Amazon Island

Zatanna stood near the highest point of the Dark Angel's bow and opened her spell book. She began a series of incantations, first forward in Latin, then backwards. She ended with an authoritative: "Reveal A Mae!" Shouting into the relative silence of the aquamarine sea.

Zatanna's spell book glowed brightly, and a thin fog began to encircle the ship, seemingly from out of nowhere. The fog thickened, and a slight wind began to come up. The clouds moved slowly around them and above the Dark Angel. The sky darkened, and the wind became a maelstrom.

The schooner lurched forward, sending a number of Amazons to the floor of the deck. Fortunately, no one was tossed overboard. "D'Jenna! Take it easy on the ship! We may yet need it!" Hypolita rebuked the young Amazon. "I touched nothing, my queen!" D'Jenna defended.

Sure enough, the steering wheel spun uncontrollably, yet the Dark Angel didn't move, and the sails weren't unfurled. Before them, sand suddenly appeared, and the ship was thrust upward a good ten to fifteen feet. A land mass surfaced below them. The immediate fog parted, but behind them, the maelstrom still spun. In moments, the ship resettled on what appeared to be a beachhead.

As more of the fog cleared, tall palm trees, common Cypress trees, and tropical cactus like plants barred their way at what could be considered the rear of the beach. The dense foliage revealed nothing else, but a clear coastal outline appeared. Behind the Dark Angel was a thick dense fog, though the winds had calmed.

"Behold Themyscira!" Hypolita announced loudly, as she faced her Amazon sisters. "Nice work, Zatanna." Lois said with sarcastic approval. Clark shook his head. So, myth becomes reality, he mused. He appreciated the power of magic, but still swore that he could do without it.

Some light filtered down from above, further illuminating the tropical style island. Water droplets fell from the trees and plants, confirming that Themyscira had actually been underwater. This raised all kinds of questions like 'would the Amazon's island now appear on a map? Would it be visible to passing seamen, including the French Army or any pirates that may be in the area?'

In their future, Clark had been to Themyscira once or twice, but still wasn't sure how he'd gotten there. Diana had always guided the Justice League to it when necessary. Hypolita was just as obstinate about Amazon tradition in the future, as she was now. Had they learned nothing in two hundred years? He wondered silently.

The Dark Angel sat motionless in the calm, tropical water. The maelstrom had simply become a scattering fog, with variable sea winds. Hypolita stood atop the captain's deck and faced her people. "My sisters! Let's investigate our new home!" Her arms rose in a ceremonious gesture. The Amazons, great and small, cheered and stomped their feet, singing a victory song.

"You're sure this is Themyscira?" Diana checked Zatanna's story out. "Yes, princess. According to my scrying bowl, this is the exact location we were drawn to. " Zatanna confirmed. D'Jenna eyed the stern suspiciously, but saw no reason to detain anyone. "Drop Anchor!" She ordered some of the nearest Amazons. The muscular young women lowered the heavy iron anchor into the sea.

The anchor didn't have far to fall, as evidenced by the slack in the long iron chain. Technically, the Dark Angel had run aground, whether the mysterious isle was conjured or not. Lois wiped her sweaty hands on her shorts and said: "I guess our work here is done!"

Clark agreed, yet glanced at Zatanna worriedly. "Shouldn't we be on our way home now?" He pressed her. Zatanna handed the spell book to Lois. She opened it up, and instantly the ancient writings sparkled to life within the pages. "I wish I were in Kansas!" Lois joshed, clicking her gym shoes together.

Still nothing.

"Maybe the book's not ready yet?" Zatanna offered as Lois groaned. She slammed the book shut angrily. "Fine! We might just as well have a look around, to see if the island is safe for the girls." She suggested, following the youngest Amazon girls into a rowboat.

It was a short trip to the actual island's beach from the now silent Dark Angel. Lois absently flipped through the spell book, vainly attempting to find a spell that would send them back to their own time. The magic reference book was written mostly in Latin, and Lois was amazed that somehow she was able to understand the ancient texts.

She never recalled studying any language other than French, in the myriad of schools that she attended growing up at her father's side as an Army brat. The youngest Amazons beached the boat, and followed Lois out onto the sandy ridge, tying it neatly to a coconut tree.

"Are you a goddess?" A young Amazon of no more than thirteen years old asked Lois. Based on her facial features, and bronze skin tone, she appeared to be of Pacific Islander descent. She announced that her name was Jasmine.

"No Jasmine, but I have been accused of being overly self confident and headstrong." Lois replied as the girl stared at her blankly. Lois realized that Jasmine hadn't understood her comments, and it occurred to her that what the youngest Amazons needed most was education.

Sure they'd be taught how to survive, feed and clothe themselves, fight off attackers, and to become schooled in whatever information Hypolita wanted to teach them, but it wasn't a true education. Lois flipped through some more pages of the spell book. "Ah! Here we go!"

She voiced an incantation in an approximation of Latin. 'Liberty of thought will lead us to freedom from tyranny, and release us from bondage' "That's pretty profound." She commented. Instantly, three stacks of books appeared on the beach before them. The young girls gasped.

"You're a sorceress!" Jasmine said excitedly. "Not really." Lois downplayed the incident. "It's the book that's doing this!" She said as she examined the magical library. There were books on the history of magic, simple charms and chants, how to create potions from herbs, flowers, and spices, some unusual poetry, and even a book on the history of warfare.

"Okay girls, dig in!" Lois instructed. "Everyone take a book or two with them." The young Amazons were timid, but Jasmine spurred them on by grabbing three or four books and lining up behbehind Lois. I hope they know how to read, she suddenly thought. It was up to Hypolita and Diana, of course, as to how much the kids should know, she mused.

Clark, Diana, Zatanna, Tara, and Amarice were in the last rowboat to come ashore. Zatanna cocked her head as she spied Lois and the children moving towards them. The youngest girls trailed Lois in a single file, looking like a bunch of grimy, scantily clad, multicolored ducklings following a mother duck. Zatanna also noted that the kids were carrying books.
"Lois? What did you do?" Clark nearly shouted. She flashed him her most innocent look. "What?

"I was just reading the spell book…" Lois defended. "Well, please don't!" Clark pleaded. "That's how you got us here in the first place." Lois's eyes flashed a bright yellow, shocking everyone. "Hey, Smallville! I didn't ask you to join in my fantasy, did I?"

A stiff wind suddenly came up, scattering the sand, pebbles, and twigs along the beach, and eventually turning them into a whirlwind of debris. The young Amazons ducked, and covered their heads to keep from being hit in the face.

"She's possessed!" Zatanna snapped. "Tell me about it!" Clark agreed angrily. "No, I meant she could literally be possessed!" The young sorceress added. "Remember the Ambrosia and wine drinks?" She reminded him. Clark hadn't considered that aspect of it.

"She's right." Zina agreed. "We've seen it before." Clark scowled. "But we all drank some of that Ambrosia concoction." Diana flew alongside them, distracting Gabrielle. "It affects each person differently." Zina explained. "We need to keep Lois calm."

Clark sighed as the nightmare continued. "Lois! Relax! You're going to hurt someone." He urged. Lois forced herself to take deep breaths until her eyes returned to their normal blue gray. "Wow! It's like being amped up on steroids!" Lois grumbled. "That or PMS!" Zatanna taunted.

"How do we get her off of it?" Clark pressed. Zina's disappointed look told him all he needed to know. "You can't get off of it." She explained. "Lois is now an immortal." Zatanna and Clark gasped collectively. "We all drank it, so now none of us could die?" Diana was skeptical.

"I'm sure we'll find a solution when we get back…home." Clark said hopefully. "Until then, we have to keep her and ourselves from getting upset." Easier said than done, Zatanna thought. Lois's tirade had subsided, and along with it the temper driven dust storm.

Meanwhile, Hypolita was busily organizing the Amazons into purposeful groups. The women were divided into patrols, with four warriors per squad. The older, taller, more muscular, and experienced Amazons were given the duty of scouting the island, or recon, as Lois had indicated.

The medium sized women were responsible for hunting for and gathering the food, water, and medicinal herbs for the injured. The youngest girls were charged with backpacking the acquired supplies needed for their future huts and villages. Their backpacks were made from animal skins, and were adjusted per girl, based on her load bearing capacity.

Overall, the Amazons functioned like a well-organized army, Clark observed. Zina and Gabrielle struck out on their own, heading straight for the center of the mysterious isle. Zatanna, Lois, and Diana remained behind to protect Hypolita from any foreseeable dangers.

Clark was left to wonder why they hadn't been sent back to their own time as of yet. It appeared to him that there was nothing more to be gained by staying. The Amazons were reasonably safe from assailants, after landing upon the magical island. All that was left was the exploration.
The isle shook violently, startling everyone. Lois groaned after the tremor had subsided. "Please tell me that we didn't just guide the Amazons to a volcanic island!" She growled, facing Zatanna as she spoke. "I don't know anything beyond what the scrying glass showed me." The young sorceress defended. "It's not as if the thing came with instructions."

Just then, a secondary tremor occurred, and the youngest girls began to panic, nearly dropping their loads. "That didn't feel like a quake." Clark's supersensitive hearing picked up a distant buzzing. The familiar sound became much more pronounced. "It can't be!" He muttered. "What?" Lois probed.

"That sounds like a squadron of airplanes." Clark replied as Zatanna concurred. "In 1812? Or whatever year this is supposed to be?" Lois questioned. Sure enough, five P-51 Mustangs roared above Themyscira, their engines droning on as they passed. They could see the planes painted against the backdrop of the bluish gray sky. But it was like looking through a prism.

The images existed, yet they were distorted. "What the hell happened?" Lois shouted, growing more upset by the minute. "Lois! Calm yourself!" Clark directed, fearing another uprising from his best friend's brush with godhood. "There ought to be a logical explanation." Zatanna said optimistically.

"Zatanna, we are trapped in a magical fantasy allegedly created by Lois, tell me where this is logical?" Clark pointed towards the receding squadron. "The earthquakes were really what, bombs being dropped?" Zatanna queried. "Maybe, but I'd bet on depth charges instead. It was one way of locating submarines." Clark guessed. "Submarines?" Lois echoed. "Yes, in 1945." Clark added.

1945?" Zatanna shook her head. "Unless you have a better explanation?" Clark challenged. "Not really." Zatanna admitted. Lois was breathing heavily again, trying to control the swirling emotions of godhood within her mind. "We have to get you out of here before you go off!" Clark said as he grabbed Lois by the elbow.

"Where are we supposed to go, Clark?" Lois snarled as her eyes flared yellow again. "Zatanna, we have to try the book one more time." He directed, stepping in behind Lois, and holding her by the waist. "Why are you getting so grabby, Smallville?" Lois grinned lustily, as her emotions roiled.

"If this works, I don't want to lose you as we get zapped into that magical time warp of yours." He explained. "What am I chopped liver?" Zatanna snapped, clearly beginning to stress out. Could the Ambrosia be affecting her as well? Clark wondered.

No one wanted to hang around and find out. "Fine! Let's join hands." Lois suggested, forcing a calm edge to her voice. With one hand she opened the spell book and steadied it, as she held Zatanna's hand with the other. "Now do your backwards spell thing."

Diana spotted what the three strangers were doing, and flew directly into the center of their magical triangle. "Diana! What…?" Clark never finished his sentence. Zatanna muttered the 'return us to our home' spell backwards. Immediately, a shimmering gold aura enveloped them all.

Hypolita, D'Jenna, Tara, and Amarice watched in horror as the three friends and Diana disappeared before their eyes. The young Amazon children cried, and shouted in confusion, just as a bluish gray P-51 Mustang World War II fighter rocketed into the forest behind them, crashing in a ball of flames.

Amazingly, by sheer luck, none of the Amazons were killed or injured. A solitary Air Force pilot floated downward from the bluish brown sky, his green and white parachute trailed behind him. The soldier crashed into a treetop, yet escaped with only minor cuts and bruises.

He unclasped the tangled chute before the netting could strangle him, and fell slowly through the smaller tree branches towards the ground. With catlike reactions, Amarice caught him at the last moment, swinging through the trees from a vine like a monkey.

She toted him safely to the ground. The soldier smiled as the Amazons surrounded him. "Hey! Am I dead? Is this heaven?" He quipped as Hypolita stood nearby scowling. "Speak English?" He began. "Steve Trevor, United States Air Force…and you are?" Amarice smiled brightly.

Tara decked him from behind, smacking him across the back of the head with a tree branch. Trevor fell to the ground as all went black. "I choose this one as my mate!" Amarice announced proudly. "Do any of my sisters wish to challenge?" Silence. The Amazons scurried to put out the fire caused by Trevor's plane, as Amarice picked him up, and tossed him over her shoulder.

Diana, Lois, Zatanna, and Clark spun through time as the multicolored visions encircled them, swirling away quickly like wisps of thick smoke. Clark tried to follow the scattered imagery with limited success.

Back on Amazon Island, Zina and Gabrielle happened upon a large pool of clear, crisp water, near the center of the isle. They'd felt the tremors, and heard the airplanes, unable to comprehend the strange sounds. Zina heard Trevor's plane crash near the beach, and watched a plume of smoke snake its way into the multicolored sky.

"Now what?" she growled as Gabrielle reached her side. The smaller in stature Amazon queen glanced into the clear water, and then traced the source of the pool to a hot spring nearby that pumped the steamy water up through a ravine.

Gabrielle wound her way along the rocky embankment, and bent over to smell the water for freshness. She cupped her haggard hands, filling them with the water, and proceeded to wash her grimy face, and promptly fell in! "Whoa! Zina!" She yelled at her friend, and soul mate.

Zina rushed over and tried to grab Gabrielle's flailing arms. She succeeded in clasping onto her wrists, but it was too late. The water suddenly funneled into a whirlpool, and both girls were dragged down below the surface, and sucked through the hot springs bed into oblivion.
All was silent, save for the frantic yells of the Amazons in the distance, putting out the fire.

end chapter