SO I know I had chapter 2/1 up already, but it wasn't complete and I went back to add some stuff and edit. My internet went down before I could submit the edits and I only remembered today I could use my phone as a hotspot to reconnect to the web :P

Sixteen Years Later

The sunlight was warm, and the sky spotted with clouds as the day continued its inevitable path through time. The sound of warriors fighting below were almost non-existent to the two circling beings high above. Razor-sharp claws collide with Olympian steel blade as Azzon, now sixteen years old, fought against his adopted mother in a spar. He flipped out of the way of a strike from her sword, wings flaring to balance him in the air and his taloned feet flashing out to kick her away as she pursued, before tucking his leathery wings in and diving, the air giving a scream as he cut through it.

"Come on, boy!" Diana called, her mouth in a taunting sneer. "You can do better than that!" Azzon huffed. "I know that! Which is why I'm retreating- to give you bette- Hades!"

The Lasso of Truth whipped out to try and ensnare his steering capabilities, his mother knowing full well that the wings on his back and the fins on his tail were what gave him dominion in the skies, but the teenager dodged by a hairsbreadth, rolling to the right; driving his wings down, the world seemingly bent around him in a blur as he called on the energy of the sky around him. His midnight-blue scales, now dotted with a pattern like the stars in the night sky and edged with a light ice blue around his sides, underbelly, and the edges of his wings as his maturation became apparent, began to glow on their edges, and the clouds around him darkened slightly.

'Let's see how she handles a game of hide and seek!'

Rolling from the grabbing attempt of the Lasso again, Azzon allowed his momentum to throw him into the clouds just as a crash of thunder and the flash of lightning broke over Themyscira, fully concealing him from view.

Below, Queen Hippolyta looked up at the sudden storm cell that was gathering and let her lips quirk up into a small knowing smile. Her adopted grandson was a literal force of nature in his own right, standing on par with the Gods in her quiet opinion, and she couldn't be prouder of him, or her daughter for raising him to be a fine young male.

Diana already knew what Azzon was trying to do and stopped her pursuit. Rising higher into the air to avoid the lower storm cell, she kept her eye out for the familiar spot of darkness, not knowing that a massive shadow was following her from the crashing interior of the clouds. The silhouette was glaringly apparent every time a flash of lightning flared up from behind the grey curtain. Diana arched over the crown of the storm into the brilliant daylight a mile over Themyscira, looking around below her for any sign of her son…

And that's when Azzon struck.

A deep, bellowing roar made the air vibrate and a massive black and ice-blue dragon thundered from the clouds, his horns a dark grey crown of lightning-shaped bone branching from his temples. Lightning crackled in his maw as the hybrid dropped it open, the cavern big enough to swallow a Pegasus whole, and a spiral of blue-white lightning and fire shot for the Amazonian princess, green eyes alight with intent. Diana's eyes widened and she crossed her arms before her, bracers angled to deflect the deadly pillar of lightning-flame. With a chime and a ring that cleared the storm below them from the shockwave, the lightning-flame was deflected , arching away as if the bracers had become the center of a dome-like shield.

However, Diana had fallen for the ruse and Azzon gave another roar before he snapped his jaws shut… with his mother in the prime position to be caught.

Diana gave a shout of surprise as the cage of teeth slammed shut on her and the dragon gave a snort of satisfaction, tilting his head back smugly.

"Alright! Alright, Azzon, I surrender!"

Diana's muffled voice came from the beast's mouth and the dragon chuckled, a guttural sound like a mountain shifting its weight. Opening his maw, Azzon let Diana fly harmlessly out, the Amazonian princess shooting her shapeshifted son a look that had him warbling apologetically. "How many times have I told you not to do that?" she scolded, her arms crossing over her chest firmly. The dragon growled and huffed, looking away nervously.

"Sorry… I got caught up in the moment- shifting always gives me a certain rush, my instincts sweep me away."

"That may be so, and I understand this was your test, but that went a little too far." The princess sighed, pushing her hair, which was slick with dragon drool, back, and grimaced. "You know this doesn't wash out, son." Azzon chuckled sheepishly, a deep, grating sound that reminded the princess of an earthquake. The dragon nudging his snout against his mother's middle apologetically and Diana huffed before giving a knowing smile. "Well, on the other hand, it makes for a good prank when we introduce you to the covert team today."

Azzon's lush green eyes brightened, and he gave a backflip in the air, diving back under the clouds that were re-gathering before popping back up in his original humanoid form. "I don't think that would be a good idea," he said with a small smile. "If this Batman character is as you say he is, he wouldn't take kindly to his comrade being 'eaten' by a dragon." His wings flapped as he hovered, arms crossed over his bare chest as he glanced down at the ground gar below them.

Then Azzon let his eyes narrow, turning his head away slightly but keeping his gaze on his mother, giving her his own look of suspicion. "You… haven't told them you took on a protégé, have you? Much less the protégé is your son?" Diana smirked. "No, I didn't. It is annoying how Batman always has these plans and secrets kept from us, but we are hardly allowed the same courtesy, so… this is a little payback."

Azzon's chest rumbled as his shoulders jumped in his laughter, nodding at her reasoning. Diana laughed, reaching over to ruffle her son's hair, mindful of his sharp horns. "We have some minutes before we leave yet- you won't be coming back here for some time, so I would suggest heading back down to pack what you can now." Azzon raised a thick eyebrow in question. "The Mountain has enough room to spare for you and many others, so you'll house there in your own nest." Azzon tilted his head, trying to picture the size of the room he might have before his lips split into a large grin, his draconic teeth white as snow in the sun.

"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked, spinning around and taking off in a random direction. "I'll race you there!"

Diana crossed her arms and floated in place, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "I believe I just saw my grandson fly off to parts unknown, Daughter," a voice spoke up, amusement tingling the air as Diana smirked. "Give him a moment, mother- he'll realize it soon."

Just as she said that the blur of midnight-blue and light teal zipped back, the hybrid boy scratching his head sheepishly.

"It… has occurred to me that I have no idea which way to go…"

Hippolyta chuckled, one of the rare cases she showed emotion this blatantly, before her gaze turned sad. Sixteen years passed in the blink of an eye to her- it seemed like only yesterday Diana was holding an infant dragon-human child as his sire passed. A large shrine had been erected in honor of the dedication the dragon had shown in getting his child to safely; in the very place he died, an image of what he may have looked like standing tall and proud was carved into a metal tablet and put into a stone overlooking the dune the creature died on.

Azzon was taken there by the queen herself when he reached nine years of age, told the truth of his origin, to the best of the Queen's ability, and he finally got to meet his father and say hello.

Sixteen years, Hippolyta was able to watch Azzon grow into the fine creature he was today, and she will gladly give her blessings to make sure he found what he was looking for out in the World of Man- Hippolyta could see it in his eyes, how they looked curiously beyond the shores of Themyscira, almost wistfully, borderline longingly… it was the same look Diana had adopted when she met that pilot.

"Azzon," she said. "Come here, please?"

The boy raised an eyebrow as he flapped closer, his tail fins working to keep him steady as he hovered before his adopted grandmother. "What is it?"

The Amazonian Queen looked her grandson over once more, seeing his slim, muscular physique, lithe and built for speed and ruling the skies. How the dots of white across his back, wing membrane, draconic feet, and scaled arms seemed to glow even under the sunlight, how his horns were a strong imposing set on his head like branches of lightning, how his muscular tail was true to his commands, and how his claws were sharp and deadly to those who would do him and his future comrades wrong.

But she looked at his face, seeing the gentleness in his ever-shifting green eyes, viridian as a forest and green as emeralds from the earth. His hair, an ever-untamable mess that was spiky and yet soft as lotus petals. His smile that, even when he wasn't smiling or grinning, seemed to be there, always hiding on his face.

Hippolyta reached into her armor pockets and pulled out a small case, holding it out to the boy. "I want to give you these; they are braces, like Diana's, but they were made to affix to your horns instead of your wrists." Azzon's eyes widened as he took the box from his grandmother and hesitantly opened it. Where gold would have made it up as Diana's did, instead, a black metal inlaid with ice-blue aquamarine and emeralds glittered up at him, the precious stones shimmering with different shades of their colors in the facets.

"Great Hera… Grandmother, I can't just-!"

"They will serve you in two ways," Hippolyta interrupted the coming protest she knew would fall from Azzon's tongue. The teenager sighed and gingerly handed the box back to his grandmother to let her apply them. "The first, to act as Diana's braces do, and shield you when you lower your head in your smaller, magically-given body." Hippolyta reached into the box and pulled the braces out, reaching up to gently affix them to Azzon's horns. "The second, is to limit your power in place of the runes we had applied after the Feast of the Hunt. What happened nine years ago can never happen in the World of Man, my grandson." Azzon stiffened, his shoulders tense at the grim reminder of that mysterious (for him) day.

Diana smiled sadly. Her son was indeed incredibly powerful- he would no doubt be able to halt Superman in his tracks and keep him busy… but in truth they have barely been able to scratch the surface of just how powerful Azzon truly was. That incident had proven that Azzon was overwhelmingly powerful, so much so that should he have any reason to, he could have the world at his feet should no one be there to stop him.

Diana loved her son dearly, and as such she knew that he would never want such a cataclysmic event to come true. Thus, the runes were created to keep that wild part of his powers under control. Should a day come where he is either forced to unshackle that part of him or he is unwillingly made to… well, she shudders to think of the ramifications not only to the world, but to him as well.

Azzon nodded, his brow scrunching at the memories, what he could recall of that day anyways, as well. He never liked thinking about it because he couldn't remember what he had done, only that a soul-rending, screaming pain had taken over him. The next thing Azzon had known, half of Themyscira had been on fire, and his mother was standing over him bloodied and bruised but crying in relief that he was alive. "I still need to find out what happened and why," he murmured. Diana, hearing him, shot her mother a melancholy look, and both dearly hoped that Azzon wouldn't find out for some time yet.

The ornaments snapped closed on the base of Azzon's horns and a whispering rippled through the air; runes in the Greek alphabet appeared on Azzon's skin before forming cracks in them, shattering into pieces of light and vanishing as if they had never appeared. In the moment the runes had vanished and before the braces activated, Azzon felt something within him… for lack of a better description, crack. It was as if a chain had gained a weak link before the ornaments activated and the feeling soothed over like a balm on a sore.

Azzon leaned back, drifting away from his grandmother for a moment. "And, because you have such proficiency fighting in your smaller form as well as your original body, I give you our Stygian Iron battle knives." Hippolyta raised a second box and held it out to Azzon as well. "They are enchanted to only be lifted by you, and whoever you deem worthy of wielding them. They are as sharp as your mother's blade, and they possess the power of compulsion- whomever they cut, you will have a limited time to have them do your bidding without question, be it enemy," the Amazonian queen's brow pulled together mischievously. "or friend." Azzon reached out and opened the ornate box to peer inside, and he snapped the lid shut blinking rapidly before moving forwards again, reaching out wordlessly and hugging her tightly. Hippolyta smiled, closing her eyes, and returning the hug just as fiercely.

"Words cannot convey how much I'll miss you, grandmother," Azzon murmured. "I promise to use your gifts wisely, and visit as soon as I am able."

"Stay strong, young prince," she said as Azzon released her to back up a bit and look at the queen. "No matter where you are, you are always welcome on the Island of Paradise. Take care of your mother, yes?" Diana opened her mouth to protest, but Azzon squinted at her and tilted his head, daring her to object; his mother did tend to over worry herself, so Azzon usually took it into his own talons to get her to rest when she visited.

Turning to his grandmother, Azzon thumbed his fist over his bare chest and bowed at a perfect forty-degree angle, affirming his promise to do just that. "I'll make you proud with my fire, claws, and wings. Tell my sisters goodbye for me, yes?"

"Then, I give you my blessing, our Skyking. Go, and make me proud. Don't worry about them, they knew today was the day."

Azzon nodded once, firm, and resolute, before turning to Diana, waiting for her to lead the way. "Yes, we should get going now," the princess agreed. Turning to her mother, Diana bowed, resisting the temptation to hug her. "I will visit soon, Mother," she said. Hippolyta gave a not. "See to it that you bring more of this… coffee that the World of Man has created," the queen said. "I am curious on how they could create such an astounding beverage."

Diana cracked a smile at her mother's request and gave a nod. "Yes, my queen." And with a meaningful look towards her son, the two flew off in the direction the sun would set. Azzon corkscrewing in his excitement before shifting into his true form and roaring his farewell to his sisters below.

Today, was the day.

Happy Harbor,

July 4th, 2012- 12:00 pm

"Wow… this is the World of Man?" Azzon stared out at the approaching coastline. A city sat just a couple miles from the start of the beaches, the buildings smaller than what his mother told him of, but if there was one thing Azzon believed when it came to Humans and Mortals, it was that they liked diversity in their nesting groups. "Quite the shock, yes?" Diana asked in amusement, seeing how her son's massive head swung from side to side, trying to take in everything below him he could. Azzon nodded wordlessly, green eyes wide.

He wriggled, a funny motion he did when he wasn't able to properly express his excitement, before he paused. Drawing up in the air, he hovered and looked towards the middle of the city- a pillar of smoke was rising, and Azzon's keen hearing picked up the startled shouts and panicked screams of the humans below.

"Something's wrong," He murmured, glancing over at his mother before pulling the energy in the air towards him. With the sound of shifting organs and cracking bone, Azzon's smaller form was hovering beside Diana. "What are they saying?" the Amazonian princess asked, her brow set into a firm frown. "Something… about a Sabretooth?" Azzon tilted his head towards his mother questioningly, and Diana's eyes widened in realization "Azzon, head for the smoke!"

Immediately, the dragon's shoulders straightened, and he turned his body to obey his mother's command. Driving his wings down, Azzon took off in a blur of blue and black, and as he neared the area the temperature seemed to drop against his hot skin and scales. He could hear the angry screeches of a creature that should be extinct. Swinging his talons forwards as he descended, Azzon landed with a crash, a small crater forming with the abnormal weight hidden behind his smaller humanoid form, and Diana followed not too far behind, crouching beside her son.

Looking towards the commotion, the two beings, Amazonian and dragon, saw it was, indeed, a sabretooth cat, a Smilodon- but also unusual. It was huge, for one, the size of the ancient cat was big as his dragon body. Its fur was a blue-tinged white, chiming with the many tiny ice spears that had formed on its body, and it had two razor sharp icicles for its two long fangs that glinted in the afternoon sun, sharpened into spear-points.

'One bite in the right spot from those, and I'm done for,' Azzon thought.

The animal seemed to realize when it was no longer alone and turned to face Azzon, it's shoulders rippling with muscle as it faced the unknown that dared to challenge it. Throwing its head back, it roared, making the glass along the windows of the street buildings shatter from the force and rain on the sidewalks below them. Azzon's pupils turned pencil-line thin as he bared his teeth. Turning to look over his shoulder towards the mortals that surrounded them, his tail twitched when he saw they hadn't made any more to get away. "Mother, focus on the humans, I'll take care of the beast!"

Wonder Woman paused at the orders her son gave, but she nodded firmly- a logical decision as he was around the same size as it and therefore could deal the most damage.

"GET CLEAR!" the princess shouted, flying off to clear the civilians.

The ground jumped as the Sabretooth placed a paw in front, crouching down and preparing to leap at the tiny creature before it. With the pounding of the mortals leading away from them, Azzon's clawed hands twitched, then clenched into fists.

"Alright, kitty cat," the dragon prince said, bones cracking and organs shifting as he shed his humanoid skin. "Let's play!"

The large dragon that now stood in place of Azzon's humanoid form let out a roar, fire and lightning dripping from razor-sharp teeth. The Smilodon shrieked in kind and the two giants charged for the other.

The resulting collision was felt throughout Happy Harbor.