12 Chapter 10 - Sweetness..

The city was on guard, the stone walkways of the beautiful ancient buildings, the gorgeous young warriors of Themyscira doing their rounds. The women having no true idea what was happening but nonetheless they did as their queen had commanded. The lights flickered in and out of focus, casting ever-changing shadows along the gray stone walls, candles burning within the large room, as a woman paced back and forth.

"Will you stop Antiope, your impatience is doing nothing but distract me, nothing else can be done, it has been 3 days since the arrow was sent, and still no reply." Within the room, a woman's serious and yet sweet voice rang out. Her body kneeling as she looked at a strange place of stone on the floor.

"My worry is more than you have shown for this problem sister, you have not used it since the war, and with him being awakened.. There is no telling how she is, or how this thing will react." Antiope the woman pacing back and forth said, her hand coming to her mouth as she bit her nail. Her eyes looked at Hippolyta who pulled a small dagger from her back.

"The matter is no longer about what ifs, She is in the same position as me.. that is what I believe, I must believe that because I need answers." Hippolyta spoke lowly, her hand bringing the dagger to her palm as she dragged it across the center, the skin opening as blood poured out.

"How do we know she did not do it herself, her heart is still clouded by love for him.. you have changed.. this.." Antiope spoke as she walked forward, pulling Hippolyta's hand slightly as she spoke out about her worries. Yet as she spoke of love, she watched Hippolyta lower her head, pulling her hand away lightly.

"We are in the same position, clouded or not, she would not do anything that would put Muaka in danger." Hippolyta said, her eyes stressed as she looked at the floor, it was clear to her she had moved wrongly and it was something Antiope would not miss.

"Hippolyta, even now? you still.. you still love that monster?" Antiope took a step back, her eyes looking down as her mouth opened slowly by what she was seeing, her eyes trembling lightly as if in disbelief.

"He was not always like this, we both know it.. but it's not the point, we need answers and she is the best one to get them from." Hippolyta shook her head to the shakiness within Antiope's voice, her finger drawing symbols in a circle on the stone, watching as the blood pulled towards the center, mixing it into reddish black as a small being pulled itself from the ground.

"My lady.." Antiope took a step back, looking at the small creature with a large head, its long arms hanging as it knelt on the ground, its voice was sweet like a young child but it's red and yellow form was far from cute.

"Come, I must talk with your other half.." Hippolyta didn't show an open reaction, her hand with the wound was stretched out to the being, watching as it attached itself to her skin, the flesh of the cut healing as it passed over it. The being crawled its way up her body as it sank within her ears and eyes.

Antiope could only watch as the being attached itself to her, watching on as Hippolyta's eyes turned black, her face changing as the veins around her eyes stressed. Then there was silence, the rooms candles seemed to become stagnant, while Hippolyta looked to the sky, for moments that seemed to stop time as Antiope tried to reach out. Still for all her worrying, her hand was grabbed by Hippolyta who shook her head, her lips mouthing that she was fine, while her mind connected to another.

(Ishtar pov)

My mind was a mess, no that was an understatement, everything was a mess, the justice league knew something about my past, my husband or ex-husband was free to walk the earth again, my father had not contacted or made any moves to stop him, and the most painful was Muaka was mad, and confused at all of this.

"Why must everything be so.. so.. uh, so complicated.." I sat in my kitchen, watching the lights of passing cars creep within the cracks of the window blinds, breathing out deeply as I looked at the bottle within my hand.

"It has been lifetimes since you have drunk anything Ishtar, be careful, do not overindulge in its lies of comfort.. or in your past mistakes." Scream the one allowing me to feel drunk for once, spoke within my mind for a moment, but her voice was no different from mine. It was defeated at this moment, we had messed up.

"What is to be done, tell me scream, the league wants me to help but puts me on house arrest, Muaka is at mount justice, and Knull is out there doing God knows what." I answered back, its not as if I didn't understand that I was pitying myself. I knew I was all to well, but everything was to much, especially the flashes that came with it.

My head heard nothing, while my hand that held the bottle reached its way up, I knew she had no answers for right now, because I had none either. The sweetness of the wine licked my nose, it's fragrance washing away things around me, my eyes closing as I felt a hand wrap my own, caressing it with care, feeling my shoulder be rubbed, while kisses ran along my neck. The sweetness in them far greater than the wine as my eyes opened slowly.

"What troubles you, my queen?" In that moment, a voice that had brought me sweetness, and many sorrows rung out in my ears. My eyes trying to focus, as I looked at the surroundings that were no longer my home.

My eyes looked at the fires of torches that burned at the corners of this massive place, fixed at large pillars that held up the ceiling, and the moon light that seemed to mix with the fiery shadows in its all-encompassing glow. My hand holding a basin of wine, my eyes looking at the almost see-through material of the dress I wore, while I looked up to a man. His green eyes like the purest emeralds look down upon my figure, his long black hair moving in the night soft winds, the grin of questioning upon his lips, while his robes hung loosely around his body.

"Why did you change so much.. Why did you become this way.. I do not understand it." My mouth moved on its own, as if I was not the pilot of my own actions, nothing but a mere observer of something long ago.

"How many times must I tell you, more of them will be born, more will take the place of the ones lost, because the cycle for them will continue." Knull pulled his hand away from the basin, reaching it towards my face as he caressed it, no matter how much I tried to pull away, my head sank into his touch as I did long ago.

"You killed thousands, if not hundreds of thousands for something so selfish, they may see us as gods, but are not. Their lives are their own, Knull. No matter your reasoning, this was nothing but meaningless selfish wants." My eyes trembled, watching as he leaned up, his figure over me as his eyes grew cold, but they turned away from me, and out to the city of men around this palace.

"No matter our differences, she is right love.." Annoyance soon filled every part of my body, my ears picking up the gentle voice of another woman, while my eyes cast a long at her, watching her black hair flow like his own, her own figure just as mine wrapped within beautiful, practically see-through robes. Her blue eyes looking at me for a moment while she sat next to me on the large bed.

"Are both of you questioning my decision? As if it was not to save the other, as if I would not do the same for you Hippolyta.. As if I wouldn't put a thousand more to the sword for you." Knull stepped into the darkness slightly, his back to us, as his hand fell weakly to his side.

"It is only natural.. that I would.." My lips moved, watching him this way, so different but still the same to me, my words wished to speak out, but I knew very well why he did this.

"Natural that you die as they do.. no matter how it would pain me, no matter how it would break me if I did not have you by my side.. Tell me, do you think I would not give them all up if you were to pass on.. tell me Ishtar.. tell me another way and I would have done so." Each word that left his mouth was deep, I knew it, even Hippolyta did, he would go through great lengths to make sure we were safe, even if it cost millions of lives.

Hearing these words, just like back then, I knew without him saying it, it was his loneliness, as well as his unwillingness to lose me that started everything. My hand reaching out like it did back then, I wanted to speak, to make him understand, but my hand was grabbed, the world turning dark as I felt nothing but a hand on my wrist.

"You must wake up, Wake up.. wake up Ishtar!" My eyes looked at Hippolyta, her face in a strangely sad smile, while she called out to me, my head shaking the thoughts away. Once my eyes focused again, I looked at my kitchen which was destroyed, along with the ceiling, living room, and the front door. The claw and bite marks told it all to what happened as I brought scream into my body once more.

My eyes closed as I felt scream sink into my mind, watching the world turn dark, while a figure I had not seen in a long time sat in front of my face. Watching her eyes look away, while her mouth opened and closed many times, but I was no different as I sighed.

"It's.. it's. been a really long time.. hasn't it..Hippolyta."