Diana didn't charge into the fray but instead moved to support wherever needed. She swiftly evacuated injured warriors to the rear, where the Book of Eternity's healing would restore them quickly.
The chaotic battle raged for an entire day. The gods finally cleared the massive spectral horde. The First Born's werewolf loyalists had fled early in the fighting. Cassandra, one of the battle's key figures, was captured by Amazons searching the battlefield. The Trojan princess clung to life, though her injuries kept her unconscious.
Diana recovered the broken section of the First Born's greatsword—even just a third of it measured nearly three meters long. Forged from black dragon spine and tempered in Earth's core, Diana, skilled in metallurgy herself, recognized an excellent crafting material when she saw it.
With help from the Lanterns, Thea finally eased her discomfort. Diana then entered her mental realm to help stabilize everything.
The ordeal exhausted the warrior goddess. Combat suited her far better than mental manipulation, but her high-level abilities meant her weaknesses weren't too glaring. She could manage psychic work when needed.
Three full days passed before both goddesses—primarily Thea—recovered. Occasional headaches persisted, but nothing that would affect the bigger picture.
Thea's mental power stood at barely half strength. She couldn't attempt brainwashing the First Born again anytime soon, and now that he'd be on guard, he wouldn't fall for it twice. Missing this golden opportunity genuinely frustrated Thea. The First Born's combat prowess would make him a devastating enforcer for the Lantern Corps.
Yes, she'd worked so hard on the brainwashing not for Hera's sake. Thea had never planned to return him. A brief ceasefire would suffice. Hera didn't want her own son, never raised him, then suddenly wanted to mend fences when he'd reached max level? No such luck!
Unfortunately, all her schemes had crumbled. One insignificant player had wrecked her plans. Irritated, Thea heard Cassandra had been captured and decided to visit with Diana.
Miserable. Truly miserable. Cassandra lay alone in bed with no one tending her. Fortunately, as another daughter of Zeus, at least no one abused her. Her once-alluring features were now twisted in pain.
The gaping, mangled wound on her neck testified to her reckless action. Thea extended her hand, releasing magical energy to examine the injury. After a long moment, she snorted coldly. This troublemaker was completely ruined.
Her vocal organs had literally vaporized. Even when the flesh regrew, her gift had departed with her vocal cords forever.
This woman's dedication to vengeance against the gods was impressive. To preserve her power to challenge them, she'd sacrificed herself. Just like that spider woman Arachne from before—undoubtedly another tragic backstory. Thea could only reflect that the Greek gods had committed too many vile deeds, and here she was, taking the blame for yet another one.
Outside the recovery room, the Amazons continued their enthusiastic war preparations, though the gods looked rather deflated. The pressure from Hades weighed heavily.
That evening, Hera summoned the gods to discuss their next steps. Two seats sat empty—the goddesses of agriculture and discord had simply fled.
War God Ares remained, barely alive. The old god sat with eyes half-closed, barely breathing. Thea almost thought he'd died already.
The other two attendees were Dionysus and Hephaestus.
Hephaestus got along well enough with Diana and Thea, but unfortunately, despite his excellent divine domain, his misguided interests had warped his talent tree. He'd transformed from Fire God into Blacksmith God—and a faith-based one at that. Where would you find blacksmiths in the twenty-first century? Originally destined to be a combat powerhouse, he'd become pure logistics personnel, weak as hell.
Dionysus possessed some combat ability. People who brewed or loved wine existed in every era—his faith never ceased, though it remained modest. He maintained the best condition of any deity present.
But still—the God of Wine! The name alone screamed weakness. Expecting him to defeat Hades was pure fantasy.
Hera regarded her assembled forces with profound frustration. Old, weak, useless—every last one. This explained why she'd urgently summoned Thea and Diana the moment they recovered.
"Your Majesty, what's going on with Hermes's speed?" Thea asked her most pressing question first. Unlike Barry or Reverse-Flash, mortals possessed far different magical resistance than gods. If her slowing spells failed, dealing with an enemy this fast would put Thea at a severe disadvantage.
"Hades likely gave him something from the Underworld. If I'm not mistaken, Hermes's form of existence has been rewritten. He no longer seems... alive," Hera analyzed coolly. Having spent so many years with Zeus, her insight was unmatched, even without her jealous nature.
Undead transformation? Lich? Zombie? Those were the concepts flooding Thea's mind. Sacrificing life to become a higher form of undead being. Hermes's sacrifice was enormous—abandoning divine dignity to become Hades's lackey couldn't have been an easy decision.
Still, his recovered power troubled Thea greatly. Speed really wasn't her forte.
Hera bowed her head in thought. The Underworld's forces were endless. Even when Zeus ruled, he couldn't dismiss them. Bound by cosmic rules, Hades couldn't deploy every soul, but even a tenth of his army represented a terrifying number.
Hermes's control over those spectral creatures suggested backdoor deals between the First Born and Hades. The dire situation gave Hera a splitting headache.
She looked at Thea. "When the First Born returns, can you stop him?"
Thea considered carefully. She wasn't ready to abandon the First Born as a potential enforcer. Oliver was stubborn, but she had that same quality in her character—she just called hers "persistence."
"He'll definitely be prepared. I can't guarantee anything. Our overall power is comparable—he excels at close combat, I excel at range. Hard to predict who'd win."
Thea naturally wouldn't make promises. She privately calculated that if the next attack came before full recovery, perhaps summoning all the Lanterns for a group assault would work better?
The meeting ended inconclusively. No one had constructive suggestions. To encourage—or perhaps console—Thea, Hera opened Zeus's treasure vault and allowed her to select three items.
This suited Thea perfectly. She and Hera weren't close enough for her to risk everything for free. Taking payment for services rendered aligned with her role as Goddess of Wealth and Trade.
Facing the open treasury, Thea didn't hesitate. She pulled Diana inside.
As a powerful and restless god-king, Zeus's treasury could claim the title of the world's finest. Unlike Highfather, who preferred staying home, Zeus remained young at heart despite his age. He'd traveled the world extensively, pursuing young women but also collecting treasures.
Already immensely powerful and possessed of impeccable taste, Zeus had amassed countless treasures.
The Goddess of Wealth possessed innate appraisal abilities. Even without knowing many items' names, Thea understood their general purposes—sufficient for selection.
The sheer number of treasures made even Thea's heart race. The dazzling brilliance set her pulse pounding. Never exactly law-abiding, she couldn't help thinking how wonderful it would be if all these treasures were hers!