"Where's Lian?" Roy asked his ex as he entered the Wayne Manor's living-room, the whole batclan and the Brown-Row's were present- the Constantines were in some cult hunt in Europe.
"She is out with Bruce and Damian," Jade answered him with a Cheshire smile. "They are out shopping."
"Those two really love to spend outstandings amount of money," Roy shook his head in exhasperation. "Didn't they buy her a princess dress for the next Martha Wayne Foundation Gala last week?"
"They still need to find her the perfect pair of shoes to match and a tiara," Jade told him seriously. "She is a princess after all."
"That she is," Roy could not disagree with her on that. Lian was the Wayne and Queen princess, and everyone knows that. Cat Grant made sure of that. "But still, how can they shop that much and not get tired?"
"They were born and raised rich," Jason told him. "They are used to it, while most of us were raised on the streets or as child soldiers. Dami might have been a child soldier, but he was a crown prince child soldier."
"He still is a crown prince," Alec reminded them.
"To a much bigger kingdom this time," Mara smirked, proud of her akhi.
"I still can't get over the fact that Damian Wayne of all people is the heir of Hell," Roy shook his head in disbelief. "I saw him yesterday playing tea party with Lian!"
"He is an angel!" Dick made sure to gloat about his favorite brother.
"Well, he is a nephelim," Tim pointed out.
"Do we really have to assist to that dreadful gala?" Steph pouted, leaning on her best friend Cass, even though her boyfriend was sitting next to her- many bat-siblings shared a look at that.
"She is right," Harper agreed with her stepsister. "Can't Damian be the only one to go? He is the only one to enjoy all the socializing and politics going there. He thrives at them!"
"That you do," Alfred answered her primly. "Master Bruce's childhood friend Mister Thomas Elliot is finally returning to Gotham after so many years. Master Bruce would like your support."
"We will be there for that!" Dick promised the butler.
"Our support he will need," Roy sighed.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked him in concern, touching his arm in support.
Cass raised an eyebrow at that. That was not a gesture of supprt from a friend, but one of someone who cared very deeply about you. Cass smirked secretly, making an estimation of when those two will get together. A year at least, Roy would not touch Jason as long as he was still underage.
"I got information from one of my contacts in Santa Prisca, Bane has been killed," Roy informed the stunned batclan.
"Was it confirmed?" Jade asked him rapidly.
"It was, she was there for his death and later for when his body was burned," Roy assured her.
"When was this?" Alfred asked him seriously, getting right to work.
"Half a year ago," Roy confessed.
"Six months ago?!"
"Why did we not know about this before?!"
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
"Shit! This is insane!"
"Enough!" Dick took command of the room as the eldest, shutting his siblings down. "Why is that your contact has only informed you of this now? What took her so long?"
"Because the one that offed Bane was his second-in-command," Roy answered him. "Until then he had been too scared to go against Bane, but without his venom he was finally vulnerable. He had his assassin training, but his body was weak and trying to get used to the idea of being without the venom..."
"So, he took his opportunity and took control of the organization in Santa Prisca," Tim deduced. "The unrest of a coup and new management must have made it hard for your contact to send anything."
"It was," Roy agreed. "It was eveen worse when the criminal empire and dictatorship over the island went to shit."
"Of course, it did," Jade sighed. "What made Bane so dangerous was not only his venom-enhanced body or his League of Assassins training, but his intellect. Which his second-in-command clearly did not have, as he failed to keep control in just mere months."
"It also helped that my contact inspired people to revolt," Roy shared with a smirk. "She is in charge now."
"Good," Alfred nodded primly. "We will have the Martha Wayne Foundation send aid and maybe create jobs, a factory or lab in the island will nice. Not to mention, that the Wayne family is in deer need of a family vacation villa in the caribbean. Most of the family's island villas are in the mediterranean sea."
"Don't you guys own your own private island?" Harper asked them sarcastically.
"Two of them," Mara replied. "A Wayne island in the philippine sea and an al Ghul island, known as the Infinity Island."
"Akhi fought our great-grandmother and won it in a trial by combat," Alec gloated with pride.
"You have two private islands and a villa in Europe, and you still want another one in the caribbean?" Cullen asked them slowly. "Rich people, I'll never understand them."
They all laughed at that. When Bruce, Damian, and Lian had finally made it back to the manor, they had a report done and ready for Batman. While relieved that Bane was gone and Santa Prisca is safe, Bruce was also sad that there had been no other way to save Bane as well. For a long time, Bruce had kept faith of rehabilitating his rogue gallery mostly out of stubbornness. But when Damian came that changed, so many of his villains were saved- given a chance to do better. Right now his old childhood friend Harvey Dent was working as a legal consultant in the Wayne Enterprices' Legal Department. He was on his meds and was doing much better. Bruce was delighted to have him back in his life, and even Dick has moved on from his trauma of almost dying because of him when he was Robin.
Though he was never going to be Dick's favorite person. Man-Bat, on his part, had been healed by Flamebird and had joined Dr. Freeze and Posion Ivy at the R&D Department of Wayne Enterprices. Their research was being closely monitored every day and they had mandatory weekly therapy sessions.
Of the worst rogues Batman has ever had only the Penguin, Mad Hatter, Black Mask, Scarecrow, Mister Zsasz, and Professor Pyg, were left at Akham Asylum. Even Firefly was taking his meds and getting better. It was a slow process, one that his team was taking one time at the time. But being surrounded by Flamebird's flames, after his objective of blowing up the ciity was stopped, changed him. That fire could heal and not hurt, being hugged by those flames and feeling that protective hug, it broke him. For so long he had thought that fire was meant to purrify by destroying, he had based his entire life around that. Being proven wrong about that shook him to the core... he had tried to commit suicide. Damian feeling guilty, had paid him a visit, which had proven effective. It was hard to hit rock bottom, but it was what Firefly, no, Garfield Lynns, had needed to finally move on. He was still in Arkham but would be released next month, Damian would have everything prepared for him by then. A cushy job at Wayne Constructions demolishing buildings and an apartment to start his new life. Of course, he would be monitored closely.
Only in Gotham City would they allow a convict to be around fire like that after being convicted as an arsonist... then again, he had never gone to prison but to Arkham Asylum as a patient. Still, only gothamites would be crazy enough to allow this to happen. Oh, well, at least things were getting better, if slowly.
For now, the batclan was at the Martha Wayne Foundation Gala. Roy and Jade were with Lian, talking with the Queen side of their family. Well, with the Queen kids, Roy was still keeping Oliver at bay. Jason and Cassandra were waltzing around the ballroom, while Dick was showing off Kory and being the social butterfly he was. Steph, Harper, Duke, and Time were at the balcony taking a break from it all. Mara, Alec, Cullen, Colin, Suren, and Maya were at a corner observing everything and everyone, getting intell from those invited for Wayne Enterprices and Fox to use later. As for Damian, he was with Bruce, socializing as much as he could. He truly enjoys playing with people and manipulating them via words, humans can be so dumb at times.
Damian played his game, until he noticed a beautiful woman by the bouffet getting a glass of whiskey from Alfred. He politely bid his goodbbye to the ones he was talking with, hugged his baba, and rapidly headed her way.
"Maze, I was not expecting you all the way here," Damian greeted her with a fake smile. "What are you doing here? Did great-grandparent send you for something?" Only the smallest tension in Alfred's body showed how his grandson's words affected him.
"They did," Maze smirked viciously, her human disguise hidding her disfigured face. "They wanted me to tell you that the anexion of Queen Raven's kingdom to Hell has been completed. Raven is now a princess of Hell, and Hell now has ten regions."
"So, Dante was right," Alfred commented, as collected as always. "There are nine circles of Hell."
"Circles, ha!" Maze snorted. "We call them regions. By the way, you are truly earning the respect of those that hated you for your changes in Hell. Having Trigon's kingdom anexed, was a stroke of genius!"
"Raven did not want to rule as queen but she needed to put her siblings somewhere they would not harm others," Damian explained, mostly for his confused grandfather. "So, I offered her to anex her kingdom to Hell and have it join the new policy of rehabilitating those lost souls. They can get their sadist urges out during the torture period or battling other regions' demons. Everyone wins that way and my great-grandparent stops meddling with my life... though, as you are here I believe that won't be happening any time soon." Damian sighed, before glaring at his great-grandparent's second-in-command. "What are you truly doing here?"
"The princes of Hell are talking about engaging you to Princess Raven," Maze smirked at the vicious and smart great-grandson of her ruler. "She is beautiful, powerful, and carries the blood of demons through her veins. The blood of Trigon."
"Combining my half-angel DNA to her half-demon DNA, which come from the strongest angel and the strongest demon in the universe will make a powerful child, a perfect heir," Damian agreed, trying to stop himself from smirking- if only they knew. Damain smiled softly at his grandfather, who was secretly looking at him with worry but you needed to know Alfred to realize that. "However, who I marry will be my choice. I am from the Lucifer blood-line, we love once and we love forever. I'm sure my great-grandparent knows that and wants you here simply to cause drama and worry my family. Which I will not allow."
Also, for something else, Damian thought suspiciously. What for though?
"Oh, you are no fun!" Maze pouted and turned to leave, only stopping when she caught sight of Bruce Wayne and Thomas Elliot talking- Bruce looked much happier to see the other, than Tommy was to see the billionaire. "But he is," she continued with a smirk. "That boy is going to Hell for sure. He has sinned so much! The envy and jealousy he has for Lucifer's esteemed grandson-in-law is all consuming. He wants your father deestroyed and then dead."
So, that is what she is here for, Damian sighed internally, as Alfred's worry became more clear. Even though Maze did not know what she had done, she had just given me the opportunity to unmask Hush earlier. As much as I hate to admit it, thank you Esteemed Great-Grandparent.
"Master Damian," Alfred turned to his grandson with a whsiper. Maze was gone and with her the silencing and cloaking spell around them.
"I know shido," Damian sighed. "Titus," the green-eyed boy whispered and something in his shadow moved. "Follow him, gather intell and report back." A shadow shot towards Thomas Elliot and dived into his shadow. "Let's hope Maze was simply messing with us."
Damian said that mostly for Alfred and to keep up his facade. But Damian knew the truth, Thomas Elliot was Hush and there was no changing that.