Percy Jackson: New Age

"I think he's doing much better now," Zatara said, his gaze running over Dick's unconscious body as the younger man slept.

Bruce Wayne sat beside the bed, close to his pupil. He thought Zatara was very competent. As the League's magic specialist, his training was top-notch. Zatara radiated confidence, and "natural magic," his specialty, was unmatched and efficient.

But still, Bruce Wayne felt paranoid. The incontestable fact was that his adopted son was gravely ill, and they were far from knowing the reason.

When Bruce reached Dick, the younger man was convulsing hysterically in Alfred's arms. His eyes were bleeding, streaked with tiny lines of reddish liquid, each the size of a straw. There were splashes of the same substance all over the floor, as if it were a murder scene.

He quickly led him through the lair. Almost immediately, the young man began to rave and babble, and Bruce would not forget that frantic trip back to the surface for a long time. The speed elevator seemed too slow, as Dick drifted in and out of consciousness, his eyes growing redder with each passing second. Long before they reached the mansion, Dick's vital signs were already almost nonexistent, and then he began to have difficulty breathing…

"Will he be okay now, Mr. Zatara?" Alfred asked, staring through the plastic oxygen mask.

"I think so," Zatara reassured him. "I've administered healing magic to him, and his eyesight will recover without problems. As you can see, his vital signs are already stable."

Bruce Wayne chimed in:

"As for the cause..."

"I still don't have a clear idea," the sorcerer clarified. "I've never seen this kind of energy before either. But they're disappearing; it's hard enough to tell them apart." Fortunately, I've taken notes for reference. I also gave him an eye cleanse to preserve his Arithmancy so he can conduct studies. This will help the League be prepared. What were you doing before the episode?

"The Starling case," Bruce Wayne said. He handed Zatara the file that Dick had gathered during his time alone in the lair.

"Is this the image you recovered?" the sorcerer asked, examining the document carefully.

"Yes," Bruce replied. "I left him looking at the recordings."

"These images are imbued with magic," Zatara replied, frowning. "The energy is the same one that affected Dick..."

"All the recordings?" Bruce asked, moving closer.

Zatara stared at the file in silence for a few moments, eyes half-closed.

"The entire file," he confirmed. "But, I'm not an expert in this type of magic. I think Diana would be a better source of information." The helmet and symbols are Greco-Roman; she should know if this energy belongs to her area of expertise. Perhaps she can even identify the woman.

"Then we must wait," Bruce said. "She went to Themyscira to speak with her mother."

"It is unfortunate, yes. But, as things are going, it is for the best. If Queen Hippolyta can advise her daughter, I could not complain. This energy is probably as old as the Earth itself. To have one of the oldest beings on the planet advise us… Well, I don't see a better scenario. But I am sure they will find the reason for Dick's condition."

Bruce glanced at his watch.

"Diana should be here soon."

It was not more than fifteen minutes before Diana Prince arrived. She was wearing jeans and a white blouse, but what caught the attention was her expression: she was frowning, as if she already sensed the seriousness of the matter.

"Bruce, Zatara, how are you?" she greeted, with her usual soft tone and a strong French accent.

Without further ado, she advanced towards Dick's bed in silence.

Diana examined the young man thoroughly. She touched his eyes carefully, scanned his temples and then rubbed them with both hands, enveloped in a soft electric blue light. She remained like that for a few moments, until she finally stepped back and nodded to herself, as if something had become clear in her mind.

Then, she took the document that Zatara offered her and studied it thoroughly. She asked several questions about the content, and the sorcerer explained that he still could not accurately identify the energy used.

"It is ancient magic, "Diana finally said, with a hint of concern in her voice. "But I need to corroborate something before saying more."

Finally, Diana turned to Bruce Wayne and his butler, who were waiting tensely:

"Dick had a wash," she said, rubbing the young man's temple and directing her gaze towards her guardian. "Did he complain of headaches? Did he rub his temples frequently?"

"Yes, yes."

"And when they found him, were his eyes bleeding?"

"Yes."

"A lot or just a few drops?"

"Very abundant," Bruce confirmed.

Diana nodded gravely.

"I know these symptoms. Of the six hundred magical sources in the world, no more than a dozen passively affect the eyes. Of those energies, only four are capable of interfering with technology. And judging by the effects you describe, this energy could only be one: the Mist."

"The Mist? The veil Homer mentions in the Odyssey?" Bruce asked, leaning forward skeptically.

"No, Bruce. It's more complicated."

Diana patiently explained that the Mist was a type of magic as old as the universe itself. A veil that separates the divine from the mortal world, a barrier between the seen and the unseen.

"According to my sisters," Diana continued, her voice firm, "some mortals can learn to see through that veil. But Dick has developed that ability by force."

"He was having seizures," Bruce murmured, his jaw set. We lost his vitals for a moment.

"He probably would have died. Seeing through the Mist in a forced manner like Dick did…" Diana paused, her gaze now directed at Zatara. "His signs were stabilized with basic healing magic?"

"Yes, quickly," the sorcerer replied.

"Washed," Diana said, her tone definitive. "No doubt about it."

Still, Bruce Wayne was not pleased.

"But how could he have undergone this 'washing'?"

"He was watching a video influenced by the Mist," Diana said. "In the Themisyran records, it is said that those susceptible to seeing through the veil are better able to recognize its deceptions. However, the more they see, the more they force their body to withstand energy they have not adapted to. It is possible that Dick will develop that ability over time. But by constantly forcing himself, he also forced his sight beyond what he was prepared for.

"What does the Starling case have to do with the Mist?" Bruce looked at her impassively.

"The Starling case," Diana repeated, frowning. She shook her head, gathering her thoughts, ". Well, you get the idea, Bruce. The Greek gods are as real as aliens!"

"And what about their intervention?" Bruce asked. "I don't see how they get involved with simple traffickers…"

"No, they weren't behind the trafficking network. Demigods don't care about that stuff. But if a demigod was taken for smuggling, they act."

Then, Bruce showed her the file that Dick had made. Diana nodded:

"A daughter of Apollo," he said. "Her powers give her away, for the most part of course: speed and the golden glow on bronze armor. The cuts are surgical and there is no direct flight, that's how they are, second line, perfectly adapted to archery, great healers."

"Why didn't they contact the League?" Bruce insisted. "They know our reputation, we would have helped without killing the mercenaries."

"There would be less trouble," Zatara added.

"I'm sure there would be," Diana said, not looking at them. "But Greek tradition compels them to solve their problems the old-fashioned way, and they should be thankful that we don't have a city of impaled people. In ancient times Starling City, including the nearby villages, would be ransacked."

In the modern medical bay on the first floor of Wayne Manor, Zatara paused his personal research and waited for more details from Diana. It was fascinating to think of a Hellenistic culture hidden from the world, one that respects its old traditions and practices its magic. But she was very reserved about it, and stressed several times that she can't say anything more without first consulting her mother.

He was disappointed when she left, turning to speak to Bruce and his butler, both tense, looking at their pupil with well-concealed concern. No one seemed to notice, and the wizard was grateful. He decided to leave, and at the last moment he realized he wasn't saying goodbye, which made him partially turn around. He caught his leader's attention:

"We'll talk more at the Watchtower," he said, and as an afterthought he added, "And Batman... I don't know, I'll tell anyone."

"Mmm..." Bruce said, tensing like an angry cat. "Make a special call to the members, we have to get ready."

He nodded silently and walked out the door. When he reached the frame, he said:

"Do you prefer it now, or in the afternoon?"

For a few moments, the millionaire frowned. Then he nodded:

"Emergency."

"Ten minutes?"

"No. An hour."

Alfred intervened:

"It would be better if we had time to research Greek traditions beforehand."

"It certainly is." Zatara readily agreed. "I will make the arrangements and speak to Superman."

"Diana is engaged."

The room fell silent as Butler gave his advice:

"It would be best not to pressure her, at least not right away."

"Not her, not Themiskyra. Bruce is a Witness at risk of flight?" Zatara asked.

"It's for the best."

Once he left the Bat in his lair, Zatara decided to report this conversation to the rest of the League, who were spread across the country:

"I must admit I didn't expect it from her," Flash said. "I've been doing some checking myself. I'm glad Robin's not in danger, but I'm not sure what to believe anymore."

"So, she's engaged?" Superman muttered when he heard the message.

"Well," Hal Jordan said, "this isn't the first time we've played without all the information."

"No need to pressure her," Captain Marvel warned.

"Let me know of any changes," Arthur Curry, king of Atlantis, requested.