In the streets of Darfur a battle was raging, the local populous fought against itself in a writhing mass of wrath and violence. Walking through the inhabitants' constant waring, Apollo, god of the sun and child of Zeus, made his way towards a run-down building with boarded up windows and a door like that of a prison cell.

He stepped inside, his bare foot causing one of the wooden floor-boards to creak.

"Hello brother." An voice said.

The man who spoke was old, with eyes completely black and a long grey beard. He wore a beige suit, without a tie and a white shirt underneath and no shoes, like the man he called his brother. He was bald atop his head and hunched over in a chair, an arm laid across the countertop of a bar with a shot glass kept in his hand.

But what drew the eyes of those who saw him was small stream of fresh, red blood that covered his feet and the bottom of his pants, never seeming to run dry, or dry in general as the blood was always fresh.

All around him men laid on the ground or further down the bar, bleeding heavily and clearly dead.

The sight didn't bother either of the men really. Apollo walked inside, looking over the devastation that surrounded his brother.

"Hell low indeed." He said.

The old man turned from Apollo, taking a bottle of alcohol and filling his glass with brown liquid. He ended up getting more of it on the counter than in the glass until the bottle ran dry.

"What brings you here?" He asked as Apollo walked to the bar counter.

"I'm concerned about you." He replied.

"Liar." The man accused.

"No War." Apollo soothed. "I truly am." He approached, a caution in his gait.

"No war." The man, called War, mumbled. He bent over the counter, trying to find another bottle with which to drown in booze. "That's a grand idea."

Outside, dozens of people attacked each other. A young boy pointed a machine gun at an old man, who held his hands up in surrender.

"Some would call it The grand ideal." Apollo said.

"HaH!" War barked a laugh and poured another cup from his brother. "Keep your head in the clouds... or buried in the sand. I guess."

Apollo walked over to the counter, leaning on it and taking one of the glasses that War had filled with his swill.

"Cheers." War raised his glass alongside Apollo.

"To you War." The sun god said. "A man who's vital, now more than ever."

War smirked, looking up at his brother.

"Well, we do what we can to keep the world spinning, out of our control."

The music was loud, blaring almost deafeningly through the London club. Diana Prince, the Wonder Woman, watched with an impassive expression as the heavy rock band's lead singer screamed into his microphone. Surrounding the woman were clubbers, moving their bodies and pumping their fists to the beat and enjoying the music. One man standing in front of her waved his head to the music, sending his long blond hair flailing all over, and more than once she had to adjust her arms to keep him from hitting her drink.

At a table some ways away, Hermes and Zola observed the tall woman with concern.

"I'm worried about her Zola." Hermes said from under his cap, poncho and sunglasses, meant to hide his godly status from the populous.

"Me too." The woman assured her protector. "I think she's taken up with a bad crowd."

"Seriously." He chastised. "After what she just learned about herself and her family... and how she reacted. I find it odd that she's celebrating."

"She's not." Zola countered. "She's sharing."

Hermes turned to look at the mortal woman with a curious expression.

"Hermes, she likes the music, they like the music. It's called a community."

"Smart, I guess Zeus upped his standard for his latest conquest."

Hermes and Zola's head snapped to look at the person who had interrupted them. Seated at the bar, a bottle of beer in his hand and a melancholy look on his face was Nathaniel Prince.

"What're you doing here?" Zola asked, glaring at the man.

"I'm here to talk." He said, looking over at Diana, who hadn't seemed to notice him as she listened to her music.

"She doesn't want to talk." Hermes said, tensing in case he needed to protect Zola from the god-killer.

"Relax messenger." Nathaniel waved his hand dismissively. "I have no interest in Zeus' latest conquest, not matter how entertaining it may become. I came for my sister."

"And you have found me brother. Are you here to continue to lie to me about matters of which I am entitled to know?" Diana's arms were crossed, and she glared at her beloved brother.

"I understand you are angry little sister-"

"Rightfully so, brother."

"-But please, I come here in peace."

"And for what purpose have you come?"

"To protect you."

"I don't need your protection."

"The secret is out Diana, it will not be long before Hera sends some manner of retribution against you."

"For what crime? Being born?"

"Exactly. Do you not remember the old stories. Heracles, monster though he became, was forced by Hera to kill his own wife and children by her wicked magic."

"I have no husband, and no children, and should you leave Hera will have no family that I will be forced to kill."

"But you value life too much, the deaths of any, even when under another's control, I know you would still take responsibility."

Diana looked away, and Nathaniel knew he'd won. She knew it too, though she desperately tried to hold onto her stubborn belief.

"Go away brother, I don't want you here."

"Diana, I'm sorry for keeping things from you, but it was to protect you. Please, we're family-"

Nathaniel never got to finish his sentence. Diana whipped around, her hand coming around to strike her brother across the face.

The prince was send spinning, landing on the floor where he regained just enough of his orientation to watch his sister walk out of the bar.

"Family doesn't keep secrets like this, families are honest with each other about important matters."

"I think it's time for us to go." Zola said, getting up and following Diana, with Hermes right on her heels.

Nathaniel sighed, he looked at his beer, still clenched tightly in his hand, and raised it to his lips.

"To family."

And so Nathaniel Prince drank, he drank down his beer, and ordered another, and another, and another after that until he could get the hurt to stop...

Lightning crackled across the sky while rain poured down. The thunderous clouds blocked off the light of the moon, leaving only the flashes to illuminate Queen Hippolyta's face as she looked up at the darkened sky.

"This storm Hippolyta..." Dessa yelled over the thunder striking in the air. "Its fury-"

Another flash of lightning, lighting up the Amazon's central square, where a woman's form wearing a cloak of peacock feathers stood. The figure was unaffected by the howling winds and freezing rain, even as her cloak billowed out around her.

"-Is of a woman scorned." Hippolyta finished for her second in command. She leaned over the balcony's edge, watching Hera stand, for all to see... challenging her.

Dessa turned away, yelling for the Amazons that were meant to safeguard their queen.

"Guards!" She commanded, reaching to draw her sword.

"No Dessa." Hippolyta interrupted, halting their drawing of their weapons and resting her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "No, Hera has good reason to make herself known on Paradise Island."

She turned to retrieve a large battle-axe from the wall. "While you and all our sisters do not. It's best for all if I face Hera alone."

Out in the storm, through the rains and the thunder and the lightning, Hippolyta, in full battle dress and a weapon in hand, went to confront the queen of the gods, who stood unarmed and naked as could be with only her cloak to hide her modesty.

"Queen to Queen."

The two women stood face to face, both seeming to wait for the other to speak.

Hera broke the silence first.

"You have offended me." She said, voice neutral.

"That was never my intension, goddess." Hippolyta responded.

"Respect now?" Hera pulled down the hood of her cloak to reveal her face, as immaculate as ever, but bearing a slight sneer. "Please Hippolyta... after what you've done."

"I did it to protect my daughter." Hippolyta said lowly.

"MY HUSBAND'S DAUGHTER!" Hera erupted in fury. "MY HUSBAND'S!"

Another flash of lightning arched across the sky, it seemed that without the king of the sky Hera's wrath was in control. The queen strode forwards, coming to stand nose to nose with the Amazon queen. Hippolyta bowed her head in deference to the goddess.

In the dark of the stormy night, even as the queens conversed, Amazons moved silently through the yards, weapons in hand, ready for their godly intruder.

"I am the queen of the gods." Hera lamented. "The goddess of women... ultimately yet, still a woman."

The Amazons surrounded the two.

"Your intensions." Hera continued, oblivious or unconcerned for the growing gathering of warriors around the two. "I could care less. It follows a fact, and that's what angers me. Why Hippolyta? Why would you do this to me? To another woman?"

"What did he say to make you love him? What can I do to make him..." The goddesses voice was almost dejected, sad. "Hmm, your warriors, they move, barely touching the ground."

Alekta stepped forward.

"We will protect our queen. To the death."

"They have disobeyed me." Hippolyta said to the queen.

"You inspire their loyalty." Hera recognised. "You should be proud."

"That is the last thing I should be right now. My intensions... they've stripped me bare. I've lost my children..."

Hippolyta handed her axe over to Hera.

"And your faith."

The Amazon queen got down onto her knees, touching her forehead to the cold, wet ground.

"Queen Hera, My goddess... forgive me."

The Amazons pulled back their bows, ready to strike should harm come to their queen. Hera's eyes glowed red, and her arm reached back to strike.

Thunder crashed and lightning flashed. Bows pulled taught the Amazons waited as Hippolyta knelt for her sentence by the queen of the gods.

Hera's face, once one of unmatched rage, morphed into one of sadness. Her arm lowered, and the axe dangled loosely in her grip. Hera squatted down, taking hold Hippolyta's chin to make the woman look into her eyes. The queen of gods embraced the amazon queen.

"Queen Hippolyta." Sorrow pervaded her voice. "I wish I could."

Within a room in a London apartment Diana sat on her bed, taking off the boots she'd been wearing for the night out. As she pulled the her other boot off there was a knock on the open door and Zola stood in the doorway.

"Hey." She said. "I just wanted to say that I had a good time tonight."

The mortal woman walked over to the amazon and laid back on the bed, next to her.

"It did feel liberating to get lost for a while." She admitted.

"Tell me about it. After what I've been through."

Diana looked at Zola curious. "Yes I've... You ok?"

"Other than my life is completely jelly-side down. Back home... Jeez, I can't even call it that anymore, and I'm never going back am I?"

"I can't let you." Diana said

"Why can't you? Never mind. What I was saying is that it's only my home because I never left it. My house is there, nothing else."

"I left my home." Diana said, getting up off of the bed and pacing. "The fact that I was created from clay, it made me... I didn't belong. I felt different from all my sister. My brother was the only one who never seemed to care."

"But that's not a fact anymore." Zola told her. "I can't talk about sisters, 'cause I wasn't lucky enough to have any family of any kind. Like my father, He's in prison, has been since I was a baby"

"What did he do?" Diana asked, coming back to sit next to Zola and resting her hand on the young woman's arm.

"Something really bad. That's what get's you locked up for life. And my mother? She made mistakes too. And Lord knows I never let her off the hook."

Zola ran her hand over her stomach. "Then she died."

Zola looked up at Diana.

"So my home? It's just a word. I'm probably better off without it, huh."

Diana's face turned thoughtful, almost forlorn before she made her way over to her wardrobe.

"But, I mean your brother seems... nice?" Zola said. "I mean, I get that they lied, him and your mom, but if this Hera chick's as bad as they say maybe, I don't know, they thought it was what's best for you? I mean, families are supposed to love each other, and make up and junk when stuff goes wrong."

"You're right." Diana said, putting on her tiara and grabbing her shield from her closet.

"I am?" Zola said.

"Family makes up. I was angry before but... after everything I should at least let them explain."

Diana walked out of the room, Zola following behind her, into the living room. Hermes was sitting on the couch, his injured foot propped up a foot-rest and a television remote in his hand, flipping through the channels.

"Hermes." She said, getting the god's attention. "I'll trade you."

She offered up to the god her sword and shield. Hermes smirked, grabbing his Caduceus and offering it to the Amazon.

"Of course."

Diana took the staff in her hand, and in a flash of light she found herself standing in Paradise.

The rain from the previous night still covered the ground reflecting the sky as it lightened with the coming dawn. Diana looked around, unable to find any of her sisters, who should have been out, cleaning up the deluge from the night before.

Finally, Diana recognised a strange sound coming from the main arena square. She walked slowly, cautiously, through the darkened tunnel that lead through the darkness. Some ways down the tunnel Diana looked down, seeing a set of amazonian armour and a spear lying on the ground, the amazon who had worn it nowhere in sight.

As the princess emerged into the lightened arena she recoiled at the sight that lay before he, crawling across the ground, constantly wriggling and slithering through armour and around weapons, were thousands of snakes.

"No." She gasped.

Diana dropped to her knees, bowing her head.

"Mother." She pleaded. "I... I made a mistake. I reacted to what you did, instead of listening to why, and, I'm sorry. For what I said, for what I did. For hurting you."

Tears streamed down her face.

"You deserve better. I'm your daughter, your blood. It's something I always wished I was, and I am now... but... now it's too late please forgive me-"

Diana never finished, she was interrupted by an unearthly scream, a cry of pure terror, and it was a voice the knew well.

"MOTHER!" Diana yelled, running away from the mass of serpents towards the sound of her mother's desperate screaming.

Finally she found the source, and truly it was the last place she would have expected. Hippolyta was huddled up in Nathaniel's old rooms, hiding behind the bed and sobbing loudly into her arms.

"Mother." Diana said softly, reaching out to touch the woman.

"No!" She screamed, scrambling away from her daughter. "Please Hellene, I promise, I won't break anymore rules. I'll be good."

Diana's face morphed into one of confusion.

"Hellene? Mother, It's me, Diana."

Hippolyta screamed again, flinching away from a non-existent strike before she sobbed louder still.

"Mother, mother please, Hellene hurting me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I was bad. I promise, I won't do it again."

"Please mother, whatever is happening to you we must-"

"She can't hear you, at least not as she is now."

Diana turned around, and found herself looking at Strife. The goddess of discord was sitting on the window sill of her brother's rooms, a scowl on her face and arms crossed.

"What have you done Strife?" Diana drew her sword, and was slightly gratified to see a look of genuine fear appear on the goddess' face.

Strife seemed to notice Diana's thoughts because her own fear was covered up immediately by a condescending smirk.

"Me?" She asked. "I've done nothing, this was all my mother's doing. Well, her's and your brother's." Strife's face soured at the mention of Nathaniel.

"What happened Strife?" Diana demanded of the woman.

"How feisty amazon." Strife laughed. "As to what happened. Well, I told you my mother would come to punish your's. Though, I suppose it didn't turn out exactly as she would have expected. Specifically? Well I only know that your brother freed me from my cell and left me here-" Strife face morphed into a scowl. "-without my powers as a god. It appears I am to simply bore myself to death, though watching your mother's tortured state does bring me some enjoyment."

Hera stood as her will reached out, and in but a few moments the amazons of Paradise Island began to shrink. Cries of dismay, shock and fear erupted from the women when their skin turned green and scaled. Their heights diminished and heir hair retreated back into their heads. Armour fell to the ground before in the place of a small army of proud warriors, a wriggling, writhing horde of snakes slithered across the ground.

Hippolyta watched as her warriors, her people, her sisters, were turned into reptiles in front of her.

"Goddess." She begged. "Please goddess, my warriors have committed no affront to you, please, forgive their impulsiveness in aiding me."

"Hippolyta." Hera tutted. "Please, do not think me so cruel. I punish them not for such a nonexistent offence."

"Then why?"

"To punish you Hippolyta. You, who have betrayed your people, your culture, and me. You shall live, knowing that it is by no one's actions but your own that the amazons suffer such a state."

"Please lady Hera, if you wish to dispense punishment please do so, but only on me, do not blame my people for my sins."

Hera bent down squatting in front of the queen again and grasping her chin.

"Really Hippolyta? You wish to save them? I would have thought that your new love for your son would have you overjoyed at their punishment."

Hippolyta's clenched eyes leaked tears. The goddess' taunts were becoming unbearable.

"Why, lady Hera? I understand I have erred, and I know that I deserve punishment, but they do not."

"And that is the reason why, though I dearly wish it, I cannot punish you adequately." Hera's voice was laced with bitterness. "I cannot kill my husband's bastard by you, especially not with Hades' spawn guarding her like a loyal dog."

Hippolyta let out a breath of relief, at least Diana was safe.

"And you... you crave punishment."

Hippolyta looked up.

"You believe that you deserve it, and that makes punishing you correctly impossible. Doing so will begin to make you feel absolved. You crave for your son, or some force of authority to strike at you in order to alleviate your grief and guilt over actions you now regret, and I will give you no such satisfaction."

A sneer appeared over her face before her head snapped to look over her shoulder.

"And speak of the abomination." She muttered before giving Hippolyta a sickly sweet smile. "Excuse me, dear Hippolyta, I have a nephew to speak with, don't move."

Hera walked out of the arena, leaving behind a struggling Hippolyta. The amazonian queen tried to move, she knew of only one nephew of Hera who could be here now, but her body would not respond to her commands, she found herself struggling in vain against the invisible hand of her goddess. For a moment she considered praying for her son's protection, but realised that it was the goddess she would have prayed to that was about to confront him. Instead, she simply begged.

"Please, do not hurt my son."

Nathaniel stumbled through the forests of Themyscira, drunk on the level of Dionysus after a bad day. He's practically drunk the club's entire stock. Now he had come home.

'Stuubit Diana.' He thought, bracing himself against a tree. 'She boesn... dodnt... doesn't get it.'

It didn't take long before his anger directed itself in a different direction.

"Stupid mother, being all remorsheful and shit. She doeshn't get why I hate her. I'll show her, I can't do it to all of 'em, but mom's gonna get tsu... tsuki... illusioned into next millenium"

"Well, don't stop on my account."

Nathaniel turned looking to where the voice came from. He saw the naked woman, wearing a peacock-feather cloak and something in him clicked. Nathaniel suddenly heard the sound of shattering glass a moment before his mind cleared and sharpened in the face of the queen of the gods.

"Lady Hera, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just dealing with a breach of trust my dear nephew." Her voice was slick like honey, but Nathan wasn't fooled for a second. The queen of Olympus was a dangerous adversary, not to be underestimated.

"But you would know all about that, wouldn't you dear?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"If this is about Diana, I'll never let you touch her."

Hera smirked.

"Oh no my dear, nothing to do with my husband's bastard-" A knife lodged itself in the bark of the tree she stood in front of. "How testy. this is about your mother. She betrayed me, and now she must pay for it."

"I think not."

"Oh? And why would you want to protect her, are you so quick to forgive past offenses?"

"Hardly my lady, I simply have my own punishment to incur."

"Yes, you were quite vocal earlier."

"Inebriation tends to loosen the tongue."

"Well, I suppose as long as she is punished, I'll have no protest in how you do it. I only have one condition."

"Condition? You are in no position to make demands of me Hera."

"I will simply be retrieving my daughter from this island's dungeons."

"As I recall, she is the only reason that all this trouble has occured. I think it is time she suffers some consequence for the upheaval she has caused."

"My daughter's role in all this aside, I will be taking her with me."

"You speak as if I have no say in this, that I must obey you."

"You will."

"And there is that haughtiness I expect of your kind, I see where Strife gets her impudence."

"I am taking her with me."

"Strife is a cancer upon the world."

"And yet she plays a role, one that must be played for the world to continue to function."

"Truly? The world still seems to function despite her imprisonment. Though I must admit you gods are rather self-important. Your king disappears, not a single mortal notices and you still have the gall to claim the world remains by your sufferance."

Hera's face contorted.

"Tread lightly boy, I am a-"

"A god, yes I know, and I've seen gods die. Forgive me if I don't throw myself at your feet."

"Do not test me."

The two glared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Hera moved first throwing out her arm where upon a bolt of lightning fell from the sky.

Nathaniel ducked out of the way, launching himself forward into a roll. He came up onto one knee, throwing another dagger which Hera frantically dodged. In that moment, she turned to watch the dagger soar past her and took her eyes off of the son of Hippolyta.

"Checkmate my lady."

Hera was flung through the air by a kick from Nathaniel. Her body soared for a few seconds before she was sent skidding through the mud, dirtying her body and her cloak. Getting up, she looked down at her state, her face displaying shocked disbelief.

"You... You... YOU DARE!"

Lightning rained down from the sky, trying time and time again to strike the man, who dodged between the arcing lances of blue light, getting closer and closer to the goddess who was throwing nature's wrath.

Hera's rage had blinded her, and before she could truly process her thoughts Nathaniel had moved through her net of lightning to stand in front of her. In a split second she directed all of her lightning down on him at once, blasting the earth to rubble and sending a giant smoke cloud skyward. Hera's lip curled.

"Mortal filth."

"Funny I was about to say the same."

Cold metal pressed against Hera's throat, and from behind her half of Nathaniel's face became visible, a glowing red eye standing out against the rest of his face which was cast in shadow.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings."

"But... how?" Hera shivered.

"Well... that would be telling, wouldn't it? Now get out of here. I'll release Strife, but she'll not be getting back her godly status until I say so."

Hera growled, sounding primal and vengeful, but she knew a lost battle when she saw one.

"You will regret this, child of hell." And in a flash of light, she was gone. Nathaniel looked around, wanting to make sure that she was really gone, before he walked towards the amazon's arena.

As he neared the arena, he saw a figure sprint out of the entrance.

His mother Hippolyta frantically looked around before her eyes landed on her son, calmly walking towards her.

His mother projected no such calm.

She raced towards him, throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his shoulder.

"My son." She breathed into the crook of his neck. "I thought... I thought that Hera might have harmed you. I... I was afraid."

Nathaniel untangled his mother from him, giving her a hard shove and forcing her back several steps.

"Maternal concern mother? A little late, wouldn't you agree?"

"My son..."

"Your son? You're being too familiar mother, a moment of weakness on my part does not erase what you did. What you allowed to happen."

"Then why are you here?"

"Initially, it was a mistake made of an inebriated mind, now though, perhaps there really is divine providence on Earth. The amazons are snakes, Diana feuds with you, and the gods abandon this island, it seems no better time exists to exact my punishment."

Hippolyta's eyes widened.

"Then you are here to kill me." She lowered her head. "Do it then, if seeing me dead, will grant you peace, the I welcome it."

The queen rested her arms by her sides, but Nathaniel just placed his finger under her lowered chin, bringing her up to look him in the eyes.

"No mother, seeing you dead would never bring me peace... It's too quick and painless an end. No, instead I want you to know my despair, my fear, my torment. And should you come out with your mind in tact, then we'll talk about forgiveness."

Nathaniel's green eyes changed, turning to red with three comma-like marks, which rotated and thinned, leaving a pure red iris without a pupil. From the pure redness, the eye divided into a ying-yang shape, with a red and black dot set in their opposite colours.

"Mugen Tsukuyomi."

Hippolyta's eyes dulled as she was forced into her own mind. Within the mental landscape, the queen looked around, finding herself in a much brighter and sunnier Themyscira.

"Welcome mother, welcome to your punishment."

Hippolyta turned around to face her son.

"This? This is punishment?"

"Not yet, but trust me, it will be."

Hippolyta didn't have time to react before Nathaniel's hand was on her head.

"Now... live through it, you will know, feel, experience, everything you and your people ever did to me. With how much there is to go through, I don't expect you to come out of this state within the next millenium."

Hippolyta dropped to her knees, screaming in pain as she felt the first of the injuries dealt to her son by her people. The bright and sunny visage of paradise island morphed into one of dark skies and roaring thunder, but it went unheard by the two. Nathaniel watched his mother writhe on the ground for a few moments, face impassive even as he watched the woman suffer.

"Finally... It has begun."

Nathaniel exited his mother's mind, finding himself surrounded by snakes. The reptilian amazons, even as they were, seemed to be hateful of him. Nathaniel bent down, looking at the mass of fanged mouths.

"Don't worry." He said condescendingly. "I didn't hurt her, at least not permanently, now return to the arena, I have another stop to make before I leave."

He jumped into the air, performing several flips to escape the circle of snakes he formed several hand seal before landing and slamming his hands on the ground.

"Fuin."

A rush of air emerged in the area, picking up the snakes and sending them flying back into the arena. Going over to the wall Nathaniel bit his thumb, drawing blood, before he proceeded to draw a sigil on the entranceway of the arena.

"Fuin Kekkai."

The entire structure glowed with purple light, which faded as Nathaniel smiled. Walking away from the sealed amazons he made his way through the empty city, enjoying the crisp pre-dawn air before he descended into the dank darkness that was the dungeons.

"Nobody know, the troubles I've seen, nobody knows, my sorrow."

Nathaniel smirked before laughing.

"Taking an interest in prison songs, are you Strife?"

The imprisoned goddess looked at him from within her cell.

"You." She spat. "What do you want? Come to gloat?"

"In part." He smiled. "I'm here to release you."

Strife's face changed, becoming haughty.

"Ha, so you finally bow to your betters, eh?"

"Oh no, I'm doing this because I want to."

"Ha, whatever the reason, give me back my powers and let me out of here."

Nathaniel smirked, even as he opened the door to her cell and Strife walked out.

"I think you misunderstand Strife, I'm here to release you from this cage, but you won't be getting any of your powers back?"

"What?" Strife looked outright murderous.

"Don't worry, so long as you stay here, you won't starve or age, so I'd recommend doing so, I do believe my mother might need a caretaker to make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Strife's lip curled even further, if that were possible, with distaste.

"So I have to be your mother's eternal babysitter."

"No, of course not, just for the next few centuries to millenium until she comes out of my illusion."

"I'll get you for this Nathaniel, I'll make you suffer for this indignity."

"The ravings of a god, not so different from that of a mortal if I do say so."

The comparison to lifeforms she considered so inferior seemed to be the last straw for the goddess of chaos. She flung herself at the man, clawed hands extended in order to scratch him to death.

Nathaniel simply backhanded the powerless god away from him, sending the woman skidding through the dirt as he had her mother mere minutes ago.

"That's the problem with you gods, without your so called 'ultimate power', you're no better than raging mortals. How appropriate that the creators should mirror their creations but consider themselves so much better."

The man walked away from the downed woman walking back up into the city. Taking a deep breath, he activated the eye of the Rinnegan, and disappeared from the island of the amazons.

"How do I stop it?" Diana asked, looking down at her shivering and whimpering mother.

"Stop what?" Strife smirked.

"This, whatever spell my mother's been placed under, there must be a way to break it."

"I suppose." Strife said while checking her nails. "But the only person who'd know that would be dear Nathaniel, and I don't see him helping you undo this."

Diana glared at the former goddess.

"I'll convince him. I know I can."

"Well." Strife's face changed to look at the princess with false pity. "I wish you luck, try to get him to give me back my godhood while you're at it."

Diana didn't stop glaring at her new half-sister, instead simply gripping Hermes' caduceus and vanishing in a dome of light.

The amazon reappeared in a large, unfamiliar apartment, looking outside the window she saw streets of beautiful architecture and boats traversing canals.

"Venice?" Quietly she breathed, taking in the sight of the city in the growing dawn.

"Diana? What are you doing here?"

The familiar voice of her brother made Diana turn quickly to face the voice. Nathaniel was standing in what appeared to be his kitchen, a pair of eggs in his hands and a loaf of bread on a wooden cutting board and a baffled expression on his face.

"Nathaniel." She whispered, letting her emotions overtake her she leapt at him, tackle-hugging him as he held his arms up, still clutching the eggs.

"Sister." He mumbled, wrapping his arms around her.

Diana rubbed her face into her brother's chest, taking a moment to enjoy the closeness before doing what she came here to do. Nathaniel looked down at his sister, wrapped around him, and placed the ingredients for his breakfast on the kitchen counter.

"How did you get here?"

"Hermes." Was all she said.

"I see... It's good to see you."

Diana drew back.

"I would say the same brother, had it not been for what you did to mother."

Nathaniel's eyes narrowed in response.

"You disapprove."

"Of course, undo this brother, undo it now."

"No."

"Why?"

"It's justice, and my vengeance."

"You're torturing her."

"Tell me why she doesn't deserve it."

"I saw her, whatever you're putting her through, it's killing her."

"It didn't kill me."

Diana recoiled.

"What?'

"What I'm putting her her mind through, is what the Amazons did to me, in mind and body, for three thousand years. I think that's rather proportionate."

Diana looked her brother in the eye, checking to see if he was lying.

"I'm holding the Lasso Diana, I can't lie."

Her head snapped downwards, seeing his hand entangled with the glowing gold lasso.

"Once it's over, will you reconcile?"

"I'll try my best, I can promise you no more."

"... I see."

"Diana, please... is this truly so heinous?"

"I'm not happy about it brother, but I understand. Did she accept your punishment."

"... She did."

"Then this is a matter between you two. I despise seeing her like that, but I hated it when you likewise suffered at our people's hands."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Of course."

"Well, if you're not busy, would you like to stay for breakfast?"

Diana smiled at her brother in spite of everthing, though disturbed by what she had learned about her brother and mother, she missed spending time with him. She hadn't been able to since before his imprisonment.

"Like old time?"

Nathaniel smiled.

"Just like when we terrorised the cooks as children. I have all the ingredients in the fridge. If nothing else our people know how to cook a good meal."

Together the two siblings set about the kitchen, acting deftly in comfortable silence to prepare a breakfast worthy of amazons. Bringing in Zola and Hermes once the cooking was complete, Diana enjoyed her first meal with her brother in more than five years.

"I have some surprising news about our father, War."

Apollo and War sat at the counter in the bar in Darfur, the two of them drinking down shots of War's terrible alcohol.

"He loves us?" War quipped, holding his empty glass up to look at

I said surprising, not shocking. He's gone missing, actually. According to my Oracles, he doesn't exist. That's dangerous, especially now."

"Murdered?" War asked.

"It would take his own blood to do so."

"Ah." War sighed. "Now I understand the pleasure of this visit. Sorry to disappoint you Apollo, but none of this blood belongs to Zeus. Frankly, I couldn't be bothered."

"That's not why I'm here." Apollo corrected his brother. "But given your disposition, it's not out of the question that others in our family might think that. You could use an ally."

"Me?" War scoffed. "Or you? Given your sunny disposition, I imagine this is an opportunity, eh?"

Apollo smiled at his brother, holding up his half empty glass for War to see.

"Well, the glass is half full, and if my information is correct, we will need to be united, and a leader is the first step towards that."

"You want to be king?" War poured booze into his glass until it overflowed again and flowed off of the edge of the counter. "Have at it. I'll sit this one out."

"I have your word?"

War got up, leaning towards Apollo.

"I need to sleep, who's to say how I'll feel when I wake."

The god took his hat and placed it on his head, leaving Apollo to watch as he left.

"I wish you wouldn't be so obtuse." Apollo said.

"Brother..." War sighed. "Our fate. It's not up to us. It's always been in mortal hands. Open your eyes, and see that they hold."

War left the bar, and found the dead body of of a man, blood leaked from a gunshot wound in his head. War simply stepped over the dead man, paying the corpse no more attention than if it were a piece of brick or a large puddle blocking his path.

Apollo followed his brother out.

"There's something coming brother, something terrible. Olympus, all gods, we need to be united is we are to survive this. Once it's all over, who rules the world will be clear, until then we need to build alliances."

War looked back at Apollo.

"Whether this new threat ends us all or not... the world will be ruled by war. It's inevitable."

Apollo watched War walk into the town, painted red to match the flowing blood by the rising sun.

"Perhaps brother, but alliances must be made, and whether or not you are a part of it, the Firstborn's return cannot be allowed to come to pass... or we will all be destroyed."

Now there's not much to say about this chapter but finally. It's finally time for the first phase of Nathaniel's revenge, and anyone familiar with Naruto should know what is coming next. That however won't come for a while due to the Amazon's states and the story that needs to be told, but there will be other pieces that will fall into place.

Overall I'm quite happy with this chapter, there's some serious emotional weight to it. Though I admit that I might have taken a little bit of dialogue from GOW4 for Hippolyta, but I think it fits.

Nathaniel's presence won't necessarily negate events, but he will change them slightly and lead to some differences, this will become more evident in later stories and arcs.

For those of you wondering, I have at least 7 arcs planned, with at least 15 to 20 chapters each. The fist will likely be the longest as I have around 30 or so chapters planned before the next arc starts, but it will hopefully tie together without a lot of plotholes. Besides of course the one that are native to DC comics.

Oh, and P.S. I really could use some more reviews from all you guys, they're great motivation to keep working. So if you like the story and look forward to more chapters faster, please show your support.