The queen made no move to introduce anyone else.
"Miss Queen, why don't you come rest in our quarters first? We rarely have contact with the outside world."
Her smile was gentle—too gentle.
Yeah right, Thea thought. Trust you? Not a chance.
This woman reminded her way too much of her own mother. Loving her daughter on one hand, lying through her teeth on the other. Telling Diana that all the gods were dead—until the girl believed her—then claiming it was all just legend. Saying the Godkiller sword was the ultimate weapon, able to slay gods and destroy worlds, which turned out to be complete nonsense.
If Diana hadn't suddenly exploded with divine power, she'd have been tricked into an early grave.
Thea didn't intend to expose her, though. She nodded politely.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Please, just call me Thea."
Well now, the queen liked that. After five thousand years of being tormented by her headstrong daughter, this polite, graceful young woman was a welcome sight. Hippolyta instantly took a liking to her.
It wasn't until they reached the horses that the queen realized a problem—this outsider probably didn't know how to ride. She knew enough about the world beyond the island; the age of machines had long arrived.
"Miss Thea, do you know how to ride?" she asked curiously.
That one caught Thea off guard. She had jumped off her hoverboard earlier, carrying it in her arms to avoid drawing attention. After all, technology like that would look like divine witchcraft here.
She thought for a moment. Years ago, her father Robert had taken her and Oliver horseback riding during a family vacation. She remembered the basics, though it had been ages.
Physically, she was far stronger now—learning again wouldn't be hard.
But as she stepped toward the brown mare the queen had pointed out, something strange happened. Thea grabbed the reins, swung herself onto the saddle, and the horse immediately responded to her—friendly, obedient, almost connected. She didn't even need to tug the reins; a single thought made it move.
What the…? she wondered. Could it be because of the unicorn? Are these its descendants?
She couldn't reach Arthas—magic was sealed the moment she entered this airspace—but whatever it was, it didn't seem dangerous. Letting the horse take the lead, she followed the Amazon warriors toward their settlement.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the tall woman who might just be her. Their eyes met briefly, and perhaps because Thea's gaze carried a hint of challenge, the young Diana quickly looked away, feigning focus but with a flush of youth still visible.
So green, Thea thought with a faint smile, answering the queen's questions out loud while chatting with the mare in her head.
The horse responded clearly, confirming what Thea already suspected—this was indeed Themyscira. And oddly enough, all the horses were female. Not a single stallion among them.
When she asked how they reproduced, the mare's reply was muddled. It didn't really know. There was an instinct for birth and life, but no males, no mating. They were simply… born again. Over and over.
Thea's expression froze. Ra's al Ghul, are you seeing this? These horses are doing reincarnation loops better than you!
The gods had too much free time. They'd built this island, shaped its Amazons, cast a magic barrier, and even gave them eternal life—then promptly forgot all about it after a nap.
No wonder the gods all died. Waste your divine power like this and you run out before the next war.
"Miss Thea, have you decided what you'll do next?" Hippolyta's gentle voice broke her thoughts. "If not, you're welcome to stay with us a few days. We hold tournaments every day and bonfire feasts at night—it's quite lively."
So many questions disguised as small talk. This woman was probing for truth with every word.
Thea did her best to answer, but she could only bluff so much. The queen's "casual" topics were all trick questions:
—"That senator from your America, the one who proposed the absurd bill…"
—"That wartime recruitment film was impressive. Was that man an actor or a real soldier?"
God help me, Thea thought. At least she now had the timeline—it was March, 1918. Good. Wonder Woman's story hasn't started yet.
But she couldn't answer details. Her history grades were never great. She could maybe recall the president's name, but senators? War propaganda films? The only soldier-turned-actor she knew was Captain America—and he wasn't even from this universe!
Her hesitant replies only made the queen's smile deepen, sweet but firm. The final offer sounded like an invitation but felt like an order: stay.
Sure, Thea could run. At this point Diana probably wasn't strong enough to stop her. But even if she escaped… where would she go? How would she get back to her timeline?
Waiting for the Waverider to find her was an option, but the Oculus was gone, and Gideon couldn't track temporal signals anymore. Expecting them to locate her in random space-time was like asking a blind cat to catch a lightning bug.
No—staying here might be her best shot. Themyscira was blessed by the gods. Maybe she could find a way back from here.
But if she stayed, the Lasso of Truth was inevitable. And that thing never failed. With all her secrets? Not happening.
She was still torn between staying and running when a sudden beam of light erupted from one of the island's temples, shooting straight into the sky. Unlike sunlight, it was soft, serene… divine.
"What in the—?"
Before Thea could even react, Hippolyta's face drained of color.
Without a word, she spurred her horse forward, galloping toward the light with no escort, no hesitation.