Chapter 1: Aphrodite

Ares smiled as he looked at the perfect form of the warrior princess Wonder Woman. He finally had achieved dominion over the underworld, and now was wanting to break the border magic that imprisoned the denizens of the underworld from entering the other realms.

Ares libido had increased a thousand-fold since he took over the underworld. No longer did he want to only conquer, he wanted power, absolute power. He wanted control over everything. He always felt the powers of the Gods, but it was not until he took the mantle of Ruler of the Underworld that he finally realized how truly lacking he was in it.

Now he sought to take vengeance on those that opposed him before. Even the great Hephaestus was his to command, the same man that imprisoned him and Aphrodite when they eloped back in eons ago. Now the man was one of his most prized assets. As Aphrodite spurned him with cuckoldry Hephaestus desired to get back at her for all time. For Ares’s part he wanted to finally conquer his greatest nemesis, Princess Diana of Themiscyra or her mortal world mantle Wonder Woman.

The current ruler of Mt. Olympus, Athena, protected Princess Diana. He looked at potential allies in his pursuit, but he also knew that for every ally he gained he had a potential rival to his end game.

Ares knew that the Amazons were just a few of his worries. They had three super powered guardians, Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, and Donna Troy. As well as the formidable Queen Hippolyta, who commanded an entire army of Amazons which knew every inch of their island.

Ares also knew that Wonder Woman had a formidable ally in the super powered team of the Justice League. In a way, even with his powers dealing with the Mortal Realms champions would be harder than dealing with his rivals here in the Olympian realms.

He reached one conclusion the only way to beat her was to make sure the battle was in his new domain. To make Wonder Woman come here and he would be assured of victory. But how? It hit him. Ares made straight for the forge.

“Hephaestus, I need you to construct some special adornments. I will need them sent as gifts to your adulterous ex-wife on your behalf. I will help you get the ultimate revenge you seek that you were denied so many years ago. Consider this my ultimate amends on how I wronged you brother” Ares said in the sincerest of tones placing his hand on the shoulder of the Gods armorer.

“You mean I will finally get her back!!!” Hephaestus said as he leapt up with hope.

“Yes, and we will make sure she will never escape your grasp again.” Ares said with a tone of venom.

“But to make sure we can contain her we need to make sure she is sufficiently trapped and that requires tremendous power, Hephaestus.”

“Which is why I am asking our latest ally to use his power to make sure whatever we construct can be powerful enough for our aim” He said before adding, “Lord Zeus, is going to help me with my plans, he wants revenge on those who dethroned him, most especially his treacherous wife, Hera.” Zeus added.

“Is Lord Zeus not mad that you killed his brother my Lord?” Hephaestus asked.

“Oh, he told me that as much as he was angry about his brother that if I give him the means to take down those that opposed him, we would be considered even. Besides the gods can never truly die, even now my uncle is a citizen of the Underworld. If I am triumphant, I will give him back his kingdom here. A deal that works for everyone. “Ares said.

Ares had expected more resistance from the denizens of the Underworld when he killed their leader his uncle Hades but quite the contrary was felt.

Ares plan to invade the other realms made the armies of the underworld leap for joy. The people of the underworld were populated by the banished. Most after encountering the very forces, they are about to go to war with. Ares smiled from his balcony on his fortress in the Underworld, he levelled Hade’s palace and made it into an ultra-defensive super fortress.

He and entire kingdom of exiled, banished, cursed tribes just chomping at the bit to go through one of the guarded gateways of the mortal realm.

Wonder Woman in Washington D.C.

“Diana, we have grave news from the island we are demanding your presence back at once.” The message crystal echoed.

“What did Circe do this time, can you tell me what has happened?” Diana asked annoyed.

“No Princess you are needed back in the Island, the world of men can never know what just happened.” Queen Hippolyta implored from the other side.

“Very well, I will arrive later this day” Wonder Woman Declared.

“Oh, and my daughter, come dressed for battle.” Queen Hippolyta uttered.

The last statement scared Diana, her mother had only wanted her dressed this way for issues of the highest import. Whatever this threat they were facing it must be the existential kind.

“Great Hera, please guide us” Princess Diana uttered.

Paradise Island Later that Night.

The Island was dark when she arrived. What scared her more was that not a single Amazon was in their togas. They all were dressed for battle armed with bow, sword, and shield.

Wonder Woman exited her craft dressed in her battle armor, she even put on her winged helm as she was escorted to her mother’s war room.

“Mother what is happened are we about to be invaded?” Diana asked with a note of concern.

“No worse ... It is best if I just show you the message, we received last night” Queen Hippolyta said.

Diana’s heart sank as she was afraid of what could be worse than their Island being invaded.

The walk back to the artifact room of Queen Hippolyta’s palace. In it a smooth quartz stone had a blackened message written in the language of the gods.

It read,

Dear Daughters,

I am afraid something has happened here on Olympus. In our last Lunar Cycle meeting of the gods, Aphrodite, one of your chief patrons had gone missing. When we searched her palace, it showed no signs of her. We have no idea where she is worse yet, I am afraid that she might be captive to Zeus, or worse yet Darkseid. I request you send your best scouts to figure out where your goddess went and notify me in the most haste, use the magical parchment provided to you to brief me on any updates.

Your goddess,

Athena Queen of Mt. Olympus

Princess Diana let out a breath of despair and then steeled herself before saying,” Fear not I will lead a scouting party and we will track down the missing goddess, and I swear to you in Athena’s name if anyone has harmed her, they will face the wrath of Diana, daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta!” Wonder Woman exclaimed clanking her sword to her shield.

The Amazons erupted into a fanatical cheer! Diana had said the precisely right thing to her sisters on the Island.

Wonder Woman assembled her most able hunter scouts and were about to leave for Mt. Olympus.

Mount Olympus

The portal from Paradise Island opened onto the middle of the palaces that made up the city of the gods. The Amazons immediately kneeled as Athena greeted them in her battle regalia.

“Rise my daughters, I will send a few of my attendants with you to show you the last place Aphrodite was seen and you can begin your hunt there. Keep me appraised of the situation, and good luck. “Athena ordered before disappearing from them. In her wake were two female attendants dressed in decorative togas.

Moments later they were in Aphrodite’s palace, a true monument to beauty and decadence. The pictures were adorned with the most perfect beautiful bodies the universe had to offer. Fragrant flowers bloomed everywhere it was a true testament to life. So, what would cause Aphrodite to leave her post?

As the Amazonians scoured the palace for clues to where Aphrodite could have gone. A golden spec reflected in the sunlight. Diana caught it immediately it was coming from one of Aphrodite’s botanical gardens that surrounded her palace. As the Amazons followed their leader. Diana saw it, it was a golden parchment.

Diana looked at the parchment and was amazed to see it made of some thin metal, not surprising Hephaestus was the best metallurgist in the known realm. She turned the metal parchment around and saw a map with a location pointed out. The Amazons told the attendants and the attendants spoke into their bracelets and Athena appeared.

“Very Good Amazon, so we know who saw her last.” Athena said as she waved her hand and cast some magic of her own over the parchment.

“Alas this was given to Aphrodite right after she got back from our last council meeting. That means she left here a month ago.” Athena declared.

Athena turned to Diana and said, “Diana I need you to go to the world of Men and get your Sister Donna and Cassie, also bring along any other female warriors you can muster, we may need to fight on the Island and your Sisters will make sure to let no man set foot there. I will take command of your contingent of Amazons here and investigate these coordinates, I do not want to risk you in case it is a trap, and I can portal out myself and your sisters at the first sign of trouble”

“Yes, Queen goddess. I will make way at once” she said but before she could move Athena had portaled her into the lobby of the Watchtower.

“Great Hera, she is on a tear. Very Well, let me see who I can muster to our defense.” Wonder Woman uttered as she walked into the building to see who can help her.

A week later back on Paradise Island.

Wonder Woman had indeed mustered quite a hero gallery of champions of Earth. She managed to convince Batgirl, Stargirl, Raven, Supergirl, Wonder Girl, Donna Troy to come with her to island to help fend off potential invaders.

The Amazons had been deadly quite as the Island seemed deceptively peaceful. Wonder Woman was truly worried she had not heard back from Athena. The only countenance they had was Hera. Of all the patron Goddesses of Olympus, Hera was the one that most mortals were wary of because of her tendency to punish people for any perceived wrong doing.

The stone glowed erasing the previous engraving to display a new message.

Mortals,

We have lost contact with Athena and the cohorts of Amazons sent with her, I demand you find her within a fortnight or your Goddess will not be pleased.

This Hera Commands.

The harshness of tone could only mean Hera. She unlike the other Goddesses always spoke down to the Amazons, just like Zeus, she was without compassion.

Wonder Woman paused, as the entire war room waited for her response, before saying, “I will go alone, no more of my sisters will be endangered, besides if I must cross over to the underworld, I will need Hermes and he only can transport one person at a time through the portal to the underworld.

Wonder Woman flew to the hidden location described in the metal parchment. She was surprised to see it somewhere in Antarctica, she did not pack for cold, but she was sure there was a small coat in the cargo department of her jet.

Wonder Woman then gasped as she saw a lush oasis of vegetation at the spot indicated by the map. It was surrounded by mountains on all sides. Wonder Woman descended in a gap between the mountains. If she had not known better, she would have thought that gap was not natural.

She exited her jet and was shocked once again to the warm temperature that hit her body.

She entered the enclave that was indicated on the map, the place was a paradise of ornate columns and benches and fountains were everywhere.