XXIV
Three weeks later, The Watchtower, Metropolis
"Remember this image. How it felt to watch his hands holding her… His lips sucking on her breast. Use it when the time comes and you will be a god amongst men because of it."
I woke up in a cold sweat to the haunting sound of Ares's voice. I sat up in my office chair and looked over the massive clock on my wall. 2:30 am. I let out a sigh. Another sleepless night.
"Kal…"
I heard J'onzz's voice ringing in my head.
"What is it?" I asked as I leaned back against my seat.
"You know you have a bed to sleep in…" he replied.
I knew I did but she was lying in it.
"Do you have a point, old man," I growled back.
I heard him audibly sigh over the com.
"Yes," he replied. "I'm worried about you, son."
If I had a heart I might have cried when J'onzz called me son. He was the only positive male figure in my life. He helped make me somewhat whole after I broke out. He was there for me and he was one of the few people I trusted with my life.
"I'm fine," I replied coldly.
As I spoke J'onzz phased into my office in front of me. He stood in front of me with his arms folded across his chest.
"Lying isn't your forte Kal-El," he replied.
He walked over to my desk and pulled up a chair. He sat down in front of me.
"You've been acting strange," he continued as he leaned his elbows onto my desk. "The men have started to notice…"
J'onzz paused. As he looked into my eyes I knew what he was going to say. Bruce had noticed too. Owlman couldn't be trusted, but I kept him around just for that fact. I couldn't trust him anywhere else.
"I said I was fine, old man," I replied as I closed my eyes.
The image of Apollo's hands on the Amazon filled my mind. Rage filled me as I watched as his hands molded her full breast. His hollow white eyes watched me. They relished in my helpless state.
"Kal…."
The sound of J'onzz voice pulled me back into myself. My eyes opened. I felt the fire in my eyes seeping out of the sides of my eyes.
"Let me worry about Bruce and his ambition," I replied.
"Your head is elsewhere," he said.
I felt him pressing into my mind slightly.
"Mind that you don't press too far, old man," I growled as I turned my crimson eyes towards him.
J'onzz pulled his arms off my desk and sat back in his chair.
"I'm just trying to protect you, even if that means I need to protect you from yourself," he interjected.
There was genuine care in his voice. A feeling I'm not used to, yet his calming presence allowed me to gain control of my emotions. I knew bottling my feelings up would only cloud my judgement even more than it already was. So I cracked.
"She's in my bed," I said finally.
"And how does that make you feel?"
I looked over to my right in the direction of my bedroom. I looked through the walls and saw her resting in my bed. She was curled up into a ball on top of my covers.
"Things…" I said without taking my eyes off of her.
J'onzz cleared his throat.
"Care to elaborate?"
I took in a few breaths before I replied.
"She's like me. A victim of someone else's game."
"And…"
Once more I take in the image of her peacefully resting on my bed.
"I want to protect her," I replied.
I could feel J'onzz smiling in front of me.
"She's good for you, you know," he said.
I looked over to J'onzz.
"Yet I'm not good for her,"
J'onzz stood up and walked over to me. He sat on the edge of my desk next to me.
"You aren't the monster they think you are," he said.
"Aren't I?"
J'onzz shook his head.
"You're still young son, your path can still be rewritten," he replied. "This city needs you to keep it in line. Being the boogie man keeps far worse men from doing this city harm."
I scoffed, "Then explain this…"
I slid a piece of paper over towards J'onzz. He picked it up.
"You are formally invited to the Lane Foundation Gala," J'onzz read.
He looked at me puzzled.
"I didn't know Lois was reviving her father's old gala," he continued.
"Barry and Hal have informed me that Darkseid will be my wife's guest of honor," I said.
"Lois isn't that stupid," J'onzz blurted out.
I raised an eyebrow.
"I've had Arthur double check their entail," I replied.
J'onzz looked back down at the invitation in his hand.
"And…"
"It's true," I said.
The old mad sat there for a moment. He was contacting his contact at Lois's house. He cussed.
"I guess she is," he said.
I slowly stood to my feet and walked over the massive window behind me.
"The moment he sets foot into this city it means open war," he continued.
Looking out onto the early morning skies I saw the sun peaking over the horizon.
"For more reasons than one," I muttered.
"You think he's coming after Diana?"
"I'm sure of it," I replied.
A part of me wished I could tell J'onzz about Ares and Apollo's divine turf war, but I knew he wouldn't believe me. Who would? God wasn't real, at least not in our world. J'onzz had his gods, but they weren't like Apollo. They were benevolent beings. I wish I knew of a kind god. Sadly, my life told me there were no caring gods. Ares and Apollo only proved my point.
"Plans on who we will handle this?"
"I'm going to need a new suit," I replied.
"Come again?" he asked.
"My wife is holding a gala," I replied. "It's only fitting that I attend her event. I've got to keep up appearances."
"You've got to be joking Kal-El," he replied as he rushed over to my side. "You know this is a trap. It has to be."
"I'm sure it is," I smirked.
I wasn't going to let anyone disrespect me in my own city. Not even my foolish wife.
"You're not planning on going by yourself?"
"Of course not," I replied. "I'm bringing the Amazon…"
Morning of the Lane Foundation Gala, the Watchtower
Ultraman said that we were going out tonight. He walking into his bedroom first thing in
the morning, a place he's been avoiding for the past few weeks, and tossed a dress onto his bed.
"Be ready by 7 pm," he ordered.
Before I could rub the sleep from my eyes, he was gone. As I sat up in his bed I noticed the most beautiful golden dress I'd ever seen laying next to me. From outside the door to his bedroom I heard a soft knock.
"May I come in Diana?"
"Of course J'onzz," I replied as I got to my feet.
J'onzz came into the bedroom as I was stretching upwards to the heavens.
"I see he dropped your dress for this evening," he said with a smile on his face.
"What's happening this evening that requires me to be there?" I asked.
J'onzz entered Ultraman's room and walked over towards me.
"There's is a gala happening and he thought you might enjoy a night on the town,"
J'onzz words didn't sit well with me. Ultraman had been avoiding me for weeks. A fact that made my heart feel sad. A feeling I didn't expect to feel towards a man that everyone around me here thought of as a monster.
"I doubt he wants to spend an evening with me," I said softly as I sat back down onto the bed.
I placed my hand atop the golden dress beside me as I heard J'onzz scoff.
"He's a man of few words," J'onzz replied as he knelt down in front of me.
The green fleshed man took my hands into his own. I felt some level of care coming from Ultraman's right handed man. He had been my only companion since I came under Ultraman's protection. Everyone else kept their distance from me. Not even while I lived on Themyscira did my sisters make me feel so alone. Alone… A feeling I had grown accustomed to while I was here. I was isolated from everyone, especially Ultraman.
"And he just doesn't know how to express himself," he continued.
I shrugged, "If you say so."
J'onzz chuckled, "I do. Why don't you have a spa day before the gala? I'll have someone sent up to pamper you. Would you like that?"
I nodded.
"Good," he replied. "I'll have someone sent up after your workout."
J'onzz leapt to his feet and rushed out of Ultraman's room. I sighed as I looked down at my hands. I was alone again. At least I was going to get a nice massage out of this.
Later that day
Everytime I entered the gym, the place cleared out. His men wouldn't even acknowledge my presence when I entered. They would merely stop whatever they were doing and leave.
"Bye," I said faintly in the empty gym.
My workout was nothing special. I practiced my sword work and got a good bit of cardio in before I got J'onzz message about my spa appointment being ready. I made my way back up to Ultraman's room to empty hallways. As I entered his bedroom I was greeted by a woman in all white. She bowed and greeted me.
"Good afternoon Miss,"
"Afternoon," I replied.
The woman gestured for me to go into Ultraman's bathroom.
"I've got a towel and robe laid out for you," the woman said. "When you are done please disrobe and lay on the massage table."
The woman turned her back to me as I walked towards the bathroom. I slid out of my workout gear and stepped into the shower and gave myself a quick shower. After the shower I dried myself and put on the robe the woman left out for me. Once I was covered I left the bathroom. The woman was standing beside the massage table.
"Please disrobe and lay on the table,"
I clenched the hem of the robes collar. The woman smiled.
"I'll give you some privacy," she added as she turned her back towards me.
I looked around once before I disrobed. I walked over to the table and climbed on top of it face down.
"Comfortable?" the woman asked.
"Yes,"
"I'm going to move you a bit, please keep your down," she added.
I felt the woman's hands moving my arms and legs, getting me into position for my massage. Once my limbs stopped moving I felt a hot towel being placed over my butt.
"I'm going to turn on some soothing sounds," she continued. "I want to focus on them and get lost in them. It will help you relax…"
Meanwhile in Ultraman's office
I sat at my desk with my men surrounding me. They were tense. They knew it was mostly a trap set by Lois to bring me down. But they knew I relished in the fight. I told Bruce about what was going on, partly. He didn't seem to know what Lois was up to at the moment. I guess their relationship had soured a bit. A fact I liked. He would be less likely to betray me to Lois if he was pissed at her.
"Big Blue you can't be seriously still planning on going to that shit show at Lois's,"
I nodded at Barry.
"I'm going to need all of you to be on your guard tonight," I ordered.
"We've got your back boss," Hal said.
"Good…"
Knock, knock…
"Ultraman,"
I looked up and saw J'onzz standing in the doorway.
"Nice of you to show up," I said coldly.
"I was busy helping Diana get ready for this evening," he spat back.
"You're inviting the Amazon to Lois's gala?" Arthur asked.
I rolled my eyes.
"I don't think that would be wise," Arthur added.
"And leave her here to be taken by Darkseid," I said coldly. "She's safer at my side…"
"Safer… right…" both Barry and Hal said in unison.
"Mind your tongue you two if you like keeping them," I growled back.
Both men gulped hard as they looked at one another. Arthur laughed.
"Hey… shut up fish man!" they hissed.
J'onzz shook his head as he walked over to me.
"She's in your room getting a massage," J'onzz whispered as he leaned into my ear.
I felt myself grow hard.
"Enough!" I hissed. "Everyone get out and get your shit together for tonight."
My men nodded before they filed out of my office. J'onzz was the last one to leave. He gave me a wink before he left. I sat at my desk with my dick hard against my pants. I bit down on my lower lips.
"Fuck…"
I cussed as I got up from my seat because I knew I was about to do something stupid. I rushed over to my room and stopped right in front of my door. I pressed my hand against the door and opened it softly. Neither woman noticed it when I entered the room. There was a woman in white reaching over for a bottle of hot oil. Swiftly I rushed over towards her and grabbed her from behind. I placed my hand over her mouth. She gasped.
"Leave us," I ordered into her ear.
I felt the woman's head nod as I lowered her to the ground. The woman ran out of my room the moment her feet touched the ground. She left so quickly that she dropped the oil that was in her hand. I swiftly caught it before it hit the ground.
"Ma'am…" Diana whispered. "Is everything ok?"
She started to tilt her head up. Something took over me. I leaned into her ear.
"Everything is fine, Amazon," I growled as I breathed hot breath into her ear. "I've got it from here."
The Amazon swiftly sat up. Her breasts bounced with every movement she made.
"Ultraman," she gasped.
I hissed.
"Call me by my name," I ordered.
She gulped, "Kal…"
I growled with excitement, "Beautiful…"
