A/N: Just to remind my readers, much of the dialogue from this point forward is going to be pulled from the movie novelization and movie itself. Antiope's will be original, but the rest will be much the same with the necessary edits.

For reference, Helias is the ancient name for Greece, which is what the Amazons would have referred to the country as before their isolation. It started being referred to as Greece (specifically from the Latin word Graecia) during the time of the Roman Empire.

"Themyscira was gone. Let it be so, then." - Nancy Holder, Wonder Woman movie novelization

"How long until we reach the war?"

Antiope raised an eyebrow at that. While she was a seasoned warrior, Diana had never seen the heat of battle before yesterday, had never known what true fighting was, or the cost of it. But even with that, she had a strong sense of justice and a fervor to fight for those her father had created and loved.

Like father, like daughter, she thought wryly.

Still, she had been born after the dark times, where the Amazons had been imprisoned and enslaved; when Ares had first started spreading his poison of lies and greed. Diana had no idea of the depths of darkness that mankind was capable of choosing to commit once they'd set their minds to it.

As grateful as Antiope had been that she and her sisters had been protected from the world of mortals and their cruelties, she couldn't help but wonder if Diana's lack of experience had caused her to create a rosier view than the reality.

In any case, it was a lesson that Antiope could not teach her. She could teach Diana how to fight, and had created a powerful weapon indeed, but there were some things that only life and experience could show a person.

Antiope fixed her gaze on the man, Steve Trevor, who seemed quite puzzled by the question. But to do him credit, he did his best to answer her niece.

"The war? Which part? The Eastern Front is in France, about four hundred miles long, stretching from the Alps to the Atlantic," the mortal replied.

Diana seemed to hesitate briefly as she considered the question, but Antiope took the opportunity to step in. "I would ask for more clarification. Prior to our arrival at Themyscira, I and my sisters hailed from a region known to us as Helias. Seeing as you do not recognize the name," she continued, seeing the look of puzzlement on Steve Trevor's face, "I would assume the name of the region has changed since then."

"I haven't heard of it, no," Steve Trevor admitted.

Antiope smiled wryly once more. "Then do bear in mind that we may have no knowledge of the land of which you speak," she stated. "We have not set foot outside of Themyscira in thousands of your years, and while you may recognize a country's name, we would not."

Steve Trevor seemed to turn slightly red, but he just bowed his head once. "Sorry," he mumbled. "This is just so...overwhelming."

Antiope gave her own nod. "I understand," she returned easily. As much as she had no high opinion of men in general, she'd met a few in her time who'd been exceptions to that rule. Perhaps this Steve Trevor would be one of them.

The man in question frowned. "Themyscira...That sounds Greek," he said slowly. "While I may not have heard of Helias, I have heard of a country called Greece, and if that's where you came from, then France is a country that borders what I would call the Mediterranean Sea, which has a shoreline with Greece."

Antiope frowned in thought. It did make sense when one considered it carefully. She had been in ships before, so it was possible that she had seen the country he called "France" without knowing it for what it was. Times had indeed changed, she reflected.

Whether for the better or the worse remained to be seen.

Steve Trevor by this time had turned his attention back to Diana, who had by now come up with an answer.. "Where the fighting is the hardest," she said. "If I go there, I'll be sure to find Ares."

Once more, the mortal looked confused. "Ares? As in the God of War?"

Diana nodded firmly. "He is our responsibility. Only the Amazons can defeat him. With this." She pulled out the sword she'd taken from its resting place. "And once i do, the war will end."

Oh, DIana, it will not be that simple, Antiope thought sadly. Not for the first time, she wished she could tell her niece the truth, but even she had to admit she shared Hippolyta's trepidation in that regard. As much as she was willing to defy Hippolyta's interdict about training Diana and hadn't overly liked that she'd had to keep the truth a secret, even she couldn't deny that to speak the truth would be to confirm for Ares that there was a weapon out there that could defeat him. He would know, he would feel that power rising and come looking for it.

And that could have spelled death for every Amazon on Themyscira, as well as Diana's.

However, the time for secrecy was running out; Antiope could feel it in her very bones. It was no longer a matter of if Ares found out, it was now a matter of when he would.

Once more, she tuned back in to the conversation. Steve Trevor now seemed hesitant and his next words indicated to Antiope that he didn't quite believe that a single being could be behind all of this.

"Look," he said, glancing between the sword and her niece, "I appreciate your enthusiasm. but this war's a great big mess and there's not a lot we can do about it. But we can try to get to the men who can."

Antiope held back a snort with great effort. It was men who'd started this war in the first place. Not to mention she could recall all too well how governors of a land were willing to do little unless it affected them.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern when her niece replied to the mortal that she was the one who could. It struck Antiope as arrogant, the words of a green warrior who had never truly seen war. Certainly, Diana had been involved in what could be at best called a skirmish, but even with the fatalities that skirmish had engendered, she had never truly seen war. Antiope had. Not only had the Amazons fought Ares' forces, but long before that, they had fought a great battle with allied armies against an enemy from the stars. Many good warriors had fallen during that battle, she remembered.

She decided to step in. "Diana, your enthusiasm to face Ares does you credit," she began sternly. "But no warrior fights truly alone. Nor should they assume that they alone will be enough to turn the tide. You remember the stories your mother told you regarding the battles we fought, I hope?"

Diana nodded. "I do," she replied.

"Then keep this in mind, Diana," Antiope continued sternly. "You know nothing of this situation that we have been told exists. We only know that there is a war and that it involves many countries. You have no idea of who is in command of them or where precisely they are located. Nor do you know the form Ares has taken, should he indeed be involved."

"Steve knows," Diana said stubbornly.

"Only a small portion of information," Antiope returned firmly. "Spies and scouts are often not privy to the decisions made by their commanders. It is for them to give the parts of the picture to the generals in charge of the whole. He can't know all of what is going on."

There was still a stubborn set to Diana's features, Antiope noticed, but she didn't argue further. The Amazonian general hoped she had managed to get her niece to think a little more calmly about the situation.

As for the mortal, he shot Antiope what seemed to her to be a relieved look, but said nothing in response to her words.

For the next several minutes, they traveled in silence, then Steve moved over to where some cloth bundles were and started to spread them out. Antiope, guessing what he was doing, didn't interrupt him.

Diana, having no experience with such matters, was curious. "What are you doing?"

Steve glanced over at her. "I thought you and your aunt could use some sleep."

"Indeed," Antiope said with a nod. "We have a heavy task ahead of us and it would be wise to be well-rested before it."

"But does he not need sleep?" Diana asked.

"I'm sure he does," Antiope replied. "But I suspect he is trying to protect your virtue, Diana," she said wryly, having noted the mortal tense up and behaving in a flustered manner. She looked at Steve Trevor. "Forgive my niece, Captain Trevor," she said. "She is not used to the attentions of a man, innocent in nature or otherwise."

"I'm getting that picture," he said, and Antiope could just hear the nervousness bleeding through his voice.

"Protect my virtue?" Diana asked. "Are you referring to the pleasures of the flesh?"

Antiope could swear the mortal was turning red. She chuckled, deciding this time to watch the scene play out in front of her.

"Something like that," Captain Trevor replied, looking everywhere but at her niece. "You see, where I come from, men and women aren't supposed to sleep together outside of the confines of marriage."

Antiope nodded. Not that it had stopped such things from happening before, but many cultures in her day found marriage ceremonies to be preferable. However, seeing as they had had no ties to man's world in thousands of their years, they hadn't bothered to explain the practice to Diana, feeling it would never be necessary.

Which she demonstrated quite clearly with her next question. "Marriage?" she asked.

Captain Trevor blinked. "You don't know what that...? Yeah," he said, then rubbed at his eyes, considering. "You go before a judge or a religious figure and swear to love, honor and cherish each other until death do you part."

He moved over to a sack near the other end of the boat and once more tried not to look at her niece, who seemed completely puzzled by the whole idea. "Do they?" she asked. "Do they love each other until death?"

"Not very often," he admitted. By this point, Steve Trevor looked as though he wished he could just vanish into thin air. In spite of herself, Antiope felt a measure of pity for the man. He had no idea what he'd gotten himself involved with, however inadvertently.

She decided to step in now. "Diana," she said calmly but firmly. "We still have a long way to travel. Questions about the world of Man and how it works can wait until we have all had a chance to rest. It has been a long, eventful day."

As expected, Diana started to protest, "Antiope, there is much we need to know. Ares..."

"I am aware, Diana," the Amazonian general cut her off. "But a good warrior knows when to take the opportunity to rest. Such as when they are preparing for a harsh battle ahead," she finished sternly. "And when they are healing from an injury."

There was a part of her that felt guilty over using such manipulation, but long experience had taught her that there were times when it was necessary, such as now. A guilty look passed briefly over Diana's face. "I understand, Antiope."

Antiope nodded in acknowledgement of Diana's words. The mortal, meanwhile, shot her a look that seemed full of mixed emotions, relief being one of them. She gave a slight smile in his direction in acknowledgement of his action.

As Diana settled herself under a blanket, Antiope spoke to the Captain. "I will take first watch," she stated in a tone that brooked no argument.

Steve Trevor smiled wryly. "Who am I to ignore an order from a superior officer?" he said.

Antiope felt another flicker of amusement in spite of herself. She suspected this was his way of thanking her for helping him out of an awkward situation. "Wise mortal," she replied. Glancing over at Diana, she went on in a lower voice, "For your information, my niece does have book knowledge of the physical act, but no experience. Even before we went to Themyscira, such things were considered best kept private between a couple, something I assume is still the case now, judging from your reaction. And as princess, she was kept sheltered, for many reasons. I assure you she is not knowingly trying to embarrass you."

Steve Trevor nodded. The embarrassment still appeared to be there, but had lessened somewhat in the face of Antiope's explanation. "Got it. That explains a lot," he said, nodding his head quickly.

"I'm sure you have questions of your own, but first, get some rest," she commanded. "I will wake you in a few hours and take my turn for sleep."

"You sure?" he asked carefully.

"I am sure," she replied firmly.

"All right, then," the Captain said, and proceeded to settle himself down into the blankets.

Just as he seemed to be getting comfortable, Antiope smirked. "Just one more thing, Captain Trevor. If you hurt her, you won't see me coming."

The sputtering that followed brought a grin to Antiope's face as she leaned back and gazed up at the stars. "Now the die is cast. We are coming for you, Ares. As Zeus himself wished."

In London, a man with glowing red eyes stood gazing out of the building where he lived in his mortal guise. A cold smirk appeared on his face. "So the Godkiller is coming.

"Let the games begin."

A/N2: The battle against the enemy from the stars that Antiope is remembering in her thoughts is referenced in the Justice League movie.