| THE LORELEI SIGNAL |
.
| Written by J. C. Lee / Artwork by Holly Eddy |
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| Broken Vows |
The waves crashed against the seawall as the lady of the house sat in quiet contemplation. The screech of a scavenging
gull, though loud enough to attract attention, went unnoticed by the somber woman blankly staring at the swirling foam,
bubbling and crackling, on the black water hundreds of yards below.
She had loved the sea once. Standing on a distant shore staring out at its vastness, she had longed to touch the horizon, to
be a part of something beyond her tiny isle. Never had she expected her salvation to come in the form of a man. The man
would be her husband and all she knew would be abandoned for his sake.
He came from across the ocean seeking an island that inspired both wonder and fear. Even the most experienced sailor
would not travel within fifty miles of the dreaded place, for it inhabitants were savage manhaters and cruelly tortured any
who dared to violate their ever-fluctuating boundaries. And yet he came in defiance of all that was reasonable. He had
gently taken her hand and promised the adventure of a lifetime. Hippolyta smirked in disgust at his forgotten pledge. "He
failed to mention the adventures would be all his while I played the part of the doting wife."
Gazing at her husband across the room, she allowed her anger to dissipate somewhat. She had come to love him, and was
in fact, happy for many years. She had ruled hand-in-hand with her husband for over a decade. He had never questioned
her authority or her capabilities. If anyone were to blame for her complacency, the Queen could only look to herself as the
culprit. She had simply found it easier to blend with "civilized" society rather change it. It was a momentous undertaking to
single-handedly empower all of womankind, especially when most did not wish to be empowered. I made a mistake in
that The Queen shook her head at the floor. Perhaps, I wouldn't be so unhappy now if I had tried to show them a different
way. She glanced at her husband silently paging through a stack of papers while a plump steward, glistened nervously
nearby. Maybe, I wouldn't be married -- or even here at all. The Queen's chuckle was reserved and only slightly frantic.
There had been a time when that mattered. To not be here meant banishment from the world. Now, exile from this place
was so tenuous a dream, she barely dared to think it -- let alone give her desires voice.
The sound of the swollen waves breaking loudly against the stonekeep interrupted her retrospection. Opting not to return
to her seat by the window, the Queen felt a ripple of unrest travel up her spine then, like the waters outside, quickly
recede. Turning her back on the sea she surveyed the interior of her habitat. The room was irritatingly pleasant; not a
single object had escaped dusting; no chair was out of place, the tapestries even matched the furniture. She wanted to
scream at its perfection. Everything about the inviting chamber annoyed her, right down to the cozy fire modestly popping
beneath a polished mantle.
Shaking her head in quiet disgust, she looked to her aging husband. His days of wandering the earth in search of adventure
were over. She smirked at his vanity. But you refuse to grow old gracefully. Her husband would never accept that his
great deeds were in the past. A collection of yes-men and a series of fabricated missions designed to feed his ego and
spare his worn out body were all that lay ahead for him.
Dismissing the secretary with a flick of his hand, Theseus stated, "There's a hunt tomorrow, dearest."
Grimacing to herself, she tried to sound interested. "Is there?"
As he often did, Theseus ignored her obvious disdain. "Yes, I've arranged it personally."
"Who else but you could -- or would? You are the King, after all," she answered in a tone more bitter than intended.
Unable to ignore her sourness, he waited for the door to click shut behind the retreating servant.
"Is there something wrong? You seem _irritate_ tonight."
In an act of trained avoidance, she answered, "No, there's nothing wrong, Theseus. I'm just feeling a little sad today."
There was no other word for it. She could think of many others to accompany the tiny adjective, but none were as all
encompassing. Its generality summed up her mood: The Queen is sad and that is all.
Theseus, seemingly satisfied by her generic confession, grinned, "Then the hunt is what you need. The thrill of the chase
and the joy of the kill -- it's enough to make any man happy."
"Not everyone loves the hunt as much as you do, Theseus." Hippolyta, pursing her lips, gave him an indulgent smile. "To
some it's just a waste."
"Bahh, never been on one is more like. Just don't know what they're missing."
"Or perhaps they don't see the point of death for death's sake."
"Dying is how we learn about living."
"We learn about life through living it not ending it."
"Hippolyta, I don't think you understand --"
She raised a halting hand. "No hunt for me, Theseus. I'm just not up to it."
Hoping to circumvent the fight to which such a conversation would inevitably lead, Theseus nodded. "As you wish, my
Queen."
Hippolyta's only response was to turn her back to him.
Staring at her somber figure, he cleared his throat. "Well, I have some things to see to
before bed, so --" Pressing a sickened hand to her lips, she waved him away with the other.
Pausing at their shared threshold, he added, "I do hope you feel better in the morning."
Hippolyta whispered to the shutting door. "And I hope I feel better _ever_ again."
#
The morning found Hippolyta's mood unchanged, if anything, her melancholy had deepened. Staring at the empty hall
before her, she pushed a rapidly cooling breakfast around on her ornate pewter plate. Hippolyta, seeking refuge from the
nagging sea, had uncharacteristically elected to take her morning meal in the royal dining room far from the waters that
could carry her home. The queen's mouth, as if pulled by the earth itself, curved into a frown. Home. Athens had never
been her home. "And it never will be."
She closed her eyes and pictured a long forgotten shore hedged by an untamed jungle. Gently parting the foliage the
former Amazon took a timid step into her past. Suddenly, the jungle was ripped from view; her mind became seized by a
thought so profound even her inner voice could not give it form. With silent determination, she cautiously reached for the
skittish profundity. Her mind stretched; understanding was close; just a moment more and its meaning would be in her
grasp. The Queen's body, frozen by the effort, strained to realize the concept that might change her life. Exodeuô.
But before the word was firm in her memory, the sound of the large wooden doors to the Great Hall slamming open,
ripped Hippolyta from her pursuit. Her imagined hand dropped with drained defeat as the spooked thought dissipated.
Theseus, eyes shining and grinning with his entire body, lifted his arms out to his sides, "Good morning, my Queen. I'm so
happy you decided to join us, after all."
Stiffly offering him a cheek, she masked her frustration at his ill-timed appearance. "I just wanted to see you off. I haven't
changed my mind." Giving her face a quick peck, he plopped down beside her. The chair groaned in protest. Even your
chair knows you're not the man you used to be.
"It's a delightful surprise, regardless of the reason. Though I am starting to become concerned that you're still not well?
You've never been sick more than a day in all the years I've known you. Even when you bore Hippolytus,"
Not wishing to involve their son in her problems, she snapped, "I'm not ill, Theseus. I'm just not interested in your hunt, all
right?"
Shocked by the Queen's harsh tone, the men flanking Theseus looked away. Their King, reddening with embarrassment,
responded through a forced smile, "Yes, that's fine, Hippolyta. I was merely concerned for my wife's health."
Hippolyta, initially angered by his possessive use of the phrase "my wife," allowed her eyes to soften. There was no
ulterior motive to his concern or hidden meaning to his words. His interest was out of love for her, nothing else. Placing a
soothing hand on her husband's she reassured him, "I'm fine, Theseus, really. Tired, that's all. I haven't been sleeping well."
Theseus, now afraid to respond, nodded.
A moment of awkward silence passed before Hippolyta rose to her feet. "In fact, I have no appetite." She shook her head
at the table. "I don't even know why I got up this morning or any morning these days."
At this, her husband stood. "Whatever the source of this sadness, Hippolyta, never doubt the importance of you. Just
seeing your beautiful face, and" he cleared his throat, "hearing your angry voice has made my day better than it already
was."
"I don't deserve your kindness, Theseus." I really did love you enough, once. "I've I been so horrible to you."
"But that's only lately. Just give me the rest of forever and we'll call it even."
Not yet willing to have that conversation, she smiled, "Forever is up to the gods
"I am the son of a god."
Hippolyta grimaced at his incessant reminder complete with raised eyebrows. "I had forgotten," she lied. Theseus crossed
his arms over his puffed out chest. "Then perhaps eternity will bend to your command." Once again irritated, she did not
wait to hear his arrogant response.
Alone in the dim, vacant hallway Hippolyta shuffled towards the sanctity of her abandoned bedchamber. Outwardly
oblivious to her surroundings, she instinctively followed the tedious path to her marriage cell. Head bowed in deep
contemplation, she raised a pair of praying hands to lips. Pausing in her forward movement, she risked a glance out of the
corner of her eye. She smiled at her awareness. The shadows were stalking her.
Blood pounding in her veins, she let out a ragged breath, as a wave of exhilaration washed over her. How could I have
lived so long without this feeling? The cherished charge of adrenaline was almost too precious to relinquish. In her
euphoria, Hippolyta found herself tempted to let her would-be attacker's game play out. She could feel her starving spirit
feed off the moment's potential; possibility becoming like a drug for her addicted soul. Hippolyta grinned aggressively.
Shall we see how far the mouse will go to get the cat?
Ultimately, her warrior pride bested her desire to prolong her rapture. Hippolyta shook her head. No one gets the drop on
Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Spinning around she pulled a dagger from within the folds of her dress. Waving it at the
darkness, she demanded, "Who are you?"
A cloaked woman stepped into the light, and with no haste in her step or surprise in her eyes, strode towards the Queen
with the grace of jungle cat, her longbow rhythmically slapped against her bare thigh as she moved. "You know who I
am," she lifted an eyebrow, "or should I say -- what I am."
Surveying the bow-woman up and down, Hippolyta gave her a short nod of acknowledgement.
"Why are you so far from home? What have you come for?"
"I am not the one to answer that."
Hippolyta took a threatening step closer. "Then who is?"
A voice spoke from darkness behind Hippolyta's right shoulder, "That would be me."
The Queen, still on guard, turned her head slightly. Smiling in disbelief at the light haired woman emerging from the
shadows, she asked, "Leandra? Little Lia? You were barely given the bow when I left and now you wear the sash?"
"Yes, my Queen." The shadows buzzed with disgruntled whispers. Hippolyta glared suspiciously, first at the darkness,
then at her stalker, and finally at her old acquaintance. Lia shrugged. "Please, forgive them. They know no queen but
Antiope."
"Antiope? How can she be queen?"
"Exactly. She cannot as long as you are. When you were taken from us fourteen years ago..."
"I chose to leave. No one forced me to go."
"Of course, my Queen, I only meant..."
"This is ridiculous, Lia," a third voice interrupted as yet another warrior joined their circle, "Inform her, collect her, and
let's be on our way. But please be quick about it. Her idiot husband is bound to return at any moment."
Lia, the obvious Captain of the group, opened her mouth to answer, "Silence, Orthia, I am..."
Hippolyta interrupted, "Excuse me, Orthia, is it? First of all, my husband, King Theseus is not an idiot. He is the son of
Poseidon and the wisest ruler Athens has ever been blessed with. Secondly, and more important, I am not collected by
anyone." Her hand tightened on the dagger as she turned it on the uppity girl. "Least of all by a girl who was still soiling
her diapers when I was received the girdle."
Orthia raised her bow. The arrow hovering only inches from Hippolyta's face, she spoke, "Things have changed since you
abandoned Lemnos. I will shoot you -- and Alexa, the gods give her aid -- will keep you alive until the rites can be
performed."
Unfazed by the girl's threat of violence Hippolyta directed her question to Lia. "What rite?"
Lia, now glaring at Orthia, made a slashing movement with her hand, who slowly lowered her weapon, she explained,
"Your ascension required you to make a blood pact with the goddess Athena. The marring of your body, a sacrifice to..."
"Yes, yes, I knew that at the time."
Lia looked relieved that Hippolyta acknowledged her oath. "When you did that, it became written in the scrolls on Mount
Olympus that you would be queen of the Amazons until your death."
Hippolyta brightened. "So I am still, Queen."
Orthia huffed her exasperation as Lia replied, "You are -- in a way. Unfortunately, there is the issue of," she hesitated
before whispering, "of abandonment. In Athena's eyes, you have reneged on your vow, and therefore, she demands your
blood or your return to Lemnos -- if only long enough to perform abdication ritual. If the goddess does not have
satisfaction, in eight days, Poseidon will call upon the seas to swallow our island."
Orthia chimed in, "That is why I am willing to kill you. One way or another -- Athena will be appeased."
"So why not do as the child says?" Orthia glowered at her insult as Hippolyta continued, "Just kill me and raise your new
Queen."
The first woman spoke up, "Antiope does not wish to usurp you."
"Rhea speaks the truth." Lia gestured with her hand for the shadows to stand down. "Your sister wants you to live. It is
her contention that if you no longer wish to lead the Amazons then all you have to do is abdicate. And Athena, in her
mercy, has agreed."
"She is much in the Goddess's favor. Having done another's duty for so long," Orthia was anxious to add.
Hippolyta fell silent. To be restored and rebuked within the span of a single conversation was more than she could bear. A
decision she believed made long ago now found itself rescinded. She could actually leave this place and resume the role
always meant for her: Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. But that would not be right. Clearing her throat of all emotion,
she addressed the assembled group, both seen and not, "Fourteen years ago, I left Lemnos. Rejecting my birthright, I
forsook you all and struck out on my own. To my mind, I gave up my throne the second I boarded Theseus' ship."
Hippolyta shook her head. "I am not your Queen," lifting her chin her eyes were proud, "but I am an Amazon, and I will do
everything in my power to save Lemnos from the peril my act has placed it in. I will fulfill my obligation no matter what
the cost."
#
"Hippolyta. Hippolyta!" Theseus' excited voice boomed through the meticulous corridors of his perfect Acropolis.
"Hippolyta, where are you?" Pushing the door to their bedchamber open, he grinned at the expected sight of his wife,
beautifully pondering the world outside their window. The light in his eyes faded as his gaze fell upon his attendant,
Kyprios, attempting to comfort their weeping chambermaid. Shoulders heaving, her tears seemed to become more profuse
when she realized the King had joined them. "What's going on here? Where's the queen?"
"Gone, Sire."
"What do you mean gone? Where?"
"The note does not say where, sire." He offered Theseus a yellowed slip of parchment.
Theseus snatched it and read:
Theseus, I've gone to set things right. H.
Crushing the paper in his hand he shouted, "Nico!"
In a flash, a lightly armored man, fresh from the hunt and glowing from the quick consumption of celebratory mead,
rushed into the room. Winded, he replied between huffs, "Yes, sire."
Ignoring the man's personal distress Theseus commanded, "Ready my ship. It sails for Lemnos within the hour."
"Lemnos, Sire? It's suicide." He shook his head. "We've been granted no easement from the Amazons. They will sink us
on sight." The intoxicated man continued unchecked, "But if you insist on going, perhaps, Queen Hippolyta could --"
"The Queen is why we sail. The Amazons have taken her. How, and for what purpose, I cannot say, but," tossing the
crumpled message into the fire he glared at its fiery envelopment, "I do know I will have more explanation than that." He
gaze now hardened by resolve, he looked to Nico, "Make ready my ship, now"
Realizing he had already taken too much liberty, Nico bowed sharply, "It will be as you command, my King."
Motioning for the remaining servants to leave, Theseus crossed to his wife's favorite view. Watching the sun sink into the
sea his whisper pleaded with the horizon, "Hippolyta, why are you doing this?"
#
Standing at the bow of the Amazonian ship transporting her back to the past, Hippolyta stared intently at the ocean
stretching out before her. Somewhere in the distance was the isle of her birth, the queendom she had once ruled. Gripping
the rail she struggled with a nauseating wave of guilt. You made your choice. Now live with it. Swallowing the lump in her
throat, she shook her head at the water breaking on the ship's hull. Whispering into her chest, she argued, "I have to save
Lemnos."
"You certainly do."
Hippolyta felt a firm, but friendly hand grip her shoulder. Straightening, she found Lia at her side. "I have to keep
reminding myself why I'm here."
"It must be nearly as difficult for you to return as it was to leave."
"In many ways, more so." Hippolyta's gaze re-engaged the horizon.
"I can't say I know what you're going through." Lia showed her hesitancy by swallowing thickly. "Laying the bow down
has never been a consideration for me. I was born to be a warrior."
Hippolyta raised her chin defiantly, but her eyes shown with a tinge of regret. There had been a time she felt the same.
"You may have walked away from Lemnos, but you will always be Amazonian."
"Yes."
"And an Amazon's heart beats true." She seized the queen's arm. "So start listening to yours." Hippolyta's searching eyes
met hers. "It will never lie to you."
"Thank you, Lia." She let out a frustrated giggle. "Your words don't help me, but I thank you for them, anyway."
Bowing with somber reverence Lia stepped away. "My Queen."
Watching the sun sink slowly into the orange and yellow dappled sea Hippolyta whispered to the salty air, "I will serve my
home to the my the best of my abilities. Beyond that," she bit her lower lip at the unvoiced wish, "I cannot say."
#
"Are we ready to sail, Captain?" Theseus strode down the dock in armor that fit just a bit snugger than the last time he had
asked this man to take to sea.
"We are, sire, but to what end I do not know." Stephanos cast a concerned eye to the ever-darkening sky.
"It has never been your job to know." Theseus relaxed his stance as he took in the man's concern for the horizon. "But I
am curious at the inference. How did you mean it?"
"I do not like this day. " The experienced seaman looked as if the words were being pulled from him. "And the omens
point to something foul and out of our control."
"Omens?"
The Captain's boy spoke, anxious to discourage the trip from happening. "The seers. They saw a gull today."
Theseus presented the sky. "I see quite a few right now. And I am no priest."
Captain Stephanos stepped between Theseus and the boy. "That you are not, sire. And neither is he."
"But you do not see an owl ripping them from their flight." The boy, refusing to be denied his opportunity, hopped up and
down behind his Captain. "Riding them down to ground and tearing out their throats, either, sire. Athena has spoken. She
does not want you..."
"Enough!" Stephanos cuffed the boy's cheek, knocking him to the deck. "Do not presume to correct the King in anything
he does. Or pretend that you can interpret the signs."
"He must know," the first mate helped the boy to his feet, "that he could be leading us all to our deaths."
"And do I not risk the same as you?" The King, rousing from his moment of doubt, approached the new man. "My life?"
"For a prize that is your own to keep and protect." He pointed to himself. "My wife and little ones are at safe home. I risk
more by going than staying."
"If value your manhood so cheaply than go. I will not have a coward serve me." He turned to address the rest of the crew.
"And that goes for anyone else. Leave, if you lack the spine to serve your King."
"Bravery is a fine thing for you to have. We are not the sons of a God. Poseidon could sink this ship before it's out the
harbor, sending us all to the depths. All, that is but you, his favored son."
"The gods can take my life as easily as anyone else's -- perhaps more so." He knew the gods traded their mortal
offspring's lives for immortal favors; gambled with their futures and toyed with their existences just because they found it
entertaining to do so or because they felt there was something to gain from the tampering. His death would be a
negotiation, but he could never know when he would come out on the losing end of a godly arbitration. "Be thankful you
are not so important that you have become a universal bargaining chip."
Stephanos stepped forward. "My King, I apologize for my crew. Though I thought to the contrary," he glared at the
firstmate, forcing his gaze to find the deck, "they do not know their place." The boy mimicked his comrade. "But I can
assure you, they know their jobs, when it comes to the sea, and they will do them well and with great dedication."
"I hope you are right, Captain." He spoke to bowed heads. "For there has never been a greater quest than retrieving our
queen."
#
Hippolyta abandoned her perch at the ship's bow, seeking refuse in her private quarters; she pulled the golden combs from
her sanguine hair allowing the bun to unravel of its own accord. She ran a light touch over one of the heavily jeweled
baubles. Theseus' gift seemed gaudy and overdone to Amazonian eyes, but she had somehow grown accustom to the
excessive.
There was a light tap on the door. Secreting the pairs of combs into the wooden jewelry box on the makeshift vanity, she
spoke to the knock. "I'm not in the mood for company right now, thank you."
The door swung open, to admit a steel-eyed maiden, of indeterminable age. "And yet, I am of a mind to have audience
with you, daughter."
"Goddess." Hippolyta fell to her knees and pressed her forehead to the planked floor.
"Rise, Hippolyta. You are still a queen."
"Not once this ship reaches shore again."
"You've already abandoned my most precious children; do you mean to forsake my city as well?"
"Athens is not where I belong." Hippolyta once on her feet raised her chin in defiance.
Athena stroked the box hiding the combs with a single finger. "Yet you chose to go there. To live there. To rule there."
"It was a mistake."
The goddess considered her response. "Really, and when did you reach this conclusion? Recently?"
"No. It's been building for some time, I think. I can no longer deny who and what I am."
"You know, daughter, I've been trying to recall why I chose you so many years ago. And in the face of what a profound
disappointment you are, it's been an extremely difficult task, even for an immortal." Athena's laugh did not touch her eyes.
"But just then you touched on the memory of it. Hippolyta hates to lose..." she lifted the lid and grimaced at Hippolyta's
minuscule collection of adornments -- the combs especially, "...anything at anytime."
"Then you know why I'm going back."
"I know why you believe you're going back." She flitted her fingers at the Queen of Athens as if she were a persistent
gnat. "But Antiope will be Queen of the Amazons, regardless of your intentions to the contrary. The little sister has
exceeded, and will therefore succeed."
"Goddess, please, give me a chance to make you proud again." She made a desperate grab for Athena's arm.
"I have been as lenient as I could for longer than I cared to be." Pulling her arm free, she moved to pet Hippolyta's cheek,
but slapped it instead. The crack of the strike hung in air longer than naturally possible. "Be glad Antiope still loves you.
For it is her pleas alone that will allow you to escape with your miserable life. To return to the man that means so much
more than sisterhood and your vows to me."
Hippolyta made no excuse or denial, her past actions proved Athena right and the goddess did not wish to hear that things
had changed. That the heart that had loved Theseus so fiercely was now as cold as the sea clay which formed it.
#
"The seas are tumultuous at best. The weather is angry and unforgiving. And the wind seems to never be with us."
"Does this manifesto have a point, Captain Stephanos?"
"King Theseus we should turn back." He looked up at the rumbling sky. "The gods don't want us on this trip."
"Are you turning on me too, Captain?" Theseus' jaw tightened, his lips thinned.
"No, Sire. I am at your command, but the gods..."
Clenching his fists he shouted at the clouds, "I am the son of a god." He held his arms out to the choppy, black water.
"The god of the sea itself and my wishes are theirs."
"Theseus, I thought you had given up on those delusions." It was not Stephanos who had answered.
Theseus spun to face the expected visitor, who leaned casually on his golden trident. His faded blue chiton barely covering
his muscled body. His graying hair was the only feature that marked him older than the man who addressed him. "Father, I
knew you would come -- eventually."
"I want you to go home, Theseus." He towered over his normally towering son and filled the already salt air with scents of
the sea.
"Not without Hippolyta."
The god's eyes became angry, yet a curved smile split his long, clumped beard. "Hippolyta is busy."
"Busy doing what?"
"That is no concern of yours."
"She is my wife!"
Poseidon boomed, "She serves Athena first!" Lowering his voice, the god tried to show sympathy, "And you will not reach
her in time, anyway, son." The god crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Zeus has forbidden any interference. And
requires all immortals to assist his daughter in her strives. "
Knuckles turning white, Theseus gripped the ship's railing; he bowed his head in seeming defeat. "Then I have no choice."
"No. You don't."
Theseus nodded in apparent agreement. Breathing deeply, he raised his head to the setting sun. "I defy you."
"What?"
Theseus faced him, "I defy you, father. You and all of Olympus, if that's what it takes. I will have Hippolyta back, and on
my terms." His eyes glistened with determination. "So send your worst. It will make no difference."
Poseidon shrugged at his son's lunacy. The time for reasoning was over, "As you wish." Perched on the railing, he added,
"I will miss you, son."
As his father was enveloped by the churning waters, the lost king whispered to the darkening sky, "You do not control my
fate."
A man in the crow's nest pointed into the distance as he shouted, "Captain!"
Every jaw but Theseus' dropped as they beheld a tidal wave, tall as a titan, rushing towards them. Theseus braced for
impact. A single word on his lips, "Hippolyta." The water engulfed the tiny ship of Athenians. Poseidon roared at the waste.
#
Hippolyta fell to her knees on the shores of Lemnos. Placing her nose to the ground she kissed the tawny sand. Cheek to
the water logged ground she murmured, "Thank you, Athena. Thank you for this."
She heard Lia's reluctant voice hovering above her, "My Queen, Orthia has been sent to fetch," she cleared her throat
nervously. "Queen Antiope. They will arrive within the hour."
Granules of sand still sticking to her face, Hippolyta rose, "I'm not going to the Themyscira?"
Lia, tensed. "The temple is less than have a league away, and..."
"And the village is not for outsiders, right?"
"No," she seemed embarrassed at the truth, "it's not."
"So, that's what I've become," the former Queen could not mask her pain, "an outsider."
"I'm very sorry, but you said yourself, you chose a different path." Lia offered, "Something in you had to know returning
would not be..."
"Possible? Easy?" For one of the few times in her life, a tear escaped Hippolyta's welled eyes, "Can you believe I didn't?
Not really." Until now, when the decision is made and out of my hands.
Lia's only response was to place a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder.
A horn sounded from within the jungle. Her surprise evident, Lia spoke to the Rhea, "That was fast."
"Orthia must have ran the entire way." Rhea shook her head at the approaching disturbance.
Hippolyta's jaw tightened. "Orthia and her kind probably want this over with as soon as possible." Straightening her cloak
Hippolyta wiped her red eyes, "If they're lucky I can be on my way back to Athens before the moon rises."
Moments later Orthia emerged from the foliage. "Queen Antiope has proceeded to the temple. She awaits us there."
The trio nodded in silent unison.
#
Smaller than Hippolyta remembered, Athena's temple consisted of a large circular chamber with four life-size statues of the
goddess staring down from their pedestals and a centrally located altar made of marble. Hippolyta spared hardly a glance
for the golden representations of her matriarch or the altar that captured their frozen gazes. It was Antiope who held her
full attention. Voice echoing off the hard white walls, she announced, "I have returned."
Antiope raised an eyebrow. "I never thought you wouldn't sister."
"I come to pass the girdle to she who would be queen."
"Then I am who you seek." Antiope's visage remained emotionless.
Hippolyta attempting to swallow the lump in her throat answered roughly, "Then let the ceremony begin."
The acting queen cocked her head. She stared at Hippolyta as though she were trying to solve a puzzle. "Of course."
Motioning for a priestess, Antiope stepped away from the altar and the chanting began: a deep, feminine crescendo
building, like a wave on the sea, then crashing down into nothingness only to start again. A woman, robed in white, face
hidden by a hood, broke away from her line of four. Head bowed, and arms outstretched, she placed a gilded dagger on
the stone table. Hands clutched in prayer she withdrew. The second priestess approached the altar and set a small chest on
the stone table pausing only long enough to open it. Hippolyta craned her neck to see its contents, but quickly abandoned
the exercise when the third woman in white stationed a jewel encrusted goblet between the dagger and the box. The final
priestess situated herself in front of the chalice and gestured for Hippolyta to join her.
Hippolyta could feel her heartbeat in her throat. For a moment, fear locked her feet in place. The world outside the temple
walls seem to stop. The sound of her own labored breathing filled her ears. Unable to recall the three paces to the altar, she
stared in horrified wonder as the priestess clutched her bared forearm. The dagger rose with the chant and descended
likewise. Its clean sharpness neatly sliced Hippolyta's exposed wrist. She winced at the reopening of the old wound, but
refused to cry out. A stream of blood trickled down Hippolyta's arm. The first priestess carefully captured the flow in the
goblet of seawater. Hippolyta could feel a pair of hands pulling her away as the second tossed the cup's content into the
box filled with sand. Slamming the lid down, the third pronounced to the assembly, "The ritual is performed. Hippolyta is
no longer Queen of Amazons." She raised her eyes to the ceiling. "The great goddess Athena is appeased."
Pulling free of the grasping fingers, Hippolyta could sense time returning to its normal pace. Falling to her knees, the
former queen wept unchecked.
#
Though Poseidon's tidal wave had tried its best to sink Theseus' trireme the god's heart was simply not committed to
drowning his son. As the sea tumbled the tiny warship, rolled it end over end, sending sailor after sailor, oarsman after
oarsman and the first mate, Milos down to Hades, Poseidon fell to his knees, in supplication, before the throne of Zeus and
begged for his child's life. But the god of gods was at a loss; he could not interfere with his daughter's due. Theseus' fate
and Poseidon's beseeching belonged to Athena, whose grey eyes fell on their father's fount and the image of the struggling
ship within it.
"Spare him," her uncle begged. "The ritual is complete. He can do nothing to alter your plans now."
"But he has yet to pay for his past sins against me. Hippolyta was mine." She touched the water and the ship paused in its
spinning. Withdrawing her finger it resumed its thrashing. The deck would snap in two soon, and everyman yet living
would be food for the Kraken. "Nephew knew that, and still he stole my most beloved daughter." She looked to Poseidon,
yet on his knees. "How do I forgive such an intentional slight?"
Neither man answered, for no god would or should.
Zeus placed a gripping hand on his son's matted head, but his eyes slid to his daughter. "Then perhaps -- a deal?"
Athena squinted at her father's suggestion, but did not appeared disinterested. And the ship froze on the cusp of breaking.
#
By nightfall Hippolyta stood alone on the shore of Lemnos, staring out at the star filled sky. Shaking her head she
questioned Orion, "So what do I do now?" She sniffed at the silent constellation, "As if you would know."
"My Que -- I mean Hippolyta. I speak for many when I say," Lia's voice was unsure, "you are welcome to stay here."
"Now, I'm welcome." She whispered to the sea as her mind and heart tripped over all the feelings she would never --
could never -- express. "Now, that I have nothing."
"You have a warrior's soul that cannot be put in a cage," she paused, "no matter how grand and beautiful its bars are."
"Lia, I --" She squinted past the girl to a figure striding up the beach. "Theseus?"
Lia turned to share Hippolyta's stare. It was, indeed, the man called Theseus.
Joining the pair, the battered King of Athens struggled for the right thing to say. Failing in that he huffed, "Are you ready
to come home now?"
A week ago the question would have enraged Hippolyta, but now that she knew the answer, despondence was all she
could muster. Not breaking her stare from Theseus' she said, "Lia, would you excuse us?"
Lia, still unsure of herself, bowed. "I'll see you before you leave, won't I?"
Hippolyta's gesture was unreadable, but it did promote Lia's departure.
"Hippolyta, I don't need to know what this was about, now that it's over, but in the
future..."
"There's not going to be any future, Theseus. At least not for us." It was the only decision left for her to make. "I'm
staying here."
"You can't be serious."
"I am Theseus."
"But why?"
She raised a hand to his cheek, "Because of all the broken vows, Theseus."
"I know I said we would have adventures together, but it got so complicated. And you seemed happy so I forgot and..."
"That's not the only promise I'm talking about."
"I have never violated our marriage oath."
"I know, Theseus. But for first time, in a long time, this isn't just about you." Hippolyta stared into the trees. "I pledged my
life to this place and I can't walk away again." She let out a restrained chuckle. "They can take away the golden girdle and
my right to rule, but they can't break the bond I share with each of them. They can't take my Amazon heart." Theseus
straining to understand, remained silent as his wife continued, "I'm not leaving you for or because of anyone else. I'm
leaving for me."
"I think it would be easier if there was someone else. Then I could deal with it," he gave his sword a pat, "my way."
Tears were beginning to become very easy for Hippolyta. "I need you to rescue me, Theseus. Rescue me by releasing me."
"I don't think I can do that."
"Be my hero, Theseus. Walk away."
Nodding at the sand, he ground a clenched fist into his thigh. His deliberation seemed to last a lifetime. Finally, he sighed
his defeat. Looking into Hippolyta eyes, he knew he had wronged her. "What kind of hero would I be if I couldn't save the
damsel in distress?" Leaning in to kiss her offered cheek, he whispered, "Goodbye, Hippolyta."
Hugging him to her she breathed, "Thank you, Theseus. Thank you."
Pulling back he added, "And I'll explain everything to Hippolytus. He's old enough to understand. Practically a man himself."
"I didn't deserve you, Theseus."
"No, you deserved much more."
"I wish you nothing but happiness."
"Well, I am the son of a god," his sad eyes tried to sparkle, "so I have to believe I'll know joy again..." He raised her
fingers to his lips. "But not for a while."
"Goodbye, Theseus." She touched his bearded face.
"Goodbye, my queen."
Her lips brushed his. And when his eyes opened again, she was gone, swallowed by the jungle.
Standing on the deck of his ship, Theseus stared at the wilderness that contained his beloved Hippolyta. Stephanos,
standing behind his king, folded his large arms across his chest, "The Theseus I knew would never have let her go."
"Well, that Theseus no longer exists. The world will have to settle for me." His lips curved only a little. "Take us home,
Captain. I have a feeling the seas will be with us this time."
Savoring the dirt between her toes from the familiar path that led to Themyscira, she feared her heart might explode with
gratitude. Antropos, Clotho, and Lachesis, Zeus' fateful daughters, had guided her back to the life she was meant for.
Hippolyta, former Queen of the Amazons, smiled at the stars. Thank the gods. I'm home again.
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