Chapter 22

Several rune stones line up in a large circle, blocking anyone outside of them from any discharge of magic. On the couch to the far right, Mareena, Artemis, Donna, Megan, and Whitney all watch Mera give Harry the first of many magical lessons.

"Elemental magic is one of the most diverse branches of magic, one of the trickiest to learn, and also one of the most useful," Mera said. "If you have an affinity with it, then it opens up the ability to learn even more with magic."

Mera allowed Mareena and Harry to think of all of the possibilities.

"And naturally, Mareena and I have an affinity for the element of water," Mera commented. "And given your baseline tests, you have an affinity as well. But, you are rare in the sense that you have the ability to tap into the elements of fire and air as well."

"How rare is it that someone has two elements?" Harry asked her.

"Well, it's not unheard of," Mera admitted. "Although, one would normally be stronger than the other, and it remains to be seen. Still, once you become one with yourself and your powers, you will know."

Whitney observed Harry going into the trance. She would be the first to admit that magic was not something that was in her wheelhouse. The inner workings of it did not really jive with the face of any scientific method that Whitney knew, to be perfectly honest.

"So, he can control fire and air," Whitney said.

"I believe we established that," Mareena said.

"And you can control water," Whitney said.

Mareena responded with a nod, and Whitney's smile grew even wider.

"And all we need now is Earth and Heart," Whitney commented in an off handed manner.

Pretty much everyone blinked when Whitney made that reference. Donna raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.

"I don't know, Harry has plenty of heart," Donna said.

"He really does," Mareena said. "Given the circumstances."

Whitney broke out into a slightly agitated groan. She looked around at every single team member as if gauging their reaction for something. She could out whether or not the team was having her on.

"Did that reference really go over all of your heads?" Whitney asked.

Artemis just smiled before leaning closer to Whitney.

"I got it. I just didn't find it that funny."

"LOOK!" Megan squealed.

A blast of fire hit the force field around them. Harry's eyes closed shut as he tried to channel the energy through his hands. Whitney observed it, and if she had to guess, and she was way off the mark, magic really did have just as much need for fine-tuning and control as pretty much any other superpowered. And boy did Whitney have some stories to tell about control issues, from trying to master her speed force abilities. She took in a long, deep breath, sighing one of those vigorous sighs in the process.

"Very good," Mera said with a smile. "A bit rough. Now focus on air."

The cave grew extremely cold, almost like a chill went through it. Goosebumps rose on the bodies of the team members.

"That wasn't exactly pleasant," Artemis said.

"Be useful to make the bad guys regret messing with Harry," Donna said.

"Oh, I'm not arguing with that," Artemis said.

The cold gale force winds even broke through the forcefield and brought some unpleasantness through them. Mera put her hand on Harry's shoulder to convince the young man to dial it back.

The portal of the cave opened up and there was another arrival. Mera figured it was time for their lesson to get cut short. It was just as well as she needed to assess what just happened with Harry.

Harry, Artemis, Megan, Whitney, Donna, and Mareena turned up to face off with Black Canary.

"So, training day already?" Whitney asked.

Her bruises still had bruises from the last time Black Canary schooled her. She stopped and stared, the obvious look of despair on Black Canary's face throwing Whitney off. Something was extremely wrong and she could not put her finger on exactly what that was.

"No, not until tomorrow," Black Canary said. "Batman normally gives the missions to the team but…."

"If you need our help, all you had to do is ask," Harry said.

The other members of the team responded with nods. To be perfectly honest, none of them were going to argue with Harry when he had that look on his eyes. Dinah just smiled graciously at him and took a deep breath, before going into the explanation.

"Three weeks ago, a man named Kent Nelson disappeared. And I only learned of it three days ago."

"Wait, Nelson, that name sounds familiar...doesn't that….?" Whitney asked while trailing off.

"He was an original member of the JSA, along with the original Black Canary, Red Tornado, Wildcat, and others...but the point is….the League has other problems...so I was hoping that the team would help."

As if there was any question whether or not the Team would assist Black Canary, especially on an important matter like this.

"Well, we already said that we would," Mareena said. "And it's obvious this Nelson guy is extremely important to you."

"It's not a question," Harry said.

Granted, they were one short due to Helena off doing something in Gotham City, likely some kind of Batman and Robin related business, but still, Harry would help her. Especially considering how strained Dinah looked with the worry accompanying the look of strain. The team moved to prepare to go and follow Black Canary's lead.

Harry stayed moved a bit ahead of Black Canary.

"Thank you," she told him. "Kent Nelson...he was like an uncle to me and my sister...if something happened….the League can't find anything, and the usual sources that we use, they can't find anything...so maybe…."

"We'll start looking," Harry told her with a squeeze of her hand.

And they started at Kent Nelson's last known address. From the outside, it looked like some kind of old tower, worn down. Harry just frowned when he looked at it and closed his eyes. His arms spread through the air and something soaked through the air, some kind of mystical energy just flowed through him.

"That's strange," Harry said. "There's more to this tower than meets the eye. Some kind of strange and mystical energy."

Mareena stepped forward and instantly, something splashed against her body, hitting her completely off guard. Donna frowned when looking towards her.

"Yeah, I can feel it as well, "Mareena said. "There are enchantments on this tower, but they're….acting a bit territorial now. Almost like it knows that its master is gone."

That did not bode well for the mission. Whitney's soft groan followed and Megan turned towards her.

"You don't think they're right?" Megan asked.

"No, I know that they're right," Whitney said a second later. "But, it's not that I don't believe in magic and the potential it has, both for good and evil...it's just that….well the thought of something that I can't fully explain, it weirds me out."

Artemis turned her attention towards Whitney and gave her one of the most pointed stares.

"And a girl who can run faster than light, that doesn't weird people out?" Artemis asked her with a pointed smile.

Whitney just responded with a smile. That much was true. Whitney wondered what they were going to do now, that their entrance to the tower was now blocked. Fortunately, perhaps, Harry edged ever so close to the tower and placed his palms on the runestones leading into the tower. He closed his eyes and then he paused.

"Stay alert," Harry warned his team.

Harry was peeking over his shoulder, straining his vision behind them. Megan frowned when noticing where Harry was looking there and she projected her telepathy.

'Stay mental,' Harry warned them, something funny about his tone. 'And even then, be careful.'

'There's no one here other than the Team and Black Canary,' Megan thought, wondering if Harry was feeling okay.

'Certain branches of magic is powerful enough to shield anyone, even from Martian telepathy,' Harry answered while closing his eyes.

Megan could not agree and one could see Black Canary wondering if she dragged these young heroes into something dangerous. Of course, she knew they could handle themselves, and she could more than hold her own, but still, that sense of foreboding and chills that ran down people's spines threatened to overwhelm Black Canary.

An individual who resembled a young boy in an extremely formal suit with dark hair that stuck up at two points which resembled devil horns looked extremely sullen. His victim, a grey-haired man, refused to break despite constant torture. And then, his partner, a dark-haired man with a goatee, dressed in an extravagant suit, tightened the rope around him and caused him to burn.

"You will tell us how to get inside!"

Klarion, the master of chaos, was getting extremely, extremely impatient. And his partner was looking a bit more subdued. The Flash rogue known as Abra Kadabra continued the long torture. Despite not being directly connected to the helmet anymore, Kent Nelson was still a tough nut to crack, something that was becoming more prominent than ever before.

"You don't know...what you're dealing with," Nelson breathed. "The helmet is…."

"We do, and we will have it!" Klarion yelled.

"You haven't broken him yet?"

They turned around and came face to face with the Priestess who had been last seen on Santa Prisca, encountering the team of young side kicks.

"I'm close, he will sing like a canary," Klarion said. "Don't rush me, woman."

The priestess closed her fist and caused all of the air to suck out of Klarion. The Chaos Lord's body swelled up in agony. He dropped down in front of a ragged Kent Nelson, breathing heavily. It was only a minute he had been cut off by the sweet chaos energy, which to him was like oxygen to humans, necessary to survive.

"Don't try me."

Red eyes, a reminder of who she answered to, stared right into Klarion. Who despite the fear he felt, managed to return with bravado.

"One of these days!" Klarion bellowed once she freed him. "One of these days, I'll be free, and you'll be sorry!"

She allowed Klarion to rise to her feet.

"Once, I find a way to break free…."

"You would not dare harm me," she said. "I am too valuable to people far more important than you are."

As much as she hated to admit it, given the circumstances, it was nice leverage.

"You talk big, girl," he said. "But, you're just hot air...like your father….apple doesn't far from the tree."

A loud scream followed as Klarion and Abra went back to torturing Nelson. Nelson's eyes glazed over into the back of his head, and energy just courses through his body.

"You know, we could go after some of your friends on the outside if you aren't willing to tell us anything," Klarion said with a sadistic smile. "Some of your own JSA pals, or their children or…."

"I'll...talk!" Nelson managed through a scream, his throat gurgling almost spitting up blood. "But, you know…."

Suddenly, Klarion turned around. His familiar and anchor to this world, a cat-looking creature, stepped up towards him. She looked at Klarion with imploring eyes.

"Yes, Teeki, what is it?" Klarion asked.

Teeki walked up towards Klarion and the two locked eyes with each other. After communication, Klarion bounced around in mirth.

"The Justice Babies!" Klarion yelled, almost cackling in amusement. "Well, this should be amusing if they try and stop it."

"Not the League?" Abra asked. "I don't like this."

"Maybe they don't think too highly of your abilities," Nelson managed.

"You shut your mouth, old man!" Klarion snapped. "We're going to get into that tower before they do and then…."

The tower opened, and the team followed Harry in, trusting that he knew what he was doing. Mareena, Artemis, Donna, Whitney, and Megan all stepped towards the center. Dinah was right in front of the team, but right in front of Harry.

"Harry?" Dinah asked him.

"There's something of great power this way," Harry said. "And...there's something of great power out there."

Harry remained on pins and needles, sensitive to the strange magic that was coming around. It was unwieldy and without a purpose, and at the same time, with its own insane and strange purpose, as weird as that might have sounded. The Team and Dinah moved into the center of the tower.

The bright blinding light caught Harry. Voices started to call for him, never a good sign. Harry came across it, in a case, protected by enchantments. And yet, the helmet was what was trying to break out of the enchantments, and not vice versa.

There was a loud bang and the doors flew open. Kent Nelson, bleeding from the mouth, staggered and collapsed at the foot of them.

"Kent!" Black Canary yelled. "What happened? Who did to this to you?"

"I've...let my guard down for too long," Kent said. "They're coming...chaos is coming."

"Did someone say chaos?"

A sadistic monster of chaos appeared alright in front of them, and Harry's eyes widened when he came face to face with Klarion. Some people regarded this manifestation as a mere myth, but obviously, judging by his expression, it was extremely real.

"The helmet of Fate is mine!" Klarion howled.

Harry knew enough to know that letting Klarion get his hands on the Helmet of Fate would be very bad.

"You forgot one thing," Donna said.

"We're not going to let you get your hands on it," Mareena said.

"Oh, this should be amusing," Klarion said. "A bunch of brats and a pretty little birdie isn't going to stop me….so just stand aside, no one gets hurt, pinky swear, and I will be on my way."

"I don't think you understood us," Harry said. "You're not leaving with the helmet."

A blast of white-hot fire erupted and a dragon-like creature rampaged straight towards Klarion. For a brief second, Klarion was almost thrown off. However, he opened his hand and casually turned the dragon into ice and made it shatter into countless little pieces all over the ground.

"So, you want to do this the fun way?" Klarion asked them.

Klarion snapped his fingers and several statues lining the corridors of the tower rose to life.

"And since you like playing with the elements, Superboy, we're going to make this fun," Klarion said. "Sorry, no Heart though, I haven't mastered that one."

Whitney groaned someone who would appreciate her geeky reference and it was this chaos demon. The statues, with wind, water, fire, and earth charged towards them.

"Keep them occupied!" Mareena yelled.

Donna smashed open the case and Mareena lifted the helmet out of there. Kent rose up to his feet, despite his injuries and took it.

'Run, Whitney, run!' Harry yelled mentally yelled at her.

Kid Flash grabbed Kent, who clutched the helmet, and ran up the stairs. Harry flung the statues blocking their path out of their way.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Klarion cackled.

The door slammed shut behind him. Whitney propped a very ragged Nelson up into the chair, hoping that the Team could handle anything. Although with magic, they could likely handle it about as well as anyone else could, or better than she could be.

"The door will not hold forever," Nelson said. "Not from Klarion or his handler…."

"Handler?"

"Klarion called him Abra Kadabra," Nelson said.

"Abra's not really magical, you know," Whitney explained. "And I'm not saying this because I don't believe in magic or it totally weirds me out to think about it, but he does use technology from the sixty-fourth century to simulation magical abilities."

"That makes perfect sense."

What also made perfect sense was the dire situation. Whatever Nelson did not block the door, it would not hold forever. Someone repeatedly and endless slammed against the door, and the sounds of battle echoed from downstairs. Like always when she got nervous, Whitney began to pace at super speed, going from wall to wall, almost wearing out the floor.

"This is completely nuts, the team is in trouble, and we're trapped up here….like cornered rats ready to die."

"Hadrian can handle anything," Nelson said. "Even if he has evolved past what he was...in another life."

Whitney could not make heads or tails with what Nelson was saying. He rose a hand.

"I can open another gateway, and get you out of here...get you far out of here, along with the helmet," Nelson managed.

Whitney had some misgivings regarding that, but she wondered if it would be a good idea to run out of here, run far away, run as far away as humanly possible.

The barriers opening the door broke down and Klarion zipped inside. Nelson pulled himself up off of the chair and hurled himself in front of Whitney, just in time to get a bolt straight through the chest. Nelson collapsed down to the ground, much to Whitney's horror.

With his last ounce of strength, Nelson put up a barrier to block the incoming blast. Klarion slammed into the barrier as hard as possible, looking extremely sadistic and violent in the process.

"I don't know if you get this!" Klarion howled. "The minute he bleeds out, I will have you, I will have the helmet."

Whitney made furious attempts to do what she could to get Kent to recover, but she only had remedial medical knowledge at best. His breaths grew more ragged and his heartbeats became fainter. He gurgled.

Whitney clutched the helmet in her hands. The voices came from it. She tried one last time to revive Kent, but it did not do any good. The injuries were too great, too grave for him. Whitney held the helmet and the eyelids on it glowed.

In a blink of an eye, did perhaps one of the most reckless things possible, but given the barrier was cracking, there was no choice. Whitney slipped the helmet on her and caused a flash of energy to erupt.

Suddenly, Kid Flash had been merged with the spirit of Nabu, inside of the Helmet of Fate. She rose up, facing Klarion, bursts of energy cracking against her.

Klarion just smiled. He did not care of he had to scoop a severed head out of the helmet, he would have it.

Harry engaged in a battle of fire with one of the elemental statues. The statue's power faltered, which meant Klarion's focus was elsewhere. Harry shifted his hand and three swipes of fire decapitated three of the statues.

Artemis dodged the mounds of rocks flying at her. Her arrows blew them back and caused the elemental statue to raise up. Megan pushed her hand through it and ripped the statue apart. The magic made her tingle and almost jump to the ground.

Black Canary opened her mouth and the Canary Cry obliterated the statues. Harry waved his hand, scattering the pieces before they could reform each other.

"We need to find him!" Mareena yelled.

Abra appeared behind them and hurled a disc which broke open and caged Mareena. The immense heat sucked all of the water out of the air.

Harry tricked one of the elemental statues into sending a blast of ice-cold water at him. He dodged it at the last second and it splashed Mareena, to free her.

"Much better," Mareena said.

Mareena absorbed the water left in the air and hurled several discs directly towards the statue. There was a second which passed, where they had been frozen in time.

Donna lassoed Abra from behind before he could pull one of his tricks. The charlatan struggled against the tight grip of the Amazon Princess. She slammed Abra against the ground and caused him to groan, quivering underneath her knee.

Blasts of magic came from above. Harry craned his neck skywards, hoping against all hope that it did not happen. And yet, there she was, Kid Flash, wearing the helmet of fate, and wielding the power of Nabu.

"Oh, you must be slipping, Nabu!" Klarion jeered. "You used the most mundane member of the Justice Babies for your body...and now you've just sent her to an early grave."

Three super-fast bolts of energy deflected from the shield Klarion put up. A fourth entangled and forced Klarion to go head over heels to the ground.

Harry noticed out of the corner of his eye, a cat moving around. He traced the strand of energy linking Klarion and the cat, some kind of familial bond, but it was far more than that.

The cat was keeping Klarion anchored to this realm.

"Attack his familiar!" Harry yelled.

"What, the cat?" Artemis asked a second later.

"Yes, the cat," Harry said.

Artemis thought it was a good thing Selina was not here, or she would be very pissed. Then again, Artemis thought this was no ordinary cat. Not time to think about that, as another statue dove towards her. Artemis took it out with an explosive arrow, the rocks flying back.

Megan used the jagged rock arms to smash several more statues. Harry parted them like the red sea and made his way towards the cat.

Klarion noticed instantly what he was doing and made to put a stop to this. This temporary distraction allowed Fate to blast him back. They engaged in a powerful battle.

Harry bombarded Teeki with energy and caused the cat to hiss angrily. Another blast caused it to howl in agony.

"Animal amuse!" Klarion howled. "I'LL CALL PETA!"

Fate zipped down and slammed a dagger into the cat, which caused it to become so injured that it teleported away from its plane.

"You will pay for that, Nabu!" Klarion yelled. "You will all pay for that."

Fate dropped to the ground just as Klarion disappeared.

"He's gone, for now," Fate told them.

"Great," Harry said. "Okay, Whitney, what were you thinking?"

"Whitney's no longer here," Fate said. "I require a vessel….and since your friend volunteered, she has been chosen."

The members of the team gasped instantly.

"No, you can't do that!" Donna yelled.

It appeared that something was fighting from within. Nabu just redoubled his focus and made sure that Whitney did to break free. Donna wrapped the Lasso around Whitney's arm to try and break the enchantment, but all it did was blast her back and caused her to be injured.

"Nabu, listen," Black Canary said. "Surely, there has to be a better host that her?"

"I can't wait around for a better host," Nabu said. "Your friend, Kent Nelson, allowed my gifts to lay dormant for too long. It allowed the forces of chaos to grow too strong. I must act, now."

Whitney slammed her fists against the barrier. The deflection of the energy only burned her.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Whitney asked. "Let me go."

"Calm down," Nelson told her.

"I'M AS CALM AS I EVER BE!" Whitney yelled. "That thing stole my body. You know something, Nabu, you suck! You're just as bad as Klarion!"

"I'm no such thing," Nabu coldly told her. "For much too long I've laid dormant."

"It's my fault," Kent replied. "Ever since my wife, Inza, died….I did not put on the helmet ever again. And I watched, and waited, and hoped that time and distance would allow me to move on, to join her, but….I couldn't...because Nabu did not allow it."

"You should have found another one who was worthy," Nabu said.

"I was looking for decades, but no one had quite the right kind of aura," Nelson said. "And now, you just grabbed the first person who put you on...."

"Do not presume you know more about the gifts of this helmet than I do, Kent Nelson," Nabu said.

"I was studying the mystic arts long before we became one," Nelson said. "You would think that almost after almost a century of experience, you would give me some credit."

"Be that as it may, I can't allow this one to leave."

"You will."

Harry appeared inside of the helmet, right next to Nabu, Whitney, and Kent. Whitney threw her arms around Harry, relieved that he was here, although not quite sure how he got in the mindscape.

"Harry P…."

"Don't finish that sentence, Nabu, if you know what's good for you," Harry warned the Lord of Order. "The fact is, Whitney would not allow you to utilize your full potential and with the rise of chaos, you need someone who has an affinity for magic. And Whitney's brilliant, but not at magic….she just hasn't have the knack with it."

Harry paused and wrapped his arm around her.

"No offense," Harry told her.

"I don't take offense," Whitney said.

"Are you willing to offer yourself up in her stead?" Nabu asked.

"If it's necessary," Harry told the guardian of the helmet.

"Harry, no!" Whitney shouted.

Harry put up a hand, silencing Whitney, although she answered with an expression of great discomfort.

"We both know this is inadvisable," Nabu said. "Your magic is closer to Klarion's than mine is...it doesn't operate under any ordered principles in the universe."

"But, I can find you someone worthy," Harry said. "And you wouldn't be happy with Whitney as your host."

"Perhaps not," Nabu said. "If I let you go, do I have your word that you will find me, someone to wield the Helm of Fate?"

"Yes," Harry commented. "You have my word."

"And I'll stay until he does," Kent said.

"What about Inza?" Whitney asked him.

"I've waited almost forty years," Nelson tod them. "A few more months won't hurt….I miss her...but she will be waiting for me...and we have an eternity to spend together."

Harry just smiled and offered his hand to Whitney. She took it, and the two stepped in the mindscape, leaving Kent's spirit trapped inside the helmet, his body long since expired.

Back outside, Whitney felt a bit winded and dazed. Magic was very taxing on her body, but thankfully, she had snacks. She gave Black Canary a sorrowful look.

"He's all gone," Whitney said.

"I know," Black Canary said. "At least, he'll be back with Inza soon enough."

Whitney shifted and hoped that Harry would find someone. Harry moved over towards Dinah and moved over to console her. She just lost her father a year ago, and now lost a surrogate uncle.

"At least we have Abra," Whitney said, trying to look to the silver lining of this storm cloud.

Klarion's eyes opened wide and he turned to the Priestess who sat, cross-legged and hovered over the ground.

"You didn't intervene to stop them," Klarion said. "Perhaps, I should tell the Light that…."

Klarion had been struck silent by a casual wave of her hand. The protests formed in his mind, but no words came out. It was a wonder how she did not choke all of the chaos out of him.

"You don't get it. Chaos is not strong without order. And once the Helmet of Nabu is once again with a host, only then can chaos be strong."

To a certain extent, her words made sense. Was chaos really chaos if there was no order to counterbalance it? The Priestess just broke out into a soft smile.

"Let's not forget who holds your chain, Klarion," she told him.

"Yes, you do," Klarion admitted. "Whoever holds the Stone of Eris, he or she controls chaos...including its avatar...for now."

The Priestess just smiles. The light was so bright that they were woefully blinded to the shadows snuffing it out.

"But, I know who holds yours," Klarion said.

"You want to be on the right side when the portal's sixteenth year approaches."

The team made their way back to the cave in somber silence. Kent's body was also transported back. The Helmet of Fate sitting on Harry's lap, gave him certain vibes, a reminder of the promise he made. He really hoped that he was not doomed like Nelson not to find anyone just right.

"So, were you willing to give up your freedom if it meant freely me from the helmet?" Whitney asked.

"Yes," Harry said.

Harry closed his eyes and knew that he would need to get a new host, so Nabu would finally release his hold on Kent and send him to the afterlife.

Suddenly, Harry sensed something, something very close to them.

"Megan, cloak the ship," Harry told her.

Megan paused and nodded, doing as he asked. The bioship entered cloaking mode. Harry waved his hand and images from around the ship popped up. The rest of the team looked curious to what Harry was doing.

"Look at this," Harry said.

Dinah's eyes snapped towards it. Two androids, they were moving dangerously close to the energy of the cave.

"What the hell is going on?" Dinah asked.

"Mister Twister, Ivo, and now this," Harry said. "I don't like it."

"It looks like they're searching for something," Artemis said.

"Or someone," Harry said darkly. "Megan…."

Megan understood without picking on Harry's thoughts. "I'm circling around to make sure they don't follow us back to the cave."

These two new androids made Harry extremely alert and on edge. He was going to have to have a discussion with Red Tornado and Batman about this, because there was something up. And he was not going to accept any vague answers this time. Because, if his Team was put in danger because of something that the League was not telling him, then there would be trouble.

Harry would find out. One way or another.