Things were unraveling too fast.
"Let's move," Superman broke the trance they were under. The team started filing behind him but Shayera blocked their path.
"You can't decide this on your own, Clark. We all have equal say." Shayera argued, "Diana is a founding member. She deserves more than that."
"Let's put it to a vote then. All in favor of Diana coming back, besides the Thanagarian?" Superman scanned their faces, nobody moved a muscle. "It's settled then."
Meanwhile, in Themyscira there were chaos and mayhem wherever Diana looked. Frozen Amazons in varying poses abound, their faces contorted- Killer Frost's handiwork. Some of her sisters were trying to fight off Silver Banshee, who knocked the others unconscious with her sonic wail. Star Sapphire lifted a handful of Amazons with her beam and violently threw them on the ground. Volcana was burning buildings down, and after admiring her work, proceeded to spew flames at the fighting Amazons. She looked for her mother and saw that she was about to be swatted like a fly by Giganta, so she quickly took to the sky and delivered blow after blow on the giantess who toppled down on Star Sapphire.
"Mother, let us get you to safety." Diana carried her mother to the palace.
"Diana, it's you. Thank the gods." Queen Hippolyta was barely audible, "They came here and took us by surprise.. We were so unprepared.. But you must stop them, you must." She took a longer pause, her breathing becoming ragged, "They wish to free Hades from Tartarus.. unleash him.. to the world." Diana's body stiffened.
"Great Hera help us." It was all Diana could muster to say.
On the other side of the realm, the league were thrown into battle with Grodd's forces at Metropolis, but Batman uncovered something far more sinister.
"J'onn, I've found something about Grodd. You and the others need to come here now, I'll send you the coordinates. Tell your second and third line of defense to hold down the line there for the meantime." Batman's mouth was starting to get dry, "You really need to see this."
Upon reaching the villains' hideout, and defeating the remaining of the lot, they confronted Grodd who revealed to J'onn, involuntarily, by having his mind read, the full extent of his master plan. They have all been taken for a ride. Although they have foiled Grodd's schemes, it is not without a price.
"You did what?" Batman asked in disbelief upon learning of the Diana incident.
"She knocked John unconscious, Bruce. And then she left for Themyscira." Superman hesitated, "That's when I told her not to come back."
"You've been fooled all of you."
"We see that now. But at the time, it all felt real."
"They are. The feelings were real, the anger, the resentment." J'onn explained what he saw in the gorilla's mind, "Grodd built a machine that amplified his thought waves that affected our moods, but at the same time shielded his mind from me."
"That's why they've been robbing banks days before," Batman interjected, "So Grodd could built that machine."
"It's a good thing the Bats is always alone. Even if Grodd got to him, there's no one there to fight." Flash whispered to Shayera.
J'onn was pensive, "He's done it before, to us. I should have known."
"You couldn't have known. He has a machine that protected his thoughts, unlike last time."
"He has been feeding me mental images of Darkseid returning, which turned out to be fake."
"And the battle was a decoy, all along." Superman shook his head.
"Their real goal was to divide us, so later they can pick us off one by one." Flash was thinking aloud, moving from one teammate to the next in the blink of an eye. "First, they got Diana to leave, and she was easily on a par with Superman and J'onn, in terms of power and strength."
"They attacked Themyscira, to get her to come home, away from us." Shayera picked up where Flash left off. "Then he got us fighting one another, dividing us and demoralizing the league." She thought about how she might never see Diana again, and shuddered at the cruel thought. She hugged herself, suddenly feeling the coldness around her.
"He made us say what we were really thinking, how we really felt about each other. He used whatever cooped up resentment we have to his advantage." GL wasn't really asking, but merely trying to make sense of what just happened.
They all grew quiet. They can't blame Grodd for having those thoughts. He made them say it, but he didn't make them think it.
Back at the watch tower, Diana was already there, waiting for them. The awkward moment was shared by all the crew and members.
"I just came back here to check on you guys," Diana's gaze lingered on Shayera, "See how you fared in the battle. Make sure no one's hurt."
"Diana," Superman tried to explain but Diana put her hand up.
"No, please." Diana said earnestly, wanting to continue. "I heard about the vote you had. Just now. And I accept all the consequences of my actions."
"Diana, listen before you do anything you'll regret." Superman was pleading with his eyes.
"We all did things today that we'll regret, Clark, I'm afraid."
"Grodd is behind all of this. He sent me fake images of Darkseid invading earth. And he.." J'onn took a breather, knowing that the next thing he says will not make things easier. "His thought waves affected our moods, made us go up against each other."
"He has done it before. But J'onn, we've always had those thoughts and feelings locked up inside. Grodd merely freed them."
Diana looked down, feeling jaded, the weight of the situation has taken its toll on her, adding to the fact that she battled all the enemies in the island single-handedly.
"It doesn't change the fact that you didn't want me to come back, and it's a bitter pill to swallow." Diana examined the room. The ground suddenly seemed enticing for everybody whose eyes were fixated downward, except Shayera who looked straight at her, her emerald eyes were captivating. She knew then that she was probably the only one who voted for her, and it filled her heart with a little comfort. It was a good consolation. "It's time we took responsibility for our actions. It's how Amazons were brought up. We hold ourselves accountable for everything we say and do. Always."
"For what it's worth, the league will not be the same without you. Feels like Phantom Limb Syndrome and you're the lost limb." J'onn puts a hand on Wonder Woman's shoulder.