AN:

***Contains Direct Quotations from 'The Balance' as well as references to 'The Terror Beyond', 'Wake the Dead' and 'Paradise Lost'***

Hope you're enjoying it so far :D

Chapter Three

"J'onn...we've got another one" Came the voice of one of the Infirmary assistants.

J'onn looked up from his work and focused his eyes on the young man and the Leaguer he was trying to support on his shoulders. Dr Fate appeared disorientated and barely seemed to know where he was, as J'onn approached he heard mutterings he didn't catch it all but his experience in the League informed him that it was something to take seriously.

"Give him to me...and thank-you for bringing him here" J'onn addressed the assistant who nodded and returned to his duties.

Carefully the Martian led Dr Fate to one of the restraining tables knowing that this were only the beginning, Zatanna had had to be restrained earlier as she became increasingly more aggressive and J'onn assumed it must have something to do with the properties that maintained and controlled magic as it was a common factor between them. As the straps were fixed there was a commotion outside and J'onn quickly phased through the wall to see what was going on. Jason Blood was gripping one of the assistants by the collar and it was only by the intervention of J'onn and two other Leaguers that they managed to get him loose.

"What is it Jason?" J'onn asked urgently as like Dr Fate before him, J'onn led him to one of the tables.

"The Balance!" Jason groaned "The Balance is tipped"

"I've got you Jason...please this way"

As J'onn led Jason closer to the table he transformed into Etrigan the Demon and struggled in the Martian's grip, groaning and seeming to be in agony.

"Etrigan, calm yourself...let me help you" J'onn tried to soothe.

"The gates of Tartarus swing both ways!" The demon growled before he transformed back into Jason "The balance tips towards chaos!"

Jason then in part returned to the form of Etrigan and J'onn forced him into the restraining table to prevent him from hurting himself or others.

"Usurper...Fiend!" he continued to groan and struggle.

Looking up at the viewing window J'onn caught sight of Diana and phased through the wall towards her to speak with her.

"What's happening here?" Diana asked urgently as the Martian approached.

"I don't know...suddenly all of our members with magical powers...well, you can see" J'onn gestured with his hand and Diana looked to see other League members struggling against restraints, both Dr Fate and Zatanna were struggling, Zatanna herself muttering incomprehensibly.

"They're in agony" Diana said in distress "What can we do?"

"I'm researching...as soon as I learn something I'll let you know" J'onn assured her before he left to do just that.

Diana continued to watch as the others strained and struggled seemingly with their own internal demons, she couldn't help but hear Etrigan mention Tartarus earlier, it left a considerable lump in her throat. Understanding that there was nothing else she could do she pressed a hand against the glass as if trying to reassure them, finally she left for her quarters confident that J'onn would discover the problem.

Upon finally reaching her quarters Diana typed in her code and waited for the door to slide open to allow her entry, the room was dark but she heard something indistinctive emanating from inside, that and an accompanying shadow. Diana frowned as the prospect of another uninvited guest prickled her temper, the silhouette looked a lot like Flash's and she didn't wait for an explanation, she didn't even care if it was an apology.

"Flash!"

"No...It's the original speedster"

Diana hastily threw the light switch eager to find out just who exactly had the nerve to enter her quarters without her permission.

"Hey Diana, I let myself in"

Her eyes widened for a moment before she bowed.

"Hermes...How may I serve the messenger of the Gods?"

"Don't be so formal Diana; you're practically a member of the family"

Before she had realised he had come up in front of her and tilted her chin, she wondered just how he had managed the movement so quickly without her being completely aware of it, but she disregarded it, he was a messenger of the Gods after all.

"Not that this is a social visit..." He continued before he started to rummage in the bag at his waist "I've got something for you, it's pretty important...Zeus paid for overnight service...Here it is" With that he handed her the scroll he had selected.

Opening the scroll cautiously knowing that any message from the Gods must be incredibly important, Diana was surprised at what she read instead.

"For a good time...call Podemanus" She glanced away blushing slightly.

"Whoa..." Hermes chuckled "Wrong scroll...I think I got a shot, it's her cell number"

Diana cocked an eyebrow but said nothing further; truth was she was more than a little anxious by whatever this message about.

"Here we go" Hermes declared having triumphantly located the correct scroll "By decree of Zeus, Father of Olympus, it is so ordered...Diana of Themyscira will travel to Tartarus and set right that which has been disturbed"

Pausing he rolled the scroll back up and awaited her response.

"He's telling me to go to - "

"Basically" Hermes interrupted with amusement knowing what she was about to say "Felix Faust is on the loose again"

"Felix Faust is dead" Diana stated clearly.

"Yes...and pretty upset about it too" With that Hermes reopened the scroll and used it to show Diana evidence of Faust's return.

He continued on "His spirit possessed a powerful weapon called the Annihilator, then headed straight for the gates of Tartarus...I mean straight for it. The Amazons did their best to stop him, they're good, but they were out of their weight class"

Diana glowered at the vision before her; she'd had experience with the armour before and Faust, seeing him throw her Sisters aside like trash did nothing to cool her already peaking temper.

"Once inside he went looking for Hades, the Master of Tartarus..." Hermes folded the scroll and returned it to his bag. "Guess Faust is still sore...Hades messed him up pretty good a few years back"

Diana folded her arms "I was there"

"And you'll be there this time...you must defeat Faust and restore Hades to the throne of Tartarus" Hermes elaborated while picking up an apple casually from the fruit bowl.

"So far as I'm concerned they deserve each other" Diana stated sourly not forgetting what Hades and Faust put her and her Mother through the last time they met.

Gesturing with her hand she continued "Why should I care about this?"

Hermes turned around after swallowing a mouth full of apple "You mean other than the direct order from the Gods thing?" He shrugged before turning fully around "Because y'know, there must always be balance between chaos and order, when there isn't...you've been to the infirmary already right?"

"My friends" Diana stated in realisation.

"Need you to do the right thing" Hermes assured pleased that he might have finally gotten her to accept her order "They're in good hands Diana...yours" He encouraged her lifting her chin before disappearing.

It took Diana a moment to realise that he had gone and she looked down at the floor her previous anger diminishing with the knowledge that she had a job to do, people were relying on her. Not just that but she would have to return to Themyscira, she'd been exiled from there due to bringing men to the island to assist her with Faust, another reason she held him in such low regard. Taking a deep sigh Diana accepted what she would have to do and made her way over to the wall in her room where she had her Amazonian weapons displayed, she couldn't just charge in without such items not on a mission like this...not with Faust and especially with the Annihilator armour.

Grasping her fingers around the thick shield she slid it off its fixtures and weighed it up in her hands testily, it had been many years since she'd used such an item, comfortable she slipped her arm through the straps and made to grab the sword she'd displayed next to it but did a double take in her hesitation.

'Faust uses magic' she thought to herself.

Involuntarily she remembered the time that Superman, herself and Shayera had travelled to Dr Fate's tower looking for Aquaman. Shayera had been the only one able to effectively contend with magic, and she realised too that Shayera had been the only one able to defeat Grundy after he had been revived with chaos magic.

'I don't need her help...All I need is her mace'

She didn't like the idea of stealing even if it was Shayera, but in her mind she really had no other option, besides it wasn't like she wasn't going to bring it back. Replacing the shield Diana crossed her room to the door and left, carefully she picked her way through the corridors in the direction of Shayera's room.


Drawing nearer to her quarters Shayera let out a sigh, she was incredibly tired of trying to keep out of everyone's way and she'd had just about enough of people muttering behind her or glaring at her, she wouldn't mind but she doubted that they were aware of the full story, not that that was any better.

As she approached her only sanctuary on the Watchtower her eyes drew into a glare upon noticing that the sliding doors to her room were in fact open. Barely able to stop herself from running Shayera merely strode up to the entrance of her room, she didn't care who it was that was in there or what she had done in the past; no one as far as she was concerned had any right to invade her privacy. Careful not to alert the apparent intruder, she peered in through the doorway and her eyes narrowed even more, if that were possible.

Standing in her room was no other than Wonder Woman, as she watched; the Princess removed her beloved mace from its wall fixture and weighed it up in her hands. Folding her arms and leaning up against the doorframe Shayera intentionally made it so that she blocked the door, as the Princess turned to leave she spoke.

"Something I can help you with?" Shayera asked bitterly to the startled Amazon.

"Look" Diana started sincerely "I need it...I'll bring it back"

"We become pals while I wasn't looking?" Shayera interrogated, she wasn't a single bit happy with what was occurring, for one thing the Princess had entered her quarters without her permission...

'She doesn't even trust me enough to ask for my help when she needs it...she has to take my mace instead...' Shayera thought 'And I know how much she hates stealing'

Diana decided just to be honest, as much as she knew she could take on the Thanagarian if she wanted to it wasn't the way she wanted to go, the idea of voluntarily hurting the glaring woman in the doorway made Diana feel uneasy.

"There's trouble on Themyscira...mystical trouble, your mace disrupts magic, I thought - " Diana stopped as Shayera interrupted.

"Whatever's happening on that island of yours must be pretty bad for you to resort to this" Shayera wasn't sure if she was referring to Diana's intent on stealing or the fact she'd come for something of hers.

'It's not like I'm at the top of everyone's list as someone to ask for help'

Diana ignored the statement; truth was she wasn't sure if Shayera was referring to herself or the mace either.

"Life and Death" Diana assured grimly "Can I have it?"

"Uh ah" Shayera shook her head.

Diana slumped her shoulders in disappointment; despite what the Thanagarian had done she wouldn't take it by force, besides she had been caught in the act of taking it...

'Maybe if I'd just asked her she might have let me...Maybe I was wrong to assume I could just take it' Diana thought to herself as Shayera approached her.

"It's a package deal" Shayera started as she relieved Diana of the mace, the Princess was surprised at just how much the weapon weighed considering how easily the red head wielded it.

"You want the mace...you get me too"

To be Continued