All I Ask is a Tall Ship...

Clark carried Hypolita out of the tunnel, and as he suspected, the Sea was just beyond it. The wharf was filled with nearly a dozen early nineteenth century ships. Captains and crew, as well as dockworkers, scurried about the busy port. Would the hyperactive seaside business district even notice several scantily clad young Amazon women? You bet they would, Clark thought.

Zina, Gabrielle, Lois, and Zatanna gawked at the ludicrous sight. Just before them were two huge merchant ships, made from the various forms of the popular available woods of the day. One ship was a brightly colored, three masted, schooner, its sails still furled. The Perth Amboy, was the ship's name, as painted proudly across its huge bow. The ship easily stood three stories high above the wharf.

The second ship was slight in frame, sporting two masts, it's light blue sails flapped gently in the onshore breeze. It still stood two stories above the ebony wood dock. Its name was Dark Angel. Lois whistled. "Will you just look at that, Smallville? Live museum pieces!" Clark ignored her comment as he gently placed the still unconscious Hypolita against some soft cargo sacks piled high on the dock.

Zina, Gabrielle, and Zatanna scrambled to keep ahead of the fastest running Amazon girls. Tara, Amarice, and another youngster skidded to a stop beside them on the slimy wharf. "Can the Amazons board the ships unnoticed?" Zatanna inquired. "I doubt it. We'll need a plan B." Clark replied.

Using his x-ray vision, Clark surveyed both ships. As luck would have it, they had a skeleton crew. One hoped that he didn't mean that literally. There were but five crewmen on the Perth Amboy, and about a dozen on the Dark Angel. The Amazons could easily overrun them.

Clark wanted to avoid any killing, keeping in mind that they could very well be interfering with history on a grand scale. "We're going to try and book passage on both ships." He announced. Lois glanced at him like he'd grown a third eye in the middle of his forehead.

"With what money?" Lois grumbled. "I doubt that credit cards have been invented yet, let alone travel agents." Clark shrugged. "I'll have to give it a try." Lois nodded. "Be quick about it. Napoleon and his goon squad ought to be here soon." Clark searched his pockets for coins, knowing that the paper dollar bill wouldn't be invented for nearly another fifty years.

He came up with three quarters and two dimes. Clark spied a person who appeared to be the captain of the larger vessel. Lois took a step in that direction. "Wait! Lois, you and the others stay here, and let Diana know what we're up against." Clark directed. Lois sighed angrily. "Whatever!"

"You two, come with me!" He gestured towards Tara and Amarice. "We take orders from no man!" Tara hissed. "Fine! Please come with me!" Clark retorted. Amarice fell into step behind him, and Tara reluctantly followed. Lois crossed her arms with disdain, or was it something else?

Clark hustled up to the captain of the Perth Amboy. The dark skinned seaman stared at him blankly, but quickly spotted the partially clothed young women, and smirked lustily. "Excuse me, are you the captain of this ship?" Clark began warily. "That depends who is asking." Clark extended a hand to him. "Clark Kent." The captain's eyes narrowed. "Captain Imaglia, out of Cape Town."

"We'd like to book passage on your ship." Clark didn't waste any more time on pleasantries. "Really?" Imaglia laughed. "The Perth is not a passenger ship, mon. We sail with cargo only, unless you have something to offer in trade." He stared at the young women.
"Would this be enough?" Clark opened his hand, revealing two of the quarters. "Two pieces of silver?" Imaglia looked closely at them. Clark expected the captain to laugh in his face. Instead, Imaglia nodded grudgingly. "You must be desperate to leave, mon."

"Where is it you wish to travel to, and how many of you are there?" Imaglia glanced around nervously. "Um...Greece?" Clark hadn't thought of where to go to. "Greece?" Imaglia groaned. "That is many days travel from here. Have you business there, mon?"

Clark gulped, quickly spinning some more lies. "My wives and I would like to visit the homeland." Tara gasped and Amarice stifled a giggle. "Would you? Your wives, eh?" Imaglia was skeptical, yet amused. "Can I take a look around, at least? You know, on your ship." Clark baited.

"Fine, but de women stay here." Imaglia insisted. "It is bad luck to sail with a woman." Tara was about to go off, but Amarice cast her a threatening gaze. "Good enough." Clark said, turning back to the girls. "When I give the signal, you two untie the ship's ropes, got it?"

Amarice nodded. "What signal?" Tara asked with irritation. "You'll know it when you see it." Clark's eyes sparkled. He followed Imaglia up the gangplank and on board the Perth. Once out of the girls' sight, he super sped throughout the Perth, gathering and tying up the remaining crew.

Clark shoved the captain and the others into a meat locker beside the galley. "Now!" He shouted at the girls from high on deck. Tara and Amarice whipped out their daggers and sliced the ropes tying the ship to the dock. Simultaneously, Clark zipped down the gangplank.

All this time, Diana had been herding the Amazons through the temple and into the tunnel. She trailed the group, making sure that every last one of them escaped. "My sisters! Take only what is most needed, water, food, and weapons. Take all that you can carry. We will not be returning!"

The Amazons poured out of the tunnel, across the ridge, and onto the wharf. "Let's move!" Zina shouted, as Gabrielle, Lois, and Zatanna stormed the smaller vessel. "We can't kill anyone!" Zatanna yelled over the din of a thousand Amazon feet padding along the wooden dock.

"We're taking a ship, no two?" Lois hollered. "Where will we go?" She asked Gabrielle, who preceded her up the Dark Angel's gangplank. "Greece?" She asked Zina. "That's a long way from here. I don't think we have enough, actually any, supplies that would last that long."

Hypolita had awakened, and angrily ran up the gangplank beside them. "I may have an idea, but it is by no means written in stone." She shouted, as the first wave of Amazons overran the ship. Clark's speed had gotten him aboard the Dark Angel first. He'd subdued the crew without hurting them, much.

"Who's going to drive this thing?" Zatanna complained as she scrambled down the Dark Angel's gangplank. "Zina?" Gabrielle inquired. "Well, it's been a while, Gabrielle, say almost two thousand years, but I suppose it can't be much different than my old ships."

"Without the stars to guide us, how can we find our way?" Gabrielle questioned. "Compass!" Lois snapped, handing the antique relic that she'd found beside the giant wooden steering wheel to Zina. "It always points due North." Zina nodded. "Handy." Lois vaulted onto the pier.

Clark and Diana waited on the wharf, back to back, as the last of the Amazons boarded the vessels. The irate crews of the soon to be hijacked ships had noticed the girls stealing their livelihood. They came at Diana and Clark with swords drawn. A few had simple one shot muskets. Some merely picked up boards, wrenches, and other tools and began to swing at them recklessly.

"Cast off!" Diana shouted over the din. Two more Amazons obediently cut the ship's tethers. Lois had boarded the Perth, along with Zatanna. "Lois! Can you sail this thing?" The young sorceress yelled. "I guess! I mean how hard can it be? I've sailed boats before." Lois took the large wheel.

Zina, Gabrielle, and Hypolita remained aboard the Dark Angel. The ancient warrior princess immediately took command as Hypolita watched helplessly as her daughter and Clark staved off the attacking longshoremen.

The Perth, with Lois at the helm clumsily shifted away from the dock. She'd already given the order for Tara and Amarice to weigh anchor. Zina fared only slightly better, steering the Dark Angel away from the larger cruiser. The mob closed in on Clark and Diana.

"Diana, do you trust me?" Clark whirled to face the young princess. "With my life, Clark Kent, and this is a helluva time to ask." Diana replied. Clark immediately grabbed Diana by her slim waist, and leapt upward high into the air, soaring over the churning water between them and the Perth.

Clark soared through the air with Diana in his arms, landing softly atop the main deck of the Perth. "Great Aphrodite! You are blessed by the Gods!" Diana exclaimed, as Clark reddened. "Hardly." He said with humility. "I'm just different."

Lois had assumed command of the Perth by default. The young Amazons stood nearby, staring vacantly, as Lois maneuvered the huge schooner away from the dock. She noisily slammed the Perth into a marking buoy. It did no damage to the ship, but gave everyone a jolt.

Zatanna held onto the magic book tightly with both hands. It was still their only ticket back to their own time. Clark set Diana down, and she followed him closely towards Lois. Immediately, the Amazons bowed as their young princess leapt to the captain's level like a gazelle.

"Lois! What the hell are you doing?" Clark yelled as he came up behind her. "What's it look like I'm doing, Smallville? I'm piloting a three-story, two hundred year old, multi-masted ship away from a strange European dock! It was good of you to join us!" She snarled. "Princess!"

Diana rolled her eyes at Lois's acknowledgement. "Gods protect us!" She remarked. "Hoist the sails!" She barked orders at the still bowing young Amazons. Clark found the scene ludicrous, but amusing, as he helped Lois steer the ship towards the open waters.

Zina piloted the Dark Angel skillfully taking care to avoid the Perth's blindside and wake. Hypolita glanced over her shoulder at the ancient warrior princess. The Gods behave in strange ways, she silently mused. "I guess that it all came back to me, Gabrielle." Zina commented.

By now, a couple of other ships had realized what happened. They began to set sail after the allegedly hijacked schooners. Lois muscled the Perth past the breakwater and the Dark Angel followed suit. Clark knew that he had to get some more running room out of the ship. He was certain that the pursuit craft were armed with starboard, and port canons. They could end their little sea cruise in a hurry.

The problem was where to lead and leave the Amazons, Clark considered. "Smallville! Are you going to stand there gawking, or help me steer the ship?" Lois hissed over the pounding surf. "You're doing great, Lois! I'm going below deck and see if I can get more speed out of the Perth." Clark said, and exited quickly over the side and onto the deck beneath them.

"Grrr! Men!" Lois grumbled, bringing a snicker to Zatanna's lips. Clark made sure that no one was looking, and dove into the Mediterranean Sea. He could hold air underwater for long periods of time, but not indefinitely. Clark grabbed the rear section of the Perth carefully, and shoved the huge ship ahead of the rest, roughly in the general direction of Greece.

"Whoa! That's quite the tailwind!" Lois commented, as the Perth lurched forward. The Amazons were caught off guard, and tumbled in every direction. Fortunately, none of the young women fell overboard. Clark doubled back to shove the Dark Angel along, just behind the Perth.

"That's not normal!" Zina remarked. "Something, or someone is guiding us!"Hypolita rubbed her thin chin. "I wonder…" She mumbled. "Do you think that the Gods have returned, Zina?" Gabrielle asked worriedly. "Maybe…but I don't see how. To be honest with you, I think we finished them off almost two thousand years ago." Zina responded.

Hypolita caught Zina's comment and stared daggers at the honorary Amazon. "You speak as though the gods were defeated by you!" The queen accused. "They were, actually." Zina deadpanned. "But that is another story for another time." Hypolita was skeptical. "I think our savior is much closer, and much more human." Zina smirked. She was about half right…

Clark climbed aboard the Dark Angel, startling Gabrielle, who had just glanced in his direction by chance. She couldn't help but smile at the mysterious young traveler from another place. "Welcome aboard, Clark Kent!" She greeted him cheerfully. "Decided to go for a swim, did you?" Zina teased. "Yeah, more or less." Clark cast her a lopsided grin.

"Don't tell me…" Hypolita challenged. "My errant daughter tossed you over the rail?" Clark smirked, shaking his head. "Queen Hypolita, I'm sorry about the improper way I dragged you through the temple and tunnels." He apologized. Hypolita sighed. "Normally, to touch the queen in such a manner is a sentence of death, Clark Kent, yet somehow I believe that you don't fear death."

"Let's just say that I believe in live and let live." Clark deflected, as Zina chuckled. "A warrior, you're not, Clark Kent. You seem to be more like my best friend, Gabrielle, here." Clark nodded, and promptly changed the subject. "Queen Hypolita, you mentioned a place that we can sail to?" He hinted. "Yes, it is little more than a myth, but as we all know, some myths are based in truths."

The Queen continued: "Legend states that an isle near the coast of Greece, fades in and out of existence. It is not known whether the isle is blessed or cursed by the gods. It seems illogical, but then it could be protected by magic, or a series of enchantments. Perhaps, your sorceress knows more?"

Queen Hypolita let the question hang in the air. Clark was choosing his next words carefully. Clearly, Hypolita knew of Zatanna's powers. "Does this isle have a name?" Clark pressed. "Yes. It is called Themyscira, or Isle of the Lost." Hypolita informed them.