The Amazon Princess..... Reunion
Wonder Woman #22 - September, Year Four	by Matt Hrubey

The sunshine streamed in through her windows, shining upon her face and pulling her out of a fitful dream. It was getting to the point that she no longer wished to sleep, fearing what she would see. But then again, it was always the same.

Each time she closed her eyes, she saw him. His specter haunted her in the night.

“Oh, baby,” she muttered, rolling out of bed. “I need to sleep eventually.”

Strolling into the bathroom of the apartment that didn’t belong to her, the tile was cold against her feet. She shivered for a moment, her body temperature adapting to the sudden change. It almost made her laugh; she could destroy a car with a single punch but a simple floor made her feel vulnerable.

She looked into the mirror, frowning at the bags under her eyes. Sleep deprivation didn’t agree with her but there didn’t seem any way of getting past it until she accepted the fact that her lover was gone for good.

There was a rustling from the kitchenette and the woman straightened up, exiting the bathroom and heading in that direction. Self-defense tactics learned over many years came flooded back, ready to be used if the occasion called for it.

Someone had broken into the house of a dead man. Again.

And whoever it was, they were snacking out of the refrigerator. The woman was barely clothed and hunched over, her face covered by the linoleum door of the fridge.

“Who the hell are you?” the girlfriend of the dead man asked. She crossed her arms, waiting for a response. “And why are you in this apartment?”

The woman’s head pulled out of the refrigerator frightened. “Oh! I’m sorry to surprise you like this,” the intruder said. There was a small scar on the woman’s face.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Eobeus. I hail from Themyscira. I carry a message from an old friend.”

The girlfriend of the dead apartment owner lost her seriousness at the mention of the island nation of her past. This could only mean one thing. After being apart for so long, Diana was calling for help.

“She requests your presence on Themyscira,” the intruder, Eobeus, continued undaunted, believing it was known for whom she spoke-

“You are needed, Donna Troy.”

A Little After That
Gateway City

“Cassandra!”

The yell came from downstairs. Cassandra Sandsmark jumped off her bed and moved toward the staircase. The cry had been so sudden; Cassie feared that her home was under attack. After the recent battle against Giganta, the last thing Wonder Girl wanted was to have to put her life and the life of her mother in danger.

Cassie bounded down the stairs, almost sliding out as she turned the corner into the kitchen. Inside, she found her mother leaned over the counter, cradling a cup of coffee. Cassie stopped and took a deep breath.

“Is everything alright?” Cassie asked her mother.

“Apparently not,” Helena Sandsmark responded. “This young woman says that Diana is in trouble.”

Cassandra hadn’t even realized that there was someone else in the kitchen. She turned and was struck by the new arrival’s beauty. Only one other person in her life had ever garnered that response from Cassie. The woman looked familiar, but they had never met before.

“Hello, Cassandra,” the raven-haired woman said. “My name is Donna Troy. I have been going by the codename Troia and used to serve with the-”

“Titans,” Cassie finished. “Now I recognize you.” She saw the grave expression on Donna’s face. “What is it? Is Wonder Woman okay?”

“Diana just returned from her quest,” Donna replied. “Themyscira has been all but destroyed. She needs the two of us on the island by day’s end. Of course, Diana said you were only allowed to go with your mother’s permission.”

Cassie turned to her mother and steepled her hands against her chest. “Please, mom?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Cassie, this just seems-”

“Mother, Diana has done so much for me. This is my one chance to help her out when she needs it. Plus, I won’t be alone. Donna is a superhero…and Diana will be there too. Not to mention the Amazons, they might as well be superheroes.”

Helena shook her head. “Cassie, you’re too young. I don’t think you should-”

“Mom!” the daughter shot back. “I am not too young. I’m going to be graduating from high school soon. Plus, and mom, this is important, you can’t change who I’ve become. This is the life I’ve chosen for myself. You may not be happy about it, but it was my decision to make.”

Standing in the middle of her kitchen, Helena looked from her daughter to Donna and back again. “You’re right.” She lowered her head. “Donna, please take care of my child.”

“Of course, Mrs. Sandsmark.”

Cassie was all smiles. “Does this mean I get to go?”

“You better go now,” Helena said. “Before I change my mind.”

Donna placed her hand on Cassie’s shoulder. “Pack light but pack what’s necessary. I don’t know how long we’re going to be there.”

Placing a kiss on her mother’s cheek, Cassie headed for the stairwell. “Thanks, mom!”

When they were alone, Donna grabbed Helena’s hand and gave a little squeeze. “You don’t have anything to worry about, Mrs. Sandsmark. I’ll protect her with my life.”

“Thank you, Donna. And please, call me Helena.”

Now
Themyscira

Not for the first time, a hush had fallen over paradise. The royal city had been nearly abandoned as the remaining Amazons made their way out to the countryside, the sight of the memorial and burial. Many had died and, though this memorial was for all the Amazons, it focused primarily upon Hippolyta, the former Queen. Everyone on the island had turned out for the ceremony, including a few new arrivals.

Diana stood at the head of the hand wheedled coffin, her eyes wet from sorrow. Directly behind her stood Phillipus, barely having gotten off bed rest, Cassandra, and Donna, the closest thing she had to a blood sister. Wonder Woman peered over her shoulder and they each offered their own form of a smile.

“I feel kind of out of place,” Cassie muttered to Donna. “I mean, I’ve only met Queen Hippolyta one time. Who was she?”

Tears began to fall from Donna’s eyes as she contemplated the question. When her response finally came, it was, “A legend. She was a legend.”

Diana stepped forward, her robes blowing in the breeze coming off the ocean. Even though the occasion was sad, Diana looked beautiful. “My sisters,” she addressed the gathering, “thank you all for coming. It would have meant much to my mother.”

Around the crowd, a few of the Amazons nodded.

“We are gathered here today not only to say goodbye to my mother, Hippolyta, but to send our prayers to the souls of our other recently departed sisters. As they pass onto the next world, they will know that our love for them knows no bounds.

“However, saying goodbye is not the only reason that you all have been called here. Behind me stand Cassandra Sandsmark and Donna Troy. Some of you may know them, some of you may not. Like me, they protect the Patriarch’s World. Like all of us, they are Amazon warriors and deserve all the respect that Themyscira can give to them.

“That having been said. With their arrivals, a council of Amazons will go into conference and when it ends Themyscira will have a new future. Though my mother was the Queen, her death does not give me to the right to make all decisions independently.

“And mark my words, sisters, decisions will be made. Things will change. You may not agree with everything that is said. You may not agree with everything that is done, but each of us is an Amazon through and through. Standing on the precipice of extinction, we must stand together.

“Themyscira will survive. You have my word.”

With that, Wonder Woman turned over her shoulder and, motioning for the three at her back to follow, returned to the royal city.

“The one thing I don’t understand,” Cassandra said as she followed the other three Amazons into the royal palace, “is why Themyscira was just sitting out here in the middle of the ocean. I mean, isn’t it supposed to be hidden from everyone?”

“It is only hidden from those that are not Amazons, young one,” Phillipus replied, limping to a seat next to Hippolyta’s throne.

Nearby Diana and Donna had linked arms. “Thank you for coming so quickly, sister,” Wonder Woman exclaimed. “You’re very being here gives me strength.”

“Don’t worry about it, Diana,” Donna replied, smiling. “I just have to remember to thank Nightwing for letting me borrow the T-Jet with no questions asked.”

“And you,” Diana turned to Cassandra. “Thank you for dropping everything you were doing and coming. It means a lot that you would do this for me, Wonder Girl.”

“No need to thank me,” Cassie replied. She was looking around the throne room in awe. “Especially after all that you’ve done for me, Diana.”

Diana stood in the middle of a triangle formed by the other three bodies in the room. “The future of Themyscira has fallen to the four of us. You have each been chosen to participate in this tribunal because I consider you the strongest specimens that the Amazons have to offer. Together, we have what it takes to sculpt our sovereign nation into a force to be respected.”

To her right, Donna folded her arms. “Where do we even start?”

“I would think that is fairly obvious,” Diana replied. “We need to establish a new leader. A succession of authority that will rule over all Themysciran operations. Every other nation in the world has a leader, why not us?”

“A plausible question,” Phillipus responded, “and one that is easily answered.”

“Is it now?”

“Of course, princess. The answer is you.”

Diana cocked her head to the side. “Me?”

“She’s right, Diana,” Cassie spoke up. Her hands were waving about as if she were signing. “I mean, your mom was the queen right? Doesn’t that mean that you…you know, as a princess…doesn’t that mean you took over for her when she died?”

“I don’t know…”

“Diana, you are the logical choice,” Phillipus said. “You are respected as both a diplomat and a warrior. You understand the needs of Themyscira and you are capable of getting things done. In my eyes, you are the only choice.”

“I…thank you all,” Diana said, her eyes looking down as she smiled. “This is truly a great honor.”

“So Ms. Queen of Themyscira,” Donna said, pointing at the closest thing she had to a sister, “what’s next?”

“I have been giving great thought lately to the state of Themyscira and foreign affairs. Perhaps, it is time that Themyscira expanded its influence outward.”

“Diana, what are you talking about?” Phillipus asked. She sought to rise to her feet but a motion from Diana kept her seated.

“I have been thinking greatly since returning from Olympus,” the princess responded. “We have to use this opportunity in a positive way. Think of it as the silver lining of Darkseid attacking our home. Ever since the creation of Themyscira, our sisters have maintained a strict sense of isolation from the rest of the world. I think it’s time that that changed.”

Donna was shocked. “What are you saying?”

“It’s time for the Gods to lift the veil of anonymity surrounding Themyscira and we reveal ourselves fully to the Patriarch’s world.”

Now, Phillipus was on her feet, limping toward Diana. “Diana, what you are proposing goes against everything our nation has ever stood for. It’s…it’s blasphemy!”

“Only if you let it be, Phillipus,” Wonder Woman responded, placing on a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “The entire world has survived because of its ability to adapt and evolve. We must do the same or Themyscira will be destroyed. There are technologies on man’s world that we could use to build this island back up to its former glory.”

“We don’t need technology!” Phillipus shouted. “We have our Gods!”

“The denizens of Olympus care nothing for us,” Diana responded. “Therefore, I have told them to leave us be.”

Cassandra cocked an eyebrow. “You just told them? You have to have some pretty big balls to stand up to those wen-”

“Cassie!” Diana exclaimed. “Your language, please. And yes, I just told them. After what they have put me through recently, my respect for them has been degraded if not lost completely. I have dissolved bonds centuries old and set Themyscira free to choice its own destiny. I will not have Zeus and his clan watching our every actions anymore.”

The throne room was silent for a long while. Diana stood, her arms folded across her chest, watching the reactions of those she called friend.

Cassie was still looking around in awe. It wasn’t fair to her, to someone so new to the world of the Amazons, to be involved in something as pivotal as the days that would follow. Diana felt that she had been selfish in that regard, but the opportunity for Cassandra to see Themyscira the way she did, it was too good to pass up.

Donna was the most contemplative of all three. Having spent a portion of her life on the island, Donna knew how life went, how tradition played into decision-making. She was thinking through the consequences of Diana’s suggestion. It was only a matter of time before she voiced her opinion in favor or against unveiling Themyscira to the world.

Phillipus could hardly stand still. Her anger was self-evident and growing. What Diana was suggesting completely changed everything. However, Wonder Woman was now the queen of everything in eyeshot. Phillipus had strong feelings about the future of the Amazons, but the final decisions were to be made by the new queen, Diana herself.

“I need time to think,” Phillipus finally proclaimed. “I’m going to ask that the rest of this deliberation be put on hold until sun up tomorrow.”

“Take as much time as you need,” Queen Diana responded.

Phillipus gave a small nod and limped out.

What was she thinking?

Not even her mother, a hot head by nature, had ever been this radical. What she was suggesting would completely go against everything that Themyscira is and ever had been.

There was no doubt that Diana was her own person, but Phillipus couldn’t help but wonder if Wonder Woman truly was the best choice to lead the Amazons into the future.

True, Diana had grown up on Themyscira, raised there since infancy, but she left at the first chance she could get. The contest to become Wonder Woman had been her out, her way off the island and into man’s world. It was a choice that she obviously didn’t regret.

Was this person truly the one to lead the Amazons?

A sigh escaped the lips of the Archon-

Of course, she is, Phillipus told herself. You’re just afraid of the future. Get a grip. Diana is the only one capable of doing what needs to be done. She needs the support of her sisters.

Phillipus stopped and turned, looking back at the doors to the throne room. She was standing at a fork-in-the-road, stuck between the decision of what is right and what is familiar.

With a new resolve, Phillipus headed back inside.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Donna said after Phillipus had walked out.

Diana shrugged, moving toward the throne. “I expected no less. The idea is revolutionary to you and me, who don’t live permanently on Themyscira, but to the Amazons sisters, it acts as a total breakdown of tradition. It won’t come easy…if at all.”

“But you’re queen now,” Cassandra interrupted. “Can’t you just…I don’t know…tell them to accept your rule and…you know, your rules.”

“A queen is only as powerful as her subjects,” Diana replied. She ran her finger along the arm of the throne. “A leader given no respect cannot truly rule. It’s a game of give and take.”

“You know a lot about authority.”

“After the countless conversations I’ve had with my mother, Donna, I could not help but pick up a thing or two. Even in death, her influence over me is astounding.”

Diana laid a palm on each arm of the throne and carefully lowered herself down into the chair. Though, there was no applause or shouts of adulation, the moment was one that the muses would write about for centuries to come. Diana, long the daughter of the Queen of the Amazons, had taken over the role and it fit like a glove.

“So,” Cassie said, “what are you gonna do?”

“I know I’m right,” Diana responded. “The only thing I have to find out now is how to get that across to everyone else.”

“Maybe I can help with that?”

The three Wonder Women turned at the sound of the voice. Phillipus stood before them once more, her chin lifted in a regal manner.

“That was quick,” Cassandra muttered.

“You’re right, of course, Diana,” Phillipus stated, moving forward. “You would never do anything to purposely harm Themyscira. I trust in your judgment. If this is what you believe to be right, then I will follow you into Tartarus.”

“Thank you, sister, this means a lot.”

“Okay, ladies,” Donna interrupted the moment, “we’re far from done. We have a queen. We have a mission statement. Now what?”

“Now?” Diana asked-

“Now, Themyscira takes its first step into the future.”

Wonder Woman stood surrounded by impenetrable darkness. Her eyes tried futilely to adjust to the blackness that settled all around her. Crossing her arms, she called out, “Athena, I request your presence. Please, hear the wishes of the Queen of the Amazons.”

“I thought you said you didn’t need us anymore.”

A harsh light appeared in the middle of the temple, yet to be reconstructed after the destruction of Themyscira. In it’s midst stood a woman of beauty and brains. Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, didn’t smile. In fact, she looked to be perturbed to have once again been summoned down to the island.

“Think of it as beginning your redemption in my eyes,” Diana responded, unmoving. “I need a favor.”

The tension between the two women was almost tangible. Diana hated the fact that she needed Athena, or any of the Gods for that matter, but her responsibilities as queen outweighed her personal detestation for Olympus and its inhabitants. Athena felt betrayed that Diana, even hurt by the actions of her family, would take such a drastic step and deny them, breaking relationships that had existed since for countless centuries.

“And what does it require of me?” the Goddess of Wisdom asked.

Diana, unconsciously, began rubbing her fingers along the lasso at her side. “To save a few minutes, I’m going to assume that you’ve been watching what’s going on down here,” she said, to which Athena offered a solitary nod. “Good. Then you know that Themyscira is changing. With me at its head, I’m bringing the Amazons into the twenty-first century.”

“Get to the point, Diana.”

“The next step centers around your involvement.”

Athena cocked an eyebrow. She had to admit that, despite her feelings, she was intrigued. “What did you have in mind?”

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