[The Daily Planet] "Let the Celebrations Begin"
- From: Moria McEntire <bansheec@xxxxxxx>
- To: The Daily Planet <thedailyplanet@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 23:02:57 -0400
"Let the Celebrations Begin"
Queen Hippolyte, Princesses Diana, Donna and Selene; Philippus, and
featuring Wally West
The J.L.A watchtower was quiet for a change. Normally Diana enjoyed
these quiet moments, using them as a time to clear her mind and regroup,
but that wasn’t going to be possible today. She was actually feeling
rather cagey. She wanted to get the J.L.A meeting over with so she could
go home. She was so lost in her thoughts of Themyscira that she didn’t
notice the scarlet blur that passed before her vision.
Stopping right next to the beautiful Amazon Wally West, known as The
Flash, slipped his arm around the woman’s shoulders. “So,” he said as he
waved a hero sandwich around with his other hand, “big party this
weekend huh?”
She had to admit that Wally was obnoxious at times but Diana really did
like the him. He was silly, light hearted, and carefree, yet he was also
one of the people on the J.L.A she trusted to watch her back. “It’s more
then just a party, Wally. It’s a celebration marking the anniversary of
the birth of the original Amazons. So it’s kind of a birthday,
anniversary, royal jubilee celebration.”
“Cool!” Wally replied. “So who’s birthday?”
“My mother’s and the other original Amazons.” Diana replied.
Wally nodded after taking a bite of his sandwich. With his super-hyper
metabolism he was always eating. “So like it all happened on the same day?”
Diana tried really hard not to be grossed out by the hero sandwich Wally
was waving around. She was also trying to avoid the mayo that was being
flung around. “Yes, Mother was born first, at dawn, and then my Aunt
followed her, and then the rest. Mother and Aunt Antiope were made the
Amazon Queens just before the sunset that same day.”
“Wow.” Wally was really in awe of that. The whole Amazon concept, other
then there being an island of hot babes out there, was more then he
could wrap his mind around. “So like how old, err long, what anniversary
is it?”
The Amazon princess laughed softly before answering. “Three thousand
five hundred years.”
Wally dropped his sandwich. He’d seen a picture of Diana’s mother, she
was gorgeous. Pulling himself together he smirked as he leaned into the
Amazon. “So do you like need a date?”
Diana laughed again. “Men aren’t allowed on Themyscira, Wally, you know
that.”
“Riiight.” Wally smiled brightly and shrugged his red clad shoulders.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying. Bet ya can’t wait to see the kid though.”
“I leave right after the meeting.” Diana replied.
Wally noticed the look in his friend’s eyes and laughed. “Man, if Bats
doesn’t get here soon he’s gonna end up hurt.”
*****
From the balcony of the palace Queen Hippolyte stood next to her oldest
and dearest friend watching her granddaughter riding away from the
palace with Artemis. They were heading into the forest to hunt. Selene
had become a fair huntress, though she didn’t do it often. Her
connection to the animals, like her mother’s, proved a hindrance to such
things as hunting. This hunt however was ceremonial. Selene was
seventeen now and it was time for her to participate in the rights of
their patron Goddess Artemis.
“Your granddaughter grows stronger and more beautiful with each new
morning, my Queen.” Philippus commented with a bright smile.
Hippolyte pressed her palms against the marble railing as she smiled.
“She reminds me so much of Diana, and yet she couldn’t be more
different. There is a streak of rebelliousness in Selene that Diana
never had. Perhaps that comes from her time in Patriarch’s World.”
The dark skinned general’s smile turned into more of a smirk as she
stepped closer to the other woman. “Or perhaps that is a quality the
girl has inherited from her grandmother.”
Though dark blue eyes sparkled, Hippolyte’s face took on a serious
expression. “Are you calling your Queen rebellious, General?”
Not many knew, which was saying a lot since it was hard to hide things
from people on an isolated island, but Philippus had been the Queen’s
companion for years. In the privacy of the Queen’s chambers she was free
to speak to her woman to woman, which allowed her the chance to tease a
little. “Don’t forget stubborn, my Queen.”
“I’ll show you a stubborn woman.” Hippolyte replied as they went back
inside.
*****
Donna was the first to see her sister break through the clouds above the
island. She was standing in the court yard waiting for the sound of the
horns which singled the return of the huntresses. It would be their
return that started the celebrations. Donna waved at her sister until
Diana landed a few feet away from her. Then the younger woman ran to her
sister and embraced her.
“We were starting to worry you wouldn’t make it in time.” Donna said as
she hugged her sister tightly.
Diana smiled as she and Donna pulled away. “I wouldn’t miss this for the
world, little sister. These are very special times for our people.”
“Special times for our family too.” The younger raven haired woman
replied as she and Diana walked towards the palace.
“Oh how so?” Diana asked.
Donna smiled proudly. “Selene has gone on Artemis’ scared hunt. We’re
waiting for her and the other to return.”
Surprise, shock, pride, a touch of sadness all swirled in Diana’s eyes.
She had to stop herself from saying Selene was too young to go on the
hunt of the huntress, but then she realized her baby wasn’t a baby anymore.
“Diana? You ok?” Donna asked with concern when her sister didn’t reply.
Diana smiled as she stopped them and turned to look at her sister. She
caressed the younger girl’s cheek as she sighed. “It is hard to keep
coming home and finding my sister a woman, and my daughter no longer a
small child.”
“Even immortals grow up, Diana.” Donna said softly and then laughed. “I
think if there were a way to keep children from growing up Mother would
have found it a long time ago.”
That made the older princess laugh. “I’m not entirely sure she hadn’t
looked for a way.”
“Actually Daughter I hadn’t thought to look for a way to keep you and
your sister young until you were grown. It was a little late by then.”
Diana’s eyes lit up her whole face as she went to greet her mother.
The three royal women waited out the afternoon in the palace. Hippolyte
told Diana how Selene had prepared for the hunt. How she had bathed in
the lake of Artemis and then spent the night in the Goddess’ temple.
Diana berated herself for not being able to come sooner. She should have
been here while her daughter communed with their Goddess, even though
she knew she wouldn’t have been allowed to be with her. She still felt
she should have at least been on the island.
“Do not punish yourself, Daughter.” Hippolyte said softly. She
understood the look in her daughter’s eyes all to well. “You are here
now and that is what matters. You wouldn’t have been able to see her
until her return anyway.”
“I know Mother.” Diana sighed. “After five years you would think I’d
have gotten use to this.”
Hippolyte caressed her daughter’s cheek before kissing her forehead.
“You never get use to missing your child.”
The two women shared warm smiles just before the city was suddenly
filled with the sounds of horns. “They’re back!” Donna announced as she
sprung to her feet. The three of them headed to the royal box where the
huntresses would bring their offerings. Several women had gone out to
hunt for the feasts, but it was Selene’s hunt that carried the greatest
meaning.
Selene had been scared to death over the hunt. She hadn’t been sure she
could do it. It was really hard to kill something you had an empathic
connection too, but as she’d made her way through the forest she’d
actually felt honor coming from the animals. The bucks she carried
towards the royal box had not shown fear in the moments before their
deaths, but pride in giving their lives for the Great Huntress right.
When the royal box, which was really just an area just below the palace
steps where her grandmother would be waiting, came into view Selene
smiled. It made her heart soar to see her mother standing to her
grandmother’s right.
Hippolyte stood, dressed in her full, flowing, purple robes with her
gold scepter staff held proudly in her right hand, her daughters each
clad in blue robes much like her own standing on either side of her. The
sight of it made Selene stand a little taller as she approached. She
bowed her head respectfully as she carefully went to one knee, the bucks
still around her neck. “In the name of the Great Huntress I bear thee
the gifts of the hunt my Queen.”
Pride radiated from not only Hippolyte but from Diana and Donna as well,
but it was Hippolyte who spoke. “Artemis has blessed you well young one,
and you have pleased your Queen greatly, and filled your Grandmother’s
heart with overflowing pride.”
Tears stung Selene’s eyes as she looked up at her family. Hippolyte
nodded and several women came to take the bucks to prepare them for the
feasts. It took two each to carry the animals away, it had been the
strength inherited from her mother that had allowed Selene to carry them
both with ease. With a forward tilt of her staff and a raised hand
Hippolyte declared, “Let the joyous and blessed celebrations begin!”
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