Anyone who ever met an Amazon would swear that they had met nothing short of fierce determination and stamina bottled up in a perfectly molded package. That would be nothing compared to that of the will of the Queen of Amazons, Hippolyta. She stood towering over her general and daughter-in-law, a look of rage and vengeance in her otherwise statuesque features. She had emerged from the Underworld, adrenaline raging through her veins, and on a mission to deliver punishment of epic proportions. Being brought back from death itself didn't slow the Queen down, and she had just demonstrated to her warriors that there was a definite reason why she was chosen to lead them. Looking down at the now dead Olympian at her feet, she kicked the side of her fallen opponent. Her cheeks flexed as she gritted her teeth. Her features softened slightly as she reached her hand down to Alindra, lifting her off the ground with ease, and then offering the same to Shayera.

"Report, Alindra," the Queen commanded.

"Majesty, there's not much I can tell you. I only recently came out of the Underworld myself."

Queen Hippolyta arched an eyebrow. Looking over to the redhead, she questioned, "Shayera?"

Shayera, her Thanagarian instincts kicking in, offered, "Poseidon's forces are spread across the island. Amazons engage them all over. We're pulling them out of the ocean to prevent their healing. Once out of the water, your warriors are matching well - especially now that their numbers are returned from the Underworld."

"What happened? I saw Diana fall, and then I woke up at the entrance and rushed out."

Shayera nodded, "We believe the Fates cut the life lines of half of the Amazon nation. You fell dead, and Aphrodite brought me here to defend the gates. We found Alindra here, fallen. Aphrodite assured me that Diana and Hera were alive. I told her we needed to rally the Amazons. She wouldn't accept the deaths though. She ordered me to hold the area but that she was going to the Underworld. Next thing I knew, she had materialized Artemis and Philipus to her and headed off. I commanded the Amazons to move the bodies behind the lines on orders not to burn them. Then we engaged the undead army spewing forth. They didn't fight back though. They just seemed to be walking around."

Hippolyta nodded. "Hades?"

"Only appeared when Aphrodite came out. She came out and told me the Fates were dead. Something about retribution and a spoon? Alindra and the other Amazons came spewing forth, just as Aphrodite was hit with an arrow from the goddess Artemis. She fell and Alindra managed to get the arrow out, but she was in bad shape."

Queen Hippolyta cringed inwardly, but outwardly remained stoic in appearance. She turned to her General once more, "Poisoned?"

Alindra nodded. "Yes, and not long for this life when Hades showed up. He shrouded us in smoke, promised to try and help Aphrodite and left with her in his arms. Shayera and I engaged Artemis, and you know the rest."

Queen Hippolyta inhaled, "No idea where Diana, Hera, and Athena are?"

"None," came the reply.

"Very well, marshal the forces in conjunction with Philipus and Artemis. Figure out where Pallas is and get those damn doors sealed. If Hades' army isn't fighting, concentrate on Poseidon's and wipe them out. Hades, for now it appears, is an ally. Get a message to Hera or Diana, to let them know what's transpired."

Hades took Aphrodite to his chambers, laying her gently down on the bed. The blonde goddess was still breathing, albeit laboredly and she was unresponsive. Her body was being ravaged by the quick-moving, unknown poison. Her veins were black, showing through her skin and Hades had no idea how to heal her. He knelt down next to her, and took her hand into his.

"What a mess, Aphrodite," he whispered to her. Closing his eyes, he began to concentrate, putting his focus into bringing out the poison through his channeled magic. Little droplets began to pierce her skin, floating out into the air, and then dissipating. But there wasn't enough time. He was moving too slowly. It was as if the poison had a mind of its own, and was fighting to stay in its host. He put his other hand on her forehead, and began rocking slowly.

"Come on Aphrodite. Help me help you."

Silence was the only answer he received. His jaw clenched, and he redoubled his efforts. His was not a magic of healing, and thus he was poorly prepared to handle this situation.

"Step away from her, Hades," a soft, feminine voice carried through the air behind him. He knew its origin, and there was something familiar about it as well, but he knew it wasn't friendly in intent.

Never breaking concentration, or his touch, he replied, "You sound like Persephone, but it's not right." Chancing to look over his shoulder, the woman behind him approached slowly. Her appearance was exactly that of his wife. Something still nagged at the back of his mind - something was amiss. He had spent eternities with Persephone and knew enough not to believe that the woman approaching was her.

The woman continued on a slow walk towards the pair. Cocking her head slowly, she replied, "It is me. I have what Aphrodite needs. Let me come closer and I will prove it. I have no wish for your niece to die because your judgment is clouded."

Invoking more authority in his countenance, he bellowed, "I will not ask again! Back away. You are not Persephone, and I will not allow you near Aphrodite."

A slow sneer appeared across the face of his adversary. "You can't fight me and heal her. You're struggling to even help her. This is close to being over, so let me just put the bitch out of her misery now." She raised her hand, and in her palm a green fire rolled around, beginning to form into a ball.

Instantly, he knew his mother-in-law's choice of magic and he knew she was right. He could let go of Aphrodite, but any help he was giving her would be gone in favor of fighting off the goddess at his backside. He also couldn't just let her approach and not put up some sort of defense. Here in the Underworld he could summon any soul, and a multitude at that, but he hesitated to put down his beloved's mother, twisted though she was. So he did the only thing he could…he pursed his lips and blew out a sharp whistle.

The woman stopped her approach and threw back her head in laughter. "That's it? You whistled at me?"

Hades gritted his teeth, and waited. He didn't have to wait long as a low rumbling began to shake the room, becoming more pronounced as the approach of his savior was resonating through the Underworld.

A booming growl was heard, several barks, and Cerberus sprang forth from the shadow, knocking down the unknown woman. Barreling into his target, he slammed her to the ground, his outer heads pinning her arms to the side, and his front paws trapping her shoulders down. His middle head was lowered, snarling, and baring his teeth. Fear emanated from his pinned prisoner, as the middle head continued to lower, waiting for his master's command to tear apart this intruder. His eyes glowed red, filled with hatred and an anxiousness to end the threat. But he waited.

Another feminine voice was heard, and another feminine figure appeared from the air. It was Persephone, the real one. She walked to Cerberus, and praised, "Good boy. You are such a good boy!" Narrowing her eyes at the woman who was trapped, she spat, "Mother! Enough! Drop the bullshit disguise. Cerberus knows you aren't me, and frankly so does everyone in this room."

Slowly, the pinned figure showed her true face, revealing the goddess Demeter.

Not waiting for the transformation to finish before speaking, Persephone addressed her husband. "Hades, take Aphrodite to the gates now!"

Hades stammered, "Wh-y? There's nothing that can be done. At least let her die here with dignity."

"No, you don't understand. Her chance at life is approaching the gates now. Get her up there. Do it now!"

Hades knew his wife well enough not to argue. He scooped up Aphrodite once more and disappeared in a billow of black smoke.

Turning her attention back to her mother, Persephone shook her head, in a mixture of rage and sadness at the situation. "Why? Why would you take Zeus' side?"

Demeter closed her eyes and sighed, "He promised we would be a family again. I just had to help him with this one thing."

"I went to find you to offer the same. We could unite as a true family, face Zeus, and finally be rid of his twisted machinations for us all. Hera fights him. So does Athena, and Aphrodite. He couldn't rally Hades as he wanted, and Poseidon fell defending him. And, he RAN! Zeus fled to have others do his fighting! Why would you follow him?"

Demeter sneered, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch you go to the Underworld, amidst all this death and dankness? To know you are a prisoner here for half of the year? All because the god of the Underworld wants to possess you? But, you could be free, with me."

Cerberus didn't like the tone, and began emitting a low growl in response.

Demeter shook her head, "You know he doesn't keep me prisoner here. He never did. Stop buying into the bullshit Zeus fed you. Hades and I fell in love. He willingly lets me go to you for half the year because he knows I love you. But, I love him too. I'm not a prisoner. I stay because he is my husband, because we love each other, and because I'm supposed to be with him. It's not obligation. I am his partner, his equal. What deity do you know who willingly shares power? He shares his thoughts, feelings, and cherishes me as his wife. You can't name anyone other than Hades. He is kind, and takes care of me. I am safe, loved, and am free to come and go as I please."

"No!" Demeter screamed. "You are blind to your situation. You can't truly love your captor."

Persephone had heard enough. "I will tell you again. Hades is my husband and love. Why can't you accept that?"

"If you decided to come home, and never return, you think he would let you?" Demeter spat. She refused to believe what Persephone was telling her, just as she always had. Despite every visit, despite Persephone's reassurances that she was happy, Demeter couldn't believe it.

Persephone began shaking with fury, "You refuse to see anything beyond your own outrage. I am home! This is my home. I am not coming back with you this time. You need time to cool off. When you decide to accept my choices, we can resume this relationship, but not until that time. You would make me your prisoner and defy how I feel to make yourself happy. Wake up!"

"No," Demeter whispered, "you are not in your right mind. I will raze this place, and will never stop until my revenge is satisfied."

A small tear slid down Persephone's cheek. "Don't threaten my family. It won't end well for you. Last chance to just walk away."

She walked to where her mother was pinned. "Cerberus, release."

The giant dog looked to his owner and whined. No part of him wanted to comply, not as long as he felt his master was in danger. Persephone could feel his trepidation. She reached out and lightly stroked his back. "Cerberus, be a good boy and release. It's okay."

Slowly he backed up, allowing the goddess pinned below him to move a little. He sat back on his haunches as Persephone continued to scratch his fur lovingly, but he never took his eyes off Demeter. The goddess of the Harvest picked herself up, and surveyed the situation. She would rather die a martyr to her cause than accept what she was being told. Once on her feet, she glared at her daughter. "It was a mistake to let me up."

"No, mother, it was a chance. A hope that you would let this go. And if you won't…"

Demeter called forth the green fire for the last time to her palm. She had used it to burn many harvests in the past and she was going to use it against her daughter. She would never get the chance though. Non-corporeal forces seeped from under her feet, the invisible souls sworn to protect their Queen, clutching at the goddess' countenance and anchoring her to the spot once more. Wailing from their places of rest, called forth to do their duty, the souls dragged their enemy to the depths, consuming her consciousness, until she was nothing more than a wisp of a memory.

Persephone grieved for what her relationship used to be with her mother, "Hades could have called on them to defend himself at any time. He showed you mercy. He would not kill the mother of his wife. You would not show him the same consideration. And you have raised your hand to the Queen of this realm, not in kindness, but in twisted retribution for a perceived slight. You are no better than Zeus. Rest now mother, vengeance stripped, hatred released, and nothing but calmness, with no memory of anything other than an existence in the plane you will now call home." Turning her back, and letting tears fall, Persephone waited until the guardian souls did their duty and removed her mother from this plane of existence. As the room fell silent, and with her mother no longer a physical threat, she sank to her knees, allowing the grief to settle in her body. Cerberus sat obediently at her side, placing a large paw on her back, and nuzzling one of his heads into her neck. Quietly they sat for moments, allowing the Queen her grief, albeit briefly since she could not afford to wallow.

Hera took the last steps towards the opening to Themiscyra. The journey from where Gaia had begun her solitude had not taken long, but it was done in silence. They had said everything they needed to earlier, and although Gaia had said she wasn't going to fight, she had promised to help. In what form that would come, Hera didn't know, but she wasn't going to press the issue. She would take whatever her mother could give, and then leave well enough alone. While her mother was always benevolent, it didn't escape Hera's thoughts that she was a Titan, and the Olympian gods had banished her after overthrowing her counterparts. It wasn't something which had to be reinforced through any magical means, as Gaia had chosen to remain in solitude, such was her grief over the losses she had suffered.

Hades arrived at the gates, just on the other side of the entrance, the sun hitting him and Aphrodite. He looked down at his niece. Surely, it was not time for love to die. And as the thought passed through his mind, a hand graced his shoulder. It was tender and non-insistent. Turning his head, he saw Hera and Gaia behind him.

Hera's concern was all over her face, and she placed her other hand on Aphrodite's forehead.

"We have mere moments. Set her down. I'll draw out the poison. Please tell her how much I love her, and how so very proud I am. Tell them all how much I…"

Hades shook his head, "You can't draw it out. I tried."

"I am the goddess of the Hearth, of home and family. I will give my life for hers."

Hades laid Aphrodite on the ground, and Hera kneeled down. But before she could do anything, Gaia pulled her away. "This is not your sacrifice to make. You came to me for help, and while I won't fight, I won't stand by and let you do this either."

Hera was shocked, "Please don't fight me now. I have to at least try to save her."

"No," Gaia shook her head somberly, "you have to let me. Be with your family. Fight for them, and know that your mother loves you."

Gaia raised a stone hand to the sky and slammed it to the ground. A radiant light began emitting from her palm, and began spreading at a rapid pace towards Aphrodite and beyond. Within moments, the entire island radiated a healing energy from the soil, the grass, the trees, and the rocks strewn about. Gaia was infusing her life force into Themiscyra. Amazons at all corners didn't know the cause, but they suddenly felt rejuvenated. Wounds were instantly healed, and those who were injured found themselves invigorated and healthy once more. Aphrodite stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. Her ashen appearance retreated, and she felt more herself than she had in the time leading up to the moment. Gaia drained all of her essence, and fell to the ground, having given her life for the renewal of the island and for her granddaughter. Hera stood stupefied, and then coming to her senses, knelt down and cradled the now deceased Titan. "Thank you," she whispered, "there are no words. Be at peace."

A/N: I am very fortunate that I have a new partner in crime, Etherealpandas. I had set writing to the side for a while, but a new friend and their encouragement has me really wanting to finish this story. So, please show love for Etherealpandas who proofread this chapter, and please check out their work as well. I look forward to a fruitful partnership, to more discussion, and work as collaborators.