"We can't thank the Teen Tiana enough for their contributions to this great city- we've missed them dearly. And so, it is my honour to officially welcome them back!", the Mayor of Jump City cut the red ribbon tied in front of the building and smiled at the gathered press.
Standing to the side, the Titans watched in awkwardly, both grateful and cringing juuuuuust a little. See, unlike Gotham and Metropolis, Jump City had welcomed heroes with open arms (the Flash was plastered over every noticeboard in town). No one shared in this sentiment as much as the Mayor, a jolly fellow of about forty-five with rosy cheeks and sandy blond hair. A real darling, bless him.
Damian hated it.
The shining sun and the beaming Mayor and the cheering crowd and THE DAMN SUN!
Why couldn't they have stayed in Gotham? With the lovely dark and antisocial people and crazy villains playing blackjack in the bars and-and-...it didn't really matter anyway. Damian wasn't going to stay living in the Tower, nor were Kori, Dick and Raven. At least, not for a while. Jaime, Donna, Jonathan and Garfield (who was visiting them) would stay in the Titans Tower while the rest remained in the Manor, transported there most days by Raven. Bruce had insisted on letting them use one of his planes, but it had been agreed that Raven's portals seemed a little more practical.
What with the baby due in less than a month, Dick and Koriand'r hadn't had a honeymoon. They stayed at the Manor just so Kori wouldn't try to go sorting out the Tower, lifting sofas and training equipment and such, and overexerting herself: Dick had made some other excuse to her of course.
For Damian and Raven, the situation was a little more complicated. See, Damian didn't exactly want to leave. He was just rebuilding the relationship with his father- stronger than it had been in a long time- and getting used to Selina (who he was getting to trust). And Raven, she didn't want to let Gotham go. It was like Los Angeles, but purer in sin. The air was intoxicatingly chaotic. Whether or not she could leave, she knew for a fact that Pride would despise staying elsewhere. Sad though it was to say, Raven quite liked being part of the ridiculously loud family.
Jason- the loud, gun-swinging alcoholic who was secretly a nerd.
Dick- the fabulously thicc acrobat with far too much love for the 80s.
Stephanie- Cyborg's waffle-sister and absolute instigator.
Timothy- sleep deprived walking coffee machine.
Cassandra- the beautiful silence and no.1 filmer of all mischief in the house.
Of course, Belladonna- the little ball of adorable with signature Wayne mischief.
Occasionally Barbara- the one who taketh no shit.
Alfred. No explanation needed. GRANDPAAA
And Mr Wayne. Bruce. The caring father and stern mentor with too many children.
Raven had built a strange relationship with her boyfriend's father. One of respect and understanding, but not particularly affectionate like he was with Jonathan. Bruce acknowledged that Raven cared for his son; he acknowledged that she was powerful, excessively so- a magical being beyond control if she so let herself be.
It wasn't until an incident, a week before the new Tower had been opened, that Bruce had let the demoness in, truly embracing her as one of the Wayne brood.
The Batclan had been payed a visit, in the dead of night, by the exiled plant-woman. Poison Ivy. She'd found her way in to the grounds of Wayne Manor, the acres of forest, appearing on the radar.
Batman had faced her, at the divide between the freshly cropped grass and the untamed forest. His voice didn't waver, "Pamela.", inviting her to explain herself, begging that she wouldn't say what he dreaded. Bruce knew he was at risk. She was in her element, amongst her brethren, blending in with the fresh spring leaves turned dark green with the little light the night permitted.
"I want her, my daughter. It's time.", she said, hair ablaze. "Belladonna needs to come back to her mother."
Hard silence.
Nighwing had swung in on the scene, looking uneasily between the two of them: the plant villain in the leaf-bodice and Batman. "What's going on?", he noted Poison Ivy's clenched fists and Batman's tense stance.
"I'm here for Belladonna."
That wasn't happening on Nightwing's watch.
"Yeah, sure.", his escrima sticks twirled through the air, lighting blue. "Like that's going to happen."
Rage reared it's head in Pamela's heart, her red lips screwing in unchecked anger. Restraint was not something she liked a whole lot. Soon, the plant woman had the two men encased in cages of 15cm thick vines, pinned to the grass. Timothy, who had joined the fight, lay too on the ground, covered in the rope-like vines that fed in to the earth.
Sticky one.
Then came the cavalry. Jason's bullets had been effective as a decoy for Stephanie and Cassandra to strike the exiled villain, attacking from seemingly all sides. While their numbers were at first overwhelming, Pamela soon embraced her own advantage in numbers: they were on the edge of an entire forest. She had goaded then a few metres in to the brush, the rest was child's play. Even fighters as exemplary as them couldn't fight off a thousand branches attacking them. And so Pamela had them bound to the thick pines, with the branches digging in to their sides.
Next to leave the Manor, last to leave the Manor, were the part-demons (minus Adyn, who was keeping Bella and Alfred company). Bruce sorely wished that Selina hadn't decided to have a night out with Lois and Koriand'r. Maybe she would have been able to talk some sense in to Pamela.
Poison Ivy faced the two teenagers, geared up to fight. And a fight she had, but not the conventional one, Rather than attack her head-on, the girl in purple waved her hand, making a purple circle appear. Robin's sword was already unsheathed, and he leaped through the circle.
Cold on her neck was the next indication Ivy had of where he was. His sword pressed against her throat, an inch away from taking her life. That wouldn't deter her. She would've snaked her vines around his legs and hoisted him in to the air, had the demoness not taken advantage for her moment of surprise.
Red had engulfed the demoness's eyes and Ivy was instantly captured in a black haze. Her limbs were unable to move. Ivy reached out to her plants, but Robin had already thought of that, slicing the two main vines (topped with large carnivorous heads) with surprising strength.
Ivy had shrieked as if her arms had been hacked off. The demoness' hold on her wavered, which Pamela used to bring forth another green shoot. Raven wasn't going to give her control. For the first time in too long, Raven let the demon out.
Beneath her hood, her skin darkened, becoming blood red. Her eyes, all four of them, glared solid, glassy black out of her head. The shadow of a bird hung in the air behind her. Raven captured the villain's mind, refusing her an inch of leg-way. Pamela couldn't move or reach out to her nature, but Raven let her speak.
"What are you doing?!", she hissed.
"Letting you see reason.", Raven said. Ivy thrashed her head, but it was for naught. "Just listen, that's all. It isn't like you have any other choice."
"You play a dangerous game little girl."
Raven didn't dignify that with a response. As if the woman trapped completely at her mercy could make taunts. She didn't need to- Damian answered.
"Tt. You're in no position to make threats Ivy.", Damian said, cutting the vines trapping Dick as his father freed himself.
The demoness ignored the Batclan. She worked her persuasive magic on the villain like charm-speak. "What environment is it to raise a child in? Exiled and living without any human contact. I know you only want what's best for your daughter, so consider that."
Raven had, after a moment, let the plant-woman out of her grasp. They'd allowed Ivy to see Bella for a moment. To hug her and remind her how much her mother loves her, before she left. In some strange, sad way, it felt like she was saying goodbye for good.
That night, Bella had curled up next to her dad, the way Dick used to do at the very beginning. Bruce heard her sniffling and kissed her forehead. On the other side of the girl, Selina moved closer, hugging the child like she was her own. Bella would have something that Dick and Jason never had in the Manor: someone to fill the 'mother' gap. And somewhere in that family was a demoness with fire in her eyes that pulled him and his son together and stopped Ivy from taking his daughter away.
Anyway, back to the current time.
Raven was getting ready to open a portal to the Tower from the Manor living room- as had been the routine for a few days- when she stopped dead in her place. As did Damian. As did Adyn- whom Raven had reconciled with, having found out about his clandestine meetings with the Light Councilman.
Dick looked between them, "What is it? What's wrong?"
The glowing hands of the demoness dimmed and dropped to her side. Adyn staggered and held himself up the back of the sofa. Damian shook his head, "Hmm? What was that?", he mumbled, disoriented. His head cleared and his eyes snapped to the demon siblings. "Tell me I'm wrong.", he appealed.
They shook their head.
"No... I felt it also.", Adyn sighed. "It's unmistakeable.
"What?", Kori and Dick asked together, confused by the situation.
Raven held her head in her hands, muttering her mantra to stabilise her powers as they spiralled almost out of control. After gulping in air, she faced them with grim satisfaction, "It's begun. I know so- we all know."
Dick was getting exasperated and tried once again to get them to explain what the heck they were talking about.
Raven said, "We've entered the period before the Blood Moon-"
"The day when all magical powers spike beyond all previous capabilities. A rare occurrence, known as the blood moon not for the colour of the moon, but for the historical blood she stood take place under its full moon.", Damian added, and nodded for Raven to continue.
"Yes. We're in the period before the Blood Moon, when the forces of magic are unbalanced. The powers of all preternatural creatures are effected, and severely depleted. I doubt I could even summon a metre wide portal if i was a full demon- as half-human, I'm not so badly hit.", she looked to Adyn with sympathy. "How is it?"
His ordinarily pinkish face was completely blanched, and his viens were bold on his temple and clenched hands. Adyn, tight lipped, inhaled sharply. "It's fine. I'll manage- there isn't much magical power I can wield. But my soul is of magic, I feel...weaker."
"Okayyy...so what's the significance?", Dick was baffled.
The three demons shared a weighty look.
"It means..."
Adyn finished for his sister, "It means the forces occupying Hell are at their weakest. The time has come to strike them directly at last."
Damian took a sharp breath, agitatedly running a hand through his hair. He used the stunned silence as an opportunity to say, "Constantine will have realised by now- as will the others. I'll reach out to them. Time is of the essence- we'll gather as soon as possible." He confessed, "I'll push to get that meeting tomorrow morning latest, but I can't guarantee it."
That left a lot to sort out. Dealing with Bruce: getting him to let Damian go. Calling on all their preternatural connections (Lahra the half-Norse warrior; Jackson the drunken Mage-elf; and Tyrone, the golden-eyed Dark angel) wherever they may be. And seeking out the reformed League of Assassins, working under Emrys and Talia Al Ghul.
For the rest of the day, Damian took the task of contacting them all, Adyn taking the responsibility of reaching the League of Assassins- partially to save time...partially because the Al Ghul boy didn't seem the keenest about it. That left Raven with the trouble of briefing the JL and Batfamily about their anticipated little trip to the underworld- at least, one version of the underworld, no disrespect to Hades.
Yikes.
Suffice to say, when Raven climbed in to bed that night, she was beyond knackered.
And, as another stab in the back from life, she fell in to a far from peaceful sleep.
***
Raven awoke of her own accord, the images of her dream still alive in her mind.
A pit of fire and a jagged cliff. Something arisen from its depths, something young and old, powerful and drained. A wicked smile on a face that couldn't linger in her head. And two horribly familiar green eyes glaring at her.
She tried to hold on the the dream and to have its fragments linger on.
A minute passed, and all that remained was the thought of a cliff and those eyes.
Raven checked her clock- far too early.
Another minute, and it was just those wretched eyes.
She snuggled in to her covers and shut her eyes.
There was no trace of the dream left. Nothing. Just a blank space, a strange feeling of familiarity, and an unshakeable dread. She prayed the rest of the night would go without unsettling nightmares.
A.N:
Well my darlings? How are we all?
I'm not going to say much about this chapter because there isn't anything really to say other than DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN!
-Bats :D