Song for Eurydice, Part 2: Act I

Since walking into the temple, Jim's head had felt clearer than it had been since he'd first met Diana. Everything seemed to come into focus when he'd met Guinan, and even the memories that he knew weren't his own somehow seemed bearable. For the moment.

Spock had been right about one thing. Jim frequently achieved that which was deemed impossible. Maybe it had contributed to his ego over the years, but for the most part, Jim was sure it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

But, he knew one thing for sure. It truly was impossible to see the man in front of him, claiming to be Apollo. Because, he looked just like…

"Dad?" The word was out of Jim's mouth before he could stop it, disbelieving and somehow hopeful all at once. He'd never seen his father. Not really. He'd seen photos from ship logs, the occasional video log. And yet, here he was. In his uniform on the Kelvin, standing before all of them with a broad smile on his face. "You're… that's impossible."

When the man spoke, it was his father's voice. Jim could feel a surge of emotion deep within, where he kept that grief of a loss as old as his life itself. "No, James Kirk. I am not your father. I am Phoebus Apollon, Apollon Delphinios, the god of light, the god of truth. I am a friend of mankind, and I am here to save you from that which ails you."

Jim's grief was replaced with the hot coal of anger reserved for people who had duped him. He could think of several ways that Apollo was pulling that off, and he appreciated none of them. "I don't know how long it's been since you were on earth, but we don't like it when people mess around in our heads. If you're not my father - "

"Jim, what are you talking about?" Diana's voice gave him pause. For the first time in days, her voice gave him a sense of calm instead of a longing ache or a torrent of thoughts and emotions he couldn't possibly compartmentalize all at once. He turned to look over at her, then realized she seemed utterly perplexed. "That is Apollo. He looks nothing like the picture of your father on the probe reports."

Jim pointed to the figure in front of them, careful not to look at him anymore than necessary. "Diana, that man clearly looks like my dad. And I'd appreciate it if he'd knock it off."

Before she could insist that Jim was somehow seeing things, he was relieved to hear Spock come to his rescue behind him. "As I mentioned, Ambassador Prince, influence of non-telepathic species is a violation of Federation law. And as I, too, am seeing a man who resembles the late George Kirk, I must ask you: Whom is it that you see before you?"

Without hesitation, she simply stated. "I see Apollo." Then, when Jim motioned for her to give a little more information, she continued on. "I see a man whose face is that of the statue we both saw in the Argelian report, Commander Spock. A white chiton, he has very curly blonde hair. I have known him and seen him in the past. This is not George Kirk."

"Indeed." Spock turned his full attention back to Jim. Times like this, Jim valued his friend's company all the more. He was steady as a rock, and right now, that was what he needed to hear. "Then, I believe we are seeing what Apollo wishes for us to see. You view him as the Olympian you have always known. And to us, he is George Kirk."

"But, of course." The god replied, making Jim grit his teeth. What should have been a comforting voice was only grating on his nerves. "I have held many forms over the eons. I am a god of light. I am too powerful for any one man to comprehend."

Diana crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed. For a moment, she had forgotten - or stopped caring - that she had planned on nothing but reverence for the man. "You are an Olympian just as I am, a son of Zeus. Your true form is no less difficult to understand than mine."

"I don't speak of body, I speak of the mind, Diana. This is why I ensured that the probe would reach the man called George Kirk. I could sense that his child would be of great importance to the Nexus." Apollo - Jim was very careful to keep making that distinction - strode forward, closing the distance between them. Jim squared off, not particularly keen on backing down or showing that same deference that Diana had wanted to. He had a clear head, he was going to use it. "I'm afraid that if you wish to see this through, you have only two options. And both of them require me."

Jim considered that for a moment. It would have been easy to assume he didn't need Apollo's help. But, he'd gotten this far, and he knew he was running out of time. The dried rust on his face wasn't from a brawl between a couple of cadets. It was from a brawl between two minds, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep fighting. So, instead, he nodded and entertained the notion. Why not? He was never known for closing his mind to any theory, no matter how far-fetched. "What is it that you'll help me with?"

Apollo glanced over at Diana, grinning. Jim felt his stomach turn, sickened by all of the ghosts he'd seen over the last week. "He's a smart one, I see why you like him. Takes remarkable curiosity to believe in a god, even as he stands before him."

"I didn't say I believed in you." Jim said, calling his attention back to him. For a moment, he saw something flicker across the odd shadow of his father's face, and he got the same kind of kick out of that as he did riling up cadets in his academy days. "I'm afraid humanity doesn't have much need for gods these days. We're a fairly skeptical lot."

The god leaned closer, scowling. "I know far better than you do, Kirk." George Kirk's eyes raked over his son, but they held an edge to them that betrayed they were a mask, not the real thing. "But, you're not as skeptical as you pretend to be. There's at least one god you believe in. And she's more appreciative of it than you think."

Jim bristled, not sure why the implication got under his skin the way it did. Or maybe it wasn't that. Maybe it was the fact that his brother was talking about her like she was a prize, and not just as formidable as him. "Maybe I don't appreciate gods who start playing around with a culture's evolution. Two hundred years ago, the Argelians didn't speak Themysciran. When you got here, that changed."

"To save their lives, Captain." Apollo replied with a dark edge to his voice. "Before I arrived, they would have destroyed themselves. I unified them, provided them bountiful crops and helped cleanse their oceans so that they would no longer die of starvation." He motioned to Guinan. "And Guinan already knew that I would come. She was waiting to help me protect these people. It's a bit late to chastise me for that." The way he chuckled sounded a little too much like Jim's father. "You weren't born yet."

Jim took a deep breath, trying to focus on what he could change for the moment. "You said there were two options. I'd like to hear them and how you're involved."

When Jim received no immediate answer, Diana chimed in as well. "Brother. Please. We came all this way. He came all this way. On faith. On prophecy. And I assume you brought him here because you are still a friend to mankind, not to play games with him." It took everything in him not to look over at her from the way she pled on his behalf. He'd spent the last week not knowing if anything he felt for her was real, but right now, it didn't matter. She was there and she didn't have to be.

Apollo finally relented. The scowl left his face immediately, replaced by another one of his father's all-too-familiar smiles. "Yes. Of course I have. Because, I believe in this gift that you have been given, James. Even if you do not."

"I have a past life interfering with my current one," He said. "So far, all it's been is a death sentence."

"In your current state, yes." Apollo turned to pace, hands behind his back. If George Kirk had paced, Jim imagined it would have looked something like that. "But, that is because your human mind cannot comprehend that which is timeless. You require the mind of one who has lived many lives, has spanned the eons, to help you. I knew that Diana would be prepared for the task, but as she has never seen the Elysian Fields, she would also be tempted by the fruits of the Underworld." He turned to face them again, motioning to his attire. "It's why I chose this form. Once you enter Elysium, it will try to keep you there. The fruits of the garden are the sweetest, but they bind you to the place. If tempted by your happy fantasies, you may not know how to leave. And even I could not truly force you to leave. But, I have at least traversed its hills. I will help you travel the Nexus so that you can find the answer you are looking for. You want to know if you have ever been master of your own actions."

Jim blinked, momentarily thrown. Of course, he knew that Apollo was clearly utilizing some sort of telepathic field to know what his dad looked like, but… Jim hadn't really spoken to his concerns to anyone other than Spock. Hearing it from Apollo seemed to awaken the beast that was his curiosity. If this Nexus could help him understand how much of him was Steve and how much of him was Jim Kirk, then he had to try.

"Are you suggesting that Captain Kirk enter the Nexus?" Spock, however, was less than enthusiastic. "There is no empirical data to suggest that a singular human could survive walking directly into a temporal anomaly."

Guinan spoke for the first time since Apollo had arrived, simply motioning to the doors behind her and the glowing light within. "The doors will provide safe passage into the anomaly, Mister Spock. I can assure you, it's possible to enter it this way."

"It is also possible to enter a burning building. The chances of leaving said building are not the same." Spock replied, testy in his own Vulcan way.

Jim quickly turned to look at him, "Come on, Spock, it's not like I have any better options."

"Perhaps not, but I fail to see the logic in taking unnecessary risks."

Rolling his eyes, Jim turned back to Apollo. In perfect Jim Kirk fashion, he had decided that the risks were worth taking the moment he had been promised answers. Now, it was an away mission where he was back to being the captain, not the victim. "So, let's say I go in?"

"The choices are simple. You may take the simple path: returning Steve Trevor to the Nexus. You give up all knowledge of his life and in doing so, you will never learn why he wished to leave in the first place." Apollo's pointed glance at the Amazon to Jim's right gave him a good idea, though. "The more difficult path would see to fruition that which the gods set in motion for the mortal known as Steve Trevor. Great reward comes, but at great risk."

The phrase rang eerily. For just a moment, Hippolyta's voice filled his mind. You can never see where that road will take you if you don't take the journey. Great reward comes to one who can be called Champion. But, there is great risk.

That was why they had led him here. That was the path he was meant to take. "What's the risk?" Jim wasn't too sure he wanted to know, as it wouldn't have stopped him anyway. But, again, his curiosity got the better of him.

"The journey may not be one you can survive." That was Guinan again. He was starting to understand why her people were called a race of listeners. She seemed to know precisely when to speak. "You'll need an anchor, something to keep you here. And even then, the strain could prove too much."

"What kind of anchor?" Diana stepped forward. "I can go in with him if that will protect him - "

"It's not a matter of protection, my sister." Apollo gently waved off her suggestion. "As Mister Spock pointed out, I am no stranger to telepathic communication. All of the gods have heard prayers over the centuries. But, the two minds need to walk together into the Nexus, and an anchor must telepathically keep them grounded here."

"Then I believe I have the solution." Spock exchanged a glance with Jim. He could see that through his friend's logical exterior, there was worry beneath those eyes. "I suggest the rite of fal-tor-pan." They'd discussed the mind meld, but maybe Spock had never thought it would be truly necessary. "The mind meld can transfer the katra to a worthy vessel."

"Ah, yes. With your ritual, you would be able to lead Steve Trevor and Jim with me through to the Nexus. It would still be dangerous for mortals as yourselves, but achievable." Even though Apollo didn't speak anything like his father, Jim had to admit it actually helped to hear it from his voice. It was a false calm, but it made him feel like his father had led him here in a way.

But, to lead him here, or Diana here, was one thing. But, Spock… Jim turned back to him. "Spock, I can't ask you to do that - "

"Then as both captain and my friend, be satisfied that you are not asking me. I am volunteering myself, Jim." Spock had stepped closer, as if daring him to tell him no. "Your chances of success without me are not promising."

Unbelievable. Opening his mouth to think of a comeback, Jim realized that, unfortunately, he didn't have one that would even remotely get under his skin. Instead, he sighed and shook his head. "I guess that settles it. We go into the Nexus and I figure out how to deal with all of…" He tapped his temple with a finger. "This."

"Very well. Then, we shall open the doors - " Apollo turned and motioned to the sightless acolytes. That was really starting to grow unsettling.

"And what am I going to do? Wait for all of you men to come out of Elysium?" Diana was addressing the room, but from the way her gaze lingered on his, Jim knew exactly who she was trying to reach.

"Actually, I would prefer it if you would remain with me in the temple, Diana." Guinan's timing was uncanny. She made her way over to the other woman, resting a hand on her arm as she spoke in a way that comforted everyone. "You see, the temple itself is also a physical anchor to the Nexus. The early Argelians built the sanctuary with the right materials and in such a way that it will hold the Nexus here for a few hours. But, should anything happen while they are inside, if the temple is destroyed or destabilized, they could be lost to the Nexus until it returns to the galaxy in 38 years."

"I cannot stand here and do nothing." Diana lamented, looking from the oracle to her brother as if hoping for answers. Jim could understand. It wasn't like her to let people walk into danger knowingly. Which was why it had been so hard for Steve to leave her…

"Diana, can I talk to you for a second?" Jim made the decision before he'd even really thought about why. He walked over and gently took Diana by the elbow, steering them away from the group.

No sooner than they were out of immediate earshot, he dropped his grip on her and she turned to face him. "I told you I would do it. Whatever it is - "

"I know you would. I get that." Jim could feel the eerie sense again that he was reliving a moment from his - Steve's life, but this time, it felt distant. Easier to talk around. "Look, I get it. You are a hero, we've talked about how neither of us considers the risks in the moment, we just take the leap. And that's what I'm going to do." He could see her preparing a rebuttal and smoothly leaned closer, resting his hands gently on her shoulders. "Diana, if you want to fix the trust between us, then trust that the last thing I want is for you to go into that place and see ghosts that don't want to let you go."

She frowned, confused for just a moment before she understood. "My mother. Bruce, all of the League, the Amazons I've left behind, they would all be there."

"Exactly, and I don't want to put you in the position of having to choose between them or me. Whatever the choice you make, I would respect it, but it doesn't leave a lot of room for second chances." He forced a smile, sad as it was, hoping that it would at least allay her concerns. "I need to do this for me. You can't save me from myself, Diana, even if that guy is Steve Trevor."

He wasn't sure what he expected. Maybe a begrudging yes. Maybe an annoyed shrug and a stern look before he left. He didn't expect her to reach out and gently run her hand along his cheek. Her eyes wandered his face, as if drinking it in, before she finally rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "Thank you."

Dumbly, Jim muttered. "For what?"

"For still trusting me." She inhaled, then whispered. "And I will trust you. To fight your own battles."

It was settled, then. The last of his anger faded, and in the clarity he knew would probably be gone the moment he walked through those doors, he reached up and brushed hair out of her eyes, fingers gently brushing the star on her diadem. "You really are an angel," He smiled, watching the way her cheeks colored a bit from the sudden affection. "And when we get back to the Enterprise, I'm giving you even better quarters to make up for asking you to leave in the first place."

The fact that it took Diana a few moments to reply was far more of a boost to his ego than he needed. "Y-You don't need to do that - "

"I absolutely do. Captain's orders." With her so close, still ready to do whatever was necessary to protect him and his crew, Jim knew they'd be all right. If he could just come back from whatever trials the Nexus would throw him into. And if he didn't… at least he got to see her. Maybe it wasn't just Steve Trevor's memories. He wasn't in his head right now, and he wanted to tell her how badly she'd woken her way into his heart. "He really loves you…" Jim said. Oh, hell, Jim, he's not the only one.

Taking a deep breath, slipping from her grip and settling back into his role as Captain, he nodded and began to backpedal towards the group again. "Your Majesty…"

Pivoting back on his heel, he faced the group and made his way over to Spock, clapping his friend on the back. Spock glanced over at him, sufficiently perturbed for Jim's liking. "Jim, this will not be 'fun.'"

"Sure it will, Spock." He sighed. "Be optimistic. I'm just going to run through my mind like searching personal logs. It'll be great."

The Vulcan didn't agree, or at least didn't bother to say anything. Instead, he turned to the now open doors where the Nexus swirled as a terrible storm. "The ritual is typically performed with individuals who are stationary, but I believe I can begin the connection here just before entry."

"Very well." Apollo said.

The three men moved to the doorway. Jim could feel his heart rate spike, but he also knew the feeling of a good thrill. He was ready. This was an adventure. And Jim Kirk never thought too hard about why he was on an adventure. The journey was always as good as the destination. Taking a deep breath as he surveyed the temporal anomaly, Jim finally turned to face Spock. He couldn't have asked for a better companion for this. "All right. Time to sort this out once and for all."

Standing between Apollo and Jim, Spock first reached out and pressed his fingers gently to Jim's face. Ambassador Spock had done the same many years ago now, but the immediate shock of feeling someone touching his mind telepathically was impossible to miss.

On Spock's other side, he did the same to Apollo.

The moment Spock's mind touched Apollo's, Jim suddenly felt like he really knew nothing.

Jim, I must urge you to remain focused on my thoughts. Spock's voice seemed to drive home like a pick into a rock wall. I will now attempt to focus the neural pattern of Steve Trevor into the mind of Apollo.

Jim paused, could hear himself breathing. He knew that to Guinan and Diana, it probably looked like nothing was happening. But, he could feel so much.

He could feel Apollo. He could feel the way he thought of humans, of how he was elated by the the belief and worship. How he craved that, how the Argelians had given him that.

Jim had wandered too far. He could feel Spock pulling him back.

And then they stepped forward into the Nexus, just past the doors.

Jim wasn't sure if he heard the doors close behind him… or mortar fire.

Diana's fingertips still burned from where they had touched his skin, even after the doors to the Nexus had closed. As much as it ached for her to see them walk through that threshold into certain danger, her heart ached more knowing that she could not help Jim face his past. Their past. But, she knew he had been right. While she could have certainly gone into the Nexus, unafraid of the trials, she did not know if she could have pulled herself from the throes of her loved ones, long gone.

She had heard tales of the Elysian Fields. Heroes wanted for nothing, and enjoyed bliss of all that they had in life and more. Would Diana have been able to say goodbye to Antiope, when she had so much she wanted to tell her? Or her mother? If she had seen Steve in the fields, would she had been able to go back to this new world, full of terrors and wonders alike, or bask forever in the eternal bliss of snow-dusted nights and simple pleasures?

"It's better that you don't think about what's beyond those doors." Guinan said beside her, also watching the doorway.

Diana smiled, ignoring the tinge of embarrassment that the woman had clearly read her so well. She tore her gaze away from them and turned instead to face the Oracle. "It does seem very easy to get lost."

"And the older you get, the longer the list of people you want to visit gets." Guinan motioned for Diana to follow her again. "You'd be surprised how many times I've had to tell people that."

The two of them sat on a stone bench, a comforting reminder of her own home and the beautiful craftsmanship of her sisters. In this setting, it felt easy to trust Guinan, as if the woman had always been part of the Amazons. Perhaps that is a blessing… I have questions, and we have nothing but time…

"I'm no stranger to loss," Diana said, then realized that might seem callous or dismissive. "In the moments after I met Steve, I lost my aunt and mentor. I lost him only days later. And I've had time to put those losses to bed. But, I do worry that had I gone into Elysium… Jim was right. I would have been tempted to stay, to see my mother and to see Steve again, as I remembered him. But, I never would have forgiven myself. Because to revisit the ghosts of my past, of the losses I have already come to accept… would mean letting go of Jim."

"Are you worried about letting him down, or are you worried for his safety?"

Diana considered Guinan's poignant question. She had not asked what Diana knew she wanted - or needed to say. "In truth, both." She breathed, surprised by the sudden onslaught of emotion that closed her throat. Not for the first time, Diana had to suppress the sudden, heart clenching fear that the Enterprise would be without their captain. And that she would be without him, having been too afraid to love a man who seemed to be everything she needed now. "This is my doing. I led Circe to him."

"Oh, Diana, that's not what happened." Guinan's hand on hers was warm, but the words didn't really make sense with what she knew.

"Of course it is. I was there."

"Those are the events as they occurred, yes, but those were set in motion by greater powers. It's in Jim's destiny to come to this point. And I know that because you're here." She suggested a greater power at work… A tapestry woven by others.

"The gods did this?" She asked, turning to the other woman.

"Yes, but not because they're cruel or capricious. But, because they wanted to honor you. And Jim is about to find out why." Guinan said it so simply, it seemed common sense. Yet, Diana didn't want to consider what the gods would do as a way to honor her. Gifts never came without a reason. "You wondered why he looked like Steve. Why you were drawn to him. You knew it wasn't coincidence, but… you're so giving, so selfless… I know you think you don't deserve special treatment, but sometimes you do. Diana, you can't recognize a gift when you see it."

"How is this a gift?" Diana scoffed at the notion, but then realized that Guinan had no reason to lie. She earnestly believed that this was somehow a gift. Diana didn't know if she was insulted or… scared. Scared of false hope, of what she would say or do, of… betraying Steve. "To torture me with Steve's face, with memories of the time that we lost - "

"But, you have that time now." Guinan urged. In her eyes, Diana could see the determination of a woman who clearly felt that Diana was missing part of the greater tapestry. "Jim Kirk is everything Steve Trevor could have been if he hadn't been lost to one of the most senseless wars in Earth's history."

"But, he is clearly his own person. Which means, they ask me to bury Steve's memory all over again." Diana stood, pacing as she tried to make sense of how the gods could do such a thing, ask such a price.

With a poise indicative of her position as oracle, Guinan also rose from the bench. She carefully strode closer, forcing Diana to stop in her pacing. "Diana, no. No one wants you or says that you have to give Steve up. Think of all the people you loved before and after him. Not romantically, but in a filial, platonic sense. When you lost friends, did you forget about them? Did you simply replace them?"

Etta and her bubbly smile immediately came to mind, from their first meeting to her last days. Diana felt the old grief well up, then swallowed it back down. No one would ever be Etta Candy. "Of course I didn't replace them."

"Exactly. Because the heart is limitless, Diana. When we lose someone, we don't purge the heart of their influence. And no one is asking for you to do that here, least of all Steve. He wants you to move forward with whoever that is for you. I don't know exactly what he asked for, but he knew it would lead Jim to you. And I believe that means he wanted you to give you something few people have: a true second chance, a blank slate. For both of you. If that's what you want." The notion that Steve would somehow move heaven and earth to find some way to guarantee her happiness… it sounded so much like him. "When Jim comes out of the Nexus, he might not have any memories or knowledge of Steve. If you take Steve completely out of the equation… how would you feel? Assume Steve is happy, no matter the outcome. That you're not insulting his memory, you're fulfilling his wishes for you."

She knew the answer. They both did. "I would be relieved beyond measure to have him back."

"Why is that? And be honest. If not for me, for yourself. You've been holding it in so long."

Diana knew she was right. It seemed…. So silly to hide now. It was hardly behavior worthy of an Amazon. Yet, her own mother had thought that guarding her heart would protect her daughter. Perhaps, it was the pitfall all queens fell into. But, she valued the truth. It was her calling. Almost idly, Diana's hand drifted to her side until she found her lasso. If she was going to be beholden to the truth, then let it be by the judgement of the gods. She wound the lasso gently around her hands, then looked up at Guinan, taking a deep breath.

"Because I love him." The truth spilled from her lips. "He is everything I loved in Steve. He has his courage, his desire to protect others, a great compassion. But, he is also so much more. He hasn't been broken by war, he hasn't let his trials, his defeats and his demons define him and break him. And I feel as if he is who Steve could have been in this time of wonder and opportunity, and that makes me want to protect him and his world even more. Because, I cannot lose him again and I have not been so shaken and frightened to lose someone in such a long time." When the words finally ceased, her hands shook and she found herself on the verge of tears. She couldn't say when those feelings had finally taken root, but they had followed her nonetheless.

"I think you have your answer." Guinan finally said. "And that is why you should stop torturing yourself. The Nexus has no ill will. If the Borg are the Anti-Life equation, then the Nexus is Life itself. Have faith in the Olympians. Be gracious. Let your heart build another compartment. Don't deny yourself happiness. You have more than enough room to love everyone."

Diana slowly unwound the lasso from her hands, then coiled and placed it back on her belt. Guinan had been right. The truth had been waiting to be voiced, and in doing so, the dread and guilt she had been carrying began to lift. But, confessing to Guinan was one thing. Telling Jim… and hoping he would understand….

"You know of the Borg?" Diana asked, changing the subject so that she could have something more objective to ponder.

"Yes. In fact, that was how I experienced the Nexus the first time. There's a…" She shifted in her seat. "A version of me. From another timeline. We were running from a small Borg sphere. Our ship accidentally got caught in the Nexus's ribbon. I would have stayed. But, the ship I was travelling on didn't remain in its grasp long enough." Guinan glanced back at the doors. "But... part of me is still in there, and waits for when I finally leave this world." After a moment, she motioned for Diana to take a seat once more on the bench.

"Spock said that it was made of temporal energy." Diana said as she sat, running those same fingers that had touched Jim's cheek over the straps of her bracer to keep herself calm and grounded. She didn't know if she could keep talking about Jim, about her heart and how difficult it had been to move forward. "I had a friend, a hero who was called The Flash. He, too, could travel through time. He told me that to do that, he had to harness what he called the Speed Force. And that it was terrible and yet gave him more power than he thought possible." She sighed and looked over to Guinan, allowing the truth of the matter to settle in her stomach. "But, for all of that, he said it felt like home. As if he was on the cusp of paradise. It was the Nexus he touched, wasn't it?"

Guinan nodded, the same placid smile on her face suggesting that she wasn't at all surprised by Diana's questions. "Yes. And it's had many names to many cultures and peoples, but in the end, it exists in all times and places. Because part of me is still in the Nexus, I have… these feelings of what could happen. It's how I knew Jim Kirk without ever having met him. I've met the captain of an Enterprise, or at least, some version of me has. I even know that one day, Klingons will be as welcome on the Enterprise as Vulcans and Orions are. It's how I knew you were on your way. I imagine that someone like The Flash gleaned his ability because part of him is still there."

Diana didn't reply, but given how she knew Barry had received his gifts, it seemed all too obvious now. Barry had been dead according to medical professionals for moments before miraculously recovering. Perhaps in that time, he had touched the Nexus. She chuckled a little at the notion that the Speed Force had followed Barry home like a stray dog.

"I remember him, actually." Guinan's admission caught her by surprise. "The red suit, he was always incredibly personable to the people he saved." At Diana's stunned expression, she continued on. "Earth has been one of my favorite places to visit. I've been there several times, although not since the Eugenics War. I was in Paris when you killed Medusa. Personally, I preferred San Francisco around the turn of the 20th century. I gave Samuel Clemens a run for his money."

Diana shook her head, impressed and a bit disbelieving. "Amazing. Why haven't you come back, then? Why are you here?"

For the first time since they had met, Guinan's smile, kind and warm as it was, slipped off of her features. Instead, Diana could see fear, grief… loss. "My homeworld was… " She took a deep breath before confessing to Diana. "Assimilated. I'm sure you understand that term." Before Diana could offer condolences or her honest surprise, Guinan continued on. "My home is far across the galaxy, in the Delta quadrant. The Borg assimilated them about a hundred years ago."

"But... " Diana was at a loss. They had been so sure they had eliminated Darkseid. And when they had found Vanessa, she had desperately hoped it had been serendipity. "If they are out there, consuming worlds, then I must stop them. This is Darkseid's legacy and it was our duty to remove the stain he placed on this galaxy."

Guinan stared at her for a long moment, searching her face for some unknown reason. After some consideration, she exhaled, as if the weight of the world were on the woman's shoulders. And to some extent, that was true. Diana could sense that clearly. Whether it was from having seen Apollo, the sibling god who had agreed that she would be a goddess of truth, or from her gradual re-awakening into this new age, she didn't know. She only knew that Guinan felt profound responsibility to this place, to her knowledge of the galaxy and infinite timelines.

"Diana, you cannot solve every problem today. And I can't tell you that you're going to solve the problem of the Borg tomorrow. When you see as much as I do, it's impossible to tell which timeline is going to be the one that comes to fruition. I didn't tell you about my homeworld so that you could start on some crusade against the Borg. I told you so that you understand that if you plan to be the champion of this new era, you will need to understand the greater forces at work around you." Guinan laced her fingers together and rested her hands in her lap. "In fact, you have more to fear from the Romulans than you do the Borg. I knew it was a possibility, but the likelihood has gone from one of my feelings to an absolute."

"What do you mean? I haven't seen Romulans since Jim brought me to the Enterprise." Diana recalled the centurions still held in custody on Themyscira. For a moment, she wondered what Kal had done in her absence. Had he imprisoned them? One of them had fallen on his own blade rather than be taken into custody. Were they even alive?

"Diana, you're a goddess. Your understanding of the world around is far greater than you let on, and more than you like to expand your senses." Guinan looked up at the roof, as if she could see past the frescoes and to the sky beyond. "When you were a child and you faced the sun, what were you looking for?"

Diana slowly stood, looking up at the ceiling. "I was seeking clarity…" She muttered, aware that something was pulling her focus away from the temple around them and… beyond. Above… Closing her eyes, Diana's senses opened as she sought the truth in her surroundings. Now that she had faced the truth about Jim, about her heart, she could open her heart and her mind to more.

She felt the Argelians as they worshipped, enthralled and praying for Apollo's blessing. She stretched further, expecting to feel the crew of the Enterprise. Instead, she felt something… darker…

She felt…

"Ares…" She breathed. She knew the taste of that particular god's drug. Someone's hand was moving, but it wasn't directly from the god of war. They were fueling his machinations somewhere in the galaxy, to be sure, but there was always war somewhere. This was not him.

This was personal. Diana felt the heat of vendetta as it assaulted her senses.

She snapped her eyes open as she recognized the sensation. "Romulans. A warbird. They're here, but why?"

Before answers could come, there was a sudden rush of sound outside the temple. Then, half the roof came down over their heads.

Without thinking, Diana sped with the fury of the gods. Drawing her shield, she took hold of Guinan around the waist and cleared her to safety as debris and columns fell. She covered the other woman's body with her own, shield held aloft until the torrent finally ended.

As the dust barely settled, Diana stood straight and rushed to lift the fallen columns. To her sorrow, two of the acolytes had not been fast enough. Nevertheless, she pulled them free, cradling each gently before setting them down before Guinan. "Why would they attack the temple?" Diana asked, stricken.

"They're under orders." Guinan knew that it was a possibility. That this was the timeline she had seen. "The Romulans are here for you, Diana."

Diana craned her neck again, looking up at the hole in the roof. The sky beyond was in strange shades of red and cold from the Nexus, anchored on the far doors. She couldn't see the Romulan ship, but she knew it had to be there.

"If they hit the temple again, we could lose them. Jim and Spock will be lost to us for the next 38 years."

The thought chilled her. Yet, it set her resolve. The smirk, a promise to rise to the challenge of her enemies, crossed Diana's features as her shield slipped from her fingers to the ground. "We'll see about that."

Focusing her strength, Diana crouched down to ground herself for the moment. "If they want me, let's see if they can handle me."

With the force to equal Kal's, Diana shot from the ground, soaring through the gap in the roof and up to the sky beyond.

She heard the startled cries of worshippers, but her eyes remained focused above. Soaring ever higher, she could finally spot the vessel in the sky: a small grey toy compared to the real thing.

A green dot flickered, then grew larger.

Disruptor beam… she realized. It was headed for the temple, for her.

But, it would not succeed.

Diana's diadem began to glow as she flew closer, then came to a halt mid-air. "I am Diana, daughter of Hippolyta. I am Queen of the Amazons and Champion of Themyscira!" She shouted to the wind, willing them to defy her from afar. "I hereby uphold the duty of the Amazons and will protect those that call to my brother! I deny your claim upon this world and those guarded by Apollo! You shall not harm them!"

The beam reached her, several meters across. Diana crossed her arms, summoning the same divine power she first used against Ares so long ago. She screamed in righteous fury as she - both in body and with the divine halo of energy around her - connected with the disruptor beam, letting it blow her back several meters before she halted its progress.

She loved. It was her great truth. It freed her and it would wrap around this planet as the great cloak of her mother had done. They could come to destroy, but, they would pummel against The Goddess of Truth in all her splendor.

Shimmering in white light, Diana's power flowed through her in golden force that dispersed the beam with nowhere else to go. As the disruptor beam came to its natural conclusion, Diana summoned that great power within and threw the energy back as her bracelets separated.

Lightning of the gods soared back out to the ship, coupled with residual disruptor fire. From here, Diana couldn't see the damage as more than a pinprick of fire, but she knew she had struck home.

Galvanized, Diana prepared for another strike.

She would destroy the ship by herself, if necessary. No one else would die today.

That was the Truth.

And once Diana knew the Truth, it was Absolute.