Raven wiped blood from her nostrils with the back of her hand and pushed herself up. Her mouth was tense, her brows were pulled down, and inside she was seething. She could see it in her mind, the fungal growth, pulsating and spreading and consuming. And in the center there was Beast Boy, small and green and vulnerable. So vulnerable. They'd laughed about it with Mad Mod, made jokes at his expense. They'd been careful not to bring it up with Terra, to mention how they'd all been fooled. And in the end he'd been right about her, that deep down she was never evil; nevertheless, he was too trusting. Why had they let him go out alone like that? Why had she let him go alone? Because it hadn't sounded fun? Because she hadn't wanted to go to a party? Would they, the Children of Herne, have pulled this stunt if she'd been there? If she'd been at his side to notice him start to sweat and stagger could she have gotten him away? If she'd been there to protect him, to ask questions, to sense the whispers, would any of this have happened? Raven thought about the way he'd looked at her in that moment, with hope and desire. Innocence. She hadn't appreciated it then and now it was slipping through her fingers. He was slipping away, falling into the amber eyes of the Horned God.

"Where did he go," snapped Robin at no one in particular, moving to the shattered glass and putting a hand on the edge of the window.

This high up the ocean wind was strong and it tousled even Robin's gelled hair. His rage was about as well concealed as Ravens, but still gave off a foul odor. He knew, deep down, that no one had seen any more than him, that for all of them it had just been a blur of green. Then nothing. Beast Boy liked to play at being a moron but he was cunning; he knew what they could and could not track and that meant this fungus in his head knew too. This did not keep Robin from trying, from lashing out in desperation and masked fear.

"Cyborg, do you have anything on your thermal scanners?"

"Nah man," Cyborg shook his head gravely. "He's probably an insect, something that can fly and is an exotherm. Even in this cold weather I couldn't pick up a heat signature. Good news is he can't go far like that."

"He doesn't need to," Robin sighed, making fists. "He just has to get to the water. From there he could go anywhere. Without his communicator we have no way to track him."

"Hold up," Cyborg inserted, raising a hand and frowning. "This thing that's inside him is fungal, which means it can't move. And if Raven's right and there's more of it somewhere else, it's a good bet he's going to that somewhere. And I'll bet it's that club where I found him earlier."

"It does no harm to check," said Starfire, keeping her optimism burning. "But friend Cyborg, what are we to do when we find Beast Boy? He's not himself and I do not wish to hurt him."

"We may not have a choice Star…" Robin trailed off and turned to face his team. He grabbed his chin and tilted his head. "We have no idea what this fungus is doing to him or what it'll make him do to others. I don't know that he can hold back against us or that we can hold back against him. We have to get him back here and find some way to contain him."

"The thing inside him," Raven added, coming up and putting her clean hand on Starfire's shoulder. "Is very strong. He's more of an animal now than he's ever been, even when he became the Beast. It's got him so twisted around I doubt he can even recognize himself."

"Cyborg, how long do you need to make a cure?"

Cyborg forgave the terseness in Robin's voice only through great self-control and the hard-earned realization that Robin only got this way when he was desperate.

"The computer is analyzing the sample now," he said slowly. "But I can't give you a time estimate. Fungi are hearty and this one's in his spinal cord and brain. It's going to take something intravenous over a long period of time to clear it out fully."

"We need to disrupt the telepathic hold," Raven cut in. "We need to find the source, the thing that infected Beast Boy in the first place. Without it there's a chance Beast Boy can regain control."

"Which will require the fungicide," said Robin, dropping his hands and coming to a decision. "Regardless, we can't just leave him out there to be a pawn for this cult. Raven, Starfire, I want you to go to that club and check for Beast Boy. It's the only lead we have right now."

"I'm sending the coordinates to your communicators," Cyborg added, bringing up his forearm and tapping on it like a computer. "And I'll get started on that fungicide."

"I'm going to see if I can help Cyborg. If not, I'll meet you there. Don't wait for me."

Raven knew as soon as they got close that this was the right place; she could hear the whispers. Now that she was listening for them, she could hear or maybe a better way to say it was sense them. More intention than words, hunger. They landed outside the club and the whispers pitched inside her head. She held out an arm to indicate that Starfire should hold back and frowned. It was a risk to reach out, to follow the connection established between herself and Beast Boy when she'd entered his mind. Such an act would only bring them closer. But then she'd know if he was here, and what to expect when they entered. There was life on the other side of the door, controlled life, directed life, dozens of minds held together by a single will. This was most assuredly a hub, but was it where Beast Boy was? Would they be that careless to keep him in a place where he'd be found? Or was it confidence?

"Wait," she cautioned, looking at Starfire sideways.

"What is it," Starfire asked, giving her a bemused look. "Is this not the club of which Cyborg spoke?"

"It is, but something's not right. There are people in there, all with the same infection."

"Is Beast Boy in there? Has he been harmed?"

Raven dropped her arm and closed her eyes. She could sense Beast Boy in her sleep, his electric presence like a static shock. His warmth, his affection. His desire to be seen, especially by her. Now she knew the significance. Like a hand in the dark, she sought those feelings, those indications of his mind, and in the darkness, over the whispers, she felt something reach back.

Raven?

She was standing in inky blackness and he was across from her, just out of reach. His eyes were a dark forest green and his skin was like emerald. But he wasn't smiling.

"You shouldn't be here," he breathed, shaking his head and tucking his chin towards his chest. "You need to leave."

"No," she refused for the second time, setting her jaw.

She took a step towards him but he backed away, holding up his hands.

"Please Raven; I don't wanna hurt you. Don't put me in this position."

"I'm not going to let you hurt me or anyone else. You need to trust me."

"You don't know what I've done…" His words came out as little more than a whisper and his gaze dropped. "I don't want you to see me like this."

This time when she advanced he did not back away. He didn't look at her though- he couldn't. She put a hand on his shoulder, but that felt wrong somehow. Artificial. So she moved it to his cheek. Their minds, in that moment, were so close she could feel his heat. And he hers.

"I know you're fighting," she soothed, trying to catch his eye. "Keep fighting. Fight as hard as you can. We're coming for you, all of us, we're going to get you back. We're not abandoning you."

"Just "we?""

He didn't lift his head, but he did look up at her through his eyelashes. A cautious look, a pleading look. This was hardly the time, but Beast Boy had always been sentimental. The more she learned about his feelings, the more she had to admit to herself that she'd known for some time. She looked at her hand on his cheek, at the closeness of their bodies, and she felt a deep attachment. He deserved to know that.

"I won't abandon you Garfield," she said after a moment that felt like an eternity. "I'm coming for you."

Raven opened her eyes and gave Starfire a sideways look and an affirmative nod. She returned it, the deadly serious expression on her face looking so out of place it was frightening. Starfire did not mess around, her hands ignited neon green and she blasted the door. At first there was just the smoke, no sounds, no movement, nothing like what you'd expect from a club. Maybe a better way to put it was no pretense. They had what they wanted and there was no need to pretend anymore. As the dust settled they emerged, monolithic, like statues rather than people, all… humming with an energy. Slowly the air cleared and slowly their faces became visible, expressionless and pale. Homogenous. Their eyes glinted in the gloom, not like Beast Boy's, not like an animal, but they were wide and caught the light from outside. The light of the waning moon.

"Where is Beast Boy," demanded Starfire, floating into the club with her eyes alight. "Return him to us now and we will not harm you."

"We can't give you what isn't yours anymore."

The whispers were unified but only one voice spoke. It was an oily, female voice saturated in triumph. When she finished the bodies parted to show them what she meant. She was standing at the center of the room, her long brown hair hanging around her oval face. Her smile was almost coy in the way she was taunting them. A long knife glinted in her hand, like the eyes of the Children of Herne all around her. At her feet something was… moving. That was when they heard the sounds, the awful noises of something eating. There was what looked like a dead goat on the ground and hunched over it was a green body. His back was bare and his clawed hands were pressed into the ground on either side of the goat. The noises were coming from him, from his face pressed into the goat's flesh. He hadn't looked up when the door had exploded and he didn't look up now. His white antlers bobbed as he ate.

"That can't be him," Starfire said, looking to Raven, who did not look back. "That can't be Beast Boy."

"But it is," Raven murmured, her gaze fixed on Beast Boy and her chin tucked dangerously to her chest. "It is Beast Boy."

"Not anymore," said the woman, tilting her head. "Now he's the Horned God. My god. You cannot take him from us."

Starfire opened her mouth to spew a string of insults and denials, but Raven didn't give her a chance. Her hands were surrounded by a black aura and she waved one sharply through the air. The goat's corpse levitated and was tossed against the far wall with such force it shook dust from the drywall. Beast Boy let out an audible snarl, tilting his head towards the goat first, then back. Looking at Raven, his eyes casting the light back at her, glowing orange. Slowly he stood, straightening his legs and his back. His fingers were long and clawed and shining with blood, the muscles in his chest and shoulders were twice their usual bulk. His face was elongated and his fangs, both upper and lower, were extended over his lips. From his forehead antlers had bloomed, almost elegant. The blood was smeared all over his mouth and cheeks and down his bare front. Even in the half-light they could see it glittering like living ruby. Not their Beast Boy- Raven almost believed he was the Horned God.

"Beast Boy," she called, meeting his glowing stare.

"Friend Beast Boy," added Starfire, lowering her hands so as to appear nonthreatening. "Please, it is us, it is Raven and Starfire. You are sick- please return with us."

Beast Boy looked at her, twisting his head one way, then the other. It was hard to say if there was any recognition in those amber eyes, but his breath did become labored. His eyes moved to Raven, back to Starfire, back to Raven. He closed his mouth and swallowed, bringing on hand up and pressing it to his skull. Raven could hear them too, the whispers. No one in the club was moving, but the room was simmering. The woman, who was probably Letha, stepped up next to Beast Boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. Brought her lips to his pointed ear and whispered:

"You know what you have to do."

Beast Boy inhaled sharply and shuddered. His eyes closed and when they opened again he didn't look remotely like a person. He launched across the room and tackled Starfire before either of the women could register what was happening. She caught his wrists, holding his claws away from her face, but the harder she pushed him away the stronger he got. His muscles rippled beneath his flesh and he snapped at her like a rabid dog. Raven telekinetically grabbed one of the chairs that was pressed against the wall and flung it at Beast Boy. It dislodged him and he rolled off Starfire, allowing her to get up. He settled into a crouch and snarled, his eyes locking with Ravens. The whispers hit her with such force she cried out, grabbing her head with one hand. Blood trickled from her nose and Starfire came to her side. Raven gripped her by the shoulder, hard, but continued to look at Beast Boy. As hard as the whispers pressed against her, as much as they tried to hurt her, they also brought her mind closer to Beast Boy. The tendons in his neck strained and he swallowed, the antlers sinking back into his flesh and his face reforming. His eyes were shining with tears.

Letha let out a snarl of her own and raised her knife. It was a symbolic act; from behind the door in the back tendrils of white, fungal mass oozed. Beast Boy leapt catlike into the rafters and darted into the shadows. When Starfire rose after him part of the fungus curled around her waist and flung her against the wall. Raven made a go for him too but the fungus caught her by the ankle. The whispers in her mind pitched and when she hit the floor she found she couldn't get back up.

"It's behind that door," she yelled to Starfire. "Burn it!"

"I don't think so," Letha shot back, holding out her hands.

This time Starfire was ready; she dodged between the tendrils and past Letha. She was at the door before any of them could blink. The cult came alive and as a single unit made for Starfire. Raven held up a hand from the floor and projected a barrier around Starfire and the cult members bounced off it. Letha clenched her fists and a large fungal mass broke through the door and rammed Starfire in the gut. She caught it with both hands, pushing back as it pressed her into Raven's barrier. Letting out a savage cry of her own, her eyes came alive with neon energy and she unleashed it into the room filled with pulsating fungal growth. The cult screamed in unison, grabbing their heads and dropping to the floor. Letha tried to drive the knife into Raven's shield in a last desperate attempt, but it was too late. The room smoked and the whispers became quiet. But they were not silent.

Beast Boy pressed a hand into a curved wall. Cold and damp. Concrete. He didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there. His mind was swimming in and out of semicoherent thought and his body was moving according to the will of something else. Staggering forward. There were dripping noises, moving water striking still water, and the sounds of something panting. Hard. It was him, he was breathing hard. He moved forward and his hand left a dark smear on the stone. His feet slapped a wet surface. Where was he going? He had enough presence of mind to wonder that. To recall…

The last thing he really remembered was Robin holding him down. Raven inside his mind. They'd been scared, afraid he was going to do something, but what? Then he'd been scared too, scared of being restrained, yes, and of something else. The hunger inside him, like his stomach was eating itself. The pain in his gut and the faintness in his head, it was a type of insanity. Was that what his friends were so afraid of? His insanity? Was that why they'd tried to lock him up? Had the balance between man and animal finally tipped and, if so, why? How? He knew he had to fight just not what he was fighting. Robin had been holding down his body and Raven had been holding his mind and then something that was not any of his friends or anything with which he was familiar had shot adrenaline and rage into his blood. His flesh had burned; was that Starfire? Had Cyborg shot him? None of them were here now.

There was a sense of surrender in his stomach, fullness past fullness, like he'd done something that had felt really good. Beyond pleasure. At the same time he was ashamed because, for a moment, he was awake enough to recognize the taste of blood in his mouth. He wasn't sure how it had gotten there, just an impression like a dream. It was all down his front too, all over his hands. And he wasn't hungry anymore. For the first time in what felt like forever, he wasn't hungry. Not happy, not proud, but his body was in a state of bliss. He had the strangest sense of being outside of himself, of experiencing his body, of having a body, but being completely disconnected from it. He'd done something… something bad. Raven had seen it; he didn't know how he knew, but Raven had been close. Who else had been there, whispering sanity into his upside-down world? What had they seen?

He was alone now and not. There had been a moment of pain where the whispers had pitched in his skull, screaming out, and it had almost been enough to bring him to his knees. Not quite though, his body was accustomed to pain and it would take more than that to stop him. The fungus was a network and it had spread through the city. What it wanted or what its plans were, if it had any, were not clear to Beast Boy. All he felt was intent. He felt the loss of the fruiting body in the club like the rest of them, but unlike the rest of them he endured it and pressed on. Deep down, where it was cool and wet, where the mycelium thrived. He fell to his knees before it, blinking hard and shaking his head. His vision and mind were swimming and all around him the whispers were pressing in. Now he could hear them, more clearly than ever. Protect. Beast Boy felt it curl a tendril around his neck, allowed it to happen as the whispers consumed him. Protect. Antlers pushed through the flesh of his forehead and his jaw bulked outward like a gorilla's. His body wasn't his anymore; it belonged to the Horned God.