-Skulks in- I am so very sorry about how long it took to get this chapter up. Life hit me and, yeah, I got caught up in other things ; But I'm feeling better now, so hopefully I'll be up to writing the Climatic Battle! scene soon. Please read and review; it does help me to write sometimes.

Disclaimer - If I owned Teen Titans, I'd be wearing nicer socks.

The Power Of The Sea -

Schemes

Raven struggled to remain calm.

"Breathe, Raven, in and out," she told herself, trying to keep her mind off her watery prison, "In and out. Remember, the worst is over."

She truly hoped that was true. Getting to Trident's lair was one of the most frightening things that she had been through since she banished her father. The only way to get to it was to go underwater, and she was terrified, thinking that her bubble would burst at any time, leaving her in the cold, ruthless seas. Fortunately, she was able to control her powers, so no water invaded her space.

"Thank Azar," the empath thought, "I would have gone mad. That is, if I didn't drown first."

She shuddered. Not being able to breathe sounded like one of the most horrible ways to die; gasping for air that wouldn't come, lungs feeling like they're on fire, chest pains; none of it appealed in the least to the dark Titan. Then, a question hit her like a blow to the stomach – "I've been trapped in this bubble for a while; how much air do I have left?"

Frantically, she began to pound on the sides of her prison.

-----------------------------------------------------

Never had Aqualad swam faster or more focused than when he was going to Trident's lair to save Raven. He had also never been this furious before.

"Of all the dirty schemes," he seethed mentally, scaring a few fish, "This has to be his most vile. Using Raven to get to me is absolutely despicable. And he must have forced her into the sea to get to the lair – she must have been terrified!"

He glared at nothing in particular, wishing he could crush Trident's throat beneath his hands.

"Okay, calm down," Aqualad told himself, "You'll get to Trident soon enough, and you cannot let your emotions control you. What you need is a plan, as it's clearly a trap. A plan that will get Raven to safety and defeat Trident once and for all. You've got to play on his greatest weakness – his ego."

Thinking up a plan, the Titan continued onwards, through the sea.

-----------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, his fishy nemesis was gleefully checking over his cave, making sure that everything was in place for Aqualad's arrival.

"Let's see, do I have the net? Ah, there it is. And the cage is properly hidden, good. I had to go to great lengths to get it," Trident boasted, "I had to go so far as to actually buy it, as something this technical has to be custom made. It will negate Aqualad's powers, making him completely helpless."

"What are you going to do to him?" Raven said from her prison, not wanting to waste her precious air on questions, but desperately needing to know, "And me?"

The villain chuckled.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough, girl, and it's bound to be exquisitely painful. As for you, all I need you for is as bait. After that, there's no reason to keep you," he paused, and leered menacingly at the empath, "But I could think of something."

Horror and fury pulsed through the girl, and it took all of her effort to contain her emotions.

"Ignore him; focus on the situation at hand. Aqualad's heading into a trap and I'm already captured. There must be something I can do, but what?" Raven took a few meditative breaths to help clear her mind, "I can't use my powers, at least not if I want to live, if what Trident says is true."

She glanced at the villain, who had lost interest in her for the moment, and was now checking the entrance of the cave impatiently. Impulsively, the titan decided to test if her magic really would cause her prison to flood. A small amount of power gathered in her hand, and almost instantly water trickled in.

"He wasn't lying," the girl thought grimly, banishing the power. The flow of water stopped, and she kicked the side of the bubble in frustration. It gave slightly, which caused Raven to blink, and then try again. Again it gave slightly, but did not break.

"That didn't happen earlier," she remembered, feeling something like hope fill her, "Something's changed. It – It must have been the water! The walls of this bubble must be super concentrated, and when I use my powers, it pulls the water from the walls into the center. Which means the pressure will lessen each time I use my powers, and will eventually burst!

The girl frowned, and looked once more to Trident, making sure he hadn't noticed.

"I'll have to fill this up with water, but not until Aqualad gets here. Otherwise, I'll be just as trapped," she decided, the fear rising in her throat, "I'll-I'll just have to be brave."

Raven was just about to test the limits once more when a familiar voice echoed through the caves.

"Let her go," Aqualad said in a cold, clear tone that was more serious than anyone had ever heard.

Trident walked out of the shadows and smirked.

"Aqualad. How kind of you to join us…"