Themyscira.
Once the bastion of mankind's defenders, the Amazons, the paradise island was now humanity's last line of defense. Ares, the self proclaimed god of war had plunged humanity into chaos, setting nation against nation in what had come to be known as The Great War. The Amazons had come to humanity's aid, but had underestimated Ares' influence.
Ares had influenced his human armies to turn against their defenders. The Amazons held their own for a time, but Ares' Central Powers, armed with terrifying new weapons of war and an insatiable blood lust, penetrated deep into the heart of Themyscira. It was here that the final battle took place.
Chapter 1 – Hope
Screams filled the air, yet these were different from the dying ones outside. These were the cries of new life. Hyppolita gulped down the irony that something so innocent and beautiful and full of life could be born in a day like today, a day soaked in blood.
She wrapped the crying baby in a silk cloth, bouncing her gently in her arms. It was a bittersweet moment; today her daughter, Diana, the Princess of the Amazons had been born, and today she had to be sent away. Baby Diana quieted down, cooing as she fell asleep. Beside her, her father placed a hand on her cheek for a moment that could never last long enough.
"I can already tell," the tall, muscular dark haired man said. "She has her father's strength. Just like Heracles at her age." Zeus smiled ruefully. "I have blessed her with as much power as I could. She will need it in the world of man."
"She is just a baby," Hyppolita said ruefully, more to herself than to Zeus. "Ares has control of humanity. He will kill her."
"How?" Zeus said, smiling with pride. "She is no mere child or demigod. She is the only one who can truly defeat Ares. A Godkiller. And I have faith that there is still good in humanity."
An Amazon warrior burst through the doors of the bedroom, covered in dirt and blood.
"My lord and lady," she said through rasped breathing. "Ares and his men have broken through our defenses in the valley. He has made his way to the palace!"
Just then a loud voice boomed from outside the palace, louder than the bullets and artillery fire. It was Ares.
"Zeus!" He bellowed. "Does the mighty Zeus cower behind clay warriors? Come out and face me!"
Zeus took one final look at his daughter before turning and putting his helmet back on.
"Where are you going?" Hyppolita said, grabbing for his arm. "You have no strength left. He will kill you."
Zeus placed a hand on her face one last time.
"I trusted him. I gave him immortality. This is all my doing. Now, I must finish this."
"I'm going with you," Hyppolita said, placing a hand on the sword sheathed on her hip.
"No," Zeus said. "I need you to stay here. Protect Diana. Make sure she leaves this island safely. If Ares kills her before she has a chance to develop her powers, then no one will be able to stop him."
Zeus pulled away from Hyppolita and stormed down the stairs.
Hyppolita quickly placed Diana in the waiting carriage. The young Pegasus whinnied tensely as dark storm clouds filled the starry night. Thunder clashed as Zeus and the Amazons engaged Ares and the Central power soldiers outside the palace.
The ground shook as the palace took artillery shells from a German mortar. The storm outside intensified. Large arcs of lightning clashed down upon the human soldiers, devastating their tanks. Clearly, Zeus now fought with all his wrath. Baby Diana woke from her sleep and began to cry. The other Amazon grabbed a hold of the reigns of the frightened Pegasus.
"We need reinforcements!" She cried over the storm. "We need the other gods! Apollo! Athena! Poseidon!"
"They're all dead!" Hyppolita cried back. "Ares killed them all!"
"Great Hera!"
"The only hope we have left is Diana. We have to get her across to the land of man safely! She is our last hope!"
On the ground below, the Amazons clashed with the soldiers.
Ares' flaming sword was parried by Zeus' lightning bolt as the two met, swords clashing.
"You surprise me, Father," Ares said. "You fight with such ferocity I have not seen in millennia. Could it be that you have abandoned your love for this worthless creation?"
The two circled each other like hungry predators.
"No, you are protecting someone. Who could it be? Certainly not these humans."
Zeus tightened his grip on his sword and surged forward. Ares was immortal and Zeus had given all the strength he had left to Diana. He knew he couldn't kill him, but at least he could wound him and save the Amazons. The two continued to fight alongside the river that flowed through the palace.
The Pegasus on the palace balcony took off, pulling the carriage that carried Diana into the night sky.
"Her name is Diana, greatest of all my creations," Zeus said with a laugh. "And she will have the power to kill you, Ares."
"Shoot her down!" Ares shouted at his men. The soldiers leveled their mortars and began firing at the carriage, but Zeus used lightning from the clouds to shoot down the bombs and redirect them towards the enemy line. Amazons jumped over the cliff and landed on the mortar line, ripping them apart.
The carriage disappeared safely into the night sky.
Ares shouted in rage and drove his sword through Zeus, who had been caught watching the carriage take off. The sword that had killed the other gods now ripped through him.
But she was safe now. That's all that mattered.
Zeus could now unleash his most powerful attack.
"I gave them life," Zeus grunted. "And now I will send them all to Hades!"
Night became day with the lightning that landed from the heavens. Ares screamed, blinded by the light that engulfed him and his men. Seemingly in the flash of a moment, the entire army was disintegrated by the thunder. Ares cried in pain as he was picked up from his feet and hurled away, far from Themyscira.
When the blinding light had settled, all the Axis soldiers and their weapons had been completely destroyed. There were no more explosions of mortar fire or guns. The Amazons found themselves alone now with Zeus, who collapsed to the ground.
He opened his eyes to find Hyppolita beside him, cradling his head on her lap.
"It is alright, my Queen," he said weakly, brushing her cheek with his burnt hand. "Even from here, I can see her."
Hyppolita nodded through tears, biting her lip. "Is she safe?"
"She is," Zeus said with a smile. "You all will be."
In Hyppolita's arms, Zeus began to vanish into the air.
The Amazons bowed their head in reverence and grief.
"I am using the last of my power to shield you from this world, that no man may threaten you again. Even if I am not here, I will always be with you."
Hyppolita wept openly, holding Zeus in her arms as he quietly died, his body vanishing into the night sky. A barrier began to form around the island, thick fog lifting and setting itself firmly, covering the island completely.
On the other side of the island, General Antiope watched as the barrier engulfed the island.
"Great Hera," she silently prayed. "Please help us. Please send guard over us as we rebuild from this war and lead us to a safe and shining future."
A low rumble from the heavens.
Lightning flashed and an object came barreling into the islands from above just as the barrier closed over Themyscira, sealing it from the world of man. As it approached, the object became more and more massive. Flames engulfed it momentarily as it passed through the atmosphere. Antiope watched as the object hurled by her and landed several feet away with a loud crash, burrowing itself deeply into the ground. When the dust settled, Antiope and the rest of the Amazons under her guard ran to investigate.
The object was metallic and alien. Smoke from the friction and hard landing rose from the metallic hull. The Amazons approached it warily. Antiope hesitantly reached out her hand and placed it on the hull, tracing the foreign symbol engraved on the capsule. The symbol winded in the shape of a large S. The hull suddenly opened with a depressurized hiss.
Antiope drew her sword and prepared to look inside, only to find a sleeping baby boy. The moonlight gave off a dark blue tint on the fair boy's otherwise pitch black hair. Antiope wondered how a baby could sleep so soundly after such a landing. The baby was wrapped in a red, cape-like fabric that bore the same sigil as the craft he had arrived in. Antiope bent down and picked the baby up.
The baby stirred and woke, his giant bright blue eyes instantly melting Antiope's heart in a maternal manner she didn't know she could possess.
"General?" Antiope's arms bearer asked behind her. "What is it?"
Antiope turned to face her sisters with the baby in her arms.
"An answer to my prayers," she said, smiling. "Hope."
AN:
Thank you so much for joining me in this first chapter of this story. I apologize that it took so long to write it. I'm writing this story in conjunction with Man of Steel: Prince of the Amazons, so if you are interested in reading that as well, you will find it under the Movies/Superman tab. While this story does follow the Man of Steel movie with a Wonder Woman twist to it, I'm doing my best to present it as it's own story, rather than copy paste the MOS plot. It will have a few timeskips but I promise to make the transitions as smooth as possible.
I have the rest of the week off from work, so I'm planning on delivering at least five chapters before the week is over for both stories.
Again, thank you for your interest. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm looking forward to your feedback!