(Sorry about the late update y'all.)

killian rainey: Crap, actually I made that up. I interpreted it was possible the Amazons did that. As women warriors, they'd wish to party as if it was the last night of their lives as free women. Apologies if it was bad.

Gemm1mt: ….Uh….what?...

Chapter 20: Challenge Presented

(Themyscira, the next day)

The army assembled in defense of the island stood ready, the queen and princess at its head. The Amazons stood blazoned in their armor in the fashion of ancient Greek armor and garb. Chaos Chimera, Batman, and Superman stood amongst the warrior women. They stood at their town square, an area large enough for them to place a considerable defense after clearing if of the market stands. Every woman stood shield to shield with spears and swords ready or arrows knocked as they awaited their foe. Batman and Superman dismissed the armor the Amazons offered. Chaos Chimera explained that their armor might affect his powers, but thanked them for the offer. The shapeshifter looked towards the queen and her daughter. Wonder Woman wore her usual armor, but also now wore Greek hoplite armor much like her mother's. Queen Hippolyta stood in a truly royal suit of armor. Her hoplite shield engraved a standing lioness, letting out a great roar towards the sky. Her golden armor engraved the likeness of lionesses on her breastplate lunging forward, and her helm was fashioned in the form of a roaring lioness head. Her sword remained her scabbard, but she looked no less lethal in her golden armor.

"ARES! COME FORTH YOU BASTARD!" Queen Hippolyta bellowed.

The blue skies suddenly turned red and golden lightning danced across the sky. A red mist appeared before the Amazons and their allies. The beating of drums playing a sinister melody were heard from within the mist, heralding several figures within the mist. From the mist emerged a legion of a menagerie that made up the army of the Greek God of War. Ancient Greek soldiers were the most abundant, men who now bared the mark of Ares and war on the armor and weapons. Amongst them walked monstrous boars the size of bulls, their wicked tusks as sharp as razors and nearly as thick as a man's waist. Beside them stood dozens of Ares personally created Minotaurs led by the apparent first of their race. The greatest and first of the Minotaurs stood around 8 feet tall and was as the legend stated a blend between man and bull, an anthropomorphic bull with the head of bull, the upper body of a man yet with fingers that were stubby and its finger nails practically hard blocks. Its lower body was the powerful legs, cloven hooves, and thrashing tail of a bull. The Minotaur's skin was jet black and its eyes burned a hellish reddish orange. It wore golden armor, a breastplate, pauldrons, and a thick leather kilt around its waist. The armor held the visage of Ares. In its huge, shovel like hands the creature held a huge battle axe. The others stood a foot shorter and had hides of various colors yet had the animal appearance as the first. Each was outfitted with steel armor and a variety of weapons: xiphos swords, spears, one handed axes, etc. Some carried shields as well.

'So that's the Minotaur, fierce looking creature. Terrible backstory, but Minos drove him mad with the human sacrifices and Ares no doubt watched the Minotaur do his bloody work and enjoyed it.' Chaos Chimera grunted in his mind.

"ARES! SHOW YOURSELF, COWARD!" Queen Hippolyta bellowed.

A horrible cackling could be heard from within the mist. Suddenly fires lit within the mists, revealing the presence of another figure. The figure walked through the mist, no doubt the owner of the sinister laughing. Queen Hippolyta's eyes narrowed in hatred as she unsheathed her sword.

"My dear Hippolyta, how lovely to see you again." The figure chuckled, emerging from the mist.

The Amazon women snarled, moving their shields together as a wall then positioned their spears between the shields. The Amazons phalanx was flanked by swordsman on either side of the formation with archer covering them from the rear.

"Archers, knock!" Queen Hippolyta ordered.

The archers quickly armed their bows with an arrow each.

"Draw and hold!" Queen Hippolyta ordered.

The archers quickly raised their bows and drew back the arrows, waiting to release a volley.

"You dare show yourself here, Ares! Have you not learned your evil will not stand?!" Queen Hippolyta snarled.

Ares stood at the head of his army. The Greek God of War presented an impressive and terrifying figure. He stood a foot taller than Superman and Batman and held a powerful, muscular physique. His armor resembled the Amazons as in fashion of those of the Greece's ancient warrior past. His helmet shined gold with a red plumage that raced from the top of his helmet to the bottom of its back side which adorned the helmet's crest. Like his helmet, his armor shined golden as the sun shone its light against the bright armor The ptereus was studded with golden spike along its leather looking lengths which covered the red kilt that matched the red cape that had been attached to his breastplate by silver chains. He took off his helmet. A strikingly handsome man, his skin held a flawless Mediterranean tone. His eyes are a bright amber that blazed like two red stars. A smug, arrogant grin spread across his face. He ran a hand through his short golden blonde hair.

"War is my business, my dear. This is what I love and cherish." Ares chuckled.

"You are not welcome on Themyscira, bastard. You have dishonored the Amazons, women the world over, and humanity itself with your dishonor." Queen Hippolyta snarled.

"Silence yourself, woman. Our skirmishes in the past were simply child's play. You may be immortals, but you are still nothing to me…except if you joined my legions." Ares scoffed.

"We will never defile ourselves by joining your ranks!" Queen Hippolyta snarled.

"Leave here, Ares! Or you will face the wrath of the Amazons!" Wonder Woman ordered.

"Ah, your daughter. Sister, you have your mother's sharp tongue it seems." Ares chuckled.

"I am not your sister, fiend!" Wonder Woman snarled, unsheathing her sword from its scabbard.

"Bahaha! You are adorable. But I have not come to waste my army's prowess fighting a needless battle." Ares scoffed.

"What do you mean, bastard?" Queen Hippolyta grunted, her voice a mix of disgust and confusion.

"I have come here to present a challenge." Ares replied, his grin spreading wider.

"What kind of challenge?" Wonder Woman grunted.

"A contest of champions. Myself against one that can match all my divine talents." Ares replied.

"You have no talents." Queen Hippolyta scoffed.

"I disagree, my dear. I am Ares, the God of War. I have slain countless foes, I have fought for millennia, I have been there wherever war has reigned. I cannot be defeated." Ares chuckled.

"We have defeated you, bastard." Queen Hippolyta scoffed.

"You are not like me, none of you are. You must accept this challenge or I will destroy the foundations of your home and have sink into the sea." Ares chuckled, raising a hand.

He slowly started closing the hand into a fist. The Amazons and their allies felt the ground beneath their feet shaking.

"That's not happening!" Superman shouted as he flew forward.

"Superman! Wait!" Wonder Woman shouted.

Ares grinned as unclenched his fist then threw his hand forward. Superman gasped in shock and horror as he realized Ares had snatched his throat. The God of War grinned as his hand slowly tightened around the Kryptonian's throat. Superman's face went red as the deity slowly choked him.

"I could snap your neck with just one motion." Ares scoffed.

"Not likely." A voice said from above Ares.

Ares looked skyward to see Batman leaping above them, throwing something down at him. A cloud of green gas exploded out at Ares feet, the gas spreading up to his face. Ares began coughing horribly and his grip on Superman was gone. The Dark Knight landed beside the Kryptonian and began helping him up.

"You will not succeed, for we don't bargain with villains." Batman grunted.

The coughing suddenly became cackling. The gas suddenly disappeared with a click was heard. Ares had two of his finger placed against one another, indicating he snapped his fingers.

"Your mortal science can do nothing against a god, knight. And you, alien, your strength is nothing against the divine." Ares scoffed.

The God of War put on his helmet. He then raised his hands, a great fire began to swirl in the sky creating a huge flaming vortex. It slowly lowered down towards the army, fire spitting out in bits and pieces.

"Accept my challenge, or your island will be destroyed." Ares scoffed, eyes blazing with sudden fire which spit out of his helmet.

"There is none among our number that is as vile as you." Queen Hippolyta scoffed.

"I ask for a contest of champions, single combat between two of the greatest of warriors…fierce, ruthless, and unrelenting in battle." Ares grunted.

Chaos Chimera grumbled under his breath as he approached to the side of the queen. She turned to look at him. He bowed.

"Your majesty…I…I know of such a warrior." Chaos Chimera sighed.

"Please, bring him, boy. It would be quite a show." Ares chuckled.

"Are you certain this warrior will help?" Queen Hippolyta asked.

"Help isn't the word I would use…but if it means to haunt me by keeping your island secure by fighting…yes…I will need to…retrieve him…" Chaos Chimera grunted.

"Go boy, bring him." Queen Hippolyta grunted, the situation fouling her tone for her anger at Ares.

"There will likely be…conditions to this." Chaos Chimera said.

The queen looked at him with confusion. The shapeshifter sighed as he stood up and whispered in her ear. Her face contorted with rage and was about to open her mouth to say something. But the ninja continued to whisper in her ear. The queen sighed and nodded. The shapeshifter bowed his head and rushed off. Several minutes later the sky started to darkened lightning danced across the sky, thunder and the races of lightning filling the sky with ominous and terrifying music. A haunting, deep, unfamiliar laughing filled the air. A figure leapt into the sky and landed on the ground between the opposing armies. The individual stood up and revealed themselves as a terrifyingly imposing figure. Clad in dark gray and black armor covered in spike with a helmet that held an ornamental end of trident and from within the darkness the helm protected shone two burning red eyes. On both hands tekagi-shuko claws morphed to the armored gauntlets of the figure.

(2003-10 Shredder theme plays)

"Prepare to face your destiny…and your doom." The individual proclaimed, crossing his arms in front of him to point the claws from either hand to the opposite sides.

"Who are you?" Ares grunted, his voice dripping with curiosity.

"Know that I am your end! For today you face The Shredder! MwuhahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Shredder grunted then cackled, raising his clawed fists towards the sky as a lightning bolt shot across the sky at that very moment as he laughed.

(The theme ends)

To be continued…

(The Shredder is going to be like a somewhat extended cameo. Apologies, this story isn't a crossover. Sorry about that. The look of the armor is the design of the first season of TMNT 2003. Again, sorry about the late chapter.)