Diana's long legs hung limply as Jack Kadere carried her slung over his shoulder. She made no move to resist. Whether it was because she was keeping to their uneasy bargain, afraid that fighting back might drive him to slaughter her fellow Amazons, or simply because she was still stunned by the destruction of the God-Killer Sword, no one could tell.
Jack strode through the plaza, past the stunned and sorrowful faces of the Amazons, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He glanced toward Artemis, his voice calm but laced with authority.
"Untie them all. As long as they don't resist, life on Themyscira will continue as before. I'm only interested in her."
To emphasize his point, he patted Diana lightly on the backside, almost mockingly, and began humming a tune as he headed toward the palace chambers.
Without the binding influence of the Lasso of Truth, would she fight him? She wasn't the type to give in willingly like Helena Bertinelli or Felicity Smoak—no, Diana would resist. And to Jack, that was half the thrill. Forcing Wonder Woman into a corner was a challenge that appealed to him far more than an easy victory.
Artemis, still shaken, obeyed and ordered Hippolyta and the others to be unchained. The freed Amazons moved cautiously, their eyes shifting between relief and confusion.
Hippolyta's gaze followed her daughter, her expression torn between fury, sorrow, and helplessness.
"Your Majesty," Artemis said quietly, "if what he said is true—if he's traveled here from the future—he won't remain in this time forever. Diana will still have her chance to take revenge."
Hippolyta's jaw tightened, but she said nothing.
Artemis understood. In war, sacrifice was unavoidable. She herself had pledged loyalty to Jack for the sake of Themyscira. Diana's submission, however unwilling, was another such sacrifice—a bitter but necessary one to protect their home.
BANG!
Jack dropped Diana onto the bed with no ceremony and leaned over her, pressing his lips to hers.
"Mmmph—"
Jack's head jerked back as a sharp sting blossomed at the corner of his mouth. He sat up, touching his fingers to the spot and pulling them away red with blood.
A slow smile curved his lips as he looked down at the defiant Amazon Princess.
"Now that's more like it," he said. "If Wonder Woman didn't resist, she wouldn't be Wonder Woman at all."
His grin widened. "Yesterday was messy. Today, the picture is much clearer."
He leaned in again—but this time, Diana's arms snapped upward, her silver bracelets clashing together with a resonant clang. A burst of divine energy erupted from her, sending Jack hurtling across the room and smashing into the stone wall.
Rolling his shoulders, Jack stood, his eyes narrowing into the predatory focus of a hunter about to close in on its prey. He didn't need a mirror to know exactly how he looked—every inch the villain who pins the hero down in the final act.
Diana's hand brushed something on the bed—a familiar length of enchanted rope. The Lasso of Truth. Jack had left it there earlier without thinking.
Her eyes lit with fierce satisfaction as she grabbed it, letting its golden coils unwind in her hands. She leveled a hard stare at him.
Round two was about to begin.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the air outside. Both turned toward the sound, eyes snapping to the window. A column of flame shot skyward, followed by black smoke curling into the sky.
Shouts of alarm and panic rang out from below.
Diana's expression sharpened. Without hesitation, she bolted for the window.
CRASH!
Glass shattered as she dove through, plummeting from the palace heights and landing with perfect balance. Her warrior's instincts faltered for an instant as she took in the chaos.
In the heart of the square, flames raged, sending black smoke curling into the sky. The smell of burning wood and scorched earth hung thick in the air. Several Amazons lay unmoving on the ground, and those still standing were locked in brutal combat—against each other.
Is my mother leading a rebellion against Artemis's forces? Diana thought, sprinting toward the chaos. No… something's wrong.
Her sharp eyes quickly picked out Artemis among the fighters—only Artemis wasn't clashing with Hippolyta's guard. She was fighting her own warriors.
"They're attacking each other…" Diana muttered in disbelief.
"Stop! Everyone, stop!" she shouted, rushing into the fray. She grabbed combatants by the arms, forcing them apart, or cracked her golden Lasso of Truth through the air to yank them away from one another. "What's going on? Why are you attacking your sisters?"
"Mother!"
A sudden swish—a blade sliced past her, close enough that she felt the whisper of steel. Diana spun and caught sight of Hippolyta, sword in hand, her face taut with battle fury.
"Mother, stop!" Diana planted herself between the Queen and her opponent, forcing Hippolyta back. The confusion in Hippolyta's eyes flickered for a moment before her expression cleared.
"What is happening here? Could it be…?" Hippolyta began.
"It's not him," Diana said firmly, nodding toward the palace. "There's another intruder."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The slow, mocking sound of hands coming together echoed through the square. The flames shifted, parting like a curtain, and a lone figure emerged—clapping as if she'd just enjoyed a fine performance.
A woman.
She wore a tattered black dress, its fabric torn in jagged holes. Her hair was short, cut unevenly as though hacked with a blade, and her eyes and lips were painted the same deep, unnatural black. She moved with the lazy sway of someone utterly confident in her own danger.
"Who are you?" Diana demanded, her voice steady.
"I'm your sister," the woman replied with a sly smile.
Diana's gaze went cold as she glanced around at the carnage. "I don't have a sister like you."
"She really is your sister," came a voice from behind.
Jack Kadere stepped into view, strolling toward them as if he were arriving fashionably late to a party. His smirk was almost playful. "I have to hand it to Zeus—your dear father. The man could seduce anyone, anywhere. You've got more siblings than just Ares. This goth queen here? She's called Eris."
Diana's eyes narrowed. "The Goddess of Discord?"
"Exactly. The same one who tossed the golden apple that sparked the Trojan War," Jack said, his tone amused. "Your mother should remember her. Centuries ago, humans, the Olympian gods, and the Atlanteans all joined forces to repel Steppenwolf's invasion of Earth. Eris was around then."
Diana turned to Hippolyta. The Queen's face was grim. "She should be dead. All the gods were killed by Ares."
Eris's dark lips curled into a sneer. "If the gods were truly gone, you wouldn't be standing here. And as for you, Hippolyta—my mother Hera never forgets a woman who shared my father's bed."
Hippolyta's jaw tightened, her knuckles white on her sword hilt.
"What do you want on Themyscira?" Diana demanded.
"Themyscira? I thought it had become a prison island," Eris said with a shrug. "I came to help you, sister." Her gaze shifted to Jack, studying him. "But you—how did you gain divine power? Are you another bastard child of Zeus?"
Jack grinned. "No. I'm your father."
Eris blinked, then laughed. "I doubt my mother would approve."
"That's fine. I don't mind winning her over," Jack replied with infuriating ease.
Eris tilted her head toward the sky. "Mother, did you hear that? Someone wants to seduce you."
The heavens remained silent. Whether Hera had heard or simply didn't care, no one could tell.
"Undo whatever spell you've cast, Eris," Diana warned, tightening her grip on the Lasso of Truth. "Or I'll make you."
"Will you now?" Eris's voice dripped with mockery.
Before the last syllable faded, Diana lunged—only for her charge to be met with a blinding counter.
BOOM!
The next instant, Diana was hurtling backward through the air, smashing into a stone wall that crumbled beneath her. She landed amid the rubble with a heavy thud.
Eris stood in the square, black eyes gleaming.
"Weakling."