Hello readers,
If you're reading this, it's too late to turn back. So you might as well finish what you've started! :D
Bye~
Helena. That was the name the Amazons had given to her. She liked having a name. It made things easier for when the others were speaking to her directly. Apparently, telepathic thought was a concept none of them had ever heard of before.
It was also quickly established that reading minds and anything that had to do with minds in general was off-limits until such time where Helena deemed the Amazons ready for such drastic genetic alterations.
Which would happen sooner or later if she was going to be around them. Suddenly going cold turkey and speaking with the body rather than the mind was something she refused to put up with for longer than necessary.
It hadn't taken long for the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus to try and deliver unto the Amazons and their new "Goddess" their wrath. Since the position of Queen was already filled by the Amazon sisters Hippolyta and Antiope, Helena had become their one and only living Goddess.
And from their point of view, why wouldn't she be? She was mysterious yet benevolent, seemingly all powerful yet compassionate, and she was directly involved in their personal lives more often than any of the Old Gods had been.
Helena had brought them out of the darkness that was their ignorance and into the light. What would one day be looked back upon as the beginning of the Amazon's Golden Age of Information.
They, the Old Gods, had not taken too kindly the rejection of their creations. Being deities, they felt it was their divine right to act as they pleased with both the mortals and their own creations. Though, the five Goddesses who were directly involved in the creation of their Amazons did feel quite a bit of guilt over their inaction during the Heracles incident.
Despite their guilt, however, they also took offense to the Amazon's lack of faith.
After several years of continuous efforts to break through Helena's ring constructed defenses, and not for lack of trying either, they each gave up one by one. Even Hera, the one who felt the most slighted at Hippolyta's actions eventually left the Amazons to their own devices.
During the years that they weren't able to safely leave Helena's protection, the Amazons set to work on creating an education system and successfully implementing it into Themyscirian society.
Education was the basis of all well-developed nations and peoples, after all. Besides, how could they hope to use the technologies and information Helena was going to provide for them if they didn't know the intricacies of the basic science behind them.
And while they worked to study and understand, Helena calculated that they'd only needed a couple of years of dedicated learning before the surprisingly intellectual Amazons would be capable of running certain necessary, yet complex, systems without her direct interference.
During this time, Helena also worked to craft a series of schematics that depicted Themyscira's would-be infrastructure.
Of course, nothing that polluted the environment short-term, or at all really, was allowed. That was a strict rule Helena had implemented and enforced with no room for argument. Helena wanted them to have the same respect for their planet and its environment that she and her people once had for theirs; during the time when there was still a planet to respect.
It did help to let them know that Man's World would probably tramp all over the delicate ecosystem of the Earth by the time they reached this stage. Because who in Themyscira would want to be like the savages from Man's World.
In addition to this responsible behavior she wanted, Helena also expected them to make the advancements with their own two hands. When the time came that they reached the level where they could both understand and operate the technology, she wanted them to use their intellect to build and personalize it for themselves.
A people built on the fruit of other people's labor held no significant achievement of their own. An unacceptable outcome for Helena's Amazons.
The only truly advanced technology she built herself were the omni-panels that collected the solar and lunar energy supporting Themyscira's minor electrical grid; limited to electric fans. Helena may have wanted the Amazons to work for their advancements in technology, but that didn't mean she'd have them living in complete squalor in the meantime.
These panels powered the electric fans that she installed in most of the buildings. Which were actually created without the use of the power ring. Rather, she used her own body's matter conversion ability, an ability she once took for granted that was now extremely useful to have, to create the necessary materials.
Soon enough she'd try and encourage the use of the wind, ocean currents, and geothermal energies as well. The combination of those with solar and lunar energy would give Themyscira a much more sustainable, diverse, and powerful standing to lean back on in the future.
Aside from these changes, Themyscira was essentially the same as when Helena first showed up all those years ago. Exactly twenty-five years ago right about…now. She thought it was funny to think about. How much things could change for all of them in just twenty-five short years.
Her planet was gone but she'd found a new home. The Amazon's faith in the Old Gods was gone but now they had a new Goddess who never once gave them reason to doubt. A simple warrior race was raised up to be educated scholars. And in turn they provided her with a purpose in life.
In the distance, she could see the crowds of excited Amazons coming to listen and hang off of every word she had to say.
It seems it would soon be that time.
The Amazons were finished with their general education and were about ready to begin the specialized portion of their academic careers. But first, as with any achievement, they must be shown that their labors will not go without reward.
Ring, extend the life expectancy of the Amazons indefinitely and increase their natural healing rate tenfold. Be sure to halt all aging from this moment forward as well.
Compliance.
A bright flash of light and the Amazons of Themyscira were now immortal. She considered beginning the genetic alterations as well but decided that such measures were best saved for when things really began to pick up.
Not only had she spent the past twenty-five years cultivating their minds, she also began cultivating their bodies.
With an improved diet and a strict training regimen, the Amazons grew stronger, faster, taller (though not as tall as Helena since she subtly increased her own height to stay visually superior), and surprisingly much less aggressive.
Though, that was just because they had recognized that there were other ways to solve an issue than to brute force their way towards a solution. For example, talking about it first. If words failed, then they'd be more open to violent response.
It was painfully clear to Helena that the Old Gods were holding the Amazons back from their true potential as a race of warriors and scholars with their expectations of them being reliable and effective messengers.
A waste of talent and a lack of ingenuity in Helena's eyes.
But that just made it feel even more rewarding to have them reach their full potential. To be the one who thrust them into a greatness that would otherwise be squandered.
Also happening over the last two decades was the Life Entity's changes being completed and severely warping her original personality. It was this new personality, however, that would lead Helena to do remarkable things in the years to come.
Remarkable things in her eyes, at least.
After today, the Amazons would put into use all that they've learned from her so far. The ring had done the calculations and scans, determining that they were the only civilization on Earth to have come as far as they have. It wouldn't be long before Themyscira would begin to see visible changes.
As Helena was mulling over the future plans she had for her Amazon's, the sister queens had made their way into her chambers. They dismissed the attendants that often-followed Helena, often to deliver messages across the city.
"Hippolyta, Antiope. I don't know how many times I've told you this, you needn't kneel before me when we are alone." She paused. "Well, except for that. But there isn't any time for such fun at the moment."
Both women remained kneeled before Helena, however. The time when Hippolyta had doubted Helena had long since come to an end. Now, there was only love and worship in her heart for her peoples' Goddess.
For her Goddess.
Antiope too, felt this same love and reverence, and refused to not kneel before her. All of Helena's Amazon's did so for the one who protected them from the mighty wrath of the Old Gods.
Who saved them during the Heracles incident. Who educated them, made them stronger and so much more capable in battle, taught them to turn their hate of Man's World into a vengeful motivation to outdo them in all they could ever try to accomplish, and gave them the chance to be something more than just simple messengers of an impossible peace who were hated by most and shunned by the rest.
Helena sighed, walking down the steps from her "Grand Throne", another somewhat amusing expectation they forced upon her, and kneeling down before the two women. Grabbing their chins, she lifted them both up from the ground and to their feet.
"Now," She pulled Antiope forward, firmly pressing their lips together and gingerly exploring the inside of her mouth once Antiope got over the momentary surprise. Helena let go, feeling her lover's body begin to lose the strength to stand.
Then she turned to Hippolyta, pulling her forward with an equally gentle touch. This time, though, she simply forced her way into Hippolyta's mouth and dominated her weak resistance.
Letting go of both women, Helena smiled. "I'm beginning to think you do this on purpose, my loves." She very much enjoyed the way their hearts skipped a beat when she called them 'her loves'.
There was just something about simply being close to them that gave her a certain pleasant sensation that the other Amazons just didn't give her. It felt genuine, the satisfaction they gave her, and she often found herself craved for that feeling after spending too much time away from them.
"Of course not, my Goddess." "We would never do such a thing, Goddess" Helena leered at them, before nodding her head. "Just remember, the more you do that the more I'll see fit to punish you much like I did today."
She definitely didn't see the conspiring smiles they shared as she spoke. Nope, not at all.
"I called you here to give you the chance to be the first of your sisters to receive your gift." They perked up at that. Helena had been talking of their gift for nearly a decade.
There were many guesses as to what it could possibly be. Most had guessed that she was giving them some sort of device to safely leave Themyscira without the Old Gods noticing. Others had guessed that she was going to gift them with another technological advancement.
"Now, I know there has been a lot of speculation as to what you'll be receiving, but I assure you…" White constructs wrap around them and lift the two sisters in the air. "…it will be well worth it."
"M-my Goddess…?" "What-?" Instantly, their minds brought forth the worst-case scenario. Their Goddess was going to kill them…
No. Helena wasn't like the Old Gods. She was their Goddess. Anything and everything she did had been for their direct benefit both in the long-run and in the short-term. So, whatever this worst-case scenario was, they kept in mind that Helena had their best interests at heart.
"Do you trust me, my loves?" Two firm nods. "Then…prepare yourselves for my gift." Two sharp ended constructs shot forward, piercing both women in the stomach. They opened their mouths to yell out in pain but found their screams muffled by the white construct around their mouths.
Lowered to the ground and brought face to face with their Goddess, Hippolyta and Antiope were greeted with a look of anticipation. Their Goddess looked eager to see their reaction to their gift. "Look down. Your gift awaits."
The white constructs released them, giving them the mobility to check the damage done to them. "Here's a hint. You're immortal now." Wide eyes from both of them. "My love for you and the rest of Themyscira knows no bounds. And since I love you, I could never bear to part with any of you."
The stab wounds healed before their very eyes. No scarring and not much more lingering pain than what they'd get during a sparring match.
"So," She spread out her arms. "welcome to the rest of your lives. Our lives. Our eternal lives." The two sisters simply stared. Helena grabbed them by the hands and led them towards the balcony she was looking over earlier.
"Now that I've given you my gift, let's go and share it with all of Themyscira." Antiope and Hippolyta eagerly nodded their heads in agreement.
"Yes, my Goddess."
"Of course, my Goddess."
"With this boon, my boon, we will rise above any and all who live in Man's World, on Olympus, and any other place on this Earth that dares to try and lord over us." Zealous glances in her direction.
"We rose up from the tragedy that was the rule of the Old Gods. We changed all that we once were and rebuilt ourselves stronger than we ever could have been following the now abandoned path of mutual understanding with the filth that comes from Man's World. We now seek a brighter future and a better tomorrow and will obtain what we desire without mercy and without relent."
The three stepped out onto the balcony, greeted by the sight of thousands of women standing below them. Each and every one of them waiting for their Goddess and their Queens to speak.
"We are the Amazons of Themyscira. And we shall be all that we can! And all that others should aspire to be!" The crowd below them cheered, as did the sisters standing at her sides.
Yes. Life was good for the White Lantern. And it would continue to be so for a very long time.