Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, Teen Titans, or any other material I might use for inspiration.
Reptoholic: Thank you for the reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Ezeakel: True, but then she seemed to kind of regret her actions I mean she brought him back as a baby and started killing old gods in order for him to absorb them and get back his previous strength. So I just basically cut out the earlier part and had it that she was tight with him from the start.
Sultan Asil Arslan: Greyvan doesn't get enough shine at all so I thought I'd give him a little exposure. I've also got something planned in the war for him.
Invasion
"Greetings, Emperor Lar Gand, and his heavenly wife and partner, Empress Rhea." Kaldur greeted, ignoring the shocked looks of his hosts as they couldn't believe that the earth God and his guard had walked through the portal without waiting to have their life signatures coded into the barrier, immeasurably powerful death rays shooting down from the sky but to no avail as Stormbreaker shot a powerful blue energy from his eyes that formed a circular barrier around him and his comrades, causing the death rays to literally bounce off of the barrier.
Rhea couldn't believe it, no being, God or alien, had ever survived the death rays of the protection barrier, no matter how powerful. She doubted even she and her King would survive a barrier death ray as the barrier was the most powerful weapon ever created in Daxam. Yet, this earth God had done exactly that, not only shielding himself from the barrier death ray but shielding his own comrades too. Just how powerful was he? What even was he for that matter?
"If you could be so kind. I have recorded each of our energy signatures on this device." Kaldur'ahm said as he tossed a crystal-like device to the Queen, a device very similar to the ones used in Krypton and Daxam, in fact, exactly like the ones used there.
'Has my foolish son been sharing our technological secrets with the earthlings?' Rhea thought furiously.
"At once Lord Stormbreaker." Rhea said with a practised smile, a smile that portrayed the total opposite of the emotions that she was feeling, inserting the device into a slot that opened up on her left arm guard and proceeding to key in the codes in order to allow Stormbreaker and his comrades passage into New Daxam, a process that took no more than a few seconds.
"Thank you, beautiful and divine Empress of the Daxam Empire." Kaldur said with wonder, and of course, sincerity, the barrier that he set up around himself and his comrades fizzing out of existence as he spoke.
"If you continue to flatter my wife like that I'm going to get jealous, Lord Stormbreaker." The King said with both mirth and danger in his tone.
"My apologies, noble Emperor. I did not mean to offend, but in all honesty there is no need for you to be jealous, you do not look too bad yourself." Kaldur said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, the Emperor's eyes widening in surprise initially, until he realised that Lord Stormbreaker was only speaking in jest.
"Haha! You're quite the jester aren't you, Lord Stormbreaker? My son did not tell us about this side of you." The Emperor laughed heartily.
"I imagine there is a lot he didn't say about me. Nevertheless, allow me to introduce you to my elite guard. The woman next to me is Kuasa, The Godess of Life and Death. She is also my significant other. Our union is not yet official like yours and the Empress, but the intention is there, at least from my side." Kaldur said as he smiled lovingly at his girlfriend.
"It is an honour to meet your acquaintance, great Emperor and Empress." Kuasa said with a sophisticated accent.
"I see you have a very good taste in women, Lord Stormbreaker. She is indeed lovely, though I do hope it is not only outward appearances that sway you. I chose my wife not only because of her looks, but also because of her mind, her heart, and even her combat ability." The Emperor gave words of advice tò the young God.
"Then it is fortunate that Kuasa has all of those traits in abundance. If the Empress is anything to go by, then maybe I too have made a very good choice." Kaldur said with love and compassion.
"Wow, we should come to Daxam more often if that is what it takes for you to say such wonderful things about me." Kuasa said playfully.
"I may not always say these things, but I always think and feel them." Kaldur said as he caressed the right cheek of his beloved.
"Ahem…!" The Emperor cleared his throat loudly.
"Forgive me Emperor, young love can be….intoxicating, as I'm sure you know." Kaldur said apologetically
"Oh, I know…" Lar Gand replied with a knowing smirk.
"Nevertheless, let me introduce you to the rest of my elite guard, The Elite Storm Troopers as they are called…." Kaldur said as he introduced the rest of his elite guard, namely, Firestorm, Menagarie, Manchester Black, Ragman, and Hat.
"Its nice to meet all of you, but why does that young man have flames in his hair and eyes? Does it hurt?" Lar Gand asked confusedly.
"No, your highness. It does not hurt. The heat is always on but I can switch it off when I want to sleep or get it on with a girl you know what I mean." Ronnie said with a corny thumbs up.
"I see…"
"Husband…! I believe we have more urgent business to discuss with Lord Stormbreaker." Rhea gritted out.
"Yes, of course my love. Lord Stormbreaker, follow me." Lar Gand said, his demeanour changing from casual and carefree to serious and intense as he turned around and pressed a button on his arm guard, a projector in his guard morphing into existence and projecting what appeared to be an inter dimensional gateway.
"This gateway will lead us to my palace. Follow me." Lar Gand ordered as he and his wife went through the gate, followed by Kaldur'ahm and Kuasa, and then Kaldur's elite guard, and finally The Emperor's elite guard.
Ten Minutes Later:
"So you're saying that Darkseid was here, and he blatantly declared war on earth right in front of you, despite knowing that you have claimed earth as your colony? Do you think he knows that earth is not actually your colony but an independent planet posing as your colony?" Kuasa asked warily.
"Unlikely, and even if he did, we have an alliance with earth that stipulates that we are honour bound to send aid to earth in the form of soldiers in the event of an invasion." Lar Gand responded.
"And yet you cannot leave your own planet unguarded. Darkseid knows that you do not have the same numbers you once had because of the destruction that Kryptonian debri wrecked on your former planet when the planet exploded. He knows you won't be able to send that many people to aid your colonies. He probably has a plan to keep you from providing aid to us." Kaldur replied.
"To do that he would have to send some of his forces to keep us pinned here. He would be dividing his own army too, that wouldn't give him any sort of advantage." Rhea said dismissively.
"Unless he had a silent partner, perhaps another powerful species or empire to aid him." Kaldur retorted much to Lar Gand and Rhea's surprise as they hadn't even considered the possibility.
"Darkseid, seeking alliances with another species? Is that even possible? That arrogant jerk would never ask anyone for help." Rhea argued.
"Well, it doesn't really matter. Personally I wouldn't even ask for your help because I believe we have what it takes to repel Apokolips on our own. However, for the sake of our alliance, and for the sake of your image, you might need to send perhaps a small squad to earth. A four man squad should do the trick." Kaldur suggested.
"A mere four men squad? You're either insulting us or are trying to get us to insult the earthlings. What sinister motive might you have for wanting us to undermine the treaty?" Rhea asked furiously.
"He isn't insulting you, in fact it is a compliment to the strength of the Daxamites. With the power of the yellow sun, each trained Daxamite now has the strength of an entire army. Four elite or even mid tier soldiers from you would be a battle changer." Kuasa replied on her man's behalf.
"I…I see. Forgive me, Lord Stormbreaker, we are still getting used to this newfound power of the yellow sun. In all honesty, we do not really know the limits of our own strength yet." Rhea retorted, successfully hiding her blushes of embarrassment.
"A very understandable sentiment all things considered." Kaldur said with understanding, having seen Mon El go through the same phase when he first arrived on earth, and having gone through something similar himself when he first got his Old God powers from Zeus and Poseidon.
"Thank you for your understanding, but that brings us to the real reason I brought you here. What are your plans for my son in this war of yours?" Rhea asked, feeling like she has waited long enough to ask this question.
"The Prince holds a position of sergeant in my organization. He is, in other words a warrior and a leader of men. He will likely end up fighting on the frontlines, but only as a last resort. If all goes according to plan, he will mostly be involved with evacuating the civilians. Fear not though, Mon El is one of the strongest and most skilled fighters on earth. He is not someone to be trifled with, trust me. I fear for any being who finds themselves at the receiving end of his wrath." Kaldur replied.
It was weird for both Lar Gand and Rhea to hear someone speak about their son like that, as they were pretty sure that no one would have spoken about their son with such warrior praise before they were separated from him, as he had shown a strong lack of ambition except only when it concerned his next female conquest. To put it simply, he used to be a lover and not a fighter.
"The way you describe the prince, my son, is so vastly different from the Mon El that we knew before we were separated from him. It just feels like you are talking about someone else, someone far more terrifying." Rhea replied.
"I wouldn't expect the Empress to be terrified of her own son, especially when he loves and respects her as much as Prince Mon El does." Kaldur retorted.
"If he loves me and respects me as much as you say he does, then why hasn't he left earth and come home to me like I wanted him to." Rhea said irritably.
"You must understand that respect is a two way street, Empress. In the same way that he respects you, so must you also respect him as a man, as a warrior, and as your future King. The fact that you expect him to do whatever you want him to do irrespective of his own will shows a severe lack of respect from your side." Kuasa retorted.
"I wonder if you would feel like that if it were your son we were talking about!" Rhea snapped.
"Probably not. Truth be told I wouldn't be surprised if I acted exactly like you, but Lord Stormbreaker will be there to keep me in check I suppose, and if not, then I will be left as frustrated and afraid as you are when my son inevitably grows a pair of balls and begins to defy me as he forges his own path." Kuasa replied.
"So you're saying this is the fate of all mothers with their sons? To feel constantly afraid for your child's wellbeing as he runs off to endeavour in all sorts of reckless deeds irrespective of your own feelings? I should just accept that?" Rhea asked, incensed.
"If you truly love him, and if you respect him, then yes." Kuasa retorted.
"Nonsense! I will never accept that! I will bring Mon El to heal no matter what it takes!" Rhea said with both anger and malevolence.
"Rhea! That's enough! Why do you…actually, we will discuss this matter later…in private!" Lar Gand said with a grave undertone.
To say Rhea was furious would be a massive understatement, for she was livid, never in her life having ever felt as helpless as she did right now. What made matters worse was that Stormbreaker had shattered her plans literally with the first step that he took when he entered their airspace, proving himself to be superior even to the death rays of their protective barrier.
She had planned to have the barrier accidentally malfunction and not recognise Stormbreaker and his elite guard, which would then cause them to be vanquished by the barrier. Even if the barrier didn't successfully kill the Celestial, she expected it would put him out of commission for a long time, which would cause Mon El to come back to Daxam in order to check on his beloved false God.
She would then lure Mon El to a special prison that she designed specifically for him, a prison that naturally produces red sun uv rays. The prison would weaken Mon El until he had absolutely no power and she would keep him there and begin to have him undergo reconditioning so that he can be more loyal to her and his people. Admittedly it would probably take years for her to completely break him given how mentally strong he seemed to have become, but what were a few years to someone who could live for over a thousand years under the yellow sun.
All of that planning had now gone to waste. As long as Stormbreaker was alive, Mon El would not break, certainly not in two years. She could still lure him to the prison she built for him as he still had to spend at least two weeks of every month in Daxam, but she couldn't even begin to predict how Stormbreaker would react to that, and as powerful as he had just shown himself to be, she could honestly say that she wasn't looking forward to incurring his wrath.
She didn't think Lar Gand and her couldn't beat him, they could, at least she hoped they could. Even if they couldn't, she had an entire army of one hundred thousand Daxamites to back her up, not even Stormbreaker could win against those odds, even with his Acolytes of Zeus nonsense.
The problem was that luring Mon El back to New Daxam before the war with Darkseid was no longer possible. She was certain that Mon El was going to refuse to come back until earth defeated Darkseid, or lost to Darkseid.
That was her fear, that Mon El would die in this stupid war that he shouldn't even be involved in. Critically injuring or having Stormbreaker die in Daxam was the kind of drastic measure that would have gotten her stubborn fool of a son to come back right before the war began, however, she didn't have a plan B, she couldn't even think of one, and that didn't do well at all for her anxiety, which then fuelled her anger and frustration.
"……"
"Do not concern yourself too much, Empress, if all goes according to plan, the prince won't even have to fight in the war. We plan to allow the Justice League to handle Darkseid and his elite generals while we focus on evacuating the citizens from wherever the danger is. At most we intend for him to fight as many para demons as possible." Kaldur replied.
It wasn't a complete lie. That was indeed the plan of action. However, if the worst case scenario of the Justice League losing came to pass, Kaldur intended for Mon El to be at the front lines, fighting against the strongest fighters that Apokolips had to offer. He wasn't going to say that to the Queen though, because he very much doubted she would be pleased at all, and he also very much doubted that there was anything he or she could do to stop Mon El from participating in this war.
"If you don't mind me asking, how do you intend to win the war against Darkseid without having one of your strongest fighters fighting on the front lines?" Lar Gand asked, suspecting that something was amiss here.
"The Justice League will handle Darkseid and his elite warriors. Our job is to make sure that the Justice League doesn't have to worry about casualties." Kuasa explained, hoping to protect her man from potentially perjuring himself.
"And if the Justice League should lose? What then?" Lar Gand inquired.
"They won't lose, and if they do, then Darkseid will feel the full might of the Acolytes of Zeus. He will rue the day he ever decided to return to earth." Kaldur said ominously.
"….."
"The four man squad that you want. What do you intend to do with them?" The Emperor pressed.
"They will shadow the Prince, of course, and if he should end up on the front lines, they will fight alongside him. I believe that should also help to soothe your concerns, Empress?" Kaldur asked rhetorically.
"They would be soothed if Mon El didn't participate in this war to begin with." Rhea said stubbornly.
"Unfortunately that is not possible, Empress." Kaldur said apologetically.
"You could just order him to come back to New Daxam." Rhea argued.
"Forgive me Empress, but I would never step on the prince's pride like that, especially not after he has worked so hard to elevate himself to the great and noble warrior and leader that he has become. However, I can promise to give him the option of coming back home and not participating in the war. I wouldn't hold my breathe that he will choose that option though." The Storm God replied calmly, but firmly, Rhea resisting the urge to pull her hair in frustration.
"I believe this conversation has been exhausted enough. I think at this point it is clear that our son will be fighting in the war irrespective of anyone else's wishes. The best we can do is to ensure that he has the best back-up any warrior could hope for." Lar Gand said with finality.
"What do you have in mind?" Kaldur asked curiously.
"I will send my elite guard to Earth to fight alongside Mon El. It will be good for the alliance for the prince to be seen defending the colony along with the Emperor's Elite Guard, it will also be good for the Empire as a whole if our prince and our soldiers play an important role in the defeat of the Dark Lord. May Rao be with you all." Lar Gand said with the kind of sage-like wisdom required of an Emperor of a great Empire.
"Gratitude to you for your wisdom and benevolence, Great Emperor Lar…" Kaldur trailed off, his eyes suddenly becoming illuminated by a great blueish white energy as his features became stern and focussed.
"What is it, Stormbreaker?" Rhea asked anxiously, even though it sounded more like a demand than anything else.
"It appears as though the war has begun, covertly just as we expected." Kaldur replied, his voice as calm and smooth as a lake.
"What do you mean, my love?" Kuasa asked, just as anxious as Rhea was, Lar Gand also listening intently, so were the other members of the Elite Storm Stroopers and the Elite Guard of the Emperor.
"An Apokoliptan general known as Steppenwolf and an army of para demons are attacking the Amazon island of Themiscyra, no doubt in hopes of obtaining the Grand Mother Box that is being held there." Kaldur replied.
"Isn't that island supposed to be hidden from all outsiders by your divine power? That's what Mon El told us." Rhea asked condescendingly.
"The grand mother box activated a few days ago. It has been sending signals to Apokolips. It lead Steppenwolf there." Kaldur explained.
"You are the protector and custodian of the Amazons. Shouldn't you go and protect them?" Rhea asked with a tone that seemed to insinuate cowardice on the part of the Storm God.
"No. I was banished from Themiscyra when I came of age, and no male, God or not, is allowed to step foot on Themiscyran land. Besides, I have prepared the Amazons for intergalactic war. I have taught them the mystic arts and because of their natural affinity to it due to their magical origins, they have taken to it like fish to water. I have also prepared them in many other ways. So fear not, Empress, Steppenwolf will fall today." Kaldur replied confidently, Rhea and Lar Gand looking at each other as if to communicate with their eyes alone before Lar Gand spoke again to the God of Storms.
"If the war has begun, then you should return to earth immediately. As previously agreed, you will take my Elite Guard with you. Take them directly to Mon El. Sodam Yat, you will follow every order given to you by Prince Mon El until the end of the war. Understood?" Lar Gand said sternly.
"By your command it shall be done, my Emperor!" Sodam Yat, leader of Lar Gand's elite guard, saluted.
Meanwhile: Themiscyra
'This is not going according to plan.' Steppenwolf took a small moment to assess the situation, in awe of the power, skill, and preparation of the Amazons, the horned New God unable to believe how advanced the Amazons had become since the last time an Apokoliptan force came to planet earth.
When Darkseid came to earth all those years ago, it had been reported that the Amazons had super strength compared to normal humans, but nothing in comparison to a New God, and for the most part that still rang true.
It had also been reported that they used an especially strong and durable metal alloy for their amour and weapons, a metal known as amazonium. That also still rang true, although it was no concern as the Apokoliptan metal alloy known as element x was still far superior to amazonium, or so he thought.
He had not been told that the metal alloy amazonium was a magic conductor, and he had not be told that the amazons were magic users. He had also not been briefed about these magical creatures that the Amazons were using in battle, creatures like the griffons that had namean lion skin, actual namean lions, dragons, winged horses known as pegasus, and three headed dogs known as cerberes.
The army seemed to be divided into companies according to the creature that they were affiliated with. There were three flying squads, the Royal Flying Squad, in which every warrior road on a pegasus, and then there were two other flying squads, the griffon squad and the dragon squad, amazon warriors riding griffons and dragons respectively.
The infantry also had riders, some riding on lions with impenetrable skin, the namean lions, and others riding on large, powerful three headed dogs, the cereberes.
These creatures were not just powerful in physical strength or flight either, they had actual magical powers. The dragons could breathe scorching fires from the pits of hell itself and the griffons had the ability to manipulate the wind to cause twisters or fire concentrated blasts of air from their mouths. They could even create razor sharp wind blades. The pegasus were screamers, being capable of launching sonic blasts and sonic waves from their throats. The queen's horned pegasus seemed to be special, as it had displayed the ability to use its horn as some kind of plasma cannon.
The amazons themselves seemed to be using their weapons as conduits for the magical abilities, as he had seen and been at the receiving hand of their elementally enhanced weapons. From his analysis, the lion riders were using electricity based elemental magic enhancements on their arrows and swords, the cereberes riders were using water, the griffon riders wind, the dragon riders fire, and the pegasus riders were using some kind of sound based attack. Their magic styles were all different but equally efficient.
Needless to say, his para demon army was being decimated. In fact, at this rate, not only would his entire battalion be decimated, but he could potentially die too. There was no way even he could defeat this army on his own. He only had one choice and that was to target the one with the grand mother box, retrieve it, and get the hell out of there as quickly as possible.
The Dark Lord would not accept failure, Steppenwolf knew that he was as good as dead if he returned empty handed. So he had no choice but to bet everything on one last surge and hope for the best. He would have to put everything in it otherwise he was not only going to fail, but he was going to die too.
"No fear! No cowardice! No retreat! No regrets! For Darkseid!" Steppenwolf declared with a loud, deep, and booming voice, hoisting his battle axe in the air as he galvanized his para demon army, all the while staring intently at the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, who was leading the Royal Flying Squad riding on a pegesis herself, thee most beautiful one of them all, and the most unique one too as this one had a horn sticking out of its head, almost like a flying unicorn.
"The enemy has grown desperate. He is planning to put everything on the line in his next attack." Queen Hippolyta noted.
"Then we must send the dragon squad after him! It is imperative that the Royal Flying Squad not be drawn to battle. Once we are drawn in, it will mean that Steppenwolf is getting closer to reaching his ultimate prize!" Antiope said with concern.
"You are not wrong, but you are not entirely right either. It is time the amazons once again saw their queen lead them on the front lines. It is time to remind our sisters who exactly it is that leads them. Here, lead the Royal Flying Squad and protect this with your life. I will go ahead and meet Steppenwolf in one on one combat." Hypollyta said as she handed the grand mother box over to her sister, who was too perplexed to even move a single muscle towards the item, unable to believe the sheer level of stupidity she had just heard from her sister.
"My queen, the memory of the amazons is as immortal as our lives. No one has forgotten your courage and skill as a warrior. But to fight Steppenwolf on your own, even with our enchanted weapons, is quite frankly suicide." Menalippe said what everyone else was thinking.
"Look, look at him? What do you see?" The Queen asked of her royal guard as she directed her gaze at Steppenwolf.
"A monster, tearing through our sisters like a hot knife through butter. It almost seems like he has gotten stronger somehow." Phillipus said shockingly.
"He has gotten stronger, because he has summoned every ounce of is will, his warrior spirit, and his strength for this last surge. But more importantly, our sisters are busy dying while you deliberate about weather to follow my orders or not, and Steppenwolf is getting closer and closer to me. That, is what I wanted you to see." The Queen said with a grave undertone.
"We….we understand my Queen, but hurt me as it does to say this, better them than you, and I'm sure that they would agree too." Artemis said with conviction.
"Do you honestly believe that our beloved God and protector, my son, would not have left his queen with the means to protect her people?" Hypollyta asked incredulously.
"We know of Lord Stormbreaker's blessings, my queen. We ride on the Pegasus that he created for us, our sisters ride on the griffons, dragons, and cerberes, and namean lions that he brought back into existence. We fight with the magic that he taught us to use. We know all of these things, but it doesn't mean that we must forsake all logic and allow our queen to fall to her death." Antiope argued vehemently.
"Then you know nothing, and you leave me no choice…" Hypollyta said as she did the most unthinkable thing ever, dropping the grand mother box and letting it fall to the ground.
Of course, none of her warriors were ever going to allow that to happen, she knew it, and they to knew, which is why Antiope was the first one to go after the grand mother box, Artemis, Phillipus, and Menalippe all following suit as they made sure that their general was not left unguarded as she retrieved the grand mother box.
Meanwhile, a bright golden glow appeared on the jewel of the golden neckline protector that the queen was wearing, triggering a response from the golden metal of the neckline protector as the metal shape shifted and seemed to actually grow as it spread all around her body, covering her entire body, even forming a protective armour around her head, forehead, and jaw. The armour also grew to form large angel-like wings on her back.
Following her transformation, the queen activated the magic on the jewel of her ring, which caused a small lightning based extra dimensional portal to appear from which Hypollyta pulled out a sceptre, the sceptre as gold, as beautiful, and as spotless and shiny as her armour.
'Nano technology? No, nano sorcery? And that armour, it is metal alloy of the old gods, pure olympium.' Steppenwolf thought warily.
"Asteria, stay back for now, only interfere if you have to." The Queen said to her flying horse, to which the horse replied with a simple neigh and a nod of the head, the queen floating off of the horse as she prepared herself to launch her attack.
"Para demons, Amazons, fall back! We will settle this with a one on one battle between the leaders. There will be no more casualties today!" Hippolyta ordered, using magic to enhance her vocal cords so that her words carried all across the battlefield, Steppenwolf also ordering his para demons to fall back when he realised what the Amazon queen had in mind, more than willing to oblige as he felt he could not have wished for a better shot at victory.
"My queen? That armour…" Menalippe trailed off in shock. She had only left her queen's side for but a moment in order to help her general to retrieve the grand mother box, and the next thing she knew her queen has turned into an angel of some sort. She could literally feel the power radiating off of her queen right now and the only beings she knew with more magical power were Diana and Kaldur'ahm.
"Pure Olympium, a gift from my son to me, and to us. This armour was given as an heirloom for the royal family, to be used in the service and protection of the amazons. As I tried to tell you earlier, our God, my son, would never leave us without the ability to protect ourselves." The Queen replied, not waiting to see the reaction from her sisters as she shot off towards Steppenwolf at an unbelievable speed, so fast that her movements created a sonic boom, and in literally no time at all, Hypollyta was already standing in front of the gigantic Steppenwolf.
"Terms and conditions…"
"A fight to the death!" Steppenwolf declared immediately, not even giving the queen a chance to finish speaking.
"Agreed. If you lose, your para demons will return to Apokolips and not return to earth for at least 12 months, preferably forever."
"And if you lose the amazons will surrender to Lord Darkseid and fight in his name and his honour." Steppenwolf declared.
"Negative! The amazons will never surrender, but they will give you the grand mother box if I should lose." Hypollyta counter offered.
"……"
"Very well! The terms are set!" Steppenwolf finally said after spending a few seconds searching the queen for any signs of deception, the gigantic horned God immediately throwing down with the queen as he brought his equally gigantic axe down on her, apparently attempting to split her head and body into two equal halves.
Thankfully, for the amazons, for the queen herself, and for earth kind as a whole, the queen was not only extremely alert, but extremely fast and strong too as she quickly brought her sceptre up to block the attack, her stance wide and her arms spread apart from each other as she held the sceptre up horizontally.
The impact was hard and loud, the impact causing a loud booming sound and sending shockwaves spreading all around the two warriors, the amazons and para demons that had been standing and flying too close to the two respective leaders being blown away by the shockwave. The force behind the attack was also so powerful that it caused a large creator to form beneath both of the warriors' feet
"Not very sporting of you to attack so suddenly, I thought you'd at least give me a fair warning, but then again, this is war and you cannot expect all your enemies to fight with honour." Hypollyta managed to say under the strain put on her by the Mighty Steppenwolf.
However, any attempts to get into the horned god's head fell on deaf ears as the gigantic creature seemed to have only one thing in mind, and that was to fulfil his mission, which is why the only response Hypollyta was able to get from him was a small grunt as the Apokoliptan god moved on to his next phase of attack, launching a straight kick to the amazon queen's chest now that he had both her arms occupied and also had her flat footed and firmly planted on the ground, meaning that it was going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible for her to move out of the way.
However, much to his surprise, his attack was completely halted, the full impact of his powerful leg absorbed by the angel-like wings from the Queen's armour, the wings hedging the queen like a mother bird would its children as they rapidly covered the entirety of her body in order to stop Steppenwolf from connecting with his attack, the result being another booming sound on impact and another powerful shockwave washing over the battle area.
'She can move the wings at will, and they are stronger and more sturdy than even the strongest shield that I have encountered. She is also accustomed to this fighting style. She must have spent long periods of time training her art to perfection.' Steppenwolf thought as he tried to analyse the style that the queen was using, shockwaves washing all over the area as the two leaders clashed repeatedly for what felt like hours to those who were watching, to say they were really watching the fight being an overstatement to begin with as none of their eyes could actually keep up with the speed of the fight, not the para demons or the other amazons.
The battle would carry on like that for quite some time, no one able to land a clean blow on the other as it seemed the two warriors were evenly matched. However, as if out of nowhere, there was finally a definitive advantage taken by one of the combatants, Queen Hypollyta's sceptre cutting and smashing not only right through Steppenwolf's axe but also cutting clean through Steppenwolf's right arm, greyish-black blood spraying everywhere as a result of the devastating injury.
"I-impossible..!" Steppenwolf exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise as he staggered backwards, his eyes looking between the broken axe, the severed limb, and Hypollyta's sceptre, confusion and fear in his eyes as he realized that he was probably not going to win this fight, and in fact that he was likely about to die.
"Impossible? I think not. You were just too naïve Steppenwolf, you didn't realise what was happening until you lost your favoured arm, and even now, at the end, you know no better." Hypollyta said condescendingly.
She was referring to the power of her sceptre of course, more specifically, the sound and/or vibration based powers of the sceptre. With every clash between her sceptre and Steppenwolf's axe and armour, the sceptre was releasing a low frequency sound, a different one with every clash until it found the perfect frequency required to dismantle Steppenwolf's element X weapon and armour.
When the sceptre finds the perfect frequency, it will draw from its own magic, the magic of Hypollyta's armour, and the magic of Hypollyta herself in order to enhance the frequency to its maximum potential, which is why Steppenwolf's defeat appeared to be so sudden and out of the blue to someone looking in from the outside.
The draw back off course is that the warrior wielding the sceptre has to be strong enough and skilled enough to survive long enough for the sceptre to find the correct frequency, but thankfully Hypollyta was more than capable of doing just that, thanks to her own skill, and thanks to the divine armour that she was wearing.
"You witch!" Steppenwolf exclaimed, fear and confusion replaced by fury and rage as he tried to attack the Queen with his weaker left arm, but to no avail as the punch was not only way too slow and lethargic thanks to Steppnwolf's injury and loss of blood, but was also much too predictable, the Queen of the Amazons evading it easily as she ducked under it and swerved to the right side, to Steppenwolf's blind side before swiftly and cleanly severing the New God's head.
The silence was deadly, as if both the Amazon and Para Demon army had lost not only their ability to make verbal sounds but even their ability to breathe at all. No one said a single word, no one moved even an inch of their muscles, nobody even blinked, everyone shocked by the sudden and seemingly easy victory of the Queen in what was an otherwise fierce and competitive battle up until that point.
It was only after the queen raised her sceptre in the air in victory did the world come back to life again, the Amazons cheering so loudly that Hypollyta could swear that the sound must have travelled all the way to Apokolips itself. To say the para demons were intimidated would be an understatement, boom tubes opening up everywhere as the para demons retreated, whether to honour the agreement that the Queen had struck with Steppenwolf or because they feared for their lives hard to determine at that point in time, though nobody really cared why they really left as long as they did in fact leave.
"My queen! You have been keeping secrets from us." Antiope said as her winged horse touched down on the surface, the wide smile on her face however portraying her true emotions as she was overjoyed at her Queen's victory.
"I tried to tell you. Our God, my son, would never leave us undefended." Hypollyta replied with a joyful smile of her own.
"We are happy at your victory my Queen. It was an honour to fight at your side, and even more so to witness your amazing skills in battle." Phillipus said with joy and relief.
"And now we must mourn and burry our dead." Artemis said with a forlorn expression.
"We will do no such thing. Before the war began, my son told me not to burn or bury our fallen sisters. He told me that he can resurrect them as long as even a small portion of their physical bodies is intact, and as long as they died in Themiscyra and not outside of Themiscyra." Queen Hypollyta said sternly.
"As long as they died inside Themyscira? Why that particular requirement?" Menalippe asked confusedly.
"My son has cast an additional spell on the barrier, a very powerful one. It is one that traps the souls of our sisters and prevents them from going to the underworld. As for the corpses, healing and regenerating them is child's play for my son. The tricky part would have been retrieving the souls if they had fallen to their deaths outside of Themiscyra." Hypollyta explained.
"Young Kaldur'ahm has been a true blessing to us hasn't he?" Menalippe said with a fond smile.
"Indeed." Hypollyta said with an expression that was somehow both happy and sad, happy that her son had become such a great and noble God, but sad that she might never actually see him again, not unless war took them out of Themyscira. However, that something so horrible had to happen before she could see him was in itself the object of her sadness and sorrow.
"You miss him don't you?" Antiope asked, concerned for sister's emotional wellbeing.
"More than anything in the world." Hypollyta replied, holding back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.
"He is always with us my Queen. I feel him when I pray, I feel his presence even now. Do not despair. Your son, our God, has never left us." Artemis said with conviction.
"I know Artemis. I know." Hypollyta said sorrowfully, willing herself however to put all of that emotional baggage to the side for now and focus on what needs to be done.
"The war is not over. It has only just begun. Have battalions of at least one thousand women each stationed on all four corners of the Island, have them rotate in twelve hour shifts. The bodies of the fallen must be cleaned and prepared for resurrection. This will be our life now until the war is won. Martial Law is in full effect." Hypollyta ordered.
"As you wish, my Queen." The four elite guard saluted before they went about distributing the Queen's instructions, however not before Antiope gave back the Grand Mother Box to the Queen, who ordered the 20 highest ranked members of the Griffon and Dragon Core to escort her to another vault to secure the Grand Mother Box, as the other one was destroyed when Steppenwolf invaded.
There was a brief stare down between the queen and the three para demons that came to retrieve Steppenwolf's corpse, severed body parts, and broken weapon, the queen almost daring the para demons to try and take the grand mother box from her as she could see exactly what they were contemplating in their minds. However, eventually, the para demons thought better of it, ultimately deciding to honour the agreement, but only because they knew that any attempt to betray the queen would only lead to failure…and death.
Later that Day: At The Grimoire
"I bring both bad and good news. The bad news is that the dreaded war against Apokilips has officially begun, and the good news is that we have won the first battle. Queen Hypollyta and the Amazons successfully repelled Steppenwolf and his para demon army when they tried to invade Themiscyra, in fact, the Queen has slain the mighty Steppenwolf." Kaldur announced to his generals, namely, the Four Horsemen.
It was literally the first thing he did upon his return, calling for a war council. He needed to make sure that everyone was on the same page and that everyone was ready for what was to come. Being told that a war was coming was different to being told that there war was in progress, there just was a different feeling to it, because when you're told its coming, part of you believes it, but the other, optimistic part of you holds hope that the war might not even happen at all.
But when you know, with certainty, that the war is happening, it puts you in a different state of mind, a more vigilant and focussed state of mind because you now know with certainty that anything but your best will lead to your premature death. This was also an opportunity for Kaldur to see his comrades one more time, because there was no guarantee that he would ever see them alive again despite how confident he was in their abilities.
"And the grand mother box? Is it secure?" Batwing asked warily.
"It is safe and secure, and I have full confidence that it will be for the remainder of the war. The Amazons will only grow in confidence after this victory, and I hope news of this victory has motivated all of you to claim victory for yourselves when your time to fight comes." Kaldur said passionately.
"The victory of our sisters has galvanized my spirit, but why did you not inform me of what was happening brother? I could have helped my sisters in the battle." Diana asked, clearly displeased at being left out of such an important event for her people.
"You are the champion of the Amazons, but you are also leader of the Justice Patrol. This is an important time for you to build a bond of trust with your team. If I had told you, and you had left everything and ran to our sisters' side, your priorities might have been in question from the perspective of your new team."
"And even if that were not so, they might have decided to come with you to Themiscyra, and who would have watched over the grand mother box that the Justice Patrol is responsible for? And if you brought it with you, there would have been two grand mother boxes in the same location, an outcome that I do not find desirable, nor should you." Kaldur explained his reasoning clearly and concisely.
"You are right of course, brother. Honestly I don't know how you do it. In your position, to be able to see everything and be able to stop yourself from interfering? I don't think I would be able to do it." Diana said with sympathy, but also admiration as she couldn't help but to commend her brother for his mental and emotional discipline.
"The amazons are a warrior race as you know very well. They need to know that the have the ability to claim victory on their own should the need arise, and I also have to respect their values and traditions. No men allowed means no men allowed." Kaldur replied.
"I understand." Diana confirmed with a nod.
"So what exactly is the plan now? Do we just wait for Darkseid and his army to attack us?" Damian asked with clear venom and displeasure in his tone.
"For the most part yes. I do however have a task for Wonder Woman. Sister, I need you to organize a television slot for this evening with Cat Grant of Catco. Make sure to invite General Lane and Superman to join the interview. You will brief the world publically about what is to come. I have already sent you a guide on your cell phone to explain the purpose of the meeting and the information I want you to share with the public. This meeting will also serve as a briefing to the Justice League and the Militaries of the world of our plans for the invasion. We will allow no censorship of information." Kaldur explained.
"Won't that just cause mass hysteria and worldwide panic?" Diana asked warily.
"Not if you follow my guidelines. The public will feel safe and secure when they learn of our evacuation plans, they will also realise that our hands are the safest hands." Kaldur replied confidently.
"It's a risky strategy even if I do not know the full details of the guidelines you have for Wonder Woman, but….I have learned to trust your judgement. You have not lead us astray thus far, I don't imagine you will at this crucial time." Batwing said sincerely.
"Thank you Damian, that means a lot to me." Kaldur replied with equal sincerity.
"Now, I have been doing my own scouting of the Apokoliptan forces. And I come up with a battle plan that I believe will prove most effective should the Justice League fail. Everyone, please look at your message receivers as I am sending you the battle plan as we speak." Kaldur informed his generals, all their phones beeping simultaneously as they all quickly scanned their phones for information, even the Emperor's Royal Guard receiving their own messages so that they too know the plan.
"I have also sent this battle plan to the rest of the Acolytes as well. Everyone, as of now, knows exactly what they have to do for us to win the war." Kaldur explained, everyone shocked to the core at what they were seeing on their cell phones.
"This can't be right. It says here the prince and his elite guard are to take out Darkseid himself! You promised the Emperor that the prince would not participate in the war directly!" Sodam Yat exclaimed angrily.
Sodam Yat had been invited to the meeting of course, as Kaldur'ahm wanted there to be transparency between the Acolytes and the Daxamite representatives. He wanted them to understand that he didn't harbour any secret agendas against them and that everything and every action taken was taken was done in good faith.
None of the Acolytes had objected, although Kaldur did expect that Batwing would be having a word with him in private judging by the look the Storm God had gotten from the Bat themed teen, Kaldur not needing to be a telepath or an empath to know that Damian was not pleased at all.
"I promised the Emperor that Prince Mon El would not be directly involved as long as the Justice League wins. This battle plan only comes to effect if the Justice League and the Young Justice fail at their tasks." Kaldur deadpanned.
"Then have the prince fight this…this Kanto person or whatever. Why would you have the prince fight Darkseid himself? Are you daft or are you actually trying to get the prince killed?" Sodam said angrily.
"Do you not find it strange that we earthlings seem to have far more faith in your prince than the people of Daxam do?" Kaldur asked rhetorically, completely silencing Sodam Yat as he hadn't expected that line of questioning, in fact, he hadn't expected any sort of questioning really as he thought he was the one asking the questions.
"Think about this for a second, if the Emperor's Elite Guard and the prince take out the Dark Lord himself, how will the people of earth feel about the prince? How will the people of Daxam feel?" Kaldur probed further.
"The Queen will be livid! She will never forgive you." Sodam said with certainty.
"But how will the people of Daxam feel, and the people of earth of course?" The Storm God insisted.
"The people of earth will be eternally grateful, they will hail and praise him, love him even, as they do Superman." Sodam said, eyes widening slightly as realisation began to dawn on him.
"And the people of Daxam?" Kaldur pressed.
"They will love and respect him. News of his victory will spread across the entire universe, everyone will know that the Prince of Daxam is not someone to be trifled with. The name of the Daxam Empire will grow even bigger. The people will celebrate him on his return to Daxam." Sodam said, shaking his head in dismay as he began to realize what a genius this man…no, this God was.
"So tell me Sodam, how much reservation do you still have about my plan?" The Storm God asked with a knowing smile.
"None whatsoever. It is a great risk, but it is worth it. We will fight alongside the prince, and we will do everything in our power to attain victory for the prince, for earth, and for New Daxam." Sodam Yat said with a military salute.
"I'm glad you feel that way. Know this, General Yat, this battle plan was carefully orchestrated. The matchmaking was made with the belief that this is the only way to attain a one hundred percent victory. In other words, I fully expect everyone to win their individual battles." Kaldur said with conviction.
"Sir, yes sir." Sodam Yat saluted, showing a whole new level of respect for the kid who was turning out to really have a godly strategic aptitude.
"I've provided all of you with all the details I have about your opponents, but if there are any questions, now is the time to ask." Kaldur said, surprised in particular about the silence of Captain Marvel, Raven and Wonder Woman, as he had expected the main questions to be coming from them given who they were supposed to be up against.
"I do as a matter of fact have one question. It says here that Kuasa is supposed to fight Glorious Godfrey, and there is an image here of the news reporter Glorious G Godfrey. How long have you know that this guy was a New God of Apokolips?" Batwing asked angrily.
"Since the beginning." Kaldur replied, Damian almost exploding on his leader in anger, but then managing to hold himself back at the last minute, not wishing to make a fool of himself again.
"He is already here, always has been apparently. Why didn't you take him out or have him taken out until now?" Batwing managed to grit out.
"Glorious Godfrey has not physically killed, kidnapped, or harmed a single human being as far as I am aware. By all appearances it seemed like he was just living a normal human life. It took a lot of investigation but I eventually discovered that he is in fact a spy for Darkseid. His role here was to gather information on the developments of the human race and on the Justice League and report to Darkseid. I also understand that one of his abilities is subtle but wide range telepathy, triggered by the sound of his voice. In other words, his power is to be very convincing, which explains his occupation in the media industry." The God of Storms explained.
"So basically he has been subtly brainwashing the people of earth for years. And you thought that was okay?" Batwing asked incredulously.
"From what I have been able to gather, Godfrey has not been too harmful. He has only maintained the status quo. Whenever Lex Luther or any of the major players on the villain side try to sway public opinion on their side, Glorious Godfrey is there to put them in check. And whenever the Justice League appear to be overstepping their…boundaries, he is again there to sway public opinion the other way. That is literally all he has been doing in his time here." Kaldur explained calmly.
"I don't understand. Are you saying that Glorious Godfrey is some kind of media public protector?" Wonder Woman asked incredulously.
"Not at all. I believe you actually mentioned this in a previous meeting, but earth is very divided. There is no unity, no uniform rule of law. Every country has their own government and their leaders and armies, with their own agendas. And then there are heroes and villains, the Justice League and The Light, and of course, the Acolytes of Zeus. What Glorious Godfrey is doing is maintaining that division. He doesn't allow any one side to become too dominant, thereby keeping earth's forces divided and lacking in cohesion. He is also eliminating the public's trust in either faction, keeping them confused and not knowing which side to take, all under the guise of shining the light onto the public." Kaldur explained clearly and concisely.
"It sounds like he has spent his entire time on earth preparing it for a hostile takeover." Captain Marvel said warily.
"He has. However, now that the war has begun, it is time to take him out. He will be dealt with by the time Wonder Woman makes her media appearance at Catco this evening, Kuasa will make sure of it." Kaldur said with conviction.
"Sounds fair. If there isn't anything else, I would like to meet up with my team as soon as possible. I won't lie, this list of match ups is sending tingles down my spine. I want to rendezvous with my comrades as soon as possible and make sure that they are mentally, physically, and emotionally prepared for what is to come." Captain Marvel said.
"Do not worry about your team, or yourself for that matter. I would not have chosen that match up for you if I didn't believe you would win." Kaldur said, showing complete and unwavering confidence in his protégé.
"Speaking of Captain Marvel's designated opponent, how is that guy even alive? I was there when Superman killed him. He definitely died." Wonder Woman said in disbelief.
"Superman also died in that battle and yet he somehow managed to come back to life, so it isn't like this is something new. Having said that, perhaps the resurrection of Doomsday and how exactly Darkseid is controlling him is information you can provide for us. You have two New Gods in your team, not just any new Gods but ones who were elite generals in Apokolips. They should have all kinds of information. If possible, I would like you to have distributed whatever information you can get to the rest of the organization by the time you make your media appearance this evening." The God of Storms instructed.
"Consider it done, brother." Diana replied, resisting the urge to smack herself over the face for not even considering the fact that she had two former Apokoliptans in her team who could provide them with tons of information about their enemies.
"Good, and with that, the meeting is thereby adjourned. Captain Marvel, I will be delivering General Yat and his team at the Rock of Eternity within the hour. Make sure you breach the topic to the prince and have him prepare to receive our guests." Kaldur gave his final order, Captain Marvel nodding his head in understanding, understanding that what his leader actually meant was that he had an hour to hide or relocate anything he didn't want any outsiders to see or possibly steal at the Rock of Eternity.
End Chapter
I actually wanted to make the chapter longer but I feel like this is also a good spot to end the chapter.
Anyway, as one can imagine, there will be a lot of battles coming up. Every member, and I mean every member of the Acolytes will get their chance to shine in the war, so stay tuned because its going to be action packed.
There will be some surprises so be prepared.
Anyway thanks to all of those who have reviewed and I hope you all enjoyed the story. Stay safe and take care all of you.