Chapter 37

"It's all about eye hand-coordination. Having a nice and firm grip when you're ready to fire. And then releasing it at the right time when it shoots off."

Artemis and Harry currently were in the training room at the penthouse. She stood behind Harry, working him through some of the finer points of archer. She stood behind him, arms wrapped nice and tight around his waist when he pulled back the bow upon her instruction.

It seemed a bit amusing that someone with the power set of Harry would be even interested in learning to pick up archery. It just seemed like overkill, given that he could move things with his mind and lift entire mountains with his muscles. Oh, those muscles, Artemis tried very hard not to lose her mind just thinking about it, but it was very hard for her to do.

It gave her an excuse to touch Harry while correcting his pose and his posture, which was not a bad thing, as far as Artemis was concerned. Oh no, far from it, it was a very good thing. Even if it did not seem logical why he would even want to learn to fire an arrow.

"Good and fire," Artemis said.

He came closer to hitting the target than Artemis did the first time she fired the arrow. Harry turned around and looked her straight in the eye. Artemis just broke out into a soft sigh and place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It wasn't bad," Artemis said. "You just need to turn your positioning a bit more to the right...here, like this."

Artemis turned her body in the spot next to Harry. She reared back the bow and shot the arrow. Seconds passed when she followed the progress of the arrow. In her mind, time slowed down.

Then the arrow clung into the target, hitting directly in the center ring. Artemis tried not too look too happy.

"You make it look easy," Harry told her.

Artemis answered with a half of a shrug. "Well you make the things you do, look too easy as well. What are you going to do?"

Harry smiled, not that much. The truth was, people might have wondered why he would even want to try and bother with something as trivial as archery. The fact of the matter was that Harry felt like he needed pretty much every tool in the toolbox possible.

If there's one thing Harry learned, is that relying on his powers against far stronger opponents could lead to doom. So far, he was very fortunate to fight people who he could match in both strength, and most of the time with skill. Harry did not want to test that luck, or have it run out.

Harry reared back the bow, copying Artemis's earlier movements. He sunk the arrow into the target. Perhaps not as close as Artemis was, but very much closer.

"To be fair, that's good," Artemis said. "No one expects you to be like Green Arrow or Spe….Red Arrow or…."

"Like you," Harry said.

"Like me," Artemis agreed.

Harry had to be the very best in the world at what he did, and oh boy, did Artemis appreciate that. He pulled back the arrow, rearing back and sinking it near the target the third time, this time it almost landed next to the arrow Artemis put in.

Almost, not quite, and she could see Harry's very burning frustration.

"Okay, could you show me again?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Artemis said.

Artemis bent at the knees in front of Harry, the tight spandex workout pants she wore clinging to her body very nicely. She took a second to position herself, the arrow was most certainly in play. She reared back and fired the arrow. The arrow flew through the air and made a beeline towards it's target.

It hit the mark for the second time. Artemis stepped forward, and almost lost her balance.

Quickly, Harry threw his arms out to grab onto her. With his arms around her, Artemis steadied took a deep breath as Harry prevented her from hitting the ground.

The two teammates and friends stood side by side. Artemis's peered into his gorgeous eyes, spellbound. She leaned in closer.

A beep ruined the moment and that would be the alarm on Artemis's watch.

"Oh, I have to go," Artemis grumbled. "First day at GPA tomorrow….it would be….it would be a week earlier, but you know, Ivo and his little android crashed half of the school."

"Oh," Harry told her. "Another time then."

"Yeah, another time."

Artemis could have cursed herself losing track of the time and not in the fun way. Granted, spending time with Harry, in it's own way, had been its own reward, but yeah, not exactly….oh Artemis was starting to sound like Megan in her head.

After a fond smile of Artemis's thoughts to her Martian teammate, Harry wrapped an arm around her and escorted her home.

Artemis and Harry returned home, where Paula had been sitting up at the table. Harry turned to Paula as Artemis excused herself to go up to her bedroom.

"Sorry for keeping your daughter up so late," Harry said. "She was teaching me how to perfectly fire an arrow and she lost track of the time."

"No need to apologize," Paula said. "I'm glad that Artemis has friends like you, Helena, and the others...I do wish I could give her more in life."

Paula sized up Harry, shifting her whelechair back from the table and craning her neck whilst looking at Harry.

"Do you mind staying around for a little bit?" Paula asked. "I know it's a school night...but…."

"It's fine," Harry said. "I keep some pretty long nights anyway."

Paula just smiled knowingly. The truth was, Harry did not need much sleep. She had a pretty good idea who he was, obviously, and Harry knew who she was a long time ago, although that had been a different lifetime. Right now, Paula Crock was not a dangerous criminal, rather a broken woman who regretted some of the many mistakes she made.

Harry noticed the literature she had on the table. Not meaning to pry, but Harry did have a keen sense of observation, perhaps at some of the worst possible times.

"Just something I've been looking at," Paula said. "The supposed miracle work of Doctor Shondra Kinsolving...some people think she's a witch doctor, but she's pioneering a new method to cure paralysis...although it's still in the initial stages of research."

Paula wondered if she would ever see that particular cure in her lifetime. If Larry did not talk her into one last job, Paula would not be in the situation she was in. He had been charming, ever since the beginning. A bit abrasive when things did not go his way, and always made sure to tell her that he brought her out of a rough home.

Oh, given that one daughter ran out on her and Paula had a tense relationship with the other, that was really not the life she envisioned.

"Well, she's made some progress," Harry said.

"Yes, and if someone is helped down the line, that would be...good for them," Paula commented, trying not to sound too bitter in the process. "It's based off of the work that Lena Luthor had been doing prior to her incapacitation."

Harry's ears perked up and he motioned for Paula to continue. Paula's expression and voice darkened several shades and Harry felt a chill from it.

"Lex seems unwilling to continue that branch of her research," Paula said. "And if he did, I don't think that it would be in my price range."

Paula thoughtfully observed Harry over the top of her cup of coffee, just thinking out loud.

"I wonder if this is karma," Paula said. "Karma for everything I did....mistakes I made a long time ago"

Harry reached across the table, and squeezed Paula's hand. The warmth which spread through the older woman relaxed her. And shivers up her spine for the first time in a long time.

"So, what's going on between you and my daughter?" Paula asked.

Harry's eyebrow raised. Did she know about...no….surely not."

"Your daughter?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Artemis," Paula said.

Okay, different conversation, although Harry figured that Jade and her estrangement from her family would be a bit of a sore subject for Paula. And Paula did not want to bring her up, which was understandable.

"I'm not blind," Paula continued. "And I was sexually active at Artemis's age...I got pregnant with her sister around this point...although I do hope that she is a bit more careful than I was, and you're a bit more...a bit more careful…."

"No children until after college," Harry said. "For both men and the girls…..I have ways to prevent them from happening...it's complicated."

Magic often could be. Although it was actually quite simple if you knew how biology worked and how to manipulate it to prevent accidents.

"Well, I don't care how complicated it is, as long as you're safe," Paula said. "I know that Artemis is going to make her claim to you shortly….and she's aggressive enough to get what she wants, when she wants it."

Harry figured as much. He intended to wait for most of the girls until they were at least seventeen, with Megan and Donna being the exceptions, but they were exceptions due to being older than their legal human age. Mareena was almost to that point, with Artemis being closer, and Helena and Whitney being the furthest behind her.

"I see the way that you look at her and she looks at you," Paula said. "And I hope to not be a grandmother for another five years….so…."

"It's impossible for something to happen without one hundred percent consent from both of us," Harry assured her. "No accidents….someday….I might make you a grandmother...but that's not today."

Of course, it was more likely that it would come through Jade first, but he did not want to cross that particular mindfield. Still, Harry would not impregnate anyone until they were both ready, and Harry was not ready to deal with children. And the vast majority of his girls were not in the position to deal with them yet. Someday, perhaps.

Magic was funny in this way.

"Well, I knew you wouldn't do anything reckless," Paula said. "But, it's just...it's just a weight off my shoulders."

Artemis dressed in her uniform from Gotham City Private Academy. The skirt was just right, although one could argue it was a little snug, and maybe a nice bit shirt. The top fit against Artemis's toned body, a button unbuttoned to allow her breasts to breath a slight amount.

Harry smiled when they met downstairs.

"You were here all night?" Artemis asked.

"Well, I went by the corner store to get a couple of things for your mother."

"Out in the middle of the night in Gotham City?" Artemis asked him.

"I made a couple of muggers cry," Harry said with a shrug.

Artemis just laughed, she would have paid to see that. Harry motioned for her to come with him, and she raised his eyebrow.

"I'm walking you to GPA," Harry told her.

"Did Mom put you up to this to make sure I actually went?" Artemis asked him.

Harry just smiled and Artemis folded her arms, giving him the side eye.

"Is it my mother who doesn't trust me, or is it you?" Artemis asked him.

"Just want to make sure you get there okay," Harry said. "Besides, I've got a couple of hours to kill before I'm due at Happy Harbor."

The two took the walk from the bad part of Gotham through a nicer part of Gotham. Or at least one where the graffitti had been cleaned up. Given the number of rich kids attending GPA, Artemis did not doubt for a minute there were some gangs peddling drugs close. Unfortunately, which rich kids and disposable income, that was a combination that lead to some pretty bad choices.

"I've got to go meet with my student mentor, Bette Kane, an hour before class," Artemis said.

"The Kanes are pretty influential around Gotham City," Harry said.

"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But, I'm sure she'll be nice."

The two of them walked over, where Harry took took of a tall, beautiful blonde, who wore her schoolgirl uniform extremely nicely. She looked over at them with a smile, and her eyes cast on Harry, almost as if she was sizing up a particular juicy steak.

Harry smiled and cleared his throat.

"You must be Bette Kane," he said.

"Yeah, and...that's Artemis, right?" she asked, pulling herself away from the distraction.

"Yeah, that's me," Artemis commented. "It's a real honor to meet you, Bette."

Bette just smiled and shook Artemis's hand. She looked at Harry.

"I'm here to answer any of your questions, any concerns you might have before school," Bette said. "So, if I can pull you away from your boyfriend for a minute….."

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend," Artemis said. "Just...just a friend."

Artemis spent every bit of her self control not to conclude that sentence with an "unfortunately". The truth was, she wanted to make her move, and knew Harry was sleeping with both Donna and M'gann. However, she had a few anxiety issues, not wanting to mess things up. Harry did deserve the very best.

Of course, she was pretty sure he was sleeping with Wonder Woman, Black Canary, and Power Girl in addition to two of her teammates. Which made Artemis need step her game up.

"Right," Bette said with a smile. "Please to meet you…."

"Harry," Harry said.

"Right," she said. "Don't worry, Artemis is in good hands...and I'll catch you later."

She moved off with Artemis a second later, the two ladies talking about Gotham Private Academy. Harry shifted back, looking over his shoulder.

"Hey, Harry!"

Helena walked over, with a beautiful dark-haired girl standing behind her. She smiled when looking over.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Making sure Artemis gets to school on time," Harry said.

"Right, I'm glad you were there to look after her," Helena said with a yawn. "Sorry...busy night."

Harry could only imagine, especially if Helena was doing the Dynamic Duo thing with her father. Helena smiled and turned to her companion.

"Harry, this is Zatanna Zatara. Zee...this is Harry Kent."

"Oh, hey," Zatanna said with a smile. "It's so nice to meet you….Helena's told me a lot about you."

"Hopefully good things," Harry said.

"The best, she was gushing about you," Zatanna said. "And I can see why….nice to meet you, really it is."

She shook hands with Harry and as with many girls did, she gave him a good looking over. Some of the other students in the academy, even the Freshmen, were giving Harry a long gaze. Granted, many of them were much too young for his liking, but still, Harry could not deny some of them would be extremely attractive women someday.

"C'mon, Steph, let's go!" one of the girls yelled urgently to her friend.

"So, your father's the famous stage escape artist, John Zatara, right?" Harry asked Zatanna.

"Yep," she said. "That's him...and you know his other...job, right?"

"Yes," Harry said. "So, have you…."

"First year at GPA," Zatanna said. "Glad to be out and about...given how my father's...well he's not doing too well lately."

Harry respectfully did not pry.

"We should head to class," Helena said. "I'm showing Zatanna around the school...maybe you should get back, given that you have a pretty long bus ride back."

All about keeping up appearances, and to be fair, if Harry did, he was cutting it pretty short. Bette and Artemis came back around.

"It was nice to meet you," Zatanna said.

"Yeah, you too," Harry said.

Artemis and Bette came back around. Bette just looked from the retreating Helena and Zatanna to Harry.

"Seems like you know a few people, including my cousin," Bette said.

Oh, that's right, Helena mentioned to Harry in the past that she was related to the Kanes.

"I've got to go," Harry said. "I'll catch you after school….providing nothing comes up."

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine," Artemis said. "I'll go back with Helena and Zatanna….and I'm sure Bette will also make sure that no harm befouls me."

"I'll do my best," Bette said. "Wait, Harry...before you go?"

She moved forward to shake his hand. Harry realized that she shoved a crumpled bit of paper in his hand. Bette moved off with a smile, and a couple of Bette's classmates giggle, before she gave them a long look.

Harry just smiled and left Artemis on her way. She would be fine, Harry was confident of that much.

Harry had a few more minutes of time to kill in Gotham, and he joined Barbara, Dinah, and Dinah's sister, Sara, for a drink at the coffee shop before class. Sara, having met Harry for the first time, looked him over. She turned to Dinah with a smile.

"Well, he's an improvement," Sara said. "At the very least, he's not trying to grow a stupid goatee...can you believe I had a crush on him?"

"Well, he's...he can be….he can be charming," Dinah responded. "Or could be, rather."

Harry figured he would take Dinah's word for it. He noticed that she struggled not to give Oliver too much of a hard time, despite what he did to her, and how she did not back his play.

"Yeah, maybe," Barbara said. "You gave him plenty of chances, and you've moved onto something better."

"Speaking of better, don't you have to get to class?" Dinah asked.

"I can just pop over in a minute," Harry said. "No problem."

"Yeah, besides, I'm glad he's here," Sara said. "And any excuse to avoid class...is alright with me."

"Sara, you really should focus a bit more," Dinah said.

"Hey, I get good grades plenty without focusing," Sara argued. "Harry's the same way, aren't you, Harry?"

"Don't get me to make your arguments," Harry said with a laugh. "Because, eventually, i'm going to have to train with your sister, and I'd prefer she doesn't get too rough with me."

"But, I always kiss it and make it better," Dinah told him.

"That, you do," Harry said.

Barbara just grinned. She was glad that Dinah had someone like him. She wanted someone like him, but between studies, the library, and just sorting out her life in general, now was not the time. Although she should not take life that seriously, because it could be frustrating.

"Right, I've got to go," Barbara said. "Sorry...we should do this more sometime...see you later, Harry."

"Take care, Babs," Harry said.

The library was rewarding, although the most exciting thing was tracking down overdue books. Oh, how Barbara longed for something more, an adventure of sorts.

"I better get going," Sara said. "Was nice meeting you...stay in tune."

Sara swooped in and kissed Harry on the cheek, as if daring her sister to say anything. Dina just smiled and Sara hugged her sister goodbye, before taking the bus to dance class, and then she would have afternoon classes at GCU.

"So, I've been invited to the Queen Industries Charity Benefit," Dinah told him.

"Seriously?" Harry asked.

He was surprised she got the invite and Dinah appeared just as surprised.

"I know," Dinah commented. "But, I doubt it was Oliver that sent the invitation….I have my suspicions who might have done it…."

"Are you going?" Harry asked.

"Well, I can take a date, and I was hoping you would come with me," Dinah said. "It's for a good cause, I'll give him that much. Raising money for a young girl who needs heart surgery badly."

"Well, of course I'd come with you," Harry said.

Dinah smiled, but the sound of a league communicator had indicated that Dinah had best be going, and going soon.

Harry thought he put it off long enough. Time to take the Zeta back to Happy Harbor and get to class.

Of course, in typical Harry fashion, something stopped him cold. He came across a young girl, who was awkwardly navigating the bus station. She looked lost, and nervous, and not too healthy to be honest. Harry just frowned, sensing something from her.

Harry closed his eyes, and when no one was looking, sent a time duplicate through to the Zeta, to go to school for him. No one would be the wiser. Well Megan might, but she would understand the circumstances once Harry explained them to her.

"Hey"

The young girl jumped up and took a deep breath.

"Sorry to startle you," Harry said. "I was wondering if you were having any problems…..I can help you."

She looked at him, and nodded in response.

"I need to get on the bus, the one that's stopping at Kane Pavilion," she said. "I've had a really long morning already…..and...well the plane wa slate touching down at Gotham International Airport."

She spoke slowly, as if English was not her first language, and she did not want to make a misstep. Regardless, Harry just smiled and steered her to the proper bus.

"Are you parents here?" he asked.

The girl shook her had no in response, and Harry just frowned.

"You're here all alone….you're nine or ten…."

"Thirteen," she corrected him firmly.

"Still much too young to board a strange bus on your own," Harry muttered.

Granted, he did not have much room to talk. She looked pretty rough and a bit stunted in growth. This girl looked like she had a hard life. Harry escorted her onto the bus, paying for her fare, and his. They took a seat, past some unsavory figures.

It might have been a good idea Harry was on the bus with her, because some of these people looked like they should be on a sex offenders registry. He offered her a seat and she sat down next to him.

The girl fumbled through her bags, and pulled out a bottle of pills. Harry recognized them as heart medication. She sniffed the pills, and then took two of them. She pulled down the bottle of water, and sniffed that, before downing it.

The girl paused and felt a bit more relaxed.

"We should be there in twenty minutes," Harry said.

"You did not have to do this," she said. "But, thank you."

Twenty minutes later, Harry escorted his charge off of the bus, outside of the Kane Pavilion. And the first face he saw as Billionaire Bruce Wayne. Bruce smiled when looking at him.

"Mr. Kent, it's an honor to meet you again."

Last week, Harry had lunch with Helena, Bruce, and Claire, so naturally the two of them knew each other outside of their crime fighting identities. He moved in and shook hands with Harry. Bruce moved a little bit closer towards him.

"Shouldn't you be in school," he muttered.

"Time remnant," Harry replied in a low voice.

Bruce nodded in understanding and pulled back. From the pavilion came an attractive redhead woman, dressed in a professional business suit. She had shoulder length red hair and stopped.

"Mr. Wayne, thank you for meeting with me," the girl said.

"The honor is mine," Bruce said with a warm smile. "This is Kate Kane...she will be your minder when you're in Gotham, Queen Perdita."

"Queen Perdita?" Harry asked.

Perdita just gave him a shy little smile. He was so cute when he was baffled.

"You treated me with kindness when you did not know my status," she said. "That speaks volumes of your character…Mr….Kent, was it not?"

"Hadrian Kent," he offered.

"Noble Hadrian, I thank you," she said.

She took his hand and gave him a fumbling kiss on the knuckles. It was kind of adorable.

"My friends call me Harry," he said.

"And then, I hope you would allow me to have the honor of doing so," Perdita said.

"Of course."

Perdita smiled and Harry left her off with Kate Kane. Who was silent, but observing Harry quietly. If Bruce trusted her, than so did Harry, because Bruce's trust did not come by easily.

Now that Harry had a time remnant going to school in his stead, Harry had been free to explore Gotham City at his leisure. And one of the places he would stop by, was to see Selina. She did give him an open invitation to show up at any time.

A black cat moved out of the apartment, sizing up Harry. The cat mewled and walked closer towards him, rubbing up against Harry's leg and purring, while Harry scratched her on the eyes.

"Isis approves of you. And she doesn't normally like anybody, but me...and Helena."

Selina turned up from the elevator and smiled. She gracefully pulled out her keys and prepared to open up the door, leading to her apartment.

"A happy pussy is always good," Harry said.

"Quite," Selina said with a knowing smile. "Although word on the street is you have a real life cat woman who is hovering about in your life…."

"Yes, and she's quite lovely," Harry said. "Nina's been embracing it, even though she's willing to help our….Cheetah return back to normal."

Harry smiled as he and Selina walked into the apartment, next to each other. Selina locked her eyes with him.

"She's lovely, but it's not like you don't have your own merits," Harry said. "Although, I do wonder what you would look like if you had been transformed like her."

"Been there, done that," Selina said. "It was quite the educational experience."

She smiled and moved over to fix them a cup of coffee. Selina rested next to Harry, a couple buttons of the blouse opened up and her skirt riding up, to reveal her luscious legs. Selina lightly rested her hand on Harry's thigh and smiled.

"So, are you skipping school to pick up MILFs?" Selina asked. "Not that I mind...not at all."

Selina was more than ready to take advantage of Harry here on the couch, or rather have him take advantage of her. Unfortunately, a call came from the other room, and given only a handful of important people had that number, she would have to get that.

Selina bounced up to answer the phone.

"Pam….yeah...oh...you've got to be kidding me!"

Her voice raised and Harry could hear that something was extremely wrong.

"I'll talk to her...I thought we got through to her the last time."

Selina broke out into a soft sigh and hung up the phone.

"Sorry," Selina told him. "But, I really need to take care of something...one of my friends...she's in big trouble."

"Another time, then?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, another time," Selina said. "Raincheck?"

Selina gathered up her things, with Harry coming out with her. He did not want to ask, but it seemed to be a little bit serious.

Harry sat outside of the cafe, with Zatanna, Helena, and Artemis, with Artemis and Zatanna just wrapping up their first days at Gotham Private Academy.

"How was it?" Harry asked.

"Well, school's school," Artemis said. "The classes are a bit more of a challenge...but the teachers are a whole of a hell lot more competent. And the school lunches don't look like something that escaped from some lab."

"That's really the difference between a public school and a highly funded private school," Helena said.

"Besides, both schools have Taco Thursday, which is about the only thing that I liked from my old school," Artemis said.

"Good to see you enjoyed it," Harry said.

Helena shifted her attention over to Zatanna, who had been a bit far off today. She called her father twice today, to check up on him.

"How is he doing?" Helena asked.

"Well, he has is good days, and he has his bad days," Zatanna offered. "I wanted to stick around...but he was insistent that I get out of the house….so I could focus on something other than him."

Zatanna supposed it was a lot easier than watching her father slowly wither away from the illness.

"But, he's been teaching me a lot when I've been well," Zatanna said. "About magic, you know."

"Harry can do magic, too," Helena said in an undertone.

"Really?" Zatanna asked.

Harry conjured a bouquet of flowers out of mid-air, and handed them to Zatanna, who smiled. He also refilled their drinks, and improved on their taste a little bit.

"I don't have those nifty backwards incantations," Harry said. "Or do you do those?"

Zatanna just broke out into a grin.

"Maybe, i'll show you a few of my tricks, if you show me a few more of yours."

Not the best place to do it out in public, and Harry understood that, really he did.

Harry absorbed the other half of himself after returning back to the Penthouse. Just some standard lessons, and his other half did the homework. Harry walked down the hallway, and bumped into Nina.

"Harry!" Nina said in excited voice. "How are you doing?"

"Great," Harry said. "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm….I'm just settling in," Nina said. "I've had to get more specialized bras."

She held out her ample chest in response, almost as if she was making sure that Harry's attention had bee drawn to them.

"When I've bothered to wear them at all," Nina said. "And I haven't mutated any further, although when mating season happens....it's going to be interesting to see how my body reactions."

Nina moved over and wrapped her arms around Harry, surprising him by pulling him close.

"You look nice," Nina purred. "Smell nice as well."

Without warning, she ripped into Harry's clothes, tearing off his shirt, and nearly his pants. Nina went for calm and collected to wild and feral in a minute. Then she snapped herself out of it.

"Oh, damn it, they warned me this could happen," Nina said. "I'm….I'm going to have to talk to Diana and Doctor Sandsmark...see you around."

"Nina, it's fine."

Harry closed his eyes a half of a second later. He thought for a minute she was going to jump him and to be fair, Harry was going to tame her.

Just then, Diana came around the hallway. She caught one glimpse of Harry's ripped clothes.

"Nina?" she asked.

"Has been dealing with a lot," Harry said. "Wild impulses which are getting even more….you know."

"Yes, I know," Diana agreed. "And she's left you on edge as well."

"Intending to take care of that?" Harry asked.

"Love to."

Harry escorted Diana into his private chambers, with a smile on his face. Sure he did not get to have a busty catgirl, but a gorgeous Amazon was a pretty good consolation prize.