The One-Seven

Chapter 7: The Lost Hero

It took Dinah several moments before she composed herself enough to be able to speak. "What do you mean he's your cousin? How?"

"The same way I believe anyone has blood relations, "Diana mused, "A man and a woman-"

"Cut the shit," Dinah interrupted, "You know what I mean. How does an Amazon have any male blood relations? And what do you mean you thought he was dead?"

Diana sighed, and rubbed anxiously at her wrists as she contemplated her answer. She inwardly cursed herself for her outburst. Had she not said anything, she wouldn't be in this position. While there would likely be no blowback if she answered truthfully, she knew that the Gods would not appreciate having all of their secrets being told. She also did not like the idea of exposing more people to the knowledge of demigods.

"Before I begin, I will tell you now that I cannot, and will not tell you everything. Partly out of respect for Perseus, his secrets and his life are his own, but also because my interactions with Perseus were limited. I had more direct contact with his half-sister."

"Half-sister?" Dinah asked, but Diana waved the question away,

"I will do my best to explain as much as I am comfortable with. As you are no doubt aware, the gods have not disappeared." she said

Dinah nodded, memories of battles with the god of war resurfacing as the Amazon spoke, "Like in the days of old, they have maintained their power, and adapted to the times, moving with the ever-changing powers of the west. Around the turn of the nineteenth century, the gods moved Olympus to the United States. Once here, they did as they always did, maintained their realms and...had relations with mortals. Perseus is the result of one of those unions. As in the days of old, Demigods, the children of mortals and gods, are born out of carnal desire, but also to fill a purpose." Diana explained, "The gods are bound by rules more ancient than can be rightly remembered. For the most part, they are bound to their domains, and are unable or unwilling to interfere in the lives of mortals. There are exceptions of course; as the god of war has proven, all laws have loopholes that can be exploited."

"Demigods, as a result, often act in the place of their parents, running errands, taking quests at their behest, and most unfortunately, fighting the wars that they create." Diana's face creased in obvious discomfort. She was embarrassed by the actions of her kin.

"Around nine years ago, there were two wars fought. One between the gods and their forbearers, the Titans, and a second a year later, against Mother Earth and her army of Giants."

Dinah's eyes widened in surprise, but didn't interrupt, even though her mind raced at the revelation. Doing the math in her head, she sighed sadly, as she realized that there was a distinct likelihood that the League had not yet been founded given the timeline of the events. They couldn't have helped even if they had wanted to.

Diana read the look on her friend's face and answered the unasked question, "As I'm sure you remember, the League had not yet been established nine years ago, and I was still on Themyscira. More to the point however, the gods are insistent on keeping the affairs of the divine in house. They would not have accepted outside help, even if it had been offered. But I am getting off track, as I was saying there were two wars, and Perseus played leading roles in both."

Diana began pacing back and forth as she spoke, "I did not meet Perseus until the second war, Mother Earth had managed to force open the gates to the great pit on the island, and we spent several days fighting off the incursion. When the battle was won, we learned of the battle the demigods were waging. I left behind a detachment of Amazons to safeguard the gates, just in case, but took the bulk of our forces to aid in the battle. When we arrived, Perseus was orchestrating the defense. For three days we fought, we bled, and our friends and family died, as we tried to buy as much time as we could."