Selena stretched like a Siamese kitten on the queen-sized bed on her newest Gotham penthouse apartment. It was mid-afternoon. She'd just polished off a shrimp cocktail. She felt exquisitely bored. Wasn't Harley just there? She felt confused somehow. Everything had been so odd lately.
Just then, Hera, queen of the gods, appeared on her jet-black shag carpet. "Obedient Mortal," Hera began, "I come to announce your intended."
Selena sat up and looked behind her shoulder, convinced Hera had to be talking to someone else.
"I offer to you, little cat, the king of the seas." Hera produced an orb, and holding it in her upright left palm, showed Selena a scene in which Aquaman was apparently having Chinese food with Wonder Woman.
I've got to start getting more sleep, Selena thought. In no mood to deal with the apparently deluded meta-intruder, Catwoman answered, "Thank you, O . . . powerful and . . . well-dressed one."
Satisfied, Hera vanished, leaving behind a very confused jewel thief.
****
Batman didn't like the bar. He thought it was an undignified enterprise for a former Green Lantern, even a third-rate former Green Lantern. What's more, Batman thought that heroes hanging out in a bar, even a superhero bar, sent the wrong message to impressionable youth.
But Clark liked to stop by every now and then. It made him seem more accessible to the other heroes, and Batman did have to admit that it would be insane if they didn't call in their Superman at some critical moment simply because they were too star struck. That didn't mean Batman would appear on site as Batman. He showed up instead disguised as a blond, African-American super fan-complete with an S-emblem T-shirt. He'd swept the booth for any listening devices earlier that morning, before the place opened, and, as he pushed through the entry doors, touched a scrambler on his very-not-utility-looking belt, just in case.
Superman was signing an autograph for a pair of adoring six-year-old twins. He seriously shook hands with each other them as the disguised Batman approached.
"Tell us about Wonder Woman!" one little brunette begged.
"She's so pretty," added her sister.
Superman knelt down on one knee and regarded the girls. "She is beautiful, but she's also smart and strong and loyal and wise. Her physical appearance . . . is the least important thing about her."
Very politically correct, Batman thought.
The girls seemed to consider Superman's words, but they were just dying to know. "Do you love her?" asked the sibling so taken with Diana's looks.
Batman found himself vaguely embarrassed about having come to ask a little girl's question of the Man of Steel.
Superman was all grins. "Sure I do," he said. "She's my best friend."
After the giggling pair exited, Batman amused Clark by pretending to be yet another adoring fan. Good-natured Superman offer to split an order of buffalo wings.
"What can I do for you?" Clark asked, sliding into a booth across from Batman.
Bruce decided to just go for it. "Tell me about Wonder Woman."
Directness. It was something he was trying, mostly because it was the last thing anyone would anticipate from him. Barbara hadn't caught his latest bug on her place, and so Batman had listened in on her and Nightwing psychoanalyzing him.
Bruce hated to be predictable. He arched an eyebrow at his opponent.
"Shouldn't you be asking Arthur?" Clark took a sip of his drink.
Batman considered telling Superman how ridiculous he looked drinking a diet Coke from a straw, but refused to be thrown off track. "She's so pretty. Do you love her?" His tone couldn't have been more severe.
Clark came up with the one answer that Bruce didn't expect. "Do you love Dick?" At the rare double-take, Superman held up one hand and pressed his advantage. "I know it would kill you to answer, and I know that the answer is of course you do. Does that make you lovers? Not last time I checked, and it's not like there haven't been rumors, so don't argue plausibility with me."
Bruce opened his mouth to say he wasn't sure what, but Clark kept talking.
"Look, I don't owe any explanations, but for the peace of your angst-ridden mind, the last time I had a heart-to-heart with Diana, the main thing she was telling me was to take some personal and romantic time with my wife."
Batman threw a crumbled up twenty on the table before walking out. After all, he told himself, Clark was living on just a journalist's salary. Upstart boy scout.
****
Arthur hadn't kissed Diana goodnight the evening before. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but once again, the memory of Poseidon's voice had stopped him. Aquaman had told himself that his little political tiff with Luthor had cured himself of his discomfort about Diana's former goddess status.
But that may have been a little overoptimistic, Arthur thought, musing over the matter from his throne room. Or maybe it's not that I'm insecure. It's just that something smells fishy right now.
He began swimming outside the city, trying to figure things out. Now, Arthur was no World's Greatest Detective, though he usually could handle any puzzle or perplexity presented by the seas.
But in the end, it was a shark who told him. //So sorry. Almost ate the queen.//
****
Batman was perched on a ledge, spying on some hub-cap stealers, trying to decide if they were worth the trouble when Selena tapped on his shoulder.
He spun, cape flying, and took a step to stand more securely on the rooftop.
She laughed. "I've been practicing that. I successfully sneaked up on you. Sneaky me."
Batman frowned. It wasn't like her to seek him out. But it figured, just as the last scratches she'd made on his cheek were almost completely healed up.
"What do you want?"
Selena crossed her arms. "Well, Mr. Tall Dark and Batty, I want to stop being drugged, impersonated, manipulated, maligned, burdened with impossibly large breasts, blamed for things I didn't do-"
"Whining?" Batman asked, suddenly reminded of when Diana had accused him of having a bad-girl fetish. Just when he'd began to doubt all of the heightening darkness around Selena, she'd thrown herself at Dick, of all people, to make him jealous. The heat he'd always felt around her had cooled considerably. One more mistake and he'd finally get serious about bringing her into the law for good.
"Shut up," she said, kicking his feet out from under him. "I came to talk to you about that Greek meta woman who's in town."
Batman flipped, landing squarely on the soles of his boots. "Who?"
****
In the moonlight, Arthur recognized the reddish seal immediately. He sprinted across the shore to her side and touched her forehead tentatively. "By the gods," Arthur whispered, cringing at the blood. "By the gods."
****
Batman had had about enough of the Greek gods' interference in his city. After a bit of preliminary research, he realized that they'd become so obscured in myth that it was impossible to determine how to best approach one.
He'd decided not to call Diana or Arthur for help.
Selena hadn't been in the least tempted to follow Aphrodite's instructions (at least Bruce thought it had been Aphrodite) theoretically because Selena wasn't a believer. As much as he'd been making that same argument about himself lately, it was hard to be thoroughly convincing when Diana was a former goddess.
In the home-base security of the Batcave, he lit a candle and called to the goddess of love. She was Diana's patron goddess, and clearly, they knew each other even more intimately from her Mount Olympus days.
Batman decided to use that.
"Aphrodite, as warrior-at-arms to Princess Diana of Themyscira, I call you to . . ." It wasn't working. Maybe he wasn't enough of a believer to summon her. Maybe he was taking the wrong approach. What would Aphrodite care about war? "Goddess Aphrodite, as friend to Princess-" No, even he didn't think that sounded impressive enough. Half the world considered itself Diana's friend. He'd keep the title though. "Goddess Aphrodite, as Diana's driving instructor-"
"What is a driving instructor?" the goddess inquired, appearing back-lit by a golden hue. She arrived perched on a column of marble, holding a chalice of ambrosia in her right hand. Staring at Batman, Aphrodite yawned.
"It's a teacher," Batman said, remembering the value the ancient Greeks placed on education. "I-" He tried to look simultaneously respectful and intimidating. He tried to figure out what he wanted to say to this goddess. Was he upset merely that she was trespassing in his town? "I ask that you please refrain from interfering with her relationship with Arthur."
As Batman went on to report his knowledge of the divine conversation with Selena, Aphrodite suddenly lost her bored expression. As she crossed her arms, the chalice disappeared. It was a pose Diana took when she became annoyed.
"And furthermore," Batman went on. "Why Clark? Why does she has to be with him in every other alternate reality. It can't work. He's in love with-"
"Both of them," Aphrodite answered, challenging him to contradict. "I don't know. They're friends and the colors of their outfits match and they just look so . . . pretty together."
"They're people," Batman answered. "Not the leading man and woman of some overwrought series of comic books."
Aphrodite laughed, considering his words. "You were interesting for a while, little bat man. But now I've just lost all respect for you." She disappeared from the cave floor in front of him and then reappeared, lounging on the hood of the Batmobile.
What a useless being, Batman thought. No wonder Diana cast aside goddess-hood to do something interesting. Unlike this frivolous creature, she couldn't be happy just sitting on the sidelines.
Aphrodite's smile widened as she read Batman's mind. "You never toy with your friends lives, do you?" she asked. "You don't track them like some kind of self-appointed god. You don't hold them accountable to your personal perspective. You don't take measures to reign them in?"
Batman willed his feet not to turn away from the truth in her words. He still thought he'd been right. He'd even been surprised at the anger-from Diana especially-about his programmed measures in case one of his friends ran amuck. He had been trusted with the Kryptonite, hadn't he? If Diana really became uncontrollable, would she have wanted him to let her cause any actual harm? And yet . . . he'd hurt them. Hurt his friends. Lost a measure of their trust.
Aphrodite disappeared from the car only to wrap her arms around Batman and leaned in for a surprise kiss. He tried to move, to push her away, but she held him steady somehow. Then Aphrodite whispered in his ear. "Think, detective, think. You believe Diana returned to her mortal life because you believed that story about her frustration over having to stand above as her friends and family went about their danger-filled lives. And think, detective, think. You've summoned me, a goddess of Olympus to beg me to stop interfering in mortal lives. Something there doesn't quite make sense, now, does it? Have you not heard our stories, our legends, our religion? Diana could have interfered if she'd wanted to do so. We gods interfere all the time. That's not why Diana returned to you. Only a fool would think otherwise. The truth is that your friend, the wonder warrior princess, is more complicated than you think."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Batman asked.
Aphrodite kissed him goodbye. "For her sake, not yours."
***
Arthur had done what he could to bandage Mera the seal, but too much of her life had already drained away. It, as usual in such matters, was just a matter of time. He fell to his knees, closing his eyes in reverence. "Goddess Hera, hear my plea. I call to you-" Hera didn't believe in divorce,
he remembered-"as husband to this injured queen."
The sea king didn't expect the goddess to actually appear, and he was right. He only suspected this magic was her work. But the gods had been meddling, that he knew from Poseidon's whisper. And who else would take such an interest in a philandering king.
Perhaps, he thought, it's simply Diana she's jealous of. She is the new woman in the equation. Should I attempt to bargain with Hera?
Well, Arthur decided, people have been doing it for centuries. "Goddess Hera, queen of the gods, know that if you spare this seal and return her to her true form, the undersea temple to Diana, former goddess of truth, will be rededicated in your name."
And that was all it took, because after all, Hera didn't want the seal to die. It was the spurred queen's side she'd been on all along. And, a temple was a temple. Not many had been dedicated to her in recent centuries.
Mera's very human hand touched Arthur's shoulder, and he turned to look upon his ex-wife, she who had not so many days before sat aside his throne, both healed and restored. They embraced, with more relief than passion. But the years of lingering love between them warred with confusion over the events of the past few days and the ever-growing feelings for Diana in Arthur's heart.
Since she killed Manta, Mera thought, Princess Diana has come first.
***
Batman glanced up from the console as Tim practically bounced into the cave, chowing down on one of Alfred's grilled mac-and-cheese sandwiches. He was really going to have to crack down on the diets of his team members. Health was a key component to fighting crime.
"How was your mission with Young Justice?" Batman asked, making an effort to be a bit more communicative with this Robin than his predecessors. He didn't want to lose another one. However, he didn't mention his recent visit from the goddess of love. Some things just weren't entirely appropriate for young ears.
"I saw our car and-" Robin paused abruptly. "It could really move." He decided not to mention the story involved in the creation of a "spare." Some things just weren't entirely appropriate for adult ears.
"How's the interpersonal interaction on the squad?" Batman asked, musing on the JLA. "The dynamics between Superboy, Wondergirl-"
"That's none of your business," Robin said, daring to interrupt his mentor only when the topic of YJ came up. They'd faced disapproval from the JLA before. Team loyalty was the cornerstone of YJ. Privately, Tim thought the Titans could learn a thing or two about team spirit from them. Privately, Tim thought the JLA, at the moment, was a mess.
He was willing to go on the record and let Batman know that he didn't appreciate his own team being spied on. "We may be a bunch of kids, but we can take on intergalactic and cross-dimensional challenges. Because we're friends, and we at least try to understand each other. I trust Superboy and Cassie. If they get together, great. If they don't great. They'll act like grown-ups about it."
Batman hadn't meant to imply anything about the youngest members of the Super and Wonder families. They'd just been the first two who'd come to mind. He didn't pause to wonder why.
But considering young Tim's words and his own suspicions of late, for the first time since Bane had broken his back, Batman felt humbled.
****
Diana met Arthur on a rock too small to be called an island, not far off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. Mera had told Dolphin, who'd told Tempest, who'd told Nightwing, who'd told Donna, who'd told her what had happened with Hera and with Mera's brief transformation.
It was Diana who'd asked for the meeting. As she approached, flying above, Diana didn't see Aquaman. Or Arthur. Or even the pirate king. He was purely Orin, communing with his realm. She let herself remember how his golden hair had felt in her fingers. The salty taste of two kisses. The promise of more.
"Hello, Orin," she said, as her red boots landed just behind him. "Thank you for coming. I know things are . . . in transition back home."
He stood and turned slowly, fearful at the formality in her voice. The teasing, the wry look were gone. She knows, he realized. But she doesn't realize-
"You no doubt have a few things to work out," Diana continued, preferring not to specify the details of his reunion with Mera, the implication that their reconciliation might be back on again. A princess never embarrassed others; she maintained her dignity. "And while I've certainly enjoyed the extra time we've had to spend together, I'm afraid my training schedule will be a bit fuller in upcoming days. I seem to be getting . . . hurt more frequently in battle than usual, and I need to concentrate on my defense techniques."
Gods, man, talk! Arthur thought to himself. He wasn't good at this sort of thing. He'd never been romantically linked to a woman who was his equal or better. He wanted to tell her everything had changed, everything . . . but she was right.
It was all more complicated than that. Mera was his queen. His people loved her. And, though she had her critics, Her Majesty had suffered a great trial, indirectly because of him. He loved her, whether he was still in love with her or not. With all they'd been through, he wasn't sure. For a while he'd been hopeful.
Now, his heart ached for Diana.
He said, "Perhaps when things have been worked out, one way or another . . . ." Orin drew the princess slowly into his arms. His aqua-blue eyes met her clear blue ones. "Perhaps when you're training is at . . . another lull . . ." For the first time, Arthur kissed her. He didn't do it as a heroic
gesture. He didn't simply respond to a kiss of her initiation. He kissed her once. Lightly. Brushing lips. Chaste and unable to offer promises.
She tasted like ambrosia and the first ray of dawn.
****
To be polite, Diana asked the Dark Knight about his day.
"Enlightening," he said, opening the driver's door for her. He didn't tell her how few people had leaned into that leather. As he joined her on the passenger's side, the intimacy of it hit him at all at once. He took her right hand and opened it slowly, placing the key to the Batmobile in the center of her palm.
Diana looked at it, considered the magnitude of the gesture. She almost confessed. She'd been uncomfortable with the arguable unfairness of her opposition to his continued membership in the league. After all, she'd taken out each of her fellow team members for what she'd considered their own good. But, she reminded herself, I didn't plot it for years. I didn't have secret files. I didn't hurt him . . . like he hurt Arthur.
That last thought surprised her. A week ago she would've said "Kal."
Diana knew Batman was looking at her. Scowling at her, though, she wasn't meeting his eyes. The car felt small, suffocating. She was caught off guard by her own words. "You were there when I died."
It was a clear enough statement. Simple. Yet the Dark Knight felt as though there was a hand on his heart, squeezing it. Draining him from within of all its blood.
"Yes," he replied. Gruff, seemingly undaunted.
"You touched my cheek," she continued, reaching up delicately to finally respond in kind. "You comforted me, made me less afraid."
"Yes," he breathed, though this time it was almost a question.
She leaned back and placed the key in the ignition. "Thank you," she said.
Thoughts jumbled momentarily in Batman's mind. He wondered where exactly one went with an Amazon princess as a student driver. He considered asking her to train with him, hand-to-hand combat, technique only. It dawned on him that good girls can be sexy, too.
Then clarity struck Batman. The JLA. They might not all be human, but they were all people. The one group of people where the Green Lantern could be a beta male. They needed to connect. To argue, to love, to dismiss, to embrace. Diana had their permission to show affection. They touched her when they couldn't, or wouldn't, touch each other. It all began to make sense somehow.
That was all there was to it, he tried to tell himself.
****
King Arthur entered his private chamber to find that his orders had been followed. The Temple of Diana had been re-christened in Hera's name. He made a mental note to swim over and say an obligatory prayer by the end of the day and to prepare tomorrow's speech to honor the occasion.
He informed the guards at the door that, from hence forth, no one but he was to ever enter this particular room.
"Even little fish?" the head guard asked.
Arthur nodded. "They can never keep their mouths shut."
Then he closed the heavy golden doors and regarded his chamber's newest decoration: the just relocated statue of Diana, former goddess of truth.
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