Title: The Celestial Carnival

Fandom: Young Justice

Rating: T

Disclaimer: This is not for profit, or official. Property of DC.

Summary: The group goes to The Celestial Carnival, a mysterious fair that appeared over night, seemingly from nowhere.

Author's Note: This one killed me. Had a few days there where I couldn't write but I'm back up and running. Enjoy! And please don't forget, comments and kudos let me know what people are thinking of the story and I always appreciate that!

-x-

"Just forget about them, my Liege. They are beneath you." Morrow watched as Klarion tore the room apart, piling materials in his arms as he did.

"No, no, NO!" The witch boy screamed. "Those stupid sidekicks are always foiling my plans and I've had enough!" He waved his free hand and his materials flew into the air and arranged themselves in a circle, around the markings of an ancient rune in the room's center. "Let's see how they like being bullied."

-x-

The Carnival Celestial was unlike anything that had come to Happy Harbor. It spread throughout the town, as if it had become apart of it. It had been erected in the dead of night so when the team awoke, it was already abuzz with life. Nobody had heard of it before, or knew it was coming. But when dawn broke, navy and purple flags waved from the street lamps and the air was filled with the smell of funnel cakes.

The group walked down the main street as happy patrons passed them by. On either side of them were booths of all different kinds, rides and games, all attended by carnival workers in venetian style masks.

"That's kind of creepy." Artemis grimaced as they passed.

"I think it's cool!" Wally pronounced. "Look! They've got a kabob stand! And laser tag!"

"Has anyone heard of this place before?" Conner looked hesitant. "Seems weird they would just show up, overnight."

"Oh, come on! There's carnival next door to Mt. Justice! Finally someone up there is listening! I wonder what else I have coming my way!" He turned to Robin. "You haven't been learning to bake, have you?"

"What? No."

"Cool, just checking. Get back to me." He turned to the breeze and took a deep breath. "Such a beautiful day!"

"I'm going to side with Wally on this one." Megan smiled. "There's a fine line between finding problems and looking for them."

"Thank you, Megan!" He threw his arm over her shoulder. "I knew I could count on you!"

Kaldur stood beside Robin, his arms crossed. "You look troubled."

"I guess I'm on the suspicious side of things." Robin sighed. "What do you think?"

"I think, if this is some sort of trap, it's probably better to be here when it makes itself known."

Robin smiled. "Which means have fun in the meantime?"

Kaldur smiled back. "I can't think of a reason not to."

"You're right." He sighed as his eyes followed a stray cat that disappeared behind a tent. "I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong."

-x-

Wally and Robin walked down the beach, along the edge of the carnival. Wally was engrossed in his cotton candy, and raved about the groups turn of fortune, while Robin scanned the holographic screen above his wrist.

"I can't find a single mention of this place online, and there wasn't anything under the city's permit requests." He closed his computer. "I say we call in the group and investigate further."

Something kicked Robin's legs out from under him, and he fell on his back. Wally jumped on top of him and held him down.

"What're you-"

"You aren't ruining this for me! Something cool finally happens to us and I can't even finished my cotton candy before you say it's evil!"

"But the-"

"Just give me one ride and if you still think this is a bad deal…" He mumbled so his voice was almost inaudible, "Then, I guess we can check things out…"

Robin sighed. "Fine!" He smiled at Wally's excitement. "What ride?"

Wally looked off into the distance and Dick tilted his head back to see a dilapidated looking building not far off. It's facade was covered in red and white neon lights in the shape of a heart.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Wally pulled him up.

"You can't be serious."

"Totally serious! What's the point of going to a carnival with your boyfriend if you aren't going to ride The Tunnel of Love?"

-x-

Conner, Artemis and Megan stood in front of the Hall of Mirrors.

Conner eyed the building suspiciously. "I don't get the appeal."

"It's like a maze." Artemis started toward the doors. "Just with mirrors."

"I got that…" he said hesitantly. "But why is that supposed to be fun?" Conner and Megan looked at Artemis expectantly.

"Cause it's… weird and it- I don't know. I hate being in the alien group."

Megan started inside, with Conner at her heel.

The inside of the hall didn't match the rundown building it was outside. There was only one huge room, with columns throughout that came into an arch on the high ceiling. The lights were a neon purple, with the arches outlined in green.

Conner tried to step through one of the arches but stumbled back. "What the hell?"

Artemis sighed and knocked on the empty space but her hand hit glass. "You can't see your reflection when the mirror is tilted, that's the trick."

Conner rolled his eyes. "So, what do we do now?"

"We try to make it through the maze." With her arms outstretched, Megan found an open arch and started through. "See you on the other side!"

Conner gave a weak smile and followed.

Artemis was about to enter when she noticed an orange blur move along the ground. It zipped past her and ran outside. "Hey guys? I'll be right back." She followed the cat out of the hall without knowing she hadn't been heard. "That cat looks really familiar."

-x-

Kaldur walked along the beach with the carnival to his right and the ocean to his left. The further down the sand bank he went, the crowds thinned, and when he reached the end of the beach, Mt. Justice was a small dot on the horizon.

Debris, animal droppings and footprints covered the ground around the storage tents that had been arranged randomly on the beach and the street above. But, one tent stood out from the others. Its canvas was clean, and incense flowed from its opening, like it was blowing smoke into the breeze.

"Hello?" Kaldur pushed a heavy velvet drape aside to reveal the circular room within the tent. If there was a good place to start an investigation, this was it.

"Hello, dear!" A woman called from the other side of the tent. Before Kaldur could answer, she appeared through the opening in the curtain with crystals in her hands. "Enjoying the Carnival?"

His eyes followed her around the room as she went about placing them in random spots. "I have not had much of a chance to see it." She was older, with a round face, red cheeks and curly hair that bobbed whenever she moved.

"Well, don't worry too much about that. Nobody leaves the Carnival Celestial without getting what they came for." She took her place at a small round table with a glass orb in it's center.

"But I did not come here for anything."

"We all want something." She smiled and motioned to the seat across from her. "Here Kaldur, sit. And I'll tell you why you're here."

-x-

"Isn't this romantic?" Wally beamed. "A soothing boat ride…" He scooted closer. "In the dark…" Robin felt Wally's breath on his ear. "Just the two of us."

Their boat, shaped like a giant swan, cruised down the dark canal, with fake neon plants aligned along the concrete bank.

"How old do you think this swan boat is?"

"Uh, hey? I'm trying to be romantic over here."

"Sorry, I just can't stop thinking about-"

"Oh no! We had a deal, remember? You have to water down the paranoia and I get fifteen minutes of uninterrupted dual tongue action."

"Fine." Robin laughed as he pulled Wally close. "Let's make it count."

-x-

Conner didn't like the House of Mirrors. For a while, he had stuck close to Megan. She had laughed everytime he crashed into a glass panel, but after a few wrong turns, he'd lost her.

"M'gann?" He called. The the only response was his own echo. He pushed forward, biting his cheek in frustration. "M'gann? Artemis?"

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a flash of orange hair. "M'gann?" He followed the blur and bumped into mirrors as he went. Ahead, Megan stood a few arches away and motioned for him to follow her. But when he reached out for her, all he felt was glass.

The reflection of Megan giggled and rushed away. Conner turned on his heel as the figure disappeared through another arch.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place."

-x-

"How do you know my name?" Kaldur's reached for his swords when he realized he'd left them at Mt. Justice.

"It's what I do." Her smiled showed no signs of discomfort. "I also know you're an Atlantean... a leader... Well... perhaps I should stop if you see my observations as acts of evil."

Kaldur hesitated then took tentative steps to the chair opposite the smiling woman. "Please do not take offense to my doubt. I do not like taking chances when my team is involved."

She grabbed his hand and studied it. "I see why you're suspicious. You've seen a lot of savagery for someone so young. It mustn't be easy."

"I am stronger because of all that I have seen."

"Stronger, perhaps. But happier? With pain comes isolation, and those scars aren't as easy to bare." She ran a finger along his palm and glanced up. "And they cut so much deeper."

Kaldur tensed and took his hand back. "I am not isolated. My team is my family. They wear many of the same scars."

"Oh?" She looked around the empty tent. "And where are they?"

-x-

"Hey, Wally?"

"Hm?" He trailed kisses down Dick's neck.

"How long have we been here?"

Wally shrugged. "Dunno…" He mumbled into Dick's collarbone.

"Wally!"

"What? I'm doing some of my best work here!"

Robin glanced around. "I don't see any other boats." He pushed Wally off so they both sat upright. "And has it gotten hotter in here?"

"It was about to…" Wally pouted.

"This is serious!" Dick typed into his computer. "I'm not getting a signal. The map can't even pinpoint our location. This is bad."

"Is it? Because getting trapped in The Tunnel of Love with your boyfriend might be considered a good thing to some."

Robin grabbed Wally by his cheeks and turned him so they were face to face. "Wally? I need you to concentrate right now. There will be many, many make out session in our future-" Wally smiled and started to speak, but Robin squished his cheeks together. "-but in order for those to happen, we need to get figure out what's going on, okay?"

Wally nodded and Robin released him.

"Good." Robin sighed and looked around. "Let's get to shore."

Wally and Dick trudged through the marshes and stumbled over hidden roots. It was pitch black and the only light offered to them radiated off the technicolored plants.

"Are these real?" Wally picked a leaf. "Cause last time I checked, plants don't glow."

"They don't. I don't think we're in the carnival anymore. But there doesn't seem to be anything around here." He analyzed his holographic screen. "Wait a minute…" He pointed into the distance, across an open field. "There's something over there."

"Hm, that's kinda weird. So, should we just wait in the boat or-"

Robin crossed the clearing.

"-or we could just go investigate what is most likely a death trap." Wally rolled his eyes but jogged behind when he bumped into Dick's back. "Why'd you stop?" But Dick was frozen.

Only inches from where they stood were two fresh bodies, their hands interlocked, with gaping holes where their hearts should have been.

-x-

If someone had asked Artemis why she decided to follow a cat through a carnival, she would have struggled for an answer. She had noticed a weird symbol on the cat's collar that she couldn't place, but knew she'd seen before.

There was just a feeling in her gut that pushed her forward, weaving through the carnival tents and she kept thinking of her collapsible bow strapped to her back. It was difficult to keep up through the crowds and lines but just when she thought she'd lost it's trail, there would be another orange flash. She considered turning back until she came onto an abandoned building outside the grounds. It's windows were broken, graffiti covered the walls and the front doors hung open on their broken hinges. The cat disappeared inside.

Artemis sighed. "To go, or not to go." There was a flash of light from a window on the upper floor. "Definitely go."

-x-

"Conner!" Megan called. "Where have you been?"

"Where have I been? I've been looking for you! Have you seen Artemis?"

Megan shook her head and she approached Conner. "This place is a lot bigg-" But when she got close, she realized Conner wasn't there. It was just a reflection. "Conner?" She asked but the reflection just smiled and walked away. "Where are you going?" He disappeared.

She followed, but collided with a glass wall instead. She pushed on every empty space between the archways that surrounded her and found them all blocked by mirrors. She was trapped.

-x-

"You know nothing of me, or of my friends." Kaldur stood. "You are not who you say you are."

She leaned back in her chair, the smile still stained on her face. "My dear, I am exactly who I say I am. You just never asked."

"Then tell me."

She sighed and pulled her wrap around her. "I have gone by many names. Discordia, Enyo… Bellona…"

Kaldur stiffened. "You're Eris…"

"You've heard of me!" She seemed overjoyed. "It's been so long."

"There are stories of you, told in Atlantis. You are the goddess of chaos, and bringer of misfortune."

"Don't forget strife." Eris giggled. "I quite like the part about strife."

"Is it you that is behind this carnival?" Kaldur asked.

Eris shook her head. "At my prime, I could have constructed a carnival ten times this size! A hundred times! But, as time flows, so does power and in my case, the stream has run thin."

"If you aren't responsible then who is? Who could have the kind of power you speak of."

She leaned forward with her elbows on the table. "So many questions, and yet, I possess such few answers. I was told I would have to contend with one of you, I didn't know which one, but I was pleasantly surprised when you walked into my tent. More noble than brave, more spirit than smarts, it's your loyalty that makes you a great leader... and that's my favorite to exploit. Because, fear is the death of loyalty and when you're in a business like ours, fear is the only way to survive. Tell me, what does that mean for you?"

Kaldur didn't move.

"Here is the deal." Eris cooed. "You look into the crystal ball and I'll tell you where your friends are. Sound good?"

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because chaos doesn't lie. It just is. And it's been too long since I've had the pleasure to witness my work from a viewer's perspective." She gestured to the empty chair. "No tricks. No deceptions. Just your future."

"And if I leave?"

"My dear, haven't you ever been to a Carnival before?" Her laugh echoed around them. "You can't get off the ride until it's over."

-x-

Dick and Wally tried to navigate their way back to the river but it seemed the landscape kept changing on them and the further they ran, the further they seemed to be. Neither spoke, which left space for a heavy silence to hang between them. They stopped under a colossal tree for Robin to check his computer while Wally paced around the trunk.

"What could have done something like that?" Wally exclaimed.

"No idea, but I don't want to stick around to find out." He grunted and snapped the computer closed. "Nothing is working. And we seem to be the only ones here, which means this was probably meant for us."

Wally stopped. "Ohhh. If it's any of the guys we've already beat, we've got this mad-"

"Did you hear that?" Robin whispered.

Something moved amongst the trees.

"Yeah… I'm going to resubmit my boat idea."

"Shh." Robin held his finger to his lips. "It's moving."

What is this?

More meat to eat?

The Heart Eater deserves

A tasty treat

Robin motioned to a bush away from where the voice was headed, and they crawled beneath it without making a sound.

The Heart Eater knows not

How his food arrives

But the meat tastes best

When it's eaten alive

The voice returned, and it started back toward them.

Oh, where did they go?

There's nowhere to hide

The things that come here

Never leave alive

Across the clearing, the trees shook until something crawled out from between them.

It was unlike anything Robin had ever seen. The Heart Eater had the face of a man, covered by the same venetian mask worn by the Carnival's attendants. But, he was twice the size of a normal person and he crawled on all four of his long, bony limbs like a spider. Even with the mask, Robin could tell he was smiling.

They give their hearts

To one another

But they're mine to eat

And mine to savour.

Wally tapped on Robin's shoulder but he couldn't look away from The Heart Eater. The tapping continued and Robin tore himself away to find Wally, wide eyed, and pointing all around them. The ground was littered with bodies, their hearts completely removed.

Before Robin could scream, the branches above them were pulled apart to reveal the smiling face of the Heart Eater.

-x-

Artemis took the steps up to the top floor two at a time and just when she'd turn a stairwell, tail of the orange cat would disappear around the next corner.

"Just follow a stupid cat through the fair." She muttered to herself. "That seems like a good idea. No reason to have any fun. Stupid paranoia."

She arrived at the top floor, with it's only path leading through an open door. She peered inside to see Klarion seated in the center of a ring of candles, atop an ancient rune painted on the floor, with his back to her. Artemis couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, paranoia!"

-x-

"Conner!" Megan waved. "Conner!" She called again, this time louder and he turned.

"M'gann?" He let out a sigh. "I've been looking everywhere!"

"I got lost, I guess. I thought you guys were right behind me, and then I turned around and you were gone."

He started toward her, but when he reached for her hand, he felt cool glass beneath his fingers. "No!" He screamed and punched his fist through the mirror. It shattered into a thousand pieces and Conner stepped through its frame. On the other side were more mirrors, angled toward him so he was reflected a hundred times over.

He went about destroying each one. Sometimes, it was his own reflection he saw, other times, it was M'gann walking away, or Artemis calling to him, which just angered him more. But the mirrors never seemed to lessen and the room never became easier to navigate.

-x-

"KF, get us out of here!" Dick yelled.

"Told you!" Wally threw Dick's arm over his shoulder and they sped through the forest.

"There!" Robin called. "The river!"

A hundred meters out from the swan boat, Wally tripped and Dick tumbled to the ground. He pushed himself up. "What hap-"

All around them, bodies littered the forest floor. "I'm sorry…" Wally's eyes were wide. "I… didn't see them." There were so many, it was a miracle they hadn't found them on their way into the forest.

The trees shook behind them. "It doesn't matter, okay? Let's just get to the boat, and into open water."

Wally nodded but didn't look away from the dead. Dick pulled him the rest of the way to the river.

When they'd piled into the boat, Dick pushed off the bank and they glided to the middle of the black water. Try as he might, without an oar, the boat was difficult to maneuver. His heart sank when the Heart Eater emerged from the forest. He stood on the bank with a broad smile and then jumped into the water.

-x-

"Give me your hands."

Kaldur clenched his jaw but took Eris's hands on either side of the crystal ball.

The effect was immediate. Kaldur could feel the energy of Eris flow through him and the crystal ball illuminated with a brilliant light that he couldn't look away from.

"By the guiding hand of Gaia, bless us with a look down Kaldur's path. Show him where his road will lead."

Kaldur's eyes glazed over as he succumbed to the images in the crystal. There was him and his team, leaving the Carnival, seemingly happy.

Then the images came quickly and turned dark. They were back at Mt. Justice and Batman was giving them an assignment. The pictures changed the team on a mission, then in battle, then around Artemis's grave. Kaldur's stomach dropped. Then he was with the team in the Hall of Justice, and they told him they didn't want him as leader. It ended with his return to Atlantis, and the feelings of disgrace and failure. The crystal went clear again.

"This is not my future." His voice shook, he had no idea how long he'd been entranced. "This is not the path I have chosen." He looked up at Eris.

But the beautiful woman who had sat across the table was gone. Instead, it was a fanged creature with a hollowed face and bright red eyes. "Who said anything about choice?"

-x-

"Without weapons, how are we supposed to…" Robin scanned the boat and felt the flicker of an idea. "It's a long shot but there should be…" He reached underneath the seat, then behind the wings. "Got it!" He came back with a small, red box, threw it open, and discarded it's contents to the floor until he held up a small bottle. "Pure, alcohol grade antiseptic. Good thing first aid kits are required on these things."

There was a splash from not far off. "Wally?" Robin felt behind him, too afraid to look away from The Heart Eater that moved through the water like a snake. "Wally?!"

"Huh?" He sounded distant.

"Can you get some friction going?"

"Uh…" Wally looked down at his feet. "Yeah."

"Quickly?"

Wally shuffled his feet back and forth until they were a blur on the floor of their swan boat.

"When I give the mark, get ready to jump, okay?"

The Heart Eater disappeared beneath the water and smoke rose from Wally's feet. The smell of burnt wood filled the air and the discarded contents of the kit started to crackle.

Dick scanned the surface of the water, and unscrewed the lid of the isopropyl alcohol with shaking fingers when the first flickers of flames started. "Dick?" Wally brought his feet from the floor. "It's getting a little hot in here."

Robin pushed Wally and himself to the far end of the bench. "It's about to."

The Heart Eater shattered the river's surface, leapt onto the boat and wrapped himself around the swans neck with a bright smile.

The Heart Eater can tell

These two are in love

Two hearts beat together

And I'll rip them out

"Now!" Robin threw the bottle onto the flames, grabbed Wally around the waist and pulled them beneath the water.

Light and sound faded as Robin pulled them further down but he could hear a series of explosions, followed by a blood curdling scream.

-x-

"Put your hands on the back of your head and don't move." Artemis aimed her bow at the back of Klarion's head. "Or do, I want to see how much damage I can do with this thing."

"I could send you across the room before you let go of your string." She started toward him and he turned and waved his arm. An invisible force knocked Artemis into the air and she crashed into the wall. "See?"

Klarion rose from atop the ancient rune and crossed the room to stand over her. Artemis struggled to catch her breath amongst the dust and debris. "How did you find out where I was?!" He complained. " I made sure-"

Something orange moved on the other side of the room and Artemis couldn't help but glance over. Klarion followed her eye line.

"Oh! Stupid cat!" He stomped his foot on the floor. The cat ran to him anyway and jumped in his arms. "I should never leave you alone!"

The symbol in the center of the circle had lost a bit of it's glow but it still pulsed with magical life. Artemis looked between it, Klarion and the cat until she noticed a glimmer of the same orange light around the cat's neck. The tag on it's collar was imprinted with the same symbol on the floor and Artemis felt her stomach flip.

Amongst the broken materials around her, Artemis located her bow and grasped it. But when she got ready to aim, Klarion laughed. "That can't hurt me! Nothing on this plane can hurt me!"

"Too bad the sames not true for him." Her arrow launched from her bow and flew through the air at the cat in Klarion's arms.

-x-

Shattering came from all around but Megan couldn't find it's source. She pushed on a mirror until it cracked, and crawled out of her glass prison and into a short hall. There was shards all along the ground, but all the mirrors were intact.

At the other end of the hall stood a crazed looking Conner. Had he been real, Megan would have been scared, but she knew he was limited to only a reflection. He watched her, though and stepped toward her, but Megan didn't know how.

"You aren't her!" He screamed and his walk turned into a run.

"Conner, it's me! It's-"

"Shut up!" He raised his fist high in the air. "You're just a reflection!"

There was a flash and all the mirrors disappeared which left Artemis and Conner alone in a cavern full of empty arches. Conner froze, his fist an inch of Megan's heart. "Oh my God." He looked horrified.

"It's okay, Conner-"

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. "I'm so sorry, M'gann. I was just so worried and the reflections kept messing with my mind."

She couldn't help but smile. "I know." She hugged him back. "It's just the two of us, now."

-x-

Kaldur jumped from the table and leapt for the exit, but the fabric of the tent stitched itself together.

"I did what you asked, I saw my future. You must honor your agreement."

Eris stood, pushed over the table that stood between them and stalked toward him. "You saw what happens, I'm just doing the rest of your team a favor." She swiped at him but he ducked and rolled away. "Do you really want to put them through all that when I could just end it now?"

Kaldur noticed the crystal ball on the ground. "What you showed me is not the truth." When Eris launched at him again, he dove to the floor and scooped it up. Eris was on him in a flash. "You should look again." He slammed the crystal into the side of her head and it shattered.

Eris stumbled back and screamed. Her hands covered her face but the skin had started to smoulder.

-X-

"My cat!" Klarion screamed. "You killed my cat!"

The magical rune on the floor began to fade. "Maybe you shouldn't have made him your anchor to this reality."

Klarion screamed and flicked his wrist but nothing happened. He tried again. "Damn it!" He began to fade like the rune. "You'll pay for this!" He was gone, but his voice still lingered. "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

-x-

Nobody talked much on their way back to Mt. Justice. Conner kept his arm protectively wrapped around Megan, and Dick constantly checked on Wally. Even Kaldur seemed more stoic than usual. The only one seemingly unaffected was Artemis, who walked home with a light smile.

"So, it was Klarion…" Dick sat on the couch with his elbows on his knees. "I feel like we should've figured that one out."

"If I ever see him again," Conner made a fist. "I'll-"

"You'll do what we were trained to do." Kaldur nodded to Conner. "The witch boy is no different than our other foes because his attack was personal. We must control our emotions."

Conner went to speak, but when Megan rubbed his shoulder, he relaxed and nodded back to Kaldur. "We should get some sleep," she said to the group. "It's been a long day."

-x-

As they made their way back to their rooms, Dick grabbed Wally's hand and felt the other boy grasp it tightly.

"You haven't said much since we left. You okay?"

Wally put on his trademark smile. "I'm totally good. That Heart Eater just kinda…" Dick felt him tremor.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Wally shook his head. "Nah." He pulled Dick by the hand until he had him against the wall and kissed him. "Just… stay away from water rides for a while, okay? I like your heart where it is. And everyone knows Carnivals are dangerous."

-x-

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the story! I know these get repetitive but it means so much when people comment. So, if you liked the story (or didn't), I would love to hear about your experience!