Summary: Takes place right after the last chapter
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
"What the hell is he doing here?!" Dinah, Zatara, and Captain Atom advanced menacingly towards Klarion, but Zatanna stepped in to shield him.
"I let him in. Only temporarily."
"Have you lost your mind?! The last time he was here he participated in a scheme to mind control everyone on this damn station!"
"Yes, and we need his help to stop the current global pandemic!" The magician narrowed her eyes at the heroes and crossed her arms. "Look, I don't like him any more than you do, but without a Lord of Order currently available we need his help with controlling the situation. Trust me, as soon as we're done, we'll toss his ass in a cell and call it a day."
"Ha! Like your cells could ever-" Very nearly everyone present whipped around to glare at the Witch Boy, who promptly zipped his mouth shut and took a small step back for his own safety.
"But until then, he's our only chance at stopping this." Zatara scoffed.
"Assuming he's not the one causing it."
"Oh, he's not. It's some new guy calling himself Eclipso. He's trying to kill Klarion and replace him as Earth's Lord of Chaos." Dinah raised an eyebrow and Billy shrugged. "Long story. Uh, where's everyone else?"
"They're out running damage control around the globe. Could use some backup, actually. While your team's been gone, things've heated up. It's not just global phenomena anymore; the Chaos Energy's starting to open rifts to other dimensions. Portals to Hell have begun popping up around Gotham and Blüdhaven, and Superman's 5th Dimensional nuisance seems to be making the most of the situation in Metropolis. I was about to join Team Arrow in Star City; they've got their hands full with an army of goblins." Zatanna nodded before addressing Klarion.
"Seeing as Dr. Fate's still out of action, can you work on dispelling some residual Chaos magic from here?" The Chaos Maker reluctantly nodded.
"I guess. Assuming your pals don't kill me first."
"Good. Get to it, then. Everyone else, listen up. Captain Atom will give you mission assignments, but stay ready. As soon as Klarion gets things under control, we're going back in for round two with Eclipso."
"You seriously think Klarion can help us? I've lost track of the number of times he's tried to bite us in the ass." Dick hurled an exploding wingding at an envoy of flying demons to scare them off while Zatanna and Tigress helped a family out of the way of falling debris. The former magician glared at him.
"Look, I don't feel great about it, either, okay?"
He shrugged. "Sorry, just saying." From behind him, Black Lightning used his powers to overload three demons with electrical energy, causing them to explode. Tempest pushed another one away with a concussive water blast, allowing Nightwing to safely evacuate the passengers of a small school bus. He wiped his forehead dry of sweat, taking a look around the battle-stricken apocalypse that used to be downtown Blüdhaven. "This isn't getting any easier." Tigress reloaded her crossbow.
"Yeah, I noticed. Trigon's just got an army of these things, doesn't he?"
"I hear Hell's a big place."
Dick somersaulted over two demon brutes, landing right next to his girlfriend. He flung a handful of wingdings back at them while she fired explosive bolts from her wrist shooter. "Witch Boy's not the only questionable recruit on your team."
Zatanna rolled her eyes. "Constantine'll cooperate. He's an ass but he's also a human being; he still wants a place to call home."
"Just…be careful around him. We both know what he'll do to get some kind of edge for himself." A playful smirk bewitched her lips.
"Someone sounds jealous."
"Shut up." Zatanna chuckled as she ducked to avoid a demonic lunge. Dick fired a grapple at the attacker to hold it in place while she fired a bolt at it.
"Relax. I only trust those two as far as I can shoot them."
"You know you could've asked me to help."
"Magic's not your thing. Besides, I don't poke my nose in your detective stuff, do I?" He sighed.
"Fair enough. Just stay alert. You might be willing to work with those two, but don't think for a second they won't throw you under the bus first chance they get."
Bloody nutcase, that one.
From his position on one of the many upper walkways of the Watchtower Monitor room, John Constantine watched as Klarion remained fixated several meters above the ground, locked in a mystic trance as he used his magic on a holoprojection of the globe to slowly but surely disperse the many clusters of Chaos Energy scattered around the world. After deciding he'd seen enough, he shook his head and turned around to approach Zatara, who was sitting at a nearby bench with the Helmet of Fate in his hands.
"I've seen my fair share of insanity, but that nutter working with the Justice League? Well, that just might take the cake." Zatara hummed in agreement.
"Well, so long as we remain without the power of Nabu on our side, his aid is all but necessary."
"That's what your daughter said." The older mage chuckled.
"You should know better than most that my daughter's wisdom often surpasses even that of the almighty Justice League." He sighed, quickly finding himself lost in the brilliant luster of the terribly costly artifact resting in his hands. "Still…I wish I could do more."
Constantine cocked his head to the side. "You thinkin' of putting that thing on again?"
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't. But alas, Batman is right. My body simply isn't ready for the toll it would take."
"Still, we could sure as bollocks use the ol' Doc. And nobody said it has to be you under the bucket." Zatara turned around to glare at the Hellblazer.
"Well, unlike you, I take no pleasure in throwing someone else under the bus to gain an advantage. I refuse to subject anyone else to Nabu's terrible hold."
Constantine scoffed. "And thinking like that's what got us all in this situation in the first place. Y'know, if just one of you heroes had the balls to toss that tin can on when you were takin' your little nap, we wouldn't be…in this situation at…all…"
Zatara raised an eyebrow when the conman's accusatory voice trailed off, and he quizzically turned around to see him already advancing towards Klarion's position. He huffed. "What is that fool up to now?"
Dick, Zatanna, and Artemis ducked behind cover to hide from the advancing hordes of demons while Black Lightning and Tempest fired back with bolts of electricity. From her position between the two vigilantes Zatanna felt her communicator buzz.
"Zatanna?"
"Hey, dad. Now's not really-"
"Listen to me. The Witch Boy managed to disperse a large chunk of Chaos Magic, but he believes Eclipso is only counteracting his efforts from Roanoke Island. He is suggesting a counterstrike as our best option to permanently end this disaster."
She shook her head. "Last time we went in, we didn't exactly do much to him."
"That is why I called Madame Xanadu. She used her connections to bring in several new allies for your team. Etrigan, Deadman, and Ragman are ready to join the rest of your team from earlier. Well, most of them."
"Most?"
"Constantine has left." Zatanna scoffed, and to her side, Dick sent the young magician a victorious smirk. She glared at him.
"Don't wanna hear it."
"I didn't say anything." She turned back to her communicator.
"Okay, we don't have time to wait around for him to decide who's side he's on. And to be honest, we'll probably be better off without him." She looked at Dick, but he just nodded before attaching an electrical capacitor to the end of his escrima stick.
"Go. We can handle this." She quickly planted a kiss to his cheek while Artemis reloaded her crossbow.
"Okay. Can Nimue-"
Before she even got a chance to finish her sentence, the magician vanished from the battlefield in a flash of golden and purple, leaving Dick and Artemis to prepare themselves. The acrobat smirked softly at the archer.
"Ready?"
"Try to keep up." They leapt over their cover to join their allies in battle.
Unbeknownst to any of the heroes, a young girl with deep purple hair and ghastly pale complexion watched with bated breath from the safety and security of a broken down rock wall, careful not to be seen by any of the invaders.
It was no accident that demons from Hell chose to come to Blüdhaven. She only prayed the heroes would fight them back before any of them managed to spot her and alert her father.
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