Summary: Takes place right after the last chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
Hours later and it was sunrise. Dick hadn't let up on his search for Zee. He had to fix things with her.
Before Dick could grapple off to continue his search, Kaldur called his cell. "Hey, Kal."
"Dick, where are you? Are you with Zatanna?" Ah, crap. How do I explain this...
"Uh, n-no, I just needed some air. Went for a patrol run, Zee's staying with...a friend of hers." Dick didn't want to explain the whole situation right this second, so he just hoped Kal would buy it.
"Understood. We have gotten a lock on Mallen. We need you back, and if you could bring Zatanna, that would be helpful."
"Uh, I don't wanna bother Zee, she hasn't seen her friend in a while. I'm on my way. Be there in 5." Dick sighed before grappling off to return to the others.
The team watched Mallen enter a suspicious warehouse from a nearby rooftop.
-Where's Zatanna?-
-Uh, she's, um...preoccupied with something-
-We cannot afford to wait for her. Move in, now- The team stormed into the warehouse only to find Mallen standing there smirking at him. Connor used his x-ray vision to determine there was no trap, and Wally walked up to the man. The others followed Wally, placing him under arrest, but Dick wasn't convinced. Why is he just standing there? On the boat he put up a good chase, even managed to escape with that red smoke...red smoke...KLARION!
"GUYS, DON'T-" Dick's warning came too late, as Mallen vanished into a red mist and the others were trapped in a force bubble. Everyone tried to get out, but to no avail.
-Robin, what is going on?-
-It's Klarion! I-I saw him with Zee's mom last night, I was looking for him this morning!-
-ZEE'S MOM?!-
-I-It's a long story, I'll explain later! Right now, I need to find him. He's probably got Zee by now!-
-Very well. Find him, save Zatanna, and remove the barrier. We're counting on you- Dick nodded before grappling out of there. He tried calling Zatanna, but no response. Where the hell is she?! Before he could get very far, the skies started to turn red, and various thunderstorms started popping up all over the city. Everything was losing power, people were panicking, and mini earthquakes were popping up everywhere. What the hell's going on?! Dick looked back to see his friends screaming out in pain as they were shocked with red energy, but before he could go back to try and help them, a massive bubble or mystic energy encircled the center of the city, where a beam of light was being launched out into the sky. That's got to be the origin for all this! Ten bucks says Klarion's there, with Zee. Hold on...
Zatanna had woken up at sunrise, she couldn't sleep much. Most of her night was just spent crying. Sindella was certainly in a hurry, she had made Zee shower and everything rather rapidly before they both headed out into the city. She took Zee to the center of Vegas, and Zatanna was beyond confused.
"What's going on?"
"Come with me, my child. All will be revealed soon." Okay...
Zee stepped into the building before the door behind her shut closed. She gasped at it, but her mother calmed her down. "Worry not, it was just semantics." Zee nodded, but then she heard a familiar laugh. A laugh she had come to loathe more than anything else on the planet. She gritted her teeth as she turned to face the shadowy figure.
"Klarion." Zee charged up her magic, but Klarion laughed even more before blasting her to the ground. Sindella growled at the Witch-Boy.
"Enough! You said she wouldn't be harmed!" Zatanna's eyes widened as she looked up to he mother.
"Wh-what? Y-you're wo-working with h-him?" Sindella got down to her knees and smiled.
"It is alright. He will not harm you, I promise. This is for the best." Zatanna looked at her mother with fear written all over her face as she retracted away from her touch. Sindella frowned.
"Y-you're working with the guy who got my dad imprisoned and almost killed my boyfriend! God, what was I thinking listening to you?! Dick was right, you're just a lying, deadbeat, criminal! He tried t-to warn me, a-and I blew up at him!" God, what did I do?! Sindella looked down in sadness before glaring at Zee.
"I'm doing this to help you! Now, you will follow my instructions, I am your mother!"
"No, you're not!" Klarion was getting bored, so he used his magic to force Zee up to her feet. Sindella looked uncomfortable as Klarion used his powers to forcefully hold her in place, but she couldn't do anything. This...is for the best. The Witch-Boy pulled out the tablet, and Zatanna immediately recognized it as the same one that put Dick in a coma. She flinched in fear as Klarion levitated the tablet in front of her.
"Alright, baby-magic, here's how things are gonna go down. I wanna to use this thing to plunge the world into chaos, but a spell that big is too much even for me. I need a...sacrifice, and you're the only one strong enough to provide the energy I need." Sindella heard this and glared at him.
"Sacrifice?! You said she would be unharmed by the spell!" Klarion laughed before using his magic to hold her in place as well.
"I lied." Klarion's eyes went red and he tapped Zee's forehead, activating a spell to place her into a trance, and she was helpless to defend herself from the magic so she had to take it. Her normally electric blue eyes turned red as Klarion dropped his hold on her, allowing her to move up to the tablet. She used her own magic to start funnelling energy into the artifact, and Sindella noticed that it was draining her without mercy. Klarion grinned as he used his own spell to join Zee, though at a much slower pace so he wouldn't be harmed. Sindella growled as she tried to blast Klarion, but he laughed before reflecting her blast back at her, sending her flying. She got up and snuck away, but she noticed that the building was falling apart and they were enveloped by a mystical bubble. From outside the bubble, she could see the destruction caused by the chaotic magic. What have I done?! That lying wretch will kill my baby anyways!
Dick arrived at the bubble, but upon contact, he was shocked and forced back a bit. Dammit! How do I get in?! Sindella saw Dick from the inside of the bubble, and she snarled. That little...maybe he can be of use...Zatanna certainly seems to trust him. He can save my baby.
Sindella used her magic to let Dick in, and he tensed up at the sight of her. "Relax, I don't wish to fight you. Klarion has placed my daughter into a hex. She is feeding power to a mystical totem without limit now." His eyes widened.
"That amount of mystical exertion could kill her if she doesn't limit herself!" Sindella looked at him with slight surprise, and he shrugged. "I pay attention."
"I don't like you, and you don't like me. But we both love Zatanna, and I think we can agree that we need to work together to save her." Dick reluctantly nodded before following her back to the spell point, where Klarion had entered a mystical trance of his own to absorb the energy being generated. Dick gasped when he saw Zee, whose body was visually weakening at the drain but wasn't stopping due to the mind-control spell. "She needs a strong emotional connection to be ripped out of the spell. You are the only person with a strong enough link to her. She trusts you, and you need to use that trust. Now go. I will keep Klarion busy." Sindella attacked Klarion with her magic, and in his unprepared state, he was caught off guard, allowing her to successfully engage him in a mystical duel. Dick ran up to Zee, who paid no attention to him, and he placed both hands on her shoulders, trying to turn her to face him.
"Zee? Zee! Look at me, please!" Zatanna was emotionless when looking at him, and so Dick tried harder. "C'mon, snap out of it! You're one of the strongest people I know! I'm here for you, I'm sorry about earlier, but I'm here now! Just, please, come back!" Zatanna's eyes started to flicker back to blue, and Dick brought her forward to smack his lips onto hers. He pulled away after a few seconds to see Zatanna's eyes back to normal, and she looked at him with tears brimming, almost in shock that he was there.
"D-Dick?" Dick pulled her into a hug as she cried into his shoulder. "I-I'm sorry! I'm s-so sorry! Y-you tried to h-help me and I-" Dick ran a hand through her hair as he pulled her closer.
"Don't be. I'm sorry for yelling." The couple silently forgave one another as they embraced. They both wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever, but they were brought back to reality by Sindella and Klarion exchanging mystical blows that literally shook the floor. Zee glared at her mother in anger, but Dick hugged her tighter. "It's alright. She's trying to help now." Zee nodded before kissing him once more. They broke off before running over to help against Klarion, who had grabbed the tablet. Dick visibly flinched at the sight of the same artifact that had forced him to relive his traumas, but Zee gave his hand a gentle squeeze upon noticing. Klarion started to use the tablet to bombard them with mystic energy, forcing them to take cover behind a rock.
"What do we do?!"
"I...I think I could reverse the mystical polarity of the tablet. Th-that might destroy it and stop the spell."
"Zatanna, to do that, you would need to use Order magic, the kind used by Dr. Fate. No mortal has ever been able to tap into that power without dying!" Zee glared at her mother.
"I have to try something! I can't just let him do this!" Before she could walk out, Dick pulled her back to him.
"Zee, you could die. There has to be another way, I won't let you do this. I JUST got you back, I'm not about to lose you again!" Zatanna wanted to argue, but before she could, her mother stepped out, charging up the spell.
"Forgive me, my daughter." Zatanna yelled for her to get back, but Sindella ignored her pleas as she walked forward, shielding herself from the totem whilst simultaneously charging the spell. I've made so many mistakes. But this way, I could finally do the right thing. I love you, Zatanna. Zee tried to run after her, but Dick held her back as he watched in slight horror. The magic was tearing Sindella apart, but she resisted the pain as she grabbed onto the totem, wrestling with the Witch-Boy for it. She looked back to Dick, who was holding a crying Zatanna. I may not like you, but you care about Zatanna, and she cares about you. Do not fail her, boy. "Take care of my daughter." Dick nodded as Sindella smiled before vanishing in a golden explosion. The totem shattered into a dozen pieces, and a very injured Klarion yelled out in anger before disappearing into a red portal. Zee dropped to her knees, unable to stand. The Boy Wonder followed her downDick held Zatanna as she cried her heart out, trying his best to soothe her. The storms around the city started to dissipate, and the team made their way to where Dick had mentally signalled them. They arrived to see a horribly depressed Zatanna bawling uncontrollably into Dick's chest with his arms wrapped around her.
"Sh-she's d-dead! A-and it's m-my fault!" Dick soothed her to the best of his ability, but it just wasn't enough.
The team arrived back at the cave for their post-mission report. Batman was waiting for them, but he wasn't expecting a broken-down Zatanna to be carried to her room by Dick. She had cried so much in the flight that she tired herself out rather quickly, having fallen asleep in Dick's arms. The team wasn't fully aware of everything that had happened, only that Dick had told them about Zee's mother being a prisoner of Klarion who sacrificed herself to save them all. They understood enough, they didn't need the details. Dick stayed with Zee, texting Bruce the details of their mission so he could log it and, hopefully, report it to Nabu once he returned from his battle with Wotan across the globe. Giovanni deserved to know what had become of his once-wife. The Boy Wonder had promised himself to be there for Zatanna once she woke up. She would certainly need the support. Like Dr. Fate all over again. Man, she deserves some peace. Just...rest, Zee. I'll be here in the morning. Promise. I'm not going anywhere.
Sorry I couldn't upload yesterday. I was just too busy, but I'll try to make it up with more common uploads this week. I know I've been really inconsistent with them this past week, but I'll try to do better going forward. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions for chapters you wanna see. Next chapter up soon.