A/N Don't own these characters don't sue me.
Many thanks to Lady Isis for the beta and DaisyJane for the input and help.
Hello's to Hepburn, KittyBatman, Icha, Lady Isis and DaisyJane.
Enjoy all.
Batman's Gift
Chapter 4: UnDeath.
During the flight to Themyscira, Bruce had time to think about all that he had done. What's done is done, he thought, can't change the past. In the distance he could see the tropical island of Themyscira slowly getting bigger. He glanced down at Wonder Woman's lasso and shook his head to clear the haunting thoughts of what he had done to her.
The Amazons did not know what hit them. Bruce had activated the batwing's stealth mode and placed it in hover. He released a switch on the dash board and the large canisters under the wings started to bellow out smoke which slowly poured down towards the unsuspecting sleeping Amazons.
It covered the city in a fog. Batman descended down from a rope on his plane while the incapacitating gas still bellowed from the large canisters under the wings. He had a gas mask on and slowly moved around the city binding any person he saw out in the open.
He found Queen Hippolyta in her royal chamber. Bruce bound her wrists together and placed a gas mask on her face. He injected her with a needle to revive the sleeping Queen. Hippolyta's eyes fluttered open and she noticed Batman standing there. Her voice was muffled by the gas mask. "What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded then started to struggle against the bonds.
Batman spoke in his deep monotone voice. "Tell me where the Gaea blade is."
She stopped fighting the bindings as her eyes got large for a brief moment before they returned to normal. "Don't know what you're talking about."
Bruce chuckled to himself and showed the Queen Diana's lasso. Her face contorted into a mask of pain and anger before a single tear appeared in her eye. "How did you get that? Is my daughter alright?" Hippolyta spoke with a gasp.
"She is fine, I just borrowed this so I can get the answers I'm looking for," Batman replied coldly.
He wrapped the the lasso around Hippolyta then he asked, "Where is the Gaea blade?"
Hippolyta tried her best but the lasso forced her to tell. "I have it hidden and I'm the only one that can retrieve it."
"I hope I'm allowed to come because you are not leaving my sight," Batman growled.
Hippolyta bowed her head. "Yes you may come with me to retrieve it."
Batman pulled on the lasso forcing Hippolyta to get out of bed. She slowly walked towards a closet in her room. Batman stopped her before she could open it. "Is this a trap?"
The lasso glowed and Hippolyta lowered her head and said, "Yes."
Batman pulled on the leash until Queen Hippolyta was face to face with him. "Your daughter's life depends on this, no more trickery," Batman barked at her.
Hippolyta raised her head up high with all the regal power she could muster, she stared daggers back at him. She lowered her gaze and slowly started to walk towards her bedroom door. She led him out of her room and down a long hallway. He followed her until they stopped at a dead end in the hallway. The Queen removed a silver key from her neck and waved it at the wall, the wall slowly retracted to one side showing a small hidden room behind it.
On a pedestal there was a middle-sized blade, unlike any Bruce had ever seen. Its color was earth tone, it looked very old also. "Is it or the room booby-trapped?" Bruce asked.
Hippolyta replied as the lasso glowed. "No." Bruce entered the room and grabbed the blade and exited the room as fast as he could. "Have a few more questions for you, can this blade kill an Olympian god?"
"It is from Gaea the creator, its power causes any god, goddess or immortal to bleed and die," Hippolyta said in defeat.
"How do I get to Mount Olympus from here?" Batman commanded.
Hippolyta nodded her head and said, "There is a way in the temple of Hera; only a royal Amazon can open it." Batman motioned for Hippolyta to show him the way. As they walked Hippolyta had to ask, "Is my daughter all right?"
Batman continued to look around for any Amazons that might of not have been knocked out by the gas. He replied, "She is fine." Hippolyta's spirits seemed to pick up a lot after hearing this.
They where heading towards the temple when Hippolyta asked another question. "Are you going after the gods?"
He ignored her question when they got to the temple Batman stopped Hippolyta before they could enter. "Are there any traps in there? Will I be in danger when I enter it?"
Hippolyta simply replied, "No you will be fine, but once you enter Olympus your death will be slow and painful."
Batman pushed Hippolyta forward into the temple. "So where is this entrance?" Hippolyta pointed at the fifteen foot tall statue of Hera. "Open it!" Batman demanded of her.
Hippolyta walked to the Statue and got to her knees then prayed. A few moments later the statue glowed and dissolved into the wall. "The stairway will lead you to Olympus and your death."
Bruce took off the lasso and looked at Hippolyta. "Your daughter and I used to have a relationship before I started this. I'm the stupidest man to ever live - she asked me to end this quest and I couldn't even for her. When you do see her again, tell her... tell her that I loved her and not to judge my actions against every man in the world. Tell her to find true love and happiness and never to give up trying."
Bruce turned and started to walk up the stairs. Knock knock, Zeus, he thought to himself. Ready or not, Batman is coming for you. He entered the doorway and started to walk along the long white hallway as the door behind him disappeared.
After the canisters had ran out of gas the Batwing moved off and landed on the beach. Hippolyta just stared at the statue and couldn't fathom why this man was out for blood. The gods will make his death slow and painful, but I pray that his death is quick.
At the top of the stairs there was an archway that opened up into paradise. This place was amazing. The mountain top was in the center with clouds that surrounded it, each cloud had a bit of land in the middle of them. On each land part there were buildings and fields. Each cloud was connected by golden colored bridges. And all the clouds had bridges that connected to the mountain top that had a large area flattened out. In the middle of that area was a Greek theater in the middle of the clearing. He looked in awe at it all.
Stealthily he made his way to the closest cloud, the land was large which surprised him from his starting location it looked small. In the middle of the field was a large palace. The fields turned out to a vineyard, he made his way to the palace and slowly entered it.
It was like stepping back in time, the building looked new but was designed like the old Greek temples. It reminded him of his travels to Greece when he was a young man. Mosaics of lavish party's with naked people all drunk and engaging in acts of sexuality were all over the walls. Masterfully crafted pillars lined the walls. The floors was made of marble and hand crafted masterpiece rugs were everywhere.
He heard a voice in the distance. "Bring me more wine!" the voice bellowed out. He crept up on the fat man that laid on a chaise-longue. His hand was shaking a golden goblet as he continued to yell, "More Wine!"
A young man in a chiton entered the large room, Batman watched from the shadows as the young man refilled the fat man's goblet. The boy exited the room with a wave of the fat man's free hand. Must be Dionysus, he thought. He watched the man for several more minutes.
Dionysus was looking outside through the large opening in the wall at the slowly changing scene of clouds. "You don't have to hide in the shadows, Batman, I know you're here," the god spoke.
Batman slowly pulled himself from the darkest corner of the large room "You know why I'm here then Dionysus?"
The fat man slowly pulled his goblet closer to his face and filled his mouth with more wine. He swallowed his mouthful and replied. "Yes I do, but it's a fool's mission to try and kill the king of the gods. His powers are unmatched here." Dionysus took another drink. "Zeus is Zeus and not even the Gaea blade will not help you destroy him."
"Why are you telling me this?" Batman spoke as he walked closer to the god.
Dionysus laughed out loud "Because even if you strike Zeus with the blade a million times, we god and goddess are eternal. Death will not come for us, we are the damned." Dionysus placed his goblet down and turned his pudgy head to looked at him. "It is our curse, we are to never embrace death's touch."
Bruce saw the sadness in Dionysus's eyes. Then there was a flicker of surprise in them for a moment. "Life is like a circle, what happened before will happen again. If you can drain Zeus of his powers you will have to complete the circle and replace him, Bruce. Is your anger with Zeus truly powerful enough to take on our, his curse?"
He was taken aback by this revelation, but his decision had not changed. He'd come to far to go back now. "He used me, Gotham and most likely was the cause of my parent's death. I will not stop until one of us is dead!"
Dionysus smiled at him and spoke. "I will help you, Bruce, to bring my father down, but you must listen to Hera after you have defeated him."
He looked at the fat man and asked, "What is it in for you?"
Dionysus smiled and said, "Nothing, maybe change." He sighed. "For the past five millennia we have been stuck in this loop of the same thing day after day after day. I see you as a fresh beginning."
"Two things you must do when you face my father," Dionysus stated "You have to not think about the Gaea Blade, he will pick up your thoughts of it, and he will not toy with you then."
Batman focused on forgetting about the blade. Dionysus smiled almost evilly. "Good I can only read and feel your rage for Zeus, very impressive." Dionysus smiled up at him. "The second part will be harder on me than it is on you."
Back at the Watchtower, J'onn and Mister Terrific were trying to override the computers so they could leave the Watchtower.
"Damn Batman is good, I can't even get to the root access of the main system. All subsystems are locked down," Mr. Terrific stated.
J'onn scratched his head in a bit of frustration. "Yes Batman is good... very good, I've tried to leave the station and there is a forcefield of some kind that is stopping me from phasing through."
Flash appeared out of nowhere. "We have tried everything, guys, maybe we should just wait it out. Superman or Green Lantern might show up and be able to-"
J'onn interrupted Flash. "I can't sense either of them, Flash, I have been trying to contact them for several hours."
"What about Wonder Woman?" Flash asked. J'onn's eyes lit up and he tries to contact Diana.
Diana was still caged in her steel prison that Bruce had left her in, and with her bound hands her strength wasn't with her. The tears all gone, but the despair was still there. Diana, are you there? J'onn telepathically called to her.
Yes I am. J'onn, I need your help - Batman has gone rogue, Diana thought to her friend.
We are trapped up in the Watchtower. Have you seen or heard from Superman and Green Lantern? J'onn asked.
No, I don't know what to think. Batman went to Arkham Asylum and I think he killed all the inmates there, Diana sighed with regret.
Do you think he might have killed Superman and Green Lantern? he asked her. All he could feel from Diana was sorrow. Diana, we are trying to override the computer on the Watchtower, I will contact you in a while if we can get out. Will you be able to hold out for the time being?
Yes I can, J'onn, Diana replied back to the Martian.
Batman was standing over a very thinned and aged-looking Dionysus. "Batman, remember to hide my power from Zeus, once you get close enough it should be able to protect you for a while," Dionysus's told him. Bruce stared down at the man and nodded his head before he turned and left the near powerless god.
Zeus and Hera were sitting on their thrones watching the other half dozen gods and goddesses lazying around the large opened court. Zeus felt a presence near him, a smirk appeared across his face.
Batman had managed to sneak very close to Zeus without being seen. One final slow and deep breath and Batman leaped out at him. He was almost on top of the King of the Gods when Zeus turned and blasted him in the chest with a mighty lightning bolt. He was knocked back thirty feet away by the mighty blast.
Zeus stood up from his throne and spoke. "What a pleasant surprise."
Batman's chest armor had melted away along with some of his flesh, the wound was bad but he stood up on shaky legs. "I told you, Zeus, I would come and make you pay," Batman gasped out in pain.
With a thunderous laugh Zeus replied, "Batman, this is a suicide mission, leave now before I get angry."
Batman just stared at him and lifted his left arm and signaled him to continue the fight.
Zeus shook his head almost in pity for the man. He then spoke. "As you wish." Lightning started to spark from Zeus's hands. The other gods and goddesses watched in amusement; it had been centuries since a fight had been fought on Olympus.
Batman managed to move in time to avoid a bolt of lightning. But Zeus had thrown two at once and the second one hit him in his right leg. He fell to the ground because his leg was half burnt to the bone. "Batman, give up, all will be forgiven if you do," Zeus stated flatly.
Batman turned his head and looked at him "NEVER!" he yelled and slowly got back to his feet.
Zeus rolled his eyes and blasted him in the face. The force of the bolt sent Batman flipping backwards, his cowl had melted and his face was disfigured from the heat of the lightning bolt.
Zeus slowly walked up to him then dropped to one knee to have a better look at his face "It's over Bruce. One more bolt and you're dead." Zeus said. Bruce was in pain, he couldn't move his limbs. They felt heavy and unresponsive.
Batman coughed out "Can't finish me like a man, the great and powerful Zeus scared to get his hands a little bloody?"
Zeus was taken back by his words. But then a evil smile spread across his face. "It's been a while since I've had to use my brute strength to hurt someone." Zeus cockily stated. He pinned Batman by the neck with one hand and lifted the other over his head. With the strength of the King of Olympus he sent his balled fist down towards Batman's head.
With every ounce of strength left in him, Batman managed to move his head out of the way in time. Zeus' arm was stuck half a foot deep in the marble flooring. At that moment Batman released Dionysus god powers, the instant he released it he felt perfectly normal and unhurt. With a twist of his hips and a flip he was standing. In the second it took for Zeus to feel the power of a god in Batman, the Gaea blade was in his neck.
Batman pulled it back out and slapped his hand over the wound. The ichor that seeped from the wound was immediately sucked into his skin, and he was absorbed Zeus power.
Zeus was in total shock, but finally after a few seconds started to try to remove Batman hand from his neck. The King of the Gods was yelling and screaming and clawing at him, but the struggle was forcing more of Zeus's blood to flow into Batman, making Bruce stronger and Zeus weaker with every pump of his heart. As Zeus's struggles weakened, he applied more pressure to Zeus forcing the remaining god's blood to escape him. Once the blood flow stopped Zeus was a tired, old and weak-looking man in Batman's embrace.