Chapter 23

Artemis used her two swords brilliantly against Helena. She would rush at Helena and make a thrust with one sword that Helena would have to parry away. That move would buy her time to bring her other sword down in a broad sweep Helena would have to deflect. While she was deflecting that attack, Artemis would make a quick jab with the other sword again that Helena would have to sidestep.

Helena was suffering the handicap of one less sword because of a foul she had committed. She had stepped outside the battle square and this resulted in a penalty of the other fighter's choosing. Artemis chose for Helena to have one of her swords taken away.

Helena had known Artemis would ask for one of her swords to be taken away. She had planned on this. The fight had started with the two of them dueling to one stalemate after another. With each of them having two swords, they could easily block each other's moves. Helena knew she had to change the conditions of the fight in order to win, even if it meant giving Artemis what she thought was an advantage. She knowingly stepped out so she would lose one of her swords.

Her father had always instructed her to study her opponent and use whatever she could to her advantage. She knew if Helena had to fight one sword down Artemis would get overconfident. She also knew with Artemis' fighting style, Helena would be able to take advantage of the situation and execute an effective counterattack.

Artemis' attacks against Helena were forceful and Helena had to work to avoid her attacks. She was able to dodge everything she couldn't block with her one sword. After several bouts like this, Artemis tried something different. She made two attacks with the first sword that forced Helena to block them so that her sword was on the right side of her body. Artemis then made a broad sweep coming at Helena from the other side.

Helena knew she couldn't block the attack in time, but she did manage to crouch and duck just as the sword sailed over her. While Helena hit the ground she was able to sweep her sword at the legs of Artemis. This tripped the girl and she fell to the ground. As she fell to the ground Helena kicked one of the swords out of the woman's hand.

Helena got up off the ground quickly and stepped on the hand of Artemis that was holding the other sword. Helena then put her other armored foot on the woman's chest and held the sword to her throat.

"Over," Helena heard her grandmother shout. She stepped off Artemis and looked up at the Queen's Box to see Hippolyta in it with her mother. "Helena wins," she said with a smile.

Helena held out a hand to Artemis and the woman took it. Helena pulled her up. "You fight well, young one," she said to Helena. "I find it hard to believe a man could have taught you so much."

Helena was going to stick up for her father and explain what kind of fighter he was, but she was stopped by a piercing and irritating noise that filled the arena. Helena didn't know what it was initially. When she looked to her grandmother's box and saw her mother was gone, she realized the sound was the alarm being sent out by their Justice League communicators. Helena ran up the stands of the arena and jumped out and ran to the palace where the two of them had left them.

Helena reached Hippolyta's palace and ran to her room. When the communicator was in her hand it stopped its loud buzzing. When it was in her ear she listened in on the chatter going out through the League's communications channels. J'onn J'onnz was barking out instructions to everyone in the League. He was telling them all to mobilize as there was a massive invasion from Apokolips taking place. He told them there were so many reports of attacks he wouldn't be able to coordinate a response properly. The Apokolips forces were everywhere and it wouldn't be difficult for the superheroes to find them.

Static started coming through the communications equipment as J'onn stated the the League's communication satellites were being attacked. According to his scanners several ships were making their way to the Moon Watchtower itself. The feed cut out before he could say any more.

Helena knew instantly the League's communications had been taken out. She had never faced the forces of Apokolips herself, but knew how powerful and terrifying they could be. What surprised her about their attack on the League's communications is they had never been this well-coordinated before. Whoever was leading them knew what they were doing in ways none of the previous leaders of Apokolips did.

"Mom!" Helena shouted as she ran out of her room. "Mom!" she shouted again as she ran to her mother's room. Helena had a feeling all the major cities would be attacked first. Gotham would most definitely be one of them.

When Helena reached her mother's door she saw her changing into her superhero costume. "Mom, we have to get to Gotham," she yelled as her mother finally looked around at her.

"I know, dear," her mother replied. "Get your costume on while I round up the Amazons. Meet me at the jet when you're done."

For once, Helena followed her mother's orders with no complaint. She ran to her room and threw off her Amazonian armor. She opened the bag with her costume in it and spilled its contents on the floor. She quickly put everything on, grabbed her crossbow, and ran out to the field where the invisible jet was parked. She could see the Amazonian warriors marching in formation into the jet's hull. She squeezed between them into the jet, made her way to the cockpit, and took the co-pilot's seat next to her mother.

Diana closed the cockpit and activated the repulsor lifts as the jet ascended from the ground. As it flew away from Themyscira, Helena checked the ship's communication record. Her mother had set it to record all League communications for them. She scanned through it and found the attacks had started just minutes before the communications had been knocked out. This invasion was very well coordinated.

Helena listened to the first message J'onn had sent out. She was surprised to find it had not been addressed to the League, but to all nearby star systems that could afford to send help. He had recognized almost instantly how large and dangerous this invasion was and felt the League couldn't handle it on its own. She hoped he would be proven wrong. She thought about Maril and Rex receiving this message and wondered what they would do. Helena knew their nation was in a vulnerable spot, but she believed they would still come to the rescue of their home.

Helena didn't find much on what cities were being attacked in the League communications. She started scanning the major news feeds and found all major cities of the world were being attacked. This included Gotham and Bludhaven.

"Gotham's under attack," she said to her mother. "It's mostly aerial right now, but tanks are coming through the boomtubes on the mainland. It won't take them long to cross the bridges into the city. I think they're too afraid to land their tanks directly in the city as they don't want to come through in the middle of an office building. Boom tubes aren't perfectly exact. It's some good news. We can divide and conquer. Take out the aerial assault vehicles first, and then go for the tanks."

"It looks like there are other places you may be needed more than Gotham," Helena told her mother as she continued looking through the news feeds. "A huge force is being built up in Kansas. It looks like they are trying to establish a base from which to launch their major attack. Most of the superheroes are probably tied up defending their home cities." Helena looked over at her mother. "It looks like the Amazons are needed there more than they would be needed in Gotham. Drop me off over the city and then head to Kansas. I can defend Gotham myself."

Diana sighed over what she heard. She knew her daughter was right, but didn't like the idea of leaving Helena all by herself. "I can give you a couple warriors," she began.

"Won't need them," Helena assured her. "They don't know Gotham very well. They'll be just as confused in the city as the attackers. I don't want to have to worry about showing them around. I can move around the city in stealth much better by myself. Also, I won't be alone. You and I both know my old man isn't exactly watching this on television at home."

"On the computer all ready," Dick yelled to Bruce as he walked down the steps to the Batcave. "The criminals don't come out for another couple of hours."

"It's never too early to start scanning the police reports from the previous night; see who was arrested, look for patterns in the crimes committed over the past week."

Dick walked up to the computer and stood looking over Bruce's shoulder, just as he used to when he was Robin. "I always said you were going to die in this chair."

"Actually, I plan on dying in bed with a beautiful and younger looking woman on top of me," Bruce replied.

"Holy shit, Batman," Dick exclaimed. "Did you just make a joke there? I think that just might be the first one I ever heard you make."

"I'm sure there was at least one more," Bruce said.

"And another one, you're on a real roll tonight. Could it be that with a beautiful wife and a grown-up and successful daughter who's about to get married, the King of Brooding is finally happy?"

A smirk crossed Bruce's lips; he did his best to hide it. "I thought you never believed I was capable of such an emotion?"

"At times I did, but I was wrong and I admit it. The same thing goes for all the times I said you never wanted to see me happy. I apologize."

"I already heard your apology," Bruce said to him.

Dick was puzzled by what Bruce said. "I don't remember ever giving you an apology."

"You didn't, Helena relayed to me that you told Maril you owed me several apologies."

Dick smirked over the actions of their daughters. "It's always amazed me how those two have managed to have the kind of friendship we were never able to achieve."

The two of them were interrupted by an alarm on the Batcomputer. Bruce started punching the keyboard to see what was happening and found the Emergency Broadcast System had been activated. He brought up all the local channels and every one was carrying the news of an invasion from Apokolips. While Gotham was being hit by air forces, the ground forces were amassing on the shore off the mainland in anticipation of crossing the bridges into Gotham.

It wasn't long before the Justice League's emergency system went off. Bruce and Dick listened to all the messages given out by J'onn. It wasn't long before his communications were cut off.

Without saying anything to Dick, Bruce ran to the uniform room. While he was in there Dick took a seat and called up his family.

"We heard the news Dad," Richie said to him after he contacted him. "Olivia and I are heading out. The ground forces are on the edge of Bludhaven already. We have to move fast. I'm grabbing the twins first, Oracle's in her position in the clock tower."

"Put this on," Bruce said to Dick as he threw a Batman uniform on his lap.

"Are you nuts?" Dick said as he looked over at Bruce getting into his suit.

"It doesn't matter if we both go out dressed as Batman," Bruce answered. "No one is going to be hurt by any confusion it might cause."

"You know that is not even close to what I mean," he said angrily as he stood. "We are too old to do this. It would practically be suicide for us to fight these kinds of forces. Your daughter is going to find her way back here. She WILL protect this city."

"But she won't be able to save everyone. That is my concern. I know we can't do much to repel these forces, but we can save a couple innocents from dying. We have to do this. The need of the many-"

"Outweigh the needs of the few. Yeah, I saw that movie too."

"Dick, Dick, are you there?" came Barbara's voice over the computer speaker. Dick was relieved to hear his wife's voice and ran over to the computer to answer her.

"I'm here, dear."

"Richie flew up here with the twins and dropped them off a second ago. I wanted you to know the three of us are safe in the clock tower."

Dick was relieved to know his young children were currently safe, but immediately started feeling guilty about it. He knew not everyone had superheroes in their families to save their loved ones. Bruce was right, if they had they ability to save just one person they had to go out there and take the chance.

"Bruce and I are going out there, honey," he said to his wife in a heavy voice.

"I understand," she said in an equally heavy voice. "Stay in contact with me. I'll feed you whatever information I can."

"These new suits you designed better be as good as you claim," Dick said as he put his on.

"They are. I went up against a god and goddess a couple months ago in one."

"From what I heard you were nearly in a body cast after that."

"I survived, didn't I? Now let's get out there."

"Look at that tee shot!" Oliver Queen yelled to his two sons behind him as he watched the trajectory of the golf ball he hit. "I'm guessing the distance I got on that is what, better than twice that of the golf balls you guys hit."

"Just because you've been playing this game twice as long as we have doesn't mean you have to constantly remind us about it," Ted said to his father.

"Would telling you guys I should take one cart and the two of you the other since my ball is much farther-"

"Yes, it would be unnecessary," Connor answered without waiting for his father to finish.

"Okay then, I'll just get in my cart and go then." He took off before the two boys had even sat down in theirs.

"Why do we play golf with him again?" Ted asked his brother as they both got into the cart.

"Because it's important for us to spend time together as a family. I'm going to be married soon, so who knows how much time we will have for this kind of thing then."

"You kind of have a depressing view of marriage," Ted said to him. "When I give my best man speech should I mention how it's going to be hard for you to spend time with the rest of your family?"

"You're taking what I said out of proportion. What I meant was-"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of an enormous eruption in the sky above them. They both looked up to see a ship flying out of a boom tube.

"Are we being invaded?" Ted asked his brother.

"We have to assume so," Connor said as he directed the golf cart in the direction their father had gone. "We need to find Dad, get him to safety, then suit up and fight."

Maril smiled as Rex kissed the wet skin of her neck. The shower water hit Rex's shoulder and then rolled down onto her body. He pushed her up against the shower wall and pressed his body against hers as they kissed. They stopped when they heard a knock on the door. They stayed silent as they were both too annoyed to say anything. Their role as royals was once again intruding on their personal life, and at a very intimate time.

The knock came again, but this time was followed by a voice. "Queen Maril," the voice of Rheandr'a said. "I am so sorry to interrupt you now, but I have some extremely critical news."

"This better be good," Rex said softly as he started to move out of the shower.

"Hold on," his wife told him. "Can you just tell us what the message is?" Maril shouted to her servant.

"I can do you one better and play the message we received," Rheand'r replied. In a second they heard the voice of J'onn J'onnz. They both nearly collapsed in horror as they heard about the invasion that was occurring on their home planet.