Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel or DC characters mentioned, seen or used in this story
Diana exited the Boom Tube into what she concluded was the throne room of Apokolips, the very heart of Darkseid's power.
She took a glance around the large dark chambers and was a bit surprised on how empty it was. Aside from a few Parademons at the entrance and at the foot of his throne also occupied by the Fury Granny Goodness the hall was empty.
'Odd, I was expecting Darkseid to have hundreds here to witness my union with his son.' Diana thought, though she wasn't going to complain that there were no masses of Darkseid's servants here to bear witness to her humiliation.
Darkseid finally stepped through with a smug expression upon his face, aiming a nod of dismissal towards Kalibak. The current heir to the throne of Apokolips nodded and turned on his heel and made his way to his quarters, but not before giving Peter a small shove that nearly sent the smaller New God spiraling down t the floor.
"You know Kalibak you could have just gone around! It's not like the room isn't big enough for you to so!" Peter growled out in some annoyance.
"Next time, move runt." Kalibak called over his shoulder.
"Next time I'll disable your weapons. Let's see how long you last against a rampaging Buuden." Peter muttered darkly as he turned his attention to Diana and sarcastically said "Aren't brothers like him just the best. They really make you feel loved."
"I wouldn't know." Diana said as she crossed her arms "I've never had any brothers."
Technically not true, she had a number of half-brothers on her father's side, but she never truly acknowledged them beyond sharing the same father. The likes of Hercules, Ares and the First Born had often at times left her appalled at having any sort of blood relation to them.
"Sounds like New Genesis." Peter quipped.
"Diana!" Darkseid called out to the Amazon as he took a seat on his throne and beckoned her to approach. Diana did so with reluctance.
She stopped at the base of the small stair case that led up to his black throne and forced herself to bow to her new… father in law.
"My lord…" she all but forced out.
Darkseid smirked at Diana's words, pleased to finally hear a member of the Justice League refer to him as so, even if reluctantly "Diana now that you are a princess if albeit a 'lesser one', to Apokolips you will have several duties to preform befitting your station as both a warrior and a member of my court." He then gestured to Granny Goodness "You will be inducted into the Furies under the command of Granny Goodness here."
Granny Goodness was an old looking woman with white greying hair dressed in chain mail like armor with a wicked look in her grey eyes. She turned to Diana and smiled darkly "Oh yes, she'll do nicely amongst the Furies."
Diana's eyes narrowed at the old hag in contempt but kept any words she had to say on the matter checked.
Instead she nodded "…As you wish."
"They act not only as my personal guard but also as my assassins when Kanto or several of my other children are unavailable. I do hope that this won't be a problem for you in the coming days…" Darkseid's eyes narrowed at the Amazon in a sort of challenge.
Diana was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath and exhaling through her nostrils "No… it will not be, my lord."
Darkseid smirked at the answer, he was aware that it will be and as she is now it could prove to be a mistake to assign her such tasks.
'I'll have to speak with Granny Goodness about this…' he thought before he spoke again "Excellent, now it has been a long day and I'm sure your quite exhausted. Peter will show you to your new chambers. Tomorrow your duties to Apokolips begin. Fail and I promise you pain beyond anything you can comprehend."
Diana raised her head and stared back at the glare Darkseid was shooting her with one of her own. Several tense moments passed before Diana spoke in a strained tone "Yes… my lord."
Darksied smirked darkly at the woman's strong sprit 'She'll fit in quite nicely here.'
The ruler of Apokolips waved Diana and Peter away while he ordered Granny Goodness to stay so they can discuss a few private matters. Diana already knew that she was the subject of whatever discussion the two will have.
'He's likely going to have his Furies keep an eye on me.' Diana thought as she followed Peter.
After several minutes of silently walking Peter finally spoke "So what do you think of Apokolips so far?"
Diana raised her brow at the man. While she was really in no mood to really talk with the man, she figured it couldn't hurt to indulge "I have never visited this world before. And we have yet to see the outside, so I have no way of forming an accurate opinion."
Peter stopped and turned to look at Diana "Really, well then let me give you the tour of your new home!"
"That will not be ne-" Diana began only for Peter to throw his arm around her shoulders which was a little difficult for him on the account that her shield and sword were on her back. She had to resist the urge to take the man's arm and snap it in half.
"Trust me, once you've seen what Apokolips has to offer, you'll be thanking me for the tour. Sides, It's not like out room is going anywhere and it's only morning." Peter said as he and Diana turned left down a hall before he came to a sudden stop at the sight before him. Diana almost stumbled before looking at Peter and confusion and following his gaze. Ahead of them was another figure, a woman Diana realized.
An extremely beautiful woman.
The woman was a little taller than her with her skin a light silver in color with long waist length black hair. The woman wore a crown on the top of her hair that had a small red skull with the Omega symbol glowing on it. Her eyes were purple with dark eye shadow that made her eyes seem brighter. Her lips had what Diana figured to be dark purple lipstick while her cheeks had a faint blush on them. The woman was garbed in a sort of purple dress that reached her heels and left her shoulders bare and seemed to be struggling to contain her large breasts. Both her arms had fingerless light purple gloves with gold embroidery on them that reached her elbows.
Diana also felt Peter tense as thee woman drew closer, the way she moved was like water, fluid and graceful with a slight sway of her hips that Diana secretly admitted to briefly staring at. The unknown female came to a stop several feet in front of the pair. The woman's cold eyes swept over Diana's frame and the amazon felt a bit uncomfortable under the unknown woman's gaze. It was like she was being held under a magnifying glass.
Finally, the woman's gaze turned to Peter and Diana swore she saw a flash of loathing and utter contempt in her eye. "Ahh Peter, so this is your new…wife."
Diana felt her ears prickle at the sound of the woman's voice. She spoke in a light echoing sort of tone that could either get a lover's blood boiling in lust or freeze it in dread. There was also something else in her tone that made the demigoddess's skin crawl. Peter even seemed unnerved by the woman before them.
Peter removed his arm from Diana's shoulders and gestured to the woman before them "Diana, this is Lady Mortalla, consort to lord Darkseid and soon to be his future wife."
Diana gave the woman a slight bow but kept her eyes on her. Something inside Diana was warning her to never take her eyes off this woman under any circumstances. "My lady."
"Aww look at that Peter, she's even house trained, you must be so proud." Mortalla sneered as she folded her arms under her generous bust that surpassed even Powergirl's.
Diana bristled at the comment while Peter's tone took a slight edge to it but still remained respectful and almost obedient... almost.
"May I ask why you have 'graced' me and my wife with your presence lady Mortalla?"
The future wife of Darkseid kept her gaze upon Peter before smiling, displaying her star white teeth "I merely wished to meet your new wife and welcome her to the family. I'm sure she'll do Apokolips proud… assuming she lives long enough."
She then brushed pass the pair and made her way to the throne room where her lover awaited. Diana and Peter watched her go both with narrow eyes or in Peter's case, narrowed lenses. After Mortalla had disappeared from their view Diana and Peter both let out a collective huff of both annoyance and frustration.
Peter looked to his wife "So you've met the step monster. Word of warning, she hates all of Darkseid's children, even though she's sleeping with several of them. The only one she likes is her own."
"Who is she really?" Diana questioned.
Peter shrugged "She use to be a noble from Xandar, other than that I couldn't tell ya to be honest or care."
"Xandar?" Diana asked, she's never heard of the that world before. On many occasions when She and Clark had retreated from the world to his fortress of Solitude the two would sometimes listen to recordings on the known universe that the Kryptonians had collected in their hundred thousand years of space exploration. That and being friends with several Green Lanterns allowed her knowledge of other civilizations in the universe to grow.
"Xandar is the capital of the Nova Empire and by proxy the Nova Corps." Peter said as he and Diana continued down the hall.
"Nova empire, Nova corps… I've never heard of these before." Diana said with obvious, from Peter's perspective, confusion.
He decided to elaborate a bit since their first destination in mind was still a bit off "The Green Lanterns as you know have divided up their sphere of influence into about three thousand and six hundred sectors that all converge on Oa. In those three thousand six hundred sectors are roughly forty-five thousand galaxies, and last I checked there are about one point three million civilizations, with two hundred thirty thousand of them capable of interstellar travel either between planets or galaxies. Then there is the 'Frontier of Lantern Space' that's roughly twice the size of their typical sphere of influence. In that frontier space there are at least another sixty thousand galaxies and another several million civilizations."
"So the Nova Corps and Nova Empire are part of the 'Frontier space.'" Diana guessed.
Hal had mentioned his travels to the frontier several years ago with Kilowag where they encountered the Red Lantern Corps for the first time. He also mentioned that frontier space truly was a frontier. Hal had jokingly called it the 'final frontier'.
"No, to be honest the self-appointed 'Guardians of the Universe' on Oa are in reality only defending… less than nine percent of the KNOWN universe that you dwelled in." Peter said, shocking Diana.
"Only nine percent?" Diana said with her eyes widened slightly.
Peter gave her a curious look under his mask "Well yeah, the universe is always growing, sometimes significantly like two maybe three billion light years and sometimes barely a mile. The Lantern Corps from what I've heard from Devilance, hasn't really branched out in almost several million years. Oa may be the center of your and many other universes, that doesn't make it the most important thing."
Diana was quite for a moment as the two passed by a window and Diana chanced a look outside it to see something that looked like it belonged in the darkest pits of Tartarus. Hellish buildings, fire and smoke filling the air. How anything could survive here was a mystery to the woman. She felt a wave of despair hit her at the thought of all the beings that likely have to live here as slaves for their masters.
And now so will she…
Diana wanting to banish the road her thoughts were beginning to go down decided to continue her conversation with Peter on the apparent 'bigger universe'.
"So I take it the Nova Corps acts similar to the Green Lantern?"
Peter thought about for a moment before answering "Yes but there are a few differences. One of the biggest is that it's leaders didn't appoint themselves as the 'Guardians of the Universe', if anything they insure that beings like my father don't get too ambitious. Not that'll help them in the end once Darkseid discovers… well you know, finds a way to rule the multiverse and all that."
Diana's eyes narrowed at Peter's trailing off, he wasn't lying in the sense that Darkseid was looking for something, but to her it was clear he knew or had an idea of what his father was looking for. And whatever it is, was important.
"Are they powerful?" Diana inquired as she and Peter stepped into what seemed to be a gravity elevator of sorts that used gravitational forces to move people up and down.
"Enough that father doesn't feel like challenging them anytime soon." Peter shrugged as they came to a stop and they exited the gravity lift.
"He fears them?" Diana questioned, a bit surprised that there might be people out there that could pose a legitimate threat to Darkseid aside from the Justice League.
"No, it's just that Apokolip's enemies will use that moment to strike us. Don't get me wrong Diana, my father Darkseid is a powerful being… but there are others that could not only challenge him… but defeat him."
Diana's eyes widened at that particular information. Of all of the enemies that the Justice League has faced in the past, Darkseid was the one that stood out as their deadliest and most powerful foe. His strength and power surpassed even Clark's as he's on multiple occasions taken on the entire League and nearly defeated them singlehandedly! The only reason he was ever beaten in the past was because at the end of it all… it was still Darkseid against between seven or nine beings of considerable power at any time.
Before Diana could ask any further a deep voice spoke out.
"Take care in how you speak of our father Peter…"
A figure emerged from behind a column in front of both Peter and Diana. They were about the same size as Kalibak in terms of height and build, but that's where the similarities ended. He had grey skin that was framed by chin length black hair with a sort of golden headpiece with a large red square shaped ruby in the center. He was dressed in gold and purple armor that had a large red gem on the chest and three smaller ones along the waist. The man gave the two a blank stare as he approached them with heavy strides.
"Grayven… I was unaware that you have returned to Apokolips." Peter said with what Diana could detect was fear.
Grayven stared at his smaller brother with his gaze flickering over to Diana briefly before zeroing in on Peter again "I returned this morning… the uprising was blown out of proportion and was quickly dealt with."
"Good I suppose." Peter said as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
Grayven was amongst Peter's least favorite half-brothers and half-siblings on the whole.
The tense meeting lasted for another moment before Grayven spoke again "Next time you speak of weakness and father in the same sentence… and it's not describing his enemies-" he leaned down until his face was right in Peter's "-I will tear you in half."
Peter gulped slightly before giving a nod.
Grayven smirked at Peter's response as straightened himself before turning to look at Diana with a slightly lustful look in his eye "Such a shame that a beautiful creature like you has to be wedded to such a… lesser son."
He reached a hand out to cup her cheek… only for Diana to grab it and shove it away with a glare on her face "Do not touch me."
Grayven's eyes narrowed at Diana for a moment before muttering "…Truly is a shame."
"Grayven, I believe your mother was looking for you." Peter spoke up all of a sudden. Peter was begging to grow aggravated at how Grayven was eyeing Peter's new wife with him right there!
"Why?" Grayven turned his attention away from Diana.
Peter gave him a blank gaze "You really think she'll tell me?"
"…Fair enough." Grayven growled out before he stalked off to look for his mother.
When he was out of ear shot Peter looked towards Diana "Guess who's his mother?"
Diana raised a brow and asked in a dry tone "Mortalla?"
"Correct." Peter nodded before looking back down the direction Grayven left "And once she marries Darkseid… he'll replace Kalibak as first in line to the throne."
"That sounds like it will be fun." Diana said in aggravation.
If the issues of politics and lines of succession in the Olympian pantheon and man's world were anything to go on, Apokolips's must be a literal nightmare.
"Yep, you came to Apokolips at the best time." Peter said with some snark before sighing "…Do you still want the tour or would you rather wait another time?"
"Honestly no… I don't." Diana said as she rubbed her brow in both exhaustion and annoyance.
"Well I'll take you to m- our quarters." Peter said before gesturing Diana to follow him.
It took some time before the two made it to his quarters and Dian couldn't help but notice that they seemed to be stationed in a less grand area of the Citadel. Peter seemed to pick up on this and decided to clarify.
"I'm a lesser son of Darkseid… meaning that my quarters aren't as grand as Kalibak's, Grayven's, Grail's or even En Sabah Nur's. There above any of the servants and most of Darkseid's court in terms of design and grandeur but…" Peter shrugged as he suddenly felt a little self-conscious about his station.
"It's fine." Diana said quietly.
The two finally arrived at Peter's- their room, and entered. The guest room was fairly large Diana saw, she estimated that it alone was twice the size of her and Clark's apartment back on Earth. There were a few lounges and chairs for people to sit in spread around the space and a large circular table at the center. She looked to see that aside from a few black tapestries on the wall displaying a red Omega symbol they were bare.
Peter led her to a room that opened to reveal a small bedroom. It wasn't too large, Diana saw that it was roughly the same size as her and Clark's room was. The bed on the other hand was small. Big enough to fit both her and Peter reasonably well… but small enough that the two would be touching.
'…Fantastic.' Diana mentally sighed. She is aware that something of this nature would happen eventually given that she and him were now married, but it just seems so, so wrong to her.
Clark was the only man she's ever been with and she preferred to keep it that way.
"So here's our room, there's a switch by the bed that'll allow you to call a servant if you're hungry or you need something. That closet over there is filled with some armor and clothes for you to wear, while your current attire is nice, you can't wear it all the time. The room is also secured so you shouldn't have to worry about anyone bargaining in on you… aside from me." Peter explained as he watched Diana move around the room with a calculating look under his mask.
Diana paused and gave Peter a questioning stare "How is it secured?"
"Biometric scanners of my own design." Peter said "The only other person allowed in here aside from me and you is Darkseid and well… he doesn't come here…ever. Like I said, lesser son."
Diana briefly wondered if he was telling her in a way to make her a little more at ease. It did, to some degree. But she had to wonder…
"What if someone tries to force themselves in?" Diana asked.
"It'll alert me and my private guard of Parademons and activate the security defenses. Trust me, even Kalibak knows better than to try and force himself in here without my permission." Peter said in a serious tone before he turned to leave, much to both Dian's relief and curiosity.
"And where are you going may I ask?" Diana questioned as she stopped removing her weapons and shield from her person before crossing her arms and stared at Peter's retreating form.
"To my personal lab." Peter responded back without turning or stopping "I have a few projects that I like to finish." He stopped at the door to their apartment and looked back over his shoulder, his lenses narrowing "Don't wait up."
Diana gave Peter a minor glare of annoyance "Trust me 'sweetheart', I don't plan to."
Peter stared at her for a moment "Heh, sweet dreams… beloved."
Peter left before the woman could offer up a retort and began the trek to his lab. He wasn't lying when he said he had a few projects he had to finish, but he wouldn't deny he was also using them as an excuse to get aware from the former Amazon princess.
After a few minutes he arrived at the entrance to his personnel lab. He took a quick glance around to make sure no one was near before entering. The lights and holographic displays all turned on casting the still mostly dark room in a series of blues and whites that made it eerie. Peter didn't mind, he always like the dark for some reason, he chalked it up to the spider like characteristics he possessed.
"Sir…" a robotic voice spoke out.
Peter looked towards the source and easily found it within the darkness with his night vision "Ahh Vision, been a good boy while I was away?"
The being known as Vision stepped into the light of a holographic display. He was around Peter's height with purple synthetic flesh and wearing a sort of green body suit and a hard light cape that had a sort of metallic look to it. On his forehead was glowing yellow gem that Peter created used to store solar energy and to act as an energy source for his creation. On his arms were purple bracelets and he was equipped with purple armored boots.
Peter created him a few months ago to act as a sort of assistant since any he had usually ended up being agents for Dr. Bedlam, Darkseid's chief scientist and to some extent Peter's superior.
"The lab hasn't been breached by any of Bedlam's servants and I have made some headway in your symbiote experiment." Vision replied as he walked over to Peter and extended a hand out that pulled up a holographic display of the 'symbiote' experiment he has been working on.
"Good." Peter nodded before his mask seemed to recede back into his suit to show a rather youthful face with short messy brown hair and bright almost glowing ember colored eyes. He walked over to a table that had its surface vanish and reveal a mother box that he was tampering with. "Any other news?"
Vision hesitated for a nanosecond which to Peter concluded meant bad news for him or close to it.
"Kunla has been asking to speak with you." the android revealed.
Peter sighed as he pinched the ridge of his nose. Kunla was one of Darkseid's 'lesser' daughters that's for some Source forsaken reason taken an interest in him. When will the New God-Shi'ar hybrid get the message and leave him alone!
"Great, just great." Peter groaned out before looking down at his latest project. He sent a mental command to his suit that suddenly created four long spider like limbs that emerged from his back that reached up to several monitors and displays and began tapping in a series of orders and sorting out any information.
Peter picked up a few devices and began to tinker with the mother box "Vision…"
"Sir?" the synthetic responded as he was making his way to another part of the lab to resume his duties as Peter's assistant.
"You think it'll be a good idea to tell Kunla that I'm married now?"
And done.
Next chapter, The Furies...