The Gods Trilogy - Book One
Prelude to Twilight
by Bob Young
Part One: Gods and Monsters
In another realm, very unlike our own, the council of the lords of the dark forces are meeting.

Ares, the God of War, was addressing the council. "If we do not do something, the earthling's war will end before they do what we want them to do! We can't allow that. And on a personal note, as the God of War, this is the best war Earth has ever had. I don't want to see it end."

"We are not interested in your personal desires," said Neron ,who hated the pretentiousness of these beings who called themselves Gods. Neron knew Gods, and Ares was no deity! But right now, he needed them. He continued. "All we are interested in is the human war and how it can help us against the Living Tribunal."

"The Living Tribunal!" Trigon growled, "Always that name!"

"If the war is indeed in danger of being brought to an abrupt end," The Grandmaster said. "Then maybe Ares is correct. We should up-the-stakes."

"Indeed," Darkseid added, "Ares' plan has merit. Every little bit of chaos, when added to an atmosphere of war, will be blow up and explode into madness. And madness will only prolong the earthling's war, thus increasing the chances of their doing what we want."

"I agree," said the Collector.

"Let Ares have his fun," Mephisto said. "If nothing else, it should be entertaining."

Dormammu remained quiet, having so recently failed in his own attempt.

"Very well," Neron said, "You may proceed, Ares."

"But be cautious," Queen Zelia said, "The White Council must not get involved. Otherwise we risk the Living Tribunal acting before we are ready."

"Obviously!" Ares said impatiently, "The God of War does not make such foolish errors."

Neron and Mephisto looked at each other. ‘God' again. Such arrogance to claim superior stature. When the council's purpose was served, these ‘Gods' would need to be humbled. "Go." Neron said, "And do not fail!"

Ares appeared in the sky realm, an ethereal kingdom high above the surface of the Earth. Inside the sky kingdom was the powerful being known as the Thunderstorm. He was the embodiment of storms. He was shackled by flame-chains. Years ago, the Thunderstorm was defeated and imprisoned by a group of Asgardians led by the Thunder God, Thor. He'd been there for years, unable to free himself, roaring in rage helplessly. He spotted Ares.

"You have the stink of one of those Earth deities," boomed the powerful voice of the Thunderstorm.

"Indeed," Ares said, "but I have come to make you an offer. Your freedom, in exchange for a your temporary services in my cause. I will release you, if you will use your mastery of storms to wreck havoc over the country called the United States."

Down in New Atlantis, the occupation was over.* The Atlanteans were free. Attumma, their former conqueror, was chained on the very same podium that he had recently chained the Atlantean princes on. He was being exposed to public ridicule, until the trial.

*(for details, read the last four issues!)

Aquaman and King Vulko were leading a victory parade through the heart of the city. Namor, prince of the sister city of Atlantis, chose not to participate. He preferred to talk to Queen Hippolyta, who was temporarily allowed to survive under water, thanks to Dr. Fate.

"Thank you again for coming to my aid," Namor said tenderly.

"It was my pleasure, Namor," Hippolyta said, surprise by these feelings of attraction she was having. She was embarrassed. "About that kiss..."

"I don't regret it," Namor said.

"Neither do I," she said. "But for a Queen, such a thing is not done lightly. A gesture of affection such as that means something."

"As it does for a Prince of Atlantis," Namor said. "It was not meant to be a casual gesture. I want you, Hippolyta! More than I have ever wanted any woman! I want you to be my mate."

Hippolyta was shocked by the abruptness of the declaration, but that was how Namor did things. And that honesty was one of the things she admired about him. "Marriage is not an easy thing for a Queen of the Amazons," she said. "I must consider this."

"Think on it well, my beautiful Queen," Namor said. "We belong together."

Nearby, Aquaman finished his parade and approached the Sentinel and Dr. Fate. "I have not yet thanked you humans for your assistance. If not for you, my Kingdom would still be under the power of Attumma and Krang. You have the gratitude of all of New Atlantis. If you ever need help, you may count on Aquaman."

"Hopefully we won't have to take you up on that," Sentinel said, "but we appreciate the offer. What about Krang and Tiger Shark?"

"Once things settle down here, I will start searching for them personally. He won't escape justice."

"What will happen to Attumma?"

"It is best that you do not know," Aquaman said. "You would find Atlantean justice a bit . . . savage!"

The Sentinel winced but decided that it wasn't his place to judge other cultures.

Aquaman saw Mera, who had assisted in the liberation of Atlantis. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. "Excuse me," Aquaman said, walking towards her.

But he didn't make it all the way. All the Atlanteans stopped and started to look up at the open sea.

"What's wrong?" The Sentinel asked.

"The currents," Aquaman said, "Something is affecting the currents!"

Steve Rogers had returned to his job in the mail room of the War Department but announced that he was now on a part time basis. Bucky questioned him about this but Steve was evasive. Steve kept changing the subject and finally Bucky gave up trying. Bucky liked Steve but there was something strange going on with him and Bucky wanted to know what it was.

His thoughts were distracted by the storm that was blowing outside. It was fierce. And from what they heard on the radio, similar powerful storms were blowing all over the country. A lot of damage was being done. Then the General's aide came running in. He called Steve Rogers out of the room. Bucky watched them whispering out in the hall and then Steve ran out. This time, Bucky snuck out after him. As usual, the General had a car waiting for him. As the car drove away, Bucky unchained his bike and pedaled after them. The weather was causing a lot of traffic and so the car wasn't moving very fast. Bucky was able to keep up, even though the wind and rain was very strong. Finally, the car pulled up to the mansion which was well known as the headquarters of the Justice Society. But it wasn't Steve Rogers who came out . . . It was Captain America. Cap ran into the house and the car drove off. Bucky stood in the rain, staring at the mansion, not daring to believe what he'd just seen.

Inside the Mansion, the Flash had just arrived, as had Cap. The Human Torch lived there. Soon, Dr. Mid-Nite and the Black Canary showed up. Cap addressed the group.

"Thanks for responding to the emergency beacon so quickly. I guess the others are still in Atlantis," Cap said. "We'll have to deal with this without them. As you can see..."

Everyone was surprised when the long absent Wildcat strolled in. He saw everyone staring at him. "What? I don't have a zipper so I know it's not opened."

"Look what the cat dragged in," Black Canary said. "Welcome back."

"Let's proceed," Cap said. "As you can see, the weather has gone crazy. The phenomenon is localized over the American continent, from Mexico to Canada, and about 100 miles out to sea on either coast. We're not sure of the cause yet . . . "

"I'm sure!" exclaimed a female voice. They all turned and saw the stunning Miss Venus. "I know who's causing this, and I think I know why. It's not good, my friends. And I'm not sure you can stop it!"

The man known as Logan was recreating in a Canadian fishing village when the weather went crazy. All of his animalistic instincts told him that this was not a natural storm. He saw a small fishing boat being overturned. The elderly man and the young boy who were on board were thrown into the water. The current was too much for them, and threatened to drag them under. Logan dived into the water to rescue them. The had the feeling that this was not the last rescue he'd be doing today. Something told him that this was going to be a bad day!
Dr. Clark Savage was called in to the mental ward of New York hospital. He had been working with a patient known only as ‘Patient Zero'. He'd been experiencing dementia and hallucinations. Savage was called in for a consultation. Savage's new electro-magno therapy was helping him greatly, but suddenly, he'd gone totally berserk. The staff doctors sedated him but couldn't stop his symptoms. So they called Savage.

Savage entered the room, where ‘Patient Zero' was strapped to the examination table. He was thrashing around, screaming.

"It's me." Doc Savage said, "Can you hear me. It's Dr. Savage."

The patient reacted to the name. He met Savage's eyes. "Stop it!" Zero screamed. "It's coming! Don't let it! It will kill us all!!"

"Who's coming?" Savage asked.

"IT's coming! The storms! It wants us all dead! Stop it! It'll destroy us!!"

Savage tried to get through to ‘Patient Zero' but couldn't. He sedated the man. Savage thought over what Zero had said. Savage had long considered the possibility that Zero was telepathic, and that an inability to block out other minds was the root of his dementia. Could Zero now be detecting something? Some sort of supernatural or alien mind? Something that is causing these storms? If Zero has a possible clue, then Savage needed to find out what it was before the whole country was destroyed.

The Whizzer and Miss America were helping to evacuate the small California town where they lived. The river had overflowed and soon the whole town would be flooded. The Whizzer was running from house to house, making sure that everyone was cleared out. A caravan of cars was driving up the main road out of town. A few trees and telephone poles had been blown over and fallen onto the road, blocking the cars. Miss America lifted them out of the way, allowing the cars to pass.

"We're almost done here," The Whizzer yelled to Miss America.

"We should check the coastal cities next!" she answered, "They'll probably need our help even more than the people here do."

Michael Jupiter knew what was happening. He could see the handprints of the Dark Council all over this. Something had to be done or many mortals would die. He considered going to the JSA but most likely Miss Venus was already working with them. Besides, after he had lied to them recently,* why should they believe his incredible story now? But there were others. Once he finished the spell that would protect his immediate area, he would again become the majestic demi-god Hurricane! And then he would seek out those who could help him.

*(JSA #9)

Heroes all over were involved in damage control. Starman, the Atom, Hawkman & Hawkwoman, Star-Spangled Kid & Stripesy, Johnny Thunder & his Thunderbolt, Hourman, Mr. Terrific, the Sandman & Sandy, Johnny Quick . . . Everywhere, the super-humans were doing their best to preserve life. But they were still no closer to finding the source of the problem.
Namor, Aquaman, Hippolyta, the Sentinel and Dr. Fate emerged from under the sea. They were just off the East Coast of the US, and in the midst of a torrential storm.

"My thanks for offering your assistance, good brother," Namor said to Aquaman.

"It is the least I can do," Aquaman answered. "I owe you."

They noticed a cruise liner in danger. It was being tossed about by the waves and coming perilously close to a reef. The Sentinel took charge. "Namor, Aquaman, you two take care of that ship. And then check the coast to see if there are any more ships in danger. The rest of you come with me!"

Miss Venus had given the JSA whatever information she was allowed to give. She frustrated Captain America with her refusal to give him all the details of what was happening, but he was glad for the information that she did give. He now knew that there was a conscious being behind this, and that Miss Venus was going to attempt to convince the powers that be to intervene. In the meantime, all the Justice Society could do was to try and protect people from these near-hurricane level storms. Wildcat, much to his chagrin, was ordered to stay at the mansion as a liaison. In the meantime, Miss Venus appeared before the members of the White Council.

"We know why you are here, Aphrodite," Zeus said.

"Aye," Odin added. "Thou hast come to plead with us to aid the mortals."

"You must!" Aphrodite said. "You know as well as I that the Dark Council . . . "

"We know!" Zuras said. "Yet there is much to consider."

"They mean the Dark Council," Shazam said. "They are worried about us getting into a confrontation with them. About what the Living Tribunal will do if we break the truce."

"But they broke it first!" Aphrodite protested.

"But they have not, in truth, confronted us," Highfather said. "They have used the being called Thunderstorm as their pawn."

"Then we should stop Thunderstorm!" The Sorcerer Supreme exclaimed.

"If we go to Earth in force," Highfather said, "they can claim that we are inviting a confrontation. The Living Tribunal may rule against us."

"Then perhaps we should use the Dark Council's strategy," The Phantom Stranger said.

The Spectre finally spoke. "Indeed. The idea is a wise one. We should send someone to Earth to do battle with the dark forces in our stead. It must be someone who is so in love with adventure that he would recklessly rush into battle with he dark forces. Someone who will risk the wrath of the Living Tribunal in the cause of what is right!"

"Ha!" Odin laughed, "Odin doth know the very one!"

Dr. Fate had abruptly left his companions, claiming that he was going to the "source." The Sentinel and Wonder Woman could only watch him vanish.

The Sentinel caught sight of a bridge that was rocking, due to the wind and the huge waves. It seemed on the verge of collapse. He dived down towards it. He unleashed the full power of his ring. He created strands of energy which rapped around the bridge, holding it together. "I don't know how long I can hold it. Hippolyta, get the people off!"

Hippolyta looked at the bridge. So many people! Could she possibly get them all off before the Sentinel's power gave out? She needed help. She pressed the JSA beacon.

Dr. Fate appeared in the sky realm, where the Thunderstorm was looking down at his handiwork and laughing.

"Stop this!" Fate ordered. "Or, in the name of order, I shall be forced to stop you."

The Thunderstorm looked at Fate and laughed. "HA! Then come, little mortal creature. Stop me if you can!"

Dr. Fate let loose his full magic. The Thunderstorm returned a strong offense. Almost immediately, Fate realized that he had made a mistake. He felt the full force of the elements of nature rallied against him. He knew that this was a battle he could not win.

Ares appeared in the dark basement laboratory of Dr. Phineas Horton. Inside eight glass containers were eight androids, meant to be the next generation of "Artificially Intelligent Mechanoids", much like the Human Torch. They were programmed and ready to go. All they needed was someone to activate them. And that someone would be the first person they see. A sort of surrogate father. They would trust him, in their naive innocence. They would do whatever the person who activated them wanted. Ares pressed the button.

"My army!" he whispered gleefully.

Hippolyta was doing her best to get the people off the crumbling bridge. But they were panicking, and it was hard to round them up, even with her lasso. She thought she saw something strange at the far end of the bridge. A ghostly white figure in a green cloak.

On the other end of the bridge, the Spectre had appeared. He was risking not only the wrath of the Living Tribunal by being here, but also of his fellow council members. Yet he couldn't stand by and do nothing. Until the special avatar Odin had mentioned arrived, someone had to act. The Spectre raised his arms. "Fear and panic are overwhelming you. You must overcome it. For your own good, let me open your eyes. See that fear is as much your foe as the storms that threaten you. Be calm. Be at peace."

The people on the bridge became amazingly calm, and were therefore much easier for Wonder Woman to collect. The Spectre vanished, to calm other people. Minutes later, the other JSA members arrived. The Flash began clearing off the bridge at unbelievable speed. Dr. Mid-Nite and the Black Canary worked at a slower pace, but did what they could. Captain America looked over the problem. "Torch!" he yelled. "Some of the suspension beams look like they're about to crack. See if you can do some welding!"

The Torch acknowledged the order and went to work. Soon the bridge was totally clear of people. The Sentinel let it go. It creaked and groaned as if it were about to fall, but it didn't. Without the weight of the people, and due to the Torch's welding job, the bridge held.

"Great job," Cap said. "There's nothing we can't do together. We'll beat this thing."

"Captain!" Wonder Woman said. ‘I'm getting a mental message from Aph . . . From Miss Venus. She . . . has reason to believe that there is danger at the mansion."

Cap was still annoyed at Miss Venus' secrecy but he had to admit she was usually accurate. "Flash! Get over to the mansion and appraise the situation. Use the emergency beacon if you need us."

Seconds later, the Flash arrived at the mansion where Miss Venus was telling Wildcat about her premonition of danger. Wildcat, already in a bad mood because Cap made him stay behind--Perhaps Cap felt as Wildcat himself did about his lack of power, or maybe he was punishing Wildcat for not having been around lately--wasn't very open-minded.

"Maybe we should listen to her," Flash said.

Wildcat was about to protest when the Hawks came in.

"We were in the area and decided to see if anyone here had some notion of what was happening," Hawkman said.

"Or how we can stop it," Hawkwoman said.

The Flash was about to answer when . . .

"The danger is here!" Miss Venus shouted. "Prepare yourselves for an attack."

There was an explosion, and part of the outside wall collapsed. The Flash, Wildcat, Hawkman and Hawkwoman poised for battle. Miss Venus moved up to join them but Wildcat pushed her back. "Stay outta the way, girlie," he said. Reluctantly, Miss Venus stepped back. She wasn't supposed to reveal her powers or identity to the JSA members. So she held herself back. The other four watched the opening as the smoke cleared.

Dozens of sharp, white dagger-like objects shot in through the hole. The Flash easily plucked them out of the air as if they were floating in slow motion. They were cold. "Ice?" Flash asked in surprise. "Ice daggers?"

Wildcat immediately thought of the Icicle. And when the snow-white figure appeared, he thought he was right. But no, something was different. Similar, but different. "Icicle?"

"No!" The ice man said. "I am the Sub-Zero Man!"

The Sub-Zero Man pointed and fired a freeze-blast at Wildcat, but the Flash dragged him out of the way in time. Flash rammed into the Sub-Zero Man, knocking him back out the hole. But then his feet got caught in something. Something slimy. He tried to free himself but he was stuck. The goop he was stuck in began to form into a somewhat human shape. "I am the Glob!" it said. It created a huge fist and swung at the Flash. The Flash managed to vibrate, becoming unsolid and leaped out of the Glob's sticky goop. He started pounding the Glob at super-speed. Pieces of the Glob splashed all over the place, splattering against the walls. But the pieces started to come together again and re-form.

While that was happening, two more intruders entered. One looked like the Wolfman, and the other was a big, shaggy, smelly thing that stood nearly seven feet, even though it stooped over. It's long arms almost reached the ground. It's face consisted of two huge red eyes, a foot-long nose that looked like an elephant's trunk, and a tiny mouth.

Hawkman and Hawkwoman flew forward to lock up with them. The Hawks swung their maces at the intruders. The wolf-thing avoided the attack with amazing speed. As Hawkwoman flew past, preparing for a second run, the wolf jumped on her back. It began clawing and biting her wings, tearing them apart. In a barley understandable voice, it growled, "War-Wolf! War-Wolf!"

Hawkman pounded at the giant, shaggy thing with his mace but it hardly seemed to feel it. Hawkman got distracted by the sight of his wife being mauled by War-Wolf. The distraction cost him. With unexpected speed, the creature grabbed Hawkman out of the air. Hawkman felt like his life was being drained from him. The creature was sapping his life energy. Hawkman heard something in his head, some sort of telepathic communication with the beast. {I am the Heap!} he heard it think.

Wildcat leapt to assist Hawkman against the Heap, but the Heap caught him in the air. The Heap was absorbing both their life forces.

Flash looked around. War-Wolf was tearing up Hawkwoman, the Heap was draining Hawkman and Wildcat of their life force, the Glob was almost completely reformed and the Sub-Zero man was no doubt still lurking around.

Something struck him. He was staggered then regained his footing. He backpedaled at super-speed, trying to get some distance. He could survey the situation better from afar.

What had hit him? He noticed something small bounding around the room like a rubber ball. It was a man. Normal in every other respect except for the fact that he was only six-inches tall. The Flash whizzed over and grabbed him out of the air. "Don't fight me!" Flash said. "Or I'll vibrate you until your body can't take any more."

"My body is more resilient than you think," the tiny man said. "I'm not your kind."

The Flash noticed that the man's body gave off no heat. Is that what he meant by "not your kind?" Was he a machine? An android, like the Human Torch? "What are you?"

"Just call me Dyna-Mite!" he said. "And I'd like to introduce you to two of my friends." Two gigantic shadows covered the room as two behemoths entered. One was almost as tall as the Heap, but was much wider and more muscular. He had a large, heavy forehead, like a neanderthal. There was no hair on his body or head anywhere. The other was almost 10 feet tall. His skin was blue and leathery, sort of like a dolphin or a whale. His face looked basically humanoid, but there were gills on his neck and he had very tiny ears, and no hair. His teeth were large and fanged, like a shark.

"These are my pals, Orca the Killer Whale and the Missing Link," Dyna-Mite said. "Don't mess with them. They're real strong."

While Flash was distracted, Dyna-Mite broke free and leaped away. The Flash could have caught him but he wanted to deal with the two giants first. The Flash rammed into Orca, but bounced off. He felt like he just hit some protective padding. 'Blubber!' he thought. 'The thing's made out of blubber.' Before he could regain his balance from the impact, the Sub-Zero Man froze the ground. The Flash slipped too close to the Missing Link. A backhand slap from the powerful android knocked Flash unconscious.

Miss Venus couldn't watch anymore. The team was defeated. She had to act. She raised her hands to create a spell. But then a figure entered. It was a man in a radiation suit. Under the suit, he was glowing. "Another one," Miss Venus muttered.

"I am the Human Bomb!" the newcomer said. He opened his facemask. An explosion shot out of the opening, focused directly at Miss Venus. It struck her and knocked her back against the wall. If she hadn't been a Goddess, she'd have been dead. As it was, she was stunned senseless. And then there was a laugh and a flash of light . . . Ares had arrived!

"Well done, my android soldiers. My . . . Creature Commandos!" Ares said. "Now we end it. Destroy these five. And soon, the rest of the JSA will fall just as easily."

But before any of them could move, a lightning bolt came in the window and struck Ares. He fell to his knees. Recovering, he looked up. To his shock, he saw the powerful, regal figure descend. The muscular man had long blond hair, a winged helmet and a hammer.

"Thou hast dared too much, Ares!" the majestic figure announced. "Now thou must face the wrath of Thor, the God of thunder!"

Part Two: No Other God
The being known as the Watcher observed the chaos around him . . . The storms . . . the panic . . . the destruction. He stood impassively, although the stakes were higher than the people of Earth knew. The Watcher had great power, but was sworn never to interfere, even though these events could lead to a war that will tear the universe apart. A sample of that possible war was taking place in a mansion in Washington, DC . . .
The Mighty Thor, warrior prince of Asgard, God of Thunder, and avatar of the White council, swung his hammer, Mjolnir, and prepared to strike. "Defend thyselves, base villains!" Thor shouted. "Thou hast struck down mere mortals and the Goddess of love, but now thou dost face the wrath of a warrior God! Have at thee!"

Thor swung his powerful arm, and his hammer launched forward. His target was Ares, the Olympian God of War. Surprised by Thor's sudden arrival, Ares hesitated. He raised his arms to cast a protection spell, but it was too late. The hammer struck Ares in the chest and drove him back through the rear wall. Ares disappeared from sight. The hammer returned to it's masters hand, and Thor faced Ares' eight allies . . . The Creature Commandos! They are a group of battle androids, freed and manipulated by Ares. They had artificial intelligence and simulated emotions, just like the Human Torch.

Dyna-Mite: six inches tall, but can leap over ten feet. He bounces off any nearby object and uses the kinetic energy of impact to launch himself faster and rebound off other objects, ricocheting, picking up speed until he strikes with a force that belies his tiny size. He is the leader of the Creature Commandos.

The Sub-Zero Man: His skin is made of ice. He can create ice and snow at will, or lower the local area temperature.

The Human Bomb: A glowing man who must live inside a radiation suit. Exposure to the air causes a chain reaction that results in an explosion, which doesn't effect him, but is deadly to anyone around him.

The Glob: A gelatinous, amorphous creature that can re-shape it's ooze-like form at will.

The Heap: A large creature with the body of a gorilla--only much shaggier--and a bizarre head (Huge red eyes, a trunk-like nose, a tiny mouth, no ears) who has the ability to drain the life-force of anyone he touches.

The War-Wolf: A werewolf.

The Missing Link: A huge neanderthal-like being, with a heavy forehead and no hair at all. He is massively muscular, and has incredible strength.

Orca, the Killer Whale: twelve foot, blue-skinned amphibian. He is composed mostly of blubber, and highly resistant to impact. He is also very powerful.

"Get him!" Dyna-Mite ordered, as the tiny android leaped, and began ricocheting, trying to build up the kinetic energy for a strike.

The Creature Commandos forgot about the members of the JSA, who were on the verge of defeat--Flash, Wildcat, the Hawks and Miss Venus--and turned their attention to the newcomer. The Sub-Zero Man fired a dozen ice-daggers at Thor, but they just shattered against the Thunder God's chest. Next, the Sub-Zero Man fired a freeze ray, but Thor countered with a burst of flames from his magic hammer. The Sub-Zero Man ducked for cover.

The Human Bomb opened his face mask, and an explosion funneled out, focused directly at Thor. Thor was knocked off his feet. But to the android's shock, he got right back up. "Well struck," Thor said. "Thor shall not underestimate thee again."

Thor shot forward with a speed that few mortals could match. The Human Bomb reached for his mask again, but before he could open it, Thor's fist gave the Human Bomb an airborne trip outside, and across the street. The Glob wrapped his pliable form around Thor, but Thor spread his arms with an almost casual gesture. The Glob was torn apart, and splashed all over the room. Slowly, he began to re-form himself. The War-Wolf leaped at Thor, growling and snarling. Thor slapped him away.

Dyna-Mite felt that he had built up enough kinetic power and rammed Thor like a bullet. Dyna-Mite just bounced off and Thor didn't even feel it. Orca lumbered towards Thor. Thor stuck him in the stomach. Orca staggered back, but amazingly, he didn't fall. Thor noticed that he had some kind of natural padding. While Thor was distracted by Orca, the Heap grabbed him from behind. The Heap tried to absorb Thor's life force. But the overwhelming influx of immortal life energy was too much for the Heap, who had to let go. Heap back away, afraid to touch Thor again.

Orca swung at Thor, but the Thunder God evaded it. Thor countered by striking Orca with his hammer. Orca landed outside in the yard, in the rain, and unintentionally flattened the Sub-Zero Man. By this time, Ares had returned. He was watching the battle with disapproval. He tried to get into a position to attack Thor from behind. Meanwhile, Thor was caught by a powerful blow from the Missing Link. This time it was Thor who landed in the yard.

Across the street, near where the Human Bomb had crashed, hidden behind a bush and wearing a rain slicker, was Bucky Barnes. He had field glasses and he was taking in everything that happened involving this mansion. The mansion where Steve Rogers--Where Captain America--had entered. Bucky saw the Human Bomb crawl to his feet and walk back to the mansion.

Meanwhile, Thor rubbed his jaw and watched as the Missing Link followed him out, stalking him. Thor approached the android cautiously. This was obviously the most powerful of the group. Thor blocked the Missing Link's next punch, and caught the android in the stomach with his hammer. The Missing Link doubled over. Thor took the opportunity to batter the Missing link with a half-dozen blows. The android collapsed, it's auto self-repair systems working overtime. Ares came up behind Thor and struck him with his sword. Thor howled with pain, and instinctively swung his hammer. The hammer found it's mark and Ares was knocked off his feet. It took a few moments for them both to recover from the previous attack, but then they both got to their feet and circled each other.

"Thou art a coward, Ares!" Thor said. "Using others to fight thy battles."

"I'm facing you now personally, Asgardian!" Ares responded. "And it will be a glorious day for my council of dark forces, when I slay the son of Odin!"

The neighborhood shook from the battle. Even in this storm, the impact of this battle of Gods could not be ignored. The Creature Commandos had regrouped but stayed clear, realizing that they were out of their league. Meanwhile, the JSA members had recovered. Flash activated his emergency call-beacon, to bring the other JSA members. The Creature Commandos were captivated by the battle but then Dyna-Mite noticed the JSA was up and around. "Watch your backs, Commandos," Dyna-Mite yelled. "The guys we came after are still kicking!"

The Creature Commandos turned and went after the JSA again. The Flash streaked forward. He slapped Dyna-Mite out of the air, but the kinetic energy of the blow just made Dyna-Mite a more powerful projectile. The Flash battered Sub-Zero Man, the Human Bomb and War-Wolf before they could move. Orca approached the heroes. Flash remembered his failure against the blubber-padded Orca earlier and was determined not to make the same mistake again. The Flash ran to the west. At near the speed of light, he circled the world in less than a second. As he approached from the east at the speed of light, his mass got heavier, until he was an irresistible force. He smashed into Orca. The android was knocked five blocks away. It was more than his self-repair systems could handle. He was down and out. The Flash was about to try the same thing against the Missing Link, when a green energy ray trapped the Missing Link in a force field. The Link pounded against the field but since he hadn't fully repaired himself from Thor's attack, he couldn't break out. The Sentinel had come in response to the Flash's signal.

"Welcome, buddy boy," Flash said.

"Thank you," Sentinel replied. "Who are these guys?" Then he pointed at Thor and Ares, "And what the heck is going on over there?"

"The blonde guy with the hammer is on our side," The Flash said. "I don't know who the other clown is, but he doesn't like us."

"His name is Ares," said Miss Venus. "He is a God! Leave him to Thor. We should deal with these Creature Commandos'!"

Again, Miss Venus showed that she was more than she seemed. She needed to answer some questions. But for now, she was right. The Creature Commandos needed to be dealt with. With Orca and the Missing Link down, and momentum in the favor of the JSA, and now that the Sentinel had arrived, the battle against the Commandos was different this round. The Commandos fell easily to the JSA. They victorious heroes rounded the androids up into a group. "Sentinel," Miss Venus said, "you have to help me create a limbo-field!"

"A what?!" The Sentinel asked.

"You're gonna dance under a pole?" Wildcat asked.

"No! No, no!" Miss Venus exclaimed. "Not that kind of limbo!"

Miss Venus explained what she needed the Sentinel to do. Together, they created a stasis field that held the Creature Commandos frozen in time. The JSA looked at Miss Venus, who just smiled innocently. Still no answers.

Nearby, Ares was not doing well against Thor. To his embarrassment, he was getting the short end of his exchanges with the Thunder God. Thor used his mastery of the weather to strike Ares with a lightning bolt, and then caught him with a blow from his hammer that sent Ares fifty feet through the air. He crashed to the ground at the feet of the JSA.

"Hiya, sunshine," Wildcat said, smiling.

Ares was irate, but he had to admit that he wasn't going to win this round. Still, he had plan B--the Thunderstorm, so there was no further reason to remain here and get beaten on. It was time to go. But he wasn't going away empty handed . . . He wanted a hostage! And Wildcat had angered him. He grabbed Wildcat and transported the two of them away.

"Wildcat!" Flash yelled. "Where did they go?"

"I can't tell," Miss Venus said. "He's covered his tracks. I can't sense him or Wildcat anywhere. I'm sorry."

Meanwhile the God of Thunder was trying to stop the damaging storms that were covering the country. The storm level lowered a tad, but didn't stop. Thor tried for a while but then gave up. "There be only one being who couldst shrug off the efforts of Thor. Thou doth have much to worry on, mortals. The circumstance is dire. Thy world doth teeter on the brink."

Logan was still helping the people of the Canadian fishing village, when a muscular figure appeared, hovering in the air before him. He was dressed in a Roman Toga. He was sometimes called Hurricane, son of Hermes.

"Logan," Hurricane said, "you are needed."

"What the . . . " Logan began, but Hurricane opened a portal in the air which pulled them in.

Doc Savage was looking over his notes on ‘patient Zero', hoping the pattern of brain waves would give him a hint how to track the source behind this havoc. He saw Hurricane suddenly standing in his office.

"Dr. Clark Savage, you are needed."

Savage stood up, "Does this have anything to do with the storms?" Hurricane nodded. Savage considered for a moment. "Then I'll come," he replied.

This same tableau was repeated again with the Whizzer & Miss America. They all suddenly found themselves on the lawn of the damaged mansion of Miss Venus.

"Now what?" Logan asked.

"Now you go inside," Hurricane said, "You are needed by the Justice Society."

Inside, Captain America, Flash, Sentinel, Namor, Aquaman, Dr. Mid-Nite, the Black Canary, the Human Torch, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Thor and Wonder Woman had been joined by some of the reserves . . . StarMan, the Atom, and Johnny Thunder--The Star Spangled Kid was mysteriously absent, and Stripsey was out looking for him--and they were all waiting to hear Miss Venus explain many things, when . . .

"Someone is here!" Wonder Woman said. Everyone braced for an attack, but it was Logan, Savage, Whizzer and Miss America who came in. The Flash went over to the Whizzer. "Good to see you again so soon," he said.

"Same here," The Whizzer replied.

Miss America gave a respectful greeting to her idol, Wonder Woman. Dr. Mid-Nite went over to Doc Savage. "It's a great pleasure." Mid-Nite said.

"Thank you," Savage said. "We're here to help. I think."

"Join the club," Captain America said. "Everyone seems to be here except Wildcat, who was kidnaped, and Dr. Fate. God knows where he is. And now, Miss Venus, you have some explaining to do."

"My name is Aphrodite. The Aphrodite! Goddess of Love."

Everyone except Thor and Wonder Woman was dumbstruck.

Prepare yourselves for an incredible story," she said. "A story about Gods!"

Long ago, Gorr'll, the embodiment of the Universal consciousness, found something which would become known as the All-Orb. This orb was the repository for all that was good and pure in the extinct multi-verse, which never really existed. Gorr'll was tempted to use the orb to erase all evil from the universe. Gorr'll confided in the ancient beings Love and Hate. But Hate feared that, with evil gone, hate would die as well. Hate warned Neron, who contacted other powerful immortals and formed what would be known as the Dark Council.

The Dark Council acted immediately, killing Gorr'll and stealing the orb. Gorr'll, with the last of his strength, managed to contact Love. Love warned the benign cosmic beings who would form the White Council. They deduced that there must be a second orb. An orb which encompassed all the evil of the vanished multi-verse. The Dark Council made the same conclusion. They felt that they can use the other orb to destroy all good. But the White Council got to the other orb first. The Dark Council wanted it and a war of Gods almost broke out.

The Great Presence sent the Living Tribunal to settle the matter. The Tribunal destroyed both the orbs and summoned both side to a peace summit. He declared that both sides must honor the treaty he has created, and if either side breaches the peace, they will suffer greatly for it.

"Since that long ago day," Aphrodite said, "an uneasy peace has existed, but that hasn't stopped the Dark Council from plotting. It was they who instigated this world war. Some of you have met the Black Llama. He's an agent of the Dark Council, just as Thor and I represent the White Council. For some reason, the Dark Council needs this war."

"But you don't know exactly why?" Cap asked.

"No," she said, "not really."

"Why did they start these storms?" The Sentinel asked.

"As a distraction," Aphrodite answered. "They are afraid you'll end the war before . . . Before whatever they want to happen, happens. The disasters caused by these storms and floods will tap America's resources. It will drag out the conflict."

"How do we stop it?" Doc Savage asked.

"Leave these unnatural storms to Thor," The Thunder God said. "The prince of Asgard doth know where the real menace be. I shall tilt with him. I shall contain him or die in the attempt. So speaks Thor!"

Thor stood back, spun his hammer, created a vortex around himself and vanished.

"Aphrodite," The Flash asked. "Can you find where Wildcat is?"

"Perhaps," she said. "If all of you will lend him your will power, and if the Sentinel will add to my power, then perhaps I may be able to trace him."

Thor appeared in the sky realm of the Thunderstorm. The elemental being sensed his presence immediately, and ceased his attack on Dr. Fate who was at the point of defeat. "So! The jailer returns! Come to try and restrain me again, little Godling? You don't have an army of Asgardians with you this time, Thor! It's just you against the power of nature!"

"Then Thor shalt tame nature! Thor will bend the heavens to his will in the cause of what is just! Have at thee!"

Thor, the God of Thunder, and the being called Thunderstorm, fought to control the storm forces of the western hemisphere. Thor realized that Thunderstorm was more in tune with the weather than he was, and so had greater control. Never before had Thor been menaced by the lightning bolts he had always commanded so easily. But Thor would fight on, until the death.

Soon, Dr. Fate had recovered and was determined to find a way to stop Thunderstorm. He realized that Thor was his best hope. So Fate did his best to distract and weaken Thunderstorm, hoping that this would allow Thor to get the upper hand.

Ares had Wildcat chained up in the ruins of an ancient temple in Greece. Ares seemed to be looking at things that Wildcat couldn't see.

"Would it be too much to ask why you brought me here, Mr. God-of-getting-his-butt-kicked?" Wildcat asked.

"You are here, mortal," Ares said, "because you irritated me. I needed a mortal to use later, and you helped me choose by being an annoyance."

"I don't suppose you'll tell me what you need a mortal for."

"No."

"Great! Okay, then, tell me this. What's it all about? Why are you doing all this?"

"To win a bet," Ares said.

For many years, the Dark Council has wanted to kill the being known as the Living Tribunal. But there is no known way to do that. Only the ancient being known as Kismet knows all the cosmic secrets. Only Kismet would know how to kill the Living Tribunal. Kismet knows everything, past and future.

They tried to devise a way to get Kismet to tell them how to destroy the Tribunal. They noticed that Kismet has become fascinated with Earth, because it was a focal point of the Crisis of Merging Universes.* The Grandmaster had an idea how to trick Kismet into telling them. Thus, the Dark Council started World War Two, which Kismet is very interested in observing. The Grandmaster joined Kismet in watching the War in Europe unfold. He heard Kismet say that the Allies will win because they have the moral high ground. The Grandmaster offered to bet on the results of the war with Kismet. He insists that the side with the moral high ground will not win. Since Kismet knows the future, she knows how the war will end. She agrees to bet the Grandmaster that the side with the moral high ground will win. However, if Kismet somehow loses, he must tell the Dark Council how to kill the Living Tribunal.

*(Crisis on Merging Earths)

"I don't get it," Wildcat said. "If this Kismet chick is all-knowing, how can you bet against her prediction?"

Ares laughed, "Because, mortal, we . . . "

"Ares!" another voice shouted. Wildcat looked and saw the man in the black robe and hood. ‘It's gotta be that Black Llama guy that Sentinel told him about,' Wildcat thought.

"You talk to much, Ares!" The Black Llama said. "You remain consistently a fool!"

"Have a care, Asgardian!" Ares threatened. "Or I shall forget that we are allies?"

"Asgardian?" Wildcat repeated. "That's what you called that guy with the hammer!"

"Aye," The Black Llama said, pulling off his hood. "I doth also be a prince of Asgard, as is that dolt Thor! I am Loki, the God of Evil!"

"God of evil, huh?" Wildcat said. "It figures."

"Ares hath told thee now," Loki said, "more than is prudent. Thus, Loki shalt see that this knowledge is never used against us."

By touching Wildcat's forehead, Loki made Wildcat forget everything he just heard. Wildcat was dazed by the spell. Loki turned to Ares. "Keep thy tongue in thy head, Ares. Use thy brain rather than thy sword for once."

Ares was about to respond, when there was a flash of green light. Suddenly, an army of super heroes, eighteen strong, arrived.

"The Black Llama!" Sentinel exclaimed.

"Well met, mortal fool," Loki answered. "Thou were a good slave when last we did meet."

"He's mine!" The Sentinel said.

"I owe him a few licks too," The Flash said.

"As do I!" StarMan added.

"You three, go after the Llama," Cap yelled. "Everyone else, take Ares!"

Ares laughed, as Namor charged him first.

"Beware, Namor," Wonder Woman shouted, "Ares has great power!"

"Your warning comes too late, lovely Hippolyta." Ares said, as he sliced into Namor's arm with his sword. He used his shield to swat Namor away. Hippolyta dragged him to safety. Aquaman and Logan charged him next, with the others following. Ares greeted the opposition with glee. "Come, pathetic Mortals! Ares will enjoy killing each and every one of you."

Johnny Thunder was at the rear of the charge, "Cei Uew!" he yelled. This ancient chant* summoned his genie-like companion, the Thunderbolt. "That's Ares, God of War!" Johnny said. "Can you get that sword away from him?"

(pronounced "say you")

"I'll do my best, master Johnny," The Thunderbolt replied, as it joined the fray. While that was happening, Loki was battling the super-trio of Sentinel, Flash and StarMan. At first, Loki was overly confident, but he soon realized that these three humans--especially the Sentinel--had great power. Loki stopped smiling. This was not easy. He would need all his devious tricks and darkest spells to win this one.

Ares, on the other hand, was doing much better. It was all the other heroes could do to stay alive. Even the Thunderbolt had failed to disarm him. Ares kept laughing, enjoying every second of the combat. "You can not win, Mortal! Ares never tires! Sooner or later, you must all fall to the God of War."

Bucky was still across the street from the JSA mansion. He saw someone enter the mansion through the hole that had been made in the wall. Bucky couldn't make out who it was, so he followed the man in.

His attention was diverted to the sky. The skies were clear.

"The storm stopped!"

The God of War and the God of Evil were still fighting the Earth heroes when Thor and Dr. Fate arrived, having successfully re-chained Thunderstorm. Right after that, Aphrodite and Hurricane appeared too. Loki cringed. Three new Gods to fight, as well as a Lord of Order.

"Have at thee, Loki, my dear brother!" Thor shouted. He raised his hammer and charged Loki. Loki backed away. This was not good. The odds were against them and there was nothing else to be gained here. This was a good time to exit.

"We shall meet again, brother!" Loki said, vanishing.

Ares now found himself alone. Together they were too formidable a force, especially with Thor on their side. Ares had to admit defeat and retreat to fight another day. There was always another battle. He used his contingency plan.

Ares summoned a group of mythic beasts, who charged at the captive Wildcat. The others rushed to defend him. The beasts were easy to defeat. Too easy. They were only a decoy. While the heroes were fighting the beasts, Ares opened a tear in the fabric of space and slipped inside, vanishing. The beasts then vanished too. Thor freed Wildcat, who was not happy with his contribution to this adventure.

"Useless," Wildcat said. "I was bloody useless!"

Dr. Mid-Nite patted him on the shoulder. "When you're dealing with Gods, how else can one feel?" This didn't cheer Wildcat up.

"We did good today, group," Cap said. "I'm proud of you all. Let's get back to the mansion. We deserve a rest."

The Watcher stood on a nearby hill, observing the battle and it's conclusion. The heroes transported back to the United States. The Watcher was about to vanish as well, but a large, powerful figure appeared nearby. He was a mutant demi-god from the planet Titan, one of the most dangerous men in the universe. He was Thanos!

"I knew you'd be here," Thanos said to the Watcher. "Ever since the Grandmaster started engaging in bets about Earth with Kismet, I knew something important enough to bring you here would happen. I'd like to ask you something, Watcher. Lady Death has an interest. How will this end? I know you can see the future. I suspect that more than the Earth is at stake here. Tell me, Watcher, how will this end?"

The Dark Council will succeed in dragging the war out long enough that the allies will develop atomic energy first. They will use an atomic bomb to win the war. Kismet will claim that she won the bet, but the Grandmaster will point out that by dropping an atom bomb on civilians, the USA will lose the moral high ground. So in a sense, no one has the moral high ground, thus the side with the moral high ground did not win. Kismet must yield to the logic of this and so pays off her bet . . . She tells how to destroy the Tribunal. It seems that the Tribunal's power comes from the Scales of Justice--created by the Presence. By destroying the scales, the Tribunal becomes weakened. This makes him vulnerable and so, five years from now, the Dark Council will kill the Living Tribunal.

This, among other things, will be the catalyst that will lead to a war among the Gods, twenty years later.

Continued in Twilight of the Gods . . .
Originally published as Justice Society of America #11-12 at DC/Marvel: The Merging, and may not be reused or republished in any way without the permission of the author.
DC/Marvel: The Merging is a fanfiction site, and is not affiliated with nor endorsed by DC Comics or Marvel Comics, nor any company that owns these characters. All of the stories here are written for fun, and the authors are not making any profit from them, and do not intend any harm to the original creation. This site is for entertainment purposes only. DC/Marvel: The Merging concept created by Chip Caroon, developed by Chip Caroon and Ritchie Filippi, with other writers.