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- - - The swingset creaked and groaned as the swings moved back and forth, propelling the child in its seat. He kicked his legs happily, the sky filling his vision as he flew forward, only to be swung backward and get a good look at the earth below him. He cackled with childish glee as he swung, the feeling close to that of actual flight as the eleven-year-old continued his movements. Billy swung backward, only to point his toes and swing forward quickly and send himself sailing off the swingset and burying his feet in the sand that surrounded the playset. "Ha! Beat that, Freddy! I don't think even Superman could be that!" he said, scrambling up and dusting himself off. He drew in the sand where his feet had landed, making a large indention to mark how far he'd flown. The blonde on the other swingset giggled, tongue sticking out at the raven-haired boy as he continued to swing. "That's easy, Billy- you're just short so you think you went far!" the twelve-year-old teased, getting rolled eyes in response. "You're just jealous and scared! You can't go that far!" Billy returned, crossing his arms over his chest. Freddy harumphed and propelled himself off the swingset, flailing in the air before landing on his butt in the sand. Billy burst out laughing, running over to the boy and holding out his hand. "You okay?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. The blonde nodded, grabbing onto his hand and pulling him down into the sand. "Yea because-" he leaned over, smothering himself against the sand and wiping away the existence of how far the younger boy had flown. "I won!" he laughed. Billy squawked, tackling him and sending the pair rolling into the grass. "That's cheating! I was gonna get the world record for longest swing jump!" he squealed as the pair continued wrestling in the grass. They ended up rolling down the hill, leaving the pair with stained clothes and in a fit of laughter. Twigs stuck out of BIlly's hair and sand clung to Freddy's elbows as they giggled at the bottom of the hill. Billy shook his hair out, plucking a few leaves from his clothes as he stood up and dusted himself off. Freddy followed suit, brushing the sand from his skin and shoving the raven lightly. "I still won." he joked. Billy shook his head as the pair made their way back up the hill. A sudden shadow being cast on the bright green hill made the boys furrow their eyebrows, especially since there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The pair turned around to find Green Lantern floating in front of them, watching them with arms crossed over his chest. Their eyes widened as they shared a look before looking back at the hero. "Billy? Can I talk to you privately, please." The hero asked, making the raven's eyes widen further. Green Lantern wanted to talk to him? He looked at Freddy, who was smiling widely at him and nodding before shoving him. "Go! Green Lantern wants to talk to you! I'll save you a swing," he said before running off back up the hill. The blonde boy glanced over his shoulder excitedly before continuing his run. Hal cleared his throat, brows furrowed slightly as he landed in the grass and led the boy over to a shaded area. "Dude, what's goin' on? Why haven't you been answering your communicator?" he asked once they were alone. Billy furrowed his brow- what was he talking about? "Batman is furious, and I think concerned, but I can never tell with him," he said, shaking his head and crossing his arms once more. "So just, suit up and let's get going, cause if we keep them waiting we're gonna be in some serious horseshit." He glanced back down at the child, who was giving him a confused look. For a moment he thought he'd gotten the wrong kid, but then thought about it. He'd seen Billy before, Hell, he'd taken him to see a movie the couldn't get into on his own- he had a mop of black hair, bright, light blue eyes, and a thin frame. He was never caught without his red and yellow sweater (or t-shirt if it was warmer weather) and practically radiated sunshine. One look at this kid and he knew he had the right guy- but why was he acting like he had no idea what Hal was talking about? Come to think of it, Cap hadn't given him that star-eyed kind of look since they first started working together, like, two years ago. Hal furrowed his brow, looking closer at the kid. "I- I- I don't understand, Mister Lantern," Billy replied, confusion etched into his young features. "Why's Batman mad at me?" he asked, hurt and fear flashing in his eyes. It wasn't the look of someone who feared monitor duty or a lecture from his co-worker, no it was the look of a kid, fearful that one of his heroes hated him for some reason. Something was not right here. "Oh hey, hey, calm down, it's okay," he said, rewinding and kneeling in front of the kid. Until he figured out just what was going on, he'd do what came naturally when he saw an upset kid. "Here, what's your favorite animal?" he asked, though he knew the answer; at least, he did if it really was Cap. "A- a tiger..." Billy said nervously, the fear in his eyes beginning to fade. Hal smirked and made a bright green glowing tiger appear from his ring, the boy's eyes widening and fear vanishing. He smiled widely and stepped closer to the animal, reaching out a hand to it. "He looks just like Tawny..." he said softly, catching Hal by surprise. The brunet remembered something about that name; Captain Marvel had told him about it. "Who's Tawny?" he asked. "Tawky Tawny is the tiger that sometimes lives at the zoo," he replied easily, petting the green animal before looking back up at Hal. So that was where he knew it from. Green Lantern had remembered something about Cap saying that the tiger was in actuality an animal avatar, a being of magic- he hated magic. Hal looked down at the kid, who was looking up at him. "What?" he asked, confused. "Why would Batman be mad at me?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. There was still fear in his eyes, but it was lessened now, and he could tell the kid was curious. It wasn't like he could really tell him the truth though, right? He had no idea what was even going on with Captain Marvel right now, if he had some kind of amnesia or if this was some kind of clone- He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Oh uh- He's not. That was my mistake. Batman's not really mad, he's just- you know, grumpy." he covered. "But he did send me to get you," he said. He may as well bring him to the Watchtower- Clark or Bruce would know what to do better than him. "Lemme just..." he took a step back, the tiger vanishing as he scanned Billy with his ring. His biometrics came up as normal, so not a clone thankfully- there was always something off in the DNA when they dealt with those things. "Batman sent you to get me?" Billy asked, excitement in his eyes quickly being covered by suspicion. Hal had almost forgotten that Billy had been a street kid for a lot of his life; he probably wouldn't be up to trusting instantly. "What about Freddy? He's gonna wonder where I went." the raven said suddenly, glancing back towards the playground. "Miss Vasquez said that we were supposed to come home before dark, and if Freddy goes home without me they're gonna worry," he said, thumbing the rim of his t-shirt. Wait, had he been adopted? That didn't make a lot of sense, Billy had told both him and Flash that he didn't really have any interest in being adopted- to put it in his words, 'why should he take up space when it could be given to a kid that actually needs it'. Hal chewed on his bottom lip in thought before shaking his head. "It'll be okay, Captain. Trust me," he said, setting his hands on his hips. The kid gave him an odd look before glancing at the playground again. "Okay. Wait, where are we going?" he asked as a green field of energy enveloped him. He looked around him with wide eyes, excitement sparkling in them again. "I'm like a hamster!" he said gleefully, slipping and falling onto his butt inside the ball of energy. "A clumsy hamster." Hal supplied before taking off. "And to answer your question, we're going to the Watchtower." The boy's eyes just about bugged out of his head. - - - Hal arrived at the Watchtower in record time considering he wasn't using a Zeta Tube and touched down on the landing platform before walking into the large satellite. The entire time Billy had been quiet, staring at the vast expanse of space around him in awe. That, in particular, wasn't anything different for the Green Lantern, as he often saw that in Marvel's face. The man could often be found with his eyes glued to one of the Watchtower's many floor-to-ceiling windows, simply staring at the space around them and taking it all in. There was always this awed expression on his face, and an innocence to it that a lot of heroes took comfort in; the day that Billy became as grizzled and harsh as some of the rest of the League was the day that Hal quit. He set the ball of energy down and is disappeared from around the boy, who was still looking around and staring at everything in silent awe. "Is that Wonder Woman's jet?" he asked, pointing out a sleek silver jet that was resting off to the side of the hangar. Hal nodded and took the lead, smiling slightly at the boy's small squeak and taking the pair out of the hangar. Billy followed closely behind the brunet, meeting the eyes of a couple of heroes as they passed before ducking his head down. Some gave them weird looks; sure, it was common knowledge by this point that Captain Marvel was a kid, and that this was what the kid looked like, but he'd never actually shown up on the Watchtower like this. A few, like Plastic Man, stared openly and confusedly before shrugging and walking off without another word. Billy giggled at the sight of the man in a red unitard, watching him stretch and walk goofily away. "I like him," he said softly from behind Hal, the Green Lantern staying quiet as he led them to the meeting room. He paused just outside of it- Bruce had called a meeting when he'd been told that he found Captain Marvel and was bringing him up, but he hadn't gotten a chance to explain everything- or, anything, at all. Hal let out a breath, turning around and kneeling down in front of Billy. "Okay, listen, Cap, I don't-" he ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say. "Just stick close, okay? I'll do the talking, and you just- just sit there and look cute, okay?" Billy's eyebrows knit together in a pout. "I'm not cute. I'm 11 and three months," he argued. Hal sighed, standing up. "Right," he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he opened the door. He walked inside, Billy trailing closely behind. His presence got surprised and confused stares, to which the child hid behind Hal from. The brunet walked over to his seat and pulled it out, before realizing he had no idea what to do with Billy. Not only was his seat across the table, but everyone was currently staring at them. He simply sighed again and picked the child up, hooking his hands under his armpits and plopping him down in his lap. Diana's eyes widened from across the table, and Superman was currently giving him the most confused face he'd ever seen. Bruce simply raised an eyebrow (or at least he assumed that's what the slight movement behind his cowl was) and he chewed on his lip for a moment. "So uh..." he trailed off as everyone's attention became fixated on Billy- who was staring back with his own wide eyes. Batman was the first to snap out of it, shaking his head slightly before clearing his throat. "What's going on here., Green Lantern," he said, his voice gruff and annoyed. Hal opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Diana. "Captain Marvel, where have you been? You vanish for weeks on end, no communication, then suddenly show up out of the blue, and in this form no less?" she asked, fire lighting behind her eyes. Superman placed a hand on her shoulder before glancing down at the child. "Billy, did something happen? Why'd you go dark?" he asked, his voice professional and calm, a stark difference to Diana's confused and slightly angry. Billy's eyes flicked between Wonder Woman and Superman, confusion carved into his features. "I- I- I don't understand..." he said, slight fear in his voice. "Why do you people keep calling me Captain? I'm not a baby, you don't have to use some dad nickname on me," he said before shaking his head. "Wait- holy moly Superman knows my name," he said, eyes widening as he stared down at the table. Superman's brows knit together in confusion. "Billy, what are you talking about?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Billy looked up, blinking as his cheeks tinged pink. "Why wouldn't I know your name?" the Kryptonian asked with a raised brow. Billy swallowed thickly, before glancing at Batman- his eyes were narrowed in thought, but he was staring at Billy intently. So intently in fact that the boy must have thought he was mad and turned his hide his face against Green Lantern's uniform. Hal looked up at Batman, finding shock in his features. "Okay, maybe you should let me explain now, rather than hounding the poor kid," he said, wrapping his arms protectively around billy and rubbing his back gently. The group quieted down, and the brunet decidedly did NOT comment on the phone currently in Flash's hand that was undoubtedly taking pictures. Batman made a gesture for him to continue, and he cleared his throat. "Right, uh-" he paused. He actually didn't really know what was going on, why had he volunteered for this!? "Well I don't actually know what's wrong with him-" he ignored Superman's raised eyebrow. "Look, I showed up in Fawcett and followed where the ring told me his biosignature was. I found him and some blonde kid playing on the swing set and we got to talking." he glanced down at the child who had lifted his head and was looking up at him. "And uh- well, hey, why don't you go ask Flash over there for his phone and wait outside, alright?" he asked, looking down at the raven-haired kid. Billy gave him a suspicious look before letting his shoulders drop. "Adult talk. Got it..." he muttered dejectedly, his features falling as he slid off Hal's lap and heading for the door. He glanced back before leaving, pointedly not going for Flash's phone. "Sorry if I did something wrong..." he mumbled before leaving the room. Hal sighed, leaning back in his chair with a groan. "Okay, so he's got amnesia or something. I told him to suit up and he looked at me like I was crazy," he said, rubbing his hands over his face before he sat up. "And he keeps giving me that starry-eyed look he gave all of us when he first started." Batman brought a hand up to his chin in thought. "It'd explain why we haven't had contact with him for so long. If he does have amnesia we'll need to figure out its source, whether it be magical or from some hit on the head," he said, looking around. "Honestly, as much as a lot of us despise magic, I kinda hope that's what it is," Cyborg spoke up, having remained quiet thus far. "It'd be easier to solve than if he was hit. If it's from trauma or a sedative, his system may have filtered it out of him, but if he doesn't know that he's Captain Marvel, I don't know if that's possible," he said as he crossed his arms. "Cap's powers and healing doesn't translate over to Billy, trust me on this, so..." he trailed off. "It's definitely retrograde, from what I can tell. He remembers all of us, but he doesn't see us as co-workers. Right now we're just the big ol' Superheroes he's seen on TV or in the newspaper. He definitely doesn't remember Cap but knows all of us. It really leans more towards a magical origin- get rid of the Captain and you don't have to worry about the kid kind of thing." Hal said, shaking his head. "What do we do with him while he's like this?" Clark asked, looking around. "He might be in danger. Fawcett is hero-less, and Billy-" he cut himself off. "We can't just let him wander the streets without some sort of failsafe under his belt." "See that's another thing that points towards it being some kind of magical thing," Hal said, gesturing with his hand. "Apparently he was adopted. Got a foster brother and everything. If it was just some hit to the head or something, it wouldn't change his core personality. B's a stubborn one, he's always been against foster families, that wouldn't change unless someone did some deep scrubbing to his noggin." Clark nodded slowly, eyebrows furrowed together in thought. There was a sudden knock on the door, it opening to show Green Arrow holding a shaking Billy by the collar of his shirt. "So uh- we got a stowaway of some sort," he said, raising a brow. "He was trying to figure out a zeta tube- probably trying to bring some friends up here to meet the Justice League," he said sarcastically. Billy was trembling, tears pricking in the corners of his eyes as he looked like he was about to shatter. "I-i'm s-s-s-sorry-" he whimpered, pure terror in his eyes as he looked at the group. Hal was on his feet in an instant, walking over to take Billy into his arms and away from Oliver. The blonde's eyebrows pinched together in confusion, glancing at the rest of the group for some kind of explanation. "That's Captain Marvel, you dipstick," Flash said, shaking his head at the archer. "Wait, why were you trying to use the Zeta Tubes though?" he asked, looking at the trembling kid in Hal's arms. The boy stayed quiet, still shaking at the pilot held him. "It's okay, kid. You're not in trouble, we just wanna know." Hal said gently, surprising the speedster slightly- after all, this was one of the few heroes that didn't have a sidekick, or partner, or whatever. Billy sniffled, rubbing roughly at his eyes with his fists before turning his head and looking at the group. "I- I didn't wanna be in the way. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have snooped but I saw someone come through those tube things and I just thought I could use them to go home and- and I could get out of the way and-" he was cut off by a concerned look from Green Lantern. "Kid, you're not in the way. We're tryin' to help you," he said honestly. Billy still looked guilty. "Look, I know its kinda scary being up here by yourself-" Billy gave him a look that seemed like it bordered on 'i'm not scared, I'm a big kid' and 'stop talking to me like I'm a toddler' so he paused and started again. We- we need you to stay up here with us while we figure this out." he said after a moment. Hal set Billy down and kneeled down so that he was eye-level with the boy. "Look, I know you're a smart kid. You know we wouldn't ask you this if it wasn't serious." Billy looked unsure. "Iknow you wanna get back to the Vasquez's, but we really need you here with us." "What could you possibly need me here for..." he asked, his breath hitching. "I'm not a superhero." he continued, glancing at the rest of the group before looking back up at Hal. "I'm just some foster kid. What use can I be?" Hal's shoulders dropped a bit, pain in his eyes behind his mask. "You're right. You're not a superhero." he could feel someone's sharp gaze on him. "But you used to be. You may not remember it, but you used to be a superhero named Captain Marvel." Billy's head tilted slightly, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Is that why you guys keep calling me Captain?" he asked, his eyes guarded. Hal nodded, a small smile on his face. "But that doesn't make any sense! How could I be a superhero? I'm just a kid. I don't even know how to fight- I can't fly or shoot lasers or breathe fire. I can barely do division!" he argued, glancing around the room. "Besides, you're the Justice League, you wouldn't let a little kid join you. That's why you got the teen titans, and, and-" he felt tears well up in his eyes. "I- I'm not a superhero, I've never been a superhero. I'm just regular ol' Billy Batson. How would I forget being a superhero?" he asked, his breath hitching. Hal swallowed thickly, unsure of how to respond. Thankfully he didn't have to since Clark came over and took over for him. "Billy, look at me, son," he said, the boy having pointedly dropped his gaze to the floor at the sight of the Kryptonian. When he looked up and met the man's eyes, Superman gave him a small smile. Not one of his publicity smiles, but one of his genuinely warm ones. The boy blinked, looking up at him with that iconic awe back in place. If there was one person that the Captain's awe had never wained for, it was Superman. None of them were really sure what it was about the Kryptonian that made him such a hit with the boy, but they weren't going to question it. "I'm gonna be honest with you Billy, we don't know why you don't remember. We think it may be magic-" he paused at the boy's small gasp; magic was real? and chuckled. "-but you have to trust us. Would we lie to you?" he asked, smiling at him. Billy pursed his lips in thought, looking the group over before turning his gaze back to Superman. "I- I guess not..." he said slowly, chewing on his bottom lip. "But what powers do I have? What's my costume look like?" he asked, suddenly perking up. "I've never been able to do anything superhero-y, even when me and Freddy play superheroes. We just jump off of stuff and swing on our bellies." Hal shared a look with Superman- they might as well tell him. Maybe it would spark some recognition. "Well, uh, you don't actually have any powers. Not as Billy Batson anyway," he said, watching the boy's excitement grow. "You mean I got a super suit with superpowers built in like Batman?" he asked, eyes wide. Bruce's own eyes widened at the words, brow pinching together to look at the boy. "Is that what you think is going on here?" he asked gruffly, the boy having the decency to blush and lower his head timidly. "S-Sorry mister Batman. That's what my friend told me..." he mumbled before looking back at Superman. Superman chuckled. "No, Batman's just really that awesome," he said. "And no, you don't really have a super suit so much as a super...form? I guess?" he said, glancing around to see if he had that right. None of them had ever really asked, and Captain Marvel had never really been one to explain things unless asked directly, so they only had a vague idea of what went on with his powers. "You have the powers of the Gods," Diana spoke up, coming around the table to sit down on the floor. Her sword clinked against the floor as she sat, watching the boy. "My father Zeus blessed you with his lightning, for one," she said, smiling at his expression of amazement. "There are a couple of others, too- I think they actually make up the Wizard's name or something like that? I dunno, I didn't really understand it all when you spilled it to me." Flash said, leaning against the wall. "I know there's Solomon, Heracles, Atlas, Achilles, and Mercury- and that they all give you a different power, but that's about where my knowledge ends." Diana nodded. "Yes- the gods blessed you, their Champion I think they called it, with these powers. Shazam, the guardian of magic, chose you to be the wielder and protector of them." Diana filled in. Billy's head was flicking from hero to hero as they explained things to him, getting slightly confused by their words. "Magic? Wizard? Gods? This sounds like a storybook." he said in return, and the group shared a look. "Wait, if I'm this 'champion of magic' then why can't I do magic? or- or have superpowers?" he asked. "Well, for one, you usually say 'Shazam' and ya know, poof," Hal said, long having stood up and was now leaning against the wall. Billy gave in an incredulous look. "That sounds made up," he said, crossing his thin arms over his chest. "Shazam's not even a wo-" the boy was suddenly cut off by a thunderous crash and a flash of blinding light at a lightning bolt suddenly struck him. He cried out in pain, a loud crack and flash blinding the heroes around him. He was left sprawled on his hands and knees on the ground, breathing heavily and staring wide-eyed at the floor. Smoke began to clear in the room, some of the heroes coughing and attempting to clear the air. "Billy are you okay?!" he heard someone ask, but the raven was too busy staring at the hands that were seemingly holding him up. They were big. And muscular. It looked like the wrists were encircled in golden armbands, and a red suit extending up his forearms. Billy blinked, suddenly scrambling backward to stare at his hands. He moved them back and forth, wide eyes looking around at the League before back down at himself. Now that he was sitting he found that he was indeed wearing a red suit, complete with golden boots and a white and gold lightning bolt on his (very large) chest and a white cape with gold trim. He started breathing rapidly- this couldn't be true, it was way too crazy; he was only 11 years old, not some big Superman-looking guy! "I-I'm-" he stammered, flinching when he saw lightning travel over his large and imposing form. "What happened to me-" he asked, noticing that his voice was much deeper. He looked up at Superman, who was finally stepping closer and looking down at him with a slightly amused smile. "Superman?" he asked confusedly, glancing down at himself before looking around again. "Well, there goes my theory," Flash said, shaking his head. "Thought tapping into that mojo might have brought everything back, but looks like that was a bust." the blonde said with a small shrug. "What happened to me?!" Billy asked, the lightning jumping a bit further from his body as he started to freak out. Hal stepped forward, his hands out placatingly. "Capt-- Billy, you gotta calm down. This is what we were telling you about, okay? These are your superpowers." he said gently. Billy blinked at him- this was the magic they were talking about? This didn't make any sense! "Why am I a grown-up?" he asked, staring Hal in the eyes nervously. There was a sudden voice in his head- well, it wasn't so much of a voice as it was a sudden answer to his question that came into his head. He furrowed his brow at the thought. "This is the form that was chosen for me?" he asked himself, stumped by the thought. "I- I don't understand," he mumbled. Hal raised an eyebrow before snapping. "Wisdom of Solomon, right," he said, nodding. "Like that ancient king?" Billy asked, tilting his head slightly. "We learned about him in class. He's not a god," he said confusedly. There was a sudden flash of pain in his head before it vanished, the man shaking his head. "What's the Rock of Eternity?" he asked after a moment. Wonder Woman lit up. "Of course! The Rock of Eternity may be able to fix his memory. It is the source of all magic, the place where he got his powers- perhaps something there can help us." she said, standing up and unsheathing her sword proudly. "Um- I still don't know what that is. Is- It is like an actual rock?" he asked, slowly getting up from the floor. He noticed he was now at eye-level with Superman, and whoa, that was weird, but he tried not to think about it. "And- and how do we get there?" "The Rock Of Eternity is...complicated." Batman supplied. "There's only two entranced on earth from what you've told me. Kandaq, and Fawcett City. The homes of the chosen champions. From there we can get into the Rock and see if Diana's plan works." the Dark Knight said gruffly. "And as much as I'd enjoy starting an international incident with Black Adam," Superman said, shaking his head, "Fawcett isn't really an easy place to navigate if you're looking for magical stuff." Billy perked up at this. "I know Fawcett like the back of my hand," he said happily, unaware of the fact that he'd begun to float when his spirits were lifted. He glanced down and his eyes widened slightly before glancing at the Man of Steel. "How do I stop this," he asked nervously. Superman chuckled. "It's easy, trust me, I had the same problem when I first learned to fly. Just point your feet downward," he watched as Billy did as instructed, golden boots floating a few inches above the ground. "Okay, now just drop. Take a deep breath and relax your muscles." as he spoke, Billy nodded, letting out a breath before touching down on the floor. He grinned widely at the Man of Steel. "There ya go." The Kryptonian replied. - - - It really took them longer than it should have to decide who was going to accompany Billy to the Rock of Eternity- Of course, Hal would go since he kinda discovered this whole mess and wanted to see how it ended, (plus Billy was still kind of leaning more towards staying near Hal than anyone else) and Diana, since she knew more about this magic and the gods that powered Billy than anyone else on the team (besides Captain Marvel himself that is.) Green Arrow and Flash were debating who should come out of the two of them, and Cyborg was interested in the physicality of the Rock of Eternity- Billy wanted Superman to come despite his resignation with all things magic, and Batman was trying to convince Superman to come with them. In the end, everyone in the room came along. It was really the easiest solution when Billy thought about it- in fact, he'd been the one to suggest it. The more the merrier, right? They arrived in Fawcett by Zeta Tube, (which, by the way, left a weird taste in Billy's mouth and made his body feel all tingly) and the heroes walked out of what looked like an abandoned photobooth into a musty alley. Metal garbage tins glinted in the evening sun as a couple of rats skittered away from the visitors. Billy tilted his head at the animals and watched them run off, feeling sorry to have scared them away. "So do we have any idea where the entrance to the rock is in Fawcett?" Hal asked as he walked out of the teleporter, glancing at Batman and Diana before turning his attention to Marvel- er, Billy. "Kid? You got any idea? Solomon tellin' you anything?" he asked, watching the boy stare at something confusedly in the distance. "Kid?" Hal asked, glancing at the rest of the group. He walked closer to the boy in a man's body, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Billy...?" Billy flinched, shaking his head and turning back. "Huh? Oh uh- sorry. I just..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "I walked out of that tube thing and there's this warm pull that I feel in my stomach, like- like something was telling me to go over there-" he said, pointing off in the distance. "It may be the Rock Of Eternity calling to you." Diana supplied. Billy nodded slowly, glancing back in the direction his gut was telling him to go. "Should- should we follow it then?" he asked nervously, getting nods from the group. "Okay," he said, walking over to the fence and gripping onto the metal. Superman cleared his throat behind him, causing the boy to look back. "What?" he asked, letting go of the fence. Superman chuckled, giving him a look before floating up a few inches above the ground. Billy smacked his palm against his forehead, because duh, he could fly now! He blushed, floating up off the ground and rubbing the back of his neck. "Forgot about that." he said sheepishly. Hal chuckled and shook his head, him and Diana floating up as well, the former enveloping Batman and Green Arrow in a green field of energy as Flash nodded and told them he'd keep up. "Lead the way, Captain." the brunet told him, allowing Billy to take the lead. He nodded, turning towards the source that was calling him before taking off towards it. It was a weird feeling, flying that is, and he felt giddy as buildings and houses passed underneath him. He smiled down at Fawcett City, catching a few citizens' attention as he flew. It was even weirder to have the Justice League following his lead, something that made him even giddier. He glanced back to find them still behind him, reminding him that this was actually happening before looking down at the ground at a red blur that was darting around buildings. He smiled widely and continued on, following the tugging in his core. Eventually, he came to what looked like the remains of a subways station. Billy furrowed his brow; this place felt oddly familiar. Sure, he'd stayed there for a while when he was younger- it was a place that had a lot of the friendlier homeless people- but there was something else, something different. He touched down in front of the cracked and decaying entrance, caution tape littering the ground and rolling across the ground as the wind blew. He took a step forward, the tugging at his core growing stronger. He felt a buzz inside his head, pushing him closer to the entrance. "I- I know this..." he muttered, not noticing the lightning that had started to dance around him. He looked around, his mind not registering the League's confused voices behind him. He found his body almost moving on its own as he walked down the steps and into the darkness. The group was quick to follow, Hal providing a soft green glow as they followed him- not that he needed it, he could see fine. Billy came to the edge of the platform, glancing to his right down the dark, seemingly endless tunnel before looking to his left and hopping down off the platform. Superman said something along the lines of "what are you doing" but Billy wasn't listening. The buzzing in his skull was getting louder, harder to ignore. He glanced back at the group before continuing his walk down the abandoned tracks. He put a hand to his head, the pulling in his chest becoming undeniable. He quickened his pace, aware of the heroes behind him but not acknowledging them. He felt a pinch in his core before the buzzing grew louder, his breathing suddenly growing more labored. He looked around, slightly panicked before his gaze snapped to a wall. He narrowed his eyes at it, walking over and looking it up and down before pressing his hand onto the old brick. The seams between the stone started to glow, shining brightly and making electricity jump from him to whatever was behind them. The raven felt a warmth overcome him and he suddenly pulled his hand back, eyes glowing as the entrance to the Rock of Eternity revealed itself to them. Billy gasped, warmth flooding over his form as the buzzing in his head suddenly ceased. Everything grew quiet as he collapsed, falling to his hands and knees and staring at the stone beneath him. He was shaking, his muscular form moving on its own again and stumbling up before going through the entrance. He felt his chest expand, everything going silent before he collapsed, blacking out as he hit the ground. - - - When he finally came to, Marvel found himself lying on the ground, his head pillowed on something soft. He opened his eyes with a wince, his mind feeling like a groggy mess and his eyes burning at the light around him. "Ngh..." he winced, suddenly seeing Hal in his peripheral. "Hal...?" he asked weakly, confused as to why he was staring worriedly at him. Wait, where were they exactly? The brunet helped him sit up slowly, the Champion shaking his head slightly to clear it. "What happened..." he said mostly to himself, glancing down at the thing his head had been resting on- Clark's cape? Why was Superman giving him his cape to lay down on? What had happened to him? He glanced around, finally realizing that the entire league (well, the core members and Ollie at least) were surrounding him with worried (or in Bruce's case mildly concerned) expressions. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked before looking around. Were they at the Rock of Eternity? "What are we doing at the Rock? What's going on?" he asked, Diana lighting up with a smile. This only made the man furrow his brow further- why was she smiling? Cap brought a hand up to his head, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes before letting it out. Think. What led you to this situation. You have an eidetic memory, you know what happened. He thought about it, his eyes snapping open when he realized. "I- I remember!" he said, a smile spreading across his face. "It worked!" he said, standing up with ease. "Thank the Gods..." he said softly, Superman smiling subtly at him. Captain Marvel blinked, looking around. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you guys out of the way-" he was cut off by a sudden hug from Hal and a muttered, "Shut up". Cap blinked, staring down at the man clad in green before smiling widely and hugging him back. "Dude, we're just glad you remember," Hal said, pulling back. "Do you have any idea how you lost your memory?" he asked, stepping back. The Captain's eyebrows knit together, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. "It's kinda blurry, but yea. I- I think I do," he replied. "I remember that I was fighting one of Sivanna's robots, the usual stuff, but I remember that one of the robots had this- this energy to it, something that, for some reason, I was drawn to," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, turns out that's exactly what Sivanna wanted, and I got too close- he did something with it- I'm not sure what, but I knew it was magical, and the next thing I know I'm Billy and sitting in front of a foster care office with a lady guiding me to a desk. I mean I couldn't remember anything about being Marvel- the last thing I remembered was I think walking near the building, so I kinda just went with it. I mean, Something just told me to go with it, so I did." Captain Marvel said, glancing around. "Well, at least you're back now," Hal said with a chuckle. "Come on, we should probably track Sivanna down and figure out just what he did so this mess doesn't happen again," he suggested, glancing around to nods of agreement. Captain Marvel smiled softly. "Right," he said, following the rest of the group out of the entrance they'd come through he didn't know how long ago. "Wait- didn't I get adopted?" he asked, eyes widening and filling with dread. - - -