Trials of Hera 4

[Arnold POV]

"So we're together in this trial?" I asked Wonder Woman while we made our way through a large dimly-lit cave.

She explains "Indeed, in this last trial, you and I shall delve into the nether realm, ruled by Hades to hunt and bring back a tribute. Based on what we've hunted the Amazons shall judge whether or not you shall stay on the island."

"Ah! So it's a good old round of monster Pokemon. Shouldn't be too difficult." I joked.

To this, Wonder Woman asked "What is this 'Pokemon' you speak of?" wondering what I was on about.

Realising that Pokemon didn't exist in this world, I simply sighed. I then said "Don't worry about it, you will find out eventually."

Wonder Woman also seemed to want to move on from this conversation as she said "In any case, we have arrived at the gateway to the underworld. Be on guard, for even I cannot guarantee your safety from here on."

It was then that I realised that I had become so focused on talking that I completely missed the fact that a giant stone door now stood in front of us.

Before entering, I questioned "Will this be alright? I mean, isn't opening the door to the underworld a little too risky?"

Wonder Woman eased my worries, saying "It is all well. Ares will not be expecting a visit at such a time. Furthermore, even if he notices something, after his previous defeat at our hands he has been made to swear not to invade our lands for a period of time. This oath is still in place and will not be completed for a decade still."

"Do you expect him to honour this deal of yours?" I asked.

"Fret not, warrior. Although Ares is evil, he is not scum. Honour is of great importance to him. He will respect this oath. Although it will not stop him from attacking us." she explained.

"Huh, good to know. Anyways, let's not waste any more time and get in." I said as both of us entered the underworld.

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[1 hour later]

I quickly launched a cleave, splitting a hellhound that was running at me clean in half. Meanwhile, an Imp had gotten behind me and thrust its claws at my chest.

Unfortunately for the Imp, its claws suddenly came to a halt a couple centimetres away from me, as I grabbed its head, shredding it into bits.

"I'm done here!" I announced, looking over at Wonder Woman who was basically dissecting a giant goat-like demon with her sword. Without a moment to breathe, she effortlessly cut off its hind-legs before jumping before it, and beheading it in a single strike.

"I have concluded my fight as well." she stated.

"So how much further do we have to go?" I asked, wondering about our objective.

She replied "Another half a day trek in this direction, followed by a walk after which we shall rest. And then tomorrow we shall cross a river, from where we will have to travel a little longer, after which we should arrive at a forest. The creatures there should serve as impressive trophies for our purpose."

I nodded but on the inside I was dreading this journey. I mean, I'm all for the exercise but this place is hardly pleasant to walk in, the atmosphere is eerie as fuck, it's really hot and to top that all of it constantly reeks of rotten meat. Not to mention, wild demonic creatures are constantly on the prowl. And before you say, "Ohh, you can just fly or teleport" think again. This place is apparently under a spell that prevents flying. I tried to fly, but it just somehow wouldn't work. Furthermore it blocks any sort of teleportation as well. As if that wasn't enough it informs Aries if any teleportation has been used. Talk about inconvenient!

Although I'm confident in winning against Aries, I'm also not too keen on taking on the god of war in essentially his own turf. That would be exceedingly stupid. Anyways, we kept on walking as we took down any wild demons that we came across. Along the way, we started talking to pass the time.

"So, what exactly is it like being a hero?" I asked.

"Why the sudden question?" she wondered.

I answered "No particular reason. I just felt like it would be an interesting conversation."

"Is that so? If I were to put it in a word…I think the best answer would be… complicated." she replied.

"How so?" I asked, aiming to move the conversation onwards.

"I have seen a lot as a hero. I have simultaneously experienced the best and the worst of humanity. I have met people so honourable, even the gods would acknowledge their mettle, and to an even greater extent, people who are not fit to be called men. Oftentimes, not more than an hour apart. It enlightens you on the true nature of man in a way not easily described. If anything, it makes you question your own principles in difficult ways." she explained.

"And you still keep doing it, don't you? I wonder why?" I asked. I was actually rather interested. I didn't read a lot of DC, especially the Wonder Woman comics. Although I knew the basic stuff, I didn't know much about the kind of people they really were, especially in this universe. As such the psychology and philosophy of a hero such as her fascinated the inner ex-aspiring psychiatrist in me.

"I had a friend named Steve Trevor, who recently passed away. He once told me that whenever we see something wrong happening we can either do something about it, or do nothing. And in his experience, doing nothing never yields better results. I suppose I trust in his experience enough to always try to do something about it." she answered.

"Is that so? He seems like a nice guy." I replied.

"He truly was… But enough about me. What about you? How do you find the motivation to be a hero?" she questioned.

This left me baffled for a second, but I quickly recomposed myself before answering "Not at all, trust me, I'm no hero. I'm far from it."

But it seemed like she wasn't having any of it "How can that be? You are someone who has saved the world. If anyone deserves to be called a hero, it's you."

"No way, the only reason I helped out in the first place was because it was the only thing to do. I mean if the world ended it would have been bad for me too. My reasons for helping were purely selfish." I clarified.

"Is that so? Then what about Kara? I'm sure that with your strength, there is no reason for you to cooperate with us on these matters, is there? And yet you've abandoned your life for two months and decided to stay here." she asked.

This left me speechless for a moment. I quickly thought up an explanation to clarify my actions "Well that one couldn't be helped, it was either that or being doxxed by the world's greatest detective."

Yeah, that's exactly what it was… I didn't care about their problems at all. I was forced… FORCED I tell you.

Oblivious to my internal monologue, Diana said with a humorous tone "Yes that indeed sounds troublesome. But motives aside, I still shall acknowledge you, Mr. Nostradamus."

"Why is that?" I genuinely wondered.

"Despite all your powers and your unbelievable strength you still choose not to use them for your own selfish gains. I have met many who use their powers for their own selfish needs, and have never failed to stop them. To me, finding someone like Superman who uses their strength for others is a rather refreshing event. What inspires you to do so?" she asked.

After thinking about it a little, I chose to give an honest reply "Well, you see I'm pretty sure my elder brother would beat the crap out of me if I ever did something reckless so… I guess there's that."

This seemed to surprise Wonder Woman, who asked "You have a brother?"

"Two actually. A younger dumbass and then my elder brother." I replied.

"I'm sure they're kind people as well." she said.

"Yeah. They really are." I stated.

'Speaking of those guys, I wonder how they're doing' I thought while the two of us continued to our destination.

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[A/N: I'm back.]