Part 3
“Farewell, my daughter. You are truly the bravest of us all.”
The words of Hippolyta echoed through the vast cavern beneath Themyscira. Every Amazon had gathered to bid their princess farewell. Since Diana’s birth, she had been their sister in every sense of the word- training, praying and celebrating right alongside them all. When she had left for Man’s World, Hippolyta had not been the only Amazon to miss her.
Clark stood alone as the only man on their island; he was a stranger there, but Diana had allowed him to accompany her, he was welcome among the Amazons.
The great doors of Tartarus were thrown wide open, the eternal fires within were enough to warm the entire cavern but Clark felt a bitter chill in his chest.
Ares had stepped forward only moments before; he stood within the flames but did not step across the threshold of the doorway between the two worlds. The god had said nothing. Clark knew about his involvement in building the Annihilator armor, but he had never seen the Ares with his own eyes.
The God of War did not disappoint; Ares had a cruelly handsome face, oddly both rugged and refined. Slanted eyes the color of a tropical blue sky added a slightly exotic appeal to the god’s expression, and his generous mouth quirked at the corner in a small, triumphant smile.
Clark wondered for a moment if the gods had a choice of what appearance their bodies could take, and if so, why would Ares have chosen the form of a handsome blond man? Wouldn’t a raging bull have been more fitting? Or living fire or a warhorse? Why a human, why take the form of something Clark had sworn his life to protect?
He didn’t want to protect Ares- if he had the power, Clark would have ripped the god apart.
Before the great gate, Diana embraced her mother and then strode toward Ares. Her stride was full of purpose; Clark knew she was terrified but she would never show it, not to Ares, not now.
Diana looked back at Clark one last time before disappearing into the flames of Tartarus.
The great gates swung shut. The cavern was cold once again.
Clark felt the earth shift under his feet, his knees almost buckled as his mind swam. Diana had sacrificed herself, walked straight into hell. She was as good as dead and he had only stood by and watched it happen.
I let this happen! I could have stopped her, I could have…could have…
He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Hippolyta.
The woman was a beauty, a fine-boned, elegant queen. No line marred her face but there was no question that she was the oldest of the Amazons; the truth of her experience crossed through her voice, her every word was a wealth of cool authority.
“Thank you for escorting Diana back to Themyscira, Superman. It comforts me to know that she has a friend in you.” The queen’s words were formal but her eyes held tears. One slid down her cheek and she hurriedly brushed it away.
He blinked at what she’d said, trying to focus even as a pain was expanding in his chest. “Why did this happen? This isn’t right, she didn’t have to do this-”
The queen raised a hand to his words. “The whims of the gods are fickle and not for us to question. If Diana survives this trial she will be granted a great reward.”
Clark stood, shocked at what she’d said. “What reward could be worth all this?”
Hippolyta took a deep breath. The man was a stranger to her, true, but she knew her daughter trusted him and Diana was nothing if not a good judge of character. Superman was a great friend to all Amazons. She knew the man’s feelings of anger, of frustration that he was helpless to protect Diana. She shared his feelings but her emotions were tenfold in strength; after all, he was Diana’s friend, but she was Diana’s mother.
Watching Diana walk into the flames was torture, but Hippolyta was queen and had to remain in control for the sake of the remaining Amazons. They needed her strength to draw upon for themselves. Hippolyta would be free to cry when she was alone at night.
“It will be for the gods to decide. Come, Superman. You will stay on as the honored guest of our absent princess.”
“Thank you, but I really should be-”
“I insist.”
“Yes ma’am.”
