Selina saw the worry in Wonder Woman's eyes. This object (it appeared to be some sort of broach, or amulet- one large white diamond surrounded by several smaller ones, in a variety of colors, like a rainbow of precious stones, set in gold, with a bronze
backing- and a very sharp spike emerging from the back! Lucky she hadn't stabbed herself with it already!) was obviously dangerous- which just made Selina more curious. What could be the power that could make even Wonder Woman worry?
"Tell me about it, Princess," purred Selina. "And, if you don't want to see it go over the edge, don't lie. In fact- wrap that pretty little lasso around your arm before you start talking.
Diana hesitated. Catwoman was an odd one- she had committed many crimes, but she had also helped a great many people. She was, as Nightwing once said, "a Robin Hood in tight leather". Very tight, Diana couldn't help noticing. Her figure rivaled the Amazon's.
But that didn't mean she could be trusted- quite the opposite. She always seemed to do what she thought was best- not necessarily what society did.
"Catwoman- please- if you drop that, the magics unleashed could destroy this half of the city."
"Princess- this isn't the half of the city I'm concerned with. So tie the rope, and tell me everything."
"Diana reluctantly complied. "That is called the Amulet of Autolycus. Autolycus was a ..."
"Thief- son of Hermes, god of thieves. I know a lot on that subject.
"Yes- but he did not create it. Circe did. It was intended to steal the power of the gods. Each of the twelve gems surrounding the central gem can hold the power of a god- be it Zeus, Hermes, or even those of other pantheons- Thor, Set, Coyote. Draw blood
with the needle, even a drop- and their power, their knowledge, is drawn into a gem. Then, whoever wears the Amulet, will have all the powers and knowledge of the gods who have been robbed."
"What happens to the god? Does he become a mortal or something?"
"No. After a day of unconsciousness, the god would return to normal, except- they would feel a desire to serve the holder of the amulet."
"I understand why you want it back. Would it work on mortals- superhumans, perhaps?"
Wonder Woman tried to stop herself, find a way to color the truth- but the lasso's power was too great. "Yes- even a normal human would be affected by it- their skills, knowledge- what ever made them different- would be transferred."
;Selina cocked her head to one side. "But- you said if I dropped it, it would destroy half of Gotham. How?"
"The magics Circe used to create the Amulet were incredibly strong- each of those smaller gems is highly unstable, until they are used. Circe was defeated before she could use it more than once. If any of the other gems are dislodged from their setting,
they will explode with a force sufficient to destroy a block. And the explosion will create a chain reaction among the other jewels."
"You said it was used once- and you seemed pretty sure about how it worked. Who did she use it on, Princess? Who's power is contained within one of these gems?"
Diana tried to stop herself- but the answer came forth-
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