HOME | DD

Description
Apokolips Now

Asgard…

With a great flash of thunder and lightning Zeus and the Olympians had arrived on Asgard. Due to the broken barrier between realities and Zeus’ own burning determination to wipe the Asgardians from existence it made the journey far less egregious while exuding such power. Finally arriving and seeing the vast landscape and the fortified city of the Asgardians the king of Olympus only sneered.

The Olympians marched towards Asgard’s walls only to be soon be met by an opposing army awaiting them outside. Odin and his grand army of Asgardian warriors were there to greet the Olympians in full force. Armed and ready for combat they awaited as Odin stepped forward to address the invaders.

“You come to stand before the Host of Olympus?” Zeus called. “Yet you do not hide behind your walls like the cowards you are.”

Odin however retorted with “We come to show that the Host of Olympus is nothing before the might of Asgard! You claim we are the invaders and the cowards yet you come before us with the intent of war after we had sealed for a temporary truce. Your kind were destroyed in this reality for a reason. As king of Asgard I will ensure your rank and deceitful ways shall never return!”

The heat of the already boiling tension could be felt not only between the two rulers of the divine pantheons but their followers as well. There was but a pause before Zeus had held up his scepter and declared for the Olympians to attack. And as they charged so too did Odin, leading his host of battle-ready warriors to face them.

The two godly forces were ready to meet before a great crash of thunder, not summoned by Zeus, struck the ground and separated both armies. When it settled they could see Thor and Wonder Woman had returned, and with them the captured trio of Ares, Circe and Amora the Enchantress; all secured with the Lasso of Truth.

“Thor!” Sif had said in relief. “You’ve returned!”

“Haha!” Volstagg proclaimed. “Now this battle will be ours!”
However Thor shot them down as he said “No, my friends. The Olympians are not our enemy.”

“No.” Athena then pointed. “But you Asgardians are. You’re the ones who sent your treacherous shield-maiden into our realm to end my life!” Sif aghast at such an accusation.

In response Diana tugged on the lasso before commanding her captors “Reveal the truth. Tell them all what happened.”

Ares was the one to speak, forcibly explaining “The stratagem was mine. I manipulated events to spark a war between Olympus and Asgard. I had planned for the powers of a war between gods to make me greater than any.” He looked back and added “Even you, almighty Zeus. I had sent the Asgardian Enchantress to impersonate the one called Sif to attack Athena. Her magic would be unknown and unseen by the Olympians. After that it was simply a matter of waiting until I became strong enough to claim Olympus’ throne. Possibly even Asgard.”

For Zeus and the others on his side the confession by the powers of the Lasso were enough to convince them it was real. For Odin and his people, while unaware of the true power that Diana’s gift had, rationalized that what the captured god was saying had to be true; especially with one of his own kin being the one to force the confession out of him.

Looking to Odin Zeus admitted “It seems our accusations were with fault. But at least the true deceiver in this matter has been stopped. And he and his collaborators will be brought to justice.”

“I’m afraid Ares is not the true threat.” Thor corrected him. “There’s a greater enemy behind all of this.”

Diana was the one to reveal it to her father and the other Olympians, simply stating the name “Darkseid.”

The reaction the Olympians had was one of a cold shudder running down their spines. The mere mention had darkened their postures and tones as they looked with concern to each other. Odin and the Asgardians however were confused by this response.

“Who or what is Darkseid?” Hogun asked.

Diana took the liberty of explaining “One of the New Gods. A powerful entity that exists outside this, our own, and virtually all realities and dimensions on the world of Apokolips. He’s invaded my earth before. We fought and defeated him and spoiled his schemes on several occasions. But this, whatever he has planned, it’s far beyond anything I’ve seen from him. Even to bringing a realm from another reality into his machinations.”

Thor then added with “And it seems whatever his plans are then Loki is but a pawn.” He sighed as he confessed “I’m sorry, father. But he’s been working for Darkseid from the beginning. Even Amora was unaware of his true allegiances.”

Zeus then said “If Darkseid is behind this then we must return to Olympus at once. An invasion may arise at any moment.” He gestured for Ares to be taken while saying “I will take my son back so he will be punished later. Our business is concluded, Asgardians. This is no longer your concern.”

Odin banged his staff on the ground, a loud echo rippling from it, as he retorted “I think not! This ‘Darkseid’ had brought his conflict to my realm. He’s brought both of my sons, as well as yours, into his schemes. This had become our concern from the moment Loki became involved.”

Tyr them confusingly asked “Allfather? Are you suggesting…?”

He continued “The mortals have a saying: ‘the enemy of my enemy is a friend’. I doubt we can ever be as such, Zeus, but as one king to another, we can agree that strength is a far greater purpose than war.”

With that Odin held out a hand in both offering and respect to the king of Olympus. Everyone went still in that moment, even Diana and Thor. The Olympian lord was hesitant for what seemed like an eternity condensed to a few moments.

Eventually Zeus reached out and took Odin’s hand, saying “Agreed.”

A glowing relief came over all present for the moment. Diana and Thor were smiling at both the act and then towards each other, seeing that their actions were reflecting in their fathers. Ares hung his head in greater defeat at the sight while many of the other gods seemed to look at each other with a calmer light.

The moment, however, was short-lived when a great boom was heard overhead. All looked as a Boom Tube opened in the sky. And to the horror of Diana and the Olympians it was soon followed by the swarming armies of Apokolips flying down to attack. The flying horde of monstrous soldiers screeched and roared while swooping down at the assembled gods.

“Parademons!” Hermes called in shock.

The horrific sight only grew as three more Boom Tubes opened. Two more appeared in the air with more Parademons flying out while the third opened on ground level near where the gods stood. Instead or Parademons several figures appeared; all being Darkseid’s elite warriors as Diana would later tell.

Two of the elite members were big, brutish looking warriors. One, dressed in green with energy sparking from his hands, was called Mantis. The other was, as Diana explained, Darkseid’s one son, Kalibak. The ogre-like god brandished a golden club that also seemed to have a hidden energy to it. The final warrior to emerge wasn’t like the others. He stood tall while armored heavily and carrying a mighty battle-axe that surpassed the one Thor had seen Ares use.

Seeing who it was Wonder Woman drew her sword while hissing with hate “Steppenwolf!”

Taking lead of the invasion Steppenwolf held up his axe and proclaimed “For Darkseid!”

This seemed to be the final signal as both he, the other elites, and the entire swarming army of Parademons descended on the assembled gods. On the orders of both Zeus and Odin the two once opposing armies, now joined together, met the attack with all their might.

Swords and arrows were drawn while some gods summoned their powers, like Zeus and Thor with their lightning, and fired at the Parademon horde. This barley stopped them as eventually the hellish soldiers met with laser-rifles, alien crafted blades, and all manner of crude weaponry that clashed with godly steel.

On Odin’s word Balder blew his horn that signaled to Brunhilde and the rest of the Valkyrie forces in Asgard. From the palace in the center they could see the unreal sight of an alien army invading through portals from the sky. She rallied her forces as all mounted their winged steeds and armed themselves for battle.

With all of the Valkyrie host awaiting her command Brunnhilde proclaimed “For Asgard!” and lead the charge.

The Valkyrie met the Parademons in the air and thus the conflict was now in full force. The Warriors Three sided with Hermes and Apollo and they battled before being met by Mantis and Kalibak, the two New Gods proving to be an underestimated pair against five old ones. Sif and Athena tried to cut through their attackers before Steppenwolf had reached them both to grapple with the goddesses before him. And in the middle of it all Thor, Wonder Woman, Odin and Zeus were at each other’s backs while fighting off any and all monstrous beings that approached.

Eventually Wonder Woman, seeing the still bound trio of Ares, Crice and Amora nearby, knew what was needed next. She chopped her way through to them before holding the Lasso and forcing them to answer her questions.

“I’m giving all three of you one chance.” She warned. “If I free you, will you fight?”

Circe answered first with “N-No! This isn’t my fight, Amazon. Darkseid wants you and the rest of these foolish gods dead. I’ve no reason to be involved!”

She looked to Amora who, in turn, looked away while answering “I agree.”

Finally it came to Ares who, after coaxing from Diana, answered “If it means keeping Darkseid from claiming what is mine…..yes. I will fight.” He then looked to both Circe and Amora before adding “And you two should be ashamed. If for nothing else, think of getting revenge on Loki. The one who betrayed all of us! Isn’t that enough to fight for?”

Either through their own senses of the Lasso of Truth compelling them further Amora and Circe eventually looked to each other and nodded. In-turn they looked to Diana before agreeing to aid in the fight; if only to see Loki suffer from what he did to them.

After Wonder Woman released all three of them Ares, conjuring his helmet and a claymore sword from nothing, shouted “For Olympus!” and charged his way into battle with the two witches by his side.

Thor called out “Diana! Look out!” before throwing his hammer her way.
She ducked and thankfully was saved from being stabbed in the back by a Parademon thanks to Thor’s quick save. He joined her, after bringing his hammer back to his hand, before they were back-to-back again fighting off more invaders poured out from the Boom Tubes.

“They seem to be endless!” Thor said to Wonder Woman as they kept up the fight. “How can we stop them before they tear Asgard down?”

After defending herself from more attacks she replied “They’re like a serpent! To put an end to the whole monster we must take out the head.” When Thor suggested Steppenwolf she replied “No. The only leader of this chaos: Darkseid!” When Thor then asked how she pointed “The Boom Tubes. They lead to Apokolips. But we might not be able to push our forces all the way through at the rate these demons are coming.”

Thor thought for a moment before boldly proclaiming “We don’t need a whole army. Just the two of us.”

Wonder Woman warned “Do not underestimate Darkseid. I and my allies have fought him before. It took all of us, and Superman, to defeat him before. He’s likely grown stronger since then.”

Confidently Thor smirked “He hasn’t met me yet. And I’ve faced creatures whose sole purpose was to devour planets.” This seemed to give Wonder Woman enough confidence to smile and nod before he charged ahead with “Come! Let’s see how this ‘Darkseid’ feels after having a taste of Asgardian steel!”

Using his powers Thor summoned lighting from Mjolnir and blew a hole through the Parademon swarm right to the nearest Boom Tube. Wonder Woman, following behind, dealt with any stragglers before they both managed to reach the portal and slipped right through.

From below Odin, having seen what both his son and the Amazonian had done, managed a small “Good luck, children.” Before returning to battle.

Apokolips…

Finally arriving on the home world of their enemy Wonder Woman and Thor looked to see the realm known as Apokolips. While Diana was somewhat familiar with it Thor found himself uneased by the sight of great mechanical structures mixed with opened maws of blasting fire pits. Everywhere he could see signs of torture and pain and agony for any who lived here under Darkseid’s boot.

“And to think the Underworld is starting to look more inviting now.” Thor commented aloud.

They looked up to see the Parademon army still flying in great numbers towards the Boom Tubes leading to Asgard. Both of them followed the path before seeing where it lead to: Darkseid’s palace.

“There.” Wonder Woman pointed. “That’s where we’ll find him. But be careful. There’s worse things than Parademons in this world.”

“I can only imagine.” Thor commented again before the two flew off, trying to stay under the radar of any sentinels or guards that could be on the lookout.

As they both flew Thor continued to see the ragged, dirty looking inhabitants of the planet forced to work in what seemed like torturous labor. He turned him to his very pit. Every now-and-then Wonder Woman had to remind him there was nothing they could do, not until they brought down Darkseid.

“This doesn’t bother you at all, Diana?” he had to ask, the fact she was so willing to brush them aside.

She stopped and looked back with a somber face and replied “Every time I think of this place….they’re the ones I morn for most.”

Hearing that Thor felt ashamed of himself for questioning her feelings in the first place. He should have known her better by now. In all the time they had been together she proved that she cared for the lives of others as much as she did her people on Themyscira. It was something else he shared with her when it came to Asgard and his friends and the people of his Earth. Perhaps, when this was over, he would consider showing her his reality if it meant-

A sudden giant growl had caught their attention. They turned only to see they had been spotted by a roaming sentry: a giant, demonic dog with a soldier riding atop it. Thor thought it to be a spawn of the Fenrir wolf given its massive size but Wonder Woman assured him the only world it could ever come from was this hellish planet.

“Attack!” the riding solider called as his demon hound sprang forward.

Thor was the one to answer by flying forward with Mjolnir at the ready. He flew up right to the opened maw of the great beast, ready to bite down and swallow him whole. The Thunderer didn’t even give him the chance before knocking his hammer upside the dog’s jaw. An echoing whine was let out before Thor bashed it upside the skull, bringing the beast down to the ground with the mounted solider forced to jump off before being crushed underneath.

As Wonder Woman rejoined him Thor commented “I have some experience fighting giant dogs. You’d be surprised how easy they can come down sometimes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind the next time Cerberus gets out of hand.” Diana said to herself. Suddenly they could hear alarms sounding in the distance, meaning their presence was known. “Come on. We’ll need to go underground!”

She pointed the way before both of them flew down to the street-levels of the chocking city of Apokolips’ surface. They found what the equivalent of a manhole cover was and used it to enter into the sewer systems just before being spotted by patrolling guards.

Diana led the way, explaining “If we use these tunnels we should be able to reach Darkseid’s citadel undetected.” When Thor questioned how she knew about this path she told “A friend of mine named Scott Free came from this world. He learned all the means of escaping it. But when it comes to Apokolips, Scott always warned me it wasn’t leaving that was the challenge. It was getting back in.”

“Can’t imagine why anyone would want to come back here.” Thor commented. After they progressed a little further he asked “How long do you think our friends can last against Darkseid’s army?”

“If my father is wise he’ll call for reinforcements. The Amazons are sure to answer.” She paused and thought aloud “I just hope they’ll be able to make it in time.”

Themyscira…

On the hidden paradise island Queen Hippolyta, the returned Cassie Sandsmark/Wonder Girl, and the entire Amazon army were waiting for any word of the conflict that Diana had gotten herself into. After Cassie had given her message to the queen when returning from Aeaea all alter was pressed on Themyscira for potential war. Whether it would be Ares, the Asgardians, or something else entirely they would answer the call.

Not long after one of the scouts had come to the palace and bowed “My queen. Word has come from Zeus himself! The gods traveled to Asgard to engage them in war but now both armies are under attack by a third. And it came from Apokolips!”

Everyone nearby who heard that tensed before Cassie hissed “Darkseid! Dammit. Should’ve known he’d have something to do with all this craziness.”

Hippolyta stood and declared “Ready our forces to march. We must aid the gods and-”

“My queen!” another scout called running up to her before she could finish. “Something’s coming! It’s appearing just outside the city!”

Both hers and Cassie’s gaze went to the horizon where they could see just at the edge of the island borders a shocking sight. A Boom Tube had appeared but it was not Parademons or New Gods of Apokolips that had emerged from it. Instead came something equally horrifying.

Loki stepped onto Themyscira and took a moment to breath in what he claimed would soon be his new personal kingdom in this world. He was soon followed by a small army of towering frost giants. With them came a cold, chilling wind the likes of which had never been felt on the tropical magical island before.

Even as he saw the Amazon army scramble to meet his forces in battle Loki commanded “Go! Bring these fool women to heel! For glory! For your new king! For Loki Laufeyson!”

Apokolips…

Thor and Diana had finally emerged out of the sewers and found themselves outside of Darkseid’s citadel. The twoer, terrible construct seem to be purposefully built to overlook all on Apokolips. The lord of this world truly reveled in the dismay of others if it meant he was the one to hold all the power.

When they came to the large door leading inside Thor stepped forward and proclaimed “Here. Let me knock.” Brandishing Mjolnir he gave one large bash that broke the steel door down like it was nothing. “As they say on Earth, ‘ladies, first’.”

Diana nodded before taking lead, drawing her sword and careful with her steps as she progressed. As the duo went down one hall after another there seemed to be no guards or patrols of any kind, Thor surmising that all were likely in the forces attacking Asgard even now. It was that reminder that put more haste into the two’s progression through the citadel.

The two eventually came to what seemed like something of a main hall. The large expanse of the room and the hellish decoration was enough indication they were close to reaching Darkseid’s throne room.

“Which way do we go from here?” Thor asked.

“You will go no further from here, pretty man.” A voice suddenly answered.

Given the tone Thor expected it to be a man stepping into view from one of the doorways. However he was surprised when it was actually a woman. She looked old from age yet had a hidden strength to her Thor knew not to underestimate; especially as she wore what looked like battle armor for the occasion.

Knowing all too well who it was Wonder Woman beamed “Granny Goodness! Step aside. Our fight isn’t with you. Only your master.”

Granny only laughed at her before saying “You’re even more foolish than you look, Amazon, if you think you’ll stand a chance against Darkseid. I doubt you’ll be able to get past us.”

Thor, unimpressed, scoffed “What? More old crones like yourself?”

Granny only smirked at his fruitless insult before clapping her hands once. In response several warrior women arrived into the room, all armed and ready for a fight. The largish, brutish of the group was called Stompa. Followed by her came the deranged, sharp-clawed wielding Mad Harriet. A blonde haired warrior woman dressed in white, called Gilotina, arrived last along with a woman whose face was mostly covered by a bandaged headdress and wielding a deadly whip-like weapon; she being known as Lashina. With them all assembled Diana pointed out that they were Darkseid’s personal guard, the Female Furies.

Granny Goodness stood by her assembled warriors and smirked “The two of you would make fine trophies for me to bring to Lord Darkseid. A handsome head like yours, Asgardian, for his wall. And a new member to the Furies. After Desaad has a chance to pick at your pretty brain, Amazonian.”

“I’ll see your head taken first before I let that happen, Granny!” Wonder Woman threatened with her blade.

Thor however stepped up and said “No. I’ll handle this. You go, Diana. Confront this Darkseid and put an end to this invasion.” As Diana protested he insisted “We both know this isn’t the real fight. Now go! Before I change my mind and have you do all the work.”

The two shared another smile between each other before Wonder Woman conceded. She turned and found another hallway to exit through, the trip being longer but at least giving Thor time to deal with the Furies.

As the four warrior women stepped forward Stompa cracked her knuckles and commented “Shame that we have to rough up that pretty face of yours, blondie.”

Lashina hummed with interest “Maybe Lord Darkseid will let us keep you as a pet when this is over instead of having you executed.”

Thor’s only response was to ready his hammer while stating “Sorry, ladies. I’m already spoken for.”

With that both parties charged and met for battle. Even with it being four on one Thor had no intention of letting up or yielding to these crazed harpies from hell. Either they would end him or he them but he needed to buy what time he could for Diana to reach the real master behind this whole plot.

Diana had resorted to finding a window out of the citadel and flying all the way out and up towards the top. When she arrived in the throne room sure enough she found her enemy sitting as if waiting for her. Even as she landed he made no move or gesture outside of starring at her with those deep, red eyes.

“So you have finally arrived, Amazon.” He addressed her. “As predictable as always.”

“I’m only allowing you one chance to surrender, Darkseid. End this now, or I will!” she threated with the God Killer blade in hand.

“Your threats are as trifling to me at that weapon you carry. Forged by powers that should have died out with the rest of your kind.”

Despite this Wonder Woman did not drop her guard, instead demanding “Why? Why do all this? Why involve Loki and the Asgardians? What grand scheme did you hope to accomplish from this?”

He answered with “The only plan that was necessary: the extinction of the Old Gods.” Seeing her reaction he continued “I’ve seen so many different realities in my search for the Anti-Life Equation. Yet in all those other worlds never once had I come across the existence of the gods of old. Those who died out long ago when their powers dwindled away to the abyss they spawned from. For so long only your world proved to be one that spawned these deities long bereft of the end they deserved. That was until I stumbled upon another word that housed equally disgusting living remnants of the Old Gods. So see them thriving as much as the Olympians was an affront to the order set by existence itself. The Old Gods died for one true reason: to make way for the New. For we are born stronger. We are made to be greater. By the very source of all life known we, the creatures of the Fourth World, are meant to be the only true deities.”

Taking it all in Wonder Woman realized “So you planned to have us wipe each other out then. And then what? Destroy Ares after he accumulated his powers from the war amongst the gods?”

“His part was not my doing, by instead was by the machinations of one whom I sought as a pawn in my great game.”

“Loki.” It dawned on Diana. “You’re the one who freed him!”

Darkseid answered with “His prison was in a dimension outside his home one. Upon finding it and learning of the Asgardian’s past I found in him the perfect tool. I released him and brought him before me. In that moment I had seen that not all of the Old Gods were as foolish as I believed. Loki barley hesitated before swearing his life and cause only to me. He promised me the deaths of the gods and in return I promised him a throne. Such a menial trade really.”

“And where is Loki now?” she asked, still ready for a fight if it came to it.

With a smile he replied “To your home, Diana. By now he is marching against your sisters with an army that will freeze your island home before sinking it into the depths from which it was spawned.” Seeing her growing anger he coaxed further by saying “I can only guess at how long your sisters will last before suffering such painful deaths.”

In her anger Wonder Woman roared as she charged with her sword in hand. She barely got far enough before Darkseid blasted at her with his Omega Beams from his eyes. The two streams struck her right in the chest, knocking her back and to the ground. She screamed in pain before they stopped, the Lord of Apokolips standing now as he looked down at her.

His eyes glowed again as he told her “I, however, am a merciful god, Princess. I shall grant you a quick, painless death. A final act of mercy from the benevolent Lord Darkseid.”