chapter 43: The Ritual

"Do you really need to draw a goddamn pentagram?"

"Blame the modern church for chaning their meaning and devil worshippers for following suit, not magic for using them." John replied as he did the finishing touch for the ritual, the pentragram where Zatanna would stand on to transfer part of her magic to him. "Besides why the fuck do you care? You guys worship Neptune, not the god with capital G."

"I was raised christian. And it's Poseidon, not Neptune."

"Poseidon, Neptune, they're literally the same god with different names, who the fuck really cares about differences." John said with a scoff.

"Some people in the Kingdoms do see a difference, and could you please be a bit mindful of your language? There are children here." Mera asked him, annoyed at his lack of manners around children.

Three days after talking with Zatanna, we went to Atlantis instead of conducting the ritual in the Fortress both as a gesture of good faith to the Monarchs, because we'd have more help in case something went wrong, and something that John said about being 'close to the Realms'; Zatanna was ready to be used as a booster, Grundy was ready, and the others were here just in case something wrong happened. All that was left to do was letting John do his magic... and hope that keeping him away from alcohol for three days straight and administrating his system with enough nicotine to supply a cigarette machine would keep him steady and focused for at least a full day.

"Children don't really understand words until after a year, and Garfield has already gotten used to Mr. Constantine's habits." VEGA said from my suit's speakers to reassure her.

"You hear the robot butler; kids these days just don't care about language." John said as he stood up from the pentagram. "Not exactly a bad thing all things given, but hey, I'm not really into raising children.

"And what about us?" Grundy rumbled from his spot on the room, sitting cross legged for some reason that evaded me. He had gotten much better at speaking normally.

"Ritual's coming soon enough, just wait for it Grundy." He then looked at Zatanna, who was standing nearby, and dressed in more appropiate clothes. "As for you, I'm going to prepare you for the ritual."

"How, exactly?"

"Positions, stance, a little spell here and there... You don't understand magic yet, so be happy I'm giving you a test." He said before walking aside. "C'mon, follow me."

Understandably, Zatanna didn't really like his, well, attitude. "Mysogisnt jerkass!" She growled before following him. Too bad for her that John was actually more of a misanthrope; she just happened to be a woman who he had seen first dressed in corset and fishnets and coming from a cheap stage show, and thus leaving a bad impression. Her also being actually more powerful in sheer magic power despite not knowing how to use it, yet also having a skilled wizard father may also had a part on his annoyance towards her.

John was being difficult as always, that is all.

Clark couldn't help but chuckle at that. "One of these days John will piss off someone willing to smack his face."

"He already has, several times, but those didn't end well for either party. So, how are you and your companions doing back at Metropolis after Luthor's defeat?" Yes, defeat, there was no better way to describe it.

Clark hummed. "It's gotten pretty quiet since Lex was sent to prison, maybe even too quiet aside from small things like robberies and accidents." He then frowned. "That may explain a lot of things actually. Imagine if I had done what you did sooner, many people would have happy lives... or be alive at all."

I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "You couldn't do anything against him, not if you wanted him to actually realize the pain he had caused instead of a more direct approach, and besides, I doubt he would have accepted penance if you had been the one offering it to him."

"Yeah, Clark, Luthor was one of those guys who needed a firm, armor-plated hand. Geez, never expected to walk underwater. Admittedly is less exciting than I thought, but still, better than a submarine." Wally added as he looked up before turning back to me. "Say, how did you really do it, by the way? Make him change his ways? I think I've already asked, but I might have not been listening."

"After scaring him into submission, John used his magic to make Luthor feel every bit of pain and anguish he had caused. Even the most ruthless monster in the world could break from feeling so much agony in every part of his soul." Naturally I was lying through my teeth, but again, they didn't need to know the truth.

It was at that moment when Garfield, bored of doing nothing while waiting for John, decided to approach the atlantean couple. He had seen something interesting, more than the watery 'sky' he was underneath of

"Hello there." Mera greeted him with a smile as he approached her.

Garfield, however, was too fixated on Junior to greet her back, eyes wide in amazement at the sight of someone younger than him.

"Baby?" Yes, Garfield had learned how to speak english, but still didn't do it much.

"Don't worry, I've taught him in interactions with other people, he's merely fascinated by your son being the first human he has ever seen younger than he is."

"Oh, I'm not worried." Mera said with a smile as she grabbed Garfield and put him on his lap; he didn't resist. "I always liked children even before having Junior. Maybe I even learn something for when he's Garfield's age."

Arthur then approached us, his arms folded over his chest as he looked at Mera try to get Junior to grab Garfield's finger.

"So, you are a father." Arthur said as he watched Junior and Garfield interact. "Never expected you of all people taking care of a child."

"He had no one else to look after him permanently, and given his appearance and the fact he was feral, I didn't want to give him to someone else that might have not taken well to him, living relatives included. Plus, this is a safe environment for him, one where he can use his power at leisure."

"He's been with Ayame's cousin and her boyfriend though, hasn't he?" Clark chided in.

I snorted. "They like him, but the first time he was much of a hassle. Have in mind their younger cousins are literal dogs most of the time."

"I told you you could leave Garfield with my parents, they wouldn't mind babysitting the boy."

Before I could point out to him that his already old parents might not be able to handle someone like Garfield, Arthur stepped in. "You said you found him living by himself in Africa."

I nodded. "He had been alone on the Congo Basin for four years before I found him, nearly feral and living in a cave."

"And his parents? Let me guess, they abandoned him after finding out what he could do." He said with a scoff. "Of course."

I shook my head, but before I could speak Bruce, who had Hephaestus magic globe on his hands just in case, got ahead of me. "According to Slayer, the entire expedition was killed by something. Garfield either escaped or wasn't there when it happened, he doesn't remember anything." He then looked at me. "At least according to Slayer."

I said nothing back, he had the right to question me, but I had to stop myself from clenching a fist. Sometimes, not that many mind you, he had to remind me that he didn't fully trust not like me. Again, he had the right to being like that, but that didn't mean it didn't annoy me, to say the least.

"He might, but the memories may be too distorted, and besides I don't really want to see into the mind of someone so young and risk doing damage."

Arthur's eyebrows rose as he realised he had just spoken ill of the dead, albeit unknowingly. "Oh. "

"You didn't know." I said with a shrug.

"I'm finishing over here people!" John hollered from across the room. "Mis Aqualass, could you kindly give the kid to Grundy? It's easier if the three are together in a single place!"

Mera, after sharing a look with Arthur, stood up and approached Grundy, but despite everything she had a look of unease.

"Just be careful with them, alright?" She asked Grundy, who nodded. "I know they're in safe hands, and Garfield isn't my son, but still, one is never sure."

"Nothing will happen to the boys as long as I hold them." Grundy promised as Mera put Junior on his huge, open hand."And besides, I've been living with Garfield for a good while." He then walked to the center of the pentagram and sat there.

Garfield, however, stayed where he was, still unsecure of what he would be doing.

Knowing this, I pulled off my helmet and stood on one knee to look at him directly.

"Scared?" I asked him, to which he nodded. "You'll be fine."

He looked at Grundy, then back at me, and nodded before going with Grundy... but not before rubbing his face against mine. That may confuse and even disturb some of you, but remember, despite me teaching him about Earth and human body language (among other things) Garfield didn't fully understand the meaning of embracing someone yet; last time someone that, and even though it was a surprise embrace, he nearly clawed Akane's eyes out. Besides, I actually felt insecure about hugging the boy given my size and strength.

"Aww, Little Green doing the Simba with Big Green." Wally said with a smile after seeing us.

Both Clark and Bruce rose an eyebrow. "'The Simba'?"

"You know, when lions show affection for their kids, rubbing heads and all that. I mean, they don't have hands, and hugging is a primate thing. Other cats do that." Wally explained. "Ok, I just made that one up, but still, cats rub heads to show affection, and besides, isn't it fitting?"

"If that two pennied magician lets something happen to my son..." I heard Arthur mutter low from behind me.

"I'll be the first one to rip. Remember, he's playing with my son too."

"I heard that! Alright, floor's already painted, the magician's ready, ball's glowing and I'm riled up for some magic!" John exclaimed as he and Zatanna finished the preparation.

"Zatanna, are you ready?" I asked her as she got in position, one of the points of the pentagram that supposedly pointed towards Earth. Even then I still didn't fully understand how magic rituals worked.

"I think so, yeah. Still, will this hurt?" She asked John as she turned to him.

"Of course it will hurt, but as long as everything goes as it should, that should be the worst of it."

"Should?" Zatanna asked in a wary tone.

"What happens if there's a mistake or something goes wrong?" Bruce asked, obviously worried for what could happen to his friend.

John merely shrugged. "Best case scenario, she pops her clogs without a sound; worst case, she screams like a banshee and explodes and kills us all. As a matter of fact she'll still scream due to the pain of having part of her magic being transferred to another vessel, but she'll live."

Half a minute later, John was speaking the first words of the ritual, a magenta line starting to form between him

"I'm starting to change my mind about this!"

"But does it hurt?"

"A little, yeah!"

"Good, that means it's working! No time for chickening out now, sweetheart, else you die!"

And then Zatanna screamed as the trail of magic glowed brighter. John's eyes began to glow, and then, after saying some other words, he opened his hands and aimed them at the trio, whose bodies also began to glow in the colors of the Elemental Realms they were linked to, and starting the ritual proper.

Garfield and Junior started to cry out in fear (and believe me, not only I had to physically stop Arthur and Mera from going in, but also force myself to stay there), but then felt silent as Grundy... grunted, eyes closed and face expresionless. It was as if Grundy had a calming presence, maybe because he made them feel protected, maybe because the Green gave him some kind of calming property, I didn't know: all I knew was that they suddenly became calm.

And then, after a minute or so, the three began to glow brighter and brighter, to the point I had to cover my eyes, before a wave of green, red and blue energy practically exploded from them and sweeped across the room engulfing us, even forcing Wally to the ground, before dispersing as quickly as it came.

Just like that, it was over.

"That's it?" Wally groaned as he stood up. He had been caught off guard by the sudden burst of magic. "Kinda underwhelming for a world-spanning spell."

"Magic works in strange ways. Sometimes it creates an amazing display of lights and color worthy of a Disney film, others it basically creates what for all intents is a stonker, if a loud one." John replied as he dusted himself. "But, hey, better than a nuke or worse. At least it went smoothly."

"Sorry to interrupt" We heard Zatanna say from her spot, splayend on the ground. ", but could someone please help me stand. I feel like I've been forced to run a marathon with Mister Smokebreath screaming behind me."

John opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it and decided to help her stand up.

As for us, we were checking out the children, but it didn't seem there was need for it: even Junior seemed more amazed than anything, despite being, well, a baby. Grundy, on the other hand, groaned as he lifted a hand to his forehead.

"Are you guys alright?" Clark asked Grundy.

"Did you feel something, anything from the spell?" I asked Garfield.

"It felt funny."

"It was... strange. As if something took my conscience and made it cross the world in a single second before taking me back." Grundy replied. "Weird, yet incredible at the same time."

"Look." Bruce called out, holding out the bronze sphere of the world that Hephaestus gave to me. "It's glow has mostly disappeared."

He was right: the bronze sphere no longer had the glow that indicated the presence of magic across its surface, sans for a small, tiny spot of black that remained. The spell that disguised Rachel's magical signature had finally disappeared, finally showing us her current location, some point in the Middle East.

Naturally, John didn't take well to the news.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! She's been right under our noses all this time?!" He screamed. The guards chose that moment to run in to see what the hell happened, but we were busy hearing John to care about them.

"None of us knew about this until now, John."

"Doesn't change the fact we could have just gone to fucking Persia and find her by sheer luck!" He shouted before sighing and forcing himself to calm down, even raising his hands. "You know what, I'm not going to get pissed off about this."

Nonetheless, our search had finally come to an end: we finally had the location of Rachel, and everyone that could help was with us. Not even Trigon's strongest monsters attacking at that moment would stop us from reaching her. So centered I was on that, I didn't realize I didn't really have an idea over what would we do after meeting Rachel face to face, or how the encounter with might go, or even take care of Tala. Again nonetheless, things seemed to go smoothly for us.

At least, that was what I thought until VEGA spoke out from the speakers of the armor.

"It seems that a massive breakout has occurred in Arkham Asylum." VEGA informed before speaking once more. "I have also detected several explosions across the planet."

There was silence on the room for several seconds... until John spoke, and again...

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

So, the proto-League has finally found Rachel, but unfortunately, and as it happens in these stories, something happens from going to her.

Hope the 'rubbing heads as an alternate show of affection' didn't seem weird or creepy. Also, lot's of things have happened between the SI and Garfield outside official chapters, but I haven't written sidestories because something tells me not many people would read them.