Flash raced to confront his former best friend in a battle that his instincts told him would end in the death of one of them. It was only one month ago that his longtime ally and confidant Elton Morrow, a.k.a. the Blue Diamond betrayed him and the JSA. The Flash had been searching for the traitorous Blue Diamond ever since. Only now did he find the evidence he needed to pinpoint his former friend's hiding place. Although the Flash can circle the world several times in a second, he was moving at a relatively slow Mach 3, mentally preparing himself for the battle. He knew this day was going to come, and had been actively hunting for the Diamond relentlessly. But now that the moment was here, the Flash slowed to brace himself for this battle that he would never had imagined prior to the events of last month. Events that led to the death of the Hulk and to the possibly irreparable destruction of the Human Torch. It seemed like only yesterday that he had attended the funeral of the man who had been the Hulk . . .
One month earlier . . . the funeral of Thomas Halloway, a.k.a. the Hulk.
Nine members of the Justice Society of America were assembled, in full costume, for the ceremony. Captain America, Star-Spangled Kid, Toro, Wonder Woman, Sentinel, Dr. Fate, Dr. Mid-Nite, Flash, and Black Canary paid their respects. Also in attendance were auxiliary JSA members Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Starman, the Atom, Wildcat, and Hourman. Plastic Man was on hand, as were Doc Savage, the Fury, Marvel Boy, Johnny Thunder, and Uncle Sam. The demi-god Hercules made an appearance as well. Miss Venus was supposed to be there also but was mysteriously absent.
Thomas Halloway had no living relatives and, having spent years as the spy known as the Angel before becoming the Hulk, had no friends outside the super-hero community. Therefore, no one not in costume attended, except for the army chaplain who Cap had arranged to perform the ceremony.
Most miserable among all these sad faces was Dinah Drake, the Black Canary. Dinah had loved Thomas, but the curse of the Hulk tore them apart and ultimately cost Thomas his life. He died before her eyes. To make a tragic matter worse, the other man who loved the Canary - the Human Torch - had also been destroyed in this horrible affair. His android body was practically pulverized by the evil Mr. Fixit. Two men who were not quite men had lost their hearts to her. Finally, they lost their lives, both while protecting her. She knew that she hadn't treated either of them as well as they deserved while she had the chance. The torment and guilt she felt could not have been more horrible.
She tried to keep her composure as Captain America spoke some stirring words in honor of his late comrade-in-arms. She wiped tears from her eyes and put on her bravest face. It was the hardest thing she ever did.
Flash hardly heard a word of the sermon or of Cap's speech. His mind was on the friend who had betrayed him. The friend he was going to hunt down. I'll find you, Elton! I swear I will! You won't get away with what you did! Flash thought, enraged by the traitorous action.
Toro, the closest companion and sidekick of the Human Torch, did a good job hiding the grief that filled him. He respected and even loved the Torch, and hated the fact that Mr. Fixit was still alive, albeit consigned to the infernal nether realms by Dr. Fate. He also didn't like the fact that the mastermind of all this chaos, the Blue Diamond, had escaped, and was still plotting against the JSA. He wanted to see the Blue Diamond suffer!
Wonder Woman stood further away from the others, feeling awkward. She had essentially committed a treasonous act during the duration of this crisis. True she was motivated by the safety of her beloved Steve Trevor, but she still worked against the JSA, betraying the four men who had declared their love for her. Toro, Plastic Man, Johnny Thunder, and the Sub-Mariner were led into a trap by the Amazon. Namor ended up being badly injured in the melee and had been taken back to Atlantis by his brother Aquaman. The other three hadn't looked Hippolyta in the eye since. She felt terrible about her actions, but she would do the same thing again to protect her Steve.
Yet, ironically, Steve was not yet safe. The Blue Diamond had sold the brave Air Force major into enemy hands behind the lines of the Axis powers. She wanted to save him, but she couldn't. Another unfortunate after-effect of this drama was that Wonder Woman had been forced to renounce her Amazon powers. She was now even weaker than a normal human woman, possessing almost no strength at all. This fact, along with her unfamiliarity of man's world, made her manifestly unsuited to rush to his rescue. She wanted to do something to save him, but she didn't yet have a plan. She certainly couldn't go to her Amazon sisters. She couldn't let them see her way. She couldn't let them see their queen so powerless.
Further away, unseen by everyone, was the enigmatic man known as the Shade. The dark Victorian criminal had played the unlikely role of hero, helping the JSA against the Blue Diamond and his Injustice Society. He had once met the Hulk and felt an unexpected sadness at the creature's death. He paid his respects from afar. He couldn't get too close. He was, after all, a wanted criminal and he didn't want to put Cap and the JSA in the uncomfortable position of choosing between repaying the Shade by letting him escape, or trying to catch him, despite the fact that they owed him. The Shade tipped his top hat to the fallen hero.
The ceremony finally came to an end, and the group quietly dispersed. Hardly anyone spoke. What could they say?
The lab of Dr. Phineas T. Horton . . .
Dr. Horton worked to try and repair the crushed and battered remains of the Human Torch. The damage was so bad that Horton was not confident in his ability to fix it. Horton was disconsolate. The Torch was not only a surrogate son to him, but also his crowning achievement as a scientist. Using borrowed futuristic technology, Horton created the first of a new breed of artificial human. Now, the Human Torch was smashed to pieces and might never be reconstructed. All the king's horses and all the King's men . . . he thought, looking at the shattered remains.
Black Canary, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Toro entered the lab, and looked sadly at the pile of debris that once was the Human Torch. The Canary had a lump in her throat.
"Anything new, Doctor?" she asked.
Horton shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The damage is worse than it looks. His inner systems are totally shattered. But the worst problem is his AI brain. I may be able to repair it, but the memory core is in fragments. Even if I can get it working properly again, he may not be the Jim we knew. He won't remember anything from before."
"He won't know us?" Toro asked.
Horton shook his head again. The Black Canary felt the tears welling up again, and rushed from the room. Toro went with her.
"Do your best, Doctor," Mid-Nite said, and looked down at the bits and pieces of an old friend. "He was a man, take him for all-in-all. I shall not look upon his like again," he followed the Black Canary and Toro out.
Atlantis:
Namor lay in his bed in the royal palace, being cared for by an entourage of healers and servants. He would recover from the worst of the physical damage, but what about the memory of his betrayal. His precious Hippolyta turned against him, and she did it for a lowly human. A common surface scum, with no noble blood what so ever. What was she thinking? How could she treat him like this?
The mansion of Miss Venus, headquarters of the JSA:
After having a memorial ceremony at the mansion for Thomas, the group of super beings began to disperse. Doc Savage, the Atom, Wildcat, and Uncle Sam had left. Marvel Boy and Johnny Thunder also departed, telling Bucky that they would be available if he wanted to try the Young Allies thing again, but secretly they hoped that it would be a while before they heard from him. This whole event had shaken them and they wanted to get some distance from all this. Johnny Thunder was doubly upset by Wonder Woman's actions. She kissed him but only to set him up to be captured. He was very hurt and wanted to be somewhere far from Hippolyta.
Wildcat had also given his apologies to Cap, saying that he was leaving again. He had left once before and only returned on a temporary basis as a favor to Cap. Also, the only reason he stayed as long as he did was for Dinah. He and the Black Canary had been good friends and fighter buddies back when Wildcat was on the JSA roster. Actually, Wildcat had a little crush on her. So when he returned, he was hoping to see if anything would develop with her. But seeing how things worked out for her, with Hulk and the Torch recently deceased, this was no time for asking her out. Wildcat decided to leave her alone for a while. It was time to go.
Plastic Man, never an official member, said his good-byes to Cap and his JSA friends. He had originally been paid by Cap to help out for a while, and stayed because he was in lust with Wonder Woman. Now that she had treated him so shabbily, he had no further reason to spend all his time hanging around. Plastic Man turned into a little toy car and drove himself out the door.
Flash had left after the funeral, saying that he was going after the Blue Diamond alone. That was all he had talked about since the tragic day of death and betrayal. He was obsessed with finding his ex-friend.
Hercules was bored by it all. He had come to Earth to find the Enchantress but got involved with Hippolyta and a chance for redemption. He needed her forgiveness. Also, the Amazon queen fascinated him. The Prince of Power stayed with these weak little mortals for her sake.
As for Wonder Woman, she was looking for Miss Venus, hoping that the Goddess would know a way to help her regain her lost powers. Miss Venus, also known as Aphrodite, was a goddess of Olympus. However, the Love Goddess was still no where to be found.
Instead, she found Hercules. "Thou art still distressed, maiden. Doth the loss of thy power so vex thee?"
"I am a warrior, Hercules," Wonder Woman said. "I need the strength of a warrior if I am to be one again. I am now as weak as a kitten."
"Thou now has the protection of Hercules," the prince of power said. "Is this not enow?"
"No, Hercules, it is not," she protested. "I don't want to be protected! I want to fight my own battles, as befits the queen of the Amazons! Can you think of any way to help me get my strength back?"
She couldn't believe that she was asking the man she had long hated for help, but she had very few options. And besides, they had come to a reconciliation of sorts. Hercules had saved her life and helped out her friends in the Justice Society. As unthinkable as it would have been to her only days ago, Hercules was now an ally.
"I can only think of one possibility," Hercules said. "We must hie us to my father, great Zeus, and explain to him why thou renounced thy powers."
"Do you think it will help?" Hippolyta asked, hopefully.
"I must say, I have my doubts, fair one," he stated. "Zeus will not be understanding when thou tells him that thee surrendered thy powers to save a mortal man. I canst not understand it mine own self. Yet I canst not think of any other course of action. Only Zeus can give thee back thy power."
"Then I will go to him," the queen of the Amazons said. "And I will supplicate myself and ask for his forgiveness. Can you take me there?"
"We will ride on the wings of Pegasus," Hercules said. "And no lovelier company could I have."
"Thank you Hercules," she said, amazed to hear herself say it. She quickly turned away from him to find her protégé, Fury.
"You're leaving?" Fury asked, stunned by the news.
"I have to," Wonder Woman said.
"But you have so much more to teach me!" the girl protested.
"And if I get my powers back, I'll be back to teach you more. Until then, there are other members of the JSA who can teach you things. You'll be an adequate replacement for me while I'm away."
"I could never replace you, Polly," Fury said.
"You'll do fine," Wonder Woman said, holding out her lasso. "Take this. You'll need it."
"I can't take your lasso!" Fury argued. "I don't deserve . . . "
"Do what I tell you!" Hippolyta said. "Make me proud. When I return, I expect to hear great tales of you exploits."
Fury took the lasso. "I'll do my best."
Wonder Woman smiled and gave Fury an affectionate hug. Fury hated to let go. She watched Wonder Woman walk away.
Soon, Hippolyta was talking to Captain America. "How long will you be gone?" the star-spangled hero asked.
"I cannot truly say," Hippolyta asked. "I cannot even guarantee that I will definitely return. If I fail, I don't know where I'll go or what I will do. I certainly can't go back to my sisters and let them see a powerless queen. Nor can I stay here, because I will be of no assistance to you like this. I'm too weak. If I fail, I will quietly disappear from sight. But if I succeed, I will return as soon as possible."
"Understood," Cap said. "Good luck, Polly. I hope you come back to us soon."
"Thank you Captain. May the gods be with you."
Hippolyta had one more thing to do before she left for Mount Olympus. She sought out Hawkman. He was standing with his winged counterpart and wife.
"Greetings to you Hawkman. Hawkwoman," Hippolyta said.
"I've switched back to Hawkgirl again," the winged lady said. "Hawkwoman sounded too . . . Matronly! I'm too sexy for a name like that."
"Shiera!" Hawkman chided.
"I have a favor to ask of you, Hawkman," the Amazon said earnestly. "Its important."
"If I can help, I'm at your service," Hawkman answered.
"You know Germany well, don't you?" she asked. "You've been there before as an archeologist. You're an expert on tracking things down, isn't that true? And you are one of the few superheroes immune to the Spear of Destiny, are you not?"
"Yes, all those things are true," Hawkman said. "What are you getting at?"
"I need you to find someone for me," the Amazon said. "An Air Force officer named Steve Trevor. He's . . . important to me. And he's an associate of Captain America. Would you help me find him?"
"Of course," Hawkman said.
"Thank you so much," Hippolyta said. "Here, I've written down his vital statistics. He was last seen two days ago, but was sold to the Nazis by the Blue Diamond. He means the world to me. Find him for me!"
"This could take a while," Hawkman said. "I'll have to do some undercover work behind enemy lines. It could take months."
"Months!" Hippolyta said, hating this bit of news, but accepting it. "Very well. If that it the case, than so be it. I appreciate your doing this for me."
"We'll leave no stone unturned!" Hawkgirl said.
"You're not going!" Hawkman said to his wife.
"What?!" Hawkgirl exclaimed. "You're not leaving me behind for months while you go off gallivanting around the world!"
"You're staying!" Hawkman said. "I'm not taking you into the lion's den. Do you have any idea what those Hun scum or the Japs would do if they had a female superhero in their power."
Hawkgirl visibly shuttered. She had once had a taste of Japanese hospitality and had been rescued from a carnal violation by Hawkman. She understood why he was being so protective, and was sort of flattered by it. It was the best way he showed his love. "Ohhhh...All right! I'll stay here. Maybe I can help out the JSA in the meantime. They're short handed right now."
"Captain America would appreciate that," Wonder Woman said.
Dr. Mid-Nite saw the Black Canary coming up the hall. The blonde heroine had a satchel over her shoulder containing the personal items that she left in the mansion to make her feel at home on her frequent visits. But she didn't intend to return again.
"You're set on leaving us, Dinah?" Dr. Mid-Nite asked.
She nodded sadly. "I have to. I can't stay here. It's too painful. I've lost too much. I look around this mansion and I expect to see Jim walking down the hall. He was so sweet."
"He was a good man," Dr. Mid-Nite said.
"He was a good man," Dinah agreed. "If only I had treated him like a man, instead of a machine. He might still be alive."
"Don't blame yourself," Mid-Nite said. "The Blue Diamond and Mr. Fixit are responsible. Not you!"
"I have to accept some complicity in this," she said. "I messed things up in my personal life and they flooded over into the JSA. I'm guilty of being stupid, if nothing else. I broke two hearts and now I must pay for it. I don't deserve to be here. Not now! Maybe someday, but not now."
"There will always be a place for you here," Mid-Nite said.
"Thanks, Doc. You've been a good friend. I appreciate you're always being there for me. I don't know how I could have managed without you. Well, anyway, this is it. Say goodbye to the others for me. I'll start balling if I have to do it myself. Explain why I sneaked out. They'll understand."
"Take care of yourself, Dinah."
She kissed him on the cheek. "Bye, big guy. Be well."
The Black Canary slipped quietly out the back door and out of the JSA's lives. Dr. Mid-Nite felt an uncharacteristic sadness and a lump in his throat. He was going to miss her.
Starman was standing alone as the group gradually dispersed. He had been considering something important. Earlier, his old foe/friend (he often wasn't sure which) the Shade had rescued the JSA because even a criminal like him realized their importance to the world. The Shade had recently dropped a hint or two to Starman inferring that he might serve the world better as a member of this August body than as the protector of Opal City. The Shade promised that he would take good care of Opal if Starman ever decided to spend his time helping out the JSA. Starman wondered if this might not be the time. After all, they had suffered some casualties and needed some reinforcements. I think I'll do it! he thought.
Captain America was currently talking to his most trusted advisor Dr. Mid-Nite. They were discussing the state of the JSA in a dour manner.
"We've had two casualties," Cap said. "The Hulk is gone forever and Jim may never be returned to us. Wonder Woman has lost her powers and is off on some quest to regain them. The Black Canary has quit and Namor is on extended leave, due to his serious injuries. Who knows if he'll even want to come back after this? Plastic Man and Wildcat skipped out on us. Escaping the sinking ship I guess. Johnny Thunder is out of it, too. And the Flash is acting like Captain Ahab hunting the white whale. And that's where we stand! Isn't this wonderful!"
"It's hard to believe that the Blue Diamond was capable of doing this to us," Dr. Mid-Nite said. "I must admit, he had me totally fooled. I never expected his treachery. He's hurt us pretty bad, but it may not be as black as it seems. After all, we seemed to have picked up three new members. Starman, Fury, and Hawkgirl have agreed to bolster our ranks. And I'm hopeful that Wonder Woman will return and that the Torch will be returned to us again someday. Namor may be back as well. Flash will get his head together in time. He's a good man. And we still have our powerhouse members, the Sentinel and Dr. Fate. So don't be so pessimistic. Things could be much worse."
"How's Toro doing through all this?" Cap asked.
"He's taking it all hard," Mid-Nite answered. "The loss of the Torch and Wonder Woman's willingness to sacrifice him for Steve Trevor was a double blow. I'm counseling him. He'll go through a rough patch, but he'll make it. He's strong."
"I hope the team can be strong through all this," Cap said. "We've never been dealt so many setbacks at one time. And two casualties are a bitter pill to swallow. I'm starting to fear for the future of my team! I hope the JSA survives!"
Slowly, everyone filed out, some for a sort time, others for much longer. Cap stood alone in the mansion. It seemed very big and empty. And foreboding!
Mount Olympus:
The winged stallion Pegasus carried Hercules and Wonder Woman through the dimensional portal atop the mountain and took them into the realm of Gods . . . Olympus, home of immortals, where Zeus ruled supreme. As the Prince of Power came within sight of his ancestral home, he noted that he saw no activity. It occurred to him that when he had come here two days earlier he had seen no movement then either, but he was so distracted by Hippolyta and her attempts to flee that he didn't take note of it. But now it was clear to him that things were unusually quiet.
"Tis most passing strange," Hercules said. "There lies the majestic realm of my fellow gods, and yet I behold no sign of life. Nay, not a one, nor hear the accustomed sound of riotous revelry. It bodes not well."
"We're almost there," his beautiful Amazon passenger said. "We'll see what the situation is in moments."
Pegasus swooped in a low cruising altitude over the city of Gods. The near-invincible frame of the Son of Zeus recoiled in alarm when his worst fears were born out amid those shimmering spires.
"By all the Gods and demons, it cannot be!" Hercules cried. "Olympus is deserted! The gleaming realm of Zeus stands as empty as an untilled field!"
"Great Hera!" Wonder Woman whispered.
Hercules brought Pegasus in for a landing. He hopped off the horse and wandered the streets and temples of the realm, hearing no one, seeing no one. Some items lay haphazardly on the road, as if dropped and no one remained to pick them up. Never had Hercules seen so must dust settling on the magnificent city. Wonder Woman accompanied him, unwilling to accept the possibility that something could have happened to her Gods. Still, it would explain Aphrodite's sudden, unexplained absence.
Hercules, overcome by the magnitude of the situation, sank into the stairs of Zeus' temple, lost in despair. "Tis beyond my ken! Here, amongst these proud monuments to glories past, some dire evil has befallen my fellows. It cannot be otherwise, for they would never abandon eternal Olympus otherwise!"
Wonder Woman worried not only for her revered Gods, but also for herself. Finding Zeus was the only way to regain her Amazon powers. "Do not give in to hopelessness, mighty Hercules. We must act! We must solve this riddle!"
"Aye!" Hercules said, stirred from his ennui. "I will learn what evilness has occurred, though it take me an eternity!"
His indomitable will inspired by Hippolyta, Hercules spent the next few hours combing every nook-and-cranny of his homeland. Finally, a thought hit him. "Follow me, maiden!" he said.
Wonder Woman followed Hercules to one specific temple. Hercules raced inside. Within, among ruins of destruction, was the remains of a giant pyre whose flame had burnt out. Hercules' jaw dropped.
"What is it?" Hippolyta asked.
"This is the temple of Prometheus," he answered. "And before us is the spot where the Promethean flame should be . . . A flame which must ever burn! This sacred place lies in ruin, almost beyond recognition. The vital flames are quenched! What blasphemous cur would dare?"
Hippolyta remembered the legend of the flame of Prometheus. It is written that if the flame should ever die, disaster and extinction would befall the gods. Could it actually have occurred?
Hercules trembled with rage. "We Olympians have many an enemy, dating back from days primeval. Some there are who wouldst gladly see us fall. Could one such heathen have defiled this temple to destroy us? But who could do such an act? And how?"
"Hercules . . . " Hippolyta said, trying to calm him down.
It didn't work. Hercules ran to the door and shouted out, shaking his fists in the air! "What scurrilous coward did this terrible thing? Whomever he may be, let him show himself! Come and do battle with the son of vanished Zeus! Come out, thou skulking coward, and face me!"
Wonder Woman put a gentle hand on Hercules shoulder. "Compose yourself, mighty one. We need to be of clear head. We need to think this through."
Hercules took a deep breath. "Thou art correct, fair one. Hercules must needs act as the Prince he is. I must uncover the identity of mine enemy. Some evil entity who watches me at this very moment, from some safe vantage point! But I shall seek him out, and destroy him, else I be destroyed myself! So swears Hercules!"
The Olympian Prince and the Amazon queen spent days looking for clues or survivors. Days turned into weeks and still no sign of friend or foe was found. Hercules alternated between periods of deep despair and raging fury. It was Hippolyta who focused him on the task. She was his anchor in this difficult time.
As Hercules suspected, someone was indeed watching. The villain had hoped that Hercules would implode with misery or hatred, and be consumed by it. But he had not reckoned with Hippolyta's ability to inspire and calm the Son of Zeus. Finally, the watcher got tired of watching.
As Hercules and Wonder Woman walked along the main God-Road of Olympus, an ear-shattering explosion surprised them both. From out of a cloud of smoke, a large figure appeared. The towering arrival was over twice as tall as the sizable Hercules and massively dense. His eyes were filled with hate. He had a dark beard and wore battle armor. He carried a war club. When Hercules spied the gargantuan form, he recalled a nearly forgotten name from ages ago.
"Typhon!" Hercules said, shocked. "But thou were exiled from Olympus by my father many egos ago!"
"Aye, scion of the gods," Typhon said. "Yet here I stand. Typhon, last of the Titans. And tis now imperious Zeus himself who is exiled!"
"Where are the Olympians?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Gone forever," Typhon said. "Only your friend Hercules remains. Due to his half-mortal nature and his distance from the realm, he survived where the other gods faded from sight. Hercules is the last Olympian. Soon, there will be none!"
"I will punish thee for thy vile actions!" Hercules said. "I am the son of Zeus . . . "
"An exiled former monarch, nothing more," Typhon said. "He once exiled me. It took many a century for me to find a way to escape. I used the mystic cloak of Hyperion, which turns its wearer invisible, to slip myself into Olympus. Once here, I entered the temple of Promethean Flames. Knowing the curse, I used the mystic cloak to smother the flame. The curse came true in minutes. Even I was amazed by what my eyes saw. The Gods faded away, screaming in helpless rage . . . And then they were no more. Even overbearing Zeus himself. All vanished. Exiled to some nameless limbo. There is no way for them to escape and there is naught that even you far-famed strength can do about it."
Hercules paused, overcome. Typhon took advantage of his dismay and struck him with his heavy War Club. Hercules fell, stunned. Typhon, at 15 feet, was the shortest of the Titans, but was also the fiercest and most skillful. He was confident in his ability to beat Hercules. He laughed at the Olympian. "I have watched your grief long enough. Although it has given me pleasure, it will be a greater pleasure to destroy you with my own hand!"
"Look out!" Wonder Woman yelled as Typhon swung again at Hercules.
Hercules was brought back to his senses by her warning and evaded the second blow. He struck back, knocking the Titan off balance. Then Hercules grabbed a tall column and used it as a bat to knock Typhon to the ground. Typhon shook off the impact, growled furiously and raced back to his foe. They locked up and battled with feverish desperation and hatred.
Wonder Woman, stripped of her powers and without her lasso, could only watch and hope. Typhon was beyond her power to hurt and she would only get in Hercules way if she tried to interfere. "May the Gods be with you," she whispered, so softly that he couldn't hear her.
An hour later, there was a pause in the battle. Both opponents took stock of each other.
"Your strength is truly the equal of mine own," Typhon said. "Although thou art much smaller. I am impressed. But it will take more than physical power to defeat mighty Typhon. I have planned this for too long. I will not fail!"
With a whistle, Typhon summoned a sleeping giant. A horned beast tunneled its way up from the ground. It was even larger than Typhon. Obeying an order from the Titan, the beast attacked Hercules.
"Coward!" Hercules shouted. "Seek not to hide behind yon beast! Hercules will let nothing stand between us! I will destroy both it and thou!"
Hercules battled the creature. It surprised him with its strength and ferocity. But it was nearly mindless, only obeying its master and lashing out in blind, primal savagery. Hercules managed to finally leap upon the shoulders of the creature and snap its neck. The beast fell, limp and lifeless.
Hercules turned his attention to Typhon. "And now, fiend, we . . . "
Hercules stopped in mid-sentence. Typhon had taken Hippolyta captive while Hercules was distracted. He held her like a baby in his mighty arms. Both Hercules and Wonder Woman knew that he could easily crush the de-powered Amazon.
"Yield to me, Olympian, or your comely companion will suffer for your pride!" Typhon threatened.
Hercules paused, unsure what to do. Should he sacrifice the realm for any one person, even Hippolyta? But then he looked at her lovely face and knew he couldn't sacrifice this woman who had come to mean so much to him. "Very well, villain. Hercules doth yield. The battle is thine!"
Hippolyta was shocked. She couldn't believe that Hercules was willing to put her safety ahead of the gods of Olympus.
Typhon pointed. "Step through the Mirror of One Million Eyes, Hercules. It will take you where you wish to go. You will be reunited with your fellow gods. But you will be trapped there forever!"
Hercules shook with loathing but had no choice. "Very well villain. But do not count on my never returning. Hercules will somehow find his way back and thou shalt pay! As for thou, fair Hippolyta, fear not. I will return for thee."
"I'll be waiting for you," she said.
Hercules stepped into the mystic mirror and vanished. Typhon laughed. "And so goes the last god!"
He carried Hippolyta into the Temple of Zeus. He then put Hippolyta down and sat on the throne of Zeus. "Now, at last, a worthy soul shall sit on the throne of Gods. Soon, followers will come, and I will have a kingdom of my own. And in you, my dear, I shall have a beauteous queen to rule at my side."
Hippolyta cringed at the thought. She wished she had her powers back, because at the moment, she was at Typhon's mercy.
Hercules reappeared in a dark, misty realm of fog and shadow. Hercules looked around the desolate vista. "And here I stand, in a realm from which no one escapes. Trapped, possibly forever!"
New York City:
In the three weeks since the Blue Diamond fiasco, Sentinel had tried to find the Harlequin, but had had no luck so far. She had turned against the Injustice Society and spared his life. She even sliced open her own arm to provide blood to prove to the Blue Diamond that she had killed him. She gave him back his ring when he needed it. In return, he had let her escape. Now he wanted to find her, to see her, to talk to her, to make love to her. But she was no where to be found!
March 1944 . . .
Flash was getting frustrated in his search for the Blue Diamond. He was going to make the traitorous swine suffer. Having given up hope on finding him by searching the world at Super Speed, the Flash tried a new tactic. He brought to his home everything he could find in the estate of Dr. Elton Morrow. Everything ever written by the famous geologist. Letters, journals, articles, theories, papers, even little notes scribbled on scraps of paper. At unbelievable speed, the Flash went through the literary life of the Blue Diamond, hoping to find a clue to his whereabouts.
And then he found it! Something he had forgotten! A few years ago, just after he had first become the Flash, he and the Blue Diamond routed an army of survivalists who were hidden in a maze of mineshafts near the Appalachians. The tunnels went on for miles. He remembered the Blue Diamond saying what a fine base the place made. He even mentioned that he might come back to research it for geological reasons. If he did go back, he could have renovated it for his purposes. It already had a generator, facilities, a hidden arsenal, trap doors, hidden camera, protective blast doors and everything else a super villain could want. And with Morrow's genius, he could have turned the place into a veritable fortress of limitless dangers and defenses.
But that wasn't going to stop the Flash. The time for the final confrontation had come! It was time for the Flash and the Blue Diamond to settle things! The Flash raced to a fateful meeting!
Next issue: The Showdown! Flash vs. Blue Diamond! It won’t be pretty and one of them won’t survive!