"John, I just don't feel comfortable leaving this kid all on his own. Even if what you're saying is true," Superman argued. Constantine groaned as he ran his hands through his hair.
"Listen, the kid is fine. He can take care of himself. He doesn't need you boy scouts to tell him how to do his job. He's got this," Constantine pulled out a cigarette, ignoring the glare Batman threw his way.
Flash looked askance. "He could get seriously hurt."
"I mean, I'm dead so…" Phantom said, floating just beyond Constantine. Danny had become bored with the conversation a long time ago, and was trying to subtly float toward the large window. He was in space. Space!
"He needs a mentor. An adult. The kid can't just keep going against demons and ghosts and whatever on his own," Green Lantern argued.
"I have a mentor," Danny said distractedly, trying to pick out his favorite constellations.
"You have a mentor?" Batman said, turning towards the spector. "Who?"
Phantom blanched, stuttering furiously.
"Well you see- The thing is- I'm not sure if I'm supposed to- He's not really…"Phantom said, ghostly tail twitching.
"Child, if you cannot give us a name we can not be certain that you are being properly advised. If another hero has taken you under their wing-" Wonder Woman said gently.
"Well he's not exactly a hero, per se. But he's a great guy. I just don't know if he wants me to-"
"Kid, we're talking about a hero mentor here. It's great if you've got friends on your side, but you need someone who can actually help you if you are in trouble,"Superman said, walking towards the ghost. Phantom just floated away from the Man of Steel.
"Look, I've got it covered. I know you guys are trying to help but-" Phantom said.
"No one here is qualified on this," Constantine said, putting himself in Superman's path.
"I've had more than my fair share of magical experience, John," Wonder Woman argued.
"It's not the sort of magic you can deal with, Princess. Phantom stays in Amity and we stay out. That's how it has to be," Constantine said with a glare.
"We can't in good conscience just leave the boy there by himself. I'm sorry John, but we just can't accept that," Green Lantern said.
"I'm not alone, though!" Phantom grumbled.
"And the name of your mentor is-?" Flash asked
"Nunya. I don't want to tick him off by having people bother him," Danny said, his lip twitching. "And trust me, he can clock anyone if he needs to. I'm fine."
"We just can't take your word for it, kid," Superman said. "What kind of heroes would we be to just abandon you."
"You're not abandoning me. I'm fine," Danny whined. He hiccuped a stream of mist.
"We just need to set up-" Superman started.
"I feel as if I can help assuage some of your concerns," A voice said. A blue portal opened beside Phantom and Constantine. John flinched away, dropping his cigarette as he backed away. Phantom looked giddy.
"Clockwork!" Phantom cried, zooming forward to hug the ghost. Clockwork moved his staff out of the way to prevent the halfa from running face first into it. Again.
"Hello, Daniel," Clockwork said, ruffling Phantom's hair. The heroes looked on warily, tensed for a confrontation. "I saw that this conversation was going to take far more time than it needed to, and you need to be back in Amity."
"It's not my fault they aren't listening," Danny whined.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" Constantine asked.
"I am Clockwork, Master of Time," Clockwork answered, reaching into his pocket. "And I am Daniel's guardian."
He held up a cookie towards Danny, who whooped in delight before shoving the whole thing in his mouth. Constantine sputtered while the rest of the League looked on in suspicion.
"You're his guardian?" Batman's eyes narrowed.
"Indeed," Clockwork said with a nod, pulling out another cookie for Phantom.
"Nevermind that, when you say Master of Time do you mean-?" Constantine asked.
"I have had many names, many you will have heard. Many not. Chronos, Heh, Purysho, Manu," Clockwork said.
"Chronos?" Wonder Woman's eyes widened. Constantine looked sick.
"So we're talking with the bleeding God of Time?" Constantine asked.
"God?" Danny asked around the two cookies he had stuffed in his mouth. Clockwork merely patted him on the head.
"Some have called me such, yes," Clockwork nodded. Constantine collapsed into a chair.
"How are you his guardian?" Wonder Woman asked, looking at Phantom closely. Not that he noticed. After getting a handful of cookies, he finally gave into the temptation to just stare out the window into space. Clockwork could take care of the adults.
"How?" Batman growled.
"I was told to take responsibility for him, so I did," Clockwork said.
"He was supposed to make sure I didn't have a future, but the eyeballs didn't think their words through," Danny laughed.
"Eyeballs?" Flash frowned.
"So how do we know that you won't just decide to destroy him later?" Superman glared.
"There is no longer any reason to. Time is not linear, nor is it set. The future that I was told to prevent is destroyed. All is as it should be," Clockwork said. "But that is not the reason I came here."
"Oh?" Green Lantern asked.
"Daniel is to stay in Amity Park, and the Justice League is to stay away," Clockwork said, face neutral.
"He's just a kid, though. I'm sure we can help him out from time to time, and he would make a great addition-" Flash started.
"You misunderstand. This is not up for discussion," Clockwork said. His staff glowed momentarily and the Justice League froze in place. Unable to move. Unable to blink. Unable to breathe. "Daniel is to stay in Amity Park, and the Justice League is to stay away."
Clockwork's voice echoed throughout the room. It faded into nothing, the Justice League still immobilized. The only other sound was the soft munching coming from the side of the room.
Clockwork's staff twitched, and Constantine gasped and grabbed at his chest. The others of the League remained frozen.
"I trust you can impart how serious I am about this, John Constantine," Clockwork said, as he floated over and pulled Phantom away from the window. Danny came along without a fuss, looking at Constantine sheepishly. "I would hate to have to take… extreme measures."
"Right," Constantine nodded fervently. His fallen cigarette sped through the air, landing back in John's mouth.
"Good," Clockwork said. He waved his staff and another blue portal opened. Phantom waved back at the League with a wide smile before the two floated into the field of blue.
As soon as the two ghosts disappeared, the League sprung back into motion. Each taking large breaths of air. They glanced at each other, at a loss for words.
"So," Constantine said. "Anyone still want to argue about this?"
