A/N: Sorry for the delay. I'm more tired than I thought I was. I've basically woken up, gone to work, then crashed every day. I've somehow managed to write this in between. Hope it's suitable.

Chapter summary: In which Tartarus begins to reveal its true nature, the lost is found, and the seekers and trapped.

Tartarus: the Deep Abyss

It just kept going. On and on and on in a never-ending desert. Far ahead, the infinite desert met the deep sapphire expanse that was the sky. The blue was deeper than Mokuba remembered the real sky ever being during the day. It reminded him of dusk. But light emanated from the deep blue allowing the group to see and be seen by any living thing.

So far, however, there had been no sign of anything, living or dead. Just wave after wave of sand dunes. It was generally boring aside from the fact this was purported to be a prison. That disturbing feeling of being watched still tingled on the edges of Mokuba's senses too. He had long ago decided he hated this place. He sincerely hoped Helios was alright.

He looked up when he noticed the Justice League had stopped moving. Green Lantern did not look too happy about something and it seemed like the others had similar thoughts.

"What's going on?" Mokuba asked.

"We're back where we started," Lantern said, huffing in frustration.

"You don't know that," Diana countered. Her voice, although firm, had the barest hint of doubt.

"We never veered off in any direction," Hawkgirl said. "We maintained a straight course."

"Then what's that?" Lantern pointed.

The League followed Lantern's finger with their eyes and saw crumbled remains revealed by the ever moving sands. But these were not just any remains. These were identical to the first ones they had seen upon entering this god forsaken place.

"Creepy," Mokuba muttered.

"What if we did not move at all?" J'onn said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean by that?" Shayera asked curiously.

The Manhunter paused as he attempted to find the right words to voice his thoughts. "The Tsukuyomi's guide has lead us here," he said, studying the butterfly of moonlight as it fluttered in a circle. "But perhaps it is just as confused by this place as we are?"

Mokuba was already shaking his head. "No," he said. "What if we did move but we didn't at the same time?"

"How does that make sense?" Lantern asked. Although the question was curt, the tone was curious and open to potential answers.

Mokuba shrugged and continued staring at the ruins below. "What if this is like one of my brother's virtual reality games?" he suggested. "Your body stays in one place, the pod, but your virtual body can go just about anywhere within the game."

"But which are we then?" Shayera asked. "Are we the bodies in the pod or the virtual versions?"

"Well," Mokuba said, "in the games, there's usually a save point or something where the player can go to save their progress and log out without losing any data. Since that thing was here when we got here," he said pointing down at the ruins, "why don't we start there?"

"It's worth a try," Diana said, darting down to take a look.

The others were not far behind. They landed in what appeared to be an open forum surrounded by crumbling columns. The stone was ancient, cracked, and a strange mix of dark and light colors swirling around each other in no particular order. Sand swirled around their feet, gathering in piles between the cracks and against the columns and ragged edges. It was dead in every sense of the word.

Green Lantern lowered his green globe allowing Mokuba to hop down onto the stone floor. "Don't wander off," he warned. "We need to stick together right now."

"I know, I know," Mokuba said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not a kid, you know."

"Right," Lantern said, letting the sarcasm in his voice say what he did not have to.

Mokuba tossed a glare over his shoulder and walked over to a column. He ran his fingers over the stone and again had the feeling of wrongness. There was something off about this place, he knew it.

"Alright," Shayera said, resting her hands on her hips. "We're here. Now what?" She glanced at Mokuba. "Any bright ideas?"

The Keeper scratched his head in confusion. "I don't know," he admitted. "I'm really kind of winging this whole thing." He paused and stared at his hand for a moment, then his eyes widened in shock. "What if…" He looked up at the group, eyes round and uncertain. "So, this may sound strange but humor me," he said.

"Okay," Lantern said slowly. "I'm listening."

J;onn stiffened, his amber eyes suddenly huge and afraid. "No," he breathed. "I can't let you do this," he said sternly.

"It works in the virtual world, why not here?" Mokuba argued.

"What works?" Diana asked, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer.

"If you can't stop playing a game for any reason, dying usually does the trick." Mokuba said. He quickly waved his hands, staving off any arguments. "Hear me out! I'm not saying we kill ourselves or anything but it's an option."

"An option none of us is willing to take," J'onn said resolutely. "I will not allow it."

"Then what do you suggest?" Mokuba asked in exasperation.

"Going on the video game analogy," Lantern said, "why not knock ourselves out? No harm no foul."

"And if it works, we wake up like in a bad dream," Shayera said, nodding. She fingered her mace unconsciously.

"I can do that," J'onn offered. "Perhaps if one of us manages to wake up, they can wake the rest of us."

"And meanwhile, if this is the real world, we'll all be here when the person wakes up," Shayera said. "I volunteer." She removed her helmet mask and folded her wings.

Mokuba watched the adults with mixed interest and anxiety. He did not want anyone to get hurt, but he also did not want to leave Helios along out her. He wanted to get back to his brother most of all. But in order to do that, he had to get out of here, preferably with Helios.

He shook his head and in doing so noticed the moonlight butterfly fluttering near the edge of the sandy sea. Curious, he walked carefully over to the tiny shikigami. It moved further away and he followed after it until they reached the edge of the ruins where the sand lapped against the stone like waves on a beach. The tiny butterfly landed lightly on the moving sand, flying away when a small wave threatened to crush it, then landing on the surface again.

"Here?" Mokuba asked, kneeling on the ledge.

The butterfly continued to land, take off, and land in the same spot. It was obvious the tiny thing had found something. Hopefully it was the person they were looking for. Mokuba reached out and scooped up a handful of sand from the wave, watching in awe as the hole slowly filled back up. He tossed the sand aside and began digging in earnest.

Something was buried here. Unfortunately, Mokuba's effort seemed to be as useless as scooping water from the sea. He refused to give up.

"Helios?" he called. "Helios, hang on. We're coming."

"Mokuba."

The boy jumped at his name and turned around to see the Manhunter hovering over his shoulder. "You should not have left us," the alien said. Mokuba sighed and turned back to the sand with a sigh. "Shayera is unconscious and we are-"

"I know," Mokuba said when J'onn fell silent. "But something's here," Mokuba said. "The Tsukuyomi's butterfly says so. Can you help me dig?" he asked, turning around again.

He stood up in shock when he realized J'onn was gone. He looked back to the forum and saw the others gone as well. "Hello?" he called, making his way cautiously back to the center of the ruins. "Guys? Where are you? Did you wake up?" he asked.

Still no answer.

Mokuba gulped. "Maybe they woke up," he said. "Maybe that means we'll find Helios, right, little shikigami?" He looked over his shoulder and paled.

The little butterfly was nowhere to be seen. The soft glow of moonlight was gone as was the warmth and companionship it offered. There were no signs of anyone ever being here. There was only Mokuba, the ruins, and the infinite sands.

"Guys?" Mokuba called again, louder this time.

He could not hear the scrape of the sand as it rubbed against the stone.

"Guys!" he cried, his voice sounding distant as if through a tunnel.

The wind no longer howled. He could feel it whipping around his face and see it blowing the sand but he could not hear it like he knew he should.

"Hello!"

Again, his voice was softer even though he knew he was screaming as loudly as he could. It sounded like just the barest hint of a whisper.

"Hello!" he cried again.

Or his lips formed the word and the air rushed from his lungs to give the word sound, but he heard nothing.

Hello. Was anyone there?

No sound at all now. There was no sound, so life, no hope. He could not even distinguish his own thoughts through the depressing silence.

He shivered in the unfelt cold. He blinked wide eyes when he was suddenly staring at the endless deep blue sky. He could no longer feel the stone beneath him or hear the sounds around him. Slowly, so painfully slowly, his vision locked on the sky, unable to look away.

He could not hear.

He could not feel.

He could not move.

He merely existed.

This was a prison where no god ever escaped.

Now he knew why.

Why.

Why did he come here?

Helios.

He had to get Helios.

But he could not find him.

He had to get back to his brother.

But he could not move.

He could do nothing but exist. He was afraid. Afraid of this unlife.

Was this what Helios was feeling? Was this his punishment?

He shivered but did not move.

He had to wake up. This was a dream. It had to be. It was the only thing that made sense.

He was scared. He wanted his brother. He wanted Seto. Seto would help. Seto always knew what to do.

Seto had told him to find Helios. He could not break Seto's confidence like that. Seto trusted him to do this. That meant Seto knew he could do it.

Seto trusted him. Mokuba couldn't break that trust.

He could not.

Besides, he was not Greek. Tartarus was a prison for gods, yes. But more specifically, it was a prison for Greek gods. The Titans.

Mokuba was not a Titan nor was he Greek by any means. That meant Tartarus had no right to imprison him like this. It was out of Tartarus's jurisdiction. It could be considered an attack on the Egyptian pantheon which would warrant a response of equal magnitude. Although knowing Seto as well as Mokuba did, there would hardly be anything "equal" about it. Seto may be the Balance but he had a serious case of enacting overwhelming vengeance on his enemies.

That thought warmed Mokuba's heart. The sensation startled him. The deep blue sky suddenly burst into overwhelming clarity as did the howling wind and individual grains of itchy sand blowing over him. The cool stone beneath his back was uncomfortable but incredibly welcome.

Unfortunately, his body did not react as well to the abrupt return of its senses. Mokuba had about two seconds to realize what was going to happen and roll over to his side before his stomach heaved. Everything he had eaten within the past twenty-four hours easy was now spilled on the stone floor.

Hands grabbed him, holding his body up and his hair back. Loud voices spoke to fast to understand. The influx of sound, touch, and sight was overwhelming. He had to fight the urge to scream. He did cover his ears, however.

"Stop!" he cried.

He balked at the sound of his own voice. It was not as loud as he had meant it to be. It had come out a soft whisper but sounded like screaming. It hurt his ears. He was adjusting to the return of sound, but not fast enough.

Thankfully, the voices faded to soft whispers that did not hurt his ears. He lifted his eyes and saw the Manhunter kneeling in front of him, watching him with a worried expression on his alien face.

:Are you well?: J'onn's mental voice asked gently.

Mokuba winced at the intrusion but nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said softly. "I'm okay."

"What happened?"

Mokuba turned to Hawkgirl who was kneeling by his side. She had been the one to hold back his hair when he vomited.

"You became catatonic," she explained, keeping her voice low. "We didn't know what happened." The Tsukuyomi's butterfly flew between her and Mokuba and her expression eased. "It wouldn't leave you," she said, her gaze following the butterfly.

"I think it likes you," Lantern said, leaning over J'onn's shoulder and offering the boy an indulgent smile.

Mokuba hesitantly returned the smile. "I think," he began. He paused to figure out how to explain what he wanted to say. "I think Tartarus tried to imprison me," he said.

"But you escaped," Wonder Woman said from her place on Mokuba's other side. Her eyes were concerned and confused.

"I..." Mokuba licked his lips thoughtfully. "I'm not Greek."

J'onn nodded slowly. "Yes," he said. "I heard your thoughts as you began to wake up. They were jumbled and fractured, but I remember that."

Mokuba nodded. He glanced down at his vomit, grimacing at the scent and sight. He tried to stand and was immediately helped up by Green Lantern.

"You okay kid?" Lantern asked gently.

"Yeah," Mokuba said. "Just a little... What is the word for confused?"

"Confused?" Lantern offered mildly.

"Disoriented," J'onn said.

"Yeah," Mokuba said, gesturing to the Manhunter. "That. I lost all my senses," he said leaning on Lantern. "I couldn't move or see or hear or feel or anything."

"Sensory deprivation," Hawkgirl said coldly. "That's a cruel punishment on par with solitary confinement." She studied Mokuba thoughtfully. "I'm assuming you escaped because you aren't Greek."

"It's possible Tartarus can't hold gods from other pantheons prisoner," Diana suggested.

Mokuba shook his head. "It can," he said. "I just won't because anyone not a Greek god is out if its jurisdiction."

"And we're back to the whole jurisdiction issue again," Hawkgirl said, mildly annoyed. "It seems to be a whole lot more complicated than we first thought."

"It's politics," Diana said sardonically. "It's always more complicated than it seems."

Lantern chortled. "You got that right," he said shaking his head. "You feeling better?" he asked the boy in his arms. "We're back to a normal volume and it doesn't seem to be bothering you."

Mokuba shook his head. "I'm okay now. I just have a headache." He grimaced and scratched his head.

It was then that he noticed the tiny moonlight butterfly hovering over the same patch of sand it had been earlier before this fiasco began. He squirmed out of Green Lantern's arms and hurried over to the spot again.

"There's something here," he said. His hands began scooping out sand trying to dig up whatever the butterfly sensed. "It's what I was looking at before I went under."

"What is it?" Diana asked as she knelt next to Mokuba.

"Don't know," the boy replied. "But the Tsukuyomi's guide thinks its important. It could be Helios."

Diana started digging with Mokuba. Shayera and J'onn joined in and Green Lantern used his ring to help. The sandy waves crashed over the stone rubble and withdrew. The trough created between waves was deep, bringing the sand too far out of reach of the diggers. Lantern used his ring to create a huge shovel which scooped up a huge amount of sand and tossed it aside.

The little butterfly flew down to the bottom of the trough and landed on the sand there. J'onn immediately flew down into the trough. As the next wave of sand approached, he lessened his molecular structure so the sand passed through him. He sank down below the heaving sand and reached out for whatever the Tsukuyomi's shikigami sensed.

The wave passed leaving him in the middle of another trough. That was when he noticed something pale amidst the dark, golden sand. He solidified his hand, grabbed the pale object, and pulled. The pale thing was a limp hand. The arm extended down further under the sand.

As the next sand wave overtook them, J'onn kept his hand solid and gripped the pale hand tightly. He waited through the wave until the next trough. He used the opportunity to pull. He needed more force.

"Lantern," he called up to his friends. He raised his hand in entreaty. "Hawkgirl, I need your help."

Wonder Woman stood and drew her lasso. She tossed the loop down so it encircled J'onn's upheld wrist and tugged the knot tight. The Thanagarian and Green Lantern took flight as and together with Diana, pulled on the lasso until J'onn slowly emerged from the sandy sea.

Mokuba watched, hope filling his chest as the form J'onn had with him slowly surfaced. The pale hand became a white sleeved shirt which became the snowy haired youth Mokuba had come to know well over the past year.

"Helios!" he cried. "Helios wake up. Helios!"

"He cannot hear you," J'onn called.

A shadow towered over him as another sand wave crashed over him. Or it would have had it not smashed against a green energy wall that blossomed into existence from Lantern's ring of power.

The Manhunter nodded his thanks as he and his insensate cargo finally rose from the sand into the sky. Once free of the sand's grip, he flew up to the stone rubble under his own power.

"Helios!" Mokuba called, hurrying over to J'onn as the alien landed.

"He cannot hear you," J'onn said again. He knelt and lay Helios down on the stone floor, placing a hand on the Titan's forehead. "He can no longer see, hear, or feel anything. His mind is..." He winced, his eyes narrowing in both pain and sympathy. "He is lost."

"Will he recover?" Wonder Woman asked as she looped her lasso back onto her belt.

Her dark blue eyes stared at the fallen Titan. Helios lay unmoving on his back staring blackly up at the deep blue sky. His pupils were blown wide not reacting to light. He did not seem to perceive the Justice League's presence. Touch did not elicit any kind of response. Strangely, tears leaked from the Titan's eyes. Wherever he was, it was clearly not a place he enjoyed.

Diana fought down a shudder. Seeing someone as powerful as she knew Helios to be so weak and vulnerable made her strangely uncomfortable. It just did not seem right for such a thing to happen. The sun was a steady fixture in the sky. Seeing Helios like this made her wonder how the sun was handling the imprisonment of its Titan representation. It was a disturbing thought.

"I believe so," J'onn said after a moment of consideration. "It will take time. But he has not been here long."

"That we know of," Diana warned. "We don't know if time flows the same way here as it does in our world."

"True," J'onn admitted. "Nevertheless, I believe he will recover. The first few days will likely be difficult." He raised his eyes to meet Mokuba's gaze. "Judging by your reactions, I would keep him away from stimulation unless he actively seeks it out."

Mokuba nodded. "Seto and I can help with that," he said confidently.

"Now for how to get out of here," Lantern said.

Diana stood and scanned the area once more. After a moment, she glimpsed something that made her pale. "Whatever we do, we need to do it fast," she said quickly. "Look."

She pointed to the far end of the rubble island. When the others looked there as well, they too disliked what they saw.

"It's sinking," Shayera said.

"We can fly," Lantern said. He looked back down at the catatonic Titan and flightless Mokuba and sighed. "But they can't. And we can't fly forever."

"The Tsukuyomi said he would be unable to help us leave," J'onn said, gathering the limp, unresponsive form of Helios in his arms as he stood. "He are on our own now."

"Unless Kaiba can convince Zeus to get us out of here," Lantern said, creating a half sphere for Mokuba to climb in and ride with them. "Unless any of you have any bright ideas. I'm all ears."

Diana narrowed her eyes at the oncoming sand tide. She could not think of anything.