AN: Sorry for the long wait. Aiming to get another Thor chapter out before the end of the month.
- - -
“What should be done with this treacherous brute, my queen?” The Amazon warrior scowled as if to spit, pointing down with her spear at the still-smoking form of Ares.
Diana recognized the woman. Menalippe. A fierce fighter. Dutiful. Diana was glad she had survived the battle.
“Take his head!” A different warrior shouted.
“No! Take his balls! Geld him like the beast he is!” Another cried out. More voices rose up, lending their support. Diana watched as dozens of her sisters brandished their swords and spears to match their fury. More still offered up their own bloody retributions. The ruins of the throne room resounded with their cries for vengeance.
“We should open his belly! String him up by his innards!”
“No! Nail him to a post on the shore! Let the sea take him!”
“Just cut his throat and be done with it.” A taller Amazon boomed over them all. Philipus, Diana could see. “Let Lord Hades sort out the rest.”
Diana kept silent. Her gaze went to the motionless heap at the center of the floor, the god that lay defeated. Disgust welled within her, cold and bitter and thrashing like a hundred eels. This god had tried to slaughter her sisters, her mother, tried to bring her home burning to the ground. This morning, she had thirsted for his blood, his agony. Now?
The Princess glanced aside. To the Asgardian. The golden-haired warrior gleamed like the sun, so brilliant the way his armor caught the light. Standing tall, proud… alive.
Thor lives. The thought still brought a lightness to her chest. What room could there be for rage when there was so much joy in her heart?
He met her eyes then. Under his winged helm, Diana saw her lover’s face was set like stone, undaunted and unjudging as her Amazons sisters shouted and jeered and shook their spears all around them.
“Enough!” The word rang like thunder. It was the Queen’s voice and it was followed by immediate silence. The throne room turned quiet as the dead as Hippolyta pushed forward from the ring that surrounded Ares. She strode forth, turning to face all those who had cried out for blood. “We are Amazons, not savages! And his fate is not for any of you to decide!”
“My Queen, he came to our home, trampled our temples, killed our people!” Philipus pushed back. She was one of the few on Themyscira who had the nerve to do so. “Ares cannot escape punishment. Not for this!”
Murmurs of agreement spread through the gathering. Even Diana in her renewed joy could not find it in herself to speak up in the name of mercy. And so the discontent grew and grew. The Amazons wanted blood… and it seemed more and more that not even their own Queen could calm them.
Then cracked lightning. A single bolt came crashing down through the smoky sky, striking right where Ares lay. It came so quickly, shining so bright that for an instant Diana saw only pure white. All around, the gathering recoiled with shocks of gasp and wonder and even fear. Diana could feel her heart racing again, the smallest pebble of dread beginning to grow in the pit of her belly. It did not last. As her vision slowly came back to her, Diana’s gaze sharpened upon a new sight.
A man. A man standing over the slumbering body of Ares.
This man was tall, as tall as Thor, bearded and immaculately muscled. His dress was simple yet stark, a white tunic set with a golden belt, leather sandals on his feet, and a golden laurel wreath set upon his head - under which flowed his long mane of silver-gray. Lightning crackled over his arms and chest, dancing upon his skin before vanishing completely… but for the faint spark running through the stunning blue of his eyes.
Zeus. Diana knew it in her blood. Master of Sky and Thunder. Lord of Mount Olympus. King of the Gods.
Many Amazons gasped. Others broke into whispers. The bloodlust had all but gone from the throne room, as if Zeus himself had chased it off.
“Ares will not go unpunished.” The King of Olympus declared to them, his words booming with clear, unmistakable power. “He had defied the orders of his king, used his power to bring terror and bloodshed to those under my protection. He will face dire consequences for this betrayal. But they will be on my terms, not Themyscira’s.”
Diana saw many in the gathering bristle. Another bout of murmurs spread through the crowd. The distaste was obvious - though the clearest of all was the Queen’s.
“Did you come to serve us another indignity, oh mighty Zeus? Look around you. Look upon the work of your esteemed God of War!” Hippolyta stood across from Zeus. She spread her arms, presenting the ruins of the throne room and beyond. “Death and devastation delivered to those you swore to protect! Do oaths mean nothing to the King of Olympus?”
“Careful, Noble Queen. I have come to deliver justice.” Zeus was hard-faced, unflinching against her sharp tongue. Like he’d endured it before. “Ares has been stripped of his power and his standing. Soon he will face the harsh judgement of my brother Hades. I will give you his suffering, but not his life.”
The Queen scowled and spat her next words like venom.
“How many lives has he taken, just today? Themyscira is owed blood!”
All around her, the Amazons were once more shouting in vicious agreement. None were cowed by Zeus then, not when they stood behind their Queen. Diana, too, could feel the steaming in her blood. Especially as she let her eyes fall upon the slumbering Ares and Zeus who stood over him. Protecting him.
Then came the crack of thunder again. Zeus’ eyes flashed with blue fury.
“NO.” Zeus thundered. His voice swept over them all, booming, booming so loudly that Diana’s teeth rattled in her mouth. Some of Diana’s sisters recoiled. Some shrunk back. Others clutched their spears even more tightly… but none dared to raise arms against him. None but the Queen, who stood against Zeus without fear. Arcs of lighting coursed over the man’s chest and arms again, dancing over his bronzed skin. Then it dissipated along with the brightness of his eyes.
Zeus spoke again, much more calmly. “Ares is the blood of Olympus. He is my son. I won’t condemn him to death.”
“Then you do not serve justice today, King of Olympus.” Hippolyta told him. She held her head high, defiant.
To Diana’s astonishment, Zeus answered not with outrage but with a frown. Though what the mightiest Olympian said next was even more startling.
“Do not test me, Amazon Themyscira is not so innocent in this matter. My son broke an oath… and so did your daughter.”
Suddenly, Zeus’ eyes were on her. His and her mother’s and all the rest of her gathered sisters. Diana’s heart froze, her blood turning to ice. Beside her, Thor grew tense in a quiet rage.
Gasps came first, then the whispers. Whispers turned to murmurs and mutterings of shock and confusion. All about her. All about their Princess and her foreign lover.
- - -
“Do not think I will simply stand by and let you call Diana a traitor.”
Thor’s anger was barely concealed, visible in the tension of his body as he paced back and forth across the room.
The Queen had led them away from the masses, into a private chamber. It was the old archives, Diana recognized, lined with shelves and shelves of scrolls. So much knowledge and history and wisdom inscribed on those rolls of parchment. They offered Diana no comfort then.
“I called her no such thing. I speak the truth regardless. The Princess broke an ancient oath by bringing you to these shores.” Zeus glanced Diana’s way. Was that distaste she saw in his eyes? “...And by taking you as a lover.”
Diana didn’t breathe. She could feel her mother’s gaze burning into the side of her head. Where had her courage gone, that she could not look her own mother in the eye? The Queen let loose a heavy sigh.
“So it is as I feared.” Hippolyta lamented. Diana had never heard her mother sound so tired. “You steal a boat, sail to where you are forbidden, all with the help of sisters you lead astray… And you’ve taken a man to bed.”
“Not just any man. A god.” Zeus cut back in. Now his focus was fixed firmly on Thor. “A foreign god. This one is the blood of Asgard, Noble Queen. Odin’s wayward prince. Your exile has sent you far from home, boy. Into my domain. Joining with my people.”
“I am exiled no longer,” Thor declared, bringing up his hammer. The runes etched onto the flat faces glowed faintly, a blue to match that of his eyes. The dark metal hummed a low, smooth tone. “And Diana chose me. I did not force her. What is her monstrous crime that has shamed you so, Queen Hippolyta?”
Diana loved and loathed the man in equal measure then. Just as she feared, her mother’s face soured near instantly. While her own face burned hot, Diana put herself forward - between them. Mortified she may have been, her mother’s wrath was preferable to the embarrassment fate had chosen to bury her with.
“I took him to bed. I have laid with him, mother.” Diana confessed in as strong a voice as she could muster. The way Hippolyta flinched then, like she’d been struck across the face… it was talons digging into Diana’s chest. “And yes, I brought him to our sacred shores. I know men are forbidden from Themyscira. But… Ares attacked us first, mother! Him and the witch, Circe, they almost destroyed Delos! They nearly killed us! And when we were licking our wounds and helping the villagers rebuild, we saw your sign in the sky, your burning arrow. So we raced back home as fast as we could. Thor offered to help us, so we brought him. He’s a fine warrior. He’s loyal. He’s brave. He…”
Diana looked to Thor then. Under his helm, a faint smile played at his lips. Suddenly the shame and the fear had gone from her. All Diana felt then was warmth, seeing Thor standing tall in his gleaming armor. Seeing him alive.
“He helped save our home, mother.” Diana said with firm resolve. “He bled for us. For me. He… he saved my life. If there’s any man worthy of standing on this soil, it’s him.”
Diana stood before her mother, proud and almost fearless. The Queen was silent for a long moment. An agonizing moment. The whole while her face was unreadable. No anger, no disappointment, not even a hint of the judgement Diana had seen before. Finally, Hippolyta let out another long, heavy sigh.
“Gods, help me…” She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Yes, yes, the Asgardian is very brave.” Zeus waved dismissively. “No one is doubting his valor. The peculiarities of Amazon law have no importance in this matter. It makes no difference if he’s standing on Themyscira or Delos or Mt. Olympus itself. The problem is: he’s here.”
“He has done no harm!” Diana cried.
Zeus was unmoved… and unconvinced.
“The Fates tell me differently. The Asgardian landed at Delos with his band of foreign raiders. Varangians, they call them. He was set to pillage the island when you met him, was he not? Only you and your sisters stopped him. And in quite the unusual way…”
Heat spread across Diana’s cheeks, worsening when she noticed out of the corner of her eye her mother throwing her a curious look. Thor, on the other hand, struggled between bitter regret and cold anger. Diana feared another clash between gods was going to unfold amidst the ancient scrolls, thunder against furious thunder. But Zeus kept on plainly.
“In any case, these troubles will be settled tomorrow.” The King of the Gods announced, much to everyone’s surprise. “Tonight I leave with Ares. For his betrayal, he will spend an age in the company of his dear uncle, Hades.”
“He deserves worse.” Spat Hippolyta.
“Worse than Hades? My brother had devised torments so cruel men fear to even name them.”
“You would pass such a sentence onto your own son?” Thor had a faint look of disbelief.
“I would.” Zeus answered curtly. “Ares knew the punishment when he chose to defy me. His agony will be of his own making. Just as yours was, Odinson.”
Thor frowned but said nothing more. It was clear to Diana that Zeus’ words had cut deeply, as plain as they were.
The King of the Gods turned to face Hippolyta again, donning a new look. It was shared between the two, Diana saw. A look of… understanding.
“You fought bravely today, Noble Queen. You shouldn’t have had to. It is… regrettable that war has come to your home.”
“Yes. Regrettable.” It looked like her mother wanted to say more, but thought better of it.
Zeus rubbed at his neck. “Now, I depart with my wayward son. Tomorrow, I will return. Then we can discuss the matter of your daughter… and him.” The Olympian eyed Thor pointedly… but nothing came of it. “In the meantime… I suppose you could celebrate victory, the way you Amazons do.”
There was a blinding flash. It filled the chamber with light as well as the mighty roar of thunder. When Diana’s vision returned - and her ears stopped ringing - she saw that Zeus was gone. Somehow, she knew Ares was gone from their island as well.
Now it was just her, Thor… and her stonefaced Queen mother.
They held each other’s gaze in miserable silence, each second stretching on and on and on. Diana did not dare look away. She would not break first. She was an Amazon. Amazons did not flee. Amazons did not cower. Not even from the very face of disappointment.
Even Thor, for all his courage, knew not to come between them.
Finally, after an eternity, her mother spoke to her.
“Diana…”
“Mother.”
“...I’m very glad you’re safe.”
Diana didn’t blink. She didn’t breathe. She didn’t even think. Her legs carried her forward then, sending her charging, charging forth until her arms swept around her mother in the tightest hug she’d ever given.
Safe. Her mother was safe.
- - -
The mood outside the royal palace could hardly be described as celebratory. Neither was it as dour as Thor expected.
The Amazons had already gone to work clearing away the rubble, shoveling ash and debris into carts and hauling them away from the ruined streets. They were a strong people, that much was plain to see. Strong in spirit to match even the mightiest of Asgardians.
Asgard. Home.
The events of this past day still didn’t feel real. Thor had fought. Thor had died. And now Thor was alive again. He was worthy again. A prince again. He could go home.
Yet… something kept him from racing back. Someone.
She walked beside him as they went, paying no mind to the stares coming from her sisters - though there were fewer of those than Thor expected. His clash with Ares had earned him at least some of their trust. Not so much that they were not wary of him, though. He was still a man, an intruder on their island. Though with their beloved Princess so openly fond of him… it made sense for them to be curious.
“Impressive woman, the Queen.” Thor put an end to the awkward quiet. “No wonder she gave the world a daughter like you.”
“Stop.”
“I mean it, Diana. I’ve seen men crumble under less pressure. Your people, your sisters, this whole island… it’s like something out of a dream.”
“Yes, well… It’s not always a paradise.”
Diana looked away. Thor decided not to press her on that. There would be a better time.
“They seemed familiar with each other.” Thor noted aloud.
“What?” Diana turned his way again with a quizzical look.
“Your mother and Zeus. The way they spoke… they did not behave like master and subject.”
“My mother is a queen.”
“And Zeus is a god. King of your Olympians, as it’s said.”
Diana contemplated that for a time, her brow pressing into a line.
“The two have an understanding. According to the historical accounts in the archives, anyway.”
“What sort of understanding?”
“My mother made a pact with Zeus many years ago. Centuries, actually. A pact that gave our people this island, our gifts of strength and wisdom, as well as the divine protection of Olympus itself. But today we saw how much that was worth.”
They passed by a heap of ash and splintered wood, what no doubt used to be a house. Thor could only grunt in agreement then. The pair continued on their way… and Thor continued to endure the stares.
Some of them may blame their Princess… but they should be blaming me.
Soon they came upon what remained of the city market. There were dozens of Amazons working, carrying off chunks of broken marble, all manner of ruin and detritus. Quick, efficient, organized. A general of an army could only beg the gods for the kind of discipline Thor saw now. Though there was one sight in particular that caught the Prince of Asgard’s eye.
Across the square, there was a group of five Amazons readying themselves to move a boulder the size of a house. The woman leading the effort was a familiar face.
It was Nubia, the stern captain who had helped ferry them back from Delos. She looked less stern now, however. Out of her armor, dressed in a simple but comely blue tunic, she looked more woman than warrior - but no less stunning.
She and the rest of her group turned their attention Thor’s way as he and Diana drew near. There was the expected suspicion yet again, the wariness that Thor had come to tolerate. Though at least in Nubia’s eyes, there was something else. It flickered quickly, lasting half a heartbeat at most. Almost imperceptible, but Thor caught it. Then it was gone.
“Princess.” Nubia gave them a nod. “Asgardian.”
“Captain.” Diana greeted warmly. “Let us help you.”
A look fell over Nubia’s face that Thor could only guess was apprehension. It wasn’t anything like how she looked when they had battled Ares. It wasn’t cold fear, nor was it the rage of battle. This look was… softer, somehow.
“Very well.” Nubia and her group shuffled to make room for their new helpers. Still, their eyes kept hovering towards Thor. Nubia’s most of all.
“You’ve impressed her.” Diana whispered to him as they went to work.
“I am not so sure.” Thor muttered back.
“I am.” Diana smirked. “Give it until sundown. She’ll be toasting to your bravery.”
“Hm. We will see.”