Kevin Grant's pov
For a second I thought I was seeing the visions again. There was water, stars and a woman screaming at me. Then that woman, in her galaxy uniform, slapped me and I felt the sea water coming down on us.
"Get up Titan!" She pulled me up by my collar almost ordering, "We. Are. Leaving!"
Swamp Thing roared in effort as he tried to patch holes in the steel by sewing seaweed and algae together. Water was still filling the chamber fast but thankfully the battery had a large chasm beneath it so we had a little bit of time. Raven was paler than normal but conscious and-
"Well if it isn't bloody Kevin Grant, still alive I see."
I chuckled, "Zatanna, still alive I see. Wonder who just saved your butt?"
"Screw you Grant."
"You can take those fishnets off at a hotel toots. In case you forgot, only me and Swampy can't drown."
"Technically you can." Zatanna snarked.
I put up my corrupted hand saying, "Talk to the hand. Anyone contact ANYONE on a bloody COMM?"
"I had to use telepathy." Raven coughed, "But everyone has been evacuated and Mr. Smyth had escaped."
"So we're stranded?" I said.
"No," the now awake monkey lit a cigar, a sword on his shoulder, "we're not. There's several ways out of here." He puffed and continued, "I can cut an interdimensional rift to the realm of Myrra. Superman and Martian Manhunter can try to lift the prison high enough for us to rendezvous with the Atlantisians. We could wait for the people of Atlantis. Cyborg could use his boom boxes and teleport us out. Ms. Roth," he addressed Raven, "could take us to Azerath. If she's up for it after she healed all of us. Or you could hop in the battery and see where it takes us."
"Uh hell no, imagine if this island landed on a city."
"T'was just listing off our available strategies."
"No swim?" Swamp Thing asked while trying to slow the flowing waters.
"No," the monkey said, "the water pressure is too strong. It'll crush our bones to dust."
"I could also put all of you in my hat, and teleport us to Shadowcrest on the outside of Gotham."
"I'm not going in your hat witch." I spat.
"Neither am I." Raven growled, before coughing more blood onto the sleeve of her split dress.
"I know you could just as easily cast a spell and get us out of here Zatanna." I added.
"I'll be winded but you are correct." She thought a little bit before counter offering, "If I used my hat as a portal would that be ok?"
"I'd rather find my own way out." I said, crossing my arms.
"Look the mistrust is mutual," Zatanna spat, "but I'm not going to do anything funny."
"Guys we need to go!" Donna protested.
"If it was up to Zatanna she would have locked me and Raven here long ago." I said, "She thinks we are a threat."
Cold silence formed into rigid ice and Zatanna glared at me. Even the monkey didn't refute the point. Donna glanced back and forth between us and tried to weakly make peace, "C'mon, that can't be true."
"It is." Zatanna admitted but added, "You want to know why?" She stepped closer to me, rage dripping from her, "It's because Kevin's brothers are nigh genocidal maniacs who have killed men, women and children for fun. My sources say he worked with them back in the 1800's."
Donna looked at me in bewilderment and I growled, "Zatanna…"
"And if that power spike I felt before waking up told me anything. He's no better-"
There was a flash and I gripped Zatanna by the neck and lifted her into the air. The monkey moved in swiftly and cut my hand off. It was so clean I didn't even feel it until after the fact. However, my rage was so hot I spat over the pain, "Don't you dare compare me to them! I am nothing like them, you whore!"
"Oi! Back up boi!" The monkey said.
"Kill?" Swamp Thing asked.
Zatanna took my disconnected hand off her neck and tossed it down to the water growing below.
"I know what you are!" Zatanna growled, "And I know what you are after! All you and your brothers want is more power from the Heart!"
"My brothers lost their humanity over a hundred years ago!"
"Your point?!"
"You know what!?" I finally said, "Screw you! We'll find our own way out! Right Raven?"
When she didn't answer I turned to look at her and she looked at me too in disillusionment. In that moment, I felt like whatever trust I had gained had deflated. Zatanna had a smile in her voice when she said,
"You know what Heart I'm talking about… don't you Raven?"
I just paced back and forth, unable to refute her words that followed.
"Ages ago, in another universe, a trio of beings known as the Divine were attempting to purge all evil from several universes with the aid of a planet sized object. Do you know what it was called? The Heart of Darkness. It sucked out evil from those it latched onto. The Divine were mystified when they discovered a world they previously purged having again descended into evil, with the inhabitants now attacking each other in a murderous rage. Discovering a trio of unknown beings, the Divinity brought them to them to let the Heart of Darkness feed on them. One of the three, considered the leader, reveals he allowed them to bring him to them for him to absorb the Heart while his companions perish. He reveals himself to be Trigon and that he is the reaction the Divinity caused when they purged so much evil. Having absorbed the Heart, containing the evils of universes, Trigon sets out to feed on the evils as the Heart did. **It wasn't completely consumed however. The explosion was so violent it tore multiple realities apart, as shards of it were thrown into various dimensions and realities. Now, instead of cleansing evil, these pieces of the Heart corrupted whatever they touched." (This was the New 52 origin of Trigon. **Tweaked very little.)
"Okay," I answered flippantly, having emotionally snapped, "you think I want to stack more power on top of my immortality. It's cool. I wouldn't trust me either! Just kill me!"
Everyone watched me in silence as I paced.
"C'mon! KILL ME!" I screamed, "KILL ME AND LEAVE ME TO FEED THE SEA!" My human hand took the other by the wrist and I pulled, "Just come off!"
"Kevin! Stop!" Donna placated, "We're just surprised!"
"You think immortality is a blessing? You think death is a punishment?" I laughed bitterly, "A true punishment would to never taste it's sweet kiss." I couldn't help but unleash a broken laugh, "You ever catch scurvy you should have died from? Have that disease devour you from the inside out? In both your body and mind? Ever catch the Spanish Flu and accidentally kill the people you went into a burning cottage to save? Do you remember your family's faces? Do you know how dehumanizing it feels to not even know what your father who taught you how to ride, taught you etiquette, taught you to read, taught you the Word of God looked like?" I shook my head and kicked at the air, giving up on ripping my own arm off, "How about this! Ever have to gouge out your own eyes because the mustard gas burned them?! Ever have Sarin pumped into your lungs five times by the Krauts?! Zyklon B?!"
The water was now getting high enough that I could see my hand the monkey cut off floating in the water. Then I remembered something and couldn't help but keep laughing, "Like your methods were better Zatanna. I can't believe I almost forgot this! You're no better than Mr. Smyth you hypocritical bi-"
"What do you got on me huh?!" She stepped towards me boldly and I closed the distance as well.
"Stop it!" Donna begged, "The water is at our feet!"
"We need to leave!" The chimp agreed.
"How dare you accuse me of twisting the laws of magic for my own gain!"
"No, not for money. Even worse, peace of mind, as long as you are on top it's not a problem. You don't need to be nerfed."
"Just spit it out!" She screamed, spittle landing on my face.
I jabbed an accusatory finger in her face, "YOU LOBOTOMIZED MY BROTHER!"
Next thing I knew, she slapped me and I tackled her; trying to drown her as the water was rising. The chimp charged and impaled me, and pushed me off. My blood mixed with the water around me but I didn't care. When she got up, she was sobbing. Maybe she's one of those girls who cried when they were mad or maybe she was really sorry about it.
"He kills even more because you tried to FIX him."
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
She gulped a lump in her throat, "I'm sorry for what I did to your brother."
"I hope you rot in HELL! I hope-"
A demon augmented voice yelled, "SHUT. UP!"
All eyes went to the own of the voice and Raven's eyes glowed red as she ordered, "Zatanna! Get us out of here!"
In one reversed sentence from Zatanna's lips we were out.