Wonder Woman #20: War of the Gods, Part 1

Anthony Templeton looked at Batman and Superman: the world's finest had been looking for Diana for the last few weeks. Where she was now they still didn't know. Templeton had been able to gain both men’s trust to the point that they saw him as a valuable resource.

Superman clenched his fist as he pounded one into the other. “We’ve been over the globe enough times…”

“She’s not in this world, Superman.” Batman said.

“She’s most likely in the realm of Tartarus.” Templeton added.

“The problem is how to get there.” Batman rubbed his chin as he looked at Superman and considered what to say next, but they knew they would need divine intervention.

“Tartarus is not a place that is easy to get to.” Templeton responded as he sat down and he folded his hands fingers in a pyramid. “Or get back from.”

“I have an idea.” Batman looked at the Professor with a waning idea.

“What’s that?” Superman raised an eyebrow.

“We ask someone that has been there before.”

“I have a feeling I am not going to like this at all.” Templeton looked at them both.

“Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like to do, Dr. Templeton.” Batman went over to the JLA computer and put in some commands. Soon it brought up the profile of one of the people that he thought could help them.

Superman dropped his jaw. “Lillith de Arennes?” Her picture came up. “I thought she was dead?”

“Dead is relative for a magical being, Kal.” Batman looked at him.

“How do we find her?” Templeton looked at Batman.

“That’s where you come in.” Batman tapped a few more commands into the computer. “Arion was one of the most powerful sorcerer’s in Atlantean history... possibly the world.”

“But he’s not exactly alive, Batman.”

“Death is a relative term, Doctor Templeton.” Superman parroted Batman’s statement back to the professor.

“I guess so.” He shrugged. “How do we find these people?”

“We ask someone that knows.” Batman nodded. “We’ll be in touch, Doctor.” He walked off and fired a grapple line that snagged to the Batwing and quickly was gone. Superman just shrugged at Templeton.

“He’s dramatic like that. We’ll call you when we find something, Professor.” As Templeton nodded.

“Meanwhile, I’ll continue my research, maybe I can help you find either Arion or De Arennes.”

“Good enough.” He flew up into the sky from studio of his penthouse that overlooked San Francisco.

“I hope so. I hope so.”

~*~

Ares stood on cliffs at the Rock of Gibraltar as he convened this to be sight of the war. He looked at Diana who he had brought with him as sort of a taunt for the others to try and rescue her. Ares walked back to the battle as he looked into Diana’s eyes. “I know you don’t fear me, but I want you to realize that everything that is taking place here today was because it was for your benefit.”

“My benefit?!” Diana nearly spat the words out.

“You’re the champion and Apollo and Athena both realize that without you that their grip on power is at risk.”

“You’re full of yourself today, Ares.” Diana merely looked away from him.

Clea and her newly formed army from the remnants of her battle with Ptra were gathering for their battle. She rode her seahorse until she reached dry land and walked to where Ares had held Diana in chains. “We’re ready M’lord Ares.”

“Good. I want to make this battle as short as possible, but we need to make sure that we’re on guard until Apollo shows his face.”

Clea walked over to Diana. “I really want to slit her throat and have her head on my mantle.”

“No! No harm will come to her!” Ares’ voice was fierce and resounding as he put himself between Diana and Clea.

“Why? Her death would take the fight from the others and you could finally have the throne of Olympus for yourself, M’lord.” She bowed before him and took a knee as she looked up into his fiery eyes.

“She will not be harmed, is that understood?”

“Yes, M’lord.” She stood and sneered at Diana.

Suddenly there was neighs of horses that could be heard in the skies. “They approach!” Clea pointed to the sky as she took the seashell horn from her side and blew hard as it signaled to her army that the battle had begun.

Ares nodded. “Let it begin.”

Apollo landed by where Ares stood and he pointed to the shackled Diana. “It’s time to end this Ares.”

“Not until I sit upon the throne.” Ares growled to him.

“You know that will never happen.” Apollo took out his bow and an arrow from his quiver and aimed it at Ares’ heart. “Your insurrection comes to an end now.”

“I think not.” Ares merely said. He took his sword from it’s scabbard and he pointed to he winged army that was approaching from the skies. Apollo aimed his arrow suddenly near Diana.

“Diana!” He shot the arrow as she raised her arms up into the sky and the arrow pierced through the shackles and broke the bonds. Having been freed she ripped the chains from her feet as she stood up and twisted her body and a fiery explosion lit up the cliff of Gibraltar.

There was a sudden howl of dissatisfaction as Ares grew in size and quickly became gigantic as the approaching army from Themyscira did not back off. The first wave swooped down as Clea’s army readied for the attack as the archers took their positions and started to fire on the winged horses.

THWIP! THWIP!

One arrow struck an Amazon warrior in the face and she fell off the winged horse to the sea below.

The arrows were coming at breakneck speeds as the Amazon warrior tried to deflect them with their shields. Donna swooped down and leveled a punch against a few of the archers as Diana flew up into the sky and took her golden lasso from her side. She was closest to Ares as she looped the lasso into the air and flung it as it was wide enough to capture the God of War and she flew around him in a circle at superhuman speed. He quickly shrunk his size and was restored to normal height as he took his sword and flung it at Diana’s head.

Donna Troy had been holding flank until the preponderance of the Amazonians arrived to the battle site. Donna flew down near Diana and she flung her lasso that snagged the flying sword she saw it was headed for Diana and she threw it into the sea herself. She roped Ares herself, as both women finally seemed able to subdue the God of War.

“Yield, Ares!” Donna screamed.

“Easy Donna.” Diana looked at her. She went over to Ares and looked at him. “Why did you take it to this, Ares?” She looked at him as she was trying to understand him.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” His response was short and sweet.

“No, you’re correct you don’t.” Diana nodded as she confirmed.

The battle had quickly wound down as Clea’s forces were completely decimated and they were in full retreat as the Amazons recaptured her. Artemis came over and pointed to their spoils, as Clea was bound chains around her hands and ankles. “The Battle is won.” Artemis merely nodded as she saw Diana turn her attention back to the captured God of War.

Diana looked at Donna and then to Apollo. “Thank you.” She nodded to Apollo and before either one of them could answer a huge light blew in the skies above them.

Circe appeared before them and she fired energy beams from her hands as she freed Ares as his chains were destroyed by Circe’s magic. “This war is not over!” Circe screamed as she raised her hands and she made Clea’s army disappear and Apollo looked at Diana. “

Just as the Oracle at Delphi predicted.” He mused softly.

“I need to return to New York.” Diana spoke up as she looked at her sister. “Would you like to come along?”

“Sure I would!” Donna exclaimed. Diana flew off with Donna back at superspeeds and Donna kept up with her sister quite easily. Apollo watched as the Amazons gather the their arms under the command of Artemis they would return to Themyscira until called for again.

Templeton was working on his notes and had realized that his meeting with Sanji a few months ago had given him far more information about Zirronis and Arion that he could have ever received on his own. He had decided to try and take his work on the field again as he had learned from the very people that knew something about what he was looking for. Templeton had been one of the very few men that seemed to be accepted in wherever he chose to go, but he knew when the situation was dangerous.

His work had led to the Andes Mountains where the Incan Empire once had been so prosperous. Sociologists struggled to try and understand why so many civilizations were so similar in their myths and history that the unity that Atlantis had been was the main reason that cultures all over the globe had some commonalities. He had been able to meet with someone that had shown him something extremely strange, however; He never believed in magic before he had started researching some of the greatest stories and legends and found that there was some truth to them. He walked into a cave in the mountains that was dark and damp, but it held one of the greatest mysterious to man. He saw a strange glow of purple light that emanated from deep within the cave. He went down deeper within the cave to the point where it led to a small room which had ancient Atlantean carved into the walls. He saw a sarcophagus that was open with the lid to it that was open. He shined the flashlight he was carrying into the darkness and suddenly there was a flash of purple light that made him look up. He saw a man clad in a cloak with what appeared to be Atlantean clothes. He pulled down the scarf that was over his mouth to keep out the cold mountain air.

“Who are you?” Finally the apparition spoke to Templeton.

“I am Anthony Templeton, I have sought you out since…” He paused as he realized that this spirit spoke English extremely well. “Are you Arion?”

“I am he.” He bowed his head to him.