Chapter 71

"No way!" Athena exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes widening in shock as she watched the horrific sight of the burning, screaming, and wailing creatures. It wasn't just any creatures; it was the souls of the fallen huntresses from the beginning of the battle. Her expression quickly turned to one of anger and fury. She spun around, ready to confront Hera, but was stopped short as Artemis interjected.

"Permission to take down Dionysus, Queen Hera" Artemis said with determination, kneeling down and dirtying her blue dress in front of Hera. She waited for the command to eliminate the Beast. "I cannot let them suffer any longer" she thought, gritting her teeth inwardly to avoid showing weakness in front of Hera. Her resolve was unwavering as she awaited Hera's decision.

However, Hera ignored Artemis's kneeling appearance as she walked to the edge and looked down at the burning humanoid giant. "Wicker Man" she muttered. "Odin, you son of a bitch, it seems you can't hold your thirst for war any longer but deep down,," she said in a solemn tone, seemingly unbothered by the screams and wails of pain she kept hearing. The possibility of war didn't faze her; she knew both Zeus and Odin were cowards who would only save their own skins. 

After being ignored, Artemis stood up from her kneeling position and walked towards Hera at the edge, fury and determination in her stride. When she was close to Hera, she knelt down again. "Permission to take down Dionysus, Queen Hera" she requested once more, this time louder, her voice laced with anger and her eyes burning with fury.

"I didn't expect Gaia and Odin would be working together" Hippolyta remarked curiously as she walked to Hera's side. She looked at her kneeling friend Artemis with pity, already knowing what Hera's answer to her request would be. She glanced at Hera and thought, "She should really give some respect to her stepchildren from time to time" sighing inwardly. She looked below as the battle resumed, with the Wicker Man attempting to stomp the huntresses while Diana, with Atalanta's help, tried to take down the Beast.

"Of course they are. Birds of a feather flock together" Hera said sarcastically to Hippolyta. Then, in a more serious tone, she added, "Remember this, granddaughter: they might be wise, but they are also cowards because wisdom often goes hand in hand with cowardice." She hoped this piece of advice would be useful to her beloved granddaughter in the future.

Meanwhile, the battle below raged on. The Wicker Man, burning and towering, tried to crush the huntresses beneath its fiery limbs. Diana and Atalanta worked in unison, their movements precise and coordinated, as they fought to bring down the monstrous Beast.

After being ignored again, the kneeling Artemis looked up at the back of Hera and shouted again with anger and fury "Permission to take down Dionysus, Queen Hera" she did not bow her head again but she was still in a kneeling position as she look up at Hera.

Hera turns around and looks down at Artemis while Athena and Hippolyta keep their mouth shut especially Athena as to not earn the Queen's ire. Hera then says this in a nonchalant manner "I heard you the first and I also heard you the second time" She then turns back around and looks down at the arena before saying in a casual tone "My answer is still the same, Do not interfere" sky again rumble a little bit as if the sky is getting angry for herself.

After being ignored again, the kneeling Artemis looked up at Hera's back and shouted once more with anger and fury, "Permission to take down Dionysus, Queen Hera." She did not bow her head again but remained in a kneeling position, looking up at Hera.

Hera turned around and looked down at Artemis while Athena and Hippolyta kept their mouths shut, especially Athena, who did not want to incur the Queen's wrath. Hera then said in a nonchalant manner, "I heard you the first time, and I also heard you the second time." She turned back around to look down at the arena before continuing in a casual tone, "My answer is still the same: do not interfere." The sky rumbled again, as if reflecting the growing tension.

"But I need to save my huntresses from the suffering they are going through!" Artemis shouted at Hera with fury. "I need to save them as soon as possible, but the Queen is preventing me from doing it" she thought inwardly, looking at Hera with determination.

Hera, on the other hand, did not appreciate Artemis's outburst. She abruptly turned around and shouted back, moving her hand in a downward motion, "Do not raise your voice again in front of me, child!" She glared at Artemis with narrowed eyes, and as she shouted, lightning started appearing in the sky above Olympus.

"But—" Artemis began to retort, but Athena placed a hand on her shoulder. Artemis turned to look at Athena, who was shaking her head, signaling for Artemis to stop. Artemis gritted her teeth and clenched her hands in frustration.

"I understand your frustration, but they are huntresses; they are made for this" Athena reminded Artemis of what the huntresses were capable of. "And besides, if you interrupt or help them with their labor, you are going to disgrace their honor." She warned and reminded Artemis of the consequences, knowing that Artemis was already aware of them.

Artemis took a deep breath, trying to calm her anger. She knew Athena was right, but the sight of her huntresses suffering was almost too much to bear.

"Hmph" Hera turned around to watch the battle. "Diana, daughter of Hippolyta, granddaughter of Ares, the God of War" she shouted in a booming voice that echoed through the arena. The fight momentarily halted as everyone looked up, but it quickly resumed. Diana glanced up, dodging the incoming vines from all directions by teleporting a distance away from the Beast.

"This will be your first personal labor, or perhaps even the last. Eliminate the Beast and save your sisters from suffering" Hera declared loudly, making the sky rumble again. "Good luck, my dear Diana" she added with a gentle smile, looking at Diana proudly.

Hearing this, Diana gave a blooming smile, a stark contrast to what one might expect from someone burdened with such a huge responsibility. She then looked at Atalanta, who was kiting the Beast away from her. "Atalanta! Leave the Beast to me and help our sisters deal with the other monstrosities" she shouted, taking out her lasso and preparing to engage the Beast again.

"I know that already!" Atalanta shouted back, dodging the Beast's attacks with swift motions. She shot arrows at the Beast, but they were ineffective as it healed quickly. However, the sheer force and power of the arrows made the Beast slide back several meters.

Diana seized this moment. With a swift motion, she twirled her lasso and aimed it at the Beast. The golden rope shimmered in the light as it flew towards its target, wrapping tightly around the Beast. The Beast roared in frustration, struggling against the unbreakable bonds.

Diana's eyes became white and shone brightly as she channeled the lightning element. Using the lasso as a conductor, lightning crackled and crawled through it from Diana to the Beast, which struggled to free itself from its bindings. With a zap, the Beast was electrocuted, stunning it for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Diana pulled the Beast toward her with great force, simultaneously drawing her favorite sword.

As the Beast was midair, being pulled toward her, Diana rushed forward and stabbed it through the heart. Swiftly, she pulled the sword out and executed a spinning elbow strike, flinging the Beast away. It rolled across the ground before crashing into a wall.

Diana wiped the green blood from her sword with a diagonal motion, preventing it from getting dirtied further. She smiled as she saw the Beast standing up again, and said, "The dead can't be killed." Pointing her sword at the bleeding wound on the Beast's chest, she added, "But I can remove your immortality."