There be Monsters Here (open)

The call of powerful, dark magic had lured Raven toward Slaughter Swamp, where according to local urban legend, the Headless Horseman, the Hook Man, and pretty much every other phantasm could be found. Raven, a true mystic, dismissed all of this as mere superstition, but she was still willing to admit that the swamp seemed to breed all sorts of supernatural trouble. Perhaps it was the seat of this "Hellmouth."

The moon was a mere sliver in the sky, and the canopies of trees blocked out even that. Raven recited an incantation that conjured an orb of pale blue light above her. While she was not as adept at flashy, conjuring magic as the famous Zatannas, she knew enough to be able to perform minor cantrips quite easily.

Raven wrinkled her nose with disgust as she stepped in a puddle of stagnant water that went up to her ankle. It was a good thing her boots were quite thick. She scanned her surroundings for more serious obstacles.

The faint outline of several people immediately set her on edge. People didn't generally wander into Slaughter Swamp at night unless they had nefarious plans.

That wasn't all that had her on edge, though. As she cautiously approached the people in question, heading toward the rise of a hill, she realized they were shambling toward her, as if drunk. She counted seven people, and movement out of her peripheral vision suggested more.

Reaching out with her soul-self, Raven touched the mind of one of the advancing people. A single thought entered her mind: FEED. The strength of the foreign thought was such that Raven almost confused it with her own, and she was forced to withdraw her mind and reinforce her psychic defenses.

The mental thought was so powerful, Raven realized, because it was repeated multiple times. All of the people advancing toward her possessed a singular consciousness. And from what she had seen, it was a very primitive, animalistic consciousness...not what she had been expecting from the group at all.

Raven brightened her magical light, and she could see the truth- she was being approached by zombies. While horror movies often portrayed zombies as the result of a virus, the truth was such creatures were often the result of a necromantic spell.

Raven figured if they were already dead, she didn't need to hold back. She found herself relaxing slightly with that thought, and she thought she understood now why Connor seemed to enjoy fighting villains such as Mogul, Zod, or Deathstroke.

As two zombies attempted to grasp Raven, she hurled them into a nearby tree, where their bodies shattered with sickening sounds. Raven probed the consciousness of the zombies as they advanced- if they were linked in their consciousness, there might be a way for her to switch off every zombie mind at once, sparing her some trouble.

As Raven probed the minds of the zombies, searching for a quick win against the horde, she'd feel an invasive presence lash out at her mind. It was a good thing she had made efforts to reinforce her psychic defenses, because this new presence was powerful. Extremely powerful.

Power wouldn't be the only thing she'd feel flow from beneath and all around the swamp. The presence was also incredibly corrupt. Yes, it had an unmistakable force of presence--but it also seemed to sing. It seemed to entice and flirt--not in the traditional 'hey baby, how you doin'?' sense of the word, but it was as if it groped and massaged and tantalized your mind... while all at the same time lulling you into a false sense of security.

Because really? Underneath all that PRESENCE and hypnotic-psychic charm? There was an eternity of sin. It seemed especially heavy on the seven deadly. The other presence Raven felt, if she could weed past the false sense of charm about it, would scream of LUST, WRATH, GREED, GLUTTONY, ENVY, SLOTH AND PRIDE.

Eventually, it also screamed out a name to her.

Pazuzu.

And with that, the swamp began to bubble and boil. It grew warm, like a sauna. The zombies continued on towards poor Raven, but that wouldn't be her only concern. A deep pool of the thick, green swamp water swirled into a whirlpool. The wind shook the trees, allowing for just a bit more of pale moonlight to seep in.

The whirlpool suddenly stopped, and then exploded with a raw energy and force. The murky water was thrown in all directions. Waves of it were thrown about, forcing many of the zombies off their feet.

And when the waves settled, and the water stilled--there stood Jason Todd. Stark naked. In the middle of the swamp. His body was literally smoking--black swirls trailing off of him and into the air. Well defined muscle seemed practically photo shopped in all that romantic moonlight.

He seemed fine, though just a bit groggy. His face was twisted with confusion, "I... how did I? Wait... I remember now." he looked left to right. He noticed the shambling, undead corpses slowly getting back to their feet. He saw Raven.

Oh. Awkward, "You must have questions!" Him, exploding from the swamp? Naked? She might. One of the zombies limped into a run. Jason cartwheeled to the side, sending a strong heel to the zombies face and forcing it to spin out of control onto its back. It would have looked rather impressive... if he wasn't completely nude, and his junk wasn't flopping around.

"I could use a weapon," he looked to her with a wry, half-smile after he landed the acrobatic feat, "Maybe some pants."

The good news about zombie opponents was that they weren't incredibly bright. The bad news was that they were incredibly persistent and didn't feel pain. Unless Raven threw them into something which shattered a zombie's skull, they were going to get right back on up. So Raven improvised.

These were no longer human beings anymore, after all- merely their mortal shells. Raven let her powers run rampant with them, taking advantage of the zombies' weak minds. She used her telepathic powers to scramble the zombies' simple thoughts, slowing their reaction times. She turned them on their fellows. And she even severed the connection between the body and the brain, causing multiple zombies to revert to corpses.

Raven's eyes widened as she felt an incredibly strong presence touch her mind and her arcane senses. Was this a demon, like her father? If so, even Raven's formidable powers might be overwhelmed. She flashed back to memories of when her father had possessed her...she couldn't let that happen again.

Raven gathered her willpower, for nothing interfered with her abilities more than self-doubt. The psychic maelstrom suddenly passed...and Raven found herself before a naked Jason Todd. She glanced away, a blush springing to her usually pale cheeks.

"I'm glad you understand what's going on, because I sure don't. Unless I'm mistaken, Jason, that's NOT a Lazarus Pit." When he mentioned weapons or clothing, Raven detached her dark cloak and flung it toward him, still not looking in his direction.

"Jason, what the hell was that?" She wondered if he was consorting with demons for supernatural power to aid in his one man crusade to control the streets of Gotham. Given some of the things she had heard about the Red Hood, she wouldn't put it past him.

Jason caught the cloak in mid-air. In one smooth motion, as if he had a long history of wearing capes, he flung it on over his head to rest on his shoulders. The cloak would have to be sufficient for now, though it didn't cover as much as Raven probably would have liked. She would just have to try and keep her eyes at level, rather than give in to the natural urge to linger at things that weren't normally exposed in polite society.

Jason took note of the slight blush at Raven's face. It was easy to forget to think of her as a girl. As just Rachel, rather than the potential vessel of a demon of extraordinary power. If only Raven knew...

"Thanks!" he'd smile to her for the cloak, pulling a large branch from a twisted, fallen log. There was a satisfying SNAP before Jason could brandish it forward to defend himself. The large branch was fairly the size of a baseball bat, so application of it in their current predicament was pretty straight forward. A zombie approached Jason, and so he whacked it on the skull. Another one lumbered forward, and Jason chipped some flakes of wood off in the bastard's face with a mighty swing.

"Oh-ho! Shit, that was disgusting!" He laughed as the undead flesh scraped away in a bloody, oozing mess with each swing of his make-shift weapon. He did find himself, however, depending on Raven to do the majority of the fighting. Her powers were far more efficient than his stick swinging in their current situation.

"I won't lie to you, Rach," he stood back-to-back with her, holding off any zombies that might be getting too close without notice, "This is the first time I've been spit out of a swamp. So my expertise is a non-existent. But you're right. This isn't a Lazarus Pit. It's just where I was dropped off. I'll tell you what, next time I try to journey into the unknown to make contact with a demon of considerable power--I'll make sure to ask for Gotham Palisades Hotel."

Raven just stared at Jason...not just because he was about to battle a horde of zombies buck naked, but because he was going to do just that and using nothing more than a tree branch as a weapon. Granted, Jason was quite skilled at turning his whole body into a weapon, but these were the living dead...they didn't have the same weak points as humans. Her own powers were much diminished as well, and for the first time she could recall she wished she carried a sword or something with her. As a half-demon she probably should have anticipated running into zombies or vampires at some point, right?

"Don't be ridiculous, Jason. Keep behind me," she snapped. She expended more of her powers to slow and disorient the zombies- she still couldn't find who or what was controlling them, so he, she, or it was either too far away or very heavily shielded from magical detection. She really needed to put a stop to this quickly. She had thought she had destroyed most of the zombies when Jason had appeared, but now they just kept coming.

Jason's next words shocked Raven so much that she almost lost her fabled concentration. He really had been consorting with a demon? She had only entertained the idea as a remote possibility, but now she was furious with him. If he wanted to throw his own life away that was fine (well, not really) with her, but if he sold his soul to a demon there was no telling how many people would be hurt. They were going to have a long talk after this fight was over.

She took a moment to psychically scan Jason, wondering if he was somehow tied to the zombies. She didn't sense anything. He wasn't the problem, then.

She threw a roundhouse kick at a zombie that got too close, then used her powers to convince it to attack two of its fellows.

Finally she spotted what appeared to be the source of the zombie's animation. It was a stick covered in blood and runes, and it emanated dark magic. Nonchalantly, Raven moved toward the fetish. She snapped it over her knee, and all the zombies collapsed. A magical booby trap, then. It would bear further investigating. Someone didn't want people getting into the swamp.

Now she turned her attention to the wayward Robin. With a gesture, she hoisted him up into the air. She approached Jason, her eyes black as obsidian. Between using so much of her power and her anger at Jason, her demonic heritage was currently showing.

"Let's get one thing straight, Jason. If you end up getting yourself possessed, I will kill you before the Order of St. Dumas can even think about it. Because I hate demons in a way even they never could."

Jason hung in the air, still pretty much naked. He was not in a position to defend himself--and was a little surprised by Raven's aggression. He looked down upon her and struggled to sort of air-swim his way down. But really, he was stuck in the air as long as she wished him to be.

"Rachel," said calmly, "Some stuff is going to happen. It involves me, and demons. But it isn't what you think."

He noted the glow in her eyes. He saw power there. Significant power. He was naked and in her telekinetic hold. It was time to choose his words wisely. Perfectly lined muscle was practically served up on a platter before her. Too bad there would be no seducing Raven into letting him go--she wasn't the type--not that he'd usually consider it. But he was naked, so it naturally crossed his mind.

"We're former teammates. You'd rather threaten me, than help me out? I'm in a real bind, Raven. I don't know who I can trust. I'm naked in a swamp and I barely understand why."

He managed to rotate his body in the air, so that he was now hanging upside down. It was not comfortable. That's what he got for struggling against the telekinetic grasp of a very angry half-demon.

"You may hate demons. But you're part-one yourself. And I never judged you worse-for-ware for it," His eyes were the cleanest thing about him right now. Bright. Vivid. Full of hidden anger, but that was how he always looked. But there was also something about them that begged you to trust.

"Put me down," Jason snarled, "Put me down, now."

Rachel made a note that hanging people in the air had a slightly different effect when they were practically naked. After all, when she had lifted him up the cloak had fallen open. And yet, she couldn't look away- that would make it far less intimidating. So she tried to meet his eyes and not look at Jason's, er, equipment.

Was he bigger than Gar? Focus, Raven. Stop acting like a complete slut. This isn't the first time you've gone more than a month without getting laid. Pull it together, girl.

She released Jason from her telekinetic hold, looking away. Now, though she was looking away for a different reason- the jerk had made her cry. Her, the one the other Titans sometimes thought of as cold or alien. Why was she crying? Had she lost her iron self-discipline at some point in all those times of being reincarnated?

In truth, she knew why she was crying- Jason's explanation of 'some stuff is going to happen' just had the feel to it that he had already given up. Like he knew he was going to die or something.

She forced herself to wipe away the moisture in her eyes. She was grateful she didn't wear that much makeup- Jason might not notice the smears in the faint light.

She turned back to him. "Do you really want help, Jason?" Her voice broke. "Because this mess sounds like one of your own making. Fine. You say it's not what I think...so, EXPLAIN it to me. Because it sounded to me like you just made yourself into demon chow."

Jason floated as Raven struggled between intimidating him and checking out his exposed body. He frowned at her in a way that was deceptively heart wrenching. Pouted lips waited for her to make her decision. And then? She released him at last.

"Ffff!" Jason couldn't even curse properly before hitting the floor, falling hard on his side to protect the more vulnerable bits of his naked body. "Ugh," Jason groaned before pushing off the unstable marsh-floor and into a stand.

It was too dark for Jason to notice the smears in her little bit of make-up. But he was still observant. He knew she was getting upset. And not in the scary demonic way of three seconds ago--it had suddenly shifted into distress and sadness. It was all in her posture--Jason Todd knew how to read body language.

The way she looked away. She wiped her face. And when she asked him if he really wanted help--that crack in her voice was all he needed to know that she was definitely, and legitimately upset. Or had become a competent actress since the last time they met.

Jason's first instinct was to attack. Raven was emotionally compromised. Her powers would not be steadily under her control. He had no weapons, and no real advantage other than his physical strength and this moment--she HAD just threatened him.

But wow. She was actually sad, wasn't she? Worried about him. He always had a weakness for crying women. He may have killed criminals, but he was not a bully. He shook his head in disappointment at himself--for even considering attacking her. He cursed at himself and exhaled sharply, "Damn it, Raven," now his first instinct was to hug her. But he didn't.

Naked.

So instead, he did as she asked. He explained, the short version of course, "A demon brought me back, Rachel. It's why I'm here and not in the dirt. At first, I wasn't much more than a mindless zombie--killing out of instinct. But Talia found me. Dipped me into one of her pits. It revived me--but it didn't change my situation. If I don't kill--everyday--I get sick. Real sick. I think I start to die again."

He paused, watching for Raven's reaction to his words before continuing, "So Talia trained me. Taught me things Batman never dared. Prepared me to kill for the greater good. I'm cursed Raven. If I don't kill, I die. But every time I do--I feel myself changing. I feel a piece of myself slip away." He held the cloak she gave him so that it wrapped around his body and then turned to the side. It was hard to feel like she was taking him seriously as he spoke in the nude.

"Don't worry. I've managed to learn some things about my demon. I think it can be reasoned with. I think it can be persuaded. I think I can manage this before it gets out of my control," Jason prepared himself for another telekinetic onslaught. He wouldn't be caught by surprise again should Raven decide she didn't like what he said.

If Raven had really been thinking about it, she would realize that Jason probably had some issues with being suspended in the air absolutely naked. And he probably had even more issues with her roughly dropping him without a concern for the state of his family jewels.

Of course, Raven was NOT thinking about it. She was thinking about what a stupid, stupid, man Jason had been and how she wanted to throttle him right now. Of course, he probably wouldn't handle that all that well.

Raven leaned back, thudding her head against a tree trunk. She felt emotionally drained after hearing Jason's explanation. "Damn it, Jason." After hearing the full story, she decided she couldn't completely blame him. For whatever reason, Raven had a history of coming back from the dead. It was a bitch of an experience, but she could understand her former teammate's desire for it.

And the thirst for power...she understood that, too. There were a lot of superpowered heroes on the Titans team. And Mia, Tim, Dick, and Jason had always bragged about their ability to hold their own as team members despite that. Yet she would understand if each one of them was secretly a little bit envious of Connor's invulnerability, Kori's flight, or her sorcery.

She sighed. "I heard about the Lazarus Pits, Jason. But I thought that was the whole of the story...I didn't know a demon was involved. I should have known. Resurrection magic is generally tricky and with a great number of catches. Honestly, I'm not sure I can help you, Jason. You might be right. It sounds like the demon is keeping you alive."

She gave a brief laugh of disbelief when Jason said he thought the demon could be reasoned with. "Those sound like famous last words, Jason. It's a demon, Jason. I'm only half-demon. I have a soul, a conscience. And still I spend every waking moment trying to master the darkness inside of me. Worrying about hurting the people I love and have sworn to protect.

"Yes, my experience with full-blooded demons is limited to my father. But I can assure you that however in control you may feel now...it won't last. It may already be an illusion. I have been possessed, Jason, and the best you can hope for is that the demon is kind enough to shut you away while it does what it wants with your body. Think about it, Jason- I have magical powers and have spent my whole life trying to prevent my father from possessing me. I failed. What chance do you have of escaping your demon if it desires your body and mind?"

She peered at him as if he were something alien. She wondered if the demon was listening in on their conversation even now.

Jason sighed at Raven's words. His shoulders slumped. He lowered his head in grief and reluctant recognition of the point she was making, "You're right. I haven't a chance of controlling this thing as long as it wants me."

That was when he lifted his head again to face her. A devilish smirk played upon those lips. His eyes fill of mischievous intent. He pointed at Raven for a moment, "But there is a way you can help me, Rach."

He winked at her then. Short steps were taken so that he would circle around her like prey. His bare feet squished audibly in the marsh. Cool mud slid freely between his toes, "I might not be able to stop this thing from growing stronger inside me. But what if it desired another soul? A more appropriate one?"

He stood still behind her. His eyes trailed up and down her form now that she no longer had her cloak to conceal most of it, "I am the demon's anchor, but maybe I don't have to be its vessel. Maybe I'm making arrangements for someone else to let it in."

Jason thought long and hard about the last time he had a conversation this long with Raven. She had counseled him in the past about how his anger would get him killed, and now she was warning him of an even more serious personal problem, "I think the demon forces me to kill, because it desires a killer's soul. The more I kill, the more compatible I am with Pa--" he stopped himself. He would not speak its name for fear of drawing its full attention, "What if... what if I showed the demon a killer so impressive, that it no longer desired me? What if it desired someone else?"

"Rachel, would you help me pass along the demon to such a person?"

Raven felt bad about handing Jason the truth...it wasn't like there seemed to be much he could do to change things at this point.

But when he said there was a way that he knew he could help her, she felt her stomach lurch. She had a bad feeling about this.

At first she thought he meant he wanted her to take on his demon. No thanks. She had enough trouble with her own demon half. Hadn't she made that clear? And she wasn't about to be made guilty about denying him that. She was allowed a little bit of selfishness in her life- not that it was truly selfish. If Raven got possessed again, she would put the whole world at risk.

What Jason ended up proposing to her was almost worse in some respects. She stared at him in horror, willing him to chuckle and pat her on the shoulder, saying that he was joking.

Her face hardened. "You would put a demon in the body of a hardened criminal? Jason...how could you even consider such a thing? It seems I look at you now and it seems I can't even find a trace of the man I fought beside. The Jason Todd I know would never consider something so irresponsible. I guess it's true. You really are a lost soul."

She backed away from him, already mourning the loss of the Jason she knew. Perhaps he had died at the hands of the Joker after all. "Next time you see me, Jason, we won't be friends. I'm letting you go now as a tribute to our time as teammates. Oh, and you can keep the cape."

She picked up the broken stick with runes on it. Perhaps it would give some clues. Right now, though, she just wanted to get away from Jason. She moved deeper into the darkness and disappeared, teleporting away.