CHAPTER FOUR

Diana

I should explain about Themyscira.

It was a point in my life that, until then, was actually going rather well. The summer had seen a string of public successes for the Justice League, and the Wonder Woman brand was at its peak (in Man's World, at least). I wasn't seeking political office or anything, but I was polling higher than any politician in the Western Hemisphere. I gave speeches at the UN. And the League...it had ballooned in size and was now in its third generation of recruits. More heroes to fight the good fight meant that I was becoming acquainted with a brand new reality: leisure.

I was born on a magical island, mystically hidden from the eyes of Man. Unbelievably powerful enchantments woven by the gods themselves disrupt everything from radar to Netflix. I learned to fight on that island. How to parry a sharp blade, scale a mountain, and ride a horse. I learned how to be Wonder Woman on that island. But.

Thanks to the League, my time on Themyscira was dwindling. My disagreements with my mother over the role of Ambassador to Man's world had grown more frequent and less civil. Eighteen years is usually more than enough time for mortal women to spend living under the watchful eyes of their mothers. A few thousand, as it turns out, had exhausted even my patience. Of course in hindsight, maybe I should have known that distancing myself from my homeland was a recipe for disaster. There are higher obligations than even the League.

But obligations are easy to forget. Even for Wonder Woman. Spending time in Man's World, I found that I thrived in it even outside of the Wonder Woman persona. I cultivated a regular habit of staying planetside in a luxury Gateway City condo. A citizen and not just an occasional visitor. I had an alias: Linda Carter. I'd downloaded a (terrible) dating app. I was looking at shelter kittens. I was beginning to have something that Batman once assured me was impossible in our line of work: a normal life, and (aside from the loneliness) a very good life at that.

The night of the UN gala found me in my apartment, wearing a tee-shirt and leggings browsing my watch list for good sitcoms. I'd just decided on Friends reruns when the doorbell rang, which was odd but not alarming in and of itself. Maybe the neighbor's little hellion of labradoodle had gotten off the leash again. As one of the most powerful beings on the planet, the thought that anything frightening could be on the other side of that door never crossed my mind.

I opened the door, and whatever neighborly greeting I'd concocted immediately died on my lips.

I'm six feet tall. There are very few women on the planet who can look me straight in the eyes, and the visitor was one of them. It was the kind of disorienting sensation that makes the world blur out of focus for a bit. She was built like a slightly taller, slightly leaner version of me. An Amazon, without a doubt. The same Amazon from the UN gala, also without a doubt.

I stared at her, my mind racing to fill in more details. Tall and sinewy, with dark hair the color of molten steel pulled back in the front and erupting into a severe ponytail behind her. Her face had the same angular dynamic as the rest of her. Smooth skin, sharp cheekbones, piercing gray-green eyes. Her chin was held aloft in the imperious manner of Themysciran high command though her attire, surprisingly, was normal for Gateway City. She wore a crimson blazer. Dark shirt, dark pants, dark heels. More timeless than chic; were it not for the lack of a briefcase she could have been a high-priced entertainment lawyer or a CEO.

Up close, I also realized that I recognized her. Not by name, but I'd definitely seen her before. Maybe on the training grounds in the archery yard? The powerful V-shape of her torso suggested an archer. What was her name- it was just outside the edge of my memory.

"Princess Diana," the other woman greeted me, bowing her head slightly in stiff, formal deference. I could feel her profound insincerity across the portal, my first warning that this was not a pleasant social call. She said my name as if it put a bad taste in the back of her mouth.

"Hello," I replied, noticing in the contrast how different my voice was from the Themysciran accent and cadence. Once upon a time, I'd sounded just like her.

"May I enter?" The words were a question, but not the tone. More disorienting still. I am, second to Hippolyta, the highest-ranking Amazon alive. In a thousand years, I could count on one hand the number of times a fellow Amazon had spoken to me with such entitlement.

I stepped back, trying not to imagine what my condo looked like from the perspective of another Amazon. Most of our dwellings on the Island were made of stone and clay, no drywall in sight. The shelves back on Themyscira held pottery and artisanal goods, not 'Best Editor Ever' mugs. The walls were adorned with weapons, not flat-screen televisions.

"Come in."

She did, taking in the interior of my home with bemused silence before addressing me again. "You live well, Diana."

"Thank you," I said though I knew she hadn't intended the comment as a compliment. "And you are. . ."

"My name is Artemis."

"It's nice to meet you, Artemis," I replied. Which wasn't exactly true. While her face had only sparked a hazy sense of recollection, I knew the name as soon as she said it. Purely by reputation. Artemis was regarded as one of the fiercest warriors on the entire island, at least when I had last visited. I vaguely remembered supervising one of her sparring matches with another Amazon. She'd been aggressive to the point of brutal. It had taken the other sister weeks to recover.

What was she doing unannounced at my door?

"Can I get you anything to drink?" I offered.

A short, sharp twist of the head. "No, that won't be necessary."

"Well then. How may I help you, Artemis?"

She smiled-a full smile this time, flashing gleaming white teeth. "We've actually met before, Diana. I can't say I'm surprised you don't seem to remember-it was some years ago now. And not under the most congenial of circumstances"

I said nothing. Where is she going with this?

Artemis took a seat, unprompted, in a leather chair on the side of my living room coffee table. Following her lead, I regained the seat from which, just minutes ago, I had been blissfully watching trashy 90s sitcoms. I self-consciously straightened my back-hard to relax around Artemis. Her posture was so rigid she could have been chiseled from granite.

"It was during your trials," she elaborated.

That last word conjured brutal memories. Some years ago, I had been exiled by my mother, Hippolyta, for bringing men to Themyscira. The divine laws are ironclad. To regain my status I was made to submit to a trial by ordeal. I was temporarily relieved of my powers by the gods themselves. It was the first time I realized that my powers were not my own- that they could be revoked. If you imagine being in the center of a ring and forced to fight, brutal and bloody, for hours as one by one the warriors on the outside try with all their strength to maim you...you might be able to imagine what the trials were like. I survived, somehow, though it took every ounce of my Amazon training and every reserve of dirty tricks I'd picked up during my time with the Justice League to do so.

Artemis must have seen something in my face at the mention of the trials. She leaned forward. "You broke my arm. Right...[she touched a finger midway between her left wrist and elbow] here."

I smiled wanly. "I don't think any of us emerged from the trials unscathed."

"Though of course we weren't all given divine powers to heal from our injuries."

"Delivering the Ordeal is voluntary." I frowned at her. "We didn't know each other on the Island. Not very well. Why would you volunteer?"

She gave an abbreviated shrug. "I didn't want your exile to end. I wanted you to fail. I saw you as unworthy of Themyscira, of the armor, and of the gods' blessings."

She had the kind of voice that could play over a movie trailer. Low, confident, and husky, with a throaty texture that complemented her diamond-cut features. There was no doubt, no mirth in her words, as insolent as they were. I had to take a short breath just to calm myself.

"A shame you felt that way," I allowed.

Artemis arched an eyebrow. "I still feel that way. And I am not the same warrior whom you maimed during the trials."

I rose to my feet, no longer caring about propriety. It had been scarcely two minutes and I'd had my fill of Artemis. "Is there a purpose for this visit or did you travel all this way just to exhaust my patience with unpleasant memories?" I asked, my voice hardening into steel. My mind was also starting to fill in some important blanks. "Artemis...I do remember your name, now that I think about it. You and your little clique of savages. You pushed my mother to kill Steve Trevor when he landed on our shores. You've fomented hostility with Man's world for centuries."

"You throw the accusation as if I should be ashamed of it," she said. "Have you seen Man's World lately, princess? The wars, the poverty, the idiot leaders of men? You certainly haven't done anything about it. Perhaps you've been too busy dallying with their ridiculous heroes? Making alliances and giving speeches while pretending to be…[she gestured disdainfully at my appearance] whatever simpering, assimilated creature this is."

That's it. I rose and made toward the door. "Get. Out."

Artemis rose too, graceful as a panther, nothing but the coffee table between us. Her smile turned practically carnivorous. "How ambassadorial of you, princess. I will be happy to leave this obscenity you call a home. But first, I will need your armor and weapons."

I snorted. "That'll be the day."

"By Hippolyta's order."

What?! I froze, my fists clenching involuntarily. "Liar."

Artemis reached behind her back and for an insane moment, I wondered if she was about to attack me. The fear was completely irrational-there are few beings on the planet that can harm me when I have my full powers, and Artemis was not one of them. But I hated to imagine what would happen if she were.

At any rate, she didn't produce a sword or any kind of weapon. Instead, she retrieved a parchment scroll from a satchel at her back. A scroll which she rolled across the coffee table to me. "Read for yourself."

Eyes narrowed, I snatched the document from Artemis's hand. I could see my mother's seal almost immediately. Whatever the document said, it was said with her consent.

It didn't take me long to read the edict. The language, written in my mother's hand, was perfunctory and unambiguous. My tenure as Ambassador to Man's World was to be terminated, my exile reinstated. I was to relinquish my title and privileges. I was to give my god-forged armor and weapons to the bearer of the parchment. To Artemis.

What the hell?

"This-this is outrageous," I breathed as I scanned the document for a second time. A third. A fourth.

"It is legitimate," she countered. "The decree bears the Queen's imprimatur."

"You think I'm just going to hand over-"

"If you wish, you can come back to Themyscira with me and hear it from your mother's own lips," suggested Artemis.

She may have said more. If so, I never heard it because within the next few moments I was five miles into the stratosphere.

I never use my powers in proximity to my home, but at that moment I could not have cared less about my secret identity. I flew as fast as I've ever flown. Flash would have been proud. I was pushing my power to the limit, battling the gulf stream and the oxygen deprivation as I soared across the Atlantic, past commercial jets and drones, close enough to locate my destination: Themyscira.

I came to a screaming halt high in the skies above Paradise Island some eight thousand miles away from my walkup apartment and office.

And then with a sonic boom and a roar of displaced wind, Artemis came out of the sky beside me.

I was speechless. Utterly speechless. She had been right behind me the entire time? She could fly?

Artemis hovered, arms crossed, at my altitude. I could tell that despite her powers, she was unaccustomed to high-altitude flight. Her brow was clenched with exertion as she fought to remain in place despite the wind that whipped her serpentine ponytail like a whip behind her. She was trying to make a point.

She gave a casual gesture toward the hidden island that we could both see. "Shall we, princess?"

The instant it came into view, I felt a throb of homesickness that almost made it hard to breathe. Had it really been so long since my return to the Paradise I'd known for my entire life? The enchanted island seemed to welcome me back to her bosom, the warm air caressing my face when I crossed the barrier separating it from Man's world. I was instantly struck by the richness of the salty, Mediterranean aroma, the signature scent of my birthplace. Despite the circumstances, I closed my eyes and twirled in midair as I descended. Artemis wasn't the only one who could show off.

When Artemis and I descended to the palace grounds, there were two guards waiting. I recognized them from my mother's palace, but their gazes seemed to studiously avoid mine. Were they afraid of me? No-afraid of Artemis more likely.

"Greetings, sisters," I began.

They exchanged a glance with each other, then Artemis, who gave a curt nod.

"Hippolyta is expecting you," said the first guard. "Follow me."

"I hardly think that's necessary," I said. "I remember the way. I haven't been in exile that long."

I knew that bringing up the exile would have an effect, especially since I had only become an exile because of actions taken to save Themyscira. Sure enough, guilt flashed across the woman's face, no doubt as she remembered what it was like being turned into stone by the mad sorcerer Felix Faust.

"Touché," whispered Artemis, falling into stride beside me.

I ignored her.

"Perhaps I'm supposed to feel a twinge of guilt myself?" she continued, undeterred. "Or on my knees, thanking you for your heroic rescue. Why, if it weren't for the mighty Princess Diana, I'd still be frozen in stone."

"Oh, I can just feel the gratitude" I muttered.

She barked a laugh as we turned onto the hall leading to the Royal Chambers. The precise clicks of her heels echoed off the molded stone surfaces. "To the contrary-I am more grateful than you know. Your time in Man's World has given me something that a thousand years of cowering away on this island never could."

"And what's that?"

Her eyes became slits. "Clarity."

I didn't have time to ask her to elaborate. We had arrived at my mother's royal chamber and her guardswoman opened the doors without much fuss at first. I stepped through and Artemis made to follow, but their spears immediately crossed behind me. "Her majesty desires to speak to Diana alone."

"Does she now?" Artemis didn't sound the least bit surprised, but I could still practically taste the fear in the air from the two sentries. Bruce once told me that you could learn a lot about a person from how others reacted to them. It was a truism that sprang to mind as I watched Artemis slice her way through the island. The others weren't just deferential. They were afraid of her. I could tell she knew it. That she reveled in it.

But she clearly had a talent for restraint as well. Rather than press the issue, she demurely stepped aside. "Enjoy your private audience with the queen then, Diana. I'll be waiting."

Warily, I stepped through the portal to the royal chambers. The moment of truth at hand.

As the massive stone doors closed behind me, I could see my mother, regal and poised as always, seated on the throne she'd held for eons. She looked different than when I'd last seen her. Disconcertment tugged at the corners of her lips and crinkled the edges of her eyes. A woman under immense stress. Perhaps more so than I'd ever seen before.

Her marble throne was flanked by two of the best warriors on the entire island: Philippus and Antiope. Philippus was a towering, muscular woman with dark brown skin and innumerable coils of glossy black hair kept out of her face with a leather thong. She was a peerless swordswoman and had taught me everything I knew about bladed combat. She was someone on the island I considered a friend, and so I was beyond gratified to see her flash the barest of smiles in my direction. It was the closest thing to a friendly gesture I'd received from a fellow Amazon yet.

Antiope was a willowy blonde woman with sparkling blue eyes and a thin, expressive mouth. Her current expression was one of ill-disguised disdain. While she held her spear neutrally in a vertical grip, I had no doubt that at the slightest provocation the weapon could be hurled at me with unerring accuracy. Antiope and I had never been close, but the hostility was unfathomable to me. Once again, I felt the acute inadequacy of my appearance. I knew I looked exactly like what I was: a harried, stressed-out woman who had just been rousted from a state of relaxation and flown halfway around the world.

My mother waited until I had fully approached the throne's steps before waving her hand in a gesture of dismissal for her guard. Philippus immediately withdrew, her scarlet cloak fluttering behind her as she retreated to the antechamber. Antiope complied too, though not quite as quickly. Not for the first time, I had the vertigo-inducing sensation that the dynamics of my homeland had fundamentally changed and I was the only fool none-the-wiser.

"Diana," my mother called out once we were alone. "It's good to see you, my daughter." She wore a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and I knew with a sinking certainty that whatever else Artemis might have done, she hadn't lied.

Still, I croaked, "Tell me it's not true."

My mother's gaze locked onto the tiles of the palace floor. "Much has happened here on Themyscira since you've been-"

"Tell me it's not true," I repeated, louder this time.

Her head rose. "I'm afraid I can't," she said.

I just stared at her, not knowing what else to do. My entire body felt numb and detached as if I were watching it happen to someone else- a stranger.

"It was necessary," my mother continued, rising from her seat to stand in front of me.

"To take my title, my armor . . .that's necessary?" I couldn't even begin to stop the bitterness creeping into my voice or the tears stinging the edge of my vision. My mother reached out for my hand and I darted out of her reach.

She stared at me for a long moment. Then, her eyes never leaving mine, she turned her head and called out, "Philippus! The device, please."

"What is this-"

"There's something you should see, Diana."

General Philippus emerged from the antechamber holding a cask in front of her. The corded muscles of her arms strained with the effort. The box landed on the floor between my mother and I with a solid thunk.

"My liege," Philippus said, straightening.

"Thank you, General."

"What is this?" I asked.

"You tell me."

So I knelt. Carefully removed the cask's lid and tried not to let my jaw hit the floor when I saw what was inside.

It was a drone. Instantly recognizable, astonishingly alien to Paradise Island. With a wingspan of about three feet, it barely fit on a diagonal within the container. Its outer shell was some kind of carbon-fiber composite that, despite clear scuff marks, gleamed in the natural light that filtered through the clerestory windows in the royal chamber. I lifted the device, unsurprised at its deceptive lightness. Damningly its underbelly housed a now-cracked camera lens on a rotating socket.

"Well," was all I could think to say.

"What do you make of our gift from Man's World?" my mother asked, her voice dropping into a growl at the word 'gift.'

"It's called a drone," I told her. "And while it definitely raises a. . .lot of questions, I don't see what this has to do with taking my powers and status. You're just changing the subject."

"The subjects are one and the same. That drone somehow managed to locate this island. It managed to pierce the enchantments that surround us and could have caused gods-know-what havoc if one of our archers hadn't managed to bring it down."

"Shall I leave?" Philippus asked.

"No, please stay. You are one of the few sisters I still trust," my mother told her. "And perhaps you will have some insight for Diana."

Philippus nodded. "It is a delicate subject, Diana. Many here on the island have always resented the nature of our existence, viewing the island as a sort of exile."

"I've not heard these misgivings," I began.

"Naturally," Philippus said. "But there are twenty-thousand women on this island. How many of them have you ever really known? How many who would share their true feelings about your mother's rule with you?"

"I know my sisters. And you can't possibly be suggesting that I am to blame for this incursion. It's concerning, yes. And I will get to the bottom of it. But hardly an apocalyptic threat."

"This drone. It is an implement for spycraft, is it not?" Philippus said.

"Indeed."

"Standard military doctrine," she clipped. "Intelligence gathering as the precursor to an attack."

I sighed. "But this sort of thing happens all the time in Man's World. The stratosphere is filled with machines built to scan every exposed surface of this planet. The skies are filled with their planes and jets and drones. They constantly spy on each other."

Philippus and my mother exchanged a glance. My mother said, "It sounds like Man's World could benefit from a more enlightened rule."

I shook my head dismissively at the very notion. "You don't mean that."

"Indeed I don't. But many here do, chief among them Artemis. She views Themyscira as more of a prison than a sanctum, one that condemns our kind to petrified stasis while Man's World descends into chaos. Obviously, I disagree. But like all demagogues, her lies bear the kernel of truth. Man's World is a threat, and despite your tenure as Ambassador, they have not been brought to heel."

"It's not my job to bring Man's World to heel," I shot back. "I am an ambassador of peace!"

"Where is this peace?" my mother asked. "It is a rhetorical question of course. There is no peace in Man's World, despite your League and despite the fact that every time I glimpse beyond the curtain I see you waging another fruitless battle at the behest of one country over another. Children, playing at war with world-killing bombs."

It took a moment for me to respond. "You no longer believe in my mission?"

"Oh, Diana. It matters not what I believe. What matters is that many of our sisters have lost faith in the status quo. The warning signs were always there-Aresia chief among them." I scowled at the mention of the rogue Amazon who had used Lex Luthor's Injustice League to devise a bioweapon capable of killing every man on the planet.

"Aresia was a fanatic, true. Which is why she gained little following. Artemis though. . ."

"Artemis is an entirely different matter," Philippus supplied. "She argues that we should break our oaths and leave Themyscira. Grind the puppetmasters of Man's World down and bring the world under Amazon rule."

"The gods would-"

"When is the last time any of us heard from the gods?" my mother asked. "That is also a rhetorical question, by the way. But it is the one Artemis poses as the ranks of her followers grow. There is a deceptive simplicity there, in her words. I discovered too late that many in my own ranks were becoming loyal to Artemis."

"Antiope?" I guessed.

"Why do you think she is not in this room?"

I inhaled sharply at this. The prospect of a queen unable to trust one of her bodyguards was anathema to everything I'd ever learned, every value I'd ever been taught. I fixed Philippus with a questioning glare. "How can it be that my mother's retinue is not completely loyal? Sedition must not be tolerated. Gods, are you worried that Artemis might actually try to take the throne? If so-"

"She already has tried," my mother said bluntly. A sigh. "I regret that you've been told of all of this in such an abrupt manner. But we are now in the aftermath. It will no longer do for you to be ignorant of our crises here. After years of precarious peace, this incursion from Man's World was the perfect pretext Artemis needed to stake a claim to the throne. For the first time, she had the numbers to do it."

"Why is she not dead?" I hissed. I whirled back to Philippus. Give me your sword, I'll take her head myself."

"You will not," my mother snapped. "The last thing we need right now is an all-out civil war on this island. The last refuge free of men. Are we to set such an appalling example? I will not soak the soil of Themyscira with Amazon blood. I have negotiated a peace."

"With traitors?"

"With sisters."

"Philippus, you cannot sanction this. Please, talk some goddamned sense into my mother!"

Philippus, ever loyal, crossed her arms defiantly. "You forget your place. And mine. I must defer to her majesty's wishes."

All I could do was shake my head, my mind racing. "This so-called peace you negotiated, mother. Was one of the terms that Artemis become the new Wonder Woman?"

"It was."

"With those powers, that lunatic will carve a path of destruction all the way down to Tartarus. mother, you cannot unleash her on the outside world."

"Lunatic," my mother repeated with a dismissive laugh. "The word literally means 'moon-mad,' from that ridiculous old human superstition that the moon itself could destroy one's sanity. Your namesake Diana, goddess of the moon and hunt, always hated that word. Of course, words are fickle things. They can change. Before the Romans, the goddess Diana was known to the Greeks as. . . Artemis."

She gave a wan smile. "A shared namesake. Perhaps a coincidence, perhaps not. But Artemis is no more insane than you, Diana."

"She seems a hell of a lot more treasonous," I bit back.

"Well, her life has been different to yours in many ways as well. You spent your childhood here, in this very palace. She spent hers in Bana-Mighdall."

All Amazons knew the legends of Bana Mighdall. It was a small island, perhaps two or three square miles in area. Inhospitable and home to only the most tenacious forms of life. Though it lay within the enchantments that protected Themyscira, its brutal surface had rendered it fit for a singular purpose: the imprisonment of wayward Amazons. At least that was what I'd always been told. Growing up, I was forbidden from venturing onto Bana-Mighdall despite the fact that it was decommissioned by my mother before my creation.

"Why was she there?" I wanted to know. But my mother was already shaking her head.

"There is no time to delve into the history of that woman. What's far more important, Diana, is the future. Hers and yours."

"What about the future of the innocents in Man's World you're about to give Artemis free reign to-"

"It is a risk I must take. The only concession that could prevent a war on this island." My mother grasped my shoulders, her eyes pleading with me to understand. "This could be a good thing, Diana. Perhaps, with the responsibility of Wonder Woman, she will learn to temper her rage and strength with the goodness and virtue I've always seen in you, my daughter."

Her words struck me as incredibly naive, though I didn't say as much. I could tell how much she wanted them to be true. I could tell how deep a toll the last few months in my absence had taken on her. Our disagreements over the past year made so much sense now, though I found it difficult not to resent her just as strongly for keeping the dismal state of Themyscira's affairs a secret.

She pressed on. "It could be a boon to you as well. To be freed from the burden-"

"My mantle is not a burden, it is a privilege."

"There is no privilege in being torn between two worlds. Unable to truly belong to either. Artemis has assured me that if you willingly surrender the mantle, you will be permitted to stay here. In fact, she insists upon it."

"And if I refuse?"

Then you will destroy the peace I have worked so hard to forge," she said simply.

I opened my mouth to reply but before I could, the chamber doors burst open. Artemis strode in, almost as if the discussion had summoned her from outside. I was beginning to realize that the two guards at the door were never a serious impediment and that Artemis could have entered at any time she chose.

"You've had your private chat," she stated. "Or at least enough time for one. I take it you've filled your daughter in on all the relevant details, Hippolyta?"

My mother's affirmative was drowned out by my own incandescent rage at hearing the cavalier way Artemis dared to address her queen. The rush of blood and adrenaline was a literal roar. It was dizzying. Which was why I was almost as surprised as everyone to see my fist arcing toward Artemis' smug face.

I was even more surprised when she caught it. My knuckles crashed into her waiting palm with a thunderclap that echoed sharply across the chamber and whipped all of our hair back with a gust of displaced air.

Stunned silence from my mother and Philippus. A cackle of wicked delight from Artemis as she dropped my fist. "Princess. . .may I take that as a challenge?"

"I insist," I said through clenched teeth.

Her expression became positively wolfish. "Excellent. I was rather hoping this would happen. As you can see, our powers are evenly-"

"There will be no challenge," my mother cried out, attempting to step between us. "Isn't it enough, Artemis, that you have the mantle?!"

"I don't think it is," she replied, not breaking eye contact with me. "I don't think this will be settled until the princess is brought to heel."

My mother turned to me. "Diana, please-"

For once, Artemis and I were in perfect agreement. "It's decided, mother. It was decided the moment this lunatic went for the throne. Even you cannot deny me the right of challenge."

Hippolyta just shook her head. "Lately, it's as if we're no better than the accursed men. I love you, Diana, but there is a reason Artemis practically salivates at the thought of matched combat with you. She has received the blessing of the gods- your equal in martial prowess in every way. You would be a fool to oblige her."

At that moment, her words didn't have a prayer of register. I didn't even acknowledge them. Instead, I said to Artemis, "Tomorrow at dawn, on the contest grounds."

"Terms?"

"We battle until submission or incapacitation. If I am victorious you will be immediately banished from Themyscira," I snapped. "And you will forsake the gods' endowments and mantle."

"And when I prevail?"

"I offer reciprocal terms."

"Excellent." Artemis did seem a bit eager to face me. A small worm of doubt niggled in the corner of my mind but I suppressed it. I was Wonder Woman, vanguard of the Justice League. No crooked Amazon could pose a real challenge. It was unthinkable.

"Name your second," I said.

Artemis didn't miss a beat. "Antiope. Name yours."

"If this duel is fated to occur, then I will serve as Diana's second," Philippus announced from behind me. I felt a warm rush of gratitude. Even if this weren't the most hastily arranged martial challenge in Themysciran history, Philippus would have been my first choice.

The next part of the ritual was practically choreographed. Philippus handed me her spear and I glanced my hand off the blade just enough to break the skin. A normal spearhead would have shattered, but under the right conditions, an enchanted weapon of the royal guard could break even a Kryptonian's skin. On my palm, a thin line of crimson formed.

I handed the spear to Artemis and she repeated the gesture. Our hands clasped, the pact forged in blood. I tried not to notice the iron strength in her grip.

I was Wonder Woman. The strongest Amazon of all. Wasn't I?

As soon as Artemis left the royal chambers, my mother sank onto the throne, her ageless face cast in pallor.

"Mother-"

"Foolish child" she spat. "What have you done?"

She didn't need to tell me that that, too, was a rhetorical question. She wouldn't even look at me.

Philippus gestured toward the exit, her face grim. "Come. I think the Queen would prefer a bit of solitude."

Mentally and emotionally exhausted, I followed Philippus through the doors. The outer guards were gone, likely Artemis' doing. Philippus, never one given to outward displays of cheerfulness, looked positively morose.

As soon as we were outside, I said, "Thank you for serving as my second tomorrow."

"It is an honor," she replied. "I will do my best to make sure you survive the encounter."

I stared at her. "Come now, Phil. She can't be that good-"

"Artemis is the most gifted warrior I've seen in a thousand years, Diana. Her centuries on Bana-Mighdall have practically forged her into a goddess of death. And she's improved exponentially since facing you in your trials. I cannot imagine a more dangerous opponent, and that was true before Hippolyta granted her the fullness of your powers. You should have listened to your mother."

I didn't respond. Aside from Bruce, Philippus was the most gifted warrior I knew. She had trained me and most of the warriors on the island. Praise from her was vanishingly rare and almost impossible to earn. The fact that Artemis awed even her was difficult to fathom.

We came to the palace entryway. It was fully night now, the white stone illuminated by the stars and nearly full moon. Maybe I was the lunatic, driven by moon-madness into a doomed duel with an opponent I didn't understand.

Again, unthinkable.

"You are free to use my home for tonight," said Philippus. "You'll find food and lodging there. I'll be here at the palace for the night, but I will meet you at the challenge grounds before the duel." She gave my gala attire an amused once-over. "I take it you won't be wearing your Vulcan-crafted armor."

"I may have to borrow some items," I acknowledged with a smile.

Philippus clasped my shoulder. "I am sorry that your return to Themyscira has been so. . ."

"Fucking terrible?"

She let out a bark of laughter. "The eloquence of Man's World. Good night, sister. And good luck. I will say prayers for you tonight."

We embraced and then I took to the skies. Somehow, despite my exhaustion, I didn't think I'd be getting much sleep.

To be continued

Author's Note: Lot of exposition in this chapter but I wanted to be more careful this time around in how I set the stage for the conflict between Diana and Artemis. Artemis, especially in the current line of comics continuity, is much closer to being an anti-hero than a villain. She has legitimate grievances with Wonder Woman and Hippolyta, and that approach carries into this fic as well. She is certainly a formidable antagonist, but she is not evil. She is, to borrow the cliche, the hero of her own story. Hopefully, this will translate into her serving as not only a more effective foil for Diana but also an agent of change for the Amazon society as a whole.

More Bruce/Diana content to come soon. As always, your feedback is very much appreciated. Thank for reading!