Chapter 9

Batcave; September 5th, 00:04 EST

Bruce paused to rub his eyes with his thumb and forefinger before continuing to read through the information that he had uncovered on his laptop. He'd spent hours poring over Greek mythology…mythology that he'd never believed in but had discovered long ago was all too real thanks to Diana's arrival in his life.

Now, he needed to know everything that he could get his hands on about Cronus. He knew that Cronus was behind Devastation's creation and dramatic entrance into their lives but was he also behind the curse that had been placed on Diana? That was what he needed to know now.

The problem was no one was willing to give them any information or help to save his wife.

Bruce glanced over at her, sighing wearily. He missed her deeply and physically ached to hold her in his arms again and to see her beautiful smile that always lit up his whole world. He felt his throat seize with emotion, but he forcefully swallowed it away. He couldn't allow his emotions to rule right now. Diana needed him.

"Poor Di-Di."

Bruce's head snapped up to find Hermes sitting on the chair on the opposite side of Diana's bed. "Hermes, what are you doing here?" he demanded to know.

"I heard about Diana," he revealed. "I had to come see her for myself."

Bruce couldn't help but notice the sorrow in Hermes's eyes. He truly cared about Diana. It was comforting to know at least a couple of Diana's relatives cared. "Do you know anything about who is behind this? Who did this to her?"

Hermes drew a deep breath, visibly torn about how to answer. The internal struggle was playing out upon his face "Hera has forbidden anyone from telling you who is behind the curse. You're supposed to figure it out for yourselves."

"Why?" Bruce demanded to know. "Why is Hera blocking all efforts to save Diana?"

"I wish I knew," Hermes replied with a shrug. "Hera won't reveal her reasons, only that no one is to interfere or reveal anything."

Bruce did his best to contain his mounting anger and frustration, but it was becoming more than difficult to keep a tight hold on it. "Please, Hermes, is there anything you can tell me? Anything that can point me in the right direction? I'll take whatever you can give me no matter how miniscule it might seem."

"You're going to get me in serious trouble, Brucie," Hermes told him.

"Listen to me!" Bruce snapped. "Diana is already in serious trouble. She could die if I don't find a way to save her from this curse."

Hermes thought for a long moment, deciding there had to be something he could do to save his cousin and still not be killed by Hera. "Okay, ask me a question and I'll see if I can at least throw you a few crumbs to follow up on."

Bruce set his laptop aside, sitting forward in his chair. "What can you tell me about Cronus?"

Hermes snorted as he averted his eyes. "He's the leader of the Titans," he began. "He's a nasty guy. He swallowed most of his children so they wouldn't dethrone him one day."

"I know all of that," Bruce told him, growing impatient. "I learned as much as I could about Greek mythology when Diana first joined the League. Right now, I need information that isn't in the history books or on the internet."

"Do you know that he hates the Amazons…especially Diana," Hermes informed him. "Diana was created by Hippolyta and Hades with Themyscirian clay. Cronus stole some of that same clay, creating a champion for himself for his own evil purposes…and the destruction of the Amazons."

"Devastation," Bruce murmured as the pieces began to fall into place like dominoes.

"Exactly," Hermes confirmed. "He had each of his dark children bless her with evil gifts. She's like the anti-Wonder Woman. As good and pure and full of love as Diana is, Devastation is the exact opposite."

"So that's why Devastation wants to kill Diana."

"Very much," Hermes continued. "In fact, I don't think she'll stop until she has killed Diana or Diana kills her. It's going to come down to a battle to the death I'm afraid…and I know how you feel about that."

Bruce slowly shook his head. "Diana can't even defend herself against Devastation…not in this state."

"Definitely not," he agreed as he gazed at Diana. "Let's hope Devastation doesn't find out about her Sleeping Beauty state or you could be in for some real trouble of your own. I think Diana is the only one who can take her down."

"Did Cronus have the curse put on Diana?"

Hermes shook his head in the negative. "I can't confirm that. You're going to have to figure that one out for yourself."

Bruce leaned forward to hold his head in his hands, his fingers curling into his hair. "I don't even know where to begin anymore," he bit out between clenched teeth. "We've been turning over every stone. Artemis and Jason are in the Underworld in hopes of talking to Hades."

Hermes chuckled at the unexpected revelation. "Good luck with that. Doesn't Artemis remember the last time she was there with Diana to save you? Hades wasn't all that welcoming."

"We're desperate, Hermes!" he nearly yelled. "We're trying everything we can think of to get to the bottom of this and save Diana's life."

Several moments of silence passed by before Hermes finally spoke again. "I will tell you that it's no coincidence that Devastation, the curse, and Diana's pregnancy are all happening at the same time."

Bruce's head shot up from his hands, his eyes widening with shock. "What does our baby have to do with this?" he questioned, panic slithering up like a serpent summoned from the pit of his stomach.

"One of your daughters will take over the mantle of Wonder Woman one day, but it's not the one that you think," Hermes cryptically revealed. "That is all I can say. You're going to have to connect the dots from there."

Bruce stared in utter shock at him, his mind reeling with the unexpected information. "Kaia won't become Wonder Woman one day?"

Hermes gave him a knowing smile. "Take care of Diana, Bruce. Aphrodite is protecting your daughter for a reason. Diana carries a baby who will one day become an even greater champion than her mother."

"How do you—" Bruce began only for Hermes to disappear. "Hermes! Hermes! Is something going to happen to Kaia?"

"Hey, what's going on?" Donna asked with a frown as she quickened her approach with the sound of Bruce's shouting. "What was Hermes doing here?"

"Checking on Diana," he murmured, feeling as if the wind had just been knocked out of him. His mind was a whirlwind of questions and dread.

"Did he tell you how to save Diana?"

"No, but he did give us something to go on…more than we had before," he informed her as his eyes fell on his sleeping wife. "How do you feel about becoming Wonder Woman?"

"What?" Donna incredulously exclaimed, arms folding across her chest in defiance. "I am not taking over the mantle of Wonder Woman. Diana is coming back to us, Bruce. I refuse to give up on her."

"I'm not giving up on her either," he insisted. "You know I would never give up on her, but Devastation is not going to give up either until she meets Wonder Woman head-on."

Donna's gaze fell on her sister, realization washing over her. "You want me to pacify her…make her think I'm Diana."

"I know it's asking a lot, Donna, but—"

"I'd love to take her on," she interrupted him with a darkening look that made the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "If she wants to take Diana's life, she's going to have to get through me first."

Bruce relaxed minutely with the sense of relief that drifted through him. It was the first time since this all started that he began to feel as though there might be a light at the end of this very dark tunnel that seemed interminable to him.

Gotham; September 5th, 00:43 EST

"He's dead," the Riddler insisted, slamming his fist on the table. "I'm telling you I killed him. Robin is no more."

Penguin rolled his eyes as he lit his cigarette, clearly unimpressed. "Until I see his lifeless body, I refuse to believe that Robin is dead."

"If you had seen how much blood he lost, you'd believe he was dead too."

"I have to agree with Penguin," Poison Ivy interjected. "There have been too many times that we believed that one of them was dead only for them to return."

"Have you seen Robin around Gotham lately?" Riddler questioned them. "Have you seen the little bird flitting around the city, going from rooftop to rooftop?"

"No, but that doesn't mean he's dead," Scarecrow said.

"Either way, let's assume that he's alive until we find out otherwise," Penguin ultimately decided. "Now, who's our next target?"

A devious smile spread across her lips as she twirled a red curl around her finger. "Whichever one I can draw into my web."

"I have a trap of my own I'm more than anxious to spring on the Batclan," Scarecrow revealed.

"Just bring back evidence of your victory this time," Penguin replied, glaring at Riddler. "We need more proof than your word. It's no secret that we don't trust each other. This truce that we've forged will only last for as long as we continue to work together to rid Gotham of a common enemy."

"Well then," Ivy responded with a grin. "Let's get to work."

Thanagar; September 5th, 01:37 EST

Shayera carefully picked the lock to her sister's apartment while John stood guard behind her. She looked over her shoulder with a smile on her lips as she silently opened the door, stepping aside to let him enter first.

"Show off," he mumbled under his breath as he walked past her.

Shayera entered after him, closing the door as her green eyes quickly scanned Samara's apartment. It was neater than she had expected it to be, everything seemingly in its place. To say she was surprised would be an understatement.

John stopped in the middle of the room, turning towards her as she hummed to herself. "What is it?"

Shayera glanced up at him as she walked over to a small bookcase. "Her apartment is so clean."

"And…that's a bad thing?" he ventured with curiosity in his voice.

"No, just…surprising," she murmured as she picked up a framed picture of her and Samara as young girls.

"Was she messy like you?"

"Actually, she was much worse," she revealed.

John snorted in amusement. "That's saying a lot," he teased. "Do you think Erik cleaned it after Samara's death?"

"I don't know," she replied, gently caressing the picture with her thumb as memories of her childhood flooded her mind. "We'll have to ask him about it."

John walked over to see what she was looking at, gazing over her shoulder at the girls in the picture. "You were so cute with your red hair."

She chuckled softly. "I hated my red hair," she told him. "I always wanted Samara's blond hair."

"Your red hair is what first attracted me to you," he revealed, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"I can't believe Samara still has this picture," she said.

"Even though you weren't getting along towards the end, it doesn't mean that she still didn't love you, Shay."

"I know…it's just we were fighting right before this picture was taken," she replied. "She's told me she didn't want me to be her sister anymore."

"Ouch," he uttered with a frown. "You should've heard the things my sister and I used to say to each other. Now, I wish I could take it all back. I'm afraid it's just what siblings do."

"We were playing and laughing together an hour later."

"Exactly," he said. "Now, let's see what we can find here."

Shayera put the framed picture back on the shelf, knowing she had the same picture in the drawer of her bedside table where she kept all the things that were important to her. She turned and made her way to the kitchen.

She checked each drawer only to find everything just as it should be. The drawers were all tidily organized almost to the point of being obsessed. It caused Shayera to begin to wonder if this was truly her sister's apartment and not someone else's.

Shayera suddenly froze at the sound of the apartment door opening, relieved when she noticed Erik entering. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I thought you two would be here next, so I took a chance I'd find you here."

Shayera leaned her lower back against the kitchen countertop, crossing her arms against her chest. "Why is Samara's apartment so organized?" she questioned him. "She was messy for as long as I knew her."

Erik chuckled as he went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of ale. "She changed quite a bit once she started to get her life back together," he divulged. "She cleaned up, went to support meetings…started really organizing everything. It was an amazing transformation to witness."

"I can imagine," Shayera murmured, looking around the kitchen. "I'm just stunned. It doesn't look anything like an apartment Samara would have."

"She was really doing well, Shay," Erik insisted. "She was back on track and really happy about the future. We…we were going to get married eventually. I wanted to get married right away, but Samara wanted to take things slow to make sure she was back on her feet. She wanted to do it herself…be a hundred percent before getting married. She was doing it for herself, but she was also doing it for me…for us."

Shayera reached out to him, placing a hand on his forearm. "I'm sorry, Erik," she said. "I know you really loved Samara."

"With my whole heart," he softly replied, tears beginning to blur his vision. "That's why I contacted you as soon as she was found dead. I knew what they were saying about her death wasn't right. She was not using drugs again. She had been doing well for several months. She was determined not to have a relapse."

"How do you suggest we get our hands on the autopsy report?" John asked as he entered the kitchen.

Erik thought for a moment before responding. "Let me see what I can do," he told them. "I have a friend in the medical examiner's office. She might be able to get a copy for me."

"That would be helpful," John agreed. "I don't want to just go by what the police said. We need to see the report with our own eyes."

"Kantar was the detective on her case," Erik volunteered.

"Do you think Kantar would try to cover her death up for some reason?" John asked.

Shayera visibly stiffened at the mention of her former partner. He had been like a brother to her. The thought of him possibly being part of a cover-up or even behind her death made her ill. It was too much to try to accept right now. Samara hadn't even been gone for a week yet, her death something she was struggling to accept.

"I don't know what to believe anymore," Erik confessed with a sigh. "Right now, you two are the only ones I completely trust."

"You don't have any idea what was happening in the days leading up to her death?" Shayera questioned him.

Erik shook his head, pausing to take a sip of his drink. "She just said that she had discovered something that she couldn't tell me about," he maintained. "She didn't want me to get involved for some reason. I think she was afraid of someone, but I don't know who it could be."

"Is Fresia still around?" Shayera asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck as thought about Fresia. "Last I knew, but it's hard to say from one day to the next," he replied. "She was Samara's best friend since they were kids, but she was also her best drug buddy. She wasn't happy when Samara cleaned up. As far as I know, Fresia is still hitting the drugs pretty hard, even more so now that Samara is dead."

"We need to track her down," Shayera told John.

"Is it safe for her to see you?" John pointed out. "It might be best if I talk to her myself or Erik and I can do it."

"Maybe," Shayera admitted with a sigh. "I can have my commlink on so I can listen to your conversation."

"I'd be happy to help you track her down," Erik offered. "The last I heard she was living in a back alley on the east side of town. Just be prepared. She's become a real gutter rat. She's nothing like you remember when we were kids, Shay."

"Let's finish here and then we'll go see Fresia," Shayera decided.

"Do you guys want an ale?" Erick offered, opening the refrigerator door, and grabbing a bottle.

"I'll take one," Shay said, taking the offered bottle.

"No way," John replied, wrinkling up his nose in disgust as he held his hands up in front of him. "You could burn rust off pipes with that stuff."

Shayera grinned at him as she downed half the bottle. "It's not that bad," she told him. "This is like drinking juice on Earth."

"Juice spiked with gasoline," John corrected her.

Erik laughed as he followed the pair out of the kitchen. "You need to toughen your husband up, Shay."

"He's pretty tough," she said. "He's just not used to alien liquor, are you?"

John smiled at the memory of the two of them at that bar. He'd end up with the worst hangover of his entire life, but he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat because it was time spent with her. Shayera smiled in return, knowing what he was thinking about.

"Look through the apartment," Shayera told them. "If you find anything unusual, holler at us."

They each began searching through Samara's apartment, checking drawers, and flipping through books. Shayera wandered into Samara's bedroom, making her way to the bedside stand. She opened the drawer and immediately reached towards the very back, knowing that was where most people hid things.

Samara had proven no different.

Gotham; September 5th, 02:24 EST

Red Robin and Batgirl raced to the scene playing out in Chinatown. Tim had a sneaking suspicion that this was a trap much like what had drawn Damian in at the warehouse. He knew that Dick would be on his way once he was finished with the heroin drug house that he was assisting the GCPD in raiding.

"ETA two minutes," Red Robin reported to Oracle, pushing his motorbike faster.

"Be careful," she stressed, knowing that this was going to be trouble. "Don't you two end up like Robin or even worse."

"Don't worry," Tim assured her.

"That's easier said than done," Oracle snapped. "You guys keep me constantly worried."

Riding behind him, Batgirl patted Tim's shoulder, pointing ahead at the jaw-dropping sight that came into view. It looked like a botanical garden had erupted right in the middle of the street, vines and flowers of every kind growing uninhibited everywhere they looked.

"This is not good," Tim muttered his breath. Batgirl patted his shoulder again, raising her hand as if to ask what was going on. "Poison Ivy."

Batgirl had read about her, but they hadn't run into her yet. She was anxious to meet the female villain who could create a jungle in the heart of asphalt and steel. Reading about it on the computer didn't do justice to what she was witnessing now.

Green vines wound their way around everything, climbing up sides of buildings as if they were meant to be there. Large pink flowers bobbed gently in the wind, nodding their greeting to the guests who had finally arrived much to Ivy's delight.

Two for one. This was going to be a piece of cake.

"Be careful," Red Robin warned his partner as they leaped off his bike. "Poison Ivy is very dangerous. Do not turn your back on her."

Batgirl nodded her head in acknowledgment as she pulled a Batarang from her utility belt. She rarely utilized the weapons that Bruce had equipped her with, choosing rather to use her fists. Hand-to-hand combat was preferable to weapons, however, in this case, she had a feeling she was going to have to cut her way through the vegetation that surrounded them.

"Welcome to my paradise," Poison Ivy practically purred with glee as she appeared on the head of a flower as if it were a swing. "Don't you like what I've done with the place?"

"Not really," Red Robin ground out. "You need to turn it back to the way that it was."

"Now, why would I want to do that when I have it just the way that I like it?" she asked. "I think it's a dramatic improvement to the way it was before."

"I'm sure the residents of Chinatown would not agree with you," Red Robin countered, pulling his boa staff.

"Why don't you come closer so we can discuss it?" Ivy attempted to coax him.

"Watch her," Red Robin told Batgirl. "She can seduce you and control your mind, making you do her bidding."

Batgirl's jaw clenched rigidly, her grip on her Batarang tightening. She wasn't about to let this femme fatale control her mind. Tim needed his partner, and she wasn't about to let him down.

"You make me sound so…bewitching," she said with an enchanting laugh as she gracefully slid down the flower to land on her feet on the street below. Ivy slowly began to walk towards them, hips swaying as her smile grew.

Batgirl and Red Robin stood their ground, refusing to back up or show any sign of intimidation. Poison Ivy came to a stop several yards away from them. "Why don't we get to know each other a little better?"

"We know you and your tricks all too well," Red Robin stated.

Ivy snapped her fingers, bright green vines, and foliage slithering towards the pair of heroes. Batgirl somersaulted out of the way, narrowing missing a vine. Red Robin had a Venus Flytrap coming for him, opening its mouth wide and revealing rows of dagger-like teeth.

Saliva dripped from its mouth as it attempted to take Tim's head off. He quickly used his staff to defend himself and fight off the attack, slamming it hard on top of its head. It whimpered and whined before growling angrily, snapping its jaws viscously.

He wanted to check on Batgirl to make sure she was doing all right, but he knew he didn't dare take his eyes off the plant trying to eat him alive. The slightest distraction could cost him a limb or his life. Neither was acceptable.

Batgirl leaped out of the way of another vine as one snuck up behind her, wrapping itself around her ankle. She quickly sliced it off with the Batarang in her hand, avoiding being captured. Unfortunately, it didn't slow down the other vines that were intent on taking her prisoner.

She was rapidly running out of space as the vines and vegetation crept closer and closer, cornering her, and trapping her right where it wanted her. Tim wasn't fairing much better as his boa staff snapped in two, forcing him to use his hands to try to keep the jaws of the Venus Flytrap from slamming down on him.

Poison Ivy watched it all play out, wondering why they didn't just send a woman out to do a man's job. The Riddler had failed to permanently dispose of Robin as far as they knew, leaving them to wonder if he had been successful in his attempt.

Ivy wasn't about to have the same outcome.

She snapped her fingers again, summoning another Venus Flytrap to help its partner in riding the city of Red Robin. At the same time, Batgirl was slashing vines as quickly as they were coming at her, barely keeping ahead of them. It was only a matter of time before they bound her up like a mummy.

Reaching into her utility belt, she pulled out a Bat bomb, throwing it at the heart of Ivy's creation, creating a large explosion that rocked the area. Ivy screamed in utter shock and rage at the damage that Batgirl had done but refused to be defeated.

Red Robin sagged with exhaustion, his hands coming to rest on his thighs as sweat rolled down his face. Batgirl ran towards Poison Ivy, firing a grappling line that had her tied up, but not enough to completely stop her from creating her paradise.

She quickly went to work rebuilding the foliage that Batgirl had destroyed, vines coming out stronger and larger than the last ones. One snatched Batgirl around the leg, pulling her up into the air and dangling her like a prize.

Another one wound around Red Robin, drawing him up into the air as well. He struggled against the vines to get more Bat bombs out, but the vines were too strong. More Venus Flytrap heads began making their way towards their dinners, practically foaming at the mouth with the delicious treats that awaited them.

The vines tightened their hold on them, making it difficult to breathe. Batgirl struggled to get free but to no avail. Her vision began to tunnel as ringing filled her ears. More vines slithered up her body to wrap securely around her arms, this time thorns digging into her skin.

A volley of Bat bombs began exploding all around them, forcing the vines to release their hostages. Batman flew onto the scene, dropping to the ground near Poison Ivy. She screeched in fury as she freed herself from the grappling line, determined to outshine her partners.

"Come here and kiss me, Batman," she enticed him, reaching for him to pull him in for a kiss.

Instead, Batman took a step back and kicked her in the abdomen, sending her careening back into her now-damaged plants. "This isn't over!" she seethed. "You all will be dead before this is over!"

"I've heard that before," he growled as he strode towards her, punching her in the jaw and knocking her out.

"I'm glad you showed up when you did," Red Robin told him.

Batgirl nodded her agreement as she looked down at her arms, blood seeping through the ripped material. There will definitely be bruises tomorrow. She had to admit, though, that her first encounter with Poison Ivy had been adventurous, one that they had survived thanks to Batman.

"Are you two all right?" he asked, dragging Ivy away from the vegetation so he could put handcuffs on her.

"I think so," Red Robin said as he held his right shoulder, wincing with the pain that shot through his arm. "Nothing that can't be put back into place. How did you end up out here?"

"Oracle notified me Nightwing was tied up and you two were heading into trouble," he revealed. "You two need to get back to the cave and get your injuries taken care of."

"Well, I'm glad you came when you did," he told him.

"I'm taking her in," Batman stated. "I'll meet you back at the cave."

"At least that's one less villain to plot against us," Tim replied.

"The others will be coming for us soon enough," Batman grimly told them. "We're going to need to be prepared."

Batgirl held her head, sudden dizziness beginning to wash over her as she flushed hotly. Something was wrong. She reached out to Batman just as everything went black.

Batcave; September 5th, 04:30 EST

"There she is," Alfred said.

Cassandra opened her eyes to find a smiling Alfred watching over her. Her forehead wrinkled as she gazed sleepily up at him, confusion clouding her eyes. She shook her head, not understanding what had happened to her.

"I'm afraid you fell victim to Miss Ivy's tricks," Alfred informed her. "Her thorns are coated with poison, but we have the antidote. You will be just fine."

Cassandra tried to push herself up with her arms only for her strength to give out on her. "You're not going anywhere," Bruce told her. "Ivy's poisons pack quite a punch. You'll need to rest for a couple of days."

She scowled at him, clearly unhappy with the news. She looked down at her arms to see them both wrapped with bandages, spots of red blood seeping through. She couldn't believe how Ivy had been able to get the upper hand so quickly and easily.

She was already chomping at the bit to get back out there. She couldn't wait to dish out some payback on Poison Ivy. In addition to the wounds on her arms, her pride was bruised. It was a feeling that she didn't like one bit.

Cassandra looked around trying to find out what had happened to Tim. Bruce laid a gentle hand on her shoulder to ease her worry. "Tim's all right," he reassured her. "He had a dislocated shoulder. Alfred set it for him. He's upstairs sleeping."

She nodded her head in contentment, relieved it wasn't anything worse.

"You need to rest now too," Alfred encouraged her. "Do you need something for pain?"

She shook her head "no" before closing her eyes and breathing deeply. She had some pain, but her father had taught her long ago how to set it aside in her mind and not let it control her. She had to admit that she was growing sleepy, finding it more than difficult to keep her eyes open.

She could feel Alfred and Bruce move away from her, the medical bay lights dimming. She struggled to open her eyes once more, finding Bruce standing at Diana's bedside. He was holding her hand, his other hand stroking her hair.

The pain in his eyes was more than evident even from where she was lying. It hurt her to see her family in pain. She wanted to do something to fix this, do something to make it all better, but she didn't know how. This wasn't something that she was accustomed to fighting against.

Maybe they would have some answers by the time she woke up. Then again, things could end up being even worse.

A/N: Will things get worse or will it get better? We'll have to wait and see!

UP NEXT: The trek through the Underworld continues to be a struggle. Zatanna & Constantine decide on a different course of action. Diana struggles to figure out what is going on.