Chapter 74

"How long have you been awake?"

Diana asked while looking at a stack of papers on the bedside table.

"A few minutes. While Zatanna was checking my mind for anything wrong, I caught up."

Steve replied.

"We'll discuss why you didn't tell me immediately when you woke up when we're alone."

It's still strange to see her acting like an ordinary girlfriend.

"Hey, how's it going, kid? They told me you caused quite an uproar at the base as well."

Steve greeted him with a smile.

"It wasn't easy."

Dio replied and went to the other side of the bed.

"So, what the hell happened?"

Dio asked.

Steve's smile disappeared, and he pressed a button on the side of the bed, causing the front part of it to rise, which allowed him to sit up.

"We're still evaluating the whole mess, but their objective was quite clear."

Steve began.

"And what was it?"

Diana asked this time.

"The Black Room was breached!"

Steve said, and from Diana's reaction, this is a big deal.

"For those who don't know about the A.R.G.U.S. secret zones, what is the Black Room?"

Dio asked.

Diana was the one who answered him.

"The Black Room is a secret location within the A.R.G.U.S. headquarters where magical and mystical objects of great power are locked away."

"I walked through the entire headquarters and never saw any signs of a secret room."

"That's why they're called secret places, Dio. They're not easy to find."

Steve said.

"If this place is so secret, how did the culprits find out about it?"

Dio asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. The Oddfellows at A.R.G.U.S. are the only ones who know about it."

Steve explained.

The Oddfellows are well known within A.R.G.U.S., the elite group led by Steve, with Wonder Woman as a member and four others Dio never met.

"Is the whole group okay?"

Diana asked while worried about her friends.

"I got in touch with three of them, but Juniper still isn't responding."

Steve replied with concern.

That's not a good sign.

"What did they do in that room?"

Dio then asked about the purpose of all the bloodshed.

"They took only one item."

"Which one?"

"Ares' Labrys!"

...

After spending another four hours at the A.R.G.U.S. headquarters, Dio finally returned to the Tower.

When the elevator doors opened, he was greeted by all the Teen Titans, who were in their suits and looked like they hadn't returned long ago from a mission.

"What did I do this time?"

When Dio asked, he wasn't feeling very excited and just wanted to lie down for a while, even though he wasn't really tired.

"Man, you chose to walk into an enemy trap all by yourself; that's what happened."

Wally replied as he chewed on a bag of potato chips.

"I know you can be stupid, but this takes the cake."

Roy added while his arms crossed.

"Yes, legendary battles like this should be shared with your friends; there's no need to solo them."

Dio thinks Koriand'r didn't quite grasp the real purpose of this meeting.

"Guys!"

Dio raised his hand to stop Robin from speaking.

"I know I messed up, and I promise I won't do it again. Once again, I apologize, but in the name of all the gods, please let me take a shower. We can continue this conversation after a long bath, with a slice of pizza in my hands."

"Good idea!"

Wally said, and then ran off to the nearest pizzeria.

"Alright, it's settled."

Without saying another word, Dio teleported to the upper floor and headed straight for the bathroom, where he took a long, refreshing shower as promised.

Afterwards, he went straight to his room while wearing only a pair of shorts because no one wanted to keep talking over a hearty meal.

Dio collapsed on his bed, which allowed him to relax for the first time that day.

"Ah!"

Dio exclaimed while savoring the sensation.

Unfortunately, he still couldn't fall asleep.

The first thing Dio did was pick up his phone, which was lying next to his bed, and check his messages.

Vanessa had sent him some messages asking if he was okay, and the last one talked about his recent TV appearance.

Dio texted Vanessa to let her know he was fine, then turned off his phone and placed it on the table before closing his eyes.

Dio still remembered what it was like to have a human body, so his unlimited stamina was always a nightmare for him.

So he didn't fall asleep immediately, even though he was mentally exhausted.

Dio had used a lot of magic today, and he should have been out, but he was getting stronger. It became less energy as he used more spells because he was used to them.

So, Dio began to think about all the future problems he would face.

The biggest of them was the emergence of a new organization that seemed to be much smarter and more secretive than the Church of Blood.

In addition, they now had the Labrys of Ares.

There was one special thing that only that god had.

Those focused on battle had weapons like Zeus' lightning bolt, Poseidon's trident, and Hades' Helm.

These unique items were forged with magic and power, and when used by the gods, their power was immense.

The Labrys of Ares was the item of the God of War, a double-bladed axe that Diana and the Justice League of Justice had taken from Ares after their victory over the God of War during World War II.

The item had been in Diana's possession until she chose to store it in the A.R.G.U.S. Black Room, where it remained until today.

The good news was that the responsible party behind this wasn't Ares himself, who was imprisoned in a prison constructed by Hephaestus, a place where not even the gods could escape.

It was hidden in an isolated and secret location.

Diana was almost sure that the children of Ares were behind all this, just as they had been the first time the virus was used.

With these thoughts, Dio finally drifted off to sleep.

...

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