Welcome To Hell
Apparently, some wires got crossed.
"So…..Hell."
"Hell."
"Hell is real."
"Yep."
"Fire, and brimstone?"
"That's actually on a lower level."
"There are levels?"
"Just one, and it's for the ones who have been very naughty, like Hitler….and broccoli."
"….Oh."
"You guys okay?"
"No, Doctor Palmer, we are not okay!" Stein said as he paced back and forth, "Do you know what this could do to….everything!"
"We have a good idea," Nick smiled, looking very much entertained by their reactions.
Ignoring his mother, Ray took in the rest of the team, whose expression ranged from shock to "do not compute." Finally, Jax spoke up, the words come out slow, as though his mind had yet to catch up with his mouth. However, considering that none of them had started running out the door screaming yet, Ray called it a success.
"So, are you guys demons?" He asked.
And while he did say "you guys," his eyes were on Ray. In fact, once the question sunk in, all of the Legends were staring at Ray, even Stein had stopped his pacing. Not at all bothered by it, Ray tried to figure out how to answer the question. Unlike how his mesya went about telling his father, the Atom couldn't just blurt out that he was the physical personification of Hell, or will be once his mother stepped down.
And that was the easy explanation.
The problem was, they wouldn't believe him. Despite time travel, meta-humans, and just about everything else they've faced, they will not believe that the giant man-puppy that is Raymond Palmer is in fact Hell. And that mainly had to do with the fact that they all had a preconceived notion as to what Hell, was and is.
And the Ray they knew did not fit that notion.
Finally after a long, almost anxious silence, Ray shrugged, "Sure, let's go with that."
They all pick up on the fact that Ray didn't say "yes," but leave it alone for now, because, hellllloooo! They. Were. In. Hell.
"That explains a lot," Mick said in the silence, and having everyone looking at him, "thought it was some leftovers from the Time Masters."
"Care to elaborate Mr. Rory?" Rip said when Mick didn't say anything else.
"After coming back to the team, I noticed that Haircut felt off, like he didn't belong. Didn't bother me much, cause like I said, leftovers."
"Ah, that." Said Nick, "That was most likely your sixth sense telling you that Ray isn't human. All humans have the "sense", however it had dulled into feelings. Like hair standing on end for example. And usually, it stays that way, but sometimes you have humans born with more, or they gain more. You being in the Vanishing Point as long as you were, amplified your sixth sense."
Mick stared blankly at Nick.
"You can see dead people now," Len told him.
"Oh…wonder if my Aunt Greta will pop up."
"You had an Aunt named Greta?" Nate asked.
"Yeah, fun woman, wicked right hook. Made awesome pie."
"As interesting as this conversation is," Rip said, looking anything but interested, "perhaps we should move back to our previous topics."
"Don't know, I kind of want to know more about Aunt Greta." Nick hummed.
"Me too actually," Ray agreed.
"I want to know why we were kidnapped in the first place," said Sara.
"Like I said, I was aiming of Ray."
"You were aiming," the Assassin said after a moment, "for Ray, and you just….missed?"
"Yep!" Nick chirped popping the p, next to him, Monroe sighed.
"….How?" this came from Nate, and like his teammates, was clearly lost on how in the world Nick missed.
"You all spent so much time with Ray that his presence mixed with yours. So the spell mistakenly thought you were him, and grabbed you instead."
"Which one did you use anyway?" Ray asked.
"The Full Moon one."
None of the Legend missed the look Ray gave his mother, however, no one made mention of it. Probably had something to do with the way Nick turned to stare at them.
"Well, anyway, it's going to take some time to send you guys back," he then said, surprising them.
"Why is that?" asked Amaya.
"Honestly the fact that you all made it through with just side-effects is a miracle in itself. The spell wasn't for human transportation."
"But there are spells for that? Humans I mean," Jax said.
"Yes, obviously there's the natural way, souls and all. But there are spells in which it allows humans to pass through the barrier that separates the worlds unharmed."
"So send us back with one of those," said Nate.
"What Nick did," Monroe spoke up "it messed with your bodies. Made them vulnerable for lack of better words, so using any kind of spell now to send you back, could cause injures, or worse death."
"So what do we do?" Sara asked.
"Give it a month," Nick said, "by then, you'll be fine."
"A month?!"
Nick nodded.
The Legends turned to Ray, "That's the best option," he said, "and honestly, do you guys really want to leave without taking a look around first?"
…Well, when you put it like that.
~.~
Ray had them change clothes, not that it would matter if the inhabitants knew they were Time Travelers or that were not exactly supposed to be here. But Ray figured they may as well do the full experience, clothing, and all. So after shoving them in a room that was filled with clothes and changing rooms, he left them to it. Forty minutes later, he was strolling into the hallway he told them to meet him in once they were finished dressing, having changed clothes himself.
"Nice," Ray said after looking them over, "okay, let's go. Oh! Before I forget. Len, Mick, don't steal or lift anything. Because there is a good chance that either the items are cursed, or the owners will curse you. And none of us wants that."
"What kind of curses?" Len asked, honestly curious.
"Some are harmless enough, and usually last a couple of hours or days. Some actually last until you give it back to its current owner, though some won't end until you give it to the original owner. Which is kind of fun, like a treasure hunt."
This got him looks.
"And then there are those curses that are more harmful," Ray continued on, "and either need a certain spell, or they kill you."
"Duly noted." Len said after a long moment of silence.
Smiling, Ray turned, and headed for the door, the Legends after glancing at each other; followed him out the door. The moment the door closed behind him, Jax turned around to look. And was surprised to see a normal two story house, he expected something bigger considering the size of the rooms they had been in.
"Jefferson!" Martin called.
"Coming!" With one last look, Jax hurried to catch up with the others.
They shuffled out the tall metal gate, and down at hill to what was a village. A very bustling village, that looked like it popped straight out of a fairytale novel. Cobblestone streets, quaint little cottages, and villagers.
Villagers with wings, tails, scales and strange colored eyes, and that's from what they could see.
"Contane, welcome back!" said a passing….woman.
It was hard to be sure with the feathers, and all, but it sound like one.
"Thank you," Ray said, "it's good to be back."
"Contane?" Amya inquired, she hoped she had said it right, it sounded like she did, and Ray didn't correct her.
The team tuned a corner, and into what looked like a market, it looked like they were getting ready for some kind of celebration or another; banners were being hung, and decorations were being put up.
"What's going on here?" Jax asked, watching as some stall were being set up.
Ray stared, expression bewildered, which quickly lit up in realization, and delight, "It's Omeyatai!" He said to them, "the celebration of the Treaty between Heaven and Hell."
"Heaven is real!?"
"Why wouldn't it be real? You're in Hell right now."
"Good point."
"What treaty?"
Ray smiled, and went on about how the war between Heaven and Hell had finally stopped, and a treaty was formed. As he talked, Amaya realized he never answered her question.
~.~
They returned about three hours before the festivities were to begin, Ray showed them to their rooms where they could rest before they were to head back to the village. He then went to search for his mother, and Monroe, he found them in his parents' room. Monroe was fast asleep in the bed, his mother was out on the balcony, kneeling and in meditation. Ray went over, leaned against the railing and waited.
"Enjoy your outing?" Nick asked, nothing even bothering to open his eyes.
"They did, going back for the festival," Ray said, "there is a good chance something is going to blow up by the end of the night."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Nick smiled as he opened his eyes.
Ray laughed, it was true, it wouldn't be a party if something didn't explode, or that the reason for the explosion was because of him and his family.
"Is Father going to make it?" He then asked.
"He will, he's actually using it as an excuse to get out of the Council meeting."
No one liked the Council meetings.
"So, why were you trying to kidnap me? Calling would have been easier, and less messy."
Nick doesn't speak, and Ray knew that meant that they were weighing their words carefully, finally his mother spoke. "Have you noticed anything off?"
"Off, how?" Ray asked.
"Just anything."
"And why would I notice?"
Again, Nick paused, this time however, they looked nervous and a bit afraid. "The barrier cracked."
Ray goes very still, his heart started hammering, and it took him a while to focus on his mother's words.
"Though nothing had come through there have been reports of irregular occurring in both worlds."
Ray took a deep breath, and Nick watched him, worry in his eyes.
"Well," Ray said after a long tense moment, "there wasn't anything on my end."
And there wasn't, just the usual, perhaps it just hadn't reached his end yet. Speaking of which "….Do you want me to seal the barrier?"
His mesya goes stiff, "I rather you didn't."
"I'm the only one who can."
And there it was, that look of guilt, guilt that shouldn't be because Ray never blamed his family, and he still can't convince them otherwise.
"Mesya—"
Nick held up a hand, "I'm your Mesya, I love you, and have done all I could to protect you, When I failed in that, of course I'm going to carry that guilt."
"But it wasn't—"
"My fault, I know, but the heart tells otherwise."
Ray went, kneeled before his mother, and pressed their foreheads together.
~.~
About an hour in, there is a knock on his door, reluctantly, Len got up from the best bed he's has ever laid in, and answered it.
It was Dane.
"Hello," Dane said politely, "I'm here to check on you, make sure everything is fine."
Unlike Nick, Dane was clearly male, tall, and just like Nick, human looking. No hint of claws, fangs, wings, etc. He had brown hair, and grey eyes, stern features soften by the slight concern Len could see in the man's eyes.
"Everything is working," Len said.
"Nothing wrong with your vision?"
"Twenty, twenty."
Dane hummed, "May I check?" he then asked, "just to be sure."
Aware that he was in an unknown place, and rather not have any surprises, Len let him inside. Dane asked him to sit in the chair, and once Len does he took out a light from his bag that all doctor had. Possible demons doctors included. Len cooperated, moving his head when told too, and such. Rolling up his sleeve so his blood pressure could be taken (a little low but that apparently was normal when being pulled through what was essentially a wormhole, and he'd be fine if he ate something), lifting his shirt so Dane could listen to his heartbeat. All that fun stuff.
"So," Len drawled when Dane was done, and packing up, "do you always make house-calls when Raymond's mother kidnaps people?"
"You and your friends aren't the first ones to be kidnapped by Ray's mother."
"Not sure if I should find that worrying or suggest that Nick and Rip make a club."
Dane chuckled as he closed his bag, then turned, "Allow me to properly introduce myself, I'm Dane. Head doctor of the family, Knight of Heaven, and Ray's Uncle by marriage."
Len blinked as he process the information, "So you're an Angel?"
There is a Heaven, so of course there would be Angels, still didn't stop him from being surprised.
"No," Dane smiled, "believe it, or not, I am human….mostly."
"How are you mostly human?"
While they all had their theories, the Team, and Len himself, all agreed that the Occulus had merged with Len during that explosion. It's why he could notice sudden changes in the timeline quicker then Gideon, how he felt or sometimes saw things that weren't supposed to be, which, like Mick said; explained Raymond. Once, he had even frozen time, though he had never been able to do it again. There was also this hum of energy that sometimes radiated through-out his body, like something is waiting to get out, or Len letting it out.
To make a long story short, Dane didn't feel right.
"It's a long story, which I would love to tell, but I have the rest of your friends to check over before you go to the festival. Though I'm sure Ray will gladly tell you should you ask."
With that, Dane gave a polite bow of the head, and left.
Len, after a moment, went back into the bed, moaning happily at the feel. The room itself was cozy, yet still held a type of elegance. The bed wasn't overly big, and like stated before felt amazing (The mattress was coming with him when they leave, the sheets too), behind one door was a bathroom. Said bathroom had a shower in the corner, and a huge bathtub in the middle of the room, with jets. Sara had banged on his door excitedly, and squealed over hers then his when she saw it, then stated that she and Amaya were going to take a bubble bath together and weren't getting out until they looked like they could be related to a raisin
He wasn't invited to the bubble bath party.
There were clothes in the closet, suspiciously his size, Ray had told him that if the team that if they didn't like anything in there, they were welcomed to go back to the room where they had first changed in, and pick out something.
However, before all that, Len was going to sleep. Suddenly tired (also normal according to Dane), he'll explore later. Probably tomorrow, depending on how he felt.
He slept.
When he woke up, it's too Mick banging on his door, and yelling at him to get his ass out of bed. Len polite yelled back, telling the man to fuck off. To which Mick kindly responded with words that would have what was left of Jax's innocent torn apart and stomped into the dust. Once his partner was dragged off by an amused Amaya, Len rolled and smooshed his face into the pillow, before sighing and getting up.
He went to bathroom, used the toilet, washed his hands, then came out to look through the closet.
He didn't find something he liked, so off to the other room he went, he found Rip, and Nate in there. Sara coming quickly coming in behind him, her hair up and curly.
"You and Amaya enjoyed you're bubble bath?" Len drawled.
"Yes, and we have another date later."
"Am I invited to that one?"
"No."
"You wound me," Len playfully clenched his chest.
Rip snorted at their playfulness, before turning his attention to the chest he was looking through. Both Sara goes to the rack on the left, while Len joined Nate at the rack to the back. It doesn't take him long to find something, and when comes from behind the changing curtain, Sara grinned.
"Nice."
Len was wearing black trousers and what looked like a black vest, over that was a double-breasted gentleman coat, it covered part of the upper legs, with two columns of button on both sides that stretched from the collar to the waist. Boots, and a cane that everyone in the room was sure the man picked up just so he could twirl it around.
With her outfit draped over one arm, and shoes in hand, Sara went beyond the curtain. Len settled down on a closed trunk and waited. Some minutes later, the woman pulled the curtain dramatically back, Nate whistled.
When everyone was ready, they headed back to the same spot from earlier, however instead of Ray waiting for them, it was Monroe.
"Ray told me to escort you to the festival, he and Nick are waiting for Sebastian to arrive." Monroe informed them.
"Who is Sebastian?" Asked Nate.
"Ray's father, Nick's husband, and King of Hell."
"….Excuse me?"
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