To Natalie Jerrett: Glad you're enjoying it! :)

This chapter is loooooooong.

Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice


SALEM
August 19, 19:16 EDT

Venus was pacing moodily around the hotel room she'd been staying in for the past several weeks. She'd known that the Tower of Fate was located in Salem, Massachusetts, but she also knew that she was unable to access it without permission or a key, neither of which she had. It had taken her longer than expected to actually get to Salem, because her father was being unreasonably overbearing at the moment. She'd had to dodge her father several times before actually arriving in Salem, but once she'd arrive it hadn't taken her long to figure out who had taken Nelson.

Klarion.

She hated the witch boy - he was an annoying brat with too much power for his own good.

Scowling at the mere thought of the Lord of Chaos - ugh, he did not deserve that title - Venus walked over to the window of the room, her eyes burning. She wanted the Helmet of Fate. As she glared out at nothing in particular, something caught her attention.

Narrowing her eyes, Venus walked closer to the window, peering through the glass. As she watched, the moving shimmer in that air that had caught her eye stopped moving, landing in the empty parking lot across the street from Venus. Right before Venus's eyes, five teenagers appeared out of the nearly invisible shimmer. Venus frowned, confused.

Before she could question too much what was happening, one of the teenagers took off, disappearing in a blur of color too fast for even Venus's angel physiology to track. She blinked in shock, and then laughed out loud in delight.

She'd stumbled upon some superheroes.

"Grimalkin!" Venus called, shoving the window open. She swung her leg out and stepped onto the rickety fire escape. Her cat purred, following the demon down the metal ladder and onto the ground. Venus lowered herself to the ground, her heeled boots clicking against the asphalt. By the time she had reached them, the speedster had regrouped with his friends. Venus walked over to the group of teenagers; a broad smile fixed upon her face.

Hearing her footsteps, the Team turned to face the stranger approaching them. The girl looked about their age. She had dark wavy hair that hung loose to her waist, and her dark eyes were lined with artfully smudged makeup. She looked like she could be a civilian - besides her human appearance, she was dressed in civvies - a loose grey t-shirt tucked into a black leather skirt, and high-heeled shiny leather boots.

But there was something off about her. For one thing, a small cat was following her dutifully in a way that most animals don't to their owners. Furthermore, the was something about her features that gave her an ethereal quality, and something about her expression that put the Team on edge.

"Hello, there," the girl greeted them with a broad grin. Aqualad frowned, exchanging a wary look with Artemis.

"Who are you?" he asked her, concerned that she might've seen Kid Flash running at super-speed. Her grin stretched wider.

"Of course, how rude of me!" she exclaimed. "Venus Morningstar. Lovely to meet you all." The other teenagers stared at her in disbelief, and Venus frowned ever-so-slightly. People never believed her.

"Venus..." the redhead she'd seen running at super-speed began. "Morningstar?" The speedster grinned flirtatiously at the girl, sauntering up to her. "As in, the Devil? 'Cause I have to say, you look more like an angel to me." Venus stared at the boy with wide-eyes, and then burst out laughing. The speedster blinked, looking slightly offended.

"Pardon my rudeness," she apologized to him after she'd finished laughing. She grinned back at him just as flirtatiously. "It's just I am an angel." She smiled winningly. "A fallen angel." Then, frowning at her cat, who was winding around her legs and meowing plaintively, "Grim, beat it!"

The kitten hissed at her master, irritated that the teenager wasn't paying attention. Grimalkin was trying to alert her to the presence of several someones behind the group of teenagers, concealed from human view. The cat could sense them. Ignoring her hissing animal, Venus smiled at the group again.

"Anyways, we can skip the pleasantries for now," Venus said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She looked at the boy with the buzzed blonde hair, a smirk playing across her lips. "I'm going to help you find the Helmet of Fate."

The Team stared at the girl, shocked. None of them had any idea how this girl knew why they were there, but it was clear that she wasn't just a delusional teen. She knew something. Superboy studied Venus, feeling a strange mixture of confused, suspicious, and most of all, intrigued.

He couldn't tell why, but there was something very alluring about the girl. When she shifted her feet, her face was cast out of the shadows and into the light.

Illuminated by the moonlight of the sky, Superboy's sensitive eyes could just make out three thick silvery-white scars across the girl's face and neck, the highest one starting just underneath the outer corner of her eye and the lowest one in line with the bottom of her ear lobe. The old wounds, white with age, dragged across her cheek, through her lips, down her chin, and all the way through her throat, disappearing underneath the collar of her shirt. Whatever the wound had been, it seemed miraculous that she had survived it.

When she twisted her face out of the moonlight and turned to face Superboy, the scars were invisible again, as though there was some kind of glamour on top of them.

"Can I help you?" Superboy blinked, looking back up at the girl's amused eyes. He realized that he'd been staring. Instead of responding verbally, he shrugged tightly, embarrassed. Venus chuckled. Her eyes were gleaming.

As Venus checked him out curiously, she noticed the annoyed looks on the faces of the other two girls, clearly irritated by her interest in the boy. But she wasn't just looking at him because he was attractive - she'd gathered that he'd been staring at her scars, which humans shouldn't be able to see, and she was curious.

He was cute - several inches taller than Venus, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. He had dark tousled hair and bright blue eyes and oh - he was wearing a shirt with Superman's S shield on it. Venus made a noise of interest, causing the boy to look at her again, this time with confusion.

"Not that I've really been paying attention," Venus said, her lips turning upwards. "But I didn't know that Superman had a son." The boy's shoulders drew together tightly, his eyes flashing with anger.

"He doesn't." Venus arched an eyebrow, sweeping her eyes over the boy's form again. Clearly uncomfortable, he hunched his shoulders and scowled at the ground. The green-skinned girl stepped forward, frowning at Venus.

"Leave him alone," she ordered the other girl. Venus laughed, delighted.

"Protective, aren't we?" The Martian's cheeks reddened slightly, but she didn't break her gaze. Venus sighed. As much as she was enjoying this banter, she was quickly growing impatient. Every second they wasted here was a second that Klarion could already have his paws on the Helmet.

"It's not complicated," Venus insisted, changing the subject. She had a charming smile fixed into place, making sure her expression betrayed none of her worries. "You want to make sure Kent Nelson and the Helmet of Fate are safe. While I can assure you that that is presently not the case," Venus ignored the sharp intake of breath from the others, plowing on, "I can help you." The blonde girl crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing Venus suspiciously.

"How do we know we can trust you?" the girl asked Venus.

"Well, I guess you don't." The Team stared at her, looking unimpressed, and Venus sighed impatiently. "Oh, come on! The enemy of my enemy is my friend, no?" When that didn't convince anyone, she shrugged. "I'm incapable of lying," she told them. "Really. I do want to help."

That wasn't a lie - like she said, she couldn't lie. That was manipulation - she wanted to help them help her get the Helmet. But they didn't need to know the details, did they now? "Look," Venus began. "I imagine you have a key."

In response, the dark-skinned boy reached into his pocket. He opened his hand - Venus noticed that his fingers were webbed - revealing a large golden key. Engraved into the side in fancy script was the word "insert." Venus clapped her hands, delighted. This was going to be much easier than she thought.

"Marvelous!" she cheered. She bent down to scoop Grimalkin up, placing the cat on her shoulder. "Now, think. How to get into a magic tower that clearly isn't here?" She waved a hand at the empty space in front of them, a grin stretched across her face. The boy looked down at the key, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"A test of faith," he murmured aloud, realizing. He looked at the others. "Stand behind me." He walked a few paces forward, so that he was standing several feet in front of the other teenagers. When the dark-skinned boy reached out into seemingly open space, the key disappeared until only the handle was left. He twisted the key, and there was a heavy clunk as the door unlocked.

When it did so, the tower came into view. The Tower of Fate was about fifty feet tall and shaped like a rook, made solely out of stone except for the wooden door.

"Brilliant," she murmured, her dark eyes full of glee. This was much further than she would have gotten otherwise. She clapped her hands. "Well, chop-chop, folks. Better get the move on! Go on then!" As she spoke, making shooing motions with her hands, the rest of the Team snapped out of their shock, and the boy with the key led the way into the building.

Venus made sure to walk in before the rest of the others - she certainly didn't want to be left behind. As she and the other teenagers stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind them before disappearing into solid stone. Superman's not-son turned around, alarmed.

"Uh, where'd the door go?"

Across the room, a shimmer of light flickered on. The hologram took shape of Kent Nelson, and began to speak.

"Greetings," the image said pleasantly. "You have entered with a key, but the Tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent." Out of the corner of her eye, Venus saw the speedster glance at the green-skinned girl behind him with grin fixed onto his face before he stepped forward, spreading his arms out wide.

"We are true believers," the redhead said. He had been attempting to sound awed, but succeeded only in sounding sarcastic. "Here to find Doctor Fate." Venus's eyes narrowed dangerously. She hated liars. The hologram frowned disappointedly before flickering and disappearing.

Scowling, Venus spun around, her heels clicking against the floor. She stalked up to the ginger, opening her mouth to yell at him. Before she could, an ominous creaking noise made her pause. Grimalkin hissed loudly, jumping off Venus's shoulder and skittering off to a corner of the room to cower in the shadow. Venus's eyebrows crept together as she stared nervously at the ground. There was another creak, and then the ground gave away beneath their feet, sending all six teenagers in a freefall to a pit of lava below.

Groaning in irritation, Venus summoned her wings. She felt the alignment of her body change as they appeared, and she angled herself downwards, grabbing onto the nearest of the other teens. It was Superman's not-son. She heard him grunt in surprise, but she simply tightened her grip on him and looked around.

"You have wings?" the blonde girl said in surprise. She was crouched on the edge of the pit, her arm wrapped around the buzz-cut boy.

"Of course," Venus replied, surprised that they were surprised. "I told you I was a fallen angel."

The other teenagers were all accounted for. The green-skinned girl and the redheaded liar were floating next to Venus and Superboy, being held aloft by the girl's powers. The demon scowled, rising further into the air and beating her wings down in powerful strokes to keep them away from the lava. Next to Venus, the Martian was breathing heavily, dropping down slowly by the second.

"Having trouble...maintaining altitude," the girl panted, sounding exhausted. She swiped a hand across her forehead. "Gah, I'm so hot."

"You most certainly are," the boy in her arms said with a grin.

"Kid Flash!" the blonde archer scolded from her position on the side of the pit. The boy – Kid Flash, apparently - whipped his head towards her, glaring.

"Hey! Inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind!" Venus rolled her eyes in irritation. Slightly above her head, the other boy from the group was speaking. He sounded weak.

"My physiology and Miss Martian's are susceptible to extreme heat," he said. "We must climb out quickly." Venus was a bit startled by that proclamation – she hadn't even noticed the heat. Growing up in Hell had made her quite immune to it, and she'd mostly cared about flying away from the lava to save her outfit. Her boots were quite expensive.

"Hello, Megan!" Miss Martian exclaimed, facepalming. "We never truly answered the question." She turned her face upwards, projecting her voice to the top of the pit. "Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the Helmet were safe!" In response to her words, a platform closed over the lava, sealing it to a harmless floor. Venus lowered herself and Superman's not-son to the ground, and the Martian and Kid Flash both fell as the alien lost her strength. The blonde archer lowered herself and the last boy down as well.

Venus let go of Superman's not-son and stepped away, rolling her shoulders as her wings disappeared again. Superman's not-son shot her a grateful, slightly confused look.

"Thanks," he said. Venus shrugged, flipping her hand in a "don't-mention-it" kind of manner. She politely ignored how Superman's not-son and a few of the other teens were staring at the empty space behind her shoulders.

"This platform," the dark-skinned boy said, leaning down. He got on his hands and knees, pressing his palms onto the platform. "It should be red-hot, but it is cool to the touch." Venus ignored this statement, instead turning to glare at Kid Flash, who was helping Miss Martian to her feet.

"Don't worry, Megalicious," he was saying. "I got ya." The Martian smiled at the redhead gratefully, but Venus scowled.

"Are you actually stupid or do you just put on a very good act?" she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest. Kid Flash straightened up, looking offended at Venus's question. Before he could defend himself, the archer also began to berate Kid Flash.

"She's right, you know," the blonde snapped, stalking up to Kid Flash and shoving him against the side of the pit. "Your little 'impress Miss Martian at all costs' game nearly got us all barbecued!" Kid Flash threw his arms out wide in disbelief as he glared at the blonde and Venus.

"When did this become my fault?" he retorted defensively, his green eyes flashing angrily. Venus chuckled.

"So, he is actually stupid," she said aloud. Kid Flash's jaw tightened. "You lied to the Tower when you called yourself a true believed," Venus told Kid Flash. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I hate liars."

Kid Flash would never admit it, but something about Venus's statement sent a chill down his spine. Something about the way her eyes flashed, or maybe the tone of her voice, was extremely off-putting. Her statement was less of fact and more of - a threat.

"KF," Miss Martian said, sounding disappointed. "You don't believe?" The ginger glanced around, feeling trapped. He sighed.

"Fine! Fine!" He gave up his ruse. "I lied about believing in magic. But magic is the real lie - a major load!" He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. On the ground, the boy with the blonde buzz spoke quietly.

"Kid, I studied for a year at the conservatory of sorcery in Atlantis." Ah, so this boy was an Atlantean. "The mystic arts created the skin icons that power my water bearers." Venus looked at the Atlantean, noting the dark eel-shaped tattoos running up and down his forearms. Kid Flash snorted, unconvinced.

"Dude, you ever hear of bioelectricity?" Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Hey, in primitive cultures fire was once considered magical, too." Venus arched an eyebrow, almost impressed by the boy's irreverence. "Today it's all just a bunch of tricks."

"You're pretty close-minded for a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers," the archer snapped. Kid Flash glared back at the girl – it seemed like these two could fight all day.

"That's science," Kid Flash spat witheringly. "I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment and – here I am. Everything can be explained by science." Venus chuckled, amused and deeply irritated by the speedster's stubborn attitude. Her eyes fell on the floor where the Atlantean was kneeling before a trapdoor. His words about the platforms temperature came back to her, and a wicked grin crossed her face.

"Oh, really?" Without another word, Venus bent down, wrapping her fingers around the handle of the trapdoor. She half-expected the Atlantean to protest, but the boy said nothing. However, Kid Flash's eyes flew wide.

"Wait!" he shouted, throwing a hand out futilely. "The back draft from the lava will roast us alive!" Venus snorted, yanking the door up. As predicted, instead of smoke and heat, a gust of cold wind and snow flew out.

"It's snow!" Miss Martian exclaimed. Venus made a face.

"Ugh," she said, ignoring the odd looks that Miss Martian and Superman's-not son shot her. Behind Venus, the blonde girl turned to face Kid Flash, a smug look on her face.

"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" she asked the speedster sarcastically. Kid Flash glared back at her, a little embarrassed. The Atlantean stood up, stepping around the door and hopping through the hole in the ground. Venus and the others followed suit.

As she dropped through the hole, Venus noticed that the direction changed, making them fall sideways instead of down. She landed on the ground, grimacing in irritation as the snow crunched around her feet.

If her boots got ruined, she was going to kill Klarion. And maybe the annoying speedster, too.

As Kid Flash landed on the ground, the door that they'd come through snapped shut, disappearing completely. Kid Flash looked around, and the blonde archer looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Kid Flash turned back towards the group, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ever hear of string theory?" he asked, his chin jutting out at a stubborn tilt. "We're in a pocket dimension." Venus stared at Kid Flash in disbelief.

"Will you ever get your head out of your arse?" she asked him with a shake of her head. Kid Flash raised his eyebrow at her blunt statement, and the blonde snickered slightly.

"What's that?" Miss Martian asked suddenly, pointing towards the distance. Venus turned around, her eyes growing wide with excitement as she caught sight of Nelson's cane, surrounded by a shimmery golden light. The blonde girl walked over to it, curious.

"Ooh, maybe it's Nelson's magic wand," Kid Flash sneered sarcastically. Venus felt a rush of air as the speedster ran by her, appearing by the cane with a blink of the eye. Both the blonde girl and Kid Flash reached out for it, and Venus's eyes widened.

"Wait!" she began, thrusting a hand out. Before she could issue a proper warning, both teenagers had taken hold of the cane. Venus groaned.

"I got it," the two said simultaneously, glaring at one another. Then the cane began to glow, and Venus sighed again, closing her eyes. "I can't let go!" The two exclaimed in unison, yelling in surprise as the cane yanked them upwards before they disappeared with a flash. Venus pinched the bridge of her nose.

"And I really thought you guys would make this faster," she muttered, shaking her head in irritation. Superman's not-son gave her an odd look, and she sighed. "Come on, then. Let's find your irritating friends."

As the four teenagers walked, Venus managed to catch the rest of their names. The Atlantean was called Aqualad, and the blonde one was Artemis. Superman's not-son was Superboy.

How creative.

"I don't understand Kid Flash," Miss Martian said after a few moments of silence. The wind tousled her red hair, blowing it against her cheeks. "It's almost like he needs to believe the impossible can't happen." Aqualad turned to the Martian.

"Kid uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend," the Atlantean explained. "Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of that control." Venus rolled her eyes.

While Aqualad and Miss Martian were conversing, Superboy was watching Venus. Something the way the light reflected off the snow made it easy to the see the scars once more, and he couldn't help his curiosity.

"What are the scars from?" Superboy asked Venus. She turned to him, surprised. Venus traced her fingers down the marks thoughtfully. They were nearly invisible to the human eye with her focused glamour. If she didn't try to hide them, they'd be visible even in her angel form. It made sense that Superboy's could see them better, though – he was a Kryptonian, so she knew his vision was enhanced.

"Pissed off a hellhound when I was a kid," she replied easily. She grimaced at the memory - it was one of the only times she'd ever experienced true pain. She could still feel the hound's claws ripping through her supposedly indestructible skin and bone like it was butter. "Nasty little buggers." Superboy blinked in surprise at her answer.

Unbeknownst to Venus, the Team had had a telepathic conversation with one another upon her arrival – about whether they could trust her. Though they'd eventually come to the conclusion that she might be useful, they'd all assumed that she was just a human with some knowledge about the supernatural (Wally had scoffed at that).

After her wings appeared, they'd had another conversation - maybe she was Thanagarian, or a genetically-modified human. They still hadn't quite believed the "angel" thing, not enough to really consider it. But now Superboy wasn't as sure.

A crackling sound caught the teenagers' attention. Superboy and Venus looked to their right, where they saw that a door had appeared at the top of a small mountain. Venus smirked, changing direction immediately and running to it. The others followed her.

Venus was the first to step through the door. As she stepped through it, it changed direction once more and she found herself falling to the ground. Venus landed roughly with an annoyed grunt, but managed to get out of the way before being crushed by the other teens.

Getting to her feet, Venus looked around. Nelson, Kid Flash, and Artemis were standing only a few feet away, in front of a golden bell. A jolt of excitement went through Venus as she rushed up to join Nelson and Kid Flash. Artemis passed her, going the opposite direction to help her friends.

"Friends of yours?" Nelson asked Kid Flash with a chuckle. Venus ducked behind the speedster, hoping that Nelson hadn't seen her face. She knew he would recognize her, and she also knew he wouldn't be happy that she was there.

A jolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere, and Venus ducked. She looked up, her eyes blazing with fury as she saw Klarion and his stupid cat and Abra Kadabra standing a few levels above them.

"Friends of yours?" Kid Flash said sarcastically, getting to his feet. Nelson didn't respond, instead whacking his cane against the giant golden bell. It rang loudly and began to glow. Nelson stepped through it, and Venus was quick to follow.

The bell let them out onto the roof of the Tower and floating in the center was the Helmet. Venus's eyes glowed brightly. She was so close. Nelson reached for the Helmet, and Klarion appeared on the other side of the room. The Lord of Chaos thrust out his hand, sending a bolt of dark energy straight at Nelson. The spell caught him in the chest, making him stumble backwards with a shout of pain.

"Mr. Nelson!" Kid Flash shouted, catching the man as he fell backwards. Nelson groaned in pain, staggering to his feet. He lifted the cane above his head, muttering a spell in Latin.

"Certe Toto sentio nos in kansate non iam adesse!" As he uttered the last word, his cane glowed with light, and he brought it down upon the ground, forming a golden dome around him, Kid Flash, Venus, and the Helmet.

Klarion's spell bounced off the shield, and Venus cackled gleefully. "No!" Klarion shouted angrily. A wicked smirk on her face, Venus stepped up to take hold of the Helmet. But when she grasped it, she cried out in pain as a sharp stinging sensation radiated from the palms of her hand up through her arms.

Venus staggered backwards, holding her hands in front of her face. They were burned and blistered, rubbed raw from touching the Helmet. Venus scowled.

"Holy water…" she muttered with a loud groan. She whipped around the glare at Nelson. "You – !" The elderly man laughed loudly.

"Did you think I didn't notice you, Devil-Spawn?" Nelson grunted with a smirk. "You're not getting the Helmet…either." Kid Flash looked at Venus in surprise, and she growled. Nelson laughed again, more weakly this time. "Not bad for a former 'Doctor Fake,' eh, kid?" Nelson grunted again, falling to his knees. Kid Flash caught the elderly man, his green eyes full of fear as Venus seethed quietly in the corner. "The bubble will give you just enough time to do what you need to do."

"I have no idea what I need to do!" Kid Flash exclaimed, green eyes wide.

"Have faith in what you can't explain," Nelson whispered. He reached a trembling hand into his breast pocket, pulling out his pocket watch. "Believe in what you can no longer deny." Nelson took one last shaky breath, and then fell limp, the pocket watch falling from his hand to the floor next to him.

Venus growled in frustration, stepping up to the edge of the bubble and pressing her hand against it. She could hear Kid Flash behind her, desperately trying to revive Nelson, but she knew the old man was gone. Still, Kid Flash's attempt to resuscitate him bought her a little time, so she didn't intervene.

As Venus stared at him, Klarion continued to hurl bolts of dark magic at the golden dome. "I want that Helmet and I want it now!" he wailed. Venus's lip curled in irritation, and she watched as a red circle began to form around Klarion as he summoned more power. He whipped his hands back, drawing energy into the form of enormous red claws.

The claws punctured holes in Fate's shield, making scraping noises as they popped through. Klarion reared his hands backwards and the claws tightened, ripping the shield to pieces.

Venus stepped in front of Kid Flash, throwing out her hands at taking the full force of Klarion's magic blast. She grimaced – Klarion was powerful enough for her to actually feel some pain, even if it didn't affect her that much. Throwing her own hands out, Venus put a wall of holy fire up between her and Klarion – the barrier would absorb his magic for a little while.

Turning around, Venus saw Kid Flash's shell-shocked expression. Under other circumstances, she would have laughed. But now she had no time.

"Put the Helmet on my head," Venus demanded. Kid Flash stared at her.

"W – What?" he stammered. Venus knelt down in front of Kid Flash, looking him deep in the eye. He blinked once, and then stared back at her, his mouth slightly open.

"Kid Flash," she said quietly, alluringly. She narrowed her eyes slightly, mustering up as much sweetness in her gaze as she could. "Put the Helmet…on my head." Kid Flash nodded slowly, reaching up to grasp the Helmet painlessly and give it to Venus.

Venus closed her eyes in glee, feeling the metal of the Helmet brush her ears. Before he could fully lower it onto her head, however, one of Klarion's giant claws closed around Venus's waist. It picked her up, tossing her aside and out of reach from Kid Flash.

Venus hit the ground with a loud grunt, rolling to the stop a few yards away. She watched as Kid Flash blinked a few times, her spell breaking. He stared at the Helmet in his hands, and then down at Nelson's body. "A test of faith," he mumbled to himself, plunging the Helmet down on his head.

There was a flash of golden light, and when it cleared, Doctor Fate stood in Kid Flash's place. Venus snarled, enraged.

"You fool!" Venus shouted at Kid Flash's body. She stood up, her eyes blazing with fury. From inside the Helmet, Kid Flash took a step back. Shocked though his host was by the girl's sudden anger, Doctor Fate didn't even flinch. "GIVE IT TO ME!" she roared, her beautiful appearance melting away to show her demon face.

Venus rose to her feet. The sneer on her face was made much more terrifying by her transformation. Instead of the beautiful human girl she had been before, she was now a demon. Her skin was red and burnt looking, and her hair had disappeared. Her eyes were gaping sockets, and her delicately painted fingernails had transformed into curved talons.

Beating her now-leathery, bat-like wings outwards, Venus rose into the air. She spread her arms to the side, summoning her holy fire. As she did so, a tiny flame lit deep in her eye sockets, and flames flickered around her skull, giving her a mane of fiery hair.

Venus thrust her hand outward, and holy fire curled around her wrist. She had been intended to send a blast of holy fire at Doctor Fate. But before she could, she paused, considering.

If I help Nabu now, she thought, I can convince him to release Kid Flash and get the Helmet!

Spinning around, Venus redirected her blast – straight at Klarion. The Witch Boy conjured a shield, managing to absorb the fire before it hit him. Venus swept forward, and Klarion shot a blast of dark energy straight at her chest.

The blow pushed Venus backwards through the air, and she had to pause to regain her balance. As soon as she was out of the way, Klarion returned to attacking Doctor Fate.

"Give it up, Nabu!" Klarion shouted, hurling dark magic at Fate's ankh. "Order went out of style in the Twentieth Century." Fate's eyes narrowed behind the Helmet.

"This battle is pointless," Doctor Fate replied, his deep voice overlapping with Wally's. "You both sought to take the Helmet before it claimed a host. You are too late."

"Shut it, you old fart!" Klarion responded, scowling at being reminded of his failure. Venus straightened up indignantly.

"Hey!" she said. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm helping you." Doctor Fate chuckled darkly. Without warning, he whirled around, sending a bolt of golden light. It solidified around Venus in a band, trapping her arms and wings by her side. She fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a grunt.

"We both know that you only help yourself, Devil-Spawn," the Lord of Order responded. Venus struggled against her bonds futilely, knowing that even her strength was no match for Fate's magic. She focused her energy on her holy fire, trying to burn through the band. As she lay trapped, Klarion and Fate continued to fight one another.

The two should have been equally matched, but Klarion got the upper hand several times in a row. The Lord of Chaos was winning.

"You're out of practice, Nabu," Klarion gloated as Fate fell to the ground with a grunt. "And that pathetic host body – zero affinity for the mystic arts." Venus rolled her eyes – for once, the annoying boy was right.

"If I had the Helmet on," Venus muttered. Fate's band was finally starting to burn. "Klarion wouldn't stand a chance." Klarion raised his hands above his hand, conjuring up a storm. He channeled a bolt of lightning, but Fate raised a dome up before the electricity could hit him. Klarion sneered.

"Ooh, rainbow power," the boy said sarcastically. Venus grunted, focusing as hard as she could. Smoke curled up through the air as the holy fire began to break through Doctor Fate's bond. Seeing this, Klarion's cat, Teekl, meowed. "I am paying attention, you stupid cat," Klarion snapped.

"Mur– row!" Teekl insisted.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm winning!" Klarion continued, not noticing Venus as she rose to her feet. The demon lifted her hand outwards, holy fire coiling around her wrist. She clenched her hand into a fist, and the holy fire whipped outwards, hitting Klarion in the chest. The Lord of Chaos cried out in pain as he staggered backwards, his shirt smoldering.

"Mur – row!" Teekl sing-songed as Klarion beat the flames out. The cat clearly meaning: "I told you so."

Venus's attack had distracted Klarion long enough for Doctor Fate to recover. The Lord of Order summoned energy, a golden glow surrounding his body. Nabu thrust his arms out, sending the mystic energy outwards. It was powerful enough to destroy his own shield and cause an explosion that sent both Venus and Klarion sliding backwards.

Venus opened her eyes again after she had squeezed them shut against the heat of the explosion. Debris scattered the ground, and Fate's mystic energy surrounded him in golden flames.

"It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plane," Doctor Fate said. Klarion's eyes went wide, and then narrowed angrily again. A red glow surrounded Klarion and his cat, and the Lord of Chaos's appearance became more demonic.

Fate rose to the air, dodging Klarion's blasts of mystic energy as he continued to speak. "I am bound to the Helmet and use a human host," Fate said. He threw an ankh at Klarion, who rose the ground around him to make a shield. "But that is not your way." Venus's eyes stretched wide, realizing what Fate was talking about.

Raising her wrist, Venus summoned her holy fire once again. As the flames flickered around her arm and formed into her hand, she pressed it into a ball.

"You're babbling, Nabu!" Klarion shouted angrily, his eyes now bright red. Venus smirked.

"Is he?" she asked innocently. Then she took a step back, aiming carefully before hurling the ball of flames. Klarion threw up a shield, but her attack flew harmlessly past Klarion, and hitting Teekl in the chest. The cat hissed loudly, and then yelped as it was flung back over the ground. Klarion whirled around.

"Teekl!" he shouted. He swung around on Venus, glaring at her. "I can't believe you would assault a defenseless pussycat!" Venus crossed her arms over her chest, her mouth twisting.

"You're telling me," she sniffed. "I like cats. But I hate you more."

"We all know that is creature is no cat, Witch Boy," Doctor Fate said. "And without your familiar, you have no anchor in this reality." Sure enough, Klarion began to flicker in and out of existence. The Lord of Chaos clenched his hands into fists, swinging around and glaring at Venus and Doctor Fate.

"Bully!" he shouted at Venus, before swinging onto Doctor Fate. "Killjoy! Geezer!" Venus rolled her eyes, growing annoyed. Before she could attack him, Doctor Fate had sent another blast of energy at the villain. Klarion's eyes went wide. "Holy carp!" he shouted, jumping backwards into a portal. He appeared next to Teekl, scooping his familiar up. "We're out of here!" he announced, disintegrating into dark energy.

"Finally," Venus muttered. She walked over to Doctor Fate, who was still floating a few feet up. She beat her leathery wings so that she was hovering next to him. "You gonna let the annoying speedster go, old man?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. Beneath the Helmet, Kid Flash's green eyes narrowed.

"No," the Lord of Order replied. "The Earth needs Doctor Fate. I will not release this body." Venus curled her lip in irritation.

"Let him go," she cajoled. "I'll take care of the Helmet." Not a lie. "I know some people in Heaven who would love to protect it." Also not a lie. She just didn't say she'd give it to them.

"I will not fall for your half-truths, Devil-Spawn," Doctor Fate responded. Venus glared at the Lord of Order. She thought for a moment.

"You should let the boy go," she told Doctor Fate. "He doesn't deserve to be trapped in there." The sorcerer scoffed.

"We both know you do not care for this boy's life," the sorcerer replied. Venus sighed. Then Doctro Fate was silent for a few moments. He hovered in front of Venus, eyes focused on the distance, before he lowered himself to the ground and reached up to remove the helmet. Venus blinked in surprise, landing on the ground as well. Kid Flash stood in front of her, holding the Helmet.

"What convinced him?" Venus asked. "I know it wasn't me." Kid Flash turned around, looking across the rooftop at Nelson's body.

"Nelson did," Kid Flash replied, sounding both awed and sad. He looked at Venus, raising an eyebrow. "Um, not to be rude, but what's going on with your…" Kid Flash waved a hand at her. "All of that?" Venus laughed.

"Oh, right," she said. Her image flickered, and she returned to her previous appearance of a teenage girl. She smiled at Kid Flash mischievously. "What, am I not pretty without my makeup on?" The speedster blinked, unsure of what to say.

"Um…" Venus chuckled, taking a step closer to Kid Flash. She locked gazes with him again, and once again Kid Flash's eyes became hooded and dazed.

"Give me the Helmet," Venus purred. She stretched her hands out, wrapping them carefully around the rim. Her palms were still blistered and raw from the holy water, but it seemed to have evaporated during the battle as she felt no pain touching the metal. Venus smiled. "Thank you!" she said, pulling the Helmet from Kid Flash's hands. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Venus flounced off to the edge of the room, whistling for Grimalkin. She hadn't seen the kitten since after she'd entered the Tower, but she had no doubt that the kitten wasn't far off. Venus turned back to Kid Flash. He was staring at her, unsure of what was happening. "Thank you so much for your help," Venus said with a smile, stepping backwards off the roof.

The demon landed at the base of the Tower of Fate, a broad grin on her face. She cradled the Helmet in her arms like it was a baby, holding to her chest tightly. She didn't want to risk losing it for a second.

Humming cheerfully to herself, Venus set off across the grassy lawn. She wanted to get to her hotel and pack up her things before heading off to – well, she wasn't exactly sure. Her father was being a pain at the moment, so she wasn't exactly dying to go back to Los Angeles.

Venus tilted her head, thinking. Maybe Madrid, she thought to herself. Mm…or Paris.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice a portal opening up behind her. Out of it stepped a slightly disheveled looking man with blonde hair and a trench coat. He scanned the lawn, his eyes falling on the demon's disappearing form. The man raised his hand.

"Obligaverit!" he muttered under his breath; his eyes focused on Venus.

The demon gasped in surprise as she found her arms suddenly yanked behind her back. A coil surrounded them, making her lose her balance and fall to her knees. The Helmet hit the ground with a clatter.

"Et laqueum diaboli!" Venus's eyes flew wide as she realized what was happening. She struggled to get to her feet in time. A pentagram appeared around her, encircling her completely. She was trapped.

The man who had cast the spells walked over to her casually. He reached into the pentagram, snatching the Helmet of Fate off of the floor and tucking it under his arm. He surveyed the demon he had trapped in a sort of exhausted manner. He had been looking for her for weeks.

"Venus," he greeted her with a weary sigh. The teenager smiled back at him winningly.

"Well, hello there, John Constantine," Venus said with faux-surprise. "The Hellblazer." Venus got to her feet. "You know, I'm sure my father would be very pleased if you just let me out." She coated her voice with suggestion, but Constantine knew better. He avoided eye contact, knowing that even though the pentagram sapped her powers, he couldn't be too careful.

"Nice try, love," he told her. "But your father was the one who sent me." He couldn't resist looking back to see her reaction. Venus's smug expression flickered for a half of a second, and then she threw her head back, cackling.

"Oh, so you're running errands for my father now? Babysitting me?" Venus shook her head, leaning as close to Constantine as the barrier would allow. "What do you think is going to happen?" she asked him, almost amused. "My father may have changed since coming to Earth, but he isn't soft." Constantine stared back at her resolutely, his jaw twitching ever-so-slightly. Venus chuckled, and when she continued her voice, barely above a whisper, was stone cold.

"Your soul is still doomed, John."


"What do you mean you lost the Helmet?" Kaldur was asking Wally in disbelief as the Team exited the Tower. Wally shook his head. He was confounded himself, not to mention guilty – now Kent had basically given up his soul for nothing.

"I don't know!" Wally insisted. "One minute I had it and then the next it was gone!" The speedster shook his head. "Venus took it somehow; I just don't know." The rest of the Team stared at him, and Wally spread his hands. "Hey, she had like fire hair and – and no eyes and batwings and talons! And then she went back to normal and…" Wally's voice trailed off as his eyes fell on the girl standing only a few yards away. There was a man next to her. "There she is!"

The Team ran up to Venus. The man standing next to her shot the Team a surprised look. Wally noticed that he had the Helmet propped under his arm like a football. Upon getting a closer look, Kaldur recognized the man.

"John Constantine," the Atlantean said in surprise. The Hellblazer was an ally of the League's, and though no member of the Team had ever met him, they had all heard of him. Constantine cocked his head in surprise. He had no idea what these kids were doing there. Realizing they were in civvies, Kaldur stepped forward to introduce himself. "I am Aqualad," he said, offering his hand to shake Constantine's. The elder man eyes fell on the webs between Kaldur's fingers and nodded.

"Right, then," he said, shaking the Atlantean's hand. He glanced down at the Helmet of Fate in his hands and then held it out to the Team. "I suppose I can trust you with this." Wally stepped forward gratefully, taking the Helmet of Fate and holding it carefully in his hands. He frowned at Venus, slightly confused.

"Why did you betray us?" Superboy asked Venus, his brow furrowed. Constantine cast a surprised look at Superboy, waiting for the punchline. When nothing came, Constantine threw his had back and barked out a laugh.

"I'm sorry," he said, glancing at Kaldur. "You didn't really think you could trust this girl, did you?" The Team exchanged confused looks and Constantine groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Oh, you have no idea who she is," he said with an exasperated sigh. "Wonderful."

"Who is she?" Miss Martian asked curiously, looking at Venus again. Constantine gave Venus and expectant look, but the demon said nothing, continuing to sulk in silence.

"She's Venus Morningstar, the daughter of Lucifer," Constantine responded. A couple members on the Team gave him dubious looks, and Constantine shrugged. "It's true. Her father retired from Hell to run a piano bar in Los Angeles called Lux. She just manipulated you into thinking you needed her help, when really she needed yours."

The Team didn't respond. They were all still staring at Venus in disbelief. Even though she'd told them she was a fallen angel, and they'd seen her wings, they hadn't really believed her story. Most of them just suspected she was playing a role of some kind as a joke.

"You're…the daughter…of the Devil?" Artemis asked in shock. Venus shrugged.

"Didn't I say that?" Wally was staring at Venus in slight disappointment. Despite what had happened, he'd kind of hoped she'd actually wanted to help them and that there was another reason that she'd taken off with the Helmet.

"You're just like Klarion," the speedster said with a frown. Venus scowled at that comparison.

"Oh, please don't compare me to him," she said with a mournful sigh. "I'm not nearly so annoying." Constantine rolled his eyes. I beg to differ, he thought to himself. The man cleared his throat.

"Well, anyways," he said, clapping his hands together. "I've got to return this one to her father," he said, gesturing at Venus. "And I assume you lot must have someone you need to report to, so we'll just be on our way."

As if she'd been listening in and just waiting for the right moment to appear, Venus's cat came strolling up to the group. The black kitten walked straight through the pentagram and sat down at Venus's feet, coiling her tail neatly around her paws.

"Is your cat magic?" Miss Martian asked with wide eyes. None of them had seen Grimalkin since before the lava pit, but here she was, completely unharmed. Venus stared at Grimalkin. The kitten was licking at her paw demurely. The demon sighed.

"No, but don't all cats have the ability to just randomly appear?" she muttered. She rolled her shoulders backwards uncomfortably – the bonds Lucifer had put her in were irritatingly tight. "Come on, Grim," she said, sighing again. "It's time to face Father."


LOS ANGELES
August 20, 00:07 PDT

Constantine's portal took them directly into the building of Lux, depositing them just outside Lucifer's office. Grimalkin immediately took off, running down the hallway and disappearing into Venus's bedroom. The demon looked after her in dismay.

"Traitor," Venus muttered, scowling. Her father's right-hand-woman, Mazikeen, was standing in front of the doors, and her lips twitched in mild amusement. "Hi, Maze," Venus sighed. The woman was something like her older sister, nanny, and bodyguard rolled all into one. Maze smiled at Venus with a mixture of sympathy and disapproval in her expression.

"Let her out," Maze ordered Constantine, nodding at the pentagram encircling Venus's feet. The sorcerer muttered a Latin spell underneath his breath, and the symbol flickered and then disappeared. The bonds around Venus's wrists fell loose and the demon stretched her arms out, trying to get blood flowing back into them.

Shaking out her wrists, Venus glanced at Maze nervously. "Is he mad?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly despite her best efforts to remain calm. Maze's face twitched.

"Well…" she said. Before the demon could finish her thought, the doors swung open. Lucifer stood before the group of three. The Devil arched an eyebrow, looking at his daughter expectantly. Venus sighed.

"Hello, Father," she mumbled. Lucifer smiled back.

"Venus," he greeted her. He nodded at Maze and Constantine. "Thank you, John, Maze. Wait out here, please," he requested. Without waiting for their response, Lucifer turned around, sweeping back into his office. Venus followed him, trepidation curling inside her.

When Venus stepped through the doors, Lucifer was already back at his desk, studying a file on his desk. Venus shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you know why I left Hell?" Lucifer asked his daughter. Venus didn't answer, so Lucifer continued. "To retire, darling. I wanted peace and quiet, relaxation." He reached over to pick up the folder he'd been looking at and tossed it to Venus, who caught it reflexively. She opened it – inside was her police file, listing every infraction she'd been arrested for in the last year since she and her father had left Hell. The list was several pages long.

Petty larceny, public intoxication, moving violations, underage drinking, trespassing…the list went on and on. Venus bit the inside of her cheek.

"Tell me," Lucifer said, standing up from his desk and walking over to his daughter. "Does responding to each and every one of your petty crimes, oh, every other day seem relaxing to you?" Venus swallowed hard; her fingers wrapped loosely around the file.

"N – no," she whispered, looking at the ground. She couldn't meet her father's eye.

"No," Lucifer repeated more decisively. "It's not."

Venus swallowed hard, staring at the pattern on the carpet. She traced it with the pointy tip of her boot, thinking of a way to rectify her mistakes.

"I'm sorry," Venus said sincerely. "I didn't mean to upset you, Father, I was just having some fun." Lucifer's eyes flashed, and Venus continued hastily, realizing that she had said the wrong thing. "I – I mean…" she took a deep breath. "I'll change my records!" She exclaimed. "Put someone else down as my guardian, maybe Maze, so they won't – so they won't bother you anymore." Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"Hm," he said thoughtfully. "You know, that's not a bad idea." Venus relaxed, sighing in relief. But Lucifer wasn't finished. "Not a bad idea, if I didn't want to take responsibility for you." Venus froze, recognizing her dad's tone. "But I do," Lucifer said. "You're my daughter." He paused to think.

"So…?" Venus asked. She really wanted him to get to the point. Lucifer nodded.

"So, you're rebelling," he said, walking over to the bar and pouring himself a glass of scotch. Venus eyed the bar, regretfully deciding that it was probably a bad move for her to ask for a drink. "When I rebelled, my father banished me." Lucifer chuckled. "I certainly learned my lesson. Maybe I should do the same." Venus rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll go back home," she said, thinking her father wanted her to return to Hell. Lucifer turned around, facing his daughter. He laughed.

"Home?" he repeated. "Oh, no, no, no. You liked Hell. That wouldn't be punishment." Lucifer shook his head. "No, I'm banishing you…" he thought for a moment, trying to think what place would best teach his daughter a lesson. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. "Aha!" he said. "Constantine!"

The man entered the room when Lucifer called, looking slightly bored and annoyed. Just because he was running errands for the Devil, didn't mean that he liked it. "Yes?" he asked with a sigh. He searched his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter. Lucifer smirked.

"I heard that my daughter was caught tricking a team of superpowered teenagers, no?" he asked. "The Justice League's sidekicks." Constantine nodded as he opened the box of cigarettes and stuck one between his teeth. He wasn't quite sure where Lucifer was going with this. Lucifer smiled. "Perfect," he said with satisfaction. He turned towards Venus. "Repeat after me," he told her. Venus's eyes went wide.

"No," she said, realizing what her father was about to make her do. "Father, really?" Lucifer's eyes narrowed.

"Repeat. After. Me," he ground out. Venus sighed, and then nodded. Lucifer smiled again, his angry visage vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "Excellent! I was going to make you swear on a Bible, but," he looked down at her palms, still blistered from the holy water. "Seems you've had enough torture for one day. Now, let's begin." Lucifer stepped forward, carefully running through the words in his mind to make sure there were no loopholes.

"I, Venus Morningstar," he began. Venus rolled her eyes at the theatricality, and then repeated the words. Lucifer continued. "Promise to assist and help the team I tricked tonight to the best of my ability, in any way I can." Lucifer paused. "Until the New Year." Venus groaned, and Lucifer raised an eyebrow. She sighed.

"Promise to assist and help the team I tricked tonight to the best of my ability, in any way I can..." She closed her eyes, sighing again. "Until the New Year." Lucifer smiled wickedly, chuckling. Constantine stared at the two Morningstars with disbelief, his unlit cigarette hanging from his lip. Venus crossed her arms over her chest, glowering at the ground.

"You know, Venus, when you think about it," Lucifer said as he took another sip of his drink. "We're not so different from superheroes ourselves. We enjoy punishing bad people, too." Venus scowled, not buying into her father's false charm.

"So why don't you join the Justice League and let me be?" She asked bitterly, glaring at one of the walls in her father's dark office. Lucifer chuckled. The Devil turned to Constantine, who had been watching the exchange in utter disbelief.

"You're bloody insane," Constantine proclaimed with a shake of his head. He flicked the flame of his lighter on, and smoke curled from his mouth as he mumbled around the now-lit cigarette. "There's no way in hell the Justice League will ever agree to this." Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"No way in Hell?" The Devil repeated, amused. Constantine sighed, regretting his choice of words. Lucifer swirled his scotch around in the glass thoughtfully before draining the rest of it. He smirked. "Well. Good thing we're not in Hell, eh?"


"…so, just think of Venus as your children's guardian angel," Lucifer finished his spiel, looking at the assembled members of the Justice League and their sidekicks. He laughed lightly at his own joke. "Their fallen guardian angel."

The League members had stayed silent throughout Lucifer's entire explanation, and now they were exchanging dubious looks. Batman was the first to speak.

"Absolutely not," he said. He looked at Constantine disapprovingly. "Constantine, what were you thinking?" Constantine sighed, spreading his hands outwards. He had no explanation – the truth was, he didn't really have a choice. When Lucifer asked him to do something, he couldn't very well refuse. Lucifer practically owned the Brit's soul. Lucifer frowned at Batman's statement.

"Well, that's unfortunate," he said. "But you see, Batman, that's not really how this works." Lucifer smiled charmingly. "My daughter agreed to help your team. Her word is bond – she cannot go back on it. Whether you like it or not – whether she likes it or not, really – she will be looking after them for the next six months." Lucifer turned to his daughter. "Venus, tell them."

Venus didn't respond. Childish though it was, she'd been giving her father the silent treatment ever since he'd made her swear to help the team. Lucifer frowned at his daughter's stubborn silence and she dropped her gaze, glaring stubbornly at the ground. Constantine sighed, finally speaking up.

"Batman, I know that this sounds like," Constantine said quietly, running a hand through his hair. "But I can assure you – the only thing Venus has promised to do is unconditionally help the Team. She would truly be an asset." Batman's eyes narrowed behind his cowl.

The Dark Knight turned around, facing the members of the Justice League and the Team. All of the Team's mentors were there, so he looked to see if any of them had any protests. Like him, most seemed rather dubious about the whole situation but not truly concerned.

The Justice League had known that Lucifer had been on Earth for a while, and they had quickly deduced that the Devil was more interested in partying and drinking than raising any form of hell. His daughter, on the other hand, seemed to be a rebellious teenager and nothing more.

Besides, Batman did trust Constantine. If he vouched for Venus, then she couldn't be that bad.

"Fine," Batman said after a long moment. Lucifer grinned broadly.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Here you are," Lucifer said to his daughter, handing her a small wooden box that he'd had tucked under his arm. She stared at him, and he rolled his eyes, taking one of her hands and forcing her to hold it. "It's a gift, dear. Don't say I never gave you anything," he told her. He glanced around. "Where is that annoying cat of yours?"

As if on cue, Grimalkin came streaking through the open portal. She landed at Venus's feet. Picking up on the demon's feelings, the cat glared at Lucifer reproachfully.

"Right then," Lucifer said. He turned around. "Now, I'll be off, and Venus can move in."

The Team members had been silent throughout the entire exchange, but now they traded surprised looks. There was a conspicuous lack of bags and boxes surrounding Venus, considering that she was meant to be staying until the New Year.

"Right now?" Artemis asked in surprise, the first Team member to speak up. She gestured to the empty floor around Venus. "I mean…doesn't she need like clothes, or anything?" Lucifer glanced at his daughter and then shrugged.

"No," he decided. Venus scowled at her dad and Lucifer held up his hands. "Oh, please," he said. "I'm doing you a favor, dear. You love to shop." Venus didn't answer, and Lucifer sighed. He reached forwards, taking his daughter's chin in his hand and forcing her to look him in the eyes. Venus wrenched her face out of her father's grasp and turned away. He arched an eyebrow. "Not going to say good-bye to your old dad, then?"

She tightened her grip around the cardboard box he'd given her, struggling not to cry. Lucifer shrugged. He was used to his daughter's temper tantrums. "Oh, well."

Lucifer stepped back through Constantine's swirling portal and disappeared, abandoning his only daughter with a group of strangers. Constantine sighed, shooting the League members one last apologetic look as he closed the portal. Venus closed her eyes, trying to control her anger and hurt.

This is going to be absolute hell.


Venus set the box her father had given her down on her bed. After a few moments of awkward silence after the departure of her father, Batman had instructed Miss Martian to show Venus to her room. While Constantine had stayed behind with the League members, likely to go over logistics of Venus's stay, the demon had been taken to a corridor filled with spacious bedrooms and been given time to "settle in."

The demon looked around. The room was pretty bare. There was a bed, a closet, a desk with a chair, and a dresser and not much else. It was likely no one had lived there before her.

Venus had very few belongings with her at the moment. She'd left everything - suitcase, phone, wallet, etc. - in the hotel room when she'd gone to meet up with the Team, and Constantine hadn't been exactly receptive to the idea of letting her pick them up before delivering her to her father. Besides the clothes she was wearing, she had Grimalkin, a pentacostal coin that she carried everywhere, and the box her father had gifted her.

She sat down on the bed next to the box and debated whether or not she should decorate in addition to buying necessities. Six months wasn't that long, and normally she wouldn't have bothered, but buying expensive decorations and clothes could potentially piss off her father, and at the moment she was willing to take any opportunity to do that.

But then, he'd given her permission to do just that, so maybe he wouldn't be angry after all. Ugh.

Venus stood up and kicked the bedpost in frustration, a deep scowl etched onto her face. Grimalkin meowed plaintively from behind her, and Venus sighed. She scooped up the kitten, stroking her head apologetically, but Grim squirmed in her arms and leapt back onto the floor. Venus frowned.

"So, you're abandoning me, too, now?" she muttered sadly. Grimalkin didn't respond, and Venus sighed. She turned back to the box and fiddled with the clasp of the box. Taking a deep breath, she opened it. Inside the box, nestled in a bunch of loose paper, were two leather whip hilts – but they were lacking the whip part.

Confused, Venus reached into the box. As soon as she wrapped her hand around one of the hilts, she realized why the whip part was missing. She picked up the weapon and flicked her wrist as if snapping the whip.

A band of holy fire flickered out of the hilt, sending sparks over the room.

Venus almost smiled. The whips were an extension of her powers, giving her a little more control over her holy fire. When she reached into the box to pick up the other one, one of the papers caught her eye.

Venus picked it up, scanning it with a furrowed brow. She read the words: shoplifting, and immediately realized what her father had done – her "present" had been wrapped with copies of the papers from her police file.

Frustrated, Venus whipped around, scattering the loose papers all over the room. She watched them fall to the ground, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger. Grimalkin stood up indignantly as the papers began to shower down around her.

But as she watched the papers' descent, and Grim's adverse reaction, time literally slowed down. The papers' movement became almost imperceptible, and Grim froze in place as well. Venus sighed, knowing exactly what was happening.

"What do you want, Cassie?" Venus groaned, closing her eyes to try and control her irritation. He was the absolute last person she wanted to deal with right now.

"I can't check in on my favorite cousin?" Scowling, the demon turned around. Her cousin, the angel Castiel, was standing behind her. Venus smiled thinly.

"I'm not your favorite." Venus sat down on her bed with a thump, toeing off her boots so that she was just wearing her sheer knee-length stockings. The dark-skinned boy stepped towards further into her room, brushing the airborne papers she'd tossed out of his way. A couple of them had hit the floor before Cass had showed up, but most of them were still fluttering downwards in a slow descent.

Castiel was Amenadiel's son and had inherited his father's irritating ability to bend and slow time for inanimate objects and living creatures, with the exception of celestial beings. He frowned at her statement.

"You're my only cousin," he replied.

"Still not your favorite. Speaks to how much you hate me, really."

"I'm not here to fight, Anael," Cass told Venus, using her God-given name. She stiffened at the sound of it. "I just want to have a simple conversation." Venus snorted.

"Well, you can start by not calling me that," she told him coldly. Castiel took a deep breath.

"It's your name," he replied. Venus rolled her eyes. She saw no sense in arguing with her cousin over this matter - he would never back down. "We saw what happened." By 'we,' he no doubt meant Venus's annoying extended family up in Heaven. His hazel eyes were surprisingly gentle, and Venus found herself growing angry at the pity in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Venus asked, speaking as calmly as she could. She stood up, walking towards her cousin. Now she regretted taking her heels off; without them she was half a foot shorter than Castiel. "I mean, can't complain, can I? Good ol' gramps banished my dad to a fiery pit of danger and despair for all eternity, and I've only been given a sentence of less than six months babysitting a team of idiot super-teens." Venus shrugged.

Castiel waited a beat. He knew exactly how to push Venus's buttons - she couldn't lie, and everything she had stated had been either a fact or a question, not a statement that could be true or false. But she hadn't answered his question explicitly, and he knew how to get her to.

"So, it's not that bad."

"Of course, it's not that bad!" Venus said. Castiel could hear the touch of sarcasm at the edge of her words. She spread her arms wide. "I've been given the opportunity to be a hero, haven't I? Bet you and all the others love this." She snorted. "This is my chance, right? A chance to prove that I've not been corrupted by my father," she said scathingly.

"It's not thad bad," she continued, her voice suddenly raw. "I mean, I've only been banished by the one of the only people that's ever cared about me." She sniffled discreetly. Castiel couldn't help but to roll his eyes.

"I think you mean the one of the only people who you've ever cared about," Castiel corrected. Venus snorted derisively, and Castiel continued. "He doesn't care about you." Venus stiffened at Castiel's statement and she whipped around. "If he did, he would have let you grow up -"

"Has it occurred to you," Venus said coldly, cutting Castiel off. Her wet eyes were suddenly dark and angry, her posture stiff with fury. "Or any of the other small-minded angels up in Grandfather's house that I would have been miserable growing up in Heaven?" Venus sniffed scornfully. "I don't expect it to," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "None of you can get your heads out of your arses long enough to consider that you might be wrong about anything." Castiel glared at his cousin, somewhat offended.

"Your father damned you," he told her. "It wasn't fair." Venus threw her head back and laughed loudly.

"Fair? Fair?" She shook her head. "No, I'll tell you what's not 'fair.'" She stalked forward, pressing a hand against Castiel's chest and shoving him backwards until he crashed against the wall. He wheezed as she continued to apply pressure against his diaphragm, unable to breathe properly.

"What's not fair," Venus said, barely above a whisper. "Is Grandfather banishing my dad with some bullshit excuse that it was a favor, an act of love."

"It was," Castiel gasped out, wrapping his fingers around Venus's wrist to try to alleviate some of the pressure.

"What's not fair," Venus continued as if Castiel hadn't spoken. "Is Grandfather trying to take me away from my dad because the truth is that it wasn't an act of love." Venus ripped her hand away from Castiel's chest, face contorted in disgust as Castiel bent forward, struggling to catch his breath. "The truth is," Venus said scornfully. "Is that I don't play a part in the plan. Grandfather tried to take me away because He knows that He damned my father and yeah, maybe He felt bad - but He is too fucking stubborn to admit that He was wrong!"

Castiel grabbed Venus's arm, using his strength to shove her backwards. She staggered and he moved forward quickly, wrapping one hand around her arm and the other around her throat. His grip on her throat was loose but he was squeezing her arm was tight enough to bruise, a warning of what he could do to her.

Venus chuckled darkly at Castiel's sudden display of anger. She knew that the two wouldn't be able to just have a 'simple conversation' – it always had to turn into a fight. Cass took a deep breath to contain himself and then let go of her. He really didn't want to fight. He stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's only six months."

"'It's only six months,'" she mocked him, rubbing the sore spot on her forearm. Cass's grip was strong. "Please. I wouldn't expect you to understand." Castiel had to take another deep breath so that he wouldn't retort back. After counting to ten slowly, he spoke again, finally getting to the point of why he'd come.

"I'll speak to Uncle Luci." Venus rolled her eyes. It was cute that her cousin thought her father would listen to him. "I'll get him to change your sentence – you can come to Heaven for six months instead." Venus went still, and she raised her head slowly.

"Wow," she said softly, shaking her head. "Now that is a truly terrifying prospect that I hadn't even considered." She stood up, trying to shoo her cousin away. "Yes, now that you mention that, I guess I'll count my blessings that that wasn't the deal." Castiel closed his eyes, trying to control his temper.

"No one is born evil. You belong in Heaven," he told her through gritted teeth. Despite his mission to try and get her to see his way, he was by now almost hoping she wouldn't come to Heaven. Arguing with Venus was exhausting.

"No," Venus replied coldly. "I really don't." She turned away from Castiel, arms crossed over her chest. "You're going to argue had I been nurtured in Heaven my nature would have changed," Venus mused. She shook her head. "There's no changing nature. You claim you don't want to fight, and yet here we are. Know why?" She smirked smugly and leaned closer, whispering. "Because it's our nature."

Castiel went quiet. The muscle in his jaw was twitching. Venus sighed. "Go on now," she told her cousin. "Before you have an aneurysm. Go - save a kitten from a tree, help an old lady cross the street, or - whatever else it is you do in your spare time."

Venus shoved Castiel backwards, opening the door to her room and pushing him out into the hallway. Superboy and Miss Martian were a few feet away, frozen in motion. The Martian girl was carrying a cake, a nervous but excited smile fixed on her face. Written in pink icing on the top were the words: "WELCOME VENUS!" Castiel looked at it.

"You're not even going to offer me a slice?" Cass asked his cousin with a mocking grin. Venus raised her eyebrows.

"Haven't you heard?" She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, her eyes glittering with dark humor. "I'm the devil." She wiggled her fingers in a sarcastic wave, leaning her hip against the doorjamb. "Ta-ta, now." Castiel rolled his eyes before disappearing in a flash of bright light.

Venus blinked, and behind her the last of the papers hit the ground next to Grimalkin with a whoosh of air. The cat meowed indignantly, leaping up onto the bed to make herself comfortable. And Miss Martian and Superboy stepped in front of Venus. Superboy blinked in surprise. To him, a second ago the door had been closed and Venus had been nowhere in sight.

"Wasn't the door just - " he made a motion with his hand, looking at the Martian girl for confirmation. She nodded; her eyes wide with the same confusion. Venus sighed.

"Ah, yes. Sorry, little visit from my cousin - he's got this nasty habit of slowing down time. Bit annoying, really." She glanced down at the cake in Miss Martian's hands. Her lips twitched in amusement. "Devil's Food cake, is that?" Miss Martian smiled shyly.

"Yes. I - ah. I thought it seemed fitting?" Her voice pitched up nervously at the end, hoping that she hadn't offended the other girl. Venus smiled slightly, strangely touched.

"Thank you, Miss Martian." The green-skinned girl sighed with relief, a much broader grin stretching across her face. She had been worried that Venus would've been offended, or just have thought that the gesture was stupid.

"It's not a problem!" the alien exclaimed excitedly. "And - you can call me M'gann. Or Megan. Whatever you prefer! Anyways..." she held the cake out. "Welcome to the Cave!"

Twisting a lock of her hair around her finger, Venus looked up from the cake to the two teens in front of her. M'gann was beaming widely, pleased that her welcoming had gone as planned. Superboy was standing behind the Martian, looking slightly uncomfortable. But when Venus raised her eyes to meet his, his lips turned up in a soft, genuine smile.

"Um, yeah." A bigger smile. "Welcome." Venus smiled back.

What the hell, she thought ironically. It's only six months. Maybe it won't be so bad, after all.

At least I'm not in Heaven.


so i did a profile on venus in one of my other stories, but i've made some edits since then so im just gonna do a clarifying thing here, and if u have questions please let me know:

powers: venus controls holy fire, which she can create. she cannot control regular fire. she is highly invulnerable except to other celestial beings (angels/demons/hellhounds, etc.). she has pheromone control, similar to queen bee. she also can get people to tell her things about themselves - essentially, when she focuses it's hard to lie to her.

she has two appearances - neither is technically "false" or anything like that. the only glamour she does use is to cover her scars in angel form, but both her angel and demon form are legitimate, if that makes sense - she's not a shapeshifter.

also castiel is gonna pop in now and then and say hello ;) i have plans for him.

(i rly could not find a better name so i apologize)

anyways please let me know what you think of venus/the story! i'd love some feedback. please please leave a review!