Author's Notes: See footnotes for the *s.

CHAPTER TWO: THE CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS (BULLETS AND BRACELETS)

When Diana came to, she awoke in an endless field of green, with the sun high and bright in the sky. However, everywhere seemed so…cold. There was a sharp, chill wind in the air, one that seemed to cut through to the bone, even. There was no life, either, and solid stone hills walled off the world.

She then realised she was not alone. In the middle of the fields, there was a man tending to a small patch of poppies of all colours, from a blood-red to a bright yellow. He was a dark man, dressed in a dark cloak, with ebony-black eyes. With a smile, he turned to Diana.

"Greetings, my child."

She took a tentative step closer to him. "Who are you? Where am I?"

The dark man put his tools down, and approached her too.

"I am Morpheus, Lord of Dreams. You stand at the gates of the Elysian fields, daughter of Hippolyta."

Diana paused, then stuttered, "Then…I…"

"Oh, not quite yet. Your wounds should heal themselves quite nicely. Our meeting here is simply out of convenience."

"What meeting?"

"Apollo and his Oracles wish me to pass on a few choice messages – a little aid on your path."

"My path?"

With a patient tone, Morpheus replied, "My child, it'll do you no good to simply repeat what I say. At any rate, you stand on the cusp of what is to be the single most important event of your life."

"Which would be…?"

"The man whom you rescued must be returned to his land. You will be the one to do so. But you will be no mere courier – such will mark the first time any Amazon has dared to return to what you call 'Man's World'."

"Then…I am to be an emissary?"

"Of sorts. The path will not be easy, of course. Ares is free, and will stop at no end to destroy you. And 'Man's World' has its own share of danger. Come, take a look."

With a rather dramatic swoosh of his cape, Morpheus lifted the veil through dimensions, revealing a multitude of images. Among them were scenes of destruction in unfamiliar cities, men wielding strange weapons, and an assembly of colourful foes; one was dressed in a deep blue cloak, another resembling a large cat, and a tiny man with large, bloodshot eyes.

"Who are they? What does it all mean?"

"Alas, I wish I knew. To quote Apollo, 'the future is ever-mutable'. You shall have to find out on your own, my child."

Diana pouted. "So much for 'aid', o lord of dreams. Why call me for such vague premonitions?"

"Because…there are things even the Queen of the Amazons is hesitant to tell her child. But you'll see that soon enough. Now, I believe it's time for you to wake up…"

With that, he raised a poppy to his lips, and gently blew its pollen in Diana's face. Slowly, gradually, she felt her eyes open…

=w=

Diana awoke, upon a simple bed lined with down. Her arms and chest had been wrapped with bandages – now showing a few dark stains. A nurse, Eugenia, was overlooking her.

"You're awake!"

With a yawn, Diana replied, "That I am, Sister Eugenia. How am I?"

"The punishment you took was incredible, Diana. Few others could have survived it. And yet…with the aid of our healing magics and some medical skill, you should be fine in a day's time."

"The others…?"

Darkness shrouded Eugenia's eyes. "Some…fell to the craven attack. Others could not survive the loosening of the gates."

Diana sat bolt upright, cursing as the pain in her arm rose. "The gates?"

"Aye, the craft our foe used breached through the gates of Tartarus, unleashing its prisoners…and Ares."

"And the man?"

"I believe he is in the next ward. But you must get some rest-"

Diana got up, and began to wrap her peplos around her, fastening it at her shoulders with two pins and at the waist with a simple cord. Eugenia pulled at her other arm, trying to hold her back

"Look, you're in no shape-"

"I'm sorry, Eugenia, but I must do this."

With that and a closed door, the argument was finished. Diana took step by slow and stilted step down the marbled hallways. A rabble of voices grew louder and louder as she approached the room where Eugenia said the man was.

Diana threw the doors open, revealing the tableau inside. The man was seated, arms and legs restrained to an oaken chair. Hippolyta and Nathifa both stood in front of him, with the former firmly gripping the rope. Orana stood guard at the door, and re-sheathed her blade upon recognising Diana.

Hippolyta turned to Diana. "Ah, my daughter. How are your wounds?"

"I should be walking in a day's time, mother."

Her mother paused to raise her eyebrow a notch. "At any rate, it is good that you've come at this time. I believe our guest is about to come to. Do you recognise this, Diana?"

She held the cord up. It shone a brilliant gold – an ethereal shine, even.

"Gaia's girdle!"

"One and the same. We shall use it to extract the truth from our guest, uninvited as he is."

As if on cue, Steve Trevor had ended his crawl back to consciousness, head still swimming. His eyes flitted lazily from right to left, before coming to focus on the four Amazons before him. He then pulled himself up – as much as his restraints could let him, and began gesticulating wildly.

"Hey-what's going on here…wait! I recognise you! You were the one who saved me!" he exclaimed, while gesturing to Diana. Then he locked gazes with Orana. "…and you're the one who kicked my ass!…and I don't recognise either one of you."

All the while, the same words, except translated into the local tongue, echoed around the room. Hippolyta remained unfazed by the man's outburst.

"I am Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. This is Nathifa, my consul. The one who saved your life is my daughter, Diana. The one who bested you in combat is Orana, an Amazon warrior. Now, who are you?"

The girdle glowed once, and the words flowed easily from his mouth. "Captain Steven Rockwell Trevor, United States Air Force, service no. 05091893."

"Why did you come to Themyscira?"

"That information is classified. I cannot divulge it."

Gripping the girdle tighter, Hippolyta asked again, "Why did you come here?"

Now the words came out one by one, almost being spat out. "I-I-cannot-I-sent-was sent here to test the new Triskelion missile."

He paused.

"Now how did that just happen?"

"No being restrained by the girdle may speak falsehoods, Steven Rockwell Trevor. What is the Triskelion missile?"

Steve stared right into Hippolyta's eyes. "We'll just see about that-that-is-to say…the BGM-111 Triskelion missile is a new missile with three warheads, specifically designed for urban and suburban combat. Projections estimate destruction of up to four city blocks. Per warhead."

While he cursed and swore at his inability to keep his mouth shut, the four Amazons stood shocked. Hippolyta turned to Diana.

"It is as I feared. In our absence, mankind has merely discovered new ways of killing themselves."

She picked up the strange weapon that the stranger had brought. "And what is this? It somewhat resembles a crossbow, but I see neither string nor limbs on it."

Steve bit on his lip, this time trying not to mutter a single syllable. However, he could only offer a few brief moments of resistance before he had to speak again. "Gah! It's called a gun. It's more like a small cannon. If you pull the trigger, explosives in the bullets fire small pellets at your target. Happy now?"

"Hardly. You have merely shown us more weapons of destruction. Now, how came you to speak our tongue, no matter how garbled?"

"Went to Greece on a NATO exercise once."

"What is 'NATO'?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Short for 'North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. It's a bunch of countries that united to face a common threat."

"And what threat is that?"

"The Soviet Union."

"Why were they so afraid of this union?"

"It had thousands of missiles far more powerful than the one I described. If it unleashed them all, civilisation as we know it would end."

Hippolyta turned to Nathifa, muttering, "It is worse than that. New weapons of war, never-ending conflict…Ares indeed has chosen a most fortuitous time for his escape."

"Perhaps it is the time as foretold in-"

Hippolyta suddenly raised her voice. "No! Do not even speak of it! Not here, at least." She turned to their captive. "We shall decide your fate later. Nathifa, come with me. Diana, Orana, watch him."

"Sure. I'm not going anywhere, anyway," Steve replied, with a shrug.

=w=

Hippolyta and Nathifa moved out into the corridor, being closely followed by Diana, who was attempting to edge into the conversation.

"Nathifa, call the council. I personally shall oversee his trial – for the crime of attacking our land and our sisters."

Diana spoke. "Mother-"

Nathifa spoke, ignoring Diana. "With all due respect, my queen, I believe we should consult our patrons-"

Hippolyta replied, a tinge of anger in her voice, "Absolutely not. He will be tried, like any other interloper."

"This is a clear sign – the only such sign we have had in centuries! I will not stand by and simply let you ignore-"

Diana tried again. "Mother-"

"You know, as do all consuls, what the price would be! I am not about to pay such a heavy burden – not again!"

"Prophecy cannot simply be ignored, my queen! King Laius failed to grasp that, Odysseus attempted to defy his-"

"You will assemble the council or be removed-"

"MOTHER!"

Hippolyta turned to her daughter, hissing, "What?"

"What prophecy are you talking about?"

She cast her sight downwards, only looking back up at her daughter after a long pause. All sound and movement seemed to have stopped, for that one moment in time. Finally, she looked back up into Diana's eyes.

"Very well. It is time you should know. Especially now. Come with me; we'll discuss it in my room. Nathifa, go consult them if you wish. I still wish to assemble the council."

Without another word, the two headed further down the corridor, while Nathifa did a quick march in the other direction.

=w=

Diana and her mother sat knee-to-knee upon Hippolyta's bed. The latter seemed to try to figure out how to start, finally deciding after long moments of contemplation.

She spoke, slowly and carefully, "Diana, do you remember our history? When we cast off the bonds placed by Heracles and his gang of thugs?"

"…You said my birth followed not long after."

"Correct; however, when you were imbued with the gifts from Athena, Aphrodite, Hestia, Hermes and the other gods, I was told there would be a price."

Diana started. "A price?"

"Yes. They told me that one day you would have to become the first of our kind to re-enter Man's world and thus lose immortality; to save the world when the ideals of peace and universal love were at their nadir. They gave you those gifts purely for that sole purpose."

"Mother, I think that time has come."

Hippolyta got up, pacing the chamber. "Why? Because one man has landed on this island? Because the gates of Tartarus have been thrown open thanks to him? He is a criminal, and will be tried as such. The gods can punish Ares and his ilk, by their own judgment."

"The gods have spoken, Mother. I am to go."

"And how do you know that?"

Diana explained, "In my…dreams, Morpheus passed on a message from Apollo and his Oracles to me. The man is to be returned to his land."

Hippolyta nearly spat. "Apollo! Morpheus! Who are they, to interfere? I will not let that intruder be returned to his land; our law demands a sentence, at the least!"

"He was not the one responsible, Mother! I saw him leave the craft before-"

"Enough, Diana! I won't hear another word! I will not lose another daughter to the treachery of Man's World. And certainly not to that one man! Do not be beguiled by him; my error in the centuries past led to the same tragedy."

"Another…? No, mother. He is innocent; I'll prove it to you!"

Diana stormed out of her mother's chambers, with Hippolyta in tight pursuit.

=w=

In the meantime, Steve had been trying to strike up some paltry conversation with Orana.

"…and so there've been no men on this island? For how long again?"

"Longer than your lifetime, mortal."

"Woah. I don't want to probe…"

Orana interjected. "You already have-"

"…but how do you…you know…there's got to be a lot of tension everywhere, and there's no men…"

The only response he got was a stony stare from Orana, and a barely raised left eyebrow.

"Okay, let's change the topic."

"If you wish," replied Orana, in a disaffected tone.

"So what's your deal? You seem to be best pals with the Queen's daughter."

"She and I have been friends since her childhood. That is all."

Confused, Steve asked, "Her childhood? She doesn't look younger than you…"

"We are all reincarnated souls, bar her. She…is a gift from the gods."

"Reincarnated? Gift from the gods? This is heady stuff…"

His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening once again, revealing Diana and Hippolyta. Orana greeted their entry, as did Steve, although considerably less seriously.

"My queen."

"Your Majesty! And…uh…your Royal Highness? Is that how it works? So what's it going to be? Hanging? Chopping my head off? Tying me up to a bunch of horses and sending them running in oppo-"

Hippolyta raised her hand to interject, but Diana was faster. "Nothing of the sort. I simply wish for you to answer a few more questions."

"Eh, ask away. Not like I can argue against this thing, anyway," Steve replied, looking down at the golden chain tied around him.

Diana gripped the other end of Gaia's girdle. "First, did you launch that attack against us?"

The chain glimmered.

"No. My co-pilot turned into some demon and threw me out of my own plane."

The three women in the room all turned to look at each other in silent consternation, before Hippolyta let out a barely mouthed, "Ares!"

Diana turned back to Steve. "Second, and most importantly, would you ever have launched that missile against our island?"

Steve looked at Diana right in the eyes, firmly stating each word. "Never…against…civilians."

Diana looked back at Hippolyta, obvious triumph in her eyes. "Is that enough answer for you? Surely there's no need to assemble councils now."

Hippolyta stared back in stony silence.

Interrupting the sudden unease, Steve spoke. "…so no disembowelment in my near future or anything like that? That's a good thing, ri-"

His only response was a slap upside the head by Orana.

=w=

Meanwhile, on Mars, in the Hellas Planitia, Ares had arrived in his long-abandoned throne room, where he had plotted and schemed for centuries past. Now, his legions had assembled in the crater, and his chief five lieutenants stood ready to greet him.

A magnificent cheer rose in the crater as he ended his slow descent. Despite his vestments being the torn and tattered ones of a prisoner instead of ones more worthy of a warrior, his presence alone was enough to inspire awe – and fear.

Awaiting him with his armour were his two sons, Phobos and Deimos*, and his three daughters, Kyriefsi, Apati and Pleonexia.**

The former two were aged demons, while the latter three still surged with the power of youth. Kyriefsi towered over her sisters in size and strength. Apati was thin and wan, and ever hiding behind a mask. Pleonexia was short and stout, her large belly ever groaning.

Upon their arrival of their lord and father, the five dropped to one knee and raised their arms in salute.

"(Sta ópla!) To arms!"

Ares gave them a wave in response.

"(Sta ópla.) To arms."

With the passing of the last word, all he had to do was to stretch his arms out, and his five lieutenants got to work, putting his armour on him piece by piece. When Deimos passed him his helmet, though, Ares gently declined it.

"I don't think so. I shall be paying the witch a visit soon; no need for any awkward entrances. Phobos, Deimos, begin retraining the troops. My daughters, keep an eye on the Amazons, will you?"

Kyriefsi asked, "Are we planning our first strike soon, my lord?"

"Not…yet. There is little use in attacking them on their own homeland. We will lure them out into their so-called 'Man's World', then crush them in a single blow. Soon. Very soon."

With a click of his fingers, his war-chariot had pulled up to him, and he drove it to the heavens, spurring his horses on with a cry of "Eia, eia, eia! Alala!"

=w=

Diana paced around the ward where Steve had been placed, now chained by arm and leg to a marble slab of a bed, with a down cushion his only comfort – besides his company.

Hippolyta had conceded, and would be holding a contest of champions within the hour. The winner would not only gain that highest title among the Amazons – "Wonder Woman", but also escort Steve Trevor back to civilisation. There was only one thing wrong – Diana herself was barred from entering.

She was still mulling on the unfairness of this; after all, hadn't that prophecy, not to mention Morpheus, so clearly stated that she was to be the one to do so? Why was her mother so steadfast in not only trying to ignore, but outright defy prophecy?

Diana had stopped talking with Steve about an hour back. The things he'd been describing about Man's World – cities the height of mountains, chariots without horses that could cross vast distances in the blink of an eye, means of talking to people on the other side of the Earth instantly…it was too much to bear, hearing of these things, without ever getting the chance to see them.

Then, footsteps – two sets of them – began heading down the hall, directly to the cell. Diana nearly thought of drawing her blade; all were supposed to be assembled at the arena by now. Who would come here now? Had her sisters missed one escaping demon?

To her relief, it was merely Nathifa, with another Amazon, Lysistrata. The two stopped in front of the cell, and Diana stood to greet them.

"(Kalimera.) Good day."

"(Kalimera, Diana.) Good day, Diana."

"What brings you here?"

Nathifa took a seat. "I came here to talk."

"And Lysistrata?"

"All in good time, Diana. You must understand why your mother forbids you from entering."

"Why is that so?"

Nathifa took a breath, and cast her eyes to the floor. "I fear I breach her trust by mentioning this…but then again, you have a right to know."

A pause.

"In her past life, your mother was the victim of a man who hated her and her child, despite all the good the former had done and nothing the latter had. One day, in a fit of a rage, he struck the child down. Hippolyta tried to stop him, but he was too strong."

Another pause.

"Now do you see, Diana? She does not want to lose another child, prophecy be damned."

"I…see."

Nathifa stood now. "But you know the perils of attempting to defy prophecy as much as I do. This is your birthright, Diana. And though your mother may curse me forever for this…I cannot stand by and let this happen. Lysistrata will take your place."

With that, Nathifa produced a helmet – one which obscured the whole face. Diana stood, and accepted it, embracing Nathifa as she did so.

"Thank you-"

"Thank me not. Merely forgive me for this treachery, child."

Unsure of how to respond, Diana wore the helmet, and headed down the hall – to her destiny.

=w=

Soon, there were a hundred Amazons in the amphitheatre, all offering the Amazon salute to Hippolyta. They cheered as one.

"Kalimera!"

Returning the salute, Hippolyta opened the games.

"Kalimera! To the victor goes the spoils! Let the contest of champions begin!"

With that, a stunning array of competitions began, from the first run of the dolichos***, then to a race of the same length, on horseback, then a swim of one stadion, all in full battle armour. The numbers of Amazons who could continue dwindled and dwindled, until about a dozen were left for the final events; the mock-battles.

First conducted on horseback, then on foot, the Amazons, armed with wooden swords and shields, battled each other ferociously. One by one, Amazons fell to each others' blows, until there were but three contestants left: Diana, Orana, and Yeter, an olive-skinned Amazon.

As the judges solemnly brought the crossbows in, a great cheer erupted in the crowd.

"Bolts and bracelets! Bolts and bracelets!"

The three contestants took one bow each, and aimed it at the other, taking turn by turn to fire. The challenge was to deflect the bolt with the bracers, while also being able to fire back at one's quarry. Bolts bounced off against bracelets, as the three contestants attempted to outthink and outshoot the other.

At long last, as Yeter turned to fire on Orana, Diana pulled a quick shot at her elbow. It was enough, and once the bolt had drawn blood, the crowd exploded once again. Now, it was down to the last two, who shot and dodged and deflected for nearly five straight minutes with no clear result.

Then, Hippolyta raised her arm, and the two stopped and looked up. Hippolyta spoke.

"Bring the man's weapon…his 'gun'."

With that, the chant changed from "Bolts and bracelets" to a rapturous:

"Bullets and bracelets! Bullets and bracelets!"

Once the gun had been presented to Orana, Hippolyta raised her arm again.

"Each shall be given three shots with the 'gun'. If there is a draw, then I shall personally decide."

Silence reigned as Orana lined Diana up in her sights, each unaware of the other's identity. She squeezed off three shots to the body in quick succession – and Diana deflected all three. The tension in the air was nearly palpable as Diana prepared to take her three shots.

Orana deflected the first two, but Diana had delayed her last shot – just long enough. The bullet sailed past Orana's forearms – and landed squarely in her shoulder, bruising it heavily. The crowd went totally wild, and Hippolyta stepped forth to the balcony.

"Remove your helm, o champion, such that we will know your face."

With one smooth gesture, Diana threw off her helmet, revealing herself to all. Shocked gasps sounded one by one in the amphitheatre, not least from Hippolyta herself.

"But…daughter…no! No. No. This is indeed Destiny. I cannot deny it. Diana, my daughter and champion of the Amazons, I declare thee…'Wonder Woman'!"

With this, the crowd cheered one more time, all rising from their seats, arms raised in the Amazon salute. Diana raised her arms too, and belted out a lusty:

"Kalimera!"

To which the response was:

"Kalimera! Kalimera! Kalimera!"

=w=

With that, Hippolyta, still slightly confused, led Diana, Nathifa and Orana to the Grand Gallery of Arms.

There, upon a dais, was a special set of armour. The first part consisted of a cuirass, blood-red in colour, decorated with a golden eagle, with an omega symbol on its chest. At its bottom was a set of pteryges, blue as the wine-dark sea, and with a row of stars down its middle.

Lying next to them was the pédila which Orana had taken a few days ago, now returned to their rightful place and dyed the same shade of red as the cuirass. A tiara, with a red star at its centre, lay at the sandal's feet. And surrounding the four was the girdle of Gaia, its golden shine dancing in the candlelight.

"My daughter, you have earned this. From designs made by Hephaestus himself, our own artisans have prepared these. They should present a glorious enough figure for the people of the man's land; it is decorated with symbols he holds dear."

"It…is beautiful, Mother."

"Take these and this Lasso of Truth, forged from the Gaia's girdle itself. For you shall bring no sword to a world already marred with violence; only the truth. Diana…"

"Yes, Mother?"

"May the Gods themselves look upon you. The path ahead will not be easy, my daughter. You must keep your wits about you in Man's world; Ares' subterfuge will be everywhere. I…"

A single tear began to well up in Hippolyta's eye. Diana saw it, and rushed forward. For a moment that seemed to last eternity, mother and daughter embraced – for perhaps the last time.

* Fear and Dread
** Conquest, Deception and Greed
*** About 4800m