Chapter 29: Flashback

It was a warm night on Themyscira. A very long haired amazon woman was in a state of rest in her bed. She was completely at peace. That was until she was met with a rude awakening from her 6 year old adoptive nephew. Artemis awoke disoriented and caused her to suddenly awoke until she turned to the side of her bed to see Lincoln standing facing her.

"Lincoln, what are you doing?" Artemis asked with a hint of tiredness in her voice.

"I had a nightmare." Responded her nephew.

Artemis looked at him with an expression that showed annoyance and said to him.

"Why can't you go to your mother?"

"Mother told me to never disturb her whenever she has her bedroom door locked and it locked when I went to see her before coming to see you. " Lincoln answered.

Artemis quickly came to the realization and remembered that Persephone was staying the night with Alexa. She really did not want to disturb her sister and she also does not want to explain what sex is to a six year old. Before she made a decision, Lincoln gave her his signature puppy dog eyes for when he wants something that someone denies him. And only Alexa had the power to say no to that face. Artemis attempted to fight the feeling of guilt. However, Artemis gave up on this battle and allowed her nephew to stay with her the night. Artemis always eventually says yes to him whenever he uses the puppy dog eyes and the little brat knows it. Lincoln climbed up into her bed and got under the covers next to her. Artemis proceeded to cover her left arm over him to get him snug and comfortable in hopes he will fall asleep quickly. Out of curiosity she asked him what his nightmare was about.

"I was being chased through a forest by they black creatures that wanted to eat me. I was running as fast as a can until I tripped and one of the creatures pounced on me and then I woke up. I was scared so I went to mother's room and the door was locked and I heard weird noises from the room. I was going to knock but I remember mother told me she would be mad if I disturbed her if she ever had her door locked."

Lincoln recalled his memory of the dream he had and explained what happened immediately after. After Artemis heard the statement he made about her sister's room she made an attempt to deflect the subject.

"Lincoln. Those creatures you just described to me I can easily defeat without much effort and I promise you this. When your mother finally gives you permission to train with me. I will make you so strong that those creatures will have nightmares about you. "

"Really?" Lincoln asked with much excitement in his voice.

"Yes. And you will be my star pupil in my school of combat. "

Lincoln and Artemis concluded the subject of the conversation and she was dozing off again. She was finally glad to gain rest. However she was yet again pulled away from dream land from Lincoln asking a question she never expected to hear.

"Aunt Artemis. Who are your and mother's parents?"

Artemis did not know how to process what Lincoln asked of her. Her parents were not something she thought of for centuries at this point. But she answered him anyway.

"Our mother was an Amazon scholar who mentored the queen in study when we lived in the world of man many centuries ago. And our father was a warrior from Gaul west of our original homeland. He was a Celt. He had the red hair your mother and I inherited and our eyes came from our mother. I hope my father's heritage also has helped you conclude any wondrous thought on why we are the only two amazons with red hair. "

Artemis turned over to see her nephew asleep. Her story helped him fall back into slumber and now she too can. She quietly thanked him for asking her about her parents. She did enjoy recalling her memories with them. She did dread the day her nephew finally asks the questions on his heritage. But that was not tonight. She was enjoying the moment with him and before she knew it. She too went back to her deep sleep with her nephew tightly close to her.

|The Present|

Lincoln sat on the chair in the hospital room for which Artemis was lying in the cot hooked up to IV packs and machines to monitor her rate of recovery. Lincoln had Diana to his right with his arms around her torso and she vice versa with her head resting on his shoulder. His mother Alexa was on his left sitting while holding onto his left hand tightly with her eyes fixated on her sister lying in the hospital bed. Pop-Pop, John and Lucy were in the seats adjacent to them beside the wall that had the windows facing the wilderness to show that the base was isolated from civilization. Lincoln sat down quietly in prayer to the gods that his aunt will be ok and recover fully. He even said a prayer to the Christian God the people of this land followed. Lincoln and the two amazons next to him wanted to take Artemis to the healing rays but they knew the risk of taking her there before anything of her current stability was disrupted. They chose to remain in man's world and live at Pop-Pop's lake house until she awoke from her coma. The facility she is currently in isn't too far from the lake house. It was only about 35 minutes of driving so it was sustainable to drive there often to see Artemis' progress. All they can do now is wait and pray. Lincoln knew it and chose this to be an opportunity to test his patience.