Hi there folks! Lookie! I actually updated and it didn't take me a year to do it! Yey! I was compelled to find more time and write the story thanks to something-to-probe and CelestialRavenRoth for reminding me (via comment, favorite and follow alert in my email) that I actually have a story pending. It's very heart-warming to know that there are still people here who actually read this old story. How are you guys btw?

To new readers: Thank you for taking the time to read this! And to old readers: Thank you for patiently waiting. Here's Chapter 28! :)

Part 28: Family Reunion: The Rotting Truth

Aqualad inwardly laughed at the irony of the event that was now unfolding before him. When he answered his trusty ward that even the fires of Hell doesn't scare him, he simply meant it as a metaphor. He did not expect that his words would immediately come back to bite him. As he slowly crossed an old rickety rope bridge, varying sizes of fireballs spat out from the lava river below. He quickly learned to be wary of the jumping blazes when one (the size of a small car) almost landed on his head just a few moments ago. The entire place glowed a menacing red and enraged orange. The young boy was sweating more profusely just by looking at the lava lazily flowing below. The red-hot magma gurgled and bubbled like a snoring giant.

Grotesque obsidian rock formations jutted out from the bottom of the lava bed and reached upward to a far off ceiling that couldn't be seen. They seemed like long, petrified fingers of a deformed creature. The place smelled like brimstone and decay. While the Atlantean continued to walk and look around, he couldn't help but feel that he really was in Hell. Fortunately, there were no devils or tormented souls in sight, so it helped remind him that he was definitely not in Hell. But the absence of the Underworld denizens did little to make the place less eerie. He knew that this entire (textbook Hell) place was just an outward projection of the man he came here to see.

After what seemed like hours of walking, he finally reached his destination. A looming steel gate intricately engraved by old Atlantean runes stood in front of him. The runes were glowing the same menacing red of that in the hidden chamber. As soon as the young prince stepped unto solid ground, the gates automatically swung open as if in response to his arrival.

Behind the gate was a man (it seemed like a man) that was bound by the wrist and ankles in chains of fire. He stood on a raised dais that was in between two pillars that held the other end of his chains. His body was half rotten and entrails were spilling out from his sides; it looked like they were torn by a beast. Worms and scavenger birds of the like were pecking and festering at the entrails and the other parts of the body that was bound at the center.

The young Atlantean proceeded towards the carrion. He stopped just a few feet away from the rotting body. The hand of the corpse twitched and a crow that was pecking on it flew away, claiming a finger before it took flight. The corpse's head slowly rose. His face was half covered with decaying skin. An eyeball lazily swung from the socket on the other side that was now just bones.

"Well well…What an unexpected guest we have here." the corpse croaked and a hideous grin formed from what's left of its face. Maggots fell off from the sides.

Without a hint of emotion from his face, the young prince replied, "Hello there, Uncle."

x-x-x-x

The smell of freshly brewed tea wafted through the common room as Robin poured hot water into the glass tea pot. He waited a few minutes until the special tea bloomed and diffused a beautiful golden color into the water. The more the flower tea bloomed, the richer the color of the water turned. He slowly poured tea into some mugs and brought the refreshments to the two ladies sitting on the couch. He wanted to wait until Cyborg and Beastboy got back from their mission but the pleading eyes of the petite goth girl said that she couldn't wait. The two girls gratefully took the tea as he handed it to them.

The masked leader sat across the table so that he was facing his two teammates. He noticed that Raven's hair was still a bit wet. It took them some time to convince the young empath to take a bath first and dry herself properly before they talk.

Raven slowly blew on her tea and took a sip. The steam from the hot beverage lazily rose up from her mug with a tantalizing sway. Robin found himself staring at the steam. He was still trying to find the right words and the right time to start their delicate revelation to their teammate.

Sensing the trouble her companions were having, the young goth girl decided to speak first. "I know that whatever it is you guys are hiding from me, you think it's for my own good.." She stared at her blurry reflection on the tea for a few minutes and continued "But I think… I need to know."

Robin and Starfire could only respond with a look of unease.

The goth girl looked up from her mug and looked at her companions in the eyes. Her brows furrowed. "These past few months I've felt… Incomplete. Like there's an emptiness in me that I can't fully grasp. I need to know the truth."

Her gaze stung at Robin's heart but he still felt reluctant. He could feel his fists clenching.

Starfire spoke first. She held the goth girl's hand and gave a reassuring grip "Very well, friend Raven. We will tell you if it will help ease your troubles. But many events have transpired since the loss of your memories and some details still have not come to full light. I know not where to start."

"Let's start with what you know." Robin joined in to help. The Tamaranean princess gave him a grateful smile.

"I think..." Raven placed her mug on the table. "I think we should start with you guys telling me who this Aqualad is."

x-x-x-x

Family get-togethers can be awkward at times. Especially when you meet relatives that you've never met or haven't talked to in a really long time. It's like being forced to be friendly with a stranger you just met but can't make an excuse not to talk to them since you're bound by blood to at least try to talk to them and try to get along. Aqualad was currently facing an almost similar awkward situation when meeting a long lost relative.

But in his case, it was far more than just awkward.

"So how have you been nephew? Finally decided to visit your dear Uncle Zath after all this time, eh?" Maggots and flies flew out of the mouth of the rotting corpse as he spoke. "I'm sure you've noticed that I've lost a lot of weight since we last met." A huge chunk of rotting meat fell from his arms and stomach as he said this.

There was a momentary silence as the two stared at the dislodged decomposing meat.

"I'm trying out this new diet." The rotting Atlantean off-handedly continued. "Would you like to try it out as well?"

"I'm not here for pleasantries." The young prince coldly replied. "I'm here to ask you about the source of magic the Idyllist made forbidden. The same source where I got my powers."

The rotting man looked at the Atlantean dejectedly. "Oh. Well, so much for happy family reunions." He shrugged and more rotting pieces fell off.

"Tell me what you know about the dark arts, Uncle." The young Atlantean continued to push.

"Ha! Why should I tell you anything?" there was a tinge of malice in the undead Atlantean's voice.

"You owe me at least this much."

"I owe you?" the rotting Zath growled. "I… Owe… You?!" a terrible sound came out as he screamed. " I owe you nothing you wretched urchin! If anything, you're the one that owes me! You trapped me in this damned prison!" A vile and stinking froth oozed out from his mouth.

"You did this to yourself. You chose to turn yourself into an undead monster. I had no choice but to stop you when you almost destroyed the entire Idyllist colony." The young Atlantean calmly replied. He knew that he wouldn't get his undead Uncle to easily tell him what he needed to know. He silently kept his emotions in check as memories of his Uncle's attack on Shayeris played on his mind. "I don't like seeing your face as much as you hate seeing mine. But you're the only one that has extensive knowledge on the Idyllist dark arts. Now tell me."

"Bite me!" the corpse sarcastically retorted.

"Uncle please!"

"Please is for guppies!"

"If you don't tell me, I swear I'm gonna—!" the young prince was slowly losing his temper.

"Gonna what? Kill me? Ha! I'm a rotting corpse! Khahahaha!" the rotting Zath let out a retched cackle.

The young Atlantean formed a fist and swung at the grotesque carcass. What the young prince didn't know was that his Uncle was waiting for it. He dodged the punch and grabbed hold of Aqualad.

"Kekeke! Foolish nephew. You're head's grown quite big since last time we met. Let me remedy that for you by snapping it off!" Just before he could snap the young Atlantean's head, the amulet given by the old man shone a bright white and rainbow light and protected the prince.

The rotting Zath recoiled in pain and dropped his nephew on the ground. His rotting body was now singed. Screams of agony penetrated all throughout the Hell-like place as the corpse wept in unbearable pain.

"No fair! No fair!" The corpse whined. His jaw dislocated as he spoke. A black rat came out from nowhere and re-placed the dislocated jaw by hitting it with its back. After a few moments of sobbing, the rotting man finally conceded. "Fine…. I'll tell you… *sniff* Just leave me alone and never come back after I tell you."

Aqualad quickly got up and took a few meters back, away from his undead Uncle. He touched the amulet around his neck and felt a warm glow. The corpse flinched for a moment and then told the young Atlantean what he knew.

"The Idyllists were a well-known Atlantean colony for their pacifist ideals and advance knowledge on technology and magic. They believed that technology and magic were inherently neutral in nature. They were amazing scavengers, collectors and excavators of ancient magic scrolls, texts and technology. They used their knowledge and discovery in creating the perfect city. They prided themselves for being able to use their findings in 'neutral' and 'pacifistic' ways. But the fools were too naïve to know better." The rotting Zath scoffed. "Some of the ancient texts they found belonged to dark forces that were far from being neutral. One of the most powerful text bore a symbol that was shaped like an S. That was the one used by your father to imprison me. It's also the same one that bound our fates together, nephew. I have those text hidden." He eyed the young Atlantean, eager to see his response.

"Where?" the young prince contained his emotion.

"In a cave. South of Shayeris. There's an underwater ravine. Just look for a boulder with an S like mark near the edge of the ravine. Go down a couple of hundred meters from where the boulder is and you'll find the cave. Once you find the cave, you'll find what it is that you're looking for." The corpse let out an annoyed frown and snapped. "I told you what you want. Now get out of my sight."

The young Atlantean slightly felt sorry for his Uncle as he looked at his miserable rotting state. "Thank you." With that, the young boy turned and walked away.

The rotting Zath looked on at his nephew's fading figure. As soon as the boy was out of sight, a malicious grin formed on the corpse's scorched rotting face. The scavenger birds circled around him and the black rat from earlier appeared and started nibbling on his rotting toes. The birds and rat's four eyes shone a malignant bright red.

So yeah. This story is definitely AU since I'm playing around with Aqualad's origin stories of power and stuff. Hopefully my half-sleep state (it's 3am right now) of writing isn't that awful. I actually had to read this story again from the beginning in order to get a proper bearing to where it's supposed to go next. This led me to realize once more that I need to edit the previous chapters (I tend to write in the wee hours of the morning when my mind's half a zombie already.) When I'm going to do it? I dunno. But I'll get around to doing it... hopefully. Anyways, you guys have a good day now! See ya.