DC: Freaky Love ch. 15

Chapter 15: Clio and Logann


May came to with a blistering headache pounding in her skull, and she managed to croak out an entire string of swear words in a sentence before she got her eyes open.

"Language, my dear!  Language!" said a familiar, scolding voice.  As her vision began to clear, she saw the beak-like nose and the monocle staring down at her, and a three-fingered flipper gently pressed a cool, damp cloth to her forehead.  She sighed blissfully; she'd never imagined this even in her wildest dreams, Ozzy taking care of her this way!  She wondered what she'd done to deserve this.

"What did you find out when you tailed Pendragon last night that caused this to happen, my bird?" Oswald asked gently, and she pursed her cracked lips, frowning.  That was odd.  She couldn't remember anything past Logann Pendragon pulling out of the parking lot at Dragon's Blood Inc. last night.  He had taken some expensive, sporty car…and then, nothing.  A feeling of dread settled in her stomach.  Had she neglected to follow the Penguin's orders and tail Pendragon??

A groan from nearby brought her bolt upright again.  Vanessa?!  What was she doing here?!?

"Mags?  Why are you here?" she coughed, sharp tendrils of pain shooting through her head again, and she saw a tiny, pink-haired figure lying in the armchair, a cloth pressed to her forehead as well, with the Riddler standing watch over her.

"M-May??  I—I don't know.  I can't remember anything.  I had made a run out last night, and I was stopping in at a gas station…and after that, nothing.  It's not like it's a blank, there's just nothing." the English girl murmured gently.

"I found you both last night on the doorstep, unconscious.  I telephoned Edward at once, and we have been trying to revive the two of you since."  Oswald explained, and now that Trick Deck looked, she saw dark circles under her mentor's eyes.

"I…I don't…I don't remember, sir.  Nothing.  The last thing I can recall was Pendragon pulling out of his company's parking lot.  I don't even think…" she swallowed, trying to fight back tears, "I don't think that I even tailed him last night."

"If that were the case, then why did we find the two of you together in the same spot?" the Riddler piped up for the first time, and May attempted to growl at him.  The last thing she needed was that skinny man putting doubt in her mind.  Although…

"That could have been coincidence, Edward," Oswald challenged, glaring at the taller man, "Mayhap Miss Cook found May last night, unconscious, and passed out herself trying to bring her here."

"That would make sense…" Vanessa murmured from the chair.

"But it would make more sense if the two of you met up last night, and then encountered something or someone who felt you needed to be silenced." the Riddler said sternly, crossing his arms and scowling, the effect magnified by his black lips.

"Nonsense!  May is much more careful than that!  You're imagining things, Nygma!" the Penguin huffed at him, and May felt butterflies taking flight in her stomach.  He was standing up for her!  That would show the Rogues Gallery who he really cared for!

"Really?" the Riddler snarled, eyes narrowing behind his domino mask, "Then how do you explain the five identical finger-shaped bruises on both girls' necks?"



For once, Guenhivyre Pendragon mused, I don't think I mind having Jervis and Erin around.

Jonathan had been furious with the events of yesterday, having apparently woken from the blow to his head with a "knot the size of a horseshoe crab,"—which she thought was slightly exaggerated—and Erin tending his wound while Jervis was putting on a kettle of tea—which she figured was more or less true.  Either way, he had been shouting in a rage when Guen had gotten back, but had quieted almost as soon as she was in the room.  Angrily, he demanded to know what had happened, and had remained quiet even after she explained the meeting with Logann Pendragon.  Shortly afterward, they'd all gone to bed, Jervis and Erin taking a spare room for themselves, and Guen having to put a pair of earplugs to use, just in case these guests got a bit too enthusiastically loud.

She woke early this morning, and tiptoed down the hall to Jonathan's room, gently pushing the door open so it wouldn't creak and wake him.

"Does no one in this blessed lab ever have the decency to knock?" came a growl from inside and she jumped, heart pounding, and pushed the door the rest of the way open.  Jonathan was sitting up in his cot, an ice pack still on his head, detracting from his indignantly righteous posture, and a book in his hand, illuminated by the little desk lamp nearby.

"S-sorry.  I thought you were asleep.  I was coming in to check on your head and I didn't want to wake you up." Guen murmured, gently pushing the door to.  Jonathan frowned and rolled his eyes, but didn't dismiss her.  She came over to his side, lifting the ice pack and gently feeling the goose egg underneath.

"It's stopped swelling, and I don't think it's gotten any bigger." she said brightly, smiling at him.  He rolled his eyes again in response.

"Of course it hasn't, Guenhivyre," he scoffed, "The ice has kept the swelling down; any mother hen with half a brain knows even that."

She slammed the ice pack back down on the knot in anger, hoping he would pick up on the hint of how she felt about that statement.

"OOOOWWWWW!!!  What in the name of science was that for?!" he howled.

"Oh, please!  With a brain as big as yours, you should be able to figure it out, even if you've taken a blow to the head!" she snapped.

"Evil, twisted, sadistic female." he muttered darkly.

"Crybaby." she shot back.

For a moment, there was silence, and then Guen sat down at the end of the cot with a sigh, clasping her hands in her lap.

"What is it now?" Jonathan groaned.

"Dr. Crane…I'm…I'm not sure what to do.  About this whole 'brother' issue of mine." she began, twiddling her thumbs anxiously.

"Oh, for pity's sake, Guenhivyre!  You have a fraternal complex!  The best course of action would be to just pick one and get it over with already!" he snapped, slapping a hand to his face, but she did her best to ignore this reaction.

"That doesn't help.  I mean, it seems like Logann is the obvious answer, but he's so aloof.  He acted like we were having a business meeting the whole time, and he wouldn't look me in the eye after he'd introduced himself.  And Incubus—"

"Need I remind you that the man fights with a pimp cane?"

"He's hiding his identity," Guen pressed on, fighting down a snicker to keep her face straight, "So he doesn't want me to know who he is, but he's the one who's trying to act like a brother.  Or at least, he seemed that way."

Jonathan watched her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I—I just don't know what to do!" she cried, burying her face in her hands.

"Guenhivyre…" he started calmly, but a sudden shrieking sound cut him off.  Guen sat bolt upright, her eyes going wide and she looked at him in alarm.  He was staring at the door with an expression of pure horror.

"Oh, phobias, no!" he muttered, dropping his book.

Seconds later the door burst open and a blonde head shot right past Guen, and Jonathan Crane was slammed against the wall, the ice pack sent flying.

"JonJonJonJonJonJonJon!!  Erin called me last night and told me what happened and—OH MY GOD, YOU'RE HURT!" a girl's voice shouted.  Now that she was no longer attempting to be the first human cheetah, Guen could see the girl's face, and was shocked to realize one of her eyes was completely ebony, with black liquid running down her face.   It looked like…ink?

"EVIL TWISTED SADISTIC—" Jonathan roared, and Erin Knightly poked her head in the door, adjusting her bathrobe.

"Oh, there you are!  Jonathan, I called Ink last night and told her what happened.  I thought you'd be happy to see her." she said cheerfully, and Jonathan made a strangled sound as he pulled his head away from the wall.

"WOMEN!!" he screamed.

Guen, for the most part, had been too stunned to move up until now, and she jumped.

"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!!!" he bellowed, grabbing another nearby book and throwing it.  Guen shrieked and bolted from the room, pulling Erin and Ink behind her, ducking to avoid Jonathan's aim.

And now here they sat, all three of them, in awkward silence as Jervis attempted to tend to Jonathan's temper tantrum.  Erin, as was her usual solution to everything, offered to make tea.

"I'll have coffee," Guen and Ink said together, and looked at each other in dumb shock when they realized they were speaking in tandem.  Ink promptly started to giggle, and Guen found she couldn't help but join in, until the two of them were howling with laughter and falling out of their chairs.  Erin smiled warmly, pleased to see two of her friends getting along so well.

"Aww, man.  What a way to start the morning."  Guen said once she finally got her laughter under control.

"You're telling me.  Not every morning that I get a book chucked at my head.  Name's Ink, by the way.  What's yours?"

"Guenhivyre Pendragon, but I prefer Wraith." she answered, feeling that darkness inside her on the rise again, and she smiled.

"Wraith, huh?  I like it.  So what's your connection to Jonny?  I already know Erin's." Ink asked, resting her chin in her palm.

"Oh, um.  I was a student until I got swept into this mess.  I was allowed to visit Arkham every Wednesday as part of my Criminal Psychology class, and the last time, Dr. Crane kind of kidnapped me when I was getting ready to leave." Guen said, staring at her feet.  "And now…"

"And now you're one of us? That makes us family!" Ink remarked, and Guen blushed, feeling quite praised.

"So, w-what's your connection to Dr. Crane?" she asked.

"Met him after Bats took me to Arkham.  He's awesome, isn't he?" Ink replied, grinning.

"Which one?" Guen said, dumbfounded.

"Both." Ink answered without hesitation, and Guen found herself momentarily stunned.  Both Batman and Jonathan Crane, awesome?  Well, if she thought about it, it made sense, though she wasn't sure why Ink would still like Batman after he got her thrown into Arkham Asylum.  Most of the inmates blamed him for everything that went wrong in their lives.  Perhaps Ink was an exception?  She certainly seemed so, her disposition as cheerful as it was.

Don't go by that, Pendragon, said a warning voice in her head, It's the quiet ones you've gotta watch out for.  After all, we were one once, weren't we?

Abruptly Jonathan Crane appeared in the doorway, a calm look on his face once more as Erin was setting out their beverages.

"My apologies.  I've been in a temper this morning, and I don't know what came over me." he said briskly, taking one of the empty chairs at the table.  "I'll have Earl Gray please, Erin, if you don't mind."

"You got that right.  You're lucky I don't recite some manners to you."  Ink said coldly at him, and Guen started, surprised by the sudden change in her demeanor.

Told you so, Pendragon. the other voice chuckled, amused.

"As I'm sure you'd do well." Jonathan said simply, but he smiled warmly at the blonde girl when she caught his eye.  A surge of jealousy swelled in Guen, but it died quickly.  Who was she to be angry with either Ink or Jonathan if they got along better than she did with him?  After all, she'd practically insisted on making him take her on as an understudy; it shouldn't surprise her if he had more patience for Ink.

"Well, now that you're all here, I need to talk to you about something." Erin said out of the blue, and they all jumped, having forgotten she was there.  She seated herself next to Guen, looking as though she was struggling to get words out of her mouth.

"I—I think that someone's stalking you, Guen." she said, stirring her tea with shaking hands.

"You mean other than Edward Nygma?" Jonathan growled, taking a sip of his tea, and Ink looked between him and the others, raising an eyebrow.

"Long story, I'll tell you later," Guen offered.

"Yeah, someone other than Eddy." Erin said softly, looking up at the three of them.  "Jervis and I ran into him twice now.  Once when saw the two of you on the TV, during the museum incident—"

"What museum incident?" Ink demanded, looking back at Jonathan and raising her other eyebrow, but he waved her into silence, leaving her sulking.

"And the other time was just the other night when we were in the park.  He approached Jervis and asked him something about borrowing one of the mind control cards." Erin went on.

"And I trust Jervis was wise enough not to bargain with the fellow?" Jonathan said, taking another sip of tea.

"This is Jervis we're talking about." Ink threw in, though Guen couldn't quite figure out what she meant by that.  Erin, on the other hand, grew bright red in the face and stared down at her hands.

"Erin?" Guen asked, touching her shoulder.

"Miss Knightly?  Jervis didn't give this man any of the cards, did he?" Jonathan asked pointedly, and Erin shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

"N-no.  I-I did." she whispered, and Guen felt her insides go cold.

"Are you kidding me?" Ink croaked, staring at the redhead like she was some mass murderer.

"I—I thought he was th-threatening Jervis.  I put one of the cards on him to try to make him go away, b-but he pulled it off l-like it was a regular card.  Said it was just what he wanted, and that he's an o-old friend of yours, Guen.  Said he's going to be r-reunited with you soon, and n-no one's going to s-s-s-stop him." Erin sobbed, finally breaking down and dissolving into tears.

"You didn't happen to get this creeper's name, did you?" Ink asked, which made Erin only sob louder.  "Okay, that's a no."

"My bogeyman." Guenhivyre murmured, staring off into space, heart pounding.  So he wasn't just a dark figure from her past.  He was still alive, still out there, still after her and—

Oh nuts. Nuts, nuts, nuts, nuts, NUTS!!  The guy knew she was here in Gotham!  Had seen her on the TV with the Scarecrow!  Had connected her with him as well as with Erin Knightly and Jervis Tetch!

Out of the frying pan and into the raging inferno, Pendragon. said the voice.

"Excuse me, everyone.  I need to go get some air." she murmured, fleeing from the cafeteria.  As she left, she caught out of the corner of her eye Ink turning to Jonathan Crane, saying, "You've got some explaining to do, mister!"

She ran through the lab, heart pounding, fear clenching her mind.  She didn't stop until she was outside, where she dropped down next to a sewer grate and hugged herself tightly, trying to stop the shaking.

"Oh, man.  What am I going to do?  What am I going to do?" she murmured, rocking back and forth.  For a long time she sat there, simply rocking back and forth in a little ball, trying not to cry, asking the question over and over.

"What am I going to do?"

"Try another question for once?" came a growl, and she froze, sitting bolt upright.

"Wh-who said that?" she asked.

No answer.

"Wh-who's there?"

No answer.

"Wh-where are you?" she asked, a quaver in her voice.

"Down here." came the gruff reply, and tentatively, she slowly turned her head to look down at the sewer grate, stifling a scream.  A pair of slit-pupiled yellow eyes was staring up at her intensely.

"Girl, you crazier than a nest o' cuckoos."

"Y-you?  Bu-but!  How did you find this place?  Why are you here?" Guenhivyre asked, trying not to squeak.  Killer Croc pushed the grate up, poking his green head out of the sewer drain.

"I know my way around the underground of Gotham, darhlin," he answered in a mesmerizing New Orleans accent, "And I'm here 'cause yah brotha asked me to come and find ya."

"Which brother?" was all she could think to answer with before one of his webbed hands shot out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her down the grate.  She yelped, thought she saw Jonathan Crane and Ink appear over the grate as Croc closed it, and then there was only stench and darkness.




Time passed differently in the sewers, as though Guen was trapped in a weird state of limbo: not quite vertigo, not quite a waking dream.  She rode on Croc's back the entire time, like it was some kind of piggy-back ride in the dark on a scaly, living roller-coaster.  He wouldn't talk much, and avoided answering her questions for the most part, and so she stopped attempting to have a conversation with him after a while.  He didn't go very fast, but he wasn't slow either, as though he knew precisely where he was going and just when he needed to get there.

And I'm betting he does, she mused to herself.  She wasn't sure how much time was passing, just that she was getting hungrier and hungrier, and the blackness of the sewers was making her drowsy.

Finally, more light started to filter into the sewers here and there, and she guessed they had to be back inside one of the more crowded sections of Gotham City.  Manhole covers were scattered every several feet apart, and sometimes they came across more grate-covered drains.  By the dullness and limited amount of light, Guen guessed that it had be later afternoon, heading into evening.

"Wh-what am I going to do about this?" she murmured.  "Not that I don't appreciate you doing me a favor taking me to my…uh, brother, but I need to let someone back at the lab know—"

"They know by now." Killer Croc answered simply.

"Huh?? They do??"

"Yeah.  Yah brotha prob'ly called up there by now.  He figured Scarecrow wouldn't take too nicely to me pickin' ya up."

"Brilliant." she muttered.

After a number of minutes more, they finally came to a stop and Croc climbed up a ladder, pushing off the manhole cover above them with ease.  Still hanging on, he eased her off his back and boosted her up into an alley of Gotham.  Despite the fact the sun was already starting to go down, Guen had to blink several times in order to adjust to the light, not noticing Croc coming up behind her.

"Right, forgot to warn ya.  I got used to that." he remarked.  "Got a watch on ya?"

"Y-yeah," she said, nodding and blinking down at it, "It's…four-forty-five."

"Ahh, right on time!" said a silky voice behind them, and Guen had to bite down on her revulsion.  She turned, and found herself face to face with the grinning visage of Incubus, twirling his pimp cane in his hand.

"Hey, brah." Croc said casually, and to her surprise, the two of them bumped their fists together.  That was weird; she'd always heard Croc hated humans.

"Thanks a ton, Waylon!" Incubus grinned at him, "I owe you one, dude!"

"Yeah?  You just take care of yaself.  Can't be too careful."  he tilted his scaly head, eyeing the younger man skeptically.  "Yah ate recently, right?"

"Of course!" Incubus said brightly.

"Good," Croc turned to Guen, and she jumped under his reptilian gaze, "Trust Incubus.  I know he may seem a little sketchy, but he's got ya best interests at heart, chere."

"Umm…r-right." she stammered.

"Be seein' you around, brah." Croc said, turning back to Incubus.

"I hope so, as long as I'm not turning you in to the GPD."

Killer Croc only chuckled, though it came out as more of a growl, and he slipped back down into the sewers, as though he'd never been there to begin with.  Guen waited until the cover was back on to turn to Incubus.

"A vigilante who names himself after a sex demon associates with wanted, reptilian criminals." she stated bluntly, eyeing him in suspicion, and Incubus merely looked at her.

"Croc and I are more alike than you may ever know," he answered softly.  "We look out for each other, he and I.  We're friends, and that goes beyond what side of the law we each represent."

At once she felt ashamed and abashed, like she'd just insulted her brother's best friend heartlessly.  For all I know, I probably am.

"Come with me, sis.  There's someone you have to meet." he said, offering his hand to her.

Wood flying everywhere.  The chair in pieces.  Her brother's hand, his concerned tone of voice.  Someone she couldn't see, lying unconscious at her feet.

"Come on, Guen.  Let's get out of here!  We have to run away tonight, before they catch us."

"Who?" she demanded, not budging, wishing she could really look him in the eyes, without that stupid mask hiding his expression.  He smiled warmly, dropping his hand, and walked around her, toward the front of the buildings that faced the road.

"Someone very special." he answered, still walking.  Bristling, she ran after him, surprised that they were entering a small apartment building.  Incubus walked right in, going up a staircase in a warmly painted yellow hallway, indicating for her to follow.  Reluctantly, she tagged along behind him on the carpeted floor, looking left and right.

Someone could see us walking, could recognize me and call the police. she thought, then an even worse line of thinking occurred to her, Anybody here could be him, just watching me follow Incubus, waiting for his chance…

"What's wrong?" Incubus asked, looking back at her over his shoulder, and she realized she'd stopped, shaking again.

"N-nothing," she whispered, "So you live here?"

"Sort of." he answered, taking her down a hall on the second floor, before stopping at a door with the number 313 on it.  "Here we are." he inserted a key in the lock, turned it, and opened the door, stepping in cautiously.  "Mom?  Mom!  I'm home!"

Guen had to resist the urge to grab hold of the nearest section of wall and slam her head against it.

A wannabe vigilante brother candidate and he's living out in the open WITH HIS MOTHER!

"I'm in the living room." came the call, and Guen stood still.  The voice was sweet and beautiful, stirring old, old memories wrapped within a warm glow in her mind.  No, there was no way.  It couldn't be…

"Come on in." Incubus said, gesturing for her to enter.  Hesitating, she stepped in, and desperately wished he hadn't closed the door behind her.  The apartment was homely, and definitely had been decorated by a woman.  She passed several pictures of a smiling, middle-aged man with a black beard and bright blue eyes.  There were also pictures of a teenaged boy with dark hair and the same soft blue eyes.  She walked into a living room to see a blonde head sitting in a chair with her back to them, copying down recipes from a cookbook onto note cards.  Incubus stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"Uhm, Mom?  There's…there's someone here you have to meet." he said, an emotion in his voice he couldn't identify.  Guen's heart pounded.  There was no way this was happening.  He had to be pulling some kind of prank on her.

The woman turned around, looking up from her recipe cards, and blinked an identical set of those bright blue eyes in surprise.

She has my nose!  And my jaw!  Even the shape of her eyes is just like mine!

"Who--?" the woman started, but she stopped short, recognition flaring in her eyes as she looked at Guen, who could barely breathe.  "Guen?" she whispered, standing up and walking around toward her, but stopping a few feet away as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.  "Guen?  Guen, is that really you?"

She tried to open her mouth, tried to answer, but her breath caught in her throat and her eyes began to well up with tears.  The woman gave a soft gasp, her own eyes spilling over with tears, and a tender expression came over Incubus's masked face as he came over and put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Guenhivyre Pendragon," he said gently, "May I introduce to you our mother, Clio."



"And neither of you just happened to think you ought to bring this up before now?" Jonathan Crane snarled, irritated beyond words.  The phone call from Incubus had set him off bad enough, and it was all he could do not to show violence in front of Ink.  Lord knew the girl needed to find an excuse just to hit him up the backside of his head.

"I say, Jonathan, shove off!" Jervis snapped, putting himself between his friend and Erin, who had dissolved into tears again.  "This isn't Erin's fault."

"Not entirely her fault you mean." he shot back in a dark mutter.  Ink threw him a significant look, the ink running from her eye pumping a little faster than normal, and then she stared back at Jervis and Erin.

"Look, just don't go blaming yourself," she said firmly, hoping to catch Erin's attention, "Yes, you guys should've said something before, but it's going to be fine."

"H-how?  What if something happens to Guen?" she sobbed.

"You mean other than Killer Croc snatching her from under our noses to go to a secret meeting with our sex-obsessed vigilante?"  Jonathan remarked dryly.

"You really think he's sex-obsessed just 'cause he calls himself 'Incubus?'" Ink pondered.

"You even think about going to hunt him down—" Jonathan started.

"Can we get back to the subject at hand?" Jervis groaned.

"Fair enough," Jonathan said, "I assume the most logical thing to find out more about this man is to do something to attract his attention.  Put Guenhivyre on display for him somehow in a way he won't be able to resist coming after her.  If he IS stalking her, that is."

"You just want to use her as bait?  Haven't you put her through enough already?" Ink demanded, glaring at him and he shot her a frown.

"W-well," Ulysses said, speaking up for the first time, "I-if he is after Miss Pendragon, then it only makes sense to draw him here and convince him that the security is nonexistent."

"Which is where your technological expertise comes into play, Ulysses." Jonathan said, giving the man an approving nod that made him flush with pride.

"So Twitch disguises the security system so our stalker-guy walks right into a trap?" Ink asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You can assist him if you wish." Jonathan added with a nod.

"But what in the name of Carroll do you propose to do to get this man's attention in the first place?" Jervis said, making the room fall silent.  They all fell silent, until Ink's hand shot up.

"Oo!  Ooh!  Me, me, me!" she said, like an eager student.  Jonathan Crane's mouth twitched upward in a rare smile.

"Yes, Ink?"

"What about a slumber party?"

His smile faded slightly.  "I beg your pardon?"

"Tell Guen she can have a slumber party!  She can invite me, and Erin, and whoever else she wants, and we'll throw a big party!  Light up this place like fireworks and put out news about it!" she said, grinning mischievously.

"Preposterous!" Jervis snorted.

"Actually…" Jonathan said slowly, "Tweak some of the details a tad and it just might work."  He turned and smiled at Ink again.  "Have I ever told you you're brilliant?"

Ink's cheeks went pink with pleasure and she grinned again, pleased with herself.



After several tight hugs and enough tears to fill a sink, Guenhivyre found herself sitting next to Clio on the couch, being rocked back and forth in her arms.

"Oh, my baby girl," Clio sniffed over and over, "My baby girl's come back to me."

"M-m-momma." was all Guen could choke out, the word unused for so long it tasted strange in her mouth.

"Oh, sweetheart, I've missed you so much." Clio sobbed, holding her tightly.

To that, Guen couldn't say anything.

Finally Clio eased her grip a bit and pushed Guen back, studying her carefully from behind her watery eyes.

"And you?  Are you…like your brother?" she asked.

"Not quite, Mom." Incubus said.  "Guen, show them to her."

It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about, and then, slowly, she unfurled her wings from behind her back.  Clio gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.

"You have wings…" she whispered, and Guen nodded slowly, biting her lip.  "Oh, my.  How do you keep them hidden all the time?"

"U-usually I just wear a hoodie…" she murmured.

"And…and your bones…are they hollow?"

"I don't know.  I can't even glide with my wings yet, let alone fly with them.  They keep growing, though, so…I don't know."

To this, Clio only nodded, and reached out gently to stroke her wings.  Her hands were soft and gentle, and for the first time, she smiled at Guen, a smile so beautiful and maternal it made her want to break down in sobs again.

"To think…when she was a toddler, I would tell everyone my baby girl was as beautiful as an angel, and now that I'm with her again, she has wings."

Guen nodded, then looked toward Incubus.  "And you?"

"Nope, not telling.  You don't want to see my mutation, trust me." he said, backing up, "And hopefully, you'll never have to."

She frowned at him, only to find Clio pulling her into a hug again.

"Oh!" she cried, "I have both of my babies back!  Both of my babies!"  Fresh tears rolled down her face, but she was smiling as though she was the happiest woman in the world.

"Say, Mom," Incubus said, walking over to the kitchen area and opening the fridge door, "How about you heat this up and we'll have a nice family dinner?  Mmm, still tastes creamy."

"LOGANN MAXIMILLIAN ZEUS!" Clio roared at him, and his shoulders hunched uncomfortably, "YOU GET YOUR GREEDY FINGERS OUT OF THAT PASTA UNTIL YOU'VE WASHED UP OR SO HELP ME, YOUNG MAN!!"

Wait, his name was Logann, too?

"Wh-what did you say his name was?" Guen asked her mother, looking between her and the young vigilante.

"MO—OM!!" he whined, "You totally just broke the superhero secret identity code!"

"Your sister deserves to know anyway, I'm amazed you haven't told her before now!" Clio snapped, and Incubus came back over with a resigned sigh, pulling the mask from his face to reveal a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Oh, fine.  My real name is Logann Zeus," he said to Guen, looking her in the eye, "Maxie Zeus is my father."