Return to Camelot
Adventuring with the Legends could feel as surreal to Nate as a Dali painting. Learning to be part of the team, learning how to control his powers, and learning what being a hero meant to him filled his days - all against the backdrop of literally traveling through LITERAL time. Fighting a Shogun, stopping actual zombies, meeting great (and not-so-great) figures from some of his favorite times in history - it was all so insane, sometimes he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd fallen asleep on top of his deductive research again, and soon enough he would wake up.
As he got to know the team better and letter, he found himself drawn mostly to Ray (no surprise there) and Amaya (big surprise there). In the beginning, Nate had been frustrated with Amaya, to say the least. Her insistence that the JSA way was the best and only way to operate, and the dismissive attitude she had toward... basically everyone on the team, but especially Mick and Ray, were constant sources of irritation to him. He had to continuously remind himself she was from a different generation, and if his grandfather got along with her, she must not be all bad.
And as he spent more time with her, Nate began to see evidence of that. Ms. "No-fraternizing" had actually been in love with Rex. She finally melted a little and told him stories of his grandfather. She even started treating Mick like he might have a redeeming quality or two under all the arson. It was a slow process, but he started to like her more and more.
With Ray, on the other hand, Nate seemed to hit it off right away. It didn't hurt that Ray seemed naturally friendly and cheerful much of the time. Nate couldn't quite understand why this seemed to annoy the others so much, but it endeared him to Nate. It wasn't as if Ray never had his somber moments, like anyone else. But the others seemed to treat him like he was only ever positive, without ever making any concessions to realism. (Everyone except maybe Mick, who Nate was still convinced favored Ray above everyone else on the team, gruff insults notwithstanding.)
Amaya's assertion that the ATOM suit was Ray's only real contribution to the team was a major source of hurt and anxiety for Ray - and from what Nate could tell, it started way before Amaya ever pointed it out. He had never seen Ray more upset than when he had to train Nate to destroy the suit he'd put so much of his energy, intelligence, and heart into creating - the one thing that no one could deny was a benefit to the team.
That was why Nate looked at Ray as an example of what it really meant to be a hero. Ray gave up his chance to have superpowers to save Nate. Gave up his life's work to save history. Ray always tried to do what was right, no matter how difficult it was. It was that quality most of all that drew Nate to Ray, and that Nate tried his best to emulate.
It was that same quality that made Nate want to strangle the life out of Ray when they finally got the fragment of the spear of Destiny from Stargirl in her ridiculous Camelot fantasy. Nate absolutely could not believe Ray had chosen to stay and fight when they had what they needed, and the fate of time itself hung in the balance. Not even telling Ray about the image in The Complete Arthurian Legends - the death of "Sir Carson", or (as Nate now knew) "Sir Raymond of the Palms" - could convince him to stop.
Nate's anger with Ray paled in comparison to his absolute fury at Amaya when she disagreed with heading back down to save Ray from himself. He almost sympathized with Sara's position - she was the captain, and she had to protect the Spear. But in Nate's mind, her most important duty was to make sure everyone on her crew got out alive.
That's why he practically saw red when Jax said they couldn't leave Ray behind, and Amaya declared without even a second's hesitation that they weren't abandoning Ray, "he chose to stay!"
All the growth he thought he'd seen in her seemed to evaporate, and he looked at her with complete disgust. "Amaya, I know you're following JSA protocol at whatever cost, but this is seriously screwed up!"
Amaya didn't even have the decency to seem ashamed. Nate could have hugged Mick when he stood up for Ray, and Martin, too. He could see the team dividing before his very eyes, but at that point he damn well didn't care which way the tide turned. He was going back down to fight by Ray's side no matter what anyone had to say about it. It was just a bonus that Amaya changed her stance and convinced Sara to choose team over tactics.
When the battle was over, and they were all cleaned up and back in their regular clothes, Nate headed immediately to Sara's office where he'd left his book. He turned to the page where he'd seen Ray's funeral before, and breathed a sigh of relief. The image had been replaced by one of 'Sir Carson" striking out into the woods after the evil knight. The text had changed from what Nate read back at the library all those months ago. Then, it had described Sir Carson being killed by the "sorcerer" (their own former Captain, Rip, Nate now knew). Now, the text read:
And when the vile sorcerer did sway King Arthur, Gwynivyre did call the knights to battle. She did bestow the knighthood on the brave Carson, in the wake of the tragic slaying of Sir Galahad. And whilst Sir Lance did capture the vyle sorcerer and remove his evil influence from King Arthur and his knights for all time, Sir Carson did chase his conspirator, the Black Knight, off the main battlefield. Their battle was a fierce one, yet Sir Carson was victorious. The villainous knight was no more, the battle won, and the knights celebrated with feast and song. After this, Sir Lance and Sir Carson were never seen nor heard from again, yet tales of their bravery, and that of their bold yet mysterious companions, lived on in the hearts of their fellow knights for years to come.
Nate smiled to see his friend was well-remembered in both versions of the new legend. It was pretty amazing to remember the day he sat staring at Tales of Camelot and his own thesis notes, trying to understand where "Lance" and "Carson" had come from. It was insane to realize that he was now in the part of the timeline they had already affected, and that had lead him on this whole quest in the first place. He might never admit it to Ray, but it was also a little bit of a thrill to see himself mentioned in the legend - even just as a "bold companion".
Nate flipped through a few more pages, looking at the artwork mostly. He was surprised to see a new, unfamiliar image in the book. It looked like a coronation, with Guinevere placing a golden crown on a dark-haired knight's head. He got the strangest sense of deja vu. He'd had it very often in the last few months, but Ray and the others had told him that it was a natural side effect of time traveling for extended periods.
Nate wondered if this image was supposed to be Sir Carson as well. But that didn't make sense, since Ray had come back with them. Maybe it had something to do with time not being "settled". Maybe this is what would have happened if Ray had survived the battle but somehow decided to stay behind. Might have been tempting for him. Before he could find more information on the image, Ray joined him in the study.
"Hey, Nate."
"Hey, buddy. What's up?" he asked, noticing Ray didn't seem to have his used level of bubbly energy. "You must be exhausted after everything that happened."
"Yeah, I... I suppose so."
"Well, what's up?" Nate asked again.
"Guess I just wanted to... check on you." He lowered his head for a moment, then looked back into Nate's eyes. "I'm really grateful you came back to help me," he said at last. "I know you had to convince the others, and I know you thought I was being rash, so... thank you. That meant a lot to me, and... I hope you're not still mad at me."
Nate waved a hand. "Not at all, Ray. And not everyone needed convincing. Jax said we couldn't leave you behind, and Mick was ready to mutiny to get down there and fight with you."
Ray smiled brightly. "Really?"
"Yup. Mick's exact words were-" Nate stopped short. "Unimportant," he finished, remembering how Mick had called Ray a pain in the ass. "Anyway, the point is, he wasn't going to let Sara stop him from helping you, and neither was I. And Stein sided with us, too."
Ray smiled again. "Thanks, Nate. I know Camelot doesn't mean the same thing for you as it does for me. And that makes it all the more meaningful that you risked your life to help me. So thank you."
"Aw, of course, Ray. Besides - a wise knight once told me that we can all stand up for what's right. No matter what."
Ray's cheeks flushed, and he started to say something, but seemed to stop before the words came out. "Careful, Nate," he said. "You might turn into a believer."
Nate jumped. "Don't get your hopes up. But all right, I admit it. Walking around a legend felt just as real as walking around any part of history. And you know what? Maybe legend and history aren't so different after all. Maybe they're just stories to remind us where we come from, and who we can become." Ray nodded thoughtfully. "So... what do you say? You wanna find out how you're gonna be remembered in everyone's favorite bedtime story?"
Ray seemed to think about it, but only for a second. "Nah," he said. "I think I'd rather make up my future as I go."
Nate nodded. "Nice." Ray gestured for him to follow, and Nate left the altered book behind and walked off after his friend.