"I will not Go!" Diana of Themyscara raged as she stalked around her room.

"Oh, yes you will," a dark and cold voice growled. Turning, she saw something that made her heart freeze and her throat lock up in terror. The last time she'd seen the god before her, he'd looked like a blond business man, it had been ages and ages since anyone had seen Ares as he truly looked but she was facing him now. The dark hair and eyes, the leather clothes and the huge sword all spoke of Ares not instigating a war but acting as God of all such.

"A-Ares," she stuttered, facing him. She was forced to her knees but not by his power, by his mere personage. He was the Father of the Amazons, one thing her mother did not deny, and his mere presence in the room caused all of the blood to bow.

"You will because we have decreed it," he continued as if she had not spoken, you will because it is time for you and that bitch of a mother of yours to face the hard truths of life, and you will, I would hope most importantly to you, because if you do not one of your friends will be dead before morning."

"W-What?" she stammered, in shock.

"I did not stutter, little girl," he told her, "One of the people in the infirmary will die before the first rays of the son kiss the earth. Continue to refuse and all the others will as well but the one who will die first? His death will be felt by all the world. For he is the one who keeps it balanced."

"W-who?" she whispered, "They all looked fine when I saw them, in pain, yes but alive."

"You are as stupid as your mother once bragged you were smart if you cannot guess," Ares told her, sighing, "But as time is of the essence, I will show you."

He grabbed her arm and teleported her to the infirmary where she saw one of the magic users was, indeed, far worse off than he had been earlier.

"Dr. Fate," she whispered, seeing blood flowing from his ears and nose "No!" She cried. "You make it stop!"

"Only your father could do that," Ares told her. And those words acted like a slap in her face as he took her back to her room.

"I have no father!" She denied, "My mother sculpted me from clay and Hades tried to take over!"

A barked laugh of derision had her flushing with shame.

"A pretty lie," Ares told her, "Tell me is your friend Dr. Fate's life worth those?"

"Tell me the Gods' Honest truth then, Ares," she demanded, "If Hades did not attempt a coup, why does he live down there? Why does my mother guard those gates?"

"I'll answer in reverse order so you get the screaming over with quickly," Ares told her, conjuring a goblet of fruit juice, "But this has to be the short version if your friend is going to live."

"Short now, complete later," she snapped, impatiently, "And I'll hold off on the screaming tantrum until after this is resolved, too. My word as a Daughter of War."

"I'll take that Oath," Ares told her, "Your mother is not guarding those gates, 'She' is the one who was condemned for trying to murder the king of the Gods when the Fates said he could not marry her."

"She did not try to kill Zeus," Diana spoke.

"Of course not," Ares told her with a laugh, "She tried to kill Your Father and mine, Hades, little sister. As for why he lives there? No other God can handle Life, Death, and Rebirth as well as Balance and Wealth and Poverty. He rules there because he is the King of the Gods which makes him King of Life and Death."

"She lied to me?" Diana asked, there was betrayal but not as much as Ares feared there would be.

"She lied ot the whole group so she could deny her crimes and shame," Ares told her, "The war with the Titans was fought 'Long' before I fathered her. I was but a baby then. Therefore . . .

"My mother was not born," Diana finished following the logic, "How can I restore him to the throne without the power to face Felix Faust myself? I'm not a God, my mother never gave me access to that side; she blocked it . . ."

"I unlock it for you and I give you a weapon that can help. Know you what this is, daughter of my daughter?"

"The Chakram," she breathed.

"I am giving it to you, now, to use in this battle and every other one that you might face," he said, wrapping her hands around it and then touching the star on her crown.

"Know you your line, Princess of Asphodel," he told her, kissing her forehead gently, "Know you your heritage. Go and save your father and in that saving, save your friends. Go."

"I go, Prince of Olympus," she whispered, "And after this, I want to get the whole story and get to know the family."

"You will," he told her, "Now go. Cronos will hold back time as long as he can and Apollo will delay the run an hour or two. You have until the fire kisses the sky to do this. Take someone with you. I'd advise the boy Marvel but take the Hawk Girl as well. Angry as you are with her, you need her. Go."

"My mother . . ."

"Will be dealing with me in less than an hour," Ares told her, "Go on. I will send you there if you wish."

She nodded and took a deep breath.

"Shayera, Captain Marvel, please come to my quarters, we have a mission decreed by someone higher than J'onn."

They arrived in minuets, Shayera with her mace and Marvel already in his fight gear.

"I give the blessing of the strength of War, Billy Batson," Ares rumbled, "I give the gift of Thunder in your hands. And I give the gift of a family that will care for you. Diana, I entrust this boy . . . to you."

"I accept," she whispered, looking into the eyes of the boy/man who so desperately needed guidance, "Send us, brother, so that we can learn to be a family faster when we get back."

"Just like your niece," Ares mused, opening a portal, "Always so damned impatient."

"Is he as we are?"

"Tartarus, no," Ares told her, "If he was, Zeus would have had his balls busted to powder long before now, not to mention what he would have done to others for overloading Apollo and/or spitting on certain members of the family. He's like your friend Fate, it takes a lot to torque him but may the Gods help the person he goes off on. Go on, you're a lot like him, go save him I will deal with the gates until you get back."

The three flew into the portal and Ares sighed, appearing on the Amazon's Island and waving his hand at the gates, barring them closed until the morning light.

"How dare you come here ma . . ." Hippolyta began, seeing his face, though, she paled.

"You and I are going to have a 'long' talk about your lies, Daughter," Ares growled, "Your rooms, now!"