Excuses to hate...

“Where ARE they?” Hissed Ocypete, sitting at a bonfire where her sister generals Aello and Alkyone sat hunched and picking at their arms and shoulders with their talons like buzzards preening at feathers. The trio worse for wear as they coped with their mutations and festering appearances. “Where are those MEN the queen has let live?”

“The longer they stay here, the more damage they do!”

“Indeed, my sister… Already our amazons grow soft, pliant in their presence.”

“Yes… ESPECIALLY because of the little one.” Scowled Aello, remembering how her forces had their former beauty restored, dotting over the child’s silent whims.

The boy’s presence had awoken a caring, motherly side to the amazons they had all but forgotten in the centuries living alone on the island, a side of themselves that helped restore their outer beauty to reflect the inner. But Aello did not see it that way, nor the rest of her twisted sisters. In her eyes, the majority of the amazons who prostrated themselves to the musings of that… PARASITE had shown their true colours, their weakness. They had abandoned their martial discipline and strength to the mewling of that child. To be caregivers instead of WARRIORS! But not her. Looking down at the razor edges of her clawed hand and clenching it into a fist, it was indistinguishable to the talon of a predatory bird, an owl. The aspect of Artemis. No, THIS was no curse, she was now closer to her goddess of justice than ever before. Compassion had made her sisterhood weak, and she was going to rid them of their weakness.

“They must be found; they MUST be dealt with before they weaken our sisterhood further.”

Looking to the rest of their forces camping out in the woods outside of the city, Alkyone pointed to a squad of her guards returning from their morning march.

“You there! GO, go into the city and find the intruders to our paradise! Relay their position to ussss… And we shall plot their demise.”

Seeing the crones stamp their feet and salute their generals, they ran and scattered towards the city to do as they were ordered. Only for one of them to be stopped by Ocypete with a brandished claw.

“WAIT! You… Go to the mausoleum where the oracles reside.” She hissed, sitting up hunched like a buzzard. “Our princesssss spoke with them, gleamed the current state of our sister tribes. Go to them, I wisssssh to know how many of usssss are out there.”

Saluting, the amazon ran the opposite direction towards the mountains where the oracles resided. Seeing her guard make off with her orders, the twisted hag sat back into her seat by the fire, trading a snarled grin back to her sisters.

“By dusk, the men will be purged from our paradissssseee…”

*

With the scroll tucked under her arm, Diana entered the high, arching entrance to the library and looked around, hoping to find her friend Alexa putting away books or still at work with her mother’s last orders. Taking a few steps inside, her ears perked to the sound of music coming from one of the aisles further into the library’s interior. Slowly making her way in and following where the music was coming from. Seeing her friend just down the end of the aisle to where her study was located, Diana smiled to see the woman clapping her hands to the beat of the music while Gary sat and held his sons hand in his to hoist him up off his feet to dance in the air, making the boy laugh as the rest of the amazons sitting with them laughed, especially when Harper finally broke free to jump over to sit in the lap of Euboea who tickled the child in his sides and made the boy kick his legs out with laughter.

Silently approaching the group, Diana watched with a sense of delight to see the woman’s appearance shift, giggling as if tickled like the child to find her skin tighten and smooth, her hair regaining its dark colour and body as it spilt down her shoulders and back. It wasn’t until Areto spotted her princess watching them and gasped, immediately getting to her feet as did the other guards as they stood and bowed. Alexa herself fumbled for the MP3 player to find the stop button and bow.

“M-my princess! We… We were sent by the Queen to…”

Her cheeks hot with embarrassment, Euboea stared down at her feet, finding Harper tugging at her tunic, the boy not understanding the situation until she spotted her princess pick the giggling child up into her arms. Handing the scroll she had brought with her in her free hand to Alexa, who ceased her bowing to take the offered item.

“There is no need to explain Euboea, and it is good to see you restored to how you were.”

Blinking back at her Princess’s reply, the guard brought a hand to her face to find her leathery skin now smooth and supple, the woman overtaken slightly as she closed her eyes and exhaled with a soft smile.

“Thank you for the story Alexa, I found it most enlightening.”

“You’re very welcome your highness.” Alexa replied, placing the scroll on the table to be placed back on its rack later. “From what I’ve been informed, the elderly one grew ill, and our queen has him in the healing light of the purple ray.

With a hand to her lip, Diana turned her attention to Gary as he stood nervously, the man not sure how to act as he saw everyone bow and simply stood fidgeting as Wonder Woman placed Harper back into his father’s arms. “That is troubling, is he alright?”

“I think his diabetes got the better of him last night, he needed his shot of insulin… But it was here in the library.”

Slightly caught off guard, Gary found himself pulled into an embrace by the amazon woman, his eyes wide as saucers as Wonder Woman held him and his son close. Her grip inhumanly strong and yet she was gently, pulling away with a warm smile that made the man feel numb in his legs. “My deepest apologies, but do not worry, the healing light of the purple ray has performed many a miracle. If he is with my mother than he is in good hands.”

“T-thanks…” He answered, hugging his son close and looking away nervously.

Looking over her shoulder to the others present, Diana raised an eyebrow to Alexa rummaging her findings and papers together.

“I have everything your majesty has requested of me ready to give to her, if you would like, I wish to accompany you back to the purple ray to offer them personally.”

“I wanna see grandpa!”

“Then let us see him, I am sure by now he is doing much better.” Turning her attention to the three guards, Diana nodded back to them. “You are dismissed, you may return to the palace or join the others for morning meal.”

“Thank you, princess.” The three bowed with a salute. Making their way out of the library, the guards took the path down to the market while Diana and Alexa escorted the Thracys back to the purple ray, not noticing they were being watched from the shadow of an alley.