|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Adventure Comics - Times Past
Green Arrow & Wonder Woman
The Horn Blows At Midnightby HarveyKent
On a humid summer night, the sleek Arrowcar drove through the steaming streets of Star City. It was past ten o'clock, and most businesses were closed, but the theater district hummed with activity. Green Arrow piloted the supercharged vehicle down the deserted streets of the financial district, often key targets for late-night crime. He was alone his night; his young partner Speedy was out of town, giving an archery demonstration at the Olympics. Green Arrow beamed with pride over that.
"Attention, all cars in vicinity of Hydecker Museum," the radio in the Arrowcar crackled to life. Green Arrow kept it constantly on the police band. "Proceed to museum to investigate silent alarm."
"The Hydecker isn't far from here," Green Arrow said to himself, turning the wheel to execute a sharp left turn. As he did so he caught sight of a traffic sign, Turn Left on Green Arrow, and allowed himself a smile. "We'll just see who's trying to help themselves to the museum's treasures! Clock King? Red Dart? Or maybe just a gang of garden-variety burglars?"
Within minutes the Arrowcar pulled to a silent stop one block over from the museum. Green Arrow parked the car there and finished the journey on foot, so as not to alert the would-be thieves. He found the door forced, and crept silently into the darkened halls of the museum. He stalked through the silent building, keeping his ears open for the sound of movement, as he had done years before on Starfish Island while searching for game. His efforts were rewarded; he heard a sound like footsteps coming from the Greek Wing. They sounded heavier than normal footsteps, but he didn't take time to think about that. Keeping his bow at the ready, the Ace Archer proceeded to the wing.
What he saw made him stop in his tracks.
He quickly shook his head, blinked twice. "Take it easy, archer, don't freak out," he thought to himself. "It's nothing strange. Just a mythical centaur stealing an ancient clay pot. Probably happens all the time in Gotham City." As his hand reached over his shoulder to draw an arrow, Green Arrow called out, "Hey, Mr. Ed! The pot isn't for sale, but I think there's a plastic reproduction in the gift shop!"
The centaur's head turned to see who had spoken. Its face contorted into a grimace of rage, and it raised its fists. In one fluid motion Green Arrow drew a stunner arrow from his quiver, notched it to the bowstring, drew and fired. The arrow flew true, striking the centaur directly in the chest and delivering an electric shock of sufficient voltage to render a man unconscious.
A man. Not a centaur.
"Holy--" Green Arrow didn't have time to complete his expletive before the centaur galloped up to him, reared back on its hind legs, and drove its front hooves into the startled archer's chest. Green Arrow was knocked back against the wall, striking his head on the hard surface of the wall. As he went down into darkness, the last thing he heard was the sound of glass shattering.
"Green Arrow!" a voice called urgently. "Green Arrow! Are you all right?"
"Gnhh, just five more minutes, Ma," Green Arrow muttered, his mind swimming back up to consciousness. Suddenly he was fully alert, looking up at two worried-looking policemen staring down at him. His head throbbed, and his chest was sore. "Ouch! Anybody get the number of that centaur?"
"So you saw it, too?" the first policeman asked, helping Green Arrow to his feet. "We got here just as it was galloping away. We fired at it, but it didn't stop."
"You fired warning shots?" Green Arrow asked.
"At first," the second officer said. "When it didn't stop, we shot to wound. I know we hit it, at least four times! But it just ignored the bullets and kept on going!"
"Yeah, it found my stunner arrow equally amusing," Green Arrow said. "What'd he take?"
"It was holding something small under one arm," the first officer said. "I couldn't tell what."
"When I got here it was going for a clay pot, over there," Green Arrow said, indicating a shattered and empty glass case. "That's all he took, huh? Seems like a lot of trouble for not much."
"Yeah, lots of other, more valuable things in here," the second officer agreed.
"Maybe centaurs think differently than we do," the first officer suggested.
"Maybe," Green Arrow concurred. "I sure as heck don't know how centaurs think." The ace archer thought for a second. "But I might know someone who does."
***
"Good morning, Etta," Diana Prince said sweetly, as she passed by her friend's desk. "How's the coffee this--Etta? Is something wrong?" Diana noticed the dazed, somewhat frightened look on her friend's face.
"Diana," she said meekly, "there's....someone in your office. To see you."
"Someone?" Diana asked, preparing herself. The tremulous tones of her friend's voice spoke of trouble. "Who?"
"I think...you'd better see for yourself," Etta said, nervously.
"All right," Diana said, steeling herself. She strode purposefully to the closed door of her office, her dress uniform regulation heels clicking on the tiled floor. With a single motion, she threw open the door, and gasped with surprise.
"Diana!" the beautiful blonde woman exclaimed, putting down the magazine she had been reading. "How wonderful to see you again!" The woman was wearing the snow-white toga of the ancient Greeks; golden bands adorned her upper arms, golden sandals on her tiny, delicate feet. She was, simply put, the most beautiful woman Diana had ever seen.
"Diana," Etta whispered, "she said that she's--she thinks she is--"
"Aphrodite, of course," the goddess said, with an air of impatience. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
"It's all right, Etta," Diana said to her friend. "I've--met her before. Through Wonder Woman."
Etta's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "You mean she--she really is--her??"
"Etta, would you get me a cup of coffee, please?" Diana asked.
"Huh? What? Coffee? Oh! Oh, sure! Sure! Coming right up!" Grateful for an excuse to leave the room, Etta hurried out. Diana shut the door behind her, and turned a baleful gaze on the Greek goddess perched on the corner of her desk.
"Aphrodite, praise Zeus that we are together again," Diana began, in ritualistic tones befitting the address to a goddess, "but what are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, of course, Diana," Aphrodite said, as if the question had been stupid. "Why else? And what's the matter, you seem so flustered."
"Aphrodite," Diana said patiently, "the mortals I work with here do not know that I am Wonder Woman! Your being here could jeopardize my secret identity!"
"Secret identity?" Aphrodite repeated, confused. "You mean you actually pose as one of these mortals? Walk amongst them, pretending to be one of them? Diana, why in Olympus would you do that?"
"It's a long story," Diana said, "but the short answer is, to be close to the mortal man I have come to love, Steve Trevor."
"Ah, yes, Steve Trevor," Aphrodite said with a smile. "That is why I have come to see you, Diana."
Diana did a double take. "It is? Why?"
"Well, of late I have become confused about the emotion of love," Aphrodite explained. "I know, I know, it's like Hephaestus becoming confused about fire, but there it is. I am its vessel, I bring it to mortal and god alike, and yet I don't really understand how it works. So I came to you for advice. You, who forsake your immortal heritage and home on Paradise Island to live among the mortals, for love. If you cannot advise me, who can?"
Diana could scarcely believe what she was hearing. "Aphrodite, I'm not sure I can counsel you. Love isn't something to be understood, to be classified and categorized. It simply--is. I don't--" Diana paused suddenly, a pensive look on her face.
"Diana, what is it?" Aphrodite asked, sensing the tension in the Amazon's face.
"My tiara is vibrating," Diana explained. "I wear it under my hair, in this guise. It means one of my friends in the Justice League is trying to contact me."
"Justice League?" Aphrodite repeated, wrinkling her nose in non-comprehension. "Whatever is that?"
"A band of champions battling evil and having adventures together," Diana explained, putting it in terms that Aphrodite would understand.
"Oh, like the Argonauts!" Aphrodite exclaimed, happy at understanding. "That Jason was gorgeous one, was he not?" The blonde goddess sighed with the memory.
Diana touched a fingertip to her brow, touching the tiara beneath her hair. The vibrations were replaced by words. "Green Arrow calling Wonder Woman, 5-5-6-5! Come in, Wonder Woman! 5-5-6-5!"
"Wonder Woman here, 6-5-5-5, Green Arrow," Diana responded. "What's the problem?"
"Got a riddle for you, Wonder Woman," Green Arrow said. "What has two arms, four legs, and runs around in Star City?"
"Green Arrow, I hope you didn't call me on the emergency JLA frequency to tell me a riddle," Diana said, a trifle impatiently.
"Not quite," the archer's voice came through. "The answer is, a really lost centaur."
"Great Hera!" Diana exclaimed. "Are you telling me there's a centaur in Star City?"
"There was last night," Green Arrow said. "I've got the hoof prints on my chest to prove it. I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit out of my depth here. I could use a hand, specifically one holding a golden lasso."
"Of course, I understand," Diana said. "I can be in Star City in half an hour."
"Make it an hour," Green Arrow said. "There's a local authority I want to consult. I'll meet you in an hour on the observation deck of Star Tower. You can't miss it."
"I'll try not to," Wonder Woman said. "In an hour, then!" Diana broke the connection, and turned to her Olympian guest. "Aphrodite, I have to go. One of my colleagues in the Justice League needs my help."
"One of the band of champions, like the Argonauts?" Aphrodite asked eagerly. "I shall accompany you!"
"Oh, I don't think that would be a good idea," Diana said, nervously.
"Nonsense!" Aphrodite said. "I would like to see your champions in action. I have always enjoyed a good heroic exploit! Come, let us away to this City of the Stars. A fitting name for the home of a champion!"
Diana shrugged slightly. How did you say ''no' to a goddess? That was something beyond even Wonder Woman's capabilities.
***
"Oliver, old sport!" the middle-aged man with the spade beard exclaimed in delight, looking up from the copy of Homer he was reading. "So good to see you! You don't get to the club as often as you used to, these days!"
"Afraid I don't have much time anymore, Roger," Oliver Queen said, shaking the older man's hand. "Between the business and raising a teenager. In fact I can't stay long now; meeting a friend for lunch in half an hour."
Roger Stonecutter cocked a roguish eyebrow. "Blonde or brunette?"
"Brunette, actually," Oliver grinned. "But I'm glad I bumped into you, Roger. I wanted to pick your brain about the robbery at the Hydecker last night."
"You heard about that, eh?" Stonecutter said with a grin. "Balderdash about a centaur, and all that?"
"So you don't believe it?" Oliver asked.
"No, I don't," Stonecutter said firmly. "True, the world is changing; so-called ''super-heroes' and whatnot. But I still don't believe an honest-to-Homer centaur robbed a Star City museum! Probably some clever disguise, or mechanical contrivance like that giant octopus Green Arrow stopped last year."
Oliver considered that. "Actually, Roger, I was hoping you could shed some light on what the...thief took. I find that interesting."
"Eh? What he took?" Stonecutter asked.
"Sure," Oliver said. "The police commissioner called this morning to break a golf date; the owners of the Hydecker are breathing down his neck about the robbery. He told me that all that was taken was a small clay pot, probably not worth very much. You're the best expert I know on Greek things, Roger. I thought you could offer some insight."
"Clay pot, eh?" Stonecutter said, stroking his beard. "Well, ancient Greek pots were very decorative, often used in religious rites and ceremonies. Perhaps the thief is a collector, and found the pot particularly attractive."
"So the pot has no hidden value that you're aware of?"
"Well, I haven't seen the pot we're talking about," Stonecutter reminded him. "There are dozens in the Hydecker, you know. Odds are the police will be asking my opinion; as you say, I'm Star City's leading Greek expert. My home has as many Greek artifacts as the Hydecker. But until I see the pot, or a picture of it, I can't say for sure what value it had."
"That makes sense," Oliver said. "Well, I have to dash, Rog. Thanks for your thoughts!"
"Any time, Oliver," Stonecutter said, picking up his book. "Give my regards to your...friend," the old millionaire added with a wink. Oliver returned the wink with a grin.
***
"Hola, Green Arrow," Wonder Woman hailed a greeting as she floated gently down from her hovering invisible plane to the observation deck of the highest tower in Star City. The beautiful goddess Aphrodite followed closely behind her. "I hope I'm on time."
"Punctual as always, Princess," Green Arrow said. "Thanks for coming on such short-- well, hello!" The archer's attention was diverted by the comely goddess as her dainty feet touched down on the deck. She smiled a catlike smile at Green Arrow.
"Greetings, Green Arrow, is it not? I understand you are a fellow champion of Wonder Woman's, in something called the League of Justice."
"That I am," Green Arrow agreed. "And may I say, any friend of Wonder Woman's is someone I'd love to know better!" The archer took off his cap and made a sweeping bow; Aphrodite giggled at the gesture.
"Green Arrow," Wonder Woman said, a trifle icily, "may I present the goddess Aphrodite."
Green Arrow dropped his hat. His jaw fell nearly as far. "The...the Aphrodite? Goddess of Love, and all that?"
"None other," Aphrodite said, extending her hand. "My pleasure, Green Arrow."
"Um...likewise," Green Arrow stammered, taking the hand briefly. He had been expected to kiss it, but the best he could manage under the circumstances was a brief shake before he released it. Martians and super-speedsters were one thing, but to meet an actual Greek goddess--!
"Green Arrow, about this centaur--?" Wonder Woman prompted.
"Oh, right, right!" Green Arrow said, recovering his hat. "Actually, I'm beginning to wonder if it really was a centaur. Someone suggested to me that it was a hoax, a disguise or a robot or something. That's always a possibility."
"True, but so is the possibility that it really was a centaur," Wonder Woman said. "You fought it; how did it seem to you?"
"''Fought' is a bit generous for what went on between us," Green Arrow said. "It mopped the floor with me. As to whether it seemed real to me, I don't know what a real centaur seems like. That's why I called you."
"Well, until and unless it strikes again," Wonder Woman said, "we don't have much to go on."
"I was thinking we could go to the museum, sniff around for clues," Green Arrow suggested. "Maybe centaurs leave some kind of a trail, I don't know."
"It's worth a try," Wonder Woman suggested. "Let us go to this mu--" Suddenly, Green Arrow's belt buckle started beeping. Aphrodite glanced at it with wide eyes.
"The phone in my Arrowcar is ringing," Green Arrow explained. "Pardon me, ladies." With moves so fluid and graceful they seemed like a single continuous motion, Green Arrow drew an arrow from his quiver, notched it to the bowstring, drew, fired, and swung out into space on the nylon cord released behind. Wonder Woman and Aphrodite watched him twirl gracefully to the street forty stories below where he had parked his sleek yellow automobile.
"What skill he has with the bow!" Aphrodite remarked. "And did you see those arms? Heracles himself would be jealous of those muscles!"
"I'm certain," Wonder Woman said impatiently. "Come, let us join him." The Amazon princess leapt off the deck, floating gracefully down to the street. Aphrodite accompanied her. When they landed they found Green Arrow leaning over the open car, cradling a phone to his ear and yelling into it.
"Say that again," he demanded. "It's being attacked by who? What, that guy from the comic books? No? A what!? Are you sure? I know, I know, stupid question. Okay, I'm on the way!" Green Arrow slammed the phone back into its cradle on the dashboard, and turned to stare at his Justice League colleague.
"Wonder Woman," he began, "we may be on the trail of the centaur sooner than we thought."
"What is it?" Wonder Woman demanded.
"Boston University is being attacked," Green Arrow declared, "by a Cyclops!"
***
"Not nervous about flying, are you, Green Arrow?" Wonder Woman asked as she piloted the invisible jet through the skies over Boston. It was not far to Boston University; Star City had once been a small part of greater Boston itself, centuries earlier. The journey would have taken an hour by car, just a few minutes by Wonder Woman's jet.
"No, no, of course not!" Green Arrow said, making a point of not looking out the window, or down. "I pilot the Arrowplane all the time, you know that! It's just, well, in the Arrowplane I can't see the ground below me!"
Aphrodite laughed, a high-pitched titter. "What a clever champion you are, Green Arrow, to jest at not feeling at ease in Father Zeus' sky! I have not met one who made me laugh so since Hermes!"
"Oh, yeah, that's me, a real kidder," Green Arrow said, puffing out his chest.
"Why, I would have suggested I ride on the wing, so I could get first shot at this Cyclops, but the Princess would have vetoed the idea."
"Don't be too sure," Wonder Woman said, her fingers tightening on the jet's controls.
"There's the university up ahead!" Green Arrow cried, pointing. "Holy and cow, Wonder Woman, it looks like they weren't kidding after all!" One of the smaller buildings on campus was under siege by a hairy-limbed giant of a being who towered over the building. The creature had one enormous eye in the center of its forehead. Campus security officers were firing handguns and rifles at the monster, but this only annoyed it and made it roar with anger.
"Hera preserve us, that's a true Cyclops, all right," Wonder Woman declared. "No mortal artifice could counterfeit that!"
"I'm inclined to agree," Green Arrow said. "Buzz him, Princess, I'm gonna try something!"
Wonder Woman smiled slightly at her comrade. While he may be a bit arrogant and boastful in the presence of Aphrodite, when it came to the task at hand he was all business. "I'll get us as close as I can," she promised. "I'm not sure what those hands could do to this jet, though, and I'm not eager to find out!"
"Me neither, Princess," Green Arrow said. "Can you open a window so I can get a shot out, or something?"
At a mental command from Wonder Woman, the cockpit hatch slid noiselessly open. "Thanks," Green Arrow shouted over the wind. His hat blew off and tumbled into the rear of the jet. The Cyclops saw the plane approaching, and roared in rage.
"I've got to veer off quickly," Wonder Woman cried, "or risk being caught in that monster's clutches! Whatever you're going to do, do it now!"
"Roger that!" Green Arrow shot back. He had lashed two arrows together with nylon cord; he now notched these to the bowstring, drew and fired. One arrow shaft burst into a fiery rocket-stream, sending the double shaft straight at the monster's single eye. The other arrow exploded into a dazzling burst of brilliant white light. The Cyclops howled in pain, clapping its monstrous hands over its eye. It stamped its huge feet in pain and rage. "Woo-hoo!" Green Arrow called out, as the cockpit hatch slid back into place. "No Odysseus, me, but I learned a little from classical literature!"
"I knew Odysseus," Aphrodite declared. "Odysseus was a friend of mine. And you, Green Arrow, are no Odysseus. Not even he could have claimed such a magnificent feat!"
"What did you do, Green Arrow?" Wonder Woman demanded. "I saw you tying those arrows together, but what were they?"
"One was a rocket-booster arrow," Green Arrow explained, "to make it fly straight when fired from a moving jet. The other was a magnesium flare arrow, just the thing to blind that brobdignagian blinker of his. Now, while he's still doing the Mr. Magoo bit, let's press the advantage!"
"I'm with you!" Wonder Woman cried, rising from the pilot's seat. "Take the controls!"
"Wha?" Green Arrow said, sliding into the seat. "WW, I don't know how to fly this crazy peek-a-boo plane of yours!"
"The controls are mostly mental," Wonder Woman explained. "Think what you want it to do!"
"Okay, but what do you want me to do?"
"Aim for its legs," Wonder Woman declared, taking out her magic lasso. Sensing his friend's plan, Green Arrow nodded and sent the plane into a dive. Green Arrow's success with a bow was due to supreme concentration, which had sharpened his mind; he mastered the mental controls of the jet quickly. As it banked near the trunk like legs of the Cyclops, Wonder Woman hurled her magic lasso. The unbreakable links snaked around the giant's ankles. Green Arrow then sent the plane into a rapid circling pattern, winding the lasso around and around the creature's legs. On the tenth trip around, the Cyclops, blinded and hobbled, toppled to the ground with a thunderous crash.
"Excellent flying, Green Arrow!" Wonder Woman declared. "I"ll take the controls now."
"Ooh, thanks," Green Arrow said, holding his forehead. "You got an invisible airsick bag on this crate?" Before Wonder Woman could comment, there was a loud thunderclap, a sound of air rushing in to fill a sudden gap. The monocular behemoth had vanished without a trace!
"Incredible!" Wonder Woman said, gathering up her lasso as the three stood in the empty space where the Cyclops had been. "It just vanished, completely! One second it was there, and the next--it wasn't!"
"If I needed any more convincing that we're dealing with bona fide magic creatures," Green Arrow said, "I'm convinced now. Moreover, I'm sure the Cyclops and the centaur were working to the same end."
"How can you be certain of that?" Aphrodite asked.
"Take a look at the building the Cyclops was attacking," Green Arrow said, pointing at the small building. A large sign read ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT AND UNIVERSITY MUSEUM.
"Merciful Minerva!" Wonder Woman ejaculated. "The Cyclops must have been after something inside, some sort of antique like the one the centaur took!"
"But the beast was thwarted in his thieving designs," Aphrodite said with admiration, "by the heroic actions of the champion, Green Arrow! And you too, Wonder Woman."
"My thanks," the Amazon princess said coolly.
"I'm not so sure he was thwarted," Green Arrow said.
"What do you mean?" Aphrodite asked. "Your efforts felled the giant before he could gain ingress to yon structure! The treasures within it are safe!"
"Maybe," Green Arrow said. "Still, I'll feel better when I see for myself that everything inside is as it ought to be." Without another word, the emerald archer began striding toward the entrance to the museum. Wonder Woman and Aphrodite exchanged glances, and followed him. They found him just inside the entrance, helping a middle-aged security guard to his feet. The man had a large lump on the back of his balding head.
"Great Hera!" Wonder Woman exclaimed.
"I thought so," Green Arrow said. "The centaur was at least subtle. The Cyclops was about as subtle as a piranha fish in a rice paddy. It was a diversion, keeping everybody occupied while the real thief was in here."
"Is he not brilliant?" Aphrodite sighed with admiration.
"Hera give me strength," Wonder Woman muttered.
"Take it easy, Pops, you're all right," Green Arrow said soothingly to the security guard. "Just a knock on the noggin, that's all."
"Oww, easy for you to say," the guard muttered. "My head feels like it got kicked by a mule!"
"You see who did it?" Green Arrow asked.
"Naw, I was watchin' that King Kong thing outside, and I got knocked from behind," the guard said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, the dean is gonna fire me sure if anything's missing!"
"Well, take it easy, and when you feel up to it, look around and tell us if anything is," Green Arrow said.
"Look there," Aphrodite said, pointing. There was a life-size marble statue of the god Zeus standing against one wall. One leg of the statue had been broken, shattered.
"That wasn't like that before, was it, Pops?" Green Arrow asked.
"Hell no!" the guard spat. "Damn, I'm gonna catch it over this!"
"They broke in to vandalize, not to steal?" Green Arrow asked. "That doesn't make sense."
"Look here, Green Arrow," Wonder Woman said, examining the statue closely. "The leg was hollow! Thick-walled, to give the appearance of solidity, but hollow! Perhaps there was something inside that the thief wanted!"
"Hey, good eye, Princess!" Green Arrow exclaimed. "And if that's the order of the day, maybe there was something hidden in the clay pot, too!"
"It's possible," Wonder Woman said, pensively. "Perhaps the pot had a false bottom; or a double wall. If so, the hidden object would have to be very small and thin; perhaps circular, hidden in the entire circumference of the pot, and the leg of the statue. A ring, or a band, or..." the Amazon princess' eyes suddenly grew very wide. "Merciful Minerva," she whispered.
"What is it?" Green Arrow asked, suddenly concerned. He had worked with Wonder Woman for two years now, and had never seen such fear on her face. "What are you thinking of?"
"Great Aphrodite," Wonder Woman said, turning to the goddess, pleading in her voice, "tell me it's not possible! Hidden objects, small and thin and circular? Two objects; possibly three? Tell me it's only a legend!"
Aphrodite's lovely face was suddenly full of fear as well. "Oh, Diana!" she exclaimed, taking the princess' hands in hers. "The Thesian thunderhorn!"
"Huh?" Green Arrow said, in confusion. "The cheesy what? What are you talking about?"
"The Thesian thunderhorn," Wonder Woman said in awe. "It's the most powerful destructive weapon ever created! Far, far mightier than your atomic bomb!"
"Okay, I'm just going to gloss over the ''my' atomic bomb part," Green Arrow said. "Tell me about this thunderhorn doohickey. Like, for instance, what is it?"
"Let me explain," Aphrodite said. "When the world of mortals was young, Father Zeus realized its people had great potential for good, and for ill. He knew that one day they might achieve great things, become as gods themselves. If that day came, if mortal man were able to challenge the gods, they must be wiped away, and the power of the Olympians secure. Thus, Zeus created the Thesian thunderhorn, a vessel for his mighty wrath, that might be used to erase the mortal slate so that the gods might begin again. So dangerous was this weapon, Father Zeus ordered it broken into three sections and hidden forever from the eyes of god and mortal alike. None but Father Zeus knew where it was hidden; or were supposed to, at any rate."
"Now, wait the heck a minute," Green Arrow said. "I'm as open-minded as the next fella. I mean, I've got a buddy who has a magic ring that can move mountains, and another pal who doesn't need a ring to do it. But you're telling me this, this horn can destroy the world?"
"No," Wonder Woman said. "All worlds. One blast on the Thesian thunderhorn would totally eradicate the universe. All universes."
"Oh, man," Green Arrow said, "I'm gonna need a minute to get my mind around that idea!"
"And it seems that someone, somehow, has discovered the hiding places of the sections of the horn," Wonder Woman said. "If we can't find the third piece before they do, the world, the universe, all that we know may cease to be!"
"But where do we start?" Green Arrow said. "It seems like these pieces of the horn are hidden inside ancient Greek artifacts. They've been scattered all over the world, we can't possibly find the third piece without even a clue where to look!"
"Perhaps I can help," Aphrodite said, striding gracefully to the broken statue. "The thunderhorn was fashioned by Zeus himself. It was truly hidden within this statue, I will be able to sense its lingering presence." The beautiful goddess knelt beside the broken leg of the statue, ran her slender fingers over the surface of the marble. Green Arrow and Wonder Woman watched silently for long moments. Then Aphrodite finally rose lithely to her feet. "It was here," she said simply. "I can feel it."
"It's as bad as I feared," Wonder Woman said gravely.
"Princess," Green Arrow said to Wonder Woman, "you said your plane's controls are mental?"
"That's right," Wonder Woman said. "How can that help us now?"
"Well, if Aphrodite can sense where the thunderhorn was, maybe she can tune in on where it is, too. If we can somehow, I don't know, plug her into the plane, maybe it can home in on the last piece of the horn and take us to it. Or maybe to whoever's got the other two."
"Wonderful!" Aphrodite exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Such wisdom! Athena herself could have done no better! You are truly wonderful, Green Arrow!"
"I'd deny it if I could, Aphrodite," Green Arrow said proudly. "Now, what do you say we get busy saving the world?"
"Such passion! Such determination!" Aphrodite marveled. "Lead us into battle, great champion! Aphrodite shall follow you anywhere!"
"Um, Aphrodite, why don't you go out to the plane and get comfortable in the cockpit," Wonder Woman suggested. "I need to discuss...strategy with Green Arrow for a moment."
"As you say, Diana," Aphrodite said, and gracefully walked out of the building. When the goddess was gone, Wonder Woman turned on Green Arrow.
"All right, archer, I've been patient here, but enough is enough!" she snapped.
"Wha?" Green Arrow said, spreading his hands. "What'd I do?"
"Don't act disingenuous with me," Wonder Woman warned. "I understand Aphrodite is beautiful, but for Hera's sake, the universe is on the brink of destruction! Do you think now is the time to be flirting with a goddess?"
"Hey, I like to mix business with pleasure," Green Arrow said. "Don't condemn me for that. After all, you had a fling with one of your fellow Justice Leaguers, before I ever joined the team!"
Wonder Woman gasped in shock. "How--how did you know that?"
Green Arrow grinned widely. "I didn't," he admitted. "Now I do. Come on, let's get going. Like you say, now's not the time to dawdle." Whistling to himself, Green Arrow walked out of the building, leaving Wonder Woman standing there dazed and confused. Finally, with a frustrated cry and a stamp of her foot that set all the glass cases trembling, Wonder Woman stalked after him.
The invisible jet soared through the sky at supersonic speed. Green Arrow and Wonder Woman sat in the rear of the cockpit. Aphrodite sat in the pilot's seat, a headband taken from Wonder Woman's mental radio fastened around her head and plugged into the plane's controls. The goddess sat with eyes closed, concentrating on the emanations she had sensed at the University Museum, the lingering presence of the Thesian thunderhorn.
"We're heading back towards Star City," Green Arrow pointed out. "Don't tell me all three of the segments were in the area! That's too much of a coincidence!"
"We may not be heading to Star City itself," Wonder Woman pointed out, "but merely in that direction. Then again, we may be homing in on the two stolen fragments, which are probably together and not very far from--"
"There!" Aphrodite suddenly cried, pointing forward. They were nearing the Star City coast, approaching a huge mansion built into the side of a hill overlooking the sea. "The thunderhorn is in yon structure! Or parts of it are, at least."
"I'll be a son of a gun!" Green Arrow exclaimed.
"You know the place, Green Arrow?" Wonder Woman asked.
"It's the home of a friend of mine," Green Arrow explained. "Roger Stonecutter, a billionaire from old money, and a big time expert on Greek mythology. He's the expert I consulted before I met with you."
"He collects Greek artifacts, does he?" Wonder Woman asked. "It's possible the third section of the thunderhorn is hidden inside a piece in his collection!"
"As Speedy would say, bouncin' bowstrings!" Green Arrow ejaculated. "If that's true, Rog is in danger from a harpy or a three-headed dog or whatever! Come on, we'd better--"
Before Green Arrow could finish his sentence, an enormous creature burst from the water below them. A scaly, reptilian creature, easily a hundred feet tall or more; only its head and arms broke the surface, but they dwarfed even the Cyclops. With a thunderous roar it grabbed for the plane, missing only by inches.
"The kraken!" Aphrodite squealed in terror.
"Aphrodite, remove the headband!" Wonder Woman cried. "Let me take control of the plane before--"
Suddenly, the kraken's webbed claw struck the tail end of Wonder Woman's invisible jet. The force was insufficient to damage the mighty material, but it sent the plane spinning out of control like a pinwheel. The three passengers held on for dear life as they were hurled end over end, out into the sea. Wonder Woman knew that it would require tremendous metal concentration to regain control of the plane against such force; it would be far less taxing to simply flee the plane, and recover it later. With her mighty Amazonian strength Wonder Woman forced open the cockpit of the plane, took hold of Green Arrow and Aphrodite with an arm under each one's shoulders, and took to the sky.
"Good save, Princess," Green Arrow said, watching the kraken sink beneath the water. "Godzilla Jr. there must think he got us good, he's giving up."
"Whomever is after the thunderhorn must know we're on his trail," Wonder Woman said, as she touched down on the hilltop outside the mansion. "The kraken was obviously sent to stop us, not steal the artifact that hides the third section."
"Then we must get to your friend immediately, Green Arrow!" Aphrodite declared. "Before the villain's inhuman acolytes can find him!"
"Um, sorry, Goddess," Green Arrow said, "but it looks like that ship has sailed." Coming out of the mansion and moving rapidly over the lawn toward the trio were an enormous man with the head of a bull, and a hideous woman whose hair was a writhing nest of snakes. A minotaur and a gorgon, bent on destruction.
"Our foes press the attack!" Aphrodite cried. "They will soon find the mighty champions of the League of Justice no easy prey!"
"Here's hoping," Green Arrow said, watching the creatures advancing rapidly. The gorgon was so far away her features were indistinguishable, but she was closing in fast. Green Arrow drew an arrow from his quiver, but instead of notching it to the bow, he hurled it to the ground at his own feet. The magnesium flare exploded into white brilliance, and the intense light momentarily blinded the archer. He drew another arrow, notched it, drew the string, and listened for the sound of the hissing snakes that made up the gorgon's hair. Homing in on the sound, Green Arrow let the arrow fly. Straight and true it flew, and halfway to its target the upper half of the shaft unfolded into four panels covered with a thin, highly reflective film. The hissing sound suddenly stopped. Rubbing his eyes, Green Arrow cautiously advanced, until he could see well enough to find that the gorgon had been turned to stone by the sight of her own gaze. "Well, all right!" the archer said triumphantly. "I designed that mirror-arrow for use against Doctor Light, but it looks like it works equally well on Medusa, or Megara, or Zsa Zsa or whichever sister this was!"
Wonder Woman, meanwhile, was grappling with the minotaur. The Amazonian princess and the bullheaded monster had locked hands and were exerting their strength against each other, each trying to push the other back. "Hera help me," Wonder Woman prayed silently, "the minotaur's strength is as great as my own! I cannot back him down!" Wonder Woman dug in her heels, summoning every ounce of strength. Then, she remembered a practice combat session in the Justice League headquarters, how Batman had prevailed against the much stronger Aquaman. Wonder Woman felt the minotaur exerting all its unearthly strength against her. Then she suddenly dropped to the ground, and the minotaur's own strength sent it hurtling forward, and Wonder Woman helped it along with a quick thrust from her legs. Howling in inhuman rage, the minotaur sailed out over the edge of the hilltop and down to the sea below.
"Nice move, Princess," Green Arrow said in admiration. "Now let's get inside fast, and rescue Rog!" The archer broke into a run to the mansion.
"Green Arrow," Wonder Woman said, racing alongside her teammate, "are you certain your friend needs rescuing?"
"Sure!" Green Arrow said. "Neither of those nightmares had the horn with 'em, right? That means they haven't got what they came for, so there must still be someone inside! The master thief, or more kooky creatures!"
"That's not exactly--" As Green Arrow threw open the French doors of the terrace and he and Wonder Woman charged inside, their progress was suddenly impeded. A net woven of golden thread had been stretched across the doorway at chest-height. The heroes' arms and torsos were hopelessly tangled in it; they struggled to free themselves but to no avail. "--what I meant," Wonder Woman finished.
"So you got past the gorgon and the medusa," a voice snarled from inside. "But all your efforts have come to nothing!" The owner of the voice stepped into view, and Green Arrow gasped in surprise. It was Roger Stonecutter, and he held in his hand a small golden object, cylindrical in shape, flaring out at one end into a wide cone. The Thesian thunderhorn!
"Roger, no! Not you! I-it can't be!" Green Arrow protested, struggling against the golden net. In his shock he forgot that Roger Stonecutter was not supposed to know Green Arrow, only Oliver Queen; but if Stonecutter noticed it he did not comment.
"Struggle all you want, archer," Stonecutter said. "That net was woven from the golden thread of Ariadne. You can never break it!"
Wonder Woman struggled, too, but it was no avail. Her wrists had become tangled together in the net, and her bracelets thus "bound together" by a man removed her Amazonian strength. She was as helpless as a mere mortal.
"How did you do it?" Wonder Woman demanded, stalling for time, praying to Hera for a miracle. "How did you summon the monsters of ancient Greece to do your bidding?"
Stonecutter smiled ruefully. "When I was a young man," he began, "before my father's death forced me to take over the family business, I devoted much time to my passion of Hellenic studies. I even participated in a few archaeological digs, back in the Forties. On one such dig I found a parchment that, once I translated it, claimed to contain a mystic spell that would grant any man power over the ancient creatures. I scoffed at it then, but lately I have had occasion to test its truth for myself."
"The thunderhorn!" Aphrodite gasped, stepping into the room. Stonecutter held the horn out before him; Aphrodite stood powerless, transfixed.
"Grab it!" Green Arrow cried. "Get it away from him!"
"It's no use," Wonder Woman said. "The horn was fashioned by the power of Zeus himself. Aphrodite is powerless in its presence."
"Oh great, like Olympian Kryptonite, huh?" Green Arrow said, struggling. "Roger, why are you doing this?"
"I--lost my wife and son, both over the space of a year," Stonecutter said, looking away from the archer's eyes. "In my grief, I threw myself back into my ancient Greek studies, hoping to forget. It didn't work, of course; it only made my loneliness all the more vivid. But, hidden inside a sculpture I purchased from Athens, was a section of this horn, and an ancient tablet explaining its purpose. I knew, then, what I had to do. Providence had led me to find the horn, to fulfill its ultimate purpose!"
"And you think that will eradicate your loss?" Wonder Woman asked. "You think it will bring your wife and son back?"
"No!" Stonecutter roared. "It will not! But don't you see? I have to avenge myself on my family's murderer. Society! Our sick, twisted society killed them! My wife was killed by a drunk driver, whose high-priced attorney got him probation on a legal technicality. Probation, for murdering my wife! Then, my son was killed defending his country in Vietnam, in a war everybody now says we had no right to fight in! My son died for nothing, they're all saying! The world has become too evil, too corrupt, to survive! It has to die! Zeus himself saw that, Wonder Woman, and he gave me the means to end it!"
Green Arrow strained his mighty muscles against the golden threads, but they did not give an inch. "Roger, don't!" he cried desperately. "If society is as sick as you say, try to fix it! There's things you can do--"
Stonecutter laughed cruelly. "I heard FDR say something very much like that," he said, "and do you think the world is any better now than it was then? Oh, no, no, no, the time for words and idealism has passed! As has the time of life on this Earth! Good-bye, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman! I enjoyed the final joust, but I'm afraid you lose!"
Closing his eyes, whispering a final farewell to his departed family, the tortured man rose the thunderhorn to his lips and prepared to blow the final note. As Stonecutter's hand moved the golden horn to his lips, Wonder Woman closed her eyes and tensed herself for what was to come. She had no idea what it would be like. She supposed it would be like shutting off a switch; light and color one moment, the next...nothing. Her sensitive Amazonian ears heard Stonecutter draw a deep breath, preparing to blow the chaos note. Then she heard a muffled thump. She opened her eyes and saw the end of an emerald arrow sticking out of the thunderhorn. In astonishment, she turned to look at Green Arrow. His arms still helplessly ensnared in the net, the archer had braced his bow with his feet and drawn the bowstring with his teeth.
"What--what was that?" Wonder Woman asked in amazement.
"Boxing glove arrow," Green Arrow said simply.
Wonder Woman smiled with relief. "And to think Green Lantern says your trick arrows are stupid!"
Green Arrow did a double-take. "He does?"
"Look!" Aphrodite cried, pointing. Stonecutter still held the thunderhorn in his hand, but his entire body was quivering, shaking. Bright points of light began shooting from his body, as if his insides were on fire and his skin were leaking light. The points rapidly multiplied, Stonecutter growing brighter and brighter. Then, in a brilliant burst of light, he winked out of existence.
"Wha hoppen?" Green Arrow demanded, amazed.
"When your valiant act plugged up the thunderhorn," Aphrodite explained, "just as the mortal blew the note, it must have turned the power of the horn back upon him!"
"Instead of destroying the world," Wonder Woman said grimly, "he only destroyed himself."
Green Arrow looked away. "His suffering is over, at any rate," he said. There was not the slightest trace of triumph in his voice. Wonder Woman, understanding Green Arrow's pain, said nothing.
Moments later, the trio were walking out of the mansion onto the hilltop. Wonder Woman held the thunderhorn, determined to secret it away on Paradise Island. She concentrated mentally, bringing the invisible jet to them.
Aphrodite turned to Green Arrow. "Green Arrow," she said, earnestly, "I came to this world to ask Diana about love, about what it really means. I have always bestowed it on others, but I have never felt it before. But now--! Green Arrow, I love you! You are the most amazing champion I have ever seen! I love you!" Wonder Woman stared in slack-jawed amazement as Aphrodite flung her arms around Green Arrow's neck.
The archer, too, goggled in amazement. "Oh, wow! Um, Aphrodite, I, I, I don't know what to say! I mean, I'm flattered, of course, but--gee whiz, are you sure? I mean, a goddess like you, and a mortal like me--"
Aphrodite stiffened suddenly. "Excuse me?"
Green Arrow, not recovered from the first shock, grew all the more confused at the sudden coolness in the goddess' voice. "I, I just said, a goddess like you and a mortal like me--"
"Mortal?" Aphrodite gasped, pushing away from the archer. "You're a mortal?"
Green Arrow did not know how to answer that. "Well--yeah! I mean, what did you think?"
"What did I think?" Aphrodite repeated. "Your nigh-magical skill with the bow--! The way Diana addresses you as an equal! I-I naturally assumed you were a god! Or a demigod, at least!"
"Heck, no!" Green Arrow said. "I'm just an ordinary man! All of us Justice Leaguers are! Well, some less ordinary than others, but there are no gods among us!"
"Oh, Hades," Aphrodite said, clearly embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry, Green Arrow. Really I am. But you understand. I-I'm not looking for a seventy-year fling, here. I need something that lasts, you know? Commitment. I-I'm afraid you just can't give me that. I'm sorry." Aphrodite turned to Wonder Woman. "Diana, thank you for the adventure on Earth. It has been--most educational." With that, Aphrodite turned her face to the sky, and lifted up into the air, higher and higher, until she was gone in the clouds. Green Arrow watched her the whole way. He stood watching a long time after she was gone.
"Green Arrow--" Wonder Woman said, after giving him a few minutes.
"What just happened, here?" Green Arrow demanded, turning to Wonder Woman. "I mean, an honest-to-Zeus Greek goddess tells me she loves me, then blows me off because I'm a mortal! What the heck is that?? Are all your friends that flighty, Princess?"
Wonder Woman smiled, knowing her friend was masking his true hurt. "Not all," she said. "You're all right, aren't you, Green Arrow?"
"Ah, heck," he said in a dismissive way. "I'm not much for blondes, anyway. Come on, Princess, let's head to the JLA sanctuary and record this in the archives."
"Yes, let's," Wonder Woman said, throwing a friendly arm around Green Arrow's shoulders.