…
"Ares is real!"
Seeing the doubt written all over Steve Trevor's face, Diana insisted firmly.
"Yes, yes, of course he is."
Steve nodded perfunctorily.
He was a staunch atheist.
Sure. Ares. Right.
Then—
He watched Leon casually conjure a vanilla ice cream cone out of thin air and feed it to Bast, who was curled up in her black cat form.
The cone was nearly the same size as the cat.
Bast swallowed it in one bite.
Another cone immediately appeared in Leon's hand.
And another.
It's a magic trick. Just a magic trick…
Repeating that to himself, Steve was escorted away by two dark-skinned Amazon warriors.
"Mother, Ares has returned!"
"We must prepare. If he is still weak, we should strike first. If he succeeds in escalating the war completely, it will be too late!"
Diana pleaded earnestly.
But Hippolyta remained unmoved.
"Diana, Ares cannot return so easily. Zeus wounded him gravely."
"The war that man described has nothing to do with Ares."
"It is born from humanity's own insatiable nature."
"They are not worth your salvation."
"The world beyond Themyscira is corrupted. It does not deserve you."
"Why?"
Diana frowned.
"Millions have died. Only Ares could cause such devastation!"
"We should release that soldier—and march with him to confront Ares. Isn't that our sacred mission?"
"Child… you are naïve."
Hippolyta cupped her daughter's flawless cheek. The warmth of a mother shifted into the composure of a queen.
"I will not send our warriors to fight another nation's war and leave Themyscira defenseless."
"Our first duty is to protect our homeland."
"But Zeus created the Amazons to embody justice, wisdom, strength, and compassion—to spread love and prevent Ares from destroying mankind!"
"That story… was told to protect you."
"There are truths you do not yet understand."
"Even Zeus himself could not embody true love and justice."
"He was a… a…"
"A what?"
Realizing she had said too much, Hippolyta closed off any further mention of Zeus.
"Diana, you are not like the others. You were never meant to carry their burdens. You were born free."
"As your mother—and as your queen—I act for your own good."
"No!"
"That's not right!"
"I'm no different from anyone else!"
Her mother's words reopened an old wound.
Not long ago, when Diana had accidentally injured Antiope during training, the wary, almost fearful glances from her sisters had carved a thorn into her heart.
It had never truly left.
Now Hippolyta had brushed against it again.
Tears welled in Diana's eyes—resentful, confused, unwilling.
She turned and ran from the hall.
"Diana!"
Hippolyta reached out—
But Diana, her demigod strength now awakening, vanished in an instant.
"…Sigh."
Hippolyta closed her eyes briefly.
She had only wished to spare Diana from a burden too heavy, too soon.
When she opened them—
Leon was still seated at the throne, having thoroughly enjoyed the "show."
"Forgive us, Odinson. You must think poorly of us."
"Not at all."
"A mother protecting her daughter. A queen protecting her people."
"You've done more than enough."
Leon rose and approached her.
"But concealment rarely yields the best outcome."
Hippolyta's expression shifted subtly.
"You already know the truth, don't you?"
"No."
"I don't."
Leon lied with perfect composure.
"I simply speak from experience."
"I have an older brother—Loki, God of Mischief."
"He was not born of Asgard."
"He was the abandoned son of Laufey, King of the Frost Giants—discarded for being small and weak."
"Odin took him in and concealed his nature with divine magic. Loki grew believing himself a true son of Asgard."
"Until one day…"
Leon proceeded to recount a dramatically embellished version of Thor (2011)—Loki's discovery of his origins, descent into bitterness, attempted genocide, and eventual downfall.
Naturally—
Leon portrayed himself as the loyal younger brother who refused to give up on Loki, who "corrected" him with a righteous beating and ultimately freed him from divine imprisonment.
"So," Hippolyta asked slowly, "you were exiled and had your power sealed because you released Loki?"
"More or less."
"Old Man Odin at least left me with a few tools for self-defense. And Themyscira is full of talented people—many of them beautiful, eloquent, and charming. It almost feels like home."
Leon was quite satisfied with this improvised "Origin of the God of Battle."
Though his final remark caused Hippolyta's brow to tighten.
The handsome, overwhelmingly powerful foreign god before her—
Why did he resemble a certain notoriously faithless Olympian with alarming similarity?
Even if Leon suddenly claimed to be Zeus's son—
She might believe him.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Was fate truly a circle, endlessly repeating?
Hippolyta wondered.
[System Notification]
Adaptation is not fabrication. The revised "Origin of the God of Battle" has been certified by this System as the official canonical origin of God of Battle · Leon Stark Odinson within the DC Universe.
This is now irrefutable truth.
'What?'
'System, was I technically undocumented before this? Did you just legitimize my residency?'
[…]
'Answer me!'
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