Chapter 25

Wayne Manor; August 26th, 16:32 EST

Dick shut the car off before turning his attention to his wife, hoping that he didn't stick his foot in his mouth with what he was about to say to her. "Please don't get yourself all worked up, Troia," he told her.

"I'll try my best, but Diana is really upset, Dick," she replied with a shake of her head as she stared at the historic Wayne Manor before her. "Bruce said she's been keeping it all bottled up inside. She won't talk about it. I can feel it beginning to really get to her. I can't help it that we can feel each other's emotions. When she hurts, I hurt with her."

"I know…I get that," he admitted, reaching over and taking hold of her hand. "I just hate seeing you upset and hurting. We also have the twins to think about now."

"Dick, I'm fine…they're fine," she attempted to reassure him. "Leslie said everything is going according to schedule. You shouldn't worry so much. You're going to give yourself an ulcer before the babies even get here."

"You're right…I'm sorry," he agreed with a sigh of reluctant acceptance. "It's just that I love you so much and I already love our twins. I want everything to be perfect."

"I love you too," she said, leaning over and kissing him.

Dick hummed in appreciation as his fingers wound their way into her raven tresses. He deepened the kiss, his tongue finding hers and earning a low moan of pleasure. He continued to kiss his wife, passion beginning to grow hotter as the kiss intensified.

Things would've continued to escalate if they hadn't been interrupted by an insistent knock on the driver's side window. With a growl of annoyance, Dick turned to find Jason's face in his window, a cocky grin on his lips.

"Whatcha doing, guys?" he innocently asked.

"Go away, Jason," Dick snapped in annoyance.

"Why don't you come out and spar with me?" Jason asked him. "Or are you too scared, Dicky?"

"I'm talking with my wife," Dick stated.

"Didn't look like you were talking," Jason pointed out with a smirk.

"We'll be right in," Dick bit out with a glare.

"Yah, right," Jason said with a roll of his eyes. "See you in an hour or so."

"Don't you have a Bana-Mighdall Amazon to woo?"

Jason immediately straightened up, his mischievous smirk disappearing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"There's the patented Wayne answer every Wayne male in this family gives when they don't want to talk about something," Donna said with a frown as she opened her car door and got out.

Dick huffed in annoyance as he exited the car as well, leveling Jason with an irritated glare. "Thanks for the interruption, bro."

"Any time," Jason said with a grin. "Now, let's spar before dinner's ready."

The trio entered the manor to find it unusually quiet for some unknown reason. Walking past the entertainment room, Dick abruptly stopped dead in his tracks causing the two behind him to plow into him, effectively sandwiching Donna between the two brothers.

"What the—?" Donna yelled.

"Hey!" Jason grumbled in annoyance as he backed up. "What's the big deal?

"Now I know why it's so quiet in here," Dick announced with a chuckle as he pointed into the room.

Jason and Donna looked inside to find Kaia sitting on a chair with her nose in one corner and Nicholas in another corner. Kaia's one pigtail was pulled out of place as if she'd been in a violent brawl. "What happened in here?" Donna asked.

"Two small Wayne children thought it would be fun to play Justice League," Alfred informed them as he straightened up from behind one of the couches, remnants of a broken picture frame in his hands.

"Me was mama," Kaia happily announced, turning around in her chair with a proud smile on her face, raven curls sticking out in complete disarray on one side of her head.

Nick turned around in his chair to reveal a purple bruise on his left cheekbone. "I was daddy and Uncle John," he revealed with equal excitement.

"Nice shiner there, little bro," Jason said with a laugh.

"Me did that," Kaia proudly revealed, her face growing sad. "Sorry, Ni-Ni."

"It's okay," Nicholas told her. "It doesn't hurt."

"Children," Alfred sharply reprimanded them with a disapproving look.

Nicholas and Kaia both mumbled "sorry" as they turned around in their chairs to face their respective corners. Dick bit at his bottom lip to stifle his laughter as he spotted Bruce approaching from the kitchen with an ice pack in his hand, his father's expression revealing the abundance of his displeasure.

"Not funny, Dick," Bruce ground out with a glare. "Just wait until the twins are old enough to crawl. It all goes downhill from there."

"Hera, don't remind me," Donna murmured. "Where's Diana?"

"Artemis dragged her downstairs to spar in hopes of helping her feel better," Bruce replied as he entered the room. "Come here, Nick."

"But Pappoús said I have to stay here," he replied without turning around.

"It's okay," Bruce assured him. "You can get up now."

"Yay!" Kaia cried, instantly jumping up out of her chair.

"Not you," Bruce sternly stated with a frown, pointing at the chair she had just vacated.

Kaia scowled darkly at her father as she returned to her seat, clearly displeased as Nicholas went to Bruce. She grumbled an inappropriate response which immediately caught her father's attention as he knelt before his son and applied the ice pack to his cheek.

"What was that, Kai?" Bruce demanded to know, wondering from which brother she had picked up that word and how she knew to use it in the proper context.

Kaia sat up straighter at having been caught, pressing her forehead against the wall as she burst into tears. Alfred went over to console her, her favorite blanket in hand for her to hold on to. Bruce released a sigh, shaking his head in frustration and guilt. He hadn't meant to make his daughter cry. Tears were his kryptonite in this family.

Pulling the ice pack back, Bruce was pleased to find the swelling was already beginning to decrease a little bit. "Thank heavens for your mother's advanced healing," he murmured.

"I think we're going to head downstairs and watch the Amazon sparring match," Dick readily decided.

"I'll be down in a minute," Bruce replied as he tended to his son.

Dick, Donna, and Jason made a quick escape down into the cave. Dick was beginning to wonder about having children, but he knew it was a little too late now. Donna was worried and wanted to see her sister while Jason was anxious to see Artemis in action.

They could hear the exerted cries and grunts of battle echoing throughout the cave. "Sounds like they're trying to kill each other," Jason decided, concern filling his voice.

"Don't worry," Donna reassured him. "Amazons always put everything they have into a fight even if it's just sparring with a friend."

"I think those two are out for blood," Tim said as they approached the workout area of the cave. Tim paused to use the towel around his neck to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "They're really putting on a clinic in there."

"Who's winning?" Jason asked.

"Mom," Tim replied. "She's really kicking ass."

"I gotta see this," Dick said.

They made their way to the training room, the distinct sounds of battle growing louder. Entering, they found Diana and Artemis in a fierce fight, the repeated crack of the Bo staffs like thunder resounding through the room and nearly making it shake.

Both Amazons wore fierce scowls of pure focus and determination on their faces, neither holding much back. Artemis had a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth where her lip had split open, but there were no other visible signs of injury.

Artemis was definitely a fierce competitor, keeping up with the Champion of the Gods. It was evident, however, that Diana was the better of the two, but not by much. Artemis was a highly skilled warrior in her own right, proving that fact by keeping up with and going toe-to-toe with the Amazon princess.

Jason couldn't help but notice the way that Artemis moved with such skill and gracefulness, appreciating the way that her muscles flexed and tensed with each move she performed. A battle cry slipped past her lips as she lifted her staff, blocking a strike aimed for her red head. She gritted her teeth as she drew her staff across her body, raising it up and shoving it towards her opponent.

Bruce entered at that moment as Diana blocked the attack with her Bo staff, pressing her advantage and forcing Artemis to open herself up for a direct hit. Diana whirled on her heel, lifting her foot up and slamming it directly into Artemis's stomach.

Artemis flew backwards, landing hard on her back and knocking the wind from her lungs. Diana was over her before she could draw her next breath, the tip of her Bo staff directly in her face. "Yield," Diana growled, her lips twisted into a sneer and her chest heaving with anger.

Artemis glared back at her, furious with herself for allowing Diana to gain an opening on her like that. She didn't want to surrender or yield. Everything inside of her wanted to throw herself back into the fight again, but she forced aside her instincts, reminding herself that it was just a friendly match.

Both of them were keyed up, adrenaline pumping furiously through their veins. Diana's chest was heaving as she waited for Artemis to responded. The hurt and rage of the last several weeks had been wreaking havoc on her, the constant sense of dread that refused to leave her weighing so heavily on her.

"That was amazing!" Dick exclaimed, breaking the near palpable tension that permeated the training room.

"Very impressive," Donna agreed. "You two make me want to spar with you."

"Oh, hell no," Dick immediately shot her down. "I refuse to allow my pregnant wife to spar with these two."

"You refuse to allow?" Donna repeated, a raven eyebrow cocked in anger as she folded her arms against her chest.

"Wait…let me rephrase that," Dick decided.

Ignoring them, Bruce made his way to Diana who had forced herself to back away from Artemis, her brow furrowed in anger. She was still struggling to temper her instincts as well as the rage that was running in hot waves beneath her skin. He followed her as she walked towards the far wall to put her Bo staff away.

"That was impressive," Bruce told her as he came to stand behind her.

Diana put the staff back into its spot but did not turn back around to face her husband. "Thank you," she softly said, her head lowered.

"Are you okay?" he asked, allowing his worry to permeate his voice.

"I'm fine," she replied, realizing as soon as the words left her mouth that he wouldn't believe her. It was a knee-jerk response, one that couldn't have been further from the truth.

She wasn't fine. She had poured so much work and heart into the Themyscirian Embassy, every bit of her pride going into every single aspect of it. Now, it was all gone. The embassy was nothing more than ashes and the dream a horrifying nightmare.

She felt a hand on her arm, a gentle tug urging her to turn around. She swallowed hard as she moved to face him, startled to find the room empty save for the two of them. She could tell by the look in his eye that he didn't believe her. She didn't think that he actually would.

"Yell…scream…cry…pound your fists against my chest if you have to, Diana, but you need to let it out," he told her, studying her reaction.

"There's no point in it, Bruce," she curtly stated. "The embassy is gone. It's over. There's no use in crying or throwing a fit."

"It's not over, princess," he adamantly insisted, his blue eyes hardening with resolve. "It's far from over. We're going to find out who did this and we're going to rebuild."

Diana averted her eyes as she drew a deep breath. "Maybe it's for the best if we don't."

"What?" he demanded to know, stunned by her response. "What are you talking about?"

"Maybe this is for the best," she repeated. "The embassy was taking me away from you…from our family…the League. Maybe it was too much for me to handle."

Bruce closed the distance between them, grabbing hold of her upper arms to force her to look at him. "That is not true, and you know it," he snapped. "I saw how happy you were organizing those peace talks and being able to bring nations together in the name of peace. You were so proud to represent your mother and sisters, Diana. You can't tell me that you no longer want to pursue this."

"I don't know what I want right now," she confessed.

"You need to take time to grieve over the loss and come to terms with it," he told her. "Once things have settled down, we'll see how you feel about rebuilding it. You know that I'm behind you no matter what you chose to do."

"I know," she softly said, pulling out of his hold on her. "I'm going to get a shower before dinner."

Bruce watched as she walked away, his worry for her only escalating. He could sense the raw fury burning inside of her, but he could also see how much all of this had crushed her spirit. Whoever was behind all of this had killed something inside of her and he was going to do everything in his power to make it right for her again.

Watchtower; August 28th, 15:36 EST

Batman strode through the corridors of the Watchtower, his steely gaze locked straight ahead of him. His gauntleted fists were hidden beneath the black cape, but even still his dark brooding mood was more than evident in the determined pound of his boots against the steel floor.

Last night had been another night of dead ends. He was no closer to finding Aresia or whoever was pretending to be her, and he still had no leads as to what the Joker was up to. What was even worse was the fact that they still had no leads on Ra's location and September fifth was rapidly approaching.

His fury and frustration were reaching new heights. The last thing he wanted to do was prepare for an apocalyptic sized battle, but he knew as sure as his love for his Diana that it was going to come down to that very nightmare they were so desperate to avoid.

Diana didn't like talking about it, but he knew that she had been battling an overwhelming sense of dread. He knew it was growing stronger. She was becoming far more pensive and brooding at times which was not like her at all. Watching her embassy go up in flames had only made things that much worse.

She had grown somewhat reclusive and withdrawn. She had lost her smile…her joy…and he was more determined to return that to her.

"Hey, Bats!"

Batman didn't bother pausing, forcing the Emerald Archer to catch up to him. "Where's the fire?" Ollie asked as he fell in step beside the Dark Knight of Gotham.

"Founders meeting," he curtly stated, not bothering to make eye contact.

"Something big going down?"

"Why do you ask that?" Batman demanded to know, leveling Ollie with a patented Batglare.

"Because since Diana, you've been a little less grumpy, but today you look as though you ate broken glass for breakfast."

Bruce scowled darkly in response. He didn't like the idea that he had gotten soft since marrying Diana and starting a family with her. It had always been one of his biggest fears when he had embarked on a relationship with her.

Ollie quickly realized he'd said the wrong thing, holding his hands up in defense. "I mean don't get me wrong," Ollie quickly amended. "You're still scary as hell. It's just that sometimes your scowl isn't quite as fierce. Of course, with a gorgeous Amazon in your bed, what man wouldn't have an extra little bounce in his step and a smirk on his face."

The white slits of Batman's cowl narrowed dangerously, his lips curling back into a threatening sneer. "I'm sure your wife would be happy to hear that."

"You know…forget I said anything," Ollie decided. "In face, forget you even saw me today."

"Gladly," Bruce rasped as Ollie took off down the hall.

Making his way to the Founders' conference room, he entered to a scene that he wished that he could erase from his mind. Instead of arriving a little early to spend a few moments of peace with his wife before the meeting started, he found Diana talking privately with Clark, tears in her eyes and her hands fisted in anger. Neither of them seemed to notice that Bruce had entered. They were too caught up in their conversation, Clark clearly trying to calm her down, his hand on her shoulder.

"What's going on?" Bruce demanded to know, suppressing a faint wave of jealousy. Even after all this time, he still couldn't shake the unexpected stab of jealousy he felt when he found Clark and his wife together.

Diana dipped her head in embarrassment, wiping her eyes to erase the stray tears that had escaped against as Clark's head snapped up. "Hey, Bruce," Clark replied. "We were just discussing what to do about Ra's al Ghul."

Diana turned her back to her husband, trying to gather herself once more. She didn't want him to know about her fear that something was going to take him away from her. He knew about her sense of dread that had been clinging to her, but he didn't know it was connected to him.

Bruce looked at Clark a moment longer before turning his attention to Diana. If something more was going on, he wanted to know about it. He closed the distance between them, his expression softening as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, princess?" he asked, his gentle tone so incongruous with his demonic persona.

He could feel her shoulder sink a little beneath his touch, causing his heart to sink too. He shot a glare at Clark who got the hint. "I'm going to give you two a few minutes alone," Clark decided. "Meeting doesn't start for another fifteen minutes or so anyway."

Clark made a quick exit, leaving his two best friends alone. "Talk to me, Diana," he pleaded with her. "You're scaring me."

Diana drew a deep, shuddering breath before abruptly turning around to face her husband. She responded to him by wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck, holding onto him as if there was only him and her and nothing else in the world that mattered at that moment.

Bruce encircled her in his arms and cape, shielding her as best as he could as he tilted his head to kiss the top of hers. "I love you so much, Bruce," she murmured, tightening her hold on him as if afraid that he would vanish from her embrace.

"I love you too, Diana," he replied, fear beginning to fill his throat and making it difficult to draw a breath. "What's going on that you're not telling me?"

She reluctantly pulled back to look at him as he drew his cowl back. The worry swimming in his azure eyes did nothing to settle her own fear. "You know I've had this sense that something bad is going to happen," she began, fighting back the tears that she could feel building behind her eyes again. "It's about you and it's getting stronger."

"About me?" he questioned her, surprised by her answer. "How so?"

"I can't shake this terrifying feeling I'm going to lose you," she confessed. Her bottom lip began to quiver as tears brimmed in her eyes. She lowered her head as she bit at her bottom lip, unable to gaze into the handsome visage she loved so much and held so dear.

"Hey, it'll be okay…I'll be okay," he attempted to reassure her. He tilted her head up with his fingertips as a couple of tears broke free. He erased them with his lips before finding her mouth. He kissed her tenderly for several moments before finally pulling away.

"No matter what happens, princess, I'll always come back to you," he promised her. "Nothing can keep me from finding my way back to you."

Her eyes fell closed as he kissed her forehead, wishing and praying that he was right. She knew that he'd fight to come back to his family. What terrified her was the question that kept lingering in her mind—what if he couldn't?

"Um…guys," Clark called to them as he poked his head into the conference room. "Are you two all good now?"

"Yah, come on in," Batman replied, giving his wife one more kiss before releasing her.

Before Bruce could fully let go of his wife, Flash was at her side, his arm wrapped around Diana's shoulders. "Hang in here, Wondy," Wally said. "We'll catch this creep before he can destroy the world or resurrect your dad from the Underworld."

"Wally," Bruce ground out between clenched teeth. "Not helping."

"Sorry," Flash said with a nervous grin. "All right, folks. Let's get this meeting started."

Bruce squeezed Diana's hand before putting his cowl back on. She gave him a soft smile. "Thank you, Bruce," she whispered.

"Hey, that's what husbands are for," he teased her as they headed to their seats.

Diana drew a deep breath, releasing it slowly to compose herself once more. She felt foolish for allowing her emotions to get the better of her, but after everything that had happened over the last few weeks she didn't think she could handle very much more.

She shared a knowing look with Clark, one that did not go unnoticed by Bruce who made a mental note to have a private conversation with the Kryptonian as soon as the meeting was over with. Something more was going on that Diana had yet to tell him and he was going to get to the bottom of it one way or another.

"All right," Clark called to get everyone's attention. "I'm going to hand the meeting right over to Batman."

Batman looked around at his fellow teammates and friends gathered at the table, knowing what they were going to be going up against. There was a very real chance that some of them would not return to their families or the League when the dust of battle had finally settled.

He didn't want to think about it as his gaze settled on his wife, but he knew it was a very real possibility. He steeled himself against the onslaught of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He had a battle to lead and he would not fail.

"Ra's al Ghul has gathered a good majority of the pieces of Hades' armor," Batman began. "We were able to recover a few, but he has the most powerful pieces that will enable him to summon Hades from the Underworld."

Flash cursed as he began to tap his foot at a high rate of speed. "This is so not good," he said.

"We sent him back to the Underworld once," J'onn pointed out. "We will do it again."

"Damn straight," John chimed in. "Hades ain't getting past us."

Diana smiled sadly as her friends talked about how they would stop Hades and put him back in his place. She appreciated their optimism and bravery, but she greatly feared for their safety. She couldn't bear the thought of any of them getting hurt because of her father.

She listened silently as Bruce outlined his battle plans for taking on Ra's al Ghul and his daughter. She knew that he was the best person to lead their team against Ra's, but she didn't want him anywhere near this battle. She knew trying to keep him out of it would be next to impossible though.

The problem was that once Hades had gained control of Ra's, he would be coming for her husband and her family. The thought made her ill, her anger flaring along with her resolve to protect them at all cost. No one was going to die because of her father, especially not her husband or her friends and teammates.

Batman noticed the way that Diana's hands were clutching the arms of her chair but continued outlining his plans to stop Ra's. He knew that this had the potential to be much worse than anything they'd ever faced before, but he was confident that they could stop Ra's and therefor his father-in-law. Hades would not be meeting any of his grandchildren. Of that, he was absolutely certain.

"So, do we have any idea where he's going to start his campaign to cleanse the world?" John grimly asked.

"No," Batman bluntly stated. "I have a few ideas, but as of now we're going into this completely blind. He could strike at any place or any time as soon as darkness falls on September fifth."

"What's up with Ra's waiting until the blood moon?" Shayera inquired. "It seems he'd want to strike right away now that he finally has most of the armor."

"According to Zatanna, it's believed that dark forces are strongest during the blood moon," Batman revealed.

"Great," Flash groused. "This just keeps getting better and better. Sorry, Wondy, but your daddy is huge trouble. I mean we're seriously screwed here."

Batman leveled a deadly glare at the scarlet speedster to shut him up. He already knew how upset Diana was about all of this without Wally adding to it. Clark seemed to pick up on it as well. "If there are no more questions, then our meeting is adjourned," he announced. "We'll have another one in the next few days to review everything."

Everyone began to get up and leave, Bruce's attention locked on the Man of Steel. "I'm going to see Dinah before picking the kids up from daycare," Diana told him.

"I want to talk to Atom first before returning home," he replied.

She gave him a forced smile and a nod before walking out with Shayera and John. Clark gathered his things and headed for the door only to have his path unexpectedly blocked by the Caped Crusader. "What's up?" he asked with a furrowed brow, further taken aback when Batman turned and locked the door before facing him once more.

"What was Diana talking to you about?" he demanded to know, the white slits of his cowl narrowing as he crossed his arms against his chest.

Clark instantly grew nervous, rubbing the back of his neck as he averted his eyes away from the imposing man before him. "Didn't you two talk after I left?"

"Yes, but there's more that she's not telling me, and I want to know what it is," Bruce pressed. "I need to know, Clark."

"Bruce, you're really putting me in a very tough spot," Clark replied. "Diana made me promise not to tell you."

Bruce's jaw clenched even tighter as his anger spiked. "I have to know, Clark," he ground out. "If it involves my wife, then I deserve to know."

"It's not so much her as it's you," Clark reluctantly confessed.

"Me?" Bruce exclaimed, stunned.

"Don't make me do this, Bruce," Clark pleaded.

"Who are you more afraid of—her or me?"

"Her," Clark adamantly declared without even needing to think about it.

"But I have Kryptonite."

Clark's eyes narrowed in frustration. "You know, Bruce, that threat only works for so long before it becomes trite."

"Does it really?" Bruce asked as he reached for the lead-lined compartment of his utility belt.

"All right! All right!" Clark yelled, holding a hand up to stop him. "Diana made me promise to get you away from the battle with Ra's and Hades if it appears that they're going after you. Evidently, she's been having premonitions that something horrible is going to happen to you so she asked me to watch your back for her during the fight and to get you out of there is things get ugly."

Bruce was stunned senseless by the revelation, his mind racing with the implications as well as fear for Diana facing her father alone. "Don't you dare do it, Clark," he ground out.

"But I…"

"No," Bruce heatedly growled something low and utterly menacing. "Don't you dare take me out of this fight for any reason."

"Bruce, it's only because Diana loves you so much," he attempted to explain. "She's terrified that something is going to happen to take you away from her."

"I know, but I refuse to let her face her father alone."

"I'll come right back to help her," Clark reassured him. "She won't be alone."

"I am her husband and I will be there with her every step of the way," Bruce heatedly spat out. "We are in this together whether she likes it or not."

Clark watched as Batman stormed from the conference room, worried about what he was going to do now. He didn't want to break his promise to Diana, but he knew that Bruce would never forgive him if he removed him from the battle. He was in a no-win situation any way he looked at it.

He was just going to have to make sure both of his friends made it out of this battle alive.

Nanda Parbat; August 29th, 13:13 EST

Talia watched as her father studied each of the pieces of Hades' armor that they had been able to collect so far—the Helm of Darkness, Ring of Hades, the Bident, the Amulet, and now the Spear which she recovered last night in South Africa. They were missing the gauntlets, the breastplate, and Hades' belt which were in her beloved's possession.

She smiled to herself. Bruce and the Amazon only had a few meager pieces of armor while they had the most powerful one in their possession. This battle would not last long. Bruce and his Justice League would be no match for her father once he put on Hades' armor, harnessing the power of the god of the Underworld. He will finally be indestructible and all-powerful.

She was relieved to know that her father's dreams were going to be realized after all this time. Then, things will finally be as they should have been all along. It was going to be a glorious day, one that she hoped that she'd be able to share with her son.

Damian was never far from her thoughts, a constant sense of worry clinging to her. She knew that he was safe with his father, but she feared they would brainwash him and turn him against her and his grandfather. They had worked too hard training him to be the future leader of the League of Assassins for everything to fall apart now.

Countless hours had been spent day after day instilling within him the skills and necessary abilities needed to be a lethal assassin and a capable leader. She feared that all that grueling work and training was being ruined at this very moment by Bruce and that Amazon.

Did she really believe that she could be a mother to Damian? A replacement for her? She would never allow that to happen. Damian had a mother and soon she would be coming for her son. Nothing was going to stop her from getting her son back where he belonged.

Talia watched as her father held the Helm of Darkness in his hands, his eyes gleaming with an otherworldly glow that was both eerie and mesmerizing at the same time. It was as if he could already feel the power from the helm, basking in its magical capabilities.

There was an almost inhuman glint in his eyes that growing darker. It was as if he was already grasping the very edges of Hades' influence, his outstretched fingers brushing against the threads of magic that would soon inundate and consume him.

For a brief, all-too flickering moment, Diana's words to her came flooding back in her mind…

"You can't let your father go through with this. It will destroy his mind."

"You can't let Hades escape the Underworld. He'll only try to further his own agenda and destroy your father in the process."

Could the Amazon be right? Could Hades end up destroying her father in the process?

"Father," Talia called to him as he stared at the helm in his hands. When he didn't respond, she called again, much louder this time. "Father!"

After several long moments, Ra's finally raised his head, the glow of his eyes not diminishing in the least as he stared at her. It caused a shiver of fear to lance through her. It was as if he was staring at her…seeing her and yet not…staring right through her. It caused her heart to pound against her breastbone.

It was like Hades himself had somehow managed to trickle into her father's subconscious mind just by holding the Helm of Darkness. "Father…are you all right?" she asked, doing her best to keep the fear she could feel rising from inside of her from reaching her voice.

"I'm fine," he evenly replied with his deep, commanding voice. "Why do you ask, daughter?"

"You don't look quite like yourself," she tentatively ventured, swallowing hard past the dryness of her throat.

"I feel perfectly fine, my dear," he reassured her. "I can already feel the potential of the helm coursing through me. This piece alone holds unspeakable magic and power…the likes of which I've never felt before."

"Maybe it would best if you didn't use it," Talia suggested, watching as anger flashed like lightning bolts through her father's eyes.

"You can't be serious, Talia," he spat out. "After all these years, I am on the verge of recognizing my dreams. Why would I not take this opportunity after all the arduous work and planning that I have put into it?"

"It's just that it seems dangerous, father," she pressed. "You can already feel Hades' control and power just by holding the Helm of Darkness. How are you going to be able to harness that power and not be crushed by it?"

Rage filled his face as he glowered darkly at his daughter. "How dare you try to dissuade me from seizing my destiny!" he roared. "I will put on the armor and I will harness all the power that Hades can offer me. I will be the one who will be fully in control, not the god of the Underworld. It will be me who dominates him, not the other way around."

"Yes, father," Talia softly said, her gaze falling under his penetrating glare. "I'm sorry."

She felt a hand beneath her chin causing her to instantly stiffen with fear. She raised her head at his insistence, finding her father standing before her without the Helm of Darkness in his hands. His eyes were normal once more, his expression almost gentle in a strange way.

"I know your words were only spoken out of fear for me and my safety, daughter, but it is wholly unnecessary," he told her. "I have been working to strengthen my mind so I won't lose control. Hades cannot gain a foothold in my mind."

"I hope you are right," she replied, fighting back the tears she could building behind her eyes.

"Now, we still have much to do before the blood moon is here," he reminded her. "We only have thirteen days left before the world will be mine and things will finally be the way the should've been all along."

"Have you decided where you will make your stand and start your cleansing?" she asked.

"I haven't quite decided yet," he informed as he began to walk around his private room, his hands clasped behind his back. "There are several places that I have had in mind for quite some time now, but I'm actually leaning towards one specifically."

"Which one is that, father?"

Ra's paused in his step, turning slightly to look at her over his shoulder. "Gotham."

A/N: Things are definitely escalating! What is going to happen to Bruce? Will they find Ra's before he puts on the armor? Who is really behind the attacks against Diana? So many threads to wrap up and so little time...

Thank you all for the reviews. You guys keep me writing and keep my spirits up especially with the way things are going for Bruce and Diana in the comics and movies. DON'T GIVE UP HOPE, GUYS! Keep up the fight for Wonderbat and keep the faith! :)

UP NEXT: Has Tim finally tracked down Ra's?