Happy Wednesday, readers! I have some Steve and Diana for you today! Enjoy!

5

I stand besides Antiope while she addresses her soldiers.

"You fought valiantly in life and you continue to fight valiantly in death. I have no doubt the Judges of the Underworld will recognize the heroes you all are. The Gods are anything but just, so do not fear. You will have a peaceful afterlife, I can feel it. If the Captain and I do make it back, we will honor your sacrifice and continue to live our lives fighting for peace."

I nod, agreeing with her sentiment.

"If we don't manage to escape, I don't want you to feel responsible. I know you all very well and I know you will feel that guilt. Don't. Respect and understand the decisions the Captain and I are making. Even if we fail, it would have been in the attempt of doing the right thing. Good luck to all of you and may the Gods protect us in all of our missions,"

"May the Gods protect us," They all say loud and proud.

I look at Antiope asking for silent permission to address her soldiers. She nods.

"Amazons, I will be forever grateful for the help you offered me and the mercy your people showed towards me when I first landed in your home. I had never witness someone had the amount of strength you all have and at the same time, show such compassion. You have showed me the power of women and you have showed me what we can accomplish when we all work together. Thank you."

They nod their heads at me and smile softly. We could use more of them in the world.

"Shall we, Captain?" Antiope tells me nodding towards the top of the chasm.

"We shall," I say jumping up and down on my place, loosening my muscles.

Antiope gives one last look to her soldiers and she jumps up towards the top. The 3 Amazons approach me with the same piece of flat rock we've been practicing with and lower it for me to step on it. I do and look up, I try to steady my breathing. Inhale. Exhale. I nod, "Okay,"

I feel myself rise.

"Good luck, Captain.", Hebe tells me from my right.

I turn towards her. "Thank you. On 3, soldiers."

"One, two, three!" I'm launched from the flat piece of rock and I swear I'm going faster than I have before. Maybe the adrenaline gave the Amazons a little extra strength. I see Antiope coming closer and closer and she takes hold of my hand easily, pulling me upwards.

She smiles at me. "First obstacle conquered." We wait for the 3 Amazons who pushed me up to appear next to us. When they do, we move towards the same rock wall Antiope and I were hiding before, so we can assess when it would be appropriate for them to repeat the same stunt, but towards the rocks closer to the gates.

We move swiftly and unsuspected. By some miracle, it seems today is a slow day and not a lot of souls seem to be wandering around.

"I'll go up and when I give you the signal, you do your part," Antiope tells the 4 of us.

She stands up and walks across the path to stand face to face with the rock wall. She looks to her right, then to her left, before she jumps up and starts climbing the wall with enviable ease. When she reaches the somewhat flat rock that's right under the gates, she raises her fist and shows four fingers. I'm not familiar with those signals, but it doesn't matter. The Amazons next to me seem to understand.

"Let's go, Captain."

We stand up and walk up to the wall. Following the same movements as Antiope, the Amazons look right and left before lowering the flat piece of rock for me to stand on. They all look and wait for Antiope to send them the signal again. When she does, they pick me up and on 3 I find myself flying towards Antiope again. I feel a lot more nervous right now, as this particular wall we haven't been able to practice on for obvious reasons. She catches me by the forearm, but the space she's standing on is very narrow and her foot slips.

I manage to swallow my cry of surprise to try and avoid bringing attention to us. Antiope manages to hold on by the nails, her hand still around my forearm. We are both dangling there for a full 15 seconds. I try to take hold of the rock, but it's so smooth, it's impossible. I look down to find the Amazons gone, probably hiding behind the rock wall so they don't draw attention to us.

I look up at Antiope and I see the strain on her face, but I can also see her mind working. I consider letting go of her hand; maybe this was a mistake. She was right, I'm just a man. I may not have the necessary abilities to escape here. I'm about to tell her as much, when I feel her pulling me upwards.

"When you're close enough, take hold of yourself, will you?"

Words seem to get stuck in my throat. The only thing I manage to do is nod. I see her bulging bicep and the strain making her veins pop. I reach my arm out and as soon as I can, I grab onto the edge. I hear Antiope exhale in relieve. She starts moving sideways along the edge to give me enough space to climb up. When we do, we allow ourselves a moment of respite.

"Not bad considering we pretty much improvised it, huh?" I tell her, still feeling my heart beating against my ribcage.

"Let's hope we will continue having luck. Ready?"

I look to the gates, now in front of me. I try to see what's past them, but it's completely dark. The only thing between the gates and us is a huge jump from one side of the wall to the other. A jump my human self can manage.

"Ready. Going on 3 seems to be working. If it ain't broke… 1, 2, 3, go!"

I run and jump through the open gates and land hard. The force of my landing propelling me forward and forcing me to roll over. I groan when I reach a stop and I hear Antiope do the same.

"You okay?" I ask her standing up and stretching my hand out to her.

She takes it and I help her up. "Yes, I'm fine."

We both take a minute to inspect our surroundings. From this point forward everything is unknown. Therefore we must tread carefully. We seem to be standing in a corridor, very dim lit. Pillars that go from floor to ceiling decorate the path all the way down to the door at the end of the corridor. This reminds me of the long corridors at Buckingham Palace but scarier. This is not what I was expecting.

Recognizing the relief on my face she says, "Don't let yourself be fooled, Captain. Remember where we at all times and you won't let yourself become careless. Let's move carefully."

I nod and as we move forward I keep repeating to myself:

You're dead and you're in the Underworld. You're dead and you're in the Underworld. You're dead and you're in the Underworld. Don't let yourself forget that.

My eyes are assaulted by the light that hits me once I cross the cloak. My hand automatically rising to protect my eyes from it. A stark difference from the fog I was just surrounded by a moment ago. I slowly bring my hand down and I raise my eyes towards the cliffs.

Oh, it's as beautiful as I remember them.

My eyes stay locked on the cliff where I know I soon be seeing shapes appear. The sentinels must've sounded the horns already. The motor starts sputtering and then stops. I had forgotten that technology doesn't work within the boundaries of the island. I reach down for the paddles and start rowing my way to shore.

As I get closer, I hear the hooves of horses and I know that my Mother is just meters away from me. I look down at myself and realize I didn't change into my armor. Instead I'm wearing jean shorts and a white t-shirt and in my haste to cross, I didn't bring my duffle bag with me.

I don't know why I'm suddenly so preoccupied with what I'm wearing, but it bothers me that I completely overlooked that tiny detail. I reach the shore and I jump out from the boat and pull it onto the sand, so the tide doesn't take it away. I walk a few steps forward and stop, letting my toes sink into the sand.

I close my eyes and lift my head towards the sun, much like I did on the cliff right before Steve's plane crashed. I hear the horses' hooves come closer until they stop not too far away from me. I don't open my eyes, suddenly afraid of my Mother's reaction.

I hear the rings on her saddle jingle as she descends from her horse. I hear her feet hit the sand. I hear her gasp.

"Diana?"

I feel the tears building up behind my close eyelids because I've now just realized how much I have missed hearing my Mother's voice. I've now just realized how by only being in her presence, I already feel 10 times more powerful.

I slowly open my eyes and the tears spill over. I turn my head and see my Mother looking at me as if I were about to disappear. I want to move but I'm unable to, but we always have been able to read each other so well, and I'm glad that hasn't change since she's the one who starts walking towards me.

She's close enough now that I can see her green eyes covered with a film of tears.

"Diana?"

I nod and with an exhale I say, "Mother,"

Apparently all she needed for her to confirm I wasn't some kind of apparition was to hear my voice. She takes the few steps that separate us and finally, after 100 years I feel her arms around me.

I break down and let myself be comforted by the only person I have left in this world. I now see how stupid it was of me not to come back. I tortured myself all these years for nothing. She could've helped me recover after Steve's death. And my Mother is nothing but understanding, she would've let me go back to man's world, just like she did the first time.

She pulls back and holds my face, wiping the tears away with her thumbs.

"You're really here? My Diana?"

I nod and laugh, "Yes, yes. I'm back, Mother. I'm sorry I didn't come before. I'm so sorry,"

She shakes her head vigorously and shushes me. "None of that matters now. You're here now. You're here now."

She pulls me back in for a hug and I bury my face in her neck, just like when I was a child. I feel her kiss me behind my ear and I start laughing just because I'm so relieved.

She takes my hand and caresses my face once more before guiding me towards her guard, who are all looking at us with smiles on their faces.

They all look the same. After all, time has no effect in our bodies.

Venelia looks at me and bows her head slightly, "Welcome home, Princess"

"Thank you, Venelia. It's nice to see you again. It's nice to see all of you again."

Mother instructs her guard to go back to the palace and inform the council of my return and to also make the preparations necessary for my stay.

"Mother, I'm not here to stay. I'm only staying for 4 days. I wish I could remain longer but I have a mission to complete."

The disappointment is clear on her face. I can also see pain in the realization that if it weren't for my mission, I wouldn't have come.

She nods and looks at me. "Before you can tell me how I can help you, my love, I know you have questions and you deserve those answers." She opens her arms wide. "Considering this beach is where it all started, I think is fitting for us to have that conversation here."

I look around and I can almost see everything play out frame by frame. This is where it all started.

"I only have one question, Mother." I turn to look at her, feeling a sense of frustration. "Why did you lie to me about who I was?"

Her eyes shine with unshed tears as she answers almost immediately, as if she had been practicing for a long time what she would say to me.

"When I found out what Zeus' plan was, I thought you would be just what He intended you to be, a weapon. I never thought of you as a living and breathing creature until the day you were born. When I first held you, the overwhelming love I felt for you was almost paralyzing," - Her hand goes to rest on her chest – "And the realization that you were meant to fight Ares, potentially to the death, almost made me crazy with fear."

I was taught that the connection between Mother and child is like no other. The bond that unites them from the moment the fetus' senses are developed will never be matched by any other. It is up to both Mother and child to maintain that bond, but I always wondered, could the Father create the same powerful bond?

I never asked because I didn't have a Father, but now that I do, I wonder if He ever felt like my Mother.

"Gods can sense each other. So I concluded that if you didn't develop your powers, then Ares wouldn't be able to find you. I debated with myself constantly and so many times I came so close in telling you the truth, but then I would see how unburdened your soul was and the innocence in your eyes was so great, I couldn't bring myself to take that away from you.

But I underestimated the power of nature and from a young age you started showing a thirst for knowledge like no other. Who you were deep inside was asking for more. Antiope knew that, and I ignored it."

At the mention of Antiope, my aunt, my teacher, my savior, I can't help but feel the pain of her absence, my eyes moving to the spot where she died in my arms.

"She would tell me all the time 'a scorpion must sting, a wolf must hunt and little girls must grow'." She looks at me. "I didn't want you to grow up too fast. You were a child. That's what I wanted you to be. But Antiope was right to defy my orders and train you. If it weren't for her, I don't know what would've become of you."

I shake my head, not knowing what would've happened had she not trained me as hard as she did.

"I made a mistake. I recognize that. I accept that. But I do not regret protecting you. You are my daughter and I will do everything in my power to make sure you are safe. Even if it means giving my life for yours."

I turn my head sharply at her last remark. "Don't say that. I lost Antiope and Steve. If I lost you too I would not be able to take it. Even as powerful as I am, I would not be strong enough to continue."

She frowns at the mention of Steve. I look straight at her, silently conveying what he meant to me. She tilts her head to the right with understanding.

"You fell in love with him."

I nod and the fresh waves of pain hit me all over again. "You were right about men, Mother. But not everyone is like that. Steve was good and all he wanted was to protect people. He sacrificed himself to save the lives of millions and there was nothing I could do to stop him."

I choke on my words, the tears spilling freely from my eyes now.

"I made a promise to him after he died that I would stay and protect mankind. I would continue not only mine, but his mission. That's the reason I couldn't come back. I was keeping my promise to him. I couldn't leave. I couldn't,"

She hugs me and I practically collapse into her. I'm not sure how long I stayed in her arms, her comforting touch a remainder that right now, on this island, I don't have to be the strong one. I allow myself to be comforted by the woman who did and gave everything for me.

I'm not exactly sure when we sat down on the sand, but that's where we are now. My head resting on her shoulder, her head resting on mine, feeling a sense of serenity that I wish I could bottle and take with me back to Paris.

"I hope you can forgive me one day, Diana." She tells me softly.

I raise my head slowly to avoid hitting her and I look at her. "There's nothing to forgive, Mother. How can I blame you for wanting what's best for me? I should be the one asking for your forgiveness for not coming home. All these years not knowing if I had survived the battle with Ares? I can't even imagine what that must have felt like."

She smiles at me and takes my hand. "I may not be a God, Diana, but I could sense that you were still very much alive. And I'll say the same thing to you, there's nothing for you to apologize. You were keeping a promise and performing your duty as protector of mankind. I feel nothing but pride, my love."

I nod and remember I haven't told her why I'm here. "He came to me in a dream, Mother. Zeus. My Father. He was the one who told me to come to Themyscira."

Her eyes widen in disbelief. "What?! He came to you… That means he's strong enough now. What did he say to you?"

"He said that a great evil is coming. Someone named Steppenwolf and he's coming with an army of Parademons to look for devices called Mother Boxes, very powerful technology that he must not get his hands on. He said I would be able to find everything I need here. What can you tell me about them?"

She shakes her head in confusion. "I'm sorry, Diana. I don't know what you're talking about. I have no knowledge of anyone by that name, and I've never heard of Parademons or Mother Boxes."

Now it's my turn to look confused. "Then why would he tell me I would find what I need here?"

She thinks it over. "One of the things that always bothered me about Gods is that they never speak without some riddle or hidden message. Maybe he meant something else? Maybe he told you to come so you could train some more. Are you aware of your powers? Or have you just tapped into them?"

"In man's world, the powers that I have control over now are more than enough, so no, I haven't really been able to discover the extent of them. I know I can fly, but I'm only able to hover. I believe I have the ability to manipulate air, just because on really hot summers when I'm walking down the street and I wish there was some air, just by thinking it a current manifests itself. I know I can generate thunderbolts, but I don't do it often because it exhausts me, but I can manipulate them should someone throw some at me."

Mother is looking at me with fascination, her smile growing bigger and bigger.

"What?", I ask feeling a little self conscious.

"You, my daughter, are a wonder,"

I laugh at the choice of adjective. "You know that's what they call me out there. Wonder Woman,"

She laughs, putting her arm around me and pulling me closer. "Well, they're not wrong. Wonder Woman. It suits you."

AN: Did you feel like I capture Queen Hippolyta convincingly enough? Did you like the reunion? Tell me all about it, please! I spent a lot of time writing and rewriting that conversation trying to get it right. Hopefully I succeeded somewhat! Until Friday with some more Steve/Diana!