The Princesses of Power Series

Episode 2 - "Peace meets archaeology"

Chapter I

A violet-orange hue colored the skies as Paris woke up to another crisp April morning. Diana walked up the Jardin des Tuileries as she made her way to the Louvre Museum. Paris seemed content and ordinary, with no signs that it would need Wonder Woman's attention that day. How wrong that impression was…

As the day went by, Diana kept feeling an odd sense of worry, though she could not place what or where it was. At lunchtime she went to the museum's rooftop and observed the beautiful city. Blue and golden, the glamorous rooftops of Paris stretched as far as the eye could see, the most beautiful of them being the breathtaking Notre Dame Cathedral's towers that had stood in the heart of the city since its completion in the 14th century.

Though far from her view, Diana could see in her mind the details of the gothic cathedral. A delicate dance of colors filled the windows that dyed the grey stones with rainbow light. The arch buttress supporting the high ceilings, the intricate stone work picturing both the divine apostles and the gruesome gargoyles while the majestic spiral crowned the building's charm. It was a sight to behold.

Diana went on with her duties as Director of the Greek Collection, hoping that the odd feeling would go away as the hours passed. It didn't. She left the Louvre at the end of the work day and decided to take a long stroll around the Seine, stopping to have some wine and cheese by its margins. As she enjoyed the scent of cabernet sauvignon, she overheard a Parisian yelling at a video coming from his cellphone.

"Mon Dieu! La cathédrale!"

As she turned towards Notre Dame, she saw a yellow-red light piercing the sky. Fire. Within seconds, Diana transformed herself and Wonder Woman was flying into the evening's crimson sight.

As she arrived at the cathedral, she stared for a second into the horror that had already struck the beautiful rooftop. Even though she had not been born in Paris, she felt a blow in her heart same as all Parisians in face of that irreplaceable loss.

Coming out of the daze, she flew into the building to search for anyone trapped inside. The fire itself was up on the roof, but the smoke had invaded the whole building. She could barely see the glass windows and there was no artificial light working. She focused herself and listened. A child's cry caught her attention. There were people trapped behind the altar, barred from the exit by a huge stone block that seemed to be part of the supportive arcs. She flew to them and grabbed the father and daughter, taking them outside in the blink of an eye. She returned inside and found an elderly lady who had fainted from the smoke. She went back and forth ferrying civilians for a few minutes until the building was cleared. By then, the fire fighters had arrived and were spraying the building with huge water hoses trying to contain the fire and not destroy the cathedral at the same time. They were trying their very best to save and preserve the city's most iconic and beloved work of art.

There was little that Diana could do on her own at that point. She got one of the hoses and flew up to be able to help stop the fire from another angle, but that was all she could do. The fire was vicious and did not flinch. The structure was getting hotter and weaker, which eventually caused the highest spiral to collapse! People who were looking at the action from a safe distance gasped and screamed. Many started crying at the sight and the possibility of the fire not being controlled and destroying the whole building. The vigil went on for hours.

When the fire was finally controlled, Wonder Woman and the firefighters entered the building to help ensure the rest of the structure was still intact. The damage was heartbreaking to behold. Wonder Woman helped the firefighters anyway she could, which made their work quicker. After the chief gave the ok for them to leave, she looked around with sadness but was already planning on a recovery project once she got back to the Louvre.

As she was leaving the building, she heard drums. Not ordinary drums sounds, but a clear sound as if they were made of crystals. She looked around but no one seemed to have heard it. She walked towards the noise and saw a blue light. Kneeling at the floor, she realized it was underground, but a broken stone on the floor allowed the light to escape. Moving the stone aside, the drums got louder and she discovered a box that seemed to be emanating the crystal blue light.

As she carried the box outside, the light coming from under the lid invaded the whole building, turning its gray stone walls cyan. No one around her seemed to see that light. Wonder Woman knew then that this was not humankind's artifact. She flew home carrying the stone box.

At the quiet halls of her house outside the city, Diana admired the box. The drums had stopped, but the blue light was still emanating softly. She looked at the inscription:

"To all future peoples of the world, forgive us. We have not the knowledge to use this and therefore cannot announce this discovery. This box contains something beyond our comprehension and shall be kept safely hidden under the greatest cathedral of our time. However, if you find this in the future, know that it is filled with power and should not be trusted to an unworthy soul. As you look for the blessed one who can control this power, we wish you good luck on this dangerous path."

"What could possibly be so dangerous that would need to be buried in a cathedral?" - she mumbled to herself.

Raising her hand to lift the lid, a sharper blue-light wave shone through and a new inscription appeared:

"Beware! To ensure no one can open this box without the proper knowledge, we have created three challenges that will test you before giving you the key. Fail and this box will lock itself forever!"

Diana laughed at the urgency of the message, then realized that whoever closed this box was either worthy or afraid. As another message appeared on the right side of the box, the blue light was brighter again.

"High and low we go

across the colorful sea.

See us in the woe

where the first piece shall be."

Riddles. It wasn't her forte. She knew that this task demanded more than one head to decipher all the clues, so she wondered who could help her… She remembered meeting someone during a seminar at the Louvre once, an intelligent and intriguing woman who presented it… What was her name?

"Lady Croft!"

To be continued.