[One Week Later][Themyscira]
Scaffolding surrounded damaged towers. Amazon builders worked from dawn until nightfall, lifting marble back into place, reforging shattered gates, and cleansing the land of lingering corruption. The imprisoned criminals were sealed away deep beneath the island under renewed wards. Guards rotated constantly. No chances were taken anymore.
Below the island, far from sunlight and sea breeze, John remained at the Doom's Doorway. The divine seals pulsed steadily now. The cracks had stopped spreading, but the work was far from finished.
Maureen had already returned to Khandaq with a contingent of Amazon warriors. Together, they reinforced borders and made it very clear to the world that Khandaq was not unguarded just because its king was absent.
Harley stayed.
She spent most of her time near the lower sanctum, sitting on a broken pillar with her mallet resting across her shoulders, humming to herself and watching the entrance where lightning occasionally flickered deep underground.
She was guarding the entrance.
Above, within the palace...
Sunlight filtered through tall windows, illuminating shelves of ancient scrolls and relics in the room. The air smelled of incense and sea salt.
Diana stood near the window, arms folded behind her back. She had been quiet for several minutes, her thoughts clearly heavy.
Finally, she turned.
"Mother," Diana said calmly, "I need to ask you something."
Hippolyta, seated at a low table, looked up from a scroll she had been reviewing. "You already know the answer to whatever you are about to ask," she replied gently.
Diana exhaled. "Then I will still ask."
She stepped closer.
"This marriage you agreed to," Diana continued, choosing her words carefully, "is it real? Or is it only politics?"
Hippolyta did not answer immediately. She set the scroll aside and stood up. "It began as desperation," she said honestly. "When I came to him, I believed we were already on the edge of extinction. Hypnota had taken the island. Ares was moving in secret. The Doom's Doorway was cracking. I was prepared to offer anything if it meant saving Themyscira and the world."
Diana asked. "Including yourself."
"Yes," Hippolyta replied without flinching. "Including myself."
Silence settled between them, broken only by the distant sound of waves.
"But that is not what this is anymore," Hippolyta continued. "John refused to be bribed. He refused to abandon his people for ours, and he did not demand anything other than my hand in marriage. Think of it from a political point of view. Kahndaq is a new nation, growing slowly, and they'll need allies strong enough to prevent unnecessary war. John is strong, no doubt, but there are many strong metahumans out there. If the enraged nations gather together and decide to launch an attack using an army of metas, a new war will begin... The Metahuman war. So, through this marriage, we'll show the world that Themyscira and Kahndaq stand together openly, in the process, stop or delay that war long enough for John to get even stronger and create his army."
Diana looked up again. "Do you have feelings for him?"
Hippolyta did not answer immediately. When she did, her voice was softer.
"I respect him. I trust him. And I see what he carries without letting it consume him. Love may come, or it may not. But this is not a sacrifice, Diana. It is a step forward. Isn't this why you came home for?" Hippolyta said with a smile. "Become the queen and change the old traditions. Lead your sisters toward a better future through unity."
Diana met her mother's gaze, the weight of the words settling over her like a heavy cloak.
"I don't think I'm ready," Diana said quietly. "To be queen. To lead Themyscira in the way you envision. I have fought battles, I have seen the world beyond our shores, but ruling... that is different. The responsibilities are vast, and the mistakes would fall on everyone. I do not know if I can carry that burden without faltering."
Hippolyta crossed the short distance between them and placed both hands gently on Diana's shoulders. Her touch was steady, warm, the same touch that had steadied her daughter through childhood training and her present self alike.
"No one is ready, Diana," she said. "Not the first time. Not the tenth time. I was not ready when the crown was placed upon my head after the last great war. I was barely more than a girl who had lost too many friends and feared I would lose more. The crown does not wait for certainty. It waits for courage. And courage, my daughter, is not the absence of doubt. It is the choice to stand and act even when doubt whispers loudest in your ear."
Diana's voice wavered. "What if I fail them?"
Hippolyta turned back to her. "You will... At times. Every leader does. The question is not whether you fail, but whether you stand back up and correct your path."
Diana closed her eyes and let the silence stretch.
She thought of the island as it had been for centuries. Beautiful, proud, and strong, but also closed. She thought of laws written in fear and tradition hardened into chains. She thought of her brothers cast away to the mountains, reduced to tools rather than kin, and of the ships raided just for breeding. She thought of lives taken casually, justified by old stories told so often that no one questioned them anymore.
When she opened her eyes again, something in her expression had changed.
"You are right," Diana said softly. "We have protected ourselves for so long that we forgot how to grow."
Hippolyta searched her face but said nothing, allowing her daughter the space to continue.
"The world beyond our shores is changing whether we wish it or not," Diana said. "God rising, nations rising, and mortals wield power that rivals legends. If we cling to what we were, we will become brittle. And brittle things eventually shatter."
She took a slow breath.
"It is time we stop pretending our traditions are sacred simply because they are old. Some of them were born of fear, not wisdom."
Hippolyta nodded once, her eyes attentive.
"We will open the gates of Themyscira," Diana said, her voice gaining strength. "We will choose how we engage with the world instead of hiding from it. Our brothers who were sent away will be called home. They were never criminals. They were victims of our fear."
Hippolyta's breath caught, just slightly.
"We will end the practice of plundering ships," Diana continued. "We will end the cycle of using men only for breeding and killing them afterward. That is not strength. That is cruelty dressed as survival. We must change..."
For a long moment, Hippolyta remained silent. Then she reached out and took Diana's hands in her own.
"This will not be easy," Hippolyta said quietly. "There will be resistance. Some of our sisters will call this betrayal."
"I know," Diana replied. "But as you always said, leadership is not about pleasing everyone. It is about choosing the path that allows the future to exist."
Hippolyta smiled then, not as a queen, but as a mother.
"You sound like a ruler already."
Diana let out a small, almost nervous laugh. "I still have much to learn."
"So did I," Hippolyta said. "And so does every queen who is worth remembering."
Both of them walked to the balcony and watched the rebuilding below.
...
Another week passed, and Themyscira changed.
The coronation took place at sunrise.
The great amphitheater overlooking the sea was filled with Amazons in ceremonial armor, bronze and gold catching the light as the sun rose from the horizon.
Diana stood at the center of it all.
Hippolyta stood before her and placed the golden crown on Diana's head.
"With the will of the Amazons and the blessing of the gods," Hippolyta said loud enough for everyone to hear, "I name you Queen of Themyscira. May you lead not only with strength, but with mercy and courage."
Diana knelt briefly, then rose.
The crowd went silent.
She looked out over her people, really looked at them. Warriors, builders, healers, sisters who had lived under the same laws for centuries and were now standing at the edge of something unknown.
"My sisters," Diana began, her voice calm but clear. "Themyscira has endured because we are strong. But strength alone is not enough to face the future."
Murmurs rippled through the amphitheater.
"For too long, we have mistaken fear for tradition," she continued. "We closed our gates not only to the world, but to growth. That ends today."
She raised her hand, and the air seemed to hold its breath.
"By my authority as Queen, I pass the following laws."
Scrolls were unrolled beside her, glowing faintly with divine script.
"The gates of Themyscira will open. We will choose when and how to engage with the world, but we will no longer hide from it."
A stir of surprise moved through the crowd.
"Our brothers who were cast away will be welcomed home. They are Amazons no less than we are."
Gasps followed, some sharp, some filled with relief.
"The practice of raiding ends now. Such acts dishonor us. They will no longer be done in our name."
Silence followed that statement.
Diana did not falter.
"We will protect ourselves. We will defend this island with every ounce of strength we possess. But we will no longer define ourselves by cruelty disguised as survival."
She lowered her hand.
"This is my decree. This is our future."
The silence broke, slowly at first. Some Amazons knelt. Others stood rigid, uncertain. Then one spear struck the ground in salute. Then another. Soon, the sound echoed across the amphitheater like thunder.
Hippolyta watched with pride.
...
Later that same day, the world learned something else.
The announcement went out through every major network.
Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira would marry John, ruler of Kahndaq.
The reaction was immediate.
Markets trembled, political alliances shifted overnight, emergency meetings were called in capitals that had once dismissed Kahndaq as a temporary anomaly, and Intelligence agencies scrambled to reassess power balances that no longer made sense.
An ancient warrior nation with godly abilities allied openly with a rising god-king.
Whatever games were being played in the shadows now carried consequences.
In a JSA tower, Doctor Fate watched the broadcast in silence.
The Helm of Nabu glowed faintly in his hand as visions flickered behind his eyes. Futures branched and collapsed, timelines shifting like tides. Where once he had seen fire and ruin, now there was something else. He saw stability, growth... Conflict still, but not annihilation.
Cyclone stood near the window, twirling visible wisps of wind around her fingers. Atom Smasher leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Hawkman was sitting on the couch. Guy Gardner paced back and forth, scowling at the screen.
"You gotta be kidding me," Guy said finally. "First, he gets two superpowered girlfriends, and now he adds a queen to the collection?"
Cyclone blinked. "Collection?"
Guy threw his hands up. "You know what I mean. Harley Quinn, Maureen, and now an Amazon queen. Meanwhile, I cannot get a second date without it turning into a disaster."
Atom Smasher tried and failed to hide a grin. "Maybe it is the whole saving the world thing."
Hawkman snorted. "Or the godlike power."
Guy glared at them. "You are not helping. I'm sure that guy has some kind of spell to make girls fall in love with him. Mark my word, very soon..." He pointed at Cyclone. "She'll fall for him, then Diana... and before we know, he has an open harem."
"Shut up," Cyclone said as she looked out the window.
"See..." Guy said. "She isn't even saying no. Wait! You like him too?"
Doctor Fate turned from the screen. "Envy is understandable, Guy Gardner. But misplaced."
Guy crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? Enlighten me, Doc."
"John does not collect power for indulgence," Fate said. "Power gathers around him because he carries responsibility without corruption. That is rare."
Guy muttered, "Still feels unfair."
Cyclone smiled softly. "You could try not being insufferable."
Guy opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Harsh. But noted."
Dr. Fate put his helmet away. "For the foreseeable years, Earth will remain safe."
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AN: Next Chapter will end this arc. Spoilers: Upcoming chapter names. Click to read.[1]
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[1] Ch: 69 [I’m Home] Ch: 70 [The Last Kraang Prime] Ch: 71 [The Magic Nation] Ch: 72 [A Kryptonian Problem] Ch: 73 [Kara Zor-L] Ch: 74 [The Last Daughter of Krypton] Ch: 75 [Welcome to the Family] Ch: 76 [Training Kara] Ch: 77 [Harley's new recruits] Ch: 78 [Peaceful life in Kahndaq] Ch: 79 [Waller & Enchantress]