The place is small village on the outskirts of Athens, Greece, and more specifically, a small bistro on the corner of the main road. The year is 1941. Europe is broken by battles, but looking around here, no one would be any the wiser. It was serene on this fine autumn morning, with the sun slowly rising over the eastern hills. It was perfect for the gentleman enjoying a small cup of tea.
The gentleman sat with an innately regal aura about him that instantly commanded respect by those around. He was a large man with a square jaw hidden beneath a thick beard of curly grey hair that matched the color of that on his head. His eyes were stellar blue, and were currently locked on a newspaper from London. He was dressed in a loose, white shirt that was casually unbuttoned at the top, and a pair of fine linen pants. To the average person, he would appear as no more than some rich Greek aristocrat. Very few would ever recognize the man as the king of the gods.
"Zeus" arose a voice from all around. Zeus sighed in annoyance, but refused to look up from his newspaper.
"Gaia" He muttered. Out of nowhere, a woman had appeared at his table in the seat across from him. She was startlingly beautiful, though her face showed age. Her long, wavy hair was brown like clay, and her skin only slightly lighter. Her eyes were a vibrant green. She was dressed in a gown of silk as white as the clouds.
"How are you, child?" she asked.
"I am…content" he answered.
"How can you be with so much violence around?"
"Because mortal wars are no concern of mine. If you wish to speak of the Germans and their tyrant, I suggest you bother my son."
"I am not here to speak of war, Zeus" Gaia answered. "At least, not of this one."
Zeus finally looked up. "What are you babbling about?"
"Something wicked is going to arise."
"If it were a threat to me or my kin, Apollo would foresee it."
"Some things are hidden from your kind."
"What is it then? I have no time for ga-" Zeus stopped dead mid sentence when his eyes fell upon the form of an infant on the ground by Gaia's feet. It was a baby girl, who was barely draped in a sheet of fabric the same as what Gaia wore. She had eyes as blue as Zeus's, and a smile that could that could out shine the stars on a crystal clear evening. "Who is that?" he asked, though the slight dread in his voice gave away that he already knew the answer.
"Why, this is my great-grandchild" Gaia told him. "And your daughter." Zeus did not move an inch as the little girl began to tug on the leg of his pants. She looked up at him with those big blue eyes of hers, and even his godly heart melted. "You really should be more careful."
"She's hardly my first mistake. What do you wish me to do with her?" Zeus said, turning his gaze back to the newspaper.
"She must be hidden away. She must be trained."
"Why?"
"Because this world will soon be in need of a champion" Gaia explained.
"This world has champions of its own already" Zeus told her, lifting the front page of the newspaper into view for her. On it, a picture of several costumed vigilantes from the US fighting what appeared to be a gigantic robot in the middle of a city sat beneath the headline 'JSA STOPS NAZI AUTOMOTON'.
"True, but I was speaking more for yourself, and your kind. Hercu-"
"Do not mention that name."
A smirk slid across Gaia's lips. "I know he-"
"If you know so much, why do you not stop this looming threat?" Zeus interrupted. "Or is the great Mother grown scared and weak?"
Gaia's eyes grew cold and narrowed upon her grandson. "Do not mock me, son of Cronos, should you wish to test my power." Her eyes began to glow menacingly. "I have given birth to greater than the gods."
"Then deal with the issue yourself" Zeus growled.
"I am bound from interfering directly" Gaia informed Zeus, who rolled his eyes.
"Interesting that you would be so, given your attempts to usurp me in the past" Zeus snapped back.
"Times were different then" Gaia said, her eyes lowering, briefly. She took a deep breath then stood. "The child is yours to do with as you wish Zeus. I suggest you keep her as safe as possible. The Pretenders will show no mercy."
And with that, she was gone.
Zeus's eyes locked down upon the girl's. Shaking his head, he stood and picked the baby up into his arms.
"Come." Zeus turned and began to walk away. With each step, reality around him would stir and swirl. The picturesque panorama of the Greek countryside faded away, and within a few moments, Zeus set foot upon a pristine beach of white sand. Waves of clear, blue water broke upon the shore, creating a soft rumble about the air. Trees began to tower into the sky a mere 100 yards from the water's edge. Behind them, large marble buildings broke the natural scene. Zeus climbed an impressive flight of stairs to a massive plateau garden.
On the far end sat what could be described only as a palace. It was an exquisite, Greek style building, with tall stone columns lining the front and a massive dome on top. The marble it was constructed of was as white as a dove's feathers. Several other buildings sat along the edge of the garden, but none were as magnificent as the palace.
All along the central square of the site, pairs of women were sparring and studying the art of war. Some were practicing swordplay, others grappling, and still others archery or javelin throwing. However, one by one, each of them stopped as Zeus, a head and shoulders taller than all of them, strode past with a child clutched closely.
At the steps of the palace, a woman descended the stairs. She was dressed in a more decorative armor, and had a golden girdle tied around her waist. She was tall, with a lithe, athletic frame. Her eyes sharp, and colored a deep brown. Her hair a luxurious black styled in a curly, decorative manner. Her stare set upon the god and girl. As the king approached, she dropped to her hands and knees, and soon every other woman on the island did as well.
"Rise, Hippolyta" Zeus told her. "I wish to speak with you in private."
"My lord, I beg you, please do not ask this of me" Hippolyta proclaimed. Her and her lord now stood in her private quarters inside the palace. It was a big room, with furniture of fine wood, and several animal skins on the ground. The left side wall was covered almost entirely in a plethora of hand to hand weapons. Zeus stood in the center of the room, with Hippolyta standing over the child as she sat upon Hippolyta's bed.
"I understand your plight" Zeus told her. "But my daughter needs proper guidance."
"And I do not believe I can provide her with what you request" the woman cried. "It has been mere weeks since the death of my own child. I was unfit to protect her, what makes you believe I am worthy of this charge?"
"Because I have seen no finer woman upon the mortal plane" Zeus answered. "I understand the trying times you are going through, and those which you still have to traverse, but I would not make such a demand should I not truly consider you able."
"I am humbled by your praise, my lord, bu-"
"This is not up for refusal!" Zeus bellowed. Hippolyta backed away as the room appeared to grow smaller around the enraged god. "I have come to you and charged you with the training of my daughter. By solemn oath, you are sworn to fulfill this duty on your honor as an amazon. My child shall receive the training all of this island have received before her, and should I come to see the progress she has made and find a disappointment," Zeus leaned down close to Hippolyta and locked his eyes upon her own, "there shall be consequences."
Hippolyta stared boldly into the eyes of a god before bowing. "Understood, my lord" she said. "What is her name?"
Zeus looked down at his daughter for a moment, and then said with a smile "Diana."
Several nights later, as most amazons slept, two did not. Instead, they stood guard to a door that stood below the Amazonian palace, in a dimly lit chamber carved into the ground. It was not a very large room, for its only purpose was to house a door. The door itself was a tall, circular, stone gateway. Behind it, an eerie orange light was cast, and could be seen bleeding though the cracks.
Every hour of every day two warriors stood guard to the gateway. For should what is beyond ever get free, the amazons of paradise were the last line of defense. So imagine the horror the guards this particular night felt when a rumbling roar arose beyond.
Up above, in the bedroom of Queen Hippolyta, the young Diana watched curiously as her adopted mother tossed and turned in her sleep. Visions of another child filled her nightmares. She could hear the child's cries of pain; she could see the painful open soars. Hippolyta awoke in a pouring sweat, her breathing heavy. When she gained composure and awareness of where she was, she broke down into sobs like she had countless times before. Her tears spurred Diana into crying as well. When Hippolyta took notice of this, her own cries subsided as motherly instinct took over.
"C-come child" Hippolyta said as she lifted the girl out of her crib. "There is no reason for sniffles." The girl and the woman looked into each other's eyes, and there they both found serenity, at least for the moment.
The silence was broken by Antiope entering the room. Hippolyta's second-in-command could look no more different than her. Antiope was a powerful looking woman, with thick arms and legs. Her green eyes held the ferocity of a lioness, which matched the almost lion like mane of strawberry blonde hair she bore atop her head. She wore a golden girdle around her waist like that of Hippolyta's. When Hippolyta looked into the eyes of her sister, she could tell something was urgently wrong.
"What is happening?" Hippolyta asked.
"It is the gate" Antiope answered.
Down below the palace, Hippolyta, Antiope, and a handful of other amazons stood before the stone gateway. The orange glow that normally permeated the door had grown into a near blinding shine.
"Who was on duty when this began?" Hippolyta asked.
"I was, your highness" answered a tan skinned amazon with short black hair. "It was myself and Nu'Bia on guard."
"Where is your sister now, Winona?"
"She ventured in, my lady" Winona answerd. "As per our duty."
"How long ago did she go in?" Antiope asked.
"Not ten minutes" Winona answered.
"What do you wish to do?" Antiope asked Hippolyta.
"What can we do?" Hippolyta replied. "Double the number of sentries for now."
"And what of Nu'bia?" Winona asked.
Hippolyta sighed and then said "May the gods have mercy, and guide her back safely" before turning to leave.
7 years later
Time moved on as it always did, even on the island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons. As Diana grew to childhood, she was a curious girl, with a heart for adventure and a desire for knowledge. From time to time she would wander off and get lost in the woods, but she was always quickly found by one of her Amazonian sisters. All the women of the island looked after Diana as if she were their own blood. That is, all except for one; her adopted mother Hippolyta. Hippolyta accepted Diana, and cared for her, but kept herself at a distance. It was not in distaste for the girl, she found Diana very pleasant. Hippolyta just could not bear to attach herself to another.
"Antiope, where did we come from?" Diana asked one afternoon, as she sat upon the palace steps watching some of her sisters spar. Antiope sat two steps above her as she combed Diana's hair.
"What do you mean?"
"Where did the Amazons come from?" Diana asked. "Where did you come from?"
"I was wondering when you were going to ask this question" Antiope said with some excitement. She picked the small girl up and placed Diana on her lap.
"Long ago, when the world was still chaos, the gods were faced with hordes of monsters born from Echidna and Typhon. Zeus himself stood against the tide of beasts, and with them vanquished, cast them down into Tartarus. He sealed them away, but even with all his power, Zeus knew that one day, the monsters might get out."
"Above the gate to Tartarus, Zeus constructed Themyscira. He wished to create a paradise, and decided to fill it with warriors worthy of protecting it. For that, he requested the assistance of the 4 Goddesses; Hera, Artemis, Aphrodite, and Athena."
"The Goddesses reached through time and chose the souls of the bravest women they could find. Hera then took clay from the earth and shaped our bodies to hold our souls. Next, Artemis blessed us with strength, speed, and sharp senses to stand against any enemy. Then Aphrodite granted us beauty, inside and out, so we may be virtuous guardians. And finally, Athena blessed us with keen intellects and military skill so that we may defend Paradise."
"When the Goddesses were done, they placed us back into this world. We rose from the sea, and the first of us to reach the shore was your mother Hippolyta, so she was named our queen. I was second, and was named her right hand. We were both given a Girdle of Gaia, which grants your mother and me strength to be the defenders of all amazons."
"We were charged with protection of Paradise, and guardianship of the gateway to Tatarus, Doom's Doorway, till the end of days."
"Have you or my mother ever fought a beast from Tartarus?" Diana asked excitedly.
"No, child, and we wish never to have to do so" Antiope said. "The beasts of Tartarus are foul creatures of terrible power."
"Antiope, when will I start training to be a warrior like you and my mother?" Diana inquired.
"Um…" Antiope didn't have an answer for Diana. It was not something she or Hippolyta had discussed. "Soon."
Later that day, Hippolyta and Antiope were sparring privately inside the palace in a small auditorium with several other amazons in attendance. Each had a sword in hand, and neither was allowing the other to gain the upper hand. Metal echoed against metal, until finally Hippolyta managed to strike Antiope in the gut after dodging a swing, which opened Antiope for what should have been a killing stroke.
"You're distracted" Hippolyta declared. She drew back her blade and lent Antiope a hand to help her to her feet.
"I'm thinking" Antiope said. "Diana is growing fast."
"Yes."
"When are we going to begin training her?" Antiope asked.
"I do not know, I have not thought about it" Hippolyta answered. "Zeus gave no specific instructions as to how to raise her."
"You shouldn't need specific instruction. You should rely on your instincts as a mother."
Hippolyta looked coldly at Antiope before saying "I am no mother" and making her exit.
"Hippolyta" Antiope said. The queen did not turn back.
As time continued to pass, soon arrived the day that marked what would have been Hippolyta's daughter's 7th birthday. As the sun rose, light broke though the darkness in Hippolyta's room, but the queen did not stir. When there was a soft knock that she recognized as Diana's, still, she did not awaken. The knock came two more times, but Hippolyta could not drag herself to her feet.
Below the palace, however, something was stirring. The guards, Delia and Aiko, were startled when they heard a distant, bestial cry from beyond the door.
"What should we do?" Delia asked.
"One of us must enter, the other must notify Antiope" Aiko answered.
"But what of Nu'bia? She entered and never returned."
"It is our duty as Amazons" Aiko said.
"I'd rather not have another of my sisters disappear."
"I understand you're fear, I feel it too, but it is what we are charged to do" Aiko responded. She looked solemnly at the door for a moment. "I will enter, you inform Antiope." Delia nodded, though her eyes gave away her reluctance. As she turned and began to sprint up towards the surface of the island, Aiko turned to face her own fate.
Antiope, upon hearing news of stirrings at Doom's Doorway, rushed immediately to her sister Hippolyta's quarters. She banged on the door urgently.
"Hippolyta!" She yelled. "Open the door, or by the gods I will break it down!" She slammed her fist upon the wooden door again, and a moment later, Hippolyta answered.
"You know what today is, sister" Hippolyta said.
"And I apologize, but there is a problem."
"Then deal with it. I am not of the right mind to deal with whatever it is." Hippolyta pushed the door shut and turned, but before it closed, Antiope grabbed it with her hand and shoved it back open. Hippolyta turned to yell at her sister, but before she could get a word out, Antiope struck her hard across the face.
"I have watched you mourn the death of your daughter for seven years sister, and today it stops" Antiope growled. "Before that day, you were the strongest woman I have ever seen. Now you are act like a child."
"Anti-"
"Quiet!" Antiope barked. "It has been seven years Hippolyta. I do not know the pain of losing a child, but you have let your pain dominate you for far too long, and not only are you now ignoring your duties as our queen, but ignoring a sweet, innocent girl who wishes nothing more than to know you. You do not have to let go of your daughter's memory, but you must deal with your pain." Antiope and Hippolyta continued to stare each other down for a few more seconds, before Antiope stormed out of the room. Hippolyta threw her head back and screamed, tears streaming down her face as if a dam had broken.
"How long ago did you hear the roar?" Antiope asked as she, Delia, and several other amazons, all armed with spears or swords, were running down the long ramp to the doorway.
"A few minutes at most" Delia answered. "Aiko entered as I came to notify."
The group of warriors arrived at the gateway. They found an empty room that was lit more brightly than usual by the door's orange glow.
"This is not good, my sisters" Antiope said. "I have never seen the gateway like this."
"What should we do?" One of the other amazons asked. "Where is the queen?"
"She is disposed at the moment."
Hippolyta had not moved from where Antiope had left her. She clutched her arms around her knees, and rocked slowly back and forth on the ground. She did not notice Diana enter the room.
"Momma?" Diana asked, slowly moving closer. "Are you hurt?"
"Diana?" Hippolyta said, raising her head. She had not wished for Diana to see her like this, and quickly tried her best to regain composure.
"Why are you crying?"
"Because…" Hippolyta paused for a moment and looked into the eyes of the young girl. "Because I am sad."
"I thought you might be sad today, so I made you something." Diana lifted a small cloth into view. She had sewn an image of a woman holding the hands of two small girls into it. The image was crude and simple, but not overtly so. "Ursa taught me how to do it." Hippolyta took the small tapestry and looked at it.
"Who is this?" she asked, pointing to the woman in the center.
"That is you, momma" Diana answered. "And this is me" she added, pointing to one of the small girls, "and this is my sister."
"You're sister?" Hippolyta asked.
"Mmhmm" Diana nodded. "I see her in my dreams."
"You're sister?" Hippolyta repeated. She looked down at the image, but then a large explosion rocked the entire foundation of the building.
"Momma?"
"Get to your room, Diana" Hippolyta said sternly as she stood quickly.
"But-"
"Now!" Hippolyta screamed. Diana needed not to be told a third time and ran out of the room. Hippolyta ran the other way, sprinting through the halls as quickly as she could.
Down below, Doom's Doorway had been knocked down. Antiope and the other amazons were now face to face with a demonic looking woman. Her eyes were sunken and grey, her skin black as pitch. Her body was long, warped, and dressed in broken and burnt Amazonian armor. Clutched in one of her hands was Aiko. Lacerations covered her face and body. She was obviously dead.
"Nu'Bia" Antiope whispered.
"You abandoned me!" Nu'Bia screamed. Her voice echoed, as if she were not the only one talking.
"She is possessed, sisters" Antiope told her ilk. "She is no longer one of us."
"You left me to rot! I will have your heads!" Nu'Bia screamed louder. Antiope was the first to attack, leaping into the air and drawing her spear above her head. She brought the pole of the weapon down, but Nu'Bia struck her back, knocking her against the wall.
"For our fallen sisters!" Delia yelled before jumping into the fray. However, she was struck down as Nu'Bia drove her long, thin, claws into the amazon's stomach. She pulled them out with several feet of Delia's entrails as well. She threw the body down as the other amazons attacked, though none of them faired any better. Nu'Bia ripped the women like they were wet paper.
"I will have your head monster!" Antiope roared as she leapt back to her feet. She swung her spear and struck the monster, knocking her high up into the air and through the roof of the chamber into the lobby of the palace. She quickly followed her target, sprinting up the ramp.
Hippolyta came running down into the entrance of the palace and saw the monster slowly rising to her feet.
"Nu'Bia?" She said, recognizing her cursed sister. Antiope came running up a second later from below.
"I will hold her off!" She yelled. "The gateway is still open!" Antiope struck the demon again, and then deflected an attack before stabbing the beast in her shoulder. Hippolyta jumped down through the open hole in the ground and landed hard on the ground. As she stood up, she surveyed the horror of her fallen sisters. She shook her head and grabbed stone door that was lying on the ground. Even with the additional strength granted to her by wearing her girdle, Hippolyta still struggled to lift the weight. Slowly but surely though, she managed to get the door up, but, inches from getting it in place, a large claw grabbed the door. Several other appendages soon also began to fight against Hippolyta and the door. She propped her back against the door and pushed with her legs, but it was not till she grabbed the sword of one of her sisters and stabbed the large hand that she finally managed to close the door. She sighed with relief, and took a small moment to catch her breath before going to join Antiope in battle.
On the surface, in the garden, Antiope was doing her best to hold the demon off. Several of her sisters stood several feet back and fired arrows. The demon grabbed some of the projectiles that had lodged inside her arm and chest, and threw them back at the women who had shot her, with some of them piercing the amazons skin. Two more sisters jumped in with swords, but Nu'Bia grabbed the sword of one and drove it through her stomach, and then deflected the attack of the other and knocked her away.
"Keep your distance!" Antiope yelled. She leapt forward and attempted to drive her spear into the stomach of the beast, but Nu'Bia blocked the attack and slashed Antiope across the face. Nu'Bia used the opening to strike her elbow into Antiope's gut and knocked the wind out of her. Antiope dropped to her knees. Nu'Bia raised her hand above her head to deliver a killing blow, but as she brought it down, a sword cut her hand off half way up her forearm. The monster screamed in pain for a moment before Hippolyta struck Nu'Bia in the face, making her stumble backwards.
"How dare you take the face of one of our beloved sisters, beast" Hippolyta said as she locked a cold stare on the demon. "You have spilled our blood, and for this crime, retribution shall be met."
"You abandoned me" The monster growled.
"Nu'Bia knew her duty" Hippolyta stated as she dropped into an offensive stance. "Now you face the Queen of the Amazons. Try and strike me down with your vengeance if you dare." Nu'Bia's eyes narrowed before she roared and charged. Hippolyta swung her sword, but her enemy dodged and backhanded her. Nu'bia screamed again and grabbed her former queen and charged her into the palace, slamming her through one of the columns that lined the front entrance hall. She lifted Hippolyta up over her head and slammed her into the ground. Hippolyta groaned as she began to climb to her feet. Nu'bia attempted to strike again, but Hippolyta blocked the blow with her blade and kicked out the monster's knee. Hippolyta jumped back and slashed the beast across her chest. Nu'Bia screamed in pain again and answered back with a slash of her own, opening a large gash on Hippolyta's chest. The wound was painful, deep, and bleeding badly. Hippolyta could barely keep her strength up now, and Nu'Bia capitalized and charged into her, sending her flying up the stairs in the back of the lobby. Hippolyta hit the wall hard and collapsed in pain onto the ground. Nu'Bia began to slowly climb the stairs towards her prey as Diana appeared next to her mother.
"Momma!" Diana exclaimed.
"I told you to go to your room Diana!" Diana did not listen though. She saw the monster and quickly grabbed the weapon her adopted mother had dropped.
"Get back!" Diana screamed. The monster smiled a gruesome grin.
"You smell of Zeus, little one" Nu'Bia said. "I'm sure you're blood will taste like his as well." Nu'Bia pounced into the air. Her large frame dwarfed Diana in a shadow, but Diana showed no fear. As Nu'Bia came down, Diana ducked down below her claw, and thrust the blade deep into Nu'Bia's gut. The monster howled in pain before falling backwards and rolling down the marble stairs of the palace. Diana dropped the weapon, and without a second thought, went to check on her mother.
"Momma, are you ok?" Diana asked. "Momma?"
Days later, Hippolyta lay recovering in her bed. A large wrap bandage covered most of her upper torso. Antiope herself came to check on her sister and make sure her wounds had not opened up again. As she was finishing, Hippolyta stirred.
"Sister…how long have I been sleeping?" she asked.
"Three days" Antiope answered. "Diana has been worried sick."
"Speaking of Diana," Hippolyta began as she pushed herself to sit up, wincing slightly in pain. "She saved me."
"I know, I saw" Antiope said with a smile.
"How long have you been training her?"
"Excuse me?" Antiope asked, caught off guard.
"I saw her. I saw the way she moved. It was a basic dodge, but something I doubt she would know without training."
Antiope remained silent for a moment. "I apologize, madam. I should have told you."
"No, it is alright" Hippolyta said.
"She will be a brilliant fighter" Antiope said.
"I would expect no less" Hippolyta said. "Would you mind if I began training her?"
"I would prefer it" Antiope said with a smile.
"Thank you."
"I will tell her you are doing better" Antiope added before turning to leave.
"Please" Hippolyta said, stopping Antiope. "Tell her to come and see me."
"As you wish" Antiope said before making her exit. Hippolyta rolled over in her bed, letting the sunlight hit her face, and for the first time in a long time, smiled.