Chapter 31

Arthur dragged her through the doorway to the sound of Circe's laughter. "My dear, why don't you take that little rope of hers and make sure she can't do anything she might regret…"

Arthur merely nodded as he reached down to her waist, his blue eyes looking into her own. Oh Hera, she thought to herself, knowing that the lasso was one last chance to get through to Arthur. When he touched the Lasso of Hestia, he would be compelled to see the truth, all of the ugliness and the beauty of it. For many it was over whelming, but nothing compared to being bound by its length, or bound to it through your spirit as Diana was.

He took it from her and slipped it around her shoulders as she was careful not to present her hands. Arthur and Circe would both know her secret; she had told Arthur her inability to withstand the binding of her hands early on as protection. She crossed her wrists behind her back, letting it look as if Arthur had already tied her hands, hoping he did not reach down to ensure she was.

The lasso tightened around her shoulders, her eyes silently compelling Arthur to look at her, to meet her eyes. Oh please, Gaea, look at me, she pleaded to herself. Look me in the eyes, Arthur! She screamed in her head, driving herself mad with the desire to see the truth reflecting in his eyes.

But it was no good.

"Oh, poor little Amazon Queen," Circe came towards her, getting within striking distance of Diana. "All helpless with your hands tied… And now I'm left with quite the conundrum." She paused, walking in a circle, tapping the corner of her mouth with her finger. "Originally, I was going to have my handsome new King here, slaughter you when my spell ran out, just in time to see the Champion of Poseidon kill the woman he once loved, the woman who, thanks to my spells, he forgave completely…"

Diana guessed the shock and disgust must have been registering plainly on her face thanks to the Lasso's ability to compel the truth in any situation.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Circe feigned a soft, innocent expression. "Yes, just before I turned him, he forgave you, completely." She walked up behind the statuesque form of Arthur, draping one arm over his shoulder, the other wrapping around his waist, rubbing his chest. "You broke his little heart when he saw you kissing Triton, his sworn enemy…"

"I didn't…!" Diana was about to fall right into Circe's trap, pushing forward on her knees, trying to get between the two.

"Oh, but you did, or at least, that's what he saw… He also saw what happened in your temple, when you were willing to give yourself to his most hated enemy to save yourself, even though it would sign a death warrant for Arthur."

"Lies!" She fought again against the ties, forcing Arthur to rework his grip, an action that did not go without notice by the Amazon. Yes, Arthur, she thought to herself. Grab on tight. Tighter! Wrap your hand in the lasso… C'mon, Arthur! If you're going to do one thing for me for the rest of eternity, save yourself!

And, as if compelled by Diana's thoughts, Arthur's hand wrapped around the lasso, and… nothing happened. Diana tried to remain calm, not to let any disappointment or further weakness show on her face, instead she kept her eyes on Circe.

"Are they really? Well, you would know, you lie all the time," Circe accused her. "You're filled with contradictions, and it's about time the world saw that, Amazon. You're double sided sword; proporting to spread peace through war? Do you realize how stupid you sound? But, never mind, I've gotten off topic."

Circe took a step towards Diana, cupping the other woman's chin in her hands and forcing the Queen to stare her in the eyes. "Now, I was telling you how originally I had planned to have Arthur kill you, slowly, painfully, intimately, in a way only lovers can hurt each other, but now…" She turned and looked at Arthur. "I'm wondering if I might have thought wrong. He seems quite happy to get rid of you, which takes part of the fun out of it. I bet if I released all my holds on him right now, he would still kill you without a moment's hesitation, don't you think?" Circe tilted her head to the side, waves of purple hair falling over her shoulder as she did. "Oh, what does it matter what you think anyways," she said, slapping Diana strongly across the cheek.

Her head turned sharply as she was slapped, blood which had been running down her cheek coming off her face in a small arch, landing on the white marble beside her as a curtain of raven hair fell across her face. Diana found her eyes pulled to Arthur, following the golden lariat up to his hand, where it was wound around several times. Her eyes travelled up to his eyes and she saw a familiar sparkle.

Arthur was back.

It was a fight to keep the grin off her face, but Diana managed to succeed, her head cast down with a curtain of hair covering her blue eyes, lest they speak the truth in what she saw, compelled, ironically enough, by her greatest weapon itself.

"You are not going to win, Circe," Diana spat, blood dripping from her lips as she did, staining them a rich, dark red colour.

Finally back in control of himself, he saw with open eyes the damage he had inflicted on Diana; her nose was probably broken, judging from the blood, her eye would blacken soon, her back was bleeding from what looked like a stab wound from his trident. Oh Diana, he thought to himself, I am so very sorry. They had fought during the war on several occasions, she had even nearly strangled him with the very lasso she was bound with now, and yet he had never felt sorry for injuring her as he did now. Perhaps he had truly forgiven the past, or perhaps the indignity of being played with like a puppet weighed heavier on him than the equal battles they had fought.

"I'm starting to grow tired of her smell, Arthur," Circe said dismissively, why don't you just dispose of the poor creature?" she offered him his trident, having retrieved it from where he had dropped it in order get a better grip on the lasso.

Arthur took the trident in one hand and looked at Diana; how on earth were they going to get out of this one? It was a Hail Mary of a plan, if it could be called a plan at all, but Arthur released the lasso and turned the trident on Circe, firing a blast off at the woman. Orin was instantly glad that Poseidon hadn't taken away his status as Champion while he was under the sorceress' spell, or else the lightning never would have leapt out, arching out hungrily towards the witch.

"What!" Circe conjured up a force field, a violet globe around her form that dissipated the lightning. "How did you break my...? Where is the amulet!?" she demanded, to which Diana couldn't help but smirk.

"Purple is not really Orin's style, witch," the Amazon Queen retorted, a sneer crossing her lips as she stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder, with the man she had once been so at odds with that they had hungered for each other's blood as a starving man after food.

"Neither is submission," Arthur added with a smile, stepping forward to slide between the two women to cover Diana as she slid from the grip of the lasso and adjusted herself, preparing for another fight. He gripped the Triton of Poseidon with both hands, finally comfortable with his weapon, rather than Diana's sabre.