One, nothing wrong with me
Two, nothing wrong with me
Three, nothing wrong with me
Four, nothing wrong with me

One, something's got to give
Two, something's got to give
Three, something's got to give now

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor

-Bodies by Drowning Pool

It was a slow moment for the Oblivion Bar. Usually it was packed with all manners of creatures, human and monster, foul and strange. Perhaps it had something to do with it being mid-morning. Not everyone observed the "it's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world" rule.

Detective Chimp rather liked this atmosphere. There was no hustle and bustle; no one was trying to talk to him; he didn't have to ignore the constant drone of chatter. There was this calmness in the air, even if service could be slow, if not completely delayed. It was just him, the bartender Eddie, and a few other staunch alcoholics.

In front of the chimp was three shot glasses. Eddie was setting down a bottle of the hardest whiskey the bar had. There had been no questions when he requested it and the seal man didn't look the least bit shocked. That was the sign of an unflappable bartender there. It also helped that the detective always kept up with his tab.

A homemade replicant of the Scarab of Ra had been more than enough for Eddie. Even without an enchantment, which there was surely none on this replica, the guy took it for his collection. Detective Chimp had learned some time ago that Eddie was an avid collector of the Egyptian Scarab, even the crude fakes. He said he always wanted to see the differences between each scarab and how someone failed to replicate it.

There was currently a box of those handmade scarabs in the chimp's home closet, courtesy of Fred. His handler had gotten to making all sorts of variants, so they didn't have to find some mystical artifact. It was one of his best ideas, a gift that kept on giving. Detective Chimp felt he would be using quite a few of those in the coming months.

The moment the bottle magically set itself on the counter, the chimp picked it up and unscrewed the cap. He then poured a drink in each shot glass, filling them to the top. Some of the whiskey dripped over the edge and pooled around the glasses' base.

Setting the bottle down, Detective Chimp snatched up one of the shot glasses and downed it, tiling his head back to throw the alcohol as far back into his throat as he could. Then he swallowed the burning liquid as he slammed the glass onto the bar. Already he could feel the familiar warmth filling his chest. This…this was some good stuff.

He then picked up the second shot glass and held it in front of him. He wasn't hesitating, just trying to get his bearings. "To you, Fred," he murmured out eventually. "The best friend a chimpanzee could ever have."

He then moved the glass to his lips and took his time sipping from it before tilting his head back and pouring the rest in. This time the whiskey lingered in his mouth before he swallowed it all, slamming the glass down on the counter like the first, only upside down this time. His face winced from the taste of fermented barley. This wasn't how he preferred to drink his liquor, but it was how Fred did it. He wanted to honor the man in some way, so replicating his drinking habit seemed appropriate. How the man could stand to do it this way was beyond him though, even with the most expensive bottle of whiskey he could get his monkey hands on.

Grimacing, he rubbed the top of his tongue on the top of his mouth in a vain attempt to remove the taste, the pink muscle repeatedly poking out of his mouth. That taste was gonna linger for a while, unfortunately. He then reached out for the third glass and held it in front of him, taking a moment to get himself in the right frame of mind.

"To you, Alice. You went too young," he eventually said before he tossed the shot down like he normally did. He would have left it at that, but he felt that would be doing the poor girl a disservice. He had done something to honor Fred, so he needed to do something for her.

Problem was, he didn't really recall Alice's drinking mannerisms. That was probably because she didn't go drinking with him and Fred very often. That was a shame, she was a nice girl, even if she hid it behind that gothic facade. Still, he could think of one way to honor her.

"Harshness," he grunted, much like she would when commenting on something. It wasn't anything like Fred's toast, but it would have to do. He couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

Setting down the glass upside down, he shoved it away before picking up the whiskey bottle. He poured another shot into the first glass, this one being rightside up unlike the last two. Setting the bottle down, he picked up the glass and held it in front of him.

He was alone now. He really didn't know what that felt like until now. Fred had always been there, then Alice came along. They had formed their own little tribe there and he found he was going to miss it. No more of Alice's rude remarks. No more of Fred's mothering. He was about to embark into a strange new world.

But not today. Today, he was going to drink and make even Eddie here question his intake. He'd wake up in a couple of days with a nasty hangover, but that was his choice. Just so long as his liver held out.

After that, he'd need a new assistant. Then he would follow up with Jason Blood on the Enchantress case. There didn't need to be any loose ends, not after everything that had happened in the House of Mystery. Fred and Alice deserved that much.

He tossed down his shot, slamming the glass down, and then refilled it again.

He also needed to make certain he never took a job from John Constantine again. Every time he encountered that man, something horrible happened. No doubt, that English bloke had managed to come out of this in some way…

The detective paused. If there was one constant when dealing with Constantine, he usually found some way to come out ahead, better than when he started anyways. This time could be no exception. So what would he have gotten out of this caper?

Something told him he needed to find out.

Glancing at the bottle, Detective Chimp was torn between continuing his drinking session and finding out what Constantine was up to. His grief was arguing for the bottle, but his inquisitiveness was demanding the Constantine mystery. He could only do one as one required indulgence and the other a sharp mind.

What would Fred want him to do?

The sound of the bell ringing was welcomed. Jason Blood closed the door behind him, sparing a quick glance around the waiting room. There was some new furniture, he took note, even some new magazines seeing as the waiting room had been demolished. No one was present, however.

He did notice the new curtain that was hanging in the doorway though.

Not bothering to wait for an invitation, Jason strode to the thin drape, using one hand to push it to one side. Nimue's parlor was just the same as it ever was. She had done well with her repairs, that was quite apparent. It had only been a few days since he had last been here, and a couple after the events at the House of Mystery. Clearly, his old friend had no issue using magic to restore as much as she could, going so far as to make it look exactly the same..

He also detected some new spells hanging around.

He immediately spotted Nimue seated before her crystal ball. She was engrossed in it, so the redhead patiently waited. He was in no rush and whatever she was scrying could take precedence. He was slightly curious as to what she was looking into though.

Eventually, her eyes sharpened and she leaned back in her chair, drawing her hands away from the crystal ball. She didn't look the least bit happy, at least until she noticed Jason. "Jason," she greeted warmly, a smile appearing on her face. "I didn't hear you come in."

"You were distracted," he told her, returning the smile. He then stepped towards the table, gesturing with one hand to the empty chair. "May I?"

"You may. What brings you to my parlor, Mr. Blood?"

"I thought you would like to be informed of how things ended at the House of Mystery," he told her.

NImue's face dropped. "Zatanna has beaten you to that, I'm afraid," she groused.

Jason couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Apparently the teacher and her student hadn't had a good conversation. "Would you mind sharing with me what was said?"

"Only that the girl is heading off into the world—again. She refused to receive further instruction into her powers, which she sorely needs."

Ah, so the student was wanting to spread their wings. Jason was aware of Zatara doing something similar not too long ago, staying in Gotham for an extended period of time. Nimue had grumbled about that for weeks as he recalled. He also remembered her complaining about taking on Zatara as a new student once upon a time.

"I thought you wanted her to expand her horizons," he pointed out. "After all, you weren't exactly willing to take her on as a student."

"...she grew on me," the dark-haired woman pouted, slouching rather unladylike in her seat.

The smile returned to Jason's face. He knew the pride, if not vanity, Nimue had. She would never be seen by others not being prim, proper, and pristine. That she showed such behaviors to him loudly announced her comfort around him. Not even centuries of etiquette training could survive against the poor mannerisms of the modern age.

"You weren't much different than she was when you were her age," he gently reminded her. "You wanted to see the world and test yourself as I recall."

"I also heeded my teacher's advice," she countered, straightening herself in her seat. It seemed her momentary improperness was gone now. "The wisdom of the wise is lost on this new generation."

Jason held his tongue. Nimue was clearly choosing to ignore the argument with her own teacher, the one that severed their relationship for at least a century. He was naturally at the crux of that. He had been bound to Etrigan and her teacher feared the carnage he could wrought.

They weren't wrong, he was sad to admit.

"So where is your trainee going?" he decided to ask instead of pointing out the contradiction. "Has she chosen to return to Gotham?"

"That is far more desirable than her actual choice. I can only dream that she goes back to that madman in the cape."

The redhead felt he needed to look into this "madman in the cape." The reference was escaping him at the moment. "What makes you say that?"

"She's with…Constantine."

Ah, and here was the problem. Even Jason couldn't help but wince. No wonder Nimue was so frustrated. He knew his old friend would have been annoyed with Zatanna heading off on her own, regardless of who she was with, but Constantine was an especially large and insulting thorn.

And now it seemed as if the British con man had stolen from Nimue once again, this time taking her newest and prized student.

That one was going to sting for awhile.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, he didn't take the Sworn Book of Honorius with him," Jason said eventually.

The look Nimue gave him told him that, no, it didn't make her feel any better. However, she knew the dangers of the book falling into the wrong hands, so she eventually asked, "What has become of the grimoire?"

"It is hidden in a place few know about and even fewer would be able to reach," he answered. "Even I cannot locate it and for good reason."

"That is something I suppose. That still doesn't answer my question."

"After we dealt with the Enchantress, it was decided that Zatanna would hide the book."

Nimue nearly shot out of her seat. "We need to find her—now. If she has the book, then it's only a matter of time before Constantine—"

Jason held up a hand, a soft glow radiating from it. That immediately cut off his friend. "No worries. She has placed the book somewhere within the House of Mystery, of that I am certain. Only she knows the exact location and I made certain Constantine was at my side when she did it. If I understand the girl correctly, she instructed the House not to reveal the location to anyone."

The glow from his hand ended then, though Nimue did not immediately speak up. She just stared at him for several moments. "What do you mean, she instructed the House of Mystery?" she questioned.

"Just that. You and I both know there is a sentience within that mansion and Zatanna was able to talk with it. They have come to an understanding, or so I was told. Detective Chimp even volunteered to search the mansion for it and came up empty-handed."

A sigh escaped Nimue's lips as she lowered herself back into her seat. "I would feel better if she wasn't around Constantine," she grumbled.

He had to admit, he agreed with that sentiment. Hopefully all of the negative stories Zatara heard about the man would keep her from revealing the grimoire's location.

Then again, you would think hearing such stories would keep her away from the man in general.

No wonder Nimue seemed so irritated.

Well, things could have gone better, but Zatanna knew how to avoid landmines when she saw one.

Calling Madame Xanadu rather than seeing her in person was her solution to avoiding the latest landmine in her life.

Some would say she was stupid, naive, completely and utterly crazy for what she was about to do. They may have very well been right. Lord knows her troupe manager felt that way about her from time to time. But, she was a gambling girl and everything in life was a gamble.

Well, maybe this wasn't a gamble. It wasn't like she was wanting a date or anything. Nope, she was just curious, that was all. She was new to the magic game, and now she was discovering that she could learn more about it. Sure, she could do that learning with Xanadu, but she was rigid in her methods. Torturous, but rigid all the same.

John Constantine didn't seem to be all that rigid to her.

Yeah, she was finding out the guy had a reputation and not a good one at that. Wouldn't be the first time she was friends with a guy that had a bad reputation. That was what being a teenage girl was all about! Besides, she had taken care of the one thing that would have made him a problem.

After that crazy ass battle with the Enchantress, they had a spellbook they needed to deal with. June had asked what was next and it was decided the researcher couldn't be expected to deal with every nasty spirit and monster that wanted to get its hands on the book. Jason made it clear he couldn't handle the book and it was pretty obvious why that was. He had also made it clear Constantine couldn't handle the book either, which he accepted as well.

Detective Chimp didn't look like he cared either way, so it was left to Zatanna to deal with it. So she made everyone leave the House of Mystery, wandered the halls until she figured out a good hiding place, and then instructed the House not to ever let anyone find it. If it did what she asked, she'd let it tell her all of its story any time she came to visit.

The House seemed very pleased with that deal and accepted. She had even listened to one on her way out. See? She could keep her deals.

So, all loose ends were tied up. Everyone was going their separate ways, and Zatanna had a date with her troupe in Phoenix to get to. Constantine wasn't opposed to hitting the open road either, so that's where they were, on the open highway, driving for the mountains and eventually the desert beyond it.

"Any reason you want us to drive the entire way?" Constantine asked from behind the wheel. "The scenery ain't that good."

"No reason in particular," the dark-haired woman answered as she stared out the passenger window. They were in one of those classic cars, surprisingly one owned by the British guy. He had called it a…something or another, she really didn't care for cars, ya know. But, it was a classy one, she had to admit. The roar of the motor hummed louder every time Constantine pushed on the accelerator, so that was a constant sound in the background.

"So why not just fly? We'd get there a trifle faster."

"Well, I was hoping to get to know you a little better." Zatanna turned her head to look at her chauffeur. "Tell me all about you. I want to know everything."

"Girlie, we'd need to drive a lot longer for that story," he told her.

"Then give me the first chapter and we'll go from there." She gave him a winsome smile. "Besides, there's some magic stuff I'd like to go over with you."

"That right? What about it?"

"Well, I was definitely interested in learning more about tantra."

A smirk appeared on the man's face. "Oh, so that's what you're after. You wanted a little instruction."

"A little, a lot, makes no difference to me." Honestly, she wouldn't mind learning all about it. Besides, he was a guy and he wouldn't pass up having a fun time with a girl like her.

"Ya know, there's a motel not that far ahead," Constantine suggested. "I could give ya your second lesson there if you'd like."

Zatanna pretended to think about that. She wasn't opposed to experiencing those sensations again, even if it was now. Still, they did have places to be. There was plenty of daylight for them to drive, but they also had some time before they absolutely had to be in Phoenix. Decisions, decisions…

"How long will the lesson go?" she couldn't help but ask.

A smirk appeared on the blond man's face. "As long as you want it to."

Well, don't tempt her with a good time.

When John had been asked about joining Zatara's girl on a road trip, he didn't really have a reason to say no. He was nomadic at the best of times, so why the hell not? That they were leaving San Francisco for some city in the desert wasn't to his liking, but hey, he'd have good company.

And apparently one that was interested in tantra. This was going to be some fun.

All-in-all, this latest venture of his had turned out well. He had a right beauty on his arm, even if it was just for fun. She was clearly indicating that's what she wanted and he wasn't a man to turn a pretty face like hers down. He was getting the feeling the Zatara girl wasn't some stick in the mud like he first thought of her. She had some stones, that was for certain. He had overheard that phone call to Xanadu and that couldn't have been easy.

He was beginning to wonder what else she would be up for.

Of course, one of those things wasn't the Sworn Book of Honorius. He honestly didn't have a need for it, so he didn't fight too hard with knowing its secret location. It was good enough that he knew the person that knew where it was in the event he needed to get his hands on it. In his experience, books like that should be destroyed unless they proved themselves indestructible. The number of fires that were fueled by such books spoke to how limited those indestructible books were.

And they should have done it to this one, whatever the reason for keeping it in one piece be damned. The Enchantress had been very cunning and crafty, not to mention powerful. It had taken the Prince of Hell himself to defeat her, which was no small feat. He knew where he stood on that battlefield.

Knowing where you stood was a good thing to know. Besides, he knew when there were opportunities to exploit and there had been one in the chaos of the fight. Namely, in his pocket was the deed to the House of Mystery. With Anita Soulfeeda no longer around, the House needed a new owner. As far as he knew, there weren't any direct descendants of Anita to come claim the House as their own. She had been in seclusion for so long, no one knew if she had any relatives around.

Which was just as well. When there was blood in the streets, buy property, as the saying went. He had his purchase in the deed, one that now read John Constantine on it.

So yeah, he made out for himself rather well this go-around.

It was almost as if she had never left. June sat at her station, looking over an aging manuscript. That was her assignment today, even if it didn't really excite her. She couldn't even pretend that it was because it lacked the history and mystique of the Sworn Book of Honorius.

Compared to what she had just gone through, doing her regular job paled in comparison.

The Sworn Book of Honorius was reported as missing. The police had been called and they had come up with very little. The damaged Middle-Ages displays had been the focal point of their investigation, but that had been it. Apparently, the security cameras had gone down hours prior to the Enchantress' attack, so there was nothing recorded on the night of the hag's attack. Ultimately, it meant there were a number of employees present when the cameras went down, and they were all questioned.

Somehow, the cops hadn't put together that June had been missing for a few days. She figured that would have been a red flag for them, but apparently she had some days off? Her personal calendar hadn't shown that, but it popped up in her employer's system, so it was assumed she had been off for her entire absence.

Faintly, she wondered if one of her magically-inclined friends had done that.

Which was sweet of them. She had been next to useless to them, but they had gone out of their way to make certain she could return to her life with minimal issue. She really needed to get them a gift basket or something. Maybe a gift card? Something to show her appreciation.

She also wanted to keep a low profile. She didn't want to bring any heat on her and letting the museum take the flack for losing the tome was preferable. She felt bad about it, sure, but she still had her job and that was kinda important for her to pay bills, eat, and basically afford necessities. She didn't exactly work in a field that had a lot of job openings, so trying to find something else would be incredibly difficult.

Apparently, her "vacation" had done wonders for her. Her co-workers seemed to be noticing her more, particularly the men. It had been startling, but she was growing to like it. Even now, she wore a low-cut blouse that showed a touch more cleavage than she usually wore. It wasn't the level of professionalism her bosses wanted, but she found keeping a sweater nearby, or even her lab coat, allowed for quick coverage if need be. Oddly enough, her bosses hadn't said much of anything.

"Hey, June!" she heard one of her co-workers call out, pulling her attention away from the manuscript. "We were all talking about going out for lunch! You wanna join?"

"Yeah, sounds great!" she accepted easily. While she had gone out with the others before, it wasn't that often she got the invite. The adult world had their cliques, much like high school, and she had been a mousy thing. She figured the few invites she had gotten previously had been done out of pity, but now, they felt genuine.

If there was one good thing that came out of being hunted by a hag…

As she pushed herself away from her station, she suddenly felt Mother Nature calling. Had she been working that long? "Hey, I gotta use the restroom. Give me a few minutes?" she called out.

"You do you!" her co-worker answered. "We're still getting a headcount. We'll wait."

Perfect. Leaving her lab coat over her chair, June left the room, heading for the employee restroom. There were a couple options, one being a single room, which was preferred by most of the techs here as it was the closest one. There was a public one further up ahead, but thankfully she didn't have to go far. The single one was open and she took it, locking the door behind her.

After doing her business, she went to the sink to wash up. No sense in eating with pee-stained hands, right? Not that she peed on them, but there was no telling how much soaked through the toilet paper and actually touched her fingers. There was also that familiar ALL EMPLOYEES MUST WASH THEIR HANDS sign right next to the sink. By now, it was just habit for her to do it.

Turning on the faucet, she waited a few moments for the water to warm up before she started. Hands wet, soap applied, scrubbing them to the tune of Happy Birthday, and then rinsing off, she had the whole routine down. Waving a wet hand in front of the sensor to the paper towel dispenser, a preset amount of paper rolled out, which she tore off and dried her hands. She did it again because it naturally was never enough.

Then she paused. Looking to the mirror, she raised her hands up and began running her fingers through her hair, pushing up strands behind her ears. She had to admit, she looked good today. Maybe that was why the others were paying more attention to her.

She couldn't help but smile, actually, genuinely feeling it. The smile lit up her face pleasantly.

Then her smile widened, showing teeth. Her blue eyes flashed green.

No longer was June looking at her reflection in the mirror, but the reflection of her true self. The face of the Enchantress stared back at her, wearing her clothes, but her aged, leather face and beady face were all that could be seen. Her shoulders were bobbing up and down as she cackled, the sound of her laugh echoing only for her to hear.

In true horror fashion, I just had to reveal the twist ending lol. This was an interesting story to write, using those horror tropes and whatnot.

Anyways, thanks to everyone that read, reviewed, and enjoyed this story. It is greatly appreciated. Anonymous Void is still posting Seventy-Seven Shattered Souls, so the announcement for the next story will be announced there. It'll be awhile before another side-project story is released as we're hard at work on the next story.

Until next time,

ShadowMajin