It was a couple of days later. Whilst she was not fighting bad guys, Ava thought sharing kisses with Henry was the next best thing. She was in a reasonably conservative light blue bikini and Henry was in red swim shorts. They were on a sun lounger, getting some sunbathing done before diving into the pool for a swim.

Regina was snuggled up to Robin on another sunbed. In the pool already, Joe was practising free-diving. Chloe, like many Amazons, was an expert in the art and was giving him some tips. Having had a crush on the boy spy since they had first met on a stealth training course near Brockenhurst over a year before, she was hoping she could persuade him to ask her on a date. He was a good friend and offered the tomboyish Amazon a life of action and adventure.

Diana, Lois and Clark were standing on the top deck, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. "Let's go and join our friends for a swim," the Amazon suggested.

"I'd prefer going to our suite for some quality alone time!" Lois countered.

"There's plenty of time for that later, Lois," Clark replied. "Besides, you enjoy seeing a wet Diana as much as I do!"

They descended to the main deck, shed their sarongs and bathrobe and dived into the pool. Donna and Roy Harper, now going by Arsenal and formerly the Green Arrow's long-term sidekick Speedy, were already in. Joe had finished his free-diving and had returned to his suite to change. By this time, Henry and Ava were swimming, alongside Athena, Sappho and Grace. Nicholas was sitting on the poolside, ogling the Amazons.

"Nicholas seems to really like you and Sappho," Ava noted.

"Sappho? No chance there! Me? If he keeps to staring, no problem. I'm not bad-looking and if he wishes to admire my physique, that's OK. If he tries to act according to his libido, though, he'll learn exactly why I'm rated one of the most promising young warriors on Themyscira."

"Should I buy a long black dress?"

"Whatever for?"

"To wear for my brother's funeral!"

The next day, Diana and Joe were taking the others scuba diving. Diana, Athena, Sappho and Chloe were all in blue wetsuits, with Joe and the Storybrooke children in black.

Chloe and Joe were enjoying the deep sea flora and fauna, with her fellow young Amazons, who were also experienced divers, alongside them. Diana was giving the four Storybrooke youngsters a primer on breathing and communicating underwater.

"That was fun!" Ava exulted, after they had returned to the boat, showered and changed. "We must be arriving in the Caribbean shortly?"

"It is a fair way from Maine to Trinidad and Tobago, Ava," Joe told her.

"By the way, Henry," Joe produced two lengths of metal, before he asked Henry to take off his watch. "Press here on the buckle," Henry did so and saw the dial-casing lift and spin rapidly, "Then place it against this bar." The steel was sliced in half in a few seconds. "Now press here," a laser beam from the other side of the casing cut through the other bar just as quickly. "Touch there," the dial lit up, but not just the usual backlight, but a flashlight beam. "Finally, twist here," a green light shone on the dial, "If there were bugs present, it would have flashed red."

"A Swiss Army watch!" Emma quipped. "I don't suppose it can detect the other type of bugs?" Joe shook his head. "What a pity!"

"Thanks, Joe!" Henry said. "I'm sure this will be really useful!"

Finally, they arrived off the Venezuelan coast not far from the two main islands of the group, Trinidad and Tobago themselves. Diana was standing on the foredeck, wearing a white bikini and a red sarong, an identically clad Lois snuggled up on one side and Clark in blue swim shorts and a white bathrobe on the other.

"Well, I guess this is where you two start being superheroes again," Lois commented.

"Not yet, Lois!" Clark replied. "There is a cruiser due in port today. We will be keeping an eye on it, but a subtler one than Superman and Wonder Woman. Rover?"

The dog-like robot Rover II piped up in its usual high-pitched tones: "The Green Hornet's aide has given the W.I.N. a version of the aerial scout they use for the Hornet Scanner in the Black Beauty. SHIELD has adapted it with their cloaking technology. They provided the same to the Poseidon, this vessel's submersible. Sam Loover and Joseph McClaine will be on the Poseidon and the Scout will be piloted remotely by Professor McClaine. This vessel will be in another part of the sea entirely."

Ava was wrapped in Henry's arms on their usual pool-side lounger, with her lips firmly locked together with his. Athena was next to them chatting to Joe and Chloe. Nicholas, as always, had his eyes fixed on the Amazon's bikini-clad figure. Whilst Athena really did have no problem with him looking (it was good to know her developing curves, long legs, pretty face and long raven locks were noticed, albeit by someone she had no interest in personally), his attempts at flirtation were getting tiresome. If it wasn't her Nicholas was trying to chat up, it was Sappho. It was amazing to Athena that the boy had not noticed Sappho's, well, Sapphic tendencies. Her friend was cheerfully sunbathing in her own bikini and clearly chatting up Grace, who was wearing a sporty one-piece. As lesbianism was common on Themyscira (unsurprisingly, given the lack of alternatives), no Amazon had any prejudice against it. Grace Jefferson was a sweet girl and would make a good life-partner for Sappho.

Nicholas had produced some sun-tan lotion. "Do you want me to rub some of this into your back, your highness?"

"No thank you, Nicholas!"

He put some of the ointment onto his hands and, despite her clear response, moved towards Athena. "You may wish to unfasten your bikini top when I rub your back."

"I said no thank you, Nicholas!"

"Aw, come on…" Nicholas finished as Athena's fist met his face as he moved in to rub her back. As he collapsed to the deck, the Amazon princess got up and kicked him between the legs. "No means no!"

Ava sighed, still in Henry's embrace, although their kiss had broken. I might be needing to buy that black dress after all.

The three young Amazons were in their cabin, getting ready for dinner. "I see what your Auntie Lois means about tan lines," Sappho noted. "Our skin will look odd back home!"

Athena chuckled. "Well, at least we don't have Henry's back as well as a bikini top blocking the sun like Ava does.

"How are you and Grace getting along?"

Sappho smiled. "Very well! We shared our first two kisses earlier. Her father knows that she prefers females and just wants her to meet the right girl. She says that I am the One for her and she wants to marry me in a few years. I know our culture doesn't place as much emphasis on True Love as theirs does, but I just know she's right."

"That's great!" Athena turned to Chloe. "Has Joe really noticed you yet?"

"He's invited me to join him and Sam Loover in the Poseidon later. For a twelve-year-old spy, that's almost a date!"

"Joe is a great boy," Ava agreed, "but rather clueless around girls."

"He sees Modesty Blaise do that 'Nailer' technique of hers all the time," Sappho commented, referring to Joe's long-term mentor and one of his numerous honorary "aunts" and "uncles". The thief-turned-spy's technique in question involved going topless to distract her foes. "So you wouldn't have thought hearing that we may be going sky-clad on the boat would have caused him to blush. It did!"

Once they had finished laughing, Athena sighed. "I hope my One True Love comes along soon."

"He or she will, I'm sure," Chloe reassured her. "Maybe you will find one of each like your Auntie Di!"

"Maybe, maybe not!" Athena responded brightly. "I intend to have fun finding out. It won't be our friend Nicholas!"

"After the way you responded to his sun-lotion ploy earlier?" Sappho noted. "He'll have a black eye and an icepack between his legs! If that doesn't put him off…"

At dinner, Athena saw that the skin around Nicholas' left eye was indeed bruised. He was also walking rather gingerly. Hippolyta had seen the incident from the pool and had decided her granddaughter had reacted appropriately. Regina and Emma had not been impressed by Nicholas' behaviour, but felt the matter had been dealt with.

"The cruiser should be passing through shortly," Diana noted. "We will launch the scout after dinner."

"Scout?" Emma asked.

"A remote-controlled aerial drone, with full cloaking ability," Joe explained. "It should allow us to see what happens to the HMS Hornblower XVI. Uncle Sam, Chloe and me will be following underwater in the cloaked Poseidon."

"What will we be doing?" Henry asked.

"Maintaining our cover, by being seen on the Nike," Sam said.

"Still not exciting!" Ava complained.

"Still not dangerous!" Regina retorted. "I want you to marry Henry and have my grandchildren. You can't do either post mortem!"

"Thank you!" Ava beamed. "Henry and I are planning on marrying in about five or six years' time. Is that too soon?"

"If we can arrange a royal wedding in three-and-a-half days while fighting a war for part of that time…"

The Poseidon was entered via an air-lock hatch hidden under a passage connecting the carport with the cargo hold. Joe, Chloe and Sam had entered via the mini-sub's airlock, sealed the inner door and activated the controls. "We're ready for launch, Diana," Joe radioed to the Nike's control room.

"Right, Joe," Diana's voice sounded over the loudspeaker, "Airlock hatch sealed. Ready to open hatch and flood chamber." A section of the underside of the vessel lowered and slid. "All systems active on the Poseidon?" When informed that this was indeed the case, she activated the control to release the docking clamps. Sam steered the submarine through the outer airlock door.

"Cloak activated!" Joe exclaimed as he activated a sub-aquatic version of the SHIELD cloaking device. In addition to invisibility, reduction in engine noise and jamming radar and thermal imagery detection, it also concealed the craft from sonar.

Above them, the hatch closed and the water pumped out of the airlock.

Up in the Nike's control room, Diana turned to Mac. "The Poseidon has been launched safely. Time to launch the Scout."

"Roger that, Diana," Mac affirmed as he pressed a button on the relevant control panel. On the foredeck, a section of decking dropped and slid back. A few more controls activated later and a small, remote-controlled helicopter emerged. As it flew into the air, its own cloak was activated and it disappeared from sight.

Mac remotely piloted the craft in the direction of the British cruiser. Sam and Joe steered the Poseidon in the same direction underwater.

"Well, they get to have all the fun!" Ava grumbled good-naturedly. "I get stuck here with my twin!"

By the time Nicholas had finished protesting, she and Henry were onto their fourth kiss. Her brother sighed and turned to Athena. "I'm sorry about earlier. Can we try again?"

"Try what again?"

"Me asking you to be my girlfriend!"

"Two points. One: you didn't ask me before. Two: I don't want to be your girlfriend."

"Well, if you let me kiss you…"

One prolonged demonstration of pankration later and Nicholas decided to retreat to his suite. Athena can be as scary as my sister…

Emma turned to Regina and Hippolyta. "Shouldn't we intervene?"

"Either that or get some popcorn!" Regina quipped in response.

"My granddaughter defended her honour with pride!" Hippolyta boasted.

"Well, let's hope Nicholas learnt his lesson this time," Regina noted. "Otherwise, I'll have to tell Michael his son was buried at sea!"

In the control room, Mac spotted something on the scanner. "Diana, the scouts picking something up near to the Hornblower."

Diana came over to the screen, Lois and Clark hot on her heels. "Seems to be a drone of some sort, which is releasing something onto the ship!"

Mac fiddled with the controls for the scout. "It seems to be an odourless, colourless gas, almost instantly fatal to humans. The radial thermal imaging indicates the body heat of the crewmembers is almost zero.

"Sam, Joe, respond!"

"There's not much we can do, Dad," Joe noted. "By the time we could get involved, the poison had worked. Hang on – some divers and a mini-sub have turned up. They seem to be – well, drilling holes into the ship. It is sinking fast."

As the scout and the Poseidon continued their watch, the ship sank to the ocean floor. One of the divers went into the wreck and emerged with something. Then they used some cable and their own mini-sub to camouflage the hull.

The cloaked submarine followed the villains, until they vanished through an airlock door disguised as part of a rock face. "There must be a cave network behind it."

"Maybe we should call Batman?" Joe quipped.

"Well, let's take a look at that wreck," Sam announced. "You can use the deep-sea suits…"

"Fancy a swim, Joe?" Chloe asked as they moved towards the inner airlock door.