Still reeling from the parent bomb, Peter stuck with Kiyo and me the entire next day, avoiding any one who didn't know about his apparent dad. Since Peter was an honest guy and could pretty much fall for anything, Kiyo and I made him promise that we would have to be present when he met his 'father' at the Talon this afternoon.

Not that we were going to be able to protect him from anything he couldn't protect himself from—in fact, he'd probably protect us from whatever Dr. Evil-Toyman-Lex Luthor hybrid came at us. He worked almost every day at his uncle's farm, anyway, and looked pretty good for a nerd-type who wasn't on the football team.

So when the last bell rings, it triggers Peter's weird pacing-running-hands-through-hair nervous reaction, which Kiyo simply stares at in curiosity like she is wondering why boys are such strange creatures. I take Peter by the arm and sigh, "Let's go. Oliver Queen, of all people, must be waiting."

I still can't believe that Peter's dad is the legendary Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, who's been around since I was little. I guess that he'd been adventurous with some lady (I presumed it was an accountant) and ended up with my best friend, deciding to dump him at the nearest good home and take off.

No offense to Queen or anything, but I hate 'parents' who did that. Besides, what right does he have to do this to Peter when he is perfectly fine with his own normal life, at such a random time? I'm marking Green Arrow down as a bad parent and one with horrible timing.

All three of us pile into my crappy Ford and I step on the gas, eager to get this over with. Once we get there, Peter is practically quivering with fear, and groans, "Oh, I am so not ready. I should have typed up a speech or something; looked up refusal skills, broken a limb so I—"

"Hey, it's okay, Pete. You really think that this could be this bad? Worst case scenario, he dumps you in the dirt with nothing more than 'Hello, son.' Or start quoting Star Wars. That would suck." Kiyo smiles and 'comforts'.

Peter frowns and replies bitterly as he gets out of the car, "Thanks. I guess."

I shoot a 'knock it off' look at her and follow Peter closely. Some part of me wants to see what Oliver Queen is like in person, and some part of me just wants to sock him in the jaw. See if he's a superhero then. Wait—what? I won't do that. I'll just sic Kiyo on him and get the job done that way.

Peter rubs his temples and walks slower than he was before as we near the entrance, and I feel a lurch in my stomach. What will happen? I can hear him muttering to himself, a tone of dread imposing on his fake smile, "Oh, God, save me now. Please let me die, let me die…."

Poor Peter. We open the door and immediately see a blonde woman, around 35, waving at us with a huge smile on her face. "Who is that?" Kiyo asks in a whisper, leaning in to the both of us since we're the taller ones and she was born a dwarf, or some strange hobbit.

I shake my head, sliding my hands into my pockets inertly and saying, "No idea. She looks familiar, though."

"That would be my wife."

We all turn around, startled, and find none other than Oliver Queen behind us. He smiles widely and sticks out his hand, doe brown eyes twinkling in amusement—eyes identical to Peter's.

Peter gulps and stares uncertainly at his father, not having a clue as what to do, or forgetting how to shake a hand. I take his forearm and pull it forward over to Queen's hand, and grin sheepishly as Peter shakes his hand, confusion still on his face. Peter never was one for words.

Oliver Queen has sandy blonde hair and a dazzlingly white smile, along with a buisness-like stature and handshake that confirms his identity as the Starling City Archer himself. It seems so strange, like talking to a picture on the wall or a television screen; it was a Matrix concept in reality. I have to get that through my head—I am talking to Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow.

Queen hesitates before sighing, "Look, I apologize for all of this. I didn't want it to be like this, I really didn't." All we can hear are dishes clanking vaguely in the background, quiet chatter feeling so familiar and somehow calming.

Until, of course, Kiyo breaks the silence by interrupting semi-rudely, "So. You come into Peter's life, think you can call him your son, and bring your wife. Why should we trust you with our friend?"

I laugh awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Queen, Kiyo is, um, you know, a little headstrong. She won't do it again." I shoot her a look which she rolls her eyes at, and I turn to Queen to see him grinning somewhat nostalgically, his eyes far in the past.

"Mr. Queen? Mr. Queen?" He snaps out of it and explains fondly, "Your friend here, she reminds me…quite a bit of Peter here's mother."

Silence sets in until Peter raises his previously sunken head and asks with a slight almost-wail of longing, "What was she like? My mother?"

Queen pauses, his eyes empty pockets of sad moments, full of grief. He attempts another easy-going smile, but fails, so resorts to his sorrowful reminiscence, saying simply, "Mercy. That's what I called her." He sighs and frowns, then continues in downhearted nature, "I met her on an island. And not the kind you'd think. Not a…a vaca thing or whatever, more like a…" He laughs and sticks his hands in his pockets. "It was more like a rescue mission, actually."

Then his laugh fades and he clears his throat, as if the act of pleasure had been a violation of Peter's mother's memory. "Our love, it was strong, but, well, it was fleeting. I wanted it to last, I even found her after a few years—but she was a different woman then. She'd grown up too fast."

The melancholy atmosphere is clearly killing Kiyo, because she pulls a fake, tight-lipped smile and deduces, "Let me guess: she was living with another man, but really she loved you all along, but since she'd thrown away her old self, she decided that if she couldn't have you, she couldn't have anyone. Then, of course, she did the 'unthinkable' by jumping of a bridge or building."

I punch Kiyo's arm and throw up my hands in a 'what were you thinking?' gesture, before seeing Queen smile like it was no big deal. "Nope," he answers resignedly. "She was killed by her own brother—Lex Luthor."

We all took a blow and I whisper, "So….Peter's mom was….?"

"Tess Mercer. Yeah."