Cain's eye's locked on Artemis, just sighed. "Ok," he said evenly. " We can talk. But I'm not doing it with a bow pointed at my face. I doubt you can hold that draw much longer anyway. Either your arm gives out, or the string snaps. My money's on your arm."
Artemis' eyes narrowed. For a long second, she held the tension. Then she exhaled sharply through her nose, irritation bleeding into exhaustion. The bowstring slackened. She lowered the weapon and stepped back, resting the bow against her leg.
Cain slowly sat up, then stood. He was naked and not bothered. He then reached for the clothes on a nearby chair. He pulled on a shirt and pants without urgency, every movement deliberate.
Artemis crossed her arms. "You really sleep naked?"
But Cain didn't look at her as he adjusted his shirt. "Don't worry about how I sleep unless you're planning on sleeping next to me," he replied coldly.
Artemis scoffed but didn't fire back. She looked away instead, jaw tightening, like she was swallowing something sharp.
Cain now fully dressed turned to face her fully. "Alright, now I am decent" he said. " Please talk."
Artemis leaned back against the wall, eyes fixed somewhere past him. " Ok I'll be straight," she said. " There's no dancing around it. I hate you, Cain. I hate you."
That hit hard, but not surprising from how she has been acting.
She kept going.
"I hate the Viltrumites. I hate this hybrid pheromone crap. I hate everything connected to it." Her voice shook, but she didn't stop. "Roy's dead. You know that. And yeah, Oliver's got a new Speedy now, but that doesn't fix shit. He was like a brother to me, yeah we didn't get along that much. But I always trusted him to have my back vices and all."
She finally looked at him, eyes burning.
"You probably don't know this," she continued, "but Green Arrow had a new kid at the Tower that day. She was training with Roy and me. Her name was Mia. Good kid with a shitty past. But she was getting better. When me and Roy was in the middle of giving her pointers. Mark attacked. Roy went out to help, and a few minutes later Mark threw you through the Tower… you missed her by inches."
Cain's stomach dropped.
"She almost bled out," Artemis said quietly. "She wasn't even supposed to be in danger. She survived, but she left. Quit the Titans, and disappeared off the face of the Earth."
The name Mia surfaced instantly.
Mia Dearden.
Cain remembered the comics. The girl from the streets. Oliver pulling her out of hell. But hell didn't leave her. She was trapped with a illness for the rest of her life. Her strength. Seeing her blood all over the place probably filled her fear with. The risk of infecting others. She must've felt so scared.
Artemis clenched her fists.
"I hate you because you couldn't save Roy," she said. "I hate you because I lost Mia. I hate you because I liked you. Like a lot, and then I saw the blood on your hands. I saw how you beat Mark afterward, and all I could see was a monster."
Her voice cracked.
"No...I hated myself even more… because I was weak. Because I froze. Because I didn't do a damn thing to help anyone."
Cain stared at her, stunned.
"…Wait," he said slowly. "You liked me?"
Artemis let out a bitter laugh and slid down the wall to sit.
"Yeah," she said. "I did. Big time. Tall, dark, stupidly strong." She looked up at him. " It was easier to blame you for everything than admit how powerless I felt. But you were dealing with your own things. And you were all alone, I at least had the Titans, and Oliver and Dina."
She looked away again.
"I didn't even come see you when you were in the hospital. Or after."
Cain stepped forward, the distance between them closing. He stood in front of her, looking down—not in judgment, but in something heavier.
For the first time since the Tower, he saw it clearly. He hadn't been the only one broken that day. She like the other's were suffering to.
"Thank you," Cain said quietly. "For telling me that. For being honest." Artemis didn't meet his eyes. Then Cain added, gently, "Was the bow really necessary?"
A corner of her mouth twitched. "What can I say? I feel safer with a weapon in my hand."
Cain smiled faintly. "Yeah. I get that."
He extended his hand. "Truce?"
Artemis glanced at it, then shook her head.
"No. We're even."
She reached out anyway, but instead of shaking, Cain pulled her into a hug. She stiffened for half a second, surprised. Then her arms wrapped around him just as tightly. Neither of them spoke. For a quiet moment, two wounded heroes finally let the weight down.
A few hours later, the door slid open....
Jason stepped in, fully geared up, Rose at his side. "Cain," Jason started, "it's time to..."Both of them froze.
Cain and Artemis were asleep, curled together on the bed, peaceful in a way neither. Jason and Rose expected.
Jason smirked, and pulled out his phone. Click. Rose glanced at his screen and grinned.
"Send me that."
Artemis stirred, eyes cracking open. "Shut up," she whispered.
Jason raised his hands. "Relax. take five minutes." Artemis yawned and muttered, "Send it to me too."
Cain slept on, oblivious.
An hour later, everyone was strapped into the custom-built spacecraft. The interior hummed faintly as systems came online.
Robot sat in the pilot's seat. Starfire beside him, calm and focused. "Everyone. We will exit Earth's orbit shortly," Robot announced. "Estimated arrival at Mars: three minutes. Prepare for short-distance warp."
Cain's stomach tightened. Suicide Squad. Viltrumites. Anissa. Conquest. Thragg. He didn't know if he was ready. Then Artemis reached over and grabbed his hand.
"We've got this," she said softly. Cain squeezed back. "…You're right."
The ship then lifted up from the island and flew off. Stars stretched, and they vanished into warp.