Neither kiss could compare in length, but they both understood each other's depths well.
Thea appeared delicate on the outside but possessed strength in her inner world that others never knew.
Diana was the opposite—beneath her martial exterior, she actually lacked affection.
Through their physical, spiritual, and divine communion, their dependence on each other was growing deeper. Diana was grateful to have a lover who could accompany her forever. Thea likewise cherished how the warrior filled her inner world. The road ahead was too difficult and bitter to walk alone.
Just as Batman noted in his report to the DEO: their weakness was each other.
Deep in the night, with wild beasts roaring in the mountain forest, neither woman paid any attention. Diana's mood was excellent, and she was too lazy to care about the no-magic agreement.
Thea toppled a dense forest to build a wooden cabin.
The two enjoyed a relaxing soak in a hot spring pool.
"Yours seem bigger here? And softer? Is it because of your divine position?" Diana teased, touching the area below Thea's neck.
The young lady didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she had to admit Diana's observation was meticulous—even such small differences were noticed. She couldn't explain why, only classifying it as charm's self-development.
"Truly perfect!" Diana, steeped in Greek aesthetics, had zero resistance to this beauty. She played with it like a toy for quite a while.
Daring to tease me! Thea wasn't to be outdone either. Her palms began caressing Diana's long legs, traveling upward.
This battle was even more intense than before. Midway through, Thea had a sudden inspiration and found several pairs of stockings for Diana to wear. Long legs with black stockings—truly a unique flavor.
Diana didn't let her off either. Thea tried them and found coffee-colored ones suited her best. Two pairs of long legs tangled together, the cabin's spring atmosphere thick enough to be impenetrable.
Thunder and lightning, passion igniting—they battled through the night. Diana sat up early the next morning.
"My source seems to have taken a major step forward." The warrior pulled up the still-pretending-to-sleep Thea.
That was possible? Thea's mind contained only this thought. She carefully felt her own changes. They weren't as obvious as Diana's, but she vaguely sensed her connection with the entire universe had grown tighter.
This naturally wasn't because of a night's activities but some change in mental state.
They immediately packed up and continued their journey.
Heading south from the United States, they passed through Mexico into South America.
Though all part of the Americas, this region was worlds apart from the north.
Thea felt trade here was chaotic and disorderly, with wealth distribution even more unreasonable. Money concentrated in a few hands. Naturally, ordinary people below didn't need trade—she even saw barter systems in some regions, which displeased her greatly.
Diana also disliked it here. Who should she protect? The privileged elite or the equally cunning common people?
Their journey lasted over half a month until Diana received a message from Hippolyta asking her to return to Mount Olympus. Worried about accidents, Thea decided to go along.
They teleported to Mount Olympus. Nine months had passed since Thea's last departure.
The originally solemn, majestic mountain was now shrouded in killing intent. Many Amazons rushed about making preparations.
"The prophesied moment has arrived. Zeus's eldest son will kill his brothers and sisters and ascend to his father's throne." Hera explained the situation, gesturing toward the preparing crowd. She could no longer fathom Thea's depths now, so her attitude had changed again—from approval to equality, despite being a god-queen herself.
This was the difference strength made.
"Try to avoid fighting now, especially god battles. The old gods' divine positions will affect your source." Thea warned Diana. This eldest son was hyped up incredibly by prophecy—she worried Diana might charge in recklessly.
Though the gods were extremely reluctant, facing the god-king's summons, except for the defiant Apollo and Hermes (who'd sided with Hades), the few still breathing all arrived.
A bunch of weaklings! Thea had zero faith in the combat ability of the god of wine, god of fire, goddess of agriculture, and goddess of discord. They excelled at eating, drinking, and entertainment, but fighting? They should step aside.
Old acquaintance Ares grew increasingly aged, standing there trembling. Many Amazons couldn't understand how this former villain had become someone who seemed ready to collapse with one breath.
Thea understood perfectly. Though the war god's weakness had no direct connection to her, the indirect influence was enormous.
Humanity had no more wars! Ironically, several major powers had been forcibly dragged onto her starship program's fast track, desperately building mechs and mother ships. Several powder kegs—the Middle East, Afghanistan—without the great powers' covert maneuvering, why would locals keep fighting when they were well-fed?
All warfare ceased a month after the mother ships launched. Major nations had no energy for games, all mining their potential depths to secure future leadership positions.
War's end naturally affected Ares. A hundred years ago, he'd faked being crippled in front of Thea, Diana, and Steve. Now he didn't need to fake it—he actually was!
"Like a candle in the wind" described him perfectly.
Over the following days, the gods waited on Olympus for the enemy's attack. The wine god had no combat value, but his wine was world-class. Thea got along well with him and obtained quite a bit, planning to let Moira and Oliver try some later.
The fire god kept forging weapons for the gods. After two discussions, he agreed to create a weapon for Diana.
The god-killing sword from Paradise Island—Thea jokingly called it the "Ares Must Die Sword"—had completed its historic mission. Ares didn't need anyone's help; he was practically dead already. They could use it now, combining it with Diana's fire god sword for reforging.
Both swords were originally forged by the fire god. Having them return to him brought some nostalgia.
After asking about Diana's combat habits, he reforged both swords.
Three days later, a pair of brilliantly blue-glowing swords was delivered to Diana. Twin swords—this would be her future fighting style.
The sword-and-shield combination no longer suited Diana's increasing power. Low-level enemies couldn't break her defense, making the shield unnecessary. High-level enemies couldn't be blocked by the shield anyway. Rather than the awkward middle ground, better to abandon the shield and strengthen offense.
Golden armor, crimson cape, wielding two longswords—Diana looked increasingly martial.
Thea went a different route. Wearing Old God equipment in the New Gods' territory was inappropriate, but wearing New God equipment in Old God territory was fine.
At least Hera and the others couldn't discern the origin of Thea's divine robe—they only found it mysterious.