so are you!" He stalks closer to her and, once again, picks her up by the collar.

"I was s-s-seeking refuge from wolves dammit!" Barry complains.

"No excuse," the beast replies as he opens up the cell and throws Kara in. He locks them both up, giving them both a glare. "I received eternal damnation. You may as well be thankful I'm merely locking you up forever."

Neither one is able to say anything. Barry's too cold to think of anything to say, Kara's too busy warming him up. The beast leaves with a growl rumbling deep in his chest.

As Kara rubs her hands against his biceps to let friction do its thing in a poor attempt to warm him up, she says, "You know, I punched Mon-El in the nose. I think I broke it."

Barry laughs despite everything that has just transpired. "D-Did I mention I love you?"

Oliver has been pacing in his quarters for the better part of a long while.

He can't believe it.

Barry's back.

But he's betrothed to another.

To a woman.

He knows this by keeping tabs on Barry over the years with his magic mirror that allows him to see anyone.

He can't take it anymore. He goes to his only portrait of Barry and tears it apart with his claws.

Kara doesn't know how long she and Barry have been holding each other. It isn't supposed to matter how long since it seems they'd be spending the rest of eternity in this godforsaken cell with no means to escape when the door suddenly opens.

It startles the pair so badly: Barry jumps to his feet and Kara squeaks.

"Oh, sorry for startling you guys," a female voice says. "I didn't mean it! I'm just here to take you to your rooms."

Kara grabs the stool Barry's been sitting on while Barry protectively steps in front of Kara, even though they both know Kara is the one more capable in a fight.

"Our rooms?" Kara asks dubiously.

"Yeah, rooms. I know, I know; he said 'I'm merely locking you up forever' but he didn't mean that. He's all dark and broody, but I swear, he didn't mean it. People just like to say things in anger, know what I mean?"

"Uh, sure?" Barry says as he and Kara slowly advance toward the door. 

"Great! Okay, so if you'll just follow me—"

Kara gasps and Barry freezes. They haven't been talking to a woman, at least not in the traditional sense. They've been talking to—

How in the world are you supposed to—

They've been talking to an object.

Kara does what she does when scared or unnerved: she acts on instinct. She brings the stool down at the object, stool falling apart as it crashed into it.

They both go rigid and watch in morbid fascination as the room goes dim. It's not a few moments later before the object moves again, her candles lighting up again.

"Damn, girl. You got some muscles on you. That's great!" The object says.

"You're... You're a candelabrum," Barry says quietly in awe.

"And you, good sir, are wonderfully observant! But if you would, I actually prefer Felicity."

"How exactly can you talk, Felicity?" He continues. He's slightly astounded by how her name rolls off his tongue seamlessly, as if he's had it so many times before.

"The question should be 'can she shut up?'" Another voice says, male this time. They both turn around and find an antique clock walking towards them. Walking. Right, because that makes sense. Is every object in this castle capable of moving?

"Ah, Dig, you're no fun. Why aren't you having fun?"

"Maybe it's because every time you do something, I am the one who gets in trouble."

"Trouble's fun!" Felicity jumps up to — can't be feet, she's not human — an upright position. "C'mon, Mister Observant and Miss Muscles! We're off to your rooms! I mean, unless you guys wanna freeze here to death. Which you are totally welcome to do! It's just, you know, some of us prefer that you... don't."

Without waiting for a response, Felicity and the clock, Dig, head off. Barry and Kara only have time to look at each other briefly, as if to ask if this is a good idea, before following the inanimate animate objects.

"Cait! Cait!" Cisco yells excitedly, moving as fast as he possibly can to his best friend, an endeavor slightly difficult to achieve due to him being a common literal tool.

Caitlin turns around. "What? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Cisco rolls his... never mind. Busy, she's always busy, but when one has been cursed to be a quill, what else are you supposed to do but write?

"Did you hear?" He asks.

"I hear a lot of things, Cisco, you'll have to narrow it down." There's a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"Barry's back!"

Caitlin stops her scribbling and stares at Cisco. "It sounded like you just said Barry's back, which I am praying I heard correctly."

Cisco grins. "Yep! We're in business, baby! We gon' be human again!"

Caitlin smiles, much more sincerely than before. "Human again."

The room is... underwhelming, to say the least. But judging by the quick and sharp intake of breath Kara makes, he knows she's feeling the opposite. He understands the room is magnificent, no doubt about that but...

He doesn't know how or why but he's seen this room before in exact detail. He's seen the beautiful sky painting on the ceiling, he's seen the elegant king-sized poster bed, he's seen the checkered marble floor...

But he's positive he's never even been here before!

"It's beautiful..." Kara says, breathless.

"Damn right it is! Master wanted you guys to have nothing but the best!" Felicity says. She jumps onto the bed, causing dust to arise from the mattress. "Oh dear god," Felicity coughs, "Yeah, it's great, but we weren't exactly exacting anyone, let alone two."

"Don't worry!" A new voice says. Barry turns at the sound of one more familiar voice and finds a feather duster floating into the room. "I'll have this room spick and span in a flash." The feather duster drifts to the mirror and has it sparkling before he can wrap his head around this new character. "Name's Iris."

Iris then proceeds to join Felicity on the bed. Making sure the couple don't hear her, she whispers to Felicity, "Are you sure this plan is gonna work? Barry obviously doesn't remember us." Her eyes glances once at the woman's engagement ring before quickly averting her gaze.

Felicity snorts at her best friend. "Where's your girl power? This'll work, okay? You'll get your loving oaf of a brother back. Trust me. Ollie's always been a softie, even though he tries his damnedest to show that he isn't."

"I hope you're right."

"When am I not?"

"Literally every time."

"Ouch." Felicity cocks her head in the direction of the couple and says out loud, "So yeah, this'll be the lovely lady's room, and for the gent, it'll be next door! Unless, you know, you wanna be roomies?"

"Uh..." They both say as they look at each other.

"Oh just stay together," Iris suggests as she floats away to continue her cleaning. "It'll be easier to deal with everything that's just happened."

"Right. What she said." Felicity hops off the bed and joins Dig by the doorway. "So, dinner'll be ready by sundown. See ya!"

The door closes as Dig and Felicity walk towards the main hall to the kitchen.

"You're gonna get us killed," Dig comments.

"No, good sir. Just you."

Oliver sits down at his usual spot for meals. As per usual, all the plates and bowls and utensils are laid out for him. He knows the food will be out any moment now. He looks up and finds two sets of plates and bowls and utensils prepared at the opposite end.

And just like that, he's reminded of the fact that Barry has all but forgotten him. That he's engaged to someone else.

That he loves someone else.

He roars in despair as he swipes at his dishes.

He stomps his way to the kitchen, where he knows Felicity and Dig are.

"You're making them dinner?" He demands.

"No," Dig denies all too quickly.

"Of course we are!" Felicity retorts back, elbowing at Dig's cowardice. "I don't know about you Oliver, but I'd sleep better at night knowing the guests you decided to keep here forever won't die off in the next week from starvation!"

"You don't sleep!"

"For the record, I just want you to know that I think it's an awful idea," Dig interjects.

"That's not the point, and you know it!" Felicity argues, ignoring Dig completely. "Barry may not remember us, but we remember him! He was our friend, we miss him too! Granted not as much as you do, but still!"

Oliver is quiet for some time. "He's with that woman now..."

"I know, Ollie..." Felicity sighs. "But that doesn't mean you can't try. Deep down, I know he still loves you. What you and Barry had, it was magic." Felicity steps closer. "Just try, Ollie."

Oliver rubs at his face in aggravation. "Fine!"

Felicity squeals and jumps off the counter. "There we go! Hey, Ronnie! Replace the plates the King just destroyed! Oliver, go up and invite those two to dinner! I've already informed them beforehand, so they should be ready by now."

"You just have to plan everything to the dot?"

Felicity looks up as she nods, grinning so widely. "Yep, I'm a planner."

Oliver soon finds himself walking to the East Wing, an action he'd never had to do in the last five years. There hasn't been a point to it. He just usually stays in the West Wing, where his quarters are and where a majority of his memories of him and Barry reside anyway. He remembers only having to go to the East Wing when he wants to surprise Barry, who regularly maintains the pristine of the rooms there.

His intention is to knock delicately, but that doesn't go according to plan. Five years and Barry's here, but he isn't his Barry anymore.

"You're to join me for dinner!" He thunders.

Thanks to his superhuman hearing, he is able to hear shuffling from the other side of the room, so he knows they're awake. Their lack of response angers him further.

"I said you're to join me for dinner!"

"I'm not hungry!" The woman says defiantly.

"Speak for yourself," Barry says under his breath. If he hadn't been granted with enhanced hearing, there would be no way he'd be able to hear that.

"You can't stay in there forever!" He argues, gearing it more at the woman for denying Barry food.

"Ha! Try me!"

"Wait, are we really not going to eat?!"

Oliver is on his last thread of patience. "If you two don't come out this second, I'll break down this damn door!"

Barry snorts. "Temper."

His heart quickens. Barry always said that. Wait does... Does this mean Barry remembers? Perhaps not, seeing as he doesn't remember where he is, but... maybe he still has his memories! That they're just buried, not erased.

"Please." He's surprised at his tone of desperation. "Join me for dinner. We have... chocolate pecan pie?" He knows it's a long shot but maybe Barry's favorite will push them.

"Are you kidding me?" The woman mutters under her breath. "They just happen to have our favorite?"

A stomach growls.

Barry snickers. "Looks like I'm not the only one hungry. Let's just go, okay?"

The woman sighs begrudgingly. "Fine!" She says loudly.

Oliver doesn't understand the grin. It should feel foreign on his facial muscles since he hasn't smiled in literal years, but it doesn't; the smile is almost like a long lost friend.

The dinner goes relatively well.

Of course not perfectly. Kara and the beast argue at every opportunity presented and Barry mostly acts as a buffer between the two.

Being there, Barry almost feels like he's home, even though he's basically a prisoner along with his betrothed. But it does feel like home! He finds himself warming up quickly to the objects that he encounters such as Felicity, Iris, Ronnie (who's a coat rack), Ray (a hammer), Cisco (a wrench) and Caitlin (a quill).

And for some unknown unexplained reason, he knows how to get around, able to spot passages he shouldn't know about.

He knows where things goes. He knows... practically everything about this castle.

And again, this should be impossible because he's never been here before!

One too often, he gets lost into those familiar crystal blue orbs of the beast and he realizes they're the same shade as Kara's.

Barry falls asleep faster than she'd anticipated. She quietly slips out of the room and makes her way to the West Wing, the exact place Dig had warned her earlier not to venture into. Barry had agreed all too easily not to go there, but Kara is stubborn; she has to know what's in there.

The deeper she gets, the more tattered the place becomes. Statues become shattered, pantings are ripped, furniture is destroyed...

She has a strong feeling why she'd been warned not to go here. It's not about being stubborn anymore, it's about being curious. She's never been in a castle before so she wants to see as much of this one as she can; it's in a horrible state of disrepair but behind the crumbling walls, she can still see the magic within them.

She walks through the entry of a room that's obviously used as someone's private chambers. Right there in the middle of the dilapidated room glows a soft red. She's... drawn to it. She advances towards the glow and discovers it's a rose, but it's no rose she's ever seen before. It's glowing, first of all, and it's encased in glass where it appears to be floating. She removes the glass and she's captivated.

The rose, it's beautiful. Words can't begin to describe how beautiful it is. She brings a hand up to touch it—

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" The beast drops down from... where the hell did he come from? He quickly puts the glass back, protectively putting his arms around it. "What did you do it?!"

"N-Nothing," comes Kara's stuttered reply, stepping back. She knows she's crossed a line so she doesn't argue.

"Do you know what you could have done?" He asks in a dangerously low tone. "You could have damn it all! Get out!" He bellows. "GET OUT!"

She doesn't need to be told twice. She runs out of there. She's not thinking, she doesn't know what she's doing. She can vaguely hear voices urgently telling her to stop but she doesn't. She grabs her coat and before she knows it, she's out in the snow. She's sprinting to who knows where; all she knows is that a monstrous beast told her to get out so she's doing just that.

With no warning whatsoever, her heel is nipped and her face meets ice. Former training from both her cousin and sister kick in and she immediately gets up. She realizes she's up against a pack of wolves. Hope gets deflated. She only knows how to handle people, not animals and certainly not wolves.

One poises to attack. She scans her immediate vicinity for any weapon available and all she can find is a thick enough branch that looks like it can hold its own. She makes a grab for it and swings at the wolf that launches at her.

Another one pounces and she times it just right to hit its muzzle. Just as she's ready to swing again, another wolf takes the branch in its mouth and yanks it out of her grasp.

This is it.

This is where she dies, where she selfishly decides to take off and not even think of Barry in the heat of the moment.

She closes her eyes and thinks she deserves this.

"I'm sorry, Barry," she says quietly.

She can hear the wolves' growling quickly approaching her before a heavy thump announces another arrival. She opens her eyes and finds the beast, right there, letting himself be a barrier between her and the predators.

He's protecting her, she realizes, even though he's made it very clear he dislikes her.

The beast roars mightily. Some wolves recognize the potential peril they are in and flee. A handful stay behind to challenge this newcomer. He handles it all almost perfectly, as if he's done this one too many times. But then, one new wolf comes out of nowhere and sinks its teeth into the beast's back. Another wolf takes the beast's disorientation to its advantage and takes a chunk from the beast's leg. He hollers in pain and hurls the wolf into a boulder. He then faces the rest of the wolves and howls again, louder and meaner. The wolves, this time, gets the hint and all scurry off.

The beast turns around. For a second, she thinks he'll run off back into the castle, that he'll be fine, but then she notices just how much injuries he's sustained from the scuffle. His eyes meets hers, fatigue swimming in those blue orbs, before the beast promptly collapses into the snow.

She doesn't think twice. She rushes forward and rolls him onto his side to prevent him from doing any more damage to his back. She takes off her coat and thrusts it on the open wound to control the bleeding. She isn't as good as Barry when it comes to injuries but she knows enough. His eyes are closed but he's breathing. She knows she's not supposed to but she shakes his shoulder to rouse him back to consciousness. The beast slowly opens his eyes.

"You have to help me," she says. "You have to stand."

"All of this happened while I was asleep?" Barry asks dubiously, gently dabbing away the blood. "It's not even dawn yet!" He clicks his tongue twice at the critical state of the beast's lesions; he's going to need stitches.

"What can I say?" Kara says, sitting by the edge of the bed. "I have a knack for danger."

"Why do I have a feeling you're a magnet for trouble too?" Barry asks, directing at the beast.

The beast is grinding his teeth together, no doubt trying not to cry out in pain as Barry disinfects the wounds.

"Can you maybe try not squirming as much?" Kara says.

The beasts squints at her in annoyance. "If you hadn't run away, we wouldn't have to be in this situation, would we, Kara?"

"If you hadn't gone crazy on me, I wouldn't have run away, Oliver."

"Well you shouldn't have been in the West Wing!"

"And maybe you should learn to control your temper!"

They scowl at each other, but Barry can tell the intensity is nowhere near as bad as dinner. Kara is sitting closer than she would have, and the bea— Oliver is a lot less tense.

Barry's looking at the both of them, slack-jawed. "You... What? How do you—"

"He told me his name as we were heading back." Kara looks at Oliver. "Thank you... for saving me."

Oliver looks flustered for a moment. Barry can tell this doesn't happen often; heck, it probably doesn't happen at all. Oliver looks at Kara solemnly and says, "You're welcome."

From the doorway, Felicity and Iris squeals internally, Cisco and Ray are headbutting in lieu of fistbumps (since they don't exactly have arms), Caitlin is smiling from her place on one of Ronnie's hooks, and Dig just looks on, proud of the idiot.

After that, things started to get better. Granted, Kara is still stubborn, Oliver is still short-tempered and Barry is just trying to keep them from killing each other. Words get thrown, feelings get hurt, apologies become frequent.

Until they start to lessen.

They know now. They know which topics to avoid, they know which ones to exploit, they know which stories to exchange.

There's this one time where they all end up falling asleep in Oliver's bed after talking about just anything they could think of. Oliver wakes up the next day to his arm linked to Barry's and Kara's head leaning on his shoulder.

He doesn't dare move until they both wake.

Sooner rather than later, they find themselves in the West Wing almost every night than in their own designated room in the East Wing.

Oliver isn't too sure what compels him to do it, but he takes the two out to the courtyard. It has stopped snowing, but the blanket it left behind is the wonderland Barry has always loved.

As Barry's busy running around, fitted with a new pair of spectacles Oliver had given him (once he'd swapped out his old black frame for a gold one, Kara had said the latter fit him much better than the old spectacles ever did), he makes it his mission to create as many snowmen as he is able, all while rambling on and on about the possibility of human flight and the aerodynamics behind it. Kara is on a bench, poised, reciting out loud.

"... Yon light is not day-light, I know it," she's reciting, which highly impresses Oliver. "I: It is some meteor that the sun exhales, To be to thee this night a torch-bearer, And light thee on thy way to Mantua: Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone."

The side of Oliver's lips quirk upwards. He makes his way to the bench she's on and starts to say, "Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;" He takes pleasure in her widened shocked eyes. She scoots over to make room for him to sit. He does so and continues, "I am content, so thou wilt have it so. I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye, 'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow; Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat. The vaulty heaven so high above our heads: I have more care to stay than will to go: Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so. How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day."

Kara puts down her book and faces her body to him, almost like she's challenging him. "It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away! It is the lark that sings so out of tune, Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps."

He smirks. He knows this play by heart by how many times his tutor made him read it, by how many times Felicity makes him recite it all because it's her favorite. "Some say the lark makes sweet division; This doth not so, for she divideth us: Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes, O, now I would they had changed voices too!"

Kara cuts him off. "Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray, Hunting thee hence with hunt's-up to the day, O, now be gone; more light and light it grows."

"More light and light;" Barry continues, having abandoned his small army of snowmen, "more dark and dark our woes!"

All three are silent for a while, just silently staring at each other. It's Kara that breaks it. "You know Shakespeare?"

Oliver scoffs. "I have an expensive education."

Barry snickers, almost like they're sharing a private joke. The confused look he gives Oliver a moment later is enough to stab his heart.

"Romeo and Juliet's her absolute favorite," Barry says, looking pointedly at Kara.

Oliver makes a face. "Why is that not a surprise? You know, there's better things to read than just tragic love and Shakespeare."

Kara looks at him, expression unreadable. "Like what?"

If he wasn't so sure why he took the two out to the snow, then he's got a good grasp on why he gives Kara his enormous library, and Barry the study that doubles as a lab, the latter being a gift he'd intended to give Barry a week after Lena placed the curse on him.

Kara jumps around as she squeals her thanks over and over again. 

Barry actually throws his arms around him.

He's sure and he knows he's so screwed.

Cisco and Ray quickly become two of Barry's favorites. Not only do they help out with Barry's computations, but they also help make random test tube racks for him whenever he runs out and create other random inventions he'd need.

("We'll help however we can with your alchemy, Barry."

"Chemistry, Ray! Not alchemy."

"Right, I knew that.")

Caitlin, too, integrates to Barry's list of favorites fairly swiftly too. Being a quill and a physician, she is actually more help, especially when it comes to chemical equations; she's able to spot any errors made and correct them. What's better is that she isn't smug about it, unlike Harry (another coat rack like Ronnie) who usually brags about his intellect. Her inner mother hen also tends to show whenever Barry forgets to eat, doesn't sleep enough or gets a cut he doesn't realize.

Kara warms up to Felicity and Iris quickly. Not having any girl friend back in the village, she savors every conversation she has with the two. Felicity loves Romeo and Juliet, and Iris loves Wuthering Heights. Felicity fills her in with little tidbits about Oliver (e.g. favorite color: emerald green, favorite activity: archery), and Iris tells her stories about her lost brother. Kara, more than once, mentions her brother is a lot like Barry and it's a shame they can't meet. Iris agrees, but inwardly snickers.

Felicity is there when Oliver comes to one morning, much to his annoyance.

"You're too chipper this morning," Oliver huffs, unable to not notice the all too wide grin on her face that makes it look like she knows everything. "And why are you here?"

Felicity shrugs playfully. "Oh you know, the birds are singing, the sun is shining... the usual things that make me happy. Oh! And there's something else."

"Really? Pray tell me what?"

"You like Kara."

That gets Oliver in a sitting position faster than he has time to regret it. "What? I love Barry!"

"I didn't say you don't. And I didn't say you love Kara. Well, not right now at least." She squints at him. "Or you're lying to me."

He lies back down gently. "That's preposterous and a tad insane." It sounds weak, even to his ears.

"Maybe, but we're not judging! In fact, Iris and I find it adorable, and totally doable—"

He makes a face at her choice of word. "It wouldn't work, Felicity."

"Why not?"

Oliver frowns. "Barry loves her and she loves him. He's always loved science... Always one potion away from giving me a heart attack given how many times he's blown himself up in Harry's apothecary."

Felicity laughs fondly. "I remember he lost his eyebrows that one time he was trying out a new potion to increase healing capabilities."

"And Kara. She loves to read, devour every bit of knowledge every single page has to offer. She loves Shakespeare and Wuthering Heights. Face it, Felicity, I don't exactly belong in their already perfect equation."

Felicity shakes her head. "You're so in too deep that the great Oliver Queen is now an idiot. I wanna be impressed by how stupid you've become, but I can't even be bothered."

"For the record," Dig says as he enters the room and jumps on to the bed, joining Felicity. "He's always been this stupid." Felicity sends Dig a grin; she's getting the real Dig back, not the cowardly one they'd gotten in the last half decade who keeps living in fear of Oliver.

"Why must you antagonize your King?" Oliver says, resigned.

"Because our King is an idiot!" They both say at the same time. Oliver just groans.

He thought he could woo Barry back to him, but no... he just had to up and fall in love with his betrothed too. He can see why Barry loves her: she's exquisite, refined, witty, funny, strong — damn she's strong, don't let that petite figure fool you — and... she is so devoted to Barry and his wellbeing that it makes him faller for her even harder.

He's definitely screwed.

Barry has Kara in his arms, neither one able to fall asleep. Barry's too busy trying to memorize the pattern of the dimly-lit sky on the ceiling and Kara's too occupied drawing her own patterns on Barry's bare chest.

"Kara... you know I truly do love you"

"And I love you."

"But..."

"I know, Barry, I know... Me, too."

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" Felicity keeps chanting, standing in front of the screen. She wants to hold something— no, scratch that, she wants to hug Iris! But she can't 'cause fire and feathers don't mix well on Iris' part. "This is great! Wait! Who asked who?"

Oliver is spitting out water and lightly glares at Harry, who's having too much fun at his wet misery. "Well, Kara admitted she can't dance and Barry then says he can't either and the moment... I don't know, it felt right so I said I'd teach them. I didn't think they'd both say yes!" Actually no, their actual answer had been hell yes but that's not the point of the issue right now.

Felicity sort of does this jog in place as she squeals. "Ah, this is so cute! Just saying, I one hundred percent ship you three. Hey, Iris! Come here! Fangirl with me!"

Iris floats down from dusting the chandelier. "With pleasure. Ah!"

"Ladies," he says as he wipes his face from another water assault, wincing from their high pitched squealing. "Please."

"Oh come on! It's been a while since we've had real gossip around the house. Let us have this moment!"

"Uh, not to add any more pressure on you or anything, Oliver," Cisco says meekly, "but... you do need to up the romance just a little bit. There's like five petals left—"

"Four, actually," Caitlin interrupts.

"Four? Ay dios mio. Dude, Oliver, you my King and all, you know? You the boss! But it's been a long five years, and no one's outright said it... but we really wanna be human again."

Oliver may be abrasive with his attitude, but if anything, Oliver never turns his back on his friends. It's his fault they're in this mess with him. He'll fix this, no matter how confusing it is when it comes to Barry and Kara.

They're not at all sure how this whole dance is going to work with three people. Oliver briefly thinks they'd have to take turns, but that wouldn't seem right at all.

It's Kara who solves this dilemma. The music starts, Cisco starts singing, and Oliver has one hand intertwined with Barry's while his other arm snakes around Kara's waist, Barry and Kara hold each other's hands. They all sway to the music, completely unsure yet absolutely certain. They all look at each other, happy but so confused.

At the end of their crude yet lovely dance, they're all out of breath but they're laughing.

"Good job, Kara," Oliver says in a teasing voice. "You only stepped on my toes twice!"

"Ha!" Barry joins in.

Oliver rolls his eyes. "Barry, you stepped on me and Kara a total of fifteen times."

Barry crosses his arms. "I did mention I wasn't any good."

Oliver notices immediately Kara's quiet demeanor and is about to ask why, but Barry is already answering his unvoiced question.

"It's Kal's death anniversary today," he says grimly. "It's just... it's the first year she hasn't..."

"Hasn't visited his resting place," Oliver finishes, slightly horrified he'd forgotten that today, of all days, is Kara's cousin's death anniversary. She knows how close she'd been with her cousin; she talks about him whenever the opportunity presents itself. Kal-El stood as her father figure and she loved him as such.

He doesn't hesitate. "Then you must go to him. Both of you."

Kara looks up. Behind the despair in her eyes that's plain to see, there's hope and gratitude. "What did you say?"

"You must go to him," he repeats firmly. "Kara, I know how you feel, remember?"

"Thea..." she whispers

"Right. So go. Should you..." His throat tightens. He knows there's only three petals left. "Should you want to come back, I'm here." He grasps at his magic mirror and shoves it into Barry's hands. "If not... here's so you can remember me. I've already shown you how it works so feel free to— oof!"

Kara shoots forward and embraces as much of his large frame as she is capable. Her lips wobble against his dress shirt, so her thank you is slightly distorted, but Oliver gets the message. Barry allows his wife-to-be this private moment and stands there.

When she finally lets go and steps back, Barry takes his turn to embrace Oliver. Barry mutters against his shirt, "Thank you for doing this."

"Of course. Anything for the both of you."

Oliver just barely sits on his bed — now empty without Kara reading the newest chapter from her latest book or Barry telling them theories — when Felicity comes bursting in.

"So, just to let you know, I've already prepared wedding plans. I mean, I've had them pretty much since I caught you and Barry were making out in the library nine years ago, which was slightly horrifying by the way, you've literally mentally scarred me, sometimes, I still get nightmares and that's totally not the point right now! I've just tweaked the plans a little bit so it'll fit all three of you. So I'm think we're definitely going to have to go old school, but with like, just a bit of—"

"I let them go," Oliver interrupts. He can't have Felicity talk about that can't happen now (but really, did he actually have a chance before?).

The words don't register in Felicity's head until a few moments have passed. "You... you..."

"He let them go," Dig says as he enters the room along with Cisco, Caitlin and Ronnie.

"What? How could you?" Cisco cries out.

"He loves them," Caitlin says sadly, but understands the lengths people who are in love go through for the people they love.

"If he really does love them then how the hell are we not human?" Cisco argues.

"They don't love him," Caitlin answers, but everyone can hear her uncertainty.

"No," Felicity says. "No way. You saw how Kara looks at him! And Barry clearly is still in love with him!"

"They didn't say they do," Ronnie realizes, to which Oliver just nods in desolation. "They have to say it out loud that they love him... And now it's too late."

"I let them go, okay?" Oliver says, unable to look anyone in the way. "I set them free, and now I can't do the same for you. I'm sorry."

Cisco wants to be mad at him, but he can't bring himself to be when his King did it for noble reasons. They all file out in silence.

Oliver doesn't miss Felicity saying under her breath, "I still believe in them and I still believe in you."

"Hey, Kal."

Silence.

"I know, I'm late. Sorry. There's just... a lot that's been going on, you know?"

Silence.

"A lot's changed since the last time I was here. And most of it just transpired a few moons ago."

Silence.

"It's Barry's fault really—"

"Hey!"

"Hush. All he had to do was get his Speed Force potion patented and he just had to up and get himself lost in the woods. He sort of trespassed into this abandoned castle and was kinda given a life sentence. I didn't know until the next evening when Wally came back sans Barry."

Silence.

"Wally took me to the castle and I saw Barry's bag on the courtyard and I just broke in. Oh my god, did I just—"

"Leave our horse right there alone? Yes, you did. Don't worry though, he's in the stable. It's Joe who mostly looks after him."

"The broomstick?"

"No, that's Jax. Joe's the harpsichord."

"Oh. So anyway, yeah. We both get imprisoned by this beast. And I mean beast, like with the horns and everything."

Silence.

"He isn't as bad as we thought he was. He's... actually really sweet and thoughtful. He gave me a library and Barry a lab in his castle. How many people would do that?"

Silence.

"He told us that he is the way he is because an enchantress cursed him for having no heart. How does that even make sense? He's... Kal, he's wonderful. If anything, he has the biggest heart compared to anyone here in Star."

Silence.

"It's a horrible injustice. We... We tried finding out what could break the curse and he keeps saying he doesn't know, but we know he knows! He just doesn't wanna tell us."

Silence.

"Our other friends... they're cursed too. They don't tell us how to reverse the curse, but they did tell us about the flower. When the last petal falls, they're all doomed to stay as what they are for the rest of their lives."

Silence.

"We can't... We want to do something about it but we don't know how to help!"

Silence.

"I hope you'll meet him one... Wait— Oh wait, I forgot he gave us his magic mirror! Watch this, Kal. Show me Oliver. This is him."

From behind them, there's a rustle of leaves and a twig snapping. Mon-El rushes off into the village.

"Did he—"

"Oh my god, he saw."

"Oh no. Kal, I'll talk you later! Barry, let's go!"

Barry and Kara are too late and too stupid.

They run right into the village where Mon-El has already persuaded the entire village to attack a beast they'd never even seen before. What's worse is that Barry is holding the mirror in his hands where Winn is able to snatch it to give it to Mon-El. Mon-El just says the right words ("Show us the beast") and it's more than enough to completely gain everyone's spirits to kill the beast before it kills them.

Mon-El has them locked up, where Mon-El tells Kara how he can't believe he fell for a girl too stupid enough to love an alchemist and care for a beast.

Barry and Kara are too late and too stupid.

Until—

"Give me your hair clip."

"What?"

"Give me your hair clip."

"Why do you need— Oh."

Barry is able to break them out not a moment later. They rush off to James, who willingly gives them his horse.

Before they get on, Barry pulls Kara close to him and captures her lips in a heated kiss that relays all of his worries and nerves but that he knows it will all be all right as long as they stick together.

"You know I love you," Barry says.

"And I love you."

Later, as the horse approaches the castle, Barry is sending her a half-smile she's never seen on him before. "Let's go save our Ollie."

"Oliver!" Dig says urgently as he hurries to Oliver's side. "They're breaking down the doors!"

Oliver shakes his head as he looks on at the mob forcing their way in to his home. "Doesn't matter now, Dig. Let them come."

The pair arrives to complete chaos. The townsfolk have already broken down the doors to the castle and are in a full-blown war with the castle's occupants.

They can't pass through the main entrance without someone targeting them.

Barry grabs Kara's hand and before she can comprehend it, she's on his back and he's running.

"I know another way."

She doesn't complain; she knows with him running, they'd be a lot faster.

She wishes they have the Speed Force with them so Barry can ingest it. All she can do now is just pray for him to be fast enough.

The man has that kind of evil smirk only Oliver's seen in cruel kings he'd encountered before. He thrusts his pistol in his direction, aimed at his chest.

"I'm Mon-El. Kara sent me."

Oliver knows he's lying; Kara would never let this man kill him, and even if she did, Barry wouldn't allow it... but there's this painful twinge in his heart that believes this man is telling the truth.

He is, after all, a monster.

Mon-El pulls the trigger and it hurts. He remembers the first time he's shot in war, but he'd been shot in the leg; this is much more painful. He tumbles off the edge and collapses onto a ledge below. In a hopeless attempt to seek relief, he jumps onto a different terrace, far away from Mon-El.

"Oliver!"

There's a strength that surges through his veins when he hears his name being yelled in absolute desperation.

"Barry? Kara?" He turns his head to where his name came from. He sees them, right there on a balcony: Barry, teary-eyed behind those glasses he loves, and Kara, hands shaking at her side. "Kara! Barry! You came back!"

"Of course we did!" Barry yells.

"Ollie... we were already planning on coming back before dawn tomorrow!"

Mon-El jumps to the balcony the couple are. He cocks the gun in Barry's face and growls. "I'm killing this useless tool. Then I'm killing that beast, whose head I'm going to hang on my wall. You will marry me, Kara, and the first thing I'm doing with you is teaching you how to behave like the woman you are."

Oliver sees nothing but red. Mon-El has the gall to threaten Barry's life and think he has some sort of claim on Kara. He pounces onto the balcony they're on and claws at the pistol. It drops, along with a shriek from Mon-El, who tenderly holds his now bleeding hand close to his chest.

He wants nothing more than to tear him apart, limb from limb. But he doesn't.

"I'm. Not. A beast." He shoves at Mon-El. "Go."

Mon-El scrambles away.

Oliver, weak and most likely dying, opens his arms in invitation and the two hurriedly take either side. They don't see Mon-El come back stealthily, dagger in hand. The blade plunges into Oliver's back, and Oliver can feel it puncture one of his lungs. He roars in pain as he gets down on his knees before collapsing forward.

Neither one of the couple has time to scream. Barry shoots forward to roll Oliver to his side to try and control the bleeding from his gunshot wound in his chest and the stab wound on his back, but even he knows there's only so much he can do.

Kara stands and throws a fist into Mon-El's stupidly smug face. The impact of her punch makes Mon-El stumble backward, where he loses his footing and rolls off the edge where he plummets to his demise. Kara doesn't even have the heart to feel bad; he's caused her too much grief.

"Kara! I can't—" The rest of Barry's words die in his throat.

Kara runs back to her place next to Oliver. She runs her hand through the top of his head, openly letting the tears flow. "Oliver, c'mon, stay with us."

"I'm sorry," Oliver rasps. "But I think it's my turn to leave now."

"No!" Barry says. "We're here now. We won't leave you again."

"Don't be ridiculous..."

Barry and Kara share a look of sheer terror. Oliver's eyes remain open and unblinking; his chest stops moving, his hands go slack in theirs.

Kara's voice is barely above a whisper. "Oliver?" She lightly paws at his shoulder.

Barry bawls, "Oliver, wake up!"

From Oliver's room, the last petal of the rose falls. It dies as it its glow dims to nothing, melting into the darkness.

"No, no, no. Not again!" Kara cries out, voice raw. "I can't lose anyone else, Barry! Not again..." She leans down and kisses his forehead, as if it would bring Oliver back.

Barry curls into a ball, rocking on his heels; he's crying. "No, no, no, no, no... Ollie... we love you. Come back, please."

As soon as the words leave his lips, a bright beam of light erupts from the center of Oliver's chest, right where his injury is. Another blinds them from his shoulder. More and more spring forth as he is slowly lifted into the air by what seems like magic.

As the brilliant luminescence from Oliver intensifies, Barry's head is all but about to split open. He clutches at his head in his hands as he stumbles backward, wailing in pain. Kara has to tear her eyes away from the radiant magic that explodes from Oliver to tend to Barry.

"Barry!" She says in a panic. "Barry, what's going on?!"

Barry's reply comes in the form of a pained scream. His attempt to squeeze his head in a desperate attempt for relief proves futile. The pain worsens by the second and he almost passes out from the sheer agony.

Kara's talking, he knows it, but he can't make sense of her words.

Just when he thinks he can't take anymore, the thundering pain sharply dips and completely vanishes, as if it was never even there in the first place.

His eyes open to their widest; he's hunched over with his palms pressed firmly against his head. He straightens himself out and stares at a bearded man in tattered clothing with cropped hair, a heavy and well-built body... but those eyes: they hold that same clouded misery he's been carrying since they were teenagers, holding that identical shade of blue as Kara.

"Who are you?" Kara demands, tightly holding onto Barry's shoulder.

Barry doesn't mean to but he ignores her. He steps forward to close the space between them. Bringing a hand up to rest against his stubble, his eyes water as he says, "I remember everything."

Oliver only has time to gasp a bit before Barry captures his mouth into a passionate kiss. One arm wraps around Barry's back and brings him closer so every line of their bodies are connected, the other tangles into Barry's coifed locks. Teeth against teeth, tongues battle for dominance, hands roaming everywhere; if Oliver is a forest, Barry's the gasoline.

They have to pull away at some point to breathe, but they don't want to. They've been robbed of five years; they can have this.

When they do eventually pull away, they don't dare move their bodies. They press their foreheads together, looking deep into each other's eyes. Oliver doesn't care that he's crying, Barry remembers who he is!

"I love you, Oliver Queen."

"And I you, Barry Allen."

"Ol-Ollie?" Kara asks meekly, her tone implying she's so scared of breaking their moment together.

Oliver grins at Barry and both make the decision to finally break apart. His grin goes wider as he takes in Kara's utterly confused expression. He takes confidence strides to the blonde, who seems frozen in place. He caresses her cheek as he just gazes at her, trying to convey the message that it's truly him.

She's staring, there's no mistaking it: only Oliver would have those blue eyes that seem to be both content yet dismal, fearful yet brave, loving yet confused.

"It is you," Kara says, voice breaking as she kisses him in earnest desperation.

Oliver can taste Kara's worry at the tip of her tongue and he answers back his reassurance: that it's truly him and that he's not dead. It's when they're gasping hard for air that they need to pull back is when Oliver realizes just how much he loves Kara.

Oliver's the forest, Barry's the gasoline, and Kara's the match that lights them all up.

"Wait, so why exactly were you cursed?"

"I pissed off an enchantress, who knew about us and thought I didn't deserve you, not after the way I treated her."

"Ah."

Oliver takes Felicity, who is back to her bespectacled and blonde self, into an embrace, glad that he's able to make physical contact with his best friend again.

"For the record, I never stopped believing."

Oliver grins against her hair. "I know."

Barry hugs both Ray and Cisco, gives Caitlin a chaste kiss on the cheek and bumps fists with Ronnie.

"I take it you finally remember us?" Ray asks cautiously.

Barry cocks his head to one side. "Uh, what are you talking about?"

Ray looks horrified. "I— Uh, I—"

"Relax, Palmer. I'm kidding."

Cisco cackles as he slaps a hand on Barry's shoulder (Barry tries to hide his wince but fails miserably). "Oh man, thank god for you! Being a wrench was dope for like the first five minutes but five years? Dude, I can't wait to build stuff again!"

"Just don't go making things explode again," Caitlin orders without any true malice.

"Hey, Barry makes things go ka-boom twice as much as I do!"

"But you three and Harry together?" Ronnie says, smirking. "You'd blow this whole kingdom to smithereens."

"And I don't want to patch Barry up every time he's to break something," Caitlin adds.

"Wow, no care for me?" Cisco gasps in mock hurt.

"And don't you like being a doctor?" Ray adds.

"Not so soon when we just got him back!" Caitlin replies.

Barry's attention gets diverted when he spots Joe walking towards him.

"Joe!" He yells as he runs to them.

Joe laughs as he gathers the young man into his arms. "Hey there, son. Good to have you back and actually know who I am."

Barry rubs at his face in shame. "Ah, I can't believe I forgot who you are... my family!"

Joe dismisses his thought with a shake of his head. "The important thing is you're back now."

Barry can't help it; he says, "You make a mean harpsichord."

Iris doesn't need to give Kara the shovel talk; it'd already been heavily implied when she was still a feather duster. But she knows Kara wouldn't break Barry's heart nor Oliver's; she's endured almost as much pain as Oliver to know she doesn't want to inflict the same affliction upon others.

"C'mon," Iris says as she tugs on Kara's hand. "We're going to add the finishing touches to your wedding plans! Felicity and I've been planning it for a long time. Just puttin' that out there."

"Wait wha—whoa 'kay!"

The wedding never happens, much to Iris and Felicity's disappointment.

It wouldn't bode well for the kingdom of Star (whose subjects now remember their King and now see him in a new and much more pleasant light) in jeopardy: alliances would be broken because of rulers with narrow minds, kingdoms declaring war against them due to a divergence in beliefs...

To Barry, Oliver and Kara, it doesn't really matter. Kara has her engagement ring from Barry, Barry has his promise ring Oliver had intended to give him five years ago, and Oliver has a thick steel band Kara had gifted him (it was the collective effort from Ray and Ronnie, who she didn't have to beg for help).

Kara and Oliver are already in bed, the former reading Paradise Lost out loud and the latter listening eagerly. Barry comes barging in much later, dragging his feet and looking utterly exhausted before collapsing on the bed. It takes both Oliver and Kara to pull him up and position him in between them.

Kara stretches over Barry and gives Oliver a quick kiss on the lips before settling back to her comfortable position, picking up where she last was. Oliver strokes Barry's tangled curls and watches Kara as she goes on reading.

Barry, not wanting to give away that he isn't asleep, smiles inwardly at their lives now and their lives ahead.

"Oh my god, please tell me we didn't just—"

"Redo the plot of Beauty and the Beast? Yeah, we did, Barry."

"How the hell did he make it seem like we  were actually there for years? We didn't even know we were basically acting out a movie!"

"I'm slightly terrified to find out  what else he has in store for us..."

"By the way, you looked hot in those glasses."

"Really? 'Cause he looked more adorable to me."

"Oh ha ha, thanks."

Chapter Text

Long ago, the world was ruled by destruction and chaos orchestrated by a group of gigantic brutes called Titans. Across the globe, these Titans ran amok and sent disasters everywhere. It was all just for the benefit of their own amusement until one day, the son of the king, Kal-El, flew down and hurled his fists. Thanks to the god of strength and flight, the Titans are now imprisoned deep beneath a mountain called Fort Rozz.

Mankind had been incredibly thankful, calling the prince of gods their Superman.

As the world slowly got back on its own two feet, Olympus honored Kal-El's triumph against the Titans and the world flourished quite peacefully.

A few centuries later, Olympus gains a new reason to celebrate, and it came in the form of a bouncing baby girl named Kara.

The Olympians had loved Kara. She was as adorable as she was strong, a feat that Kal-El was so proud of, regardless of the other gods teasing him about his little sister stealing his title of strength.

"You're really not scared Kara's gonna steal your godly title?" James, god of retribution, asked him, poking fun at his best friend but genuinely curious.

Kal-El grinned brilliantly, in a way that would make the sun god Jax jealous, and shook his head. "Not at all," he answered, genuine truth and all.

And as if summoned, the little blonde devil came bouncing in on her pegasus he'd given to her as a present.

"Hey there, little tyke!" Kal greeted his baby sister as she tried to keep balance on the little white pegasus.

Shortly after Kara'd been born, his parents bid Olympus goodbye to rest for the next few millennia. Not only did Jor-El give his son his throne for the time being, but his mother had gently placed little Kara in his waiting arms and he couldn't believe just how tiny the bundle of joy had been.

It had only been a year since then and Kara was already at the height of his knees. He'd been alive for thousands of years, having watched over humans and seeing them grow so slowly yet die so quickly. He wasn't like that; he was a god. He and the others grow differently: rapidly before they eventually stop aging at a certain point of their existence because they're divine immortals with powers meant to look after the world.

"No, no, Winn!" She exclaimed, patting the pegasus' neck to rein him in. When he did, she looked up at Kal and leveled him with her best glare, which just came across as damn well adorable instead of her intention of it being threatening. "'M not a tyke, Kal! 'M a god!" As she said it in her best guttural voice, her pegasus whinnied agreeably.

He grinned and threw back his cape as he bent down to tap her on the nose. "Of course you are, but don't let Lois hear you say that."

She nodded, understanding what he meant. She giggled and put her forefinger on her lips. "'M a god-dess!"

"That's right, Kara. A goddess."

"Uh huh! An' father said I can choose an' so I tol' him that I wan' be you!" She said, eyes with ecstatic animation.

He could hear James whistle at that behind him, but he chose to ignore him. "Really now? You want to be the goddess of flight and strength?"

She nodded vehemently, eyes shining brightly with so much optimism. "Uh huh! 'M gon' be as good as you!"

He playfully ruffled her golden locks. "You'll be even better."

Killer Frost and Reverb both cautiously approached their master but held themselves high; they are well aware of the consequences if they appear defeated.

"It's been a year, master," Reverb said as he straightened his jacket.

"Shall we proceed with the plan?" Killer Frost asked hotly, smirk plastered on her face as she checked her nails.

The god of speed and ruler of the underworld turned around, greeting them with a sadistic smirk. "Yes, kill the little sunspot."

But the plan had been flawed to begin with. Yes, the two metas had been able to take unassuming little Kara from her crib. Yes, they had been able to slither out of Olympus undetected. Yes, they got Kara to drink the potion to turn her mortal.

"Holy Styx, she's changing!" Reverb exclaimed, pointing out the little immortal's godly glow slowly ebbing away. Not only that, but her limbs and overall height started to shrink, from toddler back to baby.

"Do we do it now?" He asked, bottle of poison still in hand as little Kara obediently kept drinking.

Killer Frost flicked his forehead, almost tempted to leave behind frostbite. "She has to drink the whole potion, every last drop, or it won't work."

But what the two had never taken into account were external factors.

"Who's there?" A mortal said from a distance, a dim glow of a fire approaching from the corner.

"Crap," Killer Frost mumbled under her breath as she and Reverb had to run and take cover from the pair of approaching mortals.

Kara cried at having been suddenly abandoned. The glass bottle broke a foot away from her where, unbeknownst to the two metas tasked with killing her, a single drop of the potion edged the upper broken half before falling into the ground.

"Hello?" The other person from the pair, a woman, said, having turned at the corner towards the sound.

As the man thrust the torch in the direction of the incessant crying, they were stunned to see a little baby on the ground.

"Oh no." The woman surged forward as she quickly gathered the baby in her arms, carefully eyeing the broken glass. There was this anger that quickly pumped in her veins as she thought about who could do this to a child. She banished such thoughts from her head and decided to just focus on the baby. "You poor dear," she said soothingly. She faced her husband and told him, "We've been praying to the gods for another child. Perhaps she is their blessing."

"Shit," Killer Frost growled from behind the bushes as she hit Reverb's shoulder. "Now."

Reverb was used to Killer Frost's quick anger; he smirked at her as he put on his dark glasses. They step out of the shadows, arms out to attack.

"Kara..." the mortal man read from the medallion around the baby's neck.

"Oh that's a lovely name," the wife said.

"Definitely lovelier than her gods-awful crying," Killer Frost announced from behind them. She smirked at the mortals, frozen in shock (yes, pun intended). "Bye-bye, little brat."

However, before she can shoot her powers at the young goddess-turned-mortal and the unsuspecting couple, Kara's cries died down just a bit before she blew in the direction of the two metas about to attack.

The little baby just quite literally blew two fully-grown people into the mountain that's quite a distance away.

The man and woman stared at each other before looking back at Kara, who was now gurgling and clapping quite happily.

Meanwhile, Killer Frost was busy making the side of the mountain frozen with her frustrated screaming.

"Chill out, Frost," Reverb said as he wiped off the dust from his top.

"Chill. Out? We were told to kill a baby. Just one tiny baby—"

"Goddess, really."

"Baby. And we screwed it up the best way! I don't know about you, but I am not willing to find out what the Master'll do to us when he finds out."

Reverb smirked as he readjusted his glasses. "You mean if he finds out."

Jor-El and his wife were still hibernating for the next few thousand years, but their son couldn't move to assume what they would do; he was too wrought with grief at the sudden capture of his little sister and astonished at the thought of someone having the audacity to take a goddess.

So Lois, goddess of the truth and wife of the prince, took hold of the situation and ordered every god and goddess in Olympus to search for their little one.

But alas, by the time Iris, goddess of rainbows, had found the baby, it'd been too late.

Young Kara was mortal now. Now all of Olympus grieved, for their bundle of joy could not come home.

However, because she didn't drink the last drop of the poison, she retained her godlike powers.

But that was little consolation compared to the fact that all Olympus could do— all the prince and his wife could do was watch their little Kara grow up from afar, completely oblivious to her divine heritage...

"For gods' sakes, Kara, slow down!"

"What?"

"No, don't you dare do that to me! You have super hearing!"

Kara rolls her eyes and grins widely at her sister. Alex, however, doesn't reciprocate the sentiment and yells at her to look out—

Crash!

She winces as she keeps on running. "Sorry 'bout that!" She calls behind her, truly apologetic for having ruined yet another column they've just put up after she destroyed the last one... for the fourteenth time (Wait, is the fourteenth? Or maybe it's the seventeenth? ... Basically she's ruined a lot of columns).

"Dammit, kid, watch where you're going!" One of the guys yelled.

"Styx no! I am not rebuilding this again!" She hears another one of them say under his breath.

"Kara!" Alex shouts and she realizes she's about to run into a shop so she digs her heels into the ground to stop herself. They eventually do skid to a halt, but less graciously than she'd plan.

Alex sighs in relief. "Thanks, Kara. You're a lifesaver sometimes."

She brushes the dust from her shoulders and sides and beams at her sister. "No problem, sis. Should I—"

Alex makes a motion to stop her from rounding the cart. "No, don't unload yet. I have to negotiate with Snapper."

She gives Alex a thumbs up. Alex doesn't leave just yet, however. There's this stern look of concern on her features, and she knows exactly what Alex is thinking. She sighs. "I know, okay? I'll just stay here and won't cause any more trouble."

Alex's expression shifts to that of something unreadable. "That's not what I meant—"

"I know," she says again insistently. "It's okay. Just go." She tries for a smile; it probably falls a little flat, but her sister takes it.

She leans back against the wood and, for a second, she thinks about laying back on the hay they are here to deliver so she can drown out the world. But she has super hearing; she can't not close off the world as other people can. It's not her fault she can hear someone struggling to carry something and not have the heart to not do something about it.

She pushes herself off the cart and, with her vision that can extend beyond solid barriers, sees someone having trouble keep balance lifting a huge vase.

She'll just run over quick, help 'em and run right back.

What's the worse that can happen?

Everything, apparently.

All around her is the dust and destruction she's managed to somehow create just from trying to catch a lone discus that the guys her age had been throwing around.

She bites her lip and just looks down, unable to meet any of the angry sets of eyes that all stare down at her in utter disapproval.

One of the guys — Rene she remembers — forcefully takes back his discus from her hands, spitting out, "Thanks, Destructo Girl."

"Kara..." Alex says cautiously, words dying as she struggles to find the words.

From the center of all the rubble, Snapper emerges, all covered in soot and cuts, stomping his way to the pair of them. "That's it! Alexandra Danvers, this is the last straw!" He points an accusatory finger at her, and she flinches under the intensity of his glare. "Your sister is a menace!"

"She is!"

"Yeah!"

"She's too dangerous to be around normal people!"

"Damn girl's too dangerous to be around anyone!"

She wants to reassure them that she can do better, but honestly, how many times has she promised them that? She can't defend herself because they're right. When Alex tries to quell their anger by saying she doesn't mean it, that she's still just a kid and that she just can't control her powers all that well, she grabs Alex's arm and tugs her away from the mob.

"Yeah!" Someone yells from behind them. "Get as far away as you can, you freak!"

Alex has always been known for her quick temper, and she isn't able to stop her in time when Alex has obviously reached her limit, picking up a stone and throwing it back at whoever just yelled.

"We're going home and I'm baking you a pie," Alex growls.

Alex's pie is delicious, of course, but it remains mostly untouched. She ends up just stabbing the piece so much that it doesn't look as appetizing as it had been fresh out of the oven.

A figure sits down on the grass next to her. She sets her plate on her opposite side that isn't occupied and brings her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Alex told me," Maggie says, voice as gentle as the breeze despite being a woman so fierce. "You shouldn't let the things they said get to you."

She scoffs. "Why shouldn't I? They're all right! I'm a freak!" She throws herself back on the ground, stretching her limbs as she stares up at the setting sky. "I try to fit in, but no matter what I do, I just... don't belong."

Maggie lightly hits her on the shoulder. It doesn't hurt at all, but it catches her by surprise.

"You do belong, little Danvers. Maybe not with those idiots in the city, but you're family. If anything, I'm the one who shouldn't belong."

She smiles a little at Maggie's attempt of cheering her up. "Oh please." She closes her eyes. "Every time you and my sister see each other, it's like fireworks go off and your eyes turn to hearts." She sighs, forcing back the tears that prick her eyes. "I just... ugh, forget it. I'm not making sense. Sorry."

"Kara..." It's Maggie's turn to heave a sigh. "There's something Alex should tell you."

She really isn't surprised to learn that Alex isn't her biological sister. She's always noticed how much stronger and faster she is than everyone else, emphasis on her lack of a physical weakness. She knows she's different, but it doesn't matter — it shouldn't matter — because the Danvers still took her in and Alex still loves her as a sister nonetheless, screw blood relations.

When their parents, Eliza and Jeremiah, passed on and left the house in their names, Alex still loved her and, by extension, so does her betrothed, Maggie.

Alex, with hunched shoulders, hands her a medallion. Her sister goes on to tell her what their parents told her sister: it'd been around her neck when they found her.

A million questions run through her mind, but the most burning one... she can't ask Eliza or Jeremiah where they found her; they're gone, dead.

It feels... cool to the touch but, more importantly, familiar. Her fingers run around the edges of the medallion and she can't help but feel like this is one step closer to home.

"It's not gold," she mumbles just loud enough for Maggie and Alex to hear.

"What?" Alex asks, looking up with interest.

"The medallion," she elaborates, "it's not made of gold."

"Sure looks like gold to me," Maggie remarks.

She smiles at the object at hand. "It's imperial gold."

There's a stunned silence from the two.

"Whoa, hold up," Maggie says. "As in, like, actual blessed metal?"

She nods wordlessly, still in awe.

"Makes sense. It is the symbol of Superman."

Superman. Lord Kal-El.

Her eyes widen.

Of course!

"Oh my gods, of course! They have the answers!" She yells. "They have to, right? Maybe they have what I've been looking for all along!" She jumps ecstatically, accidentally kickstarting her flight. She kicks her legs in excitement as she floats and says, "I'll just go to the Temple of Superman and—"

She falls.

"Whoa, Kara!"

"Are you okay?"

What is she doing? She was found by the Danvers for a reason: someone didn't want her. Eliza and Jeremiah didn't have to but they gave her a home anyway and loved her regardless. She has found a home with them, with Alex, with Maggie. She shouldn't want to leave them in search of people who didn't even want her in the first place.

But, nevertheless, the yearning to know is there.

Alex and Maggie are kneeling, fretting over her, frantic about her fall (even though they know she can't get hurt). She catches Alex by the wrist and pulls herself up to embrace her.

"I don't wanna go," she says quietly.

Alex reciprocates her sentiment and lays a hand on her back, rubbing soothingly. "But you have to. Maybe you have some greater destiny that has something to do with the gods, and if you do, Maggie and I'll be right here, cheering you on."

Maggie bumps her shoulder with hers. "Yeah, little Danvers."

"Thank you so much. For everything."

Alex's hold around her tenses. "For Olympus' sake, Kara, this isn't goodbye. Go do what you have to do. You're always gonna be my sister."

With her cloak securely in place, the medallion around her neck and a day's worth of food courtesy of Alex and a tearful see-you-laters, she starts her dreadful hike to—

"The Temple of Superman's the other way, little Danvers."

Okay, now she starts her dreadful hike to the temple. It would probably be easier if she flies her way there, but she can only fly incredibly short distances at a time, and flying does take a lot out of her, so she treks.

It's not difficult, traversing across jagged wastelands and through dark and eerie forests, but it's far. But with every step she takes, the more she's sure about her journey; the calling of her fate swells her heart with anticipation and an ache for a sense of belonging.

She can go the distance, and she does, eventually. After two whole days of walking with minimal sleep and rest in between, she made it.

It's quiet, a serene kind of silence that is meant to be approached with the utmost respect. She walks through the rows of columns, head bowed as she slowly advances the impossibly large marble statue of Lord Kal-El. She stares long and hard at his chest, adorned with his iconic symbol. She lifts a hand and her fingers lightly touch her medallion that possesses that same emblem.

She kneels and closes her eyes, hand clutching together in front of her in prayer. "Lord Kal-El, almighty Superman... please hear my prayer. I need to know." Her words sort of get caught in her throat. "Who am I? Where am I supposed to belong?"

She's barely asked her question when the wind starts to pick up, which is strange because she's in a closed temple. Before she can wonder more and possibly internally panic, lightning strikes the statue from nowhere and torches around her light up.

She yelps and scrambles backward, retreating from the statue moving.

The giant statue is moving!

She's about to just about run back to the comfort of her sister when the statue (holy Styx it's looking at her with a smile) says, "Kara."

He knows her.

"How do you—"

The statue bends down and reaches out for her. She tries to run but the statue — as impossible as it sounds — is quick. She scrambles in an attempt to get away because this is a bad idea, what made Alex and Maggie think this was a good idea, and why didn't they talk her out of—

"Hey now, don't be in such a rush to leave just yet, little tyke! It's not every day you get to see your brother!"

She stops.

"B-Brother?"

The statue — Lord Kal-El! — grins. "Yep. In the— er... stone? Haha, yeah. We're siblings! Surprise!" He brings his hand up to get a closer look at her. "Wow. You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you. Looks like we both got Mother's eyes."

She waves her hands around incoherently, her way of stopping him. "Wait a second. If you're actually Superman—"

"Just Kal, Kara."

"—and we're actually siblings... That makes me a god?!"

Super—

No. Just Kal, holy Styx.

Kal-El chuckles. "Technically, goddess. Don't let my wife hear you."

She stumbles on nothing, falling on her behind. "I'm a god..."

"Goddess, Kara. Come on."

"Right," she says, a little dazed. "A... goddess."

"Hey, you wanted answers, little tyke, and you're old enough to know the truth!"

She pushes herself up. "Well, if you are giving me the truth, why'd you leave me here on Earth? Did our... Did our parents not want me?"

Kal-El's expression melts a little at her hushed question. "Kara, the moment you were born, everyone on Olympus loved you with everything they've got." His face turns grim. "But someone stole you from your crib one night and turned you mortal." He regards her with a lonesome look. "And only gods can live on Mount Olympus."

She doesn't realize she's crying until the tears come running down her neck. Everything's coming into focus now for her; she's finally getting her answers.

"But... can't you do something about it? You're Superman."

"To be frank, tyke, it's the humans who named me that..."

"So you can't?"

"I can't, Kara, but you can!"

Her spirit lifts a little at that. "I can? Really? What is it? I'll do anything!"

Kal-El sits a little straighter, big proud grin stretching across his face before he sobers and says sternly, "Kara, if you can prove yourself to be a true hero to mankind, your godhood will be restored."

"A true hero." She too adopts a more rigid posture. She plants her fists on her hips and does an acceptable imitation of Kal-El's signature pose. "Right." Her posture sags. "Uh... how does one... become a true hero exactly?"

"You have to seek out the Green Arrow."

She recognizes that name.

He notes her reaction. "So you've heard of him. Mighty hero he once was, but he just trains them now."

She nods and grins at him. "Okay. Seek out the Green Arrow. Gotcha!" She turns and starts walking off, completely forgetting she'd been on his palm.

Before she can hit the ground, she makes herself float at the last second before hitting the ground albeit with much less impact.

"Goodness. You have a long way to go, mastering your powers, little tyke."

"Stop that."

Kal pauses, raising a brow. "What?"

"Calling me 'little tyke.' I'm not a tyke!"

Okay, one: she never thought she'd be standing here in the Temple of Superman, reprimanding a god who says he's her brother, which roughly translates to her being a god as well. Or actually, goddess, as he insists. And two: after Lord Kal-El throws his head back and laughs heartily, the amount of pain in his eyes when he looks back at her almost makes her flinch.

"You used to say that exact same thing," he says softly.

At first, she doesn't know what to say. She lamely ends up just saying, "I'm twenty years old."

He heartily guffaws. "Yep, still a tyke to me. I'm over thousands of years old."

She rolls her eyes. "Please. Get off your high horse."

His eyes widen in remembrance. "Which reminds me..." He whistles loudly and looks up expectantly.

She follows his gaze and from the entrance, she can see a star cascading down quickly. It shoots into the temple. When it stops just a foot from her, she realizes she's staring at a beautiful white horse with huge wings.

"You probably don't remember Winn," Kal-El says. "But you two were as thick as thieves."

One of Winn's front legs extends forward as a kind of bow before he jumps right back up, flying high and doing several nifty little tricks before gliding down to scoop her up. She yelps but it's a few seconds later when she realizes she's comfortable because... she remembers this, vaguely.

She leans forward and hugs the horse around the neck. "Winn!"

"He's magnificent, isn't he? Of course he is! I made him!"

She grins widely at him as her appreciation. "I'll find the Green Arrow and become a true hero!"

"Right you will, little tyke!"

She waves at him, at her brother holy Styx. "I won't let you down, Kal!"

"I know you won't. Good luck, Kara!"

And as Winn flies her off, a lightning bolt strikes Kal-El again, rendering him into a lifeless statue once more.

It doesn't matter.

She'll see him again once she gets to Olympus, but right now?

She has a mission to do.

Apparently, seeking out the Green Arrow is... a little harder than she thought. For some reason, he lives in solitary in a deserted, far-off island called Lian Yu.

Green Arrow was once a celebrated hero, why is he all the way out here? Amongst a field full of broken statues and columns...

"You... sure this is the right place, Winn?"

Winn nods, but even he looks a bit spooked.

They walk and look around more, vigilant with every step. From ahead, leaves rustle and they both stop dead in their tracks.

"Whoever's there, go away!"

Her arm shoots out to her side to protect Winn from any sort of attack.

"I said go away!"

She decides to use her extended vision to scope out their adversary when a man comes out of the shadowy foliage, sword poised to attack.

This can't be...

"The Green Arrow?" She asks hesitantly.

He doesn't lower his sword. His eyes narrow, calculating. "Who's asking?"

There's no mistaking it: it's him. But he doesn't look like the dozens of statues she's seen of him in Athens when her parents used to bring her and her sister for trips. He looked strong, brave, ready for any sort of punishment you'd give him and could kill you before you could turn around with his weapon of choice: his bow and arrows.

Now... he looks older, not by much but like he's had the world on his shoulders for too long like he's given up, like he's never been the hero Athens celebrates.

She tries her hardest not to glance at his left arm... or lack thereof.

"I am," she answers eventually, standing straighter. "I'm Kara, and this is Winn."

"And the Green Arrow's not here." He lowers the sword. "He's long gone."

He turns and walks away without waiting for her to respond. She chases after him.

"W-Wait! I really need to find him, okay?"

"Go home. He's not here."

"Please!"

"Leave me alone and get heading back to wherever it is you came from!"

Out of all the things he could have said, this one gets to her. At first, she thought she could maybe reason with him, but he's pushed her. She scowls at his retreating form before pushing herself off the ground to zip her way to him, blocking his path to keep him from moving ahead.

For someone who's gained years building his reputation as someone who doesn't startle easily, she takes his wide eyes and sudden stiffness at her powers as a win.

"How did you— How are you..."

She internally snickers. Her flight fails her but she somehow makes it look like she meant to land the way she does, fist to the ground, making it shake a little so she demonstrates her strength to him.

"Look. I just... all my life, I've always been chasing after something I didn't even know. And now, I do know. And you're the only one who can help."

He's quiet for a moment, studying her with hardened eyes.

"I'm retired," he eventually says, "so go home."

She grabs his shoulder when he makes a move to leave. "That's just it! I can't! To go home, I have to be a hero. A true hero. Then I can go back to Mount Olympus."

He fumbles just a bit that it's almost microscopic, but she still saw it.

"Mount Olympus?" He asks, barely louder than a whisper.

"Yes. Superman's my brother." She looks at him, pleading and imploring for his help. "Please."

He stares at her, clearly having an internal conflict as his eyes bear hold into her. Eventually, he heaves a heavy sigh and shakes his head.

"The Green Arrow's long gone." He extends his only hand to her. "It's Oliver."

It's just her first day of training — the same day she arrived on the island, mind you — and he doesn't give her a break.

"To your left, Kara."

She groans.

"I'm really starting to regret telling you my name!"

"More lifting, less talking!"

A month later, and she's thankful for her invulnerability but...

"I don't know if pushing me off a cliff is the best idea..."

"Am I human?"

"What?"

"Am I human."

"Is this a trick question 'cause—"

"It's just yes or no, Kara."

"Yes, you're human... I hope."

"I'm human. Which means I can't fly. Which also means I'll probably feel guilty about this later on. But for now..."

"Wait, what do you—" He pushes her off. "Oliver!"

...

She has to trudge up back to his hut, hair wet and maybe her dignity's a little damaged.

"You quitting yet?"

She brushes past him as she marches into her room to change.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Ollie!"

He bristles. "Stop calling me that!"

The bland meal he prepares for her somehow tastes marginally better than most nights so she doesn't poke fun or complain about it. She merely looks up and looks pointedly at the wall embellished with all kinds of different objects: a red eye mask, a black eye mask, a red bow, a white mask, a black helmet, and a lot more.

"You never tell me about what those are."

He glances back at the shelf before returning to his bowl. "There's nothing to tell."

"Oh c'mon. I've told you practically everything about me—"

"That's because you don't shut up."

"—so tell me at least a shred about yourself."

He's quiet for a while. She's about to just give up when he speaks softly: "They were my trainees'. They're all gone now."

She doesn't ask about them again.

Six months down the line, he still thinks weapons aren't a good fit for her.

"Why? 'Cause I'm a woman?"

He smirks.

"'Cause you're a god, Kara. I'm training you to use your powers instead of having to rely on manmade weapons." He nods at her left. "Again."

She begrudgingly gets back into position. "Goddess."

It's probably closer to twelve months than it is eleven; she's starting to lose count.

"Again."

"Oh my gods, I can't, okay? Last time was a fluke."

"Exactly. That's why we're aiming for it not to be a fluke."

She kicks at a rock that hurtles off far into the ocean. "You can't just—"

"Do you want to go back to your family?"

She doesn't know if he means Alex or Kal. She answers anyway. "Yes."

"Then you are doing a bang up job of screwing that up."

Something within her snaps and before she even knows what she's doing, she's literally glaring a hole at his head.

However, he somehow knew — little harpy that he is — and simply moves to the side, watching the rock that takes her anger form two gaping holes in its center.

"Good. Again."

She doesn't know if she wants to hug him or throw him into the sky.

She has no idea how they ended up like this, with her curled up next to him, clinging to his chest as she catches her breath.

"You're all right, Kara," he reassures her in the softest voice she's ever heard him use.

She blinks, blinks the tears away, blinks the bad dreams away, blinks the awful insults hurled at her away.

How about him? He's not all right; he has a haunted look in his eyes that never really leaves and tonight, it's worse than usual.

Fingers catching the front of his shirt, she says, "You are too."

Two years.

And she still can't save the stupid citizen in peril.

"Stop and analyze, Kara! Case your perimeter!"

She growls and tries again.

"I am not wearing green."

"Fine. Blue?"

She considers again.

"Throw in a red cape."

She briefly wonders how Alex and Maggie are when an arrow harmlessly bounces off her shoulder.

She looks up and gives him a look. "Weapons don't work on me!"

"Check again."

She humors him and—

"Holy Lois! Is this—"

"Greek fire? Yes."

She immediately flies off and jumps into the ocean.

She plans on staying there for as long as her breath allows.

She never asks about his past again, but he brings it up unprompted one night just when she's about to enter unconsciousness.

"One of my trainees was my sister..."

She squeezes her eyes shut, not ignoring the past tense used.

Her curiosity gets the better of her.

"What happened to her?"

He sighs, the kind of sigh that lets you know one's pain.

"Like what happened to all my other trainees: she's gone."

She has a mission; she has a goal, which means she has to succeed, but there's that tiny inkling of doubt at the back of her mind...

No! She can't think like this. She can't lose herself into misgivings and bad thoughts. She has to get to her endgame; for her parents, for her Alex, for Maggie, for Kal, for Oliver, for herself.

She clasps his hand in hers and he doesn't pull back. He never usually does. Not at night, when they're close and intertwined like this.

"What was her name?"

He tucks back a couple strands of her hair that covers her eyes.

"Thea." A beat. "She would have loved you."

I would have loved her too, goes unspoken from her lips.

She did it.

She actually did it.

She tosses the stupid citizen dummy aside and soars in the air, Winn matching her movements perfectly as they celebrate, aerial style.

"Congratulations, Kara. Took you three years."

She zips her way down and catches him in an embrace. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She doesn't notice his arm clutch at her closer or his eyes closing.

"You're welcome."

He says he's taking her to Starling City for her heroic debut.

"Why Starling?" She asks, fists out in front of her as she cruises in the air alongside Winn. She's heard a lot about Starling before but never been there. Probably for the best, all she's heard about it were awful things, sounding more like a barbaric village than a city.

Oliver, riding on Winn's back, keeps his gaze straight ahead. "It's riddled with problems and it's a big tough town." His teeth are gritted. "Perfect for building a rep."

She's about to ask what's with the abrasive attitude when, with her enhanced hearing, she catches a guttural scream followed by a squeak of pain. She doesn't even think twice about it; she turns and zooms towards the noise. She lands near a waterfall and stalks towards the splashing. Winn lands next to her quietly.

"What in Fort Rozz are you doing?" Oliver rasps next to her.

She puts a hand up to stop him before he has the chance to berate her some more.

"I heard something, okay?" She snaps back.

"Gods-dammit, let me go!" A man yells, the same man who'd just screamed.

She wastes no time in running through the thick foliage, and lo and behold. she's staring at a large man, seemingly made of... metal(she wishes she's kidding) tossing around some guy, who looks pretty beaten up, trying to get away from the giant.

"Not so fast, Allen." The giant metal man picks him up by the throat.

The guy's face is flushed. "Put me down, Woodward!"

Oliver somehow manages to catch up to her. "Okay now Kara, first, you have to analyze the— Kara? Kara!"

She pushes her legs into the water, ignoring Oliver's grumbling behind her.

"You came to me, begging, Allen. Maybe beg a little more." He laughs, maniacal and sadistic, before throwing him back down into the water. "Looks like you're still made to take a beating."

"Hey!" She yells, stalking towards the scene to keep it from escalating.

The metal man smirks and steps towards her, leaning forward until they're mere inches apart. "This ain't no scene for a little lady who likes to play dress up. Run along before your curls get ruined."

The man with the bruised face uses this opportunity to struggle greatly to escape, but he's too weak.

She can feel the back of her neck bristle at the stupid metal man's comment. "Let him go, or you won't like the consequences."

The man, Allen as the metal man had called him, gives up with a huff. "Hey, uh, whoever you are?" He says to her. "Just walk away."

This stuns her. Most people would either be grateful for the help or, in her case, run away screaming. Instead, this man, who is clearly in distress, tells her to just walk away.

"Uhh," is the only thing she manages to say. "But... don't you need help?"

"I'm a guy—" he struggles "—who probably—" he beats the fist that entangles around him "—needs to acknowledge—" he wiggles "—that he needs help—" he huffs "—but I can handle this—" but to no avail "—so have a nice day."

Just before she can retort, a metal fist strikes her across the face, sending her flying into the water. She isn't in pain, she's pissed.

She quickly stands, wringing her hair and whipping her cape back. She can hear Oliver calm Winn down, trying to rein him in so she can do this on her own.

If she can't beat one stupid beast, then how is she expected to become a true hero?

"Hey! Hardass!" The stupid metal man barely turns when she flies up to punch him in the jaw. This, however, had been a poor choice of combat; it gets the man in distress released, but not without crashing face first into the water. She winces before flying herself to the Allen guy, lifting him up in the air by grabbing his shoulders to keep him from drowning. "Sorry... I, uh... That was pretty reckless."

She settles him on a rock. Allen spits out water and coughs quite violently. She almost pats him on the back, but she fears she'll break his spine with her strength so she makes her hand stay put.

He looks up and gives her a sarcastic scowl. "You think?"

She wants to respond, but the blubbering idiot of metal comes running in, yelling obscenities at her that make her inwardly laugh; she's heard more hurtful and original insults from children back in her village years ago.

"Excuse me one moment," she calmly tells him.

All Allen does is rolls his eyes and smooths out his hair. She turns on her heel and hovers above the water. Big-metal-idiot has his fist barreling to hit her but before he has the chance to, she blows at him mightily, freezing him on the spot. When he's completely immobile and encased in ice, she punches him in the jaw once more. It sends him flying in the air and she raises her arms to zip her way to catch up to him.

"You're dead, bitch," he growls, attempting to clutch at her.

"Not before you," she deadpans and sends a blow squarely on his chest. He roars fiercely as he flies back a great distance, disappearing somewhere far into the mountains.

Before she can float down, Winn flies to her and whinnies happily. He bumps her head, what he usually does when he's excited. She laughs as she rubs her knuckles on Winn's forehead.

"Yeah, yeah," she tells him as they hit the water. "I'm one fight closer to going back to Olympus!"

Winn flies around her in excitement.

"You for real?"

Her head snaps up and she remembers about the guy — Allen, right — she just saved.

She ducks her head a little in embarrassment, suddenly becoming shy. All her life, only her family and Oliver are pleasant with her (well, only occasionally pleasant when it comes to the latter) and, for the first time, this is will be her first interaction where she's a nobody, a blank slate, not having that reputation of being a freak or Destructo Girl just yet.

"Yep, I'm for real." She winces at the black eye he's slowly forming and a nasty cut on his cheek. She quickly uses her ability to see bones and swallows back down the hiss that almost escapes when she sees he's fractured quite a few ribs. "Are you..." Ugh, she can't just ask if he's okay! He's clearly not!

He waves a hand dismissively. "Yes. I'm fine." He sighs before perking up. "My name is Bartholomew Allen. My friends call me Barry."

She blinks.

Oh. Allen is just his family name.

When someone offers up their name, you say yours. That's the custom, right?

"So, do you have a name or should I just keep calling you Supergirl in my head?"

Hold on, she was just getting to that!

"I-I'm Kara D-Danvers." She tilts her head. "Supergirl?"

He laughs once and points at her chest. "You kind of stole Superman's schtick."

She looks down, as if just remembering she made Oliver let her keep her brother's symbol with her as a hero. She laughs, trying to relieve the bundle of nerves that gather in her throat. "Oh yeah, I, uh... you know, uh— I-I— Err, he—"

"Are you always this articulate?"

But he doesn't say it in an annoyed or impatient tone; he says it playfully, in a way that makes it seem like what they have is a banter and not a scolding. She feels a blush forming but elects to ignore the fluttery feelings in her gut.

She laughs again, as if the mere action could take away her nervousness. It does the opposite effect, instead, amplifying her anxiety. "Superman. He's my brother."

He blinks, definitely not expecting that answer. "Oh. I didn't know he had a sister."

She smiles. "I was kinda kept secret," she explains simply, having rehearsed her made up her background for the general public with Oliver the past year."You know how overbearing and overprotective big brothers can be."

She doesn't immediately notice him flinch, but she easily sees how his charismatic nature ebbs away just a bit. She's about to apologize for crossing a line when he masks it all back up and casually says, "Yeah."

She clears her throat, unable to let the conversation fizzle out so quickly and stirs the subject to a different territory. "So, um, how did you get mixed up with—"

"With big, silver and angry? Well, you know how they are: they think everyone else is beneath them just because they have abilities." He pushes himself off the rock and gives her a mock salute. "Anyway, thanks for the save, Supergirl, but this guy's gotta run. Catch ya later!"

She wants to offer him a ride back to wherever it is he's so keen on going, but for a guy that almost died at the hands of an angry monster, he's pretty quick. She exchanges glances with Winn and shrugs.

"Kara!"

She whips around and grins widely at her mentor approaching.

"Ollie!" She says happily. Her proud and joyful demeanor, however, is quickly wiped off when she sees the scowl on Oliver's face. It's a rare occasion when Oliver isn't wearing a glower at anything, but this one seems... angrier? Well, not quite but close enough. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She shakes her head and decides to take hold of the situation. "Where were you? I should've introduced you to Ba—"

"You've been training for years, and that's what you show for it?" He says through gritted teeth.

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What are you talking about? I beat him, didn't I?"

"You didn't case your perimeter, you didn't analyze the situation — Styx! — you didn't even stop to make a plan! You just ran in blind because you got mad."

"Hey! Someone was getting beat up and you wanted me to just stand there and watch?"

"I wanted you to assess the situation so you don't make things worse! Dammit, what would have the last three years have been if you make stupid rash decisions like that?"

There's more; she knows there's more he wants to say but he cuts himself off at the question.

She huffs. She can't argue any further because he does have a point. Her first attack could have gone a lot worse had the metal man not let go of Barry sooner. She gives in. "Alright, okay? I'm sorry. I'll do better next time."

Oliver stares at her, studying her eyes for her sincerity. When he's satisfied, he nods and turns around, probably to dry off.

"Hey, Ollie? Whattaya think of the name Supergirl?"

Oliver just makes a grunt to make his disapproval known.

She looks at Winn and whispers, "Well I'm keeping it. Whattaya think, Winn?"

Winn whinnies agreeably.

"Mister Allen."

His shoulders sag and he puffs. "Speak of the devil," he murmurs under his breath.

Lightning dashes in his peripheral and a gust of wind whips his hair. All of a sudden, he can practically smell the foul breath of the damn god of the underworld that lightly blows onto his cheek.

"I see you've come alone," he says in a low tone that tells him he's more displeased. "Where is my river guardian for the uprising?"

Wanting to get him off from his side, he pushes past him to lean against a tree. "You don't have a river guardian. I'm sorry but I gave it my best shot."

"Well your best clearly wasn't good enough!"

He angrily faces the god and gestures at his busted up face. "Good enough would have led me to my death!"

"That would have been more preferable if I had my river guardian! But since I'm stuck with your incapable self, I'm going to have to add up two more years to your sentence."

He internally cringes. He can't take much more of this anymore. It's almost been ten years, having to run around and do errands and dirty work for the god of speed. "Look, it wasn't my fault, all right? It was this super girl, Kara. She butted in."

The god stops moving; his face and muscles are at a standpoint and it's one of those rare times he can see the god's face and eyes instead of a blur and just red respectively. He honestly wishes he's staring right into a red glow instead of actual eyes because the intensity of fury that glistens in them makes him back away a bit.

"Shit," Cisco — or Reverb as he insists when in front of their master — mutters. Caitlin — or rather, Killer Frost — looks like she's about to bolt.

Before Cisco has a chance to open a portal to run, the god of speed already has his hands curled around their throats.

"As I recall, you two told me you 'took care of it.'" Eobard's eyes glow again, but the red somehow seem angrier and his distorted voice is way more terrifying. "'Dead as a doornail,' weren't those your exact words?"

"Didn't you know the name Kara is a growingly popular name in Greece?" Cisco manages to rasp despite the tightening fingers that are threatening to crush his windpipe. "You know, this could be a different Kara. I'm seventy-eight percent positive... like a strong seventy-two. Sixty-five. Dammit, Frost, I can't stop, help."

"We weren't able to kill her," Caitlin admits.

Cisco glares at her. "Not helpful."

Caitlin returns the look. "But we managed to make her mortal. We can still kill her, and you will have your throne."

Caitlin always knows what to say to please other people. Eobard hums, seemingly liking her train of thought and lets the two go. The two cough grievously for a few seconds before straightening themselves out.

"All right. You can still correct your mistake. And this time, Miss Snow, no foul-ups."

She barely nods her acknowledgment when the god zooms away in a blink of an eye. Caitlin's white hair and white eyes slowly dissipate away and all she's left with are brown curls and brown eyes, looking at him with great concern.

Cisco takes off his dark glasses. "Dude, the Rozz happened to your face?"

"Woodward," is all he supplies. He winces at Caitlin's gentle touch to his bruises.

Cisco scoffs. "He's still at it? You're lucky you didn't lose any of your teeth. Those puppies don't grow back."

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Caitlin demands, going all healer-mode again.

He waves her off. "I'm fine, Cait, I swear— ow!"

"Your ribs are broken," she states with an unimpressed look.

He lightly glowers at her. "Don't poke my sides!"

"I wouldn't have to if you'd just tell me the truth!"

Cisco's grin drops and he quickly puts his glasses back on. "You might wanna continue the whole powwow thing later. He's coming back."

Caitlin sighs; he can tell that they're both tired of it too, having to serve under Eobard's foot. It'd been rewarding at first: the power he granted them for being his to command... but now? It just sucked. None of them were inherently evil — the call of their powers had been too fun to play with — but they're so over it now and just want their normalcy back, their humanity back, their souls back.

In his special case, Eobard ripped his abilities from him when he slowly got to the point of almost rivaling his own tremendous speed. He found it a blessing in disguise; having lost his speed meant he was one step closer to being a regular person again.

And at this point, that's all he wants.

That's what they all want.

But there's really no one to blame but themselves: Caitlin had wanted to save her fiancé's soul, Cisco had wanted to save his brother's, and all he had wanted was to save his lover's. But there's a reason you don't make deals with the literal Devil: Ronnie died in battle a week after Caitlin had made the deal, Dante drunk himself to a stupor and drowned in the amount of alcohol he'd taken just two days after Cisco had made the deal, and Oliver got a good chunk of his arm chopped off and bled to death just a month after he'd made the deal.

"I'm going to ice your face later to tone down the swelling, okay?" She says and all he can do is nod then watch her hair turn white again.

Star City is... way more troubled than she anticipated. It's huge, too densely populated and just rife with crimes and tragedies; they arrive just in time to hear people debating if the fires happened before or after the earthquakes, but collectively agree that the floods happened after everything.

She looks towards Oliver, who simply gives her an encouraging nudge. She takes in a deep breath and takes her stance, telling the gaggle of troubled citizens that she's going to turn life around for them.

"Yeah, why's that?"

She fails to mask her stammer. "I-I'm going to be your c-city's new hero..."

They laugh at her and walk away. Some woman with blonde hair and spectacles approach her not unkindly. "Sorry to have to burst your little bubble, girl, but Star needs a real hero, not some... amateur."

"Or a woman!" Someone else says, a boy just a few years younger than her it seems.

They all desert her.

"How in the world am I supposed to prove myself a hero if no one's gonna give me a chance?" How am I supposed to get back home? Her mind continues.

Winn catches her before sagging onto the ground.

Oliver walks up to her.

"They actually received you better than I was."

"Yeah, well—" It's at the point she realizes what he meant. Her eyes convey just how much her mind is boggled by how they slowly widen. "That's— That's why you insisted I come here! You're from here!"

He shushes her before looking around urgently for any eavesdroppers. "I am. This is where I grew up, where I started out. Believe it or not, before I was the great Green Arrow, I was just someone called the Hood."

Her nose wrinkles. "The Hood?"

He chuckles once before taking a seat on the ground next to her. "The Hood. Granted, I didn't give it to myself. Point is people just don't trust heroes so easily. Heroes have to prove their worth before change can happen. I didn't start here a hero, I started here as a vigilante. I was shot, beaten and cursed at by the very same people I was trying to protect."

"Uhh... are you telling me I should start out as a vigilante first?"

"No." He shakes his head. "I'm saying you start small."

She sighs and kicks out her legs. "And where am I just gonna miraculously—"

"Help!"

She blinks. Wow. The odds are working well in her favor. She mentally thanks her brother and the goddess of luck, Jesse.

"Help! Please! Someone! Anyone! There's been a— Kara!"

It's Barry. It's Barry! The same Barry she just saved yesterday, still with bruises albeit less harsh than it'd been yesterday. With her enhanced sight, she can see his ribs have been attended to.

Then Barry just stops, looking past her shoulder and she thinks he's probably staring at Oliver, or rather, his oddity of having just one arm. She's about to defend her mentor when she realizes he isn't looking at him oddly or uncomfortably; he looks shocked and pained, almost like he's thinking he shouldn't have come barreling into Star City looking for her help.

He shakes his head, presumably to collect his thoughts and gives her back his attention.

"Kara, I need your help," he says desperately, near to tears.

"What happened?" She asks.

"Outside of town. There was a rockslide — a terrible rockslide — and there are people trapped under there!"

Crap, she shouldn't feel excited about something so grim, but she can't help it. Her first task as a hero.

"Take me there!" She says, unable to contain her thrill.

"Wow, you're... you're really choked up about this— Hey! What are you— Put me down! Kara, wait! Oh shit, I forgot you can fly— Wait, wait, wait, Kara, I have this fear of heeiiigghhttsss— Kara!"

Upon landing, she doesn't miss the slightly sickly green shade on Barry's face. She winces. "S-Sorry. Are you okay?"

He swallows. "Yeah. Just... Put me down."

She does so, gently settling him on his feet. He lurches forward, body jerking as he retches. "Never and I mean never fly me again. Please."

She nods. "Of course. I—"

"Help!"

Right. The people!

"Get us out of here, please!"

"Someone call IX-I-I!"

She rushes to where they are. They're under a boulder that's probably her size a thousand times over. She throws back her cape and leans down to the crevice where she can see them without having to use her extended sight.

"I-I'll get you out, don't worry," she promises, tone gentle.

"Please hurry!" The female cries.

"Before we get crushed!" The male panics.

She nimbly gets back up and places her hands under the boulder to get a good grip. She exhales a breath and starts to pull. Even for someone with godlike strength, it's heavy. Even when Oliver trained her to carry ridiculously heavy things, none of those were even close to the sheer weight of this. She actually struggles with having to lift it up and when she finally get it over her head, the man and woman scramble to get out.

Her knees her shaking and her arms are numb, but she smiles at the faint applause from behind her.

"Are you guys okay?" She asks.

"We are now," the woman says. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks!" The man says cheerily. "Damn you're really strong!"

"Thanks," she says back, voice tight with exertion. "Please be more careful in the future."

"We will!"

The man bids his goodbye in form of a wave while the woman smiles at her, eyes crinkling with gratitude. They both walk off.

She huffs before gently placing the boulder aside, pride swelling in her chest.

"My first hero mission!" She whispers, in awe, unaware of the danger lurking behind the boulder that'd been placed there for a reason.

"Stirring performance, Mister Ramon, Miss Snow," Eobard says from his place on his makeshift throne, high in the mountain next to where the spectacle is about to commence.

"We try," Cisco says with a smirk.

"'Damn you're really strong?'" Caitlin mimics irritatedly as her hair shifts color from dark to light.

"I was going for sincerity. What was your angle? Cardboard?"

He tunes them out and watches Kara smile so widely as Oliver approaches her.

Oliver.

Oliver Queen is alive. Oliver Queen, the man he'd once been madly in love with, is alive.

He's alive and walking and breathing and living and moving and talking and scolding and alive.

Holy mountain of Olympus, he's alive!

The same Oliver he thought to be dead after his arm got torn off.

He's alive, he's alive, he's alive, he's alive—

The ground beneath him shakes.

Oh gods, get out of there.

(Later when he thinks about it, he won't know who he was meaning at the time.

He'll probably say Oliver.

But ever since that awful save in the river, he can't get Kara out of his mind.)

"Ollie, can you believe it?" She says, rushing to hug him as she lifts him off the ground. "They even applauded! Well, sort of, but still!"

"Don't celebrate just yet, Kara."

"What? But why? I just saved—"

From deep within the cavern the huge rock had hidden, a barely audible rumbling rings in the air, sending chills down her spine.

"O-Ollie? What d-d-do you call that thing?"

"Your one-way ticket to Olympus."

The crowds that have gathered from a safe distance gasp in horror at the sheer size of the hydra. This one's bigger than usual.

Eobard's pawn against Kara is a damn hydra.

He can't move, can't think, can't blink, can't rip his eyes away.

She's going to die.

The creature stalks around her, hissing and screeching at her once in a while.

All she can really do is raise her fists and try her best to not look like the coward she'd once been.

The creature lunges forward and is almost able to nip at her arm. She ducks in time but still the monster's teeth still manages to graze against her skin.

Holy Lois.

It actually hurt, having chafed her just a bit. Her eyes widen at the blood.

So this is what a scratch feels like.

The monster surges forward again. She anticipates it in time and punches it right in the jaw, sending its head fly backward. She digs her hands into the stone ground below her and just before it can rush to take another bite at her, she throws a huge chunk of rock at it.

It catches the rock with its mouth and crushes it with its teeth.

That's not good.

The thing catches her by the ankle and tosses her in the air. Before she can fly away to safety, she's been swallowed whole.

She's dead.

She's dead and it's all his fault!

He wishes he still had his speed so he can at least get one punch in; he just can't decide to whom the said punch would go to: the damn hydra or Eobard.

The hydra screams and a red light beam emerges from its neck, severing it completely as Kara stands there, triumphant.

He feels like screaming.

She's nowhere near done. She just made things a whole lot worse.

She's about to fly straight to Oliver, hug him, kiss him— just celebrate!

But the carcass beneath her moves. Her flight stutters when four heads pop out from where she'd sliced through.

Not good.

He's thankful to all the gods (except Eobard) that Kara seems to understand that cutting any of the creature's heads off isn't the most ideal plan.

She dodges every single one of the heads' attacks with jerky movements. She's obviously been trained for combat and fighting, but she's not equipped to fight such beings.

His fingernails collect dust as he presses them into the ground beneath them when the hydra pins her against the cliffside.

She's going to die. Again.

He can't watch.

She doesn't have much time. She has to do it now.

Just as the many heads all screech at piercing volumes as they all lurch forward to attack, she slams her fist against the rock she's pressed against. The mountain breaks from the top and it rains down giant boulders.

The creature lets go of her in an attempt to scramble away and avoid getting crushed, but it's too slow.

And she gets buried in the chaos.

She's dead. For real now.

He looks back at Eobard and finds his silhouette of a face grin in absolute maniacal glee.

He can't let him see him cry. Crying is a sign of weakness, and Eobard won't have that. He has a lasting reminder of that on his back...

The rubble quakes and shifts and moves and for a brief second, he fears for his life, thinking about the number of heads the hydra had—

It's Kara that emerges from the dust and the wreckage.

The crowd cheers, Eobard screams and he's quietly crying in relief.

"Oh my Kal, the way you took down that hydra was awesome!"

"You're super strong!"

"Can I have your cape?"

"Can I have you?!"

"What's your name?"

She's on cloud nine being carried by the crowd who have accepted her as their new hero. She's laughing as she yells, "I'm Supergirl!"

And from then on, all other up-and-coming heroes suddenly don't matter anymore, not since her insane arrival.

Monsters start to ooze out from every corner, and she beats them. With every beast she vanquishes, she moderately gets better each time.

She is revered as Greece's national hero, so much so that she's understanding what it means to be a goddess. She thinks this is great practice until then.

They make action figures of her, vases with her face on it, and they pay her for her heroics. Now she has more money than she knows what to do with. She considers bringing Alex and Maggie in, but she can't just yet, not when her life is still in the balance of danger and even more danger.

The longer she does this hero gig, the giddier she gets at being able to get back to Olympus. She's so close!

Barry pops into her life once in a while, either before some creature bursts into the city or when she's recuperating from the energy it takes to beat them. He's never there, though, when Oliver's there.

By the time his face completely heals and she is able to truly see his eyes, she realizes she's starting to love the color green.

Green.

Coincidence or irony, after the tenth monster she's managed to terminate with ease, Oliver relays just how proud he is of her when he closes the distance between their lips one night...

She's never been more confused in her life.

"How. Is. She. Doing THIS?" Eobard roars one day as he scowls at Kara waving at the townsfolk. "I have just a little over twenty-four hours left to fulfill my destiny and she can't die?"

He quietly laughs at his long trail of misfortunes. "Looks like you've lost, Eobard. Supergirl's beaten every single monster you've thrown at her."

Eobard looks at him, suddenly with great interest.

"Maybe it's not the monsters I should have been throwing at her."

He scowls. He can practically feel his blood boil. "No. You can't make me."

"Might I remind you, Mister Allen: I own you because you sold your soul to me to save your little boy toy and what happened? He disappeared from the face of the Earth and now he's made Supergirl his newest plaything." He involuntarily winces, as if Eobard had rammed a vibrating hand through his chest.

He stands straighter. "I won't do it."

Eobard's face stops vibrating and his eyes stop glowing. He removes his cowl and for the first time, he's looking at the impossibly human face of the ruler of the dead. "Everyone has a weakness, Mister Allen. For some, it's love. For others, it's money. We simply need to find out Superbrat's. If you get me that, I'll give you the one thing you crave most in the world." His heart stops. No. "Your freedom."

He glances at the two people he's long considered his family with tight determination.

"Mine. And theirs."

Eobard smirks and puts his cowl back on.

"It's a deal, Mister Allen.

Winn neighs and flies around her happily as she relays her latest zany adventure to her brother's statue.

She grins up at him and asks, "So, should I start packing my stuff or what?"

"For where? Are you going for a vacation?"

She gives him an odd look. "No, for when— For when I rejoin the gods, Lois... you."

Kal looks apologetic. "You've done beautifully, Kara, you're just... not... there yet."

Her eyes widen in shock. "Wha— No way! I've mastered my powers! I've beaten every single monster that has come at me! I—I... I'm the most famous hero in all of Greece!"

"I truly am sorry, little tyke, but being famous is not the same as being a true hero."

"But I followed exactly what you told me! I sought the Green Arrow, he trained me and I've just followed his lead ever since!"

"That's the thing, Kara! Becoming a true hero isn't following someone else's command or seeking fame, it's something you have to discover yourself. You have to dig deep and look... inside... your... heart."

Kal resumes his position and lightning strikes it.

"Wait, no! Kal! Dammit!" Her fists strike the floor, wrecking the intricate pattern. Winn cautiously approaches her and envelopes her small frame with one of his large wings. She leans against her beautiful pegasus and cries. "What am I supposed to do, Winn?"

They're in his bed like they have been a year into her training, having become the norm for them to keep their own nightmares at bay. He's got his arm clinging to her shoulders and her hair spilling into his fingers as he plays with her golden strands.

"I know you're awake."

She sighs. Of course he does.

"There's no point to this."

"No point to what?"

"To this. This mansion they gave me, the merchandise, the fame... it's not getting me anywhere, Ollie."

He lightly kisses her temple and brings her closer to his body. "It is. The difference between you and every single hero out there, including myself, is that... you have heart, Kara. If that doesn't count for something, then I don't know what does."

She wants to leave her enormous compound, not for work but for leisure. Just before she can take one step out of her front door, little kids come barging in. She freezes for a second but realizes she can't just stand there like an idiot so she uses her speed to quickly hide behind one of the curtains, hovering just a bit so her feet won't stick out at the bottom.

"Aww man, I was sure she'd be here."

"Maybe we'll find her if we explore more?"

"Kal yes, please!"

"Hey!"

"Oh no. It's old man Oliver! Run!"

"Come back here, you little harpies! I'll show you who's old!"

Her front door slams shut and she heaves out a sigh. Dear gods does she owe Oliver. She flies back down and steps out of the curtain, yelping quite violently upon seeing Barry laying down on her coach.

"I thought you have super senses?"

"Barry!" She yells.

The man simply sends her grin that doesn't completely melt her heart. Shut up. "This is what heroes do on their days off, huh?" he says lazily, picking up an apple from her end and munches on it.

She blushes a little. "Ha, I'm not a hero, Barry..."

He gives her an unimpressed look. "Could've fooled me, Supergirl. So, are you free?"

She gives him a curious look. "Why?"

It's probably one of — if not — the best time she's ever had. Barry Allen has taken her places: from the restaurant with the amazing seafood to the play about the tragic tale of a fictitious character named Hercules.

Her beating heart feels like... like nothing she's ever felt before.

Well, that's a bit of a lie. She feels just as light and nervous and relaxed whenever she's wrapped in Oliver's arm.

Gods, why is she so confused about her own damn emotions? Why can't she just love one?

"So, Supergirl, tell me a little bit about yourself," he says.

"B-But I have." And she has been, all day, the first time she's really told anything about herself in the times she's spent with Barry. Usually, it was just banter and maybe a little flirting that volley back and forth between them.

He chuckles once. "Yeah. About your brother, your adoptive parents, Alex, Maggie... You haven't really said a zip about you."

"Oh. T-There's nothing to tell really. I mean, look at me..."

He takes her hand and spins her around without warning, causing her to laugh out loud. He then dips her, green eyes shining so brilliantly as it reflects the soft glow of the moonlight. "I am."

Heat rushes to her face and she just knows she's red. He then slowly picks her back up and she just can't stop staring at green.

Green.

Gods is she confused...

"You... how 'bout you?" She says to break the silence between them, inwardly cringing at her voice cracking. "You haven't really talked about yourself."

His eyes widen just a bit in panic, but he manages to smooth it out with a laugh. He turns on his heel and sits on the fountain. "Nothing to spill about me, really. Parents are dead, but you know that story."

She takes a seat next to him at a reasonable distance. "Then give me another story."

"Uh, I, uh... I used to compete in the Olympics."

"Oh." Don't think about Barry naked, don't think about Barry naked, gods-dammit, brain, DON'T. "Why'd you stop?"

"Mom died," he says nonchalantly. "I hated competing anyway. I mean, I loved the running part, but training for it was always awful."

"Don't I know it." She shares his sentiment.

"Yeah, was always my weakness, waking up at the crack of dawn." He bumps shoulders with her. "How 'bout you? What's your weakness?"

She can feel goosebumps rise from where his breath tickles the skin on her neck. She breathes out a nervous laugh and slides an inch away to collect her rattling thoughts that are lost in the green hue of his damn eyes. "Nope. No weaknesses here. I've long learned to just take what I can get. I'm as fit as a fiddle."

He sighs and looks away, running a hand through his brown curls. "Of course you are," he mumbles, tone dripping a bit of sarcasm. "You're Supergirl. You're perfect."

"Yeah, no... I still mess up a lot." It feels good, having to admit it out loud. With Oliver, she tends to hide her little insecurities; he's done a lot for her already, she can't add her own problems to his own. "When I was a kid, I would have given everything to be just like everyone else."

Barry scoffs, head bowed down. "You wanted to be petty? Dishonest?"

"Everyone's not like that," she says, almost defensively, thinking about her parents, her sister, and Oliver.

He stands up and kicks at a pebble. "They are."

She stands now too and awkwardly fidgets with her hair. "You're not."

Barry turns around quickly. She expects to see angry eyes, instead she sees eyes afflicted with melancholy. "You don't know that."

"I do," she insists. "In the months that I've known you, you are funny, kind, thoughtful and the most fun person I've ever met."

He has this sheepish look as he rubs the back of his neck. "You haven't met a lot of people."

"Maybe," she agrees, "but when I'm with you, I... I don't have to Supergirl. I'm just Kara."

He takes one long look at her before walking past her. "It's better if you aren't. When you're Supergirl, no one can hurt you."

She can feel the back of her eyes sting with tears. For the first time, she's seeing Barry for who he is, and he's being vulnerable around her, a feat that she isn't going to take for granted. She catches his shoulder and forces him to turn back and face her. She places a gentle hand on his chest. "If you want me to be Supergirl, then I guess I'm Supergirl. No one will hurt you. I promise."

He brings a hand up and lightly caresses her cheek. "It's not me I'm worried about."

"I can take care of myself." Then she realizes. "Barry... I won't ever hurt you."

"I know you won't. I... I don't ever want to hurt you too..."

"Good because I know you won't either." She leans in and captures his lips with hers.

It's different kissing him than it is kissing Oliver. With Oliver, there's a mutual kind of high regard they have for each other, coming from a place where they had once been in a professional relationship turned more. He recognizes her power and she acknowledges his experience. In the years they have known each other, they found that the presence of the other thwarted their nightmares. In the months after he kissed her, they haven't really talked about it... They just went on with how things just are between them, this mutual understanding.

With Barry? It's a whole ball of mess of uncertainty, want and fireworks. Ever since she saved him from the metal brute, he didn't treat her like some sort of freak. He regarded her as a normal person. And ever since then, he just kind of kept coming back, joking around with her and talking to her. He doesn't fawn over her like the people of Greece do. She's not oh-my-gods-it's-Supergirl. She's whoever she wants to be around him.

Her heart can't take it. She shouldn't love two people at once. That's wrong and isn't it a degree of adultery? Granted, she's dating neither of them but still... You don't lead people on like this.

When they break away from each other, Barry laughs against her mouth. "You're really something else, Supergirl."

"Is it a good thing?"

"I hope."

He watches her fly back to her home and he can feel the stabbing pain of his betrayal.

All those years ago, he loved Oliver with every fiber of his being. He traded his own soul for Oliver's in a heartbeat to save the archer's life. He would do it again and again and again because that's the kind of love they had.

He will admit that he still does love him fiercely, but he can't look at him. He can't see Oliver and be reminded of the ten years he's spent in literal Hell thinking he's dead. It's like being forced to look at a ghost you've long mourned for.

But then Kara happened. Sweet, powerful heroine came bursting into his life with her poor plan of saving him from Woodward. She didn't even think twice about saving his miserable existence, she just did.

Caitlin once told him that 'love at first sight' is bullshit. Love evolves over time and only progresses through communication. But gods, Kara punched through that notion with an iron fist and he fell.

He slaps a hand against his temple. "Gods-dammit, what's wrong with me?"

No. He won't say it.

He won't ever admit that he's still in love and that he's also fallen in love with two entirely different people.

He hears the telltale sound of lightning and he can practically taste the dead in the air.

"So, give it to me. What is Supergirl's weakness?"

He smirks at the god of the dead. "She has none. She's invulnerable and strong. You can't beat her."

Eobard remains quiet, just studying him. "Is that love I detect, Mister Allen?"

He blinks and suddenly Eobard is standing right in front of him with a hand around his throat. "Well done, Mister Allen. You've made yourself her weakness."

"How was your date?" Oliver asks stoically.

Her flight stutters and she lands quite awfully. If she wasn't almost completely invulnerable (save for monster claws and teeth apparently), it would have hurt.

"It wasn't a date. Was it a date? No— I mean, we went to a restaurant and talked— oh and he brought me to a play, but it wasn't like it was a date. Holy Lois, it was a date! I mean, no it wasn't! Date? What? I was... out."

Oliver simply looks at her, long and hard. She shifts her weight from foot to the other, feeling the heaviness of his gaze. Eventually, he sighs and his expression shifts from anger to disappointment. "I'm going home."

Her eyebrows crinkle in confusion. "But... you are home?"

"My other home! The one I was living in, perfectly content, until you came along and dragged me out here for your little spirit quest."

"What are you—"

"I'm done. Where were you tonight, Kara? You were out, hanging around town just 'cause you fell in love with the first guy you saw!"

"Hey! I didn't—"

"There was an attack today. Did you know that? No! You didn't!" Oliver rubs his hand against his forehead. "I'm done, Kara. I'm not gonna watch your downfall. Not again."

He turns and walks out the door.

He doesn't even so much as glance behind him at her heartbreaking plea of coming back.

He doesn't flinch when she begs for him to at least stay one more night.

He can't stay and watch her fall in love.

He'd thought it'd be him.

This is almost exactly like it was with Laurel, except he thought this one would be it.

Guess he was wrong.

"Sorry you had to go through that, Miss Danvers."

She gasps and whirls around at the displaced voice. Despite the tears that gathered in her eyes, she's able to see that she's staring at a man in a dark suit and red eyes, face obscured somehow.

"Who are you and why have you come into my home?" She demands, trying her best not to look freaked out.

"My apologies. My name is Eobard, Lord of the Dead and the God of Speed. I have a proposition for you."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Get out."

Eobard isn't fazed by her anger. In fact, he looks delighted (she thinks, she can't see his face because it's blurred). "I knew you were going to say that. That's why I brought leverage."

He snaps his fingers and, out of nowhere, Barry appears in the corner of her living room.

"Kara, don't—" He's cut off by wisps of smoke that restrain his movements and his mouth.

"Barry!" She flies to where he is, but he disappears into a puff of smoke. "What have you done with him?!"

"Nothing. He's fine."

"Then let him go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, Miss Danvers, I'm in the middle of procuring a business deal but you're somehow always getting in the way of that. So my deal here with you, in exchange for Mister Allen, you give up your powers for twenty-four hours."

"And if I don't?"

Eobard smirks. "I don't think I really need to elaborate on that."

"But... people are gonna get hurt, aren't they?"

"So what? What have the people given you but grief and suffering? Before you emerged as Supergirl, your town pushed you away because you were a freak. And now that you're Supergirl? They want you for what you promise, not for who you are. Are the people worth more than Mister Barry Allen here?" Eobard doesn't wait for a response. "So do we have a deal, Miss Danvers?"

"You have to swear no harm will come to him."

"It seems like a reasonable request. Mister Allen here is safe, otherwise you get your powers back." He extends his hand. "Deal?"

She looks at Barry and he's vigorously shaking his head, eyes telling her not to.

Her fists clench at her side.

She can't just... let Eobard hurt him.

She takes his hand. "Deal."

And just like, she's mortal.

Tears spring from his eyes as he uselessly tries to yell over the stupid smoke.

She collapses backward, struggling to get back on to her feet.

"Isn't this what you always wanted?" Eobard kicks at her side, making her cry out. He screams, muffled and pain. "Now you're just like everybody else. Mister Allen! You've earned what you have always wanted: you're off the hook." Eobard snaps his fingers and suddenly he's free. He rushes to get to her side but Eobard catches him by the shoulders, slinging an arm over them as if they're longtime friends. "Won't you agree that this incredible young man here is a splendid actor?"

Kara looks at him with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

He struggles to get away from his grip and the fingers dig deep into his collarbones without breaking his skin. "I mean Mister Allen here has been working for me this whole time."

Kara's jaw tightens, refusing to believe. "You're lying!"

"Naiveté will get you nowhere. Why do you think he's spent months trying to gain your trust?"

He flinches when he thinks about all those months. He went and visited her for his own personal stuff; he genuinely wanted to get to know her. It's just Eobard's plans overlapped with his intentions.

"Barry?" He doesn't like how she says his name, doesn't like how broken it can sound from her once optimistic lips.

Eobard finally lets go and he quickly pushes himself off to clasp her hands that had once belonged in between his. But she pushes him off with a gentle strength he knows was meant to be a shove.

"It isn't like that, Kara, not anymore—" He tries to say.

"You still lied to me!"

His mouth snaps shut.

"As much as I love a good lovers' quarrel, I believe the cosmos are waiting to be rearranged in my name. Thank you, Miss Danvers, for your cooperation and thank you, Mister Allen, for none of this would have been possible without your participation."

And Eobard leaves in a trail of red lightning.

They're both left alone in her home, crying in silence.

The ground won't stop shaking and he just has the worst feelings in his gut and horribly ideas that keep sparking in his head.

"Well? Are you getting in or not?" The captain of the boat demands.

He sighs. "No." And he runs back to where he'd left Kara.

The ground shakes some more and, in the distance, he can see a giant — no, a Cyclops — destroying his home.

Kara is nowhere to be found.

Something is seriously wrong.

The giant outside demands for her to fight him, wrecking buildings and homes to catch her attention. Winn is there, helping her walk straight when she refused to let Barry touch her.

Gods, she was such a fool.

She lost Oliver and Barry betrayed her?

She can't wait to go back to Olympus, back where she knows she won't get hurt further.

"Kara, don't even think about it!" Barry yells at her. "Without your powers, you'll die!"

She shoves past him. "Least I won't get hurt dead."

The giant spots her and grins with childlike ecstasy. "You Supergirl? Ha ha!" He kicks at her and flies straight into a wall. "Let's play! Let's fight!"

His heart breaks at the sight of Kara being thrown around like a doll by the Cyclops. It tosses her into a pile of broken marble just a few feet from him.

"Kara," he says softly. He panics at the sight of blood and sheer amount of bruises all over her; she's supposed to be indestructible.

"Ollie?"

"I'm here, Kara."

"You're here?"

"Yes. I came back. I'm sorry I left earlier. But I'm here now. I'm not giving up on you, Kara Danvers, so you better not too."

"But... my powers..."

He feels his chest get hit by a mountain of bricks. What the Styx happened to her powers? He takes in a breath, she doesn't need him hounding her with his hysteria when she looks so close to death.

"Powers aside, I told you there's one thing that set you apart from the other heroes: heart. Remember that?"

"You kissed me."

His heart stutters. "I did. And I'll do it again when you beat this oaf. All right?"

She smiles, exposing bloody teeth. "All right."

Oliver came back. Barry still betrayed her but Oliver came back. For her.

The giant picks her up and loudly complains about not being done playing, flighting, whatever he wants to call it. Oliver's right, she has to keep fighting. She picks up a torch as the giant brings her up to his mouth and flings it to its singular eye.

The giant screams in pain and lets her go. She thuds painfully into a wagon but refuses to let that stop her. She has to keep fighting. She grabs some rope and uses it to tangle the giant's foot. The giant loses its balance and falls off a cliff.

There's a twisted sense of satisfaction that sparks deep within her gut at the telltale crashing sound of it meeting the ground.

"Kara!"

It's Barry that yells her name and, before she knows it, she's being shoved aside.

A column falls and Barry isn't moving.

He's not dead. Death would mean no pain but, right now, he's in a lot of it.

His consciousness is swimming and he can vaguely tell someone is screaming at him, screaming for him to be alive. He wants to talk, to reassure them that he's pretty sure he's still alive, despite his miserable damn life and gods-awful choices. He wants to say they should just wait for Caitlin and Cisco and they'll patch him right back up, but then he remembers his deal with Eobard; they're free now. Why would they bother with him now?

The weight that crushed his lower extremities is lifted. He blinks and he sees Kara standing over him, looking understandably confused at the sudden reappearance of her strength.

"How... What's happening?"

He sighs in relief at the face of the beautiful woman, whose skin is now unblemished and completely healed. "E-Eobard's deal is broken," he explains weakly. He doesn't dare look at the mangled state of what's left of his legs because he knows he'll probably pass out, leading to a freak out on Kara's part. "He p-promised I wouldn-n't get hurt."

Kara looks down and sucks in a breath, muffled sob gets caught in her throat. She bends down and cups his cheek.

"Why? Why would you— Why did you..."

Warm tears hit his face.

"Sorry." He does his best to shrug and make it not seem like it was a big deal. "That was pretty reckless."

She gives off a watery laugh, no doubt remembering how they first met. "You think? Barry, I—"

He brings a hand up to hold hers that against his face. "You can still stop Eobard." His hand tenses. "Make him pay."

He can see her resolve reinforce, eyes harden, and she nods.

"I'll stay and watch over him," Oliver says as he props him up on his lap. If he weren't so close to slipping away, he'd either blush or slap him away.

"Thank you," Kara says. She gives them both a kiss on the cheek before riding on Winn's back. "I know I prefer to fly on my own but, right now, I need you okay? We have to go to Mount Olympus and I don't know the way."

Winn neighs and off they went, leaving him alone with the man he once had mad love with.

She arrives just in time. The other gods and goddesses are chained up and marching out of their rightful home; her brother's buried underneath lava and ice. Eobard's on her brother's throne, kicking his legs back.

"Home sweet home," he mutters under his breath.

"Don't get too comfortable, Eobard!" She yells as Winn circles the air before diving for the captured gods.

"Look!" One of the goddesses say. "It's Kara!"

They all cheer.

She grins at their welcoming reception as she uses her heat vision to destroy the chain that keeps them bound, causing the whole thing to disintegrate. Winn then flies them up to where her brother is immobilized, using her brute strength to pry him out.

"Whoa!" Kal exclaims as he takes in a breath. It's then when he notices her. "Kara! Hey! Perfect timing, little tyke!"

She laughs as she punches his shoulder. "I keep telling you to stop calling me that!"

He grins back at her. "We have to stop the Titans."

"You have a plan?"

He blinks. He blinks again.

Huh.

"Are... you okay?" The man below him asks.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He retorts.

"No 'cause it's pretty clear I'm not. Quit stalling and tell me."

He cracks a smile as he closes his eyes. "Ever the worrier, you are."

"What?"

"Barry, I remember."

There's a pause between them before he can hear an indignant squawk. He opens his eyes in alarm and finds Barry glaring at him.

"Are you telling me, this past decade, you forgot?"

The Titans are actually pretty dumb, if she thinks about it. Granted, she did get training but what's a couple years of throwing around rocks and jumping into the ocean compared to the literal thousands of years of fighting they have over her? She almost feels bad.

"You good?" Kal asks, flying up to her as she wrangles the wind Titan, Stratos.

She's actually fighting alongside her god of a brother!

She gives him a thumbs up. "I'm good!"

"Oh so your memories just slid back into place like whoop-di-doo it's always been there?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying!"

"I—"

"Barry? Barry?"

She flies up with the Titans in her grasp and manages to fling down far into the sky and beyond it, hopefully never becoming a problem for them in the future if they somehow find the capability to come back.

She lands next to Kal and Winn. The former lifts up his hand and she slaps it with much gusto. She whoops.

Festivities are cut short, however, when Eobard yells from across the mountain.

"Thank you, Miss Danvers! While I may have lost, I still have a small consolation prize!" She blinks and he disappears, with lightning on his trail.

"Oh gods." Her heart drops. "Barry."

He refuses to believe he's dead. He just got him back and he's going to lose him all over again? Barry's hand is limp in his but he pretends it's not, he pretends he's just asleep.

But his hand is cold.

There's a violent beating of wings and he knows Winn is back with Kara.

"Ollie, how is he?" comes her broken question.

And it's exactly what breaks him at that moment.

He keeps his eyes on Barry as he shakes his head.

He doesn't see Kara leave, vengeance tattooed in the front of her mind.

In her blind fury and rage, she doesn't remember how she accomplished getting to the Underworld but she's here anyway, fists full of Eobard's stupid suit.

"Let. Him. Go."

"Oh Miss Danvers, you of all people should know that once dead, you can't bring them back."

"You like deals, don't you? Give me back Barry and I'll take his place."

Eobard smiles sadistically. "He goes free. You stay."

She doesn't think twice about jumping into the River of Death. It eats at her, aging her, sapping her strength away. She can't let go. She has to save Barry, the same idiot that saved her in her one moment of vulnerability without so much as hesitating.

Souls intertwine around her, desperate to touch her life that they lack. She keeps swimming, singular goal of saving Barry.

Deeper and deeper, she gets closer to him.

Even in death, Barry looks good and, for the first time, peaceful. She hates not being able to see his green eyes so she lets that be her motivator.

Green.

She's running on her last stretch of strength when she finally reaches his hand, grabbing it and pulling him into her arms.

He's safe now.

He'll live.

Somehow, she feels stronger, feel the bones that have aged be injected with so much power. She uses this to propel herself out of the water and she finally realizes: she's glowing, just like her brother and the other gods and goddesses she'd seen.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Eobard roars. "You can't be alive! You'd have to be a god!"

She smirks at him. "Goddess."

Before he can make his way to grasp at her, two people (she recognizes them as the man and woman she'd save from under the boulder) come up from behind him.

"Our powers may be gone but you did give us our freedom," The woman growls and kicks at Eobard's face.

The man delivers the final blow, saying, "So now we're free to kick your ass for the Hell you've put us through!" as they both the god fall back into the River of Death.

The man looks up at her and points at a small cavern in the wall. "That's a shortcut to the surface."

"Thank you," she says.

"Wait!" The woman shouts. "Just... take care of him, will you? Ten years knowing him, he's bound to get into trouble."

She smiles softly. "Don't worry."

The sun is almost up by the time Kara comes back with Barry's soul in her hands. He inwardly flinches at the obvious lack of legs his soul has. He watches in silence as she gently lays Barry's soul down to his physical body.

"Kara..." He says, slightly in awe at her ethereal glow.

She looks at him and smiles. "You owe me a kiss."

"You both owe me one too since I died," Barry says as he breathes in.

They all laugh.

They're going to be okay.

So that's the story of the hero Kara Danvers otherwise known as Supergirl—

What? Oh, you want to know what happened next...

Uh... sure. Let's just— How do you—

Ah, there we go.

"I... I've always dreamed of this, of finally belonging somewhere... but I think I've found it. With them."

Kal simply smiles. "I figured as much." He embraces her tightly. "Mom and Dad will be proud of the goddess you've become, Kara... But no one's more proud that I am at my little sister."

"Proud of you, girl!" Another goddess tells her as she descends the steps of Olympus. "You're my best story yet!"

"Uh thanks." She eyes him warily. "What do you mean?"

"I'm the goddess of love," she says in a duh tone, flipping her blonde hair. "You're a match made in Olympus. Oh but of course you are since I brought you all together!" She winks. "You three make one heck of a tragedy. Most romantic thing since Achilles and Patroclus."

"Uh..."

"You're welcome, by the way. Oh and tell Barry that it was by my hand that Oliver had lost his memories. It's just... deliciously dramatic that way."

"Uh..."

"Name's Sara, by the way, sweet thing. Now go, shoo, skedaddle! I have some other love lives to meddle and fawn over."

"Damn, little Danvers, you left to find your magical destiny and instead you came back home with two guys?"

"Actually... I'm taking you two to Star City."

They acclimate to life well enough. Kara retired; she doesn't need to constantly fight monsters anymore and she has way more money in a lifetime. With Eobard laying low, monsters don't attack the city as much. She will, however, don the cape if there is trouble that the new heroes can't stop on their own.

Barry may have lost his legs, but he's free from Eobard. He considers it a compromise.

Oliver doesn't suffer from as many nightmares as he had back on his island.

And at night, if any of them do scream themselves awake, they have the other two, arms wrapped securely as they whisper gentle reassurances.

They're all right.

"Why couldn't I have been Hercules?"

"'Cause we needed a damsel. You're the closest thing we have to that."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh c'mon Barry. Between the three of us, you get beat up the most."

"How does that equate to me being a damsel?"

"It just does. Shut up."

"... and here I thought I was loved."