Chapter 21: Into Hellfire
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters of logos.
Hades, the lord of Tartarus, sat on his throne watching in amusement as his servants tortured Felix Faust. While the Greek God had allied himself with the sorcerer for a brief period, the two had since become enemies. He had killed the treacherous sorcerer, but Faust's student Tala braved the gates of Tartarus to retrieve his spirit and placed his soul in Hephaestus' unstoppable weapon, the annihilator. Hades scowled in anger as he remembered the day that Faust had driven him from the throne of the underworld. While he hated to admit it, he owed a debt to Diana of Themyscira for helping him defeat Faust.
No longer amused by Faust's screams of agony, the Greek God motioned for his demons to remove the sorcerer from his presence. The man's immortal soul would forever pay for the crimes that he had committed against the gods, as Hades had trapped him in a crystal were he could no longer do any harm.
Sitting back on his throne, the lord of Tartarus began to relax. The moment of tranquility shattered as his thoughts were interrupted. The iron doors of his throne room burst open with a crash, revealing a small demon. The creature grasped a note in his hand, his legs wobbling as he approached the god of the dead. "My lord… we have word from the demons that a group of outsiders has breached the outers gates."
"WHAT!" Hades shouted, getting off of his throne. His calm demeanor had been replaced by a terrible fury and rage. "Have you captured the swine?"
The small demon cowered in fear before the wrath of the god. "No… but I just figured that you should be warned."
Hades smiled, looking much calmer than he had been seconds before. "If these intruders have recently entered through the front gates, then you should be capturing them. Bring these filth to me by any means necessary."
"Yes milord." The demon replied, slowly walking backwards away from his master.
"GO!" Hades bellowed, breathing a stream of hellfire from his mouth. The cowardly creature dodged the blast by an inch, scrambling for the door like a frightened child.
"Perhaps I should see these intruders off, personally…" the god of the dead muttered to himself. Getting off of his throne, Hades burned the hapless demon to ash with his fiery breath, before exiting the throne room. The day had been rather uneventful, and even a god needed a change of pace, once and a while.
MEANWHILERaven soared through the air, steadily moving through the skies of Themyscira. This would probably be the one of the most important missions of her life, and perhaps the most dangerous. Even though she was the spawn of a demon, even Raven feared the fires of Tartarus. All humans and creatures with magical powers could sense the chaos of Tartarus, and she was no exception. No mortal would dare venture into the underworld, yet the Justice League was about to try. Thinking about her father, the young sorceress wasn't surprised that the third Tri-gem had been hidden in the foul depths of the underworld… a fitting place for one such as Trigon.
Her father was famous throughout the universe as the ultimate dimensional demon. Despite Earth being his domain, Trigon's powers were not limited to spreading chaos on a single planet. Creatures throughout the known galaxy feared his terrible power, the denizens of countless worlds having experienced his cruelty. From Tamaran to New Genesis, word of Trigon's terrible power had been made known to the universe.
Trapped in her thoughts, the young sorceress had momentarily forgotten that she was not alone in this mission. Wonderwoman and Doctor Fate were at the lead of the group, Zatanna flew in the center of the formation, while Shayera and Raven took up the rear to watch for any possible assault. While Etrigan couldn't fly, the demon easily kept up with the group by leaping through the trees. While he was large, the demon moved like an acrobat, and was able to stay with the group. The traveled at a steady pace, moving rapidly closer to their goal. As the group closed in around the gates of Tartarus, a terrible sit unfolded before their eyes.
Raven eyed the grim scene with disgust. As she lowered her altitude, the sight of dozens of bodies came into focus, each of the corpses soaked in blood. She had a feeling that this was Slade's personal work, as she could see the knives sticking through their vital organs.
Wonderwoman hastened as she caught sight of the stone structure leading to the large doors. The other heroes struggled to keep up with her as she shot toward the ground like a bullet. Pulling out of her dive at the last second, she turned over in midair, and slowed her descent. Landing on the stone floor, the Amazon Princess eyed the surrounding corpses with sorrow in her eyes. She could see that many of her Amazon sisters were moving the bodies from the scene, each of them working carefully as they carried the corpses to their final resting place in the cemetery.
As she approached the gates of Tartarus, a woman with long blonde hair intercepted her. The Amazon Princess immediately recognized her. Walking towards her mother, she embraced her for a few seconds before speaking. "Mother… it's been a long time."
"Indeed… but now is not the time for us to reminisce. A masked man and his group of killers came along and slaughtered you sisters." She said, turning away from the corpses of the fallen warriors.
Wonderwoman took a closer look at the bodies, choked back the tears that threatened to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I should have been here to protect you from these terrible people." She replied, her guilt beginning to grow. She had known each and every one of the deceased, and felt terrible that she had not been there to protect them. In her heart she knew that there was no way of knowing when this would happen, but she couldn't help but feel disgusted that someone would have the audacity to violate the sanctity of her people, and slaughter them in such an indiscriminate manner.
"Diana, I see you've brought friends to Themyscira, and I can also see you've brought men into our midst." She added, her eyes settling on Doctor Fate and Etrigan.
"I'm sorry mother, I know that men are not allowed on these lands, but this situation is much more dire then you could imagine." Wonderwoman nodded, looking resolute.
Hippolyta turned her back to the group before answering. "So you and your friends intend to journey into Tartarus?"
Her daughter nodded. "Yes mother, but maybe we should tell you what our purpose is."
The Amazon Queen walked back towards her throne, taking a seat so that she could listen. "You may tell me what you need to do…"
Doctor Fate was the first to speak. "What I am about to warn you about is of grave importance, but first I must ask in your highness has ever heard of the Demon, Trigon?" His question earned an uneasy nod from the queen, so he continued his story. "We have come to Themyscira, seeking a item left behind by this demon. I believe that this artifact is what they are after, and if those fiends who murdered your people are able to get their hands on it, I fear that countless worlds may suffer a terrible fate."
Hippolyta nodded. "Very well, I believe you. I too have heard terrible rumors of that accursed artifact in the fiery pits. In return, I grant you safe passage."
"Thank you milady." The wizard replied with a respectful bow. "We are in your debt."
"That is not necessary. In truth, I do not do this for the sole benefit of man's world, but rather for the safety of my people." She replied. Turning to her daughter, the Amazon Queen cast her a hopeful look. "Diana, be careful. One of those fiends appears to be skilled in sorcery, and not even we Amazons are immune to magic."
Wonderwoman gave her a confident expression. "Don't worry about me, Mother… Many of the members of my team are skilled magicians, capable of performing incredible feats of magic."
"Yeah… and my mace can disrupt enemy magic." Shayera cut in, looking equally as confident. "Don't worry, we don't need a babysitter. We're all perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."
"I understand that, and I wish you all safe passage… Open the gates." Hippolyta ordered the guards. The Amazon's surrounding the doors pulled the mechanisms that kept the gates locked. Since the key to the underworld had been destroyed, this was the only method that they had been able to create to open the gigantic doors. With a metallic clang, the gears began to spin, and slowly but surely the gates of Tartarus opened. Beyond the doors lay a cavernous land filled with shadow and flame. The screams of the wicked echoed through the hellfire, creating an eerie feeling for those who heard it. Raven couldn't find the words to describe the terrible feeling of ominous dark magic that poured forth from the pits of Tartarus. Glancing around at the other magicians, Raven could tell that they could sense it too.
Wonderwoman dove headfirst into the fiery depths, but was unable to move any further. Recoiling in pain, she glared at the source of the barrier, which surrounded the door. Doctor Fate looked up at the stubborn Amazon.
"You must proceed with caution." The wizard replied. "The last time you journeyed into the fiery pit, your destination was clear. This time we have no idea where we are going, and if we become separated, it will become even more difficult to complete this mission."
The Amazon Princess shot him an angry look. "Are you suggesting that we just wait for them to get the crystal? We have a better chance to find it if we split up."
Doctor Fate eyed the stubborn Amazon, a look of exasperation hidden behind his helmet. "And what if we run into trouble… what will you do?"
"I can take care of myself." She retaliated.
Raven exchanged uneasy glances with Zatanna and Shayera, both of which were probably thinking the same thing. Etrigan snorted in annoyance, but said nothing to stop the argument. Apparently Wonderwoman's anger towards the deaths of her people was clouding her better judgment, and any experienced person knows that letting something like that affect you in such a way could lead you to your death.
Stepping forward, Shayera placed herself between the two of them like a parent trying to separate her children. "Calm down you two. I say we go along with the wizard's plan."
"Why?" Wonderwoman asked sounding clearly offended. "This is my home, and I intend to avenge the deaths of my people.
The Thanagarian shot her a look of disapproval. "Well princess, did you ever consider the possibility that you could be making a big mistake. If we split up, we'll be severely outnumbered if the bad guys are in a group. You saw what those maniacs did to you sisters, do you want the rest of us the end up the same way."
Doctor Fate nodded. "And there is also the fact that we do not know what to expect. The enemy could be ready for us, or the demons could attack our group. In addition to this, there is also that possibility that any one of us could become lost in the pits of Tartarus. If that were to happen, we would waste time searching for them."
"All right, I see your point." The Amazon Princess replied, looking defeated. "But remember, I'm the team's leader on this mission."
"Very well. Now we must be off. Time is off the essence." He replied.
Walking closer to the fiery pits, the wizard glanced at a path forged of magic that head already been set down. "Dark magic… It is clear to me that our enemy has already found a way to navigate the underworld."
"Couldn't we just follow their path and find them." Raven asked, stepping forward to observe the dark magic.
"No… we cannot." The wizard replied tossing a stone onto the path. In a matter of seconds, the rock had exploded. "The path that our enemy has forged is riddled with traps. They may have also cast illusionary spells on the way to prevent us from finding them."
"So what do we do?" Etrigan asked, looking impatient.
Doctor Fate nodded in response. "Calm yourself, I was just about to get to that. I believe that I can create a new path for us to take, but I need to concentrate." Closing his eyes, the masked sorcerer began to chant. "By the power of Zeus, grant us safe passage through the pits of Tartarus. By the power of the fate, pierce through the darkness and lead us to that which we desire." As he finished the incantation, a strange ray of light flashed in front of them, forging a path for them to follow.
"Now we will begin this journey. Stay together, and stay within sight of each other." The wizard instructed.
In a matter of seconds, Wonderwoman had already taken up the lead, as she ran along the path into the depths of the underworld. Doctor Fate followed closely behind her, followed by Raven and Zatanna. Etrigan was the last to enter the fiery pits.
"As I suspected." Fate replied. "The path set down by our enemy diverges from my own. They must have changed it to distort us, hoping that we would use it to locate them."
Shayera nodded. "Speaking of that, I think I know how we can get this done faster."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Raven asked.
"We'll go to the ruler of Tartarus himself… Hades." The Thanagarian replied, earning an angry glare from the Amazon Princess.
"You can't be serious. If we turn up in Hades' chamber, we'll be asking for trouble, and even if he did cooperate, would you honestly trust him?"
"The man owes you a debt for defeating Faust and restoring him to the throne of Tartarus." Hawkgirl retaliated. "His help could prove to be useful."
"Perhaps that isn't such a bad idea after all." Doctor Fate replied.
"Trust me… we're better off without the help of a devious god like Hades." Wonderwoman insisted. "You don't know him like I do. He tried to drag my mother into Tartarus once, don't bother getting us involved with him. If we can avoid getting him involved, then we'll probably be better off."
"Why don't we put it to a vote." Shayera suggested. "Does anyone actually think we should go to see Hades?"
Raven shook her head. "While I've never met him, I've read many myths left by the Greeks. Judging by those stories, it's probably not a good idea to seek him out."
Zatanna nodded her head in agreement. "She's right about that. The Greek gods are noted for telling half truths and tricking mortals."
"I agree as well." Etrigan replied.
"It appears the decision is resolved." Wonderwoman concluded. "Now we should hurry, we've waste enough time already."
Doctor Fate nodded his head. "I agree. We must make haste if we are to locate that accursed item before those fiends."
WITH SLADESlade continued to search for the crystal, his patience beginning to wane. While Deathstroke was never a patient man, his thirst for power had become even stronger as he felt the presence of the third Tri-gem calling out to him.
The group of villains traveled inside a yellow barrier created by Sinestro. Not only did it allow them safe passage through the underworld, but the barrier also protected them from the legions of terrible demons that threatened to rip them apart. In the core of the underworld, anything could be dangerous.
Clayface shot Slade a murderous glare as they moved onward. "As soon as we leave this damn barrier, that fire's gonna dry me out."
"We will not remain here for very long." The masked villain replied, holding out his hand to silence the gelatinous shape shifter. "I promise you that any discomfort will be worth it in the end."
"We're almost there." Klarion chimed in. "I can sense a source of dark magic close ahead."
"Never mind… I see it." Slade replied, signaling to the former Green Lantern to release the barrier. As the yellow energy faded, the villains landed on the path. Klarion and the other villains stood in awe as they caught sight of the crystal.
Pushing his way through the group, Slade walked forward towards the floating pedestal that held the artifact. The third Tri-gem was mere inches away from him, but the concept of simply taking the crystal seemed much to easy. No… it just couldn't be that easy to obtain. An evil grin enveloped his face as he turned towards the group of villains standing behind him. He had thought of a better idea. Sizing up the members of his group, he chose
"Klarion… would you care to do the honors." Deathstroke replied, standing aside to let him pass.
"Do you take me for some kind of fool." The warlock spat at his employer. "How do we know that the crystal is not protected by some kind of spell?"
Slade let out a hollow laugh, sounding slightly impressed. "Perhaps you are not as foolish as I originally thought. Perhaps you should check if the crystal is hexed?"
Klarion shook his head. "An excellent idea. Perhaps I should take a closer look." Muttering some incantations, an eerie light shown forth from the warlock's eyes, illuminating the area around the crystal. The light unmasked the concealment spell that had been placed around the pedestal, revealing a large beast standing behind it. While the creature appeared to be a statue to the naked eye, Klarion's spell had revealed the creature's true nature. It was a powerful demon, created to awaken and destroy anyone who touched the item that it was made to guard.
It appears I was correct." The witch boy replied, deactivating his spell. "If any of us were to approach the item, the beast would awaken and kill the intruder."
Slade saw the drawback of his plan, but he was not about to be deterred from the power that he desired. "What is Sinestro uses his power ring to retrieve the crystal?"
"It won't work." Klarion replied. "The beast will also awaken if the item is moved."
"Couldn't we just destroy the demon and take it by force?" Metallo asked, crushing a rock between his fingers as he spoke.
The witch boy cocked an eyebrow. "Indeed… let's challenge a creation of the Greek Gods. Are you insane? I have read about such creatures… they were created by Hephaestus to guard the treasures of the ancient ones. If we were the battle the creature, we would surely lose."
Metallo laughed at the young warlock. "We needn't worry about fighting the beast, all we must do is flee from it before it attacks."
Warp, who had remained silent until now, raised his hand in objection. "Using my technology is not an option in the underworld. The dark magic, which blankets this land, prevents it from working. Had I been able to, we would have entered Tartarus through my vortex rather than battling our way through Themyscira."
"Let's just get back to the situation." Clayface interrupted. Turning around, the shape shifter seized Deathstroke by the throat, and angry look appearing on his face. "Are you trying to say that we came down here for nothing? Was this whole trip a waste of time?"
Slade remained silent for a few seconds, looking completely undisturbed by the fact that Clayface was on the verge of attacking him. "There is no need for violence among allies… I have a plan." He replied nonchalantly.
The angry shape shifter lowered him the ground, looking like a spoiled child whose tantrum had been interrupted. "What are we going to do then, smart guy?"
The masked villain grinned deviously behind his mask. "We are going to leave this matter to the Justice League."
"Are you suggesting we just let them have it?" Klarion asked, looking utterly appalled at the idea. "You can't be serious. After we came all this way to retrieve it."
"Calm yourself. When they remove the artifact from its pedestal, the Justice League will be forced to deal with the guardian. After the battle, we shall steal the crystal from them." Slade replied, looking confident.
Warp raised an eyebrow. "So its an ambush?"
"Precisely…" the masked villain replied.
NOTE TO READERS: Another chapter down for now. Now Hades is on the hunt, Slade's set a trap for the league, and the heroes may run into both. What's going to happen next? Find out in the next chapter. Please lave some reviews, I don't really get many for this story because its really not a shipper fanfiction. Oh well, romance isn't really my thing when it comes time to writing a story. Thanks for the support, I was thinking of making a sequal, what do you guys think?