Disclaimer: I do not Own Justice League, Teen Titans, Wonder Woman or any of these Wonderful Characters...I merely put them in farcical situations and go nuts! XD
This is Kind of, Sort of, Really AU...To be honest, I don't know much about Themyscira, thought I'd have a crack; this actually stemmed from a small one-shot I had devised in my head...is now long, weird, hilarious and awesome...
Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking either, but ENJOY! Remember, if you are planning to flame, Stop, Drop and LOL!
This Updated Version was written as one of my Reviewers ~ Amazing Bluie, ~ picked up on a little accidental ommission I made in the Story regarding the Crown...
ENJOY!^^
Not Technically a Man…
~)0(~
Queen Hippolyta gazed over those assembled, expression stern but regal; taking a breath she addressed the…Outsiders…
"Although your kind has never been truly welcome, forbidden even, on Themyscira, I bid you greetings now. All of you who have saved our fair island, foreign sisters and…for the first time…" she paused momentarily to give a knowing glance at her youngest daughter, Donna, before continuing, "Our Brothers in Arms. For what you have done, there are no true words but the thanks I bestow now. Warriors!"
At her cry, the armour-clad Amazons lifted their weapons of choice in the air and let forth a rousing battle-cry; sunlight streamed off the gleaming surfaces of many a sword and spear-tip. Many members of both the Justice League and the Titans, past and present, saw fit to take a step closer to their companions…
Diana beamed in ecstatic joy, her two families were coming together on this day, her exile was ended and all it took was a giant, near-Universe-ending War of the Gods to do it!
Thank Hera for small mercies…and yet, something bothered her about the glance her mother had thrown at her younger sister, and then it hit her…Oh.
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"Care to explain the cryptic glance, Mommy-Dearest, threw at you, before?" questioned the Speedster, racing up to Donna; she smirked at Flash and remained, annoyingly, silent on the subject. Though she knew he wouldn't rest until he had at least half an answer…
Nightwing appeared by her shoulder, she had long ago given up asking how he did that…it was almost as if he didn't know himself, it was just instinct…and smiled at Wally; a dangerous smile…
Wally seemed to put two and two together, "Why do I feel like you have something to do with this…?" he asked, suspiciously. "Wait, no, I'll be-…" There was a momentary blur, before Red Arrow and Tempest appeared, then the speedster himself, "…-just a second!"
Everyone groaned at the silly quip.
Red Arrow sighed and looked forlornly at his hand where, an instant ago, there had been a full glass of wine… "Did you have to take my drink, Speedfreak?" he muttered, ungraciously, with a glare that could have frozen fire…
Garth, however, merely awaited silently, the reason he had been forcibly removed from a pleasant conversation with Aquaman. Wally snorted at the Archer, "Pffft! Don't be such a downer, Roy, I have a feeling this is worth hearing…" he shot a secretive look at the suddenly innocent-looking Dick and Donna, "Very worth it…"
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Nightwing frowned slightly and leaned in to stage-whisper at Troia, "I don't know about you, Donna, but I'm getting a slight sense of Impending Doom…you?" The Amazonian nodded in confirmation, suddenly realising that some of their other teammates and a few of the new Titans had drifted closer in what, she was sure they believed, was an inconspicuous manner.
"Alright, if you promise to drop the 'we're-not-listening, honest!' act and Wally doesn't tell everyone –like usual- I suppose we could tell you about the first male on Themyscira Island…"
There were muted cheers, Donna visibly rolled her eyes and sighed; Nightwing smiled and spoke,
"It was in a time where the Titans had only just gotten together, after the unfortunate 'Mr Twister Episode' that Wally's ego will never let him forget…" he smirked at the angry huff the speedster let out, before continuing, "Most of us were in the Newly-constructed Tower, except for Wonder Girl…Wonder Woman had an issue with her little sister being in an unsupervised building full of boys…
Completely ignoring the fact that most of us were ten and really didn't notice things like that, well, maybe except a certain Archer with a stash of those magazines under his bed…or the speedster who used to sneakily read them of a night-time…"
"Hey!" Interjected Wally and Roy; the Archer glared, "And how would you know where it was, exactly, bird-boy?" he challenged. Nightwing smiled back, "Easy, I saw you put them there, and noticed that certain people were making frequent stops to that part of the Tower…it wasn't difficult to work out, to tell the truth. You should really be more discreet…"
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Dick side-stepped in time to dodge the arrow headed his way, smiling slightly…Donna deflected it off her metal bracelet and huffed, "Really, Roy? Really?" Red Arrow shrugged, sheepishly and threw back, "Well, it would've been easier to hide things around the Tower if Mr Night-Owl over there would just go to bed at a reasonable time, rather than wandering around looking for things to do…"
Superboy cut in, "Really? Your Robin does-uh- did that too?" at which point he was viciously elbowed in the gut by both Robin and the current Wonder Girl; Conner looked confused for a moment…before realisation kicked in.
"What? Oh, sorry Tim, I didn't mean it like that…We're totally cool with you ninja-ing around the Tower at night…and stuff." There was a moment of silence before the New Titans burst out laughing, the current Robin gasped at him, "Ninja-ing? Where-…where did you *hah ha* get that w-word?"
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Sensing opportunity knocking, Donna stepped cautiously backwards and felt another beside her; Dick pulled her gently into the shadows and soon they were enveloped. Finally, behind a large pillar at the other side of the gathering, they looked at each other, smiled and burst out laughing…
"Remember the first time we did this?" she laughed, "When- when you had the- ha ha ha! And then we lit…and dresses on the- Ha ha aha!" There wasn't more than a few coherent words in that sentence, but the imagery they conjured up was pretty spectacular, the memories flooded back…
He began to laugh too, "Yes, we did do some strange things…what were we thinking when we put your mother's crown on the-"
"On the What?" came a commanding voice, sobering them both quickly; Hippolyta came around the corner, white gown flowing and ornate tiara sparkling…flanked by guards on either side. Her stern expression melted quickly and she smiled, this was rather unexpected…but not exactly an unwanted reaction…
"Donna, my daughter, I have missed you since you went to Man's World," said the Queen, enveloping her tall child in a tender embrace, before turning to Nightwing. "And you, Richard dear, you have grown up quite fast! Look at you now! Hah, I remember the first time I saw you, you barely reached my bre-"
A low cough in the back of Donna's throat paused the Queen, her hand raised at chest-level, "We are being spied upon mother…now is not the best time for actions such as that…"
Hippolyta smiled and grabbed him in a warm embrace, which was probably the only time she had ever willingly embraced a male with enthusiasm in her life –excluding the whole deal with Hades, and somehow, she always did. It was Ancient History… He hugged her back, "Nice to see you again too, your Majesty." He replied.
It was a casual moment, yet any who had seen it knew as easily as Nightwing himself, that any other who had attempted the contact he had received from the Queen would have been skewered by her Royal Guard before even taking a step…and that's what made it all the more special.
"Donna, Dick, come with me…I would have you tell me where you put my favourite Crown, for I have yet to find it…but we may do it seated," Hippolyta turned and walked away. Donna followed first to the Queen's left; then Nightwing, her right, the Royal Guard flocked around them all.
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When they all stopped laughing, there was a generalised no-holds-barred argument about anything anyone could think of…then came the realisation of where they were and…who they were missing…
"Hey, where did Short-Pants and Pony-Tail, disappear to?" came the indignant cry of the Speedster, at which point at least several of the surrounding heroes spluttered and spat out there drinks in incredulity and amusement at the nicknames. Garth remained silent, but Roy saw his eye twitch, "Gotcha Fish-Boy, where did they go? Come on, I know you know!"
Tempest sighed, pointing a hand over the crowd to a large, ornately-carved pillar at the Temple entrance; Wally frowned, wondering why they would…Hippolyta and her guards moved around the pillar, he decided to go and have a look for himself.
"…-ime I saw you, you barely reached my bre-"
He heard the words, but didn't want to believe them, nor could he look away when he saw where the Royal hand was hovering, but Donna seemed to sense his presence and halted her mother; there was a discussion and the trio moved away, flanked by menacing guards with pointy objects.
He dashed back over to the others, "Hippolyta is having a private audience with the pair…Who wants to go spy on them?" he asked, cheerfully; unsurprisingly, most of the Titans readily agreed to go and have a look, others staying behind so that the sudden on-masse departure of all the younger heroes wouldn't occur and have the locals become suspicious. The pointy-object-wielding-locals…
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Cassandra wandered into the gardens, accompanied by Superboy and a whole host of the other teen heroes who didn't go charging off, she leaned into the Teen of Steel and whispered, "What are they saying?" Conner snorted a little and smiled like the Cheshire Cat, "Oh this is good…It all started…"
As he began to relay what he heard, everyone else leaned in a little closer…
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"…when I was in my Room at the Tower, the clock had just struck midnight and I was bored like you wouldn't believe, I even finished all my assignments for something to do…which is just sad, really. When there was a rap on the door, I thought it was just Wally with one of his immature jokes again…he had this nasty habit of throwing buckets of paint on people…
So I ignored it…but that person was insistent…considering I found them in all their Ponytailed-Glory, hovering outside my window a moment later…" Donna blushed slightly, laughing, "Well you wouldn't answer your door and I was too polite to break it down…"
Dick snorted a little in amusement, "Only because you knew that, if you did, Diana would know you'd been to the Tower by yourself…even though she expressly forbid it-…"
"On my orders!" came Hippolyta's voice, her eyebrow raised, "But I obviously underestimated you, daughter…and your friends…" She reached out a hand and picked up an amphora of wine, she offered it to the others, who reluctantly nodded; as she poured the crimson liquid into each of their goblets –though Donna protested she should be serving her Queen, rather than the other way around- Hippolyta looked at the two heroes.
They were, all three seated by her Throne, there was a table set upon the dais by hers, and the two thrones either side of her own [usually filled by her daughters] were half-full of their intended purpose. The other housed –for the first and probably not the only time- Nightwing, someone Donna had always treated as a brother…so Hippolyta had treated like a Son…or Daughter…after that first little incident by any case…
He raised his hands placatingly –not easily done when one was also negotiating with a goblet of wine- and smiled, "Of course you did, and we understood why, now, but then it was a complete mystery to us all!" He laughed, his easy-going nature inviting the others to join in, which they did. It was impossible not to give him what he wanted, Dick had always had a knack for diffusing tense situations, making the tough calls…being a Leader…
Hippolyta eyed her youngest daughter –not so little anymore…more's the pity, she would to have babied the girl a little longer…but time was against them…- and nodded, "Tell me more about this little escapade into the forbidden territory of Titan Tower…?"
Donna glanced at Dick, Dick looked at Donna, neither sure who should speak…with a nod, the Former Boy-Wonder conceded that the former-Wonder Girl should tell the next part of the tale.
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" 'To be fair, I probably shouldn't have gone through your window like that, but throwing the pillow at me was completely out of line!' I yelled at the Boy Wonder, plucking feathers from my ponytail, someone looked back at me with an ill-fitting state of bemusement…
'And if I hadn't, you would have set off the security system by going through the laser before I deactivated it," came the reply. I know my mouth gaped for a moment like a fish…I hadn't even thought of that, but I needed his help and so…in I came.
Robin grabbed for his mask, I remember that, we were still in the 'Batman-won't-let-me-tell-you-my-identity' Phase of things…Never understood how you managed to not go crazy having to wear that mask or sunglasses the whole time…anyway; I floated in and landed on his bed.
'I need your help,' I said, he blinked and I thought he was going to refuse me so I tried a different tactic, 'Pl-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?'
'What exactly do you need?' asked Robin, I think I started to cry then…I don't remember clearly, but I answered anyway, 'Th-there's a g-girl wh-whose being m-mean to me on Themyscira! And I need y-your h-help to make her st-stop!'
The way he looked at me, I thought you he was under the impression I was crazy…so I did the only logical thing and cried harder. He patted me on the back, I think he wasn't sure what to do…"
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"Hey," interjected Bludhaven's protector, "If you were ten and a girl on the end of your bed –who shouldn't be there anyway!- starts bawling, after breaking through your window on the twenty-something-th floor unexpectedly, would you know what to do?" he posed, Donna blanched for a second, "No…I don't think I would…good call with the patting thing though, it made me feel better…" she grinned.
He took up the story, "After the initial crying episode, I finally coaxed Wonder Girl into telling me a bit more about the situation…whilst I was sympathetic to her cause there was one small problem, 'Donna, why don't you tell Wonder Woman, I mean…I can't go to Themyscira...you know that.'
I wasn't sure whether to be offended or relieved when she answered, 'I know…but the Rule says only Men aren't allowed on Themyscira…and you are a Boy!' Like this was the most logical connection in the world…it was then that I realised she hadn't made the connection between Boys and Men yet…
An awkward conversation for another time…so I just agreed to help her and was in the process of asking exactly when she planned on going…when she grabbed me…"
Donna began to laugh, "You looked so surprised, I nearly dropped you!" Seeing her point, Nightwing grinned back, "At least you gave me a chance to grab my Utility Belt…but a bit of warning would have been great…I didn't get a chance to re-activate security on my room…and you know that's pretty much a giant invitation for Wally to go through my things…"
Reclining in her sumptuous throne, Hippolyta surveyed the two with a knowing smile and gently steepled hands; these two were exceptionally unique people, indeed…she remembered back to what they had done on Themyscira before being caught…but, ah! They were not up to that part of the tale, and she planned to enjoy every minute of it…
Taking over, Troia spoke, "I grabbed Robin and took off, he wasn't exactly pleased and the computer screen we left behind was flashing an ominous red warning…but I couldn't exactly be faulted for not paying too much attention, can I?
He asked me all sorts of questions on the flight there, who was this person? Was there any reason she was targeting me specifically? Was she afraid of anything…? I was confused at the last one, and dutifully answered, that yes, she was petrified of Spiders and Fire…
By the time we reached the shores of Themyscira, he seemed to have some sort of a plan…and I was dying to know what it was, but he cautioned me to have patience… It was night here, too, so we made our way to the sleeping chambers. He kept fading in and out of view in the shadows, which was unnerving, and as far as I was concerned, really confusing…I couldn't see how anyone in such a bright costume could just disappear, but he did.
By the time we got to Miral's chambers, I was so nervous…but Robin was calm, you did that creepy laugh and faded away completely! I nearly screamed and flew straight into a wall in panic, but someone was kind enough to grab my arm and yank me back in time.
Miral was asleep, completely calm upon her bed, hair splayed everywhere in those lovely red curls I always envied when I was little…the Boy Wonder pulled me into a corner and made a 'Stay Quiet!' Gesture, so I did. He disappeared, you know, I really began to hate it when you did that!
Something flashed in the roof, like a fleeting glimpse of something, then it was gone…suddenly, Miral woke up screaming as the world around her erupted into –what I perceived as- flame…Robin reappeared beside me in an instant, smiling. He snapped his fingers and the flames, indeed all light in the room- went out, he was gone again but an echoing voice filled the chamber.
"I hear you've been Tormenting a friend of mine…isn't that right, Miral?" It came from every direction and none, I was actually starting to get scared; whereas Miral was thrashing around, looking everywhere in the consuming darkness for whomever was speaking. "W-Who are you?" she half-sobbed, half-demanded, I saw a shape flash past her right and she flailed in the opposite direction.
"Someone who is displeased with the way in which you have been treating Wonder Girl; do you want to disappoint me further or will you leave her alone?" He paused a moment, the silence was deafening, before adding, "Or must I come back?"
"N-No! I'll leave her al-alone, I s-s-swear! I swear…" Miral had begun to sob, someone pushed me out of the room and the lights came back on with a Whoosh!
Robin fell into step beside me, "That okay? I don't think she'll bother you again…" I turned, wondering if he was joking, then launched myself at him…"
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Nightwing held up a hand a strange look on his face, eyes decidedly in another direction…something was up, he motioned he would take over and both women nodded [as did several of the stationed guards…who looked thoroughly amused].
However, Donna didn't quite remember things the way Dick told them…and she burst out laughing!
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"There was an instinctive need to block the leaping figure, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and was hugged to within an inch of my life…and I have t-
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"..to say, Peter Piper picked a peck of Pickled Peppers, a Peck of Pickled Peppers, Peter Piper Picked…Superboy, I know you're listening to this…and probably telling all the others, why not just come up here?" Repeated the Teen of Steel, dutifully, suddenly shocked out of his repetition trance by the strange words.
Those around him looked stunned too, how had Nightwing known they were listening?
"You heard him," Tim broke the silence, "Let's go!" Kid Flash smiled and tapped the current Boy Wonder in the shoulder, "Oh, Ti-im, Gotcha!"
In a flash they both disappeared…
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"-amn it, Bart! I hate it when you do that!" Came the aggrieved complaint from Tim, after being set down [from the embarrassing Bridal Style hold, Bart insisted upon carrying him by] in the Temple Entrance.
The others followed quickly, flying, jumping, running –or hitching a ride on one of the above powered people- and did a double take upon entering the Temple/Throne Room, seeing the Queen flanked by the two former Leaders of the Titans was an impressive sight.
"Just take a seat on the floor, anyone else? No? Good, Oh…by the way-"
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"-Uncle Clark, I know you're listening in too. You know, you and the rest of the League are welcome to join us as well." Repeated Superman, eyes wide in surprise, he had been caught out as easily as Conner had and still had no idea how Nightwing did it.
He looked to the others, most of whom shrugged, others nodded; but they all made their way up the slope to the Temple.
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When the older heroes entered the room, Wonder Woman flew up to the currently fully occupied dais in surprise; Nightwing made to move out of his seat…well, her seat, for her, but Diana smiled and shook her head. "No, you are telling the story, you keep the seat." And she winked at him.
"In that case, did you want to keep going or should I…?" he asked of Donna, she tilted her head in thought and decided, "No, you speak, I'm tired but when you get to- well, I want that bit…" He frowned a little, "But that's the best bit-…fine…but you have to tell all of it…"
"Where were- oh, right, you were breaking my ribs in affection…Donna finally let go, her face was covered in a shiny film of tears and I wondered if someone had turned on the Universal Mute Button, because I hadn't heard any of it…
She looked at me expectantly, I had no idea what the girl wanted right then, there were only a few hours till sunrise and if I didn't get back by six, Batman would kill me…not that I was going to be forth-coming with my exact location...because then, Wonder Woman would kill me. Logic is not a strong suit when you're ten…
"Well? Can we have some more fun?" asked the 'innocent' younger sister of Wonder Woman with an evil look in her eyes, I frowned, realising I'd probably just corrupted her forever…and Wonder Woman was definitely going to kill me –no way around it…
Thinking hard, I remembered something I had seen on the way and smiled, "Sure, anywhere we can find an ample amount of dresses at this time of…early morning?" Her look suggested I was completely insane but she was willing to go with it, because she flew us over to the Laundry Vats. Hundreds of dresses, togas and all form of outfits hung suspended from the roof, yesterday's wash drying to be handed back on the morning…perfect.
Stealing a few dozen of all different colours, we made for the entrance to the Temple of Athena and Aphrodite…where several dozen ornately-carved statues of the…female form, were on display doing various activities. Some of said activities made it difficult to dress them, but we managed…eventually, although one statue did end up losing an arm in the Battle of the Pink Toga…casualty of war, very sad."
"The arm's probably still hidden in the fountain, if you look closely at one of the Dolphins, you'll see it has a unique decoration coming from its blowhole…" he paused to point out to those assembled, Hippolyta had wide eyes and nodded at another woman who ran out of the room.
Reappearing seconds later with the arm, slick with a thin sheen of water, after so many years in watery concealment… Hippolyta raised an eyebrow at the pair, both smiled back at her…
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Donna continued, "There was now a whole two rows of well-dressed statues flanking the entrance to the combined Temples, we stood back to survey our handiwork…then burst out laughing…until we heard footsteps…there was no obvious place to hide except…
I didn't think Robin would go for it, but he was surprisingly receptive considering the alternative was agonising death…
Grabbing two of the remaining outfits from a small pile on the floor –hastily shoved behind a statue- I yanked on a red training tunic, gold bands criss-crossing all over it and threw my Wonder Girl costume to the floor. It was a bit long for me, so it came to my knees…looked good, though…
Robin looked at me in semi-horror as I picked up a brilliant pink one, looking in his direction thoughtfully…then sighed in relief as I discarded it for a green and gold dress, came to about the knees, too…
He actually looked pretty good in it, to be honest…especially once he discarded the Robin costume from underneath…but the mask was going to be a dead give-away, so he tossed it without remorse and climbed up on an empty pedestal beside me. I crammed a golden headband on each of us in an attempt to make him more feminine, and me…well, I just wanted to wear one…it was pretty…
We struck rather intriguing poses, I was half-crouched pointing to something on the other side of the chamber, rapt excitement on my face and Robin –who had found the old weapon somewhere- was standing over me; bow drawn back with an arrow fitted and determination in his expression.
We must have looked pretty good, I found that I continuously wanted to turn around and look at him, and I felt his gaze on me…if only we'd had a camera!
Marching echoed in the hall and we stiffened into our set poses as a Patrol came into view, only to stop dead and stare at the multi-coloured chaos that awaited them, "By Hera, what has happened here?" cried Commander Ariel, eyes wide. My own heart near stopped when she bent to pick up something from right in front of us, I just knew we should have been more careful when we hid our costumes…
I nearly sighed in relief when she picked up a…very familiar, looking headband… "Miral!" hissed the Commander, "That girl is nothing but trouble! I shall have to- ooh, look at this, troops!" The other women fell in about her and they all gazed up at us…I could feel sweat dripping down my back and panicked, internally.
"This is very good, I wonder who has made it?" came another voice, from behind the others, "I have never seen this before, it must be new; but lovely, the clothes only complement them…maybe it was deliberate…?" They fell into conversation about the new 'statue' and I could feel my arm trembling, finally, Ariel brought them to order and drew them all together, "Come, we must complete our watch before daybreak."
With that they were gone…
After a cautious moment of tense waiting, we did what any sensible pair of children would do, laughed like hyenas and fell in a boneless heap of relief…"
"It really is too bad we didn't have a camera though, you did look quite nice in that dress, and I'll bet we made one hell of a statue!" laughed Donna, to which Dick looked both miffed and quite pleased with himself. Hippolyta's expression, however, had become strangely inscrutable…
"Are you aware, you two, that when Ariel returned with her patrol only moments later to find the 'marvellous statue' missing…it almost made it a personal challenge to the women who had seen it? Ariel herself created a new one in its image and our most famed artist –Eryina- was also amongst the patrol, therefore…" the Queen waved her arm and two items were simultaneously unveiled…
First came the portrait, beautiful and graceful like one had never seen captured by any camera, it was almost as if they were looking through a mirror of time…many of the assembled heroes gasped; and then came the statue, the proportions were perfect, and real cloth hung dramatically from the full-colour creations. Again, like a mirror…it was surreal and beautiful…
Despite the deep gravity and beauty in the moment, Wally burst out laughing; ever tactful was the speedster… "Dude, you are so hot in a dress! Too bad y- OW!" he yelped as a batarang shot past his face at great speed and force, it cut half of his cowl/mask off…
"I really wouldn't mess with someone who's got pictures of you with pink hair, in a nurse's outfit…a sexy nurse's outfit…" came the echoing taunt, it was good-natured in mannerism, but Wally still found time to be offended at it. "Hey…that was one time, and it was a dare!"
Roy smirked at the memory, and Garth conceived to look completely innocent…despite the knowing look Aquaman was casting him…
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Hippolyta raised an eyebrow at Donna, who shrugged with a smile, the Queen turned to her other side and looked at Dick; he smiled also, "Love the painting and the statue, didn't realise we'd made such a great effect…"
"On the contrary, my dear Ri- Nightwing, it was the stunning portrayal of an avid huntress and her companion that inspired many an artist on Themyscira," she smiled, delighting in the faint blush that spread up his cheeks and under the mask. "Now, I believe it was your turn to speak…"
He grinned, "Of course, your Majesty!"
"Snagging the headband had been a last minute idea on my behalf, I just thought…that should we encounter any more issues, it would be best if someone else were in the spotlight…and indeed, that need came to fruition after we were caught in the Hall of Multi-Coloured Chaos…
Now they were distracted –and Wonder Girl's arch-nemesis had double suspicion placed upon her- I deemed now would be a good time to leave…Donna had other ideas. The main idea invoked a definite, 'No way in Hades!' from me…I would prefer to live…but she was adamant that she wanted to pull a prank on her mother…and she kind of dragged me along with her…
At least Donna seemed to have an idea where we were going…I had no idea at that point; mainly just focusing on not falling over in the dress…it was exceptionally awkward. But somehow we made it to the Queen's Chambers, I had to keep grabbing Wonder Girl's wrist to calm her down, or she would have simply flown through all the walls between her and her goal.
And I very much doubted the Queen would have been so forgiving if she had awoken to that…so, I finally gave in and promised to get the item for her, she squealed in joy and nearly brought the Royal Guard down upon us…only a smoke bomb in the right direction saved us…
I may or may not have slipped my Utility Belt on under the dress…which made getting anything twice as awkward, but it was strangely functional…
Women rushed past from all directions, leaving the door unguarded for a moment, I dashed in and saw the item by the sleeping Queen's bedside, on a hand-carved table; under the impression I was safe, I walked to the table and picked up the Crown…only to have a hand snare my wrist.
"Donna…? Donna what are you doing in my room at this time?" her Royal half-awake-ness asked, eyes blearily focusing on me…thinking quickly, the only thing my frantic mind could come up with was, "Uh, I-I couldn't sleep, had a nightmare…just came to see you…"
Which, as it turns out was both a good and a bad idea all in one…the Queen did concede this as a likely story, like it had happened before… but she also moved over and lifted the covers…and my mind went blank of excuses…so she merely used the pause to pull me in. That was twice as strange as anything, I thought for sure she was going to notice I wasn't Donna when she began to hug me…but no, she didn't even notice.
Not that I was willing to be caught, but hey, being mistaken for a girl at a distance is one thing, when someone who is pretty much pressing you against themselves, mistakes you for a girl…then you have issues…
She murmured something about 'short hair' before going back to sleep and I took the opportunity to switch myself for a pillow; then took off out of there as fast as possible, trying to run with one hand grasping the crown and the other holding down my dress so it wouldn't flap as I ran…
Not that Wonder Girl was sympathetic, oh no, one look at me running towards her and she just about died laughing…which would have completely blown our cover, if not for the yowling, clanking hubbub that was Miral being dragged into the Queen's Chambers, by the Royal Guard.
Her majesty awoke with a start, weapon to hand…suddenly I was glad I'd had the 'Oh-look-it's-Donna' awakening, rather than the, 'Intruders! Stabby-stabby!' awakening…I'd never fancied myself a shish-kebob… Whilst they were busy with that, Donna and I took our chance to escape."
Hippolyta was laughing so hard, regal tears were pooling in her eyes; she took a deep breath to calm herself before gasping out, "So it was you! I thought it had all been a dream…or a vision…truly, I thought you were Donna, with shorter hair, at the time. And I did glean later, that it would be you two behind the 'Miral business', I did not think she had it in her to be so creative…"
Most of those listening were suitably amused, Wally had taken to laughing into a pillow provided by a guard so as not to disturb the story-telling; he would pay later, but for now, Nightwing smiled. Wonder Woman smiled also, finally hearing the original version of Orrah's famous poem, "The Epic of the Half-Maidens" which was composed shortly after this all occurred, in honour of their exploits, it was one of Diana's favourite stories.
Not that they knew that…
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"And that is not the best bit yet, wait until you hear what we did with it!" laughed Donna, who then received a metaphorical nudge from Dick, he tilted his head and smirked at the hungry gaze on their listeners' faces.
"Ah, yes… Mother's crown…it was quite a beautiful circlet, covered in rubies and gold, her favourite, actually. I had always envied that she could wear it, I had always wanted one like it…and now, here it was, in my hands…I was so excited! I jammed it on my head immediately, only to stop at the soft laughter from my companion… 'You have it on backwards,' he supplied and reached up to adjust it, 'There, you really like that thing, don't you?'
I'm pretty certain I was blushing so hard, I lit up the dark! Despite the fact he was also wearing a pretty dress and circlet, I was starting to really like Robin, even if I didn't know his name; not many boys would act so rationally after being hauled to a mythical island in the middle of the night, forced to wear a dress, play Statues with a dozen heavily armed women and get royally hugged whilst trying to sneak the crown out of the Royal Chambers…all whilst being mistaken as a girl.
I started to like him very much I had a feeling he knew but was ignoring it, so we kept going, I led him to the Stables…it didn't take long to find Perseus, Mother's favourite Pegasus; he was quite obliging when I put his bridle on…and the crown…
It was nothing to swing up onto him, but it took Robin a minute to work out how one gets on a horse in a dress, much less how to sit in one, I think I laughed the whole time before pointing out to just sit normally.
Perseus was eager to be off, and we soared in lazy circles around Themyscira as the sun came over the horizon, it was nearly blinding, but beautiful and I laughed at how well the Pegasus wore the crown. His head was held high and stiff, like Mother's in a procession, and he seemed exceptionally graceful when he wheeled about; finally we came to land…and were almost instantly met by members of the Royal Guard.
"Oh, little majesty, where have you been? Your mother was so worried! And- who is this young lady…? I've never seen her before…" So many voices talked all at once, they just blended into one long, unending question! So I settled for silence…I noticed Robin had slyly grabbed the crown from Perseus, who was now protesting its absence.
He saw me looking at him and mouthed something, I caught the word and nodded, there was a countdown from three…at one, a capsule of thick black smoke exploded and spewed everywhere, someone grabbed my hand and we ran…laughing like crazy!
We skidded past another temple, when he ground to a halt and looked back inside…I looked from the crown to robin's grinning face and just knew something clever was going to occur, so I followed him inside…
Moments later we ran out, turned a corner and ran straight into the arms of Thera and Cleo, the Heads of the Royal Guard; it was just about then I realised how very dead we were…"
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"When we knelt before this very Throne, I could see the unamused glance we were receiving from mother…she was not happy, not by a long way and was determined to make us understand that…to be fair, I could see her point, even as a child; doubly so now. Although, at the time, I was also truly concerned she was going to kill my best friend…so cheering her on wasn't high on my list of priorities…"
Hippolyta cut her off, "Donna, I believe I would like to tell the next part of the story, it is my favourite part, after all…" She cast a knowing wink at Nightwing, who, in turn grinned back at the both of them.
"As Donna had mentioned, there were two –what I perceived as girls- at my feet, to be more precise, at the bottom of this throne's steps…quite a significant way up from floor level; I believe I must have looked somewhat imposing, as both were staring with avid fascination at the floor.
I decided for a more, 'hands-on' approach and descended to the floor, and still they did not look up at me, so I simply asked, 'Rise, daughter and friend, you are not to be harmed. But I must ask of you some questions…'
They stood, heads down; like they did not wish to meet my gaze, to be honest I do not think they could…considering their height, the most likely thing they could stare at was my chest…and that would get us nowhere. I bade the other women of my Guard exit, all but Thera and Cleo, and told them to look at me; they did so, albeit reluctantly…and I realised why…
'You have brought Man here, Donna? Why?' I demanded, roughly grasping the arm of a – strangely-relieved- looking young man, then she started to cry, and I was actually unsure of what to do. Strangely, it was the boy who spoke to her calmly and told her it was alright, like I should have, he then turned to face me; looking me straight in the eyes, he explained about Miral and how Donna had come to him for help.
It was then I realised what had happened, releasing him, I knelt by Donna, 'Why did you not just tell me about Miral, I would have helped you, you know this. Why bring an Outsider into it?' She looked even more upset when I said that, the boy spoke again, 'She was being threatened, by Miral; if she told you or any other on the island what was going on, Miral said she would kill her. So she came for me.'
It made sense, she had chosen someone from off the island, and also someone –who it seems- was able to illicit a promise from Miral to never cross Donna again, for which I was…grateful. Which was something I never thought I'd be, to someone from Man's World…
Still, the rules must be upheld, so I motioned for Thera and Cleo to grab him, drawing my weapon…but I hadn't anticipated he would do any more than stand there…one second I saw him, the next…he was gone. As if swallowed by the shadows themselves… and suddenly, I had Donna latched into my arm in tearful pleading, 'Please, the Rule says no Men are allowed on Themyscira, Men! Robin's a Boy, that's different, right?'
I suddenly realised I really had to get around to explaining a few key facts of life to my daughter…then I smiled, 'You are, of course, right my Daughter. He is a Boy, and therefore not subject to such stringent rules...especially since it was bent in the pursuit of one of our greatest goals, helping a fellow sister in need. You may come out now, 'Robin', you will not be harmed.' He seemed to drop from the darkness above; I suppressed a leap of surprise, trying to remain calm and dignified. Not easily done under such circumstances.
The dress truly did flatter him, and if I had not been as close as I was now, I would never have guessed the truth. He came forwards to stand by Donna, looking up at me and I was tempted to laugh at how the light burning in his eyes seemed to catch off the circlet he still wore, but being Queen means you have to be at the very least, mildly diplomatic.
'Robin, is it your real name or…?' I asked, somehow already sensing the answer; he raised an eyebrow, questioningly, 'I don't think my parents would've been cruel enough to name me Robin, do you? It's a name I use when I'm out with Batman, why?' I had heard of Batman, and the child's instantaneous distrust of me made sense, I had threatened to kill him, after all…
Something about the way he'd phrased his last sentence struck me as strange for a child, 'You speak in the past tense…?' I inquired, 'Oh, they're dead, that's all.'
I dropped my sword…"
Hippolyta stopped, unsure how much of their conversation to reveal, but Dick waved his hand in a 'go on' gesture and smiled encouragingly, ignoring the surprised gasps from those who hadn't known his back-story…she obliged.
"Retrieving my dignity with my weapon, I glanced at the child again, making a decision that saw my lip coil into a small smile, which is probably why the guards took a step backwards…I placed an unencumbered hand on his shoulder, 'Well, as it seems that way…your name?'
He frowned for an instant before returning, 'Richard, Richard Grayson-Wayne…if that's too long, call me Dick," with a smile. Therefore, I did, it was nice to put a name to the boy who had helped my daughter…although, if what I intended panned out correctly, such a thing would be trivial.
'As you are on Paradise Island, known as Themyscira, the sacred place of Women…I would to ask something of you, now you do not have to kneel…as I am aware you are quite uncomfortable in that outfit as it is. Though you shouldn't be, it suits you wonderfully…" I said, getting slightly off-topic, before springing back to the point. "Ahem, as we cannot, by the Goddesses commands, allow a male to reside on the island for any length of time, if at all-"
I could see realisation, alongside slight horror and fascination, grow in his eyes as I continued, "I must be forced to give you a new identity on this island, when you visit." Throwing in the hint of a return visit or several in fact… "As, like the great goddess of spring, herself, you have to be of two natures…Male in Man's World and Female here, I name you our Honorary Amazonian Sister Persephone and Honorary Daughter of Hippolyta!"
He smiled slightly, looking down at his outfit and frowning, "So, do I have to wear this every time, or do you believe in pants…?" I couldn't help but laugh, Donna came flying out and hugged him, Thera and Cleo were stunned…but ecstatic. It was a unique day to be sure…but eventually both had to be sent 'Home', Persephone/Dick to Titan's Tower and Donna to the room at Diana's hotel where she would be expected to be…
I don't think it will ever be physically possible to forget…" she finished, sighing longingly.
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There was silence.
Most merely contemplating what they had heard, but of course, two people in the crowd had to ruin it all by running up the stairs –one with assisted super-speed- and landing in both Dick and Donna's laps.
"Oof! Wally, for a guy who has a metabolism that eats faster than he does, you sure do weigh a tonne!" protested Nightwing as Flash used him for a cushion; Donna nearly fell off her throne-chair when Roy first landed on her…well, more technically it could be said, she caught him as Wally slung him in her direction at super-speed.
"So that explains the hole in your window, did I mention Speedfreak over there went through your room while you were gone…?" asked the ever-helpful-though-grinning-maliciously-Archer, to which Dick raised an eyebrow behind the mask and smiled, "Only with you standing watch, I'll bet…find anything interesting?"
Wally sighed dramatically, "No…just a bunch of school stuff…which I may or may not have copied…I owe you for the only A+ I ever got in English, by the way…Not to mention, I have to ask, if you're a daughter of Hippolyta, how come you don't wear the uniform and fight alongside Wonder Woman and Troia?"
The former Boy-Wonder smiled, answering, "Because, then if both of us turned up to a fight in the same outfit, things would just be awkward!"
He laughed, and then pushed the offending speedster off of his lap; said speedster caught himself before falling and 'flashed' upright. "Hey, that was uncalled for! Oh, by the way- Got Your Mask!" yelled Wally, hand snatching it from Nightwing's face and disappearing momentarily to appear behind the massive shield of Superman.
"Really brave, Wally, really brave…" smiled Dick, gazing down at the partially-hidden speedster and showing off his sparkling blue eyes. Roy was similarly dumped; though, with no super-speed to save him, he landed on his ass…Donna smirked down on him.
Hippolyta rolled her eyes towards the Gods and prayed she live through the next few moments, turning sharply when he heard a derogatory remark about…her 'Other' Daughter…
"So, Persephone, how many times did you visit the island…did you always wear the dress or did you get a selection…?" Smirked Red Arrow, to which 'Persephone' answered quite calmly, "Why yes, I did have a selection of garments available to me…running in a short dress is quite uncomfortable and awkward…when you aren't female. Actually, especially if you aren't female…and I visited the island several times; why, you aren't jealous are you?"
Roy spluttered but found no plausible answer, so settled for silence.
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Robin leaned over to Batman, "Sooooooo…does this mean…?" he silently asked the rest of the question, to which Batman sighed and nodded, "I believe it does…"
The Teen Wonder gave a whoop and yanked his mask off, to the amusement of his teammates…
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Throughout all the chaos caused by this sudden revelation, Hippolyta remained calm and collected; blue eyes watching the movements of her children, thoughtfully. Finally, she spoke clearly above the hubbub, calling attention to herself with the very first syllable; only the bravest spoke still, and only in softest whisper…
"My Children, I would to ask of you…where exactly is that which was precious to me? For all this time and great searching, I have not yet the location of my most favourite crown…would you now be willing to reveal it?" her voice held a tone of desperation that could only be sourced from the inquiry by those who knew her well.
Dick and Donna grinned, blue eyes meeting their twins in the other and they nodded, "Of course, Mother…I- WE, would to tell you…but you must promise not to kill us first." Added Donna, warily.
Hippolyta frowned, a feeling that she would not like the revelation growing deep within her heart, "You have my word I will not kill you, should you reveal the location to me…" Even the intrepid Nightwing took a step back –out of sword range- at the precision with which the Amazonian Queen chose her words…
"It is somewhere you will have visited often," he supplied cryptically, looking to Donna, who said, "Indeed, it is part of your daily ritual to offer there; strange you would not to have seen it, truly…" The Queen's eyes narrowed slightly, enough to send enemies running for their lives or certain Men of Steel to start questioning their mortality…
"And where exactly would it be?" she ground out levelly, retaining as much royal calm and restraint as physically possible; resisting the overwhelming urge to reach out and throttle the information from those closest…
Donna nudged her brother/sister, and he smiled, mischievously… "Alright, you win…we'll tell you. Remember the moment when Perseus landed? The Royal Guard had us completely surrounded, and all I could think was, 'We're Doomed!' and, 'We have to get rid of this crown, or they'll kill us!' So I motioned to Donna we had to run; a smoke-bomb in the right direction did the trick…and we ran. I had the crown firmly clenched in my right fist, other hand yanking a wide-eyed Wonder Girl through Themyscira in the Dawn light.
It was then I saw the Temple, we skidded to a halt in the entranceway and darted inside; a familiar goddess gazed back impassively at us as we entered, she had small bands of gold and jewels about her person and flowing robes. But what we noticed most was…the circlet she wore, it too was encrusted with jewels, similar to those on the item we held, and so made a swift decision…
Luckily, the statue stood right behind the altar, and it was easy to reach her head, gently prying off the circlet and avoiding all the platters of strange fruit piled in offering, I slid the crown on her head and handed Donna the circlet for her own. Taking a moment to gaze at our handiwork, the sunlight gleaming off her and filling the Temple with light and the feeling of life, and strangely a sense of bemused interest in our actions; we then turned and ran…right into Thera and Cleo…and you know the rest." He finished.
Recognition and confusion filled the Queen's regale features, as she surveyed the pair and she uttered, "And yet, throughout your story, you have not yet named the location of my crown…?" Donna grinned, looking again to Dick, their eyes playful and sparkling as they shared a secret joke, he turned to her, "Haven't we…Mother?" The inflection was unmistakeable as a hint, and realisation dawned on her like the rising sun on the world…
"You didn't…?" she gasped, to the amusement of many a super-guest they were entertaining at that moment, Donna smiled, "Oh, but we did…Thera, Cleo, you know of where we speak, will you accompany us to this place?"
The Heads of the Royal Guard looked up and bowed, "As ever, your Majesties…" they replied in Unison, and the five of them left the Throne Room, several heroes trailing behind…
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In the main body of the island, sat a temple to the Goddess of Spring and Death; it was there that Hippolyta entered and gasped, gazing in fascination at the familiar ruby-encrusted gold crown she had longed for, for many-a-year, and wondered at how she had missed it…
She turned back on the beaming pair behind her, both of which were ridiculously amused –even as Thera and Cleo reverently removed the Crown from the Goddess; Donna miraculously producing the original circlet from seemingly nowhere- and stated, "You surprised me, my Children. Of all places…you chose here?" her voice was incredulous…
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In subdued silence, they made their way back to the Throne Room, where many of their surprise Guests awaited their return in anticipation…Although he had peeked and whisperingly told Tempest and Red Arrow, probably Superman and Superboy too via some Super-Eavesdropping they were doing…Flash anxiously awaited the return of Troia and Nightwing. Vibrating with excitement.
Hippolyta ascended to her throne, turning regally and holding the newly-found crown –as untarnished as the day it was lost- high in the air, "We rejoice in the return of this Crown, which was a gift from the Goddesses themselves, and I decree there will be no punishment for those who hid it from us all. As the place in which they did so was both ingenious and imaginative, they should be commended to have kept it in such plain sight for so long without discovery…I commend you, my children."
She nodded to those at her sides again, before placing the crown on her head –in lieu of the other which had mysteriously disappeared on the way from the Temple to the Throne Room- and sat down, Troia and Nightwing sitting after a moment's pause.
Finally, someone felt confident enough to ask…
"Would you just tell us where it was already?" came the aggrieved call, to which Hippolyta gazed down upon them with something approaching Royal Ire –though it was quite a convincing façade- and ended up beaming, "Would you believe…on the Goddesses Statue in the Temple of Persephone…?"
A cheer went up and hilarity rippled through those gathered at the revelation…
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Diana smiled as the others asked questions of her sisters, particularly her most unique one…about the kinds of training they went through; it had been interesting, Dick had been the only male to complete Amazonian training, ever…even if he did it under the guise of Persephone.
Soon the generalised festivities were over, and since no deities had seen fit to destroy them, or throw lightning bolts around…there were already plans for another celebration to be held soon, being created as they spoke.
As Nightwing turned around, sans the mask, she saw on his neck, the mark of completion…a ritualistic tattoo awarded to each and every Amazon who finished their warrior training; a small Crescent Moon of delicate silver and gold working sat low on the back of his neck, covered mostly by his collar.
Diana smiled and felt at her own, always obscured by her hair, subconsciously seeking it out in the other Amazons gathered for the farewell of the heroes. She saw her mother beckon both Donna and Dick to her, smiling, in her hands something wrapped in silk of precious purple…she realised what it was and grinned quietly.
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Initially, the parcel remained stationary in his technical 'foster-mother's arms, but when they stepped closer, Hippolyta smiled and she opened it to reveal…gauntlets; two pairs, one set with a small black star speckled with white dots on each, the other set, a small blue bird on a crescent moon.
"They are yours, both of you have earned the right to wear them…I know you love your current pair Donna, but these were coaxed from Hephaestus, so you may wish to try them. Persephone, Richard, Dick…no matter what we call you, you are truly one of us…these are yours; they will fit under your costume without issue. They also mould to your flesh, so they will not decrease your mobility in any way…"
Donna smiled, trying the new bracelets for size; Richard smiled back as she turned to him and said, "Remember what I once told you in Brother Blood's Lair…?" He thought back and beamed at the memory, whilst sliding off his gloves and trying on the new gauntlets…
"Yes, well, it looks like two can play 'Bullets and Bracelets' now!"
They stood there laughing as bemused onlookers wondered exactly what the hell they were talking about…
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EPILOGUE
Superman jostled the uncowled Batman, "Cheer up! Dick seems to be happy…and this only gives you and Diana another reason to be togeth-…what's wrong?" he asked, sensing a change in the man's moods that could have been seen on any weather map…
Bruce Wayne, not Batman, turned back to face the Man of Steel and simply replied, "It's nothing…just…slightly relieved. I'd always wondered about the ever-changing display of dresses in his wardrobe…now I know…"
With that, he smiled…Superman blinked, then began to laugh…
The END
Please Review, I know it was Weird, but that's my nature...I actually only thought of the ending when I got there...
Hope you liked it and enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it...^^
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