Chapter 112: Isn't a Dolphin a Bit Too Much?
"Coffee?"
Returning to his coffee shop, Orin Vale sat down across from Diana and slid the coffee menu to her across the dining table.
"No, thank you." Diana shook her head. "I'm not a big fan of coffee. I prefer beer, by comparison."
"Alright then."
Orin Vale took back the menu and shrugged.
"A shame. I was hoping you'd try our shop's 'Song of Ice and Fire'."
"'Song of Ice and Fire?'" The name piqued Diana's interest.
"Oh, it's a new item we added this week. It's an ice cream coffee. It's been very well-received so far."
Diana's eyes seemed to light up when she heard the words "ice cream."
"Wait," she snatched the menu back from Orin Vale's hands. "On second thought, coffee helps a warrior improve their alertness and focus. I'll have one after all."
Orin Vale wore a half-smiling expression. "A classic Americano, then?"
"No, that 'Song of Ice and Fire'," Diana said with a serious face. "With extra ice cream."
"But I don't think ice cream is good for a warrior. It can affect your muscles."
"Only for mortals," Diana said with a proud expression.
Orin Vale thought to himself that the fat otaku Thor from the M Family next door might disagree, but it didn't matter.
The Old Wizard behind the counter curled his lip into a smile. "What a dishonest demigod. Is this what you modern people call 'tsundere'?"
Also behind the counter, Kara squinted at the old man, her gaze seeming to say, *That may be true, but you of all people have no right to say it, do you?*
"Meow~"
Even Stryker, the Kryptonian cat lapping up milk on the side, took a moment from his busy schedule to express his agreement.
"This lady is so cool," Kara said, leaning on the counter with her head tilted. "But I thought Kal just wearing a pair of glasses as a disguise was lazy enough. She doesn't even bother with the glasses... Seriously, does no one recognize her?"
"The Amazons are proud of their supernatural excellence, proud of their innate divine power. They look down on all beings and things in the world. Their nature is to unleash, not to restrain or hide."
The Old Wizard said.
"In this respect, she is the complete opposite of your cousin who grew up among humans."
"Younger cousin," Kara corrected.
In fact, when it came to hiding his identity, Orin Vale wasn't as concerned as other superheroes. Sure, as an alien, having his identity exposed would lead to many unnecessary troubles, but it didn't matter to Orin Vale.
Ultimately, his true form was that of Ultraman. The identity of "Orin Vale" was just a disguise for him. If it was exposed, so be it. He could just find a new place, change his face, and become a whole new person.
So, when he could avoid showing his face, he would use an alias. But if that alias was accidentally dropped, it wasn't a big deal.
Diana's mentality was actually similar to his. She was not fond of disguises by nature, and having lived in the human world for a century without aging, moving, changing places, and altering her appearance was already second nature to her. She wasn't as concerned about her identity as Superman was.
"So, Mother told you I need help?" Diana asked.
"More or less."
"I don't think so." Diana's tone was calm but confident. "I can handle my own problems."
"I'd imagine so. But your Mother said this time is different, it concerns your origin. She said you..."
"That I'm not actually made from clay, and that my father is Zeus. I know," Diana said calmly.
"Huh, you already knew?"
The classic Wonder Woman origin. Queen Hippolyta pleaded with the gods to grant her a child. Zeus, the father of the gods and the number one pile-driver on the surface, deigned to appear personally, saying, "Queen, I have heard your prayer. Given your piety, the Highfather has decided to personally grant your request. First, just lie down obediently..."
And thus, Diana was born.
"Yes. Shortly after I came to the mortal world, I met Ares, the God of War. He told me the truth," Diana said lightly. "That was a long time ago."
"Er... well, that's the gist of it then," Orin Vale said. "And that's what has led to the situation you're facing now..."
"Hera. She wants to kill me, I know."
As she spoke, Diana pulled a stack of documents from the shoulder bag she carried.
"What's this?"
Orin Vale took the documents and opened them. The first page that met his eyes was a case file for a missing person.
"Hera's victims," Diana said. "For some time now, I've been traveling from place to place, gathering intelligence on them. These people were all killed by Hera or her subordinates."
Orin Vale flipped through a few more pages and found that the rest were all case files for murders, disappearances, and other incidents from various places—all cold cases that the criminal investigation system couldn't solve.
"Are they all Zeus's offspring?"
Orin Vale glanced at the thickness of the file. *Damn, he really is the number one stud of Olympus. He's way too prolific...*
"I've categorized them. The first half are Zeus's lovers, the second half are his offspring," Diana said.
Orin Vale flipped to the first half. The first few pages looked normal enough, all young, beautiful girls. But when he turned to the seventh page, he couldn't help but freeze.
Why was there a man?
Well, considering the subject of discussion was Zeus, a man wasn't that strange, he supposed.
One could only say he truly lived up to his reputation as Olympus's number one pile-driver. His preferences were purely based on looks; as long as they were attractive, gender was negotiable.
He might even consider changing his own gender if he met someone handsome enough.
Having accepted this premise, Orin Vale tried to maintain a calm and casual expression as he continued flipping, but after just two more pages, he lost his composure again.
"A dolphin? Seriously?" Orin Vale looked up, bewildered.
An awkward yet polite, wry smile hung on Diana's face.
"Uh... never mind. Forget it. I don't want to know."
Orin Vale snapped the thick folder shut.
Looking at the thickness and the sheer number, Hera must have put in a lot of effort. Zeus charged ahead, firing his cannon, while Hera followed behind, rounding people up. Their footprints covered the globe.
Here's a joke: Hera is the goddess who protects family and marriage.
"I'm not worried about Hera herself; there's nothing I can't handle," Diana said solemnly. "But during this time, I've discovered something else... something more worthy of attention."
"What is it?"
"A prophecy," Diana said. "I don't know the specific details yet, I just know that such a prophecy exists. But it's said that the gods of Olympus have been thrown into a panic by it. The prophecy seems to mention that someone will die, that a deity will fall. There are signs it might be related to Zeus and his offspring..."
"Hmm, that certainly narrows it down," Orin Vale nodded.
*It only encompasses more than half of Olympus and an unknown number of demigods across the entire Earth, that's all.*
"Tonight, I've arranged to meet a friend from Olympus, perhaps the only one I trust among the gods. He might be able to tell me more... Interested in coming along?"
(end of chapter)