The Return of Ares

5 - Hippolyta

Days had gone by since Diana's trip to Wayne Manor, and she had quickly brushed aside his offer. She had no intention on working with him since she had no way of trusting him. They were too different. She could never fight alongside someone like him.

Sitting at home as she enjoyed the last bit of the weekend, Diana lay in her lounge chair with a glass of wine in one hand.

Suddenly, the door bell rang.

Confused, she gets up and makes her way over. Who would be looking for her on a Sunday? She looks through the peephole, and gasps.

Hippolyta.

No, her eyes were fooling her. Someone must have been playing some sort of dirty trick.

The door bell rings again. Jolted from her shock, she calmly but cautiously opens the door.

Indeed, standing right before Diana was Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.

Without a word she leapt into her mother's embrace, oh how she missed her.

"My dear Diana," Hippolyta wrapped her arms around her, "I have missed you too."

Diana ushered her mother in and they sat in Diana's living room. It was a rather underwhelming location for such a reunion, but it would suffice.

Unlike on Themyscira, Hippolyta was dressed very casual and humbly. She was clothed in a long dress with a brown coat over it, and wore a black hat and tan Oxford shoes.

"How did you get here from Themyscira? And how did you find me?"

"I have spent almost 20 years searching, leaving no rock unturned. But I saw you that day, in the battle with the monster, brave and strong."

Diana smiled, "I suppose we found each other."

The Amazon queen sat closer to her daughter. "Diana, I would not have travelled this far if it were not for something as important as this."

"W-What is it?"

"I spent so much time finding you that I fear my warning may have come too late." Hippolyta looked her daughter dead in the eyes, "You can feel him, can't you?"

"Who? Mother just tell me what's going on."

Hippolyta paused and gulped before she continued, "Ares. He's back."

Diana's eyes widened in shock and she shook her head in denial, "It can't be. I ended him once and for all, that was almost 100 years ago."

"My daughter there is so much I could not teach you." the Amazonian queen sighed, "If gods were fallible would they be gods? When you end their reign in one lifetime, they are reincarnated for another."

"Reincarnated? But why now?"

"The break from one lifetime to another is completely arbituary, but be warned – He may not be the same as you remembered him to be."

"What does that mean?"

"The body and soul are separate. He will look different, act different, his words will be different, but there will always be a part of the old Ares nudging him on to continue the work he never finished in his previous life."

"It's as if Ares has possessed the body of someone else."

"Yes, and no. The child should be almost 20 years of age now, since I first felt his presence return 20 years ago. He will be young and he will not know what is happening to him or what he is capable of. Teach him, coach him, and keep him from taking the path your brother did."

"But how will I find him? Where do I even begin?"

"I'm afraid I do not have the answers you want, but if we found each other then you will find him too."

With that, Hippolyta stood up. "I will always be with you Diana, but I'm getting old in my years. You must do this on your own."

Diana grabbed her mother's hand, "No, please don't go! It's been so long since we last saw each other, you can't just leave me now!"

Hippolyta put her hand on Diana's, "I've done what I had to, now Themyscira needs me. Your destiny lies here. Stay strong, Diana, and remember: I love you."

With that, Hippolyta made her way out. Diana ran after but once she stepped out of the house, Hippolyta was gone.

Diana collapsed on the cold, concrete steps, fighting back the tears as hard as she could. After being separated for almost 100 years, all her lonely heart wanted was to be with her mother again. Just as her wish was granted, fate seemed to rip them apart once more. She slapped herself on the cheek, indeed she wasn't dreaming. She picked herself back up and brushed off the dust. No, the Diana Prince the world knows is a strong and independent woman who has never relied on anyone other than herself.

"But a little company never hurt no one..." She muttered under her breath, clinging to the hope that one day she'd be freed from the chains of loneliness. But alas, the hope was slowly slipping through her fingers like sand. How much longer could she go on like this for? Even Diana herself couldn't tell.

Sweeping her thoughts aside, she began thinking about her brother and where he could possibly be. All she knew was that he was 20 years of age and might be now discovering who he really is for the first time.

Just then, something clicked.

Bruce Wayne.

He wanted Diana's help for find people with special abilities. Ares was special, no doubt, perhaps Diana and Bruce Wayne could help each other.

Resolute, Diana grabbed her purse. She hailed a cab and made her way back to Wayne Manor.