All-Star Comics #8
The empty surface of the moon, spinning slowly beneath an eternal vista of stars, beckons you forth. You seek Uatu the Watcher, your guide and companion in the Age of Marvels.
"Greetings, mortal!" the eternal giant exclaims when at last you reach him. He's wearing the same purple cloak and white toga ensemble as ever. You wonder if he ever needs to do laundry, or if he just has a very limited wardrobe.
"Hey Uatu," you say. "Whose story are we looking at today?"
"You are eager, mortal!" Uatu says. "That is good, for today we are watching woman's greatest champion!"
"Women's greatest champion?" You ask. That seems oddly specific to you.
"Indeed!" Uatu answers. "Long have women suffered on Earth at the hands of men. Even in the Age of Marvels, such persecution continues! Yet there is one born, out of clay and a mother's love, to defend them! She is the Princess of the Amazons! Spirit of Truth! Athene's greatest student! I give you…
Wonder Woman!"
A golden sun blazed down on Themyscira, the Paradise Island. A golden sun that was not appreciated by the combatants training in the sandy arena. Their audience, on the other hand….
Diana, the Princess of the Amazons and the youngest of them all, wiped the sweat out of her eyes with a bronze arm. Her black curly hair was pushed back by a leather head band. Eyes the colour of liquid chocolate peered out over a classic Greek nose. As was traditional in sparring matches, Diana was naked.
As was her opponent. Kahina, one of Diana's Amazon sisters stood opposite Diana in the ring. She was a little shorter than Diana, with slightly darker skin and short frizzy hair. The tip of her nose, straight and prominent like Diana's, dipped forward in between two broad nostrils. A scar from a spear point crossed her lips. Sweat dripped off of her in rivers. Diana could feel her sweat doing the same thing.
Keep this up, Diana thought, and I'm going lose my appreciation for the feminine form. She and Kahina had been practicing wrestling for a little over an hour at this point, running through the various holds and arm locks with the rest of their sisters. Sparring was traditionally held at the end of practice, which Diana was glad for. Practice had been especially hard today, with Philippus pushing all the Amazons as hard as she could. Diana was exhausted.
Kahina came in, slow and lumbering from exhaustion. Diana dodged the first few clumsy attempts at grabbing her before she managed to grab a hold of Kahina's arm and twist into an armlock. Kahina tapped out just before the whistle sounded, ending practice.
"I never," Kahina panted, "want to see a naked woman again, Diana."
Diana laughed as she let go of Kahina. Kahina dropped slowly to all fours. "I know what you mean, sister," Diana said. "I thought Mo-General Philippus was going to work us to the grave!"
"You can call her 'Mother' you know," Kahina said, still panting on the ground. "It's not your relationship is some big secret."
"I know," Diana said, rubbing her arms. "I just—I don't want to sound like I'm asking for special treatment, is all."
"Diana, help me up," Kahina said, raising her arm to the other woman. Diana clasped her forearm and raised Kahina up.
Kahina scowled at the younger Amazon. "Diana," she said slowly, "you're my sister and I love you. But sometimes you are amazingly dense."
"What's that supposed to me?" Diana demanded.
"It means that we know perfectly damn well Queen Hippolyta- your mother- is married to General Philippus, your other mother," Kahina said, folding her arms. "It means that we know you're our princess. We know okay? Like we know how to put on our armour. It means we see how you sweat out here with us, day in and day out. It means we will tease and harass you and never give you special treatment. It means that we love you, Diana, and always will. And it means that all you're doing by not calling the general your mother is making yourself look ungrateful for all she has done for you."
Diana thought for a moment, then said: "Was that little speech revenge for me throwing you just now?"
"Little bit," Kahina admitted.
"Fall in!" General Philippus called.
"Come on," Kahina said. "Let's go see what your mother has to say."
The two sisters walked to the north of the training circle, hand in hand.
General Philippus stared out over the assembled Amazons. She was dressed simply, in a white chiton and laced up sandals. Her blue-black skin glistened in the afternoon sun. A golden headband pushed her braided hair back out of her eyes. Bronze bracers adorned her wrists.
"Well done everyone," she said. "I know today was hard. You have the afternoon off to do as you wish."
A ragged cheer went up from the Amazons. Philippus waited for her sisters to calm down, then continued:
"As you all know, the Athenian Games are next month. Last year was… disappointing. In her wisdom, Athene saw fit to accept our pitiful offerings. But I do not! We failed last year, sisters. We showed no wit, no wisdom, no inventiveness. We must do better! We will do better. Class dismissed."
The Amazons split apart, to bathe, shower and dress. Philippus called out:
"Diana! A word with you please?"
"Oooh! Somebody's in trouble!" One of the other Amazons said.
"Shut up, Anahita!" Philippus' second-in-command, Artemis shouted back. Artemis was dressed like her general, in a simple white chiton and laced up boots, though the gold replaced with silver. Her skin was as red as the sands of her native Egypt. Her flaming hair was kept long and in a ponytail.
"Thank you, Artemis," Philippus said, not quite sarcastically.
"Anything for you, strategos," Artemis said, folding her arms behind her. Philippus sighed.
"You wanted me, strategos?" Diana said when she reached her mother.
"Is that how you speak to your mother?" Artemis demanded.
"It is how I speak to my strategos," Diana answered stiffly.
"And yet it is both women who called you here," Philippus said before pulling her daughter into a tight hug. Diana resisted for a minute before melting into the hug.
"I stink," she said. "And I'm all sweaty. I'm going to get your chiton all dirty."
"That's okay," Philippus said. "I'll just make you wash it later." Diana laughed a little. Philippus' heart lifted at the sound. Diana was eighteen now, and like all eighteen year olds she battled heavily with questions of responsibility and her role in the universe. To hear Diana laugh, even just a little, assured Philippus that everything was going to be all right.
"You did well out there today," she said.
"Thank you, Mother," Diana said. "I feel like I could have done better, though."
"That's why it's called practice Diana," Artemis said. "You know, to make us better?"
Diana stuck her tongue out at her old mentor. Philippus laughed.
"Uncouth though Artemis is," the strategos said, "she has a point. We practice to hone our skills, always with the goal to do better next time."
"And some days we just suck," Artemis added. "You're gonna have to learn to live with that."
"Thank you, sister," Diana said. "Your bluntness is truly a balm to the soul."
Philippus laughed. "Go on, Artemis," she said. "We have duties to attend to, you and I. And Diana? Hippolyta asked for you."
"I'll go see her right away," Diana said. She ran off towards her mother's palace.
"Get dressed first!" Artemis shouted. Diana, without breaking stride, broke for the equipment and bathing area.
"Poor dumb kid," Artemis said, shaking her head.
"Go easy on her, Artemis," Philippus said. "She's still figuring out her place on this island."
"Her place is topping Io," Artemis muttered.
"Artemis!"
Hippolyta IV, queen of the Amazons, strode alone in her private olive garden. Her wavy black hair was piled up high on her head, held there by a golden circlet. She wore a white chiton over laced up boots and golden bracers. Her head was bowed in thought.
"My queen?" a voice said from behind her. Hippolyta turned around to see Diana, her daughter, standing there in a white chiton and laced up boots, her hands folded behind her back.
"Now is that anyway to speak to your mother?" Hippolyta asked, opening her arms wide for a hug. Diana started forward but stopped herself, keeping at a respectable distance. Hippolyta's arms dropped to her sides.
"Diana, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing!" Diana said. "It's just that…"
"What?" Hippolyta asked. "It's okay, you can tell me. I'm your mother; you can always come to me for help and guidance."
"But can any of my sisters?" Diana blurted out. "You say, we all say, that we are all sisters on this island, but are we? Are not you and Mother held above all others? And what does that make me?"
"Ah," Hippolyta said, mentally kicking herself for not seeing this earlier. "That's what's been troubling you."
"Yes!" Diana said. "I'm the Princess of the Amazons, the first Amazon created in over two thousand years. I'm special, how can I not be? And yet…"
"You don't want to be," Hippolyta finished.
"Exactly!" Diana said. "I don't wish to be treated any different than any of my sisters. I love them all, Mother. They give me hope when I have none, strength when my last reserves have run out. Do you know I've never had a nightmare? Not once, although I've read about them in the library. And I've never had one because I know I am safe here. Among my sisters. I do not wish to be placed on a pedestal above them."
Hippolyta smiled gently and took her daughter's hand. "Come with me," she said. Diana obediently followed as her mother led her deeper into the olive grove.
"Diana, do you know how our government works?" Hippolyta asked.
"Yes, Mother," Diana answered. "There are two branches. As queen, you lead us into battle, enforce the laws and direct policy. The Council, were every sister has a voice, creates the laws and passes judgement on lawbreakers."
"Good," Hippolyta said. "Can the queen act without the Council's consent?"
"On some things," Diana said. "Well, no. That's not true. The Council can always order the queen to step down or stop if she does something they don't like."
"Uh-uh," Hippolyta said. "So, is the queen really ahead of her sisters? Placed on a pedestal above them, as you put it?"
"I suppose not," Diana conceded. "The queen and the Council have different responsibilities, though."
"Indeed we do," Hippolyta agreed. "Do you think that your mother, my wife and strategos would give you special treatment?"
"She didn't today," Diana muttered.
"No, she did not," Hippolyta agreed, laughing. "Have your sisters ever accused you of seeking special privilege?"
"No," Diana admitted.
"No," Hippolyta said. She turned to face her daughter and gripped Diana lightly by the arms. "Diana, it is good you worry about such things. It shows you have a good heart. But it is not good to obsess over them. You were born with a special heritage. That means you have certain responsibilities and yes, privileges. So long as you keep those in balance, and don't let your station get to your head, you will do right."
"I suppose," Diana said. Hippolyta turned to her daughter's side and placed her hand in hers, leading Diana further into the orchard. They stopped at a pair of olive groves, one that was healthy and strong, the other not so much.
"Do you see these olives, Diana?" Hippolyta said, gesturing to the smaller grove.
"Yes, mother," Diana said. "They don't appear healthy."
"They are not as strong as the others, true," Hippolyta agreed. "But they are healthy enough. More importantly, this grove produces those sweet olives you like so much."
"Really?" Diana asked, peering down at the olive tree. "I did not know that."
"Hmm," Hippolyta said. She turned to the other, much healthier looking grove and said:
"Now look at this grove, Diana. What do you see?"
"This one looks much healthier," Diana said.
"Indeed it does," Hippolyta agreed. "And, to a certain extent, it is true. However, it has not born fruit in years."
"What?" Diana said, blinking. "Then why keep it in the orchard?"
"Because it has other uses," Hippolyta said. "My point is this, Diana. An orchard such as this is made up of hundreds of thousands of trees. All of whom have different needs and different roles in the orchard. So too is it with society."
"I understand, mother," Diana said. Hippolyta doubted that, but she decided not to push it.
"What did you call me here for, mother?" Diana asked.
"A mother cannot ask to see her child? What world we live in," Hippolyta said.
"But would you have asked any other Amazon?" Diana asked.
"Do you know, I think I might have," Hippolyta said. "Seeing as they are my sisters and friends."
"I'm sorry, mother," Diana said. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful. It's just…"
"It's that you're now eighteen, an adult, and are aware of what the future holds for you," Hippolyta said, smiling. "Yes my dear. I know. I went through the same thing when I became queen. As, I suspect, has every other Amazon queen in history."
"It's just that…" Diana stamped her feet in frustration. "It's just that I wasn't different when I was younger. I was just an Amazon. I don't want to be separated from my sisters."
"I know," Hippolyta said. "Diana, you will never be separated from your sisters. Never. That I promise you."
Diana ate an early supper with her mothers and walked out to the shore. She sat down on the beach and stared at the sea. Diana felt such pressure of late. Pressure to be a good daughter, a good princess, a good warrior. Diana just wanted to be free.
She stared out over the sea, at the great big world that lie beyond Themyscira. 'Man's World', her sisters called it. Amazons did not go there if they could help it. But Hippolyta had, seventy years ago to fight the Nazi's as Wonder Woman. Hippolyta described Man's World to her daughter as a world of adventure, where the greatest men and women banded together against evil. Diana longed for that other world, believing that in heroic feats she could escape the crushing responsibilities that now beset her.
So lost was Diana in this daydream that she didn't notice her sisters sneaking up behind her until Artemis shouted:
"Get her!"
Diana turned around, startled, but her sisters were already on her. Two of them pinned her arms to the ground while another two tried to grab her feet. Diana, thoroughly confused, kicked out at them, breaking one sister's nose.
"Grab the net!" One Amazon shouted.
"She's ticklish!" another said.
"You're a dead woman, Io!" Diana called out as the two Amazons holding down her arms moved in to tickle her. The two Amazon's trying for her feet got a hold of them and started tickling. Diana collapsed in a fit of giggles as her sisters draped a net around her and carted her off.
A little while later, the Amazons came to a clearing on the island. In the north part of the clearing was a cooking pit. In the east, another pit, this one filled with ice and drinks. The Amazon's dumped Diana in the south end of the clearing.
Diana's hair was mussed and she was covered in leafs and dirt from the ride over. She picked herself up and glared at her sisters.
"What. Is. The meaning. Of this?" she demanded.
"Welcome princess," Artemis said, walking into the middle of the clearing with her hands raised to the sky, "to our little adults only getaway."
"Adults only?" Diana repeated.
"For the full grown warrior woman," Artemis confirmed. "You see, it's come to my attention that you're feeling a little…isolated. Cut off from your sisters, now that you're eighteen and an official princess. It also occurred to me that we didn't give you a proper eighteenth birthday part. So I thought we might correct that."
"And this plan of yours required kidnap?" Diana asked, raising an eyebrow at the redhead.
"Yep!" Artemis replied, hands on her hips.
"Okay," Diana said, shaking her head. "Sorry about the nose, Boudicca," she called out to the sister she'd kicked.
"S'okay," the cheerful and diminutive redhead with blue tattoos on her face said. Like the rest of the Amazons, she was dressed in a white chiton. "Pretty sure when Artemis pulled this stunt on me, I kicked some poor soul's knee back anyway."
"Aye! Mine," Luigsech, Boudicca's blonde and equally diminutive lover said.
"Ah, but you love me," Boudicca said, fluttering her big brown eyes at the blonde.
"Right, so that's the end of an intelligent conversation out of those two," Artemis said. "Come on, Diana! It's time to induct you properly into the Amazon sisterhood!"
"Okay," Diana said, moving into the centre of the clearing. She was excited and a little nervous. "As long as I get revenge on Io for that tickling stunt."
"Oh trust me, Diana," Artemis said, throwing an arm around her younger sister. "You will get your revenge tonight, I promise!"
The next day, Hippolyta stared down at Artemis, who was currently relaxing naked in a pool, eyes closed and head tilted back. Hippolyta, for her part, was dressed in another white chiton.
"So your solution to my daughter's problems was to get her drunk," Hippolyta accused the younger Amazon, her arms folded across her chest.
"Yeah," Artemis said. "We also gave her a strip show. Your kid is awfully sheltered, chief. You should have seen her blush."
Hippolyta rubbed the bridge of her nose with one hand. "What was the point of almost giving my daughter alcohol poisoning?" she demanded.
Artemis cracked one eye open. "We're made of clay and divine fire," she pointed out. "And maybe the shades of women murdered by men; I've never been clear about on that point. The point is, we can't get alcohol poisoning. Hangovers though," Artemis added, "yeah, we can get those." She closed her eye again and sank further back into the pool.
"As Diana is finding out," Hippolyta said.
"She did drink a lot," Artemis agreed. "More than anyone else, except Io. Hera's tits, the blacksmith can pack the booze away!"
"You should have told me what you were doing first," Hippolyta said.
"Diana's an adult," Artemis countered. "She…" Artemis was interrupted by another Amazon running up to the pool.
"My queen!" the Amazon said. "A plane, from Man's World! It is set to crash on the north beach!"
Both Hippolyta and Artemis stared at the Amazon in shock before reacting. Despite her hangover, Artemis scrambled out of the pool without difficulty. Hippolyta hiked up her skirts and ran with the messenger to the north beach.
A plane from Man's World? In Themyscira? It wasn't possible!
Captain Steven "Steve" Trevor, United States Air Force, flew across the lonely Mediterranean sea in his F-35 Lightning II. He was the only fighter in the area; even his wingman had stayed behind for this one.
Because nobody wants my luck to rub off on them, Steve thought. Steve was the USAF's problem child. He had been shot down more often than any other serving pilot, had a reputation for disobeying orders for moral reasons, and had been demoted five times from major for taking to the press. Only his reputation as the best combat pilot in the Air Force had saved him, but Steve knew that wouldn't last much longer. His fellow problem children, Hal Jordan and Ben Grimm, had been forced out long ago. Steve was the last one left. Not that he cared anymore. He was tired of bombing children and strafing civilians. Tired of crazy fanatics using innocent people as shields. Tired of war. Tired of life, really. Not that he would admit that to anyone.
This was his last sortie for the Air Force. After that, Steve was done. Either he would be let off in Athens with a general discharge, or he'd just disappear into the crowds. Steve didn't care.
Such was Steve's apathy that he didn't notice the missile launch until it was too late. Such was his skill that he managed to twist the plane out of the way even with no warning, but the missile still hit. Steve was going down in the middle of the Mediterranean, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.
Not that Steve cared.
Diana's head pounded as though an army of Amazons were beating it with wooden sticks. She threw up four times last night and couldn't stand the sight of breakfast that morning. Still she had fun last night.
"Are you okay, Diana?" Io, the Amazon's heavily muscled blacksmith asked. Io was Diana's on-again, off-again girlfriend. She wore her brown hair short, and wore a simple leather jerkin and skirt, showing off her bulging arms and legs.
"You're dead to me, Io," Diana said. The two women were on a cliff overlooking Themyscira's north-western beach where the mysterious plane from Man's World was expected to crash.
"Ah, don't be like that Diana," Io said. "It was for your own good!"
Diana whirled around to meet her girlfriend. "You told them I was ticklish!" she accused. "That was supposed to be a secret…!" The plane the two women waited for roared past them, crashing into the beach. The women instinctively flinched away from the debris.
"Go alert the others!" Diana told Io as she headed down the cliff. "I'm going to check out the crash!"
"Right!" Io said, sprinting off in the other direction.
Diana reached the plane as fast as she could. The crash had dug a groove in the sand the length of the beach, leaving charred debris in its wake. Gathered around the plane where nereids, stabbing at the plane's body with their watery tridents.
"Back! Back!" Diana said, charging into the gathered nymphs. Nymphs were capricious and cruel, and Diana did not want to leave the downed pilot in their grasp.
The nereids hissed and snarled at Diana but they retreated into back into the sea. Diana stopped and puzzled at the contraption. Her mother had told her all about planes from when Hippolyta fought in World War 2, but this was a different beast altogether. The body was painted black, with swept back wings, a pointed nose, and a transparent canopy. Diana peered inside. There was a person, dressed in green-blue jumpsuit, black gloves and boots, and a weird looking helmet. This must be the pilot, then, Diana thought.
Diana carefully peeled the lid off of the canopy and reached inside. The pilot's head turned to face her.
"Don't move," Diana said. "You've had a terrible crash, and might be injured. I am going to try and help you." The pilot didn't react.
"Diana!" Philippus called out.
"Over here!" Diana said, turning to wave her mother and the rescue team over. When she turned back, the pilot had slumped back down in his seat.
Steve Trevor slowly came to. His body felt sluggish and dull. He could feel bandages on his chest, around his head and on his arms and legs. He'd crashed again; he knew the feeling well.
Steve looked around. He was in a marble-white room that appeared to be made of actual marble. Torches in braziers provided the only light. Steve laid in a bed, draped in a blanked.
To his right, sitting in a wooden chair, was the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. She had an oval face and a Greek nose, light brown skin, an hourglass figure, toned arms and legs, and gleaming curly black hair. The white chiton she wore did little to hide her immense bust. On her head was a golden circlet.
"Hi," she said.
"Mornin'," Steve answered. The woman chuckled.
"It's not morning," she said. "I'm afraid you slept through the morning. It's mid-afternoon, now."
"Morning is whenever you walk up," Steve told her. The woman laughed at that.
"You would get along well with Artemis," she replied.
"Artemis, huh? And what's your name angel?" Steve asked.
"Diana," the woman answered.
"Diana, huh? Well Diana, I'm Steve. Steve Trevor," Steve said. Just then, somebody else came into the room through a wooden door east of Steve.
"Ah, you're awake," the newcomer said. She was clearly Greek like Diana, with the same black curly hair, oval face and straight nose, though she was much more heavy-set. She waddled up to Steve in her white chiton and examined him.
"I'm Epione," she said. "Chief medic here. Can you tell me your name?"
"He's Steve Trevor," Diana answered. Epione shot her a dirty look.
"I told her that," Steve said. "Before you got here."
"Did you now?" Epione asked Steve.
"I did," Steve said, hiking himself further back up on the bed. "To answer your next questions, yes I remember what happened. I was flying, something hit my plane. I crashed onto an uncharted an island in the Eastern Mediterranean. I remember a little bit after the crash, too; I think it was Diana here who met me first."
"It was," Diana confirmed.
"Right," Steve said. "That's about all I can tell you, the rest is classified. Oh! I forgot my rank. Captain Steven Trevor, United States Air Force."
Epione wrote all that down on a tablet-like device in her hands. "And how do you feel?" she asked.
"Groggy," Steve admitted, "but whole. There isn't a part of my body that feels missing or dead, which is always a good sign. No pain, which is surprising."
"You've been asleep for week," Diana informed him. "The damage is probably healed by now."
"Probably not," Steve said, cracking a smile. "Most likely, it's the pain meds are still active."
"Bit of both," Epione said. "You are still sedated, and the medicine won't wear off for another couple of hours yet. However, your injuries were much less severe than they could have been, and you responded well to the treatments. You are probably mostly healed by now."
"I always was a quick healer," Trevor. "I guess the next question is: where am I? This doesn't look like any Greek hospital I've ever been in."
Epione and Diana shared a look Steve couldn't decipher. "Where do you think you are?" Epione asked.
"Well, my first guess was heaven," Steve said, causing Diana to blush furiously. "Or maybe Olympus. But more likely I'm still on that uncharted island, and I just got taken to the local resort for a patch up."
Epione and Diana shared another mysterious look. "Well, you're sort of right on both counts," Dian said.
"What?" Steve asked.
"You're on the island of Themyscira," Epione said. "Home of the Amazons."
Steve arched an eyebrow. "Amazons?" he asked. "Like Wonder Woman back in World War 2?"
"She is my mother," Diana said, proudly.
"Okay," Steve said. He figured it was probably better not to ask how that worked. "I thought men weren't allowed on Paradise Island?" he asked instead.
"Men don't usually crash their planes here, either," Epione pointed out.
"Fair enough," Steve conceded. "How bad were my injuries doc?" he asked.
"Not bad, considering," Epione said. "A lot of bruises, a couple of broken bones, a concussion and shock. That's mostly what kept you unconscious for so long."
"Mostly?" Steve asked, arching his eyebrow once again.
Epione turned to Diana and said:
"Diana, I believe you are needed elsewhere," she said. Diana nodded and got up off the chair she was sitting on, but not before assuring Steve if he needed anything he could call her.
"How bad is it, doc?" Steve asked once Diana was out of the room.
"You tell me," Epione said. "You should have been awake days ago. Our healing arts are superior to anything Man's World has, but even the most primitive of medicine should have had you up and about within a couple of days. Which makes me wonder if you wanted to wake up at all."
Steve considered his answer. "My two best friends left the Air Force recently," he said, "because they were fed up with the bullshit. A rookie, just out of flight school, lost a toothbrush. He got three days detention. A colonel ordered us to attack an allied town, and he got promoted. I think you know where I'm going with this."
"I do," Epione agreed. "The question is, why didn't you leave with them?"
Steve shrugged. "In another week or so, I get my pension," he said. "Which I need more than Ben or Hal because I don't have anywhere else to go. Ben and Hal are both test pilots; they've got doctorates in a dozen fields and get to fly all sorts of crazy space age gear. Me? I'm some idiot from the middle of nowhere who just happens to fly better than anybody else. What am I going to do with that? Work for a commercial airline? No thanks; they drag their passengers off the plane for no reason at all. I got better things to do with my time."
"Ah," Epione said. Steve sensed some judgement or condemnation in her words, so he said:
"I didn't deliberately crash that plane."
"I know," Epione said. "Queen Hippolyta examined the wreckage and believes you were downed by a rocket of some kind, though one much more powerful than anything she ever saw in the war."
"Military tech has advanced since then," Steve agreed. "The question is, who shot it? As far as the Air Force knew, nobody was out here. We didn't even know Themyscira was out here! And the Greeks and the Turks don't have anything near this place. As far as I know, nobody else does either."
"That," Epione said, "is a question for soldiers and pilots, once they're out of my care. The next question you have to concern yourself with is whether or not you're ready to get back into the world again."
Steve thought about it. On the one hand, the doctor had him dead to rights on how he was feeling. Apathy gnawed at him like a beaver at tree. The military was corrupt, the government rotten, and Donald J. Trump, an agent of a hostile foreign power, had come this close to being president of the United States. In a world this bent, it was hard to care about anyone or anything.
On the other hand… on the other hand, Steve had re-discovered Paradise Island. Themyscira. Home of the Amazons. Home of Wonder Woman, Champion of World War II, hero of the world. And her extremely attractive daughter. That alone made life worth living again.
"Sure doc. Why not?" Steve said.
Hippolyta watched with concern as the United States Army pilot Steve Trevor struggled with his physiotherapy under Epione's careful guidance. Steve was dressed in a white chiton. Sweat glistened down his arms. She did not like this pilot, did not like what he represented for her or her island.
To be fair, there was a lot about Steve's presence for Hippolyta to be concerned about. His frank discussion of the problems facing the United States military for one. Either Steve was right about how corrupt the U.S. military was, in which case his comments where not only justified but a moral necessity, or he was a malcontent spreading malicious lies about his own government. Neither option made Hippolyta happy.
Then there was the question of Steve's mission. The pilot had been coy about its exact details, and Epione refused to let Philippus interrogate him for medical reasons, but Steve had confirmed that he was delivering intelligence to American allies in the Eastern Mediterranean. What that intelligence was, and why it had to be delivered by hand via a pilot, Hippolyta didn't know. And that made her nervous.
As for the final problem…Hippolyta turned towards the recovery room's entrance to see her daughter walk into the room, right on time.
Hippolyta hid a frown. Diana was fascinated by Steve Trevor, and took every waking hour to see him. As soon as practice was over, or her chores were done, Diana went to see the pilot. Hippolyta suspected Diana's fascination had blossomed into something more.
Hippolyta couldn't fault Diana for falling for a man. When she served as Wonder Woman, she had an affair with the hero Wildcat. Ted Grant, that irascible troublemaker, still held a special a place in heart.
But Hippolyta could fault her daughter for the man she chose to fall in love with. Though Epione had not disclosed any of Steve's medical information, but it didn't take a doctor to recognize the signs of burn-out. Steve Trevor was a mess, both mentally and physically.
"One of you needs to leave," Epione called back to Hippolyta and Diana. All three women were in white chitons.
"Why?" Steve Trevor asked as he pulled himself along the parallel bars. "I don't mind the audience."
"You're already pushing yourself harder than you should when it was just the queen here," Epione said. "And look at you now! Diana just walked in and you've redoubled your efforts! You're going to injure yourself worse."
"Yeah, well," Steve said as he made his way to the end of the bars. "What can I say? Wonder Woman was my hero growing up. Can't look bad in front of your heroes, you know. Or their pretty daughters." Diana blushed at the compliment.
"Thank the gods I am fat," Epione declared, "so that I don't inspire such nonsense in my patients."
Steve chuckled. "You sound like my friend Etta Candy," he said.
"A wise person, this 'Etta Candy'," Epione said.
"She sure thinks so," Steve agreed. He reached the ends of the bars and stopped, breathing slowly. "How am I doing, doc?"
"I suppose I'm satisfied," Epione said, grudgingly. "At least for today. But I want you to take it easy for the rest of the day. No running, no swimming. A dip in the hot springs would do you good, too."
"That," Steve said, "sounds like the best idea anyone has ever had." He let go of the bars and went to grab a towel. He dried himself off before getting a drink of water. "I got a question for you, doc," he said.
"Ask away," Epione said.
"How come you're making me do all this physio?" he asked. "I didn't think my injuries were that bad."
"They weren't," Epione said. "the problem is you slept for a week. Even Amazons, crafted out of clay as we are, would find our muscles have atrophied after that long a rest. You should be grateful you've recovered as well as you have."
"Recovering from a recovery," Steve said. "Ain't that a kick in the pants?"
"When you're ready, Steve, I can take you to the hot springs," Diana said.
"Lead the way, angel," Steve said, packing up his gear. Diana held his hand and led him out of the room.
"How soon can he leave?" Hippolyta asked as soon as the two youths were out of the room.
"Diana will never forgive you if you outright banish him," Epione told her queen, toweling off her hands.
"I know," Hippolyta said. "That's not what I'm asking. Captain Trevor has been careful not to let anything slip, but his mission is clearly important. He needs to go home soon, and we should send an escort with him."
Epione frowned. "An escort? You're not thinking of sending Diana off the island, are you?" she demanded.
"I haven't thought that far ahead," Hippolyta lied. In fact, she and Philippus discussed Diana leaving with Steve often. Not that they were any closer to coming up with an answer. "Just answer the question, Epione."
Epione shrugged. "Technically, he could leave today," she said. "He's in good shape, considering. I don't know how we'd send him home, though."
"I do," Hippolyta said. "Thank you, sister."
"Always," Epione said, waving her queen off. Hippolyta turned around and left. She needed to talk to Philippus.
"Doctor's privilege," Steve said, relaxing in a hot tub. "When it comes to anything health related, the doc outranks everybody, even God. When they crown that pretty head of yours, remember that angel. One of my old commanders didn't, and he was grounded so fast the Flash's head would spin."
Diana sat on the edge of the pool, dipping her feet into the warm water. Both she and Steve were nude. When Steve first woke up, he'd been embarrassed about the nudity, which Diana found very odd. Today, however, he seemed to accept it.
"I suppose," Diana said. "It's just weird to see someone boss my mother around. She's the queen after all."
"That's cause you were born a princess," Steve said. "And she's your mother. Kids, all kids, think of their parents as super-gods. Parents have near total control over their kids' lives, they're bigger and stronger, they provide food…that sort of thing. And your mother is queen, which makes her seem even more important and powerful 'cause she can boss around the other adults, too. You're what, eighteen? So you're an adult now yourself, and you're just realizing how limited your mother's power really is. It's a privilege thing, angel. Don't worry too much about it."
"I don't think I'm better than my sisters," Diana said, kicking at the water.
"Yeah you do," Steve said. Diana snapped her head to look down at him, hurt and angry.
He continued. "That's not a slam, angel," he said. "But it's why you're so desperate to avoid anything that looks like special treatment. You know you were born with privilege over your sisters and you feel guilty about it. Like your privilege isolates you, separates you from the people you love. So you squash it as hard as you can, pretend you're just one of the girls. Only, the other girls know you're privileged too. Some of 'em resent you for it, most of 'em accept it as a fact of live, a few even love you for it. It doesn't matter what they think of your privilege, only they know you have it and so you're attempts to squash it look fake to your sisters. And kind of ungrateful to your parents."
Diana bowed her head, tears flowing down her face. "How do you know so much about all this?" she asked.
Steve shrugged. "I'm one of the best pilots the Air Force has ever seen," he said. "A natural talent like that is a kind of privilege too. You get all the best stuff, you get promoted early…and you get isolated from your fellow pilots because they aren't as good as you. Trust me, Diana, I've struggled with a lot of the same questions you are now. And worse, because lives depend on my answers to those questions."
"I don't want to be special," Diana said.
"Nothing wrong with being special, angel," Steve said, cupping her knee. "It all depends on what you do with it."
Queen Hippolyta, in a gold-lined white chiton and a gold tiara, stood in front of the Amazon Council, gazing out over her assembled subjects.
"My dear sisters," she said. "Our tranquil life here has been shattered by a weapon of war from Man's World. Through no fault of his own, Captain Steven Trevor of the United States Army Air Force crashed on our shores. We have healed him as xenia requires of us, but now we must send him home. While he recovered, I ordered a ship to be built to take him home."
"Without informing the Council?" one Amazon asked. "I do not dispute the decision, my queen," the Amazon said when Hippolyta turned her gaze towards her, "only that it was taken without our knowledge or consent."
"I did not believe so obvious a course of action required either," Hippolyta said. "If the Council disagrees, I will gladly take censure." Nobody in the Council spoke up, so Hippolyta carried on.
"There is, however, a course of action that I feel we need to take that does require the Council's knowledge and consent," Hippolyta said. "I believe we need to send a delegation to Man's World with Captain Trevor."
"A new Wonder Woman, you mean?" Artemis asked.
"Yes, Artemis," Hippolyta said. "A new Wonder Woman."
The debate that broke out afterwards was intense and long-lived. Artemis voted yes. Philippus voted no. It only got worse from there. After six straight hours of debate, the Amazons voted to send a new Wonder Woman to Man's World.
The candidate to be selected through the Games.
"I can't believe you're competing," Io said to Diana as she helped her on-again, off-again lover suit up her armor.
"I want to see Man's World," Diana said, lacing up her boots. "And I think I need to get off the island for a while. Have some time to think."
"And be alone with Steve Trevor," Io accused, folding her arms.
"Io…" Diana started, but Io cut her off.
"It's okay, Diana. I'm not jealous. You and I didn't work out so well, did we? But don't kid yourself; we've all seen the way you look at him. And the way he looks at you."
Diana didn't know what to say to that, so she kept putting her armour. She put on leather bracers, skirt, helmet and breastplate. When at last she was done, Io handed Diana her shield and a wooden sword. Io kissed Diana on the cheek and said:
"You know no matter what I happens, I love you Diana. You truly are a gift from the gods."
Diana walked into the arena red from crown to the soles of her feet.
Kahina hit Diana's shield with an overhead blow that sent Diana to her knees.
Kahina never hit this hard in practice, Diana thought. Great Hera, she's like a rampaging boar!
Diana's opponent continued to hammer Diana down. If she didn't do something fast, Kahina was going to win this fight.
As she was hammered into the ground like a tent peg, Diana came eye level with Kahina's leather skirt. Diana jabbed upwards with her wooden sword, causing Kahina to stumble backwards to avoid the blow. Diana rose to her feet and lashed out with a vicious backhand strike that knocked Kahina's helmet off and a few of her teeth out. A follow-up sweep to the leg forced Kahina down. Diana quickly straddled her, putting her sword into her opponent's face.
"Yield!" Diana said. Kahina tapped out and Diana rolled off of her. Kahina lay there in the sand, breathing heavily. Diana sank to her knees and did the same thing.
"I almost beat you," Kahina said.
"You did beat me," Diana said. Already she could feel the bruise forming above her left eye where Kahina had slammed the pommel of her sword into Diana's helmet. Her arms ached, her lips and nose bled profusely and Diana was sure she couldn't stand. "You beat me like a training post in practice," she added. "You just didn't win."
Kahina laughed. Despite being the loser, Kahina was much less beat up than Diana. "That's the difference, isn't it?" the Amazon said, then started laughing. Diana didn't see what was funny, but she started laughing too.
The two women laughed all the way to the medical tents.
By sundown, the Games were over. Diana was one big purple bruise. Though she'd beat all others in the combat events, it had been a near-run thing every time. Kahina, in particular, made sure Diana worked for every victory she had.
Diana lost the archery contest to Boudicca, though only by a single lousy point. In fact, the only contest Diana won by a significant margin were the equestrian events.
She sat on a bench on the west side of the arena with Io and Steve, a wet towel draped around her head. Steve held her right hand while Io gently rubbed her left shoulder.
"You did good, angel," Steve said. "That was a performance you can be proud of."
"Ugh," Diana responded.
"You scared me a couple of times," Io said. "Like when you didn't get up in the spear-fighting contest."
"Yeah, that was a little hair-raising," Steve agreed.
"Ugh," Diana said again. Io and Steve chuckled.
"I think they're announcing the winners now," Steve said. Artemis, dressed in a white chiton, walked to the middle of the arena and shouted:
"Amazons! Sisters! Guest! We have honoured the gods with our display today!" A cheer went up from the crowd and competitors, even Diana. Though hers was more of a moan. Artemis waited for the cheers to die down before continuing on:
"Victory is awarded via a point system! Each victory is three points. A tie is two. A loss is one. The standing are as follows:
"In fifth place, Andromeda!" Cheers went up for the brown-skinned Amazon.
"In fourth place, Atalanta!" The light skinned Amazon got another round of cheers.
"In third place, Boudicca!" The redheaded Amazon stood up to take a bow to raucous cheers.
"In second place, Kahina!" Kahina got the loudest cheers yet.
"In first place, Princess Diana!" Diana sat stunned as the arena erupted into cheers. Steve and Io gripped Diana in a bear-hug.
Diana stood with her mothers in an atrium in the temple of Athena, in front of a large war chest.
"I'm proud of you, Diana," Hippolyta said, draping her arm over her daughter's shoulders. There were tears in the elder Amazon's eyes.
"Thank you, mother," Diana said, tears streaming down her face.
"You did good," Philippus said. She was crying too. "I wish this burden fell to someone else, though. Man's World is not as safe as this island."
"I'll be all right," Diana assured her mother. "I have Artemis, Kahina and Boudicca with me. They'll keep me safe."
"I'm sure they will do their best," Hippolyta said. "But they alone are not enough. You will need other sources of aid." She let go of her daughter and walked over to unlock the chest. The lid sprung open, and Hippolyta pulled out a suit of armour.
The breast plate was red bronze with a gold silhouette of an eagle emblazoned on the front. The skirt was dark blue, almost black, and studded with white stars. The boots were red bronze with gold trim. The bracers were golden bronze, as was the helmet.
"The armour of the Wonder Woman," Diana breathed.
"Indeed," Hippolyta said. "Forged by Hephaestus and his Cyclopes, gifted to us by our patrons Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite, this armour has served the Amazon's ambassador to Man's World for over three thousand years. It is magic and will shapeshift according to your needs, and never needs to be washed. The boots were blessed by Hermes and enable you to fly. No mortal weapon, not even vibranium, can damage it." She handed the armour to Diana, who held it reverently in her hands.
"That is not all," Hippolyta said. She reached further into the chest and pulled out a sword, a shield and a lasso.
"This," she said, indicating the sword and shield, "are the Aegis of Peace and the War-killer. They were granted to us by Athena herself, and are more powerful than a regular sword and shield. The Aegis of Peace is electrified and can be used to stun enemies. The War-killer burns away aggression and hate. Use it carefully, Diana! The War-killer knows when it is being misused, and will not burn for those whose intentions are impure or muddled."
"I understand, mother," Diana said.
"Good," Hippolyta said. She pointed to the lasso. "This is the Lasso of Truth. Of all the items here, it is the most powerful, for it forces whoever is wrapped in it to confront their true selves. In the right hands, it is a weapon of liberation. In the wrong hands, it is a tool of domination. Do you understand, Diana?"
"I do, mother," Diana said.
"Good," Hippolyta said. "Now come give your mothers a hug before you leave."
Diana leapt into her mother's arms, closely followed by Philippus.
Diana stood at the prow of the Amazon's ship, tears both happy and sad running down her face as they sailed to Greece. The Amazon's had all gathered at the beach to give their sisters a tearful good bye. Many hugs were exchanged. Io kissed Diana full on the lips and made Steve swear a blood oath to keep Diana safe. Boudicca and Luigsesch all but made out on the beach. Artemis had listened to Hippolyta and Philippus give a never ending list of things she'd need to keep an out for. Diana hugged all her sisters, tears running down everybody's face and promising that she'd bring them all souvenirs.
"You okay, angel?" Steve said, coming up from behind Diana.
"Yes," Diana said, turning to face him. "You?"
"Better now that you're with me," Steve said, hugging Diana.
They turned to watch the ship move forward through the water.
END CHAPTER
Author's Note:
Holy frigging Godzilla, Batman! That took a long ass-time to get done. But it's finished, the very first chapter of Wonder Woman! How cool is that? Stay tuned next time for more exciting adventures!
Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston.
If you enjoyed this chapter, please support me on ( joshstoodley) or by my original fiction on Amazon. Or buy me a coffee ( /falconlord)
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