Hello everyone, I'm here with another chapter that hopefully you guys will enjoy. :) Sorry that I haven't updated as quick as I had wanted to. My mind seems to be everywhere at the moment.

Thanks go to GirlAtThePiano and Zarola for reviewing. Honestly reviews are what helps to motivate me in updating. So thank you for that. :D

Enjoy reading!


Diana's POV

For hours we have been roaming this cave, moving through many other tiring traps. It would not surprise me to find out that the cave has the ability to modify itself over the years, making it more dangerous than how it had originally been in the past.

The latest trap that we had prevailed through involved swinging logs that had sharp spikes lodged into the ends, while falling rock pelted us from above. Halfway through the deadly course, Bruce was hit along his left shoulder. The force of the blow had succeeded in causing him to falter slightly in pain.

Right at that very moment, I had seen the menacing weapon swinging in for the killing blow. I immediately reacted by shoving him out of the way. Thankfully he wasn't severely injured, and had only gained a few tender bruises, but I didn't go unscathed. The sharp knives had deeply grazed my side, injuring me and shredding my side to pieces. Bruce had desperately tried to stop the bleeding with some bandages from his utility belt, but I could already feel the wet slickness of my blood bleeding through the wraps.

Through the last hour of walking I can feel myself growing light headed and weaker than how I had been before. I am not entirely sure if I can make it much longer, but I still place on a determined front and moved forward. I can't stop now, I have no choice. It is either move onward or let Circe win this little game she is playing. She wants to see me get battered and beaten. It makes her feel powerful and good. She believes that I can be easily destroyed. I have to prove her wrong. I am no weak Amazon.

"Diana look." Bruce rasps lowly from beside me. Snapping my gaze back to what lies ahead of me, I come to an immediate stop, pressing my hand securely to my side.

"We found the exit." I whisper to myself, a hint of relief evident in my tone. Taking a deep breath, I scan the blocked exit, taking in the sight of the two looming statues guarding the doorway.

The door before us is shaped into that of a huge circular stone with two pillars on both sides. Glancing at Bruce, I voice my one immediate concern.

"How are we suppose to open this? I can't knock it down."

He doesn't answer me, instead he strides forward and runs his gloved hands along the thick walls framing the door. Finally, after sweeping aside a blanket of cobwebs and grit, he presses one particular brick of stone. I wait intently for what is going to happen next. Suddenly the whole place begins to shudder violently, but thankfully the walls and ceilings stay securely intact. Slowly the spherical block slides to the side, revealing a gaping entrance that was intentionally hidden behind it.

Squinting my eyes, I gingerly jump through the hole, give out a little sharp gasp in pain as I irritate my wounds further.

"This isn't the exit." I say disappointingly.

"No. its a tomb." Bruce states plainly.

The balcony that we are standing on overlooks a large room. Taking in the appearance and the structure of the area, I realize something.

"It must be the two lovers from the legend. That's whose buried here."

Bruce immediately shoots out his grappling hook and holds out his hand for me. Smiling softly to myself, I gladly take it and hold on to him tightly, as we both swing through the air once again.

His arm wraps around me. Solid and strong. He takes care not to touch any of my wounds, yet holds on to me with a firm and familiar grip.

Landing softly, I reluctantly let go of him, and begin to further inspect the room. He is not close behind. I can feel his penetrating gaze watching my every move, hovering over me, and prepared to assist me at any moment. Ignoring him as best as I can, I focus my attention on some of the many faint inscriptions.

"These pictures tell thier story." I murmur to myself, running my fingers idly over the hieroglyphics.

Turning around, I stretch my lasso outward with my left hand as best as I can.

"Let me." Bruce says, taking it from my grasp and stretching it out further with his good right arm. I shoot him a slightly annoyed look, yet refrain from trying to snatch it back. Honestly, I am thankful for his assistance, even if I didn't particularly ask for it.

The glow from my coiled ropes reveal a statue of a woman and a man kissing, while simultaneously standing on their knees. Scanning the foot of the statue, I read the short phrase out loud.

"Love is brightest in the dark." Biting my lip, I turn to Bruce. "What do you think it means?" He of course doesn't reply, and I take it as a sign of him in deep thought.

"How are we going to find our way out of these tunnels?" I sigh out, mostly talking to myself. Gazing at the statues once more, a sudden thought occurs to me.

"I have a crazy idea..." I say, then pause, rethinking my plan at the last moment. "Never mind its too crazy." I close my eyes, and breath in deeply, trying to correct my vision as it swims with a blurry image of the two figures.

"Diana, what is it?" Bruce suddenly asks.

I shake my head but choose to answer him. Reopening my eyes, I speak.

"I was thinking... The curse says we'll be trapped in here forever, unless we trust in love-"

"Uh-huh." He says in that voice of his. I glare at him, but continue.

"And here it says 'love is brightest in the dark' and has a picture of them kissing."

"Where are you going with this?" I give him a pointed look at his continuos interruptions. I take a deep breath, and look him dead in the eye.

"Well, what if we kissed?" I ask as serious as I ever.

"Princes..."

I blush after registering what has just come out of my mouth. What was I thinking? It had seemed like a good idea at first. It wasn't as if I had suggested it because I wanted to kiss him. Right? Ugh, I must now be losing to much blood from my brain.

"See it was a crazy idea." I mutter, a bit embarrassed. All I am met with is silence. An unnerving, thick silence.

"Us kissing. What was I thinking?" I remark, turning my face away from him.

"You weren't thinking at all. What you suggested is an impossibility, unless of course we were in a dire situation that called for that outcome." He says in that 'Batman' voice of his.

I can't help but feel the surge of anger pulse through me as he says that. Whipping my head around, I wince as the movement cuases my head to throb.

"Oh, well I didn't realize it was such a horrible option. Sorry I suggested it." I snap at him.

Realizing how he must have sounded, he tries to correct himself, but what comes out of his mouth only succeeds in shocking me to the core.

"Not what I meant. If it did come to the choice between kissing you and dying... Well then that's a different story."

Where did that come from? I narrow my eyes dangerously at his white lens covered eyes. After all I had been through for him.

"What I'm saying is, I'd rather kiss you than die. That's a compliment." He rasps matter-of-factly. As if that is suppose to make it all better.

"Well I'm not sure which I'd rather do." I growl at him, clenching my hands as they shake in anger. If I didn't feel as weak as I am, he would be in a whole lot more trouble. I stalk away from him, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washes over me, as I move to quickly.

Third Person POV

"What is wrong with me?" He mutters under his breath, thankful that Diana didn't hear that also. When she had suggested such an intimate act, he had surprisingly been alright with it, and that is what terrified him. He couldn't let himself cross that line, or else there would be no way back, no matter how much he tried. All he had succeeded in doing though, was being an idiot. He didn't even know why he had said those things. They had just happened to be the first thing that had slipped out of his mouth. He definitely was in big trouble.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance at himself, he stalks after Diana, determined not to let her leave his sight for one single moment. Concern fills him as he takes in her slightly hunched form. No matter how hard she has tried to hide it, he can plainly see that she is indeed in pain. If only this had been the exit instead of another dead end. Then they would have finally been out of this death trap and towards safety. She was in great need of medical attention, and he was afraid to think of what could happen if she didn't receive it in time.

Diana's POV

Another hour or so has passed and we still have not found our way out. It seems as though we never will. The argument in the cave between me in Bruce is behind us... For the moment at least.

I am beginning to feel even weaker, my steps are becoming heavier and slower.

As if things couldn't get any worse, my lasso has begun to grow dimmer.

The reason is truly unknown and it confuses me as to why it would do such a thing. Perhaps it is linked to my deteriorating health and strength? Bruce's lenses are also no longer working, which leaves us in an unwanted predicament.

"We're going to run out of light any second now aren't we?" It is said as more of a grim statement rather than an actual question.

"Yes." He rasps out.

"Then what are we going to do?" I ask. My voice is soft and low. So unlike how it had been at the beginning of this journey. Still, I refuse to believe that this can be the end.

He stops and looks at me. "What can we do?"

Bruce's answer forces me to think about our situation realistically and I can't help but agree with him.

I stop and so does he after he realizes that I'm no longer moving forward. Pursing my lips, I lock my eyes with him and gaze deeply into his lenses.

It pains me to know that, I myself have acknowledged the deep feelings stirring within my very being, yet he himself refuses to do so. I know that he must feel something. There have been times that he has slipped. Where the masks have crumbled away. I have witnessed the true face of Bruce, but he chooses to try and bury it away from me, every time I catch a glimpse of it.

Slowly the cave grows dimmer and I find myself leaning in closer. I close my eyes... then there is nothing between us but darkness.


Opening my eyes, I take in the sight of a soft green glow basking Bruce from above. Jerking my head upward, I smile at the sight of the most beautiful sight I have seen Since entering the cave.

Bruce diverts his attention to the ceiling, but his expression reveals nothing.

"They're made from some kind of crystals. They must only light up in the dark. That's how the two lovers found each other. They just put out their lights and followed the crystals."

I marvel at the very genius of thier system. No one trapped within this cave would care to think that allowing for the darkness to take over would be the answer.

"That must be the way out." Bruce says, heading in the direction of the crystal trail And not making eye contact with me.

I watch him as he begins to walk down the pathway. Shoulders stiff, hands loosely clenched at the sides. The feeling of disappointment runs through my very being.

"Lets go." I say softly. A pain stabs me from the top of my shoulder to my hip as I begin to walk, yet that doesn't hurt as much as the pain that is piercing my heart.


Stepping out into the sunlight lifts my spirits. Finally. We have prevailed and conquered. Rest assured not without marks or bruises but alive nonetheless.

The warmth of the sun beats down on my head, but I don't mind. Anything is better then that death trap. The feeling of fear, uncertainty and confusion that it produces within a person is terrifying.

"Congratulations. You have succeeded in this mission." A familiar voice floats to my ears. "The first to do so in a millennia." She smiles softly at us yet I don't prevent myself from glaring at her openly. "Where is she?"

Her eyes travel down the side of my body, taking in the trail of blood gliding down my side and across my leg. She quirks a brow, perhaps a bit surprised to see me still standing on my feet, let alone talking.

"Who?" She asks off handedly.

"Circe." She lifts her eyes to mine and cocks her head to the side delicately. "She's no longer here, she has taken her leave of absence and has returned back to your world, but she left me these in order to reward you for you're success, although she was a bit disappointed in the results." Of course Circe would, she had lost this round.

The nameless maiden raises a cloaked hand and reveals two gold medallions. Both have the face a tiger etched unto the surface.

After a closer look, I can see the blue and green colored gems embedded in the gold, as they sparkle menacingly in the sunlight. Each represent the tigers eyes perfectly.

Stretching my arm outward, I take them. They are cool and lightweight, yet sturdy enough to handle any type of rough treatment.

"With these, each tiger that wears his own, will have the ability to become human for a limited time of six hours a day. With each challenge completed, six more hours will be added to the previous time until it reaches a total of twenty-four. Then, and only then will the tigers become fully human again. At least that is what I have been told."

I clutch them tighter within my grip and look back up at her. "How will we get home?"

She gives me a timid smile before placing a small box on the ground and stepping away.

Several seconds go by before the familiar blue portal appears before us.

Gingerly I place Kal's medallion around my neck, before handing Bruce his own. Nodding at each other we step into the portal and prepare for the onslaught of expected pain.

The pain though has changed. It has notably become stronger. It is as if a thousand knifes are piercing my skin simultaneously. The blades violently twist within my flesh. My side burns, as if though it were on fire. My head throbs horribly and I clutch it tightly in order to keep it from exploding.

Finally it stops but something else fills my body. It is a new kind of pain. Stronger, and more intense.

Then I pass out.


Bruce's POV

The light intensifies then dims to a natural hue. Suddenly an onslaught of pain explodes throughout my body. It is a familiar pain and I immediately realize what is happening. Fingers turn into claws, skin into fur. Teeth shift and sharpen. My eyesight enhances and familiar smells fill my nostrils.

Blinking rapidly, I stand on all fours and take in my surroundings.

Manor. Alfred. Diana. Potential threat.

Swinging my head around, the sight of Diana on the floor, Clark nudging her lightly and Alfred checking her pulse, greets me.

Blood pools around her musclier frame, soaking the carpet and staining Alfred's hands. His eyes locks with mine and I can smell the concern wash off of him in waves.

My heartbeat quickens and I stride towards her.

Unexpectedly Clark whirls on me, blocking me from coming any closer. He doesn't growl, nor does he attack, but his eyes say it all.

Stay away from her.

I can't help but growl lowly in my throat as a warning. She is my Princess, and I need to make sure that she is alright. Still he does not move out of the way.

How could you let this happen? Why weren't there to protect her? He asks, lowering his head and making himself look all the bigger and intimidating.

I did. I would give my life in order to keep her safe.

Obviously not since your still here.He remarks coolly. There is no harshness in the Boy Scouts tone. None whatsoever, but that does not mean he isn't angry with me.

I glare icily at him and prepare to lunge out at him in order to make him move, but a sharp voice causes me to freeze immediately.

"Master Bruce, Mister Kent, that is enough! Now is no time to argue. We must give Miss. Diana the medical attention she so sorely needs, but first I need to find a way to carry her to her quarters. You two can quarrel another day."

Alfred's wise old eyes bore into my own and I know that now is no time to get into a tussle. I lower my head in acknowledgement and turn back to Diana, an idea popping into my head.

Perhaps if I... I stop short at the sight of Clark having somehow managed to sling Diana across the length of his back in order to carry her. Her head rests gently along his head, her arms draping over his shoulders and dangling by his front legs. Blood smears his once pristine white coat, but he doesn't care. All he cares about is her and it is evident in the way he walks slowly, careful not to drop her.

Alfred watches on in amazement before rushing down to the cave to get medical supplies.

I watch on silently, as he takes her away. My ears drawn back, as my claws embed themselves deeply into the carpet. I growl lowly in my throat. Animalistic instincts begin to surge through my head and only one thought pops into my head. Mine.


Alrighty then, what do you guys think? Was it alright? Man, I feel as if I'm posting the first chapter again. If there is any weird words within this chapter that doesnt fit, it's because my spell checker is going crazy and changing my wording. So sorry about that, I tried to fix what I could find.

I know that most of you guys liked the ATLA reference that I did for this challenge, and I'm pretty sure you picked up on some of it again here. So did I do alright incorporating it together? That part in the tomb I wasn't so sure on how to mix a Bruce/Diana scene without changing a lot of the dialogue. Let me know what you think, I love hearing from you guys as always. :)