"Eta' Tivel!"
Zatanna shouted, casting her spell. The six Bouda creatures she was fighting, hovered in the air, before she released her next incantation.
"Llaw'eth Tsni'aga Mals!"
Out of her path, the six were-monsters flew in all directions. A hawk crashed on to a boulder. A panther into a jagged space between the wall. Two hyenas got impaled on stalagmites nearby, while a pair of boars met their demise when they slammed to the side of the cave. Blood splattered everywhere, decorating the cavern in a field of red. But that soon was covered up by the growing foliage creeping around entire area.
Zatanna watched as numerous tendrils and vines nearly covered the cave, signaling that Urzkartaga was coming.
Suddenly, an invisible force whammed into her. The sorceress tumbled toward the cavern walls, colliding against the stone. Disoriented, she shook herself and tried to get up, but the creeping vines coiled around her hands and held her against the rock. Struggling to free herself, Zatanna tried a spell. She began to recite a chant before another tendril shot out and covered her mouth. Her muffled screams could not be heard as the vines twisted around her neck and began to squeeze. Soon she would die of strangulation.
Derinoe laughed as she watched the helpless sorceress entwined within Urzkartaga's vines. She took pride in assisting the plant God by attacking the IADC operative with a spell of her own. Now immobilized, she turned her attention to Helena who dispatched several of her Bouda men with her sword and shield. The witch certainly could not allow that. She mumbled an incantation and aimed it at the demigoddess. Within seconds, a panicked Helena watched as her sword and shield flew from her hands.
Seeing Cyborgirl recover quickly from Helena's attack, the crone shouted at the hacker.
"Kill her!"
LeTonya Charles nodded and reloaded her robotic gatling gun. Once she was ready, she targeted her opponent and blasted at a disarmed Helena Sandsmark. Cyborgirl was going to ensure that the demigoddess was going to stay dead this time.
Covered in bloody cuts and bruises, Henry hurled the pile of were-monsters off from him. Picking up his sword and shield, he hacked and sliced his way through the horde, as he watched the chimera terrorize everyone inside the cave. As an untamed, feral beast, it displayed no loyalty to anyone. Evidence of this was displayed by the shredding, eating, and even stomping of some of the Bouda men in its path. A streak of flame shot out of its mouth, torching the were-creatures near its vicinity.
Henry darted toward it, hoping to find a weak spot in the beast. He slashed at it with sword, barely making a dent. So far, he had not been successful.
Dove covered herself and an unconscious Kory with her metallic cape. The Bouda began beating and piercing her shield with their clubs and spears, gradually damaging her uniform. Unsure, how long she could hold them off, she hoped her teammate had better luck.
Rose fought with determination. She was Deathstroke's daughter after all. Even if he was bastard father, she did inherit his meta-abilities for combat. Using her katanas, she took out a couple of were-boars and panthers, before slicing through a cheetah man that tried to stab her with his spear. Noticing Dove busy trying to protect Kory, she knew she had to continue fighting even if it meant dying again.
Artemis and the disfigured Alkyone fought hard with, with their weapons of a bow and scythe. Despite the sharpness of Alkyone's sickle blade, the Amazon was able to deflect her enemy's weapon with the strength of the upper and lower limbs of her bow.
"You surprise me," Alkyone smirked, attacking her with her blade. "You fight with a useless weapon!"
Artemis rolled her eyes. "A bow is just effective as any sword." She explained, blocking each strike of the scythe. "Then again, your sister, Zara, knows all too well the end of my sword's blade!"
Realizing her sister had been killed by Artemis, Alkyone screamed. She swung her scythe in attempt to take off the Amazon's head, who ducked out its path. Noticing her movement, Alkyone struck, sweeping Artemis's feet, and tripping her backward. The Amazon landed on the dirt only to see her enemy raise her blade up high. This time, Alkyone was going take her life.
Dancing manically, Derinoe clapped her hands in triumph upon seeing the end of her foes. Despite their best efforts, they could not best the witch and her men. They had failed. Urzkartaga's greenery was nearly blanketing the cave and soon, he would come forward in pure Godlike form and bring forth destruction to the world. She saw all the Titans and IADC agents nearing their defeat and she observed in glee their impending deaths. She had a front row seat to their imminent demises.
The vines grew taller, stronger, bringing forth more twigs and leaves. The witch watched in delight as they covered every inch of the cave. They snaked around, coiled every direction on to the dirt floor reaching around the old crone's feet, before instantly stopping, and turning into an unhealthy color. Slowly, the vines diminished, shriveling into blackened, dry husks as the leaves broke apart and crumbled around her. Unlike before where they sprouted wondrously, the tendrils slowly retreated, removing themselves from every inch of the cave walls.
To her horror, Derinoe gasped. "What is happening?"
The once green that blanketed the cavern, disintegrated leaving only dry sticks and dead leaves in its path. The old crone immediately knew of the consequences.
"Urzkartaga!" She hissed at the heroes. "He's been defeated!"
An explosion ripped from the huge pile of leaves from the altar's stone slab. The Zalmoxis seal rolled off the table and fell to the ground, as Cassie busted out and revealed herself, followed by Nubia and Ferdinand.
Cassie, look at Rose!
Cassie did as Jericho instructed and called out his sister's name. "Rose!"
Deathstroke's daughter turned around, just as she had finished stabbing a panther in front of her, to gaze at Cassie. They locked eyes. Jericho's spirit left Cassie's body and re-entered his sister's.
Jericho?
His sister's voice echoed in his head. This time Jericho had full control of Rose's body.
"Yeah, sis." He said as he examined his new host. "I'm taking the driver's seat now." He grabbed Rose's katana blades and hacked away at the Bouda men.
No fair. I should be in this fight.
"I'll give it back to you later." He promised. It was his turn to play hero. Seeing a were-cheetah attacking, he spun around and ripped open its chest with the katanas.
Nice job. But you have three more behind you.
"Backseat driver." Jericho snorted. He landed a kick to the Bouda hawk and ducked out of the way of a were-panther. Stabbing the boar in front of him, he decapitated the panther, before finishing his move by slicing through the hawk. Please with himself, he patted himself on the back. "See, nothing to it."
Don't be so sure.
Sure enough, another large horde came at him. Jericho now had to prove to himself that he was truly Deathstroke's son.
Seeing Artemis close to having her head chopped off, Nubia readied her sword and smashed all her weight into Alkyone. The pair toppled over into the ground as Cassie's nanny and Derinoe's daughter, scrambled to retrieve their weapons.
Alkyone grabbed her scythe as Nubia gripped her sword. She saw the Amazon warrior and shrieked.
"YOU!" She pointed to her burnt face. "YOU DID THIS ME!"
Nubia smirked. "You never looked better."
Furious, Alkyone attacked the woman. She swiped at Nubia's head with the sickle, who leaned back and avoided the blade by a hair and returned to her standing position, to draw her sword. Clutching both hands around the hilt, Nubia charged, and shot forward her blade and targeted Alkyone's chest. However, the warrior woman proved a worthy adversary as she blocked her strike with her scythe.
"I'm going skin your face and wear it as a mask!" Alkyone threatened.
"You have to draw blood first!" Nubia grinned.
Alkyone advanced. Lifting her sickle high, she brought it down on Nubia's head. Luckily, the Amazon noticed this, performed a backflip, and returned with a move of her own. Extending her sword out, she spun around, narrowly missing Alkyone's scythe from cutting her, as she drew her blade the moment the warrior woman shifted her position and sliced her back. Alkyone screamed, clutching the bloody wound behind her, and glared at Nubia.
Cassie's nanny smiled. "I guess I drew first blood."
No more hesitation, the warrior woman screamed hacking furiously away at Nubia. Still, each time, the Amazon managed to dodge each of her attacks. Jumping into the air in a spinning motion, Nubia kicked the scythe out of Alkyone's hands and landed a punch to the burnt woman's stomach. Alkyone clutched her belly in pain. Now disabled, the Amazon bestowed the final blow. Twirling her sword around her fingers, she lifted it up and winked at the evil woman.
"Say hello to Hade for me!"
With that said, Nubia sliced through Alkyone's neck, separating her head from her body.
"NOOOOOOO!" Derinoe wailed over her murdered daughter. She released an invisible force, blasting Nubia to the dirt ground. "I'LL KILL YOU!" She screeched at the Amazon. She started muttering an incantation before a cord wrapped around her wrist and a spark of electricity sent a jolt throughout her body. Derinoe shook, stunned and helpless as she was yanked from where she was at and got propelled into the pile of leaves gathered on top of the stone slab.
Cassie retrieved her magic lasso that she used on the witch, now blessed with a spark of lightning, and smiled at her handiwork. "Thank you, Grandpa Zeus."
She did not have time to celebrate yet as the old crone quickly gathered her faculties and began to recite a spell. Another invisible blast crashed into Derinoe sending her even further against the cave wall as Zatanna, now freed from the Urzkartaga's dead leaves, propelled the witch with her magic.
"Cassie," she told the teenager. "I'll hold off Derinoe. Attend to your family!"
The Amazon girl nodded. She helped a stunned Nubia up as they went to assist her mother.
Meanwhile, Dove could feel the Bouda almost tearing through her metal wings with their crude weapons. Looking down, she noticed Kory opening her eyes.
"What? Where..." The alien princess mumbled, trying to get her bearings.
"Derinoe zapped you." Dove explained to her teammate. "You were knocked for a bit. The Bouda are attacking but I'm holding them off. I don't know how long my shield will hold."
Kory nodded. "All right stand back. I'm going to fry these guys."
Just then screams echoed from behind Dove's wings. The Titan opened her cape and helped Kory up on her feet to see Deathstroke's daughter slaughtering several were-animals while a giant monstrous bull was massacring the rest.
Jericho noticed Kory and Dawn and signaled a hello with his head as he slashed through a cheetah. "Good you're safe. Let's finish off these guys!"
"Rose…" Dove began, confused by the sight they were witnessing.
"It's Jericho," he corrected. "Long story, I'm just borrowing my sister's body for a bit." He stabbed a hawk that was trying claw at him.
Kory pointed out the obvious. "And the giant bull?"
Deathstroke's son punched a boar nearby before disemboweling it. "His name is Ferdinand. He's Cassie's friend. Oh, and he's a Minotaur and a chef!"
Ferdinand ripped open a panther with his bloody claws, while snapping the neck of a hyena. He bowed to the Titan ladies.
"Hello to Cassandra's friends," the Minotaur politely greeted. "I would love for you try my crème brulee some time." He said that just as another hyena assaulted him from behind. However, he quickly made quick work of him too.
More hordes appeared. Dove and Kory prepared themselves and joined in the fun.
"Time to get kick more Bouda asses!" The alien princess joked.
Helena's magical bracelets deflected each other of the bullets Cyborgirl shot at her. Tired and weakened, she waited for LeTonya to reload again so she could make her move, but it did not appear that way. Her cybernetics replaced the empty cartridge automatically on her arm. Determined not to falter, the demigoddess fought through the exhaustion.
Cyborgirl noticed this and taunted her. "They say you're the face that launched a thousand ships. It's too bad that I'm going to blow all the beauty off!"
A singing sound sailed through the air as Nubia's sword, smashed into LeTonya's cybernetic arm, piercing through the electronics, damaging the internal workings. Now without her arsenal, Cyborgirl panicked leaving Cassie's mother to strike. Cartwheeling toward her shield, Helena grabbed her weapon and smashed it through LeTonya's chest cavity. Slicing through the internal technological workings that connected to the hacker's human heart, the edge of her shield squashed the organ leaving LeTonya a lifeless human shell. She toppled to the ground, a hollow empty machine, dead and now alone.
Helena turned to see Cassie and Nubia running toward her and cried.
"By the Gods!" She wept. "Cassie! Nubia! You're both alive!"
She embraced the pair and wiped her eyes. Sadly, there was no time for a reunion. She directed them to another problem.
The chimera.
"We have to help your father!" She told Cassie.
Cassie nodded and together with Nubia and her mother, she raced to Henry.
True to his wife's words, Henry had his hands full. Even after surviving the melee of the Bouda men, he was still unable to kill the chimera. Once more, he grabbed his sword and shield and managed to climb on to the monster's back. The large beast attempted to buck him off, as he held on to a piece of the creature's fur and tightly gripped him. A hissing sound came behind him as turned to see the chimera's serpent tail lodging at him to strike.
An arrow shot through the mouth of the snake, followed by another, killing the snake as it flipped backward lifeless behind the monster's hindquarters. Henry looked up to see Artemis swinging on grappling hook, with a bow in her hand, landing next to him on the creature's back.
"Thanks for the assistance." Henry smiled.
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Consider my debt to you, repaid."
Henry laughed. "See, I'm growing on you!"
The Amazon snorted. "Don't push your luck."
As the beast roared over its lost tail, it attacked the remaining Bouda men, leaving a trail of bloodied corpses in its wake. Henry and Artemis noticed Helena, and a very much alive Nubia and Cassie trying to distract the monster.
"Dad!" Cassie called out. "Can you stab it?"
"It's hide is too thick!" Henry replied, as Artemis and him hung on to the hairs of the beast.
The chimera roared again, this time spitting fire from the goat's head, as its lion counterpart, snapped at some the Bouda men trying to attack with its makeshift weapons. Nubia, Helena, and Cassie ran out of its path as it swiped at some of the of were-creatures and swallowed a couple in the process.
Nubia then began to remember something.
"There is an old myth," she told the ladies. "The hero Bellerophon defeated the chimera while riding the winged horse, Pegasus, and shot a fiery spear into the throat of the beast. Thus, defeating it."
Helena sighed. "We don't have a Pegasus or a fiery spear."
"No," Cassie replied with a plan. "But we have Titans."
They raced over to the piles of bodies left behind from where Ferdinand and the other Titans nearly defeated the Bouda. Seeing their comrades down, the remaining Bouda men started to retreat.
"Ferdinand!" Helena embraced the Minotaur. "It's good to see you alive!"
"Of course, Mistress," smiled Ferdinand. "It's a pleasure to serve you."
"Guys, huddle together!" Cassie instructed. The Titans and the Amazons joined in. "I have a plan to defeat the chimera."
They all listened. They all agreed.
On the other side of the cave, Henry and Artemis held on as the monster darted rapidly, ravaging anything in its path. Their eyes looked to see the rest of their teammates coming up with a strategy.
"Hopefully, this is a good one." Henry commented to himself.
Cassie sped up first. She waved her arms at the beast.
"What is she doing?" The demigod asked with concern. "She's going to get herself killed!"
"Trust her instincts," Artemis advised. "She knows what she's doing."
Pulling out her lasso, she whirled it around her head and launched it at the lion's head. Once looped around the beast's neck, she sent an electrical current, shocking the monster. The goat's head shrieked and spit out its flames, but Cassie managed to hold on as the creature struggled to move. She then turned to her team.
"NOW!"
Ferdinand's mythical strength launched Dove into the air. Despite some wing damage, her cape was still in working order. She glided toward the chimera, holding Jericho, who held one of the manmade Bouda spears in his hands. Next to them, Kory flew as they got closer to the goat's head.
"Launch!" Dove instructed.
Being Deathstroke's son meant keen marksmanship. He aimed directly at the goat's neck and shot it forward.
Then it was Kory's turn, raising her hand, she ignited her starfire and lit up the spear into one big flame. The fiery projectile pierced through the flesh of the goat, sending an earthshattering roar that rocked the cave. Smoke started to emit from both heads, while streaks of heat started to form around the chimera's body. Henry noticed this and began to shout.
"Run! She's gonna blow!"
He grabbed Artemis and jumped off the chimera's back. Cassie retrieved her lasso and raced, alongside the others to other side of the cave. They watched in shock as the chimera bucked, convulsed, until finally it exploded into a ball of fire, sending chunks of burnt animal flesh splattering against the stone walls.
One of the pieces landed on Jericho's shoulder. He peeled it off.
"Eww! Gross! Chimera meat!" He said disgusted.
If you damage my new suit, I swear…
"Chill, Rose," he said to his sibling. "I promise to wash this thing."
"Did we win?" Dove asked as the group gathered.
Suddenly, an unseen forced rocked the team. The energy of a seismic earthquake shook the cavern. The Titans, the Amazons, and even Henry and Zatanna blew backward across the ground as they looked up see an enraged Derinoe demonstrating the full use of her powers. A huge gust of wind blew around her, picking up her robes, as the fabric flapped all around her wrinkled form.
"FOOLS!" She raged. "YOU DEFEATED MY MASTER, URZKARTAGA! YOU HAVE KILLED MY DAUGHTERS AND MY MEN! BUT I STILL HAVE ENOUGH POWER LEFT TO DESTROY YOU ALL! PREPARE FOR YOUR ANNHILIATION!"
The group prepared themselves to charge at her but found themselves behind an invisible barrier. They punched, kicked, stabbed, used meta-powers, but nothing could get passed the unseen wall.
"Her magic is too strong," Zatanna told her teammates. "She broke me from my bindings."
Her words terrifyingly rang true. A gust of wind swept in and began to raise them from the ground. The team started to look at each other nervously as it surrounded them. To the demigod's horror, Henry announced what it was.
"It's a tornado!"
Violent winds, rapidly spun around them, picking them, and trapping them inside the air. Escaping proved futile as the strong current imprisoned them sending them into an endless vortex. Cries of help filled the air as the heroes were helpless to stop the old crone, except for Cassandra Sandsmark.
Breaking through the barrier, the teen marched toward the witch to face her.
"Let my friends go!" She ordered, placing her hands to her side.
Surprised to see that she was unaffected by her spell, Derinoe sneered at the teenager.
"Foolish girl! You think you can defeat me? I am Derinoe, the most powerful witch of the ancient world! I bow down to no one, not even stupid girls who will quickly learn that their fate is death!"
She clapped her hands together, sending a powerful force that knocked the girl back a few feet across the dirt. Unafraid, Cassie shook her head and marched on. Another unseen force slammed into her, forcing her to the ground, but she fought through its impact and stood up.
The witch cocked an eyebrow. "You are certainly brave. Foolish, but brave. But I grow weary of this game!" She pointed a finger and sent a bolt at lightning at her.
Cassie saw the lightning and raised her bracelet. The streak contacted with the metal, but instead of deflecting, it absorbed, wrapped around her vambraces, and sparked. Another flash of came; this time, connecting with her other bracelet, taking in the electricity, and storing it.
Annoyed, Derinoe went in for the kill. She raised her hands, summoned a great surge of power, and released a huge ball of lightning at the girl.
Seeing the enormous sphere of electricity, Cassie crossed her bracelets and braced for the impact. The jolt made contact. However, instead of harming her, the electricity pulsed, surged, crossed through her body, making her one with its power. She recalled the gift that Grandpa Zeus gave her, the spark of lightning, to wield it and control it. She now possessed that ability. She glanced at a shocked Derinoe and smiled. Then she slammed her bracelets together.
The clanging of energy discharged, sending its power back at Derinoe ten-fold. Unprepared, the witch collided from the intense power hitting her. She tumbled backward, striking the stone slab, and feeling the pain of burns and wounds now pulsating through her body. Yet, this did not stop her.
Forcing herself back up, she screeched at the Amazon girl.
"WHO ARE YOU?"
Cassie grinned wider than before. "I am Cassandra Sandsmark, daughter of Hercules and Helen of Troy! Granddaughter to King Zeus of Olympus and the Titan Helios! I am Themyscira's next chosen Amazon champion! Who am I? I am Wonder Girl!"
Her words did little to convince the old crone. Summoning all the power she could, the witch raised her hands until cracks of lightning filled the entire cavern. It crackled. It sparked. It destroyed the stone walls nearby. She took in all its power and she released it upon Cassie.
Crossing her bracelets once again, the lighting absorbed into her, filling her bracelets with that same spark, allowing the rest to flow and surge through body. The teenager grinned as she winked at the old crone as she remembered the Five Fruits of Goodness.
"Virtue, kindness," Cassie recited. "Compassion, faith, and," she separated her arms as she said the last one. "Love!" She clanged her bracelets together.
So powerful were her words that the cavern exploded. A surge of energy erupted from the new Wonder Girl, striking down Derinoe as the current ripped through the old witch, causing her skin to rupture, ignite in a burning flame as her body slowly disintegrated and melted away. Screams of agony came from the witch as her power faded, her defeat inevitable, and her death forthcoming.
"Nooo…." Derinoe's voice faded out as her body burned to ash and began to crumble to dust. "I can't be…defeated…by…a little girl…"
Nothing remained but dust piled high on top of a shredded torn cloak. Derinoe's power gradually faded, as the tornado slowed, the wind dissipated as the heroes landed on the ground safely. Dizzy from the horrific experience, the team took a minute to orient themselves.
"I'm never going on a tilt-a-whirl again." Jericho said, shaking his head.
Yeah, you will and probably eat those gross fried twinkies.
"Quiet, Rose." He said to his sister.
Helena laid next to Henry as they both waited for the dizziness to stop.
"You don't get motion sickness, do you?" Helena asked her husband.
"Not usually," he said. "Not until today."
Kory and Dove crawled around the dirt, fighting off the effects of the tornado, as they waited for their senses to regain themselves.
"I haven't felt this bad since I finished a full body of whiskey." Dove admitted.
"Try partying on the moons of Lupra." Kory answered.
Either way, the aftermath was never a pleasant experience. Only Artemis, Nubia, and Ferdinand, Zatanna seemed to be immune to the effects as they were used to magical attacks.
After a few minutes, the team regained their composure as, Henry and Helena, welcomed Cassie into their arms.
"Mom, Dad!" She declared, hugging her parents. "I did it!" The teenager proudly boasted. "I defeated Derinoe."
"You sure did, kiddo!" Henry smiled.
"Not to mention saving the world from an evil plant God," added Zatanna.
Helena smiled. "She certainly has the makings of an Olympian champion." She turned to her daughter's guardians. "Thanks to Nubia and Ferdinand! You trained her well!"
The Minotaur and the Amazon bowed to Cassie's mother with pride.
A loud rumble vibrated from the chamber. Small rocks started falling from the cavern's ceiling.
"It's the cave!" Dove pointed out. "It's collapsing!"
"We have to get out of here!" Kory announced.
Henry's eyes widened. "The exit is too far away! We won't make it in time!"
Cassie instantly remembered something. "Wait! I have a way!" She rushed over to grab the Zalmoxis seal that had dropped to the ground. She pulled everyone close to her. "Everyone, gather around me." They followed her instructions, watching Cassie raise up the seal as it began glowing in her hands. Once they were ready, she made her one and only wish.
"I wish we got the fuck out of here!"
Helena slapped her daughter's arm. "Cassandra, don't swear!"
Light illuminated from the seal, creating a blinding brightness that filled the room. Larger rocks toppled from the walls as the ceiling finally gave way and collapsed on top of them. Yet, it did not touch them as the luminescent energy transporting them outside.
From a greater distance, the team watched as the Bouda temple destroyed itself. The stone and rock formation disintegrated, crumbling into bits of minerals and pebbles. Intricate carvings, large stone steps, and the huge pyramid architecture toppled and shattered, leaving nothing left but a pile of rubble, gravel, and earth.
The rustling of the brush caught their attention as they witnessed a few surviving Bouda men, now transformed back to human form, escaping into the thick wilds of the Urzari Jungle. With no plant God to worship, no witch to serve, and no magic, they shamefully retreated into the wilds of Okarango Region.
"You did it, Cassie!" smiled Zatanna. "You saved everyone!"
Henry kissed the top of her daughter's forehead. "She's a hero. She gets that from her old man."
"And me too," Helena added, frowning at her husband.
"And her mother." Henry quickly corrected.
Cassie beamed with confidence. "I had great parents and great teachers." She glanced at Nubia and Ferdinand, who gestured in approval. "Not to mention new friends." She glanced at the Titans, Artemis and Zatanna, who responded likewise. "All of you helped me become the hero I'm suppose to be. Thank you." She paused for a minute. "And as my role as Wonder Girl, I first have to deal with this." She picked up the Zalmoxis seal and tightly placed it between her hands. Then using her strength as her greatest power, she squeezed hard, crushing, and crumbling the shards, grinding them until they became falling dust her in fingers. She turned to Zatanna. "If you wouldn't mind."
The sorceress took the hint and grinned widely. "With pleasure." She raised her hands and recited a spell.
"Sd'niew'ruof Eht'Ssorca Ret'tacs!"
A quick breeze picked up the shard dusts, lifting them in the air and spread them into the sky until they completed vanished.
"Now no one can ever summon the seal," Cassie explained. She turned to her comrades. "Let's go home."
They all agreed and headed toward the invisible jet.