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AMAZOS - a WW origin story UPDATED 01/01/2023
Actually, you may not know this, but I am the grammar and punctuation nazi.
DrAvatar
Well Dravatar, this was another good chapter with multiple threads building nicely, cant wait to see where it all leads.
Great work!
Great work!
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Thanks to those who have read it and to those who have commented. Dravatar's epic continues ....
PART 35
Athena walked softly across the field and entered the courtyard that held her private garden. She liked it here, one of her favourite places to think, a place of tranquility. Today, however, it was anything but tranquil. The fountain still sang its quiet music, but the owl, she recognized it as the one that she had dispatched to watch Galen, was clearly agitated.
The goddess stepped up onto the dais and sat, closing her eyes. Unless both she and her owl were calm, she would not learn what it clearly wanted to share. The owl flitted to her lap and she stroked it gently. Slowly it became calm and the picture of what it had seen began to form in her mind. That of Galen in a tavern as seen by her owl hidden in the rafters. His head was still on the mend, if his movements were an accurate judge, and he was clearly alone and thoughtful. As she watched, he lifted his mug, then set it down without drinking as shadows covered his table.
* * *
“Are you Galen of Gortyn?”
He let the question hang in the air as the tavern became a place of silence and looked the room over carefully. It was crowded, too many people at the end of the day. That was bad, as it limited his maneuverability. Still, if it limited his, he might be able to use that to his advantage. He could not yet see the thugs behind him, for to turn and look would be to acknowledge their presence, but he was fair certain they were better armed than he, the makhaira at his waist being more suitable for skinning out and dressing prey than for combat.
“I asked a question. Are you Galen of Gortyn?”
He sighed, knowing where this was going to end: death. That’s where it always seemed to end.
“I am Galen.”
The thug’s tone became even more belligerent.
“Athena sent us to find Galen of Gortyn, are you he?”
Galen smiled for the first time, then slowly turned. There were six of them, all armored and well armed. Two xiphos, one kopis, and two makhaira, all combat weight and length. Lovely.
“I doubt that very much. The goddess herself stripped me of that title at the very same time she did this … “
He held up his twisted hand.
“ … so that I would have a constant reminder as to why she did it, until she were to call on me. Now it might be that she sent you.... but you do not speak as one who knows the goddess – or her wisdom.”
Galen stood quickly, his chair moving even as he was rising. The head thug didn’t even see it coming until it was too late. The flying chair crashed into him with its full mass accelerated by an arm that could draw back the strongest bow. He tumbled to the ground, out of the fight. Temporarily, at least.
Throwing himself backwards even as the chair was mid-flight, Galen rolled backwards over the table, his withered bow arm tucked against his chest. Landing lightly on his feet, he shoved the table at the remaining five.
While this was going on, the proprietor slipped out into the street in search of the guard and wishing that Aponolus, a just Lokhagos and known for looking out for small vendors such as himself, was not away.
The table staggered the five men, but it didn’t take them long to get sorted. Drawing their weapons, they spread out, trying to encircle him as best they could in the confines of the tavern.
Galen may not have been a great fighter and he may not have been well armed. What he was? A great tactician and, formerly, at least, a master archer. A cup flew with speed and accuracy hitting the far left one squarely on the bridge of the nose, blinding him with tears. Survival trumping honour, the former archer took two steps forward and followed up with a knee to the groin, relieving him of his xiphos as he doubled over. A twisted hand grabbed the thug’s hair as Galen straightened his foe, placing the xiphos at his throat, offering them a choice.
“Why not simply call this a mistake and leave?”
The head thug, having regained his feet looked him square in the eye.
“Erasmus will have us killed if we let you live.”
He charged, his men followed, and Galen, having no other choice, slit the throat of the man he was holding, pushing the body at the onrushing men with his sword arm. Some checked their run, some collided with their dead comrade. One made it through unimpeded and got his hamstring sliced open by the captured xiphos. The thug dropped to the floor screaming even as Galen riposted another blade, cutting open his second throat of the day.
“I’ve already reduced the odds by half, sure you want to keep this up?”
Secretly, he hoped they would run, luck, he knew, would only take him so far. Apparently, the lead thug had the same thought as their blades locked.
“All I have to do is keep you too busy to fend off any other attacks.”
Instead of trying to match strength for strength, Galen spun in a clockwise motion, giving the lead thug a kick in the buttocks and sending him into the others who were supposed to take him from behind.
The three of them were just getting untangled when the proprietor returned with the guard.
“Lower your weapons and step back, now, or die!”
Faced with overwhelming odds, both Galen and the thugs complied. The head guard nodded.
“That’s better. Now. Who started this?”
Galen was about to answer when the head thug beat him to the punch.
“That one!”
He pointed at Galen, “That one done it!”
The head guard turned to the proprietor, who nodded as he spoke,
“I think he started the fight, but I … “
The guard’s mind made up, he was cut off.
“You are under arrest for murder.”
Galen was about to protest his innocence when the guard did something Aponolus would never have tolerated, he belted his prisoner across the mouth.
“Speak when you are told or I’ll spit you on the spot!”
* * *
Diana’s eyes were wide once more with the never seeing stare, as she relived yet another event from her past. The most tortuous one had been the first, though it was one of the easiest. Since then, there had been many. How long had she been here? Hours? Days? Weeks? She did not know nor feel the passage of time because, however long or short she had been here, it seemed like a lifetime. Even as she sat staring into the nothing grey, the events continued to unfold.
* * *
This was not the first time they had been hunting boar, it was a duty that fell to each Amazon from time to time. Not only did the boars provide meat, but, more importantly, they destroyed crops and had to be stopped. Being chosen for any of the hunts was a recognition of skill and courage. This time the four of them, Diana, Callistae, Aila, and – the new one – had been chosen. She was young and had only been with them a short time. Aila had said that, despite her youth, she was the best with the spear she had ever seen and that she had a stout heart.
* * *
Mnemosyne’s face became an intense mask of concentration as she not only sifted through what memories Diana needed, but also kept her from dwelling too long on things she should not yet recall. Artemis, seeing the sweat on the goddess of memory’s brow, wet her hand with water from the pitcher at their side and was about to provide cooling relief when her mother intercepted her arm. Artemis opened her mouth to speak, but Hera’s fingers stilled her lips. The queen of all the gods slowly shook her head, silently mouthing words to her daughter.
“We dare not break her concentration.”
Artemis nodded and returned her gaze to the pool, where Diana had yet to move.
* * *
The four of them had hunted together on three previous occasions. This year was different. This year they had been chosen for the highest honour. This year they were chosen for the ritual hunt. That meant they were further afield … and they were alone. Just the four of them, three swords and one spear. Few Amazons could even stand before their combined might and they knew, with the certainty of youth, that, together, they were invincible. As usual, Diana was to the front and center, while Callistae was about 20 feet to her right and a couple of steps back. Aila was in about the same place, but to the left. And behind her …
* * *
Mnemosyne spoke softly through clenched teeth,
“This memory is so strong, so vivid. I don’t know if I can … “
* * *
The three of them, Aila, Callistae, and Diana had their eyes forward, studying the brush carefully for any signs of movement. They could sense it – the boar was nearby. Approaching from down wind of the animal they should be able to smell it too. It must be very close.
Suddenly there is a shout from behind her.
“Diana!”
A shoulder slammed into the Amazon Princess, knocking her to the ground and clear of the animal attacking them from the rear. Even as she hit, two screams rent the air as one, that of the boar and also of …
“No!”
The exclamation had come from both Aila and Callistae simultaneously. Diana slowly climbed to her feet and immediately saw the source of their distress. It was … was …
* * *
Mnemosyne squeezed her hands closed so tightly her nails cut into her skin. Blood flowed. Hera’s face was filled with concern, but she kept silent and her look kept Artemis silent as well. All they could do was witness the titanic struggle.
* * *
She had knocked her princess and friend to the ground, out of the path of the boar. Her spear skewering the boar from end to end, but not without paying a price. Lying there on the ground, impaled on the largest tusk Diana had ever seen was …
* * *
Diana screamed, her voice filled with anguish.
“Why can’t I remember her name! Mnemosyne! Please! Come to my aid!”
* * *
On Olympus, tears joined the sweat streaming down the goddess face and she whispered sadly,
“I cannot, Diana, in fact I must block this part of your memory. None can yet be allowed to remember Liobe of the spear!”
* * *
Removing their friend from the tusk, the three remaining companions staunched the bleeding. Aila shook her head.
“It’s bad. She won’t make it home.”
Diana looked at …
* * *
“Why!?”
Diana cried out in anguish to her gods.
“Why can’t I remember she who saved my life!!”
* * *
Mnemosyne, the tears streaming down her face like a river, spoke, almost as if to herself.
“I’m sorry, Diana, but not yet. It is not time. For you to know would place you in greater peril than you now face.”
She knew Diana could not hear.
* * *
“Why!?”
Diana looked down at her friend.
“Why did you do that?”
The youngest of the four looked at her three friends.
“While I draw breath, nothing will ever take you from behind. I will always protect your back.”
“I am worth no more than you, brave fool, princess or not.”
The wounded warrior smiled weakly.
“I am not brave, just privileged to be rearguard to you all.”
Diana wiped sudden tears from her eyes.
“That greatly increases the value of your gift.”
Callistae looked both worried and thoughtful.
“I know a hermit near here – a healer. I think that’s our best bet.”
Diana rent her cloak, forming a temporary bandage as best she could. Callistae and Aila gathered branches and, with the aid of their cloaks, made something they could carry her with. After they had loaded it and lifted their friend off the ground, Diana leaned over.
“You must keep pressure here. Understood?”
Nodding, the young woman placed her hand over Diana’s. The young princess placed her other hand on the top of the pile and squeezed gently.
“One more thing. Do not die on me. Consider that a royal command.”
A small nod and a weak reply.
“You may rely on me, Princess.”
Diana nodded.
“And you on me.”
Sliding one hand out from under, the Amazon Princess pressed down on her young patient’s hand.
“We will travel fast, as only Amazons can. Horses would be nice, but even if we had them you might not withstand the ride, so we run.”
With that the three set off, breaking into a smooth jog that began to eat up the miles. First Callistae was in front and Aila in the back, her eyes ever on her wounded friend. Then Diana relieved her. More distance behind them, Aila relieved Callistae. Later yet, Callistae relieved Diana.
So it went for the next several hours, the sun, near its zenith when they encountered the boar, now sinking slowly in the sky as Apollo’s chariot neared the end of its journey. Finally, Callistae spoke.
“We are near, relieve me that I may find the path.”
Aila did so and Callistae sprinted ahead. Even before Helios-Apollo had vanished for the day, Callistae was beckoning them towards a little side path. Down to a cave dwelling where they were met by a wizened looking old man.
“Come, come. Bring her in. It is not yet her day to die.”
Taking her in, they set her on a workspace the old man pointed to.
“Leave us.”
Diana opened her mouth to speak, but he closed it with a look.
“Your friend will live.”
* * *
Outside, all they could do was wait. Wait they did, for some hours, into the night, sitting around a small fire as they had on many occasions. Talking, worrying, praying for Asclepius to aid their friend and finding no comfort in a fire that could not warm their hearts.
Inside, the young woman slept soundly. The bleeding had long since been stopped by a mere wave of a hand. He smiled, listening to the three of them trying to encourage one another. These three were of good character. They would stand by their friend as long as she had breath and even after. They would stand by each other. Too bad three of them were fated to die on the same day. He looked at the youngest one. If the Fates were to be believed, it would be a kindness to let her die here and now, in peace and with loved ones. Yet he could not. According to the Fates, her life ending here would lead to the deaths of 400 who should otherwise live. They either couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him more. After an appropriate amount of time had passed, Asclepius waved his hand over his patient again and, still in the guise of a hermit, went outside as she began to stir.
“It is done, she will live. She is just starting to wake. You may go to her, but keep it short.”
* * *
Athena’s garments gleamed with fire, sparks flying as she paced, whirled, and paced again. She was angry as she had not been in a long time. More than angry, though, she was perplexed. Who was this Erasmus that kept taunting her and why did he want her servant, Galen, dead? Moreover, how was she to save him without directly intervening. Aponolus was not yet through with his hunt, else she could use him. In any event, she was not quite certain that Nemesis would release him as she had to save Diana. This time the delay in catching the man who had raped and murdered his sister would be nearly a year instead of a few days. Even more, if the trail were again lost. No, she must conceive of something else.
* * *
The four of them sat together, three longtime friends and the youngest to join their ranks.
“We start off this morning?”
The three nodded at the young one’s nervous words.
“Have any of you seen battle before?”
She looked at each in turn and they nodded, one by one. Of the four, only she was unblooded.
“I am afraid.”
Diana looked at her, this young one, their friend, and smiled.
“So are we all. Fear is what keeps you alive in battle.”
The young woman shook her head.
“You don’t understand, I am afraid of failing you, of failing our friendship, of … “
Diana cut her off,
“Who was it that jumped in front of a speeding boar and, not only saved my life, but also made the ritual kill?”
The young one persisted.
“I acted on instinct – I had no time to think.”
Callistae nodded.
“And now you have nothing but time to think?”
The young woman nodded.
Aila looked at her a long moment as if sizing her up. The young woman squirmed under the intensity of the gaze of one who had been taking the measure of warriors for years.
“Listen to me and know that I speak true. I have watched many warriors grow – did you think it was chance that drew you to our midst? No – you were chosen. You are highly skilled, the best I have seen. You are possessed of a stout heart and you will always put the lives of your sisters ahead of your own. No. You need not fear on that score.”
The others nodded and the young one took comfort in their confidence.
* * *
The young woman walked behind the others, xiphos at her waist, shield slung for travel, and a massive spear in her hand. As befit one of her youth and station she mostly kept silent as they marched south. Only at night did she get to spend time with her friends and mentors. It was amazing that they should include her in their fireside chats, talking strategy, or tactics. Talking of little things, their hopes and dreams. She was even included when they spoke of the queen, when Diana returned with orders for the next day. And … and … they shared their meals – with her! Like they were family!
* * *
Sightless eyes gazed on these moments as she relived them with the others, yet none recognized her. It was like they were strangers. She clung to the knowledge of their love, to the tearful hugs received in the midst of battle with all her being and still it was almost more than she could bear. Elpis whispered in her ear as only she could do.
“Do not despair – all only seems lost – cling to the words shared with Diana!”
“You may rely on me, Princess.”
“And you on me. You on me … rely on me … rely on me.”
The phrase echoed in her head and she felt somewhat comforted – almost – hopeful?
* * *
Mnemosyne was drenched in sweat, exhausted. The timing of this memory, after long hours of vigil, was taking its toll even on the keeper of memory’s ability. Still she spoke encouragement.
“Keep going, Diana. The worst comes, but we will brave it together, you and I.”
Again, the Oath Taker heard not a word.
* * *
“DIANA! THIS DAY IS AGAINST US! YOU MUST GO, NOW! CALLISTAE!,”
She turned to her other friend, her look saying what words could not.
“RIDE WITH HER!”
The young captain nodded in understanding, “I will keep her safe.” the look said, before glancing quickly at the princess with the unspoken question - “Are you ready?”
Diana nodded reluctantly, never taking her eyes from Aila as Callistae mounted Aila's horse.
“No need for words Princess...” Aila said with a sad smile. “Survive this day, avenge us all! Avenge this foul treachery! Let Dorlian mothers weep for their lost sons! Live, and kill them all!”
“I will, I swear it, before all Olympus. By all the Goddesses on high I will see their blood. I will see every man on this battlefield dead before my blade sleeps in my hand, Aila, my sister.” Diana said as the hot tears flowed down her cheeks. The young woman locked eyes with the Princess as she finished her oath and she could have sworn the next words were especially for her. “You will all be remembered this day! And you will all be avenged. Upon my life I swear it will be so, by my blood!” she raised her bleeding hand to the High Gods as she looked heavenward.
* * *
Diana wept openly as she lost two of her closest friends for the second time. This time she could only watch it happen. This time she saw it all. Saw the titanic struggle of the young one as she kept faith, doing everything she could and more to protect the rear of her mentor, Aila, and her dear friends. Saw Aila’s epic final battle, saw her skewered on Mennus' spear, watched as she slid her body up the spear towards the fear-stricken king. Watched as her friend smiled and uttered her final words.
“Come Mennus...let us embrace...”
Watched as she broke his neck and died even as life left his body. All this she saw, but she did not see the final fate of the young one, she who had saved her from the boar. This was spared her, had she known it, by Mnemosyne who, even now, fought as valiantly as any she had just witnessed to save Diana herself.
This time Diana did not waste words on lamentation or oaths of vengeance as she repeated what, to her, had suddenly become the most important part of her oath that day.
“You will all be remembered! Especially you, my lost sister! I will remember you! With or without the help of the Lady Mnemosyne! You will be remembered!!”
* * *
Mnemosyne, still weeping with Diana, still sweating and bleeding from the strain of repressing only pieces of so intense a memory, spoke her own vow.
“No, Diana! You may not yet know that Liobe kept faith, that she placed herself between Aila and the curse just as deliberately as she saved you from the boar. Much as that knowledge would bring peace to the four of you, it is not yet time.”
* * *
Diana took aim and threw the spear. It would have been a killing blow, but he turned his head at the last instant and it only took his ear. His screams were music to her ears as he toppled from the saddle and Diana thought she finally had him. Suddenly a large unit of Dorlian riders emerged from the trees beyond him, with even more behind them.
She cursed, reining in as hoof beats sounded behind her. Thinking she was surrounded, she turned to see Callistae and Kanda reining in alongside her instead.
“PRINCESS!” Callistae gasped. “We must leave him! There are too many of them! We will have won by now back at the clearing – we will have almost a horse each now, we must ride for Thrapsis!”
Diana turned to them. “Ride back to my mother, tell them more Dorlians approach. I will lead them away if I can. I will see you in Thrapsis. GO!”
Callistae spoke firmly, her look telling Diana of the futility of any argument.
“WE will lead them away.” Turning to Kanda, she gave the order that would end her life. “Go!”
* * *
Tears streamed down Diana’s face as this most horrible day continued to replay before her.
“Please, Callistae, please go with Kanda. I cannot bear to lose you again, too.”
* * *
Kanda nodded a goodbye
“Hera be with you both”.
Whirling her horse, she dug in her heels and rode swiftly for the queen.
Callistae turned to Diana smiling mischievously “Best way to get them to follow us...”
“Kill a few of them!” Diana finished with a laugh as they spurred their horses straight at the larger force closing on them. To Malaxios, safely ensconced amidst his men, it must have seemed they were coming for him, but the Amazons turned at the last moment, sweeping down the left side, Callistae killing one, Diana another.
“SALIDES!” Malaxios shouted “TAKE FORTY MEN! HUNT THEM DOWN! SHE IS THE AMAZON HEIR ! I WANT HER HEAD!”
The women rode easily through the Dorlians and raced each other through the trees, enjoying the thrill like they did as children, the speed of the trees that flashed by, the feel of the horse- warm and strong beneath their bare thighs. They glanced at each other as they raced, laughing, suddenly wheeling now and then to dispatch the nearest rider behind them before riding on, ducking low branches and every now and then holding one to release it, to spring back into the face of their pursuer.
The two women rode hard, using every tactic they knew to delay, startle, or kill those behind them. Salides soon realized that following them too closely was a death sentence and dropped back, only pressing forward again when Calathon's men joined him. Still they could not gain any ground on the two Amazons until something caused Diana’s horse to rear, throwing her heavily to the ground. Callistae, slightly ahead of her, had seen nothing and rode on.
* * *
Sobs wracked Diana’s frame.
“Please, Callistae – ride on. Ride on and don’t look back. Go to Thrapsis. Go! Please!”
But even as she spoke the words, she knew they could not be heeded. That even if they could be heard, her friend would return for her even if she knew the cost would be her life. She knew how this played out. Her friend would die. Again.
* * *
Ninety had begun the chase, ten had been slain during the pursuit. Callistae thundered into the remainder with a shout, scattering them, making their mounts rear in alarm, and killing three more. Diana, seizing the moment, pulled down a rider, taking his sword and mount while dispatching two others. Eleven more fell as their sheer numbers prevented them from closing with the two Amazons. Diana and Callistae, two of the Amazons very best, proved lethal to all who came within range of their whirling swords. Soon their number had been halved, yet in the end, even the skill of Enyo could not save them both, and Callistae took a devastating slash to her exposed back. As she screamed and arched a second man stabbed her through the stomach and she slumped over her horse's neck as her sword slipped from her fingers, a great cheer raised from her attackers.
“CALLISTAE!!!” Diana screamed, her rage rising within her as she saw her friend cut down.
* * *
Diana collapsed into the bottom of the boat, so great was her despair she could barely hold herself up. The tears would not stop flowing, her body wracked with sorrow as she sobbed inconsolably. Words no longer came to her lips as what she knew of a certainty came to pass.
* * *
There were some forty Dorlians left alive, but that was never going to be enough to stop her now. Diana grabbed a second sword and rode with the reins between her teeth dealing death on all sides with no thought as to her own safety. Mad with bloodlust, she leapt from her horse to kick one man down, snapping his neck with the strike to his skull. Her twin blades were a blur of lethality, her body moved among them like death personified, striking them down, one by one, until finally only Calathon and Salides were left. She stood breathless facing them, her face a mask of blood and her eyes bore the look of focused hate. Most of the horses had bolted just leaving the three of them in the clearing amid a sea of bodies.
Salides licked his lips nervously and then turned and spurred his horse away , back towards the river.
“I shall gather reinforcements!” He called over his shoulder to Calathon. Unseen by Calathon and Diana, a second Salides remained in the clearing, standing, watching, unmoving as a statue.
“Worthless dog!” Calathon spat after him. He steeled himself
“I shall tell the future in your entrails woman!” he said as he spurred his horse towards her.
Diana threw her two swords straight at him, burying themselves up to the hilt in his breastplate.
“ Let me save you the trouble – for you have no future.”
Diana ran to Callistae, who to her surprise was still alive.
“You must ride p-princess...” Callistae said weakly .
“NO! WE must ride!” Diana retrieved her own sword in the fading light and swung up behind her friend. The wound to her back was grievous. “Lean back against me. We will be with the army before dawn.”
“Not I, princess....not I...”
“Would you disobey your Queen? We are to meet her and take ship at Thrapsis”
Callistae smiled weakly “You never listened to her as a child...”
“We are no longer children...” Diana said sadly.”We will ride west, meet up with the army on the far side of the mountains. Skirting the hills...” They set off at as fast a pace as Diana dared, but they had scarce gone a few miles when Callistae turned her face to her. She was deathly pale and Diana knew the end wasn't far away for her.
“No more. The pain. Stop. Please. I can take no more...” They stopped beside a shallow river. It had a bank of soft grey mud that rose high in a bluff on one side, shaded from the sun and still wet from last night's rain. Whilst on their side the bank was but a foot high.
As Diana helped her friend down gently she could see her spine through the wound in the last of the daylight. Diana got her some water and cradled her head as she drank.
Callistae looked at Diana's armour and slowly ran her fingers down the leather, stained dark red now with her blood from the wound in her back that had pressed into Diana as they rode.
“The..the red...the dark red suits you...” she said weakly.
Diana found she had no more tears left to shed. She looked down at her leather corset below the metal rim of her breastplate “ I will only wear red leather from now on; it will remind me of all my brave sisters that I have lost this day...”
Callistae smiled and her hand fell away and Diana realized she had gone. Turning her head skyward, she looked in sad anger at the darkening heavens. The proximity of those hunting her meant she made no sound, yet her demeanor itself was a silent accusation of the gods of Olympus that they served so faithfully until this terrible day.
PART 35
Athena walked softly across the field and entered the courtyard that held her private garden. She liked it here, one of her favourite places to think, a place of tranquility. Today, however, it was anything but tranquil. The fountain still sang its quiet music, but the owl, she recognized it as the one that she had dispatched to watch Galen, was clearly agitated.
The goddess stepped up onto the dais and sat, closing her eyes. Unless both she and her owl were calm, she would not learn what it clearly wanted to share. The owl flitted to her lap and she stroked it gently. Slowly it became calm and the picture of what it had seen began to form in her mind. That of Galen in a tavern as seen by her owl hidden in the rafters. His head was still on the mend, if his movements were an accurate judge, and he was clearly alone and thoughtful. As she watched, he lifted his mug, then set it down without drinking as shadows covered his table.
* * *
“Are you Galen of Gortyn?”
He let the question hang in the air as the tavern became a place of silence and looked the room over carefully. It was crowded, too many people at the end of the day. That was bad, as it limited his maneuverability. Still, if it limited his, he might be able to use that to his advantage. He could not yet see the thugs behind him, for to turn and look would be to acknowledge their presence, but he was fair certain they were better armed than he, the makhaira at his waist being more suitable for skinning out and dressing prey than for combat.
“I asked a question. Are you Galen of Gortyn?”
He sighed, knowing where this was going to end: death. That’s where it always seemed to end.
“I am Galen.”
The thug’s tone became even more belligerent.
“Athena sent us to find Galen of Gortyn, are you he?”
Galen smiled for the first time, then slowly turned. There were six of them, all armored and well armed. Two xiphos, one kopis, and two makhaira, all combat weight and length. Lovely.
“I doubt that very much. The goddess herself stripped me of that title at the very same time she did this … “
He held up his twisted hand.
“ … so that I would have a constant reminder as to why she did it, until she were to call on me. Now it might be that she sent you.... but you do not speak as one who knows the goddess – or her wisdom.”
Galen stood quickly, his chair moving even as he was rising. The head thug didn’t even see it coming until it was too late. The flying chair crashed into him with its full mass accelerated by an arm that could draw back the strongest bow. He tumbled to the ground, out of the fight. Temporarily, at least.
Throwing himself backwards even as the chair was mid-flight, Galen rolled backwards over the table, his withered bow arm tucked against his chest. Landing lightly on his feet, he shoved the table at the remaining five.
While this was going on, the proprietor slipped out into the street in search of the guard and wishing that Aponolus, a just Lokhagos and known for looking out for small vendors such as himself, was not away.
The table staggered the five men, but it didn’t take them long to get sorted. Drawing their weapons, they spread out, trying to encircle him as best they could in the confines of the tavern.
Galen may not have been a great fighter and he may not have been well armed. What he was? A great tactician and, formerly, at least, a master archer. A cup flew with speed and accuracy hitting the far left one squarely on the bridge of the nose, blinding him with tears. Survival trumping honour, the former archer took two steps forward and followed up with a knee to the groin, relieving him of his xiphos as he doubled over. A twisted hand grabbed the thug’s hair as Galen straightened his foe, placing the xiphos at his throat, offering them a choice.
“Why not simply call this a mistake and leave?”
The head thug, having regained his feet looked him square in the eye.
“Erasmus will have us killed if we let you live.”
He charged, his men followed, and Galen, having no other choice, slit the throat of the man he was holding, pushing the body at the onrushing men with his sword arm. Some checked their run, some collided with their dead comrade. One made it through unimpeded and got his hamstring sliced open by the captured xiphos. The thug dropped to the floor screaming even as Galen riposted another blade, cutting open his second throat of the day.
“I’ve already reduced the odds by half, sure you want to keep this up?”
Secretly, he hoped they would run, luck, he knew, would only take him so far. Apparently, the lead thug had the same thought as their blades locked.
“All I have to do is keep you too busy to fend off any other attacks.”
Instead of trying to match strength for strength, Galen spun in a clockwise motion, giving the lead thug a kick in the buttocks and sending him into the others who were supposed to take him from behind.
The three of them were just getting untangled when the proprietor returned with the guard.
“Lower your weapons and step back, now, or die!”
Faced with overwhelming odds, both Galen and the thugs complied. The head guard nodded.
“That’s better. Now. Who started this?”
Galen was about to answer when the head thug beat him to the punch.
“That one!”
He pointed at Galen, “That one done it!”
The head guard turned to the proprietor, who nodded as he spoke,
“I think he started the fight, but I … “
The guard’s mind made up, he was cut off.
“You are under arrest for murder.”
Galen was about to protest his innocence when the guard did something Aponolus would never have tolerated, he belted his prisoner across the mouth.
“Speak when you are told or I’ll spit you on the spot!”
* * *
Diana’s eyes were wide once more with the never seeing stare, as she relived yet another event from her past. The most tortuous one had been the first, though it was one of the easiest. Since then, there had been many. How long had she been here? Hours? Days? Weeks? She did not know nor feel the passage of time because, however long or short she had been here, it seemed like a lifetime. Even as she sat staring into the nothing grey, the events continued to unfold.
* * *
This was not the first time they had been hunting boar, it was a duty that fell to each Amazon from time to time. Not only did the boars provide meat, but, more importantly, they destroyed crops and had to be stopped. Being chosen for any of the hunts was a recognition of skill and courage. This time the four of them, Diana, Callistae, Aila, and – the new one – had been chosen. She was young and had only been with them a short time. Aila had said that, despite her youth, she was the best with the spear she had ever seen and that she had a stout heart.
* * *
Mnemosyne’s face became an intense mask of concentration as she not only sifted through what memories Diana needed, but also kept her from dwelling too long on things she should not yet recall. Artemis, seeing the sweat on the goddess of memory’s brow, wet her hand with water from the pitcher at their side and was about to provide cooling relief when her mother intercepted her arm. Artemis opened her mouth to speak, but Hera’s fingers stilled her lips. The queen of all the gods slowly shook her head, silently mouthing words to her daughter.
“We dare not break her concentration.”
Artemis nodded and returned her gaze to the pool, where Diana had yet to move.
* * *
The four of them had hunted together on three previous occasions. This year was different. This year they had been chosen for the highest honour. This year they were chosen for the ritual hunt. That meant they were further afield … and they were alone. Just the four of them, three swords and one spear. Few Amazons could even stand before their combined might and they knew, with the certainty of youth, that, together, they were invincible. As usual, Diana was to the front and center, while Callistae was about 20 feet to her right and a couple of steps back. Aila was in about the same place, but to the left. And behind her …
* * *
Mnemosyne spoke softly through clenched teeth,
“This memory is so strong, so vivid. I don’t know if I can … “
* * *
The three of them, Aila, Callistae, and Diana had their eyes forward, studying the brush carefully for any signs of movement. They could sense it – the boar was nearby. Approaching from down wind of the animal they should be able to smell it too. It must be very close.
Suddenly there is a shout from behind her.
“Diana!”
A shoulder slammed into the Amazon Princess, knocking her to the ground and clear of the animal attacking them from the rear. Even as she hit, two screams rent the air as one, that of the boar and also of …
“No!”
The exclamation had come from both Aila and Callistae simultaneously. Diana slowly climbed to her feet and immediately saw the source of their distress. It was … was …
* * *
Mnemosyne squeezed her hands closed so tightly her nails cut into her skin. Blood flowed. Hera’s face was filled with concern, but she kept silent and her look kept Artemis silent as well. All they could do was witness the titanic struggle.
* * *
She had knocked her princess and friend to the ground, out of the path of the boar. Her spear skewering the boar from end to end, but not without paying a price. Lying there on the ground, impaled on the largest tusk Diana had ever seen was …
* * *
Diana screamed, her voice filled with anguish.
“Why can’t I remember her name! Mnemosyne! Please! Come to my aid!”
* * *
On Olympus, tears joined the sweat streaming down the goddess face and she whispered sadly,
“I cannot, Diana, in fact I must block this part of your memory. None can yet be allowed to remember Liobe of the spear!”
* * *
Removing their friend from the tusk, the three remaining companions staunched the bleeding. Aila shook her head.
“It’s bad. She won’t make it home.”
Diana looked at …
* * *
“Why!?”
Diana cried out in anguish to her gods.
“Why can’t I remember she who saved my life!!”
* * *
Mnemosyne, the tears streaming down her face like a river, spoke, almost as if to herself.
“I’m sorry, Diana, but not yet. It is not time. For you to know would place you in greater peril than you now face.”
She knew Diana could not hear.
* * *
“Why!?”
Diana looked down at her friend.
“Why did you do that?”
The youngest of the four looked at her three friends.
“While I draw breath, nothing will ever take you from behind. I will always protect your back.”
“I am worth no more than you, brave fool, princess or not.”
The wounded warrior smiled weakly.
“I am not brave, just privileged to be rearguard to you all.”
Diana wiped sudden tears from her eyes.
“That greatly increases the value of your gift.”
Callistae looked both worried and thoughtful.
“I know a hermit near here – a healer. I think that’s our best bet.”
Diana rent her cloak, forming a temporary bandage as best she could. Callistae and Aila gathered branches and, with the aid of their cloaks, made something they could carry her with. After they had loaded it and lifted their friend off the ground, Diana leaned over.
“You must keep pressure here. Understood?”
Nodding, the young woman placed her hand over Diana’s. The young princess placed her other hand on the top of the pile and squeezed gently.
“One more thing. Do not die on me. Consider that a royal command.”
A small nod and a weak reply.
“You may rely on me, Princess.”
Diana nodded.
“And you on me.”
Sliding one hand out from under, the Amazon Princess pressed down on her young patient’s hand.
“We will travel fast, as only Amazons can. Horses would be nice, but even if we had them you might not withstand the ride, so we run.”
With that the three set off, breaking into a smooth jog that began to eat up the miles. First Callistae was in front and Aila in the back, her eyes ever on her wounded friend. Then Diana relieved her. More distance behind them, Aila relieved Callistae. Later yet, Callistae relieved Diana.
So it went for the next several hours, the sun, near its zenith when they encountered the boar, now sinking slowly in the sky as Apollo’s chariot neared the end of its journey. Finally, Callistae spoke.
“We are near, relieve me that I may find the path.”
Aila did so and Callistae sprinted ahead. Even before Helios-Apollo had vanished for the day, Callistae was beckoning them towards a little side path. Down to a cave dwelling where they were met by a wizened looking old man.
“Come, come. Bring her in. It is not yet her day to die.”
Taking her in, they set her on a workspace the old man pointed to.
“Leave us.”
Diana opened her mouth to speak, but he closed it with a look.
“Your friend will live.”
* * *
Outside, all they could do was wait. Wait they did, for some hours, into the night, sitting around a small fire as they had on many occasions. Talking, worrying, praying for Asclepius to aid their friend and finding no comfort in a fire that could not warm their hearts.
Inside, the young woman slept soundly. The bleeding had long since been stopped by a mere wave of a hand. He smiled, listening to the three of them trying to encourage one another. These three were of good character. They would stand by their friend as long as she had breath and even after. They would stand by each other. Too bad three of them were fated to die on the same day. He looked at the youngest one. If the Fates were to be believed, it would be a kindness to let her die here and now, in peace and with loved ones. Yet he could not. According to the Fates, her life ending here would lead to the deaths of 400 who should otherwise live. They either couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him more. After an appropriate amount of time had passed, Asclepius waved his hand over his patient again and, still in the guise of a hermit, went outside as she began to stir.
“It is done, she will live. She is just starting to wake. You may go to her, but keep it short.”
* * *
Athena’s garments gleamed with fire, sparks flying as she paced, whirled, and paced again. She was angry as she had not been in a long time. More than angry, though, she was perplexed. Who was this Erasmus that kept taunting her and why did he want her servant, Galen, dead? Moreover, how was she to save him without directly intervening. Aponolus was not yet through with his hunt, else she could use him. In any event, she was not quite certain that Nemesis would release him as she had to save Diana. This time the delay in catching the man who had raped and murdered his sister would be nearly a year instead of a few days. Even more, if the trail were again lost. No, she must conceive of something else.
* * *
The four of them sat together, three longtime friends and the youngest to join their ranks.
“We start off this morning?”
The three nodded at the young one’s nervous words.
“Have any of you seen battle before?”
She looked at each in turn and they nodded, one by one. Of the four, only she was unblooded.
“I am afraid.”
Diana looked at her, this young one, their friend, and smiled.
“So are we all. Fear is what keeps you alive in battle.”
The young woman shook her head.
“You don’t understand, I am afraid of failing you, of failing our friendship, of … “
Diana cut her off,
“Who was it that jumped in front of a speeding boar and, not only saved my life, but also made the ritual kill?”
The young one persisted.
“I acted on instinct – I had no time to think.”
Callistae nodded.
“And now you have nothing but time to think?”
The young woman nodded.
Aila looked at her a long moment as if sizing her up. The young woman squirmed under the intensity of the gaze of one who had been taking the measure of warriors for years.
“Listen to me and know that I speak true. I have watched many warriors grow – did you think it was chance that drew you to our midst? No – you were chosen. You are highly skilled, the best I have seen. You are possessed of a stout heart and you will always put the lives of your sisters ahead of your own. No. You need not fear on that score.”
The others nodded and the young one took comfort in their confidence.
* * *
The young woman walked behind the others, xiphos at her waist, shield slung for travel, and a massive spear in her hand. As befit one of her youth and station she mostly kept silent as they marched south. Only at night did she get to spend time with her friends and mentors. It was amazing that they should include her in their fireside chats, talking strategy, or tactics. Talking of little things, their hopes and dreams. She was even included when they spoke of the queen, when Diana returned with orders for the next day. And … and … they shared their meals – with her! Like they were family!
* * *
Sightless eyes gazed on these moments as she relived them with the others, yet none recognized her. It was like they were strangers. She clung to the knowledge of their love, to the tearful hugs received in the midst of battle with all her being and still it was almost more than she could bear. Elpis whispered in her ear as only she could do.
“Do not despair – all only seems lost – cling to the words shared with Diana!”
“You may rely on me, Princess.”
“And you on me. You on me … rely on me … rely on me.”
The phrase echoed in her head and she felt somewhat comforted – almost – hopeful?
* * *
Mnemosyne was drenched in sweat, exhausted. The timing of this memory, after long hours of vigil, was taking its toll even on the keeper of memory’s ability. Still she spoke encouragement.
“Keep going, Diana. The worst comes, but we will brave it together, you and I.”
Again, the Oath Taker heard not a word.
* * *
“DIANA! THIS DAY IS AGAINST US! YOU MUST GO, NOW! CALLISTAE!,”
She turned to her other friend, her look saying what words could not.
“RIDE WITH HER!”
The young captain nodded in understanding, “I will keep her safe.” the look said, before glancing quickly at the princess with the unspoken question - “Are you ready?”
Diana nodded reluctantly, never taking her eyes from Aila as Callistae mounted Aila's horse.
“No need for words Princess...” Aila said with a sad smile. “Survive this day, avenge us all! Avenge this foul treachery! Let Dorlian mothers weep for their lost sons! Live, and kill them all!”
“I will, I swear it, before all Olympus. By all the Goddesses on high I will see their blood. I will see every man on this battlefield dead before my blade sleeps in my hand, Aila, my sister.” Diana said as the hot tears flowed down her cheeks. The young woman locked eyes with the Princess as she finished her oath and she could have sworn the next words were especially for her. “You will all be remembered this day! And you will all be avenged. Upon my life I swear it will be so, by my blood!” she raised her bleeding hand to the High Gods as she looked heavenward.
* * *
Diana wept openly as she lost two of her closest friends for the second time. This time she could only watch it happen. This time she saw it all. Saw the titanic struggle of the young one as she kept faith, doing everything she could and more to protect the rear of her mentor, Aila, and her dear friends. Saw Aila’s epic final battle, saw her skewered on Mennus' spear, watched as she slid her body up the spear towards the fear-stricken king. Watched as her friend smiled and uttered her final words.
“Come Mennus...let us embrace...”
Watched as she broke his neck and died even as life left his body. All this she saw, but she did not see the final fate of the young one, she who had saved her from the boar. This was spared her, had she known it, by Mnemosyne who, even now, fought as valiantly as any she had just witnessed to save Diana herself.
This time Diana did not waste words on lamentation or oaths of vengeance as she repeated what, to her, had suddenly become the most important part of her oath that day.
“You will all be remembered! Especially you, my lost sister! I will remember you! With or without the help of the Lady Mnemosyne! You will be remembered!!”
* * *
Mnemosyne, still weeping with Diana, still sweating and bleeding from the strain of repressing only pieces of so intense a memory, spoke her own vow.
“No, Diana! You may not yet know that Liobe kept faith, that she placed herself between Aila and the curse just as deliberately as she saved you from the boar. Much as that knowledge would bring peace to the four of you, it is not yet time.”
* * *
Diana took aim and threw the spear. It would have been a killing blow, but he turned his head at the last instant and it only took his ear. His screams were music to her ears as he toppled from the saddle and Diana thought she finally had him. Suddenly a large unit of Dorlian riders emerged from the trees beyond him, with even more behind them.
She cursed, reining in as hoof beats sounded behind her. Thinking she was surrounded, she turned to see Callistae and Kanda reining in alongside her instead.
“PRINCESS!” Callistae gasped. “We must leave him! There are too many of them! We will have won by now back at the clearing – we will have almost a horse each now, we must ride for Thrapsis!”
Diana turned to them. “Ride back to my mother, tell them more Dorlians approach. I will lead them away if I can. I will see you in Thrapsis. GO!”
Callistae spoke firmly, her look telling Diana of the futility of any argument.
“WE will lead them away.” Turning to Kanda, she gave the order that would end her life. “Go!”
* * *
Tears streamed down Diana’s face as this most horrible day continued to replay before her.
“Please, Callistae, please go with Kanda. I cannot bear to lose you again, too.”
* * *
Kanda nodded a goodbye
“Hera be with you both”.
Whirling her horse, she dug in her heels and rode swiftly for the queen.
Callistae turned to Diana smiling mischievously “Best way to get them to follow us...”
“Kill a few of them!” Diana finished with a laugh as they spurred their horses straight at the larger force closing on them. To Malaxios, safely ensconced amidst his men, it must have seemed they were coming for him, but the Amazons turned at the last moment, sweeping down the left side, Callistae killing one, Diana another.
“SALIDES!” Malaxios shouted “TAKE FORTY MEN! HUNT THEM DOWN! SHE IS THE AMAZON HEIR ! I WANT HER HEAD!”
The women rode easily through the Dorlians and raced each other through the trees, enjoying the thrill like they did as children, the speed of the trees that flashed by, the feel of the horse- warm and strong beneath their bare thighs. They glanced at each other as they raced, laughing, suddenly wheeling now and then to dispatch the nearest rider behind them before riding on, ducking low branches and every now and then holding one to release it, to spring back into the face of their pursuer.
The two women rode hard, using every tactic they knew to delay, startle, or kill those behind them. Salides soon realized that following them too closely was a death sentence and dropped back, only pressing forward again when Calathon's men joined him. Still they could not gain any ground on the two Amazons until something caused Diana’s horse to rear, throwing her heavily to the ground. Callistae, slightly ahead of her, had seen nothing and rode on.
* * *
Sobs wracked Diana’s frame.
“Please, Callistae – ride on. Ride on and don’t look back. Go to Thrapsis. Go! Please!”
But even as she spoke the words, she knew they could not be heeded. That even if they could be heard, her friend would return for her even if she knew the cost would be her life. She knew how this played out. Her friend would die. Again.
* * *
Ninety had begun the chase, ten had been slain during the pursuit. Callistae thundered into the remainder with a shout, scattering them, making their mounts rear in alarm, and killing three more. Diana, seizing the moment, pulled down a rider, taking his sword and mount while dispatching two others. Eleven more fell as their sheer numbers prevented them from closing with the two Amazons. Diana and Callistae, two of the Amazons very best, proved lethal to all who came within range of their whirling swords. Soon their number had been halved, yet in the end, even the skill of Enyo could not save them both, and Callistae took a devastating slash to her exposed back. As she screamed and arched a second man stabbed her through the stomach and she slumped over her horse's neck as her sword slipped from her fingers, a great cheer raised from her attackers.
“CALLISTAE!!!” Diana screamed, her rage rising within her as she saw her friend cut down.
* * *
Diana collapsed into the bottom of the boat, so great was her despair she could barely hold herself up. The tears would not stop flowing, her body wracked with sorrow as she sobbed inconsolably. Words no longer came to her lips as what she knew of a certainty came to pass.
* * *
There were some forty Dorlians left alive, but that was never going to be enough to stop her now. Diana grabbed a second sword and rode with the reins between her teeth dealing death on all sides with no thought as to her own safety. Mad with bloodlust, she leapt from her horse to kick one man down, snapping his neck with the strike to his skull. Her twin blades were a blur of lethality, her body moved among them like death personified, striking them down, one by one, until finally only Calathon and Salides were left. She stood breathless facing them, her face a mask of blood and her eyes bore the look of focused hate. Most of the horses had bolted just leaving the three of them in the clearing amid a sea of bodies.
Salides licked his lips nervously and then turned and spurred his horse away , back towards the river.
“I shall gather reinforcements!” He called over his shoulder to Calathon. Unseen by Calathon and Diana, a second Salides remained in the clearing, standing, watching, unmoving as a statue.
“Worthless dog!” Calathon spat after him. He steeled himself
“I shall tell the future in your entrails woman!” he said as he spurred his horse towards her.
Diana threw her two swords straight at him, burying themselves up to the hilt in his breastplate.
“ Let me save you the trouble – for you have no future.”
Diana ran to Callistae, who to her surprise was still alive.
“You must ride p-princess...” Callistae said weakly .
“NO! WE must ride!” Diana retrieved her own sword in the fading light and swung up behind her friend. The wound to her back was grievous. “Lean back against me. We will be with the army before dawn.”
“Not I, princess....not I...”
“Would you disobey your Queen? We are to meet her and take ship at Thrapsis”
Callistae smiled weakly “You never listened to her as a child...”
“We are no longer children...” Diana said sadly.”We will ride west, meet up with the army on the far side of the mountains. Skirting the hills...” They set off at as fast a pace as Diana dared, but they had scarce gone a few miles when Callistae turned her face to her. She was deathly pale and Diana knew the end wasn't far away for her.
“No more. The pain. Stop. Please. I can take no more...” They stopped beside a shallow river. It had a bank of soft grey mud that rose high in a bluff on one side, shaded from the sun and still wet from last night's rain. Whilst on their side the bank was but a foot high.
As Diana helped her friend down gently she could see her spine through the wound in the last of the daylight. Diana got her some water and cradled her head as she drank.
Callistae looked at Diana's armour and slowly ran her fingers down the leather, stained dark red now with her blood from the wound in her back that had pressed into Diana as they rode.
“The..the red...the dark red suits you...” she said weakly.
Diana found she had no more tears left to shed. She looked down at her leather corset below the metal rim of her breastplate “ I will only wear red leather from now on; it will remind me of all my brave sisters that I have lost this day...”
Callistae smiled and her hand fell away and Diana realized she had gone. Turning her head skyward, she looked in sad anger at the darkening heavens. The proximity of those hunting her meant she made no sound, yet her demeanor itself was a silent accusation of the gods of Olympus that they served so faithfully until this terrible day.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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Abductorenmadrid
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Ouch - that must have been a tough memory for Diana to go back to, good job. Mnemosyne and Athena also have their worked cut out for them too by the looks of things as they try and stage manage the world below from their lofty viewpoint above. I like it 
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My current story is Supergirl V Bane
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My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
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DrDominator9
- Emissary
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Another excellent chapter, Dr. Avatar; one that really drove home the tragedy of Liobe's sacrifice and her meaning to Diana. And that make's Diana's memory block by Mnemosyne even more poignant. Very emotional chapter that's so wonderfully done.
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Damselbinder
This was pretty damned great. Just the quality of the prose alone was enough to keep me reading. Pretty gut-wrenching.
Thanks awfully for your kind words.
DrAvatar
Nice chapter there Drav, makes for an interesting and entertaining read.
Now Drav tale continues a pace...what do the Fates have in store....?
PART 36
Liobe shuffled slowly through the underworld in silence, one painful step at a time. Another day of solitude in an unending line of days without light. Darkness bore in on her, crowding in on her very soul. Only the memories of love granted her by the goddess Mnemosyne kept her from fully giving in to despair. Only the duty of keeping those memories alive gave her purpose. Those same memories were a two edged sword, for she not only remembered the love of her sisters, but also remembered her last hours with a clarity that would have driven one of lesser fortitude to utter despondency. She was totally alone, no friends, no family.
It was the absence of her family that hurt the worst. Her mother, whom she did not remember, the sisters she had won in life… everyone who knew her in life… anyone she might have met in the Afterlife.. all shunned her. She was truly alone.
Her daily existence was misery without end, without possibility of escape. Even if she were to escape, there was no chance of redemption. She was a misshapen figure that had once been a young woman full of hope and optimism. Now she no longer had even the hope of death ending her misery.
Sometimes she would almost feel as if someone were close, as if someone she knew were nearby. A remembered voice only half heard by her ruined ears. A feeling. A sense of closeness to a soul she half recognized. Yet her blind eye sockets could not seek them out and her tongueless mouth could not call to them. She also knew that, even if they heard her cry, even if they did recognize her, she would be shunned. So she remained, as ever, alone in her crushing black abyss.
Into that blackness had come Hermes Chthonius. He spoke clearly, not to her ears, which did not work so well these days, but to her mind. There he placed the message of her summons to the presence of Lord Hades, himself. His gentle hand had guided her to the door of the great throne room with such sureness that, for the first time she could remember, she did not stumble nor even misstep. Not once, though the distance was great. Once there, he left her in a queue with numerous others, all waiting, according to Lord Hermes, to see the Lord of the Dead. The question of why filled her with a fear such as she had never before known. What new torment awaited her? She sensed movement in front of her, following timidly, her feet shuffling her along, her mind full of fear. Always she was afraid, now the fear was compounded not only by the darkness in which she lived, but by Lord Hades summons. Had she done something to offend? So little was known about Lord Hades, who meddled not at all in the affairs of the living, that her imagination ran rampant with all sorts of horrible things being dealt out to the unfortunates ahead of her and, eventually, to herself as well.
* * *
Hades studied her carefully as she was brought in. He could instantly sense her fear, but there was something else there. That, at least was normal. Every human that came before him the first time tasted of this fear even when they were already dead. Their fear was his little gift to Moros, the god of Doom and Dread, for ....services rendered. Ah well, it was not to be. Back to the matter at hand'
He looked to her future: all her days that he could see were to continue in unending abject misery. He looked deep into her mind and saw that she clung to the memories of love shown to her by her sisters with a tenacity that shocked him. Some of those memories were somehow tied in with her curse, but the rest? Why cling so stubbornly to memories of those she would never see, even here in the Afterlife. Why put forth so much effort when there was, in truth, no hope? Why add to her torment with memories of what could be no longer? In spite of all the cursed dead he had encountered throughout his rule here, he did not know quite what to make of this one.
* * *
When she was finally led before him, she stumbled, though the floor seemed smooth and clear of obstacle. When she stopped, unseen hands first propelled, then turned her, neither gently nor yet roughly, towards the current source of her fears. She bowed awkwardly, fearful of failing to please, but the deep voice that spoke had a gentleness to it that she had not expected.
“Stand. Let me see you.”
If he was sickened by her mutilated form, she did not sense it.
“You knew Diana, daughter of Hippolyta?”
She nodded, then gurgled. His next words were in her mind, the conversation suddenly lacking in any barrier, even the basic filter of words was no more. It was too intimate. Unsettling.
“She is here.”
Her dread became, to her mind, reality.
“Diana? Dead?”
He was silent a moment, as if taking her measure.
“No....Not yet. She is on a quest for Zeus and Hera that would bring her, still living, to my domain. She seeks entrance through the Acheroussia Lake. If I am to grant her entrance through this gate, she must face all who knew her, regardless of how they died. The outcome of this challenge guides my decision. Guides it. Since you knew her, she must face you as well.”
Sudden relief, joy, excitement, anticipation. Her newfound lightness of being. All laid bare.
“Diana!? Here?!? Alive!?!”
“Not here. And there are rules.”
His tone took on a note of incredulous frustration.
“You are aware of the curse upon you?”
She nodded even as she thought “Yes.”
“No matter what I feel about it, I cannot alter or, more specifically, allow events here to alter it. The curse must stand, so the rules I set for you are to be very stringent.”
Again she nodded, though her optimism did not diminish, and his voice took on a kindlier tone.
“You will have to witness your own death, as your death and her life are connected. I am sorry. You may decline if you wish but know that, if you do, Diana will be denied passage through this gate.”
Her mind spoke so rapidly and with such feeling she nearly cut the god of the dead off as he finished speaking.
“I would do anything to aid Diana.”
She could not see his sudden smile. “So I have seen in your life.”
She did not wonder how she could suddenly see as every event in her life flashed by in sequence. For the briefest of moments she saw and recognized her mother’s face, but had no time to marvel at the love she saw there or how she had recognized a woman she never really knew. Events continued to fly by at a dizzying pace before finally coming to a stop at the precise moment her shoulder was impacting that of her Princess, just before the boar gored her. Absentmindedly, she fingered a scar that, alone, stood out amongst the others.
“Here, for example. Did you not fear for your life?”
“I feared for hers more.”
He did not comment. Her life flashed forward again, stopping once more where she stood before Nike on that fateful day.
“You cannot tell me you did this for Diana.”
She shook her head, tears in her eyes as she tried to find the words to explain even as her mind blurted.
“Aila was going to pay the price herself!”
His tone accused her.
“You did not even know what that price would be!”
“No. Only that, as everything with the gods, it would be great.”
He pressed her.
“And now that you know the true price?”
She stood taller, defiant, her mind’s voice flat, emotionless.
“I would not leave my sister – any of my sisters – to this fate!”
He was silent a long time. She could no longer sense his thoughts, she could sense his scrutiny upon her. Nervous as she was, she tried to appear calm.
When she finally heard him again, his tone was soft and she sensed wonderment in his voice.
“My judges spoke truly.”
He did not say about what, but started to run her life backwards, searching, searching, finally stopping…
“Here.”
The day Diana began teaching her to hunt.
“Since you already knew each other at this point, your name need not be mentioned. You may relive this memory with her.”
Her excitement grew as realization dawned. No Aila. No Callistae. Just the two of them.
“What’s more, I will give you the place of honour. You shall be last.”
She felt her spirits soar with hope. There was no way that Diana could fail to recognize her in this memory, despite her disfigurement! Diana was their bravest! Their greatest! She might even…
“Now, the rules.”
His voice sounded sternly in her mind, snapping her back to reality.
“You may not speak to or come into physical contact with any of your sisters while you are on the lake. You may not even answer to your name. Not one word. Further, you may not assist Diana in any way. This quest is hers alone. Not yours. You may observe only! Break the least of these rules, and I petition Mnemosyne to remove those precious memories you guard with such tenacity. One more thing: being last, you must remain until the end. Leave early for any reason and you lose the right to share this memory with Diana. What’s more, I deny her the gate.”
Radiance beamed from her despite the harsh rules as she nodded her understanding.
“I get to see my family!” she thought.
He shook his head in exasperation and withdrew from her mind, leaving her in the solitude of her memories once more.
* * *
A soft shimmering light took on a shadowy form, then gradually solidified into the shape of a man that slowly became recognizable as Dolos the Deceiver. ‘Erasmus’ had been busy the last few days but, if everything came off well, the results should be more than worth the effort. Dolos allowed himself the barest hint of a smile at the thought, then sat next to his watching pool, gently stirring the water until it focused in on the bait for his trap: three Amazons who were already dead. Two had been simple to find, the third… the third was a most tragic case and, for that reason alone, had the potential to be the most potent weapon in his war of deception.
He allowed himself another, slightly larger smile that vanished almost as soon as it appeared. Diana’s well known love for and loyalty to her friends should make this deception all the easier. His grand deception would put an end to her annoyance, weakening not just the females, but all the gods sufficiently for him to take over. The power he would receive from the fruition of all those deceptions – he had successfully deceived Lord Zeus himself with regard to the fact that the Oath had been taken before all Olympus – had convinced the thunder god that fact was insignificant – all his successful deceptions would make him the strongest of gods. Admittedly, the females would be weakened much more greatly than Zeus, as it had been they by whom the Oath was invoked, but, should Diana the Oath Taker die with her oath unfulfilled…
For the first time he allowed himself a broad grin that lasted all of fourteen seconds.
* * *
It had been days since Liobe had bowed before Lord Hades, now, on the lake with the others, she gazed with sightless eyes on happy memories so distant they were all but forgotten in her daily solitude. She relived the events with the others, yet none recognized her. Joy filled her for a moment as she witnessed the time when she had a family born of shared adversity. Yet it was more. They had loved her for who she was even before she had saved Diana from the boar. Had accepted her into their group from the first. She had never felt like an outsider. Never. The newcomer? Yes, but that was to be expected.
They had tested her mettle early on – pushed her to see what she was really made of. Teased her about her youth and innocence. Shared their wisdom and experience. Trained her mercilessly until she mastered areas where she did not excel and stretched her beyond all endurance where she did. She had complained about being tired only once and all three of them had hammered at her shield again and again until she quite literally could stand no longer.
These three were not idle flatterers, neither did they give their praise grudgingly. For this reason she worked hard for their praise and, when she received it, knew she had done well.
Liobe remembered all of this, but mostly she remembered how an orphaned young woman of 15 years suddenly had not one, but three elder sisters. Sisters who loved her without reservation or condition.
She thought back to the first day she spent with them. There had been little time to even think as they came at her in pairs, one resting, two attacking. They remained fresh while she tired. Her xiphos, they did not let her use her dory or hoplon, grew heavier and heavier as the day progressed. At the end of the day, exhausted, she had gathered her things for the long march back to the barracks at the edge of town. Callistae had taken hold of her arm in a firm but gentle grip.
“That is no longer your way home, little sister.”
That night, tired as she was, had been magnificent. Soup, crusty bread, cheese. Ordinary enough fare, yet Callistae had spent time just talking with her. Not about weapons or tactics or anything special. But just trying to find out about – her! It didn’t matter what it was or where or when it happened, if it was part of her life, Callistae had wanted to know!
Callistae also spent time teaching her to sing! She had never thought of singing. She had such trouble matching pitch, yet Callistae was patient. Some weeks later she was singing along with the three of them. Idly, she wondered if Diana still sang.
Aila had taken her the secord night and they too had talked, but Aila also taught her to bake while they talked. It had been so different from what she expected of life that she didn’t know what it was, not at first.
Diana took her the third night and she spent the evening in the palace. It seemed stuffy when the servants laid out the meal, but once they left, Diana and her mother – the queen – shared stories and drew her out in conversation.
This had become the pattern, spending time with each of them in rotation, growing not only in her skill at arms, but learning the simple everyday things that she had not yet done. Sometimes she surprised them, like when they found that she could sew.
Then there were the nights they camped out. Cooking together, eating, sharing stories – they wanted to hear her stories! Singing – Calistae had insisted that singing was important and they all sang together with clear voices.
Then there were the inside jokes that she was drawn into. She remembered the first time she heard Aila speak irreverently to Diana! She did not recall exactly Diana had said, just that it was funny, but she clearly recalled the whimsical tone with which Aila had replied, “Spoken like a true Amazon Princess.”
The lack of respect had shocked her until Diana herself had laughed, “And what will young Liobe make of that? See, already she is blushing!”
She was later to learn that it was a bond that went deeper than outward respect.
It had taken over a month of going from one place to the other or of the four of them camping for her to realize what had happened. She suddenly had a family. A family that had lasted for four glorious years before everything they knew was torn apart.
This time on the lake, though, was different. It was like they were strangers. No one recognized or even acknowledged her presence. Fighting despair, Liobe clung to her certainty that they loved her even if they had forgotten, grasping it tightly with every fibre of her being. But it was hard – more difficult than at any time since her death. She felt a great weight upon her and an almost palpable desire to surrender to the inevitable. No being in existence, not even a god, could withstand the real torment she faced. The solitude, the knowledge that, even if her sisters did recognize her, still she would be cast out. No one cared that she did her duty. None even remembered the memories she was charged to keep.
Why not let go of them? They serve a purpose no longer. They only cause you pain. Just let go.
She continued to fight her own private battle even as the events of that terrible day began to unfold.
* * *
“DIANA! YOUR MOTHER! YOU MUST SAVE THE QUEEN! GO!” Aila shouted and then screamed as a spear thrust took her in the side. “AILA!” Liobe turned as Diana shouted, running to the aid of her fallen sister. Diana was faster, riding to her side cutting down foes to left and right, as she pulled up and wheeled her steed about, forcing the enclosing enemy to back off. She just missed a sword slash, the tip nicking her hand as she raised it in protection and swayed back out of range before returning with a lunge that took her assailant in the throat.
Though down, Aila was not slain. She pulled the spear from her side and scrabbled around for her sword in the bloody dust, dropping her shield and clutching at her wound as she sprawled on one knee. Liobe, and Eurybia who had followed her, held off the lightly armed Atraxians, killing all who got within reach of their spears. All was noise and suffering as the Amazons, hopelessly outmatched, tried to form up and make a stand.
“CALLISTAE!”Aila called to one of the young captains “I CAN RIDE NO MORE! QUICKLY TAKE DIANA TO HER MOTHER! SAVE THE QUEEN! GO! GO NOW! TAKE MY HORSE”
“AILA!” the young woman cried as she saw her wounded friend, stopping in her stride to finish two of her treacherous former allies. “YOU CAN RIDE WITH ME!”
“NO!” Aila cried forcefully, teeth gritted with pain,
“I cannot. Not with this wound. And it will be hard riding if you are to get away.”
She looked at Liobe’s valiant defence. That one would not leave her sisters in the infantry even if she could. Aila waved her sword in a dramatic gesture.
“My place is here, with our sisters! Go, GO QUICKLY! SAVE THE QUEEN! CROSS THE RIVER IF YOU CAN, THEN HEAD NORTH EAST, MAKE FOR HOME VIA THE HIGH MOUNTAINS. TRY TO WARN OUR VILLAGES! WE MUST FLEE! THESE MISERABLE BASTARDS WILL FALL ON US LIKE WOLVES ON A CARCASS! GO! GO NOW, RIDE FOR THE QUEEN!”
Callistae helped Aila to stand, finding her a shield. By this time, Sasso, who had retrieved Aila’s horse, returned. She joined the small band of sister warriors, some sixteen or so strong, which Carraxia was forming into an effective cordon around Aila, Diana, and Callistae. Their assailants stayed away, concentrating on the easier pickings of those Amazons still isolated and surrounded, finishing them off mercilessly one by one before moving on to the next.
Liobe now in the second tier of defenders was granted a brief respite. She turned to share an intimate moment of silence with the only family she had ever known. There were no words to say what could not be said anyway, but looks between the four of them spoke volumes as they accepted the hard truth that they would never all be together again. Liobe’s eyes swelled with the tears of a final goodbye to two of her sisters, then turned back to her duty as the second tier advanced through the first, a tactic designed to push back their foes that all Amazons were trained to execute without command. She and nine of her sisters stepped through the front rank and into the thick of the fighting as Aila desperately entreated their sisters to leave.
“DIANA! THIS DAY IS AGAINST US! YOU MUST GO, NOW! CALLISTAE!, RIDE WITH HER!”
The young captain nodded, glancing quickly at the princess with the unspoken question - “Are you ready?”
Diana nodded reluctantly, never taking her eyes from Aila as Callistae mounted the horse.
“No need for words Princess...” Aila said with a sad smile. “Survive this day, avenge us all! Avenge this foul treachery! Let Dorlian mothers weep for their lost sons! Live, and kill them all!”
“I will, I swear it, before all Olympus. By all the Goddesses on high I will see their blood. I will see every man on this battlefield dead before my blade sleeps in my hand, Aila, my sister.” Diana said as the hot tears flowed down her cheeks. Amazon hearts were strengthened and their opponents quailed in fear as the oath thundered across the battlefield. So powerful her voice and so intense her faith that her words shook Olympus itself. Liobe suddenly found there were no foes within reach of her spear to be slain. Her eyes were drawn to the Princess as she finished her oath and she could have sworn the next words were especially for her as Diana stared deeply into her eyes. “You will all be remembered this day! And you will all be avenged. Upon my life I swear it will be so, by my blood!” she raised her bleeding hand to the High Gods as she looked heavenward.
Aila’s next words had been a long standing joke know only to the four of them. For the first time she spoke them in earnest instead of in jest, tears held back by sheer force of will.
“Spoken like a true Amazon Princess! NOW RIDE! SAVE THE QUEEN!”
For nearly an hour afterwards, fear reigned over their foes as the Amazons slew them with impunity. Then, seeing that the goddesses were not going to strike them down on the spot, numbers began to turn the tide of battle once more.
* * *
Akakios noted the owl’s presence yet again and wondered, again, why it seemed to be following him. Owls were said to be common in Athens, but here, in Corinth, they were seldom seen and he could not help but wonder at its significance. As Lochias, he was responsible for some twenty men of the Corinthian Guard. He began this day like the rest, getting the report from the night watch, then reading the arrest reports for the day before, and finally, all the ones that had yet to be judged. Like each of the last several days, the owl watched him closely as he read the reports, then departed the moment he was through. This made him thoughtful. What in these reports could be of interest to an owl unless – what if the owl reported to Athena herself? The reports were little more than names and charges, no other details being required until they were adjudicated. That’s what witnesses were for. He read the list of prisoners yet again, as he did so the owl returned and perched nearby. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps a particular arrest had caused Athena to dispatch the owl. It had showed up three days ago, so… It would be a long job, but there was only one thing to do.
“I wish to interview each of the prisoners, starting with those that came in four days ago.”
* * *
The Amazons were tired, their hope waning with their strength as sheer numbers began to take their toll. That was when Nike came. The others had felt the hope their prayers had been answered but Liobe, from her perspective, had noticed the goddess’ face was half turned away from the first. Not victory, then.
“SACRED VICTORY! THE GODS HAVE HEARD OUR PRAYERS!” Aila said smiling with tears of joy, a look that turned to one of horror, the smile frozen on her face as, in unison, the Goddesses turned their faces half away, shunning her gaze. It was the Greek sign of rejection
Nike spoke, her body still facing Aila, but her gaze elsewhere. “We come not with open arms, but our faces half away. As observers we approach. We have not come to save.”
The words were like a second spear in Aila's side. She gnashed her teeth then set them on edge, hissing as she spoke “Then the Gods of Greece are cruel indeed to mock us so. Begone! Let us die abandoned by those we served so well” Aila spat bitterly.
“HOLD YOUR TONGUE MORTAL!” Nike bellowed in rage. “Remember to whom you speak!”
Nike faced her, the anguish in her own voice barely concealed. “You are to die this day. You know this. It is the will of Zeus that your Amazon nation be ended.”
She punched out the next four words with a staccato emphasis. “So it will be.”
Her voice took on such a vengeful note, one might have thought she was Nemesis instead of Nike.
“But we give you this. An ending to burn brighter than the stars, such that all Greece will tell its tale and all men will sleep in fear of meeting the Amazos blades! Fight your way to the wagons where more of your sisters make a stand. There you will command, Aila The Brave. Before the Atraxians charge for a fifth time let your blades cut through the White Cloaks. Let them seek out the Atraxian King, Mennus. And in his arrogant triumph spit his men and take his head. This for your loyal homage, we grant you. The Queen and some hundreds will escape, they will found a new nation on an island hidden from men. And there they will prosper. This we give you, this day.”
“What of Diana the Princess? What will be of her? Does she still live?”
Nike smiled. “She will live and be a protector for her people.”
“That is fitting.” Aila nodded in relief.
“But the choice must be yours.” Nike said. “Death here is certain. But it will be quick, finished with bow and spear. But a bloodier, more painful death will await you all there.”
“There is no decision to make!” Aila scoffed.
“But there is. No gift of the gods comes without a price, a sacrifice. Who among you would lose all that you are, for your sisters?” Nike asked.
Liobe knew Aila would speak. She also knew the price of the gods would be higher than it seemed. She spoke quickly, the heat of anger in her voice covering her fear.
“EACH ONE OF US!”
Nike turned to face her and Liobe alone could see the sadness in her eyes as she made her inevitable pronouncement.
“Then, Speaker, it shall be you. Nothing in the world of mortal man comes without a price. We give you the head of Mennus. You give us your lives. But it is not enough. You, Speaker, will give all that you are. You will die in pain and shame at the hands of your enemies, you will lose all that you hold dear as an Amazon.”
Liobe swallowed hard, trying to put on a brave face.
“I ...I do so gladly, a sacrifice for my Sisters”
Nike’s gaze remained fixed on her.
“They will not know of this sacrifice. When we restart the slaughter they will forget. You will be seen to die for nought, as any screaming woman. You will be stripped and violated and bloodied. You will die screaming in pain with the laughter of your foe ringing in your ears. You will be helpless and ashamed, raped before the eyes of your sisters who can do nothing to save you. When you die your body will be mutilated. You will wander the Underworld sightless, unknown by those who loved you in Life and unable to call out even your name. There will be no glory for you in the end of your life and only pain in the Afterlife.”
Liobe looked at Aila, a pained look on her face as she realized she was to lose her family, not only now, but forever. She could not speak up but nodded tearfully in acceptance.
Aila, desperately wanting to spare her dear friend this fate spoke quickly,
“NO! LET IT BE ME!”
Nike shook her head but Ate spoke for the goddesses,
“The deal is made. The price must be paid.”
The Morai nodded. “It must be so.” they said in unison.
Nike waved a hand.
“The bargain is struck. Back to your places, you Amazos. Aila the Brave you will remember what you have to do but nothing else. Liobe of the Spear you alone will remember all we say here, and endure the pain of knowing what can never be, and live the fear of knowing what is to come.”
Nike turned to the other Goddesses.
“Now sisters, we aid the Queen!”
Aila reached her hand towards Nike as if to forestall her, panic in her voice as she spoke.
“Wait!”
The goddesses turned towards her and she continued.
“We will all forget and only Liobe will remember what she has given for us all? Only she will remember these moments here, and what you have said?”
Mnemosyne Goddess of memory nodded.
“It will be so.”
Tears filled Aila’s eyes as she took hold of Liobe for the last time.
“Then come, sweet, brave sister of mine. Let us embrace and remember, you, now, this love and gratitude we all give you that we will forget in life.”
She hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear.
“Are the Gods of Greece not cruel indeed?”
Liobe wept silently, grateful she had spared Aila this fate, but afraid she would fail the trial that awaited her. Aila continued.
“When you wander in the afterlife, remember this moment of love we all have for you, and know that though we are doomed to forget, you will remember for us all, Liobe Bravest of the Brave”
One by one, the other Amazons embraced her before each returned to their positions. At a nod from Athena, all resumed instantly their former stance, frozen in place.
“Now.” said Nike. “We aid the Queen!”
Nike and the goddesses departed, all but Mnemosyne and the fates who remained for a brief moment before time resumed its normal pace. Here in this moment between her life as she knew it and the death that was to come, they spoke.
First Clotho, “We knew … “
Then Lachesis, “It would … “
Finally Atropos, “Be you.”
Then together, “This was always your fate.”
Mnemosyne seemed to look into her for a moment, then spoke, incredulity in her voice.
“You fear that you will fail them more than you fear the death that awaits you.”
With a wave of her hand the goddess caused the battlefield to vanish as she invoked a memory.
She was there, with her three friends, the night before this fateful journey began, but it was Aila who was looking at her. She remembered well the intensity of that gaze as Aila took her measure for perhaps the thousandth time before she spoke. As she listened to the words this time, though, they held a deeper meaning.
“Listen to me and know that I speak true. I have watched many warriors grow – did you think it was chance that drew you to our midst? No – you were chosen. You are highly skilled, the best I have seen. You are possessed of a stout heart and you will always put the lives of your sisters ahead of your own. No. You need not fear on that score.”
The others nodded but it was Mnemosyne who spoke, dragging her back to the present.
“You knew there would be a high price, yet you put the life of Aila ahead of your own when you spoke before she could. Even now that you know the price you put their lives ahead of your own. That is why you fear to fail. But I know you, your every memory. Trust me when I tell you that you will not fail, either in your personal battle and trial, or in your duty to keep this memory of their love alive. In that task, at least, I will aid you. You will never forget their love for you. I promise you this, though it will not aid you in your immediate future.”
Then they, too, left, and time resumed.
* * *
Hopefulness had sprung up in Liobe’s soul despite things turning out so differently from what she had envisioned. She would have thought that Diana or even one of the others would have recognized her by now, but they had not. She clung to words Diana had shared with her when she had been certain she was to die.
“Rely on me.”
The words hung before her like a torch borne by Elpis, a beacon of hope, encouraging her to stay the course. Not that hope mattered. Diana needed her.
* * *
Nemesis bared her teeth in a feral smile as Aponolus made the first cut on his prey’s thigh. Unseen, but close at hand, she witnessed the culmination of his vow of vengeance.
“You will run from me no longer, merciless dog!”
Aponolus' sword skirted his prey’s defences, leaving a second cut on the shield arm. He spoke no words as he continued to press the attack, dealing out small, seemingly insignificant cuts. Yet each caused loss of blood. The loss of blood eventually led to weakness as the seemingly possessed Aponolus struck again and again without mercy or letup.
“Do you feel it, filth? The fear and helplessness she felt as you forced yourself upon her?”
The man was weeping, begging for his life, knowing of a certainty that he was outmatched.
For the first time, Aponolus paused.
“You ask for mercy, tell me, did she beg for mercy?”
A mighty blow knocked the shield aside, snapping the man’s arm in the process. In nearly the same movement Aponolus disarmed him completely. The man dropped to his knees.
“Though I was raised Spartan, I have learned mercy in my years abroad and spared many a life.”
Relief flooded the man’s face.
“I have also trailed you by the bodies you have left behind. Mothers, sisters, and daughters all. You have no honour and no mercy, thus you shall be granted none.”
The sword plunged into the man’s gut disembowelling him, thus ensuring a slow painful, but inevitable death. Aponolus saw the moment of realization in the man’s eyes as he knew he was dead already.
“Die as you slew others, alone and in pain.”
The man spat in defiance, then screamed in pain as his very act of defiance convulsed his mutilated intestines. Aponolus turned and walked away, leaving the man to die.
Nemesis felt the rush of power as his vow to her was completed in a just and worthy fashion.
“Not vengeance only, but justice also!”
* * *
It had seemed a simple enough plan when Aila had laid it out. Use the mule to break up the half-formed phalanx between them and their sisters at the wagons, then slaughter them on the way through. Still, no plan survives contact with the enemy. The mule broke the phalanx, but the number of warriors in between was too great to be slain in the rush to the wagons. So it was that those in reach were slain, and those who were passed by pursued them from the rear. With so few numbers the Amazons could not spare any to guard their rear and would have been slain had Liobe not taken it upon herself to be the lone rear guard.
Aila was slowest because of her wound, so Liobe slowed to her pace, turning, using her shield to protect them both.
“Aila must live to slay Mennus so that Diana and, please gods, Callistae too, along with hundreds of our sisters will live. I must save Aila lest all die.”
These words propelled her, guided her actions as she took upon herself a burden most would fear to carry. It was brutal, gutter fighting, without honour – it was all about survival. As their running progress slowed Aila and Liobe caught up with the little group but as Liobe turned to face the immediate threat of the men behind her a Dorlian arrow took her in her left thigh. She screamed and sagged but straightened to kill the terrified Atraxian soldier who stood wide eyed before her. But the gap between her and the group widened. The Dorlians and the Atraxians that they had broken through now started to pursue them but their shouts and cries made the Atraxians in the throng around the wagons think a much larger force of Amazons was at their rear, rather than the handful that was the reality. They panicked and started to break, pushing against each other desperate to escape the blood curdling cries of the rampaging women. Sasso, an Amazon from the northern hills supported Aila and helped her on but they were both only able to escape as Liobe continued to cover them, beating aside threatening spears and arrows with her shield at the risk of exposing herself. Her defence was fierce and ferocious, a harsh snarl disfiguring her kindly face. No matter the cost they would not pass, would not be allowed to take her sisters.
“YOU! SHALL! NOT! PASS!!”
Her voice seemed to have an almost supernatural ring to it, yet her sisters did not hear her defiant tones. Every skill she knew was used that day and she was not alone. Aila was by her side, teaching her to get the most out of a thrown spear. So it was that when her spear was finally thrown, it was with such force and accuracy that it took two Atraxians at once. Diana was with her, teaching her to ride a parry with her sword so that her opponent became overextended, leaving himself open for a fatal blow. Calliastae was with her as she stumbled backwards, barely able to stand, providing words of encouragement but not letting her quit. Yes, her sisters had prepared her well for this day, had they but known it, and soon her pursuers had learned to keep a wary distance from the frenzied woman who seemed possessed by the Gods themselves.
Liobe, for her part knew what was coming for her ultimately, as the words of the Goddesses still rang in her ears; the tears that streaked her face were from her pain, but not because of the wound. She was afraid, afraid of dying, still afraid she would fail her sisters before she died, and bitter too, at the treatment she was to receive from those whom she had loyally served for so long. Worst of all, the knowledge that her sister Amazons would revile her, shun her in the Afterlife, gnawed at her soul, threatening to consume her. She shoved it all aside, letting the knowledge that her actions this day would save her sisters drive her on when she was sure she could continue no longer. If this day was to be her last, she would fight until she could fight no more. The arrow through her leg was hampering her progress as she continued to back towards her sisters. Each second that passed left her slightly weaker, but each second also brought her sisters closer to their goal.
She glanced behind her, using her peripheral vision as Diana had taught her so that she could keep her eye on the immediate threat. They were only eight feet or so away. Weak as she was, she might still make the safety of her sisters and die protecting them as they fought towards Mennus.
A huge enemy soldier suddenly blocked her view, running up behind the two women and lifting an enormous axe, high above his head. Liobe knew that this was the moment of sacrifice, but she didn't hesitate, turning swiftly, hurling her xiphos with such tremendous force across the five feet or so into the back of the big Atraxian soldier that it nearly severed his head from his shoulders. Unarmed and with her back to her attackers, she screamed, wincing as a second arrow struck her high on her left shoulder. The strength left her arm and her shield sagged, suddenly too heavy to hold.
“Raise your shield!” yelled Diana as her blade tried to knock it from her tiring arms.
“Keep it up! Don’t let it fall!” This from Callistae as she struck the shield in her turn.
“If your shield is too low you offer the enemy targets! Keep it high! Your greaves protect your legs, your shield everything else.” Now it was Aila’s turn to strike.
“I’m tired.” She complained as her sisters continued to strike in turn.
“Rest in battle and you are dead.”
“An Amazon never quits!”
“NOW PICK UP YOUR SHIELD!!”
She turned back and raised it with both arms just in time to stop two more arrows that thudded into the tough leather hide over the metal fronted wood of the shield.
She continued to edge backwards, now slower than ever, but stumbled as her heel hit the body of the big axeman she had felled. Her wounded leg gave out and she fell heavily. A soldier darted in to finish her off but as she still had her shield she gripped its rim and jabbed it forward breaking his legs just above his knees. She felt the satisfying crack as his femur shattered and, as he pitched forward, screaming, to land beside her, she snapped his neck before the scream died in his throat.
She struggled up onto one knee grabbing the spear he had carried and using it to hoist herself upright. She glanced backwards again but all she saw were the backs of the soldiers who had closed behind the retreating Sasso and Aila. She was cut off and wounded, surrounded and barely able to stand now. But she was not alone. They were here with her, at the last, her sisters. Their training in her mind and her arms, their love in her heart. And she had a spear once more. Was she not known among the Amazons as 'Liobe of the Spear'? She smiled as she looked at the cedar shaft supporting her weight, her temple resting against her hand that held it. It felt good to hold the smooth warm wood in her hand. She rallied, standing unaided as she levelled the spear at the attackers that ringed her, suddenly at peace with herself. She sighed softly, time to meet the end.
“Who among you seeks death? TAKE A STEP TOWARDS MY BLADE AND MEET HADES!” She roared. She half turned and lunged towards those standing behind her, but it was a feint to entice forward those to her front. She had dropped to a crouch, and spun holding the spear shaft in two hands at its end, her spear point slitting the throat of the one luckless soldier who had strode too far forward.
“THE BITCH! WE'LL MAKE HER PAY! TAKE HER ALIVE!”barked one of her assailants.
“This is your last chance to surrender....No? Then count your lives by seconds!” she spat as she lunged forward.
For the next few minutes it was as though the spear was a live thing in her hands. She used it as sword, shield, and spear. The shaft intercepted uncounted blades, the tip slashed cutting sinew and muscle, wounding many, and it thrust, killing four more of her assailants outright.
Weakened by her wounds it was only a matter of time and finally one of them moved faster than she, dodging her strike, the spear pulling her forwards where another grabbed it. More closed in as she wrestled for the spear, six of them. Grabbing her arms, gripping one wrist. Her free hand was moving towards the throat of the nearest, his face contorted in fear, when a blow to the back of the head ended it all. The last of her strength left her and she was Amazon no more.
* * *
Standing on the lake, Liobe wept. The goddesses had separated her from her sisters that day, then left her to face all that had happened alone. Just as she was facing it alone now. For some reason, while this seemed to drag on for her, the others, all three of them, had failed to witness any of this or anything having to do with her subsequent rape and vivisection. In one sense it was easier, for she only had to watch as she was taken again and again before being disfigured beyond recognition. In another it was more difficult, for Aila’s words, unheard by her until now, cut deeper than any sword.
“Liobe of the spear...you betray your race with your cries..”
For a moment the full weight of her tragic curse came upon her like she had never felt it before, threatening for the first time to crush her. She knew they reviled her, knew that such words must have been uttered, yet, suddenly she felt alone and abandoned as she had never felt before. Her tears flowed hotly as an irresistible wave of emotion washed over her. The words cut through her very soul, a wave of blackness and despair took hold of her.
None care for you, nameless one. They never did. You lived your life alone, you died alone, you are alone now, and you will always be alone. As for these memories, none care about them. Sacred duty? Hah! They are a burden to lay down. They serve no purpose but to cause pain. Let go of them and give yourself over to the unending darkness and despair that you deserve.
The words rattled around in her mind, feeding on her, growing stronger as her darkness deepened. What difference did it make? What did it matter if she remember? At that moment, as if in response to her thoughts of despair, the memory of all the loving embraces of her sisters came upon her so fresh and so vivid it was as if it were happening for the first time. Right now, when she needed it most, she felt loved and she heard Aila speak again.
“… know that though we are doomed to forget, you will remember for us all, Liobe Bravest of the Brave”
Suddenly she felt as if she could face a thousand more years of solitude. She had a duty to remember their love. “Please Mnemosyne let me not forget again.” She thought, the response immediately coming to her mind.
“Trust me when I tell you that you will not fail in your duty to keep this memory of their love alive.”
* * *
The battle had continued apace, Aila achieving, as Nike had promised, a death worthy of song. Now Liobe learned, for the first time, of Callistae’s fate. They had started out leading nearly a hundred away from the trail of their Amazon sisters. They had killed nearly a dozen when Ares himself had unhorsed Diana. Callistae had returned and together she and Diana had halved their remaining adversaries when Callistae had received a blow that opened her back to her spine. A second blow to the front had insured her death. She could only watch as Diana collapsed into the bottom of the boat, her own tears joining Diana’s as she watched how her sister had died. Still the events rushed onwards, and they had no choice but to watch as Diana slew all that remained in that field until only two remained.
* * *
Diana stood breathless facing Calathon and Salides, her face a mask of blood, her eyes bearing a look of focused hate. Most of the horses had bolted just leaving the three of them in the clearing amid a sea of bodies.
Salides licked his lips nervously and then turned and spurred his horse away , back towards the river.
“I shall gather reinforcements!” He called over his shoulder to Calathon. Unseen by Calathon and Diana, a second Salides remained in the clearing, standing, watching, unmoving as a statue.
“Worthless dog!” Calathon spat after him. He steeled himself
“I shall tell the future in your entrails woman!” he said as he spurred his horse towards her.
Diana threw her two swords straight at him, burying themselves up to the hilt in his breastplate.
“Let me save you the trouble – for you have no future.”
Diana ran to Callistae, who to her surprise was still alive.
“You must ride p-princess...” Callistae said weakly .
“NO! WE must ride!” Diana retrieved her own sword in the fading light and swung up behind her friend. The wound to her back was grievous. “Lean back against me. We will be with the army before dawn.”
“Not I, princess....not I...”
“Would you disobey your Queen? We are to meet her and take ship at Thrapsis”
Callistae smiled weakly “You never listened to her as a child...”
“We are no longer children...” Diana said sadly.”We will ride west, meet up with the army on the far side of the mountains. Skirting the hills...” They set off at as fast a pace as Diana dared, but they had scarce gone a few miles when Callistae turned her face to her. She was deathly pale and Diana knew the end wasn't far away for her.
“No more. The pain. Stop. Please. I can take no more...” They stopped beside a shallow river. It had a bank of soft grey mud that rose high in a bluff on one side, shaded from the sun and still wet from last night's rain. Whilst on their side the bank was but a foot high.
As Diana gently helped her friend down she could see her spine through the wound in the last of the daylight. Diana got her some water and cradled her head as she drank.
Callistae looked at Diana's armour and slowly ran her fingers down the leather, stained dark red now with her blood from the wound in her back that had pressed into Diana as they rode.
“The..the red...the dark red suits you...” she said weakly.
Diana found she had no more tears left to shed. She looked down at her leather corset below the metal rim of her breastplate “ I will only wear red leather from now on; it will remind me of all my brave sisters that I have lost this day...”
Callistae smiled and her hand fell away and Diana realized she had gone.
Alone in the boat, Diana turned her head skyward, giving full voice to her anguish with a loud cry that seemed to echo on forever as she knelt there. “Nooo!!”
As Liobe watched, tears flowing freely from sightless eyes, Diana’s cry finally came to an end, her head dropping as she knelt there, sobbing and broken, in the small vessel, alone. Grey emotions in a grey body in the midst of a grey expanse with nine grey figures looking on. Of those whose death had already passed, only Salides, Liobe herself, and her two sisters remained, the others having departed when their part of the story was done.
One of the four whose story had not yet been relived stepped forward and into the boat, kneeling before the weeping Oath Taker, gently picking her up off the deck and lifting her chin. Recognition came quickly to Diana’s eyes.
“Mother? What are you…?”
Hippolyta gently stroked her daughter’s hair, drawing her tear stained face gently to her bosom. Two of their sister Amazons joined the queen, kneeling behind Diana, gently stroking her shoulders, all three of them singing softly…
Lay your burden down, my dear, you are weary and weak,
The path blisters your eyes and peels your feet,
There is not a soul along it you wish to greet,
Death becomes you, misery surrounds you,
With each tortured step, only one thing becomes true,
Your head is heavy, your heart is empty,
Lay your burden down, my dear, you are weary and weak,
Lay your burden down, and fall softly to sleep.
Diana’s head began to spin. That song… She knew it… Something was not …
“Shhh. Let it go. Let it all go.”
The oath taker gave herself over completely to her grief, letting it be ripped from her body in great gasping sobs. She scarcely felt her arms being taken. Was completely unaware as her lasso was used to bind her arms behind her and Echo’s curse stole her strength. Only then did the sirens reveal themselves.
“And now, Princess,” they intoned together, “you shall, at last, have your hero’s death!”
Now Drav tale continues a pace...what do the Fates have in store....?
PART 36
Liobe shuffled slowly through the underworld in silence, one painful step at a time. Another day of solitude in an unending line of days without light. Darkness bore in on her, crowding in on her very soul. Only the memories of love granted her by the goddess Mnemosyne kept her from fully giving in to despair. Only the duty of keeping those memories alive gave her purpose. Those same memories were a two edged sword, for she not only remembered the love of her sisters, but also remembered her last hours with a clarity that would have driven one of lesser fortitude to utter despondency. She was totally alone, no friends, no family.
It was the absence of her family that hurt the worst. Her mother, whom she did not remember, the sisters she had won in life… everyone who knew her in life… anyone she might have met in the Afterlife.. all shunned her. She was truly alone.
Her daily existence was misery without end, without possibility of escape. Even if she were to escape, there was no chance of redemption. She was a misshapen figure that had once been a young woman full of hope and optimism. Now she no longer had even the hope of death ending her misery.
Sometimes she would almost feel as if someone were close, as if someone she knew were nearby. A remembered voice only half heard by her ruined ears. A feeling. A sense of closeness to a soul she half recognized. Yet her blind eye sockets could not seek them out and her tongueless mouth could not call to them. She also knew that, even if they heard her cry, even if they did recognize her, she would be shunned. So she remained, as ever, alone in her crushing black abyss.
Into that blackness had come Hermes Chthonius. He spoke clearly, not to her ears, which did not work so well these days, but to her mind. There he placed the message of her summons to the presence of Lord Hades, himself. His gentle hand had guided her to the door of the great throne room with such sureness that, for the first time she could remember, she did not stumble nor even misstep. Not once, though the distance was great. Once there, he left her in a queue with numerous others, all waiting, according to Lord Hermes, to see the Lord of the Dead. The question of why filled her with a fear such as she had never before known. What new torment awaited her? She sensed movement in front of her, following timidly, her feet shuffling her along, her mind full of fear. Always she was afraid, now the fear was compounded not only by the darkness in which she lived, but by Lord Hades summons. Had she done something to offend? So little was known about Lord Hades, who meddled not at all in the affairs of the living, that her imagination ran rampant with all sorts of horrible things being dealt out to the unfortunates ahead of her and, eventually, to herself as well.
* * *
Hades studied her carefully as she was brought in. He could instantly sense her fear, but there was something else there. That, at least was normal. Every human that came before him the first time tasted of this fear even when they were already dead. Their fear was his little gift to Moros, the god of Doom and Dread, for ....services rendered. Ah well, it was not to be. Back to the matter at hand'
He looked to her future: all her days that he could see were to continue in unending abject misery. He looked deep into her mind and saw that she clung to the memories of love shown to her by her sisters with a tenacity that shocked him. Some of those memories were somehow tied in with her curse, but the rest? Why cling so stubbornly to memories of those she would never see, even here in the Afterlife. Why put forth so much effort when there was, in truth, no hope? Why add to her torment with memories of what could be no longer? In spite of all the cursed dead he had encountered throughout his rule here, he did not know quite what to make of this one.
* * *
When she was finally led before him, she stumbled, though the floor seemed smooth and clear of obstacle. When she stopped, unseen hands first propelled, then turned her, neither gently nor yet roughly, towards the current source of her fears. She bowed awkwardly, fearful of failing to please, but the deep voice that spoke had a gentleness to it that she had not expected.
“Stand. Let me see you.”
If he was sickened by her mutilated form, she did not sense it.
“You knew Diana, daughter of Hippolyta?”
She nodded, then gurgled. His next words were in her mind, the conversation suddenly lacking in any barrier, even the basic filter of words was no more. It was too intimate. Unsettling.
“She is here.”
Her dread became, to her mind, reality.
“Diana? Dead?”
He was silent a moment, as if taking her measure.
“No....Not yet. She is on a quest for Zeus and Hera that would bring her, still living, to my domain. She seeks entrance through the Acheroussia Lake. If I am to grant her entrance through this gate, she must face all who knew her, regardless of how they died. The outcome of this challenge guides my decision. Guides it. Since you knew her, she must face you as well.”
Sudden relief, joy, excitement, anticipation. Her newfound lightness of being. All laid bare.
“Diana!? Here?!? Alive!?!”
“Not here. And there are rules.”
His tone took on a note of incredulous frustration.
“You are aware of the curse upon you?”
She nodded even as she thought “Yes.”
“No matter what I feel about it, I cannot alter or, more specifically, allow events here to alter it. The curse must stand, so the rules I set for you are to be very stringent.”
Again she nodded, though her optimism did not diminish, and his voice took on a kindlier tone.
“You will have to witness your own death, as your death and her life are connected. I am sorry. You may decline if you wish but know that, if you do, Diana will be denied passage through this gate.”
Her mind spoke so rapidly and with such feeling she nearly cut the god of the dead off as he finished speaking.
“I would do anything to aid Diana.”
She could not see his sudden smile. “So I have seen in your life.”
She did not wonder how she could suddenly see as every event in her life flashed by in sequence. For the briefest of moments she saw and recognized her mother’s face, but had no time to marvel at the love she saw there or how she had recognized a woman she never really knew. Events continued to fly by at a dizzying pace before finally coming to a stop at the precise moment her shoulder was impacting that of her Princess, just before the boar gored her. Absentmindedly, she fingered a scar that, alone, stood out amongst the others.
“Here, for example. Did you not fear for your life?”
“I feared for hers more.”
He did not comment. Her life flashed forward again, stopping once more where she stood before Nike on that fateful day.
“You cannot tell me you did this for Diana.”
She shook her head, tears in her eyes as she tried to find the words to explain even as her mind blurted.
“Aila was going to pay the price herself!”
His tone accused her.
“You did not even know what that price would be!”
“No. Only that, as everything with the gods, it would be great.”
He pressed her.
“And now that you know the true price?”
She stood taller, defiant, her mind’s voice flat, emotionless.
“I would not leave my sister – any of my sisters – to this fate!”
He was silent a long time. She could no longer sense his thoughts, she could sense his scrutiny upon her. Nervous as she was, she tried to appear calm.
When she finally heard him again, his tone was soft and she sensed wonderment in his voice.
“My judges spoke truly.”
He did not say about what, but started to run her life backwards, searching, searching, finally stopping…
“Here.”
The day Diana began teaching her to hunt.
“Since you already knew each other at this point, your name need not be mentioned. You may relive this memory with her.”
Her excitement grew as realization dawned. No Aila. No Callistae. Just the two of them.
“What’s more, I will give you the place of honour. You shall be last.”
She felt her spirits soar with hope. There was no way that Diana could fail to recognize her in this memory, despite her disfigurement! Diana was their bravest! Their greatest! She might even…
“Now, the rules.”
His voice sounded sternly in her mind, snapping her back to reality.
“You may not speak to or come into physical contact with any of your sisters while you are on the lake. You may not even answer to your name. Not one word. Further, you may not assist Diana in any way. This quest is hers alone. Not yours. You may observe only! Break the least of these rules, and I petition Mnemosyne to remove those precious memories you guard with such tenacity. One more thing: being last, you must remain until the end. Leave early for any reason and you lose the right to share this memory with Diana. What’s more, I deny her the gate.”
Radiance beamed from her despite the harsh rules as she nodded her understanding.
“I get to see my family!” she thought.
He shook his head in exasperation and withdrew from her mind, leaving her in the solitude of her memories once more.
* * *
A soft shimmering light took on a shadowy form, then gradually solidified into the shape of a man that slowly became recognizable as Dolos the Deceiver. ‘Erasmus’ had been busy the last few days but, if everything came off well, the results should be more than worth the effort. Dolos allowed himself the barest hint of a smile at the thought, then sat next to his watching pool, gently stirring the water until it focused in on the bait for his trap: three Amazons who were already dead. Two had been simple to find, the third… the third was a most tragic case and, for that reason alone, had the potential to be the most potent weapon in his war of deception.
He allowed himself another, slightly larger smile that vanished almost as soon as it appeared. Diana’s well known love for and loyalty to her friends should make this deception all the easier. His grand deception would put an end to her annoyance, weakening not just the females, but all the gods sufficiently for him to take over. The power he would receive from the fruition of all those deceptions – he had successfully deceived Lord Zeus himself with regard to the fact that the Oath had been taken before all Olympus – had convinced the thunder god that fact was insignificant – all his successful deceptions would make him the strongest of gods. Admittedly, the females would be weakened much more greatly than Zeus, as it had been they by whom the Oath was invoked, but, should Diana the Oath Taker die with her oath unfulfilled…
For the first time he allowed himself a broad grin that lasted all of fourteen seconds.
* * *
It had been days since Liobe had bowed before Lord Hades, now, on the lake with the others, she gazed with sightless eyes on happy memories so distant they were all but forgotten in her daily solitude. She relived the events with the others, yet none recognized her. Joy filled her for a moment as she witnessed the time when she had a family born of shared adversity. Yet it was more. They had loved her for who she was even before she had saved Diana from the boar. Had accepted her into their group from the first. She had never felt like an outsider. Never. The newcomer? Yes, but that was to be expected.
They had tested her mettle early on – pushed her to see what she was really made of. Teased her about her youth and innocence. Shared their wisdom and experience. Trained her mercilessly until she mastered areas where she did not excel and stretched her beyond all endurance where she did. She had complained about being tired only once and all three of them had hammered at her shield again and again until she quite literally could stand no longer.
These three were not idle flatterers, neither did they give their praise grudgingly. For this reason she worked hard for their praise and, when she received it, knew she had done well.
Liobe remembered all of this, but mostly she remembered how an orphaned young woman of 15 years suddenly had not one, but three elder sisters. Sisters who loved her without reservation or condition.
She thought back to the first day she spent with them. There had been little time to even think as they came at her in pairs, one resting, two attacking. They remained fresh while she tired. Her xiphos, they did not let her use her dory or hoplon, grew heavier and heavier as the day progressed. At the end of the day, exhausted, she had gathered her things for the long march back to the barracks at the edge of town. Callistae had taken hold of her arm in a firm but gentle grip.
“That is no longer your way home, little sister.”
That night, tired as she was, had been magnificent. Soup, crusty bread, cheese. Ordinary enough fare, yet Callistae had spent time just talking with her. Not about weapons or tactics or anything special. But just trying to find out about – her! It didn’t matter what it was or where or when it happened, if it was part of her life, Callistae had wanted to know!
Callistae also spent time teaching her to sing! She had never thought of singing. She had such trouble matching pitch, yet Callistae was patient. Some weeks later she was singing along with the three of them. Idly, she wondered if Diana still sang.
Aila had taken her the secord night and they too had talked, but Aila also taught her to bake while they talked. It had been so different from what she expected of life that she didn’t know what it was, not at first.
Diana took her the third night and she spent the evening in the palace. It seemed stuffy when the servants laid out the meal, but once they left, Diana and her mother – the queen – shared stories and drew her out in conversation.
This had become the pattern, spending time with each of them in rotation, growing not only in her skill at arms, but learning the simple everyday things that she had not yet done. Sometimes she surprised them, like when they found that she could sew.
Then there were the nights they camped out. Cooking together, eating, sharing stories – they wanted to hear her stories! Singing – Calistae had insisted that singing was important and they all sang together with clear voices.
Then there were the inside jokes that she was drawn into. She remembered the first time she heard Aila speak irreverently to Diana! She did not recall exactly Diana had said, just that it was funny, but she clearly recalled the whimsical tone with which Aila had replied, “Spoken like a true Amazon Princess.”
The lack of respect had shocked her until Diana herself had laughed, “And what will young Liobe make of that? See, already she is blushing!”
She was later to learn that it was a bond that went deeper than outward respect.
It had taken over a month of going from one place to the other or of the four of them camping for her to realize what had happened. She suddenly had a family. A family that had lasted for four glorious years before everything they knew was torn apart.
This time on the lake, though, was different. It was like they were strangers. No one recognized or even acknowledged her presence. Fighting despair, Liobe clung to her certainty that they loved her even if they had forgotten, grasping it tightly with every fibre of her being. But it was hard – more difficult than at any time since her death. She felt a great weight upon her and an almost palpable desire to surrender to the inevitable. No being in existence, not even a god, could withstand the real torment she faced. The solitude, the knowledge that, even if her sisters did recognize her, still she would be cast out. No one cared that she did her duty. None even remembered the memories she was charged to keep.
Why not let go of them? They serve a purpose no longer. They only cause you pain. Just let go.
She continued to fight her own private battle even as the events of that terrible day began to unfold.
* * *
“DIANA! YOUR MOTHER! YOU MUST SAVE THE QUEEN! GO!” Aila shouted and then screamed as a spear thrust took her in the side. “AILA!” Liobe turned as Diana shouted, running to the aid of her fallen sister. Diana was faster, riding to her side cutting down foes to left and right, as she pulled up and wheeled her steed about, forcing the enclosing enemy to back off. She just missed a sword slash, the tip nicking her hand as she raised it in protection and swayed back out of range before returning with a lunge that took her assailant in the throat.
Though down, Aila was not slain. She pulled the spear from her side and scrabbled around for her sword in the bloody dust, dropping her shield and clutching at her wound as she sprawled on one knee. Liobe, and Eurybia who had followed her, held off the lightly armed Atraxians, killing all who got within reach of their spears. All was noise and suffering as the Amazons, hopelessly outmatched, tried to form up and make a stand.
“CALLISTAE!”Aila called to one of the young captains “I CAN RIDE NO MORE! QUICKLY TAKE DIANA TO HER MOTHER! SAVE THE QUEEN! GO! GO NOW! TAKE MY HORSE”
“AILA!” the young woman cried as she saw her wounded friend, stopping in her stride to finish two of her treacherous former allies. “YOU CAN RIDE WITH ME!”
“NO!” Aila cried forcefully, teeth gritted with pain,
“I cannot. Not with this wound. And it will be hard riding if you are to get away.”
She looked at Liobe’s valiant defence. That one would not leave her sisters in the infantry even if she could. Aila waved her sword in a dramatic gesture.
“My place is here, with our sisters! Go, GO QUICKLY! SAVE THE QUEEN! CROSS THE RIVER IF YOU CAN, THEN HEAD NORTH EAST, MAKE FOR HOME VIA THE HIGH MOUNTAINS. TRY TO WARN OUR VILLAGES! WE MUST FLEE! THESE MISERABLE BASTARDS WILL FALL ON US LIKE WOLVES ON A CARCASS! GO! GO NOW, RIDE FOR THE QUEEN!”
Callistae helped Aila to stand, finding her a shield. By this time, Sasso, who had retrieved Aila’s horse, returned. She joined the small band of sister warriors, some sixteen or so strong, which Carraxia was forming into an effective cordon around Aila, Diana, and Callistae. Their assailants stayed away, concentrating on the easier pickings of those Amazons still isolated and surrounded, finishing them off mercilessly one by one before moving on to the next.
Liobe now in the second tier of defenders was granted a brief respite. She turned to share an intimate moment of silence with the only family she had ever known. There were no words to say what could not be said anyway, but looks between the four of them spoke volumes as they accepted the hard truth that they would never all be together again. Liobe’s eyes swelled with the tears of a final goodbye to two of her sisters, then turned back to her duty as the second tier advanced through the first, a tactic designed to push back their foes that all Amazons were trained to execute without command. She and nine of her sisters stepped through the front rank and into the thick of the fighting as Aila desperately entreated their sisters to leave.
“DIANA! THIS DAY IS AGAINST US! YOU MUST GO, NOW! CALLISTAE!, RIDE WITH HER!”
The young captain nodded, glancing quickly at the princess with the unspoken question - “Are you ready?”
Diana nodded reluctantly, never taking her eyes from Aila as Callistae mounted the horse.
“No need for words Princess...” Aila said with a sad smile. “Survive this day, avenge us all! Avenge this foul treachery! Let Dorlian mothers weep for their lost sons! Live, and kill them all!”
“I will, I swear it, before all Olympus. By all the Goddesses on high I will see their blood. I will see every man on this battlefield dead before my blade sleeps in my hand, Aila, my sister.” Diana said as the hot tears flowed down her cheeks. Amazon hearts were strengthened and their opponents quailed in fear as the oath thundered across the battlefield. So powerful her voice and so intense her faith that her words shook Olympus itself. Liobe suddenly found there were no foes within reach of her spear to be slain. Her eyes were drawn to the Princess as she finished her oath and she could have sworn the next words were especially for her as Diana stared deeply into her eyes. “You will all be remembered this day! And you will all be avenged. Upon my life I swear it will be so, by my blood!” she raised her bleeding hand to the High Gods as she looked heavenward.
Aila’s next words had been a long standing joke know only to the four of them. For the first time she spoke them in earnest instead of in jest, tears held back by sheer force of will.
“Spoken like a true Amazon Princess! NOW RIDE! SAVE THE QUEEN!”
For nearly an hour afterwards, fear reigned over their foes as the Amazons slew them with impunity. Then, seeing that the goddesses were not going to strike them down on the spot, numbers began to turn the tide of battle once more.
* * *
Akakios noted the owl’s presence yet again and wondered, again, why it seemed to be following him. Owls were said to be common in Athens, but here, in Corinth, they were seldom seen and he could not help but wonder at its significance. As Lochias, he was responsible for some twenty men of the Corinthian Guard. He began this day like the rest, getting the report from the night watch, then reading the arrest reports for the day before, and finally, all the ones that had yet to be judged. Like each of the last several days, the owl watched him closely as he read the reports, then departed the moment he was through. This made him thoughtful. What in these reports could be of interest to an owl unless – what if the owl reported to Athena herself? The reports were little more than names and charges, no other details being required until they were adjudicated. That’s what witnesses were for. He read the list of prisoners yet again, as he did so the owl returned and perched nearby. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps a particular arrest had caused Athena to dispatch the owl. It had showed up three days ago, so… It would be a long job, but there was only one thing to do.
“I wish to interview each of the prisoners, starting with those that came in four days ago.”
* * *
The Amazons were tired, their hope waning with their strength as sheer numbers began to take their toll. That was when Nike came. The others had felt the hope their prayers had been answered but Liobe, from her perspective, had noticed the goddess’ face was half turned away from the first. Not victory, then.
“SACRED VICTORY! THE GODS HAVE HEARD OUR PRAYERS!” Aila said smiling with tears of joy, a look that turned to one of horror, the smile frozen on her face as, in unison, the Goddesses turned their faces half away, shunning her gaze. It was the Greek sign of rejection
Nike spoke, her body still facing Aila, but her gaze elsewhere. “We come not with open arms, but our faces half away. As observers we approach. We have not come to save.”
The words were like a second spear in Aila's side. She gnashed her teeth then set them on edge, hissing as she spoke “Then the Gods of Greece are cruel indeed to mock us so. Begone! Let us die abandoned by those we served so well” Aila spat bitterly.
“HOLD YOUR TONGUE MORTAL!” Nike bellowed in rage. “Remember to whom you speak!”
Nike faced her, the anguish in her own voice barely concealed. “You are to die this day. You know this. It is the will of Zeus that your Amazon nation be ended.”
She punched out the next four words with a staccato emphasis. “So it will be.”
Her voice took on such a vengeful note, one might have thought she was Nemesis instead of Nike.
“But we give you this. An ending to burn brighter than the stars, such that all Greece will tell its tale and all men will sleep in fear of meeting the Amazos blades! Fight your way to the wagons where more of your sisters make a stand. There you will command, Aila The Brave. Before the Atraxians charge for a fifth time let your blades cut through the White Cloaks. Let them seek out the Atraxian King, Mennus. And in his arrogant triumph spit his men and take his head. This for your loyal homage, we grant you. The Queen and some hundreds will escape, they will found a new nation on an island hidden from men. And there they will prosper. This we give you, this day.”
“What of Diana the Princess? What will be of her? Does she still live?”
Nike smiled. “She will live and be a protector for her people.”
“That is fitting.” Aila nodded in relief.
“But the choice must be yours.” Nike said. “Death here is certain. But it will be quick, finished with bow and spear. But a bloodier, more painful death will await you all there.”
“There is no decision to make!” Aila scoffed.
“But there is. No gift of the gods comes without a price, a sacrifice. Who among you would lose all that you are, for your sisters?” Nike asked.
Liobe knew Aila would speak. She also knew the price of the gods would be higher than it seemed. She spoke quickly, the heat of anger in her voice covering her fear.
“EACH ONE OF US!”
Nike turned to face her and Liobe alone could see the sadness in her eyes as she made her inevitable pronouncement.
“Then, Speaker, it shall be you. Nothing in the world of mortal man comes without a price. We give you the head of Mennus. You give us your lives. But it is not enough. You, Speaker, will give all that you are. You will die in pain and shame at the hands of your enemies, you will lose all that you hold dear as an Amazon.”
Liobe swallowed hard, trying to put on a brave face.
“I ...I do so gladly, a sacrifice for my Sisters”
Nike’s gaze remained fixed on her.
“They will not know of this sacrifice. When we restart the slaughter they will forget. You will be seen to die for nought, as any screaming woman. You will be stripped and violated and bloodied. You will die screaming in pain with the laughter of your foe ringing in your ears. You will be helpless and ashamed, raped before the eyes of your sisters who can do nothing to save you. When you die your body will be mutilated. You will wander the Underworld sightless, unknown by those who loved you in Life and unable to call out even your name. There will be no glory for you in the end of your life and only pain in the Afterlife.”
Liobe looked at Aila, a pained look on her face as she realized she was to lose her family, not only now, but forever. She could not speak up but nodded tearfully in acceptance.
Aila, desperately wanting to spare her dear friend this fate spoke quickly,
“NO! LET IT BE ME!”
Nike shook her head but Ate spoke for the goddesses,
“The deal is made. The price must be paid.”
The Morai nodded. “It must be so.” they said in unison.
Nike waved a hand.
“The bargain is struck. Back to your places, you Amazos. Aila the Brave you will remember what you have to do but nothing else. Liobe of the Spear you alone will remember all we say here, and endure the pain of knowing what can never be, and live the fear of knowing what is to come.”
Nike turned to the other Goddesses.
“Now sisters, we aid the Queen!”
Aila reached her hand towards Nike as if to forestall her, panic in her voice as she spoke.
“Wait!”
The goddesses turned towards her and she continued.
“We will all forget and only Liobe will remember what she has given for us all? Only she will remember these moments here, and what you have said?”
Mnemosyne Goddess of memory nodded.
“It will be so.”
Tears filled Aila’s eyes as she took hold of Liobe for the last time.
“Then come, sweet, brave sister of mine. Let us embrace and remember, you, now, this love and gratitude we all give you that we will forget in life.”
She hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear.
“Are the Gods of Greece not cruel indeed?”
Liobe wept silently, grateful she had spared Aila this fate, but afraid she would fail the trial that awaited her. Aila continued.
“When you wander in the afterlife, remember this moment of love we all have for you, and know that though we are doomed to forget, you will remember for us all, Liobe Bravest of the Brave”
One by one, the other Amazons embraced her before each returned to their positions. At a nod from Athena, all resumed instantly their former stance, frozen in place.
“Now.” said Nike. “We aid the Queen!”
Nike and the goddesses departed, all but Mnemosyne and the fates who remained for a brief moment before time resumed its normal pace. Here in this moment between her life as she knew it and the death that was to come, they spoke.
First Clotho, “We knew … “
Then Lachesis, “It would … “
Finally Atropos, “Be you.”
Then together, “This was always your fate.”
Mnemosyne seemed to look into her for a moment, then spoke, incredulity in her voice.
“You fear that you will fail them more than you fear the death that awaits you.”
With a wave of her hand the goddess caused the battlefield to vanish as she invoked a memory.
She was there, with her three friends, the night before this fateful journey began, but it was Aila who was looking at her. She remembered well the intensity of that gaze as Aila took her measure for perhaps the thousandth time before she spoke. As she listened to the words this time, though, they held a deeper meaning.
“Listen to me and know that I speak true. I have watched many warriors grow – did you think it was chance that drew you to our midst? No – you were chosen. You are highly skilled, the best I have seen. You are possessed of a stout heart and you will always put the lives of your sisters ahead of your own. No. You need not fear on that score.”
The others nodded but it was Mnemosyne who spoke, dragging her back to the present.
“You knew there would be a high price, yet you put the life of Aila ahead of your own when you spoke before she could. Even now that you know the price you put their lives ahead of your own. That is why you fear to fail. But I know you, your every memory. Trust me when I tell you that you will not fail, either in your personal battle and trial, or in your duty to keep this memory of their love alive. In that task, at least, I will aid you. You will never forget their love for you. I promise you this, though it will not aid you in your immediate future.”
Then they, too, left, and time resumed.
* * *
Hopefulness had sprung up in Liobe’s soul despite things turning out so differently from what she had envisioned. She would have thought that Diana or even one of the others would have recognized her by now, but they had not. She clung to words Diana had shared with her when she had been certain she was to die.
“Rely on me.”
The words hung before her like a torch borne by Elpis, a beacon of hope, encouraging her to stay the course. Not that hope mattered. Diana needed her.
* * *
Nemesis bared her teeth in a feral smile as Aponolus made the first cut on his prey’s thigh. Unseen, but close at hand, she witnessed the culmination of his vow of vengeance.
“You will run from me no longer, merciless dog!”
Aponolus' sword skirted his prey’s defences, leaving a second cut on the shield arm. He spoke no words as he continued to press the attack, dealing out small, seemingly insignificant cuts. Yet each caused loss of blood. The loss of blood eventually led to weakness as the seemingly possessed Aponolus struck again and again without mercy or letup.
“Do you feel it, filth? The fear and helplessness she felt as you forced yourself upon her?”
The man was weeping, begging for his life, knowing of a certainty that he was outmatched.
For the first time, Aponolus paused.
“You ask for mercy, tell me, did she beg for mercy?”
A mighty blow knocked the shield aside, snapping the man’s arm in the process. In nearly the same movement Aponolus disarmed him completely. The man dropped to his knees.
“Though I was raised Spartan, I have learned mercy in my years abroad and spared many a life.”
Relief flooded the man’s face.
“I have also trailed you by the bodies you have left behind. Mothers, sisters, and daughters all. You have no honour and no mercy, thus you shall be granted none.”
The sword plunged into the man’s gut disembowelling him, thus ensuring a slow painful, but inevitable death. Aponolus saw the moment of realization in the man’s eyes as he knew he was dead already.
“Die as you slew others, alone and in pain.”
The man spat in defiance, then screamed in pain as his very act of defiance convulsed his mutilated intestines. Aponolus turned and walked away, leaving the man to die.
Nemesis felt the rush of power as his vow to her was completed in a just and worthy fashion.
“Not vengeance only, but justice also!”
* * *
It had seemed a simple enough plan when Aila had laid it out. Use the mule to break up the half-formed phalanx between them and their sisters at the wagons, then slaughter them on the way through. Still, no plan survives contact with the enemy. The mule broke the phalanx, but the number of warriors in between was too great to be slain in the rush to the wagons. So it was that those in reach were slain, and those who were passed by pursued them from the rear. With so few numbers the Amazons could not spare any to guard their rear and would have been slain had Liobe not taken it upon herself to be the lone rear guard.
Aila was slowest because of her wound, so Liobe slowed to her pace, turning, using her shield to protect them both.
“Aila must live to slay Mennus so that Diana and, please gods, Callistae too, along with hundreds of our sisters will live. I must save Aila lest all die.”
These words propelled her, guided her actions as she took upon herself a burden most would fear to carry. It was brutal, gutter fighting, without honour – it was all about survival. As their running progress slowed Aila and Liobe caught up with the little group but as Liobe turned to face the immediate threat of the men behind her a Dorlian arrow took her in her left thigh. She screamed and sagged but straightened to kill the terrified Atraxian soldier who stood wide eyed before her. But the gap between her and the group widened. The Dorlians and the Atraxians that they had broken through now started to pursue them but their shouts and cries made the Atraxians in the throng around the wagons think a much larger force of Amazons was at their rear, rather than the handful that was the reality. They panicked and started to break, pushing against each other desperate to escape the blood curdling cries of the rampaging women. Sasso, an Amazon from the northern hills supported Aila and helped her on but they were both only able to escape as Liobe continued to cover them, beating aside threatening spears and arrows with her shield at the risk of exposing herself. Her defence was fierce and ferocious, a harsh snarl disfiguring her kindly face. No matter the cost they would not pass, would not be allowed to take her sisters.
“YOU! SHALL! NOT! PASS!!”
Her voice seemed to have an almost supernatural ring to it, yet her sisters did not hear her defiant tones. Every skill she knew was used that day and she was not alone. Aila was by her side, teaching her to get the most out of a thrown spear. So it was that when her spear was finally thrown, it was with such force and accuracy that it took two Atraxians at once. Diana was with her, teaching her to ride a parry with her sword so that her opponent became overextended, leaving himself open for a fatal blow. Calliastae was with her as she stumbled backwards, barely able to stand, providing words of encouragement but not letting her quit. Yes, her sisters had prepared her well for this day, had they but known it, and soon her pursuers had learned to keep a wary distance from the frenzied woman who seemed possessed by the Gods themselves.
Liobe, for her part knew what was coming for her ultimately, as the words of the Goddesses still rang in her ears; the tears that streaked her face were from her pain, but not because of the wound. She was afraid, afraid of dying, still afraid she would fail her sisters before she died, and bitter too, at the treatment she was to receive from those whom she had loyally served for so long. Worst of all, the knowledge that her sister Amazons would revile her, shun her in the Afterlife, gnawed at her soul, threatening to consume her. She shoved it all aside, letting the knowledge that her actions this day would save her sisters drive her on when she was sure she could continue no longer. If this day was to be her last, she would fight until she could fight no more. The arrow through her leg was hampering her progress as she continued to back towards her sisters. Each second that passed left her slightly weaker, but each second also brought her sisters closer to their goal.
She glanced behind her, using her peripheral vision as Diana had taught her so that she could keep her eye on the immediate threat. They were only eight feet or so away. Weak as she was, she might still make the safety of her sisters and die protecting them as they fought towards Mennus.
A huge enemy soldier suddenly blocked her view, running up behind the two women and lifting an enormous axe, high above his head. Liobe knew that this was the moment of sacrifice, but she didn't hesitate, turning swiftly, hurling her xiphos with such tremendous force across the five feet or so into the back of the big Atraxian soldier that it nearly severed his head from his shoulders. Unarmed and with her back to her attackers, she screamed, wincing as a second arrow struck her high on her left shoulder. The strength left her arm and her shield sagged, suddenly too heavy to hold.
“Raise your shield!” yelled Diana as her blade tried to knock it from her tiring arms.
“Keep it up! Don’t let it fall!” This from Callistae as she struck the shield in her turn.
“If your shield is too low you offer the enemy targets! Keep it high! Your greaves protect your legs, your shield everything else.” Now it was Aila’s turn to strike.
“I’m tired.” She complained as her sisters continued to strike in turn.
“Rest in battle and you are dead.”
“An Amazon never quits!”
“NOW PICK UP YOUR SHIELD!!”
She turned back and raised it with both arms just in time to stop two more arrows that thudded into the tough leather hide over the metal fronted wood of the shield.
She continued to edge backwards, now slower than ever, but stumbled as her heel hit the body of the big axeman she had felled. Her wounded leg gave out and she fell heavily. A soldier darted in to finish her off but as she still had her shield she gripped its rim and jabbed it forward breaking his legs just above his knees. She felt the satisfying crack as his femur shattered and, as he pitched forward, screaming, to land beside her, she snapped his neck before the scream died in his throat.
She struggled up onto one knee grabbing the spear he had carried and using it to hoist herself upright. She glanced backwards again but all she saw were the backs of the soldiers who had closed behind the retreating Sasso and Aila. She was cut off and wounded, surrounded and barely able to stand now. But she was not alone. They were here with her, at the last, her sisters. Their training in her mind and her arms, their love in her heart. And she had a spear once more. Was she not known among the Amazons as 'Liobe of the Spear'? She smiled as she looked at the cedar shaft supporting her weight, her temple resting against her hand that held it. It felt good to hold the smooth warm wood in her hand. She rallied, standing unaided as she levelled the spear at the attackers that ringed her, suddenly at peace with herself. She sighed softly, time to meet the end.
“Who among you seeks death? TAKE A STEP TOWARDS MY BLADE AND MEET HADES!” She roared. She half turned and lunged towards those standing behind her, but it was a feint to entice forward those to her front. She had dropped to a crouch, and spun holding the spear shaft in two hands at its end, her spear point slitting the throat of the one luckless soldier who had strode too far forward.
“THE BITCH! WE'LL MAKE HER PAY! TAKE HER ALIVE!”barked one of her assailants.
“This is your last chance to surrender....No? Then count your lives by seconds!” she spat as she lunged forward.
For the next few minutes it was as though the spear was a live thing in her hands. She used it as sword, shield, and spear. The shaft intercepted uncounted blades, the tip slashed cutting sinew and muscle, wounding many, and it thrust, killing four more of her assailants outright.
Weakened by her wounds it was only a matter of time and finally one of them moved faster than she, dodging her strike, the spear pulling her forwards where another grabbed it. More closed in as she wrestled for the spear, six of them. Grabbing her arms, gripping one wrist. Her free hand was moving towards the throat of the nearest, his face contorted in fear, when a blow to the back of the head ended it all. The last of her strength left her and she was Amazon no more.
* * *
Standing on the lake, Liobe wept. The goddesses had separated her from her sisters that day, then left her to face all that had happened alone. Just as she was facing it alone now. For some reason, while this seemed to drag on for her, the others, all three of them, had failed to witness any of this or anything having to do with her subsequent rape and vivisection. In one sense it was easier, for she only had to watch as she was taken again and again before being disfigured beyond recognition. In another it was more difficult, for Aila’s words, unheard by her until now, cut deeper than any sword.
“Liobe of the spear...you betray your race with your cries..”
For a moment the full weight of her tragic curse came upon her like she had never felt it before, threatening for the first time to crush her. She knew they reviled her, knew that such words must have been uttered, yet, suddenly she felt alone and abandoned as she had never felt before. Her tears flowed hotly as an irresistible wave of emotion washed over her. The words cut through her very soul, a wave of blackness and despair took hold of her.
None care for you, nameless one. They never did. You lived your life alone, you died alone, you are alone now, and you will always be alone. As for these memories, none care about them. Sacred duty? Hah! They are a burden to lay down. They serve no purpose but to cause pain. Let go of them and give yourself over to the unending darkness and despair that you deserve.
The words rattled around in her mind, feeding on her, growing stronger as her darkness deepened. What difference did it make? What did it matter if she remember? At that moment, as if in response to her thoughts of despair, the memory of all the loving embraces of her sisters came upon her so fresh and so vivid it was as if it were happening for the first time. Right now, when she needed it most, she felt loved and she heard Aila speak again.
“… know that though we are doomed to forget, you will remember for us all, Liobe Bravest of the Brave”
Suddenly she felt as if she could face a thousand more years of solitude. She had a duty to remember their love. “Please Mnemosyne let me not forget again.” She thought, the response immediately coming to her mind.
“Trust me when I tell you that you will not fail in your duty to keep this memory of their love alive.”
* * *
The battle had continued apace, Aila achieving, as Nike had promised, a death worthy of song. Now Liobe learned, for the first time, of Callistae’s fate. They had started out leading nearly a hundred away from the trail of their Amazon sisters. They had killed nearly a dozen when Ares himself had unhorsed Diana. Callistae had returned and together she and Diana had halved their remaining adversaries when Callistae had received a blow that opened her back to her spine. A second blow to the front had insured her death. She could only watch as Diana collapsed into the bottom of the boat, her own tears joining Diana’s as she watched how her sister had died. Still the events rushed onwards, and they had no choice but to watch as Diana slew all that remained in that field until only two remained.
* * *
Diana stood breathless facing Calathon and Salides, her face a mask of blood, her eyes bearing a look of focused hate. Most of the horses had bolted just leaving the three of them in the clearing amid a sea of bodies.
Salides licked his lips nervously and then turned and spurred his horse away , back towards the river.
“I shall gather reinforcements!” He called over his shoulder to Calathon. Unseen by Calathon and Diana, a second Salides remained in the clearing, standing, watching, unmoving as a statue.
“Worthless dog!” Calathon spat after him. He steeled himself
“I shall tell the future in your entrails woman!” he said as he spurred his horse towards her.
Diana threw her two swords straight at him, burying themselves up to the hilt in his breastplate.
“Let me save you the trouble – for you have no future.”
Diana ran to Callistae, who to her surprise was still alive.
“You must ride p-princess...” Callistae said weakly .
“NO! WE must ride!” Diana retrieved her own sword in the fading light and swung up behind her friend. The wound to her back was grievous. “Lean back against me. We will be with the army before dawn.”
“Not I, princess....not I...”
“Would you disobey your Queen? We are to meet her and take ship at Thrapsis”
Callistae smiled weakly “You never listened to her as a child...”
“We are no longer children...” Diana said sadly.”We will ride west, meet up with the army on the far side of the mountains. Skirting the hills...” They set off at as fast a pace as Diana dared, but they had scarce gone a few miles when Callistae turned her face to her. She was deathly pale and Diana knew the end wasn't far away for her.
“No more. The pain. Stop. Please. I can take no more...” They stopped beside a shallow river. It had a bank of soft grey mud that rose high in a bluff on one side, shaded from the sun and still wet from last night's rain. Whilst on their side the bank was but a foot high.
As Diana gently helped her friend down she could see her spine through the wound in the last of the daylight. Diana got her some water and cradled her head as she drank.
Callistae looked at Diana's armour and slowly ran her fingers down the leather, stained dark red now with her blood from the wound in her back that had pressed into Diana as they rode.
“The..the red...the dark red suits you...” she said weakly.
Diana found she had no more tears left to shed. She looked down at her leather corset below the metal rim of her breastplate “ I will only wear red leather from now on; it will remind me of all my brave sisters that I have lost this day...”
Callistae smiled and her hand fell away and Diana realized she had gone.
Alone in the boat, Diana turned her head skyward, giving full voice to her anguish with a loud cry that seemed to echo on forever as she knelt there. “Nooo!!”
As Liobe watched, tears flowing freely from sightless eyes, Diana’s cry finally came to an end, her head dropping as she knelt there, sobbing and broken, in the small vessel, alone. Grey emotions in a grey body in the midst of a grey expanse with nine grey figures looking on. Of those whose death had already passed, only Salides, Liobe herself, and her two sisters remained, the others having departed when their part of the story was done.
One of the four whose story had not yet been relived stepped forward and into the boat, kneeling before the weeping Oath Taker, gently picking her up off the deck and lifting her chin. Recognition came quickly to Diana’s eyes.
“Mother? What are you…?”
Hippolyta gently stroked her daughter’s hair, drawing her tear stained face gently to her bosom. Two of their sister Amazons joined the queen, kneeling behind Diana, gently stroking her shoulders, all three of them singing softly…
Lay your burden down, my dear, you are weary and weak,
The path blisters your eyes and peels your feet,
There is not a soul along it you wish to greet,
Death becomes you, misery surrounds you,
With each tortured step, only one thing becomes true,
Your head is heavy, your heart is empty,
Lay your burden down, my dear, you are weary and weak,
Lay your burden down, and fall softly to sleep.
Diana’s head began to spin. That song… She knew it… Something was not …
“Shhh. Let it go. Let it all go.”
The oath taker gave herself over completely to her grief, letting it be ripped from her body in great gasping sobs. She scarcely felt her arms being taken. Was completely unaware as her lasso was used to bind her arms behind her and Echo’s curse stole her strength. Only then did the sirens reveal themselves.
“And now, Princess,” they intoned together, “you shall, at last, have your hero’s death!”
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Another good chapter Drav and I really liked the return of an old enemy!
Look forward to the next episode
Look forward to the next episode
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
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Abductorenmadrid
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THEM! They return, and in the wake of painful memories ... and the next part is so tantalizingly close
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My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
The magnificent tale continues...dare you read on....?
PART 37
Dolos buried his elation as he watched. It was done – the bothersome Amazon would trouble him no more. She would be tormented further as she released the sirens who, in turn, would deliver her to the men she had left behind when she had entered the lake. His instructions to the three had been quite clear: she was to be raped, disfigured, and hacked to pieces even as her sister had been. Not only would that end her life, not only would it weaken all the gods, but it would be a marvelous distraction as the females blamed Zeus, just as Galen’s plight was currently distracting Athena from uncovering his plot.
Hera’s anger would be unstoppable, leading to a civil war amongst the gods, expending great amounts of their power on one another as he carefully conserved his, waiting for just the right moment to strike. Then he, Dolos, would be King!!
Moros had been an idiot, blackmailing Echo. Thanks to the ease of his defeat the others had relaxed their guard slightly, making it all the easier for him to twist what Zeus had asked of him into his own, far more subtle scheme. The only person he had involved, besides himself, had been Erasmus.
Suppressing the glee he felt in this moment of anticipation became a challenge even for one whose face was such a carefully crafted mask. Erasmus would never betray him, because he, himself, was Erasmus!!
* * *
Thelxephone grinned like the predator she was. It had all been too easy.
When Erasmus had approached them with promise of vengeance, they had not dared to believe. The glamour spell had been low level magic, making them look like the rest of the Amazons standing on the lake. The spell that made her appear as Hippolyta to Diana alone was only slightly more subtle. Yet he must be a powerful sorcerer indeed, for not even Hades had shown any awareness of their singing.
For days they had weaved their masterful tones into a tapestry of emotion that none could withstand. Subtle strands of sound wound around hearts, constricting them with chords of melancholy. Each soul that had suffered contributed to the fabric of their song, was used as a seed that grew with each successive chorus. Diana was the target, but their singing affected all who stood on the lake. All would become helpless before their cunning harmonies.
Best of all, they were able to use Diana’s own memories to create a most wonderful weapon to use against her. All that delicious loss she had endured in but a single day. On her own she had borne it well, but this time – Thelxephone smiled – this time their singing had created a burden too great for even the much vaunted Oath Taker to carry. Now their patience had paid off and they had her at last.
They had watched and they had sung, laying the foundation on the genuine grief the Amazon had felt when she was first blooded. The poor young man, his life cut so tragically short by an accident. His forgiveness given here on the lake should have released their slayer of the burden, lightening her heart. Instead they had captured that pain, nurturing it, wrapping it in a cocoon and metamorphosing it into a brilliant butterfly of anguish and remorse.
To this they had added all those she had failed to protect and each person that she had slain. One face at a time as their most hated enemy had been confronted by those same souls. The death of Liobe’s predecessor, the deaths of various Amazons, natural or not. The delicious agony their slayer felt at not remembering that unimportant little whelp who was too stupid to stay clear of danger. They had especially delighted in focusing some small portion of their power on that one, on the other two who seemed to be so important to their wretched slayer, and, especially, on Salides who deserved every affliction they could heap upon him and more. Yes, he, and all the others, had been carefully wrapped in their own travails, unable to intercede at the moment their precious princess was taken down.
Each event had been used, the slightest distress being amplified into excruciating agony. The moment when Diana had to leave two of her three dearest friends to certain death on the day the Amazon nation was destroyed. The deaths she had seen while riding to the aid of her mother, the queen. Some of whom had cared for and mentored the princess, some who had grown and played with her. Those who had trained with her. All those wonderful deaths, each subtly manipulated to squeeze a little tighter on the wretched slayer’s psyche. At the last, when the final curtain was drawn on Callistae’s life, they had thrust home the spear of sorrow they had so carefully fashioned, striking right at the centre of the Oath Taker’s heart.
She had snapped, the well of anguish overflowing in a flood of pain too great for any to bear. Mother Hippolyta had magically appeared at just the right moment to comfort her precious little murderer, drawing the noose a little tighter. The disguised Lidia and Auris had joined in, using comforting tones with the trapped animal to put it at ease, to keep their prey unaware as they stole her unbreakable rope and used it to invoke Echo’s curse and steal her strength. The poor helpless vicious beast – she ground her teeth both in anger and anticipation – after all, she was at their tender mercies now.
* * *
It had been a lengthy ordeal, each interview had taken quite a bit of time. So far he had found two women that had been unjustly imprisoned and one man. All had the same soldier listed on the arrest report. He should have known, this one was a bully who liked to throw his little bit of authority around. The trouble was that his brother was a wealthy merchant. He frowned, by all reports the brother was a good and honest merchant. Still, this was Corinth and one must gather evidence carefully before accusing even the brother of someone as wealthy as Hermagoras.
He looked the list over for the next prisoner brought in by Thrasydolos.
“Bring in the one called Galen, I would question him next.”
* * *
Diana moaned in confused pleasure – all sorts of questions flying through her mind: when did her mother get red hair? Who were the two blondes who seemed to know her body so intimately? And someone had said something about a hero’s death – the phrase seemed familiar and yet – so hard to think about anything except that brief caress on her breast, that sultry voice in her ear, the beautiful sounds – they are so beautiful.
“… soo beautifuulll!” she breathed excitedly
Thelxephone smiled, “That’s right, my puppet, you begin to remember.”
Puppet? Wait! “Thelxephone!”
When she spoke that word the illusion was broken and Diana knew her captors. “Auris! Lidia!”
She struggled against her bonds to no avail, it was already too late – they had used her unbreakable lasso to bind her bracers together, invoking Echo’s curse – now she was too weak – helpless to resist them.
Auris sang in her ear, “This time … “
Lidia in the other, “… there will be … “
Thelxephone tilted her chin up, “… no escape!”
Diana tried to resist but, as the siren’s tongue penetrated her mouth, she moaned instead, her own tongue rising to meet that of her tormentor. Fingers stroked and teased her breasts with a magic of their own as the two blondes redoubled their efforts. Even as the kiss continued to smother any thought of resistance, she felt Thelxephone’s exquisite touch slide up the outside of her sex, eliciting another, deeper moan as her lust was stoked higher still. And through it all there was the singing that never stopped. Singing that told her who she was – their puppet – they held all the strings – tugging first this way – then that.
The sirens moaned in delight as the power of their victim’s lust washed over them. Still they toyed with her, expertly teasing her to an ever higher state of arousal – feeding – feeding on her lust and growing ever stronger.
Thelxephone paused, removing a phial from deep within her cleavage.
“With your death we will be reborn stronger than ever, but – you must first show us the way out.”
Lifting the phial, the siren drank half its contents. Tilting Diana’s head back, she kissed the Amazon deeply but briefly before lifting that same phial to her victim’s lips.
“Come, my puppet, drink.”
Her thumb caressed the Amazon’s neck, rubbing her gula in a manner that induced her to swallow as the hot liquid was poured into her waiting mouth. Once her prey had consumed the fluid, the siren recaptured her lips, enjoying the taste of her submission while she awaited the moment the potion would take effect.
* * *
For the last several hours Mnemosyne had become increasingly distressed – at what neither Hera nor Artemis could say, as her concentration was great and they dare not break it. It was not until she collapsed to the floor that they intervened, rushing to her aid, lifting her head and cradling it on Artemis lap. Unfocused eyes looked upon Hera’s concerned face, lips whispered words that should not be.
“I cannot find Diana. She is gone – hidden somehow.”
She gripped Hera’s arm with surprising strength considering her current state.
“Just before I lost her, I felt a great pain rip through her psyche such as I have never experienced. We must find her!”
Hera turned quickly to the watching pool and noted that it was simply grey. A blank nothingness. Surely the Oath Taker could not be – dead?
Mnemosyne, already recovering from the shock of being so suddenly separated from such an intimate bond, climbed slowly to her feet.
“I am certain she is in grave peril for I sensed she was hag-ridden by what she witnessed far more greatly than she should have been. Moreover, I had just been distracted by Liobe’s cry of torment. We know the mettle of that one. Much though her misery has been, not once has she faltered in her charge to keep her sister’s memory of love. Not once! Not until now. It can be no coincidence.”
Hera nodded, “And no coincidence that even the pool cannot find her, though our thoughts are strongly bent towards her.”
The queen paced some moments while the others remained silent. Coming to an abrupt halt, she whirled towards her companions.
“I think it also no coincidence that Athena was summoned elsewhere during this time, either. Go to her Artemis. Consult her, aide her or fetch her, your best judgement, but first send me Rumour. She is often the first to receive tidings, fair or ill. She may know what has come to pass. I will visit the fates to determine whether our Diana’s thread has been cut short!”
* * *
The summons delivered to Rumour, Artemis entered the glade where her sister sat at a watching pool and peeked over her shoulder.
“I am in commune with one of my owls and have little time for whatever brought you here.”
Her voice was calm and distant. Sometimes Artemis liked to mess with her when she was in this state, to upset her so that the connection to the owl was lost. This time, however, Hera was right. It was no coincidence that her sister was thus occupied when they needed her counsel most. Keeping her own voice calm, she spoke.
“We need your counsel, sister. Mnemosyne has lost contact with Diana’s mind and we can no longer find her in the pool.”
For a moment Athena’s eyes narrowed and she held her breath. Breathing slowly and evenly she returned to her calm state before her connection to her owl even flickered. Her voice remained distant and even as she spoke.
“Tell me what you know as succinctly as you are able, sister mine.”
Artemis relayed the events that had occurred since Athena had departed, being careful to include every important detail, but leaving out the casual things.
“There is strong magic at work here, but, as you report that Mnemosyne had brief contact with Liobe, why not see if the pool can see through her eyes?”
Artemis looked dumbfounded, such a simple idea yet it had not occurred to them.
“No wonder you are goddess of wisdom, dear sister.”
Turning she ran, perhaps there was still time.
* * *
Liobe stood helpless on the lake, watching. She could see the others, Aila, Callistae, and two strangers – a man and a boy – all unmoving. She did not know what the strangers were feeling, but she could read her sister’s faces like the pages of a book. Anguish, sorrow. These things she felt, too. They were all around her trying to crush her from the outside. But her sisters? It was in them like it had tried to get into her. Only Mnemosyne’s timely reinforcing of loving memories had kept her from what she saw on the faces of those she loved: despair, resignation. Not even Elpis could reach them now.
Seeing this, Liobe’s heart reinforced itself with determination. She had heard of the sirens, had heard of their heart-stopping physical beauty, had heard of their exquisite voices. Now she both saw and heard for herself, yet she was blessed. With no eyes to truly see, it was like watching a painting instead of the sirens themselves, and her damaged ears – she could hear the alluring quality of their voices without falling under their enchantment. Not now that she saw the evil that they were. Saw what they were doing to her family!
Her hand moved almost of its own volition as she absent-mindedly fingered a scar that stood out from all the rest. Her mind flashed back to that moment when she lay wounded, being tended by her princess. By her sister!
“You may rely on me, Princess.”
Her whispered words strengthened her resolve. These evil creatures would not have her sisters. Even as that thought entered her mind she heard singing: clear, melodic, and sweet, it brought the hint of a smile to her disfigured face. Callistae’s voice was like no other to her, for it not only had quality, it had meaning. There she was, painstakingly trying to match pitch with her newfound sister as she slowly learned to sing. There she was, with her family, singing around the campfire or while walking from one place to another or riding or …
Her heart began to feel lighter as memories more beautiful to her than even the Aphrodite perfected sirens could ever be flooded her thoughts and the weight upon her psyche began to lift.
* * *
Hera had learned nothing from Rumour, who had met her where the fates laboured. Atropos had nod cut her thread. That had been good news and she had returned to her audience chamber just in time for Artemis to share Athena’s suggestion. It had worked.
Now she and the others watched in dismay. The sirens who had so nearly killed Diana just a year ago had captured her and were toying with their prey. Mnemosyne looked on with the others.
“I have done what I can to help Liobe, I can only hope it is enough.”
She paced, something she seldom did, flinging her arms this way and that in agitation.
“The sirens’ presence there, the capture of Diana, none of this should matter. I should still be able to find Diana’s mind.”
Hera nodded.
“And the watching pool should not have faltered. We clearly witnessed the events of her last battle with them. Some magic must be affecting her mind itself, but what?”
Artemis was disturbed by the scene, her instincts telling her something less obvious was going on here.
“Tell me, does Thelxephone look right to you?”
Hera shook her head absently.
“No. Her eyes are closed and she’s no longer participating in Diana’s torment.”
Artemis frowned as her keen eyes spotted the open phial still clutched in the siren’s hand. She pointed.
“I think I’ve just found the source of the magic. That phial there.”
Mnemosyne paled. “It all makes sense now. It is too late, she is lost to us.”
Hera turned, speaking sharply to her, “Tell me! Now!”
The goddess of memory steeled herself,
“It must be a potion made from the waters of my river. When shared it allows those who drink it to access one another’s memories. The symptoms – that phial – it is the only thing I can think of that would deny me access. In Diana’s current state she will not be able to resist as Thelxephone searches her memory for everything. Soon they will know all Diana’s secrets, even those things which I have caused her to forget.”
Hera smiled as an idea occurred to her, “Oh, I think not.”
Turning to Artemis, “Summon Eos, fleetly as you can. Tell her that her queen has need of her – skills.”
* * *
Thelxephone began to wander the forests of Diana’s memories, finding a great huge wall right in the middle. Curiosity propelled her to it, looking for a way in. Such a heavily fortified memory would be a greater weapon than that they now wielded. If they could increase her anguish, she might further increase their power.
Moments passed and still she could find no gate or door. Not even a tiny window. In the end it mattered little in light of her real mission here and the potion would only last so long, so she turned away, back to her real purpose: finding the way out!
* * *
Diana was back on the river. Like everything during the unknown number of days she had spent on the lake, this began to play out with her having both the roles of observer and participant. Oddly, it began with her daydreaming of Aponolus.
She touched her lips, then found herself melting into Aponolus kiss. Lying there in the bottom of the boat, bound, helpless, and on fire. The big Spartan was so gentle, so … energetic …
She laughed deeply, brightly. He located himself at her threshold, turning her laugh into a throaty gasp. His hands took control of her with a sure gentleness that thrilled her. She wouldn’t have stopped him now if she could. That she was bound and unable to resist him didn’t enter into it, she didn’t want to resist. Gentle, handsome Aponolus was taking her now and nothing else mattered as he lifted her hips with both hands and entered her.
* * *
Thelxephone ground her teeth together. This was not what she was looking for! Who was this big oaf and why was her wretched foe fawning over him so? What she wanted was the way out!
* * *
Liobe carefully tested her muscles. She could feel them responding with ease, now that she was focused on those precious, joyful memories.
Thank you, Mnemosyne, for the largesse you have shown me. These memories are more than my duty! They are my strength!
She watched the sirens as they continued to tease and torment Diana, treating her like their plaything as they carefully turned her own body against her, building and ever building her lust for them. She could almost see the energy flowing into the trio of temptresses, see their strength increasing with each passing moment.
Aila’s voice spoke clearly in her mind.
“There is always a weak point. Find it and attack.”
The redhead! She was distracted! The lake. That was the key. Each of those who had submerged in its waters had returned to their rightful place in the underworld. The wings would be a problem. She had no rope, so her only hope was to break one or both of them. She steeled herself for the attack, waiting for the right moment and …
* * *
They were still at it. Thelxephone had tried physically pulling them apart, but to no avail. It seemed the lust they had built in her was working against them. The slayer was so trapped in this fantasy of hers that the siren could not get her to move on! Suddenly she felt off balance… what was??? Someone was on her back!!! She beat her wings out of reflex, flying over the lake as they fell, but it was hard. Legs were wrapped around her waist and two arms sought to still her left wing.
She saw the scars.
The whelp?!?
The siren struck back with everything she had, as she suddenly understood the mettle of this one she had so readily dismissed, but it was so hard to focus. She was still in the prey’s mind. Still trying to find the gate before the potion wore off and the connection was broken. She had to maintain that link if they were to find the way out!
Suddenly she knew what was going through the whelp’s mind. She wanted to force her back into the underworld proper! Here on the lake they were at the gate between realms with a chance to escape but not if they were forced back inside. There they would be trapped!!! Her foot brushed against the water as she struggled to remain aloft.
* * *
The two blondes smiled at each other, their long dark tongues lashing out, wrapping around their Amazon prey’s breasts, squeezing them so that they became further engorged. The tips of those same tongues lightly flicked her nipples, eliciting more of those delicious musical moan’s from the helpless heroine.
So focussed on their prey were they that they failed to notice Liobe’s approach until she attacked Thelxephone. Why should they have noticed? The insignificant whelp had been made as impotent as all the others!
Forgetting their prey for the moment, they took to the air, wings beating in unison as they flew after their struggling sister. Gaining the altitude advantage, they took it in turns, swooping down on their target from above, their claws cutting great big gashes in the attacker’s back. The pain alone should have caused her to release their sister, but it did not seem to phase her. More than that, how was she so unaffected by their singing? She should have been as paralysed as the others! Yet here she was, stubbornly clinging to Thelxephone’s back and ever yanking and twisting at her left wing.
* * *
He knew their singing the moment they stepped into the boat. Knew it because he had heard it before. It was those thrice damned sirens. The ones who had provided him the opportunity to finally slay Salides once and for all. He saw her in their thrall. Like before. Then he had run away only to return at the behest of a young woman of far more courage than he. Now he stood and watched as they toyed with the broken Amazon. Then he had used the excuse of honour to leave the field of battle as he had done so many times before. Now he wanted nothing so much as to bring the fight to those who would see his sacrifice made meaningless. Yet he was unable to even move, let alone help. As he watched, he too failed to notice the misshapen figure that moved to the attack until she leapt on the back of the eldest.
He smiled, another woman. It figured. The perfect song was broken, intermingled with shrieks as they took to the air. He found that he could move a little. Then a little more. He took a step towards the boat. Untie Diana and she would have at least a chance. This time he would play the role of rescuer instead of victim. He managed to take another step. Closer… closer… and they were focused on the little one who refused to be removed from Red’s back.
* * *
Callistae recognized the dark headed wretch as the one who had been on the lake with them for days, beyond that she had no idea who she was. Still, she admired the tenacity with which she struck the red headed harpy. Would that she could move and join in the fray. She had no armour or weapons, but such a lack never left a true Amazon defenceless. As she watched she saw the man, who was furthest from the siren’s call, take a single step. Perhaps she, too, could move. Testing her own muscles, she found that she could twitch her fingers a little. They might have a chance, such creatures were not invincible, their very presence here was proof of that. Closing her eyes she thought hard, trying to recall everything she could about the sirens. They preyed on the senses, beauty such as the eye had never before beheld and such singing as to mesmerize any who listened to their words.
She recalled stories of people stopping their ears to block the sonorous tones from affecting them, but she had nothing with her with which to do so. She also recalled rare occasions when singing had been used to ward off their evil music. Singing! She smiled as her mind reached back to a childhood song and the words of light and innocence began to flow from her lips. With each successive word, her voice grew in strength and confidence. The twitches became the movement of fingers, then arms. She tapped her toes and continued to sing.
* * *
Aila was dismayed. Diana was supposed to be the protector of their people. She had been promised that by Nike when the goddess had offered her a meaningful death, yet there sat her princess, helpless before her and she had been unable to even cry out a warning as the sirens had bound her. It was also clear that they had taken Diana’s strength from her by some means that Aila didn’t understand. As she was forced to watch, powerless to intervene, they had toyed with her princess and friend, making her increasingly angry. Diana was not to be their plaything! She was to be the champion of all Amazons! How dare they! She struggled to move, completely unaware that her anger only increased her impotence and strengthened the hold the sirens had on her.
Someone she didn’t know moved rapidly towards the boat and leapt on the back of the one Diana had named Thelxephone and moments later she watched the sirens take their battle to the air and the man called Salides begin to move towards the boat.
Having witnessed his involvement in the slaying of Callistae, she wanted to cry out, to warn Diana of an approaching enemy, but her voice was not working. Her anger mounted and the hold on her continued to strengthen until, suddenly, she heard a song she knew well. Almost without thinking, she found herself humming along as she continued to struggle against the sirens’ hold. It was almost as if she were back at the campfire, singing happy, silly songs. Her, Callistae, and a certain mischievous princess. She became aware of her hand tapping against her thigh and had to choke off a cry of joy lest it alert their enemies. A few more minutes and she would be able to stop the villainous man who was clearly aiding the harpies in Diana’s destruction. Even as she watched he knelt behind her, his mouth whispering what lascivious words in her ear Aila knew not.
What he did next left her thunderstruck. He undid Diana’s bonds. She didn’t know that the man who had helped to slay her sisters had given his own life to save Diana’s.
* * *
Eos, like Diana, was lost in the throes of passion with Aponolus. If only he were here for real and not merely a fantasy!
Mnemosyne thought her opinion, 'We are not here to try and satisfy your insatiable desires, but to save Diana!'
Eos pouted, 'But this is such a fun way to fight. Why must we stop? Surely the potion will wear off and Diana can fight them then.'
Mnemosyne shook her head, 'We needed you for a way in and right now the harpies are distracted. You must help me clear her mind so that she can fight! See? The strength returns to her limbs even as we argue.'
* * *
“Aenid!!”
Salides started as Diana named who he had wanted to be. He shook his head and started to open his mouth, but she spoke first.
“It is you, Aenid, the slayer of Salides!”
She hugged him briefly, but with great joy.
“It is good to see you again, though I wish it were at a time when we had leisure to chat instead of preparing to fight sirens.”
He smiled, “We must indeed meet under better circumstances, my lady. How do you suggest we reach them when they are way up there?”
She grinned, “Insult them, of course! HEY, YOU UGLY HAGS!!! NOT ONLY HAVE YOU FAILED TO TAKE MY LIFE AGAIN BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THE STRAGGLIEST HAIR I’VE EVER SEEN!!! STRINGIER THAN SEAWEED!!! AND YOUR FACES?? EVER WONDER WHY YOU WERE STUCK ON THAT ISLAND?? AND LOOK HOW FAT YOU’VE GOTTEN!!!”
Salides shrugged, a lopsided smile on his face. “It couldn’t hurt. I’m already dead. YOUR SINGING HAS GOTTEN A WHOLE LOT WORSE. YOU USED TO BEWITCH WHOLE SHIPS OF SAILORS. FOR WEEKS YOU WOULD HOLD THEM UNDER YOUR SWAY, SUMMONING THEM TO THEIR DEATHS AT WILL. NOW YOU CAN’T EVEN WOO THE FIVE OF US AND WE’RE ALREADY DEAD!!!”
* * *
Thelxephone cried out as the link was abruptly severed. “Mnemosyne broke in somehow and kicked me out. We have to kill our slayer NOW!! The others are dead already!!”
The Amazon yelled up at them from below. Who did she think she was?!? And the man?? What did he think being dead was going to do to protect him? Auris, angered by the comment about her beautiful hair dove down on them without waiting for the others.
“Wait! We must attack as one! Get this damnable whelp off my back!”
Lidia, who was following her sister in a dive, doubled back towards Thelxephone, only to be waved off.
“Auris is being reckless, watch her back. Seeing her, I have an idea for dealing with the whelp!”
Still struggling to fly, she worked on gaining height.
* * *
Liobe did her best to keep her ankles locked around Thelxephone’s slender waist. So far so good. She had gotten all three of them away from Diana. Well, at least long enough for her to be revived, apparently. She heard two voices shouting from below and one of them sounded like Diana. The other was a man, she thought. At any rate, whatever they were shouting made the sirens angry and they were attacking in anger. She smiled as she remembered the time she had tried that during a sparring session with Diana and ended up on her butt for her trouble.
Damn, but this harpie has strong bones, I haven’t even managed to dislocate the joint!
Even as Liobe had that thought, Thelxephone began going for altitude.
Hera, help me not to fall!
The voice she heard respond was Mnemosyne’s. You have done well. Your help has given us a chance to save her. Hold on but a little longer.
* * *
Diana watched as the two sirens dove towards them, first Auris, then Lidia, who turned back, then dove again.
“Seems she can’t make up her mind. Here, take my xiphos, I know you will use it well.”
Salides took the proffered blade and looked at her, “And what are you going to use?”
She held up her bracers in salute, “These should suffice.”
Her foot kicked the shield, popping it up in the air where she easily caught it before handing that to Salides as well.
She checked to make certain her lasso was secure as Auris beat her wings on final approach.
“Leave Auris to me and focus on Lidia.”
She should have followed her own advice, even the brief distraction allowed Auris to ensnare Diana’s neck with her long braided ponytail, wrapping it round and taking off again, using the Amazon’s own weight to keep the noose tight.
Salides saw this out of the corner of his eye, but had no chance to even call out as Lidia had poured on the speed, her talons aimed right at his face. He barely lifted the shield in time, the impact almost knocking him out of the boat before he fell to the deck. He had little time to congratulate himself as she was coming around again. He could probably stand on the water, he had done so before, but the deck felt more natural beneath him as he squatted low to make a smaller target.
Lidia banked at the last moment, barely giving him time to pivot and meet her new angle of attack. She knocked him down again, but he was able to get a slashing cut to her leg, just above her talon. Yes, they knew each other well. They had danced this dance before.
* * *
Liobe had never been this high before, it was both alarming and exciting at the same time. At least she was already dead, that ought to help. Just when she thought Thelxephone would keep going up forever, she turned towards the lake in a steep dive. Liobe no longer tried to break the wing, but clung to her enemy like a vise. Dead or no, she was terrified.
* * *
Diana struggled to breathe, pulling at Auris hair around her neck, but to no avail. The siren had planted a knee in her back and used it for leverage. Beating wings kept them effortlessly aloft, denying her any leverage of her own. The thick braid tightened inexorably and nothing she had tried slowed its progress. If she didn’t do something soon, death would likely be the result.
Hanging onto the braid with both hands, she tried to forestall that moment, keeping as much of her weight on her arms as possible. She managed to gasp in another lungful of air just as Auris began to exert more pressure on the noose of hair that was slowly strangling the life out of her. Her vision began to blur, the images tunnelling in towards the centre. She didn’t have much time left and she could think of nothing new to try. So hard to stay awake, especially with Auris sweetly singing a lullaby.
* * *
Talon raked shield. Sword slashed against what, on a human, would have been an ankle. It seemed to have little effect on the harpy, but Salides couldn’t seem to hit another target. Lidia swooped down at great speed, using her wings skilfully and to great advantage. Here there were no walls and no ceiling, however high, to hamper her movements.
On the other hand, he was not tiring, something he found odd. It must be the place. He could keep this up all day and it seemed she could as well. He needed to think of something new to try. Something that would negate her speed and flight.
* * *
Callistae found she could move freely at last. The question was what to do with that freedom. Diana and the wretch were both out of reach in the air, so helping the man on the boat would seem to be the best choice.
Looking at him closely for the first time, she suddenly recognized him. He was one of the men who had been fighting Diana and her in the clearing where she had been mortally wounded.
“Salides!”
She growled, the sound quite different from the sweet tones she had been singing mere moments ago. She lifted her foot to step towards him. The harpies were the first danger. She would deal with the man after.
A hand came to rest on her shoulder and she spun about, her swinging fist stopping short.
“Aila!”
The two briefly embraced as Aila spoke.
“I don’t know the story with that man, but he just released Diana and… “
The incredulity in her voice was echoed in Callistae’s mind as her sister continued.
“She embraced him like a long lost friend.”
Diana, ever a good judge of character, was not given to such displays lightly. Something must have changed in the man.
“It doesn’t matter right now. We have to help him stop that beast as quickly as possible.”
Callistae pointed up at Diana as she continued.
“Reduce their numbers and find a way to help Diana as quickly as possible.”
Aila nodded.
“I wish we had a bow, the long haired one makes a nice target, but...”
Callistae joined her.
“Use what you have instead of wishing for what you need and the battle will more likely end in your favour.”
Phillipus would have smiled to know that her words had not fallen on deaf ears.
The two of them started towards the boat without a clue as to what they would do once they arrived.
* * *
The speed had increased, Thelxephone keeping her wings folded close to her side so that they dropped from the sky like a rock. Suddenly Liobe understood. The siren would pull up so suddenly that she would be unable to hold on. A smile crossed her face as she got an idea of her own. Unlocking her ankles she let her legs out behind her.
“Unable to hold on any longer, whelp? Do not worry, Diana will join ...”
Panic entered Thelxephone’s voice as Liobe wrapped her legs around the folded wings and locked her ankles once more.
“What are you doing??? We will crash!”
Liobe was positively beaming. Fare thee well Diana. Goodbye Aila, Callistae. Know that I love you all and will ever remember your love for me.
Moments later they plunged into the water and disappeared.
* * *
Aila looked at Callistae, “Whoever that woman was, she has the heart of an Amazon!”
Callistae nodded, “She also handed us the key to defeating these monsters. Drag them beneath the surface and they can do nothing more to Diana.”
* * *
“THELXEPHONE!!” The scream startled Diana back to wakefulness as Auris, in shock, momentarily relaxed pressure on the noose around her neck and she sucked in a much needed lungful of air. Maybe she still had a chance. Seizing the moment, Diana dug deep, pulling hard at the braid of hair at her neck, her fatigued aching muscles protesting as she loosened it enough to get a hand in. Using Auris knee like a fulcrum, she pulled on the hair above the noose, turning herself to face the stunned harpy even as the scream’s echoes died.
Diana grabbed Auris wrist, squeezing it. Dead or not, the sound of cracking bone brought forth a second scream and the siren’s long flowing ponytail fell from twitching fingers.
"Your hair may not be as straggly as seaweed..."
Retaining her hold on Auris fractured wrist, Diana pulled the braid from around her neck.
“...but I have had quite enough of it! Now it’s time to end this!”
* * *
In the boat, Salides smiled, that woman was not only brave but smart. Once back in Hades domain, instead of here at the gate between realms, the sirens must once more submit to his authority. Here they were, dead, all of them, yet he was fighting Lidia like they still lived. Carefully he tracked her movements as she came around again, letting his weapons hang low as if he were fatigued. The shield, in fact, was merely leaning against his kneeling body. She wouldn’t be able to see that, but the attitude he portrayed was one of a man barely able to remain upright, though in reality he crouched like a mountain lion about to strike.
She banked, altering course directly for him, swooping down on him, certain that she would knock him back to Hades.
At the last possible moment, he released the xiphos, leaping off the little boat and grabbing the end of the wing. Lidia’s body pivoted around the point of impact, her other wing hit the water at a steep angle, cleaving into the water cleanly. She could not recover. There was no visible splash as the lake sucked the two of them back into Hade’s embrace.
* * *
Auris didn’t utter a sound as her second sister disappeared from view. Instead she turned to Diana,
“If we must return to Hades, then you shall join us!”
She dove down, picking up speed, holding onto a struggling Diana’s hair with her good hand. Not even a ripple disturbed the mirror-like surface of the lake as they disappeared beneath its surface.
PART 37
Dolos buried his elation as he watched. It was done – the bothersome Amazon would trouble him no more. She would be tormented further as she released the sirens who, in turn, would deliver her to the men she had left behind when she had entered the lake. His instructions to the three had been quite clear: she was to be raped, disfigured, and hacked to pieces even as her sister had been. Not only would that end her life, not only would it weaken all the gods, but it would be a marvelous distraction as the females blamed Zeus, just as Galen’s plight was currently distracting Athena from uncovering his plot.
Hera’s anger would be unstoppable, leading to a civil war amongst the gods, expending great amounts of their power on one another as he carefully conserved his, waiting for just the right moment to strike. Then he, Dolos, would be King!!
Moros had been an idiot, blackmailing Echo. Thanks to the ease of his defeat the others had relaxed their guard slightly, making it all the easier for him to twist what Zeus had asked of him into his own, far more subtle scheme. The only person he had involved, besides himself, had been Erasmus.
Suppressing the glee he felt in this moment of anticipation became a challenge even for one whose face was such a carefully crafted mask. Erasmus would never betray him, because he, himself, was Erasmus!!
* * *
Thelxephone grinned like the predator she was. It had all been too easy.
When Erasmus had approached them with promise of vengeance, they had not dared to believe. The glamour spell had been low level magic, making them look like the rest of the Amazons standing on the lake. The spell that made her appear as Hippolyta to Diana alone was only slightly more subtle. Yet he must be a powerful sorcerer indeed, for not even Hades had shown any awareness of their singing.
For days they had weaved their masterful tones into a tapestry of emotion that none could withstand. Subtle strands of sound wound around hearts, constricting them with chords of melancholy. Each soul that had suffered contributed to the fabric of their song, was used as a seed that grew with each successive chorus. Diana was the target, but their singing affected all who stood on the lake. All would become helpless before their cunning harmonies.
Best of all, they were able to use Diana’s own memories to create a most wonderful weapon to use against her. All that delicious loss she had endured in but a single day. On her own she had borne it well, but this time – Thelxephone smiled – this time their singing had created a burden too great for even the much vaunted Oath Taker to carry. Now their patience had paid off and they had her at last.
They had watched and they had sung, laying the foundation on the genuine grief the Amazon had felt when she was first blooded. The poor young man, his life cut so tragically short by an accident. His forgiveness given here on the lake should have released their slayer of the burden, lightening her heart. Instead they had captured that pain, nurturing it, wrapping it in a cocoon and metamorphosing it into a brilliant butterfly of anguish and remorse.
To this they had added all those she had failed to protect and each person that she had slain. One face at a time as their most hated enemy had been confronted by those same souls. The death of Liobe’s predecessor, the deaths of various Amazons, natural or not. The delicious agony their slayer felt at not remembering that unimportant little whelp who was too stupid to stay clear of danger. They had especially delighted in focusing some small portion of their power on that one, on the other two who seemed to be so important to their wretched slayer, and, especially, on Salides who deserved every affliction they could heap upon him and more. Yes, he, and all the others, had been carefully wrapped in their own travails, unable to intercede at the moment their precious princess was taken down.
Each event had been used, the slightest distress being amplified into excruciating agony. The moment when Diana had to leave two of her three dearest friends to certain death on the day the Amazon nation was destroyed. The deaths she had seen while riding to the aid of her mother, the queen. Some of whom had cared for and mentored the princess, some who had grown and played with her. Those who had trained with her. All those wonderful deaths, each subtly manipulated to squeeze a little tighter on the wretched slayer’s psyche. At the last, when the final curtain was drawn on Callistae’s life, they had thrust home the spear of sorrow they had so carefully fashioned, striking right at the centre of the Oath Taker’s heart.
She had snapped, the well of anguish overflowing in a flood of pain too great for any to bear. Mother Hippolyta had magically appeared at just the right moment to comfort her precious little murderer, drawing the noose a little tighter. The disguised Lidia and Auris had joined in, using comforting tones with the trapped animal to put it at ease, to keep their prey unaware as they stole her unbreakable rope and used it to invoke Echo’s curse and steal her strength. The poor helpless vicious beast – she ground her teeth both in anger and anticipation – after all, she was at their tender mercies now.
* * *
It had been a lengthy ordeal, each interview had taken quite a bit of time. So far he had found two women that had been unjustly imprisoned and one man. All had the same soldier listed on the arrest report. He should have known, this one was a bully who liked to throw his little bit of authority around. The trouble was that his brother was a wealthy merchant. He frowned, by all reports the brother was a good and honest merchant. Still, this was Corinth and one must gather evidence carefully before accusing even the brother of someone as wealthy as Hermagoras.
He looked the list over for the next prisoner brought in by Thrasydolos.
“Bring in the one called Galen, I would question him next.”
* * *
Diana moaned in confused pleasure – all sorts of questions flying through her mind: when did her mother get red hair? Who were the two blondes who seemed to know her body so intimately? And someone had said something about a hero’s death – the phrase seemed familiar and yet – so hard to think about anything except that brief caress on her breast, that sultry voice in her ear, the beautiful sounds – they are so beautiful.
“… soo beautifuulll!” she breathed excitedly
Thelxephone smiled, “That’s right, my puppet, you begin to remember.”
Puppet? Wait! “Thelxephone!”
When she spoke that word the illusion was broken and Diana knew her captors. “Auris! Lidia!”
She struggled against her bonds to no avail, it was already too late – they had used her unbreakable lasso to bind her bracers together, invoking Echo’s curse – now she was too weak – helpless to resist them.
Auris sang in her ear, “This time … “
Lidia in the other, “… there will be … “
Thelxephone tilted her chin up, “… no escape!”
Diana tried to resist but, as the siren’s tongue penetrated her mouth, she moaned instead, her own tongue rising to meet that of her tormentor. Fingers stroked and teased her breasts with a magic of their own as the two blondes redoubled their efforts. Even as the kiss continued to smother any thought of resistance, she felt Thelxephone’s exquisite touch slide up the outside of her sex, eliciting another, deeper moan as her lust was stoked higher still. And through it all there was the singing that never stopped. Singing that told her who she was – their puppet – they held all the strings – tugging first this way – then that.
The sirens moaned in delight as the power of their victim’s lust washed over them. Still they toyed with her, expertly teasing her to an ever higher state of arousal – feeding – feeding on her lust and growing ever stronger.
Thelxephone paused, removing a phial from deep within her cleavage.
“With your death we will be reborn stronger than ever, but – you must first show us the way out.”
Lifting the phial, the siren drank half its contents. Tilting Diana’s head back, she kissed the Amazon deeply but briefly before lifting that same phial to her victim’s lips.
“Come, my puppet, drink.”
Her thumb caressed the Amazon’s neck, rubbing her gula in a manner that induced her to swallow as the hot liquid was poured into her waiting mouth. Once her prey had consumed the fluid, the siren recaptured her lips, enjoying the taste of her submission while she awaited the moment the potion would take effect.
* * *
For the last several hours Mnemosyne had become increasingly distressed – at what neither Hera nor Artemis could say, as her concentration was great and they dare not break it. It was not until she collapsed to the floor that they intervened, rushing to her aid, lifting her head and cradling it on Artemis lap. Unfocused eyes looked upon Hera’s concerned face, lips whispered words that should not be.
“I cannot find Diana. She is gone – hidden somehow.”
She gripped Hera’s arm with surprising strength considering her current state.
“Just before I lost her, I felt a great pain rip through her psyche such as I have never experienced. We must find her!”
Hera turned quickly to the watching pool and noted that it was simply grey. A blank nothingness. Surely the Oath Taker could not be – dead?
Mnemosyne, already recovering from the shock of being so suddenly separated from such an intimate bond, climbed slowly to her feet.
“I am certain she is in grave peril for I sensed she was hag-ridden by what she witnessed far more greatly than she should have been. Moreover, I had just been distracted by Liobe’s cry of torment. We know the mettle of that one. Much though her misery has been, not once has she faltered in her charge to keep her sister’s memory of love. Not once! Not until now. It can be no coincidence.”
Hera nodded, “And no coincidence that even the pool cannot find her, though our thoughts are strongly bent towards her.”
The queen paced some moments while the others remained silent. Coming to an abrupt halt, she whirled towards her companions.
“I think it also no coincidence that Athena was summoned elsewhere during this time, either. Go to her Artemis. Consult her, aide her or fetch her, your best judgement, but first send me Rumour. She is often the first to receive tidings, fair or ill. She may know what has come to pass. I will visit the fates to determine whether our Diana’s thread has been cut short!”
* * *
The summons delivered to Rumour, Artemis entered the glade where her sister sat at a watching pool and peeked over her shoulder.
“I am in commune with one of my owls and have little time for whatever brought you here.”
Her voice was calm and distant. Sometimes Artemis liked to mess with her when she was in this state, to upset her so that the connection to the owl was lost. This time, however, Hera was right. It was no coincidence that her sister was thus occupied when they needed her counsel most. Keeping her own voice calm, she spoke.
“We need your counsel, sister. Mnemosyne has lost contact with Diana’s mind and we can no longer find her in the pool.”
For a moment Athena’s eyes narrowed and she held her breath. Breathing slowly and evenly she returned to her calm state before her connection to her owl even flickered. Her voice remained distant and even as she spoke.
“Tell me what you know as succinctly as you are able, sister mine.”
Artemis relayed the events that had occurred since Athena had departed, being careful to include every important detail, but leaving out the casual things.
“There is strong magic at work here, but, as you report that Mnemosyne had brief contact with Liobe, why not see if the pool can see through her eyes?”
Artemis looked dumbfounded, such a simple idea yet it had not occurred to them.
“No wonder you are goddess of wisdom, dear sister.”
Turning she ran, perhaps there was still time.
* * *
Liobe stood helpless on the lake, watching. She could see the others, Aila, Callistae, and two strangers – a man and a boy – all unmoving. She did not know what the strangers were feeling, but she could read her sister’s faces like the pages of a book. Anguish, sorrow. These things she felt, too. They were all around her trying to crush her from the outside. But her sisters? It was in them like it had tried to get into her. Only Mnemosyne’s timely reinforcing of loving memories had kept her from what she saw on the faces of those she loved: despair, resignation. Not even Elpis could reach them now.
Seeing this, Liobe’s heart reinforced itself with determination. She had heard of the sirens, had heard of their heart-stopping physical beauty, had heard of their exquisite voices. Now she both saw and heard for herself, yet she was blessed. With no eyes to truly see, it was like watching a painting instead of the sirens themselves, and her damaged ears – she could hear the alluring quality of their voices without falling under their enchantment. Not now that she saw the evil that they were. Saw what they were doing to her family!
Her hand moved almost of its own volition as she absent-mindedly fingered a scar that stood out from all the rest. Her mind flashed back to that moment when she lay wounded, being tended by her princess. By her sister!
“You may rely on me, Princess.”
Her whispered words strengthened her resolve. These evil creatures would not have her sisters. Even as that thought entered her mind she heard singing: clear, melodic, and sweet, it brought the hint of a smile to her disfigured face. Callistae’s voice was like no other to her, for it not only had quality, it had meaning. There she was, painstakingly trying to match pitch with her newfound sister as she slowly learned to sing. There she was, with her family, singing around the campfire or while walking from one place to another or riding or …
Her heart began to feel lighter as memories more beautiful to her than even the Aphrodite perfected sirens could ever be flooded her thoughts and the weight upon her psyche began to lift.
* * *
Hera had learned nothing from Rumour, who had met her where the fates laboured. Atropos had nod cut her thread. That had been good news and she had returned to her audience chamber just in time for Artemis to share Athena’s suggestion. It had worked.
Now she and the others watched in dismay. The sirens who had so nearly killed Diana just a year ago had captured her and were toying with their prey. Mnemosyne looked on with the others.
“I have done what I can to help Liobe, I can only hope it is enough.”
She paced, something she seldom did, flinging her arms this way and that in agitation.
“The sirens’ presence there, the capture of Diana, none of this should matter. I should still be able to find Diana’s mind.”
Hera nodded.
“And the watching pool should not have faltered. We clearly witnessed the events of her last battle with them. Some magic must be affecting her mind itself, but what?”
Artemis was disturbed by the scene, her instincts telling her something less obvious was going on here.
“Tell me, does Thelxephone look right to you?”
Hera shook her head absently.
“No. Her eyes are closed and she’s no longer participating in Diana’s torment.”
Artemis frowned as her keen eyes spotted the open phial still clutched in the siren’s hand. She pointed.
“I think I’ve just found the source of the magic. That phial there.”
Mnemosyne paled. “It all makes sense now. It is too late, she is lost to us.”
Hera turned, speaking sharply to her, “Tell me! Now!”
The goddess of memory steeled herself,
“It must be a potion made from the waters of my river. When shared it allows those who drink it to access one another’s memories. The symptoms – that phial – it is the only thing I can think of that would deny me access. In Diana’s current state she will not be able to resist as Thelxephone searches her memory for everything. Soon they will know all Diana’s secrets, even those things which I have caused her to forget.”
Hera smiled as an idea occurred to her, “Oh, I think not.”
Turning to Artemis, “Summon Eos, fleetly as you can. Tell her that her queen has need of her – skills.”
* * *
Thelxephone began to wander the forests of Diana’s memories, finding a great huge wall right in the middle. Curiosity propelled her to it, looking for a way in. Such a heavily fortified memory would be a greater weapon than that they now wielded. If they could increase her anguish, she might further increase their power.
Moments passed and still she could find no gate or door. Not even a tiny window. In the end it mattered little in light of her real mission here and the potion would only last so long, so she turned away, back to her real purpose: finding the way out!
* * *
Diana was back on the river. Like everything during the unknown number of days she had spent on the lake, this began to play out with her having both the roles of observer and participant. Oddly, it began with her daydreaming of Aponolus.
She touched her lips, then found herself melting into Aponolus kiss. Lying there in the bottom of the boat, bound, helpless, and on fire. The big Spartan was so gentle, so … energetic …
She laughed deeply, brightly. He located himself at her threshold, turning her laugh into a throaty gasp. His hands took control of her with a sure gentleness that thrilled her. She wouldn’t have stopped him now if she could. That she was bound and unable to resist him didn’t enter into it, she didn’t want to resist. Gentle, handsome Aponolus was taking her now and nothing else mattered as he lifted her hips with both hands and entered her.
* * *
Thelxephone ground her teeth together. This was not what she was looking for! Who was this big oaf and why was her wretched foe fawning over him so? What she wanted was the way out!
* * *
Liobe carefully tested her muscles. She could feel them responding with ease, now that she was focused on those precious, joyful memories.
Thank you, Mnemosyne, for the largesse you have shown me. These memories are more than my duty! They are my strength!
She watched the sirens as they continued to tease and torment Diana, treating her like their plaything as they carefully turned her own body against her, building and ever building her lust for them. She could almost see the energy flowing into the trio of temptresses, see their strength increasing with each passing moment.
Aila’s voice spoke clearly in her mind.
“There is always a weak point. Find it and attack.”
The redhead! She was distracted! The lake. That was the key. Each of those who had submerged in its waters had returned to their rightful place in the underworld. The wings would be a problem. She had no rope, so her only hope was to break one or both of them. She steeled herself for the attack, waiting for the right moment and …
* * *
They were still at it. Thelxephone had tried physically pulling them apart, but to no avail. It seemed the lust they had built in her was working against them. The slayer was so trapped in this fantasy of hers that the siren could not get her to move on! Suddenly she felt off balance… what was??? Someone was on her back!!! She beat her wings out of reflex, flying over the lake as they fell, but it was hard. Legs were wrapped around her waist and two arms sought to still her left wing.
She saw the scars.
The whelp?!?
The siren struck back with everything she had, as she suddenly understood the mettle of this one she had so readily dismissed, but it was so hard to focus. She was still in the prey’s mind. Still trying to find the gate before the potion wore off and the connection was broken. She had to maintain that link if they were to find the way out!
Suddenly she knew what was going through the whelp’s mind. She wanted to force her back into the underworld proper! Here on the lake they were at the gate between realms with a chance to escape but not if they were forced back inside. There they would be trapped!!! Her foot brushed against the water as she struggled to remain aloft.
* * *
The two blondes smiled at each other, their long dark tongues lashing out, wrapping around their Amazon prey’s breasts, squeezing them so that they became further engorged. The tips of those same tongues lightly flicked her nipples, eliciting more of those delicious musical moan’s from the helpless heroine.
So focussed on their prey were they that they failed to notice Liobe’s approach until she attacked Thelxephone. Why should they have noticed? The insignificant whelp had been made as impotent as all the others!
Forgetting their prey for the moment, they took to the air, wings beating in unison as they flew after their struggling sister. Gaining the altitude advantage, they took it in turns, swooping down on their target from above, their claws cutting great big gashes in the attacker’s back. The pain alone should have caused her to release their sister, but it did not seem to phase her. More than that, how was she so unaffected by their singing? She should have been as paralysed as the others! Yet here she was, stubbornly clinging to Thelxephone’s back and ever yanking and twisting at her left wing.
* * *
He knew their singing the moment they stepped into the boat. Knew it because he had heard it before. It was those thrice damned sirens. The ones who had provided him the opportunity to finally slay Salides once and for all. He saw her in their thrall. Like before. Then he had run away only to return at the behest of a young woman of far more courage than he. Now he stood and watched as they toyed with the broken Amazon. Then he had used the excuse of honour to leave the field of battle as he had done so many times before. Now he wanted nothing so much as to bring the fight to those who would see his sacrifice made meaningless. Yet he was unable to even move, let alone help. As he watched, he too failed to notice the misshapen figure that moved to the attack until she leapt on the back of the eldest.
He smiled, another woman. It figured. The perfect song was broken, intermingled with shrieks as they took to the air. He found that he could move a little. Then a little more. He took a step towards the boat. Untie Diana and she would have at least a chance. This time he would play the role of rescuer instead of victim. He managed to take another step. Closer… closer… and they were focused on the little one who refused to be removed from Red’s back.
* * *
Callistae recognized the dark headed wretch as the one who had been on the lake with them for days, beyond that she had no idea who she was. Still, she admired the tenacity with which she struck the red headed harpy. Would that she could move and join in the fray. She had no armour or weapons, but such a lack never left a true Amazon defenceless. As she watched she saw the man, who was furthest from the siren’s call, take a single step. Perhaps she, too, could move. Testing her own muscles, she found that she could twitch her fingers a little. They might have a chance, such creatures were not invincible, their very presence here was proof of that. Closing her eyes she thought hard, trying to recall everything she could about the sirens. They preyed on the senses, beauty such as the eye had never before beheld and such singing as to mesmerize any who listened to their words.
She recalled stories of people stopping their ears to block the sonorous tones from affecting them, but she had nothing with her with which to do so. She also recalled rare occasions when singing had been used to ward off their evil music. Singing! She smiled as her mind reached back to a childhood song and the words of light and innocence began to flow from her lips. With each successive word, her voice grew in strength and confidence. The twitches became the movement of fingers, then arms. She tapped her toes and continued to sing.
* * *
Aila was dismayed. Diana was supposed to be the protector of their people. She had been promised that by Nike when the goddess had offered her a meaningful death, yet there sat her princess, helpless before her and she had been unable to even cry out a warning as the sirens had bound her. It was also clear that they had taken Diana’s strength from her by some means that Aila didn’t understand. As she was forced to watch, powerless to intervene, they had toyed with her princess and friend, making her increasingly angry. Diana was not to be their plaything! She was to be the champion of all Amazons! How dare they! She struggled to move, completely unaware that her anger only increased her impotence and strengthened the hold the sirens had on her.
Someone she didn’t know moved rapidly towards the boat and leapt on the back of the one Diana had named Thelxephone and moments later she watched the sirens take their battle to the air and the man called Salides begin to move towards the boat.
Having witnessed his involvement in the slaying of Callistae, she wanted to cry out, to warn Diana of an approaching enemy, but her voice was not working. Her anger mounted and the hold on her continued to strengthen until, suddenly, she heard a song she knew well. Almost without thinking, she found herself humming along as she continued to struggle against the sirens’ hold. It was almost as if she were back at the campfire, singing happy, silly songs. Her, Callistae, and a certain mischievous princess. She became aware of her hand tapping against her thigh and had to choke off a cry of joy lest it alert their enemies. A few more minutes and she would be able to stop the villainous man who was clearly aiding the harpies in Diana’s destruction. Even as she watched he knelt behind her, his mouth whispering what lascivious words in her ear Aila knew not.
What he did next left her thunderstruck. He undid Diana’s bonds. She didn’t know that the man who had helped to slay her sisters had given his own life to save Diana’s.
* * *
Eos, like Diana, was lost in the throes of passion with Aponolus. If only he were here for real and not merely a fantasy!
Mnemosyne thought her opinion, 'We are not here to try and satisfy your insatiable desires, but to save Diana!'
Eos pouted, 'But this is such a fun way to fight. Why must we stop? Surely the potion will wear off and Diana can fight them then.'
Mnemosyne shook her head, 'We needed you for a way in and right now the harpies are distracted. You must help me clear her mind so that she can fight! See? The strength returns to her limbs even as we argue.'
* * *
“Aenid!!”
Salides started as Diana named who he had wanted to be. He shook his head and started to open his mouth, but she spoke first.
“It is you, Aenid, the slayer of Salides!”
She hugged him briefly, but with great joy.
“It is good to see you again, though I wish it were at a time when we had leisure to chat instead of preparing to fight sirens.”
He smiled, “We must indeed meet under better circumstances, my lady. How do you suggest we reach them when they are way up there?”
She grinned, “Insult them, of course! HEY, YOU UGLY HAGS!!! NOT ONLY HAVE YOU FAILED TO TAKE MY LIFE AGAIN BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THE STRAGGLIEST HAIR I’VE EVER SEEN!!! STRINGIER THAN SEAWEED!!! AND YOUR FACES?? EVER WONDER WHY YOU WERE STUCK ON THAT ISLAND?? AND LOOK HOW FAT YOU’VE GOTTEN!!!”
Salides shrugged, a lopsided smile on his face. “It couldn’t hurt. I’m already dead. YOUR SINGING HAS GOTTEN A WHOLE LOT WORSE. YOU USED TO BEWITCH WHOLE SHIPS OF SAILORS. FOR WEEKS YOU WOULD HOLD THEM UNDER YOUR SWAY, SUMMONING THEM TO THEIR DEATHS AT WILL. NOW YOU CAN’T EVEN WOO THE FIVE OF US AND WE’RE ALREADY DEAD!!!”
* * *
Thelxephone cried out as the link was abruptly severed. “Mnemosyne broke in somehow and kicked me out. We have to kill our slayer NOW!! The others are dead already!!”
The Amazon yelled up at them from below. Who did she think she was?!? And the man?? What did he think being dead was going to do to protect him? Auris, angered by the comment about her beautiful hair dove down on them without waiting for the others.
“Wait! We must attack as one! Get this damnable whelp off my back!”
Lidia, who was following her sister in a dive, doubled back towards Thelxephone, only to be waved off.
“Auris is being reckless, watch her back. Seeing her, I have an idea for dealing with the whelp!”
Still struggling to fly, she worked on gaining height.
* * *
Liobe did her best to keep her ankles locked around Thelxephone’s slender waist. So far so good. She had gotten all three of them away from Diana. Well, at least long enough for her to be revived, apparently. She heard two voices shouting from below and one of them sounded like Diana. The other was a man, she thought. At any rate, whatever they were shouting made the sirens angry and they were attacking in anger. She smiled as she remembered the time she had tried that during a sparring session with Diana and ended up on her butt for her trouble.
Damn, but this harpie has strong bones, I haven’t even managed to dislocate the joint!
Even as Liobe had that thought, Thelxephone began going for altitude.
Hera, help me not to fall!
The voice she heard respond was Mnemosyne’s. You have done well. Your help has given us a chance to save her. Hold on but a little longer.
* * *
Diana watched as the two sirens dove towards them, first Auris, then Lidia, who turned back, then dove again.
“Seems she can’t make up her mind. Here, take my xiphos, I know you will use it well.”
Salides took the proffered blade and looked at her, “And what are you going to use?”
She held up her bracers in salute, “These should suffice.”
Her foot kicked the shield, popping it up in the air where she easily caught it before handing that to Salides as well.
She checked to make certain her lasso was secure as Auris beat her wings on final approach.
“Leave Auris to me and focus on Lidia.”
She should have followed her own advice, even the brief distraction allowed Auris to ensnare Diana’s neck with her long braided ponytail, wrapping it round and taking off again, using the Amazon’s own weight to keep the noose tight.
Salides saw this out of the corner of his eye, but had no chance to even call out as Lidia had poured on the speed, her talons aimed right at his face. He barely lifted the shield in time, the impact almost knocking him out of the boat before he fell to the deck. He had little time to congratulate himself as she was coming around again. He could probably stand on the water, he had done so before, but the deck felt more natural beneath him as he squatted low to make a smaller target.
Lidia banked at the last moment, barely giving him time to pivot and meet her new angle of attack. She knocked him down again, but he was able to get a slashing cut to her leg, just above her talon. Yes, they knew each other well. They had danced this dance before.
* * *
Liobe had never been this high before, it was both alarming and exciting at the same time. At least she was already dead, that ought to help. Just when she thought Thelxephone would keep going up forever, she turned towards the lake in a steep dive. Liobe no longer tried to break the wing, but clung to her enemy like a vise. Dead or no, she was terrified.
* * *
Diana struggled to breathe, pulling at Auris hair around her neck, but to no avail. The siren had planted a knee in her back and used it for leverage. Beating wings kept them effortlessly aloft, denying her any leverage of her own. The thick braid tightened inexorably and nothing she had tried slowed its progress. If she didn’t do something soon, death would likely be the result.
Hanging onto the braid with both hands, she tried to forestall that moment, keeping as much of her weight on her arms as possible. She managed to gasp in another lungful of air just as Auris began to exert more pressure on the noose of hair that was slowly strangling the life out of her. Her vision began to blur, the images tunnelling in towards the centre. She didn’t have much time left and she could think of nothing new to try. So hard to stay awake, especially with Auris sweetly singing a lullaby.
* * *
Talon raked shield. Sword slashed against what, on a human, would have been an ankle. It seemed to have little effect on the harpy, but Salides couldn’t seem to hit another target. Lidia swooped down at great speed, using her wings skilfully and to great advantage. Here there were no walls and no ceiling, however high, to hamper her movements.
On the other hand, he was not tiring, something he found odd. It must be the place. He could keep this up all day and it seemed she could as well. He needed to think of something new to try. Something that would negate her speed and flight.
* * *
Callistae found she could move freely at last. The question was what to do with that freedom. Diana and the wretch were both out of reach in the air, so helping the man on the boat would seem to be the best choice.
Looking at him closely for the first time, she suddenly recognized him. He was one of the men who had been fighting Diana and her in the clearing where she had been mortally wounded.
“Salides!”
She growled, the sound quite different from the sweet tones she had been singing mere moments ago. She lifted her foot to step towards him. The harpies were the first danger. She would deal with the man after.
A hand came to rest on her shoulder and she spun about, her swinging fist stopping short.
“Aila!”
The two briefly embraced as Aila spoke.
“I don’t know the story with that man, but he just released Diana and… “
The incredulity in her voice was echoed in Callistae’s mind as her sister continued.
“She embraced him like a long lost friend.”
Diana, ever a good judge of character, was not given to such displays lightly. Something must have changed in the man.
“It doesn’t matter right now. We have to help him stop that beast as quickly as possible.”
Callistae pointed up at Diana as she continued.
“Reduce their numbers and find a way to help Diana as quickly as possible.”
Aila nodded.
“I wish we had a bow, the long haired one makes a nice target, but...”
Callistae joined her.
“Use what you have instead of wishing for what you need and the battle will more likely end in your favour.”
Phillipus would have smiled to know that her words had not fallen on deaf ears.
The two of them started towards the boat without a clue as to what they would do once they arrived.
* * *
The speed had increased, Thelxephone keeping her wings folded close to her side so that they dropped from the sky like a rock. Suddenly Liobe understood. The siren would pull up so suddenly that she would be unable to hold on. A smile crossed her face as she got an idea of her own. Unlocking her ankles she let her legs out behind her.
“Unable to hold on any longer, whelp? Do not worry, Diana will join ...”
Panic entered Thelxephone’s voice as Liobe wrapped her legs around the folded wings and locked her ankles once more.
“What are you doing??? We will crash!”
Liobe was positively beaming. Fare thee well Diana. Goodbye Aila, Callistae. Know that I love you all and will ever remember your love for me.
Moments later they plunged into the water and disappeared.
* * *
Aila looked at Callistae, “Whoever that woman was, she has the heart of an Amazon!”
Callistae nodded, “She also handed us the key to defeating these monsters. Drag them beneath the surface and they can do nothing more to Diana.”
* * *
“THELXEPHONE!!” The scream startled Diana back to wakefulness as Auris, in shock, momentarily relaxed pressure on the noose around her neck and she sucked in a much needed lungful of air. Maybe she still had a chance. Seizing the moment, Diana dug deep, pulling hard at the braid of hair at her neck, her fatigued aching muscles protesting as she loosened it enough to get a hand in. Using Auris knee like a fulcrum, she pulled on the hair above the noose, turning herself to face the stunned harpy even as the scream’s echoes died.
Diana grabbed Auris wrist, squeezing it. Dead or not, the sound of cracking bone brought forth a second scream and the siren’s long flowing ponytail fell from twitching fingers.
"Your hair may not be as straggly as seaweed..."
Retaining her hold on Auris fractured wrist, Diana pulled the braid from around her neck.
“...but I have had quite enough of it! Now it’s time to end this!”
* * *
In the boat, Salides smiled, that woman was not only brave but smart. Once back in Hades domain, instead of here at the gate between realms, the sirens must once more submit to his authority. Here they were, dead, all of them, yet he was fighting Lidia like they still lived. Carefully he tracked her movements as she came around again, letting his weapons hang low as if he were fatigued. The shield, in fact, was merely leaning against his kneeling body. She wouldn’t be able to see that, but the attitude he portrayed was one of a man barely able to remain upright, though in reality he crouched like a mountain lion about to strike.
She banked, altering course directly for him, swooping down on him, certain that she would knock him back to Hades.
At the last possible moment, he released the xiphos, leaping off the little boat and grabbing the end of the wing. Lidia’s body pivoted around the point of impact, her other wing hit the water at a steep angle, cleaving into the water cleanly. She could not recover. There was no visible splash as the lake sucked the two of them back into Hade’s embrace.
* * *
Auris didn’t utter a sound as her second sister disappeared from view. Instead she turned to Diana,
“If we must return to Hades, then you shall join us!”
She dove down, picking up speed, holding onto a struggling Diana’s hair with her good hand. Not even a ripple disturbed the mirror-like surface of the lake as they disappeared beneath its surface.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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DrDominator9
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What an incredible segment of tapestry you are weaving here within this grand series. The intricate emotions, the beautiful interwoven strategies and the brilliantly colored action is all wonderfully done. And the subtle relentless seduction of Diana, so sweet! Fantastic stuff.
Really good update Drav, great interplay between memory and 'reality'
Excellent stuff
Excellent stuff
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Thanks for the comments guys. Diana's trials continue ...
Part 38
Diana was in trouble. Auris had her by the hair and, no matter what she tried she could not break free. She didn’t have the leverage and they were already plummeting too fast. A fall onto that water at this speed would likely kill her, but … what if??
Her hand sought her lasso … a quickly shaken noose … a hurried toss. Artemis, guide my aim! Not even a ripple disturbed the mirror-like surface of the lake as they disappeared into its depths.
* * *
Two women and a boy stood in a small boat. The women, who had just witnessed the death of their princess, dear friend, and sister, were silently sharing a moment of grief. They were too stunned to even weep. The boy, who had witnessed the death of the same woman, one who had both slain and, later, prayed for him, was too confused to react at all.
* * *
The goddesses who had just gone through so much to save their champion stood in mournful silence. The oath she had taken was unfulfilled, which would leave them weaker. More, however, they had come to both love and respect their champion, so they felt her loss on another level. A level the gods should not feel for their champions. Hera was the first to speak, soto voce.
“Now I know how Nike felt when she sent Aila to her death – I understand why she shut herself away for days afterwards. We have failed our champion.”
* * *
Elsewhere on Olympus, Zeus frowned. She had failed. Now he would never win his fiery Hera back. If only …
The lightning dimmed, the room darkened as he, too, mourned the loss of the Oath Taker. Part of him had still hoped… a larger part of him still burned at her rejection of him. Lightning crackled in response to his rising ire. Outrageous! A mortal spurning a god! And not just any god, but the God of Gods! How dare she! How dare she refuse him… refuse him! Still… the lightning dimmed once more. He had wanted her humiliated, not dead. After all, what use was she to him in Hades domain? By agreement, his enigmatic brother ruled there supremely. He sighed. Perhaps my dear wife needs my comfort?
Still he did not move, but sat staring at the mirror like finish of the Acherousian Lake and the single boat in its midst.
* * *
Dolos face was an emotionless mask. This death would not spark a civil war. It may even, for a time, unite the factions. He had seen it before when one or the other of the god’s champions fell.
Still, his plot remained his secret and he would have another chance. He sat, apparently idly, yet his brain was working rapidly, looking for a way to turn this around. Perhaps if he …
* * *
They had been together in the boat for some hours, the three of them. They had tried to return beneath the lake, but neither their hands nor their feet would penetrate. The women had wept and consoled one another. They had even argued.
“Nike promised me that Diana would be the protector of our people. How could she have let our Princess and friend come to this?”
Aila’s harsh question had drawn an even harsher response.
“Nike is goddess of Victory. That is her domain. What you speak is the purview of the fates. Even Lord Zeus must heed their words. Cast no aspersions on she who loved you in life and gave you prowess in battle.”
* * *
Hera was slumped in her throne as the fates appeared before her.
“When I came to you earlier, why did you not tell me of Dia… “
Her lip quivered as she trailed off into silence. Composing herself, she took a deep breath, sitting straight and speaking with more resonance and authority.
“Why did you not tell me of the Oath Taker’s impending death?”
Clotho, as usual was the first to speak, “Once by the serpent bitten… “
Lachesis continued, “… her fate became… “
then Atropos, “… obscured … “
Finally together. “Uncertain.”
This revelation startled Hera. How could the fate of any be hidden from those who weave it?
“How can this be?”
Clotho shrugged, “We… “
Lachesis shook her head, “… do… “
Atropos inclined her head apologetically, “… not… “
Their unified voices were atypically uncertain. “… know.”
Hera sighed, “And so she is dead.”
Her voice had a finality to it. A statement, not a question.
Unified they answered, “We know not.”
Atropos held up a thread, “Her thread will not cut… “
Lachesis held up the tapestry, “… neither will it weave… “
Clotho showed the thread itself, “… though there is plenty. Such… “
Lachesis lowered the tapestry, “… a thing… “
Atropos worked her shears, “… has never… “
Then together once more. “… ever happened.”
* * *
The boy had sat alone. Out of place everywhere since he had been torn from his home, he had no idea how to treat with these women. Another long time passed in silence. Hades had not called them back, but they could not leave. Were they to be stuck here in this grey nothing forever?
Finally the boy broke the silence.
“She sat with my mother and prayed for me. She killed me, then she prayed for me. It doesn’t make any sense.”
The two women turned to the boy, but it was Callistae who spoke.
“War and death never make sense, boy. Even the victorious lose. The only hope of war is that true peace might follow.”
Behind them a hand broke the surface of the water, stretched, and grabbed side of the boat nearest the prow. The boy was the only one looking in that direction, but he saw nothing.
“I didn’t want to go. They made me. Took me away from my home, made me hold the horses so they could fight on foot. Then they… they gave me some necklace to wear… I didn’t even want it. The blood… there was so much blood… everywhere!”
He stopped, his face as blank as the emotions in his halting speech. After a few moments he started to speak again. Oddly his eyes got huge and his voice trailed off as he spoke.
“I never got to tell… this to… anyone… before. “
There was a soft thud in the boat behind them and the two women turned quickly, instantly on the alert. They were not prepared for the encounter and stood dumbstruck as the shadowy grey figure slowly started to rise.
* * *
Zeus stirred, his interest piqued as the dim grey figure lifted its shadowed visage. What sort of monster is this? It appears the drama is not yet concluded.
* * *
Dolos, too, raised his eyes, curious as the tableau continued to unfold.
* * *
Mnemosyne’s face was suddenly drained of all colour, causing Hera to abandon, for the moment, her state of melancholy.
“What is it?”
The goddess of memory turned to her queen, “Everything is a disjointed jumble buried in pain, but I think it may be… “
* * *
“Diana!!!”
The two Amazons shouted together and about to rush their friend when a command froze them in place.
“HOLD!!”
The rumbling voice was laden with power and authority. Turning towards the sound they saw its owner, one who had seen much and spoken of more. The lord of the dead himself, Hades.
“For you to touch her would mean her death. She entered the realm of the dead unbidden and without my protection. To survive the ordeal that followed…
His voice trailed off as if he were distracted by his thoughts. He continued.
“Most would not have survived, but she had to shut herself away to do so. The woman you knew is still inside her, but to save her you must draw her out that she may return to the land of the living.”
Indeed, as they looked at Diana more closely, they saw the travesty she had become.
“How do we do that, Lord Hades?” Aila asked.
But he was gone.
* * *
Hera’s eyes bored into Mnemosyne with an inner fire. “You are certain?”
The goddess nodded. “It is her and yet… not. It is more like what she was than what she is.”
Artemis turned from the pool which she alone was watching, “Mother? Hades just told Aila, Callistae, and Talcus that she is lost inside herself and needs to be drawn out. Maybe I should… “
Hera held up a hand.
“I know whom I shall send.”
* * *
Dolos smiled secretly. This version of Diana could be the very weapon he needed. He watched, willing the women to fail so that the monster she had become would be unleashed on the world.
* * *
Zeus was startled by his brother’s revelation. Small wonder I was attracted to her. This Oath-Taker has some mettle to her! Perhaps she will succeed after all.
* * *
The briefest moment passed as the Amazons stared at each other, neither having any plan. Before they even had time to think, Diana raised her fists and attacked with unthinking fury.
Callistae rolled in the bottom of the boat, coming up behind her princess with a sword, even as Aila lifted the shield to block Diana’s downward blow.
Callistae was standing there, xiphos in hand, uncertain how to proceed, when Euterpe whispered in her ear.
* * *
Artemis fumed at Hera.
“Euterpe, mother, really? What can that lightweight do? She has no skill in battle, so how can she advise?”
Mnemosyne and Hera were not listening, but were sharing a private moment. It was Mnemosyne who spoke.
“Your Queen remembers. She understands the power of memory. You may gain such wisdom, in time. Look!”
Artemis returned her gaze to the pool as Callistae began to sing.
* * *
Evading Diana in the boat had proved impossible. A second blow drove Aila closer to the stern of the small vessel. She tried to resist her princess with all she had, but Diana had grown in strength since they had last sparred. She could not be allowed to throw them back into Hades realm by way of the lake. Should she succeed in that, she would, indeed, be lost. A mindless monster to be slain.
Aila spoke with the anger of desperation to Callistae.
“Are you going to help or merely stand and watch?”
Once more Diana slammed her fists into the shield, then paused as the first halting strains of a song began to fill the air.
Giggling water tells the tale
of a frolicking mermaid
who chased a whale
The water sings of Poseiden’s daughter
who swam up the river to chase an otter
The watching wind dances through the trees
teasing both branches and leaves
Some branches fall and land below
where running deer and rabbits go
A hunter’s life we take to heart
Creeping along through nature’s vault
Tracking the boar
the deer
the hare
* * *
Mnemosyne continued,
“Music has great power to trigger memories, which in turn have a great deal to do with who we are. Notice the song that Callistae chose: do you not remember it from Diana’s earlier memories? From her times with her sisters? See, already it begins to reach her, to draw the memory of who they are, of who she is, to her mind.”
As they watched, Diana’s fists, poised to strike again, lowered to her side and slowly unclenched. Moments later the champion dropped wearily to her knees, soft tears wetting her cheeks as her mind once more became clear.
* * *
Aila had, at first, been stunned. She needed help fighting off Diana and Callistae had begun to sing? What nonsense was that? It took a moment for the song to get going, for even the singer had seemed uncertain of its efficacy, yet once it did, Diana halted her attack. The downward blow that would almost certainly have sent the reeling Aila back to Hades realm stopped just short of impact.
As Aila watched the bestial snarl slowly left her beloved princess’ face and she joined Callistae in singing the song. It was a song they had shared around many a camp fire. Silly, frivolous, and, seemingly, perfect for this moment.
O’er mountain and valley
Our prey does not tarry
We run for our dinner
The hare for his life
If he is the winner
He escapes the knife!
Finally, a kneeling and tearful Diana joined them.
We sing at end of day’s soft light
The crackling fire, the roasting meat
The taste for life we cherish right
Lived best together as sisters sweet
The two women’s hugs were so sudden, forceful, and full of joy that she reeled under their impact.
“My dear sisters! I never thought to see you again!”
They kneeled there in companionable silence for some time.
* * *
The fates smiled as Diana’s thread began, once more, to weave into their tapestry.
Clotho, “All has… “
Lachises, “… returned… “
Atropos, “… to a more… “
Unison, “… normal state.”
Clotho, “We shall… “
Lachises, “… return… “
Atropos, “… to our… “
They spoke together in tones of satisfaction, “… work, oh queen.”
Hera nodded, then Mnemosyne spoke.
“Aila and Callistae have returned to Hades realm, now it is just Talcus.”
* * *
Diana watched the mirrored surface which had swallowed her sisters for some few moments longer, then turned to the boy.
“I am sorry, young Talcus, that I took your life as I did.”
Reaching into her bag, she drew out a small pouch that she had kept with her always since that horrible day.
“I would ask your forgiveness and a favour.”
The young boy’s confusion seemed to settle at her words, though he was clearly puzzled.
“Seeing you with your sisters, the sense of family. I recognized the one from the field that night. There was so much horror and blood everywhere, I think the madness of that day must have affected you, too. I also saw you talking with my mother, trying to be a comfort. It was a good thing, I think. So… “
He inhaled as if making a monumental decision.
“I forgive you.”
Diana nodded in grateful acknowledgement, the boy continued.
“What favour?”
Emptying the pouch into her hand she held up two small chains with bear claws on them.
“The twins who won these were not much older than you when their lives were taken. Jacosta and Julia they were. I would ask that you find them here and return these to them.”
He nodded. “I never did feel right about Nazol’s gift. It should have been left to them.”
Diana returned the chains to the pouch, handing it to the boy. “Thank you, Talcus.”
He nodded once more, tucked the pouch away, and stepped out of the boat, walking across the mirror smooth surface of the lake, sinking a little more with each step until he vanished.
Diana unfastened the lasso from the prow where it dangled down into the water, coiling it in as she watched Talcus fade from view.
"Thank you, Artemis, for guiding my aim. Thank you Athena for this gift, without it I would surely have perished at Auris' hand."
A soft breeze began to blow, cooling the sudden warmth of Apollo’s chariot on her back. Startled, she realized there was no land in sight anywhere. Just the endless expanse of azure blue water kissed by the sun.
Part 38
Diana was in trouble. Auris had her by the hair and, no matter what she tried she could not break free. She didn’t have the leverage and they were already plummeting too fast. A fall onto that water at this speed would likely kill her, but … what if??
Her hand sought her lasso … a quickly shaken noose … a hurried toss. Artemis, guide my aim! Not even a ripple disturbed the mirror-like surface of the lake as they disappeared into its depths.
* * *
Two women and a boy stood in a small boat. The women, who had just witnessed the death of their princess, dear friend, and sister, were silently sharing a moment of grief. They were too stunned to even weep. The boy, who had witnessed the death of the same woman, one who had both slain and, later, prayed for him, was too confused to react at all.
* * *
The goddesses who had just gone through so much to save their champion stood in mournful silence. The oath she had taken was unfulfilled, which would leave them weaker. More, however, they had come to both love and respect their champion, so they felt her loss on another level. A level the gods should not feel for their champions. Hera was the first to speak, soto voce.
“Now I know how Nike felt when she sent Aila to her death – I understand why she shut herself away for days afterwards. We have failed our champion.”
* * *
Elsewhere on Olympus, Zeus frowned. She had failed. Now he would never win his fiery Hera back. If only …
The lightning dimmed, the room darkened as he, too, mourned the loss of the Oath Taker. Part of him had still hoped… a larger part of him still burned at her rejection of him. Lightning crackled in response to his rising ire. Outrageous! A mortal spurning a god! And not just any god, but the God of Gods! How dare she! How dare she refuse him… refuse him! Still… the lightning dimmed once more. He had wanted her humiliated, not dead. After all, what use was she to him in Hades domain? By agreement, his enigmatic brother ruled there supremely. He sighed. Perhaps my dear wife needs my comfort?
Still he did not move, but sat staring at the mirror like finish of the Acherousian Lake and the single boat in its midst.
* * *
Dolos face was an emotionless mask. This death would not spark a civil war. It may even, for a time, unite the factions. He had seen it before when one or the other of the god’s champions fell.
Still, his plot remained his secret and he would have another chance. He sat, apparently idly, yet his brain was working rapidly, looking for a way to turn this around. Perhaps if he …
* * *
They had been together in the boat for some hours, the three of them. They had tried to return beneath the lake, but neither their hands nor their feet would penetrate. The women had wept and consoled one another. They had even argued.
“Nike promised me that Diana would be the protector of our people. How could she have let our Princess and friend come to this?”
Aila’s harsh question had drawn an even harsher response.
“Nike is goddess of Victory. That is her domain. What you speak is the purview of the fates. Even Lord Zeus must heed their words. Cast no aspersions on she who loved you in life and gave you prowess in battle.”
* * *
Hera was slumped in her throne as the fates appeared before her.
“When I came to you earlier, why did you not tell me of Dia… “
Her lip quivered as she trailed off into silence. Composing herself, she took a deep breath, sitting straight and speaking with more resonance and authority.
“Why did you not tell me of the Oath Taker’s impending death?”
Clotho, as usual was the first to speak, “Once by the serpent bitten… “
Lachesis continued, “… her fate became… “
then Atropos, “… obscured … “
Finally together. “Uncertain.”
This revelation startled Hera. How could the fate of any be hidden from those who weave it?
“How can this be?”
Clotho shrugged, “We… “
Lachesis shook her head, “… do… “
Atropos inclined her head apologetically, “… not… “
Their unified voices were atypically uncertain. “… know.”
Hera sighed, “And so she is dead.”
Her voice had a finality to it. A statement, not a question.
Unified they answered, “We know not.”
Atropos held up a thread, “Her thread will not cut… “
Lachesis held up the tapestry, “… neither will it weave… “
Clotho showed the thread itself, “… though there is plenty. Such… “
Lachesis lowered the tapestry, “… a thing… “
Atropos worked her shears, “… has never… “
Then together once more. “… ever happened.”
* * *
The boy had sat alone. Out of place everywhere since he had been torn from his home, he had no idea how to treat with these women. Another long time passed in silence. Hades had not called them back, but they could not leave. Were they to be stuck here in this grey nothing forever?
Finally the boy broke the silence.
“She sat with my mother and prayed for me. She killed me, then she prayed for me. It doesn’t make any sense.”
The two women turned to the boy, but it was Callistae who spoke.
“War and death never make sense, boy. Even the victorious lose. The only hope of war is that true peace might follow.”
Behind them a hand broke the surface of the water, stretched, and grabbed side of the boat nearest the prow. The boy was the only one looking in that direction, but he saw nothing.
“I didn’t want to go. They made me. Took me away from my home, made me hold the horses so they could fight on foot. Then they… they gave me some necklace to wear… I didn’t even want it. The blood… there was so much blood… everywhere!”
He stopped, his face as blank as the emotions in his halting speech. After a few moments he started to speak again. Oddly his eyes got huge and his voice trailed off as he spoke.
“I never got to tell… this to… anyone… before. “
There was a soft thud in the boat behind them and the two women turned quickly, instantly on the alert. They were not prepared for the encounter and stood dumbstruck as the shadowy grey figure slowly started to rise.
* * *
Zeus stirred, his interest piqued as the dim grey figure lifted its shadowed visage. What sort of monster is this? It appears the drama is not yet concluded.
* * *
Dolos, too, raised his eyes, curious as the tableau continued to unfold.
* * *
Mnemosyne’s face was suddenly drained of all colour, causing Hera to abandon, for the moment, her state of melancholy.
“What is it?”
The goddess of memory turned to her queen, “Everything is a disjointed jumble buried in pain, but I think it may be… “
* * *
“Diana!!!”
The two Amazons shouted together and about to rush their friend when a command froze them in place.
“HOLD!!”
The rumbling voice was laden with power and authority. Turning towards the sound they saw its owner, one who had seen much and spoken of more. The lord of the dead himself, Hades.
“For you to touch her would mean her death. She entered the realm of the dead unbidden and without my protection. To survive the ordeal that followed…
His voice trailed off as if he were distracted by his thoughts. He continued.
“Most would not have survived, but she had to shut herself away to do so. The woman you knew is still inside her, but to save her you must draw her out that she may return to the land of the living.”
Indeed, as they looked at Diana more closely, they saw the travesty she had become.
“How do we do that, Lord Hades?” Aila asked.
But he was gone.
* * *
Hera’s eyes bored into Mnemosyne with an inner fire. “You are certain?”
The goddess nodded. “It is her and yet… not. It is more like what she was than what she is.”
Artemis turned from the pool which she alone was watching, “Mother? Hades just told Aila, Callistae, and Talcus that she is lost inside herself and needs to be drawn out. Maybe I should… “
Hera held up a hand.
“I know whom I shall send.”
* * *
Dolos smiled secretly. This version of Diana could be the very weapon he needed. He watched, willing the women to fail so that the monster she had become would be unleashed on the world.
* * *
Zeus was startled by his brother’s revelation. Small wonder I was attracted to her. This Oath-Taker has some mettle to her! Perhaps she will succeed after all.
* * *
The briefest moment passed as the Amazons stared at each other, neither having any plan. Before they even had time to think, Diana raised her fists and attacked with unthinking fury.
Callistae rolled in the bottom of the boat, coming up behind her princess with a sword, even as Aila lifted the shield to block Diana’s downward blow.
Callistae was standing there, xiphos in hand, uncertain how to proceed, when Euterpe whispered in her ear.
* * *
Artemis fumed at Hera.
“Euterpe, mother, really? What can that lightweight do? She has no skill in battle, so how can she advise?”
Mnemosyne and Hera were not listening, but were sharing a private moment. It was Mnemosyne who spoke.
“Your Queen remembers. She understands the power of memory. You may gain such wisdom, in time. Look!”
Artemis returned her gaze to the pool as Callistae began to sing.
* * *
Evading Diana in the boat had proved impossible. A second blow drove Aila closer to the stern of the small vessel. She tried to resist her princess with all she had, but Diana had grown in strength since they had last sparred. She could not be allowed to throw them back into Hades realm by way of the lake. Should she succeed in that, she would, indeed, be lost. A mindless monster to be slain.
Aila spoke with the anger of desperation to Callistae.
“Are you going to help or merely stand and watch?”
Once more Diana slammed her fists into the shield, then paused as the first halting strains of a song began to fill the air.
Giggling water tells the tale
of a frolicking mermaid
who chased a whale
The water sings of Poseiden’s daughter
who swam up the river to chase an otter
The watching wind dances through the trees
teasing both branches and leaves
Some branches fall and land below
where running deer and rabbits go
A hunter’s life we take to heart
Creeping along through nature’s vault
Tracking the boar
the deer
the hare
* * *
Mnemosyne continued,
“Music has great power to trigger memories, which in turn have a great deal to do with who we are. Notice the song that Callistae chose: do you not remember it from Diana’s earlier memories? From her times with her sisters? See, already it begins to reach her, to draw the memory of who they are, of who she is, to her mind.”
As they watched, Diana’s fists, poised to strike again, lowered to her side and slowly unclenched. Moments later the champion dropped wearily to her knees, soft tears wetting her cheeks as her mind once more became clear.
* * *
Aila had, at first, been stunned. She needed help fighting off Diana and Callistae had begun to sing? What nonsense was that? It took a moment for the song to get going, for even the singer had seemed uncertain of its efficacy, yet once it did, Diana halted her attack. The downward blow that would almost certainly have sent the reeling Aila back to Hades realm stopped just short of impact.
As Aila watched the bestial snarl slowly left her beloved princess’ face and she joined Callistae in singing the song. It was a song they had shared around many a camp fire. Silly, frivolous, and, seemingly, perfect for this moment.
O’er mountain and valley
Our prey does not tarry
We run for our dinner
The hare for his life
If he is the winner
He escapes the knife!
Finally, a kneeling and tearful Diana joined them.
We sing at end of day’s soft light
The crackling fire, the roasting meat
The taste for life we cherish right
Lived best together as sisters sweet
The two women’s hugs were so sudden, forceful, and full of joy that she reeled under their impact.
“My dear sisters! I never thought to see you again!”
They kneeled there in companionable silence for some time.
* * *
The fates smiled as Diana’s thread began, once more, to weave into their tapestry.
Clotho, “All has… “
Lachises, “… returned… “
Atropos, “… to a more… “
Unison, “… normal state.”
Clotho, “We shall… “
Lachises, “… return… “
Atropos, “… to our… “
They spoke together in tones of satisfaction, “… work, oh queen.”
Hera nodded, then Mnemosyne spoke.
“Aila and Callistae have returned to Hades realm, now it is just Talcus.”
* * *
Diana watched the mirrored surface which had swallowed her sisters for some few moments longer, then turned to the boy.
“I am sorry, young Talcus, that I took your life as I did.”
Reaching into her bag, she drew out a small pouch that she had kept with her always since that horrible day.
“I would ask your forgiveness and a favour.”
The young boy’s confusion seemed to settle at her words, though he was clearly puzzled.
“Seeing you with your sisters, the sense of family. I recognized the one from the field that night. There was so much horror and blood everywhere, I think the madness of that day must have affected you, too. I also saw you talking with my mother, trying to be a comfort. It was a good thing, I think. So… “
He inhaled as if making a monumental decision.
“I forgive you.”
Diana nodded in grateful acknowledgement, the boy continued.
“What favour?”
Emptying the pouch into her hand she held up two small chains with bear claws on them.
“The twins who won these were not much older than you when their lives were taken. Jacosta and Julia they were. I would ask that you find them here and return these to them.”
He nodded. “I never did feel right about Nazol’s gift. It should have been left to them.”
Diana returned the chains to the pouch, handing it to the boy. “Thank you, Talcus.”
He nodded once more, tucked the pouch away, and stepped out of the boat, walking across the mirror smooth surface of the lake, sinking a little more with each step until he vanished.
Diana unfastened the lasso from the prow where it dangled down into the water, coiling it in as she watched Talcus fade from view.
"Thank you, Artemis, for guiding my aim. Thank you Athena for this gift, without it I would surely have perished at Auris' hand."
A soft breeze began to blow, cooling the sudden warmth of Apollo’s chariot on her back. Startled, she realized there was no land in sight anywhere. Just the endless expanse of azure blue water kissed by the sun.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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DrDominator9
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This was a particularly worthwhile chapter for its scenes with remarkable emotional depth. Really nice job, Dr. Avatar!
Thanks all for the comments
Diana's dangerous journey continues....
PART 39
Diana looked about her, somehow she had left the lake and was now in the middle of a seemingly endless expanse. She looked into the sky, Apollo had scarcely begun his daily journey. Morning then.
She thought back over the last – well however long her recent experiences had been. It had been both draining and exhausting. Still, she felt lighter, cleaner somehow. So many things had weighed so heavily on her for so long – now they were gone – purged.
She had spent time, short as it was, with friends whom she had missed more than she had realized – she would miss them still – but at least there had been a proper farewell this time.
She wondered, not for the first time, who the woman was who had saved them. She had asked Aila and Callistae, but neither had known. Having nothing else to do for the moment, she settled back comfortably into the boat and waited. The breeze was cool but already fading as the temperature began to rise. She took a small sip of water, checking how much remained in the water skin. It was the same as before she had arrived at the lake, and would be enough for two days with careful rationing. She puzzled over that for a moment, then gave the pursuit up as fruitless. She could not remember eating, drinking, or sleeping during the time spent there, yet she felt neither hungry nor the least bit tired.
She shifted, flexing her muscles to keep them from getting stiff and settled down for what she was certain was going to be a long wait. Her mind went to the problem of her provisions.
Water is going to be the greatest problem. I can supplement the food by fishing, but the water here is salty. Suitable for bathing, but not for drinking.
* * *
The gathering in Zeus’ daily court was larger than usual as Hades shared the events which had occurred within his domain. Hera sat by Zeus’ side as the fullness of the tale unfolded. Erasmus again. Somehow this Erasmus was powerful enough to enter Hades domain not only unbidden, but unnoticed as well. Light flickered across her, but she kept her emotions in check.
Zeus was momentarily distracted as the brief flicker revealed his wife’s inner fire. Mnemosyne and Athena had shared what they had learned as well. Put all together it didn’t add up to much.
The only good news was Lord Hades assurance that the troublesome harpies had been dealt with, for now at least, and were now securely ensconced within his realm.
The bad news, “I still could not find how he entered, nor did the harpies have any idea themselves. He was careful, revealing nothing even though he spoke to them at length. Worst of all, he somehow kept their singing from my knowledge.”
* * *
Diana was feeling listless as the late afternoon wore on. The day had been long and hot, Helios-Apollo’s chariot beating down on her relentlessly, battering her with its heat both directly, from above, and reflected off the water. She checked her water skin and found her supply level as it should be. Almost two more days at her current ration. Little water and less food. She took a pinch of dried fish. Placing it in her mouth she let it rest there, causing her mouth to salivate and alleviate the dryness in her mouth. Glad as she was of the relief, she knew it was illusory. She was still dehydrated and it would only get worse. Chewing slowly, she made the small morsel last as long as she could. Tomorrow she would fish, probably eating fairly well. Tomorrow she would also need to cut her water ration further unless land should be sighted in the morning.
Thinking over the journey ahead made her look back over her travels thus far. Her head lolled as she fought with the tiredness that comes from such long exposure to heat.
“You are tired...” an inner voice – a whisper in her mind.
No arguing that statement. She shifted position to help stir herself.
Silky and smooth, the voice continued...
“Your eyes are heavy...” ethereally borne it seemed to penetrate her very will…
Her eyes drooped, her body relaxing in spite of her best efforts to stay awake. It seemed such a...reasonable voice
* * *
Hades departed and Zeus waved a hand for silence among his children as his eye caught a glance from a quiet God at the back of his hall, half hidden in the shadows.
“It has been good to see you all.”
It was a simple statement but all his children knew its meaning. He wished to be alone. Or almost. He stood as Hera did, taking her hand in his and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Another time.”
Hera nodded, her light touch lingering on his arm, the softness of his kiss reminding her of forgotten days of bliss. She sighed softly. I really do miss you, Boomer…
Zeus turned his attention to the newcomer, beckoning him to the fore with two curled fingers.
Hera stiffened and turned away, Clearly I am to leave now!
Dismissed, the throng filed past her and out. Her own steps, slow, regal, and deliberate were hiding an inner disappointment even from herself.
Zeus, his attention elsewhere, missed the brief crackle of her inner fire which she again suppressed to mask both her anger and…
The room empty, Zeus smiled.
“My son, Lord of Fantasy… Approach”
Morpheus, the God of Dreams smiled and did as he was bidden . ”My noble brothers, my sister.” he nodded courteously to the male gods that filed past him and Ossa Phema, the Rumour Goddess. There was a twinkling of mutual respect for the other's craft in their eye as they passed each other. Morpheus turned his head to look over his shoulder and make certain she had left. She of all the Goddesses was the last he wished to hear of his report to Zeus.
“We do not see you often here, my Son.”
“I am here often enough. Even the Gods have dreams.”
Zeus frowned. “I do not dream”
“You already have all you desire, Great Father.”
“Not quite – all… ” Zeus mumbled irritably.
“Ah. The Amazon. “ Morpheus nodded sagely. “it is of her that I bring news.”
It was not the Amazon that Zeus was thinking of at that moment. That irritating mortal deserved…
“Well!? What news?” His voice betraying his sudden anger.
Morpheus raised an eyebrow, then spoke softly.
“My brother Hypnos makes his move...”
“FINALLY! “ Zeus said with obvious relief
“I doubt he will succeed...” Morpheus said knowing the reaction it would provoke.
“WHATTTT????!!!!” Zeus bellowed, causing an avalanche in what would become the Atlas Mountains.
“Hear me, my father.”
Zeus calmed himself slightly but still glowered at the messenger of bad news. He finally nodded.
“Hypnos is slow and deliberate. Do not forget Diana's quest is to speak with him so he is reluctant to – appear to her. This makes it difficult to do your bidding. Yet he – and I – have a plan. He seeks to make her slumber. He may succeed, he may not. She is strong willed. Some might say… troublesome.”
“I tasked Hypnos to stop her!”
“Yes, but now I understand you need her to succeed at least in part, on this particular aspect of her mission...?”
“It would be – preferable.” Zeus said thinking about the oil Diana sought that would restore his… prowess with Hera.
“My brother is somewhat...slow to adapt to such changes my King. Which is why I think he will probably fail… ”
“You have a solution?”
“I merely wish to make it known to you, Great King that I will be intervening also, with my brother Hypnos… ”
Zeus dipped his head in tacit acknowledgement. “If your brother fails, it is he who has failed… if he succeeds… it is BOTH of you who have done this great service for me?”
Morpheus hesitated a moment then dipped his own head in acknowledgement, his palm held at his heart.
* * *
“Your limbs are stiff...” The voice continued, almost silent in her mind, barely there – and yet…
Dragging herself from the depths of relaxation, Diana moved completely, picking herself up and relocating to the other end of the boat. She tried to stimulate herself mentally, thinking back over her journey thus far –
The ambush at the stream, several attacks along the river itself, the well orchestrated…
“You should rest… ” an eminently reasonable suggestion...
She tried to concentrate, switching her mind to the puzzle of the woman. She had seemed somehow familiar, yet, not. She had been on the lake and, as everyone on the lake had been someone she had known, it followed she should know the woman, yet she still could not place her.
“Resst… “
She sighed, stretching in an effort to stay awake as the sun slowly sank in the west but the night air was cool after the long heat of the day, the breeze, though warm, drew heat from her body, making her more comfortable.
“More relaxed… “
I cannot fall asleep – if I do so I may never wake up! Who knows what monsters lurk beneath these waves and Apollo will be back tomorrow – his strength sapping heat bearing down upon me.
”Close your eyes… “
Her eyes grew heavy once more under Hypnos gentle assault. Diana glimpsed the night sky through fluttering eyelids as Selene’s chariot began its journey in the east and started awake. The moon is nearly full! It was just beginning to wane when I came upon the lake yet soon it will be full! I was there for nearly a month!!
Once more Diana checked her stock, which she was certain should have been gone by now and her puzzlement grew. Still enough water for two more days at her current ration though she had been drinking throughout the day. Her food stores were the same. The last sliver of dried apple, consumed at midday, remained with the barley groats and dried fish. She thought back to Hera’s command concerning her meagre provisioning for this journey. A test she had surmised, now she knew what form the test was taking. Her stomach growled at her, but she neither ate nor drank. The rations, while sensible, were not nearly conservative enough considering there was no hint of land in any direction. She had planned to reduce the ration tomorrow and had still expected to run out before sighting land. Now she felt hope stir within her as Elpis whispered softly in her ear.
She stretched languidly. The food and drink problem seems to be solved, at least. Now, if I can just keep from falling to…
“Sleeep… “
The word seemed to echo softly in her mind. She stretched again, pushing against the deck as if to rise.
“Your body is so heavy… “
The unheard words still resonated within her mind as she struggled to sit. Fatigued muscles simply refused to cooperate as her body slowly slid into a lying position.
“Just ...be calm....be ...at peace… “
She stretched again, shaking her head. I must stay awake!
“Rest… “
Slowly…
“So tired… “
Surely…
“Beee...at....ease...at..peace....rest… “
Her resistance waned…
“Close your eyes… “
Heavy eyelids fluttered as she struggled to stay awake.
“Sleeeep.”
Finally the struggle was lost and she began to doze, in that almost senseless state but not quite yet adrift, not yet quite ready to slip into the arms of Morpheus completely, not quite ready yet to be dreaming of…
* * *
Aponolus strode into the tavern, crossed to the only occupied table, and sat.
“I prefer to be alone.”
The big Spartan shrugged.
“And I prefer the company of Galen.”
He looked at the proprietor, holding up two fingers and received a nod and a beaming smile. Turning to Galen, he spoke briefly.
“I am Aponolus.”
The way he said it was as if he should be known.
Galen knew him not, so he studied the man seated across from him. Not only tall, but broad in the shoulders and packing more muscle than any two men had the right to carry. He seemed relaxed, almost jovial, though being as he was silent it was hard to tell. Usually a battle of this nature was lost by the first to speak, but that didn’t stop Aponolus from talking when the ale was set before them.
“Ponteus here tells me that you had a slight disagreement with some ruffians here in his establishment while I was away. This ale is, in part, to apologize for how poorly the matter was handled.”
He took a sip, then looked at Galen with eyes that seemed to strip away the layers and see the hidden man within.
“I would here your story, how is it that you came to be here with a useless bow arm.”
Galen opened his mouth to tell Aponolus off, then sighed and took a sip of ale.
“Might as well tell someone, I suppose. It began when this fellow Erasmus… “
* * *
Athena looked down on the scene in her watching pool.
“Very good, Galen. Humility and trust.”
A head came to rest on her shoulder, looking down into the pool.
“He isn’t much to look at. I wonder what Diana sees in him?”
“It is called mercy, sister.”
She pushed Artemis head off her shoulder.
“And how many more times must I ask you not to sneak up and peer over my shoulder like that?”
Artemis giggled, “Many, many, more.”
She ran a teasing hand down her sister’s shoulder as she spoke, then turned to look at her.
“Besides, I meant the big one.”
“Aponolus?”
“Is that what his name is?”
Athena shook her head.
“Your behaviour suggests that you might be – jealous? But how could that be? Aren’t you the virgin goddess?”
Artemis face clouded over.
“They took Orion from me, tricked me into shooting him. You know there has been no one since.”
Athena hugged her sister.
“I know you have wanted for companionship, even now you feel his loss.”
Athena held Artemis, comforting her for some time.
* * *
Something was wrong. Something troubled her. Something about that voice in her mind - something that screamed a warning to her. It seemed so pleasant, so soft and sibilant, mellifluous, welcome as a lover’s whisper… but… The soft voice continued inside her mind, joining with her body to deliver a perilous message within a single word… ‘sleeeep’
Her brow furrowed as she dozed – there it was again
“Sleep, sleeep. Ressst. You need to resssst”
The voice seemed more urgent this time, more insistent that she give in fully – that she embrace…
Embrace… the word seemed to resonate with her in that moment… she could almost feel his touch… gentle… loving… as he took her in his strong arms, holding her tightly, as if he wanted to hold her forever and never let go. She squirmed, suddenly helpless in his fierce, crushing, embrace though she was, by far, the stronger. Helpless, her body quivered with excitement. Dear sweet Aponoluugh!!
Diana jerked awake, blinking furiously and struggling to breathe as the air was slowly crushed from her lungs. She realised, too late, what was wrong with the voice she could hear inside her mind. It was MALE.
Diana's dangerous journey continues....
PART 39
Diana looked about her, somehow she had left the lake and was now in the middle of a seemingly endless expanse. She looked into the sky, Apollo had scarcely begun his daily journey. Morning then.
She thought back over the last – well however long her recent experiences had been. It had been both draining and exhausting. Still, she felt lighter, cleaner somehow. So many things had weighed so heavily on her for so long – now they were gone – purged.
She had spent time, short as it was, with friends whom she had missed more than she had realized – she would miss them still – but at least there had been a proper farewell this time.
She wondered, not for the first time, who the woman was who had saved them. She had asked Aila and Callistae, but neither had known. Having nothing else to do for the moment, she settled back comfortably into the boat and waited. The breeze was cool but already fading as the temperature began to rise. She took a small sip of water, checking how much remained in the water skin. It was the same as before she had arrived at the lake, and would be enough for two days with careful rationing. She puzzled over that for a moment, then gave the pursuit up as fruitless. She could not remember eating, drinking, or sleeping during the time spent there, yet she felt neither hungry nor the least bit tired.
She shifted, flexing her muscles to keep them from getting stiff and settled down for what she was certain was going to be a long wait. Her mind went to the problem of her provisions.
Water is going to be the greatest problem. I can supplement the food by fishing, but the water here is salty. Suitable for bathing, but not for drinking.
* * *
The gathering in Zeus’ daily court was larger than usual as Hades shared the events which had occurred within his domain. Hera sat by Zeus’ side as the fullness of the tale unfolded. Erasmus again. Somehow this Erasmus was powerful enough to enter Hades domain not only unbidden, but unnoticed as well. Light flickered across her, but she kept her emotions in check.
Zeus was momentarily distracted as the brief flicker revealed his wife’s inner fire. Mnemosyne and Athena had shared what they had learned as well. Put all together it didn’t add up to much.
The only good news was Lord Hades assurance that the troublesome harpies had been dealt with, for now at least, and were now securely ensconced within his realm.
The bad news, “I still could not find how he entered, nor did the harpies have any idea themselves. He was careful, revealing nothing even though he spoke to them at length. Worst of all, he somehow kept their singing from my knowledge.”
* * *
Diana was feeling listless as the late afternoon wore on. The day had been long and hot, Helios-Apollo’s chariot beating down on her relentlessly, battering her with its heat both directly, from above, and reflected off the water. She checked her water skin and found her supply level as it should be. Almost two more days at her current ration. Little water and less food. She took a pinch of dried fish. Placing it in her mouth she let it rest there, causing her mouth to salivate and alleviate the dryness in her mouth. Glad as she was of the relief, she knew it was illusory. She was still dehydrated and it would only get worse. Chewing slowly, she made the small morsel last as long as she could. Tomorrow she would fish, probably eating fairly well. Tomorrow she would also need to cut her water ration further unless land should be sighted in the morning.
Thinking over the journey ahead made her look back over her travels thus far. Her head lolled as she fought with the tiredness that comes from such long exposure to heat.
“You are tired...” an inner voice – a whisper in her mind.
No arguing that statement. She shifted position to help stir herself.
Silky and smooth, the voice continued...
“Your eyes are heavy...” ethereally borne it seemed to penetrate her very will…
Her eyes drooped, her body relaxing in spite of her best efforts to stay awake. It seemed such a...reasonable voice
* * *
Hades departed and Zeus waved a hand for silence among his children as his eye caught a glance from a quiet God at the back of his hall, half hidden in the shadows.
“It has been good to see you all.”
It was a simple statement but all his children knew its meaning. He wished to be alone. Or almost. He stood as Hera did, taking her hand in his and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Another time.”
Hera nodded, her light touch lingering on his arm, the softness of his kiss reminding her of forgotten days of bliss. She sighed softly. I really do miss you, Boomer…
Zeus turned his attention to the newcomer, beckoning him to the fore with two curled fingers.
Hera stiffened and turned away, Clearly I am to leave now!
Dismissed, the throng filed past her and out. Her own steps, slow, regal, and deliberate were hiding an inner disappointment even from herself.
Zeus, his attention elsewhere, missed the brief crackle of her inner fire which she again suppressed to mask both her anger and…
The room empty, Zeus smiled.
“My son, Lord of Fantasy… Approach”
Morpheus, the God of Dreams smiled and did as he was bidden . ”My noble brothers, my sister.” he nodded courteously to the male gods that filed past him and Ossa Phema, the Rumour Goddess. There was a twinkling of mutual respect for the other's craft in their eye as they passed each other. Morpheus turned his head to look over his shoulder and make certain she had left. She of all the Goddesses was the last he wished to hear of his report to Zeus.
“We do not see you often here, my Son.”
“I am here often enough. Even the Gods have dreams.”
Zeus frowned. “I do not dream”
“You already have all you desire, Great Father.”
“Not quite – all… ” Zeus mumbled irritably.
“Ah. The Amazon. “ Morpheus nodded sagely. “it is of her that I bring news.”
It was not the Amazon that Zeus was thinking of at that moment. That irritating mortal deserved…
“Well!? What news?” His voice betraying his sudden anger.
Morpheus raised an eyebrow, then spoke softly.
“My brother Hypnos makes his move...”
“FINALLY! “ Zeus said with obvious relief
“I doubt he will succeed...” Morpheus said knowing the reaction it would provoke.
“WHATTTT????!!!!” Zeus bellowed, causing an avalanche in what would become the Atlas Mountains.
“Hear me, my father.”
Zeus calmed himself slightly but still glowered at the messenger of bad news. He finally nodded.
“Hypnos is slow and deliberate. Do not forget Diana's quest is to speak with him so he is reluctant to – appear to her. This makes it difficult to do your bidding. Yet he – and I – have a plan. He seeks to make her slumber. He may succeed, he may not. She is strong willed. Some might say… troublesome.”
“I tasked Hypnos to stop her!”
“Yes, but now I understand you need her to succeed at least in part, on this particular aspect of her mission...?”
“It would be – preferable.” Zeus said thinking about the oil Diana sought that would restore his… prowess with Hera.
“My brother is somewhat...slow to adapt to such changes my King. Which is why I think he will probably fail… ”
“You have a solution?”
“I merely wish to make it known to you, Great King that I will be intervening also, with my brother Hypnos… ”
Zeus dipped his head in tacit acknowledgement. “If your brother fails, it is he who has failed… if he succeeds… it is BOTH of you who have done this great service for me?”
Morpheus hesitated a moment then dipped his own head in acknowledgement, his palm held at his heart.
* * *
“Your limbs are stiff...” The voice continued, almost silent in her mind, barely there – and yet…
Dragging herself from the depths of relaxation, Diana moved completely, picking herself up and relocating to the other end of the boat. She tried to stimulate herself mentally, thinking back over her journey thus far –
The ambush at the stream, several attacks along the river itself, the well orchestrated…
“You should rest… ” an eminently reasonable suggestion...
She tried to concentrate, switching her mind to the puzzle of the woman. She had seemed somehow familiar, yet, not. She had been on the lake and, as everyone on the lake had been someone she had known, it followed she should know the woman, yet she still could not place her.
“Resst… “
She sighed, stretching in an effort to stay awake as the sun slowly sank in the west but the night air was cool after the long heat of the day, the breeze, though warm, drew heat from her body, making her more comfortable.
“More relaxed… “
I cannot fall asleep – if I do so I may never wake up! Who knows what monsters lurk beneath these waves and Apollo will be back tomorrow – his strength sapping heat bearing down upon me.
”Close your eyes… “
Her eyes grew heavy once more under Hypnos gentle assault. Diana glimpsed the night sky through fluttering eyelids as Selene’s chariot began its journey in the east and started awake. The moon is nearly full! It was just beginning to wane when I came upon the lake yet soon it will be full! I was there for nearly a month!!
Once more Diana checked her stock, which she was certain should have been gone by now and her puzzlement grew. Still enough water for two more days at her current ration though she had been drinking throughout the day. Her food stores were the same. The last sliver of dried apple, consumed at midday, remained with the barley groats and dried fish. She thought back to Hera’s command concerning her meagre provisioning for this journey. A test she had surmised, now she knew what form the test was taking. Her stomach growled at her, but she neither ate nor drank. The rations, while sensible, were not nearly conservative enough considering there was no hint of land in any direction. She had planned to reduce the ration tomorrow and had still expected to run out before sighting land. Now she felt hope stir within her as Elpis whispered softly in her ear.
She stretched languidly. The food and drink problem seems to be solved, at least. Now, if I can just keep from falling to…
“Sleeep… “
The word seemed to echo softly in her mind. She stretched again, pushing against the deck as if to rise.
“Your body is so heavy… “
The unheard words still resonated within her mind as she struggled to sit. Fatigued muscles simply refused to cooperate as her body slowly slid into a lying position.
“Just ...be calm....be ...at peace… “
She stretched again, shaking her head. I must stay awake!
“Rest… “
Slowly…
“So tired… “
Surely…
“Beee...at....ease...at..peace....rest… “
Her resistance waned…
“Close your eyes… “
Heavy eyelids fluttered as she struggled to stay awake.
“Sleeeep.”
Finally the struggle was lost and she began to doze, in that almost senseless state but not quite yet adrift, not yet quite ready to slip into the arms of Morpheus completely, not quite ready yet to be dreaming of…
* * *
Aponolus strode into the tavern, crossed to the only occupied table, and sat.
“I prefer to be alone.”
The big Spartan shrugged.
“And I prefer the company of Galen.”
He looked at the proprietor, holding up two fingers and received a nod and a beaming smile. Turning to Galen, he spoke briefly.
“I am Aponolus.”
The way he said it was as if he should be known.
Galen knew him not, so he studied the man seated across from him. Not only tall, but broad in the shoulders and packing more muscle than any two men had the right to carry. He seemed relaxed, almost jovial, though being as he was silent it was hard to tell. Usually a battle of this nature was lost by the first to speak, but that didn’t stop Aponolus from talking when the ale was set before them.
“Ponteus here tells me that you had a slight disagreement with some ruffians here in his establishment while I was away. This ale is, in part, to apologize for how poorly the matter was handled.”
He took a sip, then looked at Galen with eyes that seemed to strip away the layers and see the hidden man within.
“I would here your story, how is it that you came to be here with a useless bow arm.”
Galen opened his mouth to tell Aponolus off, then sighed and took a sip of ale.
“Might as well tell someone, I suppose. It began when this fellow Erasmus… “
* * *
Athena looked down on the scene in her watching pool.
“Very good, Galen. Humility and trust.”
A head came to rest on her shoulder, looking down into the pool.
“He isn’t much to look at. I wonder what Diana sees in him?”
“It is called mercy, sister.”
She pushed Artemis head off her shoulder.
“And how many more times must I ask you not to sneak up and peer over my shoulder like that?”
Artemis giggled, “Many, many, more.”
She ran a teasing hand down her sister’s shoulder as she spoke, then turned to look at her.
“Besides, I meant the big one.”
“Aponolus?”
“Is that what his name is?”
Athena shook her head.
“Your behaviour suggests that you might be – jealous? But how could that be? Aren’t you the virgin goddess?”
Artemis face clouded over.
“They took Orion from me, tricked me into shooting him. You know there has been no one since.”
Athena hugged her sister.
“I know you have wanted for companionship, even now you feel his loss.”
Athena held Artemis, comforting her for some time.
* * *
Something was wrong. Something troubled her. Something about that voice in her mind - something that screamed a warning to her. It seemed so pleasant, so soft and sibilant, mellifluous, welcome as a lover’s whisper… but… The soft voice continued inside her mind, joining with her body to deliver a perilous message within a single word… ‘sleeeep’
Her brow furrowed as she dozed – there it was again
“Sleep, sleeep. Ressst. You need to resssst”
The voice seemed more urgent this time, more insistent that she give in fully – that she embrace…
Embrace… the word seemed to resonate with her in that moment… she could almost feel his touch… gentle… loving… as he took her in his strong arms, holding her tightly, as if he wanted to hold her forever and never let go. She squirmed, suddenly helpless in his fierce, crushing, embrace though she was, by far, the stronger. Helpless, her body quivered with excitement. Dear sweet Aponoluugh!!
Diana jerked awake, blinking furiously and struggling to breathe as the air was slowly crushed from her lungs. She realised, too late, what was wrong with the voice she could hear inside her mind. It was MALE.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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Abductorenmadrid
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Gah! A cliffhanger?! You fiend! I am enjoying the multiple levels that are in play here, the gods, the mortals and the champion in between.
My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
Another high quality installment Drav; the way you are handling the memory aspect of the story is excellent and interweaving snatches of it through Dianas own exploration is exceptional.
Very well done.
Very well done.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Great stuff, Drav. It's been a compelling convergence of differing plot strands, and very gratifying to see so many of these characters reunite. There was a lot of catharsis there for everyone that's followed the story from the start. You handled the Sirens marvelously, and particular props to your POV presentation of Thelxephone - the terms in which she regarded Diana were *spot on*, and conveyed her character/worldview perfectly. I've had great fun catching up on this, and I look forward to seeing where this heads from here. I'm intrigued to see where Aponolus's arc ends up.
The writing has been really crisp - it was a visually appealing pleasure to read, and I was absorbed from start to finish. Well done!
The writing has been really crisp - it was a visually appealing pleasure to read, and I was absorbed from start to finish. Well done!
Lost in the night, and there is no morning.
Thanks to all who have taken time to comment, glad you are enjoying it
Now the deadly battle for survival continues
PART 40
Poseidon watched in his pool as the serpent slowly gathered the dozing Diana in its coils.
I could intervene – a simple command and he would return to the sea.
He tightened the grip on his trident, his knuckles gleaming white, preparing to stand, then relaxed, leaning back in his throne.
I could, but if Diana is to become what I hope? If she is to become what I hope she must win this on
her own!
* * *
Diana jerked awake, blinking furiously and struggling to breathe as the air was slowly crushed from her lungs. She realised, too late, what was wrong with the voice she could hear inside her mind. It was MALE.
“Ssso, meat, you awaken at lassst.”
His sibilant speech sent chills up her spine. The huge head, swaying back and forth, stared at her with eyes that were little more than a bright green dot, like a sickly moon set against a gleaming black void – unblinking – an almost hypnotic gaze. His mouth, so wide it could swallow her whole, moved in a manner clearly designed to show off the uncountable rows of backward facing trident shaped teeth that could rip its prey to shreds. Clearly the creature intended that all this should unnerve her. It was working.
“Who – why are y…?”
His coils tightened around her with each breath she took, crushing more and still more air from her lungs. With each successive breath it squeezed her diaphragm smaller, crushed her ribs inwards, so that her lungs got less and less air. She looked frantically about her, but the monstrous serpent seemed everywhere, both within the boat and without. Its body was huge, thicker than a man’s torso. Each scale huge, rough, pitted with age and coarse like unfinished wood, chaffed her wherever they touched her bare skin.
The scales of most snakes were smooth, sloughed regularly as they grew. This creature had been this size for decades, perhaps centuries, a truly monstrous abomination of nature. Its crushing coils were hard as marble. Its eyes, empty of compassion, could only ever see prey.
“Sssilenssse, meat! I will asssk the quessstionsss.”
He affixed his unblinking baleful stare upon her, his constantly swaying head moving inward each time it hissed its words before receding a foot or more to inspect its victim, as it listened to her reply.
“You sssmell of my sssissstersss houssse, meat. Her venom runsss in your veinsss, yet she isss lossst to usss for agesss. How long sssince you sssaw her. Ssspeak! SSSPPPPEEEEEEAKKKK!”
Diana struggled just to breathe but, hoping a laboured answer might make the creature relax its hold a little, replied.
“M-many… ugh… m-many moons ago!” she panted with difficulty.
“Where?!?”
Diana shook her head, “I’m not certain. W-we left from the town of Ellis… a-and it seemed not far, but to get there we followed a deer.”
“How came you to ssseek her?”
“A dream – a vision telling of a treasure that I... m-must seek.”
The serpent relaxed his grip and Diana’s bosom heaved as she breathed normally once more.
“I would ssseek her, what plassse to look?”
Long moments passed as she focused on breathing, sucking in great lungs full of air. The serpent waited, not too patiently, which he made clear when his coils gave her a squeeze to prompt her answer. Shaking her head, Diana finally answered.
“I do not know. Before I saw her for myself, I believed her to be legend. The stories I had heard did not even name her. Most stories were about her age. Some said she was older than Cronos himself. Others claim she was older than that. Some few said it had been for ever, a life of aeons. One thing they all had in common: she was old. I was told that she had been where she was for centuries.”
The serpent’s sibilant laughter sent chills up her spine. What he found humorous he did not say, becoming suddenly quite serious as his black eyes stared at her.
“You do not know or will not sssay wordsss that could ssspare your missserable exissstenssse, meat?”
His coils began to constrict her once more, breathing becoming first difficult, then impossible as Diana struggled to retain the air which remained in her lungs. Her arms remained pinned to her side, so she could neither draw her xiphos nor reach her lasso.
For his part, the creature clearly enjoyed watching her die slowly, which, considering the alternative presented by his mouth full of teeth… Another gasp was forced from her lungs as the coils continued to tighten further.
“Ssstruggle, meat. Mere momentsss, and you will be sssussstenanssse only.”
* * *
Dolos leaned forwards to the edge of his seat. This was what he wanted all along, Diana’s death. He thought over the permutations carefully as he had been doing since Hades spoke of Erasmus in Zeus’ court. Apart from himself, only Zeus knew of Erasmus. He does not know that I am Erasmus, and what little he does know he dares not speak lest he eliminate whatever chance he has of rekindling his romance with Hera. Hera – PAH!! Were I Zeus I would crush her as easily as a grape rather than mooning over her!
He returned his thoughts to Diana’s impending doom.
No, no Diana’s death here will not do, not do at all. Should she die in this manner it will not cause the derision I need to usurp Zeus’ authority. I need the gods in a full scale war, and not at some whim of Ares. A war that I cause, that I control. I need a full scale war!!
His fist pounded his thigh.
And I will have one!!
* * *
Hera looked up from the struggle to rest her concerned gaze on Artemis.
“You are sure we can neither release her, nor ensnare him in the same trap?”
Artemis nodded.
“If we open to let him in, we risk her release. Were she free from the space created for her, her powers would resume their increase. It is doubtful she could be stopped a second time, the first time we trapped her was a near thing. Of all the serpents, she alone threatens not only us, but the world as well.”
It was Hera’s turn to nod. She remembered the battle well. A smile, so brief as to be almost imagined flashed across her face as she also remembered her husband’s valour that day. He was brave, he was powerful, he was magnificent. He was her Zeus and still King of her heart. It skipped slightly at the memory, before she suppressed the feeling. She returned her gaze to the pool, shoving romantic fantasies aside as the more immediate threat to Diana’s life continued to play out before her.
* * *
“I said I want you to command that serpent to release her.”
Poseidon inclined his head.
“I did both hear and understand your request, brother. Again I must say no.”
Zeus face was becoming a dark storm as the god of the seas held up a restraining hand.
“Please, listen, and I will explain. We, all of us, are fading as mankind turns from us. It is their belief which empowers us. You have already seen this. I believe that Diana may one day prove our salvation – but – if that is to be so, she must win this on her own. She MUST. Think you that I have not already considered her rescue?”
Zeus roared his frustration.
“She is on a very critical mission for me!!!”
He thumped the clenched fingers of his fist into his own chest
“For ME !!!!”
Poseidon remained silent, locking his gaze with that of his brother. Slowly Zeus' fire banked and he nodded, turning away as he calmed himself.
“You are correct. It is the importance of her mission that concerns me more than the champion herself.”
He turned to look at his brother sullenly.
“We can find another if needs be.”
Poseidon nodded.
“As you say. Still, she is not dead yet.”
* * *
Diana’s world was closing in on her, the outer edges of her vision already becoming the blackness that would swallow her. She struggled, but her waning strength was as nothing compared to the power of this serpent.
Hera bade me stay alert. I have failed her and I fear I may be reaching Hades realm by a much different route than I had planned.
Her hands scrabbled around on the deck searching for anything she might use as a weapon. There was nothing to find – all her weapons were on her person…
* * *
Aponolus stood to leave Galen at the table.
“I now understand the unusual presence of the owl here.”
He pointed to the rafters where the bird was perched.
“Athena is not finished with you, or I am very much mistook.”
He turned and left leaving a thoughtful Galen behind.
***
Athena smiled as she broke the connection and turned her attention to the watching pool and Diana. Her smile froze on her face and gradually became a look of horror.
Diana!! No!! You cannot yield! Do not yield!! The enemy only wins when you surrender!
* * *
Diana’s struggles were weak now, nearly meaningless. The serpent continuously constricted his coils, dragging her along the deck of the small boat as he began to lay his meal out for consumption.
* * *
Poseidon’s head drooped as he watched, his back teeth grinding in frustration. She had failed. Even as her hand had come to rest on the arrow from the future, her eyelids were fluttering, her eyes turned up in her head. His hope for the future was being crushed to death as surely as Diana.
* * *
Tears filled the eyes of the women as they watched the end of their Oath Taker. She was not yet dead, but Atropos was standing ready with her shears.
“I fear, o Queen, that I must soon cut her thread.”
Clotho spoke next,
“This was not … “
Then Lachesis,
“… the instrument of death… “
Atropos once more,
“… that I had chosen but… “
Finally the three Morai in chorus,
“… we did warn that her future was uncertain.”
* * *
The darkness was closing in, there was only a pinprick of light. Her thoughts were sluggish, but something was nagging at Diana’s mind. That bit of cold steel passing under her fingers.
The arrow!
* * *
“Hold!!”
Hera’s command rang clear in the room even as Atropos shears began to close. The taut thread quivered at their touch. The Morai paused and the queen continued.
“She is not yet finished – give her a moment more.”
The queen pointed to the mirror like surface of her pool.
“Look!”
Every eye, even those of the Morai, returned to the watching pool, a breathless hush filling the room as events continued to unfold.
* * *
Diana focused everything she had on one last effort, her fingers wrapping around the shaft. With the last of her strength she shoved the head deep into the coil nearest her hand and was rewarded with a scream she could not hear and a heaving of the coils that cracked even Rastus sturdy workmanship. Her vision slowly began to clear and she realized that she had been repeatedly skewering her monstrous foe again and again with the strange arrow.
“I will ssseparate you from that sssteeel and then you will die – ssslowly sssufocating – you will sssuffer great painsss, even asss I do now!”
* * *
Dolos relaxed. No one would know that he had strengthened Diana’s arm or helped speed her recovery to give her a chance. He would see her die, but at a time and place when it would be to his advantage. He returned his gaze to his watching pool.
* * *
The monstrous serpent was in pain and exceedingly angry, a dangerous combination. For her part, Diana was no longer thrusting blindly, but choosing targets that caused the creature to loosen the grip of his coils. She had even managed to free her arms and draw her xiphos, but that had proven useless, unable to penetrate the massive scales which shielded this monster better than any aspis she had ever seen. The strange arrow, with its impossibly sharp and thin tip, slid in easily and pulling it out again ripped out huge chunks of tissue in a spray of blood that had already covered her hand up to the wrist, but she was having to use that to fend off that mouth full of nasty looking teeth.
Clearly needing a change of tactics, she began thrusting and cutting at the creature's head, forcing it beyond her reach. His instinct for survival kept it there, darting and swaying even though her blade could scarcely harm it. The teeth no longer an immediate threat, this freed her other hand to do the real damage with the silver tip.
This proved to be more successful, its wounds beginning to slow the beast down, but it wasn’t enough, he was just too big. She was tiring faster than he was and both of them could sense it. She struck flesh with her deadly arrow again and again tearing huge gaping wounds in his armoured side, yet even the flesh was tough and hard. Each time she removed the arrow it took great effort, sapping more and more of her strength, causing her to slow as well.
The creature's head finally swung inside her reach and battered aside her useless blade, causing it to fall to the deck with a clatter, even as she plunged the arrow deep into her next target and ripped it out once more.
* * *
Poseidon’s head jerked upright and a slow smile crossed his face.
There is always more about you than anyone expects!
* * *
The creature, for his part, heaved his coils at the Amazon’s back or slashed at an unprotected area with rows of sharp teeth more suited to a shark than to a serpent, always careful to keep his head away from Diana’s murderously sharp sting: the strange arrow that she wielded as though it were a sword.
Diana fought with consummate skill, thus far fending off the deadly teeth with one of her bracers. Made by Hephaestus and enchanted with the power of Echo by Athena, it had proven itself well even against the horror of that mouth- so long as it struck some sensitive part outside at least. The nose was proving to be a useful target - but basically anything which kept those awful teeth away and bought her time. She had ample room to make a stand now, thrusting and ripping at select targets. The arrow was doing tremendous damage to the serpent’s body, but throughout the battle he never let her get the thing close to the weak spot of every snake – its head!
The fight raged on, the small boat a very tiny place for such a titanic battle. It had already taken a terrible beating, stout timbers creaking and cracking under the strain. The serpent hissed as the lower section of his coils began to crush the hull with more and more force until, finally, even the workmanship of Rastus could take no more and the vessel shattered, dumping them into the sea. Clinging to the arrow, Diana grabbed for her shield and filled her lungs as much as she could. Mere moments later the sea had swallowed them up and the surface was clear as glass.
* * *
Poseidon’s pool was no longer looking at the Amazon, but at Hera and her retinue.
“I know the seas are your domain brother, but I desperately need to see what is going on.”
Poseidon nodded, moments ago Zeus had made the same request.
“So I had expected. You may link your pool to mine and you shall see as I do.”
With that the watery wall in front of him churned and he returned his gaze to Diana.
* * *
Diana’s lungs were near the bursting point but she had to hold out. There was no way for her to breathe here in Poseidon’s domain. She fought valiantly, but this was the creature’s natural element. Where she had a slight movement advantage in the boat, here the serpent had all the advantages. No longer could she plunge the arrow into his side creating deep wounds. Now she could only get shallow cuts as he swam by, striking at her with those teeth – his mouth was full of teeth that were every bit as sharp as the tip of her arrow.
He swam at her again, turning at the last possible moment, slamming his body mass into her. His tooth-filled jaws finally locking onto the arm that held her only viable weapon. Her head was pounding with increased blood pressure as her heart, fuelled by the adrenaline she needed for the battle tried to oxygenate her muscles. She desperately needed to break free, to reach the surface and breathe! She could not.
She was restrained now, helpless, not daring to free her arm lest those rows of gripping teeth rend it to shreds. For a moment it was like a dance, the creature, content to hold her arm in his implacable jaws rather than rip it off, was whirling her across the watery floor, making use of his full enormous length, enclosing her in many more coils than he had in the boat.
Diana’s left arm was floating freely, her resistance ceased as she was twirled around and around into the embrace of the serpent’s waiting coils. They began to tighten around her limp form, not yet crushing, but holding her fast.
* * *
Poseidon sighed, slumping in his seat. Were she to have any chance at survival he would need to intervene, yet he could not. He needed her to succeed on her own – to become what they all needed, even those who sought her destruction. He shifted anxiously, his eyes refusing to leave the image.
Our very pettiness and vindictiveness towards each other is destroying us. We need a beacon to light the way, not only for mankind, but for us as well. I had so hoped it was she.
So he sat and watched as the air leaving her body bubbled slowly to the surface.
* * *
Diana’s body was limp, her right hand, still gripping the arrow, useless in the grip of the serpent’s mouth. Her left arm floating limply, she offered no resistance to his crushing embrace as it tightened around her. Sensing the end, he watched the cascade of tiny bubbles floating gently up and away, crushing and crushing until there were no more, then he crushed some more. Finally, certain she would offer no more resistance, he released her arm, unhinging his jaw to devour her whole.
Now!!!
Her eyes snapped open. Turning the arrow slightly, she thrust it with everything she could muster into the one target she had never been able to reach - the beast’s eye socket. He convulsed as a roar of pain left his open mouth in a shower of huge bubbles racing each other to the surface. Never in all his years had he felt such pain.
Both hands on the shaft now, Diana shoved it in as deep as she could before wrenching it out, the barbs on the arrowhead, doing that for which they were designed, ripped the monster’s brain apart.
* * *
“I taught her that!”
Hera nodded to Artemis, “You taught her well.”
The Morai spoke in unison and uncharacteristic haste.
“The danger is not yet passed.”
Hera returned her gaze to the pool and gasped. The serpent’s death throes were buffeting their Oath Taker, keeping her entrapped in the coils as they plummeted deeper into the watery depths.
“Diana!!”
They watched as she struggled to free herself, struggled – and succeeded!! She started to rise, the bubbles of the last of her air trailing from her mouth. She swam hard for the surface, but even Diana had her limits. Her ascent slowed as she slowly blacked out and sank from view into the watery depths and out of their sight.
Hera looked at Atropos who shrugged.
“I know not, my queen, whether to cut or to wait.”
The queen looked puzzled at that and the Morai spoke, Clotho taking the lead.
“We sense not… “
Lachesis,
“… her life… “
Atropos,
“… nor yet the time… “
Finishing in their customary unison,
“… of her death.”
Now the deadly battle for survival continues
PART 40
Poseidon watched in his pool as the serpent slowly gathered the dozing Diana in its coils.
I could intervene – a simple command and he would return to the sea.
He tightened the grip on his trident, his knuckles gleaming white, preparing to stand, then relaxed, leaning back in his throne.
I could, but if Diana is to become what I hope? If she is to become what I hope she must win this on
her own!
* * *
Diana jerked awake, blinking furiously and struggling to breathe as the air was slowly crushed from her lungs. She realised, too late, what was wrong with the voice she could hear inside her mind. It was MALE.
“Ssso, meat, you awaken at lassst.”
His sibilant speech sent chills up her spine. The huge head, swaying back and forth, stared at her with eyes that were little more than a bright green dot, like a sickly moon set against a gleaming black void – unblinking – an almost hypnotic gaze. His mouth, so wide it could swallow her whole, moved in a manner clearly designed to show off the uncountable rows of backward facing trident shaped teeth that could rip its prey to shreds. Clearly the creature intended that all this should unnerve her. It was working.
“Who – why are y…?”
His coils tightened around her with each breath she took, crushing more and still more air from her lungs. With each successive breath it squeezed her diaphragm smaller, crushed her ribs inwards, so that her lungs got less and less air. She looked frantically about her, but the monstrous serpent seemed everywhere, both within the boat and without. Its body was huge, thicker than a man’s torso. Each scale huge, rough, pitted with age and coarse like unfinished wood, chaffed her wherever they touched her bare skin.
The scales of most snakes were smooth, sloughed regularly as they grew. This creature had been this size for decades, perhaps centuries, a truly monstrous abomination of nature. Its crushing coils were hard as marble. Its eyes, empty of compassion, could only ever see prey.
“Sssilenssse, meat! I will asssk the quessstionsss.”
He affixed his unblinking baleful stare upon her, his constantly swaying head moving inward each time it hissed its words before receding a foot or more to inspect its victim, as it listened to her reply.
“You sssmell of my sssissstersss houssse, meat. Her venom runsss in your veinsss, yet she isss lossst to usss for agesss. How long sssince you sssaw her. Ssspeak! SSSPPPPEEEEEEAKKKK!”
Diana struggled just to breathe but, hoping a laboured answer might make the creature relax its hold a little, replied.
“M-many… ugh… m-many moons ago!” she panted with difficulty.
“Where?!?”
Diana shook her head, “I’m not certain. W-we left from the town of Ellis… a-and it seemed not far, but to get there we followed a deer.”
“How came you to ssseek her?”
“A dream – a vision telling of a treasure that I... m-must seek.”
The serpent relaxed his grip and Diana’s bosom heaved as she breathed normally once more.
“I would ssseek her, what plassse to look?”
Long moments passed as she focused on breathing, sucking in great lungs full of air. The serpent waited, not too patiently, which he made clear when his coils gave her a squeeze to prompt her answer. Shaking her head, Diana finally answered.
“I do not know. Before I saw her for myself, I believed her to be legend. The stories I had heard did not even name her. Most stories were about her age. Some said she was older than Cronos himself. Others claim she was older than that. Some few said it had been for ever, a life of aeons. One thing they all had in common: she was old. I was told that she had been where she was for centuries.”
The serpent’s sibilant laughter sent chills up her spine. What he found humorous he did not say, becoming suddenly quite serious as his black eyes stared at her.
“You do not know or will not sssay wordsss that could ssspare your missserable exissstenssse, meat?”
His coils began to constrict her once more, breathing becoming first difficult, then impossible as Diana struggled to retain the air which remained in her lungs. Her arms remained pinned to her side, so she could neither draw her xiphos nor reach her lasso.
For his part, the creature clearly enjoyed watching her die slowly, which, considering the alternative presented by his mouth full of teeth… Another gasp was forced from her lungs as the coils continued to tighten further.
“Ssstruggle, meat. Mere momentsss, and you will be sssussstenanssse only.”
* * *
Dolos leaned forwards to the edge of his seat. This was what he wanted all along, Diana’s death. He thought over the permutations carefully as he had been doing since Hades spoke of Erasmus in Zeus’ court. Apart from himself, only Zeus knew of Erasmus. He does not know that I am Erasmus, and what little he does know he dares not speak lest he eliminate whatever chance he has of rekindling his romance with Hera. Hera – PAH!! Were I Zeus I would crush her as easily as a grape rather than mooning over her!
He returned his thoughts to Diana’s impending doom.
No, no Diana’s death here will not do, not do at all. Should she die in this manner it will not cause the derision I need to usurp Zeus’ authority. I need the gods in a full scale war, and not at some whim of Ares. A war that I cause, that I control. I need a full scale war!!
His fist pounded his thigh.
And I will have one!!
* * *
Hera looked up from the struggle to rest her concerned gaze on Artemis.
“You are sure we can neither release her, nor ensnare him in the same trap?”
Artemis nodded.
“If we open to let him in, we risk her release. Were she free from the space created for her, her powers would resume their increase. It is doubtful she could be stopped a second time, the first time we trapped her was a near thing. Of all the serpents, she alone threatens not only us, but the world as well.”
It was Hera’s turn to nod. She remembered the battle well. A smile, so brief as to be almost imagined flashed across her face as she also remembered her husband’s valour that day. He was brave, he was powerful, he was magnificent. He was her Zeus and still King of her heart. It skipped slightly at the memory, before she suppressed the feeling. She returned her gaze to the pool, shoving romantic fantasies aside as the more immediate threat to Diana’s life continued to play out before her.
* * *
“I said I want you to command that serpent to release her.”
Poseidon inclined his head.
“I did both hear and understand your request, brother. Again I must say no.”
Zeus face was becoming a dark storm as the god of the seas held up a restraining hand.
“Please, listen, and I will explain. We, all of us, are fading as mankind turns from us. It is their belief which empowers us. You have already seen this. I believe that Diana may one day prove our salvation – but – if that is to be so, she must win this on her own. She MUST. Think you that I have not already considered her rescue?”
Zeus roared his frustration.
“She is on a very critical mission for me!!!”
He thumped the clenched fingers of his fist into his own chest
“For ME !!!!”
Poseidon remained silent, locking his gaze with that of his brother. Slowly Zeus' fire banked and he nodded, turning away as he calmed himself.
“You are correct. It is the importance of her mission that concerns me more than the champion herself.”
He turned to look at his brother sullenly.
“We can find another if needs be.”
Poseidon nodded.
“As you say. Still, she is not dead yet.”
* * *
Diana’s world was closing in on her, the outer edges of her vision already becoming the blackness that would swallow her. She struggled, but her waning strength was as nothing compared to the power of this serpent.
Hera bade me stay alert. I have failed her and I fear I may be reaching Hades realm by a much different route than I had planned.
Her hands scrabbled around on the deck searching for anything she might use as a weapon. There was nothing to find – all her weapons were on her person…
* * *
Aponolus stood to leave Galen at the table.
“I now understand the unusual presence of the owl here.”
He pointed to the rafters where the bird was perched.
“Athena is not finished with you, or I am very much mistook.”
He turned and left leaving a thoughtful Galen behind.
***
Athena smiled as she broke the connection and turned her attention to the watching pool and Diana. Her smile froze on her face and gradually became a look of horror.
Diana!! No!! You cannot yield! Do not yield!! The enemy only wins when you surrender!
* * *
Diana’s struggles were weak now, nearly meaningless. The serpent continuously constricted his coils, dragging her along the deck of the small boat as he began to lay his meal out for consumption.
* * *
Poseidon’s head drooped as he watched, his back teeth grinding in frustration. She had failed. Even as her hand had come to rest on the arrow from the future, her eyelids were fluttering, her eyes turned up in her head. His hope for the future was being crushed to death as surely as Diana.
* * *
Tears filled the eyes of the women as they watched the end of their Oath Taker. She was not yet dead, but Atropos was standing ready with her shears.
“I fear, o Queen, that I must soon cut her thread.”
Clotho spoke next,
“This was not … “
Then Lachesis,
“… the instrument of death… “
Atropos once more,
“… that I had chosen but… “
Finally the three Morai in chorus,
“… we did warn that her future was uncertain.”
* * *
The darkness was closing in, there was only a pinprick of light. Her thoughts were sluggish, but something was nagging at Diana’s mind. That bit of cold steel passing under her fingers.
The arrow!
* * *
“Hold!!”
Hera’s command rang clear in the room even as Atropos shears began to close. The taut thread quivered at their touch. The Morai paused and the queen continued.
“She is not yet finished – give her a moment more.”
The queen pointed to the mirror like surface of her pool.
“Look!”
Every eye, even those of the Morai, returned to the watching pool, a breathless hush filling the room as events continued to unfold.
* * *
Diana focused everything she had on one last effort, her fingers wrapping around the shaft. With the last of her strength she shoved the head deep into the coil nearest her hand and was rewarded with a scream she could not hear and a heaving of the coils that cracked even Rastus sturdy workmanship. Her vision slowly began to clear and she realized that she had been repeatedly skewering her monstrous foe again and again with the strange arrow.
“I will ssseparate you from that sssteeel and then you will die – ssslowly sssufocating – you will sssuffer great painsss, even asss I do now!”
* * *
Dolos relaxed. No one would know that he had strengthened Diana’s arm or helped speed her recovery to give her a chance. He would see her die, but at a time and place when it would be to his advantage. He returned his gaze to his watching pool.
* * *
The monstrous serpent was in pain and exceedingly angry, a dangerous combination. For her part, Diana was no longer thrusting blindly, but choosing targets that caused the creature to loosen the grip of his coils. She had even managed to free her arms and draw her xiphos, but that had proven useless, unable to penetrate the massive scales which shielded this monster better than any aspis she had ever seen. The strange arrow, with its impossibly sharp and thin tip, slid in easily and pulling it out again ripped out huge chunks of tissue in a spray of blood that had already covered her hand up to the wrist, but she was having to use that to fend off that mouth full of nasty looking teeth.
Clearly needing a change of tactics, she began thrusting and cutting at the creature's head, forcing it beyond her reach. His instinct for survival kept it there, darting and swaying even though her blade could scarcely harm it. The teeth no longer an immediate threat, this freed her other hand to do the real damage with the silver tip.
This proved to be more successful, its wounds beginning to slow the beast down, but it wasn’t enough, he was just too big. She was tiring faster than he was and both of them could sense it. She struck flesh with her deadly arrow again and again tearing huge gaping wounds in his armoured side, yet even the flesh was tough and hard. Each time she removed the arrow it took great effort, sapping more and more of her strength, causing her to slow as well.
The creature's head finally swung inside her reach and battered aside her useless blade, causing it to fall to the deck with a clatter, even as she plunged the arrow deep into her next target and ripped it out once more.
* * *
Poseidon’s head jerked upright and a slow smile crossed his face.
There is always more about you than anyone expects!
* * *
The creature, for his part, heaved his coils at the Amazon’s back or slashed at an unprotected area with rows of sharp teeth more suited to a shark than to a serpent, always careful to keep his head away from Diana’s murderously sharp sting: the strange arrow that she wielded as though it were a sword.
Diana fought with consummate skill, thus far fending off the deadly teeth with one of her bracers. Made by Hephaestus and enchanted with the power of Echo by Athena, it had proven itself well even against the horror of that mouth- so long as it struck some sensitive part outside at least. The nose was proving to be a useful target - but basically anything which kept those awful teeth away and bought her time. She had ample room to make a stand now, thrusting and ripping at select targets. The arrow was doing tremendous damage to the serpent’s body, but throughout the battle he never let her get the thing close to the weak spot of every snake – its head!
The fight raged on, the small boat a very tiny place for such a titanic battle. It had already taken a terrible beating, stout timbers creaking and cracking under the strain. The serpent hissed as the lower section of his coils began to crush the hull with more and more force until, finally, even the workmanship of Rastus could take no more and the vessel shattered, dumping them into the sea. Clinging to the arrow, Diana grabbed for her shield and filled her lungs as much as she could. Mere moments later the sea had swallowed them up and the surface was clear as glass.
* * *
Poseidon’s pool was no longer looking at the Amazon, but at Hera and her retinue.
“I know the seas are your domain brother, but I desperately need to see what is going on.”
Poseidon nodded, moments ago Zeus had made the same request.
“So I had expected. You may link your pool to mine and you shall see as I do.”
With that the watery wall in front of him churned and he returned his gaze to Diana.
* * *
Diana’s lungs were near the bursting point but she had to hold out. There was no way for her to breathe here in Poseidon’s domain. She fought valiantly, but this was the creature’s natural element. Where she had a slight movement advantage in the boat, here the serpent had all the advantages. No longer could she plunge the arrow into his side creating deep wounds. Now she could only get shallow cuts as he swam by, striking at her with those teeth – his mouth was full of teeth that were every bit as sharp as the tip of her arrow.
He swam at her again, turning at the last possible moment, slamming his body mass into her. His tooth-filled jaws finally locking onto the arm that held her only viable weapon. Her head was pounding with increased blood pressure as her heart, fuelled by the adrenaline she needed for the battle tried to oxygenate her muscles. She desperately needed to break free, to reach the surface and breathe! She could not.
She was restrained now, helpless, not daring to free her arm lest those rows of gripping teeth rend it to shreds. For a moment it was like a dance, the creature, content to hold her arm in his implacable jaws rather than rip it off, was whirling her across the watery floor, making use of his full enormous length, enclosing her in many more coils than he had in the boat.
Diana’s left arm was floating freely, her resistance ceased as she was twirled around and around into the embrace of the serpent’s waiting coils. They began to tighten around her limp form, not yet crushing, but holding her fast.
* * *
Poseidon sighed, slumping in his seat. Were she to have any chance at survival he would need to intervene, yet he could not. He needed her to succeed on her own – to become what they all needed, even those who sought her destruction. He shifted anxiously, his eyes refusing to leave the image.
Our very pettiness and vindictiveness towards each other is destroying us. We need a beacon to light the way, not only for mankind, but for us as well. I had so hoped it was she.
So he sat and watched as the air leaving her body bubbled slowly to the surface.
* * *
Diana’s body was limp, her right hand, still gripping the arrow, useless in the grip of the serpent’s mouth. Her left arm floating limply, she offered no resistance to his crushing embrace as it tightened around her. Sensing the end, he watched the cascade of tiny bubbles floating gently up and away, crushing and crushing until there were no more, then he crushed some more. Finally, certain she would offer no more resistance, he released her arm, unhinging his jaw to devour her whole.
Now!!!
Her eyes snapped open. Turning the arrow slightly, she thrust it with everything she could muster into the one target she had never been able to reach - the beast’s eye socket. He convulsed as a roar of pain left his open mouth in a shower of huge bubbles racing each other to the surface. Never in all his years had he felt such pain.
Both hands on the shaft now, Diana shoved it in as deep as she could before wrenching it out, the barbs on the arrowhead, doing that for which they were designed, ripped the monster’s brain apart.
* * *
“I taught her that!”
Hera nodded to Artemis, “You taught her well.”
The Morai spoke in unison and uncharacteristic haste.
“The danger is not yet passed.”
Hera returned her gaze to the pool and gasped. The serpent’s death throes were buffeting their Oath Taker, keeping her entrapped in the coils as they plummeted deeper into the watery depths.
“Diana!!”
They watched as she struggled to free herself, struggled – and succeeded!! She started to rise, the bubbles of the last of her air trailing from her mouth. She swam hard for the surface, but even Diana had her limits. Her ascent slowed as she slowly blacked out and sank from view into the watery depths and out of their sight.
Hera looked at Atropos who shrugged.
“I know not, my queen, whether to cut or to wait.”
The queen looked puzzled at that and the Morai spoke, Clotho taking the lead.
“We sense not… “
Lachesis,
“… her life… “
Atropos,
“… nor yet the time… “
Finishing in their customary unison,
“… of her death.”
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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Abductorenmadrid
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Oh, wow, well, that was an interesting return to a previous part of the plot, thank you! But how is D going to get out of this?! And will the dear Morai figure out it is the multitude of meddling forces that cloud their gaze?
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My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
Thanks for the comments guys. Here is Dravatar's next installment....
PART 41
The hushed whispering of the surf running up the shore ended in a soft sigh. The water, struggling for a hold inland, gave up the battle, gently returning to the sea, yet it was a feint. It merely fled to seek reinforcements before returning, unrelenting, like an invading army. More and yet more waves lapped at the land, clawing their way as far inland as their strength would allow before being dragged back to the sea.
The waning gibbous moon broke out of the sea, softly lighting the rolling waves and the lone dishevelled figure in their midst dragging its way clear of their influence with agonizing slowness before, ultimately, collapsing in a shadowed heap.
Why do you fight me? Your body aches with the desire for rest. Your limbs are too heavy to carry any further. Here, beyond the reach of the sea, you may surrender, at last, your eyelids slowly drooping, your breathing, in and out, clearing your mind of its cares. Sleep.
Diana forced her eyes open, rolling onto her back, revelling in the feel of the sand beneath her. It had been a terrifying struggle. Even now her breathing came in ragged gasps from the last swim to shore.
Dim memories filled her mind: the burning ache in her chest as her body cried out for air… the sudden realization that her air starved body no longer had strength enough to swim to the surface… relaxing to conserve air… surrounded by the darkness of water… not daring to breathe… sinking while she unfastened and dropped her shield... removing her greaves so that she started to rise... clawing her way to the surface… the struggle… just to stay awake for a little bit longer… arms so tired they wanted to quit… her muscles screaming their pain with each movement… still she pressed on… arms moving… churning the water… legs kicking… pushing her upwards… her lungs on fire… her chest convulsing as those same lungs, wanting to suck in air, were denied by sheer force of will… the agonizing slowness with which she neared the surface as the darkness closed in on her... her head finally breaking free of the water’s grasp with a huge gasp that filled her mouth with the sweet taste of life… the vague memory of hands lifting her as she gasped for air, then… nothing until she swam up onto the beach.
Breathe deeply, relax. Enter sleep’s perfection. He will be there, waiting for you. Sleep
Shaking herself, Diana struggled to a sitting position, breathing deeply. She sat there for some time, resting on her elbows and enjoying the flavour of the crisp night air as it filled her lungs. Her eyelids softly flutter closed, then open, then begin to close again.
That’s it, relax… let free your mind to wander… lean back… eyelids are too heavy to lift – let them close… Sleep
Her eyes suddenly snapped open.
I must get up, get further inland
She struggled to rise, this time reaching unsteady feet. Noting her bare feet, she took inventory. Her sole remaining weapons were now her lasso, her bracers, and the strange arrow thrust in her belt. She ran her fingers over the strange metal once more. Without this weapon she would surely have died. Right now, though… she began to slog her way up the slope some steps, until she was well beyond the reach of the water that had carried her here, before collapsing to the ground once more. She struggled to rise, to press on…
Your limbs are too heavy… you have worked them so hard… pressed them beyond endurance… let them rest… a few moments only and all will be well. Rest. Sleep.
Her struggles ceased, her eyelids fluttering slowly closed, this time not to open, her breathing deepening and slowing as she drifted away…
* * *
Off shore a man and a woman watched the shadowy figure struggle from the deck of their ship.
“I still don’t understand why we can’t insure her safety while she rests. She saved our lives, the debt is ours to pay.”
He straightened, turning to the woman.
“We should protect her while she recovers. We owe her a great deal more than that.”
The woman slowly turned,
“Yes, Aeneid, we do.”
She looked at young Diana, gently resting in her arms, then sighed.
“Athena’s instructions were quite clear, beloved. Diana must not ever know that she has received our aide. Her fever ridden body needed the rest, probably needs more rest still, but this is all we may do. She could only shield our actions from the others for so long. She even had us deliver her back to the sea rather than sail inshore. Now, by our marriage agreement, when onboard you are not my husband but Captain of my ship and subject to my command. If we are at an impasse, you must simply obey my orders.”
Sappho smiled, robbing the words of any offence, and continued.
“It is what you asked for when you sought my hand.”
Aeneid sighed in agreement with all she had said, then smiled,
“Indeed, my love. It was your mind and skill as a merchant as much as your beauty that enraptured me.”
She gazed on him lovingly for a few more moments, then her face became once more serious as the two of them slipped back into their shipboard roles, her the merchant and he…
“Now, Captain, if you will set course for our next port of call?”
Aeneid bowed his head slightly,
“By your command.”
Raising his voice he turned towards the centre of the ship.
“Neklen!! prepare to alter course.”
“Aye, Captain, where does the Mistress bid us go?”
The voices died into the background of her thoughts as Sappho watched Diana until she faded from view, then turned her eyes to her child. Giving no thought to the inspiration she was to others and completely forgetting that it was her courage and determination that had insured that Diana had been able to defeat the sirens, she promised herself that her little Diana would grow to be just as brave and inspiring as the one she was named after.
* * *
Artemis looked at her mother, the queen.
“Even Diana needs sleep. See, she is too tired to press on.”
Hera nodded, “Go to her, tell her she may rest and finish her journey tomorrow.”
The goddess of the hunt’s feet tripped light and quick as she vanished from view, anticipation beating in her breast.
* * *
Diana’s eyes snapped open to find that she was firmly bound to a pillar in the midst of a cave. There was little light and what there was of it lit her as though she were a display. A familiar voice lilted out of the darkness.
“It has been some time since you last called for sanctuary.”
“I did not call for it now.”
“No, you were dreaming of HIM, of Aponolus instead of being here with your goddess.”
Diana sighed, a jealous Artemis was a danger to both herself and others.
“I do not know why I have been thinking of him so much since he saved me on the river. Perhaps he is my Orion?”
Artemis lineage showed in the tiny flecks of light that shone through her visage. Whatever words she had been about to speak died in her half open mouth and she turned away from Diana in a swirl of anger.
Sensing the emotion behind what she saw, Diana continued,
“Why are you angry with me, my goddess? Have I not called on your skill and cunning, giving you thanks for it? Have I failed you in some way? Is it just that I have not called for sanctuary? Or is there something more? You know that I am on a mission for Hera and not even you may pull me away until it is completed.”
She paused and Artemis fire banked.
“Of all the gods, it is you to whom I am closest, you who have given me sanctuary. Yet close as we are I am not, nor do I wish to be, one of you, so our time can only be fleeting moments stolen as life permits. At this time I have pressing matters to attend to, for this trifling task given me by Hera – there is something more to it. Something more important to her and, I think, to you.”
Diana shook her head in response to Artemis unasked question.
“No, you have given nothing away, but you were not my only teacher. Athena taught me to look beneath the surface of things, to hunt a far more elusive prey than man or beast. Motive. Now please, return me to my task that I may finish it?”
Artemis remained silent for a moment, when she finally spoke her voice was flat and emotionless.
“Hera has bid me tell you to rest and continue your journey tomorrow.”
Her voice changed, becoming emotionally charged once more as her fingers lightly caressed Diana’s breast.
“Would you not prefer to rest here?”
Diana shivered, then laughed nervously,
“You would call this rest?”
Artemis laughed, too, giving her a final caress as she removed her hands.
“For me, yes, but not, perhaps, for you. This place between worlds affects mortals differently than it does us.”
Diana became serious once more.
“But no, my goddess. Besides, I am not certain I can rest. Something nags at me to do so and I fear it is more than my body. I have a sense that if I sleep I may not awaken.”
Artemis face grew drawn with concern.
“You shall have rest, my sweet Diana, and I shall see to it that you not only sleep but awaken as well. I shall watch over you to see that it is so. Now rest.”
With those words, Diana’s world went dark.
* * *
Apollo’s chariot was a full third through its journey across the sky when Diana finally awoke. She stretched and stood. She was as she had been the night before, bare of foot, no cloak, and no shield. She did not know how she knew which direction to travel, but she began to walk Southeast as a person drawn.
* * *
Aponolus entered the stable to find Galen. The man he sought was busy tending the stock and he had to wait some short time.
“Which steed is yours, lord?”
Aponolus laughed.
“They trained you well, I see. But come, the ship we have been waiting for has arrived this morning.”
Galen looked puzzled.
“Ship? What ship?”
Aponolus looked at the veteran archer.
“Did you think the Lady Athena was through with you? Now that you have begun on the path to wisdom, she has a journey for you to take.”
His slap of camaraderie on Galen’s back rattled the man’s bones.
“Come, I said. We quest, you and I. For the Lady Athena!”
* * *
Athena smiled, Aponolus could be counted to handle, with Sappho’s help, the first part of the journey. She would give specifics to Galen at the right moment. Humility he had learned, wisdom he was learning. Now he must learn obedience and trust. Disturbing the water, she turned her gaze to Diana and how she was faring once more.
* * *
Diana’s feet stumbled on the uneven terrain as she tried to favour her tender feet. Her body still ached from her ordeal, but there was nothing for it but to press on, so she did, one painful step after another. This day’s journey had been more difficult than any she had taken. She had started the day well rested yet the whispers to rest had begun almost immediately. Weariness had settled into her bones like locusts into a field, stripping away her strength, and it was all she could do to move forward. Then there was her feet. They had held up for quite some time before she felt the first smart of pain. Long ago, when she was a child, her soles had been tough and she had run barefoot through wood and stream without any thought to injuring her feet. Now they were normally shod in a warrior’s sandals and unused to the rigours of the harsh terrain she now trod, easily cut and bruised. Greaves, designed to protect her legs from a frontal attack served equally well to ward off the harsh brush that now tore at her skin. Still she pressed on.
* * *
Artemis, having returned to Hera’s audience chamber, looked worriedly at her mother as she finished her tale.
“… and when morning came, it took much time and energy to awaken her. I fear there is something at work… “
“Or someone!”
Hera turned to look at Athena, who continued.
“You may recall that I had to absent myself from Zeus' council because one of my mortals was in peril of his life, yet still I have report that Morpheus was there.”
Hera shook her head.
“Dreams are Morpheus purview, not sleep.”
“But what of his brother? It would not be the first time he charmed someone to sleep, now would it, my queen?”
Hera looked angrily at Mnemosyne, a dark stare that softened after a few moments meeting that relentless gaze and ended with a soft shake of the head followed by an almost whisper.
“No, it would not.”
* * *
Step after painful step, Diana continued her journey, struggling against sleep every passing moment, but it was getting more and more difficult as Helios-Apollo, now two thirds through his journey, beat down on her relentlessly. No water and no shade only amplified the effects. This was not her preferred mode of travel, yet she had no choice. Not knowing where she was, only drawn to where she was going and having nowhere to stop for provisions, she could only continue. Food there was aplenty, all around her, but nowhere was there anything to provide her water. Then there was the pain. At first she had felt the sting of more than a half-dozen little cuts, either to her feet from sharp stones along her path or into her calves from the rough brush. That pain had grown and now her every step was a trial, not only because of the pain, but also because of the struggle to stay awake in the face of the unnatural weariness which assaulted her. Yet still she pressed on, picking up one foot, moving it forwards, putting it down, and repeating the procedure with the other foot. Left… right… to stop and rest would be to die so she kept on… left… right… with each step the voice…
Why struggle so? Rest but a little while and your limbs will carry you further and faster. Sleep.
Shaking her head to clear it, Diana picked up her feet, one by one, moving ever onwards, like a staggering drunk or one of the dead. The purpose of the moment extending only to her feet, nothing else mattered.
Your body is so tired you can hold it up no longer. Your eyelids want only to close, feel their weight as you struggle to keep them open. It is a battle you will never win. Sleep is as inevitable as the coming of night itself. Close your eyes and …
So lost was she in the battle that she nearly missed the sounds ahead of her and might have stumbled right into the midst of what was clearly bandits and a merchant.
“I have come through here many times. Your predecessor took only a portion as tribute that I might continue to bring my goods through here and both of us make a profit.”
“Not I, old man, I want it all. Your goods, your wagon, your daughter.”
“You leave her out of this or I w-uggh!”
“You will do nothing old man, except die.”
Diana attacked. Where her strength and focus came from, she did not know. She had no weapons such as she was used to fighting with, but it did not matter. Her lasso wrapped around the descending sword arm, yanking it off course so the sword was buried in the dust and the man wielding it bent over. Ignoring the pain in her feet, she rolled across his back, those feet impacting the face of a charging bandit. She was like a tempest in their midst, like Charybdis, a whirling maelstrom, unstoppable, her bracer easily turning a sword here, a palm strike to the chest there. Her lasso moved as if it were alive, striking this one, snaring that one and pulling him into yet another man with a sickening crunch that sent two more to stand before Hades.
Turning inside a blade, she pulled it into the chest of yet another before snapping the sword wielder’s neck. On and on she fought, neither asking nor granting quarter until all were dead and then…
Sleep.
… she collapsed, unconscious.
* * *
The old man looked at his daughter. Reassured that she was unharmed, he cautiously approached the fallen woman.
“Is she… ?”
“No child, she lives, but I know not what ails her. I can find no mark of battle on her. Come, help me get her to the wagon.”
* * *
Aponolus pointed to the pier.
“There it is, Galen, the Salides. A well found vessel by all reports, though why they should choose to name it after the coward of Dorlia remains a mystery. That is not all that is odd about this vessel. It is owned by a female merchant, Sappho, whose skill with money, harp, and voice are said to be unsurpassed. Were it not for Athena’s insistence that we use this vessel and her crew, I would not go near it.”
The big man shrugged, then smiled his easy smile and stepped briskly towards the vessel, leaving Galen no option but to follow.
* * *
Unseen by the man and his daughter, no less than Hera tended the moaning woman in their wagon that night, finally awakening her in the morning.
* * *
Diana’s eyes opened slowly to see an old man and a young woman gazing down at her.
“Where am I?”
“In the back of our wagon.”
Meaningless as the information was, it told Diana that she was no longer asleep.
“You were feverish most of the night.”
The young woman’s voice was light and musical, reminding Diana, almost, of another that she could not quite remember.
“How did I come to be in your wagon?”
The man smiled.
“The bandits set upon us as in years past, but this time they wanted everything, even my life. At just that moment you appeared almost from nowhere like some instrument of death, and in mere moments all of the bandits were dead and you had been taken by the fever.”
The young woman nodded.
“We feared for your life, and our own, for we thought you may have a plague, We were afraid to tend you closely, but it seems just a fever”
* * *
Hera appeared in her audience chamber, seated, looking both regal and worried as only a queen may do.
“You are quite right, Artemis, there is definitely something at work that seeks to keep Diana from waking, but I did not sense the presence of either Hypnos or Morpheus, though that does not rule out their involvement. As such, we must look in other directions though I am tasking you… “
Athena nodded and Hera continued
“… Artemis, with observing Hypnos.”
Athena’s surprise was clear, but Hera ignored it and continued.
“You, Athena, will seek out Hekate and together determine if some kind of witchcraft is used or if she herself is involved. You Mnemosyne, will attend me, I have need of your services.”
The goddess of memory paled, then nodded. Athena and Artemis inclined their heads, turned, and strode into nothingness as they left both the chamber and Olympus.
* * *
Diana marvelled at the softness of the sandals on her feet. The merchant dealt only in luxury goods and, as such, had no weapons to offer, but he did have sandals in her size. While the calf high lacings were a little pretentious for a warrior, she had, at their insistence, accepted the gift. Besides, overly luxurious or not, they would protect her feet, for a time at least.
The merchants had been bound for Feneos, which was in the same general direction that she had been going so she accompanied them on their way. The day passed uneventfully and Diana learned that they had purchased the goods in Corinth and were taking them home to sell. They made the trip two to three times a year, usually paying tribute to bandits along the way.
It was late in the day when she heard the sound of running water to the south.
“This has been the most pleasant day I have had on this journey, I thank you for your company, but our paths now diverge and I must take my leave.”
The man shook his head.
“It is we who should thank you. We would be dead, or worse, had you not intervened and your presence this day has insured our continued safety for I am certain no mere bandits are your equal.”
Diana smiled her thanks and turned away from the pleasant moment and back to her task.
Not too much time passed before she arrived at the water’s edge. Seeing no boat and not wishing to enter via the ferry, Diana chose the only other option open to her, taking a deep breath and diving into the dark, cold waters of the river.
PART 41
The hushed whispering of the surf running up the shore ended in a soft sigh. The water, struggling for a hold inland, gave up the battle, gently returning to the sea, yet it was a feint. It merely fled to seek reinforcements before returning, unrelenting, like an invading army. More and yet more waves lapped at the land, clawing their way as far inland as their strength would allow before being dragged back to the sea.
The waning gibbous moon broke out of the sea, softly lighting the rolling waves and the lone dishevelled figure in their midst dragging its way clear of their influence with agonizing slowness before, ultimately, collapsing in a shadowed heap.
Why do you fight me? Your body aches with the desire for rest. Your limbs are too heavy to carry any further. Here, beyond the reach of the sea, you may surrender, at last, your eyelids slowly drooping, your breathing, in and out, clearing your mind of its cares. Sleep.
Diana forced her eyes open, rolling onto her back, revelling in the feel of the sand beneath her. It had been a terrifying struggle. Even now her breathing came in ragged gasps from the last swim to shore.
Dim memories filled her mind: the burning ache in her chest as her body cried out for air… the sudden realization that her air starved body no longer had strength enough to swim to the surface… relaxing to conserve air… surrounded by the darkness of water… not daring to breathe… sinking while she unfastened and dropped her shield... removing her greaves so that she started to rise... clawing her way to the surface… the struggle… just to stay awake for a little bit longer… arms so tired they wanted to quit… her muscles screaming their pain with each movement… still she pressed on… arms moving… churning the water… legs kicking… pushing her upwards… her lungs on fire… her chest convulsing as those same lungs, wanting to suck in air, were denied by sheer force of will… the agonizing slowness with which she neared the surface as the darkness closed in on her... her head finally breaking free of the water’s grasp with a huge gasp that filled her mouth with the sweet taste of life… the vague memory of hands lifting her as she gasped for air, then… nothing until she swam up onto the beach.
Breathe deeply, relax. Enter sleep’s perfection. He will be there, waiting for you. Sleep
Shaking herself, Diana struggled to a sitting position, breathing deeply. She sat there for some time, resting on her elbows and enjoying the flavour of the crisp night air as it filled her lungs. Her eyelids softly flutter closed, then open, then begin to close again.
That’s it, relax… let free your mind to wander… lean back… eyelids are too heavy to lift – let them close… Sleep
Her eyes suddenly snapped open.
I must get up, get further inland
She struggled to rise, this time reaching unsteady feet. Noting her bare feet, she took inventory. Her sole remaining weapons were now her lasso, her bracers, and the strange arrow thrust in her belt. She ran her fingers over the strange metal once more. Without this weapon she would surely have died. Right now, though… she began to slog her way up the slope some steps, until she was well beyond the reach of the water that had carried her here, before collapsing to the ground once more. She struggled to rise, to press on…
Your limbs are too heavy… you have worked them so hard… pressed them beyond endurance… let them rest… a few moments only and all will be well. Rest. Sleep.
Her struggles ceased, her eyelids fluttering slowly closed, this time not to open, her breathing deepening and slowing as she drifted away…
* * *
Off shore a man and a woman watched the shadowy figure struggle from the deck of their ship.
“I still don’t understand why we can’t insure her safety while she rests. She saved our lives, the debt is ours to pay.”
He straightened, turning to the woman.
“We should protect her while she recovers. We owe her a great deal more than that.”
The woman slowly turned,
“Yes, Aeneid, we do.”
She looked at young Diana, gently resting in her arms, then sighed.
“Athena’s instructions were quite clear, beloved. Diana must not ever know that she has received our aide. Her fever ridden body needed the rest, probably needs more rest still, but this is all we may do. She could only shield our actions from the others for so long. She even had us deliver her back to the sea rather than sail inshore. Now, by our marriage agreement, when onboard you are not my husband but Captain of my ship and subject to my command. If we are at an impasse, you must simply obey my orders.”
Sappho smiled, robbing the words of any offence, and continued.
“It is what you asked for when you sought my hand.”
Aeneid sighed in agreement with all she had said, then smiled,
“Indeed, my love. It was your mind and skill as a merchant as much as your beauty that enraptured me.”
She gazed on him lovingly for a few more moments, then her face became once more serious as the two of them slipped back into their shipboard roles, her the merchant and he…
“Now, Captain, if you will set course for our next port of call?”
Aeneid bowed his head slightly,
“By your command.”
Raising his voice he turned towards the centre of the ship.
“Neklen!! prepare to alter course.”
“Aye, Captain, where does the Mistress bid us go?”
The voices died into the background of her thoughts as Sappho watched Diana until she faded from view, then turned her eyes to her child. Giving no thought to the inspiration she was to others and completely forgetting that it was her courage and determination that had insured that Diana had been able to defeat the sirens, she promised herself that her little Diana would grow to be just as brave and inspiring as the one she was named after.
* * *
Artemis looked at her mother, the queen.
“Even Diana needs sleep. See, she is too tired to press on.”
Hera nodded, “Go to her, tell her she may rest and finish her journey tomorrow.”
The goddess of the hunt’s feet tripped light and quick as she vanished from view, anticipation beating in her breast.
* * *
Diana’s eyes snapped open to find that she was firmly bound to a pillar in the midst of a cave. There was little light and what there was of it lit her as though she were a display. A familiar voice lilted out of the darkness.
“It has been some time since you last called for sanctuary.”
“I did not call for it now.”
“No, you were dreaming of HIM, of Aponolus instead of being here with your goddess.”
Diana sighed, a jealous Artemis was a danger to both herself and others.
“I do not know why I have been thinking of him so much since he saved me on the river. Perhaps he is my Orion?”
Artemis lineage showed in the tiny flecks of light that shone through her visage. Whatever words she had been about to speak died in her half open mouth and she turned away from Diana in a swirl of anger.
Sensing the emotion behind what she saw, Diana continued,
“Why are you angry with me, my goddess? Have I not called on your skill and cunning, giving you thanks for it? Have I failed you in some way? Is it just that I have not called for sanctuary? Or is there something more? You know that I am on a mission for Hera and not even you may pull me away until it is completed.”
She paused and Artemis fire banked.
“Of all the gods, it is you to whom I am closest, you who have given me sanctuary. Yet close as we are I am not, nor do I wish to be, one of you, so our time can only be fleeting moments stolen as life permits. At this time I have pressing matters to attend to, for this trifling task given me by Hera – there is something more to it. Something more important to her and, I think, to you.”
Diana shook her head in response to Artemis unasked question.
“No, you have given nothing away, but you were not my only teacher. Athena taught me to look beneath the surface of things, to hunt a far more elusive prey than man or beast. Motive. Now please, return me to my task that I may finish it?”
Artemis remained silent for a moment, when she finally spoke her voice was flat and emotionless.
“Hera has bid me tell you to rest and continue your journey tomorrow.”
Her voice changed, becoming emotionally charged once more as her fingers lightly caressed Diana’s breast.
“Would you not prefer to rest here?”
Diana shivered, then laughed nervously,
“You would call this rest?”
Artemis laughed, too, giving her a final caress as she removed her hands.
“For me, yes, but not, perhaps, for you. This place between worlds affects mortals differently than it does us.”
Diana became serious once more.
“But no, my goddess. Besides, I am not certain I can rest. Something nags at me to do so and I fear it is more than my body. I have a sense that if I sleep I may not awaken.”
Artemis face grew drawn with concern.
“You shall have rest, my sweet Diana, and I shall see to it that you not only sleep but awaken as well. I shall watch over you to see that it is so. Now rest.”
With those words, Diana’s world went dark.
* * *
Apollo’s chariot was a full third through its journey across the sky when Diana finally awoke. She stretched and stood. She was as she had been the night before, bare of foot, no cloak, and no shield. She did not know how she knew which direction to travel, but she began to walk Southeast as a person drawn.
* * *
Aponolus entered the stable to find Galen. The man he sought was busy tending the stock and he had to wait some short time.
“Which steed is yours, lord?”
Aponolus laughed.
“They trained you well, I see. But come, the ship we have been waiting for has arrived this morning.”
Galen looked puzzled.
“Ship? What ship?”
Aponolus looked at the veteran archer.
“Did you think the Lady Athena was through with you? Now that you have begun on the path to wisdom, she has a journey for you to take.”
His slap of camaraderie on Galen’s back rattled the man’s bones.
“Come, I said. We quest, you and I. For the Lady Athena!”
* * *
Athena smiled, Aponolus could be counted to handle, with Sappho’s help, the first part of the journey. She would give specifics to Galen at the right moment. Humility he had learned, wisdom he was learning. Now he must learn obedience and trust. Disturbing the water, she turned her gaze to Diana and how she was faring once more.
* * *
Diana’s feet stumbled on the uneven terrain as she tried to favour her tender feet. Her body still ached from her ordeal, but there was nothing for it but to press on, so she did, one painful step after another. This day’s journey had been more difficult than any she had taken. She had started the day well rested yet the whispers to rest had begun almost immediately. Weariness had settled into her bones like locusts into a field, stripping away her strength, and it was all she could do to move forward. Then there was her feet. They had held up for quite some time before she felt the first smart of pain. Long ago, when she was a child, her soles had been tough and she had run barefoot through wood and stream without any thought to injuring her feet. Now they were normally shod in a warrior’s sandals and unused to the rigours of the harsh terrain she now trod, easily cut and bruised. Greaves, designed to protect her legs from a frontal attack served equally well to ward off the harsh brush that now tore at her skin. Still she pressed on.
* * *
Artemis, having returned to Hera’s audience chamber, looked worriedly at her mother as she finished her tale.
“… and when morning came, it took much time and energy to awaken her. I fear there is something at work… “
“Or someone!”
Hera turned to look at Athena, who continued.
“You may recall that I had to absent myself from Zeus' council because one of my mortals was in peril of his life, yet still I have report that Morpheus was there.”
Hera shook her head.
“Dreams are Morpheus purview, not sleep.”
“But what of his brother? It would not be the first time he charmed someone to sleep, now would it, my queen?”
Hera looked angrily at Mnemosyne, a dark stare that softened after a few moments meeting that relentless gaze and ended with a soft shake of the head followed by an almost whisper.
“No, it would not.”
* * *
Step after painful step, Diana continued her journey, struggling against sleep every passing moment, but it was getting more and more difficult as Helios-Apollo, now two thirds through his journey, beat down on her relentlessly. No water and no shade only amplified the effects. This was not her preferred mode of travel, yet she had no choice. Not knowing where she was, only drawn to where she was going and having nowhere to stop for provisions, she could only continue. Food there was aplenty, all around her, but nowhere was there anything to provide her water. Then there was the pain. At first she had felt the sting of more than a half-dozen little cuts, either to her feet from sharp stones along her path or into her calves from the rough brush. That pain had grown and now her every step was a trial, not only because of the pain, but also because of the struggle to stay awake in the face of the unnatural weariness which assaulted her. Yet still she pressed on, picking up one foot, moving it forwards, putting it down, and repeating the procedure with the other foot. Left… right… to stop and rest would be to die so she kept on… left… right… with each step the voice…
Why struggle so? Rest but a little while and your limbs will carry you further and faster. Sleep.
Shaking her head to clear it, Diana picked up her feet, one by one, moving ever onwards, like a staggering drunk or one of the dead. The purpose of the moment extending only to her feet, nothing else mattered.
Your body is so tired you can hold it up no longer. Your eyelids want only to close, feel their weight as you struggle to keep them open. It is a battle you will never win. Sleep is as inevitable as the coming of night itself. Close your eyes and …
So lost was she in the battle that she nearly missed the sounds ahead of her and might have stumbled right into the midst of what was clearly bandits and a merchant.
“I have come through here many times. Your predecessor took only a portion as tribute that I might continue to bring my goods through here and both of us make a profit.”
“Not I, old man, I want it all. Your goods, your wagon, your daughter.”
“You leave her out of this or I w-uggh!”
“You will do nothing old man, except die.”
Diana attacked. Where her strength and focus came from, she did not know. She had no weapons such as she was used to fighting with, but it did not matter. Her lasso wrapped around the descending sword arm, yanking it off course so the sword was buried in the dust and the man wielding it bent over. Ignoring the pain in her feet, she rolled across his back, those feet impacting the face of a charging bandit. She was like a tempest in their midst, like Charybdis, a whirling maelstrom, unstoppable, her bracer easily turning a sword here, a palm strike to the chest there. Her lasso moved as if it were alive, striking this one, snaring that one and pulling him into yet another man with a sickening crunch that sent two more to stand before Hades.
Turning inside a blade, she pulled it into the chest of yet another before snapping the sword wielder’s neck. On and on she fought, neither asking nor granting quarter until all were dead and then…
Sleep.
… she collapsed, unconscious.
* * *
The old man looked at his daughter. Reassured that she was unharmed, he cautiously approached the fallen woman.
“Is she… ?”
“No child, she lives, but I know not what ails her. I can find no mark of battle on her. Come, help me get her to the wagon.”
* * *
Aponolus pointed to the pier.
“There it is, Galen, the Salides. A well found vessel by all reports, though why they should choose to name it after the coward of Dorlia remains a mystery. That is not all that is odd about this vessel. It is owned by a female merchant, Sappho, whose skill with money, harp, and voice are said to be unsurpassed. Were it not for Athena’s insistence that we use this vessel and her crew, I would not go near it.”
The big man shrugged, then smiled his easy smile and stepped briskly towards the vessel, leaving Galen no option but to follow.
* * *
Unseen by the man and his daughter, no less than Hera tended the moaning woman in their wagon that night, finally awakening her in the morning.
* * *
Diana’s eyes opened slowly to see an old man and a young woman gazing down at her.
“Where am I?”
“In the back of our wagon.”
Meaningless as the information was, it told Diana that she was no longer asleep.
“You were feverish most of the night.”
The young woman’s voice was light and musical, reminding Diana, almost, of another that she could not quite remember.
“How did I come to be in your wagon?”
The man smiled.
“The bandits set upon us as in years past, but this time they wanted everything, even my life. At just that moment you appeared almost from nowhere like some instrument of death, and in mere moments all of the bandits were dead and you had been taken by the fever.”
The young woman nodded.
“We feared for your life, and our own, for we thought you may have a plague, We were afraid to tend you closely, but it seems just a fever”
* * *
Hera appeared in her audience chamber, seated, looking both regal and worried as only a queen may do.
“You are quite right, Artemis, there is definitely something at work that seeks to keep Diana from waking, but I did not sense the presence of either Hypnos or Morpheus, though that does not rule out their involvement. As such, we must look in other directions though I am tasking you… “
Athena nodded and Hera continued
“… Artemis, with observing Hypnos.”
Athena’s surprise was clear, but Hera ignored it and continued.
“You, Athena, will seek out Hekate and together determine if some kind of witchcraft is used or if she herself is involved. You Mnemosyne, will attend me, I have need of your services.”
The goddess of memory paled, then nodded. Athena and Artemis inclined their heads, turned, and strode into nothingness as they left both the chamber and Olympus.
* * *
Diana marvelled at the softness of the sandals on her feet. The merchant dealt only in luxury goods and, as such, had no weapons to offer, but he did have sandals in her size. While the calf high lacings were a little pretentious for a warrior, she had, at their insistence, accepted the gift. Besides, overly luxurious or not, they would protect her feet, for a time at least.
The merchants had been bound for Feneos, which was in the same general direction that she had been going so she accompanied them on their way. The day passed uneventfully and Diana learned that they had purchased the goods in Corinth and were taking them home to sell. They made the trip two to three times a year, usually paying tribute to bandits along the way.
It was late in the day when she heard the sound of running water to the south.
“This has been the most pleasant day I have had on this journey, I thank you for your company, but our paths now diverge and I must take my leave.”
The man shook his head.
“It is we who should thank you. We would be dead, or worse, had you not intervened and your presence this day has insured our continued safety for I am certain no mere bandits are your equal.”
Diana smiled her thanks and turned away from the pleasant moment and back to her task.
Not too much time passed before she arrived at the water’s edge. Seeing no boat and not wishing to enter via the ferry, Diana chose the only other option open to her, taking a deep breath and diving into the dark, cold waters of the river.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Good stuff Drav, its great seeing the threads start to come together.
What story will they make? Cant wait to see!
What story will they make? Cant wait to see!
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
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Abductorenmadrid
- Millenium Member
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Yes, I am looking forward to the next bit. I had hit "like" for September's update when I had time but now realise I forgot to comment. Diana's journey continues but I think Hera is perhaps starting to get a grasp on what is happening, or at least who and what she may need to ensure the oathtaker's survival. Bring on October 1st!
My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
Thanks as ever for all comments
Part 42
The figure looked tired, his steps slow and deliberate, his posture stooped as he moved slowly among the bodies. His eyes were heavy lidded, his head dipped slightly, his breathing low and shallow.
As he made his way through the camp past the sleeping soldiers, he flicked his gaze left and right. He had visited most of them earlier; his brother was with them now. He flicked two fingers off to his left and a stirring soldier settled back down to sleep. He stopped beside a young soldier, about sixteen, who was lying face down, rhythmically grinding his groin into his ground blanket, slowly picking up his intensity. No doubt his brother had him humping Aphrodite herself, who probably bore an uncanny resemblance to the tavern maid who had given him his wine earlier. A part of him was jealous of his brother. Each night different, each person with a different dream. These men around him...how many dreamed of death? He wondered such things. This army would soon be called upon to fight, heavily outnumbered. Many here would fall into eternal sleep. How many did his brother toy with now, giving them portents and fear? But in truth as he looked over them, few seemed too troubled. Perhaps he was doing his brother a dis-service. Perhaps not.
He made his way through the sleeping soldiers, half tempted to put his touch upon the sentries – but he could not be that cruel. A sleeping sentry would be killed on discovery and these men were alert and doing their jobs well. They could not see him of course. Mortals could only see the Gods if they wished it, and he did not wish it. But one figure was looking at him.
He met the others gaze and headed towards him. Of course his brother was here before him. Morpheus looked impatiently at him now as he spoke.
“Oh you decided to come then! I thought you may have fallen asleep....”
“That has to be the thousandth time you have said this to me, my Dark Brother.” Hypnos said with a sigh.
“Put your hand upon him and let me do my work as we agreed. Something tells me what we do here is NOT for the will of Zeus...” Morpheus said irritably.
“It is. I tell you in faith and truth my brother – we do it for him.”
“Then why are we not in the time of the trip to the Underworld? I SENSE IT! That was many sleeps and dreams ago from this time...”
“We are Gods. Time is different for us. This mission IS to stop the Amazon but it was started BEFORE the trip to the underworld was orchestrated. It just happens to end now is all”
“Then the Underworld plan fails!”
“Not necessarily. I do not know. I only know that this is my plan and this is its final part and this ends tonight. With the dream you shall give him. If the scheme in the Realm of Hades works, then all we have done is give him a bad dream” he flicked a hand towards the restless soldier a few feet away. The snoring of others was stopping him from sleeping. Hypnos was here to solve that little issue. Morpheus was here to warn him in his dreams. To warn him that the Woman of Clay was coming for him.
Morpheus looked around at his handiwork among the other sleepers. This smacked of a plan of his brothers. Slow. Patient. Tiresome. But he had agreed to help him, and the word of a God to a fellow God was inviolable. But he had agreed to this before the latest escapde with Zeus and the Amazon going to the Underworld, and that was where he longed to be now. Of course in a way he was, as time worked differently for the Gods and much happened simultaneously. But while he was here, he just felt...like he was missing something. Still, he had made it known to Zeus of his involvement...so his father would reward him with either of these escapades ending successfully. A win-win situation for him. He felt more reassured.
“Come brother. Let us warn this Amazon killer.”
***
A chorus of groans greeted the outcome as the victor swept his hands across the Mercala board to claim the last few pebbles of his opponent, who turned away in disgust.
“A good game, stout Lutes! A good game! But I am better!” the winner said happily sweeping the scattering of gambled coins off the table into his other palm. “Any one else want to challenge the champion?!” he declared to a torrent of negative groans and moans.
“You are a player indeed...” said a voice from a dark corner of the tavern. A large framed man was in shadow, leaning casually against the far wall.
“None better in Phocis! But who are you? I thought I knew all in this army...”
“I am not in this nor any other army...nor am I a spy. I am...a.. traveller, you might say. You have travelled far too, I think. Soldier of Phocis.”
“Me? No-no, not I...” the man said hurriedly. “Will you play?”
“Oh yes I shall play. Soldier of Phocis..... What is your name....”
“I am Homerus, all know me here” he swept an arm to include those around him.
“Homerus...you remind me of another, Homerus. Soldier of Phocis.”
“I have one of those faces I guess...” the man called Homerus said, sensing something dangerous in this stranger.
He walked up to the table to stand opposite Homerus, leaning on both knuckles , he raised his head slowly, to stare into the Phocian's eyes. There was a long moment of silence between them, and Homerus felt his mouth go suddenly dry.
“This other man....he was also a soldier...a bow captain, like you...” he left the sentence hanging there between them. “Homerus....Soldier of Phocis.”
“I- I have always been in these parts, never travelled far from my home and I know you not , stranger...”
“Your skin says differently ...” he gestured with a flick of the fingers at the paler, whiter skin of Homerus and those of the others in the room, all darker, olive skinned men. Men of Phocis.
“You have the white skin of the north...and the accent...well it reminds me of Dorlia. Strangely, my bow captain was also from Dorlia....”
“I-I am not he! I am Homerus of Phocis!”
“Yet you look as he did, your skin, your voice...you look like Rennios the Dorlian Bow Captain...”
“I-I am not he! “ he laughed a forced laugh. “I am Homerus, Homerus, not this- this Dorlian you speak of! All the Dorlians are dead now! All know this!”
“Not all are dead. Rennios the Bow Captain still lives, I hear.”
“I am not he! I AM NOT HE!!” Homerus shouted his face growing more and more horrified.
The stranger stood back, patting the air between them with a palm, a calming gesture. “Then I am wrong. You are not the man she seeks...”
“S-she?” his voice was quaking “Y-you said...she...?”
“The Amazon...the killer of men...the maker of the slain...she who took Talgartha and a hundred of his men, they say....”
“Three hundred” someone corrected him
“Ah thank you, that is right 300 men they say she killed. They say the Amazon hunts all who were in the army...the Dorlian army... I had news of her for the one called Rennios...” he turned away, “but if you are not he, then....”
“Wait! Wait, stranger!” Homerus called desperately, then recovered himself. “I- I may run into this Rennios when we join the main army. Perhaps he will be there. I can pass on your message...what is it.?”
The figure leaned back onto the table with both knuckles and his face grew dark, his features indistinct; the flesh seemed to shrink to the cheek bones and lose its colour, greying and drying before his very eyes until it was like worn grey parchment, wispy flakes of it cracking and peeling up to reveal rotting flesh and maggots writhing just beneath it. The eyes seemed to become brighter as the eye sockets appeared to enlarge as the skin shrank away from them to leave the eyeballs framed by the dark circles of the black sockets as the eyes themselves glowed red. The lips withered and dried and curled back, revealing a rictus grin and shriveled, blackened tongue. He spoke words in a dry, rasping voice like dead wood being rubbed with sand.
“The Amazon comes for YOU Rennios, the Bow Captain of Dorlia” a boney finger snaked out to point at Rennios as he backed away screaming.
“AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!” he sat bolt upright, eyes wide and covered in sweat, as those around him stirred hastily, reaching for weapons sleepily as the sentries sprang to, scouring the darkness and the slumbering bodies. Apart from the sound of the men stirring and the panicked cries and muttered questions of those waking there were no other sounds of attack.
“Ahhh ! Its just Rennios! He dreamed of her again!” called one of the Phocian guards in disgust. "As you were...all is well...the old fool had nightmares again...."
“How many more times must we come to him? “ Morpheus asked his brother as they watched in the ethereal realm
“No more. He knows in his heart that she comes for him. That will be enough for him to be alert and ready when she does. Forewarned is indeed forearmed.” he smiled
"You gave him the dream as we said...?"
Morpheus nodded hesitantly but did not meet his brother's gaze. The dream his brother had offered up was ....so...dull. His version had been better.
“In his dream...he was calling himself Homerus...” Morpheus said almost to himself. “That was a name he wished he had called himself when he settled among the Phocians, instead of keeping his REAL name. The poor fool” he smiled .”Such a small dream to have.”
Hypnos turned to his brother “He dreams of ways that might have helped him avoid her blade. Not such a fool after all...”
Morpheus scowled at his brother “Come, let us resume in the Underworld.” he said irritably.
“That is your path. Not mine.” Hypnos said with a smile.
***
Hera watched as Hypnos approached her. He had done little to help in the overthrow of the Titans, but then he was god of Sleep, not thunder and lightning.
Her heart quickened as she thought of he whom she had just married. Such a strong arm, such fire within. He was truly a match for her own inner fire.
Hypnos bowed, taking her hand in his.
“Congratulations, oh queen, on both your victory and your marriage. I have already sworn fealty to Zeus, now I do so to you as well.”
He looked up at her.
“Your hand quivers, oh queen. Are you nervous? Anxious, perhaps, because you are now queen of the gods? Worry not, oh queen, relax. You have won a great victory. Surely it was a hard fought one. Much power thrown about, weakening all, for I was not able to catch even one of them by surprise so that they might – sleep.”
The word had about it something of a command. All his words had, in fact, been spoken in that gentle, relaxing tone of his. She found it difficult to stay awake. What was he doing? Why was he… ?
“You should sit, oh queen, for you seem tired. I can see the weariness in your legs, you can barely stand. Sit and I will swear my oath.”
Her legs gave out and she did sit. Her mouth was dry, the strength was leaving her but… how?
“That’s better, oh queen, lean back and relax. Listen to my voice as I swear my oath. Hear how restful it sounds, how peaceful after such a battle as you have won. You need the peacefulness, the rest, the sleep.”
Her bosom heaved with deep even breathing as she slumped back in her chair, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to remain…
“Yes, oh queen, sleep. Sleep and hear that you are my queen. You will be my queen, won’t you Hera?”
She found herself nodding.
“Yes. Your queen.”
His soft voice continued.
“Yes, my queen. My queen to command, your deeds to please the lady Nyx. Do you love this Zeus you have married?”
Confusion, his queen to… ?
“Yes, I love him.”
Good, this would make things far easier.
Part 42
The figure looked tired, his steps slow and deliberate, his posture stooped as he moved slowly among the bodies. His eyes were heavy lidded, his head dipped slightly, his breathing low and shallow.
As he made his way through the camp past the sleeping soldiers, he flicked his gaze left and right. He had visited most of them earlier; his brother was with them now. He flicked two fingers off to his left and a stirring soldier settled back down to sleep. He stopped beside a young soldier, about sixteen, who was lying face down, rhythmically grinding his groin into his ground blanket, slowly picking up his intensity. No doubt his brother had him humping Aphrodite herself, who probably bore an uncanny resemblance to the tavern maid who had given him his wine earlier. A part of him was jealous of his brother. Each night different, each person with a different dream. These men around him...how many dreamed of death? He wondered such things. This army would soon be called upon to fight, heavily outnumbered. Many here would fall into eternal sleep. How many did his brother toy with now, giving them portents and fear? But in truth as he looked over them, few seemed too troubled. Perhaps he was doing his brother a dis-service. Perhaps not.
He made his way through the sleeping soldiers, half tempted to put his touch upon the sentries – but he could not be that cruel. A sleeping sentry would be killed on discovery and these men were alert and doing their jobs well. They could not see him of course. Mortals could only see the Gods if they wished it, and he did not wish it. But one figure was looking at him.
He met the others gaze and headed towards him. Of course his brother was here before him. Morpheus looked impatiently at him now as he spoke.
“Oh you decided to come then! I thought you may have fallen asleep....”
“That has to be the thousandth time you have said this to me, my Dark Brother.” Hypnos said with a sigh.
“Put your hand upon him and let me do my work as we agreed. Something tells me what we do here is NOT for the will of Zeus...” Morpheus said irritably.
“It is. I tell you in faith and truth my brother – we do it for him.”
“Then why are we not in the time of the trip to the Underworld? I SENSE IT! That was many sleeps and dreams ago from this time...”
“We are Gods. Time is different for us. This mission IS to stop the Amazon but it was started BEFORE the trip to the underworld was orchestrated. It just happens to end now is all”
“Then the Underworld plan fails!”
“Not necessarily. I do not know. I only know that this is my plan and this is its final part and this ends tonight. With the dream you shall give him. If the scheme in the Realm of Hades works, then all we have done is give him a bad dream” he flicked a hand towards the restless soldier a few feet away. The snoring of others was stopping him from sleeping. Hypnos was here to solve that little issue. Morpheus was here to warn him in his dreams. To warn him that the Woman of Clay was coming for him.
Morpheus looked around at his handiwork among the other sleepers. This smacked of a plan of his brothers. Slow. Patient. Tiresome. But he had agreed to help him, and the word of a God to a fellow God was inviolable. But he had agreed to this before the latest escapde with Zeus and the Amazon going to the Underworld, and that was where he longed to be now. Of course in a way he was, as time worked differently for the Gods and much happened simultaneously. But while he was here, he just felt...like he was missing something. Still, he had made it known to Zeus of his involvement...so his father would reward him with either of these escapades ending successfully. A win-win situation for him. He felt more reassured.
“Come brother. Let us warn this Amazon killer.”
***
A chorus of groans greeted the outcome as the victor swept his hands across the Mercala board to claim the last few pebbles of his opponent, who turned away in disgust.
“A good game, stout Lutes! A good game! But I am better!” the winner said happily sweeping the scattering of gambled coins off the table into his other palm. “Any one else want to challenge the champion?!” he declared to a torrent of negative groans and moans.
“You are a player indeed...” said a voice from a dark corner of the tavern. A large framed man was in shadow, leaning casually against the far wall.
“None better in Phocis! But who are you? I thought I knew all in this army...”
“I am not in this nor any other army...nor am I a spy. I am...a.. traveller, you might say. You have travelled far too, I think. Soldier of Phocis.”
“Me? No-no, not I...” the man said hurriedly. “Will you play?”
“Oh yes I shall play. Soldier of Phocis..... What is your name....”
“I am Homerus, all know me here” he swept an arm to include those around him.
“Homerus...you remind me of another, Homerus. Soldier of Phocis.”
“I have one of those faces I guess...” the man called Homerus said, sensing something dangerous in this stranger.
He walked up to the table to stand opposite Homerus, leaning on both knuckles , he raised his head slowly, to stare into the Phocian's eyes. There was a long moment of silence between them, and Homerus felt his mouth go suddenly dry.
“This other man....he was also a soldier...a bow captain, like you...” he left the sentence hanging there between them. “Homerus....Soldier of Phocis.”
“I- I have always been in these parts, never travelled far from my home and I know you not , stranger...”
“Your skin says differently ...” he gestured with a flick of the fingers at the paler, whiter skin of Homerus and those of the others in the room, all darker, olive skinned men. Men of Phocis.
“You have the white skin of the north...and the accent...well it reminds me of Dorlia. Strangely, my bow captain was also from Dorlia....”
“I-I am not he! I am Homerus of Phocis!”
“Yet you look as he did, your skin, your voice...you look like Rennios the Dorlian Bow Captain...”
“I-I am not he! “ he laughed a forced laugh. “I am Homerus, Homerus, not this- this Dorlian you speak of! All the Dorlians are dead now! All know this!”
“Not all are dead. Rennios the Bow Captain still lives, I hear.”
“I am not he! I AM NOT HE!!” Homerus shouted his face growing more and more horrified.
The stranger stood back, patting the air between them with a palm, a calming gesture. “Then I am wrong. You are not the man she seeks...”
“S-she?” his voice was quaking “Y-you said...she...?”
“The Amazon...the killer of men...the maker of the slain...she who took Talgartha and a hundred of his men, they say....”
“Three hundred” someone corrected him
“Ah thank you, that is right 300 men they say she killed. They say the Amazon hunts all who were in the army...the Dorlian army... I had news of her for the one called Rennios...” he turned away, “but if you are not he, then....”
“Wait! Wait, stranger!” Homerus called desperately, then recovered himself. “I- I may run into this Rennios when we join the main army. Perhaps he will be there. I can pass on your message...what is it.?”
The figure leaned back onto the table with both knuckles and his face grew dark, his features indistinct; the flesh seemed to shrink to the cheek bones and lose its colour, greying and drying before his very eyes until it was like worn grey parchment, wispy flakes of it cracking and peeling up to reveal rotting flesh and maggots writhing just beneath it. The eyes seemed to become brighter as the eye sockets appeared to enlarge as the skin shrank away from them to leave the eyeballs framed by the dark circles of the black sockets as the eyes themselves glowed red. The lips withered and dried and curled back, revealing a rictus grin and shriveled, blackened tongue. He spoke words in a dry, rasping voice like dead wood being rubbed with sand.
“The Amazon comes for YOU Rennios, the Bow Captain of Dorlia” a boney finger snaked out to point at Rennios as he backed away screaming.
“AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!” he sat bolt upright, eyes wide and covered in sweat, as those around him stirred hastily, reaching for weapons sleepily as the sentries sprang to, scouring the darkness and the slumbering bodies. Apart from the sound of the men stirring and the panicked cries and muttered questions of those waking there were no other sounds of attack.
“Ahhh ! Its just Rennios! He dreamed of her again!” called one of the Phocian guards in disgust. "As you were...all is well...the old fool had nightmares again...."
“How many more times must we come to him? “ Morpheus asked his brother as they watched in the ethereal realm
“No more. He knows in his heart that she comes for him. That will be enough for him to be alert and ready when she does. Forewarned is indeed forearmed.” he smiled
"You gave him the dream as we said...?"
Morpheus nodded hesitantly but did not meet his brother's gaze. The dream his brother had offered up was ....so...dull. His version had been better.
“In his dream...he was calling himself Homerus...” Morpheus said almost to himself. “That was a name he wished he had called himself when he settled among the Phocians, instead of keeping his REAL name. The poor fool” he smiled .”Such a small dream to have.”
Hypnos turned to his brother “He dreams of ways that might have helped him avoid her blade. Not such a fool after all...”
Morpheus scowled at his brother “Come, let us resume in the Underworld.” he said irritably.
“That is your path. Not mine.” Hypnos said with a smile.
***
Hera watched as Hypnos approached her. He had done little to help in the overthrow of the Titans, but then he was god of Sleep, not thunder and lightning.
Her heart quickened as she thought of he whom she had just married. Such a strong arm, such fire within. He was truly a match for her own inner fire.
Hypnos bowed, taking her hand in his.
“Congratulations, oh queen, on both your victory and your marriage. I have already sworn fealty to Zeus, now I do so to you as well.”
He looked up at her.
“Your hand quivers, oh queen. Are you nervous? Anxious, perhaps, because you are now queen of the gods? Worry not, oh queen, relax. You have won a great victory. Surely it was a hard fought one. Much power thrown about, weakening all, for I was not able to catch even one of them by surprise so that they might – sleep.”
The word had about it something of a command. All his words had, in fact, been spoken in that gentle, relaxing tone of his. She found it difficult to stay awake. What was he doing? Why was he… ?
“You should sit, oh queen, for you seem tired. I can see the weariness in your legs, you can barely stand. Sit and I will swear my oath.”
Her legs gave out and she did sit. Her mouth was dry, the strength was leaving her but… how?
“That’s better, oh queen, lean back and relax. Listen to my voice as I swear my oath. Hear how restful it sounds, how peaceful after such a battle as you have won. You need the peacefulness, the rest, the sleep.”
Her bosom heaved with deep even breathing as she slumped back in her chair, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to remain…
“Yes, oh queen, sleep. Sleep and hear that you are my queen. You will be my queen, won’t you Hera?”
She found herself nodding.
“Yes. Your queen.”
His soft voice continued.
“Yes, my queen. My queen to command, your deeds to please the lady Nyx. Do you love this Zeus you have married?”
Confusion, his queen to… ?
“Yes, I love him.”
Good, this would make things far easier.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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Abductorenmadrid
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Hypnos and Morpheus, a powerful combination and now Hypnos really is starting to get his hands dirty, crossing the Rubicon so to speak working his craft on Hera.
My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
PART 43
Hypnos was tired, physically. Flitting through time, being in many points of existence at once, sapped the energy even of gods. As he left his brother in a future time and returned to the point of continuity, he should have felt stronger, recovered some of his ailing strength. But he still felt tired. Tired and weaker. He frowned trying to fathom why. He needed to be with Hera, yet something , some doubt, called him back to his brother.
He sought out his Brother at this point in time.
“Morrrrrrrrpppppphhhhheeeeeeeussssssss”
“What now?!!!" his fellow God said irritably as he appeared by his side. “Did we not just part company?”
“You delivered the dream as we discussed?” Hypnos asked, ever more anxious.
Morpheus sighed heavily and looked away. “Yes, yes I did...”
Something in his demeanour warned Hypnos. “You conveyed the dream as we discussed? The Marcala game, beating Lutes in the clearing, all of it”
Morpheus hesitated slightly. “Y-yes, yes all of it.”
“ALL as we spoke?”
“Yes....” but again he had looked away.
Hypnos didnt trust him.
“Lutes, the game of Marcala, the clearing, ALL of it?” he said once more with emphasis.
“Yes, yes. All of it.” He said flatly, with no conviction.
“Then let us see our handiwork.” Hypnos said sensing the anger rising within him as he and his brother moved through time once more as he gripped his arm.
They appeared around a camp fire, invisible to the small knot of Greeks gathered around it for warmth.
Rennios was there, amid the cluster of men, a Marcala board before him.
“A good game, stout Lutes! A good game! But I am better!” the winner said happily sweeping the scattering of gambled coins off the flat rock that doubled as a table and into his other palm. “Any one else want to challenge the champion?!” he declared to a torrent of negative groans and moans.
His manner was at ease, casual almost, relaxed and Hypnos knew in that moment that Morpheus had somehow messed this up.
“YOU HAVE CHANGED IT! YOU HAVE CHANGED THE DREAM!!!!”
“It was all there!” Morpheus said dismissively. “the Marcala board, beating Lutes, all there.”
“Then why is he not alert now, in this time, if the signs were there in your dream? HE IS AT EASE! HE CARES NOT! She comes for him as we speak! WHAT DID YOU CHANGE, WHAT, TELL ME, TELL MEEEEE!!!!” Hypnos bellowed angrily at his brother.
“Nothing....” Morpheus sighed. “Well , nothing important anyway...”
“WHAT!!!!??? WHAT WAS IT?!!!!”
Morpheus sighed once more. “I...I just...Oh brother it was a small change of no import...”
“WHAT?!!!!!”
“I just- it was just that your dream was so dull...no imagination...”
“WHAT. DID. YOU. ALTER?”
“You had it in a clearing...I just made it a tavern, thats all....there was still Lutes and him winning the game and the Marcala board.....”
Hypnos closed his eyes slowly and raised his face despondently to the heavens. “The clearing was ALL. IT HAD TO BE IN THE CLEARING FOR HIM TO BE WARNED! TO BE READY FOR WHEN SHE COMES FOR HIM! You have undone everything. Do you know the price I paid to be able to see the end the Fates had for him?
The clearing was the first trigger from Mnemosyne. I am in her debt too. He would remember your dream. He would remember the clearing. It would put him on guard, then the Marcala game and beating Lutes would be the second and third markers. All so that he would be ready. That he would be alert. That he would KNOW she was upon him and strike her down first. YOU HAVE DESTROYED THE SCHEME. You foolish dreamer...” Hypnos said in disgust.
As Lutes walked away from him Rennios had a twinge of deja vu. He frowned for a moment and then shook his head dismissively. “No more takers? Ah well, and I have all this coin ready to lose...no?”
He stood up stiffly from the flat rock he had been perched upon and stretched, supporting his back with his palms.
He glanced around at the others at the campfire. He had led better men in the past. But they were all dead now. Some said they had been hunted down by an Amazon. But the Amazons too were all dead. No one could have hunted down so many men surely? But the men were all dead either way.
“Going for a piss”
He headed out into the night, away from the fire, to relieve himself, his steps at first slow and stiff before his limbs became more supple and he could move more freely.
He thought of the stories of the Amazon. They had frightened him, but he dismissed his fears. She could not be real. All the Amazons were dead by now, surely? Those that weren't dead had disappeared, lost to history.
Lost in thought, he found he had wandered a little further away from the watchfire than he had intended. No matter. He exposed himself and started to urinate.
As his urine stream faded away he stiffened. It wasn't a sound that made him freeze, but the sudden realization that there was NO sound at all. Any animals nearby in the night had been scared away. By something. Or someone.
Diana looked at him sullenly from the shadows, her knuckles whitening against the sword handle. She shifted her grip to a shorter dagger. His voice had chilled her when she had first heard it, an echo of a memory from that terrible day so long ago.
She remembered bitterly seeing him and his men fire point blank into the backs of Mela and her warriors in the rearguard. They had deserved a better end. “Knock. Draw. ...Loose” she could hear those words now like a death sentence pronounced upon her sisters. “Knock. Draw. ...Loose.”
Rennios turned to look around into the darkness. His mouth was dry. He swallowed , yet it was still dry.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” it was a whisper in the dark, hardly heard, a call from his past. His head snapped up looking left and right.
“WHO IS IT?” he called “What is the watchword?!!!!"
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” the same sharp whisper in the dark, barely audible, a hiss of hate flicked out at him from the surrounding darkness.
“That is not the watchword!” he said panicking, a quiver in his voice.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.”
He reached for his sword, but remembered he had unbuckled it to sit at the fire. He clutched instead at the small dagger at his waist, drawing it silently.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.”
“Who is it? Who is there?!”
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” louder this time, nearer. A darker tone.
Rennios squinted into the night trying to discern a shape among the scrub.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” Louder still and from a different direction.
He turned and spun, agitated, thrashing at the darkness with his dagger.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” Louder and behind him.
He realized he was turning constantly, spinning around like a top, looking left and right at nothing.
“Show yourself!”
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” Louder and behind him once again. A whisper laced with menace.
He spun and turned and realized now that he had no idea as to which direction the watchfire was. He could see nothing in the darkness save odd shapes and the only sound was his own heavy breathing.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” quieter again but impossibly close.
Rennios stared wide eyed and fearful into the night, brandishing the dagger clumsily ahead of him, swishing it ineffectually back and forth before himself to ward off the invisible threat.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” This time, it was at his side, but behind him, so close that he could feel her warm breath in his ear. He had no time to react however, as he could also feel the blade cold at his throat.
He stiffened, panting, his mouth like the desert, his lips quivering as he froze, not daring to move.
Knock. Diana thrust the point of her dagger into his neck swiftly, just below the left ear, feeling the slight resistance of his skin yield to her blade.
Draw. She drew the razor sharp blade skillfully towards herself with the practiced ease of a warrior, slicing through the front of his throat, parting his jugular as if it were warm butter.
Loose. She pulled it clear and left him clutching at his throat, gurgling in his own blood as he sank to his knees. She wiped his blood off her blade on his right shoulder, slowly , deliberately, first one side of the dagger then the other.
She looked contemptuously at the man dying in front of her, she raised her foot and pushed him in the back, sprawling him flat in the dirt. He writhed and gurgled for a few moments, as all the while she just stared down at him, compassionlessly. He was an older man now than she remembered him. But he was still treacherous scum that deserved to die. As his lifeblood left him, so too the red glow of the star of her tiara faded beneath the scrap of cloth that she had used to hide it from him, lest it reveal her presence. She pulled the rag free and tucked it into her scabbard belt, then spat on his corpse.
Beside her, unseen Hypnos glared at Morpheus.
“You fool.” He said venomously.
Morpheus shifted uncomfortably beneath the gaze of his angry brother.
“He was to be ready, READY! Ready for her when she stepped from the shadows, You have made him this bleeding piece of earth” Hypnos gestured angrily.
“We have other more pressing business than you gloating, brother.” Morpheus said sulkily.
“Yes, we do. And it is only as you are needed that you will be spared our Father's wrath."Hypnos hissed. "Come. We must attend to our business with the Queen.”
Hypnos was tired, physically. Flitting through time, being in many points of existence at once, sapped the energy even of gods. As he left his brother in a future time and returned to the point of continuity, he should have felt stronger, recovered some of his ailing strength. But he still felt tired. Tired and weaker. He frowned trying to fathom why. He needed to be with Hera, yet something , some doubt, called him back to his brother.
He sought out his Brother at this point in time.
“Morrrrrrrrpppppphhhhheeeeeeeussssssss”
“What now?!!!" his fellow God said irritably as he appeared by his side. “Did we not just part company?”
“You delivered the dream as we discussed?” Hypnos asked, ever more anxious.
Morpheus sighed heavily and looked away. “Yes, yes I did...”
Something in his demeanour warned Hypnos. “You conveyed the dream as we discussed? The Marcala game, beating Lutes in the clearing, all of it”
Morpheus hesitated slightly. “Y-yes, yes all of it.”
“ALL as we spoke?”
“Yes....” but again he had looked away.
Hypnos didnt trust him.
“Lutes, the game of Marcala, the clearing, ALL of it?” he said once more with emphasis.
“Yes, yes. All of it.” He said flatly, with no conviction.
“Then let us see our handiwork.” Hypnos said sensing the anger rising within him as he and his brother moved through time once more as he gripped his arm.
They appeared around a camp fire, invisible to the small knot of Greeks gathered around it for warmth.
Rennios was there, amid the cluster of men, a Marcala board before him.
“A good game, stout Lutes! A good game! But I am better!” the winner said happily sweeping the scattering of gambled coins off the flat rock that doubled as a table and into his other palm. “Any one else want to challenge the champion?!” he declared to a torrent of negative groans and moans.
His manner was at ease, casual almost, relaxed and Hypnos knew in that moment that Morpheus had somehow messed this up.
“YOU HAVE CHANGED IT! YOU HAVE CHANGED THE DREAM!!!!”
“It was all there!” Morpheus said dismissively. “the Marcala board, beating Lutes, all there.”
“Then why is he not alert now, in this time, if the signs were there in your dream? HE IS AT EASE! HE CARES NOT! She comes for him as we speak! WHAT DID YOU CHANGE, WHAT, TELL ME, TELL MEEEEE!!!!” Hypnos bellowed angrily at his brother.
“Nothing....” Morpheus sighed. “Well , nothing important anyway...”
“WHAT!!!!??? WHAT WAS IT?!!!!”
Morpheus sighed once more. “I...I just...Oh brother it was a small change of no import...”
“WHAT?!!!!!”
“I just- it was just that your dream was so dull...no imagination...”
“WHAT. DID. YOU. ALTER?”
“You had it in a clearing...I just made it a tavern, thats all....there was still Lutes and him winning the game and the Marcala board.....”
Hypnos closed his eyes slowly and raised his face despondently to the heavens. “The clearing was ALL. IT HAD TO BE IN THE CLEARING FOR HIM TO BE WARNED! TO BE READY FOR WHEN SHE COMES FOR HIM! You have undone everything. Do you know the price I paid to be able to see the end the Fates had for him?
The clearing was the first trigger from Mnemosyne. I am in her debt too. He would remember your dream. He would remember the clearing. It would put him on guard, then the Marcala game and beating Lutes would be the second and third markers. All so that he would be ready. That he would be alert. That he would KNOW she was upon him and strike her down first. YOU HAVE DESTROYED THE SCHEME. You foolish dreamer...” Hypnos said in disgust.
As Lutes walked away from him Rennios had a twinge of deja vu. He frowned for a moment and then shook his head dismissively. “No more takers? Ah well, and I have all this coin ready to lose...no?”
He stood up stiffly from the flat rock he had been perched upon and stretched, supporting his back with his palms.
He glanced around at the others at the campfire. He had led better men in the past. But they were all dead now. Some said they had been hunted down by an Amazon. But the Amazons too were all dead. No one could have hunted down so many men surely? But the men were all dead either way.
“Going for a piss”
He headed out into the night, away from the fire, to relieve himself, his steps at first slow and stiff before his limbs became more supple and he could move more freely.
He thought of the stories of the Amazon. They had frightened him, but he dismissed his fears. She could not be real. All the Amazons were dead by now, surely? Those that weren't dead had disappeared, lost to history.
Lost in thought, he found he had wandered a little further away from the watchfire than he had intended. No matter. He exposed himself and started to urinate.
As his urine stream faded away he stiffened. It wasn't a sound that made him freeze, but the sudden realization that there was NO sound at all. Any animals nearby in the night had been scared away. By something. Or someone.
Diana looked at him sullenly from the shadows, her knuckles whitening against the sword handle. She shifted her grip to a shorter dagger. His voice had chilled her when she had first heard it, an echo of a memory from that terrible day so long ago.
She remembered bitterly seeing him and his men fire point blank into the backs of Mela and her warriors in the rearguard. They had deserved a better end. “Knock. Draw. ...Loose” she could hear those words now like a death sentence pronounced upon her sisters. “Knock. Draw. ...Loose.”
Rennios turned to look around into the darkness. His mouth was dry. He swallowed , yet it was still dry.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” it was a whisper in the dark, hardly heard, a call from his past. His head snapped up looking left and right.
“WHO IS IT?” he called “What is the watchword?!!!!"
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” the same sharp whisper in the dark, barely audible, a hiss of hate flicked out at him from the surrounding darkness.
“That is not the watchword!” he said panicking, a quiver in his voice.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.”
He reached for his sword, but remembered he had unbuckled it to sit at the fire. He clutched instead at the small dagger at his waist, drawing it silently.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.”
“Who is it? Who is there?!”
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” louder this time, nearer. A darker tone.
Rennios squinted into the night trying to discern a shape among the scrub.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” Louder still and from a different direction.
He turned and spun, agitated, thrashing at the darkness with his dagger.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” Louder and behind him.
He realized he was turning constantly, spinning around like a top, looking left and right at nothing.
“Show yourself!”
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” Louder and behind him once again. A whisper laced with menace.
He spun and turned and realized now that he had no idea as to which direction the watchfire was. He could see nothing in the darkness save odd shapes and the only sound was his own heavy breathing.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” quieter again but impossibly close.
Rennios stared wide eyed and fearful into the night, brandishing the dagger clumsily ahead of him, swishing it ineffectually back and forth before himself to ward off the invisible threat.
“Knock. Draw. ...Loose.” This time, it was at his side, but behind him, so close that he could feel her warm breath in his ear. He had no time to react however, as he could also feel the blade cold at his throat.
He stiffened, panting, his mouth like the desert, his lips quivering as he froze, not daring to move.
Knock. Diana thrust the point of her dagger into his neck swiftly, just below the left ear, feeling the slight resistance of his skin yield to her blade.
Draw. She drew the razor sharp blade skillfully towards herself with the practiced ease of a warrior, slicing through the front of his throat, parting his jugular as if it were warm butter.
Loose. She pulled it clear and left him clutching at his throat, gurgling in his own blood as he sank to his knees. She wiped his blood off her blade on his right shoulder, slowly , deliberately, first one side of the dagger then the other.
She looked contemptuously at the man dying in front of her, she raised her foot and pushed him in the back, sprawling him flat in the dirt. He writhed and gurgled for a few moments, as all the while she just stared down at him, compassionlessly. He was an older man now than she remembered him. But he was still treacherous scum that deserved to die. As his lifeblood left him, so too the red glow of the star of her tiara faded beneath the scrap of cloth that she had used to hide it from him, lest it reveal her presence. She pulled the rag free and tucked it into her scabbard belt, then spat on his corpse.
Beside her, unseen Hypnos glared at Morpheus.
“You fool.” He said venomously.
Morpheus shifted uncomfortably beneath the gaze of his angry brother.
“He was to be ready, READY! Ready for her when she stepped from the shadows, You have made him this bleeding piece of earth” Hypnos gestured angrily.
“We have other more pressing business than you gloating, brother.” Morpheus said sulkily.
“Yes, we do. And it is only as you are needed that you will be spared our Father's wrath."Hypnos hissed. "Come. We must attend to our business with the Queen.”
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
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Abductorenmadrid
- Millenium Member
- Posts: 1376
- Joined: 11 years ago
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How subtly undone was their plan! And how stealthily done was the kill! I liked the cadence of the Knock, Draw, Loose leading up to the demise of Diana's foe, nicely done
My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
Thanks for the comment, AEM. Now the saga continues
Part 44
Hera watched as Hypnos approached her. He had done little to help in the overthrow of the Titans, but then he was god of sleep, not thunder and lightning.
Her heart quickened as she thought of he whom she had just married. Such a strong arm, such fire within. He was truly a match for her own inner fire.
Hypnos bowed, taking her hand in his.
“Congratulations, oh queen, on both your victory and your marriage. I have already sworn fealty to Zeus, now I do so to you as well.”
He looked up at her.
“Your hand quivers, oh queen. Are you nervous? Anxious, perhaps, because you are now queen of the gods? Worry not, oh queen, relax. You have won a great victory. Surely it was a hard fought one. Much power thrown about, weakening all, for I was not able to catch even one of them by surprise so that they might – sleep.”
The word had about it something of a command. All his words had, in fact, been spoken in that gentle, relaxing tone of his. She found it difficult to stay awake. What was he doing? Why was he… ?
“You should sit, oh queen, for you seem tired. I can see the weariness in your legs, you can barely stand. Sit and I will swear my oath.”
Her legs gave out and she did sit. Her mouth was dry, the strength was leaving her but… how?
Hypnos smiled and continued to stroke her ego even as his tones continued to sooth and relax. Truthfully, almost any words would suffice, yet he found that certain words kept his subject off guard.
“That’s better, oh queen, lean back and relax. Listen to my voice as I swear my oath. Hear how restful it sounds, how peaceful after such a battle as you have won. You need the peacefulness, the rest, the sleep.”
Her bosom heaved with deep even breathing as she slumped back in her chair, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to remain…
“Yes, oh queen, sleep. Sleep and hear that you are my queen. You will be my queen, won’t you Hera?”
She found herself nodding.
“Yes. Your queen.”
His soft voice continued.
“Yes, my queen. My queen to command, your deeds to please the lady Nyx. Do you love this Zeus you have married?”
Confusion, his queen to… ?
“Yes, I love him.”
Good, this would make things far easier.
“Before he married you, he had a dalliance with a mortal. She bore a son, whom she named Alcides. Zeus is proud of this mortal boy – already he has done much to help those around him – truly a worthy son of Zeus. Mother wants him tormented – this is what you will do.”
His hand gently caressed her hair – how dare he…
“You are truly beautiful, my queen. You will make yourself even more so… you will bathe in ambrosia and anoint yourself with oil. You will do this for your husband, my queen, to please him. You will do this trifling thing for me, will you not? To please your new husband? It shall be my wedding gift to you.”
Again she nodded, thoughts of Boomer quickening her.
“You will give to him a night he will never forget.”
Her head continued to nod, a night he would remember forever.
Mnemosyne gently stroked the head in her lap, doing what she could to soothe her queen as she struggled through mis-remembered memories. As the truth washed over her. Truth that would change what she felt, that would change her thoughts and feelings towards Zeus. A truth she would now have to protect Zeus from lest Nyx slay him out of hand. A truth about her own betrayal of her beloved when the two of them were still newly wed.
A look of pain swept across Hera’s face as her tormenting memories continued to play out.
* * *
This had truly been a night. Such passion, such bliss. Lying in each other’s arms, she lovingly gazed at his face as he slowly drifted off to a deep slumber. Sleep eluded her, though she knew not why. Words ran through her mind. Words that found her on her feet, quietly stalking from the bedroom and vanishing only to reappear over the bed of the sleeping Alcides and his wife.
Hera’s voice spoke softly as the spell of illusion was cast and he stirred uneasily in his sleep. The pride and animosity she remembered feeling towards this young man fell away as she heard another voice speaking in unison with her, using her power to cast the spell that would cause this young man to mistake first his wife, and then his two sons, for monsters that needed to be slain. The true source of this young man’s torment became clear: Hypnos!
Then the soothing voice was speaking to her. “You have done quite well, my queen. Zeus will remember your betrayal for many long years and, should he ever learn of my hand in it, he will die at Nyx hand. Tell me, my queen, do you understand all that I have said?”
Hera nodded and Hypnos smiled. “Then it is time for you to remember how much you hate the young Alcides just for being Zeus offspring by a mortal, time for you to feel pride at his pain, and time for you to return to your husband’s bed now that I have aided you in your betrayal. You were the architect of this act, my queen, remember that and do not forget.”
Hera nodded and vanished, slipping quietly into her bed with Zeus mere moments later.
* * *
The day began well, gentle kisses that led to the most incredible love making. Her beloved was so passionate as he thrilled and excited her. She heard someone moaning “Oh, Boomer!” - then realized it was her!! Breakfast, then just sitting together, not speaking but just enjoying each other’s presence.
It was Zeus who finally broke the blissful silence.
“I have a surprise for you, my love.”
She raised her eyebrows in askance.
“I am certain you know of young Alcides, my child with a mortal. A dalliance prior to our courtship. Still – I spoke to him and he will be the foremost leader of your worshippers. He is even changing his name, at my behest, to Heracles.”
* * *
Mnemosyne continued to sift through her queen’s memories, piecing together the bits of memory that Hypnos had shattered. She thought back to her own past, to Hera’s secret visit to her, to the moment she had first discovered how well Hypnos had shattered not only Hera’s memory of certain events, but her relationship with Zeus. Now there could never be the unity between the two that would have meant even Nyx would have to bow to Zeus. Betrayed so often by the one he loved, the king of the gods found it as difficult to trust Hera as she did to trust him after his many dalliances, not all of them with mortals.
When Mnemosyne first encountered Hera’s fractured memories, the queen had, at Hypnos behest, seen to the slaughter of Heracles wife and children and seen him blown off course by angry winds that she had caused. She had also aided Poseiden in helping the Danaans defeat an army her husband supported. That had been what drove her to seek out the goddess of memory for Hypnos had finally made a mistake: she couldn’t remember why she had done the deed. Mnemosyne had uncovered Hypnos duplicity, but when she and Hera had confronted him it had become clear that the damage was done. Zeus could never know for Nyx had grown even more powerful because their skirmishes had served to weaken each other. The only way to protect Zeus had been to maintain the status quo. The dalliances did make her angry, but they were a symptom as much as a cause. A symptom of trust broken and love crushed. Mnemosyne wiped the tears from Hera’s face as she began to weep openly. Soon she would emerge from that state where she was neither asleep nor awake, but merely lost in remembering. Fully alert, the weight of how she had been used would be upon her once more.
* * *
Hyppolyta beckoned with two raised fingers to the priestess Susara who waited hesitantly by the throne room entrance way. The Priestess had been one of the few who had made the escape from the viillages on that terrible day. She was among the eldest of survivors who made it to Themiscyra and her wisdom was often in demand from the younger women. One look at her face now, gave Hyppolyta the answer before she had asked the question.
Susara kept her head bowed, not meeting the Queens gaze
"No need for such formality from you, loyal Susara. Your visage has given me my answer already."
"We made good sacrifice to Ossa Phema for word of your daughter, great Queen. We even made offerings to Hermes for news. But our spies among the world of man have heard nothing new. Her fame doth spread among them, as her skill at arms does her sacred work. But nothing else. We have no confirmed tales, save her slaughter of the one named Talgartha and his men, many moons ago."
"Your spies... all returned safely?" Susara nodded. "Good, then thank them for their bravery. Make tokens to the appropriate Goddesses for their safe return..."
"Already done my queen. One did hear a story...but we have not substantiated it..." Susara said hesitantly
"Go on..." the Queen said perking up in her chair.
"Our spy was Haldane, our youngest..."
"Say her words"
"She is inexperienced, Great Queen, and the reports were vague..."
"Say it Susara. What did she find out?"
"It was just a story , oh Queen, we do not know for certain it was her. The story was of a warrior woman from the East, not the North..."
"Stories are embellished and the East is so much more exotic than Scythia..." she smiled. "Please Susara. I am wise enough to not get my hopes up, I realise it may not be a tale of her."
"It was a story in Corinth, some time ago...they say...they say she killed a man in a tavern...."
"That does sound like her..." the Queen smiled.
"and they say she lay with a captain of the city guard. A watch commander named Aponolus."
The Queens face darkened. "Then that is clearly NOT my Diana, Susara!" she snapped sharply, rising and turning in one movement and storming from the throne room, leaving the Priestess bowing awkwardly as she disappeared in a rage, knocking aside a goblet of wine from her handmaiden, sending the golden cup clattering across the marble floor.
Silence descended on the room as the palace guards looked awkwardly at the Priestess who in turn looked just as awkwardly at the handmaid as she gathered up the cup.
All four exchanged glances as the handmaid stood. It was Kanda, who had summoned Diana to the queen on the morning of the battle , who broke the silence
"A tavern, a man dead, and a soldier bedded afterwards...it sounds like her to me..." she said with a shrug and a smile.
Part 44
Hera watched as Hypnos approached her. He had done little to help in the overthrow of the Titans, but then he was god of sleep, not thunder and lightning.
Her heart quickened as she thought of he whom she had just married. Such a strong arm, such fire within. He was truly a match for her own inner fire.
Hypnos bowed, taking her hand in his.
“Congratulations, oh queen, on both your victory and your marriage. I have already sworn fealty to Zeus, now I do so to you as well.”
He looked up at her.
“Your hand quivers, oh queen. Are you nervous? Anxious, perhaps, because you are now queen of the gods? Worry not, oh queen, relax. You have won a great victory. Surely it was a hard fought one. Much power thrown about, weakening all, for I was not able to catch even one of them by surprise so that they might – sleep.”
The word had about it something of a command. All his words had, in fact, been spoken in that gentle, relaxing tone of his. She found it difficult to stay awake. What was he doing? Why was he… ?
“You should sit, oh queen, for you seem tired. I can see the weariness in your legs, you can barely stand. Sit and I will swear my oath.”
Her legs gave out and she did sit. Her mouth was dry, the strength was leaving her but… how?
Hypnos smiled and continued to stroke her ego even as his tones continued to sooth and relax. Truthfully, almost any words would suffice, yet he found that certain words kept his subject off guard.
“That’s better, oh queen, lean back and relax. Listen to my voice as I swear my oath. Hear how restful it sounds, how peaceful after such a battle as you have won. You need the peacefulness, the rest, the sleep.”
Her bosom heaved with deep even breathing as she slumped back in her chair, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to remain…
“Yes, oh queen, sleep. Sleep and hear that you are my queen. You will be my queen, won’t you Hera?”
She found herself nodding.
“Yes. Your queen.”
His soft voice continued.
“Yes, my queen. My queen to command, your deeds to please the lady Nyx. Do you love this Zeus you have married?”
Confusion, his queen to… ?
“Yes, I love him.”
Good, this would make things far easier.
“Before he married you, he had a dalliance with a mortal. She bore a son, whom she named Alcides. Zeus is proud of this mortal boy – already he has done much to help those around him – truly a worthy son of Zeus. Mother wants him tormented – this is what you will do.”
His hand gently caressed her hair – how dare he…
“You are truly beautiful, my queen. You will make yourself even more so… you will bathe in ambrosia and anoint yourself with oil. You will do this for your husband, my queen, to please him. You will do this trifling thing for me, will you not? To please your new husband? It shall be my wedding gift to you.”
Again she nodded, thoughts of Boomer quickening her.
“You will give to him a night he will never forget.”
Her head continued to nod, a night he would remember forever.
Mnemosyne gently stroked the head in her lap, doing what she could to soothe her queen as she struggled through mis-remembered memories. As the truth washed over her. Truth that would change what she felt, that would change her thoughts and feelings towards Zeus. A truth she would now have to protect Zeus from lest Nyx slay him out of hand. A truth about her own betrayal of her beloved when the two of them were still newly wed.
A look of pain swept across Hera’s face as her tormenting memories continued to play out.
* * *
This had truly been a night. Such passion, such bliss. Lying in each other’s arms, she lovingly gazed at his face as he slowly drifted off to a deep slumber. Sleep eluded her, though she knew not why. Words ran through her mind. Words that found her on her feet, quietly stalking from the bedroom and vanishing only to reappear over the bed of the sleeping Alcides and his wife.
Hera’s voice spoke softly as the spell of illusion was cast and he stirred uneasily in his sleep. The pride and animosity she remembered feeling towards this young man fell away as she heard another voice speaking in unison with her, using her power to cast the spell that would cause this young man to mistake first his wife, and then his two sons, for monsters that needed to be slain. The true source of this young man’s torment became clear: Hypnos!
Then the soothing voice was speaking to her. “You have done quite well, my queen. Zeus will remember your betrayal for many long years and, should he ever learn of my hand in it, he will die at Nyx hand. Tell me, my queen, do you understand all that I have said?”
Hera nodded and Hypnos smiled. “Then it is time for you to remember how much you hate the young Alcides just for being Zeus offspring by a mortal, time for you to feel pride at his pain, and time for you to return to your husband’s bed now that I have aided you in your betrayal. You were the architect of this act, my queen, remember that and do not forget.”
Hera nodded and vanished, slipping quietly into her bed with Zeus mere moments later.
* * *
The day began well, gentle kisses that led to the most incredible love making. Her beloved was so passionate as he thrilled and excited her. She heard someone moaning “Oh, Boomer!” - then realized it was her!! Breakfast, then just sitting together, not speaking but just enjoying each other’s presence.
It was Zeus who finally broke the blissful silence.
“I have a surprise for you, my love.”
She raised her eyebrows in askance.
“I am certain you know of young Alcides, my child with a mortal. A dalliance prior to our courtship. Still – I spoke to him and he will be the foremost leader of your worshippers. He is even changing his name, at my behest, to Heracles.”
* * *
Mnemosyne continued to sift through her queen’s memories, piecing together the bits of memory that Hypnos had shattered. She thought back to her own past, to Hera’s secret visit to her, to the moment she had first discovered how well Hypnos had shattered not only Hera’s memory of certain events, but her relationship with Zeus. Now there could never be the unity between the two that would have meant even Nyx would have to bow to Zeus. Betrayed so often by the one he loved, the king of the gods found it as difficult to trust Hera as she did to trust him after his many dalliances, not all of them with mortals.
When Mnemosyne first encountered Hera’s fractured memories, the queen had, at Hypnos behest, seen to the slaughter of Heracles wife and children and seen him blown off course by angry winds that she had caused. She had also aided Poseiden in helping the Danaans defeat an army her husband supported. That had been what drove her to seek out the goddess of memory for Hypnos had finally made a mistake: she couldn’t remember why she had done the deed. Mnemosyne had uncovered Hypnos duplicity, but when she and Hera had confronted him it had become clear that the damage was done. Zeus could never know for Nyx had grown even more powerful because their skirmishes had served to weaken each other. The only way to protect Zeus had been to maintain the status quo. The dalliances did make her angry, but they were a symptom as much as a cause. A symptom of trust broken and love crushed. Mnemosyne wiped the tears from Hera’s face as she began to weep openly. Soon she would emerge from that state where she was neither asleep nor awake, but merely lost in remembering. Fully alert, the weight of how she had been used would be upon her once more.
* * *
Hyppolyta beckoned with two raised fingers to the priestess Susara who waited hesitantly by the throne room entrance way. The Priestess had been one of the few who had made the escape from the viillages on that terrible day. She was among the eldest of survivors who made it to Themiscyra and her wisdom was often in demand from the younger women. One look at her face now, gave Hyppolyta the answer before she had asked the question.
Susara kept her head bowed, not meeting the Queens gaze
"No need for such formality from you, loyal Susara. Your visage has given me my answer already."
"We made good sacrifice to Ossa Phema for word of your daughter, great Queen. We even made offerings to Hermes for news. But our spies among the world of man have heard nothing new. Her fame doth spread among them, as her skill at arms does her sacred work. But nothing else. We have no confirmed tales, save her slaughter of the one named Talgartha and his men, many moons ago."
"Your spies... all returned safely?" Susara nodded. "Good, then thank them for their bravery. Make tokens to the appropriate Goddesses for their safe return..."
"Already done my queen. One did hear a story...but we have not substantiated it..." Susara said hesitantly
"Go on..." the Queen said perking up in her chair.
"Our spy was Haldane, our youngest..."
"Say her words"
"She is inexperienced, Great Queen, and the reports were vague..."
"Say it Susara. What did she find out?"
"It was just a story , oh Queen, we do not know for certain it was her. The story was of a warrior woman from the East, not the North..."
"Stories are embellished and the East is so much more exotic than Scythia..." she smiled. "Please Susara. I am wise enough to not get my hopes up, I realise it may not be a tale of her."
"It was a story in Corinth, some time ago...they say...they say she killed a man in a tavern...."
"That does sound like her..." the Queen smiled.
"and they say she lay with a captain of the city guard. A watch commander named Aponolus."
The Queens face darkened. "Then that is clearly NOT my Diana, Susara!" she snapped sharply, rising and turning in one movement and storming from the throne room, leaving the Priestess bowing awkwardly as she disappeared in a rage, knocking aside a goblet of wine from her handmaiden, sending the golden cup clattering across the marble floor.
Silence descended on the room as the palace guards looked awkwardly at the Priestess who in turn looked just as awkwardly at the handmaid as she gathered up the cup.
All four exchanged glances as the handmaid stood. It was Kanda, who had summoned Diana to the queen on the morning of the battle , who broke the silence
"A tavern, a man dead, and a soldier bedded afterwards...it sounds like her to me..." she said with a shrug and a smile.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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Abductorenmadrid
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Dravatar's tale continues....
PART 45
Hypnos smiled; she was coming. She was coming and, thanks to the siren's aide, she was heading into a trap. He had noticed how successfully they had affected her twice before, so he had spoken to them. He had not released them, as they had asked, that would have been too dangerous considering Hades was paying them extra attention at the moment. He had successfully convinced them to sing his words and his voice to her, showing them how they would be preparing her mind, softening her ability to resist him when they finally met. He would not need his brother now. No indeed, he and Pasithea would have her for themselves, keeping her between wakefulness and sleep for as long as they wished.
She had no idea what awaited her, surely thinking of Cerberus as the primary obstacle to entrance, completely unconcerned about the gods who lived here instead of Olympus. Then there were the beasts themselves, of whom only the harpies, sisters to those whom Diana had slain, had a score to settle. Twice now Diana, with a little help, had defeated the greatest of their kind. That she should not pay for such insolence? Unthinkable!! These harpies were nothing like their sisters, however. Their faces haggard with hunger insatiable, they were unkempt and ugly to look upon. Not only horrible to look at, but their voices were horrible to hear as well, being in many respects more akin to the caw of crows than even the sharp tongues of hags. He was fairly certain they would provide barely a distraction for the Oath Taker.
It was the gods he had reached out to which would buy him the most time to work unnoticed and Gaudia, least known of all, who would help ensnare Diana’s mind. With her mind theirs, the body must follow.
* * *
Hera arose, shaken. She had not remembered how dreadful Hypnos betrayal had been. She had not even remembered Pasithea’s involvement as she had become increasingly difficult for Hypnos to control. Pasithea was the perfect consort for the god of sleep, it was no wonder that the one thing she did remember was his insistence on having the goddess of relaxation and hallucination as his bride. She had remembered it as being the price for his aide in putting Zeus to sleep so the Danaans could finally defeat the Trojans. Now she knew that the two of them had used her to seduce Zeus so that Hypnos could lull him to sleep.
Pale from her ordeal and flashing with anger, she paced back and forth. She had to control that anger, not let it get her. So much could have been avoided. The screams of dying Amazons filled her ears as she paced. If not for her betrayal of Zeus, there may have been no attempt on his part to woo Diana, no desire for revenge, no dead Amazons.
Lightning danced across her skin. If only she could control it, like Boomer. She shook her head. He had tried to teach her once, but if she let the lightning come it took everyone and everything around her, indiscriminately. Her pacing stopped as she finally got her energies under control.
“Hypnos has much to answer for.”
Mnemosyne nodded.
“Yes, my quee… “
“Don’t call me that!” she snapped.
Taking a deep breath, she continued in a more level tone. “He used that phrase to control me.”
Mnemosyne dipped her head slightly in obeisance of her mother's wishes. The Queen's fury was very great.
She began to pace in anger yet again and Mnemosyne studied her. Colour was returning to her face, that was good. Controlling the anger would be a challenge, but the goddess of memory was confident she could do so. Hypnos was in deep trouble, for Hera was already burying her fiery anger and locking it away. That meant that the queen would strike with icy exactness, choosing a place and time that would leave Hypnos begging for mercy and Pasithea unable to save him. Not even Nyx would be able to protect Hypnos in that moment.
Athena appeared, her strides confident as ever, acknowledging Mnemosyne with a courteous nod.
“Hekate and I were able to confirm that no magic is being used, yet she did sense that forces other than Hypnos are at work.”
Hera nodded. Hypnos was not above seeking help when he needed it. She shivered as she remembered how Pasithea had kept her far too relaxed to resist.
Athena noticed Hera’s shiver and glanced at Mnemosyne who shook her head. The goddess of wisdom closed her mouth and the room was cloaked in silence as they waited for Artemis’ report.
* * *
The water was cold, colder than anything Diana had ever experienced, sucking the very warmth of life from her as she continued to swim. It seemed to go beyond merely chilling her limbs, it was like a cold embrace on her very being. She swam on. Stroke after stroke in the inky blackness, a darkness that was as much felt as seen. Each time she came up for air, she looked about, hoping to see something of light, yet there was none. Darkness here was all encompassing and not content with merely surrounding everything, seeping into the very being of the foolish mortals who dared to come this way. To the unprepared it would be as if light had never been, as if even the concept of light had never existed. To Diana, prepared as she was, it constantly assaulted the image of light that she kept in the front of her mind. From the dimness of flame and fire to the brilliance of Apollo’s chariot, she focused on images of light as she swam on into the gathering darkness until, finally, she truly thought she saw a pinprick of light.
* * *
Artemis often appeared in silence, reading her surroundings like the skilled hunter she was. Stepping into Hera’s chamber she was met with unaccustomed quiet. Her mother, normally alert, seemed lost in thought for several moments before opening her eyes and making contact. Artemis almost recoiled from what she saw there. She had seen it in the lioness before the hunt, but who would her mother be hunting? Pushing that aside, she gave her report.
With Artemis' appearance Hera waved a hand dismissively to her handmaiden Hebe, standing attentively in the corner of the chamber, who dipped her head respectively and then left as she had been hidden.
“Hypnos is just sitting at home with his wife. It is quiet there, but the very air is expectant and hushed. Even the Harpies seem to be waiting. I think we can safely say they all wait for Diana. What has me most concerned is that there is no sign of Hypnos having ventured forth in some time.”
Hera looked puzzled, “The gods leave no tracks when they travel. How can you be sure?”
Artemis beamed, “No tracks, tis true, but they leave other sign. Hypnos has not left his place for weeks, which begs the question: who was causing our Diana to sleep?”
Athena barely controlled her facial muscles at Artemis description of ‘our Diana.’ She clearly heard ‘my Diana’ and so, no doubt, did Hera, for she too smiled for the first time in many hours.
“Our Diana will best the Harpies, of that there is no doubt. We should prepare for her real mission –“ the queen of the gods held up an imperial finger, “ – but – we should also be ready to provide such indirect aide as she may require should one of the other gods interfere.”
* * *
Dolos allowed himself a fleeting smile. It had been so easy to manipulate Morpheus so that he slightly altered the dream that Hypnos had requested. Easier still to manipulate the god of sleep. A simple suggestion that the sirens could be of benefit, a veiled hint that Zeus would be pleased, and the promise that it would lead to further disunity between Zeus and Hera had been all that was required.
Equally simple had been suggesting to Zeus that he seek Hypnos aide in putting Diana in her place in the first place.
His face once more his schooled mask, he pondered how to use what was coming to ignite the civil war amongst the gods so necessary to his rise to power.
* * *
The pinprick of light in the distance was so small as to be almost imagined. Diana swam towards it, her limbs numb with a chill that went deeper than her bones, but seeped into her very soul. The light was a tiny point but it grew, slowly and surely. On and on she swam, forcing arms and legs to keep moving despite the ever increasing desire to allow her cold leaden limbs to rest. From that tiny point, the light slowly grew to the diameter of a drachma. She swam onward, her mind numb to anything but the need to move arms and legs in a continuous rhythm. She wondered fleetingly if this was indeed her path, or was she being lead astray like a moth to a flame when elsewhere the moon shone on brightly but unheeded. She dismissed such thoughts. There was nothing else to swim to. Nothing but that drachma of light. The drachma grew, from there to the diameter of a wheel, it continued to grow, bit by bit until her destination came into view.
* * *
Hypnos leaned back into Pasithea’s arms as her hands massaged his temples as they had so many times in the past. He drew a deep breath, knowing that he must be totally relaxed before facing Diana. He could not let the anticipation of her coming battle excite him. If everything went as planned, Diana should be weak, tired, and mentally exhausted as well.
* * *
Staring at the pool, Athena speaks to Hera.
“She is nearly there, soon we can start her on the real mission.”
Hera nods, turning to Artemis
“You have everything in readiness?”
Artemis nods, holding up the bow.
“It is completed. Shall I deliver it now?”
Hera shook her head.
“No, we must wait for her to enter Hades realm, where my husband’s knowledge fails.”
* * *
Diana pulled herself out of the water and up onto the bank. Deathly cold, she stood there for a moment, just letting the water drip off. It was not much better than the water. Not cold, exactly, but having a complete absence of warmth. Here, so close to the judges, death was a palpable thing. It was as if it was reaching out for the life that dared to disturb it and to enclose it in its chilling grip. Suddenly she knew why. Thanatos. This was his home. He was here. It was his chill she felt, the absence of life that emanated from his presence.
There would be others as well, for a number of them chose to live here. Mostly lesser gods, but still… the gods are a capricious lot given to strange ways… and often cruel. She would need to be on her guard lest she not only visit Hades realm, but also become a permanent resident.
She closed her eyes and listened. Nothing but the roaring sound of the dark, and the hammer of her own breathing. She shook off some of the excess water with a shiver, then using both palms she swept her damp hair back behind her shoulders, wringing out some of the dampness as she did so. The water pattered dully on the ground, the only sound.. Whatever might befall her she wanted to be as ready as she could be to face it. Yet deep down she knew however prepared she tried to be, it would never be enough.
***
Haldane bowed before the Queen of the Amazons nervously. She had always felt embarrassed about her behaviour at the flight on the day of the battle. She still remembered being reprimanded by the Queen’s old bodyguard at the flippant way she had addressed the monarch. And now here she stood before her once more, awkward and clumsy in her presence. She could guess why she was here. Her ‘news’ of Diana. She sighed heavily in dread, head still bowed as the Queen approached her.
“ Leave us.” The Queen addressed her handmaidens and the two omnipresent guards behind the throne, who duly left.
A long moment of silent scrutiny passed before the Queen returned from walking around Haldane to stand before her once more.
“Raise your head child. “ she looked Haldane in the eye as the scout did as she was bidden.
More silent scrutiny. Finally the Queen spoke.
“You brought news of my daughter...”
“It was not confirmed your highness, I merely gave news of what I had heard, I do not believe-"
“Be at peace child. I was in anger before. No doubt word has spread about my reaction to your news.
Tell me now, what you heard"
“Truly my Queen, we do not know that it is her. I heard it as a warrior woman from the east...”
“Tell me what you heard. Exactly. Please. And be at peace, you will not be punished for your honesty. Speak"
“I was in the port of Palo, south of Corinth, a small fishing port. A coastal trader docked and tried to woo me. I play along with such men to learn what they know...”
“I understand...” Hyppolyta raised a placating hand. “Continue".
“He told of a beautiful woman of the east, with skin of snow and hair of night, who had appeared in Corinth a month earlier. She was dressed as a pauper but beneath the rags had armour of solid gold and had taken on a dozen men in the city gate east tavern. Most had fled but she stood her ground against a giant named Kebral. She had danced and dodged his blade before he tired and she wore him down without striking a blow before she took his head.” Haldane fell silent.
“And the rest? This...this guard captain?”
Haldane sighed nervously. “He came to take her for the slaying but she seduced him and bested him in combat, then....” Haldane looked awkwardly at her Queen. “Then he said ..these are his words oh Queen...” Hyppolyta nodded.”he said....that they rutted like rabbits for hours. Forgive me, those are his words!“
Hyppolyta blanched visibly before composing herself. She waved a hand "I understand such things. I too was a young princess once.”
“Not so long ago...” Haldane added clumsily.
Hyppolyta laughed. “You are a good spy but a terrible courtier. “ She turned away. “ Tell me....did you think it her, from your captain?”
“He seemed to believe it, great Queen.. He said that he thought it might be the Maker of the Slain. “ Haldane saw the Queen turn sharply. “That is what some call her in the world of men...”
“It is fitting. But did you think it was of her?”
“She is -this warrior I mean - she seemed to move as we do...allowing a bigger , stronger foe to weary himself before striking. No golden armour though...I suspect that is just an embellishment...to wear gold over bronze is foolish as its much softer...no true warrior would wear it, but either Bronze or leather as we do for speed.... and this warrior had a complexion from Scythia not the Eastern lands...I believe it could be her, yes.”
“And this...guard captain....? Do you believe she lay with him?” Hyppolyta asked sternly.
Haldane hesitated.
“Well, let me put it this way.... did you bed your sea Captain?”
“I-"
“You learned much from him...he talked in his sleep perhaps?”
Haldane blushed furiously. “My queen, I-"
“Enough. What is it with my subjects, taverns and Captains?” She sighed. “Be at ease child for I too was a young maiden once. Do you think it was true and do you think it was Diana?”
Haldane dropped to one knee and bowed her head. “ I do, great queen.”
“Why? Why are you so sure.”
“He spoke of many who had seen this woman in Corinth. All said the same. She was beautiful....and in battle she was terrifying.” Haldane raised her head to meet the queen’s gaze.
“Then it is her.” Hyppolyta agreed with a nod.
Dravatar's tale continues....
PART 45
Hypnos smiled; she was coming. She was coming and, thanks to the siren's aide, she was heading into a trap. He had noticed how successfully they had affected her twice before, so he had spoken to them. He had not released them, as they had asked, that would have been too dangerous considering Hades was paying them extra attention at the moment. He had successfully convinced them to sing his words and his voice to her, showing them how they would be preparing her mind, softening her ability to resist him when they finally met. He would not need his brother now. No indeed, he and Pasithea would have her for themselves, keeping her between wakefulness and sleep for as long as they wished.
She had no idea what awaited her, surely thinking of Cerberus as the primary obstacle to entrance, completely unconcerned about the gods who lived here instead of Olympus. Then there were the beasts themselves, of whom only the harpies, sisters to those whom Diana had slain, had a score to settle. Twice now Diana, with a little help, had defeated the greatest of their kind. That she should not pay for such insolence? Unthinkable!! These harpies were nothing like their sisters, however. Their faces haggard with hunger insatiable, they were unkempt and ugly to look upon. Not only horrible to look at, but their voices were horrible to hear as well, being in many respects more akin to the caw of crows than even the sharp tongues of hags. He was fairly certain they would provide barely a distraction for the Oath Taker.
It was the gods he had reached out to which would buy him the most time to work unnoticed and Gaudia, least known of all, who would help ensnare Diana’s mind. With her mind theirs, the body must follow.
* * *
Hera arose, shaken. She had not remembered how dreadful Hypnos betrayal had been. She had not even remembered Pasithea’s involvement as she had become increasingly difficult for Hypnos to control. Pasithea was the perfect consort for the god of sleep, it was no wonder that the one thing she did remember was his insistence on having the goddess of relaxation and hallucination as his bride. She had remembered it as being the price for his aide in putting Zeus to sleep so the Danaans could finally defeat the Trojans. Now she knew that the two of them had used her to seduce Zeus so that Hypnos could lull him to sleep.
Pale from her ordeal and flashing with anger, she paced back and forth. She had to control that anger, not let it get her. So much could have been avoided. The screams of dying Amazons filled her ears as she paced. If not for her betrayal of Zeus, there may have been no attempt on his part to woo Diana, no desire for revenge, no dead Amazons.
Lightning danced across her skin. If only she could control it, like Boomer. She shook her head. He had tried to teach her once, but if she let the lightning come it took everyone and everything around her, indiscriminately. Her pacing stopped as she finally got her energies under control.
“Hypnos has much to answer for.”
Mnemosyne nodded.
“Yes, my quee… “
“Don’t call me that!” she snapped.
Taking a deep breath, she continued in a more level tone. “He used that phrase to control me.”
Mnemosyne dipped her head slightly in obeisance of her mother's wishes. The Queen's fury was very great.
She began to pace in anger yet again and Mnemosyne studied her. Colour was returning to her face, that was good. Controlling the anger would be a challenge, but the goddess of memory was confident she could do so. Hypnos was in deep trouble, for Hera was already burying her fiery anger and locking it away. That meant that the queen would strike with icy exactness, choosing a place and time that would leave Hypnos begging for mercy and Pasithea unable to save him. Not even Nyx would be able to protect Hypnos in that moment.
Athena appeared, her strides confident as ever, acknowledging Mnemosyne with a courteous nod.
“Hekate and I were able to confirm that no magic is being used, yet she did sense that forces other than Hypnos are at work.”
Hera nodded. Hypnos was not above seeking help when he needed it. She shivered as she remembered how Pasithea had kept her far too relaxed to resist.
Athena noticed Hera’s shiver and glanced at Mnemosyne who shook her head. The goddess of wisdom closed her mouth and the room was cloaked in silence as they waited for Artemis’ report.
* * *
The water was cold, colder than anything Diana had ever experienced, sucking the very warmth of life from her as she continued to swim. It seemed to go beyond merely chilling her limbs, it was like a cold embrace on her very being. She swam on. Stroke after stroke in the inky blackness, a darkness that was as much felt as seen. Each time she came up for air, she looked about, hoping to see something of light, yet there was none. Darkness here was all encompassing and not content with merely surrounding everything, seeping into the very being of the foolish mortals who dared to come this way. To the unprepared it would be as if light had never been, as if even the concept of light had never existed. To Diana, prepared as she was, it constantly assaulted the image of light that she kept in the front of her mind. From the dimness of flame and fire to the brilliance of Apollo’s chariot, she focused on images of light as she swam on into the gathering darkness until, finally, she truly thought she saw a pinprick of light.
* * *
Artemis often appeared in silence, reading her surroundings like the skilled hunter she was. Stepping into Hera’s chamber she was met with unaccustomed quiet. Her mother, normally alert, seemed lost in thought for several moments before opening her eyes and making contact. Artemis almost recoiled from what she saw there. She had seen it in the lioness before the hunt, but who would her mother be hunting? Pushing that aside, she gave her report.
With Artemis' appearance Hera waved a hand dismissively to her handmaiden Hebe, standing attentively in the corner of the chamber, who dipped her head respectively and then left as she had been hidden.
“Hypnos is just sitting at home with his wife. It is quiet there, but the very air is expectant and hushed. Even the Harpies seem to be waiting. I think we can safely say they all wait for Diana. What has me most concerned is that there is no sign of Hypnos having ventured forth in some time.”
Hera looked puzzled, “The gods leave no tracks when they travel. How can you be sure?”
Artemis beamed, “No tracks, tis true, but they leave other sign. Hypnos has not left his place for weeks, which begs the question: who was causing our Diana to sleep?”
Athena barely controlled her facial muscles at Artemis description of ‘our Diana.’ She clearly heard ‘my Diana’ and so, no doubt, did Hera, for she too smiled for the first time in many hours.
“Our Diana will best the Harpies, of that there is no doubt. We should prepare for her real mission –“ the queen of the gods held up an imperial finger, “ – but – we should also be ready to provide such indirect aide as she may require should one of the other gods interfere.”
* * *
Dolos allowed himself a fleeting smile. It had been so easy to manipulate Morpheus so that he slightly altered the dream that Hypnos had requested. Easier still to manipulate the god of sleep. A simple suggestion that the sirens could be of benefit, a veiled hint that Zeus would be pleased, and the promise that it would lead to further disunity between Zeus and Hera had been all that was required.
Equally simple had been suggesting to Zeus that he seek Hypnos aide in putting Diana in her place in the first place.
His face once more his schooled mask, he pondered how to use what was coming to ignite the civil war amongst the gods so necessary to his rise to power.
* * *
The pinprick of light in the distance was so small as to be almost imagined. Diana swam towards it, her limbs numb with a chill that went deeper than her bones, but seeped into her very soul. The light was a tiny point but it grew, slowly and surely. On and on she swam, forcing arms and legs to keep moving despite the ever increasing desire to allow her cold leaden limbs to rest. From that tiny point, the light slowly grew to the diameter of a drachma. She swam onward, her mind numb to anything but the need to move arms and legs in a continuous rhythm. She wondered fleetingly if this was indeed her path, or was she being lead astray like a moth to a flame when elsewhere the moon shone on brightly but unheeded. She dismissed such thoughts. There was nothing else to swim to. Nothing but that drachma of light. The drachma grew, from there to the diameter of a wheel, it continued to grow, bit by bit until her destination came into view.
* * *
Hypnos leaned back into Pasithea’s arms as her hands massaged his temples as they had so many times in the past. He drew a deep breath, knowing that he must be totally relaxed before facing Diana. He could not let the anticipation of her coming battle excite him. If everything went as planned, Diana should be weak, tired, and mentally exhausted as well.
* * *
Staring at the pool, Athena speaks to Hera.
“She is nearly there, soon we can start her on the real mission.”
Hera nods, turning to Artemis
“You have everything in readiness?”
Artemis nods, holding up the bow.
“It is completed. Shall I deliver it now?”
Hera shook her head.
“No, we must wait for her to enter Hades realm, where my husband’s knowledge fails.”
* * *
Diana pulled herself out of the water and up onto the bank. Deathly cold, she stood there for a moment, just letting the water drip off. It was not much better than the water. Not cold, exactly, but having a complete absence of warmth. Here, so close to the judges, death was a palpable thing. It was as if it was reaching out for the life that dared to disturb it and to enclose it in its chilling grip. Suddenly she knew why. Thanatos. This was his home. He was here. It was his chill she felt, the absence of life that emanated from his presence.
There would be others as well, for a number of them chose to live here. Mostly lesser gods, but still… the gods are a capricious lot given to strange ways… and often cruel. She would need to be on her guard lest she not only visit Hades realm, but also become a permanent resident.
She closed her eyes and listened. Nothing but the roaring sound of the dark, and the hammer of her own breathing. She shook off some of the excess water with a shiver, then using both palms she swept her damp hair back behind her shoulders, wringing out some of the dampness as she did so. The water pattered dully on the ground, the only sound.. Whatever might befall her she wanted to be as ready as she could be to face it. Yet deep down she knew however prepared she tried to be, it would never be enough.
***
Haldane bowed before the Queen of the Amazons nervously. She had always felt embarrassed about her behaviour at the flight on the day of the battle. She still remembered being reprimanded by the Queen’s old bodyguard at the flippant way she had addressed the monarch. And now here she stood before her once more, awkward and clumsy in her presence. She could guess why she was here. Her ‘news’ of Diana. She sighed heavily in dread, head still bowed as the Queen approached her.
“ Leave us.” The Queen addressed her handmaidens and the two omnipresent guards behind the throne, who duly left.
A long moment of silent scrutiny passed before the Queen returned from walking around Haldane to stand before her once more.
“Raise your head child. “ she looked Haldane in the eye as the scout did as she was bidden.
More silent scrutiny. Finally the Queen spoke.
“You brought news of my daughter...”
“It was not confirmed your highness, I merely gave news of what I had heard, I do not believe-"
“Be at peace child. I was in anger before. No doubt word has spread about my reaction to your news.
Tell me now, what you heard"
“Truly my Queen, we do not know that it is her. I heard it as a warrior woman from the east...”
“Tell me what you heard. Exactly. Please. And be at peace, you will not be punished for your honesty. Speak"
“I was in the port of Palo, south of Corinth, a small fishing port. A coastal trader docked and tried to woo me. I play along with such men to learn what they know...”
“I understand...” Hyppolyta raised a placating hand. “Continue".
“He told of a beautiful woman of the east, with skin of snow and hair of night, who had appeared in Corinth a month earlier. She was dressed as a pauper but beneath the rags had armour of solid gold and had taken on a dozen men in the city gate east tavern. Most had fled but she stood her ground against a giant named Kebral. She had danced and dodged his blade before he tired and she wore him down without striking a blow before she took his head.” Haldane fell silent.
“And the rest? This...this guard captain?”
Haldane sighed nervously. “He came to take her for the slaying but she seduced him and bested him in combat, then....” Haldane looked awkwardly at her Queen. “Then he said ..these are his words oh Queen...” Hyppolyta nodded.”he said....that they rutted like rabbits for hours. Forgive me, those are his words!“
Hyppolyta blanched visibly before composing herself. She waved a hand "I understand such things. I too was a young princess once.”
“Not so long ago...” Haldane added clumsily.
Hyppolyta laughed. “You are a good spy but a terrible courtier. “ She turned away. “ Tell me....did you think it her, from your captain?”
“He seemed to believe it, great Queen.. He said that he thought it might be the Maker of the Slain. “ Haldane saw the Queen turn sharply. “That is what some call her in the world of men...”
“It is fitting. But did you think it was of her?”
“She is -this warrior I mean - she seemed to move as we do...allowing a bigger , stronger foe to weary himself before striking. No golden armour though...I suspect that is just an embellishment...to wear gold over bronze is foolish as its much softer...no true warrior would wear it, but either Bronze or leather as we do for speed.... and this warrior had a complexion from Scythia not the Eastern lands...I believe it could be her, yes.”
“And this...guard captain....? Do you believe she lay with him?” Hyppolyta asked sternly.
Haldane hesitated.
“Well, let me put it this way.... did you bed your sea Captain?”
“I-"
“You learned much from him...he talked in his sleep perhaps?”
Haldane blushed furiously. “My queen, I-"
“Enough. What is it with my subjects, taverns and Captains?” She sighed. “Be at ease child for I too was a young maiden once. Do you think it was true and do you think it was Diana?”
Haldane dropped to one knee and bowed her head. “ I do, great queen.”
“Why? Why are you so sure.”
“He spoke of many who had seen this woman in Corinth. All said the same. She was beautiful....and in battle she was terrifying.” Haldane raised her head to meet the queen’s gaze.
“Then it is her.” Hyppolyta agreed with a nod.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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Due to the ongoing forum issues this is a brief update
Part 46
Zeus paced the quiet halls of Olympus deep in thought. What times were these? Strange days indeed. All was amiss. He could feel it deep in his soul. They were on the cusp of change...from Greek to Roman...he would be Zeus no longer, but Jupiter...his children would change with him....the rituals man offered them...the temples they built...the sacrifices they made in his name and to the other Gods...all would change. But he was not troubled by such things. It was all pre ordained. Yet this time presaged their end. Their reign had been millennia long....yet now it was but centuries that remained. And then? Who knew what would become of them. The Fates knew of course and Ossa Phema had told him whispers of what might come to pass. They spoke of a time without belief....without honouring him and his children. No temples. No sacrifices. No offerings and dedications. No priests. Their names would live on as shadows. Half remembered echoes of their glory.
He had much on his mind. Or should have.
But his mind was still on her. The dark haired , dark eyed witch. Beautiful in the way only mortals could be. His wife never understood his lust for them. But it went beyond desire. They were vulnerable...weak creatures...that needed him. They quaked with fear at his presence ...at his lightning bolts, at his power to shake the very earth they stood upon. He terrified them. He could slay them at will and they knew it. He could feel that terror when he held them, felt them quiver in his arms at his touch. That tremble, that pulse of life....that was why he desired them, not just their beauty...but their fear. Their dependence upon him for their life. He liked comely looks of course, but nothing aroused him like their fear.
Yet this damned Amazon had spurned him. And in his rage he had brought all this upon themselves. Upset the female gods by slaying their loyal followers...pitted Goddess against God... rent the very realms of Olympus. Moros had even made a bid for power...the strands of Fate unravelled from the great tapestry of life.
He sighed as he paced out onto the balcony of his palace. He cast back his head to gaze up at the stars, then dropped his gaze to the mortal realm spread out before him. He looked at his palm. The creases and lines were those of a man...yet that palm held the power to destroy a world. But he could not strike down one woman. To do so would be to defy divine law...to end all this...Yet time and again his attempts indirectly had failed, thwarted by his wife, his daughters. And perhaps...deep down he didn't care, perhaps he really wanted her to live? No. No, that was not it. She had spurned him, he would see her fail in her quest. He had hidden Malaxios where she would not find him. Dis-entimed. Yet that damned Daymare had given her a chance to hunt him down. Curse his wife! He gripped the balustrades around the terrace balcony as he looked down on the kingdom of men. Curse his daughters too. But above all, curse that Amazon bitch. He froze. He had not applied any force in his grip...yet between his fingers he felt the grains of stone from the balustrades. He pulled back and drew up his hands before his face, staring at the dusty palms. He had not crushed the stone yet it had fallen away at his touch.
His mouth became dry and he licked his lips nervously. He was breathing heavily. He felt rising panic as events seemed to be moving out of his control. This madness was all his doing. His fit of wrath that had triggered all the events since. Perhaps the end of the gods might be coming sooner than he thought. For the very foundations of Olympus were beginning to crumble.
Part 46
Zeus paced the quiet halls of Olympus deep in thought. What times were these? Strange days indeed. All was amiss. He could feel it deep in his soul. They were on the cusp of change...from Greek to Roman...he would be Zeus no longer, but Jupiter...his children would change with him....the rituals man offered them...the temples they built...the sacrifices they made in his name and to the other Gods...all would change. But he was not troubled by such things. It was all pre ordained. Yet this time presaged their end. Their reign had been millennia long....yet now it was but centuries that remained. And then? Who knew what would become of them. The Fates knew of course and Ossa Phema had told him whispers of what might come to pass. They spoke of a time without belief....without honouring him and his children. No temples. No sacrifices. No offerings and dedications. No priests. Their names would live on as shadows. Half remembered echoes of their glory.
He had much on his mind. Or should have.
But his mind was still on her. The dark haired , dark eyed witch. Beautiful in the way only mortals could be. His wife never understood his lust for them. But it went beyond desire. They were vulnerable...weak creatures...that needed him. They quaked with fear at his presence ...at his lightning bolts, at his power to shake the very earth they stood upon. He terrified them. He could slay them at will and they knew it. He could feel that terror when he held them, felt them quiver in his arms at his touch. That tremble, that pulse of life....that was why he desired them, not just their beauty...but their fear. Their dependence upon him for their life. He liked comely looks of course, but nothing aroused him like their fear.
Yet this damned Amazon had spurned him. And in his rage he had brought all this upon themselves. Upset the female gods by slaying their loyal followers...pitted Goddess against God... rent the very realms of Olympus. Moros had even made a bid for power...the strands of Fate unravelled from the great tapestry of life.
He sighed as he paced out onto the balcony of his palace. He cast back his head to gaze up at the stars, then dropped his gaze to the mortal realm spread out before him. He looked at his palm. The creases and lines were those of a man...yet that palm held the power to destroy a world. But he could not strike down one woman. To do so would be to defy divine law...to end all this...Yet time and again his attempts indirectly had failed, thwarted by his wife, his daughters. And perhaps...deep down he didn't care, perhaps he really wanted her to live? No. No, that was not it. She had spurned him, he would see her fail in her quest. He had hidden Malaxios where she would not find him. Dis-entimed. Yet that damned Daymare had given her a chance to hunt him down. Curse his wife! He gripped the balustrades around the terrace balcony as he looked down on the kingdom of men. Curse his daughters too. But above all, curse that Amazon bitch. He froze. He had not applied any force in his grip...yet between his fingers he felt the grains of stone from the balustrades. He pulled back and drew up his hands before his face, staring at the dusty palms. He had not crushed the stone yet it had fallen away at his touch.
His mouth became dry and he licked his lips nervously. He was breathing heavily. He felt rising panic as events seemed to be moving out of his control. This madness was all his doing. His fit of wrath that had triggered all the events since. Perhaps the end of the gods might be coming sooner than he thought. For the very foundations of Olympus were beginning to crumble.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
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Abductorenmadrid
- Millenium Member
- Posts: 1376
- Joined: 11 years ago
- Contact:
Thanks for the update on the story, albeit short Will there be an interim post mid month or will we be getting a bonus March? I know collectively we have managed to somehow keep the monthly posts coming so this minor hiccup was inevitable, I hope no one is beating themselves up!
Will there be an interim post mid month or will we be getting a bonus March? I know collectively we have managed to somehow keep the monthly posts coming so this minor hiccup was inevitable, I hope no one is beating themselves up!My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
Cant say one way or the other yet but will let you know.
Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the comment!
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Hello all. Unfortunately I haven't heard from Dravatar since January. As contributors know I do filler chapters or extra pieces to buy writers struggling to meet the deadline time to work on the story but I have done this the last 3 months and don't want to do so again as it will detract too much from Dravs story. I know you will all join with me in hoping that Drav is alright. I have messaged him 6 times and heard nothing back but hopefully he will be in touch again soon.
So apologies this month for a temporary hiatus in the Saga of Diana.
Drav, if you read this, please let me know what's happening.
So apologies this month for a temporary hiatus in the Saga of Diana.
Drav, if you read this, please let me know what's happening.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Unfortunately we are still awaiting news from Dravatar, so hopefully he is ok and reads this and if so can you get in touch chief.
One way or another we will continue with the story on 1st May, apologies for the delays, beyond my control.
One way or another we will continue with the story on 1st May, apologies for the delays, beyond my control.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
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Abductorenmadrid
- Millenium Member
- Posts: 1376
- Joined: 11 years ago
- Contact:
Best wishes to DrAvatar and hope that he can rejoin us again soon. I too tried to PM him many weeks ago yet the message sits in my outbox, uncollected. Tallyho - you've done a great job co-ordinating a pretty epic bit of work, featuring a lot of writers and a deep plot. You've not only contributed your own chapters but have also added elements to others to keep everything coherent too - I am sure whatever happens you can get the ball rolling again and Diana can continue to get her revenge! But no matter what I sure do hope DrAvatar is okay, particularly considering the current global situation!
My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
Hello all. Unfortunately we still have not heard from Dravatar, and it's been 4 months, so DrDom has kindly stepped in to progress the story (thank you Doc) I hope that somewhere out there Drav is well enough to be annoyed and will be in touch to let us know he's OK!
PART 47
Diana slid her hands down her arms and bare legs, skimming the beads of water off her sleek body. She did it repeatedly with a brusque purpose, keen to bring some measure of heat to her skin in this chilling place. It wasn’t easy. The landscape itself was broken and torn, as if earthquakes had brought their shaking fury to the surface with angry intent, heaving rocks and trees around in the tantrum of a petulant young child.
When she was as dry as she could make herself, she strode away from the river with a firm resolve, sensing her direction from a faint glow on the horizon. Calmly but with a precision born of caution, she made slow progress over the craggy land, working her way around boulders and over fallen tree limbs. Her soft sandals eventually lost their squishy feel as she walked for hour after hour over the rocky forbidding terrain. There were no shadows to gauge shapes easily…and precious little heat other than that which she shed in her physical exertion.
Diana carried no provisions. She had nothing but her leather armor on her back, sandals on her feet, bracers on her wrists and the wondrous rope coiled at her hip. In her heart was her own fortitude and her mission. She knew she was headed into trouble and it wouldn’t be easy. But when had that ever held her back? With a warrior's eye she instinctively scanned the barren ground she covered for both danger and the possibility of a weapon; a sharpened branch as a simple spear, or a fist-sized rock that might have an edge or a point that she might use. Yet there was nothing. Somehow she didn’t think there would be. Her life and her actions were rarely her own these days, and this journey, these steps…well if not pre ordained were at the least…guided in some way. It was strange that the knowledge didn’t give her a sense of resignation….more independence, in an odd way. Knowledge was power and her knowing that fact gave her power.
Yet what use would sticks or stones be against the foes that she would face? She smiled to herself. Though even as she smiled, still she looked, scouring the near dark for anything useful or anything dangerous.
She eyed the faint glow still far off in the distance and made herself breathe regularly and calmly. She walked with a meditative purpose even as she transgressed the outer territory of dark and dangerous gods. She was close enough to the Underworld now that the tension of expectation shifted to that of an expansive alertness. Diana set her nerves at the ready but without fear, simply making herself aware of her surroundings, honing her internal receiver to the wafting atmosphere of life that enfolded her.
It was a meager life though. No birds sung. No insects hummed. No animal scurried away in alarm from her footfalls. Certainly, no color spread. She saw only black and gray rocks of various shapes and sizes. She walked among dark brown leafless trees with stripped bark and broken limbs. Some towered overhead, reaching to the gray sky like begging wretches, some had fallen like broken soldiers in battle rows, others tipped at crazy angles pointing with white bark fingers in all directions at some long-lost horror of what had befallen this desolate land. The wood was useless as a weapon, as dead as the land it sprung from, it crumbled into large ashen splinters at her touch. The gloom was penetrating to the soul but the Amazon walked on, trying not to let it in.
* * *
Hypnos took a sip of dark red wine from the finely-carved ebony goblet and paced the length of the living area of his cave. Torches spread more than enough warm light from brass sconces evenly distributed around the smoothed walls to make the place almost cheery. The stone floor was covered in tan woven sisal mats, the furniture was lean but sturdy orangish teak with thick tweed cushions of dark green with brown piping.
Pasithea was comfortably settled among just such cushions on the long divan in the center of the room, holding a matching ebony goblet of her own. Her brunette locks were splayed on the cushion behind her, her right arm stretched out, fingering the piping of another cushion. Her honey-brown eyes watched her husband with a familiar glint that was matched by a slightly smirking mouth. She knew his energy level was increasing more than it should now that the Oath Taker was near. It was his nature to be a bit anxious in times of stress. It was an odd character trait for the God of Sleep but there it was. That was why some people tossed and turned before settling into a night’s slumber. Her husband’s influence spread everywhere, to the good and to the bad. Other times, Hypnos would drop off without a moment’s notice, so dead to the world that even his brother god Morpheus couldn’t stuff a single dream into his fallen head. But now, this nervous energy was tiring her out.
“Hypnos, my love. Walk another pattern or you’ll wear a groove in the mats.”
“What? Oh, Passy, please, I’m in no mood for your idle humor.”
“It isn’t idle and it isn’t humor. You’re working yourself up again. To no good. Your plan is in place and it is quite sound. This foolish maiden hasn’t a chance.” The goddess of the mind’s inclinations drank from her cup, savoring the bright nature of the wine before she spoke once more to her still pacing mate. “Calm yourself or you won’t be at your peak. And I won’t be at mine, right?”
“You’re right, of course you are, dear. It’s just that she is now only a few hours from the eastern gate.”
“Exactly where you wanted her, where we’ve guided her to be.”
“Yes, the ivory gate will work its influence on her…”
“As you so brilliantly planned. Be at peace that all is moving along so well, my dearest.”
The dark face lightened at his wife’s flattery and the core of truth buried there. She wasn’t wrong. The plan was working and he needed to be calm for all to run smoothly. He smiled and lifted his goblet in a toast.
“To you, Charmer, and your wonderful ways. So calming, so contemplative and so befuddlingly deep that neither I nor anyone can know you without wondering what’s real and what’s an illusion.”
Faking a yawn with a patting hand at her mouth, Pasithea’s eyes twinkled with mirth. She saw Hypnos smile at her playful turn to his long-winded toast.
“Aren’t we just the perfect pair,” she declared, beaming. “That wench doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Perhaps not,” Hypnos said, then sipped. Perhaps not
* * *
Within his regal quarters in the Olympian citadel, Dolos sat on a striped blue and purple satin bench beside his own small watching pool. He looked sternly into it, tracking the agonizingly slow progress of the Amazon warrior across the desolate Stygian Plains. The area was barely kept alive by an underground stream of the River Styx. The battle that raged eons ago still scarred the terrain. Was it a death match between harpies and demi-gods? Centaurs against dragons? Who remembered? Wars between and within species went on for years, entertaining only at their beginning or their climax, like juicy gossip of new romances or bitter rivalries begun or ended. The middle of it all was boring.
He wanted Diana to already be at the Ivory Gate where Hypnos’ trap would be sprung. He could, of course, go forward in time if he wanted to see the outcome but that would require more energy than he cared to use. He’d been so busy of late flitting through time that he felt no desire to expend any more effort for now.
So, he sat there and watched Diana pick her way through the broken world on her way to Hades’ realm. His mind bounced between agony at her laborious pace and delight with the anticipation of her bedevilment to come. And fear! He hoped that the God of the Underworld wouldn’t notice the interloper before the Amazon was captured by his carefully influenced collaborators and spirited away to their cave.
“Some wine, I think,” Dolos murmured and went off to his racked supply for a celebratory draught. He uncorked it leisurely, knowing it would be at least an hour or two before anything happened of note. He knew that the Amazon wouldn’t do anything to help his cause like breaking an arm or leg in some awkward misstep. The woman was the epitome of grace. Such was her race of people. Perfect for bedding, he mused as he decanted the bottle into a fine crystal vessel. The pouring of it he likened to a waterfall of blood. That brought a smile.
* * *
“It will be most dangerous, as you know, Artemis,” Hera declared. “Transcending into Hades’ realm without permission. I shudder. You will have to be brief. Give her the gifts and our guidance and then leave as soon as possible. I will not be…”
“…able to see me or to give me aid whilst I am within the Underworld, I know this, my queen,” Artemis sighed loudly. “We’ve discussed this plan at length. Numerous times!”
“Your tongue is too sharp and your attitude too raw, my dear. Remember whom you address. You give me pause about my decision. Perhaps Athena would be…”
“No, my queen, say this, not again! We have circled this decision like a hurricane stalled in place on the open sea. It is I that Diana trusts most. The bow is my gift to give. Were she to receive a protective owl or an olive branch of peace or an asp in burlap to release in battle, then yes, Athena is your girl, but…”
“Enough!” Hera shouted, her eyes flaring dangerously at the young goddess before her. Then she calmed herself with a steadying breath. “We are all deeply troubled by the danger my Oath Taker faces.”
The glowers from both Athena and Artemis were poorly hidden and Hera corrected herself with a nod of her head.
“…our Oath Taker faces. So, let me simply kiss you for luck, my dear, for even Lady Fortuna cannot go physically with you and send you on your mission. I know you will perform it well. I DO trust you, Artemis. Take an extra moment to tell her she carries our hearts with her in her task.”
Though she does not appreciate her real undertaking and will not glimpse it until the moment is thrust upon her.
All three goddesses seemingly shared this thought together but none spoke of it.
“I promise that I will convey your love and protection to Diana, my queen. Yours and ours. With the gifts we bestow, I believe she will succeed even though she faces many dangerous foes.”
“Some of which are still unknown to us,” Athena growled, arms crossed and brooding. Wisdom was only as good as the information one gathered and the paucity of it in terms of those working against the Amazon was most distressing. This whole tragedy was down to her father's lust, then anger, then thirst for revenge. And no wisdom ever lay in any of those emotions.
“Thy brow is constantly creased these days, Athena,” Hera said, actually placing a hand on the younger goddess’ shoulder and giving a reassuring squeeze. “We all are troubled by the Amazon’s dire state but she is a noble and fine tool who hasn’t disappointed us yet. Trust in her strength and be calm. She will do her work and shine at it. I know it!”
“I wish I had your belief, my queen,” Athena said softly, searching her monarch’s eyes and seeing the strength there.
“It is all I have. All that any of us can have. " Hera stated quietly." But I do not think it is misplaced.”
“Nor do I, Great Queen” Artemis answered. She then nodded at her companions before walking into the near distance. And disappeared, on her way to the Ivory Gate to give Diana a chance in Hell, as some have called it.
PART 47
Diana slid her hands down her arms and bare legs, skimming the beads of water off her sleek body. She did it repeatedly with a brusque purpose, keen to bring some measure of heat to her skin in this chilling place. It wasn’t easy. The landscape itself was broken and torn, as if earthquakes had brought their shaking fury to the surface with angry intent, heaving rocks and trees around in the tantrum of a petulant young child.
When she was as dry as she could make herself, she strode away from the river with a firm resolve, sensing her direction from a faint glow on the horizon. Calmly but with a precision born of caution, she made slow progress over the craggy land, working her way around boulders and over fallen tree limbs. Her soft sandals eventually lost their squishy feel as she walked for hour after hour over the rocky forbidding terrain. There were no shadows to gauge shapes easily…and precious little heat other than that which she shed in her physical exertion.
Diana carried no provisions. She had nothing but her leather armor on her back, sandals on her feet, bracers on her wrists and the wondrous rope coiled at her hip. In her heart was her own fortitude and her mission. She knew she was headed into trouble and it wouldn’t be easy. But when had that ever held her back? With a warrior's eye she instinctively scanned the barren ground she covered for both danger and the possibility of a weapon; a sharpened branch as a simple spear, or a fist-sized rock that might have an edge or a point that she might use. Yet there was nothing. Somehow she didn’t think there would be. Her life and her actions were rarely her own these days, and this journey, these steps…well if not pre ordained were at the least…guided in some way. It was strange that the knowledge didn’t give her a sense of resignation….more independence, in an odd way. Knowledge was power and her knowing that fact gave her power.
Yet what use would sticks or stones be against the foes that she would face? She smiled to herself. Though even as she smiled, still she looked, scouring the near dark for anything useful or anything dangerous.
She eyed the faint glow still far off in the distance and made herself breathe regularly and calmly. She walked with a meditative purpose even as she transgressed the outer territory of dark and dangerous gods. She was close enough to the Underworld now that the tension of expectation shifted to that of an expansive alertness. Diana set her nerves at the ready but without fear, simply making herself aware of her surroundings, honing her internal receiver to the wafting atmosphere of life that enfolded her.
It was a meager life though. No birds sung. No insects hummed. No animal scurried away in alarm from her footfalls. Certainly, no color spread. She saw only black and gray rocks of various shapes and sizes. She walked among dark brown leafless trees with stripped bark and broken limbs. Some towered overhead, reaching to the gray sky like begging wretches, some had fallen like broken soldiers in battle rows, others tipped at crazy angles pointing with white bark fingers in all directions at some long-lost horror of what had befallen this desolate land. The wood was useless as a weapon, as dead as the land it sprung from, it crumbled into large ashen splinters at her touch. The gloom was penetrating to the soul but the Amazon walked on, trying not to let it in.
* * *
Hypnos took a sip of dark red wine from the finely-carved ebony goblet and paced the length of the living area of his cave. Torches spread more than enough warm light from brass sconces evenly distributed around the smoothed walls to make the place almost cheery. The stone floor was covered in tan woven sisal mats, the furniture was lean but sturdy orangish teak with thick tweed cushions of dark green with brown piping.
Pasithea was comfortably settled among just such cushions on the long divan in the center of the room, holding a matching ebony goblet of her own. Her brunette locks were splayed on the cushion behind her, her right arm stretched out, fingering the piping of another cushion. Her honey-brown eyes watched her husband with a familiar glint that was matched by a slightly smirking mouth. She knew his energy level was increasing more than it should now that the Oath Taker was near. It was his nature to be a bit anxious in times of stress. It was an odd character trait for the God of Sleep but there it was. That was why some people tossed and turned before settling into a night’s slumber. Her husband’s influence spread everywhere, to the good and to the bad. Other times, Hypnos would drop off without a moment’s notice, so dead to the world that even his brother god Morpheus couldn’t stuff a single dream into his fallen head. But now, this nervous energy was tiring her out.
“Hypnos, my love. Walk another pattern or you’ll wear a groove in the mats.”
“What? Oh, Passy, please, I’m in no mood for your idle humor.”
“It isn’t idle and it isn’t humor. You’re working yourself up again. To no good. Your plan is in place and it is quite sound. This foolish maiden hasn’t a chance.” The goddess of the mind’s inclinations drank from her cup, savoring the bright nature of the wine before she spoke once more to her still pacing mate. “Calm yourself or you won’t be at your peak. And I won’t be at mine, right?”
“You’re right, of course you are, dear. It’s just that she is now only a few hours from the eastern gate.”
“Exactly where you wanted her, where we’ve guided her to be.”
“Yes, the ivory gate will work its influence on her…”
“As you so brilliantly planned. Be at peace that all is moving along so well, my dearest.”
The dark face lightened at his wife’s flattery and the core of truth buried there. She wasn’t wrong. The plan was working and he needed to be calm for all to run smoothly. He smiled and lifted his goblet in a toast.
“To you, Charmer, and your wonderful ways. So calming, so contemplative and so befuddlingly deep that neither I nor anyone can know you without wondering what’s real and what’s an illusion.”
Faking a yawn with a patting hand at her mouth, Pasithea’s eyes twinkled with mirth. She saw Hypnos smile at her playful turn to his long-winded toast.
“Aren’t we just the perfect pair,” she declared, beaming. “That wench doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Perhaps not,” Hypnos said, then sipped. Perhaps not
* * *
Within his regal quarters in the Olympian citadel, Dolos sat on a striped blue and purple satin bench beside his own small watching pool. He looked sternly into it, tracking the agonizingly slow progress of the Amazon warrior across the desolate Stygian Plains. The area was barely kept alive by an underground stream of the River Styx. The battle that raged eons ago still scarred the terrain. Was it a death match between harpies and demi-gods? Centaurs against dragons? Who remembered? Wars between and within species went on for years, entertaining only at their beginning or their climax, like juicy gossip of new romances or bitter rivalries begun or ended. The middle of it all was boring.
He wanted Diana to already be at the Ivory Gate where Hypnos’ trap would be sprung. He could, of course, go forward in time if he wanted to see the outcome but that would require more energy than he cared to use. He’d been so busy of late flitting through time that he felt no desire to expend any more effort for now.
So, he sat there and watched Diana pick her way through the broken world on her way to Hades’ realm. His mind bounced between agony at her laborious pace and delight with the anticipation of her bedevilment to come. And fear! He hoped that the God of the Underworld wouldn’t notice the interloper before the Amazon was captured by his carefully influenced collaborators and spirited away to their cave.
“Some wine, I think,” Dolos murmured and went off to his racked supply for a celebratory draught. He uncorked it leisurely, knowing it would be at least an hour or two before anything happened of note. He knew that the Amazon wouldn’t do anything to help his cause like breaking an arm or leg in some awkward misstep. The woman was the epitome of grace. Such was her race of people. Perfect for bedding, he mused as he decanted the bottle into a fine crystal vessel. The pouring of it he likened to a waterfall of blood. That brought a smile.
* * *
“It will be most dangerous, as you know, Artemis,” Hera declared. “Transcending into Hades’ realm without permission. I shudder. You will have to be brief. Give her the gifts and our guidance and then leave as soon as possible. I will not be…”
“…able to see me or to give me aid whilst I am within the Underworld, I know this, my queen,” Artemis sighed loudly. “We’ve discussed this plan at length. Numerous times!”
“Your tongue is too sharp and your attitude too raw, my dear. Remember whom you address. You give me pause about my decision. Perhaps Athena would be…”
“No, my queen, say this, not again! We have circled this decision like a hurricane stalled in place on the open sea. It is I that Diana trusts most. The bow is my gift to give. Were she to receive a protective owl or an olive branch of peace or an asp in burlap to release in battle, then yes, Athena is your girl, but…”
“Enough!” Hera shouted, her eyes flaring dangerously at the young goddess before her. Then she calmed herself with a steadying breath. “We are all deeply troubled by the danger my Oath Taker faces.”
The glowers from both Athena and Artemis were poorly hidden and Hera corrected herself with a nod of her head.
“…our Oath Taker faces. So, let me simply kiss you for luck, my dear, for even Lady Fortuna cannot go physically with you and send you on your mission. I know you will perform it well. I DO trust you, Artemis. Take an extra moment to tell her she carries our hearts with her in her task.”
Though she does not appreciate her real undertaking and will not glimpse it until the moment is thrust upon her.
All three goddesses seemingly shared this thought together but none spoke of it.
“I promise that I will convey your love and protection to Diana, my queen. Yours and ours. With the gifts we bestow, I believe she will succeed even though she faces many dangerous foes.”
“Some of which are still unknown to us,” Athena growled, arms crossed and brooding. Wisdom was only as good as the information one gathered and the paucity of it in terms of those working against the Amazon was most distressing. This whole tragedy was down to her father's lust, then anger, then thirst for revenge. And no wisdom ever lay in any of those emotions.
“Thy brow is constantly creased these days, Athena,” Hera said, actually placing a hand on the younger goddess’ shoulder and giving a reassuring squeeze. “We all are troubled by the Amazon’s dire state but she is a noble and fine tool who hasn’t disappointed us yet. Trust in her strength and be calm. She will do her work and shine at it. I know it!”
“I wish I had your belief, my queen,” Athena said softly, searching her monarch’s eyes and seeing the strength there.
“It is all I have. All that any of us can have. " Hera stated quietly." But I do not think it is misplaced.”
“Nor do I, Great Queen” Artemis answered. She then nodded at her companions before walking into the near distance. And disappeared, on her way to the Ivory Gate to give Diana a chance in Hell, as some have called it.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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Abductorenmadrid
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Thank you both, DrD and Tallyho for getting the ball rolling again - this is a quality segment to advance a plot which unfortunately DrAvatar has not been able to complete. I truly hope he is okay but I do worry, especially considering the circumstances in which we are currently living in.
My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
Nice chapter Doc and thank you once again for stepping up into the breach.
Again I want to say I hope Dravatar is OK and if you are reading this please let us know you are alright
Again I want to say I hope Dravatar is OK and if you are reading this please let us know you are alright
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Well these are crazy days and unfortunately DrDominator9 has been delayed in his continuation of the story, hopefully the latest update will be with us all shortly.
Thanks for your patience and stay safe
Thanks for your patience and stay safe
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
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Abductorenmadrid
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Boo, DrD, boo!! If only you hadn't spent so much time complaining so much about "V" or "Vs" , you would have been ready!! No worries, Tally, this one isn't on you, it's that darned Yank's fault
, anyway, I am sure the tiny delay will be worth it in the end. And DrAvatar, if you are out there, please come back amigo, we need you to steer the rescue party onto the right course!My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
What a great series of events. Glad I found this forum and specifically this wonderfull project. As a huge fan of all WW stories this one tops the most. Amazing how you combined writers make this thing work. Started reading some time ago and never could stop. You could easily sell this in a bookstore. I would definitely buy one. Hope the project will continue for some time. I will follow you.
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Abductorenmadrid
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Well thank youDPrince wrote: ↑3 years agoWhat a great series of events. Glad I found this forum and specifically this wonderfull project. As a huge fan of all WW stories this one tops the most. Amazing how you combined writers make this thing work. Started reading some time ago and never could stop. You could easily sell this in a bookstore. I would definitely buy one. Hope the project will continue for some time. I will follow you.
- I am sure that the rest of the writing team welcome your praise, Tallyho our boss too! The community has been a little quiet of late so it is great to hear from someone!My avatar courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/sleepy-comics
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
My current story is Supergirl V Bane
This is all the stuff I've done here but don't tell anyone about this!
Yes thank you and welcome to our world.
I have sent you a private message (see the little letter by your name in the top right of the screen)
If there is anything you need to know about the forum just ask.
Thank you for the encouragement, on behalf of all contributors I thank you for taking the time to comment, and I am glad you are enjoying it.
If anyone else is liking what we are doing here please comment, its the only payment we get!
I have sent you a private message (see the little letter by your name in the top right of the screen)
If there is anything you need to know about the forum just ask.
Thank you for the encouragement, on behalf of all contributors I thank you for taking the time to comment, and I am glad you are enjoying it.
If anyone else is liking what we are doing here please comment, its the only payment we get!
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
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DrDominator9
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You can expect a new chapter posted here sometime on July 1st. It is being finalized as I speak for submission to our great founding author and editor, Tallyho this weekend.
Hello all, thank you once again for coming to read this.
Sadly we have still not heard from Dravatar , I'm sure you all join with me and the contributors in hoping he is well. Apologies that the story may have become a bit scattered in the last few postings and the delays will obviously not help you to recall what was going on. So thoughtfully, Dr Dominator has done a summary of some key points to help you pick up on what was happening.
Thanks again to Drdominator9 for stepping in to finish Dravatars piece.
They say good things are worth waiting for and I hope you will agree that this chapter definitely makes up for the missing post last month.
So here we go, hold onto your hats it's an exciting ride!
Imagine a deep gravelly voice saying-
PREVIOUSLY, IN AMAZOS...
The last chapter of Amazos saw Diana approaching the Underworld on a shifting variety of missions: one to retrieve an elixir to help Zeus regain his youthful energy in matters of love; another to help ease the unending suffering of a sister Amazon whom she couldn’t remember; and another to unknowingly create chaos among the gods by parties who looked to usurp the Throne of Olympus itself. And now the story continues….
PART 48
Hera strode through the great room and then into the decorative arched alcove where one of the public watching pools was situated. Deep purple flowers with feathery yellow stamen spread at a dozen points along the Clematis vine that climbed the white stone wall. The luscious blooms lightly perfumed the cool air as the stately goddess made her way to the smooth marble ledge. She looked deeply into the still silvery water, slowly opening an inner eye that allowed her to view other spaces and other places.
Beneath the surface, Hera fixed her gaze on the border of the Underworld and the glowing horizon she saw there. The landscape was darkly ragged, beaten down by weather and time, with misshapen trees and stagnant pools. A tired, aged landscape. But where the horizon met the dark edge of the foreboding terrain there was a delightful golden glow. When Athena came to Hera’s side to watch the transfer to Diana of Artemis’ bow and quiver, the Goddess of Wisdom gestured at the scene in the pool with a shiver of apprehension.
“She approaches via the Ivory Gate?” Athena gathered the silken shawl closer to her shoulders and frowned. “Is our oath taker even aware of the danger this gate presents?”
“I dare not attempt to deduce her logic.” Hera replied. “She treads toward Hades’ realm with a measured carefulness,” Hera pointed at the feminine figure making her way through the harsh terrain, “but whether that is due to the roots and stones that can cause her to stumble, natural caution or a knowledge of the trouble she may encounter by attempting to breach this exit rather than the conventional entrance I do not know. How much wisdom does Diana possess? Have you lately bestowed upon her any special gifts or knowledge, my daughter?”
“Not I, my queen.”
Hera frowned and sat down on the marble ledge with obvious concern. “More’s the pity then, for this gate casts dark deceptions and troubled dreams upon those souls who pass beneath its archway. Those who would try to leave Hades’ infernal realm by this gate are slowed and disturbed, confused and alarmed in ways that turn them around, only to wander back into the Underworld, desperately lost. This could be trouble even to Artemis herself if she tarries too long beneath that arch.”
Athena gently grasped Hera’s elbow, attempting a calming gesture that drew a scowl from Hera as she shook off the kindness brusquely. “Steady thyself, Athena. I am calm. So, too, should you be. We can merely watch and trust that our gifts can be of assistance in Diana’s trials within the Underworld. These new ones being presented and those she’s well-earned through her trials may help turn any tide she may encounter. She has the speed and skills and heart to prevail…but against the gods and others who dwell there? That is the question. But, yes, it is vexing to be sure that this pool is blind to the events within that realm.”
“Look! Artemis arrives now at the gate, two hundred strides in advance of Diana.” Athena smiled briefly at her sister’s tactic. “She must be planning to hide in the shadows of the gate to avoid giving any notice of her presence to Hades or his minions.”
The garden surrounding the glowing white gate was manicured to perfection. It met the beaten landscape with a pathway of fine white sand. A soft layer underfoot, one could barely hear one’s own tread in the bleached walkway. Short, waist-high hedges in prim green lines edged the path and green grass kept short and firm stretched for a hundred paces in all directions.
To exit the Underworld through this gate and to see the blasted heath that faced one was enough for even the most intrepid soul to reconsider such a departure. But the grace of the garden and the beauty of the Ivory Gate one viewed coming from the other direction, where rotted limbs and hard-edged rocks drained one’s energies, was a welcoming sight indeed. That glowing welcome, however, came with the confusion and deceptive airs created by the gate. Coming or going through the Ivory Gate was a trying task for anybody: mortal, drifting soul, or god.
Artemis quickly walked forward to where the path bent some 20 paces from the gate so that Diana would not see her until the young goddess wanted herself to be seen. She looked up at the smooth white arch, marveling at its beauty. Filigreed carvings of leaping magical beings edged both sides of the arch. Carved satyrs and fairies and nymphs in play tumbled and cavorted among artfully etched plants and swaying ferns from the lofty height of the arch down its columns to its base. The intricacy of the work was breathtaking, even to Artemis. She absorbed the wonder of it and her eyes glazed a bit with the frothy air she breathed beneath the arch. She almost swooned until she caught herself in a bit of a trance and then hurried through the arch and ducked behind the leg of a topiary giraffe within Hades realm.
“Artemis is inside and obscured from our sight,” Hera declared with a cold finality. “Now we wait for Diana to pass beneath the gate and hope that Artemis can draw her quickly through to present her the bow and endless quiver.”
“We can only watch and hope our oath taker is not overcome by the confusion of the gate,” Athena answered. “It is dreadfully powerful. Before she passed through the gate, I thought I saw Artemis herself falter. Ah, there she comes now, treading at last from the forlorn plain to the tendered garden path. Be wary, Diana.”
* * *
Within Hades’ realm, Hypnos and Pasithea lingered not far from the Ivory Gate, hidden from view by the stout green trunk of a topiary elephant. Peering out from the leafy confines, the God of Sleep saw a most graceful figure approach from beyond the other side of the gate. At first, he believed it to be Diana, his quarry, but then he saw that the hair was wrong: not raven wing black but a thick braided golden weave pulled tight into a sprightly tail at the back of the head. The confident stride was reminiscent of a goddess, at least it was until the beauty wavered momentarily as she stood under the gate awestruck at the carvings. She faltered for a moment until she regained her thoughts and rushed into the topiary garden and ducked behind the long leafy legs of the giraffe figure.
“See the bow and quiver,” Pasithea whispered to her husband.
“Of course. And I mean to take them.”
“But that is the goddess Artemis. It must be. Would you dare confront her?”
“She treads wantonly into our realm and you ask if I dare protect my own land, woman? We both shall confront her and show her that her haughty airs carry no weight in our dominion.”
Pasithea grabbed Hypnos’ bicep and held him back with a husky “Wait! I concur. But I can tilt the advantage more to our purpose. The gate itself has begun my work. I shall pile upon the confusion it emanates. After that, the harpies can relieve her of her weapon and her endless arrows. Be patient, my spouse. I must be quick though, for not far back I see the true prey comes following; Diana herself. In truth, at her speedy gait, I may have to compress time here.”
From behind the leaves of the elephantine trunk, Pasithea looked at the soft cheeks and furrowed brow of the Goddess of the Hunt and smiled.
Who is the hunted one now, sweet doe?
With a concentrated thought and a wave of her hand, the Goddess of Consciousness in all its states cast her influence on Artemis’ thoughts. The huntress supreme suddenly felt herself naked alone on a beach under a full moon, the silver light casting her shadow on the sand.
“What in Hades is this?!” Artemis yelped and turned in place, looking for any enemies. Instinctively she drew an arrow from her quiver and pulled the bowstring taut. Slowly turning in place, she saw only waves crashing onto dark black sand at her feet and then behind her a jungle of trees laden with leaves so large that their heart-shapes almost glowed in the silver moonlight.
“How did I come to be here? What enchantment is this?” Slowly moving her feet in sideways steps, turning to face off against the waves and then the jungle, the goddess fretted. The soft breezes caressed her nakedness and the curves of her figure were edged in white moonlight. The crests of the waves were rolling tumbling cotton riding the restless water.
This is some artificial madness. I have gifts to give, not a fight to fight!
The noise that arose from the jungle had her spinning in place, wary, arms taut and ready to release her arrow into the center of whatever was making the vegetation shake and tremble. She breathed deeply, centering her calmness. The unseen beast had a heavy footfall, perhaps a wild boar. Those intemperate pigs were known to be high-strung and dangerous. Not unlike earthly males. The bow remained still as stone in the goddess’ arms though. Fear did not enter into the equation for her.
She was not ready for the animal that did emerge however. A hulking moon-faced panda lumbered out through the silvered fronds and leaves, pushing them aside with a raised paw and a face without a hint of guile. The charming bearish smile that faced Artemis delighted her so completely that she lowered her bow and relaxed the arrow with a matching smile of her own. That was when the harpies struck her from behind.
Three ugly hag creatures leapt forward in unison. One hag grabbed the waist of the goddess pinning her arms while another flew to the side and snatched away the bow from the relaxed grip then flew skyward to the height of a nearby palm tree. The third harpy clopped the goddess’ head with a bony fist and hard-edged wing that caused the surprised beauty to stumble to one knee. The first harpy continued to bear hug the bewildered goddess, enfolding Artemis in scratchy wing feathers that smelled foul. Stealing the quiver at that point was simple and quick. A slice of the leather strap by a keenly drawn talon and it was pulled away. Before she had time to collect herself Artemis was pushed to the ground only to look up at the trio of harpies carrying away the bow and quiver in the dying light as they flew away across the top of the dark jungle, cackling victoriously on the wind
“My gifts!” Artemis was simultaneously furious and confused. How had she been so suddenly attacked from behind without warning. And why was the sky so dark and heavy with clouds that the full white moon was sliding behind?
Where has the glow of the arch gone? Where even is the arch? And the lushly trimmed garden of elephants and giraffes and giant frog plants?
The snuffling sound to her side reminded her of the giant panda and she looked over to it. It was no panda now! It was, in fact, the wild boar that she had first suspected and it was staring at her with cruel red eyes. The hulking thing was bent low and postured to charge, the tusks on its face glinting white in the moonlight.
“I would not test me, swine!” The Goddess of the Hunt reached to her waist for her jewelled-handled knife and found it there. In fact, she found herself fully clothed again and realized her mind was being tricked. Grimacing at the mental assault, she faced the physical assault before her with a quiet calm; her head held high, her knife raised in easy defense. She had killed many a boar in her day. This one would be no different!
The heavy beast rumbled forward picking up speed in its haste to destroy the threat to its turf. Its hairy bulk rushed through the undergrowth mere paces away now, its head lowered, ready to spear the intruder and toss it in the air on the points of its boney horns. Artemis timed her strike precisely, aiming for that right glowing red eye, to stab through to the brain and slay the beast. She fought to consciously control her strike, over riding the angry urge to lash out in rage at the theft of her gifts. Timing was everything. She thrust the blade forward just when the eye glaring at her with beastly fury came within reach. The blade tip cut its way through nothing but smoke.
A cloud of white-gray mist chilled her bare outstretched arm. She was killing nothing! The shriek behind her chilled her blood as Artemis turned her head. She was on the beach no longer but back in the garden near the ivory arch. Three more harpies were at her back, shoving her body forward, using the momentum of her knife thrust against her. Before she realized it, she was shoved back through the huge Ivory Gate and out onto the white sandy path. To her side she saw Diana but was ruthlessly propelled past her in a flash! Artemis observed the oath taker twirling in place, fighting for her very life under the ivory arch. She was feinting and parrying and thrusting the air with nothing but her clenched fist.
“What foul creature plays with our minds so cruelly?” Artemis despaired as she fell to the white sand path on her hands and knees, shoved there hard by the brazen harpies. The ugly hag beings retreated quickly backward, flying in formation under the arch. They dragged on the arms of the pirouetting heroine, yanking her from under the arch deeper into Hades’ realm even before Artemis had time to rise and help rescue Diana.
Aghast, Artemis jumped to her feet to help the valiant woman but before she could take a step forward, a slot in the curve of the archway above her head opened wide and a heavy golden gate dropped down, sharp spear points slamming deep into the ground. A sparkling golden hue rose, like a shield, to both sides of the path. This doorway to the Underworld was closed.
Walking around from the side of the arch was a smiling Hypnos. His face beamed between the golden bars of the gate.
“That is no foul creature. That is my wife!” His laugh was deep and resounding and Artemis realized she had failed Diana badly. She could not begin to imagine what Hera would say at this turn of events.
“There’s no entry for you here, goddess. Be gone now. I have an oath taker to play with! And the very foundations of Olympus to shake!”
Having said that, Hypnos turned and walked toward Diana, disappearing into the golden light until his form faded completely. Artemis could not see past the golden hue that blocked her way and her vision. She could only turn and walk upon the sandy white path away from the confounding Ivory Gate so that she could return to Olympus with the sour taste of failure in her mouth. Behind her the Gate had no glow, only the shield to its sides now pulsed with a milky yellow aura. Before her, the terrain was dark and gloomy and foul as her mood. Turning in a circle, Artemis disappeared, leaving her frowning face as the last fading image.
* * *
Diana stepped up onto the flat surface of a squat boulder and then leapt gracefully over the last fallen blackened tree limb in her way. She landed on a soft white sand pathway that led to the beautiful arch that she’d watched grow larger as she made her way toward it throughout the long frustrating morning. The dust from her landing plumed up in a soft spray and settled down again.
Finally, I am done with that miserable landscape!
The statuesque beauty in her dark red bustier, short skirt, looped lasso and high-laced sandals looked up with awe at the archway in front of her. The entrance to the Underworld was bedazzling to behold. The glow of the pristine white arch, the gorgeous garden with its smooth green expanses of lawn, its prim hedges and fantastical animals pruned into dramatic rearing horses, playful elephants, stretching giraffes and lumbering bears was a soul-filling sight after the horrific, cursed terrain she’d just crossed.
The workmanship on the arch alone took her breath away. Ornate ivory carvings of mythical forest creatures cavorting from the height of the arch all the way down the squared columns drew her appreciative eyes, sucking her attention with a powerful draw. There was a centaur speaking in the ear of an impeccably-carved satyr. Diana could easily imagine the daring sexual proposal being offered! It was a heady display that made her vision sway the longer she gazed at all the incredible workmanship there.
Look! There on the side column is a boar facing down what looks to be one of my sisters. Her pearly muscles virtually flex before me! I can practically feel her spear striking home in her victorious conquest.
Diana swooned where she stood, her balance confused by all her concentration on the many forms carved into the creamy surface. She stepped back awkwardly and then forward, unsure and dizzy.
I must be more tired than I thought.
Suddenly from the distance, far past the arch where the dip in the white sand path was lost on the other side of a hill, Diana heard the rhythmic pulse of marching soldiers.
Perhaps an army of the dead?
She did not know, but she was ready. She reached behind her for her sword in its leather scabbard and didn’t think twice about it being there. But the sight of the brigade of men that crested the hill in the distance sickened and enraged Diana to her core. It was a phalanx of Dorlians marching its way toward her. Perhaps among them were men who she herself had sent here to Hades when they ambushed her and her sisters on that fateful day on the Dorlian Plains.
If those now dead soldiers were among them, certainly they should tremble with the rot of fear. For they would know the skills that Amazon women possessed, especially her own. She had dispatched them before. Doing so again would not daunt her. She relished the opportunity to rend through them again.
With a sudden surge those many men began to charge at her, driving their legs and raising their swords and raising their shouts in order to terrify their foe. They should have spent their time honing their plans rather than raising their war cry. Diana poised herself, ready to take on the horde. Her eyes were iceberg blue, her brows knitted in battle readiness, her arms and legs limber and now ready to be commanded.
The men closed and Diana was ready for them. She spun and swirled like Charybdis in place, stabbing through soft stomachs, beheading sightless faces, separating limbs from bodies that fell in tumbled parts before her sword. The very blade itself was edged in fury, glinting in the sun with its vengeful mission as she twisted her wrist back and forth making a pathway through the phalanx of Dorlian soldiers who stood in her way. She swayed and ducked, left and right to avoid their blows but always moved forward,
If need be, flashing and slashing, Diana would rip a blazing wound through the very curtain of death in order to fight her way back to life. She had done it before.
Without hesitation, the Amazon warrior sheathed her hot anger in their various bodies again and again. Tall men, short men, stout young ones and thin old ones. Hacking at arms too slow, past shields raised too late, across legs less nimble than hers. She leapt into circles of helmeted men and laid waste to them. Cutting them down and ending their lives like harvested wheat before her scythe.
Sightless eyes stared up in frozen masks of shock and fear as she strode over them to wage her war against the atrocity of deceit that the Dorlians had shrouded over her and her sisters. But they were all paying the ultimate price now.
Fear this Amazon warrior, you worthless mongrels! Know that she holds truth and honor by the throat and brandishes those nobilities in the face of those who know it not. She sears the eyes and gags the voices of the petty fools who would dare deny the terrifying reality of what her and her sister Amazons suffered. You heathen curs face Diana, Princess of the Amazons and you are all found greatly wanting.
They would all pay and, in fact, were being presented with the bill for their atrocious treason now. Dozens, if not scores of them lay in piles at Diana’s feet as she battled toward the light and the victory and the safety that she and her sisters and been so savagely denied.
Finally, Diana faced her last Dorlian captain. She had spun around, surprising him with the knowledge of his sneaky approach and delivered a bloody knock to his forehead with the hilt of her sword. She then ran him through with her blade and he fell off it, sliding off the singing steel tongue and down to the ground with a wheezing gasp of finality.
At last, with the carnage of dead bodies all around her, she stood in an empty patch of dust on the battlefield. Resting the tip of her sword in the brown dirt at her feet, Diana put her weight on the weapon and breathed slowly. The steel ran red with the blood of her enemies, dripping a puddle of vengeance gained. It clotted into crimson mud in the late afternoon light.
“My sisters’ honor is upheld,” the raven-haired warrior declared in the carrion field in which she stood. “The dead who lived again have been cast back harshly into their cold and silent graves, learning their lesson anew that Amazon steel shines brightest when in defense.”
“Well then, your steel will have to be cast away from you,” a deep male voice announced behind her.
She turned to see Hypnos standing there and beside him his wife, Pasithea. Diana recognized them both from descriptions and drawings in the libraries of her youth. He is tall with heavy, sleepy eyelids and an unyielding brutish strength that can be impossible to withstand at times. She is a bit shorter, attractive and lean with a quiet center of calm that can be soothing or deeply disturbing in equal measure.
“And you must deal with your next enemy with only what you have on your person,” the striking Goddess of the Mind stated. “Fighting them tooth and claw…as those are their weapons of choice. Have you wings, Princess? You may need them!”
“Harpies!” Diana’s blood ran cold but she raised her sword on high, ready to battle again, only to feel the lightness of her arm and to see merely her upraised fist. She cried out in anger. “You would take my weapon against these ugly hags.”
“You would haggle with us about our lovely weapons?” Hypnos grinned in reply, then beckoned the troop of eight harpies to begin their attack with a sweep of his arm.
The octad formed a half circle around the wary Amazon. She reached for the only weapon left to her that’s not of her own body. Pulling her golden lasso from her belt, Diana unfurled it into loose loops. She held one end in her right hand and snapped a three-foot length of it in the direction of the half circle of wizened long-nosed hags. The crackling sound of the rope end snapping in the air before them backed off the entire contingent. Diana turned shifting her focus among the group, half crouched, ready for any move they may make. She over balanced slightly steadying herself with a hand on the sandy path.
Hypnos snorted with derision as the harpies hissed mockingly at her mistake. But they still dared not close with her, backing away from the cracking whip that danced out to meet them whenever one seemed about to come near her.
“She is but one and you are eight with talons like razors and teeth like knives,” thundered Hypnos. “You can fly and she is earthbound and yet you retreat?!!”
“They know their better and wonder at attacking with such risk,” Diana called to the side, watching for feathered wings and bony knees to flex for flight.
“They better wonder whether they will live or no, should they not risk such an attack!” Hypnos clapped his hands together with a thunderous blow and finally the squad of harpies split into two groups, four earthbound who rushed forward toward Diana’s legs and four who took flight and soared at Diana’s head.
Diana spun in place, whipping the end of her lasso in a wide golden loop that drew a fiery circle in the air. One harpy thought to fly through the hole drawn in the sky before her with her hands outstretched and talons curved to rend at the lovely face below, her wings tucked in a straight dive down. But the hole suddenly shrank and the fiery circle burned through feathers and bone in an instant, cutting the diving bird woman in half. That one was dead before she hit the earth.
As she spun, Diana hurled the fistful of sand she had subtly gathered when she pretended to stumble into the faces of three of her attackers, the stinging grit surprising them, delaying them and buying Diana precious seconds to react, evade and counter.
Hypnos' face clouded with rage. Her moves always had purpose and she had made him seem a fool for not noticing her intent. She had even turned sand into a weapon. Not for the first time he cursed her skill. It would not be the last time either. His wife looked at him with contempt.
The leading ground harpy who showed her strength and speed with frightening skill leapt in mid-air to rend the fleshy thigh she had targeted for mutilation. The sudden sole of the sandal that cracked the harpy’s nose and drove her downward into the dirt had hurt badly, but it was the angle that the sole impressed on her head that made the difference. The bird hag’s neck was broken on impact and that she felt not at all. Pain or not, she too, was lost to the Amazon’s skill. The shattered body tripped two of the harpies who followed her lead while the fourth reared back and searched for an opening.
“Six are left. Only six remain,” Diana sang out. “Will their remains be left here or float silently on the River Styx?”
“A POET IN BATTLE?” Pasithea shouted. “QUOTE VERSE TO ME FROM HADES’ THRONE NEXT, YOU STUPID MORTAL! YOU WILL BE DRAGGED THERE SOON ENOUGH!”
The Goddess of the Mind was far happier when she was leading the attack with her smoky delusions than when her husband’s foolish minions battled, even though they still greatly outnumbered the Amazon. She had been told to hold back her visions from the Amazon at this point. Pasithea’s skills would be needed in full measure afterward, should the harpies fail. But they had to serve their purpose. And with six left, the troop might yet score a nasty wound against the Amazon.
Three winged uglies circled over the ever-moving prey now, eyeing the feinting beauty with hungry black pupils. She had killed two of them and they were angry and eager to taste revenge. But that golden rope was the problem. It snapped and waved at them like a hydra’s head, never still in one location more than a flashing moment. The three sisters on the ground obviously felt the same way.
The Amazon’s parrying and angling and shifting feet were almost mesmerizing in their dance. There was no rhythm to count off and prepare a lunge against yet she was as balanced and deft as an antelope herd leaping away from a lion’s pounce. The frustration got to the biggest of the three flying harpies and she plummeted hard at the raven hair, hoping to surprise and gouge a furrow in the brash warrior’s skull. The end of the rope that she thought was waving off her youngest sister below suddenly rose up and cleaved through the diving creature’s breast, splitting open the fur there like a split in a cloak seam. The flailing end of the rope punched into the heart of the tumbling mass and the dead thing crashed hard into terrain between Diana and the dissatisfied godly couple nearby.
The screaming young sister harpy watched her older mentor perish hard in mid-flight and thinking herself safe from the rope lunged for the glistening blue eyes she saw in the dusky light. Her talon edged very near the iris of that eye until a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her away to the side, heaving her in the air to soar off into the distance. But no! The hand held and the harpy’s wrist snapped. Feathers flew and the trajectory of her flight changed with a yank and the soaring arc was aimed downward. The head crushed down to the ground in a brutal stop and the dead body collapsed on top of it.
“Four left! Half of your harpy brigade is gone and me with no wounds sustained,” Diana called out to the couple nearby. “Let me go now to pursue my errand here in the Underworld and stop this waste, Hypnos! There is no profit in it for you.”
“So now you are a prophet in the wasteland, Amazon? I think you carry yourself too highly. There will be a reckoning pursuing you yet. Clearly you are well-trained but such constant exertion must be taking its toll. You must be tiring. Rest would surely be welcomed. Why not lay down your rope and sleep.”
“I will sleep only when the battle is done. You will not tempt me with your spoiled weakness while I fight, God of Drowsiness. That is your skill? Not lightning, not a sun against a sky, not the thunder of war? You are the God of Nodding Heads and Drooling Babes. I fear you not!”
“You should, Amazon. You may well sleep when the battle is over. That may be my decision.” Hypnos bristled at her words.
Diana wondered for a moment if she’d gone too far. Serving scorn to the gods was never a good idea. She knew that, of course, with the ones who lived on Olympus. She supposed that the gods who lived in the Underworld would take it no…
Without warning, the two remaining ground harpies rushed at Diana from opposite sides. She had foolishly diverted her attention away from her foes to trade insults with Hypnos and they had seized on that lost focus to slide apart and then simultaneously attack. So too had the flying harpies divided and now plunged down at Diana with their legs reared back, talons aimed and wings folded tight in lethal dives from opposite directions.
There was only one maneuver she could think of to fend off this four-way assault and Diana used it. She gathered her lasso near each end letting three feet of loose rope dangle free while allowing the middle of the lasso’s many coils to drop between her feet. She then violently spun the rope’s ends in the air like deadly windmills in a hurricane. She flexed her wrists and the circling rope ends of death provided not just the shield she required but a fearsome weapon that no harpy had ever faced. She aimed one circling plane over her head, tilting its axis here and there while the other searing circle she spun in front and around her body.
All four bird women rushed right into their demise as the rope sliced off wings and legs and heads in a furious shower of plumage and flesh. The carnage was terrible and absolute in the course of less than six heartbeats. Blood was splattered everywhere. Screams wailed out and were cut short. Defeat shrieked loudly, drowned out by the whirring bass drone of the spinning lasso’s ends. And then that sound lessened and faded. Soon, the soft slow…thrup…thrup…thrup … of rope hitting dirt was the only noise left in the world. That and the heavy breathing of an Amazon who was victorious but now teetering on very shaky legs.
* * *
Artemis arrived back on Olympus in the garden outside the Main Hall. She dreaded going inside and making her way to Hera’s throne room. What must the Queen of the Gods think of her? She had not even performed her mission to deliver her gift bow and quiver to the Oath Taker. More likely than not, Artemis believed she had endangered Diana’s life even more by her very presence near Hades realm. With her head bowed, Artemis climbed the steps that led to the great doors of the Main Hall, considering how to phrase her speech to Hera.
How should I beg forgiveness for creating such danger to Diana?
She reached for the handle to the great door when suddenly they swung inward before her hands could clasp the great silver pull. There before her stood Hera and Athena side by side, both tall and regal and looking desperately concerned. Artemis assumed it was for the fate of Diana.
“My queen!” Artemis took a knee and bowed her head before the monarch. “I have failed you. I have failed the Oath Taker. I have failed everyone.”
“Stand up, Goddess of the Hunt. You have failed no one. Or if you have then we all share in it. Now are you hurt?”
Artemis looked up into the tilted faces of Hera and Athena and saw their deep sorrow and concern at her own well-being. She felt a tear slide from her eye. “Hurt? By harpies? Certainly not. Merely surprised I admit. Ambushed was I!”
“Not here!” Hera cautioned. “Come to my chambers. We will discuss it there.”
Settled on couches in the Queen’s chambers, the trio shared their stories.
“We saw so little of what happened near the Ivory Gate,” Hera stated. “Only those actions that occurred on the outside border. Nothing of what occurred within. We saw you precede Diana through the gate and noticed you faltered while going through. And what seemed like less than a quarter of an hour, you were being shoved outside that gate by three harpies who flew back inside the Underworld and then the gate was closed by falling bars. What happened to you inside?”
Artemis described the wonder of the Ivory Gate and the momentary confusion it caused her. She told of the beauty surrounding the gate with the tended gardens and such. Then she related how she hid behind a topiary giraffe’s leg waiting for Diana to come through the gate one moment and was suddenly naked on a beach in the moonlight the very next moment. She described the panda who startled and amused her and then the harpies stealing her bow and quiver and then facing down a boar that turned to smoke before being grabbed by three other harpies who shoved her out of the Underworld even as she passed Diana doggedly battling imaginary foes with no sword in hand.
Both goddesses were stunned into silence, considering the tale that Artemis told.
“I see the hand of Pasithea at work here,” Hera announced. “She built on the confusion in you created by the Ivory Gate. She spins hallucinations the way children spin tops. Dizzy pleasure to enjoy for her. Confusion, fear and doubt for her playthings.”
“I don’t know that I enjoy being labelled a plaything for another goddess,” Artemis grumbled.
“It’s not like that,” Athena reassured her. “With that awful gate bending your thoughts, that young crone simply piled on to your troubled mind. Creating illusions that were not real. She could have done it to any one of us in such a state.” Athena looked at Hera who nodded in agreement.
“She certainly had her way with our young mortal. I shudder to imagine what sort of battle, young Diana thought she was fighting.” Hera rose and paced. “Nothing good can come of her journey to Hades domain while she remains in the clutches of Hypnos and his twisted bride.”
“And what of my gifts?”
“They are the least of our worries for now, I’m afraid,” Athena admitted. We can only hope that the Oath Taker is somehow able to escape from that pair and continue her mission.”
“We shall subtly try to keep aware of what occurs on the long borders of the Underworld and see if Diana ventures out,” Hera suggested. “If nothing happens soon, we may have to send in an emissary to determine her whereabouts. If worse comes to worse in time, I may have to tell Zeus that his subject Diana has been kidnapped by Hypnos and his wife and his Elysium Botanical Oil may never arrive. But that is a course of action I feel is a last resort. How he might react to such news is anybody’s guess.”
“You say if nothing happens soon, my Queen, regarding Diana’s fate,” Artemis noted. “I would ask you what you consider ‘soon?’”
“That is an excellent question,” Hera answered moodily, examining her thoughts like lovely crystals. Time is such a plastic substance, is it not? Especially to mortals. I should think we need to wait one moon’s time.”
“I hope that is not too long for the Oath Taker.”
“True, but it is but a trifle to us, Artemis. We dare not act rashly,” Athena declared, offering up her wisdom as if she were unwrapping a pearl.
* * *
With her battles won against the Dorlian troops and the band of harpies, Diana found herself exhausted. Her arms were sore to tears almost, her legs quivering with hunger for oxygen after being so sorely tested and strained. All her leaping, parrying and slashing, spinning efforts were now imbuing her with a tiredness and faintness that had her taking a knee and bowing her head, her breasts heaving, her lungs seeking the air that she’d been holding during the battle, fearing she would lose.
With her victory came the realization of the full measure of the strife she’d put her body through. Her mind she found was hard and happy but her body was spent and lost. The knee was not enough and she collapsed into a cross-legged plop on her rear, rasping and shaking. Her rope was coiled in a heap by her side. Her arms were spread out before her, the palms flat against the dry dirt. Fully sick, she heaved up her meager lunch, emptying on the ground to the side what little she’d eaten on that long day. She then collapsed even more, falling face first into the dust, weeping and weak. She laid there quietly, her rump raised and her upper torso flat against the warm earth, just breathing in and out. Trying to savor her victory but tasting only dust.
It was another several minutes before she felt a strong hand gather her arm above the elbow and easily lift her to her feet with a sudden pull. She tried to grab the end of her rope from the dirt while being yanked upward but was shocked to see no rope there at all. No bloody messes of bird bodies. And strangely, not even a splash of the lunch she’d brought up.
What is this? What’s happened here?
She looked at the face of the man who’d lifted her out of the dirt. He was in filthy clothes, pauper’s rags at best, but he had a wizened face that beamed with warmth and concern. And dark eyes that bore into hers with nervous need.
“We must hurry away, my tired friend. The guard will find you. Curfew is here. We must get out of town and into the safety of the desert. They will not follow us there!”
“Where am I? Where is Hypnos? Where are the harpies’ corpses?” Diana pestered the old fellow, unable to fathom what was going on or who this kindly man was.
“I know not of this Hypnos. Nor have I seen dead harpies. But if the guards find us here then we shall become the corpses. Come with me,” he said, pulling on her arm and dragging a very tired Diana with him down a side street. “We must get you into the desert and safety.”
“The desert? I cannot brave the desert,” the bone-weary woman complained. “I am too tired. I have no provisions, nor knowledge of this area. I will not survive!”
“I have enough provisions hidden in the desert which I know all too well, my dear. We will make do. Or the guards will do us harm. I assure you that. Now come. I know an alleyway that leads out of this miserable hamlet.”
Confused and exhausted, Diana trudged along side the pauper who held her arm tight and led her away out of town into some unknown desert.
Sadly we have still not heard from Dravatar , I'm sure you all join with me and the contributors in hoping he is well. Apologies that the story may have become a bit scattered in the last few postings and the delays will obviously not help you to recall what was going on. So thoughtfully, Dr Dominator has done a summary of some key points to help you pick up on what was happening.
Thanks again to Drdominator9 for stepping in to finish Dravatars piece.
They say good things are worth waiting for and I hope you will agree that this chapter definitely makes up for the missing post last month.
So here we go, hold onto your hats it's an exciting ride!
Imagine a deep gravelly voice saying-
PREVIOUSLY, IN AMAZOS...
The last chapter of Amazos saw Diana approaching the Underworld on a shifting variety of missions: one to retrieve an elixir to help Zeus regain his youthful energy in matters of love; another to help ease the unending suffering of a sister Amazon whom she couldn’t remember; and another to unknowingly create chaos among the gods by parties who looked to usurp the Throne of Olympus itself. And now the story continues….
PART 48
Hera strode through the great room and then into the decorative arched alcove where one of the public watching pools was situated. Deep purple flowers with feathery yellow stamen spread at a dozen points along the Clematis vine that climbed the white stone wall. The luscious blooms lightly perfumed the cool air as the stately goddess made her way to the smooth marble ledge. She looked deeply into the still silvery water, slowly opening an inner eye that allowed her to view other spaces and other places.
Beneath the surface, Hera fixed her gaze on the border of the Underworld and the glowing horizon she saw there. The landscape was darkly ragged, beaten down by weather and time, with misshapen trees and stagnant pools. A tired, aged landscape. But where the horizon met the dark edge of the foreboding terrain there was a delightful golden glow. When Athena came to Hera’s side to watch the transfer to Diana of Artemis’ bow and quiver, the Goddess of Wisdom gestured at the scene in the pool with a shiver of apprehension.
“She approaches via the Ivory Gate?” Athena gathered the silken shawl closer to her shoulders and frowned. “Is our oath taker even aware of the danger this gate presents?”
“I dare not attempt to deduce her logic.” Hera replied. “She treads toward Hades’ realm with a measured carefulness,” Hera pointed at the feminine figure making her way through the harsh terrain, “but whether that is due to the roots and stones that can cause her to stumble, natural caution or a knowledge of the trouble she may encounter by attempting to breach this exit rather than the conventional entrance I do not know. How much wisdom does Diana possess? Have you lately bestowed upon her any special gifts or knowledge, my daughter?”
“Not I, my queen.”
Hera frowned and sat down on the marble ledge with obvious concern. “More’s the pity then, for this gate casts dark deceptions and troubled dreams upon those souls who pass beneath its archway. Those who would try to leave Hades’ infernal realm by this gate are slowed and disturbed, confused and alarmed in ways that turn them around, only to wander back into the Underworld, desperately lost. This could be trouble even to Artemis herself if she tarries too long beneath that arch.”
Athena gently grasped Hera’s elbow, attempting a calming gesture that drew a scowl from Hera as she shook off the kindness brusquely. “Steady thyself, Athena. I am calm. So, too, should you be. We can merely watch and trust that our gifts can be of assistance in Diana’s trials within the Underworld. These new ones being presented and those she’s well-earned through her trials may help turn any tide she may encounter. She has the speed and skills and heart to prevail…but against the gods and others who dwell there? That is the question. But, yes, it is vexing to be sure that this pool is blind to the events within that realm.”
“Look! Artemis arrives now at the gate, two hundred strides in advance of Diana.” Athena smiled briefly at her sister’s tactic. “She must be planning to hide in the shadows of the gate to avoid giving any notice of her presence to Hades or his minions.”
The garden surrounding the glowing white gate was manicured to perfection. It met the beaten landscape with a pathway of fine white sand. A soft layer underfoot, one could barely hear one’s own tread in the bleached walkway. Short, waist-high hedges in prim green lines edged the path and green grass kept short and firm stretched for a hundred paces in all directions.
To exit the Underworld through this gate and to see the blasted heath that faced one was enough for even the most intrepid soul to reconsider such a departure. But the grace of the garden and the beauty of the Ivory Gate one viewed coming from the other direction, where rotted limbs and hard-edged rocks drained one’s energies, was a welcoming sight indeed. That glowing welcome, however, came with the confusion and deceptive airs created by the gate. Coming or going through the Ivory Gate was a trying task for anybody: mortal, drifting soul, or god.
Artemis quickly walked forward to where the path bent some 20 paces from the gate so that Diana would not see her until the young goddess wanted herself to be seen. She looked up at the smooth white arch, marveling at its beauty. Filigreed carvings of leaping magical beings edged both sides of the arch. Carved satyrs and fairies and nymphs in play tumbled and cavorted among artfully etched plants and swaying ferns from the lofty height of the arch down its columns to its base. The intricacy of the work was breathtaking, even to Artemis. She absorbed the wonder of it and her eyes glazed a bit with the frothy air she breathed beneath the arch. She almost swooned until she caught herself in a bit of a trance and then hurried through the arch and ducked behind the leg of a topiary giraffe within Hades realm.
“Artemis is inside and obscured from our sight,” Hera declared with a cold finality. “Now we wait for Diana to pass beneath the gate and hope that Artemis can draw her quickly through to present her the bow and endless quiver.”
“We can only watch and hope our oath taker is not overcome by the confusion of the gate,” Athena answered. “It is dreadfully powerful. Before she passed through the gate, I thought I saw Artemis herself falter. Ah, there she comes now, treading at last from the forlorn plain to the tendered garden path. Be wary, Diana.”
* * *
Within Hades’ realm, Hypnos and Pasithea lingered not far from the Ivory Gate, hidden from view by the stout green trunk of a topiary elephant. Peering out from the leafy confines, the God of Sleep saw a most graceful figure approach from beyond the other side of the gate. At first, he believed it to be Diana, his quarry, but then he saw that the hair was wrong: not raven wing black but a thick braided golden weave pulled tight into a sprightly tail at the back of the head. The confident stride was reminiscent of a goddess, at least it was until the beauty wavered momentarily as she stood under the gate awestruck at the carvings. She faltered for a moment until she regained her thoughts and rushed into the topiary garden and ducked behind the long leafy legs of the giraffe figure.
“See the bow and quiver,” Pasithea whispered to her husband.
“Of course. And I mean to take them.”
“But that is the goddess Artemis. It must be. Would you dare confront her?”
“She treads wantonly into our realm and you ask if I dare protect my own land, woman? We both shall confront her and show her that her haughty airs carry no weight in our dominion.”
Pasithea grabbed Hypnos’ bicep and held him back with a husky “Wait! I concur. But I can tilt the advantage more to our purpose. The gate itself has begun my work. I shall pile upon the confusion it emanates. After that, the harpies can relieve her of her weapon and her endless arrows. Be patient, my spouse. I must be quick though, for not far back I see the true prey comes following; Diana herself. In truth, at her speedy gait, I may have to compress time here.”
From behind the leaves of the elephantine trunk, Pasithea looked at the soft cheeks and furrowed brow of the Goddess of the Hunt and smiled.
Who is the hunted one now, sweet doe?
With a concentrated thought and a wave of her hand, the Goddess of Consciousness in all its states cast her influence on Artemis’ thoughts. The huntress supreme suddenly felt herself naked alone on a beach under a full moon, the silver light casting her shadow on the sand.
“What in Hades is this?!” Artemis yelped and turned in place, looking for any enemies. Instinctively she drew an arrow from her quiver and pulled the bowstring taut. Slowly turning in place, she saw only waves crashing onto dark black sand at her feet and then behind her a jungle of trees laden with leaves so large that their heart-shapes almost glowed in the silver moonlight.
“How did I come to be here? What enchantment is this?” Slowly moving her feet in sideways steps, turning to face off against the waves and then the jungle, the goddess fretted. The soft breezes caressed her nakedness and the curves of her figure were edged in white moonlight. The crests of the waves were rolling tumbling cotton riding the restless water.
This is some artificial madness. I have gifts to give, not a fight to fight!
The noise that arose from the jungle had her spinning in place, wary, arms taut and ready to release her arrow into the center of whatever was making the vegetation shake and tremble. She breathed deeply, centering her calmness. The unseen beast had a heavy footfall, perhaps a wild boar. Those intemperate pigs were known to be high-strung and dangerous. Not unlike earthly males. The bow remained still as stone in the goddess’ arms though. Fear did not enter into the equation for her.
She was not ready for the animal that did emerge however. A hulking moon-faced panda lumbered out through the silvered fronds and leaves, pushing them aside with a raised paw and a face without a hint of guile. The charming bearish smile that faced Artemis delighted her so completely that she lowered her bow and relaxed the arrow with a matching smile of her own. That was when the harpies struck her from behind.
Three ugly hag creatures leapt forward in unison. One hag grabbed the waist of the goddess pinning her arms while another flew to the side and snatched away the bow from the relaxed grip then flew skyward to the height of a nearby palm tree. The third harpy clopped the goddess’ head with a bony fist and hard-edged wing that caused the surprised beauty to stumble to one knee. The first harpy continued to bear hug the bewildered goddess, enfolding Artemis in scratchy wing feathers that smelled foul. Stealing the quiver at that point was simple and quick. A slice of the leather strap by a keenly drawn talon and it was pulled away. Before she had time to collect herself Artemis was pushed to the ground only to look up at the trio of harpies carrying away the bow and quiver in the dying light as they flew away across the top of the dark jungle, cackling victoriously on the wind
“My gifts!” Artemis was simultaneously furious and confused. How had she been so suddenly attacked from behind without warning. And why was the sky so dark and heavy with clouds that the full white moon was sliding behind?
Where has the glow of the arch gone? Where even is the arch? And the lushly trimmed garden of elephants and giraffes and giant frog plants?
The snuffling sound to her side reminded her of the giant panda and she looked over to it. It was no panda now! It was, in fact, the wild boar that she had first suspected and it was staring at her with cruel red eyes. The hulking thing was bent low and postured to charge, the tusks on its face glinting white in the moonlight.
“I would not test me, swine!” The Goddess of the Hunt reached to her waist for her jewelled-handled knife and found it there. In fact, she found herself fully clothed again and realized her mind was being tricked. Grimacing at the mental assault, she faced the physical assault before her with a quiet calm; her head held high, her knife raised in easy defense. She had killed many a boar in her day. This one would be no different!
The heavy beast rumbled forward picking up speed in its haste to destroy the threat to its turf. Its hairy bulk rushed through the undergrowth mere paces away now, its head lowered, ready to spear the intruder and toss it in the air on the points of its boney horns. Artemis timed her strike precisely, aiming for that right glowing red eye, to stab through to the brain and slay the beast. She fought to consciously control her strike, over riding the angry urge to lash out in rage at the theft of her gifts. Timing was everything. She thrust the blade forward just when the eye glaring at her with beastly fury came within reach. The blade tip cut its way through nothing but smoke.
A cloud of white-gray mist chilled her bare outstretched arm. She was killing nothing! The shriek behind her chilled her blood as Artemis turned her head. She was on the beach no longer but back in the garden near the ivory arch. Three more harpies were at her back, shoving her body forward, using the momentum of her knife thrust against her. Before she realized it, she was shoved back through the huge Ivory Gate and out onto the white sandy path. To her side she saw Diana but was ruthlessly propelled past her in a flash! Artemis observed the oath taker twirling in place, fighting for her very life under the ivory arch. She was feinting and parrying and thrusting the air with nothing but her clenched fist.
“What foul creature plays with our minds so cruelly?” Artemis despaired as she fell to the white sand path on her hands and knees, shoved there hard by the brazen harpies. The ugly hag beings retreated quickly backward, flying in formation under the arch. They dragged on the arms of the pirouetting heroine, yanking her from under the arch deeper into Hades’ realm even before Artemis had time to rise and help rescue Diana.
Aghast, Artemis jumped to her feet to help the valiant woman but before she could take a step forward, a slot in the curve of the archway above her head opened wide and a heavy golden gate dropped down, sharp spear points slamming deep into the ground. A sparkling golden hue rose, like a shield, to both sides of the path. This doorway to the Underworld was closed.
Walking around from the side of the arch was a smiling Hypnos. His face beamed between the golden bars of the gate.
“That is no foul creature. That is my wife!” His laugh was deep and resounding and Artemis realized she had failed Diana badly. She could not begin to imagine what Hera would say at this turn of events.
“There’s no entry for you here, goddess. Be gone now. I have an oath taker to play with! And the very foundations of Olympus to shake!”
Having said that, Hypnos turned and walked toward Diana, disappearing into the golden light until his form faded completely. Artemis could not see past the golden hue that blocked her way and her vision. She could only turn and walk upon the sandy white path away from the confounding Ivory Gate so that she could return to Olympus with the sour taste of failure in her mouth. Behind her the Gate had no glow, only the shield to its sides now pulsed with a milky yellow aura. Before her, the terrain was dark and gloomy and foul as her mood. Turning in a circle, Artemis disappeared, leaving her frowning face as the last fading image.
* * *
Diana stepped up onto the flat surface of a squat boulder and then leapt gracefully over the last fallen blackened tree limb in her way. She landed on a soft white sand pathway that led to the beautiful arch that she’d watched grow larger as she made her way toward it throughout the long frustrating morning. The dust from her landing plumed up in a soft spray and settled down again.
Finally, I am done with that miserable landscape!
The statuesque beauty in her dark red bustier, short skirt, looped lasso and high-laced sandals looked up with awe at the archway in front of her. The entrance to the Underworld was bedazzling to behold. The glow of the pristine white arch, the gorgeous garden with its smooth green expanses of lawn, its prim hedges and fantastical animals pruned into dramatic rearing horses, playful elephants, stretching giraffes and lumbering bears was a soul-filling sight after the horrific, cursed terrain she’d just crossed.
The workmanship on the arch alone took her breath away. Ornate ivory carvings of mythical forest creatures cavorting from the height of the arch all the way down the squared columns drew her appreciative eyes, sucking her attention with a powerful draw. There was a centaur speaking in the ear of an impeccably-carved satyr. Diana could easily imagine the daring sexual proposal being offered! It was a heady display that made her vision sway the longer she gazed at all the incredible workmanship there.
Look! There on the side column is a boar facing down what looks to be one of my sisters. Her pearly muscles virtually flex before me! I can practically feel her spear striking home in her victorious conquest.
Diana swooned where she stood, her balance confused by all her concentration on the many forms carved into the creamy surface. She stepped back awkwardly and then forward, unsure and dizzy.
I must be more tired than I thought.
Suddenly from the distance, far past the arch where the dip in the white sand path was lost on the other side of a hill, Diana heard the rhythmic pulse of marching soldiers.
Perhaps an army of the dead?
She did not know, but she was ready. She reached behind her for her sword in its leather scabbard and didn’t think twice about it being there. But the sight of the brigade of men that crested the hill in the distance sickened and enraged Diana to her core. It was a phalanx of Dorlians marching its way toward her. Perhaps among them were men who she herself had sent here to Hades when they ambushed her and her sisters on that fateful day on the Dorlian Plains.
If those now dead soldiers were among them, certainly they should tremble with the rot of fear. For they would know the skills that Amazon women possessed, especially her own. She had dispatched them before. Doing so again would not daunt her. She relished the opportunity to rend through them again.
With a sudden surge those many men began to charge at her, driving their legs and raising their swords and raising their shouts in order to terrify their foe. They should have spent their time honing their plans rather than raising their war cry. Diana poised herself, ready to take on the horde. Her eyes were iceberg blue, her brows knitted in battle readiness, her arms and legs limber and now ready to be commanded.
The men closed and Diana was ready for them. She spun and swirled like Charybdis in place, stabbing through soft stomachs, beheading sightless faces, separating limbs from bodies that fell in tumbled parts before her sword. The very blade itself was edged in fury, glinting in the sun with its vengeful mission as she twisted her wrist back and forth making a pathway through the phalanx of Dorlian soldiers who stood in her way. She swayed and ducked, left and right to avoid their blows but always moved forward,
If need be, flashing and slashing, Diana would rip a blazing wound through the very curtain of death in order to fight her way back to life. She had done it before.
Without hesitation, the Amazon warrior sheathed her hot anger in their various bodies again and again. Tall men, short men, stout young ones and thin old ones. Hacking at arms too slow, past shields raised too late, across legs less nimble than hers. She leapt into circles of helmeted men and laid waste to them. Cutting them down and ending their lives like harvested wheat before her scythe.
Sightless eyes stared up in frozen masks of shock and fear as she strode over them to wage her war against the atrocity of deceit that the Dorlians had shrouded over her and her sisters. But they were all paying the ultimate price now.
Fear this Amazon warrior, you worthless mongrels! Know that she holds truth and honor by the throat and brandishes those nobilities in the face of those who know it not. She sears the eyes and gags the voices of the petty fools who would dare deny the terrifying reality of what her and her sister Amazons suffered. You heathen curs face Diana, Princess of the Amazons and you are all found greatly wanting.
They would all pay and, in fact, were being presented with the bill for their atrocious treason now. Dozens, if not scores of them lay in piles at Diana’s feet as she battled toward the light and the victory and the safety that she and her sisters and been so savagely denied.
Finally, Diana faced her last Dorlian captain. She had spun around, surprising him with the knowledge of his sneaky approach and delivered a bloody knock to his forehead with the hilt of her sword. She then ran him through with her blade and he fell off it, sliding off the singing steel tongue and down to the ground with a wheezing gasp of finality.
At last, with the carnage of dead bodies all around her, she stood in an empty patch of dust on the battlefield. Resting the tip of her sword in the brown dirt at her feet, Diana put her weight on the weapon and breathed slowly. The steel ran red with the blood of her enemies, dripping a puddle of vengeance gained. It clotted into crimson mud in the late afternoon light.
“My sisters’ honor is upheld,” the raven-haired warrior declared in the carrion field in which she stood. “The dead who lived again have been cast back harshly into their cold and silent graves, learning their lesson anew that Amazon steel shines brightest when in defense.”
“Well then, your steel will have to be cast away from you,” a deep male voice announced behind her.
She turned to see Hypnos standing there and beside him his wife, Pasithea. Diana recognized them both from descriptions and drawings in the libraries of her youth. He is tall with heavy, sleepy eyelids and an unyielding brutish strength that can be impossible to withstand at times. She is a bit shorter, attractive and lean with a quiet center of calm that can be soothing or deeply disturbing in equal measure.
“And you must deal with your next enemy with only what you have on your person,” the striking Goddess of the Mind stated. “Fighting them tooth and claw…as those are their weapons of choice. Have you wings, Princess? You may need them!”
“Harpies!” Diana’s blood ran cold but she raised her sword on high, ready to battle again, only to feel the lightness of her arm and to see merely her upraised fist. She cried out in anger. “You would take my weapon against these ugly hags.”
“You would haggle with us about our lovely weapons?” Hypnos grinned in reply, then beckoned the troop of eight harpies to begin their attack with a sweep of his arm.
The octad formed a half circle around the wary Amazon. She reached for the only weapon left to her that’s not of her own body. Pulling her golden lasso from her belt, Diana unfurled it into loose loops. She held one end in her right hand and snapped a three-foot length of it in the direction of the half circle of wizened long-nosed hags. The crackling sound of the rope end snapping in the air before them backed off the entire contingent. Diana turned shifting her focus among the group, half crouched, ready for any move they may make. She over balanced slightly steadying herself with a hand on the sandy path.
Hypnos snorted with derision as the harpies hissed mockingly at her mistake. But they still dared not close with her, backing away from the cracking whip that danced out to meet them whenever one seemed about to come near her.
“She is but one and you are eight with talons like razors and teeth like knives,” thundered Hypnos. “You can fly and she is earthbound and yet you retreat?!!”
“They know their better and wonder at attacking with such risk,” Diana called to the side, watching for feathered wings and bony knees to flex for flight.
“They better wonder whether they will live or no, should they not risk such an attack!” Hypnos clapped his hands together with a thunderous blow and finally the squad of harpies split into two groups, four earthbound who rushed forward toward Diana’s legs and four who took flight and soared at Diana’s head.
Diana spun in place, whipping the end of her lasso in a wide golden loop that drew a fiery circle in the air. One harpy thought to fly through the hole drawn in the sky before her with her hands outstretched and talons curved to rend at the lovely face below, her wings tucked in a straight dive down. But the hole suddenly shrank and the fiery circle burned through feathers and bone in an instant, cutting the diving bird woman in half. That one was dead before she hit the earth.
As she spun, Diana hurled the fistful of sand she had subtly gathered when she pretended to stumble into the faces of three of her attackers, the stinging grit surprising them, delaying them and buying Diana precious seconds to react, evade and counter.
Hypnos' face clouded with rage. Her moves always had purpose and she had made him seem a fool for not noticing her intent. She had even turned sand into a weapon. Not for the first time he cursed her skill. It would not be the last time either. His wife looked at him with contempt.
The leading ground harpy who showed her strength and speed with frightening skill leapt in mid-air to rend the fleshy thigh she had targeted for mutilation. The sudden sole of the sandal that cracked the harpy’s nose and drove her downward into the dirt had hurt badly, but it was the angle that the sole impressed on her head that made the difference. The bird hag’s neck was broken on impact and that she felt not at all. Pain or not, she too, was lost to the Amazon’s skill. The shattered body tripped two of the harpies who followed her lead while the fourth reared back and searched for an opening.
“Six are left. Only six remain,” Diana sang out. “Will their remains be left here or float silently on the River Styx?”
“A POET IN BATTLE?” Pasithea shouted. “QUOTE VERSE TO ME FROM HADES’ THRONE NEXT, YOU STUPID MORTAL! YOU WILL BE DRAGGED THERE SOON ENOUGH!”
The Goddess of the Mind was far happier when she was leading the attack with her smoky delusions than when her husband’s foolish minions battled, even though they still greatly outnumbered the Amazon. She had been told to hold back her visions from the Amazon at this point. Pasithea’s skills would be needed in full measure afterward, should the harpies fail. But they had to serve their purpose. And with six left, the troop might yet score a nasty wound against the Amazon.
Three winged uglies circled over the ever-moving prey now, eyeing the feinting beauty with hungry black pupils. She had killed two of them and they were angry and eager to taste revenge. But that golden rope was the problem. It snapped and waved at them like a hydra’s head, never still in one location more than a flashing moment. The three sisters on the ground obviously felt the same way.
The Amazon’s parrying and angling and shifting feet were almost mesmerizing in their dance. There was no rhythm to count off and prepare a lunge against yet she was as balanced and deft as an antelope herd leaping away from a lion’s pounce. The frustration got to the biggest of the three flying harpies and she plummeted hard at the raven hair, hoping to surprise and gouge a furrow in the brash warrior’s skull. The end of the rope that she thought was waving off her youngest sister below suddenly rose up and cleaved through the diving creature’s breast, splitting open the fur there like a split in a cloak seam. The flailing end of the rope punched into the heart of the tumbling mass and the dead thing crashed hard into terrain between Diana and the dissatisfied godly couple nearby.
The screaming young sister harpy watched her older mentor perish hard in mid-flight and thinking herself safe from the rope lunged for the glistening blue eyes she saw in the dusky light. Her talon edged very near the iris of that eye until a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her away to the side, heaving her in the air to soar off into the distance. But no! The hand held and the harpy’s wrist snapped. Feathers flew and the trajectory of her flight changed with a yank and the soaring arc was aimed downward. The head crushed down to the ground in a brutal stop and the dead body collapsed on top of it.
“Four left! Half of your harpy brigade is gone and me with no wounds sustained,” Diana called out to the couple nearby. “Let me go now to pursue my errand here in the Underworld and stop this waste, Hypnos! There is no profit in it for you.”
“So now you are a prophet in the wasteland, Amazon? I think you carry yourself too highly. There will be a reckoning pursuing you yet. Clearly you are well-trained but such constant exertion must be taking its toll. You must be tiring. Rest would surely be welcomed. Why not lay down your rope and sleep.”
“I will sleep only when the battle is done. You will not tempt me with your spoiled weakness while I fight, God of Drowsiness. That is your skill? Not lightning, not a sun against a sky, not the thunder of war? You are the God of Nodding Heads and Drooling Babes. I fear you not!”
“You should, Amazon. You may well sleep when the battle is over. That may be my decision.” Hypnos bristled at her words.
Diana wondered for a moment if she’d gone too far. Serving scorn to the gods was never a good idea. She knew that, of course, with the ones who lived on Olympus. She supposed that the gods who lived in the Underworld would take it no…
Without warning, the two remaining ground harpies rushed at Diana from opposite sides. She had foolishly diverted her attention away from her foes to trade insults with Hypnos and they had seized on that lost focus to slide apart and then simultaneously attack. So too had the flying harpies divided and now plunged down at Diana with their legs reared back, talons aimed and wings folded tight in lethal dives from opposite directions.
There was only one maneuver she could think of to fend off this four-way assault and Diana used it. She gathered her lasso near each end letting three feet of loose rope dangle free while allowing the middle of the lasso’s many coils to drop between her feet. She then violently spun the rope’s ends in the air like deadly windmills in a hurricane. She flexed her wrists and the circling rope ends of death provided not just the shield she required but a fearsome weapon that no harpy had ever faced. She aimed one circling plane over her head, tilting its axis here and there while the other searing circle she spun in front and around her body.
All four bird women rushed right into their demise as the rope sliced off wings and legs and heads in a furious shower of plumage and flesh. The carnage was terrible and absolute in the course of less than six heartbeats. Blood was splattered everywhere. Screams wailed out and were cut short. Defeat shrieked loudly, drowned out by the whirring bass drone of the spinning lasso’s ends. And then that sound lessened and faded. Soon, the soft slow…thrup…thrup…thrup … of rope hitting dirt was the only noise left in the world. That and the heavy breathing of an Amazon who was victorious but now teetering on very shaky legs.
* * *
Artemis arrived back on Olympus in the garden outside the Main Hall. She dreaded going inside and making her way to Hera’s throne room. What must the Queen of the Gods think of her? She had not even performed her mission to deliver her gift bow and quiver to the Oath Taker. More likely than not, Artemis believed she had endangered Diana’s life even more by her very presence near Hades realm. With her head bowed, Artemis climbed the steps that led to the great doors of the Main Hall, considering how to phrase her speech to Hera.
How should I beg forgiveness for creating such danger to Diana?
She reached for the handle to the great door when suddenly they swung inward before her hands could clasp the great silver pull. There before her stood Hera and Athena side by side, both tall and regal and looking desperately concerned. Artemis assumed it was for the fate of Diana.
“My queen!” Artemis took a knee and bowed her head before the monarch. “I have failed you. I have failed the Oath Taker. I have failed everyone.”
“Stand up, Goddess of the Hunt. You have failed no one. Or if you have then we all share in it. Now are you hurt?”
Artemis looked up into the tilted faces of Hera and Athena and saw their deep sorrow and concern at her own well-being. She felt a tear slide from her eye. “Hurt? By harpies? Certainly not. Merely surprised I admit. Ambushed was I!”
“Not here!” Hera cautioned. “Come to my chambers. We will discuss it there.”
Settled on couches in the Queen’s chambers, the trio shared their stories.
“We saw so little of what happened near the Ivory Gate,” Hera stated. “Only those actions that occurred on the outside border. Nothing of what occurred within. We saw you precede Diana through the gate and noticed you faltered while going through. And what seemed like less than a quarter of an hour, you were being shoved outside that gate by three harpies who flew back inside the Underworld and then the gate was closed by falling bars. What happened to you inside?”
Artemis described the wonder of the Ivory Gate and the momentary confusion it caused her. She told of the beauty surrounding the gate with the tended gardens and such. Then she related how she hid behind a topiary giraffe’s leg waiting for Diana to come through the gate one moment and was suddenly naked on a beach in the moonlight the very next moment. She described the panda who startled and amused her and then the harpies stealing her bow and quiver and then facing down a boar that turned to smoke before being grabbed by three other harpies who shoved her out of the Underworld even as she passed Diana doggedly battling imaginary foes with no sword in hand.
Both goddesses were stunned into silence, considering the tale that Artemis told.
“I see the hand of Pasithea at work here,” Hera announced. “She built on the confusion in you created by the Ivory Gate. She spins hallucinations the way children spin tops. Dizzy pleasure to enjoy for her. Confusion, fear and doubt for her playthings.”
“I don’t know that I enjoy being labelled a plaything for another goddess,” Artemis grumbled.
“It’s not like that,” Athena reassured her. “With that awful gate bending your thoughts, that young crone simply piled on to your troubled mind. Creating illusions that were not real. She could have done it to any one of us in such a state.” Athena looked at Hera who nodded in agreement.
“She certainly had her way with our young mortal. I shudder to imagine what sort of battle, young Diana thought she was fighting.” Hera rose and paced. “Nothing good can come of her journey to Hades domain while she remains in the clutches of Hypnos and his twisted bride.”
“And what of my gifts?”
“They are the least of our worries for now, I’m afraid,” Athena admitted. We can only hope that the Oath Taker is somehow able to escape from that pair and continue her mission.”
“We shall subtly try to keep aware of what occurs on the long borders of the Underworld and see if Diana ventures out,” Hera suggested. “If nothing happens soon, we may have to send in an emissary to determine her whereabouts. If worse comes to worse in time, I may have to tell Zeus that his subject Diana has been kidnapped by Hypnos and his wife and his Elysium Botanical Oil may never arrive. But that is a course of action I feel is a last resort. How he might react to such news is anybody’s guess.”
“You say if nothing happens soon, my Queen, regarding Diana’s fate,” Artemis noted. “I would ask you what you consider ‘soon?’”
“That is an excellent question,” Hera answered moodily, examining her thoughts like lovely crystals. Time is such a plastic substance, is it not? Especially to mortals. I should think we need to wait one moon’s time.”
“I hope that is not too long for the Oath Taker.”
“True, but it is but a trifle to us, Artemis. We dare not act rashly,” Athena declared, offering up her wisdom as if she were unwrapping a pearl.
* * *
With her battles won against the Dorlian troops and the band of harpies, Diana found herself exhausted. Her arms were sore to tears almost, her legs quivering with hunger for oxygen after being so sorely tested and strained. All her leaping, parrying and slashing, spinning efforts were now imbuing her with a tiredness and faintness that had her taking a knee and bowing her head, her breasts heaving, her lungs seeking the air that she’d been holding during the battle, fearing she would lose.
With her victory came the realization of the full measure of the strife she’d put her body through. Her mind she found was hard and happy but her body was spent and lost. The knee was not enough and she collapsed into a cross-legged plop on her rear, rasping and shaking. Her rope was coiled in a heap by her side. Her arms were spread out before her, the palms flat against the dry dirt. Fully sick, she heaved up her meager lunch, emptying on the ground to the side what little she’d eaten on that long day. She then collapsed even more, falling face first into the dust, weeping and weak. She laid there quietly, her rump raised and her upper torso flat against the warm earth, just breathing in and out. Trying to savor her victory but tasting only dust.
It was another several minutes before she felt a strong hand gather her arm above the elbow and easily lift her to her feet with a sudden pull. She tried to grab the end of her rope from the dirt while being yanked upward but was shocked to see no rope there at all. No bloody messes of bird bodies. And strangely, not even a splash of the lunch she’d brought up.
What is this? What’s happened here?
She looked at the face of the man who’d lifted her out of the dirt. He was in filthy clothes, pauper’s rags at best, but he had a wizened face that beamed with warmth and concern. And dark eyes that bore into hers with nervous need.
“We must hurry away, my tired friend. The guard will find you. Curfew is here. We must get out of town and into the safety of the desert. They will not follow us there!”
“Where am I? Where is Hypnos? Where are the harpies’ corpses?” Diana pestered the old fellow, unable to fathom what was going on or who this kindly man was.
“I know not of this Hypnos. Nor have I seen dead harpies. But if the guards find us here then we shall become the corpses. Come with me,” he said, pulling on her arm and dragging a very tired Diana with him down a side street. “We must get you into the desert and safety.”
“The desert? I cannot brave the desert,” the bone-weary woman complained. “I am too tired. I have no provisions, nor knowledge of this area. I will not survive!”
“I have enough provisions hidden in the desert which I know all too well, my dear. We will make do. Or the guards will do us harm. I assure you that. Now come. I know an alleyway that leads out of this miserable hamlet.”
Confused and exhausted, Diana trudged along side the pauper who held her arm tight and led her away out of town into some unknown desert.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
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Abductorenmadrid
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Poor Diana has seemingly been caught in a quagmire of hostile illusions for an age and even Artemis could not resist the power of Hypnos!! How is our heroine going to make it through this journey if even her godly allies cannot help her? This tale is moving along nicely now and I can't wait to see where we are heading to next!
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Superb chapter Doc. Great job and really captured the mood of the situation Diana finds herself in. I liked the interplay with the Goddesses and their schemes coming up against Hypnos and his wife and theirs
Top banana
(Still hope Drav is OK though!)
Top banana
(Still hope Drav is OK though!)
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Hello all
Hopefully Dravatar is still out there, if you are mate please let us know you are OK.
Sadly there will be no update this month due to a personal loss suffered by one of the team.
Our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult time.
Hopefully normal service will be resumed 1st September
Hopefully Dravatar is still out there, if you are mate please let us know you are OK.
Sadly there will be no update this month due to a personal loss suffered by one of the team.
Our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult time.
Hopefully normal service will be resumed 1st September
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).