Oliver Queen was in a rush, his heart pounding as he sped home. He had received a chilling text message from his mother, Moira Queen.
Thea knows.
Those two words hit him like a thunderbolt. Oliver's immediate thought was that Thea had discovered the devastating truth—that her biological father wasn't Robert Queen, but Malcolm Merlyn, a man who had caused immense suffering in their lives.
To Thea, this revelation would be earth-shattering. Everything she believed about her identity—her family, her relationships—would feel like a lie. If her father was Malcolm Merlyn, her brother wasn't her full sibling, but only a half-brother. Worse, the boy she had secretly loved, Tommy Merlyn, wasn't just her childhood friend but also her half-brother.
Panic gripped Oliver. He changed into his Green Arrow suit as quickly as he could, jumped into his car, and raced toward the Queen mansion. He repeatedly called Moira and Thea, desperate to hear their voices, to know what was happening.
But no one answered.
"Please, someone pick up. What's going on?" Oliver muttered, hitting redial again and again.
As he drove along a quiet lane, his mind racing, a heavy truck appeared seemingly out of nowhere and rammed into his car.
Boom!
The impact sent Oliver's vehicle spinning off the road. His car flipped, crashing violently into a ditch. The force of the collision knocked him unconscious.
When Oliver came to, his senses were disoriented. The world felt unsteady, spinning around him. A distant voice pierced the fog in his mind.
"Oliver... Oliver... Oliver!"
He opened his eyes, his vision blurry, his head pounding. As the haze cleared, he found himself in a setting eerily reminiscent of Lian Yu. The dense, green forest surrounded him, and the air was heavy with tension.
Before him, his mother Moira and his sister Thea were bound and kneeling, their faces streaked with tears. They sobbed uncontrollably, their cries tearing through Oliver's heart.
"What... what is this?" Oliver mumbled, trying to make sense of the horrifying scene.
It felt like a cruel reenactment of his worst memories from Purgatory Island, where he had once been forced to make impossible choices. And just like then, he was powerless.
A familiar, menacing voice spoke. "Five years, Oliver. For five years, I dreamed of this day. Dreamed of taking everything from you as you did to me."
Slade Wilson emerged from the shadows, his towering form casting an imposing figure. His voice dripped with cold hatred. "Today, you'll watch as I destroy everything you love—your family, your city. And you'll know what true despair feels like."
"Slade, you bastard!" Oliver roared, struggling against the ropes that bound him. His body was battered and aching from the crash, but the sight of his mother and sister in danger gave him renewed strength.
Thea's tearful voice broke through his anger. "What's happening, Oliver? I just want to go home!"
Slade ignored her cries, his one visible eye fixed on Oliver. He crouched down, leaning closer to his nemesis. "I always wondered," Slade said, his tone venomous, "what you looked like when you chose. When you pointed at Shado with that gun in your hand, and you took her from me."
Oliver's eyes burned with fury. "You're insane! Shado was never yours!"
Slade's voice dropped, icy and sharp. "She was yours, wasn't she? And yet, when the choice came—Shado or Sara—you chose Sara. You let Shado die." He stood, towering over Oliver, his voice like a judge passing a sentence. "Her blood is on your hands."
The memories hit Oliver like a punch to the gut. On the island of Lian Yu, he and Slade had both fallen for Shado, a kind-hearted, skilled Chinese woman. She had chosen Oliver, deepening Slade's jealousy. When their captors forced him to choose between Shado and Sara Lance, Oliver had made the decision to save Sara, and Shado had been killed.
Slade had never forgiven him for that moment. Fueled by the Mirakuru serum, his anger and grief transformed into an obsession with vengeance.
Slade now stood between Moira and Thea, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "It's fitting, don't you think? You've always had to choose, Oliver. Who will it be this time—your mother or your sister?"
"No! Don't do this, Slade!" Oliver shouted, his voice raw with desperation. He thrashed against the ropes, his mind racing for a way out.
Moira, her face streaked with tears, looked at her son. "Oliver, it's not your fault," she said, her voice steady despite the terror in her eyes.
Slade sneered. "Enough talking. It's time for you to feel what I felt when you let Shado die."
As Slade raised his blade, Oliver's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't let this happen. He had to find a way to stop Slade, to save his family. But bound and weakened, his options were slipping away.
The situation mirrored the nightmare Oliver had lived through years ago on Lian Yu. The bad guys had pointed a gun at Sara and Shado, demanding that Oliver choose who would live. Now, once again, Oliver faced an impossible choice.
"No!" Oliver roared, his voice raw with desperation. "Kill me instead! I would rather die than make this choice!"
The memory of that day had haunted Oliver for years, a wound that never healed. It was a moment of failure that defined him, one that Slade now exploited to tear him apart.
"Shado is dead!" Slade spat, his voice trembling with rage. "She's dead because of you! I thought I knew despair until I met you, Oliver. I trusted you! I believed you would protect her!"
Slade's words hit like daggers. Oliver's eyes brimmed with guilt and anguish as he shouted, "Then kill me! Kill me and take your revenge for Shado!"
Hearing this, Moira and Thea cried out in horror. "No! Don't! Please, Slade, don't do this!" Moira begged, her voice trembling with fear for her son and daughter.
But Slade's gaze remained cold and unyielding. "If I wanted to kill you, Oliver, I would have done it long ago. But that's not enough for me. No," he said, pulling a pistol from his coat and pointing it at Moira and Thea. "Before I kill you, you'll suffer as I did. You'll choose—Moira or Thea. One lives. One dies."
"Slade, you bastard!" Oliver's voice cracked with fury, his body straining against his bindings. "If you harm them, I swear I'll kill you!"
Slade chuckled, a twisted satisfaction gleaming in his eye. He had planned meticulously for this moment. He wanted Oliver to suffer, to watch his family fall apart, to see his city crumble, and to die in torment.
Slade loaded the pistol and began pacing between Moira and Thea, the barrel swinging back and forth. "You have one minute, Oliver. Choose, or I'll kill them both. Tick-tock."
The threat was clear. Moira and Thea sobbed, their cries piercing the tense air. "Oliver, don't listen to him!" Moira shouted, her voice suddenly steady. "Save Thea. Save her. Let me go."
Oliver's mind raced. He was consumed by rage, helplessness, and the urgency to save both. But as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him, his hand instinctively brushed against his watch—the emergency distress beacon Felicity had installed that morning.
Click.
The signal was sent.
Meanwhile, in Star City…
Kaius sat in Sebastian Blood's office, monitoring the city for Slade's movements. His phone buzzed abruptly. He glanced at the screen—a distress signal from Oliver, complete with his location.
"Finally," Kaius muttered, standing up. "Looks like I've got a bigger problem than Sebastian."
With a practiced motion, he removed his glasses and shed his tracksuit, revealing his Avengers-style suit beneath. Without hesitation, he launched himself into the sky, streaking toward Oliver's location at supersonic speed.
Back at the scene…
Slade's patience wore thin as he counted down, his voice dripping with malice. "Ten… nine… eight…."
Moira, trembling but resolute, stood up despite her bonds. "You can't hurt Thea, and you won't touch Oliver. Kill me if you must, but leave my children alone."
Her voice softened as she turned to her daughter. "Thea, I'm so sorry. I kept the truth from you about your father, but I want you to know—I've always loved you. Both of you."
Tears streamed down Thea's face as she cried, "No, Mom, don't do this!"
Moira stood tall, her trembling subsiding as she stared directly at Slade. Her courage in the face of death was palpable.
Slade, unmoved, raised his pistol slowly and aimed it at Moira. "Your time's up, Oliver," he said with icy finality. "Watch as your family crumbles."
At that moment…
A deafening boom echoed through the air as a streak of light crashed into the clearing. The shockwave sent dust and debris flying. When the dust settled, Kaius stood between Slade and Moira, his presence radiating power and defiance.
"Not today, Slade," Kaius said, his voice steady. "You've made your point. Now it's time to stop."
Slade's expression twisted into rage as he aimed his pistol at Kaius and fired. The bullet ricocheted harmlessly off Kaius's chest.
Oliver, Moira, and Thea looked on, stunned, as Kaius turned to face Slade fully. "I don't care what your vendetta is, Slade. This ends now."
Slade sneered, drawing his sword. "Then let's see if you're as indestructible as you think."
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