[sup][h1][center][/center][b][center][color=black] W O N D E R  W O M A N[/color]
[color=firebrick]W O N D E R  W O M A N[/color][/center]
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[center][i]Cassie Sandsmark[/i][/center]
It was days like this that made Cassie question her life choices. Instead of partying on the weekend, like any normal young adult would, she had been scouring the local redwood national park for an undocumented cave entrance. And why was Cassie doing this? As crazy as it sounds, the prior night, while she was working late at the Gateway City Museum of Antiquities, a statue of Ares—technically Mars, as it was a Roman sculpture—miraculously animated and spoke to her. He claimed that Cassie’s deadbeat dad was the king of the Gods, Zeus. He suggested she could find the answers she had been searching for in a nearby passage to the underworld.

Honestly, Cassie was only humoring the request of this supposed Ares because she had grown up reading the [i]Percy Jackson[/i] books and the idea of being related to Zeus amused her.

Cassie rested her aching feet as she sat down on a nearby log next to the trail. She emptied the dirty from her tennis shoe—she definitely should have worn hiking boots for this excursion. But at least the wooded trail provided plenty of shade to escape from the blaze of the Californian sun.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Songbirds warbled their melodies through the woods’ canopies. The leaves of the redwoods rustled from the light breeze grazing against their foliage. Even the buzzing of bugs echoed in the distance. Cassie leaned up against the gentle slope behind her, as she continued to enjoy her brief escape from the concrete jungle that Gateway City was.

Well, Cassie would have enjoyed the pleasures of nature, had she not found herself tumbling backwards. When Cassie had approached this section of the trail, she did not find any underground entrances: the hill’s foliage had not even spread to where the log rested against it. Yet somehow this opening spontaneously appeared without any visible indication of its existence. Was this just a coincidence or was this the opening she was looking for?

Pulling out a flashlight, Cassie descended into the depths of this hidden cave. Fortunately, her petite stature allowed Cassie to advance through the otherwise claustrophobic and cramped passage. After several yards into the cave, the tunnel opened to a spacious cavern. Her flashlight revealed puffs of vapor billowing over the rocky floor and a decrepit pier long hidden within the twilight. The waters of this underground river splashed harmlessly against the wharf’s support beams.

The ancient planks creaked beneath Cassie’s feet. The sounds of her footsteps against the wood and abandoned coins plopping into the water below echoed throughout the cavern. Despite her flashlight, the cave’s darkness shrouded the opposite shore, assuming it was within eye shot.

“These shores are not meant for the living,” a ghastly voice echoed from behind Cassie.
As Cassie turned to face whoever had just addressed her, the aged plank beneath her snapped. She tumbled into the dark water beside the dock. Panic washed over Cassie as her head submerged below the murky water’s surface. Fortunately, shallows flanked either side of the wooden structure. Nonetheless, she sprung up to her feet and, parting her drenched hair, turned her attention to the figure standing before her.

A hooded figure piloted a rickety boat, now docked next to the pier. A shriveled arm grasped a rusted lantern that dangled before the figure. In the other hand, he clutched an oar. Despite his cloak shielding his face, the figure continued to glare at Cassie. Now stuck in an awkward staring contest, while soaked and shivering, she inched towards the river’s shore.
“Well, I’m just be going now,” Cassie said. Even though she broke the silence, the hooded figure did not respond. As she received no reply, Cassie bolted.

Once outside, the warm rays of the sun welcomed her. The hill behind her gave no indication that an entrance existed. Yet, when she pressed her palm against the earth, her hand passed through the hill, into the cave.
“Well, I doubt anyone will believe this tale.”