Chapter 12 - 12 What Are You? (1/2)
Every member of The Team went wide-eyed when they saw Rider catch Superboy's bȧrė fist. The power behind said fist was something that no-one on the Team dared to face head on and yet....
”I don't know what the Justice League sees in you guys. Anyone can see that you all have talent but you lack in intent behind your fist”.
Conner Kent, whose fist was currently wrapped around Rider's larger one tried to pull back but found his hand tightly bound by Gray's.
A cold, bone-numbing sensation slowly crept into Gray's soul. His vision blurred for a moment, before becoming dimmer and dimmer with every passing moment.
”You haven't seen what it's like on the other side. To fight with your life on the line. To put everything you've got into a single chance. To face an insurmountable odds where the most likely outcome is death.
I understand that you all are still in your teens. Even Miss Zatara over there is only fourteen. But by the time I was your age I had already seen blood. Already dug my spear through my flesh and bone. I gambled with my life, and died relatively early..... but I did make a choice I suppose”.
The Team all took a step back at the sudden change in demeanor. Rider had formerly been rather annoyed by their presence but still possessed a quirky, witty quality to it. Gray's voice had been replaced by more cheery, yet infinitely more battle-hungry one.
Zatanna whispered something under her breath, and her eyes glowed with a pale blue light.
More streaks of green appeared in Gray's raven black hair.
”All of you are gifted with such immense powers, bar Robin, Batgirl and Artemis. You've never trained your hearts out to get where you currently are. You never tempered yourself, even if it meant breaking every single bone in your body to it”.
Gray stared at Conner's sky blue eyes and threw his body towards Miss Martian's Bio-Ship, making a large dent in the side of the alien spacecraft.
Countless bolts of green lightning came of Gray's body as if he was the incarnation of a storm itself.
”Don't worry. Today, you'll see the difference between us. The difference between being a Hero, and being a-”.
”Guys! Don't listen to him! Someone, or something has taken control of Rider's body! It's not the Rider that we were just facing!”.
Zatanna shouted out, ignoring the telepathic bond Miss Martian had created between the eight of them. Robin immediately looked at Aqualad and Artemis and they shared a mutual thought, not needing to use words to understand each others intent.
”Artemis, use your arrows. Whatever is in Rider's body doesn't seem to like Archers. Robin, you and Batgirl protect Artemis from Rider's attacks. Zatanna, you, Kid Flash, Superboy Miss Martian and I will try and grab his attention. Hopefully we can push back this foreign entity and get the original Rider back”.
Aqualad demonstrated his superior leadership skills and instantly took command of the situation. The other members of The Team nodded silently and executed their leaders orders.
Gray, or Achilles who had taken control of Gray's body, rolled his eyes at the group of teens as they slowly surrounded Achilles and he rolled his eyes at their formation.
”Despite being crowned a Hero after my death, I still crave the battlefield. I was immortalized in the annals of human history as a peerless warrior, only lesser in renown than Archer”.
A maniac grin grew on Gray's face as he let go of his spear and watched in vanish into countless little motes of light.
”I was proud of my life. Proud to call myself a Hero! I member of the Achaean Army! I slayed countless foes, and became a Hero because of my ability to kill! To see the what humanity has called a Hero in this era, I am sorely disappointed.....”.
Achilles raised Gray's arms in the initial style for Pankration, the hand-to-hand style of combat that was famous during the age of antiquity, taught to him by Chiron himself.
He smirked, earning the ire of Kid Flash and Superboy.
”Which is why I'm going to teach you brats a lesson you won't ever forget”.
In a streak of green lightning, Gray vanished and reappeared directly in front of Superboy. His fist on a single centimeter away from his cheek, and the young clone of Superman didn't even have the time to blink before the first blow collided directly with his face.
”Damn it! Kid Flash, distract him!”.
Before the protégé of the Flash could even try and push Gray off Superboy, the ancient Greek garbed warrior delivered several lightning fast punches to hist ċhėst, hitting his lungs and liver multiple times before spinning around to kick Superboy directly into the ċhėst of Kid Flash.
His golden-amber eyes radiated a thirst for battle.