Part 2:

"Attack Pattern: Panther Claw!" yelled Jinx, surprising herself when the order flew out naturally, and even more so when her old teammates obeyed.

In sync, Gizmo and See-More fired at Brother Blood with blasts and orbs. But the Headmaster threw up his hand, erecting a glowing red shield in front of him. His head whipped around as he glared at Jinx and Mammoth, his eyes flashing red. Kyd Wykkyd appeared behind his shield, slashing at him before he could attack. It bought enough time for Jinx to spray her hexes across the floor right before Mammoth slammed his fists down. Shockwaves buckled the earth, but Blood blinked out of sight.

"Kyd!" Jinx screamed, and he turned around just in time to see Blood's slasher-grin. Kyd vanished, and Blood lashed out at the empty air. The two blinked in and out of sight like flickering specters.

"I can't keep track of him!" barked Gizmo, trying to aim through the lens of his blaster.

But Jinx's mind was racing. Even now, Blood's strikes were cutting closer and closer, giving Kyd less time to dodge. He was just too fast. Even if they all attacked at once, Blood could still teleport away.

And he wasn't attacking.

At any time Blood could've ended the battle, throwing them against the walls or physically locking them in place with his powers. But he was only dodging.

He was toying with them.

"We're wasting time!" yelled Jinx. "Leave him!"

The Headmaster grinned. "Ah, she can be taught after all. But you're not the only one."

A rush of movement from the corner of her eyes; too late. Familiar faces surrounded them; they're old classmates: Private Hive, Wrestling Star, I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R., Rock, Paper, and Scissors, Angel, and XL Terrestrial.

Nine to five.

Jinx and her old team stood back-to-back, cornered, while the Headmaster floated down. With a wave of his hands, Blood lifted them into the air. "Did you really think I would put my faith in a single team again? Even when you were loyal, you were still incompetent."

He turned to his followers. "Where're the others?"

"SIR!" Private HIVE saluted. "The other intruders still haven't been found."

Jinx perked up. Blood had been lying; her friends were still safe.

The Headmaster growled. "No matter. We'll find them eventually." He flicked his hands dismissively at Jinx and her old teammates. "Take them away."

His students handcuffed them with the power-voiding bangles, then led them through the weaving tunnels of the mountain. The paths were steep as they climbed upwards, and eventually the dim tunnels brightened until Jinx was blinking at the sunlight. They brought them to the open edge of the mountain. A looming pyre was alight with Cyclones bordering its edges like it was a ceremony.

No, not a ceremony. A ritual.

The reality of the situation hit her: she was going to be sacrificed.

Her blood ran cold. Even if she could pick the bangles without getting noticed, she still couldn't fight her way out. They were outnumbered and outgunned. In any normal fight, the odds would be tough, but Blood's powers made it impossible. Even on his own, he would be a challenge for them. That wasn't even counting the Cyclones and students he had brought with him.

Not that odds mattered when they were restrained. In this state, they were powerless to stop the ritual. And once Brother Blood possessed Trigon and his students, no one short of the Justice League would stand a chance.

Desperately, Jinx looked between her colleagues, trying to find anything they could use. Most of the others had slipped into despondency, heads bowed in defeat. Only Mammoth was still struggling against his bonds.

"Now we bear witness to the beginning of a new era! One in which our Lord Trigon bestows us with his terrible favour!" Brother Blood exclaimed, drawing from his sleeve a ritual knife. He raised his arms in celebration, and the blade's outline glinted by the rising fire. A half-hearted cheer rose from his students, though it turned to a roar as he fixed them with a glare.

Normally, she would have made the obligatory quip about his monologuing, but the sound of someone else mumbling made her turn her head. At least somebody had enough spirit to comment. Though her hopes dimmed when she saw it was Gizmo, rocking back and forth, muttering to himself. Jinx couldn't help but stare. She knew the boy genius had a few screws loose, but she had expected kicking and screaming some very unorthodox expletives: a proper tantrum. Not...whatever this was.

"1597...2584…4181..." he mumbled, before shaking his head, as if trying to dispel something. "1, 1, 2, 3, 5…"

That's when she noticed his hands. Though they were bound behind his back, they were twitching in an oddly precise fashion, and she realized he was using a panel on his back.

His mumbling suddenly made sense. He's trying to get us out without letting Blood know.

"Now, what say you, little one?" Blood addressed, making her snap back to the situation at hand. Despite herself, she couldn't help but recoil from his intense, withering gaze. "You could have been part of the grand design, but you spurned my gifts."

"H...how do you know Trigon will keep his promise? He's betrayed everyone who allied with him," Jinx said, trying to keep his attention on her.

"They were amateurs," Blood scoffed. "Fools who had only dabbled in the dark arts. They were unwilling to go the distance necessary to summon the Dark One. But I...I am worthy!"

Jinx watched in horror as Blood tossed his robe into the fire, revealing his monstrous body in all its terror. What flesh still seemed human was scarred with arcane marks, and even his circuitry seemed alive with hellish light. From his back, tentacles unfurled, finally free to writhe in mesmerising patterns.

Jinx could hear the others gasp at the sight. "What did you do?"

"I simply had the fortitude to accept the limitations of my natural body," he said, his thin lips stretched into an unnatural smile. "I am not averse to sacrificing the sanctity of the body, and in doing so, I have become more powerful. I have cast off the weakness of the flesh through both technology and magic, and became the perfect being!" he shouted in ecstatic glory, before leaning in closer, his smile downright menacing. "But for now, you've wasted enough of my time. Your friends aren't coming, and once I summon Trigon, not even our little boy genius over there can save you. I'll let you see how all your efforts come to naught."

Suddenly, Jinx's breathing was cut off as one of his tentacles wrapped around her neck, dragging her to her feet and throwing her before the pyre. Brother Blood was on her in an instant, her face pressed to the dirt as he gripped her wrist. "I built you up from nothing, and now I shall reap what I have sown. Despite your best efforts, you serve me one last time…"

Jinx cried out as he drove the knife into her hand, moving with inhuman speed to carve the Mark of Scath into her palm. The flesh had been rent asunder, and the burning she felt was more than just mutilation. Dark magic was at play, and she knew it would only be a couple more seconds before the blade was driven into her heart.

Please, please, please, anyone save us, she thought desperately, praying beyond all hope.

"No one is-"

Blood was cut off by a sudden explosion, and Jinx took the opportunity to roll away from the fire. All around her, the world had burst into chaos, with explosions blasting off indiscriminately. She couldn't see where they were coming from, or even if they were friendly, but she had precious little time.

Something grabbed her, and she was about to fight when she felt her restraints burst. She turned just in time to see one of Gizmo's drones fly away, but it was stopped mid-air as if reaching the end of some invisible leash, before being crushed like a can in a compressor.

She didn't even need to look to know it was Brother Blood holding it back. She just hoped that he was distracted by the chaos. She could hear a roar that sounded like Mammoth, the crushing of some Cyclones, and the cacophony of powers going off. Gizmo must've gotten the others free.

The crumpled drone suddenly sparked a little, and ejected something in her direction. A pair of goggles. She didn't need to be told twice, sliding them over her eyes. Finally, she pushed herself to a stand, and took in the battlefield.

It was chaos. Everyone had jumped into action, and powers went off like a fireworks display. But what concerned her the most was the pyre. It had begun to groan. Like the sound of a ship being pulled from the depths. Her blood ran cold with the chilling realization that Trigon was returning.

Suddenly, she felt arms around her— "Jinx!"

"Wally!"

She barely had time to return the hug before he pulled away, blue eyes filled with urgency. "What's the situation?"

"Trigon," she breathed quickly, pointing to the pyre. "We have to stop him!"

"The others are on their way. How do we buy time?"

Jinx's mind raced. There had to be some way. The ritual wasn't complete—Trigon couldn't be fully powered yet, but even in his limited state, he could still wreak havoc, and there was already too much to deal with right now. If they could just find a way to subdue him.

"Siren and Nixie," Jinx said. "Get them to the pyre and see if their powers can stop him. Don't let them get interrupted!"

"Got it. Stay safe!" He pecked her cheek, and with that, he rushed into the battle. Which left her. She clenched her fists, bracing herself before leaping back into the fray.

"Gizmo!" she called out, hoping to catch his attention in the chaos. To her surprise, his voice was right by her ear, emitted from the goggles.

"What? I'm busy!" he shouted.

"Siren and Nixie are trying to reverse the Trigon summoning, but we need to stall Blood!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Gizmo protested, and that's when Jinx saw him. The mechanic was in his full robotic-spider gear, ducking and weaving a distance away from Blood, staying out of reach of his telekinesis while shooting him with his blasters. It wasn't easy, especially with everything else going on. "You gonna help or not?"

Jinx didn't need to be told twice as she charged forward. She fired a burst of energy towards Blood, but he blinked to the side. An explosion hit his flank as a drone fired a laser at him, and he growled as he blinked away again. The drone's aim adjusted almost as quickly, keeping him pinned. Even so, the energy wasn't enough to damage his mutated form, just keep him off balance.

Blood extended a hand towards her, his eyes glowing, and she was about to pull back when Gizmo's voice came over the intercom. "The goggles block his hypnosis, too! Prototype of my contacts. Don't worry, I made enough for your friends, too!"

"How'd you know?" Jinx asked, dodging a projectile that Blood threw her way.

"Please. You hero types always come for each other. I didn't want to waste time fighting them, too." Despite herself, Jinx couldn't help but smile, noticing the way he'd included her in that 'hero' category.

She was about to counterattack when suddenly two hulking figures blocked her vision. Wrestling Star had suplexed Mammoth in between them, and the two were duking it out. Trading ineffective blows, they struggled in a grapple, and she eventually saw her opening, aiming a hex at Star's feet. The ground gave way, slick with mud, and he lost his leverage. Mammoth seized the opening, tossing him away before tackling him.

In an instant, Brother Blood was in her face, and she jumped back, only for him to keep up with her easily. She realized too late it was an illusion, and she braced as her body was yanked through the image towards Blood. He spun her around, and she was about to be shot by Gizmo's drone's crossfire when it shut off its laser.

"Weak. Unwilling to sacrifice," Blood commented with a disappointed tone. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. What should I expect from a bastard like you?"

She could feel his illusions in her mind, like claws scraping inside her head. She tried her best to resist them, but she could feel everything starting to slip away, her vision narrowing on his hellish face and her hearing filled with screams mixed with cold laughter. But then her vision rushed back as a red bolt of energy hit him from the other side.

On the opposite side of the brawl, she could see the Titans had arrived, and were immediately engaging. Argent had barely sent the errant bolt her way before Angel was on her case, and the two tangled in a dogfight. XL Terrestrial moved to pick up Mammoth from where he was pummeling Star, but Hot Spot harried him from behind, dodging around the alien's swipes and punches.

As her hearing returned, a haunting refrain filled her senses even in the midst of the battlefield, and she could see Siren and Nixie by the fire, gesturing with erratic flailing, as if pushing the fire back. A whirling flash moved around them, deflecting stray shots and taking hits to guard them. Wally.

"You two are more trouble than you're worth," Blood scowled, drawing her attention back to him as he regarded her and Gizmo cooly. "I made you. You wouldn't have lasted a second without my training and talent! And I. Will. Break you."

In a flash, Blood was in her face, swinging her over his head almost effortlessly. She twisted and managed to catch herself on impact, springing back. He tried to go after Gizmo, and she fired a hex at his back, which Blood only just managed to dodge. With a clench of his fist, he willed the ground around her to flip up like a bear trap, and it was everything she had to spring up and out before she was squashed.

But it gave him enough time to get closer to Gizmo, and even as the boy tried to get away, one of his spider appendages stopped midair, the tip caught at just the edge of Blood's telekinetic range. "Got you."

To Jinx's surprise, the limb detached, and a rocket on the back activated, rushing towards Blood. The tip embedded itself in his arm like a stinger, and Jinx saw her chance. Firing a hex at it, she willed the engine to burst, and she watched as one of Blood's arms was blasted off.

He screamed as blood sprayed. "You'll pay for that!" he shouted, throwing his ritual knife her way. Before it could reach her, a yellow orb appeared between them, deflecting it. In a flash, the orb was gone, and she looked up to catch See-More throwing a quick grin her way. A dark patch appeared mid-air, and the knife disappeared into it. Kyd Wykkyd, she noted.

She could see him elsewhere on the battlefield, fighting against Paper. Her blows disappeared into his cape, appearing out of various dark patches to strike her allies, while he parried with the new blade.

"Enough games!" Blood roared, lifting his remaining hand in a claw-like shape, and the earth below him exploded in fragments. Frenetically, his tentacles flailed, and the fragments blasted outwards like a hail of machine gunfire, hitting everything around him. Jinx threw herself to the ground, covering her head with her hands. Some of the shrapnel lodged itself in her arms, hot-white pellets of fire, shredding her skin.

SKIN! If she could distort one of Blood's—

A force gripped her, and she felt herself flying through the air before slamming into the earth, pain blossoming through her body. Her body began to contort in on itself as Blood tightened his grip, but it loosened as she heard another explosion.

Blood had forgotten the drone.

He quickly erected an earthen fortification to protect his flank, but it left the other side of his body exposed, the runes clear on his skin. In that split second, Jinx threw a hex. It flew true, striking her target right on one of the dark marks. The magics interacted, causing the rune to glow brightly, and drove Brother Blood to his knees as pain wracked his body, a soundless scream emanating from his mouth.

First rule of dark magic: if the contract was broken, so were your powers.

She watched as a section of his demonic flesh sloughed off, no longer responding to his will as the seal was broken, and whatever contract he'd made with Trigon reneged. If nothing else, it bought her time to help the others.

"Keep an eye on him, Gizmo! If he recovers, let me know!"

"Got it!" the boy confirmed as she rushed towards the pyre. The song was starting to reach its crescendo, and both Siren and Nixie seemed entranced, moving in wavelike spasms as dark magic poured forth from them, battering the fire like an ocean wind. The sight made her skin crawl, but she ignored it to deal with the situation at hand.

"Kid, are you okay?" she shouted at the yellow and orange form blurring past.

"Just a little worn." He stopped long enough to get the words out; his pair of Gizmo's goggles were fogged up by his huffing. "If someone would tag me out, that'd be appreciated."

"I can do you one better," she offered, looking up at the fight in the sky. The tide had turned against Argent as a pair of Cyclones flanked Angel, harrying her with sonic cannons. Angel used her superior speed to catch up to Argent, battering her with her wings. Only the shields Argent threw up kept her from falling.

With a quick flourish, Jinx sent a hex at one of the Cyclones, causing it to explode right next to Angel, throwing her to the side. Argent instantly counter-attacked, crushing the other Cyclone. Without the ability to harass Argent's flight, the ranged fighter had the upper hand.

A red band closed around Angel's body, and she plummeted like a rock as she was pulled to the ground. The impact was enough to knock her out, and Jinx waved Argent down. "Erect a shield around these two," she commanded. "Kid and I are going to help with the battle."

"You got it," Argent confirmed, trading places with Kid. Throwing up her hands, she erected a bubble once Jinx and Kid Flash had stepped out of range, isolating her and the two singers from the battle.

"Go help Hot Spot! I'll cover See-More and Kyd," Jinx commanded, then winced. "The other kid!" He managed a smile, before racing off.

It wasn't hard to find the pair as they tried their best to counter the Rock, Paper, and Scissors trio. Both were on the defense, though Kyd was getting a few parries here and there. It was still a testament to their skill and teamwork that they could take on three opponents and be alive this long.

"Incoming!" she shouted, blasting Paper as she tried once more to strike Kyd. She followed it up with a kick, sending Paper reeling. "Get them together!"

Seeing their compatriot get hit had caused Rock and Scissors to stop, giving See-More just enough time to put a bubble around all of them, which he began to compress. Jinx wasn't worried about being crushed. It was about getting everyone close enough together to make her plan work.

Scissors rushed forward, slashing at her, but she dodged the amateurish move easily. It did, however, leave her open to Rock's attempted overhead smash, but Kyd countered by teleporting them behind the pair. Only Paper had seen where they had gone, and in the closing space, she attempted to reach around the pair to strike, which is what Jinx had been looking for.

Instead of dodging, she grabbed Paper's fist, gripping her wrist tightly. She and Kyd crossed paths, encircling Rock and Scissors. Paper was flexible, but she could only react so fast. In an instant, they had reached Paper's max extension, and moved to tie her hands together, binding all three in a big bundle.

That taken care of, she looked over just in time to see how the other fight was finishing up. Mammoth had locked grips with Wrestling Star, when Kid Flash struck the back of Star's knee, causing him to buckle. With his opponent off-balance, Mammoth tossed Star into the legs of XL, toppling him, as Hot Spot blasted through Private HIVE's shield. With both of their foes on the back foot, and being well outnumbered, it would only be a matter of time before they won.

Gizmo's drones buzzed overhead, ejecting handcuffs that rained down. Kid Flash caught them up, and in an instant, were zipping them onto every enemy.

"HIVE Five, get out alive!" Gizmo bellowed, and for a moment, the battlefield seemed to pause, before his team members turned and fled.

"Hey, get back here!" Hot Spot yelled, but Jinx waved him back.

"Ah, leave them," she said. "They're harmless."

See-More gave her a backwards glance, smiling sheepishly, and she nodded, before Kyd Wykkyed threw his cape over them and disappeared.

Swapping places, Hot Spot managed to subdue Wrestling Star, while Jinx helped Argent take down Private HIVE. The soldier was screaming maniacally as he lashed out.

"No retreat, no surrender!" he yelled, his eyes crazed as he charged at them, shield-first. Jinx shot a hex at his feet, turning the ground to mud. He slid, and Argent boxed him in red energy.

"Fanatic," muttered Argent, shaking her head..

Eventually the rumbles stopped, and with it, the singing. A sudden breeze, and suddenly Jinx was lifted up into Kid Flash's arms. "Never, ever do that again," he said in between kisses.

"Ack!" She winced, the pain suddenly flooding back, her arms throbbing where the shrapnel had embedded itself.

"Sorry!" Kid Flash instantly let go.

"It's fine, it's fine. I'll get it looked at soon," she reassured, managing a crooked smile, before kissing him. He deserved it.

They were interrupted by Hot Spot clearing his throat.

"Great you're saved and all, but..." he jerked his thumb at the group of villains. "What do we do with these idiots?"

T*T*T*T*T

As the police rounded up Brother Blood and his students, Kid Flash and Jinx debriefed the Teen Titans. When they explained to Cyborg about the released superheroes, his expression hardened, but he nodded.

"This'll stir up Robin's paranoia," he said, "but we put them away once, we can do it again." His expression lightened when he grinned. "Taking down Blood was no small task. Congrats, team! You deserve it."

"Thanks," Kid Flash said. "The tech worked great."

"Speaking of," Jinx said, "Gizmo made copies of your hologram rings. I kept the one he gave me. It short-circuited, but I thought you might get some info from it, anyway." Cyborg grumbled something about the brat doing nothing original, but she ignored him. "And I have a pair of goggles and contact lenses he made that blocked Blood's brainwashing."

"Shortstuff's good for something," Cyborg huffed, but couldn't hide his glee at a new toy to tinker with. "Also...I try to stay out of the politics stuff, but…" He leaned in closer to the camera. "Just be aware of the press. Robin tries to keep it down, but as soon as word gets out that Trigon was involved—and knowing the press, it will—you'll be all over the news."

"Nothing like stopping another apocalypse to raise your publicity," joked Kid Flash. Jinx grimaced: great, more exposure. Hopefully, Argent could handle that front.

They talked to Raven next. The empath said that while Jinx's half-demon blood was enough to wake Trigon, it would only sustain his energy for a short while. Soon, the effects would wear off, and he'd return to the "pit of hell he deserves." (Guess there was one benefit for being a half-demon.) Until then, Siren and Nixie would take turns making sure he stayed subdued, before returning to Lake Erie. The sisters had thanked the Titans Keystone, and promised that they wouldn't stir up "too much" trouble.

When Blood and his disciples were taken care of, the Teen Titans satisfied, and their injuries patched up by the paramedics, Jinx and her team finally reconvened. They piled into the Key-car, silent and exhausted. Jinx's body felt like it was weighed down by a bag of sand, and her arms and hands stung even after the paramedics had treated them. But the pain was pushed to the back of her mind as she stared at her teammates.

Normally Kid Flash would prefer his own two feet than any vehicle, but he didn't even complain as he sunk into his seat. His bangs fell into his eyes, drenched in sweat, and his eyes hovered half-closed. Hot Spot was covered in dirt and one side of his jaw was swelling from a well-placed strike from the ugly bee's shield, while dark, blotchy bruises had already started blossoming on Argent's pale skin.

"I'm sorry," Jinx said suddenly. "That I got you all involved in this. You didn't have to. It was stereotypically heroic and—"

"Stop," Hot Spot said, startling her. "We would've come after you even if we weren't heroes."

"Yeah," added Argent. "You would've done the same for us."

Jinx swallowed. Would she? To be honest, she had never considered a rescue mission before. Never had to. At the Academy, it was silently understood that no matter what allegiances you made, you looked after yourself first. But, she thought, she never had team members—no, friends—like these before, either.

She glanced at Kid Flash, but for once he didn't say anything. His eyes were closed, but his lips were turned up in a smile, his hand curled around hers, holding tight.

"Thanks," she said finally, her head down as she smiled to herself. "Come on. It's time to go home."