Hey everyone, for those who are interested, Anonymous Void has told me that he's about to begin posting his Teen Titan story next Monday. Thanks for your patience with us concerning this story.

J'onn! I need—!

J'onn's head perked up at the summon, his concern growing exponentially a moment later.

Floating high in the sky, the Martian loomed over the oddly-built skyscraper, the one with the temple-like portion constructed on top of a modern edifice. Batman had taken to investigate this place and his shortened call for assistance had come without warning.

Yet, this was why he was here. Taking into account the strangeness of the case they were working, the Dark Knight didn't want to take any chances that he was going up against several meta-humans with otherworldly powers. The telepath could more than hold his own. On top of that, he had the experienced group of vigilante with them, the ones that called themselves the Birds of Prey.

Attention all! he called out telepathically to the females. Infiltrate the target. Batman needs assistance!

He felt several mental exchanges, mostly those of acceptance and one of worry. Regardless, he knew the warriors were on their way. In the meantime, he was going to buy them some time so that they would come in as reinforcements.

Using his power of flight, he charged towards the building, leading with his feet as he rocketed downwards. He collided with the roof of the building and it gave way immediately against the impact. Bursting through the ceiling, he landed right where he had last mentally sensed Batman, arriving in a room filled with people of oddly-dressed garb. Debris from the ceiling crashed to the floor, landing just in time as he had.

"Well, well, it seems we have more company," a man with snakes for hair remarked. J'onn had to do a double take when he realized that man looked just like the Joker...except with snakes for hair. A cursory look around him allowed him to identify Dr. Alchemy as well as the Shade, both of whom were staring at him incredulously.

So this was the group the Justice League had been chasing.

That's when he spotted a man in a flowing purple robe, his hand extended towards Batman, who was being held in the air by a gathering of vines. His head hung low, indicating he was unconscious and explaining why his call was cut short.

"I heavily advise you to surrender yourselves," J'onn then spoke, directing his message to all around him. Never mind that he was literally surrounded by him, he was expecting quite a bit of power to be unleashed and he was ready for it.

"And if we don't?" a red-haired woman inquired, a teasing tone in her voice.

"Then I shall have to apprehend you with force."

"I'd love to see you try!"

Those words came from a different side, prompting the Martian to turn his head. A short distance away was a bald man with razor sharp teeth gleaming in the light. He had suddenly appeared in that spot, of that J'onn was certain. The man's eyes suddenly lit up with a yellow glow and J'onn felt a powerful psychic force slam into his mind. Irrational fear exploded within him and he felt the desire to either flee, or collapse from the overwhelming anxiety.

That's when the Martian's eyes glowed orange and he pushed back the powerful telepathic attack. He was rather surprised that he only pushed it back off of him and no more. The being's presence was hovering before him, threatening to overwhelm him again.

So he took a more physical approach. Drawing a fist back, he threw it forward, his arm stretching forward simultaneously. His extending fist slammed right into the man's face, the force of the blow lifting him right off of the floor, and sending him sailing backwards through the air. J'onn's fist was firmly embedded in the man's face and helping to force him further and further through the air. His foe crashed into a wall across the room, which promptly ended his psychic attack.

Quickly, he retracted his arm back, readying himself for another attack. As it turned out, the man in the dark purple robe was the one to make the next attempt. Holding a glowing hand towards the Martian, he then called out, "Stamáta tóra!"

That was when an unseen force suddenly constricted around J'onn's body, pinning his arms to his side and his legs together. Unconcerned, he reached out with his mind, sending the equivalent of a psychic slap towards the man. Instantly, the man's head snapped to a side, the man crying out as his hand stopped glowing and he stumbled back a step.

The constricting force ended just as abruptly. However, he was not able to continue on the offensive. Vines that were restraining Batman pulled themselves away, their heads sprouting large, razor sharp thorns. Promptly, they charged forth with every intent of impaling the Martian.

In response, J'onn went translucent and sunk downward into the floor, avoiding the charging vines. Emerging into the room below, he did not pause to take stock of what was in it as he flew towards another part of the room. Using his mind, he sensed where the other people were and found two close by to each other. Arriving at a spot just behind them, he then flew up into the ceiling and rose right behind Dr. Alchemy and the Shade.

The moment he was fully in the room, he returned to his normal tangibility and grabbed both men by their outer shoulders. Quickly, he slammed them together, both men crying out before he threw them in opposite directions of each other.

A bearded man in what was best described as a throne stood up, pointing a finger at the Martian. "Someone stop him!" he screamed.

That was when a door behind J'onn exploded, sending pieces of debris flying in all directions. Instinctively, J'onn went intangible, allowing the broken pieces of the door to fly through him. Clouds of smoke suddenly erupted throughout the room. J'onn could see his opponents jerking their heads back and forth as they tried to register what was going on. If he had been in their position, he would have had the same concern.

However, thanks to his telepathy, he could feel familiar minds darting into the room, taking up position within the smoke clouds. It was to give the effect that these people had simply appeared in the room, a tactic most likely taught to them by Gotham's Dark Knight. Such an effect was effective on simpler minds.

As it turned out, there were plenty of those minds as J'onn felt their collective surprise. As the clouds of smoke dissipated, the Birds of Prey emerged. From one cloud, Black Canary and Huntress appeared, ready for combat. On another part of the room was Katana and Manhunter, their preferred weapons drawn and held at the ready.

And then there was a gasp. Tilting his head to one side, J'onn spotted Batgirl standing right behind the bearded man, using his throne to give her some needed height as she held one of her batarangs against his throat.

"Alright, Scum," Huntress called out, earning herself the attention of the room. "You made a bad mistake thinking you could do...whatever the hell you're doing in Gotham. Consider yourselves under arrest, or get ready for a long stay in the hospital. It's your choice."

The lone woman of this group sneered. "It seems time has done nothing to temper the arrogance of mortals."

However, the Joker seemed to perk up at the sight of the women. "Hey! I recognize them! These ladies just absolutely wanted my autograph the other night!"

The red-haired woman paused before giving the Joker a sideways look. To his credit, he looked rather sheepish. "I don't know why I would say such a thing," he seemed to murmur as an excuse.

"Your host is starting to warp your mind, Deimos," the woman warned him. Then she looked right towards Batgirl with her hostage. "There are more important things, however. It seems our glorious leader has found himself in quite a bind."

"And the odds are tilting against us," the Joker—or Deimos, rather—added. "I don't know about you, but prudence seems to be the better part of valor here."

"Agreed." The woman then looked towards a corner of the room, where the Shade was starting to raise himself up, using the wall to help brace himself. "Erebus' host," she called out to him. "Why don't you give us some cover here?"

"I don't take orders from you," the man growled back, clutching at his cane.

"Shade, do as she says," the bearded man called out. "Do it now!"

The Shade stared at him before he acquiescented. Raising up his cane, he then unleashed pure darkness from its end. The very room lost all light and J'onn felt as if he had been swallowed up by a void. He couldn't sense the Birds of Prey, or the people they were going up against. He was...he felt like he was all alone. In a world with billions of people, it was a feeling he hadn't ever felt before.

And then the darkness faded away. Immediately, J'onn saw the Birds of Prey standing where they had been; however, their targets had all vanished. Batgirl was left holding her batarang up in the air, but her hostage was no longer there.

"Huh, I thought Bats was the only one that could do that," Huntress grumbled as she slowly relaxed her guard. "Anybody have an idea of what happened?"

"Obviously they escaped," Manhunter answered as she continued to search the room. It was because of this she spotted something before J'onn. "And they took Batman with them."

Directing his attention to the vines, J'onn saw they were still hovering in midair, but the Dark Knight was no longer contained by them. Almost immediately, Batgirl was a dark blur as she shot over to them, coming to stand before them as she seemed to search them intently for her mentor.

This hadn't gone to plan. Though J'onn wasn't expecting such an encounter, allowing the enemy to flee was not a desirable outcome. Even worse, they took Batman with them.

"Obviously we need to find them," Black Canary said as she turned to regard J'onn. "This is your operation, so what's our next move?"

J'onn considered the question. "I will try to locate them with my telepathy, but taking into account the number of people in Gotham, that may take some time. It'd be wise if we split up and positioned ourselves throughout the city until I locate them."

"Which will allow someone to be there in minutes," Black Canary added. "A good idea, but like you said, this is a big city. We may need more people than just the six of us."

That was very true, but J'onn already had a solution for that. "I will be calling in some reinforcements," he said. "Time is of the essence now. I highly suggest we start."

"By the time we're done with this, I'm whole-heartedly gonna do as Bats says and never come here," Flash said, hands on his hips as he looked out towards the city's skyline. "As fun as this has been, I'm getting tired of being here."

John rolled his eyes. Though he was inclined to agree with the speedster, he couldn't due to standards of professionalism. Complaining was a big no-no in that regard. Still, they were waiting for Diana and Hawkgirl to show up, so there was very little to do at the moment.

"You come up with some epiphany?" he ventured, his own arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah, I have," Flash responded. "You remember how when you were little and your parents would always tell you not to do something, but then all you wanted to do was the thing you were told not to do? This is kinda like that wish-fulfillment, except it's not nearly as much fun as I thought it was going to be."

That...kinda made sense, John was reluctant to admit. Batman had barred Gotham off to the League for so long, there was this mystique of forbiddenness. A small part of the Lantern had pushed back against that ban and now that it was effectively lying in shreds at his feet, he had to say he felt this hollow feeling.

"I can see where you're coming from," Superman said in agreement. "My parents did the same with me up until they realized most things couldn't hurt me. Then it became not showing my powers to just anyone."

Flash let out a loud, aggrieved sigh then. "When are the girls getting here already? I want to get going so that I can get back to my own city. I think people are starting to think I've abandoned it, or something."

"You don't have to be here," John responded gruffly. "No one's holding a gun up to your head and telling you to be here."

"Says the man that put that gun to my head," the speedster rebuffed. "Weren't you the one that said we have a job to do and we better see it to the end?"

John may or may not have said something. It did sound like something he would say, though. "In case you haven't noticed, J'onn's not here, so he's obviously has something else to handle."

There was a moment of silence before, "Hey, you ever noticed that ever since we started patrolling Gotham, J'onn's been MIA? We haven't been able to get in touch with him," Flash pointed out.

Yeah, he had. The Green Lantern had even tried reaching the Martian shortly after entering the city, only to not receive an answer. It was a little worrying, but there wasn't much he could do to rectify the situation. If J'onn wanted to get in touch, he would, plain and simple.

"Yeah, I have," Superman answered for the both of them. "It's not like him to stay out of contact, isn't it?"

Before either one of them could answer the Kryptonian, a couple shadows flew across the roof until Diana and Shayera landed next to the three men. "We're here, boys," the redhead announced. "I hope you're ready to do some damage."

"Born ready, Wings," Flash replied. "We've just been waiting for you to finish brushing your hair."

"I would've been done faster if someone hadn't been hogging the mirror, Mr. Vanity."

"Hey, I can't help that I'm good-looking. A lot of effort goes into maintaining my good looks."

"Which you hide beneath a mask."

Flash opened his mouth to counter, but then promptly shut it. "Well played, Wings."

"Justice League, come in."

The team of heroes perked up at the sudden transmission. That was J'onn—speak of the devil. Superman was the one to answer the hailing. "This is Superman, J'onn. We read you."

J'onn didn't waste any more time after that. "A situation is currently in development. I have found the hideout of whom I believe is at the center of the creation of meta-humans. Dr. Alchemy and Shade were present when I arrived."

So J'onn was working their case, just taking a different angle. Now that was good detective work. However, the urgency the Martian spoke with told John that not everything was okay. "During the encounter, the group disappeared, taking Batman with them. We need assistance in finding them as quickly as possible."

The Justice League shared pointed looks with each other. J'onn had been with Batman? For how long? Was their collaboration the reason why J'onn hadn't been in contact with them?

Of course, it was Flash that responded. "Who's 'We,' J'onn?"

Trust Flash to pick up on that nuance. John hadn't picked up on that since the admission of Batman's capture.

"I am currently with Batman's allies, including Batgirl. We are in the process of searching the city for their whereabouts while I perform a city-wide sweep with my mind. We need as many people as we can to cover as much of the city as possible for a fast reaction time."

"Consider it done," Superman replied. Then he said to others, "We'll split up to cover five different sections of the city. Batman's allies can fill in the gaps we can't cover immediately."

That sounded like a plan. However, before they could move, Shayera spoke, "Hold on a second. Why would these guys take Batman? Why not escape without him?"

"Not sure what you're getting at, Wings," Flash admitted.

However, Diana caught onto what the Thanagarian was talking about. "These people could be wanting to use Batman as a sacrifice for their next ritual." There was clear alarm in her voice. "We need to find them as soon as possible."

"Flash stays here," John immediately took charge. "We're nearly at the center of Gotham, so he can get anywhere in seconds. The rest of us take to the air and station ourselves at the four furthest parts of the city. That way one of us is at least a few minutes away from these guys."

"But that puts the rest of us further away from each other," Shayera pointed out.

"Can't be helped. We have to be as strategic as possible and this is the best that we got."

"We really need to find better options," Flash muttered.

A green aura enveloped the Green Lantern. "We know our jobs, people. Time to move out."

Without waiting for any more disagreement, John took off towards the southeast. Hopefully the others followed his example and headed in like minded directions. Following cardinal directions, north and south were a lot further apart than east and west. Going with the secondary directions, that would shrink the distance in some cases and widen it in others, but overall averaged it out.

Still, there was some urgency in this mission. Though Batman was no longer part of the League, that didn't mean John wished the man any ill-will. His safe recovery was priority.

The Mortal World had a distinct lack of temples. In the days of antiquity, there were plenty of places of worship, each place honoring a god or goddess in an effort to curry favor. Throw a stone in any direction and you would hit three.

The closest Mortals had come to those halcyon days were called churches, or cathedrals. In this instance, it was most certainly a cathedral. It was quite large and had a menacing appearance. According to a sign out front, this was the Gotham Cathedral.

Due to the darkness of night, the stained glass windows were dull and unappealing. Rows of benches ran from one side of the large room to the other. An altar had been constructed with a podium present to allow a priest to perform sermons. Eris glanced around unimpressed. What she wouldn't give for a proper temple.

Unfortunately, they were on a running clock. When Erebus' host cloaked their previous headquarters in shadows, she and her true brothers had taken Maximilian Zeus and whisked him away. The others would only get in the way of what they were up to and the less obstacles, the better. No doubt the others would be hunting them down, but Eris intended to be far enough along that their interference would be too late.

Maxie Zeus looked about the church before directing his attention to the Goddess of Discord. "What is the meaning of this?" he questioned, taking care to not offend the red-haired goddess.

"A necessity of the situation," she explained briefly. "We have been found out by forces that oppose us. I thought it would be best to retreat to this place."

"I do not argue with such wisdom. I do wish to know why the others are not here."

"They have their own...objectives," Deimos answered. Out of the corner of her eye, Eris could not help but take notice of her brother's appearance. Though his snakes wiggled and crawled about him, his face was dripping with what Mortals called sweat. It was a rather unappealing sight and one that seemed to be becoming more and more noticeable with the passing hour.

"What objectives are those?" Maxie was quick to question.

"Why, they're keeping those interlopers busy. The less interference, the better. And seeing as we are quite familiar with the ritual you are about to go under, we felt it was in everyone's best interest that we be present to assist you in that endeavor."

That was a well crafted lie, Eris had to admit. Despite his drenched appearance, Deimos did not seem to be exhausted by his deception. She knew her brother well and he was not one to tell such tales with such ease. He was blunt to an extreme. His host must have been the influence here.

"That makes sense," Maxie murmured to himself, accepting the lie as truth.

"I'm pleased that you agree," Eris pressed. "In the meantime, we need to make our preparations immediately. Any delay will most assuredly mean our failure."

"Are you certain you know what ritual circle to make?" the mortal inquired. "Faust and Dr. Alchemy are the ones with this knowledge. I would feel much better if they were present to make it."

Which part of "we are quite familiar with the ritual you are about to go under," did this mortal not understand? They were true Olympians after all; they knew the binding ritual better than anyone, including those scholars. It must have been the cautious nature of mortals that slowed his decision making.

Thankfully, Phobos took on that objection. Pointing a finger to the floor, he began to trace a symbol in the air, one that was copied on the floor as a line formed in the stone. When he completed the symbol, he looked to the dark-haired mortal and asked, "Is this what you want from us? Making the necessary circle will be a simple task."

Maxie stared at the floor before he gestured to the rest of the room. "Unfortunately, there are pews in the way—"

Phobos merely raised his extended hand up and snapped his fingers. Creaking sounds filled the chamber before the...pews, were they? Yes, the pews were ripped right out of the floor and were flung to the walls. The first few broke apart upon impact, which ended up cushioning the following ones. Soon, piles of benches were at opposite walls, leaving the rest of the room wide open.

The Mortal blinked his eyes bewilderingly. "I suppose that works," he mumbled.

"Are there any other objections?" Eris asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Maxie seemed to think about that for a few moments. "Do we have our sacrifice?"

"If you are referring to that man in black, most certainly," Deimos responded. "He is in one of the other rooms here, sleeping like an infant. It is no trouble to summon him when the time is right."

"And what of the others? Are they not necessary for this ritual?"

As annoyed as Eris was becoming, she had forgotten about that detail. In order to successfully bind one of the most powerful beings in existence, it took a massive amount of power. It was why several others with the blessing of gods within them were necessary. Their power would overwhelm a being such as Zeus and force him into servitude.

"I believe I can help with that." Deimos then reached within his coat and then pulled out a blood red jewel. Eris immediately recognized it as the gem Techne's host had created, the Philosopher's Stone. When had Deimos stolen it, that crafty bastard?

Maxie's eyes widened at the sight of it. "The Philosopher's Stone!"

Deimos nodded his head as if he were expecting such a response. "This little trinket has quite a bit of power. I can feel it radiating from it. Surely this will suffice as replacements for the others."

The mortal numbly nodded his acceptance. "Do not worry," Eris cooed as she sauntered up to the man, making sure he took notice of the sensual grace in which she walked. All mortals were cursed with the affliction of lust and she knew common sense lost in its endless battle with it. The less this mortal thought, the better. "I will assist you in your...personal preparations. Deimos and Phobos will make sure everything else is ready, including the ritual circle."

Maxie stared at the goddess' lush body, then somehow looked to her fellow brethren, both of home offered smiles. Eris had to resist the urge to scowl at the expression. With their current faces, what they assumed were comforting smiles looked more like predators dripping with cruelty.

Thankfully, the mortal was oblivious to the true nature of those looks. "Very well," he acquiescented. "I will retire to another room to begin preparations. Please retrieve me when you are ready."

"Most certainly." Eris offered a closed lip smile, looking up at the man with her eyes alone. "We only mean to serve you, our King. Your interests are our interests. Soon, we will make an Olympus of our own, one that will rival, if not surpass, its original."

Something foul was amiss.

Dr. Alchemy had known it the moment he first laid eyes on them. Those were actually Greek Gods and their reputations had preceded them. They could not and should not be trusted in spite of their claims to the contrary.

The God of Alchemy was currently in an alleyway somewhere in the city, trash and grime marring its features. He was only, separated from the others following the Shade's attempt at transporting them away from those interlopers. Those Olympians must have done something in the shadows, it was the only explanation.

A shiver ran down his spine. It was an odd sensation, one he hadn't experienced since his elevation to divinehood. There was a spark of light before him before the spark widened immensely. A circle of fire formed and within its borders was the image of Felix Faust.

"Dr. Alchemy, I have finally found you," the man sighed with relief. "I assume you have an inkling as to our current predicament."

"I believe I know who is at fault," Dr. Alchemy immediately responded. "You are alone as well."

"Quite. I have been able to contact the Shade and he is currently with John Dee—a small mercy. Thankfully my spell has kept the traitor bound and impotent."

Yes, a small mercy indeed. "What about Maxie Zeus?" the god questioned.

Faust's brow furrowed slightly at that. "He is not with you either. Then that must mean…"

"The Olympians," he growled. "We should have trusted them less than we have."

"Indeed." Then Faust seemed to move forward within the circle of fire. The next thing Dr. Alchemy knew, the god stepped out of the fiery portal, appearing right before him just before the circle shrank and vanished somewhere behind him. "Much better," Faust commented, taking a moment to adjust his robe. "I rather not chance our communications being heard by prying ears."

Though it was by magic they had been talking, Dr. Alchemy had an inkling as to whom Faust was referring to. These Olympians were possibly able to hear their chatter though mystic means, no doubt with their ability to sense magical forces. It was one both he and Faust shared, so it stood the reasons the others did. Even if they did not, there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks, not at this stage.

"Our first order of business is to locate those Gods, or Maximilian," Dr. Alchemy said then. "Seeing as I haven't felt their powers at work, I assume it is the same with you?"

"Correct," Faust agreed.

"We both know the Olympians have an ulterior motive—that should be obvious by now—and it involves Maxie Zeus. Why else separate us all? They do not want our interference in their endgame."

"A shame we do not know what that is," Faust lamented. "However, whatever they attempt should cause a large influx of mystical energies."

"Agreed. That is when we close in and stop them. Do you feel your magic is up to the challenge?"

"I have no fears of combat with immortals. We also have the Philosopher's Stone in our possession, which we can use to amplify our powers."

That was a good point. In fact, why take a risk they did not have to? They could infuse themselves with more power from the Stone so that they could make short work of the Greeks. Reaching within his cloak, he sought out the stone.

A frown appeared on his face. The pocket he kept it, it was empty. Checking another, he also found that one empty. Quickly, his hands patted down his body in search of the Stone, a growing fear in his stomach telling him that he would not find the Stone.

Faust had been watching him during this. "What is wrong?" he demanded.

"The Stone is missing," Dr. Alchemy told him. "I cannot find it on my person."

"Then where is it? We must have it!"

The God of Alchemy knew it should have been on his person. He never let it out of his sight unless it was concealed on his person. It was too great of a power source to simply leave it lying around. Even the Olympians…

The Olympians.

This time he scowled. "They must have taken it." His tone obviously indicated to whom he was referring to. "I do not know how, but they are the only ones that know of it and would desire it."

"This is not good," Faust said sternly. "With the Stone in their possession, there is no telling what they can do, or what they will wrought. They must be found now, before they cause any more destruction."

Dr. Alchemy was inclined to agree. However, a thought occurred to him. "The Philosopher's Stone is a heavy concentration of power. Could we not use it to locate them?"

Faust considered that before his face lit up. "A small blessing," he acknowledged. "I will contact the Shade. Together, we will go up against those charlatans and we will take back what they have taken from us."