Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She’d always liked the night.

As a younger child, she would go up to her building's rooftop and watch the stars twinkle as the moon watched over them from its perch high in the sky. It was an escape, in a way, from listening to her parents' most recent squabble.

She was Seven the day her father took her to a baseball game. It had been less than a week since her birthday and he was making up for how her birthday party had ended. That night, the moon had been high in the sky, driving home from the city.

And it had still been there when he left early that morning.

Sometimes she wondered if he would regret that decision knowing how that woman became after he was gone. 

At fifteen years old Thea Kaplan had ran. She couldn’t handle the constant manipulation and everything else that came with her mother in the last several years (‘New in a conveniently packaged set! It’s Emotional Trauma!! Get yours Today!). It wasn’t a day later she had used an alias for the first time, horrified the woman would find her.

She had been very clear the day she told her she would find her if she tried to leave.


At Fifteen-And-A-Half-Years Old, she had found herself ‘laying low’ in one of the old factories that littered the industrial side of the city. It was mostly empty, aside from New York City's famous rat inhabitants scouring for their next meal. She had even named one ‘Shane’ in a joking manner.

At least it wasn't volleyball.

It was during that time that she had found herself in a..bad, to say the least.. Situation with one of the local ‘wannabe criminal’ groups and..one thing led to another and she had found herself in the Metropolitan Museum of Art at the wrong place, right time and the moon had saved her.

Well, not the moon, the floating rock out in space, specifically.


At Sixteen-and Two Days- Years Old, Thea Kaplan found herself perched on a building in Brooklyn, in the dead of night - with an early English test tomorrow - Now the avatar of the Greek Pantheon’s own Goddess of The Moon (...one of them..) and Hunt - Artemis.

The moon, guarding her like it guarded the stars in the night sky.

Thea wasn’t much of a fighter, sure, she dealt with petty stuff here and there, but for the most part her ‘Night Patrols’ were more just a nice reset for the day ahead.

And the occasional fight with monsters that had somehow ‘gotten lost’ on their way back to their respective pantheon.

She had heard..whisperings… about how some other avatars were treated, some well, some..not so well.. She considered herself lucky that her particular deity had opted for a kinder approach.

And hey, at least she had someone to talk to that wasn’t a rat. (R.I.P Shane The Rat...he’s probably not dead he just kinda disappeared one day.)

Chapter Text

Thea would like to have a very long conversation with her past self right about now for deciding the only pair of shoes she would have for the foreseeable future was a very decidedly not waterproof pair of Converse.


It was pouring down rain that day, and her lack of sleep the night before wasn’t helping how the water seeping into her socks was making her feel.


“It couldn’t have been a nice water god?” She asked herself quietly, shifting her weight onto her heels.

The teenager could tell Artemis was nearby, quietly observing the scene, and Thea could’ve sworn she heard the deity chuckle at her comments.

“Oh, yeah, I guess that would be your..uncle?” Thea commented, not really directing it at the goddess.

The girl let out a sigh of relief at the sight of an actually in-service cab approaching, and flagged it down, pulling her bag close to her.

She stepped over to the edge of the sidewalk as the cab pulled up and the window rolled down. A man with curly black hair partially obscured by a flat cap looked at her from the driver's seat.

“Need a ride?” The man had a fairly strong Brooklyn accent, with undertones of.. Spanish? She wasn’t sure from *where* exactly, but could make it out.

“...typically that’s why people flag down cabs…” Thea answered with a light tone, before hearing the sound of the door unlocking with a ‘Click.’

She slipped into the backseat and placed her back in the seat beside her, wasting no time in digging through it for her somehow still in one piece wallet.

“So where you headen’ off to, Niña?” The man questioned, already pulling away from the curb.

“That German Bakery up the road from here,” Thea told him, gesturing vaguely up the street - she couldn’t remember the address of the place to save her life. Her eyes flickered up to the license hanging from the visor. “I’m sorry about the rainwater, Mr. Lockley, I forgot my umbrella on the way to school today. Late night, stayed up until 3:00AM or so working on homework.” She blurted out. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t…entirely true. She HAD stayed up until 3:00AM, though, so it wasn’t entirely a lie, either.


The man - Mr. Lockley - chuckled at her worries. “It’s no issue, I’m sure of it. Trust me, it ain’t the worst it could be.”


Thea would rather not ask what he meant by that, so she let out a small laugh - which was in part added to by the fact that Artemis had chosen to appear alongside her in the vehicle.. The image of a she-wasn’t-even-sure-how-many- years old god sitting inside a random taxi cab was comical for her... For some odd reason, she seemed distracted, looking towards the passenger seat. Whatever, old gods were weird. She met Apollo once, and for all intents and purposes, she deeply hoped she wasn’t invited to any family reunions.



“So, Niña, I suppose I should ask you your name, what for formality's sake and all that.”

Oh! Well, this might be an issue!

Thea looked at the man from the backseat for a few moments, trying to remember what the last alias she had used was.

“Uh..” She chuckled nervously. “Alexandri- no… Dy- no… Uhm.. Oh, yeah! Sadie Clark, My name is Sadie Clark.”


She could’ve sworn she saw Mr. Lockley raise an eyebrow without even looking at his face before letting out another small chuckle.

“You can do better than that, kid.” He stated. “C’mon, fess up. What's your name?”


Thea gave a sigh of defeat. It was only a matter of time before she got caught in a lie.

“Thea Kaplan.” She answered softly, looking down at her feet. “That’s my actual name. You gonna call the cops on me or something?”

Oh, that got Artemis’ attention. She could feel the deity prickle up beside her, fingers starting to itch for a bow in hand.


“No, no, kid. I don’t do that kinda thing, ‘specially not when there seems to be a reason for it.” Mr. Lockley stated. “So who’re you runnin from, Niña?”


Thea drew in a breath,noting that he was not pulling up to the bakery she’s requested.


“... My mother.” She blurted out before she could even stop herself.

She could’ve sworn the deity beside her let out a noise of annoyance..or maybe anger?.. No, that was annoyance... And the mention of the teenager's mother.

Mr. Lockley turned in his seat now that the vehicle was parked, eyebrow arched as she had expected.

“Would you mind if I bought you something, Niña? I’d like to sit down and have a little chat with you.”


Well, if he was buying….

Chapter Text

The rain was still a torrential downpour as they stepped inside. The soles of Thea’s shoes squeaked on the tile flooring of the bakery.

Almost Immediately, an older woman stepped out from behind the counter, a bright smile on her face, her brown eyes warm, crinkling just slightly from her expression.

“There She is! Meine Kornblomst ! I haven’t seen you since you were too little to look over the counter!” The Woman said, looking the girl over from head to toe.

Thea gave the smallest smile. “Hallo, Frau. Lehmann!” The teenager replied, the language seeming to come naturally to her.

“Mmm, Liebling, You’re looking thin! When was the last time you had a decent meal, Hm?”

She chuckled nervously in response. “Well, you know how it is.. Fast Metabolism and all that.” Thea answered with another small smile.

“And who is this?” The older woman questioned, eyes turning towards Him.

Jake let out a - definitely not because he doesn’t get nervous - nervous chuckle of his own. “What does it ma-”

“Step-Brother. He’s my older Step-Brother, on my dad's side.” The teenager beside him jumped in suddenly, as if she had been thinking of that one since they walked in - knowing her type she probably had.


The older woman - Mrs. Lehmann - looked back at him. “Hmm, I wasn’t aware you were talking to your father again.” She commented.

“Yeah well.. You know how it is.” Thea crossed her arms over her chest, turning her eyes over to the case of pastries and baked goods.

“Do you still have those Berliners you used to make?” She asked, attempting to move the subject away from her - presumably, he was guessing - estranged father.

“ Ach, Ja !” Mrs. Lehmann responded, the previous topic already forgotten. “Come, come, Meine Kornblomst, let’s get some food into you.” The woman stepped over towards the counter.

Thea leaned back on her heels, quietly murmuring to Jake. “It’s not just the Italians that do this.I think it’s just any old woman who speaks two languages.” She stated with a shrug, moving towards the counter.

“And what exactly is a Berliner, Niña? ” Jake questions quietly with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s like… a German Jelly Donut.” The teenager responds. “C’mon, man, you’ve never heard the joke about the whole JFK ‘I am a Berliner?’ thing?”


Jake doesn’t answer. He’s not sure he wants to.

Was he really this intimidated by a teenage girl? To be fair..he wasn’t exactly the..best..with kids out of the three of them.


Mrs. Lehmann returns, a paper bag in hand, that she promptly shoves into Thea’s own.

“For you, Liebling, enjoy. And Stay out of this rain, you’ll freeze to the bone!” The older woman says, patting the hand of Thea’s not holding the bag.


Jake moves to pull the wallet kept securely in the pocket inside his jacket, and that earns him a gentle smack to the hand that has him forcing himself not to grab the woman's wrist.

“ Nein! It’s on the house.” She chides before her expression turns to the smile she had worn before. “You watch out for this one, young man, she’s always been a troublemaker.” She stated.

“ Danke, Frau. Lehmann. ” With that, the older woman turned and headed back to what - he figured, anyway - was the kitchen.



“Come on, let’s go sit down. I’m fairly confident that If I take this bag out in the rain I won’t hear the end of it.” Thea tells him, walking towards some of the tables sat up near the windows.

Jake joins her after a moment of hesitation.

“May I ask how you know this woman, Niña? ”


The teenager sighed, chuckling. “That’s just Mrs. Lehmann…she’s harmless.” She answers, carefully unwrapping the powder-covered pastry. “She’s my old German tutor. Moved here from Cincinnati real young, after my dad left and.. That’s how I met her, started studying the language because the last person who spoke it in my family died before I was born and I wanted to bring it back.”


Jake nodded, listening to the girl share a bit of her story. “She’s a treat, that’s for sure.”

Thea made a finger gun motion. With a mouthful of pastry, she replied: “That She Ibth’.”

“...so why are you runnin’, kid? Come on, fess up.” He asked after a moment of pause.

The teenager sighed, shifting in her seat. “In short, my mother, Like I said.” She carded a hand through her hair, taking another bite like she was trying to restrain herself from something. “Without going into much detail within potential earshot of..you know.. She kinda.. Sucked, to put it bluntly.”

Jake nodded, to show her he was still listening, watching her every little move and mannerism.

“She was..is.. Very manipulative, and, I guess, Emotionally..Psychologically..whatever.. Abusive.. Never hit me or anything..closest thing to that was her vague, empty threats of physical violence…” Thea shook my head. “See, my dad left when I was seven-ish, and it just..went downhill from there.” She makes a motion, imitating an explosion.

Jake.. admittedly… has no idea what to say. He wasn’t typically the emotional one. Well..it was worth a shot.

He moved forward and put a hand against hers.

“ Ay,niña, escucha aquí. Anything she said to you, or put you through, had nothin’, to do with you, alright?”


-

Artemis eyed her avatar closely. The young mortal seemed at ease with the man, so she felt she could wander.

She found herself in front of the lavish display of pastries.


A scoof from behind her made the goddess turn away, to face her counterpart.

“Why must Mortals always be so flashy with their food.”

“That’s alot coming from you, Khonshu.” She glared at the empty sockets where eyes should be. “Given your..current attire.” She eyed the suit he wore. “Finally turned in your robes, I see.”

Artemis rolled her eyes, adding to her previous comments. “And may I add, the mortals have always been ‘flashy’ with the food they consume. I remember seeing lavish offerings to my fellow gods.”

“I never said they could not be Lavish, I simply stated I don’t understand why Mortals feel the constant need to decorate their displays in such a way.” The display in question had some Spring-themed decor around it, in a small amount. “I don’t remember seeing any of the bakers in my day make their displays this..extra,”

“Oh, yes, right, because everything in Egypt back in your heyday was bland and sand-colored. It’s bread , Khonshu! Let the mortals decorate their displays if they would like!”  Artemis tossed her hands to the sky. “For Our Sake, Let them have some simple joy!”

Her arms returned to a crossed-over position, almost glaring at her counterpart. “Selene says hello and that she apologizes for missing the last meeting, by the way.”

Chapter Text

Some odd two weeks had gone by, now. April had almost come to an end and it was nearing the year anniversary of the night she’d finally had enough.


Thea found herself atop her usual perch looking over Brooklyn as the sun began to dip below the horizon, a few hours early for her normal patrol time. Artemis had been oddly absent for most of the day, though the goddess doing something on her own when it was related to her more…godly duties.. Wasn’t entirely unheard of.


The teenager toyed with the piece of paper in her hand. It had torn slightly and some of the ink had run, but it was still readable for what it was: A name and a number,that was slipped into the palm of her hand with an unspoken: ‘If you ever need help.’ by the man she had told - what was, essentially - her life story to two weeks ago.


She hadn’t reached out to him. She..quite honestly didn’t want to. She’d survived this long on her own, she could handle herself for a while longer - at least until she wouldn’t have to worry about her mother being able to legally take her back. What was two more years of this?

..why hadn’t anyone at her school caught on?


“You are uncharacteristically early, small mortal.” That booming voice that was simultaneously in the back of her head and also standing physically behind her commented.

Thea gave a small flinch, turning slightly from where she had been perched, facing the deity.

“And you’ve been uncharacteristically absent, old god.” The sixteen-year-old crossed her arms. “Two can play at that game - where were you, anyway?”


“Oh, just having a minor disagreement with the old bird.” Artemis answered, sounding as if she was reminiscing but… far more spitefully. “The meeting of the pantheons ran a bit long today.”


“...the old bird?” Thea didn’t waste a beat questioning the deity's words. She knew that the other pantheons congregated, but beyond that her knowledge of the others was..severely lacking, to say the least.


Artemis let out something that sounded similar to a laugh. “Oh, just my counterpart in one of the Pantheons. We’ve..never been able to agree with each other aside from our dislike of the Romans..”


“Okay!” The teenager threw her hands up. “I do not need to know the inner workings of every single thing about every single god and goddess in every single pantheon known to man!”

There was a moment of pause, in which Thea briefly contemplated the fact that she had managed to flabbergast a god.

“The point of all of this, small mortal, in my counterpart is insisting you allow his avatar to travel along si-”

“Nope. Nadda. Not Happening. N to the O, Nien , No, Uh-uh-”

“Are you done, small mortal?”

“- No, Zilch, Zero, Nah, No way - okayi’mdone.” The teenager crossed her arms. “Did you get my point? That’s simply not happening, I don’t do team-ups, hell, I’m not really a superhero. I have stopped maybe a couple of petty thefts.. And also some monsters but - you get the point! I’m not - no. I don’t need any help.”

The deity before her let out what was presumably an annoyed sigh. “My child of the moon, listen here. Had you allowed me to finish, you would have known that that was not me giving you an option. At least not tonight.”

Thea froze, a bit like a deer in headlights. “Why? Why do you think I need someone else running around watching my every move? Do you not think I’m capable of handling myself?”


“Small Mortal-”

“Do you think I’m some poor kid who can’t survive on her own? YEAH, I bet you do, that’s what everyone thinks.”

“Thea-”

“I know, I know I have some dirt in my life, that you know there are reasons why I can’t look people in the eyes sometimes or why I cry every time I have to deal with a minor conflict or I check the lock on the door every night even though I know it will never work but-”

“MORTAL CHILD. I highly recommend looking behind you as there is currently a carbon copy of my uncle's dog tearing up the city.” Thea paused in the middle of her ranting, turning to face the city below.

And sure enough, a clone of Cerberus (please, don’t ask.) was currently in the process of chewing on a lamp post.


“....It’s giving Greek Godzilla.”

“How is this in any way similar to the Godzilla?”

“It’s a - you know what… never mind.”  The teenager waved her hands. Completely forgetting about Artemis’ earlier statement, Thea pushed herself off the roof, and right into the fight (That was less of a fight, more of a..civil disagreement with a big dog.)

The noise that she was immediately met with had her moving to cover her ears, immediately overwhelmed by the new sound additions alongside the general noise of the city. After a moment, she caught her bearings, but not before a flash of stark white streaked across her vision.

Thea stood there awkwardly for a moment as she watched the..mummy..man? Attack the large creature, immediately going in with a much more violent method than she would ever dream of.

“Gonna assume this is your counterpart’s? ” She questioned towards Artemis.

The deity was- expectedly - silent.

Thea groaned and tossed the hood on the back of her robes up, running at the..Cerberus Clone? What else could that possibly be called?  Head on.
“Ayo Mummy Man!” The figure turned towards her, barely acknowledging her before turning back to the fight.

“Guess we’re gonna do this this way…” She sighed, and grabbed hold of the collar on the middle head. “Look, dude, I get the stabby stabby thing but that's not gonna work!”


When all she got was silence, the teenager thought she was going to scream.  “Dude! I have dealt with these be- you know what the hell.”

In one swift movement, she swung herself down towards the face on the head she had grabbed onto - momentarily feeling her heart stop when she almost slid right off entirely.


“Heyyy boyyyyy.. Heyyy..” This wasn’t the first time she’d dealt with this. These…clones.. Had been popping up more and more frequently as of late. “Look, I know you’re mad because scary brooding mummy man. I know, but you’re not a scary monster, are you? Hmm?” According to Artemis - and she had no idea why the goddess knew this - Cerberus liked having his chin scratched (on any head) and… well, this was a clone. “Yeah, you’re a good boy! Yeah you are! Good giant clone doggo!!”


There was that same flash of white in her peripheral and.. Wait a minute - Mummy dude had a suit now?


“Oye, you seem to know what you’re doin’!” British Mummy suit man? There’s Two!?

“Ain’t the first one of these I dealt with!” Thea responded, still scratching the big dog creature's chin.

“Whatcha doin there!?” Okay, she liked this one.

“Scratch his chin! He’s a clone of the real one! Just a big puppy, really!” The mask covering the face of ‘British Mummy Man’ didn’t have much in the way of an expression, but she could’ve sworn he smiled in response.

“Well, good thing I love dogs!”

Eventually, the Not-Cerberus settled into a sitting position and Thea turned to face British Mummy Man and-

“He’s gone…” She wouldn’t lie, that was a bit..upsetting. The teenager kinda wanted to know his name, at least.

Thea attempted to slip off the third head gracefully, but it ultimately ended with her colliding with the concrete from Lightpole height - that kinda fall from 29ft up should’ve been a lot worse, and although being Artemis’ Avatar meant it didn’t kill her.. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt…a lot.

She still managed to clamber to her feet, searching for the goddesses' typically constantly emitted pale light.


“So… Mummy Man… Gonna go out on a limb and say that’s.. Khonshu’s? I think? Assuming I’m remembering Egyptian mythology properly.” The deity made herself known with that, nodding slowly.

“Indeed. That was The Moon Knight.”

“..Moon Knights. There’s two.” Thea raised an eyebrow, finding a nice wall to lean up against and try and take some pressure off her - hopefully just - bruised ribs…didn’t she have a Spanish test tomorrow?

“No, no, my child. That was Mr.Knight.”

“Mr. Knight? You realize you aren’t denying there’s two, right?” Did Artemis just smirk?

“That question is for you yourself to find the answer to.”

“Always so cryptic!” She would’ve thrown her hands up if it wouldn’t have hurt so much.


The teenager thought back to that card hidden carefully in her pocket.. Jake spoke Spanish, right? Maybe she’d finally give him a call…

Chapter Text

Jake watched the girl as she stuffed another spoonful of the bright pink ice cream into her mouth, probably only half paying attention to his correcting of her grammar on her Spanish test.

Bubblegum Ice Cream, that’s what she had ordered. He couldn’t exactly wrap his head around it. Ice Cream..that you have to consciously chew… Who would’ve ever thought of that?

Thea had been noticeably quiet that day, aside from ordering at the counter and small ‘mhms’ and ‘yeps’ while he asked her questions about her day and the like. She seemed to be moving slower, too. Not slow like tired, slow like..in pain.

“You used the wrong form of ‘The’ here. It should be ‘ el ’ instead of ‘ la ’ for pencil.” He gestured to the writing on the page and the teenager rolled her eyes.

“Top ten language things I will never understand: Why inanimate objects need to be gendered. Why can’t all languages just have a singular word like English does? Why?” ..at least it was more than a small mumble. “And how is this harder for me to memorize than whatever the hell German has goin’ on with it!?”


Why did he have a feeling this wasn’t the first time she’d gone on this rant?

She fell back into silence after that, not really moving much aside from pushing back the strand of wavy hair that fell into her face a few moments later. It had taken on a lighter color to it than when he had last seen her - maybe more time out in the sun?

He continued to try and explain every little thing she had missed on her test - and try not to think too hard about the fact that everything had seemed to have been written in a haste early that morning - until eventually she seemed to have completely lost the plot and he let out a mildly annoyed huff.

He bit down the feeling at the back of his skull when she flinched at the sound, and tried his best to ignore it.

“Would you just like to call it quits for the day, Niña? You look exhausted.” And he was being truthful. She seemed to be struggling even so much as to keep her eyes open.


“Hm? Oh, no, you can keep going. M’good.” The teenager half-mumbled in reply, head snapping up.

“Yeah, sure. If ‘almost falling asleep with an ice cream pillow’ counts as good, then you must be absolutely wonderful.” He ignores the kick to the shin that comment earns him.

“I was just up late last night.. That’s all.” Another spoonful of the - at this point half-melted- ice cream and she falls back into silence.


Jake is drawn back to how she’s holding herself. She seemed to be seriously babying her left side, careful not to put too much pressure on it.

“You get into a fight or somethin’?” Who do I need to have some words with? He doesn’t say that out loud, but the tone of his voice makes it clear enough.

“What? No.. I just slept weird last night.” The teenager answered back, suddenly snapping up from her half-asleep daze. “I told you, I’m fine.”


She certainly didn’t seem fine, and if the dark circles under those stubborn emerald eyes of hers were anything to go off of, it hadn’t just been one night of rough sleep.


“You don’t look fine, Niña . Quite honestly, you look lik-”

“Oh, it’s you. Sorry mate, I thought Marc had the body.”


Oh, great… More complications.


He chooses not to respond to Steven.  Not yet. He didn’t really want to freak the kid out. Though, admittedly.. The kid freaked him out more than anything. If her general appearance was anything to go by, she probably shouldn’t even be able to hold herself upright still.

It’s even more surprising when she clambers to her feet.

“Look, Jake, I’m good.”


“Who was that? They sound a bit familiar.”

Jake can’t help the low, almost a growl, like noise that comes from his throat. He isn’t angry. He’s just annoyed. And also would really like to know who hurt his- This. This kid. He would like to know who hurt this kid.


“Sit back down, right now! ” He doesn’t mean to say it so loudly, so harshly, but Thea gets a certain…look on her face when he snaps at her and.. He’s reminded of the reasoning she had given for running from her mother.

She grabs her bag and tosses it over her shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”

“Thea-”

“Maybe let me handle this, yeah, Mate? You seem to have frightened your friend.”

“She doesn’t know you, Steven!”

That has the teenager suddenly whipping around, a confused look on her face. She pauses suddenly after that, and before she can ask any questions seems to go weak in the knees and-

It happens so fast, she tenses up, her eyes roll back, and Jake makes a move to try and grab her head on the way down.

He’s not the one that catches her.

“Oh bloody hell-”

Chapter Text

Unconsciousness was a strange experience. Sometimes, when this happened, she wondered if she was ever truly unconscious… it was like her body stopped but her brain didn’t.. Weird…disjointed thoughts and memories came together into strange..odd…dream-like things.


“Y’know I haven’t wanted to slap you in a while.”

Thea didn’t understand why THAT had stuck around with her so much.. Of all the things that woman had said… had done.. She hadn’t laid a hand on her, ever, but yet those words held on with a vengeance. 

The vague threats had never been the worst part, though. It was the screaming. Being told that a singular fly getting into the kitchen was HER fault because she didn’t get the chance to do the dishes the night before because she was exhausted. Then the next day, being loving and accepting..

The night she left… the promise that she’ll find her.. It had never seemed that bad before that night..


“Oi, I think she’s comin’ around.”

Well that certainly wasn’t one she was used to hearing.


She wasn’t necessarily surprised to find that she was laying down when she woke up, had expected it, actually. What she hadn’t been expecting was to wake up in what was very distinctly a bed. There was an air conditioner running somewhere, too.


Waking up was never a slow process,much more ‘thrown into the world again suddenly’ for her. And the unfamiliar surroundings wasn’t helping.

But that voice… it was strangely..familiar.


She’d heard it before. She just wasn’t sure where. Couldn’t place it with her currently hazy mind.


“Ello, love.” Well this was a little bit…odd.


“...Jake?” Thea found herself questioning. She had a small thought as to what could be happening but.. How do you even ask someone that kinda question?


“Oh, no, mate, I apologize. My name’s Steven, Steven Grant.” He definitely looked a bit like Jake.. no hat, though. And his facial features seemed more…relaxed. “I suppose I should explain to you our-”


“Are you an Alter?” Wow, such an eloquent way to ask what might be an uncomfortable question – great job, Thea!!

Ja- Steven paused for a moment, as if considering her words. “It seems you already have some clue about what’s goin on’. You are correct, love. I am an alter. There’s three of us in this here body, Myself, your buddy Jake, and Marc whom I’m sure you’ll meet some point soon.”


Thea tilted her head, not sure how exactly to respond. Would ‘Cool’ be considered rude?


“Uh - Cool? I mean..not..cool?” Why was she so terrible at this!? “Sorry..” She mumbled, looking downwards.

“You’re alright, Love, no need to apologize.”

But.. there is..

“Oh..uh..yeah..sorry - I mean, Sorry! I mean-” 

The Brit chuckled, reaching out to pat her shoulder and then seemingly stopping himself. 

The room fell into a heavy silence, Thea fidgeting nervously. She wasn't used to.. this…

Deciding to be the one to break it, she finally spoke up:

“.. so..what happened?” She asked softly, watching the man’s eyes. The rich brown seemed warmer compared to what she normally saw in Jake’s but.. well, maybe she was just thinking too far into this.

“Your body decided it needed a bit of a reset, I suppose. I have a feelin’ you were pretty exhausted, and probably hadn't been eaten’ enough either - and you were a bit beat up. Marc took the liberty of wrapping those broken ribs of yours, by the way.”

Broken? No.. they..were bruised.. right?

“-Y’know we were wonderin’ just how you went about doing that but.. didn't want to assume.” Steven seemed so kind when he stated that but yet..

She was starting to realize she was about to get herself in some deep trouble, wasn't she? 

Where was Artemis when she needed her?

In a moment of sudden fear, she attempted to bolt, only to earn a stab of pain through her ribs that had her almost immediately falling to the floor. She was incredibly shocked by the gentle hands that followed, pulling her from the small heap on the ground and slowly guiding her back to the bed. She didn't immediately pull herself back under the blankets but..she won't lie and say she wasn't missing it a little.

“Be easy on yourself, love. You are still injured.. and I believe you need a good meal, too.” He smiled . He actually smiled at her. There was no yelling. No threats. Just.. kindness.

Thea didn't know how to respond to this. Not really.

“Uh.. yeah..sure.. that would be great.” Now that she was sitting, she was able to get a better look at the room around her. Books. So many books.

As soon as the man turned to leave the room, Artemis appeared in her line of sight.

“Oh, there you are.” The teenager deadpanned.

The goddess seldom had a consistent appearance, at least in terms of clothing. Sometimes it was full battle armor, and sometimes it was your more typical Chiton-like garment…and Thea had noticed that sometimes, depending on the situation, that semi-constant glow that surrounded her dissipated with no real reason.

Now was one of those times.

“I apologize, My child, I sensed you were distraught and attempted to find you but the others had moved you by the time I did.”

Thea curled her knees up to her chest. “Oh, didja now.” She commented.

She could’ve sworn the human-like deity gave her an annoyed glare.  “I’m going to assume you’re not going on patrol tonight.”

“No, really!?”


“Why must you always be so stubborn, my child?” The goddess responded, not rudley.


“Wow, it’s almost like you choose a teenager to be your avatar.” Thea leaned against the wall. “Alright, fess up, who is this guy?”

“Hm?”

“The guy. Steven. I know his voice.” She rested her hands in her lap.

“I’ve told you. That is for you to find out.”

That earned the deity and eye roll. The sound of what she had already come to know as Steven’s footsteps coming up the hallway broke her from her thoughts, sitting up again and the goddess decided to shut up for a bit.

“Alright, love, I should say, I am a vegan, so I hope you don’t mind the lack of meat in the red sauce.” The man stated, presenting her with a plate of (what was seemingly reheated) spaghetti and red sauce.

“Oh, it’s no issue.” She put on a smile, nervously picking up the fork he offered.

“It’s not poison, love, I promise.”

She laughed a bit. “Oh..no.. it’s not that. ..I’ve just been on the run for a bit so-”

“A bit is hardly enough of a descriptor for a year, my child.” Oh great. The totally helpful and not at all annoying deity was still here.

“Oh would you please just shut up and let me have an actual conversation you eons old pain in my ass!” Thea glared at the being with a look that would probably scare most adults, holding her fork up in a mildly threatening way.


“What the hell was that?”

Well, that wasn’t Steven.

Oh.

Oh no.

She said that out loud, didn’t she?

Chapter Text

“So let me get this straight. You are the avatar to the Greek Goddesses of The Moon.”

Thirty minutes, a nervous explantion, and a move to the living room because the couch was an easier place to have this conversation later, Thea was pretty sure this was Marc, who Steven had mentioned. He was very obviously American, but his accent sounded more from the region she was from.. Not quite, though, Maybe Chicago?


“And the hunt, and the protector of children and-” She paused when his eyebrows furrowed and took that as her sign to not continue with that rant. “Yes. I am. Does this…surprise you?”

“No. Yes. Maybe. Look, my point is, that night with the giant three headed dog-”

“Cerberus clone.”

“-Right, Cerberus clone. Was that you? ”


Thea almost launched herself off the couch then and there - and she would’ve if even so much as walking wasn’t still an issue. “You’re Mummy Man! And I’m guessing Steven is British Mummy Man!”

She was choosing to ignore Artemis’ ring out of “Mr.Knight!” from somewhere nearby.

“Actually it’s ‘Moon Knight’-”

“Whatever. Look, you look like a Mummy, you get called Mummy man, deal with it.” She sat back, crossing her arms.

“Look ,kid-”

“Not your kid.”

“I’m not saying ‘my kid’ I’m saying you are a kid.” She must’ve touched a nerve there, then, he sounded angry.

“I’m sixteen, Grumpy!”


“That’s still a Kid- You know what, that is not the point here. What is someone like you, doing out on your own, fighting.. Clones of Ancient Monsters, and being an Avatar?”

Thea sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose - A trait that had gotten her called an old soul more times than she could count - and closed her eyes. “Well, I’m gonna guess and say you know I’m a runaway.”


“That was included in my question.”

“Right. Look, some screwed up shit happened to me and I ended up in the Met at just..the right time and Artemis kept me from ending up, to put it bluntly, dead.” She shifted a bit, not wanting to go any further before that, deciding to attempt to change the subject. “So, you’re an avatar too I guess, and based off of what Artemis has told me, you’re of, Khonshu, right?”

Marc paused, giving her a look. “I’m honestly impressed with that - Steven is, too. He says most people don’t know enough about the Egyptian Pantheon outside of the very basics.”


Thea shrugged. “My Egyptian Mythology is a bit rusty but, I know the names of most of them at least. I always favored Greek more, I guess.” For some unbeknownst reason (It wasn’t, she knew.) the teenager found herself looking at the door.

What if she found her?


“Aztec and Mayan.” Marc stated after a long pause. “I always liked Aztec and Mayan stuff. Part of that was probably because of the Tombuster Movies.”


That broke her from her thoughts. “...You mean those cheesy b-movies that were like so obviously an Indiana Jones knockoff? I think my dad had like a bunch of those on VHS when I little”

“Yes - Stop Changing the Subject.”

“You were the one who-”

“Kid, look. I’m gonna be blunt about this. I’m not big on the idea of someone your age being on your own like this. Especially in today's day and age. I’m assuming you can hold your own but please, be careful. It’s obvious you don’t exactly always come out unscathed. And on top of it, I’ve got no idea what made you run in the first place but if you’ve stayed away this long then it had to be something. You don’t need to tell me but I just -” He ran a hand through his hair, a few curls being knocked astray. A nervous habit, it seemed. “Look, my point is. Don’t think you have to do this on your own. Please. I’ve made that mistake before myself.”


Thea blinked. Well. That had certainly been unexpected. “Wait..you don’t like..hate me?” Her eyes trailed to the door again, those damned thoughts swirling in her mind.

“What? No. That’s - No. Am I annoyed? A little. Angry? Yes. But hate you? Kid, I barely even know that much about you-”

“I’m sixteen years old. I was born in Cinncinati Ohio. My father left when I was seven. And also I think I have a pet rat named Shane, is that enough, Grumpy Chicago Man?”


Marc gave another pause, seeming to think for a moment. “My point is, you’ve clearly been dealt a shitty hand. I’m not gonna hate you because of some handful of descisions you’ve made. If you want, you can stay here. I know you probably have some hideout you can stay in but the offer stands. There’s food, running water, and I will even get a spare key cut if you absolutely want so you can come and go as much as you please. The only thing I -We, actually - Ask in return is that you feed the fish occasionally.”

She felt like her whole body froze all at once. She was definitely not expecting THAT. The only thing the teenager could get out was a murmured. “Uhm.”


She found herself staring at the fishtank nearby, suddenly very aware of the three goldfish happily blubbering around. “What Are.. Their names?”

If Thea thought too hard about it, she would notice the smallest hint of a smile creeping up on the man's face. “Gus 2.0 - Do not ask about the first one-, Mark with a K, and ‘ El Pez’. ”


“...The Fish? Seriously?”

“Please don’t ask.”


Thea sighed for a moment, standing - carefully - and striding - slowly, babying her ribs - around the room. “All of that just for feeding some fish.”


“Hey, Steven is very peculiar about the fish.”


She fell into silence again, before noting the hat hanging on the coat rack. “Oh Geez, don’t tell me you’re a cubs fan.”

“I’m from Chicago, so. Yes?”


The teenager rolled her eyes. “Dude! They suck! Also they stole the logo from my team for a couple years.”


“No they didn’t!?”

“Dude, you’re hat is like a one for one of the Reds logo. It’s just black.”

“It’s the Cubs logo, The reds stole it from them!

“No it’s not! It is not. Google it, I’m telling you.”


She heard the man give a frustrated sigh. “Nows not the time for this. I’m assuming you have clothing of some sorts wherever you’ve been living, I’m also assuming you’re going to be staying here until you heal - I see you babying those ribs - Seriously would you like an Ibuprophen or something? Would you like to go get those clothes?”


Thea drew in a sharp breath - ow.- and nodded. “Yes, actually. Also I think I need to feed Shane the Rat.”

Chapter Text

Broken Ribs apparently take a stupidly long time to heal.

Thea would be the first to admit that she didn’t mind actually getting to live in an actual apartment and actually eating proper food was nice. But.. she hated this. Being on the map like this. Everytime she walked by the office she had a horrible feeling in her chest that she would turn and That Woman would be there. She couldn’t get fully comfortable and it wasn’t just the constant pain she was in.


‘The boys’ as she had taken to calling them as a group were out somewhere - she wasn’t a hundred precent sure - leaving her alone with the fish.

There’s a joke about ‘Sleeping with the fishes’ in there somewhere, if she thought too hard about it. 

With actually semi-settling down for once came a chance to let herself rest, she’d grown more used to the sound of the air conditioner quietly running in the next room over and the fish tank bubbles than she liked and occasionally took naps when they were gone.

Today was one of those days, and while it was normal for her to wake up a bit dazed (Honestly, who didn’t wake up from a midday nap and question where they were?), she’d had another one of those dreams and was still recovering when she noticed an unfamiliar person with their back turned to her. The world of her memories was still blended with the real one and-

All she knew was this new person had dark curly hair-

Like her mother.

In a quick motion, she was to her feet and in her ‘battle robes; - numbing the pain a bit but not healing her entirely - and she knew Artemis was behind her. A guardian.

“ How did you find me?! ’ She stood her ground. “I’m stronger now. I hope you know that.”

“I’m sorry?”

“No. you’re. Not.”


“Thea, my child, I suggest you stand down.” The astral being reached forwards, bending time and reality to physically touch her.


“Dorothea! How could you! Do you know what can happen if even a little bit of grime gets left on a spoon and I use it!?”

The deities hand got pushed away, as the memories set in, then.

Anger faded into terror and panic and her robes faded quickly.

She felt like she was suffocating, drowning in the ocean that was her own memories.

“You don’t think I work hard all day? That I don’t have the right to come home to a clean home at the end of the day?”

“What do you mean you’re leaving!? I am your mother! I have been nothing but. I gave you a roof over your head, food to eat, I clothed you, I bathed you!”

“I. Will. Find. You.”

She found the nearest closest - small, small, small space, hidehidehide, and closed the door, ignoring the jackets hiting against the top of her head. They weren’t real. Surely they weren’t real.

She lost herself to her memories, struggling for breath, her heart pounding against her chest, shaking from head to toe. She had found her. That woman had found her and now she was going to have to go back to it. And she would never let her leave. She wouldn’t.

“I don’t.. I’m not sure what happened. I think maybe I reminded her of someone? She’s hiding in the coat closet. I didn’t want to scare her any more.” 

She felt those celestial arms around her again, and although Artemis’ comfort was typically welcomed, this time it just felt..distant…

“Marc says he was worried about something like this, then. We’ve got her.”

There was footsteps - She had figured out where she was oh god-

The door creaked open. The door was opening. Oh nonono. This was it. This was it.


“Thea? Kid. Look at me. Hey, hey. It’s Marc. I’m right here. Where’s your head out right now, huh kid?” 

The teenager didn’t expect the hands that landed on her shoulders to be so gentle and caring.

“Hey.. c'mon, there we go.” That voice. She knew that voice.

“Do you know what normally helps you when these happen?” How'd he know she'd had these before? That didn't make any sense.

But she knew the answer to that. If only she could just get herself to speak, but she still felt like her head was underwater even if there were hands holding her up.

“Okay. Is it better if I just keep talking as a distraction or do you think you can do a grounding exercise right now?” That was something she could answer despite her current state. She shook her head. ‘No.’.

“Right. Hey, did you hear the Cubs are playing the Reds this weekend? We might have to watch that at some point. How's that sound?” The hands moved and suddenly found their way into hers, one gently moving to the other human’s - she knew who he was. He's helped her before- chest.

“Try and get yourself to match how I'm breathing, like this.” Slow, Deep breaths came from the human person helper. Huh, was she not breathing like that already?

“You're doing good kid, just keep breathing and focusing on me, alright?”

With a lull came exhaustion, with exhaustion came calm, and she was able to finally get herself back under control to a certain extent, leaning forwards to the person currently kneeling at an odd angle in the closet (That she now realized was Marc.)

No longer feeling like she was drowning, she turned to him with a small smile. “Uh- Thanks.” These always took so much energy out of her. She wanted nothing more than to take another nap.

She could’ve sworn she saw that small little smile of his make an appearance on his face, but there wasn’t much light in the closet and she couldn’t perfectly tell.

“You good?” She watched him back out of the closet slightly as he spoke.

“Better than I was.” Apparently the teenager had been curled up long enough her knees had started to ache. How long ago had that been, anyway?

As she stood, she noticed the woman standing a bit away, by the island in the kitchen, she was the woman who-

“Oh god, I’m so sorry I- I didn’t know you were real.” Thea’s hands were in her hair in an instant.

Marc frowned, a hand against her shoulder. “Thea this is Layla… She’s - She’s my wife.”

The teenager froze, looking at the woman, in her current state, her mind breezed right pass what Marc had stated as she blurted out:

“You’re really pretty.”

The woman just smiled, brushing a few curls out of the way. 

“Thank you, dear. I’m sorry for scaring you like that, I should’ve-”

“No! God, no. Not your fault. My brain just thought you were someone else.” Thea feigned a smile, trying to bite down the urge to run back into that closet and hide from everyone, all of her problems, and never come ou-

“Kid? Can we have a talk?”

If one were to listen closely, they would probably hear the sound of the metaphorical foot dropping right about then.

“...sure..” The hand on her back gently guiding her out of the room and out to the fire escape turned balcony was a gentle one. 

There was a slight breeze that hung in the air as she watched the man take a seat on one of the steps leading up to an upper level. “Kid, look. You don’t have to go into too much detail but I just wanna know..”


“What was that all about?” She finished the sentence for him. “Well, you already know I’m a runaway.” She took a seat against the railing, stretching her legs out infront of her. “Guessing Jake told you - He go into detail why?”


The teenager watched as Marc paused for a moment, seemingly listening to something. “He says he wants me to hear it from you.”

She drew in a breath. “Well, my mother was just horribly Manupulative and also Emotionally and -or? - psychologically..abusive. I guess. I still don’t feel like I’m allowed to use that term but - she’s been like that since my dad left when I was seven. Got worse as I got older, though. Didn’t help that she wasn’t exactly welcoming of my diagnosis, either.”

She paused to look up at him again, watching him nod, a silent sign to continue.

“..When I decided to leave, it was after a particularly bad fight. I had forgotten to do the dishes, caught up in something - it wasn’t much, just like a bowl and like three spoons or something - and when she came at me with the ‘I dealt with your fathers mess for so and so years and got blamed for it I will not be dealing with it from you’  I kinda just-” She snaps her fingers, for emphasis.” -Snapped. I yelled back, told her I was tired of being treated like all I was for was to keep the house clean when she was perfectly capable of doing the dishes in the morning given she gets up so early, and that I was exhausted and she went off on the ‘You don’t think I work hard all day? Etc’ thing and I turned, packed my bag and told her I was leaving.”


The shakes were coming back, then, as her brain replayed that night's events.

“She told me, outright, that she would find me if I tried to leave. And I’m still horrified that she is going to do that because I have no idea what’ll happen if she do- if she do-” She couldn’t stop herself from crumbling again, tears finding their way to her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought this on you, I’m so sorry. I’m-”

Suddenly being held tightly wasn’t at all what she had expected but-

Oh hell. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She let herself cry into Marc’s shoulder. She wouldn’t lie and say it wasn’t nice to finally let hearself be vulnerable.

“No, no. Don’t. Damnit, kid. Don’t apologize. You are in no way to blame, okay? Not one bit.” For some reason, that made her cry even harder.

“I don’t get it. Why is this happening? She never hurt me.” Thea choked on a sob, a crying mess, the pain in her ribs long forgotten.

Shockingly gentle hands clutched her face, making her look at him.

“Listen to me. Listen to me, kid. Don’t do this to yourself. She hurt you, even if it couldn’t be seen on the outside. She caused you pain, pain that you shouldn’t have experienced, and it’s obvious you are still suffering from that pain. So don’t you dare go down that road, okay, kid? Because that only makes it worse in the long term.” He sounded like he himself was on the verge of tears.

The teenager didn’t respond verbally, just letting out a sob as she curled into his shoulder.

“And if that woman ever tries anything, she’s going to have to get through us.” She felt his arms pull her a little tighter then.

If you would’ve asked her when she first found herself running that she’d be sitting on a fire escape, sobbing into the shoulder of a man she met only a month ago, she would’ve never believed you.

“Thank you.” She told him in a near whisper, voice shaking.

Thea let herself kind of..drift.. After that, no longer drowning, instead more of a nice float. She was aware of the change from Marc to Steven when the latter fronted, but beyond that she was blissfully unaware of the world around her and allowed herself to just exist in that moment, at that exact space and time. No gods to bother her, no thoughts of her past, nothing.

She felt herself being lifted, heard someone talking, but eventually her eyes grew heavy, and she fell asleep for the second time that day.

Chapter Text

He quite liked his home. The water was a comfortable temperature, he got fed regularly, and he and his brothers got nice little decorations. At one time he had thought it was a little weird that the humans had put a boat under the water, he got used to it, though.

His humans were.. different. They all looked basically the same but sometimes they were very different in how they acted. The one called ‘Marc’ was relatively quiet, at least with him and his brothers. He would come and pour in their food, and usually watched him and his brothers swim for a bit, and then go do whatever he went and did. The one called ‘Steven’ talked to them a lot, recounting his week as they showed down on their flakes. The final one, called ‘Jake’..well, Jake they didn't see often. 

There was also a mate - a lady called ‘Layla’. She didn’t seem to be like his other humans, but she was nice and also fed him and his brothers when she came over. Plus, she made his humans happy, so he liked them.

Recently another human had been feeding them. Another lady human, but this one seemed to be younger. She also seemed to be living amongst his humans, and seemed to make them happy like Layla. Their relationship was different, though - perhaps the new human was a fry? She certainly seemed to be treated like one. The human called Marc seemed to have particularly taken her under his weird looking fin, though the fry seemed to have befriended all of his humans.

The fry seemed to be called ‘Thea’ and she sometimes had a similar quiet to the human called Marc. There was one night when the two humans had gone beyond their tank and talked for a while. The human called Steven had come back inside carrying the fry. Sometime after that, the fry had come over and sat with him and his brothers, talking to them like The human called Steven did.

The fry had been a bit happier after that, and it seemed like she had moved into the tank, a part of their school.

He quite liked his home, and his humans, and their fry.

Chapter Text

“Dude dude dude hurry up! Get the burger it’s gonna burn!” 

“How are you this calm, mate!?”

“This is calm- and times up. Not even one star, Alright, we’re doing this again.” Thea stretched her back out from her spot on the floor, already moving to restart the game.

“Do I want to ask how you’ve obtained the Switch and why am I going to feel like Jake played a role in it?”  Layla had looked up from the work she’d been doing, sitting across from Steven on the couch.

There was a pause where the teenager and Steven looked at each other, and blinked.

“Right, love I-”

“Yeah we found it in a..dumpster..inside of an abandoned..Gamestop.”

“You two know I technically steal back relics for a living, right? Also, you found an entire Switch system complete with a dock in the dumpster of an abandoned Gamestop. Really?” 

Another awkward silence fell on them, and Thea turned back to her game. “Okay back to overcooked-”

“-That is a lovely idea.”

“Oh, right! Thea, I meant to ask - would you feel up to doing some shopping later today? I figured you might like to have a little bit of a girls outing.”

In a quick motion, Thea paused her game, turning to look behind her. She gave a small smile. “That sounds wonderful .” 

“Good! I figured you’d want some new clothes given that you’ve been living out of a bag for a while now. Been there, done that, I know how amazing it is to get even just a new pair of socks after.” Layla returned the younger's smile.

“I’m so happy to hear that it’s not just me - now, if you’d excuse me - Steven, round two?”

—-

Thea had been adamant about not going to one of the fancy clothing stores in the city, despite Layla’s insistence that they had the money. She had spent most of the afternoon perusing local thrift stores and vintage clothing shops, and was currently parading around with a bag of graphic t-shirts and long flowy skirts. What? She had a preference.

In her free hand, she was still struggling to get a boba pearl unstuck from the straw hastily pressed into her taro milk tea while she was walking. Currently, she was losing.

“So I was thinking maybe you’d like to drop this stuff off back home and take a cab up to Fifth Avenue? Maybe take a lap around the Met? Point out all th-”

“Ehhh, that’s not gonna happen.” Thea let out an awkward laugh. “I’m uh..kinda banned from the Met right now.”

Layla paused, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, explain.”

“It’s not that long of a story, honestly. The night I became an avatar I had gotten into some shit with some bad people and snuck into the met to hide, ended up in the Greek and Roman wing and I guess there was some statue or something related to Artemis there and she decided then was the right time..and then big chunks of said wing promptly got destroyed and they regonized me from the cameras so..” She bounced on her heels for a moment, shaking her cup a little and finally managing to dislodge the boba pearl. “I mean I technically worshipped her for years before that but that’s irrelevant..I think.”

The Egyptian woman let out a laugh. “Oh you think that's bad - when you get the chance ask Steven about what happened with the British Museum.”

“I’m sorry the British Museum..like that British Museum?”

“That’s what I said!”

Thea paused in the middle of her smile, the grin - something that had snaked its way onto her face much more often lately -fell immediately when she spotted the woman standing amidst the crowd of New Yorkers going about their day.

No.

“Thea? Are you alright?”

She felt herself freezing up. This wasn’t real, right? Surely this was just her mind playing tricks on her like it normally was?

But that woman was approaching her and-

“Dorothea? Is that really you?”

In an instant, she felt Layla’s hands fall against her shoulders in a protective motion. Artemis was making her presence known to her as well, as if she could do all that much to the woman (Now was not the time to think about the complexities of ancient deities in the modern day.) 

She was aware of the presence of another god - Similar to what she felt when Khonshu was near one of the boys. Though, this one was different..lighter.

“Thea, who is this?” She heard the older woman next to her ask through gritted teeth in spite of the blood currently rushing through her ears.

She didn’t get the chance to answer before the other woman approached them.

“Oh my goodness it is! Dorothea, I have been looking everywhere for you! All these years, I almost gave up!”

She felt her muscles tense, completely lost on how to respond. In a moment that felt like she was watching herself on a tape, she blurted out. “It’s only been a year.”

The woman - that woman - Amelia - frowned, and pulled back slightly. “Oh, my dear, I know. Time just went on forever and all I could imagine was having my baby in my arms again.”

Layla’s hands on her shoulders tightened, a quiet reassurance. “Ma’am? I’m sorry but who is Dorothea?” A beat, a swallow. “My daughter's name is Thea.”

The woman scoffed. “So you’re still going by that nickname you came up with to disrespect the name I gave you? And this woman has convinced you that you're her daughter ?” A headshake. “I cannot bel-”

“She’s been more of a mother to me in less than a month than you were in fifteen years!” The words just..flew out. And now..now that woman was so obviously angry. Thea could feel Layla gently starting to push her away.

“Didn’t I say that I would find you, sweetheart? Come on, don’t treat me like this. I’ve looked high and low for you.” She was starting to feel herself stiffen up again.

“I love you, Dorothea, thats why I wanted you to know how to take care of the house. Clean up after yoursel-” The woman stopped dead in her tracks, like something was physically blocking her.

She felt Layla all but dragging her. “Come one, let’s get back to the apartment - Taweret can stop her only until you're out of the premises.”

“Tawere- who?”

“Later.”

—-

“Steven I love you but I’m gonna need Mar - oh thank the gods.” She was distinctly aware of the fact that she had been sat down on the couch, The boba that had disappeared from her hand suddenly finding its way back into it.

“This woman came up to us, I think it was-”

“That wasn’t just..any woman,” Thea spoke up, looking up from the floor. “If you somehow didn’t figure it out, that was Amelia Kaplan.”

She felt the couch dip next to her, she recognized it as Marc. “That's who I think it is, isn’t it?”


“Yeah. Yeah, it is. That was my mother.”

Chapter Text

Thea blinked, staring at some dot on the wall in front of her, hands tightening around the mug that had replaced the empty boba cup.

“I have to leave.” She finally spoke, blankly, as she looked at the people who had kindly taken her in. “I can't- I can't stay here. She'll find me.”

The teenager could tell that all three gods that followed their little group were present in the room, even if she couldn't see anything. And by some miracle, they were all angry - A protective kind of anger, even from Khonshu. 

Layla spoke, having thought about her words. “No.” She told her, leaning forwards (Her and Marc had basically sandwiched the teenager between them in attempts to provide some kind of reassurance) and gently grasping her shoulder. “Thea, look at me. There are ways we can do this legitimately. Marc knows people. And we have a really good lawyer.”

Thea shifted a bit, bringing her knees up to her chest and setting the mug - that was still about halfway full of coco - on the coffee table. “Yes, I'm aware, but what court is going to believe two people who have some interesting track records over a biological parent who apparently wants to think her daughter was kidnapped?”

A sigh from just behind her - from Marc. “Trust me, we have ways. They may not be the most.. ethical.. ways, but we have ways. Not to mention, Layla isn't kidding, our lawyer is amazing. ”

A frown immediately fell across her face. “You're not planning to kill her, are you!?” 

Marc looked taken back. “Shit, no! I mean.. I won't lie and say it's not something I've contemplated but - Not unless I actually had a way that wouldn't tie it back to me.” A listening pause. “Jake agrees, the woman whose kid you're trying to get guardianship of suddenly dying and said death being traced back to the Vigilante who's linked to that same kid probably wouldn't be..great.”

Thea raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. “Fair point.”

Another pause, this time a look of annoyance fell over the man's face as he spoke out loud to what she couldn't see - Khonshu, judging by his tone. “Yes I know she's technically - She has her own God to keep an eye on her, she doesn't need two!”

“Thea, can I just ask you one more question?” The teenager tilted her head slightly to look Layla in the eyes.

“Yeah?” She asked, in a slightly anxious tone.

“Dorothea - your mother said that's your birth name. Thea is..”

“A nickname some friends gave me that I use because being called by that name makes me think of her .” Thea answers sharply. “A preferred name, I guess. I'm sure there's a term for it.”

“Okay, of course. I wasn't going to just start calling you that, it's obvious there's a reason you don't use it. I just wanted to see if I was right.” The older woman gave a gentle smile, carding a hand through a loose chunk of the younger's hair - it had become a bit undone in the rush to get away from that woman.

“I told you I'm not going to- Alright! Thea?” Marc, who had been talking (Talking is a loose term for how most of their conversations went) to Khonshu still, finally turned back to her. “For the sake of everyone, no more missions for a while. If she finds out-”

“I know. I was planning on that. At least..until this blows over.” Thea sits up, taking a breath. “What-what do we do if she comes after me?”


Marc draws in a breath, gently draping an arm around her shoulder.  “Same thing we’ve always planned. We do everything in our power to keep you from going back to that woman.” He pulls her a bit closer. “We’ll take care of you, kid.”

Layla gave a gentle smile and stood. “Alright, if we feel up to eating, I’ll go grab the takeout menus.”

“What do you say, kiddo? Up for some good ol’ fashioned takeout?” Marc asks, a small smirk on his face.

Thea found herself wearing a smile of her own. She hadn’t had this in years. This..this feeling of family.

“I could go for some Thai Food.”

“Well, that certainly answers my question.”

–

Knock

At first Thea - who’d been lazily dozing on the couch, coming down from her earlier (as Marc was lovingly describing it.) ‘Mini-Spiral’ - figured the knocking noise was from a bottle falling over or some other small object hitting the ground.

Knockknock

Okay…a little..frantic but again, could’ve just been a water bottle hitting the ground. She shrugged and attempted to go back to her nap.

Knockknockknockknnnnnooooockkkkk-

“Damnit! Layla! Can you get that!? Please!? Me answering the door right now is..ill advised.”

There were some footsteps in the kitchen, a soft chuckle following. Thea attempted to fall back into her nap when the loud sound of the door slamming closed immediately after being opened.The teenager shot up, immediatly noticing the panicked look on Layla’s face.

“What-Whats happening?”

“Thea - you need to go get the guys and - just you need to leave. Now. Puppy dog eye ‘em into taking you out for ice cream or something.” Layla - who, from what Thea could tell, was unflappable sounded..flapped.

“Uh - yeah..yeah.. I can do that.” She managed to collect herself some, scrambling to her feet and throwing her Converse over one shoulder, quickly making her way towards the small room designated as the Moon Boys’ (as she had started calling them in her head) office and opening the door without even knocking.

Fittingly, the door opened again and Thea heard a voice she had hoped to not hear again that day.

“What have you done to my daughter!?” 

She felt her entire body tense up at that, and she couldn't stop herself from turning her head slightly, feeling her muscles seize up the moment she laid eyes on the all too familiar woman.

“Mrs. Kaplan, Please. We can just talk this out. Don't let this turn into a fight.” Thea heard Layla say calmly. 

Though she could already feel herself starting to slip off into that corner of her mind. The one that held every little thing that woman had said to her and every little threat and- She felt one of the boys (she couldn't tell who was fronting at that particular moment given everything currently happening) rest their hands on her shoulders. 

In a split-second decision, as her paralyzing fear turned to a fiery anger, she broke away, and stepped forwards, setting her shoes back down.

“I'm tired of running away.” The teenager states calmly, coming to a stance just slightly behind Layla. “I am tired of running away from you and every single thing you did to try and tear me apart.” She swallowed hard, trying to force a wall up between her and that scared small child that she had usually avoided.

Not wasting a beat, Thea continued. “You swore you'd never be like your father. Swore up and down that you wouldn't become him. And sure, you never struck me down, not physically anyway, like he did. But I'll be damned if every little thing you said to me didn't tear me to pieces. You never left me bruised in any way that was visible. But you sure as hell made me feel like my soul, my heart, my mind, was black and blue.”

The woman seemed shocked, for once not having a rebuttal to her daughter's words. Thea felt Layla rest a hand on her shoulder, an attempt at placating the girls obviously boiling emotions.

“So that's it? You say nothing?” The girl drew in a sharp breath. “When I said that Layla had been more like a mother to me than you ever were, I meant it. These people are my family. Mrs. Lehmann is my family. Because unlike you, they've been there for me in every way that counts. They are my family. You are not.”

She felt that energy again, the one from earlier when all three of the gods were in the room. Only this time the one from Khonshu felt.. different..strained in a way that suggested that if she even slightly tilted her head to the far left, she would see the slowly forming image of a large skeletal bird man taking shape in a dark corner of the room, visible to everyone, Avatar or not, including one Amelia Kaplan.

Said woman was currently starting at that corner with a mortified look on her face. She drew in a breath of her own.

“Fine. Be that way. I don't know what kind of magic or technology you're using to try and scare me off, but it's worked. This isn't over. I will always find you. And one day you'll see that you are my daughter.” Amelia Kaplan states coldly, already stepping back out the door even before Layla could begin ushering her out of it. 

The hands on her shoulders were back, this time she could so obviously tell it was Marc. She didn't fight him off this time.

Instead, the moment the door was closed and locked, she felt herself deflate, all of that built-up anger leaving her in an instant. Something hot and wet was running down her face, and only then did she realize that she had been crying this entire time.

Thea felt herself collapse against Marc, her head coming to rest against his shoulder as he slowly lowered them to the floor, kind of just.. cradling her there in the middle of the living room. He didn't say anything much, but there was a noticeable change in body language and the next thing she heard was:

“It's alright now, love, let it out. Get that all out, yeah?” And she did. She sobbed harder even than she had when she had poured her heart out to Marc. Everything that she had been wanting to say for over a year now had just poured right out of her, and now she was so very drained.

Thea sniffled a bit, frowning when she noticed the wet spot on the shoulder of the shirt he was wearing. “Oh god, I'm so sorry..”

“It's okay, Love, Shirts can be washed.” Steven soothed gently, pulling her a bit closer. “Is there anything we can do? Just say the word- dessert for dinner, Video games, your favorite Move - Maybe you could show me that Sundew Valley game you're always talking about.” He asked, brushing a few loose, unruly waves away from her face.

The teenager drew a breath, looking between Steven, Layla - who was standing nearby and watching the moment unfold - and the form she could see towards the back of the room that she recognized as Artemis, before nodding softly and chuckling just slightly at Steven’s words. “It's Stardew Valley.” She corrected in a light tone.

“-And..can we build a pillow fort?”

Chapter Text

September 5th, 201x.

Her mother was a sharp presence behind her, she tried to ignore it. This was a hard day for both of them.

The dying warmth of summer hung in the air around the cemetery. She’d been out playing in the sprinkler when the woman had gotten a phone call about how someone who she was on record as being married to had been found in his car, in a river.

The church bells rang out, making the Nine-year-old jump.

-Now

There was a church not far from the courthouse. The bells had faded into the rest of the noise of the city. She hadn’t worn a dress since her fathers funeral. A dress specfically - her robes and her ‘house skirts’ didn’t count.

Thea watched the bustling city beyond her, kicking her feet a bit. She felt..lighter.

“Everything alright, Mi niña ?”

She tilted her head a bit, nodding toward Jake. Layla was busy finishing stuff up with the lawyers and judges and - the teenager was genuinely shocked that the woman had managed to not attempt to duke it out with the other woman this entire time.

“Yeah..it’s fine,” Thea answered, tilting her head. “All of this..the formality.. And the legal bullcrap.. Has just brought back some memories. Not just ones about my mother.”


There was a moment of quiet as the man sat down beside her. “Talk, Hija .”

“Did you just call me- whatever. Guess that now I’m technically your ward It’s not inaccurate.”  She shifted a bit, leaning against the marble step behind her. “Did I ever tell you what happened to my dad?”

“I assumed you two just weren’t speaking?”

“Yeah, well..it’s more than that.”


September 5th, 201x

The after-service lunch was held at a nice restaurant downtown. She had no desire to eat. He’d been calling the house phone, up in New York, for close to a month..and she had never answered because her mother insisted she didn’t. Then the calls had stopped..

“Is everything alright, my dear?” Her grandmother - Her Oma, as she liked to be called - said softly, leaning over.

“I’m not really hungry.”

“Oh baby doll..  Is it the food or something going on in that big brain of yours?” Her Oma tilted her head slightly.

“Both. I don’t really want all this fancy food. It feels like an act.”

The elderly woman got a smirk on her face patting her shoulder. “Meine Liebling.. I’ll tell you what..there’s a Skyline not far from here. Why don’t we sneak away from this crowd.”

Now-

“Me and my Oma snuck away after that and I got to pig out on cheesy spaghetti and two whole Chilli Dogs.” Noticing the silence of the man next to her, she turned to him, tilting her head when she noticed the change in body language.

“Oh, right - sorry, love. Suppose we always just thought you and your pa were only no contact, not that he..”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I don’t like to talk about it. Clearly. This is just..drawing up some memories.” Thea shifted, blinking slowly.

After a moment, Steven moved a bit closer, a silent offer of comfort. “If you don’t mind me askin’, or us askin', I suppose, did they ever figure out what exactly happened to your father?” 

Thea drew in another breath, crossing her arms over her chest.

September 19th, 201x

“Dorothea. I need to talk to you.”

The girl had learned very quickly that when her mother used that tone, it wasn’t good in any way.

“Yeah, Mom - Ma’am?”

“You’re spending the rest of the week with Mrs.Lehmann, I have to go back down to Cincinnati for a while. Go pack a bag.”

The nine-year-old hesitated, anxiously bouncing on her toes. “Is this about dad?”

“I said go pack your bags young lady. Don’t you get short with me,” A sharp intake of breath followed. “But, yes. It’s about your father. The police found something they’re worried about. He wasn’t a good man, Dorothea.”

Now-

“I guess.. My dad had fallen in with some…bad people.. After he left and one thing led to another and then..one night he got chased off the road. No one has ever actually given me any coherent answers because why would they!” She throws her hands up, noting another shift in how the man next to him is sitting. “Hey, Marc.”

“Hey..kid.” Marc shifted, finally moving to drape his arm around her shoulders. “Listen, that’s in the past now-”

“But it’s not.” She sighs, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I have repeated my father's mistakes. He left me and my mother because He couldn’t take my mom anymore and fell in with some terrible people, and died because of it and then I left mom because I couldn’t take her anymore, managed to get involved with some..shitty people and then I ended up in the Metropolitan Museum..half dead.”

“...and that’s when you became an avatar.” Marc sighed, pulling his hand through some of the girl's hair. He was getting better at this ‘comfort’ thing, slowly but surely.

“Did I never tell you that?” The teenager questioned, looking up at him. “Sorry - this..”

“Thea. We’ve talked about this.” The man used his thumb to gently wipe away the girls slowly forming tears. “That’s all in the past now, kid. All of it. You’re in our care now. Your mother can’t come for you anymore.”


“I know that. I swear, I do. But my problem is, I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to heal.” She pulled away from the half-hug, sitting up slightly and whipping more tears away. “I just don’t. I’ve spent so long running and now I can’t stop thinking and-”

“Thea. Breathe.” Marc drew in a sharp breath. “I am unfortunately not the best person to talk about healing from this shit- But I do know this - take it one step at a time. Small victories. Every time you can..see someone arguing on TV and not panic or..a plate drops and you don’t feel like you’re going to be screamed at, is a sign that you’re healing. Okay?” He reached out, and took her hand gently. “But for now, why don’t we just focus on celebrating.”

Speaking of-

“Alright! The papers have been signed and some words I will not be repeating have been said - who wants Ice Cream!” Layla had her hands thrown up as she walked down the steps of the courthouse, looking completely, utterly, done with it all.

Thea perked up, standing quickly from her spot next to Marc. “That sounds perfect.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “Can we invite Mrs. Lehmann and tell her…everything? She’s spent most of the better part of a decade taking care of me when my mother wouldn’t - I think she kinda deserved to know.”

—-

Artemis watched her avatar. The girl seemed happier these days. Mostly. Her time around her counterparts' own avatars seemed to have helped quite a bit.

Speaking of..

“I suppose this means we’ll be seeing each other far more often.” The goddess glared at the old bird currently standing next to her. “Maybe for once, we should agree to get along.”

“Mmm. I can see how that could be a helpful tactic going forward, given the circumstances.” Khonshu seemed to raise a hand to a chin-like point on his beak.

Artemis found a small smile coming to her features as she watched as flashes of her own Avatar's vibrant blue acted as a stark contrast to Khonshu’s avatars’ complete white blurred as they fought a Harpy that had made an unwelcome appearance some moments earlier.

“Where is Taweret? Wasn’t she supposed to be here by now? Along with her Avatar?” The goddess questioned, turning to watch her counterpart.

“Apparently they got caught up with another monster.” 

“Don’t sound so thrilled.” Artemis stood up straighter as she watched the Harpy grab her avatar suddenly, only relaxing when the one of her counterpart’s dubbed Moon Knight attacked the beast with a decidedly moon-shaped weapon, leaving her dear child unharmed.

“They make a good team,” Khonshu commented, letting out a sound that seemed to mimic that of what some might see as a birds variation of a feline purr (She was sure if he still had feathers they’d be fluffed up in a relaxed way.)

“Don’t tell me - You are beginning to care for them?” Artemis found herself flabbergasted at the thought.

“Care is a bit of a heavy implication. But - I suppose. Yes.. I’m finding myself..drawn to them.”

“The others were right..You have gone soft!”

“You are not to speak of this to any of the others !”

—-

Thea bounced her feet off the building wall underneath them, savoring the bubblegum ice cream in her hand and looking out over the skyline. She noticed the splash of white in her peripheral vision change from a distinct suit to mummy wrappings.

“Steven- Man.. for now on myself and Jake are only allowed to order Ice cream - what is this fancy vegan stuff? It tastes horrible . How do you eat this?”

Thea chuckled. “I tried to tell ‘em “The other two will complain” but he said that you guys wouldn’t mind.” 

Layla joined in on the younger's laughter. “I tried to say the same thing. Honestly, Marc, you think you’re bad?”

“Okay - next time we get post-Ancient-Monster battle desert, we’re going to Mrs. Lehmann's bakery. I cannot deal with this every single time.” The teenager commented, taking a bite from her waffle cone.

She watched as Marc paused for a moment, listening and shaking his head. “Steven says it’s just because this flavor is a little strong. Apparently, the other ones that place has are better but they were out.”

“..I can neither confirm nor deny-” She paused when the suit changed from stark white to a more modern style with a combination of black and white. 

“ Ay, mija . You honestly assume these two are going to agree on this subject?”

Thea snorted, a bit of melted ice cream going up her nose. “Yeah - no. This is an ongoing thing.” She pulled one of her legs up to her chest, turning to face Jake and Layla. “So- things are in motion for stuff at school to be switched over to your guy’s names instead of moms. I had to give them Steven's number since he’s the only one on a regular phone plan, apparently, so just incase there’s any weird phone calls in the foreseeable future..”

“-Don’t make it weird, got it.” Layla shook her head. Thea still couldn’t stop herself from being in awe at her avatar..suit..garb? Was there an official term for any of this?

“Oh,no, it’s already weird. Some kids are now calling Marc my dad. Just..fyi.” She waved her free hand a bit. “Not that I’ve ever called him that..as of the current time…out loud. I’m not just saying this in my head, am I?”

Another shift, and the suit was back to a..suit. “Love, at this rate if that’s what you’d prefer-”

“No. no. absolutely not . I cannot even begin to explain how hard that would be to explain to everyone.” She shook her head, laughing. “People already think I’m weird given how often I talk about the invisible goddess that talks to me sometimes.”

“And do you listen to those kids, love?”

“Steven, now is not the time for your ‘don’t listen to the haters’ Speech. I’m serious.” Thea swings her other legs up, sitting forward a bit. “But real talk though, I have a science quiz at like 8:00AM and like seriously need to be awake for it so shouldn’t I..y’know..be getting home?”

“-And someone needs to feed the fish.” Layla was currently sporting a half grin.

“And to feed the fish.”

The suit changed, back to mummy wraps, and she watched as Marc shook his head. “We’ll be right behind you, but first- c’mere, you.” In one fell swoop, he pulled her into a one-armed hug.

“Hey! Hey! Watch the Ice Cream– I have no idea how these things get washed.” Thea shouted, taken by surprise, laughing as the arms around her tightened in response. “Gods, Marc- You are such a dad.”

Layla pushed herself closer, resting her head against Marc’s other shoulder, still smiling. “She isn’t wrong, y’know.”

The teenager continued laughing, a sense of warmth in her chest. She was slowly starting to get used to this strange, maybe a little dysfunctional, family they had formed. She felt like she was home, for the first time in years.

And yeah. She was home.