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The Games that Gods Play	By : Ristul Category: DC Verse Comics > Wonder Woman Views: 16896 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Wonder Woman,nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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You gods are a bunch of pansies, and I dare any of you to disagree with me.
Nobody? Scared? Of me?
Good. Because knowing what you are and what you are not is the very first step towards making progress. I am going to beat all of you into shape, right now. So step forward, any one of you. I’ll use just a scabbard. You can use any melee weapon you want. It won’t matter.
-Phillip Delacroix
Diana punched her way past another cultist, but her limbs were tiring fast, and they just kept on coming. Mala complained, “By Hera, don’t they ever stop?”
“Apparently not, sister.” Wonder Woman replied. “Still, we must fight on!” She jumped into the air and lashed out with a spinning kick, flattening three cultists to the ground. None of them got back to their feet.
She landed unsteadily on her feet, exhausted by the battle. The cultists swarmed all around the Amazons, and even though Athena had recovered enough to help, they were slowly being overwhelmed. Deprived of their Amazon strength, defeat was more than just a possibility. Their weapons had been wrenched away early on in the fight, and the Amazons improvised with whatever materials they could find, even weapons from the cultists. She missed her lasso, which had been removed from her side like her JLA communicator. Thankfully, Cronus had left her tiara and bracelets alone.
“This way!” Phillipus cried out, pointing towards a narrow alley. The Amazons fled into the dark street, and Io used her prodigous strength to block the path by tossing several trash bins at the crowd, keeping them off the desperate women.
“We must find some form of refuge!” Athena said, her breath coming in short, sharp pants as they ran. “We cannot sustain this for much longer!”
They reached the end of the alley, which led out into another street. Wonder Woman saw a car parked nearby, and she made a quick decision. “Forgive me, Hera, for this act.” She raised her fist, and punched through the windows of the car, her bracelets protecting her arm from the glass splinters.
“Diana, you can drive?” Io asked in surprise.
The Princess smiled grimly, “I learnt a few weeks ago.” She opened the doors, and climbed into the driver’s seat, quickly adjusting it for comfort. The other Amazons and Athena piled into the backseat, while Phillipus leapt over the hood to reach the shotgun seat.
The chasing mob emerged from the alley in time to see them drive off. Diana put her feet to the pedal, accelerating rapidly. She might be against gas-guzzling automobiles, but in the present circumstances, she had to consider the lives of her friends. It was a very good thing, she realized, that she had taken up Delacroix’s subtle suggestion to take driving lessons.
It’s another piece of advice I’ve received from that man that turned out to be helpful, she thought. Why do I even listen to him? Another part of her mind answered, because he makes too much sense to ignore.
Any further thought was driven from her mind when Athena shouted, “Look out!”
A car charged down at them, driven by a maniacal cultist. Diana tried to avoid him, but the man just drove his car straight down, intent on ramming his own car right into theirs.
“Brace yourselves!” Diana shouted moments before the collision. At the last moment, she placed her arms in front of her face, trusting to the enchantment of the bracelets to protect her. She called out automatically, “Hera protect us!”
The two cars crashed into each other, their fronts crumpling like tissue from the impact. The cultist was propelled through his windscreen and onto the street in a bloody heap, a sacrifice for the cause of Cronus.
Wonder Woman almost blacked out with the impact, feeling a terrible pain on her head, but her tiara had protected her from the worst of the blow. Phillipus was groggy, even after bracing herself as best as she could. Athena and Io were already stumbling out of the ruined car, supporting a stunned Mala.
“Phillipus!” Diana pulled her former teacher and the Chancellor of the Amazon nation out of the car. The car engine began to give off lots of fumes, and Diana didn’t like that one bit.
They managed to get far away when the car exploded, probably due to some spark setting off the fuel. Diana supported Phillipus, while Io and Athena kept an eye out for the mob.
“We seem to have shaken them off,” said Io, glancing back every few seconds anxiously.
“No.” Diana said tiredly. “Cronus knows where we are. He’s probably toying with us, because he knows we’re not a threat.”
“That is what he thinks,” hissed Athena past the pain of her wounds. “I have prepared contingencies in case Cronus returned. The Egyptian goddesses will come to our aid.”
Io’s eyes lit up with hope. “Yes. Isis and the other goddesses would surely know of Themyscira’s plight.”
“That may be,” Phillipus grunted, “but we still have to survive the night first.”
They were surrounded again by the mob, slowly approaching them from all sides. Diana tensed her body, ignoring the aches and pains on her muscles. Even Amazons have their limits, and she was fast reaching those limits. She pushed the discomfort away, knowing that the fate of her people depended on her small group.
The mob attacked, and the Amazons yelled as one as they fought back.

Gawain Sharpe was upside down on the very edge of the cliff, his body vertical and held up by the strength of his aching arms, his palms flat against the hot ground. His eyes were closed in concentration, while sweat dripped off his forehead onto the ground. In front of his face was what seemed to be a silver globe levitated in midair.
“Why don’t you take a break?” A sweet voice called out from in front of him.
The bounty hunter opened his eyes to behold a beautiful sight, even though the image was upside down because of his position. A brunette in a sleeveless bodysuit adorned with glittering stars floated in the air in front of him, off the edge of the cliff. Her blue eyes twinkled with laughter, her bare arms covered with silver bracelets that indicated her status as an Amazon.
Gawain whined, “Donna, come on. I need to do this for another ten minutes!”
“Is he nuts?” Another voice called out, and Gawain twisted his head to see a blond girl in a red costume, also floating in the air, fly up beside Donna. “It’s hot out here in the sun!”
“Setting sun.” Gawain corrected her. Then he said, “I’m Gawain Sharpe. You’re Wonder Girl, right?”
“I’m Cassandra Sandsmark, my friends call me Cassie, or Cass.” The girl stared at him in fascination, before turning to Donna. “Donna, he’s the new Angle Man? Shouldn’t we take the triangle away from him?” Then she mock whispered to her mentor, “He seems a bit loony.” Donna laughed.
“Hey, it’s not as if I wanted the stupid triangle!” Gawain protested, his arms burning with the effort of supporting his weight while the sphere in front of his face began to change with his lack of concentration, revealing that it was a circlet spinning at incredibly fast speeds. The circlet then began to change as well, revealing that it was actually a polygon with many, many sides, the number of sides gradually reducing to an octagon, a hexagon, and then finally a triangle. It continued to float in front of him.
“Wow.” Wonder Girl remarked, her eyes wide in surprise. “That’s a cool trick.”
“Yeah, I plan to use it for a future career at birthday parties.” Gawain deadpanned.
“Your new boyfriend has a sense of humor.” Cassie nudged Donna in the ribs.
Donna sighed theatrically. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“What?” Gawain sputtered.
Donna continued, “I mean, he doesn’t listen to me, doesn’t take me out on dates, is a miserly fool, and obsesses over a stupid triangle.”
“Hey!”
Cassie giggled. “I think he’s worried.”
“He should,” said Donna, grinning. “Unless he gets off his butt now.”
Gawain sighed in defeat, and was about to flip to a standing position when Donna and Cassie suddenly started falling. Both girls screamed as they fell into the ravine, and Gawain felt cold fear seize his heart.
He threw himself off the edge of the cliff, twisting in mid air like a diver. The triangle flew to his hand, called by the link that he had formed with it. His control over the amulet had improved, beyond anything Angelo Bend could have achieved. He could do things with it that the previous Angle Man never could.
Like warping the very fabric of space. He was a few seconds behind them, but he pulled the space closer, and suddenly he was next to Donna. He grabbed her by the waist, and then reached for Cassie.
Once the girl was in his arms, he focused again, using the amulet to teleport them to just outside the small hut that he called home during the past few weeks, while he had been honing his command over the amulet in seclusion.
“What the hell happened?”
Donna shook her head, “I don’t know.” Then horror crossed her face. “I think something has happened to Olympus.”
Cassie nodded her head. “I think so too. Our powers are linked to that of the gods. But Donna, your powers…”
Donna shrugged her shoulders. “I was a simulacrum of Diana that eventually developed its own soul. I guess that in many ways I’m still linked to Olympus.”
Gawain looked around nervously. “So what do we do?”
“We’ll contact the Justice League. Maybe they’ll know what’s going on.” Donna rubbed her arms worriedly. “I hope Diana is all right.”
Just then, a portal slammed into being just meters away. Gawain raised his triangle, at the same time calling a pistol to his other hand using the teleportation ability of the triangle.
“What the…” Cassie blurted as a tall man dragged a bareheaded but armored Ares through the portal. Behind them were several slavering monsters.
Gawain saw Phillip, and the two former soldiers exchanged quick glances of understanding, sharing the same unspoken message. Stand and fight. Gawain grinned savagely. Just like old times.

Phillip ducked down as Gawain lashed out with his triangle. The new Angle Man pulled in the space between the sharp tip of his triangle and the first hellhound past the portal to nothing, so that the tip slashed across the eyes of the hellhound.
The hellhound roared in pain.
Phillip lifted a groggy Ares up to his feet, and then shouted to him, “Run!” He shoved the former god of war towards Cassandra Sandsmark. The God of War stumbled for several steps. The Kessanalt spun around, his blade flashing in the patterns of Sword 21, eviscerating a Ker with the magical steel of Infamy, barely avoiding the deadly fangs of the monstrous creature.
The horde came on, and the King of Pain threw caution to the wind, knowing that Gawain warded his back, as he had so often before in so many battles before. Delacroix waded into the midst of his enemies, wielding his sword in rapid and efficient strokes.
He was not alone. He could spy Donna Troy stepping in with a sword, but his keen eye noticed that she did not have her powers, and fought with the strength of a normal woman, albeit with the skill of an Amazon guiding that strength. Cassandra Sandsmark tended to Ares, and Gawain continued to pick off the beasts at a distance with both triangle and gun. But the beasts were still all moving straight for Ares.
A hellhound leapt at him. Phillip allowed himself to fall to the ground, holding his sword upwards for the beast to cut itself all along its underbelly. He rolled to one side to avoid the ichor, kicking out the legs from a harpy, and then stabbed his sword into its throat.
He got to his feet to see that they had engaged Gawain in close quarters. He knew Sharpe could handle himself, but what about Ares? “Ares!” Phillip shouted, “Get up and fight!”
Wonder Girl tried to block a harpy, but the monster just slapped her aside casually. The God of War stared up, his face full of despair. As though he had already given up.
And I swore loyalty to this sucker? Phillip saw another hellhound charge at him. He leapt forward, landing on the surprised beast’s nose, and then pushed off, using the momentum to fly and somersault through the air. He ended the movement by stabbing the harpy in the back.
“Get up!” Delacroix pulled his master up by the straps of his armor. No response. He slapped Ares across the face. “Damn you, fight!”
The slap sparked anger for a moment in Ares’ eyes, before it burned out just as quickly. “It’s hopeless. Cronus is too well prepared this time.”
Phillip suddenly twisted his body to one side, avoiding a harpy that had thought to attack him from behind. Infamy swept out, and loped the harpy’s head off. “And that means you give up? Fuck you!”
“We can’t win.” Ares insisted.
Phillip turned to stare at the God of War in the eyes. “Maybe we’re fated to lose. Maybe our destiny is already written in the stars.” Then he hissed angrily. “I may not escape my destiny, but I will not give up. The time I give up is when I’m six feet underground! But if you give up now, you will lose!”

Ares stared at Phillip. He saw an intense flame within his minion, a terrible past that prompted the man to take crazy risks against insane odds.
For the first time in his life, he felt shame. He was an immortal, having lived for millennia, but here was a mortal man who was actually his superior in every way. When Ares had his godhood removed by Cronus, he had fully expected Phillip to turn tail and run, abandoning him to his fate. That was the common rule between their kind. Loyalty was just a false euphemism for self interest.
But Phillip had pulled him out, and was now shouting in his ear. For his own good, Ares realized. If he wasn’t going to help himself, was he going to rely on mortals, those he had long considered inferior, to help him?
No, they are not inferior. He looked up to see Gawain Sharpe and Donna Troy standing in front of him, protecting him from the beasts Cronus had unleashed. They’re braver than I am. They know who they are. What am I? A pampered god who never wins at anything? Was I respected just because I am Zeus’s son?
He suddenly wished he could move to pick up a weapon and fight. He wanted to earn Phillip’s approval and respect, something he had never imagined he would want from a mortal. But something stopped him every time he wanted to do so. He knew what he lacked.
Courage.
Determination.
Resolve.
He just could not move his body. He was so scared he had pissed himself. His body felt weak. Intellectually, he knew he had to take the first step, push himself forward, pick up a sword. Do anything. But mentally and emotionally, he just couldn’t work up the courage to do so. Not even with death staring him in the face. At the end of it all, he did not even have the courage to fight for his own life. All he could do was say, “Even if you win here, you can’t beat Cronus…” Even Zeus couldn’t defeat him. What chance did you, a mortal, have?
“Dammit!” Phillip flung him onto the dusty ground, and went back into the fight, disgusted with Ares. “Then stay there and rot!”
Ares watched the battle from his position, filled with utter self-loathing for the first time in his immortal life. I’m disgusted with myself too.

Donna Troy killed the final beast, her sword decapitating the hound cleanly. The area was littered with bodies, as Gawain and the stranger watched warily for further enemies. Cassie helped Ares up, her face filled with contempt for the God of War’s cowardice. Even Wonder Girl had fought. She had done quite well, and Donna was proud of her. So would Diana and Artemis, if they knew. Even without her powers, Cassie had used her Amazon skills effectively.
She was glad for Gawain’s presence. His control over the triangle had enabled him to pull swords from the hut and into her hands, as well as beat back the monsters. For the first time, Donna could apprehend just how much more deadly Gawain was compared to the previous Angle Man. Gawain was a hunter, a killer, and his command of the triangle reflected that.
Donna looked at the tall blond man with cold blue eyes who had appeared with Ares. Cassie shouted at him, “Mister Delacroix! What’s going on here?”
Delacroix said, “Cronus has returned, along with his gang of Titans. Since the two of you have lost your powers, I think it’s safe to assume Zeus and Olympus have fallen to him.”
Gawain Sharpe held up his hands. “Hold up on the discussion, I’m not supposed to be involved. I don’t know you, and I sure as hell don’t want to be getting involved in any war of the gods.”
Phillip produced a piece of cloth and started wiping his sword with it. “Mister Sharpe, or Angle Man if you prefer, I will compensate you for your time if you would help us. And if you don’t…” The threat was clear to everybody present.
“Who are you, to make such threats?” Donna demanded.
The tall man turned towards her, “I don’t believe we’ve met, Miss Troy, so I’m not surprised you don’t know me. I’m Phillip Delacroix,” he thumbed a finger at a despondent Ares, “and I work for that sorry piece of shit.”
Donna blinked. She’d never heard anybody speak of the gods in such a disrespectful manner, much less gods they were supposed to be working for. “You obviously know who I am.” She had heard of Phillip Delacroix as an ambitious industrialist and billionaire, leader of one of the most powerful corporations in the world. But she had not expected him to be working for the God of War.
He shrugged. “Ares has files on his enemies, and I make it a point to read up.” He then spoke to Gawain. “So how about it, Angle Man?”
Donna frowned. There was… something she couldn’t place her finger on between the two men. They were acting like they had met for the first time as well, but she had seen them coordinate their attacks in a manner that hinted at years of cooperation.
A mystery for another day, she decided. “Gawain, please. I’ve lost my powers, and so has Cassie. If we are to retake Olympus, we’ll need your help. Your triangle will come in very handy.” Not to mention your various other abilities you try to hide from me.
Gawain looked at her, and she stared back into his eyes. She had come to read him pretty well, and she realized he had already decided to help them, long before Phillip made the demand. Then why is he protesting? What is he hiding? She considered Phillip’s words. Or is he trying to cover something up for Delacroix?
The bounty hunter sighed, then nodded, “Okay. Mister Delacroix, 1 million dollars for this thing. Another half million if it drags on beyond a fortnight, and a half million for every fortnight after.” He stabbed a finger at Delacroix. “Note that I’m not doing this for you.” She got the impression he enjoyed saying the last sentence. Is there some sort of history between them?
Delacroix raised an eyebrow. “Deal.”
“So what do we do now?” Cassie asked anxiously.
“We find Diana.” Donna said firmly. “And see if the Amazons can offer us any help to defeat Cronus and retake Olympus.”
“It might not be just Olympus.” Phillip added quietly.
Donna asked, “Why is that?”
The King of Pain wiped the last of the ichor off his blade. “The last time round, Cronus went after the Greek and Hindu pantheons. This time, I have the feeling he’ll be going after others as well. Asgard and the other pantheons will be attacked soon.”
He said with finality, “This second Godwar is going to be a big one.” He motioned towards the small hut nearby. “Let’s talk in there. We need to plan.”

The Amazon Artemis looked around New York. She had taken over Diana’s position at the embassy temporarily while Diana took a short break on Themyscira. She was out for a walk, enjoying the city lights and the cool weather.
She knew she was being followed. Two men and a woman behind me. What do they want?
Artemis was tempted to turn around and confront them, but she also knew she could not do so in the middle of the city street. Someplace deserted would be better, especially if things got ugly.
She turned into an alley, and the people tailing her inexplicably stopped outside the alley.
Why did they not follow me in? Artemis wondered. She reached for the small sword under her coat, and the hand crossbow specially crafted for her to use for just such an occasion.
There was a growl from behind her. Artemis spun around to see several glowing eyes in the dark alley. The eyes moved forward, until their owners could be seen in the pale light from the street lamps. Hellhounds.
Artemis raised her crossbow and started firing, with the rapid reloading mechanism enabling her to fire without spending time to load bolts. The hellhounds leapt for her, their numbers thinning rapidly as a result of the Amazon archer’s deadly accuracy.
Then they were at her feet, the three remaining hellhounds. Artemis struck quickly, her sword gutting two of the hellhounds before the very last one wrenched her blade away. She stumbled backwards, kicking out savagely at the hellhound. It staggered away with her sword, leaving her weaponless, but not defenseless.
“Take her!” Somebody shouted, and her eyes widened in surprise as she realized her way out of the alley was blocked by a throng of people. Their faces were filled with hatred and fanatical devotion.
“For the glory of Cronus!” A woman shouted, and Artemis felt a surge of panic in her veins before her Amazon control brought it down. “Get her!”
I know when I’m beat. Artemis ran away from the crowd, further into the alley. They chased her, brandishing clubs. Several guns roared, and Artemis felt a bullet rip into the calf of her left leg. She bit back the searing pain, and struggled to continue running, forcing out the pain with her Amazon training. If they caught her, she would be dead for certain.
A trail of blood marked her passage as she ran on.

Jake glanced over at Ramon as the boy tried again on the poles, stepping on the top of the wooden poles as Jake shouted out the pole number he had to step on next. This was an exercise designed to train balance and foot movement. Phillip had thought it up, and Jake was the one implementing it.
The poles, each two feet long, were laid out vertically, ten rows by ten, and supported by several pieces of string to fix them vertically and ensure that they could bear Ramon’s weight. The poles were separated from one another by about a foot.
The more advanced version of the exercise called for the trainee to do the exercise without any support for the poles. Then there was the completely nutty version Jake had seen Phillip devise for himself, complete with oiled surfaces to kill balance, swinging blades at the head level, machines shooting painful spiked balls at random. Jake personally considered that setup excessively suicidal.
Ramon was getting better at the exercise, but still wasn’t good enough to carry out some of the more esoteric sequences. Jake thought, what was it Francis had said about failing again and again? Oh yes. It builds character.
“A5! C6! D3!” Ramon scrambled, trying to keep up, stepping when he could, leaping when he had to.
“Don’t look down! Don’t look down! G3! E5!” Jake roared. “Keep your eyes up! B4! F8!”
Ramon missed a pole as he tried to the leap from B4 to F8, and tumbled to the ground, his body falling on top of several poles before his hands could stop his fall. “Oooooph!”
Jake shook his head in disgust. “I think that’s enough for one night. You still need to work on your history.”
Ramon wasn’t just receiving lessons in fighting and working for Jake. Jake had decided the boy needed a more comprehensive education if he wanted to pass his SATs and go to college. Hence the extra home schooling, at least until Ramon had learnt enough to enroll in a nearby high school. He knew a lot of science and technology, but was completely clueless about history, geography, and literature. Jake intended to change that.
Ramon raised himself to his feet. “Gee, thanks so much. I am so looking forward to sword practice tomorrow.”
Jake folded his arms across his broad chest. “Getting snappy at me, eh?” Like most adolescents, Ramon hated studying.
The boy gulped at the sight of the eight feet tall giant glaring at him. “Uhm, no, sir.”
There was a sudden crash above them, sounding like glass being broken. Jake frowned, “What the heck…”
The basement of the café had been turned into a small practice gym, while the second floor held their bedrooms. The café had closed early that day, and they had already cleaned and mopped the place. People smashing the windows of the café could mean several things, and Jake thought he knew them all. Some gang idiots out to make a nuisance of themselves.
He reached for a shotgun from a nearby closet. “Wait here.” He climbed to the stairs, and then shouted as he entered the café, “Hey, get outta…” His words caught in his throat as he gathered in the scene before him.
A lone woman was clutching the remains of one of the café’s chairs, standing over several unconscious bodies on the floor. A crowd of people faced her, and Jake could see the hatred on their faces. They chanted, “Death to Zeus and his spawn! Victory for Cronus!”
And then he recognized the woman with the chair, the Amazon Artemis. Her leg was bleeding from a wound on her calf, and there were more bleeding scrapes and bruises on her body.
Jake had not seen Artemis for some time, ever since Gawain had left Themyscira once he was well enough. He had given the Amazon the café’s address, but she never came. Jake had been disappointed, though he kept silent about the matter, not speaking even to Gawain of it. It was just his luck. But she was here now, a pleasant surprise despite the fact that half his café was wrecked.
“Artemis!” Jake called. The Amazon turned to him in surprise.
“Jake! What are you doing here?”
“This is my café.” He then leveled his shotgun at the crowd of cultists. “And I want you people off! Scram!”
“Death to the infidels!” Somebody yelled, and there were gunshots.
“Shit!” Jake pressed down on the trigger of the shotgun, blasting a hole in the throng of people crowding the café. They fired back, and he ducked behind the counter, reaching for additional firepower in the form of two M-60 machine guns, sited below the counter in case of emergencies. Always be prepared.
He popped up from behind the counter, enjoying the shocked looks of the cultists, before he shouted, “Ready to dance now?”
Artemis jumped over the counter seconds before the cultists started firing again. Jake unleashed the full fury of both machine guns on them, spraying the front of the café with a storm of lead. The intact windows were blown out as well. Damn, I hate to see the repair bills.
The cultists ducked for cover, but some of them continued firing as well. Then a grenade suddenly flew over and next to Jake.
“Oh shit!” He dragged Artemis through the kitchen door, and down to the basement moments before the grenade exploded, the door closing just in time to block the shrapnel.
Ramon stared at him, his hands cupping his ears from the loud gunfire. “What the hell is going on?”
“World War 3, that’s what.” Jake grunted. “Artemis, what is happening?” There were several thuds against the basement door. The cultists were trying to break through. Jake smiled mirthlessly, glad that he had been paranoid for once and spent money on setting the basement up as a bomb shelter complete with a hardened door.
She ignored him, going for a nearby weapons rack, before replying. “I do not know. I was being tailed by some of these cultists of Cronus, before they suddenly attacked me with hellhounds and more of their number. I was forced to flee after losing my weapons.” She took a spear, and took several practice swings with it. “I need to get in touch with my sisters. Do you have a phone?”
“Sure. But you should let me take a look at that wound on your leg.” Jake said with concern. “Ramon, call up the embassy with your mobile.”
“Don’t bother.” They looked up to see the new voice. Gawain Sharpe stood in the basement, his triangle by his side. “Cronus has used some major mojo to block any calls for help. We need to leave now.”
“What do you know?” Artemis demanded. “Where is Donna?”
“Donna is with me, and she’s safe for the moment. Jake, we need to scram. Now.” Gawain walked over to them. “Forget about weapons. There’ll be plenty where we’re going.”
Jake stared at Gawain. “Big trouble?”
Angle Man nodded glumly. “Very big trouble. So what else is new?”
Jake winced at the truism. Trouble had a habit of finding them. The previous year had been quiet, way too quiet. He hoped the madness and chaos of the past few months wasn’t karma’s way of catching up on their previous good fortune by replacing it with bad. Then again, he recalled the old saw. Kessanalt luck, always bad. He wasn’t a disciple of the Path himself, but his association with Gawain and Phillip was enough.
Then a thought occurred to him. “Why didn’t you try teleporting to other heroes and getting them to help? Or anybody?”
Gawain shrugged, “I tried. Cronus has set up some kind of weird magic that my triangle can’t penetrate. We’re on our own, or at least, those of us linked in some way or involved accidentally. I came for Artemis, but,” he smirked, “Fate calls us again.”
Fate has called on us far too many times for my comfort. Jake looked around the basement, and then sighed as he recalled the carnage in the café. “Let’s go then. I want to break something for what they did to my shop.”
“What about me?” Ramon asked nervously.
Jake glanced at Gawain. “You can’t stay here.” And you can learn from Gawain. He’s like you, a disciple of the Path.
Gawain nodded, then raised his triangle, and transported them away from the basement.

“What do you mean they have disappeared?” Cronus demanded of Arch.
“My lord, all our scrying spells and artifacts cannot find Ares. It is as though he has disappeared off the face of the planet. I know for certain he is not dead, because he would have appeared in the Underworld.”
Cronus snarled. “What of his companion? The swordsman?”
“Disappeared as well. I suspect there is a spell of some kind that prevents us from finding them. I also suspect it is location specific, because we did know they were last at some sort of a ranch in Colorado.”
“It troubles me, Arch. Every moment the swordsman is not dead, I grow more uneasy.”
Arch was puzzled. “The swordsman? I thought Ares was the true threat. What can a man do?”
Cronus disagreed. “Ares is already a beaten foe. That leaves Phillip Delacroix.”
“You have found his name?”
“Easy enough with these contraptions the mortals have invented, like the television. Yes, he is named Phillip Delacroix, and I want him dead!” Cronus slammed a fist on the armrest of his throne for emphasis. “I do not know why, Arch, but my immortal soul fills with fear every time I recall his eyes when he attacked me. He is surely a mortal, not more than thirty five winters old, but I saw his inner spirit, and it is dark, ancient and terrible.”
Cronus trembled, remembering the intense stare Delacroix had thrown his way. Something dark laid within those eyes. A memory tickled the back of his mind, but Cronus just could not dredge up that crucial bit of information that would tell him just what Phillip Delacroix was.
“Impossible. How can he hurt us?”
“Nothing is impossible, Arch. It only takes a little longer.” Cronus waved a hand. “Leave, my Titan, and return only when you have good news. I need to plan our assault on Asgard and the other pantheons.”
Arch departed, and Cronus summoned up an image in a nearby bowl of water. It showed Athena, Princess Diana, and three other Amazons engaged in a desperate struggle for survival against his cultists. Cronus watched for a minute, before a plan occurred to him. Yes, the Egyptian goddesses are allies of Athena. They would go to her aid.
He rubbed his hands in glee. A trap for them, and I would weaken Amon-Ra and his family, setting them up for an easy conquest. That would mean Asgard for later, allowing Odin and his people more time to prepare. Never mind. The extra power I shall gain with ease will be more than worth it.
Cronus smiled. He had no doubts his plan would succeed.

Wonder Woman groaned as a club bashed against her head. She stumbled, but stayed on her feet. Another cultist punched her in her stomach, and the taut muscles on her belly, honed since childhood into hardened ridges, managed to resist the blow. But not for much longer.
Diana’s costume was torn and tattered from the battle. Her golden metal breastplate was beaten and deformed, while her red bustier hung as mere scraps around her flawless body. The leers of the male cultists as they fought her was terrifying. Wonder Woman knew what was in store for her if she fell, and it lent extra strength and desperation to her limbs.
Mala shrieked in fear as she was flung to the ground, and only a sudden burst of strength from Phillipus managed to beat the cultist back for a moment. But Diana could see the toll on her mentor. She could see the beating the Amazons had taken. They had fought long and hard, in a manner that her mother Hippolyta would be proud of, but the weakness in their bodies foretold their inevitable fate.
The Amazon champion made a quick decision. Athena was the key, but the cultists seemed to be focusing on her. Diana guessed it had something to do with the last time when she had foiled Cronus. Apparently, like most gods, he did not take losing well.
“Phillipus, take care of Athena! I will draw them away!” Wonder Woman did not wait for a reply as she pushed her way past the mob, punching and kicking her way out. Forgive me, my sisters, for abandoning you. But for your sakes and Themyscira, I must do this.
“Diana! No! Don’t do this!” Mala screamed, frightened for her friend and sister. Diana forced away the cold clenching feeling in her middle as she drew away from her sisters, ready to accept whatever fate was in store for her. She would face it like an Amazon.
Her plan worked, and more cultists were bent on pursuing her than Athena, giving Phillipus a better chance of getting their patron goddess to safety. They chased her, and Diana forced her tiring legs to continue the run, beyond all human comprehension. But she was an Amazon, and their Princess, born to excel. She ran until a cultist on a motorcycle rode up next to her and clouted her heavily across her back.
Wonder Woman sprawled to the ground, and reached out for a handy wooden pole lying on the deserted street. She adopted a defensive stance, and shouted out bravely, “I am Diana, daughter of Hippolyta, Princess of Themyscira, and Champion of the Amazons! Come on then, cowards, and see how an Amazon faces doom!”
The mob didn’t reply to her prideful bluster, and simply surged forward as one. Their hands pummeled her despite her weapon and her flailing limbs, lashing out in a final display of might and skill. Many cultists fell under her incredible strength, and to a neutral observer, it seemed as though she glowed with an inner fire.
To no avail. It was a fire that would soon be extinguished, for it burned brightest before the end. A blow across her face disorientated Wonder Woman long enough for several cultists to batter her to the ground with clubs and punches. She tried to climb back to her feet, but they held her down, and then pressed her to the ground.
Diana bucked and tossed, trying to break free, but they were too many, and she did not have her powers to aid her. She screamed in dismay, then terror as she saw several of the male cultists strip below their waists, revealing their long and hard penises. The look on their faces made their intentions clear to the struggling virginal and pure Princess of Themyscira.
Hera, no! Is this how it ends? Diana asked herself, forcing her eyes to remain open as she stared at her fate, the most terrible that an Amazon could suffer. The proud Amazon steeled herself for the coming ordeal, drawing on the stoic training of her upbringing, but she could not resist a final plea, “No!”
They paid her no heed. Diana gritted her teeth for the unavoidable, and internally she wept, all the while losing her consciousness. Noooo… can’t… let it… end… this way…
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The Games that Gods Play