Artemis sat on a small ledge of the cliff looking out over Mt. Justice and stared at the waves far below.

"Artemis." a calm voice spoke suddenly from behind her.

Artemis whirled around surprised to see her Atlantain teammate standing behind her.

Aqualad noticed her reaction, "I'm sorry, I did not mean to startle you."

Artemis sighed and relaxed, "it's fine Kaldur, I'm just a bit jumpy," she chuckled grimly, "I guess I'm just waiting for someone to come and say that they don't trust me and I should leave."

Aqualad sat down beside her. "I would not worry, the team as a whole is very understanding of... personal circumstances, and you have proven over and over again that you are a great hero." He paused, then continued carefully. "I do have a question though. Why did you suddenly chose to tell the team about your origins even though you knew it wasn't required and it might jeopardize your place on the team?"

The archer looked back at the waves "I guess I just wanted to get it off my chest, I was sick of keeping it a secret. When the opportunity presented itself I just... said it."

Aqualad nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, your place on the team is not in danger. Nor will anyone attempt to pressure you into getting into things you don't want to."

"You say that like this has happened before."

"It has, it happened to me."

Artemis looked at him, confused, and Aqualad looked off into the distance as he began. "When I was 11, my schooling ended and my mandatory military service in the Atlantian military began. Once, the king was nearly defeated in battle by one of his fiercest foes, Ocean Master. My friend Garth and I battled with Ocean Master long enough for my king to regain his strength and triumph over his foe. I became Aqualad while Garth chose to continue his studies at the sorcery school. But that is not the end of the story. A few months later, Aquaman and I were foiling a plot by Black Manta, when he revealed himself to be my father."

The story obviously took a darker turn as Kaldur closed his eyes in sadness, omitting some of the story. After a brief moment he relaxed back into his causal state. "Even though it took some time, the bond between myself and my mentor became even stronger."