A Queen on her knees

Artemis slowly entered the throne room and smiled contentedly when she saw that her guards were not wearing any of those strange armbands that had appeared in the population in the last few days. Since the high priestess had found the scrolls about the new, previously unknown goddess, this new cult had grown considerably. However, she was aware that she had always been a bit over-cautious and after all this goddess should have been a woman, which was not too bad.

"Artemis. What is the situation?" she heard the voice of the queen and bowed to her.

"The vampire still keeps his word and seems to leave us alone. But that is not why I am here. It's about the high priestess. She would like to have a word with you. It's about the goddess of the night."

" Thank Hera. Because I really don't feel like talking to you about our guest today. So, it's about this new goddess. Do you know anything about her?"

"Only what I've heard in conversations. The high priestess seems to be a bit worried that this new faith must be explored first. She assumes that it is pure curiosity in the population and would like to organize a big festival in honor of Athena." Artemis smiled.

"So, she doesn't seem to be part of this new religion," asked the Amazon Queen and Artemis shrugged her shoulder.

"You know how curious Arphatidia Even is as a child she stuck her nose into things that were none of her business. And that is still the case today. She searched the old scrolls, discovered something new and well..."

"Tattled?"

" Pardon me?"

"My daughter taught me the word. It means when women talk about things."

"Then she tattled!" Artemis grinned and smiled. "By the way, Dracula's bride was here and put on quite a show. She transformed herself at the fair and gave your daughter a wigging. It was probably about this fugitive that Dracula hid from us. This Oliver."

"Mm. And is she still alive?" Hippolyta asked curiously and Artemis grinned.

"It takes more than an oversized pussy cat to overcome my student.

Both women laughed out loud and then went through the rest of the things before they separated again. Hippolyta then made her way to the temple. It would not have been her job to come to the High Priestess, but she had known her for ages and there had never been any problems between them. Neither in faith nor in the state property. She hadn't been to the temple for some time herself and so she was able to avoid the kick-off when she visited her.

When she entered the small but beautiful temple her old friend was sorting some scrolls. When she noticed the queen, the high priestess grinned broadly and leaned against the shelf.

"So so. What rare honor? Do you think to get around your preaching that even a queen should give honor to a goddess?"

"It was worth a try, wasn't it?" Hippolyta asked amusedly and bowed down before the statue of Athena and placed a flower at the feet of the statue before turning back to the priestess. "I heard you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. It's about the new goddess I've found. She is a bloody and yet a benevolent goddess... I wanted to talk to you about how we're going to deal with it."

"A bloody goddess?" Hippolyta asked. The thought that the belief in a dark and violent goddess had come to this island did not appeal to her at all.

"Yes, as far as I understand it, she is a goddess of a powerful god I have not yet been able to identify and a mortal goddess. She is a goddess of the night and has fought countless battles with Ares it seems," said the high priestess and Hippolyta looked more relaxed. An enemy of Ares was not quite so bad.

"A goddess of the night? We already have a few followers of her, because a certain priestess has been gossiping around," she finally put on record and got the same confused look as from Artemis and laughed amusedly. "A word I have learned from my daughter It means that women talk about things with each other."

"Yes. Then I must have gossiped a little, and our sisters kept on gossiping. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about how we deal with this goddess. I have learned a lot more and I am almost ready to give you a full report." the high priestess smiled and pointed to her small prayer chamber which also served as her premises.

"What do you think?" asked the queen when the two were alone.

"I think that you pray too seldom," grinned the high priestess and poured her a glass of wine. She herself also had a glass in her hand and raised it in greeting. "To the one true goddess."

Both clashed together, and Hippolyta pulled up her brows as she tasted. "It tastes a little rough. Has the famous wine connoisseur gone astray? "she grinned, and the high priestess grinned back.

"The wine does not unfold its effect with the first sip. Every good wine connoisseur knows that. But you've never known anything like it!"

"Don't you get smart with me. So, what do you think?"

"I think before we discuss anything, we should pray to our goddess! You haven't prayed for a long time. It will do you good."

As if out of nowhere, Hippolyta really felt they should pray first. She had not prayed for so long that she could hardly remember her last visit here and it had always done her good.

"You are right as always. Let us pray."

The High Priestess smiled and took some black candles from a cupboard and lit them. Then she put a bowl of incense on the table and burned some of the herb in it. The sweet smell of incense quickly filled the small chamber and Hippolyta saw that it had to be a special incense as it burned reddish.

"And now let us pray Queen Hippolyta... as the goddess requires." she heard the voice of her old friend on her ear. "Get down on all fours!"

"Yes... as... as she asked." She replied, dazed, kneeling and then down on all fours.