Thoughts

"Speech"

Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.

Chapter 7: The Monkey and The Eagle III


The nerve of that...of that...boy! How dare he thrust his putrid lips upon my own! If not for Persephone's interference, I would've slain him where he stood! I need now only say the word to my sisters, and it shall be done.

Turning her gaze to the Amazons trudging a few meters ahead of her, Diana frowned. Her opponent had been defeated, but not by her hand. She had been cheated out of a proper conclusion to their fight. Following his descent into unconsciousness, Mala and Persephone had revealed themselves, emerging from the nearby shrubbery. A poison-tipped arrow, courtesy of a hydra's blood, had knocked the boy flat on his face. Hippolyta's guards had promptly scooped up Goku as they escorted the princess back to the city.

"Is there something wrong, princess?" Mala's pace slowed as she glanced over the hunched boy on her shoulders and looked at Diana, whose face was fixed in a scowl.

"Oh...nothing," Diana hastily replied, shaking her head as she cleared her mind. "Well, actually...there is one thing."

"Speak," Persephone urged. "What is it?"

"A-a m I in trouble? I-is mother angry with me?" Diana's voice wavered slightly with each syllable she uttered. For all her bravery and courage, she was still only a child, and she feared nothing more than her mother's wrath.

Exchanging quick glances, Mala and Persephone began chuckling to themselves as the princess stood in befuddlement, a confused brow rising as their laughter grew.

"What's so funny?" The adolescent inquired with folded arms as she pouted. She wanted in on the joke.

"Forgive us, princess; it was just your expression. Seeing you go from a proud warrior on the battlefield to a startled child at the mention of possibly angering your mother is...quite the change, to say the least." Mala responded with a warm, face enveloping smile. They had witnessed only a fraction of her battle against the invader, but she had thoroughly exemplified the Amazon way.

"You fared well against the male," Persephone applauded as she looked towards the dangling boy on her sister's shoulder. "Unfortunately, we robbed you of your kill. But hopefully, you'll get the opportunity to finish the job."

"Ah yes, this will be your first kill," Mala said as she turned around completely, giving the princess her full attention. "I remember my own at the tender age of ten, helping my mother slay the vile soldiers who had invaded our home." Mala recounted fondly. "It felt good to draw an adversaries blood finally, and there was so much of..."

"Mala!" Persephone hissed, noticing the now ghastly expression on Diana's face.

Up until this point, Diana had never pondered the real consequences of death. The Amazons were an immortal race. Hades hand rarely, if ever, touched their island. Blood had been drawn during her several daily spars with her sisters, but none of them had ever viewed the river Styx. Killing meant taking that final plunge and thrusting her opponent into something that they would never be able to escape. The thought alone greatly dismayed her.

"W-we're going to kill him?" Diana's words stuttered out. In truth, her threats of slicing the boy's head had been just that; threats. And empty ones at that. As reality slowly sunk into her, she wasn't quite sure she could go through with it anymore.

"Of course!" Mala immediately replied. "He has trespassed our lands, broken our sacred laws, and dared to strike the daughter of the queen! I would finish him now, but that honor shall be yours after we've taken you back to your mother."

"The nerve of man has not changed even after all these centuries," Persephone snorted in disgust. "Do you feel pity for him, little one?"

"No!" Diana quickly replied, her arms waving frantically to dissuade the notion. "The harsh reality of death is just finally hitting me, sisters."

"You're lucky then, little one," Persephone uttered through grated teeth. "That cruel reality nearly crushed our entire nation when Hercules attacked. Thousands of your sisters died, and hundreds more were abused in unspeakable ways. Your mother, most of all, suffered the greatest." The blonde's usually lustrous eyes glimmered with rage as her mind returned to that blackened day.

"As the Queen's daughter, you especially must know this." Mala supplanted, her face sharing Persephone's seething visage.

"Yes, I do," Diana stated firmly, her fist clenching in mutual anger. It was an event that no Amazon past or present would ever forget.

"Good. Whatever fate befalls this boy is well deserved," Persephone stated, giving the unconscious child one final disgusted glare. "Now, let us hurry. Phillipus's tone was urgent."


The Jungles of Themyscira

"So an island of nothing but women, huh?"

"Indeed," Atla replied with a curt nod.

"So the myths are true," Bulma mumbled to herself as she absentmindedly rubbed her chin.

"What myths?" The ebony Amazon, Dessa, asked with a perplexed blink.

"You know," Bulma nudged the nearby Amazon with her elbow. "The one about the Amazons. The mythological race of women."

"We're a myth?" Atla, the tallest of the two, asked, stopping dead in her tracks as she pivoted around towards Bulma. "What does man's world speak of us?"

The Capsule Corps heiress gulped as she delicately pondered her next choice of words. She had been lucky that her initial encounter with them at the beach didn't result in her getting swiss-cheesed by numerous arrows. Fortunately for her, the two massive Amazons had given her the benefit of the doubt and had listened, somehow understanding her trembling, almost incoherent, string of words. It was not usually granted, especially to a possible threat, but as a woman, Bulma would be allowed to speak to the queen before any further action was taken.

"Well...uh.." The turquoise-haired teen began, nervously scratching her forehead.

"Speak! Hasten your tongue!" Atla commanded, her already broad form seemingly becoming larger as she awaited her answer.

"You're depicted as a violent race of women who Hercules subjugated," Bulma's half-hearted attempt at a smile to soothe the situation failed, and the Amazons glowered at her. Well, that certainly could have gone better.

"Subjugated by Hercules?!" Atla's scream echoed throughout the wilderness, rattling several birds as they flew out of their trees. "Such detestable patriarchy persists after all these years."

"Where have you learned such foul lies from?" Dessa inquired, her tone less brittle but still containing wretched anger.

"My school textbooks!" The frightened teen squeaked out, her arms instinctively raising to cover her face as she awaited what was sure to be an inevitable attack. Please don't kill me!

"Why do you tremble in cowardice?" Dessa questioned as she stepped forward, poking the quivering girl in the arm.

"Ah!" Came a melodramatic cry from Bulma's lungs. "W-wait...I'm not injured..?" Shock clear in her voice as she quickly examined herself, spotting not a single scar.

"You thought we would harm you for the lies that patriarchy has fed you?" A questioning stare appeared on both Amazon's faces as they sadly shook their head.

"Uh...well...yeah." Bulma's words were tense, embarrassment evident on her reddening face.

"The lies of man truly know no bounds, sister."

"Indeed," Dessa agreed. "Thank blessed Athena that we were saved from the filth and deceptions of man's world."

Man's world? Bulma mused to herself. The caramel woman's tone was harsh and piercing. It appeared one aspect of their myth was indeed true. She would've questioned them further, but given her current circumstance, she wasn't going to risk potentially angering either one of them. If they do genuinely hate men, then...

"Oh no...Goku!" The words were blurted out, her mind not even registering what her lips had uttered. Both Amazons turned to Bulma, a fierce look in their eyes.

"What it is?" Dessa's sword quickly drew from her scabbard. That was the tone of pure unadulterated fear, which she and her sisters knew far too well.

"Are we under attack?" Atla mirrored her sister's actions, reaffirming the grip on her steel-tipped spear.

"No!" Bulma quickly replied, attempting to halt their assault before it began. "I just remembered something. Nothing's wrong at all." Her smile was forced, her cheeks expanding far further than normal as she tried to keep a calm appearance. Thankfully, the Amazons bought it.

"If you say so," Dessa conceded as she slowly retracted her blade.

"Do not startle us again like that," Atla warned as her eyes narrowed. "Though we peacefully occupy these lands, there are many things which might pose a threat to Themyscira. Screaming unnecessarily may divert us from true potential threats."

"Got it. Fully understood. I'm a-ok. Won't be happening again. Zipping my lips now." A jittery laugh passed Bulma's lips as the two Amazons shared addled blinks. Simply chalking it up to the 'oddness of living in man's world,' the duo shrugged as they looked ahead and continued on their march towards the capital.

Letting out a relieved sigh, 's daughter relaxed slightly. Thank God they bought that. Though the Amazons claimed to be offering her sisterhood, she felt anything but that. Bulma had been on edge for practically the entire duration of their conversation. She could've chosen to simply remain silent, but that wasn't her. The brief talk had allowed her to gain precious intel. But none of it bode well for her spiky-haired companion. If Goku had somehow stumbled upon this island as well, he was going to be in deep trouble.

Wherever you are, Goku...please be safe!


The Healing Isle

"H-he's waking up already?" Epione murmured in amazement as she watched the disoriented boy groggily open his eyes. "A hydra's blood is supposed to be near lethal. Even we immortal Amazons are susceptible to its acidity. Fascinating, absolutely fascinating. He appears to heal at an accelerated rate, even faster than our own." Resting in a nearby chair, a brunette draped in a white tunic cloth quickly scribbled notes on the pad in her hands. "He appears to have suffered no physical damage either."

"Yeah...yeah, that's great and all," Orana dismissively waved, caring little for the dalliances of medicine. "But is he finally awake yet?"

"Yes. He's finally awake." Epione mumbled in an annoyed tone. She understood the queen's reasoning behind placing a guard in the same room to watch over her, but why of all the Amazons did it have to be Orana?

The feeling was mutual for Orana. The armored guard was no less pleased about this babysitting assignment than Epione was. "Good." Lifting herself from a nearby wall, the auburn-haired Amazon exited the room to call for the queen. Mere seconds later Hippolyta, and a small brigade of Amazons, including her daughter, shuffled into the room.

"He is the one?" The queen's voice was bombastic, filled with disbelief as she scanned over the awakening child. He didn't appear to be much. The boy was roughly the same height as Diana, with a few more pounds added on. But nothing about him screamed fierce warrior to the queen. How had one such as this managed to challenge her daughter? Maybe she would need to amp Diana's training regime once more.

"Owh!" A loud voice sprang forward, instantly rupturing Hippolyta's train of thought. "Where am I?" Eyes bouncing like ping pongs, the confused adolescent's eyes jolted wide as he scanned his surroundings. It was stunning. The architecture was unlike anything Goku had ever seen, though that wasn't saying much considering he had lived in seclusion until only a few months ago. Large porcelain pillars upheld the building. Statues of marble decorated the earthenware walls, which were made of several thousand bricks. There were beds as far as his eyes could see, but oddly enough, they were all empty.

"Hey!" Goku's shouted, his eyes falling upon Diana. "That was a dirty trick you played! It really hurt too." The Saiyan pouted as he sniffled, his back still mindbogglingly sore from whatever had pierced him.

The princess frowned, her fists balling as she growled. She had done no such thing! But before her lips could even flap open, Mala interrupted her.

"You dare speak to the princess in such a tone?" The blonde's fingers hovered over her scabbard, twitching anxiously, awaiting to draw her sword. But she was never given the opportunity as Hippolyta halted her.

"Yield Mala," The queen commanded, her guard's arms lowering instantly. "I shall do the speaking."

"As you command, my queen." With a graceful bow, Mala excused herself and grabbed Hippolyta a chair to sit in.

"Queen? Princess? Huh?" Goku's head swayed back and forth at the mysterious people as he observed their conversation.

"Yes, I am the queen of this island, and the girl who you so loudly shouted at is my daughter," Hippolyta explained as she settled into her wooden chair.

Goku's eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets as the words reached his ears. "She's really a princess?" He asked in amazement.

A simple head nod was the queen's answer, confirming the boy's thoughts.

"Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!" The adolescent began grinning, his full row of teeth now vividly on display. "That's probably why she's s so powerful! Are all princesses strong too? Can I fight her again? Pretty please? No tricks this time, though."

The small contingent of Amazons all stood blinking at one another in confusion at the sight of the sprightly boy. He had battled Diana and had been shot with a highly poisonous arrow, so where was all this energy coming from?

Clearing her throat as she settled her thoughts, the queen refocused her gaze on the wild-haired boy. This was quite possibly the oddest male she had ever encountered. "You do not fear her might?"

"Nope. I'm a little jealous, though. I wish I were as strong as her," The Saiyan said with a longing sigh. "I'm gonna train extra hard and beat her!"

"Ah, I see now," Hippolyta said with narrowed eyes. His true feelings had finally revealed themselves. "You're just another typical male who can't stand a woman being more powerful than you."

"Huh?" The Saiyan cocked his head to the side, absolutely perplexed as to what she was referring to. "I just want to be the most powerful person I can be to protect my friends."

Noble intentions, at least on the surface. But I know how truly deceitful man can be. There is only one way to truly determine if he's telling the truth.

"Phillipus," Hippolyta beckoned her most loyal and trusted friend.

"Yes, my queen?"

"Fetch me the lasso of truth." With a bow and head nod, the leader of Hippolyta's royal guard exited the room and returned a few short moments later with a glowing lariat in hand.

"Ooh...it's so shiny," Goku gawked in awe. Its golden light reminded him of the Dragonballs.

Thanking the general, Hippolyta clutched the rope tightly as she rose to her feet, marching over to the child's bed. With a quick toss, the magical lariat was securely fastened around the adolescent's waist, much to his disapproval.

"What are you doing?" The adopted son of Gohan questioned as rope's hold grew tighter, both of his arms now pinned to his chest.

"Simply confirming whether or not your words are true." With a mighty yank, the queen fully enclosed the Saiyan. There was no possible room for him to move or escape, but there was still enough room to allow him to breathe, at least momentarily.

"What is your name?" Hippolyta asked as she began her interrogation.

"Goku."

"How did you find this island?"

"I-I don't know." The Saiyan truthfully answered, as clueless as her about his origins here.

"How did you end up on this island?" Maybe a rephrasing of the question would work better.

"I was flying when suddenly I was attacked by trees."

Hippolyta blinked, confused at this, having never heard of such a thing but decided to let the boy speak further.

"Using my power pole, I was able to find out who was attacking me and ended up here, I guess."

The queen listened ardently, finally halting him at the mention of a name that caught her by surprise. "Wait...did you just say the power pole?"

"Uh...huh," Goku replied with a nod. "Speaking of it, have you seen it? I think I lost it, and it's one of the last things my grandpa gave me." He finished with a frown as he quickly scanned the room, seeing no trace of the orange staff.

Where have I heard that name before? Power Pole...power pole...of course! The legend of Korin! The staff is said to possess mystical properties..that could possibly explain it.

"Your staff was taken from you once you reached the Healing Isle," Hippolyta explained.

"But why?"

"For the safety of our people. You invaded our land, attacked my daughter, and broke our sacred laws."

"Sacred laws?" Goku mumbled to himself. Just what was she talking about? "And I did not...she attacked me first." By she, the Saiyan meant Diana, and his eyes hovered to her location once more.

"Is this true, Diana?" The princess was met with her mother's stern gaze as they crossed glances. No lie could be told under the hold of the lasso; it was indeed true.

"I did, mother," Diana mumbled, her words barely over a whisper as she nervously twaddled her thumbs together. Inadvertently her actions had lead to his discovery of the island.

Hippolyta sighed as she turned back to their unwelcomed guest. That was a conversation she would have to have with her daughter another time. But regardless, this boy had still violated their laws; there was no excuse.

"Irrespective of my daughter's actions, you have still committed a crime against us."

"A crime? Is that some kind of food?" Goku asked with perked ears; he could feel the rumblings in his stomach already. "But it doesn't sound too good from the way you're talking about it."

Hippolyta and the rest of the Amazons stood dumbfounded by the child's question. He couldn't be that stupid...could he?

The queen sighed and suppressed the urge to scream as she gathered her wits before finally answering. "A crime is something bad... something you're not supposed to do."

"But what did I do?"

"You trespassed Themyscira."

"I did?"

"You did."

"Where's Themyscira?"

"This island is Themyscira," Hippolyta responded, her tolerance growing shorter with every question she answered.

"Really? This is an island?" Goku's eyes sprang wide open. "But I don't see a beach."

A visible, ever-growing tick mark was present on Hippolyta's face as the conversation dragged on. How could anyone be so dense? She didn't have time for useless discussions such as this one. "Enough!"

Goku's chattering halted immediately at the sound of Hippolyta's now gruff voice. She's as scary as Bulma!

"Your incessant talking is tiresome! I have deliberated and concluded your punishment." Hippolyta said, her voice settling back down to normal decibels.

"What have you decided, mother?" Diana spoke up, her ears eagerly awaiting the verdict.

"Execution."

"Execution?!" A new, screeching voice shouted from the door.

"Bulma!" Goku's face instantly lit up as he saw his turquoise-haired companion. He'd never been happier to see her. But as soon as Bulma barged into the room, the guards took hold of her.

"Let me go!" The Capsule Corps heiress shouted as she struggled, stuck in the grip of two Amazons.

"And who are you?" Hippolyta asked as she turned to the fidgeting girl in question.

"I'm Bulma Brief," The teenager answered without hesitation. "And you have to let Goku go!"

"Why?" The queen retorted with a snort. Who was this girl to question her authority? To demand anything from her. From her garb, it was clear she wasn't even an Amazon.

"Because the gods demand it, Hippolyta," A new, almost ethereal voice said, appearing from a purple plume of smoke. "Goodness, that smell is awful. How does Apollo travel like this?" The newcomer asked, in between chest constricting coughs.

"It's Strife!" The Amazons immediately recognized, the lot of them stooping to one knee as they humbled themselves before their deity.

"The one and only," The magenta goddess smugly replied as she strutted across the room, drops of wine spilling from her goblet as she approached the queen. "My...my looking younger every day Hippolyta. Aphrodite would be jealous."

Hippolyta joined her fellow sisters on the ground as the scantily dressed daughter of Zeus approached. "You're far too kind, but my fellow Amazons nor I can compare to the gods." Hippolyta quickly admonished. Though she worshiped and revered her creators, she knew how truly petty they could be. A statement, even as small as that, could brew trouble for the island.

"You Amazons and your humility, Aphrodite doesn't care," The goddess rolled her eyes as she took another sip from her cup. "Now, if that were Hera I spoke of, we might be...

Hippolyta would not allow the manifestation of discord to speak any further upon hearing Hera's illustrious name. Stopping her dead in her tracks, Hippolyta cut Strife off. "Excuse me, goddess, surely you have not visited us to merely compliment me. Is there no other reason for your coming?"

"Ah, of course. Forgetful me," Strife said, palming her forehead at her momentary lapse in memory. "The gods have sent me to stop this boy's execution." Her eyes shifted over to Goku, who was still firmly wrapped in the stranglehold of the lariat. With a simple snap of her fingers, the rope unfastened, slithering harmlessly to the floor. The boy instantly sprang from the bed, dashing over to a stunned Bulma, but not before thanking the mysterious woman.

"Thank you," He chirped as he happily waved to her, his infamous smile adorning his face.

"Kids are so cute, aren't they?" Strife sniffled, wiping faux tears from her eyes. It was such a beautiful thing. "But anyway, back to what I came for; no execution will be taking place today."

At this, the queen rose slightly, perturbed by her words. "For what reason? Why would the gods interfere in an affair such as this one?" The Amazons had executed men for trespassing before, albeit centuries ago.

"Their quest is valuable to the gods."

"Their quest?" Hippolyta parroted in a confused tone

"The Dragonballs? They didn't tell you?" Hippolyta's squinted eyes were all the response Strife needed.

"H-how did you know about them?" Bulma stuttered, finally speaking up. The Amazons finally released her from their grasp. Just when she thought things couldn't get any weirder, the Universe always had a brand new surprise for her.

"I'm a goddess, you silly goose," Strife chuckled to herself, materializing a glass of alcohol. She would need it for the conversation she was about to have. "I'm supposed to know about this kind of thing. Did you really think you could go around collecting the most powerful mystical objects on Earth without alerting someone's presence?"

"Well...uh...I," The flustered heiress began. She hadn't truly analyzed the implications of assembling them. But why was she interested in them? And was she really a god?

"Ah, I can tell by the look on your face that you have several questions for me," Strife replied, speaking before Bulma could even pose one of them. "Save them for now. Right now, I need to discuss my siblings with the queen."

Hippolyta's face turned pale as Hades skin as a sudden epiphany dawned on her. She knows!


A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 6!


Q/A:

Gust234: Queen Hippolyta knows nothing about the Saiyans. Beerus is asleep right now, and the Greek gods have no reason to be afraid of him. I can't answer the Superman question because that would be spoilers, and I haven't thought that far out yet. Yeah, Superman would be extremely OP'd under Namek's sun.

The Man of Time: As far as balancing the power levels, I'll have to figure that out as the story progresses. I don't plan on decreasing Superman's powers. He'll gradually be gaining them throughout the story. In the New 52, when Superman first started, he couldn't even fly. Gradually, you'll see Superman go from his golden age incarnation to the modern age version of him. As for the major DBZ threats like Cell, Buu, etc? You'll just have to read and find out.

Itheone: You'll see more of Superman in upcoming chapters.

Guest: You have to remember this is Kid Goku with virtually no training relying on instinct and natural prowess versus Diana, who's been training practically her entire life.

Ultimate Black Ace: Thanks for the kind words. No, at this point, Goku and Bulma have not met King Ox. If this story were following regular DB canon, these chapters would've taken place after episode 3 when they met Master Roshi. As for crossover pairings, I do, in fact, plan on having some.

Aztec 13: Those other forms of Superman won't be appearing in this story.