Chapter 41: Rare Kindness

09:00 PM. 'Gotham City, 22 days earlier:

In an alleyway, deep in the city four men and one woman ran quickly as if being hunted down.

"She still following us?"

Asked the shaggy-haired woman of the group.

"Hm looks like it"

Answered a burly man with huge arms. The shaggy-haired woman smiled and stopped.

"Well let's teach her not to bite off more than she can chew hehe".

When the person they talked about arrived she pointed a bow at the group.

"Ready to give up? Smart now wher-".

*BAM*

Before she could finish talking, she was sent flying into the wall by the burly man with huge arms who had stayed hidden while the shaggy-haired woman acted as a distraction.

The woman who was after them was now laying on the ground unconscious. The big burly man approached the unconscious woman and turned to the shaggy-haired woman

"Should I finish her off?".

The shaggy-haired woman thought for a moment and shook her head.

"Nah we'll have way too much heat on us if we kill the bitch. Hmm oh I know break her legs that'll keep her from bothering us anymore and be quick the boss doesn't like waiting".

The woman began to regain some consciousness when she saw a big man walking towards her.

"W-what are you doing back off!".

"Nothing personal lady just doing my job hehe".

The man lifted her off and held both her legs in one of his huge arms and *CRACK*.

"Ahhhhh!".

The woman screamed in pain but the burly man continued and held her by the side and punched her back with another *CRACK* resounding. The woman fell to the ground in a bloody mess and stopped moving.

"You big oaf I said not to kill. Tsk, let's just get out of here and keep your mouths about this shut!".

10:00 AM 'Present Day, Gotham City:

A blonde-haired girl sat in a wheelchair in a dark room with casts over her legs. A continuous knocking sound could be heard but the girl in the wheelchair didn't respond.

"Artemis dear, please come out it's been days since you've had a decent meal."

Soon her doorknob glowed and the door opened on its own. Artemis turned to the door and immediately furrowed her brows.

"Who let you in here".

The people she was yelling at were none other than her former teammates.

"Artemis we heard what happened an-".

Artemis grew angry and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"And what!! Came to pity me!!?? You never treated me like a friend on the team so why act now!!. Get the fuck out of my room.?!".

"Artemis Lian Crock that's enough!. An older woman in a wheelchair as well came into the room with a sad face. I know you're hurting right now and seems like the world isn't fair but your friends care about you please you're all I have left I don't want to see you suffer like me."

The older woman spoke with tears running down her face.

"Listen, new research makes it possible for even damage to the spinal cord to be fixed it's still undergoing testing but when ready the league has the funds and connections to make sure you get treatment".

Robin quickly spoke and Zatanna followed.

"Y-yea and if that fails there's always magic I just t-".

Artemis clenched her wheelchair while tears ran down her face before grabbing an arrow with a light on the end.

"I said leave!! Or I end this right now so you can take your pity and fake care elsewhere".

The older woman had her hands over her mouth with tears flooding uncontrollably.

"P-please leave...I can't no I won't lose another child, please".

Robin, Zatanna, and Miss Martian went out of the apartment and into the hall where the other teammates stood and shook their heads solemnly.

When night fell Artemis sat on her wheelchair in a dark room looking at the arrow in her hands before closing her eyes and raising her hand.

"Sorry mom".

"Why is it that every time I see you, you're sad?".

A smooth relaxing voice resounded in Artemis's room and the source? A man dressed in all black sat by her window looking at her with his unfeeling grey eyes.

"You...here to pity me as well?".

Artemis asked rather sadly with the voice of someone without hope.

"Well when you look sad or miserable, it's only natural for people to pity you?"

Arias said with a straight face.

"That's easy for you to say, you're strong, independent, feared, loved, young, -".

"You make me sound like the poster boy for teenage girls around the world".

Said arias while pointing at a poster that said, "Be the next Leviathan " on the wall.

"That's...not mine a friend from school was handing them out and I took one to stop her bothering me that's all".

Arias gave her a nod while holding his chin.

"If you say so. I take it you're not willing to accept being in a wheelchair."

"Useless is an easier word to describe me now don't you think?".

Artemis asked while looking down at her legs

"If I had to go through all the ways to describe we'd be here a while. I'd have to cover beautiful and all words similar to it, Also headstrong, Funny...wait no forget I said that last one and well the list goes on".

Arias said while shrugging.

"You're terrible and cheering people up".

Said the now smiling Artemis.

"And you're terrible at telling jokes but here we are, you've cheered up, and Im smiling. Means we're doing something at least a little bit right."

Artemis noticed her tears had long since dried up and she looked up at the smiling young man.

"Why did it have to be you?"

She spoke with a sad expression. Arias tilted his head slightly.

"Normal girls admire celebrities or even singers even some superheroes but of all the people I could look up to why did it have to be you. Every time you spoke there was an air of maturity around you that made me feel like some little girl."

"You didn't talk much but when you did I'd be super attentive. And when you told me it's fine to make mistakes but only when you're around I felt so happy inside. Finally felt like being on the team was a good thing."

"Every time we were called for a mission I hoped it was one involving you and when it did I would even mess up on purpose so you could give me attention even if it was just scolding. And during that mission at the church, I got goosebumps when you punched Kid Flash and yelled at me. I took your words to heart and thought as long as I see you now and then on missions it will be worth it but you left and never came back.....".

'I knew she didn't think I had this much of an effect on her.'

"Listen Artemis I'm going, to be honest with you I knew you were somewhat receptive to me because of how you didn't get along with your other teammates, If circumstances were different I may have asked you to come with me".

Arias said while sighing.

"Then why didn't you! I wouldn't have thought twice about it! Everybody I care about always leaves me!!".

Artemis began to shout as tears started to well up in her eyes once more.

"Because images are often deceiving and my image is no different. I'm not a good guy Artemis, I've done and will do many terrible things, I almost wiped out and an entire people because they antagonized me. I have no problems killing or worse if it benefits me or my people. Would you still follow me without thinking twice?".

Artemis went silent at the bomb Arias dropped on her.

He approached her and crouched down on a knee while directly into her eyes.

"Normally everything I do is for my benefit but let's just say your desire to find where you belong and to be free made me admire you. You accomplished more as a mortal than I ever did as one so am sure you'll do just well if not more as a God as well".

"What do you mean-"

As she tried to ask a question, Arias planted a kiss on her forehead. When broke away from her slightly he whispered.

"Bestow"

Then light enveloped Artemis all over.

When the light faded she felt an indescribable feeling coursing through her and she could not only stand but floated in the air. She wanted to hug Arias but when she looked at where he stood he was gone. She rushed to the window but saw nothing. She put her palm on her forehead and gazed out the window and muttered to herself in a sad tone.

"Now I won't sleep without thinking of you...Jerk".

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