Tartarus

Metropolis Museum of Art

March, 2003

"This is the first location." comments Superman as we step in front of the empty Metropolis Museum of Art due to the late hour of the night.

"How exactly do you plan on getting inside?" I ask the Man of Steel as Batman stealthily disappears from my side without Superman noticing, making me smile with fondness.

"Stealth is more of Batman's forte." he replies as he turns to consult Batman only to realize that he is missing.

"I hate when he does that." sighs Superman as he looks around us in search of our third member.

"How can you be amused by that?" he asks me with a bit of exasperation in his voice when he notices my smile.

"It is honestly not that difficult." I reply with a wider smile as I activate the x-ray rune tattooed on my body that allows me to follow the Dark Knight's movements past the museum's defenses and into the surveillance room.

"You know how he does that?" he asks with a bit of hope in his voice while still searching for Batman, and eventually finding him with his x-ray vision judging by the raised eyebrow.

"Trade secret." I answer as my smile turns into a smirk and Batman comes out of the empty museum through the front door.

"What are you two waiting for? A red carpet?" he sarcastically asks with his usual monotone before returning inside.

Ignoring Superman's questioning expression, I follow the Dark Knight into the unlit museum. Making my way in, I pull out the piece of paper given to me by Wonder Woman and memorise its contents before burning the paper into ashes.

"Pyrokinesis?" asks an intrigued Superman. "It looks like there's more to you than we originally thought." he comments.

"There is honestly not much to tell." I answer with a shrug as I notice Batman subtly slow down to reduce the distance between us, subtle enough that anyone else would easily miss his action. Had I not been trained by him I would not have noticed, and even if I did I would most likely not know that he is currently compiling information on me based on my words, body language, etc.

"Prior to our arrival to Bludhaven, my family had been reclusive for centuries, and our powers are magic based." I answer as we walk past countless displays of ancient rocks and weapons.

"Hmmm." hums the Dark Knight in thought as he stops in front of what seems to be a rock with hole in it on display. "According to the note Faust gave to Wonder Woman, this is the first piece of the artifact." he says as he inspects the artifact, his eyes glowing with his cowl's detective vision.

Faust's note to Wonder Woman, that I recently burned, contained a set of descriptions for what the artifacts look like and where they are most likely held. From what I have been able to gather, the artifacts are in fact pieces of a singular whole that has been separated and scattered in order to make sure that none come into possession of, and reassemble them. For what purpose? I do not know, however it is reason enough to make me cautious.

As I Superman and I join the Dark Knight in inspecting the artifact, I notice said Man of Steel reach to grab it.

"Do not touch it." I order Superman as I grab his hand stopping it inches away from the artifact. "There is a magical trap awaiting to spring should the artifact be removed." I explain as I let him go and inscribe a diagnostic runic array into the air.

It takes a few seconds, but eventually I find where the spell is tethered to the artifact. From what I have been able to gather it is a simple enchantment spell that causes whoever springs it to hallucinate. While it is a well thought out idea, the execution is mediocre at best compared to what I have seen Morgan, Azula, and Scáthach achieve. Conjuring Medea's noble phantasm, Rule Breaker, that I had her show me before the Grail War.

Rule Breaker is an iridescent and jagged dagger that is thin, brittle, and blunt. It is effectively nonexistent in its capacity as a weapon, comparable to that of a regular dagger at the most, and would not be suitable for even killing a single person.

"What is that?" asks Superman as he watches me stab the dagger into the artifact causing it to discharge a somewhat significant amount of magical energy into the air that quickly dissipates. Evidently the caster's forte was not magic, or at least this kind of magic.

"A family heirloom that once stabbed into a magical object of any kind nullifies its magical effect or whatever spell was placed upon it." I answer as I make sure to check for any spells that I may have missed. I do find one, however it turns out to be the enchantment that gives the relic the properties required for it to accomplish its purpose. Finding no traps, I cautiously reach towards the artifact before picking it up and placing it in my storage space.

"Two more to go." comments Batman as we turn to leave the museum.

As we arrive outside of the museum, Wonder Woman's group teleports in front of us with an unpleasant expression on their faces.

"We may have a problem." informs Morgan as we approach them. "The magic used upon the Amazons is of godly origin, and according to Azula it reeks of Hades."

"Hades?" I question with a frown. "What could he possibly gain from attacking the Amazons?"

"It is as much of a mystery to us as it is to you." answers Scáthach with a shake of her head.

"I would expect Ares to conceive this plot, not Hadees." adds a puzzled Azula with a frown.

"Ares is imprisoned, he cannot be behind this plot." says Wonder Woman as she crosses her arms.

"Imprisoned? Where?" I ask.

"On Themyscira." replies Wonder Woman. "He became too bold and blood thirsty for Zeus' liking, therefore the remaining Olympians had him imprisoned on Themyscira with the Amazons acting as guards."

"What else is on Themyscira?" asks Batman as he finally speaks since the group's arrival.

"Other than Ares' prison, The Gates of Tartarus." answers Wonder Woman.

"Did you say Tartarus?" I wonder out loud alongside Azula.

"I did. Why?" replies Wonder Woman.

"Because that is most likely Faust's goal." informs Scáthach with a thoughtful expression. "That however begs the question of what is Hades' involvement."

"Couldn't you use the dagger to break the spell?" asks Superman.

"No." I answer with a shake of my head. "Divine magic is beyond it."

"Well we can think about it as we retrieve the second piece of the artifact." he responds before anyone else can speak.

"Very well." agrees Wonder Woman. "The next piece of the artifact should be in the Crypt of Pentesilea in Greece, while the last one was found by Faust on Themyscira."

"What are the chances of these artifacts being the key to Tartarus?" I ask as we slowly float upwards while Superman takes Batman to his plane that is parked on the roof of the museum.

"You believe that Hades wishes to open The Gates of Tartarus?" asks Wonder Woman skeptically as we begin to fly towards Greece with Superman and Batman catching up to us before we all speed up and break the sound barrier.

"It is the only purpose for the attack on Themyscira that makes any amount of sense." replies Scáthach. "But the question is why?"

"I do not know." answers Wonder Woman. "As far as I am aware, there is nothing in Tartarus worthy of his attention."

"Are we sure that he isn't already in Tartarus?" questions Superman.

"No." firmly replies Wonder Woman with a shake of her head. "I remember mother specifically telling me that Ares is the only god currently imprisoned."

"It is possible that Hades was imprisoned in Tartarus without her knowledge." suggests Morgan.

"It is possible." agrees Wonder Woman unesealy. "However that would imply that things on Olympus are not as peaceful as we Amazons were led to believe."

"Things are never as peaceful on Olympus as the gods make them out to be." comments Azula with distaste. "I wouldn't be surprised if there is a constant political game being played there and Hades lost."

"You have interacted with the gods before?" questions Wonder Woman with wide eyes.

"I have, and I find many of the inner politics on Olympus to be tiring." scoffs Azula with an eye roll. "As a matter of fact I have enough interactions with the pantheon as a whole to last me a lifetime."

"Says the daughter of Jupiter." remarks Morgan with a smirk.

"That's exactly why I'm tired of them." replies Azula as she ignores the puzzled faces of Wonder Woman and Superman. "Being raised on Olympus for a few years was tiring, and that's without bringing the later years into question."

"Daughter of Jupiter?" questions Superman as he attempts to make sense of what he's heard.

"We are from an alternate universe." answers Scáthach nonchalantly as if answering a question about the weather.

"The multiverse theory." comments Batman from his plane, loud enough for those with super hearing, whether thru magic or otherwise, to listen.

"I've heard about that,-" says a thoughtful Superman. "-but It's never been proven."

"What is the multiverse theory?" questions Wonder Woman.

"It is a scientific theory that states that we live in a universe that consists of multiple universes existing in the same physical space, kept separate by differing vibrational speeds." explains Scáthach in a simplified manner. "In each universe there is an Earth that is similar yet different from ours."

"Are you claiming to be from one such Earth?" asks a fascinated Wonder Woman.

"Yes. There demigods and magic are a common occurrence yet are hidden from the world, and superheroes are things of fiction, or at least as far as the general public knows. Due to an accident we found ourselves stranded here." answers Morgan.

"Are all of you demigods?" asks an interested Superman.

"Just Azula and I." I answer him. "I am a son of Neptune."

The rest of the flight is spent in light conversation as we exchange information about one another. Nothing too personal considering the fact at this time we are nothing more than acquaintances.

Eventually we arrive in Athens, Greece, where the Crypt of Penthesilea is magically hidden. Arriving at the Parthenon, we follow Morgan as she inspects the Parthenon for the entrance to the Crypt. Eventually she finds it near a broken piece of rubble.

"Something isn't right." comments Superman as he stares into the dark entrance of the Crypt with narrowed eyes and a frown. "I can't see into the Crypt, not even with my x-ray."

"The darkness certainly is not natural." I answer as I too attempt to stare past the darkness to no avail. Reaching out with my magical senses, I immediately sense the problem. "The darkness was created using a god's power. I do not know whose, yet it is enough to make my sight and any magical counter I may come up with useless."

"I can cast a spell to counter it, but I don't have enough raw power for more than three." informs Azula as she looks between Morgan, Wonder Woman, and Scáthach.

"Do you have a counter spell?" Batman asks Morgan.

"No. Any spell by the gods is beyond me. It is why I was unable to revert the Amazons back to normal." she informs him with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Magic by the gods is beyond any mortal without divinity." I add. "It is why Scáthach cannot counter this spell despite being Azula's superior in magic, and as for me, well, my specialty lies in runes, and I never bothered to learn anything this complex."

"It is the tomb of an Amazon, as such Wonder Woman should go." decides Scáthach as she sits on a piece of rock. "Morgan should be the second companion due to her magical expertise. Even if she cannot personally cast a counterspell, she will most likely have the knowledge on how to."

With a nod Azula casts her spell, and the trio make their way into the tomb.

"What is it like, being the son of a god?" asks Superman as he crosses his arms and makes himself comfortable by leaning on a pillar.

"All demigods are unfortunately born with ADHD and Dyslexia." I inform him much to his shock. "It is a result of having a brain hardwired for ancient greek, or latin depending on the parent, and battle."

"Depending on the parent?"questions Batman with a raised eyebrow.

"Roman godly parents result in the child being hardwired for Latin." I explain.

"I still find it difficult to process the fact that the Greek gods are real, and that the Roman ones are avatars of the Greeks gods." comments Superman with disbelief.

Of course they aren't avatars of the Greek gods, at least not in the PJO universe where I originally hail from as a demigod. In the DC Universe however, they are.

After I answer his question, we fall into a comfortable silence and I sit down on the ground to meditate, eventually losing sense of time yet very much still aware of my surroundings should any danger come. Eventually, footsteps approach from inside the crypt and I end my meditation.

Exiting the crypt are Morgan, Wonder Woman, and Azula no worse for wear than when they entered.

"We have the relic." informs Wonder Woman as she shows it to us and I retrieve my piece to hand it to her.

"Then we should go." says Batman as he makes his way to his plane and boards it.

Without another word, we take to the sky and follow Wonder Woman as she plots a course for Themyscira. The flight is quiet and serene, with the only sound coming from the ocean, and surprisingly Batman's plane. No doubt he is still attempting to install a stealth setting without severely affecting the plane's performance.

As we continue on our journey, I begin to find it harder to plot our location. Even with my ability to know exactly where I am longitude and latitude wise in the world, I know nothing of our location and it severely unnerves me. For the first time since I became a demigod I am ignorant of both my destination and location.

Eventually we come upon a storm that I know, without even trying, that I cannot control it. It is almost as if the storm is sentient and has deemed me unworthy to control it. As lighting flashes and thunder booms around us, I turn to Azula and notice that she too has sensed what I have. This storm is supernatural and beyond our control. Only a god could possibly achieve something of this magnitude. The absurd amount of times that I have come upon a magic or feat of the gods in the past few hours is far too much for my liking. Almost as if they are telling me that no matter how hard I try I will never truly be free from them.

As we reach the eye of the storm, I spot an island that sits peacefully amidst this stormy night. On the island I can spot countless Greek structures such as temples, houses, and even a forge. Looking further into the island, I spot a massive jungle that leads into a mountain that stretches towards the heavens.

While the sight is beautiful, it is unfortunately marred by the countless statues of Amazons in the middle of an action.

As we enter the palace, I can tell that the Amazons were caught completely unaware. Some stand proudly on guard duty, others in the middle of a step, and some in the middle of a meal.

Reaching the throne room, I spot Felix Faust himself sitting on Hypolita's throne while the statue of the Queen is frozen in the middle of a sword swing. Evidently Faust attempted to interact with her and almost paid the price.

Felix Faust is a tall caucasian male that stands at five feet eleven inches. He possesses a lean face and deep brown eyes. He wears a headdress made up of a golden coronet and black cloth covering his brown hair and part of his cheeks. He wears a black long sleeve undershirt that goes up to his neck, with large metal bands on his torso. Over it, he wears a blue tunic that goes up until his knees, and is held in place by a golden sash.

"My dear Diana,-" mockingly comments Faust as he stands from the throne. "-what took you so long. Not only did you dawdle, but you also brought male guests. What would mommy dearest think?"

"I have your artifact Faust. Release my mother." orders Wonder Woman as she brings out the fully assembled artifact

With a malicious grin on his face Faust levitates the artifact to him while sending a bland medallion to us. As soon as the artifact is in his hand he teleports out of the courtroom while Morgan grabs the amulet in and begins to revert Hippolyta back to normal.

"Amateur." chuckles Azula as she brings the exact same artifact given to Faust out of her storage space. "He actually fell for it."

"That wasn't the actual artifact was it?" asks Superman.

"Yes and no." replies Batman. "They most likely duplicated a genuine piece of the artifact before pairing the fake with the other genuine piece."

"Yes." confirms Azula as Morgan and Wonder Woman help Hippolyta approach us. "Both are useless now as neither of them are completely genuine. Which means that Tartarus will not be opened."

"An admirable effort." comments Hippolyta as she finally gains enough of her bearing to stand on her own. "Unfortunately it was a fruitless one as the sorceres is not operating alone. Circe is aiding him, and the last time we met in battle she was capable of perfectly duplicating any form of magic regardless of its origin."

"With one genuine piece she will be able to replicate the enchantment to open the Gates of Tartarus." says Morgan with wide eyes as the island of Themyscira begins to shake and bestial roars permeate the air.