Chapter 25 : The Peace before The Storm

The group that has been waiting for 3 hours sat around discussing each other. It was mostly small talk. It was an attempt to fight boredom. And for certain members it was an attempt to stop the train of thought of what has transpired hours again. For Artemis, Diana, Pop-pop, and Lucy seeing their Lincoln sever a head march into the underworld. Artemis and John have mostly been talking to each other about combat, training and each other's lifestyles. The Agent was just about to go in more depth of the organization to the Amazon until the doors of the Underworld opened from the inside. Out came Lincoln and his adoptive mother Alexa who has finally reentered the land of the living. Artemis ran to her sister and hugged her tightly and Diana approached Lincoln because she wanted to discuss their relationship. Before Diana could speak, Lincoln stopped her and revealed to everyone that Ares is on his way to invade and attack Chicago tomorrow evening. The revelation shocked everyone in the room. John quickly interjects that they must leave the caverns to return to the surface to contact his agency on the impending invasion. Pop-pop suggested that they return to his lake house because there was a good signal. The agent agreed to the request made by the elder and the group trekked back to the cabin in the woods. After John contacted the organization, he explained that the armed personnel of the agency and the US army had been deployed to Chicago to counter Ares' invasion force for when they arrive tomorrow evening. The party made themselves a meal with the food that was there and since it was very late. Lucy and Pop-pop went to bed, Artemis and John were nowhere to be seen since they reignited their previous conversation of training after their dinner. It was the trio of Lincoln, Diana, and Alexa in the living room sitting on the couches that cornered the fireplace with which the fire was illuminating the room. Diana spoke up first.

"Lincoln. There was something I needed to tell you before this incident occurred."

"I approached my mother the day prior you left with your sisters. I wanted to gain my mother's blessing to make you my mate. ". She continued.

"I discovered from my Mother that she had a strong inclination that we were involved with each other romantically and she gave her approval because she was impressed on how you turned out to be and she thought you were worthy of being a good man that amazons would be attracted to." Diana finished her speech on her mother's opinion on him.

Lincoln proceeded to respond to that statement. "Your mother barely tolerated my presence on the island and now she has given her blessing for marrying you. That doesn't make too much sense the way I see it. "

"My mother revealed to me that she recognized years ago that it was inevitable we would fall in love with each other. She further explained it a practical sense that it was better to tie you down to one woman, being myself instead of the our sister Amazons compete for you and or have multiply mate with you for children, because too many children on the island and the women fighting over you would be considered an a headache she would rather avoid. I believed her when she said that because months ago I began to notice our sisters staring at you with a look of desire whenever we walked in public with each other. I won't lie to you, I was quite threatened by them when I saw that."

Lincoln looked at her with a look of surprise and he had his curiosity fulfilled. He was nervous because tomorrow everyone with the exception of Lucy was going into battle against the army of the God of war. Even Alexa was going to battle. Alexa was very much a pacifist in practice but she did not want to leave her fellow amazons to be without aid. She was given a spare sword by her sister and a replacement attire to get her out of her torn blouse which she entered the Realm of Hades with. She is currently wearing a spare pair of black tactical pants from John, a skin tight gray shirt which was previously Lori's which she left when she and her boyfriend stayed, Leni's underwear and Lynn jr's hiking boots. She had the spare sword given to her by Artemis beside her. She decided to interrupt their conversation.

"Lincoln, Diana. I always somehow knew you two were going to fall in love, since the day I discovered you and brought you to the queen for her consul on your fate. And here we are right now. Her mother has given her approval for you two to marry and what Diana explained earlier about our fellow amazons is correct. I noticed it too months ago. Lincoln you have become a man and a man I am proud to call my son. I want you and Diana to be together and be happy."

"Thank you mother. I truly do appreciate those words. I know I haven't been the best son by many standards, especially what I did six weeks ago. But I will do better and I do find it ironic that I learned to be a man from being brought up in a society of all women. "" Lincoln responded to his mother's lecture.

They all had a small chuckle and the last sentence. The jovial atmosphere came to an abrupt end when Diana said to Lincoln without any filter.

"Lincoln, I want us to do it. "

"Do what?" Lincoln questioned but deep down he already knows what she meant. Even Alexa was shocked at Diana's statement.

"I want us to spend the night together. I know you know what I meant. We are going to fight the God of War and his army tomorrow and it might very well be our last day alive." Diana explained to him.

Lincoln stared at Diana with shock. He looked over at his mother who too had a shocked expression on her face. She spoke to her son and her future daughter in law.

"Lincoln, you are a man now and Diana is a woman. You two are responsible enough and mature enough to do the act. I trust you both not to do anything stupid. I taught you both about it in classes. I will remain down here and go to sleep soon, while you too spend a lovely night with each other. I promise I will not interrupt."

Lincoln did not know how to respond, but he did not need to because Diana grabbed his hand and escorted him down the hall to a door to a room she believes is empty. Before she opened the door, she turned to Lincoln.

"Are you ready?" Asked Diana.

"I am" answered Lincoln.

Diana opened the door with Lincoln behind her to discover what she believed to be an empty room to witness the bed was occupied by a naked John positioned on top of a nude Artemis with her legs crossed around his lower back.