Chapter 6: Tough Love

2004 A.D.

Sportsmaster's Hideout, Gotham

Meanwhile inside the little girl room in the same building.

Two girls, a total stranger to each other, spent their first impromptu night out. One was just barely eight years old, the other was as old as time itself.

Yet, it somehow made more sense than a fallen angel talking to a man dress in a bat suit, leaping across the rooftop fighting crime.

"So. What's your name, little one?"

"Artemis Crock. And you?"

"Call me Deli."

The youngest of the endless gave out a charming smile.

Well, at least that's what happened outside of her head. What happened inside? Well, it's sort of chaotic beyond mortal comprehension. As expected from an entity of Delirium.

…

- Inside Delirium's head -

SHE'S SO YOUNG. SO CUTE. SO ADORABLE!

I WANT TO PINCH HER CHEEKS

I WANT TO PAT HER HEAD.

I WANT HER TO TRY MY TELEPHONE FLAVOR ICECREAM I INVENTED YESTERDAY.

STOP IT YOU. SHE'S UNDER APOLLYON PROTECTION. THIS GIRL IS NOT TO BE TOUCHED.

YES. YES. IF WE PISSED OFF THAT ANGEL, WE WILL NOT GET A CHANCE TO BANG HIM.

EWWW. THAT'S DIRTY. STOP IT.

NO, WE WILL NOT.

DAMN IT! YOU SLUT.

WHAT? YOU GONNA TURN DOWN A GOOD SHAG?

I DIDN'T SAID THAT.

AHA!

DON'T AHA ME, BITCHES.

NANANANANANANANANANANANANAANANANANA BATMAN! BATMAN!

A thousand voices shouted inside her head, supporting and contradicting each other. All of the voices were hers and her alone. This was not a case of multi-personality disorder, this was not schizophrenia, it's just who she was. Delirium of the Endless.

Fortunately, the girl in front of her didn't notice a thing. If she did, she might be driven mad by the sheer number of voices screaming nastiness at the same time. If that didn't break her the whispers of the forbidden eldritch secret would.

…

Back in the real world.

Her smile put little Artemis at ease. There was something alluring in the older woman lips. Something that the little girl couldn't make out of. Good for her.

At least for now.

"So. How do you know Mr. Angel? What's his name anyway?" Curiously asked the girl. Come to think of it, the Fallen Angel had never told her his name. Somehow, she didn't take notice of it until he left.

Blessed her innocent and ignorant mind.

"His name is Apollyon. I know him via his father. His dad is kinda my boss but not really." The Endless leaned in and whispered in her ears. " But when you call him Polly, he will instantly throw a tantrum. But hey, you didn't hear it from me, okay?"

The grin on Delirium face couldn't be wider.

"So …" The older girl continued. "Do you do magic?"

"Like a card trick? Or a magician like Zatara." Little Artemis replied. Her eyes were blank yet filled with anticipation.

"No. No. No. Magic the gathering."

Delirium smiled and pulled out a booster box. This was going to be one of those nights.

Another victim was added to her playgroup. Poor girl.

…

Meanwhile outside the said room. The conversation between Batman and Apollyon continued.

The fallen angel idea was full of holes. A complete disregard of logic. Any idiot with a basic common sense could find a fault in it immediately.

"Sire. That's stupid. No one is going to fall for that. Anyone that could check the record would be alert immediately." Batman berated. "Even if no one finds it suspicious that a high-end night club pops up out of nowhere. Do you even know how to run a nightclub? What if the government start checking on your background and found something doesn't add up?"

The fallen angel shrugged.

Batman wasn't going to have any of it. So, he did his signature the batglare.

"Don't even bother trying. I teach you that trick remember."

Batman glared even harder.

"Bruce."

Batman glared even harder.

"It's not gonna work."

He glared harder than he ever glared before.

"This is ridiculous. Ridiculously stupid."

"Hmmm. I can say the same for your previous action, Sire."

Eyes lit up, Apollyon gave out his own glare. It's a staring contest now.

"Careful Bruce. You are playing a game you know you cannot win."

"…"

"…."

Silent befell the entire area for 45 minutes. They didn't move even for the slightest.

Until one of them gave in. Unfortunately, it's Apollyon.

It appeared that the student had become the master.

"Fuck it. Fine. Have it your way."

The fallen angel's eyes lit up. He changed the reality back to what it was before. Who knew? This might even be his Dad plan at work here since he worked in a mysterious way after all.

To add an insult to the injury, Batman smiled. Not sarcastically, not a slight grin, a good full mouth genuine smile. Yes, he was enjoying this. And No, he didn't do it unintentionally.

Well, Batman smiled when his teacher back was turned. No one could saw him doing it.

"Let me handle the adoption paperwork, identity, and legal documents. It should take no longer than a week. Try your best to not kidnap her or do something that inappropriate."

Apollyon heavily sighed. Why did mortal affairs need to be so complicated? It would be much easier when everything subsequently responds to his whim, and if his parent or his siblings didn't agree with it, then their power clashed and to the victor goes the spoil.

As he was assigned a role of the Destroyer, an angel of destruction, only a few of his sibling would dare clash with him one-on-one. Thus, he was quite spoiled indeed. As for now? Now he felt so powerless. Not that he couldn't change anything to his whim because he could. It was just that he knew, deep down, his Dad would not allow it. Only a fool would try to cheat the Dad's test and Apollyon was no fool. At least that what he thought.

"Fine. Get it going. And don't even dare using my disappearing …"

He turned as he felt a sudden movement only to found that Batman had vanished.

"Daniel Espinoza! … (Mother F….)"

It seemed the student had become the master twice in the same night.

…

Back inside Artemis's room.

"See you tap land to generate mana, then you pay mana to cast a spell. Then you cast a lot of stuff and smash your opponent face, figuratively." Delirium said with delight.

"Whoooooooooa." The little girl's eyes sparkled.

"Here's my little gifts to you. Go nuts on opening packs, little human."

The Endless toss her 3 booster boxes. Of course, the girl tore it open and checked the cards inside with glee.

Then the door opened. In came the annoyed fallen angel.

"Hey. What are you two doing? It looks fun." He masked his annoyance with a smile.

"MAGIC!" the little girl answered with a shout. A gleeful snickering from Delirium came afterward.

"Wow. Just. Wow." The fallen angel nonchalantly exclaimed as he looked toward his peer. The Endless suggestively winked at him.

"Anyway. Artemis. Your father got a timeout. He will be staying at the hospital for a long while … then jail for even longer."

"What?" The girl startled

"You need to stay at somewhere else. Think of it as a long-term sleepover."

"That's so wrong in so many levels." Interjected Delirium. "So, are you gonna adopt her?"

"…" Apollyon's mouth remained shut. Why did she need to interrupt him like that? He was working on it and it ruined now.

"Cool. This way you can be a dad and I can be a mom. We can practice raising a child before having one ourselves." She said with glee.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. What the hell you're talking about? Who said anything about being a family?"

Even when he expected Delirium to not be 100% sane, it seemed she was even worse than what he first thought. Sure, she was attractive, and he was interested in being more intimate with her, but this was too fast. In fact, all the process along the way was skipped in its entirety.

"Well. I think it is implied after all the flirting we had."

"I flirt with you, twice. TWICE!! In about a century, I might add."

"Don't tell me you didn't want any of these?" She ran her hand all over her body. It was all to tempt him, and it's working.

"Stop it! First, there is a child in the room! Second, Well. I do, but that's not the point!"

Apollyon couldn't believe he was having this kind of argument. What the hell does this universe end up with?

"Well. What's are you waiting for? We are both eternal. A century is no different from a blink of an eye."

"Yes. A blink of an eye. We should, you know, seeing each other for a few millennia before dating and the other stuff."

"No. It means those time are insignificant. Let's skip to boring part and go to the fun one already." She deviously smiled. There was no mistake in seeing the obvious hunger that hid behind her lips.

"Oh, Father. Why do keep torturing me like this?" Facepalmed, Apollyon wished he was fighting through the horde of Trigon's minions instead. At least its goal was achievable.

"….."

So, consumed by their weird celestial argument, they totally ignored a baffled 8 years-old Artemis. She was shaken by the things she didn't wish to hear. Lucky for her, she didn't understand half of it. Her eyes were blank, as well as her head.

"I think we broke her." Said Delirium. She moved her hand up and down in front of the little girl's face, there was no response. "Yep. Totally broken. Damn, just about the time I got enough people for firing a draft pod."

"Shit. How's that happened?" Apollyon was baffled. He was also annoyed that Delirium paid no concern for the girl's well being.

"Well. I suspect that our little argument there gave out a cosmic residue. If I'm not mistaken, we are too focus in our old couple argument that we unleash a buttload of it without noticing. It's probably going to the nearest being, hence the girl. With her young mind, she could not withstand the power this residue contained, and it broke her. At least that's what I thought."

Apollyon had to admit, Delirium's theory wasn't too far fetched. If it came from any of her siblings' mouth, he might whole earthly believe them. Delirium, on the other hand, was by definition and by nature bat shit insane. Of course, he needed to take her words with a grain of salt.

In other words, he took a leap of faith in believing her.

"Then we are so screwed."

"Awwwwww. Why don't we create a new one?" She playfully suggested.

"Don't … Please. This is not the time."

"No. No. No. I don't mean like that. Well, unless you up for it." She flicked back and forth. "I mean with your power combine with mine, there are not many things we couldn't accomplish. You could create a new conscience while I mold it to the body. We could implant her old memory as well as all the explanation inside her head. We could even make her mortal no more."

As she spokes, Delirium subtly moved beside him and hugged one of his arms. "Come on. What's there to be afraid of?" She gave his arm a light yanked.

"Well, my dear Delirium. Let's see. Oh, there might be a little thing call … DAD!" His scream shook the entire planet. The sky split apart as if his word cleaved it in twain.

Apollyon was dead serious. Delirium, however, being herself and she didn't show any worries. Not even one. A total contrast of emotion between two of them.

"Don't you think you are assuming too much, Son? At least you care. I like your new development." A familiar booming voice interrupted Apollyon's rant. He knew this voice well. Too well. He came in a form of a chubby old man with a magnificent mustache wearing a small bowler hat.

"Dad?" Apollyon's eyes widened.

"My lord." Delirium slightly bowed. In the Presence's presence, she didn't dare behave silly. Well, too silly than usual.

"I told you to live among these humans. I didn't order you to do anything else specific. Everything else is your imagination, No?" The Presence continued. "Ironic isn't it? You and your siblings always rant about having no free will. Yet, when I allow you to have one, you still think you didn't have it."

Shocked. Apollyon went dead silent. He didn't know what kind of game his Dad was playing. This was a next level maneuver he had never expected.

"It seemed you still don't believe me. Huh." The Presence sighed. "Delirium." He called forth the youngest of the Endless.

"Yes, sir!"

"You are the wisest among the Endless. Also, the most insane, which make you able to see the thing even your eldest brother could not. Be there for him and help him live among the mortals, will you?"

"WAIT WHAT! What. What. What the actual fuck?" Apollyon ranted as he realized what his Dad implied. Before he could argue, the Presence vanished. "This doesn't have my consent!"

If there was a table lying around, he would flip it right now. Still, it's Delirium. What's not to like?

Don't even attempt to answer that question.

"So. Darling. Shall we?" Delirium asked in jest.

"Don't darling me, Deli." Apollyon hissed. "I'm not gonna do it when I know Dad is watching."

"I mean fixing the girl. Geeze. Do you have to think about sex all the time?" She laughed.

"Seriously? You take a 180 U-turn and take a high road?" Apollyon's jaw wide opened. She joyfully nodded. He really walked into that one.

"Well. Here's go nothing."

His hands lit up as his divinity flushed through. How hard fixing an 8-years old mind would be? He looked at his insane partner and found her doing the same. Within seconds, an amethyst light exploded from the little girl body at an astonishing speed. Half-a-breath later everything returned to normal. Like, normally normal.

Within seconds, the little girl woke up. She was oblivious to the whole thing.

"Awww. What happened?"

Apollyon faked a smile. He leaned down to her level. "Nothing much. Say, since your dad and mom will not be with you for a while. Do you mind staying with m.., us? with us? We could bring you to visit your mom every week."

Good thing that Delirium was here with him. By letting her share the responsibility somehow made it less weird. If his Dad aimed to force her on him, the least he could do was to make her a good use.

Little Artemis pondered for a while. She nodded her head. Right, she wanted to see her mom, but her dad would never allow her. Innocently, she asked. "What about my dad?"

"Do you really want to be alone with your father? He hurt you, didn't he? By words. By force. You are always the receiving end of his frustration. Do you want to see him ever again?"

The girl went silent. She thought long and hard. There was a truth in Apollyon's word, but she was still in conflict. Seeing the situation was still up in the air, Delirium decided to intervene. Her eyes gleamed with rainbow light.

Within a split second, the deeded was done.

"No. I do not. I will go with both of you, but you have to promise to take me to see mom every week." She childishly demanded.

"Yes. Yes. We could do that. With my help, your mother might even get out early. Then you can see her every day."

Apollyon patted her head. Then he moved his eyes from the little girl to the much older one. With a mental transmission, he asked. "What have you done, Delirium?"

"I did nothing." She replied in the same way.

"You do. Your eyes lit up. Tell me."

"Oh. It's just a little push I give her. She gonna come around eventually, so I decided to save some time."

"Are you sure it will not backfire on us?"

"Please. Do you realize who are you talking to?" She crossed her arms and gave him a smug look. "By the way, I temporary suppress all her memories about you being an angel and other supernatural stuff. You probably don't want your secret to be told by an over-energetic school girl in the near future. It will resurface around the time she is 16, give or take a year."

Apollyon let out a long and heavy sigh. He couldn't believe what just happened. Two hours ago, he was chilling with his carefree life. Two hours later, he all but adopt an eight years old girl and had one of the Endless as a partner in crime. All thanks to his dear old Dad.

"Well then. We better get going. Pack your bag, little one. I gonna get us a ride and set up the place for you."

…

Outside the hideout

He walked out of the compound. With his power, he summoned a convertible. The very same one he saw Lucifer own in the higher realm of existence. He had never been an imaginative sort, well what could he do. The car dashed out of the hellfire. As he turned the key, its engine hummed with power.

"I always know it is a good idea to buy a small mansion near Bruce's property. Hell, I should even by his manor had I know this will happen." He said to himself, out loud. "Well. At least I don't need a butler, but I might need some crews for my nightclub project though. I wish Lucy could see me now." He finished with a grin.

"Screw LUX and your classy little specs, Lucy. I will show you how it's done with my Masak Mavdil."

…

Tower of Dis, Dis, Hell

Since she was made a sole ruler of hell, there was not a day gone by that the serpent queen, Ran Vaal Dath, didn't wish there was another war. Since she gained even more power and all those bastards in Masak Mavdil dead, thanks to Apollyon descension, everything had turned to stale. No one dared to challenge her anymore.

Well, there was still her son, Etrigan, but Merlin bounded him with Jason Blood once again. She couldn't even afford to be paranoid by her offspring. A demon lord like her thrived in conflict. If there was none, then what's the point of being a ruler.

She wished she could leave hell to escape all this boring stuff. Well, she technically could, but then there would be a war on a cosmic scale. While that would be fun, it would surely guarantee her demise. There were too many eyes aiming to control hell, not only the force of Heaven but other celestial beings, gods both old and new, outer dimensional entities.

Then the entire hell shook as one of its lords returned. Apollyon descended once again. Traveling via a streak of light, he burst forth in her throne room. As he unfurled his wings, the entire room was blown apart by an unholy storm. The storm was so strong some of her weaker attendants died on the spot.

With a nonchalant smile, he friendly said. "Sub. bitches. I have a job proposition for you."

"You came to my court and kill my useless minions to offer a job? Intriguing." Well. The day might not be as stale as she first thought. "And what job is that?"

"A bartender, on Earth."

"A bartender?"

"Think of it this way. You and your friends get out of hell and work for me for a while. When you decide to go back, and when I decide to let you go back, this place would be an absolute clusterfuck. Then you could conquer it all over again. Do we have a deal?"

"Anything is better than sulking in here. There was no fun without conflict anymore. Of course, we have a deal."

She didn't know what her former peer was thinking. But if it allowed her to get out of hell to have some fun, she didn't mind taking it. The prospect of let hell ruin itself so that she can conquer it once again was an exciting source too. She would be a fool to pass this kind of opportunity.

…

Well guys, that chapter 6 for you. 1 more chapter before the story of Young Justice Start.

The next chapter will be three/four of them balling around and meeting with other leagues members.