A/N: For the morality police that may read this Chapter, and get pissed off.

Facts: People use drugs. Especially the super rich people in Bruce Wayne's social circles(American Psycho anyone?). People swear. And people have sex,sometimes with people of the same sex.(*cough*Amazons)

This is not to suggest that Bruce Wayne uses drugs.
This is not to suggest that I promote drug (ab)use. Frankly I really don't care what people do with themselves,as long as they don't hurt others.

It is to suggest that my characters are human,even the Kryptonian. Though they have awesome abilities and extraordinary lives, at their core, they are just like you and I,trying to figure out what all this life stuff is about.

Also, this is an AU, so if my characters seem a little "off" from their "usual" interpretations(insert your favorite writer), its because they are.
Finally, you may have noticed that I mention Diana's heritage several times. In this Universe,all the Amazons and the Greek Pantheon know Zeus is her father, and they're OK with it for the most part. Zeus is a well known skirt-chaser in Greek Mythology. It seems ridiculous to keep it a secret that he slept with Hippolyta.

Consider this note a fair warning. If you don't like it, turn back now.
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10.15AM, Gotham, Wayne Manor
His head was pounding. He opened his eyes slightly, and a blinding white light forced its way through. He groaned loudly,pulling the sheets up and over his head. He could feel warmth next to him. He peeked his head over the covers to find four women asleep in his bed, two on either side. If the sensations under the sheets were anything to go by, they were all naked as the day they were born.

He surveyed the rest of the room. He was quite certain he was still in Wayne Manor, it looked like his master bedroom, only his master bedroom didn't have a giant inflatable zebra wearing glasses inside it. His alcohol addled brain simply couldn't put it all together. This was why he avoided throwing parties. It looks strange if a hedonistic billionaire doesn't drink at his own party,but alcohol dulled his mental and physical faculties. He made a mental note, next time he would drink ginger ale instead of champagne. Or grape juice instead of wine. They looked and tasted about the same, no one would suspect a thing. Either way, he wasn't drinking again. Ever.

As he took a deep breath he picked up on a familiar scent. Honey and cinnamon. And freshly brewed coffee. He got out of bed and followed the smell,nearly tripping over a large ceramic bong.
"Is this a.. bong? Is there a bong in my bedroom?" he asked the room of sleeping women.

No reply. Whatever he took they took a lot more. The smell led him to his dresser cabinet. Among the empty bottles of liquor,the cigarette butts and white lines of powder(he sincerely hoped he had the sense to stay away from that); he found a fruit platter, a pot of coffee and a plate of cinnamon rolls, still hot. On the tray was a note written in Alfred's perfect handwriting. It read:

Good morning Master Wayne,
As you have doubtless discovered, the party last night was a resounding success. I do believe I heard some of the Society Page writers compare it to the fictional Jay Gatsby's house parties, and that they would talk about this party for weeks to come.-Here Bruce afforded himself a small smile that instantly vanished as he read the last line-. PS: A Miss Zatanna Zatarra stopped by to see you, but you were rather...indisposed shall we say, with the four stunning women you went to bed with. Needless to say she was none too pleased and left soon after.(here Bruce could literally feel Alfred's tone of disapproval).

And just like that,the previous nights events came flooding back. In his minds eye, he saw it all, in stunning detail. It was like watching an extra long sex scene from Game of Thrones.

And when it was over, he felt like the king of sleaze.

"Shit", he said, to no one in particular.

11.37AM. Metropolis,The Daily Planet

"...so what do you think? Smallville? Smallville? CLARK!"

Clark jumped at the sound of his name. He had zoned out. Again. He had been doing that a lot lately.

"uh, that's great Lois.."

Lois rolled her eyes. She hadn't actually been saying anything. She had just noticed Clark zoning out and she decided to test him. As an investigative reporter with her eye on a Pulitzer, Lois was always on the prowl for a story. Always. Not that Clark had a story that was Pulitzer-worthy, he was just a farm boy from a small town in God knows where. Now Superman, that was one interesting man. It was her that first came up with his name. He was certainly worth a Pulitzer prize, but he was so secretive. He was forthcoming about his origins and his abilities, but he shut down completely whenever she got too personal, which she had been doing a lot lately. It was just a force of habit for Lois to sniff out a story, no matter if it was big or small. She thought of it as practice, to keep her skills sharp. Right now her gut was telling her there was something up with Clark. Lois was very stubborn, it was how she got ahead in life. She simply refused to give up.

She had been observing Clark for some time now. He would always disappear at the strangest times. He hardly spoke unless it was absolutely necessary. He walked with a slouch, but he acted with a quiet confidence that told Lois he obviously wasn't suffering from a low self-esteem. It was almost as though he didn't want to draw attention to himself, which was strange, because as far as Lois was concerned, he was an unremarkable man. What did he have to hide? Lois was determined to find out.

Clark wasn't stupid. He knew Lois was onto him. He wasn't worried either. He knew she didn't have anything on him. He also knew exactly what she thought of him, that he was a lunkhead hick from a backwater town who played high school and college football but wasn't good enough to make the NFL cut,so he worked as a bouncer at some nightclub. They had been working together for years, but he was fairly certain she didn't know any of his academic credentials. She didn't even know that he never played football a day in his life. With his abilities he would've hospitalized the entire opposition, and that was a best case scenario. She was suspicious, that was all. Lois was only stubborn IF she thought there was a story somewhere. So Clark played along, for now. He knew she would find it doubly suspicious if he was suddenly alert and responsive after years of strange behavior; that culminated in his hasty, unusual departure last night. So he continued stringing her along, pretending to zone out. When the time was right he would find a way to kill her interest. That would be easily done using his alter ego. Her obsession with him was as alien to him as he was to mankind. He almost felt bad about using her like that. Almost.

12.22PM,Paradise Island

Queen Hippolyta seemed just as eager to get the conversation started as Diana was, which is to say, she wasn't eager at all. It wasn't 1 o'clock just yet,but Hippolyta ordered the maidservants to set the table for lunch. Diana was pleased. Not only because it stalled the 'talk' that would inevitably turn into a heated argument, but she hadn't had anything to eat since she woke that morning at dawn. The food was delicious, as always. Everything was fresh, as always. Fruit and vegetables from the farms, fish caught from the sea just minutes ago; prepared just the way Diana liked it, with a crispy outside and tender inside, and lots of butter spread on it. Cheese of all kinds with several loaves of bread still warm from the oven. Olive oil from virgin trees to drizzle over everything. And to wash it all down,a special batch of extra strong Themysciran wine(the only wine that could actually intoxicate Diana).

She seated herself and got down to the serious business of stuffing her face. Hippolyta cleared her throat, indicating Diana should wait until the Queen had seated herself before she commenced with her eating. Diana blushed and dropped her bread in a gesture that warmed Hippolyta's heart. When she was but a little girl she would do the exact same thing. Phillipus would train her hard from the crack of dawn to the late afternoon. She received the finest education available in martial arts,fencing,hunting,tracking,stealth,archery,horse riding and swimming. Poor little Diana would return home every evening ravenous from her exertions. At these times she would often forget her position as Princess, and she would eat like a pig,abandoning all manners and etiquette training. And whenever Hippolyta chided her for her behavior, she would blush and instantly drop whatever she was eating, usually bread,because Diana loved the smell and taste of freshly baked bread.

It was little things like that, that made Hippolyta still see Diana as her baby girl. In truth Diana had stopped being a girl some few years ago, but Hippolyta had refused to recognize this. All mothers go through this period, where they are in denial that their children are no longer children. But not all mothers are immortal Queens with the power to keep their children close to them almost indefinitely.

But Hippolyta was. If it wasn't for the contest decreed by the Gods(which she often suspected had been a plot orchestrated by Zeus),Hippolyta doubted Diana would have left Paradise Island. She pulled herself out of her reverie when she noticed that Diana and the servants were all watching her with a strange look on their faces. She realized she had been standing still, her eyes fixed on Diana the whole time. With several centuries experience at saving face, she sat down slowly, acting as though nothing untoward had happened. The servants proceeded to serve her, pouring the wine first so Hippolyta could decide if it was good enough. She sniffed the glass and took a large gulp, then gave the slightest of nods to the wine maiden.

Diana ate with relish once the servants were dismissed, but she kept an eye on her mother as well. She might be a toddler compared to the other Amazons, but she knew her mother more intimately than most of them. She knew exactly what had been going through Hippolyta's mind when she froze in time like that. The subject was bound to come up any moment now, so in the meantime she ate as much as she could, because when she left there was no place she would get food this good.

Hippolyta on her part was content to drink a glass of wine. She rarely ate heartily. In her days as a warrior she had a considerable appetite, but it had been a very,very,very long time since she last swung a sword in battle. She still trained every morning though, she didn't want to get rusty. But life as a politician was more mentally taxing than physically. She could see that it was wearing Diana down. She had always been a woman of action,at her finest in the cut and thrust of battle. Books had never quite fulfilled anything for her, though she would have been a brilliant scholar if she had shown more interest.

Hippolyta set down her wineglass with an air of gravity, but before she could speak, Diana interrupted her.

"Before you say anything mother, I would just like to thank you for what you did with Artemis and I. I do not know what I would have done had you not intervened."

Hippolyta waved her hand dismissively.

"It was nothing child, Artemis is a proud warrior, she would never surrender. Neither would you, but I imagine it would be difficult to strike her down, considering the past you share."

Diana's eyes widened in shock. She tried to school her features, but it was too late.

"Oh come now, Diana. Do not look so surprised. There is not a thing that goes on in this island that I do not know about. I have eyes everywhere."

"How could you mother? You spied on me? On us?"

"Do not be so dramatic, child. I did not need spies to tell me the obvious. I would be a poor mother indeed and an even poorer Queen if I did not notice the way you would hold each others eyes across a room, the way Artemis' face would soften whenever she saw you, how you would light up whenever you heard her voice. Shall I go on?"

Diana was horrified. She had no idea their little affair was so plain to see. Hippolyta laughed at the expression on her daughter's face. She came round to her and stroked her long ebony tresses in a rare show of affection.

"Worry not, my moon and stars. It was not as open as you think it was. It is only because I am your mother that it was so clear to me. Besides, Artemis is a fierce warrior, a loyal soul and a fine looking woman to boot. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Why, when I was your age I-"

"Mother!" Diana was scandalized. As if it wasn't strange enough discussing her love life with her mother, now she was going to hear about HER love life. No child wants to hear that. No child wants to think about their parents romantic lives before their birth.

Hippolyta laughed again. Diana hadn't realized how much she missed that laugh until she heard it.

"Oh very well then. Tell me, what of your travels in Man's World? How goes the mission?"

Surprisingly, there was no mocking lilt or patronizing tone in the Queens voice. Its a trap, thought Diana.

"The mission goes well mother. The work is difficult at times, it is not what I expected, but I do enjoy it."

Hippolyta nodded her assent. "But?",said the Queen. Diana looked at her blankly. "Diana, I know you all too well. It is true, you are content with the work you are doing in Man's World, but I feel there is something you are not telling me."

Diana sighed, and told the Queen about the previous days events, as well as other challenges she had been facing in her mission;mainly the frustratingly long-winded way bureaucrats dealt with simple matters, and the complex politics behind seemingly rational decisions. She listened patiently, and she understood what it was Diana was going through. She would never admit it out loud, but Hippolyta sometimes missed the old days when she was just another face in the crowd. True, it was a great honor and privilege to lead her people and watch over them, but as the old saying goes, Heavy is the Head that wears the Crown. Ruling over people was hard work. She had the final say over everything, she made all the decisions, her subjects had to live with the consequences of the mistakes she made, but she had to live with herself knowing that ultimately she was responsible for it.

She had never forgiven herself for what happened over 3,000 years ago,indeed she doubted if she ever would. Her decision to let Herakles and his men into the city had been the worst mistake of her life. It had cost her Antiope, her beloved sister. It had cost her the trust of her fellow Amazons, some of whom she knew for a fact had never forgiven her for her error. It had caused all of them untold pain and suffering. It was the reason why there were two tribes, Bana-Mighdallian and Themiscyran Amazons. The humiliation, the memory of that betrayal, it never went away. Everyday she saw the images of the horrors they endured under Herakles. She knew it was the same for all the other Amazons. It didn't matter how long they lived. They would never get over it.

When Diana was born she had been the much needed light in the Amazons lives, especially her mother's. It had been so long since a child had been on the island, and most of them loved her. There were those who were afraid or jealous because of her gifts and her divine heritage. Nothing could be done about that. Luckily those Amazons were in the minority,and they feared her father too much to every try to harm Diana.

Hippolyta always knew Diana was destined for greatness, it is always so with the children of the Gods. But like any mother, she wanted to shelter her child from the harshness of the World. She wanted Diana to maintain her purity, and she thought that if she could just keep her on Paradise Island, she would achieve this. And for a time, it worked. But Diana was over 20 years old now, she stopped being an innocent child such a long time ago.

When Hera decreed that there would be a contest to determine an Amazon Champion who would act as a representative to the Island, Hippolyta knew exactly what the Gods, particularly Zeus, was doing. It was the reason she had expressly forbidden Diana from competing. But stubborn girl that she was("Just like her mother" Phillipus had said with a smile),she disobeyed her, donning a mask and her enchanted armor to appear like any other Amazon competing.

She had won of course, posting the best scores alongside Artemis in all events. They both came top of their tribe in archery, the cross country run through the mystical forests,the 100 lap swim around the island,the 5,000 repetitions calisthenics drill,the horse race, hiking in the mountains carrying packs filled with boulders,navigated their way through the booby trapped labyrinth;and were the last women standing in the unarmed combat course and the armed combat course, before Diana finally beat Artemis in what was probably the bloodiest,longest and most evenly matched one-on-one fight in Amazonian history. It was a contest that would have killed the hardiest of men, but Amazons were much stronger and more durable than normal humans, and by sundown most of the competitors injuries were healing. In a few days they would be good as new.

When Hippolyta stood and ordered the Amazon to step forth and receive her prize, she almost collapsed when Diana took off her masked helmet. The entire Coliseum gasped, then became deathly silent,then the crowds exploded with excitement,cheering Diana like she had just scored the winning touchdown at the Superbowl. Artemis let loose a stream of Greek curse words,then forced herself up, limped over to Diana and embraced her in a bear hug, hoisting her off the ground with surprising ease for someone who had spent the entire day performing a physically and mentally punishing test.

Hippolyta's face was impassive, but internally so many thoughts and emotions were running through her mind. Pride, that her daughter withstood the brutal test and overcame it, pain, that her daughter would go behind her back and disobey a direct order. Mostly it was anger, that she had been so stupid and didn't foresee Diana doing something like this.

Still, Diana had won the contest and as Queen she had to present the prize, which was a suit of armor,the golden lasso of Gaea,a massive shield and a xiphos that had one bronze blade and one steel blade on either side, all forged by Hephaestus himself. As Diana put on the armor, Hippolyta noticed there was a silver circlet on the mantel. She was certain it had not been there before. On it was a single red star. She gave the crown to her daughter and noted that the outfit looked perfect on her. The crowd cheered loudly again, and Diana raised the sword in answer. Despite herself Hippolyta smiled slightly, but quickly schooled her features into an impassive expression when Diana turned to face her.

Because they had never done anything like this before, the Amazons did what anyone else would do in such a situation. They threw a party. There was plenty of food and the wine flowed freely. Everyone was happy. Except Hippolyta and Artemis. Hippolyta was cold and distant to Diana,ignoring her for the most part and speaking to her in a harsh and clipped tone. Artemis, sure as Christmas, drank far too much and went on a rampage. She had to be escorted to her quarters by Diana after she floored every single person that tried to stop her from drinking more wine. There they had a heated argument where some very harsh things were said, followed by violent alcohol fueled sex, then Diana left her sleeping.

It was the last time she had seen her.

When she returned to her quarters, she found Hippolyta waiting for her, and another heated argument ensued,where even harsher things were said. Diana left the island soon after that, returning sporadically only for her training that she would need in diplomatic skills, and to tie up the loose ends on the formation of an embassy and other official matters. And whenever she and Hippolyta spoke, it would always turn into an argument.

It had taken her a few years( an eye-blink to an old soul like Hippolyta) but she had finally come to accept Diana's mission, and she decided she would support her in any way she could.

"..but it's more than that mother. There are other people like me in Man's World. They call them 'superheroes'. Beings with godlike abilities, using them to help the world." Here Diana described the heroes she had heard of.

"I see. And you wish to be like these heroes?"

"Yes" Diana blurted out before she realized what she was saying.

"And what is stopping you?", asked the Queen.

Diana was a little taken aback. She had just admitted to a desire she wasn't fully aware of, and now her mother seemed to be listening to her, rather than shouting her down.

"Well, these heroes, they are celebrated by a few, but it seems as though most people hate and fear them. The one they call Superman, he has never taken a life, and yet the governments of the World treat him as a being to be feared and distrusted. Why do they do this? What has he ever done except help them?"

Hippolyta noted the passion with which Diana defended this Man. She was more than a little disconcerted, but she didn't want to ruin the progress they had made. A full hour without argument was an achievement.

"Man has always feared what he cannot understand, and he has always been afraid of those that were different from him. This Man you describe, he falls under both of these categories. Perhaps that is why they treat him with such suspicion. In any case, if a demigod with the abilities you have described was to appear on Themyscira today, would you welcome him with open arms?" Hippolyta watched her daughters reaction keenly.

"Well.. no, but.. I would form an opinion of him based on the merit of his actions and the strength of his character before I passed judgement on him. He has lived on Earth all his life and that is how mankind treats him, what would they think of me if I interfered with their troubles? Already they fear me..." Diana realized too late what she had revealed.

"WHAT?! They fear you! Those ungrateful mortals! What have you done except serve them? How long has this been going on? And why am I only hearing of this now?" The Queen was livid.

"Mother,calm down! You will scare the servants. It is nothing I cannot handle, most of them are religious zealots who believe I am a pagan demon of sorts." She didn't want to tell her mother about the hate mail she had been receiving. The death threats,the media that camped outside the embassy and followed her every move. The tabloids that speculated over which celebrity she was dating. The vile e-mails and letters from husbands,wives,teenage boys and girls, and randy prison inmates... No, it was better she not know about those things.

"Diana, if you are afraid to jump, then that is exactly when you should jump. I was in denial about your fate for a long time. In truth I knew you were special the day you were born. Your gifts are meant to be shared with the world,not to be shackled to this Paradise like a bird in a gilded cage. It took me a long time to accept it, but I see that now. Please, daughter, do not doubt yourself like I doubted you."

Diana was touched by her words, and she embraced her mother tightly. They stayed this way for a few moments, just a mother embracing her child.

"I suppose you want to go see Artemis now".

Diana nodded.

"Very well then, I won't keep you waiting." She released her and watched her fly out the window.

A/N: It doesn't take much to leave a review. Let me know what you think of the story. It's nice to feel appreciated for all the effort.