-Athena's POV-

"Once upon a time, a gang was formed. It was very successful in escaping punishment as well as earning billions of dollars from selling stolen weapons. So, one day, the two ambitious gang lords decided to expand their whole idea. The smarter one of the two," Joker grinned, "created a tiny little pill that would cause whoever took it to see whatever their brain desired. An amazing trip guaranteed every time! The drug even left a smile on the victim's face!"

I knew the drug. I had seen its effects.

"The two decided to call the drug a Sharky, like what bank loans are called. The gang also decided to call their little organization the Black Sharks. The Sharkies were an amazing investment, since they were highly addictive and a life ruiner. So, the two leaders acquired more workers to run their growing gang. The gang was reaching around the world!" Joker flung his hands out, smacking Dick in the back of the head. I growled, but he continued. "But, there was another worldwide group that found the gang, The League of Assassins. The Black Sharks were perceived to the assassins as an ever growing threat. So, Ra's Al Ghul started a war between the two. The gang lost many members as well as money. Ra's called the two leaders for a meeting. He offered to unite the two groups or promised to continue the war. Of course, the two twenty year olds agreed.

"So, for a couple of years, the Sharks and the Assassins worked together in peace. Until the younger and smarter leader fell into a vat of chemicals." It was Joker. In that moment, I had known Joker had been lying to me. He was the leader. "He decided to ditch the whole 'Red Hood' personnel and decided to use his green hair and white skin to be known as the Joker. The Red Cloak -- his partner -- changed his name as well to match, despite not actually being tainted by the chemicals. So, the Joker and the Clown made the Black Sharks into a kingdom. They had millions of members and trillions of dollars.

"Ra's became jealous of the gang, since it had quickly become very powerful. He wanted to get rid of the gang for good, starting with the Joker and the Clown. Well, it turns out, Ra's was already in luck. The older, stronger, but also dumber leader decided he wanted another identity. He fell in love with a beautiful girl and they worked in the circus." My stomach dropped and a chill went through my body.

"The Clown changed his first and last name to Arnold Thomas and married the beautiful gypsy. He joined the circus alongside his wife as a circus clown! How funny! Ra's began to watch over the two, finding it very satisfying that the Clown was becoming disinterested in controlling the Sharks, On December 21st, in the middle of the woods, Bonnie and Arnold Thomas gave birth to their first daughter. As Athena Thomas grew, Arnold began to show up to gang meetings less and less. When his son, Harry Thomas was born, he told the Joker he wanted out and that Joker could have the gang himself. Joker told Clown that he couldn't just leave like that. It was against gang rule. Everyone was all in, no one could leave. But, Clown left anyway. He left his own brother alone, which angered Joker."

Joker's eyes locked onto me. I looked up. My eyes widened as I realized what he was saying. I shook my head, it couldn't be true. "No." I muttered.

Joker laughed and clapped his hands. "Yes! Yes! Say hello to your uncle!"

I felt like throwing up. No, my father wasn't a gang leader. My father's hands were clean; he couldn't of killed anyone. And he definitely wasn't the brother to the Joker. He couldn't be. It wasn't true!

My mouth hung open as my eyes watered. I wouldn't dare let the tears roll down my cheek, but I still felt like someone had stabbed me. I looked down at my hands knowing that the same cold blood that coursed through Joker was running through my veins. Suddenly, I wasn't so worried about bleeding out.

"Hey, my dear niece, we don't get to pick our family."

Dick looked just as horrified. His eyes looked softer, more sympathetic. How would he trust me now, knowing that I was related to the man who killed his best friend and paralyzed his girlfriend?

"Anyway, back to the story. After my brother left, I organized a little plan. I staged a theft, a huge pickpocket scheme. I convinced all the members that Arnold had stolen over 800 million dollars along with a bunch of our cargo. I told them he had taken it to run away with his family. So, we all organized a murder. Following up to the year anniversary of Athena's circus performing, some of the younger members went around to all of the Thomas family and friends. They handed out fliers to the show so they would all go.

"Once every single family and friend of my brother's was at the show, it was time to act. During the show, we grabbed each person and murdered them in front of Arnold. I got to pull the trigger to my parents' lives in front of him! What a joy! Once that was done, we put a letter describing where to find Arnold in his dressing room. If someone cared about him enough, they'd go looking for him, right? Then we would kill whoever tried to get him. Well, a little girl and her mom found him first. We murdered Arnold in front of his daughter, son, and his wife. We then killed his infant son and his beautiful Bonnie. I decided to take the girl.

"Ra's had said he needed a new apprentice to train from nothing. He needed someone who truly had nothing and had enough rage to get through the difficult training. So, I tortured the little Athena for a couple for months until we handed her over to Ra's. Or, as she thought, the League liberated her. She trained with the League for six years, Honor Island for two, and the School for Superior Boys for three. The soldier was a gift and peace offering to Ra's, but he had secretly been training her to kill me!" Joker pretended to gasp as I returned to my sneer. I was going to kill him.

"So, when he let her out on the prowl, she hunted me. I also had a plan, though. I wanted to destroy Gotham with the stolen League of Assassins bomb. I just didn't have the codes. So, when the Nightingale finally showed up, I found the first set of codes hidden in a painting. When Ra's realized the Batman had led her off course, he told me to convince her to get rid of him herself, so he could escape blame. So, the Nightingale sang for me and did something Ra's and I wanted. I figured out the codes, as you know, and got the bomb ready. But, the Nightingale and Nightwing came after me. So, I drugged her boyfriend, trapped him, and here we are!"

"W-what?" Dick said, looking between me and Joker.

I sighed and looked down at my lap again. It was true. I had tried to kill his mentor.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" Joker laughed.

"Athena, I--"

Everything was getting to me. Joker's laugh chewed into my brain. Dick's eyes bore through me. My father's tainted blood rushed. The walls of the warehouse felt like they were closing in. The sharp pain from the bullet wounds were nagging me. I couldn't breathe.

"STOP TALKING YOU MOTHER FUCKING CLOWN!" I shouted, standing up from my chair. I picked it up and chucked it at him. He dodged and it crashed behind him.

I turned into a monster. I didn't inject anything into myself, but my anger seemed to give me strength. I chased Joker down. He pulled out a gun, but I kicked away. I charged him, but he got out of the way and kicked me. He grabbed another gun and hit me with the butt of it. He punched me and kicked me over and over. I went to attack, but he countered.

I threw a fast punch and it struck. I hit him across the face and managed to knock him down. He kicked my legs out and stood up. He stomped on my face, but I kicked him in the chest and stood up. I went after him as he was pressed against the wall. He punched me, but I didn't moved.

I hit his soft flesh with my calloused fist. His nose went in a weird direction with a snap as blood gushed down his face. But, I didn't stop. I kept punching. I punched him until every tooth was bloody. His lips had splits in them. His face was swollen and bloody, but I kept punching. He just kept laughing. With each punch, he laughed. I just kept punching.

"Athena! Athena stop!" Dick's voice echoed through the room. I had forgotten where I was. I had zoned out. All there was was my fist and a horrible monster's dying body. I glanced over my shoulder at Dick. "You're going to kill him! You don't want to do that!"

I recoiled to punch again, but it came out weak. My knuckles grazed his face, but did no damage. I let Joker sink to the floor, his laughs still creaking out of him.

I limped over to Dick. He smiled at me. All the dark and evil feelings started to drain from my soul as I stared at Dick's warming smile. I reached down my bruised and bloody hand to caress his cheek. He pressed his cheek into my hand.

"I'm...I'm sorry," I whispered to him, kneeling in front of his chair. I rested my head on his knee.

"You need to disarm this bomb," Dick said, moving his knee so I would have to look up at him. I shook my head of the nonsense. I couldn't tell whose blood was on me anymore, not that it mattered. Joker and I had the same blood after all.

I stood up and went behind Dick to the bomb. I pulled up my wrist computer and tried to hack into the bomb, but there was no way I could even connect to it. I couldn't pry open the sides to get inside because that would make it go off.

I looked at the cord wrapped around Dick. It was the only thing that even hinted at the fact Dick was connected to a bomb. I had two choices: cut the cord and either set off the bomb or deactivate it, or I leave Dick in the chair forever.

"I have to cut the cord," I said, looking at Dick. His eyes flashed with worry.

"Ha, like a baby," he joked, "you can't. It might set it off."

"Well, what do you want me to do? I can't just leave you tied up forever!"

"Just...just calm down. We'll think of something. You couldn't hack it?"

"No. I have to cut it."

"Athena, no!"

I pulled out Thalia's dagger. Even though Joker revealed the whole reason I trusted Ra's was actually a lie, I still felt luck behind Thalia's gift to me. I grinned as genuinely as I could to Dick.

"Everything will be okay," I said it to him, but I was more reassuring myself. After my world had come shattering down by Joker's story, I didn't have much to lose. However, I knew Dick did. His family -- a family I perhaps had adopted too -- was outside fighting a war Joker started. Gotham and Bludhaven were both of Nightwing's cities. If this bomb went off, he would lose those cities.

I grabbed the thin cord in my hands. I pulled out Thalia's dagger. Dick closed his eyes and panted. I kept my eyes open. My hands didn't shake. I cut the cord in one swoop.

Nothing happened.

I laughed and clapped my blood stained hands. I smiled and unwrapped Dick from the cut cord. I pulled off the chains, freeing Grayson.

He stood up and wrapped his arms tightly around me. I smiled and giggled, trying to forget everything Joker said to me. Suddenly, I felt nauseous. I saw dots and remembered my open wounds. My arms were cold and my legs were numb. My eyes rolled back.

I collapsed.

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