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It was her fault.
That’s what Zee couldn’t stop thinking whenever she remembered Diana. Which was often, because Dad liked to run the news channel as background noise and they wouldn’t shut up about Wonder Woman’s disappearance.
If she’d stayed. If she hadn’t left, just teleported Dad to safety. If she hadn’t touched the lasso - because magic had its price and for all Zee knew this was some kind of spiritual payback.
If Cale had Diana - and Zee was pretty damn sure that’s what happened - then…
Now, guilt was one thing. The question was: did she do anything about it?
She’d just gotten out of Cale’s claws, and she only managed that because she stole Diana’s powers. Did she really have what it took to break someone out of Cale’s torture chambers?
“What’s wrong, Zee?” Dad asked, when she was on round one thousand of this thought process while they were cleaning up after dinner.
“I need to save Diana.” She felt better, once she’d said it aloud. Still scared as hell, though.
Dad grimaced. “I think you’re right. We need to help.”
They stopped their tasks for a moment, contemplating the stupidity of that.
“What do we do, Dad?”
Dad closed the cabinet door with more force than necessary. “We need recon. I’ll astral project to—“
“I’ll do it. I’ve found Diana before,” she went on when Dad frowned at her, “it’ll be easier for me than for you.”
From his expression Dad didn’t like it, but he nodded. “Fine. Only stay long enough to find out where she is, how badly she’s hurt, how she’s secured.”
“Yeah, of course.” She didn’t roll her eyes or tack on something about being a grown, practicing sorceress. They’d need to figure themselves out eventually, as two adults, but the tender reunion feelings were still smoothing a lot over. “I’ll go prep?”
“Sure. I’ll finish up.”
Magic, Dad used to tell her, was words, intent, and chance. Sometimes you used the wrong words. Sometimes you weren’t thinking about the right thing. And sometimes, however well you’ve prepared, everything went to hell anyway.
Lartsa levart ot anaid fo eht dliw elsi, ssecnirp fo lleh, rethguad fo ecric, tsal eht snozama. Lartsa levart ot anaiiiiii…!
Something grabbed her soul. Bad. Astral traps weren’t uncommon, and this was a beast. Zee had only a second to decide: fight back, and she really didn’t like her odds, or…
…levart ot anaid!
“Ow.” That felt like being sucked through a straw. While on fire. The ground felt pleasantly cool on her cheek, if rather craggy. The rock scratched up her bare thighs because yes, she was wearing just her pyjamas. Astral travel was wonky alright? She wasn’t lying in her bed for hours wearing leather pants!
“Zatanna?”
Zee peeled herself off the ground. Diana towered over her, long hair a curtain around her face, eyebrows beetled in confusion, and - whow, those eyes still packed a punch.
“Hey! I found you?” She clambered to her feet. It didn’t help with the towering situation that much. Damn, was that woman tall. “What are you doing here? Where is ‘here’? Did Cale not get you?”
Diana’s face pinched in anguish, guilt. “She did get me. I was… it is a curse, of sorts. I must return to the Underworld for one month of every year. Why now… I don’t know.” She looked up to the blood red sky, as if she could see into the normal world.
Zee finally looked around. The place was… really something. A black hole instead of a sun, cliffs of volcanic rock falling into a churning sea, a faint smell of iron and sulfur in the air.
“Wait. I’m in Hell?!”
At least it broke Diana from her brooding. A corner of her mouth ticked up and she turned back to Zee. “You should leave. You’re not safe here. When you return, would you bring news of me to my friends? And tell them that Cale has captured Barbara Minerva as well. I’ve seen her alive, but…”
Zee hated this. “Can’t we get you out of here somehow?”
Diana shook her head. “You’re a witch, Zatanna Zatara. You know that everything has a price.”
“Fuck.” Zee stomped her foot. “Alright. Fine. I hate this, I want you to know that.”
At least she made her smile. “If it helps, I would be glad for a companion. This is the better way, though. My friends need to know what happened. And if you could—“
“—help, yes, of course, I’ll see what I can do. Dad too.” Zee looked up at Diana through her eyelashes. “We owe you. And I am sorry, you know. For all… this.”
Diana shrugged. “Not all of this was your fault. And I do prefer forgiving over holding a grudge.”
Riiiight. Because Zee definitely needed to be reminded of how good Diana was. Nruter emoh ot daD.
Nothing.
Nruter emoh ot daD. Nruter emoh ot daD. Nruter emoh ot daD.
Still nothing, this time with a distinct feeling in her gut that she should stop trying, or else.
“Is it—?”
“—not working, yeah. Fuck.”
Diana’s shoulders slumped.
“Is that the curse? Is it catching?”
“No. It’s the rules of this place. You do not belong, but the Underworld… it holds onto souls.” Diana rubbed at her wrist. “Last time I helped someone escape, the price has been great indeed.”
Oh…? Oh. Her arm? Fuck. Oh, fuck.
Hesitant fingers touched Zee’s shoulders. “It does not have to be the same. And I promise you, I will do everything in my power to—“
“No more losing arms. I’m a witch, I bet I can figure it out.” Then again, so was Circe. Actually… “Doesn’t your mom live here?”
Diana’s face hardened. “She has been taken. I’m on my way to find her.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll find Circe, and then…”
Meeting Diana’s eyes always felt like facing a storm, but when she really looked at you, it was like facing a hurricane. And yet, Zee couldn’t get enough. “Yes,” Diana said quietly. “We’ll find Circe. And… then.”