Thank you to all who have reviewed, it means so much to me to know you are all enjoying the story.

Here's the next chapter...

xxx

Chapter 9

Kasnia

Shayera flew over the chaos below her, taking it all in. Since their arrival nearly two hours ago things only seemed to get worse not better. The two dissident sides seeming to only grow angrier with the league's presence not calmer.

She'd tried negotiating with both sides to see if one of them would be willing to lay down their arms in a show of good faith, but the only reply she got from either side was they would lay down their weapons when the other side did.

From there the conflict only escalated forcing her to call for reinforcements as her team was too scattered among the fighting to do any good to anyone.

"Shayera to Watchtower" she said switching her mace to other hand, so she could press her communicator

"Go ahead Shayera"

"We need reinforcements down here in Kasnia, the situation is escalating faster than we can handle"

"Roger that, Shayera. I'll send down another team ASAP"

"Great. Shayera out"

Floating down onto an overlooking cliff, she scanned the fighting below to see Vixen and Booster Gold struggling to keep both sides from killing each other by disabling weapons and for some that was enough to send them running in the opposite direction, but others kept fighting, going hand to hand if they had to.

It was like they'd all lost their minds.

She had a pretty good idea of what, better yet who was causing all this making her grip the handle of her mace even tighter. She wanted so badly to shove it where the sun didn't shine on Ares body for causing all this unrest and death. Needless lives were being lost simply because the arrogant god enjoyed it and fed off it.

It further infuriated her what he had done to Diana. While she and Diana were on better terms they still weren't back to the level of trust and friendship they had been before she betrayed the world and she desperately wanted to get back to there.

Suddenly, above her in the sky there was a bright flash of red flames which after a moment melted away to reveal the form of Ares in his godly armor, a devilish sneer plastered upon his lips.

Knowing she was no match for him, Shayera quickly called the Watchtower, silently praying J'onn and Batman had finished and administered the cure to Diana because based on the melee below her and going on around the world, Ares was far too strong for herself and the others to defeat without Diana.

"Shayera to Watchtower"

"What is it Shayera?"

"He's here"

"Shayera do not engage him. I'm on my way…Shayera can you hear me?"

Shayera could hear Superman yelling in her to stay put and wait for him, her body bristling and shaking from the anger she felt.

"You better get your ass here then"

"I'm on my way"

xxx

Watchtower Infirmary

Diana's whole body felt heavy, like she was treading through mud and no matter how hard she tried to move them her arms and legs just wouldn't comply.

She could faintly hear voices, but they sounded so far away, so muffled she couldn't discern who they belonged to. She could tell however, by the tone of their voices they were having a somewhat heated conversation. But what about?

She forced her eyelids up but immediately regretted the decision as bright light flooded her senses, causing a jolt of pain to shoot through her skull. Waiting until the pain past she pushed her eyes open again, this time only slightly to control the amount of light coming in. Through hooded eyes she could just barely make out the darkened forms of two figures standing a slight distance from her. She tried to speak but nothing came out as there was something covering her mouth and nose preventing her from being heard.

Still unable to fully move, Diana did her best to blink away the fuzziness in her vision, so she could make the two dark figures more recognizable to her. As her eyesight became sharper so too did her hearing and the muffled sounds of their voices began to become clearer.

Once her fog filled brain managed to catch up to what she was seeing and hearing, she was finally able to identify the two dark figures.

"Bruce" she muttered, again hampered by whatever was covering her nose and mouth. She attempted to bring her hand up to her face to remove whatever was blocking her face, but a strong glove covered hand stopped her

"Diana don't. That's helping you breath" Bruce said softly as he took her hand in his, relief at seeing her awake warming his entire body.

"What happened?" she asked her brow furrowed in confusion as her eyes darted around the infirmary, her mind trying to process what she was doing there and her whole body hurt like it did.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Diana momentarily closed her eyes, flashes of chaos in Metropolis dashed through her mind as did an image of…

"Ares" she cried, her eyes opening wide with realization as she attempted to sit up in bed but was immediately held back by pain that erupted in her chest.

"Take it easy, Diana. You'll only hurt yourself if you try to rush it" Bruce said as he gently pushed her back down on the bed.

Bruce was slightly taken aback at how easy it was to overpower her. She was so weak…too weak to do anything to help them at the current moment. But he knew Diana, once informed Ares was wreaking havoc in Kasnia she'd want to go regardless of how weak or in pain she was.

It was a big reason why he loved her so much, her conviction to do what was right and to help others, even at the expense of her own health and safety.

He wasn't sure he was ready for it though. He'd only just gotten her back, he couldn't lose her again.

He was broken from this thoughts by the feel of a feather light touch on his cheek. Looking down, he found Diana looking back up at him, a soft loving expression in her eyes.

Bruce smiled weakly at her as her fingertips grazed the stumble that had formed there over the last few days. He pulled back his cowl, so she could see just how much all this had affected him… how much he loved her. He wanted so badly to say the words, but he couldn't bring himself to do it yet even after everything that had happened.

"How are you feeling Diana?" J'onn asked breaking the spell between them

Bruce covered her hand with his, holding it possessively against his cheek before pulling it away from his face but still cradling it in his own hand, his thumb lightly tracing circles along the back of it.

Diana tried to speak but the oxygen mask covering her face stopped her. Groaning in frustration she reached up and pulled it off so could answer him properly, much to Bruce's dismay

"That has to stay on" he admonished, trying to grab it from her so he could put it back

"I can't talk with it on" she retorted, pulling it just out of his reach before he could grab it

Bruce narrowed his eyes at her. If he weren't so worried about her he would find the whole thing amusing. She was the most stubborn person he'd ever met, even more so than him at times which said a lot.

Diana turned her attention back toward J'onn, "I feel a little weak and my chest hurts, but other than that…just peachy"

Bruce couldn't help but smirk at her choice of words.

"However, I can tell my both your expressions something is going on and one of you better tell me what that is…now"

Bruce looked across her bed to make eye contact with J'onn, silently begging him not to say anything yet, but knowing deep down he couldn't be so selfish given the breadth of the situation.

"Bruce?" she softly pleaded

"Ares is in Kasnia, Clark and several teams are there now"

Knowing Kal didn't stand a chance against Ares, Diana began removing the I.V. lines and blood pressure cuff from her arms as she sat up in bed.

"Where's my armor?" she asked pulling back the sheet covering her

"Diana- "

Diana stopped to look Bruce dead in the eye, "Where is my armor?"

Bruce didn't say anything but also didn't back down, giving her his best bat glare, which Diana returned in full.

"I have it here my little sun and stars"

The group turned their attention to the doorway where Hippolyta stood, Diana's repaired armor neatly folded in her arms

"Mother"

xxx

Hephaestus' Workshop

Hippolyta moved through the darkened caverns her mind replaying the conversation and the revelations Hera and Aphrodite shared with her. She'd always known Diana was meant for greatness, something more than just what lay on the shores of Themyscira, but she could've never guessed it was as huge as what she'd been told.

It's not that she wasn't proud of her daughter, far from it. All that she'd accomplished since leaving for Man's World was truly amazing, any mother would be proud. Given her own history however, she couldn't help but worry about what lay ahead for her daughter.

So lost in her thoughts was she that she didn't see Hephaestus standing right in front of her until he called out to her

"Your highness" he greeted her, his usual cocky grin adorning his face.

After all he had done, all he had helped Ares do, she so desperately wanted to smack that grin off his fat face, but she restrained herself. He was, after all the son of Zeus.

"Hephaestus. Is Diana's armor ready?"

"Of course," he replied, stepping aside to reveal the freshly repaired armor folded atop a small wooded table. "I took the liberty of reinforcing certain areas and taking it in others, the two of you have such different body types, it should fit the Princess much better now… more like a second skin" he stepped aside, silently offering her permission to inspect his work.

Hippolyta lifted the breastplate and held up before her to inspect it. It truly was a masterful piece of craftsmanship that conveyed both strength and femininity. While it had been created for her nearly, a millennium ago it belonged to Diana in every way… almost as if it had always been created for her.

Flipping the breastplate over, Hipployta rubbed her thumb over the repaired area where Ares had imbedded his dagger, noting how smooth it was, like nothing had ever happened.

"Is it up to your standards your highness?"

Hippolyta glared at him.

"Where is the weak spot?"

"Ah, ah, ah nice try your highness" he replied wagging his finger "you made me promise not to tell anyone. What was it you said, I am to take whatever weakness I hammer into it to Elysium with me? That's what I intend to do"

Hippolyta smirked

"Nice to see you learn from your mistakes Hephaestus"

"I may not be the prettiest face your highness, but I am definitely not dumb"

Hippolyta held her tongue, choosing not to respond to his idiotic statement. The man was as smart as he was ugly. Had he any intelligence then perhaps this whole situation could've been avoided

"Indeed" was all she said as she gathered up the rest of Diana's armor and made ready to leave when Hephaestus called out to her

"Don't you want to know where the weakness in Ares armor is?"

Hippolyta stopped but didn't turn around

"Tell me"

xxx

Watchtower Infirmary

"Mother" Diana said as she rose from her bed on shaky legs, using Bruce's forearm for leverage. "When did you get here?"

Hippolyta closed the gap between them in three long strides, grabbing Diana's elbow just in time to help Bruce to keep her from falling back onto the bed

"Just now. After leaving Themyscira I went to Hephaestus' workshop to pick up your repaired armor" she replied placing the aforementioned garment down on the foot of the bed "Hephaestus assured me is it better than before"

Hippolyta could see how apprehensive Bruce was about Diana being up and about so soon, much less going out to do battle with Ares. But Diana was Amazon warrior, bred for battle from birth. This was her duty and Hippolyta knew her daughter would do it no matter what.

"Thank you" Diana muttered as she gathered up her uniform "I need to get changed. Ares is Kasnia and Kal and the others are battling him, but they're not match for him"

"No, they are not"

Diana barely took steps before she was forced to grab onto the frame of her hospital bed to keep herself from falling over.

"Diana you need to give yourself some time to recover" Bruce said as he reached out to support her

Diana vehemently shook her head "We don't have any time Bruce. Ares isn't going to wait for me to regain my strength" she replied between short heavy breathes.

Bruce growled

"Doesn't change the fact that you're in no shape to fight him" he spat, his anxiety skyrocketing, his voice was laced with fear and concern, but he didn't care. He'd only just gotten her back, he wasn't about to lose her now.

Diana forced herself to stand upright, her regal and warrior spirit taking over, "This is my duty Bruce. You can either help me or get out of my way"

She didn't give a chance to argue as she scooped up the rest of her uniform and pushed past him toward the bathroom to get changed.

Bruce stared at the closed bathroom door unable to look away as a million thoughts ran through his head. Could life really be so cruel that he could save her from the brink of death only for her go out and die?

Feeling pressure on his forearm, Bruce tore his gaze from the door and turned to see Hippolyta had come to stand beside him

"The Gods will protect her"

Bruce sighed

"I hope so. I can't…" he stopped himself from finishing, unwilling to give a voice to his fears. He feared if he did, they would come true.

Leaning on the sink for support, Diana took in her reflection in the mirror. She looked horrible, her pale skin contrasted against the dark circles under her eyes made them look ten times worse than they probably were, no wonder Bruce was so worried about her.

Lifting her infirmary issued tank top she took stock of the slow healing wound that ran nearly the width of her chest. It still hurt like Hades, but she could tell, based on its color that it was indeed healing, albeit extremely slowly. It confused her slightly as the stumble along Bruce's jaw told her she been in the infirmary for at least two days, which meant the wound should've healed further than it had. She would need to ask J'onn about it.

Lightly running a finger over the wound, she let the memories of how she obtained the injury come flooding back to her… along with the pain.

But mostly what came flooding back was Bruce's reaction to seeing her bleeding out on the ground. Even with his cowl on she had been able to read his reaction, hear the desperation in his voice and feel his fear. Even though partially conscious she'd seen his trembling hands as he tried to use his cape to stem the blood flow.

There's been so many things she'd wanted to tell him in that moment but had been unable to. She didn't fear death, but she did fear leaving him or having him taken away from her.

God, how she loved him. There were moments, many fleeting where she felt he cared for her deeply too, but he had yet to show any interest beyond friend and teammate. Although, his earlier reaction gave her hope.

But now was not time to deal with such things. Ares was out there destroying the world and her friends were caught in the middle.

Slipping out of her infirmary clothes and into her uniform, Diana didn't miss the sudden surge of energy and rush of adrenaline that coursed through her as she latched the secret clamps of her breastplate, locking it in place. Suddenly her breathing was less labored, her knees not quite so weak and the slight headache she'd had since waking up had all but disappeared. Sure, she'd always gotten a rush whenever she put her armor on, it was an honor she never took lightly but this time it was different. This time it felt as if the armor itself was feeding her energy and power.

She'd ask her mother about it later.

Right now, she had a job to do.

Facing the door, Diana closed her eyes and took a final deep steadying breath before pressing the open button and exiting the bathroom.

Hearing the bathroom door swoosh open Bruce turned to take in her appearance. Her steps were less shaky and more confident, they didn't look like they could give out on her at any moment and while she held her chin high and her shoulders were squared back Bruce could tell she was still very weak and hurting.

And yet she still looked gorgeous to him. Then again, she could wear a potato sack and he would still find her utterly beautiful.

"Diana- "Bruce started to say, but Diana quickly threw up her hand up to stop him

"Don't Bruce, you're not talking me out of this so either you can help me or get out of my way"

Bruce smirked

"Actually, I was just going to say I'm going with you"

Diana blushed

"Oh… well ok then. Let's go"

The two of them headed for the door when Hippolyta stepped in front of Diana, effectively stopping her.

"Diana wait, I must to speak with you first"

"Is it important?"

Hippolyta nodded

"Extremely"

"Ok, what is it?"

xxx

Kasnia

Clark groaned as he lifted himself up and shook off the rocks and dirt that had landed on top of him after Ares knocked him through a stone retaining wall. Before that, the god had punched him nearly three miles away, sending him tumbling through the air until he'd finally been able to regain control of his flight.

He was getting nowhere fast. He'd barely laid a finger on him, getting a few punches in in advance of Ares flicking him away like he was bug.

Shayera wasn't faring much better either. Last he'd seen of her Ares had sent a fireball her way which she blocked with her mace, but the ensuing explosion had sent her tumbling into a set of tree tops.

Taking back to the air, Clark flew head long at Ares who merely stood there with a wicked grin on his lips waiting for him.

"Aren't you getting tired of this Superman?" Ares mocked as he dodged one of Clark's punches then grabbed his cape jerking him backwards where he punched him in his gut with his right hand, then slammed his left into the back of his head sending the Man of Steel hurtling face first into the ground below.

Clark slammed into the rocky hillside face first leaving a Superman sized body impression in the dirt. Spitting a mouth full of dirt out, Clark growled in frustration, his eyes turning a deep shade of red as he activated his heat vision.

Pushing himself off the rock face, Clark spun around and focused all his anger and frustration of the last several days into his heat vision. Unleashing all he had pent up with regards to his 'sisters' injury and his best friend's broken heart, the twin red beams hit Ares square in the chest knocking him backwards.

Unprepared for the initial force of the beams, Ares was sent flying backwards several yards before he managed to recover, blocking the beams with his armored forearms and sending much of the energy back towards Superman.

Feeling his own heat vision slam into him, Clark screamed as his chest exploded in agony, the strength of the rebounding energy sending him tumbling into the ground.

Rolling over onto his hands and knees, Clark breathed heavily through gritted his teeth as he glared up at Ares who hovered above him, an arrogant triumphant smile on his face.

"Face it Superman, you don't have what it takes to beat me. None of you do" Ares mocked, his hands on his hips

"I do"

Ares turned in the direction of the voice just in time to see Diana's fist flying towards his face. Not having enough time to react, Ares' head snapped back under the force of Diana's punch sending him sprawling through the air.

Ares managed to quickly recover though, his body hovering mere feet above the hillside. Rubbing his stinging lip with his thumb, he scowled at Diana who floated above him when he saw the line of blood on the digit.

"So, you managed to survive… too bad it won't be for very long" he spat as he wiped the remaining bit of blood from his chin with the back of his hand.

"Give it up Ares" Diana said defiantly, her hands balled into fists at her sides more than ready for a fight

Ares maniacal laugh sent a chill down her spine

"It's you who should give it up Diana. I can tell you're not up to full strength, that punch barely had any force behind it, if it had, I'd be scraping myself up off the hillside"

"Are you going to talk or are you going to fight?" Diana retorted as she brought her hands up in a defensive posture

Ares smiled, his red stained teeth staring back at her as he launched himself toward her

Bruce's feet pounded underneath him as he ran along the uneven rocky hillside. He'd come over the ridge just in time to see Diana's fist make contact against Are's chin, the force of the impact shaking the ground beneath his feet causing his steps to stutter.

Halting his sprint to regain his footing he watch Ares go flying and he couldn't help the small smirk that graced his lips as a wave of pride and joy came over him, his own desire for revenge against the God needing fulfillment.

Seeing Diana had the situation under control for the moment at least he headed towards Clark who was still trying to recover from his own encounter with Ares.

Reaching his side, Bruce kneeled next to him putting a hand on his upper arm and another across his back to steady him

"I'm ok, just got the wind knocked out of me"

"Really? Because it looks like you got your ass handed to you" Bruce said sarcastically as he helped Clark get to his feet

"Yeah well he is a god" Clark replied with a smirk

Suddenly the two flinched at the sound of a loud of boom behind them, turning just in time to see Diana zoom through the air and crash into the adjacent ridgeline sending rocks and debris flying.

"Diana!" Bruce yelled out as he watched her body crash into the ground below, several large rocks landed on top of her, temporarily trapping her beneath them

The two men quickly ran to the edge of the hillside just in time to see a red and blue blur streak up from the ground like a bullet and crash into Ares sending the two of them tumbling through the air, a mass of swinging and kicking limbs.

Diana was putting everything she had into her punches, but she could feel her energy beginning to wane as she was nowhere near full strength. It certainly didn't help that every punch Ares landed hurt like Hades. She could feel the cut above her left eye already beginning to swell and the blood from it was beginning to seep into her eye affecting her vision. She also knew she'd be sporting a hefty bruise on her jaw later…thankfully though, it didn't feel like it was broken.

Small graces, she thought.

She was however, giving as good as she received. Besides his deeply split lip, Ares had a black eye, swollen cheek bone and a bruised midsection from where managed to get a solid kick in early on in their battle.

Ares quickly ducked her right hook which unfortunately for Diana left her injured side completely exposed and he took full advantage of her miscue landing a heavy blow to the area causing Diana's chest to explode in agony. Wrapping her left arm around her midsection she fought to bite the pain and catch her breath… at the very least one rib was broken.

Feeling Ares approaching and knowing his arrogance would lead him to believe he had the advantage, Diana waited until he was at just the right distance before striking and landing a devasting uppercut. If she didn't break his jaw she sure as hell severely bruised it given the force behind the punch.

Knowing she'd have a better advantage on the ground, Diana headed for the tree line at the top of the ridge, disappearing into the rows of trees.

Ares was incensed, his eyes literally burning with fire as he rubbed his sore jaw. Looking below him and seeing Diana's disappearing form into the trees he smiled to himself as he arrogantly assumed he had her on the run.

Landing with a such a force it shook the tops of the trees, Ares cautiously approached the tree line as he called out to Diana

"You can't hide from me forever Princess" he said as she scanned the forest for his pray

"Who says I'm hiding?" she replied from behind him as she swung the trunk of a large oak tree at him

Having gotten the jump on him, Ares didn't have time to react as the tree hit him squarely in the back sending him hurtling to the ground face first, his mouth scooping up rocks and earth until he eventually skidded to a stop.

Spitting out the sandy grit mixed with blood, Ares pushed himself up onto all fours, his body literally shaking in white hot rage. The princess was doing it again, she was beating him. He was losing to this woman… again.

Diana ground her teeth together as she fought back against a sudden strong wave of dizziness. Her head, like her chest pounded relentlessly from the pain and exertion she felt, but she wasn't about to give in and let it take over her.

Clenching the tree trunk tighter in her taut hands she stalked toward the downed god like a predator stalks its prey, her nails digging deeper and deeper into the bark with every painfully tense step she took.

She wouldn't get another opportunity like this. He was in the perfect position, the weakness in his armor lay bare, just waiting for a precise robust strike to crack it open like an egg.

xxx

*Flashback*

"Diana wait, I must to speak with you first" Hippolyta said, laying a firm hand on her daughter's forearm

"Is it important?"

Hippolyta nodded

"Extremely"

Realizing her mother wasn't going to let her leave without speaking to her first, Diana relented

"Ok, what is it?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips insinuating to her mother to make it quick

"Alone"

Diana sighed, her arms falling to her side

"Mother- "Diana said sternly pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, as she fought against the throbbing in her head.

They didn't have time for her mother's royal sense of honor and desire for privacy, Ares needed to be stopped.

"Diana…"

"Mother, anything you need to say to me to you can say in front of my friends" she snapped, waving her hand in Bruce, Clark and J'onn's direction.

"Very well" Hippolyta muttered "When I retrieved your armor Hephaestus revealed to me where the weakness in Ares armor is"

"Really?" asked Bruce, who was the first to find his voice which held an equal mix of surprise and skepticism at Hippolyta's revelation.

"Yes"

"Why?" Bruce asked, his voice switching from curious to that of interrogator. No way Hephaestus suddenly decided to help them out of the goodness of his heart. There had to be another, bigger reason for the blacksmith to turn on his brother.

"He knows he's made the gods quite unhappy, he feels this is the best way to get back in their good graces"

Hippolyta paused, looking around the room she could the three of them, including Diana weren't a hundred percent buying into her explanation.

"Plus, he wants to get back at Ares for even putting him in the position in the first place. The Gods are not pleased with Ares right now and Hephaestus does not want to find himself on the receiving end of Zeus' ire along with him"

"Can we be sure he's even telling the truth?"

"Bruce" Diana warned

"I do not believe he would lie to me. He has too much to lose by doing so" Hippolyta flatly replied

Bruce narrowed his eyes at Hippolyta. His gut was screaming there was more going on than the queen was willing to share. If the gods were so angered by what Ares had done, then why not deal with him themselves?

Too many things weren't adding up for Bruce, but unfortunately now wasn't the time to confront Hippolyta. Plus, he was sure Hippolyta suspected he had deduced something much bigger, much deeper was going on based on Hephaestus' odd choice of words at his workshop coupled with her own demeanor and reaction to it.

"Where is the weakness mother?" Diana finally asked breaking the staring contest her mother was engaged in with Bruce. She may have slept through and missed a lot of what happened but she, like Bruce suspected there was much more her mother wasn't telling them.

"He said the weakness lies in the middle of his back, directly between his shoulder blades. If you hit the spot hard enough his armor will crack"

xxx

Diana could tell by the way his body vibrated against the dirt Ares was beyond enraged, and she knew if given the opportunity he would unleash a fury upon her like no other and in her current weakened state she wouldn't be able to withstand much of it.

Which was why she wouldn't give him the chance.

Repositioning the tree in her hands so the heaviest part of the trunk was at the top, she raised it high in the air, her arms stretching back as far as her shoulder sockets would allow without dislocating them.

Holding the tree above her head, Diana tensed every muscle in her body, pulling every ounce of strength out of them she could muster.

"Hera, give me strength" she cried out as she brought the tree straight down on Ares back like a hammer hitting the head of a nail.

The ground shook under the force of Diana's powerful strike as it made impact with Ares armor. The tree shattered sending sharpened pieces of wood scattering in all directions acting like darts imbedding themselves in the trunks of other trees and ground.

The force of the blowback lifted Diana off the ground and tossed her backwards several feet away. Landing in a heap she hissed as shards of wood sliced through skin on her arms and legs as they pierced the ground around her, but luckily none were big enough to do her any major damage.

Watching the dust literally settle, Diana rose to her feet and quickly limped over to where Ares lay sprawled out, silently praying her aim had been true.

Relief washed over her when her one good eye caught sight of it…a thin, vertical zig zagging line no longer than a few inches running along the spine of Ares armor directly between his shoulder blades, exactly where Hephaestus said it would be.

Reaching down, Diana grabbed the collar of Ares armor fulling intending to widen the crack she'd made with the tree trunk to put an end to his reign of terror once and for all when suddenly the back of his head came fly up and crashed into hers sending her reeling.

Stumbling backwards, Diana pressed the heel of her palm against the cut above her left eye as the impact with Ares skull had managed to split it further open sending a thick stream of blood pouring down the front of her face and into the eye itself, obstructing her vision.

Her attention so focused on feverishly clearing her blood-soaked vision coupled with the ringing in her ears from the intense impact from Ares head, Diana didn't hear the fast approaching footsteps until it was too late.

Suddenly Ares hand was around her throat, squeezing her wind pipe shut, cutting off her air supply. The ringing in her ears drifted away replaced by the sound of her pounding heart as Ares fingers pressed down on her on carotid artery causing white spots to dance behind her eyelids.

Feeling her feet lift off the ground, Diana felt her sense of helplessness escalate as he continued to tighten his hold on her throat and her inability to take any air into her burning lungs.

Unwilling to give into the darkness she felt beginning to stake its claim on her, she began to claw at his wrist with both hands, desperate to pry open his vice like grip on her throat even a little, but realizing it was no use, that his grip was too strong Diana began wildly punching and kicking doing anything she could to make him let go.

She could feel her body growing weaker, her limbs getting heavier, her vision growing dark and the only sound she could hear besides the pounding of her blood between her ears was Ares maniacal laugh as he literally squeezed the life out of her.

This was it she thought. She failed. Failed her mother, her sisters, her friends, the league, all the innocent lives in Man's World who would be forced to suffer under Ares relentless unbridled wrath… she failed them all.

She failed Bruce.

Tears began to sting her eyes as she thought about all the things she would never get the chance to experience with him. She would never get to tell him how much she loved him or show him just how much with her body. She would never know his touch in the most intimate way a man could show a woman.

And suddenly Diana's sadness turned to into anger. No, she screamed to herself… she wasn't going to die, not like this and not today.

Forcing her eyes open, she met Ares burning glare with one of her own. With renewed fervor she pounded her fists against his forearm and kicked at his midsection.

"It's over princess, just give in to the inevitable" Ares mocked as he lifted her higher above him and tightened his grip further

Diana gritted her teeth against the pain, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her broken.

Then she saw it, movement behind Ares… familiar movement and her scowl quickly turned into a wicked grin of her own.

"For someone who is about to die, you suddenly seem very happy"

"I'm not going to die" rasply she said

"Of course, you are, there's no one here to help you"

Diana's smile grew even larger

"Don't be too sure of that Ares"

Ares smiled faltered as he finally noticed the princess wasn't looking at him but passed him and it hit him… someone was behind him.

Ares made the feeble attempt to turn and defend himself, but it was too late.

"Err ahh!"

Was all Ares heard before he felt something extremely hard and strong impact the middle of his back like sledgehammer knocking him forward to his knees, his grip on Diana faltering.

Diana fell her knees gasping as the fresh air rushed into her burning lungs, the dark spots in her vision dissipating as she sat hunched on all fours.

Looking at Ares, who was still in shock from the electrified impact of Shayera's mace and that his armor had been completely pierced, Diana rose to her feet and approached him, rubbing her sore neck as she did.

"It's over Ares" she said her voice raspy and hoarse from the trauma of being choked.

Ares sneered at her.

Feeling the air hit his back at the spot where his armor had been breached his anger grew substantially as he knew the only way she could've discovered where the weak point in his armor was if his dear brother Hephaestus had told her where it was.

He knew with his armor damaged even in her weakened condition the princess had a huge tactical advantage over him as wouldn't be able to risk putting his back to at any point and since she wasn't alone there was almost no chance of that happening. Not to mention her friend's mace packed quite the punch and he really didn't want to find out what one of those spikes puncturing his skin felt like.

No, the princess would win this round, but he would back.

"It's never over Princess. Enjoy this victory while you can for I will be back" he spat before disappearing in a literal ball of fire.

Diana felt the relief wash over her as her battered body went limp sending her to her knees. Thankfully Shayera was there to catch her.

"Easy Diana, are you ok?"

Diana nodded "Yes, I'm just…" she trailed off, too weak to verbalize the shear pain she was currently in. Her head was pounding

Shayera merely smiled sympathetically as she helped Diana to feet, again catching her when her friend stumbled

"Thank you Shayera. I don't know how much longer I would've been able to hold on. If you hadn't shown up when you did…" Diana replied, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger in attempt to focus her thoughts and ease the pounding in her skull

"I'm just glad I was able to help. I would've helped sooner, but he packs a helluva punch Ares. One minute I'm fighting him and the I wake up dangling from a large tree branch. I almost fell when something fiercely shook it… think there was like an earthquake or something."

Diana merely smirked at her friend's assumption that an earthquake was what shook the tree she was in.

"Lucky you hit him where you did"

Shayera nodded "When I finally did manage to get down without falling flat on my face, I'd been about to fly out of the forest to look for Superman when I heard a commotion, I followed it and imagine my surprise when I found you being choked by Ares"

"J'onn managed to synthesize the antidote"

"Yeah I gathered that. Anyway, Ares was so engrossed in you that he left his backside totally exposed"

"Ares over confidence is usually his downfall and the spot you struck was the weak spot in his armor. I'd managed to crack it and your strike broke it open"

"Payback's a bitch"

Diana nodded

"Glad to see you back on your feet by the way… well, sort of" Shayera joked as the two women began walking with Shayera supporting most of Diana's weight

Diana chuckled, and immediately regretted it as a sharp pain exploded across her chest taking her breath away as her broken ribs were reminding her they were in fact broken.

"Sorry"

Diana shook her head as she wrapped her arm around her midsection as an intense wave of dizziness washed over her "It's ok, it's better than the alternative right?"

"Most definitely. You had us all really scared, especially Batman, I'd never seen him so emotional"

"Diana" a voice in the distant called

"Oh, look at that, speak of the devil. How do you think he always seems to know when we're talking about him? I mean, what does he have each of us bugged or something?" Shayera joked

Diana abruptly stopped walking causing Shayera to stumble a little.

"Hey, ok it was just a joke, no need to almost make me fall flat on my face" Shayera chided, at first thinking the reason Diana had stopped was because she was making fun of Batman, but as she glanced at over her that notion quickly faded as she noticed how pale Dian's face had suddenly become and how vacant her expression was.

Before she could ask if anything was wrong, Diana's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed into Shayera's arms.

"Diana" called out Batman again, this time his voice louder and much closer

"Over here!" shouted Shayera as she carefully lowered Diana to the ground, immediately checking her pulse, relieved when she found it, but also concerned because it was fast and erratic.

"Diana! What happened?" Batman asked as he fell to his knees next to the woman he loved for the second time in as many days.

"I'm not sure. One second, we are talking and the next her face got really pale and she collapsed. I mean she took a helluva beating from Ares"

"Where is Ares?" Superman asked scanning the area around them

Shayera snorted "The coward ran when Diana and I broke his armor"

"Her pulse is very erratic" Batman said as he examined Diana, his hands stopping when he came across the impressions on her neck where Ares had held her "Are these finger marks?" he growled

"Yes, when I came across her and Ares he had her off the ground by her neck… he was choking her"

"For how long?" demanded Batman

"I don't know"

"You two get her back to the Watchtower, I'll stay here and mop up" said Superman, his own emotions leaking through at seeing the woman he considered his sister so badly beaten and battered

"Batman to Watchtower, lock on to my location and transport me, Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman directly to the infirmary and tell J'onn to be ready"

"You got it Batman"

"Keep me posted" Superman said to them before the they disappeared in a flash of light "Hang in there Diana, please" he muttered to himself before taking off to rejoin the other league members.

xxx

I know, I beat Diana up again so soon after "healing" her, but hey she's a badass she can take it right?

Please be sure to review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading