AMAZOS - a WW origin story UPDATED 01/01/2023

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tallyho
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Well Doc pretty much stole my thunder on this. I love Harryhausen's work and the Children of the Hydra is one of my fave's - and you captured that feel with the charioteer coming from the ground. I could almost hear the clarinet playing the same intro music as the skeleton army gets in 'Argonauts as they appear.
A fantastic chapter that was just perfect in tone and brilliantly executed, with a great bickering undercurrent between Artemis and Hera which just adds another dimension to the story.

Really good concept, very well executed - bravo!!
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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tallyho
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And now the fantastic concluding part of ABDUCTORENMADRID's magnificent contribution. Read it, enjoy it and please post a comment


Part 1 3


The first day and night of the voyage had passed uneventfully, the small merchant vessel making good time under sail with a favourable wind. Diana had passed the time during the crossing by helping mend sails and rope and scrubbing the decks, which seemed to earn the respect of the small crew. Below decks the hooded slave somehow seemed to be of use in the small galley, her blind eyes somehow aiding in the preparation of the meals of the day.

Now, on the second morning, the far shore appeared as a mere whisp of colour on the horizon beneath the rising sun. Diana sensed she was nearing the end of the adventure, all that was needed was to make it to the harbour, climb the steps of the Temple of Artemis and deliver her slave to whatever fate awaited her.

High up in Olympus the voyage was being observed. “So, there you are, Diana. You dared to cross the water, so settled are you on your course? One should be careful! Poseidon, my brother, will introduce your slave to the perils of the waters.” Hera said as she looked down on the ship in the open sea.

Diana gazed longingly at the slowly approaching land mass, way off in the distance, from the prow, then glanced back over her shoulder and smiled as she saw the helpful wind filling the sails, carrying them forwards towards their goal.

“We make good speed” said the captain as he noted the position of the sun and gauged the distance to shore.

“You are a man of your word, we are indeed light and fast ” Diana replied as she noted the speed of the passing waves.

“But even so we have been most fort-” the captain said before being interrupted.

“Deck there! Something stirs abeam of us” yelled a man high up on the mast.

“Perhaps I spoke too soon ….” the captain said gruffly as he looked up to see the outstretched arm of the crewman above him pointing off to the south.

Walking to the side of his small ship the captain gazed across the water. In the distance the surface of the water seemed to be in turmoil, as if something were splashing across it.

“What do you see?” The captain called up to the sailor in the rigging.

“Something plays on the water, but I don't know what …. it … it's getting closer ….” the crewman said.

With squinting eyes the captain maintained his vigil while Diana glanced at him, trying to read his face and assess the danger. She could tell that he was troubled but did not know if they were in danger or not.

“I don't like it,” the captain said quietly to himself.

“What is it?” Diana asked with a frown.

“Gods … look!” the captain said, mouth gaping open as he realised what his eyes were telling him.

Then Diana saw what the captain had spotted. Coming at them broadside, fish were swimming at full speed, leaping out the water as they charged towards them, skipping across the surface before diving, only to leap out once more.

WHUMP-DUM-THUD-BOOM-THUD-THUD-BOOM-WHUMP

The first wave of fish seemed to leap into the side of the small ship, smacking against the wooden timbers of the hull in a seemingly harmless way.

“There are more !!” cried the crewman aloft.

“What is going on ?!” the captain said, bewildered.

“Gods ….. fish … with …..” Diana managed to say as the second wave of fish appeared. These were bigger, much bigger, than the minnows that came before them.

CRUNCH-SMASH!!!

A large fish which seemed to have a sword for a nose leapt up onto the deck, crashing through some of the timbers making the barrier around the deck. The fish writhed around, its blade cutting into the shin of the captain who fell onto his deck, sending the wet surface crimson.

Diana quickly ran behind the fish and grabbed it by the tail and pulled it away from the prone man just as another fish leapt over her head onto the deck.


CRASH !

More of the fish assaulted the side of the vessel, one of the crew who was on deck becoming sliced on the arm by one of them as they sought to aid their captain.

“Get us about , let them taste the prow!” the captain urged.

A man on the tiller put his back into his work making the ship start its turn. The captain hoped that by facing into the assault he could take the sting out of the attack. The frame of his little ship had a strong timber post that formed the bow - if that couldn't take the brunt of the attack nothing could.

CRUNCH !! THUD !!

“We are hit below!!!” screamed a crewman.

“Shore us up!!” the captain ordered as began to rise to his feet.

“What can I do ?!” Diana asked frantically.

“Get down there and help them, quickly, or we will lose the ship ..” the captain pointed.

Diana raced to the ladder that took her into the hold of the ship, following the other crewman who had gone ahead. One of the timbers had been cracked in half and bowed inwards, a hissing jet of water forcing its way inside the vessel.

“We need to brace this ...” the crewman said as he picked up some timbers.

Diana, to the sailor's surprise, stepped past him and putting her back into the buckled hull forced it to flex back outwards while the man hammered in some wedges to keep everything in place before placing another plank behind the broken one to help hold it all together. It was exhausting work and all around them the hull crunched and thudded as it took more hits.

“This...is nothing, we can bail this later, return to the deck” grunted the crewman as he kicked angrily at the water which sloshed about their feet. The boat was capable of hauling great weights, the small amount of water in the hold would not trouble them too much.

WOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo ! Wooooooooo! WHU – WHU – WHU – Wooooooooooooooooo!

A terrifying call shrieked through the hull of the small ship, the source of the eerie song coming from below the waterline.

Diana's eyes went wide open. “What …. what is THAT ?!?!”

“Gods! If that comes for us too...” the crewman said as he put his ear to the hull and listened.

“What …. what is it?!” pleaded Diana. She was of the land and seldom had been near the sea and the mysteries it contained. To the sailor the answer was obvious but to her the sound was otherworldly.

“Get to the deck !” the crewman ordered only to see Diana frozen by the terrifying noise.

“GET TO THE DECK!” he repeated.

WHU – WHU – WHU – Wooooooooooooooooo!

Diana broke from her trance and scaled the ladder back to the upper deck to see it covered in all manner of fish. The sides of the vessel were badly damaged by the seemingly suicidal attack, the deck strewn with fragments of wood and rigging and the flapping bodies of dying fish. Diana in a moment of clarity sensed that this attack was driven by the gods and realised the slave might be the target. Moving quickly to the rear of the vessel Diana entered the section which housed the quarters and the galley and found her hooded slave huddled in a corner in silence, her limbs shaking in fear.

At the stern-facing side of the galley several planks making up the wall of the upper decks had been shattered and the blood of fish flooded the floor. One of the swordfish was impaled through the hull into the galley, its blade frightening close to the unknowing woman. With a brutal kick Diana forced the blade back through the hull and from beyond she heard a splosh as the fish fell the last few feet back to the water.

“Come with me !” Diana urged the slave, taking her by the hand and leading her back out on to the open deck. The crew were helping their captain while others stayed stooped low, waiting to see what would happen next.

PFFFFFSSSSSSSSHT!!

Diana arrived with her charge just in time to see in the mid distance the grey smooth skin of a creature in the water, an angry plume of air and water venting skyward from atop its back, a long spear like weapon protruding form its head.

“Gods.... what is THAT !!” Diana exclaimed as she stood frozen to the deck, holding the slave by the wrist.

Then with a lunge the whale accelerated, its tale thrashing as it picked up speed.

“TURN! TURN US NOW!” screamed the captain, hoping to evade the imminent collision.

PFFFFFSSSSSSSSHT!! hissed the whale once more as its undulating body dived beneath the water, its tale kicking one last time above the waves.

A man looked over the side and watched the grey form dive then begin to rise once more.

“GREAT POSEIDON, LET US TURN! TURN!!!!” screamed the man as he could see the spear on the whale's head approaching the hull.


There was a sickening crunch and a sort of horrible squeaking sound as the narwhal's horn drove up at an angle through the timbers, creating a perfect small round hole. Breaching below the waterline a man in the hold screamed in terror as the tip of the spiralled weapon passed by him and upwards to the deck. Diana and all the sailors looked down at their feet wondering what scene was playing out unseen beneath them.

Suddenly, like a spear, the tip of the huge narwhal's horn punched a hole in the deck ahead of Diana and came angling up at her at speed. Backing up, the unsighted slave found herself pushed to the mast, Diana in front of her.

“Oh, no, no, no...” growled Diana. Her instinct was to grasp the horn as it homed in on her body, being lifted of her feet as she was driven backwards clutching it in both hands.

Closer and closer the tip came, then it began to push at Diana's ribs. The ship began to heel over, men toppling towards the water which boiled angrily with thrashing sword fish.




Hera watched the spectacle intently. Poseidon would no doubt tell her that the men of the ship had made their daily offerings to him to keep them safe and now they were in danger. The sea was red with blood and littered with fallen rigging and dying fish. Diana writhed on the tip of the narwhals mighty spear, the slave pinned behind her against the mast. One firm push and the sea creature would complete its murderous task, killing the slave and her Amazonian protector.

“Poseidon, enough! Artemis can watch Diana's failure at the steps of her very own temple!” Hera said bitterly. Depriving Artemis of the slave was one thing but Hera desired Diana be alive to face her shame of failure.




With a groan the mighty sea monster sloshed with its tail and its huge grey body slipped backwards away from the ship. The deadly spear like weapon squeaked against the wood as it drew back through the decking, past the hold and out of the modest smooth hole in the hull. The crew member below, eyes wide, had stood ready to chock the hole once the spear had retreated.

Diana fell to the deck in pain, clutching her side. Miraculously she had not been punctured by the beast, divine intervention maybe, but she had been taken to her limits. The discoloured round bruise forming in her side attesting to the force that had been exerted on her. Composing herself she rose to her feet and looked over the slave, panting slightly as each breath hurt her compacted ribs

“Are you harmed …?” Diana panted at the slave as she patted over her body.

The slave shook her head as she cowered.

“To your FEET – get to your duties – turn us back eastwards – and someone check below ! Save the ship or we are all lost, and pray to Poseidon that it is over! Did we lose anyone? Anyone overboard? Hurry damn you!” urged the captain.

"Camthus crushed his leg!" someone answered. "But -but I think we all live Captain!"

“Come on – sound the ship and then we shall tend to our wounds” said the first mate as he helped his friends get back up. Many of the men were cut but wounds had to wait, the ship was what was keeping them alive and had to come first.

The captain, hobbled across his deck towards Diana and the slave. “The GODS are ANGRY! POSEIDON is ANGRY ..my ship is smashed..my men hurt. The mighty beast seemed interested in YOU…..why do you think that would be ?!” he said angrily.

“I was commanded to take the slave safely to Ephesus, I know no more ...” Diana replied.

“COMMANDED? By who?!” the captain asked gruffly.

“Artemis herself …..” Diana said not knowing if she would be believed or if the captain would even care.

“ARTEMIS?! ….Out on the sea we receive no sympathy from her!” scoffed the captain.

“I never thought you would come to such harm … I swear” Diana began.

“Harm? My wounds will heal, it takes only time, but THESE wounds never heal on their own. Money and a carpenter is what I need for this!” the captain said as he picked up a chunk of timber torn from the side of his ship.

Diana looked about the deck with its snapped rope and smashed wood and the hundreds of fish, all gulping for air. Guilt filled her mind knowing she had brought this upon them all. What could be done to help make this right?

“Captain ….. in the agora ….. how much would a fish ….” Diana began as she rested a foot on one of the large sword bearing fish. “....like this cost ?”

The captain looked about him and suddenly saw what he actually had. A haul of fish like this would make for a fine sum once delivered to the shore.

“Lads ! Get these fish below, keep them wet …. don't bail out the hull beyond what is safe!” the captain beamed.

The ship turned eastward once more and got underway. The little ship was battered, broken and torn but was still afloat and with a kind wind it at its back finally made it to the busy port at Ephesus. There the captain was surprised to find there was great interest in his bounty of fish. The port had suffered an ill omen the day before, a pod of dolphin had ran onto the shores, lost, or blind or diseased and had been begun to be picked to bits by gulls and crabs on the sandy shores.

The local fisherman in their boats had barely caught anything between them and the hunters from the hills had caught just enough to feed themselves. The agora as ever had plenty of bread but fish and meat was scarce until the ship's arrival.

Diana smiled at the captain's good fortune and was left to wonder if the situation had somehow been manipulated by the gods. Had Artemis limited the hunt, had Poseidon given the captain the sole catch of the day? She didn't know but truly the events surrounding them had something of the hands of the gods about them.

Now, an armoured Diana with her slave on hand led her pack animal from the port and looked to the hill and the Temple of Artemis, where, hopefully, she could bring this troublesome favour to an end.




As the trio approached the temple the noise of the town behind them faded, as did the call of the gulls that circled above the rotting corpses of the dead dolphins way down on the sandy shore. Now only the insects chirping in the shrub remained, along with the sound of the eight feet striking the ground as the trio closed in on their destination.




Hera sat by the watching waters and witnessed as Diana and the slave got closer and closer to the temple. “If the slave will not fall to one that has BEEN, nor to those that ARE then only that which shall forever BE remains....and what honour it is to be defeated by a goddess, a goddess of war.”





Diana tied off her donkey at a tree near the base of the temple. She gathered up her shield and spear then took up the rope in her right hand that had led the docile slave. The marble steps looked enticing, the short climb to the perimeter columns only moments away.

Then, the chirping bugs fell quiet, the silence eerie. Diana's flesh became a sea of goosebumps as she sensed a danger. Diana turned her head this way and that, raising her shield and pulling the slave in close to her.

“Walk … slowly...ahead are steps” whispered Diana.

The ungainly pairing walked cautiously to the base of the temple's steps and Diana placed her foot on the first block, preparing to make her ascent. Her heart pounded, her senses screaming it was all a trap but all she could do was press on.

BWHU -HOO- BWHU-HOO

From above, swooping from the triangular roof, an owl dropped down, its silent wings outstretched in a glide, claws first. Diana raised her shield and the bird clattered into it with a metallic thud. Diana heard the sound of claws tearing at the shield a moment but felt the instant her attacker went aloft again ready to strike once more. With her eyes just above the edge of her shield, the nervous beauty saw the bird circling above her, the bird of prey poised to strike down at her again.


“A messenger …. not of Artemis....though of her realm.....the owl...the owl of Athena!” Diana thought to herself, her mind in a whirl. The goddess of war, goddess of wisdom, goddess of justice, goddess of nearly all that was good and noble in the world and she had sent messengers against her and the slave.

“Artemis, what favour is this I do for you?!” Diana asked herself aloud. She was trapped by her code to see through her task and yet those that were being ranged against her were instruments of yet more gods.

The owl closed in and swooped down landing on the rim of the shield from where it began to peck and claw at Diana's body, wings flailing in a mass of feathers. Diana fought to keep herself between the bird and slave and swung wildly with the shield in a bid to keep the bird at bay. Then in the corner of her eye Diana saw that at the top of the steps a warrior was waiting, one foot stepping down from the top step.

Diana thought fast. With this distraction at her shield arm and another opponent closing she needed to remove one enemy from the battle. Diana decided on a plan and wriggled her shield arm free from the straps, shifting her grip to the edge, while she struggled with the bird. Quickly she flipped the concave shield and then slammed down her circular defence to the floor, trapping the owl beneath. The bird was left to hammer angrily at the underside of its cage, the shield skipping across the dirt surface around the base of the steps as the noble bird protested, its talons becoming entangled in the shields arm straps

Diana's upper arms were cut and grazed but she had no time to focus on that as her opponent readied a spear. The other warrior, her long blond hair restrained by a headband had a shield. Thinly covered with a layer of bronze it was painted with a white owl, the symbol of Athena. The blond warrior's eyes spied Diana over the rim, their focus narrowing in on the slave. Diana yanked the slave behind her and decided what to do. If her enemy were to throw their spear undistracted first they would not miss, but if ...…

“Yah!” Diana threw her own spear with all her might. Atop a new shaft made at Brauron, her favourite spearhead growled through the air, her target the bridge of her opponent's nose.

With a swipe of their shield the opponent reached to meet the missile intending to knock it away before unleashing her own.

CLANG!

The blond warrior had taken her eyes off Diana but only a short moment as she defended herself from the thrown spear, only to see Diana running up the steps at her in a zig-zag pattern. Driven by the fuel of fear, Diana effortlessly skipped up the wide stairs two at a time like she weighed no more than the feathers that fluttered down from the attack of the owl.

The warrior drew her arm back to try and unleash her spear at the unguarded slave but Diana closed to the point that with a mighty swing of her sword she cut the spear in half as it flew past her. Diana and and the blond warrior took each other in for a moment, the blond guardedly looking over her shield, her expression hidden. Diana was shield-less with only her armour and sword to her name, or so she thought.

SHWING-CLANG- TING-CLANG-CLANG! The swords danced and the owl painted shield protested.

“Uh …...” Diana grunted as the pair broke, each taking a breath before they lunged into the fray again.

TING-TING-CLANG-VWOOOOOOOOSH!!

“Aaaarghhhhhhhh !” Diana exclaimed as the blond warrior carved a shallow slice down Diana's side slashing the side buckles that held her chest armour closed.

Since it was hanging awkwardly from her body Diana quickly discarded the chest piece while carefully maintaining her guard. The opponent seemed to be slowly stripping Diana of her defences and she seemed powerless to stop her. Diana was nervous, the only thing protecting her body now was her bracelets and the plain lightweight tunic she had worn under her armour. But she still had her sword and her skill. Sweat soaked from battle, the tunic clung to Diana's body provocatively leaving little to imagine.


SHWING-CLANG- TING-CLANG-CLANG-SHRRIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

Diana tried to pull back her body from the slashing cut made by the blond warrior only to see her tunic slashed across her mid drift, baring her flesh. Diana's eyes widened, was she to be rendered naked before being killed?

Below, the slave crawled up the steps slowly in silence. Diana and the blond warrior sensed the danger to both their missions and the combatants renewed their battle with deadly intent.

CLANG- CLANG- CLANG ! The swords sang loudly while the blond began to circle around Diana who carefully ensured she stayed between the slave and her enemy.

Diana was tiring and yet her enemy seemed fresh. Could she hold on long enough to …..

SWHIIIIIIIING – CLAAAAAANG- CLUNK-TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING - TINK-TINK-TINK-----TINK

With a mighty blow the blond warrior had somehow managed to knock the sword right out of Diana's hand. Her bracelets were more for deflecting long range missiles and were virtually useless in such close quarter fighting. Almost totally defenceless and blocked by a warning wave of the blond's sword, Diana watched as her own sword had clattered down the steps to the base of the temple, much too far away to help. The blond warrior sensed her chance to complete her mission and moved towards the slave...

“No!” Diana protested as she put herself in harms away only to have the sword put to her chest. To the blond warrior the woman from Themiscyra was no match for her. Stood in only her shin guards and bracers, her weapons gone, her armour stripped and her clothing in shreds surely only her bravery remained?

“Nya!” Diana growled as she twisted her body, swiping away the sword with the bracers on her forearms.

CLAAAAAAANG!!! Sang the blond warrior's sword – her eyes wide in surprise.


The blond warrior then drove forward, thrusting at Diana who swatted the sword away once more with an effective parry. The blond warrior's shield instantly rose to block Diana's savage kick. Feeling the staggering blow through her owl-emblazoned shield, the blond stumbled back a few steps before stopping the shaking shield. The determined blond warrior suddenly attacked back at her raven-haired foe with a mighty overhead swing.

Diana, guided by her wrist bracers, raised her arms and formed a cross in front of her.


KZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!

The blond warrior's blade came to a rest where the two bracers met causing the clashing metals to sing!

“Aaaaarrrrrghhhh” Diana shrieked, driven back by the force of the blow.

The blond warrior also fell back, dropping to one knee, dazed. The shockwave through both their bodies had been immense, leaving Diana's arms and hands ghostly numb. Diana shook her head to clear her mind in time to see the slave reaching the top step while her opponent remained disoriented.

“Let us go … come ….” Diana said as she hurried up the steps and gathered up the rope dangling from between the slaves wrists. Diana barely felt the rope in her tingling hands but managed just well enough to tug her slave past the pillars into the temple.

Behind the fleeing warrior and slave the blond-haired warrior rose to her feet and gathered herself together, resetting her shield and establishing her grip on her sword once more.

“What metal you forge in the depths, Hephaestus, and what courage they put in the bellies of these women of Amazon,” the blond-haired warrior murmured to herself.

Diana walked backwards, her outstretched hand resting on the slave's back urging her forward while her wide open eyes looked from where they had come, waiting for the warrior to come for them. Inside the temple an altar waited, dressed with flowers from the forests, hills and the meadows, a dagger sat alongside.

“Diana – place the slave on the altar – sacrifice her in my name!” the voice of Artemis called.

“Sacrifice ?! - Goddess NO !” Diana screeched with shock.

“You must !” Artemis ordered.

“Please, goddess ….. do not ask this of me!” Diana cried out into the cavernous temple.

“Diana – DO NOT fail me now! Place her on the altar – take her life in my name !” Artemis ordered.

Diana looked around the high-ceilinged temple in despair. Had she known she was to take someone's life in cold blood she would never have come this far.

“Goddess please, a slave is still a life, ask me to sacrifice a goat or deer in your name but I beg of you ...” Diana pleaded once more.

Stumbling blindly the hooded slave found the edge of the altar and for a moment rested her head on the marble slab in thanks. Climbing on to the altar, her bound hands in front, the mute waif awaited her fate. Diana saw the blond-haired warrior cautiously enter the temple past the forest of columns, sword in hand, shield up, body protected.

“What am I to do … sacrifice her myself – or see her fall to the sword?!” Diana knew she was in a no-win situation.

Hera watched on, intent on her course. “Hear me, Athena! Take the slave in my name, see she does not fall to Artemis” the woman commanded.


The blond warrior strode forcefully towards the altar, provoking Diana to pluck up the sacrificial dagger, her only remaining defence. Diana's arms were still weak, her deadened fingers barely feeling the handle in her hands. Edging herself between the slave on the altar and the blond warrior, Diana weakly lifted her pitiful weapon in defence of the slave. Suddenly Diana felt her throat dimpled by the sharp tip of the blond warrior's sword which threatened to end her.


“ATHENA – STOP!” The voice of Artemis ordered.

Diana gulped, wide eyed. The woman in front of her was Athena herself?! She thought she had been fighting merely a messenger, an acolyte as she herself was of Artemis! Now she understood how she was so masterfully stripped of weapons and armour, finally to be left standing in mere shreds of cloth. She had been defeated and humbled most effortlessly by a goddess!

“Athena, I am your queen! Take that slave's life! I command it!” urged Hera.

“You are certain that.....” Athena's voice began to whisper her caution.

“DO IT!” Hera ordered. Victory was at hand and she desired to strike before anything could stop her.

“Diana of Theymscira," Athena declared, "Hera herself commands me. I am to take the slave into the afterlife and in Hera's name. I desire only to take one life today, Diana. Drop your blade and stand aside.”

With a falling tear Diana glanced upward to the realm of Olympus. To kill in cold blood should never be a power in the hands of a mortal, commanded by gods or not. Yet, not to give her all for Artemis was a betrayal that tore at her.

“Artemis, forgive me” Diana said softly as she closed her eyes and her outstretched hand opened, dropping her blade.

TING-TINK-TINK the small sacrificial dagger fell harmlessly to the floor, clattering down the few steps of the altar.

Diana stepped aside from the goddess in front of her, her head down and turned to hold the slave's hooded head in her hands. Gently Diana placed a kiss where the slaves forehead would be before her eyes looked to Athena urging her not to strike.

“I, Athena take this sacrifice in the name of Hera, wife of Zeus, King of the Gods. May her soul be swiftly sent to Mount Olympus where mighty Hera shall keep her spirit safe.” Saying thus, the blond goddess took her sword forged in the kingdom of the gods, inverted the blade above the waiting sacrifice and thrust downwards into the slave's unprotected stomach.

The young slave's body arched up in pain as the blade went in, her gasp filling the air as the altar with its bed of wild flowers turned red with her blood.

“Who are you, poor creature?” Diana asked. “Who has been chased by the gods themselves?” Diana gently stroked the head of the dying slave, carefully loosening the cord holding the hood closed.

“You have FAILED, Diana! Let us see what your beloved Artemis thinks of you now!” Hera said with scorn, having appeared unseen within the temple.

“What is this about, Hera? Do you take the sacrifice to spite Artemis, or to lessen Diana in her eyes?” Athena demanded.

“Yes, Hera, what disrespect is this, taking a sacrifice within my own temple!” Artemis said as she appeared among them.

“I would slay a thousand slaves if it denied you the glory of taking just one. You are as poisonous as the wanderings of your father that bring children like you into my home!” Hera ranted, nearly spitting her words.

“No choice did Athena or I have in how we came to be,” Artemis responded with an anxious glance. Many were the children of Zeus and frequently not from Hera's womb, Athena and Artemis included.

“And so, let us see, who have I deprived you of taking into the afterlife ! MORTAL, show me! Who now resides under MY protection? ” Hera said boastfully while indicating with a finger to Diana to remove the hood covering the head of the slave.

Artemis nodded at Diana who finally removed the hood to see the face of the slave. Taut through her mouth a cloth gag prevented the slave from speaking but her radiant face and angelic features told Diana that who was dying in her arms was ...

“Gods, it is a nymph!” Diana exclaimed.

“ECHO! That wretch! ARTEMIS, you devious child !” Hera raged.

= = = =

And so it was revealed the hooded woman was the once talkative mountain nymph, Echo, a servant of Artemis. Zeus was often smitten with women of all manners, the many nymphs included and, to Hera's abhorrence, he would lie with them. To protect her sisters from Hera's wrath Echo would distract the wife of the king by telling the queen her beautiful tales. Then one day Hera discovered the truth of Echo's treachery and so the queen of the gods sought revenge, unleashing upon her the wrath of Nemesis.

Cursing poor Echo, the nymph could now say no more than the last few words she heard. Gone were her sweet stories and tales of love and heroism, all had been taken away from her. Zeus did not protect his faithful servant and let her fall from grace, leaving her lonely and unable to love. Now though she had fallen to a heavenly sword and her spirit was to be taken under Hera's protection. The very goddess who had wanted Echo cursed had been tricked into claiming the nymph's spirit for herself.

= = = =

“This is Echo?” Diana asked weakly, as she held the dying nymph's head in her hands. Now the gag in this nymph's mouth made sense! Diana knew the cursed nymph would have betrayed her identity during their journey without it.

“Do not pretend you did not know!” Hera scowled.

“The mortal does not deceive, great Hera. I sense she did not know!” Athena said in Diana's defence.

“LIES!” Hera hissed back at Athena.

“Yet you have no weights to offer Themis and her scales?” Athena retorted. She had until that moment been humble and patient in the presence of her queen but now she stared back with determination.

“Hera, Echo is slain and in YOUR name! You SHALL keep her spirit safe as our laws demand!” Artemis said, reveling in her victory.

Diana watched on in fear realising Artemis had made her an unwitting conspirator against Hera, queen of the gods!

“You shall pay for your deceit, young whelp ! When Zeus learns of this you shall …..” Hera scrambled, this outcome was not what she had imagined!

“You FORGET! It was ZEUS that Echo served to protect. When he learns of this he will be gladdened that her fate was finally just!” Artemis gloated.

“Please, Artemis, great Hera, do not fight. The hand of Zeus is in all of this yet he never has to face the truth! He courts the unwitting and sires blameless children all the while hiding behind faithful servants like Echo!” Athena said, trying to restore reason.

“If you were deceived by me into taking Echo then what chance a mortal like Diana in unknowingly aiding me in my plan?” Artemis said relenting a little with her gloating tone. Even she knew there was a limit to pushing Hera.

Hera's blood boiled, the desire to lash out coursing through her veins only held back by the seeds of doubt that Athena and Artemis had planted within her. With a seething growl she glanced over the quartet in front of her the sight of the dying nymph causing her to focus on a more pressing matter.

“Treacherous Echo has not long left! Athena – I command you find a WISE and JUST resolution to this! Olympus is home to enough reminders of my husband's misbehaviour! If I am to share my home with this wretch I will not stand hearing her repeat my every word! ” Hera said with an icy tone.

“Yes, my queen,” Athena said with a polite bow.

“Artemis! This is not the last you will hear of this! And do not think I have forgotten YOU, mortal,” Hera glared at Diana, “I will be watching!”

With a look that could have transformed even Medusa into stone Hera glanced at the gathering then departed, fading into nothingness.

“Oh poor nymph … forgive me...I never sought to bring Hera's anger upon us,” Diana said as Echo shuddered once more in her hands.

“Diana, Hera's anger shall soon pass. Echo shall be safe from her retribution,” Artemis said as she took Echo's bound wrists into her hands and placed a kiss on them.

“Hera has claimed Echo for herself . Without a remedy she faces being plagued by her own reflected words that poor Echo is forced to recite” Athena explained. “Now I may cleanse Echo of that burden so Hera can have her peace. But of course you knew that would happen did you not, Artemis my sister?” Athena said warmly.

“Yes, sister, I did! Nemesis herself told me that you have the power to undo the curse that was put upon my guardian of the mountains, sweet Echo. All I had to do was trick Hera into claiming her life,” Artemis replied as she smiled kindly down into the grateful eyes of the dying nymph.


“And so Hera commands me to resolve this,” Athena declared, “to choose a just and wise solution, and so I shall. Echo, hear me. Your mortal form will be lost to the world and your spirit cut in two: one for the heavens, and one for the earth”

“Sister – please !” Artemis began to protest. This was not entirely the solution she had thought she would get for her nymph.

“SISTER – Listen well! You are the mistress of animals and yet you do not see ! The beasts of this world have learned that it is not a curse that Echo has but a gift! Do the bats not see without eyes, do the beasts of the sea find their way without maps? And what passed while Echo was gagged? Playful dolphins lay dead, dashed on the rocks, insects are rampant, the bats blind and hungry!”

“Oh Echo, is this true – have you made this curse a gift?” Artemis pleaded as she looked into the eyes of the nymph to see a weak nod.

“See, such wisdom she has! On earth she will continue to use the curse as a gift but on Olympus she will live freely, able to tell her beautiful stories once more. But take heed! The part of the curse she sheds must be carried by someone else. This mortal shall carry that curse in Echo's place!” Athena said, her impassioned eyes settling on Diana.

“How can that be just?!” Artemis protested, her gaze passing between Echo, Diana and Athena.

“SISTER, you are the goddess of the hunt, I am the keeper of justice, TRUST in ME !” Athena replied forcefully.

“Be merciful!” Diana exclaimed. She was in disbelief that having acted faithfully in the service of a goddess she was to be punished.

“Mortal – your bracers – they serve you well?” Athena asked, peering at the mortal.

“My..my bracers? Yes goddess. No metal is their rival and they guide me in my own defence, only …..” Diana recalled.

“Only, you notice the blow, do you not?” Athena proposed, remembering how Diana was left numb from her strike.

“Yes, goddess …..” Diana nodded.

“Henceforth the curse will be within your bracers. They will continue to defy all weapons but the curse of reflection will aid you to never feel the blow. No longer will the curse afflict the voice, only the instruments that seek to do you harm!”

“Thank you my goddess ….” Diana said gratefully, relieved

“Do not thank me so soon for the curse is potent. Like a boat caught between crossing wakes on the water there is much peril where many reflections meet, and the same is so for you, mortal. If your bracers become bound together you will find yourself becoming ever weaker until you are rendered no stronger than a newborn cub, understand?” Athena said, her tone wise.

“I understand” Diana answered still tending to the dying Echo.

“I shall go and let Hera know of my decision. I know she will feel the sting of Echo's presence at first but in time she will forgive. One day the knowledge that the curse has become a gift in Diana's aid may even soften the blow. BUT LISTEN WELL BOTH OF YOU! Hera must be allowed to save face! Let it be known that on earth that Hera had Echo punished and left her to wither and die - all to help keep the peace.” Athena said with an affirmative nod that was returned by both Diana and Artemis.

"I will ask our sister Rumour to make it so" Artemis said with a nod of assent.

“As for you, sweet Echo, I look forward to hearing your beautiful tales once more, up on the mount,” Athena smiled, her hand cupping Echo's cheek. That done, the goddess then favoured the gathering with a warm smile before disappearing from sight.

The dying Echo managed a weak smile of her own before closing her eyes. Then slowly her body seemed to crumble to dust and fade away: her spirit free in the realm of Olympus and on earth. Artemis grinned a bit wistfully as she looked around the walls of her temple knowing that Echo hid and played in every corner.

“She is here, isn't she!” smiled Diana, drawing a nod from Artemis.


Having sensed the presence of her nymph friend Artemis smiled and settled her gaze on Diana. “Now, Diana of Themiscyra, you look weary! Permit yourself to sleep, to dream, and ask for sanctuary. After all, you are without sword, shield or spear, you are no warrior now. So, ask me in the name of what you must be!”

“Oh goddess!” Diana's heart raced as she fell exhausted to her knees recalling the conversation with Artemis from her dream.

“Well?” Artemis pressed, secretly yearning for Diana to ask.

“Goddess Artemis please grant me sanctuary, for I am Diana of Themiscyra and I am a slave!”

A SLAVE …... A SLave …... a slave ….” echoed the temple to the delight of the Goddess of the Hunt.
Last edited by tallyho 6 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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Aha, nice bit of intrigue with Artemis's ploy ultimately snagging Hera. It looks like the Huntress caught all her prey, one way or another, and it will be interesting to see what some of the knock-on effects of this might be. Nicely played AEM - I liked the impact to the ending.

That last blessing on the bracers could be a game-changer... You almost fancy the duel might have gone the other way had she had that extra edge, or certainly it would have closed the gap! Either way I enjoyed seeing Diana cross steel with Athena, and thought the fight was well presented. The visual cues for Athena were spot on.

In terms of this being a chapter in a prolonged, over-arching journey, I'm really grateful for what this drips into the mix. I also quite like that Zeus's shadow hangs over this, with the ordeal beginning with his past transgressions... although... Hera's shadow looms perhaps larger, right? Either way, the long-standing rivalry (games?) between Patriarch and Matriarch is very visible here, with mortals suffering in their wake.

The pawn's power continues to grow...
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Thanks Void, DrD and Tally.

If anyone was familiar with the original tale of Echo and saddened by its ending I hope you preferred my version. I have been lucky that the original ending I planned for this tale many months ago remained fairly compatible with the emerging story when my second turn came again. And of course whoever continues the tale will find the chess pieces set in an interesting position.

I am not sure that a mortal could ever defeat a goddess, in human form or not. We shall have to wonder if Athena had evened the playing field in her fight with Diana. At any rate Athena did seem to be ahead, slowly disarming and disrobing Diana. But of note, while you call what was done to the bracers a blessing you should remember it was born from a curse, Diana should pay heed to Athena's warning.

And yes, at the end it comes back to Zeus. Luckily existing mythology already does some hard work for me. Zeus was well known for playing around and upsetting Hera who apparently had a temper on her. Look at any family tree of the Greek gods and you will see how many children Zeus was thought to have and how few of them came from Hera. With such a rich world to draw from my part practically wrote itself :)

Now though my turn is done and it is for others to tell us of their vision of Diana and the world she lives in. I hope future writers enjoy the experience as much as I have!

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Lovely piece of work Mr A, skillfully crafted as always and the usual nice little touches that dovetail nicely with the earlier story elements.

Good face off scene with Diana and Athena and a great three headed confrontation at the altar with Diana caught between the two.

Great stuff, well done!
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Now lords and ladies the first chapter of SGWriter's contribution to the series and setting up an intriguing turn of events....


PART 14


Somewhere over Thessaly, there was a clap of sudden thunder as Zeus shifted in his throne on high Olympus.


“WELL?” he said irritably, his fist clenching over the arm of the golden throne.


Hermes hesitated. “I...I have no news, my Father.”


GRRRAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!” Zeus bellowed as he flung his head away in his rage from the messenger of the Gods.


“You are the swiftest among us and even YOU cannot learn of their schemes!” the Father of all gods said angrily.


“I am the swiftest...yet Rumour's wings ride the air ahead of me, and her news always arrives before I do...” Hermes dipped his head apologetically.


Zeus sighed, and waved a hand dismissively.


“OHHH....don't trouble yourself, my son.” his father said with a heavy sigh , relenting. “I should never have made Rumour a woman...” he added with a rueful smile, his tone softening. “Yet that wife of mine.....she is up to something...her and my devious daughters. They plot and they scheme and they bicker and they work against my will....” he tapped the side of his finger upon the length of his lips as he leaned upon his elbow on the arm of the throne , deep in thought. His thumb simultaneously stroked his grey beard beneath his chin. “They are planning something, I feel it...I feel them work against me...denying me just as that dark little Amazon beauty denied me...Did you know they spirited away a hundred or more of the Amazons? OVER A HUNDRED! After I decreed they be destroyed?!!!” he said indignantly, his tone almost disbelieving.


Hermes smiled and nodded. “They are women, my Lord. They are ALWAYS planning something...”


Zeus paused deep in thought. After a long while he spoke aloud to no one in particular, voicing his thoughts.


“Yet rumour reaches both male and female ears alike...and my daughter Phema tells me that the sweet ladies of our realm work against each other.... If they are that foolish, then the Amazon will not last long.”But his mention of the Amazon triggered angry memories for him “HOW DARE SHE DEFY ME!!!! HOW DARE SHE!!!?” Zeus bellowed suddenly. “I came to her as a golden fawn, the symbol of her named Goddess Artemis and she merely acknowledged me with a bow, thinking I was Artemis personified! Foolish mortal!! She didn't even chase me down....ALL mortal women desire golden shiney things, do they not? Yet she spurned me, ME!!! King of Gods, rejected by some-some bewitching little black-haired wench! And then when I transformed into mortal form, she rejected me! Treated me with scorn and contempt just for being a man!” he rose from his chair and paced about the floor of the royal hall turning back upon himself every few steps his robes billowing after him in his fury. “But I showed HER! I wrought destruction on her entire clan! HA! WOULD THAT SHE COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE HER MIND NOW, EH, ARES?! HA!”

Ares simply bowed his head in acknowledgment. He knew Zeus in these rages was only interested in agreement. So Ares made sure that he always agreed. He had revelled in the war wrought by Zeus upon the Amazon's...yet deep down, a part of him admired them. Their courage...their skill...they were more than a match for the two male armies that had defeated them, in a fair fight. But he still stung from Enyo's trickery in the clearing. They had defied his will as well as Zeus'...yet he did like them for it even so. And when he had bested Enyo...he had felt the rush of power in his divine being the likes of which he had seldom experienced.

“They scheme and they unhinge my plans and they even lied to me! ME! THEIR KING, THEIR FATHER, THEIR HUSBAND!!! They said they had spirited away but a handful of Amazons – it was 400 hundred! Curse Peitha and her persuasiveness....”Zeus railed against the female deities.

“Destroying those who worshipped them so devoutly, was...a little rash, Lord of Gods” Apollo spoke hesitantly.”The mortals did not deserve such a fate my King”

Zeus snapped his head around sharply his wrath only relenting when he realised it was Apollo that spoke. “I merely wished to clip the wings of my daughters.... the women were growing too strong..too powerful.” He huffed. “Men follow male Gods by and large ...but our followers are fickle and tend to only give offerings when they desire something in return. The women of Greece are devout and all honour their respective deities frequently. And so the power of the Goddesses grows. I merely sought to rein them in. Looking back now, you are right Apollo, the bright Sun. I went too far. But it is done now. And if this, this Diana fulfills her blood oath to all the Goddesses they will all be stronger than ever! Ohhh it is intolerable, INTOLERABLE , I SAY!” His temper had returned once more. “I have hidden those she seeks vengeance on throughout Greece, throughout time and STILL the Goddesses allow her to hunt them down. I hear one moment that Hera is set against Artemis and the next that Athena and Artemis are at truce, working together. Yet Phema my daughter is always vague.”

“Rumour cannot be trusted, Great Father Zeus” Apollo interjected.


“No. No you are right. We male Gods must stop this oath. Asclepius -” he addressed the God of Health and Medicine - “go – poison this meddlesome Amazon and be done with it...” he waved his hand dismissively as he turned away


Asclepius looked aghast. “I will not Lord Zeus. For you are in rage. I am a saviour of life among mortals, not a taker. To kill this mortal woman outright...is unjust my lord. Defeat her, cause her to fail - yes these things we always do as Gods – but to wreak murder on a blood oath taker – it is not Godly , sire”

A hush descended amongst the other Gods before Apollo spoke up.

“He is right sire! To murder her would set the women against us forever. Better to engineer her failure...but you cannot simply kill her...she may fail and die in some trial of combat – I heard that she fought Athena at the steps of Artemis' temple only recently – but to strike her down, to deny her the oath , that is beneath you my Lord Zeus.”

Zeus relented “I will heed your words, wise physician, and wise Apollo. Now leave me in thought. Not you my son -” he called to a male God at the rear of the room. “ Not You. Stay with me a moment. I would talk with you. For I think I may have need of your talents, in but a short while...”









The sudden shifting of lights blinded Diana as she once again was taken somewhere else on her Goddess-promoted quest. The daughter of Hippolyta blinked her eyes to try and clear them from the unearthly white light which had stolen away her vision. Goddesses or no…Diana thought, one would think they can make this process easier. As her sight returned Diana saw she was indeed in a different realm one that caused her to wonder how far she had actually traveled. 


“Olympus?” Diana asked aloud as she turned about her person. All around her was seemingly lush hills covered in green plants but a brightness and life to them she had not seen in all the lands she had traveled in her life. Great buildings, support by columns of the whitest marble glistened in the light which seemed to fill the entire sky. Diana even noticed her attire had changed gone was her tunic and sandals, she wore a short white dress which bared one shoulder but also both of her arms. Gold embroidery ran along the edges of the dress and the hem which brushed her bare thighs. Diana’s rough well-worn leather sandals were now golden, laced up her calves. 

“You are not in Olympus,” a voice called out. Diana spun on her heels, her raven hair flipping as she did so. Her blue eyes took sight of someone she didn’t expect to see unless she died. But having met her in the flesh just recently she recognized her. 


“Athena…” Diana said. The goddess of wisdom and war stood before her, clad in an even whiter and more beautiful gown than Diana’s. A golden belt went around her waist and matching bracelets covered her wrists. A thin tiara of silver graced Athena’s forehead while her chestnut colored hair was tied back and up. 


“Goddess,” Diana dropped to a knee in respect.


If Athena noticed or cared for Diana’s reverence she didn’t show it. She walked across towards Diana continuing her explanation of where the Amazon warrior was. “You are not in Olympus Diana, a fair recreation, but not the home of the Gods.” She paused and Diana lifted her head some to see Athena looking off in the distance as if spying something far away. The goddess returned her gaze to Diana after this moment though, “There are too many prying eyes on Olympus for what we must do today.” 


Diana nodded, not understanding but accepting Athena’s words, “And how might I meet your challenge this day goddess?” 


Athena stood now near Diana, she reached down and touched Diana’s shoulder indicating the princess should rise. Diana did so standing and finding she was nearly eye to eye with the goddess of wisdom. Athena’s gray eyes seemed to be filled with intelligence and knowledge as Diana stared into them; it was as if she was almost lost in them. She had been so captivated by Athena’s gaze she almost missed the goddess answer Diana’s questions, “I challenge you to be honest with yourself, Diana of Themiscyra.”


“Honest?” Diana asked in confusion not understanding the challenge. 


Athena stepped away, her arms clasped behind her back. Diana sensed the room changing around them. It was hard for her to conceptualize. She could look out at the beautiful landscape around them yet at the same time she was in an oval shaped room, with a polished dark stone floor, the edges featuring evenly spaced columns around the perimeter of the room. Athena had slowly paced to the opposite side of the room where the oval narrowed. She turned back to face Diana.


“Truth Diana... we are here to discuss a simple truth. You’re a murderer.” 
Diana’s eyes opened wide in shock. It was one thing to be accused of murder it was another to have that accusation made by one of your goddesses. A flash of anger rose up in Diana, “I have not murdered anyone my goddess.” 


Athena didn’t say anything, her form unmoving. Diana didn’t know what she was supposed to say or do, she continued, “I have taken lives, killed for my sisters, killed those who threaten us but I have not murdered anyone.” 


Athena still didn’t move. 


Diana felt her temper flaring. She began to walk across the room her footfalls seemingly incredibly loud across the space. As she walked forwards she called out, “Athena, my goddess, I am no murderer.” Diana had just about closed all the way to be face to face with Athena when the goddess suddenly blurred into motion swiping at Diana with a sword. Only Diana’s Amazon training and experience on the battlefield caused her to avoid the attack, rolling forwards and under the sword swipe made by Athena. 


She passed by the goddess and came to a stop on her feet, crouched near the floor, “My goddess, why do you attack me?” 


Athena spun, her eyes filled with the rage of a warrior, “Because you lie, Diana of Themiscyra!” She brought her sword around and prepared to attack. Diana jumped to her feet and with skill dodged each attack. 'I don’t understand, why does Athena accuse me of this? 'Diana pondered as she managed to dodge another attempted beheading and dash to the opposite side of the room. As she caught her breath the Amazon Princess thought, 'I wish I too had a blade'. 


A sword appeared in her hand moments after the thought. Diana didn’t understand how she had conjured up the weapon but she was happy to have done so, as Athena came at her again. Diana parried off the next few blows from Athena, her time training with her sisters paying off as she kept the goddess of war at bay. Athena, after exchanging a few more strikes with Diana, backed away but held her weapon at the ready. 


“Athena please, what have I done to anger you so?” Diana asked. 


“You are a murderer Diana,” Athena answered, “Blood was spilled by your hands.” 


Diana knew the goddess was wise but her patience was being pushed. “I have killed, my goddess, but in battle- that is not murder.” 


Athena’s expression changed, softening some as she looked to Diana, “Is it?” She rushed Diana again, spinning around to deliver a swipe with her blade. Diana brought her own sword up to block the attack but for some reason when their swords connected it was as if Athena’s strength had grown since they clashed. Diana grunted and barely parried the attack, pushing off Athena’s sword with a grunt. She tried to raise a leg to kick Athena, but the goddess saw the attack coming, avoided it and delivered an elbow into Diana’s face. 


UGH!” Diana gasped as the blow stunned her, 'Such strength!!!.' Athena followed up the blow by delivering a gut punch with her free hand. 


UHHHHHH!” Diana gasped as the blow seemed to drive all the air out of her. Her strength ebbed and Diana dropped to a knee, gasping for air. 


“To kill in battle, is righteous?” Athena asked as she twirled her blade above her, grasping it in both hands and driving it down towards the stunned Amazon. 


Diana managed to bring her sword up to stop the downward thrust. She gritted her teeth as she struggled to hold off the strength of a goddess. 'She’s questioning me…why…why have this debate if she intended to kill me? 'Diana struggled to speak and hold back her attacker but managed to do both, “I...do not know if it…is righteous…but to kill to…protect one's sisters…to protect the innocent…that is just!” 


Athena suddenly ceased her pushing and stepped back from Diana. She held her sword at the ready standing a few feet away from Diana. The Amazon scrambled to her feet, ready for another attack but paused as Athena didn’t move. 


“You killed to protect your sisters?” Athena asked.


Diana, still catching her breath replied, “Yes, of course.” 


Suddenly they were no longer in the room, they were no longer in the lovely place that Athena had taken her. They were somewhere dark, mud oozed over Diana’s feet as she realized the hard stone floor they had been standing on was gone. She took in the sights around her, a muddy place around a stream bodies around her. Dead men and one…


“Callistae…” Diana’s lips trembled as she saw the body of her slain sister. 


There was a sickening wet sound of a blade puncturing flesh and Diana spun towards the noise. To her shock she saw herself. Unlike the pristine white clad Amazon this Diana was covered from head to toe in wet mud. Parts of the dark red stained leather she wore were visible, but the most striking part of the other Diana was the eyes. A pair of blue eyes filled with rage stared at who she was stabbing, killing. 


A young man, a boy really, falling to her blade as Diana, the one in battle, spoke; “If you are old enough to loot the dead...you are old enough to join them.”


“So,” Diana heard from behind her, “This is Diana of Themiscyra, defending her sisters, protecting the innocent." The Amazon turned her head to see Athena behind her, somehow not covered in filth and death. “How noble you must feel right now.”
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Something is afoot and yet I cannot see it. Pesky gods and their hidden motives! Can't wait to see what SGW has in store for us in this tale....
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A tale of irritable gods and goddesses seeking revenge and answers. And poor Diana with only her good heart and clever talents in battle to stem the tide. Will it be enough? I hope so. Interesting chapter so far, sgwriter.
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Nicely done SG, and to quote Mr 'Olmes, the plot thickens!
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And now the excellent conclusion to SGWriter's tale...

Part 15

Diana was confused. To be honest she had almost forgotten the incident. So much death, what was one more in a night of it? As she watched the boy fall though, a rush of emotions seemed to swell in her as the memories of that fateful day came back. Her eyes fell on the bloody body of her friend Callistae, lying in the clearing. Angrily she turned to face Athena, the goddess standing still, seemingly pristine in this field of mud and blood.

“Murder? You accuse me of murder when the gods allowed this…” Diana swept her hands over to indicate Callistae's body symbollic of all the AMazon dead, “For so many of my sisters to be betrayed, to fall to men’s treason?” Her anger boiled to the surface as she leveled her sword at the goddess who still didn’t move. “No, he deserved to die just like all those who challenged us.”

“You truly believe that Diana?” Athena asked.

“Yes,” the Amazon said coldly only feeling her rage now.

Athena dipped her head, “Very well.” With that the Goddess of War roared and charged at Diana with speed that the Amazon didn’t believe was possible. Diana barely got her blade up to block Athena’s strike, a thundering blow which caused sparks to fly off their swords. The Amazon grunted as her arms strained to keep Athena from bringing her sword down.

“Then you are lost to our cause!” Athena shouted. She raised a leg and with a sharp kick knocked Diana across the ground.

Diana sailed over the mud till she slammed down across the muddy riverbed. Her back ached even though she had hit relatively soft ground and her chest burned where Athena had kicked her. Getting up, she saw her once white dress was now stained with mud. She pushed through the pain and with an Amazon yell charged.

Athena held her ground as Diana came at her with fiery passion in her attacks. She swung her sword at the Goddess, who parried her strike away, but Diana was relentless with her attacks, pushing Athena back forcing her to yield ground. The goddess ducked under another of Diana’s attacks to try and throw another kick. Diana saw it coming though and jumped up, over the kick, shifting her weight and in fact pushing her own legs out to strike Athena.

The goddess was shoved back but didn’t fall. As she adjusted though, Diana saw her opening. Landing in a crouch from her own leap, she rushed Athena in a shoulder charge. Goddess and Amazon collided and Athena grunted from the hit. Diana took pleasure in the fact she had caught Athena off guard as they both headed for another fall in the mud. Right before they fell though, the world seemed to flash and Diana was no longer shoving Athena to the ground but standing in a…home? Confused she spun around and tried to figure out her surroundings.

“But…he’s just a boy!”

The voice was a cry, one of anguish and pleading. Diana turned towards it and saw people standing outside the doorway. Walking over she couldn’t make out details, the light was so bright outside, but she could hear the conversation.

“Please, please tell the master that we can make tribute in other ways…I have some pieces of silver…it’s not much but.”

“There is no room for debate woman,” a cold harsh masculine voice declared. “The call for soldiers has been made and your son can fight.”

“But…but...” Diana now realized the pleas were that of a mother.

The Amazon stepped out into the light and was finally able to see the people talking. A man in armor, sword at his side was confronting the mother. Next to both of them was the boy, the one Diana had slain at the riverside. 'What? 'Diana thought confused, -'what is this?'

The mother in desperation clutched at the man’s breast plate, “Please…good sir, do you have children? I know that all men must fight when called but…he’s all I have, he’s still so young.”

“Mother…”
the boy tried to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“Please!” she cried.

The soldIer had disgust on his face and shoved her back, “He will do his duty, if the gods favor him he’ll return alive.”

Diana had a quick flash of memory. She wasn’t sure what triggered it but it was that moment; the moment she took the boy’s life. It was gone just as quickly as it appeared and she watched as the boy turned to his mother, promising he would return, but she hardly heard him, the woman WAS so lost in her sobs. The Amazon felt a pang of loss for the woman - she tentatively reached out towards her but the scene changed again and Diana saw darkness and mud.

“Uhhhh!” she hit the ground with a wet smack. Mud coated her chest, part of her face, and arms. It took her a few seconds to realize she was back where she had fought Athena, but the goddess wasn’t under her.

“The gods didn’t favor him did they Diana?”

Diana snapped her head, her hair a bit dirty from the muck as she saw Athena standing over the dead boy’s body. The goddess had a hint of sadness on her face, a look which was removed when she turned her head to look upon Diana. “Or, more accurately you didn’t,” Athena added.

The Amazon got up out of the mud, again increasingly covered in filth as she did so. Diana narrowed her eyes as she looked to Athena, “Why show me this?” she was annoyed again, why did Athena keep harping on this dead boy. “So, he was conscripted into the army…fine, many men were, it doesn’t make their treason any less bitter, doesn’t make up for the fact they murdered my sisters, looted the dead!”

Diana shouted the last part pointing to the silver bear claw, stolen from an Amazon draped around his neck, but dangling now in the mud as the body lay on its side. Athena reached down, pulling the item up, “You killed him over this?” Athena dropped the piece into the mud, “I expected more of you Diana.”

That was the last straw for the Amazon Princess, “You…expect…more of ME!???”

Diana roared with rage as she leapt into the air, suddenly possessed of great strength and power. Her sword raised up and she prepared to strike Athena down with one blow. Athena produced a great shield from nowhere and brought it up. Diana’s downward strike glanced off the shield and with divine strength, Athena used it to bash Diana away. She howled in pain as she was sent flying, crashing through several thin trees, shattering them with her impact. Diana landed with a grunt, rolling through the ground till she came to a stop. Pain racked her body and she momentarily laid there, thinking every one of her bones was shattered.

The Amazon though bit her lip, fought through the pain. She rolled onto her hands and knees and pushed her legs to lift herself up. Standing, she caught her breath and saw Athena just standing there staring at her with disinterest. Anger came forth like Diana had never known, 'they play games with us these gods. They judge me and my sisters, play with our lives, who…who do they think they are?!' she thought. "I am not the one who has failed here Athena! You are, all the gods are!”

She ran across the mud towards Athena who awaited her. They soon clashed, sparks flying off their swords as Athena defended herself against Diana. The Amazon let it all out shouting as they fought, “You bring me here, judge me, tell me what I did was wrong! But what do you do Athena? Goddess of War, what have you done to save the poor innocent souls on the fields of war?!”

They spun around one another and again Diana noted how clean despite where they fought Athena was. She however was covered in mud, caked into her skin, covering her dress, but here this ‘goddess’ stood beautiful and clean. 'An apt metaphor for the gods and their dealings on Earth', Diana bitterly thought. It fueled her as she decided to use some of that muck to her advantage.

She launched another attack on Athena, spinning around and trying to slash at the goddess with her dirty blade. Athena moved as well to counter and dodge the move, which was exactly what Diana wanted. She dug her toe into the wet earth and with A sudden upward thrust, sent a wad of mud flying up and right into Athena’s face.

“Ahhhh!” the goddess cried out as her eyes were coated in the mud, hindering her vision and causing her to stumble back.

Diana now knew she had her chance. She roared and rushed in, sending a punch which caught Athena across the chin. The blow stunned the goddess who grunted and tried to steady herself. Diana didn’t give her a moment’s pause, raising her knee and slamming it into Athena’s gut. The air rushed out of the goddess’s lungs as she bent over Diana’s knee. The Amazon’s blood was up now, all the anger she felt; the rage at the death of her sisters; being endlessly played with by the gods; all of it came forth and she clenched her grip tight around her blade and slammed her fist and grip of the sword into the small of Athena’s back.

The goddess fell off Diana and into the muck. Diana, breathing heavily, raised her blade, “I…am not to be judged by you!” With a roar Diana brought the blade down towards Athena’s back fully intending to stab and kill the goddess, Zeus and all the others be damned!

And then there was darkness.

Diana stumbled and looked around her. Athena was gone. Her blade was gone. The muddy wet battlefield was gone there was nothing but…

“Why did you kill me?” it was a soft, husky whisper that was somehow light, ethereal.

Diana spun about and saw, “What….?”

The boy stood before her, a body coated in muck and filth though his had one major difference, red blood flowed from where Diana had stabbed it, a river of it running down his young throat, over his body standing out in its color against the gray dark mud. His eyes were saddened as he looked at her and asked, “Why did you kill me…I…I didn’t hurt anybody.?”

Diana didn’t know what to say. She ignored the boy and yelled out to the blackness, “Athena…stop this!”

“Why did you kill me?” the boy asked again. Diana tried to ignore him, Hades what is this place!

The boy asked one more time and Diana snapped, “ATHENA! Dismiss this shade back to Hades realm!!!” but again the bloodied ghost asked its question of her.

“Why did you kill me?”

“Don’t you say anything else?!”

“Why did you kill me?”

Diana realized she had to answer the question or this madness wouldn’t end. She turned to him and quickly replied, “Because you stole from my dead sisters!”

The boy’s face turned downcast, as if he had just been disciplined by his mother.His eyes were immensely sad. As with most children though, he had a defense, “I…didn’t mean too.”

Before Diana could answer the place changed and she found herself with the boy, no, two versions of the boy; the living corpse which had asked her the question and a much more alive young man. He was with the men Diana had killed at the river bank. But this scene was earlier in the day, the sky much brighter and the woods still alive with daylight. She watched as the boy held the horses as the others did indeed loot the dead. They were the Amazon Scouts who had been the first to be betrayed and butchered.

“Such fine spoils!” one of the older men declared.

His friend agreed, “Yes….this would look fetching on my wife!” He held up a necklace taken from a fallen Amazon, one of the murdered scouts filling Diana with rage. She couldn’t move however, she was forced to watch this just like she had when the boy was taken from his mother.

One of the men came up to the boy holding a few stolen items, “Here boy…” he picked up a thick gold ring but decided to keep that for himself and instead he shoved the silver bear claw into the young man’s tunic belt, “Your first spoil!”

Diana could clearly see the young man take no pleasure in it, a look of revulsion on his face as he pulled it out to examine it and saw it was covered in a dead woman's blood. She shook her head and turned to face him she snapped, “What does this matter? So, you didn’t take it, the men with you did, the men of the same army which murdered my sisters!”

“Go ahead! Put it around your neck boy! A little blood won't hurt you it will wipe off! The owner has no more need of it!” The leader of the scouts that she remembered was called Nazol, laughed.

“Why did you kill me?” the ghostly boy asked her again.

“Because you…” Diana realized she was going to share the same answer she had before, but no that answer wasn’t correct, wasn’t the truth. “You…you were a soldier, an enemy!”

“If you are old enough to loot the dead...you are old enough to join them.” Diana heard her own words as she turned and saw they were back where this had begun, with her killing the young boy.

As she watched the action play out before her, she saw the rage in her face, the terror in the boy’s eyes. As her blade pierced him she saw a grieving mother in a village far away while at the same time seemingly, she watched too her Amazons sisters crying over their dead once they had reached the safety of Thrapsis. It was a surreal stillness, filled with a sorrow that touched her very soul. And through that stillness and sorrow came the quiet, softly sighing lament for the dead from both sides. It was the same song. “Stop…stop…it…,” Diana pleaded to no one.

“Why did you kill me?”

Diana saw now she was holding the sword, it was entering the young boy’s body, plunging up through the bottom of his skull, through his jaw, but even still he asked the question as if she wasn’t suddenly ending his young life. She felt the hot blood spill down over her the sword guard, over her hand, but it seemed to burn her, searing her skin. It felt like her skin was on fire yet when she looked there were no blisters, the blood was only on the image she saw of herself, her own hand was clean of the read stain. Yet still it burned. It burned with the blood of an innocent

“Why did you kill me?”

Diana felt tears well up in her eyes, the answer she knew was there the whole time, and she finally let it out. “Because…because my sisters had been killed, my friends killed, and I wanted to kill…I wanted to avenge their deaths…I…” Diana sank to her knees, feeling the cold mud pooling around them, “I wanted others to know that pain…for them to suffer…I wanted revenge.”

“And so, the truth is revealed.”

Diana lifted her head and saw Athena standing before her. The goddess had a soft reassuring look on her face as she used a hand to brush Diana’s cheek which was wet with her tears. Diana realized that the cold field of death was gone, she was back in the bright and white lit room in which she had first seen Athena. She glanced down at her body and saw none of the mud or dirt which had been covering her was there. In fact, she looked as if she hadn’t been in battle at all nor did she feel it. The pain of her fight with the goddess, gone. What she did notice was the odd item around her.

A rope had been tied around her upper body, pinning her arms to her sides, but it was unlike any rope Diana had seen before. Its threads seemed to have been weaved from gold and it didn’t have the rough texture that rope tended to have. If anything, it felt like the smoothest most comfortable material Diana had ever encountered. It was thin and light - she barely felt its weight about her. While the material and color were interesting it was far more astonishing to her that the rope glowed. A golden glow emanated from the rope, feeling warm on her skin, and in fact causing her to feel an almost dream like state.

“Goddess Athena…” Diana felt her mind clearing, “What is this?”

Athena held the rope which had been bound around Diana. Gently the goddess unwrapped the coils from around the Amazon’s toned arms and body. “It is your gift that you shall receive from me Diana, along with an explanation of all this.” Athena indicated a long bench for them to sit at. Diana followed and took a seat, feeling quite ashamed with herself.

“Goddess…I…” Diana didn’t know where to begin.

Athena raised a hand forestalling any words from Diana, “You need give no apology to me Diana, in fact I should be the one to ask forgiveness of you.”

Diana was surprised but still humbled by the experience, “Goddess, you did not…try to kill me, unlike my own attempt to kill you.”

“You never tried to kill me Diana,” Athena answered drawing a puzzled look from the Amazon. The goddess went on to explain, “From the moment you arrived here I put you in this,” she indicated the rope which now didn’t glow but still radiated a power as it sat coiled between them, “Everything you experienced was produce from the power of the lasso, challenging the flames of Hestia.”

“Hestia,” Diana said quietly, the Goddess of Home, Hearth, architecture one who was always blessed first when entering a household. Diana knew the Hestia’s fires had great power indeed, even rumored to be able to cure madness. For a moment Diana wondered, “Goddess was I mad?”

Athena tilted her head, “In a sense. Diana I asked you one question while in the lasso, do you know what it was?”

Diana struggled to remember, from her perspective she had been summoned by Athena who then accused her of being a murder. Now though, her true memories began to surface. She recalled Athena ordering her to stand still, the golden lasso came out, and then wrapped around her. Athena had indeed asked one question after that, “Why did you kill the boy?”

The Amazon Princess looked to Athena and in confusion stuttered, “Why…why did you ask me that goddess?”

Athena put a hand on Diana’s shoulder, “So that you could come to realize the truth Diana. In that moment on the fields of battle, you did indeed take an innocent life.”

Diana shut her eyes, shame coming over her, “You’re…. right goddess…for all my anger, rage, reasoning - when it came down to it all I sought was revenge.” Tears began to drip to her cheeks again, “What…have I done?”

“You are only human Diana,” Athena said softly, “I wanted you to come to that realization so that you can be what us goddesses want.”

“Which is?” Diana turned her head, eyes still red from her realization.

“To become a force of justice, truth, for the world when the time comes,” Athena answered. She looked downwards, “We don’t discuss it Diana but many of us sense a time when perhaps us Gods will not have the influence we do. If that day does indeed come, I and my sisters want to have some way we may still shape the world. You had sworn to kill all in that army. You had to kill that boy or break your oath to us all. But you need to see that both words and deeds can have terrible consequences. You need to face that truth, Diana of the Amazons.”

Athena took Diana’s hand and had the Amazon rise. Diana did so feeling a relief come over her as she did. The goddess reached down and lifted the lasso into her hand. She held it in front of Diana, “This, Diana of Themiscyra, is the Lasso of Truth. It was forged by Hephaestus from the Golden Girdle of Gaea. It has the power to compel anyone, man, woman, god, goddess to reveal the absolute truth.”

Diana was in awe of the lasso as Athena gently took its golden coils and placed it in her hands. The Amazon felt its energy, the fires of Hestia from which the lasso drew its power. Athena continued to speak as Diana looked upon this latest gift of the gods, “It is said this lasso can see into one’s soul, it has peered into yours Diana. You looked upon a dark deed of yours and learned from it, saw the truth of your actions.”

Diana prayed, I’m sorry child…I will never make that mistake again. She looked into Athena’s eyes, “My Goddess, I will wield this great gift with honor, and use it to bring only justice and truth to the world.”

Athena smiled, placing her hands on Diana proudly, “I know Diana, you will indeed be a great champion one day…standing with your own pantheon.” Athena saw the hint of confusion on the Amazon’s face, but Athena just smiled.

Diana bowed her head in respect, but paused a moment. “Goddess…I know you have already done so much for me but…may I ask for one request?”

Athena nodded, “I have no dominion over the dead, Diana. That is Persephone's realm, though Hades rules her. I cannot bring the boy back. But as for anything I do have control of...Of course my child, what is it?”

Diana told her. Athena nodded again, smiling “Then it shall be”

The mother was approaching home with her basket holding what food she had picked up at the market. Her dark robes signaling her loss. People nodded to her as they passed in the street but few talked with her. Most knew the mother was one of many who had lost son’s, fathers in the last great battle. Many had moved on as best they could, but the mother could not and it showed.

As she came upon her home she saw someone waiting for her. The mother didn’t recognize them from the village, nor did they seem to be someone from the nearby city-state.

“Excuse me,” she asked the stranger, “But what are you doing at my home?”

The figure was tall, wearing a black cloak with hood. They pulled it back and the mother was surprised to see the young fit face of a dark haired beautiful woman.

“Excuse me mother, but I came to make a request of you today.”

The older woman was puzzled but then the woman told her why she was here.

A short while later, the dark haired tall young lady was kneeling before a small shrine. Figures of the gods were there along with one other. The divine figures showed their age, a little darker and dirtier than the newest figure. The newest figure was carved from white marble though and although a small piece, it had clearly cost a lot.

Having finished saying a few prayers to the shrine, the young woman rose and turned to the mother, “Thank you for allowing me to pray for your son.”

“Did you know my son, Talcus?”

“No”

“Yet you pray for him?"

“I pray for all mankind.”

The mother, who was teary eyed nodded, “He would like that you said that. He too cared for all that he met, good and bad. He was such a fine boy, his father was killed years ago…he was all I had, and now the gods have taken him as well.”

The woman came forwards, taking the elder lady’s hand. She guided them to some seats nearby.

“Please tell me about him,” she asked.

The mother smiled, and began to tell tales of her son, bringing forth happier memories. Diana of Themiscyra sat with her, listening. Athena would eventually return to take her back, to return her on the quest to make her the champion the gods desired, but for now; Diana would listen to a grieving mother who missed her son.
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What a wonderful imagining of what passes inside the mind of one held in the embrace of the lasso. VERY nicely done, SGW, very nicely done :)
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This was a well forged tale of what it takes to be a hero who stands for justice. Revenge for wrongs must be tempered with clearness of vision and keen insight into people's motives when dispensing judgement. Nicely written, sgwriter. An important part of this origin tale.
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DrDominator9 wrote:
6 years ago
This was a well forged tale of what it takes to be a hero who stands for justice. Revenge for wrongs must be tempered with clearness of vision and keen insight into people's motives when dispensing judgement. Nicely written, sgwriter. An important part of this origin tale.
Thanks Dr.D, every since Tally's opening I had thought about that moment when Diana slayed the kid. It struck me as being something that was worth coming back to and making Diana into the heroine we know she can be, and establish that truth/love she stands for.
Abductorenmadrid wrote:
6 years ago
What a wonderful imagining of what passes inside the mind of one held in the embrace of the lasso. VERY nicely done, SGW, very nicely done :)
Thanks AB! I figured the lasso could create a little world inside a character's head, especially if a goddess is using it.
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REALLY loved the way you tackled this SG. When this project first came together I hoped authors would pick up and run with the ball that others had passed to them and you did it brilliantly with this piece. I had always intended to revisit that moment at some point and when I heard that was your intention I was delighted and I can say hand on heart I couldn't have done it better myself - its an excellent examination of the consequences of revenge and anger and killing in the moment.
Brilliant work and a lovely balance of pathos at the end to humanize it all. Very well done
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I enjoyed that - what a fitting way to introduce the lasso. It also helps the story massively to be introducing the idea here that Diana could be - or is intended to be - much more than an avenger or an acolyte. Likewise, this was a very good time to question Diana's willingness to deal in death and vengeance. In terms of the wider story, I think Diana needed to have this chat with Athena, and I thought it was done perfectly.
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Hmmm, the title says Voids bit is up and yet...! And he baited me telling me it's brilliant. Damn you Tally, let loose the story!
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Abductorenmadrid wrote:
6 years ago
Hmmm, the title says Voids bit is up and yet...! And he baited me telling me it's brilliant. Damn you Tally, let loose the story!
Well that is strange! It was posted yesterday and now it is gone. :hmmm:
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DrDominator9 wrote:
6 years ago
Well that is strange! It was posted yesterday and now it is gone. :hmmm:
Might have seen something wrong after posting it and pulled it for a tidy up? Well, whatever, I missed it but can't wait to see it.
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Sorry guys was on the pop all day yesterday and posted the wrong version, deleted it but didnt get to repost the proper episode

My apologies.
Here is Voids cracking episode, in just a moment
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Part 16 by Void

Tempered Steel

God


They met in a space beyond mortal reckoning. A place between chaos and order; between oblivion and existence.

It was the Promenade of the Great, a sprawling, labyrinthian hall of impossible geometry, weaved into being by great Gaia herself to celebrate the achievements of gods and men. Magnificent, living works of art adorned the Promenade, comprising the hallowed place as fine thread creates a tapestry. The masterworks took every medium imaginable, honouring and immortalising the greatest deeds of the Olympians in the most immaculate fashion. To look upon such works was to witness soul-rending perfection – to experience history forever saved within an expression of true beauty.

There was a time when the Olympians visited often to wander the meandering halls and appreciate, or contribute to, the manifold works of art. Gods and goddesses would weep, laugh, cheer and moan as they were moved by the Promenade’s memories. They would strive to outdo one another with their own additions, competing to better honour their chosen tribute with evermore lavish displays.

That was long ago. Back when mighty Heracles strode the mortal realm.

Now, few Olympians ever walked the Promenade. As the great eras began to slide into obscurity for gods and men alike, the Promenade became more like a memorial. Once a vital, shifting landscape of expanding glory, the Promenade had since become static and cold. Its stillness fostered a creeping sense of morbidity among the Olympians, and one by one they began avoiding the place - lest it kindle uneasy feelings about their future.

Were it not for Athena’s intervention, Zeus would have sealed the Promenade away long ago. As it was, the halls had become all but abandoned, their displays left lonely and unseen.

Hera, matriarch of the Mountain, paid them no attention whatsoever as she swept through the halls. The works of art withered and paled next to her radiant splendour as she passed, her ethereal beauty the very embodiment of womanhood – not by design or creation, but simply by the primal nature of her existence. Her voluptuous figure was swathed in a close-fitting garment of pure sunlight, chasing away every shadow in her presence and enveloping everything in warm luminescence. Her pristine tanned skin glowed faintly, seeming to brighten and crackle like a stirred flame as she set eyes upon the man who had summoned her.

The man waiting ahead of her was rocked faintly by the impact of falling under the goddess’s gaze, and he turned away from the sculpture he had been admiring to greet her.

From a distance, he had appeared old and frail, like a sickly elder, but as Hera approached him his aspect rippled and changed into that of a tall, dark-haired young man in the peak of physical fitness. His wide frame bulged with his imposing musculature, totally exposed to the goddess save for a dark kilt around his waist, throbbing between different hues of blue within its fluid patchwork.

A smile touched his handsome face as his cool blue eyes met her impassive amber ones.

‘You came,’ he observed softly, his deep voice effortlessly filling the hall.

Hera returned his smile with a thin one of her own, ‘It seems I did. There aren’t many upon the Mountain who I would permit to summon me like they would a serving girl.’ She folded her arms over her generous bust, ‘You are not one of them. Explain yourself, brother – why are we here?’

Poseidon, lord of the seas, held her piercing gaze for a long moment as his smile sank back to a grimace. He finally broke from her powerful stare, instead letting his gaze roam down the contours of her divine figure, ‘No pleasantries, then?’

Hera snorted with genuine amusement, ‘Answer my question.’

Poseidon grunted as he turned from Hera to look back upon the giant sculpture, a perfect rendition of the demi-god hero Perseus, cast from pure obsidian and crafted by Zeus’s own hands. ‘So be it. I wish to make you an offer.’

The goddess arched her brow, ‘What offer? Speak plainly.’

‘You are in the process of weaponizing your avatar, are you not?’ Poseidon lowered the tone of his voice as he continued to study the statue. ‘Finding ways for the maidens of Olympus to grant her boons of strength? Granting her the favour of the gods through trials of their choosing? You are raising a mortal champion in defiance of Zeus – the same champion you beckoned me to harass as she carried out Artemis’s bidding.’ Poseidon turned his head from the statue to give Hera a sideways glance over his shoulder, ‘The Oathtaker.’

Hera’s expression hardened and her glowing skin flared brighter, ‘A crude description. We have empowered a hero to protect and avenge her people – a hero who proves herself worthy of each strength she earns from us.’ She took a threatening step closer to her brother god as her light intensified further, ‘What of it?’

Poseidon chuckled mirthlessly as his gaze returned to looking up at the towering sculpture, ‘And that is a flattering, dishonest description. You have united the goddesses under common cause to protect their own power on the Mountain – to protect your power – by rallying behind a mortal guardian of your followers. As her power and glory grows, so do you rest strength back from your husband.’

Hera stepped up alongside Poseidon, her smouldering eyes moving to look up at the triumphant statue of Perseus. She couldn’t hide her disdain as she looked upon it. ‘Perhaps,’ she said demurely, ‘The Great Game has many angles. Perhaps it is just time that I claimed a champion of my own. What do you want, Poseidon?’

The lord of the sea shrugged his wide shoulders, ‘When you called me to trouble her upon the seas, I was impressed by her. There is greatness in her – true greatness - and in your efforts, you have bestowed an unprecedented amount of favour upon her from an unprecedented number of goddesses.’ Poseidon nodded his head slowly as he took a long breath and turned his attention back to Hera, ‘The Olympians haven’t taken such interest in a mortal since Heracles – and he wasn’t even a full mortal. She is…,’ Poseidon’s blue eyes glazed slightly as he tried to find the right word, ‘….a marvel.'

The goddess scowled and took a breath to speak, but Poseidon spoke over her.

‘I wish to offer her a trial, as your maidens have done, and, if she passes, I would bestow my favour upon her.’

Hera could not hide the surprise, or the suspicion, from her expression. She took a step backwards as she studied her brother, ‘You wish to strengthen my cause?’

‘Her cause,’ he corrected, ‘I care not for your dispute with your husband.’

She arched her brow once again, ‘You expect me to believe your intentions are noble? Far more likely Zeus has sent you to weaken my cause. You are one of the men…’

Poseidon’s expression darkened as he stepped into Hera’s personal space, a low grumble escaping his throat like the noise of an approaching tidal wave. ‘I remember when you were the best of us,’ he said quietly, ‘A magnificent beacon of light that could not be denied.’ He reached up to delicately stroke Hera’s cheek as he held her fiery gaze within his depthless eyes, ‘Before Zeus poisoned you with hate and petty pride – and all his bickering children.’ His hand stroked down the surprised goddess’s face to her jaw and he ran his thumb across the top of her pouting lips, ‘Now, the ideals you are worshipped for tower above you for every moment you play Zeus’s games. How sad it is…’

Hera flared like an exploding star as she slapped Poseidon’s hand away and followed up by striking his cheek with enough force to knock her brother to his hands and knees. ‘How dare you! You, who callously drowns mortals upon a whim, who tries to bed every woman in sight, who plays with the mortal realm like a babe with a rattle, cannot judge me! Nor may you ever touch me – try that again and I will obliterate you and consign your remains to Tartarus, understand?’

Poseidon grinned up at her as he climbed slowly back to his feet, ‘Aye, I understand.’ He rubbed tentatively at his jaw, ‘I make no claims to my own virtue, but I don’t need clean hands to see that yours are dirty. The hateful squabble between men and women – both here and in the mortal realm – that so consumes you is no concern of mine. Your power struggle with Zeus does not concern me. Only the Oathtaker concerns me.’

The fierce light of the goddess ebbed but a fraction, ‘Why? Do you wish to make her your latest conquest? Does she amuse you? Does she offend you?’

Poseidon hesitated as he considered his answer, ‘I admit she fascinates me, just as she will fascinate many on the Mountain as her status grows.’ His expression became sombre and his voice softened, ‘But it is more than that… I believe I see what Athena sees, and what perhaps Artemis sees as well.’

Hera’s aspect dimmed back to her normal glow. ‘And what is it you see in my champion?’

Poseidon’s eyes clouded with an emotion that Hera couldn’t quite discern. It was a strange mix of tiredness and sadness that became more pronounced the longer he was lost to his thoughts.

‘Allow me to test her,’ he said at last, ‘and I’ll show you. Permit me to add to the grandeur of your champion.’

The sibling gods stared at each other for a long moment. Hera pursed her lips as she scrutinised her brother, dubiously searching for any sign of deceit.

‘Tell me,’ she said carefully, ‘What will your trial be? What power do you offer?’

A small, satisfied smile curled the edges of Poseidon’s mouth. ‘Better to show you than to explain to you. Look behind you.’

Hera furrowed her brow, her beautiful features becoming mired by confusion as she turned slowly to glance behind her. A wide, unfinished painting hung on the wall next to her, its lurid colours swirling and churning as the living image flowed from one scene to another. Her eyes scanned over it quickly before slowing down to more carefully take in the image. Her lips parted and her breath caught in her throat as the hypnotic canvas drew her in.

‘This… This is new,’ she whispered in shock. Her gaze becoming locked with a raven-haired character in the centre of the painting. ‘Who…,’ the vibrant colour began to drain from the goddess, ‘Who did this?’

Poseidon stepped up behind Hera. ‘I did,’ he breathed into her ear, ‘And I will finish it once the Oathtaker has taken my trial – there is only so much of the saga I can predict. Whether she succeeds or fails, or what choices she makes, will be the final strokes I need to complete it.’

Hera’s glow had almost totally vanished. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said hoarsely as her eyes drank in the painting. ‘Why would you do this? Do you wish to ruin her?’

‘Quite the opposite,’ Poseidon spoke warmly into her other ear, making the goddess shiver despite herself, ‘But you must cast the die, sister. You must risk your champion, you must risk everything you and your maidens have wrought, if she is to be the acolyte you desire.’ He gently placed his hands atop her shoulders, ‘What say you?’

Hera took a deep, shuddery breath and sagged her shoulders under Poseidon’s touch. Her gaze crawled slowly across the canvas once more, taking in each distressing detail of the perilous journey. She reached up to absently rub her throat as she teetered on her decision.

The raven-haired woman in the painting was sinking into a pool of blood and tears while ancient, terrible creatures danced around her. She was dying and surrendering all at once, embracing her own perverse sacrifice as a legion of skeletons clawed at her from beneath the pool. The defeated woman’s spirit was breaking, being stripped from her as surely as was her armour by her hideously beautiful captors…

Hera shut her eyes.

‘Very well then, I will allow it,’ she rolled her shoulders to dislodge Poseidon’s hands as her glow began to return, ‘I have faith that Diana is equal to the task - but it must be her choice. If she refuses you, then so do I.’

Behind her back, Poseidon broke into a wide smile.

‘Don’t worry, sister. Neither of you will refuse me.’

******

Poet

Her father had always warned her that the fates could twist and turn in the most cruel and surprising ways.

He had often taken the time to remind her of past tragedies; the unexpected losses of great heroes and wars. He cautioned that the gods were capricious, and that they could visit death and misery upon her without warning. The underlying lesson to all these speeches was that she should always be vigilant for danger – that she should never feel safe.

Especially because she was born a woman.

He told her that, as a woman, she was innately vulnerable to the whims of men. Her father likened it being an infant, always in need of a man to guide and protect her. On more than one occasion he also spoke of the sheep’s need for a shepherd to survive in a world of hungry wolves.

Sappho had always smiled politely and thanked her father for his wisdom, but secretly she cursed him for trying to keep her in a cage of fear. She didn’t want to fear the world; she wanted to explore it. She wanted to get out from under her father’s shadow and experience the world he was so eager to shelter her from. She thought it couldn’t possibly be as bad as he painted it.

Now, Sappho just wished that her father was here – so that she could cower behind him.

She had booked passage aboard a merchant vessel to cross the Aegean from Lesbos to Athens, where awaited her a bright future studying under the great Sophists and poets of the capital of civilisation. It didn’t matter to her that her father was marrying her off to a fat Athenian noble – what mattered was that she was going to be free to attend the public forums before she became a mother. She would be allowed to sip some of the knowledge from the wise men of Athens, if only for a while, and she considered herself very fortunate for it.

But that humble dream was turning to ash, and the many exciting possibilities for her future had been replaced with the dread of a horrifying death. Barely a single day after leaving her home behind, she was being confronted with the stark reality of how sage her father’s warnings really were.

The raiders had drifted in from the south, rolling in with the morning fog and taking the crew of the merchant ship totally by surprise. By the time the crew realised their plight, the faster, sleeker ship that stalked them was already too close. There would be no escape.

Captain Aenid had screamed frantic orders to his crew as he futilely tried to stave off the raider’s efforts to board the ship. The upper deck had erupted in chaos as terrified passengers mingled with the sailors that hurriedly carried out their captain’s orders.

Sappho had looked on helplessly as the nightmare unfolded. She could do nothing but watch in mute horror as the unthinkable began to happen.

The darker pirate vessel slid up alongside them, and with sickening thunks, one boarding anchor after another crunched into their ship along its full length. Tethered to their predator, the crew’s efforts at flight were rendered useless, and the two vessels pulled one another into a spinning dance across the waves.

Once reeled into the pirate ship’s possessive embrace, two heavy boarding ramps spilled onto the deck and disgorged the wild-eyed raiders. The unwashed, bearded men hooted and cheered as they swept over the ship like a tide of malice, slashing anyone that didn’t fall to their knees in submission.

Captain Aenid led a valiant effort against the raiders, but he was hopelessly overmatched. He cut down three men himself before he was disarmed and knocked to the floor in a crumpled heap. The sight of their brave captain bloodied and restrained in manacles had been enough to prompt a swift surrender from the remaining crew.

It had all happened so fast.

With the ship taken, the raiders set about the passengers, unburdening them of their possessions and then herding them like cattle to be placed in chains. The sound of weeping and begging filled the air, punctuated by the occasional cry of pain as uncompliant passengers were beaten into obedience.

Sappho kept her head bowed as a foul-smelling miscreant directed her to a line of other young women, grabbing her arm with enough force to bruise her as he handled her. It was a tremendous effort of will to hold back her tears as she dragged her shaky legs and did as she was told. She kept her eyes at her feet, fearful that to make eye contact with anyone – fellow victim or pirate – would be enough to destroy her composure. The plaintive sobs of the women around her was unbearably distressing, and Sappho did her best to block them out.

A tall, battle-scarred man adorned in silver chains was making his way down the line, inspecting each girl in turn. His right ear was studded with a rainbow of precious stones, and a similarly colourful collection of rings decorated his left hand, which rested on the hilt of an ornate foreign sabre. He beamed a savage smile and howled with pleasure as he drew closer to Sappho.

‘The gods favour us today, lads!’ he called out to his men, ‘This glutted goat sails from Lesbos! These are Lesbian women! The gods created no finer servants of cock than the wanton harlots of Lesbos!’

The raiders roared their approval.

‘The sand lords will pay handsomely for these slaves!’ he shouted with relish, ‘We are twice-blessed: rich in pleasure for the coming nights, and rich in coin when these cows go to market.’

‘Captain Daxos,’ called a younger pirate, ‘must we sell them all? Could we not keep a few for ourselves?’

The raider captain gave an easy laugh as he came to a stop alongside Sappho, ‘A few?’ he chided, ‘That is much too greedy, Perion – but perhaps I might allow one trophy be retained.’ He raised a hand to thoughtfully stroke his short beard, ‘Perhaps we keep the best in show for ourselves. What do you say?’

The raiders laughed and cheered, sounding more like beasts than men.

‘But which girl is most deserving of the honour?’ Daxos mused as his gaze moved down the line of women.

She wasn’t sure what madness compelled her to do it, but Sappho raised her head a fraction to look at the captain, and froze when her eyes met with his. He looked back at her with sadistic glee.

‘You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?’ he muttered as he approached her, ‘A very pretty thing.’

Sappho swallowed hard, finding herself unable to look away from the captain. She couldn’t keep from shaking as he reached out a hand to stroke her short brown hair away from her face, his calloused hand like rough parchment across her smooth skin.

‘I think I have found my winner,’ he whispered as he cupped her face in his hand, ‘What’s your name, girl?’

She bit her trembling lip as the first tears started to flow from her eyes. ‘I… I’m not scared of you,’ she croaked.

Daxos grinned, ‘Yes you are – and you are right to be.’ In a flash, his hand drew back before returning to slap her hard across her cheek.

Sappho shrieked in pain as she sank to her knees, and her struggles to contain her emotions were dashed. She began to cry on the floor like a lost child.

The captain lowered himself and grabbed her chin to force her to look up at him, ‘This is your place, girl – know it well and accept it. You are weak, you are afraid, and you are property. This is as the gods intend you, do you understand?’

Sappho held his gaze as her body was wracked with her sobs.

He growled, gripping her chin tighter, ‘I said, do you understand?’

She hated this feeling of helplessness. She hated her weakness. More than anything, she hated that she did understand.

Her mouth opened, but a voice from behind her tormentor spoke before she could.

‘Leave her alone, you dog!’ shouted captain Aenid from where he was held on the floor, ‘What is wrong with you? Have you no decency at all?’

Daxos whirled around to look down at the defeated captain, sneering at him like he would a stain on his shoe, ‘Why is this milk-drinker still alive? Slit his throat and feed him to the ocean.’ He sniffed, ‘Let the crew and the elderly follow him.’

Sappho’s eyes widened as she watched one of the men holding the brave captain draw a dagger and move the blade to his neck.

‘No!’ she cried out as she began to scramble back to her feet, ‘Please don’t…’

Daxos backhanded her hard enough to cut her lip and send her back to her knees. ‘What are you going to do, girl?’ he spat down at her, ‘You’re just a powerless, prized pig. Now stay down and watch!’

Sappho locked eyes with Aenid as the blade pressed to the skin of his throat. The corners of his mouth twitched with fear, but there was a steely conviction in his eyes that kept his terror from showing there. It was the best he could do to offer some small measure of comfort to the girl watching his demise.

I can’t watch this. I will not watch this. I would rather die.

Sappho took strength from the fire in Aenid’s eyes. Clenching her fists, she began to rise once more…

Crack!

The man about to slice open the captain’s neck was rocked as an oar barrelled through the air and struck his head. The force was enough to splinter the wood of the oar where it struck him, and he dropped to the deck like a limp puppet.

Like everyone else on the deck, Sappho turned her head to find the source of the impromptu javelin, and in a breath-taking instant, her whole life changed forever.

Standing in the centre of the ship’s stern was a woman unlike anything that Sappho had ever seen. She looked as though she had been hewn from white marble, sculpted by the very best artisans of Greece. Dark red leather armour fit closely around the exquisite curves of her powerful form, contrasting vividly with the faded silver bracelets around her wrists, and leaving the toned muscles of her long limbs on display. A shock of long, thick black hair framed the elegant features of her face, flowing down her shoulders and blowing gently with the wind at her back. The woman’s cool, confident blue eyes looked impassively back at the gawking raiders. There was an iron composure to the woman’s eyes that stirred something within Sappho. The woman’s stoic visage projected pure self-assurance – even while staring out at the thirty-strong gathering of vicious killers.

It was like exiting a cave and seeing the sun for the first time.

Sappho was brought from her reverie by the sharp, appreciative whistle of Daxos.

‘Well strike me down – it looks like I’ve found a new prized pig!’ He laughed loudly, ‘Where in the blazes did she come from?’ he asked, looking accusingly around at his crew.

It was a good question.

Daxos leered at the statuesque woman, ‘Were you hiding below deck, beautiful? How good of you to announce yourself.’ His smile faded from his face as the woman’s blue eyes turned upon him, looking at him like a lioness might look at a wounded jackal. He pressed on, but this time there was a notable hint of apprehension to his voice, ‘Did your father teach you how to throw like that?’ He scoffed, ‘I’d say that’s the luckiest effort I’ve ever seen.’

His attempts at derision were met with laughter from his men.

Daxos stroked his beard as his gaze roamed over the woman’s athletic body, ‘How ridiculous you look in that armour – do you think you are a man?’

The jeering of his men grew louder.

‘Hear me,’ the woman’s assertive voice immediately hushed the men’s levity, ‘I do not wish to end your lives today.’ Her cold eyes swept over the surprised men, meeting each of their gazes in turn, ‘I haven’t come here for your blood. Lay down your weapons and yield to me, and I will spare you this day. However, if you bear arms against me I will send you to the Underworld.’

There was an unwavering certainty to the woman’s tone that sent chills down Sappho’s back.

‘I am giving you all a choice. Make it wisely. Please.’

Shocked silence greeted her stern words.

Followed immediately by raucous laughter.

Daxos howled loudest of all. ‘You think to threaten us? Ha! You don’t even have a weapon!’ He doubled over as he hooted his amusement, ‘Three dozen grown men falling to their knees and begging an unarmed woman for their lives? Can you imagine?’ He had to speak up to be heard over his men’s laugher, ‘Are you touched in the head?’

The woman rested her hands atop a simple leather girdle around her waist, where hung a coiled rope of vibrant gold. Her eyes scanned across all the laughing men, dispassionately measuring each of them while she patiently awaited their verdict.

As the laughter began to die down Daxos spoke again, ‘I will enjoy you very much, wench. For being so good as to present yourself for us I shall reward you by making you mine tonight – and every night from now on.’ He grinned fiercely as his gaze lingered on the woman’s bust, ‘You and I are going to have a very fun night. You’re going to moan and beg…’

‘Tonight, you sleep with Hades,’ she interrupted calmly.

Daxos snarled back at her. ‘Impudent whore! You will learn your place! Take her!’

With the order finally given, the raiders nearest to the woman charged towards her.

Sappho felt her heart rising in her chest as she watched the action commence. She didn’t want to see the death of this beautiful stranger but she couldn’t make herself look away, and watched with open mouth as she witnessed martial perfection.

The woman fought as though she had been rehearsing for this exact encounter her entire life.

She strode towards her attackers purposefully before bursting into explosive movement as they reached her, weaving around their blades with preternatural grace before stepping within the reach of their weapons and slamming her fists into their faces. Each man needed only one of her lightning fast strikes to fall dazed at her feet, and she flowed between them like a furious serpent, the heel of her hand breaking a man's jaw, a knuckle punch to the windpipe felling another, a straight hard punch breaking the nose of a third. Her hands were a mesmerising blur as she methodically proceeded in knocking them down until all eight men that charged lay sprawled at her feet.

Her violent dance continued as a larger wave of raiders reached her. They surrounded her and slashed at her from all sides with their eclectic mix of weapons, forcing the woman to parry their strikes. With practiced ease, she used the silver bracelets around her wrists to deflect those attacks she wasn’t outright evading, turning the blades aside as though she were swatting flies.

Sappho could hardly believe what she was seeing. It was like watching birds flying backwards, or a herd of wolves being hunted by a lamb. It defied her understanding of the world in the most wondrous way.

The woman was so fast. Her movement so magnificent. The growing mob of men trying to kill her couldn’t lay a scratch upon her.

They weren’t even close.

More and more of the raiders swarmed towards the melee, discarding their restrained prisoners as the growing threat posed by the woman devoured their attention. For their part, the chained passengers and crew watched on with silent hope, transfixed by the impossible display.

As the press of assailants grew, so too her tempo increased and the level of violence escalated.

After flattening out another of the raiders, the woman shot her hand out to grab the hilt of his short sword, twisting it free from his grip and jerking it away in her hand as she continued to flow around her opponents. Then, with terrible inevitability, the woman began to wield the sword.

And men started dying.

The dance changed from a strangely beautiful thing to behold to being outright horrifying as the woman spilled the men’s blood with every flash of the blade. She whirled between them, opening throats and thighs even while she continued to dance around their attacks. Her every cut would precisely and fatally open arteries, leaving behind clean wounds that gushed fountains of crimson.

As the crowd of men thinned out, the woman freed the rope from her girdle and cast it out at another fallen blade. With a jerk, a noose on the end of the rope fastened around the hilt of the blade and she whipped it into the air. The improvised weapon gave the woman incredible reach to lash out at her opponents as she spun the rope around her, slashing open throats with a crack of her wrist.

The courage of the raiders continued to falter, and they began to hang back from her, unwilling to be the next man to challenge her.

So the woman charged towards them instead. She flung herself into the fray with the wavering men, wielding both her weapons with artistic brilliance as she reaped one life after another. Blood sprayed, men cried out, and the deadly dance continued up the deck – drawing ever-closer to where Daxos stood.

‘Curse you!’ screamed Daxos as he unsheathed his sabre, his hands visibly shaking, ‘What in Zeus’s name are you?’

Sappho almost felt pity for the pirate captain as he lunged for the raven-haired woman.

Almost.

The woman batted his sabre aside with her bracelet before snapping back on the golden rope, pulling the skittering blade at its tip into a sudden arc that embedded the sword in Daxos’s lower back. Daxos gurgled in agony as he arched on the spot, fear and desperation etched over his face.

‘Gah! Who are you?’

The woman finished dispatching a raider with her sword arm before unceremoniously snapping her arm around and cleaving open Daxos’s neck.

The pirate captain made no more noise as he collapsed to the deck, spraying blood up into the air and scattering droplets of red over the woman’s face. She looked down at him as he fell, her eyes cold and hard, and then her gaze moved up to meet Sappho’s.

Sappho gazed up at the woman in a mix of wonder and terror. For a fleeting moment, she thought she could see the flickering embers of sadness in the eyes of her saviour.

Clunk.

The noise drew the attention of both women. The nearest raider had dropped his sword to the deck.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

All over the ship the remaining eight raiders followed the first man’s lead, dropping their weapons and raising their hands in surrender.

The woman’s blue eyes swept over them as she stood on the spot breathing heavily. Her whole frame rose and fell as she laboured to catch her breath, and she growled quietly with each exhale. She flexed her hands around the grips of her two weapons while she considered her response.

‘Mercy,’ said the closest raider, ‘We yield, my lady.’ He bowed his head to avert his gaze as she turned her attention towards him, ‘You are the victor. We submit.’

The woman marched over to the man, causing him to shrink in fear of a deathblow. She dropped the short sword as she moved and gathered the golden rope in her hands to release the blade snared at its tip. In a flash, she looped the rope around the man and cinched it around his arms. The rope glowed faintly around him and his eyes seemed to glaze over.

‘Tell me your name,’ she commanded.

‘Ngh… My name is Necklen,’ he blurted, sounding confused at his own answer.

‘Do you truly yield to me, Necklen, or are you trying to deceive me?’

His lips spasmed, ‘I truly yield, my lady. My life is yours.’

The woman narrowed her eyes, ‘Can I trust your fellows?’

‘Nnn… Certainly not, my lady, but I will keep them in line. They fear you as I do.’

She arched her brow, ‘You are an officer?’

He nodded, ‘In a fashion, my lady. I ran the kitchen. These men will follow me.’

After a moment to consider her options, the woman released the rope from around Necklen and holstered it at her hip. ‘The lives of you and your crew belong to me for the time being, do you understand?’

Necklen still could not look her in the eye, ‘I understand, my lady. What would you have us do?’

‘Free the prisoners and tend to your dead, then return to your ship and await my instructions.’ She cast her head from side to side, glaring at each of the other raiders, ‘Remain unarmed.’

Necklen bowed respectfully and then turned to issue orders, ‘You heard the mistress. Free them.’

The woman watched for a moment as the last of the raiders got to work unbinding the crew and passengers of the ship. Although they glared hateful daggers at the raiders and cursed them, they were unwilling to attack them while in the presence of the mysterious woman. All over the ship the people looked towards her with gratitude in their eyes, but none dared call out to her.

Sappho carefully raised herself back to her feet and approached the woman while she washed the blood from her face with a flask of water.

‘Thank you,’ she mumbled.

The woman tensed for a heartbeat before turning to regard Sappho. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t arrive sooner.’

Awkward silence descended. Sappho shuffled her feet, unsure how to address the stranger.

‘How… How did you arrive?’ she asked after a moment, ‘I mean, you didn’t board with us at Lesbos, did you?’

‘I rode,’ the woman said simply, running the water down her arms and cleaning more blood from herself.

Sappho frowned and looked around them, looking at the ocean stretching out around the ships in all directions. She began to wonder if this was all some bizarre dream. She looked back at the woman, seeing a glint of mischief in her blue eyes.

‘I’m sorry – you rowed? Where’s your boat?’

The woman chuckled, the sound not at all unpleasant, ‘I don’t have one. What’s your name?’

Sappho pouted, feeling like she was being toyed with, ‘Call me Saph. You said you weren’t here for the blood of those men.’ She licked her lips nervously, ‘Do you mind if I ask why you are here? Not that I’m not grateful - I’m really glad you’re here – but I get the feeling you weren’t here for saving us.’

The woman nodded, her expression apologetic, ‘I regret that I wasn’t here for that, but perhaps I should have been.’ She sighed, ‘I came for the captain.’

Sappho turned to look back at the ruined form of Daxos, ‘I guess that figures. So… what are you? The incarnation of poetic justice?’

The woman grimaced as she watched Aenid being released from his shackles. He was staring back at her with hooded eyes.

‘I’m just a woman,’ she said softly, ‘And he wasn’t the captain I came for.’

Sappho furrowed her brow as the woman stepped past her towards Aenid, ‘What?’ Her eyes widened as she turned to see the woman approaching the brooding captain, collecting the short sword from where she dropped it as she went.

Aenid did not get up. He craned his head to look up at the warrior woman, his eyes misty, ‘You… I never thought I’d see you again.’ He shook his head wistfully and laughed without humour, ‘How strange are the ways of the gods? I never thought I’d be thankful to see you – and yet the sight of you facing down those bastards was the most wonderful thing my eyes ever showed me.’ His voice was tight with emotion, ‘Thank you for saving my people. Truly, Diana, thank you.’

She stared down at him contemptuously, ‘I didn’t do it for you. Tell me, did you ever find those reinforcements, Salides?’

Aenid set his jaw, ‘How did you find me?’

‘The gods know your name, and so do I. There is nowhere you could of run that I wouldn’t have found you. Stand up.’

Aenid held her piercing stare as he dragged himself to his feet. ‘You’ll make it quick, won’t you?’ he asked, trying to hide the quiver in his voice.

Sappho watched on incredulously, ‘What are you doing? Captain Aenid is a good man – a decent man – please don’t hurt him.’

The woman ignored her pleas, ‘Pick up a sword, Salides.’

He shrugged his shoulders, ‘Why? What possible good would it do me?’

‘It gives you a fighting chance,’ she said icily, ‘It allows you to die with a shred of dignity, as you should have died upon the field were it not for your cowardice. Pick. Up. A. Sword.’

He growled back at her, ‘I’m not going to fight you Diana. I’m not delighted about dying, but I’ll not fight you. If you are here to execute me then be done with it.’ It seemed to pain him just to look at her, ‘For what it is worth, I have always carried the shame of that day. I’m so…’

Don’t!’ she barked, her elemental voice making everyone on deck jump with fright, ‘Don’t you dare!’ Her fists clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white, ‘You don’t get to play the good man. You can change your name but you will always carry your deeds.’

Sappho steeled her courage as she stepped closer to the standoff, ‘You intervened in time to save this man’s life, and now you’re going to kill him? What cruel madness is that? I don’t know what this is about, but surely this can’t be justice. Please, let’s just talk about this.’

Aenid raised a placating hand towards Sappho, ‘It’s okay, girl. Stay back.’ His watery eyes locked back on to the warrior woman, ‘I deserve this. I know it. I’m not running away now, Diana. Finish it.’

A plethora of emotions flickered across the woman’s stoic features. Sappho once again saw that same sorrow in her blue eyes. She raised up the sword, ‘If you will not defend yourself, then so be it…’

I will not watch this.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Sappho had placed herself between them. ‘You don’t want to do this! Please!’

The woman hesitated, ‘I swore an oath.’

‘So did I,’ Aenid said from behind Sappho’s back, ‘I swore an oath to a tyrant and now I live in shame. Are you better? Is your lord better?’

There were tears welling in the woman’s eyes. ‘Yes,’ she whispered as she…

Both ships were suddenly rocked by a frenzy of activity from the ocean, sending everyone on board to their knees and scurrying for cover. There was a deafening roar from over the side of the boat, sounding like the cackle of a hundred earthquakes.

Sappho ran to the side of the ship to seek the source of the chaos and gasped as she looked upon the churning sea. A whirlpool, five metres wide and impossibly deep, had suddenly sprouted into life, sucking the ocean downwards into what seemed to be an endless pit. Even stranger than the huge conduit into the ocean was that the ships were not being dragged in, and instead bobbed about on the spot as if in choppy seas. The white froth of the waves looked for all the world like thousands of galloping horses, all charging down the whirlpool.

Aenid appeared next to her, his expression reflecting Sappho’s own awe. ‘Bloody Cerberus – what is that?’

They both turned to look at the raven-haired woman. She peered over the side, looking down into the whirlpool with thoughtful curiosity.

‘It’s an invitation,’ she whispered, almost to herself. Her unblinking blue eyes reflected the whirling motion of the waves below.

Sappho and Aenid looked to each other and then back to her, ‘What?’

She stepped up onto the side of the boat and gazed down at them. ‘Stay here, understand? Wait for my return.’

‘Are you crazy?’ Sappho shouted, ‘What are you about to do?’

Aenid looked up at her and nodded grimly, ‘We’ll be here, Diana. I promise.’

She held his eyes for a moment longer before turning on the spot and diving off the ship, right down the centre of the whirlpool. The moment she disappeared into the inky darkness within, the seas calmed immediately, sealing the whirlpool away and returning to normal.

Sappho raked her hands through her short brown hair, looking down at the water in bewilderment ‘Gods! What do we do?’

Aenid shrugged as he looked around at the assembled mass of people from the two ships, making eye contact with Necklen as he approached.

‘We bury the dead, and we wait.’
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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Abductorenmadrid
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Oh boy, another difficult choice on the horizon for Diana perhaps. What fate awaits Salides, what sway might Sappho hold and what has Diana been invited to? Thanks for the vivid scene you set, Void, especially that wonderful Promenade. I also appreciate the little acknowledgement of Poseidon, Hera and Diana's previous interaction in one of my chapters, it at least gives the individual tales a sense of being linked. Now I wait in anticipation of part 2 ....
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DrDominator9
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Wonderful descriptions throughout of the Promenade with its artworks, the conversation between the sibling gods and the fight scene. This Diana feels more mature, growing into her role more and more. Very compelling fiction, Void.
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Thanks folks, I appreciate it. There is a whole lot of preamble here, and I admit there is still more preamble to come, but hopefully the coming action and peril will be worth it!
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tallyho
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That was an excellent chapter Void the hall description of the art of the Gods at the beginning was just spell binding. Interesting to have Sappho appear in those circumstances, and the infamous Salides returns in another guise - all great stuff. Very well done and I look forward to your second chapter in a week or so. Really enjoyed it.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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wondergirlsupragirl
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The artistic literature detail about the Promenade and Hera's goddess, glowing beauty is wonderful. Poseidon's cheeky approach towards Hera as he makes his offer stepping forward into her goddess personal space with her surprised and feisty reaction is priceless. Diana's heroic arrival onto the merchant ship just at the right time is instantly sexy and entertaining, her confident words spoken to the Raiders create a superb moment of suspense. I absolutely loved Diana's awesome battle display. Captain Aenid is pretty lucky, maybe now he can have a chance to escape Diana's wrath. Fabulous work Void.
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tallyho
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Location: Land of No Hope and Past Glories

PART 17
Hi all, here is the next fabulous part of VOID's work. I hope you all enjoy it and please leave a comment


Champion

The world cascaded around Diana as she plummeted through it. A nauseous feeling of vertigo throbbed through her body as she continued to tumble down the vortex, made all the worse by the battering of the chaotic currents of water that weaved around her.

The breath she had taken just before dipping beneath the ocean was struggling to sustain her as each swirling second slipped into the next. Her lungs began to burn with the need for a fresh breath, growing more desperate as she fought against the tumultuous currents that tore at her.


The pressure of the ocean above her was growing as her downward journey continued, squeezing her whole body like a tightening vice and making her head ache unbearably. Her ears popped every couple of moments, each jolt of pain more distressing than the last.

Press on. Press on. Press on.

She gritted her teeth as she worked out her direction of travel and began swimming into it. She kicked her legs behind her and took long, powerful strokes with her hands, ignoring the searing ache of her oxygen-starved muscles as she propelled herself faster into the maw of the abyss.

Press… On…

She harnessed the pain and the discomfort like a lash upon her back, driving her forwards. There was no room for doubt or panic; there was only the task of marshalling her beleaguered body into each new stroke.

Even as the light faded to nothing, and as she felt her own consciousness start to slip away, Diana’s every action was of accelerating her descent. The crush of the pain enveloped her, consuming her body and mind until all that was left was…

Suddenly she wasn’t in water anymore. Diana felt cool air rush around her as she fell from the ocean and down onto hard, smooth stone. With the transition out of the water the smothering pressure was lifted from her body, and she was permitted to breathe once more.

Diana collapsed on the ground where she fell, coughing and spluttering as she gasped in great lungsful of air. Her voice reverberated back to her from the surrounding chamber, sounding like animalistic sobs as she laboured to recover from the ordeal she had just survived. Her exhausted muscles punished her misuse now with lancing pain that kept her from attempting to move.

She shivered and spasmed on the floor for a few more seconds, allowing herself a fleeting moment to recover, before she returned her attention to the task at hand. Diana raised her head to look around at the impenetrable darkness that surrounded her, before lowering it down again to rest against the stone floor.

"You know," a deep voice rumbled from the darkness ahead of her, "Some might consider it unwise to leap down a vortex into the ocean without a plan or any notion of what awaits you."

Diana thumped her hands onto the stone floor and, hiding her fatigue, hefted herself back to her feet. ‘I make no claim to wisdom,’ she answered the darkness.

“No,” the voice in the darkness agreed, “But then you don’t lay claim to anything, do you, Oathtaker?”

Diana approached the voice, "I claim my actions. I claim my failures. I claim loyalty. I need no more."

“Hmph, I wonder about that,” the darkness retorted.

"Show yourself, my lord," Diana said impassively as she continued to step into the unknown.

A low chuckle of amusement peeled around the chamber, "As you wish, Oathtaker."

Veins of blue light pulsed through the stone floor in twirling patterns, moving in from the extremities of the chamber towards the centre. Where they converged , a hearth of blue fire sprang into life, lighting the chamber in earnest.

Diana had to shield her eyes initially as light flooded the room, but she quickly adjusted to the warm lighting, and was able to take stock of the space around her. Her eyes darted about her rapidly in wonder as she drank in the impossibility of where she was.

The chamber was twenty metres in diameter, cut as a perfect circle upon a dark stone dais. Making up the walls and ceiling of the chamber was the ocean itself, seemingly holding itself back from the dais and forming a giant dome around it. The flowing water simply stopped where it formed the dome, and Diana could see shoals of fish and other, larger creatures swimming around them, barely touched by the hearth’s blue light.

Standing next to the hearth was a tall, muscle-bound man with a thick curly beard. Hard lines weathered his face and his dark hair was peppered with grey, though his body was perfectly sculpted with rippling muscles, making his aspect a jarring combination of age and youth. A loose-fitting toga of deep, vibrant blue swathed his imposing figure, decorated with intricate patterns of white. His eyes were depthless pools of blue, shimmering in the firelight as they regarded her.

His appearance confirmed what she already suspected from the display she had witnessed from the ocean. This was how the classical artists liked to portray him.

Diana bowed her head the moment she met eyes with the man, though she already knew, despite his semblance of one, that he was no man. "Lord Poseidon," she said evenly, "You honour me with your invitation."

The lord of the sea grunted with amusement, "I might have expected more awe from a mortal laying eyes upon one of the oldest and most powerful beings in creation."

Diana raised her head, holding the sea lord’s gaze, "I apologise, my lord, but I keep company with Olympians as much as mortals these days. I don’t mean to offend, but I don’t feel much awe any more."

Poseidon laughed, the noise reverberating around the chamber like thunder and scaring away the sea creatures swimming in the waters around them as the vibrations rippled through the surrounding ocean. "You speak truly, Diana of Themiscyra." He stepped around the hearth, his heavy frame causing each footfall to make an audible thud on the stone floor. "I wonder how much else you no longer feel."

The observation took her by surprise. Something uncomfortable shifted within her – a dull ache that threatened to reveal itself through the mask of her composure. A crack in her foundations. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead, the question lingered in the air, heavy and unanswered.

"Forgive my impertinence, my lord, but why did you summon me?" Diana asked after a drawn-out silence.

Poseidon raised a hand to stroke the curls of his beard as he regarded her. He hadn’t taken his eyes from hers from the moment the hearth lit up – Diana wasn’t even sure if he had yet blinked. "Tell me, Oathtaker, does it trouble you that you are a puppet of the gods?"

Diana inclined her head, now carefully studying the god in much the same way as he studied her. "I am not a puppet," she answered.

"So that’s a 'no', then."

She stepped closer to him, "A puppet has no will of its own, my lord. I serve the gods, as I serve my people, because I choose to." Her steps brought her to within an arm’s reach of the sea lord, and she had to tilt her head upwards to maintain eye contact, "My service is a choice."

Poseidon nodded, but Diana got the impression it wasn’t in agreement with her words. "A starving beggar has a choice about whether to eat – but the fat prince has far more choice. You claim to have a will of your own, but all I see is the will of others. All I see is duty."

"Then you see me," Diana answered simply. "Duty is my choice; duty is my will."

The two stared at each other for a moment in silence, taking the measure of one another. The crackle of the hearth grew quieter in the background as the flame dimmed a fraction.

"Impressive," Poseidon said at last, "But it isn’t enough. It won’t be enough."

Diana scowled, unable to hide a flicker of frustration from crossing her stoic features, "Enough for what? Why have you summoned me?"

The sea lord finally broke her gaze, instead letting his eyes drift down Diana’s body. It was a look she had seen from many men before – like a dog catching sight of a juicy piece of meat. She unconsciously took a defensive step backwards as she watched the desire bloom in the sea lord’s eyes.

"I wish to make you an offer," he said softly, his gaze lingering on her waist, "A trial to test your mettle, and the reward of my favour should you pass." His deep blue eyes flashed back up her body to meet her inquisitive expression, "You have already passed the first portion of the trial by surviving the journey down to meet with me – though I suspect you will find the return to the surface much harder."

Diana grimaced as she considered that hardship. Without light, or the swirling vortex pulling at her, it would be hard to even know which direction the surface was, let alone reach it purely under her own impetus. Already she began to rotate her joints and deepen her breathing as she prepared her body for the monumental task.

Still, she kept her focus on the matter at hand.

"What would your favour entail?" she asked carefully. "And why should I care for it?"

Poseidon smiled, "I offer two things, Diana of Themiscyra. First, I would present you with a weapon so powerful that even the gods fear it being wielded against them, and second, I offer my protection to your people. For as long as I hold power over the seas, the ocean will be a friend and guardian to the women of Themiscyra, sheltering them from the world beyond." He upturned his palms and gestured towards Diana with both hands, "These are my offers if you complete my task."

Diana narrowed her eyes as she considered his words. "The Olympians would never permit a mortal to carry a weapon that could threaten them," she said dubiously.

Poseidon arched his brow, turning his gaze down her body once more and settling it on the golden lasso holstered at her girdle. "Athena would appear to disagree. Besides, I never said you would carry this weapon – whether or not you claim it will be up to you."

Something about the sea lord’s choice in words roused her suspicion, making her unsure if he was even talking about a physical object or if it was a metaphor of some kind.

"And what do you seek in return?" She asked, "What is your task?"

Poseidon shifted his weight from one foot to the other, speaking slowly and with hesitation. "There is a problem I need taken care of. A problem that I myself cannot resolve." He turned from Diana and stepped closer to the hearth, the blue, smokeless flame seeming to kindle as he neared it, "My southernmost temple, upon the small island of Scarabus, has been desecrated, and my priests all sacrificed. The offenders now take residence there, using my temple as their lair as they continue their foul mischief" .

The sea lord did not hide the sadness or the anger from his tone as he stared into the blue flame, "At first they lured in those who would pay tribute to me, taking from those poor souls everything that they had to give, but now…," he sighed, his wide shoulders sagging a little, "now they reach out to everything they can, bringing doom to all who so much as pass within ten miles of the island."

Diana circled the hearth as she listened, coming to the other side of the flame as she studied Poseidon’s sombre expression, his features picked out in blue as they were lit by the flickering light from the flame below. He seemed demonic with the beard, yet his words were heavy with sadness. "Who could do such a thing? How could pirates get away with defying you so?"

The sea lord shook his head, "They aren’t pirates. They are Sirens – the last of the Sirens. They are ancient creatures, daughters of the first water god, and their long lives have made them powerful beasts."

After all the things Diana had seen in her lifetime, she accepted immediately that Poseidon was indeed talking about the mythical creatures she had heard about in ancient poems as a child. Winged temptresses who sang beautiful, keening songs that drew sailors to their deaths. It didn’t surprise her that they existed; it surprised her that they still existed. The poems that told of the Sirens were from a bygone age, meaning these creatures must have stalked the mortal realm for an astounding number of years.

"Forgive me, my lord," she said after a moment’s reflection, "But why don’t you strike them down yourself? That must be within your power for such open defiance."

The sea lord’s shoulders slumped further, "I would that I could, Oathtaker," he sighed, "But Aphrodite is besotted with the beauty of these creatures, and has seen fit to protect it. She has forbidden any Olympian from harming them, and, in his wisdom, my brother Zeus has agreed with her." His eyes became downcast and his voice lowered to a whisper, "I confess… If I allow myself to look upon them for too long… I also begin to agree with Aphrodite. If I did not make myself look away," he swallowed hard as his eyes began to glaze over, "I fear I would become tempted to worship them."

Diana felt a knot curl in her stomach as she listened. What manner of creature could beguile a god? What beauty could possibly move a vengeful god towards submission?

The blue flame spat loudly, stirring Poseidon from his troubled thoughts. His attention turned towards Diana.

"It must be a mortal that slays these monsters," he said sternly, "While my hands are bound, yours are not. So, I set you the task of finally ending the Sirens’ bloody reign and cleansing my temple."

Diana looked to the flames for a moment as she considered the task. The shelter offered to her sisters was as tempting a reward as any the sea lord could have made. Yet it was the Goddesses of Olympus who had offered her gifts of vengeance – how would Aphrodite react if she were to defy her at the behest of a male God? Doubt clouded her mind.

"Before you answer," Poseidon continued, "You should know, the way to Scarabus will be blocked by a furious sea that I cannot becalm. You will first need to go to the island of Pharos and confront the one commanding the sea to protect the coven of harpies. The man who once occupied my seat of power over the seas resides there in exile - a fallen former god. He’s a mad old man now, but the Sirens hold him under their spell, and he will die to defend them from you."

Diana remembered the stories of her childhood once again. The former lord of the sea, Proteus, was said to live on the desolate island of Pharos. A god from before the Olympian order.

This is getting out of hand.

"You would have me challenge a former god?" she asked, unable to hide a hint of incredulity from her voice. "So that I could then go to confront the group of ancient demi-gods that charmed him, and who are capable of enchanting even you?"

Poseidon nodded, his smile returning, "That’s a good summary, yes."

Diana stared into the flames, licking her teeth as she tried to think through the mounting trial, "Can I not just ride the Daymare there directly? Stormy seas will not be a problem to my steed."

There was a twinkle of something in Poseidon’s eye. He had been waiting for this question. "No," he said simply, "I will withhold the use of your mighty steed. For am I not too, the God of horses? I deny you the use of the beast."

Diana bristled, "What? Why?"

"Because, perhaps, I have plans for him? Because, perhaps, I have plans for you? Because, perhaps, life is a journey, and death is a destination."

She clenched her fists, now openly exasperated with the sea lord. "What does that even mean? I don’t even know how to navigate to Pharos, let alone Scarabus. How would I even reach these islands to complete this task? For something that appears important to you, you seem intent on making it as difficult as possible to actually do."

Poseidon grinned mischievously, the twinkle in his eye becoming more pronounced. "Last I checked, you had a crew and a ship waiting for you back at the surface." He leaned over the flames, Diana’s angry expression reflecting back to her in the depthless pools of his eyes, "And an experienced sea captain, more than capable of navigating his way to even the most remote corners of the world."

Diana recoiled from the hearth as if struck, backing away several paces.

"This is a trap," she snapped, "You want me to seek Salides’ help? To work with him? You ask too much."

Poseidon arched his brow at her, "You were happy to consider everything up to the point of working with an enemy? You’ll battle gods and ancient monsters beyond your ken, swim to the bottom of the ocean on no more than a hunch, but you won’t work with an old foe? Last time I looked, Oathtaker, your resolve to harm him was wavering - or did my eyes deceive me?"

Diana’s expression hardened. "You mock me. You mock the injustice done to my people. Well mock this: I refuse your trial." She turned from the stunned god to walk towards the edge of the dais, "Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to swim back to the surface and cut down Salides. Tell me then if your eyes deceive you."

The smile was wiped from Poseidon’s face. The hearth crackled louder, bursts of yellow light threatening to turn the flame’s colour. "Wait, what?" he asked hurriedly, "No, you can’t refuse."

"Watch me," she called back over her shoulder as she got to within touching distance of the rippling surface of water at the dome’s edge, "I will not dishonour my fallen sisters by making common cause with that craven."

“They’re killing people, Diana," Poseidon called out, causing her to stop just before pushing past the threshold. "By the dozens, and in time by the hundreds. Women, children – they are all sacrificed to the avarice and vanity of the Sirens. They adorn themselves with the worldly goods of the mortals they ensnare, and they kill them all.”

Diana could see herself reflected in the water’s edge. She stared accusingly back at herself.

“The lucky ones drown, while others starve to death in their submissive stupor, while others still are bled dry for unspeakable rituals – and the least fortunate are devoured outright. Loved ones watch on gratefully as their friends and family are sacrificed. Mothers hand over their…”

She closed her eyes in resignation.

“Enough,” she interrupted. “Please, enough. I'll do it.”


******

Soldier

As morning wore on the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, until it now bore down from directly above the two entangled ships.

As the temperature rose, so too did the tension on board the vessels.

Captain Aenid had to work hard to keep order with the remains of his crew and the increasingly emboldened passengers of his ship. The twin calls to either cast off and resume their journey, or to exact retribution against the remaining raiders grew in strength every hour. He had needed to be aggressive and heavy-handed to keep the peace while the raiders cleared his deck of their dead. It had been a surreal and slightly sickening feeling to defend the men – all of whom he considered to be rabid animals – but, as best he could tell, it was the honourable thing to do.

Even so, Aenid had been quick to rearm himself and his crew. Any hint of duplicity from the raiders would have been enough for him to give the order to battle once again. He had watched them every step of the way, looking for any excuse to let loose the rage of his people.

For their part, the raiders had stuck rigidly to the last orders of their conqueror. The pirates seemed to rally behind the leadership of the first man to surrender, Necklen, and he had marshalled them with quiet, blunt orders. They hauled all of their dead to the side of the ship and, after muttering brief prayers to Persephone, dumped the bodies into the ocean. Necklen even ordered his men to wash and scrub the deck to cleanse the copious amounts of gore. Though the raiders were regularly spat upon and insulted, they continued their sullen work without responding.

Aenid’s own crew also buried their dead, though they took more time to give each man a more dignified burial. They brought up blankets from below deck to enshroud each body, giving praise to a litany of gods before finishing with a prayer to Poseidon to accept their souls, before lowering them into the ocean.

It was unnatural for the two different parties to be burying their dead side by side, and yet the sheer strangeness of the day, or perhaps the striking presence of the warrior woman that saved Aenid’s ship, had been enough to make it possible. The surviving raiders were completely cowed, the men looking the total opposite from the cock-sure beasts that boarded the ship, while Aenid’s own people were still riding their relief at being delivered from certain misery.

With sharp orders, sudden bellows, and general assertiveness, Aenid was just keeping the tension from boiling over into violence. To her credit, the brave young Lesbian girl that had tried to save his life from the Amazon had also tried to keep the peace. She flitted between the passengers, helping them tend to their cuts and bruises, speaking calming words to them as she tried to shift their attention from the raiders clearing the deck.

Aenid was most impressed with her. She had as much reason as anyone to want to lynch the pirates, but the young beauty seemed intent to prevent any more bloodshed – even if it meant sheltering men that, hours earlier, had intended to enslave and rape her.

Despite it all, Aenid knew that he was running out of time before someone did something stupid, and set the conflict ablaze once more. One insult to the raiders would be enough to rouse a retort, or one of the raiders would look the wrong way at one of the women, and it would all come apart.

Only the Amazon would be enough to fully keep order on the ship; only the saviour and the conqueror would command the necessary respect. Every now and then he would cast his eyes out over the shimmering waves, hoping to catch sight of Diana’s return.

Hoping and dreading.

“She called you Salides.”

Aenid was startled by the soft, pleasant voice of Sappho. The brown-haired young woman stood a few paces behind Aenid as he oversaw the last of the burials into the sea. Her dark eyes had looked to him several times as the day crept on, but until now she hadn’t tried to approach him to ask the questions that no doubt filled her mind.

Aenid sighed, suddenly feeling much wearier than he already was. He turned to face her just as Necklen dumped the last body from the ship, feeling a throb of guilt as he noticed the dark bruise that had formed on her right cheek.

“Aye,” he said after a moment, “She did.”

Sappho averted her gaze, biting her lip with nervousness, "The things she said… I mean, she was so angry…" One of her slender hands moved up to play with her short fringe, "What did you do? Who is she?"

Aenid thought a moment about how to answer that, his eyes drifting back out to the endless ocean.

"She is… Well, she was - a princess of a proud and noble people – a state of warrior women." He rubbed his chin forcefully, making a rough noise from the bristles of his beard, "They were… They were a good people. They created something good. The strength they held was to protect their borders – to preserve the idyllic civilisation that they had built."

Aenid sniffed, “I was a captain in the army that wiped them out, slaughtering and enslaving the entire tribe. We defeated them with treachery, deceit, and overwhelming numbers, destroying all they were and all they had built. We were no better, no different, than these opportunistic cretins.” He shook his head,” I would have died in the battle had I not fled for my life. It was Diana – the woman that saved us today – that I fled from. She seemed unstoppable then, a furious avenger, raging against us for all we had wrought upon her people, but now…,” Aenid took a deep breath, “Now, she is something even worse.”

He could feel Sappho’s dark eyes boring into him as he spoke. Aenid didn’t want to see the look on her face, didn’t want to see her respect for him die away and be replaced with disgust.

“I don’t understand,” she said quietly, “What did you actually do?”

Aenid turned back to face her, surprised by the question. Sappho looked to him now the same as she always had – like he was deserving of her compassion. Somehow, it pained him worse.

"I did too much," Aenid answered after a moment, his voice tight.

Sappho stepped closer to him, intent on asking more questions, but, mercifully, she was interrupted.

"There!" shouted one of the raiders, pointing wildly out to sea.

Everyone that heard the call all ran to see where he was pointing. From the moment that Diana leapt from the ship and calmed the giant whirlpool, everyone on board had been awaiting her return from the water – there was no doubt about what had excited the raider.

Aenid sprinted to the raider’s side and raked his gaze over where the young miscreant was pointing. All he could see in the water was the multiple dark shapes of the bodies that had recently been lowered in, each sinking into the depths.

There’s nothing. Just the dead.

"There!" exclaimed the young man again, "She is returning! She rises!"

"You damned fool," Aenid grumbled, "It’s just…"

There.

He was right. From between all the sinking bodies something was rising up from the deeps, barely visible through the rippling water. Moment by moment it grew larger and more distinct, until at last Aenid could make out the features of the woman powering her way to the surface.

"Make ready to cast a line," Aenid yelled out to his crew, "Quickly!"

She emerged from the water with such speed that half of her body cleared the surface before she splashed back into it. Her blue eyes were wide and bloodshot as she gasped loudly for air, each ragged breath sounding more dramatic than the last. A thin trickle of blood fell from her nose, washing away each time the waves kissed her face.

Both Aenid’s crew and the raiders each threw a rope into the water for the raven-haired woman to hold on to, and she grasped hold of the raider’s line. Realising the raiders were reeling her in, Aenid gripped the hilt of his blade as he ran to where they were hauling her aboard. He didn’t trust for a moment that their intentions were anything but ill for the clearly exhausted woman.

Diana collapsed to the deck on her hands and knees after the raiders managed to pull her over the side, still struggling to control her breathing. Her arms and legs trembled with the effort of holding her weight, making her whole body quake as her beleaguered muscles struggled to obey her. The raiders crowded around her, flocking from around the deck, each man seeming to want as close a look at her as possible. Aenid’s heart quickened as he lost sight of her through the press of unkempt men.

"Stand aside!" he yelled at them as he drew close, "Get away from her, damn you!"

Before Aenid reached the first unwashed scoundrel, they all retreated a step backwards from Diana as she sprang back to her feet. To Aenid’s surprise, Necklen had been offering a hand to help her climb to her feet – which she had swatted aside as she suddenly rose. As she straightened her back and held her head high, looking around the gathered men with impassive confidence, they had each bent the knee and bowed down to the deck.

The sudden shift in the tableau was enough to freeze Aenid to the spot. He was so shocked by how fast Diana’s aspect had changed that he had almost missed the more subtle change.

Her war skirt had changed.

When she had dived into the water she had been wearing a simple leather war skirt, a pteruges, the short strips of leather armour the only thing covering her long, toned legs. But now the garment was deep and vibrant blue, the leather strips or lappets, spotted with brilliant white metal studs. While her whole body was soaked and dripping, her skirt looked untouched by water – even the water streaming down her body seemed to be absorbed into the skirt the moment it touched it.

"The ocean could not take her," muttered one of the awestruck raiders.

"She wears its submission," whispered yet another.

Aenid’s breath caught when he raised his eyes from the shimmering white studs of her war skirt to see that Diana was glaring back at him. Her blue eyes were as icy and hard as they had been when she first met his eyes with him on the boat.

Gods, this is it, Aenid realised, feeling his body flood with dreadful anticipation.

Diana raised a pale hand to her face to wipe the last trickle of blood away from under her nose – the last evidence of any vulnerability. She kept her powerful gaze on Aenid, "Necklen?"

Her voice was strained and breathy, but still strong enough to command an immediate response.

"I stand ready, my lady," Necklen responded from by her side, his head low as he bowed down beneath her.

"Return to your ship with all hands and make ready to cast off. Await me."

Necklen raised his head a fraction to give her a questioning look, but after seeing the steely conviction on her face he acquiesced. "At once, my lady."

The raiders quickly dispersed from around her, following Necklen back across the nearest boarding ramp to their vessel. As the raiders left her to stand alone, Diana began to stride towards Aenid. He tried and failed to keep his breathing even as he held her blue eyes.

He cursed his own terror. The task of holding on to his courage to die with dignity was proving monumental. He had needed to call upon his courage to die well twice already today, and he didn’t know if he could manage a third effort. He felt the debilitating need to vomit welling up in his stomach.

"Are we…," he took a breath to try and keep his voice from shaking, "Are we to finish this now?"

Sappho was suddenly alongside him, her slight form stepping across him to move into Diana’s path. "Are you alright, Diana?" she asked, her voice heavy with concern, "You looked in pain – what happened to you?"

The gesture proved enough to halt Diana a meter away and finally pull her attention away from Aenid. Her blue eyes fell upon Sappho. "I never gave you my name," she answered tersely.

Sappho smiled back at her, "Forgive me, I borrowed it from Aenid – but I can know you by another name if you prefer. I’m glad you’re back… I’m glad you’re okay."

Diana’s expression softened for a heartbeat before she looked away from the young woman and instead set her gaze back upon Aenid.

"Can you navigate, Salides?"

Aenid frowned back at her in confusion, utterly baffled by every element of what he had just heard. "What?"

"Can you navigate? Do you have the knowledge and the skills?"

Unexpectedly, he felt anger rushing up to the surface. “Are you toying with me?” he grumbled, “Is this some sort of cruel game?”

Diana closed her eyes and took a calming breath, “Answer my question.”

“Of course I can bloody navigate,” Aenid snapped, “I’m a bloody…”

“Can you navigate to Pharos from here?”

Aenid looked back at her in dumbfounded silence for a moment. His mind worked slowly to make sense of the question. “…Well… Yes, I suppose so… Why?”

“And could you navigate to Scarabus? Have you heard of it?”

Aenid’s frown deepened. He felt a chill in his veins at the direction this was progressing. "It’s not far from Pharos," he answered carefully, "It is a blighted place - a cursed place. In the ports, they speak in hushed tones about Scarabus – they say that any ship that passes close enough to see it is already lost." He rubbed the bristles on his chin as he scrutinised Diana, "I can navigate there, but I can’t think of any madness that would compel me to go there…"

His voice trailed off as his gaze wandered over Diana’s shoulder to the raiders rushing about the deck of their own ship, releasing their boarding hooks and readying their sails. He returned his eyes to Diana, seeing the steely intent written across her face.

“…Gods, you want to go there,” he whispered, “Why? What happened to you in the water?”

Diana folded her arms, “I’ve been called upon to end the curse you speak of.”

Aenid searched her stony expression for more insight, but found nothing. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sappho beat him to it.

“Called upon by who?” she blurted out.

Diana hesitantly returned her attention to Sappho, “Poseidon.”

Aenid felt dizzy. The worst thing was that he believed her. It was an effort of will to remember to breathe when Diana’s blue eyes flashed back to him, looking at him expectantly.

What has she become?

“You want me to navigate,” he said slowly, nodding his head towards the dark raider vessel, “on that boat?”

“I do,” she answered evenly.

He licked his lips, “And… Does this mean you’re sparing me?”

Anger flared behind her eyes, and suddenly she was moving. In a blur of motion, she pushed Sappho aside and swept Aenid’s feet out from under him, sending him to the deck. She drew his own sword from its scabbard as he fell and brought the point down to arrive at his neck before he even hit the floor. The blade pressed tight enough to his skin that any effort to move his neck would make it cut him, effectively pinning Aenid where he fell.

“No,” she said emphatically, “It means that greater events have conspired to stay your execution a little longer.” She leaned over him, making him wince as the tip of his sword began to draw blood, “I will slay you on the shores of Scarabus – of that you can be certain – but until then, I’m giving you the chance to do something worthwhile before you die. Deliver me across the seas, and help to do something good, something noble, before your end. Or refuse, and die right now.”

Gods, how many times must I face down death in one day?

“I’ll do it,” he croaked. “Clearly the gods want me to die in the most forlorn and miserable place possible – so let’s go to bloody Scarabus. I was just lamenting that I’d not seen enough horror yet in my lifetime.”

Diana’s lip curled subtly, but the hint of a smile vanished as soon as it appeared while she pulled back from Aenid and dropped his sword to the deck. “Good. Leave someone in charge here to get your ship back to port, and then make ready to leave on your new ship.”

Aenid puffed his cheeks as he took a long, loud exhale, before slowly gathering his sword and climbing back to his feet. “Alright, but I can’t promise that my courage will endure the journey. Give me a few minutes to make arrangements with my crew.”

She nodded, “Very well. Do what you mu-”

“Take me with you.”

Aenid and Diana both shot incredulous looks around at Sappho.

“What?”

The lithe young woman stepped closer to Diana, biting her lip with nervous excitement, “Take me with you. I want to go with captain Aenid.”

It was Diana’s turn to look confused, “Why would you want to do that?”

“Are you mad?” Aenid added. “Gods, girl, you’ve been given a second chance at life today – don’t rush to throw it away.”

The brown-haired girl’s eyes sparkled with conviction. “My life in Athens will wait for me. I want to go with you – I need to. Wherever you’re going, whatever you’re going to do, I need to witness it. I have to be there for captain Aenid.”

Diana looked her up and down, eyeing the young woman dubiously. ‘You can’t save him,’ she said coldly.

“Perhaps not,” Sappho allowed carefully, “But I can be with him when it matters. Please, I promise I won’t hold you back. Just let me come with you.”

“It’s very dangerous where we’re going,” said Diana, her tone warming, “Forgive me for saying it, but you would only be a problem if I allowed you to come. Whatever debt you feel you owe this man, I think he would agree it is paid in full.”

“Aye,” Aenid agreed. “I’m more thankful than you could know, girl, but you should absolutely stay here. It’s best for…”

“Don’t tell me what’s best for me!” Sappho shouted, her voice surprisingly steely. “All my life people have told me what I can’t do and what I should do. All my life I believed them.” She turned her dark eyes to Diana, looking at the taller woman imploringly, “But today I’ve seen a different way, and I want to see more of it. Please, let me take my own risks. I’ll do anything – there must be something I can do that would help you. I can’t fight, but I have read a lot, and I… I can sing and play the lyre. I can clean and cook. I’m a fast learner, and I promise to always try my best.”

Diana shook her head slightly, her expression apologetic, “I’m sorry, but…”

“You’re sailing to Pharos, right?” Sappho interrupted. “In the classic poems, they say that the old man of the sea dwells there, mating with seals and other creatures that pass by. Proteus, the ever-shifter.”

Diana lost her words. Her eyebrows raised as she began to reassess the young Lesbian.

“If you truly convene with the gods, and after all I’ve seen I believe that you do, then I can think of no other reason for you to journey to Pharos.” Sappho crossed her arms and straightened her back, “I know all the classic poems telling of how the old heroes tried to best Proteus to make him reveal their futures. I know of how he lost each of his children and each of his wives. I know every myth ever told of the old age – do you?”

The two women stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. Until moments earlier, Aenid couldn’t imagine anyone with the stones to talk down to Diana while standing within her reach.

Diana broke into a grin, “It’s Saph, right?”

Sappho nervously played with her fringe, “Umm,... right.”

The Amazon was still grinning as she looked the girl up and down once more, this time seeing her in a whole new light. “Do you know prayers, too? Can you assemble shrines to the gods?”

Sappho’s expression became quizzical, “Uhh, it depends on the gods. There’s a lot of them.”

“Hera, Artemis, Athena,” Diana thought a moment longer, “Poseidon.”

The young woman nodded slowly, “I’m not sure about Artemis, but I know how to honour the others.”

Diana’s right hand absently toyed with the curled rings of the lasso around her girdle while she considered Sappho. After studying her face for a few more moments, she shrugged, “Alright, you’re with us.”

No!

“No!” Aenid barked, “Are you insane? It’s too dangerous, Diana.”

“It’s her choice,’”she replied, her smile matching the one now on Sappho’s face. “We leave within the hour.”

At that, Diana turned and strode across to the raider’s ship, leaving Aenid and Sappho alone in a loaded silence.

“You’re a damned fool,” Aenid muttered at last, watching Diana join the ranks of the raiders and begin assisting them in readying their ship.

At that moment, he couldn’t imagine a more comedically doomed voyage.

Sappho turned to him, giving a beaming, satisfied smile.

“Well, we’re all damned fools together now, aren’t we?”
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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Abductorenmadrid
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The bonds that bind these characters together grow more complex by the moment and events seem to test their strength. I am really interested to see how this trial plays out for everyone. I for one am interested to know more about Sappho, she seems to draw my eye the most but I am not sure why...
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Another great chapter Mr V, looking forward to the next to see the saga unfold!
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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PART 18
Here is the third part in Void's excellent story. Please read it and post a comment. As writers we live for such moments.

<EDITORS NOTE :further edited piece added below AFTER ******* 04/10/2017>




Witness

It was less than five minutes into their great journey before Aenid addressed the most glaring problem with Diana’s plan.

Sappho could still see their old ship in the distance, slipping further and further out of reach as the raider vessel cut across the waves. The passengers and crew were still visible on deck, staring at them as they retreated out into the horizon.

The awestruck men and women and been palpably relieved to see the backs of them. Sappho knew it wasn’t just the raiders they wanted rid of – there had been a budding sense of terror after the raven-haired Amazon returned from the ocean depths.

Though Diana had been their bloody-handed saviour, they had wanted to be well away from her before the next celestial marvel occurred in her presence. They preferred their gods and heroes in song and writing; not in flesh and blood, walking around their deck.

Sappho could relate to their anxiety. In so many ways, this woman challenged Sappho’s whole understanding of the world. A woman that cowed men into submission, who took life like a gifted artist, who communed with Poseidon himself – a woman without weakness. Diana was fearsome and formidable, to be sure, but while everyone else sought to shelter from her like they would a gathering storm, Sappho was fascinated by her, drawn to her like a moth to a candle.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the warrior woman.

‘So, to be clear,’ Aenid began, breaking what had been an uncomfortably long silence, ‘I am supposed to trust that these cutthroats will obey my orders from now on? These same men that would have butchered me and my crew had you not arrived?’

Diana stood alongside him at the helm, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she looked out to sea, flicking a quick gaze in the direction of the motley crew without moving her head. ‘Yes.’

Aenid scratched at his neck, fingering the scab where the raider’s blade had begun to slice his throat, ‘Right… And you really believe they won’t turn on you the moment you fall asleep?’

Diana nodded. ‘I do,’ she answered distantly, distracted by her own thoughts.

Aenid frowned at her, his eyes briefly sweeping across to meet Sappho’s. ‘Have I said that this is madness yet? I forget.’

Sappho grinned, ‘I think you were muttering it when you came aboard, captain. And again, when we cast off.’

‘Well it is - this is madness. Suicidal lunacy.’ He let out a weary sigh, ‘We have a skeleton crew, at best, to man the ship for this voyage – and I can’t trust a rotten one of them to follow my commands.’

Overhearing the grumbling, Necklen approached from the main mast, the rugged raider’s eyes burning into Aenid, ‘If the lady commands it, we will obey.’ He crossed his arms, ‘She commands us to be your crew, and so we are – and we are far better mariners than you had on your former ship.’

Aenid spat over the side of the ship, ‘The lady, is it? This morning you and yours were laughing and cheering at the prospect of beating and raping her.’ He curled his lip as he met eyes with the other man, ‘You jeered at her like the rest of them – I saw you.’

Necklen seemed to shrink a little. His eyes nervously darted across to Diana, ‘That was a different time.’

‘A different time?’ Aenid scoffed, ‘It was this morning! But now you are her loyal and steadfast servants? Because you couldn’t defeat her and ravage her, you instead treat her like your queen?’

The raider was silent a moment, looking fearfully towards Diana’s back. When it became clear that she wasn’t going to react, Necklen shrugged, ‘Yes.’

Aenid shook his head with incredulity, bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose, ‘How convenient for you.’

‘Enough,’ Diana said at last, tearing her gaze from the distant waves. ‘You can trust the crew, Salides. Necklen speaks the truth.’ She turned her head, giving Aenid a withering sideways look, ‘You, of all people, should understand men changing their colours when faced with death.’

Aenid bristled for a moment, seeming about to retort to the Amazon, before letting out a sigh and sagging his shoulders. ‘Pfft, fine. But if they kill us all in the night, I want it known that I won’t die surprised.’

Diana looked away from Aenid and back out to sea. From where Sappho was stood, on the other side of the Amazon, she could see a smirk on her face. ‘Duly noted, Salides - now get us to Pharos at best speed.’ She turned around to face both men, the small smile on her face vanishing before she faced them, ‘Necklen, I need to see your armoury. Take me to it.’

The raider bowed his head, looking at her feet when he answered, ‘We don’t really have an armoury, my lady, but I can take you to the hold – there are weapons among the loot we keep there.’

‘That’s perfect.’ She stepped towards him, ‘Lead the way.’ The Amazon turned her attention towards Sappho, making her feel a burst of adrenaline when they made eye contact. ‘You’re coming too, Saph.’

Sappho felt breathless for a moment as she gazed into Diana’s blue eyes. ‘I am?’ She nervously clutched her satchel of possessions, gathered in haste before leaving her old life behind on the merchant ship. ‘I mean, I am,’ she said hastily as she stepped up alongside Diana.

Necklen led them below deck and into the cramped, warren-like interior of the ship. After several twists and turns down poorly-lit walkways, they arrived at a more expansive chamber at the aft of the ship. It might have been a galley at some stage, but now the room was seemingly a dumping ground for everything the raiders had misappropriated over the years. It smelled of damp and old wood.

Sappho shuddered as she wondered how many victims it had taken to create this room of amassed trinkets. She felt her colour draining as she considered that the items in her own satchel would have ended up here if not for Diana’s arrival. Just another stack of items that summed up the life of an anonymous, ill-fated traveller.

She was stirred from her morbid thoughts as Necklen lit a torch by the entrance, lighting the room in earnest. The torchlight reflected back to them from all manner of glittering, metallic objects around the room.

Diana grimaced as she scanned the room, ‘Do you or your crew have any other weapons stashed away?’

Necklen shook his head, ‘No, in our trade we carry our weapons upon us, we laid down all our arms against you on the other ship. Daxos didn’t permit us to horde anything ourselves, much less arms.’

'Why did you keep so much of it?' Sappho asked softly, unable to hide the sadness in her voice.

The raider craned his neck as he peered around the room, 'Trophies, keep-sakes, unmarketable junk, special items waiting for a special buyer, Daxos liked to horde wealth - it depends on the item,' Necklen gave a nonchalant shrug, 'We traded much more than we ever kept, but there was always wealth to spare.'

Sappho shook her head. 'Wealth,' she whispered, 'Is that what this is?'

Diana's eyes continued to rapidly survey the piles of loot, ‘Leave us.’

Necklen hesitated a second before giving a low bow. ‘As you wish, my lady,’ he said as he retreated back down the walkway.

Diana stepped between the piles, walking past several blades and spears as she continued her search.

Sappho shuffled her feet at the doorway, ‘What are we looking for?’

‘Weapons,’ Diana replied softly as she rummaged around a large ornate pot, filled with garments and sandals.

Sappho brushed her fringe away from her eyes as she peered around the room. Even at a glance, she could see dozens of weapons interspersed with the other loot.

‘Umm, I guess you have something specific in mind?’

Diana moved on from the pot, moving across to a littered series of shelves, brushing her fingertips over the various items as she ensured there was nothing concealed beneath them. ‘Freshly forged iron,’ Diana said thoughtfully as she finally lifted one of the swords she passed, holding it up and inspecting it, ‘Hammered into life by a competent, preferably masterful, blacksmith.’ She discarded the sword, letting it clatter noisily at her feet as she continued to stalk around the room. ‘Someone that knew to add charcoal to the furnace,’ she went on as she retrieved yet another blade from amongst a half-hidden stack of weapons underneath the shelves. She tested the blade’s weight before turning it in her palm and banging its flat edge against her silver bracer several times, ‘Someone who patiently, diligently quenched and tempered the blade, over and over, until it was perfect. Until it was without weakness.’ She held the sword back up for inspection before sighing gently and tossing the blade over her shoulder. ‘It wouldn’t hurt if they whispered prayers to Hephaestus the entire time that they were forging this flawless blade.’

Sappho walked amongst the loot herself as she listened, letting her gaze wander around the room. Out the corner of her eye something pulled at her attention, drawing her towards it. It was an ivory hilt, bound in black leather, jutting out from beneath a heavy red cloak at the far wall of the room. As she approached the hilt, Sappho found herself thinking back on Diana’s fight with the raiders – realising that Diana hadn’t taken a weapon at the first opportunity or at random, but had selected the blades with which she killed them.

‘Wherever you come from,’ Sappho said quietly as her steps brought her ever-closer to the hilt, ‘I imagine you could have brought a weapon like you’re describing… Why didn’t you? You came to kill captain Aenid, but you came unarmed.’

Diana looked up from the next sword she was inspecting, her eyebrows upturned with surprise. ‘That’s… That’s a good question, with a complicated answer.’ The Amazon lowered her gaze, ‘I was hoping not to shed so much blood…,’ her right hand absently gripped the lasso at her girdle, ‘I found out recently that I haven’t always made the best choices with a blade in my hand.’ She shook her head, her eyes glazing as she looked back at something only she could see. Something painful and festering. ‘A blade is a simple tool, with a simple purpose... but we don’t live in a simple…’

The Amazon trailed off, her expression troubled. Sappho had seen the look on her face before, both after she cut down Daxos and when she prepared to cut down captain Aenid.

Diana snapped out of her sombre thoughts, her expression hardening as her blue eyes focused on a cluttered table off to her left. ‘There,’ she said coldly as she strode over to the table.

She brushed aside loose parchments and heavy scrolls to uncover a sword wrapped in a white blanket. With a flourish, she rolled out the blanket and revealed the weapon, a sheathed xiphos short sword, beautifully bound and polished. Diana drew the blade from its sheath and ran her fingertips down the straight broadside of the weapon as she held it up close to her face. A stylized owl head stared back at her, inverted, on the pommel.

‘Athenian metal,’ she said approvingly, tapping the double-edged blade against her bracelet, making loud clinks echo around the confined space. ‘It’s never been wielded,’ she mused, ‘Probably forged for a wealthy merchant.’ She sniffed, ‘Not perfect, but it’s suitable.’

Reaching the back wall, Sappho pulled aside the red cloak and cautiously lifted up the dark sword concealed beneath. Unlike the fresh and glittering blade in Diana’s hand, this was an old blade, the metal clouded with muck and years of wear. The single-edged blade curved forwards halfway up its length, marking it out as a kopis sword. As far as Sappho could see, there was no sheath for it anywhere.

She bit her bottom lip as she looked down on the blade, feeling strangely distressed by it. With more effort than she expected, she held the blade up to show Diana, ‘Uhh, what about this one?’

Diana glanced up from the Athenian sword in her hand to look at Sappho’s offer, before returning her attention back to her inspection.

Then her head shot back up, her eyes wide as she did a double-take.

‘Where did you find that?’ she asked as she quickly crossed the room towards Sappho.

Sappho gestured down to the red cloak, ‘It was just here.’ She shrugged, ‘It had an interesting handle.’ She offered the hilt to Diana’s free hand as she came in reach, ‘Is it… good?’

Diana grasped hold of the kopis blade and held it higher to catch the torchlight. ‘It’s Spartan,’ she muttered, ‘Yes, it’s good.’ She reversed the blade in her hand, circling the butt of the ivory handle with her thumb, ‘But see the grip? This wasn’t a war blade; this was a ceremonial blade.’ Diana grinned, ‘This was used for religious sacrifice – offerings to the gods.’

Sappho raised an eyebrow, ‘Okay… And that’s… good?’

‘It’s perfect,’ Diana said emphatically. ‘Well spotted, Saph.’

Sappho grinned back at her, feeling an odd rush of excitement. ‘So, now what?’

Diana looked down at the two swords in her hands, ‘Now, I want you to scour the loot for anything and everything you can use to make shrines to the gods. Like we talked about before: Hera, Athena, Artemis, Poseidon. Then, I want you to spend the rest of our voyage placing these blades on the shrines and praying for each god to bless them.’

Sappho furrowed her brow, ‘You want me to pray to the gods… to favour these swords? For the rest of the journey?’

The Amazon nodded, ‘You said you’d do anything to help.’ She gestured around at the heaps of disparate items with the swords in her hands, ‘This is how you help.’ Diana stepped closer to Sappho, holding out each of the blades for Sappho to collect them. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said helpfully as Sappho took a hold of each sword, ‘I will return to pray with you whenever I’m not attending to matters on deck.’

Sappho struggled to know how to respond. She didn’t know what she had expected the Amazon to task her with, but it certainly didn’t include worshipping stolen swords. ‘And, uhh, how long until we reach Pharos?’

‘Salides thinks four days, maybe three if the winds are kind.’

‘Right…,’ Sappho said, looking down at the two swords she gripped awkwardly in her hands. ‘Three or four days… That’s a lot of praying, huh?’

Diana smiled, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders, ‘Actually, it probably won’t be enough.’

Sappho inclined her head as she searched Diana’s eyes for more understanding. It began to dawn on her what this was all about, but still she had to hear it spoken aloud. ‘Enough for what?’

The smile vanished from Diana’s face, replaced yet again with that look of weary sorrow.

‘Proteus.’

******

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.


******

Slayer

For the crew of the ship, the days of sailing for Pharos had been endlessly long. With so few of their number left to manage the vessel, each of the men had needed to tackle multiple responsibilities at once. As fatigue set in they rested in brief shifts, only able to spare three souls at a time to maintain their tenuous mastery of the ship.

Salides had worked hard to muck in with the raiders, directing them in the most efficient means to use their small number, and allowing the most exhausted among them to take over half of his allotted resting shifts. Though there was clear and unmistakable animosity between them, the hardship of the days had fostered a begrudging respect between Salides and the men that became more noticeable with each sunrise. The common cause unified them as kindred sailors, toiling admirably to serve their keeper.

For Diana, the days had passed much too fast.

Helping Saph construct make-shift shrines from the stash of stolen items had taken the better part of a day, and Diana had lost many hours since then searching for extra trinkets to add greater identity to each shrine. She had hoped to spend over half of each day praying at the shrines, petitioning the gods to bless her chosen weapons, but she had routinely been needed to assist Salides with manning the ship.

For her part, Sappho had fretted that the gods would be angry that they had no personal votive offerings to give them, save for the swords and the loot from the one room. Gods were bored easily, so the poets said. There were no rich foods and fine wines or animals to sacrifice. Just the wealth of long dead strangers and the blades that had failed to save them. Never-the-less the young Lesbian had dutifully made token offerings of small scraps of bread and cheese and fish, and she literally prayed that it would be enough.

At every opportunity, Diana sat with Saph and discussed the young academic’s understanding of Proteus, learning as much about the old man of the sea as she could. The Lesbian girl had lived up to her boasts of knowledge for the old myths, impressing Diana with the depth and detail to her understanding of the heroic age. They bunked together in an adjacent cabin to the store, a dorm that once housed half the crew, and would discuss Proteus each night before falling asleep – discussions they would resume when Diana fetched Saph food and water during the day.

Diana had grown to enjoy her conversations with the brown-haired woman. There was a sharp intelligence to her that belied her youth, and an empathetic curiosity that was disarmingly rare. Frequently Saph would probe for more insight into Diana, and, on a few occasions, Diana would indulge her with stories of her past: telling of her Amazon sisters, of their noble society, of their terrible loss, and of Diana’s exploits to serve Hera.

In those more personal conversations Diana also learned a great deal about Saph, coming to understand the stifling upbringing she had, and her humble desire to gain her own understanding of the world – and her own place in it.

But, even in those fleeting moments of distraction, Diana never let her focus drift far from the great task ahead of her. Often in the back of her mind she was still trying to theorise and imagine how a former god like Proteus would fight, how he would move and react – what she could do if he truly did know every detail of the future, as the myths told of him. Even when she slept, it was uneasy and brief, troubled with thoughts of battling a divine being.

Troubled with thoughts of having to murder a divine being.

She awoke from such sleeps feeling more tired than when she allowed herself to slumber, having to drag herself back to her busy schedule of prayer and preparation. In moments of silence, while only in her own company, she would fall into a daze listening to the waves lapping against the hull of the ship – imagining they were calling to her, or pleading, for more rest, for more time.

For less bloodshed.

I really need to take longer to rest, she thought with a grimace as she stepped out onto the deck, shielding her eyes from the midday sun overhead as she scanned for Salides.

The former solider was leaning over the side of the ship, staring down at the ocean with a vacant, faraway look in his eyes. It was an expression Diana could relate to.

‘You need to eat,’ she said as she approached, making him jump with alarm as he snapped out of his daze. ‘You’ve been sending the crew to the store when it’s your turn to eat.’

Salides turned to face her, looking at her chin rather than her eyes, ‘They need it more,’ he grumbled, ‘I know my limits.’

Diana flicked her right hand out and threw a small sack at him, which he caught clumsily with both hands. ‘I don’t doubt that,’ she said dryly, ‘But you still need to eat.’

Salides looked down and rummaged around in the sack, finding the dry, hard bread and apples housed within, before raising his head to give Diana a quizzical look. ‘You’re feeding me now? What am I, your cattle?’

Diana chuckled, surprising herself with her own mirth, ‘No, you’re the navigator, and, it seems, the captain.’ She shrugged, ‘You fail us all if you don’t keep your strength up – so eat.’

The captain clicked his tongue before acquiescing and lifting out an apple. ‘Fine, but everything you just said surely also applies to you, the champion of the gods,’ he said, throwing the apple to Diana, which she deftly caught in one hand, ‘Unless the gods unburdened you of hunger?’

‘Perhaps they did,’ she replied, lifting the apple to her mouth and taking a loud bite as she stepped up alongside Salides.

Salides looked uneasy for a moment as he realised she wasn’t going to walk away, before tearing out a chunk of bread from the sack and beginning to eat it. He turned to face out to sea once again as he ate, letting his gaze return to the calm ocean.

They stood and ate in silence for a moment, both staring at the endless horizon of water.

‘I’ve never in my life seen the like of it,’ Salides said at last, nodding towards the ocean. ‘For our entire voyage, the sea has been still and amiable to our passing, while the winds have been strong and accommodating, hastening us exactly where we need to go.’ He shook his head, ‘I’ve never even heard tale of the ocean being so helpful to a travelling vessel. It’s unbelievable.’

Diana sniffed, taking another juicy bite from her apple.

Salides reached into the bag as he finished his bread, pulling out an apple for himself. ‘I guess this is divine will, hmm? Poseidon reaching down from the Mountain to assist his champion?’ He bit into the apple, turning his gaze sideways to look at Diana.

Diana continued to look out upon the ocean thoughtfully, turning the apple in her hand to get to a fresh bite.

Salides shuffled his feet, ‘You know, Necklen and his boys? They think you’re a god. It’s why they’re so afraid of you – so loyal to you.’ He narrowed his eyes, searching for a reaction on her face, ‘Your miracle of calming the bewitched waters, your return with that new skirt after hours beneath the surface, even these impossibly compliant sailing conditions – you can’t blame them for deifying you.’

Still she didn’t respond, so Salides pushed harder.

‘You didn’t wound any of them when you fought them; you killed every single man you reached. You could have wounded them, though, couldn’t you? You towered so highly above them that you could have made that choice and still emerged the victor. They know that. You know it, too. But, like a god, you passed judge-’

‘Why Aenid?’ she interrupted, throwing the finished core of her apple over the side of the ship and turning to face him.

Salides’ mouth twitched, ‘Sorry?’

‘You heard me,’ she said coldly, ‘Why Aenid? Of all the names you could have chosen to hide behind, why that one?’

Salides slumped against the side of the ship, lowering his head, ‘You would only mock the reason.’

‘Aye,’ Diana agreed, ‘But I would hear it before I mock it.’

The captain took a bite of his apple, looking down at it as though perhaps there was a good answer inscribed into it. ‘My younger brother was called Aenid,’ he said after a moment of thought, ‘He was a good man – a much better man than I.’

Diana hesitated, feeling unexpectedly uncomfortable with the direction this was going. ‘He died,’ she said softly, ‘Was it… Did he fall in the battle?’

Salides shook his head, ‘Gods, no – Aenid was much too smart to enlist in an army like that, whatever they were paying. No, he died along with our father around four years before the battle, taken by the sea during a storm while they returned from fishing near the reef.’ Salides sighed, ‘My brother was there because I was not – because I had gotten drunk as a dog the night before. He should have lived, and I should have not. He wouldn’t have sworn himself to a tyrant; he wouldn’t have been swept up by a mob of battle-hungry young lads. There would be no appeal to humbling a nation of warrior women, nor the riches that came with it - or were supposed to.’

Salides tossed the remains of his apple into the sea, ‘My brother would have been content to live modestly, without vain desire for glory and trophies. He wouldn’t shame himself as I did; he would have lived honourably.’ He shook his head ruefully, ‘War wouldn’t ruin him as it did me, so I took his name to ensure I never forget how I should try to live – the man I should aspire to be.’

Diana listened intently, feeling a rising sense of conflict within herself at what to make of his explanation.

Her anger won out.

‘He sounds like a better man than you,’ she said simply, ‘A man that wouldn’t blame his shameful actions on war like you just did – nor attempt to justify the selfish cruelty that motivated him.’

Salides’ eyes shot up to meet her own, suddenly fiery with his own anger, ‘How can you say that? How many men did you kill on that battlefield? How many since? How many sons and fathers did you steal away from their families? How many did your sisters claim?’

'Not enough,' Diana said vehemently as she closed the small distance between them in a single stride, her fists clenched. ‘You dare compare us?’ she hissed.

Around the deck the raiders paused in their tasks and looked fearfully towards Diana, frightened by her outrage.

‘You think you and your sisters are so much better?’ Salides shot back, standing his ground, ‘Why were you even there that day, hmm? Why were your people marching on the Atraxians?’

Diana’s anger cooled a fraction as she understood where this was heading. The answer came to her lips unwillingly, ‘We were offered peace to the south… Security on our…’

‘Oh, you were offered something?’ Salides interrupted, ‘You marched to make war on men that you never met, to kill them in battle, because you were offered something you wanted? Yes, truly you were much better than us foolish men.’

‘It wasn’t like that,’ Diana growled. ‘My sisters fought for a noble purpose – with loyalty to our home. We only wanted peace.’

Salides scoffed, ‘We all wanted something. We all suffered under the direction and machinations of that tyrant. Why are you more virtuous than me with all the lives you’ve taken? Why should your dead be mourned worse than mine? Because your side lost and mine won? Because your fallen were women and mine were men? What makes you so much better than us? Why-’

‘Because you enjoyed it!’ Diana shouted, her elemental voice thundering around the deck and making the raiders back away. ‘Because you deceived us with false comradery and hope! Because you laughed and cheered while we were cut down! Because you took pleasure in ruining us!’

The anger bled from Salides’ eyes as she berated him, and he began to back away from her.

‘Because you didn’t stop at the battle! After you beat us, you went after our old and our young – our mothers and daughters – and you slaughtered them! Our whole people! Civilians! And for what? Coin? Prestige? Glory?’

Salides held his hands up, his face draining of colour. ‘Diana…,’ he swallowed, ‘I didn’t… I mean, I wasn’t…’

Her fists were shaking, ‘I’m not proud of the killing. I don’t want blood on my hands. I hate it. I remember them all, each and every one of them – you hear me? DO YOU HEAR ME, SALIDES?’

He raised his hands higher, sinking down to one knee, ‘I hear you Diana. I hear you. I also remember the fallen. I remember it all, every night – and I hate it too.’

Diana stood over him, ‘My people deserve justice, and they will have it.’ She curled her lip, ‘You are not a good man, and you will never be a good man, Salides. You will die a weak, selfish coward, just as you lived as one, and that is how I will remember you – and how the gods will always know you.’

Salides looked down at the deck and took a long, shuddery breath before raising his head, looking Diana in the eye. ‘I know all that, Diana. Gods, I know all that. I took the name of the better man, the bar that I fall so far below, so I never forget the man I am not – the man that should have been. I’m not hiding from my shame; I’m wearing it, every single damned day.’

Suddenly, Diana found it difficult to hold the captain’s gaze. There was such pain in his eyes.

It was a pain she could relate to.

‘To the west!’

Diana and Salides were both surprised by the call of Necklen, first turning to look at the unkempt raider, and then following his pointing hand out to sea.

With the argument breaking out on deck, almost everyone had been too preoccupied to notice the change over the western horizon – and Diana cursed herself for letting her own attention get so misplaced.

‘Bloody Cerberus,’ Salides breathed, slowly pushing back to his feet. ‘Will the wonders never cease?’

Miles to the west, the still ocean suddenly rose into a roiling, churning wall. Gigantic waves, hundreds of metres tall, lined the horizon, making it appear like a distant mountain range. The contrast of the soaring waves with the dead-calm ocean leading into them couldn’t have been more vivid.

Across the deck there were murmurs of alarm and disbelief from among the crew. One by one, they turned their attention to Diana expectantly.

‘Diana?’ Salides asked, unable to tear his gaze from the unfathomable horizon, ‘What is that?’

The way to Scarabus will be blocked by a furious sea...

Diana walked to the edge of the boat as she studied the distant, impassable waves. ‘I assume Scarabus is to the west?’ she asked calmly.

Salides nodded slowly, ‘Aye, it would be somewhere past that madness. Were you expecting this?’

‘In a way,’ Diana replied, turning her gaze towards the south. ‘It’s why we’re sailing to Pharos first – we need to open the way.’

Salides looked at her with a raised eyebrow, ‘How exactly does that work? There’s nothing at Pharos – it’s just sand and rocks.’

Diana gave a thin smile as her eyes picked out an emerging landmass to the south. All across the southern horizon the Egyptian coast loomed into view. She felt her heart beat heavier in her chest, and her body instinctively surging with adrenaline.

‘I guess we’ll find out when we get there,’ she said softly, inclining her head to the south and prompting Salides to turn and see for himself.

‘Zeus’s beard, we made good time,’ he exclaimed. ‘I’ll rouse the whole crew to be on deck for arrival.’ He scratched his chin as he considered the distant coastline, ‘We’ll be arriving at Pharos in two or three hours, I’d say – will you be prepared by then?’

‘We’ll find that out when we get there as well,’ Diana muttered as she turned and walked away from Salides, heading back down into the ship.

Her mind raced as she walked down the darkened walkway to the hold, continuously becoming stuck on the notion that she should have rested significantly more the last time she had the chance. She was never one to be scared of a fight, no matter how stacked the odds, but this time she felt a deep sense of unease.

It reminded her of her distress when she clashed blades with Athena, clothed in mortal form.

This wasn’t a fight she wanted. It felt wrong to even think about it.

She stepped through a doorway and was hit with the aroma of burning incense as she found Saph sat between their four shrines. The brown-haired young woman was chanting the invocation of Artemis, head bowed in supplication towards the huntress’s shrine – little more than a collection of bows, arrows, animal furs and wild flowers.

Saph looked up in surprise after finishing her verse, her dark eyes ringed with exhaustion, ‘Is it time for the mid-day meal already?’

Diana smiled despite herself, feeling heartened by the Lesbian’s eagerness. ‘No, I’m afraid not. We’re going to arrive soon – I need you to give each sword a final blessing from Hera and then bring them up on deck.’

Saph’s expression became a mixture of excitement and distress, ‘We’ve reached Pharos?’ She turned and scowled at the blades resting on Artemis’s altar, both gleaming in the torchlight from a fresh polishing, though the Spartan blade was still noticeably darker. ‘Uhh, our swords aren’t glowing or anything yet… Is that bad? I mean, shouldn’t they be glowing?’

Diana’s smile widened, ‘I’m glad you came with us, Saph.’

The young woman beamed, her cheeks flushing, ‘Thanks… I’m glad you let me come.’ Her hand moved up, sweeping her fringe away from her eyes, ‘I can’t believe we’re going to meet Proteus.’ She bit her bottom lip, dark eyes flashing back to the two swords, ‘Diana… Is this going to work? Can you do this?’

Probably not.

Diana took a long breath before blowing it slowly back out through her lips, ‘Let’s hope that we don’t have to find out,’ she said quietly as her eyes turned towards Hera’s shrine – a neatly arrayed bundle of oranges and apples upon a white silken sheet, framed by two sceptres, with a single peacock feather in the centre.

Goddess, give me strength.

‘Perhaps he will listen to reason.’

**********************************

Survivor

Pharos was a desolate, sand-blasted place. The rocky island stood from the sea tantalisingly close to the Egyptian mainland, looking out over the endless sand dunes beyond, endlessly baking under the unforgiving sun. Many maps simply omitted the existence of the small island, or else callously joined it to the mainland it stood sentinel to.

Looking at it now, Aenid could forgive the cartographers their lack of finesse with the island. It was notable only for its rough proximity to the Nile outlet and for the fresh water trapped in its marshy interior, sheltered as it was from the desert winds. What vegetation grew in the swamplands was sallow and arid, barely any more appetising to the eye than the sand and rock that surrounded it.

No, Aenid did not like the look of Pharos. It was even more bleak than he had heard it was.

Yet he had been scrutinising the island all afternoon as he had steered the raider vessel into a natural cove facing north into the Mediterranean. He had painstakingly guided the ship into as shallow waters as he dared before dropping the ship’s anchors to hold them in place.

It was in orchestrating this difficult process, continually studying the landscape around them, that he had spotted what most troubled him.

He had thought it might be his imagination when they were over a mile away, but as they drew closer and closer into the cove, it became unmistakeable. Aenid did not alert the crew, who were all busy and exhausted from the feat of manoeuvring their ship so precisely with so few hands, and did not need any more reason for discomfort than they already had. From the moment they dropped anchors, Aenid simply stood on deck, staring in consternation.

A man was stood on the sandy shore, stone-still, watching them. The figure was a wizened old man, tall and distressingly thin, a long wispy beard of white trailing halfway down his body. Dirty rags barely concealed the elder’s modesty as they lent upon a dark wooden staff, their head inclined slightly to the side.

Though the man’s face was difficult to discern, even from this distance, Aenid had become certain that the man was smiling.

Aenid clutched the hilt of his sword, sheathed at his tunic, his other hand resting upon the top of a bronze shield at his feet as he stood transfixed by the stranger on the beach. He had seen fit to arm himself as they made their approach, having picked up on Diana’s trepidation on reaching Pharos. The very fact that anything on Pharos could have that effect on the Amazon was enough for Aenid to want weapons in his hands when he got there.

As he stared at the smiling, unmoving old man, Aenid had a growing concern that it really didn’t matter what weapon he held in his hands. Though he couldn’t quite find words to describe it, Aenid knew he wasn’t looking at a man at all. In truth, Aenid had to admit he had no earthly idea what he was looking at.

All he knew was that it made his skin crawl, and he couldn’t look away.

‘Proteus.’

Aenid jumped with fright as he heard Diana’s quiet voice from next to him. It was enough to finally drag his attention from the man on the beach as he turned to face the Amazon. Her face was a steely mask of composure as her cool blue eyes stared back at the frail-looking elder.

It occurred to Aenid that she looked as statuesque as the man on the beach. One immoveable object surveying another.

‘Gods, you move around quietly,’ Aenid grumbled, ‘Must you always sneak up on me like that? Can’t you step louder? Maybe clear your throat or something?’

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards. ‘How long has he been there?’ she asked, not taking her unblinking gaze from the man on the shore.

‘Since before we arrived,’ Aenid said with a sigh, ‘Gods know how long he’s been stood there.’ He scratched his chin as he looked back to the distant figure, ‘I’ve heard that some nomadic Egyptians crossed to the island, living within its marshland… but… he’s not an Egyptian, is he?’

‘No,’ she agreed, a cold edge to her voice, ‘He’s not.’

They stood side by side in silence for a moment, both looking out at the bony figure that was staring intently back at them.

Aenid sniffed, ‘So, what happens now?’

Diana took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling slowly, ‘If this goes badly, I want you to grab Saph and run. I want your word that you will protect her.’

Aenid turned his head to look at Diana with surprise. It felt strange to hear Diana speak of defeat as a possibility. ‘I doubt my word is worth much to you – but you have it.’

The Amazon gave a curt nod, ‘Good. Cast a line into the water – we’re heading to shore.’

A knot curled in his stomach – sudden understanding dawning on him.

‘What do you mean “we”?’

Diana’s blue eyes remained locked on the old man, ‘You, me, and Saph.’

Aenid felt his heart sink as he turned to look past Diana, seeing the beautiful brown-haired girl stood five paces behind them clutching two blades bundled in a silk sheet, hugging the bundle into her chest.

The Lesbian’s dark eyes were wide and fearful as she stared at the man on the shore, ‘Is… Is he smiling? Is that good or bad? It’s bad, isn’t it?’

Aenid looked back to Diana, scowling at the Amazon as he shook his head. ‘Are you serious? No. No way.’

‘I’m not asking you; I’m telling you,’ Diana said firmly, finally looking away from her quarry to turn her piercing gaze upon Aenid. ‘I may need Saph nearby if… if words alone are not enough to resolve this – and you’re coming to safeguard her, as you just gave your word that you would do.’

Aenid looked franticly between both women, seeing iron resolve on the faces of them both, ‘But… But…’ He let out a groan of frustration, ‘You two are impossible. Fine. Fine, let’s all wade across to the rancid, creepy old man. He’s probably harmless.’

As Aenid stomped to the bow of the ship to cast a line into the shallow water, Diana turned her attention toward Necklen. The raider took a step forward and spoke first.

‘We will await you, my lady. We will remain at anchor until your return.’ Necklen nodded towards the shore, a lop-sided smile cracking across his face, ‘We will await your victory, my lady – the old bastard doesn’t know what comes for him.’

Aenid grimaced as he overheard the raider, detecting the anticipation in the other man’s voice. It wasn’t dissimilar to the tone the raiders had when they boarded his ship. Men that considered themselves on the winning side.

It reminded Aenid that Diana may well have had other reasons for taking Sappho with her. Much as he had adjusted his lowly opinion of Necklen and his men, he still wouldn’t want to leave the lithe young beauty alone with them.

Diana looked unsure how to respond for a moment, her eyes darting around the raiders on deck. ‘Rest while you can, all of you,’ she said, raising her voice to command the deck, ‘When our business here is done, we will sail west and the real work will be done. Take this opportunity to recover.’

At that, the Amazon walked over to Sappho, still staring at the leering figure on the shore. ‘Are you ready for this, Saph?’ she whispered to the girl, her voice warm with concern.

Sappho turned to face Diana, the fear and uncertainty melting away from her face as she gazed into the eyes of the other woman, replaced with a sweet smile and a look of determination. ‘I’m with you Diana,’ she whispered back, ‘I’m ready.’

The Amazon grinned, ‘Alright then, let’s go.’ She turned and vaulted over the side of the ship, landing with a loud splash in the waist-high water. Diana offered out her arms as she looked back up to the ship, ‘Jump Saph – I’ll catch you.’

Aenid opened his mouth to protest, but Sappho had already leapt off the boat. He had expected a moment of hesitation or doubt from the girl, but she had trusted the Amazon immediately and without question. He cursed as he ran to watch her fall, and felt relief surge through his veins as she fell right into the waiting arms of Diana – being kept even from getting wet in the ocean.

With care, Diana lowered Sappho’s legs into the water to allow her to stand for herself, and the brown-haired girl eased herself from her arms, giving a mewl of discomfort as the water soaked her white chiton dress, making it cling to her slender body.

Aenid turned to look back at Necklen, ‘If the girl and I return without Diana, are we going to have a problem?’

The raider looked over Aenid’s shoulder, watching the two women as they waded through the water towards the shore. ‘The lady is coming back,’ he replied, absently rubbing the bristles of his chin, ‘So there will be no problem.’

Very reassuring, Aenid thought dryly as he threw his shield into the water and jumped in after it, landing awkwardly on his feet as he smashed into the sea. Pain lanced through his thighs and up his back as his body weathered the fall, and he tried not to show the discomfort on his face as he collected his shield.

Should have just climbed down the bloody line, he admonished himself as he followed after the two women.

His clumsy, sloshing steps quickly caught him up to Diana as the waves became shallower at their feet. Up ahead of them the scrawny old man stood waiting, a quick twitch of his head to incline to the other side the only movement he made.

As they closed distance to him, the wide, crooked smile on his face became more readily apparent. Aenid could now also see that the man’s eyes were completely black, making his sockets appear like windows into nothingness.

Off to his right, Aenid could hear Sappho muttering a chant of some kind as she held the silk sheet close to her bosom. It looked almost as though she were muttering a secret to the swords she held, repeating it over and over again. Ahead of them both Diana marched through the water with utter focus on the man ahead, like a predator stalking its prey.

The whole situation felt distinctly dreamlike to Aenid. A foreboding, morbid dream.

The old man’s head twitched once more to the other side as they got within a dozen metres of him. The black pits of his eyes made it difficult to know where he was actually looking, though Aenid suspected the elder had been watching only Diana the entire time.

‘Hail to thee, princess of Themyscira,’ the old man called out, his dry voice like cracking stone. ‘Maiden of violence, avenger of men, champion of gods.’ He lifted his dark staff and stabbed it back into the sand at his feet, ‘I’ve been waiting for you, Diana of the Amazos.’

‘Hail, my lord Proteus,’ Diana called back, continuing to stride ashore. ‘I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.’

Proteus’s head jerked back and forth, his crooked smile widening, ‘Not at all, dear girl. You are here and I am here – and so the wait is over. I bid you welcome to my home, Amazon.’

Diana cleared the water, walking up the wet sand with smaller, slower steps, ‘Thank you, my lord. I believe you know why I am here.’

The old man’s face stretched as it accommodated an impossibly wide smile, ‘I know everything, dear girl.’

Diana came a to a stop several paces away from the old man, flanked on both sides by Aenid and Sappho just a step behind her. ‘I seek passage to the west - to Scarabus,’ Diana said evenly, inclining her head back out to sea, where the towering waves to the west were still visible beyond the lip of the cove. ‘Am I correct that you are commanding the sea to block my way?’

‘Oh yes,’ Proteus replied, his smile fading back to a regular one, ‘Quite correct. My successor has great mastery over the seas,’ his head jerked rapidly to the right, ‘but I still hold enough grasp to shut him out of a modest region.’ He tapped the bottom of his staff rapidly upon the sand as the fingertips of his right hand drummed erratically upon the staff itself, ‘It assists me that Poseidon is scared to look directly upon those waters, lest he see them. You may rule all that you see, but what you do not see may still rule you, hmm? Or perhaps some things rule all that see them? How much do you see, Diana of Themyscira?’ He leaned upon the staff as he arched forwards, still pattering out his dissonant beat, ‘What are you scared of seeing?’

Diana ignored the old man’s barely coherent questions, ‘Why do you block the way, my lord?’

The chaotic tapping stopped. ‘You know why,’ the old man replied, the smile falling from his face entirely, ‘I am in service to the Radiant Ones – I help deliver them fresh ships, and, in your case, I bar the way for those that would do them harm.’

Diana shook her head disbelievingly, ‘I don’t understand – why would you do that, my lord? Why serve the Sirens?’

Once more, Proteus’s head twitched violently from side to side, ‘Because I have seen them,’ he answered simply. ‘They sing to me from across the waves, and in return for their sweet song I am theirs.’

Aenid struggled to keep up with the conversation. Sirens? Is that what this is about? Is that what waits at Scarabus? Like any sailor, Aenid had heard many, many tall tales of the mythical harpies, but up until seconds earlier had always assumed it was drunken, lonely fantasy.

‘You are being used, my lord,’ Diana said imploringly, ‘The Sirens have beguiled you to serve them. If you allow me to stop their manipulations I could yet free you from them.’

The smile returned to the old man’s face. ‘Poseidon is using you, Diana of Themyscira. He has beguiled you to serve his ends. Tell him to go to Scarabus himself, and you could yet free yourself from him.’

Diana scowled, ‘You mistake me, my lord…’

‘No, I mock you, Diana of Themyscira,’ Proteus interrupted, ‘You and I both know that we are being used – and yet this is the best path to serve ourselves. You want to end the suffering caused by the Sirens; I want to hear their song and see their dance. We are helpless to resist because it is our own desires that bind us.’ The old man began to walk, taking awkward, arthritic steps as he arced around Diana, ‘But enough posturing – you already know this discussion is pointless. Ask me the question that matters, and we can get on with what must be done.’

Diana sighed, lowering her head a fraction. ‘Will you allow us to pass to Scarabus?’ she asked quietly, ‘Please.’

Proteus came to a stop after hobbling ninety degrees around the Amazon, now standing as close to the waves as she was. ‘No.’

His blunt answer hung in the air for several long moments. A gentle breeze blew from the south, warm and quiet as it caressed the shore. Overhead a heavy cloud drifted into the path of the sun, casting the whole beach in a slowly moving shadow. The soft lapping of the waves filled the silence with their soothing rhythm, growing marginally louder as the tide became more agitated.

The Amazon’s head sagged further forwards. ‘Forgive me, my lord, but you know what I must now attempt to do.’

The old man nodded, his expression becoming sombre, ‘Indeed I do.’ He held up his staff and released it, letting it fall to the sand at his feet. The ground around Proteus rippled like fluid as the staff landed, falling through the sand like it would the surface of water and vanishing from sight. ‘Just as I know how this will end.’

The rippling of the ground at his feet suddenly moved up through his own body, as if he were an extension of the ground he was stood upon. Aenid’s jaw fell open as he watched the old man’s scrawny body ripple like liquid and reshape itself into a new form. The stature of the man grew and he bulked out considerably, re-sculpting into a powerful new form.

No longer a scrawny old man, he was a six-foot, musclebound youth, his flawless tanned skin matching his crown of thick brown hair. A simple loincloth hid his modesty, leaving the rest of his immaculate, rippling muscles on display – looking every part the god that gifted artisans liked to chisel from stone. An ornate bronze helm moulded itself around Proteus’s head, concealing much of his features behind its Spartan design.

The only feature that remained of the old man was the obsidian darkness that filled his eyes.

Aenid recoiled a step as he witnessed the otherworldly transformation, instinctively raising a hand as if to ward away the impossible sight. This truly is Proteus the ever-shifter, Aenid thought with numbing dread rising up in his chest, We… We shouldn’t be here.

The urge to turn and run away clawed at Aenid, beckoning him to get as far away from this madness as possible. Off to his right, he could still hear Sappho hurriedly muttering incantations down to the swords in her bundle, the girl’s voice rising in pitch as her own fear began to seize her.

Ahead of them both, Diana began to roll her shoulders and crane her neck from side to side. Aenid could hear her taking longer, heavier breaths now, steady and deliberate. Her blue eyes were wide and unblinking, dispassionately studying Proteus - just as she had done to Daxos and his raiders before she fought them.

The sight brought him a strange sense of comfort. The Amazon seemed utterly undaunted by the god-thing that stood before her.

Proteus lowered his hands, outstretching his fingers towards the rippling sand at his feet as though beckoning to it. The fluidic sand answered his summons, raising up a large golden shield, a gleaming golden sword, and a majestic golden spear. Proteus reached down and collected the shield in his left hand, fluidly collecting the sword with his right and sheathing it within an unseen receiver on the inside of his shield. With the blade holstered upon the shield, his right hand pulled the spear from the ground, whirling it around his hand so point the tip skywards, and rested the base of it back on the sand.

‘Ready yourself, Diana of Themyscira,’ said Proteus, his voice now tremendously deep and powerful, ‘I mean to kill you.’

Aenid backed away another step. ‘Diana?’ he said quietly, ‘Would you like my shield?’

‘Protect Saph,’ Diana replied coldly, not taking her gaze from her opponent as she reached her right hand out behind her towards Sappho. ‘It’s time Saph.’

Sappho reacted as though she’d been eagerly awaiting the order, swiftly unfurling the silk sheet to reveal the two blades concealed within. Aenid frowned as he studied the two blades: an Athenian xiphos sword and a curved Spartan kopis blade. The pale-faced girl held the hilts together and stepped forward to offer them both into Diana’s waiting hand. Sappho continued whispering her prayers even after Diana collected the weapons from her.

Diana swung her hand around, passing the Athenian blade into her left hand and then drawing her hands out from her body, pointing the tips of both weapons outwards.

‘Athena guide my hand,’ Diana muttered as she stepped towards the towering figure of Proteus, ‘Artemis keen my mind, Poseidon curse my foe.’ Each step was faster than the last; the tips of her swords arced inwards. ‘Hera keep my heart.’

Proteus’s head snapped violently to the left as Diana closed within the reach of his spear, his whole body flashing into blurry movement as his shield moved up and he swung for her with his golden spear.

‘The gods won’t help you, Amazon!’
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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Abductorenmadrid
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Uh-oh, someone has miscalculated but I am not sure who, Diana or Proteus? Cannot wait to discover who wins this battle!
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It's taken me a while to get back to Void's section of this story but I have to say, he's done absolutely incredible work here. The descriptions of his characters and their behavior is exquisite. Terrific drama in so many moments.

He gives a wonderful rendering of Diana’s temperament and Poseidon’s, and frankly all of his characters. I particularly enjoyed the awe and fear Void served up in the reactions of the passengers and Aenid’s crew after her return from Poseidon’s realm. And of course, his use of Greek mythology is great.

The dialogue is also delightful. This couplet from when Diana returns to the ship wearing a version of Poseidon's armor is especially winning: "The ocean could not take her," muttered one of the awestruck raiders. "She wears its submission," whispered yet another.

Plus, there's even humor in this quote from Aenid: “I was just lamenting that I’d not seen enough horror yet in my lifetime.”

Additionally, the dialogue between Diana and Salides about their relative goodness was brilliantly written.

Finally, the moment where Diana confronts Proteus and the description of the beauty of the waves, the quiet before the storm was pointed and beautiful.

I can't wait to read Void's conclusion to his masterfully written section.

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FIRST OFF I WANT TO CALL EVERYONE'S ATTENTION TO THE ADDED MATERIAL AT THE END OF THE PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT. If you read the story in the first few days of THIS MONTH YOU NEED TO READ THE ADDED BIT THAT WAS PUT UP ON 4TH OCTOBER


Right, now that's out of the way - another class act Mr V, really well measured, effective story telling with some lovely descriptive pieces and intriguing set ups for an exciting finale. Dr Dom picked out a lot of what I would have commented on, so I will simply say an excellent job and I look forward to the exciting conclusion

First class effort!
Last edited by tallyho 6 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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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Thanks very much guys. I was worried I'd gotten too ambitious and meandering with this, so it means a lot that you are enjoying the ride. I hold the work you do in high regard, so I'm very grateful for your feedback.

I promise I won't inflict this endless story on you for much longer - just one final chapter after this month's one and I'm done. I do apologise for going on as much as I have. Hopefully the finale with the Sirens will be worth the journey to get to them!

In the mean time, I really hope you enjoy the showdown with Proteus.
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Hello all and thanks to those who commented on the excellent last chapter. How do you top that? Why with this one of course! Void ' s next installment is below. Read, enjoy and please tell the author how much by commenting afterwards, any good points or bad its the only way any of us get any better.


Part 19

*****

Lay your burden down, my dear, this battle has raged too long,
Cast down your arms, unbind your guard, hear our song,
This flame has burned so bright, toiling against the endless fight,
But now presses in the night, let it finally extinguish the light,
This ceaseless, senseless struggle will go on and on and on,
Until finally you see, this is a war that can never be won,
Lay your burden down, my dear, this battle has raged too long,
Lay your burden down, my dear, there will never be a dawn.


*****

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Sparks flew in explosive showers as metal kissed metal again and again at furious speed. The blades sang and whistled with high pitched shrieks as they danced around each other, coming together with violent, molten ferocity.

Sappho could certainly hear it – but her eyes struggled to keep up with the dazzling speed of the fight.

"Hera, keep us," she muttered under her breath, continuously repeating the prayer for aid that she had committed to memory, "Queen of immortals, preserve us from looming misfortune. We beg of the Mother that our toils are not in vain." She repeated the mantra over and over, her quiet voice not wavering as she clenched her fists so tight that her nails were drawing blood from the palms of her hands.

Her heart thumped in her chest, beating heavier each time Diana just evaded a deathblow – seemingly every other second of the tempestuous melee. The spectacle of the fight was utterly lost on Sappho, dwarfed into nothingness by her terror of seeing this amazing woman cut down before her eyes.

The two combatants whirled around one another on the wet sand, fighting with fluid, masterful grace as they sought to lay a blow upon one another. They were in constant, decisive motion, neither letting up the tempo of their fight and always striving to match the aggression of their opponent.

Proteus was nothing like the men Diana had fought aboard the merchant ship. He fought with fearless certainty, perfectly reading Diana’s moves and countering them, turning each of her attacks into another opportunity to strike back at her. If anything, Proteus was faster than the Amazon, forcing her to rely on her technique to keep pace with his relentless movement. He was clearly much stronger than Diana, and he constantly pressed that advantage, seeking to pin her behind her own blocks.

But Diana only ever deflected or evaded the onslaught of his spear, never attempting to directly halt its momentum and instead seeking to use it against him. The Amazon constantly circled Proteus to his right, forcing him to rotate with her to bring his shield to bear in his defence. The raven-haired woman twirled in a deadly dance with her two blades, imparting maximum momentum in to each fresh strike while also shifting each failed attack into the next one, always seeking an opening in Proteus’s defence. By sticking so close to the former god she denied him the greater reach of his spear, making it awkward for him to use it effectively.

The whine of their weapons meeting grew louder in pitch as the frenzy intensified still further, making Sappho tense and quake as Diana’s near misses became that much nearer. Heart-stopping moment by heart-stopping moment, the Amazon was edged towards being on the defence.

"This isn’t good," Aenid muttered from beside Sappho, "She can’t keep this up – she’ll tire and slow before he will. She risked everything on overwhelming him, but she can’t do it." He put a hand on Sappho’s shoulder, gently pulling at her. "We need to leave before this ends," he said grimly, "I promised Diana I would keep you…"

"Not yet," Sappho hissed, shrugging his hand off and resuming her mantra.

Aenid reached for her again, "Sappho, you haven’t seen battle like I have – I know what a losing fight looks like…"

"She’s not losing," Sappho interrupted, batting his hand away, "She has to know what he can do before she starts taking risks – now let me pray in peace."

"What are you talking about? She’s been taking risks this entire…"

Suddenly Diana’s technique changed dramatically, changing the complexion of the battle in an eye-blink.

She started defending with her bracelets.

No longer making any effort to deflect Proteus’s spear, she precisely caught his attacks with the silver bracers she wore around her wrists, making deeper, hollow-sounding clangs. Each block seemed to effortlessly halt Proteus’s attacks, making a mockery of his greater strength and stealing away his momentum without it making any difference to Diana’s movement.

Suddenly it was Proteus on the back-foot as Diana swatted his attacks aside with impunity. Her aggression surged, stepping into Proteus and forcing his spear towards the ground with the bracer of her right hand and stabbing at him with the blade of her left. The former god lurched backwards, weaving away from the blow, but Diana kept coming forward, continuing her whirling aggression under the cover of the perfect defence of her bracelets.

Despite his preternatural ability to read the Amazon’s moves and react accordingly, Proteus was left with little choice but to desperately defend himself against this new technique, each evasion and counter more ragged than the last, until he could not keep Diana from stepping within his guard. In a flash, the raven-haired woman knocked Proteus’s shield aside and weaved past the head of his spear, turning her movement into a rotating slash at the former god’s unprotected upper torso. Prescient to the danger, Proteus was already leaping backwards to escape the cut.

He succeeded in dodging back from the blade, but he wasn’t prepared for Diana’s slash to alter course diagonally upwards, cleanly catching the elbow of his spear-wielding arm in a brilliant feint.

Severing the arm entirely.

"She got him!" Aenid exclaimed breathlessly, relief and elation filling his voice.

"Not yet," Sappho hissed again, her eyes wide as she watched the severed arm fall lifelessly to the sand, still clutching the golden spear in its grasp. There was no blood – only water gushed from the limb.

For her part, Diana held the pose of her final strike, her blue eyes cool and clinical as she too studied the wound on her opponent. No longer in motion, Sappho could now see how hard Diana was breathing, causing a pronounced, rapid pulse throughout her body. Her left hand was shaking with a subtle palsy.

Ahead of the Amazon, Proteus growled with pain as he clutched the stump of his arm against his chest. Clear water poured from the concealed wound for several moments before slowly reducing to a small trickle.

"Hephaestus’s metal, enshrouded in the power of Athena," Proteus mused through gritted teeth, "Echoing my strength back to me with unbreakable steel – risking your arms on your ability to catch your enemies’ blades on those small manacles. You waited until you had a good feel for my speed and movement before attempting it."

Proteus grinned, "Impressive. But why not press your advantage?"

At length, Diana eased herself back to a combat-ready pose. "Because I don’t have one yet," she answered, her voice low and breathy. "You’re the ever-shifter – losing a limb means as much as nothing to you. Better to recover and regroup."

The grin widened on the former god. "Clever girl – you know your enemy." He released his stricken arm, a silhouette of clear water jetting out of his stump and forming into a new arm, identical to the arm laying on the ground. He reached into his shield with his new arm and drew the golden blade sheathed there. "Yet for all your bluster you have accomplished nothing except tiring yourself."

Diana shrugged, "I wouldn’t say that. I’ve just confirmed that, while you can read the future, you are still limited by your physical abilities to shape or avoid it." She crouched lower and rolled her wrists, a predatory glint in her blue eyes, "More importantly, I just found out that you will take action to protect your chest, even knowing it could cost you your weapon. I wonder if that means you can’t regenerate your heart like you can your arm."

Proteus’s leering smile vanished. He narrowed his obsidian eyes, "Come and find out, Diana of Themyscira." He burst into a run towards the Amazon, "Show me what the Olympians see in you."

With a leap the former god barrelled into Diana, using his shield to obscure her vision of his blade as he swept from one explosive slash into another. Diana met his aggression in kind, dancing around his blade and striking back at him with a flurry of spinning slashes carrying her once again around him towards his sword arm.

Proteus matched her movement better now, his sword better suiting the proximity of their fight and working in more fluid concert with his shield. His every step and thrust was more effective than before, limiting Diana’s efforts to stop him controlling their engagement with his shield.

Having more blade to work with, as well as faster movement, made catching his sword on her bracelets considerably more dangerous to attempt than it had been with his spear. It was a peril made all the worse by Proteus’s ability to predict her movements, making every single slash a potential trap designed to dismember the Amazon if she attempted to take the risk.

It was a risk Diana wasn’t taking, and the fight edged into Proteus’s favour as each frantic second dragged into the next.

After a blistering exchange of strikes Diana’s form began to become more ragged as she was pushed back by Proteus’s golden shield, increasingly becoming forced to parry his blade to avoid a crippling blow falling on her. Each time she used her blades for her defence she was staggered that much more by her stronger opponent, making her graceful fighting style gradually degenerate into something more raw and laboured.

Sappho was finding it hard to remember her prayer. Please don’t die, she thought numbly as she watched the frenetic fight move further down the beach until the waves lapped around the combatants’ ankles. Flecks were breaking off of Diana’s swords each time they clashed with Proteus’s golden blade, beating them out of shape as they began to lose integrity in the melee.

Hera, please don’t let her die.

Proteus’s blade drew blood, slicing Diana’s left cheek in an especially near dodge and sweeping on to cut a lock of hair from her head as she rotated away from the slash. Several seconds later he cut her again, this time a shallow cut on her right thigh that she couldn’t fully deflect. The wounds bled freely, running crimson down the pristine white of her skin.

Pushed to her limit, and having seen as much of Proteus’s sword work as she could make him reveal, Diana dared to use her bracelets again for her defence.

The hollow-sounding clangs of Proteus’s blade meeting the bracers began to punctuate their fight again. At first, they came infrequently, ever other second, but little by little the frequency crept up as Diana’s confidence grew.

Proteus was trying to catch her arms, making lightning-fast feints and altering his slashes at the final moment, but Diana was just tracking his blade well enough to catch it each time. While she could not read the future like her opponent, the Amazon had been raised all her life on swordplay, and she could read a fight well enough to pre-empt each of Proteus’s feints. Diana also limited Proteus’s control of the fight by actively chasing his blade with her bracers rather than waiting for his strikes to fall, dictating as much as she could the conditions for each perilous block.

It was fearless, perfect prowess, and moment by moment it began to appear like Diana was the one of the two of them who saw the future. The echoing noise of the collisions became rapid and continuous as she began to seize control of the fight, robbing Proteus of his momentum with each use of her magical bracers and opening more opportunities for her to launch more counters at him.

Gradually becoming flustered, Proteus’s form began to unravel in the fight as he was outsmarted with each fresh effort to literally disarm Diana. Unable to keep up with the speed and mastery of her decision-making, his greater actual speed began to matter less and less. As Diana danced around him, the former god’s every move started to become about fending away her dual blades as they worked in exquisite concert with her bracelets.

"She’s besting him," Aenid said breathlessly from Sappho’s side, "Gods, she’s outduelling him. He’s faltering."

In a blurry flourish, Diana slid on her knees beneath an especially wild swing from Proteus’s blade and returned to her feet in a series of rolling slashes that the former god could not keep up with. He desperately staved off the first blow, and then the second, but was cut deeply across his right knee and his left shoulder by the flurry that followed. Slowed by the wounds, that now bled torrents of clear water into the waves, Proteus was systematically outmanoeuvred by Diana as she pressed her attack with one twirling barrage of attacks after another. Like a shark sensing blood, the Amazon seized on his growing weakness with merciless aggression.

After several more frantic seconds the former god’s defence collapsed under the pressure, giving the Amazon the opening she needed.

The Spartan blade whistled as it cleaved through Proteus’s right wrist, causing him to drop his blade into the water, and the Athenian blade sang as it whipped around and stabbed into his unprotected gut. She weaved backwards away from a desperate swipe with his golden shield and then immediately flung herself forwards, crossing her arms and knocking down into the former god’s shield with both of her bracers.

There was a deafening gong as the magical metals impacted, and Proteus’s shield exploded into jagged fragments as he was violently flung on to his back, splashing down into the waves.

The former god roared in pain and frustration as his multiple wounds began to regenerate, but there was no hesitation from Diana as she came forward to finish him. Bereft of his weapons, Proteus looked up at her in defiance as she launched herself towards him, the tip of her Athenian blade thrusting towards his heart.

Suddenly Proteus’s whole body reshaped itself, turning translucent and liquid for a heartbeat before morphing into a dramatic new form. Where once lay a supine athlete, now charged a great black bull with a crown of blade-like crimson horns.

Diana flung herself out the way of the charging beast, narrowly escaping being gored as she fell to her hands and knees in the water.

The beast rounded on her with an agility that defied its mass, charging back at Diana as she struggled to push back to her feet. The Amazon heaved herself into a roll to escape the second charge, slashing at the beast with her Spartan blade as it passed her and carving a line down its side that wept streams of clear water.

Rather than turning on her again, Proteus morphed his form once more, turning fluidic and reshaping himself into a giant white crab in the space of time it took Sappho to gasp. Upon the stalks of its eyes sat obsidian orbs, reflecting nothing but Diana as the six-foot creature rapidly scuttled towards her.

Still without time to get to her feet, Diana rolled backwards to escape the crab’s huge pincers as they snapped at her. The Amazon vaulted to her feet as she came out of the roll, already backing away from Proteus as he pursued her into deeper water. She ducked and weaved around the flashes of his pincers, striking back at him with her blades between dodges, but she barely scraped the crab’s thick ivory carapace.

The pincers proved to be the perfect counter to Diana’s weapons, allowing Proteus to seize a hold of the Amazon if she ever parried his attacks and providing him far greater reach to attack her from. Though she chipped away at the great claws at every opportunity, Diana was still forced into a constant retreat from them.

Each step Diana took backwards to evade Proteus carried her further out to sea, until the waves were beginning to reach as high as her waist. Moving through so much water slowed the Amazon down, and the problem became more pronounced the further she allowed Proteus to push her. The slower she moved, the more dramatic her plight was in evading the giant pincers that snapped at her.

Realising her predicament, Diana abandoned her caution and lunged forwards after ducking below one of the crab’s claws, flinging herself between Proteus’s legs to escape the reach of his pincers. She gave a guttural roar as she slashed about herself in a frenzy, slicing at the crab’s softer underbelly and the knuckles of his legs as he tried to hastily re-orientate himself.

The savage onslaught continued a few seconds longer before a particularly brutal swing of her Spartan blade hacked off one of the crab’s legs and she shrieked as she stabbed into its abdomen with her Athenian blade, burying the sword into the creature all the way to the hilt. The crab shivered for a moment before turning transparent and fluidic, its shape cascading as a waterfall of clear water around the exhausted Amazon.

Finally, Sappho allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. "She did it," she whispered, beginning to run down the beach, "She pierced his heart." Sappho felt tears of joy in her eyes as her chest swelled with pride. A wide smile cracked across her face as she…

Proteus wasn’t dying; he was reshaping himself again.

The mass of fluid morphed around Diana, growing in size and splitting into a more complex shape. In a horrific eye-blink, the water solidified into a gigantic red octopus, easily twice the size that the crab had been.

"No…," Sappho breathed. "Oh no…"

Diana was already entangled with the massive creature’s tentacles as they had formed all around her, catching her in a devious snare. Slick white suckers on the underside of the tentacles, each as big as a fist, latched onto the Amazon’s pale skin, one after the other.

Diana struggled in vain against the giant octopus, but she was woefully outmuscled by the creature bearing down on her. She tried to slash at the tentacles, but her arms were already being gripped by the tentacles, keeping her from controlling her arms. The Amazon inverted the blades in her hands, using her wrists to try and stab the blades down into the tentacles controlling her arms, but fresh tentacles coiled around her wrists and yanked them outwards. Diana roared as she tried to struggle free, and the sound was cut from her throat as yet another tentacle sloshed out of the water and wrapped around her slender neck.

Looming above the beleaguered Amazon, the twin black eyes of the octopus bored down on her, reflecting only her futile struggles within its slimy grasp. It pulled her deeper into its embrace, circling her waist with two more tentacles while its final two tentacles coiled around her pale thighs, all the way down her legs to her ankles – fully enveloping her in its tight muscle.

As Diana continued to wriggle and struggle, each of the tentacles constricted around her, squeezing her whole body like a slowly tightening vice. The Amazon’s eyes bulged, and her face gradually turned a shade of purple as she fought to free herself, until finally her strength gave out.

There was a sickening splash as Diana released her two blades, letting them fall below the surface of the water and plummet into the soft seabed as she began to go limp within Proteus’s grip. As her resistance ebbed, the octopus nestled itself in closer to her, carefully adjusting the grips of its tentacles around her body as it ensured total control of her.

"Sappho," Aenid was gripping her shoulder again, his voice sullen and quiet, "We need to go. Right now."

Sappho sank to her knees, unable to tear her gaze from Diana’s downcast, panting face. The Amazon’s blue eyes were lidded as she stared back into the black eyes of the octopus. "I’m not going anywhere until this is over," she said firmly, surprised by the iron resolve she heard in her own voice. "I’m going to keep praying, like Diana told me to. This isn’t done yet."

Out in the water, Proteus hefted Diana’s arms up in the air and away from her body, holding her sodden body aloft like a trophy. From somewhere unseen around his body, a deep voice burbled out. "Foolish mortal. You come to me with your enchanted trinkets and your prayers to apathetic gods, and you think to slay me?"

The tip of the tentacle around Diana’s neck moved up to toy with her face, caressing her cheeks and playfully latching its sucker to them before popping it off, leaving behind red marks on her sensitive skin. Further down her body Proteus took similar liberties, blistering the inside of her thighs with the suckers throbbing around them. One of the tentacles around her waist teased up her body and slid within the top of her armour, causing Diana to shudder as it circled her right breast and squeezed it.

"You may fight like Ares, but you are still just a mortal woman," Proteus scorned her as he began to lower Diana into the water, "Frail, weak, soft, transient – you haven’t the power to trifle with the affairs of gods. You are no Heracles; you are no hero. You haven’t the strength required to carry the burden. I will drown you now, in front of your misguided acolytes, just as I foresaw would be your fate."

As the octopus began to fully submerge Diana, dragging her face under the surface of the waves, the Amazon made her final gambit.

Where Proteus saw resignation, Diana had been saving and gathering her strength. Where Proteus saw her drop her weapons in defeat, Diana had placed them for a moment of opportunity.

That opportunity was now.

Diana gnashed her teeth like a feral beast, biting a chunk out of the tentacle toying with her face and causing Proteus to jolt with pain. Perfectly timing with the pain that distracted the creature, Diana’s body surged back to life, thrashing wildly in the grip of the tentacles. The movement rocked downward, and Diana added to it with a forceful kick of her legs, sending the tentacles holding her legs crashing against the sea floor.

Where the hilt of her Athenian blade lay embedded, with the blade sitting proud like a devious spike.

The move was perfectly executed, severing one of the tentacles and badly lacerating the other. As Proteus reeled from the unexpected pain, Diana was a frenzy of activity, using her freed leg to kick against the wounded tentacle and give her leverage to pull her other leg free. The moment her legs were clear of the octopus, Diana lowered them to the ground and gripped the hilt of her Spartan blade between her feet.

Using the tentacles holding the rest of her body as leverage, Diana acrobatically snapped her legs up to slash at the tentacles holding her with the blade, wielding it with uncanny dexterity between her feet.

Belatedly Proteus tried to finish the Amazon as she hacked away at him, tightly constricting his tentacle around her neck in an effort to break it – but he was already too late.

While the former god had been gloating, Diana had been planning every stage of this ruse, and she moved as though she had practised it many times over. She had been targeting the tendril that held her right arm with her strikes, doing more than enough to free her arm, and her hand shot down to her girdle the moment it was free to seize her lasso.

With a crack of her wrist the golden rope unfurled and whizzed through the air. In the same motion, Diana kicked her legs upwards and released the Spartan blade, placing it perfectly for the hilt to be caught in the noose of the flying lasso. The blade flashed forwards as it was carried by the lasso, arcing through the air in a blur before coming to a sudden, immediate halt.

Within Proteus’s left eye.

The obsidian eye was split asunder by the blade, spurting dark red blood like a fountain around the Spartan kopis and revealing vulnerability in the former god for the first time. Proteus howled with dismay, his whole form rippling like water as he struggled to maintain it in his agony.

Showing no hesitation, Diana cracked her wrist again to pull the blade free from the creature’s eye, and she whipped the lasso around to strike at the other eye.

Desperate to save his other eye, Proteus abandoned the form of the octopus, releasing Diana entirely as his body turned fluidic and fell into the waves with her. Alongside Diana, the swirling water morphed into a familiar old man, clutching the bleeding socket of his right eye.

"Gah!" Proteus wailed as he stumbled away from Diana towards the beach, "Why? Why couldn’t I see that coming?" There was a growing sense of panic in the old man’s words, "I don’t understand!"

Behind Proteus, Diana released the Spartan blade from the noose of her lasso and holstered the rope back upon her girdle before retrieving her Athenian blade from the seafloor. Sufficiently rearmed, the Amazon jogged after the wounded old man, pursuing him into the shallower water.

"Ugh… I… I see it," Proteus stammered, his left eye wide with alarm. "My whole future… Everything… Everything is different…" The former god whirled around to face the on-coming Amazon, "How? How have you done this?"

"Perhaps it is hubris," Diana answered coldly as she slowed to a walk towards the cowering old man, "You saw your victory and looked no further, arrogant in the belief that a mere mortal woman could never challenge you."

Diana’s cool eyes briefly swept across to meet with Sappho’s before returning to Proteus, "Or, perhaps you do not know what aid I petitioned the gods for."

Proteus furrowed his brow as he backed away from the Amazon, stumbling back through the waves until his footfalls carried him up the wet sand of the shore, "What? What do you mean?"

"You think I asked for the means to hurt you – to be able to strike down a diving being – and you are partially right," Diana explained as she prowled out of the water, "But the real boon I wished upon these weapons was merely that, when the time was right, when it mattered most, the gods would deny you vision of these blades. I begged mighty Hera to conceal just that one tiny moment from you so that there would be a single blow coming that you could not foresee."

Diana exhaled, the breath leaving her body as a ragged rasp that momentarily revealed the trembling exhaustion of her muscles. "It appears the goddess answered my plea." There was a frightening intensity in Diana’s blue eyes as she gazed down on the stricken former god, "Judging by your reaction, I believe you can see the rest of my blows."

Proteus relaxed his body as he listened to the Amazon, releasing his bleeding socket as a strange smile set in on his face. It was a different smile from before – more earnest in a way that Sappho couldn’t quite place. A chuckle bubbled up from his lips that slowly changed into a loud, maniacal cackle.

"Oh, you’re in your element, aren’t you, warrior? The greatest killer of our age, working her practised craft. Hah, I see now why the Olympians are so taken with you." The old man giggled as he rested back on his haunches, "No wonder the Huntress courts you – you are the ultimate predator." Proteus gestured towards Diana with his hands, "Who better to carry the legacy of the Olympians than an executioner such as you."

A flicker of pain passed over Diana’s stoic expression as she marched towards Proteus, "I did not desire this, my lord – but the work of the Sirens must be stopped. Forgive me."

"Curse you," Proteus snapped, his expression suddenly angry, "Thelxephone and her sisters bring a beauty to this world that gives it meaning. To attempt to smother that beauty is unforgiveable and cruel. I will not allow you to execute them while my heart yet beats." The old man burst into a run towards Diana, "Come, murderess, let’s finish this!"

Proteus morphed as he ran, sculpting himself into a mirror image of Diana, sprouting duplicate blades from his wrists to match Diana’s own.

The cloud overhead pulled clear of the sun, bathing the shore in its bright rays as the two Dianas collided on the wet sand. The two women spiralled and leapt as their blades clashed in a blur of graceful combat, circling each other again and again in a deadly dance to the death.

Sappho lost sight of which Diana was the real one in the whirling battle, unable to see clearly the eyes of the women.

One Diana quickly got the better of the other, outclassing her tiring opponent in a dazzling sequence of parries and ripostes that created enough of an opening for her to slash a clean line through her opponent’s face. The cut was perfectly horizontal, cutting from her left eye to her right, and blood gushed from the wound down her face as she fell to her knees clutching at it.

Sappho felt the colour drain from her face as she heard Diana’s cries of anguish. The fallen Diana sobbed plaintively as she bowed over in pain, clinging to the ruination of her face.

The other Diana circled the fallen one, kicking her in the chest to force her to fall on to her back before raising her Spartan blade in the air.

The fallen Diana shivered and then reshaped herself, causing Sappho to openly weep with relief as Proteus remoulded himself one final time.

Diana hesitated as she looked down on the new form lying defeated beneath her, her eyes wide with horror.

A young solider lay on the sand below her, his eyes bleeding profusely onto the gentle wash of the waves. He didn’t look much more than a boy to Sappho; barely old enough to leave his mother’s side.

"Go on, killer," the boy choked. "Make the gods proud."

There was a knife forming in the boy’s left hand.

Diana’s lips trembled as she looked down at the boy, wincing as the sunlight was caught upon a silver necklace around his neck. The impassive composure in her eyes broke away to reveal a kind of agonised sorrow that Sappho had seen on the eyes of the helpless women being rounded up by the raiders. "Please," Diana mumbled, her voice shaking, "Please not this."

In that moment, Diana looked as fragile and as scared as any victim Sappho had ever seen. A young woman who needed protecting from the atrocities and hardships of the world.

A sly smile touched the boy’s lips as he stabbed upwards with the knife in his hand.

"Kill him!" Aenid bellowed, his voice hammering around the beach like a clap of thunder.

"Argh!" Diana cried out as she slammed her blade down into the boy’s chest, driving the Spartan sword directly through his heart.

The boy froze the moment his heart was pierced, his arm falling lifelessly to the ground at his side as he gasped softly. His lips twitched for a moment as dark blood filled the sand behind him, spreading out into the waves that washed around him.

With great, pained effort, Proteus spoke his final words.

"Well… fought… D-Diana…," he rasped, "Now I… lay down my… burden… But you… you carry yours on… and on… and…"

The boy gradually turned translucent, changing into a clear fluid that seeped deep into the red sand until there was nothing lying there at all. Diana knelt in place, resting atop the hilt of the Spartan blade as she stared at the blood in the water. The Amazon’s whole body quaked with the effort of holding her while she heaved heavily with each deep breath.

Sappho rushed to Diana’s side, unable to stop her tears from flowing as she ran. She threw her arms around Diana’s neck and hugged herself in to the other woman, her relief obliterating any notion of respecting personal boundaries. "You did it," Sappho whispered into the other woman’s ear, "You amazing, brave idiot. You did it."

From somewhere in the distance, Sappho could hear hoots and cheers from the deck of their ship as Necklen and his men celebrated Diana’s victory. The incoherent mirth slowly coalesced into a single chant, jubilant and adoring.

"Diana! Diana! Diana!"

Behind both women, Aenid carefully approached. "Gods woman, you fight well," he muttered, unable to hide a hint of his own relief from his voice, "Is… Is he really dead?"

His words were enough to stir Diana from her stupor. The raven-haired woman raised her head and looked out past the cove, seeing the mountainous waves in the distance falling back down into the ocean.

"I think so," she said softly. "If such a thing is possible." She swallowed hard, looking down once again on the red stain washing away on the sand. She was shivering as she pushed herself to her feet and eased herself out of Sappho’s embrace, "But this doesn’t feel like victory." There was an unfamiliar croak in Diana’s voice as she turned her attention to Aenid, her blue eyes watery and fatigued, "How do you fight when your victories bring you shame?"

Aenid’s eyes widened with surprise as he held the Amazon’s gaze. "Diana…," he began, his voice warm with concern, but he cut himself off as he saw Diana wavering on her feet. "Diana!"

Utterly exhausted and mildly delirious, Diana began to collapse back to the ground, but was caught as she fell by Aenid. The sea captain scooped the Amazon into his strong arms, cradling her lissom form like a husband carrying his bride. Diana plaintively resisted Aenid’s effort to take her weight for a moment before relenting and letting herself sag into his arms.

"Hang on, Diana," Sappho said hurriedly, brushing Diana’s matted black hair away from her face as she fretted about the Amazon, "We’ll get you back to the ship."

Captain Aenid nodded, "Grab her swords, girl, and let’s get the Tartarus off of this bloody island."

Diana groaned in Aenid’s arms as Sappho quickly collected the two blades from the ground, amazed at how battered and chipped the two weapons had become during the fight. "Ugh… We have to sail west," Diana mewled as her consciousness began to slip away, "Salides… You have to take us to Scarabus… The Sirens… I have to…"

"I know, Diana," Aenid whispered reassuringly to the Amazon as he waded out into the waves with her, "I’ll get us there. Sirens be damned, I’ll get you there. You just worry about yourself right now."

Diana mumbled something incoherent as she unconsciously nestled her head into Aenid’s shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered a moment. "…kill," she sighed, falling into a deep slumber.

Sappho rushed to keep up with the captain as he increased his pace, "Diana! Is she going to be okay?"

Aenid nodded as they fell under the shadow of their ship, "Aye, girl, she’ll be fine. She’s as tough as old boots – she’ll pull through just fine once we get her feet up, don’t you worry." The captain grimaced as he took hold of the line cast from the ship and looked up at the gathered men all staring down at them. "But... Until Diana wakes up, I want you to stay close to me at all times, understand?"

Sappho frowned at the captain, before following his gaze to look up at the raiders.

They were all looking at her.

She felt her heart sink. "Should we be worried?" she whispered.

"Just stay close to me," Aenid answered sternly, "And while you’re at it, you can tell me everything you know about the bloody Sirens – starting with how any sailors ever survived them." The captain sniffed as he looked away from the assembled crew and down at the sleeping god-killer in his arms, "I have a feeling that’s going to matter."
Last edited by tallyho 6 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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Abductorenmadrid
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Wow - one of the most imaginative and well thought out fights yet! I really wasn't sure how the battle was going to turn out, you had it balanced on a knife edge all the way through. Awesome job, it really was worthy of the build up you gave us.
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I echo AEM's praise. I really don't remember EVER reading a better written battle scene than yours here. There was no telling where it was going, there was only the gulping enthusiasm to read on and savor it all. Magnifico, sir!!
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Well what can be said after that?
Superb piece of work sir. Looking forward to the next wonderful chapter
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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Thanks as ever to those who have commented. This post has arrived a bit late in the day so there may be a few edits over the next day or so, please forgive any typos for the moment. Here is Void's continuing saga. I have no doubt you will enjoy it so please leave a comment


PART 20

Keeper

From high Olympus, she watched and she waited.

She knelt upon a gilded balcony on the fringes of the Mountain, looking down mournfully upon the mortal realm.

The glimmering gold of her ornate, perfectly sculpted breastplate caught the light of the distant sun as it sank into the horizon, radiating a fiery glow back out into the world that mirrored the intensity in her amber eyes. Her silken locks of blonde hair blew gently as an ill wind swept in from the south, revealing the only motion of her otherwise stone-still aspect.

As a melancholic statue, Athena of Olympus had held her vigil for longer than a mortal mind could comfortably fathom. Unblinking, she kept sentinel over the world as she pondered such things as only the goddess of Wisdom and Philosophy could.

She remained unmoved as she sensed the soft approach of another from behind her. It was the presence of one so naturally cloaked in stealth that they had to make a conscious effort to artificially reveal themselves - lest they shock or embarrass their kindred gods – and Athena recognised it immediately.

“Do you desire something of me, my sister Artemis?” Athena asked impassively, not taking her downcast gaze from the mortal realm.

A warm chuckle answered her, “Nothing more than your inviting company, sweet sister.”

Athena sighed, hearing the soft, deliberate footfalls of her sister god coming up behind her. “You’re going to be disappointed, then.”

Again came the husky laughter from her sister as she paced around to stand beside Athena. The goddess of the wild hunt was a stark contrast from her sister, wreathed in black furs that complimented her dark hair and radiant moonlight-pale skin. Artemis’s brown eyes twinkled with open amusement, matching the predatory, lop-sided smile on her youthful face.

The two sisters matched each other for divine beauty, but were otherwise wholly opposite to one another. The pale, dark, cheerful spirit of the wild, and the tanned, fair, brooding warden of civilisation.

“Always so serious, these days” Artemis chided as she knelt beside her sister, turning her gaze down upon the mortal realm. “You’re no fun, sister – it will always be a great mystery to me why Father favours you so.”

“I imagine many things are a great mystery to you,” Athena replied absently.

Artemis grinned, “Ah, that’s a bit more like it.” The Huntress leaned against her sister, draping her chin onto the tanned woman’s shoulder. “So, tell me, why are you so morose? The Oathtaker won a great victory – worthy of all your lofty hopes of her. My Diana has come so far as to even count gods amongst her prey, and yet here you are – grieving.”

The dark goddess lowered the tone of her voice to a sultry whisper as she teased a fingertip up and down Athena’s bicep, “Do you not take pleasure in witnessing the fruits of our labours? Does it not gladden you to see the seed of potential blossom into the flower of achievement?”

The intimate caress was enough to make Athena shiver, “The end of Proteus is a loss to us all, and I will not celebrate it – just as I will not cheer for our uncle’s cruel scheme.”

“Oh?” Artemis’s hand teased up her sister’s shoulder to gently play with her hair, “You don’t approve of Poseidon’s game?” She shrugged her slender shoulders, “I think he has played it perfectly – casting the die with his victory standing on every face of it. He sends the Oathtaker beyond the reach of the Olympians, where she either dies, satisfying Father, or she succeeds, satisfying his lust for revenge against the Sirens and, conveniently, killing the last claimants to his seat of power – the former lord of the sea and the daughters of the first god of water.”

Athena broke her gaze from the mortal realm to turn her head and give her sister a sideways look, “You’ve seen his painting, then?”

Artemis flashed a wolfish smile, “Of course. The old man did a fine job – a bit dramatic, but it is an effective trap.”

Athena arched her brow, unable to hide her surprise, “You think it’s a trap?”

“You think I don’t recognise my own craft?” Artemis countered, “There’s the lure, the snare, the hunting dogs, the gutting knife,” she licked her lips, “the prize. Our uncle is clever, but the sun will rise in Hades before he outfoxes me.” Artemis leaned away from Athena to study her face, “And what did you make of Poseidon’s painting? You didn’t like it?”

Athena hesitated as she considered her answer, but she felt no need to lie.

“It made me weep,” she said softly, returning her gaze to the mortal realm – to a lone ship cutting across the waves in fading light. “For within its brush strokes I saw a sadness....a deep and dark sadness for us all....”

The smile faltered on Artemis’s face, “…Why? Do you think my Diana will fail?”

Athena nodded slowly, letting her eyes drift up towards the ship’s destination. She couldn’t help but release a sigh as she caught sight of the dreadful magnificence that festered there, threatening to numb her mind with its cloying perfection. She felt her cheeks flush as the spectacle greedily clawed at her attention, drawing her focus in, bidding her to come closer.

With great effort, the goddess averted her gaze, breathing heavily as she looked back upon the lonely vessel.

“I think the price for victory is high,” she said breathlessly, “And I think the Oathtaker hasn’t the reserves to pay it. She has been hammered too much, left in the furnace too long – I fear this will break her.”

Athena grimaced, clenching her fists into tight balls, “Either way, a great deal of pain is coming. Poseidon will pay for how callously he has wrought this anguish… As should we all.”

Silence descended over the divine siblings. Artemis’s aspect became more subdued and thoughtful as she considered Athena’s words. The Huntress pursed her lips as she turned her attention towards the ship’s destination, leaning forwards on her perch as she drank in the decadent sight of the creatures awaiting Diana.

“Mmm… Pain is how we grow, sister,” Artemis said at last, stroking her neck absently as her eyes hungrily roamed over the cavorting figures. “It nourishes and brings purpose. Pain will quench my Diana – it is the very reason she will prevail.” She quivered with anticipation as she dragged her gaze back to her sister, “Our uncle knows it well. It’s why I admire his ploy – he has set my Diana on the path to even more greatness.” She nestled back in against Athena, “I really thought you’d approve of it.”

Athena began to move her right hand to bring her sister into her embrace, but let it rest down on the balcony behind her instead. “Pain is still pain, and cruelty is still cruelty,” Athena replied quietly, “I will never laud it, no matter what it brings. Also, she isn’t your Diana.”

Artemis nuzzled her head onto Athena’s shoulder, “Hah, whose is she, then? Mother’s? Yours? Do you think she longs to read books and build towns – or do you think she longs to roam free, hunting as she pleases? Do you really imagine you can rival me for a place in her heart?”

“I certainly do,” Athena answered evenly, allowing herself a demure smile, “But that isn’t what I meant… It seems you don’t yet fully understand Poseidon’s trap.”

Artemis raised her head, suspicion and confusion written across her scowling face. “Forgive me my ignorance....but....? What…?”

“Hush now,” Athena spoke over her sister, inclining her head towards the mortal realm. “It begins: be gone or be silent.”

Artemis snapped her focus back down to the mortal realm. “Ah, the beginning of the end,” she mused, easing her head back onto her sister’s shoulder, “I’ve been looking forward to this.”

Athena rested her head atop her sister’s and sighed heavily, feeling a rising sense of unease as she watched the vessel draw ever nearer to the wondrous terrors that awaited it. The light faded as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, putting out the fiery glow of her armour and leaving the ship in darkness.

“I’ve been dreading it,” Athena whispered, so quietly that she hoped no one could hear it – not even herself.

The two sisters sat together in silence as they watched Poseidon’s painful lesson play out; sharing a rare moment of unity with one another as they fretted for the fate of a mortal that personified their conflicting natures.

*****

Penitent

She was lost in an icy plane of half-light and shifting dunes of ash.

Biting winds howled around her, flaying her shivering body with a coldness that seeped into her bones. The ground at her bare feet was colder still, burning her with each step across the ashen desert.

She clutched at herself, vainly trying to keep her heat from leaving her, but it was an impossible task. She grew ever colder, making her whimper and sigh as she fell from one unbearable low to another, never finding a bottom limit.

It would numb her into nothingness if she allowed it – but she fought the growing desire to embrace that peace, choosing instead to suffer and struggle on.

She did not know how long she had been in this place. It felt like she had wandered this dusky wasteland for a lifetime, finding new endless horizons of benighted desert wherever she went.

Though she was terribly isolated, she was far from alone.

Wherever she roamed, they came with her.

The dead marched behind her, following closely wherever she went, and slowly circling her whenever she stopped. They were almost beyond counting, yet she was compelled to stop and commit each of them to memory more times than she could recall.

She knew their faces better than she knew her own.

They were her victims. Her many, many victims. Each a life taken in battle; each a light she had taken from the world in service to causes she deemed worth the price. They all had families; they all came into the world as innocent babes from loving mothers. Nourished into adulthood by caring hands, they had come to her on the battlefield, and she had slaughtered them all. Perhaps they left children behind them. Perhaps their loving mothers wailed with grief when their sons did not return home.

She did not know; they would not tell her.

The dead said not a word to her. They stared at her accusingly, watching her struggle across their world of ash and cold, each as silent as a crypt.

Among them she recognised those that she had failed to save. Her sister Amazons, killed like cattle because she was not smart enough, nor strong enough to protect them. Brave sisters that believed in her, that looked to her to lead them – and it had cost them everything. More painfully, she recognised the young and the old of her people, who had cried out for a saviour at their end, and whom she had abandoned.

Her own people looked back at her with cold rage, hateful that she had failed them so miserably. Diana recognised the hate – it was the same wrath that had bound her to an oath to kill the very same men that surrounded these women now.

It brought them as much comfort as it did Diana.

And now they walked in step with one another, unified in their disgust at the one person responsible for their fate.

A god led them. A creature as old as time, that understood all the mysteries of the world, and, having seen all that she was, had named her executioner. The blinded old man was helped along by a young boy, who looked to her imploring.

No matter how many times she tried to explain herself, to scream why she killed him, the wide-eyed confusion in the boy’s eyes never lifted.

After cresting the latest dune of ash and finding yet another rolling plain of emptiness, her knees faltered and she slumped down to the freezing ground. Despondency threatened to swallow her as the dead silently gathered around her.

She was too cold, too tired, too sorry. The task of going on was too hard; it was simply too much for her to bear.

Suddenly, a fire sprang into life at the base of the dune, radiating beautiful colour out into the grey world. Emerging from the fire was a beautiful woman, tall and proud, smiling lovingly up at her.

For a moment, she thought it was her mother, before the flickering firelight revealed the curvaceous woman’s beguiling wings of colourful feathers, unfurling in a great arc around the flame.

Even from this distance, she could feel the warmth from the hearth, and she leapt to her feet to sprint down the dune towards the heat she so desperately yearned for. The hope of escaping the cold consumed her every thought, filling her veins with resolve and giving her the strength to work her seized joints as she powered towards release.

The dead chased after her, swift as the chilling winds, but came to an abrupt halt at the threshold of being touched by the fire’s orange light. Unable, or unwilling, to pass into the light, the dead circled the radius of the flame, standing vigil out in the cold of their dead land.

Freed from her entourage and feeling the warmth from the flame surging into her beleaguered body, she had to fight the urge to weep hysterically with relief. The closer she got to the flame, the more she was liberated from the ice that had taken root in her core, and her skin prickled as it remembered sweet warmth once again.

The woman ahead outstretched her arms and beckoned Diana into her tender embrace. Close-fitting white robes clung to the graceful woman’s body, open enough to reveal her glistening, immaculate skin, and the shifting, glowing tattoo that snaked around her bosom. Her eyes were shimmering pools of changing colour, always spiralling from one hue into another, and looked to Diana as an adoring parent would their child – filled with affection and pride.

She was, without question, the most amazing thing that Diana had ever seen. The very image of the woman warmed Diana’s heart and soothed her soul, washing away her pain with soporific wonder.

Come to me, sweet child,” the woman sighed, her lilting voice the sweetest, most delicate melody that Diana had ever heard.

Her footfalls carried her faster and faster towards the flame, and the waiting arms of the exquisite woman. The heat suffused her body now, dulling her aches and leaving only pleasant reverie in their place. As a moth to a flame, she charged into the woman’s embrace, letting her tears fall as soon as the woman’s arms circled her.

Shh, it’s okay,” the woman sang into her ear as she curled her clawed fingertips through Diana’s raven locks of hair, her voice like hot honey. “There’s no more hardship.”

The feathery wings enclosed around them, fully sheltering Diana from the world beyond and cocooning her within her saviour’s soft embrace.

Diana clutched at the woman, burying her face into her shoulder as she allowed herself to sob – finally releasing her pent-up anguish.

Your misery is at an end, all your pain I will strip,” the woman carried on, undulated her body against Diana, making Diana’s hips rock in motion with her own. “Brave warrior, you’ve earned your reward. Yield to my caress and lay down your sword.”

Affectionately, the woman stroked her claws down to Diana’s neck and eased her head back so that they were face to face. She held Diana’s gaze with her impossibly alluring eyes as her dark tongue flicked out to lick around her ruby lips, the simple gesture making Diana’s breath catch in her throat.

Hers was the face of beauty and desire, and Diana felt euphoric gratitude for each moment she was permitted to gaze upon it. In a deep, primal, inexorable way, Diana was drawn to her – as though she had been seeking this person her whole life and didn’t know it.

But now she would never forget it.

The time has come,” the woman whispered as she drew herself in closer to Diana, her wings coiling in tighter around them, “You have reached salvation. Now make your final choice, surrender unto temptation.”

Diana lidded her eyes as the woman’s lips grazed her own, savouring the overwhelmingly rich aroma that permeated each warm breath the woman took. All around her there was an entrancing display of colour as the feathers quivered with expectation.

Lay your burden down, my dear.”

Their lips began to meld together. Exotic bliss beyond anything Diana could ever imagine was within reach. A haze of pure satisfaction could forever replace the cold and the pain. It could all be over.

All she had to do was abandon her principles.

Diana pulled back from the woman, tearing herself from the flower of temptation and collapsing down to the glittering talons of the woman’s feet.

“Forgive me,” she whimpered, “I must go on.”

The woman smiled sweetly, unfurling her wings from around them. “You will win your prize soon enough, have no fear. For now, you must endure this terrible fuss.” The woman retreated into the flame, making Diana’s stomach knot with regret as her splendour vanished from sight.

Until you moan and cry for us at Scarabus.”

At that, the flame went out, and the dreadful cold came rushing back.

And Diana awoke.

*****

Her consciousness returned to her as a tumbling cocktail of bodily sensations that clamoured for her attention.

She came to with a start, feeling disorientated as she momentarily did not understand where she was – nor how she came to be there.

Bear pelts were draped over her and arrayed beneath her, softening the touch of the otherwise simple wooden bed she was lying upon. As she moved her body against the soft, warm furs, she could feel that she was naked, save for the bracelets around her wrists. She winced as she felt her skin pull taut around a wound at her thigh, and the pain reminded her of her circumstances before she lost consciousness.

Around her, she could see a dark chamber lit by the flickering glow of a single candle at her bedside. She recognised it as the room she had bunked in with Saph aboard the raider ship, and the rhythmic rocking motion of the world around her confirmed that they were at sea.

Alongside her she felt a warm weight pressed in against her, and turned her head to see the lithe, slumbering form of Saph lying next to her. The brown-haired girl lay atop the animal furs, sighing gently with each deep breath.

The sight gladdened Diana, and she smiled as she took a second to watch the beautiful girl’s peaceful sleep. It was a relief to see the girl unharmed.

“You’re awake,” came a gruff voice from the corner.

Diana whipped her head around, spotting Salides sitting on the floor in the far corner of the room. The rugged sea captain’s eyes were ringed with exhaustion, and he forced a weak grin as he met Diana’s surprised gaze.

“I was starting to worry we’d get to Scarabus and you’d still be bloody sleeping.” He snorted as he pushed himself to his feet, “Gods, that would have been awkward.”

Diana was suddenly very aware that she was naked beneath the animal furs.

“How long?” Diana asked hoarsely, her voice not quite ready to serve her yet. “How long have I been out?”

Salides shrugged his shoulders as he approached her, lifting a jug of water and pouring it into a cup next to the candle. “Nearly two full days, I’d say. It seems you’re as good a sleeper as you are a fighter.”

He offered Diana the cup and, holding the furs close to her body with one hand, she accepted it with the other, hastily bringing it to her parched lips.

Salides watched her intently as she gulped down the contents of the cup. “How are you feeling?”

Diana ignored the question, wiping her chin with the back of her hand and offering the cup back to the captain. “More. How far out are we from Scarabus?”

Salides grunted with amusement as he reclaimed the cup and filled it once more, “Right back to the grinding stone, huh?” He passed the cup back to her, “Half a day. Perhaps less.”

Diana’s eyes widened as she swigged on the cup, and she swallowed hard before speaking. “So soon? Damn it, assemble the crew on deck – they have to be readied for what’s coming. Tell them too…”

“Gather everything they can find to bang together that would make lots of noise?” Salides offered with a grin, “Preferably metal objects like shields, that will make a real racket of you clang something against them?”

The Amazon furrowed her brow, unable to keep the bewilderment from showing on her face.

“…Well… Yes…”

She shook her head as she tried to find the words. “How could you possibly know that?”

Salides widened his smile, “You know, this is a pretty good feeling – being ahead of you in a conversation, knowing things that you don’t yet know. This must be how you feel all the time, huh? It’s nice. Much nicer than being the dumbfounded fool trying to work out what the Tartarus is going on, waiting for the one with the answers to deign to share them.” He leaned against the wall, bringing a hand up to stroke the bristles on his chin, “Seeing that confused look on your face was probably worth the price of this doomed expedition.”

Diana narrowed her eyes back at him, not for the first time having to resist the urge to smirk. “You’re making a point of some kind, I’m sure.”

“Am I?” he raised his eyebrows in a mock show of innocence, “What point might that be, I wonder? Don’t you like being kept in the dark? Isn’t it more exciting when you have no earthly idea what’s happening, or why it’s happening, or what is going to happen next?”

Diana rested back on her haunches, lifting the cup to take another sip of water. “You would rather I explained my plans more in advanced?”

“Or at all,” he replied smugly. “Maybe tell us what it is we’re doing out here, or that we’re going to watch you battle a bloody god in a fight to the death for the sake of… I don’t know, some nonsense to do with gods damned Sirens – who we’re going to be paying a visit to because bloody Poseidon, lord of the bloody sea, wants you to bloody kill them. Maybe you could tell us what your plan is to approach the island of legendary ship-wreckers well ahead of time, just in case, you know, you take a nap for two days and there’s no one around who knows what to do when the Sirens start singing to our crew of cutthroat bloody pirates.”

She allowed herself a begrudging smile as she nodded her head in defeat, “Fair enough. Maybe I should have offered a little more information to you all about what this task is I’ve set us upon.” She sniffed, “Although, in my defence, I planned on being awake when we cast off from Pharos.”

“That’s a weak defence,” Salides said, grinning back at her, “And an even weaker apology.”

Diana’s levity vanished.

“Apology? Unless you’ve forgotten, you and the crew aren’t here because you share my mission – you’re all here because you’re my prisoners.”

“The girl isn’t,” Salides countered, his expression hardening, “She was here by choice, and she was close with you as you prepared for Proteus – and you still didn’t share with her anything about the Sirens. You left us all in the dark, Diana. Fortunately for you, you accidently let slip that we were heading into the lair of the Sirens, and Sappho just so happened to know all the old stories about how sailors used to escape their song.”

He gestured out with his hands. “Hence why your plan to arm the crew with the tools to make a bloody deafening racket when they start to hear a mythical song is already prepared – without you even speaking a word of it.”

Diana lowered her head, turning to look down at the peacefully sleeping girl. “She knew what to do?”

“Aye,” Salides nodded, “And she has tended to you from the moment we got back to the ship. You can thank her for your stiches, for your clean wounds, for being nourished in your sleep, and for praying to any god that would listen to return you to us.”

Diana felt the need to reach out to the sleeping girl, to brush her fringe away from her eyes, but she instead settled for staring at her. There was a beauty and an innocence to the young woman that stirred something pleasant in the Amazon. “She has been by me this entire time?”

Again, the captain nodded. “She only allowed sleep to claim her a few hours ago. She even held your hand when it looked like you were having nightmares.” He sighed, scratching the side of his jaw as he considered his words, “She’d hate me for saying it aloud, but I think she rather adores you. I think she was more scared of watching you die on that beach than she was of being tortured by Daxos.”

Diana’s eyes glazed a little as she listened to him, and, slowly, a warm smile crept across her face while she looked down on the slumbering Lesbian.

Salides cleared his throat. “Well fought, by the way,” he said awkwardly. “On the beach, I mean. That might have been the most incredible thing I ever witnessed – and I’ve seen a chicken that could lay eggs on command. Suffice to say, you’ve impressed the crew. You’re all they talk about now, one way or another.”

Diana returned her attention to the captain, feeling her emotions clouding at the reminder of Proteus’s death.

The crew…

She frowned. “Wait, if you’re here – who is guiding the ship?”

Salides waved a hand dismissively, “Please, they know how to hold a bloody heading. Though, if you must know, I’ve been teaching one of the deckhands how to navigate – a lad by the name of Perion.” He shrugged, “He’s a good learner, and not a bad soul, if you look past the reaving.”

The captain became sombre, his tone more resigned, “I figured that someone should know how to guide the ship, otherwise you’ll all be lost at sea after you and I settle our affairs at Scarabus.”

Diana slumped her shoulders slightly as she searched Salides’ expression. A notion occurred to her as she noticed the tiredness in the eyes of the captain.

“You’ve been standing guard, haven’t you?” she asked, “You’ve been watching over Saph to keep her safe from the crew.” She hesitated, not wanting to say more, but feeling obliged to. “Saph and I both… You’ve been guarding us.”

Salides shifted on his feet uncomfortably, averting his gaze from Diana’s to instead examine the tips of his sandals. “Well, the girl was bound to you and, while the crew are a better bunch of men than I would have given them credit for, it’s in their nature to lust for defenceless women. I’ll be damned if I was going to allow them to let themselves down and bring any harm to her. Better for everyone if I didn’t allow the chance to even arise.”

Diana studied him as he talked, her blue eyes wide and thoughtful. Her gaze continued to bore into him even after he stopped speaking. Troubling thoughts churned around her head as she assessed him.

The captain fidgeted with his hands as he continued to avoid the Amazon’s eyes. “Not that I should have worried so much,” he muttered hastily, “The crew think of you like they would a god, or a favourite uncle,” he forced a laugh, “They want your favour, and wouldn’t risk offending you – even when you’re unconscious. Believe it or not, I think you inspire them to want to be better men. Or you terrify them into it – whatever.”

Damn it.

“Thank you.”

Salides recoiled a step, looking back at Diana as though she had just spoken a scandalous curse he hadn’t heard before, “What?”

She took a heavy breath, “I said, thank you,” she repeated. “There were a lot of things you could have done when I fell unconscious. A lot of things.” The words were bitter on her tongue, threatening to choke her, but she pressed on. “Certainly, you had options that would have prolonged your life, and you didn’t take them. Instead, you did the noblest thing you could do. You readied the ship and the crew for the Sirens, you watched over Saph, you watched over me, you kept guiding us to a place I know you don’t want to go, and you kept everyone safe.”

Diana bit her lip before forcing herself to go on. “You did good.”

Silence descended between them. Salides seemed pinned for a moment under the force of her gaze, and he took several breaths to speak before abandoning each effort. At last, he broke her stare to look up at the ceiling, and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck sheepishly.

“That…,” he began, “That must have been hard to say, huh?”

“Even harder than battling a god,” she said with a demure grin.

Salides laughed out loud, taken off guard by her response. “Was that a joke? Did you just tell a joke?”

Her smile widened, “No. Never.”

The captain folded his arms and relaxed once more, his hooded eyes meeting Diana’s for a moment, before lowering down the bed. “Well, I guess I should return the favour,” he said carefully. “On that beach, after you defeated Proteus…”

“Forget about that,” Diana interrupted, her voice cold. “I wasn’t myself.”

Salides hesitated, “Just hear me out. Look, I can’t say I will ever understand you – because clearly I won’t – but the sadness you had in your eyes…”

Diana bristled, “Enough. I won’t…”

“Damn it woman, will you just be quiet and let me say something nice to you,” Salides admonished her, surprising her with the conviction in his tone, “You asked me then how you go on when you are ashamed of your victories, and then you rudely collapsed before I could answer you. So, I’m answering you now.”

He leaned forwards, “I’m not a smart man, nor do I have any claim to being a good one. The truth is, I’m a lot like our crew – I share all their flaws. Gods know I have frequently made the easy choice or the pleasing choice, rather than do the hard things when they were right.”

“So far we agree,” Diana quipped.

Salides rolled his eyes, “Right, right. What I’m saying is that you’re something completely different. I don’t believe you’ve taken the easy choice even a single time your whole life. I think you always make the hard choice; always put the interest of others ahead of your own.”

Diana sighed, feeling deeply uncomfortable with the examination of these thoughts, “I don’t apologise for my reasons… I just…” She hugged her knees into herself, “A blade wielded for a noble cause is still a blade – it’s still just a tool for ending lives. An executioner.”

The captain arched his brow, “You think you’re just a sword? Why? because you’re good at killing, that defines you? Maybe if someone else always decided why and when you kill, but that’s not you.”

There was a lump forming in her throat, “Isn’t it? I don’t know. I’ve always served, I’ve always done my duty – and in that service I have taken so very much from so very many…”

Salides knelt down beside the bed so his face was level with Diana’s, “There must be something in the air around here, because this doubt is beneath you, Amazon.” He held her gaze a moment as he tried to work through his own thoughts, “Okay, look. I don’t know how else to say this, so here it goes. I know you are going to kill me, probably before I even get to see the next sunrise. That is a cold, horrible, terrifying certainty that I’m carrying around right now, and let me tell you, I’m struggling with it. So, if anyone is in a position to define you as a bloody executioner, it’s me, okay?”

Diana nodded as she listened, hating the vulnerability she was showing to her enemy but showing it all the same.

“Well, I’m only going to say this once, and don’t let it go to your head,” Salides went on. ‘You are the single greatest, most wonderful thing that I’ve ever known. I’m proud to share a room with you – I’m proud to have even set eyes upon you. Forget the bloody gods or the damned tales from a by gone age – Diana, you are the hope that we’re all waiting for. Not just for your actual ability to save us from terrible things – which you do admirably – but because you are a living, breathing testament to what we can achieve if we put aside our vices and make the hard choices. Necklen and his men want to be better, I want to be better – and it’s because we’ve seen you blazing the path ahead of us, showing us something that we had completely lost faith in. You’re not an executioner; you’re a saviour the likes of which we haven’t even read about. I mean, just look at what’s happening right now: you came to kill me, but rather than just do that you’ve risked everything to protect people you’ve never met, even tolerating me as an ally, fighting like a unstoppable bastard – all to prevent suffering.”

He shook his head, his expression wistful, “I think of the things you could yet do, all the people who have yet to witness you – and it is like the finest wine I ever tasted, warming my belly and polishing the world into something altogether more charming. What more could we ask for than a hero like you to make this world a less awful place?”

Awkward silence fell once more. It was Diana’s turn to shift and fidget uncomfortably. Her hand strayed up to pull through her hair with embarrassment; something she hadn’t done since she was a child being praised by her mentors.

Salides flashed a smile as he eased himself back to his feet, “If you were my daughter, I would be bursting with pride. Of course, you would also drive me insane with worry, and I would probably have to disown you for being so inexcusably reckless with your own life, but I would be the proudest estranged father in the land.”

His attempt at humour was enough to snap Diana out of her haze. She forced a laugh of her own, “Thank the gods for sparing us such a fate as to be related. That would be more shame than I could carry.”

“Hah, don’t give them ideas. Who knows what strange things they do for amusement.”

Diana stared up at him, unsure how to work through her tangled feelings in that moment.

“Salides,” she began. “I…”

Up on deck there was suddenly loud whistling and banging, causing them both to start with alarm. Heavy, rapid thuds pounded around the deck as the crew franticly rushed around.

“Cerberus’s balls, what is that?” Salides grumbled.

Diana bolted upright in her sheets, “Shush, listen.”

Her heart beat heavier in her chest as her ears picked out the unmistakeable sound, pulsing a strange heat around her body.

There was singing.

Warbling and incredibly distant, the sound still somehow pierced through the pall of noises on deck, sounding sorrowful and inviting all at once. The sound seemed to rattle around in Diana’s head, echoing itself over and over, beckoning her to listen more closely to hear the words of the elegant choir.

Her whole body began to feel heavier, the air around her thicker and more fragrant. Her skin tingled with unfamiliar excitement.

“It’s begun,” Salides muttered, his expression strangely vacant.

Diana jumped from the bed, heedless of her modesty as she charged across to where her armour was piled up.

“Go!” she yelled, “Enact Sapph’s plan! Drown the song!”

The young Lesbian sprang off the bed with fright. “Huh? What’s going on?" she asked, panicked. Her face lit up as she looked upon the Amazon, “Diana! You’re awake! How are you?”

Salides laughed as he ran from the room “What chance do the harpies stand when we have the girl?”

Diana was already squeezing into her crimson armour, doing anything to distract herself from the persistent choir, growing in volume.

“What’s going on?” Saph moaned, “What… What is that… wonderful... beautiful…”

Diana grabbed her cup and splashed its contents over the young Lesbian, snapping her out of her torpor.

“It’s happening. The Siren’s song has begun – I hope you have prepared well.”
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Ultra-thanks for the kind words guys. The fight with Proteus was the most ambitious I've ever been with a fight scene, and I was very worried it wouldn't read well.

I'm also really sorry that I'm not done yet. This last month was brutal to find the time, and in truth, the preamble before reaching the Sirens took on more words than I expected it to. Hopefully this last part wasn't too uneventful. It's all sex and violence from here, I promise!
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Another sterling chapter, Void, filled with silvery scenic descriptions and emotional moments of truth and beauty and horror. Can't wait for the conclusion. Your work has been sublime. And don't worry about going on for an extra month or two. It just gives us other writers more time to get our ducks in a row. LOL. So thanks for that!
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OK, that's me jealous. The balance between getting the story told and the beautiful detail that gives it life is perfect. The opening scene between Athena and Artemis I liked in particular but as you know I tend to favour their appearance in my bits that should be no surprise. Their contrasting body language, tone and dialogue caused me to smile, especially as you seemed to write them as I "see them", I hope the other contributors feel the same way. I am also grateful you have embraced the continuity of the story by giving a nod to the previous interactions of Artemis and Diana in particular.

The ever defrosting situation between Diana and Salides has been masterfully paced, every moment of dialogue or deed subtly inching the pair closer and closer in some way. I am interested to see how their meeting will finally resolve itself, and even more I am looking forward to seeing what awaits Sappho on her adventure. No doubt the perils ahead are going to be epic and I truly dread the trap that Athena is warning us of ...
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Great work Void

EDIT: Void has managed to get a chapter to me so I have removed the apologies for its absence in this post!
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How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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Doh! I guess it was bound to happen eventually that one of us would miss the schedule such has been the size of the project. I am sure that the extra month will come in handy to everyone with chapters to come though!
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Well after a sterling effort Void has managed to produce the first part of his epic final chapter - read on, enjoy and please post a comment

Part 21

Coward

All his life, he had never been troubled by sea sickness. Even in the most turbulent waters, in the smallest, lightest boats, his stomach was as assured as it was on land. His brother had joked that the gods must have intended him to be a fish, but had gotten confused in the endeavour and accidentally made a man – because they had all been drunk.

The joke had been reiterated so many times that it had its own involved lore and backstory, all detailing how one brother was a comedic blunder of the gods, and the other was the one trueborn son. The fish boy and the heroic boy.

The two brothers had always played off the joke, adopting their roles in ever-more theatrical fashion to amuse one another. On more than one occasion he had covered himself in fish guts and chased his brother around the village – most notably the night before the young man’s wedding, where the ‘hero’ was dragged to a ‘fishbath’ by the monstrous fish brother.

What a night. Gods, how we laughed.

It always made him laugh. He had always been so funny. Aenid.

Aenid…

The sea captain shook his head violently to try and clear his thoughts. It was a great and constant effort of will to keep himself from vomiting. An otherworldly sense of nausea kept throbbing through his body, causing each rock and sway of the ship to turn his stomach as though he had never been at sea before.

Constantly, his focus drifted away from his present and into his past, recalling happy memories that he bitterly missed. Moments, ambitions, feelings, people – all things that he deeply wished he could reclaim.

All things that were being offered to him by the song.

The sweet, impossibly tuneful song, sounding out from the distance and enveloping him within its resonating melody. It was being sung to him especially, by a choir of voices so beautiful that it brought tears to his eyes. The very song itself was about him, telling of his great pain and imploring the gods to grant him the mercy he so dearly deserved.

He could hear his brother’s voice in the choir, calling on him to come and join them – jovially bidding the fish boy to join him in a night of drunken revelry once more. They offered to take away his shame and return his pride to him, and to celebrate with untold debauchery that would eclipse the memories of his youth.

It would be so perfect; he would be so happy. He deserved to be happy. He deserved to…

Aenid bit his tongue hard, making his whole body erupt with pain as the taste of blood filled his mouth. He cast about himself in a daze as he regained a slither of clarity through the suffocating press of the song, remembering for the second time in as many minutes where he was and what was happening. The sea captain slapped himself across the face with one hand after another, focusing on the burning pain to keep him anchored in the moment as he retrieved his shield on his way up the stairs to the deck.

Focus, man. The past has gone – it’s all gone. Be here. Be now. Be ready

Near the top of the stairs he found the huddled form of Necklen. The veteran pirate was bent over with his head in his hands, crying like a child. The warbling, piercing noise of the choir grew louder by the second, and the crew’s plaintive efforts to baffle the song with their own noise became ever quieter as they abandoned the plan one by one. From the lanterns on deck, Aenid could see other members of the crew in similar states to Necklen; some trying to sing along with the distant choir, some kneeling in a daze, and others still trying to pleasure themselves as they listened intently to the song.

Gods, we’re faltering, Aenid thought grimly, We weren’t ready for this… this beautiful… perfect…

The sea captain punched his fist into his shield, swearing colourfully as the throbbing pain washed over him.

We have to fight. Fight or die.

Aenid hefted Necklen up by the scruff of his tunic, bringing the grizzled raider back to his feet. “Get yourself together, man!” he roared, “We have to rally the crew, we have to drown the bloody song!”

Necklen was still sobbing as he searched the eyes of the sea captain, looking hurt and confused. “Don’t you hear them?” he croaked, grabbing Aenid by his own tunic, “They’re going to forgive me.” Tears were streaming down his face, flowing down the contours of his scars, “I’m going to be forgiven. My mother is with them – she is…”

Aenid slammed the other man against the doorway, backhanding him across the face hard enough to hurt his own hand. “No one is going to forgive you, you dumb bastard! They’re going to bloody devour you! It’s all a damned lie!”

The raider bared his teeth, gripping Aenid back tighter as his anger was stirred by the rough treatment. From the wild look in the other man’s eyes Aenid readied himself to be struck back, but after a tense moment Necklen loosened his hold and his eyes focused on Aenid, as if only just noticing him.

Necklen released his grasp of the sea captain and wiped his tears away with the wrist of his right arm, “Gods,” he muttered hoarsely, “I was so lost… The song…”

Seeing a measure of clarity in the other man, Aenid grinned at him and patted his cheek, “Aye, the bloody song. We have to smother it, you hear me? We have to rally the crew and blot it out together. Are you with me?”

Necklen’s eyes kept glazing, and he shook himself back to wakefulness as he listened. “Block the song,” he mumbled, “Right… the plan…” He looked over Aenid’s shoulder to his crew, seeing each of the men fighting a losing battle for their souls in the grip of the enshrouding choir. “We… How can we deny them? We weren’t ready for this… We’re all lost…”

Aenid slapped him again as he saw Necklen’s focus wavering, once more rousing the other man’s anger. “When you had your first woman, were you ready? What about when you fought your first battle? Took your first life? Were you ever ready?”

The raider bristled for a moment, but a small smile touched his face as he considered Aenid’s words.

“Tartarus can take being bloody ready,” Aenid went on, raising his voice louder to speak over the enchanting Siren call. “We get through it, because that’s what we do – any way we can. Now, shall we take back the crew and shut those nagging women up? Are you with me?”

Necklen nodded slowly as he held Aenid’s gaze, his smile widening, “I’m with you, captain.”

Aenid patted his face again before turning around and running onto the deck. “Rouse the crew,” he called back over his shoulder, “Do whatever it takes – we need every man making as much noise as possible!”

He drew his sword and thundered it against his shield, canvasing the deck in the metallic bangs he sounded out. “Come on you dogs!” he roared, hurting his voice with the volume of his call, “Let’s be hearing you! Show me your courage!” The first man he reached was on his hands and knees, humming along with the melody. Aenid grabbed the man by his beard and lifted him to his feet, drawing a plaintive cry of distress from him, “Pick up your arms and return to the fight! Show the Sirens that they aren’t the only ones who can make a distracting racket!”

At his back, Necklen followed his lead, drawing two sabres and slashing them against one another while he bellowed orders at his men. He ran to his nearest shipmates and kicked them in the shins or swatted them across the faces with the hilt of his blades, trying to return their senses to them as Aenid had done for him.

All across the deck their efforts began to draw the attention of the enraptured crew. One by one, the men were freed from the thrall of the song and began to clatter their arms together once more. As each new man added to their dissonant beat the song was obscured more and more, making it easier for each fresh raider to be stirred back to action.

Man by man, Sappho’s plan was brought back to life. Man by man, they created shelter from the song.

Reaching the stern of the ship, Aenid found the youngest raider of the crew, Perion, resting upon the steering oar. The young man was wide-eyed as he looked out into the pall of darkness that surrounded the vessel, silently mouthing along with the distant song as though he knew the words. His cheeks were flushed with excitement and his breathing was heavy, looking as though he were dreaming awake.

“Perion!” Aenid called out, shaking the younger man by his shoulders, “Fight the song, boy! We can block it out!”

Perion did not take his gaze from the horizon as he gripped the steering oar tighter, “We must go to them, captain,” he said softly, “We must be with them. We all belong to them.”

Aenid snorted, “We are going to them, boy, but we do it on our terms – not theirs!” He stepped up closer to Perion, “And you don’t belong to those hags; you belong to the lady, remember?”

The young man frowned with confusion, “The lady… But the lady belongs to them as well…,” he nodded in the direction he was staring, “They’ve told me – she’s their puppet. They have summoned her to sacrifice, and she goes gladly. We all go…”

“Nothing but lies,” Aenid interrupted, “Diana is going to slay them, fool. If anything, they all belong to her! We’re delivering death to the Sirens today – nothing more!” Aenid shook the boy again, harder this time, “Listen to my voice, Perion! We’re shutting the song out! You’ll be free if you only remember yourself!”

Perion blanched, his face twitching with conflict and confusion as he tried to understand Aenid. Though the Sirens’ song was barely audible above the chaotic racket the crew were making, Perion still appeared totally enthralled by it, still moving his lips as though he could hear the song perfectly. His eyes were wide and dilated, pinned towards the horizon and filled with wonder.

“I… I can’t be free,” he whispered, “None of us can… We’ve been slaves from the start…”

“Alright, enough of this,” Aenid quipped, smacking the boy’s face and throwing him down to the deck. He grabbed hold of the steering oar as he stepped over the stunned young raider, “I don’t think you’re fit to steer, lad.”

Perion mewled on the floor, grasping backwards to regain the oar, “No… I have to go to them… We must all go to them… Don’t you see?”

Aenid gave a stiff kick to the young man’s belly, making him hunch in on himself with pain, “Damn it, boy, the rest of the crew have back come to their senses – why haven’t…”

Then he saw it.

Directly ahead of the ship, far, far into the horizon of inky darkness that surrounded them, there was light. The press of night had covered everything in pitch black, save for the deck of the ship which was wreathed in flickering torchlight, but there was an unmistakable beacon of light in the distance.

It was like nothing Aenid had seen before. It shivered and flashed from one colour into another, each radiant hue another mesmerizing marvel to behold. The light pierced the darkness like a lance, shining with such intensity that the only thing Aenid could think to compare it to was the sun itself.

His mind felt slow and clumsy as it processed the impossible fire on the horizon. It gradually dawned on him that the flame shone from a lighthouse that itself jutted from a jagged island of angular rocks, only barely visible under the pyre’s light as a menacing shape of darker mass surrounded by the reflective sea.

It was a great task to perceive anything but the beacon atop the lighthouse. Though it was many miles away, little more than a thumbnail of light bobbing in the distance, Aenid felt like it was all he could see. He could swear that he saw the flame in exquisite detail, as though he were standing right at the base of it. He could almost feel the heat on his cheek form the wondrous fire. Almost.

As he narrowed his eyes, focusing in more and more on the flame, the song of the Sirens returned to him once more. It didn’t matter that the crew baffled the noise with their dissonant clattering of arms and incoherent shouts – Aenid could still filter it all aside and pick out the beautiful song.

There were things dancing within the fire. Cavorting, magnificent, immaculate things.

Aenid gripped the steering oar so hard that his knuckles turned white and he felt splinters pushing into his fingertips. Without thinking, he centred the lighthouse to being dead ahead of the ship, steering directly towards it.

“You see it now, captain?” Perion coughed at Aenid’s feet. “Do you see them? Do you see our masters?”

Aenid heard the boy, but found it difficult to understand what the words meant. It felt like it had become a chore to remember to breathe.

He had to get closer. He had to reach the flame. He had to behold the creatures that danced in the fire. He had to touch them, to join their dance, to burn in their flame.

His brother was calling to him again in the song. Pleading for the chance to reunite; pleading to get the chance to tell the fish boy how proud he was of the man he had become.

“…I’m coming,” the sea captain whispered breathlessly, fighting the urge to vomit as he listened numbly to the intoxicating song, “I’m coming, Aenid…”

Ahead of him on the deck, more and more of the crew caught sight of the lighthouse on the horizon as they drew ever nearer to it. Each man was entranced by it in turn, and one by one they stopped fighting the song, falling into silence and allowing the Sirens’ song to cloak the deck once more. The song was louder now, growing more distinct by the moment as they sailed closer to its source. The beacon of the lighthouse loomed larger as Aenid held the course, its wondrous sights becoming tantalisingly more visible as they closed the distance.

Aenid sighed as he tried and failed to pull his gaze from the beacon. He gripped the oar tighter in his hands, but he couldn’t even feel pain from the splinters anymore. There was no anchor to pull him from this haze – only the sweet promises of the song directing his every thought.

From the choke of beguiling sensations, the song in Aenid’s ears became louder and more focused, as if it were being sung softly from right behind both his shoulders. The change in the song was matched by the flame, which seemed to focus its ethereal light upon him, revealing glimpses of sensuous, writhing bodies within the fire, each beckoning for him enticingly.

We only want the Amazon, weary sailor. Deliver us our prize and we will free you from your cruel jailer. Give us your enemy, and you will be rewarded. Gold, pleasure, wine, pride – we will grant every desire, no matter how sordid. Survive and thrive; thrive and survive.”

“Survive… and thrive,” Aenid mumbled, his voice sounding strangely melodic as he repeated the words of the song. He shivered, feeling as though soft fingertips were stroking up the back of his neck, the touch warm as a summer’s breeze. He felt his willpower slipping from his grasp like water, falling into the maw of his very worst impulses. Debauched fantasies flashed through his mind unbidden, clawing at his sanity as it became impossible to distinguish between his own dark fancies and the even more depraved offerings of the creatures seducing him.

He imagined sailing free from the island with a ship filled with gold. He imagined the Sirens offering their divine bodies to him, each lavishing him with the manifold pleasures of the flesh as they worshipped his body. He imagined watching the Sirens dominating Diana, unravelling the warrior woman’s will to resist as they lasciviously played with her body, making her yield to their scandalous demands. He imagined the Sirens leading the humbled Amazon to him as tribute and directing her to pleasure him. She would submissively crawl into his bed and devote herself to his release while the Sirens sung around them, encouraging them both to new levels of decadence. He would claim Diana and she would be grateful for his mastery; grateful that he had put her in her rightful place. And Sappho…

“Gods… please…,” Aenid mewled, his voice frail and faltering. Tears were falling silently down his cheeks. “Please stop… I… I don’t want this…”

Despite his words, Aenid maintained the direct heading for the island, heedless of the black rocks protruding from the sea in the ship’s path like giant spears. Despite his conflicted emotions, he made no effort at all now to resist the Sirens’ terrible pull.

“Please, no…”

Take our aid, take our succour, lie in our sheets. Bring us our doll, and prosper in her many defeats. Let us fulfil your every need, for just the price of this one simple deed. Come to us. Come to us. Come to us. COME TO US. COME TO US. COME TO…”

A deafening CLANG! peeled around the deck, sounding like the fall of Hephaestus’s hammer, blocking the Siren song entirely as it resonated around the ship. The elemental explosion of noise was enough to draw the attention of every man on deck, breaking their gazes from the mesmerising beacon that had ensnared them.

Aenid crumbled to his hands and knees as he was released from the sights and sounds that were leading him to madness. He groaned as he fought to rein in his errant desires and remember himself, focusing his wavering gaze upon the source of the tremendous sound.

Diana stood tall and proud at the centre of the resounding noise, clad in her crimson and blue armour. At each of her arms her silver bracers glowed faintly as they continued to echo their collision into one another. The reverberations from the bracelets moved up the Amazon’s arms and into her body, seeming like it was robbing her of her strength as she visibly fought to keep standing. Even as she laboured to recover from the quakes rocking her body, Diana still looked as confident and impassive as she had ever done – appearing every bit the god-hero that the crew believed her to be.

The sight of the Amazon was a welcome boon to the strength of the crew, giving each a man a new anchor to pull themselves back to their senses. Liberated from the immediate charms of the Sirens, they now looked upon Diana like lost children - hoping they might follow her to salvation.

Sappho stood at Diana’s back, her brown eyes set with fiery resolve as she unslung an elegantly crafted lyre from over her shoulder. The young lesbian rolled her shoulders, looking almost like an imitation of Diana readying for combat, before she began plucking at the strings of the lyre with her nimble fingertips. The chords she struck were loud and beautiful, building in tempo as she masterfully played her instrument, revealing breath-taking skill.

“Hear me!” Diana yelled, her voice like a surging storm, “You are free men! You have a choice!” She strode purposefully around the deck, helping each beleaguered raider back to their feet, glaring white-hot intensity into the eyes of each man. As she circled, Sappho played ever louder and faster upon her lyre, playing a complex melody that shifted rapidly and erratically between different tunes that were impossible to ignore. “You can bow down to monsters, and let them dominate you with your own desires – or you can stand with me and fight for your dignity!”

Diana reached Aenid, firmly pulling him to his feet and gripping his shoulders. “Are you with me? Will you stand with me? Will you stand for yourselves? Will you stand with each other? For each other?”

Aenid forced a smile as he met eyes with the Amazon, taking great comfort from the cool composure he saw staring back at him. There was such irresistible certainty in her steely gaze.

We can do this.

“Aye!” Aenid gasped breathlessly, then with greater conviction “AYE!!!” he shouted, his voice much stronger than he truly felt inside. His call was the first, and the other men on deck followed his example, cheering with growing volume to match their kindling resolve.

Aenid thumped his sword against his shield before raising his blade into the air, “For the lady!”

The raiders answered their captain’s call immediately, saluting with their weapons “FOR THE LADY!”

Diana grinned back at Aenid, the small gesture filling his belly with renewed conviction to fight the Sirens’ call. “Take us in, captain,” she said warmly, before spinning on the spot and marching down the deck towards the bow. “Focus on Saph’s song! Trust in her plan! Do not look at the light! Look to your comrades, look to your tasks, look to me – look only at what gives you strength, and you will be strong! Together, we will weather this night! Together, we will end the song!”

Once more, fierce cheers greeted the Amazon’s words. The master of their fates, the killer of gods, the mistress of the ocean itself had returned to walk amongst the men once more. The omen was undeniable, verging on a pure religious experience for the crew.

Now, more than ever, they would not break.

Aenid took a firm grip back of the steering oar, hastily yanking it to one side to avoid the rocky shallows that loomed ahead of them, pulling the ship into a perilous near-miss. He set his jaw as he kept his gaze from straying up to look at the lighthouse, focusing instead on the growing shores of the dark island. With a master sailor’s prowess, he weaved the ship in the dark through the maze of rocky outcrops that ringed the island like a dreadful crown. The broken ribs and masts of countless less fortunate ships were visible among the jagged rocks. Aenid shivered at the near escape.

Though the Siren song howled around the ship louder and louder, the crew fought the music with orchestrated unity and re-forged determination. It was the young Lesbian who acted as the bulwark they all needed, playing her own graceful, flowing song to chase away the sound of the choir. As the Sirens’ call grew louder, so too did Sappho’s beautiful tune. Before long, the crew were hammering their weapons in concert with her, laughing and cheering as she encouraged their involvement.

As the crew followed Sappho’s lead the young woman began to sing. Her voice was delicate and sweet, wonderfully matching the music of her lyre. She sang Poseidon’s prayer for safe passage, and danced between the raiders encouraging them to join in. After one full rendition, Sappho began the song anew, and her voice was joined by several men, and then by several more, until the whole crew were belting out the song in unison.

Aenid joined the choir himself, adding his voice to their discordant, jovial din. He laughed with the crew as they botched their timings in the choruses, and shared their mutual elation of finding safe shelter from the enchanting song crashing around the ship.

Only Diana did not join the choir. Unlike everyone else on board, who averted their gazes for all that they were worth, Diana stood at the bow of the ship staring out at the island. Staring at the dozens upon dozens of wrecked vessels that wreathed the island, grimly decorating each strut of its crown, each bathed in the bewitched light of the beacon.

As they began to slide between the wrecked ships, the Siren’s song suddenly stopped altogether, cutting to silence as the beacon atop the lighthouse winked out, plunging the world back into the dark of night.

The crew cheered triumphantly at the end of the Sirens’ call. All over the deck, the raiders clasped each other’s hands as they shared the victory, hooting and laughing with palpable relief. Sappho ran between each man, throwing her arms around them and hugging them, and they returned her affection sincerely, cheering for her musical talents.

In each of their own ways, they thanked her for orchestrating their salvation – for there was no doubt, ultimately, whose victory this was.

Aenid smiled widely as he watched it all, heartened by the impossible sight of the girl sharing such genuine affection with the pirates. He leaned back heavily on the steering oar, sighing with weary relief. “Looks like the harpies gave up,” he muttered with a euphoric chuckle, “Thank the gods. Thank the bloody gods.” He nudged the prone boy at his feet, “The girl did good, eh lad?”

“Gave up?” Perion replied absently as he dragged himself back to his feet alongside Aenid. The sea captain felt his heart sink as he saw the boy’s eyes were still staring up at the top of the lighthouse, now just a black silhouette. He spoke flatly with no emphasis or inflection on any of his words, yet they were somehow said as if he were explaining to a child.“Captain, they stopped calling us because we’ve arrived.”

The boy finally broke his gaze from the distant tower, turning his attention towards Diana. The Amazon had her back to the crew, not joining in at all with their wild celebrations. Slowly, her gaze moved from the litany of shipwrecks up towards where the beacon had burned. Her fists were clenched and then, gradually, they relaxed. Her shoulders drooped a fraction.

She was shivering.

“They demanded that we deliver their sacrifice – and we did. None of us are leaving this island.”
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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Fucking mesmerizing, Void! You captured the experience with intricate wordplay and muscular moments of dire peril. The attraction of the song and then the lighthouse pulled me through the chapter like a man possessed. Incredibly managed and delivered. Bravo! Author! Author!
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Wow, thanks so much guys. Again, coming from you guys, it's priceless feedback. :blush:

I was struck down with the lurgy twice this last month and I confess I used my time unwisely. Massive apologies for such an anaemic update and on it being so late. The hope was to tie this all up with this update, but I've badly missed that boat. But we really have reached the finale now, and I had more written for this update that doesn't read right yet, so I promise I'll stop hogging the story after the next update.

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Superb descriptions of the Siren's Isle -I practically felt drawn to the island myself! Brilliant job.
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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tallyho wrote:
6 years ago
Superb descriptions of the Siren's Isle -I practically felt drawn to the island myself! Brilliant job.
I was going to say a similar thing, the "I am there" sensation is quite pronounced with this part of the story! Great job Void!
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Thanks for commenting fellows. Where are you non contributors ? This is top notch writing, if you are enjoying it please take a moment to tell us

Void's fantastic journey continues ...but will this be the end for our Diana?


PART 22

Child

For a fleeting instant, Sappho had enjoyed the proudest moment of her life.

She had hatched a plan to thwart an ancient coven of demi-gods, cobbled together from her vague recollections of stories older than the Greek language itself. Captain Aenid and the crew of raiders had trusted her – a sheltered girl from Lesbos – to be responsible for their fates when they needed protection from the Sirens. In Diana’s absence, they had looked to her to fill the boots of the god-hero and defeat the Siren song – and, astoundingly, she had delivered.

The call of the Sirens had been like nothing Sappho had ever experienced, pulling at her in ways that made it difficult to stand. The song had promised such unspeakable things, and the temptation to explore them had been devastating. In truth, had Diana not been by her side she wasn’t totally sure she would have found the strength to resist the call, but, together, they had fought the song.

They fought the mythical call of the last Sirens - and they won.

The joy she had shared with the pirates when the song ceased had been the most precious moments of her life so far. She had never felt such kinship, nor such personal triumph, and she embraced the raiders like they were her own family as they revelled in their success.

It was a pure happiness that encapsulated everything she had hoped to find on this voyage – and it died the moment she laid eyes on the graveyard that surrounded them.

Wherever she looked, the black husks of ruined ships littered the water, little more than ghostly silhouettes in the dark. As they crept closer to the island their torchlight picked out more detail in the closest wrecks around them, and Sappho couldn’t help but inspect each rotten carcass as they passed.

The whole mood on deck gradually faded as even the raiders were cowed by the scale of the surrounding necropolis. The ribs of the ships hulls stretched to the heavens like pleading fingers, begging the Gods for a mercy that never came. The jovial banter became quieter and more forced, until eventually morbid silence ruled the deck. Sappho finally made herself look away as they reached shallower water, and their torchlight began to reveal human remains in the water, bones glowing ghostly white in the inky black liquid. A skull. A rib-cage. A hand.

They were everywhere.

She was suddenly glad that they were approaching the isle in the dark, and she shuddered as she considered how much more horrific the landscape would be if it were truly illuminated.

There was a lump in her throat as she approached Diana, standing vigil at the bow of the ship. The Amazon was absently rubbing her arms with her palms as she gazed up at the looming black shape of the lighthouse.

Sappho surveyed the warrior woman for a moment, taking comfort just from the sight of Diana. It was good to see Diana back on her feet again; to see the strength and life returned to her after the days spent groaning and unconscious after the fight with Proteus. Sappho head feared the worst when the Amazon collapsed, and the days spent nursing her had been equally terrifying. It had felt wrong to see such vulnerability from one so strong, but more than anything Sappho had feared that Diana would not wake – that she would watch the most amazing person on earth wither away before her eyes.

Now Diana was back, and everything was happening at once, and there was so very much that Sappho wanted to say to her.

The Lesbian cleared her voice awkwardly, “How many ships…?”

“Too many,” Diana replied coldly, a strange edge to her voice, “Hundreds of souls. Sailors, soldiers, merchants, pilgrims, pirates…,” The Amazon took a slow breath before continuing, “Families…” She shook her head ruefully, “Only the gods know how many, if any of them cared to count.”

Sappho stepped up alongside Diana, fighting the urge to embrace the other women as she heard the pain in her voice. “But no more,” she said warmly, “No more food for the carrion. “she drew in a deep breath “Not one more – we stop it tonight, right?”

Diana turned her gaze sideways to look at Sappho, a hint of surprise in her blue eyes. “…Aye, we do,” she answered softly.

Sappho smiled as she held the raven-haired woman’s gaze, feeling a strange fluttering in her stomach as Diana smiled back at her. In the flickering torchlight, with the wind gently tugging on her long raven locks, it struck Sappho that the Amazon was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The clean red line on her left cheek that marked where Proteus had cut her did nothing to mar her perfect features, instead contrasting with her pristine white skin in much the way that her crimson armour did.

“You are… You played wonderfully,” Diana said quietly, “I’ve never heard a finer musician. You did well, Saph – with the swords, with your plan, with my wounds… with everything. Thank you.”

Sappho blushed, her smile widening as she leaned in closer to the Amazon, “I should be the one thanking you for everything. You make me feel strong – you make me feel useful.”

Diana’s gaze strayed momentarily down from Sappho’s eyes to her lips. “You need me for neither of those things. You’ve been capable and brave from the moment I met you, but I’m glad you’re starting to realise your own worth.”

Sappho licked her lips nervously, once more drawing the Amazon’s gaze. “There’s a few things I’m starting to realise…” she said quietly, her voice somehow breathless.

Behind them both there were several loud splashes as the crew dumped the ship’s anchors into the sea, and the vessel shuddered to a halt. Diana’s face immediately hardened as she turned from Sappho to face the crew, and she marched down the deck to where captain Aenid awaited.

Sappho sighed as their exchange was cut short, biting her lip with frustration as she watched Diana walk away. Watching her move now, Sappho noticed the Amazon carried a slight limp from where Proteus had cut her right thigh, the wound itself hidden beneath a dressing of white cloth. The sight made her stomach knot with anxiety, reminding her that Diana was entirely mortal and that she wasn’t fully fit for whatever awaited her in the dark tower.

Aenid stood with the gathered raiders, helping them see to their youngest member, Perion. The boy was sickly pale and shivering, mumbling incoherently as he rocked back and forth on the deck, staring wistfully up at the lighthouse.

Noticing Diana’s approach, Aenid gave her a respectful nod as he stepped away from the hobbled boy. “We’ve arrived. Trying to crawl any further in risks stranding us – I’ve already taken too many risks bringing us in this close.” The captain sniffed as he gestured at the looming island, “Welcome to Scarabus.”

Diana inclined her head towards Perion, “What’s wrong with the boy?”

Aenid gave a shrug, “I assume the same thing that was wrong with all these sorry souls before their end.” He scratched at his beard as he scanned around the crew, “The boy may be the only one showing it, but I think the truth is that we all feel a bit like he looks.” He shook his head ruefully, his eyes tired and distant, “The Siren call was pure poison. If you and the girl hadn’t rallied us, we’d all have been trapped like this. I never knew such toxic madness existed…”

The captain hesitated as he turned his gaze to examine Diana, looking her up and down with concern. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Diana answered evenly, swatting the question aside just a little too quickly, “You all did well – you can be proud of your victory here today. Truly. Take the boy below deck and see that he is comfortable; his fever will pass with time.” Diana made sure to look each man in the eye before she went on, giving them each a moment of acknowledgement, “Remain vigilant while I am ashore – I intend for the Sirens to never call out again, but I can’t promise you are safe until I am back on board when this is done.”

Aenid narrowed his eyes as he listened, his expression troubled. “We’re all to wait here? You’re going to them alone?”

Diana nodded but was interrupted before she could speak.

“You aren’t going alone,” Sappho said quietly from behind the Amazon. “Don’t think we’ll let you face those monsters by yourself.”

Aenid’s worn expression broke into a grin as he heard Sappho speak, and his face lit up as he caught her eyes. “Aye – I seem to remember a promise that you would slay me on the shores of this wretched place.” He made an elaborate show of looking at his feet, “And I’m close, but I’m not quite there yet, eh? You don’t strike me as a promise-breaker.”

Diana shook her head, giving Sappho a piercing look that took all of her courage to hold, “This is my fight – I can’t promise your safety on that island. The Sirens will look to hurt you, and that’s not a price I’m willing to pay.”

Sappho clenched her fists, a sudden burst of anger bubbling up from her chest, “It’s my price to pay; not yours. I’ve seen what these creatures have done, and I would happily pay my life to see that they never do it again.” The fire in her voice surprised even her, but she went on, “I know I can’t fight battles or even much defend myself, but I can help fight the song, can’t I?” She stepped closer to Diana, looking at her imploringly, “I can help protect you from their song. Please, please don’t face it alone.”

Aenid rubbed the bristles of his chin as he spoke up, “Besides, if you fail and the Sirens start bloody singing again, I don’t think we’re getting away from this island. Nowhere is safe for miles in all directions until the Sirens are gone.” He forced a laugh, barely hiding his growing apprehension, “Not to mention, if they start singing at all while you’re ashore, I’m not certain we would resist it a second time anyways – the girl might yet be safest at your side.”

Diana was still shaking her head as she held Sappho’s gaze, but her expression had softened. There was pain in her expression. Doubt. Uncertainty.

Please.

After a tense silence the Amazon sighed, relaxing her shoulders a fraction, “You escort me to the Sirens and then Salides escorts you right back to the ship, understand?”

Sappho opened her mouth to protest but Diana raised a hand to silence her, “Once I am close to them, I will keep them from singing again - and I will slay them. At that point you would only be a hindrance to me, because I would die before I see them hurt you, and, please understand, they will want to hurt you.” Diana approached the Lesbian as she spoke, until she was close enough to grasp Sappho by her shoulders, gripping her tenderly, “You outperformed them,” she whispered, “They will go straight for you.”

Sappho searched the other woman’s eyes for a moment before relenting, “Fine, but if you don’t stop them from singing, I’ll be coming right back.”

Diana frowned, “You’re frustratingly stubborn, did you know that?”

“Can’t for the life of me think where she’s learned it from,” Aenid quipped, matching Sappho’s wide grin when she met eyes with him again.

Diana turned to face the captain, “You remember your promise to keep her safe?”

Aenid nodded, “Aye.”

“I expect you to keep that promise.”

The captain nodded again, “I’ll keep my promise just as you keep yours. I’ll keep the girl from harm – just see to it that you are ready for those damned harpies. I nearly lost my senses half-glimpsing them from miles away… I don’t know how you intend to face them in person.”

Diana hesitated, absently turning her head to look back at the dark silhouette of the lighthouse. Aenid and Sappho both shared a worried look before Diana spoke again, “Leave that burden to me.” A slight shiver went through her body as she spoke, giving her voice a subtle quiver. “Gather what you need and let’s go.”

She turned to Necklen, “You don’t have my permission to cast off until Saph is back on board the ship, but see to it that you are ready to leave with all haste when the time comes. Do you understand?”

The raider licked his teeth as he considered her words, “I understand, my lady. We won’t let you down.”

Diana smiled, gripping his arm lightly as she passed him to go and retrieve her weapons, “I know you won’t.”

Necklen turned from the Amazon to regard captain Aenid. The two unkempt men shared a respectful nod before Aenid offered his hand and Necklen clasped it.

“You sail well, captain,” said Necklen, drawing grunts of agreement from the gathered raiders.

Aenid grinned, “Aye, and you are a fine crew. Finest I ever had who also tried to execute me.”

A smattering of chuckles bubbled from the crew, but Necklen wasn’t smiling. The raider tightened his grip on Aenid’s hand.

“Die well, captain.”

The words were repeated by several of the men around them, echoing the phrase over and over as they lowered their heads.

Sappho could see the colour drain slightly from Aenid’s face, but the captain otherwise perfectly masked his dread. He forced a wide smile back, turning to look at each of his motley crew of pirates – men who had become true comrades over the course of the journey here.

“Live well, miscreants. There’s still time.”

Any misgivings Aenid had about leaving them were dissipated when he heard Necklen bark orders.

“YOU HEARD OUR CAPTAIN! HE WANTS THIS REED BOAT READY FOR SAIL ON HIS COMMAND! BIND CLOTH ABOUT YOUR EARS IN CASE THE WITCHES SING AGAIN, AYE AND STUFF THEM TOO WITH RAGS! KEEP A LOOK TO EACH MAN! AS NIGHT DRAWS ON THE WIND WILL HEAD OFFSHORE! LETS EDGE THIS SHIP AROUND TO FACE OUT TO SEA! WE MAY NEED TO LEAVE IN A HURRY! LOOK LIVELY THERE YOU DOGS!” he shouted.

Necklen turned to call after Aenid “She'll be ready captain, or else we'll all be dead”.

Aenid wished he hadn't said that last remark. As he headed inland with the two women, he found himself wishing a lot of things. Crabs scuttled over the carcasses, a rattling sound in the darkness as they moved over bone and rock, some of the fresher bodies clearly bloated with maggots. The gulls that were disturbed by their march were grown fat on the flesh of the dead. They moved slowly out of the way and called irritably to each other at being disturbed just as they settled down for the night. He swiped a torch at one with a loud curse and sent it lumbering into the air with a noisy flapping of wings and a caw of disapproval. Diana glanced over her shoulder at the sound.

He looked at her sheepishly.

“Luckily we have already lost the element of surprise....” she said drily, a flicker of a smile on her features picked out in yellow from the torchlight. It lasted but an instant before she turned back to the way ahead

Aenid smiled back, though she didnt see it, her jest easing the mood. He felt better now. Even if he was following her to the grave.

*****

Patriarch

As they made landfall on the dark isle, thunder rolled and gathered about the isolated speck of land. Thunderheads boiled upwards to the heavens as the rain fell and flashes of lightning picked out the shattered ribs of the shipwrecks like monstrous dead leviathans.

On Olympus, the cause of the thunder clenched his fist in his throne room.

Head still bowed he flicked a gaze up from angry eyes beneath his heavy brow. Hermes caught the gaze and nodded curtly. He left and returned a few moments later with another god. They approached the throne and bowed as lesser deities backed away, bowing towards the throne as they turned and left.

"My son" Zeus addressed the new arrival."He who touches all mortals"

"Lord Father." The newcomer bowed. "Not all, my King"

"No?" Zeus said in surprise.

"Infants who die in childbirth never know my touch"

"Just so." Zeus conceded. " You have seen what is transpiring in the realm of man?" The younger god shook his head.

" My wife, my daughters all conspire against my will and now my own brother plays his game...."

"Hades, Lord?"

"No...no....my brother of the deeps, Lord Poseidon. He too plays with the wretched girl... but to what end? All are tugging at the strings of their puppet...yet she would not dance for me, ME the Lord of the Gods! The whore had the audacity to refuse me! Curse her!" Zeus muttered irritably.

"I do not know the will of my uncle..." The god said "and my duties among the mortals prevent my gazing at the watching pool. I know little of what has transpired..."

"Indeed my son. You remember we spoke a short while ago, when I detained you in my hall after all had left? Well...since then things have moved on a pace."

"You wish me to do as we discussed then, Great Father?"

Zeus nodded, his eyes closed in thought , his thumb at his temple, his finger tapping at his brow.

He sighed heavily and opened his eyes. "Yes, my Lord Hypnos, I do."

"And what of current events, my Lord?"

"Let them play out as the Morai decree... it may be that you will be needed... it may be that you are not. But either way... you will be ready."

"Yes my Lord. I, Hypnos, God of Sleep, await your command."

*****

Lay your burden down, my dear, come out of the cold,
You are here, we are waiting, step into our fold,
Relinquish your pain and sorrow, let go your shame,
You have won your victory, now bask in our flame,
Sigh sweetly in our caress, rest gently in release,
Embrace your true desire, let yourself know peace,
Lay your burden down, my dear, you are weary and so weak,
Lay your burden down, my dear and softly fall to sleep.


*****

Puppet

The journey to the lighthouse had been muted and grim.

Amazon, poet, and captain said barely a word to each other as they waded ashore from their ship, struggling in torchlight to step between the macabre remains of the Sirens’ previous victims. Even for Diana, who had seen more than any mortal’s fair share of atrocity, it was distressing enough to make her feel weak at the knees. The shear scale of the horror committed by the harpies was staggering to her, and to physically walk over it was almost too much to bear.

Salides initially tried to lighten the mood with a joke or a grumble, taking Diana's lead, but the captain had little stomach for levity, and by the fourth corpse he accidentally stumbled over he fell silent altogether. To her great credit, the Lesbian girl kept herself from weeping, though on several occasions she would cry out as a new heart-rending horror would surprise her soft nature.

The sombre mood only worsened as they headed inshore. The grizzly sights became more frequent and less concealed.

The stench of death became nauseating, mixing with the fresh salt air smell of the sea.

It didn’t take long before Saph and Salides began ignoring the bodies along their journey altogether, doing all that they could not to witness each distressing tableau. They kept their focus only on following Diana’s torch and on each new step they took.

Diana committed each victim to memory as she passed them. She shuddered as she remembered Poseidon’s words, imagining that most of these helpless travellers had simply wasted away to nothing as they were enthralled by the Sirens’ charms.

It was unforgiveable. No creature deserved such an undignified, hopeless end. It was wanton, bewildering cruelty, and Diana made sure not to turn away from any of it.

They had to be avenged. Diana silently pledged it to each wretched husk she passed, asking Nemesis for strength. They would all be avenged.

Their morbid journey took them up a series of steps cut into the stone of the island, winding back and forth up the rocky cliffs. The path was wide enough only for one person, and Diana made sure to slow the pace so that Saph could climb safely, often stopping to offer her hand to the brown-haired girl on especially steep portions.

It wasn’t until they reached the base of the lighthouse that anyone spoke again.

Naturally, it was Salides.

“Well,” he puffed as he climbed the final step, raising his head to look up at the towering stone building, “This place is truly awful. It’s even worse than I imagined it would be. I’m so glad I get to die here – I guess I’ll fit right in, eh?”

Diana grunted with amusement, feeling oddly uneasy as she surveyed the lighthouse. “I gave you the chance to die upon your own ship,” she replied casually. Studying the large square tower as she spoke.

“Yes, that was very kind of you,” Salides quipped, rubbing at his bleary eyes as he hunched down to catch his breath, taking a swig from a small wine skin flask at his hip, offering it to Sappho who shook her head.

Sappho’s eyes were wide as she carefully approached an open archway into the lighthouse, nervously gripping her hands into her chiton dress. “Do you think they’re waiting for us?”

They’re waiting for me.

“Yes,” Diana said quietly, stepping past Saph and lighting the way ahead with her torch. The lighthouse was much larger than it seemed from a distance, the walls stretching away in a rough square approximately 60 feet across. The large chamber glittered as it caught the torchlight, revealing huge mounds of gold, silver and bronze covering the floor of the chamber like sand dunes would a desert. A dazzling array of metals and precious stones gleamed back the torchlight in a myriad of new hues.

“Zeus’s beard,” Salides gasped, hefting his own torch to help light the heaps of treasure, “What is this?”

“Wealth,” Saph muttered contemptuously, her dark eyes burning with anger. “Stupid, pointless, worthless wealth.”

Diana nodded as her sharp eyes began to pick out more details around the giant chamber. “They took more than the lives of the travellers they murdered here... They took everything you can take from a person. Stay behind me.”

She swallowed hard as she led the way into the lighthouse, revealing more and more of the chamber ahead with her light. A dark wooden staircase jutted from the walls of the great chamber, spiralling up and up towards the beacon, leaving a vast empty space overhead that reached as high as the tower was tall. Ahead, the focal point of the chamber was a large stone fountain upon a raised platform. Wisps of steam were barely visible rising from the water of the fountain, speaking silently of an unnatural warmth to the water. All around the stone chamber there were toppled and ruined statues of the Olympians. A towering statue of Poseidon that had stood vigil over the fountain now lay as a desecrated mockery on the floor, holding up the choice riches of the Sirens in his outstretched hands.

Only the statues of Aphrodite remained unharmed. Either side of the fountain, two freshly carved statues of the goddess stood triumphant, each an exquisitely cast wonder bedecked in the rarest jewellery.

Diana furrowed her brow as she focused on the fountain ahead, feeling like she recognised it from somewhere. She was unable to shake a needling sense that something was badly wrong here.

She didn’t feel totally right; she didn’t feel totally herself. She was tired and light-headed, as though she still hadn’t slept a night since the morning before she confronted Proteus. Her thoughts had been muddled and slow from the moment she awoke, and her mind kept wandering back to the Siren call they had resisted to reach the island.

It had sounded familiar to her. Why had it sounded familiar?

A delicate hand gripped her shoulder, causing Diana to jump with surprise.

“Are you okay?” Saph asked, her voice thick with concern, “You look… confused.”

Diana hesitated, unsure how to answer the question even if she was being honest. “I… I don’t…”

The Amazon shook her head as she tried to clear her thoughts, having to reach out to the wall next to her for balance as the motion made her feel dizzy. She looked back at Saph in alarm as a terrible realisation gripped her, “Proteus said that the Sirens sang to him.”

Saph raised her eyebrows in confusion, “Huh?”

Damn it. I’ve been a fool.

“They sang to Proteus,” Diana repeated, turning from the Lesbian to look around the room, scanning for monsters in the dark. “How did they do that? From different islands so far apart?”

Salides scoffed, “What are you talking about? The man was a god of the sea – he probably came here often. What does it matter?”

Saph shook her head, “No, Proteus was in exile – he never left Pharos.” She reached for the Amazon again, “What is it Diana? What’s wrong?”

Diana blanched, feeling like she was trying to recall a dream, days after waking. She locked eyes back on the Lesbian, unable to hide her dismay, “I think they’ve been singing to me... I think they’ve been calling me here.”

Salides rounded on them both, “What? For how long?”

From the beginning.”

The sultry, otherworldly voice echoed from somewhere above them, its melodic tone hideously pleasing on the ear.

All around the chamber torches sprang into life, their flames throbbing an ethereal purplish glow up the length of the tower. The light reflected from the piles of precious metals, making the whole floor of the chamber glow like a crackling fire.

In perfect, synchronised unison, the Sirens descended from the ceiling, flying upon shimmering wings of radiant feathers. The speed and grace of their flight was mesmerising as they whirled through the air and landed together in front of the fountain. Their billowing robes of pure white trailed behind them and settled immaculately over their voluptuous bodies as they came to a stop, revealing tantalising glimpses of their pristine, oiled skin.

There were three of them; each a tall, unspeakably elegant creature of effortless poise. Each wore an exotic tattoo that snaked across their bodies, glowing and shifting from one pleasing pattern into another. Each stood upon gleaming talons that looked more precious than any of the metals or stones around the chamber. Each wore a lavish array of jewellery upon their divine bodies, each adding to their visage like an artist’s brushstroke to a masterwork. Each gazed back at Diana with piercing eyes of swirling colour.

Their faces were different, but each was as exquisitely formed as the other – personifying the very concept of beauty. Only their hair truly marked them apart, with the Siren standing tallest in the middle sporting fiery long locks of red hair, while her flanking sisters were fair. One of the blonde sisters framed her face with a short bob of hair, while the other wore an intricately braided ponytail that curled down to her ankles.

The sight of three of them was literally breath-taking, having an almost physical force to it that made it difficult for Diana to draw breath.

Behind the Amazon, Salides fell to his knees as he gazed upon the Sirens, his eyes wide and hungrily drinking in every aspect of the creatures before him. Tiny, guttural noises escaped his throat as he struggled to process what he was seeing, sounding more like terror than anything else. Next to the captain, Saph stared up in slack-jawed shock at the creatures, her hands absently toying with the throat of her dress as she took shallow breaths that puffed her flushed cheeks.

Diana narrowed her eyes up at the creatures, doing her best to look past their bewitching appearance and instead measure them as opponents.

They are fast. They fly. They are unarmed. They are confident. They are beautiful. They are so very beautiful…

Diana growled with frustration, angry at her own distraction. She glared at the red-haired Siren in the middle, the simple act making her vision blur in and out as though she were facing a searing blaze.

Focus. Parlour tricks and witchery is all this is. Rise above this.

The Siren smiled sweetly down at Diana, looking back at the Amazon with naked desire. Diana recognised the woman’s face, recognised her devastating smile, recognised the feeling of pure, primal attraction – and it confirmed her worst fears.

“You’ve been in my dreams,” Diana accused, taking strength from the revelation, “You’ve been reaching out to me.” She threw her torch down to the ground and drew her Spartan and Athenian blades, taking comfort from the weight of the chipped swords as she brandished them, “Whatever games you’ve been playing, they will not save you. By the will of Poseidon, and as retribution for your manifold crimes, I have come to slay you.”

The Siren chuckled, fluttering her wings behind her playfully, “Such fierce words from a supplicant. We will hear sweeter words from you soon enough, Diana of Themiscyra.”

“You will die soon enough, Thelxephone,” Diana spat back, wielding the Siren’s name like a dagger.

The Siren arched her brow with amusement as her sisters giggled enticingly, “You know my name? Old Proteus surrendered a rare gift unto you, I see. Then allow me to complete this symphony,” she gestured a clawed fingertip towards her sister with the long ponytail, “Hail to Auris, and,” she pointed back around to the short-haired sister, “to Lidia.”

The temptresses bowed together before springing off the platform with such speed that Diana’s eyes struggled to track them, flying in graceful arcs before landing in an even spread across the chamber floor. Their talons clinked rhythmically as they walked over their piles of treasure, each swaying seductively as they approached.

Diana took two efforts to draw a deep breath as her eyes darted between the approaching Sirens, trying to assess them as she would any foe but struggling to think clearly.

“They’re coming,” Saph said dumbly from beside Diana, her eyes locked with those of Lidia, who stared back lustfully at her. She tried to unsling her lyre, but was reaching for the wrong shoulder and ended up idly caressing her own neck, biting her lip as she was held entranced by the Siren. “Gods, they’re coming.”

“Di… Diana,” Salides stuttered, struggling to rise back to his feet as he kept his head bowed to look at his feet, “What… What do we do?”

They’re so fast, Diana considered desperately, having to fight against herself to illicit the coherent thought, I can’t keep them all back. She saw the fascination upon Lidia’s face as she gazed at Saph, knowing immediately that the creature would pursue the girl if it had the chance.

“Run.”

Saph turned from the approaching Sirens to look at Diana, fear breaking her from her trance, “What?”

Diana turned quickly to haul Salides back to his feet, “You run. You go back to the ship as fast as your legs will carry you. You keep your promise.”

Saph was suddenly close to panic, “No, we stay and fight with you. We protect you from the song – we stand together. You need us here.”

The clinking approach of the Sirens drew closer from over Diana’s shoulder, getting faster all the time.

No no no no no.

“They’ll kill you,” Diana said hastily, grabbing Saph by her slender shoulders and roughly jerking her around towards Salides, “They’ll kill you and I can’t stop them. Please go. Please. There’s no time.”

Saph’s face quivered with turmoil as she looked from Diana’s pleading eyes to the grinning creatures prowling toward them over her shoulder. “Don’t do this. Don’t face them alone. Let us help you – we can do this.”

Stupid girl. Don’t die for me.

Diana shoved Saph back and turned to the dazed captain, “Salides?” She struck his face with the hilt of her Spartan blade to stir him, “Focus, solider. You swore me a promise – do you understand?”

Salides’ mouth twitched as he looked back at Diana, shuddering as he fought to stifle his terror, “Diana… I… Yes, I understand.”

“Then fulfill your promise. Protect Saph.”

Salides risked a look back at the Sirens, now barley a dozen feet away, “But…”

There’s no time. Hera, there’s no time.

“GO!” Diana bellowed, striking Salides once more.

Suddenly the Sirens were running, gliding across their treasure with such speed that their footfalls sounded like hundreds of spilling coins. Diana flashed around to meet them, whirling her blades to ward Auris back as she dived in before turning to parrying Thelxephone’s talons, clashing as though crossing steel. Thelxephone laughed as her wings held her aloft while she whirled her legs back and forth, gracefully wielding her talons as well as any swordsman.

Diana pushed the creature back before diving to her side and intercepting Lidia as she shot forward towards Saph, forcing the creature into an elaborate dance of evasions and counters with her glittering talons.

Auris re-joined the fight in a blurry rush, arriving like a bolt of lightning as she forced Diana to contend with her talons along with those of her sister. Lidia stayed in the dance for a second longer before swooping over Diana’s head and diving back down towards the awestruck Lesbian. The Amazon was ready for the move, and launched herself backwards as soon as Lidia was airborne, retreating from the fight with Auris so that she could turn and hurl her lasso after the creature.

She snared Lidia’s right ankle and heaved backwards on the rope, pulling her away just as she came within touching distance of Saph's face. The Siren howled with frustration, twirling as she was drawn backwards to disentangle herself from the lasso and use her backward momentum to fling herself back into conflict with Diana. In a heartbeat she was once more flanked by both Sirens, spinning and weaving between their talons as she struck back at them with her two blades.

“SALIDES!” Diana roared, “MOVE!”

Belatedly, Salides tore his gaze from the spectacle of the fight and ran for Saph. The Lesbian was clutching at her lyre, looking despondently at Diana’s plight with the Sirens.

“No,” she muttered, “They want us to go… They want us to go…”

“Sorry girl,” Salides mumbled as he hurled into her and heaved her over his shoulder, “I’m so sorry – I swore an oath.”

“No!” Saph screamed, beating on his shoulders as he ran with her towards the archway. The girl looked desperately back at Diana with tears in her eyes, “No! Don’t do this! This is what they want!”

I know, but you will live.

“Diana!”

The Amazon kicked a shower of golden coins into the air in the direction of the sirens, and as they blanched she chanced a quick look from her fight to see her companions escaping through the archway, feeling a rush of relief that allowed her to fight now with greater focus on her adversaries. After a dazzling series of counters and ripostes that flowed between the fighters like a rehearsed dance, the Sirens broke from the fight to each fly backwards several meters.

Diana was breathing hard as she snapped her head from side to side to track the two Sirens before her, the third circling above them at a distance. She was doing her best to ignore the searing pain from exerting her wounded thigh. The reprieve from the fight allowed her a moment to regroup, and she accepted each second of it gratefully as she laboured to control her breathing.

My, my, you are quite the hero,” Thelxephone chided from overhead, content to have watched the majority of the fight play out. “Strong. Skilled. Selfless. Brave. Beautiful.” She licked her dark lips, “You are all that we hoped you were.”

Diana looked up defiantly at the red-haired temptress, “You will feel differently when you start dying.”

The three Sirens chuckled mischievously at her threat, the sweet noise echoing all around the Amazon.

There’s no need to be coy now, Diana,” Thelxephone teased as she came to a soft landing atop a pile of gold ahead of the Amazon, “We’re all alone – you don’t have to be strong. You don’t have to pretend to be anything more than the obedient doll that you truly are.”

“I am no doll,” Diana retorted, though the words didn’t leave her lips as confidently as she intended. “I am an avenger for all your innocent victims.” She tightened her grip on her battered swords, drawing resolve from the memory of all the desiccated husks that wreathed the island.

Thelxephone gave a demure shrug, “None of your kind are innocent. You are all fickle, selfish, greedy creatures. You should all be so fortunate to die in blissful sacrifice to something truly pure – as you will soon appreciate.”

Diana bared her teeth, having to fight against her outrage to keep her composure, “The gods should have struck you down long ago.” She began striding towards the crimson-haired Siren, “But I am here now, and your cruel vanity is at an end. The games are over.”

Thelxephone beamed a wide, dirty smile as the Amazon charged up the pile of gold towards her, “Oh, my dear, we both know the games have just begun.”

At Diana’s back, the other two Sirens took to the air and flew after her.

And all three creatures broke into song.

Your hour of sacrifice is at hand.”
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

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Sargeant
Sargeant
Posts: 140
Joined: 10 years ago

Alright, so I'd make a terrible scout - or at least certainly not an honourable one - but there was just a little too much to squeeze into this update for someone who manages their time as hideously as I do. Sorry I keep droning on, but we are definitely, incontrovertibly at the last section now. Hopefully the pay off will be worth all the words to get here. In hindsight, I think I have to put my hands up and admit I bloated the story by trying to cram in too much - back at the start I chained together the core events and then somehow thought I would fit that into 20 000 words or less, which I know now was very naïve. Still, it's been a fun ride - I think I'm going to be sad to part ways with Diana.

On a side note: I always wanted to end a chapter with the line: 'And then they all broke into song,' so that's something I can scratch off my writing bucket list!
Lost in the night, and there is no morning.
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