I've made my bed in the viper's den,
Nothing can save me now that honor's dead
I can't rely on this anymore
I can't rely on this anymore

I watched them weave the noose around me
I watched them raise the gallows high
Never saw the fools that hung before me
Never saw the warning sign

-Honor Is Dead by Wovenwar

"So let me get this straight," Superman began, looking across the table at John and Flash. "Vandal Savage has a gun aimed at Flash's head and Batman arrives in the nick of time to deflect it and put a stop to him?"

"That's right," Flash said, leaning back in his seat, feet propped up on top of the table. He was busy licking an ice cream cone to death, vanilla smeared all over his mouth. "Pretty close call, if you ask me."

The Kryptonian stared at the man before continuing, "He then leaves, sends in his report on the incident, along with his resignation taped to it? Am I missing something here?"

Indeed that pretty much summed up the situation. John had been just as shocked at the others with the vigilante's sudden withdrawal, especially after being gone for a whole month. There was no rhyme or reason to it; in fact, he didn't even give them a reason. All the note had said was, "I hereby resign from the Justice League, effective immediately." Any further contact or attempts for clarification had gone unanswered. John suspected the radio silence was more intentional than accidental.

Superman ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "This still doesn't make any sense to me."

"When does Bats ever?" Flash asked rhetorically. "I mean, the guy decides to go undercover without telling anyone, even his sidekick. Just, poof, vanishes from sight, makes us think he's dead, and then returns right when I need him to pull my keister out of the fire. What sane person does that? Not that I'm complaining."

"It does seem sudden," John admitted. "And he was acting a bit strange, even for him. He wouldn't let any of us touch him in that ballroom."

"Bats isn't a touchy-feely kind of guy," the red-clad man pointed out.

"With us, sure, but Diana? Weren't they hanging out with each other out of costume?"

The other two men were silent. "Got me there," Flash said after awhile. "Maybe it has more to do with the secret identity thing? I mean, we were at the White House; there's security cameras everywhere. Imagine someone getting footage of Bats and Wondy hugging it out, then you have a rather beautiful woman on Bruce Wayne's arm who looks like Wondy's twin. Sounds too much like a coincidence, if you ask me."

"That's a fair point," Superman acknowledged. "But even then, you would think he'd stay in contact. From what I've heard, he's cut off all communication with us, including her."

Flash whistled. "Damn, that's cold."

Ain't that the truth. "Well, if this is his choice, we can only respect it," John said after a moment. "It's not going to help us to guess why he left; we'd just be running around in circles trying to figure it out. We have more important things to worry about than that."

The other two nodded their agreement. "So where are the others?" Flash asked as he began biting down on his cone. "Pretty sure we invited everyone, not just us dudes."

It didn't make sense. Diana had played it all over and over in her head she still couldn't make sense of it.

The rejection, the resignation, the silence—what was going on?

This behavior, it was different. Things between them had been good, or so she thought,at least up until Bruce's alleged death—again. The relief she had felt upon seeing him alive and well had overwhelmed her. She had needed to make sure he was real, standing there in all his dark gloom, and not some figment of her imagination.

But then he stepped back.

She hadn't seen it coming. He must've known what such a gambit would do to her, to his friends. She had been an emotional wreck upon thinking he was dead; his avoidance of her felt like a sledgehammer to the stomach. And now he was leaving the League? Why? Had they done something to offend him? Did they do something to drive him away? What was it? She had to know!

Thankfully, that's where she had a Sister to help her root through this change of heart.

Shayera was leaning her back against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. Diana was sitting on the edge of her bed, leaning forward with her arms on her legs. They had been like this for some time now, trying to puzzle this development out—with very little to show for their efforts, unfortunately.

"I gotta say, I'm stumped," the redhead admitted—not what the Amazon wanted to hear. "He's not even talking to you?"

She shook her head. "No, not one word."

A pause. "How many times have you tried to get in contact?"

"I'm not sure, but at least once a day. He's never picked up."

"Maybe he's tired and needs to rest?" the winged woman suggested. "I mean, he has to be tired after all he did. That mission report he sent in was detailed."

That it was. The report was several pages long and detailed a thorough investigation into the inner workings of Savage's plot and organization, something Batman was known for. There was nothing unexpected with that. "Except that there have been Batman sightings throughout Gotham," she pointed out, squashing that theory. As much as she would've liked that explanation, it didn't make sense with that piece of information.

"He has been gone for a month. With the way Gotham is, he probably has to reassert his presence on it, you know, to get everyone back in line. Who really knows how much effort that takes?" Shayera countered.

"But without appearances by Bruce Wayne?" Which was another thing. Though Batman's reappearance in Gotham had not gone unnoticed, Bruce Wayne had yet to emerge from seclusion. Why one and not the other? Diana shook her head in frustration. "None of this is making sense."

"Well, he does have two identities to juggle," the redhead pointed out. "I don't know about you, but if both men disappeared at the same time, only to come back—again, at the same time—I don't know about you, but that would seem pretty suspicious to me."

That...did make some kind of sense. Perhaps if the Amazon had actually experienced a secret identity, it would make even more sense. That made her feel slightly better, but not by much.

Shayera was thoughtful for a moment then. "Well, I didn't want to be the one to say this, and maybe I'm wrong, but is it possible he's just not that into you?"

Diana gave her a look, which caused the Thanagarian to raise her hands up in surrender. "Just a thought," she defended herself.

The Amazon sighed. "Apologies, Sister. I've just never experienced this before. It...it…"

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does."

This time, they both sighed simultaneously. "So what do I do?" Diana asked after while.

"Well, I could tell you a hundred different ways to get his attention, but knowing the guy in question, it'd probably only annoy him and put you in a worse spot." Her Sister paused. "Really, there's only one thing to do."

"Which is?"

"Wait."

Diana stared at her. "That's it? Just wait?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Well...no…

Shayera shrugged her shoulders then. "Look, the one who has the problem is Batman, not you. Some time in the the last month, he got a bug up his ass. There's not much you can really do about it. For now though, let him figure out what's going on; any interference on your part is just going to drive him deeper into that cave of his—and further away from you. So sit back and wait. Either he'll get his act together, or he won't."

That last part made her feel nervous. "What if he doesn't?" she questioned timidly.

"Then perhaps you need to move on."

Move on? It was just two words, but immediately Diana did not like them. No, she would not just "move on." She needed to get to the bottom of this and she would do as much. They were adults, were they not? She was owed an explanation at a minimum.

In spite of her determination, however, she knew just who she was going up against; this would not be easy. But as her mother had once told her, nothing worth having came easy.

This was a new, if unfamiliar, challenge.

"It was a long time before I came back, but by then, Superman's Regime had consolidated power and had recruited new members. The Insurgency had done the same, but they were weakening. Once it was realized that lobotomizing could be reversed with the right power, the Regime began killing everyone that stood in their way. "

With a push of a button, the screen froze. On it was the face of Cassandra, the two burn marks on her forehead. Bruce stared at the image, much like he had for the last couple of days. It was only when he was alone in the cave and this time's Cassandra had retired to the Manor. Tonight was different, however.

For one, he had yet to go on patrol. The reason for that was because of the second difference: he wasn't alone. Standing next to the chair, J'onn J'onzz stared at the screen. For once, his face wasn't its familiar stoicism, instead his eyes had widened, mouth agape.

Part of Bruce felt a pit forming in his stomach. He had been over theories and conjectures with knowing of the future and all had indicated silence was the best course of action. Never reveal to the present what the future may hold lest it inadvertently comes true. That didn't even factor in the possibility of a darker, ever worse future.

That's where another part was at war with him. While he had returned from that dystopian future, he hadn't returned empty-handed. It wasn't much, just a flash drive, but it contained every frame the lens in his cowl had recorded during his time in the future. It was why Future Cassandra's face was now on the supercomputer's screen.

He just wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing with it.

"This is a lot to take in," J'onn said after awhile, schooling his face into its familiar stoic features. He then turned his head to look at the seated vigilante. "Are you sure this is all true?"

Bruce nodded in response. "Confirmed by multiple sources, even the ones in question."

"It's hard to believe the Justice League would go so far," the Martian remarked as he returned his attention to the screen. "Why share it with only me?"

"You heard Cassandra. You were the only one to realize the League was going down a wrong path. You even tried to stop them." He then nodded towards the monitor. "You even restored her mind. You're the only one I can trust."

There was a slight frown on J'onn's face. "You speak as if I've already done these things."

The dark-haired man shook his head. "I just came back from a time where you had. It's still stuck in my head to be honest."

"Fair enough." A pause. "Is this why you resigned from the League?"

Another pause. "It is."

"If you don't mind my asking, why?"

Bruce's eyes glazed over and he stared into space for a moment. "I...I feel as if I'm losing my objectivity. All this time with the League, I knew the possibility for it to go rogue existed, but it still struck me hard to actually see it in person. To see them purposefully blinding themselves, believing they were doing the right thing as they murdered and subjugated...I need it back. I need my objectivity back and I can't get it if I'm still around the very people who tortured and murdered the only family I have left. That twisted future wasn't just a world where the League goes rogue; it was a world where they went rogue and I wasn't there to stop it."

There was a moment of silence before, "You have confided in me, so you are not alone in this," J'onn pointed out. When Bruce gave him a questioning look, he continued, "Although I am alarmed by what you have shown me, I too wish to prevent the day the League may go rogue. But we can be more effective by remaining within the League, guiding it, ensuring it does not make the same mistakes. This video footage you brought back with you, this is our key. You can do so much more by staying with us."

Bruce grimaced. The very thought of staying...it sickened him. In fact, the reason for that was because of a certain clown's words that were now echoing through his head. No doubt J'onn could hear them as well. "That's where we disagree." He sighed. Ever since he had returned, a thought had been nagging at him from the back of his head and it had only grown louder. "When the Joker was trying to take out the League, he and I...talked."

"You and I have both had bad days. It has shaped who we are and what we've become. Those heroes, they haven't tasted defeat, much less been at rock bottom. Imagine if they were to have their entire world shattered before their eyes—do you honestly think they would stay the same?"

The Martian didn't respond, merely watching him with his orange eyes. "He asked me what I thought if the League had a bad day. At the time, I believed it would weather such a day and become stronger for it. Now...now, I'm not so sure."

"You cannot allow the words of a madman to influence you," J'onn warned him.

"How can it? I was there. I saw in very stark detail what a bad day would do to the League and it wasn't pretty." He swallowed deeply, the taste of bile souring the back of his throat. "As much as I hate to agree with anything the Joker says, I can't say that he was wrong about this."

J'onn was silent for a moment, a disturbed look on his face. "Based on the evidence you've presented, I too am having trouble against that argument. Still, I do not believe you should allow those words to influence your judgement. There is still much good you can do as part of the League rather than alone."

The dark-haired man stared into space, not acknowledging the green man's words. J'onn made sense, admittedly, but everything was too fresh, a wound yet to have healed. He had to get that across to him. He then looked the Martian in the face. "Tell me, J'onn, as a parent, could you work with the person that killed your children?"

J'onn was taken back by that question, but Bruce could see the initial bewilderment change to curiosity to realization. "Is that truly how you feel about her?" he asked with an undertone of surprise.

"It is. If it takes my dying breath, I will not let any harm come to her. We may not be blood, but she is my daughter in every sense of the word."

A sad smile appeared on the green man's face. "I understand, my friend. Though it saddens me to see your departure, know that your seat at the table is still yours."

Bruce would've snorted, but repressed the urge. He rather doubted he'd return to the League, not when he was needed somewhere else. At one time he would've said Gotham, but that wasn't the truth, not now. He was needed in his own home.

Somewhere in the darkness, he could hear a door opening.

"If the League represents the threat you've experienced, it would be wise to speak with them, show them what one misstep will lead to," the Martian continued after a moment. "We are still at a state where all of that can be prevented."

"And what? Inform them that I'm watching them like a hawk?" Bruce snorted with derision. "They may try to prevent that future from happening, but there's also the possibility they'll go that way regardless of their intent. Eventually, they'll turn their eyes to us and see us as not friends, but obstacles to be overcome. Superman was willing to fight me to the death to protect his throne; he even burned you alive when he realized you weren't falling in line." He then shook his head. "No, I will not put myself, or Cassandra, or you into that firing line blindly. Maybe my interference at the White House has changed this timeline; if that's the case, there's no point in telling them. If it hasn't, we need the element of surprise to take them down. Silence, in this case, is our ally."

It took awhile, but eventually J'onn nodded his agreement. "It is not in my nature to be duplicitous, but there is merit to what you say. What about recruiting allies? Surely the more eyes we have on the League, the greater our chances are at countering a Justice League takeover."

"Or we'll start a fracturing of the League and the superhero community at large."

Another pause. "What about just a small handful? If building ranks is not an option, then quality should surely be more palatable."

"Who would you have in mind?"

"The Flash, for one."

Bruce found himself shaking his head. "Flash is someone I believe will make the right decision when presented, but he isn't one to entrust a secret of this magnitude. He barely contains himself with gossip. For now, it should only be the two of us."

"If you believe that is wise." For awhile, in seemed like neither one of them had anything else to say. Eventually, J'onn said, "I will keep an eye on the League for now. If I see any inclination that the League is going down a dark path, I will keep you informed." He then looked to the computer screen once more. "What do you intend on doing with this?"

"Keep it. I'll have it locked away where it can't be found," he answered.

This time, he received a disapproving look from the Martian. "I cannot say that is a wise course of action."

"Aside from needing proof?" he replied evenly, then looked at the screen as well. "I admit, I do have another reason: her. After everything that happened, she deserves so much more than what she got. She deserves to be more than just a figment of my memory. Even if the future is changed for the better, wiping that nightmare out of existence, that doesn't change the fact that she was here for a time. This is all I have left of that girl and I refuse to let her be forgotten."

"Not necessarily. She is alive and well in the here and now."

Bruce hit a key on the keyboard, which closed the window, taking the image with it. He ejected the thumb drive out of the computer and held it tightly in his hand. "Yes and no, I suppose. This Cassandra won't ever be the jaded woman I met. She won't have those experiences, thus she might as well be a different person."

"Which isn't necessarily a bad thing." J'onn leaned towards him. "Right now, you have an opportunity I have longed for: a second chance with your family. I highly encourage you not to waste this chance. Cassandra may not be the woman you know her to become, but here in this present, she deserves your attention."

That gave Bruce pause. He hadn't quite thought of this that way, but now, perhaps, J'onn was right. So far he had countered the man's every suggestion with logic and determination. Now, the pleading tone in the Martian told him that perhaps he needed to listen.

This was a second chance, not at life, but at quality of life.

"You're right," he admitted eventually. "I can't say for sure that I'll make the right decisions, but—"

"All parents know of this truth," J'onn interrupted him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "All that we can do is try."

They fell into silence then. It seemed they had exhausted this conversation. "If that is all, I will be taking my leave," the Martian told him, drawing his hand back to him.

"Just a moment." By then, the dark-haired man could make out the sound of footsteps drawing closer. "There's something I would like to ask of you."

J'onn stared at him before looking towards the staircase. It seemed he didn't need to be a telepath to guess what his request would be. "Are you certain about this?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," he responded truthfully. "Which is why I'm going to ask her."

As if on cue, Cassandra, young and innocent, emerged from the darkness of the stairs. She carried her reading and writing supplies in her arms, her feet tapping down on each step as she descended them. By the time she reached the bottom, she looked up and stopped, staring at Bruce and J'onn. They, in turn, returned the look.

There was a silence between them that stretched for quite awhile. It wasn't until Bruce cleared his throat that it was broken. "Cassandra, I would like to introduce you to J'onn J'onzz." He glanced to the Martian before returning his gaze to the girl. "He's a friend, someone you can trust."

Immediately, Cassandra nodded her acceptance. The lack of a verbal response was like a punch to the gut, but he pushed through it. "He can help you with your learning, make it easier for you. It's your choice if you want to accept his assistance."

The girl looked between the two men, unsure of how to respond. Either she didn't understand, or didn't know what the correct response was. Ultimately, she focused on him, patiently waiting for his take on things.

That just wouldn't do.

"This is your decision," he told her. "Whatever you decide, I will stand by it."

Again, she stared at him, but this time she slowly looked to J'onn. The Martian offered her a small, warm smile. He would not influence her anymore than Bruce would.

She then raised a hand and pointed at the taller man. "Help?" she questioned.

Bruce nodded. "Help."

She hesitated. For a moment, she looked down at her books, then back to J'onn, then to him. All the while, Bruce watched her, waiting for her decision.

Then she took a step towards J'onn.

To the first Guest reviewer: At least it started as one lol. The Justice League isn't finished, though they will have to carry on with Gotham's favorite Bat.

To the second Guest reviewer: Thanks for noticing. I never know if the people following the story know or care, but I like to keep tabs on it, some stats more than others.

To the third Guest reviewer: I'm not sure if you're saying I don't have respect for Diana, or not. Overall I do, but every character has their flaws. Her scene in this chapter, for instance, I felt was a little out of character, but I was hoping to make it come across as confusion falling a first breakup. Now if you're referring to Batman's rant about the Amazons, that's something different. That has more to do with the Amazon people than Diana.

To Shadow: It's a nice ship to be on lol

To Melissa: Thanks for coming to my defense lol. I hope you continue to enjoy this series as it progresses

To third Guest reviewer, second review: I'm not sure how you've come to your conclusions, but please keep it civil when responding to other reviewers. I do not want to disable anonymous reviewing as I enjoy letting those without accounts give feedback, but I will if I have to. This goes for other anonymous reviewers as well

And with that, Fallen Olympus has come to a close. It's been quite a ride with this one. I would like to thank everyone that has read, reviewed, and enjoyed this story. Y'all have made this the most reviewed story of my and Anonymous Void's series by a landslide. It was the first of the series to reach not only 100 reviews, but 200, which is no easy feat. So once again, thank you all for your time and words. They mean quite a bit to us, especially for our longest worded and chaptered story of the series. This is also my first 200k word story as well—not to mention my longest story I've ever written—so it'll hold a special place in my library of stories.

Now, this series is not over, not by a long shot. The next story is a return to Gotham and is currently being written and we're going under the working title of The Eighth Sin. It will be posted under my account, so stay tuned for it.

Again, thank you everyone for reading.

Until next time,

ShadowMajin