Damian was awake as Celeste and Raven slept a few feet away from him. It was the early hours of the morning, so he didn't expect for his sister to be awake yet. She was as lazy as lazy could get and he pitied anyone who got in the way of her and her sleep. Raven... probably wasn't really sleeping. Her breathing was uneven and she was far too fidgety.

Not that he cared all that much.

Currently, Damian was examining the book that Raven had retrieved from the South Lodge. It was titled Elements of Magic and contained six symbols, each indicating the six elements Raven had told him about.

He began to open it, but stopped when the fire symbol shone a brilliant red. He quickly closed it and it immediately dimmed. "What...?" Damian moved the book towards his left and it happened again. "What could possible be- oh."

His sister, of course. She was to the left of him. She must be having an effect on the book. Damian raised an eyebrow in thought. "I wonder..." He moved the book towards his right where Raven was laying. Sure enough, a deep purple light lit up the darkness emblem. "Interesting..."

Raven turned to face him. "What is?" she asked.

"The book," he answered. "It's glowing around the both of you."

"Huh," she commented with intrigue. "Maybe that old book is good for something after all." Perhaps going to retrieve it had been worth it in the end. She pulled herself off the ground. "I'm going to find some food."

"We have food!" piped up Celeste, rising from her place on the ground.

Damian raised an eyebrow at her. "You're awake?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Between the glowing and the talking, it's hard not to be," she answered. She held up her backpack towards Raven. "See? We got it from the South Lodge."

Raven took a baguette. "Bread?" she reiterated. "I thought you were carrying around a sack of clubs." She waved it around for effect, but felt a sharp pain in her hand and dropped it. The baguette fell onto a rock and cleaved it in half. She looked at the girl to see if she had caught that.

Celeste grinned up at her innocently. "No, it's food." She glanced at it with uncertainty. "Kind of?" She tried to bite it, to no avail.

"I... think I'm good," responded Raven. She turned away from them and walked deeper into the forest.

OoOoOo

Raven reached the edge of the forest and sat atop a cliff overlooking the kingdom. Try as she might, she couldn't stop glancing at the red 'S' engraved on her wrist. She couldn't let this continue. If it did, she would be of no help on this mission.

She sighed. "Here goes everything..." Her eyes glowed a deep violet as she held her hand over her wrist. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" There was a flash and she looked back down at her wrist.

Nothing.

Raven slammed her fist to the ground. "Dammit!" She sighed again. "Ugh, what am I going to do?"

There was no time to ponder on this, however. "Help!" a familiar voice cried out.

Celeste, realized Raven. Dread gripped her stomach as she ran through the forest to find the prince and princess. She prayed to Azar- the actual God, not her mentor- that nothing bad had happened to them.

OoOoOo

Raven got there in under four minutes, her hands charged with her deep violet magic. "What's wrong?" she demanded, ready to throw the first unfamiliar person she saw into a tree. "What happened?"

Celeste stood there, her own hands charged with blood red magic that looked almost like fire. "Raven, please help," she begged. Her sapphire eyes were wide with fear as she looked at the older girl helplessly.

Raven lowered her hands. "What happened?" she repeated, her voice calmer this time.

Damian shook his head, exasperated. "She attempted to try a bit of magic on her own," he answered. His eyes narrowed at his sister. "Which was very poor judgement on her part."

Celeste glared at him. "I'd smack you if I didn't think it would seriously hurt you like this." She turned back to the Azarathian. "What do I do?"

Raven took a deep breath. "First, you have to relax," she instructed calmly. "Your magic is a reflection of your emotions. The more you feel, the more they get out of control. Breathe, Celeste."

The girl did as she said and, sure enough, the magic in her hands dimmed a bit. "Now what?" she asked.

Raven hummed in thought. "It might be best to aim that somewhere where it won't hurt any of us," she mused. She glanced around until she found the perfect spot. "I think that creek will do." She stepped back a bit. "Go ahead."

Celeste inhaled slowly before aiming her palm towards the creek. "How do I let it go?"

"Toss it," Raven directed.

"Toss it?" parroted Damian. He regarded her carefully. "Is that not a bit dangerous?"

"Right now, it's the only option we have," she retorted. "We don't have time for me to properly teach her how to shoot her energy blasts. Besides, I learned by tossing. It makes learning how to shoot a little easier." She nodded towards the girl. "Go on."

Celeste sighed before extending her right arm, essentially tossing the fiery blast into the creek. It went down with a sizzle and she sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Hera." She smiled at the Azarathian. "Raven, you're a life saver."

Raven shrugged. "Just making sure you don't get us all killed." She crossed her arms. "But your brother was right. You shouldn't have tried any spells without me."

Celeste hung her head in shame. "I know," she admitted. "I just wanted to get the hang of it. I'm sorry." She looked at her brother. "I'm sorry, Damian. I should have listened to you when you said it was a bad idea."

Damian smiled slightly at her. "You know I still love you, not matter how many time you screw up." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Raven cleared her throat, feeling more than a little awkward around the sibling affection. "We should probably get a move on," she decided. "The sooner we get to Azarath, the sooner this war ends. Let's start walking."

"It would probably be faster using the boat," Damian pointed out.

Raven grimaced. "No boat," she insisted sternly. She had gotten seasick the last time they had ridden that thing. There was no chance she was setting foot on it again.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You really think that my sister will survive walking all the way to Azarath on those legs?" He gestured to her reaching for an apple on an apple tree.

Celeste scowled at him. "For your information, Damian, I happen to think I have nice legs."

Raven crossed her arms. "We're going on foot," she insisted.

Damian smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were afraid of water," he remarked. "Because it would be pretty shocking, considering how powerful and fearsome Azarathians are made out to be."

Raven didn't respond.

Celeste looked up at her. "You're afraid of water?" she asked. "That's so cute!"

Raven groaned, stomping towards the boat. "Fine, we'll take the floating deathtrap," she relented begrudgingly. "Let's just go already."

OoOoOo

Celeste sighed as her cat pawed at the water below them. "Liberty, knock it off," she commanded. "If you fall in, we can't go back for you. You'll just float along the river until we make it back from Azarath."

"Why did you even bring that thing?" Damian asked in annoyance. "It's just a liability."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "It's not like I could have left her at home," she pointed out. "Besides, she likes adventure."

"She isn't very intelligent," her brother commented. "Aren't cats supposed to hate water?"

"Liberty's just different," Celeste defended.

"She's a useless animal."

"You're a useless animal."

"Brat."

"Jerk."

"Both of you shut up," Raven snapped. She was laying on the floor of the boat, looking like she would lose her lunch any second. "Your bickering is giving me a headache."

Damian looked over to her, a trace of concern on his face. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said sarcastically. "Just trying not to throw up. Don't mind me."

"Why don't we play a game to distract you?" suggested Celeste. "We could play Five Questions."

Damian glared at her. "I already told you, that game is intrusive and immature and everyone would be better off without it."

She pouted. "It's fun," she insisted. "Please, Raven?"

Raven really didn't feel like it, but who could say no to that face. "Ugh, fine," she agreed reluctantly. "How do we play."

"Well, we each get to ask one another five questions," Celeste told her. "Damian, would you like to start."

Damian sighed. "Whatever." He looked at Raven. "Growing up, we heard that Azarath was a place where almost everyone has magic. Is that true?" In the human kingdoms, only a select few had magic. It was pretty rare.

Raven hesitated a little. "Yes," she answered. That was actually a pretty good question. He turned to face him fully. "Next question."

"Is it strange?" he added. "With everyone always casting a spell her something?"

Raven shook her head. "Is it strange seeing someone wield a sword in Themyscira?" she retorted. "Magic is second nature to us, just as fighting is to the Amazons and other citizens of Themyscira. It's apart of us. It's everywhere." 

Celeste's sapphire eyes were alight. "That sounds amazing."

Raven smiled slightly. "I guess it is," she admitted.

Celeste beamed. "It's working!" she exclaimed. "Don't you feel better?"

Despite herself, Raven's smile grew a bit wider. "I suppose so. Alright, Damian, ask your next question."

Damian pondered this a bit. "What are your parents like?" he finally asked.

Suddenly, the tension on the small boat became palpable. Raven went silent, her fingers curling into a fist. She glanced away from both of them. "They're dead," she answered curtly.

Damian looked affronted by that. "I..." He honestly didn't know what to say.

"It's fine," Raven insisted. "Just forget about it."

Celeste was going to say something, before she looked ahead of the small boat. "Now may not be the best time," she began. "but we're heading straight for a waterfall."

"A what?" Raven looked ahead. "Shit! Everyone hold on!" They did as she said and gripped the ledge of the boat. The boat was thrown down by the waterfall and tossed into a few rocks. Luckily, no one was hurt and the boat landed safely on the the river.

"Well, that was fun," remarked Celeste happily. "Hey, Rae, you faced your fear. Do you feel better about water."

Raven, whose hair was nothing short of drenched, looked at her. "I have never felt worse about water."

"At least we're making good time," commented Damian.

Celeste was suddenly aware of something. "Have either of you seen Liberty?" she asked. She gasped as she saw the cat floating in the water. "Liberty, come back here! Use your Kitty Paddle!" The cat did as she said.

Damian groaned. "I keep telling you that's not a thing!" he snapped.

Eventually, the cat did make her way towards them. Celeste picked her up. "Bad kitty! You know you're not supposed to be in the water!"

"Wouldn't be a problem if she was an intelligent being..."

"Shut up, Damian."

Raven crossed her arms. "Well, this had been a disaster."

Damian glanced at her. "I'd hardly call soggy socks a disaster," he deadpanned.

"I would!" Celeste piped up. "Wet socks are a form of torture in Markovia!"

Raven rolled her eyes before something caught her attention. "Damian..." she said worriedly.

He looked over at her. "What is it?" He noticed that the book was glowing again. But this time, it wasn't for the fire or darkness symbols. "It's the water rune. But I've never seen it light up before..."

It was at that moment that their boat was thrown into the air by a giant sea monster. Celeste and Damian landed in the water while Raven was tossed onto the shore.

"Ah, sweet land!" exclaimed the Azarathian. "Thank Azar, I-" She suddenly noticed that Celeste and Damian were still in the water. And that Liberty was being chased by the sea monster. "Celeste, Damian, Liberty needs help!"

However, it was obvious they couldn't hear her. Raven sighed, knowing the princess would be heartbroken if her prized pet were to get eaten. "Damn it." She flew above the river. "I just need one shot..."

Her amethyst eyes narrowed in concentration. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she chanted. A violet energy blast shot out from her hand and blinded the monster. Liberty went flying into the air and she caught the cat just in time. "Well, that was eas-"

Raven was cut off by a wave shooting forward and pulling her into the river once more. The sea monster attempted to swallow them whole, but she grabbed onto the corner of its mouth and rose the beast to the surface.

The wave it caused sent Celeste and Damian to shore.

Damian coughed up water, but quickly focused on the Azarathian. "Raven needs help!" he shouted to his sister. "Try using your magic!"

"But you told me not to practice magic without Raven!" protested Celeste.

"Forget what I said!" he snapped. "Listen to what I'm saying now! Cast a spell, Celeste!" He looked to Raven. "Jump!"

Raven looked like that was the last thing she wanted to do. "But she can't-!"

"Just do it!" Raven looked from the prince to the princess before doing as he said.

"Celeste, cast a lightning spell and aim it at the water!" Damian instructed.

Celeste looked uneasy, before she nodded. "Gninthgil!" she shouted, pointing her hands towards the water. Sure enough, the water acted as a conduit and the electricity fried the sea monster. Raven and Liberty were free.

Damian gave her a nod of satisfaction. "You did it."

Celeste looked shocked. "I did it?" she asked. Her shock soon turned to glee. "I did it! I did it!"

OoOoOo

As soon as Raven made it to shore, Celeste engulfed her in a hug. "Thank you so much, Raven!" she gushed. "I something happened to Liberty, I probably would have died from a broken heart!"

Damian scowled. "You should have let that thing drown," he commented snidely.

Celeste glared at him. "Ignore my brother," she said. "What you did was brave, Raven."

"It was," Damian agreed with a slight smile. "I don't think it was worth it, but it was the heroic thing to do. Especially with your fear of water."

"You should have told us you didn't like water before," said Celeste gently. "It's alright to be scared of things."

"Celeste is afraid of the dark," added Damian.

Celeste ignored him. "Everyone is afraid of something. But facing those fears is what makes someone brave. You proved that today."

"I suppose I was afraid of being afraid," mused Raven, staring at her reflection in the river.

"That's circular," Damian remarked.

"At least you know you're not afraid of being afraid of being afraid," said Celeste, though she ended up confusing herself.

"That's deep," said Raven. "A bit stupid, but deep." Her mouth formed a grin line. "The thing is, Azarathians are not supposed to be afraid. Ever."

Celeste grimaced. "That doesn't sound right..."

"It's how we live," Raven responded. She sighed. "My parents aren't really dead. At least, my mother isn't, I've no idea about my father." She scowled. "But I wish she was dead. She's a coward."

Damian examined her. "What does that mean?" he asked slowly.

"My mother was apart of the Dragon Guard," she explained. "An elite force of eight Azarathians tasked with protecting the egg. Dragons only lay eggs every thousand years. So, that egg is so rare and precious." She clenched her fists. "But when the humans came and killed the Dragon King, the Dragon Guard, my mother, failed in her duty. She ran away. I am so ashamed."

Damian laid a hand on her shoulder. "Raven, on behalf of Themyscira, we apologize for the past actions of out people," he announced.

Celeste nodded in agreement. "It is apparent that we're responsible for a grave injustice," she added, sounding every bit like the future queen she was destined to be and far beyond her twelve years. "An injustice that must be corrected." 

"That's the real reason I was here," Raven admitted. "I wanted revenge. But when I saw that egg, everything changed. Now, this is a journey of redemption."

Damian looped an arm around his sister. "We're in this together," he said firmly.

Just then, the small boat floated by them. Raven tried not to smile. "Oh no, the boat. Whatever will we do." The boat stopped near the shore. "Damn it."

Celeste smiled and kicked it away. She sighed. "Oh, goodbye boat. You will be missed."

Raven smiled. "Thank you." Her right hand twitched.

Damian noticed. "What does the symbol on your wrist mean?" he asked.

Raven waved him off. "Nothing," she lied. "It's just a tattoo."

"A tattoo?" he repeated incredulously. That had to be the biggest load of bullshit he had ever heard. It obviously meant something. But what?

"An Azarathian thing," she responded. "You wouldn't understand."

Damain decided to let it go. "Alright." He would find out later, just not now. There was a time and a place.

And so, the three continued on their way. They were ready to return the egg and restore peace the the land. But would they succeed?