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"The night is dark. Darkness is terrifying but it's also beautiful and comforting when it needs to be. It is the absence of daylight, the absence of sound and confusion in general. It is soothing. Criminals use its generous cover to break society's rules and norms. Others use its serenity to rejuvenate. It is cold, but in the heart of that cold is warmth. Therefore, darkness is misunderstood. People do not stop to consider what darkness is and how it manifests its different forms. They tend to fear it because they are unable to understand it. They fear what they do not understand. It is a sad fate, but a true one.

Darkness is also the realm of the eternal Goddess of the crossroads, magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. Her sacred number is 3. She is the one who comes to your aid when choices have to be made. She is the eternal goddess, vengeful when she is required to be and warm and nurturing other times. She is wise and gentle but that gentle nature masks her veins of steel. When she has made up her mind, not a single person can advise her against it. She is stubborn and strategic. Hecate is therefore, one of the most powerful Goddesses.

It is said that she traveled from Egypt to the Olympians. She is one of the few to rival Zeus' power as only both of them possess the ability to grant as well as take back gifts from humanity. She is an ancient Goddess, the only Titan alive. However, she is nothing but a silent spectator, not wanting to take part in the physical negotiations of Mount Olympus. As a silent spectator, she has significant insight. She is, after all, wise.

It is said that if you leave food for Hecate outside your door at night, she will bless you. She appears in 3 forms- the maiden, the middle aged woman and the crone. She represents a woman's life. Hecate never enjoyed too much of attention and left for the Underworld, getting along with the Gods and Goddesses there much better. Her associations with them earned her a bad reputation and therefore, she is now considered to be an evil and vengeful Goddess. But, like the night, she is simply misunderstood. She is benevolent and far more than some of the Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus. Hecate is a truly powerful Goddess, as well as a forgotten one."

Hunched over the a table with various books open to different pages, Bruce skimmed through several pages, translating words on his laptop as he read line by line. It didn't make sense. So far, every single book he'd read was either an anthology of Greek myths and stories or they were old accounts of wars and conquests. However, in each and every book, a significant portion was devoted to Goddess Hecate. Most of it seemed to be a description of who she was and what she was like. However, some described rituals held in her honor and how to worship her. He had to admit though, from what he had heard, these accounts portrayed Hecate in a completely different light. From the little he knew, he'd always pictured her to be rather vengeful, desperate to regain her youth. He had never seen her in a positive light, not until now anyway.

Regardless of that, none of these had anything to do with what he wanted to know. These were all focused mainly around Hecate. Therefore, either the village worshiped Hecate or he had picked up books that specifically focused on her. It wasn't as if he could go back either, considering whoever was behind the disappearance of the villagers was present there. Therefore, he was at a complete loss at the moment. He did not understand anything at this point. The only thing that did make sense somehow was the fact that somehow, Hecate was related to all of this. But he did not understand why. So far, he hadn't come across any old enemies or anything. Moreover, what could she possibly have to do with Diana? Her patron Goddesses, if his memory served him right were Athena and Artemis. So how in the world did Hecate come into the picture, and why?

It didn't make sense, he thought to himself, leaning back into the chair as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was missing a link. The most annoying thing in the world was not being able to figure something out and this was clearly one of those moments, he thought to himself in silence as he reached for his once steaming mug of coffee and sipped the now cool, bitter liquid in order to keep himself awake.

-x -

"Old friend, you seem bothered," a voice shattered her thoughts.

The woman instantly snapped out of her thoughts, her calm grey eyes still fixed on the dark scenery outside the window as she leaned against it. Her thick black hair cascaded down her back to her waist, much like the Nile River she had grown up around. Her naturally bronzed skin seemed darker in the dim moonlight as her rose-red lips was pressed into a thin line. Her face was absolutely indifferent and expressionless. Most would mistake this for calmness but it was anxiety. After all, her expressions were never easy to understand. She was hardly observed by people she was unfamiliar with and therefore, they knew nothing about her. Most still believed that she was an old, wrinkled woman, hunched over her back, walking with a stick as her torn black cloak flew behind her. It was either that or she had three heads. People were not accustomed to seeing her in person. She disliked light and attention in general after all. She was a quiet person by nature- an introvert. It allowed her to connect with her thoughts better. After all, she was the eternal goddess Hecate.

"Is it that obvious?" she questioned, her voice soft, slightly louder than a whisper, her native Egyptian lisp quite evident as the woman smiled.

It was rare of her to smile, or look pleased in general. After all, this was Nyx. She was not considered to be peaceful in any possible sense, her entire persona highly formidable and destructive. She was the mother of chaos, destruction, death, darkness, day, sleep, among other personified deities. She was Nyx, the shadowed personification of night, one of the few that Zeus himself feared a great deal.

"Old friend, I have known of you for long. Do you forget that I was the one to guide you here on your journey away from your homeland?" she questioned, her tone milder, her signature cruel edge having vanished entirely, causing Hecate to allow a small smile to sprout across her lips.

"How could I forget that? I have owed you my life since that day. You saved me," she stated, her eyes fixed on the absent darkness outside the window.

"As you did for me. Few entertain me and even fewer can I truly even spare a glance at. You are, and have always been a true friend. Does it surprise you that I can read you as if you were an open book then?" she responded, a mild tone of amusement evident in her voice now as her dark eyes were twinkling slightly.

"I have to admit, it does," Hecate replied, her smile widening a little as she finally turned to face Nyx, leaning back, as she felt the coolness of the bricks seep through her black gown.

"I see. I can't say that I'm shocked, or even offended. You were always a rather withdrawn and quite person. You still are," she responded, a mellow gentleness now appearing in her voice as her eyes were fixed on Hecate's face.

"Hence, it's slightly scary that you know me so well. You do read my mind at times, knowing exactly what I think of and what is bothering me… as you do now," she responded, watching Nyx's lips curl into a smirk of amusement.

"I can't deny that," she began, her expression changing instantly as her face hardened, her lips pressed into a thin line as she approached Hecate, putting her icy palm on her fellow Goddess' considerably warmer shoulder.

"You're thinking of that again aren't you?" she questioned, her tone quiet and almost remorseful as Hecate nodded silently, turning to face the darkness outside the window again.

"I can't help but feel that something bad happened," she commented.

"Bad things are always happening old friend. The world is a cruel place. You should know that better than anyone," she replied softly.

Hecate simply stayed silent upon hearing those words. Nyx was absolutely right. She knew it better than anyone. Overnight, she had gone from being one of the most celebrated Goddesses in Greek society to a villain, just because of her associations to the underworld. She'd attempted to defend Hades and soon enough, she was misunderstood for being everything from his mistress to a vengeful Goddess of the underworld. It was disgusting. She resented the Olympians for this, Zeus and Posidon especially. It wasn't as if Hades chose the underworld. He had simply got it by chance as the brothers drew their lots and to punish and villanize him for that and in such a cruel manner… it was so graceless. Moreover, the ones she really resented were Demeter and Artemis. Persephone was old enough to make her own decisions and she had chosen to eat the pomegranate. She was one of the few that saw Hades for who he was- a genuinely sweet man. Hecate did not blame her for falling in love with him but who she did blame was her mother. Demeter had created such a fuss about it, blowing it out in epic proportions and absolutely making Hades seem like a cruel entity. He never said a single word about it, yet she knew he was deeply hurt by it. Who wouldn't be? Hecate, vengeful had wanted to torture her with horrific dreams but was begged by Hades not to do so as he hadn't wanted to ruin the relationship he had with his new wife. As for Artemis, if one did not comply with her ideology, she would enforce it upon them, treating them as an inferior being and virtually bullying them into accepting it. Hecate disliked spoiled brats like that above anything. They needed some serious discipline, yet, Zeus insisted on spoiling them to no end. It was absolutely disgusting.

The few that stayed loyal to her were tortured horrifically, punished for being loyal to her. It made her sick to even think of that thought. Soon enough, she was simply forgotten about and she preferred it that way. The less attention she got, the lesser people suffered for it. She never liked attention anyway. But lately, there was a surprising shift. Hecate had felt prayers for the first time in centuries. They'd begun to pray to her and to see what exactly was going on, Hecate had descended upon the earth's surface exactly 600 years ago. Of course, she deeply regretted doing so due to the situation that was caused because of it. Only and only Nyx knew the whole story and she had intended to keep it that way. The fewer that knew, the better after all.

"I know. But I feel this is something truly horrific. I can't explain it Nyx. I feel as if he has been awakened again," she responded, turning to face her this time, her eyes fixed Nyx's darkened ones that had widened slightly in surprise.

"Hecate… that is impossible. He couldn't have been awakened. He was sealed away and quite well that too. The only way he could have possibly awakened would be if he somehow escaped from the seal," she replied, undertones of shock evident in her voice.

"I know. That's what bothers me the most. Nyx… you know it's happened before and quite a few times that too," she replied, her tone, quiet, anxiety clearly evident in her voice now.

"But this is not like the other times. Hecate you sealed him away. You both did. He couldn't have possibly escaped unless someone let him out and only a certain few even knew about the seal. None of them would have, none of them could have betrayed us. He could not have escaped Hecate. He just couldn't have because if he did…," she trailed off, her voice slightly above a whisper now, shock slowly setting into her features.

"I know and that's what bothers me the dearest friend," Hecate responded, covering Nyx's freezing palm with her warmer one.

"And what's worse is… if he finds out Nyx," she added, her voice almost quivering now.

Nyx's body instantly stiffened hearing her words. After all, she knew exactly what she was speaking about. Her fingers instantly clutched Hecate's slim, bronzed shoulder, her considerably long claw-like nails digging into her soft flesh slightly.

"He will not," she replied firmly, her signature steel edge returning to her voice as her eyes were fixed on her friend's grey ones.

"He could not possibly know. He will not find out. She will be safe Hecate. Even she doesn't know. She still believes that she is the Amazonian queen's daughter. As long as she doesn't know, he can't possibly figure it out. She hasn't even begun to doubt it," she responded, slightly reassuringly.

"I know darling. But even you can't deny it. She resembles both of us in so many ways. She's inherited her father's values and his eyes. Those big, wonderful, blue eyes… They were so beautiful. And she has his wonderful smile as well. She adapts fast, just as he did and she is such a kind person, just as he was," she commented, her body slightly quivering now as she felt rivers of cool tears stream down her eyes.

Seconds later, Nyx's frozen arms were wrapped around her neck as she pulled her friend into a comforting embrace, her icy fingers stroking her hair in a reassuring manner.

"You are just as kind and wonderful as he was. She's got your hair and your annoying stubbornness. She loves to travel, just as you do and she despises attention. She can't stand it when someone else takes the fall for her. She's just as much as your daughter as she was his. It doesn't matter who raised her. The point is that she is still your offspring. She is both your legacy and she's doing a very good job of staying true to that. Don't worry dearest. He will not realize, at least not at this moment and even if he does, this time, we will make sure to crush his very existence," she whispered, her tone surprisingly soothing and soft.

However, her eyes were dangerously filled with a familiar vengeance that most people associated her with. There was no way that she would let him roam freely again. Every time he showed his wretched face, thousands suffered. Nyx couldn't care less about the others but she knew Hecate did and it hurt her to see others sacrificed as he drew her out. She would not let him harm her friend, and especially not her friend's daughter. Even if she was forced to wage a war, she would crush his very existence and she would hang his head on her wall after she disfigured his body, wiping that sick, twisted smile off his face. She would not let her friend suffer any longer. Too long had Nyx remained silent. Now, regardless of what anyone said, she would not allow her goddaughter to be harmed by anyone especially not that scum.

-x -

The fields were a rich emerald green, peppered with petals of different shades and colors. Birds glided through the pale blue skies as clouds lazily floated across. The sun was shining in its full glory, yet, its light was not harsh. It was a mild, illuminating light. The winds were soft and gentle and the air was sweet, dripping with the scent of honey and flowers. In the distance, there were two white horses grazing quietly on the fresh grass. It was a tranquil environment- the perfect utopia.

Laughter echoed into the air, along with words of an ancient, forgotten language.

A little girl with thick black hair was playing with a tall man, dressed considerably well. Judging by their attire, both seemed to be wearing luxurious clothing of an era that was unknown. They looked considerably well-fed and prosperous and judging by the horses, they were. The man had rich, chocolate brown hair. The sunlight caused his hair to sparkle as his naturally bronzed skin shone. The little girl's hair shone too as her skin shone like his did. She wore a white dress that flowed around her as she twirled barefoot in the grass, singing and laughing. Moments later, she was chasing him. Both seemed to have wide grins of euphoria as laughter exploded into the air.

By the tree, there was another figure- a woman. Her features were blurred by the distance. She seemed to be reading something. She had a mane of thick black hair that framed her face as she kept her book down momentarily, to glance up and see the man and the child chasing each other. Her expression could not be seen but it felt as if she was smiling.

This was almost like a scene out of a movie. It was so unfamiliar, yet, it was familiar. She'd seen the same thing so many times, but never this clearly. She saw parts of it over and over but for the first time, she noticed the vivid colors and she experienced the atmosphere. It was almost as if she had been present there herself. It felt like that anyway. She could almost feel the dampness of the grass under her feet and the cool kisses of the breeze and the warmth of the sunlight. She felt a strong sense of familiarity as she watched the figures. It was as if she knew them. She had tried to scream to get their attention, in hopes that they would tell her where she was. Yet, every time she opened her mouth, words seemed to fail her. She couldn't make a single sound. She was rendered from being the formidable Wonder Woman to a mere spectator.

She did not know this world. Either way, it was a dream, even if it hardly felt that way. But it had to be a dream. After all, the last thing she recalled was being out on a shopping trip with her friends.

Now that she'd established that, all she had to do was wake up, Diana thought to herself in silence as she continued to watch the child chase the man, wide grins placed across their faces.