The line on the beach

Sitting on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs, the three looked around to find a group of old women in armor and shields pointing spears at them. They had managed to weather the storm all the way to the island beach, **** to abandon ship when they took on too much water. Forcing them to swim the rest of the way there and collapse on the sandy shores. The moment they did, the storm dissipated, letting beams of sunlight cut through the heavy clouds and give the family a reprieve to cough up salt water and sit up to look around at their surroundings. No sooner than two minutes pass when a small army on horse back charged down the beach and dismounted, capturing them easily and tying them down, all the while barking orders and threats if they so much as moved.

Looking to his father who was wheezing with a bloody lip and to his son who looked scared out of his wits, the man looked to the group of armored hags who looked like they were in charge. There were four of them he figured, what with the extra embellishments they wore to their armor. The one with mocha coloured skin wore a lion’s hide like a cloak, the bald one stared back at him with red eyes and looked that much angrier for making eye contact with him. Then there were the two circling him and his father and son. Even though they wore heavy leather armor with spears and shields in hand, the mental picture of the wicked witch of the west came to mind when he looked up and regretted seeing the face of one of them glare back at him.

Pacing back and forth as she gave him a murderous look, Aello scowled furiously. Behind her were an army of her amazons at arms, having come across the three males on their daily training ride through their beach head. Hearing one of them speak, Aello’s lips pulled back in rage.

“Uhm… Does anyone know…”

The backhand he got from the elderly looking woman was inhuman, making him see stars instantly like he had been punched out by a 400-pound bouncer at the bar, five times over. His head hitting the sand, his tongue slowly explored his bloody mouth, thankful all his teeth were still in his mouth.

“DADDY!”

A boney hand with thin fingers wrapped around the child’s neck, immediately silencing him as she stared daggers into his frightened eyes.

“YOU WILL SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO MANTHING!” Hissed Ocypete, her eye twitching as she felt her bones crunch and change, her teeth becoming sharp and chipped. Eventually she was **** to let the boy go and step back, taking stock of her changes and growing angrier for it.

“Spies… Interlopers… You all come out of the sea like filth washing up on our shores. NEVER again!”

“Indeed sister! The first was an affront to the senses, but now our number of invaders has only multiplied!”

Unsheathing a blade from her scabbard, the general of the amazon army raised her blade high, Ocypete only paused when she heard the course voice of her Queen call out behind her.

“OCEPETE! AELLO! STAND DOWN!”

Snapping her head over her shoulder to see her queen and her consort arrive by horseback when she had been informed by her guards, the elderly looking warrior woman put away her broadsword as her ruler dismounted and carefully made her way through the sand to approach her general, and eye the three newcomers.

“My queen, these… These SPIES have crossed the veil and found our island paradise. They must be punished!”

“Yes!” Scowled Alkyone, the bald shaven amazon approaching her queen and pointed an accusing gnarled finger back at the man now on the ground. “Give the word my queen and we’ll execute them now!”

Looking down to the two men and small boy tied up on the ground, the queen’s face was unreadable. It was only when she heard her daughter swoop in from the air that her attention was divided and turned to see her Wonder Woman land at her feet to see who had arrived. Diana made a quick glance to the three held captive and immediately tried to plead with her mother on the matter.

“My Queen, mother, PLEASE, they are not spies.”

“YOU do not have a say on these matters princess!” Hissed Aello, her lips looked almost bloody with the grimace she gave. “It is because of that vile spirit you call an ally that is responsible for our plight! We will NOT be victim to another!”

“Give us the word my queen and we shall execute them NOW!”

Breathing in sharply, Hippolyta turned back to her daughter, extending her hand out to her as she lowered her gaze to the golden rope at her side. “My daughter, the lasso.”

Handing the lasso of Hestia to her mother without question, the Queen heard her generals protest before raising a hand to silence them. Moving towards the eldest of the three, she gently looped the lasso over his shoulders and tugged at the rope, its length giving off a golden glow as a result. The man had greyed hair, his skin tanned and weathered with eyes that seemed glassy as he looked up at the woman and coughed under his breath.

“Who are you, where are you from, and what are you doing here?”

His eyes going wide slightly, the man answered despite himself.

“My name’s Phin Thracy… I’m… I’m from Sweetwater Maine… I don’t know where HERE is.”

Tugging at the rope again, the Queen’s eyes narrowed. “The lasso of truth compels you to tell no lie, I will have the truth of it. Why are you here?”

Blinking and looking down at the rope, the elderly man squirmed as he answered. “I… I don’t know where HERE is… We got trapped in a storm, out fishing… We saw an island and we sailed until the boat capsized.”

Looking out to the sea, she could see the drowned-out remnants of the boat they took to get here, now sunk and barely visible save for the corner the stern poking out of the waters. Seeing she was causing pain pulling answers from him, she relented her grip and slipped the lasso off him. Turning to the younger man next to him, she nodded to one of her guards to pull him back up to his knees and slipped the lasso over him, getting the same golden glow as she tugged at the lasso. “Tell me who you are and why you are here.”

Blinking in confusion and suddenly finding his mind clear of the concussion he suffered from the blow earlier, the man found himself speaking without control over himself.

“My name is Gary… Gary Thracy, I… I’m just an accountant. My father invited my son and I for fishing and then the weather changed out of nowhere… This island… We could see it through the storm, and we tried to…”

“That is enough.” Hippolyta spoke, loosening the rope around him then turning her attention to the small boy who whimpered at his father’s side. Her gaze softening, Hippolyta offered the lasso back to her daughter and turned her attention to Nubia, who straightened her stance when she saw her queen nod in her direction. “Bring them to the city to be treated, we will make plans to return them to their home shore. And see what you can salvage of their belongings from the boat.”

“What?” Gasped Aello, suddenly catching herself as her Queen looked her way. “B-but your highness, we cannot allow men on our sanctuary.”

“In no less than two days, we have had men arrive on our shores and the first we acted upon lead us to… This.” The gestured to her withered face and hanging flesh. “I choose to NOT repeat the same mistakes, they will be treated and returned to their home.”

“WHY ARE WE WASTING TIME ON THEM?! THEY ARE INTERLOPPERS! OUR ENEMIES!” Hissed Ocypete, her grimace looking painful as her lips pulled back further.

Returning a steely gaze to her general, Queen Hippolyta marched her way towards the elderly looking woman until the two were face to face, the general leaned back in surprise when she found she had overstepped and looked away, only for Hippolyta to grab the woman by the chin and **** her to see her eye to eye.

“I am your QUEEN! I am the one who draws the line in the sand on who is our enemy or not when we are at war!” Slowly turning her attention to the three being pulled up to their feet, Hippolyta returned her gaze to Ocypete. “In times of peace? When we are to cater to strays who wash up on our shores, I am STILL your Queen, and you will do as you are commanded.”

Turning sharply and walking away from the humbled general, Hippolyta passed by her daughter who bowed with a relieved smile and turned to follow her.

“Thank you, mother. I had worried that any newcomers would be…”

“The sooner they are off our shores the better, my daughter. Their presence will only rile up an already complicated problem the longer they are here.” Frowned the woman as Phillipus took her hand to remount her steed. “Retrieve their boat and belongings from the waters and see to its repair so they can leave, and have Alexa supervise the task.”

Bowing graciously, Diana nodded. “If the vessel were to be unusable my mother, I can return them to their world using my aircraft.”

“Good, see to it then, the sight of them on my shores offends me!”

“Indeed.” Scoffed Phillipus. “The sooner they are gone the better!”

Watching her queen leave with her entourage and daughter, Aello and Ocypete were beside themselves with barely contained impotent rage. Alkyone fared no better as she gripped the hilt of her short sword until her knuckles turned white. Looking over to the three males being **** to stand by her amazons at arms, Alkyone’s red eyes narrowed.

“Take those… THINGS to the palace dungeons.”

“Our queen commanded we bring them to the city to be housed until their vessel repaired.” Spoke up Nubia, bristled by the presence of the three as they were moved by foot to walk to the city.

“Our QUEEN ordered us to house them until we know what to do with them, she did NOT specify ‘comfortable’ housings.” Hissed Alkyone, remounting her horse and giving out a call for her steed to race ahead so she could prepare her troops at the city.

Nubia did not like that answer. It felt… dishonorable. Hearing a cry behind her, she found one of her guards kick the elderly of the three males to **** him to pick up his pace. The act making the amazon shiver as the sound of bones crunched and her stance lowered into a hunch.

“You there.” Seeing the guard stop and see Nubia approach her, her general gestured her aside to take her place in guiding the three to their city. “Do not forget that they are guests, treat them as such.”

“Yes, my general.” The guard replied, still giving the three males a murderous look as she rejoined the rank and file to march back to the city along with those on horse back.

No, she did not like this at all. On her way back to the city, she could hear… Screaming coming from the mountains, the voices of the oracles echoing out a banshee cry of pain and misery.

“What ails the Oracles?”

One of the guards turned to Nubia and nodded back to the mountains. “Our princess sought wisdom of the Oracles on the blight we suffer, it would appear ALL amazons everywhere suffer as we do.”

“To endure such knowledge, it is no wonder why they give such a painful wail for all to hear…”

*

“I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, everybody’s nerves, EVERYBODY’S nerves, I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, and it goes a little something like thiiiiiiiiiiis… I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, everybody’s nerves, EVERYBODY’S nerves, I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, and it goes a little something like thiiiiiiiiiiis…”

The three oracles were screaming, rolling on the floor in agony with their cushions wrapped around their heads to blot out the terrible off-key singing. Boston himself simply floated overhead, his arms folded behind his head and one leg crossed over the other like he was on a lounger.

“MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!” Screamed Castalia, rolling back and forth on the floor of the temple, her face a mask of agony as she and her sisters were **** to continue listening.

Callisto and Coliope were sobbing, trying everything they could to block out the terrible singing to no avail.

“I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, everybody’s nerves, EVERYBODY’S nerves, I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, and it goes a little something like thiiiiiiiiiiis… I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, everybody’s nerves, EVERYBODY’S nerves, I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, and it goes a little something like thiiiiiiiiiiis…”

This all began when the spirit gave the three a proposal after Diana had left them, something they flat out refused, citing they would never kowtow to the whims of a man, dead or otherwise. Then he began singing…

For HOURS he kept this **** up, and no matter where they hid in the mausoleum or temple, he was always there, singing that blasted song.

“I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, everybody’s nerves, EVERYBODY’S nerves, I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, and it goes a little something like thiiiiiiiiiiis… I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, everybody’s nerves, EVERYBODY’S nerves, I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, and it goes a little something like thiiiiiiiiiiis… I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, everybody’s nerves, EVERYBODY’S nerves, I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, and it goes a little something like thiiiiiiiiiiis…”

Then suddenly it stopped.

Slowly dropping their guard, the three oracles looked around, hesitant, cautious of anything that might stand out, but instead they were left with peace and quiet.

“Is it over?”

“This is the song that never ends, this is the song that never ends. Some people STARTED singing it, not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue singing it forever just because. This is the song that never ends, this is the song that never ends. Some people STARTED singing it, not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue singing it forever just because. This is the song that never ends, this is the song that never ends. Some people STARTED singing it, not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue singing it forever just because…”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“Alright! Alright! We relent! Just PLEASE… Stop singing!” Wept Coliope, the three collapsing to the ground as if they had endured hell.

Boston on the other hand chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he continued to float above their heads. “Ladies, you don’t know it yet, but we are going to do a lot of good.”