"Are you certain you're all right, daughter?" Hippolyta inquires. Princess Diana smiles. Her mother always worries about her. At times the queen's maternal browbeating can be tedious, particularly given the heroine's remarkable track record of accomplishments. On this occasion, however, the monarch's concern is more than understandable. After all, battling Circe is a fearsome task, even for the gallant champion of the Amazons.

Diana sits up in the easy chair within her mother's royal chambers. She vaguely recalls her arrival on her homeland an hour or so ago. Hippolyta's trusted advisor and friend, General Philipus, had met the groggy heroine at the isolated landing strip and discretely ushered her to the palace. A brief rest has proven quite invigorating for the Justice Leaguer. Her earlier anxieties have largely subsided. She is now alert and reassures Hippolyta that the ill effects of her confrontation with Circe have passed. "I'm fine mother. It's nothing a couple days of relaxation on Paradise Island can't cure."

"Of course Diana." the queen enthusiastically responds. "You're always welcome. You know that." The princess graciously hugs her mother. "Daughter," Hippolyta continues, "before you lose yourself for hours on end in the woods or along the shore or what not, will you please accompany me to the town square? There are a few architectural changes I'm considering for which I would appreciate your honest opinion."

"Certainly mother." the princess responds as she prepares to momentarily retreat to the sanctuary of her spacious bedroom within the imperial mansion. For Diana, it is an unspoken ritual to change into customary Amazon attire upon each return home. The Amazon ruler has always had difficulty accepting her daughter's decision to win the role of Wonder Woman. The princess' absence is keenly felt by Hippolyta, who fears for her well-being despite her great powers and abilities. Although the queen has never voiced it, Diana knows that the very sight of her in costume pains her mother greatly. As such, she makes a concerted effort to avoid mention or reminders of her outside life.

"Diana, there's no need to change." Hippolyta declares before her daughter exits the room. "Your present attire will suffice." The princess follows the queen out of the building and down the steep, exterior steps of the palace. Several Amazons mill about the town square as the royal pair stride towards the cathedral at the far end of the plaza. Diana can usually read her mother's moods, but in this case she is quite confused. Superficially, Hippolyta's actions strike her as condescending, a sort of public spectacle showcasing the defiant princess in her unmistakable colors. Strangely, the queen's words and body language don't support this interpretation. Hippolyta seems a bit distracted, which would be most atypical were she intending to teach her daughter a lesson.

Suddenly, the relative calm is broken as hundreds of Amazons swarm into the square from every conceivable direction. Choruses of "Diana!", "Princess Diana!" and "Wonder Woman!" echo throughout the town. Hippolyta smiles devilishly at her flabbergasted daughter. They embrace briefly before the princess finds herself hoisted atop the shoulders of her elated sisters. Paradise Island is ecstatic over the defeat of the nefarious Circe and it is a time to honor their noble champion and princess.

An enormous feast soon ensues. Seated in her royal throne which faces the masses, Hippolyta salutes her people for a superb celebration organized in record time. She proclaims that Wonder Woman is "queen for a day" and with that she turns the forum over to Princess Diana, who is positioned at her immediate right. A hush comes over the crowd as the queen rises from her dais and beckons the princess to take the seat. Diana politely resists. Never before, in the nearly 2000 years that the Amazons have inhabited Paradise Island, has anyone other than Queen Hippolyta sat on this throne. On those rare occasions when another Amazon has stepped into the leadership role in Hippolyta's stead, her royal throne has always remained vacant as the ultimate demonstration of respect.

The Amazon population cheers as Hippolyta nearly drags a reluctant Diana to the fabled chair. The princess expresses her thanks to her mother and fellow sisters for a wondrous party. "It's great to be home! Hola!" she shouts with glee.

*****

Paradise Island is like no other locale on Earth. While the island is visually beautiful, its uniqueness is just as special to Princess Diana under the cover of darkness. It is so peaceful. The air is absolutely pure. She hears the low hum of crickets and the distant sound of the sea washing ashore. What a difference from the Washington traffic, airplanes and factories which provide the background noise on a typical evening in mans' world.

The princess falls asleep very swiftly. Alas, her expectations of sweet dreams are doomed to disappointment. As she dozes, Diana's mind experiences not a pleasant dream, but rather a nightmare beyond the bizarre...

*****

The mustache tickles her nose and upper lip. The beard brushes up against her soft cheek. It's a unique sensation, but one that she likes very much. Their lips finally unlock after a long and passionate kiss. "Oh, this is so right!" Diana exclaims. Ollie Queen can only nod his head in agreement as he gasps for breath. "Lady, you damn near suffocated me with that wonder kiss of yours, but that won't stop this archer from trying it again!"

The surreal scene revolves around Wonder Woman on the observation deck of the Justice League satellite. Seated on her lap is Green Arrow. The unlikely couple smooch unabashedly while the entire JLA roster is in attendance. The majority of the membership goes about routine business, completely oblivious to Diana and Ollie. Flash and Green Lantern engage in conversation. Batman and Martian Manhunter analyze reports. Red Tornado reads a book. Aquaman, Zatanna and Elongated Man enjoy a snack. Atom and Hawkman play chess while Hawkgirl playfully teases her husband, who finds himself down a few pieces.

Black Canary is very distressed by this new pairing and she tearfully chastises Green Arrow. "Ollie, how can you do this to me?" Dinah anguishes. Green Arrow frowns in disgust at the Canary for having the audacity to intervene upon his breathtaking interlude. Wonder Woman smiles at her scorned colleague and arrogantly opines "Face it Dinah, you're just not in my league!" Ollie seconds the notion and vociferously offers additional praise for his new love. "Little Bird, I've finally wised up. I'm now romancing Wonder Woman, the ultimate heroine and greatest force for good this damn league has ever seen!"

Having watched this little spat with amusement, Superman suddenly springs to his feet. The Man of Steel takes great offense to the archer's latest comment. "You can't be serious, Arrow!" he declares. "I'm an intergalactic hero who's saved countless worlds. Any fool can see that I'm the greatest force for good around here! I built the JLA! Hell, I am the JLA!"

Outspoken Ollie starts to engage in a shouting match with the Kryptonian, when Diana restrains him. "I'll handle this." she assures him. The Amazon is so strikingly poised and confident that Green Arrow kicks his feet back to enjoy the moment. The princess motions Superman to take his best shot. With that, the hero bombards her with searing heat vision beams so intense as to be visible to the naked eye. The heroine deflects the onslaught and encourages a second attempt. Superman charges towards her. He throws a vicious overhand right which Diana ducks. Kal-El follows with a left uppercut which she fends off with her bracelets.

"You've had your chance." Wonder Woman proclaims in matter-of-fact fashion. The super heroine rears back and unloads the most powerful punch of her life. Her right fist connects solidly against Superman's chin. The Man of Tomorrow is blasted clear through the wall of the satellite where he disappears into the dark void of space. Green Arrow salutes Diana's triumph while in the background the conversations and chess game continue as if nothing unusual has happened.

The room goes pitch black for a few moments as Diana finds herself in a place devoid of light and sound. Within seconds, the original setting is reestablished with subtle changes. Again she finds herself kissing Ollie Queen, but this time they are both standing. The princess is in full Wonder Woman garb with a curious exception. Fastened about her waist is the dark blue skirt from the Air Force uniform she wears as Captain Diana Prince. As before, Black Canary is upset by Ollie's betrayal. Superman looks on with curiosity. The chess game plays on, but there are fewer idle conversations reduced to the background. More League members take notice of the tiff and gather around to watch.

Superman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Flash and Aquaman all take exception to the notion of Wonder Woman as the Justice Leaguer of greatest acclaim. Petty bickering ensues, for Diana is irritated that her male colleagues all seem to be lining up to claim superiority over her. She boldly challenges them to prove their mettle; the men gladly accept and Aquaman draws the first straw to face the Amazon.

The skirmish lasts for several minutes as interested Leaguers look on. Wonder Woman is the quicker of the two combatants and decidedly more skilled. She lands ten times the volume of punches as Arthur, yet it is from her lips and nose that blood oozes. He has hurt her; she has not yet done the same to him. Aquaman mocks the princess. The sea king lowers his hands and invites Wonder Woman to hit him. This is the ultimate insult. Diana loses control and forgets Arthur is a friend. Tragically, she launches a savage combination of blows which should kill her colleague. To her shock, Aquaman grimaces but stays squarely on his feet.

"That the best you've got? Talk about overrated!" Aquaman sneers sarcastically. Superman, Green Lantern, Flash and J'Onn J'Onnz join Arthur in a chorus of hair-raising laughter. The heroes are gripped with a maniacal hysteria reminiscent of the Joker as they continue to howl at Diana's expense. Suddenly, the room begins to spin. The chess game vanishes, followed by the audience, the laughing heroes and finally a dumbfounded Green Arrow.

Wonder Woman soon finds herself in the nebulous black region. She hasn't time to assess her latest go round, for the observation deck locale is momentarily revisited. The roll call is abbreviated, for the most powerful league members with whom she quarreled are no longer present. The Amazon princess is once again in the arms of Oliver Queen. He has no recollection of prior happenings and is as enamored with her as before. Green Arrow doesn't seem to recognize that her appearance has further regressed towards that of her alter ego. The heroine's hair is tied back in a bun and she is without her tiara. Captain Prince's shoes have replaced her boots. She wears her white blouse loose and unbuttoned over her golden costume top. Her sleeves are rolled up to the elbows thus exposing her bracelets.

"Get away from him Diana!" Black Canary demands. "Excuse me?" the princess haughtily retorts. "Ollie and I are rather occupied, if you hadn't noticed." Dinah's anger increases and she grabs the Amazon's shoulder to break up her latest kiss. Diana sighs. "I'll be back in moment." she promises him as she turns towards Black Canary.

Dinah Lance is a very skilled fighter and she is driven by the fury of a woman scorned. Her initial blow startles Wonder Woman. It lands flush against Diana's face, breaking her nose instantly. Blood gushes from the wound as Black Canary presses her attack. Despite her advantage and aggression, Ms. Lance is unable to finish off her opponent. Now, it is Diana who is livid.

Wonder Woman quickly takes control. She hefts Dinah over her head and hurls the blue-garbed female across the room. The unconscious form of Black Canary crashes down onto the table where Hawkman and Atom are still engaged in their riveting the chess game. The table collapses and the pieces scatter. For the first time, the game players recognize the activity around them and they're infuriated.

"Don't mess me with, Katar!" Diana warns as she returns to Ollie's side. Shayera snorts with disapproval. "You're really tough facing the likes of Dinah. Let's see just how well Wonder Woman stands up against those of us with power to fight back!" The Thanagarian couple charge the Amazon princess. Diana tries to retaliate, but they make very short work of her.

As the dazed heroine lies face down on the cold, hard floor, she hears the same hysterical laughter as earlier. "Wonder Woman?" Ralph Dibney jokes. "The wonder, is what she's doing in this league!" The cackling echoes throughout her mind as the scene slowly fades into dark oblivion.

Diana is one of only four Justice League members remaining as the satellite scene again comes into view. She is now completely decked out as Captain Diana Prince and she is seated on the lap of Green Arrow. The Batman sits quietly in the background as Black Canary lambastes Ollie for cheating on her. Dinah is even more upset with the princess, whose friendship she once valued. "I'm sorry you feel that way Dinah," Wonder Woman responds, "but I am an Amazon princess and champion. You can't compete with that!"

Diana Prince never sees it coming. Black Canary's left cross connects solidly against her jaw. The Amazon crumples to the floor. Barely conscious, she can't feel her legs and has no chance of rising to offer resistance. Dinah laughs gleefully as she jumps into the waiting arms of Green Arrow. Their laughter is even more mocking than the others. For the first time, the princess recognizes that the tone of all of these jeers is not that of her colleagues, but rather the tantalizingly evil chortling of Circe herself.

The princess struggles to stand. She pleads for her friends to respond, but there is nothing but laughter. As her vision clears, she finds herself alone on the observation deck. "I need help! I'm Wonder Woman!" she screams.

"They don't hear you" a monotone voice explains as a large mirror appears in front of her. Diana's military uniform gives way to her super-heroic costume. Only her image appears in the mirror, yet a seemingly friendly hand comes to rest upon her shoulder. Suddenly, the heroine's body is jolted with unimaginable pain. She stares into the glass in horror as her features deteriorate. Diana's skin shrivels. Her hair grays in seconds and begins to fall out. Her muscles degenerate as the effects of acute old age overwhelm her. She tries to escape, but her legs can not support her ever-decreasing weight. Without sufficient hair to hold it in place, Wonder Woman's tiara slides down her face until it is comes to rest against her nose. Mercifully, her waning eyesight is blocked, thus preventing Diana from further seeing the terror unveil before her.

*****

Princess Diana screams as she awakens from her chilling nightmare. She shudders as she peels the damp sheets down to her ankles. Her heart beats furiously as she reassures herself that she has returned to reality.

Diana downs a large glass of water as Hippolyta hurriedly enters the room. "I'm OK mother." Diana assures her. She explains that it was simply a nightmare and she apologizes for waking her. The heroine informs Hippolyta that she must attend to something back in patriarch's world and that she will have to leave right away. The queen is disappointed in this news, but not surprised, for her daughter's responsibilities often call her away.

Wonder Woman regrets being so abrupt with her mother, but she dares not reveal that which she now knows to be the truth. "That was no ordinary nightmare I just had." Diana thinks to herself. "It was Circe's twisted way of warning me of what is to come. She has plotted her escape just over six days from now, and Hera help me I'll be powerless to stop her!"