Happy Monday, readers! Things start happening this chapter! Enjoy!
7
"So, what'd you do?" I repeat my question since I'm still curious.
"Dertiri disappeared. We looked everywhere for him, but we couldn't find him. We organized ourselves in search parties and looked for a long time before we stopped. I decided to continue by myself, some offered to come with me, but I refused to. I needed some time alone and I took advantage of the opportunity,"
I notice the corridor seems to be getting wider. I can sense something's off but I can't quite put my finger on it. It feels like someone or something is watching us…
"I walked and walked, keeping my eyes open for Dertiri. I found myself at the edge of Tartarus. It was horrible. I could hear the wailing of the titans. You've heard about the titans correct?"
She asks me, accepting I know close to nothing. "I've heard stories. Um, let's see…" I try to recall my history classes from high school. "The titans were imprisoned by Zeus. Yeah, that's all I have. I didn't know the souls of the damned went to the same place the titans were imprisoned though."
"Yes, all bad things go there. But like I was saying, I found myself there and I also found Eurynomos. He is one of the demons of the Underworld. That monstrosity eats the flesh of the corpses leaving only their bones."
My face scrunches up in disgust. "Please tell me Dertiri was not – " I'm physically unable to finish that sentence.
"No, of course not. Eurynomos eats corpses not souls," She says matter of factly.
"Of course." I cup my hands together and blow air into them trying to warm them up. I know I was glad before for the cold, but now I'm starting to remember why I didn't like it. I shove them back into my pockets.
"I kept my distance from the monster just in case and decided it would be wise to return and get away from the river. When I turned to leave, I saw Dertiri standing up against a wall, rocking back and forth, his forehead touching the rock. He was making no attempt to hide, standing there in plain view of Eurynomos. I ran up to him and grabbed him by the elbow, attempting to stir him away but he kept fighting me."
Antiope stops and starts looking around. She runs her left arm over her right one up and down. She looks at me and then back down at the corridor.
She feels the cold now.
We keep moving forward. "He started shouting nonsense back at me again. I tried to quiet him, but Eurynomos heard us. The demon started coming towards us slowly, its yellow eyes piercing, looking directly at us. I started shouting at Dertiri to move but he wouldn't. I didn't know what the demon would do to us or what he would've taken us to, so I grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him away.
I felt him take me by the wrist and I turned to look at him and he said: '6 days. When someone takes possession of the Mother Boxes, they will function for 6 days' Then he removed my hand from his arm and told me to go. He started walking towards Eurynomos and I went to take a step in his direction, but the demon screamed and a winged monster appeared from thin air and took Dertiri. His sacrifice allowed me to escape,"
I shake my head in disbelief. Even in death this Dertiri was trying to help. "Do you know what took him?"
"I believe he was taken by a fury,"
I can tell by the tone of her voice that it truly angered her that she wasn't able to do more for Dertiri.
"Then we'll make it back. Make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain." I tell her in an attempt to make her feel better.
She looks at me and nods, understanding what I'm trying to do. I'm about to tell her that I'm really starting to get cold when we're assaulted by the brightest light. Having being in the Underworld for a while now, our eyes have become accustomed to the dim light, so this sudden change threatens to blind us. Our hands shoot upwards trying to protect our eyes, but it's not exactly working. I turn to look at Antiope and I take her arm guiding her towards one of the pillars to my right, where we can hide behind while we understand what's happening.
Once we're somewhat protected, we rub our eyes and start looking around.
"What the hell is that?!" I ask her trying to make the spot I now see every time I blink disappear.
She leans to her left to try and see what's there, but she quickly takes cover again. "I don't know."
The light starts to slowly fade and we walk out from behind the pillar to see what lies beyond the light. At first I'm confused because I'm looking at something that seems to be upside down, but then we both stop dead in our tracks, because what we see is amazing. The crystal blue water, the white sand, the cliffs covered in green. Right in front of us lays Paradise Island, Themyscira. It's upside down, but that's undeniably Themyscira.
We stand there, mesmerized. It's like we're looking through a window, with the wrong side up, but a window nonetheless. We're in the Underworld, so I guess we're looking up at Themyscira, instead of down.
"It's been too easy," I hear Antiope say and I feel the spell I was in break.
"I agree. Did you feel like we were being watched too?" I feel a sense of dread making a hole in my chest.
She nods. "Yes."
I'm about to tell her that maybe we should just try to cross, that maybe little doggy was taking a nap, but I'm unable to because something ties around our ankles and pulls them backwards making us wipe out and land on our chests.
With a groan of pain, I flip onto my back and see the most terrifying and disgusting thing I've ever seen. Antiope described it to me earlier, so I'm able to recognize Cerberus immediately.
Her description of it was extremely accurate. I find myself staring into the eyes of one of the three heads this dog has. The snakes protruding from its back hiss menacingly at us, and I realize that it was snakes that wrapped around our ankles. I turn my head to the left to see Antiope looking directly to the other head.
"What do we do?!" I yell at her having no clue how to escape this thing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Cerberus is enjoying watching us struggle against the hold of our ankles. It's just watching us, tongue out, salivating, knowing that our escape is impossible.
Everything that happens next happens in a blink of an eye. Antiope reaches her hand into her boot and pulls out a knife that she passes over to me. Then she sits up and reaches behind her back to pull out another knife and she cuts through the snake around her ankle and I quickly copy her.
Cerberus lets out a bone-shattering growl. We stand up and make a run for it, towards Themyscira, but we are forced to move sideways as his jaws snap right at the place we had just been. We run towards the pillars, as the space between them and the wall is big enough for us to hide, but not big enough for Cerberus' mouth to fit, or any part of it for that matter.
It tries though, and I start to fear that the pillar might cave. We look around trying to find something that will help us, but if the long walk here taught us anything, is that there's nothing other than pillars and creepy paintings on the ceiling. It is at this point that I realize, much like in the hangar, that someone must stay behind in order for the rest to move forward.
"We need a distraction, Antiope," I don't need to say more. She understands perfectly well what I'm saying.
"No, we haven't tried everything yet."
Cerberus starts swiping at the bottom of the pillar to bring it down. Smart.
"There's nothing to try! Look around! It's flat terrain. We both know it has to be me. You have to let them know about the Mother Boxes. We can't both fail."
She shakes her head and screams in frustration, knowing I'm right. The information she has must be delivered.
"I will not fail, Captain. That's my promise to you." She tells me confidently, looking directly into my eyes.
I feel tears pooling at the bottom of my eyes. I can't believe I came this close to getting back to Diana. Maybe the time we did spend together was all we were meant to have, and every minute will be cherished until I cease to exist.
"When you see her, tell her I tried. Tell her I love her and that I'm sorry."
Antiope nods and hands me her knife. "I will. Try everything, Captain, until you can try no more."
I nod twice. I throw my head back and sniff. "I'll run behind it, the moment it turns its head towards me, run and don't look back. Got it?"
"Got it."
I gather all the courage I can muster and stand up, walking around the pillar. I take my shoe off and throw it hard over Cerberus. The sound of my shoe hitting the floor makes it turn, and with its head turned away from me, I run and skid under it. I come to a stop near its back right leg and I yell to Antiope,
"Now!" I grab one of the knives and stab it with all my strength in the paw. The blade disappears completely inside its flesh and it lets out a gut-wrenching roar.
Antiope runs from behind the pillar, Cerberus too distracted by the unexpected pain. She jumps through the window creating a ripple and just like that, she's gone.
"We need to exhaust every resource we have. Senator Acantha, inform the scholars and ask them to research the archives for any mention of Steppenwolf, Apokolips or Mother Boxes." Mother says from her position on top of the stairs of the throne room.
"Yes, my Queen. I shall assist them on the task,"
Mother nods. "Very well. Phillipus, you shall help Diana in her training. There is much she must learn in order to defeat this evil. I trust you are the right person to continue the training my dear sister and beloved General started,"
"It will be my honor, Your Majesty. Your Highness." She bows her head respectfully.
"The honor is all mine, Phillipus. I trust in you to help me achieve my full potential." I say to her knowing she's the woman for the job.
I look at the senators and high-ranking warriors in this room, and I feel that same determination I felt when I first came to the conclusion that Ares was wreaking havoc in man's world. The only difference is that this time I lack the innocence I had 100 years ago. I won't ever let myself be caught off guard like that again. It cost me much that time. I won't let it happen again.
"I thank you all for your willingness to help my daughter in her mission. Now let us not waste more time. Tomorrow we will meet ag –"
Mother is interrupted by the sudden shaking of the earth. It feels like an earthquake, but there are no earthquakes in Themyscira. I look at Mother and I see the confusion and terror at the unknown movement.
The doors of the throne room burst open and Venelia, followed by the rest of the Queen's guard come rushing in.
"Your Majesty, something's happening at the beach. We don't know what it is."
I turn to her and decide to follow her lead. She is my Queen after all.
"Let's go see before making any decisions. Are there any immediate dangers? Attackers?" She asks as she walks down the corridor, me at her side.
"No, Your Majesty. It's the sand, it's moving in a swirl."
"A swirl?" She repeats confused.
"Yes, the sentinels informed us that it started very small, they thought it was a regular swirl. But then it started growing, swallowing sand and just now the earth shook. We don't know if it is connected."
I start thinking back, trying to recall any time that something like this had happened, but nothing comes to mind. Themyscira has always been a peaceful place in every sense of the word.
"Was there anyone down by the beach?"
"No, Your Majesty. You and the Princess were the last ones there."
We exit the throne room and find our horses waiting for us. If it weren't for the confusing situation we're in, I would have hugged and kissed my horse. She looks as glorious as she did the last time I saw her. I once again find myself cursing the fact that I'm not wearing my armor. The belts of the saddle will definitely be digging into the skin of my calves. I get up nonetheless and follow my Mother with the Queen's Guard behind us to the beach to inspect this mysterious swirl.
Making our way around the cliff and through the stone archway into the beach, there's another 'earthquake' and the horses spook, but with a calming hand on their necks, they settle and we continue. Once we reach the area of the beach that's causing trouble, Mother transitions into a gallop and we now can see the unnatural event.
The swirl is aggressive and it's now big enough that it touches the water and it flows into it. We descend from our horses and start making our way to it.
Menalippe approaches us when we descend from our horses. "It just started turning faster, Your Majesty. I wouldn't get too close. It's increasing in size fast. We have never seen anything like this before."
Mother looks at and around the swirl and shakes her head. "No, we never have."
I think back to the times I made air currents happen. I did them without thinking about them, maybe if I focus enough...
"Mother, I could try and control the swirl. If it gets too big, it could put us in danger,"
She looks at me and thinks about it. "You told me you have no control over that particular skill. You don't know what toll it could put on your body. This is not the moment for you to experiment, Diana. We'll think of something else."
I feel like arguing, but this is not the moment to question her. So I nod and try to think of what else could be done. Maybe if I direct some thunder into the swirl, it'll make it stop.
"I could throw thun –"
BOOM
A huge explosion that came from the centre of the swirl throws us all backwards. We land hard on the sand. My ears ring and I can only hear the muffle voices of the Amazons as they try to understand what's going on. I immediately stand up and check on Mother, who is just as confused as everyone else. After I make sure she's unhurt, I stand up and start walking towards the place the swirl was. I hear Mother calling out for me, but I ignore her.
I walk across the cloud caused by the explosion and I'm left alone with my ears still ringing. I close my eyes and focus on making the cloud disappear. I feel the breeze I'm generating wipe my hair back and through the ringing in my ears, I hear the muffle sound of someone calling my name.
I stay focused on my task to clear the way for everyone to see, when I hear my name again. This time though, I open my eyes because that voice…
No, it can't be.
The desperation I feel seems to feed my powers and the cloud fades almost immediately. I stand frozen in my place, because the person I'm seeing is dead. She has been for 100 years. It can't be. It can't be.
"Diana," Antiope says with a gasp and she falls to her knees.
I run to her and manage to position myself behind her to stop her head from hitting the sand.
"Antiope?! Antiope! Hey, no, no, no! Open your eyes! Mother!" I turn my head to see her frozen in place, just like I was, but she soon runs towards us and kneels by her head.
"Antiope! By the Gods!" She takes off Antiope's headband and runs her hands through her blonde hair. "You're really here. You crazy woman, you escaped. You escaped!" She says with a laugh.
I look at Mother and then back down at Antiope. Escaped? From the Underworld? I have flashbacks to when I was a kid and my tutors would teach me about the 3 realms the world was divided into. Zeus ruled the sky, Poseidon the ocean and Hades the Underworld. I was told escaping from the Underworld came with great risks and the chances of succeeding were close to none.
I know Antiope, she wouldn't have defied the Gods for no reason. She's on a mission.
I laugh and take her hand. "I can't believe you're here. I've missed you so much." I start crying again, but this time I welcome the tears.
She is struggling to stay awake, but the smile on her face is as clear as day, "I have missed you dearly, Diana. Sister." She tries to sit up but groans in pain.
"What is it?" Mother asks concerned.
"My chest, where I was hit. It really hu – " She is interrupted by a violent cough. I help her sit up, so she doesn't choke.
I hear the hooves of horses and I turn to see that Menalippe has brought over the cart we use to transport the injured. She leaps from the cart and with the help of Venelia, they bring over the stretcher to take Antiope to the healer.
They are all staring in wonder at the miracle we're witnessing.
Menalippe kneels next to Antiope and says, "Welcome back, General. We're going to take you to Epione so she can examine you."
Antiope nods at Menalippe and Mother and I move her onto the stretcher. When we did, she let out an excruciating scream. That must be the price, I think. Relieving the injury that killed you without it actually killing you again. I look at my hands and there is no blood. I hope this is not permanent.
Mother and I follow Menalippe and Venelia as they place her gently on the back of the cart. I lean over Antiope and lay my hand on her cheek.
"We'll follow you, okay?"
Her eyes are closed but she nods. We all get on our horses and follow the cart to the infirmary.
I can't take my eyes away from Antiope's form on the cart. The woman who taught me all about battle, all about honor is back from the dead.
'You will find all you need in Themyscira'. Suddenly my Father's words make so much sense.
If only…
AN: I know! A bit of a cliffhanger there. What happened to Steve? Hope to see you Wednesday so you can find out!