A Magician's Gift

Ch. 36

"Constantine, show yourself the door."

The door shut, and he turned to me with a dead serious expression on his face.

"Do you know what you've brought upon yourself, Zatanna, what kind of man you're running around with?" He asked.

"I am very quite aware, Dad."

"Don't tell me you didn't know that he smoked and gambled for crying out loud!"

"Dad, he lives how he wants to, can you just accept that?" I asked. "Zatanna, you already knew what he was before!"

"Yeah, I did! A strong, confident, and might I add, handsome as goddamn hell demon hunter that was held in some of your highest graces! IT ONLY GOT BETTER FROM THERE!"

"That was BEFORE I knew that he was a goddamn murderer! Even if he didn't kill his parents, he still killed that family, remember that?!"

"Serves that demon right! Trigon's the one who killed John's parents in the first place!"

"Zatanna, he is a conman, a thief, a gambler, and a ruffian at best, and a deranged, dangerous, unhinged monster at the worst, and neither are good choices for you!"

"YOU ARE WRONG, DAD! Do you know how many times I've been hurt and he's healed me up and nursed me back to health?! You want to know how I learned those new spells, why my magic's stronger than it was before?! Wanna know where I picked up all that Latin I used against your ex-girlfriend today? John! That's how! That's why! That's where! You said so your goddamn self, once you met Mom, your magic got stronger! GUESS WHAT MY MAGIC HAS DONE SINCE I MET HIM?!"

"YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN HURT IN THE FIRST PLACE IF CONSTANTINE'S METHODS WEREN'T SO RECKLESS AND HAD SUCH A LACK OF ANY PLAN, ZATANNA!"

"Guess what, I am going to get hurt! I'm not going to always have you to lean on!"

"YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO RELY ON CONSTANTINE EITHER! YOU KNOW HOW THIS WILL END! YOU'VE KNOWN SINCE THE FIRST DAY YOU MET HIM HOW THIS RELATIONSHIP WILL END! HE WILL LEAVE YOU, POWERLESS, HEARTBROKEN, SAD, AND ALONE!"

"No, I didn't, actually," I said with a laugh. "You always said that he was one of the strongest warlocks around, and now what?"

"Just because I thought that he was a talented and strong warlock does NOT mean that I want my daughter running around with the likes of him and getting influenced to start some of the worst habits you can have at your age!" He yelled.

"GUESS WHAT, DAD?! BIG NEWS, I AM! I HAVE BEEN FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS SINCE GODDAMN NOVEMBER! SO SHUT UP AND DEAL WITH IT ALREADY!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if this whole relationship that you are so committed to is just another bet to him," he spat. "What makes you say that, Dad?"

"Oh, I don't have the faintest, maybe the fact that HE GAMBLES AND STEALS?!"

"THAT CAME IN HANDY SO MUCH TODAY! IF HE DIDN'T HAVE CONNECTIONS LIKE HE DID, GOD KNOWS WHERE ALLURA WOULD BE! SHE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY KILLED ONE OR MORE OF US FOR CRYING OUT FUCKING LOUD! Great ex-lover you have there, by the way. I might've dated a billionaire playboy that raped me, but, at least he hasn't tried to kill me or vowed revenge on my family yet!" I shot.

"CONSTANTINE IS NO BETTER THAN THOSE DEMONS HE CONS MONEY AND RELICS OUT OF! I KNEW DAMN WELL WHAT A BAD PERSON HE WAS, EVEN BEFORE I KNEW THE SPECIFICS!"

"Oh, really? And why didn't you think to tell me, huh, Dad?"

"I wanted you to have someone to think was good in the world."