Child of the Forest and the Ocean

Chapter 9

Harry stood in the Zatara's backyard. Wind tugged at his black T-shirt and danced around his gray sweatpants.

A dreary overcast day cast gray light on Giovanni as he paced back-and-forth before him, the sleeves of his button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows.

Harry brushed his shaggy black hair behind his ear.

Over the past three weeks, Giovanni Zatara had given Harry a crash course in demons.

Giovanni stopped before him his slick back dark hair shining in the overcast light. "Demons are fast, strong, and resilient when they enter a vessel. They also display a variety of powers such as telekinesis, telepathy, or Pyrokinesis."

"If there so dangerous, why bring your daughter to where you thought one was?"

"That day I was teaching Zatanna how to sense the supernatural when she picked up the demon. She teleported away, and by the time I caught up with her, we were too close to the church to turn back."

"Now," Giovanni slid his polished dress shoe forward on the grass. "today we are going to fight as if I was a demon, so be ready."

With a muttered word, Giovanni launched his hand forward, fire spewing out from his palm.

Reaching out through his connection to the clear, Harry thrust his own hand forward water coalescing in his palm.

The two attacks came together in a shower of steam.

Closing his eyes, Harry reached out through the missed with his senses. Air shifted around him as he increased the water droplets in the mist. However, despite his efforts, his mind's eye stayed blank.

His eyes fluttered open, wisps of pale steam floated above the grass and deep cracks littered the brick wall ringing in the Zatanna's backyard.

He moved forward, his arms out in front of him his eyes scanning around him. He peered around the mangled old acorn tree, only to find no one hiding there.

Acorns made a click, click, sound as a breeze sent them skidding across the concrete walkway leading to an iron gate.

Inhaling deep, his lips twitched upwards as he caught the scent of Giovanni's aftershave. Thrusting his hand downwards, blades of grass shot up like missiles.

A cry rent the air, Harry spun to see Giovanni lying on the ground, blades of grass sticking in his forearms.

Walking forward Harry stretched forth his hand. The grass sticking out of Giovanni's forearms began to grow, weaving together into a dark green straitjacket.

A foot away from Giovanni, the elder magic user faded away and the grass straitjacket flooded to the ground.

A force slammed into Harry's back driving him headfirst into the concrete wall.

Just before he hit the wall, Harry lashed out with his mind. The bricks that made up the wall just in front of him crumbled into red powder, and he slammed into sand.

Twisting his bottom half, Harry launched himself to his feet.

Giovanni clapped softly, the watch on his wrist flashing in a beam of sunlight as the clouds shifted. "Good, good, you were able to tell where I was. Maybe not as quick as I would've liked, but you still figured out where I was, just remember demons love to play mind games with you as you fight them."

Inclining his head, Harry leaned back into the wind, letting a cool breeze cooled the sweat from his body. "Thanks Mr. Zatara, I don't know if I'll ever be able to fight a demon head on, but I should be able to protect my mother if one comes after her."

Together they began making their way back into the house.

"It would help if we knew why the demon was after your mother, but from what you told us about how you were born, she was studying some obscure pieces of magic there for a while." He shook his head, "either way if it had something to do with your birth it should have already come to pass before now. Most deals like that have a ten year timetable."

"Either way will figure it out my boy," he slapped Harry on the shoulder, "now I believe it's your turn to make breakfast."

XX –

Thirty minutes later, Harry flipped bacon onto a napkin covered plate before moving over to flip another pancake onto a stack. Grabbing both plates, he moved over to a plain white round wooden table behind him.

Sitting the plates down in the center of the table, he pulled the moisture out of Apple and orange juice with Hydrokinesis splitting the two juices between a set of plastic jugs.

Wrapping his hands around the handles, he breathed out lowering the temperature in the jugs until permafrost coated the outside.

He just finished setting the silverware around the table when Zatanna stumbled in, her dark blue jeans clung to her legs and her black tank top showed just a hint of stomach.

She sat down at the table, her half-moon earrings flashing.

After a short silence for grace, the three of them began eating in silence.

Dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, Zatanna hummed in appreciation, "you know if you ever need some money, you wouldn't do too bad as a breakfast cook."

"Thanks, but I think I would miss nature too much if I was stuck in front of a stove all day."

"So, you care about nature?" Giovanni asked taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Not on the eco-terrorist level of my mother, but with the way I am connected to it, it would be hard not to. As a matter of fact that's how my mother's company makes her money, by developing plants that eat waste."

Giovanni inclined his head and Harry turned his attention to Zatanna. "I'm getting a little stir crazy after being cooped up inside for two weeks, I thought I would go explore San Francisco. Would you like to come along?"

Zatanna's eyes widened, and Giovanni paused, a fork full of pancake halfway to his mouth.

After a moment, she nodded, "Sure."

With those words, Zatanna rose to her feet and disappeared from the kitchen.

"Harry?"

"Yes Sir?"

"I did have this colorful analogy of turning you into a frog and eating your legs as a threat for if you did anything with my daughter, but try anything inappropriate, and I'll just kill you."

Rising to his feet, Harry grabbed the dirty dishes and began putting them in the sink. Nerves churned around in his gut, he couldn't believe he had just asked Zatanna out, but he fought the shaggy man a few weeks ago, going on a date couldn't be that much harder could it?

He turned to find Giovanni behind him with the two jugs of juice.

The older man raised an eyebrow, "You better get ready."

Looking down at himself, Harry cursed and sprinted from the room.

Chuckling Giovanni opened the fridge, its white door reflecting the lights of the chandelier over the table. Setting the jugs inside, a small smile stretched across his face. He liked Harry. Of course just because he liked him didn't mean he was good enough for his little girl, after all no one was good enough for his princess.

XX –

Fifteen minutes later, Harry and Zatanna strode down the concrete porch outside of the Zatara's three-story brownstone.

Harry's hand glided across the railing, the water from last night's rain soaking into his skin.

Reaching the street, they headed north dodging around puddles.

The overcast sky packed the moisture in the air and amplified the sounds of what few cars were out.

"So, there's a carnival up this way," Harry said nodding forward, "you want to go to that, or something else?"

"The carnival is fine. I haven't been in a while."

They walked in silence, a cool Chicago breeze ruffled their clothes.

"So, did you always want to study magic?"

Zatanna glanced at him for a moment then nodded slowly.

"Yeah I was always amazed at what my dad could do on stage. It was incredible how he could blend sleight-of-hand with actual magic, and then when I found out how he was battling the forces of darkness I was hooked."

"So it's all about the excitement?"

Dark hair fluttered from side to side in her crescent moon earrings flashed. "No, I want to help people, but seeing what my dad did got me started in magic. It didn't hurt that my mom was a powerful Magi in her own right."

A purple eye glanced at him out of a curtain of black hair. "What about you?"

"I was born from a flower, so my powers are tied to water, earth, plants, and for some strange reason ice. I never really did anything with my powers until after I found out how I was resurrected."

Harry shoved his hands into his pockets. "on that day I dived into the ocean and swam amongst the ships," he flashed Zatanna a smile. "I even managed to come back up with some buried treasure."

"You were the guy that helped Aquaman with that creature in amnesty Bay, weren't you?"

"Yeah that was a really bad idea. Of course I probably wouldn't have gone if the clear hadn't asked me to."

"The clear?"

"The planet is broken up into three mystical forces that I know of, the green which represents all plant life, the clear which represents the ocean, and the red which represents every other animal. Because of the unique way I was born, I have a connection to the first two."

"But I have to say, I'm glad I went. I would've felt bad if those people would've gotten hurt. Besides I got to meet the other half of my family."

Stopping at the entrance to the carnival, Harry fished out a wallet made of dark green leather. "Two please," he asked handing the man inside the weathered red booth some money.

Taking the money, the guy shoved it in the pocket of his light blue shirt underneath the name tag that read Jim. Pulling two tickets from an old-fashioned role, he handed them over, "Have a nice time."

The sounds of rides and screaming people filled their ears along with the sweet scents of funnel cake and cotton candy.

Zatanna bumped his shoulder. "Well, you're the guy aren't you supposed to show your strength and win me a prize?" She asked with a coy smile.

Harry's lips twitched. "Well let's go then."

Harry approached the strength testing machine.

Zatanna raised an eyebrow, "Really, you're going with this."

"Hey you're the one that wanted me to show you my strength, and what better way than this old classic?"

Handing the operator the cash, Harry gripped the handle of the comically large hammer.

Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, drawing in the strength of the earth.

Hoisting the hammer up onto his shoulder with one hand, he gripped it with the other and slammed it down onto the weight.

The sound of screeching metal squealed out from the bottom of the machine as the weighted plate was mashed flat.

Harry watched the cylindrical weight travel up and slam into the bell at the top of the machine with enough force to split it in half. He winced as the two halves of the bell landed on either side of the machine.

Harry handed the stunned operator his hammer back while Zatanna pulled a large stuffed black bear from the shelf of prizes.

As they walked away Zatanna glanced at him. "You cheated!"

"Of course I cheated, everything in here is rigged."

Bell like laughter tickled Harry's ears, causing his shoulders to relax.

"Alright Mr. Macho man," Zatanna snorted once she got herself under control, "let me show you what I can do."

Over the next couple of hours, Zatanna and Harry took turns trying to outdo each other with their skills. By the time the sun started going down, both had various prizes shrunken down and stored in Zatanna's leather handbag.

"Well," Harry said with one arm wrapped around Zatanna's waist, "as much as I don't want to I think we need to leave soon, or the operators of this place will start getting suspicious, but before we do there's one thing we haven't done yet."

Zatanna pulled her head off his shoulder, "and what's that," her purple eyes glowed in the light of the setting sun, making Harry's stomach clench.

Clearing his throat, he nodded at the white Ferris wheel overlooking a nearby lake, "That."

XX –

Their footsteps echoed inside the metal bucket as they moved to the wooden seat. Wrapping his fingers around the thin metal door, Harry pulled it shut with a click. Leaning back, he wrapped one arm around Zatanna's shoulder, while she snuggled into his chest.

Slowly they rose into the air, the lights of the peer sparkled in the midnight black water of the bay.

Harry stared at the San Francisco skyline.

The buildings lights danced along the water, painting it a multitude of colors.

The way the buildings were lit up reminded Harry of a tourist postcard.

"Thank you for taking me out tonight," Zatanna's soft voice drifted up from his chest.

"Thank you for coming out with me, you've made tonight fun." he looked down at her, her purple eyes shone with their own kind of magic. Slowly, they found themselves leaning in. Just as their lips were about to touch, the Ferris wheel jerked, snapping them apart.

"Well that was a mood killer."

"Yeah it was," Zatanna said sweeping her hair out of her face.

Harry scanned the sky. "What do you think caused it?"

Zatanna pointed to a guy hovering in the air wearing light blue armor. A square helmet set on top of his head. A rectangular looking horn jutted from either side of it, "Probably that guy."

"What do you want to do?" Harry asked as waves of gravitational energy began flattening tents.

Zatanna rose to her feet. "I don't know who this guy is, but we can't very well sit here and do nothing."

"Well we could, but that wouldn't be the heroic thing to do."

Concentrating in a certain Way, Harry pulled the earth upwards, forming a smooth six foot long disc in the air.

A smile twitched his lips when he didn't feel the stabbing headache that usually came from manipulating earth. Maybe, just maybe he was getting used to manipulating soil.

Kicking the door open, Harry held out his hand to Zatanna. "Come on, that guy seems to be able to control metal, and I don't fancy staying up here."

Wrapping her slender fingers in his larger hand, Zatanna's red lips twitched and a flash of white lit up the night. "So, can I expect our next date to be so much fun?"

With a force of will, Harry sent the disk of earth descending downwards.

"I don't know hopefully next time a super villain won't interrupt the kiss."

XX –

Harry and Zatanna sprinted towards the armored man hovering in the air. Screaming people rushed past them, tears streaming down their faces. Their shoulder slammed into them, knocking them off balance.

The sound of screeching metal caused people to cry out.

Harry and Zatanna glanced upward, their eyes widening as every food cart in the carnival rose into the air and twisted into giant gleaming needles.

"What's he doing? I don't get is game plan."

"Yeah, he's not even attacking people. He's just causing mindless destruction."

With a flick of an armored hand, the javelins flew downward.

Harry skidded to a stop thrusting his hands forward. The earth in front of him rippled upward, the asphalt bending into a U-shape.

Dropping to his knees, Harry wrapped his other hand around Zatanna's wrist pulling her into his body.

Closing his eyes he felt the earth beneath his free hand, memorizing its texture. He then applied the texture onto his own body.

His shirt ripped as his shoulders broadened, he loosened his grip as soft skin became hard asphalt. Black Rocky ground covered his broad chest and his forehead became three rocky ridges. Emerald light shone out of the holes were his eyes used to be. He flexed fingers that had transformed into long thick claws.

"What did you…?"

Zatanna was cut off as the javelins impacts filled the air with a, tat, tat, tat.

Harry winced each impact was shown in his mind as an echo of sound.

He lurched forward suddenly as a javelin pierced his wall and slammed into his rocky back.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine your dad teaching me earth empathy save my ass."

"Earth empathy?"

"Earth empathy is the ability to take on the characteristics of any nearby ground. Now do you have any idea on how we're supposed to stop this guy?"

"I recognize the guy from my dad's files. His name is Neil Emerson. He goes by the name Doctor Polaris. His ability is to manipulate magnetic fields."

The wall around them began to crack.

Scooping Zatanna up in his arms, Harry skated along the ground by shifting the earth underneath his feet. "Alright, heat disrupts magnetic fields, so we need fire."

Zatanna grinned tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Fire is something I can do."

Harry skated around the food stands, moving the earth underneath the grease traps to follow behind him.

The scent of fried foods wafted from behind them, making their stomachs growl.

"Is it wrong if I'm hungry?" Zatanna yelled as they sped for Neil.

"Only if you think it's wrong for me to be hungry."

He lurched sideways, dragging the grease vats with them as Doctor Polaris sent out a wave of magnetic energy that crushed tents and gaming stalls.

Pushing down with his free arm, he smoothed out the earth in front of him as he skated along it, creating a smooth straight road.

Skidding to a stop, Harry sat Zatanna beside him. Dropping to one knee, he thrust both hands upward. The ground behind him lurched, the ground the grease was sitting on rose into the air.

Reaching out with his mind, Harry grabbed the metal javelins Doctor Polaris had created out of the food carts. Picturing the javelin slowly bending into ramps, the metal screeched as it was forced to take on the shape of his will.

Placing one end near the vats, he formed the other end above Doctor Polaris his head, reworking the metal, so that it had no magnetic pull.

The ground shook as the ramps metal legs stabbed into the ground, sending bits of gravel flying.

Harry glanced upwards, smiling at his distorted reflection in the round underbelly of the ramp above him.

Sliding his feet backwards, the ground the grease was sitting on tilted upwards until the entirety of the grease in the carnival flowed down the new ramp.

The metal instantly heated up, Harry could feel the heat radiating through the rocks coating his skin. The scent of corndogs, funnel cake, deep-fried Oreos, and other fried foods filled the air.

Hot grease flowed down the ramp, exploding out all over Doctor Polaris.

"Now!"

With a muttered word, Zatanna lit the grease. Orange fire engulfed Doctor Polaris, the heat made him lose control of his magnetic powers. He fell to the ground, instantly catching the grease that had pooled below him ablaze.

Hazy slick smoke filled the air. Along with the smell of heated metal and cooked meat.

Zatanna vomited at the smell, but Harry frowned. Throughout this entire fight Doctor Polaris never said a word. Even now as he burned he didn't speak.

Reaching out with his mind, he touched Doctor Polaris. Images of a ring of fire with a curvaceous feminine shadow in the center flashed through his mind.

Pulling back, Harry bent the earth in a cocoon like shape around Doctor Polaris, leaving enough space for the flames to continue to burn.

Finishing his work, he allowed the rock he had absorbed into his body to fall off. The armor fell into gravel that pooled in a ring around his feet.

Turning on his heel, he faced Zatanna. "Are you all right?"

The Raven haired sorceress nodded wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah I'm just not used to stuff this violent. How did you not get sick?"

"I use my telepathy to turn off my emotions. One of my teachers taught me that it was better not to have your emotions cloud your judgment in a fight, but I'll have to deal with it later."

He took a step forward blocking Zatanna's view of the cocooned body. "More importantly, there was another presence in Doctor Polaris's mind."

"Meaning?"

"I think he was being controlled."

"By who?"

Before Harry could answer, the sound of approaching sirens caused their heads to snap around. They could just make out flashing blue and red lights in the distance.

"We need to go."

Zatanna nodded slowly, her purple eyes raking over Harry's broad naked chest.

Taking Zatanna's hand in his, Harry sprinted towards the exit, his bare feet slapping the gravel.

With a muttered word from Zatanna, the duo shimmered and vanished into the night.

The sounds of approaching sirens, settling gravel and crackling fires punctuated their exit.

A/N Here's the next chapter. By the way, was this showing or telling?