To HeavenlyMonster: Thank you! I'm sorry the next chapter took so long...anyways, my idea for this character just came from watching the Lucifer Netflix show.

I'm sorry in advance for this chapter...I feel like it's not very well-written.

Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.


MOUNT JUSTICE
September 22, 18:34 EDT

Venus stared at the baby grand piano sitting in the center of her room incredulously.

"What the fuck, Dad?" she muttered aloud, shaking her head in disbelief as she walked over to the instrument. She flipped the top of keylid up, staring at the keys in shock. She ran her index finger down the keyboard in a slow glissando. It was perfectly in tune.

Also – it was hers. The one she'd had in her room back in Los Angeles. She ducked her head to check and, yup – there was the burn mark on the side she'd accidentally made two years ago playing with her lighter.

Venus had no idea how her piano had been transported to her room – she'd left for five minutes.

Smiling slightly, the demon took a seat at the piano bench – set perfectly to her height – and flexed her fingers. She would be lying if she said she hadn't missed playing. Resting her hands on the keyboard, Venus closed her eyes and began to play.

Typically, Venus preferred music that broke rules. She loved jazz and blues, songs that were considered almost scandalous at the time of their inception. She also loved classic rock. Really, she loved anything that any strait-laced old-timer would hate – anything that people would class as "Devil's Music."

But instead of playing one of her favorites, Venus slipped into a rendition of Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude in D flat major. It was possibly one of her favorite classical pieces, though she wasn't quite sure why.

Venus's fingers and feet moved through the piece absent-mindedly. Playing was second nature to her, even though she was rusty. Practicing piano had always helped her focus on her thoughts.

The song came to an end, and Venus played the final chords slightly more forcefully than normal. Her tone made the song sound a little more ominous than it was supposed to, but she found that she quite liked it.

"That was awesome!"

Venus spun around. Superboy and Miss Martian were standing at Venus's doorway. The green-skinned girl was clapping her hands, her eyes wide with enthusiasm. Superboy looked impressed as well. Venus smiled lazily.

"Ah…thanks," she replied. She turned back to the keyboard, mindlessly composing another quiet tune. "My father owns a nightclub in Los Angeles, but it's really more of a piano bar, sometimes," she said as if to explain. Venus frowned. "He's quite good." Suddenly, Venus didn't feel like playing anymore. She rose to her feet suddenly, closing the lid.

Miss Martian blinked, a little surprised by Venus's sudden mood-swing. She had looked very…peaceful when she had been playing, but now her expression was closed-off again. The other girl shuffled her feet slightly, wondering if she'd done something wrong. Maybe Venus had wanted to be left alone…but her door had been open.

"Next time I'll take requests," Venus said, winking at her two teammates. She walked over to them, stepping out into the hallway. They followed her out of the entry way of her room, and she shut the door.

As if on cue, there was a dinging noise from the kitchen. Miss Martian blinked in surprise.

"Oh, my cookies!" She flew down the hallway, towards the common area of the Cave. Superboy and Venus followed. By the time they reached the kitchen, Miss Martian was pulling a tray of sugar cookies out of the oven. "Ta-da!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Yum," Venus said, leaning over the counter to take a better look at the pastries. Miss Martian grinned.

"I'm going to let them cool while I make the icing, and then they'll be ready!" she declared, placing them off to the side.

"Well, I was going to work on my bike," Superboy said, looking at the two girls. "Either of you want to come?" Miss Martian blushed slightly at the offer.

"I, um…" Miss Martian glanced at the powdered sugar and other icing ingredients off to the side. "I was going to finish up here…" she said, weighing her options. She wanted to continue hanging out with Superboy, but she really wanted to finish baking also. Maybe she could convince him to stay here…

"I'll come with you," Venus said before Miss Martian could say anything. Superboy smiled slightly, and Venus gave him a sly grin back. "Not like I have anything better to do," she taunted cheekily, hip checking Superboy as she passed him. A fond, slightly exasperated smile flickered over Superboy's face as he rolled his eyes and turned to follow Venus.

Miss Martian swallowed, watching the pair anxiously.

She and Superboy had gone on a mission together last week, just the two of them. Towards the end of it, Miss Martian had been frozen into a block of ice. Obviously, she was perfectly fine now. But when she'd broken free of the ice, Superboy had been so concerned about her, so relieved that she was okay. She remembered his relieved sigh when she'd broken out, his arms around her in a tight hug.

Miss Martian had begun to think that, after that, maybe the two of them would start dating. But Superboy had treated her just the same as always – friendly, less gruff and stand-offish to her than he was to their classmates and other girls at school, but nothing more. And now, sometimes Miss Martian still thought that he preferred Venus.

"I'll come join you guys after!" she called after them as the two heroes walked off together. Venus turned around, shooting Miss Martian a thumbs-up as she walked backwards. In doing so, she nearly collided with the wall as she attempted to turn the corner. Superboy grabbed her before she could fall, and their combined laughter echoed down the hallway and back to Miss Martian.

"Aren't you supposed to be more graceful than that, enhanced abilities and all?" Superboy teased the girl playfully. Venus laughed again.

"Well, why do I need those if you're here to catch me?" she responded. Superboy's response was lost as the two moved farther towards the hangar and out of earshot from Miss Martian.

The alien girl looked down at the counter, frowning slightly as she levitated a mixing bowl and the powdered sugar over to her.

Superboy and Venus were just friends, right?


"So, you never told me about your undercover mission with M'gann?" Venus said conversationally, hoisting herself onto Superboy's bike. Her feet dangled exactly in front of where he'd been looking. He shot her a quick exasperated look, pointedly moving her legs out of the way before focusing on the bike again. She chuckled, rearranging her position so that she was practically lounging across it.

"It was, you know, fine," Superboy said, looking at the mechanics with a frown. "I mean, we prevented the prison break." Venus couldn't help but laugh at the answer.

"Wow, riveting story," she teased the clone. "Come on, Conner." He liked the way she said his name. Her accent made the r at the end much softer, more like Con-nuh. "What's the nick like on the inside?"

"The nick?" Superboy repeated, looking up in confusion. His eyes widened as he took in Venus's new position. The girl was lying across his motorbike, her legs dangling over the handlebars and her face about three inches from his own. Something about the way she was lying was extremely…suggestive. It also didn't look comfortable in the slightest, but her face gave no indication of discomfort.

"You know," Venus said, seemingly oblivious to Superboy's surprise. The clone dropped his gaze quickly, staring at the motorbike again. "The clink, the slammer, the big house. Prison."

"Right," Superboy responded, composing himself and looking back up at Venus. Their faces were still inches apart, her hazely-green eyes locked on his. Venus's eyes flickered across Superboy's face, and a lazy grin spread over her face. "Never heard it called 'the nick' before," Superboy explained.

"Ah, I guess Cadmus didn't cover British slang," Venus murmured, nodding her head. She grinned, curling on her side and using her arm as a pillow as she wiggled even closer to Superboy. She was about two inches from completely falling of the bike, but she didn't quite care. Superboy's chest tightened oddly as he stared at the girl. Venus's voice dropped lower, her voice only a whisper as she breathed out, "Eh, mate?"

"Guess not," Superboy murmured back. Venus grinned again, and Superboy blinked. "Why do you have a British accent, anyways?" he asked her curiously. Venus turned her face back towards the ceiling, and the tightness in Superboy's chest loosened. He let out a slow breath.

"Good question," Venus replied. She paused. "I don't have a good answer."

Superboy chuckled, and Venus joined him. As their laughter faded away, the two teenagers lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Hey, guys!" A cheerful voice rang out. Venus sat up on Superboy's bike, switching position so that she was leaning against the handlebars with her legs crisscrossed. It was a much more innocent position. Kid Flash and Miss Martian were walking towards their two friends. Rolling behind them and beeping cheerfully was Superboy's alien-tech pet, Sphere. The speedster was holding one of Miss Martian's frosted cookies, gulping it down as the two teenagers climbed the steps to join Superboy and Venus.

"Looks like you haven't had much progress yet," Kid Flash said, inspecting Superboy's bike over the clone's shoulder. "Obviously, you need the Wall-Man's expert help." Venus chuckled at the expression on Superboy's face, halfway between irration and amusement.

"Go ahead," Superboy responded, stepping away from the bike. Venus made to move as well, but Wally stopped her.

"You can stay there, angel," he said, grinning at her. Venus rolled her eyes.

"How many times have I asked you not to call me that?" she said with no real heat to the words. Usually, being called "angel" would piss her off to a whole new level, but she minded it less when Kid Flash said it.

Venus froze at that thought. That didn't mean she was…growing fond of the Team, right? Ugh.

Kid Flash poked at the machinery for a moment considering. "Gimme a torque wrench," he requested, holding a hand out. Miss Martian levitated the correct tool over to the speedster, who grabbed it from the air. "Thank you, green-cheeks," he said, winking at the Martian.

Approaching footsteps made Venus turn her head. Aqualad was walking towards the group. He paused next to the bike, looking at his friends warily.

"I have been meaning to ask," he ventured. "Any problem juggling schoolwork with your responsibilities here?" Venus turned away – obviously the question didn't pertain to her.

"No," Superboy responded simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"Juggling's just one of my many talents," Kid Flash responded airily, tightening one of the mechanisms in the bike. "Socket wrench!"

"Daily cheerleading practice has presented a challenge," Miss Martian admitted, hovering the next tool over to Kid Flash. "But my first loyalty is always to the Team," she added. "This team!" She clarified, realizing her statement had been misleading. "Not the Bumblebees."

Aqualad nodded slowly. He eyed Venus for a moment, recalling Red Arrow's warning and their brief confrontation after Taipei. She looked back at him, her expression innocent and unwavering. Aqualad looked away.

"Artemis starts school today," he said. "Do you think she will have trouble maintaining her loyalties?" Venus arched an eyebrow. Something about Aqualad's tone was a little suspicious, like he wasn't telling them everything.

"What – " she began, only to be cut off by Kid Flash.

"Nah, she'll manage alright," the speedster said, standing up. He put his hands on his hips, smirking. "I mean, how much more hostile and annoying can she – "

There was a wave of heat and smoke as the hangar wall exploded, sending debris flying through the air. The explosion caught the Team by surprise, and they all flew backwards from the force of it.

Venus grimaced, standing up slowly. Before the Team could recuperate enough to react or even fully realize what happened, a stream of water rose up from the inlet in the hangar. It hit the Team in full force, shoving Venus back to the ground. She coughed as the water receded, her eyes stinging from the salt.

"Move!" she heard Aqualad shouting. Venus scrambled to her feet once more, heading down the steps and reaching for her whip. She cursed when she realized she'd left them locked in her room.

"Dammit," she muttered, holding her hands outwards. Holy fire flickered around her fingers, spiraling up her wrists. She turned around, her eyes scanning the hangar for their attackers.

She spotted a shape moving through the cloud of smoke and steam and sent a blast towards it. To her surprise, the force of the flames didn't even make the assailant flinch.

The attacker stepped out of the smoke, and Venus frowned. It was a robot – an android – that looked scarily similar to Red Tornado, only with a female build. Venus focused harder, sending another stream of flames towards the android.

The robot continued walking forwards, the flames rolling of her chest with no observable affect. Venus lowered her hand in shock, stepping backwards slowly. Her holy fire was hot – there should have been at least some melting of the paint or metal.

"Bloody Hell…" Venus muttered, taking another step back. The android in front of her raised its arm and Venus watched with wide eyes as flames began to circle around the robot's wrist. Well, that makes sense.

Venus leapt to the side, dodging the first blast of flames that the android sent at her. In doing so, her back slammed into something else that was very hard and metal. The demon whirled around, facing another Red Tornado look-alike.

The android shoved its hand out, catching Venus around her throat and lifting her into the air. The demon gasped, wrapping her fingers around the robot's hands in an attempt to pull it away.

"Vee!" She heard Superboy shout in concern. The android slammed Venus into the ground, pinning her against the stone. The force of her hitting the ground was enough to crack the floor around her.

Venus was immortal. She was certain that she couldn't die, but the lack of oxygen and the blow made her dizzy. She scrabbled weakly at the android's hand, fear starting to coil inside of her.

"Venus!" Superboy came out of nowhere, tackling the android off of the demon. Venus gasped for air, slowly pushing herself out of the crevice that her body had formed from being crushed against the ground.

She glanced to the side, her head spinning. Miss Martian was lying across the ground, her eyes closed. Venus faintly remembered that Martians were susceptible to heat – she hadn't stood a chance.

Rasping for breath, Venus moved to stand up. The ground tilted beneath her feet as she moved, and she fell to her hands and knees. Before she could attempt to rise to her feet again, the female android swung her metal leg out in a sharp kick. Her foot collided with Venus's temple, and the demon slumped to the ground.


"Venus? Come on, Vee, wake up."

Groaning, the demon cracked her eyes open. The light streaming in above her was obnoxiously bright, and it made her head hurt something awful. She was also in an odd position…for some reason she felt like she couldn't move her arms or legs.

Blinking a few times, Venus looked down. She stared in confusion at the melted metal surrounding her body and keeping her arms pinned to her sides. Her brain was too sluggish to recall how she'd gotten into this position.

"What happened?" she mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut and tipping it against the metal gently. Her head was really pounding.

"Androids," Superboy responded, watching the girl closely. "Are you alright?" Venus cracked her eyes open and took in the concerned look on Superboy's face. She mustered up a smile.

"I'll be fine," she replied as flippantly as possible. She craned her head around, trying to see. They were the hangar of the Cave still, right next to the inlet of water. Venus could see Kid Flash on the other side of Superboy, also encased in the melted metal. "Where are Aqualad and Miss Martian?" The demon asked, frowning.

Kid Flash jutted his chin outwards, his eyes narrowed in concern. "Up there," the speedster responded. Venus followed his gaze, her eyes widening when she spotted the cage of fire on the upper level of the hangar. She turned towards the two boys in alarm.

"Fire? Isn't that…" her voice trailed off, but she wasn't sure what she would have said anyways. Very bad? Their weakness? Going to kill them? Nothing reassuring, definitely. "Oh."

"Yeah," Kid Flash responded. "We have to – " The speedster was cut off by the crackling of the PA system. Venus frowned, raising her gaze upwards in surprise as the message echoed out over the hangar.

"Attention Robin. Attention Artemis. You have exactly ten minutes to surrender, or the lives of your friends will be extinguished."

"Artemis and Robin are – " Venus cut herself off with a slightly embarrassing gasp. The male android had just risen out of the water, striding towards them ominously. She flinched back instinctively, but the android simply held his hand out to the side.

Venus watched, eyes wide, as the water level began to rise. She swallowed hard as the waves crashed against the steps, rising over them and brushing her feet. Her heart pounded in her throat as she began to struggle against the metal bonds. To her surprise, they held fast against her enhanced strength – not even Superboy could break free.

Her heart pounded as the water rose fast, covering her legs and waist and quickly crawling up past her chest.

To be completely honest, Venus wasn't sure if she could drown. What she knew for sure was that she did not want to find out.

"Nine minutes and forty-five seconds," the android said, wading towards the trapped teenagers. Venus swallowed hard, gritting her teeth. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, silently praying.

Cassie? If you're there, now would be a great time to step in.

There was no response, no slowing of time or flash of light. Venus rolled her eyes in irritation. Of course, the one time she actually needed help, Cassie had his "cell phone" turned off.

Likely running errands for his dad. Venus's uncle hated for Castiel to be "distracted" while he was working.

"Can't you melt the metal?" Kid Flash asked Venus, snapping her out of her thoughts. The demon shook her head.

"Not without boiling us alive," she said, nodding at the water around them pointedly. She didn't have enough control over her fire to only melt the metal without the heat spreading to the water as well – frankly, she wasn't sure it was possible – and the melting point of the metal had to be well over 500 degrees Celcius. She muttered a curse, wishing she had thought to melt the metal before the android raised the water.

A splashing sound followed by gasps for air caught Venus's attention. She turned her head to see Robin and Artemis a few meters away. The two heroes looked okay, but they were both desperately sucking in air.

"Look out!" Kid Flash shouted to his friends. The female android was flying above them, and she sent a blast of flames directly at the two teenagers. Robin and Artemis ducked underwater again, swimming beneath the surface to avoid being hit. The two of them resurfaced next to Venus.

"You guys okay?" Robin asked breathlessly, flicking his wet hair away from his face as he treaded water.

"We're fine," Superboy said. He shifted his gaze to the fiery cage above their heads. "I think M'gann and Kaldur are in trouble." Artemis sucked in a shaky breath.

"Aqualad!" the archer cried. "Is she – "

"She is unconscious," Aqualad responded before Artemis could finish her sentence. His voice was audibly strained. "I fear she – we – cannot survive much longer."

Before the Team would attempt to form a plan, the female android caught up to them. She sent another blast of fire towards Artemis and Robin, and the two ducked under the water again. The flames flickered out over the surface of the water, brushing Venus's cheek. She barely noticed the fleeting sting of the burn as her eyes anxiously tracked Artemis and Robin.

The two heroes resurfaced by the staircase, wading out of the water to race up the stairs. They'd only made it halfway up when the male android surfaced behind them, cutting them off from doubling back. The female android landed in front of Robin and Artemis – the two of them were trapped.

Venus swallowed hard as she watched Robin and Artemis fight the androids. Robin flung a birdarang that ricocheted off the chest of the female android and embedded itself in the metal next to Kid Flash's head. She pressed her lips together, feeling stress rise in her as the two narrowly escaped being captured. She could see their shapes moving deeper and deeper through the water – for now they were out of harms way.

Venus let out a slow breath, relieved.

She rationalized her concern for Artemis and Robin as simple pragmaticism – she was worried that if they died or got captured, she would die. Venus wasn't actually worried about the safety of Robin and Artemis.

But even that argument couldn't explain the anxious feeling that rose in her chest when she looked over at Superboy and Kid Flash, or the concern that she'd felt when she'd heard the weakness of Aqualad's voice.

Venus bit her lip. I don't care about them, she thought fiercely. I don't.

"What do we do now?" Artemis's voice sounded close to Venus's head, clear as day. The demon's eyes flew wide, and she tilted her head around. She couldn't see the archer anywhere.

"What?" she said, turning her head to the other side in confusion. She was positive she had heard their voices. "Where are –"

"Sh!" Kid Flash said, his gaze flickering over to the androids anxiously. They hadn't seemed to notice Venus's outburst. Venus fell silent, looking at Kid Flash expectantly. The speedster tilted his head towards the birdarang next to his head, and for the first time Venus noticed the blinking green light. She blinked, a small grin flashing across her face. That Robin is a smart one.

At first Robin and Artemis were just arguing – Artemis was clearly stressed out, and Robin was much more level-headed.

"How can you be so calm?" Artemis asked in disbelief. Venus could hear faint scraping sounds as the two crawled through the air vents.

"Practice," came Robin's response. "I've been doing this since I was nine."

"What good is that now?" Artemis asked. "What chance do we have against unrelenting machines?"

"Oh, duh!" Suddenly Robin sounded much more hopeful. "They're machines! And one electro-magnetic pulse will shut down any machine in range!" Venus arched an eyebrow. She didn't really know what an electro-magnetic pulse was – she wasn't super science-y – but the grin on Kid Flash's face told her it was a good thing.

"Duh!" Kid Flash repeated, shaking his head.

"Great!" Artemis said, also sounding enthused. But then the tone of her voice changed, becoming tense once more. "Except you better have an EMP emitter in your utility belt, because I know I don't have one in my quiver!"

"I'm fresh out," Robin responded. Venus could hear the smile in his voice. "What do you say, KF? Do-able?"

"Totally do-able!" the speedster responded with a grin.

"Five minutes," the android's voice warned over the PA system. Kid Flash's smile faded, and he sighed.

"You know, if we had more time."

"It's worth a shot," Robin replied firmly. Also, it was the only chance they had. "Walk me through it." Kid Flash nodded to himself. He kept one eye on the android as he talked, worried that they might overhear and put a stop to what they were up to.

Venus could hear Kid Flash instructing Robin on how to build an EMP with supplies from the medical lab. She mostly tuned them out, keeping an eye on the androids. The robots were standing on the ledge by the fire cage, looking down upon Venus, Kid Flash, and Superboy. So far, they seemed none the wiser to what they were planning.

"Okay," said Robin. "Make with the distraction."

Venus blinked. She'd obviously missed something.

"Hey, Red Tomato!" Kid Flash shouted obnoxiously. "Who's your girlfriend, Red Onion?" Venus nodded slowly. Okay, distracting the robots. Got it.

"Yeah, and by the way!" Superboy added. "Worst death trap ever! We can escape any time we want!"

"I can vibrate my molecules out of here before your binary brains can count to two!" Kid Flash shouted. Venus laughed, playing along with the act. She couldn't lie, so the best she could do was speak uncertainties or bent truths.

"Do you lot know how hard it is to kill a demon?" She called up to them. "There's no way a simple drowning will do me in!"

"Same here!" Superboy yelled. "You can't drown a Kryptonian – we don't breathe air!" Kid Flash and Venus laughed, making light of their dire situation the best they could. Out of her peripheral vision, Venus could make out Robin ziplining across the hangar to the generator on the other side.

"And Miss Martian?" Kid Flash shouted. "I can't believe you're buying her act!"

"Yeah, do you know how hot it gets in the caves on Mars?" Superboy added. "That cage is just making her homesick!"

Venus saw the male android look away from the shouting teens. She swore under her breath as she realized he had caught sight of Robin. Artemis's shouted warning came too late, and Venus watched in horror as the boy was caught up in a wave.

The male android twisted his hand, and the wave turned into a column of water. Venus's throat clenched as she stared at Robin's motionless body inside of it.

He was drowning.

The android unclenched his fist, and the water splashed back to the inlet below. Robin fell to the ground in a heap. He didn't move.

"Robin!" Venus shouted instinctively. There was no response. "Robin!"

She turned to Kid Flash; her eyes wide with horror. The speedster shook his head in slow disbelief. The speedster had seen Robin best supervillain after supervillain, go up against bullets and super-strength and missiles…after all that, he drowned?

Venus swallowed hard, craning her neck around. She couldn't see Artemis anywhere – she wasn't sure if the girl had escaped or if she was somewhere out of Venus's line of sight, injured.

The water level was rising around them slowly but steadily. By now, it was at Venus's neck. She and the others had their heads tipped upwards as much as possible, trying to maximize their time spent above water. Above them, the android continued to announce the time remaining at one-minute intervals.

Taking a deep breath, Venus closed her eyes again. She focused hard, trying with all her strength to reach Castiel. CASSIE. I. Need. Your. Help. She opened her eyes again, looking around for any sign of her cousin. He was nowhere.

"One minute."

Of course the one time I need his time-slowing ability he's nowhere to be seen, Venus thought bitterly.

"I surrender," Artemis's voice was small, but it echoed around the cavern. "Stop the clock." Venus stared at the archer with wide eyes, wondering what would happen now. Despite what the androids had said – that if Artemis surrendered in ten minutes, they wouldn't die – she doubted they had gone through all this just to let them go.

As if to prove Venus's point, the water continued to rise. She took one last breath as it closed over her head.

The water was cold, and the salt stung Venus's eyes. Even through the murky water, her enhanced vision meant that she could see Superboy and Kid Flash. The two of them were holding their breath as well, but there was no telling how long they could last.

What's going to happen if I drown? Venus wondered again. Her chest was aching – she couldn't go without air. But would she die? Would she return to Hell?

Venus had no idea. Despite her uncertainty, she found that the more pressing concern in her mind was for her teammates. Superboy and Kid Flash were definitely not immortal, and Aqualad and Miss Martian were already dying. Robin was maybe already dead.

I failed, Venus realized as her vision started to blur from lack of oxygen. I was supposed to protect them, and I failed.

Then, the water receded. Venus blinked in surprise, letting go of her breath and sucking in air gratefully. She looked around – Superboy and Kid Flash were panting, the water was quickly descending back into the inlet. Venus turned her gaze towards the generator – one of Artemis's arrows was sticking out of it.

Whatever she'd done, it had made the EMP work. Artemis had saved them.

"Nice shot, mate," Venus called between coughs. She could hear Artemis's breathless, shocked laughter. "How are the others?"

"M'gann breathes," Aqualad replied. "I believe she will recover. What of Robin?"

There was a tense moment of silence, and then Artemis cried out in relief. "He's – he's breathing too!"

"Thank god," Kid Flash muttered next to her, his shoulders sagging in relief.

Venus knew it was a reflexive exclamation – from what she knew about Kid Flash, she doubted the speedster believed in a higher power. Still, she couldn't resist shaking her head slightly.

"He didn't do anything," she muttered, mostly to herself. "Thank Artemis."


"Figured my only shot was to surrender," Robin finished explaining to the others. "Pretend to drown before I actually did." He smiled, a little sheepishly. "Blacked out, though." Venus chuckled ever-so-slightly.

"M'gann, are you alright?" Superboy asked their friend in concern. The Martian was being supported by Kaldur. She still looked very weak.

"I'll be fine," she replied quietly, smiling at Superboy. Overheated as she was, no one noticed the faint flush to her cheeks at Superboy's attention. Even if they had, they were quickly distracted by Kid Flash's scathing remark.

"Will you quit playing with that thing and cut us free?" Kid Flash snapped, glaring at Artemis, who was fiddling with a laser-cutter. The Team had quickly discovered that Venus couldn't melt herself and the others out. Once the metal started getting hot, Kid Flash and Superboy would get burned. While it might have been worth it in their life or death situation, now it certainly wasn't.

Artemis scowled back at the speedster. "It's not working, genius. An EMP shuts down all machines, remember?"

"All machines present at the time," a familiar robotic voice corrected. Red Tornado was flying in through the hangar doors, a twister wrapped around his waist. The robot landed in front of them. "What has occurred?"

"Had a little visit from your family," Robin responded, putting his hands on his hips as he glanced towards the deactivated androids behind them. Red Tornado's head turned as he followed Robin's gaze.

"Your extremely nasty family!" Artemis added.

"I was not aware I had relations," Red Tornado replied, walking past the Team to further inspect the other androids.

"Where have you been?" Superboy asked their den mother. There hadn't been a League-wide call-to-arms, so it was surprising that Red Tornado would have left the Cave for as long as he had.

"Monitor duty on the Watchtower," Red Tornado responded, bending down to look at the robots. "When it became clear that Cave communications were down, I attempted to investigate. But your ZetaTubes were also non-functional. I transported to Providence and proceeded here."

There was a loud whirring sound, and Sphere rolled free from where he had been jammed into a crater in the wall.

"Hey, boy," Superboy said as the alien tech rolled up to the clone, beeping in concern. The blaster in Artemis's hands turned on suddenly, firing a beam at the ground. The archer's eyes went wide as she struggled to switch the machine back off.

"The pulse has worn off!" Robin and Kid Flash's voices were full of alarm as they both whipped to look at the androids. Red Tornado was bent over the two prone robots. Venus watched as the Leaguer touched his finger to that of his "sister's." A spark went between the two of them and Venus could see their eyes glow red.

A chill ran down her spin, and Red Tornado turned around. The android rose into the air without a word, two twisters spiraling around his wrists as he sucked all the oxygen out of the room.

Venus choked on nothing, gasping for breath fruitlessly. Her head spun as Red Tornado continued to pull the air from the room. None of the Team was capable of fighting back.

"Can't…breathe." Venus heard Artemis choke out.

And then, everything faded to black.


When Venus came back into consciousness, the Team was no longer alone. A few more members of the League had arrived, perhaps noticing the radio silence from the Team.

The demon blinked slowly. Her head and throat were killing her.

She, Kid Flash, and Superboy were being cut out from the metal by the Atom and the Flash. A few other Leaguers were checking on the other Team members. Everyone seemed to be alright – Artemis was the last one to come to consciousness, and Superman was helping her to her feet.

"What happened here?" Superman asked, looking around.

"What happened?" Artemis repeated. "The Reds happened! Tornado and his – " she paused, looking around in confusion. "Wait," she said, noticing the lack of robot. "Where are they?"

"Gone," Robin replied, turning around from where he was talking with Batman. "All three of them." Venus looked around the Cave as though to confirm, even though there was no reason Robin would be lying. She chuckled drily.

"Fantastic."

It took a long time for the Leaguers to cut the three teenagers free. Long enough that by the time Venus stepped out of her confines, she was seriously irritated.

"Debrief in the mission room," Batman announced to the Team as Superboy and Kid Flash also stepped out of the melted metal. Venus crossed her arms in annoyance. She was dying to change out of her clothes, which were stiff and itchy from the saltwater. But apparently not.

A tiny meow made her look down. Grimalkin wound around Venus's ankles, purring softly. Venus let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you're safe, Grim," Venus murmured, bending down to rub her cat on the top of her head. "Can't believe you managed to stay out of the way of those androids, demon cat." Grimalkin responded with a tiny mew, followed by a slow yawn.

Too slow.

Venus's eyes narrowed as she looked around. The Team members were frozen in place around her. Growling, Venus turned around.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up!" Venus seethed. She glared at her cousin angrily, but he didn't flinch. "You're lucky I'm still alive."

"You're immortal. And I was under strict orders not to intervene," Castiel responded, crossing his arms. "Grandfather knew what would happen. You didn't need my help." Venus's lips curled.

"Sure."

"I do have one question, Anael," Castiel said, looking at his cousin in confusion. Venus rolled her eyes, turning pointedly away from the boy.

"When you learn my name, I'll answer."

"Anael – "

"Castiel, I swear – "

"Venus." The demon stopped short, staring at her cousin in surprise. She had never actually expected him to call her by her preferred name. Judging by the look on his face, neither had he. Castiel sighed. "Venus," he repeated, his lip curling in distaste. "Why didn't you ascend? Either of your forms would have broken free of the metal."

Venus considered this in mild surprise. Why hadn't she? As she thought about, the answer came to her.

"It would have killed my fr – " she froze. She had almost called Superboy and Kid Flash her friends. Coughing, Venus backtracked. "My, uh, charges. They couldn't handle the power of seeing my true form." Swallowing hard, Venus added. "And who knows what father would have done if they'd died on my watch? No, thank you." Castiel smirked.

"Right," he replied. "So, you don't care about them, then?" Venus glared at Castiel.

"Of course n – " the words died on her lips, rasping from her throat as she choked on air. Swallowing hard, she tried again. "I don't – " once again, she was silenced by an unseen presence, physically unable to form the words.

Stunned, Venus stared at her cousin, her face growing slightly pale.

Why couldn't she say she didn't care about them? Why?

Castiel chuckled victoriously at the look on his cousin's face.

"What's wrong?" he taunted. "Cat got your tongue?" Venus stared at Cassie blankly. "Anael, we both know you are incapable of speaking untruths," Castiel replied smugly. He spread his arms, summoning the power to leave. "Have fun with your friends, cuz."


this chapter was really hard to write for some reason...anyways, hope you all enjoyed.

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