The Amazon Princess..... Disillusioned
Wonder Woman #21 - August, Year Four	by Matt Hrubey

The body had long gone cold. She grasped it with fervor, afraid that if she let go, the truth would finally begin to sink in.

Hippolyta, Queen of Themyscira, was dead.

The strangest element, as Diana looked over her brother’s motionless form, was the fact that the Queen looked no worse for wear. Her skin was pale from lack of oxygen, but her limbs were in tact and there were no obvious injuries to her body. There was no hint as to what caused her death.

Tears streamed from Diana’s eyes. They rolled down her face, bathing her mother’s forehead. But all the tears in the world wouldn’t bring back Hippolyta now.

Diana had disappeared, traveling to the God’s Realm to get her lasso reconstructed. After a competition and a trip down memory lane, Diana had succeeded, her lasso being restored. Returning home, she had thought that her trials would be over. However, she was greeted to the sight of her homeland destroyed, her sisters murdered in cold blood, and everything she had ever cared for in tatters.

It was all over…

A lament passed from her lips, growing in volume until it had become a scream. Diana’s voice passed throughout the royal city of Themyscira, reverberating off broken walls and crushed homes.

“P-princess?”

Diana looked up, finding it hard to see through the tears. She hadn’t even thought to look for survivors, but they were appearing out of the woodwork, brought forth by her cries for retribution. Diana set her mother down gently on the ground and rose to her feet.

Eobeus stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the princess. There was a moment of understood silence, where each simply held the other, taking a short-lived instant of solace in the other.

They separated. Diana held Eobeus at arm’s length. “What happened here?”

“Darkseid,” Eobeus replied, the word like snake venom on the tip of her tongue. “His forces attacked without warning. They tore through our sisters and then…well, I can’t really remember. The next thing I knew, I heard you.”

“Darkseid?” Diana asked, more to herself than any of the sisters that had crowded around her. “I thought that he was dead?”

“He was very much alive when he attacked Themyscira,” Penelope stated. “Where were you, Diana? When we needed you, you weren’t here.”

“I was with the Gods in Olympus taking care of a personal matter,” Wonder Woman responded. “They told me nothing of this.”

“You should have been here.”

“Penelope, that’s enough!” Eobeus told her sister, stepping between Diana and Penelope. “If Diana had been here, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. Darkseid’s forces were massive. It is very possible that, had Diana been here, she could be laying among the deceased at our feet. And then the entire royal family would be gone.”

Eyes turned to body of Hippolyta, many whispering silent prayers for their queen.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Penelope asked. Her eyes scanned the horizon of the sunset, a blood red sun looking back at her. “Where do we go from here?”

When no response came, all of the remaining Amazons turned to their princess, hoping she would say something.

Diana sniffled, the tears unceasing.

No words ever came.

Wonder Woman dug through the rubble, hoping that she would find someone still alive after Darkseid’s attack. Thus far, the odds weren’t in her favor, and, as the Amazons scoured the island, they weren’t getting any better.

A head count of the gathering on the steps of the palace had been done, yielding a result that told Diana that most of the Amazons were dead or missing.

She should have been here.

After a moment of weakness, wondering how Themyscira was going to survive this, Diana had taken control, sending out search parties to various areas of the island. Diana herself had opted to stay in the royal city, not wanting to stray too far from her mother. The death of the matriarch of Themyscira hadn’t fully hit her daughter yet, but Diana refused to succumb to her emotions while there was so much work to be done.

After the search was done, she needed to find temporary shelter for her sisters. She needed to radio the Watchtower, find out what was going on outside of the island, and find out if they could offer any help in rebuilding.

Deep in thought as she was, Diana almost missed the soft expulsion of breath that greeted the movement of a crushed pillar. She dug deep, her fingers aching. The body was revealed.

Wonder Woman gasped-

“Phillipus!”

The head of the Amazonian army looked back at her, cracking an awkward smile through blood drenched lips.

“It’s…me,” Phillipus replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “Old stone face couldn’t kill me if he tried.”

Diana laughed, the action marred by crying. She lifted the broken body from the rubble and flew her to where the make shift hospital had been established. Luckily, some of the surviving sisters had been gifted with medical skills and were prepared to offer those talents to the injured.

Wonder Woman flew as quickly as she could manage with the added weight.

She would be damned if anyone else on this island died while she was willing and able to offer her protection.

Night had fallen on Themyscira and Diana found herself alone with her thoughts. She sat aside the crude residence for the Amazons, trying to organize her personal feelings over what had taken place since returning from Olympus. Penelope and Eobeus had discovered a pack of Amazons that had hidden themselves in the countryside, afraid for their lives. The pack had bolstered the number of Amazons under Diana and she would need every single person that could be offered.

She had called the Watchtower and spoken with Sue Dibny, the team’s new operator. Wonder Woman had received a brief overview of the events taking place in the days she had been gone: the death of the Elongated Man, the appearance of the Outsiders on the Watchtower, and finally Darkseid’s attempt to usurp control of reality. The League was in the process of rebuilding.

Themyscira was on its own.

Everywhere, the world was hurting. Parademon armies had destroyed cities, taking lives like they were meaningless. Darkseid was lucky he was beaten for Diana would have likely killed the conqueror had they come face to face.

She should have been here.

The repair of the lasso could have waited. Diana had felt something bad was going to happen just before leaving for Olympus. She should have followed her instincts. Diana sighed; what was done was done. There was no changing the past.

She hadn’t known what was happening, but she knew that the Gods had to have recognized the danger of Darkseid’s existence. They had held their tongues while she competed and now Themyscira was in tatters.

They had much to answer for.

Wonder Woman rose to her feet and headed for the nearest temple.

The place of worship had seen better days. However, all things considered, the temple was fixable. There was some minor damage to the infrastructure, but it would last long enough to serve its purpose. Diana wanted privacy for this conversation, knowing that it could very well change the entire relationship between the Gods and the Amazons.

“I know you can here me, Zeus! Get down here!”

Very few dared speak to the King of the Gods in such a manner, but Diana was not afraid of him. The Gods were at fault and Zeus, being the head of the assemblage, was being held accountable. If only he would show his face.

“Zeus!”

There was an instant of silence and then she heard his voice-

“I told you I was sorry, Diana.” His voice was low, like he was addressing a superior. This spoke highly of his respect for Wonder Woman. “We had no control over the events that unfolded in paradise.”

Diana turned, the voice having come from behind. She was mildly shocked to see that Zeus was not alone. The entire royal family of Olympus, minus Ares, had appeared before her, each realizing the importance of the episode that was to follow. It seemed like a lifetime since she had last seen them, when in reality it had been less than a day.

“You had no control,” Wonder Woman repeated, exhaustion playing at the corners of her eyes, “but you knew what was happening. You said nothing! None of you said a word!”

“We were looking out for your best interests,” Athena said, stepping past her father. Zeus tried to stop her but she gently brushed off his advances. “You said it yourself that restoring your lasso was the highest priority on your mind. I admit, we should have told you at first, but you were already so far into the competition-”

“None of your words matter,” Diana shot back. “You’re supposed to be the Goddess of Wisdom! You made one highly dim-witted decision.”

Zeus stepped forward. “She is not to blame for this, Diana. The decision not to tell you was not one made lightly. We are all to blame and you should not take it on one in particular.”

Diana lowered her head. “You’re right.”

“Diana, I am so sorry that this-”

“All of you are hereby banned from Themyscira.”

The statement shocked even the omniscient Gods of Myth. They stared dumbfounded at the orphaned princess, who regarded them with nothing but pure malice. The Goddess of Love stepped forward-

“Wonder Woman-”

“I mean it, Aphrodite. You all have proven today that you care nothing for the Amazons or myself. Until otherwise notified, Olympus and Themyscira are not to co-exist in any fashion at any time.”

For a long time, there were no words exchanged. Zeus and the Gods could tell that she was serious, but this was a drastic step. The Gods had watched over Themyscira since its creation centuries ago.

Finally, Zeus found the words. “Diana, we are all-”

“No, Zeus we’re done here,” she replied, turning on her heel and heading back to the barracks. Over her shoulder, she shouted-

“I’m sure you can find your way out. You are Gods after all.”

The battle for Phillipus’ life had been a long, drawn out conflict. A workup by the doctors had revealed extensive internal damages and Phillipus had suffered greatly from the blood loss. Things were going to get worse before they got better. All throughout the night the doctors worked on the head of the Themysciran army, using the purple ray on more than one occasion.

Diana sat outside the surgery tent, waiting for any word on her friend and ally. The tent sleeves parted and Heredia exited, wiping the blood on her hands into a rag. When finished, she threw the rag over her shoulder and smiled at Diana. “She’s going to be alright.”

A sigh escaped Diana’s lips, a weight being lifted off her body. “How did the surgery go?”

“I won’t sugarcoat it,” Heredia responded. “We almost lost her. However, we managed to resuscitate her and stitch up the wounds. The recovery process will be lengthy, but, at some point, she’ll be back to her former glory.”

“And the rest of our sisters?”

Heredia shook her head. “More are dying than being saved. If we would have gotten to some of them sooner, it might have made a difference, but there was nothing we could have done.”

If only I had been here, Diana said to herself. This could have all been avoided.

“Is she awake?” Wonder Woman asked. “I’d like to speak to her.”

“She’s awake. I have to warn you, though, that the effects of the purple ray might make her a bit unbalanced in her weakened state. She might act strangely.”

Diana moved toward the tent. “I’ll take my chances,” she replied. “It’s about time decisions were made.”

Following Diana’s departure, the Gods had indeed returned to Olympus as per her wishes. There was no sense making an angry Amazon angrier.

“We messed this up big time,” Aphrodite said, her arms wrapped around her lithe body.

Artemis looked to Athena, silently exchanging an ‘I told you so.’ “Diana is very upset. She may never forgive us for this.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Athena shot back. “She simply needs some time to calm down and get her affairs in order. Once Themyscira is back on its feet, everything will return to normal.”

The Goddess of Wisdom looked back and forth between the faces of family, none of who would look at her.

“Right?” she asked them all.

“I’m not so sure.”

All eyes turned to Zeus. The God King, once full of an extraordinary exuberance, was suddenly somber, his eyes down turned. After a moment, he lifted his gaze, looking each of his children straight in the face. There was no semblance of his usual excitement and humor.

“Themyscira has been changed forever. Hippolyta is dead, along with an incalculable number of Amazons,” Zeus recapped. “The way I see it, the next few days determine the next few centuries. More than likely, Diana will go into conference with her sisters, a new leader will be chosen, and Themyscira will be restored to its former glory. This, of course, is the best case scenario.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Hestia asked.

Zeus turned to his daughter. “That is a bad question to ask and one that I cannot answer. We just have to wait and see.”

“Phillipus?”

A soft groan was elicited as a response. Diana could hardly see in the darkness of the tent. She pushed open the tent sleeves, allowing the moonlight to shine in and upon the bed that held the head of the Themysciran army. The woman had seen better days, her entire body nearly wrapped in bandages. Phillipus was a strong woman, however, and Diana had complete faith that her friend would fully recover.

“D-Diana,” Phillipus asked, recognizing the silhouette in the darkness. “How does it look?”

“Not very good. The bandaged look doesn’t suit you.”

“Ha ha,” Phillipus replied wickedly. “I’m talking about the island.”

“It was a joke.”

“Now is not the time for jokes.”

Diana shook her head. “Of course not, but if we lose our ability to laugh, then the battle is already lost.”

“Very profound.”

A shrug arched Wonder Woman’s shoulders. “Themyscira has taken heavy losses. The number of dead is astounding. The island itself has seen better days, but nothing a bit of reconstruction can’t accomplish. I’m worried most about the ideology. For a race raised on the ethics of peace, we were wiped out through the purest form of hate and violence. I’d feel like a hypocrite trying to teach peace after this.”

“What are you suggesting? We turn the Amazons into an army for hire?”

“No! Of course not. At least, I…”

“Diana, speak your mind.”

“That’s the problem, Phillipus, I’m not sure what my thoughts are on this. That’s why I’ve appeared before you. Being one of the senior Amazons on this island, you have a say in its future.”

Phillipus nodded. “We have much to discuss.”

“Yes, we do,” Wonder Woman said, “but first I have a few calls to make.”

Story © 2006 Matt Hrubey and may not be reproduced without permission.