This and the next chapter are extremely short. But they mainly serve the purpose of transition to the next phase of this long process.
Themyscira…
The island was quiet. No, calm. Peaceful, even. The dawn of a new day. Reds paled to pinks and purples transformed to blues as the sun rose above the horizon. This was the moment Hippolyta adored the most; the waking of her queendom before the tasks of the day. Her simple joy turned to sorrow soon after. She blinked away her tears then wiped the escapees with the pad of her right thumb.
"You are troubled." Hippolyta hummed out a sad smile at the voice behind her.
"How could I not be? Six months since this sacred island was desecrated by war and death, yet it has yet to heal." Delicate yet strong hands, rested on the banister to the queen's left. The rising sun caused her companion's skin to glow. Her helmet gleamed as if made of gold and not bronze and her robe of crimson showed-off the copper thread sown in great detail. Never had Athena been more beautiful to Hippolyta than in that moment.
"You let your mind wander, Hippolyta." Athena peeked over at the blushing queen.
"My apologies," she replied with a step back. The goddess reached out and grasped her forearm.
"No need to. I know what I look like, though this does not compare to my form in battle."
The shy smile Hippolyta wore fell away. "You are dressed for war." Athena released her.
"I am."
"If I may ask, why?"
A sullen displeasure transformed the female personification of war and wisdom. "The battle on Themyscira may have ended. The war, however, has yet to be over. Olympus must prepare."
"What can I do to help?" Athena's features softened as she reached out and caressed Hippolyta's face.
"Heal, queen of Paradise Island. Revel in the gift of Hera. This war is beyond even the likes of the Amazons." There was so much Hippolyta wanted to ask but the second she blinked, Athena vanished. She released a heavy breath and beheld the beauty gifted to her as refuge thousands of years ago. If this was where her focus needed to be then here she would keep it.
X
The soft whiz of arrows filled the air between the melodious songs of Themyscira's native creatures. Epione, the resident physician of Paradise Island stood with charcoal and tablet as she observed the athleticism of her Amazonian sister, Artemis.
"Are you sure I am fully healed? My aim is not what it used to be." The blonde noted where each of the tall red-head's arrows landed. Out of five arrows fired, three smattered around the middle ring and two on the inner ring.
"No, it's improved," Epione muttered.
"What was that?"
"Try again. Perhaps you're over thinking it." Artemis replanted her feet and drew back her sixth and final arrow. Her she took a deep breath then released it until there was no air left. Her heart beat slow but steady as she stared down the bullseye with her right eye.
THUNK!
"Yes!"
Epione adjusted the grip on her stone tablet and chuckled. "The goddess Artemis herself would not be able to defeat your aim." Artemis's chest puffed with pride at the doctor's compliment. That is until an arrow whizzed by her chest. It splintered through the central arrow and pierced the target to where only half of it sat exposed.
"Don't be so sure."
Epione smiled then bowed at the presence of their princess, Artemis echoing her actions. "Your highness."
Diana returned the greeting then glanced at Artemis with a smirk, the red-head visibly upset over the defeat. "Oh, don't be a sore loser, Artemis. You of all Amazons should know the importance of humility. Or have those lessons you've been giving the younger generation a falsity?"
"Of course not," she replied with a bowed posture. Diana waved it off before she reloaded her bow. The arrow cut the air and split the one at the top of the target. She did it four more times to each of Artemis's arrows. Epione tried and failed to suppress her giggle at the display of marksmanship.
Diana set her bow and quiver on the table with the other weapons. "Afternoon, my sisters."
"Afternoon, princess," the two answered, Artemis echoing Epione again. Once Diana was out of earshot, the physician let out a long whistle and chuckled at the sight before her. "You were always better with a sword," she said over her shoulder.
"Oh, shut-up."
X
Major Steve Trevor's tenor laugh vibrated the mirror Diana used as a screen. She occupied the grand library of the palace surrounded by books, tomes, manuscripts, and maps the Amazons collected over the millennia; a rival to the Library of Congress. On the other side of the mirror Steve sat in his 15 feet by 15 feet office lined with bookshelves, degrees, and paintings.
"I wish I could have been there."
"Me too." The crinkles around Steve's eyes smoothed out as did Diana's. He inhaled a slight breath but Diana cut him off with, "I know. I wish you could be here too. The law is unchanging. Bringing you on the island was a rare occasion only allowed by the queen and goddess Hera."
"I miss you, Diana. I haven't seen you since the battle."
"I miss you too, Steve. Don't worry. The moment Wonder Girl returns home I'll be back in the states." This brought a smile to Steve's face.
"Good. Can't let my best girl go on too long without me." Diana rolled her eyes but didn't bother to hide the smile that graced her lips. "I love you, Princess Diana of Themyscira."
"I love you too, Major Steven Rockwell Trevor of the United States." Steve chuckled then waved goodbye before ending their connection. Diana stepped away from the mirror and sat at the edge the study table closest to her.
On the third floor of the palace, facing the rolling sea, was Diana's room. In the bright morning of the day at the edge of the cliffs, no one saw the aggressive burst of wind pushed against the balcony doors. A pure white light appeared midair at the center of the balcony; no larger than the size of a penny and grew to three centimeters in diameter before collapsing on itself. Next time, it would not collapse.