Chapter 24: Diana

Diana took a deep breath and inhaled the smell and scent of Themiscyra. There was no pollution here, only the smell of the ocean and the rocks and the sand.

"Diana!" She smiled as she heard her mother's voice and opened her eyes.

"Your Majesty." She replied dropping down into a curtsey.

"Welcome home." Hippolyta, Queen of Themiscyra said, embracing her daughter. As they pulled apart, her mother looked at her up and down and then said. "You need to eat more."

Diana blushed. "I am eating, Mother."

Hippolyta grinned. "You know what I mean."

Diana felt her cheeks redden further. Her mother laughed. "Now come, walk with me. What brings you back to Themiscyra."

They walked away from the beech, Diana noticing how her mother led her away from the spot where Steve had washed up, those memories were painful, far to painful for her to revisit now, so instead she said. "I've come to get your advice on something."

They walked up the pathway, passed the Temple of Aphrodite where there were several of her sisters sparring, and passed the Temple of Artemis, and then they stopped. Diana looked up and swallowed. There was a statue of her sister Donna looking at her. It was made in gold, pure gold, and it shone just as brightly as she had. Her mother sighed. "You want my advice about Superman."

"How?" Diana asked.

"I'm your mother, Diana, and I am a Queen. I am kept informed of the goings on of the world, especially man's world." Her mother replied. "What happened to his wife was a tragedy, he might the right decision killing that clown. And you and he have made the right decision to bring peace to man's world. For too long now they have wallowed in their own faeces, it is time their betters gave them order."

Diana nodded but she was also surprised. "You do not think we are going too far?"

"No. I know what you did in Britain." Mother said. "I know that you dealt with those barbarian savages in those cities and saved those girls. And I know it was you who suggested that the monarch get her powers back."

Diana looked at Donna's statute and remembered that encounter. Cassie had been the one to bring that to her attention. It seemed that she'd stumbled across a story in a local newspaper in a place called Rotherham where the girls were being abused and raped by descendants of that barbarian Muhammed. Nobody in government was doing anything and so, she'd brought this to Kal's attention and from there they'd acted. Those men had been destroyed, their centres of worship destroyed and the politicians who had covered it up were now carcasses for the crows. The Queen of Britain had taken her rightful place as ruler not just puppet, of Britain, and the people had seemed happy, but… "I got a letter after that. Several actually, mainly from American and British feminists decrying my actions. Saying I was doing nothing more than spreading hate and fear, and that I should be ashamed of myself." There had been a letter from the President's wife as well, saying she'd done little to improve race relations, and that had stung the most. She'd liked the President's wife.

Her mother snorted. "Those women are fools. Our duty is to protect the weak and the innocent, and those girls you saved were far more in need of help then those barbarian men that you killed. Ignore what those idiots say and focus on doing what is right."

Diana was encouraged by her mother's words, but there was something about the way she said them that made her raise an eyebrow. "You are sure about that? I know that some of what we're doing doesn't go with the code."

"The code is not a code when the world needs saving, it is a chain." Mother said.

"Why?" Diana asked.

"I have come to realise that there are somethings that are more important in life than abiding by something that not even the Gods themselves stood by." Mother said.

Diana looked at her mother then and asked. "Has something happened, Mother?"

Her mother nodded and said. "Follow me." With that, Hippolyta walked passed Donna's statute, Diana followed, they walked on the twisting pathway, into the woods, down a flight of steps and then arrived at a secret place Diana had only ever heard about. "Wait here." Mother said. Diana watched as her mother walked forward, and tapped on the stones, which forced a door open. Diana followed her mother through the doorway and into the building. There were runes on the wall, and drawings of men and women fighting, something that looked like a wolf, but a demon.

"What is this place, Mother?" Diana asked.

Her mother sighed. "This is where we keep the Motherbox."

Diana looked at her mother. "You mean the Motherbox that you were given by the Gods following the Dark War?"

"Yes." Her mother said. "It has been acting funnily for the past few months, shaking and vibrating. I did not know what to do, and then Lois Lane died and Superman began his campaign and it began to make sense."

"What did?" Diana asked. She'd heard about the Dark War, where Steppenwolf had come with the Motherboxes under orders from his nephew Darkseid to try and turn Earth into a new colony for Apokolips. An alliance of Gods, men, Amazons and Atlanteans had defeated him. Then about five years ago, Darkseid had sent his son Kalibakk to try and take the Motherboxes. He'd failed because of the League.

"Remember the story I told you about the Dark War?" Her Mother asked.

"The one where it was foretold that Steppenwolf would return?" Diana asked remembering that story and how it had kept her up at night.

"Yes." Her Mother said. "I think the time is approaching. The world needs to be ready when he does return, otherwise it will fall."

"That's why you're okay with what we're doing?" Diana asked, it all suddenly making sense.

"Yes." Her Mother said. "Superman and you are destined to make this world secure and safe. It cannot stand against Steppenwolf without the both of you."

"Do you think we should take the Motherbox?" Diana asked. Perhaps they could get Victor to study it.

Her Mother shook her head. "No, we were given a duty and we will live up to it."