Chapter 11

Gotham; September 18th, 04:04 EST

Dick glanced over at Damian, frowning at his partner who was staring straight ahead. He'd been in a foul mood ever since the run-in with Harley Quinn the night before with no improvement in sight. If anything, it seemed as though his brother's mood was darkening even further if that was possible. There was no question in Dick's mind that this was the son of Batman. It was like looking at a little Bruce—sullen and broody and difficult to deal with at times.

"Are you going to keep staring at me all night?" Damian griped from the passenger seat of the Batmobile.

"Are you keep pouting all night?" Dick shot back.

"I'm not pouting," Damian snapped, his arms folded tightly against his chest.

"Pouting…sulking…brooding…pain in the ass…it's all the same to me," Dick told him. "You need to get over the run-in with Harley and move on. Villains are going to get away. It's happened to all of us at one time or another and it'll no doubt happen again in the future."

Damian turned a dark glower on his eldest brother, a sneer on his lips. "I am over it," he adamantly stated.

"If you say so," Dick replied with a huff of frustration. "Unfortunately, your sunny disposition is saying something altogether different."

"Look…what do you want from me?" Damian exclaimed. "You want me to crack jokes and be all fun-loving like you or Tim? Sorry, not going to happen. This is me. Take it or leave it."

"I'm seriously considering leaving it," Dick groused only to mutter under his breath, "tied up to a lamp pole."

"I heard that," Damian accused as he stared out the windshield of the Batmobile.

Nightwing rubbed his forehead, feeling the telltale signs of a headache coming on. He was beginning to gain a whole new appreciation for Bruce and everything that he went through dealing with him, Jason, and then Tim for all of those years.

It had to have been a living nightmare some nights. It was no wonder that he was surly and in such a bad mood most days. Of course, the only one that would've come close to being anything like Damian would have to be Jason, making Dick feel a little better about it.

Damian glanced to his left, noticing the smirk on Nightwing's face. "What are you so amused about?"

"Nothing," Dick replied with a shake of his head, sitting up straighter in his seat as he noticed a shadow moving down the empty side street. "There's our contact. Let's go have a chat with him and see what we can find out."

Robin huffed under his breath as he opened his car door. "This is a complete waste of time."

"I'm more than happy to send you with Jason tomorrow night if you'd rather," Nightwing threatened him. "Just remember he has about one eighth of the patience I have. You'll be hogtied to a satellite dish well before midnight."

Damian just gave him a look like "whatever" as he got out of the car. "I'm not afraid of anyone and definitely not him," he told him. "I can take Jason."

Dick snorted in amusement. "Then, you don't know Jason very well. He's an extremely skilled street fighter, not to mention he knows just about every fighting style there is to learn. He'll mop up the alley with you."

"I've been trained by my grandfather who is the greatest warrior who has ever lived," Damian smugly reminded him. "I think I can handle him. Besides, all I have to do is trigger his rage. It's his greatest weakness."

"And arrogance is yours," Dick pointed out as they approached his contact.

Damian shot him a glare that his father would've been proud of, but wisely kept his mouth shut as they came to a stop before a thin, medium sized man who was looking nervously about him. He had dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes, a scorpion tattoo on the side of his neck that disappeared beneath the collar of his t-shirt. His hands were trembling as he attempted to light a cigarette only for the match to slip out of his hands and fall to the ground.

"Some informant," Damian disdainfully thought to himself.

"Hey, Albie," Nightwing greeted him with a grin, bumping fists with his informant. "You're not looking so good. Are you okay?"

Albie grimaced as he shook his head, attempting to light his cigarette once more. "Nah, can't afford my meds for my nerves," he confessed. "Been outta 'em for over a week now. It's been hell."

"That's not good, Albie," Nightwing said, laying a concerned hand on his shoulder. "You need to go see Dr. Leslie Thompkins at the free clinic. She'll get you whatever you need."

"Really?"

"Sure thing," he reassured him as thunder began to rumble softly in the distance, the wind picking up and whipping down the alley. Pieces of litter swirled in tiny cyclones before falling silent only to be stirred again by another gust of wind. "Tell her I sent you. She'll take real good care of you."

"Thanks, man," Albie replied, taking a long drag on his cigarette as he looked up at the sky to see flashes of lightning. He pulled a Gotham Knights ballcap out of his back pocket, putting it on his head to help protect him from the coming rain. "I'll take anything at this point."

"What have you got for me?" Nightwing asked him. "I'm hoping it's big because I could really use it right now. Joker is up to something terrifying and it's only going to get worse if I don't stop him."

"Well, I can tell ya the news isn't good," he informed him with a frown. "Rumors are really ramping up that Batman is dead. He ain't been seen since that big battle in downtown Gotham. It's making the biggies in Gotham like Penguin and Riddler believe they can finally gain control of the city."

"I was afraid of that," Nightwing softly said as he considered the ramifications of it all. He was going to have to make a few appearances as Batman in order to settle the rumor mill and make the rogues think twice about reigning terror on Gotham. "Anything else I should know about?"

"Well, yah…sorta," Albie responded, dropping his cigarette and grinding it into the ground with the heel of his boot. "Batwoman's created quite a stir since she first showed up. The biggies are sittin' up and takin' notice of her. Don't know if that's a good thing or bad. Guess it depends on how ya look at it. She ain't been around lately either so everyone's talkin' about that too."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that right now," Nightwing said more to himself than to his informant.

"So, where are they?" Albie asked. "Is Bats and his woman alive or what?"

"Yah, they're alive," he revealed. "I can't say any more than that, but they're both alive and well."

Damian snorted softly as he averted his eyes, causing both men to look at him. "What?" Albie asked, looking from Robin to Nightwing and back again. "You got somethin' to say, shorty?"

"He's good," Nightwing reassured him with a frown. "It's just past his bedtime."

"There's somethin' else you need to know," Albie said, pulling out another cigarette.

Nightwing grabbed the cigarette out of his hand, holding it up in front of Albie's face. "These things are going to kill you," he warned him as drops of rain began to fall from the sky. "I thought you stopped."

Albie scowled as he snatched the cigarette out of Nightwing's hand. "I did, but like I told ya, I ran out of my meds for my nerves," he explained, growing annoyed. "I couldn't help it."

Nightwing frowned at him as Albie lit it up. "Fine, but go see Leslie first thing tomorrow morning," he stated. "What else you got?"

"Bossworth went missin' tonight," Albie revealed, pausing to take a drag on his cigarette before adjusting his ballcap on his head, pulling it further down over his eyes.

"Penguin's henchman?"

"Yah, Boss was supposed to show up for a job for Penguin, but he never showed," Albie told him. "Ain't no one seen him. His place was completely trashed. Looked like he put up a fight."

"That's not like him to not show up for a job," Nightwing thoughtfully said. "He's faithful to Penguin to the very end."

"Yah, I know," he agreed. "What's more is there's a rumor that Joker's gang got their hands on him. Penguin is irate. Could turn into an all-out war between rival gangs with Gotham caught in the middle."

"Oh, great," he muttered, swearing under his breath as the rain began to fall harder. "This just keeps getting better."

"Yah, it's got everyone on edge," Albie replied. "Everyone's watchin' their backs…wonderin' when a fight is gonna break out or who could be taken next. You know Penguin will retaliate. Just a matter of time before someone from Joker's gang goes missing. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes after Harley."

"This is the last thing we need in Gotham right now," he said.

"We need Bats back—now," he told him. "Really wouldn't hurt to have his woman too. Not that you guys can't handle it , but it's gonna get really ugly around here…even more so than usual for this hell hole."

"Hey, thanks, Albie," Nightwing said, squeezing his shoulder. "Go see Dr. Thompkins tomorrow. I don't want to find out you're shooting up again."

Albie held both hands up in front of him, the butt of his cigarette still held between his lips. "I ain't goin' down that dark path again," he promised. "You got me clean and out of Two-Face's gang, 'Wing. I'll always be grateful for that."

"Hey, anytime," he said. "Let me know if you hear anything else."

"You got it, man," Albie promised as he turned and walked away, the darkness of the night swallowing him up as if he'd never even been there.

Nightwing looked down at Robin who had absorbed all the information without a word. "I'm afraid things just went from bad to worse, partner," he told him, "and it couldn't have come at a worse time."

"Guess we'll have to handle it ourselves," Robin said as he turned on his heel, rain pouring down all around him. "It doesn't look like Batman is coming back any time soon…if ever."

Nightwing watched as Damian made his way back to the car, his chest constricting with the thought of Bruce never returning home. He'd been so worried about Nicholas and Kaia and how they were dealing with their parents' absence that he'd forgotten that Damian was probably missing his father as well, struggling with his grandfather's imprisonment in the Underworld and the fact that his mother was missing and after abandoning him.

They all needed Bruce back in more ways than one. His absence had created a gaping hole, one that was far larger and deeper than Dick had ever dreamed could have been possible. He knew that Bruce was valuable to them all in so many ways, but even more so now that Gotham was in dire trouble.

It was times like these that he wished that he'd never gotten into the crime-fighting business and yet he knew there was no other place that he'd rather be. This was his destiny…his calling, and he wouldn't stop until Joker and Harley was back in Arkham.

Detroit; September 18th, 11:46 EST

"Okay, who left their sippy cup laying on the floor?" Wally yelled; his arms wrapped around a large basket of dirty laundry.

"Me!" Rex yelled back with a giggle as he ran past Wally, his blanket tied around his neck like a cape. "I'm Superman!"

Wally frowned at him, stepping aside to keep from being run over by Rex. "Hey!" he said. "Couldn't you pick a better superhero to pretend to be? How about the Flash?"

"Nah, he's no fun," Rex decided, putting his arms straight out in front of him as he ran around the couch. "You just run. Superman can fly."

"Flying isn't everything you know!" Wally yelled in indignation as Rex ran out of the living room and down the hallway. "At least I'm not incapacitated by a little green rock."

Wally leaned over and picked up Bella's pink blanket, wrinkling his nose up at the big strawberry jelly stain he found on it. It never ceased to amaze him how two little kids could create such a mess. If it wasn't a food stain, it was drool or snot or vomit.

"No!" Bella cried as she toddled into the living room with a fierce scowl on her face.

"No what?" Wally asked, confused.

"No…no…no," Bella scolded him as she stood on her tippy toes in an effort to reach for her blanket in the laundry basket Wally was carrying in his arms.

"Sorry, Bells, but your blanket is dirty. You got jelly on it this morning at breakfast," Wally told her. "I gotta put in the washer to get it clean. You can have it later."

Bella's bottom lip began to quiver, tears instantly filling her big brown eyes as she stared up at him in utter despair. A cry of pure distress escaped her lips as tears trickled down her cheeks, forcing Wally to set the basket of laundry on the couch to pick her up.

"Hey, Bells," Wally attempted to soothe her, holding her close as he bounced her in his arms. "I promise I'll give it back to you as soon as it's out of the dryer, but it's got sticky jelly on it right now."

"Give her something else," Rex suggested as he ran back into the living room.

"What?" Wally asked.

"Here…like this," Rex said, running towards the toy basket in the corner of the room. He returned to the couch with stuffed frog. "Here, Bella, here's your froggy."

Bella turned her tear-streaked face to look at him, sniffling as she reached out and took her purple frog. She clutched it to her chest as she laid her head on Wally's shoulder. "Hey, that's pretty good, Rex," Wally praised him with a pleased grin.

"Mommy has to do that with her all the time, or she throws a big fit," Rex told him.

"You're a good big brother," Wally replied, reaching out and ruffling his hair.

"I'm getting hungry," Rex said, leaning his elbows on Wally's knees as he looked up at him. "When we gonna eat lunch?"

"Yah, I'm hungry too, little bro," he agreed. "What do you think we should make for lunch?"

"Can we have pizza?"

"Are you kidding me?" Wally exclaimed. "That's my favorite!"

"Me too," Rex said with a grin.

"Me…me," Bella babbled, patting her chest.

"You love pizza too, Bells?" Wally asked her. Bella nodded her head in agreement. "All right then…let's go see what we can find in the freezer."

"When's daddy coming home?" Rex asked as he followed Uncle Wally into the kitchen with Bella in his arms.

"You know I would've thought he'd be home by now," Wally said, scratching his head as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Well, let's start lunch. I'm sure he'll be home any minute now. You know he's not as fast as your Uncle Wally."

"Are you going to flip pancakes and make them stick to the ceiling again?" Rex asked as Wally set Bella down on the floor.

Ignoring the stack of dirty dishes from breakfast that were still piled in the kitchen sink, Wally turned his attention to the freezer. Opening it, he found exactly what he was looking for. Pulling out five frozen pizzas, he immediately set to work opening them up and putting them on cookie sheets before turning the oven on.

"Can we have pop too?" Rex asked.

"Yah, sure…why not. Every kid needs a little sugar in their day," Wally said, opening the refrigerator door and pulling out some cans of pop. "You always gotta have pop with pizza. Am I right?"

Bella and Rex looked up at him, nodding their heads in definite agreement. "No, you do not."

"Whoa…Rexy…how did you do that?" Wally asked, staring at Rex who stood there looking back at him.

"It wasn't Rex…it was me," John stated in his deep baritone voice that hinted at his military background. He was standing in the doorway to the kitchen with armfuls of groceries and a scowl on his face.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Wally questioned him. "You've been gone for hours."

"I told you had to run errands and get groceries," John reminded him as he walked past his kids to put the groceries down on the counter.

"How's your mom?" Wally asked.

"She's really sick," John told him as he began taking the groceries out of the bags. "I'm afraid that she caught Rex's cold."

"Poor thing," he replied as he put the pizzas in the oven.

"Yah, she's sick in bed," John informed him. "I went and got her some groceries too and made her some soup for lunch. That's what took me longer than I'd expected. She feels really bad that she can't come and help out with the kids. I told her not to worry about it. You and I got it covered."

"You know it, bro," he said, racing towards him to bump fists before returning to the oven. "This is a breeze."

John frowned at him as he went to put the milk in the refrigerator. "I saw the living room, Wally. It's a complete disaster. What have you three been doing while I was gone?"

"Well, after you left, the kiddos wanted to watch cartoons," Wally attempted to explain.

"And you had to watch cartoons while destroying the living room?"

"No, I had to watch cartoons with them to make sure it was parentally safe for them," he told him. "I'm not going to just let my godchildren watch anything they want."

"Of course," John said with a shake of his head. "And the living room?"

"I'm getting there," he responded, leaning his back against the edge of the countertop and folding his arms against his chest. "While we were watching cartoons, Rex and I were talking about how awesome it would be to have a fort in the living room. Well, I couldn't let the little tike down, so I built a huge blanket fort. It turned out sweet. All three of us fit inside of it."

"So, that's why the breakfast dishes are still in the sink?"

"Exactly," Wally said. "I did start to clean up and gather the dirty laundry, but Bells had a fit when I tried to take her pink blanket."

"I see you got her the purple frog," John said, grinning at Bella who held up her beloved stuffed animal.

"Worked like a charm," he reassured him. "Completely forgot about the jelly-stained blanket."

"Jelly stain?"

"Yah, when we were in our blanket fort, the kids wanted jelly toast for breakfast," he continued. "I couldn't tell them no. If I did, then I wouldn't be fun Uncle Wally."

"Couldn't have that," John muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Exactly," he agreed. "You're the strict disciplinarian and I'm fun Uncle Wally."

"You know what that makes Shayera, right?" John asked him.

"No, what?"

"The angry wife when she sees that you've destroyed her house while she was gone," he informed him.

"Nah, we can get it put back together in no time."

"You better hope because if we don't, she'll never let fun Uncle Wally come over here ever again," he pointed out.

"Hey, have you heard from Shay lately?"

John shook his head with a frown as he bent down and picked Bella up. "No, I tried contacting her but I all I get is an earful of static. They must have found a way into the Underworld by now."

"Let's hope so," he said.

"I hope they find Bruce soon," he replied. "I hate to think of Diana and her family having to go on without him or Gotham without Batman."

"It's like macaroni without the cheese," Wally agreed.

John gave him an incredulous look. "You really know how to make a heartfelt, sentimental reference."

"It hits me…right here, man," Wally told him, touching his chest right over his heart with his fist. "We're family and if Bruce isn't here, our family isn't whole."

"I know what you mean," John softly said, his eyes narrowing as he noticed all the pizza boxes piled on the counter by the oven. "Five pizzas? Really?"

"What can I say?" Wally said with a shrug. "One for you three and four for me."

Underworld; September 18th, 19:14 EST

A bone-chilling roar suddenly split the air, causing all four travelers to instantly freeze in their tracks. "That did not sound good," Shayera muttered, her green eyes darting about to find the source of the terrifying noise as she tightened her grip on her mace.

"It rarely is down here," Hermes told her.

"I know," she replied with scowl. "I've been down here once before with Diana."

"Let's keep moving, but be on guard," Diana warned as she drew her sword, preparing herself for a fight.

She knew that they weren't going to get out of the Underworld without facing off against several of the magical creatures that resided down here, but she had hoped to prolong the encounter for as long as possible. Unfortunately, the source of that roar had a different idea. It seemed more than determined to keep them from getting by without some sort of encounter.

"I think we should send Hermes on ahead to see what's waiting for us," Artemis decided with a smirk.

"I'm going to have to decline that offer," Hermes replied, giving her a disgruntled look of unmistakable disapproval. "Remember—I'm not really here."

"You look like you're here," the Bana- Mighdall Amazon noted, a single eyebrow arching. "In fact, you're carrying our supplies for us."

Hermes rolled his eyes with a huff as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "Yes, I'm literally here, but I'm not supposed to be," he reminded them. "I was basically coerced into joining this little campaign…actually, I believe I was forcefully shoved through the gate against my will."

"We know…you keep reminding us," Shayera complained.

"Repeatedly," Artemis added.

"You know I actually like hanging out with you ladies even though you are determined to get me into trouble with Hera," Hermes admitted. "It's a nice change of pace to the boring ins and outs on Mount Olympus."

Another deafening roar shook the area, bringing the small talk to an abrupt stop. "There!" Diana yelled, using the tip of her sword to point at something working its way up over a ledge. "It's the Hydra!"

Hermes cursed under his breath, causing all three women to turn a glare on him. "What?" he exclaimed. "This is not a good situation."

The ground shook with a mighty rumble as the Hydra climbed its way out of the large body of water that it had been slumbering in. It shook a couple of its many heads, water dripping from its enormous serpentine body as it set all nine pairs of eyes on the four travelers before it.

Artemis called forth the Bow of Ra, preparing for their first real battle since entering the Underworld. Shayera palmed her mace as she began to lift into the air, ready to strike, but was quickly brought back down to the ground by Diana's hand abruptly wrapping around her ankle.

"No, Shay," Diana warned her, her expression fierce. "We need to be careful. It's breath is poisonous, and its blood is so lethal that even its scent is deadly."

"So, don't let it breathe or bleed on you…got it," Shayera confirmed, determination etched in her face.

"And if you cut one of its heads off, it'll regrow another," Hermes added, watching the serpent-like beast as it began to lumber towards them. "The head in the middle is immortal."

"Which one exactly is the middle head?" Artemis demanded to know.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Shayera decided. "Let's do this already."

"Why don't we just find a way around it?" Hermes asked.

"It'll take too much time," Diana told him as she stared down the serpentine creature, "and it's time that Bruce doesn't have."

"Besides, I don't think it's going to let us get around it," Artemis added as the Hydra picked up speed, charging straight towards them.

It snapped its mouths and hissed, its long serpentine tail whipping wildly behind it. Its roar was commanding like rolling thunder that seemed to shake everything around it. Blasts of deadly fire and steam erupted from its throats, scorching the ground in front of it.

"Let's take it down," Artemis stated.

"I hope the 'let's' doesn't include me," Hermes commented, taking a few steps back.

"For a Greek god, you sure are worthless," Shayera growled as she took to the air, her mace crackling and sparking with the powerful energy that pulsated through it.

"Hey! I'm quite helpful…just not in times like this!" he yelled as the three warriors moved into attack position to take the beast. "Now, go stop that thing before I get hurt!"

Artemis scowled as she let loose a volley of arrows at the Hydra, doing her best to hit the beast and not her friends who were flying in hard and fast on the creature. With it's numerous heads, it made it difficult to avoid its fiery breath or its snapping razor-sharp teeth.

It nearly clipped Shayera's wing as she flew circles around it. Her mace connected with one of its heads as a piercing warrior's cry split the air thick with the smell of sulfur. She immediately followed up with another swing of her mace, not giving the serpent-like beast any time to recover its wits.

Diana had set to work on the other side of it, her sword making quick work of one of the heads that had come dangerously close to removing her right leg. While the move had saved her leg and allowed her a momentary reprieve, another head already began to regrow to replace the one that she had just removed.

"Damn this thing to the Pits of Tartarus," Diana cursed as she traded her sword for her lasso, knowing that while her sword would wound or eliminate heads it was only a temporary fix to a much larger problem that they didn't have time for.

Swinging her lasso that seemed to glow in the dim murkiness of the Underworld, Diana managed to rope two of Hydra's heads, pulling them together with a powerful tug. The heads slammed together hard, momentarily dazing it while the other seven heads continued to fight for survival.

It suddenly whipped its two heads that Diana had managed to rope, sending her flying through the air towards it. It's mouths were eagerly waiting for her, anxious to sink its teeth into it. Diana, however, flew straight at it with fists raised and a furious sneer on her face. She delivered one punishing blow after another, unleashing every ounce of her frustration and rage on it.

The Hydra stood in the way of her getting her husband back, another obstacle that she was not about to allow to slow her down now that she was so close to finding him. With a deafening cry on her lips, she kicked and punched with all her might, her body near trembling with the extent of the fury searing through her veins.

While her attack was having some affect on the creature, it wasn't nearly enough as she dodged and narrowly evaded the teeth that were intent on ending her. "Artemis! Shayera!" she yelled, retrieving her lasso. "We need to come up with a plan."

Diana and Shayera landed on the ground next to Artemis, Hermes standing several feet behind them. "This isn't working," Shayera growled. "We make a dent and it just comes right back."

"Artemis, we're going to need your sword," Diana said.

"What are you planning?" the redhead asked, exchanging her Bow of Ra for the sword that rested at her hip.

"You and I are going to start chopping heads off," Diana told her.

"That's not going to work," Hermes yelled. "It'll just grow back new ones."

"That's where Shayera comes in," Diana said. "As soon as we remove a head, use your mace to cauterize it before it can grow a new head."

"Okay, that is a good plan…if you all survive it that is," Hermes decided.

All three glared darkly at him before turning their attention towards the Hydra that had managed to regroup. Diana immediately raised her arms, using her bracers to block the blast of fire that the Hydra directed their way. "Stay behind me!" she yelled as she began to take to the air, drawing the Hydra's attention towards her and away from her friends.

Diana was like a vengeful angel as she flew straight towards the beast, the bringer of death determined to slay anything and everything that stood in the way of her getting Bruce back. Tightening her grip on her sword, she swung her blade with her all her strength, severing one of the Hydra's heads as Shayera immediately swooped in after her with her mace primed.

Shayera's mace crackled as it connected with its neck, scorching and searing the scaly serpentine skin. It whipped its stump of a neck back and forth in furious agony, the other heads releasing a bone-chilling scream that was near deafening as Diana swiftly hacked off another head.

Racing towards the Hydra, Artemis ducked and slid, avoiding one of the heads that leaned down to attack her. In the blink of an eye, she flipped through the air, landing on the back of its neck. She raised her sword above her head, her blade coming down in a flash.

She just as quickly leapt off, allowing Shayera to finish off another neck before it could regrow a head. Three down, six more to go. Finishing her task on the third one, Shayera looked up in time to see another head being chopped off by Diana, dark fluid flying everywhere.

She knew they needed to keep the black blood from touching their skin or they would be in dire trouble. They couldn't afford it at this point especially after coming this far. They couldn't be slowed down by anymore catastrophes nor could they afford any injuries. They needed all of them to be at that their very best in order for them to succeed.

As furiously as Diana was hacking off the Hydra's heads, she was worried that her friend was being splattered with the deadly fluid. If she was, she wasn't being slowed down by it in the least as she flew towards another head, dozens of dagger-like teeth snapping at her.

Breathing heavily, Diana ignored the way her skin burned from the black blood that was eating away at her flesh. She wasn't about to let it slow her down as she gritted her teeth, unrelenting satisfaction washing through her as the blade of her sword easily sliced through the thick, scaly skin of another neck.

Her vision was red with rage as she swung her sword with a fierce vengeance that amazed her companions. Artemis and Hermes watched as the Amazon princess took care of the last three heads herself, leaving the immortal head alone.

The Hydra whimpered and wailed, an ear-piercing cry erupting from its throat. It flailed its head, his glare focusing on the Amazon princess. "Do not make me kill you," Diana heatedly threatened, her blade pointed directly at it.

The Hydra whipped its immortal head, its long serpentine tongue lashing out at her. "Go!" Diana yelled, pointing towards the body of water it had pulled itself out of.

Shayera, Artemis, and Hermes watched in utter amazement as the beast threw its head back, unleashing a cry of pure fury before turning and lumbering back towards the water in defeat. Diana's chest was heaving as she watched it obey her, relieved that it had listened to her and yet still prepared to kill it if it became necessary.

Diana returned to where her friends waited for her. She knelt down to drag the blade of her sword along the ground to remove the blood from it as best she could. Straightening up, she sheathed her sword to find her companions all staring at her as if struck dumb.

"What?" she questioned them.

"That was amazing!" Hermes exclaimed. "If I hadn't seen it, I never would've believed it."

"You spared it," Artemis commented.

"There was no need to kill it if I didn't have to," Diana replied. "I was prepared to if forced to, but it had seen enough pain."

"Diana, you've got the Hydra's blood on you," Shayera announced, urgency and worry lacing her voice.

Diana looked down at her shoulder and forearms as well as her thigh to find black blood splattered on her skin. She had felt it burning through her flesh but hadn't paused to do anything about it. Artemis quickly grabbed their travelling bag from Hermes, pulling out a cantina of water and a cloth. She immediately went to work to remove the blood, revealing the damage beneath.

It had burned and blistered its way through her skin and was intently working its way through muscle. "We need to dress these wounds right away," Shayera stated, her voice broking no room for argument.

Diana shook her head, her lips pursed as she withdrew her arm from Artemis's hold. "We don't have time for this," she insisted. "We need to keep moving."

"We will make time for this," Shayera maintained. "If these get infected, you're going to end up in worse trouble than you already are."

"Please, Di," Hermes begged her. "We'll make it quick and then we'll find your mate."

Diana cursed under her breath, a dark glower on her face as she averted her eyes and reluctantly extended her arm. "Fine…but make it quick."

A/N: Diana is awesome! Nothing is going to get in the way of her finding Bruce!

UP NEXT: Kaia has a meltdown while Ra's al Ghul attempts to brainwash Batman. :)