Chapter 1: Unexpected House Guest

Circe surveyed the surroundings of where she was now hiding. She once had Demigods cowing in fear from her and now she was hiding like a common criminal. She had been out for four months recovering from the massive defeat she had just suffered at the hands of Wonder Woman and her allies. Circe had gone all in with a plot that involved bringing Trigon back to Earth. She even subdued Raven and began the ritual that would see Trigon possess her and begin his conquest of Earth Realm. Then as she was about to guarantee her magic would be the strongest. Wonder Woman and her allies began showing up and ruining her victory. That slut Zantanna kept the powerful Brother Blood at bay as Wonder Woman and her Amazons fought her Minotaur minions. In the end the Amazons, bolstered by Dr. Fate destroyed her mighty Minotaur army. Now the forces of light who were too much for her when she had her full powers were hunting for her in every nook and cranny in the universe. The spell Dr. Fate, Zantanna and the freed Raven cast on Circe drained her of almost all her powers. Furthermore, every one of her major dark artifacts was now in the custody of Dr. Fate and his minions. She could not recharge her magic now if she wanted to, she was far too weak for any type of battle. So here she was in the remote swamp lands of Louisiana being harassed by mosquitos dressed in rags. In fact, anyone of her rivals would love to see the great Circe, a dirtied and in rags. No one who saw her now would even believe that she was once one of the most powerful magical beings on Earth.

Meanwhile in New Orleans...

“Damnit Vicki, I thought you said you had a lead.” Lois Lane said exasperated.

“I did not say I had a lead, I said there were local folks touting that they had seen a woman fitting Circe description about a month ago.”

“What would make her come down to this forsaken swamp?” Lois asked impatiently.

“Seriously, Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, and Zatanna absolutely creamed her. She has pissed off just about every person in this world. A place like this is exactly where she would hide.”, Vicki Vale countered.

Deep in the Swamp...

Circe walked through the swamp as she had every night since coming here trying to find the spot which called to her all those years ago. The goddess’s lily-white skin speckled with mud and filth as she sloshed closer to where she felt the magical presence emanating.

“What the hell am I doing girl” Circe thought to herself as the nightlife of the swamp became much more vibrant. Circe was never afraid of any wildlife, not even the water moccasins of the Louisiana swamp. However, she had found an old manuscript that pointed to a spot that should be near her. She felt the slight pulsing from the undergrowth. Circe was beginning to think her quest to find a magical wellspring was all for naught, when she noticed an island of dry land in the middle of the swamp and in the middle of the island was an old antebellum mansion from the old south. The dilapidated wood looked as if it was about to give way at any moment.

The lovely goddess rose out of the murky water of the swamp, her pale skin caked in wet mud as she felt the hard support of dry land. Circe felt the energies getting stronger as she approached the house.

Circe at this point was damn near unrecognizable. The lovely vibrant flaming red hair was so caked with dirt and mud that she looked homeless. Her dress barely held on as the swamp’s vegetation had eroded most of it, leaving rips and dirt as the most recognizable feature.

As Circe the goddess neared the house the large ornate door swung open. The door’s age became apparent as a cloud of dust erupted from the swinging door causing Circe to cough at the cloud waif around her. The greyish brown cloud of dust gave her skin a new coat of ugly to prance around in.

Circe continued to walk inside the abandoned house and sighed,” Figures ... all this trouble to find nothing ... I will never get my powers back.” Circe said as she slunk her back against the wall in defeat.

“Powerssss ... Baaack” a voiced creaked out from somewhere in the house.

Circe was startled by the unexpected answer back and said, “Yes ... Powers back, my enemies have placed a curse on me that drained all my magical energy and now I am stuck in the mortal realm with no magic”

“Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!” A deep creaking voice chortled from the room.

“Stop laughing or face the might of Circe goddess of Olympus...”