The next day, Clark and Lois had woke up and were now in the kitchen together having some breakfast. Lois was currently on her phone reading the latest reports from the Planet.
This included one of Supergirl making a public appearance at a dog adoption centre, sightings of a green blur seen on satellites mainly around Coast City and the mysterious sightings of a supposed Batgirl in Gotham.
"So you wanna try parasailing?" Lois asked.
"Yup. I always wanted to try it." Clark explained. "Jimmy tried to get me to do it when we visited his aunt in Miami, but I went against it because I was still learning about my powers. And the best part is, I booked it for the both of us."
Lois looked surprised and smiled. "You are full of surprises, Smallville."
"I always aim to please." Clark stated.
Lois grinned. "Geuleom hangug-eoneun eottaeyo?" (Then how is your Korean?)
"Eotteohge saeng-gaghanayo?" (What do you think?)
"Dangsin-eun baljeonhago iss-eoyo, Seumolbil." (You're improving, Smallville.)
"I'll be back down in a moment." Clark said. "I just gotta decide on what sun shirt I need to wear."
"You do that." As Clark walked upstairs, Lois went back to eating her cereal. She was still thinking about that weird dream she had about her mother. But she decided to not focus on it, not wanting to ruin her first vacation with Clark.
However, no matter how hard she tried to push it away from her stream of thoughts, it would still come back. Almost like it is invading her thoughts.
Upstairs, Clark opened up the closet to see what sun shirt would look good on him. There was one with flowers, one which was plain white, one that was plain blue, his Superman outfit with a note on it, one that was plain orange, one that was plain red….Wait a minute.
He moved the two shirts aside to see that his Superman suit was hung up on a coat hanger with a sticky note attached to the symbol. He removed the sticky note which read 'You forgot this. Kara and Jimmy Flamebird.' This was a message that was written by Kara.
"Come on Kara." Clark mumbled to himself. "Superman is on vacation." He grabbed the plain white shirt and closed the closet.
Later, Clark and Lois were now on their way to the beach with their towels and baskets of sunscreen and lotion. Lois was still trying to understand what happened the night before and what that dream meant.
"Lois, are you okay?" Clark asked.
Lois exhaled. "I'm sorry, Smallville. Just that weird dream I had. My Mom asking me to open the box. What box is she talking about? A box with some priceless heir loom? Or some dark secret about her I didn't know of?"
Clark gently held her by her shoulder. "Are you going to be stressed? Do you wanna go back to the villa and calm down?"
Lois gave her boyfriend an assuring smile. "I think all I will need is a nice day on the beach to calm me down. It was just a silly dream. Can't let that affect me"
Just then, they walked past a crowd of tourists surrounding a cafe near the ocean where they saw the police escorting some men into some police vans. While another squadron of cops appeared to be escorting some traumatised people out of the cafe.
The couple looked at the cafe with perplexed expressions but there was a hint of concern once they figured out what this could be.
"A human trafficking ring?" Lois asked.
"I think so." Clark said as he began heightening his senses to listen to a conversation between officers. Whom happened to be conveniently speaking English.
"Five weeks tracking this down." A cop remarked. "And it was right under our very noses."
"What did the witnesses say?" A cop asked.
"They were apparently saved by some woman with a magic lasso. She said to them not to tell any one of her existence. But we made one of them croak." A cop explained. "So, let's get an APB out for a rodeo girl."
Upon hearing the mention of a woman with a magic lasso, Clark's eyes perked up. "What is it Smallville?" Lois asked.
Clark and Lois began walked towards the beach. "I overheard them say a woman with a magic lasso saved their lives."
Lois raised a brow. "So, Greece has a super powered rodeo girl?"
"Probably." Clark began to ponder the description. "But you know, Wonder Woman was described to have carried a lasso. Or more, a lasso that compels you to tell the truth."
Lois chuckled. "A magic lie detector? Sure, why not? Professor William Marston would have envied her."
"I don't know, I got a feeling he would have liked her." Clark said.
They later made it to the beach and got dressed in their swimsuits. The beach itself was relatively calm and relaxed and had around ten to fifteen people all relaxed on their respective towels.
They both sat down on their respective towels and Lois began applying some sunscreen on her skin. "I sometimes envy you, Smallville. No sunburns. Saves money on sunscreen. How did you figure that out?"
"Just one day I forgot to apply sunscreen on what was the hottest day in Smallville and to my parents shock, I did not have any sunburns or black moles." Clark explained. "So, if you were thinking about applying lotion to my back, it would be redundant."
Lois grinned. "Well Smallville…" She began lying on her stomach and unlaced her bra. "….Can you apply mine?"
There was a blush on Clark's cheeks but then he grinned. He took the lotion and applied it on the palm of his hand before he began to gently rub it on his girlfriend's back, slowly and gently.
Due to the feeling of her boyfriend's gentle touch, Lois exhaled and closed her eyes. She could really get used to this, she wished that Clark's big yet gentle hands would not stop rubbing her back.
"Please, don't stop, Smallville." Lois said.
"Well, we should, this is a public beach." Clark said.
Lois moaned. "Yeah….But it's not like anyone's going to care."
"Hello strangers."
"Clark, strap it back on!" Upon hearing someone close to their listening range, Clark quickly strapped Lois' bra back on and Lois sat up while Clark quickly pulled a book about Homer's Odyssey from his basket.
The person who caught their attention, was none other than Dr Prince, dressed in a red and blue bikini and holding a deck chair under her arm and a basket in her hand.
"Homer's Odyssey, good story." Diana remarked as she began to set up her spot.
"Dr Prince." Lois reacted. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to the beach. I might be a curator but I deserve a break sometimes." She became seated on her deck chair. "You have any plans at the beach?"
"Well, besides sitting down and doing nothing, I decided to take a look at the brochure and see what else this beach has to offer." Clark explained as he put down the book and began reading the pamphlet. "They have parasailing, which I booked a week back. I'm a little nervous since it's my first time."
"I don't know Kent, you seem like the kind of man who has flown every now and then." Diana remarked.
Clark gave a bit of a cheeky smile. "You have no idea, Dr Prince."
"How about you, Dr Prince?" Lois asked. "Any beach plans yourself?"
"Relaxation." Diana exhaled. "Believe me, I need this. Work last night. I don't tend to work late, but sometimes work calls."
"I know what that's like." Clark said. "One time, I got so caught up in work that I almost forgot to post a story about the birth of Terra Markovia."
"It took a call from me." Lois stated. "Smallville over here is a very busy guy?"
"Smallville?" Diana looked perplexed.
"It's a nickname." Clark explained. "I was…Born in Smallville, Kansas. Lois calls me that all the time."
"He's also a farmer." Lois said.
"Really?" Diana asked. "You know, I spent some time in Switzerland farming. Mainly milking cows. You ever farmed Lois?"
"I've never farmed no." Lois replied. "I doubt I'd be good at it."
"Never know until you try, Miss Lane." Diana stated.
"Oh, I have parasailing in a minute." Clark stood up.
"Want some pictures Smallville?" Lois asked. "You better have a terrified expression on your face I can save on your lock screen."
"Lois, you have flown with Superman, I should have seen how terrified you were." Clark retorted playfully before winking.
Lois just playfully narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "I wasn't terrified….I just…Ya know…Never been flying…In the man of…"
"Sure you weren't." Clark playfully retorted with a smirk as he began walking to go parasailing.
Lois smiled at her boyfriend while Diana just stared at Lois with a bit of a narrow stare. She couldn't get that thought out of her head that this supposedly innocent reporter could be the cause of humanity's downfall.
"Warm here in Greece." Lois remarked.
"Which is why I come here often." Diana said. "Also, Greece is my home."
"Where did you grow up?" Lois asked.
"An island far away." Diana replied. "I haven't returned for years. Personal issues."
"Ah, right." Lois said. "What's the name of the island? I might wanna visit."
"It's not open for tourists." Diana replied. "My people like to live in privacy. You read about Greek legends?"
"I learned about them." Lois replied.
"So, you know of Pandora's Box?" Diana queried.
"Yeah, that was that….Evil box Zeus created that Pandora opened which caused all the negative things about humanity to take effect. Like grief, death and famine."
"Not bad." Diana remarked. "Seemed more like a summary than a full description but that will do."
"Shame she wasn't strong willed." Lois said. "She was tempted by curiosity."
"Would you open the box?" Diana asked.
Lois laughed. "If I saw a box that said 'Do not open.' I am inclined to not open the dang thing!"
"Hmm, you say you're strong willed." Diana remarked.
"Well, I try my best." Lois replied.
"What would happen if the box tempted you?" Diana asked. "Perhaps promise you something in return for opening it."
Lois looked concerned. "You're asking a lot of questions about the box. I had no idea it interested you so much."
"Just friendly conversations." Diana assured her. "I do this with people I meet. Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable."
"I guess you struggle with conversations sometimes." Lois remarked.
"Yeah. I do. Sorry." Diana stated. "But in all seriousness Lois, has the form of a deceased loved one visited you in the night?"
Lois became alarmed upon hearing Diana's question. Did this random curator know?
Meanwhile, Clark was about to line up to go parasailing when all of a sudden, his super hearing began to pick up screaming. He thought it was someone close by drowning but thankfully he saw that there were lifeguards on patrol.
But then, he began to locate the noise and realised that it was further away. It was nowhere near the beach. It was far out in the sea.
He looked to the direction of the noise and used his vision to locate it. There, he saw two fishermen out on the sea trying to hold on to debris from their destroyed fishing boat.
Clark knew he couldn't just leave them behind. So it was a good thing that Kara snuck in to deliver his Superman suit. He began running back towards Lois to let her know about the situation.
Back on their resting spot, Lois was starting to feel threatened by Diana's persistence. "How did you know about my dream?" Lois stood up.
"So it did happen?" Diana asked as she stood up, towering over Lois. "You saw someone you loved tempting you to open the box?"
"What box?!" Lois asked. "Dr Prince you're scaring me!"
"Miss Lane, whatever you do, don't listen to that loved one." Diana pleaded. "Please, for the sake of humanity, don't listen to them."
Clark eventually arrived. "Lois, Dr Prince."
Lois gave her boyfriend a frightened look. "Clark, I thought you were going parasailing."
Clark could see his girlfriend looked frightened by something. Then, he looked at Dr Prince towering over Lois and narrowing her eyes at her. He instantly figured out what it was.
"Uh…Dr Prince, random question, do you speak Korean?" Clark asked.
Diana looked confused. "No."
"Okay. Cause me and Lois are going to have a private conversation." Clark pulled Lois aside and moved a few paces away from Diana.
"Loiseu, gwaenchanh-ayo?" (Lois, are you okay?)
"Peulinseu Bagsaneun eojesbam nae kkum-e gwanhae jilmun-eul haessseubnida." (Dr Prince was asking questions about my dream last night.) "Geunyeoneun gong-gyeogjeog-eulo byeonhagi sijaghaessseubnida. Eomma mal-eul deudji mallago hadeogun-yo." (She began to get aggressive. She told me to not listen to my Mom.) She then realised something. "Paeleoseillinghaleo ganeun geo anieoss-eo?" (Weren't you going parasailing?)
"Loiseu, yeogiseo meolji anh-eun gos-e nae doum-i pil-yohan eobudeul-i iss-eoyo. Geuligo..." (Lois, there are some fishermen not far from here who need my help. And...) Clark rubs his head awkwardly. "...Ileon mal-eun an haessneunde Kalaga nae Syupeomaen uisang-eul osjang-e mollae sumgyeodueoss-eoyo." (...I haven't told you this, but Kara snuck my Superman costume in the closet.)
Lois' eyes widened. "Geogi geunyang seo issji maseyo! Geu yunipom-eul ibgo eongdeong-ileul guchulhaseyo! Hajiman budi anjeonhaseyo." (Don't just stand there! Get your butt in that uniform and save them! But please, be safe.)
Clark and Lois shared a gentle kiss. "I'll be back soon." He began running towards the villa while Lois stayed behind. She turned to face Diana but saw that she was gone. She didn't even hear her walk away, she just vanished without a trace. Jeez, and she thought Bruce was rude.
Meanwhile, with a mixture of his human speed and superhuman speed, Clark managed to get back to the villa. Once inside, he dashed upstairs into his and Lois' room and retrieved his suit from the hanger. He quickly put it on and belied to the balcony where he flew out.
Far from the coast of the Athens, the two fishermen were struggling to hold on to the debris as they were getting exhausted from paddling.
"Voítheia!" They cried out.
However, they were too far out for anyone to hear, so they might as well pray to whatever that someone will have reported the fact that they were missing and a rescue crew was out to save them.
However, what the two fishermen did not expect, was instead, the American superhero Superman was hovering above them. The Man of Steel picked up the fishermen and quickly carried them close to shore.
He arrived at the beach outside the offices of the coast guard. The head coast guard ran out of his office to check up on Superman and the fishermen.
"Do you speak English?" Superman asked the coat guard.
"A little." The coast guard replied.
"Call….What's your version of 911?" Superman asked.
"112."
"Call that number." Superman replied. "And tell these men they are going to be okay."
The coast guard reiterated what Superman said to him. However, to their shock, they both began to scream in fear. "Pes se ólous na tréxoun! To prágma pou epitéthike sto skáfos mas érchetai sto The Athens!" One of them cried.
"What did they say?" Superman asked.
"They said the thing that attacked their boat is coming toward The Athens." The coast guard replied.
"Ask them what it was."
The coast guard reiterated what Superman said and one of the fishermen told him instantly what attacked their boat. "Kraken." He replied.
Superman's eyes widened in fear as he realised what he just said. "I'm not crazy, right. Did he just say, Kraken?"
Back on the beach, Lois was lying on her towel trying to forget about that Diana confrontation. But still focusing her mind on that darn dream she had.
She'd check up on Clark but she knew this was a simple rescue so he'd be back soon. However, there was this strange feeling she felt in her gut. As if someone was standing over her.
She removed her sunglasses and exhaled as she sat up. "Look Diana, I don't know if you have been cherry picking at my dreams but-" When she sat up, instead of Diana, she was seeing her mother. She gave Lois a gentle smile.
"Hi, Lois." She said.
Lois was in complete shock and her eyes widened. "Mom?"
"Open the box, sweetie." She said to her daughter.
Before Lois could ask about the box, she felt something was wrong. Specifically coming from the sea. She looked over her mother's shoulder to see ginormous spinal fins poking out of the surface of the sea.
She at first thought she was hallucinating, but then she noticed that other patrons were seeing them. She instantly figured out that there was a huge creature in the sea.
She noticed the handlers of the parasailing activity were currently on their boat carrying an excited customer not noticing the creature. "YEAH! ALRIGHT!" The man on the chute cried. "Take this baby higher!"
Then, the handlers noticed creature swimming close quarters while the enthusiastic customer became more excited. "I don't know what that fish is but I wanna fly close to it!"
Then, the spinal fins began to rise to reveal a creature. A reptilian-like creature with multiple arms, a thick face with facial fins sticking out and flaying tentacles below the torso area. It slowly moved to the shallow end of the sea but enough so it didn't end up on dry land. The creature inhaled through its nose and let out a ginormous roar that made the patrons tremble with fear.
"Kraken! Kraken!" One of the patrons shouted in fear.
And in distress the patrons all began to run away in fear as the kraken leered at the evading patrons, which included Lois herself.
Upon seeing the woman, the Kraken reached for the sand and flicked towards her direction, the sand ended up blinding her, causing the reporter to fall on her front.
She tried standing up but due to the sand in her eyes, she couldn't get up to see where she was going. Then, the Kraken tried to grab Lois with its hand. As she prepared for the worse, awaiting to feel the scales, they stopped getting close to her.
Through her blurry vision, she saw the silhouette of her boyfriend blocking the creature's hand from grabbing her.
Superman seethed his teeth as he wrestled with the surprising strength of the kraken before punching its hand away, causing the monster to roar in pain.
Superman quickly helped Lois up on her feet. "Lois, can you still see me?"
"A little." Lois replied. "I gotta get this sand out of my eyes. But I'm sure I can get back to the villa."
"Alright, go quick. I'll handle the kraken." Superman launched off to fight off the mythical creature.
Lois made an attempt to run out of the beach and back towards the villa. However, due to her blurry vision, she did not see that she was about to run into someone.
She ran head first into what felt like armour and fell on her rear. "Ow!" She inspected her jaw to see if it was broken which thankfully it wasn't.
She looked up and tried to stare at whoever she bumped into. But no matter how hard she squinted, she couldn't see who she bumped into.
"Lois Lane, in a moment, you and I have business." The woman, who sounded familiar to Lois, said to her.
Back with the fight between Superman and the kraken, the monster tried to swipe Superman with its arms and even tried to attack him with its tentacles.
The Man of Steel however, was just too fast for the creature as he managed to manoeuvre his way past the tentacles and arms. He used his heat vision against the creature, causing it to scream in pain but then managed to block it with its hand.
It tried to grab Superman with a few of its tentacles, but he used his super breath to freeze them. Then, caught Superman in its hands and tried to squeeze him.
However, Superman was just far too strong and with a bit of force, managed to break free from its grasp and punched it in the chest.
Superman managed to get in a few punches on the creature in the face but a tentacle managed to hit him, causing him to skim across the surface of the water like someone skimming a stone.
He managed to stop himself from skimming and managed to get himself back up. He narrowed his eyes at the creature and launched himself towards to deliver a powerful punch.
The punch itself caused the creature to tip backwards towards the ocean. However, there were a few issues that Superman could see. If the creature hit the water, he would be incapacitated; But then the creature's size would cause a huge splash that could flood the Athens; Also, there was someone parasailing with his handlers.
"Hey, is that Superman?!" The thrill seeking man exclaimed. "Man, this vacation gets better!"
Superman quickly managed to catch the creature by shoving its back so it was standing upright. Somehow, without even looking, the Kraken grabbed Superman with two of its multiple hands.
Before Superman could escape from its grasp, the creature hit him in the face with another one of its hands. Then, it tossed him in the air and used its tentacles to grab him by his legs and began slamming him on the sand of the beach repeatedly.
It eventually released him from its tentacles and before Superman could get up, the kraken began to smash him with its fists.
Superman tried to blast the creature's fist with his laser vision, but the creature managed to hit him before he had the chance.
The monster raised its arm high, ready to crush Superman. It slammed its arm down, ready to crush its opponent.
However, what neither it nor Superman expected, was someone instantly rushing in and blocking it with their wrist gauntlets, releasing energy that sent it flying backwards into the sea.
Superman was confused by what had happened. The creature was just about to crush him and suddenly something saved him.
But to his surprise, that saviour was not a something, but a someone. And to his even greater surprise, it was the woman he thought of only as another one of Jimmy's conspiracy theories. Wonder Woman.
He thought he had died, he was in complete awe struck. The woman turned to Superman with a determined look on her face.
"Wonder Woman?" Superman reacted in surprise.
"Superman." The woman stated.
Superman's eyes widened. "You know who I am?"
"No time for introductions." Wonder Woman helped the superhero back on up on his feet. "You want to save these people, help me slay this beast."
Without arguing, Superman nodded his head and turned to the creature. The kraken had managed to get back up on its tentacles and roared.
Wonder Woman reached for a sword that was attached to her back and narrowed her eyes at the beast. "How far can you throw?"
"Uh…I once tossed a ball from Kansas to probably halfway around the world." Superman replied.
"Toss me towards that monster." Wonder Woman requested. "I slay, you distract."
Without arguing, Superman held her by the shoulder and waist, picked her up, spun her before tossing her towards the creature.
Once she got close to it, it tried to grab her with its tentacles. But she managed to slice about two or three before landing on one of its many arms.
Before it could swat Wonder Woman like a bug, it got hit with a blast of laser vision to the face, causing it to be distracted. It tried to swat Superman but then it remembered that Wonder Woman was on his arm.
The legendary heroine began running up the arm, dodging and slashing every tentacle that got in her way. She then put her sword away so she could carefully climb the scales attached to the left side of its body.
Superman distracted the beast by blasting it with heat vision. But then, he saw that the creature was about to use another one of its hands and tentacles to try and grab Wonder Woman.
He quickly managed to stop the hand from grabbing her, while Wonder Woman managed to slice the tentacles before jumping on top of the middle finger of the hand of the beast that Superman was currently wrestling against.
Then, Wonder Woman stabbed the beast in its middle finger, causing it to scream in pain. Then, the creature tossed her in the air which she carefully manoeuvred around to make sure she didn't crash in the water below and instead, on top of the creature's head.
Superman was busy using his heat vision against the tentacles, which caused the kraken to be distracted from its biggest the problem. It was the fact that Wonder Woman was analysing its body trying to figure out where its weak spot is.
"Superman, I'm going to need you to find me a weak spot!" Wonder Woman requested.
Despite the tentacles coming his way, Superman was able to manoeuvre around them and used his vision to figure out where the weak spot was. Thankfully, it took him no time to find out where it was.
"Wonder Woman, the weak spot is on its chest." Superman said.
"I'm gonna need you to toss me again!" Wonder Woman shouted.
Superman complied with her request and managed to fly towards her, avoiding the monster's tentacles and hands. He grabbed the mythic hero by her wrist and carried her far from the monster.
Then, he tossed her with an almighty and powerful throw towards the monster. It tried to grab her with its tentacles but she managed to cut her way through.
And with her weapon raised high and a warrior scream, she stabbed the creature in the chest before sliding down towards its stomach, blood and guts spilling into the sea.
She pulled herself off of the creature and performed a mighty jump straight towards the shore of the beach. She spun her sword and put it back in her back satchel while the creature just collapsed on the sea.
Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes at the monster as if she were annoyed with something. Then, she looked up towards the clouds, as if she knew who had sent this creature. Her father, Zeus.
Then, Superman landed next to her looking in complete shock and surprise, seeing this woman she had only seen in badly constructed photos or some grainy film footage was standing near him.
He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as he approached her. "Wonder Woman…I…Can't believe it…You're real!"
Wonder Woman took a glance at Superman. "Yes, I happen to be. You know of me?"
"Well…From some sketchy eyewitness reports." Superman replied. "I was…Kind of an admirer of your alleged efforts during World War Two."
"You can save the flattery for later Superman, I understand you will do everything you can to protect this world and its people." Wonder Woman said. "I have seen what you've done in Metropolis."
Superman quickly changed his demeanour from nervous to serious and ready. "Why is the world in danger?"
"Unfortunately I don't think you are going to like this." Wonder Woman replied. "Take me to Miss Lane and Clark Kent's villa."
Superman became alarmed by her request. What do he and Lois have to do with this? He had a strange feeling he and Wonder Woman were either going to work close with each other or become enemies.
Later, Superman was carrying Wonder Woman by her wrist as he flew towards the villa. He saw how stoic she was being, gosh he is hoping he isn't dealing with another Bruce, and decided to lighten the mood.
"Sorry if you find this method of flight uncomfortable." Superman said.
"Don't be." Wonder Woman said. "I've flown before. I latched my lasso on the clouds and lighting bolts just to get some locations faster."
"Speaking of, where is your lasso?" Superman queried. "I heard reports say you had a lasso."
Wonder Woman gave him a blank stare. "This is the part you are most likely not going to like."
Once they arrived close to the villa, Superman noticed something attached to one of the deck chairs. Although when he got a closer look, he realised it wasn't a something, but a someone. And that someone was none other than his girlfriend.
Upon seeing this, he quickly flew downwards and landed near her. "Lo…Miss Lane!"
"Cl…Superman!" Lois exclaimed.
"What's happening?!" Superman tried pulling on the rope that was holding her.
Lois began to panic when he tried to free her. "No! Don't try and yank-" But when he tried freeing her, the rope began to glow and it began to tighten around her, causing her to scream.
"What's going on?!" Superman asked.
Lois looked over his shoulder and saw Wonder Woman standing in place, giving her a hard stare. "How about she explains?!" Lois retorted.
"Listen, Superman, I have good reason to have Lois Lane like this." Wonder Woman explained.
"Good reason?!" Superman retorted. "Miss Lane is tied to a bed! Care to explain why?"
"I need to talk to her peacefully." Wonder Woman explained.
"Well I don't think tying her up is a good way to start!" Superman retorted. "And what about Mr Kent, is he okay?"
Wonder Woman took a glance at Superman and smirked. "You are going to love this bit." She took the end of the lasso and it began to glow. "Miss Lane, the lasso compels you to tell the truth. Firstly, what is your full name?"
The lasso glowed brighter, causing Lois to cringe. "Lois Joanne Lane." She replied. "Wait hold on, I wasn't even controlling myself."
"Lasso of truth." Wonder Woman explained. "Makes you tell the truth even if you don't want to."
Lois looked to be in complete denial and began to stutter. "Uh….I could have just responded naturally."
"Okay…Miss Lane, tell me an embarrassing secret neither your friends nor your boyfriend know of." Wonder Woman took a brief glance at Superman.
Lois tried to resist the magic but eventually relented. "Okay…When I was a toddler…I used to be scared of Shrek."
At the mention of this information, Wonder Woman couldn't help but laugh while Superman, trying to remain serious; Couldn't help but smirk.
"Shrek?!" Wonder Woman laughed. "That funny Scottish ogre?!"
Superman approached Wonder Woman and grabbed her wrist. "Let her go! That is enough!"
"Once I get the questions I require, she will be free Mr Kent." Wonder Woman said.
Upon hearing the mention of his name, Superman froze in fear while Lois' heart sank down into her stomach. "What?"
Superman began to laugh nervously. "Miss….Woman? I don't know what you're talking about. Mr Kent is probably on the beach saving his own rear right now."
Wonder Woman sighed. "Miss Lane, is Clark Kent, Superman?"
"Yeah, he is." Lois' response made the woman grin smugly at Superman, who just sighed in annoyance. "Clark, I am so sorry." Said the horrified Lois.
"Lois, magic lasso that makes you tell the truth." Clark stated.
"Alright, Miss Lane, what do you know about Pandora's Box?" Wonder Woman asked.
"That magic box that Pandora opened that released pain, suffering and famine to the world." Lois explained.
"Do you have any kind of intention with it?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Nothing at all."
"Did someone try and persuade you to open the box?"
"My Mom last night in a dream tried to encourage me to open a box but I did not know what she was talking about." Lois' response made Wonder Woman's eyes widen.
In that moment, she realised something. Lois had no idea what she was about to do. "You really don't know anything."
"No, I don't." Lois replied.
"Now could you let her go?" Clark asked.
Wonder Woman nodded her head and loosed the lasso so Lois could free herself. Once she freed herself, Superman instantly sped to her side and helped her back on her feet.
"Lois, are you okay?" He asked.
Lois began to check herself and saw that she had rope burn all over her arms and stomach. "I hope these don't stay for long."
Eventually, the two of them stood up on their feet and narrowed their eyes at their uninvited guest, who looked to be preparing herself for an attack just in case.
"Alright lady, you forced me to answer your questions, now you better answer ours!" Lois demanded. "First, what do I have to do with Pandora's Box?!"
"Second, how do you know my name and identity?" Superman asked.
"And third, how do you look so good for a woman over hundreds of years old?!" Lois asked.
Superman gave her a side eye. "Lois, I don't think that one is important."
Wonder Woman inhaled through her nose. "Okay, I will answer them one at a time in reverse order. I age a lot slower than average mortals. How are the glasses a good disguise? And the first one is a long story, you better have Pythia explain."
"Who?" Lois and Superman queried.
"Me."
They looked up and sitting on the edge of the balcony connecting to their bedroom was Pythia. Lois screamed, Superman got in a defensive position while Wonder Woman gave her a nod.
"Good to see you again, Pythia." Wonder Woman said.
"Likewise. I foresaw you having trouble to convince Miss Lane of her future so I knew I had to help." She jumped off the balcony and landed on her feet, without bending her knees. "Lois, look towards the pool."
Lois, though reluctant, followed the oracle's instructions and began to stare at the pool. And with a wave of her hand, Pythia began to show Lois the potential future. Her standing on the edge surrounded by fire, shirtless, bloodied lip and black eye; Holding the box in her hand and looking tempted to open it.
Lois became slightly concerned by the vision that Pythia was showing her. Superman became alarmed by what he was seeing.
"Lois, is this you?" Superman asked. "What happened to you?"
"I'm thinking about what is going on with me." Lois said. "Why am I beaten up like this?! What the heck happened to my shirt?! And…Is that the box?"
"Yes." Pythia replied. "As for the other parts, that vision is clouded."
"Do I at least destroy the box?" Lois asked.
"That part is also clouded."
"Oh, that's convenient!"
"Excuse me, could you please explain what happens if Lois opens the box?" Superman asked. "I feel like we are missing that part."
Pythia turned to Wonder Woman. "Would you care to explain to them?"
"Don't you have the time?" Wonder Woman retorted.
"Unfortunately, my vision states I have a lot of angry gods I need to deal with." Pythia explained. "Mainly to Zeus as to why his Kraken plan did not work, again."
Lois yelped at the mention of the name. "Wait, Zeus sent that thing?!"
"To kill you, yes." Pythia replied as she walked out of the gate of the villa. "Be seeing you on Themyscira." She walked out of the gate, leading Wonder Woman to raise a brow while Lois and Clark approached her.
"Wonder Woman, what is going on?" Lois asked.
"And…Why is Pandora's Box just as bad now as it was before?" Superman asked.
Wonder Woman turned to the couple. "It's best the both of you sit down."
Once they sat down, Wonder Woman told the couple the story of Pandora's Box, how if it opened again it will destroy the world, Perses' attempted uprising, Perseus' resentment of Zeus, Perses being cast down into the underworld, the box's abilities, Perseus' exile, Lois essentially being the cause of everything and how the Gods will do everything they can to get rid of her.
Lois and Superman looked to be sitting in complete shock as Wonder Woman finished telling her story. "This is a lot to take in." Lois stated.
"I'm sorry, Lois being the cause of the end of the world?!" Superman exclaimed. "That is insane!"
"I'm not blaming her." Wonder Woman explained. "The box has a very powerful influence over people. Even I might not be able to resist its influence. You could be even influenced Mr Kent. Oh and Lois, I forgot to apologise for the rope burns."
Lois smiled. "Oh that's fine." She showed the rope burns on her arms. "I'm sure they're healing up just nicely."
"So, what do we do now?" Superman asked.
"We can't just sit here!" Lois exclaimed. "If there is a chance I might destroy that box, I say we get off our butts and find it!"
"You were listening to the story weren't you?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Uh….Can't we go down to the Underworld to find Perseus' disciples and ask them where the keys are?" Lois asked.
"Hades is on the side of Zeus. I doubt he will be much help." Wonder Woman said.
"So what do we do?" Superman asked.
"It's not like we have a God on our side." Lois groaned.
"No, but there are some people I haven't spoken to in years I think might help." Wonder Woman said. "My people on Themyscira."
Superman stood up. "Um…If legends recall, weren't you banished?"
"How do you know your people will listen?" Lois asked.
"They will once they know what's at stake." Wonder Woman replied. "Also, Pythia said to you see you on Themyscira. If you're going there then that's where we are going."
"I could fly us there." Superman said.
"No, the gods will have your sights on you as Superman." Wonder Woman said. "It's best you change into your civilian clothes. And as for you Lois, put some clothes on. We are not flying with you in a swimsuit."
"What about you?" Superman asked.
Wonder Woman grinned. "I know your identity, might as well be fair and show you mine." In that moment, Wonder Woman began to spin in a circle and with a bright red flash, she was out of her Wonder Woman costume and in her Diana Prince outfit, shocking the couple.
"Wait, you're Diana Prince?!" Lois exclaimed.
"Dr Prince, you're Wonder Woman?!" Superman exclaimed in shock.
"The very one." She replied. "Oh, and do me a favour and don't tell Bruce about it."