Warning: First bit is rated M. If you are uncomfortable with that, skip to the RX.
He watched hungrily as she lied on her stomach, her perfect apple bottom uncovered and tempting. They went at it like wild animals for hours before taking a break, but even then, Jason couldn't help the desire he had for the sorceress in front of him. It took some coaxing, but the young man had to finally agree that they needed sustenance, and to see if they could get a head start on the new pattern. The lightning was still going on outside, but Raven had to remind him that they had a deadline. At that moment, Raven was watching the first hour of the recording, her eyes scanning rapidly for any one strike that hit the same location repeatedly. For a mortal, such a feat would be impossible, but for a half-demon, it was like playing a game of Snake. In fact, rather than watching the full hour, she managed to find the location and get the first number of the pattern in 30 minutes.
"There," declared Raven, pointing at a specific lightning strike on the screen. "That is the only strike that hits the same spot repeatedly, and it struck down 38 times."
Rather than replying right away, Jason moved over to straddle her legs, his hands massaging her ass cheeks, rubbing his erection against the soft skin of hers. He smirked as he saw the way her body quivered beneath him. Leaning forward until his chin rested on her bare shoulder, Jason noted where she pointed before turning to kiss her neck softly. "So we know where to start looking."
"Jason," purred Raven through gritted teeth as he continued his actions against her rear. "We –ah, we have to…we have to get the pattern – Jason…"
"How about we let the laptop do that," he whispered, blowing in her ear. He leaned forward, pressing against her, and started typing on the keys. A few minutes later, Raven saw numbers and charts pop up on their own. Jason watched it smugly as his hands went around her torso to cup her breasts. "It should take 30, maybe 40 minutes for it to check each hour to find the pattern, but this way we won't have to look for it ourselves."
Raven bit her bottom lip as she felt one of his hands move downwards to her already moist womanhood. Try as she might, she wasn't able to hold back the moan as he found her clit, stroking it in slow circles. Feeling one hand gripping breast and the other on her sensitive area, as well as Jason's throbbing member against her backside, Raven knew he had won. But before she would fully give herself over, she had to ask, "Will we be able to travel by tomorrow?"
"Mmhmm," was Jason's muffled reply. "So that means we should take advantage of today." Not allowing her to say another word, Jason slid himself inside her, watching in pleasure as Raven lifted herself slightly against him, moaning out his name as he pushed himself fully inside her. As he claimed her again for the umpteenth time, all he could think about was how perfect it was to hear her crying out his name as she begged for more.
...RX...
"Are we all set?"
Adjusting her backpack, Raven nodded. "Let's go."
It was Monday afternoon, meaning they had less than 48 hours to find Alcina's Fountain of Life, and since Raven's powers were limited in enchanted grounds, they needed to get moving as soon as they could. However, considering the distance they needed to cover, them completing the mission was nearly impossible, even if Jason hadn't insisted that they continue their carnal activities.
"There is no way we'll be able to do this," stated Raven as they trekked down. "If the coordinates are correct, we'll need to cover 300 miles in less than two days. I can't transport us there, and there is no way we can make the deadline by walking."
"That is why it would be best if we don't walk," said Jason, looking at her expectantly.
"Didn't I just say –?"
"You did," interjected Jason, "but I'm not talking about you. In case you forgot Rae, there are other ways to travel that don't include that kind of magic."
Raven frowned in confusion as they made their way to the Maracaibo Lake. "What other kind of magic is there?" Jason smirked at her as he nodded for her to put her attention on the water. Seeing the speedboat a few meters away, Raven scoffed as an earlier conversation made its way to her mind.
Smiling smugly, Jason said, "Told you technology is another form of magic."
As they sped through the waters, Raven couldn't help but think that things were going too smoothly. She figured this is how Jason felt each time he fought against the Titans and got his way, but considering she was usually on the losing side when it came to the thief, she couldn't help but feel wary. Usually her premonitions were a warning, and something inside her was telling her that the vision she had at the aquarium was no different. The blood moon. A full moon would only appear red if it was the fourth lunar eclipse of the year, but the one tomorrow was the only one set to appear. Does that mean that another debt would have to be paid to receive the water's power? If so…would Jason be willing to pay it?
"How long until we need to start walking again?" asked Raven, refusing to let those questions affect her.
"About three more hours before we make to shore close enough to our destination," replied Jason. "From there we'll have about 75 miles."
"We won't make it tonight," said Raven, "But the lunar eclipse isn't until eleven. If we make it before then, we should be alright."
Jason looked over at her before turning back to the water in front of him. "Once the eclipse starts, the water's power will be null?"
"Yes. We'll need to get the water as it is touched by the moon's glow, before any interruption to it. As soon as the sun's shadow touches the edge of the moon, the Fountain will no longer have its magical qualities for a really long time."
"How long?"
"However long the lifespan is increased of the people you're trying to save," stated Raven. "While they live, the water will just be water. It won't be until they have all passed that the Fountain of Life will come back."
After a small pause, Jason asked, "What if we don't make it?"
"We'll make it," assured Raven. With a sigh, she added, "But if we don't, the diamonds will need to regenerate for the many years it had taken." She didn't want to say it any more specifically, and based on the way Jason's shoulders tensed up, she knew he understood her meaning. The diamonds would need to regenerate for the amount of years Anthony had been alive before he was taken. That would make it a total of seven years.
"We should be reaching the shore around 3:30 or 4," said Jason, clearly wanting to change the subject. "We'll take a quick break, eat, make sure we have enough water, and we'll hike until sundown. Is that okay?" Nodding, Raven gazed ahead as the boat sped its way through the waters.
Four hours in the water, a quick half-hour lunch, and a four-hour hike later, Raven was on the ground, her legs burning from the 20 miles they walked from the shore to the middle of the forest where they had set up camp. Jason was by the fire marking his map and figuring out when it would be a good time to take breaks the next day. They only needed 55 miles to go, but based on their pace, it would take 10 or more hours to walk it, and that was without stopping to eat and catch their breaths.
"We can start early," announced Jason. "Eat and head out by seven. We could aim for 30 miles, take an hour break and then walk the remaining miles to our destination."
"Thirty miles?" sneered Raven. "It took us four hours just to walk twenty. Are you telling me you want to walk six full hours tomorrow before we take our first break?"
"I'm not saying I want to," retorted Jason as he lied down next to her, "I'm saying we should. We need to get there as soon as we can in case we run into any surprises."
"I guess so," sighed Raven. Jason smiled amusedly at her.
"See? It's a good thing I made Robin step up your training."
"Screw you."
"I wouldn't mind it."
Smacking his stomach, Raven laughed as she rolled her eyes. After the vigorous day they spent in the tent and the exhausting day they had today, the offer of sex, though tempting, would have to be declined for now. Right now, all she wanted to do was eat and get some much needed sleep. "We need to save our energy for tomorrow don't you think."
"Yeah, yeah," relented Jason. "But as soon as tomorrow is over –"
"I'm counting on it," said Raven, leaning over to give him a kiss. "But for tonight, let's rest. We need tomorrow to run smoothly."
And for the most part, their journey did go by smoothly. They managed to walk the six hours that Jason had suggested without a hitch, and though their one-hour break went by faster than they each would have liked, knowing they had less than 10 hours to find the fountain had them energized enough to continue their remaining miles.
"Maybe we should take a break," suggested Jason, practically heaving. Raven couldn't help but laugh at her poor boyfriend.
"We just started walking an hour ago," she said. "I told you to eat light, but no. You had to eat that entire sandwich."
"It was a good sandwich!"
"And it was bigger than your head."
"Which one?"
"Jason!"
The brunette laughed heartedly at Raven, loving how she would flush anytime he made an obscene joke about their more intimate activities. "I'm just messing with you sweetheart - watch your step."
The pair treaded carefully alongside the mountain. The path was so narrow that they had to go one at a time, Jason leading up front, though he made sure to have a quickdraw connected between them just case. It was also a bit rocky that they had to really watch their step, or else it would be a long, jarring way down. However, the way down was not as concerning as what was above them. It seemed that any small movement would cause a few pebbles to cascade down the side of the mountain; if they were to have a misstep, it might even call for a rockslide. Holding her breath, Raven hoped that would not be the case. By the time they were nearing the top of the mountain, they had managed to cover quite a few miles, meaning they were right on time. The only thing that could set them back would be – ah, there it is.
"What do we do now?" asked Raven, glaring at the large gap in the middle of the path. "It has to be at least a 25-foot jump."
"I can make that," assured Jason. "I can throw you over and jump it."
"As much as I would love for you to throw me 25 feet," said Raven sarcastically, "by the time you try to jump, there'll be a rock slide. The walls on this mountain are very sensitive."
"We'll make it," responded Jason. "You'll just have to trust me on this, okay?"
Sighing, Raven nodded. She observed him unclip the quickdraw from their belts before stepping behind her. Jason easily picked her up, one hand on her back and the other on her rear. He held her above his head, his eyes hard and focused, leaned back just a bit, and with as much strength as he could, flung Raven over the gapping hole in the path. Because he did not give her much of a warning, Raven did not land as gracefully as she knew she could have, rolling on the hard ground before coming to a stop. Unaffected by the small cut on her knee, Raven watched the side of the mountain above them starting to tremble before large rocks started to fall, but Jason was undeterred. While Raven had landed on the other side, Jason ran back a few paces, readying himself as he assessed the jump. As the rocks starting tumbling down, he ran smoothly before kicking himself into the air. Raven gasped as one of the rocks banged the side of Jason's head, throwing him off the straight course.
"Jason!"
He seemed to not have heard her as he tried to grab on to the side of the mountain, his fingers digging into the dirt. He tried to pull himself up to grab on to the edge, but was quickly sidetracked as he saw one of his pouches opening up, the Moussaieff Diamond shinning bloody in the light. A moment of terror shot through him as the diamond starting to fall out; if he allowed that diamond to fall, there would be no way they would find the fountain on time. Seeing the diamond fall out completely, Jason hastily let go of the mountain. Outstretching his arm as he fell, Jason easily caught the diamond, but felt himself panic as he continued to fall. Raven dug into her backpack and pulled out Robin's grapple gun, shooting it down for Jason to grab hold of. Twisting the cable around his hand, Jason swung into the mountain; his mind still a bit disoriented from the hit to the head, but he allowed himself a moment of relief.
After being pulled up, Jason remained flat on the ground, smiling at Raven's concerned expression. Gesturing to the grappling gun, he said, "Does bird brain know you took that?"
Putting the grappling gun back in her backpack, Raven shrugged. "He should by now." Gently pressing a hand to his cheek, the young sorceress asked, "Are you okay?"
"Mild concussion at worst," replied Jason honestly. "I should be fine though. At least I managed to get the diamond on time."
"…Jason…"
The way she said his name made him shiver in absolute terror. He has heard concern, sympathy, pity, and anger from the empath, but the way she said it – small, broken and full of fear – made his heart freeze. Turning his head, the sight that greeted him had Jason pale; the world around him was spinning rapidly, but this time it had nothing to do with the hit on the head. There, resting on his bare open palm was the Moussaieff Diamond.
'Think of the one thing you care about X…the one thing that would kill you if it were lost.'
A life would need to be paid.
"Raven."
Hearing her name, Raven looked down at Jason's despairing gaze and nodded. She could feel it since that night up on the roof when he had asked her to stay. He confirmed it when he declared his feelings. He proved it when he made love to her until the first rays of the sun shone through the horizon. With Anthony gone, and with the way Jason felt about her, Raven's life would need to be forfeited in exchange for the fountain's water.
"We'd be able to find the fountain," said Raven, "but the water's powers won't work outside its location unless the debt is paid."
"No!" snarled Jason, sitting up and glaring at the Moussaieff Diamond. "Tony lasted four days right? So we would find the fountain way before –"
"We don't have four days Jason," sighed Raven, her eyes sad. "I'm a half-demon. I attract dark magic. If I am to be taken –" Jason winced at that "– it will be sooner. I'm not sure when, but I can guarantee it will be before the eclipse."
"How do you know it'll be before the eclipse?"
Looking up at the sky, Raven frowned. "I can already feel the dark magic coming towards me. I can try to fight it, but eventually it will consume me." Watching her, Jason tried to steady his breathing.
"What if you drink the water?" he asked. At Raven's bewildered expression, he crawled up to her and held her firmly with his gaze. "When we find the fountain, you take a drink. The water is supposed to cure all right? Give life, heal any sickness – it should give you the life years that you are meant to have."
"There's a chance it might not work," said Raven. "Like I said, the dark magic might consume me –"
"Because you're a half-demon," continued Jason with a nod. "But you're also half-human. You said your mom was considered nearly a saint in Azarath right?"
"Well, yeah, but –"
"So that means your human side is just as strong as your demon side. And like you said, you can fight it. It'll work Raven." Holding her hands in his, Jason whispered more to himself than anything else, "It has to."
She knew Jason was just grasping at straws, but seeing the hopeful, yet heartbreaking expression in his eyes, there was no way Raven could squash his faith. Giving him a small kiss, she nodded. "Let's go."
The young solemn couple walked up the remainder of the mountain, making it to the top. In front of them was a sea of trees. There was a river that cut through the middle, making its way down towards the ocean that could be seen miles away. Jason faced forward, his expression intense. All he wanted to do was continue walking and find the fountain. He knew it was a long shot that the water would work for Raven but goddammit. He's already lost his brother; the last thing he wants to do is lose the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Why couldn't the life needed to be paid be his instead? Turning over to Raven, he resolved that this world could not lose a beauty like her. They needed to keep moving.
But Raven wanted to take in this scene as much as she could. She wanted to memorize every detail – the way the leaves of the trees danced in the wind; the way the ocean continued on forever, making it seem like there was no other end but the horizon; the way that Jason's eyes glowed in emerald hue as the sun shined high above him. If it were up to her, she would rather spend her last few hours wrapped in his arms, their bodies intertwined as they made love once again, but she knew he wouldn't allow her that luxury. And even she had to admit that her thoughts were entirely selfish; there were people back home, Jason's family that needed the water. She needed to do her part in the journey...even if it's the last thing she does. Giving Jason a ghost of a smile, Raven nodded over to a mountain on the other side of the forest.
"That's where we're headed."
The mountain she pointed out was indeed the correct distance from where they were, but there was something more to it. Taking out his map, Jason felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. On that mountain, at the very end, was a waterfall. But it wasn't just any waterfall; it was La Cascada de Salto Angel – also known as Angel Falls – and it was the largest waterfall in the world. It made sense, considering the admiration the landmark had, but looking at it now, Jason had to admit that it had an allure to it. It was as if it were calling them. In a way, he was also slightly amused, thinking how it would have been a feat to arrive there in a house lifted by hundreds of balloons. Pushing that irrelevant thought aside, Jason nodded.
"Let's go."
This time, their walk had taken a bit longer than expected. The sun was already starting to set when they made it to the top of Angel Falls, the sky a mixture of orange, pink, and purple. Squinting her eyes, Raven could even make out the outline of the moon on the other side. It was almost time for the lunar eclipse, so whatever they needed to do needed to be done now.
As though reading her thoughts, Jason put his backpack down and starting taking out some of his notes. "The fountain has got to be around here somewhere. I mean, I may not have any magical qualities, but even I can feel the magic in the air tonight."
"What is it with you and Disney movie references?" chuckled Raven, peering over the edge of the waterfall.
"I wasn't even trying on that one," admitted Jason as he skimmed through his writing. "Back to the fountain though, what are you thinking?"
Raven took a moment to relive the vision she had a few weeks ago. "In the vision I had, the fountain was underground. If we're in the right spot, then we'll need to find a way to go under the mountain."
"I doubt we'll have time to climb back down," grumbled Jason. It was clear that he was starting to get impatient. "I know Angel Falls came up when I was doing my research. I just need to find – aha! Here it is." Raven walked over to crouch down beside him, looking over the notes he held out for her. "Angel Falls is another phenomena where the water that falls over the edge is never ending. No one can find the source of the water no matter how much exploring they do. It's almost as if the water that goes down finds a way to come back up."
"It's the circle of life," said Raven with a smirk.
"Now who's the one making Disney references."
"Continue."
"I think it has to do with the name," obeyed Jason. "Kind of like the whole 'light rain', 'rain of light' thing."
Raven nodded. "Well, you are the Spanish speaker here. What can you make out of the name?"
"La Cascada de Salto Angel," recited Jason. "The Angel Jump Waterfall. That's no surprise. A lot of tourists come here to cliff dive from this spot."
"Maybe we have to do the same?" asked Raven, gazing down the edge again. "Maybe the entrance is down at the bottom, behind the waterfall."
"If that were the case, people would have found the fountain easily. Besides, we don't have any parachutes." Following Raven's lead and peering over the edge, Jason knit his brow in concentration. It would be so easy to dive down and check behind the waterfall, but like Raven stated, magic is unpredictable. There is no way that they would be able to find the fountain that fast. Besides, wouldn't people have written about it by now if all they had to do was check behind the water rapids? Alcina's Fountain of Life would be all over the news, and all diseases would be cured by now. Tony would have still been here if that were the case. No, there was more to it. Salto de Angel – Angel Jump… Angel Falls. Jump...Falls... Scrunching his nose, Jason mumbled under his breath, "Ay Diosito Santo."
"What was that?"
Sighing, Jason took a step back, his body language showing that he was starting to get a bit antsy. "I think I know what we have to do, but I'm not sure if you're going to like it."
Raising a brow, Raven looked down at her watch. "We have less than two hours to find the fountain, and I can practically feel the dark magic eating away at me. Whatever idea you have is better than standing up here doing nothing."
"We're going to have to jump."
"That is the stupidest idea ever."
"Raven," pleaded Jason exasperatedly. "Look, the name of this waterfall is called Angel Falls right? Well, the translation of the Spanish name is the Angel Jump Waterfall. Falls – Jump; are you seeing a connection here?"
"Are you kidding me?" exclaimed Raven. "Jason – this is a nearly 3,000 feet drop."
"Do you have any better ideas?"
"I'll do it, you stay."
"Excuse me?"
Raven held her arms out and shrugged frustratingly. "We don't know what's down there, and we don't know how deep the water level is at the bottom. For all we know, we'll be slamming down to our deaths. You still have a chance to live, but I on the other hand –"
"Stop talking like that," snapped Jason. He went up to her and grabbed her arms forcefully, nearly shaking her with his intensity. "You are not going to die, you got that? I am not going to let you die."
Opening her mouth to respond, Raven paled as she started to cough. She pushed away from Jason and fell to her knees, trying to regain her breathing as she continued her coughing fit. Jason kneeled down behind her, rubbing her back and murmuring reassuring words into her hair. None of it helped her as the coughing turned into dry heaving. She felt as though there was something stuck in the back of her throat, and whatever it was itched and burned, scorching the inside of her throat. It took everything she had to not claw at her neck as the burning sensation multiplied. She could vaguely perceive Jason's presence beside her and it made her panic even more, her eyes filling with tears. Blood started spluttering out of her mouth and Raven could feel herself blacking out. Voices in the back of her head were screaming at her, but there was just so much sensation going on that she couldn't decipher what they were saying.
'Pull…light…fight…'
'…not…black out…'
'Push…aside…'
Closing her eyes, Raven willed herself to calm down, taking in a deep breath through her nose, ignoring how the air burned her throat. She could barely hear her emotions calling out to her, telling her what she needed to do, but it was enough for her to understand that she could not allow herself to black out; if she did, she might not be waking up again. Focusing as much energy as she could, Raven used her third eye to see just how much dark magic surrounded her. It was swirling in the air around her, clearly suffocating her, pushing her own energy away from her. How in the world was she supposed to fight this if her own magic was out of reach?
'…your mom was considered nearly a saint in Azarath right?'
What?
'…your human side is just as strong as your demon side.'
"Fight it Raven." She could hear Jason's voice now as it pushed through the darkness. "Come on sweetheart, you need to fight it. I need you to fight it."
Fight it.
Fight it
Fight it!
There was a small spark of light, and focusing as much energy as she could, Raven encased the spark and held it close to her. She could feel the strength within the small amount of light, and though it would not be enough to rid the dark magic completely, it would be enough to keep it at bay for a while. Expanding the light as much as her energy allowed her, Raven started to feel a small amount of relief as the dark magic around her became less suffocating, loosening its hold on her. The burning sensation in her throat was diminishing slowly and she could breathe easier now. Her throat was still sore from coughing up blood, but she managed to take in a breath and open her eyes. The sky was darker than it was before and the air was rather chilly, but Raven gave in to the feeling of relief. The dark magic will come back, but for right now, she just won her first battle against Death.
"Raven?"
Taking in a deep breath, Raven leaned back into Jason who wrapped his arms around her. She saw the small puddle of blood on the ground in front of her and was surprised with just how much she had coughed up. Wiping her mouth, she turned to Jason and managed to croak, "How long?"
Hesitant, Jason answered, "We have less than two hours. Raven, are you okay?"
"I'm okay," she said, her throat dry. "But Jason – I don't think I'll be able to make it a second time." Jason's expression hardened as he nodded. He kissed her temple and then helped her up.
"Then we need to find the Fountain," he said, "now." After Raven had taken a drink of water, Jason led her to the edge of the waterfall, right next to the flowing rapids. "I know this is a long shot, but we need to jump. And don't you even think of saying that you'll do it on your own Rae. I'm jumping with you, and there is nothing you can do to stop me, you got that?"
Without any strength to argue, Raven nodded. The moon was already bright in the sky, and they were running out of time. Her battle with death had taken longer than she realized, and arguing would be pointless if they wanted to find the fountain before the eclipse. "Ready when you are."
"On three." The young pair glanced at each other nervously as they positioned themselves at the very edge of the cascade, reaching their hands out to hold on to the other. "One." Jason could barely hear his heart over the falls, but he knew that it was drumming within his chest as he readied himself to jump into what might be his death. "Two." Raven inhaled deeply to calm her nerves, knowing that it was pointless, her back tingling in anticipation as she waited for the final queue. "…Three!"
Sorry, no sneak preview today! We are coming close to the end of the story, and I don't want to give anything away :)