The Daughter of the Land and Sea

Chapter 1: Diana

Being a hero is a stressful job so many heroes search for activities to relieve their stress. For some it's cooking, others boxing. For me, it's bringing art back to it's natural state. I enjoy my job as it calms me to be able to bring something so beautiful back to its true beauty because to me being a hero typically brings destruction. It's been some time since Clark had died and the world took a turn for the worse. I guess Superman to people was a sign that good was still around and when he died, they took it as a sign that good was gone as well.

At the moment, I was finishing my latest revival project after I stopped a local terrorist group from bombing a bank and its surrounding four blocks the past weekend. I was quite content with the small group that worked at this museum. They never really pushed me for information about my personal life although they did sometimes wish to know me better.

"What did you do this weekend, Diana?" One of my co-workers asks as he cleans one of the recent paintings that has joined our collection. I was working on a statue a few feet from him.

"Me?" I asked having been focused on my work so wanted to clarify that he was talking to me.

"Yeah," He confirms.

"Nothing very interesting." I say since I obviously couldn't just tell him I stopped a terrorist group from blowing up a bank.

"That's all you ever tell us." He chuckles.

"What can I say, I'm not that exciting." I say giving him a small smile. It was then a news report from the tv we kept on caught my attention.

...so-called shrine of the Amazons, an enormous bonfire burned right behind me, baffling absolutely everyone from locals to government alike. The fire could be seen for miles on end.

I turn toward the tv to see the Amazon's shrine lit up with the ancient warning fire and I knew that could only mean one thing.

"Invasion," I say under my voice. Immediately, I tell my boss that I needed to go and would need some time off from work which I was granted. Work in the museum was never rushed so any of my projects could be completed when I returned. Knowing the only one who could help me right now was Bruce, I decided to make my way to Gothem to see him. I jumped into the sky and shot off toward him finding him at one of his hideouts in the middle of a forest next to a lake.

He had a lot of defense mechanisms. Many of them looked like they would be really expensive but no match for me. Eventually I make it into the center of the building where I find Bruce fixing one of his big toys.

"You know," Bruce says without turning away from his toy, "I paid millions of dollars for this building's security."

I smile, "Yeah, it looked expensive." He turns around and leans on the railing of the platform he was on above me.

"Hi," Bruce said smiling.

I smile before nodding at his toy, "A new toy?"

"Prototype troop carrier." Bruce responds.

"I once knew a man who would have loved to fly it." I say sadly thinking of Steve.

"Yeah, we're going to need more than a pilot." Bruce says. "I think there's an attack coming."

"Not coming, Bruce." I correct, "It's already here." I gesture for him to join me on a walk and together we walk out of the building toward the path surrounding the lake. When we were close to the lake, I began my story, "They called him Steppenwolf, the end of worlds. He lived only to conquer. Millions fell before his blade, or rose again as his Parademons. Nightmare creatures who feed on fear."

"Yeah, I think I met one." Bruce admits, "We didn't hit it off."

"Here in Gothem?" I ask surprised.

"They're all over. They're looking for his boxes?" Bruce asks.

"The Mother Boxes." I clarify.

"Mother Boxes." Bruce repeats. "I guess Steppenwolf took the one your people were guarding. That leaves two more."

"I'm impressed." I say surprised he actually knew that.

"Don't be. I have no idea what's in them. A weapon? Some kind of power?" Bruce asks.

"They don't contain power. They are power." I correct, "Carried from planet to planet, the Mother Boxes combine to form the unity. An apocalyptical power that not only destroys worlds, but transforms them into the primordial hellscape of Steppenwolf's birth world. We should have died. But we formed our own unity. Amazons, Atlanteans, all the tribes of men fought side by side. Warriors of legend, allies from other worlds, even the gods themselves all acted as one, laying down their lives to drive Steppenwolf away. Some say it drove him mad. The disgrace of his first retreat. He swore our alliance would crumble. That darkness would cover the Earth and that he would return when it did. Left behind, the Mother boxes were too dangerous to be kept together. One was entrusted to the Amazons. One to the Atlanteans. Both sealed and guard in secure strongholds. The Box of Men was buried in secret, so that no tribe would be tempted to use its powers over another. Such harmony out of such horror. It was truly an Age of Heroes."

"Something tells me we're not getting the band back together." Bruce says grimly.

"The Atlanteans were forced undersea." I say, "and the Amazons to an island they can never leave."

" Well, I wouldn't count on the tribes of men." Bruce says, "We tend to act like the Doomsday Clock has a snooze button...how long until..."

"Days," I tell him." at most...Steppenwolf's mistake last time was attacking us. He wanted to make the Earth kneel before he destroyed us." Bruce's cellphone begins to vibrate. "This time he'll just go after the boxes." Bruce's pulls out his phone and glances at it.

"I have a location for one of our recruits." He says. "Barry Allan."

"What about the other one? Victor Stone?" I ask remembering him mentioning a team of recruits he was trying to gather.

"I was hoping you would dig him up." Bruce asks. I nod before sighing.

"This team is not going to be enough to fight Steppenwolf." I admit, "We need another recruit."

"You got one? Because this is all I could find." Bruce says

"Yeah, I have one." I say, "but she is not going to be happy to see me."

"Why?" Bruce asks.

"Because I am her mother." I say

"You have a daughter?" Bruce asks surprised.

"Sort of." I say, "She is the daughter of every Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse god and goddess which happened when each god and goddess blessed a siren, her mother. I am one of the many physical forms of the Roman goddess Diana, goddess of the hunt so she is my daughter."

"That doesn't explain why being one of her mothers is going to make her upset to see you." Bruce says.

"Remember about a year ago, all the natural disasters?" I ask him. Bruce nods. "Well, my daughter and a group of these children fought Gaea, the earth mother. She killed the children my daughter was with so in anger my daughter draws energy from the gods so she can kill Gaea. Unknown to her, a year later Tartarus, Gaea's husband, murders the rest of the children of the gods leaving her alone. She was angry and in a rage she also killed Tartarus but because the gods were left with no power, they couldn't have any more children or bring any back. My daughter was angry with the gods so she warned them to leave her alone which they have honored."

"Your daughter sounds like a hero." Bruce says kindly, "I'm sure she would understand why you are asking for her help."

"Maybe," I say, "but she changed when she lost her family. She became bitter and angry at life especially at the gods but who could blame her? She gone through too much. I don't know the details but I do know that.."

"What's her name?" Bruce asks softly.

"Her name is Atlantia Brooks." I say, "and if you want her to join our team, we are probably going to need the help of the other recruits."

An: Hey guys! So, I have finally decided where I want to go with this book. It took a while but I did it. I'll be updating this story every Sunday so you can expect another chapter next week. Hope you guys enjoy this story and thank you so much for everyone's support on all of my stories. I really do appreciate it.