So in the series Diana said she was 5 thousand years old, so I figured every thousand years amazon bodies would age 5 years. That's just my way of thinking and the way it'll be in the story.
Time skip 2000 years
In short form, the Amazons loved raising the prince of Themyscira. Though it was mostly Hippotyla and Antiope who raised him, some other residents got their turn to look after him for a day or two when the Queen and her second in command had things to do where they couldn't bring the child. And when they did, they got crowds in the hundreds visiting them.
After casting the necessary spells on the infant, the Queen confirmed by the Oracle that he would age like them. It wasn't that she didn't trust her fellow Amazon, but they hadn't used the spell on anyone before so the Queen wanted to make sure there wasn't any bad side effects.
As time went on, the infant grew into a toddler and began talking. Once that happened, Hippotyla gave him to Alexa for some lessons in reading and writing as well as teaching him their history. And a little longer after that, she also had him learning from Artemis on weapons and combat.
And when he started learning their history, they were surprised when the prince took an instant disliking to males for how they treated his sisters. However Hippotyla wasn't too impressed with the language he learned from Artemis regarding men.
Also as they found out as he got older, the prince wasn't like any male they had met before. He didn't use his title against any of his sisters like other royals they've met and he actually didn't like people treating him like royalty.
He aslo helped out around the village no matter the rank of the Amazon or how dirty the job.
Their Blacksmith found that out quickly into their journey of rasing the prince.
Flashback a thousand years
A tall brown haired woman with brown eyes sighed tiredly as sweat dripped from her head and down her neck. Currently the woman was hammering an orange glowing piece of metal on an anvil semi in the shape of a sword.
She was tall but her figure wasn't lean. Her muscles rivaled those of Zeus himself, at least according to her fellow Amazons. However her figure and features were still very feminine.
She wore a white toga like all in Themyscira but hers was worn out and dirty. Over her toga was a white apron and her brown hair was tied in a ponytail to avoid any accidents with the fire.
This woman was Lo, Themyscira's Blacksmith. However today, she was exhausted.
She had at least a quarter of Themyscira's weapons to repair due to just finishing the Amazon games, plus any walk-ins that came around, plus making some new ones. So yes today was a busy day for her.
Finally the piece of metal was straightened out into the desired shape and she dipped it in a barrel of water resulting in a large cloud of steam and a loud sizzling sound.
While her hands were free, she quickly stretched her fingers and cracked her knuckles. However just as she was about to sit down and rest, she heard a faint knock on wood near the front of her forge.
'Oh Aphrodite's breasts already?' She thought knowing the knock was at her front window for a walk-in. However she put on a happy face and went to the window.
However there was no one there.
"Hello?" She said looking around. Maybe some younger Amazons were playing Knock and Run. However another knock came from below her, which slightly startled her
Leaning over and looking down, she seen the 5 year old Prince of Themyscira standing there with a smile on his face.
His hair had grown out into dirty blonde hair which was now down to his shoulders. He had brown leather sandales like all Amazons but unlike most in Themyscira, he had red robes instead of white.
"Oh my prince" she bowing her head. "How may I help you today?" She added noticing he had no weapons in his hands.
"I have nothing to do today" he said pouting and crossing his arms, which gave Lo a small smile.
"It's my day off from my lessons and mother is giving Diana her royal lessons. So I have no one to play with" he said. Hippotyla let her children have a day off every moon cycle from their lessons where they can just be children. However Diana didn't have her day as the same as the prince's so he couldn't play with his sister.
"Well my prince I would love to join you in any games you have planned, but I have a lot of work to do" Lo said.
"I know, I wanna help" he said which shocked the Blacksmith.
"Come again?" She said leaning out her window more, thinking she had misheard the boy.
"I heard you complaining about how much work you have in the feast hall this morning and I wish to help ease the workload" the young boy said.
Lo was shocked. Not that someone wanted to help her but that the prince wanted to help. But now came the question of what does she do now? Refuse the prince's wish or let him help and face the wrath of the queen should he get hurt.
"Okay...um. How about you watch the front window for any Amazon who needs repairs done?" she suggested. The boy smiled widely and ran through the door excitedly.
As Lo went back and began sharpening a sword on the sharpening wheel, the young boy pulled a chair across the floor and towards the window. He set it under the window so any Amazons who did come wouldn't have to lean over to talk to him.
It was silent for about ten minutes until an amazon arrived.
"Lo! You here?" Artemis asked from the window. She leaned on the window and took an arrow from her quiver, lightly tracing her finger along the edge.
"Hi, welcome to Lo's forge" a young voice called out as Artemis turned around and seen the young prince standing on a chair in front of the window.
"Oh my prince" she said giving him a quick bow.
"What are you doing here?" She then asked.
"I'm bored and don't have anyone to play with, so I decided to help Lo with her workload" he responded with a smile before he noticed the arrow in her hand.
"Do you need your arrows sharpened?" he asked. She looked at it for a second before putting the arrow back in her quiver and looked back at her prince with a sly smile.
"Why my prince~ you know I always do my own sharpening. No, my sword has a notch in the edge. See?" she said unsheathing her sword so her prince could see what she was talking about.
"Okay um... Lo! What do I do with a sword with a notch in it! he shouted into the forge while Artemis laughed.
"Put it on that table over there and when I have a moment, I'll put it on the repair rack!" she said knowing that every Amazon has their name engraved into the handles of their weapons so there wasn't any chance of getting them mixed up.
"Okay" he said holding his hands out to take the sword. Reluctantly, due to the size of the weapon and the size of her prince, Artemis handed him the weapon.
Due to the weapon being as big as him he had to hold it sideways in his arms, careful to not let the sharp edge cut into his exposed arms.
He then hopped down from the chair but immediately began leaning backwards due to the weight of the weapon. Luckily he got himself straightened out and began walking towards the rack.
Unknown to him, the second he began leaning backwards, Artemis had jumped over the counter and had her hand behind him to catch him.
She then leaned back once she seen him straighten up and watched as he walked across the forge and carefully set the sword on a chair before he jumped up. Now she was feeling even more worried than before as she wouldn't be able to get inside fast enough if an accident were to happen now.
Luckily he was able to put the weapon on the table without an accident resulting in hurting himself or damaging the weapon.
"O... okay" he panted out climbing onto the chair as Artemis tried to hide her smirk on her face but was failing.
"Do... Do you need a replacement weapon?" he finally breathed out. She shook her head.
"No, I have more swords at my home. But thank you my prince, it was very enjoyable to see you in the forge helping out" she said before walking away.
"Oh what? I'm not enjoyable?" Lo shouted out as Artemis laughed loud enough for her to hear.
That mostly how the rest of the day went by. A total of five amazons came to the forge looking to drop off their weapons.
Just like Artemis did, they watched their young prince's every move once he had the weapon in his hands. But he finished the day without any incident.
He even got to use the bellows, however the first time he hung in the air trying to pull it down until Lo decided to help him out.
She then brought over a chair for him to use. It was a little more dangerous having him grab the bellows and jump off the chair but he laughed the entire time which made Lo laugh.
She managed to get more work done that what she would've working alone. However if it had been any other amazon at that age working with her she would've gotten more done. But every time she got into a Grove working without acknowledging him, her mind would remind her that he was the prince and she would immediately stop working and make sure whatever he was doing, he was doing the right way and safely.
But she had gotten the days work done and that was reward enough.
"Thank you once again for your assistance, my prince" Lo said bowing to her. She then took half of the coins that she had made today giving weapons back. She went to hand them to the prince but he immediately backed up.
"Lo, I didn't offer my assistance to be paid. I offered because you were overworked" he said. However Lo didn't budge and still held out the coins.
"Please my prince. Let me show you my appreciation" she insisted. He looked at the coins in her hands before he nodded.
"Half of what is in your hand" he said as firmly as the child could. Lo couldn't believe that he was wanting to get paid less instead of more.
"In the future, we need to work on your bargaining skills, my prince" she said more to herself before cutting the handful in half and finally placing it into his hands.
"I'm sorry I cannot assist you tomorrow but I have to continue with my lessons" he then added sadly looking down. However Lo put her hand under his chin and lifted it up so he was looking at her once more.
"It's alright my prince. I have worked just fine for hundreds of years with an apprentice" she said before ruffling his hair as he laughed.
"Can I still come help you on my next day off? Forge work is really interesting" he said. Lo smiled and nodded.
"Of course my prince, you're always welcome here" she said. He smiled widely before he wrapped his arms around her legs, almost knocking her over while also thanking her profusely. But she remained on her feet and laughed at her prince's antics.
"Okay my prince. Now I believe you have to get home before your mother sends out the search parties" she said giving him one last squeeze before he finally released her and took off towards the palace, while their island was bathed in orange due to the setting sun.
She chuckled watching him run up the hill before she turned and walking back into the back part of the forge.
She undid her apron before pulling it up and over her head. She then hung it on a hook in a beam of wood and took notice of how dirty it was. Black smudges almost now completely covered the white.
She then froze when she realized just how much the boy had been around the fire and smoke, how much he had just hugged her and how much she had rubbed his hair.
"My prince! Wait! Let me wash you!" she shouted rushing out of the forge. However the young boy was no where to be seen in the streets and she couldn't even see him at the front of the palace.
"Oh Hera, I am going to hear about this tomorrow" she muttered before rubbing her temples at the future earful.
End of flashback
As if Lo was an Oracle instead of a blacksmith, the Queen appeared at the forge at first light demanding to know why her son returned home looking like he had just finished wrestling with Cerberus in the Underworld.
Lo immediately took to her knee and began explaining to the Queen the events of the previous day and apologizing that she had allowed him to leave her shop in such condition. All the while hoping her punishment wouldn't be too bad.
After hearing her explain her story, and already having gotten her son's side of the story yesterday when she was washing him, she was able to know for sure that Lo didn't take advantage of his caring nature and guilt him into working for her.
She was also proud of her son for helping out a fellow Amazon who was over worked. But she strongly suggested that if her son should help her out again, which she already knew he was planning to do, that she would make sure he returned home as clean as a prince should.
That way she could figure out how the boy managed to get black spots on his body underneath his robes.
However for all the things the prince loved about paradise island, there was one thing that the prince couldn't avoid. Something that he hated almost as much as people treating him like a prince.
Bathing
"I can wash myself Philippus" a nude ten year old prince said as he struggled to get out of the general's arms. However her grip was iron clad.
Sitting around him in a circular pool of steamy water that was in the middle of the forest were several other naked Amazons who were enjoying themselves watching the show.
Since DJ didn't like others treating him like royalty, it became a joke around Themyscira to go over the top treating him like a prince.
"I'm sure you can my prince but what kind of subject would I be if a didn't assist my prince in washing himself?" She questioned as she dumped a bucket of water over his head before scrubbing his head, washing his hair.
"Your dedication to the crown is very noticed. Now pleeeease" he said drawing out the please.
Philippus chuckled before she finally released her prey.
"Thank Zeus's lightning bolts!" he said swimming a few feet out of the General's grasp as laughs echoed throughout the area of the forest.
Now that she didn't have a squirming boy to deal with, Philippus began washing herself.
"So my prince, what lessons is Artemis teaching you today?" She asked.
"Actually Artemis is going with a hunting party after that rogue lion today, so mother gave me the day off until I meet Alexa for my afternoon lessons" he said scrubbing his armpits.
"Oh my Hera sisters, I didn't think it was possible. Our prince is spending more time away from Artemis than his one day off" another Amazon said. The young prince smiled and blushed embarrassingly as his sisters laughed.
"And what do you mean by that, Arianna" he asked still with his smile.
"Oh no need to be embarrassed, my prince. We all know Artemis is your favorite Amazon" the woman, now known as Arianna, shot back.
Philippus smirked before she made a groan attracting the young boy's attention before she stretched her arms above her head, pushing her chest out.
She knew at this young age, the boy wouldn't be attracted by her breasts. Yet. But she could still make sure hers was the first ones he thought of when he reached his teens.
"So tell me, my prince. What is it about Artemis that makes her your favorite? Is it her skill with a sword and bow? Her beauty or is it just her body?" she asked.
"I find all my sisters of Themyscira beautiful" he said, saying both the wrong thing and the right thing.
"Oh you hear that sisters? He finds us all beautiful" an Amazon said. Suddenly the prince found himself in the middle of a small circle made up by naked women. Even behind him there was some Amazons who were coming to bath when they heard the end of his conversation and were now kneeling on the bank of the pool, playing with his hair.
"So tell us, my prince. Who do you find the most beautiful?" Philippus questioned leaning close to the boy.
"Um... what?" He asked.
"If your mother came down that trail right now and made you the next ruler of Themyscira, who would you choose to be your queen?" she added.
"Oh Hera, is the sun there already? Sorry sisters, I must take my leave" he quickly said before taking a deep breath and diving under the water.
A few seconds later he resurfaced on the other side of the human circle before he quickly got out of the pool, grabbed his robes and ran off, laughter echoing throughout the area from the pool as he did so.
"He's so cute when he's flustered" an Amazon said giggling as the rest of her sisters calmed down and continued with their bathing.
As soon as DJ was far enough away, he stopped running and began getting dressed. Not much had changed about his attire from when he was young with the exception of the size and a leather vest he used for huting and training with Artemis.
Once he was done getting dressed, he continued down the stone pathway, passing a few Amazons who were heading to the springs.
Finally he came out of the forest and into the busy city of Themyscira. Most Amazons were selling fruits, furs or other items. However the prince wasn't looking to buy any items, he had another thing to do today.
So he walked down the road, saying hi or waving to any Amazons who acknowledged him which was pretty much all of them.
Finally the young boy came to the forge which wasn't as busy as the rest of the stalls but still had a good sized line. He silently crept to the back of the line, knowing that if any of the Amazons seen him, they would've let him go first.
However once the first Amazon got her weapons and turned to leave, she seen the young prince and that alerted the others who cleared their way to the front of the forge for the young boy.
He protested but they didn't budge and, to get the line moving again, he made his way through his sisters and to the front of the forge.
"Oh my prince, I was wondering what was that commotion was" Lo said with a smile.
"Hi Lo, I'd like my bow and quiver please. If it's ready that is" he said. Lo just smiled before disappearing for a second before coming back with a small fine crafted bow and a quiver full of arrows.
"It was one of the first things I fixed my prince. Though I'm confused, I thought Diana was picking it up for you" she said handing him the bow.
"Artemis and her hunters are going after that Nemean lion today so mother gave me the morning off" he said.
"And you don't wish to work with me in the forge?" Lo said faking sadness. Immediately the boy dropped his bow with a look of fear on his face.
"Oh my Hera, I'm sorry Lo I didn't-" the blacksmith raised her hands in a calming gesture before the boy burst into tears.
"Calm down my prince, I was only jesting. It is your life to live and whether you assist me or not is up to you. Besides I am not that busy today so you will probably be bored today" she said.
"I'm never bored in the forge Lo. But if you're sure you don't need me" he said. She nodded so he picked up his bow before he placed a few coins on the counter. He then stepped away before putting the quiver on as well as his bow.
However before he could run and get lost in the beauty of the forest, a voice rang out.
"DJ!" the voice said causing him to turn. He then found his mother and aunt followed by Artemis and her group of hunters. All of the hunters armed with Spears and arrows made from the claws of previous Nemean Lions that they've hunted.
"And where do you think you are going, my son?" his mother said crossing her arms.
"Out to the forests. I'm hoping I can find that boar that I missed the other day" he said with a smile.
"My son, you remember that there is a rogue Nemean Lion out there? Killing our livestock and wreaking our fences?" Hippolyta said.
"Mooomm the Nemean lion was last seen in the western part of the forest, I'm going to the east. Besides the Fates will be cutting his string within minutes of Artemis and her hunters getting onto his trail" he said.
"He speaks the truth, my queen" Artemis said as her and her hunters all beamed with pride being praised by their prince. Hippolyta looked at her son's pleading face and groaned.
"Fine! Just please be careful okay? There will be no replacing you, my little prince" she said kneeling down as her son hugged her tightly.
"I will mom and don't worry, I'll never leave you" he said before he turned and ran towards the forest.
"Just stay near the path I have marked for you!" Hippolyta shouted as he turned.
"Yes mother!" he shouted before continuing running and disappeared into the forest. Hippolyta smiled and straightened herself up and continued walking with Artemis and her hunters.
"At such a young age and he knows that the Rogue lion will meet his end the second we enter the forest" Artemis said with a smirk.
"That's because you're his favorite Amazon and he worships the ground you walk on" a hunter from behind her said as Artemis just smirked.
"That also reminds me Artemis. I appreciate you talking to DJ about the outside world but I don't like the language you use when talking to him" Hippolyta said.
"Come on my Queen, what is the worst he could've said?" Artemis asked but immediately regretted asking.
"A few days ago, Alexa mentioned the son of Zeus in one of their lessons. He said if he ever had the chance he'd rip of Hercules's cock and shove it down his throat. He wanted to shove it up his ass but feared it would be too small for him to feel it" Hippolyta said.
If any of the Amazons who heard the comment had a mouth full of liquid, it would've been an enormous spit take. Artemis threw her head back and laughed so hard the gods probably heard it.
"I'm so-... I'm sorry my Queen... I'll try and choose my words... more carefully from now on" the red headed Amazon said through her laughs while also holding her sides.
Hippolyta knew she should be mad at her best warrior but she herself couldn't keep a smile off her face.
Soon the whole group was laughing while others who hadn't heard the comment just stared at them confused. After a minute, they finally calmed down and began walking again. They figured they'd wait until mid day to begin the hunt for the beast just to give it time to kill an animal. A Nemean lion with a full stomach is a lot less dangerous than one with an empty stomach.
"So my Queen, other than the language, how life raising our prince?" a hunter asked.
"It is good, great actually. It seems like only yesterday that he came into our lives and he still brings us so much joy" she said with a smile remembering all the things DJ has done that made her smile.
"Yes he does. Hey, where is princess Diana?" Artemis asked. Hippolyta pointed to their training area and walked forwards. The area was circular and with Greek design but it was sunken into the ground so anyone on the ground would be looking inside and downwards.
Inside the area they seen Diana was practicing with a bow and arrow on several targets. She then dropped the bow and began throwing small axes and daggers before finishing off with a spear. She then panted before grabbing a cloth to wipe her face free of sweat and going to grab a drink.
"If only she knew her brother had the morning off from his lessons. She'd be at his side hunting that boar that has hurt his pride" Hippolyta said. Suddenly they seen a pair of Amazons running towards them from the northern part of the city.
To the north of the city, behind the palace, was their farmland. And since Hippolyta didn't recognize them as servants in the palace, Hippolyta figured they were from the farms.
"My Queen, the lion has just made an attempt on one of our milking cows" one of the Amazons said with a bow.
"Was he successful?" Hippolyta questioned. The Amazon shook her head which filled the queen with relief. Livestock was a hard thing to come by on Themyscira due to them being cut off from the outside world so they could only breed the animals and keep predators away.
"No my Queen, we were able to see it mid stalk and chased it off. Although now it is in the eastern forest" the other Amazon said.
Immediately relief drained from Hippolyta and instead dread filled her. She then looked over at Artemis and Antiope who were also filled with dread and fear.
"The eastern forest?" Antiope got out. Suddenly a loud roar echoed throughout the area, coming from the eastern forest.
"DJ!" Hippolyta yelled grabbing a spear from one of the hunters and charging into the woods, her sister, Artemis, and the hunters following behind her.
A few minutes earlier
DJ laughed as he walked down the trail looking for boar tracks. He knew that boars would probably avoid the Amazon trails but there was a chance they would travel on them to avoid cutting through the thick brush.
Suddenly a strong smell hit his nose. It smelled like rotting flesh but at the same time it was freshly rotten.
He continued walking down the trail, still sniffing the air. It was getting stronger the further into the woods he went.
Finally he seen a line of dried blood drops going across the trail. Into the right side of the trees, he once more seen dried blood smeared on the leaves. However the ground was too hard in the area to find any tracks.
DJ now looked conflicted. He told his mother he would stay on the trail but at the same time, he was fairly close to the city. If there is something dangerous this close to his sisters, other than the Nemean lion, he needed to identify it.
Taking an arrow out of his quiver and nocking it, he slowly crept into the bushes and followed the blood trail.
Luckily he only had to walk through the first bit of bushes and come out to the clearing on the other side to find the source of the stench.
Laying on her side at the edge of a clearing was a dead Nemean lioness. She had a chunk of her throat missing and had numerous claw marks across her body.
He tossed a couple of rocks to make sure the lioness was dead before he walked forwards and crouched down next to the body.
He ran his fingers along three long scratches and wondered what could cause this much damage to a Nemean lioness when his stomach began to turn and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
At the same time the realization hit DJ on what probably killed the lioness, a loud growl echoed throughout the area.
Slowly getting back to a standing position and turning around, the young prince seen the large Rogue lion standing there, his large mouth having a small dead deer and staring him in the eyes.
This lion was bigger than the lioness by at least a foot if measured by their backs and he hung his head in the air high.
He growled at the little human before he dropped the deer and began menacingly stalking forwards.
The young prince immediately pulled his bowstring back and fired the arrow he had nocked. The arrow made contact with the lion's head however the only thing that happened was splintering into a thousand pieces.
"Hera!" He yelled before he turned and ran away as the lion growled and charged after his prey. Luckily for the boy, near them was a pile of large rocks with a small cave only big enough for him.
He quickly slid in and tried to get back as far as he could just as a massive paw came in, looking for flesh.
It got it's wish as his paw was able to scratch the boy's forearm. The wound wasn't deep enough to leave any real damage but he would definitely have a scar.
He cried out and kept going back until his back was pressed right against a rock. He then began crying, wishing his mother or sisters would come to his rescue.
However he quickly became stoic again as he remembered he was an Amazon and being killed by a Nemean Lion, that was all he could ask for in a death.
He was definitely going to die today, that much was obvious, so he could either die beneath these rocks or he can die like an Amazon.
"Like an Amazon" he muttered to himself before he began thinking about everything he knew about Nemean Lions.
They are agile and fast, despite their size, and also were strong.
As if to prove his point the Lion's paw came down from above him coming in between a large pair of rocks, pushing them apart enough to get his paw inside the cave.
The boy quickly moved towards the entrance to avoid the paw but knew he couldn't do that for much longer so he had to figure out something.
'The only thing that can penatrate their hides are the claws of a Nemean Lion' he thought before he paused. Looking out of the entrance, he seen the lioness's body laying there. The claws on her front left paw were all damaged, each one barely hanging onto her toes by a string of flesh.
However the open maw of the Lion came and cut off his sight from the body as it growled and roared. The boy quickly threw his back against the wall but immediately remembered the hole above him when the Lion disappeared from the entrance.
He barely got away again as a paw came in the hole again, searching for more flesh. Looking around, he seen a medium sized rock beside him that was loose and didn't appear to be holding anything up.
He grabbed it before he shoved it up into the hole with all his strength, pinching the paw and trapping the beast's leg. At the action, the Lion roared so loudly that it nearly made the boy go deaf.
Seeing this as his chance he quickly ran out of the cave, towards the lioness's body. The Lion, seeing this, roared and growled trying to free it's paw.
DJ reached down and ripped a claw from the lioness and kept running to a tree that had vines. He grabbed a vine and began tying the claws to one of his arrows. It wasn't be pretty but it would penetrate his hide.
However the Lion pulled with all his strength and finally freed his paw from the rock pile before he began charging the prince.
Hippolyta, who had heard the growls and tracking her son's footprints, came out of the brush and seen the large beast pouncing at her son.
"DJ!" she shouted still running as the squadron of hunters appeared behind her and Artemis took aim with her bow. However the beast was too close to the prince for a safe shot.
DJ didn't hear his mother's yell over the sound of the Lion's roar as it pounced. He gasped in fear as his plan was to fire the arrow from in a tree or something but now there was no time, so he did the only thing he could think of.
He ran forwards and slid under the animal as it was coming down. He then thrusted the arrow up into the beast's jugular and through it's skull into his brain.
Instantly the beast went limp and since the beast was over top of the boy when he attacked, he immediately disappeared under the giant beast.
Hippolyta ran forwards and aimed the spear in her hands at the probably angry animal and hoped she wasn't too late to sae her son. However the beast didn't move and Hippolyta noticed blood leaking from the beasts eyes and mouth.
Suddenly the queen seen a hand coming out from underneath the large beast, grasping for anything it could reach.
"DJ!" she shouted before rolling beast onto it's side with the help of Artemis and her sister. Once the beast was on its side, DJ took a deep breath of air and pulled the rest of his body out from underneath the animal.
Hippolyta immediately began looking over her son for wounds. Other than the large scratches on his arm, he seemed relatively okay, so Hippolyta wrapped her arms around her son and held him tightly against her body while tears threatened to fall.
"Uh, my Queen?" A hunter said as Hippolyta looked up from hugging her son and looked at the hunter. The hunter then pulled out an arrow from the throat of the lion and held it up for the queen to see.
Due to the way direction the lion attacked, Hippolyta only seen the beast pounce on her son and him dissappear underneath him. She assumed that his heart had given up due to the excitement or something else. But now seeing the bloody arrow with the makeshift Nemean lion claw head, she knew the truth.
"You killed a Nemean lion?" Hippolyta said in shock looking at her young son. DJ nodded still looking scared at the beast. However Hippolyta beamed with pride that her son had killed a Nemean lion when Themyscira had adult warriors that hadn't yet seen one.
It's a good trophy and for someone so young, it'll workout well later in life as well as now.
"Skin the beast and keep all the fur, it'll make a nice cloak for my son" Hippolyta said as the hunters nodded and got out skinning knives. Like the arrows and spearheads, the knives were made from the claws of Nemean lions as ripping the claws from an intact body was more trouble than it was worth.
Suddenly Hippolyta seen that her son wasn't by her side anymore, nor was he closer to his kill rejoicing in the praises the Amazons were saying while skinning the animal.
She turned and found that he had moved over to the dead lioness and was just staring at her body. Sensing something was wrong, she nudged her sister and after also seeing her nephew standing away from the group, they both walked over and stood behind him.
Hippolyta was about to put a hand on his shoulder when he turned and clamped his arms around her and buried his head into waist. Both Amazons then seen that had been, and still was, silently crying.
"I defiled her mother" he sobbed out. Hippolyta crouched down and took him into her arms confused at what he was talking about.
"What do you mean, my son?" she asked.
"I ripped her claws from her body. She was not my enemy, nor was she not an animal I had hunted. She was just a warrior who fought bravely for survival and yet I disrespected her resting body. I'm no better than men in the outside world" he sobbed.
Hippolyta was still confused at why he was thinking like this when the realization hit her in the gut like a punch.
When he got to the age where he started asking questions about men in the outside world and why he was the only boy on the island, he had asked some of the older Amazons who didn't have a lot of experience around children. Meaning they answered his questions like they were talking to an adult.
All about what men did to them, their sisters and how if they died then the men would take them and crucify their naked bodies in the town square for all to see like they were common whores. And it seems like he has never forgotten that.
"My dear prince, look at us!" Antiope spoke sternly. However she wasn't mad at him, she was mad that he was putting himself down like this. Slowly he raised his head and looked at his mother and aunt with tears still in his eyes.
"You are worth more than a thousand men who live in man's world, and never forget that. They disrespected our sisters, yes but they did it without reason. You did what you had to for survival, just like this lioness. I know that she is looking at us right now from the afterlife and I know she holds no ill will towards you" Hippolyta said as she used her thumb to rub away the last tears of his eye. Antiope nodded beside her and also took the boy into a hug.
"I also know that if she did wish hold any ill will towards you, that she would tell you and task you with a chore for her forgiveness" Hippolyta added as her son looked up at her. He looked a little better but still had tears in his eyes.
Suddenly the bushes beside them rattled, drawing their attention as well as the hunters who immediately stopped skinning the animal.
"Our prince has had enough excitement for one day, sister. It is our turn" Artemis said as bows, Spears and swords were pulled.
Artemis and two other hunters approached the bushes while the rest surrounded the Royals as Antiope and Hippolyta crowded around DJ. Artemis pulled back the bushes as the two Amazons readied their weapons.
However all that rolled out were two Nemean lion cubs. Both were about four months old and had obviously been hiding inside a small den under a rock.
Slowly they walked past the hunters who watched them go over to the dead lioness. They nuzzled against her body, sad about the passing of obviously their mother.
As the royal family watched this, Atiope suddenly began laughing. Hippolyta looked at her with a confused look until her words rang through her head.
I also know that if she did wish hold any ill will towards you, that she would somehow let you know and task you with a chore for her forgiveness.
She looked over at her son with a mouth open ready to protest but he already had that look of determination in his eyes and besides, she had given Diana permission to adopt a Golden Eagle that she found with an injured wing a hundred years ago. She had nursed it back to full health but when the time came for the bird to be released, it would not leave the princess. So Hippolyta had the Oracle put the same spells on the bird that they used on her on her son and the bird has been a good compainion for Diana ever since. It leaves to hunt or just simply to fly, however it always returns to it's master's bedroom to sleep.
So she closed her mouth, shot a look at her sister who was still failing to hold back her laughter before she knelt next to her son.
"They will be your responsibility and Nemean lions can eat a hundred pounds of meat a day when they are adults. Can you handle something like that?" She asked. Her son immediately nodded.
"I can mother. And I won't miss any of my lessons because of it neither" he said excitedly. Hippolyta smiled and nodded.
"Then the only decision that is left is theirs" she said gesturing with her head to the two cubs who were nuzzled up next to their mother.
DJ approached the cubs but immediately the larger of the two jumped in front of the other and snarled at the human. DJ stayed crouched down away about ten feet from them before reaching into his quiver.
He pulled out a small bag before he pulled out some smoked fish.
"Here. This is fish" he said tossing the cubs a piece each. The small lions sniffed the strange meat near them before they ate it.
Their faces expressed satisfaction as this was the first meat in hours. They cautiously approached the human who had killed their mother's killer and sniffed him.
Finally the one who had snarled at him began rubbing his head against the boy's knee. Seeing this the other cub immediately began doing the same as the boy laughed.
He then scooped them up into his arms before rubbing his head against theirs like he had seen them trying to do to their mother.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you. I'm gonna name you Thunder and you Lightning" he said rubbing under their chins as the cubs purred and closed their eyes.
After another ten minutes of petting and purring, the hunters finished up skinning the lion before tying the paws together and put the pole between the legs and hoisting it onto their shoulders.
They also grabbed the deer that the Nemean lion had dropped but that would be for the prince to feed his new pets.
Timeskip
Antiope yawned and stretched her arms above her head. Today was very exhausting after getting back from the lion hunt. Word immediately spread that the ten year old prince had killed the Nemean rogue so she had many Amazons coming to her to confirm the story.
Another thing she did was burying the lioness and marking her with a grave. Of course it was at the request of her nephew who said it didn't feel right to leave the cub's mother out there to rot. Of course he offered his assistance but had to do his lessons with Alexa. The cubs had followed him and one had napped in his lap while the other slept in Alexa's, however the redhead said that they didn't distract the prince from his lessons.
She also went to the seamstresses to get a pair of beds made for the cubs to sleep in and drop off the lion fur to get a cloak started for her nephew.
True when he first came into her life, she was hesitant to accept him as family. However he soon melted her heart with his smile and laughter just as he had done to her sister. And as he got older, his personality also won her over. Always curious, always respectful and always lovable.
As she made her way towards her room, she noticed that a huge crowd of servants, her sister and niece was in front of her nephew's door.
"What's everyone-? Antiope went to ask but was cut off by a series of 'shhhhs' from everyone present. She then seen her sister smirking at her with the same one she had wore when the cubs showed themselves in the forest.
"I hope you didn't pay too much for those beds" she said still wearing her smirk.
A confused Antiope approached the door and peered inside. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Her nephew was sleeping soundly in his bed and the cubs were... wait why are their beds empty?
Looking back at her nephew and looking closer, Antiope put a hand over her mouth to avoid gasping loudly and waking the prince up.
DJ was sleeping on his side in an S shape with his hands under his head and snuggled up close to his chest were the two cubs sleeping soundly.
At that moment, in his sleep, DJ moved an arm out from under his head and wrapped an arm protectively around the two cubs which resulted in a series of 'aaawws' from outside his room.
