Superman, Son of Hippolyta - A T-Rexcellent Reviews Fanfiction

I of course own no DC Comics properties or characters and make no money off of this, I am merely a giant DC Fan who wants to share my stories with all of you.

Chapter 29: The Age Ender

On the Island of Themyscira, inside the Princess's Royal Chambers…

Diana wasn't used to feeling helpless, but she knew that it was a feeling that she hated.

She was an Amazon Warrior Princess, her people prided themselves on overcoming adversity and pushing past the limitations placed on their gender, at being stronger than Man's World would ever allow them to be, at beating males at their own game and being even better at it, at staring down the most terrifying of foes and never backing down, never showing fear or uncertainty in the face of danger and death.

As princess of her tribe and the heir to throne, Diana knew her history well, or at least, she thought she did, her forebears had rising up from their humbled begins as abandoned daughters from noble Grecian families who had only wanted strong sons and left their female children to fend for themselves. Her ancestors had persevered against their sexist peers and their misogynistic view points and made a place for themselves in Man's World whether the other tribes liked it or not, usually over the bodies of those who had dared laugh at them and their warrior women ways, they were Amazons and they did not turn tail and run away from a fight.

Feeling helpless, feeling uncertain, feeling afraid, it was not natural for her, Diana knew that, it was not natural for any Amazon, but right now, in this moment, she felt all those things, much to her shame.

Diana could recall of the times she had felt fear in her young life, when she and her mother had almost been bitten by a venomous Amphisbaena Viper, when she and Kal had almost been killed by a starving Nemean Lioness, when Hera had told her and her brother about Hercules eventual return to the surface world and when the Harpies had attacked earlier today with their army of Stymphalian Storks… and she felt fear when she saw her brother pass out on the beach after he had slayed the Sisters of the Storm with that Supernova of his.

Standing there, out on the beach, having to watch her little brother be carried away by her mother, Phillippus, Epione, Diana felt helpless and afraid.

Now, sitting here, in her room, on her bed, by herself, staring at her training sword in her hands, Diana felt helpless and afraid again… and she hated it.

Gggrrr…

The young warrior princess looked up when she heard Rhamnusia, her Nemean Lioness gave her a concerned growl from where she lay on her cushioned bed and rose to her feline feet, the large cat padded over to her fellow female warrior and rubbed her furry head against her, purring loudly in an attempt to comfort her girl.

Diana's distraught face broke into a grateful smile as she wrapped her arms around her pet's thick neck and rubbed her golden fur while pressing her face against her feline's, giggling as Rhamnusia's whiskers tickled her.

While Nemean Lions where the biggest of all big cats, they were also the slowest to grow to their full size, Diana had learned this when she had asked Mnemosyne about information about caring for big cats, she had Rhamnusia since she was a small cub and her pet had only grown roughly about one fourth of full size, being only the size of Mountain Lion, though far stronger thanks to her species near impenetrable hide, which could only be broken by the highest Hephaestus forged quality weapons, of which there were only a dozen or so on the entire island.

Diana looked forward to the day that Rhamnusia would grow big and strong enough for her to put a saddle on her and ride her into glorious battle, no mere equine mount would do for her, she had decided one day when she how fast Rhamnusia could run across open ground, chasing after a Acteon Stag, the future Queen of the Amazons would ride the future Queen of the Beasts, as she led her tribe into war, the mental image alone was enough to momentarily chase Diana's uncertainties away.

Knock, knock, knock.

Both Diana and Rhamnusia turned when they heard the knocking upon their door, while the Lioness let out a growl, Diana simply petted her feline friend's head and responded with. "Whose there's?"

"Diana its us, can we come in?" A familiar female voice said from the other side of the door.

Upon recognising the voice, Rhamnusia immediately calmed down and padded back over to her bed, while Diana's smile just broadened. "Come in sisters." The princess felt her mood improve marginally when she saw her friends Euboea, Mala, Nubia, and Artemis enter her room.

"Diana, how are you doing? How is your brother?" Euboea asked as she moved to sit beside her, having been the one who had spoken from behind the door, was also the first of her friends to ask her princess how she was doing, Diana was not surprised, Euboea was always among the more empathetic Amazons of their generation, a trait that Diana had always been grateful for.

"I am better now that you're here, sisters." Diana said, smiling at Euboea and the rest of her friends, Mala immediately moved to sit by Rhamnusia and began petting the golden furred big cat, causing the Nemean Lioness to purr once more, Artemis meanwhile stood sentry by her bedroom door while Nubia stood next to the doorway leading out onto her balcony, it was clear that today's surprise Harpy attack had put both the young huntress and the lieutenant in training on high alert.

"As for my brother…" Diana sighed sadly, something Euboea immediately noticed and responded by putting her arm around her friend's shoulders in a comforting embrace. "I don't know… he's still unconscious as far as I know, I wanted to stay with him, but my mother and Philippus both insisted that Kal needed his rest if he was going to get better soon and it would best if visitors were kept to an absolute minimum." The young warrior princess couldn't help but sigh again as her feelings of helplessness came rushing back to her all at once.

Ever since the night Kal had come into her life, Diana had tried her best to be a good big sister to her little brother, looking out for him, teaching him, helping him train in their tribe's warrior ways, how or why Kal had suddenly turned up in her life did not matter to her, he was her brother and she was his sister, that was all that mattered to her at the end of the day,

But today, she had felt she was failing at that role of being his protective big sister and if there was thing Diana hated more than being afraid, it was failing…

…failing at being her mother's daughter, failing at being Kal's sister, failing at being the Amazon's princess and future queen… failing at… anything…

"I'm sure Kal will be okay Diana." Nubia said, looking over her shoulder at her princess, the Nubian Amazon was not the best at offering emotional support, but Diana appreciated that her stoic solider friend was at least trying.

"Yeah, your brother is a lot tougher than he looks." Mala said encouragingly from where she sat beside Rhamnusia, though Diana could hear the uncertainty in her blonde friend's voice, it clear that neither Mala or Nubia really knew what to say to make their princess feel better in that moment.

Artemis however, chose to be completely silent on the matter… at least... at first…

"Artemis, you've been awfully quite today, is everything alright?" Euboea asked, looking over at their redhead friend, who was not known for keeping her opinions to herself, at least, not for very long anyway.

The young huntress was silent for a few moments longer before giving a low, almost annoyed sigh. "Sisters, please forgive me for saying this… but… I think Queen Hera may have made a mistake."

That very bold statement immediately got everyone's attention, even Rhamnusia's, as the big cat and the four other young Amazons in the room stared at redheaded huntress in surprise, before Mala asked the question that was on all their minds. "What do you mean Artemis?"

"I mean, why in Gaia's good name, would she choose Diana's little brother as our tribe's champion." Artemis asked with a frown as she crossed her arms, a habit of hers her sisters recognised as a sign that the huntress was very frustrated. "I mean, it doesn't make any sense, we are all older than him, more experienced, more worthy of the honour of facing Hercules in battle, why should he be chosen over any of us?"

Upon hearing this, Diana couldn't help but frown herself at the redheaded huntress in the corner, out of all of her friends, Artemis was the one who was always the most hostile to Kal, Diana couldn't even recall a time when Artemis had ever referred to Kal as her prince, or even by his name, to her, he was always just either the Wolf Boy or her brother.

For the life of her, Diana did not understand what Artemis problem with her brother was, Kal had been nothing but polite and friendly to her friends and all of the other young Amazons, Euboea, Mala and even Nubia all liked or at least respected her brother enough, but Artemis and a few others among their generation, only seem to see him as this unwanted nuisance on their island that they were forced to deal with day after day.

She had tried on numerous occasions to get her little brother and her redheaded friend to get along, to very little success, Kal for his part, mostly just tried to ignore Artemis whenever he was forced into close proximity with her, usually during group training lessons with Philippus, something which seemed to only make the young redheaded Amazon even more annoyed with him.

Sometimes though, Artemis behaviour towards her brother went beyond annoyed, sometimes, Diana could've sworn the young huntress almost saw her brother as threat…

But of course, the girl who associates herself with Deer would see the boy who associate himself with Wolves as a threat. Diana thought to herself as she stared at her redheaded friend through narrowed eyes. As ridiculous a notion that is, Kal would never hurt any of us.

"Artemis, we were all there at the Training Grounds of Athena." Mala said from where she sat on the floor beside Rhamnusia. "We all saw Kal defeats Hermes-."

"You mean we saw the Messenger of the Gods let Diana's brother defeat him." Artemis interrupted Mala with a scoff of disbelief. "Everyone knows that Hermes is the weakest of the Greek Gods, but highly doubt that any boy could possibly defeat the God of Speed at his own game, Hermes took pity on our resident Wolf Boy and allowed himself to be bested, that's all."

"Artemis, watch your words, that is my little brother and your prince you are talking about." Diana warned the young redheaded huntress with a glare, Artemis might be her friend and her sister, but she would not allow her to talk about her brother like this when he was lying comatose down the hall.

"Yes Artemis, mind yourself, you are questioning a Goddess's decision, and I don't think Queen Hera would care to hear you voicing such opinions in public." Nubia added from where she stood by the balcony doorway.

"I'm just saying what you are all thinking, sisters." Artemis said, her tone becoming increasingly frustrated, the redheaded huntress had always had problems not letting her temper show when she was annoyed. "The Champion of Themyscira SHOULD be an Amazon from Themyscira, NOT a Demigod, and there are five perfectly good alternatives in this room right now." She said, turning her head to look away from her friends. "I only hope that one day Queen Hera will realise that, for all our sakes."

The princess continued glare at her redheaded sister for a moment longer before finally dropping both her gaze and her anger, because as much as she hated to admit it… Artemis did have a point.

Diana had nothing but faith in Kal and his abilities… but that still didn't change the fact that SHE was the older sibling, the heir to the throne, if anyone should have been their tribe's new champion, it should have been her and not Kal, she had beaten him multiple times in past, including today, surely that proved that she was more qualified of the two, that she should have the honour of day killing Hercules in glorious combat.

Her brother was a good warrior, great even, of that fact, Diana would never argue, but he was still a Demigod, not an Amazon, like her and her sisters, surely the new Champion of Themyscira should be an Amazon of Themyscira, right?

But still, despite her own misgivings about Hera's decision, Diana knew it was her decision, not hers, her mother's, or even Kal's and she would never argue against it, at least not publicly, she had learned enough from her mother over the years that the Queen of the Heavens was not a woman who liked to be questioned…

"Sisters, I think you may want to see this." Nubia said, as she walked out onto the balcony, looking at something which had apparently gained her attention.

Diana and her other three friends exchanged surprised looks before getting up and walking out onto the bedroom balcony to join Nubia, who was staring at a what looked like a group of Amazons gathering not too far away.

"What's going on over there?" Mala asked as the five friends stared at the group of Amazons in the distance.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Diana said as her face turned determined, the princess declared before she turned, ran, and left off her balcony and onto the opposing palace wall before turning to look back at her friends. "Are you coming, sisters?"

"Diana, your mother said that no one was supposed to leave the city grounds." Euboea said.

"Exactly, which means there shouldn't be any large gatherings happening outside the city grounds right now." Diana declared firmly to her friends. "You girls can stay here if you want to, but I'm going to find out what's going on." With that said, the Princess of the Amazons turned and quickly began to make her way down the palace walls to the ground below without a moment's delay while her four friends all exchanged conflicted expressions before sighing as a group.

Diana had just landed on the ground when she looked up and saw her sisters all climbing down the palace wall after her, first Artemis, then Nubia, then Mala and finally Euboea landed down to join her. "Well, what took you girls so long?" The princess asked with a good-natured chuckle.

"Well, we weren't going to let you have all the fun, Diana." Mala said with a confident smile, one which their three friends shared, with that the group of five young Amazons sneakily made their way out of the palace and then the city grounds, dodging the patrols and passing elders, before finally reaching the jungles edge.

"Follow my lead, girls." Artemis, as their group's resident huntress, Diana and the rest of her friends allowed their red headed friend to take the lead on this impromptu reconnaissance mission, stealthy, the five young Amazons crept through the underbrush like a pride of Nemean Lionesses stalking their prey, until finally, they came upon the large group of at least thirty or so Amazons that had gathered out in the jungle this evening.

"Artemis, what's going on?" Diana asked in a whispered voice.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like… Egeria is in the front." Artemis whispered back to them. "I think she is the one who called this gathering."

After crawling as close as they dared to, Diana and her four friends all leaned forward from their hiding places in the bushes and listened, hearing things their elders did not want them to hear…

"…I told you; I told you all years ago that that boy would bring nothing but trouble to our island!" Egeria, Philippus's platinum haired second in command declared to the group of listening Amazons who before her at the base of a great tree, its giant roots giving Egeria a makeshift podium to stand on. "First his mongrel dog's mere presence causes the Hounds of Hades to rampage across Themyscira and now! Zeus has sent his airborne abominations after him as well, and make no mistake sisters, this is only the beginning… the beginning of the end of our island, our tribe, and our entire Amazonian way of life!"

Egeria's words had an immediate effect on the listening crowd, as the gathered Amazons began to mutter nervously amongst themselves, their fears getting the better of them, something which Egeria noticed and quickly took advantage of, it was also something Diana found completely disgraceful, her anger only growing as she quickly realised WHO exactly Egeria was referring to. "You all know it to be true, sisters! Themyscira was once perfect, peaceful paradise… but ever since that boy showed up, things have changed on our island and not for the better, and so long as he remains, they will only get worse!"

Again, Diana could clearly see that Egeria was quite pleased with the effect her words were having on the crowd, as the murmurs of agreement steadily became louder and louder, though the princess herself was far from pleased with the effect the lieutenant's words were having on herself, Diana could barely resist shaking in rage at hearing Egeria say such things about her brother, something her friends quickly took notice of.

How dare Egeria talk about Kal like that after what he did today, Diana thought furiously to herself, my brother lies unconscious in his bed right now after facing our tribe's enemies and she has the nerve to blame him for the Harpies attack? This sort of sneaky slander is beneath an Amazon, I should go up there and give her a piece of my mind.

"So, I ask you, sisters, much longer will we all continue to stand idly by as this… Demigod… continues to bring death and destruction upon our home like his bastard brethren did before him back in Amazonia? How much longer will we allow this half-blood prince's presence to infect our tribe's female purity?" Egeria paused, seemingly for dramatic effect before continuing. "How much longer will we allow our queen's mistake be our sisterhood's burden to bear?"

Upon hearing Egeria now disrespect both her brother and her mother, Diana finally snapped and she started to rise from their hiding place, she was just about to get up out of these bushes, rush over there and quite literally knock Egeria down from her high perch for saying such things about her family, when someone else beat her to the punch.

"Egeria!" Epione called out the lieutenant's name in anger that was rare to hear from the island's head healer as she entered the clearing, flanked by both Menalippe and Mnemosyne on her right and left, the trio of council members walking right by Diana and her friends hiding place, the princess barely managed to pull her head back down before any of them saw her.

"We should have known you would out here be stirring up trouble instead of actually doing your job!" Epione declared disapprovingly as she walked right up to the front of the gathered crowd with Menalippe and Mnemosyne by her side, glaring up at Egeria from her perch, a glare which Egeria returned.

"I do not stir up trouble, Epione, I merely speak the truth and you know it." Egeria defiantly declared as she jumped down from her impromptu platform and faced the three council members at eye level before casting her gaze back to the gathered group of Amazons before them. "We all know it."

"What you speak Egeria, is lies and slander against our royal family and you know it." Menalippe retorted, her face stern and eyes cold. "This is treason and you know it, we could easily have you thrown in the dungeons for this, lieutenant."

"Indeed, Menalippe." Mnemosyne said, before the furious historian turned her angry eyes upon the assembled Amazons. "The same goes for all of you, leave now and do not let us catch you gathering outside the city like this EVER again, or make no mistake, you will all be answering to our queen and the entire council for this treasonous assembly."

Mnemosyne's promise of royal retribution was enough to cause the audience of Amazons to quickly scatter back to the city, Diana and her four friends had to press themselves even further into the bushes to avoid being seen by the elder Amazons as they passed by, pushed so tightly together now, that they could all barely fit beneath their leafy cover.

Luckily though, they were not seen and even through the thick foliage, they were still able hear what was going on…

"Now, explain yourself Egeria and maybe, just maybe we won't inform Philippus about your… indiscretions this evening."

"There's nothing I need to explain or apologise for sisters, you all know as well as I do that expecting that boy to save us is pure folly." Egeria snapped, her voice echoing throughout the clearing as her temper flared. "It doesn't matter how many Chimeras he slays or Harpies he fries, he will never will be able to withstand the power of Hercules, he won't lead us to victory, he'll only lead us back into chains!"

"Your wrong Egeria, that boy will be our tribe's salvation." Epione said, her voice firm and her tone unwavering, even from where she hid, Diana could tell that the healer believed her own words without a doubt in her mind. "The truth is, you need him, we ALL need him."

"Speak for yourselves sisters, because I certainly don't." Egeria all but spat, the platinum blonde haired lieutenant looked almost offended by Epione's words, implying that she and her sisters actually needed that Demigod, as far as she was concerned, the only good Demigod was a dead Demigod. "Don't pretend like you haven't noticed the signs as well, everything was fine… until the night he showed up, he has upset the balance, of not only our home, but our tribe's entire existence as well."

"As usual, your overexaggerating Egeria." Menalippe said with crossed arms and an even crosser look on her face. "Is your pride so great that you simply cannot accept that there are powers at play here far greater than any Amazon, their always has been and there always will be."

"You all just expect me and the rest of our sisters to put our fates in the hands of a mere child?" The lieutenant asked, her voice dripping with contempt at the three Amazon staring sternly at her. "A boy no less?"

"We expect you to have faith in the council, our queen, the Goddess Hera, and yes Egeria, in our prince and new champion as well." Mnemosyne answered without hesitation. "If you had even bothered to spend any time with him, then you would understand that that boy is not what you fear him to be, he is not…

…the Age Ender?" Egeria finished, her voice echoing loudly, as though she wanted the entire island to hear her say it, the princess and her four friends hiding in the bushes certainly heard her say it, upon which they all exchanged questioning looks, each one asking the same silent question to other.

What was this Age Ender that Egeria was talking about and what did it have to do with Kal?

"Why do you insist on bringing up that old prophecy, Egeria?" Menalippe asked with a frustrated sigh. "It hasn't come true and it never will, it was just some story that our elders told us in order to teach us to be wary of Demigods, that's all."

"And our queen strictly forbade anyone in our tribe from speaking of it ever again, or have you forgotten Egeria?" Mnemosyne asked, narrowing her eyes at the lieutenant.

"After the night our prince was… born." Egeria answered with a distasteful look on her face. "Yes, I remember, but unlike the three of you, I haven't forgotten that prophecy is part of our people's history and whether Hippolyta likes it or not, no queen has the right to make it illegal to speak of it, or have you three forgotten just how many of our sisters died to prevent it coming to pass, our people's history has demands of those living in the present, sisters, and we all are expected to meet them."

Once again, their elder's words regarding their prince and this prophecy that Egeria mentioned continued to further confuse the five Amazons hiding in the bushes not too far away.

"That old prophecy and how Kal got here is irrelevant Egeria, now that both Kala and Diana are here, they will both learn and they will both grow, and one day, whether you like it or not, they will BOTH be taking over and leading our tribe into the future." Epione declared resolutely, both Menalippe and Mnemosyne nodding in agreement with the healer's words.

"Not if I can help it." Egeria said stubbornly in response, Diana could tell that Epione and the others were beginning to lose their patience with the blonde-haired lieutenant. "That is boy is the Age Ender sisters, and mark my words, if he is allowed go unchecked, he will be the end of us all one day."

"You don't know that Egeria." Mnemosyne said. "For Rhea's sake, you said the exact same thing about Diana when she was born."

Hearing that took all five girls in hiding by surprise, but none more so than the princess, who was at a loss on what to say or think upon hearing Mnemosyne's unexpected revelation.

"Yes, I admit… maybe I was wrong about Diana, I believe she might actually be one of us after all." Egeria slowly conceded, before her features turned certain once more. "But this boy… there's no doubt in my mind this time and nothing you three can say will ever convince me otherwise." The lieutenant declared before she turned and walked away, the trio of council members watching her go with glares on their faces before Epione gave a loud sigh.

"Girls, come out, we know your there." Healer called out to the five girls hiding in the bushes behind them.

The realisation that they had been caught eavesdropping caused the five girls to panic and quickly become tangled up in the jungle foliage, which eventually resulted in all five of them tumbling out of the bushes and into the open.

Looking up from where she lay on the clearing's grassy floor with her friends, covered in leaves and twigs, Diana saw Epione, Menalippe and Mnemosyne all looking down at them with stern. expressions on their faces.

"Uuh… Hello Epione, Menalippe, Mnemosyne, how are all of you this fine evening." Diana asked in an uncharacteristically nervous tone of voice as she looked up at three of her mother's closet's friends and advisor's.

"Girls, what are you doing outside the city this late at night?" Epione asked, her tone clearly indicting that she was NOT happy with them right now. "And how much of that did you all hear?"

"Umm… Everything? You weren't exactly being quiet." Artemis said gruffly as she stood up along with her friends, pulling a twig out of her red hair as she did so.

"It's my fault Epione." Diana admitted, taking responsibility for the situation that she had led her friends into, as she knew any noble warrior princess should do. "It was my decision to come out here, my sisters were only following my orders."

"Regardless Diana, you girls should all know better and you shouldn't be eavesdropping on your elders like this, that is not what your stealth training with Philippus is meant for." Menalippe said, chastising the five girls before them.

"Forgive us Menalippe, we weren't aware there were things we weren't supposed to know." Nubia responded, her apology not sounding very sincere as if there was one thing that Nubia hated, it was not being informed of what was going on, the stoic Amazon hated being left in the dark and not in control.

"What you girls are supposed to know is up to US to decide, Nubia." Mnemosyne told them sternly. "Whether you five like it or not, there IS always a good reason for why certain secrets and information is kept from your generation, some things are better left unspoken and locked away, forgotten by all but a few."

"You mean secrets like this Age Ender prophecy that Egeria was talking." Mala asked, being among the boldest of the new generation of Amazons on the island, Mala was the first to ask the question that was on all the girls minds. "The prophecy that also concerns our prince?"

"Mala's right, Epione, if this is about my brother, then we have a right to know." Diana said, finding her confidence as she looked up the three elders before them with unwavering eyes, as did the rest of her friends. "Who or what is this… Age Ender that Egeria is so afraid of and what does it have to do with Kal?"

At this troubling question, Epione, Menalippe and Mnemosyne all exchanged concerned looks before all three of them sighed in what seemed like combined resignation.

"Your mothers never meant for any of you Amazons of the new generation to know about this, but since you've heard this much, I suppose you girls all need to hear the rest of it now." Mnemosyne said before taking a deep breath before she told them a quick history lesson that she did not want to give. "A long time ago, long before any of us where even born, back when our tribe still lived in Amazonia and our empire was only just beginning to form, our prophets foretold that one day, a Demigod would be born whose arrival would change everything for Man's World forever, they claimed that this Age Ender would be a fearless warrior of great strength and would wield incredible power, unlike anything this world had ever seen, and that he would ultimately bring about a new age and put an end to the age of Amazons."

"Put an end to the age of Amazons?" Euboea repeated, not being able to keep the shock out of her voice as she spoke, the same shock that was written clearly across the faces of her fellow young Amazons as well. "Is that true Mnemosyne?"

"I'm afraid so, Euboea." Mnemosyne confirmed with a small nod.

"And… Egeria thinks that Diana's brother is this… Age Ender." Nubia asked, a frown upon her face. "But why? What has our prince done to warrant such suspicion from Egeria and those like her?"

"Our prince has done nothing Nubia, but some versions of the prophecy do say that the Age Ender's arrival would be heralded by a night of falling stars." Menalippe answered with a grim look upon her face.

"You mean… like the night Kal was born." Diana asked tentatively, quickly putting all the pieces of this prophetic puzzle together in her head, as did her four friends.

"Yes Diana." Epione answered. "Unfortunately, as you girls can probably all imagine, the unique circumstances of Kal's birth have made many of our sisters… uncertain about the future, to say the least."

The five young Amazons were all silent for a long moment after hearing this, before Diana spoke once more. "And… what do you think Epione?"

"I think your brother is many things Diana, but he is NOT some prophesied destroyer." Epione said, her voice firm and her eyes honest, Menalippe and Mnemosyne both nodded in agreement with their sister, clearly sharing her opinion. "Do not listen to the preaching of women like Egeria, girls, she and her followers are just looking for signs and portents of disaster where there are none, because doing so suits their own goals and desires for the future of our tribe, and gives them an excuse to act on their own ambitions as well as publicly voice their grievances against some of your mother's decisions as queen without fear of immediate backlash."

"Epione speaks the truth, young ones." Mnemosyne said. "Throughout history, there have always been wannabe leaders like Egeria who have used such distasteful tactics to advance themselves and pursue their own personal agendas, preying on the ignorance and fears of the masses to empower themselves, believing they speak only the truth and are standing against some perceived great injustice."

"But the truth is, that prophecy Egeria speaks of has been more of a paranoid curse than a blessing of knowledge to our people, it has caused our forebears to make some very… questionable decisions in our tribe's past, it was one of the reasons your mother sought a fight with Hercules in the first place Diana, and look how that turned out for our sisterhood?" Mnemosyne said, looking straight at Diana when she said this, hoping that her princess would understand how important it was that she learn from this history lesson. "Letting prophecy dictate your decisions is dangerous mistake in the making, something that Egeria is going to learn for herself one day, most likely at her own peril and of those foolish enough to listen to her."

All five young Amazons were silent for a very long moment after this lecture, until Mala finally broke the silence with a troubling question. "Epione, Menalippe, Mnemosyne, you all don't think Egeria would try to… hurt Kal… do you?" Blonde Amazon asked tentatively, not failing to notice how Diana seemed to stiffen at her words and sent her princess an apologetic look.

"I think she would be a fool to try Mala, our prince is more powerful than anyone of us originally thought girls, needless to say, it would not end well for her." Menalippe answered, though upon seeing the now uncertain look on her princess's face, she continued. "I also know that our queen, Philippus, and the three of us would never allow that to happen anyway, girls."

"Is he powerful enough to defeat Hercules though?" Artemis asked quietly under her breath, causing the three elder Amazons before them to look directly at the young huntress.

"Do you have something you'd like to ask us, Artemis?" Epione said and Diana already knew what her redheaded friend's question was going to be, as did her three other friends, much to their shared dismay.

"Yes, I do Epione." Artemis spoke again, more loudly, Diana couldn't help but wince at the tone her sister was taking with their elder's, now was not the time for Artemis attitude with authority. "I don't understand, why was Diana's little brother chosen to become island's champion over any of us? Surely, we are just as worthy of having the honour of facing Hercules in battle?"

Artemis outburst was met with stone cold silence from the trio of council members, Epione in particular, who stared hard at Artemis before looking at the four girls beside her. "I see, and do you four feel the same way Artemis does about Kal being chosen as our tribe's champion?"

Diana, Nubia, Mala, and Euboea all said nothing, but the truth was, they didn't need to, the expressions on their faces said what they were all thinking clearly, Why weren't we chosen, aren't we worthy as well?

Epione just sighed sadly while her two sisters took over explaining the situation to their princess and her friends. "Girls, you are all exceptional warriors, but this isn't about who is worthy of being our tribe's champion and who isn't, this is about the future of our race, Kal was chosen by Hera the night he was born for a reason, what that reason is even we don't know, we just need to have faith in our Goddess and in our prince, and so do all of you." Mnemosyne told them.

"Furthermore girls, if… when… the day comes that Hercules attacks our home, none of you are to go ANYWHERE near him if you can avoid doing so, do you understand? That is a direct order from the council." Menalippe said, her voice deadly serious. "Defeating Hercules is Kal's destiny, not yours, and it is not a destiny any of you should envy him for, having to face that monster in battle is no great honour, it is a terrible burden to bear."

But if it is a burden, then why are you making my brother bear it? Diana barely refrained herself from asking, not wishing to get in more trouble, but wishing to get more answers as she felt like her elders weren't telling them something here, And why wont you tell us why he was chosen?

"Now girls, listen to us very carefully, nothing of what you heard tonight is be repeated by any of you ever again." Epione sternly told the princess and her four friends. "You are not to mention what you heard tonight to your mother's, to your sisters and especially not to Kal, our prince has enough on his young shoulders as it is, he does not need this old prophecy hanging over his head as well, now come with us, we will escort you back to the city."

Diana noticed that Epione still had a troubled look on her face even as spoke to them, but chose not to comment on it, unlike Artemis, she knew when to keep her mouth shut, instead she simply chose to nod along with her sisters and follow her elders back to the city.

She was however the first comment on the fact that the route Epione was taking them on was NOT the fastest way back to the palace however. "Epione, why are we taking the long way back to the palace?"

"There is something I want to show to you girls first, something you all need to see." The healer responded mysteriously after sharing a silent look with her two fellow council members, both Menalippe and Mnemosyne seemed to understand and followed their sister's lead.

Diana and her four friends meanwhile exchanged confused looks, but otherwise obeyed and followed in silence until Epione had led them through the city grounds towards the large mural, Diana had seen this mural and many like it around the island before, she had walked past this one many times before, it depicted one of the many battles their tribe fought before the Fall of Ancient Greece and their tribe's Exodus from Amazonia, these murals were a visual reminder of their people's glorious past, fighting against the corruption of Man's World, it was beautiful, it was glorious…

…but Diana still didn't understand why exactly Epione had chosen to bring them all here, a feeling that was shared by her four friends. "Why are we here Epione?" Euboea asked the healer curiously.

"Look closer at the mural girls, tell me, what do you see?" Epione said softly, a distant look in her eyes as she stared at the mural on the wall, Diana and her friends were confused, but did as Epione told them and looked harder at the images and figures before them, they saw blood, violence and gore, all things one would expect to see of an image depicting an army of Amazons going to war… but upon closer inspection, they all eventually realised that one of the Amazons in the mural looked very familiar to them…

"Epione, this Amazon at the front actually looks a lot like you." Mala said aloud as she and other young Amazons focused on an image of a brunette Amazon leading the charge against an all-male army, her armour drenched in mud and guts, her sword red with blood, but beneath all that gory coating, there was a startling resembles to the healer

"That's because… it is me, girls." Epione answered quietly, so quietly that they almost didn't hear her say the words, but hear her they did, and upon which, they all looked at the healer in shock.

"What?" Diana couldn't help but say as she looked back and forth from the mural on the wall to the older Amazon standing before it, looking almost ashamed. "Epione, you-you were a…?"

"Yes Diana, I was an Amazon Warrior once… an Amazonian Assassin to be more precise, as was my sister Myrto." The healer admitted slowly to the five girl's shock. "before the Fall of Ancient Greece, I was considered one of the best warriors of our tribe, they called me… Epione the Eviscerater and Myrto the Mutilator, we were deadliest assassins in the Amazon army… we made quite the duo." Epione said, her voice becoming distant as she spoke.

Diana was more than a little surprised to hear this, she knew Epione and her younger half-sister Myrto rarely ever talked to each other, and even when they did, their conversations were far from pleasant interactions, but she never understood why they almost seemed to detest one another so much, but it seemed tonight she would find out why.

"But Epione, I don't understand, why on Gaia's green earth would you give up such a glorious position amongst our sisterhood to become a mere healer?" Artemis asked, the young huntress couldn't keep the disbelief out of voice… or the disapproval.

What could only be described as a haunted look came across Epione's face for a moment before she answered. "Because during my time as an assassin, girls… I did things… things I am not proud of… at least… not anymore." Epione turned to look at her princess and her four friends. "I looked at myself in the mirror one day, after waking up the medical ward, still covered in the entrails of my enemies and I… didn't like what I saw, what I had become, what my desire for blood and glory had turned me into… and what it had turned my sister into, I knew it was time to make a change, to choose a different path... and so I did."

"Not long afterwards, Epione forsook her bloodthirsty ways, giving up her position in our army and devoted herself to becoming the greatest healer our sisterhood has ever known." Menalippe said, looking at Epione with a smile. "Something we should all be extremely grateful for, for she has saved many of our sisters lives over the years, before and after the war against Hercules' horde."

"Including all your mothers at one point or another, girls." Mnemosyne added, to the continuous surprise of Diana and her friends. "Meaning if wasn't for her choosing another path of healing over the path of glory, none of you would even be here right now."

All equally wordless by this most recent revelation, the five young Amazons stared at each other with wide eyes before looking at Epione with newfound respect and gratitude.

"My sister Myrto did not see it that way however, nor did she approve of the path I chose." Epione explained with another sad sigh. "She believed I shamed our mother's memory by giving up my sword and becoming a healer instead, she called me a coward for losing my taste for bloodshed and eventually, our endless arguments broke us apart and her anger against me turned her into someone I barely recognise anymore."

A long awkward silence followed Epione story as the five young Amazons stared at healer who they had known all their lives and yet seem to know so very little about, until finally, their princess asked the question which was on all of their minds. "Epione, why are you telling us this?"

Epione turned to look at the five of them with a weary expression upon her face, the face of a women who had seen a lifetime's worth of things they had not seen yet and knew things they barely understood. "Because girls, I am trying to make you all understand that there are more important things in life than pride, honour, and your own personal glory, that pursuit of such things can lead you down a dark path that you might never return from, that sometimes… choosing a different path is vital to making a better future for yourselves and others, and that getting to choose your own path is privilege you should not forsake."

"Because please understand something girls, Kal doesn't have a choice in being our tribe's champion, he never did, his fate was decided by Hera the night he was born." Epione told them sadly. "He never will get to choose his own destiny like the five of you will, he must become the champion our tribe needs him to be, he has no choice."

"The five of you, along with the rest of the new generation of Amazons DO have a choice, and that is a privilege that many of us did not get to have when we your age." Epione said kneeling down to face the five of them at eye level, imploring them to understand what she was saying to them. "One day, when the threat of Hercules and his horde is finally gone for good, your choices will be the ones that decide the future of our tribe, you all have the power to choose your own destinies, girls, not some old prophecy and you will have to decide what sort of Amazons you want to be."

"You can choose to be like Egeria and cling desperately onto our tribe's past, or like my sister Myrto and allow your bitterness to consume you…" Epione told them with a sigh before looking at the five girls with a hopeful smile. "Or you can choose to stand beside our brave prince as he faces the trials yet to come, to help him become the champion we all need him to be."

This naturally, was a lot for the five young Amazons to process, their princess in particular as Diana was once faced with uncertainty this again this evening, so much had happened this day, so much had changed, so many uncertainties now waited for them in the future, it was terrifying…

Diana wasn't certain about many things; she wasn't certain Kal could possibly defeat Hercules, she wasn't certain Hera had made the right decision in choosing her little brother over her as their tribe's champion, she wasn't certain that Egeria wouldn't try to hurt Kal and she certainly wasn't certain about ANY ancient prophecy…

But she was certain about some things…

…Kal was her brother, and their relationship would not end up like Epione and Myrto's, he was not some prophesied destroyer, he was not this… Age Ender, that Egeria spoke of… and if anyone, Demigod or Amazon alike tried to end his age, then she would not hesitate to end theirs…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of fast foot falls quickly approaching reached their ears and the group of Amazons turned to see Drusilla, a long blonde haired, blue eyed and light complexion Amazon, who also happened to the be the queen's royal messenger running towards them. "Drusilla, why are you-?"

"Epione! You must come back to the palace at once! It's an emergency!" Drusilla said as she came to a sudden stop before them, panting up a storm as she did so.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Epione asked, worry clear on her face, as well as the faces of her fellow Amazons, both young and adult.

"It's the prince, there is something wrong with him, he's-."

ZZZZZRRRRRTTTTT!

Drusilla exhausted words were cut off by a loud sizzling sound which was followed a brilliant beam of red light shooting up into the sky, bright enough to light up darkness of the night… and Diana was certain she knew what direction it was coming from…

…it was coming from the direction of the palace.

Greetings to all my fellow fanfic readers and writers, I hope you all enjoyed Superman, Son of Hippolyta Chapter 29: The Age Ender, the very first chapter in this story written from Diana's perspective which reveals a dark prophecy that has been haunting the Amazonian sisterhood for centuries and one that also reveals the backstory and the falling out between Epione and Myrto, and how both sisters used to be much more alike than I have portrayed them in this story.

Now, for all of you who have been wanting to get back to Kal's personal story, however, don't worry, it's all been leading up to this, in the next chapter, we will be rejoining Kal's subconscious journey wherever it is taking him, heads up though, the next chapter things are going to get very, very dark…

As always, I recommend my good friend and Greek mythology expert Luke5921 Superman story, Kal Son of Odin, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with some DC elements added into it, so if you are a fan of both Superman and Marvel, which I AM and I know many of you are, go check it out, it keeps getting better and better with each new chapter.

Also, if any of you would like to support my work in other ventures, I have YouTube channel under the same name as my fanfic account, T-Rexcellent Reviews, if you are interested, please consider giving it a look, a like and subscription as it would really help me out.

Now onto answering some more fan questions from all of you guys…

Supabec: Thanks mate, your continued support means a lot to me.

GrimmPandaMan: Glad to know I'm not the only one mate, I actually cried myself when I first wrote that chapter and I often find myself still tearing up whenever I revisit it, it's an emotional chapter and if it gets that response from you and others, then I feel like I've succeeded as a writer, thank you for telling me this.

Warlocktoungue: Thanks mate, your kind-hearted review and recent support has really helped me get out of my writing slump and get this latest chapter out, I really hope you enjoyed it.

Dante1603: Admittedly, Amazonian/Olympian society is not the best society in the world for Kal to grow up in, but it IS the society that needs him right now, I'm glad you're enjoying my story mate.

billsazguard: Thanks for the offer, mate.

Forsoothandconquest: Glad to hear it mate, I hope you liked the chapter I delivered.

ZoyeZest: Thanks for the offer, mate.

Monstrorum Rex: Hello mate, first off, thank you for asking my permission to write an alternate version of my story, your respect is very much appreciated, however, I am afraid my answer is going to have to be a no, as I do not want alternate versions of this story floating around the internet, as I have put a lot of time and effort into making this story and building up its name, for the record, someone else has already written an alternate version of one of my existing chapters on another website, this was done without my permission and is something I do not approve of, I do hope my story inspires you to write your own and that you will continue to enjoy reading it.

My List of References featured in this Chapter.

1. Egeria referring to Kal as the Half-Blood Prince is a reference to the sixth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

2. Egeria opinion that the only good Demigod is a dead Demigod is a reference to the quote. "The only good bug is a dead bug." From Starship Troopers.

3. Diana and her friends eavesdropping on Epione's and Menalippe's conversation about Kal with Egeria is a reference to Ish the Wolverine eavesdropping on Falstaff's the Bears conversation about Dwight the Coyote with Nevar the Pteranodon from The Longhouse Tales: Episode 17 The Big Scare.

4. Diana awkwardly greeting Epione, Menalippe and Mnemosyne after she and her friends were caught eavesdropping is reference to Diana awkwardly greeting her mother after getting caught running from her lessons from Wonder Woman 2017.

5. Epione's backstory as an Amazonian Commander with a particularly violent history before choosing a life of healing is a reference to AAARRRGGGHH! The Krubera Troll's backstory as a Gumm-Gumm General with a particularly violent history before choosing a life of peace from Trollhunters Part 1: Episode 11: Recipe for Disaster.

Now please allow me to thank all of you who have followed, favourited, and especially reviewed this story so far.

Big thanks to SuperWonderStan, ManOfSteel, Luke5921, cabrera1234, Joel, HeartOfChaos13, GR8ER3241, Kalel4444, JustAnotherIntern14, Erika Lopes, SilveerKnighT, SuperKamiGuest, dakota, Shall-lin, d,Chinook, MoonKnight030, StevenBodner, Daka, evolution-500, Goldenhue, welcome007, Dak, Arik Kkuznetsov, Yeye anaawangazia, HaywireEagle, TheCrackKing, Artimuos Sen, CrazyCaz, Bashleyz, Falcon6, Al, 80sarcades, Vahn, Djberneman, XxGargantuaxX, beastblau12, epantoja521, Supabec, gomezgerman17, justareader21, ed, Ltbutterfly287, Barbatos, DaddysLiitleGirl, Bigreader in the Omniverse, Lightbringer616, 698capa, Andy, hehelove1, NexusPrime42, Silverwingzz, nu47781, myafroatemydog, Major Wallace, Durkasmurf, magical fan18, freelook, vtorx, WilliaMUSKLx See, Hyprhnk, nameless hero 1128, Prynz Nykkho, red567, Chiposkippy, Cepha, HughJasz, Lay Lord, Joe-El, jornamin4, sorcerersupreme14, Ghost Angel14, Azathot, Shark23223, Mosh1215, , robinmlangeni6, GrimmPandaMan, Warlocktoungue, Dante1603, billsazguard, Forsoothandconquest, ZoyeZest, Monstrorum Rex and all of my other unnamed guest reviewers.

Please keep the kind reviews coming guys, their what fuels these chapters and to all my other readers, if you write me some kind reviews in the future, then you can be seeing your name here to, until next time, this is T-Rexcellent Reviews signing off.