The sun rose over the city of Venice, dyeing it in a beautiful golden glow. It's nurturing rays reached each and every corner, lighting them up and banishing the darkness of the night.
The twisting strands wove their way through a set of curtains, leaking through the cracks and shining over a form lying silently on a bed.
The figure stirred, his eyes cracking open and glancing at the clock that rested on the bedside table.
"1:00 am... what did I do to deserve this?"
Nathaniel groaned as he rose, his sheets pooling at his abdomen as stretched his arms and yawned.
"What do you want?" He glanced to the window through which the daylight was coming. "Apollo, cut the lights, I'm up."
The light changed as Nathaniel spoke, it became a bright orange with a black centre. The light gathered, shaping itself into the form of a man. The sun god Apollo stood in Nathaniel's bedroom as the resurrected former demigod stood in his boxers.
"Cousin."
"I'm not your cousin anymore."
"Yes, we saw your little performance with hell."
"Wondering how I came back?"
The sun god raised an immaculate eyebrow.
"Will you tell me?"
"Not a chance in... well... Hell."
"That was in quite poor taste Nathaniel."
"Perhaps, but you are the god of prophesy, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."
"Of course, but I am here about another matter."
"The matter of Zeus' children."
"You know." It was not a question.
Nathaniel smirked at his once cousin.
"It's not hard to hear about, your oracles are quite loud."
Apollo narrowed his eyes.
"Do you know anything concerning it?"
Nathaniel raised one of his eyebrows with a curious look.
"Why would I know anything?"
Apollo walked over to a bookshelf standing close to the window.
"Prophesy is my domain, but you possess more knowledge of the godly and arcane than perhaps any other source in the universe. I want you to tell me if there is anything I need to know."
Nathaniel smirked. Getting out of his bed he stood, shirtless but clad in a set of sleep-pants. He walked over to a self amongst his bookshelves. He seemed to search through them for a moment before he pulled out a stack of papers encased in a folded, freshly printed and without a single scratch.
"There is an old story." He said, offering the sun god the file. "About the first born of Zeus and Hera. Have you ever wondered why the myths never state whether War or The Smith were the first to come from their union."
Apollo took the papers from Nathaniel's hand, turning through the pages and glancing through its contents.
"It never seemed to be of importance."
Nathaniel rolled his eyes.
"And myths only ever include the important details." He said sarcastically.
Apollo's eyes were growing wider as he read the scroll.
"This is authentic?"
"From the horse's mouth. More specifically, a translation from the skin of a greek witch that was just dug up."
"If this is true..."
"It is."
"The balance of power on Olympus could be thrown off."
"That's the best case scenario. Now that Zeus is gone it's more likely a full on divine war could break out. At least if a new king isn't found."
"You're right, if we are to survive, we will need allies."
"You'd better find some, I know moon will side with you."
Apollo levelled a sidelong glance at the former son of Hades.
"You sound as if you will not participate."
"I won't, the matters of gods mean little to me."
"And yet you have claimed Themyscira as your own. You have even undone the claim of Hera and the other Olympians to place your own spells upon it."
Nathaniel glared at the sun god.
"My desire for that island is bound by right of blood and right of conquest."
"You have not conquered it yet and no god has ever willingly given up what is their's without a fight."
"I believe you know what happened to the last god who tried to fight me. Hera is arrogant and vindictive but she is not stupid."
Apollo looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Perhaps. But still, I am surprised you are willing to offer the amazons of the island your protection, you've made no attempts to hide your contempt of them."
"Oh Apollo, if you really can see the future you should know that what I have in store for them is far more humiliating than simple death. If that means shielding them for a time I'm more than happy to pay that price. Besides, it means I'll have more time for my own little vengeances before I gear up for the grand finale."
"You're being rather dramatic, aren't you cousin?"
Nathaniel chose to ignore Apollo's mistake regarding their now non-existent relation.
"What can I say? I'm feeling a little cheerful today. After all, it is my birthday."
The halls of Olympus were alight with the sound of deities, both major and minor, going about their business. Countless temples, marketplaces and pavilions lined the massive floating mountain, filled to the brim with countless subjects of the all-mighty olympians.
Amongst but apart from this peaceful calm a woman's voice rang out in anger.
"NO!" The voice shouted.
Standing in front of a reflective pool, clad only in a cloak of peacock feathers the goddess Hera watched as the amazonian princess Diana of Themyscira carried away the messenger god; Hermes, and her pig of a husband's latest conquest.
"No no no, this won't do."
As the queen of the gods spoke, a woman with pale blue-white skin entered. She leaned on arching entrance holding an ornate gold goblet filled with wine.
"What is it, Mother?" She asked as she calmly walked to her mother's side. "You sound... distressed."
Hera's laugh was devoid of humor.
"Ha! A thing you're never far from, eh, child?"
The queen of the gods walked around her pool away from her daughter, making her way to a set of green silk curtains as she undid the latches of her feather cloak.
Hera's daughter showed no signs of anger at her mother's accusation, instead seeming to relish in her apparent poor timing.
"Mother, please." She opened her arms as if for a hug. "I just thought you might need some love."
Hera turned her back to her daughter, unclasping her cloak and allowing it to fall to the floor as she stepped behind the fabric that hid her naked figure from prying eyes.
"Love?" She scoffed at her child. "You have no idea what I need."
The woman smiled and sat on the sill of a large window, pouring more wine into her goblet.
"Really?" She asked playfully. "You think you're that different from anyone else?"
The queen twirled a long piece of cloth around herself, letting it and her magic envelope her.
"Of course I do." She exclaimed. "I'm the-"
"-Queen?" The daughter finished. "A word burdened by expectations." She glanced down at her cup.
"Perhaps that's why father had his dalliances, no?"
Hera secured a golden necklace around her neck and glanced at her daughter out of the corner of her eye.
"I am your father's wife."
"And yet there are these... Flings, these women and their offspring... constant reminders."
The daughter met her mother's eyes.
"Of how unloved you are."
Hera left the privacy afforded by her curtains, revealing in herself to be dressed in fitting, seafoam-green wraps showcasing her legs and her midriff, with gold jewellery accenting their lines. She harshly grabbed the cup of wine from her daughter's hand and downed the entire goblet in moments.
As she finished the wine, she strolled over to the throne placed at the top of a dais, taking a moment to toss the now empty goblet onto the floor.
"That damnable schemer Hermes has enlisted the Amazon to protect your father's latest bastard."
The younger goddess followed after her mother.
"Mother..."
"Now there's a word." Hera interrupted, taking a seat on her throne.
Hera's daughter walked up the dais as well, seating herself on one of the throne's arms.
"Let me help you. Perhaps if I spoke to my brother-"
"Hermes." The queen scoffed. "You find his forked tongue licking his considerable wounds."
"Oh." The younger god purred. "You mean business."
Hera glared out at nothing, seeming to think.
"There is a price to laying with my husband."
"Which no one knows better than you, hm? Where are they now?"
Hera beckoned for one of her peacocks and seemed to take some comfort in stroking its feathers.
"That cockless coop, so inappropriately named..."
"Paradise Island"
Diana walked upon the sands of her home, the first time she had done so in weeks, carrying a dying god and being followed by the latest woman to fall victim to Zeus' foul trickeries.
From the trees, unheard yet by the newcomers, voices spoke.
"Can you smell it sisters?" One voice hissed from the undergrowth. "Our air be putrid with musk."
As the small group walked into the forrest Hermes stirred from his delirium.
"You should have left me behind, Amazon."
"Right." She said, sarcasm leaking into her tone. "Bleeding out in the middle of no where, seems like a fate worse than death."
The blond woman Zola turned from her curious observations of their surroundings to stare at Diana.
"Hey. That's my home."
Diana turned and smirked at Zola.
"I thought about leaving you there."
The voices stirred once again, unseen but now heard.
"Aye, what hangs between the shanks now fouls my nose."
Zola looked around, trying to get a sense of what kind of place she had been brought to.
"Where the hell are we?"
Diana placed Hermes down gently, resting his back against a nearby tree before addressing Zola.
"My home."
The voices stirred one final time, carrying loud and clearly over the night's crisp air.
"Perhaps I shall take my blade and separate the offence from the offender, leave them to shrink and wither on the sand."
Diana stood resolute against the voices.
"Enough of your jests and false words. I am sure you know better than most the scent of a god."
"Aye, princess. But you once again bring the stench of man onto our island. I care not whether it be of mortals or gods."
"Enough."
The voices stopped abruptly as another spoke up. The amazons knelt down as a blonde figure wearing red leather armour walked through them.
"Queen Hippolyta." Diana knelt alongside the other amazons. "Mother."
Darkness surrounded him, encroaching on him like a predator stalking its prey before it was banished back to its hovel by his light. Nathaniel surveyed his surroundings, trying to peer through the darkness that made up the space between worlds.
"Dead." His expression soured as he spoke.
Just weeks ago, when he had last surveyed this earth it had been healthy, not yet ready to dissolve back into the muck of the dark multiverse. The nightmare the world had been born from wouldn't manifest for years to come.
"Something is accelerating the process." He muttered to himself. He knew that this was no natural event, and despite his vast knowledge of his own universe and many a universe not his own in the realm above, there was much about the all-consuming darkness of this plane that he did not yet understand.
A sudden headache formed. A clone had been dispelled, and not willingly either. Nathaniel played through the clone's memories, trying to make out whatever had attacked through the gloom and blackness that surrounded it.
Another clone's memories assaulted his mind, once again attacked by a creature of the darkness.
An emotion he had almost forgotten settled in Nathaniel's stomach; fear. Whatever this thing was, it was dispatching his clones with an ease that was frightening. Granted one solid hit could dispel them but with their speed and his plethora of ninjutsu and genjutsu there should have been some exchange of fire.
The memories of three more clones flooded his mind. The three had tried to investigate the disturbance and find the culprit of the attack. Thankfully this time they had managed to get some idea. As one clone was attacked and destroyed the other two had managed to light up the darkness with fire and lightning jutsu respectively. The creature had quite obviously not enjoyed that as mere moments later another clone had been impaled on blade-like fingers.
Perhaps the only good news was that with the last of its chakra the final clone had inflicted a wound upon the hellish beast. A senjutsu enhanced storm technique had struck the monster full force, causing a momentary retreat and eliciting a pained cry from it.
That triumph had not lasted as in the same moment the last clone dispelled from exhaustion.
Nathaniel raised his hands and formed a cross sign with his index and middle fingers on both hands.
"Taju kage bunshin no jutsu."
Instead of smoke, a hundred clones simply phased into existence.
"Find the beast, flush it out and direct it towards me."
"Roger."
The clones spread out in groups of ten flying off into the darkness to hunt their quarry.
Finding himself alone once again, Nathaniel waited patiently, taking the time to flex his powers. If he would be engaged in battle against such a powerful foe he would need to be ready.
The silence was eerie, the lack of sound only adding to the darkness' effectiveness at unnerving him.
When the quiet was shattered it was like flipping a switch. One of the clones in one of his scout parties dispelled, letting the rest know that the beast had appeared. The remaining clones converged behind the beast and formed a barrier, stopping it from attempting to escape.
Nathaniel himself flew through the dark, heading towards the ring of chakra manifestations at top speeds.
He arrived in moments and was greeted with a sight to behold. The first set of clones had obviously not gotten a good look at the beast, nor had they seen its reinforcements.
Flying through the darkness with an ease that almost scared him a dozen forms flew through the darkness. The clones were holding valiantly, but they had been sent to deal with a single prey, not the multiple that they had encountered.
Already Nathaniel could feel dozens of memories flooding his mind as his enemies tore through his sentries.
Taking a moment he gathered his chakra, merging his own power with that of the ever growing bijuu locked inside nine cages within him. He opened his eyes, showing off a rinnegan eye with the telltale tomoe marks that represented his power.
"Susanoo!"
The cry was accompanied with the sound of releasing energy as all around Nathaniel a massive warrior garbed in armour appeared. He'd seen in visions what the Susanoo of previous Indra had looked like. They'd taken forms closer to the armour of samurai or shogun from the sengoku period of japan. His own warrior was different. Unlike their distinctly asian forms his own Susanoo looked more like an ancient greek hoplite.
Its head and neck were covered in a corinthian helmet with a solid breastplate covering its chest. Its arms were covered by vambraces and the legs were guarded by greaves and armoured boots.
A further deviation from the standard Susanoo were the weapons it was equipped with. While most he had seen had used twin katana stored in the armour's wings his own massive warrior wielded a xiphos in its left hand and a hoplon shield in its right, ready for attack or defense.
Nathaniel stood within his creation's head, watching as the silver light of his technique washed over the battlefield, another difference between him and his previous incarnations.
The sudden appearance of a being that dwarfed even the great beast tore his foes attentions away from the clones, which dispersed instantly in order to return their leftover chakra to their creator.
"Whatever you are." Nathaniel said into the darkness, staring at the beast and its comparatively tiny minions. "Die."
He swung the sword, sending out a wave of silver energy towards the monster.
The creature recoiled slightly, perhaps in fear or perhaps in preparation as the attack quickly closed the distance between the two.
Nathaniel's face morphed into a smirk of satisfaction. Maybe he'd been too cautious in dealing with the threat. The Susanoo was simply overkill.
The monster let out a shriek, vibrations and sound crashing out like a tidal wave.
The wave of terrible sound slammed into the burst of chakra, scattering his attack a moment before it slammed into Nathaniel's armour.
The prince covered his ears as the sound tore at his very being, he could see through the one eye that he had open that his technique was coming undone. The edges of his armour were fraying and leaving him vulnerable to attack.
The creature's minions were unaffected it seemed, as they rushed through the barrage, seemingly without taking any damage. One of them landed on the head of his Susanoo, bringing down a trident and piercing one of the warrior's eye sockets.
Others attacked the various chinks in his armour, hitting him with strength rivaling kryptonians, speed equaling flashes, and ferocity matching the maddest of beasts.
The noise died down and Nathaniel was once again able to concentrate his power. The broken pieces of his armour repaired themselves and the little warriors were pushed back into the darkness.
Nathaniel looked around for the beast's minions, or perhaps its masters? It mattered not Nathaniel took his brief opportunity to rush the winded monster.
His xiphos cut a deep gash into its side, forcing an agonised roar from it. Its talons scrapped over his armour, cutting through his protection and forcing Nathaniel to retreat.
"You reek of power."
Nathaniel looked at the monster in shock. Had it just spoken?
"You are of the darkness, but you have been touched by the light. I can smell it on you."
Nathaniel tensed up, he didn't know what this monster was but he didn't need to be an expert to know that anything that could survive in the darkness of the lower multiverse was not a good thing.
"And you are purely of the darkness." He retorted. "You are a creature of wrath and anger."
"Oh." The creature laughed. "You know of me, but I cannot say the same of you. You are not one of my knights. You are not one of my 51. Who are you?"
Nathaniel's eyes widened. This creature had more of those minions -he was sure those others were its minions and not masters- 51? Maybe more? He didn't know and he was never comfortable with not knowing something.
"I am of a world within this darkness. It escaped before it returned to the muck of this plane."
The creature laughed.
"Impossible, nothing survives in the darkness. Where is your earth?"
Nathaniel inwardly cursed but showed none of it on his face. He'd need to be careful, not make a story open to loose ends.
"I travel to the realm above, I-" He was interrupted as the beast rushed him, his hoplon rising just in time to block its claws.
"Impossible." It rasped. "Nothing may cross so freely between the multiverses. I know, I have tried."
"I have found a way." Nathaniel said, he pushed the creature off of him. "I can cannot yet bring others, but I can move between the realms of reality."
He was lying somewhat, he could bring others with him. It was, after all, how he'd convinced Grail not to keep trying to kill him when they'd been trapped in the dark so long ago, but he wasn't going to tell this thing that, especially now that it seemed to have a fascination with reaching the upper multiverse.
"Then you are useful." Said the creature. "You will join me."
"What do I get out of it."
"You will keep your life."
"Do not threaten me, I'll kill you."
An evil chuckle was the monster's only response.
"Very well. Perhaps instead I can interest you in a new world, a world above?"
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Go on."
Dagger like teeth gleamed in the silver light as the creature smiled.
"I'll give you a world from the multiverse above, any of the worlds, to remake as you wish. Just aid me once we get there."
"I thought you could not cross the threshold of the other realm."
"Not myself. But with just a little push another can be... persuaded, to accomplish the feat for me."
"It sounds interesting, I'll think on the offer."
"Very well, when you chose to join me, come to the center of this multiverse.
"Understood."
"Good, you seem to follow orders well enough."
Nathaniel gritted his teeth, already annoyed by the being's rather casual dismissal of him.
"And your plan?" He asked his new ally
"My own, it's none of your concern."
"I feel it is."
"I don't care what you feel. Should you earn my trust you'll be informed, until then you'll do your part, as I decree it. Now tell me boy, what is your name?"
"Indra."
"An interesting name."
"not so much where I'm from."
"Very well."
The creature turned away, moving to once again surround itself in darkness.
"Wait."
It paused in its retreat.
"What is your name?"
"Ha, you didn't know?"
"I didn't."
"Then you are not as clever as I thought. You may call me... the Dragon." The Dragon retreated back into the darkness, slithering quickly through the morass of gloom.
Nathaniel tracked the dark and wicked power as long as he could. By the time it had disappeared beyond his ability to sense he could tell that it had passed at least a dozen earths. Once it was out of his range he cursed. He cursed in a thousand languages found across a hundred universes. It was some time before he finally managed to gather himself and stop spewing profanities.
'Now I'll have to change plans.' He thought. 'I need and earth, one I can use and one that hopefully is deserted.'
Nathaniel looked down at the desolate wasteland that was the earth below him.
'Maybe.'
Taking hold of his power he descended down into the dead universe onto the dead earth. Touching down Nathaniel placed his hand onto the black dirt that stretched out as far as the eye could see. He closed his eyes and focused, trying to sense the power of chakra laid dormant within the universe. His eyes snapped open and he quickly withdrew his hand, a massive grin forming on his face. The world had indeed ended, consumed by the darkness and ready to dissolve back into the primordial soup of dark creation, but it seemed that through that connection to he could access that power. The pure, untarnished power of that formed all universes. Nathaniel smirked, with that kind of energy source he'd be able to proceed with his plans months ahead of schedule, perhaps even years if he could milk this without the Dragon or anyone else finding out. He could tell that the beast was a creature of destruction and though he had entered into a tentative alliance with it he didn't want to have it try and undo his work. Thoughts flashed through his mind. What kind of precautions would he need to set? Could he hide the entire universe from the Dragon? Would he need to? For the time being he'd allow his paranoia to dictate his actions, better to be safe than lose a literal world of possibility. His face setting into a concentrated mask he placed his hands once again into a familiar cross shape.
"Taju kage bunshin no jutsu."
Instead of the small hundred clones he had made before, infinitely larger numbers of copies appeared before him now. Tens of thousands phased into reality, with more than a few taking meditative positions the rest turned to him, waiting to receive their orders.
"Create the seal arrays around the planet, hide it and this universe from the Dragon and anything else that might interfere, after that use the natural energy to grow the tree and the Gedo Mazo."
Small amounts of red chakra oozed from Nathaniel's form. Nine in total separating off and being handed to nine separate clones.
"And feed those with the chakra of this world. I want them powerful enough to feed the Juubi by the time I return. If the schedule advances beyond our predictions, one of you dispel and inform me. Understood?"
"Roger!" The clones chorused back in unison.
A thosand different groups of clones broke off, running in dozens of directions to set up the seal arrays that would hopefully keep this world both stable enough to complete his plans and hidden from the Dragon, who Nathaniel was certain was out there waiting.
Nathaniel looked out over the world, watching as the first rays of this universes red sun peaked over the horizon, bathing the world in a crimson tinged dawn. He allowed himself to relax, if only for a few moment. Once this was done, he'd be able to save his home universe, keep them from drowning in the muck, and maybe once that was done he could finally convince Grail to settle down with him.
He scoffed a bit at the thought. Grail was too untamed, to adventurous, even if she completed her mission, she would always want more excitement. Though to be honest he didn't think he was built for the simple life either. Still, it was a nice, somewhat comforting dream; waking up each morning with her sleeping by his side, enjoying a normal day, perhaps the pitter patter of little feet on the floor, a different kind of adventure.
Nathaniel was broken from his whimsy by the buzz of his phone. Looking down he checked the message he'd just been left.
'Diana:'
'Please I need help.'
It was all she had to say.
Although it was the middle of the night the torches that were lit illuminated the midnight feast and games held on the island of Themyscira. Sitting on the edges of the makeshift ring located in the city's main square Hippolyta sat with her daughter, discussing the ramifications of her latest involvement in the matters of the divine.
"This task you've taken on..." Hippolyta said.
"I'm not sure that I have yet." Diana interrupted, leaning forward in her seat.
"That's good." Hippolyta assured her daughter. "Hera's jealousy is not just legend, but fact. If she knows your mortal companion carries Zeus' child, she will stop at nothing and the outcome will be terrible and tragic."
"Shouldn't I try to prevent that?" Diana asked her mother.
"Why side with Zeus?" Hippolyta countered. "Rather than his wife scorned?"
"Mother, I'm not siding with either."
"Then who?"
"I guess the girl in the middle of nowhere; Zola."
Up on a balcony in one of the many homes that bordered the square Zola looked out over the assembled amazons while inside Hermes rested on a bed, letting his leg heal from its wound.
"This is freakin' wild bird man." She said, struggling to take in everything she was seeing.
Hermes sat up slightly, and with a raspy voice said.
"Be kind. At least call me bird god."
Zola turned to look at the divine messenger.
"Wonder Woman called you Hermes, you ok with that?"
"Seeing that's my name."
Hermes laid back down on the bed.
"Can I ask you something? When Zeus consorts with a woman other than his wife, he chooses a form that will inspire an uncontrollable lust in them. Do you remember what Zeus came to you as?"
Zola looked down, thoughtful.
"A truck driver."
Hermes' eyes widened slightly.
"Or a pool hustler." She rubbed the back of her head. "He coulda been in a band... I hope he was that guy."
"Apparently, Zeus didn't have to change his form too exotically to curry your favor."
Zola turned to the god of travellers.
"I like men Hermes, and I'm not gonna apologise for that."
"As you shouldn't." He soothed her as she came to sit beside him. "But on this island you might want to keep the story to yourself."
"Speaking of." Zola leaned over the back of her chair. "What's Wonder Woman's? She seems different from the rest."
"Indeed she is girl. According to legend, Hippolyta- The queen- She wished for a child to replace her son and heir; Nathaniel."
"Wait." Zola interrupted. "She has a brother?"
"Not by blood." Said Hermes. "Prince Nathaniel was born when the god of the dead; Hades, tricked and raped Hippolyta. But that it a story for another time. Back to Wonder Woman's origins, on a moonless night she fashioned a child out of clay and prayed to the gods for a miracle. When she was done she fell exhausted into a deep slumber and with the sun above, Hippolyta was awakened by her new child. Wonder Woman is the perfect amazon- no male seed created her."
"That's weird." Zola muttered.
"Most legends are." Hermes replied.
Down in the square the amazons continued their merriment and excitement.
Coming up behind Diana, a tall red-headed amazon made her way to speak with the princess.
"What say you Diana? Have a taste for sport?" Alekta challenged her princess.
Diana stood up from her seat, and while tall she was still shorter than the child of Artemis.
"Forgive me Alekta, but you'd find my form a but rusty."
"Of course princess." Alekta haughtily replied. "I imagine all you time spent among the mortals has left many bits that way."
Diana turned and looked to her mother, taciturnly asking for her permission. Hippolyta waver her hand signalling her consent.
"As you wish."
The two proceeded to the center ring, where the hard wooden floor had been drawn back to reveal wooden posts set at various random heights. Alekta grabbed a sword and a staff, throwing the longer weapon to Diana.
"Do you still prefer the staff?" She asked.
"For game?" Diana said as she caught the offered weapon. "I do."
The two lowered themselves, balancing on the posts as they waited, watching to see which of them would make a mistake first. The two suddenly clashed, the flat of Alekta's sword smacking against Diana's staff. Alekta narrowed her eyes as the two pulled back, before leaping at her princess, her sword poised to strike.
She landed and swung in a low cut, attempting to take Diana's legs out from under her, but the princess performed a graceful backflip to avoid the attack. Alekta pressed her charge, launching an overhead strike as Diana landed smoothly from her flip.
The blade cut cleanly, chopping Diana's weapon in two.
The princess adapted quickly, getting into a different stance as she wielded the two halves of her staff as escrima sticks.
The two amazons clashed again. Alekta swinding downwards while rearing back her fist for a punch. Diana used her sticks effectively, striking swiftly at Alekta's wrists in order to disarm her before knocking her back, making her lose her balance.
Reaching out she grabbed her sister, stopping her from falling onto the hard floor below as the rest of the amazons cheered their princess.
The two left the ring, greeted by congratulations and other praises from their fellows. Off to the side, amidst the celebrating women Hippolyta did not share in her people's excitement.
Rain began to fall as another amazon; their people's general Dessa, came to her queen's side.
"My queen, you seem troubled."
"Fear- that's the word- described my feeling Dessa."
"But why?" She asked.
"Hera knowing. A bastard of Zeus on our island." The queen took a deep breath. "Tell me what's not to be afraid of."
Out in the forests of Themyscira, a small light streaked across the sky. To most it would appear as no more than a shooting star, but as it neared the island of the amazons they were about to discover that the light was no mere shooting star.
It crashed into the woods, causing a massive explosion that shocked the amazons of the island.
"It's the prince." One of them called.
"He has come, sisters, to arms."
The assembled amazons let out a collective war cry rushing about to gather what weapons they could.
Out in the forest, it was not Nathaniel who emerged from the smoke. Instead a woman's form appeared. with blue tinged skin and clothing that could barely be considered such, the daughter of Hera walked up to the first of the amazon sentries that came to investigate.
The warrior drew her sword on the god, unknowing of who she truly was.
"On your knees intruder, or I swear I'll put you there. Are you in league with the prince? Are you his newest torment?"
The woman did not reply, she only smiled before her eyes glowed red.
She walked up to the amazon, expecting to be let by as the female warrior, now under her spell, would seek out her sisters and attack. What she did not expect was to be struck across the face, sending her sprawling to the floor. The unaffected amazon placed her blade against her neck.
"I said, on your knees. It appears I'll be forced to bring you to the queen."
"No need sister."
From the undergrowth dozens of amazons appeared, holding various weapons. Diana stepped forward from the growing mass of women.
"Who is this sister?"
"I don't know princess. She appeared from the explosion and refused to surrender when I demanded it."
"If she is so powerless now, she cannot have been an agent of my brother. I doubt such a plan would fall apart as quickly as this one's seems to."
"Unhand me." The woman demanded of the amazon who had moved to restrain her. "Don't you know who I am?"
"Ah, now this brash attack makes sense." Diana said as she walked forward, her face morphing into a satisfied smirk. "Strife, you seem to be having trouble."
The goddess Strife, known as Eris to most, glared at the princess of the amazons.
"What have you done to me, I can't feel my power anymore. I feel... I feel mortal. I smell your brother's work upon me. Tell me Wonder Woman, what protections have you managed to get him to bestow to steal a god's powers."
The amazons muttered and spoke amongst themselves and Diana's smirk faded into a bemused look.
"I know nothing of any protections Nathaniel has placed, but if they can halt your advance and spare us your petulant and childish games, I won't complain about such things. Now speak Strife."
Diana took her lasso, wrapping it around the defeated goddess' neck.
"Why have you come here?"
Despite her bound state. Strife smiled mockingly at the princess.
"All I wished to do is embrace my little sister."
Diana scowled.
"You assume the mortal carries a girl child?"
"Ha." Strife laughed. "I have no idea what father has left crawling in her womb, no Wonder woman, I speak of you."
The amazons reeled back in shock, as did Diana.
Up high, upon Olympus, Hera also watched her daughter speak her piece, her eyes narrowing as she watched her daughter plainly speak such a dangerous truth.
Kneeling down in the center of the deserted square, Hippolyta bowed her head, sorrow growing in her chest to levels not felt since she had lost her son.
"Diana..." She whispered. "My child, perhaps it is my fate... to lose my children for my mistakes."
The sun shone over the island of Themyscira, still so early in the morning that most were still slumbering in their beds but within the walls of the royal palace there was already conflict building.
"Well well Hermes, given your state, I didn't think you'd come down here. At least not without tumbling down the stairs" Strife mocked her brother from inside a prison cell as Zola supported the wounded god.
"My state." Hermes growled. "Your mother-"
"Is angry-" Strife interrupted. "-and hurt. Jealous and vengeful, and her cruelty makes mine look like play."
"Then let us unravel your lies so as to soothe her foul temper." Diana said, walking onto the dungeons. "You said I was your sister. I can't think of anything I'd rather not be."
Strife barked out a laugh.
"Unfortunately we don't get to choose our family. My mother, she's not very forthcoming. That's something my mother and yours have in common."
"Enough." Hippolyta stopped the goddess as she entered with her advisors at her back. "Your father Strife. Apparently he was more open?"
"Wine would loosen his tongue around me, Queen Hippolyta. What about yours?"
"She tells me I am Zeus' daughter, mother how can this be true?"
Hippolyta placed her hands on Diana's shoulders, but her daughter would not meet her eyes. The queen sighed, it seemed it was finally time to reveal the truth.
"Diana..." She tentatively started. "Before there was you, before your brother even... There was a Man. No, there was more than a man... there was a god. The god... There was Zeus."
Diana's eyes widened and she turned to look at her mother, but the queen had averted her own eyes, lost in memories.
"How did it start? Those are details I prefer to keep to myself, though we both agreed to deny the poets what could be the song of the ages. That of the queen of the amazons, and the king of the gods, dancing together."
Hippolyta's voice was thick with melancholy.
"No that was a song... we sang only to each other. He, we... we were glorious. Strength supporting strength, sinews entwined, absolute control... given up."
She gripped hard on her daughter's shoulders trying to get her attention as Diana's face shifted through countless emotions.
"Our passion left me pregnant, and to guard that secret I left him. He did not follow. Quickly I learned, possessing a god has scant to do with keeping him."
"I wasn't made of clay." Diana said.
"I had to protect you from Hera! She's-"
"Everything I said she was." Strife interrupted, drawing glares from the others in the dungeons. "If she knew..."
Hermes stepped forward. "Diana, you'd be dead."
"Or worse." Strife finished.
Diana shook herself free.
"My life is a lie. Can it be worse than death?"
"Absolutely." quipped Strife.
"We hatched a plan princess." Dessa spoke up, coming forward to confront her princess. "And it kept you safe."
"We?" Diana hissed at the general. "This was a conspiracy? Mother... why?"
"Because if Hera learned you were her husband's daughter. She would have murdered you in your crib. Because I had to protect my daughter." Hippolyta reached out and placed her hands on her daughter's cheeks trying to meet her eyes. "Because I love you."
Diana just stared down sorrowfully at the ground.
"You... When I left paradise island, do you know why? I ask because you never did."
"There are some children who need to go away... to find their way home."
"Mother." Diana raised her hand, removing her mother's from her face. "Ha. For the first time I can call you that knowing that... your... blood... is in me." Diana's eyes widened.
"Brother!" She exclaimed.
The princess turned to glare at her mother.
"You speak of this affair as if it lasted centuries."
Hippolyta looked away, shame and embarrassment eating away at her.
"But what of brother? What about Nathaniel? Is he also a son of Zeus? Was it all a lie for him as well?"
Hippolyta did not try to meet her daughter's eyes. Talk of her first child already moistening her eyes.
"No, I never lied about him. He was always the son of the death god."
"Then how. How did you find your self in... uncle's bed, when you were supposedly with Zeus."
The queen's eyes flashed, as if remembering a horrid detail.
"Diana you do not want to know." She said, her voice pleading.
"No. I don't" Diana agreed. "But I must know."
"Please do not make me tell you."
"I'm sorry, but I must. I need the truth."
Hippolyta chewed at her bottom lip for a few moments before she began.
"Our dance, it did last centuries, millenium even, but we could not keep it secret forever. Somehow, his brother found out. Hades discovered our affair. With that knowledge he came to me and we formed a bargain."
Diana's eyes widened in horror, she almost couldn't believe her mother's words.
"I would be his, for one night... just one, and he would never speak of it. We laid together, as man and woman, but I made him swear that that would be it. He would make no effort to leave me with anything but a rotten memory of that night. And in the end he did. A memory to last a lifetime."
"No." Diana whispered. "Please mother, tell me this isn't true."
Hippolyta looked down in shame.
"That was the union your brother was born from."
SLAP
The sound carried throughout the dungeons. Diana lowered her hand, her face covered in shadows and her expression stormy. Hippolyta's face was scrunched in pain, very little being from the slap her daughter had just delivered.
"But perhaps I should have thanked him, for your brother was the only good thing that ever came from that union. Him and later you, you two are the only truly wonderful things that resulted from my time cavorting with the gods. I would say that I would take it back if I could, but I won't because I wouldn't. If I did I would have never had you. I would have never had my children, who have fostered in me pride the likes of which I could never imagine feeling any other way."
Diana turned away warring within herself over her mother's stories.
Hippolyta felt the sting of her daughter's rage, but did not move, even as Diana ran out of the dungeons, followed by everyone else.
"My daughter, my son, I've lost you both." She said, tears leaking out from her eyes.
"Secrets never stay buried, queen Hippolyta." Strife said with a smirk as she leaned on the bars. "And they have such sweet consequences."
The queen glared as the imprisoned goddess.
"I do hope you enjoy bars and stale food Strife." Said the queen, taking some comfort in her power over the one who had revealed her secret. "Because you'll be enjoying out hospitality for a long while yet."
The goddess of discord's smirk fell, turning her face into one of anger, and slight fear.
"Hippolyta, let me out of here. I am a goddess of Olympus, I am the daughter of Zeus. I am-" Strife's cries were cut off as Hippolyta closed the doors of the dungeons behind her, racing as fast as she could to catch up with her daughter.
Diana raced through the wood, emotional exhaustion preventing her form using her superspeed to escape her pursuers. A small mobile phone was clutched tightly in her hand, the only piece of modern equipment she had brought with her for her latest visit to her home.
'Nathaniel:'
'Please I need help.'
That message had been all she had sent, but she knew he'd come. He always had before, he would now. Making her way down to the beaches she ran as fast as she could, ignoring how her mother's voice had joined the calls for her to slow down, to speak to them, to resolve their fight.
Diana didn't want to resolve anything, not now, maybe not ever.
The ground turned to sand under her feet and she reached the beaches, stopping in front of the ocean to calm her ragged breathing. The others approached, emerging from the forest to watch her.
She stared out at the sea, expecting, hoping for him to come.
She was not disappointed.
The air in front of her warped, distorting and bending until a figure emerged from it.
Somewhere behind her Diana could hear her mother gasp, alongside many of the other amazons.
Nathaniel, prince of the amazons and former heir of Themyscira stood in front of her, watching her gasp and cry into the sand. He looked at her and his eyes flashed, wandering over the assembled group behind her as if to find the one who had upset his younger sister. His eyes settled on his mother and for a moment the world seemed to melt away, leaving just the three of them; a mother and her two children, both of whom she had now managed to wound, both figuratively... and very literally.
"Diana." He said, reaching down and offering her his hand. The princess accepted his aid, allowing herself to be pulled up before throwing her arms around her brother, burying her head in his shoulder.
"It was a lie." She gasped. "All a lie. I'm your sister. Your sister by blood and I never knew."
Nathaniel stood shocked. He looked over his sister's shoulder at their mother.
"You finally told her?"
Diana and the assembled amazons reeled back back in shock themselves, save for Hippolyta.
"I did, not by choice."
Diana glanced between them.
"Brother... you knew?"
"Not from the beginning. I learned of it after I escaped. I learned a great many things."
"Why didn't you tell me."
"To protect you."
Diana pushed her brother away, anger taking the place of relief.
"You protect me by lying to me."
"Yes."
"How could you?" She pushed Nathaniel away, walking down the beachfront. She was followed swiftly by Zola and Hermes, both of whom paused briefly to stare at Nathaniel.
The prince himself made to go after her, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. His mother pulled him back, shaking her head.
"Let her go, she's hurt and angry and we've betrayed her trust. She just needs time."
The prince nodded solemnly, for the first time in more than a decade allowing himself to stand vigil next to his mother, as his sister walked off with the mortal and god in to the light of the day.
Taking perhaps her only possible moment Hippolyta spoke to her firstborn child.
"It's good to see you, my son."
Nathaniel glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
"I should go."
Nathaniel tried to follow after his sister, but was stopped when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, and a head rest upon his back.
"Please... stay." Hippolyta pleaded, not caring for the stares of her advisors or the tension that had entered into her son's body at her touch.
Nathaniel didn't want to stay, he wanted to go after Diana, he needed to. He couldn't lose her, not now, not when everything he'd ever dreamed was within his reach. He tried to force his body to obey him, to break his mother's hold and rush after his hurt sister, but he knew that she was right. Both Nathaniel and Hippolyta had hurt her and betrayed her trust in them. She needed time to cool down.
And as much as he hated to admit it, it felt good that his mother was hugging him. Perhaps it was some remnant of the man he'd been, or some new part of him that came from his complete merge with Indra, but the prince felt his will crumble as he felt her sadness.
"Alright."
And so the prince let his sister march off with her mortal and her god, while he stood and felt his mother let out tears of loss into his back.
"Nathaniel..."
"Yes mother."
"Happy birthday, my son."
Shit this is the longest chapter I've ever written for any fic. 8144 words not including the author's note. I really hope you enjoyed this one and please stay tuned, the next chapter will be out once I'm finished with the next piece of Titan of defense. Also, I know I've done stuff like this before but I'm holding a poll about which of two ideas I should post next. I have worked on both but I want some reviewer input about which one I should concentrate on alongside my two existing stories. I have made it so that the poll should show on my profile but I will also be accepting voted via reviews so if anyone can't find it, or people who don't have accounts want to vote they can. I hope that you all enjoy and lets make this fun and helpful, I would like it if everyone could post with their vote, one thing they like about this story and one thing they think can be improved about this story. It's not mandatory for the vote to be counted but I want to know what you guys think.
The choices are:
A story where a UNSC army crash lands in westeros just before Roberts rebellion and joins in against the mad king (which army I won't say yet but you'll find out).
or
A story where Tommen is banished by Joffrey at the end of season 1 and sails off the edge of the world, only to find himself in the world of Magi of the Labyrinth (once again I won't say where exactly but that's the fun, you'll find out if you vote).