The War of the Gods

Chapter 7 "You know You're Right"

(Asgard Odin's Throne Room)

Thor launched himself at Zeus and the two mighty gods began to fight once again. This time however Zeus had the help of both Loki and Phobos. Thor could feel the power from Zeus surging throughout the room and knew that like himself Zeus could call on the elements of a storm to help him. He was about to say something when an explosion caused Zeus to loosen his grip and look toward the direction it came from. He looked into the eyes of Johnathan Wayne. The android version of Bruce Wayne held a special energy blast launcher in his right hand. He smirked at Zeus and launched another blast from it.

"Foolish being I shall smite thee." Zeus said to him.

"I'm not exactly really living so you have no real threat to scare me with." Johnathan said as he shot another blast. This time Zeus was ready and once the blast cleared he rushed toward Johnathan and thrust his hand through the android's chest.

Johnathan groaned as he fell forward and his hand came up to Zeus' neck. He looked the King of the Gods in the eye as he felt his systems shutting down from loss of power.

"I will see you in hell." Johnathan said before his core systems completely shut off and he fell to the floor.

Zeus seemed please with himself until something hit him that caused him great pain. He screamed and jumped back looking at the face of Thor.

"It seems that the mighty is still able to bleed." Thor said as he threw another blade. Zeus tried to stop it, but the blade became a shadow and passed through the god cutting him down to the very spiritual being of himself.

"The daggers used to punish those that fight for foolish self gratification and not for honor." Thor said as he threw another one.

(Metropolis – Suicide Slums)

Superman had heard the sound of Galatea's screams coming from deep in the heart of Suicide Slums. Without a second thought he rushed toward the screaming and witnessed Doomboy slapping Galatea across the face.

"SHUT UP!" He roared at her as he rammed her into the wall. Galatea was not exactly a kind, gentle, or honorable person, but she didn't deserve what this monster was attempting to do to her.

Superman looked at he saw what was entirely going on. Doomboy had ripped away all of Galatea's clothes and had beaten her face until she was so badly bruised that she couldn't open her eyes. He had almost completely stripped himself and the fact that this 'monster' was attempting to force her into something she didn't want brought back memories of Zeus and Lois. Within seconds Doomboy felt a tremendous punch that sent him through the building to his right. He got up and looked at the face of Superman.

"Well if isn't the boy scout. I've been thinking about the way I was going to do you in. After all like father, like son." Doomboy said as he lunged toward Superman.

The two super powered beings began trading blows. Before long most of the street they were on looked very close to the same shape they had been in when the original Doomsday and Superman fought. One building after another fell and anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the cross fire was doomed. As it turned out those unfortunate enough was a large number of the troops from Apokolips and several Golems.

(Suicide Slums – Back where Galatea is)

Galatea slowly stood up. Her right eye was completely swollen shut and she left was close to it. She could hear deep breathing from behind her and turned to see Darkseid standing before her.

"It is interesting to find a cloned version of Kal El's cousin on this planet." He said before he back handed her knocking her to the ground.

"Of course I doubt that you mean that much to him since he left you here for me to find." Darkseid said as he placed a heavy boot on the side of her face.

"And since you provide no real tactical or emotional advantage for me then this short meeting shall be the last for the both of us." He said as he began pushing down.

"NO!" She screamed as every part of her fought the terror that attempted to stop her. She grabbed his foot and using the fighting skills the military had been teaching her she flipped Darkseid off of her.

He smirked at her resourcefulness and watched as she stood her ground. She was weakened already, her body was beaten, bruised, and nearly exhausted, yet somehow she had the will and spirit to fight him. She could be a great weapon if he approached this correctly. Without a second thought to the matter he rushed forward and slammed his fist into her nose. He watched as she reached her thresh hold for pain and blacked out. He lifted her stripped body and began to walk toward a boom tube unaware of the presence behind him.

(Behind Darkseid in a nearly collapsed alley.)

Question looked at the tyrant ruler of Apokolips and knew that alone he stood little chance of actually doing anything to stop him, but at the same time Galatea was part of Cadmus and could provide huge amounts of information to him. He realized that at this moment he would be alone until one of the other league members could get to him.

"Who is available to help in defeating Darkseid in Metropolis?" He asked on his communicator.

At first it seemed that the entire line would be dead until he heard the sound of the 'clone' Wonder Woman Ana.

"I'll be right there." She said over the communicator.

He left the communicator on and looked at the weapon in his hand. The destabilized red phase II blaster was from Lobo's bounty head. The blaster didn't stop Lobo, and he doubted that it would stop Darkseid. Still it might draw his attention long enough for Ana to get here. He aimed the weapon and let it fire on the highest setting.

(Entrance to the Boom Tube)

Darkseid felt the energy from the low grade blaster as it hit his back, and turned to see to Question standing down the alley holding the weapon. He narrowed his eyes and watched as the self appointed conspiracy nut of the Justice League fired again. This time traces of the blaster's destabilized energy struck the Boom Tube making it destabilized. The portal that Darkseid had used so often to travel back and forth from Apokolips was now turning into a lethal interdimensional bomb. He growled at the human who had finally found a way of destroying him even if it was by accident. His eyes glowed and he unleashed the Omega beams on Question as the hero fired back with the blaster.

The blaster's energy met with Darkseid's Omega Beams and for a split second managed to hold out before it overheated and shut down. Question watched as the twin red beams hit him.

Forgive me Helena. He thought as the energy surrounded him, engulfed him, and finally left no trace of him other than the famed mask and fedora.

Ana watched what happened and felt tears coming to her eyes as she realized that Question was attempting to save the girl Darkseid held. She rushed forward slamming her fist into his stomach and forcing the tyrant to let go of Galatea for a moment. Ana grabbed the girl and pulled her back. She turned to see the Boom Tube implode on itself and in doing so it appeared that the action destroyed Darkseid himself. She walked over toward the hat and mask and picked both of them up.

"Come in Watchtower. I need a transport for two directly to medical bay." She said.

The strange feeling of energy surrounding them soon passed as they entered the medical bay. Ana laid Galatea down on a bed and several of the medical staff began working on her. She then turned and looked at Huntress sleeping on a bed not far from her. She had watched how she and Question would often have little banters between them. Sleeping beside her was their child. Question and Huntress wasn't exactly parents of the year, but they did love their daughter. Ana looked at the mask and fedora in her hands and knew what she had to do now. Huntress would hate her for being the one to tell her. She would want revenge only to find that would be impossible now. Slowly Ana approached Huntress and touched her shoulder.

"Ana what are you doing here? I thought that there was an attack on Earth? In fact I should be going down there right now and help out Vic." Huntress said as she slid off of the bed careful not to disturb Victoria.

"Helena something terrible happened." Ana said as she held the mask and hat out to her.

"Vic… Oh God baby no… Please say that you're wrong and he was just captured by Cadmus again right?" She pleaded.

"Ana he was trying to save her." She pointed to Galatea.

"Darkseid had captured her, and he was trying to save her. He unloaded on him with that blaster that Lobo's bounty head had. The energy from it caused the Boom Tube to become unstable and soon it imploded and took Darkseid with it, but not before he got Vic." She said softly. She touched Helena's shoulders and felt the strong woman suddenly go weak at the knees and fall to the ground.

"NO!!!" She screamed as she began to sob uncontrollably.

(Metropolis – Doomboy and Superman's fight)

Much of Suicide Slums and now part of the business district had been witness to the fight between Superman and Doomboy. The two super powers where literally beating each other to death. It would seem that the fight would continue forever until Doomboy started acting sluggish. At first it didn't seem as though he was acting too much slower, but after a few minutes he was straining to keep up with Superman.

Superman looked behind him and saw Amanda Walker with a large piece of red Kryptonite inside of a lantern of some kind. She got closer to Doomboy who finally collapsed in front of Superman.

"I need to thank Hamilton for writing the weakness to red Kryptonite into him." She said as several Cadmus soldiers soon gathered around her and Doomboy.

"Walker what is this?" Superman asked.

"One of our many fail-safes should you decide to go rouge. Don't worry we know better than to kill him. If we do then we will lose our one control measure over him." She said as the soldiers quickly bound Doomboy.

"Don't be surprised if he evolves beyond the power you have over him." Superman said as he watched them start to transport the 'beast' back to Cadmus labs.

"Where is Galatea?" Walker asked.

"She was being raped by this thing until I showed up. I can only suspect that at the moment she is still in Suicide Slums." Superman said as the overweight woman turned away and followed her troops.

(Asgard Odin's Throne Room)

Loki laughed at the battle raging inside of his father's throne room. All of the other gods and goddesses where still frozen and where forced to watch as the room and palace was being torn apart. He would have continued laughing until he felt the hard punch from an Amazon. He turned to see Wonder Woman as she slammed her knee into his stomach and made him fall forward.

"I shall see that you pay for that wench." He said as he tried to grab her. He didn't notice Batman making his way toward the throne.

Bruce looked at the throne and could hear the voice of Chronos from behind it. The elder Olympian god was trapped and that explained how Loki had gained so much power. Bruce looked at the throne and thought back to his early studies of Norse Mythology. He closed his eyes and hoped that by doing this he could stop the battle.

"Low I see my father, and my father's father stretching back to the beginning of my line. They stand on the right hand of Odin, they stand ready to be judged and invited into Valhalla. I stand ready for Odin to judge me; I stand ready for his wars. Come great Odin, come judge this warrior and let him taste of the pleasures of Valhalla!" Bruce said as he cut a small place on his arm and let the blood drip onto the Throne.

"No!!! Don't call him!" Loki shouted, but he was too late. A mighty wind ripped through the throne room. Bruce turned to see an older God walking in holding a cane in his right hand and a sword in his left.

Odin stepped quickly through the room and approached Loki. Without a second glance he held his son and forced him to look into his eye.

"Loki thou art a great disappointment to me. Thou hast interfered with the lives of mortals, cursed the lives of gods, and denied me the chance to finally slay the great ice troll. Thou art banished from Asgard. Never again shall you see the palace, lands of your birth, or any of your brother and sisters." Odin said.

The moment he spoke these words and released Loki an invisible force grabbed the god of deception and dragged him out of the palace and through a portal that left Asgard.

Odin turned then to his throne and touched it. He felt the power of Chronos and chuckled.

"For once I finally enjoyed one of his pranks, but Chronos has no place here." Odin said as he pulled a scroll from beside his chair and read. The moment he was finished the God of time was back where he had been. Odin then turned to Thor and Zeus. He watched as his son finally defeated the King of Olympus.

"Thor cast him out and banishes him from ever entering Asgard again." Odin said as he looked upon his children. They soon began to move and the sword above Hera fell. It nearly hit her, but Brunnhilde had caught it.

"Brunnhilde it is good to see you." Odin said as he watched the leader of the Valkyries hold the sword and then bow before her king.

"Great Odin it is a pleasure to see you again as well. The moment you cast that ungrateful son of yours out I was released from my bonds. I could not allow him to separate Thor from another wife." She said as she helped Hera up.

"My son has chosen an Olympian? So be it. From this day forth you, your children, and your grandchildren shall be welcomed here. So I have spoken, so it is law." Odin said as he then turned to Batman.

"You called upon me at great risk mortal. If Loki would have heard you a moment earlier, or if you would have misspoken the entrance ritual to Valhalla it would have been death for you. I am in your debt as are we all. You shall have a place at my right hand when you pass from this life." Odin said to him.

Phobos had taken the distraction and fled from Asgard. Without Zeus or Loki there he would be doomed if it came to a fight. Of course his parting gift to John was vision of being sucked into the main generator on Oa.

(Watchtower – meeting hall three days later.)

Every member of the Justice League stood in attendance as the memorial service for Vic. Helena stood in a black dress with a black veil over her face. She held Vic's and her daughter's hand as everyone watched Superman walk up to the microphone.

"Question may not have been the friendliest members of the league, but no one could 'question' his motives, honor, or determination. Against all odds he attempted to, and did save the life of an enemy from a greater enemy. Through his actions one of the greatest threats to Earth is gone for now. I personally believe that there is an afterlife, and I believe that he is in a place reserved for heroes." He said.

Helena listened to the boy scouts words, but it all seemed to blend together. There was little sense to anything since he was gone. She didn't want to believe that she cared so deeply for him, but it was true. She felt as though her heart had been tore out of her chest and then tossed to the floor. She closed her eyes and for a moment could almost feel him there.

"Momma I miss daddy." Victoria said in her small sweet voice.

"I know you do baby. I know you do." She said