"Zatanna… Zatanna, wake up." Muttered Kid Flash, shaking her awake. Slowly, her vision came into focus, and she saw that she was lying on grass where the Tower of Fate used to be. Kid Flash was kneeling next to her, making sure she was okay, and she looked over to see Robin and Artemis talking.
"I thought that…" she said, still dazed.
"Ssshh, don't strain yourself. We're gonna get you on the bio-ship and back to the Cave, okay?"
She simply nodded and allowed Wally to pick her up and walk her back on. He laid her down on a bed and walked out to see expectant faces on Artemis, Robin, and Zatara.
"She'll be fine. Better than fine when she sees you, probably." He said, addressing Zatara.
He looked away, unsure of what to say. However, everyone else in the ship was looking at him expectantly.
"So, are you going to tell us what happened or what?" asked Artemis with her arms crossed and a skeptical look on her face.
"I was abducted by the demon called Trigon. Zatanna saved my life, but it is likely she will have no recollection of doing so, and no recollection of seeing me. I plan on keeping it that way." He said, grabbing the Helmet of Fate out of the chair. When Wally saw it, it sent shivers down his spine.
"Are you fucking kidding me, Zatara?! She's been beating herself up for three years because she couldn't save you! And now, you're just gonna disappear without even letting her say one last goodbye?" Artemis was enraged. She knew how much this was going to hurt Zatanna, and she wouldn't stand for it.
"Yes." He said sternly, looking her in the eyes. "And I trust that all of you will not tell her, because we all know how much it will hurt her. It is best if she remembers nothing."
"I'm not going to do that." Said Artemis. "She deserves to know." She turned and began walking towards the room she was in, but Zatara said "potS." Freezing her in her tracks.
"rebmemeR gnihtoN." He said, wiping her memory of this confrontation, causing her to fall unconscious, but Robin caught her, looking at Zatara in disgust. Reluctantly, he put the helmet back on and disappeared. After Robin laid Artemis down next to Zatanna, he came back out and sat down, turning to face Wally, M'Gann, and Tula.
"We can't tell them." He said.
"Why not?" demanded Wally.
"Because it would kill Zatanna. And if Artemis found out what Zatara did to her, there's no telling what she would do. I don't like this anymore than you guys but we need to start thinking like superheroes, and not friends. It's for the best."
No one would look him in the eyes. They all knew he was right, despite how much it killed them.
Unbeknownst to anyone, within the Helmet of Fate, Zatara's screams could barely be heard over Trigon's endless laughing of triumph.