2,635AN: I'm not getting much better at this updating thing, am I? Still, that's unfortunately a mix of real life, lack of motivation and having too many stories and ideas, and not enough free time!
Either way, here it is. I was originally gonna update my Last King story next, but a recent and unpleasant review on that story, made me veer another way and update this instead! Never underestimate the power of pettiness!
But anyway, hope you enjoy and please do leave a review if you liked it, or critique it if you think there was something I could have done better. I don't have a beta, so also if you spot any typos or grammatical errors please let me know!
Thanks for reading and please enjoy, if you wanna chat feel free to send me a PM or find me on Discord, I'm on a myriad of different fanfic servers nowadays.
I do not own Percy Jackson, DC Comics or Young Justice.
Following a number of very kind DMs, I have a ko-fi page, please feel free to support if you want: Ko-fi dot com/Greed 720
( - )
(Last Time)
Desperately trying to ignore the stench, Maxum looked around at his nearly pitch-black surroundings with a grimace. Only for his grimace to rapidly shift into a look of pure terror as a dark, faintly glowing, purple portal formed in front of him.
"Hi," a grey-skinned, purple-eyed girl said dully as she met his gaze.
He couldn't summon the courage to let out more than a squeak.
"Felix Faust wants a word," the girl continued blandly. "Do you mind coming with me?"
It was phrased as a question, but in the end, he didn't have a choice.
The last thing he saw before the darkness closed in around him and all went black, was a flash of crimson red as the girl's purple eyes momentarily changed colour.
( - )
Chapter 30
( - )
(With Percy)
Listening to the wail of sirens in the background, Percy just stood back and allowed the different emergency crews to do their work. Police officers rushed to secure the scene, creating a large cordon as they held off the mass of curious spectators the commotion had gathered. Medics swarmed about treating those who were caught by the collateral damage. A triage had already been set up and the worst of those that were injured by the collapsing building or gunfire were already being shipped off to the nearest hospitals. Some of the firefighters meanwhile, were still combing the ruins for further survivors, even as others started trying to stabilise the remaining structures as best as they could.
Watching it all take place, he couldn't help but feel useless.
The night. No, the entire mission. Had been a complete clusterfuck of epic proportions.
Initially, things had been going well. They'd found their target easily enough. The guy was an idiot but had seemed harmless on the surface.
Only that was when things had started going wrong.
It had started with them being ambushed by a trio of villains, including the one that had killed Kaldur. The fight had been messy and had caused a lot of the damage he was now looking at. Especially when the final member of the trio, Mammoth, crashed through the side of the building, causing structural damage, not just to the Hellfire Club, but to the surrounding buildings as well.
They'd managed to fight them off though in the end without too much trouble and secure Maxum.
But then an ambush from a second and likely unconnected group happened, and Zatara was killed in an instant. A single high-calibre sniper round was all it took to kill one of the strongest magicians in the modern world.
He grimaced.
He wasn't an expert on magic by any means, but even so, he had assumed that the seasoned mage would have spells or wards of some sort in place that would protect him from surprise attacks… but apparently not. Magic, especially with how it worked in this world, was one of the more gaping gaps in his knowledge. Probably on a par with the workings of the wider universe, the existence of an unknown number of alien races, and the whereabouts of the gods. It was something he would need to address soon.
Shaking his head, he looked forlornly back at the remnants of the strip club.
Zatara was dead, his daughter Zatanna was orphaned, and his killers had escaped after being repulsed during their brutal ambush. And to add a cherry on the shit sundae that this mission had become, Steele Maxum was once again in the wind, with two groups of villains on his tail. While they were still at the Hellfire Club, left picking up the pieces, with the Justice League's top expert on magic dead, and a trail that had gone cold.
Rubbing his face, he tried to force away his growing headache.
"Riptide," Diana's voice sounded out.
Looking up he saw his cousin approaching, her expression grim.
Zatanna and Robin were gone. Diana had called up Black Canary and had them shipped back to Mount Justice where Canary would stay with them for the moment. Robin had agreed to go to support Zatanna. Both he and Aquagirl meanwhile had elected to stay and complete the mission. The Helmet of Fate's fate was too important to ignore.
Behind Diana, he could see the first of their reinforcements, Captain Marvel – someone he thought of as a budget Superman – looking equally as grim as he followed Diana. The caped hero's blue eyes were hard, and his lips were a thin line as he joined their gathering and gave him a nod. Batman had already been in contact and considering the importance of recovering the Helmet of Fate, had already sent over one Leaguer, with another one set to join later.
Returning the nod, Percy looked to his cousin, his eyes briefly flicking over to Aquagirl as she also joined them at their impromptu gathering spot.
She looked slightly fatigued but otherwise fine.
Noticing his gaze, she sent him a weak smile and took her place at his side.
"You okay?" He muttered under his breath.
"Fine," she replied softly.
He squeezed her shoulder gently. She might not have known Zatara all that well, but his death and the fight that had followed had clearly affected her.
"I've spoken with the police and have given them a statement on what happened. Batman will be putting forward some additional information and will be liaising with the city officials going forward." Diana said succinctly, looking around at them.
"What was the final tally?" He asked. A part of him didn't want to know, but at the same time he had to, he had to know the price of their failure.
"Thirteen dead, twenty-seven injured, and eight still missing," Diana said, her hands clenching into fists at her side. "Too many."
He nodded jerkily. They should have been better prepared for an ambush and put in more safeguards. It was all well and good saying it in hindsight, knowing what was coming. But at the same time, he knew they could have done better.
"This shouldn't have happened," Diana said bluntly, giving voice to his thoughts. "We underestimated our foes. It won't happen again."
Captain Marvel gave her the side-eye but didn't otherwise comment.
"What's the plan?" Aquagirl asked.
"We've lost Maxum. Batman accessed the city's CCTV network and tracked him to a back alley. He was last seen jumping in a dumpster… but he was followed. Silver Banshee was on his trail, and the moment he entered the dumpster she broke off and left through a portal. Captain Marvel already flew over and checked the alley and dumpster. Maxum is gone. Probably taken by Banshee's group." Diana rattled off brusquely.
"The girl in the purple cloak?" Percy asked.
Diana nodded. "Most likely."
"So, he's gone," Percy said. "What now, this Constantine?"
"He wouldn't be my go-to, " Diana grimaced, "But with the loss of Zatara. Constantine and Jason Blood are the foremost experts we know of in the arcane, and unfortunately, we don't know where Jason is currently hiding."
"So, Constantine," Percy said. "You don't seem keen."
"He's an acquired taste," Diana replied diplomatically.
He looked over at Captain Marvel, who just shrugged. "I've never met him."
Ignoring the byplay, Diana gave a last glance back at the destroyed club, before facing forward once again. "Let's move. The sooner we meet up with Constantine, the sooner we can get the helmet and complete this mission."
Looking around the group, Percy nodded.
"So where do we find this Constantine?"
( - )
(With Miss Martian)
Trundling along a long country road, M'gann felt a little queasy as she bounced about in her seat, her shoulder occasionally jostling the person at her side. Not that her queasiness had anything to do with the bumpy road or their less-than-comfortable transportation.
Glancing to her left, she saw Superboy, his hair currently bleached blonde, scowling as he swayed back and forth as the prison bus put its suspension to the test. Like her, he was wearing an orange jumpsuit stamped with a unique prisoner number, and also like her, he was currently in disguise and acting the part of a superpowered delinquent.
Taking a deep breath to calm her racing thoughts, she looked forward and eyed the other occupants of the bus, and one of their current objectives.
He was a boy around their age, if not a little older. He had pure white hair and bluish-white skin – it was so pale it looked like his skin was made of glass.
At the other end of the bus was another felon. Only this one was substantially older than them. He was a large man in an orange jumpsuit like them, only his outfit was further accessorised with a large glass dome that covered his head. Unlike them, he was also surrounded by a portable cryo-chamber.
Icicle Jr and Mr Freeze.
At the other end of the bus, near the driving cab, was a uniformed guard whose eyes were narrowed as he observed the four prisoners, a shotgun held at the ready in his hands.
It wasn't the most pleasant of company.
Shifting uncomfortably in her heavy-duty handcuffs, she fought the urge to tug at the power-dampening collar around her neck. Not that the collar was much use on her. After all, the collar had been calibrated with Tuppence Terror – the girl she had shapeshifted into – in mind, and Tuppence's power was super strength, not telekinesis, telepathy or shapeshifting.
The fact that the collar was little more than an ugly accessory did make her feel at least a little better about her current circumstances.
Her now blue eyes flicked back over to Superboy.
The same couldn't be said for Superboy though. His collar was likewise calibrated toward super strength, and unlike her, that was his main power.
A bead of sweat ran down her forehead at that thought. The collar essentially made it so Superboy was all but powerless unless you counted his super hearing and X-ray vision.
Considering they were headed to infiltrate Belle Reve, a maximum-security prison for villains, it wasn't great, as even without powers, all of the inmates were still violent offenders. With them being put into the men's block and the women's, it meant that Superboy would be powerless, alone, and surrounded by vicious criminals who would happily rip him apart if they discovered who he was and why he was there.
Looking ahead once more, she met Icicle Jr's gaze, provoking a lazy grin from the other teen.
"Dude, dude!" She heard him hiss, his foot nudging Superboy's leg. "Your sister is sweet. How about you put in a good word for me, huh?" He continued, his voice pitched low as if he was trying not to let her hear him.
She felt a flicker of disgust at his implication, one that was replicated on Superboy's face as he turned and glared the ice-wielding teen down.
Completely oblivious to her obvious distaste, Icicle Jr grinned and gave her a wink.
Clamping down on her revulsion, she fought off the urge to use her powers to inconvenience him. His words and actions weren't enough to provoke or warrant a violent response from her. But they definitely deserved a moderate amount of discomfort.
Fortunately, common sense prevailed and she tamped down on what she liked to think of as her Percy instinct; hit hard, and fast, and don't give them a chance to respond. That kind of advice was probably best left for life-and-death situations. Not for dealing with annoying, horny teenage boys.
"Shut it filth!" the armed guard snarled as he pushed himself to his feet and glared Icicle Jr down. "We're here."
Flinching, she turned and looked out the thick window, her mind racing as she loosened her closely reigned in telepathy, allowing her mental tendrils to spread out for the first time in a while.
Quickly, she picked up on Caleb's racing thoughts as he mentally prepared himself for what was ahead. He was still angry. But he had more control over himself than when she first met him. Instead of allowing his anger to control him, he had learnt to harness it and channel it in a more productive way.
Icicle Jr's thoughts came next. He was nervous and putting up a confident false front. He didn't want to be here. But he also didn't have a choice. Not because he had been caught. No, she could already tell that he'd allowed himself to be caught. Instead, he had been ordered to get caught by his father, Icicle Sr. Only, he didn't seem to know why.
Mr Freeze's thoughts were far more orderly and controlled. He was difficult to read. Not as hard as Batman, and to a lesser extent Robin. But he was nowhere near as expressive as Icicle Jr. She could pick up on his satisfaction, and his… amusement with the situation. He wasn't worried but instead was confident. But his thoughts didn't stray into what he was confident about, and at her current level, she didn't feel confident enough about digging deeper into his head without alerting him to her presence and blowing the whole operation.
Reaching out to the approaching prison, she grimaced as her thoughts unconsciously coiled around the shotgun-toting guard. His thoughts were not pleasant. He didn't like any of the people on the bus. He was insecure and hated people with powers. He wanted to inflict pain on them and make them hurt to show them that they were the ones who were powerless, not him. His thoughts about her, or rather the body she had currently morphed into weren't pleasant either. They were graphic and unpleasant in a way she hadn't ever experienced before.
Holding back a scowl she blanked him out – after taking note to mention what she had heard and felt to J'onn when she had the chance – and instead focused on the approaching prison.
The facility was massive. With large, granite grey walls, probably thirty feet high, and a fortress-like building in the centre.
As the bus slowly rolled inside the gates and passed through checkpoint after checkpoint, she couldn't help but flinch again as she felt her mental tendrils being rebuffed by the outer walls.
There was some kind of technology in play that messed with her telepathy. It didn't block, or not fully. But it made it difficult to spread out her senses or latch on to the many minds she could feel inside the complex. It felt almost like she had gone from flying gracefully through the air to wading through a turgid swamp.
It was a kind of technology that emitted a field that affected psionic abilities. She'd been warned of it ahead of time, but the sensation of being partially blind to all the minds around her was still unnerving.
Settling back in her seat as the bus rolled to a stop, she took a deep breath and then nudged Superboy with her knee as the guard motioned for them all to stand.
Standing with the comforting presence of her 'brother' Superboy at her side, she followed the guard off the bus. Ahead of her both Icicle Jr and Mr Freeze had already disembarked and were in the custody of the cluster of armed and grim-looking guards waiting outside.
Following the directions she was given, they were soon brought into a large hall with a closed roof, the recreation yard.
"I am the law of last resort." A strident voice rang out ahead of them. It came from a balcony that overlooked the yard.
The speaker was a large rotund woman, with cropped black hair, and an expensive-looking pantsuit glared down at them.
"My name is Amanda Waller," the woman continued, her voice dripping with contempt as she gazed down at them. Her expression was cold, and her eyes were dead. "I am not your mother, aunt, or friend. I am your warden, and you are my prisoners. Your proprietary collars are custom-designed to inhibit your specific meta-abilities. No strength, no ice." Her gaze lingered on the two ice-wielding villains that just 'happened' to get captured at the same time.
She held up a small black remote in her hand. "In addition, the collars can and will be used to discipline inmates. If you break the rules, you get one warning."
A sudden electric shock ran through her body, forcing her to her knees along with the other three inmates.
Clenching her teeth shut, she focused on shifting her internal biology to dampen the effects.
After a moment, the electricity thankfully receded and the guards behind them dragged them to their feet.
"If order has not been restored," continued Waller her expression not changing, "The next shock will render the offender unconscious. At the slightest hint of trouble, this facility will go into lockdown. Belle Reve's walls are thick enough to hold Superman. We know, we checked."
She glared down at the new inmates and she felt herself wither slightly under the piercing stare. "Nobody's ever escaped from Belle Reve," she said, "No one ever will."
There was a slight clearing of a throat and a mousy little bespectacled man walked up beside Waller.
"Oh," she said, her contempt turning to boredom, "This is Professor Hugo Strange. He is your mother or maiden aunt."
"Actually, I'm the prison psychiatrist," the man cut in warmly, "And I promise you all a sincere attempt at rehabilitation."
"Because we know you people are all about sincerity," Waller said dryly, "Take them away!"
Nodding their heads, the guards surged forward, taking Superboy, Mr Freeze and Icicle Jr one way, and herself another.
Keeping her head down as she was led into a cell block, she tried to ignore the other inmates as they unloosed a barrage of mockery her way.
Ignoring their catcalls, she kept her mind on the mission as she was led to a cell and pushed inside by a female guard.
"Welcome to your new home." The guard spat.
Stumbling forward, she felt herself collide with another person, who in turn roughly shoved her away.
"And your new roommate," the guard continued, slamming the cell door shut.
"Well, hello there, new meat," her new cellmate called out mockingly.
Looking up, M'gann felt her heart clench as her gaze fell upon a slim woman with short, shoulder-length white hair, bright, sky-blue eyes, and very pale skin. The woman was shorter than Tuppence Terror's tall, muscled form. Yet, despite her petite build and short stature, she gave off a definite air of danger.
Her new cellmate was Killer Frost, one of the recently captured ice villains she and Superboy had been sent to Belle Reve to investigate.
Forcing a friendly and slightly cocky smile – she'd spent a little time in the real Tuppence's mind scraping the surface for mannerisms she could mimic – she raised her hand. "Hey there roomie, I reckon we're gonna get along just fine."
( - )
(With Raven)
It was almost stereotypically dark and gloomy in Felix Faust's remote, mountainous lair.
The elder mage couldn't be more cliché if he tried.
Or at least that was what she thought as she followed Sliver Banshee and Mammoth through the giant, looming doorway and into the cavernous entrance hall to Faust's palatial abode. Their prisoner, Maxum Steele, was floating along behind them unconscious.
Looking around, she felt her eyes widen. The chamber was huge and perfectly circular with giant statues of unknown figures set into alcoves along the walls, granite inscribed pillars that disappeared into the darkness far above and a gleaming grey, marble floor with glittering runic patterns scrawled across it in gold inlay.
The décor seemed more fitting for some ancient royal residence than in a villain's lair. Then again, Faust was an immensely powerful and arrogant sorcerer. So maybe it wasn't so surprising that he had delusions of grandeur.
"Ain't this lovely," Banshee drawled as she stalked into the room, her pale hands shoved into the pockets of her ragged jeans as she let loose a loud obnoxious whistle that echoed across the chamber.
"Nice," Mammoth grunted, hunching low and tracing one of his large fingers along the golden inlay that threaded across the floor. "Real gold?"
"Wouldn't surprise me," Banshee laughed, "But I wouldn't try anything if I were you. Faust ain't the forgivin' type from what I heard."
"Have you met him before?" Raven asked quietly, looking between the two.
"Nah," Banshee shook her head. "I don't just work for him. I'm a freelancer and he's just the one that is currently payin' the bill."
Raven frowned. "How did he reach out to you?"
"Second party," Banshee said dismissively. "He outbid my other employers and here I am."
Raven wanted to comment but didn't. Banshee wasn't huge on sharing. She'd engage in the occasional small talk – when it was on her terms – or tell the odd abridged tale of some of her exploits. But otherwise, she kept her cards close to her chest.
"And you?" Raven asked, looking at Mammoth.
The large, hairy man grunted in response. "Got me out and paid well."
"He had freed him from a prisoner transport and dropped some hard cash as a little incentive you know," Banshee bobbed her head, her silver eyes flicking back and forth. "How's about you short, dark and mysterious?"
"We have… an arrangement," Raven said after a few moments of thought.
In truth, she'd been directed to him after seeking help dealing with her father. The person she'd first approached hadn't wanted to be involved after hearing her father's name. But had at least had the courtesy of putting her in contact with someone who could help. Not that she was comfortable sharing that with two strangers, especially considering the fact that they were morally bankrupt mercenaries – Banshee had already given off the vibe that she would happily sell her out to her father if offered enough.
"How mysterious," Banshee chuckled huskily.
Before any more could be said, the torches lining the wall and the large brazier in the centre of the chamber blazed a bright blue.
Flinching at the change in atmosphere, her violet eyes flicked to the large, heavy, double doors at the far end of the room as they swung open without a sound, revealing their employer.
Felix Faust.
The man looked exactly how one might think an ancient sorcerer would look.
His flesh was gaunt, almost jaundiced. His eyes were sharp, with a cruel edge to them. His body was thin, but not in a healthy way, and his fingers were long and spidery.
Sweeping into the room, his eyes swept over the three of them without pause, her own gaze was drawn to the gleaming bejewelled necklace that hung from his neck. The heavy, gaudy-looking jewellery -very clearly magical in nature – fit the rest of his expensive and garish garb.
Felix Faust gave off the vibe of someone who was not only rich and powerful, but very much knew he was rich and powerful, and wanted everyone else to know that too.
"You have brought me the host," he stated, his voice coarse and grainy as he glided across the marble floor, his long, gnarled fingers reaching out to cup Maxum's chiselled jaw. "An interesting specimen. But not one particularly well-attuned to the arcane arts. I find myself disappointed in Nabu's choice."
Mammoth shifted uncomfortably at Faust's proximity.
Banshee just smirked cockily, her hand resting lazily on the gun at her hip.
Not that a firearm would do her much good.
Wetting her suddenly dry lips, Raven fought off the urge to squirm in the older man's presence. Unlike the others, she could feel his magic.
It was dark and cloying. Almost tainted. She could sense its foul tendrils twisting through the air, spreading its filth and rot, infecting everything it touched with the old sorcerer's foul corruption.
Faust did not just use dark magic, he embraced it, lived it and embodied it.
The darkness clung to his form and stained the world around him with its poison.
The mystical miasma he gave off made her want to wretch.
Fortunately, she didn't.
Faust was foul, but in comparison to her father… it was like night and day, or like comparing a unicorn to an eldritch Lovecraftian monstrosity.
It just didn't compare.
Mastering her feelings, and her disgust at his presence, she withdrew her magic and dropped Maxum.
"Careful," Faust said, his voice whispery and thin as he caught Maxum before he could hit the floor.
With her senses, she could see that he hadn't actually cast a spell. Instead, his aura, the darkness that shadowed him, had caught Maxum in its toxic grip and now started coiling around him like a snake.
This time she did take a step back, even as she saw several more invisible tendrils of darkness start to burrow into Maxum's unconscious form like primordial worms, greedily eating away at his being.
"So, you got your stripper," Banshee piped up, her silver eyes locked on Faust. Without being able to see what Raven could, she was still completely unperturbed by the sickly thin man in front of them. "Now let's talk money."
Faust's gaze flicked to Banshee, his lips curving up into a smile, revealing pearly white teeth, and purplish black gums. "Have you brought me the Helmet of Fate?!
The silver-haired woman's expression soured.
"Once I rip its location out of Maxum the three of you will collect it for me." He stated, his gaze sweeping over the three of them as if searching for even a flicker of defiance that he needed to crush. "And then and only then will get your just rewards."
"There were others after Maxum," Banshee said after a moment. "You didn't mention that in the job description."
"Others?" Faust asked, his head cocking to one side. "Not surprising. The Justice League's intervention was expected. As for the others… it appears the Light have made their move."
Raven frowned at the unfamiliar name.
Both Mammoth and Banshee twitched, however.
Faust's smile widened. "Yes, I had expected your former employers would be getting involved. They won't be the only ones either. The death of Fate's former host has created not just a power vacuum, but an opportunity. The Helmet and the Tower of Fate are now a prize, one that many would kill for."
"Sounds like we might need to renegotiate the fee then," Banshee said, her lip curling down in displeasure.
"Once I have the Helmet, you can name your price," Faust said dismissively, his gaze once again on Maxum.
"I'll hold you to that," Banshee chuckled.
On the sidelines, Raven felt a chill run down her spine.
( - )
(With Percy)
When he pictured the residence of a wizard, he really wasn't expecting a homely, plantation house surrounded by verdant fields of wheat and corn and located in the middle of bumfuck nowhere.
Stepping off the jet and looking around he couldn't see any other signs of life.
They were in the middle of Ohio of all places, the sun was blazing overhead, the birds were singing, and apart from the occasional fluffy white cloud, the bright blue sky overhead was clear.
It was practically idyllic, and not the kind of place he thought he'd find an apparently ornery, surly, and rude wizard – he could tell Diana had been censoring her words heavily when she told him about Constantine.
"Are you sure this is his house?" Tula asked, putting his thoughts into words.
"Unfortunately," Diana said, leading the way, with the two of them following her lead and Captain Marvel bringing up the rear a bright smile now on his face as he looked around with almost child-like curiosity.
It was a far cry from how he had acted when they first met him. But then again that had been in the middle of a crime scene.
Picking their way through the corn, Percy frowned as he noticed that there didn't seem to be a road leading to Constantine's house. Instead, it looked like it had just been plonked down in the centre of the fields. He could see wheat growing right up to the walls of the house.
Continuing toward the house, more irregularities began to occur to him.
He couldn't feel any water pipes in the ground. There was no plumbing, no waste pipes, nothing. The house appeared to be completely disconnected. There wasn't even a septic tank from what he could tell.
Likewise, as he neared, he began to get the same sensation he had when they'd first approached the Tower of Fate. He could almost sense the magic in the air. It wasn't quite tangible, but if he strained himself, he could almost feel the magic swirling around the house, and likewise, he could tell, without actually seeing, that there was an invisible dome of some sort covering the house. It felt… powerful and… protective. It also felt distinctly unwelcoming.
His pace slowed as this sensation began to dig its way into his mind, even as his throat started to feel dry.
"Come on, don't get left behind," Captain Marvel said cheerfully as he came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder with one of his large meaty hands.
Holding back a grimace at the unwanted physical contact, he shrugged the hand off and pushed forward, his own hand drifting down to rest on the hilt of his sword, even as his sharp, green eyes roved around looking for danger.
It felt like they were being watched.
Nearing the house, a sudden swoosh of wind, almost made him jump as he drew half an inch of sword and looked up, only for his eyes to widen as he saw a winged woman descend gracefully from the heavens.
The woman was tall, with visible muscle definition and long flowing auburn hair. If it were not for the large, white-feathered wings – each wing was at least six feet long – she could almost pass as an Amazonian. In addition to her angelic wings, the woman was also wearing what looked like a full-body suit of blue leather armour that covered everything save her arms, with a golden-coloured suit of half-plate on top and golden clawed gauntlets covering her hands and forearms. Protecting her head, she wore a winged helmet, that covered the upper half of her face, with golden wings flaring out at either side, giving it a bold and aerodynamic look, especially with her mane of auburn hair flowing out of the back like a river of fire.
Taking a step back as she landed in the field with barely a whisper of sound, Percy noticed the heavy-looking spiked mace hanging off her hip. The weapon was even more unnerving to his senses than the protections around Constantine's house.
"Hawkwoman," Diana said with a curt nod.
She wasn't smiling and yet didn't seem surprised by the other heroine's presence.
Which he assumed, meant this was their reinforcements, and going off Diana's lukewarm reaction, not someone his cousin got along with.
"Wonder Woman," Hawkwoman nodded, her tone stiff as she looked them over. Her gaze paused on Captain Marvel a moment longer than the others, her eyes narrowing a fraction with what could be either suspicion or interest, before shifting away as she looked over at Tula, and smiled. "And Aquagirl, I take it."
Tula flinched at the namecheck and nodded hastily. "Yes ma'am."
"No need for that," Hawkwoman replied, her tone slightly warmer. "I am good friends with Mera, and she has told me much about you. She's very proud of you, you know."
Tula flushed red at the comment and looked down at her feet.
Smiling at the reaction, Hawkwoman gave him a short, sharp look, before turning back to Wonder Woman. "Have you made contact with Constantine yet?"
"No, she hasn't," A rough, brusque voice sounded from the nearby porch.
Looking up in surprise – he hadn't sensed the man's presence – Percy noticed the speaker was a blue-eyed, blonde-haired man, with broad shoulders, sallow skin, and what looked like a perpetual frown on his face. Currently, he was puffing on a cigarette, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his worn, brown coat.
"So what do you fuckwits want," the man pressed on, his gaze shifting from Wonder Woman and Hawkwoman to Aquagirl, and then to Captain Marvel whose appearance provoked a slight sneer, before finally landing on him. "Ah, the godspawn." He continued his expression hardening. "What is a trouble magnet like you doin' at my place. I've already told Batsy what he needs to know and do about you and your ilk."
"We need your help, Constantine," Diana spoke up. There was a smile on her face, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Oh, you need my help? That's nice," Constantine nodded. "Well first off, no. And secondly, fuck off."
"It's about finding Fate's new host, he's gone missing, taken by villains," Diana pressed on, her expression hardening as his refusal.
"Well shit, the dumbfuck stripper has done a runner, who'd have thought it" Constantine muttered sarcastically, his eyes flicking around the group again. "Nah cleaning up other people's fuck-ups is not my thing. Go bother Zatara about it. He's still a member of your silly legal, isn't he? I thought he was your go-to 'expert' on all things arcane, or have you somehow pissed the uppity little twerp off?"
"Zatara's dead," Percy said bluntly.
Constantine's blue eyes locked on to him, his lip curling and gaze hardening. "Huh, well is he now. Well, that's left you lot up shit creek hasn't it."
Percy felt his hands clench into fists at his side.
It was a reaction Constantine seemed to notice as his lips curved up into a smirk. "Oh you look a little pissed godling, let me guess, you're not used to people telling you no? You get that from your godly side you know, those inbred fucks didn't understand the meaning of the word no, either. It's how most of your brothers and sisters were born, and also half of the monsters of the ancient world."
Percy took a step forward, his temper flaring.
A large white wing swept up and stopped him in his tracks.
"Enough John," Hawkwoman said calmly. "You know the stakes as well as we do. Other parties are already hunting Fate's host, and one of them has already claimed him."
Constantine's expression shifted, as a hint of disquiet flashed across it. "Huh, well that's not good. You really fucked the pooch with this one, didn't you? Right, if someone's already got him… well, that gives us a pretty tight timeframe, depending on who it is of course. If it's Morgana or Circe, we're already fucked. But if it is some little pissant pretending at being a mage, then we might have more time, same thing if it is just some of your generic villain types, the kind with more brawn than brain. Like Shitheel McGee over there," he gestured at Percy.
"One of them had magic," Wonder Woman said quickly, cutting off both Percy, and surprisingly Tula, before either one of them could snap back angrily, "She used blackish purple magic that could interact and change the physical world, create portals, and… at times it took the shape of some kind of bird…."
"A bird?" Constantine frowned. "Hmm, might be magic, or might be some meta-power bollocks. Either way, you got my interest. Now, let's talk about my pay?"
( - )
AN: So what do you reckon? Bit of a calmer chapter than the last one, as the arc moves along. Still got a couple of chapters left of this act, and things are gonna get crazy! But that's for the future!
But either way, you're gonna have to stay tuned to find out!
Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you later!
Greed720.