Chapter 34

Earth-36

2044

There was something appealing about a straight line, Kal thought, doubly appealing when the line in question was the longest straight line on the planet, a line steeped in seafaring mythology, scientific intrigue and cartographic significance. The equator divided the northern and southern hemispheres. It was the furthest line from which Kal could escape from the darkening harshness of the poles, a destination loaded with the promise of sunshine and palm trees. It's a place where daylight hours don't really change. Temperatures remain pretty high with little distinction between summer, winter, fall, or spring.

This constantly high heat forms a regular and violently spectacular thunderstorm belt around the globe. Nearly all of the equator falls over oceans, which when heated become the birthing grounds of typhoons and hurricanes. Kal smiled. He knew this place, knew it quite well. Including the thirteen countries lucky enough to straddle the hemispheres.

Kal closed his eyes and allowed the rest of his senses to take it all in. Earth was not a perfect sphere. It bulged somewhat in the middle, like an overripe orange, and it was around this bulge that the equator lied. This was why the equator could lay claim to the longest unbroken straight line on the planet, at 25,000 miles long. This equitorial bulge resulted in a strange fact. The point furthest from the Earth's core wasn't the very tip of Mount Everest but the significantly shorter Volcán Chimborazo just off the equator in Ecuador.

"I love it here." From hundreds of feet in the air, Kal opened his eyes and stared down at the slopes of Chimborazo, the third tallest point in Ecuador. The equator passed across this extinct volcano which resulted in the claim to fame of being the highest point on the equatorial line.

"I know you do." Diana smiled at him, wisps of hair blowing in the refreshing wind.

And Kal couldn't keep his eyes off of her. While he wore his traditional blue-and-red Superman suit with red shorts. Diana, on the other hand, had on some white-and-gold body suit that covered her from throat to ankles. Other than her face and hands, the suit and matching boots revealed absolutely no skin. But, good lord, the body suit emphasized every dip and curve of her luscious and muscular form. Making this suit ten times sexier than her classic Wonder Woman armor. It made a man want to peel it off her, with hands and teeth. Revealing all that it hid but blatantly hinted at.

Diana didn't look like the famed Wonder Woman. No lasso, no tiara, no bracers, and no sword, nothing but all woman in a suit made from only god knew what. And the sexiest high heeled boots he'd ever seen. Going way up to her tempting thighs, ending right below the juncture of her sex.

Dammit, what in the hell was she trying to do to him? As if her Wonder Woman uniform wasn't bad enough, Diana had to break out some body hugging garment that served to only remind Kal how long he'd gone without the taste and feel of his wife.

Kal groaned.

"What's wrong?"

What's wrong? What's wrong? Did Diana have to sound so concerned and absolutely clueless? Why couldn't she, after so many years living among men, understand the basic connection between tight clothing, a gorgeous woman, and a man's lust-filled mind? For crying out loud, did Zeus not see what Diana was wearing before she left Mount Olympus?

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

He had no idea how he was looking at Diana. But he bet it resembled the way a lion stared at a gazelle right before it pounced.

"You're killing me," Kal mumbled. When Diana frowned at him, he said in a voice loud enough for her to hear, "W-what happened to your Wonder Woman outfit?"

"It's packed away in my chamber on Paradise Island. I'm no longer Wonder Woman, so I see no need to wear it." Diana glanced down at herself, and then back at Kal. "Why? What's wrong with what I have on?"

"Who gave you that?"

"It's a gift from Hephaestus, but Aphrodite designed it."

Aphrodite, Kal should've known. "Let me guess, they gifted you with the outfit after we separated."

"How did you know?"

Kal gritted his teeth and tried very hard not to get upset. This was supposed to be a date, after all. It wouldn't do for Kal to get angry over something so small. Still … "Tell me something, Diana, exactly how many times has Aphrodite cheated on her husband?"

"You're being mean, Kal."

No, he was being very male. Which meant he was being quite, quite jealous of faceless, nameless men he had no doubt the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation had sent Diana's way while they were separated. Probably before, knowing Aphrodite.

"I'm not being mean. I just don't like it when your family interferes in our marriage."

"I know, and neither do I." Diana reached out and laid her hand against his bicep. "I've talked to them about it, and Aphrodite has finally stopped inviting me to those monthly orgies of hers. After that one time I went, I told her—"

"Orgies!" Kal bellowed, sending birds near them scattering. "You mean to tell me, you attended one of her—"

Diana burst into peals of laughter, dipping a few feet when she lost control. "You should see your face, Kal. Gods, it's priceless." Diana kept laughing and pointing at his shocked and red faced.

The woman was unbelievable and annoyingly adorable when she laughed. Her eyes twinkled with playfulness and joy.

"That's not funny, Diana. You really had me thinking your sister-in-law invited you to orgies."

Diana wiped away her laugh tears, then floated back up to Kal. "Oh, she does, but I ignore the invitations. Especially the ones that arrive with naked snapshots of the invited guests."

Kal stared at his wife, waiting for Diana to crack another smile. Instead, he saw nothing but earnestness gazing back at him.

"Naked snapshots?" Diana opened her mouth to say something else. He raised his hand. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

"It's just a novel pastime for Aphrodite. She knows me better than that. Don't forget, Kal, as the goddess of love, she's well aware of who owns my heart. She may have dalliances outside of her marriage, but she knows I never would. Besides, Aphrodite doesn't actually participate in the orgies, she just arranges them for her single and married friends."

"Oh, well, that's much better. How noble of her."

Diana laughed again and then hugged him. "Gods I've missed you. I had forgotten how uptight and moralistic you could be."

"Now who's being mean?"

"Not being mean. But all of this started with your silent judgment of my outfit. Just admit that you think it's too tight. And you're seething inside because you think it attracts too much male attention."

Well, hell, that was exactly what Kal thought. But he didn't like the fact that Diana had deduced all of that, without him saying a word.

She hugged him tighter. "I'll tell you a secret. This is the first time I've worn this outfit. And I wore it specifically for you." A kiss to the shell of his ear. "I hoped you would like it. Do you, Kal?"

Oh but he'd married an unrepentant tease and prankster. Kal had forgotten how much Diana enjoyed poking fun at him. More, how much pleasure she took in dressing up for him, only to take even more pleasure when Kal would undress her.

Kal wrapped his arms around Diana's waist, liking the way she fit in his arms, as well as the silky-soft texture of her outfit. "If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to put you over my knee and give you a good old fashioned spanking."

Diana purred in Kal's ear, "Promises, promises."

Oh shit, the woman was going to have him coming in his damn suit, if she kept that up.

With an embarrassed swiftness that had Diana laughing at him again, Kal released her. "I thought you were going to wine and dine me."

Diana shook her head. "No, I said I wanted to take you on a date."

Kal was confused. She'd phoned and asked him to meet her here and to come dressed as Superman. He hadn't understood the location or the clothing request. Normally when Diana took him out, she'd get reservations at some fancy, expensive restaurant then they'd take in a play, comedy show, museum exhibit, or movie.

Diana took his hand. "Even though I'm no longer Wonder Woman or a member of the Justice League, I get hundreds of emails and letters every day. Requesting something as small as an autographed picture or a speech at a high school or college graduation to much bigger requests like medical supplies for storm ravaged towns, a clean water system for an isolated village, or assistance in the negotiation of a peace or trade agreement."

Yeah, Superman got those kinds of letters as well. They were all forwarded through the Justice League's online mail system. But Kal had no idea Diana had her own method of allowing people to keep in touch with the Queen of the Amazons.

"I can't answer every one of the requests, of course, even if I wanted to and had the time." Kal knew, between Athos and her queenly duties on Paradise Island, time, for people like them, was precious and all too scarce. "But once a week, I devote a day to fulfilling as many requests as I can, big and small alike. I normally begin much earlier than this. I'll make the time up next week."

Kal wanted to smack himself upside the head. All this time they were separated, he'd thought Diana had all but cloistered herself on Mount Olympus with Athos, only venturing out to Paradise Island. How wrong he had been. Well, not wrong exactly, for Diana had spent too much of her time watching over their son. But it was nice to know that his wife hadn't turned her back on all that she loved when she left him. And Diana, at heart, was a humanitarian.

"So this is how you want to spend our day together? This is our date?"

"If you don't mind. We used to work so well together, Kal. And I thought, well, I thought this would be a good way for us to reconnect while also doing something of value for others. I have a list. Between the two of us, I'm sure we'll be able to finish it."

Diana gave him a tentative smile, as if she was unsure of his reaction. Sure, this wasn't the type of date Kal had in mind. And, yeah, he'd hoped they could spend the day talking and reminiscing and doing a bit of flirting. He'd also had images of them feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries, strolling hand-in-hand in a park, and stealing passionate kisses when no one was looking. So, no, her plan was like nothing Kal had in mind.

But it was by far much better than the frivolous things he'd come up with, romantic though they were. Those were outings best left for young couples new to the love game like Wonder Woman and Superman. For Kal and Diana, their relationship had matured to the point that they could spend a day together doing what they both loved to do. A date in which their relationship was not the center of attention.

She knew him so well. Knew precisely what they needed. And that was a reminder of why they fell in love in the first place, what had drawn them, initially, to each other. We both care for the helpless, the innocents. We protect them, fight for them, and cry with them.

"So, where do we start?"

"While Ecuador has well-equipped general hospitals in the major cities and provinces, their small towns and cities have basic hospitals. They're in the middle of building one of those basic hospitals now and could use a little help. I thought we could lend them a hand."

That sounded fine with Kal. "Then what?"

"A panel discussion on International Humanitarian Law, a meeting with members of the Committee of the International Red Cross about their project, Prevention and Reduction of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict Situations, a groundbreaking on a new sanitation facility, a review of Canada's latest plan for maternal, newborn, and child health, and a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders."

Kal gaped at Diana. How in the world did she plan on getting all of that done in one day? Was this a normal schedule for her? And how in the hell did her efforts go unreported in the news?

"Come on, Kal, times a wasting. Let's go."

He closed his mouth and went.

Earth-44

2031

Paradise Island

"Why Eris? Why did you do it?"

Since being captured by his sons, Deimos and Phobos, Ares had asked her that question over a thousand times. And she hated him even the more, with each asking. How dare the god of war have her dragged to this place, the palm of each hand run through with sharp, metallic feathers and bound to the shrine of Ares on Paradise Island? His damn Stymphalian birds, man-eating beasts with bronze beaks, metal feathers, and poisonous dung, guarding Eris over the last fortnight. But Ares' pets weren't needed, for there were thousands of Amazons with swords and shields below the site of Eris' public crucifixion. If, by some miracle, Eris managed to free herself, the horde of Amazons would do all in their power to make sure she didn't escape the island alive.

Only on orders of Queen Hippolyta had the women not already scaled the shrine and slit her throat. Like Ares, the queen was taking immense pleasure in having Eris tortured. For at each sunset, Ares would unleash his birds. Permitting them to dine on godly flesh—Eris' godly flesh. And, come morning, her wounds would be healed. Only to be re-inflicted when the sun set once more.

By the look of things, the sun would be setting in less than an hour. And the Amazons were growing restless. Cursing and spitting at Eris and waiting for the Stymphalian birds to have her once more for dinner.

"We once fought together, brother, or have you forgotten? It was me, goddess of strife, discord, and chaos, who drove your chariot into battle, raging beside you on the battlefield. Your constant companion in war— that was me. Why have you now forsaken thousands of years of warmongering perfection over the death of an inconsequential mongrel?"

The Amazons booed and hissed their disapproval over Eris' accurate depiction of their dead princess. "Diana was never one of us. Even Father never recognized her as his daughter, yet he knew of her existence."

"Do not mention Zeus as if his actions and opinions will sway me. Have you forgotten, sister, Zeus hated me? Everything about me our father despised. He said I upset the peace in the world." Ares removed his battle helmet, his black eyes cold and terrifying as they glared at Eris. "Diana was my sister as much as you. But she was also my student. The best pupil I ever had." Grabbing her thin chin in one of his battle-hardened hands, Ares pulled her face to his. "And do you know why Diana was my best student?"

Eris didn't know nor did she care. She was so tired of everyone telling her how great Diana was. And her death had only served to elevate the bitch to martyrdom. When she didn't answer, the hand on her chin found her neck and began to squeeze.

"I said, do you know why Diana was my best student?"

Unable to speak, Eris shook her head.

"Because, at the meager age of thirteen, she stared me down, frightened to her bones, and fought me with all her heart and soul. And then had the audacity to not kill when I'd ordered her to. The whelp of an Amazon had the nerve to question the god of war. And she was willing to die for her principles. Better yet, she was willing to fight for them."

Ares released her throat, uncaring that he'd crushed her windpipe.

"All the times you drove me into battle, did you once fight for something you actually believed in? Have you ever been willing to die for a cause greater than yourself, larger than your own selfish pleasure and short-term reward?"

Eris shook her head.

Ares' nod was solemn, perhaps even regretful. "Yes, well, neither have I. There was something humiliating yet humbling in having a child lecture me, Ares, the god of war, on the value of life and what it means to have mercy, to want to be merciful and not seek revenge. Ironic, is it not, Eris? That I now seek revenge on behalf of Diana? Probably the only Amazon who would not seek your death, to destroy an enemy who clearly posed a danger to her. But you knew that about the little one. You understood her forgiving nature, as well as I. And that's why Diana is dead and you remain. Strife and discord to Diana's peace and mercy. Worst, you used her own son. A misguided boy whose destiny will not serve the world well. But he wants you dead, and I will grant him that single blessing, though the boy be yet damned."

The sun set. Apollo, yet another brother who had turned against her.

With a wave of a hand, Ares' pets attacked. Rending flesh from bone, hair from scalp, and eyes from sockets.

Eris screamed.

The Amazons cheered.

Yet death would not claim Eris this night.

No mercy, only pain.

Mount Olympus

At the same time …

"How long will you allow this to go on?" Artemis asked.

Apollo stared through the rippling waves of his scrying pool. He could no longer see Eris behind the wings of the birds feasting upon her thin, pale form. But he could still hear her shrill shrieks of agonized pain.

And below, in front of the pack of Amazons, was Hippolyta. Unlike the others, her face did not radiate glee at the goddess' continued torture on her land. To Apollo's surprise, he saw sadness, even a glint of revulsion and sympathy in her blue gaze. Amazons did not engage in torture games. When necessary, they killed their enemies outright. If Apollo had given Hippolyta the opportunity, he had no doubt the queen would've challenged Eris to a battle. Taking up her battle axe in the name of her deceased daughter. But Apollo had done nothing with the knowledge of Eris' role in Diana's death. Waiting too long to determine her fate had been a mistake. Not telling Ares the truth had not.

Ares was born in the second generation after the Titans and exemplified the third race of mortals known as the Bronze Age. The men of the Bronze Age were considered to be men of Ares. They lived and died by their bronze weapons and left no heritage other than the memory of their bitter conflicts. The world they inhabited was as bright as the gleam of their weapons and as dark as the blood they spilled. Ares was the incarnation of that warlike ideal and represented not only the act of war but the very spirit of war.

That was Ares. The only god strong enough to challenge Apollo for the throne of Olympus.

"I said how long?"

"How long did Ares train Diana in the mountains of Themyscira?"

"I don't know. A month. More. Why?"

"He's keeping her alive for a reason. Ares could've killed Eris when Deimos and Phobos first captured her, but he stayed his hand. That's unlike our brother. He slaughters first and never asks questions later."

"Yes, well, he has a bloodlust like no other."

With Diana, it was more than that. "Diana was Ares redemption. I don't know what she did to him on that mountaintop, but he returned a changed god. Still a killer, but a killer with a heart. A killer with a thousand lifetimes of regrets. I suspect, Artemis, Ares was hoping the princess would one day take over the mantle of god of war."

Artemis snorted. "That sounds like the sentimental fool he's become. Although Diana would not have willingly undertaken that burden."

No she wouldn't have. Still, Apollo believed that to have been his older brother's plan. Which explained why Ares hadn't already killed Eris and be done with it. She'd not only orchestrated Diana's death, but in so doing, denied Ares a trip across the River Styx.

"I won't allow Eris to die by Ares' hand. I can't afford to have him add her god powers to his own." The three birds, slimy bits of Eris' sticking to their beaks, rose into the air. Leaving behind a picked-over skeleton that yet lived. "But she brought this upon herself, Artemis. I'll let Ares have his full month of fun before I intervene. So says the King of Olympus."

Earth Prime

2014

London, England

Upon returning to his own Earth, Clark had done two things—stopped to retrieve an important item from Bruce and dress as Clark Kent before heading off to London. Flying into the city he now knew almost as well as Metropolis, Clark couldn't help the pang of guilt that rode him. He'd told Diana he would speak with Eirene's father about his son and her plan. But here he was, walking into the dojo of one of Diana's best friends.

Clark waited as Hessia led a group of female students through a Tae Kwon Do lesson. The girls looked to range from age eight to thirteen, wearing different color belts that represented their level of mastery of the discipline. With only Hessia sporting a black belt.

"Very good, Sarah. Block just like that, but be careful. You don't want to overextend your arm. Good. Now practice twenty times with Michelle then switch."

Over the next hour, Clark waited impatiently for the class to end and all the parents to pick up their children. When the Amazon was done, Clark stood from where he'd been sitting. In one of the fifteen chairs placed along the back wall for parents and observers.

Wiping sweat from her brow with the hand towel around her neck, the look Hessia shot Clark said she was surprised to see him. Then she glanced behind her and to the front door.

"Where's Diana? When you called, I assumed she was with you."

Hessia, the only other Amazon, outside of Diana, that Clark had met who didn't reside on Paradise Island was one of Diana's best friends. And, not so long ago, the woman had tried to kill him. Admittedly, he was tainted with the Doomsday virus and a danger to the planet, at the time. And Hessia, a healer, didn't think there was anything left of Clark Kent in the creature he'd become. This was also the woman who had taken a picture of Diana and Clark kissing and sent it to Cat Grant. Who, of course, squealed at the scoop of the century and promptly published the picture of Superman and Wonder Woman kissing, on their co-owned blog. Effectively outing their private and secret relationship.

For both of those reasons, Clark supposed he should really dislike the older woman. Yet he didn't. Though Hessia's methods were questionable, Clark didn't doubt the woman's good intentions. In both instances, she thought she was helping Diana, her friend and sister. Which was why he'd come to her today.

"Diana's not with me, and I need your help."

"Then maybe you should sit back down and tell me what this is all about."

Before he did, Clark took two steps towards Hessia, bent down and gave her a big hug. For several awkward seconds, the woman felt like shocked granite in his arms. Then she softened and returned the embrace, patting his back in that way that mother's did when they were comforting a child.

"Ah, Diana finally told you about the miscarriage. That's good. I'm truly sorry for your loss, Clark. By the time I arrived, it was too late. But I did my best to take care of Diana."

He hugged her tighter. This was why he could never dislike Hessia. No matter what, she had Diana's back, was always on her side. Which Clark knew was not the case for many of Diana's sisters back on Paradise Island. Who just did not understand why Diana had left home, her work with the League, or her relationship with a male. But Hessia did. Better, she had never judged Diana for her decisions, some of which she'd made herself when she was younger.

"Thank you for taking care of her."

Hessia patted his back again. "It saddened my heart to inform her of the loss. Diana had no idea she was pregnant." Hessia stepped out of the embrace. "Diana should not have been pregnant. I don't understand. I made the preventative myself. It was perfect. Made specifically for your combined DNA." She shook her head and repeated, "I don't understand."

"Maybe we should both have that seat now. That's pretty much what I want to talk to you about."

They sat, and Clark explained all. He told Hessia about coming to Diana when he was infected with the Doomsday virus. About Athos and the other three Earths, as well as what Bruce Wayne of Earth-36 had done to cause Diana's miscarriage. At that bit of news, Hessia swore in three ancient languages and threatened to castrate Wayne for "harming my queen."

The great thing about Amazons, Clark thought after he'd told Hessia all there was to tell, was that their history was so unique and unbelievable they didn't question stuff that most others would. Hessia took the news of the multiverse, the theory of equals and opposites and the Four Horsemen in stride, only frowning when he told her about Eirene and him lying to Diana.

"She was too early in her pregnancy for me to determine the gender of the fetus." Hessia removed her black belt and tossed it onto the chair beside her. The movement quick and graceful, her face angry and agitated. "I wished she hadn't learned the gender of the child. For an Amazon, a female child is a welcomed blessing."

"I know."

But Clark didn't think Diana grieved any less when she didn't know the gender of their child. What seemed to hurt her the most was seeing the picture of Eirene. While Clark thought the girl resembled Diana, Diana saw a girl with his eyes and Hippolyta's face. If anything, seeing so much of her deceased mother in Eirene is what most hurt Diana about her loss.

Clark dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a vial. He handed it to Hessia.

"What's this?"

"A blood sample from when I was infected with the Doomsday virus." Batman had made sure to gather all the research and test materials and results on Superdoom from the facility where Superman was held after he turned himself in. Batman wanted to keep as much about Superman's alien DNA out of the hands of Lex Luthor, who had been claiming to help with finding a cure for the infection. Clark doubted, though, that Lex hadn't absconded with some of the research materials himself. But those were troubles for another day.

"Let me guess, you want me to concoct a new preventative. It makes sense now. Why Diana's birth control failed."

"Yeah, I wasn't quite myself back then. The infection altered my DNA, making the preventative useless."

He watched as Hessia stood and walked to a small refrigerator. Inside she placed the vial of blood.

"Will it be enough? Can you do it?"

"It's enough, and I can. The question is how soon do you need it?"

Clark also stood. "That's the problem, I don't think we have much time before Athos comes for Diana. It could be as little as a day, for all I know. And there could be three of them."

"All violent and dangerous?"

"Yes, from what I've read." He raised his arm and showed Hessia the trans-dimensional watch. "Right now, this is my best chance at stopping them. This and the birth control you create. I don't know if I can stop an infected Superman from reaching Diana or whether it's even a good idea. But I think I have a pretty good chance of getting the Dianas to take the new injection. From the files, there's a Hessia on the other three planets, as well."

Hessia considered him and his plan for several seconds. "So, the idea is to go back in time, to the three Earths, and ask Hessia to give Diana the upgraded preventative you want me to create instead of the one that will later prove to be ineffective?"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Maybe a note from you would also help smooth the waters for me, with the other Hessias."

"That's a good idea. But why keep this from Diana? You said it was her idea to stop the Athoses from being born."

It was, and they still needed to travel to those other two Earths and speak with their counterparts.

"I wanted to first know if it was possible for you to create a new birth control before I went to those other Earths."

"I get that. Now get to the part about lying to Diana." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a hard look he'd seen on Diana's face right before she kicked a villain's ass.

"I want to use the new birth control injection on our Diana, as well."

Hessia's face and arms dropped.

Clark pulled Hessia back over to the row of chairs, encouraging her to sit when she continued to stare at him.

"From all that we know, the Athoses are vile creatures who will cause an apocalypse on four Earths, if not stopped. But that Eirene would never be like them. With your injection, we can prevent three conceptions … or four. Diana and I never discussed changing our own history. I don't think that option has entered her mind. But we could … I could. I could either stop Bruce Wayne from poisoning Diana or make sure my Diana gets the updated birth control."

"That's a discussion that only the two of you should have."

He knew that, but he also knew that stopping Bruce Wayne wouldn't be easy. "The timestream is damn near impossible to control. If Wayne failed in one way, he would only try another way. And any other plan the man might employ, I would know nothing about and wouldn't be able to stop him. And I have no doubt, with as stubborn and paranoid as Bruce Wayne is, that he would find another way of killing Eirene. I don't want to risk putting Diana through the death of our child again, no matter how the death may take place."

"As I said, that's a discussion for you and Diana. I can make the birth control. That won't be a problem. If you have a few hours, I can get it to you and you can return to Diana and that other Earth. I can also write that letter for you. But what I can't do is tell you what to do other than speak with Diana. I understand you desire to protect her from pain. I have the same desire. But you've seen what my efforts to shield Diana from harm has resulted in. It almost cost me her friendship. I can't go behind her back again, Clark." Hessia placed a hand on his shoulder. "Learn from my mistakes. Talk to Diana. Pay her the same honor she wishes to give those other parents. The right to choose the fate of her child."

"What if she chooses to honor her daughter by accepting the pain of Eirene's short life and unexpected death?"

"Then Diana would be exhibiting one of the highest traits of an Amazon. But you knew that already, Clark. You know Diana's heart, even when it is broken."

He did. But he was hoping Hessia would tell him differently. Would tell him what he wanted to hear.

"Why is it that I can't seem to keep Diana from experiencing pain, no matter how hard I try?"

"It's called life, Clark. And it's painful at times, but after the pain comes renewed strength and hope. And throughout it all is deep, abiding love, when you've found the right person to share your life with. Don't be afraid to walk the path of pain, for it is only through pain that we come to know and appreciate joy."

Joy. Love. Hope. He wanted all of that for himself and Diana, as well as for the Dianas and Clarks of the other Earths.

"You're a good friend."

"And you're a good man, Clark Kent. A credit to your gender."

A credit to his gender? Clark decided to let that go with a simple, "Thank you."

"Okay, well, I guess I better head home and get started." She stood. "Coming or do you wish to meet me there in about three hours?"

"I'll meet you, but I have one more favor to ask before you go."

"Yes?"

"How can I get in touch with Hera?"

Hessia laughed. "You don't. Just because I think you're a credit to your gender, it doesn't mean Hera does."

"What does that mean?" Clark asked, actually offended. He'd met Hera a time or two when she was de-powered and lived with Diana. Beyond her utter arrogance, the woman seemed to, well, not exactly like him. Tolerate was probably a better descriptor.

"It means that Hera only responds to the prayers of women. She is the goddess of women."

"Oh, I thought she was the goddess of love and marriage."

"She is. Hera blesses and protects a woman's marriage, bringing her fertility, protecting her children, and helping her find financial security. In short, Hera is a complete woman, overseeing both private and public affairs."

That's exactly what Clark thought. And it was the reason why he needed to speak with her.

"How upset would the goddess be if you prayed to her but when she arrived Hera found me instead?"

"I don't have a death wish, Clark, even if you do." Hessia grabbed her white medical bag from a cabinet, then removed the vial of blood from the refrigerator and placed it in the bag. "Tell you what, go to Heraion in Olympia. It's an ancient Doric Greek temple dedicated to Hera that was destroyed in the early 4th century, by an earthquake. It was never rebuilt and is the location where the torch of the Olympic flame is lit. From what I understand, she loves those ruins. Make an appropriate offering and say your prayer. I would suggest invoking Diana's name to get her attention and garner her favor."

"Is that it? Just an offering and a prayer. I can do that."

Hessia granted him a pitying smile, then found her car keys and ushered him out the dojo.

"Whether Hera comes to me or not, I'll see you in three hours."

"I'll have everything you'll need by then. And, a word of advice, Diana's told me of your great intelligence and ability to read and digest material quickly. Before you call upon the goddess, do a bit of research. Learn what offerings should be made and deeply consider your prayer to her. It is the prayer, more than the offering, which will hold the most sway with a goddess like Hera. Show her that you understand, as much as many man could, the plight of women. If you do all of that, I have high hope of your success. Be well, Clark."

Clark watched as Hessia climbed into her car and drove in the direction of her home.

She'd given him excellent advice. And he knew precisely where to go to find trustworthy references on Hera, goddess of love, marriage, women, and birth. Quickly getting out of his civilian clothing, Superman lifted into the sky. Diana's London home his destination then the Temple of Hera.

TO BE CONTINUED