Chapter 1

In the final moments after the accident, Marcus Cain felt nothing but stillness—no pain, no emotion, just an overwhelming void. Darkness engulfed him, a deep, endless abyss. But then, suddenly, he opened his eyes and found himself standing in a strange chamber.

The walls around him were made of abyssal black marble, but these were no ordinary stones. They seemed alive, with swirling storms of lightning coursing through the surface, illuminating the room with brief, crackling flashes of energy. The space felt both ancient and otherworldly, humming with a power Marcus could barely comprehend.

At the center of the chamber stood a girl, no older than ten. Her metallic silver hair gleamed as if it had captured the moonlight itself, with neon blue streaks running through it, casting an ethereal glow. Her vibrant sapphire eyes locked onto Marcus, filled with a wisdom far beyond her youthful appearance.

"Welcome, Marcus," the girl said, her voice soft but echoing in the chamber like the whispers of the storm. "I've been expecting you."

Marcus blinked, struggling to find his voice. "Who are you?"

"I am Hestia," she replied with a gentle smile, though her presence was anything but gentle. "A goddess. And you, Marcus, are here because your actions in life have earned you something rare—another chance."

Marcus's mind whirled, trying to process her words. A goddess? Another chance?

"For the life you lived, for the good karma you have earned, you have been granted an opportunity to be reborn," Hestia continued, her sapphire eyes gleaming brighter. "You will have six wishes, and with them, you can shape your future as you desire."

Marcus stared at her, a mixture of disbelief and wonder running through him. This was real. He had been chosen, and now, he could rewrite everything.

"You will be reincarnated," Hestia said with a playful smile, "into a world you might know well—the world of Arrow. You'll have the chance to walk beside Oliver Queen in the fight against darkness. And with your wishes, the story may unfold differently."

Marcus's heart raced. Arrow—the world of vigilantes, justice, and shadows. A universe filled with danger and darkness, but also a chance for him to change everything. He nodded, stepping forward.

"For my first wish," Marcus began, "I want to become a Weretiger, specifically a Siberian Tiger. I need the strength, speed, and ferocity of a true predator to survive and thrive in the world of Arrow."

Hestia nodded, her smile growing wider.

"For my second wish, I want the powers of the Hie Hie no Mi from One Piece—the ability to control ice, to freeze anything, but without the weakness to water, and fully awakened."

"A clever choice," Hestia said. "Continue."

"For my third wish," Marcus said, his voice growing more confident, "I wish to inherit all the scientific and technological knowledge from the Stargate universe. I want to understand, create, and use technologies far beyond what Earth could ever dream of."

Hestia's eyes sparkled. "You are building yourself quite the arsenal."

Marcus smiled slightly. "For my fourth wish, I want the ability to create materials from nothing. I'll need resources—unlimited resources—to achieve what I have in mind."

"And with my fifth wish," Marcus continued, "I want the ability to manipulate those materials. I want to be able to fabricate anything I can imagine—whether it's weapons, tools, or even entire structures."

Hestia tilted her head, impressed by his foresight. "And your final wish?"

Marcus paused, knowing this was the one that would truly set him apart. "I wish to possess the powers of the Twelve Talismans of Shendu from Jackie Chan Adventures. Immortality, strength, speed, healing—everything."

The goddess laughed softly, her eyes glowing brighter. "You think ahead, Marcus. Your wishes are granted."

Marcus felt a rush of power surge through him, the weight of his choices sinking in. But then, Hestia raised her hand, and the chamber began to tremble.

"One last thing, Marcus," Hestia said, her voice echoing above the storming walls. "You will not simply be reincarnated as any character in this world. You will be born as Marcus Queen, the fraternal twin brother of Oliver Queen. You will share his journey, his struggles, and his fight—but with your own path to carve."

Marcus's heart leaped. A twin to Oliver Queen? His mind raced with possibilities. He would be there from the beginning. He could change the course of events, protect those who would otherwise fall, and ensure that the world didn't have to suffer the same losses.

"Thank you," Marcus whispered, his voice filled with gratitude.

Hestia's form began to dissolve into light, her sapphire eyes the last thing to disappear. "Use your new life wisely, Marcus. The future is yours to shape."

In a flash, everything went white.

When Marcus opened his eyes again, he felt the warmth of sunlight on his face. He was in a crib, staring up at the familiar ceiling of a mansion—Queen Mansion. He turned his head slightly, and beside him was a baby, his twin brother, Oliver.

A small smile crept onto Marcus's face. He was ready. With his new abilities and his knowledge, he would be more than prepared to face the challenges that the world of Arrow had to offer. He would fight alongside Oliver, change the course of the story, and protect those who needed it most.

The world would come to know not just the Green Arrow, but Marcus Queen—a force beyond anything it had ever seen.

22 years later...

Oliver Queen and Marcus Queen stood side by side, gazing out over the city they called home. Despite being fraternal twins, they had lived vastly different lives. Oliver was the rebellious, troubled son—the one who needed to hit rock bottom to find his true path. Marcus, on the other hand, had taken a different route. Though he often felt the pull to intervene in his brother's wild escapades, Marcus knew Oliver needed the hardship to become the hero he was destined to be. So, Marcus waited, quietly perfecting his own gifts in secret.

By day, Marcus was the golden boy. With the knowledge he had inherited from the Stargate universe, he transformed Queen Consolidated into a tech powerhouse, applying scientific breakthroughs to revolutionize the business. His sharp intellect and unshakable discipline earned him top honors at school and eventually at university, placing him far ahead of his brother in the public eye. This created a subtle rivalry, though Marcus never judged Oliver's reckless behavior. In fact, their bond remained unbreakable, strengthened by Marcus's unwavering support for his brother's journey.

Yet, Marcus's true power lay hidden. While Oliver partied with Tommy Merlyn and bounced from one scandal to the next, Marcus mastered his supernatural abilities in secret—harnessing the ferocity of the Weretiger, the icy power of the Hie Hie no Mi, and the technological wonders of the Stargate universe. He even used these gifts to subtly protect his family and ensure their future.

One significant change from the original timeline was the birth of Thea Queen. Unlike before, Thea wasn't the result of an affair between Marcus's mother and Malcolm Merlyn. On the night the affair would have occurred, Malcolm found himself ambushed—by Marcus. Using an energy blast infused with the powers from the Twelve Talismans of Shendu, Marcus castrated Malcolm, preventing him from fathering Thea. As a result, Thea was born a true Queen, the legitimate daughter of Robert and Moira.

This act, while necessary in Marcus's eyes, darkened Malcolm's soul even further. Malcolm believed the League of Shadows had attempted to take his life, sparking his obsession with destroying the Glades and avenging the death of his wife. His vendetta only grew stronger, though he was unaware that Marcus was the true architect of his suffering.

The years passed much like they did in the original timeline. Oliver was expelled from schools, partied with Tommy, and hooked up with various women. Marcus, meanwhile, was always the responsible one, maintaining the family's reputation and watching over his brother from the shadows.

But there was one key difference—Laurel Lance was never a part of Oliver's downfall. Thanks to Marcus's guidance, Oliver never had an affair with Laurel, knowing it would break Sara Lance's heart. Oliver chose another woman, an unremarkable person, a mere footnote in the grand scheme of his life. This small but significant change preserved the bond between the Lance sisters, keeping the drama of Oliver's betrayal from ever occurring.

And so, the fateful day arrived—the day the Queen's Gambit set sail. Marcus, Thea, and their mother Moira stood at the dock, watching the yacht drift away, just as they had in the original timeline. But this time, Marcus's heart was heavy with a secret plan. He had no intention of letting his father and brother face the horrors of the shipwreck that would shape their future.

A day later, the news came: the Queen's Gambit had sunk. To the world, it was a tragedy. But Marcus knew the truth.

He had used Asgard beaming technology from the Stargate universe to save Robert and Oliver from their original fate, pulling them off the ship before it ever met the ocean's bottom. However, Marcus knew the importance of Oliver's journey—the island was essential to shaping the man who would one day become the Green Arrow. So, he implanted the memories of the shipwreck and the survival ordeal into both Robert and Oliver's minds.

For Oliver, he left something more—a cloned body of Robert Queen and a life raft, carefully placed on the shores of Lian Yu, the remote island where Oliver would spend the next five years. While Oliver would experience the harsh trials of survival and self-discovery, the real Robert Queen was safely hidden away, waiting for his moment to return and reclaim his place in the world.

As the years passed, Marcus continued to shape events from the shadows. He used his powers to subtly influence the world of Arrow—watching over his family, steering events toward a better future, and keeping Malcolm Merlyn's growing darkness in check. Marcus knew that, eventually, his moment would come. The time would arrive when he could finally step out from the shadows and reveal his true strength.

But for now, Oliver needed the island. He needed the pain, the suffering, and the growth. And Marcus? He would be ready, the hidden protector, waiting for the day his brother would return as the Green Arrow.

And when that day came, the world would know not just of Oliver's legend, but also of Marcus Queen—the unseen hand that had shaped the destiny of Starling City.

Five years had passed since the fateful sinking of the Queen's Gambit, and in that time, the world had changed drastically—especially for the Queen family. While Starling City moved on, Marcus Queen thrived in the shadows, controlling both the fate of his family and the legacy of Queen Consolidated.

Marcus had made strategic moves, placing himself as the dominant shareholder in the company. Nearly a year before the Queen's Gambit tragedy, he had sold Tok'ra healing devices and other advanced tech from the Stargate universe, bringing in trillions of dollars. These unprecedented profits not only solidified his power but also turned Queen Consolidated into an industrial titan. Marcus's technological breakthroughs reshaped industries across the world, ensuring that the Queen family remained one of the wealthiest and most influential.

Meanwhile, Starling City remained oblivious to his true power.

Back at Queen Consolidated…

Marcus leaned back in his leather chair, eyes scanning the endless data streams from his concealed lab beneath the building. Despite the pressures of running Queen Consolidated, his mind was always elsewhere—tracking his brother, Oliver, who had just lit the signal fire on Lian Yu, waiting to be rescued. The rescue would soon be underway, marking the return of Oliver Queen to the city and setting the stage for the story to begin.

But this time, things were different.

Moira Queen, their mother, sat on the other side of the room, sipping her tea with an air of silent tension. The truth weighed heavy on her, for Marcus had long since confronted her about the role she played in the sinking of the Queen's Gambit. In that intense conversation, Marcus had laid everything bare—her involvement in the conspiracy with Malcolm Merlyn, the secret cabal of wealthy elite planning to destroy the Glades, and her attempt to silence Robert Queen after he sought to pull out.

"I know everything, Mother," Marcus had said coldly, five years ago. "I know what you and Malcolm did."

Moira had been stunned, cornered by her own son's knowledge. She had confessed that Malcolm convinced her that the shipwreck was necessary to ensure their safety and maintain control over the city's elite. The thought that Robert was a threat to their plans had pushed her to make an unthinkable choice.

However, Marcus spared her further shame, keeping the ultimate secret to himself—Robert and Oliver were still alive, hidden on Lian Yu. He had used Asgard beaming technology to whisk them away from death at the last moment, but implanted memories of the crash and their near-death experiences to ensure they would still become the people they needed to be. Marcus knew that for Oliver to become the vigilante Starling City needed, the trials of the island had to play out. The same was true for Robert Queen, who remained in stasis beside Shado—both unaware of the larger game Marcus was playing.

Moira never remarried, particularly after Marcus made it clear that her involvement in the sinking of the Queen's Gambit required her atonement. Walter Steele, who would have been a father figure to Thea, never entered the picture. Instead, Moira focused on raising Thea, protecting her from the path of drugs and delinquency that had plagued her in the original timeline. Under Marcus's watchful eye, Thea grew up far more balanced, protected from the chaos that had originally surrounded her.

In the absence of Oliver…

Starling City remained unaware of the dangers lurking in its shadows, including Malcolm Merlyn, who grew darker after his personal castration—an event orchestrated by Marcus. Believing the League of Shadows had made an attempt on his life, Malcolm stewed in bitterness, growing ever more dangerous. His plans to destroy the Glades were still in motion, but without Oliver in the picture, Marcus quietly monitored the situation, knowing that soon, his brother would return and face Malcolm in a battle for the soul of Starling City.

Sara and Tommy's paths diverged…

With Oliver never cheating with Laurel, the relationship between the Lance sisters remained strong. Sara had no reason to lash out by hooking up with Tommy Merlyn, which kept their lives relatively peaceful. Laurel became a guiding light in Sara's life, and Tommy remained Oliver's carefree best friend. Yet Marcus knew that their fates still hung in the balance—Tommy's innocence would be tested, and Sara's destiny as the Canary still awaited her.

The island, Lian Yu…

In the intervening years, Marcus had quietly used his advanced technology to alter certain key events on the island. One of the most significant interventions came when he used Asgard beaming technology to save Shado from her tragic death. But knowing that Oliver's evolution into the hero Starling City needed depended on his experiences, Marcus had implanted false memories in Oliver's mind, making him believe Shado had died. He even placed a clone of Shado on the island to maintain the illusion for everyone else, ensuring the timeline stayed on course.

Shado, like Robert Queen, remained in stasis—waiting for the moment Marcus deemed it safe to release them. They would wake up to a world that had been transformed by his subtle hand, and a city on the brink of chaos.

Present day, five years after the sinking…

Oliver was about to return home, forever changed by his time on Lian Yu. As he lit the signal fire and the rescue boat approached, Marcus knew the true battle was about to begin.

The world would soon meet the Green Arrow—but lurking behind that legend was another force, one far greater and far more dangerous. Marcus Queen, with his powers from distant universes, his technological mastery, and his careful manipulation of events, had ensured that Starling City would never be the same.

As the world embraced Oliver's return, Marcus smiled to himself.

The Queen family's destiny was unfolding just as he had planned.