Batman’s trident.

A review would be awesome now, thank you.

Aquaman exhaled deeply, the sensation of his power returning a glorious resurgence within his veins. But despite his renewed strength, something deeper tugged at his heart—something beyond mere physical might. Even with his newfound might he still exercised caution with his decisions going forward. But more than that, he needed to work more on his mental fortitude. He had gotten his powers now but Raven was right about him. Just because he got his authority taken away from him he forgot who he once was, he forgot the heroic heart he once possessed. Being compared to Batman really hurt him and made him ruminate over it repeatedly.

But seeing Batman still persevered, even leading the resistance against something he once thought was undefeatable, he was inspired once more just by his friend's actions of not giving up. He was sad at first that he wouldn't be able to help as he normally would now that Batman came for him, but Batman never once told him what he believed, which was his futility in this war, given his current form then. Batman still needed his help, and that alone pushed him beyond the pits of despair and depression, renewing his light once more in the force.

"I cannot return to Atlantis," Aquaman finally admitted, turning to Batman, eyes shimmering with quiet resolve. "Not yet, anyway. If you'll have me, I'd rather join your cause."

Batman regarded him silently, his expression unreadable beneath his cowl. Finally, he inclined his head slightly. "Even if you'd wanted to leave, Arthur, I'd have insisted you come with us."

Once again, hearing this sent another jolt of hopeful emotion into him, further confirming his newfound resolve. With a slight nod, Arthur agreed.

The trident in Batman's grip hummed gently, almost as if it responded to his thoughts, vibrating with a resonant, otherworldly energy. Closing his eyes, Batman briefly touched the artifact, immediately understanding its gifts. "It seems Poseidon's blessing includes not just underwater breathing and storm control, but the power to open dimensional gateways. This could be invaluable."

Arthur blinked rapidly, taken aback by Batman's sudden revelation. "Wait—portals? How did you discover that so quickly? How does it even work?"

Batman didn't respond, instead holding up the trident and sweeping it gently through the air. Immediately, reality itself rippled, the watery darkness shifting and swirling before forming into a perfect circular portal.

Arthur's mouth fell open in awe. "By Poseidon's beard!"

Etrigan alone watched the Dark Knight closely, suspicion gnawing at his demonic instincts as Batman closed it. Something about Batman's swift assimilation of this godly gift deeply unsettled him. But, as always, no, rather unusually, the demon kept silent, reserving judgment for now.

Constantine, however, whistled appreciatively. "Oi, Bats, lend us that stick sometime, yeah? Could be bloody handy in tight spots."

"Focus," Batman ordered sharply, already stepping toward his sleek, bat-shaped submarine.

"Besides, you already teleport." Batman added courtly.

"It doesn't work like that, mate. Tch, I don't even like the thing; looks like a giant fork anyway." Constantine sighed, leaving his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, feigning carelessness.

The others quickly followed, squeezing into the sophisticated vessel, its sleek interior illuminated by soft, eerie blue lights.

"But how exactly do we get—" Constantine began, confusion evident as Batman abruptly stopped the submarine's engine mid-motion, leaving it suspended silently beneath the ocean waves.

Batman said nothing. Instead, he waved his trident again, opening another swirling portal right in front of the submarine itself. Constantine's mouth snapped shut, impressed despite himself. "You're getting rather good with that nifty trick of yours."

Batman smiled faintly beneath his cowl. "I always read the fine print on the gifts I'm given."

Constantine chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Always got an answer for everything, don't ya?"

They moved through the portal, emerging instantly inside waterways constructed underwater in the Batcave itself, the cavernous chamber silent and shadowed as the submarine broke the surface of the water.

Alfred nearly dropped the silver tea tray he carried, eyes wide with rare shock. "Oh my! Master Bruce, acquiring new powers now?" The group exited the submarine, and Batman pressed a button on his utility belt, sending the submarine below once more.

Batman nodded quickly. "Poseidon's boon," he summarized shortly. "Portals, control over storms, underwater breathing."

"And fucking flying! You may as well be the god of bats now." Constantine complained as he walked past Alfred and lit a cigarette.

"I see, sir," Alfred replied dryly, ever-composed as he set down the tray. "I suppose this means we'll need to expand our list of precautions."

Batman turned abruptly to Constantine. "John, follow me."

Etrigan narrowed his eyes, arms crossed indignantly. "And what of me? Shall I wait outside like some errand boy?"

Batman sighed internally. "Fine. Come along, Etrigan. Arthur, please remain here."

As Batman turned to depart, he noticed Aquaman staring intently at his transformed liquid arm, completely absorbed. Suddenly, Batman's senses, now enhanced by Poseidon's gift, tingled sharply with unease. He could feel magical energy gathering rapidly around Aquaman, an unmistakable tension crackling through the air.

"Wait—Arthur, are you—"

Before he could finish, Aquaman's body shimmered, his form dissolving seamlessly into space itself. He vanished without a trace, leaving only a lingering afterimage.

"Blimey!" Constantine gasped in shock. "Did he just teleport?"

Batman shook his head slowly, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "No. That felt... different. Like he passed through this dimension rather than traditional teleportation."

Gripped by curiosity, Batman stabbed the trident firmly into the Batcave's floor. Stepping back, he extended his hand and focused intently, trying to summon the trident back to himself. But it remained stubbornly fixed to the ground, unmoving.

"You'll need a soul link for that," Etrigan drawled lazily, inspecting his claws in exaggerated boredom.

"A soul link? Why would I want to link my soul to---" Batman turned to ask Etrigan.

Constantine nodded sagely, extinguishing his cigarette in a gleaming silver ashtray offered earlier by Alfred. "And you probably don't want old man Poseidon pulling the plug on your fancy stick mid-battle. Trust me—I've seen gods do far pettier things."

Batman's gaze sharpened, locking onto Constantine. "Hmm." He already had a file on Constantine, but he was one of the most mysterious characters; he didn't know him inside and out. He had already performed a psychoanalysis on him, but pinning down his weakness was a rather tricky one. John was a Jack of all trades and master of none in his craft. One could say Zatanna was better than Constantine in magic, but in the area of magic, there are many branches, and John knows something about all of them. He has dealt with the supernatural more times than almost any human on the planet. Discarding his advice might prove fatal, especially when it came to his field.

"Can you establish this link then?" Batman asked after going through all that thought in a second.

"Does this imply that any damage done to the trident reflects on my soul?" Batman asked, trying to clear all bases.

Constantine said nothing.

"So you can't."

Constantine chuckled warmly, stretching his shoulders. "Piece of cake, mate."

The British sorcerer began chanting quietly, his voice a low, hypnotic drone. Ancient Latin flowed from his lips, syllables tumbling backwards in a rhythmic cadence as a web of golden magic formed around Batman and the trident.

Suddenly, Batman inhaled sharply, eyes flashing as an overwhelming surge of energy flooded through his body, linking him irrevocably to the trident. His senses expanded vastly, attuned now intimately to the artifact.

"There. Done and dusted," Constantine declared smugly, lighting another cigarette with practised ease. "You're officially bonded to that thing now, Bats. It's all yours, for better or worse. And if the trident is destroyed you lose all powers associated with it, that's all the damage that would be done to you and your soul."

Batman nodded slowly, studying his hands as the newfound connection solidified. "Thank you, John."

"Don't thank me yet," Constantine replied dryly. "Let's hope Poseidon doesn't come knocking anytime soon."

Etrigan chuckled darkly. "Indeed. Gods rarely appreciate mortals stealing their toys."

Batman lifted the trident, feeling its weight comfortably balanced in his hands. "Let him come. Right now, we have far greater concerns."

In silence, they stood—Batman, Constantine, and Etrigan—each sensing the immense stakes ahead. The calm in the Batcave was deceptive, masking an approaching storm of divine fury and mortal defiance. It's like they could taste the brewing war in their mouth.

The battle lines were drawn. And whatever came next would test their resolve beyond measure.

Is there nothing the Tibetan monks don't teach Batman? 

There's now art canon to our Raven series on the patreon on patreon.com/futamommy