Chapter Text
Teth stared at the tiny form crumpled at the bottom of the crater. He felt the first, sour stirrings of horror and guilt trickling into the pit of his stomach through the shock. A child. The wizard had picked a child. The wizard had replaced him with a child. He’d been fighting a child. He’d tried to kill a child.
The boy twitched. Adam jerked, coming back to himself. Hitting a champion hard enough to rattle them back into their mortal form wasn’t good, he needed to--
The thought whipped from his mind still half formed when something-- someone-- crashed into him. Hard. Hard enough to hurt. They both went flying, Teth skipping across the already ruined pavement from the momentum. He lurched into a sitting position as soon as he stopped rolling. Down the street, settled into a fighting stance, looking very angry, was a broad man dressed mostly in blue, a red cape snapping at his heels.
Ah, right, the boy had friends.
“Superman.” he grunted, rolling to his feet.
“Your highness. Little far from your kingdom, aren’t you?”
--
Billy blinked awake at the bottom of a crater, dust thick in the air. For a long second he lay there and looked up at the clear blue sky. Then the distant sounds of crashing and thuds reached him. Teth. Teth was in his city. He sucked in a breath and choked on the dust and the Wizard’s Name came out as a croak.
“SHAZAM.”
Lightning crashed into him and Billy was gone again, replaced by Captain Marvel. He was up and moving before the steam had cleared. Teth was circling a downed Superman, lightning crackling around a fist, making speeches--again. Dude needed a new routine.
“Man of steel.” Teth spat. “This does not concern you, leave, and I will forget your impudence.” Marvel slammed into him full force, sending him careening down the street.
“Big talk Teth! Get some new lines!” Marvel called after him before turning to hover over Superman. “You good man?” The kryptonian grunted and staggered to his feet.
“I’m alright, still don’t like lightning. Or magic.” Marvel snorted and grinned.
“Lucky it’s my specialty. You mind handling civics?”
“You sure you can handle him?”
“Yeah this is an old dance by now. Dude sucker punched me earlier.” He had too, Marvel had just returned to the mortal plane after fighting off the Alligator Men yet again--they really needed to stop trying to eat people, it wasn’t even scary when they threatened to do that anymore. They were honestly kind of bad at it--when Teth had come hurtling out of a cloud.
Superman nodded and shot off, checking heartbeats and ferrying people out of structurally unsound buildings. Marvel returned his attention to where Teth was standing in the settling dust. Adam was staring at him, which, weird. He was normally a hit first, then stand there bragging sort of guy. Teth lifted off the ground gently before suddenly rocketing forward. Captain Marvel braced for a blow that never came, Adam stopping just as suddenly as he’d started forward, closer now, but just hovering there, staring. He still looked mad, but there was something else there, surprise maybe? Why, though? He’d fought Superman before.
“Round two then?” Marvel snipped, raising his fists. Teth floated there and stared at him some more--Marvel could see the rage mounting in him--before his face suddenly went slack.
“No.” Teth said, voice bizarrely gentle. Marvel felt Billy’s sudden spike of alarm. This is a trap! The street rat inside them hissed at the gentle tone, remembering years of bottles and beer cans, pretty words and gentle tones and one more chance I swear this’ll never happen again-- Solomon swept Billy’s stray thoughts aside, muttering over tone and inflection and facial tics.
“Another time, Champion.” Teth murmured before he bowed --the hell? Teth didn’t bow to people, let alone them. But the former champion had already vanished in a blur and a rush of wind.
“What?” Marvel blinked at the place his mortal enemy had been. “Wait, what?! Seriously?! That’s it?! What even was that?” He blinked around at the myriad of cracked buildings and crushed cars. Teth didn’t just cut and run, not unless he was losing. He’d managed to knock Marvel right out of Billy earlier! They'd been practically defenseless!! Granted they’d lept straight back into the fight, but he hadn’t even bragged about it! Who was that and what had they done with Black Adam?!? He leaned back on Solomon’s Wisdom as he scratched his head, puzzling over the apparently abandoned battlefield. Billy’s innate distrust aside, this didn’t feel like a trap, which was even weirder.
“Captain!” Superman called, flying around a corner. “I saw Adam take off! Is it over?”
“Um...apparently?”
Superman drifted closer, brow furrowed. Marvel shrugged at him.
“He just...sorta left. I have no idea what that was about.” he gestured at the heavily cratered road.
“Should we be worried about a trap?”
“...I...don’t... think this is a trap. If we should be worried,” he crossed his arms and frowned out at his city’s latest battle damage, “I don’t know yet.”
--
Teth entered Khandaqui airspace and flew straight for his palace. He waved his advisors from the throne room as he settled onto the chair to frown pensively at the elaborate mosaic pattern of his floors.
The wizard had chosen a child. He had sentenced a child to the Champion’s fate without regard or care for the damage he would do.
Now the question was, what was Teth going to do about it?
--
Teth reviewed all the old videos and news stories he had on file. He’d already seen them hundreds of times, analyzing them for Marvel’s weakness. The man--boy--was a little clumsy at first--they all were, at the start--while Marvel settled into his new skin. Quick youtube clips someone had spliced together titled ‘ Best of Captain Marvel’ showcased to Teth how the mortal within the Champion first realized and revelled in each power he discovered; calling himself an idiot with a laugh for forgetting he was omnilingual; blinking around after a bank shootout at all the spent bullets and declaring ‘oh, I’m bulletproof. Neat’; laughing wildly as he swooped past on a wobbly flight path; humming thoughtfully as he carried someone's busted car over his shoulder after they asked what the heaviest thing he could carry was, ‘ I don’t know.’ he’d said, before grinning, ‘ the sky probably’ . Articles detailing interviews with Fawcett citizens gushing over their hero and how nice he was. Always polite; calling everyone ‘sir’ or ‘miss’, regardless of age, wishing people a good day, chatting with whoever wanted to talk to him on slow days. Carrying old ladies groceries, playing chess in the park if there was someone playing alone, retrieving toys from trees; walking a woman whose apartment had burned to nothing to a diner, paying for a couple of burgers, listening to her cry, offering her advice, encouragement, and the locations of homeless shelters if she needed them. Nothing was too big or too small for him. He was almost always available.
Teth glared at the T.V., the latest Fawcett broadcast playing. Marvel was chatting with the news woman, smiling and shrugging and laughing, bright and attentive.
He should have seen it sooner. The constant smile, the simple joy in helping with something--large or small--the way he practically beamed at the simplest ‘ good job’. Gon had--Teth froze in mind and body. Gon had been the same. Pain, ice cold and raw, wrenched the breath from his lungs. For a long time he stood there, clutching at the damned cloth he could never remove, lost in grief as fresh and potent as the day he first thought he’d lost everything.
He took a deep, shuddering breath. He picked up the painful shards of memories and put them back in their box. He’d been young then. Age had taught him there was always more to lose. He breathed deep and slow as he put those feelings away and let the rage seep back in. The wizard had done this to a child. This could not stand.
Now, what was he going to do about it?
--
“My pharaoh, You-- honor us with your presence.”
“Spare me the ceremony, Mr. Chisisi.” Teth grumbled. He had little patience for the sneaking rats apparently necessary to run a country. “I have need of your services.”
“Of course my pharaoh. My men are ready. Here are the the latest reports from the countries we--”
“I am not interested in the rumors and politics of people who have nothing to do with us.” Teth cut him off with a raised hand.
“...Then, this is about your enemy, my pharaoh?”
“In a sense.” Teth admitted.
Mr. Chisisi shifted from foot to foot. He was always nervous around Teth. Many Khandaquis were, in spite of his general benevolence. He had killed the false pharaoh that had inherited his homelands, but left the rest of the government largely intact. There had certainly been some restructuring. He removed the official religions powers from the law, had new temples erected to the old gods, and their old monuments restored. He destroyed no religious sites that had cropped up in the interim; only opened the door back to the old ways. There was no real reason behind those acts, the deities of his past certainly wanted nothing to do with him after he’d disrupted their peaceful status quo and killed most of the old, antiquated council. He and the gods may have their differences, but no one deserved to be forgotten, and the people may yet benefit from the ancient deities' favor. The younger generation had certainly been interested, and the old cults were flourishing in Khandaq and beyond. The gods support--begrudging and indirect though it may be--had brought a new era of prosperity to his little kingdom and stabilized his rise to power.
“I require the location of this boy. He lives in Fawcett.” Teth handed him the photo. It had been absolute hell to find a scrap of video with a decent image of the child. “A better picture of him if you can manage that...his name, if you can find it.”
“It will be done, my pharoah.”
--
“Marvel.”
“Batman.”
“I assume you’ve heard the news?” the Captain paused, cup halfway to his mouth.
“...No? What news?” the Champion blinked at him as he sipped his drink. From the smell it was probably hot chocolate. Batman had never witnessed his magical colleague drink coffee or any sort of alcohol. An odd tick, though whether it was a personal preference or some sort of vow tied to his powers was yet to be determined.
“Teth Adam just walked into the governor of Iowa's office and demanded the return of his heir.”
The captain choked on his drink. After a fair bit of spluttering he managed to croak out a question.
“What?”
Batman wordlessly handed him a tablet, currently streaming the IOW News.
“Repeating tonight's top story, the Khandaqi king and noted antagonist of the Justice League’s Captain Marvel, Teth Adam, also known as Black Adam, entered American airspace today with a startling announcement.” The camera switched to a lower quality video of the Khandaqi king and the Iowa governor. There was a very nervous looking man--probably from CPS, Marvel thought, eyeing the suit and eye-bags--hovering in the corner, along with about half a swat team.
“I’m not sure I understand--”
“It is very simple. My heir is in Fawcett, I intend to take him back to Khandaq.”
“Yes but you haven’t told us who you’re looking for--”
“This is him.” Teth pulled out a photo and set it on the governor’s desk.
“He, ah, doesn’t much look like you--”
“Irrelevant. I have made my intentions clear, have I not?”
“I--ah, your majesty,” Definitely CPS, Marvel amended in his head, “all-all due respect, but we can’t just give you a--um--a child. There are--there are procedures--”
“I was not asking for permission. My informing you of my presence was merely a courtesy. I will be heading to Fawcett next to request their mayor for her assistance.” Teth stood and disappeared in a blur and a rush of wind. The camera swept back out to the news room, video switching to a picture of a young boy, black hair, blue eyes, dirty red sweater. Marvel felt his stomach drop out of his toes. “Authorities are currently looking for this young boy, if you have any information, please contact them at--”
“That sonovvabitch.” Marvel swore, slamming the tablet onto the table top hard enough to shatter the tempered glass as he jerked to his feet.
“You seem...upset.”
“Gee, what gave me away?” Marvel glared at the dark knight.
“Captain Marvel, do you know this boy?”
“None of your business.” Marvel barked, whirling on his heel as he stalked away.
“If Teth is after him--” Batman started, striding after him.
“I can handle Teth.” Marvel spat as he stormed onto the zeta platform. “He wants to start something? Well we’re gonna start something!”
--
Captain Marvel was fuming when he zeta’d into Fawcett. He had no idea what Teth’s aim was, but he was not going to let him drive Billy into a corner.
Black Adam was sitting in the Mayor’s office when Marvel pulled up outside the window. Mayor Goldens whirled around in her seat, face warring between panic, fear, and general shock. Marvel didn’t blame her, Teth was known for taking hostages, not sitting diplomatically in office chairs. He pushed the windows open and drifted in, setting himself down at the corner of the desk closest to Adam.
“You alright Mayor Goldens?”
She nodded, face strained and fingers tight on the picture in her hand. Marvel’s eyes narrowed at it--how many did this guy have, and where had he gotten them?!--and rounded on Teth.
“Ah, Captain Marvel, just the man I wanted to see.”
Marvel felt his hackles raise, he did not like the tone or cadence Teth was using. It was aggravatingly patronizing and mocking. He didn’t like how he was smiling either. Teth had never smiled before--he’d smirked. The change in his demeanor was setting off alarm bells. He didn’t like the way he was looking at him, considering and calculating and something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on but got under his skin nonetheless. The street rat in Billy bared its teeth.
“I don’t know what your game is Teth--”
“No game this time,” Teth countered, rising to his feet and raising his hands in mock-surrender. “I am merely trying to provide a home for an unfortunate child, unless...you think he should remain on the streets?”
Marvel twitched, fist clenching as Billy raged within him. Witnesses, there were witnesses, they needed to calm down. He could feel the faint wisps of Achellies and Solomon’s blessing slither past, cooling the heat in his voice back to tempered steel instead of molten glass.
“Who said he was homeless?” They weren’t homeless, hadn’t been for months. They had a very nice little corner of a technically-condemned, not-really-former apartment building all to themselves. Plenty of other people had moved into the other rooms once Billy had fixed the place up a bit with magic and good old fashioned elbow grease, so it was hardly unlivable. Someone had rigged the electricity and someone else had tapped into water from somewhere, so it even had things like heat and tap most of the time--even if Billy still boiled the water and muttered charms over it for safety.
“Uh--Captain--”
Marvel cut his eyes back to the Mayor. He liked her, he did, she was a nice lady who tried to divert city funding toward the homeless and public facilities. The only real complaint Marvel had was the fact she’d flirted with him once or twice--which was weird given Billy wasn’t even a teen at the moment. Then again, she was hardly privy to that fact, so he couldn’t really hold it against her.
She swallowed at whatever it was she saw in his eyes. He turned his glare back on Teth, straightening as he gestured toward the window he’d just come through.
“Why don’t we take this outside?”
“If you wish.” Teth shrugged and walked past him and the Mayor, stepping out the open panel. Marvel spared her another glance before he followed Teth out the window and into the open sky.
They flew until they were hovering over the park. A news van came screeching around the corner after them and scrabbled to set up as the two demi-gods settled into a hover. There were a few meters between them, and they floated well above the willows and oaks that clustered near the parks winding sidewalks.
“Well?” Marvel snapped. “I’m waiting.
“The wizard should not have chosen you--”
“Really, this again?” Marvel rolled his eyes.
“You are a child!” Teth snarled, arms snapping to gesture at Marvel.
“And you’re about two thousand years old.” Marvel sniffed dismissively. The age of their hosts hardly mattered to the Living Lightning, only who they were. “Everyone is a child to you.”
“That is not the point!”
“Then do enlighten me oh old, decrepit one, what is the point this time? ‘Cause I’ll admit, this is a rather roundabout way of getting to me, not really your style.”
Teth floated there, fists clenched, looking mildly outraged and majorly frustrated. The former Champion inhaled and pushed the air back out is an almost bark of a sigh.
“Believe what you will. The outcome is forgone. The only question is how difficult you make it.”
“Is it now? Big talk from someone who hasn’t beaten me in a fight once.”
“I seem to recall our last encounter--” ah, there was some of that haughty, wounded pride Marvel was used to seeing from Teth.
“Knocking me down? I get back up. The new guy is scrappy like that.” Teth twitched and clenched his fists.
“This is not up for debate, Marvel.”
“You’re right, it’s not. This is my city afterall, and you don’t have any power here.”
“You speak as though you do.”
Marvel felt the anger then--both his and Billy’s. This was Marvel’s city, the inherent magic there recognized him, it was his home field advantage. But he knew Teth was speaking to Billy now, had been since this debacle began, and both he and Billy were painfully aware of the laws that wanted to strip him of his agency. It was a persistent frustration in their daily lives and an insult to both their status as Champion and Billy’s own accomplishments. Marvel felt a fierce ache for the days when prophets and monks could wander and beg a night of food and shelter in exchange for blessings. Worse, he could feel Billy’s rising terror at the reminder of the system he had fought so hard to be free of. It was a low blow.
Marvel had no words. Only lightning. It coiled around his arms and arced off him in a snarling display.
“My city.” he spat.
“I had a city once, child.” Teth murmured. “The wizard took it from me. He took many things from me; my city, my people, my,” Teth took a breath, the faintest tremor in his voice, “my family. It’s what he does. He takes, and takes, and still he demands more from his Champions. If you continue to obey him, eventually he will take everything from you too.”
Marvel floated across from him, taught as a drawn bowstring. His face was a blank mask.
“I guess that’s the difference between you and me.” Marvel stared him down. Voice and bearing and face an inscrutable wall of something too intense to express or read. “I never had anything for him to take away.”
Teth stared at him, horror shuddering down his spine. Where had the wizard gotten this boy? From what lawless gutter had he crawled out of? Teth knew the old windbag had preferred to pluck his lambs from the dirt--Teth had himself been a slave--but even still, there were supposed to be laws; mundane, mortal laws, to shelter children in this day and age. People weren’t meant to be able to get away with their death or suffering anymore.
“What of your life, child, do you not still have that?” Teth’s voice was very quiet, no matter how much he wanted to shake and scream and rage. Marvel shrugged.
“I never expected to live very long anyway, ‘least my death’ll mean something now, and I can do some good before I go.”
Teth flinched. Those words were uncomfortably close to his own thoughts when the wizard had first snatched him up and thrust the gifts of the gods upon him. Similar, but different. Teth had been dazzled by the thoughts of freedom and power, too enraptured by the boundless strength and suddenly touchable sky to notice he’d traded hemp manacles for golden ones. And by the time he’d noticed? I was never going to pay back that debt anyway, and now, at least, I have the strength to protect me and mine.
“That,” Teth breathed, just loud enough to be heard, “is a horrible way to live.”
“It’s still my life, Teth. I’m not going to let you ruin it. Now get out.”
Teth hovered there for another long moment before bowing and rocketing away, but not before he slipped the last, ominous word in;
“I will see you soon.”
Marvel floated there a bit longer after he left, warring with his turmoil of emotions, trying to process what had just happened. Eventually he became aware of the reporter calling up to him. He took a breath and drifted down. He couldn’t quite muster a smile, but he had calmed down.
“Captain Marvel! Any comment on Teth’s claims over his heir living in Fawcett?” Marvel felt himself tense, knew his eyes had narrowed into something dangerous. He wasn’t entirely sure he cared.
“I don’t know what his game is, but it doesn’t matter. Whatever it is he wants, he’s not going to get it.”