Chapter Summaries

Carl fought The Trench and the Sea Clan at the execution platform, then battled Orm underwater as a giant waterspout threatened Cyborg and the others. A submarine used Dr. Shen’s research to incapacitate Orm, while its ancient origins remained to be explored.

• The Sea Clan and The Trench attacked the execution platform, but Carl drove them back with overwhelming force until Cyborg stopped his slaughter.
• Carl heard Orm commanding the attackers and pursued him underwater, where Orm trapped him and the platform in a massive waterspout.
• The Flash rescued people from the vortex while Cyborg deflected Orm’s trident, but Orm still wounded Carl as his strength failed in the sunless water.
• Dane recognized an ancient submarine approaching, and its sonic weapon struck Orm with such pain that he dropped the Trident of Poseidon and the vortex began to shrink.
• Inside the submarine, Commander praised Dr. Shen for restoring the ancient craft, and Dr. Shen recalled how Atlantis’s emergence had revived his research career.

Dane entered Orm’s dream and tricked him into believing that the Poseidon trying to kill him was the usurper Neptune, while Dane was the true Poseidon. Orm resisted the attack with a trident after Dane urged him to trust in his strength, leaving Poseidon shocked that Orm had blocked him.

• Poseidon realized an intruder had broken into Orm’s dream and raised his trident to kill Orm so he could escape.
• Dane invaded the dream and used his voice and a fabricated story to convince Orm that Poseidon was actually Neptune, a usurper.
• Orm sympathized with the supposed Poseidon and accepted his offer of power, believing it would help him fight Neptune.
• Orm gritted his teeth and raised his trident against Poseidon’s descending weapon.
• Orm blocked Poseidon’s attack, surprising Poseidon because he had not expected Orm to understand that he could control the dream.

Dane manipulated Orm’s dream to turn him against Poseidon, then took control of Orm’s body when Poseidon began to overpower him. Dane defeated Poseidon in the unstable dream and sealed part of his divine consciousness inside Poseidon’s heart.

• Dane convinced Orm that Poseidon was an impostor, and Orm’s belief gave him enough power to drive Poseidon back.
• Poseidon reversed the fight by drawing on Orm’s awe and superior trident skill, weakening Orm’s confidence.
• Dane put Orm into a deeper dream and took control of his body, then clashed with Poseidon using the trident.
• After Orm’s departure destabilized the dream, Dane used a glowing trident as bait and pierced Poseidon through the back.
• Dane took Poseidon’s heart, shattered his body, and reinforced a seal around the heart to trap part of Poseidon’s spiritual body.

Dane examined Poseidon's memories and uncovered a divine war aimed at reclaiming humanity's faith, with the gods' plans tied to Old Barry's weakened control of the world. He rejected both Poseidon and Zeus's goals, crushed Poseidon's heart, and decided to change his plan while the gods' influence remained limited.

• Dane gave Poseidon's heart to Cortana, who examined its memories without exposing Dane to their emotional effects.
• Dane learned that sea gods from several pantheons backed Poseidon and that Ares had broken with Poseidon to support humanity.
• Dane concluded the gods were competing to reclaim human faith and that Old Barry's weakened control had allowed them to interfere in the world.
• Dane discovered Poseidon planned to flood the world and transform life into marine creatures, while Zeus and Gaia opposed his plan.
• Dane asked Cortana whether he should side with the gods or act as a lone hero, and she told him she would stay with him regardless.
• Dane crushed Poseidon's heart and abandoned his original plan, deciding not to risk confronting multiple gods while their access to the human world remained limited.

Dane turned Orm toward a path to godhood, while Poseidon chose the recently deceased Arthur Curry as a new agent to investigate the mortal world. Revived in Atlantis, Arthur disguised himself as Black Manta and headed for the intelligence bureau while Orm was away.

• Dane decided Orm could become a pawn and moved through the collapsing dream as Orm awakened with the Trident of Poseidon and regained his demigod strength.
• Orm accepted the account that Poseidon had chosen him to help in the gods’ conflict and considered pursuing godhood through the war.
• Poseidon discovered his connection to Orm had been severed, then revived Arthur Curry and ordered him to investigate the mortal world in exchange for the possibility of Mera’s resurrection.
• After returning to Atlantis, Arthur killed Black Manta, took his Power Armor, and convinced nearby soldiers that an intruder had been destroyed.
• Arthur learned Orm had gone to the Saltwater Kingdom, sent the soldiers to inspect the surveillance system, and made his way to Atlantis’s intelligence bureau.

Arthur searched Atlantis’s classified intelligence for clues about Wonder Woman and the missing weapon, then returned to the human world. At Barry Allen’s home, the metahumans debated how to fight Atlantis until Carl’s hearing detected a strange sound and John Constantine arrived through a wormhole.

• Arthur learned that Orm was uniting the ocean kingdoms, found no trace of the Amazons, and suspected Wonder Woman’s disappearance was connected to humanity.
• Arthur discovered Atlantis had not recovered the weapon he created and quietly returned to the surface world to investigate.
• Nora discovered Barry’s identity as The Flash and, after accepting the truth, urged him to protect himself.
• Batman Thomas argued that the metahumans had to rely on Carl against Orm, while Barry objected to treating Carl as a weapon.
• Carl arrived at Barry’s home after overhearing the group and identified a strange sound that preceded the opening of a wormhole.
• John Constantine emerged from the wormhole and introduced himself as an exorcist.

Constantine told Batman, Barry Allen, and Carl Allen that prophecies had opened a path to godhood and named them as Chosen Ones. As magical forces grew more active, attackers targeted Barry’s home, and Constantine tried to help them escape.

• Constantine explained that the magical community was in chaos because prophecies promised mortals a chance to become gods, and he identified Batman, Barry Allen, and Carl Allen as Chosen Ones.
• Constantine said the magical community would target the three, and Carl sensed an approaching threat.
• An explosion engulfed Barry’s home, and Barry entered the Speed Force to protect Nora.
• Constantine appeared beside Barry in spirit form and warned that spellcasters had discovered their identities and meant to capture or kill them.
• Constantine explained that prophecies had made mystical forces more active and magic easier to use.

Constantine rescued Barry from a fire by drawing him into his Mystic House, while Diana struggled with growing disputes among the Amazons and confronted Dane about his idleness. Diana discovered Circe in Dane’s bed and left in embarrassment, then rejoined Dane without directly mentioning what she had seen.

• Constantine drew Barry into his Mystic House, and black-robed figures arrived at the burning house but found only traces of magic.
• Dane woke to find Circe waiting for him, and Circe seduced him after teasing him about his manhood.
• Diana dealt with mounting tensions between the Themysciran Amazons and the Bana-Mighda11, then went to recruit Dane to help with her workload.
• Dane refused Diana’s request and claimed he had been busy with important work, then led her away from his room.
• Diana secretly entered Dane’s room and found Circe sprawled on his bed, then fled in a blushing, angry embarrassment.
• Diana returned to Dane with her blush still visible, while Dane pretended not to know what she had seen.

Dane told Diana about the spread of the Path to Godhood and advised her to let the Amazons' simmering conflict play out. Meanwhile, Orm searched for the missing Black Manta as Arthur, disguised as Black Manta, entered the Sunken Fortress to buy intelligence and confronted Doug.

• Dane told Diana that people were learning they could gain divine power by hunting gods, and Diana asked whether the path to godhood was real.
• Dane realized Diana had escaped the influence of Eris, while Diana admitted she wanted the Amazons involved in the coming struggle and worried about conflict between the Amazon tribes.
• Dane advised Diana to let the tribes fight under Circe's watch rather than keep suppressing their discord.
• Orm fought on the surface against human forces, then ordered his people to continue searching for Black Manta.
• Arthur entered the Sunken Fortress in Black Manta's gear and sought intelligence from Doug, who threatened to sell his identity to Orm.

Arthur Curry was exposed as a likely candidate for godhood after Doug betrayed him to Kingfish, ruler of the Sunken Fortress. Kingfish coveted Arthur’s divine power, and Arthur faced him in the fortress after its gates were sealed.

• Arthur paid Doug for information about the Path to Godhood, and Doug warned that people would try to capture anyone with the aptitude.
• Doug summoned Kingfish’s sharkmen to ambush Arthur, but Arthur killed them and tore Doug in half when he tried to flee.
• Kingfish sealed the Sunken Fortress and announced a lockdown, trapping Arthur inside.
• Arthur let the sharkmen capture him so they would bring him before Kingfish.
• Kingfish confronted Arthur and revealed his desire to gain divine power and surpass the kings of the Seven Seas.

Arthur escaped Kingfish’s capture, killed him, and fought through Sunken Fortress. News of Arthur’s survival reached Orm, who teleported to the fortress with the Trident of Poseidon and faced his brother, uncertain how Arthur had returned.

• Kingfish tried to harvest Arthur’s blood, but Arthur broke free of his chains before Kingfish subdued him with sonic cannons and Atlantean-steel restraints.
• An unknown attacker killed the Sharkmen holding Arthur’s chains, allowing Arthur to escape the sonic attack and recover.
• Arthur evaded the cannons, seized Kingfish, and crushed his head; Kingfish’s loyal Sharkmen then attacked Arthur.
• A Fisherman’s Kingdom spy reported Arthur’s presence to Skye, who passed the news to Orm.
• Orm teleported to Sunken Fortress with the Trident of Poseidon and found Arthur fighting; Arthur demanded the trident, while Orm wondered whether Poseidon had arranged Arthur’s return.

Arthur was rescued from Orm by Constantine’s group, who questioned him about Poseidon and the prophecy of mortals becoming gods. As Constantine considered the threat behind the prophecy, Hespera regained her power and freed her sisters from their prison.

• Orm overpowered Arthur with the Trident, but Constantine used a magical vortex to rescue Arthur before Orm could kill him.
• Constantine questioned Arthur about Poseidon and the Path to Godhood, and Arthur said Poseidon had only ordered him to gather information.
• Barry told Constantine about Dane Davis, and Batman described Dane as a god-made weapon; Arthur recognized him as the man who had destroyed part of Atlantis’s royal capital.
• Constantine suspected a god was manipulating the conflict between humanity and the gods and said Madame Web could potentially see that god’s divine servant.
• Hespera broke her shackles after recovering her divine power, then released Anthea and Calypso from their restraints.
• Calypso stared toward the prison door, seemingly ready to attack the guards outside.

Hespera, Calypso, and Anthea escaped the temple with Ladon and seized control of Artemis before entering The Rock of Eternity to claim the Wizard Staff. Their fight with Shazam ended with Calypso controlling his mind, while Dane, Diana, and Circe watched from outside.

• Hespera sent Anthea to open a path to Ladon's cavern, and Calypso awakened the dragon and led it against the Amazons.
• Ladon scattered the Amazons, and Calypso charmed Artemis into serving the goddesses.
• Hespera led her sisters through the door to The Rock of Eternity, where Ladon attacked Shazam.
• Dane explained to Diana that he had let the goddesses escape so they could test the magical world's strength, while Circe predicted Shazam would lose.
• Calypso combined her power with Ladon's fear aura, took control of Shazam, and declared him her slave.

Hespera planted the last Golden Apple in Philadelphia and used Shazam’s lightning to grow a new Tree of Life, but polluted soil and forced growth produced weak, vicious magical beasts. As Calypso’s creatures captured civilians to feed the tree, Diana and Circe watched from hiding, recognizing the goddesses’ plan.

• Anthea found the Golden Apple in the Rock of Eternity, and Hespera stopped Calypso from eating it and decided to grow a Tree of Life.
• Hespera, Calypso, Anthea, Ladon, and Shazam went to Philadelphia, where Hespera prepared the ground and Shazam struck the planted Golden Apple with lightning.
• The Tree of Life erupted through a stadium, and Hespera warned that the human world’s polluted soil would make it produce defective creatures.
• Calypso used chaos to force the tree to produce cocoons, and weak black mythical beasts emerged and began attacking people across Philadelphia.
• Diana and Circe realized the goddesses were using the creatures to capture civilians, whom Hespera buried beneath the tree as nourishment.

Anthea resisted Hespera and Calypso’s plan to sacrifice humans and tried to protect Philadelphia, but Calypso took control of Shazam and captured her. Human fighter jets then attacked the Tree of Life, and Hespera and Calypso faced a growing assault from drone formations as Dane recognized their technology.

• Calypso admitted that she and Hespera had sacrificed humans to restore the Tree of Life, and Anthea openly opposed them.
• Anthea transported Hespera and Calypso away, then tried to locate and relocate the magical beasts rampaging through Philadelphia.
• Calypso remotely controlled Shazam and sent him and Artemis to attack Anthea, while Dane secretly helped her evade Artemis’s axe.
• Ladon’s gaze stopped Anthea from using Axis Power, allowing Shazam to seize and control her; Anthea then brought the goddesses back at Calypso’s command.
• Human fighter jets attacked the Tree of Life, and Ladon pursued them after a missile blast tore off one of its horns.
• Hespera shielded the Tree of Life from further missiles while Calypso sent Shazam against the aircraft, and more unmanned fighters arrived.

Dane identified Hal Jordan as the human host controlling the drone hive, and the United States used the Ferris Saber Mark IV to pressure the Goddesses, Ladon, and Shazam. Calypso used her growing power to find Hal and sent Shazam after him, giving magic the advantage in its first clash with the drone system.

• Dane and Cortana discovered that Hal Jordan piloted the hive's manned fighter and mentally coordinated the drones.
• Hal commanded the Ferris Saber Mark IV formation as the drones overwhelmed the defenders, while Carl Ferris and Air Force officials watched from the base.
• Ladon returned to protect the Tree of Life and destroyed drones with his dragon breath, but Hal adapted his tactics to keep the dragon and Goddesses occupied.
• Calypso secretly restored her divine power by draining life force from humans brought to the Tree of Life, and military officials ordered Hal to focus on the Goddesses.
• Calypso used her Power of Chaos to locate Hal through the drone system, then controlled Shazam to pursue his mother craft as Hal fled.

Hespera and Calypso fought to defend the Tree of Life as human forces converged on the stadium, while Dane, Diana, and Circe recovered the mind-controlled Artemis elsewhere in Philadelphia. The chapter ended at an A.R.G.U.S. base, where red-robed figures connected themselves to a mysterious green-lit sphere.

• Hespera disrupted the drones attacking the goddesses, then warned Calypso after severing her air supply when Calypso tried to use her powers against her.
• Calypso revealed that one person controlled the drones, and Hal used his fighter and drone feeds to evade Shazam's lightning while supporting the battle.
• Ground forces arrived in Philadelphia and attacked the magical beasts and Tree of Life, forcing Calypso to summon the beasts and Ladon to defend the stadium.
• Ladon went berserk after the Tree of Life's canopy caught fire and attacked both humans and magical beasts.
• Dane, Diana, and Circe found Artemis beneath rubble, subdued her, and let Circe take her away to investigate Calypso's chaos power.
• Dane and Diana concluded that hidden magical forces were guiding the human attack, while red-robed figures gathered around a green-lit sphere at an A.R.G.U.S. base.

Waller learned that Hal Jordan might be the Green Lantern Ring’s chosen wielder, but Dane and Diana seized the ring after killing the red-robed man who had been studying it. Dane mastered the ring and planned to give a copied ring to a human, while Diana argued that the Amazons should have it instead.

• Waller questioned the red-robed man about controlling the Lantern Ring, and he explained that its chosen wielder would likely have exceptional willpower.
• The red-robed man revealed that the ring had connected to the vision of Hal Jordan in Philadelphia, leading him to suspect that Hal was its chosen wielder.
• Dane and Diana surprised the red-robed man, and Diana killed him with the Sword of Vulcan as the Lantern Ring broke free and flew to Dane.
• Dane caught the ring, demonstrated its power by manifesting a Sword of Vulcan, and told Diana he intended to let a human use its power.
• Diana tried to take Dane’s copied Green Lantern Ring for the Amazons, but Dane said no Amazon besides her met its requirements and warned that its wielder needed to resist Calypso’s power.
• Dane argued that humans and the Sea Clan were allies against the gods, while Diana answered that she was Zeus’s daughter.

Dane forced Diana to choose whether the Amazons would remain under the gods’ rule, then sent the Copy Ring to Hal as the battle in Philadelphia reached its climax. Hal used the ring’s power to bring down the Tree of Life, leaving Hespera to bury Anthea as the battlefield began to turn against the gods and magical beasts.

• Dane confronted Diana over the fate of Bana-Mighda and the Amazons’ future, and she chose not to surrender her people to the gods.
• Dane sent the Copy Ring toward Philadelphia, where Ares fed on the battle’s violence and Hespera tried to destroy the ring before it reached Hal.
• The ring empowered Hal, who escaped Ladon’s attack and struck the dragon with a green hard-light fist.
• Calypso and Shazam attacked Hal, but he resisted their assaults and drove Ladon through Hespera’s shield into the Tree of Life.
• The Tree of Life collapsed, weakening the magical beasts and allowing human forces to counterattack.
• Hespera saw that the battle was lost and used her remaining magic to bury the sleeping Anthea underground.

After the Philadelphia battle, A.R.G.U.S. investigated Wonder Woman’s return and recruited Jason Blood, who pointed Waller toward Doctor Fate as a possible ally. Anthea awoke amid the stadium ruins, where Constantine, Batman, and the others arrived to investigate.

• Waller learned that Joseph had been killed by Wonder Woman’s Sword of Vulcan and concluded that the Amazons might have survived.
• Jason Blood asked Waller for Joseph’s research and joined A.R.G.U.S. after she agreed to share it.
• Waller asked Jason about Kent Nelson, and Jason explained that Kent could wield the power of Nabu, the God of Destiny.
• Anthea awoke in the ruined stadium, searched for Calypso, Hespera, and Ladon, and discovered the battlefield’s devastation.
• Constantine, Cyborg, Batman, Aquaman, and the others arrived through a magical Portal, and Deadshot remarked on the battle’s brutality.