—PRELUDE—

It was a time that nobody will ever remember, lost in the forgetful river of time and memory. It was a time of heroes, legends, myths…but also…a time of villains, a time of war and darkness.

In a long and barren field, stained red by the blood of innocents, where once stood a beautiful city of good people, now laid waste by evil. Two armies met at the centre in a violent clash of steel. Then fire rained from the skies, momentarily separating the clusters…momentarily.

Hippolyta grasped the hilt of her sword tightly. The fires of battle hot upon her face as she sped across the battlement, slashing down every enemy soldier in her path. She stopped atop a hill, allowing her some reprieve as she gathered her wits. The trickle of blood trailed down her arms but she did well to ignore them.

Clad in her red hard leather cuirass with platinum rimming her breasts, greaves and bracelets as well as her sparkling silver tiara upon her raven head, she analysed the battle. The enemy was advancing from almost every direction. Their numbers quickly overwhelmed the militia that Argos had lent to the elite warrior Amazons. They needed to end this battle fast.

She breathed in some much needed respite. Fire spread across the ruined city as bodies littered the cobblestone roads. Blood flooded the streets and screams echoed the songs of the underworld. She felt tears begin to appear and before her vision became ruined, she ran down into the fight once more.

The young queen was soon joined by two other warrior women in her run. Loyal soldiers and warriors as cunning and resourceful as any military leader could ever ask for. But who they were to go up against was more than just an enemy. He was a crazed killer driven mad by a jealous goddess. Once heralded as a hero up until Hera herself tricked him into killing his own family.

They were pulled to a stop too suddenly as three acolyte Castors in silver armoured robes atop adjoining towers were firing streams of blue magic from their hands. Hippolyta looked to one of her officers. 'Kill the castors, we'll find the sage,' she commanded to which her women roared their compliance.

They broke up into two groups. Medea took her squad up the ramparts in front of the towers and they all leapt into the structures perfectly landing inside where they were greeted by an enemy team of around twenty foot-soldiers. They slashed at them, right to left as they advanced up the tower.

It took them no time at all to make it to the top where hooded castors awaited the young women. Without hesitation they sent flames against the Amazons. Seven trained warriors against three mages seemed an unfair fight no matter how you looked upon it. They were without a doubt skilled, but Medea's twin blades cut through the first castor while it took three of them to take on the others. Two would distract the mage while the third jumped over, swords drawn and they plunged the blades deep into their throats.

The castors however, had a master whom trained and protected them. The Sophos or 'sage' was the masters of spellweaving and known as the wisest of human minds. They chose the Oracles of Delphi and were once looked up to by all of Hellas. Tragic to see them corrupted in such a manner…by the gods of Olympus that they once revered of all things.

Hippolyta had taken ground with thirty-six of her best women to track down the Sage. He was in a field where once would have stood an acropolis of the city. When the elderly sage found himself surrounded by armoured soldiers, he raised a wall of fire and stone around him.

'I need a ladder!' exclaimed the Queen and they all held ready for her at the edge of the wall of red, they waited for her to charge with her poler-arm. She jumped onto their raised circular shields and used them as boost to hurl her over the wall.

'NO!' The last thing the sage worded before a golden tipped spear run through his open mouth and through the back of his head. Instantly the wall crumbled at his final breath.

Their Warrior Queen drew away from the now dead sage and led the army back into the thick of battle. 'We need to find him fast,' she yelled to another commander a few strides ahead.

The Amazon warriors dispatched more Athenian hoplites guarding the portal to the temple island. Their shields clashing upon the enemy's with so much force that at times their skulls shattered at the impact. Shields splintered them onto the grounds like skewered boars.

Then their war-shouts filled the ears of every man that fought against them. They were truly the soldiers of Olympus, fierce as lions and reflexes as quick as the cheetah.

The wide bridge was swarming with soldiers whom had to retreat to guard the entrance. 'Rally the others and prepare them to flank!' She barked out her orders. Her warriors nodded and ran off away from her.

The Queen stood before the larger army—larger than, but not as skilled as her own. She paused and looked onto the temple on the other side of the bridge. She saw him—the famed Heracles, standing brazen atop the steps of the Temple of Zeus. He looked proud though she knew he truly felt otherwise. She could see it in his eyes, vacant, almost inhuman.

Hippolyta sighed in mere sadness at the hero of Hellas, dressed in nothing but a tunic covering his lower body and a greatsword resting at his side. His eyes…he'd been crying. In his grief he resigned to destroying himself and the gods along with him. Fortunate however, that this stage of Heracles' schemes had yet to see fruition.

But she knew as well as most, that a heart torn apart by anguish can so easily be woven into something far more terrible.

'We are here to serve you, my Queen.' She turned to see her lieutenant standing with a thousand heavily clad women behind her. 'We will end this here tonight.'

Hippolyta tried to smile. We have to end this here, now. She placed a hand on the older woman's shoulder. Ever the eager woman that she was, Atalanta was the greatest Blademaster in the world so she had reason to be, but often she felt her loyalties dwindle. 'Are you sure you are alright, sister?'

Heracles was once a friend of hers. They were on the same task force questing for the fabled Golden Fleece. Atalanta sighed. 'We've been through a lot together, Heracles and me…' she pointed her blade to the hero. 'My best friend died the moment Hera forced his blade. That man that fights against us…is not Heracles.'

'Then may Hades be able to extract the hero once again.'

Atalanta nodded and with her Queen's permission, sounded their battle cry, clattering their weapons together like thunderous drums.

Across the bridge, Heracles descended down the temple steps, 'Atalanta, the brave and strong…but also quite foolish, to come face me by yourself.'

'As you can see, Herc, I am not alone here!'

The hero began to laugh loudly. 'You believe that meagre force is enough to stop me?!' he taunted, dragging the ginormous sword which seemed as big as himself. 'Hera has blessed me with the powers of Olympus, so denied to me by my father.' His eyes began to glow the blue of lightning. 'Nothing can stop me!'

Hippolyta watched the exchange. She saw Atalanta shaking her head furiously at her friend's words. They were so twisted from how she'd remembered him before all of this madness. Her hands tightened around her spear. Hippolyta tried to grab her attention for a moment. 'Look, you've got to get your head into the moment, sister. Can you do that?' Atalanta nodded. 'Good. Now, I need you to take your troops in, Core has taken her own soldiers across the river from the south.' She gave the signal and they all charged the enemy forces.

It was a blood bath and Heracles was running out of men. The Amazon women drove the men back but that position was not holding up, Heracles gritted his teeth and jumped from the top of the stairs, landing onto the grounds below with his greatsword thrusted into the earth. The heavens seemed to roar the skyward thunder and rattled the mortal world angrily.

Somehow, that move had filled the hearts of Heracles' army with hope and fury. They began to fight back with multitudes of vigour and savagery that would frighten even the God of War himself.

Hippolyta suddenly found her forces were fast becoming overwhelmed. With each passing moment, her women had begun to take steps backwards. She cursed aloud as the enemy pressed forward harder. Their shields were large, building large rectangular walls, thus the Amazons found difficulty to push on. 'Hold ground, Warriors!' she barked over the clamouring. 'Push further!'

Atalanta looked to her Amazonian friend, an idea on her mind. 'I need to get to Heracles. No matter what, we need to distract him. I've got a plan, Hippolyta. I need to get to him.'

She smiled and nodded. 'Okay, what do you need us to do?'

'I need a boost, my Queen'

Suddenly the Queen grabbed her by the shoulder. 'I can help with that.'

On the other side of the sea of soldiers, Heracles stood with his sword in front of him, digging the blade into the stone. A smile played his bearded face but one that was all too strange that if he were to look in a mirror, he'd see nothing but one of the monsters he'd slain in his youth.

'Deep down, we are all monsters,' he muttered to himself.

This was what he'd been waiting for all this time. A chance to see the greatest monsters of all, hidden within the minds and souls of all gods and mortals. He looked up to the heavens… 'This is for you, father,' he spat.

…ARGH!...

The demi-god staggered backwards but still standing on his feet…a long spear sticking out of his right shoulder. 'Argh, by Cronos!' he cursed as he regained his balance and looked around for the origins of the shot. To his surprise a familiar face landed at the bottom of the steps. 'Atalanta,' he hissed, 'Kariola!'

'I came here to save a close friend, Heracles.' She started, pulling out her sword from its scabbard, 'A friend!' She watched as the demi-god pulled the spear as quickly as he could. Not a great many things could penetrate the divine skin that protected him, it caught him by surprise but he was adaptable and she knew this. 'But I now see that the Titans have all but killed the real Heracles.'

The larger man chuckled at her. 'You believe you could balm me for my better half…but you misunderstand the situation, old friend.' He then threw the spear back at her but Atalanta managed catch it. 'I sense holy water…you dipped the spear into the River Styx?'

'It isn't just the spear, Herc.'

'Then finally, things have gotten interesting.' With that, Heracles leapt into the air and then appeared behind her. 'Where are the others?' he inquired quite deceivingly innocent, 'Jason and his little band?'

'Our band, Heracles,' she corrected. 'The Argonauts included you as well, it always will. But you are mistaken to believe they are necessary in stopping you.' Then the talking was over and the warrior lunged forward but Heracles, faster and more experienced, dodged the attack. She tried again but Heracles again, evaded the series of swings she made.

Again the demi-god laughed. 'Hah, hah, hah, hah, you would have had that blade deep within my flesh by now…you have forgotten your craft.' Heracles didn't even have his weapon drawn and resulted to punching the female warrior with a fist of metal, knocking her to the ground. 'Peace has been your downfall, Atalanta.' He reached down and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off her feet. 'But I foresee that you will die as you feared…alone…unloved. You will die not in peace, but in the red skies of war and violence.'

'…No…' she tried to say but felt oxygen escaping her body quickly. 'No…you're wrong, Heracles…I'm never alone… We are never alone!'

Once again Heracles found himself staggering backwards. He roared in pain as large metal spikes appeared from the skies and smashed into the ground around him. Lightning reached out from those poles and seemed to holding the demi-god in restraint.

Atalanta stood before him, the son of Zeus, trying to catch her breath as a man in steel armour appeared from behind her, helping her to her feet. 'Are you alright, my friend?' asked the man.

'I'll be fine, Jason,' she assured. 'Nothing I couldn't fix with a walk or a few sword swings.'

But that was not all as they were soon joined by even more people, men and women, humans and monsters alike. Heracles looked on in rage at his helplessness, looking at the familiar faces come to jeer at him. The Argonauts had arrived.

Queen Hippolyta came in to join them. Her army had managed to dispatch some of Heracles' men whom retreated at the defeat of their master. Pushing them back to the ocean where they vanished. Some were to be kept as prisoners for insurance.

She found herself suddenly star-struck with giddy nervousness. All of her heroes before her in the flesh seemed unbelievable. Finding Atalanta was jaw dropping already. But now she was in the presence of Perseus, Medea, Theseus and even the Minotaur himself Asterion stood taller than everyone.

Jason approached the still lightning shocked demi-god, his own sword drawn. 'In the name of your father, Zeus, Lord of Olympus, you are sentenced to Limbo.' He then turned to Castor Medea. 'My love,' he greeted, 'the medallion if you will.'

The sorceress took out a small purple coin from her satchel and gave it to her husband before standing back. They all took a moment to process what they were about to do. It was particularly hard for Jason whom had been trained by Heracles, had confided in him like a son to his father.

Heracles growled and barked at him, struggling against the magical confines that had also started burning him. 'You believe you have won, Atalanta!' he cried. 'You have won nothing! Limbo will never hold me…I will escape even if it is only to drag you all back with me!'

Jason tried to ignore it, the tears that were threatening to appear. He took a deep breath in and entered the lightning. Both men growled in pain as the leader of the Argonauts placed the coin atop Heracles' head, muttering an incantation. Then he forced the mouth of the god's son wide open, placed the coin under his tongue and once he forced the jaw closed again, Heracles shrieked, struggling with all of his strength, slowly diminishing into numbness.

He felt so much pain but soon it ended and then finally there was silence. The body of Heracles turned to stone, stuck in the kneeling position the restraints had forced upon the greatest hero that ever lived.

They all stood, heads lowered in respect to the passing. Hippolyta approached the statue with uneasy caution. How could such a god among men be driven to the dirt like this? Heracles, Son of Zeus. The man that defeated the Nemean Lion, outsmarted a Titan and saved a nation, now he was there, captured in stone around a sea of blood. When she turned to see the mourning people around her, she knew that it was settled. Hera, the jealous deity had come up victorious.

It was over…

—=W=—

Author's Note: I've always rather admired Wonder Woman for what she stood for. Inspiration for female empowerment that if I'm honest, did a better job than some feminists I see. I know I'm treading on thin ice here.

I'm quite excited to see her in Batman v Superman and her own stand-alone film. It's a long time coming and I hope they will be phenomenal movies, and phenomenal Wonder Woman in Gal Gadot.

The setting here I thought more appropriate to begin in a state of war and destruction. I find that people never quite get some of the spirit of Wonder Woman. I saw a bit of the pilot for Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman TV series and found it painful to watch. It was missing this atmosphere of war. I don't know, maybe it's just me.

Please, judge me gently. This is far from the start of Diana's journey, merely a prelude I thought was necessary, and really, I often have trouble trying to get into the mind of the opposite sex.