Kronos

I sighed as the moment came where my grandchild and her allies entered my tower. Sometimes I really hated knowing when everything was going to happen. Purposely keeping my back to them as they entered warily, I tried to appear non-threatening, though I already knew that it would do no good. They, on the other hand, each moved into a position to attack if necessary.

"I will be with you in a minute," I said, eyes unmoving from the mirror. The same scene flashed on my screen over and over again, but each time it differed ever-so-slightly. It was tedious work, but small pushes were so much more effective at keeping the timeline on course as opposed to large acts of force. If only I had known that in the beginning.

Finding the version that would lead to the most desired outcome, I quickly set off the chain of events that would lead to it and turned to face my guests. The whole search did not last more than a few seconds.

Keeping a blank face as my eyes roamed over the Justice League one at a time: Princess Diana, child of my successor, Zeus. Kal El, the deathless Kryptonian. Batman, born from his parents' blood. The speeding idiot Flash, who completely destroyed my timeline. Green Lantern, or one of them anyway. And finally, the 'last' martian. They stood just as I knew they would, just where I knew they would stand. Stances firm, ready for action, with weapons drawn or hands resting on them at the very least.

Princess Diana spoke first, voice uncharacteristically harsh. "You have some explaining to do Kro-."

"Clockwork, if you will ma'am." The temperance lord cut in.

Everyone frowned but I didn't care, I hated that name almost as much as they hated me.

"Very well Clockwork," spat out Diana crossing, her arms, lasso still clenched in her hand. "Your guards have informed us that you have gathered a servant. "

Even though I knew it was coming, I could not stop myself from rolling my eyes and scoffing. "Obviously you have never met the boy if you think he would 'serve' anyone." Turning my once-again blank eyes to the heroes, I elaborated; "The Observants made the boy my responsibility after I tampered with his time stream in a way that displeased them instead of simply killing the 14-year-old like they had ordered me to."

There expressions did not show it, but I knew they were evaluating what I had said, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth and how to react to it. I did not wait for them and shrugged before continuing. "Ever since then, he started coming to me in times of need, or just to get away from the stress of life." My voice became more wistful than I had intended. "He is good company and a good friend."

"You consider him a friend," cut in the Kryptonian.

I nodded. "Though the way I critique him, I sometimes I feel more like his father."

The League exchanged looks then turned back to me as I remained unchanged.

"We would like to speak with him."

I nodded. "I expected as much." Turning in the direction I knew Daniel would enter, I continued. "I foresaw your visit and took the liberty of inviting him."

Not more than two seconds later a black and white blur came speeding at me from the direction I was facing. I could not resist a small smirk as I slowed down time so when he 'tackled' me he was going too slow to so much as sway my form.

"Awww. No fair!" he said arms still wrapped around me in his usual affectionate greeting. I simply patted his head, a small smile on my face.

"Being the master of time has its benefits, Daniel."

Daniel floated up to my level pouting. He looked virtually unchanged since I had last seen him; black hazmat suit, hero insignia on chest, hair a wreck from being blown all over the place, and a mysterious gleam in his eye. Slowly, the teen's face settled into a smile. "How you doin' C?"

Remembering the purpose of this visit, I sighed. "I have been better."

Daniel's aura dimmed slightly and his face became annoyed. "Are those tight-wads still on you about not killing me?"

I nodded. Daniel crossed his arms and 'humphed.' "I really don't like them."

"Most people do not like beings that wish them dead, Daniel."

The boy looked up, still upset but now curious. "What did they do this time?" he prodded

"They brought my past to haunt me." I gestured to the heroes that I knew Daniel had neglected to see as he'd stormed my tower. He always lowered his boundaries here.

Daniel's eyes landed on the heroes and he raised an eyebrow. This was where the different versions of the future split into so many parts. Daniel's reactions have been doing that to my sight more and more often. "Uhhh… Are you guy's lost?" he asked finally after eyeing each up individually

I gave a small chuckle as the false vision's vanished. The ghost boy always seemed to know how to break the ice in any situation.

"No, we are not." Batman's voice cut through the atmosphere.

"Uhhh, okay." Danny looked from them to me. "So, what are a bunch of weirdly-dressed people doing in the Ghost Zone?"

"We are the Justice League," one of the Flash shouted, almost insulted that the boy did not know who they were.

Danny glanced at them, smirking. "Sorry, what is the weirdly-dressed Justice League doing in the Ghost Zone."

I fought back a slight smile. "The Justice League is a group of heroes from another dimension that work together to protect the world and sometimes the universe," I explained, keeping my tone level.

"Ohhh," Danny said turning back to the 'League,' interest now shining in his eyes. "Still, what are you doing in C's tower?"

"We are interrogating … Clockwork," Diana answered, biting at my chosen name.

Danny shot me a slightly worried glance before turning back to his fellow heroes and crossing his arms. "Look, he didn't do anything wrong. His job is to manage the time streams and lead it to the best outcome available for the mass population, and he did. Just because he got creative, instead of offing me, isn't bad. I would think that, as heroes, you would appreciate that."

Danny tilted his head slightly. "And considering how many people he has had to watch die, every second of every day, for millennia, I think he is entitled to cheat a little and save a life here or there. If nothing else, it would keep himself sane."

"Daniel," I said putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face me as I spoke. "They are not here for that. Well, not directly at least." Daniel once again looked confused. I sighed. The time had come to explain, but I was not looking forward to it. Once again, the future splintered into so many possibilities it was impossible for me to know which one he would take.

"Daniel… you remember how I told you I went a little crazy because of my powers." Green Lantern scoffed.

Danny nodded still confused.

I passionately wanted to avoid saying the name. "Do you remember learning about the Greek Titan Kronos in school?"

Danny snorted and crossed his arms once more. "After what you did the last time I failed a history test, what do you think?"

My lips twitched at the memory but did not grow into a full smile. "Daniel, do you remember what his ability was?" I prompted.

Danny shrugged. "He was the ruler of the universe and stuff before Zeus, and the controller of tiiiimmmme…."Danny trailed off and his shoulders slumped. "I am an idiot." He muttered so low that only myself and Superman could hear. A thoughtful look crossed Daniel's face and he gave me a critical glance for a second before speaking. "You weren't kidding about being completely bonkers were yah?"

I chuckled, the tension seeping away from me, the possible futures merging into one and the others disappearing from my sight. "No. If anything, I have downplayed it."

Danny let out a giggle.

"Hold on!" exclaimed Flash one hand on his hip, the other gesturing around. "You're just okay with this?"

Sweet Daniel only shrugged. "Everyone makes mistakes and that was a long time ago."

"He ATE his children alive!" exclaimed Flash.

Danny tilted his head. "Zeus did the same to his pregnant wife and you aren't banging on his door," Daniel smirked. "Which is fun to do, just so you know." Daniel turned to me a bit confused. "Neither of you ever said you were related to each other?" he spoke questioningly.

I shrugged. "We are all still holding grudges so it is easier to just not engage with one another."

I could tell from Daniel's eyes that he was plotting something. It was frightening because my sight seemed to be failing me. I did not worry too much about my new-found blindness though. Daniel's future had always been a bit harder to decipher than most, which was why it took me so long to act on the dark phantom. In hopes of distracting the boy's no-doubt 'evil' scheming, I gestured to my other guests. Seeing how the others were not impressed, Danny rolled his eyes and spoke again. "Look, that was, like, thousands of years ago. People change, people make mistakes. Especially if they are young and going through a rough time."

He glanced at me and smirked. "Besides. He hasn't eaten me yet, and considering how much I bug him, that is quite an achievement."

I gave Daniel a playful glare, a smile on my lips. "You're too skinny to make a decent meal."

Competition sparked in Daniel's eyes and he grinned, turning fully towards me. "Oh, but babies are?" he said teasingly.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Have you ever seen a baby god?"

Daniel gave a small frown. "No."

"Take my word for it. They have more meat on them than you." I replied smugly, already knowing I had won our little word battle.

Danny looked contemplative for a few minutes, then shrugged. "I'm okay with that. Fewer crazy old men chasing after me, the better." Danny gave an eye roll and replied seriously, "I get enough of that as it is."

The smile vanished from my face and I stared at Daniel, deep in thought. I am not sure how long I mused internally, but it must have been a while because suddenly Daniel was snapping his fingers in my face. I jumped back to the present, part of my mind still going through what had just happened.

"Sorry." I choked out, no doubt a strange look on my face as I turned away from my ward. "Daniel why don't you go read in the library? I am sure the Justice League is going to want to interrogate you separately from me."

Daniel stared at me with a confused look before brushing the weirdness off like the pro he was. Lazily he flew out of the main room shouting back that he would be on the second floor studying.

The second Daniel left, I skillfully ignored my guests and turned toward my screen. Eyes zeroing in on something I could not see.

"What was that?" Martian manhunter asked one of his companions

I already knew Superman would shrug during that pause. Batman and Wonder Woman stepped closer. "Why did you look at him like that?" demanded Wonder Woman.

There was a short pause and then Batman's voice. "What is the real reason you saved his life?" I barely glanced over my shoulder before eyes returned to my screen. "Out of all of the people in the world you could have saved, you picked him. Why?" Batman's voice was a bit rough, no doubt thinking of his own lost loved ones.

I sighed and turned back to my interrogators. "Have you heard of the Ancients before?" I said questioningly. They each gave their confirmations and I carried on. "As Temperance Lord and the Keeper of Time, I am one of their members." The heroes did not look too thrilled about that, but I plowed on.

"Over the years, I have been able to find our future members before they grow into their power and join our ranks. That way I am able to help them through the transition and they do not befall insanity like I did." I nodded to where Daniel disappeared. "Daniel is the newest one I have found."

"So, if he is going to be an Ancient, then what is he going to be the keeper of?" demanded Superman.

I sighed. "That is just it." I said turning back to my screens. "I do not know."

"You don't know!"

I shook my head. "I saw him joining us but the image is hazy. Lately whenever Daniel makes any kind of decision, the timeline splinters and frays around him so much that I cannot see which path will be taken or how to corral him toward the desired one."

Turning back to the members I said, "Just now, when we were talking, he said something that I have never foreseen him saying." I met the individuals' eyes one at a time. "I see everything, every possible outcome, every possible thing that could be and has been. But I have never heard him say that in any versions."

The room fell quiet.

"What does that mean?" asked the Flash

I turned back to my screen. "I think his powers are emerging at a much faster rate than I suspected. His abilities must be tampering with my sight. When I look, I can only see bits and pieces of Daniel's future and then nothing. He disappears from my sight all together."

The League members exchanged looks.

"Have you told him this?"

The former Kronos shook his head. "I thought I had more time; it is a lot to take in for one his age. Besides, the Zone knows very little about the Ancients. Here they are only thought of as very powerful specters that have long since gone."

"You should tell him," demanded Lantern. "At least explain what an Ancient really is. You are supposed to prepare him for what will happen to him."

I raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you will allow me to?" I inquired.

The heroes exchanged looks. "We have to talk to your guards and Daniel, but if what you say about the boy becoming an Ancient is true..." Superman turned back to me. "The last thing we need is another ultra-powered being causing a mess. It would be best if you could help and guide him."

I gave a nod. "With my foresight out of commission I cannot guarantee success." The heroes opened their mouths, but I cut them off. "However, if need be I will enlist the other Ancients' help. I will see to it that everything is done to help Daniel's transition." My eyes were drawn to the exit where Daniel had fled. I could not help but be worried any more than I could help that the boy had long-since become a soft spot for me.

"You really care about him don't you." I turned back to the critically-looking heroes.

I nodded. "Daniel has a unique way of achieving the impossible," I said, glancing once more at the door before turning back to my screens. "Especially when it's working his way into people's hearts."

After that, the heroes split. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern watched me, Flash and Superman spoke to Daniel, and the Batman and the last Martian interrogated the Observants. I smiled. The last team would finally uncover what my 'guards' were actually doing with the power my children had given them. Flash and the last son of Krypton would be caught in Daniel's charm like everyone who took the time to know him.

I frowned. The only problem was that Diana and Lantern still did not trust me and insisted on standing by my side as I worked. Learning my lesson from the Observants (they received that name after spying over my shoulder so much), I made sure to keep my attention on little things that had nothing to do with the heroes.

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Re edited 5/2/17

Quick Note: apparently some people found this a bit confusing so just so everyone understands;

In some stories Wonder Woman is the Daughter of the Greek god Zeus. Zeus's Dad was Crazy Titan named Kronos that controlled time. So that is how Wonder Woman is Clockwork's grand daughter.

The Gods get word from the Observants that there good old Dad is 'causing trouble'(sometime after 'Ultimate enemy') and send Wonder Woman, who recruits the Justice League, as backup to get 'Kronos' back under control.

The rest is just Greek mythology that can easily be googled

-I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or the 'Justice League'