Since no one volunteered to carry Steve Trevor, Bast gave him a disdainful kick to wake him up.
He jolted upright with a hiss, a distinct high-heeled boot print stamped across his face.
"Ow—! That hurts!"
"Who the hell—"
He met Bast's cold, downward gaze.
The profanity died instantly in his throat.
The group arrived at Themyscira's only dock.
A lone wooden ship—weathered and seemingly on the verge of falling apart—rested beside a narrow pier extending a few meters into the sea.
"Don't tell me we're leaving on that thing?"
"How many years has it been since that wreck moved?"
Steve clutched his head in disbelief.
"Um…"
"About… two hundred and fifty years? Months? Days?" Diana replied uncertainly. "We maintain it regularly. It will sail. It can pass through the island's mists and follow the set course."
"So…"
"It's enchanted too, isn't it?"
At this point, after witnessing Bast's transformations, Steve barely blinked.
"Bro," Leon slung an arm around his shoulders, "you don't need to understand everything about Amazons. Just get on the boat."
"I'll tidy it up first."
"I'll help."
A2 volunteered immediately, 2B following close behind.
They both knew perfectly well—
Leon could fly.
His powers weren't sealed.
And inside his System Storage rested a luxury yacht reinforced with Adamantium framing and Vibranium plating.
But he refused to use it.
Why?
Because a shabby wooden ship was far more romantic.
A2 stepped onto the pier.
Crack.
Splash.
The plank gave way under her compressed frame—her mass unchanged despite her altered form.
She fell straight into the water.
Steve burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Big sis, how heavy are you? You crushed a plank two centimeters thick! You weigh more than that panther!"
His laughter died the moment A2 climbed out.
Her expression promised violence.
A suffocating pressure gathered behind him.
Two punches later—
Steve sported fresh panda eyes.
A2 bound him tightly with a Vibranium rope.
Hoofbeats thundered across the ground.
Queen Hippolyta arrived with her elite guard.
Diana stepped forward calmly.
"I'm going, Mother."
"Innocent lives will be lost in Ares' war. I cannot stand by."
"If no one else will confront him—then I will."
"I must."
"I know," Hippolyta said softly, dismounting. She cupped Diana's face, her expression a mixture of pride and sorrow.
"I am not here to stop you."
"I am here to see you off."
"The world is not as beautiful as you imagine."
"I've made my decision," Diana replied steadily. "If they cannot fight for themselves, then I will fight for them. As you once did."
"Even if you never return?"
A flicker of grief crossed Hippolyta's face. She knew.
This departure would change everything.
"I will return."
"With Leon."
She clasped Leon's hand.
Hippolyta met Leon's gaze for a long, silent moment.
No words.
Yet everything was said.
She pulled them both into an embrace.
"Odinson. Do not fail her."
"Of course."
A promise given without hesitation.
"When you reach the world of men," Hippolyta added, "listen to Leon. He understands better than you the question of whether humanity is worth saving."
"Go."
"Show Ares the pride of the Amazons."
She released her daughter.
Antiope stepped forward next, embracing Diana firmly.
Leon shamelessly leaned in for an aunt's hug as well.
Antiope sighed and gave him a crushing squeeze.
"When your strength returns, we fight."
"If you lose, forget about Diana."
She thumped his chest.
"I'll have to go all out then," Leon grinned.
"Diana, when you meet Ares, hit that coward hard. He only dares manipulate humans from the shadows."
Antiope clenched her fist. If not for her duty to guard Themyscira, she would have joined them herself.
"I will."
Diana nodded solemnly.
The small wooden ship raised its sail.
It drifted steadily into the thick mists surrounding Themyscira—
And vanished.
Silence fell.
"Do you really think they'll be fine?" Antiope asked quietly. "That's Ares."
"Hippolyta replied instead with a question.
"Do you truly believe Odinson is powerless?"
"Isn't he?" Antiope frowned. "He looks solid enough, but when I hugged him, his muscles felt relaxed. I sensed no strength."
Hippolyta shook her head.
"A truly powerful god can control every instinct, every fiber of their being. That is a realm beyond mortals."
"Zeus once stood at that level."
"So does Odinson."
"It is the dividing line between lesser gods and true ones."
"What is absent does not mean weakness."
"What is present is proof of strength."
"He may conceal his power flawlessly."
"But the instinctive composure… the confidence that views all threats as trivial—"
"That cannot be hidden."
"Not yet."
"With or without divine power—he is formidable."
Is that loneliness the true reason you encouraged Diana to confront Ares?
God of Battle… Leon Stark Odinson.
Hippolyta's conclusion settled firmly in her heart.
If Leon knew his future mother-in-law had already imagined him as a battle-crazed, solitary god seeking worthy foes—
He would probably laugh himself to death.
Your Majesty… I'm just hopelessly smitten with your daughter.
It's really not that grand.
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