Artemis followed Wally outside of her house; slight tremors raged through her body, but somehow, she remained standing. She had never felt so wounded, yet still able to hold herself together like she was broken doll shoddily cemented back into one piece. Her mother's death and the otherwise laughable soap-opera level of drama to her situation still rattled her nerves and forced her breath out into hectic pants that thankfully weren't commented upon by Wally. The speedster was too unstable to deal with her emotions now anyway.

"How long until the League shows up?" Artemis spoke dryly.

Wally stopped twirling his communicator, turning his head sluggishly towards Artemis, no longer with his famous ADHD-levels of energy. The pit of Wally's throat seemed frozen, captured in the unknowable fear for his team. Nevertheless, Wally forced out an answer that wouldn't betray his tattered mind, "Only a few minutes."

"Wally…" Artemis tried saying his name comfortingly, but the energy was beyond her.

"I'm not used to dealing with death. I don't even know how you would be feeling," Wally's voice broke out huskier than usual without bravado or cocky playfulness.

"It's okay…" Artemis should have been grieving for her mother, but given her alternating sassy or emotionless exterior, Wally wouldn't expect any waterworks. Even a single tear might be uncharacteristic of her personality. Artemis felt slightly insane even analyzing how she should be acting, but her mother's death had affected Wally more than it had her.

Whereas Wally saw her mother's death as the ultimate failure that could harbinger an end to the team, Artemis saw only the gleaming horizons rushing to envelope her. Maybe magic could resurrect her...but the thought left a distaste in her mouth. It sounded like too much work and could only result in pushing her back into the line of Justice League goodness and morality. Nothing bound her except her willingly chosen bond with Klarion.

Nevermind that a future by Klarion's side would probably be spent in the fiery pits of Hell…

Artemis cleared her throat, preferring to look away at the surrounding houses than face Wally's eyes, which shook sheepishly. "This was too planned even though it failed. Someone knows who I am – probably even the identities of the rest of the team."

"Who would do it?" A small spark of Wally's former personality returned in his excitement, but fear still clung to his question.

"I don't know. Someone close to our team…" Like me, but I'm not going to admit to killing my mother. So just go along with what I say.

"Like a mole?"

"Sure, but I doubt it's one of the older Justice League members."

"So it's one of us sidekicks? That can't be possible!"

"It can't be me since I was the one who was attacked. Megan and you can be ruled out because you two wouldn't be coming back to the scene of the crime."

"Why is Megan ruled out?"

"Wally, honestly? Megan? That's like calling Strawberry Shortcake an axe murderer. I like the girl, but she's too nice."

"Okay…so that leaves Robin, Aqualad, and Superboy."

"Unless he's actually an imposter, it can't be Robin. We don't know much about Kaldur's background and Conner could still be under the G-Gnomes' control."

"But they're our teammates!"

"Someone who knows us either came themselves or fed information to those who want to kill us." So what if I've been reporting to my father this whole time. As long as 'Megan' and I aren't suspects…

"I just don't know. We'll have to bring it up with the team."

Artemis attention moved away from the houses and focused on the eerie purplish tinge to the night sky. For a second, a small wave of dark red light rippled through the area of the sky she was looking at, reverberating with a familiar, dark-charged magic…

"Finally! What took you so long and why did they send only you?"

Wally pushed himself up from the steps of Artemis' home, rushing forward with a recharged exuberance towards Superman. Artemis stood back, eyeing the situation with rabid curiosity.

Before Wally could retaliate or capture him in a ridiculous hug, Superman punched Wally. The speedster' body slammed against the ground, for although Klarion couldn't assume Superman's Kryptonian strength when transforming into the man of steel, the witch boy knew enough strength-enhancing spells to pack a punch. Wally's body hit the ground quite harshly, forcing Kid Flash into unconsciousness.

"I'm surprised you didn't put on a show first. I'm already bored." Artemis strolled over to Klarion, who was shifting back into his usual form.

"We don't have enough time. The barrier around your house is only temporary."

"So how many League heroes are on the other side?"

"I put…just a little too much power behind the barrier," Klarion beamed devilishly.

"The entire League. Or the majority that was available. Fun."

"Hey, at least I came back."

"For what? You didn't even kill Wally," Artemis huffed and crossed her arms.

"All in time, but we need him to live now. He needs to report that you've been kidnapped. Who would be the most believable member on your team to betray you?"

"Conner if we play the G-Gnome angle, but if we really want to divide the League, we should choose Robin. Wally admitting that his best friend came after me is powerful enough to ruffle a few feathers."

Klarion squatted next to Wally, tracing patterns on the speedster's head and focusing his magic infused with telepathy through the designs.

"Done. Wally now only remembers him showing up to ask you out, you two hanging out, making out, having unprotected…"

"WHAT?"

"Scratch that, he remembers you two watching TV, then Robin coming in to kill your mother and pin it on you. Somehow Robin didn't know that Wally was there and it led to a dramatic confrontation…or something."

"So what happens if J'onn reads his mind?"

"Relax, the memory was created more detailed than that. It just gets too boring to not lie to you."

Artemis blushed before stammering, "I'm just asking!"

"Do you regret becoming my apprentice?" Klarion quickly changed the topic, enticing Artemis with a bemused smile.

"No…"

"Even if dark magic is a curse?"

"Magic isn't a curse."

"What if it causes your doom? Can you handle betraying your friends? They are your only ties left to your so-called 'justice'. Your mother is dead and your father deserves to die. Your sister hates you enough to repeatedly attempt to kill you."

"I was only doomed to fly high and make something of myself. I can become more than anything the League could have forcibly molded me into."

"But what about what your remaining family and friends?"

"I promised to serve you." Artemis faintly remembered challenging and sarcastically deriding Klarion, but those memories seemed foreign and fuzzy. Already, her mind was rewriting itself into her new role of servitude. Those memories could be easily forgotten just like the people in her life, leaving no one of importance besides the witch boy.

Once again, Klarion smiled honestly, his eyes shining possessively at her response.

AN: Anyway, sorry again. Thanks for the reviews/favorites/alerts. I'm surprised that this fic kept getting hits over two months since its last update. Who just loved seeing Klarion again towards the end of "Revelation" (it's been that long since I last updated). Is it okay that Robin is going to be falsely accused of being the mole in this story? (or are there better people to blame?)