Chapter 7

Gotham; September 4th, 00:37 EST

Robin lightly landed on the roof of the warehouse, his attentive gaze instantly sweeping across the area. An unusual signal had been sent out from this location, Barbara alerting him to the fact that something fishy was going on there. Both knew that it was probably a trap with Penguin and Riddler joining forces, but it still needed to be investigated.

"I'm here," Robin relayed to Barbara. "I'll keep you posted."

"Do you want backup?" she asked.

"Nah, not yet," he told her. "Let me scope it out first."

"I'm still alerting the others," she stubbornly informed him.

"Whatever," he muttered before tapping his link and cutting off communication.

He walked across the roof, not finding anything out of order yet. Finding a skylight, he carefully inspected it before lifting it up and slipping inside. He waited on top of a metal beam, peering through the darkness as thunder began to rumble outside.

He stayed there for several long moments, just waiting and watching. He didn't see anything out of place, but at the same time, something didn't feel right. His gut was telling him that he was not alone in this warehouse.

He hit a signal button on his belt before using several stacks of crates as a means of stair-stepping his way through the expansive room without landing on the floor yet. He leaped from crate to crate, keeping his eyes locked on his surroundings.

Robin paused as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, crouching low and melding into the top of the crate. He carefully pulled out a Batarang, gripping it tightly as he waited with bated breath. If they were waiting for him to make the first move, they were going to be waiting a very long time.

Something made Robin look down, noticing a large black question mark on top of the crate he was lying on. He cursed under his breath as a loud bang echoed through the warehouse. The crates beneath him crashed to the ground, taking his bearings out from under him. He did a couple of flips in the air, landing on the balls of his feet with the weapon still in hand.

It hadn't taken long for the intruder to make his identity known.

Machine guns dropped from the ceiling, flooding the warehouse with gunfire. Wooden crates exploded, sending splinters flying like shrapnel around the room. Smoke from the machine guns filled the air as Robin ducked for cover. There was no place to hide as the weapons decimated everything in their path.

Metal pings could be heard as bullets ricocheted off steel beams and machinery, sending the deadly projectiles flying in all directions. There was no place to go but up as Robin fired his grappling gun, lifting him up into the air to a metal beam. He threw a Batarang, taking out the nearest machine gun and buying himself a few seconds of security.

"Come on, Robin," Riddler's voice sweetly echoed as the gunfire finally died down. "Come out, come out wherever you are. We just want to play catch the little bird with you."

"It's over, Riddler," Robin called as he stealthily raced across the high beam, knowing he'd be following the sound of his voice. He did not want to be where Riddler fired next.

As if on cue, Riddler opened fire with his question-mark staff on the last place he'd heard the Boy Wonder's voice. "You're not playing fairly, little bird. Why don't you come down and play?"

"I don't like the rules you play by," Robin stated, using his grappling line to escape his position at the last minute. He barely missed being shot to pieces, instead sustaining a hole in his cape.

Either Riddler's aim was getting better, or he was more determined than ever to take him out.

Robin threw a handful of smoke grenades, creating a protective screen that allowed him to move about without being seen. "What are you and Penguin up to?" he demanded to know.

Riddler laughed in response, but his tone was anything but amused. He began to fire at will, aiming wildly and shooting at anything that seemingly moved. Unfortunately, he took out a couple of his own henchmen who keeled over dead at that moment.

"Get down here, you little brat," Riddler angrily yelled. "Face me like a man and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Robin wiped the sweat from his brow. He wasn't going to be able to hold Riddler off forever. He needed to come up with a plan and fast. He dropped down on top of a large piece of metal equipment, hoping it would hold up a lot better than the wooden crates had.

Thunder rolled overhead as flashes of lightning lit up the warehouse. Riddler grinned to himself as he took aim at the figure perched like the bird that he was on top of a piece of machinery. "Riddle me this…riddle me that…what do you get when you shoot a bird?" he asked himself.

Firing, he watched with great pleasure as Robin was knocked off his roost, disappearing behind the equipment. "You get a dead bird," he gleefully answered himself with a shrug. "Not my best riddle, but I got what I wanted in the end."

His henchmen quickly ran to the other side of the machine to find nothing but a small pool of blood. "He's not here, boss!" one yelled.

"Did I hit him?" Riddler asked.

"We got blood, but no bird," the other one yelled, receiving a batarang to the back of his head.

The other one quickly pulled his gun only to have a flash grenade go off in front of his face, blinding him. "Hey!" he angrily exclaimed, covering his eyes with his hands.

Robin breathed heavily as he braced himself against a back wall, blood oozed from his shoulder and burned like fire. He was fairly certain the bullet wound was a through and through and the bullet wasn't lodged in his shoulder. Still, it hurt like hell.

"Still alive, little Robin?" Riddler taunted him. "Come out and I'll be happy to fix your wounded wing—permanently."

Robin needed to get himself out of here before he bled to death or Riddler got his hands on him. Either option sounded like a worst-case scenario to him. He tried applying pressure to his wound, but it just hurt worse. Blood continued to ooze from his shoulder, causing him to feel lightheaded. He couldn't lose consciousness, not here and not now.

He could hear Riddler grumbling to himself as he reloaded his staff. "Stay where you are, Robin. I'll find you. I'll just follow your trail of blood."

Robin tilted his head back against the wall, trying to curl up into a ball. He felt a shadow coming around the corner, drawing closer. He needed to move. He was a sitting duck here. That's when he looked down to notice the deep gash in his calf. He must have cut in on the machine when he fell off. Blood was dripping down his leg to the floor beneath him.

He quickly drew another Batarang, refusing to go down without a fight. He held the weapon up, ready to unleash it when he came face to face with Red Robin. He let out a ragged breath, relief washing over him. He silently pointed in the last direction he'd heard Riddler.

Red Robin nodded silently, motioning for him to stay put. Robin just nodded in agreement, unsure if he could have done much else at that point. Red Robin turned to Batgirl, giving her hand signals so she knew what he wanted her to do. She balled up her fists, leveling him with a dark glare.

She was mad and ready for a fight.

She took off towards Riddler from one side while Red Robin raced in on the other side. A flurry of Batarangs flew through the air like live bats, taking Riddler by surprise. He immediately began batting them away with his staff and yelling at his henchmen.

"Run!" Riddler ordered them. "The cavalry just showed up!"

Riddler fired at Batgirl and Red Robin, both diving for cover. "You two are next!" Riddler yelled at them, pointing his cane at them only to find it empty.

Batgirl tried to run after Riddler, but Red Robin stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go," he told her. "We need to get Robin back to the cave right away."

She growled in frustration but ultimately agreed with a curt nod. She knew he was right, but it infuriated her to see Riddler and his men getting away, especially after hurting a member of her new family. They would pay for what they did to Robin.

Themyscira; September 4th, 01:18 EST

"You have got to be freaking kidding me," Jason said as he stared at the enormous stone before them.

"No, I think it's a risk we need to take," Artemis told him, checking to make sure they had everything they would need.

"I don't like this at all," he replied. "I mean I'd do anything for Diana, but going to the Underworld seems a little extreme."

"Hades is her father," Artemis reminded him as she glanced at Hippolyta and Phillipus. "He might know what is happening to her and why. It's a chance we must take."

"From what I remember, Hades didn't seem to take too kindly to Diana and Bruce in his domain the last time they were there," Jason pointed out. "What makes you think that he'd help her now?"

"I don't, but we'll never know unless we try," Artemis states. "Look, if you don't want to go, I'll go myself."

He gave her a frustrated look. "You're crazy if you think that I'm letting you go into the Underworld to meet with Hades by yourself. I just think that maybe we should think this over…make sure this is the way to get answers."

"We're wasting time," Artemis insisted. "Either you go or stay here."

"I'm going," he snapped, growing angry with his wife.

He wasn't against doing whatever it took to save Diana's life, but he also wasn't stupid enough to go traipsing around the Underworld without making dead sure they could get what they needed and get back out again.

Dead sure. What a horrible choice of words.

"We will be here waiting to let you out at this time in three days," Queen Hippolyta told them. "May the gods protect you."

"Yeah…great," Jason muttered under his breath.

"I'm going with you," Phillipus announced, turning to the queen. "It's my fault that I couldn't capture the witch woman or stop her before she could hurt Diana. I need to accompany them on this journey."

Hippolyta knew that arguing with Phillipus was useless. Once her commander had made up her mind, there was no changing it. "You know it's not your fault, Phillipus," she reassured her, "but if you feel you must go, I won't stand in your way. Please, come back safely…all of you."

"Yes, my queen," Phillipus said, bowing her head.

"Let's go," Artemis announced. "The sooner we leave the sooner we can return."

"Hopefully with what we need," Jason murmured, still unconvinced this was the right thing to do.

Bruce hadn't been too keen on the idea either when they had contacted him about Artemis's plan. At the same time, he wasn't going to stop them if they felt it was something they needed to do to help Diana. Artemis had been very persuasive, not to mention adamant that they could get the information they were growing desperate for.

Queen Hippolyta nodded her head to the Amazon guards standing watch over the enormous stone. It took several of them to push it aside. A powerful rush of wind filled the cavern as the opening was revealed, allowing the three travelers entrance into the Underworld. They were immediately met with a moaning sound that Jason swore would follow him into his dreams.

This was the stuff nightmares were made of.

"May Hera watch over and protect you," Queen Hippolyta softly said as the stone was returned to its location, her blond hair coming to rest on her shoulders once more with the dying down of the wind.

Artemis immediately turned towards her husband. "Now, you are going to have to listen to me or Phillipus at all times," she sternly warned him. "Don't go off by yourself. Always stay with one of us. Don't touch anything and never…I repeat never…eat anything down here. Got it?"

"Yeah, I'm good…I'm good," he promised her, holding his hands up in a defensive position. "Let's just get this over with."

A slight smirk formed on Phillipus's lips as they began to make their way toward Hades' palace. "I know who wears the skirt in your family."

Jason shot her a venomous glare. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she innocently maintained, sword gripped firmly in her hand. She wasn't taking any chances by sheathing her weapon.

"We need to move quickly if we're going to make it back on time," Artemis told them, changing the subject.

"Bruce told me about their encounter in the Underworld when Diana rescued him," Jason replied. "It wasn't pretty."

"Diana nearly died here trying to rescue her mate," Phillipus confirmed.

"She could die this time as well if we don't get to the bottom of this," Jason softly stated. "What are the chances that Hades will even help us?"

"Hades is her father," Artemis pointed out. "He was willing to help create her. Hopefully, we can count on him being willing to help us save her."

"If not him, then maybe his wife," Phillipus suggested. "Persephone should be returning to Hades any day now."

"Hopefully, she returns before it's too late," Artemis agreed.

Thanagar; September 4th, 02:04 EST

John flopped back into bed, sighing heavily at the feel of the soft bed beneath him. It had been a very long day of searching for information while simultaneously trying to stay out of sight. Inducing curiosity and stirring up suspicion was the last thing they needed.

Shayera exited the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. "I've been thinking," she announced. "We need a different approach to this."

"How so?" he muttered; eyes closed as he fought against the powerful pull of sleep.

"We need to go to her apartment and look through things before we try to track down all her old friends," she suggested.

"Sounds good to me," he murmured.

"Today wasn't a total waste, though," she continued, sitting down on the edge of the bed to brush her hair. "It helped to visit the place where she died. I just wish I could have been there for her to protect her."

John forced his eyes open, reaching out a hand to her. "Hey, we'll find out what really happened to her," he reassured her. "We won't leave until we do."

She gently squeezed his hand, giving him a soft smile. "Thank you," she replied. "I don't think I could get through this without you. I mean if it was just a regular case it'd be one thing, but—"

"It's your sister," he finished for her. "That makes it even more difficult."

"Tell me again what your friend Erik told you about how Samara died."

"She was found in that alley we visited today," Shayera revealed with a distant look in her eyes. "Erik said Kantar felt she had been on a bender that weekend, but Erik said she was clean and had been clean for well over a month. She was trying to get her life together."

"Autopsy report?"

"Found significant doses of drugs in her system as well as fresh track marks."

"But you don't feel she could have fallen off the wagon?"

"She could have," Shayera responded with a slow shake of her head. "She had tried a few times in the past to clean up only to fall right back into the habit, but Erik swore it was different this time. She was doing really well. Erick and Samara were talking about getting back together again once she was back on her feet.

Then, something happened. She was scared before she died, constantly looking over her shoulder, but he didn't know what it was. She refused to tell him for fear of getting him involved."

"Maybe someone from her drug circle was trying to pull her back in…threatened her," John suggested. "Drug dealers don't like to lose customers."

"Could be," Shayera thoughtfully replied. "Something about all of this just doesn't feel right."

"Death of a loved one never does."

Shayera frowned. "I know."

"Are you going to be able to accept it if it turns out that she did have a relapse?"

"Yes," she said, squaring her shoulders, knowing it was going to be difficult no matter what they uncovered here. "It's difficult no matter what we find, but I have to know the truth."

"Let's get some sleep," he said with a yawn. "We'll start fresh tomorrow."

Shayera climbed into bed next to her husband, cuddling up beside him. "Thank you for coming with me," she softly said.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. "There's no other place I'd rather be."

Mykonos; September 4th, 02:53 EST

"If she's not here, then I have no idea where Circe is," Zatanna said as they entered the Amphitheater.

"Well, we've looked everywhere else," Constantine replied, glancing around in hopes of spotting the object of their pursuit.

"Thank you…thank you very much," Circe called as she bowed and blew kisses to the audience.

"Should have known," Zee muttered under her breath. "Always the center of attention. Come on."

Constantine followed the magician towards the stage, keeping a close eye on Circe as she stepped down onto the floor. "Well, well, well," Circe said as she saw the duo approaching. "Did you get to see my performance?"

"Missed it," John replied with a clipped response.

"Oh, poo," Circe responded with a pouting lip. "Well, no worries. You can catch my next performance in an hour."

"We need to talk," Zatanna stated, folding her arms against her chest.

"Hmmm…looks serious," the witch noted, running her fingers through her purple hair. "Well, whatever it is I can assure you it wasn't me. I've been here for over a week. You can ask anyone."

"Try a thousand years ago," Constantine questioned her.

"A thousand years ago," Circe thoughtfully repeated, tapping her bottom lip with a well-manicured lacquered nail. "You're going to have to be a little more specific. That was a very long time ago."

They followed Circe to a nearby table, all three taking a seat. "Were you ever on Themyscira a thousand years ago?" Zatanna asked.

Circe wrinkled her nose at the mention of Themyscira. "Now why would I ever go to Themyscira? Hippolyta had me banished to Tartarus, remember? I hate that woman and her haughty daughter."

"That's exactly why we're here," Constantine told her.

Circe sat up a little straighter in her chair, leaning forward with her arms resting on top of the table. "Why?" she asked, growing excited about the possibilities. "Did something happen? Is Diana finally dead? No wait…Hippolyta. That old bat deserves everything that comes to her and so much more."

"No, they're both alive," Zatanna informed her, unwilling to give too much information away. She didn't want Circe running her mouth and alerting the entire magical world that Diana was in a coma. Chaos would run wild, and they didn't have time for that nonsense.

"Oh," she uttered with a scowl. "Too bad. You got my hopes up for nothing."

"We're investigating a spell that was placed on Diana shortly after her creation," John revealed. "It couldn't have been you, could it?"

"A spell?" Circe said, her excitement returning with a vengeance as she leaned forward with curiosity. "What kind of spell? Is she running around on hooves now? Oh, please tell me it's true. Does she nah and whiney?"

"No," Zatanna spat out, growing more and more irritated as the conversation dragged on. "Did you place a spell on Diana when she was a baby?"

Circe laughed as she snapped her fingers at a passing waiter, requesting a drink. "If I had, do you think I would tell you?"

"Yes, I think you would," John told her. "You would love for everyone to know that you put a spell on Diana."

"You're right," she admitted with a huff of annoyance. "You two just suck the joy out of everything. No, I didn't put a spell on baby Diana, but I wish I'd thought of it. Pure genius for whoever did it."

"Do you have any idea who could have done it?" Zee questioned her.

Circe just shrugged as her drink arrived, taking a long sip. "No clue," she said. "No idea anyone had even done it. So what happened to her? Did she grow a snout? No, she grew a tail?"

"No," Zee bit out, her hands balling into fists.

"Come on, Circe," Constantine intervened before Zee could unleash a magical spell of her own on the witch woman. "You must know something. You're a powerful sorceress. You can't tell me you don't know anything about it."

"I don't," she insisted, "and even if I did why do you think I would tell you?"

Zatanna lifted a hand, a glowing ball of magical energy forming brightly in her palm. "Want me to force it out of you?"

"Remember the last time you tried to go up against me?" Circe reminded her. "It didn't end so well for you and the Bat. How is the Bat anyway? Still whipped by the Amazon Princess?"

Constantine carefully reached over, placing a hand on her wrist and gently pushing it down. The magical energy extinguished and the tension along with it. "Can you think of anyone who would put a spell on Diana?"

Circe laughed something dark and throaty, her head momentarily tipping back. "Are you kidding me? The list could go on for miles. The Amazons aren't as well-liked as they'd like you to believe. Is she grazing in a hay field? Hanging by her hooved heels in a meat locker?"

John could feel his anger rising but knew that one of them needed to keep their cool if they were going to get anything out of Circe. "Do you think you could narrow that list down a little?"

"Well, let's see," she replied, tapping off fingers as she began to list names that popped to mind. "Besides me, there's Ares, Medusa, Eris, Hecate, Cronus, Alkyone, Deimos and his brother Phobos. Does that give you enough to start with?"

"Actually, it does," Zatanna murmured as she considered the names given. "It helps a lot."

"Good," Circe said. "You're just lucky you caught me at a good moment after an outstanding performance. Otherwise, I would have turned you into a pair of weasels."

"We need to go," Zatanna told Constantine, grabbing his arm and jerking him out of his chair.

Batcave; September 4th, 3:46 EST

Cassandra watched with overt concern as Alfred and Bruce tended to Damian, fear of what could've happened gripping her. If they hadn't gotten there when they had, Damian could have died. Thankfully, he would recover in a few weeks.

She sat cross-legged on top of a crate of supplies still dressed in her uniform. She hadn't wanted to leave the medical bay out of fear of what could happen if she wasn't there. She glanced over at Diana lying on another medical bed, appearing as if she were sleeping so peacefully…just like a sleeping beauty.

She sighed to herself. She had come to care deeply for this family and seeing all of them heartbroken hurt her deeply. She had connected with Bruce and Diana in ways she had never expected. They were like having real parents for the first time in her life.

"There," Alfred murmured, capturing Cassandra's attention once more. "I'll check the bandages in a few hours to make sure they're holding up. This one on your shoulder might bleed through so we'll need to keep a close eye on it."

"How soon can I get back out on patrol?" Damian asked, trying to get out of bed.

"Whoa," Bruce said, gently pushing him back into bed. "I'm afraid you're grounded for at least a month if not more."

"What?" Damian cried. "I have to get back out there. Riddler is running around Gotham still. I need to finish this."

"We'll get him," Bruce promised him, Cassandra nodding her agreement from behind. "Right now, you're not going anywhere."

"That's not fair," Damian spat out with a scowl. "He shoots me and gets away with it?"

"I promise you he's not going to get away with it," Tim stated. "Cassandra and I will be right back out there tonight with Dick to find Riddler."

"I'll be out there too," Bruce told him.

"You have to take care of Diana," Damian said, his gaze falling on his stepmother.

This was the worst possible time for this to have happened to him. The family needed him now more than ever and now he was sidelined because the Riddler got a lucky shot at him. He was angry at himself and at the villain who had taken him out.

"When are Jason and Artemis returning?" Tim asked.

"Not for a few more days," Bruce revealed. "They went to the Underworld to talk to Hades."

"What?" Tim exclaimed. "Why did you agree to them going to see Hades?"

"I didn't," Bruce replied. "I told them I didn't agree with it, but Artemis was dead set they were going to see Hades to get information from him to help Diana."

"Dear heavens," Alfred murmured as he cleaned up the bloody gauze.

"Just when you think it can't get any worse…" Tim muttered.

"Huntress and Black Canary both said they would step up their presence in Gotham," Bruce informed them. "I have sent for Etrigan as well."

"That's great, but what if Jason and Artemis never make it out of the Underworld?" Damian pointed out.

Bruce slowly shook his head. "Artemis knows what she's doing," he attempted to reassure them as well as himself.

"Any word from Zatanna and Constantine?" Tim asked.

"Zatanna checked in to let me know they talked to Circe, but they don't feel she's involved in any way."

"That's a first," Tim said with a snort of disdain.

"Circe did give them some names to check into, some of them we'd already had on the list," Bruce responded. "Zatanna also thought of someone else she wanted to check in with."

"So, no change in Diana's condition, Artemis and Jason are in the Underworld and may never return, Riddler shot Damian and we still don't know what he and Penguin are planning," Tim rattled off with obvious anger and frustration. "Does that cover everything?"

"Sounds like it," Damian replied with a frown.

"Is there anything Riddler said that might give us an idea about what they could be up to?" Bruce questioned them.

"Just the usual," Damian stated. "Nothing about what he was doing there or what they were planning next."

Cassandra rapidly pointed at herself and then to Tim several times. "Oh, yeah," Tim remembered. "He said that Batgirl and I were next. Not sure if he was just making his usual threats or it's part of their agenda."

"He's been trying to take us all out so many times," Damian groused.

"He almost succeeded tonight," Bruce softly pointed out. "Maybe he thinks he's finally killed Robin off."

"All the more reason for me to get back out there to prove him wrong," Damian suggested.

"All the more reason to lay low and let him think he has," Bruce thoughtfully considered.

Damian's face scrunched up in irritation. "I don't like the sound of that."

"You're not going anywhere anyway banged up like you are," Tim reminded him. "I'm beginning to think that maybe I should move back home for a while until things calm down around here."

"No," Bruce immediately responded. "You finally have an apartment of your own. You need to enjoy your freedom as a college student. You need a life outside of these walls and this family."

Tim looked over at Diana, his heart breaking even more than he thought possible. "I don't know…" he muttered, swallowing down the thick knot in his throat.

Bruce made his way to Tim, placing a hand on his shoulder. "She wouldn't want you to move back here either because of all this. We'll get through it. You can still be a help even if you're not living here."

"How is Kaia's eye?" Tim asked.

"She was admiring it in the mirror before I finally put her into bed," Alfred announced. "I have a feeling it could be swollen shut come morning."

"Only Kaia," Damian said with a shake of his head.

"Nicholas wants one now too so they can be twins," Alfred revealed.

"Of course he does," Bruce muttered with a sigh.

"I think it's time we all turned in," Alfred suggested.

Cassandra waved as she left to head upstairs, Tim close behind her. "I'm going to crash here for a few hours before heading home," Tim announced.

"I'm going to stay down here with Diana and Damian," Bruce told him.

"I am more than happy to stay up with them," Alfred volunteered.

"No, get some sleep, Alfred," Bruce said. "I'll be fine."

"You don't look fine," Damian pointed out. "You look like you've been to hell and back."

"Do try to get some sleep, Master Bruce," Alfred encouraged him. "Miss Diana needs you at your best, but so does your family."

Bruce nodded in agreement, knowing he was right. "I'll settle into one of the beds here in the med bay."

Alfred nodded, knowing that he wasn't going to get a better compromise than that. He dimmed the lights on his way out, leaving the cave bathed in a soft glow. Bruce made his way to Diana, pausing to kiss her on the forehead before taking a bed near her.

It was quiet for several moments before his son's voice broke through the stillness. "Don't worry, dad," Damian said. "We'll get through this. Diana will be fine…we'll all be fine. I'll help take care of Nick and Kaia since I'm grounded so don't worry about them."

"Thank you," Bruce softly said.

"I love you," he murmured as sleep and pain medications quickly began to take over.

"I love you too," Bruce replied, smiling to himself.

He couldn't help wondering why it was always easier for them to say things like that in the dark…why it seemed to take a near-death disaster to give voice to those feelings. He'd been scared half to death when Tim and Cassandra had brought Damian in bleeding like that.

He drew a shuddering breath, trying to push that fear from his mind. Alfred had been right. He needed to get some sleep. He had a feeling that Devastation was going to be making another appearance soon in an attempt to draw Diana out.

And he wanted to be there when she did.

A/N: I LOVE WHERE THIS IS ALL GOING! SO EXCITED! Hope you are too!

UP NEXT: Wally & Linda learn what it's like to be parents while Phillipus, Artemis, & Jason fight their way through the Underworld. Life continues to move forward at an accelerated rate for Diana with unexpected twists & turns while Bruce's prediction comes true. :)