Legendary

I had to get head down in work for awhile; we were moving forward on Valkyrie North, another mixed development aimed at lower-income people, mostly studio apartments or one-bedroom units. The sheer number of Returnees was still a problem, so the towers of these smaller residences would help. We were planning on including a health clinic as well as a drug store and grocery store as well as other essential services. The police in the area had inquired about putting in a substation to increase their presence in the area and we were negotiating with them on that. Crime was a problem in densely populated areas, and we wanted our prospective tenants to feel safe. Margaret had the most to do at this stage. Valkyrie North was mostly for my partners; there was a small park in the middle that had two historic structures, one of which was an antique carousel in disrepair, so I didn't have much to do. Callahan was taking charge of the refurbishment of the carousel and replacing missing figures, so I had even less to do. This was all to the good, because I had a lot to do in other areas.

Tony's plan to offer the 3D scanning of important historical monuments was careful and complete; all it needed was my agreement and signature. It was an excellent plan. We would assemble a joint team to do the work; a structure like Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris would take about a month. We would supply the personnel and the technology; the authority in charge of the structure would be responsible for housing the team and providing a per diem. The scans that we produced would be the property of the authority but we would retain a copy as a backup. Tony was already two or three steps ahead of me and had proposed guidelines for assembling the team. I went down the hall to ask Aslyn to start advertising for personnel on the preservation and architecture side of the venture, then to Martha to get her to coordinate with Tony's people. She brightened up and reached for the communicator. "Godpop!" she said as I exited her office, smiling.

At our next partners' meeting, we discussed how big we wanted Valkyrie to get. We all wanted our individual businesses to grow and flourish, but we also didn't want our brand to get too diluted. In the end, we didn't come up with firm answers, but establishing a few guidelines. Our joint projects would always be the top priority, and we would only work on one of them at a time. Since it took a long time to line up these things, it wouldn't be hard to maintain this priority. And although we all had a high degree of attention to detail and pride in our work, we added a clause to our partnership agreement that our work had to be held to the highest standard since if one of us started to turn out iffy work, we'd all be affected. I was for this amendment because it was a way to hold us each accountable to her partners and should help keep us from overextending ourselves.

A couple of days later I met with Callahan and Mei and told them to start forming their own teams. Callahan would focus on residences and smaller businesses and Mei would take on the large, international projects we were becoming increasingly well-known for. I would be supervising, and major projects would need my OK. I could also switch a project from one team to another if needed, and I would get to choose my own projects, a benefit of ownership. I would conduct spot checks, have the final approval for bidding on a project and the numbers had to be run past me first. We talked about their staffing needs, and it turned out that Callahan had been contemplating whether to move on to a position with more responsibility or even to start his own firm, so I was in good time. "I'm a little disappointed that you didn't tell me that you weren't happy," I said, frowning slightly.

"I'm not unhappy," he said crisply. "And I had made no decisions, but I feel like I'm ready for more responsibility. This new arrangement will satisfy that." I studied him.

"In the future, if you're feeling dissatisfied with your role in this business, I expect you to come talk to me. That goes for you too, Mei. At this stage, it will be difficult to replace you and cause considerable disruption for our clients, and that isn't something that can be really tolerated. I'll do my best to do right by you and help you achieve your goals, but I can't do that if I don't know what you're thinking." They both agreed, and I had to be content with that. I sent them away to contemplate their new responsibilities and start generating ideas for how they were going to handle them while I went down to Aslyn to discuss new contracts for them. They had to have the freedom to juggle their responsibilities and achieve their goals, but the bottom line was that this was my company, with my name on the paperwork, and my reputation at stake. She listened to my concerns about Callahan, how disappointed I was that he hadn't talked to me, and described an escape route should he decide to move on, after all, one that wouldn't leave me high and dry but would be fair to him and Mei too. I arranged for significant raises in recognition of their new responsibilities, and when the contracts were ready, they were signed with no quibbles.

Valkyrie had been getting good press and magazine covers from the beginning, but now we were joining the heavy hitters in winning awards from organizations and periodicals and official recognition from governmental entities. We got massive recognition for our work on the restoration of the Hall of Justice, awards, articles, and a ceremony where we got the key to the city. That got center positioning on our brag wall. When all the work in Prague was done, I was honored for the work I'd done on the Observatory Tower. When other projects got recognition and somebody had to show up from my company, I went if it was one of my projects, sent Mei or Callahan for the projects they'd led, and if I'd made a significant contribution, accompanied them. I was scrupulous in making sure they got the credit that was due to them, but now I was looking for signs of dissatisfaction and indications that ambitions were growing to work beyond my control of the company. Again, Callahan was the most likely; Mei knew that she couldn't afford to be competitive on the global market on her own, but Callahan could manage it with his focus on smaller projects. But there was only so much I could do; the reputation of the partnership and my specific business was established. None of us had to chase after business, it was coming to us, so all we had to do is settle in and focus on producing the highest quality work we could. This meant that I had to turn away some prospective clients who would have been satisfied with less and didn't want to pay for our standard of quality. We had an office party when Dagny won a bid to help restore one section of Kew Gardens in London and construct another. It was her most prestigious job to date, and reflected the studying she'd done on obscure cultivars.

Tony had come by during this process to say hi and see his god daughter and listened attentively as I described the restructuring we were doing, cautioning me against relying too much on employee loyalty. "Not everybody is like you, Tiger," he said briskly. "Most people leverage what they learn at one company and then move on and up. It isn't personal, so don't take it that way if this Callahan guy wants to do that at some point." He was right, but I was sulking a little anyway. Tony took this as an indicator to examine his own business, and did some restructuring and reorganizing himself. Ann decided to move into the data analysis side of things permanently since she could work from home when she wanted, so that left a big gap to be filled. Damian got a promotion and an expanded selection of underlings to direct. He also started serving on more boards of directors, making the most of his keen mind and experience. And Tony got to gloat--quietly, for once--that his company was in spectacular shape, especially compared to his father's, which was suffering because there wasn't much of a market for advanced weaponry systems right now. Not enough tax dollars anywhere, and by law, he was forbidden from selling to foreign interests.

It took some time--my selections from Steve's collection were delivered first--before Valkyrie's state-of-the-art uniforms were ready. Steve and Bucky had nitpicked them half to death, but I didn't really mind; their attention to detail would keep me better protected. The layers of fabric were cut- and stab-resistant and mostly bulletproof; a sophisticated inner layer also helped to diffuse the impact of energy weapons. The polymer armor that Tony had devised would cushion blows from pipes, staffs, and swords, and my identity was as protected as it could be short of plastic surgery. And there were concealed sheaths everywhere for my knives. There was a new, cut-proof sword belt and the backpack assembly for my med kit and to conceal the organic nature of my wings. It even came with an awesome thigh quiver for my arrows. The only visible armor I had now was a new, sleek helmet, the metal darkened to match the costume. Even Damian was happy with it.

Bruce finally was able to return, having had to deal with a few complications and a little infection from the transplant of the spleen. Tabby was excited to be back with all her family and familiar surroundings, and things between Selina and Bruce were better, but it didn't look like they'd be getting back together.

Work on the Parthenon began mid-summer, and I went out for the beginning of project and to make sure everything was ready to proceed. The head priestess of Athena was a bit aloof but not unfriendly and performed a ceremony before the first piece of marble was moved. I had a brief worrying moment when the priestess' eyes flashed with a weird light and that unsettling sense that somebody was playing with the body like a puppet, but when the goddess spoke, she affirmed that she was overseeing all the aspects of our endeavors, with a stress on the 'all' that I found reassuring. Mei reported progress each week and also when something out of the ordinary came up. Fortunately, nothing was serious.

During this time, both the Justice League and the Avengers successfully placed moles in the Typhon organization. Most were low-level operatives, but we had a couple of mid-level sources who had access to some plans and dates, and judicious use of the intel helped these people advance in the organization. Damian went on a couple of missions, which I didn't particularly like, but turnabout was fair play. He didn't come back with anything worse than bruises and some abrasions, minor cuts, so that was reassuring.

The twins' birthdays came around and Iris got her horse; we found a rescued Arabian, a pretty light gray mare that she promptly adored. For Miles, we took a chunk of the basement and made him a little dance studio with two mirrored walls, a good chunk of barre, a sound system stocked with music from great ballets, and used the same dehumidifiers that were in the bat cave to keep the wood floor from warping. Dick started teaching him some tumbling; good for strength and agility and the ability to do back and front flips would be useful if Miles decided to branch out to other dance styles.

Between that celebration and Christmas, I went back to Greece for the dedication of the Parthenon sanctuary, after which time would be set aside each day for worship. The artisans finished placing the last of the cultured ivory on the great chryselephantine statue of Athena that dominated the interior of the temple the day before the event. The reflecting pool at the foot of the statue was refurbished and filled, the roof repaired and refitted with cypress and glass. Modern lamps at the foot of each column dramatically illuminated the space. It was impressive as hell, the face of the goddess more beautiful than the replica of the Parthenon that could be found in Nashville, the whole thing more graceful and dynamic. Even the six-foot stature of Nike on the goddess' right hand was delicate and exquisite. The glow of the gold that was used to clad the stature gleamed and the gems in her eyes, enormous labradorite cabochons that flashed as you moved toward the statue, managed to seem both calm and assessing. The goddess still had her left hand on her shield, but her headdress was changed to a helmet. It was both completely badass and utterly magnificent. Diana came with me and we were among the guests permitted to attend the consecration of the temple. Braziers were placed on each corner of the stairs leading to the temple but were not lit. The goddess did not allow security in the sanctuary itself, but the government had set up the best possible system on the outside. Diana told me later that they would be lit only at the goddess's command, a signal that Typhon's big plan was in play. While we were there, we toured other temples, including Ares'. His temple, I was glad to see, was much smaller than the Parthenon and while it was being fitted out nicely, wasn't nearly the equal of Athena's.

I lost track of her while we were wandering around, but before I could panic, a crack of lightning that appeared, literally, out of the clear blue sky gave me a clue as to her location, so I just sat on one of the new marble benches and waited for her to reappear. It wasn't until we were on the way home again until she confided that she'd gone to Zeus' temple and that the priest there had hosted his god who had acknowledged her as his daughter. Given the temper of his wife, he would not make this information public, nor would he intervene with Ares' plans, but he would make all the gods--not just the Olympians--aware that he disapproved and would look benignly on any actions they chose to take in opposition. "He said that this would free them all to act," she said cautiously. "So I'm not sure if this is really a net gain for us."

"Zeus is kind of a coward, always ducking responsibility," I said with a sigh. "But this does permit us to recruit."

She nodded. "I can do some of that myself, and I know the others will add their appeals," she said with conviction. "I will have more time after the wedding."

"You're taking a honeymoon, though, right?" I asked. "Because that's important."

Diana smiled radiantly. "Yes, we will be touring the Mediterranean, so we can pop into a few temples too." I laughed. Working honeymoon. "But if I bring him close, my mother will come out to see us."

"That will be wonderful," I said. "I'm so pleased that she'll be able to meet him." We discussed this the rest of the short ride back home.

The alliance was building a good database on Typhon, including increasingly accurate locations of their bases, improving estimates of their manpower, their resources, and the names of their key people. An attempt to intervene in the national election in Romania had been thwarted and some important mergers and acquisitions that would have given Typhon principals a great deal of control over communications and manufacturing had been derailed.

A series of attacks all over Greece and related ancient sites rocked the world as we closed in on Christmas. The stadium at Olympia and the new Colossus of Rhodes were destroyed, the Corfu museums, Knossos, and Corinth severely damaged. The newly restored temples of Athena and Apollo and the theater were seriously damaged, but the Pythia warned of the attack and the guards were able to avert total destruction. There was an emergency meeting in the bat cave Christmas Eve; we had a bit of a struggle getting the kids to bed early, but it's amazing what a bribe of Alfred's special Christmas spice cake can accomplish.

"The Greek authorities have reached out to us," Superman said grimly. "They have reason to believe that the Parthenon is going to be attacked by Typhon in a few hours. Their forces are stretched thinly because of all the recent bombings and they want to know if there's any possibility of help."

"Timeline?" Bruce asked briskly. Superman hadn't been kidding when he said that the attacks were expected soon.

"If we take the suborbitals, we can make it in time," Damian said grimly. "But we only have access to three, between us and Tony, and there's a limit to how many we can bring."

"I can fly," Superman said instantly. "If we can catch them red-handed, we can get everything wrapped up and be home in time for Christmas with our families."

"I can transport myself," I said. "I'm in. I spent a fortune getting that thing rebuilt, and I'm not having it blown up now." There were smiles and some curious looks; not everybody knew I can blip myself around. And with there being so much less now to my uniform, I could bring a lot of my weapons with me.

"We'll bring the rest of your armory with us," Damian said, knowing where my mind was going. I grinned at him. We quickly hashed out a plan. Basically, we get there, bust the bad guys before the temple could be damaged, turn them over to the authorities, and be home in time for Santa. As the first on the line, I was to develop our intelligence and I'd have field command when everybody else arrived.

As the details for the transport and the roster were worked out, I hustled to the smithy where I kept my gear and began the process of assuming my costume. It wasn't easy; it was skin tight so that the fabrics could perform optimally and required a lot of tugging, wiggling, and grunting to get into. I was tired by the time I got it on. I slid all my knives in their sheaths, made sure I could push out the wings before adding the backpack, strapped on my swordbelt, grabbed my bow and quivers, and trotted back to where the meeting was just breaking up.

"How does it feel?" Steve asked anxiously.

"Binding, like justice," I said to him and grinned. Bucky rolled his eyes.

"I'll bring your cape," he promised. Damian, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Winter Knight, Hawkeye the Elder, Scarlet Witch, Flash, Quicksilver, Falcon, Nightwing, Black Canary, Supergirl, Iron Man, and Batgirl were coming along. Superman, Supergirl, and Iron Man were going to fly themselves, and I'd meet everybody there. I pulled on my mask and helmet, visualized the strongroom of the temple, and dislocated myself through distance.

I was alone in the strongroom, fortunately, and took the time to consume some energy gel; that kind of travel is exhausting even with the lighter costume. When I quit shaking, I quickly examined the room; it contained ritual items, the latest load of offerings to the goddess, and, more importantly, feeds from the security lenses. Nobody was around just presently, and I flicked the switch a few times to simulate a power glitch, then shut off the lights entirely. I knew the temple really well from our work, and moved quickly out into the sanctuary, squeezing under the statue to make sure that nobody had stuffed explosives into the framework, then examined the rest of the building, flying up to check the roof last. Nothing. I dropped to the floor again and crept out. Nothing around the columns, either. Looks like I'd beaten Typhon to the temple. I planted listening devices at each corner of the temple, and synced them to my earbud.

It was a moonless night, and with the temple lights out, I used my wings to help me climb up a pillar; the claw at the top of each wing really helped and it was easier than lifting off from the ground. I put on a pair of glasses with interchangeable anti-reflective binocular lenses and night vision and lay flat near the peak where I could easily observe the approach to the temple. And waited.