Ch.27-
"Death-Dealers, stay your hands—or should I say claws?"Mongul appeared from nowhere, floating above the beasts he kept at bay. "Now, as I said, I will be remembered in antiquity as the being that defeated Wonder Woman. Death-Dealers, attack!"
"Not so fast, dogs!"
The Death-Dealers halted at the sound of a new voice joining their party. Mongul was equally surprised at the intrusion, and looked up to find all remaining female members of the Justice League descend upon his minions. As surprised as Diana was to see her comrades before her—apparently led by Artemis, she was even more surprised when she realized Selina joined them.
"Great idea calling them dogs, Selina. Now they look even more pissed off!" Zatanna quipped.
Selina shrugged, "How else do you expect a cat to respond to this scene?"
"Ladies, can we focus for just a minute? You know, on the pack of crazy, juiced-up werewolves read to gut us?" Dinah interceded, and seconds later she let out a shriek powerful enough to cause the pack of beasts to retreat several feet. "Now, let's do this!"
The women attacked the beasts with all they had; Shayera squared off with two beasts at one time, swinging her mace in deadly arc. Selina used her lithe frame and cat-like reflexes to avoid being slashed by massive claws. As she ducked and dodged, she lashed out with her whip, a sadistic smile upon her lips as the end of the whip hit its mark. It would be a massive understatement to say she was not impressed with the improvements Bruce had made to her weapon—the end of the whip crackled with electricity. The beast shook uncontrollably as 10,000 volts of electricity coursed through its body.
"Who says a cat can't beat a dog in a fight?" Selina quipped.
The other members of the League battled furiously with the beasts, driving the threat away from the palace. Donna sped to Diana's side, having just finished defeating a horde of her own on the western side of the palace.
"Donna, please take Kara away from here…there's kryptonite nearby!"
Artemis threw a suggestion over her shoulder after kicking one of the Death Dealers away from her. "The Bana capital! It should be far enough!" She turned her attention back to battle before her, unleashing a guttural war cry as she dove back in.
Donna took her friend and fled as told. Diana located Mongul a few feet away and charged him. He was prepared and they traded blows for some time before Diana gained the upper hand. She ducked as he swung wildly at her head, taking the opportunity to land a powerful kick to his mid-section. As he doubled over in pain Diana grabbed his head in both hands and brought her knee to his face in a crushing blow. The blow only served to stagger him momentarily.
"You'll have to better than that Amazon!" He bellowed as he righted himself.
"Queen Diana!" Anaya's voice sounded from the right.
Diana glanced to her right briefly and saw the sword of Hephaestus spinning end over end in the air as it headed toward her. She caught it effortlessly, swinging it in one smooth motion as she continued to battle Mongul. She used the combination of her bracelets and the sword to deflect the barrage of beams shooting from his chest. Diana tripped Mongul with a vicious sweep of her foot. Her blade followed him down as he fell, but was stopped by an invisible force just millimeters before meeting its target.
"Tsk, tsk. Can't have you killing anyone again, now can we?"
Diana looked up to find none other than Ares floating above her, an amused grin on his face.
"Ares! What business have you with this being?"
"None at all, Diana. But what would your dear Superman say if you were to spill more blood?" He teased, more than amused as Mongul writhed beneath the invisible shield he placed over him. The alien appeared as if he was a bug encased within a glass case.
"Ares, stop trying to bait me and state your business here!" She replied.
"Ah, always to the point. I am simply here to offer my assistance. All you need do is ask and I am at your…service." He made no move to hide the lascivious purview he gave her frame.
"Your help comes at too high a price, Ares. And why would I do such a thing, knowing you've tried tirelessly to harm my mother and sisters?"
Mongul beat on the invisible force field as the two continued their conversation. "Free me now!"
Ares gave Mongul a bored look before answering ."You may want to reconsider my offer, Princess Diana. You have no idea how valuable an ally I can be. After all, everyone is someone's pawn."
"Ares, I have no desire-"
"Nor do you know the information I may possess." He interjected. And waited.
Diana sheathed her sword, her molars grinding in frustration as she realized he obviously knew something that would be of interest to her. Hera,grantmethestrength. "What information do you possess, Ares?" She ground out the question with contempt.
A smug grin took root across his lips. "I thought you'd never ask but first things first," With a snap of his fingers everyone around them – Amazon and beast alike—disappeared. "Some peace and quiet."
Diana's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you do with my sisters? My comrades?"
Ares raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Now, now. Can't have you losing your temper, can we?" He paused momentarily as he felt the brunt of her steely glare. "Unless, of course, it is one of your best features."
A silent breath expelled from Diana as she willed her temper to stay. Losing one's cool with a foe such as Ares could be the difference between life and death. She took the momentary respite to give herself some space from the God of War. She strode three paces before settling gracefully atop an uprooted tree. Diana crossed her legs as she continued to level the god with her icy gaze. She focused her hearing and her sight as she regarded the being before her. "Is this where you tell me to pledge my allegiance to you, Ares, or never see my mother again?"
"Why, I have no idea who could have taken your mother, Diana. As a matter of fact, I was intending to offer my assistance in locating Hippolyta." Ares responded smoothly.
"I suppose you're right. After all, the beast I would have beheaded stole away my mother. I suppose I should thank you for staying my hand. Had I done as I'd intended, I may never have gotten the information I seek."
"So, what be your choice, Queen?" The god asked.
"I would like to finish this battle before making any decisions, Ares," she responded coolly.
Ares was taken aback that she had, in effect, dismissed him. Impressive. He snapped his fingers once more and all of the displaced Amazons and League members reappeared, appearing confused. Diana assessed the scene with an expectant gaze as she rose. "Not to worry about your opponents, Diana. I have spared them defeat today, but I'm sure they will return once they have regrouped. Consider this a show of good faith." He shimmered out of sight before he finished his sentence.
"Diana!" Zatanna bellowed as she ran towards the Amazon. "What the hell just happened?" She was soon joined by her other comrades.
"Ares happened."
"Well, what happened to the dogs?" Shayera asked. "I was just getting warmed up."
"Ares sent them away-as a show of good faith. He asked for my allegiance."
"Then the God of War is as equally delusional as he is demented," Artemis chimed in.
"We can discuss that later. Right now, I would like to check on my sisters and Kara. Artemis, join me?" Diana extended a hand to Artemis.
Diana flew towards the Bana capital with Artemis safely held in her arms as her League attended to any wounded Amazons. They landed just outside the capital walls and were granted immediate access by the Bana guards. Artemis greeted her sisters with a bow of respect and Diana followed suit. They entered the palace doors and were directed to the medic hall. Diana could hear the voices of Kara and Donna as they neared.
"You sound stronger already, Kara," Diana stated as she entered the room.
Kara smiled brightly as she greeted her friend. "Diana, Glad to see the wolf-boys didn't sink their teeth into you. Good to see you too, Artemis."
Artemis nodded to her briefly. The Bana warrior also greeted Donna with a bow of respect. "Princess."
"Diana, is everything alright back on the island?" Donna asked, clearly worried.
"For now. Which is also why I asked Artemis to join me here. Donna, I have received some new information that I must discuss with Kal and Bruce. You will be in charge during my absence and I would like for Artemis to stand as your third in command-behind Phillipus, of course," she explained briefly.
"Of course, sister," Donna replied.
Artemis bowed to one knee. "It would be my honor to serve at your side, Princess Diana."
"Now that that's all settled, when do we leave?" Kara asked.
"How soon will you be at full strength?"
"In about…" Kara stretched her arms over her head as she felt the rapid renewal of her body, "fifteen seconds."
"Then we leave at once."