The urgency of the Pantheon War pressed down on Themyscira like a suffocating blanket. While Sarive continued his arduous lessons in literacy and emotional control, the larger conflict raged, demanding their attention. The mission to retrieve the ancient artifact from the Amazon rainforest temple, detailed in the scroll Sarive couldn't read, loomed large. Without the ability to decipher the complex wards, the team had to find an alternative.
Robin, leveraging Batman's vast network, had eventually secured a translation of the temple's runes. It was a painstaking process, involving ancient linguistic experts and magical historians from various hidden corners of the DC Universe. The translation confirmed Raven's suspicions: the wards were indeed designed to test not just magical aptitude, but also purity of intent and alignment with specific divine energies. A misstep could not only trigger devastating defenses but also empower the artifact for the wrong hands.
With the translation in hand, a small, elite team was assembled for the mission: Diana, Sarive, Raven, and Robin. Their destination was a remote, untouched section of the Amazon, a place where the veil between worlds was thin, and ancient magic still pulsed beneath the earth.
The journey was swift, thanks to a cloaked Amazonian vessel that cut silently through the skies. As they neared their target, the air grew heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and something else—something ancient and powerful. The jungle canopy below was a dense, unbroken sea of green, hiding secrets that had lain undisturbed for millennia.
They landed a few miles from the temple, opting for a stealth approach. The trek through the rainforest was grueling. The humidity was oppressive, the vegetation dense and unforgiving. Sarive, despite his enhanced physique, found himself constantly battling the elements, swatting away unseen insects and navigating treacherous terrain. Diana moved with the grace of a jungle cat, Robin with the silent efficiency of a phantom, and Raven, her senses extended, seemed to glide through the undergrowth, a dark silhouette against the dappled light.
As they approached the temple, the atmosphere grew colder, the air crackling with an almost palpable magical energy. The temple itself was a monolithic structure, overgrown with vines and moss, yet radiating an undeniable power. Its entrance was adorned with the very glyphs Sarive had struggled to read, now glowing faintly with an inner light.
"These are the wards," Raven whispered, her voice barely audible. "They are alive. They feel… disturbed."
Diana stepped forward, her hand resting on the ancient stone. "The translation confirms it. These wards respond to specific divine lineages and magical frequencies. We must proceed with extreme caution."
Robin, his eyes scanning the glyphs, consulted a tablet. "The primary ward requires an incantation of purity, spoken by one with a connection to the ancient Amazonian gods. Diana, that falls to you."
Diana nodded, her expression resolute. She began to chant, her voice resonating with ancient power, the Amazonian words flowing like a river. As she spoke, the glyphs on the temple entrance pulsed brighter, and a low hum filled the air. Sarive felt a strange vibration in his bones, a sense of immense power being stirred.
Just as Diana reached the climax of the incantation, a sudden, sharp crack echoed through the jungle. A bolt of dark, corrupted magic lanced out from the shadows, striking Diana in the back. She cried out, stumbling forward, the incantation broken.
"Diana!" Sarive roared, his instincts taking over. He moved instantly, shielding her as another bolt of dark energy streaked towards them. He felt the impact, a searing pain that rippled through his body, but the magic, true to its nature, injured him but did not kill.
"Who's there?" Robin demanded, his hand already on a Batarang.
From the dense jungle, a figure emerged. It was an Amazon, clad in traditional armor, but her eyes glowed with an unnatural, malevolent light. Her face was contorted in a sneer, a stark contrast to the noble expressions Sarive had come to associate with Themysciran warriors.
"Ariadne," Diana gasped, struggling to rise. "It cannot be."
Ariadne, one of Diana's former lieutenants, a respected warrior known for her unwavering loyalty, now stood before them, radiating an aura of dark magic. In her hand, she held a small, intricately carved amulet, pulsing with the same dark energy that had struck Diana.
"Foolish princess," Ariadne sneered, her voice warped by an unseen force. "Did you truly think your pathetic wards could stop the inevitable? The true power of the Pantheon War lies not in ancient relics, but in the hearts of those willing to embrace change."
"You serve Circe," Raven stated, her voice devoid of emotion, but her eyes burning with a cold fury. "She has corrupted you."
Ariadne laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Circe merely showed me the truth. This world is stagnant, ruled by weak gods and weaker mortals. A new order is coming, and I will be at its forefront."
She raised the amulet, and dark tendrils of energy snaked out, wrapping around the temple entrance, reinforcing the wards with a corrupted magic. "You will not pass. And the artifact will belong to its rightful master!"
A fierce battle erupted. Ariadne, empowered by Circe's magic, fought with a brutal efficiency, her movements enhanced by dark spells. Diana, still recovering from the initial magical strike, fought with renewed fury, her Amazonian training clashing with Ariadne's corrupted power. Robin moved like a shadow, trying to find an opening, while Raven unleashed blasts of dark energy, countering Ariadne's spells.
Sarive, fueled by a surge of protective rage, charged Ariadne. He used his enhanced strength and speed, his fists flying, but the magic surrounding her deflected his blows. He felt the familiar burning pain as her corrupted magic grazed him, but he pushed through it, determined to protect Diana.
"You're a traitor!" Sarive roared, his voice raw with emotion. "To your people, to your home!"
Ariadne merely laughed. "Sentimentality will be your undoing, boy. This is war. And in war, there are no innocents, only pawns."
The revelation of a traitor within the Amazonian ranks was a devastating blow, a betrayal that cut deeper than any physical wound. The Pantheon War was not just an external threat; it had infected their very home, their very trust. Sarive knew, with chilling certainty, that the fight ahead would be far more complicated, and far more personal, than he had ever imagined.