Disclaimer: "Ranma ½", "Wonder Woman" and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is crossover/AU story.
Special note: This is a revision story of "An Amazon named Ranma".
Chapter 4: "The Immortal Path".
For centuries, the Amazons of Paradise Island watched the world from behind the scenes. We watched the Greeks fall to the sons of Romulus, and then fall to the barbarians of the North or to the worshipers of "The One God". Polly wanted to maintain ties with our Amazon sisters, many of who adapted to the ways of Men. Antiope, Hippolyta's sister, had led her followers to gain vengeance on Herakles and Theseus, but found only the king of Athens. I was amazed that Antiope actually forgave Theseus when he asked her for forgiveness. And from there, Antiope would be the progenitor of a new nation of Amazons. Unfortunately, she would never see her "results" come to fruition, having been murdered by murdered by the woman who had helped Theseus slay the Man-Bull of Crete. Pythia would become Antiope's successor before the Amazons would become footnotes of legends.
Of course, that was not true, since, as you know, there is the Joketzouko to consider.
Out of a sense of wonder lust, I asked Poli if I could go out into the world myself to check on these "lost Amazon tribes". Due to Paradise Island's "timeless nature", everyone on the island aged slowly. I knew that once I left the island, I would begin aging as well. However, I did not know that my Jusenkyo curse would have a weird effect on my ability to age at that time. Nevertheless, I left my daughter Dena behind in Hippolyta's care, until my return…if I did return. I was still determined to kill the scion of Zeus, one way or another.
All of the sisters gathered together to see Ranma off. She was loading her small sailboat with provisions.
"Mommy," says Drusilla, as she looked sad. It was Hippolyta's edict that no one would use her father against the little girl. Already, she was displaying signs of possessing great strength. Drusilla looked like her mother's female form, but with auburn colored. She was getting stocky without looking boyish.
"Why must you go?"
Ranma turns to her daughter, and hugs her.
"I know, sweetheart," Ranma says. "But I have to do this. I have to see what has happened to our fellow Sisters."
Ranma then hugs Drusilla.
"I promise to return as soon as possible. Just be brave, okay?"
"Yes, Mommy…"
Drusilla gives Ranma a tight squeeze.
"I love you, Mommy."
"Urgh. I…love you, too. Just…don't squeeze so hard, please."
"Sorry, Mommy…"
Ranma let's go of her daughter. She then takes a look at Hippolyta.
"You do not have to do this, Ranma," Hippolyta says, as she drapes her arms around Ranma's daughter. "I know why you are REALLY doing this."
"Poli, you know what I have to do," Ranma replies. "It's my honor at stake."
Hippolyta sighs.
"Then…may the gods bless your journey, okay?"
Ranma nods her reply, as she gets into her boat. She then casts off her line, and drifted into the sea. She whispered a prayer for good luck. In her youth, she had thought of praying to gods was ludicrous, especially after dealing with the likes of Prince Herb of the Musk Dynasty and Lord Saffron of the Phoenix Clan. With her induction into the Amazons, Ranma knew that she would have to bargain with more of those types of freaks than she cared to. So, Ranma will do whatever it takes to secure an alliance with those deities, mystics and philosophers that could help her understand the world…and gain revenge on Herakles.
Upon reaching the land of Greece, Ranma made her first stop at Macedonia. Menellepe, the official oracle of the Amazons, had told her to first go to the city-state first, before heading towards Athens. There, Ranma would have it out with the scion of Zeus. Afterwards, when she arrived in Athens itself, she saw the city in chaos.
"What is going on?" Ranma says, as she stopped a fleeing citzen.
"The Amazons are running amuck!" the man says. He appeared to be a merchant of some kind.
Ranma squinted her eyes.
"Where are they?"
The scared man points to a burning palace.
"Thanks," Ranma says, as she let's the man leave.
A few minutes later, she arrived to see the palace thoroughly in shambles. She saw women beating up or killing men everywhere. Then, she spotted a familiar face.
"Ariadne?" says Ranma.
The light-brown aired Amazon looks up from her work of castration.
"You," Ariadne says, as she goes over to Ranma with her sword in hand. "So the pretender has decided to show up."
"Cut the crap, and tell me what's going on here," Ranma commanded.
"No 'man' can tell me what to do!" Ariadne, as she lunge forward. Ranma responds by swimming through her defenses, and forces Ariadne's sword arm to be positioned so that the blade can touch the neck.
"You are too drunk to be of any concern to me," Ranma says. "So, once again, tell me what's going on?"
"I'll tell you, Pretender," says Pythia, as she appears with her sisters. "Antiope's faith in men proved to be unfounded, and became her undoing."
Pythia goes on to explain how the jealousy of one of Theseus' women caused all this, and that she was responsible for poisoning Antiope's wine.
"Naturally, I had to kill her," Pythia smirks. "The unfortunate thing was that Theseus and these Athenians took my actions the wrong way. So, I had to kill Theseus as well, before dealing with the rest of these 'sheep'."
Ranma looks around the room. She knew that sooner or later, either Athens' allies or enemies would descend upon the city to slaughter Pythia and her fellow warriors. She could not allow that to come to pass.
"I want you to walk away, Pythia," Ranma says. "Take whatever provisions you need, and leave."
"Why should I? This city will serve as the new capital of the Amazons."
"And once that happens, how long will you be able to keep this city?"
"You know, I am getting sick and tired of your presence," Pythia says, as she pulls out her sword.
"Too bad," Ranma says, as grabbed one end of a very long wooden table…and swung it at Pythia.
CRASH!
The Amazons were shocked to see Ranma effortlessly…with one hand.
Ranma smirked, as all the Amazons looked upon her with shock.
"I went though a few…changes lately..."
Before arriving to Athens, Ranma traveled to Macedonia, where Herakles was.
The reunion was not pleasant whatsoever.
POW!
Ranma delivered a solid punch to the jaw, which rocked the scion of Zeus. However, the scion of Zeus merely shook it off.
"What is the meaning of this betrayal, old friend?" Herakles asked innocently.
Ranma was flabbergasted.
"'Betrayal'? You used me to get to the Amazons…and took advantage of me AND my womanhood! You dare say that to ME?"
"Ah, I remember that now. I had hoped that you would have appreciated being with me-"
"You drugged me!"
"I had to loosen you up, Ranma. You are too beautiful to be left unattended-"
Ranma has had enough.
"Moko Takabisha…PERFECT!"
FWOOM!
Ranma let off a chi-sphere attack that blasted Herakles into a hillside.
BOOM!
Ranma huffed. She was still not used to fighting at her full potential as a female-
RUUUUUMBLE!
Ranma gawked, as the entire hillside seemed to lift out of the ground. Ranma could barely make out Herakles.
"You will know the wrath of the scion of Zeus, woman!" Herakles roared, as he tossed the hillside upon Ranma.
"Eeep!" Ranma replied, as she poured on the speed to get out of the way.
BOOM!
Ranma quickly called upon her knowledge of her family's "forbidden martial arts technique".
"Vacuum Blades Attack!" Ranma yelled, as she threw of a volley of compressed air that was strong enough to cut through most things.
PING!
Herakles used his arm bracers, made from the mythic alloy known as "Prometheum" to deflect the attack.
"Ha!" Herakles yells. "You do not think that I was not unfamiliar with your skills? Remember, we served together under Jason's watch!"
Herakles then raised his fists into the air.
"Then ends…NOW!"
Herakles slams his fists into the ground-
BAM!
Splitting it open in the process.
"Ah!" Ranma yells in surpise. She had forgotten how awesome the demi-god's strength was.
Ranma as fell in a chasm, she quickly clawed her way to a stop; she ripped up her fingernails in the process.
"Ugh!"
Ranma then looked up to see Herakles looking down on her.
"You do not understand what I had to go through for that damn girdle. So…die as the woman you are!"
With his great strength, Herakles closed chasm with his bare hands.
"NO-!" Ranma yelled.
CHOOM!
"There, and that ends THAT," Herakles says to himself.
"No, son of Zeus, it does NOT," says a voice.
Herakles turns to see three women standing amongst the shadows. As lovely as they were, Herakles was put off by the snakes-for-hair look. The fact that he did not turn to stone right away told him of whom they really were.
"Furies," Herakles said with quiet dread. Each of the sisters that made up the Furies were stronger than HIM.
"Indeed, Herakles," said the oldest of the sisters. "As Chronus had slain his father Uranus to warrant OUR attention, you have warranted our attention with the slaying of the mother of your offspring."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your act of rape sired a child named 'Drusilla'. By our traditions, by you slaying her mother, she is obligated in slaying YOU. However, since she is but a child, that task befalls US."
The other sisters hissed, as the Furies stepped forward.
Meanwhile, Ranma was in a state of limbo…between life and death.
"Ranma."
Ranma, in male form, looked around to see a beautiful, red-haired woman. She was dressed in a stylized Greek gown.
"Who are you, lady?" Ranma asks.
The woman giggled.
"Well?"
"My name is 'Rhea'. I am the Titan whose sphere represents the Earth realm."
"I thought that Demeter was in charge of that stuff?"
"That is true. We of Olympus are of three: Gaia is my mother, while Demeter is my daughter, but all three represent the Earth realm…in one form or another."
"So, what does this have to do with me?"
"My time as the Titan of Earth will soon be at an end. In the future, I will cease to exist as I am now, to become a figment of myth and lore. However, what am I need not be sent to Oblivion. Ranma, I will need an anchor, so I formally request that you become my 'Avatar'."
"Uh, no," Ranma says. "It's bad enough that I'm stuck in the past, and what happened to me sucks. I'm not going to be a victim of circumstances any more!"
"I'm sorry that you feel that way, Ranma. However, need I remind you that you are caught between life and death? And that your death will lead to a bigger tragedy?"
"What do you mean?"
"Behold, Ranma," Rhea says, as she creates an image in her hands. "These are the Furies, whose sole purpose is to mete out vengeance based on blood. Because Herakles slew you, he slew the mother of his child. And because she is a child, they will act upon spill blood by slaying the scion of Zeus."
"Well, good for them!"
"There is one more thing. As long as Drusilla is a child, they will not harm her. However, the moment she has matured, they WILL turn on HER."
"What?"
"She did not slay the person responsible for your death."
"No…I can't let THAT happen!"
Ranma thinks for a moment. If he gave up, monsters will harm his daughter. Most importantly…he promised to return home to not just Drusilla, but to Hippolyta.
And Akane.
"Akane…"
"What is your answer, Ranma?"
"Tell me, what how can I placate my honor while preventing the Furies from acting?"
Rhea gives Ranma a knowing smile.
"With my power and your skills, even the scion of Zeus will not be a match for you."
"Wait a minute. Is Herakles your grandson or something?"
"To use your modern vernacular, 'Screw 'em'. Herakles is an overly macho, misogynist fool who is only famous for his strength…an attitude that he had gotten from his father, no doubt. Perhaps some humility is in order."
Ranma nods in reply. If he can't kill Herakles, maybe he can bring the bastard down a few…or a dozen notches.
Up top, Herakles was fighting for his life, when the ground breaks up. A figure leaps out of the ground, and lands, in a crouch, between the Furies and the scion of Zeus.
"What is this?" Herakles says in surprise, as the Furies begin to back off.
Ranma rose slowly. She was bigger and voluptuous without being fat or stocky. She was also foot taller than she was, and was more attractive to boot. The plants and animals around her seem to bow before her. First, she looked at the Furies.
"YOU," Ranma says. "Stay your hand, for I am alive and well."
"We see that you have been touched by Rhea's presence," the oldest Fury says.
"You're alive?" Herakles says with astonishment.
And then, Ranma turns her gaze towards Herakles-
SLAP!
Herakles actually felt the sting of the slap.
"I SO want to kill you, 'old buddy'. But your death will put our daughter into a position that I don't want her to be. Furies, can I least beat up the scion of Zeus to a bloody pulp? Will that satisfy your needs for vengeance?"
The Furies turn towards each other, and began to consult with one another.
"Well?"
"What you are proposing is unusual, but it does fit our criteria."
"Good," Ranma says, as she cracked her knuckles. "You may have the strength of a god, Herakles, but now I have the strength of a god...with the skill of a martial artist!"
Herakles could actually feel power build from his old friend.
"Can't we talk about this first? Can't we get along?"
"No, Herakles…we can't," Ranma says, before proceeding to beat the daylights out of the Scion of Zeus.
Sounds of violence and pain could be heard throughout the lands of Macedonia, thus creating the proverb, "Hell hath no fury than a woman's scorn".
A day later…
Thoomp!
"Ughhhhhh…"
Ranma looked at the fallen scion of Herakles, having succeeding in breaking every bone in his body. Most likely some healer or Herakles father will take care of him.
"Be lucky that your foul act produced our child," Ranma says. "Otherwise, you'd be a DEAD MAN. But know this: until the day comes that I can forgive you for what you have down to me AND my Sisters, I will hurt you anytime we run into each other."
Ranma turns towards the Furies.
"Satisfied?"
"We are, avatar of Rhea," says the oldest Fury. "We are."
And with that, the Furies disappear into thin air.
Ranma sighs, as she begins the long trek towards Athens. She was barely clothed (as if the fashion of the day was any better) from her fight with Herakles. But she was more upset about the way her "new" body looked.
"Man, I look like a cow," Ranma comments. "I look like when I was pregnant with Drusilla."
With a grunt, Ranma changed her appearance to that of her usual "cursed girl" look. Thank Proteus for that little trick.
And now…
"Ariadne," Ranma says. "Get Pythia, and get out of the city. "I'm not going to ask again."
Ariadne nods her head quickly, and takes her Sisters and the unconscious Pythia out of the palace.
As the fires began to consume Theseus' palace, Ranma searched the place until she found the bodies of Antiope and Theseus, still locked in a loving embrace. She could see the sword wound in Theseus' back. Clutching the king of Theseus was a small boy. It didn't take a genius to know that the boy was Antiope and Theseus's son. Ranma wondered why Pythia could have missed him…
"Oy, kid," Ranma says, as she touches the boy's head.
The little boy turns to look at Ranma.
"Are you going to kill me, too?"
"Naw," Ranma says. "What's your name?"
"Hippolytus."
"Well, then, 'Lytus," Ranma says, as she picks up her Antiope's body. "It's time that I bring your mother home."
"What about me and Poppa?"
Ranma looks at Theseus, and then at the boy.
With a directed stomp, Theseus' body flew up into the air, which enabled Ranma to catch it on her shoulder.
"Come, kid," Ranma says. "We have to go."
As Ranma and Hippolytus left the palace, with Ranma carrying the bodies of Hippolytus' parents, the Amazon could only think that perhaps someday, she will grow beyond what she has become today.
END FLASHBACK!"I spent much of my times in and around the Mediterranean Sea after that, mostly raising Hippolytus as my son," Ranma says with a sigh. "He eventually called me his mother, something that I was very uncomfortable with. I did raise him to be warrior, but one who actually thought about things before acting."
All eyes turned on Genma, who suddenly became a panda.
"Eventually, with my blessing, he created his own martial arts style, which he called "Pankration". He wanted to distill everything I thought him to something even easier to teach. Come to find out that he wanted to reclaim his father's kingdom for his own, which I didn't mind. He was the son of a king, after all."
Tbc.