This is story made of six short stories, each focusing on a Lord. We will see new identities forged, old personas fall…and redemption that can only come from death. It will not always be happy, but in the end, each of them will find what they need.
The Father becomes the Son, The Son becomes the Father.
Rebirth
"…these are just some of the crimes our sister has committed while banished from our island. She has endorsed the killing of not just men, but sisters and innocent children. She has destroyed property without reason, and done so at times will apparent glee. She has taken men to her bed, and used them not from furthering the Amazons, but for her own pleasure…and sometimes not even that.
"We may be able top forgive all this, and if we can not, we certainly can not pass judgment. She was exiled, and thus we can not convict her of crimes she committed while away. And we can not blame her for coming back to this island…blame lies with the Guardians that left her here.
"But there is yet something she can be tried for, a crime so disgusting, so vile, that it is the reason we are all here: Diana, Princess of the Amazons, has committed sacrilege. She has dared not only to ignore the gods, but to insult them, to act as them."
Wonder Woman lowered her head as the Amazon warrior laid out the charges to her mother and the host of gods that sat around them. Never before had so many been in one place, and all for one goal: Hera and Zeus were a united front; Ares and Athena both held their weapons, ready to attack the woman. Hermes shook his head, Apollo's gaze scornful as he read the truth from her mind.
Her mother sat on her throne, her eyes red from tears as she watched Diana tremble, the full weight of her crimes settling upon her.
Zeus nodded. "For all those here, state who you are."
Diana rose. "Diana, Princess of the Amazons, Wonder Woman."
Hera nodded. "And she that has brought these charged forth to us?"
"Donna, Princess of the Amazons, sister of Diana." Donna said, giving a hated glare at her elder sibling.
&&&
It is funny how the mind works, how it chooses to remember things. How it will place a certain sensation to a memory, to make it feel more real. Most saw through sight, but others saw through smells, or music, or touch. For Diana, she remembered through taste, for some strange reason.
She remembered sand when she thought of her first moments of life. It sounded like a fairy tale when her mother told it, of sculpting her from wet sand and asking the gods to help breath life into her.
What her mother failed to tell people was that Diana had awoken with a coughing fit, vomited up sand and screaming in pain. 'Like a baby' her mother had said 'crying for the first time.'
That was all well and good, but it still sucked. And later that night, when she's crapped out a few sea shells her mother had failed to remove from said sand…that hadn't been fun.
She remembered the taste of that first coffee, the one Flash had brought her. Sweet, energy-ridden, full of life. She always tasted coffee when she thought of him…it seemed so right.
She remembered the taste of what was almost burnt ham in the air when she'd found Luthor's dead body. A disgusting, horrid taste that made her insides shiver and he stomach clench.
She remembered the taste of tears when they'd found Wally's body, bullet riddled and bled out. Salty and hot. Strangely, that taste reminded her of Clark.
That…was a different story.
She remembered the taste of blood, coopery and sticky, sliding down her throat after a vicious hit from her doppelganger from another world. That was the horrible thing about blood, the aftertaste that seemed to always be with you, clinging to your throat.
She remembered the bile gurgling up from her throat when the Guardians had barged in, ensnaring them and passing judgment. She didn't know why the acidy taste had come then, whether it was caused by anger or by shame.
She remembered the taste of fresh tropical air when she had been dropped to the sands of Themiscyra. Sweet, pleasant, with a hint of something that was simply home.
She remembered the taste of blood again, when her sisters, seeing her marching towards the palace, demanding they help her regain her powers, tackled her, her beat, and threw her in prison.
She remembered all those tastes…and wondered for the first time why so many of them were bad.
&&&
Donna continued to speak, and Diana wondered if her little sister hadn't found some way to communicate with the outside world. How else would she learn how to speak like all those TV lawyers?
"Look at the facts, great gods. Diana violated her mother's command, and stole an item created not for her by the gods, to use for her own selfish means. She then dared to bring men back to Themiscyra, though, as we will all agree, that was within reason."
"Yes." Artemis said. "I remember well your prays for us to smite your mother for…what was it…foolish stupidity and a need to hold onto outdate laws?"
Donna had the decency to blush, but continued on. "Correct. I only mention it to show that we have given Diana chances in the past. Time and again, you have let her commit crime among crime against the gods and nature, and let her off easily." She whirled around. "Did she not interfere with godly matters before the death of the one named Wally West? What of Ares' war?"
The god of war nodded. "That is true. The princess decided to meddle in my affairs…something she had no right to do."
Zeus sighed. "We are not here to argue these points."
"I understand." Donna said. "But we must realize just what Diana was like before, so you will see that this is not a sudden change, but her true persona: A power-mad woman that sees herself above the gods!"
"Donna!" Her mother shouted.
"I am not!" Diana cried.
"Silence!" Hera ordered. She turned to Queen Hippolyta. "You are not to speak again, and Diana, you may only speak when asked. Go on, Donna."
Donna nodded. "But let us look at her actions after the death of the one named Wally West. She willingly joined with other lower beings, calling themselves Lords and ruling over the planet." She held up a hand, silencing Ares, the war god seething that once again his father did not stand up for his rights. "Yes, it is all in her right to do so, if she did it as a queen. But Diana acted more as goddess, smiting her enemies and doing as she pleased.
"I heard more then once the commands given by you, the gods, for her to stop. For her to act a certain way. Instead, she merely continued on her own path, doing as she wished. She desecrated the armor made by Hephaestus, turning it into what you see now." Donna pointed to the ugly red jumpsuit. "Did she ask for the gods to allow her to do this? No. And I ask you, great gods…when is the last time she asked for your aid when using your gifts, as she should?"
Diana gulped. It was true…it had been atleast a year since she had prayed to the gods, asked them to lend her strength or speed or intelligence. She had merely done it on her own…above the gods and what they could give her.
"Gods of Olympus, she is my sister…but I can not defend her. I see her and I feel ill. She is a monster, that used what the gods and the amazons gave her for her own twisted, greedy ways. Punishment must be dealt, and dealt now!"
&&&
"Diana…may I come in."
Diana looked up from the straw mattress that had served as her bed for a week now and nodded, her mother entering the makeshift prison. Hippolyta had remained in her formal robes, and Diana could tell she had been crying again. That was all she seemed to do these last few days, ever since she had laid eyes on her daughter.
"Of course, mother." Diana whispered, moving over to give her mother space. The Queen sat down, and reaching out, began to stroke her child's hair. The hero known once as Wonder Woman closed her eyes, not wanting this moment to end.
"Why did you do it, Diana?" Hippolyta whispered. "Why?"
Diana let out a weak, bitter laugh. "I thought I could make Man's World better…thought I knew better. But I didn't…did I?"
"No." Her mother said.
"I just assumed I knew what to do…but they are different from us, they don't understand…"
"Diana." Her mother interrupted. "Have you still learned nothing?" She sighed softly. "This has nothing to do with Man's World. The gods are not mad because of that. They are mad because you tried to be something you were never meant to be. Maybe it is all our fault…we let you speak to them so freely, you forgot you are merely an Amazon, nothing more. You thought to grand things…and now…"
Diana shivered. "Have they decided?"
Her mother remained quiet.
"Mother…please…"
"Banishment."
Diana was silent. "To where?" She finally asked.
Hippolyta felt her tears building again. "Diana…you know that the gods are fickle, and easily change their mind. They will claim things, then decide something different…"
"Mother…I don't…"
"They have made a decision…to release Hades from Tartarus." At Diana's gasp, her mother gently rubbed her back. "They say he has learned his lesson…he will be restricted to Olympus, but he will be leaving that pit where they dropped him."
"But mother!" Diana exclaimed. "Who will guard Tartarus?"
Hippolyta looked at her daughter with wet eyes. "Where do you think you will be banished too?"
Diana leapt from the straw mattress, body trembling as she backed into a wall, shaking her head, trying to deny what she had heard.
"No…no…they…they can't…"
"They will…they have given me a few minutes to say goodbye."
Diana's face fell as she reached shaking hands to her mother. "Please…"
"I can not help you Diana…as my punishment for allowing you to act as you did, I will guard the gates for another 5000 years. That is how long you will rule Tartarus. The gods have said you wished for a kingdom, to be a goddess…they will make you so. The new 'goddess' of the dead."
"No…" Diana wailed. "Please mother…don't let them…"
"I can do nothing for you, Diana. The gods have spoke. Donna will be the new Wonder Woman, and she will go to Man's World to fix your mistakes. But for you…payment must be made to the gods, and this is how they have chosen to collect it. 5000 years watching the demons…only then will you be returned to us."
Diana continued to cry even as Hermes entered the room, dragging the sobbing princess from her prison, readying her for her journey. She would receive weapons, and some power…but other then that, she would be on her own.
'5000 years, my darling.' Hippolyta thought. 'you do not realize what you now face. You will be broken down there, your sins burned, your mind wiped…all that I have taught you will be taken away.' Her body shook. 'And I will wait, 5000 years, until that faithful day comes. You were born of sand the first time, but now, you will be born like all children, with heat and pain. You will emerge from Tartarus a broken woman, wild and mindless, in need to teaching again. And I will teach you, Diana. 5000 years…those that helped you, the other Lords, will be long dust…and you will have forgotten them. You will be my baby, and I will raise you again…teach you again…and this time…the mistakes I made will not be repeated.' A tear ran down her cheek, sensing as the gates of Tartarus trapped her daughter. 'Till you are reborn, my precious daughter…till you are reborn.'
