A/N: As mentioned before, this is WAY off canon, so please don't kill me for that one! LOL. Also, I forgot to add in Chapter 1 that I own nothing here! I'm just letting my muse out to play!

Dark Alliance 2

When the stranger offered his name, Diana froze. "You…"

"I see you also know who I am." Sesshomaru spoke softly and with a hint of regret in his voice. "But I am not the monster you think I am. Hemera was—for lack of a better term—my mate."

"Maybe you should start at the beginning," Kal suggested, once again gripping Diana's arm tightly. He could feel the tension in her body and could tell just how close she was to attacking the newcomer.

"Hemera was seduced by this…demon," Diana answered with more venom than Kal had ever heard from her before. Fortunately, Sesshomaru didn't seem concerned.

"Yes, I'm sure that and worse have been said about me," he said quietly. "But I can assure you that I loved Hemera more than life. I would have gladly exchanged my life for hers."

"Then she is dead." Diana stepped back—right into Kal's arms. He gently rested his hands on her shoulders in a silent gesture of comfort. "I had heard the rumors, but never knew for certain."

"Yes, it is true. I was unable to save her." Sesshomaru bowed his head in regret, his pain obvious to both of them. "I had never considered taking a mate before…"

The conversation was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a young woman who appeared to be in her late teens or possibly early twenties. She was dressed in tight black pants and a sleeveless black leather vest and black boots that went to her knees. Her thick black hair fell in a straight waterfall to her waist and a long samurai sword hung from her belt. She was almost unnaturally tall, and her slanted eyes were the same deep amber as Sesshomaru's. As she reached his side, she drew to an abrupt halt.

"Father?" she asked softly, unsure of the strangers, who she immediately recognized.

"I instructed you to wait until I contacted you," Sesshomaru spoke in Japanese, his voice still soft but filled with displeasure.

"I apologize, Father," the girl answered in kind, bowing respectfully. "But we are comrades in arms as well as family. I could not shirk my duty."

Sesshomaru was unable to hide the small smile that his daughter's words evoked. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remain angry with her for long. "May I present my daughter, Chryseis."

Chryseis bowed respectfully to Kal and Diana. "I am honored. I never expected to meet the heroes of the Justice League."

"You…bear a strong resemblance to your mother," Diana said softly. She remembered Hemera well—how could she not remember her mother's closest friend? Kal's hands tightened supportively on her shoulders and she relaxed into his touch. Aside from the eyes, Chryseis was the very image of Hemera.

"I…I try to be a credit to her memory."

"I have trained Chryseis in accordance with her mother's wishes," Sesshomaru interrupted gently. He added wryly, "Although she has not quite grasped the concept of following orders."

Chryseis didn't answer, but her golden eyes narrowed slightly. Trying to defuse the situation, Diana spoke quickly. "I still don't understand what all this has to do with my mother's message."

"Ah, yes. That is a rather long story," Sesshomaru answered. "And as we are rather pressed for time, might I suggest that we discuss this en route to our destination?"


"What I still don't understand is how Hades could have freed himself," Kal said, confused. He made a mental note to thank Bruce for letting them use his private jet. It had saved them all a lot of trouble—considering that both Chryseis and Sesshomaru were carrying swords.

"There is only one thing that could have freed him," Sesshomaru answered. "He must have found the So'unga."

"I thought it had been sealed in the Netherworld—ohhh, crap," Chryseis realized. "Tartarus is the Netherworld."

"For all intents and purposes, yes." Sesshomaru answered. "I have seen what that sword can do in the hands of a powerful demon. In the hands of a god…as my daughter would say, do the math."

Diana shivered involuntarily at the idea. "He would be unstoppable."

"Then why are we here at all?" Chryseis demanded abruptly. "If he's already got So'unga, shouldn't we be looking for a way to get the hell out of Dodge?"

"Chryseis, that is precisely why you and I are here. If Hades has the sword—and I believe that he does, then you and I are the only ones who may be able to stop him." Sesshomaru paused, mentally preparing for the explanation he'd hoped never to give. "The only force that can defeat So'unga is the combined might of the Tetsuseiga and Tenseiga. And should that fail…you must be the one to stop it."

"WHAT!?" Chryseis rocketed out of her seat and backed away from the trio. "I'm only a half-demon! There's no way I could stop that sword on my own!"

"You are more than that," Sesshomaru chided gently. Secretly he had prayed that he would never need to force her to see her true nature. "Your mother was an Amazon, Chryseis. You are of an honorable heritage and have greater power than you know."

"Why was I never told of this?" Chryseis demanded, beginning to shake as hot tears stung her eyes. Diana rose and went to her side, drawing the girl into a comforting hug. "Didn't she want me to know?"

"I knew your mother, little sister," Diana said softly as Chryseis wept softly. "More than anything she would have wanted you to be safe and happy."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Chryseis jerked away from her and fled toward the sleeping area. After a quick glance at Kal and Sesshomaru, Diana followed. Her heart broke when she saw Chryseis lying facedown on the bed sobbing her heart out.

"Why didn't Father tell me?" Chryseis whimpered softly. "He loved her—I know he did, he misses her so much…"

"Perhaps it saddens him to think of her," Diana suggested, gently running a hand through the girl's ebony mane. "It is…very painful…to lose someone you love."

Chryseis looked up when she heard the catch in Diana's voice. "I wish I'd known her. Can you…can you tell me what she was like?"

"You didn't know her?" Diana felt an unexpected rush of pity for Chryseis. Growing up in the world as a half-demon couldn't have been easy—particularly without a mother's guidance.

"She died when I was born." Chryseis sat up and tried unsuccessfully to brush away her tears. Diana reached out to draw her close once more, wiping away a tear that slid down her own cheek. "Sorry. I really shouldn't go on about it."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, little sister." Diana held the girl protectively, wishing she could do more. Chryseis held on to her tightly enough to hurt a little, shaking from the effort of holding in her grief. "You have every right to be upset. But don't be angry with your father; you are the very image of your mother and the only link to the love he lost. It is natural that he should want to protect you."

"I can protect myself!" Chyrseis sobbed, trying to pull away. Diana held her tighter, praying she wouldn't cause injury and inwardly cursing the empathy that gave her a brief glimpse of Chryseis' tortured mind. Grief, anger, loneliness and fear all combined within the girl to create a maelstrom of pain—pain that Chryseis was going to great lengths to suppress. Diana wasn't sure what kind of reception awaited them on Paradise Island, but she herself could find no enmity in her heart toward the young half-demon.

"Chryseis, we all need to be protected from time to time," Diana spoke softly, using the same words Kal had at a time when she had been hurting.

"I bet you don't." Chryseis was beginning to calm down a bit. "I can't imagine Wonder Woman needing protection from anything."

Diana couldn't help smiling a little at that. "Yes, sometimes even I do. And it's not wrong to feel sorrow over your loss. But I know your mother would have wanted you to be happy and safe."

"But I never knew who she really was," Chryseis answered, misery echoing in her voice. She was beginning to feel tired and she leaned more heavily against Diana. "Father talks about her as much as he can, but…I don't like to ask because he looks so sad."

"I can understand why." Diana ran her fingers gently through the fine dark locks tumbling down the girl's back. "I could see that he loved her very much. And that he loves you just as much if not more."

"Mmh." Chryseis fought desperately to stay awake now but the onslaught of emotion had left her drained. Unable and unwilling to fight it, she let the darkness close in around her.

Diana sensed the exact moment Chryseis fell asleep and gently laid the girl back down, covering her with a blanket before rising to leave the small room.

"Sleep well, little sister," she whispered.

Hope you liked it!

Cali