The gods are returning?!
All three of them felt a chill run down their spines. The Martian Manhunter, being an alien, only had a surface-level understanding of Earth's mythology—most of which Diana had taught him.
Thea could sense the magical energy in the atmosphere slowly increasing. Though it was just a fleeting moment in Earth's long existence, when spread across billions of people, and considering how meta-humans would start popping up left and right in the coming years, she was convinced this phenomenon was connected.
Diana was simply shocked. Running into one divine "sibling" was a pleasant surprise, but if dozens started showing up, she'd lose her mind! Years of living in human society had broadened her perspective, and she no longer fully believed her mother Hippolyta's old claim that Ares was secretly manipulating every human war.
But deeply ingrained beliefs weren't easy to shake. Her feelings toward her divine siblings were a complicated mix: three parts anticipation, six parts fear, and one part something she couldn't quite define.
"Ha ha! But don't worry too much," the lion-like man laughed heartily, suppressing the malice within him. He felt unusually relaxed now and couldn't help but chat a bit longer. "Not all of them are interested in this world. Waking from their divine realms and gathering enough strength to come here takes time."
His expression turned more serious. "But there's an ancient prophecy—the firstborn of Zeus and Hera will climb to the Father God's throne over the corpses of his siblings. This prophecy applies to all of Zeus's children. Amazon daughter, you're included in this prophecy. You should be careful."
Heracles gave a self-mocking laugh. "Zeus, that coward who loves his tricks—his father Cronus overthrew his grandfather, then Zeus overthrew Cronus. Now it's his turn to be overthrown! Ha ha!"
The mighty god showed no respect for his father, speaking of him like some random stranger. But this wasn't surprising, really. Zeus had been far too "generous" with his affections. This one god had single-handedly created an entire pantheon. Eighty percent of all the heroes, demigods, and gods in Greek mythology were related to him somehow. The man was incredibly "productive."
Troubled times ahead, Thea sighed internally. Compared to the New Gods of Apokolips, these returning Old Gods were merely a minor nuisance. They had weak divine power, easily countered abilities, almost no faith to sustain them, and their personalities were all deeply unstable.
This wasn't ancient times. As long as they didn't show up at critical moments, Earth's current forces could handle them.
The only real concern was the firstborn. This was Diana's most dangerous potential enemy. Thea estimated that this being—feared even by Zeus himself—was stronger than both Diana and Heracles. He was Zeus and Hera's first child, not some half-god like Diana. He'd been born as one of the most powerful deities.
Still, as Heracles had said, there was time. This so-called "return of the gods" sounded intimidating, but it was really just a handful of stubborn deities trying to reassert their relevance.
The mighty god wasn't inclined to explain further—or perhaps his personality simply didn't favor long conversations. Without another word, he lay down on the floor, wrapped himself in his tattered animal hide, and fell asleep.
Having made himself completely at home, he'd literally set up camp in Thea's laboratory. The three of them could only retreat.
"What power level are these gods he mentioned? Will they threaten Earth?" the Martian Manhunter asked the two women in a low voice.
Diana glanced at Thea. When she saw that Thea wasn't going to explain, she answered herself. "Based on what I understand, their combat abilities won't exceed Heracles. As for threatening Earth... that's harder to say. Gods think differently than we do..."
The Martian Manhunter gave a noncommittal nod, simply advising the two to be careful before departing alone.
Over the next few days, Diana didn't return to London, staying in Metropolis instead. On one hand, she wanted to talk more with Heracles and learn about what was happening behind the scenes. On the other, she worried he might suddenly lose control and attack, and that Thea wouldn't be able to handle him alone.
Thea was also concerned about Heracles potentially backsliding, which could affect their combat strength. She decided not to immediately absorb the Gaia divinity, planning to wait until his condition fully stabilized.
Unlike Diana, whose job allowed her to slack off half the time, Thea had disappeared for a month, and work had piled up considerably. In the past, she could send clones to attend boring banquets and meetings. Now her power had increased, but the clones were completely gone. She had no choice but to handle everything personally.
At a banquet hall...
"Ha ha!" Wearing a sapphire-blue gown and silver heels, Thea covered her mouth with ladylike grace as she chatted with several female council members. The focus of conversation at recent gatherings had been the aurora over the Azores. People were spouting all kinds of wild theories—alien invasions, new government weapons, legendary treasures emerging. The variety of speculation was dazzling, even to Thea, who'd actually caused the whole thing. She found their imagination impressively creative.
She sensed someone watching her from nearby. Turning slightly, she saw Amanda Waller standing not far away, trying to catch her eye.
Smiling, Thea excused herself from the idle chatter and walked gracefully toward Amanda.
Both women wore pleasant smiles until they reached a secluded area, where Thea dropped her refined demeanor. "What's up?"
Amanda gave her a knowing look. Thea's face remained impassive, thick as a city wall.
"The incident at the Azores—that was you, wasn't it?"
"Yeah." Ever since the Excalibur had unleashed that world-shaking pillar of light, Thea hadn't bothered to hide it. After fighting for over half an hour, between the on-site reporters and various national satellites, footage was inevitable. As her power grew, she had fewer and fewer things to fear.
"One of my scientists was conducting an experiment when you pulled your heroic stunt. Because of your actions, he's now become... this." Amanda handed Thea a tablet showing a real-time feed. Thea stared at it for a long moment but couldn't see anything unusual. A high-end laboratory that looked... completely dark?
Seeing her confusion, Amanda explained. She'd been startled herself when she first learned the truth. "In layman's terms, he's invisible. But according to our instruments, he's still in that room. His body has mutated—it now absorbs all light. The culprit, unsurprisingly, is the beam you fired."
"That's impossible!"
"Nothing's impossible. Dr. Arthur Light loves studying all kinds of radiation—cosmic rays, you name it. When you were creating that globally noticed light pillar, he apparently captured a trace of it..." Amanda said with some frustration.