The golden retriever's happy barking still echoed faintly in the park, but the atmosphere had shifted like someone had pulled a cloud over the sun.
Artemis stiffened beside Zane, her eyes narrowing at the figure stepping out from the trees.
"Cheshire," Artemis said flatly. Her hand twitched near her hip, the way someone half-reaching for a weapon would.
Zane blinked, glancing between them. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous and suprised.
Nervous about the fact that he killed their father recently and suprised at how easily Cheshire could find them.
But then he realized that both Sportsmaster and Cheshire most likley already knew where Artemis lived, so it wouldn't be that hard to find her during the day.
The woman's lips curled into a faint smirk beneath the shadow of her hood. "Relax. I didn't come here to fight."
"Then why are you here?" Artemis demanded. Her tone was sharp, defensive, but Zane could hear the edge of unease under it.
Cheshire's eyes flicked toward him. "I'd prefer to talk alone."
"No." Artemis's response was immediate. She stepped closer to Zane, arms crossed tightly. "If you've got something to say, you can say it in front of both of us."
'Great, now I feel like even more of an Ass.' Zane thought.
For a moment, silence stretched. Cheshire studied them—her sister's rigid defiance, the boy standing quietly beside her, hands shoved in his pockets but eyes alert, wary.
She would've preffered to visit her sister alone, but she had to rush here all of the sudden. She was ordered to hurry back for new important instructions, so she had to meet in such a unexpected way.
The corner of Cheshire's mouth twitched.
"Very well," she said. "Have it your way."
Artemis folded her arms tighter. "Then talk. What do you want?"
Cheshire tilted her head, considering how to phrase it. "I came to deliver news. Our loving Father is dead."
The words landed like a sucker punch.
Artemis froze. For a second, she just stared, as if waiting for Cheshire to laugh and take it back. But her sister's face didn't shift.
Infact, the only emotions she could see on her face was anger and disdain.
Zane felt his stomach drop. His hand twitched at his side before he shoved it deeper into his hoodie pocket. He didn't say a word, but his heart skipped a beat.
If any kryptonian were here, they would notice something off about him immediately.
Artemis's voice was barely more than a whisper. "...What?"
"You heard me," Cheshire said simply. "Father's gone. Out of the picture. Permanently. His life finally caught up to him I suppose."
Artemis shook her head. "No. No, he—he's too stubborn, too—" Her words stumbled. She exhaled sharply, trying to cover the crack in her voice. "You don't joke about things like this."
She didnt even know why she acted like this, they weren't even close!
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Cheshire asked.
For once, she didn't.
Artemis pressed her lips together. "When?"
"Recently." Cheshire's shrug was infuriatingly casual. "Details don't matter."
"The hell they don't," Artemis snapped, her voice raw. "How? Who did it?"
Cheshire's expression darkened, her eyes narrowing under the hood. "If I knew, I wouldn't be wasting time here. I'd be out there hunting them down myself."
Artemis turned away for a moment, running a hand over her face. Her shoulders shook once before she forced them steady again. When she looked back, her jaw was tight, her eyes sharp with barely contained emotion.
Zane shifted uncomfortably, the weight of the moment pressing down on him. He wanted to say something—anything—but what could he say? Sorry I killed your dad, Artemis. My bad. Yeah, that would go over well.
He settled for silence, letting the sisters' words carry the moment.
Cheshire's gaze slid toward him again. Sharp and measuring. "You've gotten comfortable," she said to Artemis, her voice silk over steel. "Playing house with your boyfriend."
Artemis's eyes narrowed into slits. "Leave him out of this."
Cheshire smirked faintly. "Can't. The only reason Father and I were even in Star City was because of him."
The air went razor-sharp. Artemis's eyes widened, then snapped toward Zane. "What?"
Zane raised his hands, palms open, his grin forced but steady. "Well, that makes this whole situation more awkward."
Cheshire chuckled, low and humorless. "Awkward is one word for it. We were tracking him. Our 'employer' and Father as well had certain plans for him." She let her gaze linger on Zane, weighing him, like a predator sizing up prey. "Clearly those plans never came to fruition. Your quite the lucky guy, Zane."
Artemis stepped in front of Zane, her stance protective, aggressive. "You stay away from him."
"Relax," Cheshire said, holding up her hands. "I'm not here to fight. Or to finish Father's work. I came only to deliver the news, before you heard it twisted from someone else's lips."
"That's supposed to make this better?" Artemis snapped.
Cheshire's eyes softened for the briefest moment. "No. But it makes it honest."
The sisters stared at each other. So much unsaid passed between them—years of distance, resentment, loyalty, betrayal, blood ties that refused to snap no matter how frayed they became.
Finally, Cheshire sighed. "That's all I came for. Consider it… a courtesy I suppose." She pulled her hood tighter and stepped backward toward the trees. "Mourn him, don't mourn him. That's your choice. I dont plan on mourning that piece of trash anyways."
Artemis's voice cracked as she called out, "For all his faults… he was still our father."
Cheshire's footsteps didn't pause. She vanished into the shadows, leaving only the rustle of leaves behind.
Artemis stood frozen, fists clenched at her sides. Zane watched her, uncertain whether to reach out or give her space.
Finally, she sank onto the grass, her shoulders slumping. "Damn it…"
Zane sat beside her, slow and careful. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then tried anyway. "You okay?"
She laughed bitterly. "That's a stupid question."
"Yeah," he admitted softly. "Guess it is."
Silence stretched between them. Artemis picked at the grass, her voice low. "I hated him, you know. Hated the way he treated me. The things he tried to turn me into. But… part of me still wanted… I don't know. Something different. Something better. And now—" Her breath caught, sharp and angry. "Now it's gone."
Zane stared at the skyline, the city stretching endless and indifferent before them. He felt guilty seeing her like this. He wanted to tell her the truth of what happened.
But he didn't say it. He couldn't. Instead, he offered the only truth he could manage. "You don't have to figure it out right now. Just… feel what you feel."
Artemis glanced at him, eyes red but sharp. "And what if I feel like punching something?"
Zane smiled faintly. "Then I'll volunteer. But only once."
That earned a small laugh, strained but real. Artemis leaned back on her hands, staring up at the sky. "Of all the ways I thought today would go… this wasn't one of them."
"Yeah," Zane agreed quietly. "Same here."
The city sounds returned gradually—the hum of traffic, the distant call of a street vendor, were strangley relaxing.
...
Patreaon
/Williamstewart