The following days passed quickly. The Amazons and Hercules showed Steve many of their weapons, ways, and customs. The third day ended faster than he expected, and come nightfall, Diana was at the door of Steve's chambers, clad in red, blue, and gold armor. On her back were a sword and shield.
"It is time, captain." She said.
Steve was already dressed in his combat gear, which had been augmented by the Amazons. He had a new helmet of the same metal that made up Diana's armor. His harness and belt were now enchanted with the weightlessness of the practice equipment, and his shield shone a brilliant luster, even in the moonlight.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked. "You don't know that Ares has anything to do with the war. I've learned that humans are capable of a lot of bad things all on their own."
Diana nodded in response. "I'm sure of it."
They covered Steve's shield in a canvas bag, and departed. "Did your mother make your equipment?" Steve asked in a hushed whisper as they left his quarters.
Diana shook her head. "Before his death, Zeus left us a small armory of weapons and armor to combat Ares if he should return. A replica of his shield, Aegis, and the sword, Godslayer, were chief among them." She whispered to him. "My mother was adamant that Ares was gone, but they remained in our care, regardless. When we return, we shall return with Ares, and cast him into the depths of Tartarus, where he shall trouble us no more."
Steve turned his head to Diana as they sneaked towards the harbor. "I thought you wanted to kill him?"
Diana shook her head, sadly. "He is my mother's father, and a god of Olympus. It would be better to allow him time to comprehend his crimes." Diana seemed unsure of the words, even as she spoke.
As the two of them came upon the dock at which Steve's ship was moored, lights ignited behind them.
"Diana!" Hippolyta's voice echoed across the water. "I see you have made plans of your own, which stand opposed to those of your forebears."
Diana turned around, eyes defiant. "I cannot stand by while innocent lives are lost. If no one else will defend the world from Ares, I must. It's my responsibility."
Hippolyta's gaze fell, and she turned to meet Hercules's gaze. "We know..." The sorrow upon the queen's face was evident as she stepped forward. "Or, at least, we know that we cannot stop you. There is so much, my dear. So much that you do not understand."
"I understand plenty, mother." Diana interjected. "I understand that I am willing to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, as you and father have done before."
Hercules nodded, pride beaming from his face.
Hippolyta's voice cracked slightly in sorrow. "You know that if you choose to leave us, there is a chance you may never return. Once you leave, we will be unable to protect you."
Hercules smiled. "My dear, I believe our daughter is more than capable of doing that herself." He said, with a wink to Steve. Hippolyta nodded, and broke ranks with her husband and compatriots. She strode forward to Diana, and embraced her daughter. When they broke apart, she pulled the coil of golden rope from her hip, and pressed it into Diana's hands.
"You will need a beacon of truth in that world, my dear." Hippolyta said, and retreated to the crowd.
Then, Hercules hugged Diana as well. He also pulled the ornate metal band from his head, and placed it upon hers. Impossibly, the object which sat upon the enormous man fit his much smaller daughter's head perfectly. "This was a gift from my sister, Athena, at my wedding to your mother. I hope it should serve you well, and grant you much wisdom."
Hercules then grabbed Steve in a bone-crushing hug, and whispered to him; "Take care of my little girl." before breaking off, and handing him a drawstring bag from his own belt.
"This was a gift from my old friend, Odysseus." Hercules said. "There should be just enough wind left to carry you back safely to your comrades. Don't open it all the way." Hercules warned. The strongest man in the world retreated to the ranks of his wife and her countrywomen.
"Stand fast and strong!" Hippolyta shouted as Steve and Diana unmoored the boat. "I don't know this world deserves you or your efforts."
As they set sail, Steve pulled a compass from his belt, and pointed the ship in the direction he had crashed his plane from. Then, he opened the drawstring bag slightly, and the winds inside carried him and Diana away from Paradise Island, and Themyscira.
Three days the Howling Commandos and SSR had searched. Three days, and three nights. All day, all night. They searched by sky and by sea, tirelessly seeking the location where Captain America had crashed the Valkyrie. They found nary a scrap of wreckage. Not even a chip of paint. It was as if the plane had simply vanished off the face of the Earth.
Nevertheless, they persisted. Chief among them, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. He was determined to find his friend if it was the last thing he did.
The next morning, Steve had taken first watch. Diana was sound asleep in the prow of the boat. Steve had drawn the strings on the bag of wind, as the natural breeze was now enough to carry them along. They had left Themyscira many hours prior, but still, the skies were clear, and they saw no boats on the horizon. Still, it was early, and they had much time left, and ample supplies for more than a week. If the bag ran out, and the wind turned against them, he could just row back to the mountain fortress.
He tried to keep himself focused on sailing, but his eyes kept drifting back to Diana's sleeping form. He couldn't help but gaze in wonder, that she even existed at all, much less that he'd met her. She'd demonstrated extraordinary skills during his time on Themyscira, and an uncommon determination. He supposed that came from her warrior upbringing. She'd also demonstrated a great deal of care in their limited time together.
Steve snapped out of his trance when he heard a buzzing in the distance, the buzzing of engines. The sound awoke Diana, too, who drew her sword and shield.
"Are we under attack?" She asked, looking around for the sound. "Is it more Hydra men?" S
Steve pulled out his binoculars, and focused them on a growing object in the distance. "No." He said, as he spied the star-spangled banner flying proudly atop the mast. "That's our ticket back to Allied territory." He pulled his shield from the bag, and angled it just right to catch the sun with its brilliant luster.
From the crow's nest of one of the rescue ships, Sergeant James Logan scanned the endless expanse of the ocean with binoculars. The blue glare was starting to get tiresome, but he kept his eyes peeled. Barnes tapped him on the shoulder.
"Shift change." He said, and took the binoculars.
"You know, kid." Logan said, sitting back in his chair. "It ain't gonna help the captain if you die from exhaustion."
Barnes just shook his head. "I got three hours of sleep, I'll be fine."
Logan shrugged. "Whatever, kid."
Bucky sighed, and looked through the binoculars across the horizon. "Look, I'm fine. I've been through worse."
Logan nodded. "Yeah. I saw it. You were strapped to a table, pumped full of drugs."
Bucky let the binoculars fall to his chest. He had dark, nearly black circles under his eyes. "I've been looking out for him all his life. This was one of the few times I couldn't. I don't want to be responsible for his death." A bright light shone across their faces briefly, and Bucky snapped back to focus. He looked into the binoculars again, and his face lit up.
"Remember how you said it'd take a miracle?" He handed the binoculars to Logan. "I think we got one!"
Logan peered through the binoculars, and spied Steve, in full uniform, aboard an ornate boat. He was signaling them with the light reflected off his shield. Logan reached for his radio. "Logan to rescue party, we have eyes on Rogers. Repeat, eyes on Rogers, over!"