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On Sanctuary Island, life had been largely unchanged for eons. The women who had retreated to that hidden isle eons ago had not aged, nor had their needs altered in all that time. The needs of their ruler, Queen Hippolyta, had never changed, either. She was a mother, and she felt the strong urge to deny, suppress, or forget this fact, because there was total estrangement between her and her lawless daughter, Diana. She was a proud woman, and it gave her pangs of regret and shame that she, of all the Amazons of Sanctuary Isle, should so fail in her duties as to produce a child who had no regard for the ways of the Olympians.
She sighed as she sat beside a device known as the magic sphere. It could reveal images of what occurred in the past or what might have occurred if history had taken a different course. Oh, she had exhausted the sphere's resources in many visions of what might have occurred if her daughter had embraced her ways.
"A heroine! Diana could have embodied all that is noble and good in our teachings. She could have been a light to brighten the darkness of the outer world. Better still, she could have remained here and never entered that nightmare realm of male aggression," wept the queen in her solitary moments.
She recalled for the thousandth time how it had all begun long before. She gazed into the sphere and saw herself -- proud, powerful, a daughter of great Ares himself. As the war god's child, she possessed truly impressive martial prowess. She had rallied her sisters -- other daughters of the Olympian war god -- and they had become an invincible sisterhood dedicated to bloody combat and merciless conquest. That is, until the day in which Hippolyta had fallen under the teachings of Aphrodite, goddess of love, and had renounced her past. She had humbly sought the ways of love and peace and had brought her sisters around to share her newfound ideals.
Why had she changed? She had once been as dangerous as her
child would eventually become. The answer rested with the love of a
good man. His name was Herakles, and his devotion to a selfless
lifestyle based on sharing, helping, and protecting the weak had shaken
her to the core. She had been reformed by his love and his example and
had led her sisters to embrace such idealism.
She sighed as she recalled and saw his image fill the screen. He had departed from her in time. His ceaseless journeys could not allow him to ever settle in one locale for long. She sometimes wondered if she had made the wrong choice in not joining him. She had led her sisters away from the world of man and had journeyed herself -- guided by Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Aphrodite, goddess of love -- to an isle they named Sanctuary. A sanctuary was indeed what it became, as they hid from the outside world and its madness -- a madness that would later be personified by her own child.
The birth of that daughter was a miracle in itself. She and her sisters had labored to build a true paradise on Sanctuary Isle, and they had devoted their time to noble efforts in preserving the arts, literature, and history of their culture. However, what good was a culture if it never matured, grew, or changed?
Thus, Hippolyta had longed for a child. She wanted to give the isle a princess to follow her example and embody all she valued. She hoped such a child could be kept free of any taint of her father, Ares. Thus, she would be greater and more lovely than even her mother.
The Olympians heard her prayers and granted her such a child. "Take clay of magic and shape a daughter. We shall give her life and gifts beyond those of any Amazon!" promised Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis.
However, one goddess was not invited to participate, and this spelled the babe's doom. Iris, the goddess of discord, was never invited anywhere because she always lived up to her title and spread spite, malice, and discord in her wake. Iris had been angered and hurt by the slight, and thus she secretly planned a revenge that was terrible in implication and perilous in its fruition. She switched the magical clay of Aphrodite's design with clay from an older and darker source. She laughed bitterly as she mixed the clays and recalled the origin of the clay she added to that already present.
Long ago, when humankind was young, Zeus sought to
punish them for the effrontery shown by Prometheus in stealing fire and
giving it to mankind. He did so by ordering every Olympian to shower
their gifts upon a woman of their devising. She would have the beauty
of Aphrodite, the wisdom and battle prowess of Athena, the speed of
Hermes, the agility of Artemis, and so on. She would be formed from
magical clay. He also gave her a name that came from the surname of the
earth itself. This was a final bit of irony that proved Zeus had his
own sense of humor.
Thus the woman was named Pandora after Gaea
Pandora -- earth herself. She soon entered the lives of Prometheus and
his sibling along with a special box that could never be opened.
However, in time the box was
opened, and from it spread every plague and
menace that could create strife upon Earth! Thus Zeus gave mankind
more than they bargained for, and Pandora became infamous for her deeds.
After her death, Pandora reverted back to clay, and it was from this tainted, evil clay that Iris took that which she mixed with the clay given to Hippolyta. Thus was created a daughter with all the gifts of the Olympians and all the evils of Pandora, their earlier creation. Hippolyta named her child Diana.
Princess Diana was everything the Amazons and her proud mother could have hoped for in a child, except for that fact that as an infant she had a terrible temper and never seemed to rest calmly like other babies were known to do. Perhaps that which was inside her -- the taint of Pandora -- drove her restless spirit even as a baby. When she was a child, Diana received all the attention of the Amazons. They taught her the arts and wisdom of their culture; however, she wanted more than what they could give her, and her attitude became that of a spoiled brat.
She also showed no respect to her mother, and -- to Hippolyta's concern -- Diana neglected the worship of the Olympians. "Love? That's another name for weakness! I scorn it and all of its dainty trappings!" she once said.
Still, the Olympians had given her good gifts, and she
grew strong, swift, and beautiful. Yet one errant lock of her raven
dark hair grew starkly white. This mark was the sign of Pandora's
touch,
although no one knew this to be the case. She became solitary and
avoided the others during long walks in the wooden glades around the
city.
In truth, Diana secretly met mentors of various kinds. One was a
witch known as Circe, who favored the girl with her attention and
flattery and shaped her into a young woman with a hatred for the
Olympians who made her.
Diana also met a male. The idea of any man setting foot on the sacred isle of women was shocking, and she relished knowing something that none of her sisters or even her mother knew. In the darkness of the glade, Diana met and loved a handsome youth. It was with perverse delight to her that she did the unthinkable -- she met a lover.
Princess Diana of Sanctuary Isle was guided through
her young womanhood by these two diverse spirits. Circe, a flame-haired
beauty, whispered to her young pupil of the ways of evil and of malice
and scorn for the Olympians. "My child, they gave you gifts that
partook of their
individual essences -- beauty, wisdom, speed, agility, and
strength. Thusly, does it not
follow that you are greater than all
of them? You combined their best
traits without their
weaknesses. You surpass them all, and thus they
restrict your freedom. They place you here away from the world so you
cannot shame them in front of the real
world beyond."
Diana heard Circe's words, and she indulged herself with them. They
appealed to her sense of superiority and her ego, and she relished
rebellion against those ideals her mother held sacred. She was also fed
in this path by the curse of her birthright.
She learned more physical activities like swordsmanship, archery, wrestling, and combat from a striking youth named Gradiuus, the male whom she met in the same forest.
"Do not fear me, fair one! I am a captive of your beauty and am subject to the mercies of one taken in combat most mortal," he said.
She smiled and said, "I fear no one. Who are you? What right have you to tread upon Sanctuary Isle?"
He smiled, and she drew closer. "I am Gradiuus, or so some call me. And surely you are Aphrodite herself."
His appearance did not frighten her. She was attracted to him and became an eager pupil of all he could teach. He gave no explanation of who he was or how he came to the isle of Amazons. She suspected he was a magical being or perhaps an Olympian in disguise. She fell in love with him and savored his dark teachings. They met daily, and she mastered all her lover could teach.
In time, she was caught by her mother. Hippolyta shrieked and pulled her away from his embrace, for she saw through his guise and knew him by his more common name. She knew him to be her father himself.
"Ares! How could you do this?" she cried.
In truth, Gradiuus was Ares himself. Hippolyta's father had longed for the chance to turn his grandchild to his violent ways, and he had succeeded beyond his wildest hopes, for Diana could fight like a fury.
Ares smiled the same seductive smile that had so attracted Diana. "My daughter, surely you would not deny me the right to nurture she who is flesh of my flesh, in a manner of speaking. Fair Diana, you are my heir in every way, and I salute you, daughter of Mars."
Diana followed her mother and pondered the truth. She felt nothing but pride in that she had been pupil and lover to Ares, also known as Mars -- he whom even the other Olympians feared and despised. Hippolyta suffered much in silence, and yet she and Diana often came to words and once to blows. She could not tame her wild child.
The morning light brought her new hope until a star
fell and revealed itself to be not celestial in nature at all. It was a
plane from the world beyond, and it would change Diana's life forever.
Diana was on the beach when the plane crashed, and she raced out to pull a man from its wreckage. She carried him to shore and noticed his appearance. He was blond, handsome, and wore a uniform of blue.
"Trevor? Steve Trevor," she read as she retrieved his identity papers, for Hippolyta had taught her some of the languages of man's world.
She defied her mother's wishes by personally nursing him back to health and listening by his bedside as he spoke. And how he spoke! He was a charmer, and he told her of a life beyond her own experience. He spoke of cities that rose skyward and of machines whose science challenged even the magic of the Amazons. Most of all he smiled and laughed, and he displayed a boyishness that was different from the ancient charm of Ares. Steve Trevor was a rogue, and he knew it. Within weeks, Diana had fallen for him and decided to accompany him back to the outside world.
"Angel or devil? You've got the traits of both," he said one day as she listened to his stories.
"I have many qualities," she said with a twinkle in her eye.
However, Hippolyta refused to allow her to make such a trip. She had named the island Sanctuary because she saw it as a refuge from all that was dark and hateful. She saw it as a haven from the life she herself had lived when she served Ares as a warrior queen. Thus, she announced a compromise. She would hold a contest, and the winner would take Steve Trevor back to his world.
Diana nearly destroyed the palace gardens when Hippolyta announced that her special gifts made her ineligible for the contest. "Diana, you are their princess! You cannot be a contestant with our subjects!" she had said.
"I renounce my title. I wish to go!" she had shouted before stomping off.
Diana almost wept with her rage and fury until a soft voice soothed her tears. "What plight brings you to tears, my child?" cooed Circe in tones that had seduced Ulysseus eons before. Diana looked up at her old mentor and explained it all.
"Mother refuses to let me enter the contest, and I must go with Steve. If I lose him, I shall die!" she vowed.
Circe smiled and caressed her hair. "My magicks can solve that problem. Would I fail thee, my pretty?"
Thus, the contest was held amidst splendor and pageantry, and in time two women remained. Both were striking blondes, and both had displayed superior skills in every area. A final contest was ordered in which they would try to display skills in the event called bullets and bracelets. The guns had come from the outside world through means unknown or at least unrevealed to Diana. Hippolyta frowned as she watched the event. It was not like Diana to obey her commands so readily; however, the two blonde women looked nothing like her dark daughter. The first contestant stood ready. Her name was Mala, and she bravely received the weapon fire, with swiftness and skill deflecting the bullets on her gleaming bracelets. All Amazons had worn such bracelets since their first arrival on the isle long ago. They represented their loving submission to Aphrodite.
The taller blonde took her position with a haughty toss of her head and a defiant fire in her dark eyes. Hippolyta shivered as she gazed upon her. She was not known to the queen; however, over the eons the Amazons had occasionally given shelter to some of their ancient sisters or their heirs who had not joined the main group during their fabled exodus. She smiled coldly as the gun was raised and fired. Her hands flashed with amazing speed, and she deflected the bullet precisely toward Mala, who gasped and reacted too late. The demure blonde fell wounded, and victory went to the cocky taller blonde, whose magicks faded to reveal the smug features of Princess Diana.
Hippolyta gasped, and as Mala was carried off for treatment, she confronted her errant daughter. "How dare you use the dark arts to enter this contest against my orders! How have you learned such foul arts?" she hissed.
Diana said, "Circe transformed me. She has long been my friend and more of a mother to me than you could ever be."
Hippolyta grabbed her arm. "Diana, I order you to remain here. You injured Mala deliberately, didn't you?"
Diana grinned. "Yes! I always wanted to slap that insipid little thing's head off!" She twisted and removed Hippolyta's hand. "And do not challenge me again!" she said in a cold voice.
Hippolyta stared at her in shock. "If you leave this isle, you are no daughter of mine and certainly no princess of the Amazons," she said suddenly.
Diana smiled again and took her tiara off. "Take it. And take these as well!" she shouted. She removed her bracelets, and gasps echoed from those around her.
"You risk madness by removing your bracelets!" warned Hippolyta.
"I welcome madness!" she
cried out. "It is superior to the pale
imitation of life you live here."
She walked off, renouncing her heritage and her mother. She took Trevor and soared skyward in a plane taken from the isle's fleet. From that moment onward, she would never look back.
Diana and Steve Trevor made their way across the ocean through mists that concealed her former home. She felt no regrets and only thought of the dangerous and exciting future that awaited her.
"Steve, tell me more about this Arnoldtown, D.C., in which you dwell," she said.
He grinned and said, "It was named for our first national leader, and it's where my Air Force base is located. I was doing some private work when my plane went down. I am helping a group called the Contras. Not everyone is too pleased with that."
She said, "In your world, my power would enable me to subdue any foe of yours. We shall dominate this America."
He kissed her and said, "Yeah -- I was tired of taking orders, anyway. My own private coup sounds pretty sweet to me."
She nodded and relished their time together. Her emotions surged, and for a moment she wondered if she was experiencing the dreaded madness promised for all who removed their bracelets. She resisted the idea. It was more of her mother's fearfulness. She piloted the invisible plane well and landed outside Arnoldtown, where she concealed it within an old barn.
"Shall I slay your leaders and force your peers to crown you ruler?" she asked.
He laughed and said, "Angel, I like the way you think, but let's play it careful for now. You stay here, and I'll check in at the base. I'll be back soon."
She slammed her fist through the wooden wall of the barn. "Wait? I am eager to experience this new world! Never presume to tell me what to do!" she shouted.
He drew back timidly, and in his eyes she saw fear. She placed one hand to her brow and said, "I am unwell. I shall wait."
He hurried off, and then something whispered to Diana. Some instinct, some inner voice, some hidden demon drove her to follow him secretly. She bounded effortlessly over the rooftops and reached a small house. "This does not look like a base or military compound, unless these Americans are fools," she said.
She peered through a window and saw Trevor in the arms of a woman with dark hair and glasses. She exploded through the window and slapped the woman aside. In doing so, she noticed a faint resemblance between Trevor's bride and herself.
"You cur! How dare you betray me? This wench is your mate -- I see the evidence around you!" she shouted.
Trevor said, "Hold it, Angel. I didn't know how to tell you about her. She's my wife."
Diana ignored the meek woman's cries as she grew angry, and her passion led her into violence. Trevor couldn't flee, nor could he fight back. She had broken him like a rag doll in moments, and she whirled to face his fleeing wife. She jumped across the room and caught her up in powerful arms that crushed her spine, and she cast her aside like a broken toy.
She cried out, "Curse you, Aphrodite! Curse you for the pain you've brought me! I shall never love again!"
She hesitated for a moment but then rushed out of the house,
leaving the bodies of Steve and Diana Prince Trevor behind her as
symbols of her own damaged and shattered psyche.
Later, she flew over America and thought over her options. "I shall never return to Sanctuary Isle. Perhaps I should devote my time to destroying this nation that Steve served. That would be fitting," she mused.
And so she did just that. She began a rampage that made her one of the nation's top enemies, Superwoman. In time, she gained the lasso of Proteus, which allowed her to shape it according to her commands. She soon gained allies in the Crime Syndicate, and she eventually lost her plane in battle with Alexander Luthor, but those were tales for another time.
Hippolyta couldn't stand to watch any more of her child's history. She turned to the magic sphere and ordered it to show her the life that Diana might have led as a true Amazon princess and champion of their ideals. She watched and wept, her tears not so much for her Diana but for another now lost forever.
"Wonder Woman," she whispered softly.