Part of the Woman of Steel Series - not a sequel to Amazon Steel

This will be a series of one-shots about Kara's 'adventures' in the Veiled Worlds with the Amazons (check series description). Some of these short stories may eventually become part of the ongoing series.
I hope you like it ;)

Kara kept her eyes focused on the black gates in front of her, refusing to give in to the glare Alex was burning in the back of her head, all because she had refused to let her join them on their incursion to the Underworld.

"I'm going too," Alex said, making sure her weapons were in place.

Kara sighed. She knew she was in for a fight. "No, you're not."

Alex's head snapped right up. The redhead stared at her sister, a displeased frown on her face. "Yes, I am."

"No, you are not. Alex…"

"Don't you 'Alex' me, Kara! Why can't I go with you? I'm not some wet behind the ears kid, as I'm sure you remember!"

Kara pinched the bridge of her nose. Yup, it was going to be a fight. Looking behind her shoulder, she watched for a second as Diana talked to Io and Nesba in hushed tones. "I know you are not," she started, her voice soothing. "But I don't know what we're going to find in there and—"

"That never stopped us before!" Alex interrupted, heat in her voice.

"True, but Alex, back in National City, it was either aliens or metas, and you were properly equipped to face them, and I was there to back you up, but here…" Kara looked back at the ominous looking black gates. "Here is different. Last time I fought a creature that escaped those gates, I was hurt badly." Kara stepped closer to her sister, pleading in her blue eyes. Alex scowled and Kara knew she was about to win this battle. She would have to make it up to her later. "These are magical creatures, Alex. I don't know if I can protect you from them. Please, stay, just this once. Please."

Alex's scowl deepened. "One scratch, Kara… One scratch and I swear magic will be the least of your worries." Turning around on her heels, Alex stomped to where Kayo waited for them, her clear eyes watching them curiously.

Kara rubbed her eyes tiredly, knowing Alex was not happy with her. She hated saying no to Alex, but she would not put her in harm's way when she had no way of defending herself, not unless she really had too.

Strong hands settled on her shoulders and squeezed, slowly applying more pressure until Kara finally felt the stress melt away.

"We'll forgive you as long as you come back in one piece," the mellow voice burrowed in her ear.

Kara chuckled and turned around, wrapping her arms around Diana's waist and smiling up at her. That had been a fight. "Same goes to you, Princess."

Diana lowered her head, brushing their lips together. "I will always come back to you, sweet Kara, and if I don't, you have my permission to invade the Underworld and bring me back."

Kara huffed, their lips still touching. "Don't make me do it, Diana. I will raise hell in there and threaten to redecorate everything in bright funky colors until I find you. Your uncle is not going to like that."

Diana grinned.

Kayo stood in front of the gates, mumbling under breath in an unknown language. Spreading out her hands, her eyes glowed amber as the magical words left her lips. A white energy ball formed between the palms of her hands and the Healer let it manifest for a moment, her hands moving slowly around it, almost like a gentle caress. Her mumbling incessant, Kayo pulled her right hand back and pushed the energy ball forward. The white light flowed steadily and ethereally until it stopped in front of the eerie gates, slowly expanding in a whirl of blinding white and golden.

Kayo dropped her arms slowly to her sides and turned around, her eyes still glowing. "Go. I will reopen the gate in one candle mark from now."

Diana squeezed Kara's hand lightly and stepped forward, drawing her sword as she moved towards the portal, Kara and the others following closely behind.

Waiting until everyone disappeared through the portal, Kayo closed it with a swipe of her hand. "May Athena watch over you." Her eyes glowed brighter than before.

##

The first thing they noticed besides the pitch-black darkness was the stench of decay and sulfur and the silence. No one talked, just taking in everything around them. The slightest scrap on a wall or the lightest of footsteps would sound loud in the deafening silence of this haunted place, and the overwhelming darkness of the cold place didn't help reassure them.

"Io, light up the torch," Diana whispered after a moment of silence, but even that made them jump.

"Right…" Io removed the flintstone from her belt pouch, expertly setting the torch she was holding on fire, bringing in some much-needed brightness.

"Find the wall torches. We just need to light up one of them, all others will follow and that's when our troubles may start, but we need to see where we are, and not even I can see in this darkness." Diana glanced at Kara for confirmation, noticing the sudden pallor on the Kryptonian's face and the barely disguised gagging sounds. "Kara?"

"I can't see past the walls either," Kara managed to rasp out, forcing herself to suppress the need to just throw up at the nauseating stench that was assaulting her senses, and threatening to rebel her stomach.

"Kara… Please, go back. I—"

"No. I can handle the stench, just… I need a minute to adapt to it. It's just like my other senses," Kara interrupted, covering her nose and mouth with her hand. "Rao, this is really horrid…"

"Kara…" Diana rolled out her name, deepening her voice in warning.

"No, no. I'm fine." Kara swallowed, forcing herself not to take deep breaths. "I've dealt with smellier aliens before and survived." After being numbed by the stench and then pummeled to the ground, but she doesn't need to know that part. Nope.

"Stubborn thing…"

"Let there be light," Io said softly when she finally found one of the torches carved on the hard rock, shrouded on centuries-old webs. Touching it with her torch, it lit up immediately, purple fire burning vividly. All over the small entrance, the wall torches soundlessly lit up, one by one, finally revealing a long corridor in front of them, several torches lighting up along the way.

A low growl echoed from somewhere close by, stopping them all in their tracks.

"Cerberus…" Diana whispered, her hand instantly dropping to Kara's wrist, to bring her closer. "Draw your swords. He's here to guard the entrance. No one gets in or out of this place on his watch."

The distinct hiss of steel on leather sounded chilling as Io and Nesba drew their swords from their sheaths. Kara, however, remained quiet by Diana's side, her sword resting at her waist.

Out of the shadows of the tunnel, three pairs of fiery red glared at them and soon after, they could see the outline of a massive three-headed dog, the low growling sounding much closer now.

"Oh, that's terrible…" Kara whispered, moving closer to Diana. It was huge and terrifying and… smelly. What was wrong with this place and the awful smell? "We'll distract it so you can sneak out."

Diana nodded, shifting so she could stand behind Kara, hoping the dog wouldn't notice her. "Be careful," she growled from behind Kara. "His bite can hurt you."

Kara looked back at her, scowling. "You be careful, Diana. Don't make me barge in there and punch your uncle in the face." Her head snapped back at the approaching monster. "Because I will."

Diana's eyes softened. "I know…"

Io and Nesba quickly moved to a defensive position, ready to engage the monster while trying to get him to focus on them, so Diana could escape through the entrance he was guarding.

Diana tenderly touched her hand to Kara's back, letting her know she was ready to leave. Kara kept her eyes on the monstrous dog, still scowling. "Diana…"

"I know. I'll be back, I promise."

Kara glared over her shoulder, her eyes pleading and softening just before she jumped over the unsuspecting Amazons in front of her and landed a hard punch on the head in the middle.

The monster howled in pain, shaking its head, while the other two heads tried to bite her, but Kara dodged out of the way while Diana slipped past the monster and escaped through the tunnel that led to the depths of the Underworld.

Momentarily distracted by Diana's escape, her heart clenching in her chest with worry, Kara never saw the massive paw that hit her on the side of the head, throwing her against the nearest wall with a violent crash, debris flying everywhere from the impact.

Seemingly satisfied that she wouldn't be a problem anymore, Cerberus turned his attention to the Amazons in front of him, viciously snapping its jaws at them. Io and Nesba stepped back, spreading out.

"Can you see her?" Nesba asked, keeping her eyes on the monster in front of them.

"Sort of." Io shot a quick glance in Kara's direction, catching a glimpse of the slumped form. "I think she's passed out."

"Ares balls…" Nesba growled. "One of us should check on her."

"I'm sure she's fine, Nesba. She's had a lot worse."

Nesba grumbled, displeased.

##

Kara opened her eyes, groaning softly. She hated feeling dazed. Getting her bearings together, Kara spotted the monster trying to trap the Amazons against a wall and sprinted at Kryptonian speed, grabbing the dog's tail with both hands, effectively stopping its advance on her friends. "Hold your horses, Fluffy. You're not biting anyone today!"

Cerberus growled angrily, desperately trying to turn around, with all three jaws snapping to bite her, but Kara was not budging.

"Damn, you're strong," Io grumbled before going for the killing blow.

Kara's eyes widened when she realized what Io was about to do, Diana's warning about keeping it alive suddenly ringing alarm bells in her mind.

"Kara, if you go there with me, you have to make sure that Cerberus lives," Diana rested her hands on her shoulders, her brown eyes somber.

Kara nodded, relieved Diana was finally giving in. "All right, I can do that. I mean, I don't want to kill it, but…"

"Cerberus is Hades' beloved pet. If something happens to him while we're there, he will unleash Hades on Themyscira," Diana interrupted, touching her face. "Kara…"

"I won't let anyone kill him," Kara promised, "but I may have to knock him out."

Diana nodded, touching their foreheads together. "As long as he lives, and you don't get hurt."

Kara frowned. "But he's the god of the Underworld. Shouldn't he be able to bring him back? I mean…"

"If he has to bring him back, Cerberus will grow another head."

"Another—" Kara sputtered, pulling away so she could see Diana's eyes, just in case she was tricking her. "You mean…"

Diana nodded, smiling. "He had to bring him back three times already and the last time was on Antiope's account. Needless to say, he doesn't like Amazons much."

Kara just stared at her. "And you want to go in there," she said, pointing a long finger at the massive dark gates.

"I don't want to, but I have to." Diana's eyes gentled. "You know why."

Kara sighed.

Releasing the tail, Kara jumped up, somersaulting over the three-headed dog and drawing her katana in mid-flight. Landing between the dog and the Amazon, Kara moved her sword up, parrying Io's down cut with a clash of steel.

"What the Hades, Kara?" Io growled at her, her brown eyes flashing.

"Let me try something first." Kara pleaded. "Diana doesn't want it dead and neither do I."

"But it sure wants us dead!"

Kara ignored the Amazon and turned quickly around, watching as the dog stepped closer, growling menacingly at her, but Kara sheathed her sword and stuck her hand out, making sure to keep it steady. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Kara started singing, her voice low and melodious.

Io and Nesba looked at each other, flabbergasted.

"She's singing to Hades' damn dog?" Io hissed.

"She has a beautiful voice," Nesba said, keeping her eyes trained on the dog.

Io rolled her eyes. "She's singing to a beast that wants us dead!"

"Shhh… Don't interrupt her. Let's see what happens."

Io glared at the instructor. "You just want to hear her sing."

Nesba ignored her.

##

The dog stopped, all three heads staring at her and tilting to the side, trying to understand what was happening. The dark dog took another step forward, its ears perking.

"Kara…" Io growled warningly from behind her. Kara raised her free hand to stop her, still singing. "If something happens to you, Diana will have our hides!"

The dog moved closer, the middle head's snout twitching.

"Kara…"

Kara stayed put, willing her heartbeat to remain steady. She kept singing her old Kryptonian song, and the dog strained its neck to reach her outstretched hand, the fine hairs of its wet snout tickling the back of it. Moving closer, the head in the middle sniffed at her fingers, followed by the head on the right and then the one on the left. The head in the middle sniffed her fingers again and whined, suddenly licking her whole hand, leaving it covered in thick slobber.

Kara's mellow voice faltered for a moment, disgusted at the yucky substance on her hand, but she kept on singing and the head whined again. Taking a small step forward, Kara dared touch it, lightly scratching its chin.

The head lifted its chin to give her better access, pretty much drooling with content. Leaning its head heavily on her hand, it closed its bright red eyes and the other two heads whined in jealousy.

Kara looked behind her shoulder, grinning at her friends. "See? Easy."

A sudden breeze wiped the hair away from her face and she looked back to the dog but couldn't see it anymore. "What the…" A big paw slammed against her thigh and she looked down, her eyes going huge. "Huh…" She stared over her shoulder at her friends, confused. "What just happened?"

The two Amazons standing behind her look just as baffled. Before them, Cerberus, the infamous Hades' dog and terrifying guard to the Underworld was sitting at Kara's feet, wagging its tail. All three heads had their tongues sticking out with slobber slowly dripping from their open mouths; their ears were perked up and now, the monstrous three-headed dog was no bigger than a regular one, its fiery red eyes looking up at Kara adoringly.

Another paw hit her thigh and the dog got up on its hind legs, all three heads trying to get her attention. Kara blinked, stunned.

"It likes her…" Nesba mumbled, amazed.

Io sighed. "Who doesn't?"

Kara chuckled when one of the heads butt her stomach and she scratched behind its ear. "Hey, slow down. There's three of you and I only have two hands!" Kara's nose twitched. "Perhaps I should talk to your owner about giving you a bath…"

Io sheathed her sword and scratched her head, glancing around suspiciously with her hands on her hips. Nesba, however, leaned against the cold rock and crossed her arms, watching the interaction closely, a sharp looking dagger dangling from her hand.

Their Sisters would never believe this.

##

At Hades dark and gloomy palace,

Hades glanced at the magical dark substance in the basin in front of him. An image of Diana cleared up on the murky substance as the Amazon ran down the winding tunnel leading to the depths of his realm, Cerberus nowhere in sight.

Hades scowled, his light purple eyes turning amber. "What did you do with my dog, Amazon?"

Waving his hand brusquely, the image in the pool switched from the tunnel to the hall at the gate.

A blonde woman playing with an obviously delighted and regular-sized Cerberus came into view, and the god of the Underworld blinked at the image before him, uncomprehending. "Cerberus?"

The dog was happily running around as if it was trying to catch something, its tail wagging wildly. Cerberus only wagged his tail for him; only changed his size for him! "What kind of witchcraft is this?" He growled, indignantly. "Who is this… demon that is spelling my dog?"

##

Zeus was amused, watching the magical fountain that allowed him to spy on his brother Hades. He grinned at Kara's mischief. "I like her, daughter," he mumbled, sparing a loving glance at the image of his fierce daughter on the magical water, the only one of his children born out of love. "She's so much better than that Steve, and so much cuter too."

He grinned as Kara playfully tackled the terrifying dog, pinning him down and scratching his belly, a mischievous glint in his vivid grey eyes.

###

Shadow777997, as promised ;)
If you have any ideas, any suggestions, let me know.
Tell me what you think :)