Chapter 51: The Heart
Everyone ran out of their respected sections. No one knew that the others had made it out, so everyone was just getting lost in the maze known as the Library.
That was, until everyone literally ran into every else. They all ended up screaming at this point.
''Mother of mercy,'' Caitlin swore, her hand over her heart.
''I just came from the Horror section, so please no more screaming,'' Valerie says, trying to catch her breath.
''Horror, really,'' Dick asked. ''We just came from Children's.''
''We were in Mythology,'' Mason says. ''And my ears are still ringing from that showdown with Silver Banshee.''
''Dang it, I wanted to show her up again,'' White pouted.
''Least we know where she was while we were in Fantasy,'' Jaime shrugged.
''Least you weren't in Graphic Novels,'' Roy crossed his arms. ''I felt like we were in a kids cartoon. If I never see anything neon again, it will be too soon.''
''I'm just happy to have kicked out that snow nymph reject,'' Krinos growled. ''Anyone that uses that much ice is a forever enemy of nature. No offense, Alain.''
''None taken,'' the werewolf shrugged.
''Do you think we have any stragglers,'' Orion asked.
''Hello, Orion,'' White greeted his friend. ''How's the Isle of Harpies?''
Orion then looked distressed. Melinda and Skylar had the same expression, which was hard to tell since one of them was a horse.
''Dear gods, what's going on,'' Danny asked, worried by their looks.
''Whatever organizations are after the heart have been working on Earth while all of us have been here,'' Orion explained. ''Harpies have fled from Greece and returned to the isle when they were attacked.''
''What,'' Alya gasped. ''But that's impossible. Magical creatures are the most well hidden secret on the planet.''
''You mean like how the Eternal Spring was,'' Dick said.
''Shoot,'' Alya swore.
''It's not even just the harpies,'' Melinda says. ''The Isle of Wicca is in chaos. Every witch that has visions or premonitions keep seeing magic in danger. More and more witches are using their emergency spells to leave Earth and come to the isles. We're all under attack.''
''That... shouldn't be possible,'' Sarah gasped. ''Magic has been around forever. The only mortals that know are ones we trust or the ones that people think are crazy and nobody ever believes them.''
''It's always the Guys In White,'' Skylar explained. ''All the ghosts and mystics manage to escape before they get a chance to get captured, but we have all seen the agents go after our kinds.''
''How is this even happening,'' Juliet freaked. ''No witch uses their powers in public, unless they can freeze time or don't need noticeable movements to use their powers, so it's next to impossible to discover them. And harpies know how to stay hidden. How are so many mystics being discovered, like this?''
Phantom and Siren looked at each other. They had an idea how.
''Maybe it's because of us,'' Danny says, everyone looking at him like he had lost his mind. ''Those years of torture might have actually helped them. They could have used blood they got from us to track down anyone with similar signatures.''
"I can not believe this is happening," White freaked., starting to hyperventilate. "We're going to have to wipe the whole slate clean. We'll have to abandon the Earth, undoing all the good that we've done."
Siren was really starting to lose it. He was meagerly hyperventilating and panic. Phantom and Nightwing caught him as he fell backwards.
"He's having a panic attack," Dick quickly figured out. "What do we do?"
"I thought those were over," Gar says. "He hasn't had one in months."
"It wasn't just the kidnapping and torture they put us through that caused them, Gar," Danny explained. "He's been having them since we were kids."
"I remember that," Dick said. "He had one an hour before he first preformed in front of a crowd. That's when I gave him the lyre, to calm him down by reminding him that we'll always be there for him."
"I don't think a necklace will work this time," Erica crossed her arms.
"Erica," the other two vampires warned.
"I think that I can help," Jaime said, stepping up.
"No offense, Jaime, but what can you do," Danny asked.
Nightwing and Aqualad could not help but smirk as Beetle approached Siren. He bent down by his boyfriend. His helmet deformed and went back into the armor.
"Gold, it's Jaime," he told the panicking siren. "Everything will be alright. Your home is going to be fine. You, your brother, all the mystics and ghosts will be safe. We will do everything in our power to keep all of you safe. I promise."
Siren looked at his boyfriend, the tears streaming down his face. He was starting to calm down. But he was still not completely cooling down.
"P...please," he pleaded.
"I know one thing that has always helped you," Jaime says.
He leaned down and kissed him, in front of everyone else. started to fangirl. Nightwing and Aqualad both had looks that say "knew it." Phantom looked ready to faint. Lena was a giggling mess. Alain, Sarah, and the other mystics were all nodding in approval. Red Arrow was stunned. Superboy's face was more like "meh," as if he knew already. How he did, they didn't want to know.
Siren had fully calmed down, because of the kiss. His tears stopped.
"Uh... Jaime," White said. "You're terrible at keeping secrets."
"Don't ever scare me, like that, again," Jaime said, hugging him.
"Okay," White snickered. "Next time I have a panic attack, you'll be the first I call."
"Let me be the first to say, what the heck just happened," Roy asked the now reveled couple. "When did you two get together?"
"Uh... Christmas," Jaime shrugged.
"If it's been almost six months, I think you can keep a secret just fine," Juliet said. "Also, no fair. I've only had my brother as company for almost 500 years."
"Hey, what's so wrong with me," Mason protested.
"For starters, I can't date my brother, that be disgusting," Juliet says. "I'd go on, it we don't have another 500 years for me to list them all."
"A 500 year long sibling rivalry," Valerie snickered. "That's one for the record books."
"Humans, so strange," Alain shook his head.
"Hundred percent," Caitlin agreed, the two fist-pumping.
"Shouldn't we be focusing on the more serious matters," Alya pointed out. "Not that I am not thrilled for you two. I'll have to collect my winnings from my siblings later."
"You guys bet on us," White raised an eyebrow.
"Not now, Siren," Alya said.
"Alya is right," Sarah says. "We should go and make sure that the heart is still safe. Who knows how many more agents and Nazi are running around this place."
The group followed the mystics as they lead them through the Library. They went so far in that there was no way any of the heroes could make it out without the help of one of the mystics.
"Uh, did one of those bookshelves just move," Gar asked, moving closer to his sister.
"It happens," Juliet shrugged. "It's why no one ever makes it to the heart. The paths keep changing. Not to mention the traps all over the place. Don't open that door."
quickly pulled her hand away from the door she was about to open.
"You never know what's on the other side," Mason warned.
"Okay, I know we're close, it which door is it," Danny wondered.
He opened one door, and a rush of snow came out. Danny quickly closed it.
"Realm of the Frost Giants," he said.
Alya went over to another door. When she opened it, she had to quickly close it before they were overrun by wild vines.
"Jungle of Mayhem, got it," she nervously laughed.
Red Arrow got up the courage to go over to another door. Siren had to quickly go over and shut the door as they were almost swarmed as bees.
"Room of giant bees," White freaked.
"Why do we even have that door," Danny freaked.
"Oh, now I remember," Lena says. "It's behind that bookshelf, over there."
"Seriously, cliche much," Valerie said.
Lena went over to the bookshelf. She pulled one of the books back and it slid to the side. They went into the hidden room, and were almost blinded in the process. The place was incredible. Different crystals and gems were all over the floor, ceiling, and walls. From simple diamonds and rubies, to sugalite and sardonyx. At the very center of the room was a giant rainbow diamond that lit up all the other crystals like the sun.
"The Mystic Heart," Melinda said.
As they were all in awe of the heart, no one saw someone sneaking up behind them. Phantom and Siren started feeling weak, green glowing lines flowing over their skin. They were at the back of the group, so no one saw anything.
"At least we know how to keep the heart safe," Dick says. "Once the door is closed, no one can find it except you guys."
"Trust us, we will never go down without a fight," Krinos said.
But then, Skylar and Melinda looked around. They saw something missing. Or rather, two someones.
"Guys, where's Phantom and Siren," Skylar asked.
Everyone immediately darted their heads around. Skylar was right. The two had straight up disappeared on them. And it wasn't like ho they do that on missions. Red Arrow saw something on the ground near the door. He went over and picked it up. His face turned to one filled with horror. He showed it to the others.
"Ectoranium," he said.
Half of the mystics then promptly fainted. Nightwing, Huntress, and Beetle were all terrified.
"They took them," Dick gasped.
