Tovar was standing behind him, blocking the escape route.
"Titans, attack!" Robin yelled.
Apparently, Slade was as surprised to see the Titans as they were to see him. He quickly readied himself for battle.
Raven and Starfire each began to glow, Raven black, Starfire green. Robin pulled out his staff. Cyborg moved forward, ready to attack with his strength alone. Beast Boy (still close to Raven) turned into a great bear, growling, and moving to attack his sworn enemy.
There was a flash of light and Cyras was suddenly standing between them.
"Halt this feuding!" she commanded, her voice once more offering no room for debate. Slowly, all of them lowered their weapons, ready to listen.
She looked, or seemed to look, at each of them. They couldn't tell whether she was angry or not; her face was still hidden by the hood.
"You have all been brought here for a reason: to stop the evil," she said.
"Are you joking?" Beast Boy asked, "He's the evil one!"
"His behavior before is of no moment," she stated, "and neither is yours. You must now work together."
This comment was met with a look of horror from all the rest.
"Are you serious?" Raven asked, "We can't work with him. He tried to kill us."
"I said that is of no moment," Cyras hissed. She turned her gaze on the girl, "You must learn to not question me. The universe depends on it."
"All right, so we have to work together to defend the universe?" Slade asked, "I won't do it."
"Then you will surely die before you return to your home," Cyras said, now facing him.
"Are you threatening me?" Slade demanded, rising to his full, and considerable, height.
"No. I am merely telling you the truth. If you do not go with these few and work to save the universe as the fates demand, then you are doomed to die of a horrible wasting illness before you even leave Japan," the girl stated.
"All right. I'll help," the man said after he had considered her words for a while.
"Then you must all go to Mexico," she ordered, "There you will find an ancient temple. Here you will learn more of the nature of this power."
"Why can't you just tell us?" Slade asked.
"I am unable to."
"You do not know?" Starfire asked.
It seemed that Cyras gave her a sympathetic smile. With a low chuckle, she replied, "No. I am merely unable to tell you this information. You must learn it on your own. If I were to tell you, then it would doom you to failure."
She stopped laughing then. She gave a final look at everyone, then said, "However, you must know, that when you get to the cave, two of you will not leave it. One must stay, and the other will willingly stay. If the one does not stay there, you are doomed to failure."
"What do you mean two of us will not leave?" Slade inquired.
"I mean that there will be an accident. It has been arranged since the beginning of time. And they will become victims of this accident."
"Who? How?" Starfire asked, worry written clearly on her face.
"I am not permitted to tell you."
"And if these people should learn that it is them and simply not go in, or if they happen to escape by chance, what then?" Robin wondered aloud.
"Then you are all doomed to failure, and all of creation will pay for your failure."
Silence followed this pronouncement.
"My time with you grows short. You must go to Mexico!" she said. Indeed, she seemed to be fading, to look transparent.
"Good luck," then she turned to Tovar, and they could see tears dropping from the hood and from his face.
"My friend," she started, "I miss you, and will be with you again soon."
With these final words, she faded completely, leaving a deadly silence in its wake.
"So here I am, the Titans' enemy, forced to work with them," Slade stated, "The irony is disgusting."
"Oh come on, it won't be that bad," Beast Boy said, "Lets go eat."
They turned to eat then. Slade still stood there.
"I can't believe it," he said, "I feel like a fish out of water."
OK, I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish this story before I leave. I'm going to California for a band camp on June 27, and its the 26th now. The day after I get back from that I am leaving for Montana for a month. Then when I get back in August, I have another band camp. If I have time, I'll try to do the next book by September.