Seeing Roy half-dead on the ground, silent and unmoving, Kaius let out a frustrated sigh, his tone sharp with disapproval.
"Oliver, don't say I don't help you. Look at him—he's not even saying a word! Clearly, he's still dissatisfied!"
Standing off to the side, Oliver Queen looked equally exasperated. He ran a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath.
"You think I haven't noticed? He's been like this all day." He was just about to put an end to the escalating drama when, to their surprise, Roy Harper suddenly sat up with a start. His face was pale, and his voice trembled with effort as he croaked out:
"Stop! I'll do it! Teach me whatever you want—just stop hitting me!"
With that, Roy's eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold.
Oliver blinked in disbelief while Kaius smirked triumphantly, pointing at Roy.
"See? What did I say? He's not emotionally unstable—he's faking it! Sometimes, you just have to knock some sense into them."
Oliver shot her a disapproving glance, but before he could speak, Kaius continued with fervor.
"All that nonsense about psychological damage and distorted minds—it's overrated! Look at him now. He's a prime example. He's out of control because his strength is growing faster than his self-discipline. If we let that slide, he'll refuse to listen to orders, disrupt missions, and cause chaos in the field. Do you want that? No? Then just hit him! Hard!"
Oliver rubbed his temples as Kaius ranted on, clearly unimpressed but unable to argue with his relentless logic.
"Look, even Mirakuru didn't completely destroy Slade Wilson's mind. Sure, he's extreme, but it's not the serum—it's what he went through on Lian Yu. That's what twisted him. So, I'm telling you, all Roy needs is to build a stronger will. You know the simplest way to do that?"
Oliver groaned, already regretting the question. "I don't even want to—"
"Just beat it into him!" Kaius declared triumphantly. "If one session doesn't work, two will. He'll develop such a psychological shadow that next time he even thinks about losing control, he'll stop just to make sure I'm nowhere near him."
Oliver's face was a mix of horror and resignation. He looked at Roy's unconscious body, noting his dangerously slow heartbeat.
"Maybe we should take him to a hospital," Kaius said, his confidence faltering just a bit. "I mean, he looks like he's hanging by a thread. It'd be… embarrassing if he actually died."
Oliver glared at her. "And how do you expect me to explain this to a doctor? He probably doesn't have an unbroken bone left in his body!"
"Fine. Then we take him to the base," Kaius said, shrugging. "You've got emergency medical equipment there, right? Relax—Roy's tough. He won't die."
With that, he raised his hand and knocked Roy out for good measure. Oliver pulled out his phone and started texting.
"I'll let Diggle know we're bringing him in. He'd better be ready," Oliver muttered.
As they prepared to leave, Kaius glanced at him slyly.
"By the way, you have told Roy and Thea about your identity as the Green Arrow, right?"
Oliver froze mid-text, his face falling into an expression of pure dread.
Oliver's fingers paused over the keyboard as Kaius's question hung in the air. He frowned, his expression heavy, and shook his head. "No. They don't know about my other identity."
Kaius leaned forward, his voice firm but measured. "Sometimes, Oliver, hiding the truth isn't about protecting someone. It's about avoiding the responsibility of being honest. You should tell them."
For many superheroes, keeping their civilian identity secret is essential—it's a shield, not just for themselves but also for those they care about. However, the same secrecy can create vulnerabilities, as Kaius pointed out.
He continued, his tone unwavering, "Not telling someone about the dangers they face doesn't guarantee their safety. It just leaves them unprepared."
Oliver's mind raced. Hee wasn't wrong. Take his current predicament with Slade Wilson, the deadly assassin known as Deathstroke. Slade already knew Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow, which gave him an advantage. Oliver's family—Thea and their mother, Moira—were blissfully unaware of the danger. They wouldn't even recognize the executioner standing right in front of them.
Oliver was silent for a long moment before he nodded. "You're right. Roy is fine, but Thea... I need to think about her. Diggle just texted me—he's at the base, prepping emergency medical equipment."
---
The next day, at the Queen mansion...
Roy Harper, looking much healthier than the night before, stood beside Kaius. Kaius gave him a once-over, impressed by his recovery.
"Well, you bounce back quickly," Kaius said, clapping Roy on the shoulder. "How do you feel? Are you managing your emotions better?"
Roy shifted uncomfortably under Kaius's gaze but nodded. "Yeah, Mr. Kaius. I feel a lot more stable now."
Since learning the truth about Oliver's and Kaius's identities, Roy had officially joined Team Arrow under the codename Arsenal.
Oliver entered the room, dressed sharply in his usual somber style. A girl with short, dark hair trailed behind him—Thea Queen. Despite being only seventeen, Thea carried herself with elegance and poise.
"Kaius, Roy, what are you two talking about?" Oliver asked, his eyes flicking between them suspiciously.
Before either could answer, Thea kissed Roy on the cheek, drawing a smile from him. He introduced her cheerfully. "Mr. Kaius, this is Thea Queen."
Kaius smiled politely, shaking her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Thea." Inwardly, he thought: You should be called Thea Merlyn.
The gathering was a high-society event hosted by Moira Queen, ostensibly to rally support for her mayoral campaign. But beneath the surface, Oliver's strained relationship with his mother added tension to the evening. Oliver had recently learned that Thea's biological father was Malcolm Merlyn, one of Starling City's most dangerous men. The revelation had driven a wedge between Oliver and Moira.
As the night wore on, the mansion filled with guests. Moira moved gracefully among them, maintaining her poised facade. Oliver, however, remained cold, his interactions with her perfunctory at best.
Thea, attuned to her brother's moods, noticed the distance. She pulled him aside. "Ollie, what's going on with you and Mom? You've been avoiding her all night."
Oliver hesitated. Thea still didn't know the truth about her parentage, and Oliver wrestled with whether Kaius was right—should he tell her?
Before he could respond, his phone buzzed. Felicity's voice came through, urgent and clipped.
"We've got a situation. Enhanced mercenaries are robbing Iron Heights Prison."
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