The switch from Raven's room to the livingroom of Titan's tower was as jarring as Lucien expected. She was the black-sheep of the team afterall. The black-sheep of a team of black-sheep. Things had to be different for her.
He hoped the only difference wasn't that she was not a Vampire.
That seemed to be the case as he stood amongst his current elseworld's premier Titans lineup.
It was missing Donna Troy. Her spot seemed to be filled by the blonde young adult woman seated at the counter across from him.
"Beast-boy….. you were told to bring them in…. through the front door." She said.
"I didn't hear the last part I guess…. Hehe." Beast-boy replied.
"Lucien had other plans, Terra." Raven replied before looking from him to her twice, as if she was silently introducing them.
"You're kinda scary looking." Terra said after looking him up and down.
"You're kind of a double agent in most continuities." Lucien thought before shrugging, "I don't bite."
"He's lying." Green Arrow said.
"Through his pointy teeth." Hawk-Girl added.
"I think you're building a reputation." Dove whispered as she stood on Lucien's left.
"That's why you're here." Lucien replied.
Dove winked at him.
Someone gagged in the distance.
Lucien turned around and found a green-skinned Fishman with tiger-stripes and full red eyes staring at them. He was eight feet tall.
"Surface dwellers are always so horny." Lagoon-boy said.
"Hey, gill-guts, it's been a while." Arsenal said as he split off from the group. Or at least attempted to only for Green-Arrow to grab him by the arm.
"Don't."
"Oh yea. We're all supposed to be suspicious of eachother." Arsenal said.
"Feels just like home." Nightwing flipped down from the stairs. He wore his usual black and blue spandex and domino mask, "You must be Lucien." He said with a hand out.
"Most days." Lucien replied as he sniffed once and held his hand out. "Just hand it over."
"Damn. You are good…." Nightwing replied and pulled the cross out of his utility belt, slapping it into Lucien's palm.
"You're testing that the known werewolf isn't a Vampire?" Hawk asked as she took a defensive stance behind him. "By the way, you know he didn't k—"
"No. I'm checking that his lycanthropy isn't demonic in nature— like Vampires. He could be a double agent. Like a….. big handsome hunk of a hunting dog. That's what the media seems to want us to think." Nightwing winked as he spun his own cross in hand.
"I could've told you the magic in him is not evil. Ask and you shall recieve, gymnast. Lucien's genetic origins are…. pre-medieval." Etrigan said.
"You could tell me anything, buddy. Remember, we're all suspicious of eachother. Now, I know you can't hold a cross, but everyone else can. And once you all prove you aren't blood-suckers, that means if you are, Etrigan, we can team up and beat you into satanic ash."
"Luciferian, actually. And factually—"
"Do you have to rhyme everything?" Hawk-Girl snapped.
Etrigan nodded, before he could say anything, Raven put a shadow-hand over his mouth.
During the silence, Nightwing passed around the crosses.
All the while, Lucien thought to himself.
"This Titan's lineup is….. ass. No Cyborg, no Donna Troy, no Starfire??? Lagoon-Boy over Tempest? Arsenal obviously was only a part-time member, just like Hawk and Dove. They're a weak team. And most importantly, they either don't know Wally West is dead—"
"Now let's adress the elephant in the room." Nightwing suddenly said, face suddenly grim, "We lost family today. The Flash left the Titans before a few of you could really get to know him— Central-City, needs a speedster at all times, I needed him that much too, and now he's gone. I saw the news. Pictures of you— with his body at your feet."
Lucien braced himself. But everyone was holding crosses as they watched him. For a moment, truth remained. No smoke and mirrors, no secrets. At least that's how it seemed in the moment.
"I also saw Superman and Wonderwoman turn into bats." Nightwing added.
"How—"
"You think I've made it this far just flipping?" Nightwing asked Hawk.
"I thought so." Lagoon-boy mused as he leaned against the counter with the ocean at his back beside Terra and Beast-boy.
"Anyway, we're in a predicament. But for once, we've got a positive. Everyone in this room is a friend. I like friends. They're the best thing to have when the worlds ending—"
"Until they decide you're the next meal on day three of starvation."
"Raven, please, not while I'm trying to motivate us." Nightwing held out a gloved finger to the dark witch.
"No amount of talking will motivate…. What, twelve people? To save the world from an upcoming apocalypse….. spearheaded by old friends." Hawk-Girl said.
"Like I said…." Black Canary reiterated their old conversation which gained a side eye from the winged woman.
"That's not what I'm trying to do." Nightwing shook his head with a knowing smile.
"What are you trying to motivate us for?" Lucien asked.
"A trip to Gotham."
***
Lucien was rarely motivated. Motivation was a finite resource that left you high and dry when needed most. He'd swapped the feeling out for discipline on his second trip to the Russia.
Now, he had the tools to process being in a different world. One of fiction and gods and monsters and entities from behind the Milky Way galaxy. Now, he had the tools to process entering the murder capitol of DC Comics.
Gotham City.
It smelled like leather, sewage, rain and blood.
Lucien could smell it in droves even as he sat in the Titan's jet between Hawk and Dove.
Raven sat across from him, staring.
"I can't read minds." Lucien said.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I want you to speak yours."
Raven paused for a moment before speaking, "Etrigan said your magic is pre-medieval."
Lucien nodded.
"Where is it from?"
"That's a story for another time."
Raven's eyes lowered as she sat in a dark cloak and skintight grey spandex with a raven insignia over her breast. "Why even ask me to speak my mind?"
"Your voice is calming."
"I'd imagine super hearing sucks more often than not." Black-Canary said in her seat behind Raven.
"Sure." Raven replied before returning to simply staring at Lucien.
"Don't get any ideas, bird-brains." Hawk said to her as she sat beside Lucien.
"I always have ideas." Raven replied.
"Bitch…" Hawk mumbled.
Raven was unbothered.
Even as the jet rumbled to a stop as it hit the runway leading into the Batcave.
The tunnel was miles long and pitch black— how Nightwing was driving, he wasn't entirely sure, but he was thankful when the lights returned.
Faint and distance. They cast faded yellow and blue rays down onto the modernized cave layout.
Training gyms, climbing rocks and weapons testing areas sat at all levels on the rock formations.
But that wasn't the focus.
Instead it was the sight of Batman standing over Wally West's bloody suit. Along with his team of Gotham knights occupying their own stations.
Red Robin crouched atop a reverse stalactite, typing away at the device on his wrist.
Red-Hood looked more like Bane as he bench pressed four plates for high speed reps.
Signal stood under a sort of super lamp as he sparred against a robot while Bat-Girl judged from the shadows.
They were already in apocalypse preparation mode. None of them wore their classic suits. They all had on extra armor around the exposed arteries and accents emitting lights that Lucien assumed were uv rays. They also all had sheathed wooden swords and crossbows.
As he got off the plane with the Titans and loose allies he'd made in the last three days he only had one thought.
"There's no way this goes well…"