Issue 8: "Hell Hath No Fury..."

On Paradise Island, a fleet, brown owl soared into the sky and away…

Athena and Apollo, in mortal aspect, walked through the crowds of Amazons before the Panoptikon, where Lord Hades had just claimed the Golden Fleece and declared himself the new King of the Gods!

The former Lord of the Shades was darkly resplendent in the Fleece, his cadaverous face alight with victory. At his feet and clinging to his legs was the Amazon priestess Penelope, gibbering and vacant.

“Ah, my dear nephew and niece!” Hades crowed as the two gods made their way to the steps of the Panoptikon. “You have come to be the first to do me the honor of obeisance! That is wise.”






Athena looked around sadly, her knowing grey eyes lighting on the pitiful form of Penelope.

“Is this the price of obeisance? Mindless servitude? You have used these Amazons badly, my lord. Indeed, you have used us all badly.”

Hades’ lip curled in scorn. “I would use all thus who would keep me from my rightful place as Lord of the Universe! You yourself would do well to address me with more respect, Pallas! I will not stand for your presumptions as my brother Zeus did!”

Raising her chin high, Athena declared, “My Lord Father knew wisdom, even from the mouths of others.”

“Enough!” Hades bent the full force of his majesty upon them, and Athena and Apollo found themselves prostrate before him. “On New Olympus, you will exist only to do my will! And a glorious reign it will be! We shall reassert our long-neglected claim on the mortal world, and will bask again in the sweet glow of worship! But first, all must bow to me!”

“You fool!” Apollo gritted his teeth, but unable to resist the will of Hades. “You have doomed us all. Nemesis is at last abroad in the world! Your glorious reign shall be numbered in hours!”

At this, Hades chuckled, long and deep.

“What sort of fool do you take me for?” he spat at them. “I knew from the beginning the risk I took in awakening Nemesis, but I also knew that Athena would know how to stop her! That is the beauty of my game: I have manipulated you all into doing my bidding! Even at this very moment, her champion, the Princess Diana, seeks the Syrinx. And your precious Wonder Woman never fails, does she Pallas?”

She was as a speck next to the enormity of Nemesis, rising to face She Whom None Can Escape. The golden lariat of Hestia was already whirling, Diana’s jaw set. She was not sure what she could do. She had faced a Titan not long before, but this… Her mind struggling to contain the sight before her, of the colossus engulfing all of existence before her. She was not sure what she could do, but she had to do something!

It is futile to resist, a cold, dead voice said to her. The blank, empty eyes of the Lady Adrastaea had noticed her. An end must come to all. This is no more, nor less, than what must be. Surrender to inevitability, and meet your fate with dignity.

“No!” Cried Wonder Woman. “I will never surrender to oblivion! Now is not your time, Lady! Return to your rest and allow history to take its course.”

Nemesis filled all the sky, her head wreathed by shrieking Furies.

This is my part to play. I cannot be aught but what I am.

Then, Diana told herself, I will die trying to stop you. She braced herself and flew straight for the colossus.

Diana had heard her mother talk of this entity, the Spectre, the spirit of a slain policeman doomed to walk the earth and wreak vengeance upon the wicked. Hippolyta had encountered him during her stint with the JSA, but she had never implied that this being had so much power…

The two colossal phantoms bestrode the earth until they were face to face with each other, the Spectre’s eyes glowing a fiery green in the darkness beneath his cowl. Nemesis regarded him with no more moment than she had Diana. She reached for him, and he lunged at her at the same time! The two met with a sound like a thousand thundercracks! The concussive force of their meeting blew Diana out of the sky, and she fell to earth like a comet.

“Angel!” Steve went to her, as the two giants above them grappled hand to hand with each other.

He dug her out of a crater of rocks, and wiped the blood from her brow.

Her eyes fluttered open, and Steve couldn’t help but be struck how this resembled their first meeting, only now the roles were reversed. She seemed to be thinking the same thing, for, despite the doom falling all around them, a softness filled her eyes and a bittersweet smile settled upon her face.

“Who’d’ve seen this coming, huh?” Steve commented, cradling her head, though it wasn’t clear if he was referring to their role reversal or the sudden appearance of the Spectre.

“He can’t stop her.” Diana croaked feebly. “Not even the Spectre has the power to turn the will of the universe…”

Steve nodded gravely. “I know, but he is giving us some time. And I’ve learned to never give up hope when you’re around.”

She reached out and grasped his hand, squeezing tightly.

That’s when hope arrived.

As silent as the grave, she stepped out of the shadows of Circe’s ruined home, her face still streaked with tears, but shining with a sad beauty that was unravaged. It was Persephone, unwilling to perish alone in Hades cold grey realm.

Diana met the goddess’s eyes, and remembered the words of Circe only moments before: I slew that foolish godling millennia ago. Look for him, and his pipes, in the underworld!

In Persephone’s hand was a gift: a small pipe made of reeds…

Diana took the Syrinx from the hand of Persephone, and with a look, gave thanks to the lady for this unlooked for salvation.

Above them, Nemesis bore down hard on the Spectre, forcing the ghost to his knees and a howl from his otherworldly throat.

“Thank you, lady.” Diana said simply, and then, with a nod to Steve, Ares and Hippolytus, she rose into the air, holding the Pipes of Pan to her lips.

The first notes of the song of the Syrinx were soft and all but unheard. But Diana continued to rise into the air, floating up almost to the level of the battling giants, playing the plaintive song the pipes themselves seemed to demand.

At first nothing happened. Nemesis battered down upon the Spectre, inexorable and fatal. But then the Furies buzzing around her like a halo of wasps began to screech. The subtle, mellifluous notes weaved themselves into the fabric of reality like a command. Or an imperative.

Nemesis ground to a halt, her grip upon her opponent going slack, her every movement ceasing. All but her eyes. She shifted those cold, empty things until they were square upon Diana, stunned, accusatory… grateful?

Diana did not cease her playing, but inwardly beseeched her: Rest again, Lady Adrastaea; it’s time for you to return to your slumber!

Nemesis collected herself, backing away from the Spectre. But something in her expression told Diana that she had heard the command, the imperative of the Syrinx.

Yes, I shall go now. To sleep again. But one day I will reawaken, and then will my dread purpose be fulfilled…

Until that day, then, Lady. Diana blew a gentle lullaby, and the figure of Nemesis began to recede, shrinking and fading until at last She Whom None Can Escape was gone!

On the steps of the Panoptikon, from where Hades could stretch out his sight and behold the whole world, the universe was about to undergo a reordering.

“See, you have played the dutiful servant, Athena!” Hades scanned the newly cleared skies over Paradise Island. “Your champion has performed her role admirably. Nemesis has returned to her slumber, leaving the field to me alone.”

Athena lay on the steps before the new King of Olympus, where he had negligently discarded her. She was outwardly composed, but inwardly she could only hope that her Wonder Woman had lived to make the final move, and bring the deadly game of gods and mortals to an end…

“Hades!”

All eyes turned towards the sudden rough voice. A tumult of smoke and brimstone erupted on the steps of the Panoptikon, and stepping from it was the dark figure of Ares, God of War. Lord Ares was helmed again, and bore his fearsome axe, however effective that would be against the new King of the Gods and Lord of the Cosmos.

And Ares wasn’t alone. Athena, Apollo, Hades, and all the Amazons assembled, watched as others stepped from the smoke behind the God of War, all grim and the worse for battle, but with such a collective air of determination that Athena allowed herself a sigh of belief and wonderment.

But Hades was unconcerned.

“Lord Ares, you are too late to be the first to bow to me, but better late than never.” The new King drawled, eyeing the grim band of Lost Amazons and US Marines still emerging from Ares’ portal from Aeaea. “Come, my brother’s son! We have ever been of a like mind. But bend your knee to me and do me obeisance, and you shall rule at my right hand!”

Glaring at Hades, the God of War did not respond, except to step aside--- allowing Wonder Woman to come forward.

Please, Gaea, Athena prayed, let her have understood the message!

She was empty-handed, and her weariness was telegraphed in her every movement, but her eyes were sharp, and even, it seemed, a little sad.

And that, Athena thought with pride and a thrill of realization, is why you are worthy of every gift we have bestowed upon you, my Wonder Woman.

Hades towered over her in stature, not deigning to bring the full force of his majesty to bear upon her; his lip curled in scorn.

“Lord Hades,” Diana began, in a voice that was steady but punctuated with all the grief, hardship, regret and rage she experienced since this all began. “You have seized the Fleece, and thus are rightful Lord of the Cosmos--- but you are no worthy bearer of this mantle. You have lied, schemed, manipulated and murdered. We have all been your pawns, and for that, again, you are unworthy of our worship---.”

“Mortal whelp!” Hades drew himself up in godly indignation, and seemed to swell in size, his very eyes burning with fury. “Who are you to judge or condemn me? I am the ---.”

“Kinslayer!” Diana yelled back at him, her voice echoing across the Panoptikon, slicing like a knife through all other sounds. Every breath and heartbeat waited on her next words. “You have played the game masterfully, lord, but it was flawed from the beginning.” Diana’s face was a suffused with passion, her words coming sharp and fast. “You opened Doom’s Doorway and unleashed the Spawn of Uranus to sow destruction and wreck havoc on Paradise Island; you woke Nemesis from her slumber and set into motion the events of the last days, including the judgment and death of Zeus by the Furies; all of this to remove the obstacles to your bid for power, to remove all who stood in your way, and to distract anyone who could stop you from your true goal, the Golden Fleece. But you miscalculated, Lord Hades! You made only one mistake in your great gamble, one fatal, unforgivable sin. The sin of Kronus, the sin of Orestes, the sin of Zeus.”

At last, Hades saw where Diana was going, and the impact of it hit him like a physical blow. His face fell, appalled at his error, and he staggered backward, clutching the Fleece to him.

But Diana pressed on relentlessly.

“Through your intentional actions, you brought about the death of your brother Zeus, and so sealed your fate. That is murder, Lord of the Shades, the murder of kin, a crime so heinous that the will of the universe--- the will the Fleece itself represents!--- has created instruments to punish it! Instruments that you yourself, in your hubris, thought to manipulate!”

From out of Ares’ still smoking portal from Aeaea, three bat-winged shapes flew, shrieking triumphantly! Tisiphone, Alecto and Megaera burst into the sky over the Panoptikon, and for the first time ever, the bloodcurdling screams of the Kindly Ones caused hearts to soar, not quake.

Except for Hades. He shrank away, stumbling backward, his eyes on the doom circling overhead.

“Send them away, Amazon.” The Lord of the Shades demanded, his voice shaking. “I will make you my queen! The queen of the universe, only call them off!”

“I cannot, my lord.” Diana replied firmly, but there was no mistaking the sorrow in her voice. She was engineering the downfall of a god, and did not do it lightly. “They are beyond my power. Your crime calls to them. Besides,” And now her voice took on a hint of steel. “You already have a queen.” She reached behind her and grasped the hand of the delicate, beautiful woman starring with pity at Hades. Persephone graced her lord and husband with a final look of farewell--- then closed her haunted eyes and turned her head away.

The Eumenides fell to earth, cracking the ground beneath their feet. The serpents that writhed from their heads hissed and wriggled frantically, their whips of scorpion tails snapped and lashed out with an insatiable hunger. They surrounded Hades on all sides, tormenting him mercilessly. Gods and mortals alike could only watch in horrified fascination.

For Menalippe and my mother Hippolyta, and the thousands of our sisters that perished in the war… Thought Diana, her eyes welling up at the horrific spectacle now ending before her. For Lord Zeus. For Lady Persephone… The Kindly Ones closed in on Hades, their whips raised and poised to slash down. Diana lowered her eyes and looked away, tears streaking her face. Hell hath no fury…

Hades scream was terrible--- and brief.

“Diana, Princess of Themyscira, come forward child.” Rang out the clear voice of Athena.

Diana hastened to obey, attempting to kneel before the goddess, only to be halted by Athena herself.

“No, I would not have you on your knees before us today.” Athena smiled. “The service you have done us here is incalculable. You have striven with monsters and gods, and even destiny itself. You have suffered, and lost much. How may we repay you?”

Diana was taken aback. “Pallas, I--- I ask nothing for myself! I fight for what is right, and for what I believe in… and to be worthy of the blessings the gods have bestowed upon me.”

The new Lord of Olympus added his voice to his sister’s. “Come, Diana. You have always proved worthy of us. Let us now prove worthy of you.”

Diana raised her chin, her heart full. “Then, my lord, I ask that you return my cousin Hippolytus to his true form. He, and all the victims of Circe’s foul witchcraft.”

A smile like the dawn breaking spread across Apollo’s face. He nodded once, and beckoned for Diana to turn around. When she did, she was confronted by the visage of her cousin, as Ares had appeared to her, but with tearful, heartfelt sincerity in his eyes. The other bestimorphs, too, had resumed their human shape, and were looking upon each in glad disbelief.

“Welcome.” Diana proclaimed to them. “Welcome to Paradise Island. Welcome home!”

This announcement triggered a spontaneous roar of jubilation. The Amazons who had been under Hades’ sway cheered joyfully for the end of the long nightmare. The Lost Amazons, returned from Aeaea, embraced Hippolytus, and were in turn embraced by the Themyscirans. Even Penelope, driven mad by the power of the Fleece upon her, was restored, and wept in the arms of General Phillipus.

At last, Diana was able to breathe a long-withheld sigh of relief. It was over at last. Her knees buckled, and all the trauma and exhaustion she’d been holding back seemed to rush in upon her. But she did not fall. Steve was there, supporting her in his arms.

“Hello, Angel.” He smiled at her.

“Now, we must away.” Apollo declared. “Olympus will be rebuilt, brighter and grander than before. And you, Princess of Themyscira, must now be a queen to your people.”

Diana felt no elation at this. She never wanted to rule. A sudden ache for her mother swelled in her chest.

“But my lord, my mission to Patriarch’s World is unaccomplished.” She cried, even as the Olympians, one by one, began vanishing in an electric shower of spangles and sparks. “There is still so much work to be done…!”

Apollo summoned his golden chariot and climbed aboard, the pegasi that drew it whinnying gaily.

“You will find a way. You always do.” Apollo graced her with a smile that dispelled any darkness still left in the day. “After all, are you not Wonder Woman?”

The chariot left the earth and soared into the sky, racing across the sun.

Her eyes bright, Diana went and joined the celebration, rejoicing, at least for now, in the hope of a new era…!