The Fates nodded. They brought down their power items and shrank into a pinpoint of light, then they were gone. The siren song went with them and Diana was surrounded in dim silence. She resheathed her sword and stepped over Ares' body. It was time to get to work but first, to check on her sisters in Themyscira.
She closed her eyes touched the star ruby. With a thought of home, she was in her mother's throne room.
The initial shock of seeing her mother and sisters lying strewn about the room in various positions was almost too much to bear. She took a deep breath before she would let herself go to her mother. With in-born quickness, she went to Queen Hippolyta. Sitting on her knees, she took her mother's head onto her lap. A slight shaking of her mother didn't work and neither did the light slaps to her cheeks.
"Come on, mother," she whispered, "You're stronger than this."
She glanced around the room and thought about all of the powers and magic that the Gods had bestowed upon her and her sisters. Shouldn't there be something to awaken them? Something…anything. A tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek to plop unceremoniously upon her mother's cheek. She knew she had a job to do whether or not her mother and sisters could be brought back from whatever deep sleep they'd been placed in. She leaned down and placed a kiss upon her mother's forehead. As she pulled away, an idea came to her. It couldn't hurt to try it but it was a long shot. Diana reached up and removed her own tiara and carefully placed it upon her mother's head and touched the star ruby again.
Wonder Woman smiled through tears as she saw her mother's eyes flutter right before she opened them and smiled back at her daughter.
Queen Hippolyta raised her hand and touched Diana's cheek, "I had the most interesting dream, my daughter."
"A dream, mother?" Diana frowned because she couldn't remember anything from her dormant beyond.
"Yes," her mother pushed herself to a sitting position. "You weren't there but the Amazons and the Gods were. And," she realized there was something bizarre on her head and put her hand up to find Diana's tiara sitting upon her own. She brought it down and showed it to her daughter. "Why was your tiara on my head?"
Queen Hippolyta looked around for the first time and gasped, her hand going to her heart. "Diana? What has happened here? Are they all dead?"
Diana took her tiara back and placed it on her brow, as it should be, then helped her mother to stand. "No, mother. They are sleeping; at least that is what I've been told. You were sleeping as well and I brought you back with the powers of my tiara."
The queen looked at her daughter then back down at her Amazonians. "Sleeping? Were you sleeping as well?"
"Yes, mother, I was."
"And how…" the queen looked at Wonder Woman again, "…did you awaken?"
"Long story short, The Fates brought me back."
"The Fates? Do they have anything to do with all of this?"
"I believe they do but only in the way that they do what they must."
The queen crossed her arms and said, "Diana! Please stop being so evasive and tell me why this has happened, why The Fates have done such a cruel thing?"
"From what I could understand, we were placed in that slumber because the human world forgot about us…but something has changed and they need me back."
Queen Hippolyta smiled. "I always knew the world would always need you, my dearest."
"And, mother, if they need me, they most certainly need the Amazonians. So, let's wake up my sisters. I think your tiara will now work as well as mine."
"With absolute pleasure, my daughter."
The queen knelt beside Diana's best friend, Mala, but right before she touched the blue diamond on her tiara she asked, "How long has it been since we slept?"
Wonder Woman quickly told her mother of the current standings of the world.
Queen Hippolyta frowned, "You will change things, just as you were meant to, my daughter."
Diana shook her head, "No, mother. I will change things but not as I was meant to…this new world, it needs more than healing by love…"
"But, you must not…"
"Mother, please. I will do my best but I think my job is to help the women of Earth to realize their strength and abilities, and, yes, their power to love and nurture will be part of that."
"You will not kill…" It was more of a question but she busied herself with welcoming Mala back.
"Hush," Queen Hippolyta whispered to Mala, "all your questions will be answered soon but you must help Diana and I awaken the rest of your sisters. Here." The queen helped Mala stand.
Mala nodded and went to her nearest sister.
Wonder Woman was already awakening her third Amazonian before she answered her mother.
"I will do my best, mother but sometimes," Diana sighed, "those things can't be helped."
"Still, Diana…"
"I know," Diana responded, "I know."
It took them a short amount of time before all of the Amazonians were finally awakened and they were all in the throne room waiting for Queen Hippolyta and her princess, Diana, to address them. They were curious as to what had happened especially since the queen, the princess, and Mala had been in conference for the past hour. There was much chatter on possibilities, on blaming the Gods or human men for whatever had happened. While they waited to be addressed, they compared their dreams to each other's and found similarities in each dream.
Finally, the queen came onto the dais, followed by Diana and then Mala. The crowd of women grew hushed, some excited and some anxious to find out what had happened.
Queen Hippolyta looked upon her Themyscirian Amazons and waited for them to quiet down.
"My Amazons! I am sure you have many questions, of which I, and your princess, shall endeavor to answer.
"But, first…"
The queen retold the story of what had been told to Diana and what she had been shown. Once she was done, and some questions answered, it was Wonder Woman's turn to address her sisters.
"…and now, your princess, my daughter has something very important to say."
There was a bevy of applause then the silence of anticipation. It was a rare occasion to have the princess address them so they knew that this must be very important.
"My sisters, first I would like to say that I am so very happy that you are awake with me. There is much work to be done in the human world and I am prepared to answer my calling to fix it. Now, with that said," she took a deep breath, "I have a great favor to ask of all of you.
"I am asking for volunteers to come with me, to work with me in making the human world a better place. I know that this might seem like a scary thing, considering how long all of you have been away from that world, and some of you have never even seen it or experienced it in person…but…there's so much beauty there and so much hope, so many possibilities..."
Diana stopped for a moment and gazed over the crowd. She could feel their apprehensiveness, even her mother and Mala weren't happy with this plan of hers but it was the only way to set things back on track in the human world. This had to work. She needed these warriors to stand beside her.
"Themyscirian Amazon warriors. The Goddesses have blessed us. We are stronger for the gifts of Diana, Athena and Aphrodite. Yet, we are strongest for the love and devotion in our hearts… there are women in the human world trying to change things for the better…they also have love and devotion within their hearts… but there is something or someone that is working against them…" she paused again and could hear the murmurings in the crowd.
"They do not have our strength, not yet, but I wish to change that and I would like your help in guiding them…in showing them their true calling, their true strength…will you work with me, my sisters, in showing the human women how to be Themyscirian Amazons?"
Diana waited, her heart pounding in her chest. Would they come? Or would they do as her mother warned her they would do? She noticed a movement in the corner of her eye and when she turned her head to see clearer, it was Mala raising her hand.
"I will follow you wherever you lead, my princess!" Mala said.
Wonder Woman turned her head back around to face the group and was surprised to see other hands being raised slowly. Then there were shouts.
"We will help our sisters!"
"…time for change!"
"We follow!"
A smile stretched across Diana's face and she looked at her mother who was smiling through tears.
"Well, mother, I think I have a team!"