Madam Xanadu studied the card for a few moments, uncertain.
"The old man, the demon, and the sword… the key is likely the sword. This person should already have some connection to you. Well, whatever you've figured out—none of it concerns me."
Dealing with Madam Xanadu was exhausting.
If Thea didn't already know some of the original plot — and if she didn't have a sharp analytical mind — relying purely on these vague divinations and half-hints? She'd never find anything.
Still… the clues did point to a certain someone.
The Demon's Head: Ra's al Ghul.
The "old soldier" card, the demon imagery, and most importantly — the sword that had grievously wounded her in the original timeline.
Everything aligned.
Could his sword absorb magic?
Thea quietly wrote the master's name into her little black notebook. As soon as she returned to her original time, she was going to borrow that sword — forcibly if needed.
As for where his hidden base was… it didn't matter. She could ask Batman. Or Talia. Or even old man Alfred would probably know.
Ra's al Ghul had lived for centuries.
He had enemies everywhere.
And somehow Thea always managed to get tangled with every last one of them.
"Enough, I'm leaving. From now on, we should never—"
Madam Xanadu stopped mid-sentence, paused, then casually drew another card. Her eyes narrowed… and she changed her words.
"We will meet again. Farewell, descendant of Merlin."
The space around them collapsed like a row of dominoes, dissolving elegantly into the void. The casino snapped back into reality before Thea's eyes.
Noise rushed into her ears again.
Thea quickly looked toward Madam Xanadu's chair — empty.
The place was crowded with gamblers, but not one person noticed that seat had ever been occupied.
"Something just happened, didn't it? I felt… something was wrong."
Diana's demigod senses were no joke. Even inexperienced, nowhere near the warrior she would one day become, she still sensed the disturbance.
Thea pretended ignorance.
"I didn't feel anything."
Diana — lacking future confidence — brushed it off as nerves from being in a foreign city.
Losing the Horus Orb stung, but she had gained two answers. Others might find divinations unclear, but Thea understood this world too well; she could fill in the blanks herself.
Madam Xanadu hadn't mentioned a time limit — but of course there was one.
The faster she acted, the better.
Thea counted the money they had left. If they lived frugally, they could barely get to London.
But Thea was not someone who tolerated discomfort.
After buying food and clothes, she hypnotized a captain on a ship headed from Crete to Marseille.
To the horror of Steve and the silent despair of Diana, she marched the three of them straight into the VIP cabin.
Steve stood guard outside. No one was allowed in.
Thea dragged Diana into the inner room.
She wanted to find the Constantine family as soon as possible — but Diana needed attention first.
This Diana had not lived the original timeline. She hadn't experienced heartbreak, loss, or the war's cruelty. Her conviction was intact, yes — but her drive came half from choice, half from Thea dragging her out of Themyscira.
And since Thea brought her out… she had responsibilities.
First: clothing.
Anyone seeing a woman walking around with a sword and shield would panic.
Especially in a major city.
Some idiot would definitely call the police.
Thea was not interested in fighting the police force of the 20th century.
Diana had to change.
Luckily their bond was deep. After Thea explained human customs and how society worked, Diana obediently removed her armor.
And then Thea froze.
"You're not… wearing anything under that?"
Diana blinked innocently.
Thea poked the indescribable area experimentally.
Not squishy like cheese, but not stone either — acceptable softness.
How did nothing bounce when she wore that armor? Not scientific at all.
Thankfully, bras already existed — invented in 1914 by a woman named Mary Phelps.
Crete, being a major port, had imported several.
Thea picked the largest size she could find and helped Diana put it on.
"You don't need this in battle, but outside? Always wear it."
Underwear solved.
Outerwear… was a nightmare.
Because of wretched sexism, shops barely stocked women's casual clothing.
The only options were whale-bone corset dresses — with waists so tiny it was horrifying.
Even petite Thea couldn't fit into them, let alone Amazonian Diana.
Some noble ladies even had ribs removed just to squeeze into those dresses.
Thea scoffed.
"No fashion is worth organ removal."
They searched everywhere. Nothing.
Finally, Steve suggested the obvious.
They bought denim.
Diana looked relieved beyond words when she learned she didn't need a corset — especially after Thea explained the rib-removal part. She refused immediately.
"Not bad! Very stylish."
Thea stepped back, admiring Diana's new look.
Golden hair loose around her shoulders.
White shirt, brown vest.
Beige pants tucked into black boots.
Diana threw a few punches and kicks in place — completely unrestricted.
She looked pleased.
As for her gear, Thea stuffed everything into a massive backpack.
The shield barely fit, but the rest was manageable.
From the outside, Diana looked like an adventurous traveler.
Not suspicious.
Not dangerous.
When the ship arrived at Marseille, they disembarked.
Thea turned to Steve.
"Mr. Trevor, should we circle around Spain by sea, or take the train to Bordeaux and transfer from there?"
Even Steve now clearly understood — Thea was absolutely not a local.
Especially compared to Diana, who stared at every passing object like a fascinated child.
He thought for a moment.
"Speed is similar. But the train is crowded. And your friend…" He subtly pointed at Diana.
"…Right. Then let's find another ship. Preferably one going straight to— Diana! Put that down!"
Thea's voice cracked mid-sentence.
A plump woman carrying a baby had walked by.
Diana's eyes lit up instantly.
"A human infant!"
Like a child discovering a new toy, she snatched the baby with breathtaking speed, weighed it curiously, and — as if testing Hippolyta's ridiculous claim that human babies were angels born with wings —
threw the baby straight into the air.