S/N: Too stubborn to die indeed... the pieces shift again...

It is dark, the lights are flickering, there is the sound of rushing water, the hull groans, of course that overcharged idiot blew up the engines, and now I'm stuck in a sinking ship.

As he gets up, he notices that most of the crew that is still on board is probably cut off from his position. The only questions are how far down is the ship and can he risk breaching the hull without killing himself in the process. The air ripples next to him and someone really unexpected appears before him. He certainly had a look of concern yet almost a look of conviction.

"What brings you here, I didn't think they let you leave the afterlife."

"Let's just say, you can get favor passes, at least I can, dead hero perks, y'know."

"I see well, any advice, I intend to be alive and back with Diana as soon as possible."

"She was all in tears and so I had to go to her even though her mother thought she would be a better choice except Persephone being Persephone disagreed."

"Maybe complimenting a goddess actually works Wally."

"Maybe, just the same, keep being stubborn and you'll get back to her. Besides I get the feeling someone is looking for you even if they don't know it yet."

"What do you…"

Wally disappears before he can even ask the question, but then there's another poof.

"Meaning someone could be looking around this debris field okay. If I say anymore I might risk revoke, Fates and all that jazz."

"Okay, well thanks for dropping by."

"You being sarcastic now?"

"No I am not, just a little aggravated being stuck here like this, but I'm getting out somehow."

"Same old Bats."

He disappears again leaving Bruce to his work. He checks the bulkheads so far no leaks this far inside at least the watertight compartments are holding back something for the time being, but the sheer weight of the vessel is dragging it down. There are audible groans from the ship's frame reacting to the outside water pressure. At least Wally's brief appearance if was not his imagination indicates Diana is still out there, probably on the island with Talia and her son. He continues searching for a way to leave the ship, but if the loudness of the noise is any indication the rest of ship is flooding as the watertight sections can only hold back so much ocean water.

"I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" he shouts to no one in particular.

The hull bursts directly in front of him and he is unable to escape the flow. He swims against the current then grabs onto the opening of the rupture. It cuts his hands, but there is no way around it or so it seems. As he struggles upward, he starts to get dizzy, too long without breathing, but if he tries to open his mouth, it is over though so would be the same if he kept holding because he pass out hence mouth open. He looks on in disbelief as an Atlantean warship appears above him and a cable shoots out to pull him inside.

Talk about timing, any longer, and I would be a dead man. In all these years since I first took up the mantle, I realize I almost did have an unconscious death wish, I used to say to Dick, I could go down anytime, anywhere, and be killed by anyone except now I was not willing to let that happen now.

"You really are still the most foolish man I ever met," says a voice.

"Glad to see you too Aquaman," he answers.

"I heard an ironically named freighter had sunk many a league from my kingdom."

"You heard right."

"I heard the Lords disbanded or disappeared, but of course we minimal contact with the surface dwellers after the Lords took control of the surface. I'm going to guess that's changed since I have been reading reports of explosives being placed all over this region. Outposts elsewhere report the same."

"How far spread is your network?'

"My secret Batman, you know as well as I do how important it is to hide your assets."

"Right, well who has been placing them?"

"I don't know exactly, but they are not official or military based on their hull designs."

"Any visual records?" he asks.

"Come with me, we have one on long range viewing now."

On the bridge of Aquaman's current flagship, the king of the seas shows him what is happening at least from what visual sensors can see, which is that someone aboard that particular submarine is releasing some sort of inactive explosive into the underwater fault line below its current position. This part of that plan, it must be thinks Bruce, but of course, he has to find Diana and get back to the others.

"You care to explain surface dwellers are leaving explosives within my domain?"

"It is likely part of Ra's Al-Ghul latest gamble to reset the clocks to zero."

"What?!?" grumbles Aquaman.

"Yes, he always believed as long as I have known him that the world has reached the peak of decadence. He continues the ongoing practice of triggering the fall of civilizations for centuries when a specific one hits the roof than bring down the house if you will on it."

"I thought all of your Rogues were out of commission."

"Not all, just the ones unfortunate enough to get the former Superman's attention."

"He became more aggressive, more take charge, but of course many thought he went too far."

"They would be right too…" says a third voice.

Lord Orm's, Aquaman's brother, enters the command center with news from scouts that similar devices have been throughout the kingdom and outposts across the world's oceans report the same. He is not just sinking the surface, but killing all life in order to reseed it according to his design or so it appears for the moment. Unbeknownst to most is that Orm made one of his loyal generals take the fall for the attempt to kill Aquaman years ago, but said general did not know until it was too late when Orm pushed said general to his death in the Arctic.

"Of you and Mr. Wayne here won't be around to see the results as the world will become a water world begun by the vision of Ra's Al-Ghul."

"You are working for him?!?" retorts Aquaman.

"You were always the fool king, you believe the land dwellers will ever peacefully coexist not just with themselves or the land, but us too, no, it will not happen, so we must end this cycle."

"Who gave you that right?" continues Aquaman.

"I did, and as for you two, you are about to join the dead in that wreck there, and then I will vaporize it with you two inside. I'll tell your beloved wife that you died defending the ship as it will be destroyed too giving me cause to ascend to the throne and join Ra's crusade to purify the world."

Aquaman lunges at Orm striking his brother with his hook hand, cutting across the usurper's face before head signaling Wayne to get off the bridge to the nearest launch bay.

"All hands, mutiny in progress stop the surface dweller from fleeing!"

"Do not listen to the traitor, he lies, he plans to blow up the ship!"

A fight breaks out between Atlanteans loyal to both brothers of course Orm had handpicked a huge part of this ship's crew. They fight and Aquaman's men are losing ground as the king is protected en route to the launch bay. They board a smaller craft that launches with a wave of fighters into the water then head for the city with whatever warships are loyal still to the one true king of Atlantis. As for those loyal to Orm, they give chase so there is a rolling underwater battle.

***

"You must see the urgency of the situation Fate."

"I do but I'm still working on a way to circumvent Achilles' effect on her ability to use Thanagarian technology."

"We have a countermeasure that we are prepared to test if anyone wishes to volunteer."

"No way is it going to be Shayera, she's pregnant… you don't know what that will do to her."

"The danger any less with Fate or Inza doing something similar?" queries Faraday.

"I'll do it."

Everyone stares at J'onn for a moment before he follows Faraday into a portal set to beam the two of them to one of his organization's outposts. As J'onn steps into the chamber, he can only hope still that this is the right decision. Faraday tries to look confident, but of course he worries for J'onn's safety. He signals the scientists to begin the procedure and so Valkyrie comes online then the energy encompasses J'onn. His eyes glow at the familiar sensation of telepathy, but it is still limited as are the other abilities though he will not test any in full until after this is over. It feels more familiar with each passing second, but it is not over by a long shot.

Meanwhile back at the Tower, a plan is drawn up to build an underground shield generator that will encompass a large portion of Smallville except to be safe they would have to put exactly at the center of the blast point, the Kents' farmland. Kara is barely able to hold herself up after hearing this bit of news about Cadmus' next 'offensive'; she would not allow this to go unchallenged, but it is then that some of the others give her some sign that they notice it. They see recognition that this is too close to home for her literally. They will have to hurry not knowing how long until Cadmus intends to begin this attack.

Fate goes back to working with Shayera and some of the Thanagarian technology taken from the Arizona facility. John remains with them at all times given his concerns about what Fate intends to do to restore her ability to use her race's technology.

He starts chanting in Thanagarian again as she hefts an nth metal mace for the first time in years and he raises his hands towards her face as he continues to chant. She begins to glow yet she is not in pain as John had been expecting. The glow grows brighter and wider until it encompasses both of them. He tries to stay close, but the light is too bright for him to keep his eyes open. Inza grips his shoulder and tries reassuring him that his wife is in good hands with her husband so he manages to smile just a little.

"Need not worry about the child; he has taken that into account as well."

"How did you know that?"

"She is showing some by now and some just intuitively know these things especially if you are a woman Mr. Stewart."

"Call me John."

"Then I would ask the same in that you call me Inza instead of looking pass me whenever I'm in the room, sure I might look like a housekeeper, but I'm just as magic capable as Nelson."

"You mean Dr. Fate."

"Whatever you prefer, I still call him by his actual name or anyone of my affectionate names for him."

"Don't we all do that with ones we love in that way?"

"Indeed."

After several hours, Fate exhales and asks Inza for some water, she chants a bit then a full glass appears in her hand, which she hands him to after he removes his helmet. Shayera sits down and grips the mace. It charges to everyone's surprise including her. John grins just a little before she looks at him knowing that he is probably amazed and jealous, amazed at her resilience without that ability and jealous because well he is the only without something. However he was a good soldier long before the Guardians gave him the ring.

"I think it is time to get working on that shield generator, Tim should be in place by now with the others. "

Inza summons a portal so Shayera, John, Kara, and Waller all go through then emerge inside the barn on the Kents' farmland. Kara exhales taking in the sights and the smells, just like I remember it she whispers to herself. She longs to fly, but now it is not the time she knows before she can even consider just doing it. Waller is reluctantly let into the farm house as some have already been told she is with Cadmus, but they relent a little when hearing that she is the one that went to warn them at risk to her own life as well her own family.

Tim starts on the computer systems yet as he enters code, someone else's voice is in his head.

"You could have told us you had that power back J'onn!"

"Who are you talking to, J'onn is not here."

"Of course not, he is telepathic again silly."

At that moment Faraday and J'onn in disguise emerge from a pickup truck that is parking at the front of the farmhouse. Inara is already zipping about as is Kyle hard at work with welding the metal supports into place. He alternates with Kara as she occasionally feels weary doing the heavy lifting underground. The parts are brought in via portal because otherwise they risk Cadmus usurping sat uplinks to see what is going on down here at the blast epicenter. There is a news report of ships at sea being attacked including a freighter that recently left the Ireland coastline.

"Damn that's not good," grumbles Faraday.

"How so?" asks Alfred.

"Bruce, Diana, Talia, and that kid were put on a freighter fixed up by my organization."

"Why did they not simply return in the Invisible Jet?"

"With Kal around, they would run the risk of him just forcing it to crash."

"So instead of crash, it is now sinking."

"We have no way of knowing if they were aboard or not when it went down."

The construction resumes despite this blip by the loss of the freighter.

***

In Atlantis, Bruce and Aquaman enter the main royal chambers where the Queen sits on the throne demanding to know what is going on now. He tells that Orm is up to something with an alliance to the faction responsible for these bombs seen all over the world's oceans. She is clearly disbelieving yet as the city rocks from attacks by Orm's loyalists they know there is trouble.

"How far is the nearest portal barrier to Themyscira from here?" queries Bruce.

"What are you thinking?" remarks Aquaman.

"Amazonians might help here."

"Why bother they went all isolationist after the Lords' stewardship."

"I was there only a couple of months ago when they restored much of Diana's abilities."

"I think that's the first time I heard you use her name… you two aren't?"

"Now is not the time…"

"Right…"

He climbs into one of the Atlantean courier size craft and puts as much speed as possible into getting from here to the barrier, he could only hope it is not too late to stop this battle for Atlantis as well as reassure her that he is still alive, that she did not fail her oath to him. How pained she sounded when I told her to go on without me, she does that, so like her, a heart that would gladly step between me and death he thinks as he applies more speed. I will not die, I will survive, stay alive for you my love, and unknowingly he had starts humming a song.

"Who knew the Bat could sing?" chuckles Wally.

"I was wondering where you got to," comments Bruce.

"Well I'm on a time limit with this thing and besides I keep checking in on Diana."

"How is she?"

"She is still pretty upset and it blows not being able tell her that her dashing knight is coming."

"Why can't you?"

"On the one hand it spoils the surprise and on the other, well dead men tell no tales."

"What does that mean?"

"Well Wondy will be more than just happy to see you I guess and as for tales well I'm technically not allowed to say anything more than what I'm saying y'know."

He keeps humming even after Wally vanishes again then he starts singing the song.

Seek to destroy cause they're scared of you

That's why they try to make a fool of you

They're so jealous of my pretty star

Cause you've got soul inside your shattered heart

Like Odysseus slipping into Ithaca, Bruce knows that more than a few enemies have been made in Themyscira too. As he swims his way to the shore, he spots someone that looks like Diana, but looks younger, must be Donna if he remembers the name right. As he advances towards her in soaked clothing, she pulls out a sword on him. She sighs in relief afraid it was something else or someone else.

"Where is she?" he asks.

"She is praying at the Temple of Themis for you."

"Why was the barrier not recognizing the ship I came in?"

"Hippolyta is cautious given the surge of violence in the rest of world. The place you call Kasnia is not the only place where people have begun fighting. Your native land is up in arms too."

"It is on that note I need to find her and get back as soon as I can."

"What of the other woman and her child?"

"I think they are safer here."

"It is yet to be decided if she is allowed to remain given her parentage."

"She does not share his views of the world, not entirely."

"How do you know her?"

"We were close a long time ago."

"Your heart belongs to Diana now, I trust you do well by it because if you don't I'll have to do more than hurt you."

"I know, I would have the whole of the Island ready to send me to Tartarus."

"We best be careful though because those who used to share Aresia's views of men are not keen to see you back here because you have been seen trust me on that."

It is at that note that a fully armored brigade of Amazons surrounds them.

"I see what you…"

The leader slugs him in the face then another two grab Donna before tying her up.

"He will be the first of Man to die."

"True Amazons will resist this, we are not war seekers, we are warriors, but battle is not sought, only fought when necessary."

"Knock her out."

"Yes Mistress Medea."

As the war ready Amazons take Bruce away, one remains to knock out Donna. As for Medea, she is actually Circe in disguise. Furthermore she only had Ares to thank for bargaining for her release even when both he and Hades knew her history with this particular island. Her revenge on Hippolyta begins by getting to Queen of Amazons by getting to the queen's daughter or more specifically to the daughter's heart through him. She casts a spell to transform him into a mythological creature, one that would surely be unappealing to Diana, but it would gradually take effect so by the time she realizes what is happening, it might be too late. Circe laughs a little; it felt fun to mess with the Amazons again so long as she did not violate the hands off Hippolyta catch.

A/N 1: Aquaman is more than just aware of Ra's plans thanks to Orm blabbering about his part in it. As for Bruce, he is going to Amazons for backup, not that he can't handle this alone, but there is always strength in numbers. As for this chapter's title well what happens kind of explains it a little.

A/N 2: J'onn and Shayera are back in business. As for John Stewart, well we'll see won't we. Word of the freighter's destruction is known to the Outsiders in Smallville. Not of its passengers though.

A/N 3: Aresia's legacy is in action, which 'Medea' or should I say Circe gleefully exploits. Ah, poor Bruce, you go from one mess to another, well, its part of the mission if you will. Now one would wonder why is it taking so long to get back, my explanation the simpler or more straight forward part was just popping into Kasnia to get Talia, but getting back is trickier because well the plan is on with the countdown getting ever closer to Ra's Final Overture.