Greed and arrogance ultimately left Hecate with her life.
It wasn't that they were kind-hearted, but as the source of witchcraft power, the barrier Hecate conjured to ward off darkness was irreplaceable. If she were completely annihilated, no one could create a perfect barrier to fend off the Inverted Man.
However, this was only temporary. Three out of the five parts of the Witch's Hour had been revealed, residing in the already deceased Circe, Diana, who was suspected to be under Hecate's influence, and Black Orchid of the Master of the Dark Night squad.
Black Orchid was the youngest, but because she had dealt with the Master of the Dark Night and the mystic world for so long, she was actually the one who mastered this power the best. According to the Master of the Dark Night, her power should now be on par with Raven under normal circumstances.
Diana was being examined and treated by Professor X. The preliminary judgment was that her spirit had indeed been reborn. However, Hecate's ability to rebirth was not without flaws, being mainly influenced by the mental strength and willpower of the individual, as well as the mental state of the person before the rebirth.
For example, Edward's spirit had also been reborn, just when he was about to be discharged from the hospital after recovering. Although his mental state had improved at that time, it wasn't completely healed and still had some fragmented parts.
Hecate could only nurture the normal parts of the spirit. The chaotic and mad aspects were beyond her reach, and that's why Edward could leave clues to Ares using riddles when committing his crimes with madness.
The same was true for Jonathan. He was a psychopath, although not as crazy as Joker, but there were still unstable elements in his spirit. After his rebirth, he was still able to recreate the scenes from his delusions.
The Scarecrow and the vast straw maze were actually Jonathan reenacting the scene where Hecate killed the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone. He replicated this scene with his own series of murders as a warning to others.
As for Diana, her mental state was quite stable to begin with, and Hecate had put a lot of effort into her, so her case was the most troublesome.
But fortunately, every craft has its master, and Professor X could restore Diana's spirit without killing Hecate's last semblance.
As for the specific process, Shiller did not disclose it publicly, but in reality, he knew that Professor X might have learned the method of spirit rebirth from his mother and that he might also have to rebirth Diana to restore her to normal.
Shiller trusted Professor X's moral standards, but considering his susceptibility to human thoughts, it would still be best not to let him stay in DC for too long—it was simply too dark there.
In the end, they decided that Diana would accompany Professor X to Marvel for a month of convalescence.
Sending Diana away wasn't just for her treatment, but also to prevent her from getting involved in the subsequent events on Mount Olympus.
The trouble with the gods of Olympus was far from over.
Shiller's eldest son, whom he had released, was still roaming around Mount Olympus. The War God and Underworld God were dead, the Sea God was trapped, and the strongest forces on Mount Olympus were almost entirely destroyed, while Zeus hid cowardly within his son's domain, afraid to show his face.
After stabilizing the situation on Mercury, the members of the Justice League returned to Earth. Bruce was waiting for Hera's call for help.
Logically, if the Justice League were to assist, Hera should have contacted Diana first. But with Diana sent away, it meant they could no longer use Diana's influence, and now it was time to negotiate business.
To get the Justice League to deal with the troubles of the gods of Olympus, mere verbal promises wouldn't suffice. Bruce, Clark, and Hal personally visited Apollo's Bright Domain to discuss terms with Hera face-to-face.
Bruce saw Hera, still regal and authoritative. She wore a crown full of fresh flowers, held a scepter in her hand, and stood before her throne. Though one could see a hint of fatigue in the corners of her eyes and brows, she still exuded the untouchable majesty and brilliance of a god.
Bruce recalled the myths he had once read. Before her marriage, Hera was a gentle woman praised by her townspeople. Zeus, transformed into a bird, crashed into her arms during a storm, and she felt boundless compassion for him. They had a splendid wedding ceremony that made all of creation envious, with Mother Earth Gaia even presenting them with a Golden Apple Tree to honor their love.
Unfortunately, no amount of glorious past could cover up the fact that Hera's marriage to Zeus was headed for an end.
"I see the love between you and your beloved," Hera slowly opened her eyes and looked at Bruce. "You will marry, and 109 days after your wedding, you will have a daughter. I shall become her godmother and bestow my divine power upon her."
Bruce's heart skipped a beat—his plans included marrying Selina by the end of the next year. Going by Hera's words, wouldn't that mean they would conceive by mid-year?
Bruce was somewhat excited. Hal nudged him with his elbow to keep him from showing too much enthusiasm; during business negotiations, it was crucial not to appear too moved by the other party's terms.
Yet, Bruce indeed had his worries.
Given the current landscape, it seemed impossible for his daughter to avoid being involved with the mess that was the superhero world. The problem was, even though he had an angel's rank and a pact with Barbados, it didn't necessarily mean his daughter would be born a superpower user.
Without superpowers but meddling in these affairs would still be very dangerous.
His three adopted sons lacked superpowers, and Bruce was not very supportive of them becoming superheroes. He didn't even plan to sponsor the Young Avengers; he knew these kids too well. Without sponsorships, they already caused significant issues, and with enough budget, who knew what dangerous pits they would leap into—then things would really become troublesome.
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Fortunately, now that the Young Avengers has Aisha, Raven, Funa, and Shazam, these superpower users, at least they had the ability to protect themselves, otherwise Bruce would never allow Dick and the others to join.
It's best if his daughter has superpowers, but it also depends on what kind of superpowers they are. Magic is really too unstable and could easily result in a few more debtors. Not to mention Barbados's Dark Power, that stuff could corrupt a person's heart, Bruce can withstand it only because his own resistance to darkness is strong; he would never let his own children be exposed to such things.
The Divine Power of the gods of Mount Olympus is actually quite good because the essence of Divine Power is actually Hecate's power, and now that Hecate is imprisoned in Shiller's High Tower, barely clinging to life, it's impossible for her to come out to collect debts. Using it also doesn't have that many restrictions, the warranty is completely adequate.
"Let's start with your terms, Your Majesty," Hal said, referring to Hera as Your Majesty because Hera shared the power of the Divine King with Zeus, a promise made at their marriage. Hera and Zeus jointly took the throne of Mount Olympus, with storms, thunder, lightning, and dark clouds accompanying them when they traveled, sharing both the Crown and Divine Power.
"I want to resurrect my son," Hera said. "If you can save Ares, he will also stand by your side without any hesitation."
"He would stand by Diana's side without any hesitation as well," Hal said. "For all of us, resurrection is not an easy feat. If that's the case, you must offer more."
"I will show you the way to the Golden Apple Tree and have the Hundred-Headed Giant Dragon Ladon and the Hesperides Sisters not hinder you."
"Golden Apple?" Bruce had, of course, heard of this famous Divine Artifact, most notably due to the strife among the Three Goddesses, but had not heard of its specific effects.
"The Golden Apple can grant humans longevity and preserve their youth and beauty forever," Hera said.
Hal immediately gave Bruce a glance, and Bruce understood.
Among all the members of the Justice League, Superman, as a Kryptonian, had a lifespan that was practically infinite. Hal, being the Green Lantern, naturally would not age either. Bruce is an Angel and can live as long as he desires, and Diana, as a Demigod, also has a lifespan that is unimaginable.
The only one confined by lifespan was Oliver.
In fact, if they lowered their ethical standards, other people had plenty of ways to extend life, such as making deals with Angels and Demons or developing serums that enhance lifespan. But Oliver would not agree to these methods; he wasn't the kind of person who would purposefully seek immortality.
But the Golden Apple was different. Healthy, safe, and clean, just one bite could extend life and maintain youth, with no one harmed in the process.
Mainly, it was easier to trick someone into eating it. Deals with Demons and Angels required the person's signature, and serums had to be administered while the person was sedated.
The Golden Apple was different. Placed in the fruit bowl of the Justice League's office, one could finish it off during a meeting, or it could be made into an apple pie. Who would guess that the secret to longevity was hidden in an apple pie?
Bruce was already somewhat tempted, but Hal felt this wasn't Hera's bottom line, so he said.
"If it's just about resurrecting Ares, that isn't out of the question, but do you only wish to resurrect him? I think you understand that if you continue to let Mount Olympus's situation fester, one day he will be killed again."
Hal saw that Hera's hand holding the scepter clearly tightened, and her lips pressed into a thin line, making her otherwise majestic and noble face look somewhat pallid and severe.
"What do you think I should do?"
Bruce was more conservative; he didn't plan to directly mention Zeus, but Hal had obviously seen too many of these situations, and he directly said, "It's definitely not pleasant to always be dealing with troubles that follow one after another. If so, why not solve the problem at its root?"
"No... I can't..."
"Is it because you can't bear it or because you can't do it?" Hal pressed on. "If it's the former, let's pretend we never said anything. If it's the latter, maybe we can help."
Hera stood there for a while, visibly becoming very stiff, her internal scales tipping back and forth.
But in the end, the Queen of the Gods, weathered by trials, made her choice. She said, "I will perform the duties of the Divine King when Zeus is absent. You should know when he's not around."
Bruce and Hal understood. When else would Zeus be absent if not when he was out philandering beyond Mount Olympus?
"What else can you provide us with, Your Majesty?"
After making this decision, Hera seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She appeared somewhat aged, but a new light flashed in her eyes.
"My son Hephaestus is known for being able to forge powerful Divine Artifacts. I will have him treat you kindly. Should you have any forging needs, you can seek him out."
"Additionally... an old friend of Apollo once had him make several bullets. Those things are extremely powerful and are still carefully stored by him. If there is something that you truly can't contend with, you might try using them."
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