I found myself walking down a corridor I had no knowledge of. The cracks of time decorated the walls as a reminder of age. The dents and holes filled with dust and debris, covered the passageway further told me of its abandoned state.
If it was not for my intervention, then it would have been forgotten in time.
"I hope you understand, it had been thousands of years before I have walked down the passage." Hippolyta was my only guide. As tradition dictated, only the ruler of Themyscira was eligible to walk through it. And now, I was the third to make the journey to the heart of Themyscira, the enchantment that protected Themyscira and brought new life into the paradise.
"I don't blame you. It was unexpected, after all."
"Since his permanent death, the Olympus is in a chaotic mess." Hippolyta sighed.
I felt the weight and tiredness in her voice as I did not doubt the conflict the death of the King of the Greek Gods could have. "Ares?"
Hippolyta nodded, she paused her steps as she turned to look at me, "The fact that you killed Zeus so easily terrified him, thus, he had abandoned the mortal world for now. Instead, he and Athena were waging war for Zeus's seat."
"And the other Pantheon? Had they reached out to you?"
"Not yet. But once you have integrated Themyscira into your Pantheon, they will. It is hard to ignore a god capable of killing Zeus," Hippolyta said.
"More problems…"
"And you expected anything less?" Hippolyta asked.
Looking back, would I have let Zeus go? The answer was no. Honestly, in most media, he was nothing more than the source of all trouble. But killing him before I had developed my forces was an impulsive act that I had to deal with the consequences.
"Hopefully he had more enemies than allies," I said, before turning my attention back to the task at hand.
Before long, we arrived at our destination. Hippolyta gestured at the only obstacle in my way. "The enchantment is behind this door. He said that without his dinivity, no god could move it."
"Let's put his statement to the test, shall we?" I said, feeling the glee and happiness. To me, this was more than just claiming Themyscira as my territory. This was an opportunity to glimpse into the mechanics of reincarnation. An aspect of life I had not understood."
In front of me was a seemingly ordinary stone slab. Through my eyes, I saw nothing special. But when I activated my molecule manipulation, I saw it. Zeus's Divinity woven every molecule together turning the chamber behind it into an impenetrable fortress.
The island would give out first before you could even damage the stone.
And what he said would probably be true if he had not met me. I had absorbed Zeus's source of divinity, erasing him from this reality, and this time, it was even more effortless. Seconds later, I watched as the slab vaporized into nothingness, revealing the gem behind it.
"At least he knew remorse."
Laid there, edged into the walls, still pulsing with fading divinity was not only the enchantment. But the sum of knowledge accumulated by the Olympians after thousands of years of existence. Their understanding of the craft was magnificent.
I wanted to sink into the depths of the sea of knowledge. But a more pressing matter needed resolving.
Using my power, I assimulated the last of Zeus's divinity, and through it, I felt Themyscira knocking at my dimension door. Never once did I think that a physical place would have its own will. Thus, it made me wonder if Gotham or Metropolis had theirs too, or was this a by-product of the enchantment.
But that was a question for another day.
I did not know how much control Zeus had over Olympus, or if this enchantment was even connected to Olympus at all. However, once the connection was established, my dimension consumed Themyscira's will.
"From this day forth, Themyscira will be a part of the Maxim's Pantheon."
At my words, the whole of Themyscira trembled, welcoming its new ruler. More than that, I felt Themyscira was an extension of my dimension, with all Amazons who lived there infused with my divinity. And since they were Diana's family, I allowed my divinity to empower them and grant them the ability to fly. I even turned the horses into pegasus, so they would not feel left out.
Then, I strengthened the concealment, and moved the whole of Paradise Island into the sky, over New York, allowing easy access to the two most important cities in DC, Metropolis, and Gotham.
Most importantly, I had separated Amazons from Atlanteans, hopefully destroying any chances of them going to war with each other.
With my effort to turn the Amazons into a mighty force on Earth, I could finally begin my research on the Enchantment and the knowledge it presented.
Souls. Magic. Divinity. Not a stone was left unturned.
I got lost in my thoughts. In the study of a completely new branch of knowledge. I failed to notice the departure of Hippolyta, nor did I care for the passage of time.
I only thing I had left was admiration for the death of Zeus. His title was not for show, and the power he had was not to be underestimated. Yet, the most shocking part was that he was a knowledgeable god. If it was not for his massive ego, and my ability to control divinity without external help, our battle would have destroyed the United Kingdom.
And all of it was for me. For me to learn and use.
The more I knew, the better and stronger I would be. After all, only when I transcend divinity and break free of the shackles of the Source, would I no longer fear the Presence.
I did not know how long it had been. Days? Weeks? Months? Years even.
But what I knew was a familiar presence woke me up from my obsession. A gentle touch from her was all I needed. The moment our eyes met, I felt her. The way they lingered, and how they shifted toward my lips told me what I needed to know. My wife missed me.
I had thought it would be Hippolyta who would wake me up, but it turned out she did not hold onto the tradition too closely.
Thus, Diana was standing there, pouting. "It took me two months to convince my mother."
"Ah, I thought too much," I muttered.
With the Enchantment memorized and all the knowledge I could digest, it was time for me to settle in the United States of America and use the Great Depression to build my empire.
And the first step was to visit Themyscira, to do it was to console my beautiful wife.
For the next few days, we spent in each other arms, destroying beds while Diana's unceasing moans echoed.
Only when our needs were satiated did we return to Themyscira for an object had I been eyeing. An object with endless potential. Once we stepped out of the passageway, and resealed the entrance, I was greeted with a pleasant sight.
The Amazons were wearing thigh-high skirts, hovering in the sky as they tried their best to incorporate flying into their combat. Most of them had gotten the knack of flying, and now they had turned their attention to the sparring. Wielding wooden weapons, they moved around gracefully like dancing ballerinas. But only through the trained eyes could you notice the killing intention behind their every move.
Unfortunately, not all Amazons adapted fully, as a few barely managed to hover, without their legs trembing, or the nausea forced them to the ground. Yet, their bravery shone through. Again. And again. And again. Every time they fell, they stood up and tried all over again.
"That's what it means to be an Amazon," Diana said, noticing my gaze.
"Did you fail at anything before?" I asked out of curiosity. Everything I knew solely revolved around Diana's combat prowess, magical ability, or her knowledge of history. But who she was as a person, remained a mystery.
"Art."
The reluctant in her voice, and the indignant as she glared at me left a smile on my face. "But you love art."
"Loving and appreciating art is different to creating one." Diana left for the throne in a huff, as I saw the blush on her face.
Arriving at the throne room, I was greeted by two familiar figures, Hippolyta, and Antiope with radiant smiles on their faces. And when I saw the identical golden necklaces I had created for Diana tugged between their cleavage I knew the Amazons had agreed to open their border.
"Have you achieved your goals?" Hippolyta said.
"Not quite. There is one last thing before we can move on. A beacon of disaster hidden within your vault." At my words, Hippolyta's eyes widened as we said in unison, "The Mother Box."
"How long?"
"Roughly one century from now."
"Then I can understand why you are so worried about the future, and the need for us to show ourselves again. And the strength you had given to us." Hippolyta said, Antiope nodded along. As they had fought in that battle thousands of years ago. A battle that even the gods feared.
"Mom, Aunt Antiope, how do you know of the looming threat that Xandros was worrying about?" Diana asked.
"You might be our greatest warrior, Diana. But you will always remain my daughter. There are things I don't want to burden you with. And we never thought he was still eyeing Earth after the agreement."
"Who is he?"
The conviction in Diana's eyes as she wanted her questions to be answered. To know the foe she would be battling with. The most dangerous threat to most reality as I had described him.
"Darkseid. A god aims to control all of reality." Hippolyta said with great pain and anger. "He is an old threat that the gods barely managed to drive back. And if he was to invade again, then I could only fear the worst."
"Can I assume you will be taking the Mother Box with you?" Hippolyta turned toward me.
To which I nodded, as excitement filled my body at the thought of studying a piece of technology centuries ahead of the cannon era.
"They are the only tool that is keeping us safe from Darkseid. But I am sure you already know that."
"I will keep it safe," I said.
With everything taken care of, Diana and I moved into a mansion in New York I bought thanks to Steven's help. Thus, I could finally build my empire, and prepare for the arrival of Superman.
The biggest question I had, was how far would I go once I managed to decypher the Growth Codex. The masterpiece of the Kryptonian Civilization.