Torch at the Crossroads: Act II

Author's Note: Thanks for all the well wishes and good juju in advance of the hurricane! We are staying put, so we'll see how it goes. Thankfully, working on this has been a good outlet for my anxiety the last few days. I just have to say, everyone has such wonderful diverse opinions on what they want to see, but I hope that you'll all like where this goes. I know some characters haven't had a chance to talk with Diana much yet "onscreen", but as we get further into the season, I promise there are some AWESOME scenes coming up. Also, thanks to Jennifer for catching a typo. My beta and I missed it four times and that stuff always bugs me. It's fixed. :D

A good night's sleep was a misnomer in space, but the restorative effects were still just as potent. After eight hours of silence and honest rest, Diana felt refreshed. With the ship well on its way to the next destination at warp speed, she was ready for another day. Another day of searching out the unknown.

Another day watching the man who looked and sounded every bit like Steve commanding his ship while never knowing why Diana simultaneously gravitated towards him and pulled away.

Menalippe had urged her not to rule as her mother, but to be her own sovereign. She wondered what the general thought of her now. Would she still stand beside her, an ever-present voice reminding Diana that looks were deceiving? Even now, as Diana slipped on the Federation uniform and carefully set her lasso on its hook under the jacket. Would her advisor tell her that she was right to be cautious while simultaneously telling her to open her heart to others?

You still do not know if he is who he says he is. Her mother's voice echoed in her mind, as if she were standing right beside her daughter.

Perhaps that was why Diana felt as she did. For every day that went by where she could appreciate Captain James T. Kirk, another passed where words and expression rang all too familiar and sent her reeling. True, the days between those reminders had grown, and she had found that certain mannerisms meant differently when Jim did them, but… it wasn't fair to keep pushing him away, not when she found herself easily falling into flirtatious conversation. Nor was it very like her. She had come to know her own heart intimately since leaving THemyscira the first time.

But, perhaps that was the issue. To see Jim, to think of Steve… it returned her to a time when she loved so openly. When it had ended in tragedy, and in this case, perhaps she felt discretion was the better part of valor.

Diana passed her desk as she left the bedroom and her feet stilled. Steve's watch still sat on the surface, staring back at her as if to remind her that she could not escape her past. She could not escape him anymore than she could escape the eerie unease that had settled over her during the Althean banquet.

It was not just the commonality of seeing Steve everywhere she went on this ship, simply because he shared a visage with Jim.

The ritual, the culture of the Altheans; They all reminded her of a goddess, fearsome and powerful, that the Amazons only invoked when in need of great power. She, too, had been called a goddess of magic. She, too, had been the goddess of the crossroads.

Diana did not dare speak her name. She wondered if doing so would summon her from the depths of the unknown. If not the goddess herself, certainly the witch that had once plagued Diana over the years.

There were too many coincidences. The Altheans looked like Gorgons, the race of creatures that Medusa had hailed from. It had been well over two centuries since Diana had hewn Medusa's head from her shoulders on the streets of Paris. Like so many things, it felt both like another lifetime and also as if it had happened yesterday.

But, every time she tried to move forward, another reminder appeared from her past. This one was not nostalgic and bittersweet, however. The Altheans shared a god with one of Diana's greatest enemies.

Diana could only pray that the witch Circe was long gone. The woman who had freed Medusa, who had tried to steal her godly powers to turn the people against the Justice League… She was evil.

And she had not been the only one of Diana's enemies to use the past against her.

Sighing, she tapped a button on the desk and a drawer slid open. Carefully, she pulled free a small box with the Starfleet insignia engraved upon it. Upon arriving on the Enterprise, she had kept Steve's watch with her without fail. It was either in a pocket or in the pouch normally kept on her belt.

But, this… it was too fragile. She had nearly left it on Themyscira when she grabbed her armor. It had been a split-second decision to slip the carefully preserved image into the large pouch that sat at the back of her hip that day. No sooner than she had been given quarters, she had placed it in this box and thanked the Kryptonians that their crystal technology was far more sturdy than glass.

Diana opened the lid.

With the care of that same lover so many years ago, Diana pulled the picture free. The Kryptonian crystal lattice had kept the image in pristine condition, but nothing could sharpen that which wasn't there. The image, each of them blurred yet utterly unique, brought her back to Veld for just a moment. It was a pale reminder, but it was all she had.

Life had seemed so simple then. She could not have known the price of eternity. How could she have understood that fate had seen fit to give her Steve once, then take him away, and now… torture her with reminders.

She couldn't shake the sensation that she was on the Enterprise because it was her duty to be. She had begun to forge friendships without trying, but it didn't change the fact that circumstances continued to purposely throw her at Jim specifically.

Her mother would have told her that the gods could be cruel. That they looked down on the fragility and infinitesimal span that was human life, and they played with it for fun.

Antiope would have told her to listen to her gut. To listen to that same voice that told her of power beyond her understanding long before she tapped into it.

But, how to know which way the scales would tip? Friend or foe? Coincidence or destiny? Reward or punishment?

You always expect the battle to be fair. A battle will never be fair.

Antiope's lesson had been taught well and with great impact. She had taught Diana to always be on her guard.

The first step of being on one's guard was to take stock in the situation and to learn what the enemy did not wish for you to know. If she wanted to wrestle the serpent of her conflicted heart, she would need to face the truth. She would never find solutions wandering aimlessly from ambassadorial mission to mission. She would need to seek them out.

And she knew just the man to help her.

Leonard "Bones" McCoy had not started his morning near as well as he would have liked. First, he'd dropped a damn cup of coffee on himself and had to change uniforms before he even left his quarters. Then, he found out someone - probably one of the nurses - had "borrowed" one of his medical kits and broken the tricorder. Finally, he had to have a very difficult discussion with one of the young ensigns in security. Starfleet had rules about families on board ships, and he didn't much look forward to coaching her on her options once they got back to Yorktown in a couple of months.

His scowl most likely looked like he'd done that so long his face froze that way.

As the doors to the sickbay hissed open, he steeled himself for what was probably going to be another lecture from Scotty about how long it was going to take before he could get half of his medical bay back. Instead, he caught sight of shapely legs and striking features that reminded him that some days the Enterprise made dreams come true.

"Ambassador Prince," Bones greeted with an easy smile, his morning troubles forgotten. He set his medical padd down and walked out of his office to greet her. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. I thought for sure you'd be sleeping for a week. From the way Uhura told it, you were quite the social butterfly."

Bones had a discerning eye for a beautiful woman, but an even more discerning one for a beautiful mind. Diana was both of those things, and he knew damn well why Jim had been more than his usual friendly self in recent months. The captain was smitten. Hell, even Bones was a bit smitten. Something told him that Diana wasn't interested. Not in him, at least. Jim, on the other hand…

The doc had a feeling the Ambassador saw Jim as more than just her benchmark on humanity's progress.

"It was a very illuminating meeting, yes," Diana conceded, flashing him a grin. "But, I assure you, I'm fine. I just needed a bit of sleep."

Arching an eyebrow, Bones watched as she made her way across the sickbay towards one of the medical beds. "So, then, what brings you into my humble corner of the ship?"

"You asked me if you could run a full physical when I came aboard." She kept her eyes on the biobed, running her fingers over the padding as if examining it. "At the time, I wasn't sure I wanted to. But, now that I've been here and I do not see myself leaving in the near future, I agree that you have every right to know how to treat me." She chuckled and glanced up at him. "Not that I foresee any malady striking me that I would not heal naturally from."

Bones sighed, amazed that she could have so easily mastered the art of the backhanded compliment. "Yeah, well, that whole healing thing you've got going is all the more reason to let me take a look at you. I don't suppose you ran genetic and spectral analyses on your own DNA while you were on Themyscira with all your fancy Kryptonian tech, did you?" The look she gave him was guilty. "That's what I thought. Let me guess: You're a god and you don't need anyone else telling you different."

"No, actually." Diana turned to face him fully. Her expression had slid from amusement to troubled. Bones felt his heart twist a little at the idea that he'd done that. "I didn't want anyone to tell me I was different." A sad chuckle escaped her lips in a puff of air. "You see, I spent so long wanting to be an Amazon, then when I realized I wasn't, I tried to be just like anyone else on Man's World. The truth is, I've never been any of the things I wish to be, so I didn't want the painful reminder."

Bones tried to hide his slack-jawed surprise at the notion that a god wouldn't be too keen on bein' a god and went to grab a medical kit. "The way Spock talks about the Vulcan lifespan, you'd think he was immortal. He doesn't seem too upset by it."

"He's young." She said. "He may be an old soul, but he's still young compared to me. It can be taxing to persist when all around you eventually fades."

Bones scoffed as he rummaged through a drawer for a set of vials for extraction. "Oh, it's 'taxing', she says. As if that isn't the most damn depressing thing I've heard all day."

"Don't let it upset you, Doctor. I don't regret the friendships I made, the people I loved. It's just that… it can be easy to get lost in the dream that I, too, may grow old with them."

Bones turned to look over at her to find her seated on the biobed. It occurred to him - quite suddenly - that he wasn't so sure he wanted to hear this. It wasn't that he wasn't curious. But, it felt strange to have the woman that had used Jim as her confidant suddenly waxing poetic before him. He had no desire to fill Jim in on any of this. Might tarnish his rosy view of her. "Maybe you will. One day. I've got the latest medical technology that Starfleet has to offer, so we could probably put a dot on that date."

She shook her head, clearly amused at what she probably saw as arrogance. Bones saw it as determination. "You can try."

"As far as I'm concerned, sweetheart, you're just another long-lived alien with some interesting strength and durability perks." Bones replied smoothly as he pulled the tricorder sensor free from its casing and began a slow sweep of her vitals. His eyes flicked from the screen up for a moment and he was satisfied to see he'd brought a smile to her face.

"Then, I hope I can trust in your confidence. I've never been quite as… overly cautious as some of my other colleagues in sharing information about my genetics, but I did not want to see my abilities become Augmentations." For a moment, Bones had nearly forgotten she knew about Khan and his pack of wolves more intimately than anyone living did today.

He set the tricorder sensor down for a second and stood straight. "Diana. On and off the record, I will never share anythin' about you that you don't want me to. But, if we run into some strange infection that you're immune to and no one else is, I'm gonna try to figure out why. Starfleet Medical is about the survival and treatment of all species. You'd be on that list. Not to be exploited, but to be treated with the best care I have." Bones liked to play the surly old curmudgeon, but anyone who knew him more than a day could tell that he was dedicated to the medical profession and the oaths he took.

From the look on his patient's face, she'd realized the same. "Thank you, Leonard."

He cleared his throat and grabbed the sensor, determined not to end up somehow being confidante for both the captain and resident ambassador. He wasn't too sure Diana would appreciate his curmudgeonly nature quite as much. "Don't mention it. Now, I'm gonna do a full sweep of your vitals and take a sample of your blood so I can run some cellular and molecular-level tests. My guess is that your cells are gonna make Khan's look like child's play."

"When I left Man's World, cellular and molecular analysis was still relegated to highly specialized research." She'd gone right back to being amused. In the time he'd worked with her, Bones had quickly begun to realize that seemed to be her default reaction to humanity's advancement. "And now you can run complicated scans with this thing." She pointed to the sensor, then sighed. "I have so much I still need to learn if I'm going to keep up with everyone. I can't even pilot a shuttle."

Bones scoffed. "It ain't all roses. Believe me, I know how transporters work and I still hate the damn things."

"You know, the first time I came to London after leaving Themyscira, I thought it was hideous." She grinned. "But, everything has its charm. In going to London, I then got to ride a train and I loved trains."

The doctor barked out a laugh as he finished the last of his tricorder sweep. "Combustible coal engines? Do you have any how much of a death trap those things were?"

"You are very obsessed with how one can die, Doctor McCoy."

"Well, occupational hazard," He shrugged. He didn't particularly care to explain why his humor was as dry as the deserts of New Vulcan. Instead, he pivoted the conversation back to her original point. "If you want to learn how to pilot, I'm sure Sulu would be willing to give you a couple of lessons."

"He has mentioned it, yes. I see very little of him, unfortunately." Diana was watching him as he pulled a vial and a micro-syringe. "His schedule has him on duty most of the day when I am free to roam."

"Well," Bones locked the vial and glanced up at her. "I'm sure if you asked Jim, he'd make an exception, shift the schedule around a bit." He motioned to her arm and she pulled off her jacket so she could expose her shoulder. "With Chekov gone, we've got a rotating navigator. Might not be a bad idea to see how other crewmembers work with each other."

"I wouldn't take advantage of my friendship with the captain just to chat with his pilot." She said with a smile before going quiet as he worked.

Bones couldn't help but smile at the surprised look on her face when he drew a vial of blood without leaving a mark. "Micro-syringe. Allows individual blood cells to be extracted in between skin cells. And the hyposprays I carry allow me to program the individual molecular structures of any medication I need to dispense, including dosage."

"You're crafting medication by the molecule?" She asked, eyes wide with genuine appreciation.

"More of this cutting edge technology mankind was cooking up prior to the war. Unfortunately, it took well into our time working with the Vulcans after First Contact before we figured it out." Bones finished extracting another vial with a press of the hypo to her shoulder and a quick hiss. "But, the stuff you probably thought of as experimental is still from the dark ages as far as I'm concerned."

Bones finished with the second vial and pulled back so he could unlock it and set it onto the tray beside him. When he turned back to her, he realized the ambassador had gone quiet. One hand was on her shoulder, rubbing the spot where he'd extracted. She seemed to be staring at a spot on the floor or past him. Nowhere in particular. "Diana?" He prompted for her attention.

"Leonard, I have a question for you." Diana closed her eyes. She seemed to be steeling herself for whatever question it was. Bones wasn't too sure he wanted to know what it was. "But, I have to ask that I have your confidence. You cannot tell anyone - including Jim - what I am about to ask you."

Red alert klaxons went off in his mind and his eyebrows shot up. "What in blazes are you about to ask me that I can't tell Jim about? He's not just the captain, he's my best friend. I don't appreciate being put in the middle - "

"Consider it doctor-patient confidentiality, then, but I cannot speak to him about this until I have the answers I seek. And I think you could help me with them." Bones hated this. He hated everything she was asking of him, and he didn't even know the damn question yet. But, her expression was pained. Reluctant. "Bones," She added. "Please."

Sighing, he stepped away from her and wheeled his tray towards his office while he mulled over the request. When he spoke again, he tried to keep the bite out of his voice. "Whatever you're about to ask me: Does it involve the safety or health of anyone on this ship? Is this something that could put them in danger?"

Diana slipped off of the biobed and put her jacket back on. "Yes, and no. It is about a particular crewmember, but there's no health risk."

Bones arched an eyebrow, lips pursed. "That's specific." He said sarcastically.

She crossed the distance between him with purpose, pulling something free from the jacket's breast pocket. "This is very old, so I would ask that you be quite gentle with it. But, given the advancements in your technology and understanding of genetics, I am hopeful you will have an answer." It was an old earth photograph. He could tell by the sepia tones - although he'd not seen any frame quite like this one.

Bones took it without a word, scrutinizing the grainy figures in the picture. The central figure was Diana, to be sure. But, the man beside her… on her left… The resemblance wasn't just uncanny, it was Jim. It had to be.

"I'll be damned." He swore, then cast his gaze back up at Diana. "What the hell am I looking at?"

"That man - the one who I am sure you realize looks very much like Jim - was the man who crashed on Themyscira and told me of the War to End All Wars. His name was Steve Trevor. He was an American spy assigned to British Intelligence and he… we were very close."

"You were lovers." Bones said. It didn't take a medical degree to draw that conclusion from the way she was talking about him. What she didn't say was certainly present in how she was saying it.

"Briefly. We didn't… have much time." Her voice briefly disappeared. He had to wonder how many times she'd told this guy's story. Had she ever? If it was so long ago, maybe she'd buried it along with all the other muck people did in times of war. "When I fought Ares, he was the man who sacrificed himself so that the Germans could not bomb London. He gave everything so that the war would end."

Bones could see the way her eyes warmed with tears. Buried, sure. But, certainly not healed from it, that was for sure. And she wanted him to keep that secret. "Why haven't you told Jim?"

Diana laughed a bit, shrugging. "What is there to say? He isn't Steve. He is Jim Kirk, captain of the Enterprise."

"For us, but for you he probably feels like a ghost."

"I have now had several weeks to remind myself of the distinction. I have done everything I can to see him as his own person."

Bones motioned to the photo in his hand. "You hung onto this thing for 300 years, you can't tell me it's for nostalgia."

"For a long time, it was all I ever had of him." She breathed. "And I spent so long away from Earth that I thought he was my past. But, that is not why I told you."

"Why are you telling me this? Especially since I'm not the one who needs to know." Bones didn't need to say it. He could tell by her conflicted expression that she knew Jim had a right to the information.

"I've had people - godly and mortal - try to use my past against me. Some of them have been… quite insidious. They're willing to play the long game, as it were." There was vulnerability there. Again, Bones really wished he had not been asked to keep her confidence on this. Everything told him that Jim needed to know, and fast. "I can't be sure that this isn't another deception."

Bones balked. "Like what? He's Jim. I've known the kid since he went into the academy, we've spent years together. He's a real person, Diana, same as you and me."

"I know he's real. And I know he's not Steve." She said firmly. She extended her hand, motioning for the photo. When he handed it back, she cast another look down at the relic before putting it back in her jacket pocket. "But, he looks exactly like him and he sounds just like him. And I know their personalities are not the same. Similar, but Jim has..." She seemed to be searching for the words. "It's complicated."

Or it's personal and you don't want to talk about it. Bones thought. I'd bet good money you've got no idea how you feel about him, either.

"It sounds a bit… far-fetched, that's all I'm saying." He finally conceded, hoping for a bit more gentle touch to a delicate situation. "And I'm... still trying to figure out why you came to me."

That seemed like the right thing to say. Diana's vulnerability disappeared in an instant. For a moment, Bones wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed. He wanted to get to know her, he just didn't like the idea of keeping any of this from his best friend. "You mentioned that you have such sophisticated technology that I hoped you could help me ease some of my doubts."

He nodded, mouthing a silent 'Oh' as he understood. "You want to know if he's related to this guy?"

"No. I know he isn't. Steve's family never survived World War II. I eventually looked them up, but the line ended with them." She shrugged. "So, I know he can't be Steve's descendant. The question is, how could he look exactly like him? Is there a scientific explanation, or should I be concerned that there is something more nefarious at work? Perhaps - to you - he's always been Jim, but you don't know what some of my enemies have done."

Bones let out a low whistle as he thought that through. "You're asking the skeptic to tell you that this isn't some sort of magic mumbo-jumbo designed to torture you. Well…" He shrugged. "I can only tell you what I know. "

"Which is?"

He pulled a chair up and took a seat, then motioned for Diana to do the same. When she did, he touched a few buttons on his console and brought up a display. There were two people: They looked nearly identical but they were not related. "It's happened throughout history before. People look almost the same, but they're not related one bit. The genetics are different, the DNA is different, but the pieces all come out the same. It's like baking different pies every day and somehow, one day you get angel food cake and the next day you get pound cake that looks just like your angel food cake."

"So, it's possible that it's… an anomaly. A coincidence." He wasn't sure she was excited about that proposition. To be fair, what answer would you want to hear, Leonard? Doesn't seem like there's a good outcome to pick.

"You asked for a scientific cause. I'm saying it probably is." Bones paused, debating whether or not to possibly insult her. He chose to go for it anyway. "I'm telling you there's a reasonable explanation. If he looks like this Steve guy, then it's because the ingredients baked in the similar mold, not because of some magic hand of Fate."

She nodded, but otherwise didn't respond. Instead, her hands ran along her bracelets. She probably didn't believe him, but who was he to argue with a woman who said she was the daughter of Zeus? It wasn't his job to figure out all the mysteries of the universe. Just a small corner of them. On occasion.

"Look…" Bones began, then stopped himself, trying to figure out how to phrase this best for her. "Jim's an understanding guy. He gets to know everyone on this ship, and you're no exception. It's just the kind of guy he is. But, if you don't tell him about this and someone else does, it will hurt him." She opened her mouth to reply, but he kept going. "And I am sure you've been able to guess that he's infatuated with you because he does not hide his interest. But, that's not nearly as important to him as making sure that you feel welcome and accepted here. That you feel like part of the family. And if he thinks that you're only here because he looks like your dead ex-boyfriend, he'll back off. He'll think that's what you want and he won't ask you."

"How I feel is not his choice," She said, brow furrowed in confusion. "And an uncanny resemblance doesn't mean that I'm not capable of seeing that he's not Steve - "

"You don't need to tell me that, you need to tell him." He insisted. "I'm guessing that's why you came to me. You could have looked this up in our database, but you didn't want to hear it from a computer. You wanted to hear it from someone who's known Jim a lot longer than you. And I'm telling you right now - if you tell him about Steve and you explain why it was so hard to talk about, he will try to understand and he'll certainly respect however you feel." The way her brow furrowed more, he had a feeling she wasn't even sure she knew how she felt. "Whatever that is," He added, hoping that would help.

Bones, this is why you're not a damn counselor, He thought ruefully. He didn't mind the role, but sometimes, it just made things more complicated. He wanted to help. Hell, if he thought giving her a hug wouldn't have landed him across the room, he would.

"I do enjoy his company." Diana finally conceded. "But, with this doubt hanging over my head, I couldn't let my guard down. And I will tell him. I just need to figure out how." She chuckled, a smile finally gracing her features again. "To be honest, I've found he has a unique skill in steering me out of conversational topics about him that won't involve his career or the Federation at large."

"He's good at that. He likes to learn about other people, but he's not too keen on sharing his own past. He is the definition of curiosity." He said, recalling all too well how long it had taken for Jim to share anything with Carol. And ultimately, that had been one of many reasons why those two hadn't worked out.

"I feel as though I know him, as a person. I know his heart." Diana shrugged. "But, for someone so open…"

"Security to Sickbay!" The general call over the intercom cut their conversation short.

The doctor stood and flipped the switch on the wall to activate the comm. "McCoy here. What's going on?"

"We have a medical emergency in Crew Quarters! It's Crewman Harper!"

Bones felt his heart drop into his stomach, exchanging a furtive glance with Diana. "On my way."

The conversation between them ceased the moment the call had come regarding Harper, but Diana's mind still raced and strove to process and compartmentalize all she and McCoy had discussed. The doctor hadn't bothered to ask if she would stay in the Sickbay; he just assumed she'd want to go.

The two of them were silent on the turbolift ride to crew quarters. Just as well. She didn't know what to say, or how to continue the train of thought they had been on.

Instead, she tried to focus on the key revelations in the few quiet moments before they found out what precisely had happened to the crewman.

It was possible that Jim Kirk was simply a doppelganger. A genetic anomaly where certain genes arranged themselves in similar patterns. Nothing more. It wasn't likely, but it was possible.

But, was that what she wanted?

She would tell Jim. As soon as there was a quiet moment, she would explain their similarities and their differences. She would apologize for what nearly happened in the gardens on the Yorktown. She still wasn't sure she knew her own mind. She had learned to treat him as Jim, not Steve, but her heart still raced when she caught him looking at her, and his interest was not just flattering… it was desired.

But, did she want him or Steve?

In a way, it had been a comfort to think he had merely inherited Steve's physical attributes. It meant that there was no god of death or witch boy bringing back this figure from her past to use as a weapon. But, it had been a feeble hope. A wish, perhaps, that Steve had returned in some form.

But, it was all coincidence. Jim and Steve, the Altheans and their likeliness to Medusa. If those could be coincidences, then she gained nothing by holding that information back from Jim. They could never have a truly honest friendship if she held that out of reach. She could let herself… feel. She could make him laugh, they could talk about the mysteries of the universe and she could… see where things could possibly lead.

Maybe.

The turbolift doors opened and McCoy raced down the corridor. Diana followed after, leaving her personal thoughts behind.

Instead, she focused on the destination. Crew Quarters. Presumably, something had happened to Harper while she was off-duty.

"Outta my way, outta my way!" McCoy was saying as he pushed a crowded pack of crewmen out of the way. All uniform colors, all worried faces.

Diana's feet slowed as she reached the group and McCoy disappeared into a doorway with Harper's name on the door plate.

Never ignore your gut, Diana. You will feel it in your bones. Antiope's voice came back to her. Somewhere on Themyscira, in the middle of the night, watching the Amazons leave the offerings to the goddess of magic. She had been a child then. But, she knew the ritual then was the same as the one that had been conducted on Althea. Amazons brought their offerings to Her table and turned away in the dark of the new moon. They never looked back. They mimicked the walk of Orpheus to bring Eurydice from Hades.

To walk from that table was to suggest they were walking from the handmaiden of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.

You will always feel Her touch in your bones. Magic that old chills the soul.

The goddess of Magic had a name. It was one Diana had only spoken once since those old days of ritual. She was worshipped by Circe, the lavender-haired witch who had been lover to Ares himself.

She was the patron of Medusa.

Diana slowly stepped into Crewman Harper's quarters, but felt as though she was treading through water. She came to a halt as she found McCoy hunched over a figure on the crewman's couch.

"I don't believe it…" McCoy was muttering as he ran his tricorder sensor over the figure. "It's not scientifically possible…"

Diana walked closer, stretching her hand out until she barely touched Harper's hand. She had been reaching for her now cold cup of coffee when it had happened.

She had been turned to stone.

Diana had hoped never to speak the goddess's name, but she knew her handiwork. She knew Medusa's curse.

"Hecate." No. The Altheans had only begun to practice the ritual in two hundred years. "Circe." She growled.

McCoy could keep his science. Magic was here.