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GOTHAM – ARTHUR'S ESTATE
The television flickered.
Smoke-filled streets. Sirens. Aerial footage shaking as the camera tried and failed to capture the scale of destruction.
The anchor's voice cut through the chaos, strained and visibly shaken.
"…This is not a drill," she said, standing before a massive screen filled with looping footage of Athens in ruins. "What you are seeing behind me occurred less than twelve hours ago in the heart of the city."
The footage zoomed in.
A crater.
At its center lay what was left of a man if it could still be called that.
A skeleton, drained clean. No flesh. No blood. Just bone, scorched black at the edges, frozen in a posture of agony.
The screen cut to shaky phone footage.
Two figures clashing.
One was massive muscular beyond human limits, radiant with raw physical power.
The other…
Black. Charred and Demonic.
It moved like a phantom.
"Our sources confirm," the reporter continued, swallowing hard, "that eyewitnesses observed the darker entity physically overpowering the larger combatant before... before appearing to drain him. Entirely. The fight itself destroyed nearly half the surrounding district."
Her voice wavered.
"No known technology, metahuman ability, or alien weapon matches what we are seeing here."
The screen froze on a single frame.
The black figure standing over the collapsing body, hand buried in his chest.
The feed cut.
Silence filled the living room.
Arthur stood near the fireplace of his estate, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the now-dark screen. Beside him, George stood perfectly straight, hands folded behind his back, expression composed but troubled.
Arthur broke the silence.
"That's Hercules."
George blinked once.
"I beg your pardon, sir?"
"The Greek demigod," Arthur repeated calmly. "Hercules. I fought him before."
He turned slightly, gaze distant.
"And now he's dead."
George's brows knit together. "You are suggesting that the… skeletal remains are of a mythological figure?"
Arthur nodded once.
"That thing that killed him," he added quietly, "has to be the Firstborn that Zeus spoke of."
A pause.
"I understand what Didi meant now."
George tilted his head, ever polite, ever measured.
"I am afraid I am not following you, sir."
Arthur waved a hand dismissively.
"It doesn't matter, George. This doesn't concern me, and I shouldn't trouble you with this."
George hesitated then spoke again, voice gentle but firm.
"You've been away for two weeks, sir. When I first saw the live broadcast yesterday, I must confess…"
He allowed himself the smallest sigh.
"I thought it was you. They described a black, shadow-like figure fighting in Greece."
Arthur turned toward him.
"I was fighting a stronger foe, far far away."
George studied him for a moment longer, then nodded.
"I don't doubt that," he said sincerely. His eyes dropped briefly. "Afterall, That is… quite the scar on your chest, sir."
Arthur glanced down.
He wasn't wearing a shirt.
A faint but unmistakable scar rested directly over his heart, it looked old and deep, and wrong, as if it refused to fully fade.
"Yeah," Arthur said. "It didn't fully heal."
A beat.
"But there's a reason for that."
George raised an eyebrow. "May I ask what manner of foe you fought, sir?"
Arthur smiled, small and amused.
"Nothing too crazy," he said. "Just a creature from myth. One that gnaws on a sacred tree the size of the universe."
George stared at him for a second.
Then gave a polite, indulgent smile.
"Very funny, Master Arthur."
Arthur chuckled.
Then
The air shifted.
Space rippled behind Arthur like disturbed water.
Three figures appeared in the living room without warning.
Arthur didn't turn.
George, however, did.
His eyes widened just slightly.
Kara stood there first, fists clenched, blue eyes sharp and worried.
Beside her, Raven hovered inches above the floor, cloak unmoving, eyes glowing faintly with arcane awareness.
And behind them
Batman.
Arthur finally turned.
"…Huh," he said calmly. "Didn't expect this."
Batman's voice came low and controlled.
"We need to talk."
Arthur looked at the three of them, then back at the dark television screen.
"Alright," he said.
"But first.." Kara didn't finish the sentence.
She launched herself at Arthur, arms wrapping around him in a tight, unapologetic hug that nearly knocked him off balance.
"Where have you been?!" she demanded into his shoulder, voice half angry, half relieved.
Arthur blinked once then relaxed, one arm coming up to steady her.
"What do you mean where?" he said lightly. "You already know."
Raven watched the exchange with a faint, knowing expression.
"I told you, Kara," she said calmly. "Time flows differently depending on the dimension. Sometimes it's orderly. Sometimes it's chaotic. Be thankful it was only two weeks… and not much longer."
Kara pulled back, frowning.
"I thought it would take two days. At most."
Arthur gave a tired smile.
"Yeah… so did I."
Raven stepped closer now, her eyes narrowing not at his face, but at his body.
"What's with the scars?"
Arthur glanced down just as her gaze lingered on the faint huge bite mark near his shoulder… then drifted lower, stopping at the more obvious scar over his heart.
Kara noticed too.
"…Hey," she said quietly. "Yeah. What did you fight that left that?"
Arthur laughed once, short and dismissive.
"Nothing."
As Raven raised an eyebrow, Arthur leaned closer and whispered under his breath,
"Did you forget you brought Bats with you?"
Raven rolled her eyes.
"Yeah. Right."
Batman, who had remained silent until now, crossed his arms.
"Dimensions. Enemies," he said evenly. "You seem quite busy."
"Nothing you should worry about really," Arthur replied without hesitation.
Batman nodded once.
"Right. Not my concern."
He moved toward a chair and sat, but the moment passed quickly. George, who had been standing nearby with his usual composed posture, exchanged a brief glance with Arthur.
Batman's gauntlets clicked.
A holographic display flickered to life.
"This," Batman said, "is my concern."
Images appeared grainy footage, satellite shots, security feeds. Craters. And at the center of each.. A drained skeleton.
"Two more incidents," Batman continued. "Same signature as the one that happened in Athens."
Arthur's expression didn't change.
"I've spoken with the League," Batman went on. "No one knows what's going on. And Diana is missing."
Arthur's jaw tightened slightly.
"And I know," Batman added, eyes fixed on him, "that you met with her. And both of you visited Olympus."
Arthur folded his arms.
"Go on."
Batman tapped the display again.
"Hermes," he said. "Found dead in a desert near the ancient city of Kahndaq. Hephaestus...killed near Atlantis after retrieving something from the depths. Hercules in Athens yesterday."
He looked up.
"I'm sure both of us know what these people are, so I don't have to explain. And this happened after you visit with them."
Arthur nodded once.
"Well, you are not stupid, so you know it's not me. All I know is that this person is hunting the Olympians, he doesn't pose a threat to us."
Batman's eyes sharpened.
"Then you also know this isn't random."
"I expected him to invade Olympus," Arthur said quietly. "Not hunt them one by one the moment they stepped foot on Earth."
"What matters to me," Batman said, voice lower now, "is Diana."
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"You're the last one she was with."
"She told me she was returning to Themyscira," Arthur replied.
Batman exhaled slowly.
"This phantom is targeting Olympians. Diana is Zeus's daughter. Which makes her a target."
He straightened.
"Olympus is an order. A pantheon. They defended Earth long ago. You may think this is trivial..but it's not. We need to stop him."
Arthur turned away, facing the tall windows overlooking his estate.
"Is that all you came to say, Bruce?"
Batman paused.
"You're not obliged to help," he said. "Information will do."
Kara and Raven exchanged uneasy glances.
Arthur was silent for a long moment.
Then, without turning back, he spoke.
"His name is the Firstborn. Or at least that's what he calls himself."
Batman listened intently.
"As the name suggests," Arthur continued, "he's Zeus's first child. A cursed one. The Fates foresaw that he would bring ruin and death to Olympus. Zeus banished him, left him to die. I don't know all the details."
A pause.
"But here he is. Thousands of years later. Back to finish what Zeus tried to prevent."
Arthur's eyes blazed violet, and his voice grew colder.
"And as someone once told me, when you struggle against destiny, every desperate move you make to avoid it only tightens the noose. The harder you resist, the faster it comes."
He turned slightly, just enough for his face to be seen.
"So don't bother. Olympus is doomed. And if the Firstborn tries anything reckless here, he'll face death. Other than that…"
A beat.
"Zeus had it coming."
Batman stood.
He didn't argue.
"Thanks, that will do." he said simply. "And farewell."
He turned and left.
Silence settled over the room.
Kara looked at Arthur.
"…You really don't want to help?"
Raven studied him closely.
Arthur exhaled and finally turned back to them.
"Now that Batman left, we need to talk."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want