Maxie Zeus collapsed to the floor, his blood pooling around him.
The horrified look on Batman's face quickly morphed into fury as he turned his attention from the dead man to the Joker, who had a look of satisfaction on his face. He clearly thought he had done a good deed.
"Why did you do that?!" the vigilante roared as he strode right up to the madman, grabbing him by the lapel of his jacket. "Why did you kill him?"
"Oh, come on!" the Joker whined. "You were having some trouble with this guy and I thought I'd lend a helping hand. It's what friends do for each other, ya know."
"You didn't have to kill him!"
"No, I did. You see, he was going to kill me with that giant bolt thing. I don't know about you, but I rather not have my internal organs extra crispy. A guy can take that kind of thing personally."
Rage did not describe how Batman felt. It fell very far short. There wasn't really a word that could describe the way he felt. Maxie Zeus was now just another name on the Joker's ever-growing list of victims and worst still he felt as if he were doing him a favor.
Every part of him wanted to beat this monster into a pulp. He wanted to hurt him so bad he wouldn't walk again, or even be able to lift anything heavier than a fork. He wanted to bash out every tooth in his head, shatter his jaw, and leave him drinking his meals for the rest of his life.
So of course something strange had to happen.
A light began to glow from beneath their feet. In spite of his anger, Batman couldn't help but look down, the Joker as well. The lines along the ritual circle were shining with light and steadily growing brighter.
"Uhh, Batsy," the Joker said worriedly. "Am I on a bad trip, or is the floor glowing when it shouldn't be?"
Suddenly, the green-haired man jerked his head up, getting the vigilante's attention. "What the? Who the hell are you?"
Batman wanted to turn to see who he was talking about. He wasn't able to, not when an incredible force collided with him and his entire world went black.
Disposing of Felix Faust had been a tough decision, but there was only one place Superman and John could agree on. As much as they didn't want to, they left Gotham, using the teleporter on the Watchtower to transport them there, toss the unconscious sorcerer into one of their cells, and then return.
They were currently flying over the city, having been placed right back at Wayne Tower. Somehow, someway, they couldn't lock onto Gotham Cathedral, which would have been too easy. Superman wasn't sure if there was something interfering with the machine, or what, but the closest they could get was one of Gotham's most identifiable buildings.
There wasn't much chatter on the comm link, meaning the rest of the League was either still in battle, or worse they were beaten, if not dead. Superman preferred the former over the latter options.
"Hey, Superman," John suddenly called out.
"Yeah?" the Kryptonian responded as he turned to look over his shoulder. Much to his surprise, the Green Lantern had stopped his flight and was hovering in midair, which caused the dark-haired man to do the same. "John, what is it?"
The dark-skinned man merely pointed to the city below them. "That."
Frowning, Superman looked down and was surprised to see what looked like darkness spreading over the city. His first instinct was to assume the Shade was up to something, but there was something different with this darkness. For one, Shade's was thick and encompassing, swallowing up everything it touched. This shadow merely dimmed its surroundings, still allowing the city's buildings to be viewed, except it was just their silhouettes. It was like a thin veil had been dropped over the area.
Steadily the shadow crept throughout the city. At first it looked like a growing circle, spreading outward from a central point. However, when it was large enough, it began to take a shape. The perfect circle began to elongate into a more oval shape. Then it thinned in areas until its sides looked more like wings. Towards its top, there were beginning stages of what looked like a head, one that developed horns.
"Superman, that looks like a bat," John said uneasily.
Yeah, he was seeing it too. In fact, it looked a lot like the Bat Symbol, either the one Batman wore, or the one the GCPD shined into the night's sky via the Bat Signal. This one was large, covering the entire city in its shadow.
That was when something changed with the head. The shadow seemed to lighten in certain places, giving the impression of eyes. In fact, it seemed like the shadowy bat was looking right up at the Man of Steel and Green Lantern.
A crease then formed right where the mouth would be and then it split right open. A fang-filled mouth appeared, a high-pitch scream echoing into the night. SSSSSSKKKKKKRRRRRIIIIIAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
Instantly, Superman winced as he covered his ears with his hands. Strangely enough, John didn't with his, leading him to believe the scream was too high-pitched for him to hear, or his super-hearing was amplifying the sound for him.
"Jesus Christ!" the Lantern swore.
The scream ended, but its sound lingered in Superman's ears. That was why it took him a few moments before he realized he was hearing something else. It was faint at first, but it grew steadily louder to the point he found himself looking down to the shadow-covered city. He knew those sounds.
Those were screams.
And they were terrified.
Little Johnathon Baker frowned. For some reason, the TV cut off right when his favorite show was coming on. Why did the TV have to turn off now?!
The lights went off too, making the entire room dark. There were sounds in the kitchen, where Mommy and Daddy were finding flash lights. The lights came on and Johnathon could see again.
"Jack, tell me you paid the electric bill," Mommy demanded.
"I swear, I did it two days ago," Daddy said defensively.
"Then explain the lights!"
"The transformer must have gone out. Look out the window, woman! The entire block is out."
Mommy was quiet for a moment. "Then fix it."
"I swear," Daddy muttered under his breath. "Let's just wait a little bit. I'm sure the power will come back soon."
Soon? But that wasn't fair! It was time for Detective Comics! His favorite show! It was the only show Mommy and Daddy let him stay up for! It had to come on, it just had to!
Johnathon got up, his legs shaking since he had been sitting on them for awhile. Stumbling towards the TV, he started to hit the buttons, trying to turn them on.
"Johnny, will you come back here?" his dad called out. "The television will turn back on in a little bit."
"But I want it now!" Johnathon cried out, smacking his hand on the screen. He did it again and again, hoping that would turn it on.
"Hey! Stop hitting the TV!"
Johnathon did it one more time for good measure. However, there was a different sound when he hit it and it felt...weird. Pulling his hand away, Johnathon looked at his hand and saw it was covered in something gooey and slimy.
"Daddy? I think the TV is sweating."
He heard his dad make some weird laughing sound. "Pal, the TV can't—"
"Jack! Get Johnathon away from the TV!" his mom suddenly screamed.
Both flashlights shined on the TV and much to Johnathon's surprise, it looked like it was bleeding this thick black stuff. Suddenly, the little boy was scooped up by strong arms and pulled away from it, the black stuff falling to the floor.
"Oh God! It's all over the walls!"
Looking around, Johnathon saw the walls were bleeding the same black stuff, long drips of it sliding down the walls to the floor.
What...what was going on?
As the black stuff reached the floor, they seemed to gather into big piles, ones that got bigger and bigger and…
And then they moved.
Johnathon's house was then filled with screams.
The apartment door flew open and Cliff came barreling out of it.
Cliff wasn't what you would call a good guy. He knew this, but he rather didn't care. He was what one called an enforcer, someone you didn't want to mess with. There weren't a lot of people that could intimidate him. He was rather proud of that.
That creature that suddenly appeared in his apartment was making him rethink a couple things.
It had come out of nowhere, some black, skeletal looking thing with bony wings. Cliff had shot his gun at it first, but the bullets had done nothing. It then screamed this terrible scream and jumped at him, its bony claws looking to rip him apart. That was when he had taken off running.
Reaching the end of the hall, he slammed into the wall as the hallway made a ninety degree turn to the left. Bouncing off, Cliff took off running again, only to come to a complete stop.
Walking out of an intersecting hallway came another of those bony creatures, the thing maybe standing three feet tall. However, unlike the one that appeared in his apartment, this one was armed. In its little hands was this long stick, a scythe blade at its end. It stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked right at Cliff, then let out a cackling laugh.
Jesus Christ, what was this thing?!
"Stay the fuck back!" Cliff warned as he began to edge backwards. The creature just stared at him, grinning a skull-like grin. "I mean it, man!"
That was when that same cackling laugh rang out behind him. Cliff froze, eyes widening before he spun around. Right behind him was another of those creatures, the one from his apartment no doubt. This one had its mouth open and black drool dripped out of it and fell to the floor.
"Gaaayaahh!" Cliff cried out as he jumped backwards. Unfortunately, he didn't land right and he suddenly fell to the floor, landing on his back. Quick as he could, he began to scramble away.
And then the black creature jumped into the air, sailing right for Cliff. He screamed in fright.
Then he was screaming in pain as the creature began ripping him apart.
There was something wrong here.
As Diana landed in front of the Gotham Cathedral, alarms were going off in her head. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up and an uneasy feeling had formed in her stomach. She had been feeling this way for the last couple of blocks, when what felt like a wave of evil swept by her.
Fortunately, she was not alone. J'onn had arrived in what appeared to be mere moments, along with the vigilante Black Canary and Batgirl. The Martian had placed himself between the two women and the church, a hand gestured out for them to stay back.
"Are you feeling it, J'onn?" she asked
"I am," he acknowledged, not once tearing his eyes from the old stone building. "The epicenter appears to be here."
Diana didn't like that. She knew the mortal Maxie Zeus was trying to elevate himself to godhood and her first instinct was that he succeeded. Considering she had left Hawkgirl and Manhunter, alone with Dr. Alchemy, she found that concerning. Those three should have been able to stop Maxie Zeus without much trouble, especially with Eris removed from the building. It was possible Dr. Alchemy betrayed them like they expected; that was the biggest reason she could find that would explain this.
"Any word from the others?" Black Canary asked. "I haven't heard anything since we were all split up."
Diana shook her head. It would seem they were the first responders here. Hopefully that would be enough.
Suddenly, the large wooden doors cracked open. The uneasy feeling exploded throughout the Amazon as flames of darkness seemed to lick the edges of the doors, which continued to slowly creak open. The hinges protested shrilly, loudly. As the doors opened further, there was only darkness visible inside of the church.
J'onn was staring right into it. "Something's coming," he warned.
Moments later, something indeed came out. A rush of darkness exploded through the doors, racing right for the heroes. However, there were sharp screeching sounds, coupled with what sounded like wings. Diana realized an instant before the darkness reached them what exactly it was.
Bats flew by in a swarm, causing the four heroes to raise their arms up to cover their faces. Diana could feel furry bodies and leathery wings brush against her, though thankfully not claws of teeth.
In spite of the swarm, she was still able to see the cathedral. Even as more bats poured out, a large hand emerged and slammed down on the edge of one of the doors, a grating boom echoing into the night. She could only see the fingers and they were long and metallic. Their tips were pointed and dug into the century-old wood, leaving scratched marks in them, the grating sound making Diana wince. The hand then forced the door further open.
That was when the bat swarm began to thin and a large figure emerged. It was easily fifteen, maybe even twenty feet tall. It wore pitch black armor, the metal plating ending in sharp spikes that pointed to the heavens. A dark purple toga covered the body, nearly blending in with the chest plate it hung from.
Its head, however, was covered in a helmet, one with two sharp horns sticking up out of it. Yellow eyes glowed from the eye holes and the mouth opening...well, that didn't exist. It was a black plate, hiding the mouth from view.
Diana felt she knew who this was. She didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't help but make the similarities.
"It seems I have an audience," a terrible voice intoned. "One of which is an Amazon—perfect. Someone that will realize the full extent of my birth."
"Who is that? What is that?" Black Canary questioned. "I know what I'm seeing, but I rather not think of the implications."
Apparently the creature heard her. "I am Phobos, God of Fear!" it proclaimed proudly. "And I have the perfect host! I thought that cannibal was a fine vessel, but the fear inspired by it pales in comparison to this! I can hear the city falling into panic, their screams a sweet lullaby. Before this night is over, a new title will be necessary."
It took a step forward, the ground shaking from the step. "Tell me how this sounds and don't be afraid to be honest. Phobos, the Bat-God of Fear, the Terror of Gotham!"
No, no, no! It was exactly what Diana had feared. Though Phobos was unexpected, he had taken over Batman, using him as his host vessel. The effects of that union were just beginning.
That was when Phobos moved his other hand, one that apparently had been holding something—or rather someone. Even from this distance, Diana could pick out the Joker, who's head hung limply to one side. "And it's all thanks to Deimos' host! I could not have done it without him!"
"Unhand him," J'onn ordered, his tone calm and stoic. Despite who and what they saw, it seemed as unperturbed as usual.
"Unhand him, you say?" Phobos held the green-haired maniac up, clearly showing him off. "Very well." Unexpectedly, the god then let go of the Joker, dropping him to the ground before him. He hit the ground like a sack of beans, bouncing once, but not moving much. "However, he did try to kill me not too long ago. If I hadn't relinquished by previous host in time, I would be dead, much like the other foolish mortal. That act cannot be allowed to go unpunished." The God of Fear then leaned back on its back foot, raising its front one to hover high above the madman.
His intent was clear on what he planed to do to the unconscious Joker.
Diana reacted long before she realized what was going to happen. She rocketed through the air, arms at her sides until she was right between Phobos and the Joker. She was in the nick of time too as she shot her hands up and caught the stomping foot.
The force she was hit with was massive. She immediately dropped a couple feet through the air before she managed to stop the metal foot. The strain in her arms was incredible, her teeth gritting as she held it off.
J'onn then swooped it. At first she thought he was going to remove the Joker from harm, only for the Martian to shoot upward. Swinging a fist up, he landed an uppercut to Phobos' chin, one that caused him to cry out and tumble backwards. Diana could feel the shock wave from the blow reverberate through the foot she held up.
Immediately, the foot pulled away from her, and the strain she felt vanished. Phobos stumbled back a step, and then another before catching himself against the church, hands pressing down on the old stone and scratching it.
Black Canary and Batgirl then appeared below Diana. They immediately went to the Joker, the blonde woman grabbing the man by his shoulders as Batgirl got his legs. Between them, they lifted him up and ran off with him, removing him from the battlefield.
In the meantime, J'onn was not finished. He charged towards Phobos, arms raised and drawn back. He threw another punch, one that forced the god's head to one side, a grunt coming from him.
And then the god suddenly erupted with fire. The flames engulfed his entire body, which immediately caused J'onn to freeze. "You never were one to play with matches, were you?" Phobos taunted before the flames went out, disappearing as suddenly as they started.
That's when the armored god threw his own fist, the size of it allowing it to ram into J'onn tall form. "Ahhhhh!" the Martian cried out as he was sent soaring backwards through the air.
Phobos pushed himself off the cathedral, black marks marring its surface from where the fire had touched it. "You're next, Princess," he spoke, putting a sinister tone on her title.
Diana responded in kind, lifting up higher into the air until she was level with his head. Phobos threw another fist, one she dodged to one side to avoid. His size was slowing down his movements telegraphing them to the entire world. His armor must have been a factor in that as well. Taking advantage of it, she lunged towards him, throwing her own punch that landed right in the middle of his forehead.
The force of her blow knocked the god off of his feet, causing him to cry out as he fell backwards. A clawed hand managed to grab onto one of the church's doors, but it was ripped right off the hinges, causing Phobos to land in the doorway, part of him in the church, part out.
Rushing downward, Diana led with her feet, ramming them right into the god's abdomen and causing his body to jerk upward from the hit. Jumping up into the air, the Amazon flew into the church, ignoring the damage around her. She stopped when she was just over the altar, a short distance away from the ceiling. Spinning around, she faced the front of the cathedral, seeing Phobos beginning to turn onto one side and get back onto his feet.
For a moment, Diana paused. Leaning up against a wall was Manhunter, clearly unconscious. At least she knew where the vigilante was. She was also being ignored at the moment, which was a good thing in her opinion.
Reaching to her Lasso, Diana began swinging it above her head. Eris had proven that the Lasso was able to break the binding ritual and she was going to do the same with Phobos. The sooner he was removed from Batman, the better.
Once the God of Fear was on one knee, facing into the cathedral, Diana threw the Lasso. It's loop widened as it flew through the air, allowing it to encircle its target the moment it reached it. The golden coil fell over the God, his yellow eyes seeming to widen once he saw it.
In an instant, Diana tightened the coil and it pressed down on the god's shoulders, pinning the arms down. A low, pained grunt came from the god as the Lasso was no doubt burning him.
"The Lasso of Truth compels you!" Diana shouted. "It demands you—"
Before she could finish, Phobos moved one of his gigantic hands. Though his upper arm was pinned, his lower one still could move and it reached up to grab onto the Lasso. He then jerked back on the golden rope, which promptly pulled Diana through the air, cutting her off. Spinning to one side, Phobos swung her until she crashed right into the front wall of the church, bursting through it. She exploded out into the night's air, tumbling over and over until she hit the pavement of the road running in front of the church.
"Ow," she moaned as she laid there for a moment. Slowly, she pushed herself up, both hands pressed down on the asphalt. It was then she realized the Lasso of Truth was no longer in her hands, causing her head to bolt up.
"Now, now, Amazon, we can't have this ending so soon, can we?" Phobos taunted. Twisting her body where she laid, she saw the giant god approaching her, each step seemingly causing a tremor. In his clawed hand were the coils of the Lasso, shining brilliantly. "Hephaestus's work is truly remarkable, but it will not save you here."
He then tossed the Lasso away, much to Diana's incredulousness. The one weapon that could dispose of him and he tosses it away? What hubris.
However, the moment it touched the ground, flames suddenly erupted around it. While the Lasso would not burn, there was something odd about the fire. "I see you've noticed," Phobos remarked. "These are indeed not ordinary flames. It's the same fire that burns in Olympus, the very one Hestia cares for and Prometheus stole for the mortals. You will find that it is not so easily extinguished."
Of course it couldn't be that simple. Though how Phobos managed to get his hands on Hestia's flame, she did not know and did not like the implication. Hestia was a kind Goddess, but she guarded that fire with the same fervor as Hades guarded the Underworld. She was not known to give out such a flame to anyone other than Zeus himself.
Pushing herself onto her feet, Diana readied herself for their next clash. "Then I shall have to beat you down with my own fists," she declared.
"You are welcomed to try," Phobos responded. "But you will find that it won't be so easy."
Diana hardened her features before she rushed in, lifting off the ground as she slowly took to air. Phobos waited smugly, bemused by her charge. If he were smart he would have known not to antagonize an Amazon.
Leaning with a fist, she threw it right for the God's chest. Phobos took a step back, avoiding the blow. Undeterred, Diana threw her other fist, once again Phobos avoiding it with a back step.
She pressed the attack, launching punch after punch, only for her foe to backpedal, sidestep, and avoid her assault. His movements were so fluid and smooth, a stark contrast to his large size. He didn't even raise a fist to block her, keeping them at his sides, a knowing looking in his yellow glowing eyes.
A wave of deja vu overcame the Amazon Princess then. Something about this was too familiar. The style was basic anticipation and avoidance, leading the attacker into a compromising position.
For a brief moment, the image of Batman appeared before her, his stance very much like Phobos except he had his cape to hide them behind. The very sight caused her to stop.
And then Phobos attacked. The God of Fear swung a haymaker punch at her, one that rammed right into her and sent her flying backwards through the air. A cry ripped out from her mouth as she flew, the dark-haired woman taking a moment before she called upon her gift of flight and slowed herself down, coming to a stop in midair.
She was just in time too to see Phobos moving both of his hands to where a utility belt would be. Again, she saw Batman making the same gesture as he pulled something from his infamous belt and she had an idea what that would be. There was no visible belt that she could see, but that did not stop Phobos from pantomiming the gesture. Then, whipping both of his arms up, two curved blades were fired from his hands, spinning over and over through the air as they flew towards Diana.
In response, Diana got both of her arms up. Timing herself right, she lashed out with them, her bracers colliding with each dark, spinning blade one after the other. Each one ricochet off of the silver surfaces and went flying away, one through a street lamp, which was sliced cleanly through. It was a moment or two until the upper part of the street lamp slid off of it severed base and fell to the ground. The spinning blade continued its new course until it collided with the face of a building, leaving a gaping wound in its wake. The other blade was directed right into the ground, also leaving a scar in the pavement.
"I never realized just how predictable you were, Princess," Phobos taunted, the same smug feeling radiating off of him.
Diana clinched her fists tightly, but she held her position. She recognized the taunt for what it was—a tactic to make her give into her innermost impulses. Batman had used that strategy once on her, in the catacombs of Etemenanki so long again. It had worked to perfection then, but she refused to give in now. Phobos was too quick to use such a gloat whereas Batman had purposefully worked her up before tossing it out. It was sloppy of the God to use it at this moment.
However, a sinking feeling was working its way into her stomach. Phobos had been purposefully using Batman's mannerisms against her, ones she had picked up in their spars. It was another tactic Batman had used against her to his advantage, using certain moves at certain points to lead her to a previous encounter, only to surprise her with a different counter. It was as if the God were thinking like the Dark Knight.
And if he was thinking like him, then he knew plenty of ways to dispatch not only her but—
Suddenly, J'onn appeared behind Phobos, floating just behind the God's head. He pressed both of his hands on the helmeted head, his eyes glowing orange. It was obvious he was directing his considerable psychic powers right into their foe's mind. "You will cease this madness!" the Martian bellowed.
Phobos stiffened, his covered face twisting into a grimace. "Release your host!" J'onn demanded. "Release your host!"
"NEVER!" Phobos roared. A black aura suddenly raged around the God and lashed out around J'onn. The Martian cried out from the resistance, but held his position as he tried to counter the sudden attack.
Except Phobos leaned his head forward before jerking it back, J'onn taking the brunt of Phobos' head slamming right into him. This broke his concentration as he shut his eyes, losing his grip on his opponent. The dark aura then increased with furiosity, blasting the Martian away. J'onn sailed through the air until he crashed into the road a short distance away, leaving a small crater where he landed.
Phobos then turned around to face the fallen Martian. "You won't take my host so easily," he thundered. "And for your interference, I will cast you into a nightmare so horrifying, the Muses will refuse to immortalize you in song." He took a step to the fallen hero, cracking the pavement where he stepped.
"May Hades take pity on you."
There were several questions regarding the ending of the previous chapter and I felt it was needed to clear the air about it. In regards to the spell needed to be chanted, it isn't necessary except for protecting the summoner from being overpowered by the deity they are summoning. Without it, the summoned deity can take over, much like Eris, Deimos, and Phobos did. The same can be said about the summoning circle. Eris, Deimos, and Phobos sabotaged the circle so that Zeus could overpower Maxie Zeus and take over his body. If the circle was perfect and the summoning spell used correctly, it would force Zeus to obey. Hopefully this makes sense.
To Guest: As you can see, it wasn't the Joker who got the powers