The Fated Battle

The light of the sun began to shine over the Island of Aeaea as Diana's boat inched closer to the island. She worried what her mother and Philippus were thinking after realizing that she isn't at the palace and the Eagle Armor is. Hopefully, Io can keep a secret better than she did two days ago. Diana inspected her new armor & weapons one last time before the fight. The colors were more vibrant than her past outfit sporting Red, Blue, and Gold. Silver Stars were decorated along the lower portion of her blue skirt. Her shield, breastplate, braces, and knee braces were made of foreign steel that Io was able to obtain from a mercenary blessed with an extended lifespan that most mortals would not have. His advice on how he was able to do it could've helped her sisters, but according to him it would not be worth it. Her sword was once her sister's. The one she refused to use against Circe. But this time, it was reinforced by Io. With what, she would not reveal, calling it her secret ingredient.

This weapon and armor might not give Diana the upper hand that Pallas' crafts would've given her, but this was what Diana wanted. Nubia fought without any type of special assistance from those of Themyscira. If she can't surpass Nubia and beat Circe, she does not deserve the title of Wonder Woman. Besides, if she dies with little damage to the armor and shield, Io could be one step above Orana in becoming the next Wonder Woman.

The lullaby of the Sirens guided Diana to the entrance of the island. The sweet sounds of their harmony made Diana understand Io's warnings. These voices would be enough to tame even the strongest men of the outside world. The surprising thing is the fact that no enslaved men or women were present on the Island. Only Circe with both hands resting on her waists. As she spots the golden tiara on Diana's head, she raises her hand in the air.

"Gods of Olympus! I formally call upon your grace as I submit a challenge against the current Wonder Woman for possession of the Dragon Medallion!" she shouted. The light of the gods shined above Diana and Circe, slowly enclosing on them both. As Diana's boat inched closer to shore, she jumps out of her boat with her sword and shield in hand.

"I accept her challenge! Victory by knockout or death!" Diana shouts in return. A thunderbolt strikes them both before the light vanishes.

Circe wastes no time turning Diana's sword into sand. Diana clenches her hand as the sand slides between her fingers. Circe uses her magic to raise a few of the surrounding trees from the ground and throws them at Diana. The warrior uses her might to grab the trees and toss them back at Circe, who blasts them all with her energy projectiles. As she destroys the last tree, she is surprised by Diana's swift movement as she appeared before the witch. The two engaged in a fist fight that reminded Diana of her fight with Nubia days ago. Only this time, the fight was much easier. Circe was strong, but she's no Amazon. Although, her current strength makes Hippolyta's warnings seem like an over exaggeration. Diana decides to dodge one of Circe's punches rather than guard against it and circles around the woman. She winds her shield back before striking the woman against the back of her head. On impact, Circe dispersed into a purplish cloud.

"A projection?" Diana exclaimed.

"Did I forget to mention that my projections become stronger the closer they are to me?" Circe boasted. Her laughter could be heard echoing throughout the island. Diana looked around trying to find out where she was coming from next. She rushed to the spot where her sword turned into sand and saw that it was whole again. She picked it up and held it behind the shield in hopes that Circe's magic would be ineffective if it weren't in her sight.

Many projections of the witch began stepping onto the beach with their hands powered by her magic energy. Diana quickly placed her sword and shield on her back and prepared to guard against the women.

"It is unwise of you to put away your shield. You won't be able to dodge every blast. And unlike Paradise Island, my magic is sure to kill you now." One by one the Circes began to fire their magic projectiles towards Diana. The woman uses her arm braces and precise focus to deflect them away from her body. The pace at which the Circes fired their projectiles started to increase faster and faster. Some of the blasts even started to knock Diana back—which became more beneficial than harmful. She starts to dance around a few of the blasts while trying to pull out her lasso of truth. One of the blasts grazes over her right thigh causing a severe burn to it. She yells and falls to her knees as she continued to deflect the blasts with her life. Suddenly, she was able to isolate one of the blasts that happened to apply more force than the others. She pinpoints the Circe that fired it and immediately throws her lasso of truth around her right wrist. Diana tightens it and sees the other projections disappearing one by one. The sun began to set slowly but surely as the two women were before one another with the lasso tugging between them.

"I got the real you this time," Diana stated. Circe clenched her teeth and frowned angrily over how she fell for such a trick so easily. "Now then, the truth," Diana began. Circe's eyes jumped.

"Excuse me?" she questioned.

"You will not tell me my sister died in vain! Tell me everything. I want to know why you desire this medallion so much. You are NOT an amazon! You have no right to own this!"

"I have more of a right than any of your kind. It belongs to my husband and I!" Circe responded.

"You killed your husband," Diana responded. "You lost this the moment you betrayed your country."

"Foolish child. Is that what mommy told you?"

"Is there a different story? And think before you speak or you may lose a hand," she threatened.

"If it means outing Hippolyta as a liar to her own daughter, I have nothing to hide," Circe responded. The lasso did not react to her statement. Diana was tempted to remove the lasso from her woman.

She had to know a spell to trick the lasso, Diana thought. There's no way my mother would lie at a time like this.


End of Chapter 4

(Upcoming—Circe)