HOLY FUCKING SHIT! I am so sorry that this took so long! My stupid human body decided to get sick, when I finally got a bit of inspiration back. So I chose not write. If I had chosen to, it would probably have been very sloppy. So I hope you understand. From now on, until I get sick again, there should be an increase in the upload-rate. Until further notice, I hope you enjoy this chapter. A lot of shit goes down. See ya next time.
Disclaimer: I, The Storytelling Wraith, do not own any pre-existing characters in this fanfic
'insert text' = Thoughts
"It's been a while, hasn't it Jackie?" Hades asked calmly.
A long time ago, when Hades was still traveling, he once met a damaged, and broken Estacado. He sensed the being that was resting in his body. So he took action. Initially approaching the wounded man, the being lashed out at Hades. It was like a wild animal. It spoke.
"You will not take him!" it hissed. But with his power over darkness, he quickly subdued the vile creature. He walked up to Jackie.
"Wh.. ar.. ou.?" Jackie's words were weak and had little meaning.
"I'm the one who could save you." Hades said. "Or destroy you." He held out his hand. Dark tentacles sprung from them, and started to mend Jackie's wounds. Jackie spat blood out onto the paving.
"There always is a catch, isn't there?"
Now was the time for the pact to be finished.
"Let's skip the formalities." Jackie said. The Darkness was slowly enveloping his body, preparing for combat.
"Have it your way then." Hades responded. His own darkness was also enveloping his body. As it reached his face, he closed his eyes. He remembered the rules. All that had to happen, was that someone had to die. When he opened his eyes, they shined blood red. His darkness was like a skintight armor. His hair waved upwards, like a flame. Estacado was also ready. His body was covered with the Darkness. There were two wings on is back.
"Let us begin Jackie." Hades said.
"Let's." Jackie responded. He wasted no time either. He drew two submachine guns and began firing at Hades. Hades dodged out of the way, slowly but surely getting to Jackie. Then two long spikes sprung from his forearms. Jackie quickly noticed and jumped up, still firing. Hades followed, deflecting bullets on the way.
"Dammit!" Jackie yelled when he ran out of ammo. Hades was now in front of him, ready to deal a final blow. Luckily, chains appeared from his shoulders and grabbed Hades by the throat, even though he knew that Hades was prepared. He grabbed the chains and headbutted Jackie in the face. This attack sent him flying into the ground, easily breaking the concrete. Hades smashed into the ground, and leaped over to Jackie. He grabbed him mid jump and flung him up to the top of a building.
"This is it!" he yelled. He was planning to do it. However, when Hades reached for Jackie, he turned himself around and made a chainsaw appear. Jackie swung it and hit Hades in the side, cutting right through. Hades dissappeared into the night, as if he was not really there, but he did not go unscathed. He reappeared a few yards away, and he was bleed from where Jackie had hit him.
"You've improved." Hades said, coughing up blood at the end of his sentence.
"Hmph, perhaps, but you seem to be faking." Jackie scoffed. Hades smirked.
"Not faking." He stood up with his wound healed. "Just holding back."
"You shouldn't have done that." Jackie voice was like ice. Something was wrong. "Now I have only one last resort." He held out his hand. A ball of a tar-like substance bloated from it.
"Jackie, what is that?" Hades asked.
"I'll tell you!" he yelled. The ball exploded, revealing it's content. A black ring.
"No Jackie!" Hades yelled and ran for the ring, but he failed. A powerful black aura knocked him back. "Don't do it!"
"I have to. I need to win." Jackie said as he put on the ring. He held his fist out, showing off the ring. "The Blackest Night falls from the skies, the darkness grows as all light dies." The black lantern corps logo was starting to shape on his chest.
"Jackie please! You have no idea about what that thing will do to you!" Hades loudly pleaded. It did not make him stop.
"We crave your hearts and your demise, by my black hand, the dead shall rise!" It had been done. Jackie was now part of the black lantern corps. His eyes turned black. They were filled with death and decay.
"Jackie you fool!" Jackie did not respond. Only a slight growl was heard. "Now, you die." Hades said.
MEANWHILE...
"Robin?" Raven said.
"Yeah?" he responded.
"This is not good is it?" she asked. Both Robin and Raven had watched the entirety of the fight. Now that it had been revealed, that Estacado was in the possession of a black lantern ring, they were both terrified.
"No. It's not." They watched, as the two dark being clashed. Punches and weapons were sent flying with each blow.
"Call in the League. This has become too big for us to handle."
"Already done."
"Then why aren't they there?" Raven said in her state of worry and panic.
"I don't know Raven. I really don't." Even though Raven was afraid to lose Hades, she knew, that somehow, he would prevail.
'This guy is relentless!' Hades yelled in his mind. 'I just might some help.' Estacado thrusted his hand into the air, summoning several undead citizens. "Nah, I'll be fine" he said with a grin. Then suddenly, two bodybuilder sized undead attacked him by punching ferociously. Hades retaliated by punching them both in their stomachs, making them explode, blood and guts going everywhere. "What a mess.." he mumbled. A slight growl could be heard.
"Release.." Jackie said.
"Release? What do you mean?" Hades asked.
"Give me their hearts.." Jackie's voice was getting raspy. The Darkness was taking over. Hades did not say anything. He just swung his arm up, making spears of darkness pierce every undead's chest, sending their hearts towards Jackie. Two serpent heads sprung from his back, catching each heart as they came close enough. When both of them were munching away, Jackie himself would eat one.
"You have truly become a savage." Hades said with disgust. "To think I had hope for you."
"You were wrong indeed." Jackie said. Or rather, the Darkness said. It was completely revitalised.
"Let him go."
"Never!" it yelled.
"Very well." Hades held out his arms out to the sides, hands open. He was concentrating. Starting from his chest, red strings starting to form. They began to reach out, becoming veins. They shined brightly. He took a deep breath. Then his eyes shot open, shining, not red, but purple. A flaming purple colour quickly spread through the red strings. "For your crimes against against humanity." He then reached out behind and in front of him, as if he was grabbing something. And he did. Two scythes had now taken their place in each hand. "You have been sentenced to death!"
The possessed Jackie roared and hurled himself directly at Hades. It was not even a punch or a kick. He tried to overwhelm him with a tackle, but Hades only shrugged it off and threw him into a building. "You're lacking. You have no hopes of defeating me." Then, ten serpents shot out of the rubble, repeatedly striking Hades. A dark orb formed around his hand. He lifted it up, destroying both the serpent heads and the barrier he had put to protect outsiders. Hades walked over to a beaten Jackie. "Well doesn't this bring back memories." He put both scythes in one hand. "It's a shame that I didn't get to use these two." he said and sighed. The scythes dissappeared and was replaced with a giant, dark spear.
"Stop!" The thundering voice roared through the streets. It even made Hades freeze. He looked to his left to see the Justice League and his teammates. And Raven. Superman was the one who had yelled. "You can't do this." Hades' dark skin started to fade, but the purple lines remained, intensely pulsating. Raven's expression begged him to stop. Jackie suddenly coughed.
"Do it." he said with his last strength.
"She's waiting for you." Hades said with sympathy. Jackie mustered up a smile. Hades raised the spear.
"NO!" Raven yelled. He then rammed it into Jackie's chest, piercing his heart. A large cylinder of dark energy rose from Jackie.
"Be at peace, Estacado." Hades calmly said. A hand was placed on Hades' shoulder. It was Batman.
"You're coming with us." he said.
"I know. One thing though." Hades looked him dead in the eyes. "It's what he wanted."
A FEW HOURS LATER...
Hades had been led to the Watchtower, where he was put in a holding cell. The leaguers were now discussing about what to do.
"Batman, did you get anything?" J'onn asked. Even through his mask, you could see his stern and dissapointed expression.
"No." he said. "It's like he never even existed. No family, no education, nothing."
"This will be a problem yes?" Diana asked.
"Indeed." Batman shortly answered. This was one of the first times he could not find anything out about someone.
"Has anyone been in there?" Barry asked. "I did tell him that we needed to talk."
"Nobody has, and I know Barry." Batman said back. "I know."
"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing, we should attempt to question him." Shiera suggested.
"Agreed, although we don't exactly know his full potential, he did come willingly."
"Then it's decided, J'onn and Diana, you two will do the questioning while I and Batman will try to dig up some info. If any at all." Superman said.
"What about the rest of us?" Shiera asked.
"You are to question the Teen Titans. They might now something we don't." Batman answered and stood up. They knew what to do.
The room they had put Hades was what you would expect. Grey walls, three chairs and a table. Since they had brought him in, he had not said a word. Having to release that much power had put a strain on his body. He was more bruised and hurt internally than anything. More than two hours had passed before someone came in. It was the Manhunter and Wonder Woman.
"Questioning time is it?" Hades said whilst grinning.
"I'm guessing you've been in this sort of situation before." Diana said, pondering over the grinning.
"Trust me lady." he said and spread into dark pieces. He reshaped himself right in front of her. "You don't want to know." He then did the same thing, reappearing in the chair he was just sitting in.
"That isn't what we came for." J'onn said.
Hades exaggeratingly sighed, as if he was bored. "You want to know why I did it, right?" he asked. All J'onn did was nod. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table, his head resting on his folded hands. "Where do I begin?"
"Let's start from when you first met Jackie Estacado." J'onn said and sat down.
"All I did was help a man in need."
"But there was something else, wasn't there?" Diana asked.
"Yes. There was something. It was like a sentient animal, and in many ways, it's powers resembled mine."
"What is it?" she asked and placed her hand on the table, leaning a bit over it.
"You must mean what it was." he corrected. "When I killed him, I also killed it. That was my ultimate goal. All I know about it, is that it was creation. And evil."
Diana exchanged a glance with J'onn. "Then why not kill him when you found him?" J'onn asked.
"I had no idea what it actually was. I thought it could be controlled. So I gave Jackie an ultimatum." Hades leaned back and looked upwards. "He would have to learn it's ways and try to beat me for control, or else I would kill him. But I had no idea he would go so far."
"The ring."
"Yes." Hades was now looking to his left. His eyes then shot to his right and he jumped back. A massive sword entered the room through some sort of portal, and smashed the chair he was sitting in. "What the.. No way." He knew that sword. Three more portals then appeared against the right wall. Out of the far right one, came a pale man wielding two scythes.
"Hello son."