Chapter 41: Furlough 3

Looking for something

We can rely on

There's gotta be something better out there

Love and compassion

Their day is coming

All else are castles built in the air

And I wonder when we are ever gonna change

Living under the fear 'til nothing else remains

All the children say

We don't need another hero

We don't need to know the way home

All we want is life beyond

The Thunderdome

********

"How did you know?" Raven asked in her familiar monotone, even as I made out with her inner demon.

"I'm honestly embarrassed how long it took me to realize what was going on," I admitted as I pulled away from Pride.

"Mmmmggg." 

Not before lighting up every one of her nerve endings with pleasure. 

My Life Element and Sticky Fingers synergized to give me a few tricks that most others lacked. Something like this, commanding an orgasm at will, wasn't something I did lightly as it had left even Artoria half-mad with pleasure and too over-sensitive to continue. Combine it with my inexhaustible trait, and I could provide infinite pleasure with just a touch.

When I had told Medea I could mind-break Aphrodite, I hadn't been exaggerating. With the ability to provide pleasure or pain directly and Sticky Fingers' instinctual knowledge of body language, it wasn't a question of if but when someone would give in to my touch.

Was it petty of me to do that to poor Pride because she had given me a scare?

Yes. Yes, it was.

"If I were her," I continued even as I held Pride's shuddering body close to me. "The first words out of my mouth would have been something like, 'stay still and don't do anything.' The fact that a demon, especially one with as much pride as her, did not try and lord her control over me should have been all I needed to know. It wasn't that she didn't want to. It was that she couldn't. Not without her Orders being rescinded."

"Then what tipped you off?"

"She could sense my emotions, so she had to be you, or at least a part of you. You would have been freed when we kissed if it was a possession. Then I remembered how emotive you are when in my shadow."

I looked around the pitch-black space we were in, noting how some parts seemed darker than others now that I had time to get a good look.

"This is your inner world, right?" I asked. "That's why you stay in shadow dragon form all the time. You can be in your inner world while still retaining control and using your powers in the outer world?"

"It is not," she shook her head slightly. Pride started to stir in my arms. "Are you familiar with Jungian psychology? Emotions, personas, masks, shadows. By embracing my Element, I can seperate myself from them all and let them loose while retaining control of my powers. But we are still connected. Separate yet connected. One individual, yet distinct. The control I have always wanted. It also allows us to multi-task and watch over multiple members of the Family."

"Same difference," I rolled my eyes at the correction. "Besides, Freudian and Jungian psychology has largely been disproven." Raven simply raised an eyebrow before looking at the demon in my arms. "Fair enough, you are a special case. If this is Pride, your demonic side, where are the others? I assume it's more than just you two?"

"You are mine!" Pride snarled, finally cognizant again and shaking off my hands to stand on her own. She grabbed my shirt, tugging me down to look at her. I'm sure it was a coincidence that it also allowed her to steady her still-wobbly legs. "Love, Knowledge, Happiness, and the others can only have you when I am done! You. Are. Mine!"

"Sure, sure," I patted her on the head gently. Angry/possessive Raven was so cute. While I did, I looked at the Raven I was more familiar with for more clarification.

"Pride isn't an emotional persona," Raven explained simply. "She is the manifestation of our Demonic side. All of it. She wanted to talk to you first, get you on her side. She's the one who pulled you in while you were travelling. I thought it was a dumb idea to leave her alone. Here we are."

"Hey!"

"So, what does she want?" I asked, still ignoring the growling demoness. Her face was red again, though it wasn't from arousal this time. Her temper was about to erupt, but I wanted to pinch those cheeks.

Her face too.

"She has this hair-brained idea to-" Raven's words were cut off by Mt. Pride blowing up.

"Stop ignoring me!"

Compelled by her Order, I focused on Pride with my complete attention.

"Oh?" I asked softly. "Go on. What were you going to say?"

For some reason, both women took a step away from me. 

"You are free," a tiny voice said from my shoulder.

Turning slightly and looking down, I saw a tiny Raven, wearing a pink cloak, waiving up at me with a big smile on her lips.

"Hi," she chirped before standing on her tiptoes to peck me on the chin.

Then she was gone in a swirl of pink cloth.

"I'm guessing that was Happiness?" I asked rhetorically to Raven, who nodded. Turning to Pride, I met her still wide eyes. 

I sighed. 

I had no one to blame except myself, but seriously, my big-tiddy-goth-demon-wife cannot be this cute.

"Sorry. I took the teasing too far. Can you forgive me?" I spoke kindly.

"Of- of course," she stuttered, recovering as her eyes narrowed at me. "So long as you recognize your fault, I can allow MY monster some leeway."

"That is very gracious of you," I said seriously, fighting to keep the smile off my face. "Now, what were you going to say?"

"You are aware today is the 25th of October." It was a statement, not a question. With her pride appropriately acknowledged, the demon was more than happy to exposit. I didn't point out it was the 26th in Australia. Where I was supposed to be. "Our birthday is on the 30th."

"I am aware," I nodded, haven taken the time to note down any important dates for the women. The basics of being a husband is remembering birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries. It was easy since I just wrote them into my phone. "I was planning on spending the day with you. Making a day of it, you know. I think I have a good gift idea, too."

"You don't need to," Raven said, her pale cheeks flushed. Even if her voice was the same calm intonation as always, she was way more expressive in this shadow world.

She might have more control now, but she was still the same woman. It was honestly sad that the mere act of remembering her birthday was enough to make her this embarrassed. 

"He needs to!" Pride declared, contradicting herself and holding out her hand as if I would be carrying her gift for her right now.

I met her eyes and raised a brow. 

She lowered her hand and continued on shamelessly.

"My date of birth holds significance to not only myself but the world as a whole. I was created as a portal for Trigon to invade other dimensions." I nodded, aware of the prophecy about her birth from comics and TV shows. "In my home world, we repelled him, and the prophecy went unfulfilled. He tried various other means to encroach upon the earth, but through our efforts, he never got as close as he did to victory as our eighteenth birthday."

"Sure," I said, indicating I was following along.

"It is nearing our birthday, and Trigon approaches once more." Pride declared, looking triumphant.

"For you? Or for the local Raven?" I asked. Depending on the answer, I could take two very different responses. If it was the Raven in front of me, I could bring her to space and go 'Nom Nom.' Trigon might be DC Satan, but I can take him with the rest of the Family so long as I wasn't in his dimension, the seat of his power. "I thought she was too old. She's part of the Protectorate. When I checked up on her, she was a bit younger than you but still older than eighteen. Didn't Trigon already try and take her over?"

"What you might not be aware of," Raven explained for Pride, "Is that it wasn't the exact birthday that was important but when I reached 'adulthood.' Like Diana, I have experience with other versions of myself, and sometimes that age varies. In my home, it was eighteen. In others, sixteen. In this one, it is twenty-one. This year."

"How can you tell?"

"We can sense him," Pride said. "He holds no sway over us, but we are still familiar with his power. His influence. We, too, investigated our local equivalent, and she reeks of his power. She has five days before he tears a hole in reality through her and consumes this world as he has so many others."

"If Dr. Fate, the Sorcerer Supreme, or any dozen other powerful heroes do not stop him," I pointed out. "His track record isn't the best. We alert them, they fight, and we eat popcorn. Or better yet, you teleport me to San Fransisco, I poke local Raven, Free her of his influence, and we all go get tacos."

"No." Raven shook her head, though I saw an upward lip curve.

"No tacos?" I asked.

"No stopping him." Pride clarified with a malicious smirk. "We are going to let him invade. In fact, we are going to make sure he succeeds."

********

"Do you have a moment to talk?" Diana asked softly, knocking gently on the doorframe to announce her presence.

"I can talk while I work," Medea said, not pausing from her sowing and only looking up briefly. "What can I help you with this early in the morning?"

Strictly speaking, none of those bound needed sleep thanks to the benefits of the Catalogue. It helped with all the international travel they did, lowering the problems with jet lag or time zone problems. Most still took the chance for rest when night fell, but it wasn't rare for one or more of them to pass multiple days without returning to their rooms. 

Medea was the most egregious offender, often staying up for over a week with her various projects and hobbies or locking herself in her workshop when inspiration took her.

Diana, on the other hand, liked her sleep.

She rose pretty early, usually around sunrise, but her long habit of getting sleep when she could as a heroine had carried over even after a year on the Island.

Which made this meeting, right before the sun rose and only half an hour after the witch had returned from Australia, a bit of an odd occurrence.

"What are you working on?" Diana asked rather than explain her presence.

"Hm? Oh, I am working on a dress for Ranni. She was looking for something more modern than her robes and liked what I had made for the others. Hehehehe, she's like Artoria. All stoic and placid. I can't wait to see her in this. Hehehehe."

For a moment, Diana appreciated the surrealness of the situation.

Here was Medea, Witch of Betrayal and niece to Circe, one of her most dangerous foes, giggling perversely while weaving a dress for another woman. A goddess who they both shared a husband with.

The reminder of Mikael shook Diana from her thoughts.

"I take it that your evening went well then?"

"It was wonderful," Medea sighed wistfully, pausing in her work to stare off into space in reminiscence. "The play was great, a modern comedy, but once it was over, he took us dancing. I had no idea modern dances could be so... intimate. It was magical." Medea paused in silence for a long second before shaking her head and returning to work with a rueful chuckle. "It seems Mikael's bad humour is contagious. Anyway, a few people recognized us after the whole thing with Doomsday, but the news hadn't completely spread since it hadn't even been a day. We got some odd looks, as was to be expected with our large group, but went largely unbothered. It will be a long time before we can do something like that again without disguises or spells."

"Sorry." The amazon apologized more for the inconvenience than genuine regret. She still stood by her actions in saving the local heroes, but she was sorry about the problems it was causing the others.

"Don't worry about it," her fellow greek shook her head. "Our images were already out there, and we planned to meet the heroes today anyway. All you did was change the venue and circumstances. But I doubt you are here to make small talk about our date. So, I'll ask again, what can I do for you, Diana?"

"It is about Mikael," Wonder Woman explained. "We had an argument. One that is bothering me, and I am not sure why."

And so the amazon explained the situation of her and Artoria's decision to help the heroes, their talk with Mikael upon returning and the argument that followed. She carefully tried to explain his words as precisely as she remembered them as well as their side.

"What do you want me to say?" Medea asked once Diana had finished, setting aside her work and giving the amazon her full attention. "I agree with him. You two should have contacted us."

"That is not the issue I am facing. Looking back, I can agree we were too hasty and going forward, I have no problem asking for help or being careful. It is just..." Diana paused, struggling to put her feelings into words. "I don't know. Something about that conversation is bothering me. Artoria isn't used to being the one that asks for help. That is where her issue resides. She was always the one whom people turned to. She was always the King. It will be a while before she reconciles having others as strong or stronger than her on which to rely. She will get used to it, but it will take time."

"Makes sense. As much as I love that woman, she can be very prideful. Just like her lion. Most of the time, it's cute."

"But I have worked with teams before." Diana continued, getting to the heart of her problem. "I have called for help when over my head. I can even admit that Mikael was right to chastise us. But something is still bugging me. I do not know why his words were so... disheartening to hear."

"And you came to me?" Medea raised an eyebrow in question.

"You are the one who knows Mikael best." One raised eyebrow became two. "Even if we disregard the fact he named his cat after you and that you both share a love of magic, you both were in similar situations with regards to relationship and mindset."

"I don't think anyone's ever been in the same relationship we are now," Medea giggled.

"Maybe not the exact same," Diana had to concede that point. "But you cannot deny the similarities in both of your approaches. Caution, preparation, planning, and even manipulation. You think like him, though I hope you don't take offence when I say he is the more heroic of you two." Medea nodded in agreement, conceding her own less-than-stellar moral compass. "Besides, Artoria speaks well of the advice you have provided her regarding her relationship with him. I was hoping your input could shed some light on what about that argument has kept me up all night."

"I don't think I should be playing love doctor, given my own past," Medea said with a wry smile. "Still, I can try and help. You said it wasn't his request for you all to call for help that was the problem? Was it his willingness to let others die?"

"No," Diana shook her head. "Or at least, I don't think so. While I would not have put it so bluntly as he did, there have been times when I have had to make hard choices in my career. Sacrifice the few to save the many. I also don't believe that preferring to keep one's family safe over strangers is a problem, either. It is not what a hero would do, but, as he often stresses, Mikael is not a hero. I also don't expect him to be. Nor am I so suicidal that I will sacrifice my life for a conflict with no benefit, even if I can return with Warranty."

"So it is not his request to call for help. Not his choice of family over heroics. Nor is it his concern for your self-sacrificial nature." Medea counted off the various possibilities on her fingers. "I'll be honest, besides those points, I don't know what else you could be having a problem with."

"I don't either. That is what is bugging me. If I knew what the problem was, I could address it." Wonder Woman wasn't one for dramatics. More often than not, acting as a moderating voice in their household with such diverse personalities, but after hours of tossing around in bed and turning the problem over in her mind, she was close to pulling her hair out in frustration. "While I never married as you did, I have been in enough relationships to know that talking with Mikael would be the best way to stop resentment building up. But I can't. Until I know what is causing my frustration, its source, any discussion we have will end in another argument."

"Maybe we are approaching this the wrong way," Medea said with her head tilted in thought. "Rather than look at the argument, let us look at the situation as a whole. Pull back from the trees to see the forest."

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you like Mikael?"

"Pardon?"

"What attracted you to him in the first place," Medea explained. "For example, I fell in love with him because he had the opportunity to do to us what Aphrodite did to me, but he refused. From there, we spent time together, and things fell into place."

"Isn't that the same for all of us?"

"Right, I don't know about all the others, but I do know Artoria fell for him because of his chivalric treatment of us despite the bad situation he was in. Yoruichi likes him because their personalities complement each other. Teasing, playful, and a bit sadistic. Like a pair of cats, really. Scathach was saved from living alone forever, gets all the fights she wants, and has many new things to experience. She also really enjoyed training him."

"He has come a long way as a warrior," Diana acknowledged.

"Some of his traits that are good points to one of us might be demerits to others." Medea continued. "Yoruichi likes his playfulness, but Glynda wishes he would be more serious. I appreciate his caution, but Tsunade desires he would be more direct. Robin likes his passion for learning and his love of history, but Yoruichi gets bored when he spends hours reading. I'm sure you appreciate how delicately he has handled his interactions with the heroes of this world, trying not to make any enemies. But Emma is frustrated by how passive he is being."

"Ranni would like him to act more kingly, but Robin shares his sense of humour," Diana nodded, understanding where Medea was going with it. "You and I can be friends even though we disagree on the subject of the gods. You think it is something similar. I am having a problem with him, not the situation or his request for more caution."

"We disagree on the subject of the gods because you don't see them for the scum that they are," Medea retorted, but there was no heat to her voice, so Diana let it slide. "But yes, if we can find out what you like about him, I think we can figure out what is causing this... frustration you are having with him. The lures and Dragon Aura are only add-ons. They cannot create attraction and emotions, only enhance them. Mikael is not perfect. None of us are. There are parts you like and parts you don't. What are they?"

"I would say my tastes are similar to Artoria's," Diana said after some thought. "I also admired how he treated us. We were living a life of luxury while he was suffering. Too many people would lash out at others in that situation, but he didn't. While his distrust of us and his paranoia were not something I agree with, I can understand them now that I know the whole situation. Even at his lowest, after I confronted him about our plan to use your Noble Phantasm, all he did was use Command Seals to prevent us from ordering him. Not only did he continue to treat us kindly, he still helped others. While we were teasing him and painting a picture for the locals earlier today, there is no denying his actions have made him a hero, at least in my eyes. And his dedication to our Family, to ensuring everyone is happy and that we are safe and cared for, is something I wholeheartedly admire."

"Ok, that is what you like about him. Now, what do you not like?"

"I do not like his stance on the gods," Diana responded after a moment. "I understand where it is coming from, and like yours, I can live with that. My gods are not yours, even if they share the same names. I also agree with Glynda that his tendency for humour in serious situations can be grating, as is his paranoia. Neither of those is a serious problem, though. Barry and Bruce had those same traits. His apathy is of more serious concern, but, as I said, his actions have proven that if he can, he will help his fellow man even if it inconveniences him."

"I am hearing a lot of back and forth here," Medea added. "All your complaints are tempered and qualified. What do you absolutely hate about him? Something that gets on your nerves every time. For me, it is his puns. Whenever he makes one, I just want to curse his mouth shut. And he even has me doing it."

"Hate? Nothing springs to mind. I do not like how self-deprecating he is. Nor how he likes to flaunt his knowledge. He can be a bit of a hypocrite, too." Diana really tried to think, but nothing conjured the same frustration she felt after last night's argument. "But these are all small peeves, things I can live with but nothing I absolutely despise."

There was a long minute of silence as they tried to think about things they absolutely despised about the man, but it was hard.

Certainly, the lures, dragon aura, and other aspects of the Catalogue helped smooth over the edges, but, as a general rule, it was hard to hate a man who went out of his way to ensure they were as happy and cared for as they were.

More often than not, Diana's main problems in relationships were due to her status as a superheroine. Either her partner was endangered by her presence, felt threatened by her superior abilities, were jealous of her closeness to her comrades, or resented the lack of time spent together due to her frequent need to be on call in an emergency. 

None of that was a problem with the current relationship. Not only had Mikael stated his support for her endeavours, but he had also put his money where his mouth was. Though he disagreed with her actions with Doomsday, he had still gone out of his way to set up a situation where she could return to being a heroine and spend time with the local versions of her friends.

Hell, even her open bisexuality, which was often a sticking point for both men and women she had dated in the past, hadn't been a problem. 

While Mikael wasn't what Diana thought of when she thought of her ideal man, there was no denying he was a better partner than most she had tried to date in the past.

So, if she was happy with their current relationship, why was the argument last night bugging her so much.

"We've been going in circles here," Medea huffed in frustration.

"So you see my problem," Diana responded with a wry smile.

"By the way, while we're on the subject, I've always been curious about what finally did it."

"Did what?"

"Tipped you over the edge." Diana continued to look at her blankly, so Medea gave more context. "Emma once said you were the last of us to fall in love with him. You resisted the urge for half a year and only 'gave in' near the end of his third world. When was the moment you told yourself, 'this is the man for me!' What finally pushed you over the edge?"

"His conviction."

As soon as the last syllable left her lips, Diana froze.

Maybe it was because they had spent the last few minutes delving into Diana's feelings, both good and bad, but the words came out of her mouth without conscious thought. 

"I never realized," she said, eyes wide. "What I look for in a partner, I mean. Male or female, I find myself attracted to people with conviction. I have seen some of the most attractive people of each sex, the smartest, the strongest, or even the most moral and none of those guarantees I'll become emotionally attached. While those are important to me, as they are to everyone, I think it has only been those with strong convictions I have fallen in love with. Looking back, conviction tends to overlap with other desirable traits, and I've missed it all these years."

"Conviction?" Medea murmured to herself with a frown, eyebrows creased in thought.

Diana was on a roll, though.

"It was what first drew me to Steve Trevor. His conviction in fighting the Nazis and going to war despite his weakness compared to us Amazons was what first drew me from the Thymescria. From there, despite my occasional flings, the ones who stick with me are those who are firm in who they are. Bruce, in his relentless pursuit of justice, Clark in his quest to inspire others, Trevor and his fight for civil rights. Have you ever heard Artoria talk about her ideals? It is an experience. Even Mala, my first crush, was firm in her convictions against Man's World."

"Mikael's conviction?" Medea half asked, eyes still distant and mouth turned upside down. She looked to be in deep thought and not happy about it.

"When I reflect on my time with him, two moments stick out to me. Early on, I found some of his traits admirable, but I never thought of him in a romantic light. I understood his attraction to some of you on an intellectual level but not on an emotional one. Then I met him before his fight with Gwyn. Before then, I had seen him grow more skilled and deadly, and more than one of you had expressed romantic interest. I supported Artoria's bid for his affections and urged him not to leave him behind. I thought it too sad for that love to never have a chance to blossom. I also called him out on delaying things, of not rushing to the final confrontation. I practically called him a coward. He admitted, to my face, that he was scared. He was afraid that killing Gwyn would only be the start and there would be other worlds afterwards."

"He was right."

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"He was, but that isn't what sticks out to me. When I think about that conversation, the part that sticks out is the image of him walking away. He walked to a fight he knew he would win but was scared to face the consequences. But he walked forward. A good man who knew nothing of war and had been beaten down by the cruelties of a new world was fighting for his freedom despite his fear. That was the first time I was certain he would be Free, no matter what stood in his way. Be they gods or men."

"That wasn't when you fell in love," Medea denied. "That was too early."

"It wasn't, but it was the first time I found him truly attractive and could see myself with him." Diana smiled sadly. That conversation in the Kiln was a mixed blessing, looking back. "We didn't know the extent of his situation. His death and revival. The length he spent in each world, and the real challenges he faced. He hid them from us all but Emma then. Had I known, I might have fallen then, understanding his true conviction. Instead, I fell in love when I confronted him about our plan to free Emma. I told him to his face that either he released her of control or we would. I blackmailed him, essentially."

"And you fell in love with him for that?" Diana couldn't help but smile at the witch's disbelieving look.

"I fell in love with him because he stood up to me," she explained. "I was blackmailing him. There are no two ways about it. It was not my proudest moment, but I still feel it was necessary for Artoria to have an honest relationship with him. And what did he do? He explained his situation in gruesome detail. His fears and how easy it would be to circumvent them if he was willing to compromise our free will with his command. He called us his wardens, the chains around his neck. I didn't know he was being literal at the time, but he left little room for doubt about his fear. Despite all those claims and the reasons he had to enslave us to his will, when I met his eyes and saw how terrified he was yet still so firm, I did not feel even an ounce of fear for my freedom. That was the moment I knew he was a man who would never back down from who he was and what he believed in. That was the moment I fell in love."

There was a beat of silence after Diana's declaration.

"I know what your problem is," Medea eventually said. It didn't look like the words brought her any pleasure. In fact, it looked like she had swallowed a lemon.

"Really?" Diana asked, surprised she could draw a conclusion from her recounting. "What is it?"

"Mikael isn't who you think he is." Every word out of her fellow greek's mouth was deliberate as if she wasn't sure she should say them. "Mikael is... Jason."

One only needed to hear the sheer venom put into the last name to know Medea was speaking of her ex-husband.

"While I am frustrated with Mikael, there is no need to insult him such," Diana frowned at her friend, a bit disappointed she would stoop so low.

"I am being serious," Medea emphasized. "I am not insulting Mikael, just pointing out a realization I just had."

"I fail to see how that is anything less the vilest insult you could utter. You have made no secret of your hatred for your ex-husband."

"What I feel for that man and Aphrodite goes well beyond hatred," Medea snarled. The rancour in her voice shocked even Diana, who thought she understood the woman's feelings. "The other gods had a hand in my fate, and I hate them for it, but what I feel for those two goes well beyond that. I was cursed to fall in love with a man I had never even laid eyes on. They raped me in every conceivable way, physical and spiritual. They made me kill my brother, who I loved dearly. They made me drive my father to suicide. They used me for years. The Argo would have sunk at the first stop without me. That man received all the acclaim while I was vilified for my actions despite doing them at his command. I was the one who saved the argonauts, but I was the witch, not the hero. 

Despite all that, all that had been inflicted on me, I would have continued to live a 'happy life,' still cursed to love the fool. But when my use was up? They tossed me aside like trash. If I could inflict every torment, torture, every bit of pain this world and others have upon those two, I would do it with a smile. So when I compare the man I love to the one I despise with every fibre of my soul, you would do well to take my words to heart, Diana, Champion of the Gods!"

It was easy to forget sometimes, with how she acted, that Medea was a woman who had carved her name into legend through blood, magic, and betrayal. 

Beneath the facade of the housewife who liked to cook, sow, go dancing and make dioramas was a vengeful Witch who had once sailed the seas with the greatest heroes the greek world had ever seen. Even Heracles, the Dioscuri, Caenus, Meleager, and dozens of others could attribute part of their survival and fame to the woman glaring up at her.

As someone who often saw the more misogynist side of history, especially in the first few decades after leaving Thymescria, Diana should have remembered that women were just as dangerous as men.

"I am sorry. I did not mean to belittle your words nor your insight, Medea, Princess of Colchis," Diana apologized, using her full title to show her sincerity. "Especially not when I sought out your council and aid. However, like you, I do not find the captain of the Argo to be a good example and comparing him to our husband is not a flattering thing to say. I merely wished for an explanation."

Medea took a deep breath as she retook her seat.

"I will accept your apology Diana of Thymescria, if you will accept mine. The subject is a touchy one for me, but that is no excuse to lash out."

"Accepted and forgiven," Diana said with a smile that Medea returned wanly.

"What I meant when I said Mikael is not who you think he is and that he is like... that man is not to denigrate him. Nor am I saying he lacks the conviction you find admirable in him. The problem you are having and your misunderstanding of the man is in the nature of said conviction. You said he and I share a mindset, and I will acknowledge there is some truth to that, but you are mistaken about something. You, I, or anyone in this Family, bar Mikael grew up with power. Whether that came from supernatural abilities, riches, positions of influence or all three, we all had power in some way. Mikael did not, and that has shaped his conviction."

"Explain."

"I am not denigrating any of our struggles. I trained, studied, fought and learned to get to where I am, as did we all, but our starting points differed. Even the most unfortunate of us had things that set us above the common rabble. Make no mistake, my ex-husband was a hero in the classical sense, if not the moral one. One could argue he was the greatest greek hero. He did not have the mind of Odysseus, the strength of Heracles, or the skills of Achilles. He was lacking in every way compared to every other greek hero you could name. And yet, it was he alone who could bring so many disparate heroes together and lead them. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Diana couldn't help but ask, riveted by this rare positive look into a man so despised by his ex-wife.

"Because there was no low he would not sink to," Medea said. "If he had to have the god's mind control a woman to love him, then he did. If he had to kill, betray, ambush, poison, rob, or even commit genocide upon a township, he would. Running away from a fight wasn't just a last option. It was an equally appealing one to fighting in the first place. Anything at all was permissible in the name of his goal. Mikael became like him, not through character but through necessity."

"That does not sound like Mikael at all."

"The difference," Medea emphasized the last word. "Is in their goals. For... that man, the goal was always protecting his life. For Mikael, WE are the goal. Or at least we are now."

"It was his Freedom," Diana said with realization. "But now that he has that, it is the Family. And he will stop at nothing to protect it."

"Exactly," Medea nodded. "It was more evident in his first worlds when he wasn't as skilled or powerful. He would use anything he could to win. Arrows from a distance, pyromancies, traps, and poison. Ranni told me his favourite tactic was to pretend to die, go invisible, and stab people in the back when they let their guard down. As he grew stronger, he fought more 'fairly' but never forgot where he came from. Only once did he forgo dirty tricks when honest means failed, and that was when he was in the throes of grief for Melina. Even then, he triumphed eventually. It is easy to show conviction in the face of death when death isn't permanent. He fights not as a god, dragon, or hero but as a human. And humans are really good at running away."

"But he is a dragon," Diana argued despite herself. "He has all the power he could ever need. Mikael is millions of years old! He can help so many people. He shouldn't be so quick to run away!"

It took only a second of looking at Medea's smirk to realize she had shouted that last part.

"There it is," the witch said. "That is what is bothering you. Not asking for his help or even being more cautious. It is the fact someone whose conviction you admired and fell in love with seems to have regressed and become a coward. He can no longer stay firm in his beliefs and will run when things get dangerous. And he is urging you to do the same."

"I don't think he is a coward," Diana repeated. She honestly didn't. Definity cautious, even paranoid, but not craven.

You could not call a man who went through all he did and rose above it a coward.

At the same time, she couldn't deny that the witch's words contained a ring of truth.

"But he sounded like one last night, didn't he? What else do you call a man who asks you to run away at the first sign of danger? He would argue running away and 'cowardly' tactics are good sense, and we might even agree, but that isn't how it sounds, does it? Both of those scenes you told me about featured a man facing his fear, standing up to figures of power," Medea said, retaking her seat with her fabric. "And that is what I meant when I told you you were mistaken about Mikael. Looking from the outside, he is a coward. He will run from a fight if he can't win it. He is overly cautious and worried about situations that will never happen. He would be more than willing to let hundreds of thousands die if it brought him more information on a dangerous foe. Then he would poison, weaken, and backstab that foe rather than face it in honourable combat. 

But at the same time, he has conviction. A conviction to win, no matter the cost. If any of us were in any danger, he would do absolutely anything at all to see us home safe and sound. He wouldn't just let other people die for us. He would wield the blade and torch. We are his goal. His bottom line. I am curious to know how he has managed to keep acting so human as he does despite passing millions of years as a dragon and eldritch being. Despite everything, I know this; now that he has his happy ending, he is unwilling to risk losing it. So the question is: can you love a coward with conviction?"

It was a testament to how serious this conversation was and Diana's desire to be true to herself that she took a deep look at her own feelings then. 

She had been in relationships before. Sometimes, what people presented themselves as was different from what they truly were deep down. It wasn't rare for people to pretend to be moral to get close to Wonder Woman. They all slipped eventually, their mask cracking to show who they were at their core.

Last night's argument had unsettled her because it seemed Mikael was another example of such a character. Her belief in who he was had been shaken by this new aspect of his personality that she had never had to confront before.

Was this revelation a deal breaker? 

Is Mikael still the man she fell in love with?

Can she love a coward with conviction?

"I can," Diana said to herself and the witch in realization. "I do. I can live with a man who is cautious or even cowardly if he is a good man and, when the time comes for him to draw his line in the sand, he stands firm with what convictions he has."

"You better hope that day never comes," Medea said, already back to work on the frilly dress she was weaving with her magic. "The day he needs to show you his conviction is the day he sheds his veneer of humanity. I do not know how or why he has kept it this long, but I do not want him to lose it."

"What about you?" Diana couldn't help but ask. "You just compared him to your ex-husband, someone you revile. Can you love a man like that?"

"Hm? Oh, I don't mind. The comparison is distasteful, to say the least, but Mikael's combat style does not bother me. It's a difference in priorities, I guess. If he was like that man in any other way, I would definitely have a problem." Pausing in her needlework, Medea looked up and met the amazon's eyes. "Still, I am glad we had this talk, even if it pointed out a part of him I am not fond of. Take it from me; you do not want to be blindly in love. That is not a good thing. You had a concern, you talked to someone about it, and I was able to help you out. That is really all we can do."

"But Mikael is so accepting," Diana frowned. "Now that I know what bothered me, I can revaluate that argument. We were rather harsh. I cannot help but feel I am taking advantage of him. All he was doing was worrying for our sake. After he went out of his way to aid us as well."

"You are forgetting that Mikael has observed us for our entire time on the Island," Medea said with a chuckle. "He might not know everything about us, but we have only had less than a month of regular contact with him. Less than a week since he has gotten his body back. We have time."

"Perhaps Artoria and I should do something nice for him?" Diana asked herself and the witch. "To show there were no hard feelings if nothing else."

"Good luck," Medea responded with a grumble. "I have been trying to think of a gift for last night, but I've been coming up blank. I wasn't kidding when I said he is living his happy ending. He will always worry about us, about the situation, and about everything, really. That is just who he is. But neither Ranni, Melina, nor I have ever seen him as happy as he has been since regaining his body. Raven tells me that every time he goes flying, he looks deranged from the wide smile on his face."

"I will think on it and let you know if I have a good idea," Diana shook her head and stood from her seat. "Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. What are friends for? Wives? Sister-wives? Whatever. What is Family for?"

As Medea returned to her work, Diana left feeling more sure of herself than when she entered the room.

Truly, Artoria was right when she called Medea her general in the war of love.

********

"Have no fear. We are here!" I declared grandly as I stepped from the swirling portal of shadow.

Shit, one of these days, I will have to find out what this world has in terms of Anime. Leviathan hadn't sunk part of Japan, so they had to have something, right?

I don't need a lot, just Jojo.

It was 2018, but I am okay with waiting a few years for the end of Stone Ocean and seeing Steel Ball Run animated.

Please, Lord Dio? 

I will say 10 hail Mudas in your honour if you exist in this world.

"Welcome to PRT south by southeast," Nightwing said, holding out his hand. "Otherwise known as the Teen Titans."

The fact he responded so lamely to my All Might-style arrival did not speak well of my chances for Jojo.

"It is a pleasure to me you," Glynda said as she shook his hand. I took it in turn, but there was something I had to ask.

"How did you get that name? You aren't anywhere near a teenager, and neither is your team." I was genuinely curious as I couldn't find out online. There were a lot of theories, but there was no definite answer.

"It's standard practice for larger Protectorate teams to get their nicknames," Nightwing explained with a charming smile to all three of us. He was in uniform, so his eyes were hidden by a domino mask, but it couldn't hide his emotions. "Avengers in New York, Ultraforce in Arkansas, Thunderforce in Florida, and so on. This team was originally supposed to be called the Titans, after the shape of our building. Since most of us were pretty young when we founded it, and many were known as former sidekicks, some news reporters jokingly referred to us as the Teen Titans. The name stuck even as our team grew."

"And where is the rest of your team?" Scathach asked, looking around the almost empty lobby.

Almost empty.

We sent Artoria and Diana off to brunch with the locals, asking them to let them know we'd be stopping by the Titan Tower around noon local time. Plenty of time to prepare.

I love having the power to arbitrarily decide things like that. I got a good chuckle out of the image of them scrambling to formulate a response or try and figure out my goals in this sudden decision to 'train' a bunch of heroes.

Even if I liked heroes and was willing to play nice for my wives' sake, I was still a petty and sadistic man. 

"They're waiting for us in the training room," Nightwing explained but made no move to lead us there. "I just have a few questions before anything happens."

"Ask."

Glynda and I kept quiet and let Scathach take the lead. This was her show.

"What are you hoping to accomplish here?" Nightwing's genial smile fell, replaced by a stoic look as he met the gaze of the shorter woman, almost glaring at her with suspicion. "Why the sudden decision to train heroes? And why us?"

"Since I returned to earth, I have been disappointed by most of the heroes of this world," the celt responded. Her words were insulting, but her tone was a matter of fact. Fire was hot, water was wet, and heroes were disappointing. 

Harsh. 

"I have seen some wondrous abilities, but out of hundreds of 'supers,' only a handful have even a modicum of skill. Too many rely on their power, whatever it might be that they did not hone it to a fine edge. I despise the wasted potential."

"Why now?" Nightwing pressed. "And why my team?"

"Now? Because my husband tells me you are looking for an excuse to spy on us." Credit where it is due, Nightwing did not even blink at the accusation. "Diana also wishes us to make nice with you. By being here now, I have accomplished all our goals. Mikael called it a 'polite fiction that benefits all.' I care not if you seek to gain an advantage over us, try to find some weakness, or whatever other plot you might have. I am here to see if your team is worth my time. Nothing more, nothing less."

"And why my team in specific?"

"I would prefer to start a bit younger, but you are some of the most youthful active combatants. I will make do."

There was no Ward program in this world. Instead most young heroes went through an apprenticeship program. Someone could apply to the Protectorate to become a sidekick of an active hero. The hero didn't have to accept, but most did if the applicant had a similar powerset, skills or other factors that might endear the applicant to their desired hero.

The hero was generally responsible for everything the sidekick did, and there were incentives to make sure they taught them right. Those who broke the law were punished severely to compensate for the extra responsibility. Still, every time one of their protegees joined an accredited team, the teacher got a stipend as the government was always looking to increase the roster of heroes.

Whether it was the practicality of more heroes, the moral imperative of teaching the youth, the fame of being known as a good teacher, or the monetary reward, one could clearly see the benefits of having a sidekick or two.

Even those who applied but did not manage an apprenticeship could still find training in institutions dedicated to training people with powers. The Xavier Institute and Protectorate Academy were the most famous in the US.

It was a hodge-podge system that didn't satisfy everyone, but it generally worked. Unlike in Worm, where an active force like Cauldron shaped the world a certain way, this one's power, systems, and institutions had grown organically as needs changed and evolved. It meant this world was less controlled, regulated, and oppressive but more inefficient. 

A tradeoff I actually liked.

Most of the current roster of the Teen Titans came from that apprenticeship system. Some had only 'graduated' in the last few years.

Scathach hadn't been wrong to say they were the youngest group, as shown by their leader being Nightwing, who was only mid-twenties at best.

Of course, she also knew the other reasons we were here, but the locals didn't need to know that.

"And what will you be teaching?" Nightwing continued to press.

"How to fight." She said plainly, and I could see how that answer didn't please the hero by the furrowing of his brow. "You are not my students. I am not your teacher. I am here for a week to see if you have potential and are willing to put forth the effort to nurture it. I will not be teaching you specific techniques or abilities. Nor will I be crafting dedicated regiments. Anything after this week will depend on what you show me. If you impress me, then we will see about teaching more."

There was a tense moment where Nightwing tried to stare down the celt, but she remained unaffected.

Nothing scared Scathach except for the prospect of returning to her previous situation in Dun Scath.

At the end of the day, I considered Scathach the most hardheaded of everyone in the Family. She just rarely showed it due to how taciturn she appeared. But when it came to subjects she cared about, such as teaching and combat, nobody could change her mind.

"Fine," the former Robin eventually gave in. "We are here to learn about each other, and I will not turn away one of the most renowned teachers of heroes when it could benefit my team. But I will be keeping an eye on you. All of you."

"Hey, don't look at me," I said with a smile, raising my hands as if in surrender. "I am just here to look pretty and for emotional support. These two are the ones who'll be training you all. Think of me as the cheerleader. Teen Titans Go!"

Nightwing didn't look amused by my little joke, nor the way I had spread my hands as if holding pom-poms in the shape of a T, but he did turn his attention to Glynda.

That's fine. 

I'd get you to laugh before the end of the week. 

Just wait.

"And you, Ms. Goodwitch?" He asked, not unkindly but still seriously. "I have seen your work, which is impressive, but none of my teammates are telekinetics. Raven can use magic to a similar effect, but that is it. What is your experience with teaching? And can it benefit my team?"

It said a lot about how much Nightwing cared about his team and that he was taking the time to quiz us for their sake. Not once had he asked about what he would get.

I'm sure it was a coincidence that it also allowed him to dig for information.

"Over a decade as the vice-headmistress at the premier combat institution of my home world," Glynda presented her credentials calmly, the expression not shifting from her 'resting teacher face.' During that time, I was the combat instructor for hundreds of students who all fought in unique styles. Even if their abilities are not similar to my own, I can teach them all the same. And it is Mrs."

"What type of combat school? Hero? Gladiatorial? Entertainment?" I almost snorted in laughter at the image of Glynda Goodwitch teaching the likes of the WWE, but I managed to keep it to a slight chuckle.

"The type of school that needed tens of graduates every year ready to fight and die to prevent my race's extinction from an all-consuming force of evil," Glynda responded just as calmly as before. Still, I was familiar enough with her to hear the tightness of her voice.

While my situation had sucked thanks to the Company, I never forgot that every one of the ten women summoned had come from 'dead ends.' For all that I had a shit deal, I still knew my family and friends were safe in my homeworld.

They had lost everything. Everyone they knew or loved before arriving on the Island was dead and gone. They had died themselves.

It was one of the reasons I was so supportive of Diana's bid to connect with the local versions of her friends and family. I would do the same for any of the others.

Time to change the subject.

"I have a question of my own," I said, saving the young man from potentially putting his foot in his mouth without realizing it. "A super serious one. A life and death one. I need you to be one hundred percent honest, or it could be the end of the world as we know it."

"What?" Nightwing asked with a frown.

"How long has he been standing there?" I jerked a thumb over my shoulder without looking. "I mean, we noticed right away. When you can see in the dark, black clothes in shadows actually stand out more than white clothes during the day. I just need to know how long he has been waiting to come out of the shadows all dramatically. Please tell me it's been at least an hour."

Nightwing didn't even try and hide his chuckle when Batman stepped from a dark corner of the lobby, likely set up that way, with a Bat-scowl firmly in place.

Forget by the end of the week, I got Nightwing to laugh within ten minutes.

Man, I am good.

********

A transitional chapter but one I ended up liking. I look forward to playing with Scathach's character some more, as well as interactions with the Teen Titans. I am also looking forward to a few more lighthearted chapters and some smut, as these last two chapters have been more introspective than others. The pacing will pick up a bit more too.

I think it is essential to evaluate your relationships from time to time, especially romantic ones. You do not need to like everything about your partner. In fact, if you think you do, then you aren't being honest with yourself. What parts you don't like must be something you can live with. Otherwise, your relationship is doomed to tragedy. The Catalogue does a lot of the heavy lifting in getting the relationship going, but since being 'bound' does not mean being in 'love,' it also doesn't make the Family blind to each other's faults.

It was only as I wrote this chapter that I realized how similarly I had been characterizing Mikael to Jason as he is presented in FGO. It isn't the same, as Medea says Jason's end goal was to preserve his life while Mikael's was his Freedom and then his Family. 

It also shows the difference between what I consider 'classical heroes' and 'superheroes.' I do not think there is a 'classical' hero that hasn't done things we consider morally repugnant today. To say nothing about Heracles, Cu is well known to have raped women (he forced Scathach's sister to bear him a son). Even King Arthur has done some nasty shit in mythology. At one point, he sunk a ship full of children because one of them might be the person who would bring about Camelot's ruin.

You aren't wrong for those who felt that Artoria and Diana were unreasonable last chapter, but you must remember they come from a different place than Mikael. As Medea mentioned, they come from a place of privilege. It was very, very rare that they were not the most badass people around. Not only that, but in the fight with Doomsday, they barely got hurt at all and won without loss. To them, Mikael is being way overcautious.

I tried to characterize them as I see them. Artoria is used to going off on her own if she thinks she's right. (See the Fate route where she rushes off Ryuudou Temple to fight Caster to stop her from killing people and almost dies to Kojiro. I wonder if Nasu was making a Monty Python reference when she was nearly killed like a swallow.) Diana doesn't mind calling for help, but if she gets it in her head that she is right, she will do everything alone if she thinks she can. (See the story where Wonder Woman defeats the entire league to save them from an evil dragon.)

It is not only Mikael that is flawed. Everyone is. One of the reasons I wanted to deep dive into a Catalogue fic was that I wanted to play with that aspect as it is severely under-explored in fics where people treat these fictional characters as if they are perfect or should be.

I absolutely hate when people, fictional or otherwise, are considered perfect. There are admirable and reviled traits in everyone. People you like are just those whose admirable characteristics outweigh the others to you.

Also, this is your weekly reminder that all narrators in this fic are unreliable. The two scenes Diana remembers fondly are Mikael remembers much differently. When I was writing Volume 1, I did not choose scenes at random to fill out the word count or to be dramatic. They are important to the characters. In the last chapter, we saw the argument from Mikael's perspective, not Artoria's or Diana's. Were they in the wrong? Yes. Even they admitted it last chapter. But right or wrong isn't everything in an argument. 

Feelings matter too. 

We are not machines.

I've rambled for too long, so I'll get off my soapbox. I'll just wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, or a Great Holiday. 

I'll see you all next week.

PS: For those reading this on Scribblehub, this chapter marks the point where we have caught up to the other websites. Going forward it will be one chapter released every Friday so the next will be on the 30th. I will also be putting up some info in the glossary section. Nothing new, just some info on the women of the fic.

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