Chapter III: The Threads of Life

"Death is coming." Someone whispered to Steve's ear. Steve groggily rolled to his side, his stomach lay flat on the cushion when he realized that he was on his bed. He was awakened by the voice that whispered in his ear. He opened his eyes in confusion. Was he imagining things?

In other news, Steve wondered how he got to his bed. 'Fuck' he whispered as he realized that Diana probably carried him. He slowly sat up and reached for his phone. His whole body ached as he tried to reach the device on the table beside his bed. A sparring session with a demi-god is the worst idea ever, he thought.

Steve's cellphone lit up and showed him the time. "Fuck" he said louder. It was already 1pm. He checked the windows and looked for the sun, but the weather was not cooperating. Thunder clouds still covered the skies of Metropolis. No wonder he didn't wake up. Usually, the sun's rays would blind his eyes, forcing him to get up. Sometimes, even in this kind of weather, his nightmares would wake him. One thing's for sure, he never had a decent sleep in his entire life, except for today. Steve counted the hours he was asleep - 12 fucking hours. That's a new record. He smiled to himself as he finally got the rest he deserved. He placed his phone back to the table when he noticed a piece of paper on top of it. He took it and read its contents. "Left early for the gala today. -Diana." Below the note was her cellphone number. Steve smiled as he typed the numbers on his phone. "P.s. You're heavier than you look." Steve frowned at the sudden realization that Diana indeed carried him to bed. Steve scratched his forehead as he felt embarrassed with himself. He couldn't even take care of himself after a fight. Steve reclined to his headboard and tapped his phone.

"Good morning." He texted the number on the paper. It didn't take long before three small bubbles appeared on his chat box.

"You just woke up?" The message said. Steve chuckled as he read the message.

Apparently, Diana's message wasn't complete yet as three bubbles appeared, yet again.

"Get up and eat breakfast." She said.

"No beer!" She reminded him.

"Your fridge is filled with beers. No food, just beers." She sent with an angry emoji.

"Yes ma'am." Steve smiled as typed and proceeded to his kitchen. There was a paper bag on his table with a note that says "for Steve." Steve smiled as he opened his breakfast.

"Thank u." He texted and sent a photo of the sandwich in his hands.

"No problem!" Diana replied.

Steve placed his phone on top of the dining table and eagerly ate his breakfast. When was the last time he took one? He asked himself. Steve finished one of the slices and took the second one from the paper bag. He paired his sandwich with hot coffee. Before he can take a bite, his phone kept vibrating on the table. He did not mind it as he continued to eat peacefully. After he was done, he finally took his phone and checked it. All the messages he received were from Diana. Most of them were not words but stickers and gifs.

Steve chuckled hard that he almost choked on his coffee. "What are you 13?" He texted as he sent his own smiley.

"Sorry." Diana replied.

"The stylist just told me about this feature. Isn't fun?" She sent, coupled with laughing smileys and gifs.

"Isn't it too early for a salon trip?" Steve asked.

"I have to meet with someone before I go to the gala. So I need to be early." She replied.

"Who?" Steve asked in curiosity.

"Bruce Wayne." Diana replied.

Steve paused for a moment before replying to her. He felt that his heart sunk at the thought of Diana meeting with another man. He thought of his reply. Finally, he replied a simple 'k' and placed his phone down. He sighed as he stared at the small device on his table. Diana didn't reply which made him annoyed. Finally, he took his phone and stared at their chat box. Still, nothing from her. Damn it, Steve thought. Why was he annoyed in the first place? Steve asked himself. Was he jealous of the fact that Diana is meeting another man? No, it can't be, he told himself.

Diana frowned as she received Steve's message. "What does 'k' mean?" She asked her stylist as she showed her phone.

"Is that a boy or a girl you're texting?" Her stylist sighed as she gently combed a section of hair and ironed it.

"A boy." Diana answered.

"Oh my god, girl! You in trouble!" The woman said as she continued to iron Diana's hair.

"But I did not do anything!" Diana reacted defensively.

"What did you say to him before he replied 'k'?" The stylist asked again.

"I said I would be meeting with Bruce Wayne." Diana answered.

"I know what that is." The woman beside Diana answered. She was in her twenties and was having her nails done. Her stylist nodded in agreement with the woman, even though they did not explain anything to Diana. The woman waited for Diana to get what they were talking about but figured she wouldn't, so she decided to tell her. "Your boy is jealous of Bruce Wayne." The woman said.

Diana opened her mouth in shock. "No, it cannot be. We're friends!"

The woman beside her and her stylist shook their heads in disappointment. "Honey, trust us, that boy likes you." Her stylist said. Diana felt blood rush on her cheeks.

"Really?" Diana tried to hide a smile, but her two companions noticed.

"And you like him too." The woman beside her giggled. Diana was about to deny it when her stylist pointed at the mirror. "Your face says it all, honey." Diana looked at the mirror and saw how red she was. There's no hiding that, she thought.

"What does this boy look like?" Her hair stylist asked. "He better be more good looking that Bruce Wayne."

"What's his name?" The woman beside her asked as she took out her phone.

"Steve Trevor." Diana replied. Immediately, the woman opened google and typed his name. "Ohhh daaaaaamn." The woman hissed as she showed the photo to Diana's stylist. Her stylist made the same 'oohhh' sound.

"You found him?" Diana asked.

"Google works in mysterious ways." The woman said as she showed Diana a news paper article. The headline read, 'A.R.G.U.S. World Command welcomes Director-General Major Steven Rockwell Trevor, European Command' below the headline was a photo of Steve looking sharp and insanely attractive in his military uniform. The two women around her giggled at how handsome Steve Trevor was.

Diana agreed with them but she felt slightly disappointed about the headline she just read. "He didn't tell me he will be working for A.R.G.U.S" Diana whispered as she reclined back to her chair with a distraught face.

ooo

Steve yawned as he treaded the streets of Metropolis. Today is A.R.G.U.S World Command's inauguration. He was supposed to wear a suit in it. He hated those kinds of parties and galas. He felt disgusted at the thought of fancy people glorifying some murderous organization. Truth be told, under Waller's comman, it's either you're a meta human or not. If you are, then Waller will order to kill you, unless she finds a use for you. But he felt more disgusted to himself as he realized that he was head of the European Branch of that murderous organization. Not all meta-humans are evil. Steve said to himself. They are not even given a chance to prove themselves. Who are they to decide of those people live or die?

Steve sighed as he entered the laundry shop to get his newly dry-cleaned suit. He smiled at attendant, who giggled back at him. It took several minutes before the attendant was able to find his suit. Finally, she appeared in front of the counter, together with her was a large plastic bag which contained his suit. "I dry-cleaned and pressed it twice for you."

She gave a flirty smile at Steve. "Thank you," he whispered as he awkwardly smiled back at her. Steve took the his suit and along it came a small piece of paper. The woman behind the counter whispered 'call me' as she saw Steve look at the piece of paper. Steve hurriedly left the laundry shop. Usually, he would fool around with women who get enticed by his pretty face. But that was long time ago.

Steve was walking towards his apartment when he saw an apple roll towards his foot. He immediately took it and looked for the person who dropped it. A few meters away, he saw an woman who was busily picking her groceries on the floor. "Let me help you." Steve said as he picked up the items scattered on the ground. "Thank you." The lady said. Steve smiled at her as he returned the last piece of items he gathered. His smile immediately turned to shock when he glanced over the woman's head. On top of her head was a piece of yellowish string. It hovered over her head like it was attached to her body. Steve followed the string to the sky. The end of it was no where in sight. He rubbed his eyes to see of the string would disappear, but it didn't.

"Are you okay?" The woman said as she became bothered at what Steve was staring at above her head. "Yes. I got a little bit distracted." Steve smiled as he lied. The woman smiled back as she whispered a small thanks before leaving Steve alone.

Steve walked towards his apartment, every time he passed by someone, he saw the same string attached to their heads. Steve brisk walked towards his apartment as his heart pounded heavily in his chest. What the hell is he seeing, what are those threads? He thought in panic. He continued to rub his eyes until they hurt, but the threads were still there. Finally, Steve arrived in his place and ran towards his bathroom. He checked himself on the mirror to see if he had the same string as everyone does. He saw nothing. He checked again, this time, removing his mirror from the wall. But still, there was none. Steve breathed heavily at his observation. Why can he not see it in himself? He thought as he shakily latched the mirror back to his wall. He struggled to affix the mirror back to its original place. His hands were shaking uncontrollably out of fear. He was only able to calm down when his cellphone vibrated rapidly from his pocket. Steve checked his phone and saw Amanda Waller's name. It was reminding him not to miss the inauguration. He can only miss it if he's dead. Steve heaved a heavy sigh. His own problems piled up one after the other, but he cannot stop life from moving on.

The time of the inauguration came. Steve managed to look presentable in his suit. He made his way through the crowds of the elite without freaking out. His eyes observed every string that emanated from each and every person in the gala. Old people had gray strings, while those who were in their mid thirties, had a dirty yellow strings.

Amanda Waller saw and went towards him. Steve saw her string- it was black and murky. What does that mean? He asked himself.

Waller made a forced smile as she stood next to him. "You look distraught." She whispered.

"I don't like parties." Steve lied. But what really bothered him was the black thread on top of Amanda's head.

"Oh, he came." Amanda said, distracting Steve. Steve glanced at the direction where Amanda looked. Finally, he saw who Amanda was talking about. Bruce Wayne emerged from the mezzanine of the theater. He had a rugged and almost tired face. Still, he still looked sharp in his suit. Steve observed as Bruce looked towards his back, talking to someone. Just like Amanda, Bruce had a murky black string emanating from his head.

Steve saw how the string blackened more when glistened with light. He glanced at Amanda's string and compared them. Before coming to a theory about the color of their strings, Steve got distracted by a golden string that emanated from the person Bruce was talking to. Steve tried to peek on whom it belongs. Finally, the owner of the golden string emerged behind Bruce. Diana Prince walked gracefully, holding Bruce Wayne's arm. Steve could feel his mouth drop as he saw how beautiful and elegant Diana was in her floor length light blue gown. She smiled sweetly at the people who greeted them. Her eyes observed the people inside the gala until her gaze locked into Steve's. She smirked at him which made Steve uncomfortable. He removed his gaze from Diana and glanced down at Amanda.

"I saw that, Major." Amanda smirked as she took a glass of wine.

"Saw what?" Steve asked as he took his own glass and drank it in one gulp.

"Diana Prince, age 30, 5 foot 10, a PhD holder in Art History, and the head curator of the Louvre." Amanda grinned at Steve as she saw how he was smitten with Bruce Wayne's companion. "And currently single, if I might add." Steve frowned at the petite woman beside him as she mentioned details about Diana.

"I'm not interested." Steve lied as he stared back at Amanda Waller.

"You shouldn't. She will be the death of you." Amanda said sarcastically as she directed Steve to follow him.

"Mr. Wayne." Amanda smiled as she and Steve approached Bruce Wayne. "This is Major Steven Trevor, Director-General of the European Command."

"Major." Bruce said as he shook Steve's hand.

"Mr. Wayne." Steve replied as he returned the handshake.

"And this is Diana Prince, head curator of the Louvre." Bruce addressed Diana. Diana smiled and shook Steve and Amanda's hands.

"Major, why don't you entertain Ms. Prince for a while." Amanda grinned at Steve as she led Bruce to follow him.

Diana stared at Steve. Her brows cowered almost together. For some reason, Steve knew why she got that look plastered on her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you that I work for A.R.G.U.S." He apologized instantly as he saw Diana's face.

"Just don't do that next time." Diana sighed in defeat. She was supposed to stay upset longer, but she couldn't do that to him. Both of them stood silently for a while before the lights dimmed and a soft music played in the background. People inside the gala immediately went to find partners so they could dance. Diana glanced at Steve who just stood like a statue in the crowd.

"Do you want to dance?" Diana inquired. For some reason, she was swayed with the environment's mood.

"I.. uhh.. don't know how to dance." Steve let out an embarrassed chuckle as he scratched his cheek.

"Most of them don't know how to.." Diana grinned at him. "You'll be fine, I'll teach you." She said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dance floor.

Luckily, Steve knew where to place his hand. Still, he did not move. "Someone once told me that the key to dancing, is to actually sway." Diana smiled as she remembered how she and the old Steve 'swayed' in Veld. Steve chuckled lightly as he decided to follow Diana's instructions on swaying. "So, you do this often?" He asked as he felt Diana's hips move with his own.

Diana shook her head. "Not really." She said.

Both of them swayed silently for a while. Steve tried so hard not to stare at Diana's face. But for some reason, he was drawn to it. It was like the first time he drank and enjoyed alcohol, and once he tried it, he could never stop. It was highly addicting, just like her. Steve subconsciously gently pulled Diana closer. He could feel her breath on his face. What exactly did he want to do? He asked himself.

Diana looked away from Steve as she felt him pull her close. She could not stare at his eyes. They were too beautiful for her. Instead, she went on to stare on his lips. What exactly does she want to do with it? She asked herself.

Finally, Steve caught himself staring too much. "I wasn't proud of it." He finally said as he regained his composure.

Steve's words brought Diana's attention to away from his lips. "What is?" She said as she finally had the courage to stare at his eyes.

"Heading ARGUS, I'm not proud of it." Steve sadly said. "I know you know what we do. And I was afraid that you would judge me." He whispered as he glanced away from Diana, fearing her reaction.

"We do what we know best to protect people." She said as she placed her finger on Steve's cheek and slowly forced him into looking at her.

"Not all meta humans are good." Diana said. "But not all meta humans are evil." She smiled. "That's why we exist. We try to mediate things, stop the bad, and protect the good."

"ARGUS doesn't really do the protecting." Steve let out a sigh in dismay.

"But you do." Diana smiled sweetly at him. "And with a large organization like ARGUS, you know you can protect more good meta humans, than doing it by yourself. That's why you chose to be there."

Steve stopped swaying for a while and stared at Diana. How does she know those things? Sure, he knew he can reject Waller's offer. He always had a choice. But he didn't. He chose to be there. ARGUS sucked the humanity out of him, made him the drunk that he is. But he chose to stay, because he knew it was his only way to save both non-meta and metas alike.

Steve began to sway again as he gripped Diana's hand tighter. The fact that Diana saw right through him made him uncomfortable and relieved at the same time. Finally, someone was able to understand why he does what he does. But a part of him was afraid. It was like someone is exposing all of his vulnerabilities and he didn't like it. For the longest time, he kept his guard up, building walls around him, and this woman, suddenly appeared in his life, tearing down the walls he built easily. He wanted to bring the walls back up. He needed to push her away. Tell her to mind her own business, but one look at her made him change his mind. Fuck it, he thought. He couldn't help but think of the reason why he couldn't push Diana away. Does he like her? The question popped into Steve's head. The question wasn't hard to answer. He never allowed anybody made himself feel vulnerable - only her. His thoughts started to wander about life with her - if they get married and have kids, will they have super strength too? Is that union even possible? Steve mentally slapped himself as his thoughts reached the future. The fuck was he thinking?Marriage? Amanda was right, Steve thought. She will be the death of me. Steve smiled weakly as he gave in to his feelings. There's no denying it. He liked Diana Prince, the demi-god, who can beat the crap out of anyone.

The two of them continued to dance silently. Truth be told, they had been swaying way longer than any of the partners on the dance floor. But they did not care. Diana prayed that this moment will last forever. Suddenly, Steve stopped moving. His hands began to grip Diana's hand tighter. Diana noticed the change in Steve's motion so she decided to look on his face. Diana confusingly observed Steve. The color on his face disappeared. He was looking at the direction of the stage, his eyes enlarged because of shock. It was like he saw a ghost. "Is everything alright?" Diana asked worriedly. Steve did not answer but instead, he slowly let go of her hand and placed to inside the back of his coat. He reached for his gun as if he saw a threat. Diana searched for what he saw. There was nothing on the stage, just some microphones and a platform. Diana stared back at Steve. "What is it?" She asked again, this time in an almost panic. A while longer, Diana started to hear screams. It came from a woman who also stared directly at the stage. She began pointing at something while hysterically shouting and crying. Still, Diana saw nothing. The screams alerted everyone in the gala. Most of the guests were confused. Diana searched the crowd for Bruce Wayne. Bruce was on a table with Amanda Waller. Both of them were standing up, staring at the stage in full terror. They see it too, Diana thought.

More and more people started screaming.

Steve observed the hideous thing on the stage. It was a person. It was wearing a black robe, almost covering its whole body. A hood covered half of its face, Steve from where he was standing saw its grotesque mouth open. Its teeth were rotting from the inside of its mouth. Small insects crawled from the outside of it. Its exposed skin was rotting from the inside. Pieces of flesh lay hanging below its face. A foul oder emitted from it which made Steve want to vomit.

Steve observed the people who were hysterically screaming and panicking. All of them now had black strings. Before the gala, only Bruce and Amanda had black strings. Now, several people have them, and they saw the creature. Confusion and panic erupted from the gala. Those who saw the creature, ran out of fear, while the others who were not seeing it, stood in confusion. Steve slowly went near the stage drawing his gun. "What are you?" He whispered to himself. The creature, stared directly at Steve, as if it heard his whisper. The unknown entity opened its mouth, "Death." It said. Suddenly, the first woman who saw the creature collapsed to the ground. Steve's eyes widened as he saw the black string that was once connected to the woman, snap into two, before disappearing in the thin air.

Additional screams were heard from the gala. The people were now running towards the exits, Steve stood his ground and pointed the gun at the creature. Diana ran towards the woman and checked for her pulse. "She's dead." She shouted at Steve. Steve then fired his gun towards the stage. The action was a futile attempt as the bullets only traversed through the creatures body. "Fuck." Steve cursed under his breath.

"What are you?" Amanda Waller's voice roared through out the gala. The creature did not reply but instead pointed its rotting finger at her.

Steve figured much at what was going on. This is no meta human. Steve thought. The mythologies were true. He read stories that people are connected with the strings of life, and when a person dies, the thread of life is cut. Steve's heart pounded heavily on his chest at the sudden realization. Everything was true, his dreams were real, Hades was real. Hades! Steve remembered the king of the underworld. "Death will come, and it will come for all." Hades' words resonated on Steve's head, every word pounding in his mind. Steve nervously looked at the creature, whose hand was still pointed at Amanda. "Death." It whispered again. It's voice was clear as day to Steve.

"Amanda! No!" Steve roared as he helplessly warned Amanda. In an instant, Amanda Waller suddenly collapsed, half of her body lay on the table, lifeless. Bruce Wayne checked for a pulse. There was nothing. Diana's eyes met Bruce's. Her face was so confused. She's sure that there's an enemy. But she could not see it. That fact made her frustrated as she saw people falling down one-by-one, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Bruce threw his bat boomerangs at the entity. It exploded right to the it but it had no effect. Bruce Wayne cussed under his breath.

"Diana!" Steve roared from his place. "4 feet from me, 12 o'clock." Upon Steve's instructions, Diana ran towards its direction and delivered a punch. If there is an entity here who could fight a mythical one, that would be her. Steve thought, Diana being a child of Zeus herself. The creature merely slid towards the side. It made an eerie laugh as it saw Diana's futile attempts.

"6 o'clock, one foot!" Bruce roared. Diana followed his instructions. Steve looked at Bruce Wayne and nodded in thanks. Even if Bruce and Steve tagged teamed on giving Diana instructions, she never hit the invisible entity.

Before Bruce could instruct Diana, he fell to the ground. "Bruce!" Diana screamed in panic. Immediately, she leaped towards the place where he was. Diana checked for a pulse, but she found none. Her eyes watered as she tried to revive Bruce Wayne, but it was futile.

"What the fuck is it?" She roared. Diana's anger welled up inside her. She felt helpless and useless in the situation. She could not save anyone. She couldn't save Bruce. Diana glanced at Steve. Fear suddenly enveloped her entire body with a sudden realization. Only those who can see it, die. Tears started to well up on her eyes, but Diana kept her composure. She can do something. She must do something about this.

"Death." Steve ominously answered her question.

"Hades? Impossible, the gods are all dead." She told herself as she felt shivers down her spine.

"What do you want?" Steve shouted at the creature.

"Death." It whispered again. Steve knew what was about to come for him. Steve's heart pounded hard on his chest. He figured that he will be next. Every person who saw the entity died. He swallowed his own saliva and panted as he waited for himself to die. Surprisingly, nothing happened. The creature shrieked hard which made Steve covered his ears. It started to mumble words in a language he did not understand. Suddenly, the entity charged towards him. It glided to the floor like a ghost.

"To my front!" Steve shouted. Diana instantly jumped in front of Steve and blocked whatever it was charging on him with her arms. In the exact time, the entity hit Diana's arms which generated a strong electric current which repelled the entity away.

Finally, Diana was able to see it. The electricity surrounding the creature revealed its grotesque form. "Who are you?" Diana roared in anger.

"Diana, Princess of Thymeschira, daughter of Zeus." It finally said. Its voice was hoarse and old; like that of an old woman.

"What do you want?" Diana asked again.

The entity did not answer question. Instead, she lifted her head and smelled the air. "Hades." She said. "I feel him." She whispered as she pointed at Steve.

Suddenly, the scar on Steve's chest began to hurt like hell. The pain made him drop on his knees. He removed his coat and ripped the buttons of his long sleeves. The scar was bright orange, as if his flesh was burning again. Steve grunted loudly. Sweat filled his forehead, as he tried to endure it.

"What are you doing to him?" Diana shouted at the entity, but it had already disappeared.

"Steve!" She cried in panic. Diana exposed Steve's bare chest and she saw the scar burning bright. "No, no, no!" Diana cried.

"Stay with me." She pleaded. "You're alright. Just stay with me, okay?" As tears welled up in her eyes.