More Important than Knowledge Part II

The Muse was still confused, but they only walked a little further when she saw something that made her forget her bewilderment. "Hey, look! Isn't it beautiful?"

"What is it?" Starfire asked.

"It's a waterfall. I remember this. It's Prism Falls! That's how I know this place. Opal used to take me here all the time."

"Who is Opal?"

"She's my friend. She went with me everywhere, and she took me to many places. I remember this was always my favorite. Sit here. Watch this. See, when the sunlight hits the water just right . . ."

Starfire sat down and watched with her hand on the Muse's shoulder. Raven stood at a distance with a look that said she'd seen enough waterfalls in her lifetime. As the sunlight came through, it touched the crystal waters. A bright, gigantic rainbow appeared at the base of the rainbow.

"Marvelous!" Starfire cried in wonder. "I have never seen such an amazing sight! What is it called?"

"A rainbow. Yeah, I love them too. They're so colorful. I like colors."

"Tell me more about Opal. How did she know such a wondrous place as this?"

"Well, it's her home."

"So she lives here? Is she a muse?"

"I don't know. She never said. But she did have magic powers. She wanted our friendship to be secret, and when people came too close, she turned into a sparkly, white rock in my necklace. If I ever wanted Opal to appear again, I just watched the rock sparkle and change colors in the sunlight."

"Astounding! Perhaps she will be here."

"No, she's not here. I lost the necklace, and with it I lost her."

"This is not important!" Raven said suddenly.

"Oh yes," Starfire nodded. "Will you tell me more later? We must progress."

"OK." They got up and headed back for the stream. The Muse didn't want to leave the waterfall, and she watched it until it was out of sight.

"Why haven't we met anything yet?" the Muse asked.

"The next test will come suddenly," Raven answered. "We must be pre–"

"ROAR!" Another beast pounced in front of the three heroes. It had the body of a lion and the head of a woman.

"It's a sphinx!" the Muse exclaimed.

"You speak with the wisdom of Athena," the sphinx answered. "I have come to test your intelligence and wits. You shall not pass until you answer my riddle. Beware, if you answer incorrectly you shall be devoured." The sphinx smiled and revealed all of her sharp teeth.

"Oh my!" the Muse gasped.

"What fun, a guessing game!" Starfire cried with a smile.

"But we got to be careful. We don't want to be eaten."

"The answer is 'man,' " Raven said casually.

The sphinx rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes."

"Raven, that was not in the spirit of fairness," Starfire argued. "You read her mind."

"No, I did not need to. These sphinxes have told the same riddle for years. We have heard it already!"

The sphinx bowed her head. "It is indeed true. We have valued one riddle above other. It is so clever and complicated. It must have never occurred to us that the answer would circulate."

"What riddle is this?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, I don't think I've heard of it either," the Muse added.

"Oh, you haven't?" the sphinx said as her face brightened. "Well then, 'What has four legs in the morning . . .' oh, what's the point? You already know the answer. Very well, you shall tell me a new riddle. Beware, if you cannot think of one, you will be devoured!"

The Muse groaned. "Wait!" Starfire shouted. "You said that would be the punishment if we could not discover the answer to your riddle, and we did find it out."

"Oh come on! I haven't had a human for years!"

Raven looked at the sphinx sternly.

The sphinx grunted and shook her mane. "Fine. I won't devour you, but I won't let you pass!"

"Fair enough," Raven nodded.

"Oh, I got one!" the Muse said. "'Why is six afraid of seven?'"

"I've heard that one," the sphinx answered. "I'm rather sick of it actually?"

"Why is six afraid of seven?" Starfire asked.

"Because seven ate nine!" the Muse giggled. Starfire laughed as well.

"Give me something that is not only funny but clever as well," the sphinx advised.

"I know another good one, 'How many floorgans are required to wugilate a sheopixag?'"

"Can you translate that?" the sphinx asked.

"Well, let's see. On my planet, a floorgan is . . . well . . . how can I put this in earth terms?"

"Uh, here's another one!" the Muse blurted out. "'How is a raven like a writing-desk?'"

Raven glared at her. "He's not going to want a riddle with no answer."

"Well, I thought since you were Raven, you'd know the answer."

Raven frowned so much, a vein throbbed on her forehead.

"Do you know a riddle, Raven?" Starfire asked.

Raven nodded and looked back at the sphinx. "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make as sound?"

"I thought you said we should not tell a riddle with no answer."

"She wants a riddle that makes people think critically. This question is meant to do that."

"But there is an answer," the sphinx said. "First off, there is never a time that the forest is completely empty. Even if all the beasts and humans were gone, the insects would still be there. Second, sound is caused by the air shaking. Just because no one is present does not make that stop happening."

"Hmm, good point. I've never heard somebody solve it."

"So, do you give up yet?"

The girls exchanged looks silently asking who should speak next and what should she say? "Uh, I have one," the Muse said. "Uh, here it goes. What is more important than knowledge?"

"Oh, that's easy. There are several things, like love and friendship."

"Yeah, but . . . see, my cousin explained it to me, and I know a joke isn't as good if it has to be explained, but it really made me think. He said knowledge is dependent on it, but it is not dependent on knowledge. I don't know if love or friendship really fit that."

The sphinx hummed to herself thoughtfully and paced a couple of times. A couple of times she paused as if she was going to say something, but then she started pacing again. The two guides looked at the Muse amazed, but the Muse looked at the sphinx nervously.

Finally, the sphinx spoke. "Now that is a riddle! Well done, daughters of Athena! You may pass." She stepped aside.

"Wait! Don't you want to hear the answer?" the Muse asked.

"No, I want time to think this over more. If I do not figure it out by the time you turn back, you must tell me the answer."

"OK, thank you."

"That was quite clever," Starfire said. "How did you think of that?"

"Well, like I told her, I got it from my cousin. Actually, to tell the truth it's not a riddle. It's a quote. He had it on a poster in his room, and he told me what it meant one day."

"So, what is the answer?"

The Muse looked to see if the sphinx was still looking at them. Then she whispered the answer in Starfire's ear.

"Ahhh," Starfire nodded. "That makes sense. Raven, do you want to hear it?"

"If it's the quote I'm thinking of, I've heard it before," she answered. "Let's just go."

"Yes," the girls nodded.

Next, they came upon some large zinnias. Starfire and the Muse were both excited and drew near to smell then to pick the flowers. Suddenly, the zinnias' blooms started to spin. Looking at the bright colors whirling made the Muse dizzy . . . then sleepy . . . everything seemed to blur . . .

"Azerath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

Raven's voice boomed in her head, and the Muse was shocked back to her senses. Raven flew above the flowers and surrounded them with black energy. The petals scattered.

"Wha . . . what's happening?" Starfire stammered.

"Those flowers were hypnotizing you, that's what!" Raven answered.

"Oh!" Starfire's eyes glowed bright green in fury. Her hands were full of green energy balls, and she threw them at the flowers. They broke and scattered. Then the flowers started to attack back by flinging thorns and vines at the heroes. Starfire flew up and continued her attack.

"I didn't know you could fly!" the Muse exclaimed.

"Why haven't you helped us yet?" Raven ordered.

"Oh, right." She flew up and concentrated. "Magic!" The zinnias all disappeared and were replaced with roses. "It was sad to do that to such pretty zinnias."

"But they were evil!" Starfire reminded her.

"Oh, yeah." Her stomach growled. "Man, I'm hungry already."

"My stomach is also making angry sounds," Starfire observed. "Perhaps now would be a good time to see what wares Hippolyta has given us."

"Can we wait until after we get the job done?" Raven complained. Then her stomach also growled. "Very well."

Raven opened the bundle to reveal some of the same food from the previous night. The Muse wrapped a piece of bread around some lamb, making a sandwich. She leaned back as she ate. Everybody was quiet. The Muse looked around her. It still seemed familiar, but it felt like a different place. It looked like the kind of place she pictured in her mind when she read some of her favorite books.

"There are so many places I would like to go, like Oz and Wonderland."

"What are these places?" Starfire asked curiously. "Do they have Ferris wheels and fireworks?"

"Do you ever read books from earth?"

"I would, but I do not have time."

"You need to. There's so much that you can learn. I bet Wonderland wouldn't be so bad if you learned from Alice's mistakes. What do you think, Raven?"

Raven looked up casually from her lunch. "I do not waste my time contemplating places that do not exist."

"Raven!" Starfire said in shock.

"Well, it is true."

"But then, why are you here?"

Raven didn't answer. "I know they don't exist, but it doesn't matter," the Muse answered. "Like sometimes I feel like Alice, lost and alone in a strange world that I don't understand."

"Really?" Starfire said.

"Yeah. That's kinda like you too, isn't it?"

"It is very like me. Perhaps I should read more earth books. Robin will help me if I have trouble with the Earth written language."

The Muse sighed. "Well, like it was saying, there's this one part where a cat tells Alice, 'Everybody's mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.' If I were Alice, I would say, 'But I'm not mad. I'm very happy. And how can you be mad? You're smiling so much.'"

"You don't understand what he means," Raven said. "By mad, he means insane."

"I thought you said you didn't think about places that didn't exist."

"Yes, but still."

At that moment, a stomp shook the whole forest. "Did you hear that?" Starfire asked.

"Was that your stomach again?" the Muse asked nervously.

STOMP!

"Not me," Starfire answered.

"Perhaps it is thunder."

STOMP!

"It is something coming toward here, of course," Raven said. "We must be ready."

STOMP!

ROAR!

It was a strange cry, the likes of which the Muse had never heard before. It was like a mixture of a lion's roar and an elephant's trumpet. Starfire went pale. "Oh no. I know that sound."

The creature crashed through the trees and stopped before them. It looked like a dinosaur made of mud. It made its awful roar once more. Starfire went rigid and cried with fear.

"IT'S A EIRLSKYBEAST!"

The monster came toward Starfire at her scream. Starfire turned and ran.

"What are you doing?" the Muse asked. "Can't you fight back?"

"I can try." Starfire's eyes glowed green, and she threw several balls of energy toward the Eirskybeast. It continued to come toward her. "Oh, it's just as I heard. Our powers do not affect it! And he eats my people!" The Muse tried to distract the monster with her powers, but the Eirskybeast did not even notice. Raven tried to control it, but the black field did not last around the monster for a second.

"At least lead it on a chase," Raven said. "You can fly can't you?"

"No, I have to experience joy in order to fly. I am too filled with fear!"

"That is what it wants, Starfire! You must conquer your fear."

"Fear?" The Muse started to understand, and she almost knew it was coming. Still, she broke down in shock when she heard buzzers, bells, and gunshots all around her. She screamed and covered her ears, but the sound was still too loud. She fell to her knees. She just wanted it to end. She wanted to get out.

Once again, she heard Raven's voice in her head. "Azerath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" The Muse looked up. The sound was considerably muffled, but everywhere was darkness. "RUN!" Raven ordered. Suddenly, the Muse's legs started running by themselves. Raven really was in control.

Finally the sound faded away. Raven landed beside the Muse. "It is over. You do not have to be afraid anymore."

The Muse looked up again. Everything was back to normal, but something was missing. "Where's Starfire? Starfire! Starfire!"

"Starfire is gone."

"What? Did that monster get her?"

"Not exactly. Before it overtook her, she vanished. This was a test of courage. You were pitted against your greatest fear to see if you could overcome it. Starfire could not, and she failed. You nearly failed as well."

"No wonder this forest's trials are so difficult. Thank you for your help, Raven."

"Don't mention it."

"So, I guess it's just you and me."

"That is the predicament, yes."

"Well, ok. Let's get going. Hey, wait a minute."

Raven turned around in exasperation. "What?"

"Uh, I was just wondering why didn't we ever see what you fear most, Raven?"

Raven turned back around and answered, "I conquered my fear a long time ago."

"Really? How do you do that?"

"I had help. Now let's go."

It was much more quiet and disturbing than it was when Starfire was around. The Muse was sure that Raven did not like her, and she did not want to get Raven angry. Sometimes, though, she couldn't resist speaking her mind.

"This place is getting 'curiouser and curiouser.' But 'curiouser' is not a word, is it? It should be 'more curious' right? But that's just not as fun."

Raven looked at the Muse as though she were crazy. The Muse fell silent.

Just then, they came up to a wall which the stream flowed under. The Muse tried to fly above the obstacle, but it seemed to grow. It was too steep to climb, and it stretched out too far for her to go around. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Azerath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" Raven answered. The wall turned black then faded away. "It's as I thought. It was an illusion. Come on." She walked on.

But just moments after they cleared the wall, the forest burst in flames. The Muse gasped and backed away, but Raven, nothing daunted, walked straight through the fire. Seeing that Raven was not harmed, the Muse followed. The fire was extinguished shortly thereafter. It was the same when a flash flood suddenly coursed before them. Raven walked right through, and the Muse followed.

"Why do you think they're doing this?" the Muse asked. "What does this test?"

"Determination, I am sure," Raven answered. "They want to know if we really want to go there. If we give up and turn away, we fail."

"Hmm. We still got a ways to go, right?"

"More than likely."

"Why don't we take a break for a little while? You know, just to rest."

"Very well." Raven sat "Indian style" and started chanting again.

"Actually, I was hoping we could talk."

Raven looked unnerved, but she stopped and surveyed the Muse. "Very well. Talk."

The Muse sighed, sat down, and looked at the ground. She scratched her neck and bit her finger. She opened her mouth to say something, but she knew that all she would do is stutter. Raven would get after her for that again.

"I thought you said you were going to talk," Raven said.

"Yes. I'm just thinking about what I want to say."

"If you really can't express it in words, I can read your mind if I have to."

"No, that's ok . . . I know how it is, you know."

"How what is?"

"Starfire told me that you lose control of your powers if you're too emotional."

"I have my emotions under control."

"Yeah, and I'm just saying that I can understand that. See, I can still remember a time where it almost hurt for me to feel anything."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It was awful. I just wanted to stay with Opal. She was the only one who understood. I didn't like anybody who would stop our fun. But that's all past now. It almost feels like I woke up from a nightmare. I don't why it stopped so suddenly. No, wait, sometimes I still feel like that, or at least I haven't forgotten what it was like. Anyhow, I thought I'd never meet someone else like that. I know we've started off all wrong, but I would like to be your friend."

"Now, when were you under the impression that I was not your friend?"

"Well, I thought you didn't like me. All I did was make you angry."

This time Raven looked like she was searching for the right words to say. "I cannot lie. I do believe that you are incredibly foolish, but you are also young. Your mind will grow with time as you learn more. I will say this–I have a tremendous amount of respect for you. You have abilities that most people do not, and you have chosen to use those abilities to restore order in a world of chaos. That commands a level of respect."

"It does? Wow, I never thought of it that way before."

"You should. All of your foes need to know it."

"Alright, I'll try. So . . ."

The Muse tried to think of something else to say, but nothing was coming. She thought Raven would reprimand her again, but this time her guide gave her a small smile and said, "So, do you know 'The Raven' all the way through?"

"Oh yeah, all eighteen stanzas."

"Did you have to memorize it for school?"

"No. Mommy has a book of poetry from her college days. She said I could read it one rainy day when I didn't have anything else to read. I really like poetry, and Edgar Alan Poe is really good. That poem was easy to remember, even though I don't really understand it. I also like Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Butler Yeats, Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, and a lot of others."

"I don't like picking favorites, but I have to admit, that is my favorite poem."

"Cool. I don't like picking favorites either because something better always comes along."

"Yeah. So, let's hear it."

"You don't mind?"

"I'm not meditating now. It will give you some entertainment as we continue."

"OK."

So they got to their feet, and the Muse started reciting. She hardly ever stumbled or forget the smallest word. The only thing that bothered Raven was that the Muse did not inflect her voice. Therefore, the poem sounded very dry, as though it was a lecture. Yet Raven marveled at how well the Muse had remembered that poem after only reading it once.

And then suddenly she stopped. "'. . . Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn / It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named . . . whom the angels named . . .' Oh, I know this! I just said it several times. It rhymes with 'nevermore,' I know that. What is it? Do you know?"

The guide paused. "Why don't you just go to the next line?" she said finally.

"OK, 'Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named . . .' Man, it's the same thing! Why can't I remember it?"

"You said it several times."

"Yeah, that's right. Why am I saying this anyway?"

"Because I asked you to."

"Who are you again?"

"You know me, I'm . . ." the guide paused again.

"You can't remember?"

"Don't be silly . . . you."

"You don't know who I am either? That's strange. I feel like it starts with a 'P.' Well, do you know where we are?"

"I know we're here to stop something."

"I think I've read about a place before in a . . . well, in something, where nothing has a name."

"No names? That's silly."

"That's what . . . she thought."

"What do we need names for anyway? As long as we remember our purpose, we'll be fine."

"I'm so thirsty. That looks like I can drink it." She pointed toward the black, swirling waters by her feet."

"NO!" The guide froze the other girl in black energy. "Alright, perhaps you do not remember your purpose as well as I do. Now I am a . . . well, I have the power to read minds. Perhaps if I look into your mind, I can figure out who you are."

"OK."

The guide came close. The other girl looked away. "You need to look me in the eyes. It's the only way I can see into your soul."

"But I can't somehow. I feel uncomfortable."

"Relax. Perhaps if you try to concentrate on something, it will be easier for you."

"OK." She tried to concentrate on her name, and somehow everything in reality seemed to go out of focus."P . . . P-S-L . . . no, P-S-F, that's not right either. I know it's a P . . . P-R . . . P-R-E . . . P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S! It worked Raven! Raven? Raven? Raven! Raven, where are you?"

Not only was Raven gone but the whole forest. The Muse found herself on a path in the middle of darkness. The stream was still right beside her. She could only think of following the stream and calling Raven's name over and over. Then she came to a strange archway where several ravens were perched and staring at her with glowing, red eyes. One of them was sitting on top of a bust of Pallas.

"Turn back, turn back," the birds urged in whispering voices.

"I thought you were supposed to say, 'Nevermore,'" the Muse argued.

"Turn back, turn back," the birds eerily whispered again.

"I can't turn back! I've come too far!"

"Turn back, turn back."

The Muse only came closer. "Can you at least tell me where Raven went?"

The raven on the bust of Pallas opened its blood red eyes and looked down at the Muse dangerously. "Nevermore," it growled. As if on cue, all the birds attacked. The Muse tried to beat the birds back with her wings, and she just managed to get under the archway.

Suddenly, the scenery changed. Everything looked pink and happy, but it still did not look like the forest. The stream was the only element that remained. Raven was still nowhere, so the Muse continued to call out for her. Then, she got an answer.

"Muse! There you are!"

The Muse turned around. "Starfire? You got free?"

"Yes, and I went ahead. You must come back with me, Muse. It is much too dangerous."

"But what about the stream? What about the people of Themyscira?"

"They can take care of themselves. Now let's go."

"But if I turn back, I've lost. I can't come back. Besides . . . hey, have you seen Raven?"

"Forget about her. We must leave!" Starfire flew up to the Muse and seized her wrist.

"This isn't like you, Starfire. You wouldn't give up on your friends. I gotta keep going. Let go!" The Muse pulled herself out of Starfire's grip and ran away. Starfire called for her to come back, but the Muse did not listen. Soon she faded away and disappeared, and the world went all black again.

"Raven! Raven!" the Muse screamed. She continued to run down the stream, but then something strange happened. The stream somehow swirled and broke off into several tributaries. The Muse stopped. "Which way am I supposed to go?"

"Muse!" a voice called. It was Raven this time. She was standing at a tributary at the far right.

"There you are!" the Muse said joyfully. "I've looked all over for you."

"Come this way," Raven said. "We're almost there."

The Muse started walking toward her, but then another voice called, "No, not that way!" The Muse looked across the bank. There was another Raven standing at the far left tributary. 'This is the way that leads to the end. If you take that way, you'll get lost!"

"That's an illusion playing with your mind, Muse," the first Raven said. "Don't listen to it. I know that this is the way."

"No, it's this way!" another voice said. The Muse looked across the bank, but the other Raven wasn't looking at her. Then she noticed another Raven stood at a tributary closer to the middle. "You can even see the gates from here!"

Before long, there was a Raven standing at each tributary saying that her way was the right one and arguing why all the other Raven's were wrong. "Just please, tell me which one of you is the real Raven!" the Muse said.

They all talked at once.

"It's me!"

"Muse, I'm Raven."

"You can trust me!"

"I'm your friend!"

The Muse looked all confused at each one of them. What was she supposed to do? "It's too hard, Muse," a voice said behind her. Starfire was there again. "Listen to me. Just give up. Come back with me."

"No! NO!" The poor Muse felt exasperated. She had not felt this confused for a long time. She grabbed her hair and pulled and fell to her knees. The stench of the stream made her cough. She looked down into the water. It was much worse than what she saw come out of the fountain. It looked thicker, almost like tar, and it smelled like something that died a long time ago.

And yet something was in the back of her mind. "Follow the stream at your feet. It will lead you directly to the muses' home." The only way to get there was by the stream, and it knew where it was going.

The Muse reached down, pulled off her shoes and socks, and slowly stepped into the water. She held her breath and took a step forward. Then, she found that she had difficulty moving. The black water had grabbed her ankles. It was pulling her. Was this quicksand? What had she done? "No!" the Muse thought aloud. "This stream was once pure. It's still pure underneath. I won't let it take me!"

The walk she made in the water was the slowest walk of her life. She was fighting against so much resistance. Yet when she reached the place where the stream broke into tributaries, they swirled again and merged into one. She had found the right way. Smiling, the Muse stepped out of the water, and the forest she knew reappeared.

"Made it. So Raven, did I do well? Raven? Raven? Where'd you go?" Once again, the guide was gone. The stream went around the side of a hill. The Muse decided to go up the hill. It would still be following the stream, but maybe she would have a clearer view and see where Raven went. She climbed up and called for Raven, but she did not see Raven anywhere. She didn't realize how steep the other side of the hill was, and shortly after she reached the summit, she tumbled down the steep side. She was too shocked to make use of her wings. She ended up falling and skinning her knees. She stood, dusted herself off, and gathered breath to call for Raven again. Then something took her breath away.

The stream flowed right underneath a gate made out of pure gold. Upon the gate was an inscription in sparkling letters, "MUSE."

"I'm here. I found it all by myself. No wait, Raven led me here, whichever one of her was the real one. Hey wait, they said that they could see the gates from where they stood. They didn't mention a hill. Raven wouldn't lie like that. So, none of those Ravens were real. That means she failed the test. Oh goodness, I'm all alone!"

"You're not alone," a comforting voice said in her head.

"But there's no one else here!" she said aloud.

"Remember, if you ever feel like you need some encouragement, Gear and I are just a Shock Box away."

"Well, they are about a million miles away, but why not?" She pulled out her Shock Box. "Static? Gear? Come in, please. This is the Muse."

"Huh? Wha?" a sleepy voice said over the Shock Box. "Muse? Hey, wassup? Everything cool?"

"Uh, Static, did I wake you?"

"Nah, I was in that twilight period. You know, when you're not really awake but you're not really asleep."

"Is it still night down there?"

"No, it's morning. It's . . . Saturday morning."

"It's afternoon down here."

"Yeah, well, you guys are like eight or nine hours ahead of us. I remember 'cause Richie and I figured it out when they had the Olympics in Athens a while back."

"OK. Well, I'm sorry I woke you."

"No, don't worry about it. I needed to get up. Breakfast will be ready in a little bit, and you know how Sharon gets. Besides, I said I'd be there for you, didn't I?"

"Well, yeah."

"So, what's going on?"

"Raven and Starfire are both gone, and I'm at the end, and I'm all by myself."

"Raven and Starfire? Who are they?"

"They're from the Titans. Not the football team, the superhero team."

"Oh yeah, the one that Robin's in charge of! Cool. So, what happened to them?"

The Muse quickly related to him everything that had happened.

"Yeah. Wow, that's like right out of a book. Cool."

"I'm kinda scared. I've never been all alone like this before."

"Yeah you have! You've been kidnaped so many times, and you got along fine."

"But one of the things that got me through that was the knowledge that you would come and help me. That's not going this time."

"Uh, tell you what. Just keep me on the line. Tell me what's going on. I'll see if I can get Gear on here too."

"But you're so far away. What can you do?"

"Give you confidence and support, maybe. You'll be surprised at how far that can go."

"Well, ok." The Muse turned back to the gates. She reached out to it, and it opened by itself. It didn't creak. It hardly made a noise at all. The Muse took a deep breath and went inside.

"Oh, my goodness!" she cried.

"What is it? What do you see?"

"These trees, they're so beautiful! It's just like out of a fairy tale! The bark is pure gold, the leaves are silver, and it bears fruit of pretty jewels." She stood admiring the trees for a while. Finally, she couldn't resist plucking one of the leaves. To her amazement, it crumbled and crackled in her hands. Then she looked up at the tree again and had a deeper understanding.

"Oh my."

"What is it?" Virgil asked.

"This tree is dying. Its leaves are drooping. The fruit is all around the tree, cracked. It looks old, almost rotten."

"That is sad. What do you think caused it?"

The Muse looked down. "It's that awful stream. It's watering the trees. I bet it made everything so beautiful before, but now it's taking the life out of it. It's terrible. The stream is bigger here. It's like a lake here. Oh, it smells so bad!"

"You better move on. You're here to stop that, remember?"

"Yeah, ok." She stepped beyond the trees.

"Now, what do you see?"

"It's so dark! The canopy's so thick, it's not letting much sunlight in. I don't like this place, Static! The air, it's so weird. It feels heavy and uncomfortable, like on a summer day, but it's so cold!"

"Cold?"

"Yeah, it's freezing!"

"That's strange. Is it snowing or anything?"

"No, the ground is bare. Snow is pretty, but this place looks so dead. Hang on. I saw something move."

"What?"

"It's in the distance. It looked almost like a person. Could it be the person who started this? Or maybe it's someone who can help me."

Just then, the Muse heard Sharon yell something in the Shock Box. "I'll be right there!" Virgil called back. "Listen, I gotta go. Breakfast is ready. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"But, what should I do?"

"You know what to do. Think about other villains you faced in the past. Just play it cool. You'll be fine."

"But–" It was too late. All she could hear was silence on the other end. She put her Shock Box away and gulped.

Another voice spoke in her mind, "You have abilities that most people do not, and you have chosen to use those abilities to restore order in a world of chaos. That commands a level of respect. Make sure you make your foes feel it."

She took a deep breath and yelled, "Who's there?"

No answer. She thought that she saw movement again, but she wasn't sure.

"Who's there?" she repeated louder.

Then, a cold, deep, foreboding, hissing whisper answered her:

"Muse."

The figure walked closer. The Muse could just start to make it out. It looked like a man dressed in metallic armor. The weak sunlight didn't reflect his armor. It looked just as dark as his shadow-like skin, if it was skin.

"I expected you earlier than this," he said in that same, cold voice. "Very disappointing, but it can be overlooked."

"Who are you?"

"An old friend of those young guides with you earlier."

The Muse tried to think of the people Starfire told her about. "Cyborg?" she asked with uncertainty.

"Try again."

"Robin?"

"You're getting closer."

The figure took another step forward. This time, the sun did reflect part of his armor. Half his mask was copper. The only sign of his identity was one slit for his eye on that side of his mask. The Muse remembered that description well from Starfire. She knew who this was.

"Slade."

"That's better. Well done."

"But you're not their friend! Starfire told me you're their greatest enemy!"

"She thinks that highly of me?"

The Muse paused. She wasn't sure if she heard him.

"Irony is not one of your strong points," Slade observed.

"I do not understand, sir," the Muse answered.

"I know. That's why I use it."

This was getting her nowhere, so she changed the subject. "How can you even be here? Don't you know that men are forbidden from this place?"

"Are you so sure that I am a man?"

"Well, you're not a woman. At least, I don't think you are. And what else could you be?"

The eye on Slade's mask narrowed. "Perhaps something beyond even your capability to imagine."

"Like a robot? Or an alien? Or a . . . monster?"

"Good guesses. Keep making more. Pardon the pun, but they amuse me."

The Muse shook her head. "How did you pass all of the tests anyway?"

Slade's voice rose, as though he was starting to lose patience. "Child, I am a villain. I do not always play by the rules. Since you are a hero, I thought you would understand that."

"I just wonder how it's possible. Oh, never mind! I know what you are. You're a nightmare! You shatter dreams and destroy peace. I won't stand for it! You must be stopped!" With that, she sharply pointed her finger at him. She tried to use her powers to freeze him. But he took another step forward.

"It's not going to be that easy, Muse. Your powers are no good here. Don't you see, little girl? Can't you feel it all around you?"

"What is it? I don't understand."

"The air, Muse. So heavy, almost suffocating you. I heard you describe it. There's a reason why it's so cold. Can't you feel what it's really doing to you?"

"Did you do this?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you did this. But what is it? What did you do?"

Slade was almost face to face with her now. "I know that without your ability to imagine that you're nothing but a weak, little girl."

The Muse backed up just a little bit. "Many would beg to differ with you."

"I know. That is why I found a friend of yours who knew your secrets."

Slade gestured to his side, and there appeared with him a woman floating in the air with wild hair and glowing eyes. The Muse knew her too.

"OMNAURA!"

Omnaura smiled slyly. "Hello, Muse. Long time no see."

"How did you escape your house arrest?"

"Slade is quite clever. He got me out without anyone detecting anything wrong."

Since it was still relatively fresh in her mind, the Muse started chanting "The Raven" to herself.

"Aren't you even going to return my 'Hello'?" Omnaura said impatiently.

"I'm trying to keep you out of my mind by filling it with something else," the Muse answered.

Omnaura laughed cruelly. "Oh Muse, I'm not interested in that any more."

The Muse stopped and heaved a big sigh.

"Not since Slade has shown me how I can destroy you!"

The Muse gasped. "You're going to kill me!"

"Now, Muse, I'm not that evil. I'm no murderer. But you'll wish you were dead when we're done!"

She started to move forward, but Slade stopped her with his arm. "Patience, Omnaura. We cannot fight her this way. The odds are against her."

"What?!"

"I do not agree in an unfair fight, Omnaura. It would be only a waste of time for both of us."

"Waste of time? I've been wasting time for over a year because of her! I've waited long enough!"

Slade said something to Omnaura that the Muse couldn't hear. "Ahh," Omnaura nodded.

"What are you planning?" the Muse demanded. "I don't want any of your faulty weapons. I won't be tricked that way."

"But we are offering to you the greatest weapons you can have against us," Slade said. "Look who is here, Muse."

Slade pointed. The Muse saw there, sitting under a tree apparently asleep, Raven and Starfire.

"No! They failed the tests. They're back at Themyscira, safe. This is a trick!"

"It's not a trick," Slade suavely answered. "They did not fail the tests. They got here before you did. I told you you were slow, Muse."

"What are you waiting for?" Omnaura demanded. "Wake your friends, and let's get started!"

The Muse still wasn't sure if this was real, but if it was then surely something had happened to her new friends. She ran to them. She grabbed Starfire by the shoulder and shook. "Starfire, wake up!"

Starfire slowly opened her eyes. She looked completely different all because her eyes had changed. They were no longer that lovely green-on-green. They were completely black, except for one tiny white speck in the middle.

"Starfire! What's happened to you?"

"Something terrible," she answered in a distant, tired voice. "I really should make the Pudding of Sadness. If only I could remember the recipe."

"Come on, get up. Maybe you can still help me beat Slade and Omnaura." She tried to pull Starfire up to her feet by her arm, but it limply to her side.

"What can I do? I'm just a girl far from my home."

"What can you do? You can make those energy blasts! You can fly! You can–"

"No longer. All my powers and strengths come from my emotions, and I feel nothing. It is like you humans say, 'I do not care.'"

The Muse did not know what to do with her, so she shook Raven's shoulders. Raven's eyes were just like Starfire's. "Raven, maybe you can help me beat 'em. A loss of emotions is nothing to you."

"What's the point?" Raven groaned.

"What?"

"We will all die one day. Why fight it? It is inevitable."

"But what about restoring order in a world of chaos?"

"I was a fool to say that. Chaos is too complex. It cannot be stopped. We won't make a difference."

The Muse was horrified. She turned back to the villains in rage. "What have you done to them?"

"You'll see soon enough," Omnaura answered. She and Slade were coming closer to the Muse.

"What are you saying?"

Slade knelt down and dipped a metal cup into the stream. He thrust the cup toward the Muse's face. "Do you know what this is, Muse?"

"It's evil. It's poison. It's–"

"Complacency," Slade answered.

"Apathy," Omnaura.

"Doubt."

"And maybe just a little taste of hate."

"That's impossible!" the Muse cried. "How could you–"

"My secret," Slade answered. "These are the ingredients to end you."

"No! You won't poison me!"

"Relax, Muse. You will not be physically harmed, but your days as a hero are over."

"There's nothing you can do to escape us," Omnaura said.

"But why? Why did you do this?"

"Why?" Slade asked. "We're doing humanity a favor."

"Favor?"

"Think about it. Too many children are wasting time reading comics and Harry Potter, playing video games, watching cartoons, daydreaming. If they never get their head out of the clouds, they won't get anywhere in this world."

"You're wrong."

"No, you're wrong!" Omnaura answered. "I haven't dreamed for years, and I never missed that part of me. It was all nonsense."

"You haven't invented anything in that time, have you?"

"I have not needed to! I completed my life's work. I see clearly now, Muse. Yours is a generation of fools, and you are the queen of these fools!"

Suddenly, the Muse fell down. She felt the same way as she did when Omnaura controlled her mind. Her cerebellum was once again under attack. The Muse tried to crawl away, but she wasn't fast enough. Omnaura pinned her on top of a large, flat rock in the middle of the black stream. The Muse kicked and screamed, "NO! HAVE MERCY!"

"Stop struggling. Don't you see you've lost?"

"STOP! PLEASE! PLEASE!"

Slade said cooly, "Everything you're doing is pointless. It won't be painful. I'm afraid I can't do anything about the taste, however."

And as the Muse opened her mouth to scream again, Slade poured the repulsive liquid down her throat. It was terribly sour and burned down her throat.

Immediately, the Muse leaned over the rock, spat, gagged, and coughed. The substance would not let go. The substance stuck to her throat like glue. All of her attempts made it harder for her to breathe.

"You can't expel it that easily," Slade said. "It's already becoming part of you. I know it is uncomfortable, but if you relax and allow it to settle inside of you, you will learn to like it. You will never want to go back."

But the Muse hardly paid attention to him. She threw her head back and wailed. She threw another tantrum on that rock. All her tears washed down into the black stream.

"I thought you were more mature than this," Omnaura complained. She moved forward to stop the Muse.

"No," Slade said as he stopped her again. "Leave her be. With every tear, more of her emotion goes. Soon, she will cry out all of her individuality, and then she will be ours to mold."

The Muse didn't want to hear it. She kept crying. She cried for about half an hour. Yet she did get tired. After a while or so, she wasn't screaming anymore. She cried silently over the black water. It grew to be less repugnant. In fact, she began to forget that it had a smell at all. Finally, she grew exhausted. She sprawled out on her belly on the rock and lay motionless. The light in her magic hat turned to gray. Then, she heard voices that sounded almost half a world away.

"OK, Muse, I'm back. How'd it go? Muse? Muse, are you there?"

She knew that was Static on her Shock Box, but she didn't have enough strength to pick it up.

"Let me try. Muse! It's me, Gear! How are things going in the Mediterranean?"

The Muse groaned. They still talked. The Muse wanted to talk to them, but she didn't know what good they would do. Maybe encouragement would shake the dreadful feeling from her chest. She reached for her Shock Box.

"Why are you making an effort to speak to your former friends?" Slade said. "They are miles away. They can't help you where they are."

"Should I tell them that it's useless?" Omnaura asked.

"I have a better idea," Slade answered. "Muse, you tell them."

The Muse sighed, sat up, and picked up her Shock Box. "Guys," she said (she sounded so weary that she was even surprised that it was her voice), "guys, don't waste your breath."

"What?" Static and Gear both said.

"I mean, what are you going to do where you are? You're a million miles away, almost."

"I told you! We're going to offer you encouragement."

"What good's a few fancy words? It's over, guys. I lost."

"Don't say that!" Gear demanded.

"It's true. My powers are gone. They won't come back. Starfire and Raven can't help me."

"Muse, don't give up on yourself like this!" Static said. "There's gotta be something."

"No, Static. All I want is hope, but there is no hope."

"Good girl," Slade encouraged. "Now, drop your communicator into the water."

The Muse hesitated. She didn't see any reason to do that.

"Do it! That part of your life is over forever. Get rid of every memory."

"He's right," she thought. Though she could hear the protests of her friends coming from the speaker, she dangled the device over the water.

Then, she saw something. A small ray of sunlight had broken through the harsh canopy and hit the surface of the stream. This surface was not black. It was as clear as crystal. "How strange," the Muse thought. Something was beneath that clear water, something white. She put the Shock Box down, lay down on her belly again, reached down for the thing in the water, and pulled it out.

It was a rock on a golden chain. It was a very interesting rock. It sparkled in the sunlight. The sparkles changed color. The Muse inspected it closer. She liked how it felt in her hand, so smooth. But she liked looking at it better.

"I reminded this kind of rock," she thought. "It's white, but it changes every color of the rainbow. Rainbow. It's merely a spectrum, white light bent. White light is really all the colors of the spectrum. Rainbow. Rainbows only appear when the sun's out when it's raining, and then only at certain parts of the day. No, there is more. What have I heard? 'I do set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud, and the rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon, that I may remember . . .' Rainbow! The promise! Rainbow! 'Everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!'"

Suddenly, she saw a bright light from the stone. It hurt her eyes. She shut them closed. Then, in the back of her mind, something else came to her.

"The riddle! Oh thank you, merciful Heaven, the riddle!"

"What is she doing?" Omnaura demanded.

"She is impeding process," Slade said angrily. "I'll handle it." He walked up to her and grabbed her shoulder. "Muse, what is that in your hand?"

She hid the stone from him.

"Give it to me, Muse. I do not want to hurt you."

She wrapped the chain around her wrist and clutched the stone in her fist. The jewel seemed to become one with her palm, and all at once she felt a change. It was like all the strength that had just sapped out of her was restored ten fold. She didn't feel cold anymore. In fact, she felt as though someone had wrapped her snugly in a blanket of sunshine.

"I will count backwards from five to one, and when I reach one you better give what you have to me. Five . . . four . . . three . . ."

Then the Muse turned around to him. She opened her eyes and looked at him in defiance. Her eyes looked like soap bubbles, a thousand colors constantly changing. Her hair was fiery red and flowing in curls down her back. Her skin gave off a radiant glow. She stood tall above Slade.

Slade acted as though nothing had. "Two . . . one."

The Muse opened her palm. A bright light issued from the stone that his Slade back. Omnaura looked at him in wrath. "What is going on? You said nothing like this would happen! You said she would be broken!"

"Imagination is more important than knowledge," the Muse said. Again, she was surprised at her voice, this time because it was filled with a level of authority she had never heard from herself before.

"That is an opinion," Slade answered. "An opinion is based on creative thought, and that should have been stamped out of you."

"It's not just my opinion. It's a quote. Don't you know who said that?"

"A fool, like you," Omnaura answered.

"That fool was Albert Einstein." Once again, she opened her palm and freed a beam of light. "Do you know who he was? He was one of the smarted people who ever lived, but he was a dreamer. Without his dreams, he wouldn't have gotten anywhere."

"Absurd!" Omnaura yelled.

"No, it's true! How do you think Christopher Columbus figured out the world was round? How do you think Nicholas Copernicus learned that the earth revolved around the sun? Nothing in science at the time could have told them anything. They had to imagine it!" All the while as she was talking, she let out more bursts of light. Omnaura and Slade both dodged her attacks quite well, but the Muse did not seem to be disappointed. "Take away imagination, and you take away our greatest gift. Even animals can learn, but on earth only mankind can create! 'Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited while imagination embraces the whole world!' Don't you know what that means? It means knowledge is dependent on imagination. Without it, knowledge would run out real quick."

She got them both in a corner, and she paused to catch her breath. "Getting tired already?" Slade sneered. "It would have been a good use of effort if you were better at aiming. You did not hit or Omnaura once."

"Who says that was poor aiming? Look around you! Don't you feel it? I'm restoring everything you killed!"

Everybody looked around. All the droopy trees were perking up. Flowers were blooming. Birds were singing. The air was filled with a pleasant odor.

"So your new toy helps you fix things," Omnaura scoffed. "We still know your physical weakness."

Then the Muse felt her legs fall beneath her again. She was determined this time. She will get to her feet. But she couldn't.

Slade pushed her over, pulled her up by the hair, and looked into her face. His hands were so strong! They hurt! "We got you right where we want you, Muse? Even if your powers are restored, you are still helpless and alone."

"She is not alone!" a voice cried.

The Muse looked beyond Slade's shoulder and gasped. Raven and Starfire were standing there, their eyes glowing with fury. "You're ok!"

"Your words inspired us, Muse," Starfire replied with a smile.

"Azerath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" Raven cried. Slade and Omnaura were pushed out of the way, and the Muse could stand on her feet again. Starfire threw at the villains balls of green fire, but once again the villains dodged them with ease.

"Girls, please," the Muse said. "I don't need your powers as much as I need you."

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked.

"I think I understand," Raven nodded. She put her hand on the Muse's shoulder, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Soon, she also started to glow.

"Oh," Starfire said knowingly. She did the same.

The Muse could feel their strength inside of her. "Thank you." She opened her eyes and looked at the two villains.

"What was that you said about an unfair fight?" Omnaura said, glaring at Slade.

"Do you really think this changes anything, my dears?" Slade said deviously as his eye glowered at the heroes.

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But at least it will put you back where you belong, because that's not here!"

The Muse opened her palm. The eyes of all three heroes started to glow. They all fed their powers into the stone. A blinding light filled the forest, and when it was gone, so were Slade and Omnaura.

"Where did they go?" Starfire inquired.

"Where they belong, I suppose," Raven shrugged.

"Where do you think they went, Muse? Muse? Muse, what is it?"

The Muse had walked off by herself to the rock where all of this started. She unwound the chain around her wrist and looked into the stone. Inside it, she could almost see the beautiful Prism Falls. "Thank you, Opal," she whispered.

And with that, she let go of the chain. Slowly, the opal fell into the water.

"Muse, what did you do?" Starfire asked.

"What I had to do. Look."

She pointed to the ripples flowing out from where the opal fell. The ripples cleared away all the black corruption as they passed.

"You did well, Muse," Raven said encouragingly. "And you did most of it by yourself."

"Yeah," the Muse nodded.

"Now why is your face mournful, Muse?" Starfire asked.

"I just feel like I gave up a lot."

"You mean all that power?" Raven asked.

"No, more than that. I'm glad you girls helped me, but I felt like I had someone with me before you came."

"Who?" Starfire asked.

"An old friend. But she's gone forever now."

"Don't be so sure," a voice said behind her.

The three heroes turned to see a tall girl with waist-long brunette hair. She was dressed in light, and she smiled with her deep green eyes. Behind her were several women dressed in the same Grecian garbs as the women of Themyscira.

"Opal!" the Muse said.

"My dear, Precious friend!" the girl said. There was nothing very special about her voice. It was a little nasal in fact. Yet somehow, her presence seemed to warm everyone's hearts.

"Where have you been all this time?"

"I've always been with you, watching you. I just manifested myself in new ways."

"So how am I seeing you now?"

"With the aid of our power," one of the women said. "We're the Muses. You set us free."

"I did?"

"Yes," another said. "When you cried, your dreams fell into the water. That allowed your inspiration to be set free."

"My inspiration? You mean, Opal?"

"Yes. You know very powerful magic of your own. It's no wonder you are called the Muse."

The Muse bowed her head. "But everybody was right. Muses don't have wings."

"I know," Opal answered. "That's one of the ways I continue with you. I gave you those wings. You have a tremendously strong imagination. You deserve to soar."

"Oh. Thank you."

Upon returning to Hippolyta's kingdom, the girls were greeted with a feast. It was much happier this time. Food was everywhere, and there were music and dancing. It continued until sundown when the Justice League returned to pick up the heroes. The Muse gathered a "to go" plate to munch on as they went home.

The heroes had much to talk about on the way. Raven looked down. "Muse, I'm sorry I led you to misjudge me. I understood better when I looked inside your mind."

"That's ok. Where did you go when that happened?"

"I think that part caused us to see the forest as others would perceive it. I think it was meant to throw us off for the biggest test of all."

"So, you saw everything as I would see it, and I saw everything as you would see it?"

"That's right, and in my forest, I'm alone unless I choose not to be. I thought I had that test under control. I tried to find the real you by searching for your thoughts, but I was tricked even on that level. So, how did you get past it?"

"I walked in the stream. It was the only way that would get us there, so that's what I thought to do."

"That was very wise of you."

"You know, it does worry me that Slade was part of this," Starfire said.

"Yes, that is a trouble," Raven nodded.

"Why?" the Muse asked.

"We do not know much about Slade," Starfire answered. "But we do know that he never does anything that is not part of his greater plan. This may be just the beginning, Muse."

"But I showed him I was more than a weakling! He'll think twice before opposing me again."

"Actually, he may have expected you to escape," Raven added. "He was just toying with you this first time. He might go in for the kill next time you meet."

"Maybe it was not me he was playing with. Maybe it was Omnaura!"

"Even at that, since she is your greatest enemy, this may not be the end."

"What would he want with me? I'm not in the Titans!"

"It is hard to say," Starfire answered.

"Perhaps he enjoys your gullibility," Raven suggested. "Maybe he still thinks you are an easy target, not as much of a challenge as us."

"What should I do?"

"Do not be worried," Starfire answered. "I shall tell Robin about this. He knows Slade better than any of us. He will find someway to help you. Let us talk of something more pleasant. Raven, what was your favorite part of the journey?"

"Well, I kinda liked when the Muse recited my favorite poem for me. What about you?"

"I enjoyed that delicious beverage at the banquet! What was it called again?"

"Olive oil?" the Muse snickered.

"Yes! I must see if I can find more at home! What about you, Muse?"

"You know, my favorite part was just being with you girls. I still missed Static and Gear, but being with you really taught me more about myself. I hope we get to work again sometime soon."

"Oh yes! And we must show you our tower!"

"I would love to see it, and I want to meet everyone in the Titans."

"Of course! And we must meet your friends as well."

"And you will learn more Poe when you come, will you?" Raven added.

"Sure!" the Muse nodded.

There was something different about Precious from then on. Everyone around her noticed it. She daydreamed more, but she seemed happier. Claire was overjoyed to hear her daughter talk on and on about two new friends that she met on her trip–Ray and Starla. After a lot of thought and observation, some weeks after Precious' adventure, Claire called the number on her pamphlet.

"Wayne Manor," a voice said on the other end.

"Oh my goodness, I'm sorry! I meant to call the ARC! Could you please give me the correct number?"

"Is this the Foley residence?"

"Yes sir."

"One moment, I'll connect you." A moment later, a deeper voice answered.

"Miss Foley, how are you!"

"Bruce Wayne!" Claire gasped. "No, no, I didn't want to bother you. I just wanted to talk to the person in charge of your autism research center."

"It's no bother. I wanted to hear from you first."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now, what may I do for you?"

"Well, ever since that last workshop or camp or whatever it was a few weeks ago, I've seen positive things from my daughter."

"Yes, I heard a lot of good came from that. I'm glad it pleased you."

"Thank you, and I was just calling to say . . . I think we would like to get involved in your program after all."

Next episode: Third Sight–Three mysterious men are following Precious around as she is facing a test that may change her life. One of them calls himself Terry McGinnas.

OK, I didn't see anything against this in the rules. If it is, I'll have this comment removed. But I'm just curious, what do you guys think the Muse looks like? If any of you fans have an artsy streak about you (because goodness knows I don't), please e-mail me a picture of her. You can put her in your favorite scene, or not. You can do pictures of her in uniform or in her secret identity. I'll find some place to put the pictures, sometime. I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with!