Diana:

I'm lost. After my nap, I'd decided to stretch my legs. I'd taken a taxi quite a long way away to a nature trail that's nearly deserted this time of year. Without a glance at the map, I had dashed into the trails, running at a superhuman speed, safe behind the trees. When I closed my eyes I saw Themyscira. Somehow I still have the streets I haven't seen in over a hundred years still laid out in my mind. Then I had taken a left turn to avoid a building, and ended up off the trail, somewhere deep in the deserted woods of a nature rail I don't even know the name of.

Brilliant move Prince. I hadn't even told Wayne where I was going. I bet he would be frazzled when he found my empty hotel room with no note. I bet he'll think he wants to kill me. Well, he could always try, but as far as I know, mortals don't stand up very well to gods. Or aliens. Or other mortals, especially rich other mortals. In a way, I'm all three. I'm an alien in America, as my citizenship is British, I'm a rich mortal having over 100 years worth of savings, and I'm a god.

At least I cleared my head and stretched my legs. Now I can focus on getting out of here.

"Diana!" a voice shrieks in the distance. I inhale sharply as my shoulders tense. It was nothing, I tell myself as my eyes drift downwards, scanning for a trail.

"Princess Diana of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta!" It shrieks again. I jump, actually bounding into a tree. I hug the branch for dear life as I calm myself. Once I can clearly see the ground, I let go. I land, punching the earth, absorbing much of the fall in my legs with no broken bones.

"Who's there!" I call out.

"Diana," the voice teases. "Come on Diana. Think." Great, after all these years the gods choose now to send me some omniscient guide!

"Diana, do not tell me thy memory does not serve thee well anymore." Now that it wasn't yelling at me, it seems to belong to a female. I close my eyes. If I learnt anything on that magical secluded island, it's that you do what those godly voices say or face the consequences. The ugly consequences.

The voice... I remember it talking to my mom. Slowly, the names of the goddesses came back to me. Mother conversed often with Hera, though she had a strong, overbearing voice much unlike the one I was hearing. Artemis was too serious, and I think I lost her favour as soon as I kissed Trevor. Aphrodite was way to playful and I'm sure she cursed my love life, in both senses. Atalanta is lion now, thanks to a latter goddess, so I can cross her off. It's too late in the day for Eos to be giving me advice. She's much more of an early bird. Often only an early bird. I doubt Nike wants anything to do with me and Mnemosyne is much more...creepier... than a voice in the woods.

"Thou art a disappointment," the voice declares. "Is the mortal world numbing thy mind? Or art thou brain soft." My hand whips to my mouth in an attempt to stifle my laugh, but it escapes through my nose in the form of an undignified snort. Athena! Of course! How could I have forgotten the goddess of wisdom?

"And battle strategy," she reminds me.

"Show yourself," I command, the words coming out harsher than I wish. In a flash of white light, a tanned goddess with long browns locks stands in front of me wearing a casual white toga and battle armour. 

"Diana Princess of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta, daughter of Othera, daughter of-"

"You can stop now," I tell her. "Amazonian lineage doesn't go past Othera."

"I know that. I just wanted to remind thee that thy lineage is not just gods and clay."

"Alright." Right, I'm speaking with Athena. Always beats around the bush unless she's desperate. Always speaks like it's Shakespeare.

"Thou dost naught yet ken why my presence is needed." I nod. Unless she's here to get me un-lost, I have no clue. "Thou art being tested, Diana. The girl, the missing memories. All is but a test. Pass it, and thou shalt find thyself again. Fail, thou shalt return to thy place of birth, for the race of men have no need for a lost hero in a world where heroes are found in abundance. There thou shalt await the next war between men and gods. Thus thou art tasked with proving thy purpose here as Diana Prince." There is almost a disgust that she way she says this as if the very fact that I had to call myself Prince instead of Princess was enough to prove this society an undeserving patriarchal one.

"Thank-you O wise one." I recite automatically. She is right about the patriarchal part, but I know there is more inside. I've seen it myself, and I believe in it.

In another flash of white light, the goddess is gone.

"Thou holdeth my support." I smile as her words echo throughout the hollow forest, their words guiding me back to the trail with more certainty. As I emerge from the woods, I no longer dread my hours alone, nor the trip back to England.

  ~~~~~ 

 I'm back! So I spent most of the break musing some ideas for this story. I hope you're just as stoked as I am to see how these ideas are going to morph together and play out in the future. As always please continue to vote, share, and comment. And please keep sending me those lovely PMs! I truly love and appreciate all of your support.

~Beneath_the_Willows