The House of Mystery

HE WAS COMPLETELY TRAPPED!

Both limbs were immobilized, Power Girl was frozen, and he was in a completely unfamiliar location. The restaurant had disappeared, replaced by a sort of huge, old wooden house.

It looked like one of those haunted mansions, but because it was better decorated, he could feel a mysterious vibe around it.

"Grr...damn..."

Desperately, he struggled with all his might, trying to break free, but it was useless; the magical bonds were completely indestructible.

"Don't bother, Henry. It takes a high-powered spell to break my spell, and it's almost impossible to do so once trapped," Zatanna said calmly as she sipped from her glass.

"What...what is this? Where are we?" Zack's confusion was only matched by his fear of being discovered.

Unlike our protagonist, the witch remained calm, as if still engaged in the friendly conversation they were having, although she seemed somewhat excited.

"Egnahcxe," Zatanna said in a ceremonial voice.

After that, her clothes flashed in various colors, changing in a matter of seconds into her classic hero outfit: a bustier/vest combo with a bow tie, magician's gloves, a top hat, fishnet stockings, and tiny dance shoes. Even so, Zack had to admit that her outfit showed off her legs very well, and the swell of her breasts could be perfectly seen with that low neckline.

"It's normal for me to be confused, so I'll summarize it for you. When you thought you were arriving at the restaurant, it was actually an illusion of mine. You probably felt a chill as you approached... that meant you had entered my illusion," she said as she stood up and walked beside the paralyzed Power Girl.

She looked at Karen with some sadness, giving her a small pat to refocus her attention on our protagonist, a particular blush on her cheeks.

“As for where you really are, let’s just say it’s both my home and personal lair… The House of Mystery, one of the great halls of magic. Here, we are out of touch with everyone,” said the magician, raising her top hat as if she were introducing herself.

“But… why all this?” was the only thing she could think of to say to Zack, fearing he would learn the truth.

As she walked around the table, a radiant smile spread across Zatanna’s face, as if she had been expecting that question for a long time.

“Excellent question. I’ll be blunt. A colleague of mine is quite suspicious of your relationship with Karen, so they asked me to use my magic to discover your true intentions.”

The imprisoned young man deduced that it was Wonder Woman who ordered this trap; it was another thing entirely to hate his former boss.

“True… intentions?” Zack asked, unable to stop himself from sweating in fear.

“Hey kid, let’s be realistic: the most powerful woman on the planet, capable of lifting a building and surviving an atomic bomb…” Zatanna spoke to him more seriously, looking him up and down. “Is madly in love with a guy covered in acne and with 0% physical attractiveness? It’s…very strange, and that’s being polite,” she added frankly, but without being offensive.

It was curious how the sorceress recounted everything with extraordinary serenity and calm, something that denoted experience in countless dangers.

“As you’ve probably noticed, this meeting is about finding out if you’re doing something to Karen. We’ll see if you’re using any kind of control over her… I’m not leaving anything to chance.”

Before Zack could answer her questions, Zatanna removed some glittering rings from her left hand. The jewels magically flew onto her forehead—the young man’s.

“You see, these beauties aren't just for show. They also have various types of detectors... mind control, magic, and different forms of Kryptonite... though none of them reacted in your or Power Girl's presence,” he explained, making the rings fly around the paralyzed Power Girl.

“Uh... so... I'm clear... Is it all over?” Zack followed suit, swallowing hard.

The sorceress responded by shaking her finger as she began to fly above the table.

“Nothing like that, kid. Even though they haven't been activated, there's something... sniff... special about you that I can't quite figure out... that's why I'm going to do a full scan with my powers to find out if you have any hidden powers.”

Zack watched as, with a glimmer of desire in his eyes but with great determination, Zatanna floated in his direction. His heart in his throat, he looked toward the Kryptonian, but she was motionless... He couldn't help it!

"You don’t have to worry about Karen," the witch said, as if she knew what he was thinking. "I wasn’t sure how she’d react if I did this in front of her… so I chose to paralyze her. I hate having to do this to a friend, but…"

With an elegant twist of her hand, our protagonist was pushed backward, chair and all, crashing into the wall.

"I have to do this. If I don't find anything… strange in… in that whole body of yours… Sniff… I mean, if I don't find anything in you, I'll erase your memory so you won't remember any of this," the sorceress said, her voice somewhat hesitant.

At that moment, the young man realized that his pheromones were affecting the hero's judgment, just as they had with Power Girl and Poison Ivy. Maybe he couldn't escape, but if he could use his powers… it was his only chance.

“Wait… you don't have to do this… Look at me, I'm harmless!” he said, secretly unfurling his scent.

She inhaled sharply, and as if dizzy, she stopped floating.

"Sniff... yes... I see you... Sniff... but," she said, sounding more lost.

"If you've seen me... I'm not a danger to Karen; I'm good."

Now Zatanna was shuffling toward him, her mouth half-open.

"There's no danger... Sniff... you're good... but I have a... a mission," she murmured reluctantly.

She was strong; Zack had to be smarter, so he looked for something else.

"But... wouldn't it be more comfortable for both of us if I were free... so you could fulfill your mission better?"

A stupid smile spread across her face upon hearing that.

"Yessss... why not... I should... check... Sniff... check your body."

The witch was about 4 meters from Zack, and if she took a few more steps, she could attack him with all her might. But suddenly, a purple glow passed through her eyes, and her expression changed.

"Hmm... I... I shouldn't do that... NO, no way... you're doing something."

Her power failed; it must be some kind of magic that made her more resilient. There was no other way; she had to go all out.

"Oh... I have to... be strong... I mustn't fall."

Zatanna quickly got into a fighting stance, but before she could utter a word, Sex-Man unleashed all his pheromones...