Land of Heroes: DC Style comes from Harbinger of Kaos. I just write the reactions, and I still down own any of the characters.

Chapter 14: Paradise Lost part 2

"So…this Hades guy," Arrow said, "Him getting out of the underworld is going to be bad news, right?"

Diana answered, "Very bad news."

Flash said, "Yeah, we only won due to a huge plot device. I wonder hwo the fight with change with Cortana and the Spartan fighting along with us."

Deep in the jungles of South America…

The Javelin flew swiftly towards a temple that stood silently in a large clearing, one would be surprised that such a distant culture would have any link with another separated by miles of earth and water.

The occupants soon found a suitable landing zone, once fully secured on the ground the hatch opens and out step Cortana and J'onn who was the one who carried the gem, behind them was Flash who naturally was once more showing a very carefree attitude despite the circumstances.

"Picture it, the sun, the sea, hundreds of women who look just like her running around and me the first man they've seen in…oh maybe forever!"

Dian and the others gave Flash a blank look as they all stared at him. It might be Wally, but knowing Flash, he probably had a similar thought process.

The speedster in turn smile shrugged nervously before letting out a low chuckle.

The speedster spoke with a rather vivid idea of what to expect on Diana's homeland, J'onn stayed focused on the job at hand while Cortana was picturing herself throttling the man.

"…and look what I brought, iced mochas for everyone! Sweet."

"I fail to see the attraction there." The Martian said in regards to the younger man's comments.

"Please don't encourage him to speak up; I think he's blatantly forgotten that just about everyone on Diana's homeland with exception to her hates men."

The UNSC A.I muttered as she rubbed her forehead to alleviate the irritation she was feeling. That in itself was actually something of a first for her since while she COULD understand irritation, thanks to John's antics at times, she never felt that before.

Now she could, and it was making begin to wonder just what OTHER negatives came with having a body.

*Well this is a first, I guess A.I's can get headaches when in the presence of loudmouthed Casanovas…lucky me!*

"Then she is going to be getting a lot of headaches int eh foreseeable future," Lantern said, seeing Wally continue to go on and on about what he thought of his first time with the Amazons.

Diana said, "You do know that many of the Amazons would have probably castrated you if you attempted to flirt with them."

Flash said, "makes me glad that all I did was smile and make a remark as opposed to trying something stupid."

She sarcastically thought near the end there before addressing the man in a fake sweet tone as if he was a child.

"Flash sweetie, did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe trying to impress a society of warrior women who have isolated themselves for hundreds of years and thought less than kind thoughts on members of the opposite sex might be a bad idea? For all you know, they might very well use you as target practice for their weapons and also as a prime example of why they hated men in the first place."

"Man, why do you always have to bring me down Cortana? Seriously you need to loosen up! Life is too short for being too grumpy and serious all the time, I mean look at Batman!"

Flash replied to her statement with the same upbeat tone.

Flash was then hit with a Gibb slap, via said grumpy and serious hero.

"…okay, I concede that point to you but..."

"Perhaps we should focus on the relic first?"

Batman said, "At least one of you is focused."

J'onn's calm and neutral voice broke any further comments from the two, as they now stood in front of the path that led to the ancient temple.

Flash stood by him with smile.

"No problem!"

Flash facepalmed as he said, "God damn it, Wally."

With that said the guardian of central city took the gem and dashed inside the ancient structure with only a red blur of as evidence of his actions, in seconds he returned with the amphora and a cheeky grin. Cortana groaned mentally at this, he did not even bother to think about what happened when they found Diana in the museum hours before. She did not need a degree in criminology to know that not ALL of the damage was done by the Amazon.

"See? That was easy."

"Show off." Cortana mutters, earning her a wink from the easy going hero. Said hero took the top off and removed the relic, which in this was a larger cylindrical stone than the one in Diana's possession…and like hers it was not left unguarded as the earth began to rumble.

"What the…!?"

"Ancient people don't go easy on security measures now do they?" Flash said.

"Now they do not," Dian said.

J'onn mentally winced as he remembered being attacked by the fire-breathing snake.

Flash cried out. Cortana on the other hand responded differently, her worry about this being like what happened to Diana earlier now vindicated.

"This is your fault Flash!"

Cortana cried out as she tried to keep herself stable as the land shook like mad around them.

"My fault!?"

"You jinxed us!"

"I just said it was easy!"

Arrow said, "That is one of the things that you never say in a horror movie…or in an action movie involving booby traps, puzzles, and ancient treasure."

*BOOM!*

The three jump back as a large creature bursts forth from the ground and reveals itself to be a gigantic snake…with fire literally in its eyes and massive blasts of flames pouring from its mouth. Once the thing was done making the very fiery entrance, it glared darkly at the heroes...it's intent towards them very obvious.

"…okay so I stand corrected."

Naturally this set of the A.I as her patience was now at an end.

"I am so kicking your ass when all this is over Flash. You REALLY did not bother to think that something like that has SOME form of protection just in case someone tried to steal it?! Why did you think the museum was a wreck when we got there?!"

The A.I replies harshly as the three stood pole axed at the sight of the creature, before it reared back its head and spewed forth flames at them.

Meanwhile with John and the others…

The three were flying towards the direction the gem pointed at and John was starting to wonder how long it would be before they would find the location. He had communicated with the Commander Keyes earlier to give her a sitrep.

Like him and Cortana she was still a bit off guard with the whole magic angle, but understood that Diana's people were in danger from Faust and they would turn their backs on her when she needed it.

-Any news Chief? — Miranda asked over the comm. line.

"We are still heading north; the gem seems to give off a strong pulse in this direction." He replied as he adjusted his flight path for wind and turbulence.

*Suit seems to be holding up well despite this being the longest flight I have given it, still need more practice on it if I want to master it.*

-Keep us posted, and stay sharp, we're in unknown waters here and don't know what it is we will face.—

"Understood Commander, 117 out."\

"Oh right," Flash said, "magic doesn't exist in his world."

Batman said, "It looks like we'll get a good look at just how adaptable the Spartan is in unknown waters. His technology might not be enough to withstand Hades' might."

Lantern said, "Let's hope he does."

Superman trailed back to talk to him while Wonder Woman maintained her attention between the gem and their destination.

"Everything all right?" he spoke calmly despite the noise as he knew that the Spartan's armor would filter out the background noise.

"Everything is fine Superman, just giving a sitrep to the Commander Keyes. Better to keep her abreast of the situation and be ready." He replied.

"How are you holding up? I or Diana can help if you like, since this is the longest you've gone in the air."

"Thank you for your offer Superman but I am fine, despite the long flight at the moment, the HUD reads that suit integrity and systems are in the green."

"All right then, but give shout if that changes all right?" Clark's ever present care for the welfare of others was clear in his comment.

"Roger that, though I think we are nearing the end of this search."

He nodded towards their Amazonian teammate who was slowing down while the pulses grew more rapid. Both men did the same as they stood behind her…and from where they stopped felt some level of confusion.

"You have got to be joking."

The Spartan spoke with some disbelief and annoyance in his tone as this was not was what he was expecting as a sanctuary or some ancient relic. He had been so used to dealing with Forerunner relics being either in caves, museums, or massive constructs that this was LAST place he expected to find an artifact.

"Could there be some mistake?"

Superman naturally asked.

"No…according to the gem it's in there." Diana spoke with just the same confusion as all three stared the Metro Mall.

*Thousands of years of history and it gets paved and buried over to make way for a mall…wonderful.*

"A mall?" Flash said, 'Oh brother."

Arrow said, "Wow. Shows you where the world is heading isn't it. How many other pieces of history were replaced by huge buildings."

Clark thought a bit sadly as he did have a fondness to learn from the past given his own nature for discovering the truth about his origins.

John did not share the sentiment as he felt this was an inconvenience as he was sure people would ask questions on why after destroying a museum exhibit they felt the need to destroy a mall too. He had a feeling that there was going to be one heck of a media circus after all this.

Back in the UNSC, no one complained since they had more important concerns, that being the Covenant invasion and Insurrectionist attacks. He lost count of the number of civilian buildings he and the UNSC military had converted to bases or ruined and had a feeling that if things had been different, that museum curator back on Cote d'Azur would have really demanded some serious compensation out of him and the others.

As a man who had worked in the shadows before the war with the Covenant and thus his duties changed he felt at odds with this aspect of his choice to help the heroes, but he had swallowed his discomfort then and he would do so now. Diana was in trouble and it was his duty to help her as both her teammate and friend.

The three soon landed and made their way inside the building, Diana never had gotten the chance to see what a mall was liked, since most her outings in New York were to small shops and cases, was rather curious.

*What a strange place to gather.*

She thought before voicing an opinion about the place.

"It's like some kind of temple."

Clark and John both felt a measure of amusement at that.

"Yes, for those who worship their credit cards." The Man of Steel quipped.

"Oh nice one," Flash said.

Lantern said, "Yeah, we don't get much quipping from you, boy scout."

Superman smiled and said, "I have my moments."

"Be careful that the Commander or Barbara don't hear you say that out loud in their presence. I have no doubt they will be giving you a VERY loud discussion about that."

John added without a thought, earning a curious look from Diana and a smile from Clark.

They moved onward, John cradling his MA5C in his arms and keeping his senses and sensors opened for anything. He had exchanged one pistol for a silenced M7 as well as taking a Gravity Hammer to complement his shotgun at the museum before Diana explained her actions and he was glad for it.

The trio passed a boutique that showcased some female shaped mannequins in dresses and swim wear. Diana eyed the items distastefully as she felt them demeaning towards women.

"How can any female wear such ridiculous garments willingly?"

"You got me."

Superman replied honestly as he was a man of simple tastes while John chose to remain quiet and alert since he had better things to do than comment about it. The former was looking at everything within the X-ray spectrum. This soon paid off as he spotted an ancient jar beneath the floor.

*Bingo!*

"There it is, stand back while I go get it."

With those words the Kryptonian took a short flight and began to spin at high speeds to drill through the floor and reach the object of their quest. It only took mere moments before he returned with the relic in hand.

Diana and Superman briefly exchanged glances as they remembered what happened next. They idly wondered what form the Spartan would take and how he would fair against the two of them.

"Why would it be buried here?" She asks as she could not for the life of her understand that.

"Perhaps there was something else here before this mall was built? A temple or burial ground of some sort in history and no doubt the records were lost ever since. That would explain why nothing is here to indicate this being what we expected"

John theorized openly to the two, archeology was not his strong suit so he could only come to those conclusions.

"It has been here a long time so that could be a possibility."

Superman added in agreement.

"But why is it here? Why go to all the trouble of hiding these relics? And most importantly why does this Faust need them so badly that he's willing to take Diana's people hostage?"

Flash said, "If I remember correctly, what Hades did with his deal, I don't want to think of what would have happened to Faust if he had failed to finish the job."

Arrow said, "What did happen to him?"

J'onn said, "I thought you wanted no spoilers."

John asks his two not really expecting an answer but out of a need to get it out in the open. They both look at him and from what he could see they were giving his questions a lot of thought since they were valid given the situation they found themselves in.

"We'll have to get the answers from this Faust after we deal with him and save my people."

Diana says in response as she prepares to remove the relic from the jar…however it would not be so simple this time either as they were about to find out.

"And three for three booby traps," Flash said.

Arrow said, "So what is it this time?"

As soon as the top sensed an intrusion, a brilliant flash of white light came from the relic's container making the three stumbled back after being blinded. They heard it crash and brake but paid it no mind as they tried to regain their sight, Diana being the first to do so and was shock by what she was seeing.

Superman and the Spartan were nowhere to be seen and were they once stood now in their place were a pair of monsters for lack of a better word. One was a large winged demon of scaly gray skin and red eyes which snarled at her, while the other was a green skinned Cyclops with a golden yellow eye and carrying an odd assortment of crossbows, as well as a hybrid of a warhammer on one end and a battle axe on the other, over its slightly armored form.

"Oh now that is ugly," Flash said.

Batman raised an eyebrow. A colossus, a giant serpent, and these two things…had they been hidden in the jar. He quickly noticed that the Spartan and Superman were no longer in her view. The others noticed this as well.

Superman and John were also regaining their sight with the former calling out to their teammate.

"Diana…" he spoke out as his eyes cleared and gasps at what he sees "…what!?"

A horned reptilian demon with a yellow underbelly and very fierce looking claws and a tail was snarling at him, He looked to where the Spartan was and spotted the Cyclops. John for his part was just as caught off guard as he could not believe what his eyes were seeing as he gazed at the two creatures.

"Wait…Diana saw a cyclops and a demon," Arrow said, "And Supes is seeing a cyclops and a lizard woman…is it a mirage, or something?"

Diana nodded and said, "Yes. We didn't realize until too late that we were under some kind of spell."

Seeing no sign of them he raised his weapon at the closest one, in this case the winged demon, and spoke to it in a hard commanding tone not knowing whether they could understand him or answer back.

"Where are my teammates!?"

He ordered it then turned to the other creature and spoke to it in the same way.

"Answer me now!"

All the two heard were snarls and grunts of the one eyed being and tensed when he waved the weapon at them. Diana had enough of this and her worry for her friends overrode what little patience she had left.

"Where are my friends!?"

She cried out as she took a stance.

The winged demon looked away from the Cyclops and snarled at her, which was all the incentive she needed as she flew at him at and delivered vicious right hook to its jaw followed by a left.

The Cyclops fired at her, shocking her a bit as his crossbow fired one arrow after another, she deflected them with her bracers but the distraction proved costly as the winged demon rammed into her with shoulder charge.

"Oh man," Flash said, "This would be awesome if we didn't know what was going on."

Batman said, "I wonder how he'll fair against the two of you."

Superman watched as the lizard like creature struck a tree before righting itself; he turned his attention to the Cyclops and was soon struck by the arrows, however this simply bounced off him.

John muttered a curse as he watched the bullets from his rifle having no effect on the winged creature, said creature flew up then shot down straight him making roll to the right as its clawed hand struck the place where he once stood.

*BOOM!*

Leaving a small crater in its wake, John lobbed a grenade at the creature and ran to gain some distance from the explosion that soon followed. According to the motion tracker the creature have been from a bit away but remained close to its original position.

*Damn! These creatures show great resilience and tremendous strength my armor isn't built to withstand for long…I have to disengage the safety protocols and limiters if I want to even stand a chance, I just hope that it will be enough to make a difference.*

"So he's taking off the kiddie gloves," Lantern said, "I just hope he can hold them off long enough to figure out the whole mind mess"

Arrow said, "I got five bucks on Spartan figuring it out first."

Superman said, "I got ten on myself."

Flash said, "You were there, we weren't, you don't get to bet."

With that thought in mind he sent the command and received a warning signal asking him to confirm the order, he gave an affirmative and soon felt the armor's system begin to compensate as he prepared himself mentally and physically for the new surge in power.

He had previously trained on the Forerunner home world to get a feel for the armor at full strength and even now felt a struggle to maintain control of his movements as he dropped his weapons and grabbed his gravity hammer. This reminded him of the time he had to retrain himself once he was fresh out of augmentation surgery, and when he and the others got the Mark IV MJOLNIR. Only this time this he was going to be really hitting the redlines and pushing the boundaries with no team of technicians to help him.

*This is would be much easier with Cortana here, but I will have to adapt for now and hope I get the answers I want.*

He didn't think any further as his tracker told him he was about to get blindsided from the right, a quick glance confirmed this as the reptilian creature flew at him. He responded by ducking under the wild swing it threw and let off an uppercut to the things jaw.

*WHAM!*

"UGH!"

Diana cried out as the one eyed beast's fist struck her face hard it rattled he skull.

*By the Gods! The creature must have steel skin!*

"No just armor," Flash quipped.

She worriedly said to herself as she rubbed her jaw where the creature struck. She spotted it charging her with its warhammer held high, she had tensed her legs to prepare to doge right then take it off its feet however before it could strike it was rammed into by the winged demon.

*So they fight between themselves? Good, that gives me time to form a plan to capture one of them and get some answers, I only pray that they have not harmed my friends.*

She thought as she waited for an opening.

Superman for his part tried to maintain its hold on the one eyed being but it was trashing like mad, he could tell he was the stronger of the two but its blows still stung and it knew where to hit to cause the most pain as it rammed its elbow into his ribs and head hard and repeatedly.

"That's enough out of you!" he yelled as he slammed him face first into a support pillar that seemed to stun it for a moment as it felt to the ground and struggled to get up.

"Now to get some answers out of y…"

Clark never got the chance to finish as he was suddenly grabbed from the waist and slammed backwards into the floor with great force.

*BOOM!*

Another crater was soon formed and he was momentarily stunned, allowing the reptilian demon to grab him by the neck and smack him away with a right hook.

"UGH!"

He slammed into another support pillar for his troubles.

He winced at the pain his jaw and cursed himself for not paying attention to his other foe.

*ZAT!*

A horrible screech got his attention as the reptilian creature flew away with a trail of smoke coming from its back before it crashed into a nearby store, following its path it saw the Cyclops with its steaming weapon point in its direction.

*Great, it has a MAGICAL weapon, I hope the others are faring better than me.*

"So those do hurt you," Flash said, "Now I'm really glad Luthor didn't get them."

Superman said, "That might just be an effect of the illusion. I can make my and Diana's suits and skin feel like scales, so it could effect how we felt."

He thought before entering the fray once more.

With the others…

Sadly Superman's hopes were not exactly answered in the right way as three faced off against the relics gargantuan snake guardian. Flash and Cortana leap to the sides as the fire spewed forth from the snake's maw, J'onn however was too late and took the full blast, much to his displeasure as fire was not a Martian's best friend.

"ARGH!"

"J'onn!" Cortana cried out as she angrily faced the snake with her arms held out as they morphed into a pair of cannons.

"Try this on for size you bastard!" She cried out as she fired the Sentinel beams at the creature.

*ZZAAATTT!*

"SSSSHHHHAAA!"

"Yeah, go robot lady," Flash cheered happily.

J'onn meanwhile, winced as some phantom pain went through him.

The fire breathing reptile cried out in pain as the beam lances its scales and skin. This thank fully diverted it's attention away from the Martian and onto the mobile A.I, Cortana changed her arms to shields when the snake fired off burst of flames at her.

Flash rushed J'onn to a secure position before running interference for Cortana as they guardian reared back its head for another shot.

The crimson clad speedster knelt before the A.I with his back to her before he spins his arms until they appeared nothing more than red cyclones that part the flames before they can reach them. This does not deter the creature from its objective and continues its assault on the two; Flash however decides to up the ante.

"You're toast!"

"Oh brother," Flash said, "You couldn't come up with a better joke?"

Diana said, "You said the exact same line, didn't you?"

J'onn answered, "I believe he did, and it was not funny that time either."

With that said he pours more speed to his arms until the powerful winds they produce push the flame back at the animal.

"Get to J'onn, I'll handle the oversized belt here!"

Wally ordered as he saw the snake was now more angry and determined and launched itself at them.

Cortana said nothing but did as told as she jumped to the right near J'onn while Flash dodged the snake's maw and ran the length of its body until it he stood a quarter of its body near the head.

The reptile was not deterred as it tried to devour and burn the intruder, this however proved its undoing as it chase after him until it tried to snatch him up through a hole made by its own body and ending up in a rather comical knot with its own body.

*Huh, so that can happen in real life.*

"That can actually happen?" Lantern said, "Now I'm glad you never got over watching cartoons."

Flash said, "Hey, I need to laugh after a long day."

He thought with mirth as he dashed back to his teammates.

J'onn was leaning on Cortana as he regained his strength.

"Are you okay J'onn? Do you need medical attention?"

The UNSC A.I asked gently despite the circumstances they found themselves.

"No…no I am fine Cortana, I just need a breather and some quiet."

He replied neutrally though his intentions were betrayed by the glare he was sending to the snake. Flash was next to them in less than a second while the Martian Manhunter now stood without assistance.

"Get the relic; I'll deal with our 'friend' here." He spoke as he stepped forward just as the snake got out of its predicament and lunged at the last of the Martians. J'onn stood his ground, reared back his right arm and…

*WHAM!* delivered a thunderous uppercut to the jaw that knock the snake out in a flash.

The scarlet speedster declared, "TKO! The new champion The Manhunter!"

J'onn simply smiled and said, "It was nothing. And we had bigger problems than a large serpent."

"Damn…" Cortana let out as she wore a look of awe "…talk about a mean right hook."

*We sure could have used someone like him during the war, though I can bet that the UNSC would not be overly fond of the idea of an alien fighting with them; not mention of course a certain snake bastard in ONI would LOVE to study J'onn if given half the chance.*

"He would try, and he would fail…horribly," J'onn said.

She calmly thought despite her surprise.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Wally added as he held the relic.

"Yeah right."

Cortana muttered softly as she rolled her eyes at the man.

"Let's go…"

J'onn said as he took the relic from his teammate and headed towards the Javelin with the others in tow "…who knows what dangers they may be facing now if they found their piece."

"Right, better check in with the Commander and see if she knows anything."

Cortana spoke as she took a seat next to him.

On board the Forward Unto Dawn…

-Commander Keyes, this is Cortana, do you read? —

"Loud and clear Cortana, what is the situation?" Miranda replied as she and the monitor stood on the bridge of the warship.

-Took some doing but we managed to get the relic, though we had not counted on it being so uniquely guarded.—

Miranda wore a look of confusion while Redeeming Bias floated there as he processed those words.

-Yeah I'll say, what with a giant fire breathing snake being pretty unique all right. — The Flash's voice came through the comm.

"…a what?"

-It appears that whoever hid these relics did so with clear thoughts that not just anyone should get them if at all. — J'onn added.

*What are we dealing with here?* Miranda thought with some worry as she held her chin; she turned to look at the Monitor next to her.

"Get in contact with the Chief; I want to know what is going on with him and the others and I want to know now."

"Yes Commander Keyes…" It replied before its eyes glowed before it stopped and it uttered "…oh dear."

"What is it?"

"I am detecting some abnormal readings from the Reclaimer's combat skin, he also appears to have disengaged the suits limiters and safety features."

THAT got Miranda concerned as she knew that the ONLY time that ever happened was when John had a REALLY dangerous enemy to face.

"Can you contact him?"

"I shall try."

"Looks like we are getting a little extra help breaking through the illusion this time around."

Back with John and the others…

John was not feeling too well, the reason for this as the creatures were proving difficult to subdue as their strength and endurance far exceeded his own even in the armor. Speaking of his armor, it had taken some blows from both and was showing signs that it was not going to leave the repair ward for while with all the dents and cracks.

His shield emitters had been blown out after a powerful right cross came from the reptilian demon that flew him straight into a support beam and his visor was cracked from a back hand from the winged demon. Thankfully any physical damage was taken care of by the nanites in his body; still the taste of blood was starting to grow tedious to him.

"Apparently he does not stand quite up to demigods and kyrptonians," Flash said, "We should make a note of that."

Batman said, "Most likely he is going to upgrade his armor later to deal with this, and he is going to either enhance himself or have something prepared in case he goes against creatures of this level again."

Arrow said, "That sounds both awesome and terrifying."

Diana and Superman both glanced at each other as they wondered how this was going to affect the super soldier and themselves.

He of course got his fair share of hits in too as his hammer had proven effective against the creatures, the wing demon made it a priority to avoid it in close quarters as its gravimetric shockwaves and enhanced blows had caused it some damage to the ribs while the beams it fired made it a good weapon against its wingless counterpart.

Superman said, "Still not a hundred percent shore if it's because of the magic or the weapon itself."

He hefted his weapon, now in a shortened and single handed mode as it helped free his other hand as well as offer him more maneuverability, and gazed at the creatures sizing him and themselves up.

*I don't have much left in this fight, and I still haven't gotten close to finding out where Superman or Diana are…I wish Cortana was here.*

He said to himself as he tightens his hold on his weapon in his hand.

Superman was in the same boat as he was weary of making a move on either of the creatures, the Cyclops was clearly the weaker of the two but fought with more precision and technique then he thought possible for such a fearsome beast. The other could match him in strength and fought with great ferocity that had him trying to go all out against it in hopes of weakening it enough to find his missing friends.

*My ribs are nearly healed but still I can't take one on without the other going at my unguarded back.*

The Man of Steel thought grimly as she kept a close eye on them.

Wonder Woman's thoughts were split between maintaining a good defense and worry for her friends as she was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate as the thought of them being hurt because of her grew. They had shown her kindness, loyalty and friendship in this time what with her people's plight and now she may have inadvertently caused them to suffer some horrible fate.

She kept a wary eye on the creatures she faced, she did so while resisting the pain she had felt when the Cyclops weapon fired beams of energy at her which hurt something fierce as they managed to get some shots passed her defenses.

*I must get that weapon from him and also be mindful of the other one.*

As they watched each other not realizing that they faced their respective teammates, each strategized a means to overcome the other. It was at that moment that the Chief received a transmission from the Dawn.

-Chief! Chief! Do you read!? — The cries of the commander cut through the static.

"I read you Commander, though there is some static on the line."

-Thank goodness, we've been trying to reach you for 10 minutes, something is interfering with communications so I am having Redeeming try and clear it up as best we can. What is the situation?—

"We found the relic, however it emitted some kind of energy that blinded us for a moment, when I regained my sight Superman and Wonder Woman were gone and two unknown creatures were in their stead. I have been fighting them since but they are tremendously strong and durable." He replied calmly despite the situation.

-Damn it! Okay, let's us take a look at your surroundings and scanners and see if we can find them.—

There was a momentary pause in the line before a shocked gasp came through.

"Well, at least that's one problem taken care of," Flash said.

Diana said, "Since she wasn't there, the spell that bewitched us doesn't affect her."

Lantern said, "That, or it just doesn't effect artificial equipment."

"Commander? Commander Keyes what's wrong?"

-Chief those aren't two creatures you're fighting! Those are Superman and Wonder Woman!—

Once the Keyes said those words, he felt a sensation of awareness come to him as he looked at the two creatures forms fade away and reveal his two teammates. Needless to say he was shock by this turn of events.

*What the hell!? What just happened here!?* One very confused Spartan asked himself before addressing his CO in hopes of some orders to help because as of right now logic and reason had flown out the window.

"Commander…? What…what should I…?"

-I don't know what to do either Chief… — Miranda replied as she honestly did not know how to handle this odd and dangerous situation.

- Redeeming, can we talk to them? —

-I am receiving a higher level of interference with them, but I shall endeavor to break through it. — The monitor spoke calmly as it began to work.

-Chief, drop your weapons and back away slowly, whatever it is that is doing this hasn't at least compromised their minds completely. —

John was a bit reluctant to place himself in such a position of weakness however it was outweighed by his concern for his teammates. He was not about to risk hurting them anymore than he already had despite the nature of their abilities.

Slowly he powered down the hammer and gently lowered it to the ground while maintaining eye contact on his fellow Leaguers. He could tell they were confused by his actions, and a part of him was wondering what it is they were seeing under this…spell.

*After this is over I am having Cortana and Redeeming divert resources to finding something to counter for this type of situations.* He thought in all seriousness as he found he had enough with the unknown quantities that came with dealing with magic and the supernatural despite this being his first encounter.

'Man do we know how that feels,' everyone thought, remembering their own encounters with magic and how unprepared they were.

Superman and Wonder Woman were indeed caught off guard by the Cyclops as he dropped his weapon and backed away slowly; they instinctively look at the other seeing only a creature in place of a friend in worry of a surprise attack. This is all the time needed as they hear a voice they most certainly welcome.

-This is Keyes! Do you read me!? I repeat this is Commander Keyes, calling Superman and Wonder Woman! — They both heard her despite the interference, Diana was having trouble sending a reply but luckily Clark heard her loud and clear.

"Superman here Commander, I am very, very glad to hear your voice."

-Do not fight the creatures! I repeat do not fight the creatures! What you are facing is each other under an illusion. —

"What?!"

Diana cried out in shock, turning to look at the creatures she was even more surprised as she saw the illusion fall and reveal her foes to be none other than the Spartan and the Man of Steel.

"By the Goddess!"

The Amazon princess whispered as she got a good look at the damage John had incurred in their unforeseen bout "…what horrors have we unleashed?"

On the isle of the Amazons…

-WHERE IS SHE FAUST!? WHERE IS THE AMAZON PRINCESS!? — The dark malevolent voice boomed through the flaming portal.

"Man that big guy doesn't have any sense of patience does he?" Arrow asked.

Flash said, "If you were stuck in a flaming hole for a thousand years you would be cranky too. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if the first thing he did when he got out was hit the beach just for a change of scenery."

Lantern asked, "Hey Bats, you live somewhere dark and dreary, where would you go for vacation."

Batman, in absolute seriousness, answered, "Fiji."

"Try to have patience my Lord…" Faust replied though he soon regretted his poor choice of words as the intensity of the flames grew in response.

-PATIENCE!? PATIENCE YOU SAY YOU BUMBLING FOOL!? I HAVE BEEN PATIENT FOR OVER 3000 YEARS! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF PATIENCE YOU FILTHY WORM! —

Faust chided himself as he knew full well he could be on the receiving end of his master's wrath if he is not careful...and oh how he dreaded that fate. He would gladly endure the princess's wrath over enraging the God of the Underworld any day.

"Forgive me my Lord, I merely meant to say that that the relics will soon be within our grasp, I can feel it in my very bones and then Lord Hades this world will be ours for the taking."

-THEY BETTER BE… FOR YOUR SAKE, THEY BETTER BE.—

With Diana, Superman and the Spartan…

As Diana held the mystical artifact she could not help but comment on it after the terrible ordeal the trio just went through.

"Powerful forces are at work here." She spoke in a guarded tone as she stood up with the object.

"I would have to agree with that assessment Wonder Woman."

John replied calmly and while she heard no malice from his voice, it did not diminish the shame she felt in knowing he had harmed her friend, and possibly coming close to killing him as well. She spotted Superman casting discreet glances at the man with a look that rivaled her own.

Both mentioned heroes remembered the shame that they felt when they realized they had badly injured their teammates during this encounter. Sure it was because of the magic, but that didn't pull away from what they had done.

Despite the armor, the training or his augmentations, John was still a man with no powers and the knowledge that they had inflicted such damage on him was not the least bit comforting to either of the heroes. They began to think that perhaps they should convince John not to carry on with the mission due to the state he was in.

"Yeah, the big man took quite the beating," Arrow said, "I don't think he should go on with the mission."

Lantern said, "He's a marine. He's trained to see every mission through, no matter what state he is in. Plus, he's has Batman levels of stubbornness."

*This is my fault, I never should have allowed this to happen.* She thought grimly as she placed the relic next to the other one.

Batman's voice interrupted her thoughts before they could take further hold.

-Diana… — the Dark Knight spoke in his usual foreboding tone -…I dug up something on your "friend" Faust.—

That comment earned her undivided attention.

"What is it?"

-I think you better see for yourself.—

With that final comment the protector of Gotham ended the conversation.

-I don't like the sound of that.—Miranda spoke through the line, the three silently agreed.

The members who went to Faust's apartment repressed a shudder at what they had found there.

"Commander, if you could please contact the others and have his location transmitted to us?" Superman asked politely as many would expect of him despite the circumstances they found themselves in.

-Already on it Superman.—

"John, can you make the trip?" Diana hears her teammate ask their resident super soldier.

"Physically yes as the nanites have healed the damage, however the readings I'm getting from the MJOLNIR'S BIOS show that sustainable flight might not be a possibility Superman."

"Then allow me to carry you there." She spoke up suddenly; a bit embarrassed by her words as she figured the man's pride would not accept such an offer though she was pleasantly surprised by his answer.

"All right, let me grab my weapons first."

He replied calmly to her as John did not have a typical man's pride as some would say it, after all having worked with the UNSC's best female Marines, Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel and officers, as well as his fellow female Spartans, he learned to respect women and Diana certainly earned his.

"Okay, now I want to see what happens if he meets my sisters," Diana said, gaining surprised looks.

She explained, "Using man's pride against him to lure him into traps and challenges was something that we used back in ancient times, and it still works today. I wonder how he would react to my sisters words, and how they would react to him."

"I'll handle that John…" Superman spoke before he dashed with a loud whoosh before he came back with his arms full of the Spartan's weapons "…here you are."

"Thank you Superman."

Soon with all his weapons secured the three made their way towards the exit, though John cast a look at all the destruction they wrought.

"I hope we have a good alibi for this and the museum in place." He said out loud.

"I'll speak to the Curator and owners and ask Batman if he knows anyone who can help out with funding for repairs." The last son of Krypton replied getting a satisfied nod from the soldier.

*Better to not lose the backing of the people and the goverments.* John thought to himself as he felt things would go more smoothly for the team if they were aware of the impact they had on the world and its inhabitants. This was yet another difference between his Spartan brothers and sisters and the Justice League as the war with the Covenant made their public utterly supportive of the Spartans when the proverbial shit hit the fan.

Here it was a different story...

Superman said, "Yeah. One thing goes wrong, or something is out of our control, and everyone suddenly wants our heads on a plate."

Once outside Superman slowly floated upwards while Diana stood to the right of the Spartan and slipped her arm around his waist until she found a good enough purchase. He did the same as he held her waist firmly enough to hold on yet not enough to hurt her, though he doubted that was possible as he reinstated the limiters and safeties on his armor.

Still he was not taking chances as despite her resilient form, John had harmed Diana so he too was not pleased by his actions and took every precaution not to aggravate any injuries the Amazon might still have.

She took note of that and found the gesture not all offensive... and somewhat comfortable that he showed such care despite what he went through with her.

"Ready John?"

"As ever Diana."

"Then off we go."

Later above the home of Felix Faust…

The team soon found themselves together once more at Batman's location atop the apartment complex that served as the sorcerer's abode. Flash and Cortana were gob smacked by the condition the Spartan had arrived in. J'onn and Batman said nothing but were very much concerned.

John had to fend off Cortana's attempts to get him on board the Dawn for medical attention, a feeling a certain former villainess and Commander reciprocated when Cortana's scans showed the armor had sustained considerable damage while his body showed evidence of heavy trauma. He knew that they had very good reason for him to be healed, and he was no fool, but they were running against the clock here so he had to be in the field.

Flash said, "Marine mentality with Batman stubbornness. That is not a good combination for this guy's health."

Lantern said, "Got to give him props though, he's got guts to keep moving. At least Cortana can patch up the armor and get things working again."

In the end she had transferred herself out of her body and into the armor to see if she could do some on site repairs while sending data to Barbara and Redeeming so they could do a more accurate assessment when they finally got him to listen to reason.

Throughout this the League had retold what they had faced in their quest for the relics to the each other and the Commander and A.I.

"Jeez Chief, and I thought we had it bad with the overgrown leather belt." Flash quipped as he frowned at the damage he had incurred.

"Come's with the job Flash…"

John replied neutrally with a shrug as he honestly had gone through worse in his life. After all, he had to endure fighting with wounds that by all rights should have sent normal men to the ICU for years, or a pine box.

"…a soldier must be prepared to take a few hits along the way to complete the mission."

"A few hits he says…" Cortana spoke in a huff through the speakers "…you must be daft John, more so than usual. The shield array has its power cut off, the biofoam injectors are offline, your stealth module is compromised and your flight tech would have given out half way here had Diana not carried you. The only not showing signs of damage are your wrist blades."

Arrow whistled and said, "He took all that and he's still moving. Got to say, those guys who built the MJOLNIR certainly knew what they were doing. Hey, you think I can look up some of the MJOLNIR designs. Back home these could make for great exploration suits."

Batman said, "We'll discuss it later."

"Can you repair it?"

"John, I would need the Huragok to look it over with a fine tooth comb to get it back to full capacity. We are talking some serious repair and retrofitting here big guy and that could take weeks to at least a month."

"Cortana, you know we don't have the time, the more time we waste the more Faust entrenches himself and Diana's people run the risk of being destroyed."

He refuted.

Diana heard the words and was honestly touched by his concern for the welfare of her people, yet she in turn worried for his safety as well. The beating he took from her and Superman was very troubling and whatever trick Faust had left could very well take John out as unlike most of them, he had no knowledge of Magic.

"Ugh, fine I'll try to run a patch to the shields and biofoam injectors but I'll have to take the flight and stealth modules down so you are grounded and no way able to cloak."

"Do it."

"Spartan, perhaps it would wise for you to return to the ship or the Watchtower for repairs and medical attention."

J'onn spoke as he too is concerned in his own way for the man's well being. He knew that arguing with the super soldier might not work, but he had to try.

John however shook his head at this.

"I can still fight J'onn and if the armor proves a hindrance I will send it back, it is merely a tool nothing more. The real power here has always been me, not the weapons or the MJOLNIR. Now then, what have you learned Batman?"

"Anybody else want to see him fight without the armor now?" Arrow said, "I feel that it will e just as awesome when he fights with hit."

Everyone agreed.

Turning to the Dark Knight as a both a means to end the current topic as well as learn more of their opponent.

"Follow me." Was all the man said, turning back towards the entrance to lead the them to the dwelling of the sorcerer. The others minus Diana, Cortana and John followed as they waited for the A.I to finish her work.

Cortana downloaded herself into her body once more while giving her friend a concerned look.

"Be careful okay." She spoke as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He responded by placing his hand on hers.

"You know I can't make that promise, but I will try Cortana."

"You better mister, who else will I nag around here?"

"Flash?" he replied in a rare show of humor.

"Oh ha ha," Flash said, "of course pick on the guy who takes my title."

Lantern said, "Hey, in case you forget, we nag you too."

"Please…"

The artificial being replied rolling her eyes back

"…he's easy pickings compared to you."

With that said she walked away, leaving the Amazon and the Spartan behind.

John made to move forward but paused as he looked at Diana who was still wearing a frown.

"Diana? Are you all right?"

"John…maybe you should go back to the ship and leave this matter to us."

"Given the beating he took," Diana said, "it is probably a good idea for him to go back, but knowing him, he isn't going to go back."

Flash said, "He'll only go back if he is on a stretcher."

"Diana…"

"I don't want any of you to get hurt on my account, this is a family matter and these are my people, if I had known the danger involved I would have never…"

"Stop."

Diana was caught off guard by his interruption. John removed his helmet so she could see his face as well as think about what he could say to her, he was normally not much for talking but he knew he had to reassure her.

"Diana, we knew this was a dangerous mission when we agreed to help you, it is no different from any other one we set ourselves up for."

"But…"

"Diana…" he spoke calmly as he looked into her eyes and with a bit of reluctance placed a hand on her shoulder just as Cortana did for him.

It always surprised her how easily she allowed herself to let this man before her place his hands on her in such familiar ways, and yet never felt the urge to snap at him for taking such liberties or give him a solid smack in the face. She knew she had respect and sympathy for him for all he had suffered and endured willingly, but this was different.

"…I have not had many friends besides Cortana and my fellow Spartans, but those few I have allowed myself to have were worth all the trouble and pain I went through to protect them as well as the sadness I felt when I failed them. You are a friend I will help Diana, even if it cost me my life I will help you, and that promise I will keep."

"John…"

She was speechless for the most part as she could tell that he meant every word, she watched as he placed his helmet back on and moved towards the entrance.

"Come on, they are waiting for us." He called out to her.

"Dang," Lantern said, "That guy could have made a good public speaker if he didn't get kidnapped and forcibly drafted into the military."

She nodded before following.

*Thank you John, I will make sure you are safe, this I promise you.*

Inside Faust's home…

The heroes looked around the man's study and were surprised by how much books, antiquities and relics the man possessed.

"Fascinating…" the Martian spoke up as he surveyed the room and all its contents "…Faust clearly has a great passion for learning."

"Too bad he's bat shit crazy and evil to boot." Cortana added as she flipped through a well cared copy of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, earning a chuckle from the Spartan and smirk from Diana.

"Where does he get this stuff, Warlock's R' us?"

"Oh, I remember that thing," Flash said.

The speedster quipped as he held a golden staff with a clear crystal between the staff and a circular ornamentation…which soon opened revealing an eye.

Batman spotted the staff and knew immediately it should not be trifled with, ESPECIALLY by someone like the Flash.

"Don't touch that!"

Flash of course did not see the energy building up until it fired as he turned to face the Dark Knight.

*ZAAAATT!*

*BOOM!*

Batman luckily ducked in time as the energy blasted the wall behind him with considerable force.

"You did the exact same thing didn't you?" Arrow asked, turning towards the scarlet speedster.

Flash said, "Maybe."

*Oh boy!*

"Heh heh heh…um oops?"

THAT was not going to cut it with Bruce.

"Don't touch anything!"

The man angrily snapped as he snatched the staff from the young man's hands

"…we have no idea what kind of powers we are dealing with."

*This is precisely why I hate magic, too many variables not enough facts.* Wayne said to himself. Ever since he learned of magic from a trusted source, he was very wary of magic and ALL forms it took.

The other heeded the warning as they placed the objects back and carefully made sure not to disturb anything they might not recognize.

Batman almost let out a groan at this and rubbed the bridge of his nose in a temporary moment of frustration.

Superman stared at the blasted wall with unease as his encounters with magic were also coming to the fore.

*We really need to get a mystic on the team for these kind of missions, and I better careful as it is one of my weaknesses apart from red sun radiation and Kryptonite.*

Batman said, "I'm familiar with a magic user in Gotham. She could be a great asset with her knowledge of magic and related items."

Superman answered, "I believe I know one myself. He's also got a library filled with almost all known magical knowledge."

Batman nodded and said, "We can meet with them when the show is over."

"So who is this Faust?" he finally asked his dark counterpart knowing the man has the answers they sought.

"Felix Faust was once a respected professor of archeology…" Bruce's tone was serious and determined as he placed a photo of the man in a suit standing before an Egyptian cartouche

"…but then he became fascinated by the mystic arts. His colleagues were not very accepting of his heretical ideas."

"I assume he was let go of his position?" John spoke as he sent the image to the Dawn.

Batman nodded before continuing.

"He swore revenge on those who had mocked and ridiculed him, and several days later they disappeared under mysterious circumstances"

Diana looked to a nearby shelf and spotted something that pretty much confirmed her teammate's words. And further convinced her that she had to do all she could to stop this madman from taking her people away.

"I believe the mystery is over, look here."

They all gathered and spotted the petrified heads of three people looked in a state of terror.

"Ew!" Flash let out in revulsion.

Arrow gagged, while Flashed winced at the memory.

"I didn't want to know how he did it then," Flash said, "And I don't want to know how he did it now."

"Okay…I think crazy and evil are both understatements now." The A.I spoke with the same feeling going through the speedster.

"He's mad." Superman added quite aghast at the willful disregard for life before him.

"It gets worse…" Batman spoke up in the same grim tone.

"Worse how?" John felt the need to ask, a need shared by everyone present and listening.

"Faust kept a journal; the final entries make reference to Tartarus."

"The pit of lost souls…" Diana was askance as she said this as she now understood what it was that Faust wanted…and who he served. That definitely made her even more worried as to what was going to happen.

"But isn't that just a myth?"

"Okay, if we had a dollar for every time someone has said that in our careers," Batman said, "We would all be millionaries."

Superman thought, 'Of course, you already are a billionaire. Like you need more money.'

Superman naturally asked as despite the rather unusual things he had seen in his life this was never taken into account.

Wonder Woman did not reply at first as she recalled the details regarding Hades and his connection to her mother. This was one side of her people that she shared with no one, let alone John in her time together with him, Cortana, and Miranda.

*SIGH*

"If only that were so, long ago in ancient times my mother Hippolyta fell in love with a God, Lord Hades…"

"The God of the Underworld?" The Spartan questioned, she nodded sadly in affirmation, something he took note of. This convinced the super soldier that whatever history Diana's mother had with Hades was anything but pleasant. And her next statement served to confirm his thoughts.

"…when war broke out between the Olympian Gods and their ancient foes the Titans, Hades struck a treasonous bargain with the enemy. He would deliver Mount Olympus into their hands in return for domination of humanity."

"How does your mother play in all this?" the Dark Knight now asked, although by the way the tale was going he was pretty sure he what would happen next.

"Hades tricked my mother into opening the gates of Olympus to the invading Titans; there was a battle the muses still sing to this day. Through much blood and strife the Gods prevailed and drove them back; Zeus cast Hades into the pit of Tartarus for his treachery to rule over the dead…my mother was tasked with watching over the gate of the underworld for her unwilling role in his plot and to make sure it stayed closed for all time."

Everyone watched as Diana explained, as the screen showed images of the events only, it was like they were painted onto pots and urns.

"Wow," Flash said, "Whoever made these really knows how to add a sense of showmanship to flashback. I wonder if there would be anything if we remembered anything."

Wonder Woman turned to face her friends as she concluded her story.

"To make sure it could never be unlocked the key was broken into fragments and scattered across the world never to be found. Mother told me she kept one of the pieces in the temple as a reminder of her eternal shame and her eternal duty."

"Then these relics we've been grabbing are…?" Cortana began and John finished in a grim tone.

"…pieces of the key."

"And we are reminded that Faust is not as smart as he thinks he is, if he is stupid enough of to mess with someone who is, essentially, the devil," Arrow said, "Everyone knows that these end badly!"

Batman said, "He was brilliant. Nobody ever said he had common sense."

There was a moment of silence as everyone turned towards Batman and Flash asked, "Did you just make a joke?"

Batman answered, "I do have a sense of humor. I don't show it much."

Arrow said, "Why not? That was actually funny."

Batman sent a blank look towards the emerald archer and said, "Do you remember who my archenemy is?"

The subject was then dropped.

This made the two LESS than pleased; with John being the most affected as this was beginning to remind him of the time Guilty Spark tricked him to get the Index on the first Halo ring. As much as he tried to ignore it, Diana's current situation was coming to be in the same league as his situation back then.

"But how does getting them help this wacko?"

Flash asks as he holds the largest of the three pieces, only for Batman to take it and place it next to the others.

"Only one reason…" the Dark Knight spoke as he began inserting the pieces into one another until they took on the form of a crank "…he intends to use it."

"Well that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. We're dealing with a nut who wants to literally unleash Hell on Earth." Cortana spoke in a way that showed she was anything but comfortable with the situation.

'Seen it before,' they all thought, having seeing what would happen if hell were to be released on Earth."

"Diana, you can't give it to him."

Superman spoke softly as he did not relish the idea of telling the woman she had to choose between her people and the world. Needless to say Diana's reaction was very much what anyone would have made.

"If I don't everyone on the island will remain petrified!"

"And if you do it could spell the end of all mankind." Batman added, silence reigning with that terrible reminder.

-This is Keyes, I've been listening in and though I'm still trying to wrap my head around this situation involving magic and Gods. I think we can use this to our advantage.—

"How so Commander?" J'onn asked calmly.

-We used this key as bait for Faust, making spill the beans on how he disabled Diana's people and then we take him out of the equation.—

"Interesting strategy, it could work given the fact he will not be expecting us to accompany Diana to her homeland much less help her." Cortana said to the team as she believed it had a high success rate.

"We can take him by surprise and force him to talk." Chief added his two cents to the conversations as he too saw it a golden opportunity.

"Diana? What do you think?" Clark asks the woman in question as it involves her intimately as well as the safety of her people.

Flash said, "We all know how this goes."

"If this is the only course of action that ensures victory then we must take advantage of it."

"Very well, let us depart now while we still have time." J'onn spoke as they all agreed it would be better to move now.

As they move John still feels that sense of unease that has plagued him since the beginning of this mission. Not for the first time he wishes he had his team with him, especially Kurt who had a better handle when it came to these situations and his unique intuitions. He had a feeling that his current arsenal was not the least bit suited for this task, and if there was one thing John knew, having the wrong kit for mission was always a recipe for disaster.

"Cortana, do we have anything on board that can pack a punch?"

"Sorry Chief but SOMEBODY…" she stresses the word while looking at the Bat who had a fairly accurate idea that he was the object of discussion.

"…thinks we shouldn't carry weapons on board the Javelin."

Batman narrowed his eyes slightly. He did have a zero tolerance policy when it came to fire arms.

"You don't need to carry guns all the time and especially in non-military vehicles."

"You don't need to carry that belt around your waist but that seem to stop you now does it?" She snaps back.

"Burn!" Arrow and Flash both yelled out, while Batman simply narrowed his eyes at being one upped."

Batman just levels a glare at her while she ignores it and walks away with smug smile. They all saw but chose not to comment on it, especially Wally since he knows full well what Batman is like when angered at being one upped.

*Must not laugh, must not laugh, laughter is the Flash killer that brings forth Bat based oblivion.*

He keeps repeating to himself.

Lantern said, "At least Wally inherited you're preservation instincts."

"Was that really necessary Cortana?" her protector and friend asks as he and Diana walk beside her.

"Sure was John, but if it makes you feel better I hesitated for approximately 0.156 seconds in replying."

*SIGH*

"There are days I question why I put up with your antics."

"You know you love me…" the UNSC A.I chirped before her face took on a more serious look "…now will you tell me what has been bothering since we left the agency?"

This caught Diana for a loop as she had not seen anything that could show that John was stressed. Then again she did not have the same experience that allowed Cortana or Doctor Halsey to see what ailed the Spartan. The fact he was still decked in armor that hid any way of seeing anything to tell his state of mind made it worse.

The League had reached the roof when they stopped to listen in; they had long since learned that their Spartan ally was not one to speak when he was troubled and on some level that worried some of their more open minded members, namely Superman, Flash and Wonder Woman as they felt they should help him recapture that part of his humanity.

Hawkgirl understood why he did given her races militant nature, Stewart because of the things he saw during his time in the Marine Corp, Batman saw it as a means to not show weakness in any given situation where it could be seen as a liability and J'onn always kept his emotion s under control.

But Cortana understood far too well why he locked away those parts of himself; he needed to remain focused to ensure the mission and its members succeeded even at the cost of himself. She had seen how he took the deaths of fellow Spartans and soldiers, the hollow victories over the loyalists, the lives lost during the war. He was a stoic man, but he was hardly invincible or emotionless.

Many in the UNSC thought that he and his Spartan brethren were nothing more than muscle bound sociopaths, but she and Doctor Halsey knew better. The Spartans operated in the most hostile engagements or the most secretive missions that required a level of separation from the average soldier or civilian.

They were far from immortal, but the Spartans were first off a Black Ops team that sometimes required them to take actions that would conflict with most people's sensitivities. And in the war against the Covenant who never took prisoners and inflicted unspeakable horrors on civilians and soldiers alike, that was needed.

She knew full well that John carried great guilt in him for the lives lost in battle against the Covenant. Samuel, Arthur, Solomon, Shiela, Kurt, Avery, Miranda's father Jacob, and many more. Even the ODSTs who he had fought with on the Atlas made him feel guilty for having to taken the lives of three of them and crippling the other. There were MANY battles that traumatized John, one being the Battle of Draco III and one of the few times John was ever consumed by burning rage and anger.

"Just a feeling and nothing more Cortana." Of course she doesn't let him off that easily. She knew him too good to let this slide.

"On a scale of one to ten, ten being worst case scenario and one being the safest, where does it rank?"

"…5." he replied neutrally after a pause.

"Well if feel a 7 you tell us okay big guy? Remember it's my job to protect you." She said with a smile.

"I thought that was my job?" They could have been mistaken but the League could swear he was smiling when he said that.

"Wow," Flash said, "He's already gotten past the Batman level of emotion. Good for him."

The speedster immediately flew his hands up at supersonic speeds to block the slap that nearly got him in the back of the head.

"I'd like to think we protect each other John. That's the reason why you and I are still breathing, figuratively in my case."

Cortana spoke with a wide smile on her face. He gave her a nod before turning to enter the vehicle, the others soon following behind slightly alleviated by the banter between the two.

Soon the vehicle took off and headed to the isle of the warrior women to stop the machinations of a made sorcerer and his dark master.

On Themyscira…

Faust awaited in the demolished throne room next to a petrified Queen, feeling very reassured in the success of plan to use the Princess to obtain the pieces of the key to free his Lord.

"I should thank you for raising such a devoted daughter…" the warlock spoke amusedly enough as he stroked the cheek of the Queen "…She was so eager to cooperate, oh if she only knew what I have planned."

Any further comments were stopped as Diana bursts through the temple doors.

"Faust!"

"Ah back already, and with hours to spare, I am most impressed..."

He spoke in a tone that left her feeling disgusted with his false humor as he conjured the hourglass to prove a point before going straight to business.

"…have you got the relics?"

She revealed the assembled key, again feeling anger at the satisfaction that showed on the villains face. But she had to keep him from realizing that she had help, though no doubt her mother was not going to be too pleased when she found out.

"First free my mother."

"Oh yes, yes of course, a deal is a deal after all." Once more the man summoned the amulet and spoke the spell that reversed the effects on the Amazon Queen.

"Ugh…" said Queen let out as her body once more took life.

Diana wasted no time as she gave the wicked man the artifact and kneeled next to her mother.

"Mother…"

"Finally, after 3000 years the key is finally complete." Faust exclaims with great satisfaction as he is now closer than ever to achieving his goal.

"Diana…you didn't." Hippolyta let out in shock.

"Hey, she didn't have much of a choice lady," Arrow said.

*I was not worth the world's safety Diana, no matter we must stop him before Hades is freed!* she thought with equal parts sad and anger.

"Thank you Princess for your assistance, but now that your usefulness is at an end…"

Flash said, "Obvious villain betrayal is obvious."

the dark mage conjures the medallion as he speaks "…Petro K…"

*WOOSH!*

Before he could utter the incantation a red and yellow blur soon passed him and he found himself one magical amulet short.

"What!?"

"Please, you aren't the only one with an ace up your sleeves there, buddy." Flash cocky tone rang strong as he played with the amulet in his hand.

The sorcerer's attention was soon diverted away from the speedster to the sound of a grappling gun being fired…

"What is this!?" he cried out as the Dark Knight swung down towards their foe and delivered a swift backhand to the man's face.

"Ugh!"

The Queen saw this and was not exactly pleased to see the MALE heroes on the Amazon homeland.

"You brought men here? To Themyscira?" she asked her daughter accusingly.

Arrow said, "Again. Not much choice…wait…hey Supes, why didn't you bring that cousin of yours into this?"

Superman answered, "Weakness to magic, and it was a week night."

"Mother, I will explain later for now we have more urgent matters to deal with."

Her daughter asked albeit with a bit of worry as she knew she would be facing many accusations once the current crisis passed, she instead focused on her allies dealing with Faust.

"Did you really think she would trust the promises of scum like you Faust?"

The protector of Gotham city coldly remarked as he was joined by Superman and the Martian Manhunter, with the former addressing the villain followed by J'onn.

"It's over Faust, come quietly." The Man of Steel ordered firmly at the downed magic user.

"There is no escape."

The former man of science however was not in the mood to listen to reason.

"Never!" The madman cried out in denial as he saw the obstacles to his "quest" for knowledge stand in the way. With a gathering of mystical energies, he began to fire of spheres of explosive energy at the heroes.

Faust fired randomly, the last son of Krypton evading one attack only to be struck mid air by another.

"Agh!"

Landing roughly on the ground and feeling the rare but familiar sensation of pain in his chest.

*I forgot how much I hate pain and magic…suck it up Clark they need you!*

"Clark?" Arrow said, surprised at hearing the superman's real name.

Superman said, "Explain later."

He then muttered, "Stupid thought reading machine."

Faust continued his desperate assault, sending a trio of spheres at the Queen and her daughter.

"Mother look out!" Diana cried out as she immediately placed herself in the path of the attack.

"Diana!"

However before they reached her, a green black blur landed before them and slammed something on the ground.

*BOOM!*

The smoke cleared and revealed the Spartan and the Amazon's shielded in a Hexagonal formed bubble of energy.

"Cortana flank his left! Flash you go for his right!" He ordered as he pulled his pistol out and began to fire at the man to either wound him or keep him distracted, they needed him alive to break the spell on the Amazons after all.

*After he does that all bets are off.* He thought as he fired on the mage.

"What now!?" the Mage angrily cries out as he feels the bullets whiz by him one even grazing his left shoulder. The pain he felt only served to fuel his anger at the interlopers before him.

*I have had enough of this!*

With that thought in mind he waves his free hand and raises block of the floor to act as shield, of course he forgot about two other interlopers.

"Heads up!" he heard a woman shout before instinct took over and bucked as a mace missed his head by inches.

"Well you're a nimble little thing, aren't you?" Cortana spoke as she changed her hand from a mace to an oversized hammer.

Faust was not amused, yet his anger did not help him as he felt someone tapping him one the shoulder.

"Hi there, we will be your designated heroes for the evening, please surrender quickly and change all the pretty ladies back."

"Really Flash?" Diana asked, with a raised eyebrow, remembering how Flash was when they first arrived on Themyscira.

Flash said, "Hey, it's not me its, KF!"

Flash asked, "That's your sidekick? Wow…he grows just as annoying as you are."

"Fools!" the mage roared at him as he fired balls of mystical energy at the speedster.

"Miss me!" said speedster spoke as he dashed away.

"Enough!" Faust cries out as he ducks under another swing of Cortana and blasts her away with an orb of energy to her torso…

*BOOM*

"SHIIIIITTTT!" The UNSC A.I cries out as she is flung away much to the anger of the Spartan and the Amazon who are now very determined to hurt the man.

"You are so going down!" The protector of Central City yells as he rushed the man, who scoffs at him before waving his hand on the floor and creates a wave of earth to protrude from it in the speedster path.

*Oh that can't be good!*

And it wasn't as his great speed now worked against him as he tripped over the obstacle and rolled over three times before slamming into a column.

"I know. I know," Flash said, "All the speed in the world won't help you if you don't watch where you're going."

Faust was about to finish him off when J'onn shoulder tackled him, making him drop the key in the process, this only served to anger the man who conjured a rather large bolt of energy he soon hurled at the heroes, prompting Superman, the Martian and Spartan to dodge to avoid both it and the following explosion.

Batman caught the tail end of the blast and was thrown away under a collapsing pillar, luckily Superman caught in time to save his ally. John focused on the fleeing wizard as he grabbed the key; he thought about pulling up his pistol but given that he had not loaded it with TTR's thought better of it as they needed him alive after all.

"Good thing he remembered that we need him alive," Superman said.

Flash muttered, "Also too bad because it would have saved us some trouble."

Thankfully Wonder Woman dashed next to him and stood next to Batman who had managed to ensnare Faust with his grapple gun that was soon joined by the Amazon's golden lasso. Faust was far from beaten as he took hold of both ropes and sends a wave of violet electricity through both that catch both heroes off guard.

"Argh!"

"Urgh!"

"Diana!" The Queen cries out in worry at seeing her child be wounded, the Spartan moves to his teammate's aid as he looks them over for damage.

Taking haste the sorcerer grabs the key and moves to the door, but that plan was derailed as the Martian Manhunter phased through the ground before him thus blocking his escape.

"Halt." The last Martian calmly spoke despite the circumstances, naturally the cornered man chose not to heed his order and turned to run to the opposite side only to see Superman, Flash and Cortana in his way.

*Damn it all! When will these meddlesome fools leave me be?!* were some of the angry thoughts running through his head as he reached into his robes and hurls large seeds at the League members.

"Empaloy!" Faust cried out as soon as the seeds left his hand, and watched with satisfaction as they suddenly exploded into action and turned into monstrous sentient vines that ensnared them.

"Oh crap!" Cortana cried out as she was being held upside down and tossed side to side.

John saw this and couldn't risk firing for hitting one of his teammates so he did the next best thing and activated his wrist mounted energy blades and charged in to their rescue. Cortana caught on and morphed her hands into claws and a blade and proceeded to attack the vines.

Flash had procured a sword and was slashing away at the bases.

"Anyone got weed killer?" he asks in all honesty despite the dire situation.

"How can you make jokes at time like this?!" Cortana cries out as another vine is slashed.

"Just trying to lighten the m….WHOAH!" The crimson clad speedster yells as he is grabbed by one of the vines.

"Now is not the time," Martian and Batman said in eerie unison.

Faust ignored this as he made his way through the vines with little worry of being harmed, as not even the Martian can get to him as he too is captured.

Wonder Woman and Batman both rose from their unwanted stupor and saw the grim situation, Diana grabbed a sword and flew in to aid of her friends with Batman soon following after.

Faust ignores them as he focuses on getting his reward, but first…

"Come your highness, we don't want to be late for the grand opening." The man said with no worry or care as the League fought against his creations. The Queen however was far from amused as she pulled out a dagger that gave him pause; sadly she was in no condition to fight as the spell had left her drained.

Faust easily evaded her lunge and held her firmly by the wrist before shocking her into unconsciousness much to the ire of the Princess.

"MOTHER!" she cried out as with renewed sense of vigor she began to hack away more ferociously to reach her and her captor, even she was detained by the vines her desire to rescue her mother did not wane…sadly it was all for not.

"Est necroponen el fomen!" as the words left the man's mouth a swirling cloud surged forth and engulfed them both before leaving only a scorch mark as evidence of their departure.

As soon as the source by which the malevolent plants came to be was gone they slowly began to shrivel up and die, this allowed the heroes to break free and rush to the area where the captor and prisoner once stood.

"Oh crap," Arrow said, "So he has the key and the hostage, and no doubt knows where the gate is. This isn't going to end well."

Flash said, "Trust me, it didn't."

*No! Not again! I can't have failed her again!* Diana though with great anger and guilt as she looked at the scorch mark.

"Ah man, we're too late, they're both gone!" Flash cried out.

"And with them the key." Superman added grimly.

"No…" Wonder Woman's tone told the two just how she was feeling, however John refused to let them get bogged down.

"It's not over yet, we know the entrance is here, we find it, we find him and her. Diana, do you know where they are headed?"

He asked as he holstered his pistol to pull off his MA5C and saw that it was fully loaded and ready to go.

"Yes, follow me."

Followed they did as they ran to an entrance next to the altar, Wonder Woman snagged a nearby torch and approached a raised block of marble, pushing it inwards and activating the hidden mechanism that opened the hidden passage.

"Here, the Necropolis is down there and with it the gateway to Tartarus."

"All right, let's move it people the clock is ticking on this one, double time." John spoke firmly as he shouldered his rifle and ran inside followed by the others.

In the Necropolis…

At the very entrance to the Underworld Faust approached the "keyhole" after securing the Queen to a makeshift altar from a broken column, naturally she struggled against her bindings.

"Please I beg you to stop this madness! The consequences will be immeasurable and the loss of life incalculable!"

She pleaded, PLEADED, for the sorcerer to stop this disaster in the making.

"You know that when the queen of warrior women, who didn't back down int eh worst of days, starts pleading with someone that they are about to really step into the shit," Lantern said, remembering the woman.

"I care little of that, I have come too far to be stopped now, now be silent as I bring about our new Lord and master to this realm."

And with that said the mad man placed the key in the slot and turned to activate the mechanism that held the ancient horror bringing about the Queen's greatest fears to life.

*Gods above please save us from this horror!* Hippolyta prayed in hopes of anyone stopping him from unleashing her hated foe.

Gears turned, and earth trembled as the locks moved to release their captive. The vibrations travelled all throughout the cavernous area that the League felt them, Superman, J'onn and Wonder Woman were each carrying one of their non-flying members while Flash raced along the ground, Diana's heart sank as she realized what was happening.

"Hera help us all!"

"We're too late!" Cortana cried out as she held onto the woman who carried her.

"Then we deal with it…" John's voice pierced the air with a firm tone that would take no nonsense from here on out "…no matter what happens, or the cost Hades does not set foot off this island. Humanity's survival depends on us holding him here and stopping him here."

"Damn," Lantern said, "I would have loved to see this guy go toe to toe with my old drill sergeant. Dude knows how to clear your fear."

Batman thought, 'I wonder how he would fair against Scarecrows' fear toxin.'

Everyone silently agreed with him that the stakes were too high to let doubt and fear cloud their judgment now.

Back with the Queen and Faust things were taking a turn for the worse as the doors slowly parted and revealed nothing flames roaring out of control and then HE came, a dark figure slowly walked through the flames with no fear whatsoever, he wore pitch black armor with red highlighted on the edges over grey chainmail, spikes on the shin, forearm and shoulder armor, a black tattered cape and finally a horned black helm that obscured his features.

"Okay that is scary," Arrow said, "I hate to see what he looks like under that helmet."

Everyone glanced at each other and then turned towards the show, knowing that he would see.

"FREE AT LAST" The Olympian God of the underworld says with great satisfaction as he relishes the sensation of his newfound freedom.

"Welcome back Lord Hades, to honor you I brought an offering to celebrate your triumphant return." The sycophantic man spoke as lay groveling to his dark master.

"DO MY EYES DECEIVE ME? CAN IT BE MY DEAREST HIPPOLYTA HERE TO GREET HER LORD AND MASTER ON HIS TRIUMPHSNT RETURN FROM…AH BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN." He ends as he removes the helmet to reveal a man who appeared to be in the prime of his life with ebony hair beard and mustache.

Arrow was quiet as he said, "Okay…didn't see that coming. I thought he'd look a lot uglier. Being the lord of the underworld and all."

Everyone remained quiet, knowing what would happen later.

"Not a day goes by that I do not recall the treachery you had me perpetrate or the sting of your betrayal." The scorn in the woman's voice was unmistakable, proving that indeed Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Hades ignores this as it was much expected and frankly it only reminded him of the fire that burned brightly in her that drew her to him.

*No matter, once this miserable rabble that is humanity is kneeling at my feet I will all the time in the world to turn her to my cause once more.* these thoughts went on through the God's mind as he prepared the unwilling Queen for a rather unwanted kiss, however…

"My Lord! I upheld my end of the bargain…"

"If karma exists," Arrow said, "I have a feeling it is about to strike."

Flash said, "It always does, especially in these situations…and he just blocked a god so he's going to be pissed."

Faust spoke, drawing the attention away from the Queen; she in turned heard movement behind her and quickly saw her daughter hidden behind a column in wait of the right opportunity to liberate her. Both of her captors remained unaware of their hidden guest. And she knew better than to reveal to Faust and Hades the arrival of those who were going to stop them both.

"…I delivered you your freedom and the Amazon Queen, now I demand what is owed to me."

"AH YES…" Hades spoke calmly as he conjured flames in his left hand "…ULTIMATE KNOWLEDGE."

*I will savor this moment, heh heh heh.* the dark God thought to himself as he laid his finger onto the sorcerer and began to drain him of life, making him age at an accelerated rate.

"ULTIMATELY PAIN AND SUFFERING ARE ALL THAT MAN WILL EVER KNOW."

"AAAGGHHH!"

The League could do nothing but watch in mute horror at the spectacle they just witnessed.

"Good Lord." Superman muttered in disgust at the God's callous betrayal of the man.

"Wow…karma is a bitch," Arrow said, "And holy crap was she mean this time around."

Diana allowed herself some small measure of petty satisfaction as she saw the man who imprisoned her people get what was coming to him. However, she still couldn't help but feel sorry for him, given that he had been drained of almost all his life.

Diana however had seen enough and quickly rushed to her mother's aid, she grabbed a sword from the lifeless skeleton and leaps into the air and shattered the chains that held the Queen. Once she fell off the column her daughter took her and led her away from the imminent danger.

"Quickly mother!"

"MY DEAREST HIPPOLYTA, YOU DIDN'T SAY YOU HAD A DAUGHTER."

*So despite my transgressions my brethren aren't without a modicum of compassion, I wonder if the other was granted life as well. I shall have to see for myself but first let's how good a warrior she is.*

And with that thought in mind the God exhaled a massive fire ball from his mouth at the fleeing duo...

*FWOOSH!*

Who luckily made to an outcropping of rocks to shield themselves in time.

*BOOM!*

"I WONDER HOW SHE STACKS UP TO YOU IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE MY DEAR." Hades spoke as he gazed at the two and thus did not see the rushing Kryptonian heading for him right before delivering a massive right uppercut.

*WHAM!*

"UGH!"

The blow was powerful enough to make the Olympian back away from the Amazon's though from the looks of things it was not enough to cause any visible damage.

"HMM, IMPRESSIVE…" He commented in a casual tone as the Man of Steel flew at him, only to be swatted away into a column.

*WHAM*

"Ugh!"

"…BUT NOT ENOUGH I'M AFRAID."

"If supes is getting knocked around, you know someone is strong," Flash said.

Arrow said, "Oh man, that stinks."

Once more he stared at quarry only to catch a batarang that flashed a few times before…

*BOOM!*

Batman threw another explosive at the deity as it was engulfed in flames, yet as he calmly walked out of the inferno and swatted it away like an insect it showed just how effective it was.

"AND NOW YOU THROW MERE TRINKETS AT ME? I'M DISSAPOINTED."

Batman rolled his eyes behind his cowl. He'd heard that before. In this case, it proved useless, but he need to slow him down somehow.

"Cortana! Light him up!" The Spartan commanded as he fired his assault rifle at the being while her arms morphed into cannons and fired Sentinel beams at the being before them.

*Come on, come on, fall damn you!* the A.I growled in her mind as she kept a continuous beam going, yet despite the tremendous assault the two were dealing the God remained unfazed though he did find the beams of energy quite annoying.

John broke off as his rifle ran dry soon followed by Cortana to avoid overloading weapons. Flash and J'onn soon came in to engage with the Scarlett speedster circling the deity and unleashing a barrage of punches at him.

Hades for his part could not strike him due to his speed so he went for the next best option, he opened his mouth once more and this time released a steady stream of Hellish flame at the hero of Central City.

*Oh that's not good.* Flash worriedly thought as he ran away from the fire yet still had to comment on the situation.

"Somebody get this guy a breath mint fast! And a toothbrush with some serious toothpaste to boot! Who knows what he's been eating!"

A few chuckled at the joke, but some just rolled their eyes or groaned.

Flash thought, 'Damn. All I thought up for that line was a breath mint.'

Soon he began to run up walls and columns to avoid being burnt alive, though this served to the advantage of the heroes as Hades focused all his attention on the fastest man alive, as shown as J'onn soon floated above the God, the Spartan sent a thought to him as he prepared two grenades.

*After you drop him get clear J'onn.*

*Understood.*

The Martian did indeed do just that as he slammed at full force into the deity…

*WHAM!*

"AGH!"

and soon flew out just as quickly.

"Fire in the hole!" John cried out as he lobbed the primed explosives into the crater left in the wake of the Martian's attack.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!*

"Please tell me that was enough." Cortana spoke as she stood next to her protector, who was soon joined by Diana and the Queen…

Arrow said, "if anything, you probably pissed him off."

*FWOOOSH!* a massive flame burst from the crater and soon from it the angered God rose with fire literally shining in his eyes as he sent a harsh glare on the heroes.

The emerald archer said, "Called it."

"I think we made him mad." Was all John could reply as he reloaded his rifle while keeping his eyes on their foe.

"It matters not; he must be stopped at all costs." Hippolyta all but commanded as she armed herself with a sword and shield, knowing full well the fate of mankind hinged on their victory.

"YOU FOOLISH MORTALS DARE TO CHALLENGE A GOD!" Hades bellows as the earth beneath him trembles at his command and rises where he stands.

"Uh-oh, this does not bode well guys." Flash remarked as he got a feeling things were about to get worse…and they did as skeletal arms rose from beneath him and latched onto his legs, once he was done the owners of said arms rose from the earth. These figures were skeletons wearing archaic armor and carrying swords. Rusty swords to be sure but still dangerous as hell weapons

*Oh great zombies…with swords!*

"God of the underworld," Arrow said, "I really shouldn't be surprised. Was anyone else?"

Superman said, "I'll admit, I was expecting demons to start coming out a fiery void instead of zombies."

Batman was in no better position as they too managed to grab him in an attempt to pull him down.

"BEHOLD THE FATE OF ALL HEROES."

Around the Amazons, Spartan and A.I more undead warriors appeared.

"You have got to be shitting me." Cortana let out as she morphed her arms into an axe and claws.

"Wonder Woman?" John spoke as he made sure he had a full clip in his weapon yet never losing sight of the growing forces.

"Yes Spartan?" She replied while maintaining her focus at the task at hand.

"Do you remember those gun lessons we gave you?"

"Yes why?"

"I think you will need them..." He simply replied as he handed her his M7 "... I have extra ammo if you need it but use it sparingly and check your sights before firing."

Diana raised an eyebrow and wondered if she should start taking up gun lessons. Maybe see if Arrow or Batman could come up with some trick bullets she could use.

She nodded as she took the weapon from him, missing her mother's questioning look at the interaction between the two.

*What is this? No hesitation, no signs of discomfort…what have you been doing away from home child? And this man who claims to be a Spartan, what dealings have you had with my daughter for her to follow your words without question? Questions for a later time, there is a fight to be won.*

'Oh boy,' Diana thought, knowing how her mother got when she was suspicious, especially after what happened with Hades.

The Queen told herself as she readied for the coming fight, one that would need them to be vigilant if they were to drive back the God of the Underworld and his growing legions.

And legions they were as more and more rose from their graves, some on skeletal mounts and others showing missing limbs yet all intent on following the command of their divine ruler, once amassed they charged at the heroes while Hades look on in morbid fascination.

Flash was being overwhelmed by the reanimated bodies and was going to be engulfed.

"Get them off!"

Thankfully Superman was nearby as he took to the air and was firing his heat beams at the corpses.

"Hang on Flash!"

Superman soon picked up the young man as well as an unwanted passenger in the form of the dried up body of a soldier trying to strangle him, one right hook to the jaw by the speedster took care of that problem…though it appeared that even dismembered limbs still felt the need to destroy the interlopers as the arm Flash removed from his throat still desired his death.

"Ew, gross!"

Flash himself cringed as he remembered the feeling of the dead hand trying to choke the life out of him.

Batman had to engineer his own escape as he fired his grapple gun at the ceiling and quickly pulling away from the undead warriors, one had managed to cling to the caped crusader, but a well-placed kick took care of it.

Unfortunately, it appeared that these reanimated soldiers were not without some skill and intelligence as one hurled his axe at the grapple line and cut it, the sudden drop was unexpected, but Batman managed to maneuver himself to land upon a column before dropping down onto the ground.

Batman remembered that he made a mental note to increase the strength of the cables in his grappling hook to prevent that incident from happening again.

The nearby "zombies" immediately began to converge on his position, yet swiftly the Dark Knight hurled an explosive batarang at the dead soldier, the explosive caused a chain reaction that ended the undead life of a dozen or so enemy combatants.

J'onn was in the middle of a group of ten out of phase as it were as his intangibility allowed him to use his opponents attack against them. Sword, shield and axe all passed through his body and struck necrotic flesh as the reanimated beings destroyed one another in their desire to eliminate their alien adversary, in the end only one remained an then it to meets its end with a casual back hand from Martian.

With the Amazons, Cortana and the Chief things were just as lively as they fought against the forces that the God had unleashed.

The Queen parried and blocked strike after strike with sword and shield against one of her adversaries before it over extended itself and was cleaved in half. Behind her Diana blocked a slash with her own sword before letting loose a volley into a skeletal warrior that reduced it to dust.

John was using a combination of CQC with his combat knife and long range strike with his M6, his HUD warned him that half dozen bogeys were about to flank their right were the Queen and Diana dueled with another group warriors.

Diana allowed herself to take int eh image of the Spartan fighting alongside herself and her mother. She had to admit the image looked pretty cool.

"Your highness! Diana duck!" he yelled over the sounds of battle as he dropped his pistol and pulled out his MA5.

Diana doesn't bother to ask why as she knew enough to know that the order was not to be ignored, she simply grabs her mother and drags her down just as the Spartan levels his rifle at the undead advancing on their position and let loose a volley, the sound of rapid fire bullets and exploding cadavers is heard around them soon enough.

A trio of warriors tried to take advantage of the man whose back was turned, yet soon died once again as Cortana let loose a blast from her morphed arm.

"Thank you Cortana." He said to his long time companion as he casually reloaded his weapon.

"Pleasure John, I love the smell of dead zombie in the evening, that is if I could smell things." Cortana quips as she hacks another reanimated corpse with her other arm.

"Great now your sense of humor is starting to rub off on her," Lantern said.

"It's not mine, it's Kid's," he said quickly.

Arrow answered, "Which eh got form you."

John moves to where the Amazons are picking themselves up.

"Thank you for the aid Spartan, though how can we beat this endless horde?"

"YOU CAN'T." Hades replied smugly with an infuriating smirk as he down upon them before turning his sights on the Dark Knight and the Martian Manhunter who were standing their ground rather effectively with sword and fist.

*Well we can't have that now, can we?*

With that thought in mind the God of the Underworld let loose a fireball at the duo, much to the friend's horror.

"INCOMING!" John shouted at them.

Both men hear the soldiers cry and escaped as soon as the fireball struck…

*BOOM!*

however the shockwave soon caught up with them.

"Agh!"

"Ugh!"

"J'onn! Batman!" the A.I cried out as she ran to them to check on them.

Superman and Flash were the next to be targeted as they fought for survival, the Man of Steel lived up to his namesake as swords shattered against his skin while Flash was moving too fast to be caught this time, that however did not prevent the attack that had been launch from slamming into the last son of Krypton…

"Agh!"

And sending him into a column behind the crimson speedster who had duck down to avoid his teammate turned projectile, he managed to get a few feet away from the falling pillar but it soon landed and though he evaded certain death the crash and the resulting mini earthquake were another matter as he was knocked out.

"HA HA HA! BOW TO ME MORTALS!" Hades cried out triumphantly as he gazed at his handy work…something that set John off something fierce as he looked at his teammates and friends in various forms of hurt.

Arrow asked, "Hey, Diana, are all the gods like this, or is it just him."

Diana answered, "Some of them are cocky and arrogant. Some aren't. It depends on the god or goddess."

Memories flashed of many of his brethren in worse situations and even death in his mind's eye. Without a thought he holstered his rifle and grabbed his hammer, pushing it to maximum power and dropping his armors limiters and safeties as before. He knew that he was going to catch hell for this, but now he had no other option with the fate of all humanity at stake.

He aimed and fired off a larger than normal beam of energy at the God who was still mocking them. The power behind it was such that it toppled the God of his high ground…

"UGH!"

Much to the surprise of the Amazons who were near him…

"Kick his ass, Spartan," Flash yelled out.

Diana said, "A lone man going against impossible odds. Story of his and, now that I think about it, our lives."

"Diana, cover me I'm going in." he dashed into the approaching hoard that blocked the way towards the downed god.

Seeing that he was already in movement she had no choice but to do so as she aimed the SMG at the enemies in his way without interfering with the Spartan's charge.

Time seemed to slow down around the Spartan as he saw his coming opponents approach, all he saw was obstacles to his objective and nothing more. His body was now fully attuned to the battle...Spartan time...as his friend Kelly called it.

The first to reach him tried to cleave him in two with its axe, but he simply sidestepped right and elbowed the creature at the back of the head at full force not even bothering to see the dust cloud formed from the attack.

Arrow whistled as he said, "Dang, this guy gives new meaning to one-man army. Haven't seen him do this since they fought the aliens from the beginning."

Diana nodded as she watched the Spartan fight through the horde of undead.

Two came at him next one with a spear while the other wielded a sword and shield, he spun clockwise with both hands held tightly on the alien hammer and at the shield wielder who tried to block yet not comprehending that the weapon was more than a simple cudgel.

*BOOM!* both soon learned do as the hammer rocketed its wielder into the other warrior and leaving nothing but limbs and shattered armor.

"Someone give that thing a name, because it damn well deserves one," Arrow said, "Gravity hammer sounds cool, but I think that it needs a much more awesome name."

Flash answered, "We'd call it Mjolnir, but his armor already has that name."

As John finished his spin a spear was hurled at him from a zombie on top of a column. To those not augmented as he was it was moving at high speed, to him though it was incredibly slow. He stepped right, grabbed it mid air by the shaft as it passed, spun it around and gave new meaning to the term "Return to sender" as he hurled it back at even higher speeds that not penetrated the corpse but also knocked it of it perched an into another column to shatter the reanimated body.

He continued onwards to his quarry leaving behind broken remains of his opponents as he finally reached the top where Hades once stood and looked down upon the deity. All this took minutes to do much to the surprise of the Queen as despite witnessing similar feats before did not believe a man wearing such armor could move with such speed and agility.

John saw that Hades was up and about and looking rather angry at being knocked down.

"Yeah, take down the so-called god," lantern said with a grin.

"YOU DARE TO STRIKE A GOD MORTAL?!"

"I don't believe in Gods." Was John's simple reply as he retracted the hammer to a more compact form, which only served to anger Hades even further.

"Oh burn," Flash said.

"YOU WILL AFTER I MAKE YOU KNEEL BEFORE ME!"

"I kneel before no one, and especially not mad despots like you. You have no place in the world."

That was enough to make Hades charged at the man.

*Time to show this mortal why I am to be feared and respected!*

The Chief knew that the odds were stacked against him, but then again they always were when it came to performing his duty; yet just as before humanity needed him to rise up to meet this challenge head on hence why he charged as well.

Hades didn't bother using his flames up close, no he wanted to break this mortal with his hands and make him beg for mercy just before he snuffed the life out of his body. He sent a right hook to the man's head only for him to dodge under it and fire his hammer's beam attack on the God's head from under him.

*ZZZAAAATTT!*

"UGH!"

John took his foe's momentary distraction to slam the hammer to the side of the God's head…

*WHAM!*

"ARGH!"

"YOU IMPUDENT…!" Hades all but snarled as he righted himself and slammed both fists into the ground making large crater, however the Spartan had jumped back just as the God unleashed his strike, then he swiftly ran up the deity's arms and executed a back spin kick to the chin with as much force he could put on the blow.

Sadly all that did was snapped the head of the deity back though whether he was hurt or not was another question, Hades looked back at the Spartan with venom and hatred for daring to assault him.

*I hit a Brute with less force than that and snapped its neck, and he doesn't even show sign of a bruise.*

"Oh right, almost forgot. His armor still isn't in the best of shape, and he is fighting someone who could put supes through his paces," Flash said, remembering.

Diana said, "Plus, his weapons do not seem to be that effective against him. He has fought stronger creatures than him, but he has never fought a godly being before.

John thought with some worry as he kept himself ready for anything while trying to come up with a battle plan. This was not what he was trained for but he did not care, no way was a genocide loving maniac of a being, God or not going to harm humanity, not while he lived.

Hades for his part was far from amused as he rubbed the area where he was struck; it wasn't so much as pain he felt such as when the Martian or Kryptonian had struck him with even greater force, but more like anger at allowing a simple mortal in armor to get the best of him in combat.

"THIS GAME HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH MORTAL." He spat at the soldier.

"I agree!" Wonder Woman's voice suddenly rang as she flew at the deity, who could only turn in surprise and receive a fist to the jaw that knocked him of his feet.

"And the princess of ass kicking makes her move," Arrow said with a grin.

Diana smiled at seeing her counterpart take the fight to Hades.

"Are you all right Spartan?" she asked as she landed next to him with her sword at the ready, having discarded the gun as it would prove no match for Hades.

"Better now that I have some back up, what is the status of the others?"

"Batman and Flash are up and helping Cortana and my mother protect J'onn and Superman who are still a bit out of it." The Amazon replied quickly before looking at the God as he rose "Do you have any idea how we will defeat him?"

"No, so in the mean time we keep him distracted long enough for the others to regroup and then figure it out, now you hit him high and I'll hit him low."

And with that said they went after the would-be conqueror with a vengeance.

Diana struck first with a left-right-left combination to his head that rocks him back while John targeted the God's legs to keep him unbalanced managing to get the God to take a knee.

As Hades fell Diana swooped in and delivered a devastating uppercut…

*WHAM!*

"ARGH!" That snapped the deity's head back hard before he tumbled to the ground hard.

"And point to the soldier and princess," Lantern said with a smirk.

Superman said, "It is far from over."

John wasted no time and rushed on top of the God and began to literally hammer his head into the ground with his weapon at full power and all his power behind the blows. The earth shook with each blow and the God cried out as the alien weapon struck him over and over again. By the fifth strike Hades had enough and back handed the Spartan as he went for his sixth…

"GET OFF ME!"

*WHAM!*

"Ugh!" The Spartan felt his chest explode in pain as the armored fist connected with his already damaged armor and hurled a distance away from the enraged deity.

"John!" Diana cried out in alarm as flew towards him as fast as she could as she saw him struggle to get up, going so far to use his hammer as a makeshift crutch.

There was a sizeable crack in the chest plate and from the blood he tasted he most likely had internal injuries, possibly from bruised or even fractured ribs which was no small feat considering the force it took to actually cause his bones damage.

"Okay, almost forgot this guy was human under all that armor," Arrow said.

The martian said, "Armor and flesh can only take so much. It seems the Spartan is reaching the end of his tolerance for pain and combat."

*I am really starting to hate the taste of my own blood…* He thought to himself as he clutched the damaged area even though he felt his nanites repair the damage *...I haven't been hit that hard since I was shield bashed by a Hunter and this was ten times worse.*

While Diana stood next to him protectively, her mother came to them and saw the man holding the wounded area and her daughter who had split her attention between her former lover and the armored warrior. From the looks of things she could tell that Diana was quite worried over him, which again raised questions that she sadly had no time to ask as Hades got back up with an absolutely livid look on his bruised face.

*My daughter and her ally seemed to have caused him more trouble than he expected.* She thought with equal parts of pride in her daughter and satisfaction in the God's pride taking a blow. To know that Hades was being given this much trouble by a mortal was quite satisfying to Hippolyta.

Diana said, "Of course, my mother would feel pride at us defying a god and surviving."

Arrow said, "Yeah, but like you said, the fight is far from over."

Hades did not share this sentiment as he glowered at them…or more precisely at the Spartan, in all the millennia that he had both walked the earth and endured his hellish prison/domain never had a mortal had the audacity to stand before his might. Let alone strike him with such impunity...only Demigods had ever done that to him.

However his anger would reach new heights as his focus on the Spartan would allow his former lackey get the drop on him. Faust, now feeble and weakened, could barely stand yet used his anger at being betrayed to give him strength and draw on all his power for one final blow against his former master.

"Luminous…Daktorb…"

"Wow, Faust is tough for an old guy," Arrow said, "Hate to be on the receiving end of that thing."

The sphere of ethereal energy struck true to its mark and the God cried out as the magic enveloped him in a thunderous clash. The trio of Spartan and Amazons were shocked at the surprising turn and even more so at its effects as the handsome visage of Hades seem to burn away and be replaced by a more demonic aspect.

"Great Hera!" Diana cries in horror while the Spartan is more silent despite feeling unnerved at the sight, the Queen however was silent for a moment as she spoke calmly at the sight.

"Now you see him for what he truly is."

"Now that…that is what I'd expect from the god of the underworld," Arrow said.

Flash said, "Yeah, took a while to get that sight of my head, and a few nightmares."

The God of the Underworld was livid with the mortals interfering with his return and decided that the gloves were off now…starting with Faust. With a simple turn he reared back his head and released a ball of flame at the sorcerer.

"AAAHHH!"

*BOOM!*

Everyone winced at the sight of Faust getting roasted into pure dust.

*That's one pest removed and now…* the malevolent deity thought as he summoned several spears from the earth and covered them in hellish flames for added effect before turning quickly and launching them at the trio who was shocked at the blatant disregard for life they just witnessed, which was further compounded by his next actions *…let's see how much of a hero you truly are Spartan!*

They say that in the face of death, time slows to a crawl; John never believed that until now given his augmentations and how many times he had faced the prospect of dying during the war. He had often seen others die slowly and some morbid part of his mind wondered if they experienced this effect, if Sam, Daisy or Avery felt as he did as he faced his mortality.

He knew full well that Hades was aiming for him, knew his focus was not to harm the Queen or surprisingly Diana since his eyes, no matter how demonic they looked, were locked onto his form and this was his twisted way of ensuring his weapons found their mark.

He could see the shock slowly forming of Diana's face and the growing horror on the Queen's though not at her fate but for her child's like any mother would do in this event. He made the choice right then and there, his famous luck it seemed to have run out, but that didn't mean he could not save their lives before his ended; there was always the off chance they could bring him back like they did with Miranda but given the unknown nature of the powers the God wielded and used in this attack he didn't bother to raise his hopes. In a way...this was going to be a worthy end for him.

Flash said, "Wait…is he going to do what I think he's going to do?"

Arrow said, "I think he's going to do what you think he's going to do."

Lantern said, "He better not."

Diana said, "I have a feeling he is."

He grabbed both women by their shoulder in each hand and pushed them away as far as he could from him, he could practically feel their surprise at his actions, perhaps even the cold realization of what was about to happen.

*Forgive me Cortana…Miranda…my friends…looks like this it for me…* were his last remaining thoughts before time it natural course and the enchanted spears reached their mark…

*WOOOOSH!* the air shook for a moment from the speed the weapons travelled before the horrible sound of metal being pierced and flesh being torn seem to resound around in the cavern.

*SPLURT!*

"GUH!" he cried out as he felt his body be pierced by the burning spears, the heat cauterized the wounds upon contact and burned away nerve leaving only a cold sensation behind.

Cortana and the League had finally managed to break away from the minions conjured by Hades to aid their friends and the ruler of the Amazons, but what they saw shut them down as they saw the Spartan slowly fall backwards with several smoking spears embedded in his body.

The league stared in shock as their comrade was just turned into a giant flaming pincushion. Diana seemed to take it he hardest at seeing such a powerful soldier take a blow from Hades.

To Cortana it seemed like years passed before her very eyes a she witnessed this horrible event, but it was in reality mere seconds as she was brought back by her own terrified scream…

"JOOOOOHHHHNNNN!"

"Oh, she is going to be pissed," Flash said.

Diana clenched her fists as she muttered, "She isn't the only one."

Batman was the first to break out of the shock and rushed towards the wounded man, his mind already going over what may be needed to save the life of his teammate. He was soon followed by the others behind, Flash unsurprisingly got there first wearing a look of dread and panic, despite logic telling him not to remove the spears due to the blood pooling under the man his heart was screaming at him to do anything to help the man.

Unfortunately, the spear was still hot and slightly burned him on contact, Wonder Woman was about to try regardless of the danger as fear and panic gripped her heart.

*This wasn't supposed to happen! He pushed us away to save us! Oh, Gods it my fault! I never should have brought him here!* her mind whirled in self-recrimination.

Diana felt her counterparts regret, knowing that a comrade had died trying to save her.

Superman thankfully caught her hand before she could hurt herself and then focused on the task at hand, pushing down his anger at Hades and focusing on saving the Spartan. He drew in a breath and sent a chilling breath towards the weapons making them cool rapidly, he then look at the wound with his X-ray vision to take stock of the damage… he then wished he hadn't.

"Oh God no…" the man of steel's whisper was heard by the others and made the fear grow worse as he explained the damage.

His left leg showed that the spear nearly sliced an artery, his liver was punctured and slightly burnt around the wounded area; his right shoulder was useless as it went straight through the bone which he saw was warped due to the weapons heat damaging the metal coating it, the right lung was slowly filling with blood but the biggest problem was the one near his heart, the vital organ was intact but if they so much as moved it the wrong it could slice open am artery and he would be dead in minutes.

"Damn," Arrow said, "That Hades guy knew what he was aiming for. You guys had better kick his ass twice as hard now."

Diana said, "Oh, believe me. I will."

"Superman and Wonder Woman stand him up we can't let his lung fill up, J'onn, Cortana and Flash secure the perimeter there are still soldiers and Hades to worry about." Batman ordered as he tried to maintain his calm and collected focus but was having a hard time seeing the man in his state.

Diana grabbed him on his left side carefully so as to not jostle the weapon still lodge in his chest, she desperately ignored the feel of the blood spilling on her hand as well as the wave of anguish she felt at seeing her fried this way.

Superman delicately grabbed his other side in a way that did not cause more pain to the man, he cursed his heightened senses as he heard the man's gasps and wet coughs.

"Get his helmet off before he suffocates."

Cortana chided herself for not thinking that sooner and quickly ran moved back to her wounded protector; she steadied her hands and snapped off the seals…she tried not to cry out as blood that had pooled in his helmet dribbled out or the blood John was spitting out.

"S-shouldn't he have some of that b-biofoam on him?" Flash stuttered as he kept watch on their foes while they carried the wounded soldier.

"I'd be in the same boat as them, given this," Flash said, "but I don't think that biofoam is going to do anything here."

"Yes, he should! I know I repaired the damage, I know it!" the A.I replied as she was slowly losing whatever restraint she had from breaking down in a blind panic.

"They must have been taken out in the attack…" Batman spoke while searching his belt for his personal supply of biofoam, adrenaline and some morphine the UNSC supplied him with.

"Can you administer the necessary dosage to him?" the Dark Knight asks the sentient machine as they set him down on a nearby column. She only nodded as she took the items and delicately administered the medicine; she tried to ignore the painful gasp John let out when she had to maneuver around the spears as best she could to inject the foam.

"Oh God, What do we do?! What do we do here guys?!" Flash asked as he took out several zombies that approached and J'onn threw a column at another approaching incursion. Cortana reluctantly moved away from John to provide cover fire.

"We need to get him out of here now." Batman's voice was all business as he kept watch over the man who was breathing hard.

*Damn it all! If we don't get him out of here he'll bleed out in minutes!*

"I can carry him but one wrong move and I could accidentally kill him in process." Superman spoke up with worry.

*I can't let this happen again! Not like with Turpin and Darkseid, there must be something I can do! Damn Hades!*

Superman briefly clenched his fist as he remembered how the intergalactic tyrant had killed Turpin out of spite for when the man had rallied earth's forces against him all that time ago. The man had died a hero.

Their attention was brought back to the Spartan as he started gasping and spitting out more blood.

*GASP!*

"D…Dia..Diana…" John's voice was weak but they all heard him, Wonder Woman was in front of him immediately, her face a mask of pain for him.

"I'm here John." Her voice showed signs of the titanic struggle she was going through at the sight of her friend's suffering.

John tried to maintain his eyes on hers but it was becoming hard to focus, his nanites were trying to keep him alive but the areas were blocked by the weapons lodged in his body and the cauterized flesh.

Diana realized this and cupped his face in her hands and gently made him look into her face.

"Y…you…have to…stop…Ha…Hades."

"John, we need to save you first." She replied, desperately trying not to break down.

"M…my…life…is…n…not…worth…millions…of…others. Finish Hades..."

"Don't say that John! It is John; it is just as precious as theirs! As ours!" She railed against his comment, tears finally coming down as she saw him being selfless in the face of his own dwindling mortality.

Despite how tired he felt, the Spartan brought up his undamaged hand up to her face and held it there.

"Then…make…my death…mean something…the needs of many…outweigh...my own…please…do this for…me…Diana."

Lantern muttered, "A soldier to the end."

The others nodded as they saw the price the spartan was willing to pay for others, and for the many.

A sob came from the Amazon as she could tell how much he meant those words; sadly Hades decided he needed to further prove his superiority.

"IS THE LITTLE MORTAL BROKEN? HAVE I PROVEN TO HIM WHAT IT MEANS TO FACE A GOD? WHAT A SHAME, I WANTED TO PLAY WITH HIM SOME MORE, HA HA HA HA!"

The would-be ruler mocked and laughed openly with no fear of the League, however he had made a mistake in his actions…he made two people very, very mad.

They all heard his taunts, his mocking tone…but for Diana and Cortana it was if a match had been thrown and unleashed a blazing inferno of rage. Diana looked at her blood covered hand, covered in John's blood which even now flowed out of the man in question.

Looking at his helpless form triggered something in her, she remembered his words of comfort back in the apartment complex, he had promised to help her save her family and her people...even at the cost of his own life he promised to help her. And it seems that he had indeed given his life to help her and her people.

*And this is to be his reward for such nobility?! He who saw me as an equal?! As a fellow warrior?! As a friend?! No, no he will not die at the hands of this monster; I will not allow him to win! John WILL live and Hades will suffer for this barbarism!*

Diana agreed with her counterpart's thoughts, as did the league around them.

Her hands clenched hard and turned to face the God, who stood proudly as if he had already won…which only served to infuriate her even more as she gave him a hateful stare.

Cortana was of a similar mindset as she viciously cleaved and stabbed walking corpses, her eyes a bright red as her anger grew at Hades words and condescending laughter all directed at her protector.

*He is mocking John, he is MOCKING him! Who the Hell does he think he is?! He defeated hordes of Flood and Covenant soldiers, he beats the odds again and again and this son of bitch has the gall to mock him?! He thinks he can just take him from me?! He thinks he can break my promise to protect him after everything he has lost and sacrificed?! HE WILL PAY!*

"Kick his ass, girl!" Arrow and flash said as they watched the two angry women storm forwards to the god of the underworld.

"I am going to fucking gut you from head to toe you bastard!" she screamed with all the rage she could muster as she broke away from J'onn and charged Hades.

"Cortana!" the Martian and Flash cry out as they deal with more warriors while watching the A.I in her suicidal charge.

Diana soon took off the ground with a similar mindset to her fellow teammate.

"Diana!" The League and her mother cried out in wake of her charge.

"Superman, J'onn, give them some back up now!" Batman ordered before turning to the Queen to address her, though not losing sight of who he was addressing "…your highness, will you please help us protect our teammate?"

The Queen looked at the wounded warrior who had protected her and her daughter at the great risk and cost to himself before looking at this other man who held himself well despite the dire circumstances.

"Yes I shall, my daughter and I owe him a debt and I shall not let him come to harm until I can repay it in full."

"Thank you…" Batman said sincerely before looking at John and gaining his attention, he looked paler than normal and was struggling to stay awake "…hold on Chief, we WILL get you out of this, but you must hold on for their sakes at least."

"I feel a joke should be made here," Flash said, "but I am not going to say it because he is still in the room."

Batman simply glanced at the speedster before turning his attention back to the screen.

"I…will try…" was all the soldier could say as he tried to remain upright and conscious.

*We need to end this now or we will lose him and who knows if they can bring him back or how those two will react to his loss.* Batman though as he, Flash and the Queen formed a loose delta formation to protect the man.

While they fought against the horde, the others were locked in brutal combat against the demonic looking deity, Wonder Woman and Cortana fighting with great fury and viciousness.

Diana threw a round house kick at the God who batted away only to get blindsided by the A.I who slammed her hands in the form of spiked maces into his lower back at full strength, he tried to back hand her but she nimble dodge that and allowed him to be blindside by the Amazon who cold cocked him behind his head with both her fists clasped that rattle his brain.

Superman joined in by firing his heat vision at the God while his back was turned, he was surprisingly joined by J'onn who apparently had his own type of vision based powers as well. Both sets of beams drove the God further back, yet not enough to cause any serious damage to him.

"I GROW MOST TIRESOME OF THIS FOLLY MORTALS."

"Just die already!" Cortana screamed at him as she launched herself at him once more in hopes of causing massive amounts of pain, her desires were fueled every time she looked back to John and saw him fade further.

She ducked under a wild swing from a fist to deliver a right hook with her morphed hand to his jaw…

*WHAM!*

"ARGH!"

Followed by a spinning heel kick that made him do a complete spin…and left him open for the Amazon to slam both her feet into his skull much like J'onn did so before.

*BOOM!*

As the empowered woman flew away Cortana, Superman and the Martian capitalized on the momentary lull to rush to the area and fire their heat and Sentinel beams into the crater for additional damage to the deity, this cause Hades to be blasted out of the hold and make a sizable trench as his body was forcibly being pushed by the energies used against him much to his growing ire and pain as the damage was starting to takes its toll on him.

"Looks like the god is starting to lose his touch," Arrow said.

Flash said, "About damn time."

Diana just smiled to hserlf seeing Hades get knocked around by herself and Cortana.

Hades growled as he stood up and glared at the heroes, oh how he despised them, he would make the mortals suffer just as much as he was sure the armored soldier was suffering right now, the Amazons he would spared though not before he taught Hippolyta and her daughter a lesson for defying their ruler.

"FOOLS! YOU THINK TO DEFY A GOD! I SHALL STRIP THE FLESH OF YOUR BONES AND RIP OUT YOUR SOULS PIECE BY PIECE!" Hades screamed in fury as he unleashed a massive burst of flames at them.

While this occurred, things were starting to look bleak for the Spartan as he took stock of his deteriorating condition…

*Vision's getting dark… breathing's more difficult…shock setting in…losing too much blood…*

Already tremors could be seen setting in as he was growing weaker by the second, until he was practically lying on his back…

He struggled to stay awake but it was a losing battle for him, time seemed to slow down once more for him…

*I'm…not…going…to…make…it...* he thought weakly as his eyelids grew heavy and started to close.

"Okay if there was a chance for diving intervention or a last minute miracle," Flash said, "Now would be a good time for it. I like this guy."

Arrow said, "I don't think he's going to die. I mean, he's one of the main characters. Aside from his suit, he's got plot armor."

Batman asked, "Have you ever watched game of thrones?"

Arrow was silent and said, "Point taken."

"MY, MY, AREN'T YOU SORRY SIGHT." A voice suddenly pierced the sounds of raging battle and destruction taking place.

Everyone's eyes widened at the sound of the new voice.

"That voice," Diana muttered, "It can't be."

John opened his eyes as much as he could and look around for the source until finally his eyes settled on a figure standing not 6 feet in front of him, He was clad in dark blue armor, a helm covered his features and only revealed a pair of crimson eyes looking down on him, the figure removed his helmet to reveal a blond haired man with a face most women would find handsome if not for the cruel look his eyes gave off.

From the size and feel John got from him, he clearly was not human…

*Another God?*

"Ares!" Diana yelled out.

Flash asked, "Wait…isn't he the god of war?"

Diana answered, "Yes."

Arrow said, "This could be a problem."

The deity smiled ruefully as if giving of a silent confirmation of the Spartan's guess before voicing his thoughts.

"INDEED SPARTAN, I AM ARES THE GOD OF WAR, AND AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT I AM HERE TO OFFER YOU A RATHER PROMISING PROPOSAL."

John turned to look at his teammates to see if they were watching this, but they just kept on fighting as if the God wasn't there.

"THEY CAN'T SEE OR HEAR ME IF THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE WONDERING SPARTAN, WHICH IS GOOD SINCE WE DON'T NEED SILLY DISTRACTIONS DURING OUR TALK."

"Wh…what…do…do you want?"

"YOU ALIVE FOR STARTERS." Ares replied as he knelt to look the Spartan in the eye.

"Why?"

"BELIEVE IT OR NOT SPARTAN, I AM RATHER FOND OF YOU, OF THE LEGACY YOU KEEP ALIVE BY TAKING THE NAME OF MY MOST FAVORED, OF SHOWING THE WORLD WHAT A TRUE SOLDIER IS LIKE."

Diana rubbed her chin and said, "So he supports the Spartan because he carries with him the ancient legacy of the Spartans."

Batman said, "That makes sense, since the Spartans were great warriors back then."

"I…I don't…understand…"

The God smirked before continuing though now in a more serious manner as his face was devoid of mirth and was replaced by a sterner look.

"THE SPARTANS WERE NATURALS AT WAR, THEY HAD KEEN UNDERSTANDING OF ITS NATURE, WHAT IT MEANT TO FIGHT IN A BATTLE, AND TO LAY LOW YOUR ENEMIES AS THEY CARVED A BLOODY PATH THROUGH THEM."

"FEW COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT DROVE THEM TO BE SUCH MIGHTY WARRIORS, BUT I COULD. THEIR FEROCITY AND PASSION IN BATTLE WAS THE THING OF LEGENDS, LEGENDS THAT ARE STILL TOLD TO THIS DAY AND WHICH YOU EMBODY OLD WARRIOR. YOU WHO ARE NOT BORN OF THIS REALM, YET YOU CARRY THEIR POWER."

At this point Ares eyes were fixed on the Spartan with something akin to admiration, something few could truly earned from the deity who embodied conflict.

"I CAN SEE IT WITHIN YOUR VERY EYES SPARTAN, THE TALES OF A HUNDREDS BATTLES WON AND LOST, THE LOSS OF FELLOW WARRIORS AS THEY FELL BEFORE YOU, THE UNITY OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ARMS BORN ON THE FILED OF BATTLE…THE FLAMES OF WAR BURN BRIGHTLY IN YOU, I WOULD NOT SEE IT LOST."

Flash said, "Yeah, something is fishy here. Wouldn't he side with Hades?"

Diana said, "The gods never did truly get along. Even if they are family. However, you are right Flash. Bringing the underworld to earth would have resulted in a great war. One he would have fed on and grown stronger with."

"Why…would you help…me? I thought…"

"THAT I WOULD SIDE WITH MY DEAR UNCLE? TRUE HE WILL BRING ABOUT A GREAT WAR SHOULD HE BE VICTORIOUS, BUT THEN WHAT IF HE SUCCEDS? CENTURIES OF SUBJUGATION? RAMPANT FEAR? WAR WILL THAT TAKE UNTOLD DECADES IF NOT CENTURIES TO BLOOOM IN SUCH AN ENVIROMENT…I CANNOT ALLOW THAT TO PASS."

"That explains it," Diana said with a deadpan look.

"So…we beat him…and you…you get more opportunities for war?"

"INDEED…" Ares spoke in all honesty and with no shame in his words

"…WAR IS ETERNAL, UNENDING, NO MATTER HOW LONG PEACE LASTS, WAR WILL ALWAYS BE WAITING AROUND THE CORNER."

"NOW THEN FOR MY OFFER WARRIOR, I SHALL REPAIR YOUR BODY AND GRANT YOU THE POWER NEEDED FOR YOU STAND A CHANCE AGAINST MY UNCLE…"

"In…exchange?"

"Hallelujah!" Arrow yelled, "A man with common sense. If it was anyone else, he probably wouldn't have asked that…unless it was batman. He would probably ask."

"AN AUDIENCE IF YOU WILL, THE TIME AND PLACE OF MY CHOOSING, TO TALK MORE ABOUT YOUR FUTURE IN THIS REALM…"

Ares replied before looking at the battle that still raged on and spotted something that could tip the scales in his favor.

"…AND I SUGGEST YOU BE QUICK WITH YOUR ANSWER AS YOUR METALLIC FRIEND IS ABOUT TO BE EXPERIENCING A RATHER BAD TURN OF LUCK." He ended in a rather casual tone.

Clark said, "Oh, in the heat of moment, we might have forgotten about that."

Batman mumbled, "I hate godly beings."

John found the strength to look where the God was observing the heroes engaged with Hades. Superman was down on the ground spitting out some blood while J'onn shaking his head in an effort to clear it, Diana was caught in the grasp of the God by the neck while his old friend was being stepped on while she thrashed and clawed at his armored leg.

"NOW MY DEAR AMAZON, HERE IS ANOTHER LESSON IN DEFYING YOUR RULER WITH THE AID OF THIS MECHANICAL TRINKET."

Hades spoke as parent would lecture a child as he reached down with his free hand and grasped one of Cortana's arms…and pulled hard.

*SCREEEECCHHH!*

"MY ARM!" she cried out as sparks flew from the damaged area, the shock was all too real for her.

"Oh, now John is going to kick his ass three times as hard," Flash said, glaring at the arrogant god.

"CORTANA!" Diana screamed as she saw the malevolent being rip off the A.I's arm off and look at it as if it was toy.

"OH DEAR, THEY DON'T MAKE DOLLS LIKE THEY USE TO DO THEY? MWA HA HA HA HA." He laughed as he brutally kicked her way and into Superman's waiting arms.

"Cortana!" John cried out for her friend, he tried to stand up but completely collapsed while struggling.

"WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER SPARTAN? BE GRANTED THE POWER TO TEMPORARILY CHALLENGE A GOD OR WATCH AS YOUR FRIENDS DIE BEFORE JOINING THEM IN OBLIVION?"

John panted as he thought about that last part and what would happen….

*No! No I can't let that happen! I promised Avery I wouldn't let her go! I promised Diana to help her! I can't lose now! I can't let Hades win!* His mind rallied him to stand, to fight, and to win. He could practically hear Chief Mendez and his fellow Spartans screaming at him to get up.

"Stand up soldier! Stand up John and fight! Fight! Fight and win! FIGHT!"

"I…accept!" John practically yelled as he struggled to get up regardless of the injuries his body carried.

"THEN WE HAVE A DEAL…" Ares spoke with great satisfaction as he held up his right hand and opened it to reveal crimson red orb.

"…AND FEAR NOT WARRIOR, I SHALL NOT ALTER YOUR MIND SINCE IT IS NEEDED FOR THIS BATTLE, THOUGH I SHOULD WARN THIS WILL BE VERY PAINFUL….BUT THEN AGAIN LIFE ALWAYS IS. BUT IT IS THIS VERY PAIN THAT MAKES LIFE FIGHTING FOR."

"I'm still trying to figure out what Ares gets out of this," Superman said, "From the sound of it, he might try to manipulate the Spartan."

He ended casually as he shoved the orb into John's chest.

"GAH!" John cried out as he felt the power flow through him, it felt as he was going over the augmentation procedure again only ten times worse. He closed his fists tightly and clenched his teeth as the power expanded from his chest to the rest of his body.

"That augmentation stuff was painful, right?" Arrow stated, "Then I not want ot know what kind of pain he went through with this."

Everyone else agreed.

Ares watched on with mild amusement as his gift took hold; he would leave for now and get a better view from Olympus with the rest of the pantheon. He was no fool to suspect they were not watching or knew what he had done, his sisters Athena and Artemis would most likely give him an earful but for coming onto the isle but frankly he was doing them a favor by empowering one of the mortal champions in saving their beloved Amazons.

*Hell, even Aphrodite has been trying for centuries to get them to lighten up on idea of letting the Amazons out of the island every once in the while and mingle with man once more…among other things since she is the Goddess of Love.*

Diana facepalmed and said, "Athena damn it, Aphrodite."

Superman said, "To be honest, the women getting off the island would be a good thing. Though, the culture shock may result in some issues."

Before he left though he had one last message to give to the mortal who had gained his attention.

"I LEAVE YOU FOR NOW SPARTAN, ONCE YOU HAVE TAKEN CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS WITH MY UNCLE, BUT REMEMBER THIS…"

He spoke as he whispered into the writhing soldier ear

"…GIVE HIM NOTHING BUT TAKE FROM HIM EVERYTHING!"

And with that resounding message he left just before the Spartan screamed as the pain finally overcame his tolerance.

"YAAARRRGH!"

All activity in the Necropolis stopped as all involved in this life or death struggle turned to look at the cause of such a violent and powerful shout.

Flash zapped away for a moment and returned with more popcorn and said, "Let the ass kicking of the century commence."

Hades had loosened his hold on Diana which allowed her to escape his grasp and flew to stand near her allies, she was shocked by the scream John let out and even more so as she and the others saw a blood red aura around his body and more shockingly replacing his warm brown eyes with two pits or red as is someone took the man's eyes and replaced them with burning hot cols.

"John…?"

Cortana was equally confused and worried, despite the damage to her body she could still function and right now her sensors were going all over the place with what they were telling her about the energies surrounding her friend.

"What is that?" she heard Superman asked.

"I…don't know, my readings can't get a clear read on it."

"What is it doing too him?" The Martian wondered out loud as the man's thoughts were riddled with pain and anger.

None could answer that, and that only fueled their worry.

Flash was about to get close to him until Batman stopped him.

"Wait, we don't know what that energy is or what it might be doing to him."

"It could be killing him Batman!"

"And it could do the same to us, we ne…" The Dark Knight never got to finish as another screamed broke through his concentration and made him look back at the Spartan.

John was now on his knees clutching at the spear lodged near his heart with his good arm, to the shock of his friends and the Queen he was pulling it out despite all logic telling them that he shouldn't be doing that especially since his screams of pain grew as it was dragged out of his body.

Flash almost coughed out his popcorn as he said, "Gross."

Arrow said, "I'm with you there pal."

Finally, he succeeded and instead of blood as the heroes were expecting to come gushing out, there was a hole shinning with the same crimson light that surrounded him, from there they watched as he grasped the other spear stuck in his arm and yanked it out as well. By the time he grabbed the one in his lung the damaged arm was moving again with no signs of trouble.

In the end he pulled out all the spears and panted from the pain, whether it was from the energy around him or the process to remove the foreign objects they didn't know and frankly they didn't want to know. Those closest to him were about to approach him when he look straight at them with the same pits or red that had taken the place of his eyes.

*He isn't looking at us…* Batman though as he tried to follow John's line of sight and traced it back to Hades.

Indeed, John had target in mind, he replayed everything the deity had done to his teammates and friends in his mad bid for freedom and conquest, looking at the Cortana's stump, Diana's bruises, Superman's blood dripping from his mouth, J'onn's burns…he took it all in an it only fueled his anger.

He spotted his helmet nearby and grabbed it before he calmly put it on; even then he continued to look at Hades. Hades for his part looked right back and felt his own anger grow, the mortal's refusal to die by his hand was just another affront to him, as if saying he was not all powerful, as if he could not fell this mere man…

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" The anger was growing by leaps and bounds at this clear disrespect; it wasn't until the Spartan replied that it was in a complete and utter blaze, it was a reply that took everyone there off guard yet wrung with a great strength behind it.

"Die?" John asked as he tilted his head as he looked upon the dark deity as if it was an ignorant student, and then he replied with words he had heard from another who he had called brother and friend so long ago when they were asked that same question from their enemies.

"Don't you know? SPARTANS NEVER DIE!"

Lantern declared, "OORAH!"

That was the last straw for Hades…

"RARRGH!" Hades roared as he charged the man with the intent to rend to pieces, John for his part took off to meet him head on at speeds that were beyond what he normally could do, much to the surprise of the heroes who had seen him in action.

They all watched as John suddenly leapt into the air once he was close to the God and slammed his armored knees into his face which combined with the God's own momentum resulted into a rather painful collision that knocked Hades onto his back. The Chief landed onto the ground in roll before he got back up and rushed the downed foe.

Hades was on his hands and knees when John put as much force into a kick aimed straight at the God's head like it was a football…

*WHAM!*

"ARGH!"

"Hell yeah!" Flash said as he saw the brutal kick.

Hades was on his back once more and stared at the caverns ceiling, though that didn't last long as John got on top of him and began to beat his head repeatedly with the full force his newfound strength given him until he finally grasped his neck and slammed his right fist into the demonic jaw of the God of the underworld.

"UGH!"

John was about to punch him again when Hades suddenly turned his head to face him and blasted him with a burst of flame that sent the armored soldier flying into a column with such a force he split it in half.

Before he could get his baring, Hades was on him with a vengeance as he grabbed him by the waist with both hands and slammed him into another column it crack inwards.

"Guh!"

"I WILL BREAK YOU!"

Hades yelled with every word filled with great fury behind it as he held the Spartan with his left hand and punches his stomach with his right, the armor buckles and cracked yet the power Ares granted him gave him enough endurance to survive…though not from feeling pain.

Diana thought, 'I never thought I would be grateful to Ares for anything. I wonder how my counterpart will react to this.'

"Gah!" he cried as he spat out some blood, he could tell some of the metal in his armor was breaking and in some cases being pushed into his abs. Another punch soon struck his helmet it broke the visor and cut his face slightly. Hades grasped his head tore off the damaged helmet of him before crushing it into a ball, he reared back his fist to crush his head next but John quickly reaches up with both hands and rakes his eyes.

"YARGH!"

As soon as Hades drops him he is on the move, he can't afford to lose the momentum he's built in battle or else the mad God will capitalize on it, he spots the pillar he broke and rushes to it while Hades is blinded and grasps it and lifts.

*Sure could have used this power during the war…no, no don't forget who it comes from and it is only a one time deal no matter what.* He thought to himself as he couldn't afford to lose himself at this time.

Superman said, "Good thing he isn't losing himself to the power. The thought of a renegade and berserker spartan is terrifying."

Batman said, "More so than Luthor with his weapons."

With a shout he hurls the column at Hades, who coincidentally turns just in time in the direction the yell came from, only to receive a face full of marble with great force.

*BOOM!*

"URK!"

While the battle rages on, the League and the Amazon Queen were simply astounded at that sight they were privy too, especially the Spartan's teammates since they had all seen that despite the strength he previously used while in the armor, it was nowhere near that level he was currently showing.

"How did he do that!?" Flash cried out.

"I don't know, it must that energy surrounding him." Batman replied as he narrowed his eyes.

"I sense the work of the Gods in this."

The Queen replied calmly as she just knew one of the Olympians had a hand in this, but the question was who?

Soon Diana and her group reached the others as they easily dispatched the reanimated warriors despite their wounds and exhaustion.

"What happened to John?" Cortana immediately asked as she looked at her friend.

"We don't know, he was gradually fading then all of a sudden this happened." Batman responded.

"It's like his abilities have been taken further due to that red energy surrounding his body."

J'onn commented.

"Is he in any danger from it?" Wonder Woman asks as her eyes remain on the Spartan battling Hades on even ground.

"My sensors say his vitals are good but for some reason I can't get a lock on his nanites and when I try to scan that aura they just go crazy." The UNSC A.I replied.

"Magic and nanites do not mix," Arrow said, "Good to know."

Batman said, "Last I checked, technology as a whole and magic don't mix."

"We need to help him regardless of what happened to him, he can't keep this up forever." Superman spoke up as he prepared to move, J'onn and Diana flanking him.

"Wait." The Queen spoke up as she realized there might be another way to defeat the God.

"What is it mother?"

"They key, if we remove or even destroy the key it will draw him back into Tartarus, it is the only thing that allows him to be free so long as he is on the island, should he get too far than only the Gods themselves would be able to stop him and such a clash would be devastating."

Flash said, "You know, in all honesty, I'm surprised that the key wasn't destroyed before all this happened."

Diana said, "Our ancestors, and my mother, probably didn't think that far ahead. Besides, most likely it was enchanted to protect itself over time."

"We must tell the Spartan, J'onn can you use your abilities to talk to him?" Wonder Woman asked their resident telepath who nodded before his eyes began to glow.

*Spartan, Spartan can you hear me?*

*Yes, though I am not capable of holding a conversation right now J'onn.* the man replied as he ducked under a kick.

*I understand Spartan, I will be quick, we believe we can send Hades back to his realm with the key.*

*Understood, we will need to distract him to achieve this, can you link me up with the others?*

*With the exception of Cortana, yes I can.*

*Link us and relay everything to her as well, I have a plan.*

Flash said, "I like his plans. They also seem to work out."

Arrow said, "I just hope that energy doesn't wear off first."

The Martian did so and soon the mental presences of his teammates joined in, minus Cortana because she was synthetic being.

*John? Are you all right?* He heard Diana ask, the concern was unmistakable and for the most part welcomed.

*I am fine for the moment Diana, though afterwards I cannot say given this power I'm using is only temporary. I don't think I can talk after this.*

*I would ask you what it is and what is it doing to you besides the obvious but we frankly do not have the time, what is your plan Spartan?*

Batman's voice broke through and in such a way that meant it was time to focus on the task at hand.

Flash thought, 'Batman, ruining tender moments since…'

Flash thoughts were cut off when Batman suddenly Gibb slapped him.

*If the key is the solution to defeating Hades then we will need to divide our roles accordingly to accomplish this. Superman, J'onn, myself will engage him and maintain his focus on us. Flash, Cortana, Batman and the Queen will keep the area clear of the warriors to give Wonder Woman a clear shot at the key.*

*Why her Chief?* Flash asks.

*Because she has greater endurance to magic than Superman yet is just as quick and strong as him. Wonder Woman, when you see a shot you head for the key no matter what, he cannot be allowed to leave this place.*

*I shall do my best Spartan.*

*Very well, we all know our roles and what the stakes are, let's do it.*

Lantern smirked and said, "Show time."

With that said Superman and J'onn broke away from the group while the trio of Flash, Batman and Queen Hippolyta formed a loose delta around Wonder Woman who would be waiting for the signal to head towards the key.

"Your armored friend shows great tactical skill Diana." Her mother commented as she fought.

"Considering the life he has led mother I wouldn't surprised if he could out think our best and brightest even under the worst of circumstances."

"You trust this man then?"

"I do mother, his actions speak louder than any words I dare use to describe the type of warrior he is."

*Hmm, she trusts a man so easily, I wonder what he has done to earn such a thing from her.*

The Queen said to herself as she made a note to speak with this man further to better understand why her daughter would risk so much by bringing him and the other men on the island.

Diana quickly realized that her mother and her counterpart were going to be having a very long conversation, that would likely get very embarrassing later on.

As Wonder Woman and her group fought against the horde of undead, the others were engaged in a more hellish struggle as Hades was probing difficult to contain for the three men.

Superman was currently grappling his arms while J'onn and the Spartan desperately tried to keep him from spewing forth more hellish flames at them as one held his jaw closed while the other had him in a head lock.

Unfortunately, the God had quite enough of that and took the opportunity to kick the Man of Steel away…

"Argh!"

Leaving only the two of them on his back, Hades then jumped backwards into the cavern walls intent on crushing both of the men causing him trouble.

*WHAM!*

"Argh!" The Martian cried out as his body took the brunt of the attack and fell off, thus only John remained holding onto the God's neck and pressing hard in an attempt to choke him.

"GET OFF! GET OFF YOU VILE LITTLE RAT!"

John's response was to swing at the deity's eyes with his fist as hard as he could, and earning some cries of pain from him as a result.

"Diana! Now! Do it now!" John cried out as he really began hammering into the God.

Wonder Woman heard and dashed towards the key as fast as she could, knowing everything was riding on them succeeding.

Unfortunately Hades spotted her and knew what they were about to do.

"NO!"

"Oh, crap," Flash said, seeing the god was now wise to their plan.

The God of the Underworld finally managed to pry off the super soldier of his back and hurled him into an outcropping of rock…

"Ugh!" John's head took a hard blow that left him concussed, he was only vaguely aware that Hades was running towards the Amazon Princess. Of course he did not see the Queen stand before the God in an attempt to buy her daughter more time.

"Your madness end here Hades." She shouted as she slashed and stab at the God.

"I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER MY SWEET!" He shouted just before he backhanded her into unconsciousness.

Diana for her part had finally reached the key and pull with all her might, the moment she did waves of energy erupted and struck her body but she held strong as it turned until…

"I think that would have happened on a much grander scale if the pieces of the key were to be destroyed," Diana said.

Flash said, "Yeah, maybe a good thing. If that energy can hurt you, then it would probably vaporize anyone else who tried."

*CRACK!*

the key was torn from its base, much to the shock of Hades.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"Ending your plans here and now! Go back to your pit foul monster and trouble this world no more!"

She screamed at him as she smashed the key into the ground before him and thus unleashing a torrent of energy that strikes the gateway and begins a chain reaction in the form of everything being pulled into the vortex.

Hades grabbed hold of the ground as hard as he could while Diana is pulled towards the swirling vortex, at the last minute she grabs hold of the base where the key once stood and uses it as a cover.

Columns and warriors are drawn into the pit of lost souls and among them is the dying Faust who in the end is nothing but dust and an empty cloak. Batman fired his grapple gun and anchors himself to a submerged column, Flash ran at full speed over columns and debris, Cortana used her remaining arm in the form of claw to sink her hand into the rocky terrain while evading incoming rocks and ruins, J'onn flew and phased through the worst parts while Superman did the same but smashed any object in his way, John was still reeling from the blow he took but manages to use the outcropping of rocks to his advantage...

That is until he spots something among the objects heading for the gateway to the Underworld.

*The Queen!*

He wasn't the only one who spotted her as Hades reached out and grabbed her as soon as he could, sadly his attempts to escape were for nothing as he was caught by a piece of the ruins…

"UGH!"

and he and his unwanted passenger were flying into the pit, much to horror of Diana as she sees her mother moving towards it with no sign of stopping.

"MOTHER!"

She cried as she makes a grab for her hand and barely manages to grasp with one hand while using the other to grab onto the stone base, though sadly Hades latches onto the Queen's leg and thus adding more to the problem.

John sees this and comes to a decision as he jumps out of his cover and tries to aim himself at the God…

"Hades!" he calls out gaining both his and Diana's attention "…release them!" he ends just as he slams into the God.

*WHAM!*

"John!"

The Spartan quickly slams his fist into the ground much in the same manner as when Delta Halo fired and was about to be dragged into space…though back then he didn't have an infuriated Olympian clutching his leg and squeezing it hard enough to shatter rocks or worse as he could tell that the armor plate was cracking already.

Hades' next words were more than enough to showcase his intent.

"I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!"

After securing her mother Wonder Woman sends her golden lasso to aid the soldier who is being pulled into the vortex hard enough his fingers are carving the ground up.

"John! Take it! Take the lasso!"

Hades for his part is using the man as a makeshift stepping stone and moving towards it, however John has other plans as he focuses every ounce of strength he has to grab him by the neck once he is close enough and then out of nowhere slams his head into Hade's. The pain was heavy and he had a feeling he had just added another concussion to the list of injuries he had earned over the years but he did not care.

"Must be a damn long list of injuries," Lantern muttered.

"ARGH!"

"Go back to Hell and stay there!"

He cried out just before grabbing the rope while ignoring the pain his head feels or the power Ares granted slowly draining from him.

:"HHHHIIIIIIPPPPPOOOLLLLYYYYTT TTAA!" The defeated deity screams in fury as he is literally dragged back into his own domain.

The gates slowly begin to close while the vortex continues to pull in everything it can, and that is the Spartan who is struggling to hold on as much as he can until finally…

"Agh!"

he can do so no longer and is pulled away by the ethereal force.

"JOHN!" The Amazon cries in horror with one hand outstretched as if she could still save him.

"Oh crap," Arrow said as he saw the Spartan get pulled into hell.

Though it seems his luck had yet to fully abandon him as the gates close behind him which he still hits with enough force that no normal man could survive though thankfully this does not apply to him as he is merely knocked out just as the last of the power fades.

Diana rushes to him and turns him onto his make and looking for a pulse, one she finds though it is slow moving.

*Praise the Gods he lives!* she thinks before her attention is grabbed by the sound of movement behind her.

"Urgh!"

"Mother…" as soon as she sees Hippolyta awake she gently lays the Spartan down and moves towards her "…are you all right?"

"Yes Diana, what of Hades?"

"Gone, we won mother."

"Praise Athena…" she speaks before she looks at the downed Spartan "…is he…?

"He lives mother, but he needs healer quickly...and our sisters are…" there is no need to finish as they both realize that Faust's spell still lingers.

Outside the temple…

The heroes and Amazons gaze sadly at the petrified warrior women, with no clue how to help them regain life.

"Damn it! All this shit we went through and this is our reward?!" Cortana spat as she looked around sadly and then at the bruised, beaten and bloody form of her protector being held between Diana and Clark.

"I hate it when this kind of shit happens," Arrow said, knowing that they went through a lot only to fail.

Everyone thought, 'Wait for it.'

"Is there nothing we can do for them?" J'onn asks in a tone that tells them even he feels a great sadness at seeing these fine people in this state, a sentiment both women share as they feel all is lost.

"Wait!" Flash speaks up suddenly as he recalled what he took from Faust during their attempt to ambush him as he pulls out the medallion which cursed the Amazons "….I still have this snake headed doohickey."

"But only Faust knew the spells, without him…" J'onn began to speak as the sun rose on the horizon, and then as the rays of lights touched the medallion it began to glow brightly that a startled Flash dropped it and soon they all shielded their eyes as light surrounded them all.

Its effects were soon seen by the group as slowly all the women began to move once more.

"It's a miracle!" Hippolyta spoke with joy as her people regained their true forms.

"But how?" the crimson clad speedster asked as he was really confused since they all figured that Faust was needed to undo the damage he caused.

"Faust's enchantment could only last so long as he willed it so." Batman replied, none too surprised by the man's assessment.

"Then with Mr. Dust in the wind gone it broke the curse." Cortana finished.

"Man that information could have been good to have a few hours ago," Arrow said, "Maybe I should meet up with Constantine. See if he can give me some advice?"

Batman asked, "Another magic user."

Arrow answered, "Yeah, but I wouldn't recommend him for the league. The dudes a bit of a loose cannon. Maybe an advisor or something if you can't reach that Fate guy or Zatanna."

"Well that's great and but we need to help John now." Flash reminded.

The Queen had not forgotten the actions of the man who had risked so much for strangers and the world, there would be much to do but thanks to her daughter and her allies their people still endured.

*There will be many decisions to make regarding these strangers but in the meantime I have a debt to repay.* she thought before she began to rally her people and begin the healing process for them and one of Earth's champions.

Unknown to them, high on Olympus the Gods watched and began to decisions regarding the events that just unfolded.

"Oh boy," Flash said, "I don't think this is going to end well. If the other gods are interested, it so probably going to chaotic."

Batman said, "It seems that the Spartan caused more changes this time around than last time."

Diana asked, "I wonder how he will effect my home."

Superman began to load the next part of the episode and said, "We'll just have to see for ourselves."

Thanks for reading. See you all next time. Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored.