History occasionally repeats itself. Lightning can strike twice in the same place. In this instance the place in question is the small town of Marston, situated in rural, mid-western America. One week ago, nearly to the minute, the local children's playground and ballfield served as an unlikely battleground between good and evil. To their utter bewilderment, the sparse populace now braces for round two.

The symmetry is far from perfect, for many of the original participants are incapacitated or otherwise unfit to partake. Of the front line players, only Superman, Red Tornado and Zatanna are on-hand for the rematch. In the case of the latter, the magician is relegated to an advisory role. Zee's mystical expertise is invaluable, but her physical condition is still too weakened for her to engage in battle. Rallying at the side of the short-handed Justice League are Supergirl and the full, active roster of the Teen Titans. The impressive ensemble, having converged upon the scene within the past five minutes, prepares for the predicted return of Circe.

"Say Superman ... hope you don't mind my asking, but how good is your intel on this caper? This place could double for the setting in 'Field of Dreams'; where's this big bad threat you're all so paranoid about?" The Changling's question draws a variety of reactions. Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, and Wally West cringe at the boyish presumptuousness of their carefree colleague. Starfire and Raven seemingly ignore Gar's banter. Vic Stone smirks while thinking "typical Logan."

"I understand your doubts Changling." Zatanna responds. "Be assured that our quarry is indeed here. I can sense the presence of Circe's powerful evil. We can not see her yet, because she is still traversing the dimensional gateway. Her physical form should reach our realm in another minute or so."

"Well isn't there some way that we could block this doorway she's trying to come through?" Kid Flash asks. Zatanna is prepared to reply, but Raven chimes in more quickly. "Sorcery works differently than the physical sciences you're familiar with Wallace." the mysterious heroine observes. "I sense the same mystical emanations as Zatanna. The doorway has already been opened and Circe has accessed it. To prevent her from bridging dimensional planes, we would have had to shut the portal before she entered. Closing it now would be futile."

Accepting the recommendations of the resident experts, the heroic group swiftly hashes out a strategy. They believe super speed to be their greatest weapon against the sorceress. As such Kid Flash, Supergirl and Red Tornado poise themselves for an immediate strike upon Circe's arrival. Superman, Starfire and Wonder Girl form the second tier of the attack. Meanwhile, Raven's soul-self blankets the battle zone. The cloaked female knows her might can not match that of Circe. Raven hopes that she can safeguard her allies from the enchantress' wizardry long enough for them to subdue her.

*****

Circe returns to mother Earth with a devastating vengeance. For a full week the witch's ire has festered. Her recent defeat at the hands of Diana and the JLA now serves to fuel her violent passions. Her anger spurs her enormous power to newer heights.

By outward appearance, one might easily mistake recklessness for heartlessness. In actuality, Circe's fury is tempered by humbling memory. These adversaries are capable and determined. Despite her formidable sorcery, the witch dare not be overconfident. She must mercilessly crush her attackers to reestablish her dominance.

The swiftness of thought exceeds even the incredible velocities attained by Earth's greatest heroes and heroines. Circe anticipates the super speed assaults. She unleashes a potent shock wave of mystical energy which immediately disorients the two charging trios. Raven is the primary target, however, and she is most adversely affected. The young woman collapses to her knees and her soul-self fades away.

No longer shielded from the full brunt of Circe's magic, the assault team proves dangerously vulnerable. Men are especially susceptible to the enchantress' incantations. So too are aliens, because their chromosomal profiles contain none of the indigenous Terran genes necessary to resist or channel mystical forces. Consequently, Kid Flash, Supergirl, Starfire and Superman all succumb with frightening ease. Wally West transforms into a man-beast, with his lower half being that of a cheetah. Koriand'r mutates into a hideous, orange-toned reptile bearing a slight resemblance to a Komodo dragon. Superman metamorphoses into a Minotaur, while cousin Kara becomes the Kryptonian variation of a lioness.

As a non-biological being, Red Tornado is immune to the mutations ravaging his allies. Alas, he can be impaired in other ways. Circe conjures a spell which inhibits motor command. The android whirls haphazardly above the fray. He can not deactivate his tornado vortex, nor can he control the speed or direction in which it carries him. Reddy soon disappears from view as he ascends towards the clouds.

Wonder Girl stands alone against the heinous sorceress. Barely. Her Amazon physiology resists the witchcraft to an extent, but it is a fight she is not yet ready to win. The key when engaging Circe is to withstand her incantations long enough to take the offensive. This requires more than sheer might; it takes extraordinary resilience and force of will. Wonder Woman fully appreciates these dynamics. Donna's powers and abilities mirror those of her older sister, albeit at a slightly reduced level. Ms. Troy lacks Diana's experience, however. This is particularly pertinent when confronting Circe. The Titan has never encountered a mystical assault of this magnitude. No degree of forewarning could truly prepare her for this situation.

Donna Troy struggles bravely against the occult force which seeks to conquer both the brain and the body. She intuitively knows her allies have been overwhelmed, although her own surreal peril virtually blocks out her surroundings. Her once shoulder length hair extends well down her thighs and swiftly stretches towards the ground. The heroine's posture droops and her fingernails double in length. Her uncommonly beautiful skin begins fading from view as stubbled hair growth emerges throughout her entire physique. Wonder Girl is understandably frightened as she recognizes her cruelly unthinkable fate. She is de-evolving into a primate!

Donna's mind softens as the potent will of her assailant invades full bore. Desperately, the young Amazon lashes out at the vile witch. "Very impressive!" Circe praises as she eludes the blow. "I was wise not to take the kid sister lightly." With the snap of her fingers, the enchantress compels Supergirl and Starfire to assail the beleaguered Amazon. Meanwhile Superman and Kid Flash preemptively attack Cyborg, Changling, Nightwing and Zatanna before they can come to the aid of their colleagues.

Suddenly, the feline Supergirl squeals from a jarring pain in her upper back. Instinctively she looks to escape the source of her comfort, that being a nearly invisible beam of searing heat directed at her from above. Kara leaves the prone form of Wonder Girl and frantically plows over Kory as she scurries away.

Superficially, the heat beam would appear to be the product of Super vision. Circe knows otherwise, and for reasons beyond the obvious accountability of both of Earth's resident Kryptonians. The weapon is solar energy expertly concentrated into a scalding laser ray. The sorceress realizes there is but one person with both the intellect and the unique craft to generate such a beam.

"Well, well. It looks like big sister is finally here!" the witch announces with utter disdain. Sure enough she spots the invisible jet closing in from above. Circe focuses upon the robot plane. She deactivates the solar panels on each wing before they can collect enough energy for a second discharge. Having disabled its firepower, the enchantress assumes full mental command of the aircraft. A very bumpy joyride ensues as the plane violently bucks up and down while soaring at supersonic speed.

Taking advantage of a brief moment of decelleration, a dizzy and nautious Wonder Woman bails out of her compromised aircraft. The Amazon glides to an unsteady landing with the help of Hawkgirl's stolen anti- gravity belt. "Leave them all be, Circe!" Diana implores as she gestures towards her stricken friends. She fails to complete her statement, for her queezy stomach forces her to vomit. "I ... I'm the one you want." the princess insists when she is finally able to voice the words. "Take out your hatred upon me, not them!"

Circe is thoroughly amused by the downtrodden sight of her arch nemesis. "Oh, you are so selfless and courageous Diana. No one can deny you of that." she casually remarks. "I must confess an odd satisfaction that you survived the full seven days of hell." the witch continues. "Had you expired beforehand, I would have been denied the ultimate pleasure of torturing you to death!"

With Circe preoccupied, the mutated heroes and heroines wander in a docile fashion. They momentarily lack direction from their evil mistress, thus allowing Cyborg and Nightwing to stagger to their feet. Zatanna and Garfield Logan are both stunned while Raven is out cold. Grayson cautiously hustles to Donna's side. To his horror, his dear friend is all but gone. A right hand with thick, cumbersome digits extends towards him. He gently clutches the Amazon's hand and guides her to safety. Dick notices a small tear roll down her cheek, yet another indication that Wonder Girl is still fighting to retain what remains of her humanity.

Princess Diana is aware of her sister's plight, but she can do little more than draw their tormentor's ire. The anti-gravity belt unhooks itself and falls to the infield dirt. Her special flight goggles spring from her face as the elastic band snaps. Wonder Woman plays the part of a human marionettte with Circe pulling her strings. The Justice Leaguer has no voluntary control over her body as Circe imposes her will. Her eyes burn; she can not even close her eyelids.

Wonder Woman is dredged face-first through a large mud puddle located two feet behind the secondbase bag. The sorcercess finds this so entertaining that she repeats the indignity a dozen times. With her mouth, nose, eyes and ears inundated with muck, the Amazon's senses are impaired and breathing is difficult. "Ohhh, what more?" Diana privately laments by the ninth dunking.

Finally tiring of the horseplay, Circe drags her opponent onto the outfield grass where her rigidly immobile form comes to rest at her feet. Over the past week, the witch has driven Wonder Woman to disgrace herself. She has spent the last few minutes humiliating the Amazon a bit more. The time has now come for Circe to consummate the execution of Hippolyta's daughter.

The strike is extraordinarily powerful. The end is surprisingly swift, given all which has led to this moment. One precision, Amazon- powered punch to the jaw is all it takes. Circe is rendered unconscious well before she collapses to the turf. The danger is over.

*****

"Olympus thanks you once again for your loyal service, Diana of Themyscira." The princess is unable to even respond to Lord Zeus, for the king of Olympus immediately vanishes along with the defeated witch. With Circe gone, the impacts of her wicked sorcery are negated. Sanity returns to the Flash, Hawkgirl and the others afflicted. The horrible mutations incurred by Superman and company are reversed. The ill-effects of the disease suffered by Green Arrow and the bulk of the JLA are also completed expunged.

"Diana, this looks like an 'all's well that ends well' situation," Superman observes, "but would you mind clueing us in on all that has been going on?" The Amazon princess takes a deep breath. She vows to file a full official report in the coming days, but for now she gives the Justice Leaguers and Teen Titans a condensed overview of events. There are many questions of curiosity, most of which go unasked in lieu of her impending case file. As Wonder Woman recaps the final hour, there is one mystery for which the group anxiously craves an explanation.

"How did you get your powers back?" Donna Troy asks for the masses. "I thought you said that once they ran out, that part of the spell was irreversible." Diana smiles. She acknowledges that her sister's interpretation of her predicament is correct. The princess indicates however that everyone is drawing upon a false presumption. "You have all reached the same conclusion as Circe," Wonder Woman observes, "that being that she gained her freedom due to the total depletion of my Amazon powers. That isn't the case. She was set free as a direct result of my death."

Confusion reigns as the group attempts to digest the Amazon's last statement. "The idea came to me while I was inside Arkham Asylum masquerading as Poison Ivy." Diana explains to the many puzzled faces. "I finally recognized a fundamental truth, one that probably should have occurred to me sooner. Insanity effects the brain of a living being. As an android, Red Tornado had to be immune to that phase of Circe's incantation. I could therefore seek Reddy's assistance and confide in him without fear of causing him harm. This was a shortcoming in her dastardly spell which Circe compensated for by making Reddy's touch deadly to me."

"Diana willingly revealed her identity to me when I arrived at her cell to question Pamela Isley." Red Tornado recounts. "She briefly explained her bizarre behavior and implored me to attend a secret rendezvous shortly after dawn. I admit my skepticism, but somehow I knew to trust in her."

"The full 7 day mark was fast approaching by that time." Diana resumes. "Reddy alerted Superman of Circe's imminent return in Marston so that a defense could be mounted. Timing it down to the second, Reddy grasped my forearm as the 168th hour concluded. My heart stopped beating instantaneously and everything went black."

"I had prearranged for skilled emergency medical personnel to be on- hand in an adjacent room." Reddy recalls. "Of course they were not privy as to the patient or the circumstances, for their own well-beings. They simply understood and trusted that their expertise would soon be desperately needed."

"Wonder Woman was effectively 'dead' when the doctors scrambled in to revive her." the android notes. "I had a very empty feeling as they set to work. I wanted very much to stay there to make sure she would pull through. Instead I abided by her wishes as well as my sense of duty. I left to join the fight against Circe and only minutes ago did I learn that thankfully the princess had in fact survived."

Some heroes grasp the ingenuity of Diana's risky tactics while others do not yet comprehend the rationale behind her enormous gambit. "Circe is far more powerful than she's ever been before. She absolutely had to be stopped." the Amazon rules. "By synchronizing my 'death' with the 7 day benchmark, naturally Circe believed my powers were completely gone. She wouldn't consider a powerless Wonder Woman to be a threat, thus I could readily get close enough take her down. Circe had no way of knowing, of course, that early in the week I had managed to restore a small percentage of my super powers when using my magic lasso in combination with Green Lantern's power ring. This changed the timetable. Once I 'died', Circe's spell had run its course in regards to me. I still had a modicum of Amazon power left, therefore my body had the meta-human foundation upon which to replenish all of its customary might."

"So while Circe was dragging you through the mud, literally, you were actually getting stronger?" Zatanna marvels. Wonder Woman acknowledges this irony. "I'm still not 100% yet, but I'm getting closer" she admits. "And speaking of mud," the Amazon continues as she prepares to leave, "I feel about as crummy as I look. I'm tired and hungry. There's a stolen motorcycle to track down and a Batcave to rebuild. I have more apologies to make than a politician and I need a hot shower in the worst way!"

*****

"One day Amazon. You were granted but one day to prepare yourself for a most humbling demise. Instead, you dare incur my further wrath by taking three full days to appear before me?!" Heracles, the half-god son of Zeus, is incensed by what he perceives to be a calculated show of defiance. "I shall not tolerate such pointed disrespect, daughter of Hippolyta!"

Princess Diana is quite familiar with the pompousness of her Olympian foe, but this is a new level of pettiness to which he stoops. She has just endured a hellish week which culminated in the capture of Circe and the gratitude of Lord Zeus himself. As a result of her bizarre circumstances and associated transgressions, there was much damage control to address. Diana does not expect compassion or respect from Heracles; she is annoyed however, that one so capable of the grandest nobility can demonstrate such appalling disregard for another's honor.

"For an ageless demi-god, you exhibit a surprising lack of patience Heracles." the Amazon responds. She is tempted to lambaste him with a well- earned stream of sarcastic criticisms. Wonder Woman resists the impulse, reasoning that she is above such tasteless repartee.

Heracles has forced this latest battle upon the Themyciran princess. Much is unsaid, yet clearly understood as per Olympian decree. There is far more at stake than Hestia's golden lasso. The son of Zeus puts both his ego and his war with the Amazons on the line. Should Wonder Woman prevail, Heracles is eternally forbidden from instigating, partaking or organizing any hostilities against the Amazons of Paradise Island. If Heracles is the victor, Diana's life as she knows it is over. She becomes Heracles' slave and thus forever subject to his every whim. The lone consolation of such a distressing fate is that her fellow Amazons are granted a ten century reprieve from Heracles' treachery.

The battleground is curiously unremarkable. Created by Olympus, it exists outside of conventional space. The surface consists entirely of dry dirt and is perfectly level. The temperature is eighty degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity and no winds or breezes whatsoever. Solid white clouds envelop the 400 square foot area from the ground up and stretch above the scene at a twenty foot height. The showdown is thus enclosed within a setting designed to be neutral for both participants. Outside interference is justly prohibited.

Without prompting, Wonder Woman removes her tiara and lightly tosses it into the clouds. She follows suit with each of her Amazonium bracelets. Although the princess disdains this whole proceeding, she fully respects that this is purely a physical confrontation. Heracles grins subtly while watching Diana disarm herself. In a surprising gesture, he tosses the stolen magic lasso back to its rightful owner. The Amazon's glance alternates between him, the lariat and the clouds. "Keep it." the Olympian insists, knowing full well she will not resort to it during their combat. "It will be fitting for it to be at your side during your downfall!"

These two have fought before and know one another quite well. There is no need to size up the foe, for each is very familiar with the capabilities of the other. As such, punches fly right from the outset. The objective is to pin the opponent's shoulders to the ground for three consecutive seconds. Although a stunningly quick triumph is possible, the victor will likely prevail in a grueling battle of attrition.

The mindsets of the two combatants are strikingly different. Heracles relishes this confrontation, which he has daringly arranged. He passionately vents his deep-seeded frustrations, both with his fists and with his mouth. The Olympian goads the Amazon champion with a continuous array of vulgarities. Diana is unfazed by the personal insults, but she would prefer to be elsewhere. She resents the senseless hatred that the half-god harbors towards her and Themyscira. The princess is not responsible for his past history with Hippolyta. She has always defended her homeland against the nefarious initiatives of Heracles, but never has she reveled in her victories. Due to the stakes, Wonder Woman fights for all she's worth; nevertheless she is deeply saddened that any of this has to take place.

In the opening moments, a definitive trend emerges. Despite his bravado, Heracles absorbs far more punishment than he dishes out. The Justice League heroine is coldly business-like in her approach. Relying upon her incredible strength, speed and fighting skills, she relentlessly pounds upon her obnoxious adversary. The Olympian's lower lip and both cheeks begin to swell. By contrast, an inch-long gash underneath her left eyebrow is the lone damage thus far sustained by the princess.

Looking to change the momentum of their match, Heracles manages to secure Diana in a headlock. He applies awesome pressure upon her neck and shoulders while violently driving his right knee into her lower back. This tactic favors the son of Zeus. Although Wonder Woman possesses equivalent strength, Heracles is six inches taller and more than doubles her weight. He is an accomplished expert in superhuman might and is masterful at using his superior size to his advantage.

Diana's body visibly trembles from head-to-toe as she flexes assorted muscles. The princess endures a suffocating vice grip from her hulking assailant. Undaunted, she resists valiantly for nearly fifteen minutes until she finally gains the leverage necessary to extricate herself. Her neck is sore as a result, but she is thankful that otherwise she seems to have weathered his best offensive maneuver.

A vicious exchange of blows ensues with the Amazon champion getting the far better of it. Diana remains on the move. She accepts the inevitable punches her powerful opponent is landing, for she connects on three for every one of his. Heracles would much prefer to make this a brawl contested in very tight quarters. The Amazon wisely guards against a repeat of the Olympian's "neck-breaker" hold.

The bout eclipses forty minutes in duration with absolutely no letup in its fury. The cut above the Justice Leaguer's left eye is swelling, thus causing a partial closure of the eye. Heracles is far worse off. Puffiness throughout his face severely reduces the vision in both eyes. His nose is broken and both lips are grotesquely bloated.

"What in Hera's name is keeping him on his feet?" the Amazon wonders. "I've hit him with enough shots to level a mountain, yet he shows no sign of yielding! This is nothing like the demi-god I have fought before." Wonder Woman recalls from their prior skirmishes. "Heracles has never had much of a stomach for fighting against Amazons. He's all for bullying and trickery, but he's never been known to stick around when things get rough."

"I never realized just how enormous his pride really is." Diana reasons. "I am fighting to maintain my freedom as well as that of my Amazon sisters. He contends to avenge a bruised ego. My motivation far exceeds his, yet he battles with a determination which could only be reminiscent of his glory years those many centuries past!"

Heracles tackles the super heroine after taking another combination of blows. For the first time, a combatant faces potential defeat. The Olympian drives Diana's shoulders to the ground. He holds her in place for one second before she shoves him away. Wonder Woman springs to her feet but not before her foe again entraps her in his headlock.

Diana feels the strain of the conflict weighing upon her. She has expended a lot of energy and endured plenty of potent jolts herself. One would presume Heracles is similarly weary, but the brute force he still administers through his vice grip suggests otherwise. The stress upon the heroine's back, neck and shoulder blades sends shock waves of pain dancing up and down her spine. Her urgency escalates as repeated attempts to break his hold fail. Channeling her strength into one major effort, the Amazon screams as she flips her nemesis over her shoulders and slams him down.

Having regained the advantage, Wonder Woman resolutely vows never to relinquish it. Heracles is hurting and fatigued. The time is right. Diana assails the Olympian with a determination to put an end the fray. She whips him to the ground and attempts a pinning. She too manages to clock only a single second before her driven adversary forcefully eludes defeat.

With the fight extending well into its second hour, Heracles resorts to an astonishing move. He reaches for the magic lasso which dangles from the belt loop on her right hip. Diana reads his intentions and she instinctively twists away to avoid the loss of her lasso. The Olympian fully anticipates her reaction. He unloads his most powerful right-handed punch the very instant the heroine spins away. The mighty blow connects solidly just above her tailbone. The result is catastrophic.

Time seems to slow to a trickle as the Amazon collapses to the dirt floor. Assorted memories cascade intermittently in her thoughts. Hippolyta. Themyscira. Steve Trevor. The Justice League. Magda. Dalma. Etta Candy. Donna Troy. The contest. Diana Prince. Wonder Woman. Like water from a faucet, they are all slipping through her fingers and down the drain, fading forever from view.

Diana falls with a dull thud onto her left side and comes to rest flat on her back. The shock is devastating, both psychologically and physically. She is completely paralyzed from the waist down. "I have studied you princess, more so than any foe I've ever engaged." Heracles coolly explains. His demeanor lacks its typical swagger. His diction is slurred from swollen lips and gums. "Your lower vertebrae offered an unsuspected vulnerability for me to target."

Far too late, Wonder Woman now understands the man-god's stratagem. His "neck-breaker" holds were never intended to injure the neck or shoulders; rather they were a diversion from his true goal. The great pain inflicted upon the neck masked the real harm done by his knee to the small of her back. Two critical discs became bulged and inflamed, the severity of which was dulled by a slight numbing of the nerves in her upper spine. The Amazon's back was rendered dangerously susceptible to trauma, to which Heracles skillfully capitalized.

A large forearm applies considerable pressure against the throat and collarbone. His long-awaited victory is now a foregone conclusion, with the actual pinning reduced to a mere formality. The prone Amazon struggles gamely against her towering adversary, but all her gallantry seems hopelessly fruitless. Diana's shoulders draw ever closer to the ground when suddenly her resistance ceases. Heracles' momentum carries him forward, directly into a superbly timed head butt. Her forehead impacts solidly against the bridge of the Olympian's previously broken nose. Wonder Woman attempts to maintain her grasp upon him, but without leverage she is unable to prevent him from reflexively pulling free.

Heracles bellows in anguish as blood gushes from his mangled nose. Enraged, the Olympian unleashes a fierce barrage upon the Amazon princess. Diana raises her arms in an attempt to safeguard her face. Alas, the assault is too swift and ferocious. The blows she manages to intercept drive her own hands and forearms into her face. Eventually punches land directly, one of which causes a compound fracture of her left jaw.

The demi-god ceases his assault and looks to finish things off. Straddling her motionless torso, the Olympian jams his right knee into her chest and uses both arms to push her shoulders down to the ground. To his utter astonishment, Diana still refuses to yield. A standstill results as she resists with every erg of energy she can muster. 'Blood, sweat and tears' is a cliche, but it is appropriate here, for a mixture of all three flows from her face and upper body.

A minute passes. Two. Five. Ten. Every instance where the heroine appears on the verge of official defeat, she miraculously staves it off with a mighty surge of her own. Finally Heracles growls in frustration and releases his grasp upon her upper arms. He cocks his fist and glares sternly into her puffy, bloodshot eyes. He hesitates for what seems like an eternity before slowly rising to his feet and stepping away.

"You may be blessed with the abilities of we gods Diana, but obviously you have inherited your mother's stubbornness!" he disgustedly observes. "You will never submit, will you?" The heroine can not verbally respond, but her dogged determination speaks volumes. "It isn't enough to best you in competition. To fully avenge my past defeats at your hands, I must crush your spirit. I now realize this to be impossible. I could kill you or beat you into unconsciousness, but a true champion's heart is unconquerable."

*****

Neither shows any outward signs of the brutal fight waged just four days ago. The healing touch of Olympus has seen to that. Princess Diana once again has smoothly settled into her dual identities of Wonder Woman and Captain Diana Prince. Meanwhile, Heracles struggles with an uncharacteric feeling of uncertainty. For several years his driving purpose has been the defeat of Wonder Woman. Faced with that very opportunity, he unexpectedly discovered a grand nobility within the Amazon champion. He could not dishonor such a foe; therefore the supposedly decisive showdown produced no clear victor.

"You requested to see me, Princess? Given our history of animosity, I must confess a large degree of surprise." Wonder Woman carefully measures her response. "This animosity you speak of only goes one way, Heracles. I do not hate you now, nor have I ever hated you." Seeing confusion in the half-god's expression, Diana expounds upon her thought. "I despise your reprehensible actions, particularly those committed against my mother and my fellow Amazon sisters. I loathe the evil you have perpetrated; this is decidedly different from hating you as an individual."

The super heroine explains her reason for calling upon the Olympian. He laughs incredulously. "You are unique," Heracles lightly opines, "and that is saying something given where I come from!" He breathes deeply to project a more serious attitude. "You're asking for my help. Why? We are alike in some ways, but we don't believe in the same things."

"You are a hero, Heracles." the Amazon proclaims. "Despite your ambition and hubris, that is still your greatest destiny. Mankind knows of you through the Greek myths. They associate you with the twelve labors, an extraordinary accomplishment in any context. Return to those roots, at least this once."

An hour later, Wonder Woman stands before a large assembly in Potomac, Maryland. Whispers of conjecture can be heard amongst the young audience. "Who's it gonna be?" "I say Aquaman!" "Gotta be Superman!" "I heard Batman!" "Batman? Get Real! He never does these shows!" The Amazon princess smiles proudly as she briefly explains her Olympian heritage in terms the children can understand. "Kids, I would now like to introduce you to one of Zeus' sons. He is called Hercules by the Romans, but I know him as ..."

[Writers note : Many thanks to those of you who stuck it out for the duration of 'WW: The Week.' Your encouraging reviews are appreciated. I did not anticipate this story taking so long to write. Unfortunately, I am just not a fast writer! When I first came up with the concept for 'WW: The Week', I knew how it would begin and how it would end (not including Heracles' involvement). The middle days were a challenge, because I really didn't know how I wanted to go until I actually got there. This ad-libbing essentially begins once Diana is exposed as a traitor on the satellite. I am particularly curious to know your reactions to the content of these chapters (9-20). A long story can be a lot of fun, provided it isn't artificially drawn out. My intent was for the various events to all tie together in an interesting and non-contrived fashion. Please feel free to email me with comments, positive or negative. Thanks.]